Every Monday, the Rambler will release a 20 Questions Video. This series will feature a different staff member each week, and we hope this will allow the campus community to learn more about and feel more connected with our unique staff. This week’s video features Head Women’s Lacrosse Coach Lauren Bickford.
Transy opens the Carpenter Academic Center with a student academic conference.
On Friday the 27th of April, Transylvania University officially opened the new Carpenter Academic Center to the public. At the same time, the University also held its inaugural Student Academic Conference.
Timed to coincide with the start of the 2018 Alumni Weekend and a prospective student preview day, the Academic Center (formerly known as Haupt Humanities) was opened for tours, informal walk-throughs, and academic presentations.
Academic Dean Dr. Laura Bryan noted that renovations to the Haupt building had been a long-term project and that she was happy to see it come to completion. As the building has opened back up, the new color scheme, a yellow- and gold-heavy mixture against tile and hardwood floors, has led one Spanish professor to affectionately dub Carpenter “La Vara de Oro” (the golden rod).
May Term classes are now being held in the building, and Humanities and Social Sciences professors are in the process of moving into their new offices and out of their temporary offices in Hazelrigg Hall.
The Academic Conference was meant to highlight student work from a variety of disciplines. Dean Bryan emphasized that the Conference “was run as a partnership between SGA and the Dean’s Office.”
Student work was nominated by the faculty directors of academic programs and was sent to SGA organizers for review. SGA then sent a final list of submitted works to Dean Bryan for approval. Dean Bryan noted that the conference was “open to all programs” in an attempt to highlight the breadth of a liberal arts institution.
The conference featured topics ranging from art exhibitions and literary analysis to quantum efficiency and the role of the Catholic Church in a post-genocide Rwanda.
Listen Up Festival to Raise Community Awareness of Interpersonal Violence
This Saturday, April 28, from 10 AM to 3 PM, several locations on Lexington’s Main Street were home to the Listen Up! Festival. This festival, inspired by the momentum gained by the #MeToo movement, was created to provide community-wide support for survivors and victims of interpersonal violence, which Stephanie Theakston, the Program Coordinator of the Domestic Violence Prevention Board, described in a press release as “including dating violence, domestic violence, sexual violence, and stalking”.
Theakston, who is coordinating the event, explained that the event is a continuation of the strides made with the #MeToo movement.
“At the end of last year there was a lot of momentum for this topic from the #MeToo movement, and we wanted to build on that before public attention shifted,” said Theakston on the beginnings of this festival.
In addition to bringing attention to the topic of interpersonal violence, the festival will also serve to educate the community on preventing and handling it. This event is not just for professionals, victims, or survivors but for the entire community.
“We wanted it to be something that highlighted the voices of survivors themselves, that built empathy for their experiences, that educated the general public on the diversity of those experiences and why victims might respond in different ways to violence, and we wanted it to be something that made solutions accessible to people so they could begin to see and participate in ways that make a difference for victims and survivors,” said Theakston.
The hope for the festival is that the Lexington community can come together to stop domestic violence. Many of its activities will be focused on ending violence but also on how to support the victims of it.
Anyone can be a victim of interpersonal violence, so one goal of the festival is to show the diverse groups of people it affects.
“We also are hoping this will be an opportunity to demonstrate there is support for victims and survivors of different identities, including survivors within LGBTQ communities, survivors that speak various languages, survivors of color, survivors of multiple ethnicities and different ages, survivors that are immigrants, survivors with varying abilities, and more,” said Theakston.
Theaskton explained that one of the biggest highlights of the festival is that there are many opportunities for survivors of interpersonal violence to speak out and share their experiences. One such space for this is the Soapbox Area that will be located by the fountains in front of the Chase Bank Building.
“If any survivors are just now hearing about the festival and would like to make their voice heard, the Soapbox is the perfect area to do so, and that will be happening during the whole festival,” said Theakston, encouraging survivors to speak out.
This festival has many community sponsors, including Transy. “Through the Office of Student Wellbeing, Transy has injected wonderful energy and creativity into our planning process. There are several activities taking place at the festival that have been created and organized by Transy staff, and there will be several students volunteering – especially from It’s On Us,” said Theakston.
Theakston wants everyone to know that, “The festival is free and family friendly, and the weather is supposed to be gorgeous!”
Visit the festival’s Facebook event page here.
Rambler Weekly Blog & Playlist: May Term Edition
Most of us (maybe not all) have finally made it through Finals Week and into the first week of May Term. This week’s playlist has a mix of throwback mellow vibes from Jack Johnson to Sugar Ray and John Mayer to start your May Term off right. It’s time to kick back, relax, and enjoy the bliss of only having one class.
The Student Activities Board is hosting Spring Fling tonight, on Friday, April 27th, starting at 9 PM in Back Circle! This year’s event is carnival themed, so expect cotton candy! There’s also rumors of Cane’s and Moe’s, so you can’t miss it (and you definitely can’t miss the giant white tent outside).
Take it easy and have a blast,
Taylor
Transy hosted a debate between the Democratic congressional candidates. Here’s what they said.
On April 18th Transylvania University hosted the first and only debate between the candidates for the Democratic nomination for the 6th Congressional District of Kentucky. There are three candidates for the nomination: Lexington Mayor Jim Gray, State Senator for the 13th District Reggie Thomas, and Lt. Colonel (Ret.) Amy McGrath.
The forum, which was moderated by Hey Kentucky host Matt Jones, focused on policy questions.
On healthcare, Senator Thomas committed to fighting for a ‘Medicare-for-all’ plan, which would replace the currently US healthcare system with a single-payer healthcare system. (Single-payer healthcare refers to a healthcare system in which there is a single provider—in this case the US government—which can set prices for medical goods, like drugs, and services, like doctors’ visits or surgeries). Sen. Thomas noted that the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Medicare both function as single-payer plans for parts of the population, and offered this as evidence that a single-payer could be an effective option for the US.
Col. McGrath endorsed a public option, which would preserve private healthcare markets, but also allow the option for people to purchase a government-controlled healthcare plan; Col. McGrath referred to this as an “Uncle Sam Plan.” She also endorsed the idea of a Medicare buy-in for those 55 or older, effectively allowing those who bought in to the program to access the healthcare coverage provided to Medicare recipients in exchange for a monthly premium, much like a private individual healthcare plan.
Mayor Gray endorsed making incremental changes to the Affordable Care Act (ACA; also known as Obamacare), including reinstating a medical device tax to raise funds that would help offset other healthcare costs.
On the topic of student debt, Mayor Gray said that he would support the ability to re-finance student loans.
Sen. Thomas endorsed a tax on arbitrage exchanges (a type of financial tool) to fund free college education for all.
Col. McGrath supported expanding funding for educational programs in exchange for public service. Such a program currently exists for military veterans under the G.I. Bill, and has existed since shortly after the end of the Second World War.
When asked to re-litigate the 2016 Democratic primary race, each of the candidates noted that they voted for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, though each was unsure if they would take the same vote again if they had another chance.
In their opening and closing statements, each candidate emphasized their campaign message. Senator Thomas positioned himself as an advocate for people who feel that the Democratic Party has left them behind. Mayor Gray focused on his commitment to bring different groups together. Col. McGrath argued that the 6th District needed better leaders.
Several Transylvania students attended the debate, and spoke with The Rambler afterwards. Most came into the debate supporting Col. McGrath. When asked whether the debate did anything to change her mind, McGrath supporter and Transy senior Claire Gardner simply replied, “No.” First-year Sydney Tye said that she was glad that the debate “introduced me to Reggie Thomas,” though she left the debate still supporting McGrath.
Tye said that, as the child of a military family, she appreciated that McGrath “dispelled” the idea that she was not familiar with the district after living on military bases for several years.
You can watch the whole debate above, courtesy of LEX18 News & Hey Kentucky.
Rambler Recipe: Sweet and Healthy Chia Jam
I cannot think of anything more important to a true college experience than snack food, especially during times of stress, such as finals week. The problem with snack food is that so much of it is unhealthy. Stuff like chips and candy, rich in sugar and fats, is far more likely to be consumed than fresh vegetables. It is not hard to discover why. Snack foods are far more appealing if they are sweet or salty. But here is a recipe on how to have the best of both words.
Chia jam. It may sound like a health nut’s key to healthier toast in the morning, but this stuff is actually delicious. It is sweet like candy, and if you spread it on crackers, you can get a salty crunch in there as well. The fact that chia seeds are packed with protein and you use honey instead of sugar only makes it even better.
Most recipes tell you how to make jam with fresh fruits, by heating the fruit, blending it, and then mixing it with the other ingredients, but honestly that sounds rather time consuming. Instead, you can just take your favorite flavor jam and mix it with some water, honey, and chia seeds to make a delicious, sweet and hearty snack perfect for those late-night study sessions. I used apricot jam in my recipe, but honestly any jam will do. I particularly recommend raspberry or strawberry.
The first step is to combine a quarter cup of jam with a teaspoon of honey and 2 tablespoons of chia seeds. You can stir this in a bowl, or you can stir it directly in the container you will be refrigerating and keeping the jam in. You will also need to add 1 tablespoon of water to make the mixture a little thinner because the chia seeds will soak up a fair bit of the liquid. Make sure you stir the ingredients well.
Once the jam is mixed, if you have not already, add the mixture to a resealable container. This can be a mason jar or just a plastic container. Both will work. Then, the jam must be refrigerated for at least an hour to allow the chia seeds to soak up some of the liquid of the mixture and help the jam thicken to an easily spreadable paste.
Once the jam is ready, feel free to spread it on whatever food you would like. I prefer crackers, especially for a mid-afternoon snack. However, it can be delicious on toast, a sandwich, or even with biscuits. The only limit is your imagination.
Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup jam (apricot, strawberry, and raspberry are all excellent flavors)
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- About 1 tsp. honey. (Adjust to taste)
Directions
- Combine jam, water, and chia seeds in a container. Stir until well mixed.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.
- Remove from fridge and spread on medium of your choice, such as toast, crackers, or bread.
- Enjoy!
20 Questions: Michelle Thompson, Director of Campus and Community Engagement
Every Monday, the Rambler will release a 20 Questions Video. This series will feature a different staff member each week and we hope will allow the campus community to learn more about and feel more connected with our unique staff. This week’s video features Director of Campus and Community Engagement Michelle Thompson
Rambler Weekly Blog & Playlist: Finals Week Edition
So we’ve made it to the final stretch. The LAST week of school. May Term is right around the corner and we all know what that means…..play term!
This week’s playlist is full of finals week puns because nearly every song is either about being stressed or having a hard week, so you’re welcome.
I won’t make this blog too lengthy this week because first of all, there aren’t any arts events. Second of all, I have finals to study for and papers to write.
As they say in Italian…..Buona fortuna!
Take it easy and study hard,
Taylor
Missed the SGA Presidential Debate? Read about it here!
Student Government Association (SGA) President Joseph Gearon hosted a debate last night among the candidates for 2018-19 SGA President in advance of the election to be held this Thursday.
The three candidates are Shelby Lewis, Mark Sirianno, and Jocelyn Lucero. All three are juniors currently serving as SGA Senators.
Lewis’s personal statement highlighted her experience as SGA’s sustainability liason and her work with Food Justice, a program that distributes “snack packs” to food-insecure students at Harrison Elementary School. She said that as President, she will continue to work with the Transy Environmental Action League (TEAL) and promote ongoing sustainability efforts on campus. Lewis said the theme of her campaign would be to interact with the administration to get things done, and she emphasized past accomplishments, including the installation of bottle-fillers at water fountains and the addition of several trash cans and recycling bins around campus.
Lewis is the first Greek-unaffiliated candidate for SGA President in four years, a fact she acknowledged in her opening remarks. She said this would make her able to represent a broader majority of the campus. She suggested that efforts toward change be executed via committees composed of faculty, staff, and students. She stated she would hold more open forums than SGA does now to better solicit student views.
Sirianno stated his campaign is focused on representing the will of the students to the administration. He cited SGA’s effectiveness reversing the administration’s controversial decision not to offer summer housing and said that as President, he will fight for students to have a voice in final decision-making, beyond the advisory role SGA largely operates in currently. As Senator, he said he has lobbied successfully for the placement of staplers beside every printer and made other proposals as well.
Sirianno acknowledged the need to improve ties between SGA and the broader campus and said he would do so by asking Senators to approach students in class to solicit their views. He stated SGA’s biggest failure in the past year was not standing up for students often enough. On the subject of better engagement with the community, Sirianno spoke largely of forming ties with local businesses to offer discounts to Transy students who buy their products. To carry out his plans, he said that as President he would use his biweekly meetings with President Carey to discuss the issues most important to students. (Regardless of officeholder, the SGA President meets with President Carey every two weeks.)
In her personal statement, Lucero said the issues most important to her are transparency, both for the administration and SGA, and creating a campus that is both inclusive and cohesive. She stated that SGA needs to do more to reach out to students not already involved in it by approaching individual students and “smaller” campus organizations. To this end, she stated that student involvement, within the campus and with the surrounding Lexington community, was the foremost theme of her campaign and proposed that the ethos of connection with Lexington present in First Engagements be made a part of campus life in upper-class years as well.
Lucero was the only candidate to explicitly discuss the recent controversy surrounding ongoing campus issues of diversity and inclusion, which emerged dramatically in a campus forum held on April 5. Lucero said she was present for the forum and acknowledged what she saw as a widespread feeling that nothing changes, and she said that she wants SGA to be a voice for change representative of the whole community’s interests and repeatedly stated her intention to approach students personally to solicit their views.
In general, the three candidates agreed on what issues deserve SGA’s attention and on many of the solutions proffered. One area of clear divergence was in how each candidate proposed to resolve conflicts between the interests of SGA and those of the administration. Lewis said she would work to “compromise,” Sirianno said he would “choose [his] battles,” and Lucero said she would stand up and fight for what she believes in, because otherwise the SGA President is just a “puppet.”
Around seventy audience members were present for the debate. Voting will be available on Thursday, April 12, and Friday, April 13, with dedicated stations set up in the Caf and the Raf. The polls close on April 13 at 5pm and results will be announced Monday, April 16 in TNotes.
Orchestra and Choir Team Up to Tackle Mozart
This past Friday, April 6, 2018 at 7:30 PM, Transylvania’s Chamber Orchestra and Choirs teamed up for a spring concert in Haggin Auditorium. The concert highlighted the growth of the two groups and exhibited the fine-tuned skill of the singers and musicians.
The Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Dr. Ben Hawkins, started the program off with Georges Bizet’s Suite from the incidental music to “L’Arlésienne” (the original theatre orchestra instrumentation). The powerful and dynamic piece included seven movements that highlighted the abilities of each section. The flutes and violins carried whimsical melodies, and the strings all met up to propel the movements forward throughout the piece. The instrumentation was peaceful and dreamlike, and the melody told a story that left each audience member writing inside their own head.
The group of musicians consisted mostly of current students but had one or two guest players in a little over half of the sections. Between the Orchestra and Choir’s performance, Dr. Hawkins took the time to recognize the two senior members of the group and to present two awards. Peyton Thomas and Gage Abell, both violinists, are the two graduating seniors of the orchestra. Thomas serves as the concertmaster and Abell as the principal violinist. Each year, Transy’s Chamber Orchestra selects recipients for two awards: Outstanding First Year and Outstanding Service Award. The Outstanding Service Award, which is usually given to a senior, was presented to Thomas, who Dr. Hawkins accredits with much of the group’s growth over the last four years. The Outstanding First Year Award was given to violinist Grace Kim, who Dr. Hawkins noted has become an essential part of the orchestra in just one year.
In the second half of the concert, Dr. Hawkins passed his conducting baton to Dr. Brittany Benningfield and joined the choirs as a guest Bass. As a combined effort, both the choirs and the Chamber Orchestra tackled Mozart’s “Coronation Mass”. Before the start of the mass, Dr. Benningfield took time to recognize the five graduating seniors of the group: Sopranos Meredith Davis and Anna Silva, Altos Nellie Heitzman and Kathy Ison, and Bass Timothy Baker. Each of the graduating members wore a boutonniére of a single red rose that brightened the sea of singers dressed in black and white. Joining the choirs were multiple Transylvania Choir Alumni: Soprano Rebecca Keith, Tenor Jamie Hagood, and Bass Alex Cesar. Along with Dr. Hawkins were seven other collaborating artists: Soprano Amanda Balltrip, Alto Katie London, Tenors Henry Huhtuhlag, Thabang Masango, and Brock Terry, and Basses Ryan Barr and Michael Pandolfo.
The piece featured six movements and four soloists, representing each voice part. The soloists were senior Soprano Meredith Davis, junior Alto Jessi Samuel, senior Tenor Brayden Bergman, and junior Bass Michael Maggard. Mozart’s “Coronation Mass” is a powerful proclamation of faith, and the choir delivered on that energy. As the soloists led the mass, Davis’ soprano voice floated throughout Haggin Auditorium with energy and grace. Each of the soloists displayed a devotion to the music and an impressive amount of control and precision in their voices. The Chamber Orchestra accompanied the voices as a gentle partner; neither group ever overpowered the other, and they complimented each other during the curves and dips that the mass often takes. Dr. Benningfield carefully conducted the group without missing a beat while leading over seventy musicians, demanding their attention with her deliberate movements and signature sparkly attire.
The concert was a beautiful testament of the dedication that the music faculty and students have to the music they create. Dr. Hawkins and Dr. Benningfield conducted the groups with ease and emotion while their musicians gracefully followed along.
If you missed the concert (or want to hear it again), listen to the sixth and last movement of their “Coronation Mass” here!
Special thanks to Sally Horowitz Photography for allowing us to use her photographs from the concert.
