In early February, a sequence of events in the Pioneer Rooms, colloquially known as “The Pio Rooms,” raised concerns among the Transylvania community. It all began with Transylvania’s chapter of the Delta Sigma Phi fraternity’s annual philanthropy event: Sigatoni’s. The faux-fine dining Italian experience was going as planned when students began to notice something that most reasonable students would overlook.
In a seemingly unprecedented move, prior to opening Sigatoni’s for that year, the setup within the Pio Rooms had received a health inspection. Later, sources within Delta Sigma Phi would claim that the health inspector had received anonymous tips about possible violations even before the temporary restaurant had been set up (many would cast blame on the meddling of members of the rival Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity). While Sigatoni’s had no previous standard to compare to, patrons to the event were shocked at the failing score of 86.
While an 86 would score as a “B” on your final exam, this score is closer to a “D” in the eyes of health inspectors, and a far more realistic final exam grade for most readers. More curious was the fact that the inspection notice was blocked from view for large portions of the night by Sig members intentionally standing in front of it, who would yell incomprehensible gibberish in a mediocre Italian accent at anyone who approached the notice.
Once revealed, the health code inspection listed a multitude of violations, including Temperature Control for Safety, Food Sources, Toilet and Handwashing Facilities, and Sewage. A few non-standard additions were made to the inspection notice. In what could be interpreted as an attempt at emphasis, the box marking a failure for Good Hygienic Practice was marked down multiple times and circled with a red marker. Additionally, the boxes for Insect, Rodent & Animal Control and Personnel were both marked, and a line was drawn connecting the two. It is unclear what the health inspector was trying to communicate with this gesture.
While members of Delta Sigma Phi were quick to dismiss the score as “not a big deal,” some Sigatoni’s patrons may disagree. There have been reports that Sigatoni’s patrons who ordered the Mushroom Bolognese experienced psycho-hallucinogenic effects shortly after leaving the event (though this matter is being investigated separately). There has been at least one documented report of poisoning arising from the event, that being from the Rambler’s own Editor-in-Chief, Katie Axon.
Axon, who is still recovering from the incident, reported that she chose to dine at Sigatoni’s that evening to save a meal swipe. Axon’s waiter for that evening happened to be former Rambler Editor in Chief Jack Thomas. While some witnesses to the scene believed they saw Thomas slip something into Axon’s food, the Rambler has not confirmed these reports. All that is known is that when the health inspection notice was revealed, Thomas ran over to the notice, wrote the numbers 1 and 9 on either side of the score, and claimed that the notice was merely a reminder of the year 1869 when Delta Sigma Phi was founded (Thomas did not respond to Rambler requests for comment when he was told that Delta Sigma Phi was in fact founded in 1899). Thomas then fled the scene and has not been seen since.
When visiting the hospital after the poisoning, Axon’s doctor informed her that an abnormal number of Transy students had recently been admitted for treatment, including one who had been injured in a yet to be solved hit and run. Katie decided to share this with her peers, and replies began flooding in. The common thread? All those who had been injured in some way had “crossed’ Jack Thomas. This raises many especially alarming questions. Will Jack Thomas ever be caught? How many more untold victims of his crimes are out there? Will Transy ever again be able to have a faux-fine dining Italian experience hastily set up in a mixed-use event space? What crimes against humanity did Thomas commit at the Great Bowls of Fire event? There are many questions still left unanswered, and only time will tell what is to come of this situation.
The Rambler will continue to cover this story as necessary, and hopefully, someday, this menace to the campus community will face justice.
Note: This is a satirical article created by The Rambler to celebrate April Fools’ Day 2025. The events described in the above article are purely fictional.
On the afternoon of Wednesday, March 26, six days before the scheduled April 1st elections for the Student Government Association Executive Council for the 2025-26 academic year, six candidates, all running for various positions on EC, gathered in the Strickland Auditorium. All six participated in a debate and town hall hosted by The Rambler, where they made their case for why they should be voted into SGA office and fielded questions from the student body. Dozens of students made their way to Strickland to hear the pitches of various candidates and ask questions, while more watched as the entire debate and town hall was streamed live on The Rambler’s Instagram. The six candidates who participated in the debate were freshman Brayden Strong, running for Chief of Finance, freshman Delta Pirkle and junior Kate Polson, each running for Chief of Staff, sophomores Lakyn Totten and Max Hankins, each running for Vice President, and junior Sean Gannon, running for his second term as SGA President.
Debate moderator Lyra Duffy opened the debate by asking each candidate what motivated them to run for their respective positions and what unique qualities they could bring to the role. A commonality for most of the first-time candidates was a desire to contribute more to campus and create greater change, citing leadership positions they had held previously both as evidence of this drive to encourage growth in their community and experience that would qualify them for SGa Executive Council. As Polson eloquently summarized, “I knew I wanted to give my time and attention to the meaningful work on campus. I found SGA to be the vehicle for that work.”
Sean Gannon emphasized that he was coming from a different position, having already served one term as SGA President. Gannon highlighted the work that SGA has done this year under his leadership, and, in a theme he would revisit multiple times throughout the debate, emphasized how he had the rare opportunity to go into next year with a year’s worth of experience in pushing the administration to respond to student concerns. As Gannon put it, “This past year has been some of the most productive work we have ever seen SGA do…with the experience I have gained, I can continue to amplify this even further.”
The debate moved along with each candidate being asked general questions ranging from serious issues, such as what the top priorities of each candidate would be, and what each candidate sees as the biggest challenge facing the student body. There were also more light-hearted questions, such as what color each candidate would choose to represent their campaign and what each candidate’s preferred SGA superhero name would be.
A through-line of many of Strong’s responses was his desire to promote and uplift all student organizations. This was the first point he went to when asked what his top priority as Chief of Finance would be, stating, “One of my main goals, along with running daily finances, is to give these clubs the opportunity to get some of this [financial support] that we offer so they can get events going on campus.” Strong cited his club-centric experience in SGA, including two projects designed to promote student organization events and opportunities to the student body.
Polson continually emphasized the need for SGA to maintain open lines of communication between SGA and the student body, echoing similar arguments by other candidates that a primary goal of SGA should be continuing to emphasize transparency. Polson stressed that, especially during current turbulent times, it is paramount that SGA provide a consistent level of support to students. Polson seeks to ensure this constant student support from SGA by pushing for engaged senatorship by members of SGA, primarily in the form of projects designed for that goal. Polson emphasized that she would “strive to be a resource for those projects.”
As their top priority, Pirkle emphasized creating personal relationships with the senators of SGA in order to facilitate a closer, more open, and more cooperative student government. As they stated, “I want to try and get to know the senators and be someone they can go to when they need help with projects…I just want to help.” Pirkle hopes that this plan of interconnectedness between senators would show dividends in SGA’s attempt to reach out and connect with the student body, touching on the theme of increased communication and transparency that was echoed by other candidates.
Totten focused on what she categorized as “a disconnect between faculty and student life,” especially when it comes to the resources and support provided to students. Totten hopes to highlight existing resources for student wellness through SGA projects and events, and ti push for increased recognition and respect for student wellness, especially mental health, among faculty and staff. Totten set this lack of mental health recognition as one of the biggest challenges facing the student body, stating, “Education is why we are all here, but at the same time, you can not pause your own life and you can not pause your own health.”
One of Hankins’ primary goals for the upcoming year is to streamline positions within SGA to divide up workload among senators so as to increase collaboration and more efficiently accomplish tasks for the student body. Hankins argued that this collaboration fits well with the small and tight-knit student community of Transy, and it increases the likelihood of students coming together to create real change. As Hankins argued, “It is easy to lose sight of the power we have as students with our smaller size. I think that, both through student government and as the individuals who keep this institution running, it is important to keep that in mind and find ways to implement what we need on campus.”
Gannon unsurprisingly, was the most explicit of all the candidates for what his goals for the upcoming year would be should he be re-elected president. He emphasized the three keys to his platform being advocacy, accessibility, and accountability. In Gannon’s eyes, advocacy is the most important of the three for himself because he sees the role of SGA President as the student body’s voice for the administration. Many of Gannon’s goals involve advocacy towards the administration, such as securing an SGA Representative on the Transylvania Board of Trustees and pushing for increased transparency and student input on Transylvania’s 2030 Master Plan. In regard to the Master Plan, Gannon stressed the importance of ensuring student involvement, stating, “What do we do when certain foundational things are not given? Yet the school is expecting more money from us, and is now making a plan to expand the university that will only cause harm to us. More importantly, they don’t even ask our opinion on the matter so they don’t know what will harm us until it already happens.”
After general questions, the debate moved into specific questions for candidates for each of the four executive council positions. Chief of Finance candidate Brayden Strong was asked what experience he has in handling and organizing funds, where he pointed to his experience working at a local independent insurance agency and at his high school’s admissions office. For Chief of Staff candidates Kate Polson and Delta Pirkle, they were asked about previous experiences working with other people and how they would handle conflict between senators. Polson pointed to leadership roles she has held in other campus organizations, such as T-Unity, Muslim Student Association, and the Writing Center, and outlined her objective, common ground-based approach to conflict management. Pirkle highlighted their previous experience as an ambassador for their high school and the number of students they interacted with in that role, and half-jokingly referred to their experience babysitting for how they would deal with senator conflicts. For Vice Presidential candidates Max Hankins and Lakyn Totten, they were asked what they believed their role working with the President would be ike and what specific initiatives they would lead to better student life. Totten emphasized the importance of clear communication between the President and Vice President, so as to set a clear example for other senators. Hankins emphasized the flexibility in the duties of the Vice President when compared to the President, highlighting his ability to support the President while serving as a point of contact for senators. Sean Gannon was asked what motivated him to pursue a second term as SGA President, circling back to the unique opportunity for continuity in pressuring the administration to properly address the needs of students.
The rest of the debate served as a town hall for students in attendance, with those in the audience posing specific questions to each of the candidates. The candidates discussed various topics, such as the importance of upholding DEI initiatives in student government and how each candidate planned to properly balance their SGA leadership obligations with their academic obligations. For specific questions, Strong was asked to address a past situation and how he had learned and changed from the experience prior to potentially taking on a public-facing leadership role, and Gannon was asked to elaborate on his relationship with the administration and how he has worked to bring issues like the 2030 Master Plan to the attention of students.
This article is just a small portion of what each candidate had to say during the debate. SGA Elections will be held on Tuesday, April 1, so be sure to watch the video below to get a full sense of the goals and priorities of each of the candidates:
A few months ago, Dylan Howell and I started 20th Century Catch Up, a movie-a-week series reviewing one film for every year from Taft to Y2K, which ended shortly. We decided to turn our planned personal project into an independent study and double dip on our weekly writings.
We’re honing in on the 1970s in American film, both as a reflection of life and an influence on culture. By focusing on one specific decade, we can narrow our analyses, noting particular aspects of film’s evolution as a reflection of America’s shifting cultural identity and distilling an argument for our final project: a podcast. Our independent study is by no means an “intro to film” course, but instead a deep dive into history, art, analysis, and argumentation. Get ready to ring in the new decade with those massive bell bottoms, because the country’s about to wake up from its American dream. Can you dig it?
WEEK 1 – Gimme Shelter (1970)
The Death of the ‘60s
Where to watch:
HBO Max
Content Warnings:
Moderate nudity, violence with frequent profanity, drug and alcohol use
Overview (by Sam):
Originally conceptualized as a 30-45 minute TV special promoting the Rolling Stones and documenting their 1969 tour, Gimme Shelter ultimately became a sobering dissection of the dawn of a new decade: one of cynicism, decay, and the purported death of the 1960s’ dream. Their notorious free concert at the Altamont Speedway in Alameda County, California, intended as a glorious tribute to humanity’s good nature, quickly became a violent failure, with “four births, four deaths, and an awful lot of scuffles reported.” The documentary is composed of footage from many different camera people and manages to perfectly capture the moment in artistic composition.
The most interesting part of this whole production is its framing. We begin in a studio with the Rolling Stones and several others listening back to a recorded statement by one of the Hells Angels present at the Altamont concert, rationalizing his brutal violence towards the ‘flower people’ who reportedly kicked over his bike. The Stones sit in grim defeat as they watch the footage from the concert that will soon be shared with the audience. Each member of the band is introduced one by one with a plain white text overlay. Finally, we get their perspective as the camera zooms in on one monitor: our title drop.
The first third of Gimme Shelter is about the previous weekend’s Madison Square Garden concert and the Rolling Stones recording Wild Horses in Muscle Shoals, acting as a successful “control” concert. You can see hints of foreshadowing when people climb up onstage while under the influence. We make it to Altamont about halfway through and the documentary changes face. The concert’s massive scope is captured with helicopter footage showing cars backed up for miles as throngs of pilgrims billow across the California plains. Members of the crowd are primarily hippies, with a few blue collar men here and there. As the night progresses and the situation intensifies, fights break out at the beginning of every song. Performers admonish, beg, and plead their audience to practice what they preach until the infamous stabbing of Meredith Hunter, after which the Stones continue playing like nothing happened. The movie sits in silence for some time as the sun rises on a new era and thousands of people return to their lives as a new decade dawns.
Sam’s part:
Gimme Shelter, named after my personal favorite Rolling Stones song off the album Let It Bleed, presents such a refined and singular narrative that it’s easy to forget it’s a documentary and not scripted and staged. One year after the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy, the same year as man set foot on the moon, the great 60s experiment came to a violent end.
For the most part, Gimme Shelter is a compilation of concert footage with some neat behind the scenes stuff. While the Stones prepare for their Madison Square Garden concert (Ike and Tina Turner opened), the camera lingers on Mick Jagger’s emaciated torso, echoing in the haunting still of his face before the credits roll. Themes of drug abuse and alcoholism crop up throughout, from Keith Richards’ excessive drinking to acid-dropping concertgoers. The 4:3 aspect ratio makes it so faces fill the screen and actually brings the whole experience closer to an album cover than a movie.
This documentary captured several images that perfectly encapsulate the mood, the best of which is a Hells Angel death stare about an hour in. His eyes shoot daggers at the Stones with an unsettling fire behind them, juxtaposing the upbeat, hopeful songs blasting out into the desert.
Gimme Shelter and its 1970 sibling Woodstock would set the model for “rockumentaries” and other concert films, and I’d certainly recommend it if you’re a Rolling Stones fan.
Dylan’s part:
I am certainly more of a fan of The Beatles than The Rolling Stones. I have studied The Beatles and listened to their albums and most of the four’s solo work. However, with the Rolling Stones, I have only heard their more popular songs in passing. I think looking at the start of the ‘70s by comparing The Beatles and The Rolling Stones works very well, especially when that comparison includes their documentary films from 1971 and 1970, respectively. With The Beatles, many have said they were an encapsulation of the 1960s in America and Britain. This time of peace activism and experimentation has been romanticized. But The Rolling Stones were this “darker” and “edgier” take on boy bands at the time. Different from The Beach Boys and The Beatles, they were a band for the 70s. Gimme Shelter depicts this in a very disturbing way. Gimme Shelter functions as the death of the ideals and romanticization of the ’60s and shows that no matter how late you stay up in the peace march striking against the government or fighting for rights, eventually, you have to go home. The System still stands, and you have to go back home and fight it from there, and that is where the change mainly occurs. The Rolling Stones tried so hard to put on a free concert for people, which is essentially the 60s. But the crowds were continuously violent and refused to follow the requests of the band and those that put on the concert. There were four deaths during the concert but just as many births. I feel it truly says a lot about the desperation in the decade that would follow their concert. Known for its cynicism and nihilism is the decade that would bring us the film that made us believe a man could fly, the idea of a blockbuster, and Star Wars.
To kick off the opening of the Sanders-Siebers Entrepreneurship Center, a week-long book giveaway was held for all Transy students. In collaboration with Awesome Ink, the center was able to provide enough copies of The Unbridled Spirit (volumes 1 and 2) for every student on campus. The Unbridled Spirit is a collection of lessons in business from Kentucky’s most successful entrepreneurs, many of whom are Transy grads.
To find out more about the new Entrepreneurship Center, I sat down with the Interim Director Kaelyn Query to get a better understanding of the new space.
Kaelyn discussed how the Center for Entrepreneurship program started in 2021. There was no physical space, but there was programming. The purpose of the center was to have a place where students interested in business ownership or entrepreneurship could have a place to learn, explore, gain experience, and make connections. She elaborated that the goal of this new center is still the same, but now with a physical space. It’s a place where students can grow a business concept or learn how they may start their own business one day.
In addition to offering classes, the center will offer regular programming. This will include workshops, lunch and learns, speaker series, keynote speakers, and networking opportunities. Kaelyn emphasized that the goal is to get students connected to people working in fields they have an interest in. It also presents the opportunity for people who may just want to learn more.
Kaelyn emphasized that, “It doesn’t have to be that they own a business. It could also be that they just manage a business one day, which will be a lot of students here at Transy. So our goal is to get them in front of a number of programs and events and people to explore that.”
The space is open to all Transy students of all differing interests. In our interview Kaelyn said, “We’ve got folks coming in teaching sculpture classes related to starting your own studio. We’re working with a business professional in Lexington who owns a music studio, and he’s gonna come and teach people how to get started in the music business if that’s what you think you wanna do one day.”
While the space is business-focused, it’s not just for business students. Kaelyn encourages all students to use the space. Whether it’s for studying, meeting with a group, or for an event, it is open and available to use. She further explains, “We tried to set up the space so that it could be functional for a number of things. So all the furniture is movable, it’s all modular. So we really want it to be a space that’s used for everybody.” Outside of Tuesday and Thursday classes and the occasional event, the space is open and ready to use.
Kaelyn also encourages students to contact the Center if they have ideas for programming that they would like to see within the Center. She notes, “If somebody’s interested in learning how to make esports a career or a business, we can do that. It doesn’t have to just be what we create if another department, division, student, or group has something that they want us to help with, we’re happy to do that. And we would love to do that.”
The Entrepreneurship Center partnered with Awesome Ink for their book giveaway to kick off the opening of the center. TheUnbridled Spirit is a collection from the first ten years of inductees into the Kentucky Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame. The books were chosen because of the varying backgrounds of the Entrepreneurs. It is important to note that many graduated from Transylvania. The Unbridled Spirit gives a unique look at how they got started, why they created their business in the first place, and the trials they encountered. Kaelyn discussed that, “We didn’t want it to just be business students because there are so many stories in there that aren’t about business-related industries. So that’s our goal with giving those books out and we hope that it sparks passion for people in a way outside of not being a business major.”
All of the programs that the center offers don’t require taking any specific classes. Kaelyn mentioned that the center’s goal for students is for them “literally just to learn more about entrepreneurship, do more in entrepreneurship, and network”.
Kaelyn mentioned to be on the lookout for more events and news from the center. She noted that, “We’re working with the Morlan Gallery on a sculptor that’s coming in that will also do some workshops here about commissioning your own art and opening your own studio. We’re working with the IT department on a coding event which will be in May.”
The center is currently gearing up for the fall semester to begin programming and events. For more information and updates, go to: https://www.transy.edu/academics/center-for-entrepreneurship/ if interested in getting involved with the Entrepreneurship club, contact Jbroecker28@transy.edu.
Editor’s Note: On Thursday, March 27, an analysis of the Student Government Association’s Campus Climate Survey was emailed to all students. The analysis was completed by SGA Academic Affairs Committee Member and Rambler Contributor Lyra Duffy. The analysis below has been unedited from what was sent out to all students:
SGA’s Campus Climate Survey was launched a few months ago with the purpose of understanding the academic needs of students. After a discussion panel with SGA Senators discussing their comments and complaints about courses, the survey was created with help from Laura Scroggins and Melissa Fortner. This survey was developed with a student perspective and overall continuing goal of striving for academic excellence. Eighty-four Transylvania students responded to the survey. The results of this survey have been further analyzed to showcase what ways Transylvania’s academic climate is working, and in what ways it can be improved. This survey is intended to identify potential academic challenges students may face and work to further inform faculty and staff of student opinion. While the results of this survey are targeted at faculty and staff, students can also use this information to better understand the consensus of fellow classmates.
The survey questions were answered using a one to five ranking level for each prompt. When students were asked how engaged they generally feel in the classroom, 61.9% of students rated a level four on a five-point scale. This number exemplifies the high amount of students who do feel moderately engaged in their classes on campus. However, when students were asked if said engagement varies across courses, 42.9% of students rated a three, and 22.6% of students rated a four. This shows that students are feeling a strong sense of engagement but this engagement is not consistent and often is based on the specific course they are enrolled in. Based on this analysis it can be assumed that there are courses that lack that feeling of engagement.
Students were then asked about the involvement of grades within their courses at Transy. When asked how frequently students receive communication or feedback about their grades, many students ranked a two (34.5%) or three (33.3%). This tells us that students are not receiving as much feedback or communication from their instructors based on their work in the course. This lack of communication has the potential to create anxiety for students when they are unaware of what direction their grades are going. With that being said, the type of course relates directly to the style of grade communication. This strong variation can be seen through 31% of students responding with a rank of four when asked how strongly their grade feedback varies for each course. This demonstrates that while communication over students’ grades may be lacking, it is strongly varied by the type of course and differs depending on the subject and professor.
Students were then asked about their classroom communities or sense of belonging and comfortability in Transy classes. The majority of students, 51.2% ranked a four out of five when asked about how they have felt supported in the classroom. When asked if this feeling of support varies across courses, 39.3% of students ranked a two out of five– showing that this support is fairly consistent.
Lastly, students had the opportunity to share what classroom practices they benefited from. There were varying responses, however, 47.14% of students included the use of classroom discussions. Students noted how classroom discussions create more comfort and present the opportunity for students to be active participants in the classroom. Beyond that, 20% of students included how they also benefited from well-structured and organized lectures.
When students were asked what classroom practices didn’t work well, a plurality of 21.4% responded with critiques on certain lecture styles that leave no room for student engagement or that are unorganized/difficult to follow. Beyond that, 17.1% of students also noted variations of group work did not work well in addition to flipped classroom structures.
To look at the visual aid charts and anonymous feedback that accompany the data presented in this analysis, access that here.
The upcoming change from First Engagements to New Student Orientation for the upcoming school year has raised eyebrows. Students and faculty alike have questioned the change. If you started your freshman year here at Transylvania University, then you most likely experienced First Engagements. You would go to a class, work with a professor and student leader, and participate in engaging events to get to know your classmates. Director of Student Success Jessie Rowe provided me with information regarding the new orientation to clarify what is different about the two and what inspired the change.
According to the descriptions listed in the “2025 New Student Orientation Position Descriptions” document within the Orientation Leader applications, “New Student Orientation at Transylvania University is a comprehensive program designed to help incoming students transition into college life. It includes campus tours, group discussions, social events, and academic workshops that foster community, build connections, and introduce students to campus resources. The program ensures students feel welcomed, supported, and prepared for their journey at Transy.”
The New Student Orientation carries a similar intention as First Engagements in that it provides the opportunity for social connection and community building. Advising and registration will be a bit different, but will still prioritize preparing incoming students. The largest difference is the class portion of First Engagements, and the credit that comes with it, has been eliminated. The dates have also been adjusted to make orientation closer to the first day of classes. Originally, new students would arrive on campus a week early, ending the FE program by the weekend. This gave new students a slight break before diving into their first semester at Transy. Now, it is planned for students to arrive on campus in the middle of the week, with the program extended to Labor Day, the Monday before classes begin. Though this does remove the small break before the semester, it could potentially allow a seamless transition into the beginning of college. The effects of these changes are currently unknown, so there is no telling whether or not it will benefit incoming students.
The new program welcomes new positions available that differ slightly from the previous First Engagements Scholars we were used to: New Student Orientation Coordinators and Orientation Leaders. These two are described as follows according to the application form. “New Student Orientation Coordinators oversee the orientation process, manage Orientation Leaders, and ensure the smooth execution of activities and events. They act as the primary point of contact for Leaders, providing guidance and support. Orientation Leaders are student mentors who assist incoming students during Orientation. Each leader is assigned a cohort of new students, helping them navigate the transition to college, build connections, and feel supported. Leaders report to Coordinators, who guide and supervise their efforts. They play a key role in fostering community, offering academic support, and addressing student needs. Leaders are expected to maintain a strong presence at events, uphold professionalism, and complete administrative tasks, contributing to the success of new students and supporting the university’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.”
As previously mentioned, the intent of New Student Orientation is quite similar to First Engagements. Some unchanged elements include move-in day, which will be as it usually is, along with class Transy traditions such as the coin ceremony, greet line, and class picture. Social events will still be a major part of the orientation and the role of student leaders remains the same. The reshaping of the program intends to place more focus on transitioning to university living, providing opportunities for engagement amongst peers, creating community, and promoting the success of the incoming freshmen class.
If you have any additional questions regarding the New Student Orientation, contact Jessie Rowe jrowe@transy.edu
From January 13th to February 21st, Morlan Gallery exhibited Allison Spence’s solo show Untitled Frankenstein. The show’s namesake comes from the iconic gothic and body horror book Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, where Dr. Victor Frankenstein never actually names the being he fashions out of repurposed body parts. Instead, the being’s humanity is forcefully stripped and rejected, bound outside of what is considered human as something unnamed or colloquially fashioned as “Frankenstein’s monster.” Questioning society’s use of moralism and the drive to categorize in order to uphold hierarchy, the show filled the gallery with faux fur, layers of motif, and linen prints. It asked us who the world wants us to see as monstrous and why.
Thomas Eakins, The Agnew Clinic, oil on canvas, 300 x 214 cm, 1889. Photo sourced from Wikiart.
I had the pleasure of attending Spence’s artist talk on February 20th, where she gave an overview of her creative practice and its influences on her current body of work. Beginning with a historical overview of societal taxonomy from the end of the Enlightenment period to today, Spence cited the importance of surgical history and anatomy in her current practice. Spence analyzed Thomas Eakins’s The Agnew Clinic, an oil painting depicting anatomy theater surgery noticeably without gloves or modern antiseptic procedure to a captivated audience in the 19th century; frequent references were made to body horror from Junji Ito’s Tomie to David Cronenberg’s The Fly. In these two strands of influence, a viewer can see Spence’s fascination and interrogation with how humanity is and has been defined, from surgery as a spectacle to abjection.
Spence’s own medical history also informs her work. She is informed by the conversations around bodies, from which ones are uplifted by society to which ones are demonized, what makes something ‘human’, and how a category’s strict boundaries leave an indeterminate zone both in between and outside. Spence sees these layers of thought and history along with her own fascination with body horror and the meshing of form as reminiscent of a teratoma. Latin for monstrous tumor, teratomas are masses of tissues from around the body and might also develop other ‘human’ structures such as hair or teeth, combining to form a tumor that can be either benign or cancerous. The teratoma fascinates Spence, with her defining her work “within its spectre.” Referencing and learning about teratomas for years throughout her art career, Spence also described her surprise when in 2022 she visited a doctor and found out that she had a teratoma of her own. Thus, the show represents relatively new work given this revelation, informed by her own object of fascination, the teratoma, that had ‘manifested’ in her body only three years before the talk.
Pictured on the left are two pieces from Spence’s mass series, small mass 1 and small mass 2. Created in 2013 and existing as oil on linen, they reflect an earlier part of Spence’s artistic practice and her background as a figurative oil painter. Photo courtesy of Morlan Gallery.
When one views a body as a fixed category, a static mass with no malleability, abjection arises when that form is obscured. That is what Spence embodied in this show, and no better than with the suspended resin pieces. The current body of work is a progression of Spence’s work in grad school, a series of paintings of compressed bodies taken from snapshots of highly compressed wrestling videos. In those snapshots, Spence found an inability to distinguish between the wrestlers, instead seeing a merging of bodies, a point of interest that drew her to continue thinking about the meshing of human form.
The resin pieces are a physical crushing of the painting reminiscent of these combined human bodies. Made up of several layers calling back to Spence’s own fascination with the teratoma, she crushed images of wrestlers, machine-embroidered text on linen, digital collages of her medical images, and green faux fur while using resin to lock the painting into a sense of suspended animation. I liked how the pieces appeared to be both strained and fluid, giving them an implied movement only possible through the stretching and crushing processes Spence used to create them.
Clint, Digital textile print on linen, 2016. Photo courtesy of Allison Spence and Morlan Gallery
The show also discussed the ‘indeterminate’ zone of things that defy categorization. For this Spence pointed towards a series of linen prints depicting various organs in fields of kudzu. This ‘kudzu series’ was created by Spence using plaster sculptures of organs and kudzu clippings, scanned digitally to create a ‘flattened look.’ In her talk, Spence discussed how kudzu was initially introduced to the south to stop soil erosion, but now devours entire landscapes. The tension between kudzu as a threat, an invasive species to be stopped, and a symbol of the south, due to its enmeshment into the landscape, stuck with me. I have memories of going to my grandparents’ house and driving past cornfields and forests overtaken by kudzu. Because of that kudzu has overtaken my own childhood memories as well, becoming an inseparable part of those summers I spent with my grandparents, existing alongside the knowledge of its environmental impact. The organs in these pieces represent those who received an organ transplant, echoing the show’s themes around fears of what makes a body ‘whole.’ Clint Hallam in particular, represented by the piece Clint, analyzes the psychological impact of having a hand transplant. As discussed in the talk, Hallam stopped taking his rejection medicine and had his hand amputated after his body rejected it. For Spence, the transplanting of organs can mimic the inclusion of kudzu, seen as something ‘invasive’ by the body but also representing the breaking of society’s uplifting of a ‘whole’ human.
I found Untitled Frankenstein to be a highly rewarding show to attend. The attention to material and its reflection of biological processes initially piqued my interest, but visiting the gallery and hearing Spence discuss her work in detail showed me just how interdisciplinary the work was. From the kudzu pieces to draped fabric suspended in motion, Untitled Frankenstein told a story advocating against the boxes we are pressured to put ourselves into within capitalist and societal systems. I found the show to interrogate my own relationship to transness and how queer people are perceived at large. From divorcing from the heteronormative nuclear family to forging our own paths that defy the binary structures we live under every day, I found it comforting to see humanity displayed in what is often deemed ‘in-human’ or ‘un-whole.’ Spence herself echoed this when asked about queer theory’s intersections with her work during the Q&A, broadening her answer to also include discussions of disability. While she discussed that queer theory was not at the forefront of her mind when creating her body of work, she beautifully put that there is beauty in indeterminism and that there is so much more to becoming rather than strictly defining. To me that summed up the impact of art, how I could have such a visceral connection to work out of my own personal link to it, and how I could also connect to work through the artist’s own interpretations. These things can all coexist, and they can also mix together, giving each person their own experience.
Pictured above are several of Allison Spence’s pieces from the Kudzu Series. From left to right: Ally II, Derrick, Ally II, all digital textile print on linen, 2016. Photo courtesy of Morlan Gallery.
You can see and read more about Allison Spence’s work at her website. Thank you to Anthony Mead for feedback on this review and to Morlan Gallery for hosting the exhibition.
“I think if your religion’s causing you to make anything but good in the world, if it’s causing you to, you know, have more hatred for people, then maybe we’re not at the truest root of what it should be.”
– Sarah Harcourt Watts, Transylvania Director of Religious Life
Sarah Harcourt Watts is in her first full semester as Director of Religious Life here at Transy. Harcourt Watts graduated in ‘08 with a double major in Elementary Education and Religion. She went on to earn her Master’s Degree in Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School.
Sarah decided to double major, like many Transy students, in disciplines that didn’t obviously fit together. She thought she would only study education until taking a “life changing” Intro to Religion course with former professor Dr. Trina Jones.
“I just had an interest in both of these things. I didn’t come in saying, okay, they intersect in these ways, but what I kept on hearing from my faculty is that you don’t have to choose. I thought religion was the ‘just for fun’ major and that education was the practical major.”
Dr. Jones recognized Sarah’s passion and referred her to a Harvard summer internship called the Pluralism Project. She described it as “a research organization documenting the change in religion in America with immigration over time.” After that experience the summer before senior year, Sarah realized how much she wanted to be in Boston. Following graduation from Transy, she earned a Master’s of Theological Studies at Harvard Divinity School. Her studies at Harvard were through a cultural lens of learning about religion.
She didn’t utilize her master’s degree in the way she desired right away, though. She began teaching first grade in Nashville after Harvard. Her core values as an educator translated into her current director position: caring for the whole person, empathy, compassion, and curiosity. For Sarah, the reward of leading spiritual and religious life is in building relationships.
“It’s the people that I love, you know, the relationships, the helping people through tough things. Those kinds of things just feel comfortable to me in a way that makes me feel like, oh yeah, this is what I’m supposed to be doing.”
“I’m so glad that I didn’t give up on my “just for fun” study. I mean, until a few years ago, I was still telling people I got this master’s from Harvard in divinity just for kicks, because I enjoyed it so much.”
Talking with someone so invested about this intersection of culture and religion made me want to learn more about them as well. Sarah’s excitement was infectious.
A common query for those involved in a leadership position in this field is how to discern spirituality and religion. Sarah prefaced by saying there are so many definitions, but she sees religion as more culturally situated and organized, whereas spirituality is less organized.
Regarding her religious beliefs she said, “for me, there’s some strength in knowing that my ancestors have made sense of the world in similar ways over the years, and that makes me feel a deep connection to these ideas.”
On ways that TU has changed since the aughts, Sarah pointed to a broader acceptance of all students as a positive shift; “That’s been really nice to see. It’s not to say that folks who don’t fit a mold don’t struggle here, but I do think that there is a lot more warmth for being kind of outside the norm than there used to be.”
Speaking about her social life as an undergrad, she said “I was just a really dorky student. I had my own little group of weirdos and misfits and we (just) had our own little best life all the way through.”
It is not uncommon, but it is always sweet to hear that Sarah met her husband at Transy. They had an education class together their first semester of freshman year. She referred to him as her long-term pioneer pair. Sarah and her husband have two children, and eventually moved back to the city where they met.
When I asked Sarah for any advice for students who may be questioning their religious orientation or are just curious, she offered, “College is a really good time to try out some different things and just have different experiences. I would encourage folks to not get too hung up on specifically what they believe, but just have the experience and then kind of go from there.”
There are plenty of student organizations like Interfaith Alliance, Disciples and Friends On Campus, and Muslim Student Association that host events that provide opportunities for such experiences. “I want students to know that they don’t have to figure it all out now – that it’s a lifelong process to think through these things.”
I’m grateful that Sarah didn’t give up on her “just for fun” major. I find her educational trajectory inspiring. If you want to talk with her, conversation isn’t limited to religion and spiritual life. Sarah hosts intentional listening hours in her office in the student life suite of the Campus Center every Wednesday from 9 am – 11 am. For more student resources, check out the list of student orgs here with your Transy account.
As international relations become progressively more strained under the new administration, I am increasingly grateful that I had the opportunity to study abroad and travel when I did. In 2024, I stayed in or sojourned through a total of seven different European nations, and my intercontinental journey started in Transylvania’s Office of Global and Intercultural Engagement. As I participate in a global engagements course designed to help returning students process and learn from their time abroad, I find myself reflecting on my experiences and wishing more people could share those experiences. I sat down with Rachel Wilson, Transylvania’s Study Abroad coordinator, and asked her what she’d like the student body to know about studying abroad with Transy.
Wilson says her main goal is simply getting students through the door in Old Morrison. “The vast majority of students would be open to the idea but wouldn’t proactively seek out the opportunity,” she explains. While there are plenty of standard May Term study abroad courses like ‘Lights, Cameras, Anime,” an art-focused class in Japan led by Kurt Gohde and Wei Lin, the Office of Global and Intercultural Engagement helps students tailor a specially crafted experience all their own. The first questions Wilson asks are “What are you hoping to get out of this experience? How can we help you achieve that?”
Transylvania University makes it easy to get abroad. Alongside taking free passport photos for students, there are many scholarships available, and no semester abroad (including airfare) will ever cost more than a semester at Transy. Students still earn academic credit, so it’s easy to work towards a major (or minors!) while abroad.
When asked about the value of studying abroad, Wilson immediately answered “It’s about experiencing the world in a different way. It’s about breaking the bubble. Eighty percent of Transylvania students are native to Kentucky.” She explains how spending time in another country fights against a singular worldview. “You learn to adjust your perspective of ‘normal.’ Sometimes we don’t even consider that things can be done differently.”
Wilson emphasized the idea of travel as education. “You have to trust in the good of others,” she says. To her, studying abroad is all about asking for help, figuring out new routines, and thriving in the unfamiliar, saying, “You never know where each day will take you.” She recounted a story of a Spanish student recognizing the subjunctive form on a street sign. “You don’t get that in Carpenter.” Wilson reiterated that no amount of book learning can fully prepare you for a lived experience.
The transformative aspect of studying abroad cannot be overstated. At the risk of sounding pretentious, I can divide my college experience by pre- and post-Ireland. I had been overseas prior, but I never got the opportunity to put down roots – to experience the place as a resident rather than a tourist. Living in a new city for a whole semester an ocean apart from any familiar faces was daunting, but it really helped me discover myself as an individual. In the words of Isa Slaughter, a senior at Transy who studied abroad her sophomore year, “Yes, I am a different person after studying abroad. A piece of me will always be in London, I think. It was the first time I had ever existed as just myself, no people or places tied to my identity. It was as terrifying as it was liberating. I carved out space for myself in that city and in doing so I carved out space for myself in my own body. I am so much more me now than I was before.” Like Isa, I’ve kept in contact with many of the friends I made abroad, and across time zones and an ocean, a piece of Ireland is always with me.
I encourage everyone to consider taking a semester or even a break abroad. The deadline for Fall 2025 has already passed, but applications for the Winter term of 2026 are accepted until May 15, 2025. The Office of Global and Intercultural Engagement is located on the first floor of Old Morrison and you can email Rachel Wilson directly at rawilson@transy.edu. Learning more about other ways of life is crucial to personal growth and interpersonal communication. Break out of your comfort zone and ramble wherever your heart may lead you.
