The statements of the five students were compiled into a report submitted to members of the Division of Student Affairs (DSA) and the Title IX Office. The S&B could not determine if any student reported a sexual assault while feeling the effects of date-rape drugs. College administrators are unable to comment on ongoing Title IX investigations.
Similar cases occurred in 2005, 2006 and 2007 when five students reported predatory drug use, including one student at 2006’s 100 Days, according to S&B archives. The College’s investigations did not identify the perpetrators.
The new allegations come a decade after 100 Days was forced off campus due to tightening of the College’s alcohol policies, and five years after Student Government Association (SGA) stopped funding off-campus parties when DSA barred All Campus Event Student Safety (ACESS) staff from working off campus.
In an interview with The S&B, one fourth-year student said she blacked out after consuming two Twisted Tea beverages, which contain 5% alcohol, as well as an additional sip of beer. This is lower than the Center for Disease Control’s binge drinking threshold of four drinks per night for women.
After consuming the drinks, the student said she vomited and became unable to speak or walk as she lost consciousness. The student, who is 22 and said she frequently drinks casually, said she suspects she may have been drugged.
The S&B is not identifying this student to protect her privacy as the possible victim of date-rape drugs.
The student said on the evening of March 2, the date of 100 Days, she drank one Twisted Tea while getting ready for the party. She walked to the party with a second Twisted Tea, which she said she opened 10 minutes after arriving inside 1010 High St. The party was co-hosted by renters of 1010 and 1008 High St.
I was chatting with someone in one of my classes, and then I started to feel really confused and panicked.
After speaking with friends, the student said she placed her open drink on a counter to participate in a drinking game that required use of her hands, where she said she drank a small sip of beer. After several minutes, she said she left and began drinking the same Twisted Tea again.
“I was chatting with someone in one of my classes, and then I started to feel really confused and panicked,” she said.
The student said that within 10 minutes, she lost the ability to form coherent sentences.
“And then nothing,” she said. “I don’t remember anything after that.”
The student’s account was corroborated by a close friend, who described the student as incomprehensible and with “noodly legs” that the student couldn’t control properly.
The S&B is not identifying the friend to protect the anonymity of the student.
“She didn’t seem to know where she was,” the friend said. “She was having chest pain and a hard time breathing.”
The friend said that because of the student’s inability to walk, it took 23 minutes for several people to guide the student 900 feet from 1008 High St. to the Main Hall steps, according to time stamps on the friend’s text messages. The friend said that, to their knowledge, the student only consumed the two Twisted Teas and the sip of beer.
The friend also said they had discarded their own drink because “it didn’t taste right” after leaving it unattended near the student’s drink.
The student said she recalls flashes of events once she returned to her dormitory. Others with the student later told her Emergency Medical Services (EMS) had arrived to transport her to the hospital, but that she refused EMS, the student said.
When she awoke the next morning, she said she felt confused and in pain.
“I’ve been hungover before, but this was not a hangover,” she said. “This was absolutely not a hangover.”
The student said she experienced muscle soreness, chest pain and a migraine for three to four days after the party.
“I could not walk up the stairs,” she said. “I felt ill, really ill. It was almost like I had been hit by a train.”
According to United States Office on Women’s Health, common symptoms of date-rape drugs include dizziness, slurred speech, vomit, the inability to control muscles, sleepiness, confusion and trouble breathing.
The student said that on multiple prior occasions she’s consumed more than two standard drinks without feeling sick or losing memory.
“It doesn’t take two drinks to take me out,” she said. On other nights she has lost her memory, she said she had consumed significantly more alcohol and did not feel as sick the following morning.
The student said nothing happened earlier that day that would’ve affected her body’s response to alcohol at 100 Days, and that she made a deliberate attempt to eat sufficiently and drink enough water before the party. The student also said she does not take medication that would impact the ingestion of alcohol.
The student said she now wishes she had gone with EMS to the hospital because she would have been able to undergo a drug test. The detection time for date-rape drugs varies widely, but some drugs like Rohypnol become undetectable within six hours.
This student’s story, along with the accounts of four others, was included in a report detailing date-rape allegations at 100 Days written by Jasper Gray `24, Community Advisor (CA) in Read Hall.
The student said she was not sexually assaulted while blacked out, which she said she determined from the testimony of several friends alongside her that night.
This student’s story, along with the accounts of four others, were included in a report detailing date-rape allegations at 100 Days written by Jasper Gray `24, Community Advisor (CA) in Read Hall.
Gray said they noticed an unconscious student at 100 Days and felt a responsibility to help because of crisis education they received during CA training. Gray said that they and another CA brought the student to the Grinnell Regional Medical Center (GRMC).
That night, Gray said they were required to file a report to the Department of Residence Life about taking a student to the hospital.
On Sunday, Gray said they heard rumors that other students suspected date-rape drugs were present at 100 Days. Gray said they messaged Residence Life Coordinator Mary Perkins, who organized a meeting with Gray and Assistant Dean of Residence Life Dennis Perkins.
At the meeting, Gray said they were asked to independently connect with students who suspected they were drugged and submit a report with information pertinent to date-rape allegations at 100 Days.
Gray said that they spoke to five students who suspect they may have consumed date-rape drugs on March 2. All five students expressed drastic memory loss, sudden drunkenness and unusually intense hangover symptoms the following day, Gray said.
Gray submitted the report on March 7 to Dennis Perkins, Mary Perkins, Residence Life Coordinator Em Heath, Dean of Students Ben Newhouse and Title IX Coordinator Bailey Asberry.
“Going forward, it’s going to be hard,” said the student who spoke with The S&B. The weekend after 100 Days, she said she went to a Gardener event, but felt nervous and left early.
In an email to The S&B, Newhouse wrote that he cannot comment on specific incidents or Gray’s report but encouraged students with concerns to contact the Dean of Students or the Title IX office for support.
“The Dean of Students and/or the Title IX office follows up all incidents reported to the College, including with any student who has needed medical support due to alcohol or other substance use. The goal of this follow up is to help students who have needed medical intervention avoid a future experience of this nature, but it also provides the opportunity for students to speak with us if they believe they experienced or observed any prohibited or dangerous conduct.”
Nick El Hajj, co-editor-in-chief of The S&B, is a renter at 1010 High St. He was not involved in the reporting or editing of this story.
]]>Hexter, a Democrat, faces a challenge in the district, which comprises Tama and Poweshiek Counties, where democrats haven’t won a state house election in over twelve years.
Seeking to overcome this challenge, Hexter said he will run an unorthodox campaign that targets voters left outside the political process.
“I’m not going to be a traditional politician,” he said.
Hexter said national Democrats have avoided connecting with working-class voters and become “very comfortable representing the educated and elite.” Hexter said he will promote policies that support working-class residents, but also the non-working-class, which he said includes people with disabilities, elderly residents and people reliant on public services.
“If we only engage the people who are currently voting, we’re going to continue seeing the kind of state government that is leading to the hollowing out of rural communities and leaving people behind,” Hexter said.
In 2020, during his final year at Grinnell College, Hexter was elected as commissioner for the Poweshiek County Soil and Water Conservation District. In 2018, he co-founded Farm House at the College to create a living space for students interested in sustainable agriculture.
Since 2022, Hexter has worked as a rural organizer for the Iowa Farmers Union.
If we only engage the people who are currently voting, we’re going to continue seeing the kind of state government that is leading to the hollowing out of rural communities and leaving people behind.
— Tommy Hexter
Hexter also serves as executive director of Grinnell Farm to Table (GFTT), also known as Local Foods Connection, an organization that provides locally-sourced food to low-income families in Poweshiek County.
In his role delivering foods directly to families, Hexter said he’s met residents facing rising utility costs, food insecurity or difficulty with Medicare.
“They [residents] are immediately telling me about all these problems they are facing that are struggles for their very survival,” he said.
In 2021, 39% of Poweshiek and Tama residents struggled to afford basic living expenses according to United for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed (ALICE). From 2019 to 2021, the number of Poweshiek and Tama residents in this classification has risen by 17% and 22% respectively.
Hexter said he will host campaign events at the same apartment complexes and senior homes he’s traveled to as part of GFTT, as well as branching into Tama County communities.
“The way that I’m going to represent people is by going there and listening,” he said. “I’m not going to host traditional campaign events. I’m going to go where people haven’t been voting in high numbers. That’s where I’m going to door-knock.”
Hexter said he supports investment in public schools, area education agencies (AEAs), and resources for students with disabilities. Hexter criticized Fisher’s support of H.F. 68, which created private school vouchers in Iowa, and H.F. 2616, which allows school districts to seek private contracts for education services previously provided by AEAs.
I want to see Iowa investing in Iowa again. I’m a young person here who believes that Iowa has a beautiful future for many young people, and I want to help make that happen.
— Tommy Hexter
Hexter also said he supports Summer EBT, a federal childhood nutrition program established in 2022 that provides low-income families $40 per child per month to help with food costs in the summer. Iowa is one of 12 states that opted-out of the program for 2024, with Governor Kim Reynolds citing the program’s lack of nutrition focus, Iowa’s high childhood obesity levels and the existence of other Iowa programs tackling food insecurity.
“I’m not proposing bankrupting our state. I propose running our government like a business, where they reinvest in the necessary resources and also resources that promote rural development,” he said.
Additionally, Hexter said he supports programs like the Butchery Innovation and Revitalization Fund, a $1 million fund for small-scale meat processing projects.
“I believe in rural people and rural spaces,” Hexter said. “I’m running for food access. I’m running for farmers.”
Hexter said he’d been considering running since the Poweshiek County Democratic Party asked him to run on Jan. 15, the night of the GOP’s Iowa Caucuses.
“I knew the whole time that I wasn’t going to say no,” he said about the request.
Hexter later publicly floated the idea of his candidacy at a Feb. 19 event with North Carolina’s Anderson Clayton, 26, the country’s youngest state party chair. Hexter said her enthusiasm for bringing young people into Democratic Party leadership convinced him to commit to running against Fisher.
Hexter also said he hopes Grinnell College students understand the power of their vote in Iowa elections, including in District 53.
“I want to see Iowa investing in Iowa again,” he said. “I’m a young person here who believes that Iowa has a beautiful future for many young people, and I want to help make that happen.”
]]>On Tuesday, March 12, Grinnell College announced that Monica Sanders will be the inaugural recipient of the Social Innovator in Residence Program. Sanders, the founder of the Undivide Project, will receive $50,000 in funding for a five to seven week residency in the Edith Renfrow Smith `37 Civic Engagement Quad (CEQ), the construction of which will be complete by the fall 2024 semester. During her residency in the CEQ, Sanders will engage with the Grinnell community, both in and outside of the College.
The Undivide Project is a nonprofit organization that focuses upon the issues of the digital divide and the climate crisis, particularly as these issues pertain to low-income and BIPOC communities. The Undivide Project’s areas of focus thus far include parts of Southeastern Louisiana, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.’s Buzzard Point.
“We set out with our founding of the Undivide Project to work deeply in communities of all kinds to prepare for the dual challenges of digitization and climate change,” said Sanders. “We haven’t had an opportunity to engage with true rural communities. We haven’t had an opportunity to engage with people who are facing some of the hazards and challenges that are happening in the Midwest and, particularly, in Iowa.”
The Social Innovator in Residence Program evolved out of the Grinnell College Innovator for Social Justice Prize, more commonly referred to simply as the Grinnell Prize. Recipients of the Grinnell Prize were awarded $50,000 and expected to visit the campus of the College for several days at a time. To explain the shift from the Grinnell Prize to the Social Innovator in Residence Program, Grinnell College President Anne Harris said, “When I was thinking about where Grinnell is now, where the world is now — when I was thinking about Renfrow Hall — I saw an opportunity for us to move from a prize to a residency.”
Harris said that the transition between the Prize and Residency Program would be mutually beneficial for both students of the College and the Social Innovator in Residence. “More time for students, more support and respite and renewal for social innovators,” she said. “And a greater opportunity to . . . invigorate the civic innovation space with national leadership.”
Vicki Nolton, assistant director for social innovation, partnerships and education, managed the selection process for the Social Innovator in Residence Program, alongside a 14-person committee composed of students, faculty, staff, alumni and the founder of an NGO. In an email to The S&B, Nolton wrote that Sanders was selected because her “timely and important focus on the dual issues of climate change and connectivity are both salient issues for rural communities . . . and an opportunity to learn from one another.”
“The idea that the first Social Innovator in Residence would bring issues that pertain so directly to the lived experience of Grinnellians, Iowans, people of this region . . . that matters to me a great deal,” Harris said. “If you don’t remember the derecho from 2020, you remember the hailstorm from spring of `23 . . . there are more and more of these events.”
We haven’t had an opportunity to engage with true rural communities. We haven’t had an opportunity to engage with people who are facing some of the hazards and challenges that are happening in the Midwest and, particularly, in Iowa.
— Monica Sanders, founder of the Undivide Project
Nolton wrote, “Through a range of programming and activities, the social innovator will have the opportunity to continue their primary social innovation work and engage with the community.” She listed “collaborative opportunities such as workshops, lectures, class visits, skill building sessions [and] access [to] campus resources” as potential avenues for Sanders’ engagement with the Grinnell community.
Harris advised students interested in engaging with Sanders to “take the time with her, because five weeks is much more time than three days.” Sanders will visit the College in mid-April to plan her residency, which will begin the following fall.
Sanders encouraged students, faculty, staff and community members interested in working with her to reach out to info@theundivideproject.org or to message any of the Undivide Project’s social media accounts. “Send me your ideas,” she said. “You don’t have to wait until I get to campus.”
]]>Most replaced existing machines. Moser wrote, “The installation of vending machines is a direct response to student feedback that late-night food options were not readily available.” She added, “The addition of Smart Cooler vending machines, placed in these key locations, addresses the need for quick meal options not previously offered by the vending companies on campus.”
Moser emphasized the collaboration between dining services and Mahaska Vending. She wrote, “Dining Services communicates their desired options to Mahaska, requesting a variety of soft drinks from different companies, local food items, vegetarian snacks and quick meal options.” Moser added, “This addition aims to alleviate the need for students to go downtown during late evening hours if they wanted a meal or snack.”
Logan Weldon, market sales manager at Mahaska, shared that the company has received “good feedback as they continue to remain open to suggestions.” He said, “What we preach when we make these partnerships is that we’re hands-on. Mahaska is a family-run business. We’re in Iowa, and we don’t even cover all of Iowa yet. We are always here and available. We are going to keep an eye on these machines and give the best service that we can.”
Weldon continued, saying that college campuses are the ideal location for vendors to test out new products, as younger people tend to use cards and mobile pay options. The quick grab-and-go design of the smart cooler makes students “the perfect consumer.”
What we preach when we make these partnerships is that we’re hands-on. Mahaska is a family-run business. We’re in Iowa, and we don’t even cover all of Iowa yet. We are always here and available. We are going to keep an eye on these machines and give the best service that we can.
— Logan Weldon, market sales manager at Mahaska Vending
Dining services selected Mahaska as their vendor after assessing a variety of companies for their “reliability, sustainability initiatives and cutting-edge technology.” Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Mahaska designates 12 drivers to stock various machines across Iowa. Weldon said that a route driver goes to Grinnell and Newton, stopping by the College on its way. Each smart cooler shelf has scales that evaluate the price of the product based on its weight.
The machines in the HSSC and the Bear are Mahaska’s first models, said Weldon. When students swipe or tap to pay, the door unlocks, and whatever item is selected displays on the screen with its corresponding price.
Weldon said, “We are keeping an eye on it and testing it out as something new and exciting, and we wanted to test that out on campus.”
The effort to maintain high standards of excellence in dining options continues to expand. Moser wrote, “Discussions within the Dining Committee have explored the potential for more accessible machines and options meeting nutritional and local food requirements.” She added,
“While these features aren’t currently offered by vending companies in our area, ongoing conversations aim to introduce such options in the future.”
She wrote, “Additional installations are a possibility. We will continue to evaluate how the machines are being used to make decisions regarding whether to add machines or other options.”
Though Weldon does not foresee the smart coolers adopting a Pioneer One-card accessible feature, he mentioned he had seen this implemented in a machine before. However, dining services is continuing to look at options for using dining dollars in additional locations on and off campus, according to Moser.
Additional installations are a possibility. We will continue to evaluate how the machines are being used to make decisions regarding whether to add machines or other options.
— Jeanette Moser, director of dining services
Moser suggests students should contact mealplans@grinnell.edu if they have suggestions about the items available in the machines.
]]>Ethan Versh `27 had been doodling on his coffee cup in class when he got an email about Smith Gallery applications — it was a sign. His muse, the coffee cup, in its “fullest, final form,” currently sits on display in the middle of the Edith Renfrow Smith `27 Gallery in a clear glass box.
Versh found beauty in the ordinary when choosing his beloved coffee cups as artistic inspiration. “I think it’s cool when you can take something kind of random or out of the blue and flip it into something,” he said. There’s a lot of cool stuff around us daily, you just have to look.” He said he draws inspiration from every aspect of his life.
When you walk into the gallery, the first thing you see is a calendar of March with the dates made up of coffee lids. 13 of these are spray painted red to mark the days his show will be up.
As you continue to walk in, you will see his map of Manhattan. Upside-down cups decorated with colorful stickers map out the subway system, and a neon green vinyl square marks Central Park.
However, this piece is not without controversy. “I’ve gotten some heat from someone from Manhattan about doing a map of Manhattan,” said Versh, a New Jersey native. “I don’t think you can really gatekeep places.”
Next to the map of Manhattan is a large sketch of a Pedal Grinnell bike made up of exactly 66 coffee sleeves. Versh — who admitted that bicycles comprise a large part of his life cycle — works with his brother, Peter Versh `25 at Pedal Grinnell. He spends most of his time sporting his Airpod Max’s and cargo pants, fixing up bikes he might be sketching for future works.
Another wall of the gallery is covered by sets of three-piece sketches, each part on its own coffee sleeve. The sets each feature their own respective subject matter — one, for example, being a rendering of “Peanuts” characters.
Versh’s original coffee cup doodle can also be found at the gallery as a coffee sleeve featuring baseball players. When asked why he chose baseball players, he responded, “I played baseball when I was very young. It wasn’t really a big part of who I was, but it was just fun to draw.”
He said he hopes people enjoy it. According to him, it was “a lot of fun to put together.”
Versh’s exhibit will be on display in the Smith Gallery until March 16.
]]>Jim White, chair of the Grinnell City Council Public Safety Committee, said that the traffic cameras are a response to a high level of car accidents on I-80.
“We thought if we could get people to slow down, it would help,” he said. “Very few people are driving the 70 mile per hour speed limit.”
Last year was the deadliest year for all Iowa roads since 2016, with 378 deaths recorded in 2023. According to Iowa Department of Transportation data, I-80 is the highest-traffic area in Poweshiek County and one of the busiest in Iowa. Poweshiek County, which is 37th in Iowa by population, ranked 24th in traffic fatalities in 2022.
Signs will be installed on both sides of I-80 notifying drivers that traffic cameras are present, White said.
“This will be a permanent sign so that people will know it’s there. It’s not going to be just a speed trap,” White said. “Really, it’s just to keep you in compliance with the speed limit that’s there.”
Two bills regulating the use of traffic cameras are up for debate in the Iowa Senate. The first, Senate File 489, allows fines to be charged only for failing to yield or stop at a traffic control signal, or by driving above the speed limit of 10 miles per hour. Each type of violation would warrant a specific fine, and drivers have the opportunity to contest the fine if they can prove they were not the individual driving.
The second, Senate File 2337, seeks to ban existing and future traffic cameras for state and local municipalities. Many law enforcement officials have advocated against the bill, according to Iowa Capital Dispatch.
White said if either bill is implemented into law, the city of Grinnell will comply with the new regulations.
But by day, residents of the party houses deal with the destructive aftermath — coated, sticky floors clinging to their shoes, stolen possessions and even a straggler or two who may decide to crash on the couch for the night. In years past, upperclassmen recall a campus culture where parties were never in short supply. But now, frequent party hosts cite hundreds of dollars in damage and recurring disrespect from partygoers as reasons for hosting less often.
“It’s kind of a double-edged sword,” Oliver Palmer `24, who lives at 1026 High St., a house that often hosts parties, said. “But it also comes with the territory. To me, if we have this space, and we’re willing to do it [host], then why not provide this?”
Palmer said that there have been especially fewer on-campus events for students to go to this last semester, like Gardners or Harrises.
“There’s just not much to do in this town. Hosting parties is a fun way to see a bunch of people outside of an academic setting,” he added.
“Honestly, I’m not a party person,” Rishabraj Verma `24, resident of another long-time party house 1008 High St., said. “I started living with my friends, and my friends are all party people.”
Verma said if his housemates didn’t want to host parties so often, he’d “probably sit here [in his bedroom] and play FIFA.” But Verma is responsible for being “on aux,” or choosing the music for the party.
“For me, it’s a hard time picking what songs to play,” he said. “I have no fucking idea, because I play Taylor Swift and people lose their minds, and I’m like, ‘This is the worst song I’ve ever heard in my life.’ But I’m there singing along pretending I’m having fun in my head.”
“I also noticed one thing — that the more fun the hosts have, the more fun everyone else has,” Verma added.
Verma said he and his housemates often make an effort for everyone to feel comfortable at the parties they host, whether that means passing beers around or being the first ones to do “stupid shit.”
But during the first weekend of March, 1008 High St. was one of two houses hosting a party colloquially called “100 Days,” which celebrates seniors being roughly 100 days away from their graduation. The event is exclusively meant for fourth years, and Verma, the only fourth year in his house, said he sent his housemates off to host the party at 1008 alone — even though he had just gotten his appendix surgically removed that morning.
“I saw two people vomit on my floor,” Verma said of the night 100 Days was hosted. “They didn’t even come to clean the next day. One of them was so drunk … I went to his house to drop him.”
“That’s a very constant thing,” Verma added while eating chocolate pudding, which he said is easy to digest after his appendix was removed.
He also said the house has had belongings stolen, like a banner that said “Student Athletes” — an inside joke because several of the residents of 1008 like to play beer die, a drinking game. Verma also said they had a table the house used to play die on stolen last year.
During a party at 1008 last semester, Verma was told that the microwave in his kitchen had been turned on with beer cans shoved inside of it. Although Verma said he did see a bright flash in the microwave, it was able to be unplugged before any further damage could happen. A corroded, black stain in the bottom right corner of the microwave is the only remnant of the event.
All the residents of 1008 this year are Indian. Verma said he thinks there is a “racist element” to some of the incidents the house has suffered this past year.
“As international students, you think you can get away with it,” Verma said. “You would never do it at baseball house.” 1015 High St. also often hosts parties and has been called “baseball house” since several players from the baseball team live there.
Several residents of off-campus houses attributed some of these incidents — like stealing or destruction of their property — to the reason fewer houses throw all-campus parties this academic year.
Palmer along with his housemate Andrew Haggerty `25 said they refurnished their living room area again after they heard about the microwave incident at 1008, “because we’re not going to host for awhile.” It wasn’t until this semester that they began hosting again.
“For us, it definitely makes it less fun to be like, ‘Oh, let’s host,’” Palmer said of incidents like the one at 1008. “If everyone comes out and has a good time and respects the house, it’s easy.”
“It’s usually just a few people” that “sour” the party, he said, but “it only takes one bad interaction to be like, ‘Why are we doing this?’”
In October of 2022, the floor of 1026 High St. broke after an all-campus party. Haggerty said it took over $1,000 to fix the floor. Although he and the rest of his housemates living at 1026 that year did receive around $400 in payment through Venmo after crowdfunding, Haggerty said he still had to pay around $600 out of pocket for the fix. Now the floor is reinforced with metal support beams.
Haggerty and Palmer also said the payments received through Venmo to fix the floor were not the norm. For regular all-campus parties, they said zero people usually send a Venmo payment.
Maddy McKeag `24, who lives at 1010 High St., said she and her housemates have mainly turned to making people pay at the door before entering their party after their “house got destroyed” during 10/10, an all-day moving party starting at 10 a.m. and lasting until Midnight. McKeag added a first-year had even passed out and urinated on their couch before the house was even meant to host. One of the cushions of their gray couch is now a slightly smaller white one.
“If people Venmoed more and respected our spaces more, I definitely think we’d be more open to hosting,” McKeag said.
“We want to contribute to a positive campus culture,” she added. “And that’s why it really sucks when we open up our house, we give them alcohol, we don’t ask for a whole lot in return and we still get disrespected.”
Despite the property damage and frustration over disrespect to their houses, residents of 1008, 1010 and 1026 all said they still enjoy the positive interactions that come out of hosting.
Verma said after his house hosts, he remembers people coming up to him and thanking him for hosting and telling him they had fun.
“The reason we keep hosting is because those experiences are more important than the two or three people puking,” Verma said. “I still think the 90 people having good experiences matter more.”
]]>This past Wednesday, March 6, Rose Hall Community Advisors (CAs) Fabio Montilla `24 and Ian Feld `25 hosted a community gardening event where students selected a succulent of their choice, packed it firm with dirt and seeds and painted the outside of the pot to their liking.
Drawing inspiration from the little things in life when brainstorming the event, Feld said he enjoys gardening at home, while Montilla began to develop his love for plants at college.
Montilla said, “Gardening is fun. It brings the community together and it’s something you don’t need a lot of skill for.”
The event united residents around a straightforward, collaborative activity. Feld said, “It’s springtime. It’s the natural thing to do.”
Both Montilla and Feld find that succulents, particularly cacti, reflect their respective vibes. Montilla said, “Like a succulent, I am prickly.” While Montilla said he represents the hard exterior of many cacti, Feld described himself as “low maintenance.”
Montilla and Feld shared that while succulents are low maintenance, the circle of life is inevitable. Feld said, “The only succulents I have had have died but … ” Montilla added, “I have so many succulents in my room. Are they alive? You don’t need to know that.”
Montilla’s number one tip for taking care of succulents is to keep the watering to once a month. Montilla said, “You don’t do a chorrito. You dunk it into water. Make sure to clean up afterward but fill up the sink with water and waterboard the succulent.”
Be sure to keep your succulents comfortably warm. According to HGTV, their ideal temperature is between 70 and 90 degrees, making your windowsill the perfect spot for them to flourish and welcome in the spring sun.
]]>South of Tama worked well as an opening act. One of the reasons why they succeeded in readying the room comes from the fact that they played covers — songs familiar enough to the crowd to create a casual atmosphere, allowing the audience to move to the beat. In both vocals and instrumentals, the five-piece group fit the songs in their own style — another sign of a satisfying gig.
After I saw two of the vocalists, Grant Anguiano `24 and Theo Richter `24, at their own live music event at the Canary Underground Speakeasy, I was a bit worried about their performance for Creeping Charlie. Though their vocals never disappoint, these two guitarists had seemed a little disorganized at the Speakeasy event. However, at the Gardner concert with their three bandmates, South of Tama worked well together. I loved seeing them smile at each other.
Perhaps the most attention-calling aspect of the group is Noah Mendola `26’s upright bass, which I would want to see more action from. If you have this uncommon element to a band, why not give more solos if possible?
]]>