Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Volume 9, Issue 10
www.eaglenews.org
One 4Loko, two 4Loko... floor Caffeine and alcohol drink stirs up Fla. legislation By Katie Egan Senior staff writer and Samantha League News editor
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t’s sweeping college campuses worldwide. It’s cheaper than a six-pack of beer, but one can has alcohol content about equal to a six pack. Four Loko, the “premium 24-ounce caffeinated alcohol beverage,” has been banned from Central Washington University and Ramapo College in New Jersey, and the state of New Jersey is seeking to ban it entirely. The “blackout in a can” is under fire by the Food and Drug Ad-
ministration after an off-campus party gone wrong in Ellensburg, Wash., where nine Central Washington University students were hospitalized in October and believed to be sickened after consuming Four Loko, according to CNN. Police say some of the Central Washington University students had a blood alcohol content higher than .3, which can kill you. Energy drinks contain a laundry list of exotic ingredients, but Four Loko only contains four: caffeine, taurine, guarana and alcohol. Taurine, thought to inhibit performance, is also a main in-
gredient found in Red Bull. Guarana is a natural source of caffeine from South America, and contains twice as much caffeine as a cup of coffee, according to CNN. These ingredients allow the consumer to ingest large amounts of alcohol without passing out. According to Dr. Martha Rosenthal, FGCU professor of physiology and neuroscience, alcohol is metabolized by zero-order kinetics. That means it takes a certain amount of time for alcohol to break down into non-intoxicating subjects.
The 7-Eleven on Alico Road sells eight different types of Four Loko drinks. According to an assistant manager, the store sells about 70 cans a week, mostly between Thursday please see FOUR LOKO on page 5 and Saturday and primarily to customers 25 years old or younger. EN photo/Mike Ricci
IMAlive Senate bill funds 25 students for top crisis training By Megan Hoolihan Senior Staff writer
T A mixed-use development was recently approved adjacent to FGCU. Students and Lee County commissioners alike believe the development will provide a place for FGCU students. AP photo
Approved developments will help campus growth By Samantha League News editor
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wo developments have been approved for future housing sites, guaranteed to provide student housing for FGCU’s growing population. On Oct. 20, Lee County commissioners approved a mixed-use development, called Alico West, adjacent to FGCU. This development, which is 919 acres, will include 1,950 student residences and 1.5 million square-feet of commercial space, according to a report in The News-Press. The land, which used to be a mine until the early 1990s, is valued at $6.5 million. The company that owns the land currently, Alico, also agreed to donate 40 acres to the university for academic buildings. University officials hope Alico West will offer a “geograph-
ical focal point for a university now composed predominantly of commuting students,” according to The News-Press. Another development, University Highlands, was approved on Oct. 18. University Highlands is located at Ben Hill Griffin and Estero parkways, just south of campus near Germain Arena. Originally, the development was going to contain 2,335 residential units. An amendment to the original proposal reduced the maximum residential units to 2,279 and increased the square footage of commercial space from 818,000 to 910,000. The projects still need to go through more zoning approvals and finalizations before construction can begin.
please see ALICO on page 4
he Hopeline Bill, which will provide funds for 25 students to be trained as volunteers for the IMAlive online crisis network, passed 32-0 at the Oct. 26 senate meeting. The IMAlive program was launched by The Kristin Brooks Hope Center, which operates one of the largest suicide hotlines (1-800-SUICIDE) and the wellknown, nonprofit organization To Write Love on Her Arms. IMAlive is the first live, online, peer-to-peer counseling network with 100 percent of its staff certified in trained crisis intervention. The aim of IMAlive is to provide online support to people in crisis who are unable or unwilling to reach out for help by making a phone call to a crisis network. Studies indicate that people in crisis are more willing and comfortable to seek help via written communication online as opposed to using a telephone hotline or seeking face-to-face counseling. Each IMAlive volunteer must undergo a minimum of 50 hours of training and also pass a series of tests and screenings. Training costs $250 per volunteer with a commitment to work a minimum of four hours per week for one year. The Hopeline Bill will fund the online training of 25 FGCU students by the Question, Persuade, Refer Institute. Training
and service time will be completed in the FGCU library. After the year of commitment is completed, the $250 will be credited back as training credits, which will enable the training of 25 new volunteers every year. 1-800-SUICIDE has responded to more than 3 million crisis calls since 1998, and To Write Love on Her Arms has responded to more than 100,000 messages from people battling depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide since 2006. “I am thrilled … the passing
of this bill shows that we have caring and empathetic students at FGCU. This program demonstrates a realistic approach to combating depression; it allows students to seek help and offer help,” said Sen. Alex Trent, who sponsored the bill. The Service Learning Department has agreed to acknowledge all of the hours involved in the program for the volunteers who complete the course. Students who are interested in applying for training should e-mail projectdiy@eagle.fgcu. edu
Suicide is the third leading cause of death for young people ages 15-24. Student Senate passed a bill last week that would give 25 students the opportunity to learn how to help students who are struggling with depression. EN illustration/ Elliot Taylor
Be thrifty to find some great deals
Tantric sex: The only way to go
The Roller Hockey Club is new, but ready to dominate.
Shops around town offer a unique choice of vintage clothing.
Read what the Opinion editor has to say about American sex habits.
See SPORTS on page 16
See A&L on page 9
See OPINION on page 13
New FGCU hockey on roll