Wednesday, November 17 , 2010
Volume 9, Issue 12
www.eaglenews.org
Florida snow White fuzzies in subtropics 3,679 miles downstream
By Katie Egan Senior staff writer
FGCU student Charles Vaught traveled the length of the Missouri River in the summer.
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See NEWS on page 6
‘Give me an FG, give me a CU’ The cheerleading team has four guys on the squad and more spirit than ever. See SPORTS on page 18
TOP: Seeds from the saltbush plant located throughout the FGCU campus. BOTTOM: The fuzzballs floating through the air come from the saltbush, like this one located on the boardwalk to Whitaker Hall. EN photos/ Taryn Kerber
Be thankful, thoughtful
By Allison Gagliardi Editor-in-Chief
This Thanksgiving, take time to remember the increasing problem of hunger in Lee County
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See NEWS on page 9
Two acoustic voices merge Student duet A North Aurora started in Biscayne Hall
Gen. ed changes coming
he cooler weather brought along a change of scenery in the plants on campus, including little fuzzies that have a way of getting stuck in your hair and on your clothes. The little fuzzies, or seeds, are coming from the saltbush (Baccharis halimifolia). “It is typical of different plants to bloom at different times of the year. … Saltbush comes in the fall and that is not uncommon,” said John Griffis, environmental biology of Southwest Florida professor. “They (saltbush) remind me of dandelions.” Griffis estimates that the saltbush will stay until the weather changes dramatically.
light changes are in the works for FGCU’s general education program. These changes will ensure that each general education class addresses a number of academic skills the university believes will help students succeed not only in their respective major, but also later in life. As a freshman, Jenn Espinosa did not see the point in general education classes, but now, looking back as a senior, she thinks the general education classes helped her make a smooth transition into her career classes as a hospitality major. “They’re (general education classes) supposed to help us and guide us in the right direction,” Espinosa said. “They help us form study habits and give us a sense of responsibility.” please see GENERAL on page 4
Fall 2010: General Education courses with the highest enrollment numbers: 1. MAC-Math Calculus & Precalc (MAC 1105) 2. ENC-English Composition (ENC 1102) 3. HUM-Humanities (HUM 2510) “I would think that after the first windy day they (the seeds) would blow, wherever they were going, and would be gone until next year,” Griffis said. According to Griffis, some plants are more successful if they work like the saltbush, spreading seeds. “An organism like a plant that is distributing (seeds) is often a success by
catching onto something,” Griffis said. “Plants have interesting dispersal methods. This little fluff is one of them.” Saltbush is typically found in coastal plains and wet areas — FGCU terrain. Plants can be seen all over campus, including the boardwalk to Whitaker Hall, outside of the Library and the Reed boardwalk.
General Education courses with highest percentage of withdrawals: 1. SYG-Sociology, General (SYG 2012) 2. AML-American Literature (AML 2010) 3. MAC-Math Calculus & Precalc (MAC 2311)
See A&E on page 11
Kissing Do’s and Don’ts Read an opinion about kissing that isn’t just lip service in the lastest edition of Kiss ‘n Tell. See OPINION on page 16
Index News ....................... See page 3 A&L ......................... See page 10 Opinion ................. See page14 Sports .................... See page 18 Fun & Games ............ See page 17 Classifieds ............... See page 17
Gulf Coast Town Center restaurants all gassed up By Allison Gagliardi Editor-in-Chief
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bout 7,200 restaurants and homes lost access to natural gas this past Thursday after an accident on Colonial Boulevard at State Road 82 in Fort Myers caused an explosion, leaving a road worker in critical condition with severe burns. Many Lee and Collier counties restaurants closed when they lost gas service, including some at Gulf Coast Town Center — the heartbeat of entertainment and food for students. “It was an inconvenience for
me when I wanted to go out to dinner Friday night,” said Taylor Roberts, a junior majoring in business marketing. Roberts drove to the shopping center for dinner at Red Robin with her boyfriend, but it was closed. “It forced me to cook at home,” Roberts said. Red Robin was among the many restaurants that closed their doors Thursday. Moe’s, Aurelio’s Pizza, Amore Brick Oven Pizza, Firepit and Outback were locked up, too. Bar Louie, Islamorada, Calistoga Bakery Café and Miller’s
Ale House served limited menus — often grilling burgers outside. Austin Warne, a junior majoring in criminal justice, was serving tables at Islamorada in Bass Pro Shops when the restaurant lost gas. “All of the other restaurants were closed, so I banked. We were slammed,” Warne said. Islamorada kept its doors open the following day by grilling outside. “We set up a canopy and took three grills from the store (Bass Pro Shops) and cooked from the grills for four days,” Warne said.
“The only thing that we had was a grill, so instead of fries we did Lays potato chips.” Although he “banked” that night, Warne hopes it doesn’t happen again. “It was very stressful. Things ran totally different and we had to work 10 times harder to accomplish the same goals as usual. We were running all over the place,” Warne said. McDonald’s and Blu Sushi were the only digs that Eagle News reached that were open and serving full menus during the crisis. All the restaurants are now back in business.