Catalyst

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THE Volume XIV, Issue 12 "there's never a dull moment at New College" December 5, 2001 NCSA constitution's revisions revised; committee calls Town Meeting by Christopher DeFillippi mittee member, said that the group had Since New College s separation with little trouble in agreeing upon which the University of South Florida last July, changes were necessary in the document it was already known that revisions to the and that the few disagreements that oc New College student constitution would curred between committee member s at be necessary. Given the tremendous op..: the beginning of deliberat i on were portunity the NCSA constitutional quickly resolved revision committee had to make changes "The way it sort of started out was we that could lead to more efficient student each looked over the constitution on our governance, the four committee mem own," said Brown. ''And looked at things bers would not be content to simply we were personally interested in revis remove a couple ''of the University of ing, or were personally interested in South Florida" phrases from the docu keeping. Then we got together and dis ment. cussed the changes. The only central "Tt's needed revising since the spring theme was for there to be greater effiof 2000," said chair of the committee ciency [in the student government]." Maggie Phillips of the student constituThe first draft of the constitution was tion. "Since it had not been revised since introduced at the November 6 Town eptember of 1999, we had the late-fall Meeting, and there have been many The December 3 Town Meeting heard concems, from committee members and others elections that had amendments that hadchanges in the document since that time. original lay in the rephrased preamble of n't been put on. As a living document, India Harville, a committee member and the former. "It was not a preamble that it's always needing revising." Vice President of Academic Affairs, exwould be substituted for the old one," The constitutional revision commitplained that the constiution went to a committee member and student court tee first assembled at the end of August, number of branches of student governjustice Brandon Keene stated. "It says, in and is composed of three ot her volunment for suggestions effect, e xactly the same thing t h e ol d pr e teet'S. chelle rown, ne o the mos a ient di a'""m"'' e sai the ew College Foundation and comexi ting between the revision and the Phillips went on to explain the neces-Theater makes dramatic revival in unorthodox spaces Srudents perform Buried Child in the teaching auditorium, an adapted classroom by Liz Palomo something that students have done a fair Drama production at New College lot of .... Over the dozen years I've been can challenge aspiring thespans because here, it has been, in spurts, a very regular everything that goes into a play has to part of what's going on." come from the students. Nevertheless, One of those spurts seems to have plays do get produced, and good ones at happened in the past couple of weeks. A that. student-run play, The Dreamer Examines According to Philosophy Professor His Pillow, was closely followed by the Aaron Edidin, who has been interested in unrelated production of Buried Child, theatre production at New College for a which took place this past weekend. number of years, it "has always been Third-year Bo Bentele and secondyear (and Catalyst staff writer) Jag Davies had been playing with the idea to produce John Patrick Shanely's The Dreamer Examines His Pillow since last year. "The way we were able to do it,'' said Bentele, "was with all of our own initiative. We were the beginning, mid dle, and end of that show." Second-year Dru Herring was in spired to produce Buried Child after she did an Independent Study Project on 20th century plays. She produced it as a one Mod credit sponsored by Assistant Professor of British and American Literature Nova Myhill, who is also a drama expert. "The thing about theatre at New College is that it's difficult to plan it, get it off the ground, get money for it, but be cause you have to be at that level to accomplish it, I think that all the theatre is very good, because we are very deter mined,'' said Herring. Of course, she had had previous experience. "I went to a magnet theater/art high school; it was the only way I would have gotten the train ing to put [the play] on," she said. Another hindering factor that a student looking to produce a play will fmd is the absence of a traditional theatre sity of a new preamble. ''It's a new open ing for a new period in New College's history. I don't think the spirit has been changed. The preamble, plus the rest of the Constitution is representative of the preamble i n the rest of the current tution. I thin!< overall the total natu.te of SEE INSIDE The silence of the trees In past weeks, sylvan Sarasota has become considerably less sylvan ... at least on the New College campus. Several of our beloved trees have been felled by groundskeeping. Ac cording to Richard Olney, it was all a matter of safety. STORY, PAGE 3 Unwanted mural defaces Pei Who was the First Court Vandal? The culprit had artistic pretensions and an apparent taste for fantasy. Administra tors are fuming over the alleged artist's choice of medium: a pallete of acrylic paints that won't wash away. STORY, PAGE 4 Artists bring piles to Palm Court Not piles-stacks! The difference is very important, according to the cre ators and promoters of last Sunday's "abstact art" exhibit. To some, it was a cutting-edge commentary on artistic theory; to others, a big stack of junk. STORY, PAGE 4

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2 The Catalyst NEWS 0 THE WORLD December 5, 2001 Beat i e Ge e Harrison Dies Angeles. He was 58. His wife. Olivia, and son. Dhani, were at his side. While in Los Angeles, he was said to have been visited by longtime friends and former bandmates Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. been relea ed in Britain. Given his low-key demeanor, Harrison admitted he never was completely comfortable with the super star status he achieved with the Beatle Throughout the years, he fiercely guarded his privacy and was rarely ecn m public. Harrison's love of guitar and American rockers like arl Perkin and Chuck Berry spurred a friendship with an older school chum named Paul McCartney. Paul introduced George to the Quarrymen, a Liverpool band founded by John Lennon. After several lineup changes and a name change, Harrison, Lennon and McCartney brought drummer Ringo Starr aboard. The rest is rock 'n' roll hi tory A fan's shine to George Harrison (AP photo) by David avarese Harri on's family i. sued a brief tatement late Thursday night: "He left this world as he lived in it. conscious of God, fearle s of death, and at peace. surrounded by family and friends. He often said, 'Everything else can wait. but the search for God can not wait, and love one another.'" He had been battling various forms of the disease for at lea t three years: In 1998, he underwent radiation therapy for throat can cer, which he attributed to years of smoking. Despite dire reports of his impending demise this summer, the musician issued an angry statement proclaiming he wa alive, well and ready to record again. In fact, Ham on reportedly headed back to the stu dio October 1 to record his first new single. That final tune "Horse to the Water," co-written with Dhani and recorded with British mu ician Jools Holland, has While McCartney and Lennon wrote the bulk of the Beatlcs' hits, Harrison did have his share of nuggets, including "Taxman," "Something," "Here Comes the Sun" and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." George Harrison, the o-called "Quiet Beatie," who e contributions to rock 'n' roll were anything but quiet, died of cancer Thursday afternoon in Los Information from Yahoo! News used in this report. NEWS Drama at New College transcends lack of theater space space on campus. The Dreamer Examines His Pillow took place in the Fi hbowl, and Buried Child was in the Teaching Auditorium. Another option would have been Sainer Pavilion. in drama produ tion have t.a e a Work of Wllm Slzkspr. But Sainer Pavilion was not de igned with drama production in mind. ova Myhill is aware of this situa tion. '"We have a lo of performanc spaces but none of them are tradi tional performan e p ce I'm hoping that, through c uple of academic thin that I'm ottering, I'll be helping students to com up ith wa. to ee the non tradition 1 paces a ad antage mther than di advantage ," he said. Ac ording to H rring, the non-tradi tional theatre pa s <.:an indeed be an advantage, although sh a1d that she wa greatly limited m h r option for wl at c TJI[ type of production to put on. "I selected that space because of (proximity to the audience]" she said. "It's a very intimate, psychological play. I even took it a step further and had the acto walk through well a all over t he n, n o o t tr year athan Hoover and the "Dynamic Creativity League," students will ha e somewhat of an easier time getting to gether productions. A list of students who arc interested in producing, acting, set de ign. improvi ation. mu. ic. and other activities will soon be out. This list could l u ed as a resource to any student in terested not only in theatre production, but in oth r type!' of arti tic er deavo a well. "The Dynami Cre tivity Lcagu ; Hoover, "i an organization ho e loosely dcfit ed membership works to draw attention to nd introduce beauty to common experience. We do this } providing a catalyst for creative projects, tapping creative resources here, and get ting as many people involved as possible." The DCL hopes to, among other things, decoupage all of the cafete ria tray s in Hamilt o n Ce t er. The y c a n be ontacted at ynanu _cr i t a u o mail.c m, or athan can be reached by phone at 351-3122. Another resource for students is Professor Myhill. Text year, she will re offering a theatre ourse on play produc tion from Ancient Greece to England in 1842. 'There really i a lot of thing th, t you can u. e from the dmma of that period. and that I think apply really well to a later drama" 1e aid. o what I want to do i take plays we don't need a huge linlning grid or a prosce nium arch, and e_ plore th dynamics of interacting ith audien e in different kmds of th e p. ces." And at hough :orne may not realiz it, ISPs and tutorials in theatre can be useful towards succeeding in the real world. One example of success is ew College alum D. Ross who, according to Edidin, got into the graduate program at U ni ve r sity of Michigan in Directing tl nk t her ISPs, tutorials. and o cour e er t 1esis Another example is 'arhan Hoover, who landed a job at the Totally Fun Company (a th m d attraction design company recent] y based in Tampa) as a freelance artist thanks to a tutorial in how d ign that encompassed all as pect of a performance production. "The director, Dmndt Peter said that through out the them entertaintnt;nt industr;' what really count i. c, pericncc. and my having v.ork on th t tutoriul had given r expcricnc which I was able to incor porate into my portfolio,'' he said. The Catalyst is available on the World Wide Web at hllp://'11!WW. sa r.usf. edul-catalysr/ General Editor Michael 1 Layout Editor Erin Marie Blasco Managing Editor Max Campbell Photographer Cry tal Fra ier '/he Catalyst is an academic tutorial sponsored by Profe sor Maria Vc peri. It is developed in the ew ollege Publications Office using Adobe Photoshop and Quark Xpress for PowerMa .into. h and printed at the Bradenton l/erald with money provided by the New College Student Alliance. Contribution may range in length from 250 to 500 words. Letter to the Editor hould be no more than 250 words. Submi sions should be labeled a either Lelter to the Editor or contributions and include names and contact information. Printed ubmission may be placed in campus box 75, and all other contribution may bee-mailed to catalyst@virtu.sar:usfedu. 1 o anonymous submissions will be accepted. Web E ditor Michael Gimignani Bu..,i nes Manager David Savarese taff Writers Ryan McCormick Pru.:e, Esq., Valerie Mojeiko, iag Davie Christine Bottoms. Christopher DeFillippi, Renee Maxwell, Liz Palomo, Abby Wcmgarten E d i t o rial Assistant Grah am Strou. e Direct submissions and inquiries to: Th Catalyst 5700 N. Tamiami Tr. Box #75 arasota, FL 34243 catalyst@ virtu sar.usfedu The Catalyst reserves the right to edit submissions for space. grammar or sty le. All submissions must be received by 5:00 p.m. Saturday in order to appear in the following week's issue. Information about upcoming events is welcome throughout the week.

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The Catalyst NEWS 3 Historian James Horton concludes anthropology of by Liz Palomo "Wc h d "I want to talk about slavery, said e a one case that was funny, but it wasn't if Dr. James Horton. "But before I do it, I h. k b wowd. like to make one point. you t tn a out tt, Horton said about a Sometimes when people study African History they do it as i f it deptctton of slavery at Monticello. "We got an were a different chapter .. .. But the truth !s, the tough of American history angry letter from a man who had sat through the ts that from whtch we can draw our greaHtest performance. He was outraged that Monticello orton s ecture was the last presen tation in the four monthl ong series entitled 'Lifting the Veil: The Harlem Renaissance and the Anthropology of Performance," which took place at New College this semester, organized by Anthropology Professor (and Catalyst was keeping slaves." sponsor) Maria Vesperi. Horton's lecture was not only about slavery; it was about the way that his tory is taught in America: in public schools, historical sites, parks and else where, especially as it pertains to African-American history. "If you want to understand American History, you can t leave rac e out of it he said He went on t o describe wa y s in which his to ri ca l ac tor s can make h istory more re a l and a cc es s ib l e to th e public by doing first-person interpretations of historical figures (linking it to the theme of the series, the anthropology of lems that come about when tstonc actors take on the roles of slaves. The public reaction to such perfor mances is much more emotional and harder to deal with than those which don't include slaves. "We had one case that was funny but it wasn't if you think about it Horton said about a de piction of slavery at Monticello "We got an angry letter from a man that had sat through the performance. He was outraged that Monticello was keeping slaves." Later Horton shed a little light on why the public reaction is still so heated "Slavery has been over for more than 100 years but because it was based on race racial justification for slavery lived on, he said "And in fa c t, in the 21st century we are suffering the legacy of those racial justifications .. So I would say to the students of New College that all of us need to make our selves aware of these very critical i ssues in American society and i f we ar e real patriots ... then what we will do i s see that our cou ntry li ves u p t o its f an tas tic p rin cip les." H o rton is t he B enjamin Banneker Professor of American Studies and History at George Washington University and Director of the Afroatio useum of cab story at the Smithsonian Institution. He was Senior Fulbright Professor of American Studies at the University of Munich, Germany He has been a historical con sultant to numerous film and video productions including those seen on ABC PBS, the D i scovery Ch annels and the History Channel. From 1998 to 2000 be served on the white House Millennium Council acting as histori cal expert for First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. Maria Vesperi, who was the director of the program, contacted Professor Horton in the spring. It seemed to be a rea11y worthy and exciting program, and I thought it would be something fun to do," he said. Vesperi was able to organize the program Lifting the Veil : The Harlem Renaissance and The Anthropology of Performance because she got a grant from the Florida Humanities Council. Other sponsors included the New College Foundation the Community A cti o n R esea rc h I n it ia ti v e a nd the Saras ot a Count y Arts Co u ncil a mong others. "With this program, I was looking to stimulate dialogue between people on and off-campus and to bring the community together," she said scbo an light on the importance that the Harlem Renaissance had on American society. The program was started off with a lec ture and discussion by Dr. Lee Baker of Duke University, who discussed the involvement between anthropologist Franz Boaz and writer W.E.B. DuBois leading up to the Harlem Renaissance. Other presenters included Phyllis McEwen a Tampa-based poet and per formance artist who did a theatrical presentation and discussion on the writer Zora Neale Hurston, the writer who studied under W.E B. DuBois at Harvard Graduate School and was later recruited by him as an activist for the movement. Charles Everett Pace of Centre College, a member of the National Chautauqua Tour who has toured nationwide for 20 years, per formed an in character portrayal of Langston l{ughes. Kwabena Dinizulu, a poet and griot, or professional travel ing storyteller, from St. Petersburg, did a theatrical presentation as Jesse B. Simple, the most famous and beloved fictional character created by Langston Hughes. The program went in conjunction w.ith the course on Anthropology and Literature, taught by Professor Vesperi. Students taking the course were re quired to attend every presentation on the series, as well as reading Langston Hughes's autobiography. According to Ves.peri, other members of the commu n i ty who were not in the class also attended every presentation. A lot of peopl e [in th e a udience] wGre very sup p ortive," s h e sai d Inte r ested pe o p l e who were n o t a f filiated with New College were informed about the program through announcements on WMNF, a Tamparadio station. Saasota's gram. features about it. Professor Vesperi was pleased with how the program turned out, especially because it opened the doors of New College to people who would not usu ally come here. "I feel that New College could be more welcoming to the community, and I felt that [the pro gram] was a good thing to do," she said. Constitution committee's revisions revised because of concerns everything is the same." While not an official member of the committee, David Savarese, a Representative to the Student Life Committee and Catalyst staffer has at tended several of the revlSlon committee's meetings, and has carefully followed the developments of the docu ment. "The old constitution's preamble made statements declaring the power of the student body, the uniqueness of New College," said Savarese. ''This one just talks about the monumental task of writ ing the Constitution Other significant changes in the pro posed constitution include more succinctly phrased articles, which have caused some students to wonder how this will change the spirit of the document Student court defender Jeff Lundy observed that in article 6.1 of the old con stitution, the NCSA Judicial branch was described as existing "to promote and regulate order, peace student well-being, and self regulation," while the same arti cle of the revised constitution merely describes the Judicial Branch's responsi bility as that of "to secure order." Lundy stated that "there's lots of things like that that tend to make it seem as if the gov enunent... doesn't have a lot of trust in the people." The committee members defended this change in the interest of succinct ness, which they claimed as a virtue in constructing a legal document. "We all tend to be very coherent, get to the point, leave out the 'I feel' and 'I think' and just state what's going on," stated Phillips. "We care abGut what people feel ..and think, we just tend to be very concise, very efficient with limited time I think our personalities come out in some of the changes and I understand that people have different personalities." In addition to concerns expressed by their fellow NCSA members, the mem bers of the committee have also had to deal with complaints of the student body in general. Phillips expressed her frustra tion over criticisms as simplistic as "I don't agree with this, it's bad, it has to go," and has, on a number of occasions, urged her fellow students to be more con structive in their criticism. "Say, 'I don't agree with this because,"' said Phillips. Brown agreed as to the difficulty in volved in keeping the student body informed regarding the constitution, and encouraging them to actively participate in its revision "1 think there are a few things we presupposed .. number one that most students have read the constitu tion. which is apparently not true, and the second thing that between having announcements at Town Meetings we'd assume people would come to us, but that has not been the case. I'm hoping that dialogue can start. I would like to see both sides of the issues represented and have the student body make a decision about it." The committee members have made keeping the student body informed of the revised constitution's progress a high pri ority. The proposed constitutional revision is available online so that stu dents may look at the changes at their leisure. A link to the old and revised con stitutions can be found at http://www sar.usf.edu/-ncsa/.

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4 The Catalyst ARTS? December 5, 2001 The magical mystery "mural" stirs debate over public art -r art is just prior consultation." Dean of Students Mark Blaweiss characterized it as "misplaced artistic expression" and he also added, "If peo ple need to express themselves I prefer that they do it in chalk." Campbell and Blaweiss emphasized the fact that they are very enthusiastic about public art on campus, but that such efforts should be coordinated through the proper channels. As Blaweiss pointed out, "They should have asked for permission or gotten an other kind of paint or the right walls to paint on. We've got plenty of places we'd love to have students paint. This is not one of them." Will the person who perpetrated this art please step forward? Campbell mentioned one such place specifically. "I'm especially interested in student artwork for my office and for the wall that you can see from the out by Renee Maxwell An anonymous artist recently adorned the First Court of Pei with a painting of a castle and fire-breathing dragon. For some observers, the "mural" conjures images of medieval fantasy novels; for others, their elemen tary school library. Regardless of the association, the mural was a sponta neous creative act that has raised a debate over what is public art and what for the mural has yet to come fmward, side," he said. "I would be very and since they did not coordinate their enthusiastic about art ... but I do think efforts with Residence Life, the inural that if students want to do some public must be removed. This removal is com-art here that it should be done in concert plicated by the artist's use of acrylic with Residence Life so we can hope paints. fully have some coherence to the art we Director of Residence Life Mike have outside and also how to take care Campbell remarked, "Murals present of it." an interesting challenge because of In this instance the choice of acrylic course one person's vandalism might paints presents extra difficulties in re-be another art \.; nance workers attempted to remove the mural with a sandblaster but were un successful. They now hope to yield better results using a powerful solvent. Either method, however, will compro mise the waterproof sealant that was applied to the building a couple of years ago at great expense. However, Campbell did not believe that the whole building would have to be completely resealed, but that only the area around the mural would require a reapplica tion. Blaweiss expressed his hope that the student responsible for the mural will come forward. "The penalty would most likely be to pay us to clean it up, or go out there and do it yourself ... We just need to get it cleaned off, and the public shouldn't have to foot the bill." Campbell echoed those sentiments, stating "I think that our general expec tation ought to be that students who commit acts of vandalism in public are held responsible for those acts." In the end, the moral to the mural story is merely that public art should have public input, and this particular artist apparently did not care whether anyone else wanted to see a castle and a fire-breathing dragon emblazoned on brick.. Consequently, they can now kiss t etr cast e g bye. A look inside the world of abstact art reveals post-modem pretension by Jagdeep Gabriel Davies Last Sunday, in front of a crowd of thrilled onlookers, an ambitious trio of Novo Collegians presented an artistic ex hibition in Palm Court. According to the organizers, the display, entitled 'Abstact Art,' incorporated modernist, post-mod ernist and deconstructionist elements, by encouraging the participating artists to stack objects in whatever fashion they desired. The event also incorporated a touch a kitsch, by providing "stacks" of bar-b-qued pancakes for both the guests and the artists themselves. The 'Abstact Triumpherate,' as they have come to be known, consists of third-year Robert Scboeber and second years Christopher Altes and Catalyst staff member David Savarese. Each holds strong views on the meaning of ab stact art for themselves, for New College, and for our society as a whole. I had a chance to catch up with them after the gala on Sunday. Of the three members, Savarese was the most tacit, as well as the most upbeat. The history of abstacked art is actually quite complex and is has to do with a lot with personal history and a change in the artistic venue of New College," he ex plained. "I think we set out to do a lot of things here, and we accomplished all of them," Savarese said. ''First of all, we wanted it to be an acces sible artistic creation, and it was. Everyone was welcome to come out and eat pancakes and design a piece for the show. It's a step in the right direction, it's putting thought into the artistic process. We are trying to transcend art, and to do that, we have to destroy it. I really think we accomplished all of our goals. We wanted to stack stuff, and we did." Of the three organizers, however, Schoeber has emerged as the leader, spokesperson, heart and soul of New College's abstact art community. 'This entire show seems to be a big, giant metaphor for ambition, and the futility of dreams everything here is going to fall down again. Abstact art has helped me t9 embrace death. I am no longer afraid of dying. When I asked him why he become in volved with this week's abstact art exhibition, Schoeber replied, ''David gets an idea, and then he wants people to ex plain it to him. I'm not exactly sure what David is trying to do here, but I think one thing he does is really try to take a big de constructionist crap on the notion of academia and post-linearity. "[Savarese] is a true artist who is questioning the notion of authorship. He doesn't exist within the art, nor does he stand outside of it As Foucault would say, 'He drifts among the boundaries of text and reader.' "I think the final statement of abstact art is that no statement is fmal," Schoeber continued. "And, actually, I should re tract the statement that abstract art is metaphorical. No, no abstract art is not metaphorical, because to create a metaphor places a very comfortable dis tance between the symbol and the real, and abstact art is about the very real no tion of entropy and the heat-death of the universe. Co-organizer Christopher Altes added a historical context to the discus sion. "Abstact art has been developing for a long time," he explained as the Beatles' 'Help!' and TV blared in the background from his 'Appliance Stack.' "We have spent countless nights de bating what is and what isn't abstact art, and there are many points of contention within the abstact art community. One of the more edgier things we talk about is 'What's the difference between a stack and a pile?' And I think that this show helps explain that. Stacks are much more formal than piles." "Another big point," Altes added, "is that there is a post:.abstact art community out there that takes pictures of abstact art, turns them upside down, and glues them on things. But, in the end, it's just about stacking. It's all about the stacking.'' Despite such enthusiam, abstact art bas earned itself a hearty dose of vicious dissention from those with more tradi tional artistic tastes. "I don't think they are intending for anyone to get any Just one of the art stacks meaning or understanding out of it," said ftrst-year Coleman Poonnan. '1'hey're just stacking things on top of each other and calling it abstacked art, because they thought of the word abstact without the "r," and said 'Hey! We can stack things and call it art-isn't that clever!' But, it's not clever." Second-year Daina Krafa concurred. "It looks like someone piled up all the trash from PCP, and left it there, and called it art."

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The Catalyst ENTERTAINMENT DecemberS, 2001 5 The best things to come from France since 'The Cone heads,' a review by Christine Bott.oms Some people like the French. Some people hate them and some people don't care either way. These feelings are per fectly natural, and even if you're just a little bit French-curious, you should feel free to explore yourself and the French. I know that these feelings seem strange sometimes, but there are others out there who feel the same way, and you should n't be ashamed about your feelings. It's okay to be scared for the first time. It might even hurt a little. You have the op tion of saying no if you're not ready. Remember: it is you and you alone who have autonomy over your actions. But if you've decided to go through with it, here are some suggestions to prepare you for your first encounter with the opposite French. C'est La Vre What is it, and why care? This is a French bistro/ bakery-type establishment located on Main street in down town Sarasota. I went with two of my girl friends for lunch. Some people think this is sexy. Some people think lunch dates are stupid. But I went, and I ordered a salad because I wanted to Jose weight. Some people think losing weight is sexy; some people think it's stupid. We ordered ice tea, which prompted the wait-ress to confer with French. French Accents: sexy? Stupid? Eh? My salad arrived loaded with organic greens, prosciutto, mozzarella, and arti choke hearts. I made my friend pick around the fancy ham; she wanted one of Horoscopes for the twisted by Crystal Frasier Sagittarius: (Nov. 22--Dec. 21) 'The expression on your face will be price less when your soul is claimed by Nx'lya. lord eternal of dusk, and carried off by his vile minions into the Pit of Kor'shba'alt to be tormented until beyond the end of eter nity in devices too malformed for the sane, rational mind to comprehend. Be sure to have a photographer standing by. Capricorn: (Dec. 22--Jan. 19) Your roommate has laced your asthma in haler with the venom of the African Black Mamba Viper! Fight back by placing deadly Poison Dart Frogs from the Brazilian rain forest in her shampoo bottle. Poison Dart Frogs can be found at Jack's Exotic Pets Emporium; 148 7th Street, just across from the Dairy Queen. Remember Jack's for all your exotic needs. Aquarius: (Jan. 20-Feb.l8) You will be stunned to discover that your printer ran out of ink only a page and a half into your final paper for Medieval France the many vegetarian salads on the menu, but I was paying so she was out of luck. There seems to be an on-campus debate on whether or not vegetarianism is sexy or stupid. I do not know the answer to the ques tion of sexy vegetarianism, but I do know that you can feed three people with one salad for under $10. Spend the rest of your money on expensive cigarettes. Sit in the smoking section and practice your bored look. I have been led to believe that this look is very French. I hear that peo ple think this is sexy. I also hear that people think this is stupid. If you try this at the Wall, I'll let you know which one you are. How French? Are poodles rat-like and yippy? Fun Fact: Yellow on the inside. If they're rude, you can always forgo the tip. Revolutionary Girl UteiUl: The Movie What is it, and why care? This is the big-screen rendition of the popular Japanese animated television se ries, reformatted on DVD for its American release. The original series has already developed a cult-like following in the U.S. where you can only get the first w rest via a cornucopia of pirated media dis tributors. I have seen/procured them all, and as familiar as I am with the story and characters, all I can say is that this movie rocks my socks off. and Spain, and at the exact same moment, you developed an acute psychosis which lead you to believe that those blank pages with loaded with text. This may explain the "Unsat" you will discover in your box come January, though your body odor may also have played some part. Pisces: (Feb. 19-March 20) While Pisces is "The Fish", that does not automatically make you a lesbian. Your boyfriend may already suspect this though, and will take the news welL Your parents, on the other hand, will be quite dislp pointed. Aries: (March 21-April19) You will meet the non-gender-specific-indi vidual of your realistic-but-no-less romantic-than-any-fairy-tale dreams and ride off together on your herbivorous-not servant-but-partner-animal-companion and live as-the-two-of-you-see-fit ever after. You will then get into an argument about political correctness that ends in a messy di vorce just in time for the new semester. Your total for textbooks will be $487.94 Taurus: (April20-May 20) Mind the bus. What bus? SPLAT!!! homo-erotic/pedophiliac/necrophiliac love-polygons, white slavery, Baroque po turing, voyeuristic cow affixation ... Fun Fact: Hot pink! No one has nipples! Japanese!! Junior high school student Utena Tenjou is a new student at Ohtori Academy (a sort of a multi-grade level boarding school) who finds herself drawn into a system of ritualistic duels to pos sess the rose bride, Anthy Himmemiya, gain the power to revolutionize the world and make her dreams come true. She later Biore cool action cream learns that the world is a lie, constructed cleanser out of everyone's delusions and sup-What is it, and why care? pressed memories, confronts her past, and For $5.95 you can get five ounces of a rescues the victimized Himmemiya. In product that feels like Vick's Vapo-Rub, the process, the movie waxes metaphysi-but isn't sticky or smelly like Vick's cal, everyone directly or indirectly has Vapo-Rub. With this description, I'm sure sex with each other, nasty secrets are unthe more imaginative New College stucovered (sounds suspiciously like a dent will find multiple uses for this certain college I know of ... ), and then product It's un-Frenchly non-greasy and they all tum into racecars. I did not make oil-free, but with any luck it has been this up. No really. I didn't. tested on poodles for skin irritants and Most of these things eventually make blistering agents. I tried it, and I think it's sense, and along with the stunning visusupposed to clear your pores and make als, it all makes for a surprisingly your skin sex kitten smooth. I wouldn't beautiful film about the loss of innocence know: I don't get pimples and my skin verses the rejection of a constructed real-has been perfect sinee the day I was born. ity. You don't have to be an anime buff, or Don't waste your resources hating me even familiar with the original series to and my super-model genes, use those re appreciate this movie, although it might sources to solve your own personal make some people's heads explode. If dermatology problems. Go to Publix and you don't "get it" after the first viewing, buy a tube. see it again with the director's commen-How French'? tary. Watch this movie, it will make you Well, it sounds French, and you will feel better about your own dirty deeds. invest over six dollars (if )'OU include tax.) Do 't lie. You've done them. Directed,.;;__;;b...__on lhis Ex\)ens\ve when you Kunihi.ko .lkuhaia. of Sailor Moon fame. cant mdly expect -. $21.95 at FYE. vestmenL How French? Fun Fad: Really Japanese, but this movie con-Multi-colored. Possible group activity tains: fencing, car chases, and/or social lubricant Gemini: (May 21-June 21) In order for the SAC to support your midget wrestling federation, you will be forced to find a cheaper source of midgets. Failing this, you will take to abducting physically fit high school seniors to your secret cybernet ics facility, where your hunchbacked assistant will saw off their legs well mum bling "Yesssssss Massssster." Ticket sales will climb once you begin abducting cheer leaders. Cancer: (June 22--July 22) You REALLY should've taken the thirty seconds last night to use the condom. Oh well. Too late now Leo: (July 23-Aug. 22) Your roommate has placed deadly Poison Dart Frogs in your bottle of Herbal Essence! Respond in kind by filling her asthma in haler with Black Mamba Viper poison. A Black Mamba of your very own can be ob tained at Jack's Exotic Pets Emporium; 148 7th Street, just across from the Dairy Queen. Remember Jack's for all your exotic needs Virgo: (Aug. 23--Sept. 22) Mars Needs Women, and has launched a mass1ve fleet of warships to Earth to kidnap 1/12th of the population. If you're male, you're not off the hook. as Martian scientist long ago perfected the science of sex reas signment surgery. Libra: (Sept. 23-0ct. 23) Pei will be declared an official third-world nation by the United Nations and your donn will be declared the capitol city. By defau1t, your roommate and yourself will be de clared co-presidents of Peivania and begin your people's long quest for economic freedom from the oppressive state from which you spawned. In time, your struggle will be made into chilling, four-hour drama by James Cameron. You will played by Eddie Izzard Scorpio: (Oct. 24-Nov. 21) One of your Christmas presents will have traces of a mysterious, white powder near the edges. The biohazard unit will infonn you, however, that this is merely powdered sugar, most likely from the jelly doughnuts your grandmother had while wrapping gifts. You will then take your gift (a new water fil ter pitcher) home and realize that you just lived through the most exciting thing that will ever happen to you. The aspirin is in the medicine cabinet; Champagne's in the fridge.

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6 The Catalyst NEWS December 5, 2001 Physical Plant explains mysterious disappearance of trees on campus by Jag Davies "I know that there's a lot of trees out there, but that there's also a lot of wildlife out there," said Richard Olney, Director of New College of Florida's Physical Plant '1t has never been my intention to throw wildlife out. My intention is to make sure that when you guys are walk ing to class, or when a car pulls up into Cook Hall, a limb doesn't fall off and hurt somebody.'' Following Tropical Storm Gabrielle on September 14, multiple trees were removed from campus, many of which suffered severe damage during the storm. The trees removed included at least one in front of the Heiser Natural Sciences Compound, Palmer Building E, Hamilton Center, first Court of Pei, Cook Hall, and College Drive (at the proposed site of the Keating Center). Two palm trees were also removed from the Dort Promenade, although most of the co11apsed palm trees were put back in their place following the storm. "A lot of people said 'Geez, you're cutting a lot of trees down', but it was strictly a health and safety issue," said Olney. "Ifi dido 't take down the branches before they feU on someone, God knows what could have happened We took down trees that we thought were a danger to the public." According to Olney, prior to Tropkal Storm Gabrielle, the oak trees on campus were already quite brittle due to years of drought and termite damage. The storm, he said, served as a natural method of thirming out their population. If they had been left standing in their current condi tion, they could collapse unexpectedly and hurt someone or their property. On October 4, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) declared Sarasota County, as well as a number of other parts of Florida, a Federal Disaster Zone, entitling the Physical Plant to fi nancial reimbursements for their tree removal efforts. Originally, Olney had not expected any compensation because tree removal is not covered by the school's inFEATURES surance policy. If it were not for FEMA, Olney estimates that the storm could have cost the school up to $40,000 in tree-re moval related expenses. "A lot of people don't realize how ex pensive tree removal can be," said Olney. For example, the tree that collapsed in front of Cook Hall and landed on a trailer cost only $500 in damages to the trailer, but upwards of $2,500 to be removed. "The tree damage was terrible for us, but hey, you got to do what you got to do," added Olney. Additional reporting for this story was done by Ryan McCormick Price, Esq. and Abby Weingarten. Questions and Answers with artist/writer of "Schlock Mercenary" by Ryan McConnick Price, Esq. Background: "Schlock Mercenary" is the ongoing saga of a space-faring company of soldiers-for-hire in the fairly distant fu ture. Against a background of high technology and low humor, they wage perilously large battles for perilously small and the process learn Howard Tayler is the creator, artist and writer of the comic, which can be found at www.schloclanercenary.com, and he recently afforded the Catalyst a rare op portunity for an interview. Catalyst: So, what's it like, being a car toonist who works exclusively in an electronic medium? What's an average day in your life like? Tayler: On an average day, I get up at around 7 a.m., check my email. Go to work at Novell Technologies, where I'm the product manager for a 100-million dollar software business ... and no, I don't see a percentage of that money. I come home around 5 p.m., sit down at the drawing table, and crank out a strip or two. Each strip takes about 40 minutes, or 150 minutes for the Sunday strips. Then I'll bum around with my family-my beautiful California-born wife and three mutant, Utah-born, barely-descended children-until late in the evening. Some evenings I'll sit down and script a week's worth of Schlock on the computer. Others I'll do IRC chat with fans. Once a week I have a coloring ses sion on the computer where my flood-fill colors come to vibrant-hah! life. Catalyst: Your comic is published online, of course, and is sponsored by a web comic company called Keenspot. How closely involved are you with the technical end of things, putting the comic online and such? Tayler: The tech end of things is handled by KeenSpot. I chose them because so much could be automated without any ef fort on my part. I upload strips anywhere from 7 to 30 days in advance and server a:utcma!ioilly pages and home page each night at mid night Eastern time. KeenSpot's been good to me. The cross-promotional aspect of it has boosted my readership levels nicely. Caudyst: Speaking of which, how many readers do you think you have? How does this online comic business pay, anyway? Do you make as much money off of mer chandise as some other popular online comics, such as Sluggy Freelance (www.sluggy.com)? Tayler: Merchandisjng so far has been a shallow sort of money pit. I need another half-million readers before merchandis ing can really be a cash-cow. 'Another,' I said ... as if I already have my FIRST half-million readers. Hah. I have about 5,000 readers. So far the strip, including convention travel, pens, paper, etcetera, has cost me about $2400, and I've raked in a whopping $1200 in PayPal, T-shirt sales, and art auctions. My current goal is to make the darn thing pay for itself ... I rhink I'll have that sometime in mid2002. Catalyst: Is it true you're from Sarasota? What kind of background do you have here, and has New College influenced you in any way, even if you didn't attend? Tayler: Ahhh, Sarasota. I spent most of my grade-school and all of my junior-high and high-school years there, from 1978 through 1989, although for most of '87 to '89 I was a Mormon Missionary, and was nowhere near Sarasota. I loved it there, but I've moved on now. What can I say? It's not my home anymore. I used to go to the beach daily, drive too fast down US 41, and scream at old people, and that just seemed like how life was supposed to be. j date a positively gorgeous New College student named Diana. And that's about it. I wasn't studying art back then ... music was more my focus, although I thought I was going to 'grow up' to be a chemical engineer. My dad wanted me to go to Harvar ... New College would have been out of the question, simply because my dad was not an artsy kind of guy. Only the fact that I couldn't get in to Harvard let him compromise with me on Brigham Young University, where I took one pen cil-drawing class, majored in music, and graduated in 1993. Catalyst: How did a seemingly ordinary fellow like yourself come up with the lu natic genius of "Schlock Mercenary"? it to be funny. I'm no Douglas Adams, but I'm I hoopy frood who knows where his towel is, and I figured some of that kind of 'feel' would be just right wrapped in a believable universe. I guess the begirmings were pretty formu laic. ''Band of itinerant misfits" moves one comic escapa e' to the next in a loose serial. Then the characters started staging their dialogs in my head as I com muted to work ... or slept .. or in any number of other places. I realized that instead of me getting to choose the escapade, the characters were going to choose, and the project became character driven about 6 months in. This was frightening. I mean, I have no idea what kinds of things are going to happen in the middle of one of my carefully sculpted storylines. Twice now I've tried to kill off a character, only to have them argue themselves to safety. I was planning a big romance, and qne of the parties got into a fight and got thrown out of the cast. I mean jeepers, how am I supposed to keep this stuff in line? Tayler: Well, it's like this. Back in Catalyst: Do you bring your own December of 1999 I had a heart attack ences into your work? well, myocarditis, if you must know and I think my subconscious got pretty busy looking for stress relievers. I started reading webcomics, and was very im pressed by Friendly" and "Sluggy Freelance", both of which were kind of sloppily drawn but told great stories. I fig ured "Hey, I can do that." So I bought a cheap "How to draw Comic Books" title and a week later I felt I was ready to go public. I knew I was going to do sci-fi. I'm heav ily influenced by Niven, Card, Banks, Bujold, Brin, Adams, and Asimov. But I wanted to steer clear of stuff that felt like "Star Trek" or "Star Wars." But I wanted Tayler: I suppose it's fair to say that everything I experience ends up coloring the strip in some way. The bureaucracy storyline was the direct result of me doing some on-site consulting for a government agency ... no, I'm not telling you who, nor when. Some of the characters in the strip are loosely based on real people I found interesting. And naturally, the concepts found in the great science fiction works of the last 50 years get used all the time. If I see far, it's because I'm the monkey clinging to the back of the giants. Visit www.schlockm.ercenary.com, and other great webcomics

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The Catalyst OPINION December 5, 2001 7 Editorial: Palm Court Parties procedures should be followed There were several incidences of vi olence at last Halloween Palm Court Party (PCP) and four drug or alcohol related incidents At one point in the early morning hours flashing lights of an ambulance dominated the sounds of music and merriment. Student Affairs and campus police have agreed that something needs to be done about PCPs, now it is up to the students to take a stand Organizers should look at past par ties -what was good about them, what was bad in order to facilitate the evo lution ofPCPs into a higher being, a less brutal being. A set of PCP policies was estab lished before Halloween "Asylum" PCP 2001 that required all attendees to wear colored wristbands. These wristbands distinguished between students, spon sored guests, and uninvited guests. This was a good idea. This worked. This worked so well, in fact, that it was no longer deemed necessary a year later. Police Chief Eugene O'Casio told the Catalyst, ''Things that work tend to be come a burden. If you have two or three safe, effective parties you tend to lighten up on some of the restrictions." When we stopped using the new policies, things got out of hand. Halloween 2001 had more trouble some incidents than any of the last three policy abiding PCPs. Student Affairs and campus police are trying to rrrrN<"'. .. lH come up with solutions to the problem. Campus police are in favor of changing the hours of PCP so that they start earlier and end earlier. The reasoning behind this is that if the party is over when the bars close, there won't be as many intoxicated bar-goers in at tendance. According to O'Casio, the problems usually begin when the bars close and the uninvited guests arrive. He added that he thinks we can have just as much fun from 8 p.m. unti13 a.m. as we can from midnight until dawn. Director of Student Affairs Mark Blaweiss has another solution to the problem of uninvited guests. He sug gests that we ban all bottles and cans from Palm Court and serve beer to at tendees in paper cups until 2:30 a.m. When Joyland closes and the Marlboro Man comes sauntering up to the college party he won't be allowed to carry the suitcase of Budweiser under his arm. According to Blaweiss, we can better control the party by regulating alcohol flow. Both departments are strongly en couraging student input from a Town Meeting. Blaweiss would like the students to contemplate the meaning be hind the party whether it is a celebration or an excuse to abuse alcohol and other drugs. We also need to seriously think about limiting access to only students and their guests, and fmd.ing a way to keep the un invited people out. The biggest problem in controlling guest access is the lack of funding for police and security. Patrolling the area between Hamilton Center and Palm Court has worked well in the past as a way to keep unwelcome visitors away. Another solution is changing the venue (and the acronym). We could start having CHPs, or College Hall Parties. In the past, CliPs are more easily patrolled by police, and less accessible to uninvited guests. The main problem with them is getting the area clean shortly afterwards. The administration is willing to help. e Death of the Editor: a farewell address Max Campbellthat "other" editor. by Max Campbell "Now over the years, a newsman learns a number of things that for one reason or another, he just cannot report. It doesn seem to mauer rww, so the following people are gay. -Kent Brockman 'There comes a time in every Catalyst editor's career when he must bid his col leagues adieu, and depart, with a final graceful bow, to disappear forever into the bowels of "thesis heU." Now that time has come for me. And so, I resurrect a tradition which had ended before my own time on staff: the editor's farewell to the campus. Whert I 'W:ired" from my position as gene 1 or with the stilJ-grueling role of managing edi tor. This new retirement, however, wiJJ be both complete and permanent It is with much regret that I take leave of my col leagues at the Catalyst, and end my inspiring career as a student journalist I take comfort. however, in the fact that present General Editor Mike Sanderson will be around forever or at least for the next year Maybe two! Anyhow, it has truly been a pleasure to work with so talented and dedicated a group to produce our fine publication. But now in the spirit of17ze Simpsons' Kent Brockman, I would like to take this opportunity to tell you, the reader, all of those dirty little secrets I could never tell before. Therefore. I give you .. The Evil Truth about the Catalyst, revealed! 7) On getting our lead story: In our spring '99 coverage of the fire in Pei, re-printed on Page 6, we quoted the Ftre Marshal's categorization of the fire as "accidentaL" In reality. we lit that fire ourselves. We had to. It was a slow news week 6) On Ryan Price's byline: For years we have allowed Ryan McConnick Price to add to his name the title of "esquire." We did this in spite of our own foreknowledge that he is not, and never was, a member of the landed gentry in Great tll'>.l:l!P.VP.r, (r ries employing B ritish rules of p u n ctuation 5) On errors, where they come from: In the correction box of our March 21, 2001 issue, we claimed that we had made 'a tech nical error.'' In reality, we were dnmk. 4) On Mackscene Gome71fuchman: In the corrections box in our September 26 issue, we claimed that our various mis spellings and confusions of Maxeme Tuchman's name were accidental. In fact we inserted those "errors" deliberately, just to mess with her head. 3) On regretting nothing: Past in tances in the Catalyst in which I ex pressed to regret anything were fraudulent 2) On editorials, intlammatory: I wrote the infamous "Titus Jewell" edito rial. It was me all along, you fools! But that damnable Mike Sanderson stole the notori ety for himself 1) On humanity, contempt for: My year-and-a-half of newspaper editing has instilled me with a healthy disregard for my fellow man. I am. for example, dead cer tain that you, the reader, will take one or ;ill of these "confessions" seriously. 1ben you will post outraged signs around Hamilton Center. "So long, and thanks for all the fish Adams Student Affairs will make wristbands more easily available. Student Affairs is also willing to work with Students for a Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) to deal with drug and alcohol incidents in a safe manner. SSDP is planning on staffing designated sober party patrollers to watch out and protect people who are at risk of endangering themselves with ex cessive substance use. SSDP is also planning on reforming the chill out room into a more comfortable environment. In addition to these harm reduction techniques, Studeilt Affairs would like to work with students to pro vide more substance-free activities and beverages for students who choose to abstain Student Affairs and campus police are doing an excellent job of working on solutions. As a student body, we need to give them input if we want PCPs toremain in control of the students. If you want to stay up past your bedtime, say so! If you don't want to play with the creepy neighbors, you don't have tol Together we can make PCP a safe, happy holiday for our family and friends. Opinion page/ Contribu\ion

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8 The Catalyst From the campus bookshop: 78% of professor's book orders have not been turned in! These book orders must be turned in, especially if the books are rare or out-of-print, so that the bookstore staff can help professors track down existing copies or fmd alternatives before it is too late! The first department to tum in AIL their book orders will receive, courtesy of the Campus Bookshop, 32 New College coffee mugs filled with candy! To place your orders, call 355-5252 or fax to 355-7584. Sculpture exhibit Everyone is invited to the Writing Resource Center to see the new sculp ture exhibit. Students in Leslie Fry's Introductory Sculpture class have created amazing, amusing, and clever interpreta tions of the human figure. These works in wood will be on display until December 14. And while you're in the Writing Resource Center, sit down with one of the student writing assistants to discuss your essay-in-the-making (or make an appoint ment for later). We look forward to seeing you. Friday, December 14 Jung and the Alchemical Imagination The C.G. Jung Society of Sarasota Sainer Pavilion, 7:30p.m Analyst will discuss the three pillars of Jungian spirituality and relate them to the same ideas as found in alchemy. This will not only increase awareness of Jungian thought as a form of spirituality, but will demonstrate the relevance of alchemy for the contemporary individual. Open to the public. Members $8, Non-members $15, NC & USF students, faculty and staff free. ANNOUNCEMENTS The following note, which was placed in the Catalyst box, is unsigned, but it is in Officer Roarty s handwriting. We have duplicated his handwriting the best we could. RESPONDING TO LAST WEEKS CATACLYSM EXTRA AND THE jERRY SPRINGER ISP, THE EDITORS, IN HASTE, FAILED TO INCLUDE THE FACT THAT STRICT SECURITY WILL BE PROVIDED BY THE DYNAMIC DUO OF ROARTY AND VICKERS. BOTH HAVE OPTED TO SHAVE THEIR HEADS FOR A CHANCE AT NATIONAL EXPOSURE. CATCALLING OF THEIR FIRST NAMES FROM THE AUDI ENCE WILL BE VOLUNTARY! Comrlion December 5, 2001 11.26.01, 15:30 Petit TheftCrime Prevention Poster was taken from lobby of UPD sometime ago. Approx. value: $35.00. Status: active. 11.30.01, 12:00 Petit Theft Unknown suspect took the brass plate under the Mildred Sainer portrait in the lobby of The Sainer Auditorium. Approx. value: $100.00. Status: active. the 2-\rchives: Pei 234 "bun1ed to a crisp" week's artif.:le on Pei renovations the accompanying article on the dorms said that the ffire in 234 in was "small ... F()r clarification, present the Catalysts original II'VlliJPr.ftq,p Of that 23, fust Burch the sound of breaking glass. thought crazy drunken College students. t Then a few hni,.n,t.t"'t: later there was this really banging on the door and a cop the door and yells. 'Get out now a fire!"' Students and smoke poured from the Esc her-like corridors of Pei as Sarasota County ftrefighters ran to put out a fire in Pei dorm room 234. After tbey quelled the flames, aU that remained was, an incinerated and a new ve on fire "fire smoking." to Captain "A cigarette was placed in an ash tray and pushed beneath a futon then the occupants left and it ignited the futon and burned the room," said Withrow. Once the futon was on fire it only took "fifteen or twenty minutes" for the blaze to become out of controL. All of [Elizabeth] Elia's be ings, and those of a few of her c! friends. were destroyed by the According to Burch, Elia"s room ... burned to a crisp." .. The dressers were melted dow .. thlug out ofAlice in Wonderlan : all warped. The mattresses were totally gone. the bed frames were totall burned ... paint was peeling off walls .. everything was black." Nine inches of concrete .......... c ... r,,rPI'tl the integrity of the adjoining rooms. If the fire had occurred in of the other dorms, the damage nv.uur How the Other Half 'Lives' by Christopher DeFillippi (