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PAGE 1 THE Volume XIV, Issue 8 can you identify the fake article? Fun/weirdness at Palm Court Party mired by violence Saturdays Palm Court Part was a good time for most. Right, alum Mario Rodriguez mocks an attack on alum Sydney Cox. Real violence followed. by Valerie Mojeiko ing gifts for all of the good litthe World Trade Center, standThe festivities began with a PCP is like Christmas, even tie boys and girls. ing in the middle of Palm mid-afternoon scavenger hunt if it is on Halloween. Long The theme of this year's Court with a giant ape attackClues such as "If you're look gone relatives come from far Halloween PCP was "Return ing it. Third-year Micheal ing for acid, I'm the place to away New College spend s of th e son of the night of the Holland and thesis-student go, right next to the place time to ether as a family. A living PCP Part II-The Dan Holmes were the P.rimary where all the p l ants grow" ere tree IS remove rom t e Revenge." The decorat1ons organizers of the event. Thesisated a flurry among the ground. Somebody gets drunk. were scarce, with the exception student Steven Wheeler and scavenger hunters. (This clue Some other people get in a of a 10-foot tall skyscraper, second-year Chris Altes also led to the chemical shed befight. Santa Claus comes beareerily reminiscent of half of contributed. hind the PAGE 2 2 The Catalyst NEWS November 7, 2001 Hurricane's eastward veer makes preparations thankfully unnecessary by Christopher DeFillippi Less than a week ago, a hwricane with winds l35 miles per hour threatened the Sarasota. Monday, however, the day of expected impact, the weather was aberrant only to the extent that the gray sky disagreed with the crystal blue de picted in the New College brochures. With a temperature of 71 degrees and a wind speed of 12 mph, the day seemed as inconsequential as any other. Assistant Director of the Physical Plant, Richard Olney, had been making preparations since Thursday, in the event that this would not be the case. "I had made arrangements on Friday to bring Physical Plant personnel in on Saturday or Sunday," said Olney. "If it looked like it was [going to] come toward us, we would have been boarding up." Currently, Olney is still handling in surance claims from the destruction of Tropical Storm Gabrielle, and so was re luctant to take any chances in preparing for the possibility that the stronger Hurricane Michelle might hit Sarasota. "I was here during the day of [Gabrielle]," said Olney. "70 mph winds. Quite frankly, I don't even want to think of winds over 70. It'd probably be over a hundred thousand in damage. More de bris flying in the air, more windows breaking." Dean of Students Mark Blaweiss agreed with Olney in the need for early preparation. "I meet at a regular basis with the Physical Plant people and the po lice to coordinate our efforts," said Blaweiss. ''The storms come in, we get a warning, {the Physical Plant] boards up certain buildings, and I send an e-mail to students warning them to clear their balconies." The Dean of Students is also responsible for preparing for power outages, and ensuring that various school services as well as lines of communication are not in terrupted because of it. This includes filling all of the generators in Sudakoff, Heiser and Pritzker buildings with diesel, and contacting food services to deliver cold meals. The Public Affairs office is contacted to ensure that the web site is still operational and that telephone lines are clear, so that students can learn whether or not their classes are canceled. Blaweiss also recalled Tropical Storm Gabrielle when stressing the importance of preparing for storms well in advance. "We thought we had two days to prepare for Gabrielle," said Blaweiss. "And then we found out we had five hours." Blaweiss and Olney's desire to be pre pared was tempered on I y by the tremendous inconvenience involved in completely hurricane-proofing New College. "In building [Palmer] A, with the computer servers, we ask people to put their computers away from the windows, put them in bags, and keep them in high spots," said Olney ''That's labor inten sive for the computer department, and now they have to go back and put every thing back together.'' Olney went on to explain that the lack of information he had to act upon five days ago also restricted any precautionary measures he could have taken. "I think my boss on this campus would leave [preparation judgements] up to me," Olney continued. "But when [you've got a] hurricane that's five days away out in the Gulf of Mexico, and you're not sure where it's gonna go, it'<; a little hard to figure out what you're gon : d o. Day of Dialogue welcomes all views on war Day of Dialogue concerning the war in Afghanistan on Saturday, Nov. 1Oth, at New College of Florida by Liz Palomo On Saturday, November 10, students, professors and members of the commu nity will have a chance to partake in an open Day of Dialogue that will celebrate this trait of the New College experience. 'The event was conceived of and orga nized by New College students Zora Tucker, Rachel Gerber, Cat Hughes, Shelley Fite and Julia Daniel, and alum Julia Skapik. "It's very easy for people to get a bi ased viewpoint on the war and everything related to it if all they have to go on is the mainstream media," said Skapik. "I think it's important for everyone's opinion to be heard; people think that they will be looked down on if they are for the war, or maybe if they're against the war." Shelley Fite agreed. "Tilis isn't a day to make everyone be anti-war. People[at the event] shouldn't expect to sit back and listen to a lecture. Everything will be di rected at making everyone talk." The event was originally intended to take place during a day when classes would be cancelled, but due to disagreement on the part of students who did not want their daily lives further disrupted by the aftermath of September 11, it was rescheduled for a Saturday. The organiz ers said that rescheduling the day on a weekend will give an opportunity for working members of the to take part in the discussion. Flyers have been put up around Sarasota in the hope that people other than novo coJiegians will come to the event. "People are confused as to how to act [in response to September 11], whether to give blood, join a group or what." said Tucker. "We hope this will make people come away thin.ldng further about their role as citizens." There will be one guest speaker: Jamil Jreisat, PhD., who is a professor of Public Administration and Political Science at USF. Jreisat has written several published articles about the Arab world such as ''Politics Without Process: Administering Development in the Arab World." Other topics that will be covered will include domestic and civil wartime policy, the media's impact on the war on terrorism, and US foreign policy in the Arab world Several professors will IJe present at the discussions to offer their expertise, but the organizers do not want their presence to make students and community members less comfortable or less willing w1 I be there as a part of the community so that they too can voice their opinion in a non-academic setting"" said Hughes. "Professors in other universities are being penalized for expressing anti-war senti ments in class. We want professors to have an occasion to talk about the war without being hindered." When asked about what made her want to organize the event, Shelley Fite said, "I don't thin.k that people realize what an amazing resource they have here. We have access to all these professors and to each and most of us won't have something like this again once we leave New College. This is a chance to take ad Vantage of that resource." As a fmal thought, Skapik added, "this is a way for people not to sit around and feel impotent. Don't sit in your room, 3-3:30: Live music, snacks and "Day of Dialogue" introduction 3:3o-4:30: Workshop/discussion: America durin wartime: domestic 4:45-6: Workshop/discussion: The role of the media in the War on Terrorism. Featuring Mitch Perry, Asst. News Director at Tampa's WMN F (88.5 FM) 6-6:30: Catered Dinner (free for all) 6:3o-7:30: Keynote speech: US Foreign Policy in the Arab World Jamil Jreisat, PhD., Professor of Public Administration and Political Science. USF 7:30-8:30: Panel and discussion: The War on Terrorism/War Against Afghanistan Professors and community leaders come talk about it." CATALYST The Catalyst is available on the World Wide Web at General Editor Michael Sanderson Layout Editor Enn Marie Blasco Web Editor Michael Gimignani Managing Editor Max Campbell Photographer Crystal Frasier Editorial Assistant Graham Strouse Staff Writers Ryan McCormick Price, Esq., David Savarese, Valerie Mojeiko, Jag Davies, Christine Bottoms, Christopher DeFillippi, Renee Maxwell, Liz Palomc;>. Ab.by Weingarten The Catalyst is an academic tutorial sponsored by Professor Maria Vesperi. It is developed in the New College Publications Office using Adobe Photoshop and Quark Xpress for PowerMacintosh and printed at the Bradenton Herald with money provided by the New College Student Alliance. Direct submissions and inquiries to: The Catalyst 5700 N. Tamiami Tr. Box #75 Sarasota, FL 34243 catalyst@ virtu. sar. usf edu The Catalyst reserves the right to edit submissions for space, grammar or .. 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. 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 5:00p.m. Saturday in order to appear in the following week's issue. Information about upcoming events is welcome throughout the week. PAGE 3 The Catalyst NEWS Three slates of candidates for presidential election !f'ROM uELECTION" PAGE 5 1 of Ham Center. Jewell has served as NCSA secretary for the past year and spent the summer reorganizing the NCSA archives As such, he has perspective on such matters as the history of New College's Foundation and Board of Trustees, the past relation hip between the NCSAand the University Program tudent and arcana the past. Thts he feels along with Michelle Brown's work with General Roland Hei s er, leaves the pair of them in a fa vorable position with regards to the administration November 7, 2001 3 Hossack told the Catalyst "The way thmgs have been structured this year and the way the change has gone it Left: Titus Jeweel's old image.from his 2000 campaign. Cemer : His new image, from his website. Right: Andrew flossack. would be very beneficial to have me in for at least one more year, as I already have close tie with this administra tion He added "The student body someone who can relay their w1shes for th e school's future in credi ble way." Br own and Jewell hop e to senti from a previ ou s C a ta lyst mt erv i ew, wh i c h inc l u d ed a d esire to make the Student Allocations Committee application process much more accessible and to make students to take on, three things which only the NCSA President may take on. Fir t, he wants to see more involve ment with the Board of Trustees: "We may be full-time students, but these are full-time bussinessmen and politicians ... I think it's very possible to see a situ ation in which the New ollege student body president is as actively involved with the Board of Trustees as the Board itself. I don't see that happening with a single president who ha to take care of hi duties at home as well.'' Jewell also, much like Andrew Hossack, 1s excited about New College's admittance to the Florida Student Assocation, a student lobbying body made up of student body presi dems that acts as a powerful voice in Florida politics. "They're a powerful group, and I think they want to love us since they've always been really in trigued by us. If we play our cards right, New College can become known as one of the priorities of the Florida Student Association." Relations between New College and the University Program are also a par ticular concern for both Titus Jewell and Michelle Brown, who feel that the Joint Allocations Committee may not be the best place for the UPSA and NCSA to air their grievances as it leads to painful budgeting disputes. While not running with a full slate such as that of the Savarese/Byars slate, made it a make intial offers of cabinet po!;ltt4:>ns students with whom he has worked in the NCSA in the pa t. "My cabinet's going to have to tep up to the challenge ... I want students to know now that these people surrounding me will be there for my support and will be taking on a greater workload so that it's possi ble to have me doing the JOb, taking care of the FSA and the New College admin istration." Hossack's theoretical cabinet will consist of Maggie Phillips as Vice President of Student Affairs, India Harville as Vice President of Academic Affairs, Mark Hengge as Alumni/ae Representative, NCSA presidential can didate Michelle Brown as Foundation Representative, and Jason Blinder as NCSA Secretary. This is a cabinet with long NCSA experience, many of whom are already working with Hossack and would thus ideally make for an ea y transition, according to his plans. Hossack also plans to review the budgets for Housing and Physical Plant with Vice President of Finance and Administration John Martin and estab lish a committee to determine a living wage for the employees of New College and the University Program. Savarese and Byars have put out an initiative outline both in print and on the New College e-Forum which names nearly a dozen students to various cabinet positions, some of which have not heretofore existed and none of which have ever been .. political" positions. which is a point of some interest in the campaign. Savare e and Byars have absolute faith in their initiative and in their slate. "We're running a serious campaign," Savarese tated. "We want to have unity right from the beginning because our aim is to re-inform and re-engage stu dents with the school's administration, and we want to do it constitutionally. The slate gives our campaign a back bone. We want a cabinet of officers who have the same ideas that we do, who can work with us from the outset while re taining the kind of individual diversity that makes New College the kind of place it is." The initiative outline put out by the Savarese/Byars ticket states: "The unity that this slate will provide is strongly connected to the ties that we envision. Strong relationships will allow the abil ity to accomplish better, more united and efficient activities." Some have noted that nearly the en tire slate consists of first and second years. Byars dismisses such worries. "The Presidency is more than just the details of the everyday duties, the speci ficities ... the student government as a whole can benefit from a new face with new ideas, from someone who' actually wdling to cause tfllliJiF student body should that JUst because you've served in the NCSA be fore doesn't mean that you'd be better at it." Savarese agrees, putting forth a metaphor for the campaign he and Byars have envisioned: "Student have a right to do what NCSA officers' re sponsibilities are and whether they're meeting them or not. We're not only going to keep the door open. We're ac tually going to go outside." Another NCSA Co-Presidential can didate, Titus Jewell expres ed concern about the radical nature of the slate. "In his [David Savarese's] unorthodox move to make the cabinet a political body, he has excluded Michelle [Brown] and I from the CSA cabinet. He has also excluded India Harville, and I think the three of us repre ent continu ation and an understanding of the problematic of the CSA .. I wish he would consider the issue of continuity a little more, because he is excluding everybody in the current cabinet from a cabinet position and to my knowledge, that has never happened before." Use the e-forum! forum.sar. usf .edu PAGE 4 4 The Catalyst FEATURES November 7, 2001 SSDP's Speaker says: don't mix downers with downers by David Savarese Some Novo Collegians use drugs, and some of their fellow students want to protect them from harm. Third year Matt Mazzuckelli and second year Catalyst staff writer Valerie Mojeiko are the co-presidents of the New College chapter of Students for a Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP). According to their mission statement Students for Sensible Drug Policy is committed to providing education of harm caused by the War on Drugs working to involve youth in the politi cal process, and promoting an open honest, and rational discussion of alter native solutions to our nation's drug problems. To that goal, SSDP brought Theo Rosenfeld to our campus on October 29 where he gave a lecture about reducing the risks of drug use. The SSDP waS formed at New College by students that were particu larly interested in the policy aspect of the war on drugs. Involvement in last year's Drug Policy ISP, sponsored by Dr. Rick Doblin, was the catalyst for many students' involvement in SSDP. One of tR.e key goals for this year's New College Chapter of SSDP was to pia support for the Higher nmt; on. The supportive o f the SSDP's inte rest in changin g thi s governmental provisi o n that prevents any ind i viduals con victed of a federal or state drug offense receiving financial aid for higher e ducation. "It is important to realize that a sensible drug policy does not equal legalization," Mazzuckelli said. Mojeiko added, "SSDP is not about fostering drug use in this community, its not about propagating drug use. We are about reducing the risks and dan gers of uninformed drug use." Theo is a nomadic community de veloper, activist, and storyteller His community development workshops build skills in facilitation. communica tion and team dynamics. He regularly offers trainings to teachers, counselors and peer educators at the Harm Reduction Training Institute in NYC and Oakland. He is also an organizer of the Gathering of the Tribes an annual conference on the community, politics. and spirit of dance parties in North America. As the community organizer for DanceSafe he designed the volun teer training and ran it in over 20 cities across the United States and Canada. The lecture focused on informing the public about real drug use today (minus media hype), facilitating dia logue amongst community members, and vi.clin& and tools for a n d reasonabl e way. Theo discussed the historical function of cl u b dru gs, and the possible d a nger s o f con temporary Things To Remember If You Choose To Use Drugs 1) Be aware that there are risks associated with the use of any substance. 2) Know what you are putting into your body. Use (www.erowid.org) to research common contradictions. 3) Make sure that other people know what you are on. 4) Take care of yourself before, during and after the experience. Eat .a good meal, get extra sleep, stay hydrated, eat fruit and take vitamins. 5) Prescription drugs can be dangerous, especially with alcohol. 6) Pay attention to set, setting, and dosage when using psychedelics. 7) high is not the same as getting tucked up." Not being careful and using in excess is dangerous. usage. By examining the effects, cul tural contexts, and harm reduction strategies for partying and drug use Tbeo displayed an ulterior examination of what drugs individuals may be ex posed to on and off campus. During the hour-long lecture, Theo discussed the effects of various drugs and dangerous combinations of drugs. T s lecture was accompanied by a San d ra Karpetas, another experie n ce d p eer-topeer drug coun s e lor. T hose in attendance focused on an introspective understanding ol drug use, celebration, and pleasure as it relates to their own lives, health, and culture. The partici pants in this workshop, entitled "Sex Drugs and Revolution," learned the ease of articulating and discussing these topics publicly and in their own communities. Together with the lectur ers they worked on developing skills and strategies for carrying their insights munity o r gan i zing a nd mobilizing progressive change. Good time was had b all at Halloween by-the-numbers drag show Miss Gay Sarasota by Crystal Frasier Seventy people crowded into a small, dim, smoke-filled room may not seem like a great way to spend a Halloween night, but throw in a small army of men in colorful dresses and some tradi tional diva music, and it's suddenly as entertaining as the proverbial monkey barrel. The Halloween Drag Show at Rowdies Bar, Sarasota's primary gay bar, was an interesting spectacle to witness. As the only drag show in a small, Republican community, the 'girls' from Rowdies are under standably a bit amateurish. The lip syncs were noticeably off, the cos tumes, while flashy, weren't the same stunning ordeals you'd see in clubs in Tampa or Atlanta, and special lighting was almost nonex istent. In addition, the sight of bar patrons stuffing one and five dollar bills imo the performers' costumes seemed to cheapen the entire event. For the most part, the show was fun to watch but unimpressive. The performers were obviously enjoying themselves, but lacked practice and experience. The only exception was the performance by the reigning Miss Gay Sarasota and candidate for the Sarasota County Fire Commissioner Danielle CrystaL who has ously earned her title. Her routine including high kicks and backtlips: was choreographed and very entcrtatntng, bordering on awe-in spiring. The performance of Lindsey Carlton, a classic Sarasota Personality, was also well done 'r r \ though less active and energetic, and probably would've been better received if scheduled before Danielle Crystal's act. Rowdies now hosts a drag show evcty Sunday night at llp.m. for its patrons. Those who are un derage, normally turned away at the front door, are admitted on show nights for a small cover. The bar is located on Martian Luther King Jr. Blvd, just past the Ringling School of Art and Design. PAGE 5 The Cqtalyst NEWS Palm Court Party brings toys, candy, no free beer fROM "PCP, PAGE I I ______ ____::._::....._] PCP 2001 had 1ts share of d1s-mstances of violence. Natural Science building.) turbing occurences, beginning Campus police denied comSome used cell phones to keep a group of non-students ment on the PCP incidents. in touch with teammates; others npped a young pine tree out of One incident happened sped around on bicycle. Prizes the ground. "Some [non-stuaround 5:30 a.m. when univer oftoys and candy were awarded dents] ripped the tree out of the sity police began trying to clear to the winners. One lucky winand they were throwing PCP-ers out of Palm Court. ner received a custom-made 1t at people," Blower. The According to Catalyst staff beer stein. tree was later dtscovered leanwriter Erin Blasco Ken Vickers In an effort to lessen the ing a the of the universit; police ap costs of PCP, there was no disparkmg lot behmd Ham1lton proached a non-student, yelling tribution of beer by PCP Center. for him to take off his organizers. New College stuThere were more serious Halloween mask. Without wait dents were not disturbed by the problems later in the night. At ing long for him to remove it, lack of free beer. "I heard no about 4 a.m., a student "while reportedly Vickers forcibly re complaints except from [nonintoxicated and possibly moved the man's mask and students]," said Holland. drugged," according to the pobegan using his baton while ar Holland explained that free beer lice log, "did attack and batter resting the suspect. would have created excessive other party-goers." According to "He did not appear to be reThe grounds crew was hired costs to the event. "We'd have to witnesses, a non-student retalisisting arrest," s""';d Blasco. "He h fi "-' 10r security, headed by thesisstu ent Chris Sabatelli. tre a cop or every keg, in adated when his girlfriend was Just looked confused." d dition to other cops," said attacked, and the student was Accord1'ng to the polt'ce log, "S h dl d H 11 d "W h ecunty an e 1t pretty o an e t ought we'd do knocked to the ground and the non-student was charged well," said Holland. something different. We spent a kicked. He was taken to the haswith disorderly conduct and re"At the beginning of the lot of money at goodwill for pita! in an ambulence and sisting arrest without violence. h I prizes." 1 mg t, was really happy bere eased several hours later. The police log also said that a cause people seemed really Second-year Patrick Blower While PCP was planned to check Ievealed that he had two mellow," said thesis-student expressed his approval of the be shut down at 5:45, the music outstanding warrants. Andrew Hossack. "But I was re lack of free beer. "I thought it was shut off early at 5:30 due to "I am aware of four [incially sorry for the way things was much better, people bought a string of undesirable consedents] that came to my attention ended. We need to make sure quences o e party. ere was that were drug or alcohol rethat PCP remains a New their own beer." fth vrh "Minimizing drinking minione noise complaint early on," lated. Most of them were not College tradition in the future. mize added Residence Life Mike Campbell. there were also three As with all PCPs, Halloween Jated incidents, and PCP!" Is there a "shadow war" against veganism? by Abby Weingarten We are all highly aware of the (.:llrrent war in Afghanistan but is another war occurring right here at New College a war against veganism? Vegans define themselves as strict vegetarians who refuse to consume any ru1imal products. Many Novo Collegians claim to have adopted this nutritional choice for both health and moral reasons. But this seemingly pacifist lifestyle has stirred up quite a bit of concern and ani mosity from a source that has yet to be identified. Spreading the message "Stop Veganism: America's New Eat ing Disorder" and using images of emaciated people to illustrate this warning, these anonymous ''freedom fighters" as they be lieve themselves to be, have posted flyers all over campus, in conspicuous locations like Hamilton Center and theFour Winds Cafe. Students are having mixed reactions. Some are applauding what they believe to be a simple, funny joke. Others are angered by what they consider a fullfledged and offensive protest. Few are oblivious to the cam paign because, along with the other attention-getters, a flyer was recently stuffed in every stu dent's mailbox. Amused first-year Brian Elli son said. "It's about time we had some politically incorrect people at New College." When questioned via e-mail, the conspirators explained, "We began with a serious objective, but since some fellow students have responded to it with 'hu mor' we accept it as somewhat funny." One of those humored stu dents is first-year Erin Freeny who said, "I love watching peo ple who are vegan read it and get really offended." Referring to images like the skeletal. crawling man (who stu dents assume is a starving Ethiopian), the producers wrote, "The pictures on the flyers. taken from New College archives. depict what happens when people lack protein." But New College Student Alliance (NCSA) Historian. second-year Titu Jewell, said that he thoroughly combed the archives last summer, and that those pho tographs were never in the col lection. The flyers also advertise "meat products provided" at the meetings, and first-year Raea Hicks said, "I think it's just an excuse to get the SAC to buy steak." But after checking the old meeting minutes, second year Emma Jay. a member of the Student Allocations Committee (SAC), found no mention of an anti-vegan club requesting money for any cause, including steak. The Catalyst was unable to find any students who may have attended one of these alleged meetings. After inquiring about them, it turns out that no meet ings have actually taken place yet, and the phantoms apolo gized for that misunderstanding. But when they do begin? "[The meetings] will be for strategic discussions of ways to combat veganism, therapy for recovery, and meat eating with like-minded folks,' they wrote. "Recovering from veganism. as with any serious and debilitating disorder, can be very personal and painful, and we wish to re spect that." They refused to reveal their identity because they wrote. "We know how closed-minded New College students can be." There are indeed many stu dents who fmd the idea neither funny nor credible. Many are complaining that the informa tion provided on the flyers is just flat-out incorrect. ''It's the stupidest thing I've ever seen said fourth-year Kristin Komondorea. ''It's com pletely uninformed. 1 was vegan for three years and I'm obvi ously not dying." Second-year and current ve gan Paige Laubheimer said, r think it's tremendously funny. But the picture of the starving person is borderline offensive.'' "Anyone who may be of fended by our flyers is afraid to own up to the truth of the vegan tragedy," said the unknowns. ''This is what happens when taste receptivity blurs distinc tions between tasty and bland. The vegan psyche is tortured by the belief that they are doing November7, 2001 5 'We ought to think seriously about who is invited into the homespace of New College," said Campbell. Once the sun rose on the morning after, Palm Court was surprisingly clean. Second-year Matt Ramsey along with NICE RAK were responsible for clean up. Holland, who was dressed as a kickball tournament champion in purple pants and an apron ex pressed his happl.nness with PCP. H\s favorite thing about something good. while their body crumbles around them from such an unnatural diet" Second-year Gigi Shames added. "It's tasteless and disre spectful to women that are strug gling with eating disorders." But it should be noted that there has been no gender discrimination in the photos; starving men as well as women are pictured on the flyers. Regarding themselves as "freedom fighters," the protest ers wrote, "You tell me if this sounds like freedom to you: 'Hello omnivores, you are the majority, normal, healthy, deserving-but since there are a small number of vegans at this school, your meaty options are going to be limited in order to accommodate bland, nutrition ally weak (but politically cor rect) food.' This is the vegan mantra, and we are saying, 'Enough is enough."' "Strategy meetings" will sup posedly be held at 7:00p.m. on Mondays in the FishbOlt'l. For more infomwtion. contact syn taxqui ntax@ hotmail.com. PAGE 6 6 T h e Catal st NEWS November 7, Leaping towards fascism: security comes at expense of civil liberties by Jag Davies In th e confus i on, fear, and newfou n d vulne ra bi l ity t h a t America faces in the wake o f th e September ll tragedy, the U.S gove rn ment was under enormous pressu r e to act qu ick l y in order to prevent futur e reoccurrences. Unfortunately, as well as easing restrictions on terrorist in vestigations, the reactionary legislation adopted by Congress and President Bush has seriously undermined a number of fundamental civil liberties by. among other things, easing telephone and inter net wiretap restrictions, and severely limiting the rights of suspected criminals On October 26, President Bush signed into law the 'Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act' (USA PATRIOT Act), would give enormous power to the exec utive branch unchecked by meaningful judicial review. Many of these new pow ers could be used against American citizens in routine criminal investigations totally unre l ated to terrorism. Congress a d opted the bill in near rec ord tim e with o n l y o n e public heari n g and Httle debate In fact, under inte nse pressure from Attorney General John Ashcroft. Republican leaders in the c:omprotuise legislation d!i151t!!d Judiciary Committee in a late-night deal with the Ju s tice Depa.rtm e nt. w e cannot as a na t i o n allow ve ry le g i timate public anxi e ty to immun ize th e Administration and Congress from their obligation to protect the Bill of Rights and the fundamental values that docu ment embodies," said Laura W. Murphy, Director of the ACLU's Washington Natio nal Office. One of the key elements of the Patriot Act is an increase in federal authorities' ability to wiretap telephones and monitor Internet activities Previously, the FBI al ready had the authority to intercept communications without probable cause of crime for intelligence purposes under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act ("FISA"}. A law enforcement agent could get a pen register or trap and trace order requiring a telephone company to reveal the "numbers dialed" to and from a par ticular telephone by simply certify i ng that the information to be obtained was rele vant to an ongoing criminal investigation." Now, under Section 216 of the Patriot Act. the judge must grant the order upon receiving the certification. Even if the judge disagrees. and believes that law enforcement officers are completely off-track. The judge is therefore only wields a rubber stamp. Sec t ion 216 of the USA Patriot Act al s o ext e nd s thi s l o w thre s h o ld ofproofto Internet communications that are far more revealing than the numbers dialed to or telephone. and to :portions of ily be separated trom cont e n t. Section 2 1 6 gives Jaw enforcement agents w h o obtain pen regis ter a nd !Tap an d t race orders access to dialing r ou ting and signaling information. The bill does not define those terms. One of the few Congressman who dis sented against the Patriot Act was Rep Barney Frank of Massachusetts: '"This bill, ironically, which has been given all ofth ese high-flying acronyms-it is the Patriot bill, it is the USA bill, it is the stand-up-and-sing-the-Star-SpangledBanner bill has been debated in the most undemocratic way possible, and it is not worthy of this institution." As of today, United States law en forcement authorities say they have arrested 977 people in co1mection with the investigation into the Sept. 11 attacks The bulk of those arrested have been charged with immigration violations or criminal violations. A far smaller group is being held on material witness warrants. David Cole a lawyer with the Center for Constitutional Rights s aid It's re markable how little information is available about these people. It begins to feel like those countries where they lock people up and don't tell anyone about it. That's not how this country was run until Sept. 11." The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the J ustice Department are even con s id ering u sing me thod s of to rtu re as a n approved policy of the Uni ted State s against those who are being detained in s; tion the Sept. 11 attacks sil e nt. AccoJ -ding to the October 21, 2001 edition of t h e Washi n gton Post t he U S G o v emme nt i s discu ss in g u sing pre s sure tactics such as those employed occasionally by Israeli interrogators, to extract information" from persons in their custody in the Government's broad reach ing "terrorism" investigation. According to t h e Partnership for Civil Justice, this information is most likely being dis cussed by politicians now in order to measure the public's response to the use of torture as an interrogation tactic These Ismeli interrogation "pressure tactics" use a combination of s l eep depri vation, isolation, psychological torment and direct physical force including beat ings, kickings. violent shaking, painful shackl i ng and use of objects designed or used to inflict extreme pain. An interrogee may be shackled to a specially modified chair (to cause pain) with his or her head covered with a filthy sack that has an overwhelming stench of vomit or human refuse. Interrogations routinely span months with constant intermittent periods of interrogation and force lasting for days without interruption. "In past times of tragedy and fear, our government has harassed, investigated and arrested people solely because of their race, religion, natio nal origin, speec h or pol itica l beliefs,'' the ACLU said. "We must not allow that to happen again even as we work t oget her to pr otect ours e lves from futur e terr oris t at tacks /nfomwtionfor thi s a11icle was gathered f r om the muhingron Post, The American Civil Liberties Center for Democracy and Technology. The Washingto n D .C. lndependem Media Cenler; The San F ranc is co Ba y A r e a Ind e pendent M e dia C e nt er, The Partn e rship for Civil Justice, The C e nter for Constitutional Rights and the Electronic Privacy Information Center. Bob Johnson pushes his campaign to New College s campus -41TROSTEES" PAGE? I ting in fund ing and look at the marketplace to see what we have to do to secure the best and brightest students." Trustee John Cranor expressed grati tude that USF allocated $500,000 in scholarship supports to New College be fore it became independent. 'T d like to recognize that as some small miracle,'' he said 'The result of USF supporting us is a miracle,'' said Dean of Admissions Joel Bauman, commenting from the audience "but it s due to a lot of really tough nego tiating." When a school becomes independent and it is not accredited, Bauman ex plained, it is not eligible for Title 4 Aid, such as student loans and other need based programs. The day the legislature voted in May, someone at USF literally flipped a switch he said "and decided that we wouldn t get those anymore now that we'r e independent. But faculty members on the New College Transition Committee made the argument that USF couldn t just leave those s rudent s who were awarded money prior t o July 1 empty handed 'They made tremendous efforts," sa id Bauman "They walked ov e r to t he D e p artme n t of Education and forced th e ir h an d at mak ing the agreement between u s and USF valid USF conceded to keep those New College students eligible for Title 4 Aid roughly $3-5 million of it. But whil e USF will honor their previous commit ments they will not make any new ones. Schiffman commended John Martin 'for making some order out of complete chaos ." Vicki Raebum Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee, moved to adopt the operating budget as an interim budget until further details could be worked out. Raeburn also discussed the fees that needed to be ratified for the 2002 to 2003 school year. The Activity and Service fee will be raised from $13 a credit hour to $13 65 to generate $14 ,000 in new rev enues. Because a nurse p ra ctitioner now works on campus 25 hours a week, stu dents are in agreement wi t h an increa se from $2 to $5 a credit hour in health fees and this will bring in about $65 ,000 in new revenu e. "The amazin g i s t h a t in al l w e went through in this transition I think enro llm e n t was w i t hin two students of wha t we h a d e x pec ted a t t h at time fo r our f r es hman cl ass," Joh nson sai d W e were able t o s ucc essfu11y brin g t hese st ud e n ts on board. To me, th a t s a miracl e in i t s elf." In the president's report, Gordon "Mike" Michalson also addressed the issue of expanding the s tudent body. 'The eight hundred number is a number that people seem pretty comf ortabl e with," he said but what happen s when we get there as long as we have thi s am biguous relationship with USF wh e r e nobody has sufficient elbowroom? We need to gain control over this campus. Chairman Bob Johnson concurred. "Two landlords owning the same build ing just doesnt t work. We need to determine where New College and USF will be in t wo to three years." Johnson is in favor of moving USF to the Crosley Property, and that issue will be discussed in full a t a later date In other bus i ness Trustee Margaret Lowman noted that the Student Affairs Committee held their first meeting with Mark Blaw ei s s as Dean of Students, and tha t in session, that they discussed fees a n d the judicial system. Trustee Gen eral R olland Heiser gave a r e port on the Pres ident ia l Search Comm i t tee. W e are d etermined to select t h e ve ry bes t individual a v ailable," he said "We don' t wan t i ss u es such as cam pus ownership th e s t atus o f accreditat i on, and next year 's b u dget t o scare off t h e bes t people." Ac a d emic V ice Preside nt a nd Provost Charle ne C all a h a n int roduced Humani t ies C h a ir Gl en n Cuomo who prepared a pres e nta t ion o n the Division. Profe ssor of P s ychology D a vid Brain and Professor of Political Scienc e K e ith Fitzgerald also pre sented on the Community Action Research Initiative (CARl). The reports lasted about 20 and 30 min}ltes respectively The meeting then adjourned 'The quality of our people at New College of Florida is unmatched by any institution in this state ," Johnson com mented to the meetin g You wouldn't believe how many hours they re work ing and how much they re dedicated t o make this thing successful." j I -I' PAGE 7 The Catalyst OPINION Editorial: New College students deserve credible leadershi;oember 7, 2001 Titus Jewell IS agam for the somehow he missed the March 2 3 edi New presitorial in the St. Petersbur Times that 7 dency, this time With M1chelle Brown began "G d g as a co-candidate. They have comically USF m from d t d as 1 'Th crea e new p1hal1s for the a 0? e s ogan ere for you Sarasota Campus" -or he decided dunng separatiOn, there for you now" not to shar th L e e ISsues 1t raised w1th ast years separatiOn debate demonstudents b fl. d ecause It con tcted supporting it to state legislators, but made clear to everyone that this was only his opinion, based on his belief of what would be the best course for New strate why Jewell shouldn't become with what h t d d d h e wan e stu ents pres1. ent: e clearly lacks the "compreto believe. College. Titus, by contrast, accused those who publicly disagreed with him, including the Catalyst, of en dangering the school. knowledge about the political The information he did Situation of New College" that his coprovide h ed candidate Michelle Brown claims for disregards tha h. h b tOr e pit a s New h t He has shown College faces. Jewell denied there to a tvtsJve, manipulative are problems even after Governor P0 Itlctan. Bush vetoed $1.2 million in transition Current President Andrew Hossack money Jewell sa 1 d 0 th 1 f, n eon me 10rum now or re-election Without that the response of legislators to the Molly Robmson, gave New College veto indicates d students the competent, credible leader[Bush] will do .twe n_ee, Infot worry that h d A 1 agam. any member s tp we eserve. s their term went on of the board f tru h H k o stees s ared this ossac took on a greater leadership ridiculous appraisal of role in the co-presidency. His service they would be dour position, th bo d f recogmze as mcompeon_ e ar o trustees has been distintent. New College students cannot send gmshed, and the Catalyst recommends Jewell to occupy our seat on th bo d Hossack for a second term. He will weJI Hossack's t d the ar h pos1 Ion unng e separepresent us tOr anot er year. ration debate especiaJl h ed h Brow I th t J 11 y, s ow t e n atms a ewe scoured contrast between his style and that of Le.xts-Nexts for arttcles on New Titus Hossack f C came out m avor of allege, readmg every word." Yet separation early on and sent a letter New College's independence has been successful because, as Board of Trustees Chairman Bob Johnson said at their last meet ing, "the quality of our people." Yet we face serious obstacles ahead in the areas of financial and political support, and New College students deserve a president who will be honest about the problems we face now and potentially m future. We do not need a propa gandist. Jewell will teJI people what he thinks they want to hear, or what he wants them to hear. What Jewell likes to. think is not always the case, but he wtll present it as if it was. With his considerable Jewell has shown himself to be capable of performing the quality of work nec essary His co-candidate Michelle New College judicial process to involve rea11e by Renee Maxwell "Aw judge, your damn laws, the good people don't need them, and the bad people don't obey them, so what use are they?" -Utah Phillips, folk singer, quoting Ammon Hennacy, anarchist "(Dean of Students] Mark [Blaweiss] tells me that New College students are so well behaved that he rarely ever has to deal with any kind of student misconduct," said General Counsel David Smolker. If that is the case, anarchy may well be an attractive option to many Novo Collegians. But regardless of popular sentiment and model behavior, the Florida Statutes mandate that every school must have a student code of conduct. Therefore New College must comply and con form to the judicial process dictated by state law. The student code currently in place is borrowed from USF, and according to Mark Blaweiss, "Our code is fine, but our judicial process is now out of line with the Florida Statutes." Certain aspects of New College's judicial process are in need of change, such as who handles cases, the role of the Student Court, and the appeal process. These changes will be handled jointly by David Smolker and the Student Judicial Review Committee, who must complete their revisions by December 31. As for who handles cases of student misconduct, Mark Blaweiss will no longer serve as the student ad vocate, but as the in loco prosecutor who first determines if charges brought against a student have any merit. If so, then Blaweiss may offer the accused student three choices: to accept a binding sanc tion from Blaweiss in an informal dispo$ition, to go before the Student Court, or to go before a group known as the Judicial Review Board. Blaweiss and Smolker have not yet established that students will have the option to go to student court, but are working to make that option available. This board essentially replaces the cur rent option of im administrative hearing before one of four administrative offi cers. The Judicial Review Board will consist of two students, two faculty or staff, and one non-voting chairperson. This process ensures that students have a role in all hearings for cases that war rant more than an informal disposition. However, students in these positions will no longer be able to act without some legal training. Once the new stu dent code goes into effect, members of both the Student Court and the Judicial Review Board will be required to com plete a basic course in legal to student miscon duct, such as how to adjudicate a case. This requirement applies to faculty and staff who serve in the judicial process as well. The training will be provided by General Counsel David Smolker. The appeals process that is currently in place has long been a source of con tention, largely due to its vagueness. There has not been a clear designation as to who handles appeals, and this issue in particular was prioritized while the student code was up for review. Florida state law has effectively elimi nated any ambiguities, and dictates that when a student wishes to appeal a judg ment from any party, the appeal will be handled by President Michalson or his designee, most likely the provost. It was just in the last week that the process by which the student code is re viewed and by whom was finalized. The NCSA had recently appointed its own committee of six students to re view the code and submit their revisions to the board of trustees by December 31. This was also the under standing of Mark Blaweiss until last Friday, when David Smolker told him that the state Board of Education re quires a Student Judicial Code Review Committee, consisting of equal num bers of students and non-students, appointed by the board of trustees. Therefore, the original six students on the NCSA-appointed committee will sdll serve on the officiat committee. in also has over a year's experience m student government, so it's a shame she's attached herself to a divisive dis credited politician. Thesis-studen; Jeb made an interesting analogy: Titus Jewell is the closest New C?llege will ever get to having Richard short of injecting DNA into an mad1ated human egg. He's ambitious, mean and small, just like Nixon; and he s:-reats like him when you try to ask h1m a stratghtforward question." third set candidates, Catalyst Busmess Manager David Savarese and first-?'ear Damayanti Byars, have the best But they lack high-level expenence m the student government, and have never demonstrated that capable of performing the con Siderable presidential workload or even that they know what it consists of. But they both have several more years at New College, and if they're serious about assuming the presidency, they should take ?n high-level positions, get some expenence, and run again. The Catalyst believes this is not the time. conjunction with six other members. who will represent faculty, staff. and possibly someone from the board of trustees. David Smolker is working on a pre liminary draft of the revised student code. "I'm trying to figure out how to streamline it, make it a little simpler, a little less bureaucratic," said Smolker. He will then submit this draft to the Student Judicial Code Review Committee, and they will be charged with performing the fmal review. This version of the student code must be completed by December 31, and will them be formally proposed and submit ted to the board of trustees. There is another process, also established by state law, by which the code is formally adopted. One requirement is that a pub lic hearing be held where people will have the opportunity to provide input. Smolker hopes to begin that process as soon after December 31 as possible, so that the student code of conduct can be formally adopted by the end of the aca demic year. Regardless of how the process is laid out, however, Novo Collegians may take some comfort in the fact that it is largely a figurehead system, for as Mark Blaweiss told the Catalyst, ''What amazes me most in the two years I've been here, i&, how few cases we get. Students tend to pofice themselves.'' PAGE 8 8 ANNOUNCEMENTS November 7, 2001 "Transcendental sex" in 'A Dreamer Examines His Pillow' by Erin Marie Blasco A Dreamer -wmines his P i llow, by John Patrick Shanley (Moonstruck), begins with Tommy, played by secon d -year and Catalyst staff writer Jag Davies slouching in an armchair. Before the audience even sits down in the fi hbowl he sit there confronting his apartment with neurotically wide eyes as he drinks a Red Dog. The drink ing theme continues through this surreal play, which stars third-year Bo Bentele a Dad and first-year Monikka Pena a Donna, as the characters first try to dl!tach themselves from the world and, in doing so, find they're all con nected. scendental sex." Since leaving Donna, Tommy's life has spiraled downwards he starts "porking" his ex-girlfriend's little si ter and spends his days prowling around his apartment trying to find his identity. Red Dog, God, and self-examination fail to solve his problems and he illus trate his confusion in an abstract self-portrait that reminds Donna of her own father. Also a tormented painter, Dad explains the importance of giving oneself up to all-consuming sex with out fear of being trapped or lost. but adapting the Fishbowl to the play was a challenge, cast members said. lights this poetic language. Other high points include Donna's sharp-tongued exchange with Tommy about accepting responsibility and Dad's explanation of the rediscovery of sex and why he imagines all women bald. "Turning a non-theater space into a theater space was tough," said Davies. But they found a way to overcome the Fishbowl's limitations a a stage; at the end of each of the three cenes, the lights dim and the audience rotates its chairs to switch settings from Tommys unsanitary apartment to Dad's home. "There are a lot of layers [in the play], said Davies, whose idea it was to put the play on for tutorial credit. "The first three weeks we were just trying to break it apart, to 'poke through the soup and get to the meat, to quote the play. To me, this is really special. I read it three years ago and. as my life goes on. it gets more relevant and more mean ingful. And I think the me age i umversal. '' Building the set. which resemble. a Pei dorm room with its beer can-littered floor. di. carded computer parts, and gloomy examples of abstract "art" peel ing from the walls, wasnt too difficult, Working with the play's poetic lan guage was also challenging. "It's hard to make it sound natural bccau e it's so poetic," said Pena. "It's how these peo ple talk and it's of the thing that make the play great." What connects them is love, body fluids and what Bentele called "tranTommy emi-crazcd soliloquy ad dressed to the hlinding light of his beer-crammed mini-refrigerator highf CAREER CENTER What's Happening? Wed. Nov. 7th 10:00 1:00 University of Florida, College of Pharmacy, Heiser Natural Science Building-Information Table Jobs A T, irect ctlon and Research Training Center-Organizer Trainee. A non-profit or ganization, DART seeks to build power for a greater degree of justice. A four-month infield training, graduates from the DART Organizers Institute will be accepted for permanent orga nizing positions in other locations. You will be expected to create a strategic plan based on the goals set by the local leadership, execute the technique!i and strategies you learn during the classroom training. You must have a sin cere passion for justice and community organizing. Must be capa.ble of building rela tionships of trust, create and execute a plan, have a sense of humor, think creatively, act professionally, feel comfortable working with congregations. Stipend $6,500 during the trammg. After successful completion of the program, make up to $35,000. Download ap plication and find additional information: www.thedartcenter.org. The Conservancy of Southwest Florida -Lookin for stron students or raduate with an interest in conservation as it relates to education, science, research, museums, environmental protection, and wild animal re habilitation. Stipend: $125 per week, housing is optional and may be provided at no cost, based on availability. Check the web site for additional information and exact dates of openings: www.Conservancy.org. Internship Chicago BotanicGarden offers a range of ex perience from 3 to 12 months. Interns are paid $7.50/hour and will assist with locating afford able housing. Application Deadline for summer program is March 1, 2002. For more information and on-line application go to www.chicagobotan ic .org. 10.29.01, 11:28 -Possession of drug paraphernalia New College faculty member turned in a bong containing residue of a that was found in DRH area. Item sent to SSO Lab. Statu : active items sent to lab. 10.30.01, 17:25-BurglaryPMB. Unkown persons removed $30.00 change Status: closed money found, safeguarded by friend. 11.4.01, 04:06 Battery New College student, while intoxi cated and po sibly drugged, did attack and batter other party goer at Halloween PCP. Status : active. 10.30.01, 12:50 Grand Theft Street sign belonging to PDG c valued at $1,000. stated that a van belongto a New College student involved. Status: closed10.31.01, 12:22 -Criminal mis chiefGlass of a sliding door in the rear of Viking donn was hit or kicked, cau ing it to shatter. Status: active gla replaced for $385.00 ll.2.01, 08:26 -Petit Theft A Telephone wa tolen from New College Admissions public area, valued at $100.00. Status: active. 11.4.01, 05:30 -Disordly Conduct/Resisting Arest without Violence Non-student was arrested at PCP. A check revealed he had two outstanding warrant Status: clo ed by arrest. The Harlem Renaissance and the Anthropology of Performance All events begin at 7:30 p.m. in Sudak ff imp e: m the Fiction of Lang ton Hughes." Kwabena Dinizulu, St. Petersburg, FL. Theatrical perfor mance and discussion November 20 "Acting in the Living Museum." James Horton, Ph.D., Department of History, George Washington University and the Smithsonian Institution. of Elections thi year. She wa somewhat inadvertently selected for the role at an interest meeting near the beginning of the year, when she volunteered to help Andrew Hossack and Molly Robinson with the elections in whatever way necessary. She found herself placed in charge of putting up the informative fliers and of organizing the balloting process itself, a sizable task for someone who had only just arrived at New College. Ingram acquitted herself admirably, how ever, running an orderly election with a reasonable turnout in the early fall. For this election, however, Ingrum points out that the stu dent body has an even greater responsibility to drag tl1eir carcasses to Ham Center and vote. we're not only electing the NCSA President and the Student Court justices, but we're rntifying the new NCSA constitution," Ingram pointed out, "and for that we need at least 50% of the student body to vote, so it's really important that everyone come out on Thursday. I'll be providing candy!" The time has come for Novo Collegians to fulfill the meager du ties which are required of tho e who benefit from the utopian goodne s of the student government. This Thursday, ovember 7, the time has come to elect the New College Student Alliance President. |
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