• The trailer can also be seen at https://newcollegefilm.com … 

• …where there’s a screenings page, a "request a screening" form, and a page where people can donate to help bring the film and its protagonists to campuses and theaters around the country.

• President Okker was Dean of the College of Arts and Science at Mizzou. 

• Holly Herrick has spoken about the film in Austin (check 49 minutes in). 

• Harry's thesis is apparently the earliest among New College’s Foucault theses. 

• Smitty Smith,’73, and InSync Plus has quite the client list.

• Deep Springs also has a student-led system. 

• NCF had a more military pedigree than many realize. 

• The original Public Ivies list

• Retro Report: Voyage of the Mobro 4000

• Shark Week Uncaged 

• Alex P. Keaton

• Warnock and Ossoff

• Us Kids featured X González, ‘18. 

• AltLiberalArts was Alt New College, until they got a C&D. 

• Pahokee

• The Gender and Diversity Center Library was student-owned, but dumped during the summer. 

• The alt alumni association holds a well-attended Alt Grad annually. 

• Grant collects NCF news. 

• Fulbrights were once a point of pride. 

• The ACT-UP poster 

• The director of Mr. Nobody vs Putin talks about New College. 

Callbacks: Old School Catalyst, Libby Harrity, Jeb Lund, Amy Reid.

Time Stamps:

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

01:14 Festival Premiere Buzz

03:03 Remote Production Workflow

03:34 Student Filmmakers Footage

04:20 Trailer Miracle Story

07:14 Festival Tour Plans

09:48 Swag and How to Support

10:25 Harry New College Origins

11:43 Military School and Closet

13:45 Choosing New College Cheap

17:31 Postgrad Media Career Start

19:56 Shark Week and Hollywood Tie Ins

22:17 From Shark Week to Journalism

23:37 Retro Report Origins

24:34 Teaching Then Pandemic Pivot

26:26 Documenting the Takeover

29:56 Student Filmmakers Inside View

33:39 Resistance and Culture Clash

37:15 Cinema Verite and Fairness

40:05 Higher Ed Under Attack

46:26 Festivals Campus Screenings Next

50:21 Oscar Connection and Farewell

• La Strada

• Gary McDonogh, anthropologist and scholar of cities

• The Village Voice on Thundercrack

• Canyon Cinematheque

• Rewind This! 

• First They Came For My College, you’ll be hearing much more about. 

• The trailer for FTCFMC was edited by alum Smitty Smith, whose previous trailer was for Avatar: Fire and Water.

• Alum Steve Rosenbluth, halfway to EGOT 

• Dreams With Sharp Teeth

• “Giorgio with the hair”

• Marty 

• Magnolia and Hard Eight 

• Save the Green Planet!

• Uncle Buck’s girlfriend

• Train Dreams

• If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

• Arco and Chainsaw Man

• The Secret Agent  and Sentimental Value 

• Color Me Lurid

• Darmstadt’s Filmkreis 

• The Swan Song of Fedor Ozerov 

• Apenas Coisas Boas (Only Good Things) 

• Kontinental ‘25

• The Grandmother, a Lynch short

• Hundreds of Beavers

Callbacks: Oscars 24, 25, In Memoriam.

Please send us your stories, pictures, audio: palmcourtpodcast@gmail.com 

For your Clone Stamp Greetings card, write Eugene at: solero55@gmail.com.

Timestamps:

00:00 Welcome Back Oscars Crew

02:16 New Guest Eugene Joins

03:32 Eugene New College Origins

05:01 Thundercrack Screening Story

06:53 Film Series Programming Rules

09:04 Teatro and VHS Nostalgia

11:02 New College Documentary Buzz

13:04 VFX Awards and Industry Paths

15:09 Ancient Aliens Editing Tales

17:35 Oscars Season Kickoff

22:07 Top Contenders Sinners vs Battle

25:23 Marty Supreme and Chalamet

27:52 More Nominees Begonia Weapons

29:29 Train Dreams Favorite

30:47 Best Picture Longshots

32:10 Hamnet Acting Buzz

33:08 F1 Sound and Editing

34:49 Best Actress Race

35:30 Rose Byrne Dark Horse

37:26 Best Actor and Blue Moon

39:01 Director Song and Score

41:50 Animation and Shorts Talk

43:43 International Film Locks

45:23 Indie Picks and Programming

48:44 Lynch Memoriam Speculation

50:50 Train Movies Metro Cameo

53:07 Signing Off and Thanks

Follow, Like, and Share wherever you get your pods. Visit us at https://palmcourtpod.com for more.

Shownotes:

St. Pete Times was ⁠a journalism innovator⁠

The Catalyst goes back⁠ to 1965⁠

⁠Reagent ⁠was one of several not-quite replacements in the 1980s 

USF Oracle still ⁠covers news⁠

⁠Fall 2020⁠ was a ⁠tough time⁠

Older alums remember the⁠ Anthro Lab⁠ as “The Barn”

Maria Vesperi ⁠stepped down⁠, sort of

Brad Thiessen is now ⁠Florida Poly’s provost⁠

⁠Alaska Miller⁠, outspoken cog-sci student

⁠News structure⁠

Brown spoke at ⁠two 2023 commencements⁠

Alex Levy’s ⁠message to student journos⁠

Chloe Rusek’s⁠ attempt to interview Corcoran⁠

Sophia Brown’s ⁠bookstore series⁠

Florence Fahringer’s and Andy Trinh’s ⁠Childcare Center item⁠

WSLR ⁠reports⁠ on ⁠NCF⁠⁠

Taylor Lorenz⁠ & ⁠Drop Site News⁠

PCP Callbacks: ⁠Sophia Brown/PEN America⁠, ⁠Kathryn Joyce⁠, ⁠Steven Walker⁠

We reflect on a year of change, both geopolitically and personally. We started the pod with the idea that New College was the "canary in the swamp," and as New College went, so might higher education in the U.S. As it turns out, we were right, and now what's happening at New College is being seen all over the country.

We focus on celebrating the parts of New College's culture that we love while keeping track of the challenges. We talked to a lot of interesting people this season, including Libby Harrity, Mike Campbell, and Eric Schickler. We also interviewed journalists who have been covering New College, such as Katherine Joyce, who wrote the article "The New College Gambit."

We note the recent attempt by the governor to place Ringling Museum under New College's control and the new admin's strange hires, weird expenses, and changes to the grading system. This new "grade equivalents" system defeats the whole philosophy of New College, which was to reward intellectual curiosity and allow students to measure themselves against standards established in a relationship with a professor, not a traditional grading scale.

As we look toward season three, we have a number of ideas for future episodes. We've heard stories of new students, including athletes, who came to the school not knowing anything about the New College system and are still sticking with it and thriving. There are also stories of people who came as "culture warriors" but were converted by their experiences at the school.

We plan to continue our conversations with alums, academics, and journalists to understand the shifting landscape of higher education, particularly in Florida. With Governor DeSantis term-limited, we speculate on what the next election might mean for New College.

Finally, we want to hear from you, our listeners.

Subscribe wherever you listen to pods. Video versions are on Youtube and Spotify. We'll be back in the fall with Season 3.

00:00 Introduction and Season Recap

01:05 Reflecting on Season Two

01:25 New College and Higher Ed Trends

02:20 Memorable Guests and Episodes

04:09 Historical Events and Listener Requests

06:03 Challenges and Changes in Higher Education

12:31 Faculty and Institutional Changes

16:32 Student Experiences and Future Outlook

19:17 Culture Warriors and Campus Politics

20:57 Florida's Political Landscape and New College

21:44 Gubernatorial Election and Future Prospects

23:15 Third Party Activity and National Politics

24:37 Podcast Reflections and Future Guests

26:55 Listener Engagement and Community Interaction

27:45 Season Two Evaluation and Future Plans

31:27 Final Thoughts and Hot Takes

Shownotes:

• This season started with Libby Harrity and Mike Campbell

• The 80s saw a rise in quantitative psychology and sociology. 

• Zorn’s Lemma has some relics of the Kingsley Hall experiment (see Ep. 20) 

• The “silent protest” involved noise complaints over “walls” - a perennial problem. 

• Provost Rohrbacher and the “Floridense” seal

• Ep. 30 extras included a glimpse into NCF’s pro wrestling years. 

• Ep. 23 talked education, China, and beats

• Ep. 27 brought Yippie vibes

• Grade-equivalent evaluations have attracted some ire.

• Rohrbacher recently wrote on the traditional NCF system.

• Anderson Brown (Ep. 3) wrote last year about Rancourt.

• Steve Waldman, Interfluidity, 3 May 2023: “We Haunt.”

• First five eps can be heard by scrolling way down here. 

Please send us your stories, pictures, audio: palmcourtpodcast@gmail.com

We kick off with Eric's unexpected path to New College. He recounts his initial culture shock upon arriving in Florida, but quickly highlights the transformative social and academic experience that followed. The conversation then delves into Eric's career as a political science professor at UC Berkeley since 1997, where he continues to be inspired by his New College education. We explore his research on nationalized polarization in the U.S., as detailed in his book, Partisan Nation, co-authored with Paul Pierson. Eric explains how this polarization differs from historical divides, as everything, including state politics, has become nationalized, leading to concerning dynamics within American politics.

Crucially, Eric connects this broader political trend to the recent events at New College, viewing the "hostile takeover" by Governor DeSantis as a microcosm of nationalized polarization. He illustrates how traditionally supportive local Republican legislators, who once valued New College for its community benefits, now align with a national culture war agenda, prioritizing national political aspirations over local interests.

We also discuss Eric's ongoing research into the polarization of higher education over the past 45 years. He points out a significant shift in the Republican party, moving from general support for higher education in the 1980s and 90s to increasing criticism and diminishment of its value.

Then we pivot to Eric's eyewitness account of the Lorax Rebellion in 1988, a key event in New College's history. As SAC Chair at the time, Eric provides an insider's perspective on the student-led efforts to save the "grove" from airport expansion. He details the strategic involvement of lawyers, the formation of the "Save the Green Space" nonprofit, and the challenges faced in securing legal and financial support. Eric vividly recounts the emotional day of the bulldozing, the arrests of students, and the subsequent legal battles, emphasizing the unity and determination of the student body.

Finally, Eric shares insights into his baccalaureate thesis, which explored government policy toward technology in the early 1990s. We close with Eric's reflection on New College's profound and lasting impact on his life and intellectual development, underscoring its unique ability to foster iconoclastic thinkers.

Notes:

• Eric's Spring 2023 Appearance on Trending in Ed with Mike Palmer
• Partisan Nation: The Dangerous New Logic of American Politics in a Nationalized Era, by Paul Pierson & Eric Schickler

• We know Nick Tampio, editor, Journal of Politics

• (and Schickler too)

• Rolling admissions comes up a lot

• August 1987 SRQ: officially “hot” to “sweltering”

• Gene Lewis, bureaucracy scholar

• “Welfare Queen” was a Reagan tentpole

• Local conservatives like Sen. Bob Johnson and Gen. Rolland V. Heiser

• “My civil rights book”

• 1968: “the campus stuff” 

• 1980: “end of liberal Republicans”

• Higher ed has risen from $385 to $9,750 annually in today’s $. 

• Dean Barylski, dealmaker

• “Secure the land to the north” still cooking

• We know Jonathan White and Merlin Mann, too

• “SAC” is “Student Allocation Committee”

• Rob Westerfeldt on Barylski

• Col. Adam Oler

• Judy Kavanaugh

• We know Jen Granick

• The Fauves were unrelated to Grant Morrison’s UK band. 

• Langdon Winner and Jacques Ellul, tech theorists
• P Funk, “Flash LIght”
• Dee-Lite, “Groove is in the Heart

We learn how Jeb wound up at New College, how his thesis about British cryptography in World War 2 got turned into pulp, and how he wound up covering the Alt Graduation Event for The Nation in 2024. Jeb also provides advice on how to get active in shaping the coverage of New College as political tides in Florida continue to shift.

Want to learn how this podcast was almost named The Canary in the Swamp? Or why people might actually want to listen to smart people talk about inane movies on the Hallmark Channel?

Listen in to find out.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Video episodes now up on Youtube and Spotify.

00:00 Introduction and Welcoming the Guest

01:06 Jeb Lund's Origin Story

03:30 College Life and Challenges

07:57 Career Journey and Writing

11:03 Freelancing and Journalism

11:42 Public Facing Role and Podcasting

14:58 Involvement with New College Alumni

21:25 The Recency Bias in News Reporting

22:39 Challenges in Speculative Journalism

23:11 New College: A Canary in the Swamp

24:01 The Power of Public Pressure

25:03 Corruption in Florida Politics

28:36 The Future of New College

30:14 Sports and Campus Culture

32:10 Journalistic Challenges and Personal Reflections

40:18 Concluding Thoughts and Final Messages

NOTES:

• CEDA is the “Cross-Examination Debate Association”

• Ephedra is the herb that produces ephedrine, a formerly legal stimulant sold as Mini-Thins, a.k.a. “trucker’s speed.” (Today’s Mini-Thins are ephedrine-free.) 

• Frederick Winterbotham revealed Bletchley Park’s Ultra secrets 30 years after WWII. 

• It’s Christmastown is Jeb and Dave Roth exploring Hallmark Network cultural productions. 
• Livy, Roman historian 

• Gawker was sued out of existence by Tampa-based wrestler Hulk Hogan, backed by tech billionaire Peter Thiel, in 2016.

• Pablo Torre Finds Out went deep into NCF’s sports  

• Mobute Sese Seko did have fantastic hats 

• Shanon Ingles chatted here back in Ep. 4  

• Watch Alt Grad live on May 22, 2025 

• Write state legislators to make things happen 

• The Hope Florida scandal is still growing   

• The Rick Piccolo scandal also, though less about his father’s NCF involvement  

• Property law is a theme 

• Mighty Banyans’ deep roster 

• The Great Books program 
• Don Gaetz busts trustees

This episode offers a delightful mix of personal stories and reflections on the New College experience with a focus on Alumni Engagement. Monica shares the details of her recent Antarctic wedding to fellow New College alum, Henry, a celebration that uniquely incorporated their desire for unique experiences and, of course, penguins. Stuart, who was Grant's roommate, reminisces about their time on campus, sharing anecdotes about the self-reliance cultivated at New College and some memorable dorm-life moments.  

Beyond the personal stories, Monica and Stuart, who are both involved in the Alumni Association, provide valuable insights into alumni engagement and the complexities of navigating trust and communication with the new college administration, including their perspectives on the recent contentious alumni event with President Richard Corcoran.  

Whether you're an alum or simply interested in the unique dynamics of a liberal arts college, this episode is a must-listen. Don't forget to subscribe to the Palm Court Podcast for more engaging conversations and updates from the New College community!

• Troy Winfrey was in an earlier episode; his spouse just published a touching piece on how a terminal diagnosis shaped their relationship. 
• Ben Brown, the former New College Alumni Association (NCAA) chair, resigned dramatically shortly before the College Hall event. He gave five reasons. 
• Henry and Monica at the 1988 semi-formal and in Antarctica. 
• Morning Bob: p. 5, left. 
• James P. Kelly: journalist, naturalist, scholar. 
• “Big weekend”: Alt Liberal Arts hosts a rival speaking event, and then NCF’s upcoming star speaker was charged with rape. 
• “Being at UF and the state politics and all” means Ben Sasse, Joseph Ladapo, and the Hamilton Center (no relation to NCF’s Ham Center). 
• John Lithgow reads “20 Lessons on Tyranny” by Timothy Snyder. 
• “Bought a brick”: in Palm Court, custom-engraved. 
• Nimbus was charmingly homespun, then got glossy, then vanished.
• “Gender at the state level.” 
• The Novo Collegian Alliance is (sort of) a shadow NCAA oriented to student needs; NCF Freedom is oriented toward governance issues.
• The Q&A was a crash. 
• Florida universities face “performance-based funding” based on KPIs, one of which is “alumni engagement.” 
• “Florida will no longer be full of Boomers.” Things might change sooner; ruby-red Escambia County, home of now-embattled UWF, just flipped blue. 

Then, the hosts pay tribute to the legendary actor's illustrious career, from his breakout role in The French Connection to his iconic portrayal of Lex Luthor, his brilliant cameo in Young Frankenstein, his roles in The Royal Tannenbaums, Unforgiven, Get Shorty and more. Quite the cinematic oeuvre!

Finally, we take a deep dive into the mysterious circumstances surrounding the Hackman "incident" and the three dogs, one dead in a closet. We try to piece together the timeline of events and speculate on the cause of death for Hackman and his wife. We also discuss the role of the dogs in the incident and whether or not they were involved in any foul play. Plus, we dconclude a quick "dead pool" on who will be the next celebrity to die. Yikes?!?!

Listen and subscribe now, and be sure to check out our previous Oscars 2025 episode featuring Kim McShane and Harrison Bender! Don't miss any of it heading into (and coming out of?) the Big Show on Sunday night.

Time Stamps:

00:00 Introduction and Special Guests

01:12 Oscars 2025 Predictions

03:13 Movie Reviews and Opinions

13:42 Gene Hackman Tribute

20:38 Remembering the Departed: In Memoriam Discussion

21:12 True Crime Talk: Natalie Wood's Mysterious Death

21:56 Heart to Heart: TV Nostalgia and Dog Stories

22:37 Unraveling a Bizarre Crime Scene

24:43 Speculating on Celebrity Deaths

28:56 Oscar Predictions and Deadpool Picks

32:55 Wrapping Up: Final Thoughts and Farewells

We're also sharing our personal Oscar memories and trivia. Did you know that a screenwriter once won an Oscar nearly 40 years after his death? Or that Judy Garland was only 16 when she starred in The Wizard of Oz? We hit on some trivia, recall film adventures at New College and beyond. And dive deep with Kim, Harrison, Megan, Grant, and Mike. Don't miss it!  

Tune in for a lively discussion about the biggest night in Hollywood. Don't forget to subscribe to the Palm Court Podcast for more great content!  

Time Stamps

00:00 Introduction and Welcome

00:56 Guest Introductions and Film Backgrounds

01:42 Kim McShane's Film Journey

07:21 Harrison Bender's Film Career

10:49 Megan's Cinematic Experiences

15:02 Oscar Nominees Discussion

32:36 Timothee Chalamet's Potential Record-Breaking Win

33:20 Hidden Gems and Overlooked Performances

34:02 Succession and Other TV Show Mentions

34:33 Colman Domingo's Stellar Performance

35:44 Leading Actor and Actress Predictions

38:39 Best Picture Contenders

40:11 Documentary Highlights

46:25 Animated Feature Film Recommendations

50:45 Best Original Score and Song Discussions

54:29 Final Thoughts and Predictions

• Stripes 
• Tired Old Queen at the Movies
• Kim on TCM
• Funny Face 
• The Philadelphia Story 
• Eventive does indie film.
• DOC NYC 
• Sarasota Film Festival is run by alum Mark Famiglio.
• Separated features past guest Cpt. Jonathan White.
• The Tarnished Angels
• Dalton Trumbo interview
• The Brutalist was not about Palm Court architect I.M. Pei nor about Hungarian refugee history prof Dr. Laszlo Deme… directly. 
• Clarence Maclin interview
• Hale County This Morning, This Evening
• The FAMU Marching 100
• The Queer soundtrack
• Diane Warren has 16 Oscar noms. 
• Between the Temples
• Steve Rosenbluth’s win was discussed in the last Oscars ep. 
• George Kuchar made a lo-fi short film at NCF.
• “Smell-o-vision”: John Waters’ Polyester came to NCF with the original “Odorama” scratch-and-sniff cards. 
• The Swimmer 
• Beyond the Valley of the Dolls and The Carrie Nations

The photos, most taken by David Ross, transport us to familiar places: the Pei Dorms, Ham Center, Palm Court, even Cars of Yesteryear, and also reveal the bonding experiences that brought this group together: a psychedelic hearse trip to Washington D.C. to a yippie protest at Nixon's inauguration, an unforgettable ISP wilderness expedition on Upper Captiva Island, the formation of the "Happy Bunny Farm" commune in upstate New York, plus a side-trip (for some) to Woodstock.

The guests recount their memories of those years while reflecting on the passage of time and the heartfelt challenges of growing older and staying true to those vivacious youngsters in the photos. Their energy, curiosity, and lifelong quest for knowledge is palpable (and familiar) in this reunion and meeting of hearts and minds.

Show Notes:

• New College’s charter class in 1964 had a (theoretically) three-year system, offering intensive study year-round. The first students graduated in 1967. 
• Historian Arnold Toynbee served on the faculty. 
• The alumni association formally defines an “alum” as anyone who successfully completes one contract. 
• Upper Captiva Island is now a ritzy resort refuge. Before the 1970s, it was wilder. 

Photo: The Captiva Island ISP group in front of Ham Center included Laurel Roth and Sal Lee Anderson (with feathers), then Kitty Warner, and between her and Andy, Cindy Cole (also part of the farm near Dryden NY). 

• How to cook a raccoon. 
• “Design-y campus” - “Novum Collegium”:  The dorms surrounding Palm Court and the school’s emblem were both designed by I.M. Pei after an ancient Greek Four Winds motif. 
• “Middle of the Everglades”: Myakka State Park, part of the Everglades watershed, is 40 minutes from campus. 
• LSD was only banned federally in October 1968. 
• The Golden Buddha’s (formerly The Mecca’s) minaret became a pan-Asian-kitsch landmark. 
• Sarasota Classic Car Museum was a longstanding attraction recently evicted and razed to make room for federally controversial baseball fields.  
• New College’s mangos were featured in our Jono Miller episode. 
• Phosphorescent plankton is part of the area’s dreamlike biology. 
• The Isle of Wight Festival was Britain’s equally-iconic answer to Woodstock. 
• For decades, David Pini’s avant garde student films inspired generations of NC filmmakers. 
• Meher Baba, spiritual leader. 
• There are annual Rainbow Gatherings in Ocala Nat’l Forest.
• The Yippies held a counter-inauguration in DC in 1969. 
• Jim Feeney was mentioned in our Mike Campbell episode. 
• Paul Krassner, The Realist publisher, satirist.. 
• Dream interpretation was Freud’s original goal; psychoanalysis, an afterthought. 
• More vintage New College photos. 

TIME STAMPS:

00:00 Introduction and Excitement for the Special Edition

00:47 Introducing the Special Guests from the 60s and 70s

01:39 The Story Behind the Photos

02:55 Reconnecting After Decades

03:31 Life at New College in the Late 60s

05:45 The Captiva Island Expedition

07:54 Reflections on Florida and New College

15:17 The Happy Bunny Farm Commune

19:03 The Cultural Shift of the 60s

24:08 Sailing Adventures and College Memories

25:05 Life at New College: Community and Isolation

26:29 Woodstock and Other Festivals

27:49 David Peeney and New College Legends

32:57 Protests and Academic Struggles

35:16 Reflections on Aging and Mortality

38:07 Final Thoughts and Farewells

We discuss the right-wing takeover of New College, a small public liberal arts college in Florida, and the implications for higher education. The takeover, led by Governor Ron DeSantis, included a push to reconstitute the student body with athletes and the installation of new trustees with an agenda to dismantle the school along ideological lines.  

We also discuss the impact of the ouster of Ben Sasse from the presidency at the University of Florida and the apparent political spoil system in Florida higher education.  

Joyce discusses the potential outcomes of the takeover, including the possibility that New College will fail or be absorbed into the University of South Florida. She also discusses the importance of organizations such as PEN America and the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) in defending academic freedom.  

The episode ends with a call to action for listeners to support independent journalists and news outlets and to pay attention to the threats to higher education in the United States and around the world. Don't miss it!

NOTES:

“The New College Gambit,” In These Times, 9 Dec 24, is one of the better accounts of recent events at New College. 

“A Search for Answers. A Search for Blame,” was Joyce’s post-Parkland school-discipline story. 

Flagler College hosted the non-partisan Freedom to Teach conference. 

Libby Harrity and Steven Walker episodes.

“Classical education” could come to the D.O.D.’s 161 schools. 

“The Trustee Solution” is an article trustee Mark Bauerlein  wrote for trustee Christopher Rufo’s City Journal, advocating trustees make bold political moves. 

Cost-per-student has begun to alarm the conservative Board of Governors.

Ben Sasse’s extravagant spending and sudden exit changed the political climate.  

Liv Coleman is a University of Tampa prof and former political candidate. 

Randy Fine, who proposed merging NCF involuntarily into a larger university in 2020, then lost a bid to become president of FAU, is currently running to fill a national seat vacated by a Trump appointment. 

Aaron Hillegass, tech entrepreneur and former NCF data science director.

NCF’s largest class ever remains the 861 students of 2015-16; more students have been accepted and enrolled recently, but subsequently transferred out in large numbers as well. 

AAUP’s more activist stance resulted, in part, in a detailed report on New College.  

Universities did not fare well under Pinochet. 

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Welcome and Introductions

01:03 Reflecting on January 6th and New College

01:18 Interview with Journalist Kathryn Joyce

02:25 Kathryn Joyce's Background and Work

03:12 The Right-Wing Influence on Education

06:07 The New College Takeover

08:27 Challenges and Future of New College

12:21 Broader Implications and Activism

21:46 Final Thoughts and Campus Reflections

33:00 Conclusion and Farewell

NOTES:

• “Three years was standard”: The original system had no summer breaks, although students were also allowed to take as long as they wanted. 
• “Each student was responsible…”: Academic freedom extended to faculty as well as students, within certain broad guidelines. 
• Ted Held’s hitchhiking to the charter class became a low-key legend. (This article also mentions I.M. Pei and the finite architectural investment in campus buildings.)
• Arnold J. Toynbee was a renowned historian and classicist. 
• Clayton’s nipple-preference thesis can be read here. 
• The idea of applying Montessori principles to higher education is a perennial one. 
• Andrew Doyle’s first month-long course earned him $10,000 per week; his second, a story in The Guardian. 
• The current clash over the ever-expanding core curriculum flies in the face of the original, highly successful concept of curious students choosing what to study in depth. 
• Clayton has her own page on C-Span thanks to her work toward the FACE Act.
• A 1994 Chicago Tribune profile ran under the headline “Now Is She a Household Name?”
• Clayton did ultimately become partner and, to some, a hero. 

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Welcome to the Palm Court Podcast

00:37 Meet Fay Clayton: A Charter Class Pioneer

02:13 Life at New College: Early Experiences

03:50 Academic Adventures and Friendships

06:46 From Farm Life to New College

09:01 Dorm Life and Campus Culture

13:09 Professional Journey: From Montessori to Law

19:16 A Litigator's Journey: Early Career and Pro Bono Work

21:08 Landmark Cases: Fighting for Civil Rights and Women's Rights

22:15 Supreme Court Battles and Legal Triumphs

25:26 Reflections on New College and Its Challenges

29:26 The Future of New College: Hopes and Concerns

34:25 Personal Reflections and Final Thoughts

NOTES:

• Dr. Reid profiled in Ms. Magazine. 
• Traci Ardren is now an anthropological archaeologist at the University of Miami.
• Chris Coldren is now Senior Scientific Director, Bioinformatics at Pathgroup. 
• Amy's other two NCF alum roommates were Sharon Cload, who's a Bristol Myers Squib and Mike Owens (who is Traci's partner & a lawyer )
• Jeffrey Hixson was a respected professor of French and rhetoric. 
• Prior part-time faculty on PCP include Jono Miller and Dan Harrison. 
• There was never a gender-studies department at New College (despite some heated claims otherwise, including by the college’s own trustees); it was, instead an interdisciplinary program consisting of classes taught in several departments. As of November 2024, Gender Studies still appeared on the official list of AOCs alongside Biopsychology, Medieval and Renaissance Studies, and Neuroscience … but with an asterisk saying it would not be offered to students entering after fall 2023. While some courses are still being taught, many are not, because so many professors in different departments have left. 
• HB233 is a Florida law, currently being challenged in the courts, that allows students to surreptitiously record professors for evidence in lawsuits, among other things. 
• Faculty trustee & computer scientist Matthew Lepinski dramatically quit in the middle of a meeting when the board denied tenure to seven approved candidates - “like jumping off a cliff.”
• The “day DeSantis came to sign SB266” was covered in our Libby Harrity episode. 
• Tampa Bay Times, “A Semester Inside the Siege,” 16 Aug 2023. 
• À rebours, by Joris-Karl Huysmans, is a “wild and gloomy fantasy” that inspired Oscar Wilde, the Surrealists, and generations of later artists. 
• The 44-person portable dorms nicknamed “Banyan Boxes” were meant to replace the uninhabitable Pei dorms, but were themselves rendered uninhabitable by Hurricane Milton. 
• Dr. Heidi Harley is a dolphin researcher who had won Department of Defense grants prior to the takeover. 
• Reid on translation. 
• A few of Reid’s publications, as well as novels by Patrice Nganang, Blaise Ndala, Mutt-Lon, Véronique Tadjo, Marie-Celie Agnant, among others. 
• “Onè … Respè” is “Honor … Respect,” a traditional greeting and response in Haitian Creole.

TIME STAMPS:

00:00 Welcome to the Palm Court Podcast

00:47 Introducing Dr. Amy Reid

01:41 Amy's Journey to New College

04:50 Teaching at New College

07:35 Building the Gender Studies Program

11:46 Challenges and Changes at New College

15:24 Board of Trustees Experience

21:35 Working with PEN America

31:07 Reflections and Future of New College

39:39 Final Thoughts and Farewell

NOTES:

• Dr. Tarron Khemraj. 
• Mike Long, CEO of SailFuture. 
• Newtown Nation Farmers Market. 
• As a Fulbright scholar, Iton got involved in language learning through hip-hop in Taiwan.
• Dr. Carl Shaw. 
• Diddy’s inaugural REVOLT conference in Miami. 
• Rousseau’s “civil religion.” 
• The Four Winds was a student-run cafe in a building older alums knew as “the Anthro Barn.” Whether or not it’s ever turned a profit remains a matter of debate.
• In May 2015, a student and a campus guest both died of fentanyl overdoses. Students subsequently elected to rename Palm Court Parties (PCPs) to Center of the Universe Parties (COUPs). Other campus changes were less voluntary. 
• The Red Flag Scandal,  previously mentioned in Ep. 8.  
• 2016-17 was noted in the Catalyst as New College’s most diverse class. (It was also the largest enrollment.) 
• Alum Steven Lubka, Head of Swan Private. 
• lilKrake is a Chinese-language hip-hop artist. 
• Hip Hop for Change. 
• n 2020, the Barancik Foundation granted the New College Foundation $500,000 for the “Access Leadership” outreach to local high schools, including Booker High.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Introduction and Election Context

00:51 Guest Introduction: Miles Eitan

01:26 Miles' Journey to New College

03:00 New College Experiences and Achievements

05:58 Hip Hop and Education

08:17 Challenges and Controversies at New College

19:46 Reflections on New College and Future Outlook

23:34 Reflecting on Trump's Election

24:27 Current Political Climate and New College

26:16 Founding the Black Student Union

29:59 Experiences in Sarasota and Community Perception

31:33 Entrepreneurship and New College's Role

36:05 The Diddy Story and Final Thoughts

Mike also shares his perspectives as a recent homeowner in the Uplands neighborhood in Sarasota which borders on the campus and has been in the spotlight in light of the new administration's tree removal efforts that have significant impacts on the local community.

The discussion traverses his experiences in Barbados and his relentless commitment to New College's alumni networks. Dr. Campbell shares insights into the alumni association's independence, recent political impacts on the college, and his perspectives on fostering resilience and community within higher education.

Show Notes:

• The Bones were a long-running, trophy-winning New College softball team. 
• Behavioral geology “focuses on the cognitive processes and spatial decision-making that influence human behavior.”
• The Uplands - see Episode 20. 
• “Nature’s destruction” - Hurricanes Helene and Milton both damaged NCF; the new women’s soccer team set up a GoFundMe to pay for shelter. 
• General Fred & Mrs. Sylvia Knight cared about NCF’s master plan. 
• Some New College students live in the new dorms at the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus north of The Uplands. There have been suggestions the institutions may wind up merged in the future. 
• The Novo Collegian Alliance’s mission is to “provide for support of the alumni, students, staff, faculty, and allies working to maintain the essence of New College of Florida.”
• The  Soo Bong Chae Endowed Chair of Applied Mathematics was named for a much-loved math professor (and tai chi student). 
• On 9/11, Air Force One took off from SRQ airport, less than a mile from NCF dorms. 
• Freewinds, the former Scientology floating headquarters, was once a cruise ship. 
• Before becoming a psychedelic researcher, Rick Doblin created a construction company that built the New College racquetball courts. 
• Dirt from Harvard was ceremonially buried on the New College campus at its dedication on November 18, 1962 with blessings from the United Church of Christ (which founded both institutions). 
• The fire ring in the new Robertson Park, by accident or design, is in roughly the same spot on campus where, in 1988, student David Dunn committed suicide by self-immolation. The incident shook the campus, especially those of us who knew him and those students working in the campus police department. Over decades, the story became mythologized but was still known on campus in 2023. 
• Amy Reid’s social skills were tested throughout her tenure on the board of trustees. 
• Gordon “Mike” Michalson’s belief in civil discourse reflected and shaped campus culture. 
• Judy Genshaft was USF president for 19 years. On stepping down, she financed the creation of an honors college at that institution. 
• Bob Johnson was the GOP senator who steered NCF’s merger with USF in order to preserve the Uplands. 

Now a fourth-year thesis student, Libby gives us an inside look at how 80 students from different backgrounds went into exile "up north" to continue their education. She also shares insights into the current situation on campus at New College, reporting on how students are weathering the climate of imposed change and destruction as best as they can amidst increased police presence, forced separation, and absurd restrictions on student gatherings. We also touch on New College as the "canary in the swamp" and the broader implications of the takeover for higher education and academic freedom.

Libby discusses her in-progress thesis work, research into francophone anti-colonial liberation movements, while connecting the dots to her experiences and the broader political climate in Florida and the US. Our particular historical moment is one of stories big and small and Libby—inspired by the insights of thinkers like Frantz Fanon and Aimé Césaire—is determined to tell the people's history of these years. We chat about the cultural differences between NCF and Hampshire, and Libby's dream to install a mural honoring the New College diaspora at Hampshire and perhaps throw a real wall.

Libby's story offers a unique perspective on how a community can come together—across generations and geographies—to take care of one another and fight for New College's ideals and academic freedom. Throughout the conversation, we reflect on New College's indelible spirt, the potential for future change in FL's political landscape, and the resilience of our community in the face of adversity.

Shownotes:

• “Bogus criminal case”: Harrity was accused of spitting at Trustee Rufo during a campus protest. (After photos of their encounter were published, it was amended to spitting on his shoes, charges were ultimately dropped)
• “Very generous financial aid package”: Hampshire welcomed NCF defectors, and was rewarded with the largest incoming class in 5 years
• Blaise Paine’s op-ed about transferring
• Trending in Ed with Josh Eyler: “Are Grades Failing Our Future?”
• Null Set tattoos: NCF’s longtime, quirky mascot, the “empty set," illegitimately replaced with the grimacing, flexing “Mighty Banyan”
• “Amy Reid is, you know, a personal hero of mine”: Profiled in a recent issue of Ms. Magazine.
• Frantz Fanon was a psychiatrist and philosopher from Martinique, and one of the foremost theorists of post-colonialism. His first major work, Black Skin, White Masks, was published when he was 27 years old.
• “The Residencia… they all went into exile and a diaspora around the world”: Poets, artists, and scholars who lived in the Residencia de Estudiantes in Madrid fled Franco’s Spain
• Joshua Epstein, accused of chanting “Free Palestine!” by school officials who briefly withheld his diploma, had actually worn “Free the Hostages” gear to graduation
• “The recent Alumni Town Hall debacle”: Corcoran hosted a 90-minute event to field questions submitted to the alumni association. No submitted questions were read or answered
• “Tell people that grades are not the only way.”: A message that is gaining some traction
• “Purging of the trees has already started worse flooding”: The clearing of the Uplands resulted in flooding, toxic runoff, and fish kills following recent severe storms. 
• Beastie Boys: “(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)”
• N.W.A.: “Express Yourself”
• “We don't have any old buildings like that”: College, Cook, and Caples Hall were built as Gilded Age mansions
• The R.W. Kern Center at Hampshire, the 17th certified Living Building in the world

We delve into Jono's ongoing efforts to protect New College's natural heritage amid recent administrative changes, including the recently threatened Uplands area, the loss of historic trees, and the lack of transparency in campus development plans. In the wake of the "hostile takeover," he remains committed to preserving the college's unique character.

In a rapid-fire segment, we uncover Jono's numerous contributions to New College, from naming dorms to designing tiles. His insights reveal how small, thoughtful changes can have lasting impacts on campus life. We also touch on Jono's wider environmental work in Sarasota County, particularly along the Myakka River.

Throughout the conversation, Jono's deep connection to New College shines through. He sees the college as three intertwined elements: the program, the people, and the place. Jono may in fact be the human being most deeply embedded in New College's ecosystem. While the current situation is difficult, Jono's unwavering dedication inspires us all to keep fighting for the New College we know and love. 

Notes:

• Jono Miller is a founder of NCF Freedom, which has been in headlines over the past year. 
• The first Earth Day was on April 22, 1970. The carpet-bombing of Cambodia lasted from 1969 to 1973. 
• Zorn’s Lemma has some relics of the Kingsley Hall experiment, and the journal Change mentions Kingsley Hall in a retrospective from the USF merger. 
• Part of the Uplands is listed as a National Historic Register District. 
• Map of the Uplands Preserve and an aerial photo with both Ringling estates. (Compare with cached construction plans presented Jan 2024, then quietly taken down. Note the pharaonic scale of the proposed Freedom Institute west of the pond.)
• Horseshoe crabs have prehistoric breeding rituals and are indeed bled for life-saving medications. 
• Deborah Rabinowitz, “Seven Forms of Rarity,” 1981.
• Port Manatee Jail has a floral legacy.
• The Caples Food Forest became an iconic part of student life. 
• Other colleges (some Catholic) have noted the alumnae/i Latin issue.
• The Summer 1988 Nimbus has pieces on the Lorax Rebellion (p. 7) and identifying by entering year (on p. 10). 
• Plant species: 
• LIve Oak (Quercus virginiana). “For centuries, it has been a symbol of safety, strength, and resilience.”
• Cabbage Palm (Sabal palmetto). ““To be in palmetto hammocks, coastal marshes, swamp forests, wet prairies, or revegetating cane breaks with Jono Miller is to walk into a world of wonder.” 
• Slash pine (Pinus elliottii) and loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) “are highly important to both Florida's ecosystems and its economy.” 
• Red (Rhizophora mangle), black (Avicennia germinans), and white mangroves (Laguncularia racemosa) “are important for local fisheries.” 
• Royal Poinciana (Delonix regia). “Also called flamboyant or flame tree, royal poinciana provides dappled shade in summer, with wide, spreading branches and brilliantly-colored flowers.” 
• Mango (Mangifera indica). Arecibo researcher Kit Reilly’s memorial “mango asterism” originally consisted of Graham, Mallika, Neelum, Fairchild, Cogshall, Torbet, Lancetilla, Nam Doc Mai, Manilita, and Parvin varieties. 
• The ACE Building “Spanish tile” tessellation was based on I.M. Pei’s design of a Minoan engraving.
• Poli-sci prof and Kentucky Colonel Peggy Bates lived in the dorms. 
• “Understanding Dentils” (inverted or otherwise). 
• Myakka River State Park is known to some as skunk ape habitat, to even more as a beautiful wilderness with a treetop boardwalk. 
• Sen. Bob Johnson was an early Uplands benefactor.

His transformative experiences participating in New College's first LGBTQ+ student organization and being a part of the 1987 "Second March on Washington" set the stage for his move to DC post-New College. However, the 90s were not without an uncanny series of career setbacks as Jonathan struggled to find his place in academia and beyond. He decided to try something different and reboot as a social worker, eventually getting his foot in the door at the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, slowly working his way up in the ranks—in uniform!

It turns out Jonathan found his true calling in disaster management and crisis response at a time when the world most needed him. Many will remember then Commander White's brave testimony before Congress and his subsequent work reuniting families separated at the U.S.-Mexico border. Jonathan urges those who care about New College to take care of each other and not to lose hope but to broaden our scope and adjust our efforts toward achievable goals.

Notes:

• Jerry Falwell’s Moral Majority was a keystone of conservative culture in the 1980s. 
• The October 1987 “Second March on Washington” was in part a response to the government’s lack of response to the AIDS crisis as a public health matter, as well as a call for lesbian and gay rights. 
• The SRQ authority is still doing deals with New College administrators. (In this case, the authority has some close, personal connections with the new administrators.) 
• Dean Robert V. Barylski has recorded his own memories of New College events. 
• Joe Caffentzis works as an administrator at Columbia University, and is also active in the Lovecraft fan community. 
• The Lorax is a children’s book by Dr. Seuss that not everyone has read. 
• There was an active aikido community, studying the Japanese martial art based on Taoist principles of reflection, redirection and circular motion; seiza is the formal sitting posture used to teach other body postures. . 
• Justice for Janitors is a movement, a campaign, and an organization. 
• “Kettling” is when police confine protestors (and anyone else on a particular sidewalk or street) for an extended period of time, not allowing anyone to leave. 
• Whitman-Walker has been serving health needs of the LGBTQ+ community since the 1970s. 
• The Public Health Service Commissioned Corps is a uniformed service of the U.S. government, active around the world. 
• Hurricane Ike was a large, wet, Category 2 storm that, due to widespread flooding, is the third-costliest hurricane to hit the United States, after Andrew and Katrina. 
• In 2019, White testified during congressional hearings regarding the Migrant Family Separation Policy. 
• Ventilator shortfalls were sort of a big deal in 2020. 
• The word “apocalypse” literally means “unveiling” (apo: “un” - kaluptein: “cover or veil”).

Show notes:

• Other former Admiral Farragut Academy students include Stephen Stills and Lorenzo Lamas.  
• Merlin’s “On Not Writing About New College.”
• Miles Davis as a young musician, filled with ecstatic wonder. 
• William Zinsser’s On Writing Well. 
• The Church of the SubGenius now does ShorDurMars online. Photo of Reverend Stang’s TA Event.
• White Rain was sold to Florida-based Diamond Products in 2000.
• “Mornin’ Bob” was the beloved physical plant supervisor, a slender man with iron sinews and a sunshiny disposition. The kenning “Mornin’” came from his traditional greeting, no matter what depraved nonsense he happened to have stumbled onto after sunrise.  
• Guillermo Del Toro makes a model kit every weekend, and sometimes shows his work. 
• H.C. Bosman, great writer (compare with H.L. Mencken). The Afrikaner Broederbond, real conspiracy (compare with the SACR).
• Nadine Gordimer’s July’s People (1981) was Merle and Grant’s incoming-class reading.
• On Lovecraft and Sonia Greene. 
• Our Episode 11 kicked it with two canonical Surf Fux, throat and bass. Other New College bands mentioned: Ether Mice, Dog School, Skamena. 

Merlin opens up about the challenges of growing up in the "crushing machine" of Florida and the ways New College opened his eyes to perspectives far beyond the limited horizons of his prior education. Throughout, he looks back on his younger self, contemplating the growing consciousness that helped him uncover his privileged blind spots and move beyond the growing pains and traumas. Without veering too far into Proustian reverie, Merle opens up his "bag of hair" and ponders the meaning and importance of New College, where he "learned how to learn," started to fight "hegemonic ideology," and made lifelong friends.

Show notes:

• A “kenning” is “a conventional poetic phrase used for or in addition to the usual name of a person or thing, especially in Icelandic and Anglo-Saxon verse, as ‘a wave traveler’ for ‘a boat.’” At New College, it was a way to distinguish between people with the same first name; e.g. “Big Jen, Little Jen, or Littlest Jen?” or “That was Adam Frisbee, not Adam Uniform.” 
• Merlin’s “On Not Writing About New College.”
• Merlin’s Awkward Hair Odyssey includes a hegemonic ideology T-shirt and mug shot
• 1988 articles about the Lorax Rebellion
• Kurt Vonnegut’s Breakfast of Champions has been banned, occasionally. So it goes.  Unstuck in Time documentary mentioned.
• Hegemonic ideology.
• Ruskin, Florida, is famed for its tomatoes (and vegetable prepackaging technology), but was founded by the Millers as a cooperative community dedicated to the ideals of John Ruskin. 
• Commander (now Captain) Jonathan White testifying in the Senate on the family-separation policy. 
• Back to School, starring Rodney Dangerfield and Kurt Vonnegut
• The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, MD. 
• General Rolland V. Heiser, leading light of New College. 
• CGP Grey’s mind-splitting video “You Are Two.”
• New College zines mentioned: Red Beans and Rice and Crystal Method.

She opens up about the positive and negative aspects of her New College experience, including her innovative self-designed animal behavior concentration and details of her legendary thesis research observing pelican behavior every day for over a year from the boughs of a tree on the bayfront—extraordinary scholarship that led her to present her findings at a national conference, while still an undergrad facing serious challenges and lack of support from her sponsor.

Susan's post NCF life found her continuing her studies at grad school, doing advocacy work on radioactive waste in Los Alamos, New Mexico (where her uncle, physicist Richard Feynman, had worked on the Manhattan Project) and, along the way, finding and marrying her best friend from high school.

Susan catches us up on her life after moving to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where she has worked in healing as an alternative healthcare practitioner and started an organization, the Joan Feynman Climate Change Fund, to honor her mother, a renowned astrophysicist who cared deeply about climate issues and gender equality.

At the end of the episode, Susan reveals that she bought land in rural Nova Scotia to create a healing center and issues an exciting invitation to current New College students to apply to a program she is designing for 4-8 students this summer, exploring embodiment in nature and healing. In closing, Susan discusses her participation in "the Lorax Rebellion" of 1988—which she emphatically cites as "life changing"—a brief teaser for a future episode on this seminal New College protest to save a stand of trees from destruction by SRQ.

Notes:

• The Spring 1988 Nimbus has an article on Hirshberg’s pelican research as well as one on the airport expansion that led, months later, to the Lorax Rebellion. 
• Hirshberg’s pelican thesis and other, less estuarine work can be read here. 
• Cognitive ethology is the study of animal thought processes. 
• Susan Sapoznikoff is a senior attorney at the Florida Public Service Commission. 
• The Joan Feynman Climate Change Fund gives grants “to support innovative, community-based action.”
• Joan Feynman was a renowned astrophysicist. 
• Of her brother, Richard, she said: “Look, I don’t want us to compete, so let’s divide up physics between us. I’ll take auroras and you take the rest of the Universe. And he said OK! … It was nice of him to give me the aurora and to know that I would think it was wonderful.”
• In Oppenheimer, Richard was played by Jack Quaid, with bongos. In real life, he was a Manhattan Project group leader, as well as an author and popular lecturer.  
• Runoff from Los Alamos cooling towers was spilled into canyons on San Ildefonso Pueblo land from 1956 to 1972. “Some of the waste offers quite a challenge.”  
• Reiki and craniosacral therapy are complementary therapies using light touch to ease anxiety and pain; treat chronic pain and help in physical therapy. 

Dropped straight into highly politicized, polarizing and seemingly interminable school board meetings, Walker live-tweeted the scene, and published articles that would soon have national relevance. It was good preparation for what came next when Ron DeSantis announced the takeover of New College’s Board of Trustees. Walker’s prior experience with sports and political reporting became increasingly relevant in covering the evolving New College education beat. Walker highlights the importance of maintaining journalistic integrity, while presenting the many facets of a story without amplifying bigotry or misinformation.

Initially unaware of New College and its unique history and philosophy, Steven quickly got up to speed. He details his process tracking the story's developments, from the removal of the president to the appointment of new trustees and the introduction of an athletics program. We learn about Walker's investigative approach, strategizing public records requests and building relationships with key sources.

Steven emphasizes the challenges of balancing the sound and fury of daily reporting with in-depth, enterprise journalism, along with his desire to dig deeper to cover topics of educational substance beyond the political machinations.

Steven encourages listeners to support local journalism, subscribe to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and follow him on Twitter for updates on both the New College story and his sometimes strident basketball commentary.

Notes:

• The Independent Florida Alligator has an interesting history, vis-a-vis “Independent.”
• Walker’s athletics coverage became a key part of the overall picture at NCF.
• Walker received attention (and awards) for his coverage of the unfolding absurdity of the Sarasota School Board takeover, live-tweeting the meetings as the brand-new education reporter in May 2022.
• Bridget Ziegler, if you somehow missed this story, is the anti-gay GOP star who fell from grace when her taste for FFM threesomes came to light, as part of a (CW) assault investigation that ended her husband’s career as leader of the Florida Republican Party.
• Before the fall, she had fun with fundraising when Moms For Liberty was declared a hate group by the SPLC.
• Walker covers the drama surrounding her continued presence on the school-board.
• NCF remembers her as a member of the presidential search committee that certified Richard Corcoran as president.
• Walker plays Twitter pretty well, from livetweeting key events to the tougher game.
• The Nulls sailing team competed in the SAISA conference for more than a decade, and NCF intercollegiate athletes got rowing, swimming and powerlifting medals regionally, at the state level and competed nationally.
• Walker discusses the notion of newsworthiness and public interest, at times with pushback from radically different constituents, including the recent story about a New College student athlete accused of felony battery of a Sarasota police officer.
• The Jefferson County scandal is large and complicated and here is one way in. The prose is purple; the facts are solid.
• Florida had some of the first and strongest Sunshine Laws (thanks, Reubin Askew), but that’s been changing over the last year (thanks, Ron DeSantis).
• The MSNBC coverage of the NCF “hostile takeover” has been surprisingly thorough and long-running.
• The Catalyst couldn’t get a sit-down with Corcoran, and then it did … with “autonomous electric vehicles to shuttle students”?

The group reminisces about their time at New College, sharing stories about the film series, the campus theater (TA), and local movie theaters like the Teatro. Harrison, Tom, and Suzanne recount their involvement with the film series, programming independent and foreign films for the campus community. They discuss the challenges of acquiring films in different eras, from renting 16mm prints to the advent of DVDs.

The conversation shifts to this year's Academy Awards, with Suzanne offering her "sleeper pick" for Best Picture and the group analyzing the merits of various nominees like "Oppenheimer" and "Barbie." They debate whether the Oscars are more about recognizing quality films or serving as a trade show for the industry. Tom shares his insider perspective from living in Los Angeles, including the "For Your Consideration" billboards leading up to the ceremony.

As the episode wraps up, the guests offer final thoughts, from Suzanne's bold prediction about an "Ancient Aliens" movie winning Best Picture to Tom's most anticipated film of the year, the enigmatic "Hundreds of Beavers." It's a lively, film-focused discussion infused with the unique spirit of New College.

Episode Notes:

• Tom Ronca’s favorite films of 2023
• Enzian Theater is an esteemed Orlando-area arthouse cinema, where Matthew Curtis is programming director.
• Asolo Repertory Theatre is a playhouse in Sarasota that was also, in 1990, the first home of the FSU film school. (It later moved to Tallahassee,where teachers like Victor Nunez taught students like Sam “Iron & Wine” Beam.)
• Site of the Teatro 50-cent theater, now an Amscot next to McCurdy’s (recently notorious for other New College reasons). 
• Video Renaissance, closed after 33 years in 2018
• Ivan Stang of the Church of the SubGenius is a filmmaker, among other things. 
• KS State Senator Jeff Pittman was nowhere near the place, your honor. 
• Cameron Worden’s Digital Devil Saga screened at Rotterdam. 
• Harmon “Oscar” Nelson, of the non-namesake derriere. 
• Steve Rosenbluth’s Concept Overdrive has him halfway to an EGOT. 
• John Waters’s Best Movies of 2023

TRAILERS

• John Waters’ 1974 film Female Trouble. 
• George Bernard Shaw’s Oscar-winning Pygmalion (1938)
• Harvey Korman breaks the fourth wall in Blazing Saddles. 
• Robert Downey Jr. in Chaplin (1994) 
• Paul Giamatti in Sideways (2004). . 
• Craig Brewer’s 2019 blaxploitation biopic Dolemite is My Name. 
• Juel Taylor’s neo-blaxploitation They Cloned Tyrone. 
• Wim Wenders’ Anselm should be seen in 3D. 
• Cytron’s should-have-been pick is Monster by Hirokazu Kore-eda (Note from Megan: watch it spoiler free!)
• Werner Herzog’s 1970 film Even Dwarfs Started Small haunts the campus. 
• Ronca’s should-have-been pick is Hundreds of Beavers. 
• 2024 NOMINEE: Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. .
• 2024 NOMINEE: Greta Gerwig’s Barbie (and Billie Eilish, “What Was I Made For?”)
• 2024 NOMINEE: Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things. 
• 2024 NOMINEE: Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers. 

Our first guest is Sophia Brown, a 2023 New College graduate who served as Editor-in-Chief of New College’s student newspaper The Catalyst during a tumultuous period on campus. Sophia recounts her experience navigating student journalism and speaking at commencement while the school was under new politically appointed leadership. She describes the strange feeling on campus after the abrupt takeover and her pride in student activists continuing the fight for New College's values and spirit. After graduating, Sophia landed a role as Community Outreach Consultant with PEN America's Freedom to Learn team, where she helps monitor academic freedom issues in Florida.

Our second guest is Jeremy C. Young, Director of Freedom to Learn at PEN America, an organization that advocates for free expression and human rights. Jeremy explains how PEN America spotted the New College takeover right away as an ominous sign for higher education nationally. He commends the New College community's resistance over the past year and suggests it may have had a deterrent effect against similar state takeovers elsewhere. Jeremy outlines PEN America's efforts to maintain the spirit of New College through financial support, online programming, coalition building, and showcasing student and faculty voices. He argues that viewpoint diversity and intellectual challenge are hallmarks of New College's pedagogy that are now under threat. 

Jeremy and Sophia discuss fostering "psychological safety" on campus and concerns over the school's new athletes feeling othered from the existing student body. As part of the Freedom to Learn team at PEN America, their mission revolves around challenging educational censorship legislation and advocating for free expression in learning environments. Recognizing the role of New College as a bellwether for higher education in the United States, the episode serves as a reflection on the aftermath of the hostile takeover, the importance of individual resilience and resistance, and the ongoing need for education advocacy. In a fight spanning old and new media, our guests exemplify courage in speaking truth to power.

FOOTNOTES

• PEN America was founded in 1922 “to ensure that people everywhere have the freedom to create literature, to convey information and ideas, to express their views, and to access the views, ideas, and literatures of others.” 
• Saint Mary’s College of Maryland is “one of only two public honors colleges in the country.”
• The Catalyst has existed in one form or another since the 1960s. 
• Here’s recent coverage of the stand-up comedy controversy…
• …and the student journalist trying to get an interview with the college president… 
• …and Brown’s initial piece on last year’s events: Inside the “hostile takeover”: an autopsy of the Jan. 31 Board of Trustees meeting.

• Reagent was a 1980s reaction to/continuation of The Catalyst. (Note the article about generals lecturing on campus… by Rick Doblin, famous now for other things.) 
• Maria Vesperi is an author and journalist as well as an anthropology professor. 
•  A Brief Guide to the San Francisco Renaissance Poets.
• The 2023 [New] Commencement, or “Alt Grad.” 
• The official graduation had a less joyful vibe. 
• Students Against Fascism in Education (SAFE).
• Sam Greenspan for Reveal: The Culture War Goes to College.
• The Null Set mascot, as defined in the NCSA Constitution, was replaced by presidential fiat to “The Mighty Banyan,” a move that attracted some attention (including from WaPo).  
• Note that a student poll overwhelmingly chose “The NCF Snowflakes,” a name that lives on in social media. 
• New York Times Magazine, Recruited to Play Sports, and Win a Culture War.
• Trending in Ed with Eric Schickler and with Jen Granick.

The conversation begins with Goldfarb reminiscing about his time at New College, the punk rock ethos on campus, and the intense academic and social environment. Things then take a dark turn as the group frankly discusses the high-stakes risks and lack of safety nets at the school during that era. Goldfarb shares his own story of failure and lessons learned that eventually led him to a successful career. We discover interesting ways in which Stanley Fish is woven into the tale.

The highlight of the episode is when Goldfarb vividly describes his obsessive Dungeons & Dragons gaming marathons that would go on for days. This immersive roleplaying experience clearly made a lasting impact, informing his work later as a video game designer who ultimately founded his own studio with successful titles like the "rhythm shooter" Metal: Hellsinger. Listeners get a fascinating fly-on-the-wall perspective into the creative subculture at New College. We even chop it up a bit about the tunes on the jukebox in the pub in the early 90s along the way.

Overall, this episode pulls back the curtain on a provocative time at New College that many alumni tiptoe around discussing. Goldfarb's reflections are candid, thoughtful, and amusing. His unique trajectory illustrates how the experimental nature of the school, for better or worse, unleashed creative potential. Listen and subscribe for more uncensored perspectives on the ever-evolving culture of New College.

We reminisce about the unique academic philosophy at New College that emphasized critical thinking and students directing their own education. While recognizing its value, we also talk about the lack of structure in requirements and the process of getting contracts approved for independent study projects (ISPs). We even share some of our more unorthodox forays in that area as we ponder how the school seemed under-resourced in the mid 1980s, with very limited career counseling.

Shifting to the present, there is much disappointment at recent actions by the new president appointed by DeSantis' board. Troy offers proposals for fighting back, like organizing Florida boycotts, but we recognize New College's vulnerability.

Subscribe to Palm Court Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Now also on Youtube.

In the interview from March, Mark, Nicholas, and Dan discuss both the virtues of the New College model, like the freedom and responsibility it gives students for their own education, as well as some of its potential pitfalls and risks. We reflect on how well the model prepared them for future academic careers, but also acknowledge that some students struggled under the system's high demands and lack of structure. There is debate around whether today's students may need more support than the New College model provided in the 1990s.

Don't miss this insightful glimpse into the alumni response to the changes at New College in early 2023, as well as a thoughtful discussion of the merits and limitations of New College's unique educational model.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Now also on Youtube.

Lynne attended New College herself from 1975-1979, living through the merger with USF. She changed majors multiple times, settling on art history. Lynne emphasizes Dr. Berggren’s fun-loving spirit, telling how he entertained her as a child by claiming to have walked across the bay. She also discusses his experience in the Marines, his habit of creating philosophical charts, and his commitment to truth.

We reminisce about taking Doug's classes and learning from him indirectly. Grant reads a humorous 12-step outline for a Berggren tutorial written by Van Choojitarom. We explore the Berggren’s lasting influence impacting students over decades at New College.

In light of recent controversy, we stress the importance of preserving stories from New College's early intellectual history. Though the future is uncertain, these narratives keep the original spirit alive. Lynne believes her father would be heartbroken by the current climate of censorship and lack of open communication. She hopes these stories will maintain the culture of creativity and free thinking the Berggren’s worked so hard to build.

Here are the links to Lynne’s work:

Website: https://www.lynnebuchanan.com

Instagram: lynnebuchananphotography

Links to purchase books: 

The Poetry of Being: https://www.lynnebuchanan.com/the-poetry-of-being-photo-book

Florida's Changing Waters: A Beautiful World in Peril: https://www.lynnebuchanan.com/floridas-changing-waters-photo-book

Thanks for listening!

Sarah and Leo fondly recall engaging in late-night debates about coursework, attending Walls in Palm Court, and designing adventurous tutorials tailored to their interests. They also acknowledge the existential threats and rapid changes that clouded their senior year. While the future remains uncertain, Leo and Sarah emphasize the resilience of bonds formed on campus. They believe New College endures through communal remembrance. By sharing memories, all can sustain traditions. 

With humor and heart, we share their stories that encapsulate New College's creativity, contrarianism, and care for community. May their perspective uplift hope in a time of adversity.

Subscribe to the Palm Court Podcast wherever you get your pods. Now also on Youtube!

Visit us at PalmCourtPod.com for more.

After graduating, Steve had an eclectic career including jobs in solar energy, machining, cryogenics, and academia. He built his own sawmill in Oregon and later worked extensively with liquid helium and nitrogen. Throughout, Steve valued the lifelong friends he made at New College and the independent, self-driven spirit it instilled in him. He believes New College still has a bright future ahead, despite recent challenges. It's an enlightening view into the early days of New College and the meandering career path of an inventive alum.

Subscribe to the Palm Court Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Visit us at PalmCourtPod.com for more.

Subscribe to the Palm Court Podcast wherever you get your pods. Visit us at PalmCourtPod.com for more.

Subscribe to the Palm Court Podcast wherever you get your pods. Visit us at PalmCourtPod.com for more.

Subscribe to the Palm Court Podcast wherever you listen to pods. Visit us at PalmCourtPod.com for more reflections on the unique culture of the school through stories told by folks who've lived through a passage there.

• Anderson Brown’s Humanities, a YouTube channel of lectures. 
• Joel Biroco’s Introduction to the Yijing.  

We get cosmological as we go deep into the architecture and the social experience of Palm Court and why it will always be the Center of the Universe. Don't miss it!

Steve Waldman, Interfluidity, 3 May 2023: “We Haunt.”

New College of Florida: The Constitution of the New College Student Alliance, 2011 Edition. Palm Court's enshrinement as the Center of the Universe. 

• Pres. Gordon E. Michalson, Jr., Summer 2002: “The Case For Narrative Evaluation: Promoting Learning Without Grades, Or: ‘Here’s How You’re Doing.’”
• Mike Palmer, Aaron Hillegass. Trending in Ed (podcast), 7 Feb 23: Doing Data Science at a Liberal Arts College. 
• Sophia Brown. The Catalyst (student newspaper), 31 January 23: Inside the “hostile takeover”: an autopsy of the Jan. 31 Board of Trustees meeting 
• Malcolm Jones. The Daily Beast, 9 Feb 23: DeSantis Is Totally Ignorant of Why New College Is So Special. I should know, I went there.) 
• Conor Friedersdorf. The Atlantic, 30 Mar 23: Ron DeSantis Chose the Wrong College to Take Over. (paywalled, offers free trial)