November 17, 2011Volume XCVI

Issue 9

TRANSYLVANIA UNIVERSITY • TRANSYRAMBLER.COM • LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY

RamblerThe

Got a news tip? Call us at 859-233-8315 or email rambler@transy.edu.

NEWS BRIEFSWilliams extends dinner invitation

Transy loses concert series benefactor

Currently at Transylvania University, no instances of sexual assault crimes have been reported in several years.

At first, this may seem to be a positive statistic.Instead, some key members of the Transy community

believe that it presents Transy with the reality that some-thing is missing in comparison with the national average. According to the Bluegrass Rape Crisis Center, estimates suggest that only one rape is reported for every 10 that occur.

Understanding the discrepancies, faculty members and students have been making efforts to gather a statistic that is closer to the truth.

An emphasis on reporting every sexual assault has been months in the making, especially since a “Dear Col-league” letter was sent out to federally funded institutions by the U.S. Department of Education in April.

Challenging universities to participate in proper re-porting of crime and assault cases, the letter reiterated a required compliance with the Clery Act, a Title IX law named after a 19-year-old student who was raped and murdered at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania in 1986.

“The issue isn’t what’s new,” said Dr. Ellen Cox, as-sociate professor of philosophy and delegate for sexual assault reporting on campus. “What is new is the attention that federal laws are beginning to pay … to it.”

“I’d like to see the number go up,” said Cox, refer-ring to the number of sexual assault cases reported. “Even

though it’s hard to look at the numbers, I’d rather see numbers that accurately reflect what’s happening to our students. It will be interesting to see whether or not there will be a significant change to that information.”

“Sexual assault does happen on this campus,” said se-nior Lindsey Jagoe, member of SAGE, Sexual Awareness and Gender Education. “I think that the problem is that the student doesn’t know the process for reporting sexual assault, or they don’t feel comfortable doing so.”

That is why this month, SAGE will be sending out green folders to all faculty and staff on campus. The fold-ers will serve as instruction on how to “help students in need,” said Dr. Carole Barnsley, co-leader of SAGE and assistant professor of religion.

“We aren’t asking (faculty and staff) to be experts in mental health, or sexual assault,” said Barnsley. “The folder can help facilitate conversation for those in need.”

SAGE has printed out 400 folders so that every faculty and staff member will have them in hand.

“(We have) thought about adapting it for RAs (resident advisers), Greek officers, SOLs (student orientation lead-ers), any student next year with leadership,” said Barns-ley.

Director of Greek Life Amy Jo Gabel, who has been working directly with SAGE to encourage sexual assault reporting on campus, has been looking to see what other universities have been doing for sexual assault education during student orientation.

Gabel will soon introduce Green Dot, a violence pre-

Molly CrainNews Editor

With almost a term complete, this year’s Student Government Association, under the leadership of President Josh Edge, a senior, has made measurable accomplish-ments.

One of SGA’s current goals is to re-evaluate and propose changes to Transylvania’s curfew policy. Ju-nior Charli Fant, SGA vice presi-dent, took the issue to the SGA executive council after multiple students petitioned her. The goal of any proposal, she said, would be to increase visitation time while maintaining a good academic envi-ronment as well.

The last change in the curfew policy, enacted during the 2010-2011 school year, eliminated cur-few on Friday and Saturday nights and extended it until to 2 a.m. all other days. The change came af-ter a similar initiative mounted by SGA.

“Transy has stayed very con-servative about its curfew policy, and we’d like to see that changed,” said Fant. “(The current policy) is an outdated policy, frankly.”

SGA intends to select a com-mittee to address the issue by the end of this week. Fant will head the committee and begin meeting with its members before winter break. Although any approved policy change would most likely not go into effect until next year, Fant would like to have at least three options to submit to the ad-ministration within the first few months of next term.

Additionally, at the request of

Laura MillerStaff Writer

Campus urged to report all acts of sexual assault

Opinion, Page 4: Managing Editor Jake Hawkins offers his take on the success of the digital signage monitors.

Sports, Page 5: You’ll think twice about running once you read about sophomore Erica Noe, who enjoys running barefoot.

SGA makes strides, shares future plansPresident R. Owen Williams, SGA has been looking into ways to increase school spirit at Transy. Aware of the low attendance at school events such as academic forums, plays and sporting events, Williams is work-ing with Edge and junior Hannah Johnson, SGA student affairs committee chairperson, to find creative ways to increase interest and involvement in such activities.

One first step has been to make it easier for students to promote their events on the digital signage monitors around campus.

SGA is also organizing its own events for students, including last week’s bonfire in Back Circle and an upcoming homecoming event.

Moreover, SGA will sponsor a forum Dec. 6, entitled “HIV/AIDS: A Global Per-

spective,” during open hour in recognition of the United Nations World Aids Day Dec. 1. Junior Andrew Goff, an SGA chairper-son, will participate in the forum along with Drs. Kathleen Jagger, Michael Cairo, Ellen Cox and Sharon Brown. SGA has yet to an-nounce a location for the forum.

SGA is currently evaluating and address-ing the need for additional or improved study space on campus. The only 24/7 quiet study area on campus for men as of now is the Clay-Davis study lounge, and there is no equivalent in the women’s or co-ed dorms.

Realizing this, SGA is trying to gauge the demand for extending the hours of Transyl-vania’s library. As always, the library will remain open later during finals week, but SGA is also trying to arrange for students to

study for finals in Back Cafeteria after hours this semester.

Also during finals week, SGA will of-fer fruit, coffee and donuts in the library. This is an extension of the program junior Eryn Hornberger, SGA food service liaison, launched this term to start providing apples from a local orchard in the library once a month.

The following organizations have re-ceived SGA funding this semester: the an-nual student health fair, Delta Sigma Phi, the Diversity Action Council, the French Club, Transy College Democrats and the Transyl-vania Environmental Rights and Responsi-bilities Alliance.

2 CENTRE0 Transy 2 Georgetown

KATI

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See ASSAULT, Page 2

Being a senior in college brings a multitude of perks, but this year at Transylvania University, seniors will receive an invitation from President R. Owen Williams to have dinner at his home.

Students will be invited in groups according to their original University 1111 class, along with the professor who taught their section, to ensure that the groups are a manageable size.

The dinners, which start the week after Thanksgiving, will continue throughout winter term.

Formal invitations will arrive via mail, or campus mail for students who live on campus.

Contact Deana Ison at 859-233-8111 or Kelly Lavy at 859-233-8146 for more information.

-Erin Brock

An important part of the Transylvania community passed away last week. Dorothy J. Smith, the donor of the $1 million that was used to establish the Dorothy J. and Fred K. Smith Concert Series, was 91.

“She gave this money to provide concerts for the Transylvania community primarily for students because she, as a student, had a good experience herself,” said Dr. Gary Anderson, professor of music and chair of the Smith Concert Series committee.

According to Anderson, Smith wanted to have different sorts of concerts every year in order to attract different audiences.

Smith graduated from Transy in 1942 and taught music in the Fayette County Public Schools and the Lexington School for a total of 29 years.

“She knew that this series was for the Transylvania community as well as the Lexington community,” Anderson said.

-Erin Brock

Reported sexual assaults since 2010

Transylvania University Department of Public Safety

Centre College Department of Publice Safety report

Georgetown College Campus Safety crime statistics

In comparison:

Above, Clay-Davis lobby is the only 24-hour quiet study location on campus. In the future SGA aims to extend the hours of the library and also is working to arrange study space in Back Cafeteria during finals week.

EtceteraPage 2 November 17, 2011

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While the closest of its four locations on East High Street is a bit of a walk from campus, it is to-tally worth it. My friend Becky Goncharoff recom-mended this place to me, and I understand why she did. Ramsey’s Diner is an absolutely precious restau-rant that is cranking out good ole southern classics, including Kentucky’s famous hot brown.

The mismatched furniture inside this diner re-minds you of walking into someone’s home. Each table has its own story, like it’s been loved by a fam-ily for a long time. The cozy environment only adds to the comfort that the food provides, and servings are so enormous that it is difficult to finish a plate — you have to come with an appetite.

I chose to get the meat-and-three dish where you pick a meat, ranging from pot roast to catfish, and three hearty side dishes. Being unadventurous, I or-

dered fried chicken with green beans, macaroni and cheese and apple fritters.

The fried chicken was literally some of the best I have ever had. I do not know how they got the breast to stay so moist — but they did and it was fantastic. The salty seasoning in the coating did get to be a bit too much after a while.

The green beans were great, not too gamey from the ham hock, and were properly seasoned. Mean-while, the macaroni and cheese was severely in need of some seasoning. It lacked both salt and pepper, which was really disappointing. In addition, the tex-ture of the cheese sauce was really unappetizing. It was too gritty and pasty, like they had undercooked the flour used to thicken the sauce.

Then the apple fritters were not what I expected at all. When I think of a fritter, I think of a ball of batter with bits of whatever sort of fritter it is that is deep fried and then seasoned.

Well, Ramsey’s does a different sort of fritter. They cut the apple into semi-thin slices, dredge them in flour and deep-fry them. This was unexpected, but in a good way. The only thing I wish they had done was put more cinnamon sugar on the apple slices be-fore they were fried or dusted them with it after they had fried them. Had they been properly seasoned, I would have enjoyed them far more than I did.

All in all, Ramsey’s is a place you need to check out. Just be prepared to do some of your own season-ing at the table.

Ramsey’s a safe bet; not spectacularAll at a

Glance

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Bubble in the Box

O’ sunken spirits, fermented in the Devil’s breath;You, Hades burn, through my dirt-dry gizzard, alightA flame in hollow oak, vacuum in my duress.His hand, weeping willow twig, shakes in penance valued sight.I have felt your warm embrace, O’ glistening Grapes of Wrath;You, you staggering Pieper in momentary bloom,You mahogany box of coiled vipers, you half-kraftOf sensual juices pulsating through my veins, consumed.

O’ great carnal embrace, dripping off my frosted beard;Long fleece of winding sparkling molecules, charred oak elixir,Hardships gaseous floating through golden brown copper Lost in fraternity of burnt clanking clarity.

Is this the warm coal-fire illuminated study at Frost’s sleepOr a hearth at the Devil’s feet?

A Sonnet About Spirits...

(Booze)

-Charlie Zwischenberger ’14

AND

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From Page 1ASSAULT

Check Out Our Website!

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vention program that engages the bystander, ac-cording to Gabel. She also announced that the program’s website will launch this week.

The website, which will be available through a hyperlink on Inside Transy, will serve as a confidential outlet for students to report both positive (“green”) and negative (“red”) events that happen at any specific location on cam-

pus, which will be represented by an interactive map, detailed Gabel.

“The ultimate goal is to lessen the assaults; on your way to that, your perceived knowledge of incidents must go up. We are not afraid; we would love to see reports go up,” said Barnsley. “We believe, with more awareness, that this is a climate of care.”

Campus LifePage 3 November 17, 2011

Notebooks, pencils and textbooks are something a lot of college students take for granted, but there’s a project on Transylvania’s campus that could change that mindset for some of us.

Professor Allison Harnish’s anthro-pology class Africa: People and Cultures is in the process of continuing work that Harnish, a doctoral candidate at the Uni-versity of Kentucky, began several years ago. In 2007 she was researching for her dissertation in Zambia, a country locat-ed in southern Africa.

“While I was in Zambia, I had the opportunity to tour some schools in the region. … Teachers lamented to me that they didn’t have enough resources to do their jobs. I thought to myself that there must be some way to help them,” Har-nish said.

While there was a shortage of both textbooks and school supplies, Harnish decided to tackle one issue at a time. Af-ter arriving back in the states, she started to look for avenues through which she could start a project to gather donated notebooks, pencils and the like.

Her contacts at the Carnegie Center led her to the International Book Project (IBP). However, the exclusive aim for the IBP, a nonprofit organization head-quartered in Lexington that shipped over 270,000 books overseas last year, is to gather and redistribute reading materials rather than school supplies to locations that request them.

Harnish soon found a partner in Ju-lius Marks Elementary School, with which she “devised a collaborative proj-ect,” she said.

The fifth-grade students decided to try to gather as many spiral notebooks, pens and pencils as possible. They wrote persuasive letters to local businesses, asking that they donate school supplies to their cause.

“It was really cool,” said Harnish. “The fifth-graders played a huge role and their curriculum got more focused as a result.”

In the end, they collected eight

large crates of supplies that went to the schools in Zambia. This led to more ef-forts for books. Harnish helped the head teacher in Zambia get in touch with the IBP, and then sought out ways for her to integrate this new project with her teaching at Transy.

She decided to set up a curriculum in which her students would have a choice between three options for a final proj-ect: to research and present on a posi-tive phenomenon occurring in Africa, to coordinate a film festival that explores the realities and misrepresentations of African life in the media, or to volunteer to raise awareness of the IBP’s efforts by holding a book drive on campus for books to be sent to Zambia.

“I wanted them to use their experi-ence to flesh out the concepts covered in class — globalization, moderniza-tion, the ethics of aid — and then have to incorporate them into these projects,” Harnish said.

Senior Heather Napier, a student in the Africa: People and Cultures class and president of the Sociology and Anthropology Club, is in charge of co-ordinating the IBP option of the class project.

“We plan to hold the book drive and fundraiser the week after Thanksgiving break and hopefully also help pack the shipment of books to be sent to Zam-bia,” Napier said.

Napier has high hopes for the book drive and its results.

“My expectations for the project is to not only raise funds and collect books for the IBP, but also strive to raise awareness around campus about illitera-cy,” said Napier. “We hope to also high-light all the good things the IBP does and hopefully get more people involved in their project through volunteering or simple donations.”

“My goals, first and foremost, are to offer a token of reciprocal appreciation and kindness to communities where I’ve worked and also to try and bridge the gap between learning and service. … I feel that there’s a tangible element miss-ing from intellectual learning on college campuses,” Harnish said.

Erin BrockEditor-in-Chief

Anthropology class zealous for Zambia

It’s all too familiar in Sandella’s Café: the smell of the food, the sound of the beeping oven and the triad of smiling faces be-hind the counter that never fail to greet every student who passes by.

“We’re like a cord of three strands,” said San-della’s employee Victor McClary. “Like it says in the Bible.”

McClary described the relationship with his two co-workers, Rosa-lin “Rosie” Higgins and Cortez Coleman, as be-ing like Ecclesiastes 4:12: “Though one may be overpowered, two can de-fend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

The three, who are neighbors, met before they worked together at Sand-ella’s.

“I would see Rosie sit-ting on her porch as I went to work,” said McClary.

Soon, Higgins and Coleman — who began working together in the fall of 2009 at what was then the 1780 Café — were joined by McClary in the fall of 2010.

“That was the ‘cheese bread’ era,” said Coleman, referring to one of the ca-fé’s most popular dishes of the time.

“Everybody loved it,” said Higgins. “People still ask for it.”

Coleman, who worked for a cleaning service before coming to Tran-sylvania University, said “the difference is day and night.” While he described

Sandella’s trio loves tu studentsErica ClarkCampus Life Editor

the cleaning service as the “same ol’ same ol’,” he loves working with the students at Transy because it’s excit-ing.

“I love the interactions with you guys. It’s personal, it’s kinda neat,” said Coleman.

“It’s fun, and there’s always something new,” said Higgins.

“I really enjoy the work I do here. It’s like an adventure ’cause I never know what y’all are going to say,” said McClary. “It’s just a blessing to be able to smile and have fun when you’re at work.”

McClary worked previously at a similar Division III school where he learned that he wanted to work with the “youth of America.” At Transy he loves the “camaraderie” and the

“interaction with the young men and women.”

“Times are changing,” McClary said. “You want to be around those who are changing with it. Y’all are the future of tomorrow. And it’s a privilege just to be around y’all and accepted by y’all.”

Coleman remembers what it was like being on his own from his par-ents. He hopes to make the students feel comfortable.

“It’s scary and you really have to rely on what your parents taught you,” said Coleman.

“We try to be personal with you guys,” said McClary. “We know it’s a service to you guys but we care about each and every one of you. We’ll chastise you when you’re

wrong and we’ll be there when you need a shoulder to cry on.”

Higgins doesn’t look forward to parting with students she has served for so long.

“We’ll probably cry when you graduate,” said Higgins.

“We always do,” said McClary.Their relationship extends be-

yond their interactions at work. “We’ll go home on days off and

talk about things that happen,” said Higgins.

“We share a special relationship,” said McClary. “They’ve been a light in my life. I was sort of a reclusive person. Not that I wasn’t friendly, but to break the shell of what I was surrounded with it took two lov-ing people. We enjoy one another.

Left to right, Cortez Coleman, “Rosie” Higgins, and Victor McClary smile for the camera much like they smile for their customers each night in the café.

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Grocery stores designed to sell junk food

It makes performing the job much easier when you know what to expect from one another.”

Higgins and Coleman each have children of their own. Higgins has two daughters, and Coleman has two daughters and one son.

“All of them are grown, which makes me a grand-pa,” said Coleman.

Some time ago Mc-Clary experienced a trag-edy when his child passed away.

“It’s been two years but it still seems like yester-day,” said McClary. “The love that I give to y’all is like what I can’t give to my own child.”

The love that the three co-workers have for the students certainly isn’t one-way. The students feel blessed to have such a warmhearted bunch wel-coming them in the café each night.

“Living in Thomson, it is so nice to have staff members in the building that are personable and caring,” said junior Sarah Tipton. “They always have a little piece of wisdom, a kind word or a funny joke to share.”

“They have a tenacious and compassionate per-sonality,” said sophomore Kayarash Karimian. “It allows students to bear the late-night stress caused by academic demands.”

For most, interactions with the three are not easy to forget.

“We want to be the kind of team you can tell your grandchildren about,” Coleman said.

A typical grocery store layout presents produce, meat and dairy products along the perimeter of the store. You should remain here as much as possible.

The inner aisles include prepackaged and preserved foods that mainly contain ar-tificial flavors, salt, sugar or high-fructose corn syrup. At the ends of every aisle, the sale food is displayed: cheap, empty calo-ries in brightly colored boxes.

This is why you should be cautioned: The advertising companies are not the only ones playing tricks anymore — stores have a marketing plan of their own.

Upon first entering the Walmart Super-center on New Circle Road, the entrance enticingly displays oatmeal cream pies, Rice Krispies Treats, cookies, various chips and Mountain Dew.

The store is immediately pressuring you to grab these items without checking the nutrition label. Once the shopper has made it through the fortress of soda and Little Debbies, they’re introduced to the produce department.

The grocery store should get some credit for putting the produce in the front, but they fail in that nonproduce items are put in stra-tegic places.

For example, when you see a fresh apple, you will also find caramel dipping sauce sit-ting right next to it, or flavored croutons to add to a previously healthy salad.

Of course this makes sense. When shop-ping for meals little add-ons seem accept-able and often do make the food more en-joyable, but does anyone remember what an apple tastes like anymore? Or strawberries without the shortcake?

To increase company and store product sales, a strategy has been developed that includes placing foods together to make a

complete dessert or dinner. Too often these combinations only add unnecessary calo-ries and fat.

For example, instead of simply roasting a marshmallow over the fire, food culture has made the need for half a chocolate bar and a graham cracker to surround the sugar puff. Coupons are even distributed so that you get the discount only if you buy all components of the s’more.

The grocery store layout is terrible for college students and all consumers in gen-eral; it puts unhealthy foods in the most ob-vious places. The best way to ensure choos-ing healthy food items at the grocery store involves more planning and self-control strategies, as well as making a direct path through the store’s healthiest areas.

First of all, enter the grocery store with a full stomach and, if possible, alone. This will make you less likely to buy something unhealthy.

Secondly, you should be prepared with a grocery list of the things you need. Focus on coming up with healthy options before and stick directly to your list while shop-ping.

Third, make time for grocery shopping when there is ample time to shop and read nutrition labels if needed. This will stop impulse buying, because you will go in di-rectly to get the items on your list and noth-ing else.

And lastly, use entrances that will have the least amount of enticing, unhealthy food displayed by the entrance. Not all stores will have two entrances, but if possible, en-ter the store where toothpaste or other non-food items are located; then walk directly to the produce section.

Once in the produce section, continue to follow the perimeter of the store where the refrigerated and mostly fresh items are lo-cated. Avoid going through the center isles unless necessary, and if so, only get the needed items.

Remember: Grocery stores were made to sell products, so to avoid their unhealthy trap, stick to the outer perimeter. Or even better, go to the farmers market or check out local produce at Good Foods Market and Café.

A v o i d t h e t r a p

OpinionPage 4 November 17, 2011

Editor-in-Chief...............................Erin BrockManaging Editor.......................Jake Hawkins Design & Layout Editor...........Sally JagielskiPhoto Editor...............................Katie BrewerNews Editor................................Molly Crain

Etcetera Editor.....................Victoria SullivanCampus Life.................................. Erica ClarkOpinion Editor.............................Lyman StoneSports Editor............................Abby FergusonArts & Entertainment Editor.........Holly BrownChief Copy Editor.......................John JohnsonAdviser......................................Terri McLean

Rambler The

Letters should be:No more than 400 words. The Rambler reserves the right to cut letters to the editor to fit our length requirements, and we may edit your letters to fix grammar or spelling mistakes.Signed, with contact information. Full name and telephone number or email address is needed.Letters must be original. We will not accept form letters.

Send your letters to:rambler@transy.edu

Letters to the Editor

I’ve noticed that people say “I’m sorry” entirely too often. This is bad because, outside of the con-text of apology, it ends up inconveniencing the per-son to whom it is addressed — because that person must now think of a way to respond, and it’s im-possible to respond without sounding either insen-sitive or significantly unintelligent. There are four responses, and they are each bad.

First, “No, you’re not.”This response is usually given by those who

haven’t had their coffee that day, those with an in-flated sense of their own importance, or those who become disproportionately angry at others.

A typical situation: Jim forgets to bring a movie for the third time when he visits Kyle. Jim says he is sorry, and Kyle denies his sentiment, saying that Jim is, in fact, not sorry at all, because if Jim were really sorry, he would have remembered the movie. Jim must now either accuse Kyle of distrust or ad-mit that he is not sorry at all and he’s never really liked Kyle anyway. Either revelation can destroy a relationship.

Secondly, “Thanks.”This response is usually given by those who

were told they were “never going to be good

enough” as a child, those who have a desperate need for approval from others, and those who, until then, thought you were a sociopath.

What is this? Thanks for being sorry? For in-stance, my pet has just died in a tragic automobile accident because it was high off heroin, and I’m thankful that you are sorry? What else were you going to say? “Hooray”? How much do I need you to like me?

Third, “I am too.”This response is usually given by those who

constantly feel a need to place things into perspec-tive for you because you’re happier than they are, those who think with herd mentality so that they automatically agree with something that a friend says without regard for the context, or those who are afraid that they don’t display emotion well so they try to really emphasize how sad they are so that you’ll “get it.”

If somebody has just told you “I’m sorry,” they likely suspect that you’re sorry too. This is no great secret.

And fourth, “It’s not your fault.”This response is usually given by people be-

cause you’re stomping all over their emotional dis-play with your guilt, those who have seen “Good Will Hunting” too many times, or those that think it probably is your fault.

I know it’s not my fault. I didn’t kill your distant relative, give you a bad grade or break up with you after several months of intense Facebook insistence that you were in a relationship with me. And if it were my fault, I’d probably lie about it.

So, please, stop saying “I’m sorry.” You’re making things worse by forcing others to respond inanely. In the future, just make a sad face and nod a lot.

Sorry for the satire

Cheers to the recently acquired CHOIC-ES alcohol awareness grant, but …

Jeers to the mixed message of the al-cohol statistics that have been displayed on posters around campus. Is the fact that 10 percent of Transylvania students drive un-der the influence really something to brag about?

Cheers to Aubrey “Drake” Graham’s new album “Take Care” that has recently been leaked. Give it a listen if you haven’t yet.

Jeers to the computers in the basement lab of Clay Hall. They don’t work.

Cheers to junior Natalie Jones for re-cently completing a full marathon, an im-pressive feat to say the least.

Jeers to the library’s hours. If there are college students that only do homework un-til midnight, I have yet to meet them — pos-sibly because they have all flunked out.

Cheers and congratulations to all of the new members of the Order of Omega and Omicron Delta Kappa.

Jeers to penalty kicks being the method of determining a winner in soccer games ending in a tie. Is that really the best way to see who is the better team?

Cheers to sophomore Maria Starck on the one’s and two’s at the bonfire in Back Circle sponsored by the Student Govern-ment Association.

Jeers to resident advisers that document themselves. Consistency is great, but that’s just foolish.

Cheers to the upcoming Make-a-Wish auction being put on by the women of Chi Omega.

Jeers to bomb threats and the lack of in-formation relayed to the student body relat-ed to the incident. It would have been nice to know which buildings were particularly at risk so as to avoid walking into an explosion while vacating campus.

Cheers to the freedoms that come along with being in college, but …

Jeers to the “big brother” effect that has descended upon the social side of campus as well as any residencies that are inhab-ited by Transy students within the tri-county area.

Cheers to all of the Transy men’s and women’s soccer players who were recently named to the HCAC All-Conference teams.

What happened to school spirit? That’s been the question weighing on my mind since I be-gan my time as a Transylvania stu-dent. Where is the student section full of screaming fans, the painted bodies of die-hard supporters?

I want to tell myself that the days of the traditional student sec-tion are over and I should move on from the fanatic frenzy of sporting events and accept that college is too studious to condone such be-havior.

Then again, I realize that col-lege sports are still in existence because of one main factor: the fans. Now, some might make the argument that Transylvania is a small liberal arts college and our fans can never match up to the quantity of those found at a well-known Division I school like the University of Kentucky, but I ut-terly reject that notion.

Most students at Transy came from a high school that harbored

a student population of relative comparison to our institution that drove for miles to cheer on its sporting teams. That’s right, miles, and we can’t walk 100 yards to support our sports teams when they play at their home ven-ue?

This lack of school spirit is a serious issue. Athletes feed off the energy created by their adoring fans, and when there aren’t fans there it stifles the initiative to play.

If you don’t believe me, go and ask any athlete on campus and ask which venue they’d rather play in: a packed house or a house spotted with the occasional fan. I guaran-tee you’ll hear the former over lat-ter. But I wish to offer advice for this unprecedented shortcoming and proactively address the situ-ation.

First, check Inside Transy for what’s going on around campus. Don’t think that just because someone hasn’t hung up a million posters an event isn’t happening; take some responsibility and see what’s going on around campus.

Secondly, talk to the athletes in your classes and see when they have a game. They would be more than willing to talk to you about when their next game is, and they’ll more than likely invite you to come watch.

Lastly, talk it up yourself. The more people hear the word about events, the more people will want to get involved. Gather your friends, paint your bodies, make T-shirts or just go and see what you think about the sport if you aren’t familiar with it. Anything that makes an effort at embracing your inner school spirit is better than no effort at all.

School spirit at Transy isn’t dead; students just need to mobi-lize and wake the sleeping giant. If every event was treated like the UK vs. Transy matchup, Transyl-vania would be the standard for student spirit.

Who says we can’t be that stu-dent body that’s considered the game changer? It’s a reality that’s not hard to accomplish.

School spirit could use a revival of enthusiasm

Tyler BakerColumnist

Signage an effective change

When he first came to Transylvania’s campus, President R. Owen Williams announced to me in my first interview with him that monitors would be placed around campus to communicate special an-nouncements, advertise events and promote cam-pus organizations, among other things.

Today, more than a year later, there are 10 of these digital signage monitors around campus, one each located in the alumni and development office, the Beck Center, the Campus Center Canteen, the Cowgill Center lobby, Forrer Hall Front Lobby, Jazzman’s Café, the Rafskeller and the library, as well as outside Carrick Theater and the cafeteria.

According to Vice President for Information Technology Jason Whitaker, there are hopefully more on the way so that eventually every classroom

building on campus displays one.These monitors, much like your own student

newspaper, showcase visually appealing designs containing information important to the campus community. They reduce clutter on campus walls by lessening the need for fliers and they integrate technology into the design of campus that, before, was painfully missing. In short, they’re pretty cool.

More than that, though, the digital signage mon-itors represent what good things can happen when the people working behind the scenes to oversee our campus collaborate and synergize.

The idea came from the president, was re-searched by Whitaker and the IT department and then installed by the physical plant. On a daily ba-sis, the monitors’ content is controlled by the pub-lications department, and staff in each building can add content to their building’s monitor. This inter-departmental, collaborative work is what’s best for our university.

In addition, submitting content is easy and can be done from the Inside Transy home page, creat-ing yet another efficient way to get information to students.

For these reasons, I am happy to endorse the dig-ital signage monitors as a truly successful project that has positively impacted our campus.

SportsPage 5 November 17, 2011

Abby FergusonSports Editor

Transylvania’s swimming and diving teams compete at the highest level, aiming for shatter-ing the longest-standing school records. They compete in the Bluegrass Mountain Confer-ence against programs that are known as “power houses.”

Yet each time they compete Transy never lets the tough competition get to them. For these men and women of Transylvania the importance is on lifetime bests, school records, leadership and building the team for next year.

Junior swimmer Amanda Skinner is no stranger to shattering records and winning meets. She holds six school records, three from individual races and three as a member of relay teams. Last year she was .03 seconds away from making it to the NCAA nationals — to which only 16 athletes from each race are selected to go. She believes this is her year.

Coach Kyle Dunaway states that his goal for Skinner is “to get her to the NCAA meet.” Right now she’s at her career best and her recent meets have proven her desire to get to the level neces-sary for nationals.

Skinner focuses on the team and what she can do to improve herself as well as her leadership on the team. She is a co-captain alongside long-time swimming partner junior Lindsey Ander-son, and the team of five women sets its sights on one thing: to beat the men.

“If I don’t beat the boys at practice, I don’t feel like I’ve succeeded,” said Skinner.

Laughing with pride, Skinner added that her team of five recently went on to beat another team of 30.

Dunaway noted her growth in her leadership role.

“She improves team dynamics through lead-

Athlete of the Week: Amanda SkinnerAlissa Stieha

Staff Writer

erships both vocal and by example,” said Dunaway.Skinner said she encourages her teammates to be

“dedicated inside and outside the pool deck.” The team knows her for pursuing her goals and pushing them to do the same.

“We have to push each other during practice,” Skinner said.

Her strongest and favorite races are the 200-meter breast stroke and the 400-meter individual medley, but her relay teams are also surpassing school records.

“We know we walk away with an extremely successful

year because Amanda and her teammates have the chance to break double-digit school records,” said Dunaway.

Skinner holds pride in her team and in herself, pushing herself to achieve the goals that she set early on in her swimming career.

“Come to swim meets. Cheer us on. Paint up,” Skinner said.

These swimmers are on their way to going down as the best in the 28-year history of Transy’s swimming and div-ing program based on records broken and meet records, and Skinner is leading the way.

Junior Amanda Skinner holds six school records in both individual and relay races. Coach Kyle Dunaway has high hopes for this season on her quest for a chance at nationals.

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Treading a new path:Noe pursues shoeless adventures

Sophomore Erica Noe has been barefoot running for almost two years. It has helped her become more physically and mentally tough.

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Men’s soccer recognized for success

•Sophomore Evan Sizemore was recently named co-Defensive Player of the Year for men’s soc-cer by the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference. Seniors Peter Mikhail and Tony Spero and fellow sophomore Christian King joined Sizemore on the All-HCAC first team.

Men’s basketball solid against Spalding

•With a 22-point night, junior Ethan Spurlin helped lead the Pioneers to a 67-52 win over the Golden Eagles of Spalding Univer-sity. Junior Brandon Rash contrib-uted 15, while fellow junior Barrett Meyer and sophomore Tate Cox added nine each. Senior Chris Ow-ens tallied eight points to go with five rebounds.

The men will be in action Tues-day against Centre College at 6 p.m. The game will be televised on WKYT in Lexington.

Swimming strong in double dual meet

•The women’s swim team won by 14 points over Wilmington Col-lege Saturday. They led by seven heading into the final event, the 200-yard freestyle relay. Sopho-more Chelsea Diamond was first in the 100 backstroke, the 200 back-stroke and the 200 individual med-ley. Junior Amanda Skinner was second in the 100 breaststroke, first in the 200 breaststroke and second in the 100 butterfly.

•The men’s swim team had a strong showing but came up short to Wilmington. Notables for them included senior Brent Vorst, who was second in the 200-yard free-style, first in the 100 freestyle and first in the 100 butterfly. First-year E.J. Quijano had a great finish in 200 individual medley (second overall) that helped pull the guys even with Wilmington going into the last relay. Fellow first-year Al-len King helped pull Transylvania within three points of the Quakers after a third-place finish overall in the 100 butterfly.

Whether it’s due to injury or bore-dom, many runners have turned to bare-foot running to liven up their routine.

For sophomore Erica Noe, a member of the cross-country and track teams, barefoot running has turned into more than just a hobby.

“I loved the sound of something that was more natural and better for me; plus it just sounded fun,” said Noe.

For runners like Noe, barefoot run-ning or “barefooting” has turned into more than just running barefoot.

“It’s a style of running that goes back to the basics and helps you naturally self-regulate your own running, there-fore creating less impact on your body,” said Noe.

Noe started in a more unconventional way than the average barefoot runner.

“I started in the middle of a Maine winter, snow and all. So I began in socks,” said Noe.

This coming January, Noe will hit the two-year mark of barefooting. Her inspiration to begin came after her old-est brother read a book by Christopher McDougall called “Born to Run.”

“It started as a new way for me to bond with my brother and try something new, but has since grown into so much more,” said Noe.

Noe has seen firsthand the positive ef-fects of barefooting.

“I was sick of injuries. I used to get bad shin splints in high school, but since starting barefoot running, I have had no major injuries. I feel more agile and ready to run,” said Noe. “My muscles feel less sore and it feels less taxing and more natural to run because my body is allowed to move the way it was supposed to without being limited synthetically by excess cushioning and structure.”

The NCAA prohibits runners from running barefoot in meets, so Noe has turned to cushionless minimalist shoes.

“(They) give the protection of a shoe with the feeling of running barefoot,” said Noe.

Although it has been physically tax-ing, Noe has come to realize its impor-tance.

“It takes time and effort to get used to barefoot running because it is a totally different style, and as any runner will tell you, it’s extremely difficult to change your form. But as I gradually made the change, I realized how much it is worth it,” said Noe.

Noe has learned a lot about herself both mentally and physically while barefooting.

“It has taught me a higher level of self-discipline and the power and strength that lies within a deep connec-tion with your own body and self as well as with your surrounding environ-ment,” said Noe.

Noe has also passed on her wisdom from barefooting to fellow runner Kris-ten Ballard, a senior.

“After reading some of her run jour-nals, she talked up the perks of injury prevention and foot freedom. I had to try it and now I’m addicted,” said Bal-lard. “Nearly everything I have learned about barefoot running since has been the result of Erica patiently enduring

my interrogations.”One of the most important things

barefooting has done for Noe is re-new her love for the sport after feeling burned-out from running year after year since she was 6 years old.

“When I started barefooting I redis-covered why I love running so much,” said Noe. “It brought a new challenge and adventure to something that had be-come so routine for me. It’s an adrena-line rush. … I continue to do it now to get back to that feeling but also because I love the way it feels. It’s a sense of oneness with the trail or road and with yourself that I can’t find anywhere else. That type of deep connection is so en-couraging and it pushes me to keep go-ing with every step.”

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Prepare to be whisked away at the new exhibit in the Morlan Gal-lery. A place far away from exams, deadlines and Transylvania Uni-versity, “Beyond Boundaries: New Work by Nana Lampton” lets you find that sense of place that college takes away.

This exhibit features Lampton, a Kentucky artist widely known for her landscapes. These depict both scenic Kentucky spots and foreign locales, reflecting her travels. Lamp-ton suggests that her paintings con-vey both a spirit of adventure and a sense of place.

A Renaissance woman of her time, Lampton is also a published poet. Her books of poetry include “Moon with the Sun in Her Eye,” “Bloom of a Split Board” and “Snowy Owl Gathers in Her Trove.”

Many students appear to be im-pressed by the new exhibit.

“Nana Lampton’s artwork is beautiful, very inspiring and a great addition to the Morlan Gallery,” said first-year Hannah Greer.

Morlan Gallery Director Andrea Fisher also commented on Lampton and her artwork.

“What makes Nana unique,”

Fisher said, “is her ability to run a large company and yet also maintain such a prolific amount of creative output. She strikes me as the type of person who is consistently maximiz-ing her every moment.”

This Morlan Gallery exhibit will be on display until Dec. 6. The gal-lery will be premiering it to the pub-lic Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. as part of the Lexington Gallery Hop.

A bonus exhibition, “Time and Place,” located in the student gallery of the Shearer Art Building, displays the art pieces juried by Lampton. The artwork, reflections of travel or ideas inspired by students’ own lives, correlates with her sketchbooks and poetry on display.

Junior Emily Shirley was the first-place winner for her sketchbook of Ireland.

“During the short two weeks spent abroad, I was cut off from dis-tractions,” said Shirley. “As a result, I was fortunate to have a significant amount of time to dedicate to reflec-tion, observation and inspiration while ‘drawing’ on the unique envi-ronment rural Ireland possesses.”

Shirley was “caught off guard” and “very honored,” she said, to have been selected by Lampton.

“As an artist, it is always a won-derful feeling to know your work is appreciated by others,” said Shirley.

Morlan exhibit goes ‘Beyond’Sarah Allison

Staff Writer

There are so many books in the world that it is im-possible to read them all, even if you wanted to. This can be a good thing — so many choices! — but it can also be very difficult to come to terms with.

Like many, I rely on my friends to direct me to books they think I’d enjoy. Sometimes this has the ef-fect that I read something I normally wouldn’t. This was the case with Patrick Rothfuss’s debut novel “The Name of the Wind.”

This fantasy epic opens with a traveler coming to a secluded inn. The innkeeper turns out to be a legend-ary sorcerer, a sometimes-hero and sometimes-outlaw known as Kvothe the Bloodless.

Most of the novel takes place in the past, as Kvothe reveals his “unexaggerated” life story. Kvothe begins life as a member of a troupe of traveling musicians and goes to a university to study magic, making interest-ing friends and powerful enemies along the way. In-terludes set in the present hint at the development of a future plot, as visitors come and go at the inn.

I’m not a really big fan of fantasy trilogies (Yes, “The Name of the Wind” is yet another faddish fantasy trilogy.), but something about this one grabbed me. The writing is unobtrusive and clever, and the book reads easily and pleasantly. I found myself hurrying back to it whenever I could, but I have a hard time qualifying what it is exactly I liked about this book.

The plot is its weak spot. This is a book clearly based on its compelling characters, and functions more as a series of related vignettes than a cohesive whole with a beginning, middle and end.

While there is action, and it builds somewhat, it truncates abruptly when Kvothe decides to stop the story until the beginning of the sequel. It’s clear that “The Name of the Wind” is part of a trilogy, because nothing much really happens. There rarely seems to be an overarching theme or imminent final conflict. Even when plot developments arise, they don’t feel signifi-cant.

The real strength of Rothfuss’s writing is his world-building. Kvothe inhabits an entirely imaginary setting rather than a fictionalized version of a time and place we already know. Often this is a dangerous path for fantasy writers, as it can make the story seem flat and irrelevant. In this case, that worry is unfounded.

The social and political topographies of Kvothe’s world are easy to pick up. The narration is informal and never pedantic — there are no chunks of text dedicated to tedious explanations of terms or ideas. Rothfuss is content to let you find your own way in the world he has created, and it is to his credit.

“The Name of the Wind” is not great literature, but it deserves the praise it’s received. It’s worth perusing for casual readers of fantasy novels. It’s a relaxing way to spend vacation time.

Be warned, though: It isn’t a short book, and the third one is not yet released. Still, if you are patient enough to give 3,000 pages to someone else’s life, it’s a good read.

‘Wind’ offers character over plot

Nana Lampton talks to Professor of Art History Dr. Nancy Wolsk at the opening reception of “Beyond Boundaries: New Work by Nana Lampton.” The exhibit is open until Dec. 6.

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Last week, the stage of Lexington had an interest-ing set list, with Beirut Wednesday at the Kentucky Theater and the Passion Pit DJ set Saturday night at Buster’s Billiards and Backroom. At the Beirut show, I discovered that one of the trumpet players is a Lexington local; his family had reserved seat-ing that prevented me from getting closer to the stage. And needless to say at Passion Pit, I got my dance on.

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Take a look at local shows