HELPERS
AT HOME Find out how you can get your ser vice hours while social distancing! Pg. 11
POP CULTURE
Read about the latest on Britney Spears, TikTok, & more!
FALL IS AROUND
THE CORNER!
Remember to wear your mask and complete the daily screening test ever y morning before you come to campus!
USPS UNREST
Will the government cut their funding? What does this mean for voting by mail?
Pg. 17
INCOMING! INTERMURALS RETURN TO FGCU WITH SOME NEW CONDITIONS Pg. 21 VOL 19, Issue 3
September 2020 Photo by Julia Bonavita Design by Erika Sauer
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Our Mission Eagle News, the official student media group at Florida Gulf Coast University since 1997, represents the diverse voices on campus with fairness. We select content for our publication and our website that is relevant to the student body, faculty, and staff. Members are committed to reporting the news with accuracy and truth. Our purpose is to encourage conversations about issues that concern the on-campus community Eagle News views every culture with equal respect and believes every person must be treated with dignity.
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A Letter From
the
E d i to r The dating life during COVID By Nathan Wilson Executive Editor
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ou know what is more disappointing than being in a fraternity in the time of COVID? Being in the online dating scene during COVID. Online dating apps such as Tinder, Hinge, and Bumble are terrifying enough without the extra fact that now the question of “have you been tested” means something completely different now. Due to COVID, giving someone a high five is almost as scandalous as you landing you on first base. The biggest thing I have struggled with when going on dates is that you can’t express emotion with masks. To combat this problem during this pandemic, I have taken the liberty of bringing multiple masks that show different emotions and different faces. When a girl tells me a great pick up line such as “You can’t spell quarantine without u r a q t,” I promptly whip out my laughing mask and put it on.
Hence why I am zero out of five on my dates this COVID season and probably why I have been single for a long time. COVID-19 has also made the dates that much weirder. In July, I was asked out on a date to an underground line-dancing club; unfortunately, she broke the underground line-dancing club’s sacred rule: “we do not talk about the underground-line dancing club”— so that was no for me. Also, I am enough of a Brad Pitt fan to know I have too much of a quarantine snack body for underground anything. All jokes aside, the biggest thing we have to remember is to be safe when we go out. There are lot of ways to be safe while dating during this pandemic such as wear your mask, go to a public space that is not as crowded such as the park or drive-in movie. And, if you’re going to give someone a high five, make sure you use protection by wearing gloves. As always, stay safe, Eagles!
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MAKING THE SWITCH
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TO A REUSEABLE FACE MASK DURING COVID By Katie Loudermilk Contributing Writer
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ace masks are everywhere. Most businesses require a face covering before entering the building; however, some disposable masks are not making it into
Photos by Julia Bonavita
the trash. Hannah Kenzie, a Florida Gulf Coast University Environmental Science graduate, is concerned about the impact that litter will have on marine ecology. “I have seen masks littered on the St. Pete Pier, which is home to several estuaries and important marine life,” Kenzie said. “Disposable face masks are showing up in the oceans, as most of our trash does.” One study from the Plastic Waste Innovation Hub estimates that, in the UK alone, if every person used a single-use face mask every day for a year, it would create an additional “Concerning masks as litter, I have noticed discarded masks on the ground from time to time,” FGCU Professor of Marine & Earth Sciences, Dr. Michael Savarese said. “Conscientious people that might pick up litter are probably reluctant to pick up a mask – I must admit I’m among them.” So, what can we do? “Since most trash shows up on the coast, I think switching to reusable masks will decrease the amount found on the shore,” Kenzie said. “Perhaps a reusable mask mandate near coastal regions and beachfront restaurants would help with this too.” Most stores carry reusable facial masks, such as Target and Publix. Drug stores like Walgreens and CVS also have displays of colorful, washable face masks that range in size. “I want to believe that those people that have a strong ethic opposed to littering aren’t going to litter their masks,” Savarese said, but he isn’t so sure. If this behavior continues, it could severely damage the planet, and our environment’s health could be at stake.∎
#FreeBritney
By Jules Bustamante Contributing Writer
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opstar Britney Spears has been in a legal battle over her rights for more than 10 years. With her conservatorship being extended into 2021, concerned fans made the #FreeBritney movement go viral. The singer of the pop classic “Toxic” was deemed unable to care for herself after her infamous mental breakdowns in 2008. According to an article by The New York Times published that year, she was placed under conservatorship with her father, James “Jamie” Spears, as her legal guardian. For the last decade, Jamie has had complete control over Britney’s relationships and career decisions until he temporarily stepped down in 2019 due to health concerns. Jodi Montgomery took over as Britney’s conservator. Many fans believe that Britney’s father is controlling her against her will. A change.org petition named #FreeBritney currently has over 100,000 signatures to release Britney from her conservatorship. “Her father doesn’t allow her to drive, all of her calls & messages are monitored, she’s not allowed to vote, hang with anyone or spend her money without permission,” the creator of the petition, Kody A., wrote in its description. Britney’s Instagram page is flooded with comments of fans begging her to signal through her posts that she needs help. Even celebrities like Cher and Miley Cyrus have called for Britney’s freedom from her conservatorship. According to the Los Angeles Times, Britney’s attorney claimed that the popstar’s conserv-
atorship was voluntary, but she did not want her father to return as her guardian. While fans understand Britney’s history of mental health issues, they also believe that she should have a say in who gets to control her career and assets. “Britney seems like she can’t take care of herself, regarding her public breakdowns,” FGCU junior, Ashana Etzweller said. “I can understand why her family could be trying to help her. Still, she is a grown woman and should have control over her life.” Even mental health professionals question why her father was her conservator for almost a decade. “As an attorney who specializes in helping families whose loved ones have serious mental health issues, I usually discourage family members from serving as conservators/guardians,” Carolyn Reinach Wolf wrote in Psychology Today. “By the time they’ve sought my help, they’ve often long served as caretakers to the detriment of their own mental health and family cohesiveness.” According to Wolf, it would make more sense for Britney’s family to have hired an independent conservator since they can afford to do so. In an interview with the New York Post in August, Jamie denied the rumors that he was exploiting his daughter and making money off her estate. Fans are not buying it. They still want to spread awareness of Britney’s situation in hopes that she can eventually control some aspects of her life again. Etzweller said, “Britney Spears is iconic and a household name. Most people know who she is, and I think if more people knew what was going on, they would try to help.”∎ help.”∎
Created By Erika Sauer
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Hey Eagles! Eagle Radio's podcast, The Daily Dunk, has interviewed Gustavo Vasconcelos from the FGCU Men's Soccer Team The Daily Dunk is FGCU's official sports podcast. Covering all FGCU sports and professional sports. The first two episode are out now on Spotify and all podcast platforms. Scan the QR code to check out The Daily Dunk podcasts. Follow us on Instagram @fgcueagleradio
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TIK TOK 8
USER DATA
LEADS TO SILICON VALLEY BATTLE
By Riley Hazel Staff Writer
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resident Donald Trump made news last month when he said he had plans to ban the social media platform, TikTok over concerns of it being a threat to national security, according to CBS News. Trump later issued an executive order requiring the app be sold to an American company, according to CNN. The app, known for its short videos set to music, has drawn attention after iPhone users discovered TikTok and other apps were accessing their phone’s clipboards after upgrading to a beta version of IOS 14, according to a Twitter thread. The Chinese owner of TikTok followed the potential ban with an announcement explaining that Oracle- who has publicly embraced President Trump’s scrutiny over COVID-19, will be taking over as the US operations partner, according to The New York Times. TikTok collects its user’s IP addresses, locations, and information about the devices being used, according to its policies. ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, has since defended its software saying “TikTok US user data is stored in the US, with strict controls on employee access,” according to a TikTok spokesperson. In a recent op-ed video from the New York Times, TikTok creators have sounded the alarm about selling the app to a US company. “Trump claims a sale is meant to protect our data,” said Rey Jarrel whose technology related videos have gained over 14.4 million likes on the app. “But it’s really the government dictating how we are allowed to use the internet while they pretend like they’re protecting us.” Jarrel continued in another video on her TikTok page. “You can say it’s because of privacy, but you should have concerns about privacy for all apps on your phone,” said Jarrel. “The Social Dilemma,” a documentary that explains
the dark inner workings of tech companies with viewpoints from former employees of Facebook, Google, Pinterest and more, mimicked Jerrel’s concerns. “All of this data that we’re just pouring out all the time is being fed into these systems that have almost no human supervision and that are making better and better predictions about what we are going to do and who we are,” said Sandy Parakilas, a former operations manager at Facebook and a former product manager at Uber. The Facebook Company which owns Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger and Oculus compiles user data to predict what can keep their users on their apps the longest to generate revenue which is common for all apps found on one’s smartphone, according to report from WIRED. While Tikok comes to a deal with an American company, it is coming closer to being a replica of these data farms like Facebook. The algorithm is the key to how apps like Twitter and Instagram work. 64% of users who joined extremist groups on Facebook did so because the algorithms drove them there, according to an Internal Facebook Report from 2018. The systems promote content that spark violence and intensifies distortions living within the data that its users feed it. “Never before in history have 50 designers- 20 to 30-yearold white guys in California- made decisions that would have an impact on two billion people,” said Tristan Harris, a former design ethisist at Google in the documentary which made its debut on Netflix. “Two billion people will have thoughts that they didn’t intend to have because a designer at Google said, ‘This is how notifications work on that screen you wake up to in the morning.’” With the news of Oracle becoming a US partner, TikTok will be another app that harvests its user’s information to further the capitalism that exists within Silicon Valley.∎
"Never before in history have 50 designers- 20 to 30-year-old white guys in California- made decisions that would have an impact on two billion people."
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Photo By Julia Bonavita
HAVE CURSE WORDS LOST THEIR SHOCK VALUE... WELL, F*** By Allie Brown Staff Writer
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few of my most prevalent childhood memories include the times when I would learn some new vocabulary from my older and much cooler teenage sister. I wanted to be just like her, so I happily recited the words to my parents as they sat there in shock. They were not impressed with the fact their six-yearold suddenly had the mouth of a sailor. It was only when I confronted them about saying bad words during a fit of road rage that a solution to this little problem was created. The good ole’ swear jar.
For the most part it worked, but as I grew older it seemed to have less and less effect until the jar served no purpose at all. Cursing slowly became a part of casual conversation. Now as a college student, swear words seem to play an active role in communication. But, how have all these supposed bad words suddenly become
According to Merriam Webster, it is defined as “a profane or obscene oath or word” and is a synonym for swear words. Based on the given definition, cursing should take more people by surprise because they’re simply supposed to be inappropriate. However, much like other aspects of the English language, curse words are complex with their usage. “It depends more on how you’re using the word,” said FGCU freshman Madison Hurley. “There’s a difference between cursing at somebody and cursing to somebody. If it’s just in your day-to-day conversation, it is used as a way to express your feelings on a subject.”
If it’s just in your day-to-day conversation, it is used as a way to express your feelings on a subject.” acceptable? Have curse words lost their shock value? In order to understand the oddity of curse words, I searched for the most known definition.
10 In the 21st century, swearing has become a staple source of emotion in literature, television and the music industry which may be a leading factor in the normalization of cursing. Bad words are driven by passion of the user. “Curse words have definitely lost their shock value over the years,” said FGCU student Sebastian Plymmet. “Especially living through the past decade, seeing how younger and younger kids have started to cuss and how less and less they are punished for it by their parents.” As kids most of us were taught that swear words were bad words and to never say them. We learned to associate cursing with being a foul habit that
resulted in a feeling of fear and curiosity. It may be helpful to have children acknowledge cursing not a bad behavior, but a result of a strong emotion. Although a child using such vulgar language may have shock value, our decisions to discipline a
shock of it subsides. “To me it’s more shocking if someone doesn’t cuss than it is if they do,” said Plymmet. This goes to prove how societal norms affect our views of what’s odd versus what is normal. So, have curse words lost their shock value? It appears they have, but they have also developed into an important aspect of our communication. They are a colloquial part of human communication and expression. Although the shock of the profanity has subsided, it is the driven passion surrounding a curse word that continues to shock the world.∎
"To me it’s more shocking if someone doesn’t cuss than it is if they do." child for it creates the shock. The whole stigma around these words is based off a social construct that curse words were bad. It was the generation that came before us that decided to uphold this social construct. As a society if we choose to accept something as normal, the
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Students navigate the world of servicelearning during COVID-19 By Nina Mendes News & Features Editor
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tudents are adapting to the ever-changing environment around them. The new normal features lectures on Zoom and socially distanced classrooms. The way students obtain service-learning hours has adjusted, as well. Photo by Julia Bonavita
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According to the Director of Community Engagement Justin Fitzgerald, volunteering virtually with an FGCU community partner became popular over the summer and was well-received by
students. Many organizations are offering both in-person and online options for students to attain their hours during this semester. “I think the same amount of need is there [in our community], but it’s just grown in some areas and decreased in others,” Fitzgerald said. “I think students are really finding ways to enjoy this new setup and are looking for the silver lining.” The FGCU Food Forest is one example of an on-campus community partner that offered both in-person and virtual volunteer options. Students could participate in virtual fundraising events over the summer and receive hourly credit for their service. Students were asked to collect mulch, gardening tools, organic soil and more through hosting donation drives.
The Food Forest will reopen to students, staff and the community on October 5, providing service-learning hours to in-person volunteers. Food Forest Coordinator Zoie Kassis is involved with organizing the opening and will guide students as they help with general garden maintenance. “If possible, I believe that servicelearning is far more beneficial when it is in person [rather] than virtual,” Kassis said. “It is important to have both options, though, so students who are not on campus or who have health concerns can still be active in the community while staying safe.” The Food Forest will only accommodate five people at a time to abide by social distancing protocols. The site briefly opened at the beginning of the semester, but in-person volunteering has been postponed until next month due to safety concerns. Virtual volunteering opportunities with The Food Forest are not available at this time; however, Kassis said it is being considered. The university’s 80-hour servicelearning requirement puts emphasis on volunteering to enhance students’ experience while at FGCU. According to Fitzgerald, it can be much easier to obtain service-learning hours virtually than in person during this time. That may be true, but does volunteering from home devalue the service to some degree?
“Students are really finding ways to enjoy this new setup.”
“I think all service is valuable, and it shouldn’t matter where students choose to work from,” FGCU Senior Carly Smith said. “Although I completed all of my service-learning hours in person, I am happy students now have the option to volunteer virtually if it’s what they are more comfortable with.” Smith volunteered with Miles Ranch in North Fort Myers for five months before COVID-19. The ranch promotes Equine-assisted psychotherapy & learning, where horses play a critical role in providing therapy services. “The pandemic has caused everyone to adjust, and I don’t see a problem with students adapting,” Smith said. “I think students can still be a meaningful volunteer, even if it’s from their bedroom.” Overall, The Office of Service-Learning
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& Civic Engagement views the switch to virtual volunteering as a positive change. According to Fitzgerald, more students have chosen to donate their time to an organization that matches their academic goals and personal interests while still meeting community needs. Transportation to get to a volunteer site is no longer an issue for students, as well. It is a personal choice of whether students will continue to volunteer virtually or donate their time in person again. “I want to say how proud we are of the students and their ability to be nimble and flexible,” Fitzgerald said. “We are hearing so many great stories from our community partners and students of how they have reacted to the circumstances. We feel very fortunate to be doing the work we’re doing.”∎
“Students can still be a meaningful volunteer, even if it’s from their bedroom.”
Photos by Julia Bonavita
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Illustrated by Sam Romero
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VIRTUAL CLASSES By Devon Tipton Staff Writer
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s the first month of school comes to a close, we evaluate how Florida Gulf Coast University has handled hosting most classes online. Personally, for someone like me, I have four of my five classes online and for the most part, it’s not all bad. Canvas conference meetings have become the norm, breakfast in bed now includes a textbook and my laptop, and I always have my hoodie if it’s cold in class now. When it comes to improving the quality of online classes, I think for me I would just prefer that all of my teachers have a set way of doing things. It’s frustrating to have one professor send out lecture videos every week, one professor who only hosts online conference meetings once a week, and then a professor who does neither at all. As far as content delivery, consistency is nowhere to be found and as a senior this isn’t how I imagined my last fall semester going. Other students have experienced their own pros and cons and have virtual classes as well. “My virtual classrooms are okay, I cannot say that they’re great,” said senior, Sebastian Mollin. “There are a lot of errors and communicational signs that are missing from the in person learning experience.” I can’t blame Mollin for the way he feels. The in person learning experience is a direct approach to teaching and learning among professors and students. Online I would argue that the engagement is just not the same. “The classes that I’m used to taking virtually such as classes with essay assignments and discussion boards have been very easy,” said senior, Sara Shedlock. “However, the difficulty in virtual classes has been taking classes such as ecology, biology, etc. for me because these
AT FGCU classes have labs and interactive content that can’t be efficiently understood in a virtual setting.” Shedlock makes a good point when it comes to classes with labs and interactive activities. Completing those same activities at home or in a virtual setting may prove difficult, if not impossible due to lack of equipment or materials. When it comes to improving virtual courses, I would simply ask for consistency among professors in order to make communication easier and one main form of class meetings, zoom or canvas conference calls, but not both. Improving the courses could include a myriad of other things, though. “Programs could use a lot of upgrades,” said Mollin. “In person classes are amazing, and if we can find a way to get more of those, that would be awesome. So in order to do that, figure out a way to eradicate corona so we can return to our normal lives? The status quo sucks.” I couldn’t agree more, and neither can Shedlock. “To improve virtual classes, I think there should be a few days out of the semester that the teachers can use an on campus classroom to catch up anyone who’s lost,” said Shedlock. “They could help answer any questions about content that has been taught so far.” According to Shedlock, some mandatory in class days would be beneficial to those who struggle with virtual learning. It’s interesting to me that both students’ perspectives on improving online classes would be to just have class on campus, but I can’t say that I disagree. Students come to college and live on campus for the real college campus experience and online courses are not what we all would have liked to sign up for.
16 The best way to improve online classes would be if we could not have them at all, considering that at the end of the day, they aren’t the most convenient or desirable option. Until that’s an option though, maintaining consistency across the board in how different classes approach virtual learning, and ensuring students don’t get left behind are priority number one.∎
Photo by Julia Bonavita
To Fund or Not to Fund By Rian Walsky Staff Writer
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Former Postmaster General Megan Brennan reported to the House Oversight Reform Committee that USPS would run or years, the United States Postal out of cash before September 30th, which Ser vice (USPS) has delivered mail to prompted the USPS’s board of governors people all over the countr y, getting for a $25 billion grant to offset the messages and subscriptions from one side projected of the countr y to the other in a matter of losses. At the same time, mail volume days. was low, and they looked to the federal With the rise of online shopping and same-day deliver y, private companies have government for financing. Taking a look at the USPS’s annual begun to deliver these products, showing report to congress, the USPS has never less of a need for the USPS. The presidential election is coming been the best source of revenue and made just barely if even enough up this November, to keep themselves running “One of the reasons and the USPS will be needed more than ever the Post Office needs year after year and heavily relied on continuous to help deliver mail-in financial support. that much money ballots on time. During a press The question is they have these conference on August ever yone is asking as of recent is, why millions of ballots,” 13th, President Donald J. Trump said that he would is there talk of USPS -President Trump. sign something to give being defunded, and USPS funding money ; however, he quickly why is it such a big deal? According to the third quarter fiscal altered those claims. “One of the reasons the Post Office report directly from USPS, the outbreak of Covid-19 has left them with significant needs that much money is they have declines in their mail volume, and if these millions of ballots coming in from it wasn’t for their increases in package nowhere, and nobody knows from where shipment during that time, they would be and where they’re going,” said Trump. almost 2 billion dollars in debt.
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Photo retrieved from Pexels
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Thus, beginning the month-long fight of keeping USPS from being defunded. Without aid from the government to keep themselves running, USPS struggles to keep its operations regular, causing a delay in mail delivery time. Including a delay in getting mail-in ballots to the correct location. The primary election happened to occur during the pandemic, and absentee and mail-in ballots were extremely convenient to keep people home, but still gave them the opportunity to perform their civic duty of voting. Absentee and mail-in ballots are helpful in the case of emergency, such as a global outbreak, but also for people such as college students who are unable to return home and vote on election day. If the ballots aren’t delivered, millions of votes aren’t accounted for, making the USPS an essential factor during the election. Without funding to USPS, votes by mail would be received late, making them useless to the election. This inefficiency could lead to hundreds of
thousands of Americans losing their vote in the November election. There have been several politicians such as presidential candidate Joe Biden, Senator Elizabeth Warren, and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who have expressed their support in protecting the USPS. “An attempt to dismantle our postal service out of a selfish desire to sabotage our democracy and maintain a grip on power is an attack on all of us,” said Ocasio-Cortez. “Now is the moment for us to come together, not as republican, not as democrat, but as people who are concerned for the welfare of American democracy.” While on the other end of the spectrum, there are politicians, such as President Trump, who think it should be accosted and that it will affect the results of the 2020 election. Mail-in ballots do not compromise the integrity of the election. The politicians who are voicing their opposition to mail-in ballots are giving the people a closer look into where their values lie.
This type of voting allows for people of all ages and backgrounds to vote when they are unable to reach the polls on election day. Physically going to the polls is no different than requesting an absentee ballot or sending in a mail-in ballot. While the fear of people sending in more than one ballot to corrupt the vote is a valid one, mail-in ballots have addresses as well as the legal name of the person sending it in. There are flaws in the system, but factchecking and public records extinguish them. If those in power continue to fearmonger the ideas of voting by mail, people will become discouraged; there will be less of a vote intake during elections. “USPS is being targeted to help the private industries such as UPS,” said FGCU junior Cael McKinley. “Mail-in voting could potentially sway the November election.” While McKinley questions the integrity of the election with or without mail-in-ballots as a factor, she/he holds firm that defunding the USPS isn’t the way to go. “A mail-in vote wouldn’t damage or repair the integrity of the election,” said McKinley “Defunding USPS would cause good people to lose their jobs.”
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“The USPS is being targeted in an attempt to sway the upcoming election,” said FGCU freshman Kate Rowlands “With mail-in ballots being a large source of the votes, the fall of the USPS would, in turn, affect how the ballots were turned in.” While she doesn’t specify by who, Rowlands holds firm to the belief that this coming election has already been compromised. “Private companies, such as UPS or FedEx, are gaining customers from the downfall of USPS,” said Rowlands. “I believe that the integrity of the election has been compromised and that it was done on purpose.” While the issue of defunding USPS has a lot of layers to it, the best course of action that we can take is to go out and vote. Use your voice to come forward and speak loudly about what you believe.∎
If you have yet to register to vote, follow these steps. 1. Go to vote.gov 2. Enter the state you permanently reside in 3. Read the instructions to register; this may change on a state by state basis. 4. If you aren’t home on election day, make sure to request an absentee ballot.
Photo retrieved from Pexels
How COVID-19 Has Affected FGCU Student-Athletes FGCU’s protocols and guidelines, but many are concerned about the other ASUN schools and their ability to follow the same wavelength. “It’s not just FGCU that has to make us feel comfortable,” said FGCU women’s soccer senior Zoey Spitzer. “It’s also all the rest of the ASUN schools and I think that they would be taking all of the same measures that we’re taking.” ASUN university programs may continue with permissible athletic activities related to training Photo By: Julia Bonavita and practice in accordance with NCAA local and state By Jake Henning guidelines. Sports Editor When asked how more practicing could strengthen team chemistry, Vanliew spoke about On August 14 the ASUN conference how she’s grown closer with her teammates and announced the postponement of all fall sports, how this feels like the most explosive offense ending the competitive seasons of many student- volleyball has had in years. athletes here at FGCU. “I believe we’d had a chance to develop Some of those athletes were nervous about our rhythm and our offense more than we’ve ever how FGCU would take those precautions and the had,” Vanliew said. “I view that as an opportunity guidelines they would follow. to really create connections with my teammates “Athletics has really been on top of both on and off the court.” testing everyone,” said FGCU women’s soccer sophomore Emily McCue. “I was a little nervous With the ASUN suspending play until the spring, coming here from Canada, but they’ve made it a athletes are still itching to get out on the courts lot easier mentally to come in and train.” or fields. Many are still invested with the idea And while teams are still able to practice of playing next semester and competing for a and condition, they want to do it the right way and championship. with as much care as possible— under the right “I would love to play, it’s my favorite thing precautions, of course. to do,” said Vanliew. “It would be near impossible “At FGCU there’s not as much concern for me to opt-out, just because I love the game so just because of all the precautions we’re taking much.” through the athletic department,” said FGCU “I’m sure the NCAA will have some sort women’s volleyball senior Cortney Vanliew. “I of guidelines of what would be safe and healthy,” was a little leery of traveling to other schools only said McCue. “As long as each school is following because I didn’t know what their protocols were.” that, I would have no hesitation to travel and have Some athletes feel comfortable with a full season.”∎
The Return of
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Intramural Sports at FGCU By Zion Ruffin Staff Writer Intramural sports are an integral part of student life on any college campus. For some it gives a way to stay physically fit, while also having fun with their friends. For others, it’s a way to satisfy their competitive hunger as they try to win in the multiple leagues available at FGCU. However, with the challenges that have come with Covid-19, there are some questions that surround the playing of intramural sports. The biggest concerns being the need to socially distance and the lack of students currently on campus.With that being said, intramural sports are already underway but with some key alterations. “This year we decided to offer some tournaments in place of leagues due to less students being on campus,” said Zachary McMahon. McMahon is the Sports Programs
Coordinator whose job is to oversee the playing of intramural sports. Some of the more popular intramural sports include 5v5 basketball, 7v7 flag football, and 7v7 soccer. However, with the lack of students on campus, all three are in jeopardy of being altered. For example, with 7v7 flag football already being turned into 4v4 flag football due a lack of signups. “We will reevaluate 7v7 Soccer for this situation once the registration deadline becomes closer.” said McMahon. There is also a growing number of free agent players who cannot join or create teams due to limited interactions on campus. For students just starting intramural sports, this can be an issue as it makes the tasks of joining a team much harder. “To combat this, we’ve created a discord that allows students to connect with one another in hopes of creating teams together.” McMahon said.
Photo by Julia Bonavita
22 The lack of students on campus isn’t just an issue for Zachary and the rest of the sports program board. For students like Justin Sombelon who was looking to get involved in intramural sports, FGCU students may have a tough time finding teams for the sports they wanted to play. “Not having a lot of students on campus may make things difficult in terms of finding teams, but I’m hopeful that it will all work out.” said Sombelon. A freshman living in SOVI, Justin was hoping to get involved with intramural basketball and will continue to look for a team.
their green check mark from the Veoci app, just as they would if they were coming to class early in the morning. Personal protective equipment will be available at all times for intramural staff and participants to be used to allow for constant sanitization. “There will be sanitization in between games and during breaks in play.” McMahon said. While it will be nice to have sports back at FGCU, there will be one integral part of the action missing. To help get the number of people in an area down and to allow social distancing, no spectators are allowed during games. Only verified team participants are allowed on the field. “To prevent spectators, participants will be granted access to the playing surface if they are on the team roster” McMahon said. For some, not having fans will be a huge miss, and some athletes feed off the energy of the crowd, for others it doesn’t really matter if fans are there or not. “It would have been nice to have friends there to watch and give energy while playing, I can understand the reasoning for not having fans.” Sombelon said. We have never seen intramural sports as they are right now, and some of these changes are from the result of something we have never seen before. But the changes are a necessity, and the return of intramural sports will help things return to normal. “If you love the sport you play, you’ll play it no matter the circumstance.” said Sombelon.∎
“All students will be required to wear a mask at all times – no matter the sport.”
Not only is there the issue of not having as many students on campus as there normally are, but there is also the factor of having to follow school guidelines as it pertains to health and safety. “All students will be required to wear a mask at all times – no matter the sport,” said McMahon. This is in accordance with FGCU’s policy of requiring students to wear masks at all times when on campus. Athletes will also still have to practice social distancing when not playing, with designated team areas on each side of the scorer’s tables. While some believe it will be hard to keep some of these guidelines while playing sports, others are more optimistic. “I don’t think it will be that difficult as we’re still able to go to parks and play sports,” said Sombelon. “As long as people follow the guidelines it should be pretty easy for intramurals to get going.” Students will also be required to show
Graphic by Erika Sauer
Club of the Month:
Tennis By Jake Henning Sports Editor
COVID-19 has struck just about every sport and club at FGCU, but some are still determined to keep up their seasons. Tennis is among those making the best out of a bad situation. The tennis club plays four days a week and has continued to grow their number of players, even with precautions against COVID-19. They usually practice on the courts at FGCU and at the moment, they are standing firm at 48 members and are still welcoming more.
Photo By: Julia Bonavita
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Luckily in tennis, there is a safe amount of distance between any two players on the court. It is one of very few sports that can play safely without concerns. “Tennis is a sport where typically there is a large distance kept between players to begin with,” says Tennis Club President Connor Molina. “We are one of the fortunate sports to where our attendance has stayed the same if not grown after Covid-19.”
After their club season was cancelled, they’ve decided to keep competitive games within the club and build relationships between their members. They are still hoping to open up season play as they did last year, traveling to such universities around the state such as UF, FSU, and USF. “We’ve grown and continued to improve our way every single day since I began,” Molina said. Since the club has started, the club has grown in numbers for their practices and even in the amount of people they take to travel to other universities. Molina was very excited about the growth of their program and the steps they’ve taken to welcome more members to the club. “People are keeping a safe distance and enjoying tennis just as they always have,” says Molina. “In between playing we wear masks and try to keep a safe distance when taking a break/getting water.”∎
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