Donal O’Shea at this year’s student awards eremony, where he proudly listed all of the notable “non-academic” activities that students participate in on campus.

President Donal O’Shea summed up his first year at New College in one word, “Wonderful.” Citing the Bacon Towne Meeting and watching the sunset out of his office window as two of his most memorable moments of the year, O’Shea is looking forward to the upcoming commencement ceremony, which will mark the end of his first full year as New College’s fifth president.

“I love the place,” O’Shea said. “And I love the students. I thought I would never love students as much as I love my Holyoke students, but the New College students are great – they are fantastic.”

Alongside the many good aspects the 2012-2013 term has offered, this past school year has had its share of challenges, including the death of a student and the resignation of many crucial staff members. Those departures include former Dean of Students Wendy Bashant, Director of Facilities Management and Construction Bob Mason, Director of Communications and Marketing Jake Hartvigsen and Associate Provost Raymonda “Ray” Burgman.

“There have been a lot of departures on staff and I hope it’s not me,” O’Shea joked. “I’m running people out!” He and his team have hired additional faculty and staff, including a new executive director for the New College Foundation, Shannon Duvall who O’Shea believes will greatly increase revenue for the college.

“Any time somebody leaves is an opportunity,” he said. “I keep telling myself that as I am looking to try and restore some order,”

The sudden resignation of former Dean of Students Wendy Bashant has lead to one of these opportunities – a reinvestment in Student Services. O’Shea believes that Bashant’s departure has highlighted the “artificial divide” between the academic side of campus and the student side. The resignation of Dr. Burgman has also given O’Shea and his team the time to refocus the job of Associate Provost into a position more geared towards academic advising.

“It would be really good to improve academic advising and make sure that the student experience is more uniform … because New College is a tough place if you don’t have a good, easy relationship with your advisor,” O’Shea said. “So we should probably get someone in there that is really looking at advising overall and making sure that students have a team of advisors instead of [having] everything depend on your single advisor.”

O’Shea with NCSA Co-Presidents Samuel “Sam” Thornton (middle) and Daniel Ducassi (right) at a Towne Meeting where he has been an active partcipant.

Concerning the death of Taizo Pocsy, O’Shea stated that it was one of the biggest struggles he has had to endure this term.

“The death of a student is always awful,” he said. “It’s always hardest on those who are left behind. It’s hard on the students, it’s hard on the faculty and, of course, it’s hardest on their family. And I think that that put a damper on a lot of things. There’s no question, that was a challenge.”

Despite the unfortunate circumstances, O’Shea has been able to keep his head above water by implementing new programs and policies to help the campus become a better place to thrive in. These programs involve strides in grounds keeping, marketing and communications, academics and student retention.

“Academically this place is great, and we have made some strides on retention,” O’Shea added. “We’ll always lose some students because we’re tiny and we can’t offer everything but you don’t want to be losing people because they don’t feel welcome – that just shouldn’t happen.”

Though O’Shea feels that he has accomplished all that he wanted to in his first year, he already has many plans for next term. Due to the small cushion New College has in the budget, O’Shea is optimistic for next term’s prospects, which include possible collaborations between the other colleges in the area.

“I like the idea of closer collaboration with the other schools in the area, because it would create more opportunities for our students,” O’Shea said. “So we’re meeting together with the presidents of Ringling and USF Sarasota-Manatee and Eckerd and State College in early June to see if there are things we could cooperate on.”

Along with these schools, O’Shea hopes to be able to set up a program with the Asolo Theater and the Ringling Museum.

“It would be great if we could have some joint programs and some students could take courses,” he said. “There would be a lot more options for students.”

O’Shea is also in the process of finalizing a partnership with the Daughters for Life foundation, which would bring ten female-bodied students from the Middle East to study at New College.

“It would be great to have more international students,” he said. “It would at least diversify us internationally more, but we still have some challenges in diversity overall on campus.”

Additionally, though he does not have any specific plans in the works, O’Shea wants to find a way to renovate the Pei dorms and make some improvements to food services on campus in the next few years.

Overall, O’Shea, who lists traveling, college functions and math as activities he likes to engage in outside of the office, believes that his first year as president has gone considerable well.

“It’s hard to tell because no one tells you anything, they are nice to you so it could be awful and you don’t know it,” he said. “But on the whole it seems good.”

Demski has put twenty years into New College. He specialized in neurobiology and reproduction.

To many who know him, Dr. Leo Demski is an eccentric, brilliant, and talkative individual who profoundly and positively influenced the lives of many students at New College – including being a father to two alumni. Having taught here for two decades, he is known for his love of fishes, biopsychology, and, believe it or not, being a fantastic drummer and vibraphonist.

“If you ever sit down and talk to him, you’ll see he’s a drummer because he’ll start drumming some beat that’s only in his head,” Dr. Sandra Gilchrist, a friend and colleague, said.

One of the greatest marks he has made at New College is the influence he had in the construction of Pritzker Marine Laboratory and the Heiser Natural Sciences building. This was a tumultuous and contentious period for the school with clashes between the visions for the buildings and the fiscal reality.

“I value him as a professional colleague and he’s very willing to share his knowledge,” Gilchrist said. “I value him as a friend in terms of developing a professional life. In terms of teaching he’s done a lot with trying to help students understand the research education world and so that’s been interesting for me to observe.”

Dr. Demski is a graduate of the University of Miami in Ohio, and received his doctorate degree from the University of Rochester in New York. He met Dr. Alfred Beulig at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Demski was doing post-doctoral research and Beulig was a graduate student at City College and was part of a program that involved him in the museum.

“The chairman of the department of animal behavior at the museum was a scientist named Lester Aronson and he was Leo’s supervisor for his post-doc,” Beulig said. “He was doing brain stimulation studies and using the animals we had at the time – which I believe were cichlids – and it was kind of an extension of his doctoral work if I’m not mistaken. He evoked different kinds of behaviors by stimulating areas in the brain. That’s where we met.”

Demski was teaching at the University of Kentucky when Beulig invited him to Sarasota to apply for the Florsheim Chair, an endowed and rotating position. Having routinely visited Demski over the years, Beulig had previously brought him down to New College to give lectures. It was then decided that he would move down here and teach.

“He told me from time to time that he’d love to get back to the ocean and away from horses because his heart was in the sea,” Beulig said.

Demski has also worked with sharks and studied one of the very few great white shark brains at that time and then presented his research. He was the division chair of the Natural Sciences Division, and has participated with Dr. Gilchrist in a study abroad program in Honduras, which has gone on for about two decades.

“That was very, very important to have a colleague who shared basically the joy of being in that environment and the joy of seeing students get excited about it,” Gilchrist said. “He’s had a tremendous influence on the school and a lot of people.”

Even though he will be retired from teaching, Demski will still be writing and editing, and conducting research at New College.

“I’m glad I came to New College,” Demski said. “It gave me lots of opportunities. I think the people here are what makes the place special. I’m looking forward to still be part of the place.”

Demski echoes the sentiments of many leaving New College this month.

Mark Ulrikson’s “Adrift” was featured as the New Yorker magazine’s cover for May 2012.

When artist Mark Ulriksen was asked to design a cover about graduation for the New Yorker, he thought about the notion of a big crowd of people all faced with the same situation at the same time. This led him to consider what other kinds of big crowds people see when they get together for the same purpose. For Ulrikson, it was penguins. They are “adrift,” just like this year’s graduating class.

It’s this same theme of venturing into the unknown that the student commencement speaker, thesis student Brittani “Brie” McLemore, will focus on in her address.

“There is that whole question of what are you going to do after you graduate,” McLemore said. “I think that’s something I don’t think a lot of us have answers for yet. My speech talks about that and how it’s kind of okay if you don’t have it completely figured out. It’s about just trusting that New College gave us the tools to figure it out some day.”

It has been several years since a student has been a commencement speaker, but third-year Michael “Mike” Long suggested to have one this year. During the fall semester, students were asked to nominate graduating students to speak at graduation.

“When they first asked me to confirm, I thought it was a joke,” McLemore said. “Every year they nominate a student to be the [main] commencement speaker and it’s always a joke and never serious so I said ‘yes’ not realizing it wasn’t a joke.”

Six of the students that were nominated presented a “rough draft” of their speeches at the Four Winds Café this past April.  McLemore was one of the few who did not have a prepared speech, but improvised it. After Novocollegians voted for who they wanted to be their student representative speaker via online survey, McLemore was chosen. She has yet to find out who initially nominated her, but appreciated that someone trusted her with that task.

McLemore saw the opportunity as a way to give back to the student body and the people she had known since day one of orientation.

“There’s a common thing that we all have to face and that’s the question of ‘what do we do now?’” she continued. “There’s a lot of boredom involved and excitement and being scared. We all can relate to that.”

Thesis student Brittani “Brie” McLemore was chosen by Novocollegians as this year’s student representative commencement speaker.

Judge Charles E. Williams, who will give the keynote address at commencement, related to this same mixed bag of feelings.

“It’s always an exciting and scary experience,” Williams said. “There’s a lot of anxiety and apprehension but for the most part, an overall good feeling.”

He added that graduates should embrace those feelings – anxiety and all – and turn it into “positive energy.” According to Williams, young graduates have a lot of years ahead of them and a lot of opportunities available.

“Now we are in a real international world,” he said. “There are opportunities globally. That’s something relatively new. If I were a graduate, I would certainly start looking globally. It’s a really great opportunity to see the world.”

This will be his first commencement address at the college level. Williams, who usually speaks to younger audiences, said a common theme that runs through all his speeches is to never stop educating yourself.

“The learning process is a lifelong process,” Williams said. “Things dealing with public service and the commitment to help others are also constant themes regardless whether I’m addressing people at the college level or at even the high school or elementary level.”

Williams is part of the 12th Judicial Circuit of Florida, where he has been presiding over Sarasota County civil cases for 16 years. During his years living in Sarasota, he has become impressed by New College.

“It’s national, even international, reputation… speaks for itself,” Williams said. “The first thing you think of when you think of New College students is obviously how bright and intelligent they are. My impression is that they are free thinkers who will chart their own path.”

When President Donal O’Shea asked Williams to give this year’s commencement speech, he felt humbled and recognized the fact that the majority of graduates will have no recollection of the commencement address. Williams, who mostly recalled the events surrounding his undergraduate commencement, said, “hopefully, at least for the short term, there will be a memory of what I say.”

McLemore encouraged everyone to attend commencement whether you know someone graduating or not.

“Even though it’s such a small school, there are barely any events that bring everyone together,” she said. “Everyone should come out just to see what it’s like. It’s way different than any graduation that any other college does. There’s always something exciting.”

This year’s commencement will take place on Friday, May 24 at the Bayfront. 

Information for this article was taken from newyorker.com

“Iron Man 3” opened May 5, 2013 as the second largest box office hit of all time. In 10 days the movie had reached over $280 million. Although “The Great Gatsby” premiered with a strong $51.1 million this past weekend, “Iron Man 3” continued to reign supreme, drawing in over $72 million for its second weekend.

With the release of “Iron Man 3,” Marvel completed the first movie series developed as part of Phase One of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and introduced the world to Phase Two. The 2008 release of “Iron Man” introduced Robert Downey Jr. as “genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist” Tony Stark, a role that helped set a precedent for all superhero movies thereafter. This final installment, however, deviates at least slightly from the usual superhero norm – instead of developing the scope and power of Iron Man, audiences follow the internal struggles of Tony Stark.

As the first Marvel follow-up to the hugely successful cinematic venture that was “The Avengers,” “Iron Man 3” had more to live up to than most finales in a trilogy. And for the most part, I would say it delivers.

“Iron Man 3” finds Downey’s Stark in a rather humanizing position than any other of his film appearances. In the wake of the massive alien attack on New York and his fall through a wormhole, Stark is experiencing crippling panic attacks and PTSD. A threat made to the bin Laden-esque super villain The Mandarin (Sir Ben Kingsley) further exacerbates his problems when Stark is stripped of his gadgets, gizmos and house after the terrorist attacks him at home.

The film, instead of following the quintessential superhero format, is reminiscent of a detective movie. Stark begins investigating a series of explosions linked to The Mandarin, which also are connected to Stark’s past.

Instead of portraying his usual unrepentant self, Stark is forced to face “demons of his own creation” in the form of rival industrialist and genius Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce), who may or may not be The Mandarin’s benefactor, and former flame Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall).

Gwenyth Paltrow more than shines in her continuing role of Pepper Potts. She has remained the CEO of Stark Industries, despite resigning at the end of “Iron Man 3,” and is shown to be a capable and ethical leader. Her relationship with Stark is all too human – they are both forced to deal with Stark’s PTSD, like many other couples – and her character’s growth over the three movies is more than self-evident.

Surprising for many is that “Iron Man 3” actually passes the Bechdel Test, the benchmark created by cartoonist Alison Bechdel to gauge gender bias in entertainment by asking three simple questions: Is there more than one female character? Do they talk to each other? Is it about something other than a man?

In fact, “Iron Man 3” passes with flying colors. Potts and Hansen’s characters are integral to the movie, and Hansen’s role is practically the driving force behind the entire narrative. The two women are both unapologetically aware of who they are – or were – Stark’s life and they do not dwell on him at all. Instead, the pinnacle of their interaction comes into play with a conversation on the ethical implications of scientific and industrial development.

Director and co-writer Shane Black did what everyone hoped he would be able to – he created a movie that grew from the successes and failures of the previous two. Instead of attempting to do a smaller scale “Avengers” movie, with action at every turn and little plot to contend with, Black was able to seamlessly meld fiction into the Marvel Universe reality.

There were of course plot holes (where did the Norse Gods go? And why didn’t Stark ask for help from S.H.I.E.L.D. to deal with The Mandarin?), but those have become as much a part of any mega-movie as the story itself. They are endearing, really, and what is a superhero movie without the inherent need to suspend disbelief?

To say any more would reveal too much, and for those who have avoided the online spoilers, there are many surprises in store. Overall, this movie receives a stro

Kaitlyn Collins (left) and her fiancée Stacy Greene are both leaving New College to
pursue grad school at Simmons College in the fall.

“I spent a little time, a little while ago, up north,” Community Life Coordinator (CLC) and alumna Katy Collins (’06), said about her upcoming move to Boston, Massachusetts. “I definitely wasn’t prepared for the cold then. I didn’t own the right cold weather clothes and I was freezing the entire time. This time, my fiancée and I are prepared. We’ve bought all of our gear to escape the cold and I think that we will be ok. The weather certainly is different there, so we’ll see. I think it will be worth the cold.”

Collins, who has been a CLC since 2010, will be resigning from her position to attend a graduate program at Simmons College in Boston with her fiancée. Acknowledging that her time working at New College has been valuable, she maintains that this decision is a necessary change of pace.

“Moving to the northeast seemed like a decision worth making,” Collins said. “My fiancée and I will be pursuing graduate work, and people up there might be more accepting of our relationship. We can be legally married and have children. It feels like we might be able to build a life there a little easier than we could in Florida. I think people will be generally more accepting.

“I really enjoy working at New College in the supportive position I am in, but it was not my ultimate plan to be in the coordinator position that I have now,” Collins reiterated. “My fiancée and I decided once were both accepted into the graduate program at Simmons that graduate school is necessary to further ourselves in our careers, ultimately.”

Before Collins became a CLC in 2010, she had been a Resident Advisor (RA) for three years, and two summers at New College. Collins mentioned that when she became a part of New College staff, there had been a lot of “live-on” positions that people had resigned from, and she was particularly fit for the job because of her alumna status.

“I sort of fell into a situation where I was really qualified for the position,” Collins said. “I had been in a similar job to the CLC position because I had been an RA, and I was already familiar with New College culture because I had just been a student here. Honestly, my position was a really young position when I came into it. The positions for coordinator that live on campus have only been around since about 2005, so it was actually a really new area of the school that I was coming into.”

In the three years that she has held her position as a CLC, Collins emphasized that she has grown close to her coworkers and that she will miss the supportive position that she had at the New College while she is pursuing her dreams at Simmons College.

“I’ve honestly just had a lot of fun as a CLC,” Collins said. “I especially appreciate having been able to have such a casual relationship with all of the people that I work with. They are really wonderful. I will really miss them. They are probably my favorite part about this job.”

The registrar’s office, located in Palmer D, helps thesis student Anne-Sophie Stabler.

When Kathleen Killion, the Dean of Enrollment Services and Information Technology, sent out a school-wide email announcing Registrar Lynn Lynch’s resignation, many students and faculty were left wondering what had spurred this decision in a time where a knowledgeable and organized Registrar is needed most. Though Lynch declined to comment, Killion and the staff in Enrollment Services are confident that Acting Registrar Marta Moreno can handle the influx of work during this busy time of year.

Moreno, who was formerly the Executive Assistant for Enrollment Services became effective as Acting Registrar on May 13. Fortunately she, along with the rest of the staff in Enrollment Services have been prepared for an occasion such as this and expect the shift to be “seamless.”

“We’re very much – in Enrollment Services – cross trained for events like this,” Moreno said. “There are several of us that know how to do a lot of different things so we can always step in and pitch in whenever it’s needed.”

Enrollment Services is comprised of the Admissions, Financial Aid and the Registrar offices. Moreno has been working at New College for nearly three years. Originally, before she became the Executive Assistant of Enrollment Services eight months ago, she started out as an application reader for the Admissions office and then later became the Campus Visit Coordinator. Through these positions, Moreno was able to meet and develop relationships with many students.

“I think what excites me the most, or what I find most appealing, is that I will be able to be a part of the long life of the student as opposed to Admissions where we only work with the student for a couple of months,” Moreno said.  “Now I will have the opportunity to work with the student for four years.”

Moreno was flattered when offered the Acting Registrar appointment. She added that if she turns out to be a good fit for the job – after having a discussion with the administrative staff – she would like to pursue the position on a more permanent basis.

“I’m very excited,” Moreno said. “I think I can contribute to the wellbeing of the institution. I love New College, I believe in it.”

Associate Dean of Enrollment Sonia Wu (’81) will be aiding Moreno with the workload by taking up the graduation auditing, a task she partook in last year when former Registrar Kathy Allen retired.

“I think it’s going to be fairly smooth, really,” Wu said. Killion also believes that Wu will be able to handle this new workload with ease.

“Sonia knows everything there is to know about the college,” Killion added.

Additionally, the Registrar hired two Other Personnel Services (OPS) employees to help with the extra registrar and liaison work.

“Essentially we are providing students with services from admission until they graduate, so we have a close relationship,” Killion said. She is going to use Lynch’s resignation as an opportunity to restructure Enrollment Services. One of the goals of the restructuring is to move the awarding of transfer credits to the Admissions Office, so students will know how many credits they were allocated right when they apply. These plans will be completed over the summer so they will not affect the office’s normal operations.

The staff in Enrollment Services will also be working this summer to make some improvements to the Student Evaluation System (SES). Killion, who feels that the current system is “clunky,” would like to add new features in the future, such as an automatic credit counter. This will hopefully make the system easier to use. Though SES is useful for the Registrar staff, Moreno believes that there are some negative aspects to the system as well.

“I know that moving to the more electronic process, using the SES and going to the website, has sort of cooled communication, something was lost in translation,” Moreno said. “I know quite a few of the students so I think that will help me bridge that gap and I want to make sure that they know that our doors are always opened and they are always welcome and we’ll try to help them out as much as possible.”

The last Palm Court Party – the last day of the spring semester – occurs on Friday, May 24. Two days later, kicking off the summer season, Netflix will be unveiling the fourth season of “Arrested Development,” the Emmy Award-winning, fan-favorite sitcom that aired its last season back in 2006. All episodes will be available at once.

That day will also feature the premiere of HBO’s highly-anticipated television film “Behind the Candelabra,” which stars Oscar winners Michael Douglas and Matt Damon and depicts the five-year relationship between Liberace and his lover, Thorson. Oscar winning director Steven Soderbergh helmed the film in what is rumored to be his final picture.

Other television highlights, following the eventful May 26, include John Oliver temporarily taking over for Jon Stewart on “The Daily Show” (June 10), the new season of the highly-rated “True Blood” (June 16), the final season of “Dexter” (June 30), and perhaps the most awaited return, the last eight episodes of Emmy-winner “Breaking Bad” (August 11).

Movies

Unlike summer television, known for niche cable programming, cinema in the offseason is known for box office giants, and that trend looks to continue starting with the new Superman film, “Man of Steel” (June 14), which features big name actors like Russell Crowe and Amy Adams. Other notable blockbusters include the Channing Tatum-led “White House Down” (June 28) and “The Wolverine” (July 26), with Hugh Jackman reprising his role once again.

Animated favorites from years past are returning with sequels, too – “Monsters University” (June 21), the sequel to “Monsters Inc.,” “Despicable Me 2” (July 3), and “The Smurfs 2” (July 30).

Big comedies set to debut include “The Internship” (June 7) with Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson – reteaming after “Wedding Crashers” – and “This is the End” (June 12) a comedy that stars James Franco, Paul Rudd, Seth Rogen and other celebrities as fictional versions of themselves.

Lower-budget, more critically-acclaimed fare set to premiere during the summer includes “Fruitvale Station” (July 12), which won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival; “The Bling Ring” (July 14), Sofia Coppola’s newest film starring Emma Watson; and “Laurence Anyways” (June 28), the picture that won the Jury Prize last month here at the Sarasota Film Festival.

Music

Coming off of his critically acclaimed album, “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” in 2010, Kanye West’s newest album leads the pack in this summer’s music offerings. His yet-to-be-titled album is tentatively scheduled for a June 18 release.

Many popular artists are back in the game this summer as well, including – but certainly not limited to – John Legend (June 25), Laura Marling (May 28), Primal Scream (June), and the 20-year old Wu-Tang Clan (July, tentatively).

Theater

In the world of theatre, Neil Patrick Harris will be hosting the Tony Awards for the third consecutive year on June 8. Actors nominated for awards this year include Tom Hanks and Cicely Tyson. Nora Ephron, the now-deceased screenwriter of hits like “When Harry Met Sally,” is posthumously nominated for her final play, “Lucky Guy.”

Sports

If more inclined to check out summer sports, Major League Baseball (MLB) will dominate ESPN and the like, as the National Basketball Association wraps up the playoffs in early summer and the National Football League prepares to start in August. Events like the All-Star game, the Trade Deadline and Interleague Play will keep MLB fans busy.

Sarasota

Opportunities are aplenty for anyone staying in Sarasota, as the community promises a great number of events this summer.

Starting it all off will be the Sarasota Music Festival from June 3-22. A nationally-recognized event, the Festival brings together guest musicians and the most talented students from all over the world. It is presented by the Sarasota Orchestra.

For foodies, the Savor Sarasota Restaurant Week should be an immediate draw. For two weeks in June, casual and top-notch restaurants across Sarasota participate in providing three-course meals at reasonable rates. In other words, it is the best time for students to experience the finest cuisine in Sarasota.

Craft festivals are also held in June, and can be found on St. Armand’s Circle or in Downtown Venice. Each run for two days, featuring jewelry, ceramics and fine art up for sale or, for the student on a budget, a nice look.

Fourth of July in Sarasota is characterized by the Suncoast Super Boat Grand Prix, in which visitors from around the globe join in a boat parade, watch exciting powerboat races and watch the spectacular Fourth of July Fireworks Celebration at Island Park.

The Asolo Repertory Theatre will also end its season with “My Brilliant Divorce,” an acclaimed comedy that will air throughout June.

No matter where summer is taking NCF students, there appears to be a place that anyone can escape to – the movie theatre, the baseball field, and for those sticking around, the vibrant Sarasota community.

Sarasota has put up signs reminding pedestrians and motorists that panhandling on major roadways is now illegal in the city due to an ordinance enacted on April 29.

A new law prohibiting panhandling and soliciting along major roadways and intersections in Sarasota went into effect on April 29.

The ordinance had been sitting on the drafting table for months. Back in February of this year, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) shot down a preliminary draft for, in their view, specifically targeting the homeless population.

In January, the ACLU sued the city of Sarasota for their previous panhandling law and filed an injunction prohibiting further panhandling arrests for 60 days, claiming the law infringed on the free speech rights of the homeless population.

Under the new law, in addition to panhandling, selling newspapers on street corners as well as the annual “Fill the Boot” fundraising campaign, led by local firefighters, would be prohibited. Advertisers will still be able to wave their signs – the violation only comes into play if there is an interaction between motorist and pedestrian. Panhandling on sidewalks is allowed for now but city officials intend to address that caveat in a meeting later this month.

Signs have been posted to warn motorists and potential panhandlers. Sarasota police officers were instructed to first warn violators and later ticket or arrest those who continue panhandling.

Mayor Suzanne Atwell called it “a big victory for the city” and said this was not “a homeless problem but a safety issue.” Others, like third-year Nicholas “Niko” Segal-Wright were inclined to disagree.

“It’s just another form of classism,” Segal-Wright said. “It’s a way of limiting the mobility of the homeless population.”

Segal-Wright, who is writing his thesis on the criminalization of the homeless and has talked with countless displaced individuals in Sarasota, said his interviewees expressed intentions of getting around such laws.

“One guy told me [the ordinance] would just increase petty thefts,” Segal-Wright said.

According to other interviewees, since it is technically legal for drivers to voluntarily offer money, some homeless individuals restrict themselves to carrying signs stating “I’m hungry” and allowing good Samaritans to interpret that as an outreach for charity, as an alternative to breaking the law by asking for donations outright.

Segal-Wright rejects the notion that panhandling is a safety hazard, stating that jaywalking is just as dangerous and a lot more common, yet penalties for this behavior are rarely imposed.

Michael Barfield, legal chairman for the Sarasota chapter of the ACLU called the new law “flatly unconstitutional.” The ACLU intends to keep tabs on the enforcement of the new ordinance to gauge whether the law infringes on the rights of the homeless.

City officials are confident that the new law will withstand any legal challenges. They hope to model its enforcement after a similar ordinance that was successfully enacted in St. Petersburg three years ago. The Tampa Bay area is currently working on its own set of panhandling restrictions.

Despite the backlash from social justice groups, Sarasota residents have responded favorably to the ordinance.

“It’s about time,” Benny, who declined to give his last name, said. “Panhandling has gotten out of hand in Sarasota.” Benny has been a resident of the city for 47 years.

Others agree with Mayor Atwell’s concerns.

“It’s a traffic hazard for one thing,” Charlie, a resident of Sarasota since 1954 who also declined to give his last name, said.

The first arrest made headlines on May 2 when 28-year-old Jason Babb was taken into custody by police. According to records, this was Babb’s 31st arrest for similar grievances.

Dr. Nathan White pictured above.

In the field of psychology, women earning doctoral degrees outnumber men three to one. Next year, the New College Counseling and Wellness Center (CWC) will feel the impact of this statistic as they lose their only male counselor.

Dr. Nathan White served the CWC for two years as he completed his Post-Doctoral Fellowship. In those two years, he was the only male counselor on staff. After this semester he will be leaving to start his own private practice in Sarasota.

When the CWC performed a search for a replacement for Dr. White, no male candidates applied to the posting. The new Post-Doctoral Fellow, Dr. Nancy Zlatkin, will be starting in the fall term 2013.

Students have expressed concern that the lack of a male counselor may make “For some individuals the only counselors that they feel comfortable with are male counselors,” Elizabeth Sockol, second-year student, said. “That means we’re going to be leaving a percentage of the student body unattended to.”

Anne Fisher, program director at the CWC, understood students’ concerns, but expressed that, “… it may be possible that we are not able to get a male [for next year].”

“Of the utmost importance is the person’s ability as a counselor,” Fisher said. “Of course, if it is possible to hire someone who brings a different perspective to the Center (and gender, ethnicity, race, etc. may be part of this), I am happy to do so.”

Due to the lack of male applicants for the Post-Doctoral position, hiring a male candidate was simply not an option. Though in the fall, it is possible that a male practicum student may be placed at the CWC.

“Pre-doctoral practicum students do not get placed until the summer… so we are hoping for a male counselor from that process!” Fisher said.

Despite student concern, Fisher pointed out that, “the vast majority of data shows that gender of therapist does not affect psychotherapy outcome.”

Triathletes gathered their gear from the staging area after completing the Florida International Triathlon on May 5.

With consistent sunshine and an almost tropical atmosphere, the city of Sarasota is an ideal place to showcase outdoor sports. Nathan Benderson Park, a local 600 acre sporting compound aside a 500-acre man-made lake that has been under construction since 2008, aims to become one of the largest venues for paddle sports, triathlons, and open water swimming in the southeast.

The complex at Nathan Benderson Park is expected to include an island where a boathouse, athletic training center, and grandstand will be accessible to spectators and athletes alike. Playground and fishing areas, as well as boat launching areas, are in the construction plans as well to make the park more accessible to the general public. Though still under heavy construction, the park has been the first sporting compound to become familiar to the rowing community of Florida. More than 20 rowing regattas that have been hosted at the park since its opening in 2009.

Rowers cooled down next to construction equipment after finishing the Florida Scholastic Rowing Sweeps State Championship Regatta.

First-year Garret Murto visited the course May 27 and 28 to support his sister at the Florida Scholastic Rowing Sweeps State Championship Regatta. Murto, who had the opportunity to frequent the course throughout his high school rowing career, acknowledged that venue had changed drastically since his time on the water.

“The course itself is not that much different than it has been for the past two years,” Murto said. “Where the boats are and where all the people who are attending the event are is on a completely different part. They’ve finally built the island that they’ve been talking about building for the past few years. That made the racing experience completely different.

Murto commented that during his experiences at the park spectators were placed on the opposite side of the lake, where they were forced to view the races from the high bank. During this arrangement the area for the main tents, where all the spectators were, was far removed from the finish line. This made viewing the results of the rowing races difficult.

Temporary signs direct rowers from their boat trailers to the dock at the Florida Scholastic Rowing Sweeps State Championship Regatta on May 28.

The island that is now sanctioned for spectators is just the beginning of the costly changes that are expected at the park. Signs at the racecourse course promise that this area that will later be referred to as “Regatta Island.” It is described as an “Olympic Village type setting” and will include luxuries like a “jumbotron.” During recent events, the island has been home to various food and clothing vendors, as well as a makeshift scoring and hospitality tent.

Hoping to expand the breadth of events at the park, Nathan Benderson Park hosted its first triathlon on Sunday, May 5 – the Florida International Triathlon. Previously held at Siesta Public Beach, the event marked the beginning of triathlon culture at the complex, and acted as a trial run for the park, which hopes to host an Olympic qualifying triathlon race in the upcoming years. Jeff Dyrdek, National Events Coordinator for the United States of American Triathlon Organization (USAT), said in an e-mail that Nathan Benderson Park seemed like a promising destination for a World Cup Triathlon, and that it might just be a matter of construction being finished.

Still, with more construction ahead, the park that is already poised to be a beacon for sporting competitions in the southern United States trudges forward in its plans for further expansion and renown. A sporting venue of this size will certainly draw a crowd, but the question remains: will the crowds match the multi million dollar budget brokered for the construction of the park, and the 20 million dollars worth of construction that has yet to be completed?

Parked cars were lined up for miles at the Regatta.

Vicki Vega, Vice President of Small Business and Innovation in the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, seems confident that years of construction that it has taken, and will continue to take, to bring to the plans for the park to fruition are worth the benefits that will be brought to the community.

“Sports and recreation are huge economic drivers for our region,” Vega said in an e-mail interview. “The rowing facility is a magnet that will create good jobs for our residents for years to come. It’s a strong stimulus for good growth while creating a welcoming community spirit. At the same time it provides athletes from near and far with a place to compete, it provides great leisure opportunities for residents of all ages.”

While Vega seems optimistic about the promise of further expansion of the park in the future, Murto remains skeptical about its organization.

“I feel like the course itself has great potential to be a great racing area,” Murto said. “It’s just a matter of if the area around the park could support a national event. I think what they’re planning to do in the shopping center next to the course is bring in more culinary diversity, I guess. It would make sense because those restaurants make a lot of money off of rowers. Parking is also a big thing. I’ve never been to another course of [Nathan Benderson Park’s] size, but the parking situation is also a mess. If you want a lot of people to be at your event you need to have parking for them.”