Volume 13 Issue 6

The student newspaper at Florida Gulf Coast University since 1997

AGLE NEWS Wednesday, September 3, 2014

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Volume 13, Issue 6 @fgcueaglenews

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Going viral Two professors, one virus and the search for a dengue vaccine in an FGCU lab EN Photo/Alyssa Taylor

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NEWS

Drone built

EN Photo/Joseph Albano

SPORTS

Men’s soccer

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E & L

Freshman 15

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By Nina Barbero News editor @EN_Barbero Twenty-thousand people die each year from dengue fever and it does not make the news.

“You look at the number of people dying in Syria or Iraq, for example,” said Scott Michael, Ph.D and professor at Florida Gulf Coast University. “Dengue kills that many people every year again and again, and you don’t see it on the news. That’s why it’s called a neglected disease.”

Michael is half of the FGCU team that is working to create a vaccine for dengue fever.

Michael and Sharon Isern, Ph.D., have been working together on this research since they came to FGCU in 2004.

Dengue fever is a tropical virus that is transmitted through mosquito bites. Most people who contract the fever will have a mild, flu-like response, but some will have more severe symptoms such as hemorrhaging, high fever or shock syndrome.

Recent data shows that there are approximately 390 million dengue infections each year. Only 96 million of those victims show symptoms, and World Health Organization data shows that approximately 20,000 of those die from it. Most of the victims are infants.

Michael’s work with dengue began in 2000 when the couple taught at Tulane University in Louisiana, but Isern did not join in that research until the couple moved to FGCU. “At Tulane I was basically working on gene transfer projects,” Isern said. “But when we got here, all of the lab spaces are shared. It was actually okay to work on projects together, it wasn’t a big no-no like at other universities.”

Michael, Isern and their team of handselected FGCU undergraduates worked to create inhibitors to treat dengue. The goal of these inhibitors is to keep the virus from spreading to new cells in the body once the victim has been infected.

In September 2013 and January 2014, the team received patents for the inhibitors they had successfully developed. These are the first patents that FGCU has ever had.

“There are research institutes where this happens all the time,” Michael said. “They have lawyers and are savvy. But for an up and coming university, there’s a little bit of a learning curve there.”

A biotech startup company in Atlanta has licensed Michael and Isern’s inhibitors from FGCU and is now testing them in mice in

Sharon Isern is a professor and a dengue virus researcher.

California.

Usually when researchers need to test an inhibitor or vaccine, it is first tested in vitro, in a petri dish with human cells. Then it will move on to be tested on mice, monkeys and eventually humans.

The problem with this, according to Isern, is that dengue is not a natural infection for animals.

“Mice do not naturally get sick with dengue,” Isern said. “It is a uniquely human disease.”

So when dengue treatments are tested on mice, the results are not always an accurate reflection of how the treatment will work on humans.

“There was just a big trial with a different molecule for dengue,” Michael said. “It worked in a petri dish, it worked with mice, and it completely failed in humans.”

Psych professor writes third book

By Edie Dolce @fgcueaglenews

Martha Rosenthal, Ph.D. has been a tour de force in her relatively short literary career. Following the success of her previous published texts, “Human Sexuality from Cells to Society” and “Discoveries in Human Systems,” Florida Gulf Coast University’s very own professor of neuroscience and physiology was approached

by Oxford University Press to publish her third textbook.

Focusing on the interconnectedness of drugs, society, and behavior, “Drugs from Cells to Society” has been years in the making and is slated for release at the end of next year “I started on “Drugs from Cells to Society” one month after my previous book was published,” Rosenthal said, “and the process has taken two years, however the overall project has been four years in the making.”

Having gotten her Ph.D in

>>Continued on A4

EN Photo/Melissa Garcia

OPINION

Venezuela

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Photo courtesy of Pinnacle magazine Martha Rosenthal has just written a new book about the effects of drugs on the body.

EN Photo/Oscar Santiago Torres That is just one of many challenges of working with dengue. Another issue is that there are four different types of the virus.

Treating just one of those types with medicine means that the victim may be more easily infected by one of the other three strains. And these strains can infect the victim in a more severe way because of their previous exposure.

“If you get an immunization to type one you are vaccinated for that type,” Isern said. “But if you get infected with type two, or three or four, the immunization won’t neutralize them. It will actually prime you for a worse disease.”

That is why, while they wait to hear if the California pharmaceutical company has had success with their inhibitors, Isern and Michael are working on a vaccine that will

>>Continued on A5

Bioreactor turns food waste to energy

By Madison Hampton @fgcueaglenews Florida Gulf Coast University is now one few universities to have its own bioreactor.

In the summer of 2012, Alex Erlenbach first encountered the concept of anaerobic digestion, the breakdown of materials without the use of oxygen. Erlenbach approached Professor Simeon Komisar about obtaining one for the engineering program. Komisar then suggested building one rather than buying it. With a grant from Student Associates for a Greener EN Photo/Madison Hampton Environment, or SAGE, the design Engineering student Alexander Erlenbach and construction of the anaerobic has built a bioreactor. digestion bioreactor began. bioreactor completes its anaerobic After many hours, and help from digestion period of about 21 days, it Komisar and his lab manager Chris creates compost used as fertilizer Bockrand, the bio reactor was in the food garden, along with some completed. It began making biogas biogas. in late June of 2014.

“If we were to scale up the The reactor is now located design, and increase the amount of behind Holmes Hall. Currently it biogas we create, we could holds 50 liters of material, typically post-consumer food waste from the >> Continued on A4 South Village dining hall. After the

EDITOR: NINA BARBERO NEWS@EAGLENEWS.ORG

A2 NEWS EAGLE NEWS WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 The official student produced newspaper at Florida Gulf Coast University since 1997.

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Eagle News McTarnaghan Hall 217 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 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.

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. WGCU anticipates this project to start early September.

For more details please contact Paula Sklodowski at 239-590-2510 or email psklodow@wgcu.org.

Colloquium The Rookery Bay Reserve is looking for students to help in many areas; assisting their Biologist with aquarium maintenance and fish feeding, assisting with the Butterfly Garden planting, trail maintenance, elementary school programs, and special events beginning with Estuary Day on Saturday, September 27th!! For more information, please contact Donna Young at donna.young@dep.state. fl.us or (239) 530-5974.

Florida DEP is looking for volunteers to help build a new oyster reef for the Peace River in Punta Gorda. Kate Aug, Florida DEP Community Outreach Coordinator, is looking for individuals & groups. You must be able to lift 30 lbs. to make oyster bags. Most bagging events are scheduled Tuesdays and Wednesdays 8:30 am to 10:30 am or so. Some Saturday dates are available. Please contact Kate by phone or email.

Katherine.Aug@dep.state.fl.us or call: (941)-575-5861 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.

NaNaNFGCU 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 & Long Term 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.

Ongoing YMCA of Lehigh Acres is looking for mentors for their Reach & Rise program. Reach & Rise is a therapeutic mentoring program for youth ages 6-17. Mentor requirements are: desire to work with at risk youth, 23+ years old, pass the YMCA screening process, and have a valid driver’s license and car insurance. Mentors will also be required to complete 15 hours of training and spend 1-3 hours per week with youth mentee for a minimum of one year. For more information, please contact Donna San Salvador at (941) 468-1187 or visit www.swflymca.org/mentor.

St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry is in need of volunteers and vehicles this summer! SVDP operates the largest food pantry in SWFL as Harry Chapin’s largest agency.

Distribution days are Tuesday and

Friday. Volunteers are needed at the Harry Chapin loading dock at 7:30am to help load the food and bring it back to our location. We will then bag the food in preparation for distribution between 9am and 11am. For more information, please contact Patrick Walker at (239) 543-4694.

Volunteer Collier has two servicelearning positions that need to be filled! First, they are in need of a graphics-tech person to help upgrade and maintain their website.

Second, they need someone to contact each of their listed agencies to make sure their information is upto-date. The mission of Volunteer Collier is to recruit volunteers for all non-profit agencies in Collier County and to promote the needs of those agencies to the public. For more information, please contact Donald Scott at dscott@volunteercollier.org.

FGCU Museum Studies Minor is looking for volunteers for various projects including: research, inventory/accessioning, advertisement, and event programing. Students must be willing to commit to the projects until completion, be willing to learn museum protocols, have a deep interest in artwork/ art history, and have the ability to work independently. For more information, please contact Professor Creagan at fcreagan@fgcu.edu or (239) 590-7426.

Habitat for Humanity of Lee and Hendry Counties is gearing up for a busy fall, winter and spring.

There are families waiting for homes, and we need to get busy building them! In order to accomplish all that we need to do, individuals, groups and/or organizations are needed to help us out. We are scheduling groups/ organizations for the upcoming season. Pick your volunteer date (or dates) and contact us today.

Individuals can sign up online and select the day that works best for your schedule. You can volunteer Tuesday thru Saturday. If you have any questions about scheduling a group or would like to set your group date – just contact volcoor@habitat4humanity.org or 239-652-1684 and we will get you set up! Don’t delay – sign up for a volunteer day!

K is for Kids Foundation’s mission of promoting literacy and leadership is fueled by student leaders and volunteers. Their keys to success are communication, creative thinking, goal setting, and utilizing skills and resources on hand. If you’re in need of Service-Learning hours, they are currently looking for student volunteers who are able to work independently, communicate consistently, and have access to a “mobile office” (phone or internet). If interested, please email them at info@kisforkids.org.

FGCU Adaptive Services is looking for responsible students who would like to volunteer to tutor in a one-on-one setting – ESPECIALLY WITH MATH! Please stop by the Adaptive Services office, first floor of Howard Hall, to get additional information regarding this opportunity and to fill out a Tutor Information Form. Tutors will receive service-learning hours for their assistance. If you have questions, please contact Barbara Fuentes at 239-590-7997 or at bfuentes@fgcu.edu.

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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 EAGLE NEWS NEWS A3

Time for takeoff Engineering students build drone to perform experiments

By Allie Taylor @AllieTaylorEN

EN Photo/Allie Taylor Engineering professor Janusz Zalewski and students are building a drone to perform experiments in places that are difficult for humans to enter.

The software engineering department at Florida Gulf Coast University is bringing an exciting element to personal relations and field research projects alike.

Professor Janusz Zalewski and his students are currently working on a drone that will be accessible not just to engineering students but to any department on campus.

Senior Lindsey Carboneau is one of the students involved in the drone project.

“This is being used for our research with network connectivity,” Carboneau said, “so this one will eventually be, by the end of the semester, connected to a website that’s hosted on our server.”

The ideal purpose for the drone, or Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), would be to perform experiments and surveys in the field that are too hard for humans to navigate. For instance, if the environmental science department wanted to take a survey of the Florida Panther, it would be difficult to go out into that habitat. Instead, the UAV would serve as a “bird’s eye view” to observe the area.

This also keeps humans from interfering with any data from the experiment.

The layout of computers, wires and bleeps works this way. First, Carboneau plugs in a battery pack and straps it to the back tail of the drone. When the aircraft is switched on, it chimes a series of tones and flutters its propellers.

It then calibrates the gyroscope, a stabilizing mechanism found in all aircrafts that allows it to stay

horizontal during flight. Once the blue light turns on, the drone is ready for takeoff.

On top of the UAV two computers “talk” to one another.

A control board on the top of the drone gives commands to the rest of the pieces whether to throttle up, down, or maintain speed. The secondary board underneath the main control tells whether the drone is level or if it needs to slow down a propeller to steady itself.

One of the issues that the engineers are working on right now is being able to pilot the aircraft from a radio control remote.

“We don’t want it taking off right now because it’s not directly controlled without sticking your face right near it,” Carboneau said.

“It will be really cool when it can control itself.”

Another problem is carrying capacity. The battery for the UAV that the engineering department is using right now is almost the exact weight as the drone’s limit, giving it a flight time of about 3045 minutes. To fix this, the team is working on a way for the drone to communicate back to them saying: “My battery is dead, I need to make an emergency landing. Come pick me up.”

Zalewski is thinking about buying another drone specifically for PR purposes to help bring more students to FGCU. It would be a great way to show interested students who are touring campus just what they can get involved with, no matter which major they are interested in. For now, the drone will stay inside the lab until it is ready to take to the air sometime in the spring.

A4 NEWS EAGLE NEWS WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3

EDITOR: NINA BARBERO NEWS@EAGLENEWS.ORG

EN Photos/Jessica Souza (Left) There is a human skeleton on display at the William R. Maples exhibit. (Top right) Human remains and skeletons studied by Maples. (Bottom right) One of Maples’ most famous cases involved the Romanovs, the royal Russian family that was murdered in 1918. He is pictured here with the skull of Tsar Nicholas, head of the Romanov family.

New library exhibit donated by widow of anthropologist depicts his career

By Jessica Souza @Jessica_E_Souza Dead men tell no tales unless you’re a forensic anthropologist.

Florida Gulf Coast University’s newest library exhibit is Dead Men Do Tell Tales: The William R. Maples Collection.

Maples was a world renowned forensic anthropologist before his death in 1997.

Some of his most famous investigations are available for viewing at the exhibit. These include documents and photos of Zachary Taylor, the 12th president of the United States who was thought to be assassinated; “Elephant Man” Joseph Merrick, who lived with awful deformities his entire life; Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro, who killed indigenous people of Peru; and the Russian Imperial Romanov family, who were murdered in 1918. The real skeleton of Angela Forte Dunn, who passed away in 2012, is also at the exhibit.

Maples founded the C.A. Pound Human Identification Laboratory in 1972, which is currently located at the University of Florida. The laboratory analyses skeletal remains and provides education to the University of Florida’s graduate students.

It was at the University of Florida where Heather WalshHaney, a forensics professor at FGCU, worked directly with Maples as his protégé. Walsh-Haney’s history with Maples helped FGCU secure the collection.

“Dr. Maples’ widow had all of Dr. Maples’ research materials, raw data, the material from his private cases, the non-human primates that he had worked on during his dissertation and she knew that I was starting here at Florida Gulf Coast University and came up with an idea to get them out of her house and into a university that would really

appreciate how special Dr. Maples was and his work was,” Walsh-Haney said.

Walsh-Haney was part of Maples’ team that he took to the Miami Medical Examiner’s Office to help locate and identify the juvenile victims from the ValuJet Flight 592 crash in 1996. All 110 passengers died in the crash. The team was tasked with specifically identifying the fragmentary remains of the children. Walsh-Haney was a note-taker for Maples and also helped with the x-rays.

“He was a conscientious and kind teacher but with that said, he was unafraid of providing criticism and he expected you as a student to be able to receive it. Everything he poured into me, I hope I successfully pass on to my students,” Walsh-Haney said. “I refer to him daily whether I’m talking to undergraduate or graduate students.”

FGCU has had the collection since 2006, but the University did not have the proper viewing space for exhibits like Dead Men Do Tell Tales until 2012.

Melissa VandeBurgt, FGCU’s digital services librarian, joined FGCU in March 2012. “The galleries didn’t actually get built out as galleries until I came on,” VandeBurgt said.

“They had been preserved as far as being in the archives and being properly cared for but they hadn’t been physically or intellectually arranged in any manner that would allow someone to provide access to it.” VandeBurgt and her team tracked down finding aids in order to set up the galleries. “A lot of work goes in before you guys see a show,” she said.

VandeBurgt has also completely digitalized the collection, which has 6,000 pieces. The digitalized collection has been available since Tuesday on the FGCU Library website.

Dolly Farrell, director of donor relations at FGCU, says that it’s unique for a university to have an exhibit like Dead Men Do Tell Tales.

Bringing home green gold ByAiden Strawhun @fgcueaglenews Florida Gulf Coast University is now the first institution in the state of Florida to receive a Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System 2.0 Gold award in recognition of achievements in sustainability from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).

The STARS 2.0 Gold award focuses on an institution’s all around sustainability. According to a press release from FGCU’s Office of Media Relations, these ratings look at operation, academics, student involvement and administration. These are measured both quantitatively and qualitatively as the ratings evaluate both aspects of environmental efforts and community health.

The award comes from the AASHE report. FGCU has been a member of AASHE since

2006, and in 2011 received a silver award. In order to get these awards, representatives such as Katie Leone, FGCU’s Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability Coordinator, take time each year to calculate and evaluate criteria from STARS. “It’s been a collaborative effort between institutions all across the country to come up with the framework and what it is,” Leone said.“Five to seven years ago everyone was measuring and talking about sustainability differently. STARS is the one report that is starting to be widely adopted by all in this country, and now this year, internationally.”

AASHE acts as a means of communication and awareness between schools.

In the press release, Leone referred to it as “ a collaborative platform through which we learn from other institutions and are acknowledged for leadership.”

The main objective of AASHE

is to build a community, and keep record of where schools and universities are at in terms of sustainability. It not only allows schools to grow from each other but for data to be collected and reported on by organizations like The Princeton Review and Sierra Club every three years.

FGCU received the award for many reasons but scored highest in academics, earning a near perfect score of 54 of 58. This is because most departments are an active part of sustainability efforts via curriculum or hands on interaction.

Other aspects include registered student organizations promoting sustainability, service learning projects, efforts to help stabilize climate and become carbon neutral by 2050, perusal of biodiversity through regular monitoring and use of ecologically friendly fertilization methods.

“It’s really been a personal relationship between the Maples family and Dr. Walsh-Haney, which is why we have it here,” Farrell said. “It’s very unique for Florida Gulf Coast University to be selected for a collection of this magnitude.

Dr. Walsh-Haney is very well-known and respected in her field and I would think that Dr. Maples and Mrs. Maples would really trust her with this exhibit. When you look around the exhibit, it’s their life.”

The collection does not target one set audience. WalshHaney hopes it appeals to everyone.

“Dr. Maples, through his caseworks, highlights the human condition. As you go from image to image and skeleton to skeleton, you can not only trace the anatomic changes that mark monkeys, apes, and humans, but you also see the manifestation of human behavior,” Walsh-Haney said.

“That behavior might be the slaughter of the Romanov family. It could be the irresponsible upkeep of the ValuJet plane and its cargo that caused the crash. It could be understanding and remembering how Francisco Pizzaro, the last conquistador, moved into Peru and obliterated indigenous people.

“So this collection allows us and students to marvel at the skeleton. But it’s not macabre; rather, the collection really tugs at one’s mind and heart to understand humankind through behavior and anatomy. The skeleton, something that we might take for granted because we have it covered with skin and muscle, is actually a very important record of how we ate, of our activity, of our behavior.”

Dead Men Do Tell Tales: The William R. Maples Collections is available until Nov. 14. The exhibit is located in the FGCU Library Room 322.

>> Bioreactor continued

theoretically retrofit the propane grills used in the dining facilities on campus to use the biogas instead of propane,” Erlenbach said. “This would complete the cycle. Get the food waste from students, turn it into biogas, give them the biogas. Pretty sweet gig for them if you ask me.”

The bioreactor currently digests only plant-based materials, although Erlenbach said it could hypothetically digest anything. He also said that in order to optimize gas production, we need to keep the carbon/nitrogen ration at 30/1 but the food waste provides a ratio of about 20/1. In order to fix this, Erlenbach said, “We add shredded Eagle News newspapers to raise the ratio. I got the newspapers from the Eagle News office, with permission, and occasionally I read about what happened at FGCU in 2012.”

Although there are no current plans to upscale the bioreactor project, Erlenbach noted that eventually, “long after I’ve graduated”, they want to be able to handle most or all of the food waste produced by on campus dining.

For now, “it’s just to prove that we can successfully maintain it.”

>> Rosenthal continued

neuroscience at UCLA, her master’s degree in neuropharmacology at Brown University and her B.A. in Biology at University of Virginia, Rosenthal’s primary background began in drugs.

“They are fascinating. These molecules change your world view, they influence your psyche and perception,” she said.

In publishing this textbook, Rosenthal is hoping to provide a clearly unbiased and scientific approach to a subject matter often shrouded in mystery, questionable policy and law making. The textbook will give access to both sides of the story, and give the reader the opportunity to critically evaluate and form an educated opinion of his own. Her textbook will address the history of all drugs and answer many questions commonly associated with the history of drugs within this world.

Rosenthal hopes that her book will help readers change their attitudes toward drugs.

“Changing attitudes will limit all the unnecessary hurt,” Rosenthal said.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 EAGLE NEWS NEWS A5

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Silence can speak volumes

Professor can’t hear his students, but he’s listening to everything they say

EN Photos/Joseph Albano

(Left) Professor Chris Hamstra and service dog, Hero, after an American Sign Language class. (Right) Students learn sign language in class.

By Tiara Brown @tiabiaboo When Chris Hamstra’s wife wants to get his attention from another room, she turns to a golden Labrador retriever named Hero for assistance. With one command, “Go get Chris,” the dog knows to find his owner and tap him on the leg with his nose. Once Hamstra notices Hero’s notion, the dog walks away expecting him to follow.

When Hamstra was just 10 months old, he contracted meningitis. Although he survived the infection, his hearing did not.

The Bradenton native has been legally deaf ever since, only vaguely able to hear loud noises with the help of a powerful hearing aid.

Although he cannot hear, Hamstra is fluent in American Sign Language (ASL) and in reading lips. He can also communicate verbally, speaking clear, concise English that can be understood by those who are unable to formally communicate with their hands. He is so good at communicating with anyone he encounters that he has made a career out of it.

After receiving his Master’s degree in Special Education with a focus in deaf studies from the University of North Florida, Hamstra moved to Cape Coral.

Since then, Hamstra has spent the last 11 years working with deaf children at Allen Park Elementary in Fort Myers, and the last six teaching ASL to students at Florida Gulf Coast University. His classes are always very popular and reach their maximum capacity each semester.

“I enjoy the learning environment,” Hamstra said verbally and with his hands.

“I love to see children and students smile when I’m animated. ASL isn’t just learning a language. It is learning a culture.”

According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, ASL is the third most widely used language in the United States, following English and Spanish. Hamstra attributes some of its growth to use in pop culture and on widely-viewed television shows such as ABC Family’s Switched At Birth. In his classes, Hamstra teaches students about famous people in the deaf community. He also has them go to events outside of FGCU that require his students to interact with deaf families in the community.

However, this is only once the students are comfortable and somewhat fluent with the language.

“In the beginning we start out with things like the alphabet and finger spelling,” Hamstra said. “As we get more into the semester, the students pair up with partners and complete projects. They present information about themselves to the class using only sign language, so they tell us about their family and what their apartment looks like, or they use whatever type of vocabulary we are learning in that particular chapter. Then the next semester we do children’s books and song translations.”

This may seem intimidating to those who have never learned a foreign language before, but sophomore psychology major Stephanie Brown says that the classes are actually quite fun. Brown was enrolled in both of Hamstra’s classes, ASL I and II, and was present during Hamstra’s interview with Eagle News in case an interpreter was needed. Although it turned out that her

interpreting services weren’t needed, she was excited to practice her skills and share her experience in Hamstra’s classes.

“It was so great,” Brown said. “The way he teaches, he goes out of his way to make silly faces. You learn to goof off in a constructive way, and he’s always teaching us fun facts as we go, like how football huddles originate from deaf culture. I learned so much, and the environment was completely hands on.”

Although Hamstra does like to show off his funny side, his animated faces are actually necessary for communicating in ASL. While every language requires different signals and movements to get a point across, usually they’re communicated verbally with differing vocal tones. This can be really apparent when someone is asking a question and the speaker raises the pitch of his or her voice. In ASL, however, questions are communicated by raising eyebrows, widening eyes and leaning forward.

“I’m a lot like Colin Mochrie, the comedian from “Whose Line Is It, Anway?”

Hamstra said. “I’m flexible, fun, animated and I really care. Teaching here at FGCU is like stress relief.”

But teaching a language to people who are not familiar with it has its challenges.

On Mondays, Hamstra has an interpreter, usually a former student, come to class in case there are language barriers.

“It can be hard to understand some of the questions people ask or the things they tell me,” Hamstra said. “Some people think I’m just hard of hearing, but my hearing aid only helps hear some noise and only if it is really loud.”

On the first day of Hamstra’s ASL I class this semester, junior psychology major

Amanda Miller was surprised by Hamstra.

“He stomped his foot to get our attention,” Miller said. “Then he used the computer and typed what he wanted to communicate with us.”

Later in the class, Hamstra asked the students if they thought he was deaf, hard of hearing or able to hear.

“He told us he was deaf and proud of it,” Miller said. “He then typed that he could speak and introduced himself verbally. I had no idea that the professor would be deaf. I thought he might be an interpreter, but I think him being deaf makes if better because we are learning ASL from someone who uses it every day to communicate with others.”

Moments such as this are some of Hamstra’s favorites. He explained that he likes to start out as somewhat of a mystery when he first meets his students. Then, as his classes learn more from each chapter, he reveals relevant information. So each week when students learn new information, such as how to talk about different sports, they will learn things about Hamstra’s athletic history and his time competing in the Special Olympics soccer tournament. Each class period is like an adventure, keeping students invested in the education they’re paying for.

“I really enjoy my job,” Hamstra said.

“The best and worst part is that the students are always wanting more. Right now we only offer ASL I and II, but many other universities offer ASL III and IV as well. After our second semester together, my students always ask me about ASL III but we don’t offer it. I don’t know what the future holds, but I do know that I would definitely not mind teaching more. ”

>>Dengue fever continued

EN Photos/Joseph Albano Senior Ryan Lynn operates a camera at WGCU. The PBS station airs programs such as “Sesame Street,” “NOVA” and “Downton Abbey.”

The Big Bird on campus

By Melissa Garcia @melissayosephin When anybody in Southwest Florida is watching PBS, or listening to NPR, it is coming from the Florida Gulf Coast University’s very own WGCU building. FGCU his home to WGCU-TV and WGCUFM. All of those TV shows that were a staple of so many childhoods such as “Sesame Street,” “Curious George” and “Arthur” are streamed to Southwest Florida from the FGCU campus.

Other popular shows like “Downton Abbey” and “Antiques Roadshow” are shown on the channel as well.

General Manager Rick Johnson has been in broadcast journalism for more than 40 years. Johnson said that having a station such as this on a college campus is not uncommon. In fact, he has worked on two college campuses prior to FGCU: University of New Mexico

for 10 years, and at Florida State University.

Johnson believes that having the station on a college campus is beneficial for both faculty and students. “It’s having resources right outside your door,” Johnson said. With the opportunities available for student involvement, it is certainly a two-way street when it comes to the benefits of having WGCU on campus. WGCU partners with a lot of different departments to get students involved. WGCU has student workers, volunteers and interns.

Aside from the obvious relationship with the communication and journalism departments, which use a couple classrooms in the building, students are also able to participate in projects for service learning hours.

At the moment, there is a student getting service learning hours by translating handouts from English to Spanish.

Starting last year, after the

men’s basketball team went to the Sweet 16 and became known as “Dunk City,” ESPN wanted to stream FGCU basketball games on its channel. ESPN approached FGCU as a partner to make this happen. Students were given the opportunity to film the games themselves. WGCU is currently in the process of finding student videographers to continue the program this season.

On the television side of things, there are opportunities ranging from engineering to sales, and several students can work, volunteer or intern at one time.

On the radio side, there is only one internship available per semester.

There are certain requirements for the internship, and it is coordinated through the journalism department.

WGCU Director of Communications Barbara Steinhoff told Eagle News that a “running joke here is that our boss is Big Bird.”

treat all four types of dengue.

Isern recently secured $1.7 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health to help with this project.

“We kind of have a fresh approach,” Isern said. “We have designed an idea around what cells the virus targets.”

This involves getting a blood sample from someone with dengue, diluting out individual cells, growing the cells and looking at them one at a time.

But the couple who started their dengue research before their current labs in Academic Building Seven had even been built, are ready for that work.

It can be called a tropical virus, a uniquely human disease or even a neglected disease. But thanks to the work of scientists such as Isern, Michael and their team of FGCU undergrads, dengue fever may soon become a virus of the past.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

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EN photo/ Klaudia Balogh

When grocery shopping, explore the section with fruits, nuts and veggies and try not to get tempted by the candy isle.

Five tips to avoid the ‘Freshman 15’

By Klaudia Balogh @KlaudiaBaloghPR You are in college now: studying, establishing your future and enjoying the best years of your youth. But do you pay attention to your health and what you eat and drink?

It’s so simple to neglect what you consume because there are so many things going on around you. You flew out of your parents’ nest, and now you can eat and drink whatever you want, whenever you want it.

Eating healthy and exercising are the first things that slide toward the bottom of your list of necessities.

Amy Iannone, a senior nursing student at Florida Gulf Coast University, thinks she knows the reason why.

“Students are often for the first time independent and responsible for their own meals,” Iannone said. “They may not have the time and resources to cook healthy meals for themselves.”

Some college students may gain more weight, some may gain less, but that’s exactly what created the “Freshman 15” phenomenon.

FGCU registered dietitian and nutritionist Joan Faris has five simple tips for students.

“Some major contributors that I often see are skipping meals, eating for the wrong reasons, such as boredom, or social eating and snacking on processed foods, like chips

So how can you stay fit and healthy throughout your college years? Here five tips suggested by FGCU nutritionists: 1. Avoid skipping meals — eat every three to four hours.

2. Make healthy choices at the cafeteria. Choose vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans and other lean proteins.

3. Snack on fruits, vegetables, yogurt and nuts.

4. Walk or ride a bike to class instead of taking the bus.

5. Get enough sleep — those who don’t get enough sleep tend to consume more calories throughout the day.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were married Saturday, Aug. 23, in France.

AP Photo/Matt Sayles, File

Joan Rivers is in critical condition in a New York City hospital.

or crackers, instead of choosing healthy snacks,” Faris said.

She also said that little physical activity also played an important role.

Despite the discouraging statistics, students are getting better year after year.

“Every year there appears to be more interest in nutrition and fitness, which may be due to an increased focus on these topics in the media,” Faris said.

“This is encouraging, but there is also a lot of nutrition misinformation out there, sometimes resulting in students following an overly restricted diet or consuming toxic levels of supplements. It’s important for students to get their nutrition information from credible sources.”

It’s easy to pick things off the shelves that are more delicious and less nutritious, but there are options that are both delicious and nutritious. “Eat Real Food!” is the mantra Faris suggests.

“Whole foods provide a wide array of nutrients, and are more satisfying than processed food,” she said.

Choose grilled chicken and veggies over a burger and fries, and drink water over soda. Have a peach or an apple instead of a candy bar or a bag of chips.

Following these tips may sound tough at the beginning, but as you change certain habits step by step, day by day, it will become part of your daily routine and make you feel better inside out. Eventually, “Freshman 15” will be a thing of the past.

AP Photo/Charles Sykes, File

Celebrity gossip

Wedding bells ring, Jackson remembered, Rivers in critical condition

By Renee Johnson @EagleNewsEnt Wedding news This past week, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Dwayne Wade and Gabrielle Union, and Ashlee Simpson and Evan Ross got married.

After being together since 2005, Brangelina finally tied the knot Aug. 23.

According to enews.com, the two got married at the Palatial Chateau Miraval in South France during a private ceremony.

The ceremony included all six of the couple’s children, and they each played their own parts in the ceremony.

Dwayne Wade and Gabrielle Union got

married Aug. 30 in Miami at the Chateau Artisan estate, a private property that has a castle surrounded by a moat and a private lake. After being together for four years and being engaged for eight months, the happy couple tied the knot. According to foxnews.com, it was in lavish style with a performance by John Legend. This is the second marriage for both of them.

Ashlee Simpson and Evan Ross wedded at his mother’s home in Greenwich, Connecticut, on Aug. 31. The legendary Diana Ross not only hosted the wedding, but also officiated it. According to E! News the bridal party consisted of Jessica Simpson as maid of honor and Cacee Cobb. Ashlee’s son Bronx, from her previous marriage,

walked her down the aisle. The two have been together for just about a year and got engaged in January.

Michael Jackson’s kids reunite On Aug. 29, Michael Jackson would have been 56 years old. In honor of their dad, his three children visited his hometown in Gary, Indiana. According to TMZ, this was the first time all three kids (Paris, Prince and Blanket) were seen together in a while. His daughter Paris is at a boarding school in Utah after attempting to take her life last year.

Joan Rivers in critical condition Comedian Joan Rivers was having

throat surgery on Aug. 28 when she had to be rushed to Mount Sinai Hospital after she stopped breathing. As of Sept. 2, Rivers remained in critical condition, in a medically induced coma and on life support.

According to TMZ, at one point the 81-year-old’s heart stopped beating. Her daughter Melissa issued this statement: “My mother would be so touched by the tributes and prayers that we have received from around the world. Her condition remains serious, but she is receiving the best treatment and care possible. We ask that you continue to keep her in your thoughts as we pray for her recovery.”

Melissa and her son, Cooper, flew across the country to be by Joan’s side.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 EAGLE NEWS E & L A7

EDITOR: AUBRIE GERBER ENTERTAINMENT@EAGLENEWS.ORG

Advice

Learn where to study

The quietest spots on campus are revealed

By Renee Johnson @EagleNewsEnt One of the most important things college students can do to keep their grades in check is to find a great study spot — one that makes you feel comfortable, helps you concentrate and makes you feel as though the mission is accomplished when you are finished. Here are a few great study spots around campus.

The Library The Library has many great areas for studying. The array of study spots is one of the main reasons why students should use it. My personal favorite is located on the second floor where there is a study area that looks out into the wilderness, as well as the people commuting to and from campus.

However, if you are easily distracted, this area might not be for you. Instead, the first floor has a great enclosed area next to Starbucks.

Academic Building 7 In Academic Building 7, the first floor has

many tables and chairs arranged for a nice study area. The building is quiet most of time, so this is also one to consider if you’re looking for a quiet study session.

Merwin Hall The first floor of Merwin Hall has a nice little area for studying. Although it doesn’t have a set of tables, it does have comfy chairs for studying. The building can get a little noisy between class periods, but other than that, it’s as quiet while classes are in session.

The Link The lobby between Holmes Hall and Lutgert Hall has a cafe called The Link. This is a great area to meet with group members to study together or to work on projects.

Lutgert Hall The west side of Lutgert Hall has many chairs with circular tables attached, which make this an ideal study spot. This is also a great area because it’s very quiet and great for personal study sessions.

Netflix series review

BoJack makes a comeback A puntacular ’90s sitcom is revamped

By Kelli Krebs Opinion editor @thereal_kkrebs Netflix has done it again.

The online streaming site kicked off yet another brilliant original series, “BoJack Horseman.” Like many of Netflix’s original shows, “BoJack Horseman” leaves you asking for more after finishing the whole series in one sitting.

As the title would suggest, the series follows the life of BoJack Horseman, a horse (well, horseman) and ’90s sitcom star “has-been” in his post stardom life in his bachelor pad. In the series, BoJack, voiced

by Will Arnett, tries to regain the love and stardom he once had before a typical celebrity downward spiral chain of events of failed exploits, bad relationships and selfmedicated remedies through publishing a book about his memoirs.

The single season, 12-episode series is set mostly in Los Angeles where humans and anthropomorphic animal-people coexist. BoJack is accompanied by his human freeloading roommate, Todd (voiced

by Aaron Paul), cut-throat agent and exgirlfriend Princess Carolyn the cat (Amy Sedaris), human ghost writer Diane Nguyen (Allison Brie) and an amiable canine and former sitcom rival, Mr. Peanutbutter (Paul F. Tompkins).

Through the first few episodes, you can expect what you would see from any typical adult-swim-style satirical animated comedy. The show nails gritty one-liners and clever pop culture spins on the animalhuman hybrid world (Quentin Tarantulino for example. Yes, he’s a tarantula). However, as the show goes on, the plot starts to take an unexpected turn and begins to highlight some darker themes. You will find yourself rooting for the once unlikable sitcom washup.

Overall the show is pretty funny and worth a watch. If you love puns, cynical and gritty humor, pop culture references, depth, and, again, more puns than you can imagine, this is a show you’ll love.

“BoJack Horseman” is already renewed for a second season after it’s initial release Aug. 22.

AP Photo/Lionsgate, Phil Bray

This image released by Lionsgate shows Sylvester Stallone, left, and Jason Statham, center, in a scene from “Expendables 3.”

Movie review

Third time’s the charm as ‘The Expendables’ becomes modernized

“The Expendables 3” starts off with Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) and the Expendables crew carrying out a mission to rescue an old Expendable member (Wesley Snipes). Immediately after the rescue mission, the team is sent on another mission to take down the most dangerous war criminal in the world. During their job, Ross finds himself going after a dead friend and former Expendable named Conrad

Stonebanks (Mel Gibson).

Since the mission went south, Ross’ employer Max Drummer (Harrison Ford) decides to change the mission to bringing Stonebanks in alive. Ross, who fears losing another member, finds newer and younger mercenaries to help him find Stonebanks.

As a part of his new Expendable temporary team, there is Thorn (Glen Powell), a guru hacker that specializes in technology; Luna (Ronda Rousey), a fierce bouncer who is skilled in physical combat; Mars (Victor Ortiz), a solider who specializes in weapons;

and Smilee (Kellan Lutz), a spunky fighter.

A majority of the movie revolves around the new recruits. There is still some interaction between Stallone and his previous Expendable co-stars such as Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture and Terry Crews. Jet Li and Arnold Schwarzenegger roughly have the same amount of on screen time as they had in the previous Expendables movies.

Ford and Snipes make the most of their minimal on-screen time. Despite Ford’s age, he doesn’t settle for minute action, but

instead goes for the thrill factor while riding a helicopter, while Snipes jokes about his time spent in prison for tax evasion.

Expendables fans may find it just as entertaining as the previous films. Viewers will watch old-timers lift heavy machinery while blowing things up. The introduction of modern-day actors helps bring in a younger audience.

But the real question is “How far can you go with making movies about actors fighting?”

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What you never expect going abroad Art student reflects on her month spent studying in Florence, Italy I am an art major here at Florida Gulf Coast University and I graduate in December. You might have seen me scurrying around between the arts complex, art history classes and chemistry classes.

“What chemistry classes?” you may ask.

As I just finished my Organic Chemistry II class in the spring, you can bet I was the only non-science major in there, much less an art major. But that’s what you have to take to go about studying art restoration.

Another practicality you need is experience. I’ve been working with an art conservator for about a year now, but I wanted to get away. I sincerely wanted to be dropped off somewhere new; the center of all the classical art. A place where I could get up close to all the art that I’ve been studying in my art history courses. So I started looking.

Every year at FGCU, I had seen the same guy from the same school in the study abroad fair held in the breezeway. He was from the Lorenzo ‘de Medici International Institute in Italy. I told him I was interested in art conservation and restoration, and he told me what a fantastic program they had in three different cities. They even had a summer workshop for four weeks if I couldn’t go during the semester. I remembered what he said, and I looked into their program again in January. I could live a month in Florence and work on site with 15th century paintings? It sounded like a dream.

So I worked to make it happen. I had fantastic support from my honors program, which hooked me up with a decent scholarship to cut down on the price.

I booked my flight and I was out of the country by May 27. I even met up with my freshman resident assistant from Palmetto Hall, who has been living in Florence while getting her master’s in library science from Florida State University. She let me stay the first night with her before I moved into my summer apartment.

Being dropped off in a country where you don’t know the language and you have zero cell phone abilities is frightening. Although I know Spanish and Portuguese pretty decently, Italian was a whole different monster. Florence is a great place to learn though. Granted, they get a lot of tourists around the Duomo, so maybe half the people know English already. But they are super friendly and are more than willing to help you practice your Italian. I had to make a lot of mistakes, though.

Within the first few days, I had bleached my clothes from taking a chance on a bottle that looked like laundry detergent. On multiple occasions I was ordering something with scallions when it was actually mussels. You also aren’t expected to tip anywhere as it is already included in your sitting fee. Sitting is actually more expensive than standing, if you have the option. You also probably shouldn’t smile at random people on the street, as the guys often take it as an invitation. And don’t look like a tourist — the young people there dress much nicer than we normally do, so it’s easy to stick out. Pickpocketing is common, but violence isn’t. But these are all things I picked up on quickly.

There are almost no cars in the city except for taxis because everyone can walk across Florence within 20 minutes. And since everyone is outside so often, the nightlife is beautiful. Places open late and stay open even later, and people will still serve food after midnight. It was quite a change after only having Jimmy John’s and Pita Pit at 2 a.m. If you stay out late enough, you can smell out a secret bakery, the ones that stay up all night making brioches for the cafés in the morning. If you’re quiet enough, you can walk up, knock and buy one — even at 4:30 in the morning.

The art was even more mind-blowing than this new culture. My professor ended up being late for our first day of class because he had just gotten off a plane from Easter Island where he was working on Moai statues. By the third day of class he had taken us on a field trip to the Medici Chapel and snuck us into the back room where there was a door in the floor. There is a series of drawings on the walls in a corridor underneath the Medici Chapel that is now blocked off to the public.

Michelangelo did them when he was hiding from Pope Julius and the Medici family in the sixteenth century. My professor was on the team, about 40 years ago that first discovered these drawings. They are proportional to the David, Sistine Chapel figures and the Medici tomb sculptures. If you told me I was going to be able to go up and touch Michelangelo’s sketches six months ago, I never would have believed you.

We worked on many different projects. The goal was to be exposed to as many mediums as possible, so we learned to restore wooden sculptures, frescos and oil paintings. Everything we worked on was authentic and from the 15th to 17th century. I never knew what we were going to do next. I would often show up for class and be told to go to the roundabout because “we’re going on a field trip!” and only on the way there I would figure out that we were going to the Certosa del Galluzzo monastery or maybe Giotto’s hometown.

I grew exponentially in this place. I forced myself to be open as much as possible to anything, to question everything and to always keep moving. As an observer, not distracted about the future or what I had to do when I got back stateside, I was able to live much more fully and take in so much more than had I been anxious about what I can’t control. Being without a phone during the day was fantastic. I apologize that I don’t check my phone very often anymore, but once you function without one and realize how distracting it is, you surely are never the same.

So if you go abroad, you can’t have any expectations, except one. Expect to grow. You won’t know how or why until you get there. And that’s the best part about it. You’ll look forward to returning and reuniting with everyone, but you will get back and wonder why it feels stranger at home than it did when you got off the plane in a random country. It’s because you’ve adapted to using your brain in a powerful way, which we don’t learn in a textbook. You learn how react and grow through unpredictable experiences and new environments. That’s something you can’t put a value on.

If you would like to see more photos from this journey, I will be having an exhibition up soon in the Sugden Welcome Center. Those shots are entirely on 35mm and 120 film, as that’s what I’m in love with. I kept a daily photo log on Instagram you can check that out as well @hannahmydeer. And if you would like to know more about digital and film photography, I’m the president of our Photography Club on campus, so feel free to join us for some awesome workshops and field trips. It’s just another way to get some new experiences.

A dopo! Ciao!

Hannah Johnson

ATHLETICS

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EN Phto/Joseph Albano

David Robledo attempts to beat USF defenders.

Eagles shut out Bulls, securing a 2-0 record

By Vanessa Mosquera @jnessam Felipe DeSousa’s record-setting goal and Kamar Marriott’s strike in the 87th minute secured a 2-0 win for the FGCU men’s soccer team over USF during its season opener Friday night.

DeSousa was subbed into the game in the 59th minute where he began to make spaces quickly. The junior dribbled past a defender and cut back into the middle, where he was taken down in the box. DeSousa shot the penalty directly inside the lower left of the post, which set the Eagles to a great start.

The junior’s goal became his 14th at FGCU with almost

two more seasons remaining of his collegiate sports career. The goal also places him ahead of the previous record-holder, Christian Raudales.

Freshman Kamar Marriott, who came into the game alongside DeSousa, also helped secure a key opportunity for the Eagles. As the game was coming to an end, FGCU countered off a Bulls’ corner kick where freshman Derek Gebhart got past the defensive line and crossed it to Marriott who completed the play and shot past USF goalkeeper Spasoje Stefanovic.

“Our philosophy was to play two of our freshmen — Arion and Albert — up front for as long as they could, and once they started to fade we knew we were going to bring in some speed in Felipe and Derek,” head coach

Bob Butehorn said in a prepared statement. “Those two play extremely well, and Felipe and Derek created some mismatches as USF wasn’t able to handle their speed. We eventually got rewarded for that, and I give our coaching staff a lot of credit for instituting the game plan and for our players for executing it well.”

The match marks the sixth-straight season FGCU and USF meet, and the win against the Bulls is only the second in the series for the Eagles. USF also participated in the NCAA Tournament last year and was one of the opponents FGCU faced in their non-conference schedule.

Eagles will return to The Nest against Portland at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 4 and then host 2010 National Champion Akron at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6 also.

The week ahead in FGCU Athletics

9/3 W Soccer at FIU 7:30 p.m.

9/5 W Cross Country at South Florida Invitational 5 p.m.

9/5 Volleyball Southern Illinois (Columbus, Ohio) 10 a.m.

9/4 M Soccer Portland 7 p.m.

9/5 Volleyball at Ohio State 7:30 p.m.

9/6 M Soccer Akron 7 p.m.

9/5 M Cross Country at South Florida Invitational 5 p.m.

9/7 Volleyball Auburn (Columbus, Ohio) 11 a.m.

9/7 W Soccer Murray State 1 p.m.

EDITOR: JILL HIMMELFARB SPORTS@EAGLENEWS.ORG

B2 SPORTS EAGLE NEWS WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3

Women’s soccer

Tindell and the Eagles beat Miami 2-1

By Jill Himmelfarb Sports editor @jillhimmelfarb The Florida Gulf Coast University women’s soccer team took to the road this past weekend. The Eagles traveled to Coral Gables where they triumphed over the University of Miami Hurricanes on Friday night, 2-1.

In Miami, the Eagles put up five shots to the Hurricanes’ one during the first half of the match. At halftime, the board remained scoreless. It wasn’t until the 54th minute of play when Shannen Wacker settled a

ball inside the box. She passed to Paulina Speckmaier who buried her first goal of the 2014 season giving the Eagles a 1-0 advantage.

Only four minutes after S p e c k m a i e r ’s tally, Ashley Parks won a

Tindell

loose ball and handed it over to Atlantic Sun Player of the Week Tabby Tindell near midfield. Tindell carried the ball down the length of the Miami half of the field, before beating the UM goalkeeper to tally her third goal of the season, giving FGCU a 2-0 lead.

Miami attempted three corner kicks over a span of one minute to combat the FGCU lead. When the third corner kick from the right side in the 81st minute was deflected by an FGCU defender, a Miami player corralled the free ball and moved it to a teammate at the top of the box who turned and shot to the near post finding

its mark behind FGCU keeper Brittany Brown, cutting the FGCU lead to 2-1.

The Green and Blue continued to play hard to secure its victory over the Hurricanes. FGCU finished with a 9-5 shot advantage, and Brown made three saves.

“Outstanding performance by our team,” said head coach Jim Blankenship in a previous statement. “I’m proud of the girls, how well they fought and how much heart they played with. I thought our defense was stifling; it was just an outstanding performance all around, to hold a team that good to only six shots is very impressive, just a tremendous effort.”

Eagles drop first game of the season to USF

By Jill Himmelfarb Sports editor @jillhimmelfarb The Florida Gulf Coast University women’s soccer team lost its first match of the 2014 season at the University of South Florida on Sunday evening, falling 1-0.

USF outplayed the Eagles for the majority of the game.

USF outshot FGCU 15-4 and forced FGCU goalkeeper Brittany Brown to make seven saves. This was the first time that the Bulls have ever outshot the Eagles in

the regular season.

The Eagles did not force the USF goalkeeper to make a single save while Brown made five in the first half.

In the 50th minute of play, the first goal came off the foot off of USF player Leticia Skeete. Brown made an initial save against Skeete but when the ball got loose from Brown’s grip, Skeete moved to it and shot to the back of the net to give the Bulls a 1-0 lead.

Julia Roddar and Tabby Tindell each earned one shot. During the 84th minute, Kaitlin Parker broke free and came up

one-on-one with the USF goalkeeper, but to no avail for the Eagles. The clock wound down without another chance for the Eagles, resulting in their first defeat of the season.

“It was obviously a disappointing result,” said head coach Jim Blankenship in a previous statement. “We didn’t play our best soccer but give credit to them.

They really stretched the field and I felt like we really gave them way too much time and space on the ball. In the second half we got better, but we were up against it after they scored a nice goal. We just

have to learn from this. Even though we didn’t play our best we were still in the match at the end and had a chance to equalize but their keeper made a great save.”

Next, the Green and Blue head back to Miami for a meeting with Florida International University at 7 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 3 before returning home to the FGCU Soccer Complex at 1 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 7 against Murray State.

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ASSOCIATED PRESS COLLEGE FOOTBALL TOP 25 FLORIDA STATE 1-0

1 2 3

ALABAMA 1-0

OREGON 1-0

4 5

OKLAHOMA 1-0

AUBURN 1-0

GEORGIA 1-0

UCLA 1-0

NOTRE DAME 1-0

SOUTH CAROLINA 0-1

6

11

16

21

7 8

12 13

17 18

21 23

9 10

14 15

19 20

24 25

MICHIGAN STATE 1-0 LSU 1-0

OHIO STATE 1-0

TEXAS A&M 1-0

BAYLOR 1-0

STANFORD 1-0

USC 1-0

OLE MISS 1-0

ARIZONA STATE 1-0 NORTH CAROLINA 1-0

WISCONSIN 0-1

NEBRASKA 1-0

KANSAS STATE 1-0

CLEMSON 0-1

MISSOURI 1-0

LOUISVILLE 1-0

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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 EAGLE NEWS SPORTS B3

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Cross country

Photo courtesy of FGCU Athletics Women’s cross country team at Stetson invitational

Eagles take first- and third-place finishes at Stetson Invitational

By Rebecca VanEtten @rebeccavanetten The Florida Gulf Coast University men’s and women’s cross country teams started their seasons off on high notes at the Stetson Hatter Invitational on Saturday with a third and first place finish respectively.

Senior Brooke Sill led the women’s team to a victory with a first-place finish in the 5K with a time of 19:39.56. Senior

Alicen Wilbur took second-place and junior Courtney Corradetti finished third.

All of the women who competed finished in the top 10 putting FGCU atop the leaderboard with 17 points followed by the University of North Florida with 65 points.

“The women ran an aggressive race and had a good pack up front,” head coach Cassandra Goodson told FGCU Athletics.

“Brooke had an outstanding showing, she will be someone to watch for at the conference championship meet…”

The men’s team finished in third place.

Junior Nathan Kandie led the team with a first-place finish in the 8K. Freshman Troy Clark placed fifth and sophomore Courtland Bernard finished in ninth place.

The three top-10 finishes put the eagles in third place with 44 points. UNF won with 36 points and Lipscomb came in second with 43 points.

“Today was a great way to begin our season,” Goodson said. “Both teams showed good performances highlighted by

race wins. Testing out the course where this year’s conference championship will be held and racing against other Atlantic Sun teams was a great way to get things started.”

With a successful first race, both teams head to the South Florida Invitational on Sept. 5 in Tampa in hopes of keeping their momentum going.

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Volleyball

FGCU volleyball practices for invitational

EN Photo/Tessa Mortensen

FGCU volleyball goes 1-2 at Miami invite

By Michael Flynn @flynndarealest After beginning its season with a marquee victory over Florida A&M, the Florida Gulf Coast University Volleyball Team dropped two games at Miami’s Knight Sports Complex to Seton Hall University and the University of Miami on Saturday, Aug. 30. The Eagles are now 1-2 on the season.

The Eagles got off to a strong start against the Pirates of Seton Hall, winning the first two sets in a decisive manner, but then dropped the next two sets to send the match into a fifth set in which the game was ultimately decided in a 17-15 finish.

In the finale, the Eagles struggled to get into a rhythm matched up against the Hurricanes’ athleticism, falling in three consecutive sets (25-10, 25-19, 25-17) to the ACC opponent.

“This season is going to be a work in progress,” head coach Matt Botsford said in a press release. “But the overriding theme should be that the season provides us an

upwards trajectory. We don’t want to fixate on a single day because we know that even when there are dips, two weeks from now we will better than we are today. After a day like today, we know better what we need to work on and what we need to prepare better for. I know that from a player’s perspective this is disappointing, but from a coaching prospective, it is a valuable resource.”

Seton Hall Although the Eagles produced 67 total kills compared to Seton Hall’s 48, the Pirates had the advantage on the defensive end with 15 blocks compared to FGCU’s 5.

FGCU had 38 errors compared to Seton Hall’s 14, which proved to be a deciding factor in the game.

Jessica Barnes again led the Eagles’ offense for the second-straight match with 18 kills. Vanessa Benke aided to the team performance with 16 kills along with 13 digs to produce a double-double for her second-consecutive game. Olivia Mesner and Eleonora Kazarian also had productive afternoons with 14 and 13 kills respectively.

Gigi Meyer aided the Eagles’ attempt at victory with 54 assists along with 12 digs while Whitney Masters led the team with 19 digs.

The Eagles came out of the gates strong with a close first set victory 25-23 that carried over into the second set where an 8-1 start eventually led into a 25-14 victory and a 2-0 lead. However, the Pirates rebounded in the 3rd and 4th sets to tie the match at 2-2.

This led to a hard fought 5th set in which the Eagles used a series of kills from Benke to jump out to an 11-7 lead. However, the Pirates fought back and the teams’ traded back and forth on points until Seton Hall capitalized on an attack error from FGCU and used two straight kills to pull out a victory by a score of 17-15 in the deciding set.

Miami The Eagles played another game that evening against the Hurricanes, whom hosted the tournament. Miami’s athleticism and physicality caused problems for the Eagles throughout the matchup.

Jessica Barnes again led the Eagles’

attack with eight kills, while Mesner contributed seven and Benke added six. Gigi Meyer set up her teammates nicely with 20 of the 23 assists on kills in this matchup.

However, the Eagles mustered a .250 attack percentage compared to the Hurricanes’ .440.

Although both teams started the matchup by trading points, the Hurricanes quickly surmounted any momentum the Eagles had by taking a double digit lead in the first set and Miami never looked back. In the final set, Miami dominated with 17 kills and no attack errors.

The Hurricanes improved to 3-0, with every single one of their wins coming in the Hurricane Invitational.

Up next This upcoming weekend the Eagles will travel to the Ohio State Annual D.C. Koehl Classic. They are slated to take on Southern Illinois, Auburn, and the host Ohio State Buckeyes. Play begins Friday, Sept. 5 at 10 a.m. against the Salukis of Southern Illinois.

Men’s basketball

Freshman out for season; walk-on leaves program Johnson will red-shirt due to injury; Boyle not returning to concentrate on academics

Zach Johnson

By Matt Mrarer @ENSportsMatt The Florida Gulf Coast University men’s basketball team is expected to have one of its deepest squads ever this season, with perhaps the most talented lineup that has ever called Alico Arena home.

The Eagles roster did get thinner this week when two players who were expected to be on the floor this season revealed that they will not.

Walk-on Kevin Boyle announced that he wouldn’t be returning to the team, opting instead to focus on his academics and a passion that he lost touch with in recent years — writing stand-up comedy. Boyle averaged 5.3 minutes a game last season, often providing critical minutes when suspensions and foul trouble plagued the Eagles.

“I’d like to thank Kevin for all his contributions to FGCU basketball, but it’s more important for him to focus on academics at this time of his life,” said head coach Joe Dooley. “After meeting with him we both agreed that Kevin had other priorities and passions outside of basketball he needed and wanted to focus on, and that it would be best for him and

Photo courtesy of FGCU Athletics

the program to pursue those.”

In addition to Boyle’s departure, FGCU also learned that freshman Zach Johnson will sit out this season and take a medical redshirt year. The specifics of the injury haven’t been released, but not having the 6-foot-2 four-star recruit is a big blow for the Eagles.

“I’m saddened to learn that Zach won’t be able to play this year,” Dooley said. “He and his family have been unbelievable during this whole process, and Zach and his mother, Irose, have been, and will continue to be, an extremely important part of our program. I wish Zach and his family nothing but the best during this difficult time. Though he’s only been with us for short time, Zach has been a tremendous competitor who has made everyone better, and he’s done it with a smile and terrific personality. We hope that he’s able to get back on the court, but in the meantime he will continue to be a valued member of our program.”

The Eagles are fortunate that these casualties struck at a time when they are positioned to overcome them with a plethora of new players becoming eligible and arriving on campus.

Photo courtesy of FGCU Athletics

Kevin Boyle

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Opinion

MLB replay slowing down game

By Dylan Schmittler @dylansfgcu For many years, baseball was played without any way to see or prove whether an umpire was correct in their decision. Since 2008, Major League Baseball has been using replay to determine the accuracy of the umpires. At first, they only were able to review boundary homerun calls.

This year, baseball implemented a replay system for the 2014 season. Under the current system, each manager is allowed one challenge per game. If the manager is successful with the initial challenge, he is allowed a second challenge. After the seventh inning, the crew chief is allowed to initiate a replay review if neither team has any challenges remaining. The crew chief is also allowed to initiate a review during any inning boundary home run call without a manager having to challenge.

At first everyone seemed in favor of the change. “Replay is going to show just how good the umpires are,” said Red Sox manager John Farrell in a previous statement to ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian.

All the replays are sent to MLB headquarters in New York City, which makes the final ruling on the play. There are three potential options: overturning a call, confirming it as correct or ruling it as it stands, meaning the video evidence wasn’t clear enough to merit changing the call. At that point, any further on-field arguments result in an automatic ejection from the game.

“They prepared us that there might be a hiccup or two and to kind of bear with it,” said Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona in a previous statement to USA Today’s Paul White. “And I think they’re constantly trying to see how they can make it better. I think it’s been pretty good.”

One problem that the replay system has is with overturning the calls on the field.

To overturn a call on the field, you need undisputable video evidence.

Replay is also slowing down the game of baseball. Baseball already is a long game with nine or more innings. According to

MLB.com, the average time for a nine inning game in the 1970s was around two hours and 30 minutes. Thirty years later, the numbers have grown to roughly two hours and 45 minutes to two hours and 50 minutes during the early part of the 21st century. Starting in 2007, the number grew to a little more than two hours and 50 minutes per game, and has not fallen below the 2:50 mark since 2007.

This year, games have lasted an average of just over three hours and eight minutes. A season ago, games overall lasted an average of just over three hours and four minutes.

According to MLB statistics, On June 14, there were a record 14 challenges throughout Major League baseball.

MLB also added 12 umpires to its staff.

However, statistics show Associated Press/Richard Drew that umpiring quality has This is an inside look at MLB’s new video command center in New York, where at each workstation an array of monitors will show a dozen or so remained constant despite camera angles from each major league stadium. the additions. Four out of the top seven umpires protested a game against the Blue Jays in challenge must be made before the next play with reversals are those the fourth inning after the umpires granted or pitch, which is said to begin “when the who have umpired more than 1,600 games.

Replay has also managed to cause some Toronto a replay challenge after the next pitcher is on the rubber preparing to start his delivery and the batter has entered the controversy. On May 8, 2013 Adam Rosales play had begun.

Rays designated hitter Wil Myers batter’s box.” of the Oakland Athletics hit a game tying “It was inappropriate for Bob to do what home run, but was initially ruled a double, reached on a one-out single in the fourth as the ball hit a railing behind the wall in left and was called safe by first base umpire Bill he did and permit that to happen,” Maddon Welke on Mark Buehrle’s pickoff attempt. said after game. “I’m trusting that they’re field and bounced back onto the field.

Despite video replays clearly indicating a Blue Jays manager John Gibbons waited going to interpret the rule properly and get home run, umpire Ángel Hernández upheld until Yunel Escobar stepped back into the us back to that point in the game.”

Ultimately, Major League Baseball has the original ruling of a double. Oakland batter’s box and Buehrle returned to the A’s manager Bob Melvin was ejected for pitching rubber. The Blue Jays won the denied the protest filed by the Tampa Bay Rays. arguing, and the Cleveland Indians held on challenge.

The Rays immediately protested the to win the game 4-3.

Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon game. Baseball’s new replay rules say any

NFL: Teams that are on the rise and fall

By Ryan Dunne @ryandunne81 With the NFL season upon us and just about to start, 32 teams will be fighting for a Super Bowl title but only one will come out on top. Here are four teams on the rise and four on the fall.

On The Rise

Atlanta Falcons (4-12 in 2013) The Atlanta Falcons were probably one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL last season but a lot due to injury. With an offensive line that was beat up and wide receivers who were hurt as well, quarterback Matt Ryan took a lot of hits last year standing in a pocket that was just not there. If the Falcons stay healthy and running back Steven Jackson can rebound from a down year, look for the Falcons to win the NFC South.

Buffalo Bills (6-10 in 2013) The Buffalo Bills are a team that is loaded with potential. Quarterback EJ Manuel is entering his second year as the starter and showed flashes last year that he could potentially be the guy in Buffalo. With a defense that is only getting better and adding a huge piece on offense in wide receiver Sammy Watkins, look for the Bills to compete in a lot of games this season.

Green Bay Packers (8-7-1 in 2013) The Green Bay Packers only had this record in 2013 due to the fact that quarterback Aaron Rodgers was hurt with a broken collarbone. With him healthy, wide receivers Associated Press/Keith Srakocic Randall Cobb and Jordan Nelson still going strong, and Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Markus Wheaton, center, warms up with the team during training camp in Latrobe, PA running back Eddie Lacy being the missing piece to their running game, the Packers are loaded to have a strong 2014 keying on him. Look for the Steelers to finish with a record State is a nice piece, it will be a lot to put on the shoulders of season if the “discount double-check guy” can stay of the below .500. the rookie in his first season. While the Panthers do have one injury report.

St. Louis Rams (7-9 in 2013) of the top defenses in the game, the offense will be scoring Washington Redskins (3-13 in 2013) This is probably an obvious one after quarterback Sam less than they did last year as Newton will be forced to throw Well, the only way they could get worse is by winning Bradford suffered another ACL injury to the same leg he more from the pocket and not use his legs so much. less than three games this season and that won’t happen. hurt last year. With him down, veteran Shaun Hill will be Even though quarterback Robert Griffin III hasn’t thrown stepping in to try and replace Bradford. Hill does have New York Giants (7-9 in 2013) a touchdown pass this season, the new offense will start to experience and is one of the best backup quarterbacks in The New York Giants have looked terrible this season click as him and wide receiver Deshaun Jackson will work to the game, but to try and match a record of 7-9 last year will on offense when it comes to the first team. Don’t let the 5-0 get on the same page. The key factor in this though will be if be difficult to do. Yes, Bradford was out last year and they record in the preseason fool you, the starters have been Griffin can just stay healthy, and learn to slide. went 4-5 without him, but in a division as tough as the NFC lackluster when it comes to their performance and I don’t West, it will be a surprise if the Rams can win seven games see it improving this season. The Giants did find a groove On The Fall this season. last year after a horrendous start, but to think they will Pittsburgh Steelers (8-8 in 2013) match seven wins again is something that may not happen.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been known for their Carolina Panthers (12-4 in 2013) The only way it could happen is if the offense can somehow defenses and last season, they had one of their worst seasons The Carolina Panthers are in a spot that has shown to be turn the tide and sharpen up during the regular season. in a long time. After being ranked 13th in total defense last hard to do. Since the NFC South was made in 2002, there Also, if quarterback Eli Manning can cut down on the season and getting torn up this preseason, the Steelers have been no repeat winners of the division and I envision interceptions and the running game can pick up the slack young defense will be tested and exposed in a lot of games that staying true. Quarterback Cam Newton has been then maybe they can get more than eight wins, but for now this season. Offensively, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger roughed up in the preseason, adding on to the fact that he is they have to show me otherwise. will be down a weapon as wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders coming off of ankle surgery. To make matters worse, the top is now in Denver. This means receiver Antonio Brown will four receivers from last year are no longer with the team. be the main target in the passing game and defenses will be While drafting wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin out of Florida

OPINION

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Unrest in the streets Scenes in Ferguson, Mo., a familiar sight to some

By Melissa Garcia @melissayosephin

In the past few weeks this nation has been filled with news regarding the August 9 shooting in Ferguson, Mo., which resulted in the death of 18-year old Michael Brown.

The protests from the African American community against the police, following this shooting have involved multiple arrests, more gun violence, the use of tear gas by officials, the use of Molotov cocktails, looting and more.

Americans in Missouri and all over the country have had a resounding reaction: “This is happening in America?”

Back in March, I wrote an article about the violence and insecurity going on in the country where most of my family resides: Venezuela.

University students had started protesting against the government in February and by March CNN had already reported 31 deaths associated with the protests.

University students were being arrested, shot and killed, officials were using tear gas, civilians were using Molotov cocktails and there was looting. Sound familiar?

What has been happening in Ferguson, Mo. for the past few weeks fueled by a white officer killing one black teenager is a glimpse of what was happening for months in Venezuela, fueled by the vast majority of University students fed up with the government’s inability to keep food on supermarket shelves, and provide a secure place to live.

In June, I visited my family for ten days. By that time, the protests had stopped and everything was mostly back to its pre-protest condition.

Normal, however, would not be a word to describe the state of affairs in the country.

La Guardia Nacional (The National Guard) is stationed at street corners all over the city. Dressed from head to toe in their military gear, shielded from civilians by actual shields that cover the majority of their bodies, automatic weapons and pistols

Photo by Jorge Silva/Reuters

secured to their person.

Across the street from these officers, if not another corner full of National Guard officers, then some other government officials or police

“

...Tear gas, Molotov cocktails and there was looting. Sound familiar?

”

officers pacing the sidewalk while gripping their automatic weapon, just waiting for an opportunity to put somebody in their place.

But waiting to put whom in their place? The protests are over. All around these officers are normal people going about their days. They eat lunch, talk on the phone, drive to their next destination: the normal everyday happenings in any metro area.

So, why are the guards there?

This is what Venezuela has become. With rising inflation rates last reported at 56 percent by several news sources, including Reuters. It is the second highest in the world, only behind war-torn Syria. The country is still struggling to provide basic necessities to its people.

In the three days I was there, I saw the inside of more supermarkets than I see in one month here in the US. One supermarket had shelves full of toothpaste, while some had none. Sugar was nowhere to be found and coffee was only available in one supermarket almost an hour outside of the city. There is a limit of 2 bags per customer in place so stores don’t run out too fast.

Just last week, Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro announced that he would soon be implementing fingerprinting in all supermarkets.

According to The Washington

Post, it will be to limit people from purchasing too much of one product; a sort of “anti-fraud” system.

The third day of my vacation, my aunt received a phone call that elicited such an excited reaction I thought she had won the lottery, but it was simply her cousin calling to say that the butcher had finally gotten a shipment of red meat and that she should come get some now.

It had been over a month since they were able to find red meat to buy. She bought enough to freeze for months.

My nine cousins ranging from the ages of five to seventeen are living in a country where they can’t just go outside to play, where they can’t just walk home from school, where once the sun starts to set, it’s rare that they leave their homes.

While I was visiting, rumors of airlines cutting back on flights were in the air. On July 7, 2014, just two weeks after I returned, the New York Times reported that Delta would reduce their daily round trip flight to just one weekend round trip. The Venezuelan government owes billions of dollars to airlines like Delta, American, AlItalia and Air Canada, who are now cutting flights drastically, leaving people with no choices.

In late July, a good friend of my cousin’s was packed and ready to leave for London on a 3-month study abroad program and his ticket was cancelled within days of his supposed departure with no alternative given and a delay in his refund.

My cousins were supposed to come visit me in August; no flights could be found.

The student-led protests that began in February have launched the country into a deeper depression. The Socialist government refuses to listen to its people.

The Venezuelan people appear to have lost their freedom long ago, but especially now with the non-existent sense of security, second highest inflation rate in the world and an inability to procure basic necessities like oil and milk, Venezuela seems to have lost its light at the end of the tunnel.

Photo by Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters

Photo by Jorge Silva/Reuters

Photo by Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters Top: A demonstrator protests the government of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas, Feb. 12. Top right: Riot police shoot tear gas at students during anti-government protests in Caracas, Feb. 15. Middle: Opposition supporters in Caracas, Feb. 12. Bottom: Opposition demonstrators hold a Venezuelan flag in front of a burning barricade on Feb. 15.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 EAGLE NEWS OPINION B7

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Adult or what?

The struggle between adolescence and adulthood

By Cait Schall @CaitlinSchall Growing up is confusing, terrifying and downright exciting all wrapped up into one.

You live your teen years under the safe supervision of your parents. Then, if you’re lucky, you’re thrown into what undoubtedly will be the wildest ride of your 20s: college.

Now with great fun comes great responsibility and unfortunately, being 20 seems to bring more of the latter.

Being 20 years old is like a double-sided sword. Like any other respectable adult, I am expected to pay my bills, go to school,

their advantage. They claim that I am an adult, and I should know better than to turn my driveway into a slip ‘n slide. Then they’ll tell me, “No Cait, you in fact cannot drive to Mexico this weekend with your friends, you are only a 20-year-old kid and someone will try to take advantage of you.” So you can imagine my state of confusion concerning my age.

Am I an adult or am I kid? Should I be spending my Friday nights looking into shuffleboard leagues to join while my friends are at the bar? Or should I be deciding which swing on the playground to go on by deciphering which one has the optimum

work a job and take care of myself, but I can’t get into the more strict bars my friends of age can go to on Friday nights.

Am I supposed to spend my Friday nights eating paste and tucking myself in at 8 p.m. or am I supposed to numb the pain with the endless amount of homework received from my professors and attempting to figure out how to pay my taxes?

At 20, you are expected to handle all of these mature concepts with ease, but you can’t be trusted to have a sip of alcohol with friends in public.

I find that at the modest age of 20, authority figures utilize my age of limbo to

amount of height and sufficient amount of space to jump off from?

These are just some of life’s many pressing questions. Instead of being treated as the hybrid version of an adult, I believe 20 year olds should be taken more seriously.

After all, if I can be trusted to pay my bills on time and the government is allowed to take taxes from my paycheck, then maybe I could be trusted in stimulating the economy in the form of a bar tab that includes something stronger than a Shirley Temple every once and a while.

Photo courtesy of The Huffington Post

A printed verson of the satirical news outlet, The Onion.

Learn to read the news

Articles on the Internet aren’t always the truth

By Jack Lowenstein @lowspenj How often do you read fake news articles?

I will admit that I unknowingly read at least five fake news articles on my social media newsfeeds just this week. There are so many faux news websites that misguided people accept as fact while skimming news on the Internet.

Most people aren’t using investigative techniques to filter through all the satire that appears on the web.

Times are tough; Facebook and Twitter feeds can be too overwhelming with statuses and page updates to really pay close attention to the important point of reading news.

There are at least 16 fake news websites that I know of, filtered throughout real news sites on the Internet.

The Onion can be a great website filled with laughs and satire — or terrible if you don’t realize none of it is actually true. The Onion is an entertainment website know

for its outrageous satirical news articles, that has become the successor of the crummy tabloid magazines you see at grocery check out lines.

These articles, however, are just as well written as real journalism. These articles employ real journalism techniques, so much to the point that they don’t give the common reader the idea that it is a fake story.

These articles can be extremely entertaining, and I admit, they serve a great purpose for people who love to read and love to laugh at a well-written faux news article.

My only advice is to read more like Batman.

When I say, “read like Batman,” I mean be more of a skeptic when reading anything and everything on the Internet. Search for the truth. To start reading more fact than fiction. Back up your story search on more credible news sites such as BBC News, NPR or thecNew York Times.

The filter is a device people should keep in mind; truth and reality is a flimsy thing once you hit enter on Google search.

Are your classmates really your peers?

By Michael Danielewski @mjacton1 From parking permits, to textbooks, to student organizations, the experience of FGCU students differs depending on how you experience campus life.

One of the major factors contributing to how we experience FGCU is age.

Because of the geographical location of FGCU, it is an attractive option for those of us who never had the “college experience.”

I am a 40-year-old senior English major.

So, I have a pretty good idea what it means to have to try to fit in on a campus where most of my fellow students are at least 15 years younger than I am.

I hear most of my classmates talk about whether there are still books available in the bookstore. I always order mine from Amazon, not only because it’s cheaper but also because it’s more convenient.

Many of my classmates eat at least one

meal on campus. They often buy meal plans to facilitate this. I do not have a meal plan and have never eaten a meal on campus.

I do not have a permanent parking decal

“

One of the major factors contributing to how we experience FGCU is age.

”

for my vehicle. I have to get a temporary permit every one or two semesters.

One thing that is mostly the same is the classroom experience, I rarely have a problem fitting in. While I may not have my closest friends on campus, I know a few students by name. They treat me as just another student in class.

One major hurdle for the older student is getting connected to campus life outside of class.

Because I’m usually not on campus except for class, I don’t always get all the campus news.

Job, major and club fairs, for instance, often pass by those of us who leave campus after class.

So, I, and others like me, have to adapt.

We have to keep our eyes on bulletin boards.

We have to make sure we are alert when our instructors make announcements or invite student organizations to make presentations in class.

We have to check the few online

resources available for announcements.

But, I also ask for your help.

Treat all of your classmates equally in class, but be aware that we older students are here.

If you’re involved in a school-sponsored event and it’s appropriate to announce it before or during class, do so.

Student organizations, if you’re open to participation by older students, make sure your events are well-advertised in many places around campus and online.

Professors, be mindful of “nontraditional” students, and if there’s an event you think your students would benefit from, take a couple of minutes to mention it in class.

This will go a long way to making us, “non-traditional” students, feel like a part of the FGCU family.

I am happy to be a student at FGCU, but students, am I your peer?

That depends on all of us.

Letter to the editor

Ombuds Office can be a great resource for students

By Dr. Helen Mamarchev Dear Florida Gulf Coast University Students, The University Ombuds Office, established by Florida State Statutes, reports directly to the university president and assists students in resolving problems and conflicts.

The Ombuds acts as an impartial source of information and assistance to students concerning university related rules, regulations and procedures. Such problems may be related to grades, differences of opinion with instructors or academic matters that need resolution.

The Ombuds can help you in many ways, such as listening carefully to concerns and complaints, help analyze the situation, looking into a concern, including talking with involved parties, and reviewing pertinent documents and policies, procedures, and problem-solving channels, mediating discussions between individuals in a dispute or problem situation, and helping define options to resolve the situation.

Students who need assistance may contact Dr. Helen Mamarchev, University Ombuds at (239) 590-1022 or Linda Cento at (239) 590-7405.

Additional information is available at the Ombuds website, http://www.fgcu.edu/ombuds.

FGCU’s campus at sunset.

EN Photo / Joseph Albano

Sincerely, Dr. Helen Mamarchev University Ombuds

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Technology vs. reality Are we losing our humanity?

Photo courtesy of Moviedeskback.com

A scene from the 2014 remake of the 1987 film, “Robocop.”

By Joel Morris @JoelelMorris So, my friend rented “Robocop” the other week, and despite being a remake, it actually raises some fairly poignant questions about the state of the current world of technology and its consequences, as well as what appears to be an approaching inevitability.

We’re now on the cusp of revolutions in robotics for both prosthetic limbs/organs and military applications. Even right now, legislators and civilians are debating the use of police drones on U.S. soil.

Besides that, human applications like Google Glass and optic implants are becoming more and more common, raising privacy concerns.

Less controversial are breakthroughs in prosthetics that interface with the nervous system and respond to thought (making a real Robocop only a disappointingly long matter of time).

A big theme in “Robocop” is the amount of control in human hands versus machine, and whether or not either end of the spectrum is not acceptable.

The effects of technological integration to everyday life is also a topic discussed in professor (and Eagle News alumni) Jeff

Talbott’s University Colloquium class.

“I think it’s making us content with boredom,” Talbott said. “It’s stifling creativity in a lot of the younger generation and robbing us a little of our human

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Hardship builds character, but the point of civilization is that we remove hardship from our lives.

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strengths, especially in social contexts.”

That’s the double-edged sword of the modern world in a nutshell. We have an unprecedented ability to stay connected, but we further isolate ourselves in virtual worlds, almost as if we put a barrier up between our minds and reality.

I’m certainly guilty of it, myself. I love Facebook because it lets me stay in touch with friends that I haven’t seen in nine

years, who are 3,000 miles away, but then I scroll down my newsfeed to waste time and bemoan a bunch of people that irritate me.

If only I could only check in every now and then to maintain the uniqueness of each experience.

This is the central conundrum of all technology: It allows us to be without limits, but the human experience is about overcoming those limits. It’s kind of like Sea World. The parks are getting flak for their animal treatment practices, but it’s through visiting those locations that many of us learned an appreciation and became concerned about the state of creatures in captivity.

It is true that some people are not content with simply existing with technology. Men and women lose limbs and use replacements to break past athletic records. The blind receive camera eyes and teach themselves to read an alphabet that is foreign to them.

Truly, these are inspirational individuals. Let’s face it, though: Not all of us are exemplary beings. Hardship builds character, but the point of civilization is that we remove hardship from our lives.

Don’t get me wrong, I like running water and I’m not calling to tear down the capital, but the next time you contemplate using the Snapchat when you’re bored at work, save the picture to share with your friend over a drink.

Our humanity is making technology.

OK, so it was actually me that rented

“Robocop,” but the questions posed are the same. Can we trust machine programming?

Is human decision-making faulty? Most importantly, would the implementation of technology take more lives than it saves?

In the film, Samuel L. Jackson plays a political pundit who prattles on about “true” America.

In this country, we talk a lot about the “entrepreneurial spirit.” However, there is a greater force than the gumption to start a business, and that is the altruistic spirit.

Altruism is at the heart of every major advancement in technology, even if it isn’t recognized as such. Really, it’s at the heart of Homo sapiens. The reason we create art is to make a connection with others, be it through song, sight or word. Likewise, technology stems from mankind’s own attempts to ease suffering.

So, we may craft machines that destroy the environment, but through this small fraction of mankind’s existence, we saved countless lives by fueling mass production, hospitals and transportation. And now that we know the harmful implications of fossil fuels, we are developing replacements, such as wind, solar and even microbial power.

That’s really the point of all science: to figure out what works or doesn’t, learn and improve. In machines and life.

Joel Morris is a senior majoring in marketing.

He lifts, runs, has an unusual love for Batman and is occasionally funny.