Dec 6, 2017 - College Walk. There have also been several incidents of breaking and entering. Some of them include an att
The
Clarion
Volume 83, Issue 14
clarion.brevard.edu
Web Edition EditionSERVING BREVARD COLLEGE SINCE 1935
e k a c Pan eak br
Monday, 10 – 11 p.m. in Myers Dining Hall
December 6, 2017
‘Joyce to the World’
Photo by Carmen Boone
Students gather around as President Joyce reads from “The Night Before Christmas.”
On Thursday, Nov. 30 at 8:30 p.m. BC President David Joyce and his wife held the “Joyce to the World” event at their house on campus. As students walked in the door, they were greeted by Christmas decorations, sweet smells, warmth and of course President Joyce and his wife. All were invited to have some hot chocolate, cookies and small desserts. There were also some bowls of candy for students to help themselves to. To start off the party, two students began playing Christmas tunes on the piano. Everyone sang some carols, including “Silent Night,” “The 12 Days of Christmas” and “Rudolph the RedNosed Reindeer.” President Joyce read “The Night Before Christmas” to all the students. It was a participatory activity where President Joyce read one half of a rhyme and the students were supposed to
say the second half back. The book he read was a “touch and feel” kind of book; he would read some, then show the pictures, then let a student feel the page. When showing the pictures all the students would “oooooo and ahhhhhh” as a nice response to the story. Part of the theme for the party was to show up wearing festive, Christmas pajamas. Most students had some type of Christmas themed pants, shirts, onesies or hats. Chris Center, for instance, was dressed as Santa Claus from the earlier party for younger children. It was a fun-filled event full of music, cookies, hot chocolate, laughs, Christmas cheer, storytime and joy. The turnout was large enough to fill up the entire living room and to eat all the cookies and snacks. Overall, it was a success just as it is every year.
—Carmen Boone
Womens basketball team victorious By Jon Cole
Sports Information Director Senior guard Kelsie Rhyne scored a gamehigh 15 points and managed eight rebounds to help lead the Brevard women’s basketball team to a 61-41 victory over Wesleyan College on Friday evening. Rhyne, who knocked down 6-of-10 field goals and 3-of-4 free throws, topped double figures for the second time in as many contests. She was joined in double figure scoring by Destiny Williams (12) and Annalee Bollinger (11), as the Tornados moved back to .500 (2-2) on the season. Williams, who reached double figures for the first time since the season opener, finished 5-of-9 from the floor. She was also active on glass, hauling in nine rebounds, and forced three steals. Bollinger made her presence felt at the free throw line, finishing off a 6-for-6 outing, to go along with six assists and two blocks. Freshman Deja Riddick sparked the Tornado bench with nine points, two steals and a teambest 10 rebounds (six offensive).
Brevard overcame its third quarter shooting woes with a 22-point fourth that included nine points from Williams and five from Bollinger. The sharp-shooting Bollinger opened the quarter with a three-pointer and Williams singlehandedly scored the next seven points to make for a 49-31 lead. A free throw by the Wolves’ TK Blount was not enough to derail Brevard, which used two free throws by Bollinger and a three-pointer from Taryn Ledford to take 54-32 lead. The Tornados maintained at least a 20-point advantage down the stretch as a three-pointer from Jade Napier, coupled with buckets by Williams and Rhyne, made for the 61-41 final. Wesleyan turned up its defensive pressure in the third quarter, trimming the Tornado advantage to eight by outscoring Brevard 14-7. Six Wolves scored at least one point, including Rosine Nguenowou who finished with four. The rally began with Wesleyan scoring five unanswered points, but a jumper by Napier kept the lead in double figures. Rhyne followed, push-
ing the lead to 13, 35-22, but Wesleyan managed to score nine of the final 12 points to make for a 39-31 score through three. Rhyne made her presence felt in the opening stages of the second quarter, scoring four of six points for the Tornados who moved in front 2210 with 6:57 left. A trey by Shakirah Thompson stretched the lead to 14 just over a minute later, which eventually ballooned to 30-14 after a layup by Rhyne. The two teams traded buckets over the final two minutes of the half as Brevard took a 32-17 lead into the intermission. Four points each by Rhyne and Bollinger allowed Brevard to take a 16-10 lead at the close of the first quarter. Rhyne, who finished 2-for-3 in the frame, scored the first bucket of the game as the two teams eventually reached a four-all deadlock. Rhyne added to her total at the four minute, 11 second mark, converting a layup, which was followed by three-pointers by Williams and Riddick as Brevard scored 10 unanswered points.
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Fall percussion ensemble
On Wednesday, Nov. 29, the Porter Center was filled with rhythm as the fall percussion ensemble had the audience clapping their hands and stomping their feet in time with the music. The program started off with “Clapping Music” by Steve Reich and the performers awed their audience by creating music with nothing but their hands. Next, the ensemble performed “4/4 For Four” by Anthony J. Cirone and “Lasciatemi Morire” by Claudio Monteverdi. The next piece, “Yankadi-Makru,” was a traditional West African piece that involved some audience interaction. Audience members were encouraged to clap along and help create the music that filled the auditorium. The ensemble closed with “Opener for RH” by Aaron Ragsdale and “Mercury Rising” by Nathan Daughtrey. The percussion ensemble captivated the audience for the night with a high quality music performance.
—Amber Blanton
Campus News
Editor in Chief In its first ever purely virtual outing, the “I Heart BC” fundraiser exceeded its $25,000 goal, raising an overall total of around $32-33,000 dollars. According to Jeff Joyce, the Alumni Director at Brevard College, this particular campaign was a straightforward fundraiser that asked local residents, and in particular the faculty and staff as opposed to the current student body, to donate whatever money they could to help the college pay for scholarships and endowments as well as, according to Joyce, “help the capital improvement process.” Joyce also said that the timing of the campaign greatly helped its overall end goal. In the past, previous “I Heart BC” fundraisers were held around Valentine’s Day, but it was eventually decided that that wasn’t an ideal time as that type of holiday more often than not saw people, understandably so, spend much of their available spare income on taking their loved ones on dates or taking potential loved ones on potential dates, what have you. In addition, Joyce said that there is no particular threshold for anyone to get to. He says that everyone involved in the fundraiser knows that people don’t have a lot to spare, so they really just want participation in general.
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December 6, 2017
Security Report
The most recent security reports for Brevard College have been released as of Monday, Nov. 20 at 12:12 p.m. and Monday, Dec. 4 at 12:38 p.m., according to Brevard College Campus Security. The Brevard Fire Department responded to a smoke alarm in a dorm room and when they arrived it was discovered that the alarm was covered. The occupant advised the fire department that they covered the alarm in order to help prevent air freshener mist that was being sprayed from setting off the fire alarm. Students are advised that if it is necessary to spray air freshener to do so in a limited fashion. Students are also reminded that covering a fire alarm is in violation of state law and creates a serious risk hazard for the entire residence hall. Students are also reminded that the Brevard Fire Department is mostly made up of volunteers and that they have to take time out their day to leave their homes and businesses. It has been reported by female students that there have been several occasions of harassment including cat calls, lewd comments and inappro-
I Heart BC Campaign By Jordon Morgan
The Clarion
As alluded to earlier, this was the first time the fundraiser took place purely online, as previous ones were held through mail orders and other such campaign methods, whereas this one was purely online based. Joyce explained that this was a benefit as it helped students or other younger people who may want to participate in such an event but at the same time don’t want to go through the hassle of finding out where to go or who to contact to give a donation. That isn’t to say that traditional means of donations weren’t accepted, as Joyce said that people physically handed in checks and even made donations over the telephone. Finally, Joyce said that further campaigns down the line are definitely a possibility and that the online based format made it a “good test year to establish going forward.” Given that it exceeded its original goal by a noticeable margin, Joyce said that that success could push the fundraiser into some positive momentum from here on out.
priate touching. These actions are to cease and desist immediately. This is in violation of a federal law (Title IX) and carries severe sanctions. The college has also received complaints from College Walk Retirement Community of laser lights being seen and shouting being heard from behind Ross Hall late at night. Please avoid activity late at night in this area for your own safety and as a courtesy to the members of College Walk. There have also been several incidents of breaking and entering. Some of them include an attempted break-in to Highland Books, located across the street from the college. There is no evidence of the perpetrator being affiliated with the college and nothing was stolen from the business. An adjunct faculty office in McLartyGoodson was also broken into and nothing appeared to be missing here as well. Everyone is requested to contact Campus Security at (828)-577-9590 if wrongful or suspicious activity is observed on campus.
—Zach Dickerson
the Clarion Senior Staff Editor in Chief . . . . Jordon Morgan Managing Editor . . . Calum McAndrew Copy Editor . . . . . . Jeni Welch Campus News . . . . Zach Dickerson Opinion . . . . . . . . Florian Peyssonneaux Arts & Life . . . . . . Jessica Wiegandt Sports . . . . . . . . Calum McAndrew Layout & Design . . . Jeni Welch Faculty Advisor . . . . John B. Padgett
Other Staff Amber Blanton Carmen Boone Amanda Heskett
Lauren Fowler Cody Manning Taffon Alexander
The Clarion is a student-run college newspaper produced by student journalists enrolled at Brevard College. Unsigned editorials represent the collective opinion of the staff of The Clarion. Other opinions expressed in this newspaper are those of respective authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the faculty, staff or administration of Brevard College.
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December 6, 2017 | The Clarion
Campus News
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A question of time, place and manner Confederate flag parade controversy sparks national attention for BC professor and Canton alderman By Jessica Wiegandt
Arts and Life Editor When Confederate flags flew through the streets of Canton, N.C., during the Labor Day parade this year, town alderman Ralph Hamlett made a choice he says may cost him the next election—but, he says, it is “the right thing to do.” Hamlett, a professor of political communications at Brevard College, is on Canton’s Board of Aldermen, a position to which he was first elected in 2013 and re-elected in 2015. Canton is a town with a weak mayoral system, which means the mayor is primarily a figurehead while the town’s four aldermen make most of the important decisions for the town. During the Labor Day parade, four vehicles in the parade had mounted Confederate flags and displayed them as they drove in the parade. “I did walk in the parade and I saw them,” Hamlett said. “I was upset about their inclusion in the parade.” Hours later, when he started to receive emails from individuals upset about their presence in the parade, Hamlett realized his town had a problem—and he vowed to do something about it. That decision set off a chain of events that has put Canton (and Hamlett) front and center in a First Amendment story that is garnering national attention...and it’s not over yet. Hamlett said the emails he received heightened his concern. He immediately replied to them, saying in his response that he unequivocally apologized, accepted full responsibility as an elected official and told them he would take steps to make sure it wouldn’t happen again. “Following that, an article in a local newspaper published my comments and I was the only elected official who took the position of apologizing,” Hamlett said, “The weekend following that, in protest of my comments I suspect, we had an estimated 400 cars drive through the county.” The car progression began in Canton, moved through Clyde and Waynesville and ended in Maggie Valley. “This was a motorcade of cars adorned with Confederate flags and also ‘Don’t Tread on Me’ flags, typical yellow and green,” Hamlett said. In response, Hamlett said he has spent most of this semester researching laws and Supreme Court decisions to find possible courses of action. One thing he discovered early on was that his hometown had no rules or regulations pertaining to parades.
Photo from The Mountaineer
The Canton, N.C., Labor Day parade spawned controversy when several parade participants flew the Confederate flag while in the parade. Political communications professor Ralph Hamlett, an alderman in Canton, responded by drafting a new ordinance that, if passed, would give town officials more authority to bar parade displays they deem inappropriate for a celebratory event with a diverse family audience.
“There wasn’t even anything on the minutia for how and when you throw candy to spectators, so I noticed an absence of rules and regulations,” Hamlett said. “That was my starting point, to write rules and regulations, but it was guided by what had happened in the Labor Day parade.” Hamlett, who regularly teaches a course at Brevard College on “First Amendment Freedoms,” was confronted with arguments for the First Amendment. “We had to determine whether it was a free speech issue or an issue of assembly,” Hamlett said. “And many people suggested it was a free speech issue, because normally freedom of speech is what is raised when concerning Confederate flags.” However, Hamlett determined the issue was one of assembly. He said it is not so much of the petition of government but instead the right to peaceably assemble. “This is the very nature of parade itself,” Hamlett said. He used a court case from 1971, Cohen v. California. “In this, people believed even the most egregious phrases were acceptable, including ‘F*** the Draft,’ and the Court ruled that as Constitutionally protected,” Hamlett said. “However, you could control it under a notion known as ‘Time, Place and Manner,’ which informed my thinking on how to proceed with the displays which might serve to incite people, offend people, which were not suitable for diverse audiences and family audiences.” Hamlett has added a provision in his proposal which details displays that are and are not allowed in town functions. This provision also allows for a venue of petition for individuals or groups seeking to display certain artifacts. “They can petition law enforcement or the Aldermen for a special parade permit allowing for the displays, determining time, place and manner,” Hamlett said. “That is what I’ve been doing for most of this semester.” Hamlett’s involvement in this issue stems from his commitment to his position on the board. “I made a promise,” Hamlett said, “As an elected official, if I promise individuals I am going to do something, then I am hopefully true to my word.” One individual who contacted Hamlett after the parade said she had an African American friend who was supposed to participate in the parade. Upon seeing the inclusion of Confederate flags in the parade, her friend decided to leave and did not partake in the event. “She says at the end that she will no longer do business with the town of Canton until such a time when the town takes a stand against racism and hate,” Hamlett said. “It bothered me that individuals who came to see a parade celebrating Labor Day saw a symbol which they regarded as hate.” The events that transpired at the Labor Day parade happened just a couple of weeks after the Charlottesville protest. “I think it [the parade flag display] was sparked by Charlottesville,” Hamlett said, “And something needed to be done. I knew I would take heat for it—the comments from many people in town weres that I had made a mistake and I should keep my mouth shut.” Last week, those sentiments were repeated during the swearing in of newly elected board members. “I was told that I had made my statement and now it was time to keep my mouth shut, but it’s never time to keep your mouth shut if you think something is wrong,” Hamlett said. His commitment to fulfill the promise he made to concerned individuals back in September has now developed into something much larger than Hamlett initially anticipated.
“... it’s never time to keep your mouth shut if you think something is wrong.”
See ‘BC Professor gets national interest,’ page 6
Campus News
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The Clarion
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December 6, 2017
Dr Bauslaugh is retiring By Cameron Ranslow
Contributor Among the handful of professors retiring at the end of this academic year is Robert Bauslaugh, Ph.D., an admired member of the BC community. Dr. Bauslaugh has dedicated his life to a career he feels passionate about while at Brevard and other institutions. While he is approaching retirement, he does not plan on abandoning the scholarly world any time soon. Bauslaugh was born in Berkeley, California to his California native mother and German father. His intellectual life began during his undergraduate years at the University of California in Riverside. Later, he went on to the University of California in Berkeley to obtain his master’s degree and Ph.D. At the end of his life as a student, Bauslaugh was admitted to the society of fellows at Columbia University in New York City. In 1981, Bauslaugh obtained a teaching position at Emory University. He notes the change from Columbia to Emory as “transformative,” due to the philanthropic atmosphere in Atlanta at Emory University. While at Emory, Bauslaugh began as an assistant professor and felt “privileged” to be a part of such a “special institution.” He spent six years as an assistant professor before receiving tenure. He continued at Emory for another six years and received the position of full time professor shortly afterward. Approaching the end of his time at Emory, Bauslaugh describes “reaching a plateau” in his career. It was then where he was approached by the then president of BC. Bauslaugh was offered the position of Chief Academic Officer and Dean of BC. He and his wife, Anne Chapin, Ph.D., considered this job offer and decided to accept the position. However, Bauslaugh would accept only if the college would offer a position to his wife as well. Lucky for the pair of professors, BC had recently transitioned from a two-year institution to a four-year institution and were in need of an art historian, such as Chapin. After five years of being the Academic Dean of BC, in 2002 Bauslaugh stepped down from his position and joined the college faculty. “I really try to encourage the faculty, as a whole, to work on professional development whether it is research and publication or if it is developing to be on top of their field,” Bauslaugh said, “That has really developed
Photo from Brevard College
Robert Bauslaugh
nicely [within the college]”. When asked about an accomplishment he is most proud of, Bauslaugh answered, “I have certainly enjoyed being a part of the transition [of BC] from two-year to four-year and felt good about that. I have really enjoyed working with all of the different divisions of the college and helping develop the programs [designed] for four-year colleges.” Bauslaugh is also the author of a book describing the neutrality and warfare of ancient Greek states. “That book, actually, changed the map on classical Greece,” Bauslaugh said. “I am really proud of that as something I did to help [individual’s] understanding of ancient Greece.” Bauslaugh developed an affinity for studying Greece when he travelled there for the first time in 1967. As a part of his undergraduate studies, he was invited to be a part of a UCLA excavation of “The Sanctuary of Poseidon” at Isthmia. He describes this trip as “an awesome and amazing experience.” Not only has Bauslaugh explored Greece but has had scholarly activity in Germany as well. “I knew if I wanted to go on to graduate school, I would have to learn German better,” Bauslaugh said. “I went on to Germany to study German [language] and that was fun. I was among 125 people from 34 different countries … all living together for six weeks and we had a blast.” It was around this time an undergraduate Bauslaugh had a glimpse of self-realization. He explained his reasoning in choosing to study the classics and said, “I sort of had this moment of identification that that was something I wanted to do. It happened when I was eighteen and we were in Asia Minor, and I just had a vision that if I studied this stuff, archaeology, history, the languages, that that would be what I ought to do. It was like a calling.” While an undergraduate, Bauslaugh was convinced by professors to major in Latin with the intent of becoming a professor. Fast forward to 1969 and Bauslaugh is now a graduate student at the University of California in Berkeley. “This was the summer of ‘flower power’ during the hippie era. I was amazed at all that was going on in the San Francisco bay area,” Bauslaugh said. “At that time, the most interesting thing to see was the interaction between the police and the hippies around Sproul Plaza. It was just crazy, because there was not any real animosity it was all playful fun.” Bauslaugh enjoys activity outside of the academic realm as well. “The thing I have enjoyed so much is riding my bike, being close by and being able to ride my bike to school. Also, I enjoy being so close to the Davidson River… where there is so much beauty and such stress-relieving environments,” Bauslaugh said. Neither he nor Chapin spend a lot of time outside of their career field, because of their constant enjoyment in their job. Aside from annual “work vacations” to Greece, Bauslaugh said that he enjoys going home to work in his garden. “My dad was always going on and on to me about going into business, and I was like ‘no.’ [Business] is not my passion and is not my calling. I have been very pleased to be able to do what I did in my career, and it is a lot tougher now… I really cannot imagine doing anything else. It has been really fulfilling,” Bauslaugh said, “I would do it again if I could.” Bauslaugh said he will miss teaching in the classrooms of BC. “I really enjoy being in class and helping people learn. I think I have always felt incredibly privileged to be a professor. In dealing with young people, beyond high-school aged, their lives are ahead of them,” Bauslaugh said, “The idea of sharing your passion and knowledge with other people… is exciting and is a responsibility also.” Bauslaugh has, and always will be, an admired and distinguished member at BC. His positive energy and supreme knowledge of his craft will be difficult to forget.
December 6, 2017 | The Clarion
Opinion
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GOP tax plan passes Senate, but what exactly does it do? By Jordon Morgan Editor in Chief
Early Saturday morning, the U.S. Senate passed its version of tax reform by a vote of 51-49, with Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee the only Republican to vote against the bill. Corker’s no vote stems from his concern about growing the deficit, which the tax bill certainly would: according to a nonpartisan congressional analysis released on Thursday, it would increase the national debt by more than $1 trillion over the next 10 years. According to numerous accounts from reporters and senators alike, Republicans continued making changes to the bill, even making handwritten alterations to the bill, until just hours before the final vote. This marks the sitting Republican Congress’ and President Donald Trump’s first major legislative victory of the administration, after having previously failed to pass their attempted repeal of the Affordable Care Act. This law, dubbed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, was brought on by the fact that, according to the Washington Post, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle agreed “that the United States’ 35 percent top tax rate on corporations is too high and not competitive with the rest of the world,” an idea that is suspect due to the fact that, ac-
cording to a different Post article published in 2016, “Of the 1.6 million corporations active in the United States in 2012, 70 percent had no federal corporate income tax liability.” Despite this, it was decided by Congress to pass a tax bill that not only cuts corporate tax rates to 20 percent, the biggest reduction ever for corporations according to the 2016 Post article, but makes these cuts permanent, while the rate reductions for the average Americans are set to expire after 2025. In addition, the bill is set to end the Federal Mandate for the Affordable Care Act, which could lead to 13 million Americans losing their health insurance and it also opens up more land to oil drilling in Alaska. (If someone can explain why that was needed in a tax overhaul bill, it would help a lot). To break it down, here’s what this new tax bill will do. Even including the already laid out corporate tax reduction from 35 to 20 percent, which according to The Washington Post “would put the U.S. corporate tax rate at a lower level than many other foreign nations,” this tax plan would allow these corporations to bring back any money they have stored in overseas accounts at a tax rate of only 14.5 percent. The aforementioned appeal of the federal mandate will have the effect of causing “health insurance premiums to rise by about 10 percent a year and prompt 4 million people to drop insurance by 2019 and 13 million
to drop it by 2027,” The Washington Post said. Another thing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act does is give a huge tax reduction for the richest Americans. Their top tax rate would fall from 39.6 to 38.5 percent, they would get to keep deducting their contributions to charity, and specifically the Post article says that “over 80 percent of millionaires would pay less in taxes in the coming years under this plan.” There are numerous tax reduction options that are eliminated thanks to this bill. These include the ability to deduct losses from “fire, storm, shipwreck, or other casualty, or from theft” and the deduction for tax preparation expenses. Admittedly, the Senate version of the bill does double the teacher expense credit from $250 to $500 along with not making any changes to the student loan deduction or the “tuition waiver” for graduate students (though the House version does strike it, which will be a point of contention for the upcoming conference to reconcile the two versions of the bill). Overall, while this bill does not appear to be as hard as previous reported versions, it still appears to be not much more than a giant break to the wealthy and big corporations, who as we know, are struggling to make ends meet and need every break they can get. Digressing, this passed tax plan is troubling to say the least, and it’s important to pay attention to any developments related to it.
Roy Moore: A ‘Judicial Pariah’ By Jordon Morgan Editor in Chief
In one of the most depressing yet unsurprising facts recently published, ABC News has said in a Dec. 3 article that Alabama Senate Candidate Roy Moore is either ahead or tying with his Democratic opponent Doug Jones, despite the numerous sexual misconduct allegations in addition to the patently un-American actions and words that Moore has spoken over the years. Yes, you read that right, “un-American,” but what does that mean exactly? Well, I can tell you that it isn’t describing someone who doesn’t fit the usual white man stereotype that’s perpetuated. In this case, it is the observable fact that Roy Moore has absolutely no respect for what our system of government is supposed to be. And what boggles is the mind is that, accord-
ing to the ABC News report in their citation of a CBS News release, “half of Moore’s supporters say they back him because they want a conservative in the Senate ‘rather than because they think Moore is the best person for the job.’” Is it any wonder why our government seems so incredibly broken? People, some anyway, openly admit they vote based on nothing more than which party someone is, rather than actually rationally considering their ideas or assessing them by any normal moral standard. George Washington, upon leaving the office of President, reportedly said that we should never initiate political parties as they will only divide us. What a prophetic statement if ever there was one. But back to the original point. Why is Roy Moore un-American? This is a man who was kicked off of the Alabama Supreme Court, twice
I may add by unanimous vote both times, once for refusing to remove a Ten Commandments monument that was in front of the Alabama Courthouse which was deemed unconstitutional. The second time for refusing to follow the 2015 Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage. This is also a man who without any irony said that that decision “was ‘even worse’ than the notorious 1857 Dred Scott ruling that upheld slavery,” according to Talking Points Memo. This is a man with a twisted sense of morality that completely misunderstands the idea of a secular government, nevermind his potentially being a sexual predator. For crying out loud, Alabama, grow a conscience and do some actual research into how your own government is supposed to work.
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Netflix Review:
Arts & Life
‘Jessica Jones’ Season One By Jordon Morgan
Editor in Chief Embracing its titular protagonist’s occupation as an extraordinarily talented private investigator, “Jessica Jones” is both a throwback to old school detective stories, even evoking such emotions with its piano laden incredibly stylish intro crawl, and a powerful story that puts forth a genuine debate about what makes a hero, and who determines where or to who that label may apply. Taking place in New York City (like Netflix’s other Marvel shows), “Jessica Jones” follows its namesake main character as she tries to go about her daily business with Alias Investigations, her own private investigation firm. When hired to track down a young woman named Hope Schlottman, Jones reencounters a powerful enemy from her past, the enigmatic and frightening Kilgrave, a.k.a. “The Purple Man” as he is known in the comic book, and must track where he is and stop him from harming an untold amount of people. What makes “Jessica Jones” one of Netflix’s strongest shows is its uncompromising vision and overall story. It is dark and gory, even more so than “Daredevil,” but not without a purpose. Much like that show, “Jessica Jones” only goes into that violent territory when it truly has to, to show the sheer brutality of its antagonists and its world. So when it does happen, it feels genuinely shocking and appropriate to the moment. Relying less on straight up action and more on tension and suspense, the show should be commended for holding on to that suspense with such effectiveness. The few action scenes that do happen are well choreographed and serviceable enough, but don’t really stand out too much. The story has excellent pacing with the danger and intrigue rising in very incremental ways. It unfolds in such a way that every episode reveals something new and important, however small it may seem, and as such, the season moves along
with a good deal of momentum, never coming to a dead halt or slowing down for any reason. Of course, that sort of good storytelling can’t really be achieved if you don’t have a great protagonist, and “Jessica Jones” certainly has one. Appearing as a confident, no-nonsense private eye, deep down Jones is a complicated figure with a tragic backstory. That backstory appears in certain ways, and makes Jones at times feel lost, lonely, and depressed. It doesn’t indicate that she isn’t a strong, confident woman just because she’s a strong confident woman, it only shows that even the most hardened among us have deeper layers, layers that make us human and empathetic. Matching the greatness of the protagonist is the equally fantastic Kilgrave, portrayed by David Tennant of “Doctor Who” fame. Though initially a mysterious figure, Kilgrave comes to be known as a psychologically manipulative, incredibly dangerous person, even more so than Wilson Fisk or Diamondback from the other Netflix shows. Whereas those individuals use brute force and/or economic manipulation to get what they want, Kilgrave has a unique ability to literally command anyone to do anything and they are compelled to obey him, no matter what. Even though he is presented with some limitations, his strengths make it so that he is very difficult to defeat, and the show does a great job in making it seem that threatening, and any time Jones or her friends get the one up on him, it really feels like an intense game of chess that was just played, with a well-earned victory. Right up there with Heath Ledger’s portrayal of The Joker in Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight,” Tennant’s performance is undoubtedly the highlight of an already great ensemble of characters and is one of the best comic book adaptation based villains in recent memory. Much like Netflix’s other Marvel shows, “Jessica Jones” is a fantastic and sometimes brutal tale of heartbreak and tragedy strengthened even more with well-written characters and an excellently paced story.
The Clarion
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December 6, 2017
BC professor gets national interest Continued from page 3
“At first, I was told by a regional paper that this would probably go national, when I supplied him with the rules and regulations, and I just laughed… because I thought it was local, but it was something that needed to be done locally,” Hamlett said. Following the initial coverage in a couple of Haywood County newspapers, Hamlett has been contacted by WLOS-TV in Asheville, a regional affiliate of NPR , the Washington Post and the UCLA School of Law, asking Hamlett for more information regarding his policy proposal. “The email from UCLA stated they had received a feed on the rules and regulations that had generated a lot of discussion and asked if I would send copies,” Hamlett said. “It sparked more attention than I thought it would, but I wasn’t trying to create controversy. I was trying to address something that was controversial that needed to be addressed in the wake of Charlottesville.” Moving forward, Hamlett will need to introduce his policy to the new board. The next meeting will be on Dec. 14, but he does not believe attention will be given to his proposal at that time. “I’m hoping when it does come to a hearing, my fellow board members will vote in the affirmative and the new rules and regulations will take effect before the next Labor Day celebration,” Hamlett said. The proposal will not apply to the upcoming Christmas parade, which will take place tomorrow, Dec. 7. “According to a Facebook post, people have asked spectators to bring their Confederate flags out to adorn the streets,” Hamlett said. “It is supposed to be extremely cold, so maybe this will dissuade people from doing such.” At a recent town hall meeting, comments were directed at Hamlett regarding his recent actions, including warnings that his policy proposal will cost him the next election, should he decide to run again. “It’s something that needs to be addressed across the United States. A parade isn’t about speech, it’s about assembly,” he said. “If we allowed anything to happen in a parade, people would be able to advocate nudity, marijuana, have all the curse words you wanted to on the side of a vehicle but because it’s a parade, it can be controlled. “When I was elected I was elected to serve all the people, not just one group, one ethnicity,” Hamlett said. “At town-sanctioned events, we need to remember that all people are welcome in our town.”
December 6, 2017 | The Clarion
Senior Profile
Arts & Life
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Theatre Major Garrett Rhodes By Amanda Heskett
Staff writer Garrett Rhodes is a senior Theatre Major at Brevard College and will be graduating in Fall 2017 after which he says he will “go to grad school to get my MFA.” He “would like to be considered motivated,” and hopes others would describe him as hardworking and intelligent. Rhodes grew up in Brevard and says “it always seemed really quiet when I was growing up here. As a kid, I used to walk around, and it seemed like no one actually went here because back then it was a two-year school, so I guess there just weren’t as many students. But now that I’m here, it seems much more populated.” As a student, the main challenge he’s experienced has been trying to deal “with the experiential education, all the professors want something different from you, and that’s challenging. It’s exciting, cause you see lots of different learning styles, but it’s hard to acclimate at first.” To someone who is interested in attending, Rhodes would say “that this is a good place, that if you’re willing to put in the work, that you get a lot out of it.” He also expressed that “professors here aren’t really looking to hold you back as long as you’re up for the challenge.” Garrett’s favorite memories lie mainly with the theatre department. “I really enjoyed paint-
ing the walls black in the black box because it just seemed ridiculous for my first ever work call here.” His favorite shows to watch were ‘Some Enchanted Evening’ in the spring of 2015 and ‘Boeing Boeing’ a couple weeks ago. His favorite shows to work on were ‘Crimes of the Heart’ in the spring of 2016 and ‘The Diviners’ in the fall of 2015. In his free time, he plays video games and goes up to the mountain for hiking or mountain biking. He also plays soccer, and says most people don’t know “that I used to play soccer for the college, until I quit for theatre.” On how he balances his life, he explained, “things tend to work themselves out on their own, so as long as you try to keep your life prioritized in a way that makes sense, then you just finish one thing at a time until it’s all done.” An obstacle Rhodes says he came in contact with at Brevard was “the lack of working experience I had when I became a theatre major. I’d never really done any of this stuff before, so it was hard to kind of figure it out as you went along. I think I’ve got a better grasp on it, now.” He expressed that he’s most proud of “the amount of work that I’ve been able to do and all the things that I’ve learned while I’ve been here. I imagine it’s more that most undergradu-
ate students at other schools get; the caliber of work completed.” In five years, he hopes to be “working professionally in New York.” When asked about specifics, he said that “working professionally in theatre would really be the nicest thing. As long as I don’t hate it.” He wants to “ultimately end up teaching college.” Some advice he has for young students is to “always try to stay motivated and continue to grow because the more you put into the school, the more you’ll get out of it. You’ve never learned enough to be done.”
By Florian Peyssonneaux
said Dr. Woodsmall. For Megan Shina, the President of the Business club, the business club needs to generate awareness for the BORG program, and promote it to students who are still undecided about their college career, “ but the goal is also to have fun” she added. Because the business program is the largest in Brevard College, business students felt a need to have a club to represent them. Furthermore, the club is not reserved for business majors because business is such a broad field. Consequently, the club’s official name is not set in stone just yet, and the club officers really want to find a name inclusive to “invite other majors to be part of it” said Shina. In fact, one aspect that the new executive board of the club wants to have is a great diversity of majors represented in the club. “On average, we have 20 people attending the meetings. Business is such a broad field that we think we can help students with various backgrounds to succeed” said Javier Gonzalez, the club Secretary. The club is strong because of the diversity of background present in the business club.
Another way for the business club to attract the attention of BC Students is through the bulletin board where updates of the club are published. Gonzalez also said that the seniors and upper class club members were present to help the freshmen to succeed, and inspire them to be involved in the business world. “We are open to new students, and we are a resource for them like some kind of mentor or guide” said Gonzalez. “When I first came here, I didn’t know what to expect that’s why it’s important to inform new students” he added. For their service project, the business club is working with other clubs to help them develop their own mission statement. The club also plans to have some events next semester that will include helping students to build a resume or develop a professional LinkedIn account. The business club already has had four meetings this semester, but the first official gathering of the club will be on Wednesday, Dec. 6 at 7:30 in MG 130. As it is the end of the year, this meeting will have the purpose of setting a goal to organize next year’s plans and determine a fixed meeting schedule for 2018.
Photo courtesy of Garrett Rhodes
Garrett Rhodes
BC Business Club ready for 2018
Opinion Editor After a long period of Brevard College Business club’s activity decreasing to a point where the the club was not even active, this semester Brevard College business students made every effort to put the club back on track. After having a few meetings of interest to see if there will be a business club on Brevard College at all, the business club is finally up and running again. One of the goals of this semester for the club was to get approved by SGA, and on Tuesday, Nov. 28 the Student Government Association voted unanimously to approve the Business club. Dr. Woodsmall, the advisor of the club said that the first step of the process was again to get the club back on track, and to “make it a viable club where people come and get involved. Contrary to past years where club members were not as involved as they were in the past, this year the club appears to have a solid foundation. The business club is not something that people attend once a semester so they can put it on their resume, “it’s not about being, it’s about doing”
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Sports
The Clarion
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December 6, 2017
BC Climbing brings home wins By Lauren Fowler Staff Writer
The Brevard College Climbing team brought home several wins at their last competition of the fall semester hosted by Belmont University at the Climb Nashville gym. This competition was the first to consist of Sport and Speed categories rather than Bouldering that the team typically competes in. The team brought home placements in both the Sport and Speed categories. Gaby Lachney brought home a 4th place finish in women’s speed, Lauren Fowler placed 5th in women’s sport, and Matthew Stephens placed first on podium in both men’s sport and speed. Bouldering competitions consist of shorter routes that require strength and power to complete. No ropes are used in bouldering competitions and speed is not considered. In Sport climbing competitors tie in to a rope to climb long routes, around 50 feet at Climb Nashville, that require endurance and technique. A sport route is considered complete if the climber reaches the final holds without weighting the rope, falling, or getting off route. Speed climbing is set up on a predetermined route which climbers must complete in as little time as possible. Judges will start the timer as soon as the climber’s feet leave the ground and stop it when the climber slaps the taped box at the top of the route. Climbing competitions are judged based on the difficulty of the climb and the number of attempts it takes a climber to complete it. Points are tracked on a scorecard that lists all the climbs and their point values and is signed by the onlooking judge after the climber completes the climb. Speed is separate and is timed by onlooking judges. Most qualifying rounds of competitions last three hours during which time the climbers attempt to complete as many high point valued climbs as they can. At the end of the competition, climbers total up their top five climbs for bouldering or top three for sport, with the highest point values and add them together to find their final total score. Climbers are then ranked in the Advanced, Intermediate, or Beginner categories based on the level of the majority of their climbs completed or are ranked based on their placement overall based on all competitors scores in the male or female categories. The top five climbers for male and female will then go on to a finals round to secure their final placements. Finals rounds are different than the qualifying round in that the climbers do not get to see the climbs beforehand. For bouldering climbers will be given only a
short time usually around 3 minutes per problem, or one attempt for sport climbing to complete the climb while the audience and judges watch. The climber with the most completed routes at the end of finals will take home the overall win or move their overall placement up. The Speed climbing category is completed while judges and the audience watch. The judges start the timer as soon as the climber’s feet leave the ground and stop the timer when the climber reaches the top of the climb and slaps the taped finish box. Climbers are ranked by their finish times in the men and women’s categories. Gaby Lachney brought home a 4th place finish overall in women’s speed climbing with a 19.25s time and Matthew Stephens brought home a first place win in men’s speed climbing with a 10.00s finish. This was Gaby’s first USA Climbing sanctioned competition and her first go at speed climbing which recounting the experience she says, “Speed climbing was something I had
never done before. Sure, Id raced my friends on the walls before, but I was really nervous before my name got called. As soon as I got my hands set on the route and was deciding which foot to lead with, it all went out of my head. A very surreal calm set over me and all of the sudden I was climbing as fast as I could without thinking about where I was going next. It wasn’t about making pretty moves anymore, it was about getting to the top no matter what. It was a truly humbling experience getting to place in my first competition let alone in a discipline that is far outside my comfort zone.” This was the last competition of the fall semester for the BC Crushers who are preparing for an early start in the spring semester with their first competition on January 20 at the Brevard Rock Gym. All are encouraged to come out and support the team as they fight for a win at their home gym. Keep an eye out for more info about this upcoming competition in the Clarion as well as on the Brevard College Athletics page.
Photo by Coach Travis Gray
The BC Crushers: Back row (from left): Lauren Fowler, Will Christiansen, Carlton Angell, Sam Willis, Jordan Haak, Matthew Stephens, Mac Fitzgerald. Front row (from left): Ben Lawson, Nathan Boepple, Sam Schaer, Gaby Lachney.
