The FAMUAN: 03-28-2011

The Student Voice of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University

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Monday,March 28, 2011

Life gets better

Forum touts university adjustments

News Briefs Local

Ammons gives away $1.5 million in aid

Matthew Richardson School News Editor The campus community will have its last opportunity to hear about the university restructuring before the plans go before the Board of Trustees for a vote next week.

During the course of the school year, focus groups have met and FAMU President James Ammons has addressed students and faculty members about his plans for the university.

Some of the restructuring plans call for elimination of low-productivity programs such as programs with fewer students.

Another big part of the plan is to outsource some university functions and trim clerical and administrative and professional staff.

In one of the online documents about the restructure, it was stated that since 2007, the university has experienced a $35 million reduction to its budget. Now, the university must address the 15 percent projected cut, which could result in a $13.3 million reduction for FAMU in fiscal year 2011-12. This reduction will occur in addition to the loss of $7.9 million in stimulus funding.

The campus forum, open to all, will be held today at the Al Lawson Center from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Most university officials will be in attendance to discuss updates about the proposal.

The Board of Trustees will vote on the president’s recommendations April 7.

When the board meets , it will include three new members: Kelvin L. Lawson, 47, Rufus N. Montgomery Jr., 39, and Belinda R. Shannon, 50.

For more information about the restructuring proposal, visit http://www.famu.edu/ index.cfm?restructuring&Rep ortsandDocuments.

Matthew Richardson Famuannews@gmail.com

VOL. 112 ISSUE 22

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The State Board of Education chairman has resigned in protest over Gov. Rick Scott’s ouster of Education Commissioner Eric J. Smith. Chairman T. Willard Fair’s letter of resignation blasting Scott was placed into the board’s record at his request during an emergency meeting Thursday that was called to launch a search for Smith’s replacement.

Famuan Staff Life got a little better for some of Florida’s best and brightest students as Florida A&M President James Ammons awarded more than $1.5 million in scholarships during the fourth annual President’s Tour: “FAMU Up Close and Personal.”

During his seven-city tour, Ammons visited The Villages, Leesburg, Winter Haven, St. Petersburg, Naples, Ft. Myers and Miami.

“Our corporate partners provide the money for these scholarships awarded because they want FAMU talent,” Ammons said.

“Our best scholarship, the LifeGets-Better Scholarship, is so good that life for the entire family

Source: Associated Press

Graphic by Jeffrey Morris

gets better.”

For this tour, Ammons enlisted the help of university recruiters, administrators, student leaders and members of the FAMU Connection, a group of students who tell the university’s story through a theatrical production.

Every stop of the tour was opened with a student perspective.

Breyon Love, vice president of FAMU’s Student Government Association and SGA’s president elect; Kindall Johnson, Miss Scholarship 3

State health services threatened Monet Fraser Staff Writer

The Senate has made a proposal to cut a total of $1 billion from Florida’s Health and Human Services programs.

The cuts are expected to hurt hospitals and leave many people in the community without necessary funds for health care.

This proposal will cut a slew funding from core programs

that some Tallahassee residents depend on.

There will be a 10 percent cut from Medicaid and a 5 percent cut to state nursing home funding.

The cuts do not stop there; the proposal also terminates funding for adults that require outpatient mental health and substance abuse services.

Florida’s “Medically Needy” program is also up for elimination.

This program gives people with

severe medical conditions that did not qualify for Medicaid funding to pay for hospital and drug bills. With the new proposed budget, doctor visits may also be cut.

“A lot of families will be hurt by these budget cuts. It’s sad that our community has to deal with the repercussions of these cuts. I Health 3

Today’s Online Content: “State of Student Summit” by Ashli Doss

“Famuan staff picks favorite websites” by Famuan staff

Weather Today

83 57 Tuesday

77 61 Wednesday

78 61

Florida Legislature considers bills that would alter existing gun laws

Jason Lawrence Metro News Editor

Graphic by Jeffrey Morris

Legislation that could change Florida’s gun laws are being considered in the 2011 Legislative Session.

Senate Bill 234 and the complementary House Bill 517 would allow citizens with concealed gun licenses to carry them openly.

SB 234 would allow gun-licensed individuals to possess guns inside

elementary and secondary school facilities and on college campuses. The bill does prohibit firearms inside public elementary and secondary schools and administrative facilities.

HB 517 allows the possession of properlylicensed firearms in specified locations.

Like its Senate companion it grants possession inside vehicles for certain purposes. Both passed the House Judiciary Committee.

Also on the table in the legislature is SB 402 and HB 155 which would fine doctors $500 or more if they ask patients about owning firearms in their homes. Both passed the House Criminal Justice Committee.

SB 402 and HB 45 would restrict local governments from enacting gun laws

stricter than those of the state. HB 45 passed the House Criminal Justice committee. SB 402 passed the Senate Criminal Justice and Community Affairs Committees.

SB 956 and HB 4069 would repeal laws prohibiting the purchase of firearms across state lines. SB 956 passed the Senate Criminal Justice Committee.

HB 4069 passed the House Criminal Justice and Business and Consumer Affairs Committees.

These proposed bills can be viewed on MyFloridaHouse.gov and FloridaSenate. gov. Once the bills pass the committees, they are up for final votes in the House and Senate.

Opinions

Lifestyles

Lifestyles editor Clarece Polke rants about seniors putting off work until the last minute.

Students joined together to raise money and walk for a cure last Friday during FAMU’s Relay for Life.

Opinions | 5

Lifestyles | 4

Jason Lawrence famuan.metro@gmail.com

2 Calendar

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The Famuan Monday, March 28, 2011

Events and Announcements Announcements The Florida A&M University Division of Research (DoR) presents a Grants Management Workshop-”A Refresher Seminar: What Every Principal Investigator Needs to Know about Effective Grant Compliance and Management.” Two sessions are scheduled for Wednesday with Session One from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. with a (REPEAT) Session Two from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Both sessions will be held in the Blue Cross Blue Shield Auditorium, New Pharmacy Building.

This year Progressive Black Men, Inc. is glad to announce the Second Annual FAMUnity Initiative.

This dynamic community service program will take place Saturday April 9th 2011. It’s urgent you reply

by Wednesday. Our first meeting will be Thursday

March 31st BLP at 8 p.m. For any questions please email us at famu@pbm1989.org or call Stanley St. Hilaire at 954-806-3502.

To place an announcement in the Calendar, e-mail your submission to famuancalendar@gmail.com at least two days prior to the desired publishing issue.

All submissions must include the student organization along with information in paragraph format to include “who, what, when and where.” A contact number will be published with the announcement, indicate so in your e-mailed submission and provide an alternate method for readers to obtain more information. If you do not follow the paragraph format then your submission will not be able to be published.

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APPLY NOW FOR 2012! www.peacecorps.gov Call our ECO Hotline: 404.562.3468

Corrections For corrections please email Famuancalendar@gmail.com.

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TheFamuan Monday, March 28, 2011

famuan.metro@gmail.com

NASA doctor lands at FAMU BRITTANY BARRINER STAFF WRITER Anticipation is increasing among Florida A&M faculty and students as they await the arrival of a African-American astronaut.

Robert L. Satcher, Jr., NASA astronaut and orthopedic oncologist will serve as this year’s keynote speaker for the university’s Honors Convocation.

The convocation, a component of Honors Week and sponsored by the FAMU Honors Program, hosts a week-long list of events that include: performances, guest speakers, workshops and activities to promote academic achievement and leadership among students.

“FAMU grants students an opportunity to hear positive messages and take something from it to continue the positive cycle,” said Dwight Williams II, 21, a senior mathematics student from St. Paul, Minn.

Convocation is scheduled for Thursday, at 10 a.m. in Lee Hall Auditorium.

Faculty and students both expect that Satcher’s speech will not only highlight his achievements, but will serve as a motivation for attendees.

Janelle Jennings-Alexander, academic service coordinator for the Honors Program, said convocation is intended to inspire students.

“Having this convocation shows that the university really cares about academic success, and it demonstrates that the university wants students to do well academically so they can achieve great success,” Jennings-Alexander said.

Honors Program Counselor and Adviser Ravares Conner said being a doctor or an astronaut is a great accomplishment. But the fact that he is both will impress upon people the ability to succeed in multiple fields.

Satcher, who is a full-time astronaut and

Courtesy FAMU Office of Communication Above: Land is cleared just east of the State Capitol Complex to make way for Cascade Park. Below: Construction material piles up in the Cascade Park site.

part-time medical doctor, was one of 11 candidates out of 4,000 selected by NASA in May 2004 to form the 2004 Astronaut Class.

Satcher was contacted several times for an interview but could not be reached for comment. However, his alumni

profile from Massachussetts Institute of Technology stated that he loves the human side of practicing medicine, but has always long-standing interest in space.

“I watched the Apollo launches as a kid and my interest grew in college with the space shuttle program,” he stated in the profile.

Satcher said he was inspired by Ron McNair, an MIT alumnus and AfricanAmerican astronaut who died in the Challenger shuttle explosion in 1986.

Satcher began preparation in June, consisting of: shuttle and international space systems, water and wilderness survival, T-38 flight and physiological training.

According to a press release provided

by FAMU’s Office of Communication, in November 2009, Satcher completed his first flight on STS-129. During that mission he completed two space walks.

The mission was completed in 10 days, 19 hours, 16 minutes and 13 seconds traveling 4.5 million miles and 171 orbits.

Read the rest of this story at thefamuanonline.com

HEALTH would hope that people will realize the loss and start fundraisers of some sort to help with the lack of funding,” said Reshod Johnson, 21, an agri-business student from Tallahassee.

A total of $28 billion is still left for Health and Human Services, but the $1 billion cut from leaves an impact on these programs. With close to 19 million Floridians, there is no exact method to determine how much funding is necessary.

Sickness cannot be predicted.

Tallahassee resident Blake Hall, 26, shares Johnson’s sentiments.

“Budget cuts have become a reality for almost every program.

There are budget cuts for schools and it was only a matter of time before it affected health and human services programs. I am fortunate enough to have medical coverage but for those that don’t it is a harsh reality,” said Hall.

Although this is the proposed budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 and ending June 30, 2012 there is still a possibility that appropriations can come up in the Senate to receive additional funds.

“These budget cuts will hurt hospitals but only will tell if this cut will make a serious impact. It’s important that doctors now really focus on giving top notch care to patients when they can afford it,” said Dr. Abeer Elmohandes, who practices family medicine in Tallahassee.

MONET FRASER FAMUAN.METRO@GMAIL.COM

SCHOLARSHIP FAMU; and Iman Sandifer, student senator and third-year history student gave the perspective on life as a FAMU student throughout the tour.

“The President’s tour is great because it gives us a chance to inform a large number of people in a small amount of time about FAMU and the programs that it has to offer,” Johnson said.

After the student perspective, Ammons shared with parents, students, and alumni, some of FAMU’s major accomplishments and why FAMU was traveling the state of Florida.

“I take the President’s tour very seriously. We want to convey a positive impression onto our alumni and answer any questions that they might have,” said Executive Director in the Office of Alumni Affairs Carmen Cummings.

In Leesburg, Ammons awarded the first Life-Gets-Better Scholarship to Lachonda Lacey, a sophomore at South Sumter High School in Bushnell, Fla. The LGB scholarship pays for tuition and fees, room and board, books, provides a $500 stipend per semester, a PC notebook, an iPad and a guaranteed summer internship.

Lacey is in the process of getting a patent for a treatment that would cure staph infections called MRSA (Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus).

“My project, the tea tree test, was designed to find a more natural and applicable way to treat staph infections,” Lacey said.

Ammons stated that he wanted to be the first to offer Lacey a scholarship.

When asked how she felt to be offered a scholarship while being only a sophomore in high school, Lacey said, “It is so amazing that it is indescribable,” while smiling from ear to ear.

In his hometown of Winter Haven, Ammons awarded another LGB Scholarship to Stephon Mikell, a senior at International Baccalaureate Bartow High School.

Mikell, who scored a 34 on the ACT and maintains a 4.3 grade point average, was in shock when his name was called as a LGB scholarship recipient.

Staff writer, Keith Blue contributed to this article.

Read the rest of this story at thefamuanonline. com

BRITTANY BARINER

FAMUAN STAFF

FAMUANNEWS@GMAIL.COM

FAMUANNEWS@GMAIL.COM

Bill could split state Supreme Court JORGE RODRIGUEZ-JIMINEZ STAFF WRITER The Florida Supreme Court may split into two entities under legislation being proposed during the 2011 Session.

The decision has called much attention to the state Supreme Court.

House Joint Resolution 7111 sponsored

by Rep. Eric Eisnaugle (R-Orlando), would split the state Supreme Court into different branches: one to handle only civil cases and one to handle only criminal cases.

By splitting the state Supreme Court into the Supreme Court of Criminal Appeals and of Civil Appeals, legislators hopes to speed up the judicial process.

House Speaker Dean Cannon is in favor of HJR 7111.

“The creation of the two courts will result in greater scrutiny and better justice in criminal cases, especially in death penalty cases,” said Cannon in a speech at the beginning of the legislative session on March 8.

Since 2000, 27 death row inmates died of natural causes while there were only 25 inmates executed, according to the court’s Office of Public Information.

Eisnaugle hosted a workshop to show how the bill will affect the Supreme Court.

He made a point of stressing the strain of death penalty cases.

“A former justice has been quoted as saying that death penalty cases in Florida make up about 12 percent of the cases, but about 50 percent of the court’s work load,” said Eisnaugle.

“Those numbers would illustrate right there the incredible complexity of death penalty cases and the work load that has to

J.L. Evans The Famuan The Florida Supreme Court, located directly behind the state Capitol Complex.

go into those,” said Eisnaugle at the Jan. 26 “Workshop on Court Rulemaking,” in House office building.

In order to make the split, there has to be an amendment to the state Constitution.

The Constitution states that there can only be seven justices. Splitting the house would increase number of justices to ten.

The three most experienced justices, Barbara Pariente, Fred Lewis and Peggy Quince, would cover the death penalty cases in the criminal court and two more would be appointed to that court.

The remaining four justices would be put in the civil court and one would be appointed. Gov. Rick Scott would have to appoint three justices.

These appointments have left some uneasy about the split.

“These appointments could very well change recent opinions that were somewhat unpopular,” said Rep. Darren

Soto, (D-Orlando) at the workshop.

Texas and Oklahoma have a similar court system, giving an example of how the system will run. Texas’ system has more in common with Florida’s, with an intermediate level of appellate review.

As the bill moves through the House and the Senate this legislative session, the courts will not face any changes soon.

First, three-fifths of the House and Senate must approve the amendments to the Constitution. Then there will be a waiting period until the general elections in 2012 for 60 percent of voters to approve the change. The House Civil Justice Committee passed the bill on March 17, with a 10-5 vote.

Eisnaugle was unavailable for further comment.

JORGE RODRIGUEZ-JIMINEZ FAMUAN.METRO@GMAIL.COM

The Famuan

TheFamuanOnline.com

Monday, March 28, 2011

famuanlifestyles@gmail.com

Lifestyles 4

Students rally for cancer cure

Raymond Love Special to the Famuan Students marched around FAMU’s track to raise money for cancer research.

ASHLI DOSS STAFF WRITER Students partied with a purpose for 18 hours Friday night to celebrate the lives of friends and loved ones lost to cancer.

Student organizations raised money for the cause and all proceeds went to the American Cancer Society in hopes of finding a cure.

Students joined hands around the track with their candles in hand for a moment of prayer for cancer survivors. The track was lit with candles, and, in the stadium, the word “hope” was spelled out with candles that set the tone for the event.

“Cancer never sleeps and neither will we,” said Joy Williams, 22, a fifth-year pharmacy student from Chicago and chair for Relay for Life.

A live jazz band accompanied the event as students completed a silent lap to honor cancer victims. Williams said she started out as a volunteer for Relay for Life, but became more involved when her mother died of cancer. She then sought a position as survivorship

chair, and eventually became FAMU’s membership chair.

“Being chair over such an event is especially close to my heart,” Williams said. “It’s a great cause for everyone whether you have directly been affected or just want to come and volunteer for the cause.”

Ashley Lipscomb, a prepharmacy student from Rockledge, Fla., walked for her father, who died of Leukemia.

Lipscomb held a cancer awareness week prior to Relay for Life, dedicating each day to a different form of cancer. Students would also wear a different color to represent each cure for cancer.

Monday was Leukemia (orange), Tuesday was Ovarian Cancer (teal), Wednesday was Breast Cancer (pink),

Raymond Love Special to the Famuan Attendees danced, ate and watched performances during the 18-hour

Thursday was Prostate Cancer( blue) and Friday was a time of healing and celebration.

“I’ve always attended relay for life in high school, but really became an advocate when my father p a s s e d , ” Lipscomb said.

SGA provided cotton candy, drinks, italian ice and pizza. There was also

had a screen for movies that played throughout the night. Three FAMU organizations were recognized for raising the most funds: Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., Alpha Kappa Psi professional business fraternity, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. For more information: visit www. relayforlife.org/famufl.

ASHLI DOSS FAMUANLIFESTYLES@GMAIL.COM

matures and Film blindsides audience Brown arouses in F.A.M.E. KHRISTANDA COOPER OPINIONS EDITOR

Graphic By Kenya Mawusi

JORDAN CULVER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Zack Synder, why do you torment me so?

I have seen four of your movies, “Sucker Punch” included, and I still can’t decide if I hate you or love you.

It’s not because your movies are decidedly mediocre. It’s because in my mind, you have two fantastic movies in “300” and “Dawn of the Dead,” and two massive disappointments in “Watchmen” and, sadly, “Sucker Punch.”

Sucker Punch is not a bad movie, but I’m certainly not going to recommend it to my friends any time soon. The movie promises an escape from reality, in the vein of “Inception,” and lots of hot girls beating up zombie Nazis.

What it delivers is probably one of the most forgettable yet incomprehensible plots in the history of… well anything.

And hot girls beating up zombie Nazis.

I’m going to get the good out of the way first. The visuals are spectacular. To be honest, I don’t give Snyder-

directed movies points for that anymore. You don’t get to be fantastic at one thing and repeatedly get praise for it. It’s like cheating.

What really stood out for me was this movie’s soundtrack.

Lead actress Emily Browning even contributed to some of the remixes, and every song fit every action sequence perfectly.

Sound editing and mixing were done to absolute perfection.

Considering the first part of the movie is like one giant music video, Snyder is lucky the music was done right.

The set pieces in the movie were also extremely well done.

Whether is was Rocket and Baby Doll battling androids on a high-speed rail that’s about to explode or the entire crew taking on Nefarian over Mordor, everything is fast, fluid and pretty exciting to watch.

Now for stuff that made me cry.

There’s a reason why I’ve been avoiding the plot for roughly nine paragraphs.

The plot avoids the movie for about 45 minutes. Emily Browning plays Baby Doll, who was unjustly sent to a mental asylum.

Baby Doll, with the help of fellow hot inmates, Rocket, Sweat Pea, Blondie and

Amber, must escape the asylum, controlled by the charismatic jerk Blue, before the High Roller comes for Baby Doll.

This is the opposite of straightforward. Is the asylum real? Because most of the movie takes place in a brothel controlled by Blue. Are the girls actually dancers? Why is the Wise Man everywhere? Is the world really a dream within a dream within a dream?

I can’t really address these questions without ruining the movie. I promise you, it still wouldn’t make much sense even if I did.

The characters are extremely hard to care about.

By the time the movie wants you to care about them, you’re resenting them for not making sense. I’d rather the movie just stayed simple and set up the characters better.

“Sucker Punch” has some serious identity problems.

Sometimes its one giant metaphor and sometimes is soft-core gamer porn and sometimes it’s a fantastic music video. The movie just tries too much and misses too often.

JORDAN CULVER FAMUANLIFESTYLES@GMAIL.COM

Last Tuesday, Chris Brown’s album F.A.M.E, an acronym for Forgiving All My Enemies, dropped.

I must admit that I was pleasantly and shockingly surprised by how good his album was, considering how “Graffiti” was a hit and miss.

No pun intended.

With “Deuces,” the extremely popular break-up/diss song starting out the album, I could tell this one was going to be one to remember.

F.A.M.E shows how Brown has matured over the course of his musical career. His sound has totally eclipsed trom the time of his, according to my boyfriend, “bubble-gum” music to his now raunchy Trey Songz-esque lyrics (for more information on “raunchy” p l e a s e refer to “No B.S.,” “Wet the Bed” and “Beg For It”; Brown expresses how he feelsabout the female anatomy… a m o n g o t h e r things.)

Brown pulls all the stops by having collaborations with Tyga, Kevin McCall, Busta Rhymes and yes, even Justinfreaking-Bieber, just to point out a few.

However, I do have a major issue with one song on this album. With the good comes the bad, questionable and, in this case, the overused. By that I am referring to the song “She Ain’t You.” We all know and love Michael Jackson’s Human Nature. We all know and love SWV’s mix of Human Nature in their mega-popular hit “Right Here.” But I don’t think we will all get down with Brown’s version. He basically

used the SWV mix and sang to it. Once you hear this song you will instantly want to sing the lyrics to “Right Here.”

It’s true. I actually did at one point to prove my point to my cousin who wouldn’t believe me before I played it for her.

With some random chick in the background doing, or rather trying to do but failing miserably, Michael Jackson’s background vocals. I honestly wanted old girl to shut up after her first attempt, but that obviously did not happen. For this song I give him and his back-up singer a major sideeye.

Even so, F.A.M.E has a plethora of other songs that appeal to the ear of the listener.

“Look At Me Now” is what’s bumping on the radio and the catchy beat and lyrics draw you in to make you want to turn up the volume in your car and “ride out.” And as always, he has songs that remind you of his “bubble-gum” music days.

In the song “Should’ve Kissed You” he sings “ I should’ve kissed you, I should’ve told you, told you just how I feel…Cause what I feel is real.” To put it simply: classic Chris Brown.

He tells us what we (as in us ladies) all want to hear from out significant others.

For this album, which is now number one, Chris Brown redeems himself and proves that he still has what it takes to create great music that gives listeners what they want to hear.

Brown delivers with good music, good lyrics and good beats that will make the masses want to blast it in their cars or on their iPods, or think about that special someone who “makes their toes curl.”

KHRISTANDA COOPER FAMUANLIFESTYLES@GMAIL.COM

Monday, March 28, 2011

EDITORIAL BOARD EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: jordan1.culver@gmail.com Jordan Culver

COPY DESK: copydeskchief@gmail.com Julian Kemper

OPINIONS EDITOR: famuanopinions@gmail.com Khristanda Cooper

LIFESTYLES EDITOR: famuanlifestyles@gmail.com Clarece Polke

SPORTS EDITOR: famuansports@gmail.com Royal Shepherd

Procrastination can and will bite you in the behind, beware

Opinions 5

TheFamuanOnline.com

TheFamuan

famuanopinions@gmail.com

A letter to our online commenters...

We would first like to thank you for taking your time out to visit our site and read the articles of our fellow students.

It gives us great pleasure to know that we are getting to others via the World Wide Web. However, we at The Famuan would like to address a few things.

For starters, this is a student-run organization.

What we do here is to prepare us ready for our respective journalistic careers.

With that being said,

we along with our writers would love it if you would keep your racist, degrading comments to yourself.

We would like to keep our website as professional as possible.

Of course, writers and editors make mistakes, but that is what we attend FAMU for. To make mistakes, realize them, fix them and do better next time.

It’s not fair to us nor our writers to go online and see overly-dramatic, rude and harsh comments directed toward us about something you do not agree with in an

article.

That’s not what this paper is or has ever been about.

We’re not saying you don’t have the right to voice your opinion.

This is not to step on anyone’s toes or make you stop coming to the website -far from it.

We love to see that people are reading our articles that the students put hard work into. It’s not easy to talk to people and get quotes and information sometimes.

But we manage to obtain information and publish for the benefit of the student

body.

But we feel that instead of attacking the publication and our staff of writers and editors, why not send us an email and discuss the problem you have with the article? We will respond professionally and respectfully. We appreciate feedback; it helps us to understand where we went wrong.

It’s just the inappropriate feedback we at The Famuan could do without.

Khristanda Cooper for the editorial board.

Go to thefamuanonline. com to read the rest of Clarece’s opinion on Capstone Seniors.

CLARECE POLKE FAMUANOPINIONS@GMAIL.COM

EDITOR IN CHIEF: jordan1.culver@gmail.com Jordan Culver

COPY DESK: famuancopydesk@gmail.com Julian Kemper DEPUTY COPY DESK: Fernesha Hurst SCHOOL NEWS EDITOR: famuannews@gmail.com Matthew Richardson DEPUTY SCHOOL NEWS EDITOR: Simone Wright

Political Takeout

METRO NEWS EDITOR: famuan.metro@gmail.com Jason Lawrence

CLARECE POLKE LIFESTYLES EDITOR I’ve been on staff at The Famuan for almost two years, and every semester we dread the day we’ll see them: Capstone seniors.

Wild-eyed and desperate, they knock down the doors of The Famuan and stalk editors, begging for stories to complete their Capstone requirements.

For those of you outside of the School of Journalism and Graphic Communication, here’s the definition of Capstone (n.): A mock interview all graduating seniors must complete before being permitted to graduate at the end of their final semester; it includes an assessment of all work completed throughout the student’s duration in the school.

The experience is often described as emasculating, torturous, stress inducing, physically painful and mentally destructive. For those who come out alive, they also describe it as one of the most important tests in their entire career as a student journalist. Panelists tear apart each and every clip broadcast, public relations, graphic design and print students have ever produced to decide if the student is adequately prepared to compete in their specific field.

You would think, when preparing for an interview that determines whether or not a student will walk across the stage and receive a diploma on April 30, the student would take every precaution to ensure he is prepared well in advance.

Wrong.

Students will blindly bump through their sequence up until two weeks before their Capstone, then suddenly wake up from their coma and realize they need to complete 10 stories in 14 days.

They come with every excuse in the book: I’ve been busy with my classes and internships; I tried a couple of times but my stories were rejected; I’ve never written an article before and I was nervous I couldn’t do it; I could never get in contact with an editor.

Not once, though, have I heard a senior admit the real reason he/she is approaching Capstone without clips: I just didn’t care, I had other things on my mind other things were more important...

F U

THE

OPINIONS EDITOR: famuanopinions@gmail.com Khristanda Cooper DEPUTY OPINIONS EDITOR: Aaron Johnson

LIFESTYLES EDITOR: famuanlifestyles@gmail.com Clarece Polke DEPUTY LIFESTYLES EDITOR: Tanya Glover

SPORTS EDITOR: famuansports@gmail.com Royal Shepherd DEPUTY SPORTS EDITORS: Cameron Daniels

PHOTO EDITOR: famuan.photos3@gmail.com Keenan Doanes

This cartoon is a bit extreme, but you get the point.

Milt Priggee, Cagle Cartoons

Dirty, steamy texts drive you off the road AARON JOHNSON DEPUTY OPINIONS EDITOR

In a world where technology invades every aspect of our lives, it becomes easy to get distracted and cause simple careless accidents.

According to a 29-year-old Tampa man, that is exactly what happened.

Phernando Cuello was involved in a minor traffic accident on State Road 54 in Pasco County.

He initially told the Pasco County sherriff deputy that another driver who cut him off, causing the accident.

Afterward Cuello admitted to “sexting” with his girlfriend when the accident occurred. He was taken to jail for a failed sobriety test. He was then released and charged with driving under the influence, according to WCTV. The deputy reported Cuello had a strong alcohol scent, glassy eyes and slurred speech.

This is a case of DUI along with a person’s inconsiderate behavior. He endangered himself and others around him.

I am quite aware that alcohol heavily impairs a person’s health, judgment and mental behavior.

Therefore it is extremely dangerous

to get behind the wheel of a vehicle and risk the lives of both the reckless driver and others.

It becomes another problem when a popular gadget gets involved.

The cell phone is so trendy and attention grabbing that it will distract you at the most important times, like in a classroom or driving a car.

Yes, we know texting while driving is bad thanks to the “No Texting While Driving” campaign. It enables the driver to lose focus of the road and his surroundings, causing dangerous accidents.

But “sexting?” Who would have known?

Sexting, for those of you living under a rock, is the act of sending sexually explicit messages or photographs to other phones. It was invented by teenagers as a result of advancing technology in a world of social interaction, but now adults have picked up the habit.

According to a USA Today study, 39 percent of teens and 59 percent of young adults between the ages of 20 to 26 had engaged in some kind of sexting.

Sexting amongst teenagers is a major issue with under age phone users not only interacting with peers and friends, but also with adults and potential sex offenders.

With adults, sexting can get them in all sorts of trouble. It can end marriages with the evidence of deceitfulness,

tearing a relationship apart.

One mistaken message sent to a manager or the wrong contact can even cost an employee his job.

The popular company Apple has a patent “anti-sexting” technology. It lets an iPhone’s administrator block the sending and receiving of text messages with questionable content.

It significantly blocks or bans the explicit words from that administrator.

The block can be set to filter words on a child’s grade level or abbreviated terms that other programs may not pick up.

So common abbreviations such as “LOL,” “WTF” or “LMAO” would not be sent until it is corrected or changed. This is a great step into the right direction for clamping down on sexting problems, but the cleverness of users will eventually find other ways of sexually communicating.

Let’s face it, sexting is a distraction therefore it is just as hazardous while driving.

In a generation driven by technology we sometimes lose focus on the things that deserve our full attention.

We have to learn to balance these differences and understand what is most important, your sexual desires or someone’s life.

AARON JOHNSON FAMUANOPINIONS@GMAIL.COM

DEPUTY PHOTO EDITOR: Jasmine Mitchell

VISUAL EDITOR: famuangraphics@gmail.com Jeffrey Morris GRAPHICS EDITOR: famuangraphics@gmail.com Kenya Mawusi

MULTIMEDIA EDITOR: famuanlive@gmail.com D.A. Robin

PUBLIC RELATIONS COORDINATOR: famuancalendar@gmail.com Byron Johnson

PROGRAM ASSISTANT: Valerie McEachin

ADVISER: Andrew Skerritt

FAX 850.561.2570 EDITOR IN CHIEF 850.561.2569 SECRETARY 850.599.3159 NEWSROOM 850.599.3011/ 561.2569 The Famuan, an Associated Collegiate Press 2003 Pacemaker Finalist, is published Monday, Wednesday and online only on Friday during the fall and spring semesters. The opinions do not reflect the administration, faculty, or staff of the University. The editorials are the expressed opinions of the staff and columnists. The Famuan is funded partially by activities and services fees.

Have you ever “sexted” while driving?

A) No. B) Once. C) Of course! Keeps the relationship fresh!

Sports 6

TheFamuanOnline.com

The Famuan

famuansports@gmail.com

Monday, March 28, 2011

HIS TRACK

Baseball

Despite success, Damarius Carroll never skips a beat

BRITTANY BARRINER CORRESPONDENT

Music on and off the field drives Damarius Carroll, the senior track and field all-star at Florida A&M. Carroll, who placed third in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship in hurdles, said music has the same influence as sports in his life.

“I walk around campus all day with my iPod. To me the type of music you listen to tells you what type of person you are,” Carroll said.

Carroll listens to hip-hop before a race. Everything about it, from the “lyrics to the hype beats,” puts him in a competitive state of mind.

“After I listen to ‘No quitter’

by Lil Wayne, I don’t care about anything or anyone else but winning the race,” Carroll said.

Calvin Sancho, assistant track and field coach at FAMU, said he has watched Carroll grow from a player who was sometimes nervous about approaching new risks into a competitive player; letting little to nothing affect him.

He placed in the top 25 of hurdlers for the east region track and field conference for the last three years and ranked in the top 50 hurdlers in the Unites States, out of 300.

His winning began when he placed as a finalist in the United States Junior Olympics, while running with The Tallahassee Trailblazers, an Amateur Athletic Union track and field team for youth

ages seven to 18.

Carroll started playing sports in the third grade and attributes his athletic abilities to his genes.

“My father ran track and played football. My brother was a football and track star and then came me,” he said.

According to Carroll, sports kept him off the streets and from getting into mischief.

“Sports became an outlet for me to separate myself from the wrong people, and I am happy for that,” Carroll said.

Rod Peterson, who began coaching Carroll when he was with the Trailblazers and has remained his coach for seven years, said Carroll has stepped up and proven a lot of people wrong.

“He still has some personal goals he wants to reach. He wants to break the 13-second threshold, and is getting closer to that mark,” Peterson said. “He is very competitive, and when it comes to track and his personal life he doesn’t always know how to separate the two,” he added.

Carroll said he talks a lot of trash on the track. He said off the field, family and friends would describe him as caring and quiet.

“You have to have two mindsets. When playing sports you can be cocky, but if you’re that way in your daily life people will hate you,” Carroll said. “If you go into an athletic environment with a quiet and caring persona, people will run all over you.”

Carroll said some people have a misconception about

File Photo The Famuan

The baseball team struggled and could not manage a victory against Bethune-Cookman in a three-game series in Daytona.

The team lost 6-3, 7-5, and 16-6.

The losses give the team an 0-3 start in conference play.

The team now falls to sixth place in the MEAC standings, but are still only two wins away from tying last season’s total.

The team will have a home game against North Carolina A&T on April 2 at 1 p.m.

Track

File Photo The Famuan

Courtesy to The Famuan Damarius Carroll motivates himself to excel on and off the track.

athletes and often think they just get by in school.

“My love for track makes me want to push harder in school because if I don’t make the grades, I can’t participate in the sport,” Carroll said.

While Carroll is excited about his graduation, he anticipates his dream vacation to Paris.

BRITTANY BARRINER FAMUANSPORTS@GMAIL.COM

Team moves on without coach TYRONE LAW STAFF WRITER

After the dismissal of Florida A&M basketball coach, Eugene Harris, the athletic department is trying to find his replacement.

According to Athletic Director Derek Horne, preparations are being made immediately for the selection of a new coach. Horne said a new selection committee is being carefully assembled.

“We want the public to know that we really are trying to build a product that our fans can continue to enjoy and be proud of,” Horne said.

“We are looking for selection committee candidates that know what we’re looking for. We want a coach who will be a strong recruiter, get involved with the community, help us fundraise and most importantly, get our program to a highly competitive level.”

Since the firing, players have had 11 days to adjust to the beginning of life without the coach.

Freshman guard Avery Moore was optimistic and positive about the decision,

but said playing for his first collegiate coach wasn’t as bad as the public made it seem.

“I enjoyed playing for coach Harris while the time lasted.

The athletic director made a move that was best for the

organization and each of us players. It’s going to be kind of weird getting use to a new coach, but me and my team will stick it out and grind it out--together,” Moore said.

The team ended its 2010-

File Photo The Famuan

2011 season with a 12-20 record. Harris had a career record of 46-80 with the team.

The Rattlers tournament journey ended early, as they were bested in the MEAC Tournament by MarylandEastern Shore in the first round.

Harris will be on administrative leave for the remainder of his five-year contract, which ends next year.

He is still owed $150,000 and will stay on official leave until June 10.

Assistant coach Maurice “Tony” Sheals will be in charge of the team’s everyday practices until a decision is made for a permanent coach.

Horne expressed his hope that the community will stand by the team and remain supportive of the program.

“We have a great group of kids coming back. We want you to come out and support not only the coach, but our players that have been putting themselves out there on the line for you the last two-tothree years,” Horne said.

TYRONE LAW FAMUANSPORTS@GMAIL.COM

The Florida A&M men’s track team ran and placed in the top 10 in many of the events at the FSU relays.

Leon Hunt, one of the nations top 15 long jumpers, finished first in that event jumping 7.48 meters.

Degion Craddock won the 800m run with a time of 1:54.85.

Teammate Brandon Alexander finished sixth.

Shuaib Winters placed third in the 10,000m run, coming in at 30:50.93.

The men and women’s teams will travel to Gainesville for the Florida Relays on the April 1.

Softball The Florida A&M softball team had a tough time hitting and fielding Wednesday night. Florida State beat the Rattlers 9-2 at The Lady Rattlers Softball Complex.

The lady Rattlers jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning but were shut out the rest of the game.

The lady Rattlers gave up 16 hits to the lady Seminoles and couldn’t manage to string together much of an offense.

“We didn’t come out with intensity and energy that we needed to play against a school like Florida State.

We have to come out with focus and energy,” assistant coach Lori Goodart said.

File Photo The Famuan

Clark’s return not enough for Rattler’s tennis team to win ANTONIO VELEZ STAFF WRITER The Florida A&M men’s tennis team was defeated by South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, SC, Saturday afternoon with a final score of 5-2.

The Rattlers are officially ranked No. 2 in the Southern division of the MidEastern Athletic Conference. The team is still in the top percentage of the MEAC with a season record of 15-6.

The loss will not affect the team’s chances at the MEAC championship at the end of April. They will also have the opportunity to settle the score against SCSU in the championship tournament.

“We played okay they were just much

more consistent,” team member Takura Happy said.

The team was unable to secure the doubles point despite the return of injured player Levan Clark. Happy and Chidi Gabriel were defeated by Gabriel Meana and Peteris Vinogradous 8-6. Temuera Asafu-Adjaye and Maurice Wamokowa were defeated by Dmytro Kovalevych and Anton Protsenko 8-4. Clark and Michael Moore won 8-5 over Artemiy Nikitin and David Grund.

“If we could’ve won the doubles then we could’ve had it,” Happy said.

In the singles matches, Happy won over Meana 6-4, 7-5. Clark was defeated

by Kovalevych 6-7, 6-2, 6-3. Wamokowa was defeated by Vinogradous 6-3, 6-1.

File Photo The Famuan

Gabriel was defeated by Protsenko 6-2, 7-6.Moore was defeated by Nikitin 6-3, 2-6, 6-3. Asafu-Adjaye won over Grund

6-3, 6-1.

The team’s hopes of victory in the match crumbled on a comeback effort that fell short.

Playing without Clark, one of the team’s top players on Saturday, created a domino effect during the matches. Although one doubles match did not determine the outcome of the event, Clark’s absence from the match disrupted the on-court chemistry of the team’s doubles play.

The team will play Bethune-Cookman (Saturday), Fort Valley State (April 8) and Lamar University (April 9) before the MEAC Championship.

ANTONIO VELEZ FAMUANSPORTS@GMAIL.COM