Wednesday, October 23, 2024
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Now is the time for liberals to organize

Michael Maggard
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Now is the time for liberals to organize

Late Tuesday night, Donald Trump won the election to become the 45th president of the United States. In doing so, panic cascaded throughout many voters. They’re afraid of the consequences of the Trump presidency. Will my friends or family be deported? Will hate against racial and religious minorities become more accepted? Will Trump and Republicans repeal legislation that has provided health insurance for millions of Americans? People are scared. I’m scared too.

Walking across campus Wednesday morning, I saw many with their heads hung low. Sometimes in politics, we lose. We become discouraged. We become cynical. Undoubtedly, these are all common feelings for depressed voters. But today I urge you: do not become disillusioned. Hold your head high and remember how much of an impact we made. Be proud that one day, you will be counted with those who stood for what is right. Remember that we will refuse to accept hate. Remind yourself that we have a responsibility to future generations. Take this moment and remember it, and use it as your motivation to make a difference.

The truth is that you only win when you fight. Moving forward, involve yourself. Reach out to your friends, canvass for your candidates, make calls to your local legislators, and most importantly, organize. Arm yourself with information. Hold your candidates responsible for their positions. Politics is not a battle to be fought once every four years – it’s constantly a part of your communities, your social media, and even your friends. Let it be an important part of your life. Don’t be afraid to engage with your colleagues, your friends, or your family. Make sure that your voice is heard in more than just the form of a ballot.

The best way to let conservatives roll back minimum wage increases, universal health care, LGBTQ+ rights, reproductive rights, and more progressive issues is to let them feel no resistance. So make them feel your resistance. If you’re disheartened by the results, take action. Find an organization that advocates for your beliefs and promote your ideas, and if you can’t, found one.

Most importantly, comfort and stand with those who are in danger. And there are many people in danger. Hispanic families are frightened they will be ripped apart. LGBTQ+ individuals are afraid of the extremely homophobic history of Trump’s vice presidential candidate, Mike Pence. Islamic families fear a rise in hate crimes. Many women are worried about the acceptance of Trump’s statements toward women. The normalization of the insulting, hate-filled language of Trump, and the behavior of some Trump supporters, is something we must work together to end.

The beauty of the democracy is that we can lose. The demand of democracy is that we never quit. The responsibility of voters is to threaten politicians at the ballot box, and although that opportunity may seem long from now, it is always the right time to mobilize. Stop threatening to move away. Don’t dwell on defeat. Get up, get involved, and fight back.

Sunday late night dining option might be added

Judy Brumley
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Sunday late night dining option might be added

The closing of the 1780 Café brought with it many changes, one of which is the absence of a late night dining spot on Sunday evenings. This year’s dining changes resulted in Sunday nights being the only night of the week when late night dining on campus is not an option.

Unfortunately, some students express that Sunday is the most important night of the week to have late night dining because that is when they do the most homework. The late night hours in the cafeteria do not extend to the weekend nights, and although Jazzman’s is open on Friday and Saturday nights from 7:30-11 p.m., it is not open on Sunday nights.

According to junior Laura Daley, “It bothers me that there is no late night dining option on Sundays because I’m always doing homework or going to meetings during Caf dinner, and I don’t want to have to spend my money to get food off campus.”

Juniors Kenzie Hall and Dane Ritter also reiterated this argument, saying that everyone does their homework on Sunday nights as opposed to on Friday or Saturday.

Transylvania’s administration explains the lack of late night dining on Sundays as a reinvestment of hours. Furthermore, Marc Mathews, Vice President of Finance and Business, said that these sorts of changes are not made lightly and are solely based on student suggestions.

Mathews explained that the Sunday night dining options were changed in order to “invest hours in Jazzman’s being open on Friday and Saturday nights.” He said, “This was in response to student requests last year for Jazzman’s to be open some evenings and also due to low volumes of diners in the 1780 Café on Sunday nights.”

On the other hand, junior Jordan Long feels like the change goes against some of Transylvania’s core values.

“It’s upsetting because they encourage students to be leaders on campus, but a lot of meetings are on Sunday nights, and student leaders have to miss Caf dinner for these,” said Long.

Mathews maintained that the administration is “always open to revisiting any changes that are not working out as planned.”

These changes could be revoked sooner than expected because, according to Mathews, “Friday/Saturday nights at Jazzman’s aren’t getting much business.” In response to this lack of business, he said that they “might want to look at giving up these hours and having Sunday late night in Forrer starting in January.”

Although there is no late night dining currently available on Sunday evenings, the administration is open to hearing students’ concerns and will revisit the possibility of having a late night option on Sundays should students voice their concerns.

“It is hard for administrators to get a feel for which requests represent the view of the majority of the student body versus the view of just a few,” explained Mathews. “For this reason, we generally react only to requests from SGA [Student Government Association].”

Transy welcomes new German professor William Burwick

Aaron Martin
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Transy welcomes new German professor William Burwick

Transylvania is welcoming a multitude of new faculty and staff this year. There are a total of five new professors this semester, and over the next month The Rambler will be introducing each of them to the campus. This is a way for the members of Transylvania to become familiar with the new professors as well as to truly welcome them to the Transy community.

Just having completed his dissertation at the University of Minnesota in the fall of 2015, William Burwick is joining Transy as a professor of German. Burwick studied at Pitzer College in California for his undergraduate degree. He then received a Master’s Degree in History from Humboldt University in Berlin in 2011. From there, Burwick went through various different programs for German Studies but after two programs were not working out due to the financial crisis, Burwick ended up at the University of Minnesota where he completed his studies.

This will not be Burwick’s first experience with teaching, as he has taught at both Oxford College in St. Paul, Minnesota and at Scripps College in California.

Also, Burwick has been surrounded by teaching his whole life since both his parents were professors. His father was a professor of English and his mother was a professor of German.

“I grew up in a household that really valued education,” said Burwick.

Although he did not intend to become a teacher, Burwick had experience with education throughout his life and found that the career allowed him to do what he had always wanted to.

“I didn’t originally want to be a teacher. I liked the idea, I always had fun with it. I tutored in high school so it was always something I simply enjoyed, but it’s something that I kind of accidentally fell into as time went on,” said Burwick. “For me, I was just interested in ideas and interested in helping people. Those things just kind of came together through teaching.”

As to the subject of German, Burwick’s mother was German so he grew up in a bilingual household and was surrounded by German culture in many ways. His grandmother, who spoke no English, helped raise him and he travelled back and forth between the United States and Germany.

Burwick explained that travelling between the two countries, “I was always kind of in between things and I was exposed to German culture, German language, and the history of it all.”

While teaching German, Burwick makes sure to integrate the different parts of German culture that he was exposed to and to give his students a similar experience when learning the language.

“The way I see it I’m not just teaching the German language, I’m teaching a little bit of all of that,” said Burwick.

One course where Burwick prominently incorporates that is in his course The Wall Falls. He describes it as a “hybrid course” of sorts since it informs students about a great deal of German history and culture.

In terms of working at Transylvania, Burwick is most excited for working with students. As he explains, he is excited for “helping them make the discoveries that will help them become stronger, more worldly-prepared people.”

Since Kentucky does not have a prominent German heritage-base, Burwick is also excited to reach out to students and invoke interest in the German culture.

“I think one of my challenges here is really to help reach out a little bit into the community and into the student body itself and try to find ways to expose German to different students who might not have thought that this was something interesting to them,” said Burwick.

Sheilley’s work progresses Transy athletics

Logan Fogle
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Sheilley’s work progresses Transy athletics

When you look at the history of athletic directors in the commonwealth of Kentucky, you will notice a common pattern; many (in fact almost all) of them are men. However, you will see that three names are those of women, one of them being Rita Pritchett of Asbury College for ten years from 1989-1999, another being Holly Sheilley of Transylvania University, who graduated from Asbury in ‘94. Rita Pritchett was the first woman to ever be named athletic director at the collegiate level in Kentucky, and it just so happened that the third woman collegiate athletic director in Kentucky was a star athlete at Asbury during her tenure.

Sheilley played volleyball, basketball, and softball during her collegiate athletic career, and was inducted into the Asbury College Hall of Fame this past April. Being a standout ath- lete at Asbury strengthened her relationship with Rita Pritchett, who was Athletic Director at Asbury during that same time, and who became a huge role model for the budding star athlete. Pritchett was integral in revealing to a young Sheilley the path a woman can take in the world of sports, and that a woman is not limited to any certain level.

“Rita Pritchett was a huge role model for me,” she said.

Sheilley explained that as far as her role models go, Pritchett is at the top of the list along with her parents.

“My mom and dad were role models as far as supporting me in what I wanted to do. But Dr. Pritchett has had a huge impact on me personally and professionally,” she said.

Although Pritchett passed away in 2012 from brain cancer, her legacy is cemented and continues through Sheilley’s work, considering Dr. Sheilley is in a category of only two other women, essentially making her sort of a trailblazer.

“I mean, think about it. Kentucky didn’t get a woman athletic director at the collegiate level until ’89,” she said.

Considering the proud history of collegiate athletics in Kentucky, this was long overdue.

Sheilley lives by the idea of constantly taking risks, and going after your goals. She recommends that young people do the same. As far as a motto is concerned, she said, “Don’t sacrifice the permanent at the altar of the immediate. Step back and think about the permanent consequences, especially today where everything we do sticks with us.”

It is this motto that led her to achieve her goals of becoming an Athletic Director.

“Being an Athletic Director was something I always wanted to do,” she said. “I started out coaching at first, but didn’t feel like I had the support of the administration. I wanted to take an administrative role after that.”

Shelley has made it a point to ensure the coaches at Transy that they have the full support of the administration. As athletic director, she oversaw the construction of Pat Deacon Stadium on Fourth Street, a $10 million deal.

In addition, Sheilley’s work has a chance to give the admissions office a leg up on recruiting new student athletes, along with an almost Division One-level facility.

“I think it would be hard for a recruit to walk in there and not be wowed,” she said. “I want our athletic facilities here to match what I feel like we are. You see the new technology and graphics in the Beck Center. We’re working hard to get on the bus of powerhouse programs, and stay there… Our staff members are doing great work, it’s exciting to watch.”

With athletic teams all across campus eyeing conference tournament championships and NCAA tournament births, it truly is an exciting time for Transy athletics, and no small part of the credit is due to the work of Dr. Sheilley.

PumpkinMania 2016 photo gallery

Judy Brumley
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PumpkinMania 2016 photo gallery

Editorial: press failure heightened campus’s election shock

Transy Rambler
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Editorial: press failure heightened campus’s election shock

Above: Hats distributed at the Associated Collegiate Press conference by the ad tech company flytedesk.

Readers, we in the media failed you. The role of the news media, the entire storied and proud field of journalism, is to provide information to the public, so that they can make informed decisions about important issues. That did not happen this election cycle. The press failed. The press failed to impart the stakes of the election. The press could have stepped up to the plate and properly fulfilled its role as the fourth estate of civic society. Instead, the press reduced the candidates to soundbites, colored facts with editorialization, trivialized an historic election, and alienated an entire segment of the population from its audience: the segment that boosted Donald J. Trump to a victory in the presidential election.

Journalists were blind to a basic reality and missed the real story. Nearly across the board, Hillary Clinton was predicted to win by a landslide. Press rooms relied on high-tech polls, on data-driven analyses of voter demographics and public opinion, without getting on the ground to witness the heart of the situation. Until the final hours of the election returns – as North Carolina flipped red, followed by Ohio and Florida – a Trump presidency was believed to be nearly impossible. The lesson learned for the press here, in the words of Jim Rutenberg for The New York Times, is that numbers “can’t always capture the human condition that is the blood of American politics.” The press scratched the surface of the race, and as a consequence underestimated Trump’s support across the nation.

The media’s failure to accurately report the state of the election process was embarrassing. The polling data that the entire news media relied upon was flawed across the board. This fundamental flaw colored almost every assumption made by virtually every reporter, every analyst, and every pundit. As a result, the news media gave you a picture of the election, and of the country, that was simply wrong.

We fed American voters our own biases and assumptions and failed to take seriously the possibility of a Trump presidency. We remained so focused on crisis-generated ratings, viral quotes and insubstantial stories of the day that we failed to do our basic job. Throughout the election, the media portrayed ideas that made it seem as if the majority of the country was unified under Clinton. As a result of this misportrayal, election night came as a shock, and caused pain for many. This shock and pain has led many people to despair at the results. We could have avoided that shock and lightened the disunity among the nation by preparing the public for the possibility of both outcomes.

All day Wednesday we saw a numbing effect ripple through campus. Some classes and work shifts were cancelled. Professors shook their heads and sighed at one another in disbelief. Students exchanged bewildered glances. Roommates texted one another, “Love you.” The reaction even turned to vitriol by some reports: students being spat on, yelled at, receiving unsolicited messages and even being told they “deserved to be raped” for their beliefs. Students expressed everything from frustration, to glee, to hope on social media, talking about how their lives could be affected by the new political situation.

Readers, despite the shock Trump’s election has had on campus, we are proud of you. All day Tuesday we saw nothing but encouragement. “I Voted” stickers abounded and democratic spirit filled the air. We appreciated the good humor and expressions of love that carried the campus community through an important day. We have good reasons to hope that this encouraging atmosphere will carry on into the next four years. No matter where anyone’s political leanings lie, we are certain that throughout the next 100 days and beyond, the campus community will be brought closer together, not farther apart.

Head to Head: Should Transy spend so much on dorms? Not our place to ask

Jacob Broyles
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Head to Head: Should Transy spend so much on dorms? Not our place to ask

Each Wednesday, Taylor Felts and Jacob Broyles will tackle two sides of a contentious issue facing the Transy community. This week, we ask the question “Does Transy really need to be spending so much money on building new dorms?”

Read Taylor Felts here.

 

I don’t necessarily think there is anything wrong with Transy’s decision to allocate funds to the new dorm building project, despite enrollment being significantly lower than the administration had hoped. For one, we as students do not have access to all of the information that the administration does, and so are not exactly qualified to make a fully informed decision whether allocating funds to building new dorms was the correct decision or not. It can be easy for us on the outside to criticize the administration for something that we perceive to be a waste of money, when it isn’t our job to make sure we aren’t wastefully spending. Any criticism of how Transy’s money is spent, even if it might be a valid one, will still come from a perspective of at least partial ignorance of the entirety of the situation and the reasons for why a particular decision regarding funding was made.

This lack of inside knowledge is not in itself a reason to totally discredit every claim against the administration and its decisions, but it is reason enough to put those criticisms to extra scrutiny. Additionally, we have to keep in mind that there is also no reason for the administration to make a decision that is not in the school’s best interest. Considering the standard that Transylvania University meets educationally, I would also assume that the administration are highly likely to make the best decision for the school given the information that they have.

It is important to point out that this is not reason enough to put our full trust in the administration all the time. However, I also think that it is important to recognize when we are examining decisions where we lack information and expertise, that may impact what we believe is best for Transy. We should at least understand that the administration is at minimum more likely to assess the situation better than we could as students.

When it comes to the new dorms, there are a couple reasons that this dorm building project may have gone through.

First, it is possible the administration acted on bad information and assumed enrollment would increase more than it did. While yes, this would turn out to have been a mistake, I am not sure we could exactly fault the administration for it, given we may very well have made the exact same decision with the same expectations for enrollment.

Another possible reason is that the administration believed that new dorms would be a good way to attract new students. To many students, feeling like they have a quality home and community on campus is just as important as the educational aspect of the university. Given some of the problems the current dorms have, and how unimpressive some of them can be, this could be an even more understandable decision on the part of the administration.

In short, we have many reasons to trust the administration’s judgment over our own, and there are reasonable explanations for why they may have allocated funds to the new dorm building project over other projects.

Adulting 101: Finding the perfect post-graduation apartment

Transy Rambler
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Adulting 101: Finding the perfect post-graduation apartment

The search for an apartment is almost as important as finding a job after graduation. As an independent adult you don’t want to be crashing with mom and dad for too long, so here are some tips for finding the perfect place.

1. Timeline

Depending on your location, you may need to start your apartment search earlier or later. In larger cities, openings aren’t posted until a month before a renter would move in. However, in college towns, you should start looking two to three months in advance to ensure you maximize your options.

2. Where to Look

There are many websites out there to help with the hunt for an apartment. Zillow is a great website to use because you can set your apartment preferences and get alerts when one that meets your criteria is posted. This is a great way to stay on top of your search without spending countless hours scrolling through online postings. If there is an apartment listing you like without pictures, you can request them from the landlord. Oftentimes when pictures aren’t posted, it is because the landlord isn’t as tech savvy, not because the apartment is in bad shape. Asking friends and coworkers about listings is helpful as well, and may lead to finding a great place that hasn’t been listed yet. You could also check out furnished apartments from StayTony, it saves the hassle of buying furniture.
3. It’s too good to be true

When shopping for an apartment, look out for deals that seem too good to be true for the apartment’s location and size. Use common sense and refrain from using unsecured means of payment or revealing any sensitive banking information over the internet.

4. Neighbors

Another thing to consider when searching for that new apartment is the neighborhood you want to live. In living next door to families, you may be expected to keep the noise down and maintain a peaceful environment. However, if you want to live in an area with younger adults and college students, you may hear your neighbors later into the night. Drop by the apartment at night to check out the noise level, and, on a rainy day, to see if there is any leakage or flooding. If you don’t smoke, ask the landlord if there are any tenants that do because smoke can rise into the apartment above it.

5. Lease

Once you have found an apartment you like and are interested in taking the next step, make sure you read over the lease thoroughly. Pay special attention to the consequences of breaking the lease and what types of maintenance your landlord covers. Some landlords include renter’s insurance in your monthly rate, however, if they don’t, it’s a good idea to buy renter’s insurance to cover any break-ins, fires, or flooding. Don’t forget to make sure you’ve compared energy quotes for your new apartment as well! The last thing you want is massive bills that can be avoided. My friend told me he found a fantastic deal at Money Expert (http://www.moneyexpert.com/gas-electricity/). This helped him keep on his feet with the transition period to adulthood. Additionally, make sure you can afford the place before signing to go ahead with it. Acknowledge how much the rent is and work out if your financial situation will allow you to fund this. After graduating and paying off those college loans, you don’t want to be getting a late rent notice. Without payment, landlords are well within their rights to issue one of these notices, so be sure that you can afford the apartment before committing to it.

When apartment hunting, don’t do it alone. Take a friend to help you make good choices and point out things you may miss. And when you find a place don’t forget to find the right mobile storage solutions! Happy hunting!

Video: join Chi Omega for ‘Unlearn Fear + Hate’ craftmaking

Judy Brumley
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Join the sisters of Chi Omega and Order of Omega from 8-10 p.m. in the Campus Center Gym this Thursday, Nov. 10 for a social art project with cross-stitching! Professors Kurt Gohde and Kremena Todorova will speak about the broader Unlearn Fear + Hate project while students participate in a fun art activity with friends, local artists and activists! Food, supplies, and demonstrations will be provided!

‘Anon(ymous)’ play tells refugee Odyssey

Emily Dent
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‘Anon(ymous)’ play tells refugee Odyssey

Last Thursday, Nov. 3, Transy’s theater program premiered their take on Naomi Iizuka’s play, “Anon(ymous).” On its first weekend the play “reserved out” (because admission is free) each night with the house full Thursday and Friday nights and 90 percent full on Saturday night. The play will continue to run this coming weekend, starting on Thursday, Nov. 10 to Saturday, Nov. 12. Each of these upcoming performances have already been “reserved out,” but students who’d like to see the show and don’t have a reservation can arrive at the box office up to an hour early and add their names to a waiting list.

“Most people on the waiting lists last weekend did get to see the show” said Dr. Michael Dixon, the director of “Anon(ymous).”

Anon(ymous) retells Homer’s Odyssey through modern-day refugees.

“The play is about the journey of a young displaced fellow, who finds himself as a refugee as he flees a war zone and the adventures he has, which are inspired by the adventures Homer wrote about in ‘The Odyssey,’ so he’s like a modern Odysseus and he has a lot of curious, mythical encounters in the modern world before finding what he is searching for,” Dixon said.

The play’s main character, Anon, who is created in regards to Odysseus, is played by junior Aaron Botts. Throughout Anon’s journey he is searching for “home” in a series of misadventures that lead him to encounter many different people from all walks of life. However, Anon can not go home.

“So, ‘what is home when you can’t go home?’ is one of the questions the play asks,” Dixon said.

The cast and crew started working on the play before the school year even started because the set is one of the biggest that the Transy Theater Program has created.

The set which has to bring to life many different aspects of what life looks like on one stage with many diverse scenes was a challenge to create.

“It took a number of iterations to arrive at what this gigantic world is because the play takes two directions: it follows him forward on his adventures, it involves travel on the ocean, in boats trains and trucks, but it’s also a journey internally into who he is now because he doesn’t have a place anymore,” said Dixon.

Dixon said they chose this play because “it is a great combination for an academic setting, the students can bring what they study in terms of classical literature, their knowledge and interest in that field to their project. But, also their interest in what’s going on in the real world and in the moment. There are 65 million displaced people in the world and this play addresses what that experience is like.”

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Welcome to The Rambler! We’ve been Transylvania University’s only student-run newspaper since 1915, “breaking the bubble” between our small campus and the Lexington community. We aim to create a place for students to be creative and have a voice, hoping to be an outlet for the passions and opinions of the Transy student body. We’re always excited to hear new ideas, so send us a message if you have suggestions, opinions, or want to write an article yourself; there is always room on our staff for new writers and creatives! Thanks for reading The Rambler :) Print’s not dead!

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