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SRQ DAILY Dec 9, 2017

"Students should be prepared to have their own beliefs and thoughts challenged. But students have always required reassurance, safe spaces and trigger warnings. "

- Donal O'Shea, New College of Florida
 

[Under The Hood]  District 72 All About Enthusiasm
Jacob Ogles, jacob.ogles@srqme.com

A contentious but ultimately lop-sided Democratic primary this week put in place the field for the District 72 special election for state House. But more important that picking a nominee, the election on Tuesday offered some insight into voter enthusiasm on the left, which is what the Democrats need if they want to turn this rare off-year election into a pickup opportunity.

The primary attracted 8,503 voters to polls, or 21.2 percent of voters eligible to participate. That’s actually pretty good, considering there was only one race on the ballot for a Christmas season election when no one is accustomed to casting votes. For comparison, a City of Venice race in November drew 32.86 percent of voters there, far greater turnout but during a regularly schedule election. As an interesting footnote, though, the major difference in turnout between these races appeared to be a low number of Election Day voters in the District 72 race. In Venice, just 47.6 percent of the electorate voted by mail or through early voting, while in the Democratic primary, nearly 71.1 percent did so. I suspect you’ll see similar patterns in the Feb. 13 election, making it extremely important for campaigns to be organized early if they hope to be successful.

If you want to look at the last partisan primary in the region, turnout in this district was 26.5 percent in the August 2016 primary, though that was for all voters, and there was no Democratic primary for this state House seat. Voters then came out to vote for a variety of races from School Board to state Legislature.

Democrat Margaret Good won 6,151 votes on Tuesday, which means that almost 15.4 percent of Democrats in the district have now voted for Good once and most can be relied upon to do again. She’ll need more than that to win the seat, of course, but it’s a healthy start. The question here is whether the 2,344 votes for eliminated candidate Ruta Jouniari get in line behind the Democratic nominee or if they stay home, or worse, vote for another candidate. As the more progressive candidate, I doubt many will flock to Republican candidate James Buchanan but some may float to Libertarian candidate Alison Foxall.

Unfortunately, there was no Republican primary on Tuesday, so we don’t have the same type of data to explore.  But what we do know is that Republicans outnumber Democrats in District 72—substantially. Roughly 42.3 percent of registered voters  here are Republicans, while about 32.3 percent are Democrats. Then there’s the 24.5 percent registered independent or third-party a group Foxall wants in her camp.

Could anything undo Buchanan in that district? The unpopularity of Republican President Donald Trump plays a role. In special elections held throughout the nation, districts have reliably swung more Democratic, even when Republicans still won. Not a single federal seat this year has changed party hands, but Ballotpedia tallies 14 state legislative seats that flipped from Republican to Democratic control in 2017 so far, compared to three that flipped the other way. Of course, Republicans also defended 38 seats in specials, which is what they are trying to do here with a seat vacated by Republican Alex Miller.

Then there’s money. As of Nov. 30, Buchanan had raised more than $227,000, and had only spent about $58,000. Good raised more than $120,000, but with a primary, spent more than $69,000. Foxall has more than $11,000 raised has only spent about $2,200.

Jacob Ogles is contirbuting senior editor of SRQ Media Group. 

[Education]  Trigger Warnings
Donal O'Shea, doshea@ncf.edu

I can’t count the number of social occasions I’ve attended recently at which a fellow guest declares that in his day (it usually is a he), university campuses were places where students challenged one another and expected to be challenged by faculty or other students. Today’s students, his narrative continues, require constant reassurance, safe spaces and trigger warnings.   

There is no question that universities should be places where students encounter ideas and speech very different than their own, some of which they may view as unpleasant. And yes, students should be prepared to have their own beliefs and thoughts challenged. But students have always required reassurance, safe spaces and trigger warnings. 

Any teacher will tell you that students need encouragement and reassurance. 

It is up to universities to provide environments in which the free and equal exchange of ideas can take place, and this is more difficult today than it once was. The first, and simplest, requirement is that students feel physically safe. You can’t air a view, if you think that you are going to get beaten up. A second requirement is that students must feel emotionally safe. It is difficult to air a view if you are going to be physically shunned or mobbed on social media. Nor should a student have to defend a point of view at all times—everyone requires down time. The more homogenous a campus is, the more likely it is that cafeterias, residence halls and recreational facilities will serve as safe spaces where one can meet friends with whom one can be oneself. But for students who belong to tiny visible minorities (think, for example, of small numbers of black students on an overwhelmingly white campus, or small numbers of religiously observant students on an overwhelmingly secular campus), the university must help find spaces that students feel emotionally safe.

Another requirement is civility. This means that faculty, students and staff agree on what, for lack of a better word, I would call “rules of engagement.” These are seldom stated explicitly, but are often familiar to those with good high school educations. What are these?

The first rule is fairness. A naïve first year student being intellectually savaged by a rhetorically skilled senior or a professor is not a fair exchange of views. Neither is a right- (or left-) wing agitator haranguing a crowd who is the only one in a lecture hall with a microphone. 

A second rule is respectfulness. Ideas should be debated on their merits, not on who is presenting them. Ad hominen arguments must be off the table. No insulting language.   

A third rule, related to but not the same as the second, is anticipation of and alerting another to an argument that might offend or that might be misinterpreted as an attack. In today’s parlance, that is a trigger warning. 

Dr. Donal OShea is president of New College of Florida. 



[Best Of SRQ Local]  Cast Your Vote For Best Local Antique Shop!

“The hunt for vintage items is the best part of shopping there.” shares Kelly Gardner about Goodwill. Jonesin’ for a new credenza or ‘50s-era mirror? Goodwill reigned supreme as Best Local Antiques with their great finds at each location followed by Sarasota Architectural Salvage, Sarasota Trading Company and Women’s Exchange. Now, we want to hear from you! Click below to share your favorite restaurants, boutiques, parties and people in SRQ Magazine's 2018 Best of SRQ Local Readers Competition. 

Vote Here!

[SOON]  Southside Village Holiday Stroll to Benefit Girls Inc.

The Southside Village Business Association invites area residents and visitors to this year’s Southside Village Holiday Stroll, 5-9pm on Friday, December 8. The family-friendly annual celebration will feature a holiday concert children’s performance by Music Compound and the Girls Inc. Chorus, photo opportunities with Santa and Mrs. Claus, festive activities and crafts organized and hosted by area businesses, plus a snow slide and snow machines. Event and raffle proceeds will benefit Girls Incorporated of Sarasota County.  The Southside Village Holiday Stroll will be celebrated throughout the business district surrounding the intersection of Hillview Street and Osprey Avenue in Sarasota.  Parking is available in Sarasota Memorial Hospital’s south parking garage located at the intersection of Hillview St and US 41. Admission to the Southside Village Holiday Stroll is free; a nominal fee applies to some activities.  

Southside Village Holiday Stroll

[SCOOP]  Big News from CPC!

There’s some big news for all of fans of Men Whiskey & Watches! With two weeks to go until the big event, the Child Protection Center wants to let everyone know of a change in venue. The CPC is excited to be returning to the Edson Keith Mansion at Phillippi Estate Park. The same date and time will hold, December 15th at 6PM, with the same great whiskey and the same incredible atmosphere... Same opportunity to support the Child Protection Center! 

Child Protection Center

[KUDOS]  Documentary Honored with Regional Emmy Award

“The Feminine Touch: The Struggle for Equality in Medicine,” is a WEDU PBS-TV documentary based on the book by Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM). Faculty member Thomas Quinn, D.O., has been honored with a Suncoast Regional Emmy Award for best historical documentary. The documentary portrays the battle for women’s acceptance in medicine. “The book and documentary tell the story of the fight against the inequality of the sexes in medicine,” Dr. Quinn explained. Silvia Ferretti, D.O., senior vice-president and provost of LECOM, is prominently featured in the book and documentary. As the first woman to become dean of an osteopathic medical college, Dr. Ferretti has been an inspiration to a generation of female osteopathic physicians, Quinn said. Winners of the Regional Emmy Awards were announced Dec. 2, at a ceremony in Orlando, Florida. 

Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine

[SCOOP]  Local Boutique Hosts Open House for School Fundraiser

This year, Imagine Schools North Manatee 5th grade class has selected Johns Hopkins Children's Hospital as the fundraiser recipient for their annual “Imagine That!” class project. The Lace Buckle Boutique, a local retail store located in Palmetto, Florida, is hosting an open house to support the school's fundraiser. Store owner Melissa Burns' son attends Imagine Schools North Manatee and 10% of the proceeds from the open house held on December 7, 2017 from 5 – 8 p.m. at the Lace Buckle Boutique will benefit the fundraiser. The public is invited to attend this event where food and drinks will be provided. 

Lace Buckle Boutique

[SCOOP]  Five Fun Facts about The Education Foundation of Sarasota County

1.The foundation was created 30 years ago by Shirley Ritchey, an ex-educator who passionately believes education changes lives. 2. LaunchYourPlan.com was deployed by the foundation this year as a new online resource for high school students which includes timelines, tips and more than 100 college scholarships offered in our local community. 3. This past summer, the foundation hosted a one-week cybersecurity camp for students in partnership with SYLINT and the United States Airforce Association. 4. The Education Foundation grants $400,000 each year to Sarasota County teachers and schools to support programs like “Ride to Read” at Tuttle Elementary and “Growing a Hydroponics Garden” at Booker Middle School. 5. Champions for education can be seen at The Bash, An Evening of Excellence Anew. This signature fundraiser is set for February 23rd at the new Art Ovation Hotel.  

The Education Foundation of Sarasota County

[SCOOP]  Save The Date

Please join internationally renowned architect Lawrence Scarpa at a VIP cocktail reception launching “The Works of Brooks + Scarpa Ordinary And Extraordinary Architecture of Heightened Awareness” at the Center for Architecture Sarasota. This reception will take place on January 27, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. This very special exhibition will be open to the public free of charge January 30 — April 14, 2018. We look forward to sharing the exciting elements of “Ordinary & Extraordinary” and promise it will be anything but ordinary.  Mark your calendar today.
 

Center for Architecture Sarasota

SRQ Media Group

SRQ DAILY is produced by SRQ | The Magazine. Note: The views and opinions expressed in the Saturday Perspectives Edition and in the Letters department of SRQ DAILY are those of the author(s) and do not imply endorsement by SRQ Media. Senior Editor Jacob Ogles edits the Saturday Perspective Edition, Letters and Guest Contributor columns.In the CocoTele department, SRQ DAILY is providing excerpts from news releases as a public service. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by SRQ DAILY. The views expressed by individuals are their own and their appearance in this section does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. For rates on SRQ DAILY banner advertising and sponsored content opportunities, please contact Ashley Ryan Cannon at 941-365-7702 x211 or via email

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