New College Nimbus Volume 5, Number 1 Fall1988

new COLLeGe nimBUS Volume 5, Number 1 Fall1988 Jane Bancroft Cook Library By action of the Florida state legislature, the USF/New College Library is now officially the Jane Bancroft Cook Library. Jane Cook is a long-time friend and benefactor of New College. As one of the founders of New Col lege, she was a member of the Board of Trustees of New College and is a trustee of the New College Founda tion. Her daughter, Jean Steele Stevenson, was a member of New College's charter class. Victor Engel, one of the New College students who did coral reef research in Belize this sum mer, is interviewed by Charles Craw ford, producer of CNN's Science and Technology Week. See Engel's account of the project on page 3. Page2 Nimbus, Fal11988 A Letter From the President The last issue of Nimbus contained a "Mission Statement" Over the past year we have greatly expanded our organiza for NCAA, and many of you took the time to write and tell tional base. More alums are donating, corresponding, at us your reactions, most of which were positive. My thanks to tending chapter events and reunions, and visiting the cam you for your efforts; I've read all of the comments and will pus. I hope that with this increased involvement we will see pass them on to the NCAA board at our upcoming Novem a good number of people entering the elections for the ber meeting. NCAA board (see announcement on page 12). Anyone in The Mission Statement clearly lays out our commitment to terested should let us know; you needn't say the Pledge of the New College program, and we are this year working on Allegiance either. a more direct alumni contribution to the program: groups Cheers, of alumni who can visit campus and discuss issues of concern to students and faculty. You'll hear more about these soon, I hope. ~ Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n Roll Alums Help in Orientation for 25th Entering Class More alums than ever participated in to the alum hosts was so enthusiastic are at New College, which presents you the events planned to welcome 175 that plans are already underway to en with less structure and more choices members of New College's Class of list more local alumni to be hosts next than you have ever encountered." She 1988, the 25th entering class. year. suggested three questions students A panel discussion titled "Sex, Drugs could use to help them evaluate their and Rock 'n Roll" was presented on What Would You choices: Wednesday evening by current student Have Said? 1. Will it enhance or erode my self-es Monica Gaughan and alums Ruth Folit teem? '70, Mike Maher '72, Mary Ruiz '73 Mary Ruiz is curious about what you 2. Am I doing this to accept account and Marc Weinberg '71. The discus would have told the incoming students ability for my actions or in the hopes of sion ranged from information about if you had been asked to speak. She in avoiding it? resources available to help maintain troduced the panel with comments 3. Is this helping or hindering my good physical and mental health to ex about the range of personal choices education? hortations to take of advantage of the students would be making. "Here you chance to experiment and expand Send your comments, including one's horizons. "What I wish someone had told me Orientation Week ended with when I entered New College ... ," to the traditional Community Host Mary Ruiz, c/o New College event when local families entertain Alumni Association, 5700 N. new students and introduce them Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL to Sarasota. The difference this 34243. Also, let us know if you year was over a dozen alums who would be interested in participat were hosts. The student response ing in any of next year's orientation activities. Above: Jim Feeney, director of spe cial project development and Oare Dozier-Henry, student affairs direc tor, visit with alum parlicipants in orientation panel. Left, Ruth Folit and her son and, righ~ Mike Maher and his son before the alum orientation panel Nimbus, Fall1988 Page3 Undersea and on T.V. ,. Coral Reefers prepare for a day of diving in Belize Students Explore Coral Reef by Victor Engel Last June, five New College students ganisms, and research techniques still relatively undeveloped in com accompanied Dr. Alfred Beulig to Bel primarily used by ecologists to sample parison to other Central American ize, Central America, to perform an vegetative growth. Interestingly countries. Located on the Yucatan ecological study on a coral reef. The enough, it was Charles Darwin who peninsula just south of Mexico, Belize barrier reef off the coast of Belize is the first proposed a theory on the origin of is quickly gaining recognition for her second largest of its kind in the world. coral reefs, and his theory has yet to be vast natural resources and friendly This was Dr. Beulig's second summer disproved. people. The barrier reef off the coast expedition to the reef in the last two Because most of the data was col of Belize is readily accessible to years. He is collecting data for a com lected underwater, each student had to American tourists. It is therefore im prehensive model of the reef ecosys be certified in SCUBA before making portant to understand to what types of tem. This data base is invaluable for the trip to Belize. To add to their ex stress the reef is most susceptible in proper management of the natural citement, anticipation, and perhaps order to avoid irreparable damage resources found on the reef, and is the even anxiety, each student had to start through over-exploitation. first step toward conservation. Each taking quinine as a p reventative After a ten-hour trip by land, air and student who took the trip received ISP measure against malaria. Not only sea, the Nouveau Collegians fmally ar credit. could t hey expect swarms of rived at Arnerigris Caye, their island In order to join the expedition, Dr. mosquitoes and horse flies, but also home for the next four weeks. Their Beulig's students first had to take his sharks, barracudas, snakes, fire-coral hotel was six miles up the coast from Coral Reef Ecology class. In this class, and sweltering heat. the nearest village, San Pedro, and was the students became familiar with Belize recently received her inde basic oceanography, theories about pendence from Great Britain and is coral reef formation, common reef or- Continued on next page Page 4 Nimbus, Fall1988 Coral Reefers, cont'd surrounded on one side by mosquito tal clear lagoon listening to infested jungle and on the other by the palm fronds rustle in the clear blue Caribbean Sea. The hotel, northeast trades? absent of telephones, T.V., hot water, This was the setting for air conditioning, and for the most part, Dr. Beulig's underwater ex electricity, was everyone's picture of a ploration of Belize's bar tropical paradise complete with rier reef. Everyday, the coconut palms, white sands, bamboo Coral Reefers loaded their and a domesticated parrot. Dr. Beulig SCUBA equipment into a 17-foot V-hull with an old 25-horsepower outboard motor and proceeded to a nearby buoy that marked the extent of the previous day's work. Using tape The Coral Reefers island home for the four measures made form old weeks in Belize clothesline, railroad stakes, compasses and plexiglass slates for in the reef crest. These cuts serve as recording information underwater, paths through which water from the the group systematically studied the lagoon is exchanged with water from coral formation on the sea floor. the ocean. Part of Dr. Beulig's study Using the point-quarter method will be to compare the coral composi originally developed for vegetative tion of the Mato transect with last analysis, the group followed an im year's transect taken midway between Tony Brown, the pa"ot, found a friend in aginary line roughly 900 meters from two cuts in the crest. In addition to the the CNN cameraman. the shore to the reef crest. This line Mato transect, the researchers fol was called the Mato transect because lowed another transect outside the and his students, collectively referred of its proximity to a nearby cut in the lagoon. Called the Main transect be to as the Coral Reefers, dined on local reef called Ehtra da de Mato. This cause of its importance to the study, delicacies including lobster, conch, was an intentional maneuver by Dr. this transect was often inaccessible due barracuda, seaweed soup and an oc Beulig to sample the coral composi to high seas and unpredictable storms. casional raw octopus. tion in the lagoon adjacent to the cut Working in pairs, the Coral Reefers The pace in Belize is took measurements at 20- very relaxed, but after a meter intervals along the long year of study, the transect. At each interval, group had no trouble ad a calibrated clothesline was justing. The Coral fastened down perpen Reefers learned quickly dicular to the transect. The that most Belizeans students measured and usually don't know what recorded the species, size time it is, nor do they and distance from the care. Deadlines in Bel clothesline of the four ize are at least twelve corals closest to each of 10 hours wide on the rare points previously selected occasion that someone at random along the length actually makes a dead of the line. In the event of line, and everyone leaves an unknown species, the plenty of room in their group would tag the schedules for an after specimen and bring it back noon siesta.

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