The Clarion, Vol. 80, Issue #21 - Feb. 25, 2015 - Brevard College

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Feb 25, 2015 - storage area in Jones residence hall. This new ... the storage offered by the former, crowded, out- door
The

Clarion

Volume 80, Issue 21

www.brevard.edu/clarion

Web Edition

SERVING BREVARD COLLEGE SINCE 1935

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my.brevard.edu February 25, 2015

Stepping in and Standing out Nationally

BC becomes the first college in the Southeast to commit to divestment

By Joshua Cole Managing Editor

Brevard College has made the commitment to divest from fossil fuels. This is now common knowledge, as it’s been reported in the Huffington Post, on WCQS, and distributed throughout media outlets by the Associated Press and published at local papers like The Transylvania Times and The Asheville Citizen Times. BC is now the first college in the Southeast to commit to divestment by 2018. Junior, Jamie Ellisor, one of the students that helped lead the movement toward divestment, said, “The fact that we beat Carolina, Duke, and Davidson, that’s a really big deal because those are bigger schools.” Divestment is essentially the opposite of investment; it is usually employed to effect a change financially or socially. In the past, educational institutions have divested from tobacco and even companies that invested in the South African apartheid regime. Though colleges and universities by themselves couldn’t enact enough change to affect the apartheid govt., they were able to sway public opinion and with it, companies saw that it was not good for public relations in the U.S. to continue supporting the apartheid govt. of South Africa. Educational institutions were able to raise awareness and illuminate apartheid actions through divestment. "For me, and I think the students, our school divesting from fossil fuels tells the nation, that we as an institution of higher learning, are dedicated to doing what is right by humanity in the fight against climate change for a better future," said senior Emily Crowley, one of the leading students in BC’s divestment movement. Forbes published an article on Feb. 23 concerning the on-going divestiture battle taking place now at Harvard University, titled A Lesson for Harvard Students: Fossil Fuel Divestment won't Save the Planet. The article goes on to suggest that divestment will not change the

climate, nor will it have a large enough impact on the fossil fuel industry to cause them any distress. Rory Northam, a senior at BC and originally from South Africa, suggested that those in opposition to divestment are missing the point. “Divestment for students at BC is about setting a social and ethical precedent for others”, said Northam. “It sends a message to the fossil fuel industry and to everybody around the U.S. that higher education institutions and the youth of the future don’t want to be associated with the fossil fuel industry.” BC’s mission statement is largely focused on creating a unique learning experience focused on experiential education. "This is a teachable moment; we teach the students, but the students also teach us,” BC President David Joyce said. “The work they did on this divestment campaign beautifully embodies our mission statement. You see the lights come on in the students' eyes, when they realize they have the knowledge and power to make a real difference... this is why so many of us at this College went into higher education in the first place." The Board of Trustees Chair, Donald Moore couldn't agree more, "The students were proactive and respectful," he recalled. "They dialoged with us rather than made demands. They were passionate but also highly professional; they knew what they were talking about." The idea for divestment at BC began in the spring of 2013. Later in April, students met with Joyce to discuss possibilities about how to proceed. After summer break, when school reconvened in the fall of 2013, students organized a sit-in at the school cafeteria and collected around 250 student signatures along with signatures from various faculty members. During the spring semester of 2014, 20-30 people gathered at the cafeteria with candles; Ellisor said that they received a lot of support from BC Greens, Facebook, faculty and other community members in favor of divesting. After

the fall semester started in August of 2014 the petition was again circulated and they received an additional 100 signatures which constitutes nearly half of the school’s population. Later in the fall they had their final sit-in at the library where local media helped to cover the event; Joyce was present to address the sit-in and multiple students abstained from attending class in favor of attending the sit-in. Ellisor explained that Jim Reynolds, or JR, helped BC’s divestment movement to go forward along with the help of Joyce who acted as an advisor for the students when they went to present their ideas to the board of trustees late in the fall of 2014. On Feb. 13 of 2015, global divestment day, the students held a rally. That Friday happened to be a cold, yet sunny day, which brought out a lot of supporters. Crowley, addressed the crowd, “I’m calling on the students of BC to use their powerful and inspirational voices to ignite change on this campus to start a large scale movement for divestment in N.C.” Jerry Stone, head of the investor committee, and supporter of the move to divest, was also in attendance. Stone previously owned a fossil fuel business. He felt confident that the school would be able to find alternatives to the investments BC has in fossil fuels and hopes to create a “green fund” within the next few years. Seven days later, on Feb. 20, BC announced their decision to divest from fossil fuels. "One of the keys to our success was our close relationships with the administration," observed Crowley. "We never saw this as an 'us versus them’ situation, but rather as something that we were all working toward together. The divestment of our institution could not have happened without the cooperation and support the students got from the board of trustees, and the administration." Ellisor hopes that Brevard, as a town, might follow the college’s lead, and choose to divest from fossil fuels eventually.

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New indoor bike storage in Jones

Earlier this month, students received an email announcing the completion of a new indoor bike storage area in Jones residence hall. This new space, located in Jones basement, provides residents with a safe, dry option for bike storage. This indoor storage area will allow students to keep their bikes in peak condition by keeping them out of the weather and instead moving them into the newly furnished, climatecontrolled facility. The bike racks in this new area can hold up to 26 bikes at a time, which is double the storage offered by the former, crowded, outdoor rack on the west end of Jones Residence Hall. So far, the new bike area has been a success, with many students taking advantage of this available storage space. In addition to keeping bikes out of the weather, this area will eventually serve as a bike maintenance area. A workbench is to be installed, as well as a bike wash station that will be located right outside of Jones Hall. Residents are encouraged to bring their bikes, as well as their own bike locks, and enjoy the new accommodations provided.

Campus News

Courtesy of Elizabeth Harrison

Bike rack in Jones basement

The Clarion

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February 25, 2015

Residence hall closings for spring break

Spring break is right around the corner, and the resident assistants or RA’s are beginning to notify their residents about the dorms closing times and regulations. RA’s have notified residents that they must be checked out by 10 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 28. If you have been given permission from Beth Abrams to remain on campus during Spring Break, then you are excused. If not, then your staying will be documented and result in a fine. If you are unable to leave for break, please discuss your situation with Beth and she will grant you permission, but be sure to notify your RA in this event. There will not be any activities held on campus for students that aren't leaving for break. Also, we have received word from a few RA’s that the dining hall will not be open for students. With this being said, please contact Beth Abrams as soon as possible if you plan to stay. She asks that you inform her before the deadline, so that she can have the information processed for the RA’s on campus. For any further questions, please ask your RA, and they will help you!

#BCSnowDay

Courtesy of Jennifer Martin

BC students pose with a person of snow in front of Jones residence hall.

Olivia Willie (left) and Tamra Rouse (right)

Courtesy of Olivia Willie

February 25, 2015

| The Clarion

Campus News

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Nonviolent sexuality Bob Hall (right) with Kayla Leed (left)

By Jordan Laws Staff Writer

Sex is powerful; unintended pregnancies, STI’s, rape and sexual assault in the military and college campuses are a few ways that sex has traumatic effects on people. That was the main topic for the Thursday Feb. 19 lecture presented by Bob Hall on Nonviolent Sexuality. Bob Hall, the founder of The Conflict Literacy Group and Learning to Live with Conflict, presented the case for Nonviolent Sexuality in a culture that steeps sex in taboo ideology and uses sexual overtones to sell products. Hall has degrees in Business and Conflict Studies, both of which have helped him develop his platform for Thursday’s discussion. “Sex is a rarely discussed topic of conflict,” Hall said, “and college campuses take the ‘we dare not deal with the problems openly stance’ whereas I feel that we dare not avoid talking about these issues openly.” Hall then goes on to explain the ridiculousness surrounding the topic of sex. “After going out to dinner or a movie and you’re at home with one another, the topic of sex doesn’t come up. You start playing games with one another. Both of you may have just watched a movie filled with sexual overtones but when you come home to sit on the couch it’s no longer okay to discuss sex.” “Sex is still taboo, but everywhere you look in this American culture it’s there; sex sells.” Hall said. “Sex in the media is designed to sell you things; it doesn’t sell you reality.” Hall’s lecture was all inclusive. It was designed for all sexual orientations. “One way of conducting violence is ignoring a group of people who were already here,” Hall said about the LGBT community. “This lecture is for men and women, gay and straight alike.”

Hall’s lecture contained a multiplicity of ideas regarding sexual violence, coupled with ways to guard yourself and others against it. “Sexual violence isn’t reported, mostly because they are afraid they won’t be taken seriously or even believed,” Hall said, “and after the act of sexual violence the victim usually starts scrutinizing their own behavior by asking questions like, ‘Why me?’, or ‘What can I change to prevent it from happening again?’ rather than thinking about the actions that took place after they said ‘NO’ to the person who abused their trust.” The point here, is to say something even if it makes you feel uncomfortable or unbelievable. Violence occurs when a voice is silenced. “The vast majority of sexual violence happens between people who know each other. It’s an abuse of trust.” Hall said. Most victims don’t report sexual violence because of the notion that they won’t be believed. Because sexual violence occurs and victims feel as though they won’t be believed, an environment of fear is created that we all have to live in, according to Hall, and this environment is damaging to our culture and our society as a whole. Sure, it’s hard to create intimate relationships instead of sexual relationships, and the intimate relationships prove to have more depth to them than the sexual ones. In an intimate relationship you know the individual wholly and can discuss with them any topic; in a sexual relationship you know the person through one perspective: pleasure. Pleasure is not a bad thing, it’s how someone carries out the acts of pleasure that truly matter, according to Hall. If a person becomes sexually violent towards another individual, it ultimately limits the victim to a slave where the person inflicting the damage says, without speaking, “you know longer have the right to decide what to do with your body.” These types of situations hurt

Photo by Jordan Laws

the individual, dehumanized them. It hurts all people that this person will try to become close to in future encounters. “Violence occurs when a voice is silenced,” Hall stated, “and when silence takes over, violence takes over. No means stop. You have no idea the damage you cause when you don’t stop.” Hall continued, “You have the right to say no to sex, period. You have complete control to say, no. Know what consensual sex is. Don’t stop committing acts of sexual violence because of Law, do it because of human decency. No one should have to deal with someone ruining their trust, so respect the wishes of others.” Hall mentioned the fact that a large amount of sexual violence occurs between students focusing on sports-related careers. That had an impact on the audience; the majority of the attendees were required to listen to the lecture due to the fact that they are on a sports team; men and women players alike made up the audience. “If Brevard College is going to be a safe place, all the students have the power to make it happen. It is our responsibility to call each other out when we see someone doing something that’s wrong; certain behaviors can’t be accepted. We are, in fact, each other’s keepers – this is where conflict is a good thing. It comes down to you and the decisions you’re willing to make.” Hall said. “Nonviolent Sexuality is talking about issues we can’t afford to not talk about.” Hall said.” This was an enlightening lecture and one that was not worth missing. Sure, the topic was taboo; sure, the atmosphere in the room was uncomfortable, but the point is that students experienced a perspective that needed to be acknowledged and crucial information that needed to be absorbed. No matter what students thought before, they came away with the fact that sex is powerful.

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Arts & Life

The Clarion

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February 25, 2015

‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’ A reinvention of the spy genre By Michael Heiskell Staff Writer

Quite the surprise: “Kingsman: The Secret Service” was a witty, stylish, sometimes messy, but fantastically fun time at the theater. A great reinvention of the spy genre. “Kingsman” is about a boy named Eggsy (Taron Egerton), who has run down the wrong path. Desperate, he calls a number left to him by a man that had served with his father many years ago. This man (Colin Firth) is a member of a suave secret spy society called the Kingsmen, and decides to train Eggsy as an evil billionaire (Samuel L. Jackson) risking the safety of the entire world. The plot is ridiculous and over the top. The action is ridiculous and over the top. The characters are ridiculous and over the top. But it works perfectly. This film is an homage to early spy films.

Oscar’s best picture How to define ‘Best Picture’

By Michael Heiskell Staff Writer

The Academy Awards were last Sunday and we were left with another Best Picture winner. After “Birdman” won, I noticed a lot of anger and confusion online and otherwise. There were people in the camp of “Boyhood” who felt that the twelve year journey it took to film warranted an Oscar. There were those who loved “Selma” who felt that it’s take on race deserved the gold. So this left me wondering what exactly it means to be the “Best Picture.” This year is no different than last year. Everyone has some movie they believe was snubbed by the Oscars. Not everyone can win of course, but often people are mad that there wasn’t even a nomination for their favorite film. What, however, makes a film the ‘best’? Is it purely the amount of people that enjoyed it? If so, we would be handing out Oscars to “The Avengers” and any other Marvel movie that comes out. It isn’t simply what film was universally enjoyed. Supposedly, it is a movie that excels in every category on a technical and artistic level. An accumulation of directing, acting, cinematography, music and every other finite detail that goes into the production of a film. This answer is frustrating to degree. I would

A charismatic gentlemen set to foil the plans of a ruthless villain who threatens the sanctity of the world. The film itself even talks about these earlier spy films and the magic that they created. They make a slight stab at the darker tones of current spy films that ground themselves in realism and argue that it is almost impossible to compare the writing of a film like “Birdman” to a film like “The Avengers.” One is a realist character analysis while the other is an action film. They have completely different goals and are written with different audiences. One wouldn’t say that a football player was better than a tennis player. We never see these incredibly entertaining summer blockbusters getting Oscar attention, despite the fact that they were equally successful in their individual goal. The reason for this might be the subject matter of the stories or film making process. The Oscars tend to favor movies with controversial subject matter or movies that take a unique approach to filmmaking. For the most part, summer blockbusters follow a very specific formula that is a known success. Films like “Birdman,” this year’s winner, take a unique approach. To coin a term, these films take risks and are often a lot harder to make. Whether it is with a smaller budget like “Grand Budapest Hotel” or filmed over a period of twelve years like “Boyhood.” While movies like “The Avengers” and “Edge of Tomorrow” are fantastically fun, one could hardly argue that there was a lot of risk involved. It was a simple plug in and play approach that was obviously going to make a killing at the box office. Among the 6000 plus Oscar voters, it is very unlikely that all of them have the same views on what makes a film the ‘best’. Shamefully there are a lot of politics involved in the selection process for the nominees and for the winners. It is also unlikely that we will be seeing “Avengers: Age of Ultron” or “Jurassic World” at next years Oscars.

lose the magic that made the spy genre so much fun. I’m looking at you, “November Man.” The action in this movie is so much fun to watch. I’m pretty sure I was smiling like a little kid throughout the whole thing. Director Matthew Vaughn has simply created a new film franchise that I am thoroughly excited to see. I’ve never had much interest in spy films, but this movie has completely reinvigorated the genre for me. It’s just a shame that this movie got thrown into the black hole months for movies, but it had some serious competition for summer blockbusters. If this had come out last year it would have come out in the middle of summer and made a lot more money. Now it sits behind “Fifty Shades of Grey” at the box office which I imagine is a bit like fine Mexican cuisine sitting behind a burnt down Taco Bell. Overall, this film was so much fun. Walking the tight line between cheesy and hilarious, “Kingsman: The Secret Service” did just enough to sit well with me. Already 2015 is off to a good start at the movies and I would give this film 4 out of 5 stars and remind everyone that it is playing at the local theater. Do yourself a favor and go see it.

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the the Clarion larion Senior Staff Editor in Chief . . . . Sam Blakley Managing Editor . . . Joshua Cole Copy Editor . . . . . . Kayla Leed Opinion . . . . . . . . Gabby Smith Arts & Life . . . . . . Alex Webster Sports . . . . . . . . Savannah Cox Campus News . . . . Burton Hodges Staff Photogrpher(s) . Ashley Lowe . . . . . . . . . . . . Sarah Fonger Faculty Advisor . . . . John B. Padgett Other Staff

Hannah Cook Lizzie Graham Andrew Gunnin Michael Heiskell Jule Hermann

Jordan Laws Calum McAndrew Sami Quri Casey Whitmire

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.

All correspondence should be mailed to: The Clarion, Brevard College, One Brevard College Drive, Brevard, NC 28712, or send E-mail to [email protected] www.brevard.edu/clarion  Letters Policy: The Clarion welcomes letters to the editor. We reserve the right to edit letters for length or content. We do not publish anonymous letters or those whose authorship cannot be verified. E-mail: [email protected].