Volume 13 issue 19

The student newspaper at Florida Gulf Coast University since 1997

AGLE NEWS Wednesday, January 14, 2015

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Volume 13, Issue 19 @fgcueaglenews

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New hire polices new policy

By Nina Barbero News editor @EN_Barbero

the service when she was visiting friends in Atlanta. When she learned that the service was available to Fort MyersNaples residents, she was thrilled.

The quality of the cars, the drivers and the quickness of the pickup impressed Kerekes. She also liked how the transaction was done through her phone, which leaves no opportunity for the driver to get shortchanged. The consumer also doesn’t have to worry about not getting the right amount of change back.

“It is safe because there is no cash involved,” Kerekes said. “There is additional safety for both the driver and the consumer. It’s just seamless. You get in and get out.”

FGCU student Kim Sump thinks that the introduction of Uber to the Fort Myers area is fitting for the college community.

“There are a lot of college students in Fort Myers and they may go out and drink,” Sump said. “It would be so

With more and more national attention on Title IX regarding harassment and sexual misconduct, Florida Gulf Coast University has hired its very own Title IX coordinator and is revamping its standing policy on discrimination and anti-harassment.

FGCU Chief of Staff Susan Evans said Brandon Washington will act as the director of institutional equity and compliance and Title IX coordinator.

“His background and experience with the Federal Office of Civil Rights will be invaluable to the university and provide a significant level of expertise,” Evans said. “He is eager to get to know our students, faculty and staff and serve the campus community as a resource.”

Washington’s responsibilities will include handling complaints of gender-based discrimination, ensuring that sexual misconduct cases are handled effectively by the university, and monitoring sex discrimination and sexual misconduct investigations.

Title IX is a law that prohibits gender-based discrimination in educational settings.

Along with this new position, FGCU’s Office of General Counsel has also made some changes to Policy 1.006, which addresses discrimination and anti-harassment.

One change is the addition of “sexual misconduct” to the title of the policy. Evans said this was done so that people have “one document to go to for all such matters … to be more clear and helpful to anyone who avails himself or herself of the policy’s provisions regarding rights and process.”

Another major change of the policy is that it shortens the length of time the university has to investigate allegations of discrimination, harassment or sexual misconduct from 90 days to 60, unless there is an “extenuating

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According to the Uber website, the company performs background checks and monitors the motor vehicle records of its employees.

EN Photo/Kelli Krebs

Taxi-like service is ‘Uber’ quick

By Rebecca VanEtten @Rebeccavanetten Florida Gulf Coast University students now have an affordable means to travel around the Fort Myers and Naples area. The new mobile app Uber allows a consumer to request a ride from his or her phone and get picked up in a car of his or her choice.

FGCU senior Chelsea Guoynes first heard about the app on Twitter and decided to download it on her phone.

The low prices of the fares impressed her.

“I think it is a really good idea, especially for college students because it is really affordable,” Guoynes said. “I looked at what it is from here [FGCU] to the airport and it costs around $5-10, which is way better than a taxi.”

Uber was founded in San Francisco in 2009. The company now serves more than 200 cities worldwide and came to the Fort Myers-Naples area this past December.

Carrie Kerekes, associate professor of economics, used

Career Development Services helps students land jobs

By Josh Akins Assistant news editor @fgcueaglenews

Reid Lennertz

For many college students, the idea of life after graduation can seem pretty intimidating. Resumes, portfolios, job interviews — entering the workforce is a big deal.

Fortunately, Career Development Services is there to help.

CDS has been an important part of Florida Gulf Coast University for years. Its goal is “promoting student learning and development and helping students fulfill their career expectations.” In other words, CDS helps FGCU students learn, grow and kickstart their careers.

But what exactly are these “services” that CDS offers? Students can receive help with cover-letter writing, professional networking, employer research, job shadowing and salary negotiation, as well as many other aspects of job hunting. CDS is dedicated to getting

Women’s basketball comes from behind to beat conference rival

A6 Gaming, 2015

EN writer Aiden Strawhun discusses games coming out this year

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OPINION

FGCU students have opportunity to study on international waters

#StompStetson

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students the careers they want post-graduation, whatever that takes.

The numbers show that CDS is not only popular, but effective.

According to the annual report for the 2013-14 school year, more than 60 percent of FGCU students used at least one aspect of CDS. Of this majority of students, 76 percent reported that their experience with CDS “exceeded expectations.”

CDS is also a hit with local employers. Dr. Maureen Ungarean, the director of human resources for the School District of Collier County, said, “all members of the [CDS] team are warm, welcoming and extremely helpful.”

Laura Scott of Enterprise Holdings also appreciates CDS, stating that they “understand the importance of face to face interactions with students throughout the year.”

Reid Lennertz has been the director of CDS since 2002. He believes in the importance of “having students reflect on their

Free tuition Writers share opposing views on free community college tuition

A2 NEWS EAGLE NEWS WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14 The official student produced newspaper at Florida Gulf Coast University since 1997.

EDITOR: NINA BARBERO NEWS@EAGLENEWS.ORG

SERVICE LEARNING

SAVE THE DATE

AGLE NEWS Editor-in-Chief Justin Kane

editorinchief@eaglenews.org Advertising and Operations Manager Chris Merasse

businessmanager@eaglenews.org Managing Editor Manuel Navarro

managing@eaglenews.org News Editor Nina Barbero

news@eaglenews.org Assistant News Editor Joshua Akins

assistantnewseditor@eaglenews.org Production Manager Emily Ford

productionmanager@eaglenews.org Entertainment and Lifestyle Editor Aubrie Gerber

entertainment@eaglenews.org Assistant Entertainment and Lifestyle Klaudia Balogh

assistantentertainment@eaglenews.org

Photo and Media Editor Kelli Krebs photography@eaglenews.org Sports Editor Jill Himmelfarb

sports@eaglenews.org Opinion Editor Kelli Krebs

opinion@eaglenews.org Assistant Opinion Editor Cait Schall

assistantopinion@eaglenews.org Copy Editor Paul Lobron-McDade

Distribution Coordinator Manuel Navarro

Adviser Keith Gibson CONTACT:

239-590-7996 239-590-7945 239-590-7712

Advertising Editorial Main Office

Eagle News McTarnaghan Hall 201 10030 FGCU Blvd. S Fort Myers, Fla. 33967 MISSION STATEMENT: Eagle News, the student media group at Florida Gulf Coast University, represents the diverse voices on campus with fairness.

We select content for our publication and our website that is relevant to the student body, faculty and staff.

Members are committed to reporting with accuracy and truth. Our purpose is to encourage conversations about issues that concern the on-campus community.

Eagle News views every culture with equal respect and believes every person must be treated with dignity.

ABOUT US: Eagle News, founded in 1997, is the student newspaper at Florida Gulf Coast University. The newspaper is the only student produced publication on campus and is entirely student run.

Eagle News is published weekly during the fall and spring semesters and monthly in the summer, with the exception of holiday breaks and examination periods.

The print edition is free to students and can be found on campus and in the community at Gulf Coast Town Center, Germain Arena and Miromar Outlets.

Like us on Facebook to see many service learning updates and opportunities

Events FGCU will be hosting a Campus Beautification Day on Saturday, January 24th from 8:30a-12p. We will be enhancing the walkway and cleaning up the conservation areas behind Merwin Hall and Edwards Hall (north sides).

Dress for mess & time in the sun and bring a reusable drink container for coffee and water.

RSVP to Elizabeth McMasters at emcmasters@fgcu.edu.

Lee County Homeless Coalition is looking for students to assist with their Homeless Service Day and Veterans Stand Down on Saturday, January 31st at 8:45am.

This event provides a variety of services; including food, hygiene kits, haircuts, medical care, VA benefits, and referrals for substance abuse addictions and mental health counseling to people who are homeless. There will be a training held on Thursday, January 15th at 5:30pm. For more information, please contact Emily Sladicka at eksladicka7888@ eagle.fgcu.edu or Janet Bartos at leehomeless@gmail.com.

Community Cooperative is looking for enthusiastic, organized, and energetic volunteers to help with the High Hands for Hunger Poker Tournament on Saturday, January 31st from 4pm to 10pm at Bell Tower Shops in Fort Myers.

Volunteer tasks may include; registration, table servers, chip runners, parking assistance, and more. For more information about this event and carpooling, please contact Emily Sladicka at eksladicka7888@eagle.fgcu.edu or (904) 338-3295.

Alliance for the Arts is looking volunteers to assist with hands-on crafts and activities for children during ArtFest on Saturday, February 7th and Sunday, February 8th from 9am to 5pm.

For more information or to get involved, please contact Brandi Couse at education@artinlee.org.

Lurel Oak Elementary is looking for students to act as judges for their Sun Region Odyssey of the Mind tournament on Saturday, February 28th at Riverdale High School in Fort Myers. There will be a mandatory training held on Saturday, February 7th from 9am to 3pm, also at Riverdale High School. For more information, please contact Chrissy Podos at cpodos@comcast.net.

Congressman Curt Clawson’s Office has a unique service opportunity chock full of intriguing benefits for the right student.

You would be working under the direction of the Naples and Cape Coral District Representatives and required to work a specific schedule for the duration of the semester. Duties include answering phones, greeting constituents in the office, and performing office work as instructed by the District Representatives. For complete details contact Jesse Purdon at (239) 252-6225 or email Jesse.Purdon@mail.house. gov.

Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center is looking for students to assist with our 4th Grade Estuary Explorers program. Learn and teach about water quality, plankton, oysters as well as explore our trails and learning center. Many dates available weekdays from 9-1 through April. Contact Volunteer Coordinator, Donna Young at volunteer@rookerybay.org or call 239-530-5974. www.rookerybay.org.

WGCU (on campus) presents family literacy workshops at 14 area Title I schools. The station provides single-page handouts to parents who attend the workshops. Currently, all handouts are printed in English and WGCU seeks to provide Spanish versions. This project requires a student who is fluent in Spanish and can translate in writing from English to Spanish. For more details please contact Paula Sklodowski at 239-590-2510 or email psklodow@wgcu.org.

Colloquium Environmental Learning Center is looking for students to assist on Saturdays in our visitor’s center and our Nature Store. Also, groups wanted to help with trail maintenance. Contact Volunteer Coordinator, Donna Young at volunteer@rookerybay.org or call 239-530-5974. www.rookerybay. org.

Charlotte Harbor Preserve is partnering with The Nature Conservancy to launch an oyster reef restoration project adjacent to the City of Punta Gorda’s Trabue Harborwalk. Volunteers are needed to: prepare mat material, make oyster mats and fill bags with shells, and deploy the materials in the water. If you are interested in participating, please contact Katherine Aug at (941) 575-5861 ext. 117 or via email Katherine.Aug@dep.state. fl.us.

FGCU Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park in Naples is accepting additional student volunteers to assist with our beach survey and beach counts which take place 7 days a week. Contact Michael Odom at michael.odom@dep. state.fl.us or call 239-597-6196.

Barefoot Beach is looking for volunteers to come out and help with removal of invasive species.

Interested students should contact Jan at jjbchrch@comcast. net.

ECHO (Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization) Help out with agricultural development.

Fill out a volunteer application at www.echonet.org. For questions, contact Ruth at rmay@echonet. org.

Koreshan State Park Historic Site is ALWAYS looking for students to help around the park!

If you are interested in partnering with Koreshan, please email Mike Heare at michale.heare@ dep.state.fl.us.

Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium Numerous opportunities!

Contact info@calusanature.org or call 239-275-3435.

Naples Botanical Garden Horticulture gardening starts at 8:00 am Monday thru Friday and includes weeding, potting, moving plants, digging, raking, sweeping, clearing debris, etc. Wear closed toe shoes. No shorts or tank tops.

Bring water. Wear sunscreen.

Bring work gloves if you have them. Looking especially for groups of students on Fridays.

No last minute requests. Give 4-5 day lead time. If you commit, then can’t make it, give notice. Be on time. Email Sally Richardson at srichardson@naplesgarden. org.

Committee Boys & Girls Club Naples is looking for students to become part

of the Immersion Mentoring Program. This program is designed to ignite youth interest in science and technology through group mentoring with an emphasis on marine life and environmental sciences. If you are interested in this opportunity, please contact Paul Schultz at pschultz@bgccc. com or (239) 325-1752.

Guadalupe Social Services in Immokalee is looking for students to teach English at their Guadalupe English School (formerly Schools on Wheels). This program is to empower women through leaning the English language. Class are help MondayFriday from 12:30-2:30pm at the social services office. Volunteers are need to assist in the classroom, but also to assist with childcare services provided for the women who attend classes.

For more information, please contact Devan Gisoni at devan@ catholiccharitiescc.org or (239) 657-6242.

Rookery Bay Reserve is looking for Communication and Hospitality Management students to assist their Friends of Rookery Bay Event Planner. You would be attending events with her to secure donors; preparing flyers and other advertisements, as well as assisting during events.

Depending on your interest and level of commitment, additional opportunities may be considered.

Contact Volunteer Coordinator Donna Young at volunteer@rookerybay.org or 239-530-5974.

Lee County Homeless Coalition needs assistance with their social media and online presence.

There is a three month commitment for 4-5 hours per week.

You will help develop strategy, post various information to different media outlets, help with research, and assist Executive Director in creating online updates. If you are interested please contact Janet Bartos at (239) 322-6600 or email her at leehomeless@gmail.com.

Collier-Seminole State Park is offering an amazing opportunity for an interested student as Park Promotions Specialist. If you want to gain real world experience doing special event planning, public relations, learning about park operations & more, this could be the opportunity for you. Don’t miss out! Email Darren Flickinger at Darren.

Flickinger@dep.state.fl.us or call (239) 394-3397.

Habitat for Humanity of Lee and Hendry Counties strives to bring people together to build homes, communities, and hope. They believe there can be a world where everyone has a decent place to live. In order to achieve these goals in 2015 they are looking to place 55 families in new and/or rehabbed homes in Lee and Hendry Counties. If you and a group of friends (sororities, fraternities, student organizations etc.) would love to join Habitat, select a few dates that would work for your group - Tuesday thru Saturday - and once the date is agreed upon you’ll be able to sign up online (directions will be provided). About a week before your selected volunteer day, Habitat will send all registered volunteers information on the build day location. This is a great team building activity, full of fun and laughter while helping out our community. AND no experience is necessary! Contact Paula Schenz at (239)652-1684 or paulas@habitat4humanity.org

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14 EAGLE NEWS NEWS A3

Photo courtesy of FGCU

The Moonlight on the Marsh lecture series takes place at the Harvey Kapnick Education and Research Center at Naples Botanical Garden each year.

Moonlight on the Marsh begins

By Oscar Santiago Torres @osantiagotorres For ecological lectures, Ohio State University has been the place to go for the past 15 years. Now, Florida Gulf Coast University Professor William Mitsch continues assisting in organizing the lecture series in Naples, which he began in Ohio. Since 2012, the free seminars are at the Harvey Kapnick Education and Research Center at the Naples Botanical Garden.

FGCU’s third annual Moonlight on the Marsh Distinguished Lecture Series begins Jan. 15.

Local, regional and global topics for this year’s lectures include ocean pollution and why it occurs, coastal ecosystem services of mangrove wetlands, new approaches to managing an agricultural landscape to protect downstream bodies of water, a new theory of how river hydrology and ecology are interlinked and the conflict over water management in the Middle East.

“Our 2015 distinguished lecture series may be our best and most diverse yet for the three years we have had this series in Naples,” Mitsch said via email. “Every one of the speakers is an accomplished scientist or engineer who deals with topics that are vital for anybody living in Southwest Florida.”

Lecture attendees can meet the first of the five speakers at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 15. Gail Chmura, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the geography department at McGill University in Montreal.

“I am flattered to be invited to speak to the general public and be entrusted to pass on important science and conservation messages,” Chmura said via email. “Also, I am looking

forwarding to escaping -30°C weather we have been experiencing in Quebec!”

In her lecture, Chmura will explain how mangroves and salt marshes link to and are threatened by rising sea levels, why they are such efficient carbon sinks, how someone can gain credits on the carbon market for their protection and restoration efforts, and why people should care about them anyway.

“Hopefully they will take away more than one message,” she said. “A major message is that mangroves and salt marshes are important sinks for atmospheric carbon dioxide—and there is a market that will pay for the carbon stored.”

Students can do more than listen to Chmura and other speakers at the Harvey Kapnick Center.

Undergraduate and graduate students can join a one-credit-hour course called Wetland, River and Coastial Science and meet the speakers in a classroom setting on campus the day before each lecture.

“It is an opportunity of a lifetime for FGCU students interested in the environment and coming in contact with potential role models from national and international platforms,” Mitsch said.

Five topics. Five experiences. After Jan. 15 the next seminars will be Jan. 29, Feb. 12 and 26, and March 12. If you miss a lecture, it might be possible to catch up later through PowerPoint summaries that will be available a month or two after the lecture, if permission for the summaries is given.

The summaries will be available here: http://bit. ly/1IEqTx2.

“The focus of the series is on the personal interaction with these major figures,” Mitsch said.

“The idea is to BE there.”

Interested to learn more about Gail Chmura’s lecture topic? Here is the scoop: Q. Briefly describe how sea level rise will affect carbon accumulation in salt marsh and mangrove wetlands?

A. “Sea level rise allows these wetlands to continuously accumulate soil derived from the roots of the plants and sediment, if it is available in the tidal waters. The roots are roughly 40 percent carbon. Thus, sea level rise is responsible for the carbon-rich deposits that can be 10 feet deep in marshes on the coast of Maine and nearly 30 feet deep in mangroves on the coast of Belize. Sea level rise, if it occurs too quickly, can also destroy these ecosystems, thus ceasing the carbon accumulation. We are not certain of the fate of the submerged soils – if they could continue to hold the stored carbon or in the worst case scenario, carbon stored over millennia could be rapidly released back to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, exacerbating the greenhouse effect.”

Q. Why should students in particular be aware of this?

A. “Students should be aware because, for the most part, they are inheriting this situation and hopefully will make decisions in their own lifestyles and in choosing leaders who will take appropriate action to deal with conservation of tidal wetlands and the threat of sea level rise. Some of them can consider future research that can contribute to solutions to the loss of natural carbon dioxide sinks and the best means to conserve tidal wetlands and the resources they provide. We also need research to document carbon storage in different locations and to understand the fate of the soil carbon when the ecosystem is lost.”

Ahoy students!

Semester at Sea is a floating classroom

By Jimena Tavel @fgcueaglenews Ahoy students, it’s time to sail the seas of knowledge with Semester at Sea, a study abroad program open to students of all majors.

The program involves students spending an entire semester traveling on a ship and taking courses. Founded in 1963, it is now managed by the University of Virginia.

Semester at Sea is available to all students attending Florida Gulf Coast University. The program is a non-FGCU program. This means it is a third-party provider program. FGCU has no formal relationship with the program.

The ship has sailed for the spring 2015 voyage already. The next voyage students can attend will be during fall 2015. The fall 2015 voyage will be 100 days long. Students will visit different countries.

According to Brent Spencer, the assistant director of study abroad, two to three students participate in the program every semester.

“The ship has an auditorium and classrooms.

It’s basically a floating university,” Spencer said. “It is a unique academic experience.”

The first step to look into studying abroad with this program is attending an information session, which is held every week. Students can register by going to http://www.fgcu.edu/ International/sasessions.asp. Students will eventually be directed to talk to Spencer to make sure the classes that they will be taking

Photo courtesy of Monica Scroggin During her Semester at Sea, Senior Monica Scroggin visited the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg, Russia.

can be successfully transferred afterward.

“The program offers a lot of different courses to choose from,” Spencer said. “There are also a lot of ways to finance it.”

Jordan Lansford, a senior majoring in finance, studied abroad with the Semester at Sea program. She was in the program for 79 days and visited 14 countries. Some of the countries she visited were Portugal, Norway and Russia.

Landford said Semester at Sea was unforgettable. “It was a life-changing experience that made me realize that everyone is really just a human,” Landford said. “Not only did I learn a lot about myself, but I made friendships that I will have for the rest of my life.”

Monica Scroggin, a senior majoring in environmental studies, sailed on the fall 2013 voyage. She took four classes during her semester at sea while visiting 15 countries.

Some of the countries Scroggin visited were Brazil, Morocco and Spain.

“It is very hard to truly describe how incredible the experience was,” Scroggin said. “When they say it’s a ‘once in a lifetime experience’ they truly mean it. Semester at Sea has allowed me to visit some of the countries I never even dreamed of visiting because I never thought it would be possible.

Now my bucket list is endless.”

A4 NEWS EAGLE NEWS WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14

EDITOR: NINA BARBERO NEWS@EAGLENEWS.ORG

Bill Stauffer has been chanting “Go Eagles” at FGCU basketball games for the past 13 years, since before the Dirty Birds even existed.

EN Photo/Kelli Krebs

The man behind the chant

By Kelli Krebs Opinion and media editor @TheReal_KKrebs Bill Stauffer has been there since the beginning.

He was there in 2002 when Alico Arena was built and the Florida Gulf Coast University basketball teams played their very first season. He was there in 2011 when FGCU finally earned its Division I status.

He was in Tallahassee in 2012, watching the women play in the school’s first appearance in a D-I NCAA basketball tournament. He was there in Philadelphia and Arlington in 2013, while the rest of the world was still learning FGCU’s name.

Bill Stauffer has been there all these years, leading the familiar chant from his seat in the dead center of Section S. “Goooooo Eagles!” Stauffer yells to a standingroom-only crowd at Saturday night’s double-header conference season start against Stetson. Stauffer’s call is echoed by 4,633 people throughout Alico Arena. The battle cry of students and fans grows progressively louder each time.

“In the first season, I thought the games were really, really quiet,” Stauffer said, “so I started yelling ‘Go Eagles!’ It started out with just the people around me in Section S, then others started joining in and picked

it up.”

Now 13 years later, known to the students simply as the “Go Eagles guy,” Stauffer can (seemingly effortlessly) entice a sold out crowd to join in without skipping a beat.

“His chant is one of the early traditions that started before there was even a real fan group like the Dirty Birds,” said Denise Da Silveira, assistant athletics director for marketing and sales, who acts as the ringleader for the Dirty Birds. “Before 2009, that was the only real traditional chants we had. The fact that he’s been able to connect with the student section and strategically do it as a rally point when the crowd gets quiet has been great.”

The chant eventually caught the attention of the FGCU cheerleaders, who picked up the chant and unofficially adopted Stauffer as a walk-on.

“They gave me my own megaphone,” Stauffer said with a laugh. “In 2012 the cheer team gave me a megaphone signed by all the cheerleaders on the team.

I still have it.”

Although you may not catch him at every game with his personalized megaphone, Stauffer’s voice, laced in a thick Pennsylvania accent, carries outside the walls of Alico. The three-branch veteran served in the United States Army and Marine Corps as a Chinese-Mandarin translator and interpreter after graduating from the

>>Title IX continued

circumstance.”

“FGCU always has been committed to setting and fostering a tone of civility and respect on our campus, and we will continue this important emphasis,” Evans said.

Students have until 5 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 14 to give feedback on the policy

>>Landing jobs continued

career goals.”

“We’re really about helping students understand what they want to accomplish,” Reid said. “That’s the reason why we offer help with resumes and cover letters and so on.”

“We have a web-based service called CareerShift now that helps you search for jobs and contact companies that are hiring,” Lennertz said. We also have the very important Career and Internship Fair coming up on Feb. 4, which gives students a chance to meet local employers and make connections.”

FGCU alumn Shanelle Walters worked with CDS adviser Rita Giddens last summer and really benefited from the experience.

“Rita encouraged me to follow my passion for youth and choose a career based on what I would really enjoy doing,” Walters said. “Thanks to her support I landed an invaluable internship that turned into my present job as a mentor program coordinator right after Summer 2014 graduation.”

Learn more about Career Development Services at studentservices.fgcu.edu/ careers.

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much safer for them to call somebody or text somebody to drive them home.”

In addition to providing rides, Uber can also be a way for drivers to earn money.

According to the Uber website, drivers have to go through a background check that screens county, federal and multi-state records that go back seven years. Uber also regularly checks the motor vehicle records of its employees.

Kerekes’ experience with the drivers was one of the reasons she enjoyed using Uber. She met one driver who was a musician and another one who had a career in movie production.

“Each time I got out of the car I was so excited,” Kerekes said. “They (the drivers) were just interesting people to talk to. I like to talk to cab drivers anyways and get their stories. They were all just really neat and very friendly.”

Uber markets itself as an affordable service, but there has been some controversy regarding the fares on busy nights of the year.

There was recent controversy about Uber’s “surge pricing” on New Year’s Eve. When there are a lot of people requesting a ride, the rates will increase to get more drivers to come out, according to Annie Lowrey’s article “Is Uber’s surge-pricing an example of high tech gouging” in The New York Times.

But for now, Uber seems like a service college students can afford to use to their benefit.

Army Language School and Maryland University.

In addition to Stauffer’s three years with the U.S. Army, he served three years in the Marine Corps and 20 years as a Naval officer before retiring from the Department of Defense and moving to Bonita Springs in 2001.

Inside Alico, Stauffer’s efforts to prevent a dull crowd, even when the team isn’t winning, has students taking notice.

“Hearing the ‘go eagles’ chant always seems to get Alico going every game,” said senior business management major Austin Megna. “It’s always the start of the madness and it has been there since before the start of Dunk City. I don’t know the gentleman personally, but we all know him in our family of eagles.”

Stauffer brought the chant with him from attending games of his formerly adopted hometown team at the University of California - Santa Barbara, a foe the men’s team took on twice this season.

“I’ve been a big basketball fan since I was in grade school,” Stauffer said. “I have adopted FGCU as my home team.”

Bill Stauffer knows how to charge up a crowd because he’s been there since the beginning, leading the chant.

changes the Office of General Counsel would like to make. The policy can be viewed at fgcu.edu/generalcounsel, and feedback should be sent to gco@fgcu.edu.

In addition, Washington is looking for two students to sit on the Title IX Advisory Committee. Interested students should send a 100-word explanation about why he or she would be a good committee member to bwashington@fgcu.edu by 5 p.m. Jan. 14.

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14 EAGLE NEWS NEWS A5

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New Year’s resolutions are on the go Klaudia Balogh @KlaudiaBaloghPR Assistant E&L editor

It’s still early January, which means those New Year’s resolutions are still in the early stages for students who decided to make some changes in 2015.

Contrary to popular belief, the majority of them aren’t about losing weight.

Savannah Dill, a sophomore majoring in athletic training, had a bad habit of using cuss words often when she would get frustrated or aggravated. Now it’s all in the past. She has been doing really well, she said.

“I have been trying to find other words to substitute for them,” Dill said. “And also broaden my vocabulary at the same time.”

(Photo courtesy of Facebook) Christopher Chandler, a senior majoring in vocal performance, is deciding to focus more on school and getting better grades.

He has been singing for three years and also attended competitions. He has a competition almost every month and wants to work harder to win more this year.

William Garlits, a freshman, is still undecided about his major, but his new year decision is clear and on-point. He wants to be an overall better person.

“I want to take things out of my life that I have no control over,” he said. “I don’t want to let them affect me negatively, and I want to be happier this year.”

Kayla Burgos, a freshman majoring in accounting, wants to switch over to a healthier lifestyle. She has a goal of losing 15 pounds. However, she doesn’t just want to go on a quick-fix diet, but rather improve her overall eating habits. (Photo courtesy of Twitter)

Alexia Davis, a junior majoring in journalism, wants to do better in school and at work. She said it’s been working great so far and she is happy with her decision.

What to expect in the 2015 gaming world

By Aiden Strawhun @AStraww

Photo courtesy of gamecontrast.de

Dying Light Survival-horror is an immensely popular and growing genre in the video gaming world this year – “Dying Light” is no exception. Jumping on the bandwagon, this first-person game is set in an open world plagued with masses of infected and mindless enemies. By day, these enemies are weak and easy to overcome. But at night, start counting lucky stars because the inhuman foes not only grow in strength, but aggression and evolution as well. Survive the night by scavenging, crafting and avoiding with “Parkour-style movement.” The game will also feature a multiplayer and four-player co-op. Expect it in stores and digitally on Jan. 27 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.

Photo courtesy of gamers.vg

Kirby and the Rainbow Curse On the lighter side of gaming this year, Nintendo will be releasing yet another Kirby title as a Wii U exclusive. Similar to other announced titles, “Kirby and the Rainbow Curse” will seem to follow the same materialistic platforming experience, as players will control an ever-spinning Kirby in a handsculpted world. By using touch on the game pad, players will guide this reimagined Kirby through many vibrant worlds. Look for it on Feb. 13.

Photo courtesy of gamespot.com

Inside This Xbox One exclusive comes from the creators of the ever-famous arcade title for the Xbox 360, “Limbo.” “Inside” will feature the same ominous tone as its dark cousin; players will take the place of a person with free-will in an increasingly bleak world that is filled with zombies, vicious mermaids and more. The goal is to keep from being discovered by these mindless enemies while searching for someone of great importance. “Inside” will hit the digital market for Xbox One on March 31, joining the ranks of the growing survival-horror indie genre.

Photo courtesy of cdprojektred.com

The Witcher III: Wild Hunt “The White Wolf,” Geralt of Rivera is making his grand return in this new geneneration exclusive open-world RPG. Follow the fabled Witcher on his quest to find the one whom the Wild Hunt stalks so she may be given what she deserves.

Featuring an entirely reimagined world, enemies, and combat system, “Wild Hunt” is certainly a game not to be missed by any lover of story driven games and the fantasy genre. Look for it on its new release date for PC, Xbox One, and PS4 on May 19.

Photo courtesy of ign.com

Let it Die Revealed at E3 2014, “Let it Die,” formally known as “Lily Bergamo,” is the newest twisted creation by Japanese producer Suda51 and developer Grasshopper Manufacture. Not much

is known about this PS4 exclusive, including its final release date. Rumors say that the original plot is focused on a female protagonist, Tae Ioroi, and is set in a world based on both Eastern and Western cultures in the year 2043. It will also feature online play and a companion app for smartphones. But one thing is for sure – if this is to be like any game produced by Suda51, it’s sure to be a deeply gory, comedic and controversially hack and slash to spoil any gamer’s sick desires.

Photo courtesy of nerdist.com

Kingdom Hearts III It was recently leaked by Goofy’s voice actor, Bill Farmer, via Twitter that “Kingdom Hearts III” may actually be coming this year. “…We have been recording on it for the past few years.

It is supposed to come out later this year.” The last that was revealed on this Disney/Final Fantasy crossover title was in October 2013 with the very first look at the dynamic combat system. Will Sora, Donald, and Goofy finally return? For now, keep the keyblades stored; Square Enix is currently trying to cover its tracks, but with a JRPG that’s so close to gamers’ hearts, more information is bound to be released soon.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14 EAGLE NEWS E & L A7

EDITOR: AUBRIE GERBER ENTERTAINMENT@EAGLENEWS.ORG

EN photo/ Kelli Krebs

DJ Oliver Heldens performs at EDC: Orlando in October.

The Rise of EDM and PLUR

By Kelli Krebs @thereal_kkrebs Opinion editor

You can hear it in almost every song on the radio. A heavy bass line, some snare, a suspenseful build-up, occasional lyrics and of course the drop.

Electronic Dance Music, more popularly known as the “EDM genre” and the festival “PLUR” (Peace, Love, Unity, Respect) culture has swept the nation among the younger generation and all across pop culture. In the past few years, more and more EDM-based music festivals have popped up around the U.S. and across the globe.

Big EDM DJs such as Steve Aoki, Calvin Harris, David Guetta, DeadMau5 and Afrojack have stepped out of the dusty basements and clubs that the early dance music originated from and invaded our televisions and radios. For every top 100 pop culture song, there’s a good chance you can find a DJ behind it spinning a remix.

The culture that has stemmed from the flood of young people to these festivals focuses around four key principles: Peace, Love, Unity and Respect.

Andy Mook, a junior communication major at Florida Gulf Coast University, said it’s the camaraderie that led to the rise of EDM festivals.

“It’s definitely because of the music and the people that listen to the music,” Mook said. “There is this indescribable camaraderie that unites

the crowd in each song, and when the drop hits, it’s a moment when the whole crowd lets lose in their own way and it’s an aura that you feel in the crowd that has this togetherness feel.

It’s through the music that creates the unity in the people and the people feed off of this music and join together in a judge-free zone where everyone has the freedom to express themselves in any way they feel.”

Joel Zimmerman, also known by his more popular alias Deadmau5, told the Evening Standard last year that festivals would eventually lead to the decline of EDM. Zimmerman says festivals are selling the festival itself rather than the musical acts.

Responsible for the tracks “Gecko,” “Javelin” and my personal favorite, “Juggernaut,” Dutch DJ Oliver Heldens says EDM isn’t doomed, just evolving.

“There’s a bit of truth in what Deadmau says,” Heldens said in his broken English laced with a thick Dutch accent at the 2014 EDC: Orlando festival in November. “At festivals, everyone (the artists) get one hour and many DJs don’t like that, and I get that.

If you play at a club, you get more of a real set. You get to build [the set] up and it’s more like a journey. Festivals are just 10 hours with 10 DJs and everyone’s trying to be the loudest.”

However, Heldens doesn’t agree completely with Zimmerman’s claim.

“There will always be balance,” Heldens said. “Things are always evolving and changing. Festivals won’t kill EDM.”

DJ Oliver Heldens performs “Juggernaut” at Tinker Field in Orlando.

EN photo/ Kelli Krebs

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The FGCU women’s basketball bench celebrates the 15-point comeback win over Stetson.

FGCU women’s basketball wins ninth straight game in conference opener against Stetson

By Matt Shipley Assistant sports editor @Matthshipley The Florida Gulf Coast University Eagles extended their win streak to nine this weekend with a win in the opening game of Atlantic Sun Conference play at Alico Arena. This is the sixth straight season the Eagles have begun their season 1-0 and improved their record this year to 14-2. The win came over Stetson University (11-4) and was a come-from-behind win in the second half.

FGCU trailed by as much as 15 at one point in the second half but was able to fight back and get the win, 57-55. A poor shooting performance the entire game kept the Eagles out of it from the start.

They overcame a 34-25 halftime deficit, something FGCU was able to do in each of the three meetings between the two last year. A 12-0 run by the Eagles late

in the second half sparked the explosive offense before a Jenna Cobb 3-pointer tied the game with 1:51 left.

The Green and Blue defense held the Hatters to no field goals on seven attempts to close the game.

“This is another game against Stetson that went down to the very last play,” coach Karl Smesko said. “I thought Stetson played really well and had us on the ropes a couple times. I’m proud of our team, the way we didn’t give up and the way we hung in there despite our struggles offensively. We kept working on the defensive end and we were able to hang in there so that when we finally did make a couple shots it was just enough to win the game.”

Whitney Knight led the scoring for the Eagles as she had 20 points on 44 percent shooting. Knight also grabbed 10 rebounds on her way to her fourth double-double of the season as well as

scoring 10 points late in the game to lead the FGCU comeback. Cobb added nine points while Kaneisha Atwater dropped eight points with six rebounds.

FGCU shot just 29.4 percent on the night and 22.4 percent from beyond the arc. To add to the Eagles, poor shooting performance, they were also outrebounded 48-36. Strong defense turned out to be the difference, causing multiple turnovers and scoring on those opportunities to fuel the second-half surge.

The Eagles began with a 1-for-10 from three-point range to kick off the second half before a three from redshirtfreshman Taylor Gradinjan with 12:35 remaining began the scoring outburst.

The 12-point run came off a DyTiesha Dunson free throw, an Atwater layup, and back-to-back three-pointers by Knight.

The second of Knight’s threes came

with just over seven minutes to play and brought the Eagles to within three. The Hatters managed to extend their lead to nine points once again, but were called for a double-dribble minutes later to begin the team’s collapse.

Stephanie Haas made a key block with just under two minutes to play and the Eagles down by three to give possession back to the Green and Blue.

Cobb then sunk her late 3-pointer to tie the game and bring the momentum to the home team and lead the Eagles to their first conference win of the year.

FGCU will get back to play tonight at 7 p.m. when it takes on the University of North Florida in Alico Arena. This weekend the Eagles will travel for the first time in conference play to take on Jacksonville University.

The week ahead in FGCU Athletics

1/14 W Basketball North Florida 7 p.m. (ESPN3)

1/14 M Basketball at North Florida 7 p.m. (ESPN3)

1/15 M Tennis Illinois/Memphis TBA

1/17 M Tennis at Florida State 10 a.m.

1/17 W Basketball at Jacksonville 7 p.m.

1/17 M Basketball Jacksonville 7 p.m. (ESPN3)

1/17-19 W Tennis FGCU Spring Invite All Day

1/18 M Tennis FAMU (Tallahassee) 9 a.m.

B2 SPORTS EAGLE NEWS WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14

EDITOR: JILL HIMMELFARB SPORTS@EAGLENEWS.ORG

Kane’s Korner

Time to forecast next college football season

By Justin Kane Editor-in-chief @ByJustinKane If you recall my column from Aug. 27, I made three bold, and stupid, predictions for the upcoming college football season. I said that Oregon would be a disappointment, which if you think about it was kind of true; Florida would go back to greatness, but going 7-5 didn’t help my case there; and I said Florida State would repeat as national champs, I was so, so close on this one.

But like the Oregon Ducks, I have to brush myself off and start again. After watching Ohio State win the national championship Monday night (which if you follow me on twitter I said would happen), I started to think of what would happen in the 2015 season and I decided to try my luck again and try and make some bold predictions.

Here are three things that I believe will happen in the 2015 college football season.

different conferences that are not afraid of the big bad SEC. Just look at teams such as TCU, Georgia Tech, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Wisconsin that all had victories over SEC teams (all from the West) in their bowl games. The best team is still going to be the Alabama Crimson Tide, with LSU not far behind, which I believe will fall just short of the CFP.

The SEC will be without a team in the College Football Playoff

Watching the national championship I reminded myself that Ohio State was dismantling Oregon with a third-string quarterback and the Buckeyes are a very young team. They return seven starters on both offense and defense. That includes all three of their QBs, who each have a case for the Heisman, and running back Ezekiel Elliot who will be entering his junior year. Not to mention they bring back four starting offensive linemen and three of the top four receivers.

And one more thing, they return head coach Urban Meyer, who is just the second coach in history to win a national

If you know anything about me you know that I’m a huge SEC homer.

I love the SEC. I am a huge Florida fan and I constantly defend the SEC, but looking at how mediocre the SEC, especially the SEC West, did this bowl season I don’t have too much faith in the conference down south. Now don’t think that I’m calling the SEC a weak conference or that they are going to be awful this year, I just think that there are much better teams out there from

20

Ohio State will repeat as national champs

Ezekiel Elliott (Ohio St.) 36 CAR, 246 YDS, 4 TD Marcus Mariota (Oregon) 24-37 333 YDS, 2 TD, INT

championship at multiple schools. The other? Alabama’s Nick Saban, who also won at LSU.

Clemson will find a way in the CFP

I was lucky enough to cover Clemson in the Russell Athletic Bowl this past bowl season and watched them manhandle Oklahoma 40-6 in a game that was pretty much over after Clemson’s first offensive play. They also did this with a QB who every Clemson fan hated due to star Deshaun Watson going down with injury. Clemson loses a lot of talent on defense but they are led by defensive coordinator Brent Venables, who lead the Tigers to the top ranked defense, in the country this season. FSU is no longer the bad boy in the ACC, which should give the Tigers the edge to win the conference. Not to mention they get FSU, Notre Dame and Georgia Tech all at home. Expect the Tigers to sneak their way into that final four.

42

ASSOCIATED PRESS COLLEGE BASKETBALL TOP 25

KENTUCKY 15-0

LOUISVILLE 14-2

IOWA ST 12-2

WEST VIRGINIA 14-2

SETON HALL 13-3

VIRGINIA 15-0

WISCONSIN 15-2

NOTRE DAME 15-2

VCU 13-3

BAYLOR 12-3

WICHITA ST 14-2

OKLAHOMA 11-4

NORTHERN IOWA 14-2

1

6

2 3

7 8

4 5

9 10

GONZAGA 16-1

DUKE 14-1

VILLANOVA 15-1

UTAH 13-2

KANSAS 13-2

ARIZONA 14-2

11 12 13

16 17 18

MARYLAND 15-2

ARKANSAS 13-2

NORTH CAROLINA 12-4

TEXAS 12-4

14 15

19 20

21 22 23

OKLAHOMA STATE 12-3

24 25

WYOMING 15-2

WWW.EAGLENEWS.ORG

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14 EAGLE NEWS SPORTS B3

Tennis

Lucas Vaz, with teammate Ricky Ventura in the background, reaches for a shot.

EN Photo/Kelli Krebs

FGCU men come up big in Spring Invite

By Rebecca VanEtten @rebeccavanetten The Florida Gulf Coast University men’s tennis team heads to Tallahassee for back-to-back dual matches against Florida State University this Saturday and Florida A&M University on Sunday.

The team is coming off of a successful weekend at the FGCU Spring Invite where they competed against highcaliber teams. They played nationally ranked No. 45 Louisiana State University, Texas Christian University and Rice University.

“It was an incredible weekend for the guys,” FGCU head coach CJ Weber said.

“We were facing some of the best talents in the country… Our guys stood toe to toe with every team and fought hard and represented themselves very well.”

The team kicked off the invite by winning six matches on Thursday. In the Flight 1 singles matches, Eduardo Alfonzo defeated LSU’s No. 67 Tam Trinh in three sets. He won the first set 6-4, lost the second 2-6, and won the last set 7-5.

“I went into the match knowing what I needed to do to win,” Alfonzo said.

“I knew it was going to be a really hard match and I knew I needed to fight and

give everything I got.”

In the Flight 2 singles matches, Michael Beiler defeated LSU’s Andrew Korinek. After losing the first set 1-6, he came back and won the next two sets 6-1, 7-5.

In Flight 3 singles, Austin Bates defeated Harrison Kennedy 7-5, 6-4. Sam Chaffin came close in his match against LSU’s John Michael Busch but lost 7-6(5), 7-5.

In doubles, the team won three out of its four doubles matches. Tianyu Bao and Jordi Vives defeated Chris Simpson and Justin Butsch 6-0. Lucas Vaz and Ricky Ventura defeated LSU’s Eric Perez and Tam Trinh 7-6 (4). Austin Bates and Michael Beiler also defeated their LSU competitors 7-5.

On Friday, the team won three doubles matches. In the Flight 1 doubles matches, Tianyu Bao and Jordi Vives won both of their doubles matches. They defeated Rice’s Jamie Malik and Srikar Alla 6-4 and then defeated Ole Miss’ Ricardo Jorge and Stefan Lindmark 7-6 (2) in their second match.

“Jordi is a really good doubles player and he has helped me a lot on the court,” Bao said. “We won our matches not easily, but we obviously knew we could win those matches.”

Capping off the wins for the day was a 6-2 win from Beiler and Bates in their Flight 2 doubles match.

On Saturday the team won five out of six singles matches. In Flight 1 singles, Andres Alfonzo defeated Rice’s Sriker Alla 6-3, 6-2. In flight 2 Eduardo Alfonzo, defeated David Warren 6-4, 6-4. Bao also defeated his competitor, Zack Yablon in three sets. After winning the first set 7-6(0), he lost the second 2-6, but won the final set 6-4.

In Flight 3, Beiler defeated Rice’s Henrik Munch in a close match of 7-6 (4), 6-4. Bates also defeated his Rice competitor, Gustavo Gonzalez, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (8).

“Austin Bates went 2-1,” Weber said.

“Those SEC wins are always big for him... He plays with a lot of heart and passion.”

The success transcended over into doubles when Eduardo Alfonzo and Chaffin defeated LSU’s Kennedy and Busch 6-3.

On the final day, the team played TCU in singles. Chris Perrigan defeated Blake Wiggins 6-4, 6-3. After not competing for six months due to a wrist injury, Jordi Vives won his singles match 7-6 (6), 6-3.

Eduardo Alfonzo won his match 6-2, 6-2, going undefeated in single play for the

tournament.

“It was great to start the semester with a win,” Eduardo Alfonzo said.

“It gives me confidence and keeps me motivated that I am doing the right things.”

Andres Alfonzo came close in his match, but fell 6-4, 4-6, 4-6 to TCU’s Nick Chappell. Bao also lost in a close match of 7-6 (3), 6-2.

“It was the first week of school and we played against probably the best competition all year,” Bao said. “I saw a lot of positive strategies from the team and there is a lot to take away. We need to keep riding that momentum to get ready for Florida State.”

The team finished the tournament by winning six out of their 14 matches against LSU and three out of nine matches against TCU. They also beat Rice 5-1 in the tournament, according to Weber.

“This tournament helped get us ready for FSU,” Weber said. “Our first dual match is one of the toughest and I believe in challenging the guys early.

Everybody knows where they stand and it was just icing on the cake that we got those wins and have the confidence. Now we are ready for the dual matches to begin.”

Eagles’ women defeated by Syracuse Orange at home Thursday

By Rebecca VanEtten @rebeccavanetten

Alex Landert and Julianna Curtis clinched the doubles point for the team with a 6-0 win over Syracuse’s Nicole The Florida Gulf Coast University Mitchell and Olivia Messineo.

Despite earning the doubles point, women’s tennis team (0-1) prepares for the FGCU Spring Invite Jan. 17-19. the team lost four out of its six singles The team is coming off of a 4-3 loss to matches.

Sarah Means lost in a close match to Syracuse (2-0) on Thursday.

“We can build off of that match a lot Rodgers. She lost the first set 6-1, took for our season coming up,” FGCU head the second set into a tiebreak, but lost coach Courtney Vernon said. “Overall, the match 7-6 (7-5). Johanna Sterkel also came close in her match. there is a lot to get better on, She lost the first set 7-6 (7but it is kind of exciting too 3) and the second set 6-4. because the level of the team Syracuse’s Valeria is just getting better.”

Salazar defeated Breana Sarah and Elizabeth Stampfli 6-2, 6-4. Landert Means kicked off the match also lost her match to with a doubles win over Syracuse’s Mitchell 7-5, 6-2.

Syracuse’s nationally ranked Elizabeth Means doubles team of Amanda won her match against Rodgers and Rhiann Syracuse’s Komal Safdar Newborn. They took the 6-3, 6-4. Curtis won her match into a tiebreak and match by default. She won won 7-6 (9-7). the first set 7-5 and then “We got down in a pretty ELIZABETH MEANS Breanna Bachini defaulted deep hole early on,” Elizabeth in the second set.

Means said. “But, we stayed “I thought I played aggressively calm and just stayed focused and figured out what strategy worked against them. and fought well in the matches,” Curtis said. “The second match I would have Then we just played one point at a time.”

of course liked to finish, but I won the first set and then it was about tied in the second.”

Despite kicking off the spring season with a loss, Vernon is focused on prepping the team for the matches to come.

“We are working on being aggressive

and taking the opportunity points and opportunity balls,” Vernon said. “We are going to be working on drills in practice and creating pressure situations for the girls so it feels like another day of practice and they know what they need to do.”

B4 SPORTS EAGLE NEWS WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14

EDITOR: JILL HIMMELFARB SPORTS@EAGLENEWS.ORG

Hockey

Grad student Nick Houser is making big plays for the Eagles in the 2014-15 season

By Mike Danielewski @MDanielewski The Florida Gulf Coast University hockey team has been navigating through a tremendous season and a huge part of its success could be attributed to Nick Houser.

In the first half of the season, Houser tallied 26 points from 15 goals and 11 assists. He currently holds on to a plus-18 rating and has yet to spend any time in the penalty box.

“Nick brings experience, talent and size and is a very important member of one of our top lines,” coach Bob Brinkworth said.

“Fortunately for us he will be here for two years and I think just continue to improve his play.”

Nick was born in Wexford, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. He has two brothers, Michael and Alex, and a sister, Shannon. Michael is a goaltender for San Antonio, an AHL organization and farm club of the Florida Panthers.

On a suggestion from a family friend, Nick started playing hockey at age 6. He continued on to play Division I hockey at Shady Side Academy Preparatory School.

After his time at Shady Side, Nick completed his bachelor’s while playing three years of Division II hockey at the University of Michigan.

Houser is a first-year MBA student here at FGCU, but he came mainly for the hockey program and the opportunity to win a national championship. Nick appreciates his FGCU family and is particularly thankful for the relationships that he has with his teammates.

“I have only been here for four Nick Houser skating in game against Illinois State.

months and have already made some lifelong friends.” Houser said. “The entire school and community have been great in supporting our team this year, and that is really special.”

In the off-season, Houser likes to spend his time at home with his family.

Along with relaxing, he spends a lot of time training with Jeremy Hoy at Finish First Sports Performance. Houser will argue that Hoy is one of the best in the business, and he will continue to use Jeremy for preparation in the upcoming season. Houser considers himself somewhat of a health nut, and attributes a part of his success to his health and training habits. Working hard both on and off the ice, along with the support of his linemates can account for a big part of the Eagles continued success.

“I just try and contribute in any way that I can,” Houser said. “Playing with guys like ‘Eche’ [Dan Echeverri] and ‘Mello’ [Michael Chemello] makes my job pretty easy. They are two of the best players in the country, and I am very fortunate to play on their line.”

The Eagles look to continue their winning streak with the help of Houser.

His incomparable hockey sense, hard work and devotion to himself and team make him an instrumental asset to the Eagles’ roster.

“He is also one of the leaders in the dressing room and brings a great work ethic to practice and our games,” Brinkworth said.

When Houser is not in class or on the ice, you might be able to find him and his roommate, fellow team member Rob Marlinski, watching shows such as “Vanderpump Rules” and “The Bachelor.” Although, he will admit that they’re girly shows.

EN Photo/Mike Danielewski

FGCU DII still undefeated heading into four-game weekend

By Jill Himmelfarb Sports editor @JillHimmelfarb Despite the funding battle that Florida Gulf Coast University’s hockey club fought throughout the first half of the season, the Eagles didn’t let it deter their focus and positive attitudes.

For the first time in program history, the Division II hockey team won every game throughout the first half of the season. The Eagles now stand at 19-0 after defeating the Illinois State Redbirds last Friday and Saturday nights, 8-1 and 5-2.

According to the club’s director of communication, Matthew Maida, the club continued to reinforce the idea to the team that the players’ job is what happens on the ice and not to get distracted.

“They played better and rallied after not getting the funding because they wanted to prove to the Southwest Florida and the FGCU community that we are really a talented hockey program,” Maida said. “We’re a popular club, and we deserve to play being one of the No. 1 teams in the country in our division. These are athletes that deserve support, they pay to play at the competitive level that they do and could easily play at a higher level. We’re very lucky.”

Right now the hockey team is relieved about getting the funding. That boost has only helped the Eagles to excel further. Now, they are even more focused because the idea of winning at the national championships in March is a huge goal.

“I think the expectations are high,” Maida said. “They need to be tempered because winning a national championship is never easy.

No matter how good the team performs and looks on paper, it really is anybody’s game when they drop the puck at nationals. An amazing Senior alternate captain Anthony Yezek battles a defenseman in Illinois State’s zone. regularly. All of our offense is contributing.” season like this can turn into a tragedy if focus According to Brinkworth, one of the keys to the is lost.”

According to coach Bob Brinkworth, players added team’s fantastic season is the camaraderie that the guys to the roster this year,along with position and line share. Also, Brinkworth said that both he and assistant coach Mike Lendino are happy with how the team has changes have been crucial to the team’s success.

“Goaltending and defense have been excellent,” shaped up offensively and defensively, and they would Brinkworth said. “We have considerably more size on change very little to the team where it stands now.

“The chemistry on the team has been a huge defense than we’ve had in the past seasons. We have two very strong lines. Dillon [Duprey] is a very talented difference in getting the wins,” Brinkworth said. “The player. He worked hard all summer and he’s the leading defensive pairings are a big difference in where the scorer on the team this year. The line that has [Nick] team was last year. That’s one of the most important Schilson and [Jordan] Klotz on it has been scoring points of the game. The only thing that I think would

EN Photo/Mike Danielewski

change is injuries to key players. We have a challenge coming in the next semester, but we have confidence.”

The Eagles have a tough weekend facing both Michigan State and University of Michigan for four games total that will be played back-to-back from Friday through Monday, Jan. 16-19. All games begin at Germain Arena’s blue rink at 8:30 p.m. except Monday’s game, which is at 1 p.m. Tickets can be purchased for $5 each or free with your Eagle ID card.

WWW.EAGLENEWS.ORG

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14 EAGLE NEWS SPORTS B5

Basketball

FGCU men storm past Stetson

EN Photo/Kelli Krebs Jamail Jones attempts to dribble around a Stetson opponent in Saturday’s game.

By Matt Mramer @ENSportsMatt The Florida Gulf Coast University men’s basketball team got back on track Saturday night with a convincing win over Stetson in its Atlantic Sun Conference opener.

Brett Comer said leading up to the matchup with Stetson that he anticipated seeing a completely different Eagles team with the return of Jamail Jones from a six-game suspension. He may have been onto something there.

“Like I told you, we’re going to be a brand new team come next game, and we were,” Comer said.

His words proved to be nothing short

of prophetic, with Jones bringing an energy and tenacity to an Eagles squad that has been sorely missing it in recent weeks. In addition to the emotional lift the team got from Jones, he also contributed on both ends with 15 points and seven rebounds.

“I felt pretty good,” Jones said after the win. “It felt good to get back out there with my teammates, you know. They’ve always been supporting me through my suspension and what not. I just let the game come to me and we came out with a victory.”

Rebounding has been a major issue for FGCU during its recent struggles, but the Eagles did a great job on the glass and finished with an astounding 53-23

rebounding advantage.

“Rebounding totals were better than it’s been, and we need to continue to do that,” coach Joe Dooley said following the victory. The Eagles coach has put an emphasis on improving the team’s rebounding and defense, both of which were on display during Saturday’s lopsided victory.

The Eagles held Stetson to 27 percent from the field and just 4-23 from beyond the arc. Stetson had their struggles shooting the ball, and FGCU never allowed them to make a run and climb back into the game.

“We couldn’t throw it in the ocean, and Florida Gulf Coast had a lot to do with that,” Hatters coach Corey Williams

said. “It’s just a matter of time before they are very difficult for teams to handle.”

Williams also spoke about how deep FGCU is compared to last year and the Eagles’ new players were on full display against the Hatters. Julian DeBose and Marc-Eddy Norelia both had 12 points and five rebounds, part of a balanced FGCU attack that was a major relief to concerned fans who were wondering which version of the Jekyll and Hyde team would show up for the contest.

Fortunately, the Dr. Jekyll version of the Eagles answered the bell and came out with a statement win in the conference opener, building momentum and continuity for the important stretch of the season. If FGCU can display that type of energy and efficiency on both ends, they could be back in the conversation as a darkhorse upset contender come March.

It’s far too early to speculate about the Eagles’ NCAA tournament fate, but the home win over Stetson was the first step in repeating as A-Sun champs. “We always want to get off to a great start,” Dooley said. “It was good, nice home game, a great atmosphere. I thought that the guys, in general, did a good job.”

There was much improvement shown by the Eagles in Jones’ return to the lineup, but the journey is far from over for FGCU. “There are still some things, we’re a work in progress,” Dooley said, referencing the room that this team still has to grow and improve.

The Eagles head to Jacksonville to face off with University of North Florida on Wednesday night.

“We always play UNF tough,” Jones said. “I anticipate a great crowd. We just gotta go up and get our first road win in the A-Sun.”

Manny Being Manny Doubleheaders will bring fans to the stands for the women

By Manuel Navarro Managing editor @mnavarroFGCU It’s time to bring the doubleheaders back.

For all of us who attended Saturday’s day-night doubleheader against instate rival Stetson, we experienced a postseason atmosphere inside Alico Arena with a crowd of 3,253 and 4,633 at the women’s and men’s games, respectively.

It was a great day of college basketball and may have changed the perception of our women’s basketball team going into the future.

The doubleheader gave our men’s basketball fans or the bandwagon fans who come with any historic event and latched onto the “Dunk City” tag, to see what our women’s team is about. During

my four years at Florida Gulf Coast University, I’ve always been drawn to our women’s team because of its consistency and its 3-point prowess that even set an NCAA record in 2012 with 22 3-pointers in a single game.

The women have made two NCAA tournament appearances in the past four years and won the Atlantic Sun Conference crown three out of the last four years, but fail to get the backing they used to get before one decision crippled attendance numbers.

In 2013, the A-Sun decided to do away with doubleheaders and it really never made sense, especially for our programs. On days of doubleheaders in 2011-12, the women averaged 2,353 fans per game and 2,276 in 2012-13. Since doubleheaders were abandoned, the women average 1,709 fans in 2013-14 and 1,530 this season.

I know a lot of this has to do with the “Dunk City” craze, but the evidence supports itself.

Doubleheaders get the fans in the stands.

I could understand if fans weren’t coming because we were 2-13, but we are 14-2 with an RPI (Ratings Percentage Index) of 14. Our coach, Karl Smesko, is one of four women’s college basketball coaches with a win percentage of .800 or higher, alongside Connecticut’s Geno Auriemma, Baylor’s Kim Mulkey and Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer.

The women need the support of the student body and the doubleheaders help get the students in the crowd because the men play immediately after.

The crowd really had its effect Saturday afternoon when the Eagles rallied from 15 down to stun the Hatters late.

FGCU director of athletics Ken Kavanagh is a huge advocate for the doubleheader and is continually pushing for the A-Sun to switch back.

“As indicated by our repeated voting to re-establish the doubleheaders (both at athletics administrators and presidential levels), along with Lipscomb, FGCU is a strong proponent that such a scheduling model is in the best interests of the A-Sun,” Kavanagh said. “In particular, we view returning to such a format would not only enhance overall attendance around the conference, but do so in a manner that would be far less taxing on our fan bases, staffs, and the media that we desire to closely follow us.”

I’m with Kavanagh all the way on this one, and the doubleheaders will bring a new found love to the women’s program as much as the men receive.

Swimming and diving Eagles defeat rival Nebraska in Saturday home meet FGCU Athletics The Florida Gulf Coast University swimming and diving team (9-1, 3-0 CCSA) won 10 of 11 events to cruise past big foe Nebraska on Saturday morning by a final score of 126-77. Katie Armitage, Emma Svensson and Lani Cabrera all picked up multiple individual victories to pace the Eagles who continue to pick up big victories, during this 2014-15 campaign.

“We’ve had a rough week with a lot of sickness on the team,” head coach Neal Studd said. “This was one of those days where the girls just kind of had to dig deep and step up and in the end we got the job done real well. It’s always great to

beat a big school like Nebraska. The head coach, Pablo Morales, is a childhood hero of mine, an Olympic gold medalist in 1992 with an amazing comeback story after not making the team in ‘88. It was a thrill for me personally to have him here, we really appreciate them coming down.”

As usual, it was the 200-yard medley relay kicking things off and it was the Eagle team of Kira Toussaint, Armitage, Yee Wong and Kristin Julien who would come away with the victory with a time of 1:44.40. The Green and Blue would make it a one-two finish when the team of Sandra Wilk, Evita Leter, Svensson and Becky Derogatis finished second, touching in at 1:44.90.

Lani Cabrera picked up the first of

her two distance wins in the 1000 yard freestyle with a time of 10:21.13. She would also go on to win the 500 free with a time of 5:00.19. Finishing second in the 1000 free was her teammate Nina Schiffer who touched in with a time of 10:33.38.

Armitage came away with a victory in the 200 free with a time of 1:53.43 while teammate Devin Robins finished third in 1:56.05. Armitage would later go on to win the 100 breaststroke with a final time of 1:04.81 and as the only Eagle to finish in the top three.

Svensson picked up her first solo victory in the 50 free with a scorching time of 23.06 and Yee followed that up in the 200 IM with a first-place time of

2:07.82 with teammate Karen Vilorio finishing third in 2:11.26. Svensson second individual win came in the 100 free when she touched in at 50.57.

Toussaint rolled to a convincing victory in the 100 backstroke with a time of 56.76, which was almost two full seconds faster than second place.

In the final event of the morning, it was another Eagle relay picking up a win in the 200 freestyle relay. This time it was the combination of Julien, Sara Hamilton, Derogatis and Toussaint coming way with the top spot with a time of 1:35.94.

OPINION Eagle News Editorial Department Justin Kane editorinchief@eaglenews.org Editor-in-Chief Kelli Krebs opinion@eaglenews.org Opinion editor

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President Barack Obama made his annoucement via Youtube Friday morning of his plans to make the first two years of community college free to “those willing to work for it.”

--300 words or less --Must include name, grade and major --Letters should focus on issues rather than personalities --If your letter is in response to a particular article, please list the title and date of the article.

Courtesy of YouTube

#FreeCommunityCollege plan devalues hard work

By Madison Hampton Assistant Media Editor @Hamantha5 Remember when you sat down to figure out if and how you were going to pay for that degree of yours? Well your kids may be looking at higher costs and even more competition when it comes to finding a job after their education is complete.

President Barack Obama announced Jan. 9 his proposal making the first two years of community college free. The White House says it could save the average community college student $3,800 a year. The average cost each year for a two-year public in-state college is $3,131 according to the “College Board.”

The program will obliterate the value of hard work that is instilled in those working for their education at the cost of the nation’s money today and the workforce tomorrow.

The program is estimated to cost around $34 million a year, according to the “Weekly Standard,” with the federal government paying 75 percent of it and states paying the other 25 percent.

This will not work.

After high school, students face a few options.

One, they can attend a college where they are accepted based upon their performance and apply for scholarships and aid. For the most part, students will receive the grants and aid that they need.

Second, they can pay a fraction of the normal college fees and attend a community college for two or so years.

Many students in Florida choose this option to transfer to his or her dream university. In Florida, if you have your associate’s degree, you are automatically granted admission to any public Florida university. Having just graduated high school, I have seen this a lot.

With both of those options, young people work hard to pursue the life they want. Loans, grants, scholarships and tons of work-study programs make it possible for nearly everyone to receive some form of education; it’s left in the hands of the civilians.

Ever heard of the phrase “you’ll get out what you put in?” Young people, and even a few from the older crowd, are giving and sacrificing a lot for an education to make their lives better, and they are gaining from that.

If college educations become free, why would teens and young adults work hard in high school? We would obliterate that drive.

In Florida specifically, this program would open a window to those who wish to be handed a degree. If people are handed a free associate’s degree, they could go to the University of Florida and study side-byside with students who dedicated their lives to their education and worked hard to be there. You would have people burying themselves in debt working for the same degree as someone who will be paying for half of the degree that they didn’t academically qualify for from the beginning.

An educated workforce is a prosperous one, but with that comes a hard working force. We cannot instill the idea that you will be handed what you need to get that job into the youth, especially at the expense of the taxpayer’s wallet.

The average full-time student in the U.S. receives $12,740 in aid along with $7,110 in grants. The rest comes down to hard work for scholarships or working.

Those who work for the bare minimum through high school and their free two years of college do not deserve a free degree nor a chance to attend some of the most prestigious schools in the country.

Obama takes step in the right direction with #FreeCommunityCollege

By Lauren Smith @LSmithPBG This past week, President Barack Obama released a preview of his State of the Union. In this preview, he proposed an education program that would make attending a community college free for the first two years.

While the specifics on how this program will work and what it entails haven’t been proposed yet, I believe this program could greatly benefit Americans.

As we are all well aware of, college is incredibly expensive. For some of us, without the help of scholarships, parents or a job, attending college wouldn’t be possible.

This program would allow for people who never thought college to be a possibility for them to have it in

their reach. You just have to work for it.

Now, I’m not sure what the president means by being “willing to work for it” but I do have a few guesses.

The thought that comes to mind is maintaining a set GPA and not failing classes.

Being able to get a free education for two years should be a great motivator for students to keep their grades up and pay attention in class. And, theoretically, by paying attention in class you learn and retain more information.

This would allow for a more educated America and hopefully bring us up to par with the rest of the world.

The biggest issue some would have with this program is the funding for it. Where is the money to pay for two free years of college education for thousands of Americans going to come from?

The simple answer would be the redirection of

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existing funding or possibly a slight rise in taxes. While this would anger and disgruntle a majority of middle class America, I urge you to stop and think about the long-term benefits of this program.

More Americans would have access to a higher education, pushing and challenging themselves in to become better and more productive members of society.

A higher educated workforce leads to more efficient production, management and development.

We as Americans need to start investing in our education as a whole. We need to stop being a society of ‘me’ and motivate each other to strive for success.

This program is the first very big step in the right direction.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14 EAGLE NEWS OPINION B7

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Courtesy of ESPN

Florida State University football head coach Jimbo Fisher is caught on camera with some choice words for sophomore quarterback Jamies Winston.

State of Cait

A lesson from Jimbo

I said ‘you wanna win at life?’ Then we gonna win at life

By Cait Schall Assistant Opinon Editor @CaitlinSchall “If you don’t calm the f*** down you are going to the bench.”

These eloquent words were once yelled by a wise man by the name of Jimbo Fisher to a less than wise boy, Jameis Winston, and they resonate true to me by inspiring me to never let life get the best of me.

In life, our own worst enemies tend to be the most unlikely of suspects: ourselves. I know personally. I tend to be the most hard on myself when I should be my own biggest cheerleader. But why is that?

I stress over not working out hard enough or over how my articles for the paper turn out each week. The aspects I choose to beat myself up about are definitely not matters of life or death, but I still find myself

critiquing and nit-picking every single thing I do.

This is why I have made it my new year’s resolution to be proud of myself. I’m going to start patting myself on the back more often. I’m going to start celebrating even my smallest of accomplishments, such as making it to my 8 a.m. class the morning after staying up late to watch the college football national championship game.

Quit stressing over not being able to escape taking Friday classes this semester or about the fact that crab legs are so dang expensive, and it would be much cheaper if you just stole them.

Quit obsessing about why he hasn’t texted you back in a week and driving yourself insane wondering if he’s ever going to respond. Odds are you’ll probably receive a late-night text from him after a night of funneling beers and downing shots that might as well have been used as lighter fluid. I hope if you do happen to respond to his romantic gesture that you do so by politely telling him to calm down, put him on the bench, and then maybe even take him out of the game for the whole

season that is your life.

You teach others how to treat you, so treat yourself with respect. Acknowledge the fact that you are only human. You are going to make mistakes, but you’ve made it this far in life and that is something to be proud of.

If you are that person who is constantly overreacting and stressing out, odds are you will have worn yourself out far before the second half of the game of your life, and now you have put yourself at risk of someone else intercepting some of the amazing opportunities life throws your way.

So calm down and bench your negativity, whether it’s people or your own inner thoughts. Bench your stress and start putting your passions and positivity into the game. Who knows, you may even find yourself on a winning streak worth being proud of.

Realistic resolutions

Set yourself up for a year of success

By Stephanie Rieselman @FGCUEagleNews When a new year approaches, a new year’s resolution inevitably follows. It’s a time for us to feel refreshed and resolute.

However, despite our best intentions, our new year promises always seem to fail us, or maybe we fail our new year promises. Time spent on our phones still trumps time spent with family, endless nights of binge watching Netflix hinders that gym membership, and before you know it, you’ve forgotten all about those books you were supposed to read.

So why does a failed resolution always seem to happen so often and so quickly? Should you even bother making a new year’s resolution at all?

My answer is yes.

Resolutions are a great tool used to measure one’s

self-improvement. Whether short, medium or longterm, they are goals that immensely enhance and change your life; they are a great way to reflect how far you’ve come and how far you still have to go.

A new year’s resolution is a revision to the start of a new year and a way to rewrite mistakes made in the past. All of us have room for improvement—why not create a tangible way that can help you achieve this – through a resolution?

Resolutions bring many positive aspects, but often fail. This New Year, the only way yours won’t fail depends solely on you. The most successful New Year’s resolution is small and specific. For example, instead of just saying “I will live a healthier lifestyle this year,” change it instead to, “I will drink more water.”

This is both a realistic and productive step in achieving this goal.

My advice is this: Don’t jump to the common

new year’s resolution. Make it realistic, positive, and personal. The best way to achieve your resolution is to be mindful of what you logically can and cannot achieve at this point in your life. This means changing one thing at a time, but only to the best of your ability.

Also, make sure to plan in advance what it is you hope to accomplish.

If your resolution fails treat it as a small setback.

Don’t let yourself get down. That is what a resolution is all about attempting to better yourself one small step at a time. However, don’t forget to reward yourself for when you do succeed.

If you are dedicated and stick to your resolution, it starts to become routine. After a couple of weeks, you can turn these changes into habits and find that the results are immensely worth your while.

Gulf Coast Town Center: Dump City

By Luke Janke @Jankeleg If you’ve recently found yourself driving around Gulf Coast Town Center, you may have noticed that a new building is popping up seemingly every week.

What started off as a simple town mall with a handful of name-brand stores, two supermarkets, and a movie theater has turned into a beastly conglomerate of restaurants and stores resembling the strip mall hell that is Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

Since about 2012, GCTC has been contracting new restaurants around its central hub and by 2014, the entire outer perimeter of the mall was skirted by restaurants and other businesses that seem

disconnected like a meteor belt around a star.

Normally, the idea of new restaurants opening excites me because there’s a small chance that it could be something new and unique to the area. It’s true that we’ve never had a Chipotle in Fort Myers and it has a major following, but Tex-Mex is a dying fad and if you’ve had one you’ve had them all.

Where are the original hole-in-the-wall and momand-pop shops that bring new and genuinely great foods to people willing to stray from the fast food blues?

Where are the shawarma huts where I can get the best Mediterranean food and possibly pneumonia?

Don’t get me wrong, it’s good to see the mall expanding and gaining business, but I swear if I have to see a strange European four-way intersection or

a dysfunctional parking lot that could garner fear of a wreck every time I park I will ascend road rage and reach my final form of road supernova volcano.

Whoever designed the layout of GCTC roadways and parking, was clearly either an infant or a man with snakes for hands. It’s a nightmare just crossing from Ross to Dick’s Sporting Goods (& Escalators).

I think there is definitely room for improvement for GCTC, such as bulldozing the whole site and starting over. A nice park would be excellent there, or perhaps a highway rest stop or zip lining amusement park hybrid, but the mall as it is feels too cluttered and needs a serious reboot.

OPINION

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Courtesy of YouTube

In a viral video, young boys are introduced to a girl, asked several questions about what they like about her then asked to slap her.

Viral video a good first step

By Matthew Acton @MJActon

Watch video here

Fanpage.it, an Italian website, created a video, commonly linked as “Young Boys Asked to Slap Girl,” which has gone viral since the site originally posted it on their Facebook page Jan. 3.

Perhaps you’ve seen it.

The video shows young boys, all younger than 13 years old, meeting a pretty girl, Martina, who is approximately their age. The narrator asks each boy what he likes about Martina (answers: eyes, shoes, hair, etc.). Then, he asks them to “caress” her. They each touch her hair, her arm or her face. Finally, he asks them to make a funny face before his requests take a turn. The last request is to slap her, and they all refuse for various reasons.

Here is the caption for the original Facebook post: “What happens when you put a boy in front of a girl and ask him to slap her? Here is how children react to the subject of violence against women.”

Apparently, there is no specific intended message or purpose for this video except to experiment. Clearly, the music and the general lightheartedness of the video convey that the boys give the “right” answers all the way through.

But, I wonder what message viewers receive. Is it that it is wrong for a boy to hit a girl? That is the reason that most of the boys give for refusing.

Is it that violence is wrong? One boy gives that as his reason for not hitting Martina.

Is it that Martina does not deserve to be hit because she

is pretty? I could easily get that message, and just as a side note, the word “caress” made me slightly uncomfortable.

Though, that could have been an issue with the English translation of the original Italian.

Generally, I think the video is cute and funny. I also think that it conveys a superficially positive message whether or not the producers intended to send one.

However, I think it also raises many questions.

What happens when the boys get to know the girl, and she does something they do not like? Will they convince themselves it is OK to hit her then?

How many times have you heard a woman say that her abusive boyfriend or husband started out so loving and gentle?

I also wonder what we as viewers are supposed to think about Martina. After I watch, I know a good amount about the boys: their age, what they want to do when they grow up and why. All we know about the girl is her name and that she has pretty eyes and hair and dresses nice.

I wonder if the boys think she has more worth than that, and I wonder if she knows she has more worth than that.

Again, I am not trying to say the video is harmful.

Just like a whole host of viral videos and memes, it is a simplification of a concept. It is also a positive first step in conveying that violence against women is wrong. I just wonder how many people look past the humor and cuteness for the substance and ask the right questions.

What the tar?

New road not environmentally friendly

By Collin Wellenreiter @FGCUEagleNews As I was reading the the Jan. 5 issue of Eagle News, there was a rather intriguing article that caught my eye. It was an article written by Jimena Tavel pertaining to the possible construction of a road connecting Ben Hill Griffin Parkway to South Village.

All seemed fine, good quotes along with good facts, until I saw what the potential (final) cost of this project will be, $1 million!

Let me repeat: $1 million construction costs for a piece of road that will barely be pushing half a mile in length.

Now I am not a construction worker, nor am I a road construction engineer, but I have a very difficult time understanding why this piece of road has such a high cost.

Are there pieces of diamonds being encrusted into the tar once the road is poured out? Will there be automatic sidewalks that retract when no pedestrians are walking on the sides?

I doubt either one of those will be the case. I can completely understand the need for this road to be constructed, because as mentioned in the article by Tavel, the new road will serve as an emergency exit for SoVi residents and hopefully will eliminate traffic congestion along campus roads. The need for the road is completely understandable, but the price for this road is not anywhere near comprehendible.

Perhaps instead of constructing an old-fashioned road out of tar, we should continue to thrive in

Florida Gulf Coast University’s effort to become more environmentally friendly and build a solar road. Solar roads are highways that are essentially made out of solar panels that support massive amounts of weight and have a huge central energy grid below the road that stores energy throughout the day and then transfers it as needed throughout the night.

Now, a project like this costing $1 million is understandable because in the long run, the solar road will pay for itself by distributing energy and reducing energy costs in general. The actual price of this project would vary, but according to the Solarroadways.com website, a 12-by-12 panel costs around $10,000, which could put the price anywhere between $5 million and $8 million.

Yes, the price of the solar road is much more, but it ends up having beneficial effects in the long run and will help save money on other campus expenses.

The tar road, on the other hand, is built once and then no further financial gain is really made. The typical tar road does not harness energy nor does it have the ability to store energy and transfer it.

So, I ask all of my fellow FGCU students, is it really worth $1 million for a piece of tar that will cause nothing but havoc during its construction period? Or are we going to push a “greener” initiative and strive for a more economical decision that would have less of an impact on the environment? Let’s stand up for what is right and assist in the building of a more environmentally friendly campus.

Where will the new road go?

EN Illustration / Emily Ford