Catalyst

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Features Hail to the Chef! -pageS CARl update -page 6 Opinion: Indifference is not an option, Walls are your responsibility -page 7 Vol ume XII Issue 1 issue one-resurrection; or, the editors' trial by fire September 13, 2 00 0 New College increases its brain cells By Zachary Konkol Returning students and faculty have probably noticed a few changes this year, one of the most notable being an increased number of antici patory faces and bodies belonging to first-year and transfer students. Their brains filled with the promises of freedom and academic challenge, they have stormed upon the campus and descended into the classrooms, ready-and sometimes not so ready for the year ahead of them. Unfo r tunately, many o f these new students, and returning students as well, have discovered that getting little harder than expected. Making up for low enrollment numbers last year, admissions has succeeded in bringing up the number of new stu dents to an expected total of 163 freshmen and 42 transfer students. Last year there were only 129 in coming first years, wbile tbe number of was the same as this year, 42 While a relatively small increase such as th 'is would not have a notice able effect at a larger university, at a small such as our own, total enrollment figures have hovered at a bout 620 in recent years, the increa s e is bound to produce change. If change is a major in dicator of progress, New College s hould be in good shape this year. However, these changes do present a host of questions, and mixed reac tions from students and faculty. Problems also begin to arise when one considers that an increase in students has to occur before funds are allocated for an increase in fac ulty. As Literature Professor "Mac" Miller said, First you get the bod ies, then you get the money." So, what happens in the mean time? For starters, the increased number of students has filled up many classes to the max. Some pro fcssDrs, in an attempt to a c c 0 m "BODIES" PAGE 3 I mod ate L_ ----------' Campus Elections Thursday! by Bill Outlaw New College Student Alliance (NCSA) elections will be held on Thursday, September 14, from 8 a.m. to 6 p m in Hamilton Center just outside the entrance to Marriott. Students will have a chance to meet the candi dates at the town meeting on Wednesday night at 6 p.m. NCSA President Rachel Morris declared that "Elections are always important. This election is espe cially important because it gives first-year students a chance to become involved in student government here at New College. This election will also be responsible for el&ling a quarter of the Student Allocations Committee, which controls student budgets. I hope there is a large turnout this year." One of the major problems that has tradit i onally plagued New College e l ections is low student t u rnout. I n a camp us of around 600 i nte lli ge n t, articulate individu als, elections generally receive but 200 to 300 student votes "Turnout has been extremely low in the past," member Ben Ruby, who counts ballots as dent court responsibilities. Another annoyance to some and an exercise in humor to others is write-in votes. Some of the more imaginative students have, in the past, turned in write in votes nomi nating pop-culture icons such as Bugs Bunny for NCSA President. (Selected past results on page 8.) When asked about this, Morris commented "I don't think that you can ever waste your vote. God help us, however, if Bugs Bunny becomes NCSA President He would never work for the abysmal amount of pay that the president receives." In last spring's elections, Morris won reelection to a third one-year term by a more than two-toone ratio. In the presidency, she developed a reputation for a con frontational style in dealing with the administration of the University of South Florida in Tampa, in one instanc e threading to sue the school over a committee fo rmed t o rai se athletic fees S tudents a r e enc ouraged, implored, commanded, and begged to tum out in record numbers for Thursday's elections. Vote; if for not for your own interests or a sense of campus pride, do it to ensure a student govern-rabbits, at tbe very least. More information on the NCSA is available at their website, http:/lvirtu.sar.usf.edu/-ncsa Legislature's actions create uncertainty Dean and Foundation commission objective report to sort out chaos by Mike Sanderson Even the good guys don't know whom to root for During the 2000 session of the Florida Legislature, New College was constantly on alert as politicians attempted and sometimes succeaded in making wrenching changes that could affect New College severely, but with unclear implications. Campus Dean Michael Bassis, in an an nouncement to the campus last June, wrote that "[mostl assertions about the likely consequences of one or another proposal ... can be readily discounted as uninformed, speculative, or self-serving." In that same announcement, Bassis wrote that he had contacted a Senior Associate with the Institute for Higher Education Policy in Washington, D.C., Jane Wellman, to investigate what exactly is happening. After meeting with leaders on the campus, she agreed to produce a white paper on the "fiscal, programmatic, and political implications of the various campus governance propos als that are under discussion," according to a memo sent late this summer. Due to other commitments, she has just begun her task with meetings here at the Sarasota cam pus last Thursday and Friday. She has a lot to look at. The Board of Regents, which oversaw the State University System, is to be dismantled in 2003 and re placed with local boards of trustees appointed by the governor. These boards would have the effect of tighten ing political control over the state universities. Sen. John McKay (R-Bradento n), a Florida State Univt::rsity alum and a power in the state senate (he will be senate president next year if Republicans keep con trol) arranged the transfer of the Ring i ng Museum of Art to his alma matter, which has a Sarasota prescnc...: through its Graduate Theater Conservatory at the Asolo Theater, which it owns. The transfer went beyond mere ownership, creating the "FSU Center for the Cultural Arts" and ordering FSU to devl!lop a strong presence in arts education in Sarasota. FSU has developed a 'cotH.:cptual plan" for ful filling that directive, though Bassis told the Catalyst that they haven't had much time to thitlk about it, and ''there's not a lot of meat [on the plan J Most cataclysmic of the developmcnts last spring was the bill pushed by State Senator Donald Sullivan (R Pinellas County) that would make independent universities out of the University of South Florida's branch campuses at St. Petersburg, Lakeland and Sarasota. The bill failed to pass in the last moments of the session. Sullivan has called it his "highest legislative priority'' this coming session, according to Dean Bassis Into this fight steps Judy Genshaft, who became USFs president this June. On a visit to the Sarasota campus she "articulated her strong belief that the campus should remain an inte-ISEE "LEGISLATURE" PAGE 4 I gral part of the USF L. _________ ___j_

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2 The Catalyst Presidential Elections in Dead Heat As the November 2000 general elections draw near, the major partie nominees are virtually tied in the polls. This comes after a slump in Governor George W. Bush's initially strong cam paign against Vice President AI Gore, in which he led in some polls by as much as forty points. Parallels may be drawn between this and past presidential elections. Both the 1960 and the 1980 presidential races came out of the Labor Day weekend with both candidates tied in the running. In these campaigns, the polls remained close for the remainder of the election process aJ Analysts have cited several reasons for Bush's ,_, apparent slump in the polls, which began just ....C after the democratic convention. The most recent was his bumble at a press conference September 4th in Naperville, Illinois. Prior to delivering a N speech, Bush made the comment, "There's Adam Clymer, major league asshole from The New Times," while on stage to his running mate .,_ Dick Cheney, to which Cheney replied, Oh, yeah. Big time." Unbeknownst to either of them, the micro phones on the stage were in fact on, so this commentary was blasted acros an auditorium full of conservative Bush supporters and media This comment is in sharp contradiction to Bush's commitment to restoring the dignity and prestige to the White House that wa according to Bush, lost during the term of President Clinton. .... Another factor that may be detrimental to Bush's campaign is his record as Governor of :..,. Texas. A ccording to New York Times reporter _.. Adam er .. Te a ha o the natio worst public health record for decades. More ,.Q than a quarter of its citizens have no health insur ...,_ ance. Its Mexican border is a hotbed of contagion. The state ranks near the top in the na-0 tion in rates of AIDS, diabetes, tuberculosis and f.I:J. teenage pregnancy, and near the bottom in immu nizations, mammograms and access to aJ physicians." Ironically, this objective ob ervation = was made by the same reporter who Bush cussed out in front of an auditorium full of people. As the election draws near, it seems as though George W. B ush has become his own worst enemy, while AI Gore is still haunted by his at tachment t o the scandals of President Clinton. E lec t ion in Hong Kong On September lOth, many of the citizens of Hong Kong went to the polls to pick their new catalyst General Editor Kathryn Dow Managing Editor Max Campbell Photogra phe rs Heather Whitmore and Kelly Jones Layout Editor Mike Sanderson Online Editor Zak Beck Advertising Coordinator Anna Maria Diaz-Balart Staff Writers Darren Guild, Zachary Konkol, David Savarese, Bill Outlaw, Gigi Shames, Ben Ruby, McConnick Price, Es News government leaders, though many analysts, and indeed citizens themselves, view thi s as an act of futility. The election takes place during a period of growing discontentment towards Hong Kong's Chinese appointed Chief Executive, Tung Chee Hwa. Many voters realize that regardle s of the elections, Tung Chee Hwa will remain in power. The reason for this is that of the sixty seats available in Hong Kong's Legislative Council, only twenty-four are directly elected by the citi zens. Thirty of the seats are chosen by special interest groups, which include banks, businc ses, and professional associations. The remaining six are elected by an 800-member committee domi nated by pro-China personalities Many in Hong Kong believe that this political structure was instituted by the Chinese as an ef fort to protect the interests of Beijing, rather than those living and working in Hong Kong. And as the ability to change the power structure of Hong Kong becomes increasingly difficult, many are becoming very apprehensive of their home's future. Tung himself did urge many to vote, insisting that the legislature does in fact make a difference. Voter turnout wiU most likely give a boost to pro democracy politicians, though as to what degree it is still uncertain. September 13, 2000 some progress in the Middle East peace process, there has been nothing but disappointment de spite President Clinton's personal meetings with both Yasser Arafat and Israel's Prime Minister. As for controversy, one of the biggest event in the media was President Clinton's handshake with President Fidel Castro, the leader of com munist Cuba. First reports from the White House denied that the two leaders had in fact shaken hands, though later this statement was retracted, and it admitted that not only did the two shake hands, but that they also briefly conversed. The White House does maintain, however, that. the conversation was "nothing of substance." However, the main purpose of Summit was not aimed at good relations between the United States Cu)n. The primary goal was to allow the U.N. to renegotiate and strengthen its resolutions. One of their many new gallant un dertakings involve ending world poverty by the year 2015. With such great undertakings being planned, and given the small timeframc they are expected in, the U.N. has a lot to deliver. Some remain skeptical of the U.N.'s new promises, citing that it main goal, which is to end war worldwide, still has not been realized, and doubt the agencies ability to deliver all of the policies that it has promised. However, the Legislative Council it elf has And in the Last Month: bad some setbacks. Several prominent leaders, A 3-foot-long iguana escaped from captivity, frustrated with the limited powers of the Council, prompting a police alert, given its propensity for are not seeking re-election. Many of these site the aggression toward menstruating women (St. idea that they may be able to do more for the poAustell, J?ngland), at" o f om o h cil. .. i\ ouei1 diaper;-['' a stic a 'I 0-With the electoral system structured to < 16'-r 'tnree<'CI ed: l' "'setting that the Chinese government retain s control of afire tlie walls of t\'{O apartments, causing $3,000 the Legislative Council, it is unlikely that this damage (Ennis, Texas). vote will make any difference to Hong Kong's A disabled man had his motorized wheelchair overall political system. Through all the disconstolen at gunpoint in a routine street mugging tent of the people, Chief Executive Tung Chee (Milwaukee). Hwa and his associates remain firmly in power. One of Rio de Janeiro's notorious bus thieves, Uni te d Nations M illennium S ummit As the U.N. continues its Millennium Summit, many precedent-setting deci ion are being made by the world's leaders. On Saturday, the Security Council met with various world leaders in able to strengthen the measures of global peace keeping and how to better allocate aid. Among the resolutions passed was one to who had just snatched about $800 from passengers, escaped by leaping out a door, but inadvertently landed in the mid t of a 400-officcr police force guarding the municipal governor during a downtown ceremony. "[deliver] mankind from the scourge of war." Information taken from: The New York Times, Amid hope that the Summit might bring FOX News, CNN.com, Bored.com, an"d "News The Catalyst is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.sat:usfedu/-catalyst/ The Catalyst is an academic tutorial spon sored by Professor Maria Vesperi. It is developed in the New College Publications 'office using Adobe Photoshop and Quark Xpres for PowerMacintosh and printed at the Bradenton Herald with money provided by the New College Student Alliance. Direct submissions a n d inqu i r ies to: The Catal yst 5700 N. Tamiami Tr. Box #75 Sarasota, FL 34243 catalyst@virtu.sar. usfedu The Catalyst reserves the right to edit submissions for space, grammar or style. Contributions may range in length from 250 to 500 words. Letters to the Editor should be no more than 250 words. Submissions should be labeled as either letters to the Editor or contributions and include names and contact information. Submissions may be saved to the Catalyst Contributions folder in the on the "Public" file server, printed submissions may be placed in campus box 75, and all other contributions may be e-mailed to catalyst@virtu.sar.usfedu. No anonymous submissions will be accepted. All submissions must be received by 5:00 p.m. Friday in order to appear in the following week's issue. Information about upcoming events is welcome throughout the week.

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3 The Catalyst News September 13, 2000 Financial Aid: get your Money for Nothin' by David Savarese tl N C 11 ff' f p 1 A'd .1e ew o ege o 1ce o manc1a 1 The ofcampus? First-year Chris Altes believes so. beMany fresh-faced, first year students have not f1ce IS located in the Palmer Building E and can be cause the financial aid office "rocks [his 1 face b.een to the wonderful world of collegiate contacted at off." That is a lot to live up to, and hopefully our fmanc1al dilemmas and, along with most of the Although there as the feehng of fear and uncerfine Financial Aid office can meet and transcend campus, began to cringe in fear this past week. tamty among the first years, a. positive the expectations of an unruly public. Why are we afraid? Because we owe the school response towards the lovely ladtes wtthm the fiThe Coordinator of Financial Aid Mona money, and much to our dismay, we cannot stay if nancial aid office. First-year Titus Jewell formally Arnold, was able to provide the Catalyst we do not pay. Many students on campus use fitha.t "'f!tey are the standa.rd by which all most frequently asked questions in the office, and nancia) aid provided by the government and other other fmaoc:1al a1d offices must be judged." Strong indeed, the answers as well. Any further question<; outside sources. These monies are routed through words, but 1s that the casual consensus of our new can be directed to finaid@sar.usf.edu. Top 9 Questions Asked in the FiRAid Office 1) How do I get my money for hooks? Many of you were anticipating your $300 Bright Futures' book scholar ship check than it arrived. Alas, the money from our generous mtended to buy your books was not readily available. Why? Ftrst off, because the government doesn't give you the money unless you are a and that happens after you register. Secondly, the scholarship money lS not transferred to the school until the second week of school. Finally, the money goes into your account! You only get the book money (leftovers) AFTER your tuition. fuod lodging is paid for. 2) How do I log on to OASIS? Go to OASIS (http://usfonline.admio.usf.edu) and use your social secu nty number as your student identification number and your birth date as your P.IN (for example 09288l is mine, notice bow soon my birthday is ... I like and hats) can cha.nge your PIN after you log-on or right after you wnte a news arttcle revealmg your personal information to the world. have to dig the money up. The government bases their gift giving on a need based scale that is determined by your FAFSA (Federal Application for Student Aid). 5) Arrrrrrrgh! ls It too late to turn in my FAFSA? No, the deadline is in June 200 I. 6) I want to study abroad, how do I get the money to do it? Talk to the great and beautiful Mona Arnold. As Coordinator of the Financial Aid office she helps students prepare for financial undertakinos. will be a mini-seminar in late September on financial prepa ration for studymg abroad!! Go to this if you arc in critical need for travel inn funds. ::o 7) What happened tbis week? Where was my money? I wanted it sooner. I needed it sooner! I haven't eaten for days!!! Most financial aid money is not available until the second week of school. 8) How do 1 get my hometown scholarship money? r .... = A n _I "W'. .-. -L You will find out all of your financial aid info here. TuJins E. 1'flese checb are sent tOUinpa, .. 8ncl put rnto )iOitr ac-'> How do I get more money? (EspeciaUy since I am a transfer or out of-state student) At New College, your admissions appliCation is your financial aid appli cation. The Board decides if and how much money you get based on this. The out-of:state waiver is just one of the scholarships offered. If that is not enough, have no fear, there is money floating around everywhere, you just count. If your cup runneth over, you should have a check in your mailbox in two or three weeks. 9) How do I get set up financially for next term? Prepare EARLY!!! The monies do not get transferred till the second week of term 2. Please have a little cash or an empty credit card available to buy your books (estimated $300-352) and deodorant. PLEASE!!! Mac on enrollment: 'First you get the bodies, then you get the money' I"BoDIES''FROM PAGE 1 1 the increase, have let a larger than normal num L:: ---------l. ber of students into their classrooms First-year Dru Herring said, "Classes are bigger than 1 expected. I had expected 15-20, but am fmding 25-30 in some of my classes. However, coming from a large public high school, I don't particularly mind it." But Herring also added that, "If classes were smaller, I feel that it would be a much more ideal learning environment." Third-year Casandra Tanenbaum also had mixed reactions. She said, "The more students, the merrier. But it is problematic because you have to add new students before you add new faculty." One of the biggest questions that the increasing enrollment presents con cerns the quality of education here at New College. As a general rule, smaller classes help to develop personalized academic situations in which a student can flourish. But many at New College feel that the increase will not harm the quality of education here. Acting Director of Admissions Joel Bauman said, "I don't think anything to do with education will suffer this year. Education at New College is ex cellent because of the dedicated and talented faculty who are intellectually engaged with bright and ambitious students. Faculty and students in very popular areas of concentration have been dealing for years with large introductory classes." Another byproduct of the enrollment increase has been some dissatisfied faculty members who claim that they were not notified of the increase in ad vance. As Miller said, "Faculty could have been e-mailed. Different courses -which support a larger number of students would have then been offered.'' Miller has previously offered Voices and Visions, an introductory class that can easily accommodate an unlimited number of students, but did not this year. Although Miller believes the increase is a "great thing," he also said that an appropriate amount of planning must accompany such a change and that this was not done. When asked why faculty were not informed, Bauman responded, "Faculty are informed, throughout the year, and in a variety of ways of what is hap pening in the admissions office. The 'numbers are distributed on a weekly basis to various faculty and administrators on campus." The increased student body marks a period of change for the campus. Completed applications, for instance, rose from 397last year to 515 this year The increased enrollment is also bringing New College closer to its projected enrollment goal of 800 students by the year 2010. And while some remain cautious of the amount of new faces, Bauman said the increased enrollment is "Definitely positive. The greater the enrollment, the greater the funding provided by the state university system. and the greater the opportunities for the free and open exchange of ideas with folks who have different ideas." And, as most of us realize, the "open exchange of ideas" is one of the many things that sets New College apart from other schools. With the num ber of brain cells flourishing on campus this year. one is apt to expect great things. j ..

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4 The Catal st News World of Difference workshop educates by Kelly Jones It was eight year ago that the Anti-Defamation League created the A World of Difference'' program to extend their international objective of diversity a"varc ness to public and private schools, law enforcement agencies and the corporate workplace. The interactive workshop was brought to New College by Student Affairs on Sunday, September 10 The initiative was met with enthusiasm by approxi mately 40 students. faculty and staff member who devoted their Sunday to considering practical measure to counteract prejudice on campus. The workshop attendees were guided through a four hour long training program by two ADL facilitators, Miriam Lorenzo and Doug Cureton. Lorenzo, Associate Professor at Miami-Dade Community College-School of Justice Program, worked through ADL with elemen tary school teachers to provide a more diversified program. Cureton, a National Director of Training for A World of Difference Institute, received a master's degree in Human Resource Management and worked in student life at Rhode Island College. Most in attendence were impressed with the facilitators' expertise in engaging the exploration of different cultures. "They did a good job of addressing all group differences their training was incredible Doug was an amazing speaker," said thesis-student Naomi Shvorin. Both Lorenzo and Cureton glided through a computerized presentation highlighting the widespread achievements of the Anti-Defamation League and its his tory. The brief lecture was followed by collective brainstorming, out\inin ground rules for discussion. multi-cultural bingo, while participants donned name tags and drank coffee. The facilitators then involved the group in a series of activities geared towards a self eval uation of perceptions about oneself and others, with regard td differences. One workshop attendee pointed out the importance of such an a sessment, saying, "If you don't understand yourself, you can't understand other people." Working through the lunch provided by Marriott, the forum broke up into small groups to exchange life experience that fostered a realization of cultural diversity. The conversations extended to difference in race, religion, cthnicity, gender, exual orientation, socioeconomic status, age, physical and mental ability, language. education, occupation and na tion of origin. These individual characteristics were collected and reported back to the whole group. They displayed a broad scope of diversity that may go unper ceived on our predominantly white campus. "I think the workshop exposes how diverse people are, a diversity that isn't skin deep," said thesis-student and ew College Student Allience President Rachel Morris. The only drawbacks were minor: the uninviting, over air-conditioned atmosphere of the auditorium, and a tight agenda that kept discussions short and sometimes unnat ural. However, these cons were heavily outweighed. '"It's great we're having this kind of workshop; it's the first of its ldnd in two years," said third-year Myriam Alvarez. Shvorin said, "The workshop was perfectly aimed at the New College community ... more of this should be done with the general public." A World of Difference's message has reached many educational and workplace sectors. The Institute has trained more than 350,000 elementary, middle, and secondary school teachers, and has visited more than 135 colleges and universities. AI o, ADL administered workplace diversity training for over 100,000 adult workers employed in more that 100 corporation, government agencies, or small businesses The non-profit organiza tion also developed a diversity training program currently being implemented by the FBI and police departments nationwide. Education expert to assess the situation [LE.GISLATURE" FROM PAGE 1 j family and her equally strong com mitment to do everything she can to make that happen," according to Bassis. Sullivan argues that the existing structure fails to provide sufficient opportunities for residents to get bachelor's and master's degrees. Bassis told the Catalyst that President Genshaft "needs to put something on the tahle before the legislature considers another bill," be cause with a plan, she could approach the legislature and "[sayJ 'we don't need this drastic and dangerous measure to make things better."' To develop that point further, Dean Bassis, who oversees the Univ.ersity Program as well as New College, has met with the USF Vice Provost and several USF Deans in order to strengthen the University Program in Sarasota. With the sudden transfer of the museum to larger and more powerful FSU, and continued uncertainty about the future of New College, the dean mentioned that some came to the conclusion that a merger with FSU would be in New College's best interests. While this remains at the level of speculation, the possibility cannot be ruled out that Sullivan, in his fight to free the branch campuses from distant USF's dominion, would make an alliance with the more powerful McKay to transfer the Sarasota campus to a bigger entity five times as far away. Into this fracas of politicians, money and power steps Wellman, who in her current positiort at The Institute conducts research and policy analysis in higher educa tion planning and finance. Her report will focus mainly on fiscal and regulatory issues, but she will rely on pub lished documents; interviews with officials in Sarasota, Tampa, and Tallahassee; and comparisons with other states' university systems. Wellman has previous experience working with various state university systems, including the University of North Carolina, where she worked on the development of tuition and financial aid policy and with the United States Department of Education on student financial as sistance. Before that, she was staff director of the Ways and Means Committee in the California State Legislature and Deputy Director of the California Postsecondary Education Commission. She recetved bachelor's and masler's degrees from UC Berkeley. Wellman's final report is scheduled to be released by November I. Se tember 13, 2000 by Kathryn Dow Gone are the days of waiting a week for your new collegiate e-mail account to be hand-entered into the machine commonly known as "Virtu." Anew system of e-xistence is upon us. Any ew College or USF Sarasota student currently re& istcred for classes can now get a Hdios account. So, first-year who haven't gotten your e-mail yet, or returning students who never wanted to fill out the forms for a Virtu account, can now register for your bright, shiny Helios account online. Simplicity isn't the only advan tage, though. The server space provided by Helios is much larger than that of Virtu. Virtu accounts are opened with a 2 meg limit. Helios accounts dwarf that, with a total of 30 megs of space per ac count. Helios accounts can be used with the USF webmail interface, for people without home computers who are allergic to PLNE. And, best of all, if you have an existing Virtu account, it does not preclude you fl'om signmgup, fur'1lltcl"o5 aacount as well. 1\vo e-mail accounts for the price of one yearly tuition! What more could you ask? Well, you could ask for the pass word system on the Helios accounts to be a bit less stringent. After sign ing up for my account, I tried to change the issued password, which resembled a word in a code language l created at age five. It took something like 15 tries to stumble upon a combination of characters that I could remember, but didn't re semble an actual word in the least. An attempt, for example, to change my password to ''TlRAMISU'' re turned "That password cannot he used because it can be derived from the word 'usirna'." Usima? Anyway, the difficulty in creating an "acceptable" password aside. the new system makes it quicker and easier to set up an account than it has been in the past, and gives you more options for using the account. So, how do you get one? Simply launch your internet browser of choice, direct it to http://una.acomr.usf.edu, and fill in the blanks. You'll need your student ID on hand, by the way. In mere minutes, you'll have an e-mail address with the sun god. How long it will take to establish a reasonable password, though, is another matter entirely.

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5 The Catalyst Food Hail to the Chef! Meet the man behind Marriott's by Ryan McCormick l'rice, Esq. Melvin Hester first became aware th;,t J c might be destined for better things when the t r u ',. I d d "I "'' expo e was dnving fuel tankers on runs ; fuel stations," said Hester, "taking 8700 of gas to each station, doing three to four runs a day. That means I was hauling about 2 5 million gallons a year." Hester became wary, however, after an unfortunate incident involving a fellow driver a s:tpine cow on the high way and Jackkmfed hts vehtcle, causing a massive explosion. Hester, upon being made aware of this incident (which had happened while he was on va cation) calmly made his way back to the office collected his check and quit. This man was no mere trailer-hauler, however. Aside_ his long _experience cris-crossing Amenca s roadways with nothing but the open road and a sunburned left arm for company, he had also been an intern with the University of Portland's culinary arts program. Moreover, Hester had opened a Mexican restaurant ("We used only the freshest cilantro," Melvin added sagely, "and diced tomatoes NEVER chopped.") for a wealthy dowager whose previous interests had been in the volatile chemicals industry. Hester's food-preparatory experience was not lim iled to Pacific Northwestern America, however, as had diced and julienned at a presti gtous skt resort 111 the Rocky Mountains ("l can make duck pate, you know," Hester said with a "and fancy hors d'oeuvres ... you name II. ) and. served as manager of Florida's oWft'MUm\t aquari snac eteria. s resume was nothing short of impeccable when he applied to Marriott Food Services. Melvin Hester cuts an easily-recognizable figure in the clanering kitchens of MarrioU's hallowed halls. His tall. gkaming chefs hat tow ers above the non-chef proletarian of the world around him, and his ruddy, bearded face smiles out. from beneath it. In the pocket of his crisp whtte jerkin are a pair of pens for the copious notes he must make in his daily rounds, along with an oven thermometer for quick checks. This is no mere man. This is an Executive Chef. Hester had quickly found his niche among the purpled denizens of the bustling cookeries. After former Assistant Manager Leonardo's departure from that role, Mel in took over as Assistant Manager and Execut ve Chef. "I enjoy this job ... it's not an everyday sort of job. There's great ben efits," he added witn a wry grin. ''I've already more in my 401 k plan than I've ever had in savings in my life." Aside from the financial ben efits he has found, Chef Hester has been a reformer behind the counter, in conjunction with his employer, Jerry Dixon. One of Melvin's fore most efforts has been to try to infuse the Marriott staff with a sense of the importance of being a line cook. To this end, he has tried to steer cooks away from the purple shirts of old, and to dress them in the white finery appropriate to thei"r stations. Chef's hats (most notably Melvin's towering cha peau) and pristine chef's coats are now much in evidence among the employees of Marriott's food service line. Along with a uniformity of dress, Melvin has tried to instill a uniformity in the cooking process. Through a careful process of trial and (rarely, of 's smiling face and towering chef's hat-not to mention cooking skills-lzme improved arnotts rmage and reputation greatly in the past year. (Photo by Heather Whitmore) course) error, a set of standard recipe books has cookery. Not only that, but Chef Hester also of been collected and produced for distribution his services as an instructor in any potential throughout the kitchens. This eliminates the probculinary arts tutorial. With his wide ranoe of ex tern that would arise when one cook made a dish perience, Melvin could teach students only to -say, Beef Burgundy"""' more appealing than anprepare Marriott favorites such as chicken nuggets other cook. Standardization o{ the most popular and vegan macatoni., but mote such as re ipes ps to assure er rvi c dents. Better service is, in Chef Melvin Hester's tic Mexican dishes, gafnrs with res anrro. view, Marriott's primary aim ... Many people seem In essence, despite Melvin Hester's Herculean to see food service, especially in a cafeteria-type efforts, a good meal lies within tht.! of the setting, as a matter of quanti!y. I see it as a matter stud<.!nt who is willing to hunt down r..:cipt:s and of quality. I want the freshi!St fruits and vegetaingrcdi..:nts and gather opinions on th..: qualil}' of bles, the choicest cuts of meat. I say, if we're the food serwd and share them with the food capable of getting the best, why not use it?" servers. One short phrase embodies all of Chef Pleasing Novo Collegians, of course, is no Melvin's ideals for the Marriott kitchens of tomor easy matter. Melvin personally conducts surveys row: 'Let's try it out." of Marriott's customers after every lunch and dinner, asking what was enjoyed, what was despised, and what could stand improvement. Melvin's democratic practices have already wrought noticeable changes on the steam tables. As the chef enthused, "When students want something changed, all they have to do is tell us, and we'll see it gets done!" Not only will Melvin and his Marriott staff tend to requests about the tartness of the marinara sauce and the virtues of Thai wraps relative to mozzarella cheese sticks, but they are always searching for new recipes. If a student brings Melvin a recipe which passes muster, not only will it be prepared for lunch or dinner but Hester tells the Catalyst, "I'll tell you when it's going to be served, and you'll get a free meal out of it! What a deal!" Participation in the culinary process is an op tion that Melvin wishes more students would take. He is quick to point out that the "buffet" mealsthe potato bar, for instance" are generally the result of a surfeit of servers ... a role that could easily be filled by student employees. He encour ages anyone who desires a job and free Marriott meals with every shift to apply to Jerry Dixon dur ing normal hours of operation. Melvin will be happy to train employees in the fine art of mass /he Gala(ysl recommends /he Your 7 PJincls Cafe for alfyour cajje/ne and snackiilCj needs. J ow Open c"iunday,..

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6 The Catalyst News Where have all the offices gone? Campus relocation leaves everyone confused by Darren Guild As the fall semester got underway, fir s t-year students were not alone in looking lost on campus. They were joined by second, third, fourth and the occasional tenth-year in wondering where certain offices were now located. The reason for the un expected confusion comes down to the Campus Police Department's cross-campus move to a Viking building "It was basically the domino effect, said Mike Campbell, Director of Residence Life and Food Services. The relocation of the Campus Police set off a chain of other offices' moves Some of the moves are still happening, but after the dust settles the final situation should end up like this: -Campus Police in Vtking 116-122 -Student Affairs in the former "Cop Shop." -New College Student AJliance offices and Alena Scandura 's office in the old Student Affairs/Housing office. -Residential Life and Food Serv i ces in Pei 141 (formerly the first court lounge and gender studies collective). The back offices in Hamilton Center (formerly Alena Scandura's office) will likely be opened up for student clubs and activities offices. The changes in location of the Campus Police Department and Student Affairs have already oc curred and the other moves are scheduled to take pta a-...... One main cause lurks behind these c anges -l ack o f s p ace. Every office that has moved or is moving will h ave a l a rger and mor e co mfortable environment i n their new location The Campu s Police used to have three offices, now they have thirteen plus a kitchen, new computers, and a separate office for parking services. Student Affairs also has more space. "We were crammed into the old office," commented Director of Student Affairs Mark Blaweiss. Lindsey Dedow, Coordinator of Residence Life said she thinks the new offices in Pei 141 will be environmentally more pleasant." Other reasons for the moves had to do with the appropriateness of a location on campus and the outward presentation and layout of certain areas Referring to the changes in Hamilton Center Blaweiss said that "Ham Center should be maxi mized for student use Police Officer Henrietta Lange stated that the new location of the Campus Police will likely make the area around Viking not known as the safest place on campus, more safe and secure for the students living in the Viking Dormitories Not everyone is happy about the moves, how ever One major problem has been identified with the new locations: key check-out The keys to the two computer labs on the east side of campus are kept in possession of the Campus Police because the police are open 24 hours a day Now that the Cop Shop is in Viking, students, a majority of whom live on the east side of campus, are forced to travel much farther, over what is likely a more dangerous route to check the keys out. Thesis-stu dent Judd Wilson commented, It hasn't affected me much personally, but I know for people trying to check out the keys, especially girls late at night, it doesn't seem to be the best situation." Wilson is referring to female students who have been both ered while walking to Viking at night. Blaweiss abo that "olie area of campus that is most risky IS t e J ing area The key check-out issue seems to be a tem porary o ne, h o wever, as alternative solutions are being thought about and d i scussed in respo nse to student and staff concerns. One potential solution would be to put an 1.0. card reader on the doors of the computer labs so that only students with valid identification could use them Another possibility would be for the Campus Police to set up a small sub-station in Hamilton Center where students could go to check out the keys. S epte mber 13, 2000 Another concern that h as b een r a ised is the ab sence of a permanent pre s ence in the area where most of the students live Both the Campus Police and Blaweiss insist that there has not been nor will be any change in actu a l patrolling of the residential areas on campus Campus Relocation: A Flowchart Campus Police move to Viking, freeing space Residential Life in HCL 1. moves to Pei 141 ousting the Gender Studies Student Affairs Collective and moves to HCL 1, freeing space freeing space in in the front of the front of Ham Center. Ham Center. + ',]!. The NCSAand The Gen d er Al ena S c andura S tud i e s collec move to the tive and other former Student student clubs Affairs/Housing __.... and act i vities, office, freeing move to the space in the spaces in the back of Ham back of Ham Center. Center. Contribution: Community Action Research Initiative update by Mandy Odom, Project Coordinator Beginning in the spring and throughout the summer, the Community Action Research Initiative has been working on a number of original com munity research projects. The first is a visual assessment of neighborhood conditions in Newtown-recording such factors as land use type, street con ditions, lighting, building condition, etc. Over 850 parcels of land were surveyed within a three block radius north and south of Martin Luther King Blvd between 301 and Old Bradenton Road. The second survey, in the same geographic area, was a door-to-door survey of resident perceptions of their neighborhood. Questions concerned access to services, neighborhood assets home repairs, etc. Finally, CARl conducted a comprehensive survey of as sociations/institutions located in the Newtown area, or serving the area. The data gathered allows us to map the relationship between organizations regarding programming, volunteer needs, space, etc. The field work for all three of these projects was carried out by paid student interns, working over the summer. Currently, we are in the stage of analyzing the data and prepar ing reports to give back to the community. A1though CARl considers the Neighborhood Conditions and Association/Institution projects very successful in terms of the quantity and quality of the original data collected, we have also come to realize the extent of the capacity it takes to accomplish such work. A key component of the founding ag e nda of CARl was to develop a repository o f existing, secondary data. Until now, this task has been J?ll1 on the back burner. Therefore in light of our current research capacities, and in the spirit of better responding to our community partners, CARl has made a strategic decision to focu our efforts in the next year or more on building the data repository. Tt is our goal to eventually have a community information center with rapid response to the data needs of Sarasota organizations, individuals, and government. To this end, the students in the Fall 2000 and Spring 2001 Community Action Research course will be working to collect existing datasets from the neighborhood to the county level. Topic areas for data collection will mirror those currently utilized in the SCOPE (Sarasota County Openly Plans for Excellence) process Civic Participation, Culture and Recreation, Economy, Education, Environment, Families and Communities, Health, and Transportation. Additionally, in partnership with the Human Services Planning Association, CARl will soon hire an Information Project Coordinator to manage the growing data repository. This data Coordinator will be available as a resource to the entire USF/New College campus. Thi is an exciting time for the CARl, as we wrap up our first year's pro jects, and begin an important new long-term venture that will serve the entire community. In the coming semesters, we hope to build relationships with more people in local neighborhoods, in Sarasota government, and on our own campus. For more information on CARl and our current projects, please contact us at 941-359-4365, cari @ sar usf.edu or visit our website at http :/ / www.cari usf edu

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7 The Catalyst Opinion Editorial: Indifference is not an option It is important to vote in the New College Student campus is that student government is necessary to pro Alliance elections. There is probably no sentiment more teet the rights and privileges of New College. This is often repeated or more frequently ignored. It almost tme. The NCSA is essentially a union, an organization seems that there is no way to convince a seemingly apawhich bands students together in order to exert our comthetic student body that they should take five minutes bined influence. out o{ their busy schedules to vote for people they In that context, it might not seem very important to most likely do not know. vote. There will be NCSA officers elected regardHow people be to vote has less of a low voter turnout. It is perfectly baffled from _1mmemo:ial. reasonable to assume that no NCSA officer is m the pas_t, a stgmftcant porfton \ \ \ going to act against New Col lege. It be-of the elt_gtble population because. they -''I'' -:-;.._fJ hard to see why students would think were votmg to uphold theu mterests. It ts worth that voting was in their best interest noting_ the percentage of the who The Catalyst does not have any magic an wers. was eltgtble to vote was much smaller m the past. It Everyone has heard the arguments for votino, in their is natural for an elite to vote consistently when it is High School government classes if no where"" else. In they who have both the most to gain and the most to lose. this situation, all we at the Catalyst can do is repeat what Here at New College we have no explicit elites. others have said. It is important that students make an Everyone, from the fresh-faced first-year to the most effort to vote. The outcome of these elections does in well connected fourth-year, has the right to vote. The fluence every student on campu Unionization has problem would seem to be th_at most New College stualways been in the best interest of students and workers dents do not feel that they have any motive to vote. alike. If you vote, the NCSA becomes tronger. Trust us On reason people are consistently told to vote on this on this one. Editorial: Whose wall was it last night? Bare feet. You see them a lot at New College. You know what else you see a lot? Broken glass. Smashed beer bottles, and the sliced feet and infectious gangrene that inevitably follow them. No statistics are kept on in fectious gangrene resulting from broken glass in Palm abandoned. And, of course, after consuming alcoholic beverages the very act which produces the empty bottles the drinker is usually not in a mood of community concern. There is a simple solution, which h a s the added ben-ut ( code. It's a little-known rule that the person or perso who preside over the wall are, in fact, responsible for cleaning up afterwards. In addition to watching over the $20,000 equipment, he or she or they should also watch out for the space they're using. small) but injuries have occurred, and likely will again, due to-our unwillingness to dispose of bottles properly. The idea of restricting glass bottles in Palm Court has come up before, and met with overwhelming disap proval. At the town meeting last February, a proposal to thP. shHient code to ban elass bottles was met with tepid silence, debated briefly, then tabled and killed. Given the popularity of glass bottles for alcohol con sumption, it's unlikely that any measure short of vehement police action could really end their presence at walls, whatever rules may be enacted. The image of slashed, bleeding feet may be dramatic, but to be fair, most bottles don't end up broken in heav ily-trafficked walkways. Recycling bins, segregated for green, brown and clear glass, are helpfully placed near all dorm buildings and in Palm Court itself, within 25 feet of the wall equipment. Most bottles do make their way into these bins. Eventually. Most weekend mornings, someone who was not pre sent the night before can judge how well-attended the wall was by the quantity of bottles left on the 3-foot high wall from which this event gets it name. A very unsuc cessful wall may have only a dozen or two. But if it was really successful, the number can easily go up to a hun dred. Sometimes little elves will arrange the bottles into a straight line or other patterns for the amusement of passers-by all weekend, until the custotial staff picks them all up Monday morning. The original draft of this editorial was a sharp imper ative to take personal responsibility and just put your bottles in the appropriate receptacle when you're done drinking them, damnit! But perhaps there's more than personal irresponsibility in this problem. Many of these bottles left still contain varying amounts of I iquid, some almost completely full. And there is usually a scattering of thick, plastic cups that probably weren't intended to be disposable. This would lead one to believe they were This makes sense, since the people who check out the equipment are not just borrowing the school's property, but presiding over one of the weekly parties that are the center of campus social life. Indeed, the orginizer has total possession the wall. Our terminology bears thi out. Whose wall is it tonight? It's his wall. It's her wall. It's their wall. Given the crowded line at this semester's wall signup, there's no shortage of people wanting to take on this role. And in a way, the cleanup rule is justice, because the more successful a wall is (if is defined by atten dance) the larger the cleanup job. We're not suggesting that those who fail to clean up be dragged before the student court to face a puni hment which would be limited (barring appeal) only by the cre ativity of the tribunal, which partially overlap. with this editorial board. No, we merely wish to take away one de fense that cou.ld be mustered: ignorance. Let no one say, as they could have in semesters past, that this rule is buried. We've got an promising start this year, as both Saturday and Sunday morning Palm Court didn't loqk like the back lot of a recycling center. On Saturday, a broom and dustpan were conveniently left on the R.A. 's balcony where the equiptment was plugged in, and was used at 5 a.m. to sweep up a broken bottle. Many diverse faces were in the fishbowl that Monday of signups, and while they will be judged on the quality of their tapes, maybe they should also be judged by the quality of Palm Court when they leave it. September 13, 2000 Contribution Guidelines Letter to The Editor: A reader's response to previ ous articles, letters and/or editorials, or an opinion that is intended to be shared with the student body. Letters to the Editor should be no more than 250 words, and are not a forum for free advertising. Contribution: A factual article written by someone not on staff. Contributions should be informative and to the interests of New College students as a whole. Contributions may in length from 250-SOu words. Guest Colllmn: A solicited opinion piece. Guest columnists ao not necessar il:Ji: re resent the views of tfie New College community should be made aware. Guest columns ma_y range in length from 250-500 words. All submissions should be turned into box 75, or e-mailed to catal yst@v irtu.sar. usf.edu, by Friday at five p.m. Your fate is in your hands. Gonna -do something about it, or just sit there? Town Meeting T 0 DAY

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8 The Catalyst Welcome reception for Dr. Judy Genshaft, the new President of the University of South Florida. Faculty, Staff & Students, please mark your calendar with the date of Tuesday, September 26th. 5:30 p.m. to 7:00p.m. on the College Hall Bayfront. The ew College Community Math Clinic provides tutoring for people in the Sarasota/Manatee Community. Contact Eirini Poimenidou for more information at: poimenid@virtu.sar.usf.edu Student Government Elections are tomorrow! VOTE VOTE VOTE! The Four Winds is open! Monday-Thursday, 10 am-midnight Friday, 10 a.rn.-6 p.m. Sunday, 8 p.m.-midnighl. Assas ins! $1 to register, $2 if you want a water gun provided. Check with your R.A. Chair of Position is the highest vote winner. Committee members are the next vote winners. Number of people ror position are in parenthe e. Fourth Year tudent Allocations Committee (SAC) Representatives (Z) 117 Julia Skapik 11Z Cathy Heath 2 Not a Criminal t A. ron Delgado l Karen Halperin 1 Maggie Phillip 1 Jeb Bush l r. r. "T." 1 Steve Yacco 1 Rob Cooksey 1 Any li't'ing soul but Julia JlJ Abstain Housing Committee Representatives -(2) 133 Andrea Garrod 2 Steve Yacco 2 Those homele s girls who live the back entrance to first court l Daniel Pettit t laggie Phillip l Mathew Moore l Anyone Other than Andrea 1 Andrew Sylvia 1 Ginny "Vagina" Vitello l Katherine P u: 1 Cassandra Tannenbaun Announcements free and anonymous IUV testing will be provided on campu by the Community AIDS network, Sep. 22 5:00-8;00 p.m., and Sep. 23 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Please call 0461 to make an appointment. Faculty Lecture Series Professor Justus Doenecke will be the next esteemed academic to present a lecture in the ongoing ew College Faculty Lecture se ries, presented monthly in Sudakoff. He will be presenting an informative discourse titled "In search of conspiracies: aspects of McCarthyism." The lecture is Wednesday, September 20 at 3:30p.m. Professor Doenecke is our American History professor, and his lectures are renowned for their lively nature and thorough ground ing in primary sources .. <\.II those intere ted in conspiracies, drunken senatorial ramblings, invisible Communists, and rabid paranoia hould attend. Snacks, in the age-old custom, will as uredly be provided. l Rob Cooksey Z06 Ab tain Food Sen-ice Committee Repre entatlves (2) 3 Mari McGrath 2 Ken Silvennan Runoff Election Nece sary Z Sara "1 am the food service committee" Seidel 1 Sarajayn Kemp 1 Dave Lanfrom 1 Eluulse Matthews 1 Ann Stegman 1 Dustin Fridkin 1 anny Wood l Steve Yacco 1 Katie Anania 1 Joven Carnndang 1 Cindy in B-Dorm 1 Chef from the Muppet 1 Willow Haley 1 Simon Davis 1 Je e Weiner 1 Jake Thomas 1 Roh Cooksey 1 Any t. rving Goth boy 1 Any starving Goth girl JZ6 Abstain aturnl Science Representatives (2) 55 Carolina PUonieta SJ llanyi Zhuang 61 Steven Hartman 9Kate Hubbard 5 Danny Gonzalez Keys to Succes mentors needed. Interested in tutoringlmcntoring middle school students? Now is your chance. The Boys and Girls club is bringing their students here, o they can be exposed to a college campus. Organizational meeting this Thursday, the 14th, at 6:30 p.m. in the Fishbowl. Do you want to SIT? Early morn ings. Call Chris, 360-1090, climburg@virtu. sar.u f.edu. Radical Men's Sewing Circle Collective Sew active. A radical .l\ltemative to fat-assing around all day. Sew Active hotline: 355-8968. Lock it or lo e it! Get your free bike decal at parking services, in the cop shop at Viking. Counseling and Wellne Center, Parkview House We want to re mind you that we offer free counseling services and free medical services Monday through Friday. Call 359-4254 for anointment. Play "announcement chance"! The ten signs posted closest to the Publications Office each week will 1 Steve Vacco 82Abstain International Studie Committee lives (J) 127 Lauren Hansen 78 Myriam Alvarez 2 MaggieR y Runoff Election Necessary 2 Court ey Nagar 1 Tony Clifton 1 Jake Thomas 1 Rob Cooksey 1 Andy Kaufman 315 Abstain Library Committee Repre ent tives 115 Shane Carpenter SO Tom Hoke 1 Cry tal Oliver 1 Justus Doenecke 1 Rob Cooksey 1 My Bum 1 Glumbus, the one-eyed buck toothed drum playing freak boy 181 Abstain Student Academic Status Committee (SA C) Repn entatives -(Z) 124 Emily Meade 128 Bonnie Read 1 Anyone other than Bonnie 99 Abstain September 13, 2000 make it into the announcements! Or send your announcements to Box 7: or catalyc;t@virtu.sar.usf,edu. The paper corncc; out each Wednesday. and announcements must be re ceived by Sunday. "Damn. How about that." The worthy gentleman who has been snatched from us at the moment of the election, and in the middle of the contest, whilst his desires were as warm and his hope as eager as ours, has feelingly told us what shadows we are, and what shadows we pur sue. -Edmund Burke, Speech at Bristol on Declining the Poll, Vol. ii. p. 420 J .. ()() September 2, 2:43 am: Respontle<.l to suspicious incident at New College ballfiekl. Suspects gone on arrival. September 2, 2:32 pm: Report of battering, involving two suspects. S ptemhcr 3. t n:OS am: Repor ot mi sin roormn:rtc investi ated. September 5, 3:00 pm: In estigatcd petty theft of tools and radio from New College Bike Shoppe. September 6, 1:43 am: Responded to noise complaint in Palm Court. September 6, 5:35 pm: Investigated petty theft of a bicycle at B-dorm. September 8, 2:18 am: Responded to a medical assist for student who had u tained a minor injury at Palm Court. September 8, 9:00am: lnvestigah:d burglary to a construction vehicle in parking lot seven. September 9, 3:43 am: Rc. ponded to a noise complaint in Palm ourt. September 9, 11:18 pm: Re ponded to wounded person at B dorm. September tO, 12:30 am: Responded to a medical assi 1 in Pei dorm we t. September 10, 2:06 am: Re ponded to a noise complaint in Palm Court.