Volume 9 Issue 14

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New Facebook: Easy read, easy lurking 9p JXdXek_X C\X^l\ E\nj \[`kfi

Facebook has entered 2011 with a makeover. Over winter break, Facebook users were greeted with a prompt to “get the new Facebook profile.� As users cautiously checked it out, Josh Wiseman, a Facebook engineer, wrote an “Introducing the New Profile� article on the Facebook Blog (blog. facebook.com) to explain the changes. The most noticeable change is the basic information listed at the top of the page along

with a row of recently tagged photos, because “there’s often no better way to learn about a person than through photos,� Wiseman wrote. “I think it’s kind of interesting how they have your most recent pictures up there so people can see what you’ve done recently versus pictures from five years ago,� said Gabby Nicotra, a sophomore in communication and public relations. “Some might call it creepy, but I think it’s pretty cool.� However, Chelsi Malloch, a sophomore majoring in political science, thinks the line of

photos is unnecessary. “I don’t like the tagged photos at the top — it’s weird,� said Malloch, who has her tagged photos blocked so her profile pictures show instead. “If I want to see their tagged pictures I’ll look.� The two girls also have differing opinions on the basic information listed at the top of the page. “I do like the short bio above the pictures,� Malloch said. “You don’t have to look at the Info page to see it — it’s easy to read right there.�

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Facebook facts: n The average FB user has 130 friends n FB members spend more than 700 billion minutes a month on the site n The average FB user creates 90 pieces of content per month n The average FB user is connected to 80 community pages nThere are more than 500 million active users on FB. 50% of our active users log on to Facebook in any given day

Football lacks the big pass

WELCOME BACK: 33 school days until Spring Break

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After Florida Gulf Coast announced the departure of women’s golf coach Meghan Spero, who resigned last week to take a position at PGA Magazine, Athletic Director Ken Kavanagh tried to allay any concerns about the stability of the golf program. Spero’s abrupt decision puts the women’s golf team in a bind as FGCU scrambles for a replacement — the team’s fourth coach since 2007 — before a spring season that begins in February. “This news came out unexpectedly,� Kavanagh said. “She (Meghan) was approached with an offer she couldn’t turn down. It’s a difficult situation and we feel bad, but we appreciate Meghan’s efforts. She left her stamp on the program.� In a September interview with Eagle News, Spero discussed wide-ranging goals that spanned from winning a conference championship to attaining national prominence. Kavanagh said Spero asked PGA

Magazine to delay starting her new position until after the spring season, but wasn’t able to do so. “FGCU has been more than generous in providing an opportunity to learn and grow, and I will forever be grateful,� Spero said Spero in a statement. Now, Kavanagh looks to pick up the pieces, ensuring that Spero’s two recruits for next season will fulfill their national letters of intent with the university and aiming to draw new ones. Spero received commitments from Fort Myers High School senior Georgia Price and Braden River senior Kristin Swindell. Swindell informed Kavanagh that she still intends to play for FGCU, while Price has been out of the country and difficult to reach. “We signed two quality recruits who are the lifeblood of the program,� Kavanagh said. “Meghan didn’t leave the cupboard bare. She

replenished an already quality team. Georgia (Price) and Kristin (Swindell) know each other, so we are hopeful that helps our case.� FGCU posted the job opening this past Thursday and must keep it open for a minimum of two weeks. Kavanagh isn’t concerned about the rushed nature of the job search or about what kind of ramifications come from the constant turnover of coaches. “We are on red alert right now, but we’ve seen a lot of interest already because we have a good program,� Kavanagh said. “There are no issues with how Meghan left as far as if she left us in a positive or negative way, so we know we can draw a good candidate.� Until then, Kavanagh dismisses salary limitations as a reason for the flux in coaches, saying that the youth of the program prevents opportunities for increases in pay. “A sport like golf lends itself to supplemental opportunities for coaches, like working at golf camps and clinics,� Kavanagh said. “We are a growing university so we are not really worried about compensation.�

Property next to WLV for sale, $12.1 million 9p 8cc`jfe >X^c`Xi[` <[`kfi$`e$:_`\]

West Lake Village has the potential to expand. The property next to the newest student-housing site is for sale at $12.1 million and being marketed as a “student housing development site.� “We have had several people express interest,� said Jonathan Richards of Capital Markets. Richards is representing the owners of the land. According to the executive summary of the property, the land could potentially house more than 1,400 beds on more than 25 acres. “You could actually build five stories up. You could duplicate what is there at West Lake

Village,� Richards said. The university won’t comment on a particular property without the intention of signing a contract, according to Susan Evans, university. Richards has not heard anything from the university. “We have heard rumors of interest, but we have not spoken to anyone directly,� he said. A Fort Myers couple owns the land. “At one point they were thinking about condos,� Richards said. “They have just been hanging onto it until the market improved. The highest and best use is student housing.� The parcel of land is in a prime location from the university and a short walk from the Gulf Coast Town Center shopping plaza.

As FGCU grows in enrollment, students can’t help but wonder: Will a football team be in the near future? In 2006, FGCU started the NCAA Division 1 membership process. When fall 2011 begins, FGCU will have full Division 1 membership in all sports. While this is a significant accomplishment, FGCU cannot overlook the fact that football — the most popular collegiate sport — isn’t included. “It does bother me when I spend my Saturdays watching college football and thinking that could be our school,� said Kyle Ostroff, a junior majoring in sports management. Often, students who complain about a lack of school spirit at FGCU attribute it to the lack of a football team. “Everyone that’s been to a college football game knows it’s an atmosphere different than anything else,� Ostroff said. “If FGCU got a football program, there would be so much more school spirit.� This is why FGCU hired Carr Sports Associates Inc., a search and management consultant for intercollegiate athletics; and Populous, a global design and architecture firm featuring sports facilities, to determine the feasibility of sponsoring football and to analyze the evolving FGCU athletics program.

n Current men’s sports:

Soccer, baseball, basketball, cross country, golf and tennis

n Current women’s sports:

Soccer, softball, basketball, cross country, golf, tennis, volleyball and swimming & diving for women

n Current facilities:

Alico Arena, the Outdoor Sports Complex, Swanson Stadium, FGCU Softball Complex, FGCU Soccer Complex, FGCU Aquatics Center, FGCU Tennis Complex and the batting cages for both softball and baseball

n Cost:

Populous estimated the Football Stadium could cost anywhere from $129,565,800 to $143,202,800 (with costs representative of 2011).

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Yes, it looks different. Eagle News spent winter break working on a makeover. Along with the physical changes of Eagle News we have reworked our journalistic focus to bring you even better content — the most important thing. You can expect better storytelling all around. It is a big promise, but we are ready to deliver. We believe this redesign is a major first step to an even better university paper. I encourage feedback, good or bad. Let me know your thoughts: editorinchief@eaglenews.org

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