“Je Suis Charlie” at RC: Charlie Hebdo Attack Hits Home for First-year

By Auden Deng ‘16

Published February 2015

The controversial cover of the Charlie Hebdo survivors’ issue. 

Matthieu Meyer ‘18, an international student from Paris, France, frowned and squeezed out, “I do not know politics.” He tottered and tried to express his idea clearly: “The Left [the Parti Socialiste] and the Right [the Front National] keep on fighting each other constantly. It is quite a mess.” Though politics has much bewildered him, Meyer was thrown into the midst of its mess and its bloody repercussions on Jan. 7, 2015, the day of the Islamist extremist terrorist attack on the headquarters of French satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo. Thankfully, Meyer and his family were unharmed, and Meyer acquired a copy of the now outsold magazine, which he has been gracious enough to share with The Sundial and the rest of campus.

Meyer was out running at the time of the attack. He recalled, “It [the shooting] happened at twelve o’clock, but I didn’t find out until I hung out at my friend’s house around half past two in the afternoon. He told me what had happened earlier in the morning.”

The attack on the office of Charlie Hebdo resulted in the deaths of twelve people, including members of the magazine’s staff and police officers who responded to the scene, and wounded another eleven. As if the attack wasn’t terrifying enough, the office of Meyer’s father, the chief editor of the GEO magazine, was situated among the chaos, near the office of Charlie Hebdo. Meyer commented that his father and his coworkers “were stunned” upon learning of the attack; furthermore, the Préfecture de police de Paris, the Paris police-force, placed policemen in front of every magazine headquarter, including GEO magazine, as a precaution. Nonetheless, his father returned home that evening calm.

The terrorists’ bullets had harried the Parisians’ hearts painfully. The next day the people of Paris lined up in front of kiosks and bookshops to purchase the survivors’ issue of Charlie Hebdo. The magazine planned to print only sixty thousand copies, but after the attack, the remaining staff promised to circulate a million copies. Because of the financial strain of increasing the magazine’s circulation so significantly, many organizations, such as the Google-backed Fonds pour l’Innovation Numérique de la Press (the Digital Innovation Press Fund), donated money and resources. In the end, after the first print run sold out in mere hours on Jan. 14, the magazine’s circulation was expanded to three million, then to five million, then to seven million copies by Jan. 17.

When Meyer was asked whether he knew of Charlie Hebdo, he said, “I knew it because of this attack. But I did not realize how serious the impact would be.”

Originally, Meyer would not buy a copy of Charlie Hebdo. Nevertheless, his mother asked him if he wanted a copy to show his friends at Randolph. He realized, then, that buying a copy was a good idea. He left the door after mere seconds and made his way towards his first Charlie Hebdo. What he saw and sensed on his way was the pride of the French nation, for the night of the attack hundreds of thousands of Parisians held vigil throughout the city. “I am proud of being French and everyone in the Union feels the same,” he said.

College Play Celebrates Black History Month

Written By Nathan Heinicke-Peart 

Published February 2015

“I am always looking for educational presentations on historical events to inform the community about black history,” said Hermina Hendricks, the director of Multi-Culture Services. On Jan. 31 she found one such opportunity with the play, Climbing The Mountain Top When There Is Nowhere Left to Walk. The play, written by Dee Brown and directed by Teresa Harris (YEAR), a Randolph College Program Coordinator, was brought to the College for Black History Month.

“The play was to inform the Lynchburg community about what blacks had to go through since reconstruction after the civil war,” explained Dominique Rose ’15. The cast included four characters, all part of the Turner family. Through the play, they work to move up in the world and climb the mountain top. The Turner family lived an oppressed life on a plantation for over 50 years. Mr. Turner, the father, thought of himself and his family as a “good negro family” and had no desire to change his way of life.

His son, Tibias Turner, was a young kid able to go school—an opportunity not often available to other African Americans. His mother particularly wanted him to have an education while his father wanted Tibias to work in the fields. Through Tibias, the Turner family transitioned from a farming family to one with more education.

The second son, Willie Turner, was an African American activist who stood for reform and advocated for equality. He saw how blacks were being treated compared to whites and fought for equality. He stressed the need for education and thought a revolution was necessary for racial equality.

The final character was a Republican judge named Thomas Turner, who discussed the disparity of crimes between two African Americans versus crimes between African Americans and Caucasians. Thomas explained that everyone should take responsibility for their actions and their children’s actions in lieu of violent behavior to ‘solve’ conflicts. Hendricks explained that the broad message of the play ultimately examines “how [African Americans] overcame the struggle of life.”

Good Eats at Zoës Kitchen

Written By Donald Saltmarsh-Lubin ‘16

Published December 2014

Zoës Kitchen signature Power Plate of
grilled chicken, caramelized onion and slaw.
Photo Courtesy of Donald Saltmarsh-Lubin ‘16

College students often look for a few simple things when considering off-campus dining options: low-cost, fast service, and proximity to campus, with an increasing number of students also interested in healthy options. With many healthy options to choose from and quick service, all available in a ten-minute drive from campus, the fast-casual dining chain Zoës Kitchen meets all of these criteria and more. Zoës serves Mediterranean-inspired salads, sandwiches, and entrée options that maximize the use of fresh ingredients. First opening in the suburbs of Birmingham, Alabama in 1995, this trendy chain rapidly expanded to over 130 locations operating today.  The recent Lynchburg location opened in 2013 in the Fresh Market shopping center.

At the restaurant, diners order at the counter and seat themselves, with food served to the table. The colorful décor, ample number of booths and tables to choose from, and a quiet atmosphere the evening we went,  made for a pleasant meal. The menu is the perfect size: not so large as to overwhelm, but expansive enough that it caters to a variety of tastes. The entrées are larger portions and are stand-alone dishes while the sandwiches are served with a side of your choice, including: braised white beans, rice pilaf, seasonal fresh fruit, roasted vegetables, or potato salad, just to name some of the options.

The food was served in under five minutes, but my dining companion and I opted to start with a hummus and pita appetizer that boasted a generous serving of hummus and warm pita bread triangles. It was an excellent start to the meal, whetting our appetites for our main courses, and when they arrived, we were not disappointed. The Protein Power Plate was one of the simpler and healthier options for an entrée selection that offered a variety of kabobs along with pita pizzas and roll-ups, four mini-wraps of chicken, steak, or spjnach served with salsa for dipping. My order, The Power Plate, included grilled chicken, caramelized onion and “slaw” that was primarily composed of shredded lettuce and a light dressing, and though uncomplicated, it was healthy and filling, only costing $8. The pimento cheese sandwich was served on rye bread with roasted vegetables as the side and was bursting with flavor, a great option for vegetarians and also substantial and healthy. To finish our meal we tried the chocolate cake and a chocolate chip cookie, but both were rather unimpressive: the cake slightly dry and the cookie rather ordinary. It was a slight let-down to an otherwise very satisfying meal, but Zoës still made up for the poor close to our meal with the satisfaction we had with other portions.

According to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, in 2009 Lynchburg was ranked as the third most obese metro area in the United States; thus, healthier restaurants like Zoës opening here takes a step in the right direction, offering healthy entrees with the convenience and fast service that makes fast food appealing. This exemplifies the success of the fast-casual business model in recent years, trending towards fresh ingredients with a focus on service and healthy options. For those of us that don’t want the traditional options of greasy and unhealthy fast food, this new eating culture should be embraced and encouraged as a more responsible business trend, saving our time, our wallets, and our midriffs.

Blown Away by Brecht: RC Theater’s Epic Undertaking

Written By Anthony Ratledge ‘17

Shannon Baskin ‘18 as the Recruiter, Samuel Sun ‘17 as the Sergeant, Lucy Kindstrand ‘17 as Mother Courage, Bentley Kennedy-Stone ‘16 as Swiss Cheese, Sonja Cirilo ‘15 as Kattrin, and Justin Baker ‘15 as Eilif discuss the nature of war at the start of Brecht’s Mother Courage.  
All Photos courtesy of Phuong Tran ’15

This would typically be the segment of the newspaper where I would give you a detailed account of the Randolph Fall Play production and critique it. For any typical review, this would suffice, but Randolph has not undertaken just any typical play. Director Brooke Edwards provided the Randolph Campus with a production of Mother Courage and Her Children over two weekends: November 14-16 and 21-23. The play was written in 1938 by Bertolt Brecht, who was not a proponent for traditional theatre. In reverence to this, I will not deliver a traditional review.

Part I: Background

Brecht wrote Mother Courage and Her Children, arguably his most famous play, in 1938 in direct response to what was happening in Germany during the rise of Nazism. Brecht was a Marxist and was concerned with the harshest realities of capitalism and war—and, in particular, the tainted relationship between the two.

Mother Courage, for example, derives her livelihood benefitting from the war, and throughout the play, she fears peace as it means her canteen wagon will have no viable business. She profits from the war, seemingly the way any capitalist enterprise would throughout history. She is only so named because she is courageous where there is money to be made.

Brecht’s goal is to make the audience “think, not feel.” He specifically alienates the audience to accomplish this through his idea of epic theatre, emphasizing presentation. For example, while the play specifically applies to the Thirty Years’ War, a series of Protestant uprisings against the Holy Roman Empire in the 17th century, the Randolph set and costumes were designed in order to incorporate elements of wars throughout history and from various countries. This choice was an artistic liberty taken by the RC Theatre Department and served to alienate by making the artificiality of the play visible to the audience. They pursued Brecht’s ideas about epic theatre—that “[a]rt  is not a mirror held up to reality, but a hammer with which to shape it,”—and tried to do just that.

Part II: Casting

Swiss Cheese (Bentley Kennedy-Stone ‘16) 
comforts his sister Kattrin (Sonja Cirilo ‘15) as he departs to hide the Protestants’
regimental cash box from the approaching Catholic army—an honest action
which leads to his death. 

Randolph graced us with the performances of Lucy Kindstrand ’17 as Mother Courage, Sonja Cirilo ’15 as her daughter Kattrin, Justin Baker ’15 and Bentley Kennedy-Stone ’16 as her sons Eilif and Swiss Cheese respectively, as well as Karl Mehler ’17 as the Chaplain and Sandeep Poudyal ’16 as the Cook, to name a few, as well as specifically adding the role of a narrator, played by John (JP) Davis ’17. In this play, the role of the narrator was grandiose. He approached from behind a screen at various points between scenes to interrupt the action and tell the audience precisely what was happening and what was going to happen. In addition, other cast members played multiple characters, which served to remind the audience that it was indeed watching a play. It seemed that the costumes made the characters, especially for some of the female actresses who played men in one scene and were threatened to be punched in the puss (meaning face), only to then dawn a new outfit and play women for a later scene.

Part III: The Undertaking

At any point when it became possible for an audience member to invest in the action as it unfolded, he or she was aptly reminded of the fictitious nature of the play by some grand gesture a member of the cast made. For example, cast member Poudyal has a heavy Nepali accent, and he played the Dutch Cook, whose accent would be by no means similar. However, the dissimilarity in the realities of said accents only served to dissociate the audience so an observer would be forced to actually think about what he or she was seeing rather than be swayed by any emotion.

There was little change in the set design during the performance. The audience was separated from the cast by a curtain, which opened and closed only twice—at the beginning and end of each of the two Acts. The only moving set piece was the wagon itself, while the background remained constant. In fact, setting changes were accomplished through the role of the narrator, not a change in set design. This choice again alienated the audience and reminded them they are watching a performance on a confined stage.

At certain points throughout the play, the characters would burst into song, or a character would play an instrument such as a guitar or even a trombone. It was the epitome of epic theatre. These scenarios were not at all believable as real-world situations, especially in the context of war. Moreover, when the characters left the staging area and entered the audience as the cast of Mother Courage, surrounding the audience and bursting into song, the audience was confronted with the “shap[ing]” of Brecht’s “hammer.”

Part IV: The Result

RC Theatre Department was challenged by Brecht’s style, trying to deliver a play that described the ironic harshness of war, both for its benefits from a capitalist perspective and its costs: in the case of Mother Courage, the cost would be the lives of her three children. It could not have been an easy style to deliver: the dialogue, nevertheless, was superb.

Mother Courage (Lucy Kindstrand ‘17)
mourns the death of her son Swiss Cheese, for whose life she bartered too long.

An audience member was likely disinclined—and even discouraged—to be emotionally moved by the play, but that was the point. The action seemed so rehearsed and at points, so ridiculous or melodramatic, that what we saw had to be what they wanted us to see—the play as a construct for commentary. I left the theatre with one singular thought: I did not know what to make of this production. I believe Brecht, and on a more local scale, RC Theatre Department, intended it this way on a confined stage.

At certain points throughout the play, the characters would burst into song, or a character would play an instrument such as a guitar or even a trombone. It was the epitome of epic theatre. These scenarios were not at all believable as real-world situations, especially in the context of war. Moreover, when the characters left the staging area and entered the audience as the cast of Mother Courage, surrounding the audience and bursting into song, the audience was confronted with the “shap[ing]” of Brecht’s “hammer.”

Part IV: The Result

RC Theatre Department was challenged by Brecht’s style, trying to deliver a play that described the ironic harshness of war, both for its benefits from a capitalist perspective and its costs: in the case of Mother Courage, the cost would be the lives of her three children. It could not have been an easy style to deliver: the dialogue, nevertheless, was superb.

An audience member was likely disinclined—and even discouraged—to be emotionally moved by the play, but that was the point. The action seemed so rehearsed and at points, so ridiculous or melodramatic, that what we saw had to be what they wanted us to see—the play as a construct for commentary. I left the theatre with one singular thought: I did not know what to make of this production. I believe Brecht, and on a more local scale, RC Theatre Department, intended it this way.

New ICPC Requirement is First Step in Building Bridges

Written By: John Ruml ‘17 

Published December 2014

The College has recently adopted a new graduation requirement that will affect all students graduating in the class of 2017 or later. However, many of the students who fall under its purview seem to be unaware of the changes and how they came to be. The new requirement prescribes that students must successfully complete one of several tasks that could be considered “intercultural experiences” before they can graduate.

Randolph students dress up for
Panworld’s International Fashion show
to promote cultural awareness.
Photo Courtesy of Phuong Tran ’15.

The new requirement came about as a result of the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), a decennial review of the College by our accrediting agency, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Every ten years, the College is asked to develop their own plan to improve student learning, and the plan that was decided upon was the “Bridges, Not Walls” program of intercultural competence. 

This program is spearheaded by Director of Institutional Research John Keener and History Professor Gerry Sherayko, who are both enthusiastic about the opportunity to provide students with intercultural experiences. “Understanding other cultures is a big part of what we value at the college,” explains Sherayko, “This doesn’t just mean studying abroad—there’s a variety of ways that students can get involved.”

The purpose of the requirement is for students to have “a significant, meaningful experience with a culture different than their own,” said Keener. There are certain things students can do that automatically qualify for the requirement—such as participation in the American Culture Program, enrollment in a 300-level modern language course, or registration for a school sponsored study abroad program. “Some students may even have completed the requirement without knowing it,” says Sherayko, “The requirement is intentionally written to be inclusive. It’s not a one-size-fits-all type of thing.”

This means that by getting their proposals pre-approved by their advisors and the ICPC, the students can develop their own intercultural experiences, whether that be an internship, a volunteer experience, an experience funded by the RISE grant, or a self-designed initiative. Examples of intercultural experiences that could qualify include everything from volunteering at a women’s shelter to taking a summer language immersion course to participation in The World in Britain Program at the University of Reading.

"... intercultural competence is not something you achieve, or at least not something you achieve easily. It is a lifelong journey," -Keener

“What counts as ‘intercultural’ depends on the student,” says Keener. “Culture can be geographically defined. Culture can be ethnically defined. Culture can be socioeconomically defined. The nature of Bridges Not Walls is to help students down the path of intercultural competence. I say that it’s a ‘path’ because intercultural competence is not something you achieve, or at least not something you achieve easily. It is a lifelong journey.”

Perpetual Petty Thefts Reveal Cracks in the Honor Code

By Brandon Wood ‘17 & Mariah Sager ‘18

Published in December 2014

Doodle courtesy of Katya Schwab ‘17.

Talk of theft has been whispered around campus recently. Soap was stolen from the bathroom, detergent was snatched from the laundry room, and food was taken from communal fridges. While this problem is nothing new, unfortunately, there has been an increase in such complaints. Though isolated incidents may seem like no big deal, small thefts add up over time.

The third floor of Main Hall has seen so many people’s food taken from the kitchen that Marianne Virnelson ‘17, one of the three resident assistants (RAs) on that floor, has met with Head Resident Sandeep Poudyal ’16 to discuss possible security measures. One potential solution they have considered is completely restricting the use of the kitchen by locking it up. This solution is not ideal, as “[i]t negatively impacts all who are utilizing those facilities, which is something I don’t want it to have to come to,” Virnelson said. Another idea that has been discussed is the installation of a security camera.

It is possible to get cameras installed, explains Kris Irwin, director of Campus Security, through the College’s Closed Circuit Television Committee, which is composed of faculty, staff, and three student members. If the desire for a security camera arises, it is this committee that decides whether or not one is installed.

While putting a camera up might sound like an ideal solution, Irwin warns that things are not so easy. He says, “We have to think about it because in a residence hall, it gets pretty sticky. We don’t want to create an issue that’s even bigger . . . While theft is important, we have to think about the grand scheme of things, the bigger picture: Are we violating someone’s privacy or expectation of privacy in that particular space?” Privacy aside, Irwin says that “The shame of it is, everybody’s impacted by [theft], not just the culprits.”

The Honor Code is designed to protect students from theft and eliminate the need for security measures like these. So why doesn’t it seem to be working? Since there is little way to figure out the culprit unless the incident has been witnessed, cases of petty theft rarely make it to the Judiciary Committee. Furthermore, because individual cases tend to seem so insignificant, they are almost never reported to Campus Security. “We have few, if any, reports of theft like that,” said Irwin. According to Campus Security’s database, there have been no reports of petty theft since at least January 2014. One victim of petty theft who requested to remain anonymous felt there is “no reason to report it, since it wasn’t worth a lot of money and they can’t catch the thief anyway,” echoing the thoughts of many who have had small items stolen.

In addition to the apparent rise of petty theft, Randolph has seen a surge in serious cases of theft in the past semester. One student, Brier D’Arcy ’16, had her class ring stolen from her dorm room. She wrote on Facebook, “Until now, I had trusted my fellow students.”

Another student, who has asked to remain anonymous, had two bottles of prescription anti-psychotic medication stolen from the mailroom. She, like many students who trust the Honor Code, was in the habit of leaving her mailbox open, but the thief faked her signature on the package slip. Although a sign in the mailroom states that an ID is required to pick up a package, mailroom employees rarely ask for one. The medication, which the student badly needed, was worth about six hundred dollars in total. The student stated, “I came in my first year expecting everyone to live by the Honor Code, and quickly realized that that’s not how this school works. I did not have a lot of faith in the Honor Code, and I have less faith in it now.”

How can we make the culture of the Honor Code here stronger? Randolph’s Judiciary Chair Sally Taylor ’15 said, “There certainly is a problem with theft and that’s where students really need to be aware of other students’ actions.” Sally went on to say, “I’ve thought a lot about this issue—especially over this last year, because students have raised concerns—but I don’t know how we fix it.” Irwin urges students to report all security breaches, even cases of petty theft. “You should report petty theft because it helps the College as a whole, including the student population,” he says. “It’s just a matter of respect for others. We’re trying to live in a community setting. You have to have respect for others.”

Irwin emphasized that even the smallest theft needs to be reported because without clear evidence that thefts are taking place, the College has nothing to address. If there is a need for confidentiality, theft can be reported directly to Irwin himself. Otherwise, the report should be taken to the Reception and Information Desk, also known as Switchboard, located in Main Hall Lobby. “We want you all to know that’s where you can go, twenty-four seven,” Irwin explains. “If you need assistance, if you need to file a report, if you need help with something, somebody is always there to help you.” Switchboard is open all day, all week, and the report will be forwarded to Campus Security.  At that point, “It gets saved [in the Security database], and it stays there forever.”