Volume 15, Issue 26
www.eaglenews.org
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
AGLE NEWS
FGCU men’s and women’s basketball teams are heading to the NCAA tournament at the same time for the first time in FGCU history >> Continued on B1
EN Illustrations / Emily Ford and Rachel Iacovone
EDITOR: TAYLOR CREHAN NEWS@EAGLENEWS.ORG
A2 NEWS EAGLE NEWS WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15 The official student-produced newspaper at Florida Gulf Coast University since 1997.
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Eagle News receives these volunteer opportunities from the FGCU Office of Service Learning every week
Editor-in-Chief Emily Ford
editorinchief@eaglenews.org Advertising and Operations Manager Nikki Henkell
businessmanager@eaglenews.org Managing Editor Rachel Iacovone
managing@eaglenews.org News Editor Taylor Crehan
news@eaglenews.org Assistant News Editor Alex Figares
assistantnews@eaglenews.org Production Manager Audrey Mobley
productionmanager@eaglenews.org Entertainment and Lifestyle Editor Julia Browning
entertainment@eaglenews.org Assistant Entertainment and Lifestyle Editor Jesse Martin
assistantentertainment@eaglenews.org Sports Editor Miguel Rodriguez
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>> The Naples Adventist Christian School has an opportunity for you, if you would like to work with young children and assist the teacher with class upkeep, organization and general help. The program runs Monday through Thursday, 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Background check through Collier County is required. Please contact Vimbo Zhou at 269-519-4149 or email her at vimbovivien@gmail.com. >> Like cars? In support of the Sunrise Community, the largest car show in Southwest Florida will be revving up Saturday, March 18, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Lee Civic Center. Help is needed with ticketing, registration and t-shirt sales between the hours 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Please contact Rebecca McGuire at 954-649-5668 or email rmcguire@sunrisegroup.org. >> Love kids? Love reading? How about face painting, hula hooping and dancing? Then, you may want to help at the Eagles Care Book Fair on the Library Lawn from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Wednesday, March 22. To sign up, email Emmalyn Green at elgreen7067@eagle. fgcu.edu or Huck Figlow at thfiglow9261@eagle.fgcu.edu.
>> What is the most unique fundraiser of the year? How about Lighthouse for the Blind’s Dining in the Dark, where guests dine blindfolded, dance and enjoy barbeque. Held Saturday, April 1, from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., at 18500 State Road 31, Alva. Your help is needed with set up, break down, parking and other jobs. There will be a free drinks, snacks and a souvenir tee. Please contact Carissa Smith at carissaesmith@gmail.com or 239-728-8802. >> For you bookish and beachy ones: The Fort Myers Beach Library is having a book sale and needs help prepping on Friday, March 24 at 9:30 a.m. Help is also needed packing up books the day after the sale on March 25 at 12:30 p.m. Please contact Jan Fleming at objanice6@aol.com or call her at 937-344-2974. >> Earth Day celebrations will take place on-campus Sunday, April 9 through Wednesday, April 12. Plant trees, clear trails, help with set up and break down of events and other assists to earn service learning hours at various times throughout these days. For more information and sign up, see the ad on the service learning Facebook page.
The world in brief Woman fakes baby’s death to cover up her murder On Tuesday, March 15, it was reported by BBC that a woman staged her baby’s death to cover up the murder of the baby that occurred at home. On Sept. 28, 2016, Rosalin Baker boarded a Stratford bus with the corpse of her daughter, telling the passengers that her daughter had suddenly fallen ill. According to a prosecutor, the passengers “did all they could to help.” Baker and her partner Jeffrey Wiltshire deny murder.
$5 million in rhino horns seized in Thailand
On Tuesday, March 15, it was reported by BBC that 21 rhino horns worth about $5 million were seized in Thailand after being found in luggage that was sent from Ethiopia. According to the article, Thailand is “seen as a transit point for the illegal trafficking of wildlife.” Two Thai women who travelled to claim the luggage ran away once the luggage was subjected to a random check.
Assistant Sports Editor Emily Kois
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Opinion Editor Bruno Halpern
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New York, US
Outreach Editor
Bangkok, Thailand
Zack Rothman
outreach@eaglenews.org Senior Copy Editor Sarajane Sullivan
Somalia, Africa
copydesk@eaglenews.org Photography Editor Brad Young
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assistantphoto@eaglenews.org Media Editor Katie Hopkins
media@eaglenews.org Assistant Media Editor Aubrey Westmoreland
assistantmedia@eaglenews.org ENTV Director Cassidy Mace
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Snowstorm causes state of emergencies
First Somalian hijacking in five years occurs
On Tuesday, March 15, it was reported by BBC that the states of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia have declared states of emergency due to an incoming snowstorm. The US National Weather Service has also issued blizzard warnings from Pennsylvania to Maine. The current weather conditions caused President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel to postpone their meeting to Friday, March 17.
On Tuesday, March 15, it was reported by BBC that pirates have hijacked an oil tanker off of the coast of Somalia. This is the first hijacking of its kind in the region in five years. On Monday, March 14, the ship sent a distress signal saying that high-speed boats were chasing it. The ship was going to Mogadishu, the Somali capital, from Djibouti. All articles published on BBC.com
entvassistantdirector@eaglenews.org ENTV Sports Content Manager Shylah Soares
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Student conduct regulation ammended by General Counsel By Caylee Weintraub Staff Writer @fgcueaglenews The Office of General Counsel released a new regulation detailing how FGCU administrative bodies will handle student conduct violations on Friday, March 10. The Student Conduct Review Process outlined in the regulation articulates the punishments students may face if they are found to be in violation of FGCU policies and establishes a strict procedure that must be followed by
both the student and the advisor involved in the adjudication. The Student Conduct Review Process has been in place since the university’s inception. In this new proposed regulation, the Student Conduct Review Process has been changed to reflect the updated practices of the university. In the Purpose and Application section of the document, the Counsel wrote, “These standards are designed to foster of personal, social, and ethical development and to promote the
protection of the rights, responsibilities, safety and welfare of the university community.” The new regulation continues to affirm the values included in its predecessor. The bulk of the document explains how students can alert administrative bodies of a violation, how a hearing will be conducted and how a student may appeal if they feel an injustice in the process has occurred. Most of the changes in this new regulation are made in an effort to improve the overall clarity
of the document. Mike Rollo, the vice president of FGCU Student Affairs and the main sponsor of the regulation, made changes to the document. Included at the beginning of the regulation are definitions of legal terms essential to the understanding of the process, and throughout the document, each section is delineated to ensure each aspect can be thoroughly understood. The most significant changes in the document come from the formatting. While this regulation
is divided into seven sections, the previous encompassed over ten. The reduced length of this new regulation coupled with fewer digressions is meant to improve ease of student access and allow for greater accessibility. While the previous document could be cumbersome for students, Rollo explained in his summary note that these changes were made to resolve that issue and allow students to be more informed of the university’s discipline policies.
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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15 EAGLE NEWS NEWS A3
BOT approves Mike Martin’s contract Trustees debate over annual bonus prior to okaying document
EN Photos / Kim Smith President Wilson Bradshaw looks on during the BOT meeting. During the meeting, trustees discussed Mike Martin’s contract. Martin, who was chosen to become Bradshaw’s predecessor on Tuesday, Feb. 28, will be slated to make an annual salary of $350,000. During the meeting, trustees debated on whether or not the BOT should be responsible for giving Martin yearly bonus.
By Taylor Crehan News Editor @taylorjeangenie FGCU’s Board of Trustees appointed Mike Martin as the new university president in February. However, its work with him doesn’t stop there. On Tuesday, March 14, the BOT met to discuss Martin’s employment contract. The contract, which was drafted on Wednesday, March 8 and is formally called the “President’s Employment Agreement with Florida Gulf Coast University,” details Martin’s duties as President Wilson Bradshaw’s successor. Attorney Nikhil Joshi, who was hired by BOT chair
Dudley Goodlette to write the contract, was present at the meeting. Joshi stood at the podium in the front of the ballroom during the majority of the contract discussion, answering questions that trustees had and offering to make minor changes to the document. In the contract, it is stated that Martin has “the authority to direct the operation and management of the university, subject to the direction, control, supervision and instructions of the board.” Martin’s salary is also detailed in the document. Starting on Saturday, July 1, Martin will receive an annual base salary of $350,000.
The trustees debated on the annual performance incentive bonus that is detailed in the contract. In the document, it states that the board may award Martin a bonus of up to $100,000 after going over the “President Performance Evaluation Criterion,” a group of qualitative and quantitative factors that review Martin’s work prior to the end of the fiscal year. However, in the meeting, trustees discussed giving a bonus up to double the president’s salary. The PPEC includes three main categories: Qualitative Leadership and Human Management Skills, FOCUS 2016-2021 and FGCU’s performancebased funding metrics and
resource development such as private fundraising, state appropriations and the securing of contracts and grant dollars. Trustees debated this topic for the majority of the contract discussion. Trustee Robbie Roepstorff suggested the Board of Governors change its ruling so the possibility of a bonus for Martin would be solely up to them; however, Goodlette disagreed. He said that, to do so, the BOG would have to change the ruling entirely, encompassing every state university in Florida. Four amendments were made to the contract, the first stating that the BOT may consult the BOG with
any bonuses higher than $350,000. It passed. The second amendment, which said that if Martin is still employed with FGCU by July 1, 2020, his presidency is subject to reappointment by the BOG and then subject to annual reappointment. It passed. The third amendment included clarifying language in a footnote about the BOG. It also passed. The fourth amendment dealt with the “Governing Law” portion of the document, which stated that the contract itself “at all times, shall be interpreted, governed by, construed in accordance with and shall be in compliance with the State of Florida.”
The amendment was to add “and any and all regulations” after “State of Florida.” Trustees couldn’t come to an agreement on the amendment and decided to go forth and vote on approving the contract as a whole without the fourth amendment. The contract was unanimously passed. Despite the creation of his contract, Martin’s appointment must still gain the approval of the BOG during its meeting on March 29 and 30 at Florida A&M University in Tallahassee.
Office of Community Outreach hosts talk on undocumented students By Taylor Crehan News Editor @taylorjeangenie The FGCU Office of Community Outreach will be hosting a lecture on immigration issues through the eyes of students — a tale narrated by Belinda
Hernandez Arriaga. Hernandez Arriaga is the executive director and founder of Ayunado Latinos A Sonar, a program dedicated to supporting youth and families in rural communities in Northern California. She will be speaking at FGCU in the
Cohen Center ballroom at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 15. Her presentation, which is a part of the Office of Community Outreach’s lecture series, will touch base on “Understanding the Emotional Effects of Undocumented and Mixed Status Students.”
Along with her work with ALAS, Hernandez Arriaga is a faculty member in the Counseling Psychology program at the University of San Francisco. She is also a doctoral candidate at USF and serves as a licensed clinical social worker in California. According to the Community Speaks Lecture Series website, “The mission of the Office of Community Outreach is to foster strong universitycommunity partnerships that increase the visibility, accountability, and participation of the university in the surrounding Southwest Florida community.” The website goes on to explain that the Office of Community Outreach is also responsible for creating “support systems for students of undeserved and underrepresented backgrounds.” The office has had several speakers come to FGCU through its program in the past. In October 2016, Brandon Johnson spoke about finding success through the Center for Academic Achievement on
Photo courtesy of the FGCU Office of Community Outreach Belinda Hernandez Arriaga is speaking on undocumented students on Wednesday, March 15 in the Cohen Center and will be giving a student discussion the follwoing day, Thursday, March 16.
campus, and in November 2016, the office held a panel discussion on “The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates,” the book that was chosen for FGCU’s One Book, One Campus Project. For those students unable to attend Wednesday’s lecture or those wanting to get
more in-depth, the office is also hosting a student discussion with Hernandez Arriaga at noon Thursday, March 16 in Cohen Center room 213.
A4 NEWS EAGLE NEWS WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15
EDITOR: TAYLOR CREHAN NEWS@EAGLENEWS.ORG
Police Beat
Eagle News writes this beat every week from the official UPD weekly summary Kicking and screaming On Saturday, March 4 at 4:13 a.m., a complainant called UPD stating that there was an intoxicated man screaming and banging on car windows in North Lake Village. The subject had locked himself out of his dorm room and was trying to get back in. A resident assistant then helped the subject get back into his dorm. Barbed baseball bat On Saturday, March 4 at 2:56 p.m., a UPD officer was advised that a subject was in front of a building in
North Lake Village holding a baseball bat with barbed wire wrapped around it. The subject then hid the bat behind his back when UPD officers arrived. The subject said that he was planning on hanging it in his dorm. He was then told that he couldn’t have it in his dorm and will be taking the bat off campus. College camping On Sunday, March 5 at 8:27 a.m., UPD was made aware of five people camping in tents behind a residential building in North Lake Village. Those camping in the tents were
the guests of a resident. The tents were then taken down. (Stuck) in an elevator On Tuesday, March 7 at 9:29 a.m., a complainant stated that he was stuck in an elevator in Alico Arena. He then called UPD back stating that he was able to get out, but the elevator was still not working. Work Management was then contacted, and they said that they would send someone to look at it. A UPD officer confirmed that the elevator wasn’t functioning, and that Work Management would fix the
issue. Broken bathroom window On Wednesday, March 3 at 2:50 a.m., a complainant living in West Lake Village called UPD reporting that his bathroom window was broken from the outside. Three “bangs” were heard on the window before it broke. All residents residing in the apartment were present at the time. The complainant couldn’t see anyone outside. A report was then completed. Uber of ecstasy On Friday, March 10 at
12:21 a.m., a UPD officer asked for an escort due to two female students that appeared to be sick in a car travelling on the SoVi bridge. The driver was an Uber driver who was driving the girls home. After being flagged down by UPD, the second female told UPD that they had taken ecstasy. Stolen projectors On Friday, March 10 at 10:47 a.m., a complainant went into UPD stating that three projectors were unaccounted for in the Arts Complex. An inventory loss report was then completed.
Three grey Epson Powerlite 820ONL projectors, valued at $5,000 each, were unaccounted for. SoVi shelter On Monday, March 13 at 6:54 p.m., a UPD officer on foot patrol on the nature trail by Eagle Hall in South Village advised that there was a makeshift shelter about 200 yards from the start of the trail. The trail is marked by signs that lead to the shelter. The UPD officer took pictures of the scene.
Regulation amended to make textbooks affordable By Taylor Crehan News Editor @taylorjeangenie FGCU students may soon have access to more affordable textbooks. On Friday, March 10, the Office of the General Counsel updated regulation FGCU-PR3.003, “Textbook Adoption and Affordability.” “The purpose of this regulation is to establish textbook selection and adoption procedures to decrease the cost of textbooks to students, minimize the cost of textbooks for students, maintain the quality of education and ensure faculty academic freedom,”
the general statement said. Changes made to the regulation were mostly grammatical. The adapted regulation included a few added commas, as well as changes in capitalization and word choice. FGCU’s Board of Trustees established a list of procedures in the regulation for “minimizing the cost of textbooks to students.” The procedures consist of three parts. The first part states that the university “shall publish the textbook ordering and textbook adoption dates for the fall, spring and summer terms of each academic year in
the university academic calendar.” It also states that, in accordance with the Florida Board of Governors’ regulation 8.003, textbook orders must now be completed and made available for students no later than 45 days prior to the first day of classes for each term, rather than the previous 30 days. The second part states that “no university employee may demand or receive any payment, loan, subscription, advance, deposit of money, service or anything of value, present or promised, in exchange for requiring students to make specific purchases.” The third part states
that the university shall establish a policy and procedure to assist students who have qualified for need-based educational financial assistance, students who have qualified for need-based financial aid and want to buy textbooks needed for classes for which the student has registered prior to the distribution of financial aid and students who have qualified for aid and need to purchase course pack materials.
EN Photo / Brad Young Students wait in line for textbooks at the bookstore. The Office of the General Counsel ammended the “Textbook Adoption and Affordability” regulation on Friday, March 10 to make textbooks more affordable to students.
VP of Student Affairs J. Michael Rollo amends alcohol policy By Caylee Weintraub Staff Writer @fgcueaglenews On Friday, March 10, the Office of General Counsel amended a prior university regulation regarding the possession, service and consumption of alcohol. In the summary note, J. Michael Rollo, the vice president of Student Affairs, wrote, “This regulation is amended to reflect revised terms and
the current application and approval process for the possession, service and consumption of alcohol on campus.” The revision of the regulation focuses primarily on compressing the information included in the prior regulation. While the original document spanned six pages, this revision has reduced the length to two pages and has eliminated some extraneous subsections.
FGCU’s policies regarding alcohol consumption remain consistent with laws passed at the federal and local level. Many of the rules the regulation establishes align with laws normally set in place for Florida residents. The Lee County Open Container Law banning students and adults from being in possession of an open container of alcohol while on public property is especially prevalent in the
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after all administrative bodies grant approval can alcohol be provided. As articulated in the general statement, the regulation primarily serves to remind individuals that “they are responsible for their behavior while on university premises.” A violations section details the repercussions students may face if their actions go against the university’s alcohol polices and upset FGCU’s community values.
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vendors must follow before planning to provide alcohol on campus remains essentially the same from the process detailed in the prior regulation. In order to serve alcohol on campus, students must submit an application that has to be approved by the vice president for Administrative Services and Finance, the vice president of Student Affairs, the president or by an alternate designee. Only
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document. The university takes extra measures to set in place a process that governs how outside vendors may provide college students with alcohol and details the necessary precautions that must be taken by students and servers to ensure that those below the legal drinking age do not have access to alcohol. The approval process students and outside
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UPD will now enforce traffic laws for bicyclists and pedestrians after receiving grant By Alexandra Figares Assistant News Editor @fgcueaglenews Beginning March 11 through May 15, the FGCU Police Department will enforce traffic laws on vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists following a grant for High Visibility Enforcement for pedestrian and bicycle safety. Officers will conduct education and enforcement efforts for vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists on university grounds and on Ben Hill Griffin Parkway, issuing warnings, citations and education brochures. UPD officer Sean Myles Kittleson applied for the grant provided through the University of South Florida in partnership with the Florida Department of Transportation as a response to Lee County’s number one rank in most dangerous roads in the state. “This grant starts with an educational phase,
warning phase and citation phase, but the citation phase is optional,” Kittleson said. “We’d much rather educate people than ticket them. The purpose is to promote safety.” The USF Center for Urban Transportation Research in partnership with the FDOT funded the grant in 2011 to campaign pedestrian and bicycle safety and reduce fatalities, injuries and crashes. According to the FDOT, Florida has twice the national average of pedestrian fatalities with almost ten pedestrians killed every week and at least 92 percent of bicycle crashes resulting in injuries. FGCU freshman Bianca Madison believes traffic rules should be enforced on pedestrians, as she had instances in which people ran in front of her car. “They get reckless,” Madison said. “We’ll be driving, and (pedestrians) will run in front of the car
EN Photo / Matt Ricci A UPD car sits by the Postal Services building on campus. UPD has recently been awarded a grant for High Visibility Enforcement for pedestrian and bicycle safety. UPD officers will now be enforcing traffic laws on not only vehicles but bicycles and pedestrians as well.
to hurry up and cross the road, and that makes me mad. It’s dangerous.” UPD wants to remind pedestrians and bicyclists
to obey traffic laws as emphasized in an email sent to students on Monday, March 13. Bicyclists who do not
obey traffic signs are subject to an $161 citation. “We’re not trying to hound people,” Kittleson said. “We just want people
to be safe and educate them on how they can do that.”
Senate introduces memorial resolutions to commemorate students who passed By Alexandra Figares Assistant News Editor @fgcueaglenews FGCU’s Student Government senate meeting took on a somber tone on Tuesday, March 14, as senators introduced nine Memorial Resolutions to honor students who have
passed this school year. The memorial resolutions pay respects to Paulina Derengowski, Ryan Wendler, Alejandro “Alex” Diaz, Sebastian George Ramos, Nadia Anderson, Ian Davis, Rebeca Olivera, Michael Bizub and Kaaren Toutant. Senate President Jason
Finan said the memorial resolutions commemorate the students by displaying papers across campus describing individuals by name, date of birth and date of passing. According to Finan, the resolution honors those students who have passed within the last year.
“For the past years that I have been in senate, this is something that is always done as a senate,” Student Body Vice President Emmalyn Green said. “They’ve (Senate) come together to honor students who have passed away. It’s not just our administration.”
Rebeca Olivera, the sister of Sen. Paul Olivera, passed away on Sept. 5 in Monterrey, Mexico. In honor of his sister, Paul established the Rebeca Olivera Memorial Scholarship Endowed Fund by raising over $17,000 with the help of others. “I can tell you she was
the biggest inspiration I’ve had and I’ll probably have for the rest of my life,” Paul Olivera said. “She inspires me every day to be positive, and I wouldn’t be where I am if it wasn’t for her.”
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St. Paddy’s parties
Photo courtesy of Downtown Fort Myers St. Patrick’s Day Block Party St. Patrick’s Day Block Party in Downtown Fort Myers on Friday, March 17 causes the streets to be closed so a big party through out all of Fort Myers’ historic downtown river district will celebrate the holiday with various stores and restaurants that are in the area.
By Julia Browning E&L Editor @juliabrowningxo It’s St. Patrick’s Day on Friday, March 17 and whether you’d prefer a pub crawl or a parade, there is plenty of fun to be had in the Southwest Florida area. St. Patrick’s Day Block Party in Downtown Fort Myers If you’re looking for green beer, crazy costumes, live music and pub crawls then you must attend the St. Patrick’s Day Block Party in Downtown Fort Myers. From 6-11 p.m. on Friday, March 17.
Downtown Fort Myers River District will close the streets of Hendry and First, making room for music, food, drinks and live entertainment. From 6-8 p.m., you can also play darts and corn hole for prizes while listening to music from the Cypress Lake High School Jazz Band, Model Citisin, Ben Allen Band, Strange Arrangement, Vinyl Countdown and other Irish music to get you into the St. Paddy’s spirit. The event is free to attend and open to all ages and, if you’re of legal age, there’s plenty of bars downtown to hang out in afterwards including Dash
Nightclub, Indigo Room and Bootlegger’s Alley, which will have drink specials and DJs playing all night long. St. Patrick’s Day at GameTime Gulf Coast Town Center is a great destination if you’re hoping to have some St. Paddy’s fun while not straying too far from campus. On the 17, GameTime in GCTC is having a St. Patrick’s Day event where they’ll be giving away free shamrocks, mugs and bead necklaces, for everyone to get their Irish on. If your group of friends has some 21-year-olds, and
some under the drinking age, this event is perfect for you, as there are great Irish-themed drink specials in the bar area, as well as fun for all in the mega arcade, where you can challenge your friends with endless gaming options. St Patrick’s Day Parade Fort Myers Beach As all who live in Southwest Florida know: When in doubt, go to Fort Myers Beach. And on St. Patrick’s Day, it won’t disappoint, with it’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade starting March 17 at 10 a.m. The parade will travel from Santini Marina
Plaza North on Estero Boulevard to the Church of the Ascension on Estero Boulevard. The road will be closed for about an hour, starting at 9:45 a.m. If you’re a beach lover hoping to celebrate the holiday in your favorite environment, then put on your green bikini and get down to Fort Myers beach. Just make sure you go early, or you’ll spend your St. Pat’s in the car stuck behind a parade. Southwest Florida Irish Pubs In Fort Myers, there’s Clancey’s Restaurant on McGregor which will be having a two-day “extravaganza” celebrating St. Paddy’s on Friday, March 17 and Saturday, March 18. With classic Irish dishes like corned beef and cabbage and Irish music by “Fiddler and I” the bar atmosphere is sure to feel straight out of Ireland, even in Southwest Florida. Fitzgerald’s on Bonita Beach Road will be having a two-day party as well, from 6 p.m. to close on Thursday, March 16 and
all day on Friday, March 17 from 11:30 a.m. to close. This authentic Irish pub will have continuous drinks and live music and even a raffle where attendees can win a trip to Ireland. St. Patrick’s Mug Day & Night at Rusty’s Island Park Some people like to keep it consistent, and that’s okay because good ole’ Rusty’s is participating in the St. Patrick’s Day fun as well, putting an Irish twist on their weekly Mug Night special. If you’re 21 or over and you bring a Rusty’s Mug to the bar, you’ll get their usual specials of $1 domestic draft beer, $2 well drinks, $3 import draft beer and $4 call drinks, but to add to the Irish fun, they’ll also be doing Guinness and Irish Car Bomb specials all night long. No matter what you decide to do on St. Patrick’s Day, have fun, be responsible and don’t get lost chasing after any leprechauns. Eagle News encourages students to drink responsibility and Eagle News doesn’t condone underage drinking.
‘Kong: Skull Island’ beats out ‘Logan’ in box office By Jesse Martin E&L Assistant Editor @JesseMartin247 “Kong: Skull Island” is the latest release in the historic “King Kong” franchise premiering March 10. Director Jordan VogtRoberts delivers an actionpacked, enjoyable monster flick with a movie that doesn’t try to be more than it is.
The film is not overly dark, rather it’s fun and a good time all the way through. The ensemble cast of “Kong: Skull Island” is a major strength of the film. Casting did a nice job mixing older, established actors like Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman and John C. Reilly. While also including younger actors and actresses like Brie Larson,
who’s gained serious recognition for her Oscarwinning role in “Room.” The monster Kong is impressive on screen. The special effects aren’t groundbreaking, but the cinematography is well done and partners nicely with the monsters. Surprisingly, throughout the light-hearted film, there is a major anti-war undertone. Taking place in the
last days of the Vietnam War, the movie asks tough questions about the real difference between friends and enemies. Jackson plays Lieutenant Colonel Preston Packard, a savvy war veteran who seems afraid to go home and will do anything to keep fighting. The audience knows he’s the villain immediately, but it’s still interesting to watch him slowly digress,
becoming more and more evil. The movie does have one or two short scenes that are the typical slow-motion sequences just to give the theaters a reason to have a 3-D release for it, but not enough for the movie to get annoying. The fight scenes are perfectly paced, packed with unexpected twists, turns and jump scares to please the audience.
According to Variety, the movie took the number one spot at the box office with an earning of $142.6 million globally, impressively beating out “Logan” and “Get Out” in the process. With Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” opening Friday, March 17, it will be interesting to see how “Kong: Skull Island” can compete with moviemaking conglomerate Disney.
Drake’s ‘More Life’ finally gets release date By Julia Browning E&L Editor @juliabrowningxo It’s the moment all Drake fans have been waiting for: Drake has announced the release date for his upcoming project, “More Life: The Playlist,” Saturday, March 18. Since Drake announced on OVO Radio in October 2016 that he was working on a new “playlist” to be released in December, it’s been all-out torture for fans with one false release date or teaser after another. But on March 12, the rapper/singer put a video on Instagram of a montage of film that, according to Fader, seemed to be from his latest world tour. The video was an aesthetically pleasing trailer showing Drake in slow motion walking through the flash of paparazzi cameras, moments with him and his crew backstage or partying
in venues and videos of the colossal crowds he drew in. The crowd lit up the stage with their phones, all while a tinkling, suspenseful beat played in the background. At the end, text read, “MORE LIFE MARCH 18.” Though it hasn’t been officially stated, it seems as though Drake has finally set a date for his latest work, which he’s referring to as a “playlist” rather than a mixtape or an album. The long and winding road awaiting this album release date began in midDecember when fans were patiently awaiting the promised project. Also back in October, Drake released three tracks from the project. This includes, “Two Birds One Stone,” “Sneakin’” and “Fake Love.” In typical Drake fashion, he took to Instagram, implying an album push back, writing, “More Buckets More Shows and
More Life 2017” in a caption on a video of him and friends playing basketball. Since then, as Drake rarely does interviews, there have been snippets and rumors here and there about when to expect the album and who to expect featured. Two artists who seem most likely to have a feature on the album are Bryson Tiller, who tweeted, “started some vibes with Drake today. more life” on Dec. 13, and Jennifer Lopez, who was not only rumored to be dating the rapper earlier this year but also told Entertainment Tonight in mid-January that Drake had asked her to do a song with him. It’s not just Drake’s ability to round up great talent that makes his albums so popular. Part of Drake’s success has been his ability to consistently drop quality albums and productions, repeatedly pushing out
multiple works in a year with both announced and surprise release dates that leave the fans happy, yet always wanting more. In fact, it’s rare that you see Drake left out of Billboard’s Top 20, as he sits at #16 right now for “Fake Love,” which was one of the first songs teased from his upcoming project. He’s known as a trailblazer in the rap community, regularly offering up new sounds, talent and platforms with his projects. As Fader reports in an in-depth look at the new project, “This Is Everything We Know For Sure About Drake’s More Life,” the most known about the upcoming playlist was shared by Drake himself in an interview to DJ Semtex during an episode of OVO Sound Radio. “The style in which it is being put together is based on the concept of OVO Sound Radio,” Drake said
Photo courtesy of Drake’s Instagram @champagnepapi Drake announced on Instagram the release date for his new project that will be coming out on Saturday, March 18 “More Life: The Playlist.”
to the DJ. “It’s almost like a radio show. I basically asked myself, what if I did it like OVO Sound Radio but every song was a new Drake song? It’s more like an evolution of a mixtape. After ‘VIEWS,’ I
was inspired, and I wanted to keep the music going and get people inspired.”
EDITOR: JULIA BROWNING ENTERTAINMENT@EAGLENEWS.ORG
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15 EAGLE NEWS E & L A7
MTV Movie Awards to include television honors Curated this week by E&L Editor, Julia Browning
Drake through the ages 1. “Best I Ever Had” - Drake, “So Far Gone” 2. “Shut It Down” - Drake, “Thank Me Later” 3. “Marvins Room” - Drake, “Take Care” 4. “The Motto” - Drake, “Take Care” 5. “Madonna” - Drake, “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late”
Photo courtesy MTV Movie Awards Now named the MTV Movie & TV Awards, MTV has expanded its annual Movie Awards to now include honors for TV series. “We’re living in a golden age of content, and great storytelling and characters resonate regardless of whether you’re watching it in a theater or on TV,” MTV president Chris McCarthy said in a press release on Monday, March 13.
By Emily Ford Editor-In-Chief @152Emily
6. “Back To Back” - Drake 7. “Right Hand” - Drake 8. “Diamonds Dancing” - Drake, “What A Time To Be Alive” 9. “One Dance” - Drake, “Views” 10. “Fake Love” - Drake, “More Love”
EN Illustration / Audrey Mobley
MTV is expanding its annual Movie Awards to include honors for TV series for the first time in 25 years. Now named MTV Movie & TV Awards, MTV will air the awards show live from L.A.’s Shrine Auditorium on Sunday, May 7 at 8 p.m. Not only is MTV creating a new award show, the channel is also introducing its first-ever Movie and Television
Festival outside of the venue day of the show. The festival will feature live musical acts, special guests and food. Festival attendees will also get a front row look at celebrities walking the red carpet for the awards show. “We’re living in a golden age of content, and great storytelling and characters resonate regardless of whether you’re watching it in a theater or on TV,” MTV president Chris McCarthy said in a press release on Monday, March 13. “The new MTV Movie &
TV Awards will celebrate even more of the brightest, bravest, funniest and mostshared films and TV shows resonating across youth culture.” The host, nominees, performers and presenters will be announced at a later date. MTV is not the first organizations to add TV to its movie awards ceremony. For example, Gotham Awards and Critics’ Choice Awards also began handing out small-screen accolades the same night as their film awards in 2015.
A cultural night with Fort Myers Film Festival By Julia Baruffi Staff Writer @fgcueaglenews A night of film, culture and community was held this weekend in Fort Myers with their seventh annual film festival. The festival, which went from March 8 to 12 and was held at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall, Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center, Alliance for the Arts, Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre and Imaginarium, captivated audience members from the red carpet roll out to the final film screening. The doors opened at 5:30 p.m. to a room filled not only with Fort Myers natives, but with domestic and international filmmakers, and NBC2s anchor Chad Oliver, who
hosted the event. After the film concluded, guests were invited to join on stage to dance and talk with the directors. The festival opened with a viewing of “Black Tide,” a documentary created by Steven Johnson. This film shows the difficulties of preserving the Southwestern Florida waters and how the media and political figures influence water mismanagement. The following day kicked off the showing of multiple short films. These film blocks were $10 each and were shown at the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center. One of the most popular shorts was “Aftermath,” which emphasized the comedic aspect of not remembering the small
Photo courtesy of The Fort Myers Film Festival The seventh annual film festival went from March 8 to 12 and was held at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall, Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center, Alliance for the Arts, Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre and the Imaginarium.
things after a party. German director Ralf Beyerle demonstrated how important time really is. Later that night, American director Brody Gusar showed “The Next Big Thing.” This drama follows the life of Julian, who is filmed by his best friend Chuck 24/7. His personal and professional life spirals out
of control, causing conflict and angst. Friday, March 10 started off with the film, “A Late Style of Fire: Larry Levis, American Poet.” Directed by Michele Poulos, this historical documentary follows the life and sudden death of writer Larry Levis. The first short of the day was the 22-minute film, “Two Secrets.” Inspired
by a true story, this short follows the life of a young girl who is hiding a secret from the world as her family hides a secret from her. This coming of age story captivated the audience with its surprising ending. Saturday, March 11 was filled with films and shorts alike. “A la carte” was the first short to start the day.
Director Ka Shing Chu came all the way from Hong Kong. This project was meant to show how working in the future may be suitable for Hong Kong’s children. Sunday, March 12 concluded the festival with an award ceremony filled with champagne and desserts. The Fort Myers Film Festival supports the local community in many ways. A portion of the proceeds from the event will be donated to Golisanos Children Hospital and Lee County Schools’ filmmakers, Raddatz Foundation. It’s an event the founders and community hope to continue for many years to come.
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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15 EAGLE NEWS E & L A8
Fort Myers food fest fun By Julia Browning E&L Editor @juliabrowningxo It was a foodie’s dream this past weekend all over Fort Myers with three different Food Festivals going on, on March 11 and March 12. Saturday’s food festivities kicked off at the Lee Civic Center for Fort Myers’ Beer and Bacon Festival. The event featured tons
of creative “bacon-centric” dishes like bacon-wrapped meatballs, bacon cupcakes and traditional crispy bacon around every corner. If you were of legal age, there were over 80 kinds of craft beers to sample, including local beers from Fort Myers Brewing Company and brews from all over Florida ranging from places like St. Petersburg, Punta Gorda and the Florida Keys. But if beers and bacon
Photo courtesy of Fort Myers Beer and Bacon Facebook Bacon and beer-lovers united for the Fort Myers Beer and Bacon festival, where attendees played games, and ate and drank unique takes on traditional favorites.
weren’t your interest, and you somehow still ended up at the festival, there were music, games and prizes for people to enjoy, while all benefits went to the Lee Civic Center, a destination for fun events in Southwest Florida. On March 11, the Fort Myers Beach Lions Club Shrimp Festival celebrated its 59th anniversary, making it a long-standing tradition on Fort Myers Beach. Though the event was on the 11 and 12, it kicked off the week before on March 4, with its Lion’s Kids Shrimp Run, where kids ran a mile on the beach in an event sponsored by Cypress Lake High School Boosters. Saturday, March 11, started with the 5k Shrimp Festival Run. This popular Southwest Florida race began at 9 a.m. and took runners on a scenic route over the Matanzas Bridge twice while onlookers cheered the runners along. The next lively event was the Shrimp Parade, starting at 10 a.m. and traveling one and a half miles down Estero Boulevard. The parade began on School Street and ended where the Shrimp Festival
Photo courtesy of 93X Taco Fest Facebook Radio station 93X held it’s Taco Fest this weekend in Downtown Fort Myers’ Centennial Park. While enjoying the parks scenery, fest-goers had their choice of multiple local taco trucks as well as games, drinks and prizes.
took place at the Matanzas Bridge near Lynn Hall Memorial Park. Once people arrived at the Shrimp Festival, there was a flurry of activity, from the Shrimp Queen Crowning to the Shrimp Eating Contest to the immense amount of food, games, crafts and prizes, with shrimp on the menu everywhere you went. Finally, it wouldn’t be a food festival weekend without a Taco Fest. On March 12, crowds enjoyed drinks, live entertainment and, of course, tacos at the 93X Taco Fest in Downtown Fort Myers’s Centennial Park. They also were able to eat their tacos while making a difference, as all
proceeds from the event went to Valerie’s House, an organization that helps children and families deal with grief. Overall, the weekend
was a classic Fort Myers mix of good food, community and fun that left festival-goers’ bellies full for the year until they return for the festival in 2018.
Photo courtesy of Fort Myers Beach Lions Club Shrimp Festival The Fort Myers Beach Lions Club celebrated it’s 59th Shrimp-themed festival on Fort Myers Beach over the weekend, serving fresh shrimp around every corner.
Kick off your summer festival schedule with Miami Music Week On March 21, the week kicks off with different events at various nightclubs across Miami, but the featured venues will be Firebeatz & Friends along with special guests from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. This show will be hosted at the FDR at The Delano for $25. The other featured event is the Perspectives Digital and Typ3 Records Showcase. This event features a variety of upcoming artists like Darin Epsilon, Photo courtesy of Miami Music Week’s Facebook Miami Music Festival is the perfect way to start off your summer of music festivals. With relatively cheap prices, a wide variety Dave Seaman, Franccesco Cardenas, Kike Roldan and of musicians and events, and people flocking the beach from all over Florida, it’s sure to be memorable. Luke Hunter. This showcase will be number of featured events events all over the city. By Deanna Simmons Many artists will be in throughout the week like hosted at Armando Records Staff Writer attendance, ranging from the Axtone Miami Pool and admission is $10 plus @WonderCatDee well-known artists like party on March 22 and the and have an age restriction From March 21 to 26, Steve Aoki to local and Stereo Yacht party, and of 21 and up. The Axtone Miami Miami kicks off its summer lesser-known artists like the Ultra Music Festival at Bayfront Park on March 23 Pool Party will be at the of music festivals with Miami DJ Carlos Frasser. Delano Beach Club from 2-11 There will be a and 24 respectively. Miami Music Week with
p.m. and it’s promoted by DiskoLab. The requirements for entry are a $48 cover charge and an age restriction that you must be 21 or older. The artists performing are Arty, Benny Benassi, Bob Sinclar, Chocolate Puma, D.O.D, Matisse & Sadko, Michael Feiner, Shapov and Tom Staar. Above & Beyond, will be at the RC Cola Plant on March 23 from 8:30 p.m. to 3:30 a.m.. This event is a festivalstyle show, and the price is between $65 and $115. This gathering is for people 21 and over only, and Above & Beyond, Eli & Fur, Eric Prydz and Yotto will all be performing with the possibility of other special guests to be announced in time. One of the Ultra Music
Festival is on March 24, 25 and 16, and has big names on its lineup. This event will be at Bayfront Park, and while general admission is sold out, VIP tickets are still available and cost $1,249.95 on the festivals website. This gathering is 18 plus and goes from 4 p.m. to 12 a.m. The lineup is worth the wait with artists like Afrojack, Alesso, David Guetta, DJ Snake, Ice Cube, Martin Garrix, Steve Aoki, Tiesto, TY Dolla Sign and Zedd along with many others. The same goes for day two which is on Saturday, March 25 at 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. and then day three is on Sunday, March 26 from 12 to 11 p.m.
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Men’s basketball NCAA Tournament First Round preview vs. FSU
By Miguel Rodriguez Sports Editor @Miguel_Rod0914
Earning the program’s highest seed in an NCAA tournament heading into the big dance, the No. 14 FGCU men’s basketball team takes on No. 3 FSU in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament at Amway Center in Orlando on Thursday at 9:20 p.m. “The guys have worked hard and we’ve gotten better as the year went along,” FGCU head coach Joe Dooley said. “We’ve won 18 of 20 of our last games. We’ve gotten better as the season went on especially defensively and
that’s what you’re building this time of year.” Tied for the secondhighest seed by an ASUN conference team in the NCAA Tournament in the last 16 years, the Eagles will face either No. 6 Maryland or No. 11 Xavier on Saturday, March 18 if they defeat the Seminoles on Thursday, March 16. En route to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2012, the No. 16 nationally ranked Seminoles defeated seven top-25 teams and finished second in the ACC with a record of 12-6. Before falling to Notre Dame in the ACC Tournament Semifinal 77-
73, FSU defeated Virginia Tech 74-68. The tallest team in Division I basketball with an average height of 6 feet 7 inches, the Seminoles went 18-0 home throughout their campaign but went 4-6 on the road and 3-2 in neutral sites. “I got to play against them when I was at my other school and they really are the tallest team in the nation,” Brandon Goodwin said. “It’s like standing amongst the trees.” Leading the way on offense for FSU, Dwayne Bacon was a Second Team All-ACC member and led FSU with 16.9 points per game.
Another player to keep an eye out for on the Seminoles is Jonathan Isaac. Isaac was an ACC Honorable Mention and All-Freshmen team member and averaged 11.9 points per game and a team leading 7.6 rebounds per game. Lead by ASUN Newcomer of the Year, All-Conference first team member and ASUN Tournament MVP Goodwin, the Eagles won their first outright ASUN regular season championship with a 12-2 record in conference play. Earning an abundance of ASUN awards in his
first season as an Eagle after transferring from UCF, Goodwin led FGCU’s offense averaging 18.2 points and four assists per game. “It’s (NCAA Tournament) just exciting,” Goodwin said. “I was here last year for it (NCAA Tournament) but I didn’t get to play so it’s that much better being able to finally experience it and finally share this moment with my teammates and coaches.” Putting together their best record in program history, 26-7, FGCU punched its third ticket in five years to the NCAA tournament with a 7761 victory over UNF in
the ASUN Tournament Championship. The last time these two teams faced off was in the 2014 NIT, where the Seminoles defeated the Eagles 58-53. FGCU will look to extend its win streak eight and spark another Cinderella run in the NCAA tournament with a First Round victory over FSU. “We’ve just got to go in as any other game,” Demetris Morant said. “Yeah they’re a large team but if we do what we have to do we’ll be fine. We worked this hard and we didn’t come just to lose.”
EN Illustration / Audrey Mobley
Women’s basketball NCAA Tournament First Round preview vs. Miami By Miguel Rodriguez Sports Editor @Miguel_Rod0914
On the eve of winning its fourth ASUN Tournament Championship, the FGCU women’s basketball team earned a 13 seed and will take on No. 4 Miami in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament in Coral Gables on Saturday at 4 p.m. at the Watsco Center. “We’re excited that we are playing so close to Fort Myers,” FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. “It makes it really convenient for our fans to get over there and support us and
we are excited about the opportunity of playing a really great team in the NCAA tournament.” Making its fourth NCAA tournament appearance in six seasons, FGCU will face either No. 5 Marquette or No. 12 Quinnipiac. If the Eagles and Bobcats both overcome their first round opponents, that would set up a rematch of the teams regular season opener where Quinnipiac defeated FGCU 66-56. Ranked No. 16 in the nation, the Hurricanes finished seventh in the ACC with a 10-6 record
in conference play en route to their sixth NCAA Tournament appearance in the last seven years. Hosting an NCAA tournament game for the first time since 1993 when the higher seed hosted their opponent, the Hurricanes went 23-8 on the year and defeated three top-25 teams. Before losing to Duke in the ACC Tournament Semifinal 57-52, Miami defeated FSU 56-54. The Hurricanes are 6-1 alltime in Coral Gables in postseason play and 2-0 in the NCAA tournament when at home. Leading the Hurricanes
on offense is All-ACC Second team member Adrienne Motley. In her final season with Miami, Motley averaged 13.7 points and 2.73 assists per game. Another player to look out for on the Hurricanes is Jessica Thomas. A member of the ACC All-Tournament Second team and All-ACC Academic Team, Thomas averaged 12.7 points and four assists per game. The first player in FGCU program history to be named the ASUN Newcomer of the Year, Rosemarie Julien leads the way on offense for the Eagles averaging 11.1 points per game.
Another key player to watch is China Dow. Taking home ASUN Tournament MVP Honors and earning a spot on the All-Conference team. Dow scored 31 points in just 25 minutes in the Eagles 7770 ASUN Tournament Championship victory over Stetson. “It’s a good experience (NCAA Tournament) especially with this team,” Dow said. “It’s like going into a big dance and we gotta do what we gotta do.” The last time these two teams met was in the opening round of the WNIT in 2010, where Miami defeated FGCU 70-57.
Overcoming their 2-5 start to the season, the Eagles are winners of 20 of their last 22 games heading into the Big Dance. FGCU will look to improve its 1-3 all-time record in the NCAA tournament, and spark a Cinderella run out of Coral Gables. “The NCAA tournament is a goal for everybody who plays college athletics,” Mikala McGhee said. “We’re happy to be here and we are going to do our best.”
EN Illustration / Audrey Mobley
FGCU women’s basketball gets its season off to a rocky start with a 1-3 performance at the Gulf Coast Showcase
FGCU men’s basketball earns its first win of the season with 85-72 victory over UT Arlington
FGCU sparks 12 game win streak following its 6-6 start to the campaign
In a controversial ending to the game due to a running shot clock, the Eagles fall on the road against No. 13 Michigan State 77-76
The Eagles lose its regular season finale to Stetson, falling short of their seventh consecutive ASUN regular season title
With a 12-2 record in ASUN conference play, the Eagles claim its first outright ASUN regular season title
As a No. 2 seed in the ASUN tournament, FGCU defeats Stetson to claim the ASUN tournament crown and book a spot in the NCAA tournament
As a No. 1 seed, FGCU defeats UNF to claim its second consecutive ASUN Tournament title and book a trip to the Big Dance
EN Illustration / Audrey Mobley
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15 EAGLE NEWS SPORTS B3
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FGCU alumna Tabby Tindell on trial with NWSL side Orlando Pride By Miguel Rodriguez Sports Editor @Miguel_Rod0914
EN Photo / Brad Young Scoring 66 goals in her four years at FGCU, Tabby Tindell has the program record and ASUN record for career goals.
Kicking off the 2017 National Women’s Soccer League season with its preseason camp, the Orlando Pride welcomed 29 players to the club’s camp, including FGCU alumna Tabby Tindell as a trailist. “We’re very happy with the roster we’ve built during our first full offseason players,” Orlando Pride head coach Tom Sermanni said to orlandocitysc.com. “I’m excited to get to work and see how this group performs in the coming year.” As a three-time ASUN Player of the Year, Tindell has the ASUN record for career goals with 66 and points with 162. Spending all four
seasons of her collegiate career at FGCU, Tindell has the individual career program record for every offensive category. In her final season at FGCU, Tindell scored 14 goals and tallied eight assists leading the Eagles to an undefeated record in conference play, their seventh-consecutive ASUN regular-season title and their fifth NCAA tournament appearance in six seasons. Earning an abundance of awards during her career as an Eagle, Tindell was named a Top 10 Forward by TopDrawerSoccer. com, a Top 30 overall player in the country by TopDrawerSoccer and TopDrawerSoccer Third Team Best XI member all in her senior season. Tindell also earned a
spot on the 2016 ASUN All-Conference First Team member, 2016 ASUN AllTournament team member, NSCAA All-South Region First Team member, NSCAA Third Team All-American and First Team Senior CLASS AllAmerican. Now with the hopes of turning her successful collegiate career into a successful professional career, Tindell will look to impress in the Pride’s five preseason matchups. The Pride will kick off its preseason schedule on Saturday, March 18 with a game against Stetson before taking on USF, UF, FSU and the U.S. U23 Women’s national team.
FGCU baseball earns highest ranking in program history By Miguel Rodriguez Sports Editor @Miguel_Rod0914 Following a two-game sweep of then-ranked No. 2 Florida and a 2-1 series victory over Ohio State, the FGCU men’s baseball team earned a No. 21 ranking, its highest national rank in program history. Named the No. 21 team from five of six nationally recognized polls released on Monday, March 13, the Eagles are the fourthhighest ranked non-power five program according to Collegiate Baseball
Newspaper and Perfect Game. “I’m proud of the guys and how they’ve played so far this season,” FGCU head coach Dave Tollett said to FGCU Athletics. “We’ve played very well, pitched very well and have gotten some timely hitting. It’s been a good ride, but it doesn’t get any easier for us because of our schedule. ” Going 10-2 this year, 14-3 on the season, against 2016 NCAA Tournament teams, the Eagles became the first non-conference opponent to sweep UNC Wilmington at its home ballpark since
1998. “The guys are excited about coming to the ballpark every day. It’s a loose group that’s fun to be around, and they believe they can win,” Tollett said. “They believe they can beat anyone.” Leading the way on offense in the Eagles’ best start to the season in Division I program history, junior college transfer Julio Gonzalez is batting .368 on the season. Gonzalez’s batting average ranks fourth in the ASUN. The Bayamon, Puerto
Rico, native leads the team and ranks third in the conference with 18 RBIs and has five doubles, one triple and one home run. Helping FGCU lower its ERA from 5.33 a season ago to 3.53 through 17 games, Kutter Crawford is 4-0 with a 1.04 ERA. The junior college transfer from Indian River State leads the ASUN in wins and ranks second in strikeouts with 38.
EN Photo / Brad Young In the Eagles 5-4 loss to Ohio State on Sunday, March 12, Richie Garcia went 2-3 with a double and an RBI.
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No. 21 FGCU baseball takes two of three against Ohio State By Matt Rothman Staff Writer @MattRothman3
EN Photo / Brad Young Moving to 4-0 on the season in the FGCU baseball team’s 13-1 victory Ohio State, Kutter Crawford has 38 strikeouts on the year.
After coming off a two-game home-andhome sweep of then No. 2 Florida, the No. 21 FGCU baseball team took two of three games against the defending Big Ten champions, Ohio State, at Swanson Stadium. Despite falling behind by five runs in the ninth inning on Friday night, the Eagles started the series with a walk-off win, scoring six times in the bottom of the ninth to cap off a 10-9 win. Matt Reardon had the game-tying hit with an RBI single, and Julio Gonzalez reached first on a throwing error, scoring Gage Morey for the game-winning run. Morey, who ended Wednesday night’s game with a diving catch in center field vs. Florida, also picked
up his first career home run in the win on Friday. Trey Vickery picked up his first career win, as he pitched a clean ninth inning before the Eagles’ bats went to work. On Saturday, Matt Reardon tied an FGCU program record with eight RBIs, as he and the Eagles were victorious 13-1. Reardon had two bases clearing doubles in the game and came up just one home run shy of the cycle. He came into the game with seven RBIs, and once the afternoon was over, he moved to second on the team for RBIs with 15. Despite working with a big lead, FGCU righthander Kutter Crawford picked up his fourth win in as many starts, limiting the Buckeyes to just one run in six innings and striking out eight batters in the win. The eight strikeouts also gives
him a team-high 38 on the year. FGCU tried to pull off a comeback win Sunday as they did Friday but were unable to, as the Eagles, who trailed 5-1 entering the ninth inning, brought the go-ahead run to the plate but were unable to come back with Ohio State holding on for a 5-4 win. Despite the loss, Corey Fehribach hit his first home run of the season, and he now joins eight other Eagles who have homered this season. The Eagles will now take on No. 1 Florida State on Wednesday, March 15 at JetBlue Park for a midweek showdown, before they host Rutgers for a three-game weekend series at Swanson Stadium.
Softball at Battle at the Beach Tournament preview By Emily Kois Assistant Sports Editor @emilykois The FGCU softball team is set to host the Battle at the Beach threeday tournament at the FGCU Softball Complex. This tournament will include IUPUI, Iowa State, Canisius, Drexel and Cleveland State. The Eagles will kick off their tournament with a game against the
IUPUI Jaguars at 4:45 p.m. Thursday, March 16 for the first time ever. FGCU will then finish up day one against Iowa State at 7 p.m. These teams split a series last year, bringing FGCU’s all-time record against Iowa State to 2-1. The second day of play for the Eagles will be begin Saturday, March 18 against Canisius at 12:15 p.m. and conclude with another game against Iowa State at 5 p.m.
Tournament play conclude for FGCU on Sunday, March 19 with their first game against Drexel at 10 a.m. and close off with Cleveland State at 12:15 p.m. IUPUI took down Nebraska to begin March but went on to lose fivestraight following the win over the Huskers. This makes their overall record 6-16 coming into this tournament. Maggie Good from IUPUI has hit .381 through
22 games this season, leading the team with seven home runs and 25 RBIs. The Jaguars rely heavily on Nickole Finch for pitching, who has thrown 71.2 innings this season. Iowa State comes into this tournament with an overall record of 10-14. After winning seven-straight games, the Cyclones have now lost 11 of their last 14 games. Kelsey McFarland comes into the week batting
.455 with five doubles, while Sami Williams leads the team with four home runs and 14 RBIs. Drexel is coming into this weekend with a record of 3-3. This will be the first time these teams have met in program history. Linda Rush leads the team with three home runs and a .476 average. The Dragons have also had nine players already with a stolen base this season. Cleveland State has an
overall record of 1-20 after losing 18-straight so far this season. This will also be the first time FGCU and Cleveland State have ever met. The Vikings are led by Macy Kaisk, who has hit seven home runs this season and 15 doubles. Next, the Eagles will begin conference play at home with a three-game series against Jacksonville, March 25 and 26.
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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15 EAGLE NEWS SPORTS B5
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This week in athletics Beach volleyball vs. Eckerd College
By Emily Kois Assistant Sports Editor @emilykois Coming off its first win in the season opener, the FGCU women’s beach volleyball team is set to host a double header against Eckerd College. The first match up will be Wednesday, March 15 beginning at 4 p.m. and the second match will follow immediately after at 6 p.m. Eckerd is currently six games into its season, with an
Women’s tennis vs. Duke
By Emily Kois Assistant Sports Editor @emilykois The FGCU women’s tennis team will take on No. 15 Duke at the FGCU Tennis Complex, Wednesday, March 15 with play beginning at 5:00 p.m. The Eagles have dominated its home-stand play, keeping a perfect 6-0 record at home, while
improving their overall record to 7-3. No. 15 Duke comes into this match with an overall record of 6-3, with its most recent win being over TCU 4-3. Next, the Eagles will finish up home play against George Washington University on Saturday, March 18 with play beginning at 10 a.m.
Women’s swim at NCAA Championships
By Jesse Martin Staff Writer @JesseMartin247 The women’s swim team will travel to Indianapolis, Indiana, March 15 to 18 to compete in the NCAA Championship meet. The college swimming season finale takes place at the IU Natatorium. Five Eagles will represent FGCU at the
championship meet. Sophomore Christina Kaas Elmgreen is the sole individual qualifier and will be competing in the 100 and 200-yard butterfly as well as the 200-yard individual medley. The 200-yard freestyle relay team of Katie Latham, Gracie Redding, Hannah Burdge and Fanny Teijonsalo will also be racing in the meet.
Women’s tennis vs. George Washington
By Emily Kois Assistant Sports Editor @emilykois The FGCU women’s tennis team will host George Washington University on Saturday, March 18 with play beginning at 10 a.m. George Washington University is coming into this matchup with an overall record of 7-4.
The Colonials have recently won six of their last seven games It’s been almost seven years since these teams last met during the 2010-2011 season with FGCU winning 4-3 at home. Next, the Eagles will go on the road to take on Stetson in Deland, Thursday, March 23.
overall record of 4-2. Recently, the Tritons competed in the Gulf Shores Spring Hill Invitational, splitting their games 2-2. The Eagles and Tritons met last season at Eckerd College with FGCU taking the match 4-1. Next, the Eagles will travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to take part in the Tiger Beach Challenge. This tournament will begin on Saturday, March 18 and finish on Sunday, March 19.
Men’s tennis vs. George Washington
By Emily Kois Assistant Sports Editor @emilykois The FGCU men’s tennis team is set to host George Washington University on Thursday, March 16 with play beginning at 6 p.m. at the FGCU Tennis Complex. The Eagles come into this game with an overall
record of 4-5. Recently, FGCU took on ETSU and suffered a tough 0-4 sweep at home. George Washington comes into this match with an overall record of 9-5. Next, the Eagles will host UCF Sunday, March 19 with play beginning at noon.
Softball vs. FSU and Canisius
By Emily Kois Assistant Sports Editor @emilykois The FGCU softball team will host a doubleheader against No. 1 Florida State and Canisius College. Games will begin Tuesday, March 14 at 6 p.m. against No. 1 FSU at the FGCU Softball Complex. Play against FSU will conclude on Wednesday, March 15 at
4:30 p.m. with a 7 p.m. game against Canisius following immediately after. The Seminoles come into this series 22-1-1 and are currently on a 13-game win streak. Canisius College comes into this game 9-18. These two teams met during the 2012 season where the Eagles swept the Griffins 9-0 at the FGCU Softball Complex.
Beach volleyball at Tiger Beach Challenge
By Emily Kois Assistant Sports Editor @emilykois The FGCU beach volleyball team will travel to Baton Rouge to take part in the Tiger Beach Challenge hosted by LSU. Play will be Saturday, March 18 and Sunday, March 19. Play for the Eagles will begin Saturday at 1 p.m. against the University of
Alabama at Birmingham followed immediately after with a game against Houston Baptist University at 3 p.m. FGCU will wrap up play on Sunday first with Spring Hill College at 9 a.m. and South Carolina at 1 p.m. Next, FGCU will host Webber International Wednesday, March 22 at 4 p.m.
Baseball vs FSU
By Miguel Rodriguez Sports Editor @Miguel_Rod0914 The No. 21 FGCU baseball team heads to JetBlue park to take on No. 1 FSU on Wednesday, March 15 at 6:30 p.m. Coming into its matchup against FGCU, FSU will take on its first ranked opponent of the year, No. 5 UF, on Tuesday, before facing the Eagles on
Wednesday. The last time these two teams crossed path on the diamond, the Eagles defeated the Seminoles 11-8 in 10 innings behind a 4-4 performance at the plate by Jake Noll. After having its 10-game win streak snapped by Ohio State on Sunday, the Eagles will look to get back to their winning ways against FSU.
Baseball vs. Rutgers
By Emily Kois Assistant Sports Editor @emilykois The FGCU baseball team will host Rutgers University in a three-game series at Swanson Stadium. This three-day event will begin on Friday, March 17 at 6:30 p.m. Play will the continue on into Saturday, beginning at 2 p.m. This series will finish up on Sunday, March 19 at 1 p.m.
Rutgers comes into this series with an overall record of 6-9. These two teams met last season at Swanson Stadium with a win for each team. The Eagles took the first game 9-6. Then, Rutgers took the second 2-9. Next, FGCU will host USF at Swanson Stadium Wednesday, March 22, beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Men’s golf at Cape Fear National Intercollegiate
By Miguel Rodriguez Sports Editor @Miguel_Rod0914 Following its third place finish at the Fort Lauderdale Intercollegiate, the FGCU men’s golf team will travel to Leland, North Carolina to compete in the Cape Fear National Intercollegiate from March 19 to 20 at the Cape Fear National Golf Course.
Competing in Appalachian State’s Cape Fear Intercollegiate last season, the Eagles finished tied for sixth out of the 13 teams competing. Following the Cape Fear National Intercollegiate, FGCU will head to Lake Worth to compete at the FAU Slomin Autism Championship from March 24 to 26.
Women’s golf at MSU Citrus Classic By Miguel Rodriguez Sports Editor @Miguel_Rod0914 Competing in the 2017 Spring Break Shootout on Monday and Tuesday, the FGCU women’s golf team will head to Sorrento to compete in the MSU Citrus Classic from March 19 to 21 at the Redtail Golf Club. Hosted by Morehead State for the second consecutive season, FGCU finished fifth overall out of the 20 teams
competing. Rebounding from a 10th place finish on the second to last day of the classic to finish in fifth, the Eagles will look to lean on Megan Blonien and Madison Easterbrook following their top-20 performances at the MSU Citrus Classic last season. After looking to improve on its fifth place finish at the MSU Citrus Classic, FGCU will head to Stockbridge, Georgia to compete in the John Kirk Panther Intercollegiate from March 26 to 28.
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Dear readers and writers, My name is Bruno Halpern, I’m from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and I am the new opinion editor at Eagle News. Opinion doesn’t usually have a place in journalistic stories for good reason, but opinion is something that incessantly permeates our lives and determines how we see and react to the world. In short, we can’t divorce ourselves from opinion. And in order to maintain an unbiased and neutral standing before students, staff and faculty of FGCU, Eagle News has this opinion section where anyone can share their views and thoughts here. So, if you’re interested to share your perspective, come to the opinion section. We’re waiting with open columns! Sincerely, Bruno Halpern opinion@eaglenews.org
The case for the Equal Rights Amendment By Ryan Denson Staff Writer @RD3001 Antonin Scalia, former Supreme Court Justice and judicial darling of the right, once said, “Certainly the Constitution does not require discrimination on the basis of sex. The only issue is if it prohibits it. It does not.” In light of this past International Women’s Day, amidst turmoil with the new Administration, this frightful and mainstream opinion is why America needs an Equal Rights Amendment. There are currently three other justices like Scalia sitting on the court (Thomas, Alito, Roberts), and President Donald Trump is looking to appoint another, Neil Gorsuch, who is ideologically to the right of Scalia. But this extends far past the courts. On Jan. 23, Trump signed an executive order imposing the “Mexico City” rule — that overseas operations – including clinics — that perform or encourage
abortion will lose all federal funding from the United States. In his replacement for Obamacare, Planned Parenthood would be defunded in its entirety, leaving millions of women without vital care. Similarly, the replacement does not bar discrimination based on sex when it comes to insurance policies. The war on women is in full force, and Trump is at the reins. That is why now more than ever, we need an Equal Rights Amendment. The proposal is a simple one: “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article. This amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification.” See, that’s not so bad. It doesn’t diminish men’s rights. It doesn’t emasculate men. It doesn’t create a new super-genus of radical, braburning feminists.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Antonin Scalia, former Supreme Court Justice, had views that leaned right on topics like equal pay, abortion and insurance discrimination protection.
It simply says women are equal in the eyes of the law once and for all, now and forever. Aside from the 19th Amendment, which gives women the right to vote, there is no specific mention of women or sex-based assessment for women in the United States Constitution. The word “men” is mentioned a handful of times. The words “women,” “ladies,” or “female” are nowhere to be seen. Not one line in the United States Constitution even al-
ludes to the rights of women when considering historical context, aside from the 20th amendment, nor is the word “equality” found anywhere. Even though the Constitution states that “all men are created equal,” we know that the Founders did not take into consideration all men – and certainly not women. If you weren’t white, a landowner or male, the Constitution was not written with your rights in mind. What many people fail to realize is that the rights
of women that hinge on the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause can easily be taken away. The 14th Amendment says that states may not “deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” Should Congress or a bench of judges hold hostile views of women’s equality, they could deem it necessary to roll back on much of the social progress made through common or statutory law. Should Trump appoint one, two or even three new Justices to the Supreme Court who hold originalist views like Scalia, issues like equal pay, abortion, insurance discrimination protection and so forth could vanish or become embedded in sex discrimination. The argument “women already have everything the ERA would guarantee them” is not only wrong, but also naïve. First, women don’t have “everything” equal to men in current law. There are still many statutes that separate on the basis of sex.
Second, only the ERA would truly guarantee them these fundamental rights without fear of being stripped away so easily. So those opposed to the ERA actually give us a reason to support it — they admit it would guarantee equality if enacted. This wasn’t always a divisive issue. Republicans use to support it. Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford supported the ERA in the 1970s, as did then-Governor of California Ronald Reagan. This was not a partisan issue until Phyllis Schlafly and a band of fear-mongering feminist-haters came along and derailed it using scare tactics (one argument was that this would lead to same-sex marriage). But Schlafly is gone (as is Ford, Nixon and Reagan), and a new era for women emerges on the horizon. If women came out in support for an Equal Rights Amendment as they did on Jan. 21 during the historic Women’s March, equality would be the true law of the land.
A success for democracy, a blow to stability South Korea’s president was removed: What’s going to happen now? By Andrew Hsiao Contributing Writer @fgcueaglenews The removal of South Korean President Park Geun-hye is a turning point in South Korean politics, but it represents an interesting dilemma in terms of geopolitical interests in the region. She was impeached and removed over various corruption charges. Corruption has always occurred in politics regardless of time and location. The country has had many dictators, including Geun-hye’s father. The most well known, though, was Syngman Rhee, a key ally for the United States and the United Nations when he led the country during the Korean War (1950- 1953). Geun-hye’s removal shows that the democratic process works within a stable government. A corrupt politician can be removed if he or she violates a nation’s laws. I
can not be certain that the transition will be peaceful in the next few months (mainly because I can’t predict the future), but if her removal is a sign, it may be a simple peaceful transition. The only issue is how the incident will affect the balance of power in Asia. According to the New York Times, the transition of power will go to the opposing political party which is more in favor of negotiating with North Korea. While negotiating is certainly not a problem because it can prevent open warfare, negotiations will never end the goal of the North Korean government: the reunification of Korea under their system. South Korea needs to maintain that its military is prepared to deal with any challenges, even during the current political turmoil. North Korea definitely sees their neighbor as more vulnerable with the current president — who is considered more of a hawk compared to her opposition
— removed from office. The United States should definitely be wary about this current turn of events in South Korean politics. North Korea has been firing missiles to test the United States. We are not the main targets, but they see us as major enemy simply because we can intervene in affairs in the region.
Her removal also posses a quandary regarding Japan. If the new government decides to take a less bullish stance with North Korea, Japan may be a larger target for the North Koreans. However, Geunhye was also not friendly with the Japanese. Although she never created any large-scale incidents with Japan, she
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
President Park Geun-hye was impeached March 10. A shift in the balance of power will most likely occur with Geun-hye out of office.
had anti-Japan views due to the Japanese control of Korea during World War II and in the post-war period. There is potential that the new government may be more friendly with Japan at least in terms of forgiving old wounds. However, the main concern for the countries should be what the Chinese do with the Koreas. North Korea has been a thorn in the side for the Chinese. They pledge their support, but North Korea also takes many aggressive actions that the Chinese deem unwise. If the next government attempts to establish friendlier relations with the North, then those two countries may be less of a concern for China. If Korea becomes less of a concern for China to manage, they may shift more of their efforts to other regions. Military action will most likely not occur between the Koreas and the other countries. Any minor incident will
develop into a large-scale conflict that will at least involve all countries stated above. South Korea, Japan, China and the United States want to avoid any war simply over economic reasons. North Korea would like to fight their southern half and Japan, but they will simply be overpowered by the two and the United States. I haven’t included Russia in any of those possibilities. Their main focus is not in Asia, and every one of those countries has already taken a side within the Chinese and American spheres of influence. However, Russia can still intervene just to cause chaos among the various sides. The only concern between the powers is who will gain geopolitical influence and who will lose some of theirs. While the democratic process succeeded in South Korea, regional power may be altered.
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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15 EAGLE NEWS OPINION B7
Make America Sick Again
GOP alternative to Obamacare is a cruel, ill-prepared sham By Ryan Denson Staff Writer @RD3001 After seven years of pounding their chests, clutching their pearls and screaming from the rooftops, Congressional Republicans have finally unveiled their Obamacare replacement. It has become clear that the ill-conceived, hastily fashioned replacement is an inhumane, shoddy piece of red meat to bolster the Trump White House, which has been marred in crisis. The most ironic part about this bill is that it will most likely hurt Donald Trump’s most ardent supporters: the elderly and the middle class. In a nutshell, here’s what the replacement, inappropriately titled The American Health Care Act, entails and will do: First, it will give an insurance company a larger tax break to increase CEO pay to over $500,000 — over $600 billion in tax cuts for the wealthiest CEOs and companies — which is astronomically more than it gives a family to buy
coverage. In fact, it actually lowers the tax break that middle and lower income families receive under the current Obamacare system. It will also give a tax cut for the wealthiest people’s investment income. Second, it ends Obamacare’s minimum coverage requirement in 2020, meaning insurance companies will no longer have to cover mental, maternity and substance abuse care. As substance abuse claims up to 50,000 lives a year here in the United States, Republicans will literally yank away crucial coverage for those who need it most. Third, with heavy Medicaid reductions and the offer of smaller tax credits, Republicans have been forced to acknowledge that not all Obamacare enrollees will be covered under this plan, despite their promise, as House Speaker Paul Ryan put it, no one would have “the rug pulled out from under them.” Fourth, anyone who goes without healthcare coverage for two months or
more will face a 30 percent surcharge on premiums for an entire year. Anyone who has struggled financially knows that a 30 percent charge on a premium can break the bank. One of the GOP’s bigger talking points in drumming up opposition to Obamacare was that premiums were skyrocketing. Now, they relish in punishing low-income and young Americans with a hefty surcharge if they lapse in coverage. Fifth, it would essentially block Medicaid expansion past 2020, meaning millions of Americans in states like Florida that have not expanded yet would be blocked from more comprehensive and affordable coverage. It also makes cuts to regular Medicare and creates percapita caps to funding that will result in increased costs for millions of seniors. Sixth, we don’t know how much this is going to cost. Seriously. After seven years, Republicans still do not have a cost estimate from the Congressional
Republicans are at war with Obamacare since before its inception.
Budget Office, nor do they intend to get one before they pass it. We don’t know how much this will contribute to the debt deficit and how it would affect GDP. House Leadership made a FAQ page on its website and it answers how it intends to pay for the new plan by saying “We are still discussing details.” So let’s recap: we don’t know much it will cost: it gives massive tax breaks to the top one percent and corporations; it lowers tax breaks for low-to-middle class Americans; it could
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
potentially cancel coverage for serious medical issues; it skyrockets premiums; it won’t cover all the Obamacare enrollees; it cuts Medicaid; it defunds Planned Parenthood. The only thing they keep are the pre-existing conditions protections and the ability for people 26 and under to stay on their parents’ plans. Seven years and this is the best they could come up with? No wonder members of their own caucus hate it. No wonder the Heritage Foundation, the Cato Institute and the Koch
Brothers hate it. The people most affected are women, seniors, low-income and rural Americans. The most vulnerable in society. Simply put, this is a mean-spirited, greedinspired attempt at reform. Instead of fixing a broken brakes system, the Republicans have decided to drive the entire car over the cliff. The question is, if Obamacare is repealed and then replaced with this alternative, how many people will die under Trumpcare?
We should not trivialize rape By Andrew Hsiao Contributing Writer @fgcueaglenews Rape is an absolutely horrid crime, and men who commit it should be punished to the utmost extent of the law. We should not make fun of rape victims or demean them to a point where they are afraid to report those crimes. We allow criminals to escape prosecution and potentially repeat their offenses. According to the Washington Post, Canadian Judge Robin Camp resigned following the conclusion of a report where he told a
rape victim in court, “Why couldn’t you just keep your knees together?” First, let me say that we live a society whose culture over sexualizes women. There are women who are very promiscuous. Even so, we do a disservice to our society if we view every women as a sex maniac whose own appearance implies she wants intercourse. No woman wants to be sexually assaulted, and anyone who thinks so is morally bankrupt for believing so. The statements made by Camp were completely out of line. The inquiry into him found that public opinion
has rendered it nearly impossible for him to continue at his position. Anyone in his position should never make such comments in the courtroom. That being said, suspicion of a rape charge is entirely logical when not enough evidence is presented. As a society, we can’t completely rely on the testimony of a rape victim, not because she was asking to be raped, but because we must always question testimonies in a court case simply because the victim may be lying. Rape has been both trivialized and overblown as a
crime in our country. It has been trivialized, in a sense, because not everyone, sadly, sees it as a serious crime even though it is. It has been overblown, in a way, because some who address rape as a widespread crime change the definition to include sex that one regrets as rape. Any misconceptions about rape victims is a tragedy in our society, because of perceptions that women who have been raped are sluts and whores, we fail ourselves. We do not punish criminals. Instead, we allow them to continue their lives unpunished. A problem per-
sists when we do not protect women from being raped. However, we must also be clear. Not all individuals accused of rape committed the crime. We, as a society, also cannot simply destroy a person’s reputation because we suspect them to have committed a crime. While we must destroy misconceptions that cause some women to not report rape and other beliefs about victims that demean their lives after they have achieved justice in the legal since, society can not be overzealous. Many men and women are sent to jail every year
over rape charges. Some are never brought to face justice. Others are persecuted in society despite being innocent because we have already sentenced them in the court of public opinion. Rape is a morally bankrupt action that we cannot tolerate in our society. We must protect the victims and prosecute the criminals. We should never trivialize it or those who have been affected by it. However, we also can not allow the society to be so consumed by the act that we destroy innocent people.
A defense of Trump’s revised travel ban
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Donald Trump didn’t give up on his travel ban after it was rejected by the Appeals Court on Thursday, Feb. 9.
By Andrew Hsiao Contributing Writer @fgcueaglenews President Donald Trump’s revisions to his original travel ban in his new executive order are both absolutely necessary and legally sound. First, lets get this clear: this is still not a Muslim ban. The executive order does not ban Muslims from immigrating to the country. Visas will not be issued to six countries: Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and
Yemen, and only Iran is among the top ten countries with the largest Muslim population. The overwhelming majority of Muslims are not banned from immigrating or simply just traveling to the United States. To put the numbers in perspective, Indonesia — the country with the largest Muslim population — has a larger Muslim population than that of all six countries combined by 20-30 million people, which is around the Muslim population of Syria
alone. Both Pakistan and India — the second and third largest Muslim countries — have roughly the same amount of Muslims as the entire list stated in the executive order. Iraq has also been removed from the list, which is both good and bad. Good, because it helps the country’s relationship with the United States. Bad, because while so-called extreme vetting will be applied to all Iraqi applicants, large sections of the country have been and are still destabilized due to the rise of ISIS, and the country should be banned until the Iraqi government gains more control over the regions that were conquered by ISIS. Also, both renditions of the action never mentioned the word “Muslim,” and the revised version only has Islam mentioned once when it discussed that the former executive action allowed entry to religious refugees from countries where Islam
is a minority religion. The executive action is purely done for the sake of security. Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen are all dealing with serious instability with their governments. Each country in the ban — except Somalia — is fighting a civil war, and Somalia’s current government has existed only since 2012. Historically, all the countries have been havens for radical Islamic terrorists in the forms of various cells. Iran is a state sponsor of terrorism since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, and the government has been a serious geopolitical threat in the region that has been vying against Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia for regional and international influence. They have also been seeking the destruction of Israel and have continually disregarded UN regulations related to nuclear and missile testing.
The ban for these countries are temporary. If the countries do not want their residents from being banned, those governments should do a better job in maintaining order in their own states. The idea that the ban is xenophobic over the idea that these individuals come from a strange land where they follow an odd custom and believe a dangerous religion is complete nonsense. The countries have been destabilized due to constant internal conflicts, and their systems that aide the American immigration process have become suspect. It is only logical that a temporary ban be placed until those issues have been resolved. Additionally, the bill addresses all the legal concerns that nullified the previous order. The unclear language that unintentionally resulted in some people being detained who should not have been detained.
Other parts that supposedly gave preferential status to certain religious refugees have been rewritten to render that concern moot. The president of the United States have the legal authority through the Code of Laws of the United States of America under the section “Inadmissible Aliens.” According to the New York Times, Trump signed the new executive order with no media present. Instead, the White House released a photo of him signing it, which may show that Trump did not want to create as much hoopla compared to the last order. Honestly though, its not a big deal. Its an irrelevant detail that the newspaper only wants to write to show their bias against him. The winning has continued, and if the New York Times does not like it, it doesn’t matter. They have been struggling for years, so they don’t know what winning is anymore.
OUTREACH Eagles Care Book Fair
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Office of Service Learning will host its second annual Eagles Care Book Fair
EN Illustration / Audrey Mobley
By Zack Rothman Outreach Editor @Zack_Rothman On Wednesday, March 22, from 10 a.m. until noon, the Office of
Service Learning will host its second annual Eagles Care Book Fair on the Library Lawn. Fifty underprivileged preschool aged children from the local community will be at FGCU to participate in a morning
United Way Day of Caring Starbucks employees help Lee County Homeless Coalition
By Zack Rothman Outreach Editor @Zack_Rothman This past Monday, March 13, Starbucks employees volunteered for a United Way Day of Caring project hosted by the Lee County Homeless Coalition, its annual Homeless Service Day and Veterans Stand Down. A stand down is a military term used to describe a brief respite from combat where troops could access a variety of services. The objective of this stand down was to help both veterans and homeless individuals get what they need by providing services in a onestop setting. Starbucks volunteers assisted by surveying individuals as they entered the event to find out information critical to their needs. “We were touched and humbled by the people we got to help and also the contribution of other volunteers and businesses,” said Tiffany Farrington,
the local Starbucks store manager. “It inspires us to make an effort to do more events like this one.” Several agencies and organizations participated in the event, including United Way’s 211 staff. United Way 211 is a free, 24-hour non-emergency helpline for information and referral to local human services such as food, housing, medical, childcare and more. “More and more individuals and families find they are in need of services provided at this event,” Janet Bartos said, the executive director of Lee County Homeless Coalition. “It’s only with the assistance of local volunteers that we can rise to meet this challenge.” The United Way Volunteer Center connects individuals and companies to volunteer opportunities throughout the community. You can reach the United Way Volunteer Center by calling 239-433-2000 or visiting the United Way website at www.UnitedWayLee.org.
full of fun and education. The Office of Service Learning will bring 50 preschoolers from Gladiolus Learning Center to take part in sack races, ring tosses, dance parties and face painting.
The children will also have some reading time from a guest reader. Last year at the inaugural event, the president of FGCU Student Government, Thieldens Elneus, surprised the group and
read the children a book. At the end of the event, each child will get to leave with a book of their choice from books donated by the FGCU community. If you would like to volunteer to help less
fortunate children while also earning service learning hours, please contact FGCU Student Body Vice President Emmalyn Green via tinyurl. com/js8f2ep.
Habitat for Humanity Club build
Raising houses and hanging drywall in Lee and Hendry Counties By Zack Rothman Outreach Editor @Zack_Rothman This Saturday, March 18, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., FGCU’s Habitat for Humanity Club will be participating in a build at the national organization’s Lee County build site located at 1288 North Tamiami Trail in North
Fort Myers. The club will work with the Habitat for Humanity Organization of Lee and Hendry Counties to do anything from raising a house, to demolishing one — anything construction related. Habitat for Humanity is a private, nonprofit organization that is funded by local individuals,
businesses and faith organizations. According to its website, the Habitat for Humanity of Lee and Hendry Counties has served over 1,400 families and housed more than 3,000 individuals since 1982. The philanthropic organization was awarded the four-star rating by Charity Navigator, the highest award possible
from America’s largest, independent charity evaluator. If you would like to participate in the build to help end the cycle of poverty and provide stability to local families, please visit http://vhub.at/FGCU
Photo Courtesy of Habitat for Humanity
Local Habitat for Humanity build location
The Ocean Blue Project
By Zack Rothman Outreach Editor @Zack_Rothman
FGCU students team up with the Ocean Blue Project to clean SWFL water
Next weekend, on March 25, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., the Ocean Blue Project will be working with
a group of FGCU students on a community service learning project to help clean up the beach. Originally founded on Nye Beach in Newport,
Oregon, the goal of the OBP is to spread awareness about the importance of clean water by providing planning and technical assistance to landowners,
communities and local governments. The group’s main focus is to improve urban water quality by using a holistic ecosystembased approach that works
to lower excess nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus and E. coli. The action will happen on Saturday at 1560 Estero Boulevard on Fort Myers
Beach. To participate, contact the group leader, Jonathan Hart, at jonathanhart96@gmail. com.
Agency of the Week If you’re a photographer with a hankering to hang with famous authors, then sign up to shoot photos at the Southwest Florida Reading Festival. This fantastic service-learning opportunity is available to photographers from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, March 17 at the Marina at Edison Ford downtown and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 18 at Centennial Park. Lunch is included on Saturday. For more information, contact Margie Byers at 239-533-4826 or mbyers@leegov.com.