Volume 121 Issue 15Thursday, February 12, 2015

page 6

Hashtag campaign dives into Rollins

discrimination

Page 2 • NEWS Thursday, February 12, 2015

CONTENT STAFFLauren WaymireHead Content EditorAlexandra MarianoHead Copy EditorNolan BrewerWebmasterMarta Lazowik Georyana SantosWeb AssistantsKate BarnekowSabrina KentCopy EditorsMicah BradleyEric HiltonRaquel Leon Section EditorNicholas D’AlessandroStaff WritersMatt BoggsProduction Assistant

DESIGN DEPARTMENTShaayann KhalidBrooke PrestonDesigners

ADVERTISINGContact: advertising@thesandspur.org

BUSINESS & FACULTYGreg GoldenInterim General Manager of Student MediaDr. Emily RussellAssociate Professor of EnglishTaylor McCormackBusiness Manager

Established in 1894 with the following editorial:

EXECUTIVE STAFFDavid MattesonEditor-in-ChiefAli PerryManaging Editor

Marcela OliveiraProduction Manager

PUBLIC RELATIONSDiana DrprichMultimedia ManagerJordan ColePublic Relations InternIrina RyabikinaMultimedia Manager

Cover Art By:Kayla Powers ‘17

Amman, JordanJordanian King Abdullah II

has vowed revenge and a total shutdown of extremist group ISIS after they released a video depicting the death of a Jordani-an citizen. Moaz al-Kasasbeh, a pilot in the Jordanian Air Force, was captured after his plane was shot down near Raqqa, Syria, on a mission against ISIS in Decem-ber. The video showed al-Ka-sasbeh standing inside a cage consumed by fi re, apparently burning to death. The video was posted on a Twitt er account known to be used for the extrem-ist group’s propaganda. The Jor-danian government responded by sending F-16s to conduct air strikes on ISIS controlled territo-

ries in the following days. Taipei, Taiwan

The horror of yet another plane crash was captured on fi lm last week as TransAsia fl ight 235 crashed into the Keeluhng River in Taipei with 58 passengers and crew onboard. The turboprop allegedly lost power in both en-gines before crashing into the river and hitt ing a bridge on the way down. A total of 15 passen-gers survived and, while most of the victims have been recovered, a few still remain missing. The airline is now paying for family members of victims to fl y into Taipei and has promised reim-bursement for any booked tick-ets on the airline until Feb. 13. Munich, Germany

In her speech recently at the Munich Security Confer-ence, German Chancellor Angela Merkel argued that the crisis in Ukraine should not be solved by military means but by the contin-uation of the current diplomatic mission and the implementation of peace agreements. Russian President Vladimir Putin has been accused by many, the Unit-ed States government including, of agreeing to peace talks and si-multaneously sending tanks into the Ukrainian countryside. The US government has proposed arming the Ukrainians, an idea that NATO’s top military com-mander General Breedlove of the US Air Force has showed defi ni-tive support for.

Ott awa, CanadaCanada’s highest court has

ruled that its citizens have the right to assisted suicide. Striking down a ban on physician assisted suicide, the country joins a hand-ful of others—including Bel-gium, Colombia, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands to name a few. Certain rules and regu-lations apply, however. Those seeking to end their life must be adults, competent to understand and make the decision, subjected to “a grievous and irremediable medical condition . . . that causes endurable suff ering that is intol-erable,” and cannot compel any physician to aid them in suicide should they not wish it. The rul-ing will take eff ect in 12 months.

Munich Germany

Amman, Jordan Taipei, Taiwan

Ottawa, Canada

Compiled by Lauren Waymire

Page 3 • OPINION Thursday, February 12, 2015

Sexpert Georyana Santos shares her quest to fi nd love and her response to those constantly questioning long term commitment in young

couples.

The opinions on this page do not necessarily refl ect those of The Sandspur, its staff or Rollins College.

“If you’ve never dated any-one else, how do you know if they’re even ‘the one?’”

“Aren’t you afraid you’ll get sick and tired of each other?”

“Do you honestly think your relationship will last?”

Hooray! for the endless amount of intrusive questions that typical high school sweet-hearts are constantly bombarded with by their peers.

For the typical hopeless ro-mantic, the idea of fi nding your prince charming, or “the one,” can provoke restlessness and test impatience. I say this because I, a fairy tale enthusiast since my fi rst viewing of Cinderella, have endured a long road of despon-dency due to the high expecta-tions of love that Walt Disney an-imation fi lms have placed upon me.

Even though elementary or junior high school love may be perceived as childish, vague, and playful, those constructed ide-als have left me feeling nothing but loneliness and desperation. Looking at my peers that had seemingly already found love, I grew increasingly anxious about the limited time I had left to fi nd “the one,” which caused me to

feel unworthy of love. Looking back at my youth,

I realize how naïve I truly was. With time I have come to grasp the extent to which my inno-cence, constructed ideals of love and timing consumed me. My puerile outbursts deprived me from enjoying my youth and its perks. I found myself in an eter-nal search of the happiness that comes from feeling wanted and worthy of love.

Soon enough, I began to un-derstand that love has no timing. It can come at any time, at any place, and sometimes at the most unexpected moments. People will constantly walk in and out of your life, but when the person you are meant to be with comes along, the universe will fi nd a way to make your paths cross.

Once that special someone fi nally arrives, there will be an unavoidable group of people seemingly aiming to burst your bubble of happy dreams. I wel-come you to the inevitable world of high school sweethearts: cou-ples who endure 5, 10, or even 50 years of constant and agonizing criticism from others regarding their commitment to each other. In an eff ort to debunk this criti-cism, here is a comprehensive list of reasons why high school sweethearts have the right idea

when it comes to love.“You’re only (insert age

here). Don’t you want to look around to see if there’s someone bett er than him/her?”

While I understand youth has a strong infl uence on your outlook, I am still a fi rm believ-er in the idea that maturity is not controlled by age. Being blinded by your fi rst innocent love is one thing, but knowing what you want to make out of your life and whom you want to spend it with for the right reasons is an-other. These constructed societal rules of when you should decide on whom you want to spend for-ever with are simply boundar-ies. The purpose of seeking any type of monogamy should be to fi nd the one person that makes you feel completely comfortable when you are with him or her. While everyone has a diff erent model of the picture-perfect man or woman they desire to be with, why is there a need to continu-ously ‘look around’ for someone bett er if you have the individual you desire right in front of you?

“Enjoy your adolescent years, that’s what it’s about! Date around, have fun, travel, and party!”

Apparently, you cannot be granted the privilege to have “fun” if you are still in a rela-

tionship with your high school sweetheart. That is simply not allowed. Obviously, being in a relationship should not limit your choice of social interac-tions. What it should restrain, of course, are the types of so-cial interactions you and your signifi cant other are allowed to have with other people—some options may defy the morals and ethics of the relationship. But contrary to this criticism, there is nothing wrong with wanting to accomplish everything on your college bucket list with your partner.

“You two won’t last very long because you’ll get sick of one another.”

Best friends may irritate each other on a daily basis, but they are also powerful enough to endure those moments of annoy-ance. Dynamic couples are the ones that make it through every-thing even when all of the odds are against them. Being head-over-heels invested in someone is something that takes courage, strength and commitment. Just like every other couple, regard-less of when they fi rst met, there will be times when you need your psychological space away from your partner. It is normal. It does not mean that the correct thing to do is to break things off .

High school sweethearts can last just as long as any other couple, even longer.

“You honestly believe in soulmates?”

Why yes, I do. And as cliché as this sounds, I am also a fi rm believer that there is someone out there that could potential-ly know you bett er than you know yourself. Soulmates come around once in a lifetime, and if you are lucky enough to come across yours, why let that chance go?

“Aren’t you going to be tempted to look at other girls/guys?”

If the temptation is bigger than the aff ection for the other person, inevitably the impulse will win. That is not to say that high school sweethearts are psy-chologically restrained from po-tentially looking at other att rac-tive people, but if there is trust, loyalty and maturity in the re-lationship, then the temptations will be defi ed.

It is possible to have found that once-in-a-lifetime connec-tion inside the halls of high school. Despite all of the criticism and constant questioning from others, soulmates do exist, and the greatest test for high school sweethearts to defy is time and sometimes distance.

Defending high school sweethearts

Georyana SantosColumnist

Page 4 • FEATURES Page 5 • FEATURESThursday, February 12, 2015 Thursday, February 12, 2015

Last week Sapphire, author of bestselling novels Push and The Kid, came to Rollins as part of Winter With the Writers. On Feb. 4 she att ended a reception at the Enzian theatre where there was a screening of Push’s adapted fi lm: Precious. On Feb. 5 she held a master class in Bush Auditorium as well as a reading, Q&A, and book signing.

Sapphire is known for her performance poetry. When she read from The Kid, it sounded like she was reading poetry in-stead of prose. She read sections from throughout the book, so the audience heard Abdul grow up from an abandoned nine-year-old boy to an adult.

“The reverence she has for her craft shows in how she talks about it—that her characters are real people and not just charac-ters in a story, and that the sto-ries have a depth that needs to be shared with everyone. She is a very wise and intelligent woman who treats writing like the art it is,” said Winter With the Writers intern Anna Keeler ’16.

This week Natasha Trethew-ey, former US Poet Laureate and current Poet Laureate of Missis-sippi, will be visiting. She has published several books of po-etry, and her collection Native Guard (2006) won the Pulitz er Prize. Her most recent collection of poetry is thrall (2012). Both of these books delve into the issues of race and family using history, art, and personal stories.

At 4 p.m. on Feb. 12, Trethewey will be holding a Q&A on craft instead of a mas-ter class. She will also perform a reading and off er a book-signing beginning at 7:30 p.m. in Bush Auditorium.

Micah BradleyStaff Writer

Sapphire is best known for her novels, Push—made into the movie Precious—and The Kid. She also has several collections of poetry and does performance poetry.

Katie Farris is a poet andtranslator, known for herbook of short stories boysgirls. Shealso translates the works of Guy Jean; her most recent compilation of translations is Mourning Ploughsthe Winter.

Amy Bloom is the New York Times bestsellingauthor of the novel Lucky Us and short story collection Where the God of Love Hangs Out. She also wrote a nonfi ction book called Normal.

Natasha Tretheweyis a former US

Malena Morling is apoet and translator,

Poet Laureate; she also won the Pulitzer Prize for her po-etry collection Native Guard. Her most recent collection of poetry is thrall.

known for her collections Ocean Avenue and Astoria, and her translations of Swedish poetry. The Star by My Head is her most recent collection.

Sapphire

Katie Farris

Amy Bloom

Natasha Trethewey

Malena Morling

5

19

26

12

19

feb

feb

feb

feb

feb

WINTERwith the writers

Page 6 • FEATURES Thursday, February 12, 2015

“If you love Rollins,” said Peter Ruiz ’15, “critique it. In my opinion, critique is an act of love itself.” Ruiz, Olivia Matthews ’15, Jamaica Reddick ’15 and I were sitting in the warm comfort of Smart Coffee discussing the recent #RollinsCares trend that emerged on Facebook in late De-cember.

Indeed, Ruiz’s words spoke about a four-year-long personal history with this particular act of love. He and many other stu-dents involved had never been shy about sharing their critical opinions of Rollins policy and presence, nor should they be.

Accompanying the hashtag phenomenon that has swept both the Rollins student body and the nation, these past few months have seen a poignant student-led effort to enact change and raise consciousness as well as a school-wide administrative response to issues regarding diversity and inclusion within Rollins.

The #RollinsCares hashtag was originally started by Red-dick, a senior theater major and a voice for student activism, who initially hoped for her and her peers’ voices to be heard and ac-knowledged. The tag’s original purpose was to serve as a plat-form for students to share their experiences of classism, racism, homophobia, sexism, anti-sem-itism, and street/online harass-ment within the Rollins com-munity and bring these issues to the attention of students, faculty, staff, and administration.

“It spread faster than any of us were expecting,” observed Matthews, another senior theater major, and one of the first voices to jump in on the #RollinsCares trend. Her aspiration for the cru-sade was not just to attract the attention of the Rollins commu-nity, but to engage her peers in challenging the affliction of hate speech and the lack of truly safe spaces on campus.

“We need more people to care. We need more people to want to understand, and we need more advocates on cam-pus. Not just people who care, but who actively care. The goal of the hashtag is to get people to actively intervene. It seems as if it’s always up to the same peo-ple to speak up, but true support involves being vocal,” said Mat-thews.

Of course, it is possible that these incidences of prejudice and verbal violence may be iso-lated to a small minority of stu-dents operating under the guise of anonymity, but even if that is the case, the truth is that any endeavor made by the larger stu-dent body to condemn or even recognize these issues remains to be seen.

The current state of affairs on campus evokes the old Des-mond Tutu adage: “If you are neutral in the face of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” Too many students as well as staff members on the Rollins campus are not speaking up about the discrimination and harassment that happens on this campus on an almost daily basis; the #RollinsCares hashtag has served many purposes, but most notably it has opened up a Pan-dora’s Box of hellish tales of the frequent microaggressions and blatant hostilities experienced by minority students.

Peers on Facebook used the #RollinsCares tag along with #JustPWIThings (the acronym meaning Privileged White Insti-tution) to share personal experi-ences of racism, fat shaming, ho-mophobia, hate speech, and slurs within the Rollins community both shared online and shouted from vehicles and windows.

For those of you who have yet to see any of the #Roll-insCares posts, here are just a few powerful examples:

“Students of color—specif-ically black students making up 2-3% of Rollins’ population—are heavily featured on posters ad-vertising our ‘diversity.’ Mean-while, Rollins has yet to make a statement about the hate speech directed at black protestors, during #blacklivesmatter pro-tests” (Reddick).

“Walking down the street with your roommate and hav-ing students scream out f*ggot at you” (Ruiz).

“‘Can someone please tell RIP these fat girls aren’t funny?’ Having someone anonymous-ly attempt to diminish my craft and talent by calling out my size on Rollins Confessions” (Cailin Dornbush ’15).

“Being told that the only rea-son you were successful or got something was because you’re a ‘minority,’ not because you’re smart, talented, hardworking, etc. . .” (Matthews ‘15).

“Having a friend relay to

you that a professor called them a tr*nny in class as a joke” (Ruiz).

Ruiz even received a phys-ical threat accompanied with a derogatory slur in his Rollins mailbox. If there is one common denominator between these in-cidences of hate pervading the Rollins campus, it is that they al-ways occur under the pretext of anonymity.

This makes it difficult to punish the individual and nec-essary to address the root of the problem: to require that students and staff step out of their privi-lege and address Rollins as an institution pervaded by discrim-ination.

Indeed, the administration has begun to make efforts to-ward creating a more inclusive environment on campus in re-sponse to the most recent Cam-pus Climate Survey.

Michele Meyer, the Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs, shared her opinion on Rollins’ responsibility to address these issues: “We need to continue to educate our entire community on diversity and inclusion—fac-ulty, staff, and students. There is

no place at Rollins for individu-als or groups that intentionally undermine, attack, or harm other individuals, groups, or our cam-pus community.”

Meyer and the Diversity Ad-visory Council (DAC) have been working to back up these grand visions of change through the implementation of internal ef-forts like the #RollinsHeardYou campaign and the #downvot-ehate hashtag, which were de-signed to foster the growth of “a campus where [students] can participate in civil discussions” with the ability to change popu-lar attitudes and behavior.

The truth is, issues of hate speech and harassment—partic-ularly those dealing in racism, homophobia, classism, ableism, etc.—are issues that require more than surface-level commu-nity discussion to be eradicated.

Reddick proposes that ac-tion needs to happen on an even larger scale if true change is to occur, suggesting that “the goal is to make it a larger conversa-tion, not just within our institu-tion but in institutions of higher learning in general.”

The fact is that we all play a part in making this happen, and initiatives like #RollinsCares are the first step in implementing change in our community.

Whether it be at the personal level, such as confronting your peers and being an advocate against hate and prejudice on campus, or at the institutional level, in addressing racism, ho-mophobia, classism and other systems of oppression at large, conversation and criticism has to happen within our campus if we want to see any significant change.

It is not a matter of con-demning Rollins—in the last moments of my interview with Ruiz and Matthews, they left me with a profound expression of hope for the future: “We know Rollins can do better, be better, for everybody. No institution is perfect, by any means.”

Change can only happen if we work together as students, staff, and administration united. The first step requires speaking out against and sharing experi-ences of discrimination and hate; it is up to you.

#RollinsCares tackles unspoken issues

Hannah PowellWriter

“My favorite is spinach, tomato, and feta”Roger Lewis, your local Domino’s ManagerLocally Owned and Operated

1 LARGE ANY WAY!Choose any style with any toppings 2 LARGE

2-Topping Pizzas

Additional Toppings extra.

Valid

with

coup

on on

ly at

partic

ipatin

g stor

es.

Valid

with

coup

on on

ly at

partic

ipatin

g stor

es.

Cash Value 1/20c. Prices may vary. Tax may apply. Cash Value 1/20c. Prices may vary. Tax may apply.

©2014 Domino’s IP Holder LLC. Not valid with any other offer.

©2014 Domino’s IP Holder LLC. Not valid with any other offer.

Minimum Purchase required for delivery. Delivery charge may apply. Limited delivery areas. Minimum Purchase required for delivery. Delivery charge may apply. Limited delivery areas.

Maitland1510 S Orlando Ave.Orlando, FL 32751

ORDER NOW AT DOMINOS.COM

LIMITED TIME OFFER LIMITED TIME OFFER

Accepts R-Cards!

CODE 5364each

CODE 504112OPEN LATE

The #RollinsCares movement advocates for active change against discrimination. Students envision a more inclusive campus.

Page 7 • ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Thursday, February 12, 2015

From a gargantuan chrome lion to a gyrating shark, Katy Perry’s halftime show was noth-ing short of a visual feast.

In true K.P. fashion, the spectacle included a fantasia of colors, props, and costumes. The halftime show’s aesthetics roared loud enough to estab-lish dominance over post-Super Bowl conversation topics.

For instance, much of the talk surrounding Perry’s set has revolved around her finned backup dancers (“left shark” has already made his way onto t-shirts and into meme-dom).

Katy Perry herself seems to have fallen by the wayside in contrast to her candy-colored sets and paraphernalia. Not

much has been said with regards to Perry’s actual performance or even her vocals; however, this overshadow-ing is nothing new to her ca-reer.

Katy is a visual artist, and unlike fellow pop stars such as Beyoncé or Lady Gaga, her success relies more on visuals than music. That is not to say that her cat-alogue lacks quality—her songs are perhaps some of the catchiest tunes on mainstream radio; however, she caters to the masses by targeting

their eyes not so much their ears. With a color pallet reminis-

cent of various flavors of Trix yogurt and set designs like something out of Pewee Her-man or Dr. Se-uss, Katy Perry appeals to the sense of sight. She ropes the consumer in via skittle col-ored wigs and cotton candy scented al-bums.

With a cutesy combi-nation of Hello

Kitty, Justice, and Haribo, Katy Perry embodies something irre-sistible. Her confidence, person-ality, and physical appearance,

help her bridge the gap between innocent and sexy—sugar and spice—“Firework” and “I Kissed a Girl.” The pinwheel of spar-kles and colors charm girls and boys alike, while the sexy/sweet demeanor may resonate with adults who share a similar dual-ity or those who revel in such a concept.

While Gaga and Beyoncé are able to support their careers with choreography, vocals, and im-age, Katy falls flat in two of the three categories. Her vocals are mediocre at best (especially un-der pressure), forcing her to lip-sync from time to time—recently on a French television show, she was stopped mid-song and asked to start over again singing live. She is not much of a dancer; the brunt of her performance cho-reography is left to the backup dancers. And, although catchy,

her music is not exactly sophis-ticated in theme or composition.

What Katy lacks in vocal and dance ability, she makes up for in creativity, character, and visual aesthetic. Her recent Su-per Bowl performance played up visuals rather than audio, and that is okay.

See, while Katy Perry may not be the most talented artist in the game, she is certainly one of the most interesting, captivating and likeable. Her songs are sim-ple, and sometimes silly, but still enjoyable. Like candy, her music is delectable, although not exact-ly nutritious.

We need a Katy Perry to balance out the protein and vita-mins we receive from the rest of our musical diet. Katy’s halftime show succeeded because she fo-cused on visuals that the masses eat up.

Deciphering the appealof Katy Perry

Chris SarafianColumnist

TALK“While Katy Perry

may not be the most talented artist in the game, she is certainly one of the

most interesting, captivating and

likable

illustration by Daniel Martinez

As the searing psychedel-ic echo subsided and the house lights illuminated, the House of Blues erupted in a joyous cheer. The Groove Orient had just concluded one of the most monumental sets of music that they have played to date as they thanked the electric audience and left the stage.

It was Jan. 30, and Rollins College’s favorite face-melting fi vesome had just celebrated the release of their fi rst full-length album, Generation Y. Their short but energy-fi lled set showcased the band’s multiple dimensions and their undeniable showman-ship.

The celebration began with “Mother Mary,” one of the tracks from the new album. The heart-felt tune featured elements of soul and gospel and provided an uplifting starting point.

Next, “Bananas” allowed the band to really heat up and as gui-tarist Chuck Magid’s notes sliced through the rhythm like a razor, the energy in the room was pal-pable. The climax of the song evoked an audience-wide dance party as the entirety of the crowd was on their feet.

Later in the show, “Fati-ma’s Sensation,” another track from Generation Y, slowed things

down and exemplifi ed the band’s jazz roots.

After a brief calming down, Deep Purple’s “Highway Star” raised the energy once again. The classic rock anthem culmi-nated in one of the most intense melodic peaks of the evening and was arguably one of the best renditions of the cover that the band has ever played.

With time almost out, the band quickly segued into “Gen-eration Y,” the namesake of the new album. Building off of the high energy, the deliciously dark track showcased the eviler side this powerful fi ve-headed mon-ster and transcended the audi-ence into another world. Harry Ong’s soulful voice blended perfectly with Tommy Shugart’s keystones and Magid’s atmo-spheric psychedelia as well as the rhythm’s strong percussive foundation established by David Venagas and Paul Terry.

Overall, the only downside of the show was that it did not last twice as long. Musically, the band was tight and pristine and clearly having the time of their lives, which of course translated to the music.

The roller coaster rock show was a melodic odyssey spanning through many genres. With this show, the Groove Orient secured themselves as one of the Orlan-do-area’s premier live acts.

Page 8 • FEATURES Thursday, January 27, 2015Page 8 • ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Thursday, February 12, 2015

all photos/Jonny Scoblionko

TGO rocks the House of Blues

The Groove Orient celebrates their fi rst full-length

album ‘Generation Y’ with energetic show.

Jonny ScoblionkoColumnist

Tuesdays from 10:30 p.m.-2 a.m. (FREE) - The Groove Orient

@ Backbooth

@ House of Blues

@ Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park

@ The Social

@ Tanquerays Bar

@ The Plaza Live

@ Mills Lawn

Feb. 12 - The Groove Orient opening for George Porter Jr.

Feb. 20 - Rusted Root and The Wailers

March 6-8 - AURA Music and Arts Festival

Feb. 12 - Yonder Mountain String Band

Feb. 28 - Shpongle and Phutureprimitive

April 11 - Fox Fest

Upcoming Shows