If you’ve been inside Carpenter Academic Center, you have probably seen Charlene Harris. As the Humanities Administrative Assistant, Charlene works with professors and staff to ensure everything runs smoothly. On January 5th, she became the published author of an interactive travel guide titled U.S. Capital Cities Bucket List. The book gives readers places to see, eat, and explore in all 50 capital cities across the country, accompanied by journal pages to document their memories. I had the opportunity to talk with Charlene about the process of writing and publishing the book:

When did the idea of this project first come to you?

I had the good fortune of knowing a couple of authors in my town, and they made it seem doable and exciting. People were very interested and encouraged me to go on and make a book.

How long were you working on this book? 

One of the interesting things is most people didn’t know I was working on a book because I never thought I’d complete it. The process began in 2020 when we were all locked down and were supposed to do creative things. I would pick it up and set it down and work on it a little bit all the time. But, again, I was never sure if I would completely finish the product.

So, you said you knew people who were authors and had some assistance with publishing and how that process works. What was the publishing experience like?

It was very eye-opening because there are a lot of steps and people involved, from editors to the final product with book layout and publishing to having the physical hard copy. And now I’m at the marketing stage, which is a whole new area to jump into. There are a lot of things that if you’re enjoying them, you can just spend hours and days on them. 

 The format of the book invites you to write about your visits to city capitals. How did you decide on this layout?

I went back and forth with people I knew who worked on bucket list-type books and other authors. They wrote books where it was a combination of a memory book, a journal, and an interactive book. This book starts with you reading it, but then you’re writing and recording your memories as you physically visit places. With the use of social media, everyone is supposed to communicate through tagging information. The book is a manual to go with having a good time and getting out and doing things. I feel like, not to dwell on COVID, but there was a point where we couldn’t fly and travel that way, so this was focused more on road trips. The combination of road trips, visiting with your kids, and trying to do affordable things that get you outside. 

You wrote that your visits to state capitals began after you moved to Lexington. Would you be able to give us a Lexington bucket list?

I think with the location of Transylvania, there’s so much to see right downtown., Everyone knows Rupp Arena and UK, but the architecture of Gratz Park shows how our city was developed. The Mary Todd Lincoln House and Henry Clay Estate show how far back we go. There are so many things you could do.

A lot of students at Transy have goals of creating and sharing their work, especially through a physical medium. Having accomplished that yourself, what advice do you have to give?

I think one piece of advice would be not to be afraid to ask other people if you’re interested in something. Inquire as to how they got involved or if they would help you. Just be curious about everything, and it’s not like you have to completely commit, but gather as much knowledge and information as you can from someone because someday you may want to use that. 

There is something really neat about having a physical book, even from being a reader. A book can be something that can showcase your work if you’re going for a job interview or something; it would really set you apart. I also feel like a book shows that you have an interest and you can inspire other people through that.

Anything else you would like to add?

I’ve been very pleased with how supportive and encouraging the faculty, staff, and people at Transylvania have been about this.

On Monday, January 15th, the Transylvania Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and Student Government Association (SGA) hosted a brunch and discussion celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. The brunch was catered by Great Bagel, and the discussion was spearheaded by Diversity and Inclusion Liaison Dr. Krissalyn Love and SGA President Ysa Leon.

The discussion centered around questions such as: Have MLK Jr.’s goals been accomplished? Would MLK Jr. be proud of us now? What aspects of MLK Jr.’s words resonate with us the most? For each question, people were encouraged to rotate around the Pioneer rooms and talk with people they may not have spoken with before. As a participant in the discussion, I found it interesting to talk about my thoughts with different people and learn their opinions as well. While the suggestion to move around the room was not heeded by all students, the vast majority were getting out of their comfort zones and sharing their honest thoughts about the questions asked.

Another interesting facet of the event was the discussion of the story of Bayard Rustin. Dr. Love divulged the history of Rustin, who was MLK Jr.’s right-hand man and the principle organizer of the 1963 March on Washington. However, Rustin often had to stay away from the public eye and distance himself from Dr. King because he was gay. Dr. Love made the point that MLK Jr. had his own prejudices despite all the good he had done and that it is up to us to continue the fight for equality and marginalized groups.

The event was initially planned to end with Transy students walking to downtown Lexington to join the annual MLK JR. Day march, which has been a tradition in Lexington for several decades. Unfortunately, most in attendance were unable to make it downtown afterward due to inclement weather and road conditions. Despite this roadblock, the event was a major success. It brought people together and educated them that the fight for equality is still ongoing and that the students of Transylvania can continue to push for what is right.

The Transylvania Student Government Association (SGA) decided to hold a flag-making competition for the student body here at Transy. Freshman Senator Will Hargis originally proposed the idea to SGA, who quickly approved it. The winner of the competition will have their flag design flown in front of Carpenter Academic Center as the official student body flag.

The competition has been ongoing since before Thanksgiving break, giving plenty of time for creative students to submit their flag designs. SGA approved a $50 Amazon Gift Card as a prize for the winner of the contest. One senator gave their thoughts on the project, saying “ It is awesome to see something like this because it allows students to express themselves.” Senator Hargis, when asked about his decision to propose this SGA-organized competition, said “I thought it would be really cool for the student community to come together by letting them help make the campus more beautiful.”

Submissions for the contest are closing on Tonight: Friday, December 8th. Senator Hargis is still hoping to see some more submissions before the deadline, so if anyone would like to throw in a last-minute design, please contact Senator Hargis at wahargis27@transy.edu.

On November 30th, Transylvania hosted political journalist and founder of Tangle News Isaac Saul for the talk, “Modern Media in Crisis: Untangling Bias, Partisanship, and Loss of Trust in the News.” The talk was part of Transylvania’s Creative Intelligence Series, an annual project designed to bring in speakers all related to a particular theme, with the theme for 2023-24 being “Skeptical Odysseys: Through a Glass Darkly.” Saul founded Tangle News in 2019, a news outlet with a daily newsletter that markets itself on and has been recognized for its ability to highlight perspectives across the political spectrum.

Saul began the talk by discussing the declining trust in media, particularly newspaper and television news, that has been seen over the past few years in the American public. While Saul acknowledged arguments that the increased skepticism that distrust in news implies could be a good thing, he argued that this growing distrust was troubling, saying “In a democratic country like ours, citizens turn to the media to educate themselves; to make informed decisions about who they’re going to vote for. It is important to be well informed, but five out of every six of us don’t trust the premier news sources that we’re supposed to get informed by.”

This distrust of mainstream news inspired Saul to found Tangle News in 2019. For Saul, the growth of Tangle News from a side project to a newsletter viewed by more than 80,000 people can be attributed to “an appetite that is out there right now for non-mainstream news and the kind of news that can challenge people.” Tangle News accomplishes this through the format of its newsletter, which takes one story per day and presents three arguments from each side of the political aisle, with Saul presenting his own opinion at the end of the newsletter. Through this approach, Tangle News has been able to build a politically diverse audience. Saul commented on why he believes an outlet like Tangle, which mainly analyzes existing news, is necessary, stating,  “I believe our current media ecosystem is broken. I think without massive changes to the industry it’s probably doomed. And I think the forces driving much of what is wrong with our media ecosystem are often more insidious and harder to grasp than just simple bias that certain reporters have.”

When delving into the forces that he argued were contributing to the broken nature of modern media, Saul began with a lack of balance in reporting. Saul used examples of articles from the New York Times and Wall Street Journal on the same topics to show how news outlets frame issues in a non-neutral way to appeal to a specific audience, leading in this case to, as Saul put it, “two audiences that are living in two separate realities.” Saul then looked to transparency, a value he argued is at the heart of Tangle News since it allows him to openly share his opinion. Saul suggested that newsrooms could simply issue more prominent and explanatory corrections to increase transparency and dispel suspicions that mistakes happen for insidious reasons. Arguably the most important factor for Saul was the makeup of newsrooms. Saul argued that the reality of most journalists politically identifying as moderate to left-leaning has created a conservative minority in journalism that is increasingly unwilling to criticize conservative policy. Saul stressed the importance of politically diverse hiring in stopping the development of an ideological culture in a newsroom.

Saul spent the rest of the talk examining case studies of reporting that he believed fell short of the standards needed to maintain reader trust, such as the New York Times reporting of the Israel/Hamas Conflict and the Fox News coverage of the 2020 Presidential election. Saul ultimately emphasized the importance of paying closer attention to the news experience as a consumer, stating, “If you feel like your views are not being challenged, your mind isn’t being changed, you aren’t learning something new, or you aren’t feeling a little upset, angry, or curious, then you need to expand the sources that you are pulling from.”

Thinking about studying abroad? We have that! Transy Study Abroad recently celebrated International Education Week from November 13th through the 17th. The State Department and the Department of Education encouraged universities around the world to celebrate and promote international education and exchange.

Director of Global and Intercultural Engagement Rachel Wilson shared what this looked like on Transylvania’s campus: “Here at Transy, we’ve done several events to promote study abroad opportunities and get students excited about going abroad and engaging internationally.” 

The Multicultural Mocktail Mixer gave students a “small international experience on campus” with mocktails and snacks from four different countries. The Study Abroad Office had a table during Popcorn Wednesday for students to ask questions about the program. Friday’s International Donuts with the Dean was another chance for students to learn about their options, with the usual donuts being topped by miniature flags of various countries. Wilson stated the purpose of these events was “to increase visibility and get students excited about these opportunities.” 

Wilson’s passion for studying abroad began when she was a student at Transy. “I fell in love with the whole idea that students can go abroad and have a really transformative experience.” After having lived in Columbia for eleven years, Wilson feels lucky to have the opportunity to help students experience other cultures through her alma mater.

On Tuesday, November 28th, the Alpha Omicron Pi sorority hosted their annual Holiday Bingo event to raise money and awareness for their philanthropy, The National Arthritis Foundation. The event was organized by their Director of Philanthropy, Isabella Adkins (26’). Members of Alpha Omicron Pi created themed baskets as prizes for the winners. Some of the baskets included: a sleepover basket, a book basket, a game night basket, and many more.

The event was a huge success. Many students showed up for a chance to support a good cause and hopefully win some prizes. Students who gave more money had the opportunity to gain additional bingo cards. The person with the most bingo cards that night had eighteen cards! Competition started to get heated once more and more

prizes were claimed by winners. At the end of the night, black-out bingo was played for a chance to win bigger baskets or a $169 hot yoga gift card.

When asked about the event, Alpha Omicron Pi member Sky Harris (26’) commented: “As future director of philanthropy it was amazing seeing students come out to support The Arthritis Foundation! As a member of Alpha Omicron Pi it’s really important to us that people remember that kids get Arthritis too, so seeing our campus and community come out and help support a great cause was super heartwarming.” Everyone had a great time and Alpha Omicron Pi looks forward to next year’s event!

On Friday, November 10th, Transylvania’s Asian Student Alliance hosted an on-campus Diwali Event. Diwali is the Hindu festival of lights that celebrates the spiritual victory of good over evil and is widely celebrated in India, Malaysia, Pakistan, and many other countries. The campus event had an array of dishes served such as butter chicken, idli, samosas, and gulab jamun. The Asian Student Alliance’s vice president, Harmony Kothari, gave an informational presentation about the meanings and traditions of Diwali. Harmony further expressed how having an on-campus Diwali event is part of a larger push to promote diversity and help students gain knowledge of other cultures. Harmony expressed how, for her, Diwali meant spending time with her family. Back Circle was lit up by decorated candles and dozens of sparklers that were provided by the event. The attendees expressed very positive reviews of the Diwali event.

Many discussed how they loved the food and enjoyed getting educated about the traditions of Diwali. Overall, the Diwali event was a massive success. The event was a great way to learn about new cultural traditions as well as time to bond as a Transylvania community.