The Student Voice of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Since 1900
WWW.THEFAMUANONLINE.COM
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2011
VOL. 114 ISSUE 17
Audit VP abruptly resigns Jason Lawrence Managing Editor
Florida A&M’s Vice President of Audit and Compliance Charles O’Duor resigned via a letter dated Nov.5 for unspecified reasons. O’Duor was responsible for leading institution-wide audit and compliance plans, which in
O’Duor
turn propagate the university’s mission. According to the university’s Chief
Communications Officer Sharon Saunders, O’Duor was over the DAC,
which was key in ensuring that FAMU is in line with internal and external regulations. “Mr. O’Duor oversaw an office that has the responsibility of making sure the university was in compliance with all regulations and policies that govern the university, as well as those from the Board of
Governors and other state entities,” said Saunders. The Board of Trustees established the DAC in 2005 as a way to improve the internal governance of the university. “The Division of Compliance & Audit provides insight on the mitigation of business risk to assist the BOT and management
in the effective discharge of their responsibilities as they relate to the University policies, processes, programs, information systems, internal controls, and management reporting,” states the FAMU website. The website also indicates
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athletes Shoppers return Four face suspension Royal Shepherd Sports Editor
Karl Etters/The Famuan
CEO of the Florida Retail Federation Rick McAllister speaks at a Tuesday morning press conference in Governor’s Square Mall.
Karl Etters Staff Writer
The main focus of the holiday season in Florida is “jobs, jobs, jobs,” said president and CEO of the Florida Retail Federation Rick McAllister. McAllister addressed a crowd at a press conference at the Governor’s Square Mall on Tuesday morning as he spoke about the holiday shopping forecast for 2011. One in four Floridians work in the retail industry, and the Federation estimates that 35,000 seasonal jobs will be created in the weeks leading up to the busiest shopping period of
the year. The state stands to see an increase in sales between 3 and 3.5 percent higher than in 2010, while the national average increase is estimated at 2.8 percent. McAllister took note that the numbers were looking better following recent years of recession that Florida and the U.S. have experienced. John Fleming, director of communications with the Florida Retail Federation, attributes Florida having a higher percentage increase than the national average to the number of people who visit the state. “The fact that Florida has a strong
Florida A&M alumnus and award-winning rapper Common will be a guest lecturer on Dec. 10 at 7:30 p.m. in Lee Hall Auditorium as part of the Lyceum Series. Tickets are on sale at the FAMU Ticket Office and ticketmaster.com for $5 to $20. Tickets previously purchased for Common’s visit will be valid.
This Thursday, the City of Tallahassee is hosting a public meeting to continue discussion of Moving Tallahassee: Cars Optional. The meeting will be from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Lincoln Center located at 438 West Brevard Street.
ST. JOHNS (AP) - A couple is suing their northwest Indiana school district, claiming school officials failed to protect their son from prolonged bullying over his Middle Eastern backgroud that culminated in an attack this month that left him with a brain injury.
Lifestyles pg. 6 FAMU Green Coalition and Environmental Sciences Student Organization encouraged students on the Set to recycle yesterday. Tuesday was America Recycles Day, a nationwide initiative sponsored by Keep America Beautiful, Inc.
Sports pg. 8 The Florida A&M football team is gering up for its final contest of the season against Bethune-Cookman University. The teams are vying for a second-place finish in the conference and a possible playoff birth.
seasonal traffic is part of what drives sales,” said Fleming. “When you look at how we compare nationally, it’s always a little bit higher.” McAllister said the factors that have gone into making this year’s shopping season a success. He said that, over the past 18 months, consumer spending in Florida, and nationwide, has been up. “Forty-two percent of those Christmas shopping will be doing so with price being their first consideration. The good news is that 48 percent are not shopping just because of price, but for service
Retail 3
The men’s basketball team of Florida A&M have to find alternate ways to score buckets with its leading scorer now on the bench. Amin Stevens, along with three of his teammate, will miss the team’s next 11 games due to academic ineligbile. Stevens, along with guards Brandon Hosely and Christopher Watson as well as forward Daryll Demps, has been deemed ineligible for the remainder of the fall semester. Stevens, the 6’6” guard/forward, was the team’s leading scorer and rebounder from last season. Hosely was a major contributor on offense with his outside shooting and Watson was on of the team’s primary facilitators. Demps, a junior college transfer and Tallahassee native, was one of the recruits head coach Clemon Johnson brought in to help with the Rattlers interior play. Johnson said the team will have to find other ways to score without the
aid of two starters. “A lot of these guys are looking for places to pass the ball now that Amin isnt on the court,” Johnson said. The team will rely heavily on senior center Yannick Crowder and sophomore guard Avery Moore to carry the scoring burden. “All this does is give us the opportunity to give other guys a chance to play,” Johnson said. “What we have to do now is find more creative ways to get our guys who can score the ball cleaner looks at the basket and easier shots.” The team will travel to Providence, RI to face Providence University in its next contest. Johnson said his team will have to maintain until the others return. “We will come together whether those guys are there or not,” Johnson said. “This will just make the team stronger.” All updates for this story will be posted on thefamuanonline. com.
Royal Shepherd
famuansports@gmailcom
Students question green growth in fountains Brittany Buchanan Deputy Photo Editor Florida A&M students may be surprised to find out that the greenish residue coming out of the water fountains in Coleman Library isn’t there for decoration. But, according to the university’s custodial services and a professor of botany, the greenish residue is nothing to worry about. Swenson Anioce, a 22-year-old senior psychology student from Miami, said he always thought the water tasted funny on campus. “I thought it was part of the school colors,” Anoice said jokingly. James Muchovej, a botany professor at Florida A&M for 20 years, took a sample of the residue and tested its solubility with isopropyl (rubbing alcohol). His findings showed that the residue is actually a product of copper sulfate, a salt, and that the residue was due to the calcium in our water. “In actuality, copper sulfate is going to keep the algae from growing, “ Muchovej said. “Copper sulfate is often used as a herbicide for aquatic plants.” Muchovej also tested actual algae found from pipes that water the plants in the greenhouse. He found a mass of filaments indicating living bodies in the algae versus the
Britney Buchanan/The Famuan The water fountains in Coleman Library have a questionable green residue coming from the spout.
salt crystals found from the water fountains. Ron Darron, assistant director of custodian services, said the water fountains are not cleaned on a daily basis, but are based on their staffing level, which correlates with Association Physical and Plant Administrators Five Levels of Clean. APPA is a clean energy standard used throughout the U.S. “APPA tells you based on the staffing level what it takes to maintain every aspect of cleaning. When you’re not at that level, you make conscious decisions on what you don’t do and you can back down to any level of cleanliness based on your staffing level. As a manager I
make those decisions,” Darron said. Although the residue poses no bodily harm to the student body that choose to drink it, some students still feel the fountains should be cleaned daily and would make the campus look more welcoming without residue. Tory McGriff, a freshman from Jacksonville said fountains should look more presentable for students. “For people to want to eat something or drink from something it should look presentable. If it doesn’t look presentable then nobody’s going to use it,” said McGriff.
Britney Buchanan
famuannews@gmail.com