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A blog dedicated to Randolph's opinions and preferences.

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The Organic Garden Grows With Help From A New National Wildlife Federation Grant

While it’s springtime that normally has everyone buzzing about the Organic Garden, this fall the garden has been a budding topic of conversation — pun intended. The garden has recently been awarded a fellowship with the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), one of the largest nonprofit organizations in the United States currently working to conserve the country’s wildlife through both education and support, in order to fund the college’s own edible perennial nursery. The fellowship was awarded to only twenty-one individuals and institutions across the country and includes a grant of 2,000 dollars as well as leadership development services for those involved with each project.

            Ludovic Lemaitre, the Sustainability Coordinator here at Randolph, has been the driving force behind the College’s nursery project and is the reason the College has received the fellowship: he applied to the NWF and is now acting as the organization’s main contact with the College. Besides being “super excited” about the project, he thinks that “[the fellowship] is very good news for the College, [as it is] a unique project for this region.”

An edible perennial nursery acts in the same way that a human nursery does: it provides space for young plants to grow, from the garden’s own seedlings directly and from other transplanted specimens alike. Once the plants have had time to mature, they can be transplanted into other gardens and homes. In this way, the nursery will provide not only Randolph, but also the greater Lynchburg community access to a variety of plant species, which can then be spread throughout the area. A special feature of this particular nursery is that it is an edible perennial nursery; this means that each plant grown in the nursery is edible, both to humans and wildlife, promoting sustainable living practices as well as wildlife health, one of the main goals of the NWF.

Some plants that will be grown in the nursery include the American persimmon, fig trees, and raspberry and blackberry vines. Elizabeth Dean (’16) and Sarah Sirker (’17), two members of the college community, have helped the project by starting to clear out an area to the right of the Organic Garden. Nevertheless, there is still much to do, such as continuing the clearing of debris, fencing the area, and then actually propagating the new plant species. The project should appeal not only to plant-lovers, but also to those interested in working with nonprofit organizations, as the NWF is the project’s main sponsor. Those wishing to volunteer are encouraged to contact Ludo at [email protected]. 

-Grace Gardiner ('15)

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Passport Program

Last year saw the introduction of the Passport Program:  a mandatory first year course that aimed to help the new students learn information and gain skills that would benefit them in their college careers. Given that it was the first year of the program, it was by no means perfect, and there were some kinks to work out. Nevertheless, it has been brought back again this year for the class of 2017.

          Of course, the faculty wanted to know more about students’ reactions to the Passport Program. Upon speaking to Kim Sheldon, Director for Student Success, it was explained that a survey was sent out to all of the first years for the sake of gathering feedback. Sheldon had hoped to get a majority of the students in response, but at the end she said that there was, roughly, a 40% participation rate.

          Still, 40% of the first years was a sizable portion, and the committee went about sorting through their responses and gauging their feelings. They received a wide range of opinions, suggestions, and criticisms, all of which were taken to heart. Sheldon and her fellow committee members began work on changing what students found troubling and perfecting the rest.

          So what significant changes have come about? There is now a Passport “dashboard” section of the portal in which first year students can check what they have completed and what needs completion, as well as a list of upcoming events they can attend. This was not present last year, leaving students to keep track on their own with a Passport booklet that they got stamped at events, or to ask a faculty member involved with the program. The booklet has now been phased out completely in favor of this dashboard. The Pawpass check-in system remains in place, however, and has been upgraded to be managed more efficiently. There is also an improved indexing system that can be searched more easily.

          In addition, there has been an emphasis on making the program less of a hassle for students. According to Sheldon, a huge issue during the spring semester of last year was the completion of assignments related to Passport events. It seemed that many students neglected to do their assignments, which often required them to sign into Moodle after the event itself. There was much procrastination amongst the student body in relation to these follow-ups.

          This year, to solve that issue, more Passport events are planned to have an assignment completed on-site, rather than after the fact. This saves everyone time and trouble, as the students do not have to remember to complete the assignment later, and the faculty doesn't have to keep track of emailed assignments. Sheldon added, “Each student received a planner [this year] to help with the organization of coursework and other obligations.” The hope is that, with these new steps taken, there will be a far higher rate of assignment completion.

          Whilst the key ideas of the Passport Program remain, the methods of accomplishments have been tweaked. And they may well be tweaked further in the coming years, as more students give constructive criticism.

-Brandon Wood ('16)

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Maier’s Vietnamese Exhibit Aims To Tear Down Walls

War is never an easy topic to discuss. For those who live through strife, remembering can be agony; for those who are born on the remnants of it, forgetting is bliss. Forty years have passed since the last American troops left Vietnam. Forty years have passed since the first wave of Vietnamese immigrants entered the U.S. The war became a part of history: veterans resumed their old life while immigrants started new ones in a new land. People have moved on, or at least tried to. Everyone seems to be looking ahead to some future while the past is slipping away behind the walls of throbbing silence. These walls stand between the past and the present, the old and the young, the wounded and the unscarred. They stand between you and me. They are walls that need to be brought down to the ground so that we can begin to see each other’s culture. That is what the Maier’s 102nd annual exhibition, “Contemporary Vietnamerican Art”, aims to achieve.

The exhibition features the works of four Vietnamese American artists: Thomas Thuan Dang Vu, Pipo Nguyen-duy, Binh Danh, and An-My Le. They belong to a generation of Vietnamese immigrants who witnessed the ending years of Saigon, fled from their own country, and came to the U.S empty-handed.

The exhibition opened on September 5th and will run through December 9th, welcoming anyone in for a stroll. The art works, including paintings, photographs, photographs printed on leaves, and daguerreotypes, are of a great diversity; the exhibition ranges from abstract and surreal (Thomas Thuan Dang Vu, Lien Truong) to realist and experimental (An-My Le, Binh Danh).

For example, while the works of Thomas Thuan Dang Vu are best described as a trance filled with fragmented images of handmade toys, the ancestors’ altar, and folklore character intermingling with incongruent spaces of memories that are too painful to depict, those of An-My Le are photographs from the Vietnam War reenactments taking place in Central Virginia, which pay great attention to the tiniest detail in an effort to give an alternative account of history. Despite their different approaches, each of these artists is trying to tell their own stories about a war that is both over but not yet forgotten.

The artists exist simultaneously in two wholly different spheres, and they navigate in a space between Vietnam and America, war and peace, past and present, as well as between forgetting and remembering. Their perspectives are invaluable because they carry stories that are inaccessible for people like us, those who have spent the most part of their life in either Vietnam or America. In other words, they are the bridges that replace the walls of ignorance of which we are, unfortunately, unaware.

Martha Johnson, director of the Maier, expressed that, even though the exhibition was about the art, it also strived to spark off conversations and dialogues that went beyond the art itself so that Randolph students could come to know and learn from each other. “Here we are with these students, sitting next to each other in the classroom and the cafeteria,” she says. “What do they know about the other?”

“Bridges Not Walls” is the philosophy of Randolph’s Quality Enhancement Plan, which aims to encourage inter-cultural competency among students. However, exhibitions or excursions alone cannot tear down the long-established walls around the students; it is the dialogues that they are inspired to engage in that will make the difference. Come to the Maier, take a look at the artworks, and talk to the person right beside you. You never know what new perspectives you might discover behind someone else’s wall. 

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No Freshman Fifteen (or Senior) Here!

Getting yourself to work out is not always the easiest thing to do, especially as a college student. Between your busy schedule and the ever-increasing piles of homework, there just seems to be no time to remain active. All of those Cook-Out milkshakes and burgers aren’t exactly going to help either. Delicious and inexpensive, yes. Healthy, not so much. So I have compiled a list of things you and your friends can do to keep active and have fun, all within Lynchburg.

            First, if you haven’t been to the Black Water Creek Trail, you’re missing out on one of the best things that Lynchburg has to offer. Whether you would like to stay on the pavement, or venture off through the beautiful foot trails, it is a guarantee that you will never forget your experience. Situated on over 300 acres of forested terrain, the trail enables you to either bike—free of charge from the RC Bike Share Program—or walk or run. Nevertheless, the Black Water Creek Trail is not the only place you can run. In 2012, Lynchburg was voted “America’s friendliest community for runners.” It seems that you cannot drive anywhere in this town without seeing a runner. I understand that running isn’t exactly everyone’s favorite thing to do, but I challenge you to take advantage of the many places Lynchburg has designated for runners, especially if treadmills aren’t your preferred choice of exercise—or torture.

            Another, not so cardio-intensive idea includes the many options of yoga in downtown Lynchburg. There are two studios right down the street from each other, James River Yoga and Bikram Yoga Lynchburg. Both studios offer student discounts and will get you off campus for a bit to relax and to help keep your sanity in check during those extra-stressful weeks. Yoga will help clear your mind, and refocus: the little bit of exercise will go a long way.

            If you’re looking for something a little more exciting, I suggest RiseUp Climbing, Lynchburg’s own premier indoor rock climbing gym. You really can’t go wrong with this option because it is an excellent workout and is completely free. Randolph College has five memberships with the gym, so bring your student ID, and you are welcome to climb, free of charge. After an introduction session, you are welcome to hit the walls depending on your experience level. This activity is a bit more challenging, but it is also one that tests your strength in a myriad of ways.

            If you are looking for more than just a typical gym setting to get your heart rate up, I highly recommend any of these three options to help keep off those unwanted pounds. We all know how difficult it can be to stay healthy, but with a plethora of options right outside the Red Brick Wall, why not make some time to boost your health and explore Lynchburg at the same time?

 -Alyssa Denisco ('14)

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Internet, Why You So Slow??

This semester, fall 2013, has been running in full gear with great enthusiasm—or great terror for the seniors—“great” parties, and also a great number of complaints regarding the Internet connection. In fact, the IT Help Desk, with its dedicated team of IT wizards, has been receiving several worrisome calls and emails as well as having numerous sad faces come in to report Internet issues. Common complaints have been about the Internet running at the speed of a snail or suddenly dropping dead on some unfortunate souls who find themselves staring at the screen with the frustrating message “Unable to Connect to the Internet” just when they have papers or lab reports due the next day.

Although IT wizards do have supernatural powers to work miracles on your IT problems most of the time, on this certain case, they have just been sending you back to your dorm room with an Ethernet cable or a suggestion to use the guest network, assuring you that the problem is only temporary and that it will be resolved “soon.” And you wait, and wait, and wait in despair for the day that you and your beloved Internet can be reunited. But nothing seems to happen.

What is going on with the Internet this year? What on earth are these IT people doing? Are they really listening to me? Those may be some questions that you have when you wait impatiently for an improvement promised to you time and time again. As much as the happy-go-lucky look of these IT people may tempt you into thinking that they are slackers, they are actually working diligently to fix the Internet problem for you. An interview with Victor Gosnell, the Chief Technology Officer of Randolph College—who is renowned for his collection of cartoon ties and a “badass” Suzuki Boulevard M50, 800cc, motorcycle—and Daniel Cope, the Network Administrator—who manages almost everything about the school network—on Tuesday, October 8th, helped to clear the air and to shed light on what the IT people have been doing all this time to resolve the connection issue.

1.       What is going on with the Internet this year?

This fall, Randolph College welcomed its largest first-year class in 28 years—22o first-years in total—making the total enrollment a solid 685 students. A significant increase in the student body such as this one poses certain challenges to boarding as well as other aspects of college life, including Internet speed. The college’s network is heavily congested by the accelerating number of Internet users, each of whom possesses at least 3 web-enabled devices (smartphones, tablets, laptops, desktops, PS3, etc.) and spends at least 8 hours online. Moreover, the popular Netflix or other video-streaming sites are eating away the bandwidth, or the capacity, of the network to provide decent Internet service for everyone. 

2.       What are IT people doing to fix the problems?

To continue McLeod’s metaphor, they are making a bigger pie. However, this pie is a huge project, expected to cost half a million dollars and “guestimated” to be finished by fall 2014.

Specifically, the upgrading project consists of three phases: 1) installing more wireless Internet access points, which are round blinking devices mounted on the ceiling in the hallways; 2) separating the wireless network from the wired network; and 3) increasing our Internet connectivity from 100 Mbps to 200 Mbps.

Phase 1 of the planned Wi-Fi upgrade will be carried out in Bell Hall, planned to be executed over Winter Break. This upgrade will more than triple the number of Wi-Fi access points (APs) in Bell as well as increase AP speed. The new system will be 802.11n, as opposed to the current 802.11b\g system. The upgrade will also provide more than double the existing 54 Mbps bandwidth of the 802.11b\g access points currently there.

In addition to the benefits realized in Bell, other spaces on campus will also benefit, as IT distributes the APs removed from Bell to other locations on campus where signal strength may be currently less than optimal. The build-out will continue over the summer of 2014, and students will again realize improvements upon their return in the fall. 

When Phase 1 is done in Bell, there are going to be around 40-45 APs, which will definitely make life much better for these lucky Bell residents. For those who will still be struggling with Internet connection for a while and wondering why IT department does not install the APs all at once, Victor responded that “[w]e currently do not have enough funding to install these devices all at once, and we also cannot invade students’ space in the process of doing so. Therefore, we will work more on the installation during breaks and everything will be tackled step by step.”

While Phase 1 is very time-consuming due to the infrastructure upgrade, Phase 2 and 3 can be carried out in the office at a quicker pace. Currently, Victor has just come to an agreement with our Internet service provider to upgrade the network from 100 Mbps to 200 Mbps, the process of which will take about 90 days. So, you can expect to have faster internet speed after getting back from Winter Break. Lastly, if all works out as planned, Randolph students will have a robust, state-of-the-art network accessible to everyone in fall 2014.

3.       Are the IT people listening to me?

Yes. Always. At the end of each spring semester, the IT Department sends out a survey asking for your opinions regarding different aspects of technology on campus. The survey questions range from computers in the labs, library, and lounges, to wireless connection, the Portal, and the Help Desk. All of your comments will be read by Victor Gosnell, who will bring them up in discussions with the whole IT Department in order to make changes and provide you with a more fulfilling college experience. However, considering the network upgrading project, Victor Gosnell intends to do the survey at the end of this October, 2013, to gauge students’ opinions about technology on campus. Lastly, Victor also remarked that if you have any concerns, you can always email or talk to him directly. He is always willing to listen to the students.

-Phuong Tran 

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Restoring Respect: Students and Administration Revisit Alcohol and Party Policies

“Red cups and sweaty bodies everywhere, hands in the air like we don’t care.”  Thank you Miley Cyrus for putting into words what just about any large gathering of college students in the country looks like.  It was these same words that Randolph students were screaming at ‘Merica party the first Saturday back on campus this fall.  If you did not have the pleasure of joining the star-spangled, camo-clad masses at the MAC-sponsored dance on Septemeber  7th, then you missed not only one of the more epic parties we’ve experienced on this campus, but also the cataclysm that resulted in administration seriously rethinking campus-wide alcohol and party policies. 

            In the week following the ‘Merica party, the always churning Randolph rumor mill gave birth to some wildly untrue, albeit creative, stories about how Dean of Students Matha Thornton and her office might be dealing with alcohol and parties moving into the 2013-2014 school year. The first rumor we would like to dispel right off the bat is that Randolph College is not going to become a dry campus. So put down your pitchforks, legal ones; your fridge of watery beer is safe, just as long as it stays in your room and out of a funnel.

Now to address the second rumor that needs clearing up. MAC parties such as the Great Gatsby party, scheduled for the end of October, and Tacky Party and Fall Formal, set to happen at the beginning of November, are, at this point in time, still a go.  However, private parties, such as ones in Smith Bar, are being dealt with on a case-by-case basis.  The only change to the alcohol policy in the student handbook this year is a ban on drinking games, such as beer pong, and their paraphernalia, such as beer pong tables, for all students, regardless of age.  This has been enacted not only to encourage responsible alcohol consumption, but also to ensure the school will not be held liable if the participation in a drinking game leads to, say, a broken arm during a Dell run.

After receiving an email from Dean Thornton with the subject line, “Expectations Regarding Respect,” on the Wednesday following the ‘Merica party, many students were very confused as to what actually happened at the party that left administration so concerned about our well being and behavior. In an effort to promote transparency, we sat down with both Dean Thornton and newly appointed Assistant Dean of Students, Ben Foster, and asked each to elaborate on what was meant by an unacceptable “level of disrespect and disregard. “

The concerns reported back to Dean Thornton from staff at the party included students showing up visibly intoxicated; students getting onstage and being rude to staff members, who asked them to get down; students getting in a verbal altercation; and students using obscene gestures when asked to show their Pawpass upon entering the event. We also learned that the most unsettling rumor — the admittance of a presumed homeless man to the dance, who then proceeded to try to sell alcohol from his bag to students — turned out to be true.  These incidents, in combination with racist remarks from Randolph fans at the previous night’s men’s soccer game, led to DOS temporarily suspending all parties, public and private, until its staff could come up with a way to better control the crowds at large campus events. 

             Although the events the first weekend back prompted much of the conversation currently happening between students and administration, the class of 2014 has been hollering about changing the school’s alcohol policies since the end of last year when we found out there would no longer be senior-only living spaces available for the 2013-2014 year.  In an open forum with students on Thursday September 26th, even Dean Thorton admitted that many of the policies in the student handbook were unclear and could use revision.  At that same meeting, as well as in a one-on-one interview earlier in the week, Dean Thornton expressed a keen desire to work out new policies as a community and made it clear that she wants it to be a campus conversation: “My goal is for you guys to be safe, but to have fun on campus…[W]e’ve got to do this together.” 

            In the next few weeks, we can expect the creation of a student committee, which will sit down, with limited administration involvement, and come up with reasonable solutions to the problems with the current alcohol policy and party contracts.  The conversation will primarily revolve around the creation of a space or spaces on campus where students 21 years and older can drink while still being in the presence of underage students. Ideally, these policies will be in place by Homecoming weekend, the 25th of October. 

Moving forward, any student can help the situation by staying informed and staying safe. Read your emails, come to town hall and Student Government meetings when you can: be an active participant in the change you want to see on campus.  Otherwise, don’t complain when the newly established policies are not to your liking. After all, as Miley so eloquently puts it: “This is our house, this is our rules, and we can’t stop, and we won’t stop.” 

-Kendall Trewin and Alyssa Denisco ('14) 

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"Wait, How Many People Go To Your School?"

People usually do a double take, use a few choice words of surprise, ask me if I know everyone and look at me like they want me to rattle off the entire college directory when I tell them that I attend a school of around 600 students. As many of you know, Randolph was formerly a very prominent woman’s college founded in 1891. Because of this, the school still boasts a ton of history and traditions.  However, this also means that the transition to a co-educational institution seven years ago brought with it smaller incoming classes.

   I chose to give this little school a shot, in all honesty, because they had a fantastic varsity equestrian program and gave me a pretty sizeable academic scholarship package. (Take note, parents and high school students: small private schools typically offer better financial aid, are more open to negotiation, and, eventually, may end up costing less than a state school). My concerns going in were that it was going to be too small.  Too small in the sense that everyone knows your business and no businesses know you. Turns out that the latter ended up being more of a concern than the former. 

                  My worry that going to a small liberal arts school would make me uncompetitive in the job market was somewhat alleviated when I received the email from Waggener Edstrom, asking to set up a phone interview regarding the summer internship I had applied for months earlier.  I was told about the internship by a friend who subsequently sent along sample resumes of people who had previously applied and had been accepted.  The one thing that I noticed about all of the other applicants was that they all went to large universities. Upon recognizing this, I was convinced that large universities gave their students more opportunities to build their resumes with extensive extra-curriculars and projects simply because they had a wider pool of resources.  I was convinced that I had made a grave error in my choice of schooling, but I applied nonetheless. 

                  It wasn’t until I actually completed my first phone interview that I realized I had been a bit over-dramatic.  While it is true that large universities do offer students more resources, it does not necessarily mean that students from small liberal arts schools don’t bring anything to the table.  The whole point of a liberal arts education is to learn across subjects and ultimately draw connections between all the classes you are taking, even if they are as different as Evolutionary Biology and Renaissance Drama. After your four years, you are expected to graduate with a diverse understanding of the world around you stemming from the knowledge of how science, math, art, history, media, politics and literature fit into it. 

                  After I hung up the phone, took a few deep breaths, and immediately called my mom to tell her that all of her money spent on schooling might actually glean some tangible results, I realized that the interview had actually gone really well.  I never found myself at a loss for words, and none of the questions I was asked provoked a deer-in-the-headlights-like response.  I was able to pull from all corners of my background to give thoughtful and creative answers, and I never felt uneasy speaking to someone who effectively held my future in his or her hands.

  The fact that my school is so small forces me to be comfortable when interacting one on one with all of my professors, for many of my upper-level classes are seminars with as few as two other students.  At first, I was a little mortified that I would have to be an active and constant participant in class.  It did not take me long to realize that having continuous access to some of the greatest minds in the academic world was an invaluable experience.  The most important skill I gained my first semester was the ability to ask questions that allowed me to apply the course material to a broader spectrum of work.  I learned how to take tailor-made feedback and use it to better my work. 

  This is not to say that small schools or liberal arts schools are by any means superior or that they offer a better education than a large university.  Just remember not to sell yourself short simply because you go to a school no one has ever heard of, in a town no one has ever been to.  The skills I honed during my time at Randolph have allowed me to be just as successful in my internship at Waggener Edstrom as my peers who graduated with twice as many people as the entire population of Randolph combined. Don’t be discouraged to apply to competitive internships; if you play to your strengths and highlight your differences, you’ll be just fine. 

-Kendall Trewin ('14)