April 5 Issue

April 5, 2012

Volume 80 No. 26

www.FlorAla.net

What’s your

Student newspaper of the University of North Alabama

worth?

@UNAFlorAla

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@FlorAlaSports

A LOOK INSIDE

Campus and local police officials said they are stepping up patrols to ensure student safety since the recent armed robberies and break-ins on and near the university have taken place.

UNA police Chief Bob Pastula said he suspects it may be a sign of the economic times as to why three armed robberies have occurred on campus just this year. In 2010, two armed robberies involving students at or near UNA also took place.

“A lot of people are unemployed, and that’s an easy way for them to come up with the money they need without earning it,” he said. “People resort

See page 3A UNA recently received a grant to increase recycling efforts and recycling education on campus.

photo by KAYLA SLOAN I Staff Photographer

Students in the Pride of Dixie band often undergo numerous hours of practice as they prepare for their performances. Band Director Lloyd Jones said band students can receive between $300 to $3,500.

Officials discuss distribution of service scholarships 2W[P ;SIOO[

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See page 4B Psychology students hiked the approach to the Appalachian Trail during spring break to perform research.

Sweltering temperatures, grueling hours and a long season are often not as rewarding to some students who get a small amount of scholarship money for their work in band or athletics.

UNA cheerleader Caleb Canoles said the long hours and small scholarship amount he receives for his

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UNA softball team looks to get back in the win column this weekend.

See page 4B Bobby Wallace has challenges ahead in his return back to UNA.

service have forced him to make the tough decision to leave the team to get an outside job to afford his bills.

“It is a lot of time, and, honestly, if I spent the same amount of time I put into cheering, I would have a lot more money if I had a job,” Canoles said.

Canoles receives a book scholarship that covers the cost of his textbooks and a $625 scholarship for his work as a cheerleader. He

said it is understood by many that the scholarship amount is low, but that cheerleaders should receive more money than they get.

Canoles said cheering makes it hard for him and his teammates to obtain an outside job.

“I think I applied for 35 to 40 jobs and I never got a single call back because of (my availability) with cheering,” he said.

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FOR YOUR INFO: UNA Police: 256-765-4357 Florence Police: 911 Lion Alert: www.una.edu/ lionalert to desperate measures when they don’t have the means for earning money.”

UNA police are still searching for a suspect involved in an armed robbery on campus March 21. Pastula said the suspect is a white male in his early

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Students reveal struggles with willpower )VV 0IZSMa

See page 3B

Police take extra precautions after armed robberies, break-ins

Thomas Carroll “TC” Barnett, a theater major at UNA, said at one point in his life he was addicted to pornography and other types of sexual imagery.

As a young child, he said he was exposed to sexual situations and had no way of understanding the things he witnessed.

“The things I found strange and confusing, I tried to find normalcy,” he said. “My addiction grew from there.”

Barnett said he would experi-

ence binges of pornography behind his parents’ backs and even lost sleep because of it.

“It was like warfare going on inside my head,” he said. “It took me away from life. It gave me pleasure, but I eventually felt disgusted.”

Barnett said what changed his life of addiction was his ability to strengthen his willpower to the point that pornography was no longer a problem.

“It’s still a part of my mind,” he said. “I just have the willpower to not act on it.”

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photo by MALISA MCCLURE I Chief Photographer

Some students must use willpower to overcome their addictions.

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Thursday, April 5, 2012 • The Flor-Ala

News Briefs Governor appoints new board members Department hosts events to raise awareness of First Amendment

The Department of Communications will again recognize the month of April as First Amendment Awareness Month.

During the first week of April, “Liberty Wraps” will be placed in the GUC. The “Liberty Wraps” are displays created by student organizations to reflect the five rights of the First Amendment and how those rights have impacted their organizations. Two speakers will highlight the role of the First Amendment.

Gene Policinski, senior vice president and executive director of the First Amendment Center, will be speaking April 19. The Parker-Qualls Lectureship, funded by Dr. and Mrs. R. L. Qualls of Little Rock, Ark., brings a distinguished lecturer to UNA each year.

Hank Klibanoff, journalist and author of the “The Race Beat: The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of a Nation,” will be speaking April 23. Both speakers will be speaking in room 131 in the Communications Building at 7 p.m.

SGA to host mayoral debate for students SGA is set to host a debate between the mayoral candidates running for office in the city of Florence in the GUC Performance Center at 6 p.m. April 16.

Mickey Haddock, Billy Ray Simpson and Rick Singleton will debate and answer questions about the city and their campaigns.

SGA is asking for students to post their questions for the candidates on their Facebook event page and on OrgSync.

For more information, contact SGA at 256-765-4248.

All-American quarterback to speak April 9 The UNA athletic department and S.P.O.R.T.S management club will be hosting former college football standout and motivational speaker Tommie Frazier April 9 at 7:30 p.m. in Flowers Hall.

The organization is asking all faculty, staff and students to come to the free event.

Frazier won two national championships and was an All-American quarterback at the University of Nebraska.

For more information, contact Tyler Unsicker in the athletics department at 256-765-5466.

HAVE AN EVENT YOU US TO COVER? News Briefs are compiled by News Editor Josh Skaggs. Email jskaggs@una.edu to have your event featured in this section.

• Abroms, Anderson named to positions 2WZLIV *ZILTMa

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Two local businessmen will be replacing members of UNA’s board of trustees who have ended their 12-year term.

Joel Anderson and Marty Abroms will be replacing departing members Billy Don Anderson and Ronnie Flippo, whose terms expire this month, after being nominated for the positions by Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley earlier this year.

“We’ve got some awfully good people going off and some awfully good people coming on board,” said Steve Pierce, 2010-2012 president pro tem of the UNA board of trustees.

Pierce, who also ended his term this month but was nominated for another one by the governor, said he is excited to see both Anderson and Abroms brought to the board.

“The biggest challenge is the lack of funding from the state,” Pierce said about what the new board members will face as soon as they join. “The biggest issues are all going to deal with funding, getting money for the university to operate in the capacity that it does. The funding is just not there like it once was.”

Abroms, president of Abroms and Associates and a certified public account, said one of his main focuses is to help UNA manage how they spend what funding is available and bring in as much funding from private sources as possible.

“I have learned in my profession that one does not have to be the most to be the

ABROMS

ANDERSON

best,” Abroms said. “I think our state will still have education funding issues until we have an ecomonic recovery. There has to be a bigger focus on raising more scholarship dollars that we used to get from the state years back.”

Along with funding the university, Abroms said another main focus he has is updating the facilities on campus, especially replacing Floyd Science Hall with the planned new science building.

“The one building I’m not real proud of is our current science building,” Abroms said. “While it is functioning, it’s not functioning to the level it should to be having good state-of-the-art laboratories and facilities.”

Billy Don Anderson, who has served 33 years on the board of trustees, said the board has made progress updating the university, and the new members of the board will be able to see the completion of buildings and facilities, including the new science building, which he said are long over-

due.

“The ideas are newer, fresh approaches to student life that didn’t exist a few years ago,” Anderson said. “I’m proud of the fact that we’ve been able to keep up, put those in place and make sure there’s a campus that provides everything to you, no matter the size of the university.”

Another main focus Abroms said he is bringing with him is expanding UNA’s nursing program.

“It seems like somewhat a no-brainer to me that we should provide the resources to expand that program,” Abroms said.

“There are a lot of qualified applicants that are not accepted to the program not because they are not qualified, but because there’s not enough space.

“A good nursing student is generally going to have a job somewhere. With the health care situation in the Shoals, we’re hoping to have more need here and

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Officials plan demolition on campus )VV 0IZSMa

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UNA will be taking on several demolition and construction projects during the course of the next couple of months, said Facilities Administration and Planning Di-

AREAS BEING AFFECTED Three houses on Irvine Avenue Commuter lot behind Keller Hall Oakview Circle tennis courts Old Physical Plant on Pine Street

For more information, contact: 256-765-4274

rector Michael Gautney.

The plans include tearing down three houses on Irvine and Seminary streets to make room for a 45-spot parking lot that will be used to replace the parking that will be lost when the Student Commons and Academic Center is built, Gautney said.

The demolition is expected to be finished by the end of July, and the parking lot should be finished near September.

The Student Commons and Academic Center will be built in the commuter parking lot behind Keller Hall. Construction of the new building is still pending board approval, but construction is expected to begin in August, Gautney said. Its completion can be expected in August of 2013.

In order to make room for the new science and engineering building, the Oakview Circle tennis courts will be demolished along with the physical plant on Pine Street near it starting in May. The tennis courts and physical plant demolition should be finished in July, Gautney said.

Gautney said construction of the science and engineering building is awaiting board approval but is expected to begin in September. Its completion can be expected in December of 2014.

Gautney said no major roadblocks are

WANT MORE INFORMATION 24/7?

Check out our website at www.florala.net.

expected to hinder students during the demolitions coming up in May. Some students are excited about the new facilities.

“I think it is a great move for UNA,” said Ryan Henderson, a public relations major.

”I donʼt like the idea of knocking down historical buildings (the three houses on Seminary and Irvine).”

-Catie Childers Henderson said the new parking lot will help relieve the stress of finding a spot because of the parking lot the new Student Commons will replace.

UNA public relations major Catie Childers has some concerns about some of the demolition projects.

“I like the idea of new parking,” she said. “I don’t like the idea of knocking down historical buildings (the three houses on Seminary and Irvine). I think the lot in front of the sorority dorms should be made into parking.”

Thursday, April 5, 2012 • The Flor-Ala

WORKING

News

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Departments conduct professor searches 4]SM ;UQ\P

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photo by KAYLA SLOAN I Staff Photographer

Recyclable items wait to be processed at the Florence Recycling Center. UNA and the recycling center have partnered together through a grant to increase recycling and recycling education.

University gets grant to increase recycling on campus )UIVLI 5K/W]OP

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In October 2011, UNA and the City of Florence Recycling Center received a grant from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management to improve and increase the recycling program on campus.

The funds have been used to purchase recycling containers for placement across campus.

In 2009, ADEM started the recycling grant, which is funded by $1 being given to the program for every ton of garbage that is put in a landfill. This money is put into the grant which is then awarded to help with cleanup from illegal dumping

and to promote recycling efforts.

“This is a competitive grant statewide and is awarded to several cities and counties each year,” said Rachel Mansell, coordinator for education and outreach for the solid waste department of Florence.

The ADEM grant was not enough to provide all of the funding that was originally requested but will help the university implement more recycling containers and education on campus. Michael Gautney, director of facilities at UNA, said officials have submitted a grant proposal for next year to purchase the items not funded this year to assist the university with its recycling initiatives.

UNA will also use part of the grant to

implement more advertisements and promotions of the campus recycling program.

The Student Government Association will be responsible for providing students with the materials to educate themselves on the program and the importance of recycling.

Gautney said a portion of the grant was used to help promote the program through billboards downtown as well as an ad in the Courier Journal. He said April 4 is the university’s target date to have all the new containers in place across campus. There will be smaller containers in classrooms, offices, and 96-gallon containers in several buildings on campus.

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More freshmen expected this fall 2IKWJ ?ITTIKM

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Statistics from the UNA admissions department show freshman admission rates for the semester of fall 2012 are up from last year. Rates of freshman admission this year are greater than they have been for the past two years, said Director of Admissions Kim Mauldin.

In that statistic, summer freshman admission rates are included. This also includes any athletes who will be enrolling this summer to start summer workouts, Mauldin said.

Last year at this time, there was not an increase in freshman admissions for the fall semester. Those rates were actually lower than the previous year’s, Mauldin said.

“Last year was just a unique year,” Mauldin said. “Even for all of our sister institutions.”

Mauldin said she believes the economy played a role in the decrease of admission numbers.

“In the recruiting year for 2011, I think the economy played a major role,” she said. “Our region of the state finally felt

the economic downturn. That made a huge difference. The community college numbers were up for the class of 2011.”

Mauldin said a change in campus atmosphere has played a positive role in increasing admissions rates. Actions on campus, such as the talk of Division I, and campus improvements, such as the new black box theatre, have brought new life to UNA. “We did not feel the energy on campus last year,” Mauldin said. “There was nothing really going on in terms of construction. There was no closure on upcoming plans, such as the new science building.

The energy was not bad, just status quo.”

The energy on campus changed last spring. Mauldin said UNA staff members have felt the energy all year.

“Any time you have opportunities for growth at your institution—such as building expansion, program expansion and even the decision to move forward with D-I—there is movement,” she said. “When there is movement, it creates excitement.”

Mauldin said admissions standards have not lowered this year. Since the raising of standards for unconditional admission two years ago—for example, increas-

ing the ACT to a cumulative score of 18 and up while also making the minimum core GPA requirement a 2.0—numbers of first-time declined acceptance rates have actually increased in the past two fall semesters.

UNA admissions standards are actually closer to private institution requirements, Mauldin said, considering high school GPA for admission is based on core subject GPA rather that total GPA, which includes electives.

“We have more academic scholarships awarded at this time than we did last year,” Mauldin said. “However, we awarded fewer leadership scholarships this year.”

This is due to current students retaining their leadership scholarships, Mauldin said. As of last year at this time, 107 leadership scholarships had been awarded, while only 87 have been awarded so far this year.

The number of students retaining their scholarship is positive, Mauldin said. And even though admissions rates are going up, class sizes will remain small due to campus space. This is also a feature of UNA that Mauldin said is positive for many students.

The UNA departments of history and political science, English and communications are currently in the process of hiring four new faculty members to fill tenure-track positions in each department. Two positions are currently open in the Department of History and Political Science, while the departments of English and communications each have one position open.

“Ron Smith is retiring, and the new professor will replace him,” said Dr. Larry Adams, professor and chair of the Department of English. “The new professor will be teaching technical writing, technical editing, possibly some other upper-level writing courses, firstyear composition and sophomore literature.”

Adams said the professor’s contract would begin in August of this year. Two candidates for the position are currently under consideration, narrowed down from a pool of nine.

The professorships in the Department of History and Political Science would also be-

New professors in: English Communications History Political Science gin in August of this year.

“We have two faculty searches this semester,” said Dr. Christopher Maynard, professor and chair of the Department of History and Political Science. “One is early modern European history, which is a replacement position for Dr. Tom Osborne. Dr. Osborne is retiring and will finish his service to UNA in July.”

Maynard said the department will be interviewing four candidates for the position after spring break.

“We also have a new position in public history, which we are currently accepting applications for,” Maynard said.

He said the department will soon begin conducting phone interviews for the position before beginning on-campus interviews.

“Public history is a unique field of history,” Maynard said. “It includes historic site management, archival management, preservation and a variety of other things. We’re excited about having a public historian. He or she will be able to assist us with historic sites and provide graduates who work in those sites with professional training.”

Candidates for both professorships would be required to hold a Ph.D. in their respective fields of history.

The Department of Communications is currently seeking an assistant professor of broadcast and digital journalism.

“We are hiring a new professor to help round out our offerings for our areas of broadcast,” said Dr. Pat Sanders, UNA professor of radio, television and interactive media. “We want someone with broadcast television news experience and experience producing newscasts.

“The new professor will teach undergraduate broadcast journalism, digital media, and video production courses.”

Candidates for the professorship will be required to hold a Ph.D. or master’s degree in the communications field.

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Thursday, April 5, 2012 • The Flor-Ala

College of Education sees name change • New name to include nonteaching departments, programs )VLa <PQOXMV

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The College of Education may soon be sharing a bigger umbrella with the Department of Human Environmental Sciences (HES) and the Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation (HPER) as it moves to change its name to the College of Education and Human Sciences.

The change was approved by the board of trustees March 16. The proposal will now go before the Alabama Commission on Higher Education (ACHE) and, if passed, is expected to take effect in the 2013–2014 academic year.

The name is a popular one among similar universities that are undergoing the same transition, said Dean of the College of Education Dr. Donna Jacobs. She said she believes the new name will be a better fit for the college as a whole.

“We finally agreed as a collaboration that the most appropriate name that encompassed all we are was the ‘College of Education and Human Sciences,’” Jacobs said.

“It just better exemplifies who we are on this campus. I think it’s a real opportunity to show our ideas and philosophies.”

Those ideas, Jacobs said, are changing.

“The College of Education found them-

selves needing to expand in order to more accurately capture the majors and courses currently being offered,” she said. “Four of five departments offer degrees that don’t lead to school-based careers.”

HPER Chair Dr. Thomas Coates echoes Jacobs’ statement.

“It’s not just teacher education anymore,” Coates said.

HPER currently offers majors in exercise science, fitness management, health promotion, recreation and sport management. Coates said these majors are not designed to lead to teaching careers, yet they are housed in the College of Education.

The problem, he said, is that students often don’t know where to look for those specific majors.

“Where do you find it?” he asked. “The problem is, you don’t know where to look for it. It happens all the time. We have some pretty unique programs and some strong academic programs—it’s just a matter of being able to find those (majors).”

Jane Wilson, chair of the HES department, shares a similar problem.

“We get frustrated in HES—that’s a vague umbrella name for what we do,” Wilson said. “It’s hard to tell people who we are.”

HES offers child development, culinary arts, foods and nutrition, interior design and merchandising, which are all nonteaching majors.

“We’re so diverse in this department, and we’re proud of it,” Wilson said. “We’re dealing with the most important parts of life: food, clothing and shelter. By enhanc-

photo by BARRY MINOR I Staff Photographer

Associate Professor of Interior Design Dwight Bunn teaches his students in the human environmental science department on campus.

ing the name to better represent who we are, it would be better for everyone.

“Being a part of a larger whole, I think, is important to our students.”

Jacobs said confirmation of identity is a big part of the name change.

“I think it helps with their (HES and HPER) identities; it gives them a sense of belonging,” she said. “This way, their college name will more accurately capture

their disciplines.”

Despite all of the change, Jacobs, Wilson and Coates all said the name change does not indicate that any cuts or additions will be made to the department.

“This name change does not mean everything is going to change,” Coates said.

“It is a name change to reflect what we are doing. We’ll just keep going and changing and doing what we do.”

Thursday, April 5, 2012 • The Flor-Ala

News

BAD LIONS UNA Campus Crime Log

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March 5

Trespassing

Rivers Hall

March 6

Theft

SRC

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-Golf hat March 19 Trespassing

Appleby Hall

March 20 Harassment

Rivers Hall

March 21 Theft

GUC -Bicycle

March 21 Kidnapping/Robbery Parking Deck -Cash, Wallet March 24 Criminal Mischief source: UNA Police Department March crime log

*7):, KWV\QV]ML NZWU XIOM ) throughout the country. Really, our country is going to need more of those medical professionals.”

Joel Anderson, chairman of the board for Anderson Media, said that at the moment he’s still in the process of learning about the university, but he does have a couple of core goals.

“I do know two things that are most important to me,” Joel Anderson said.

“One, that UNA continues offering a good, quality education. I want do everything I

can to maintain.

“And the other thing, from my businessman background, I want to see UNA grow. I want to see it be able to offer more opportunities to students and the community.”

UNA has a solid foundation to build on, Joel Anderson said, but there’s still a major problem that UNA as a university has that hinders its growth.

“One thing does concern me about UNA, and that’s UNA sits on a very landlocked campus,” Joel Anderson said. “We need to achieve growth, and how are we going to do that? You’ve got to think about how you are going to expand. I don’t have any answer right now, but it’s right on the

SRC

-Damage to vehicle

top of my mind.”

No matter how UNA grows, Anderson said he thinks the university will continue to provide for the students, and he is proud to be a part of it.

“I feel thoroughly honored to serve on the board for 33 years,” Billy Don Anderson said. “It’s cliché to say this, but when you have such a close association to a university, you are for everything they stand for, whether it’s fraternities or sororities, the football or basketball teams, or any of the education fields.”

While Pierce said both Abroms and Joel Anderson are bringing something new to the board with their experiences, he said both Billy Don Anderson and Flippo have

brought change to the university.

“I think they both deserve a tremendous pat on the back,” Pierce said. “I don’t want them to just go off into the sunset, because I don’t think people realize how much their vision has helped shape the university.

“It’s a tremendous honor to serve with these guys, these guys I saw growing up helping the community, and then have the opportunity to work with them on the board. I think a lot of the great things that will help to the university in the future are because of what they have done for the university.”

TRUSTEES Richard Cater Lisa Ceci John Cole Rodney Howard Libby Jordan Steve Pierce Harvey Robbins Marty Abroms Joel Anderson

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Looking forward to end of Lent )TM` 4QVLTMa

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Something funny I noticed about Lent: people who didn’t give anything up are always asking those who did when Lent is over, and those who did know exactly when it ends.

I gave up meat for Lent, so the fates insisted that I’d be asked when Lent is over 57 times through greasy mouthfuls of Double Quarter Pounder while I sat quietly munching on leaves and roots.

It’s over on Easter Sunday, people.

The eighth of April in the year of our Lord 2012. So stop asking me and making my stomach growl.

My ‘stomach scorned’ growls because I am most definitely a carnivore. Don’t get me wrong—I enjoy my fruits and vegetables, but steak is where it’s at (Can I get an Amen?).

But I haven’t eaten anything that once breathed in (approximately) 46 days.

And I didn’t take Sundays off.

Aren’t I great? I gave up something for six weeks that millions of people give up for their whole lives, and here I am patting myself on the back. Great job, champ.

I’ve always been one of those people who couldn’t understand how vegetarians and vegans do it. But now, after six brutal weeks, I get it.

It really wasn’t that bad. In fact, I enjoyed it at times. I got to feel good

about helping the planet out a bit while trying some pretty delicious food and learning how to cook a little better.

But the point is, now I understand what it’s like to not eat meat—and to deprive myself of something I enjoy every day.

I’m Catholic, so Lent is a religious affair for me, but I know a good number of people who practice Lent without practicing the denominations that observe it.

I think that’s fantastic. Regardless of why anyone gives something up for Lent, it is an exercise in eye opening.

That is, it tells you something about yourself or others.

This year, Lent told me I can do it.

I can give up meat and not drop dead.

It told me vegetarians aren’t weird or crazy, and, if for nothing else, they should be respected for functioning in our carnivorous society.

Making a sacrifice is healthy every now and then, and Lent is the perfect time to do that. But the sacrifice doesn’t have to be permanent, though I’m seriously considering giving up meat one day a week just so I don’t forget.

I’m looking forward to the end of Lent. Watching my friends tear through T-bones and munch on filet mignon has revved my appetite.

Hold my calls. If anyone needs me in the next week or so, I’ll be in the kitchen making up for lost time. At least I know I did it.

To contact Alex, call 256-765-4364 or you can follow him on Twitter at @ TheFlorAlex.

Thursday, April 5, 2012 • The Flor-Ala

SHOUTOUT! Congrats to Staff Writer Luke Smith for being named Writer of the Week for The Flor-Ala. Also, great job to Staff Photographer Kayla Sloan for having Photo of the Week in the last edition of The Flor-Ala. Want to be a columnist for The FlorAla? Email alindley@una.edu with your ideas and a writing sample to be considered for publication.

PAWS UP, PAWS DOWN Calling it like we see it at UNA, in the Shoals, across the state and around the world Rick Santorum, a Republican candidate for the 2012 presidential campaign, almost let a racial slur slip recently while describing President Obama at an event in Wisconsin.

Also, “Don’t Re-Nig in 2012” bumper stickers against Obama have surfaced. No matter what your political beliefs are, it’s never OK to discriminate against others based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, etc.

UNA officials made several revisions to the university’s bus and shuttle system schedule in order to improve efficiency and relieve parking issues on campus, said UNA police Chief Robert Pastula in a campuswide email April 2. Pastula said officials added several stops at apartment complexes, restaurants and entertainment venues, Pastula said.

Religion Column

Preaching what you practice *Ta\PM ;\MMTUIV

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Religion.

Before I go any further, I believe in God. I believe sin exists. I believe in Heaven and Hell. What I don’t believe in, though, is religion. I don’t believe in “the church” or those who profess Christ with their mouths, but for most of them, their lives scream something different.

To be honest, I haven’t set

foot in a church in months. I’ve come to abhor what the church has become.

Don’t write me off and say that I’m on a warpath against the church. That’s not what I’m doing. I’m pointing out the insincerity behind most organized religions.

It has been my general experience with organized religion that the people are judgmental, condescending and the holier-thanthou type. They talk about wanting to emulate the love and acceptance of Christ to all people, but then in the same breath turn their backs on people of a different sexuality, different denomination/religion, or maybe those who

Have your own cartoons? Want to be published? Send us your stuff at florala@una.edu!

don’t have the prettiest reputations. They look at people who don’t follow God and write them off, calling them damned to Hell for their lifestyles. But they fail to look at themselves and their own sin covering their lives.

I’m not being judgmental—I’m telling the truth. I see it every day, all around me. The people who post Facebook statuses or tweet about loving Jesus and living for Him, but then I hear them talking about how wasted they got Friday night at the frat party, or I get in a car with them and the music they turn on is preaching about a lifestyle full of alcohol, sex and drugs. They watch movies about what they claim to hate. Their lives—and religion— scream hypocrisy to me.

Yes, I know Christianity isn’t about being perfect and never making mistakes. However, James 1:26 talks about how religion without action is worthless. But I only know a handful of people who make an effort to practice what they preach.

I’m tired of Christians who go to church every time the doors are open and sit in the pew with façades of perfection. Jesus reached out to the broken, the lost and the people who everyone else turned their backs on. He didn’t automatically condemn the people with broken pasts or the ones who strayed from Him. Who gave the church and religion that power? What gives them the right to say that someone’s relationship with God is or isn’t in the right place?

Personally, I see religion as a crutch that most people lean on to make their lives look “holy.” If you’re going to love Christ and try to be more like Him every day, do it. If not, stop being insincere and looking down your nose at everyone else. Practice what you preach, or—for God’s sake—at least preach what you practice.

Student newspaper of the University of North Alabama LUCY BERRY EXECUTIVE EDITOR JOSH SKAGGS NEWS/MANAGING EDITOR ANDY THIGPEN LIFE EDITOR TOMMY BOLTON SPORTS EDITOR ALEX LINDLEY COPY/OPINIONS EDITOR JORDAN BRADLEY ONLINE EDITOR CAMERON KELLY-JOHNSON BUSINESS MANAGER SAVANNAH COMER GRAPHIC ARTIST JULIANN LOSEY CIRCULATION MANAGER MALISA McCLURE CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER KAYLA SLOAN BARRY MINOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS REBECCA WALKER ADVISER

EDITORIAL BOARD: LUCY BERRY ALEX LINDLEY

Letters Policy The Flor-Ala welcomes and encourages Letters to the Editor.

• The deadline for submitting letters is 10 a.m. Monday, the week of publication.

• Letters must not exceed 400 words.

• Letters must be accompanied by the writer’s name, mailing address, phone number and email.

• The Flor-Ala prefers to publish your letters exactly as written, but reserves the right to reject slanderous or libelous material.

• The publication of any letter is left to the discretion of the Editorial Board.

• Priority is given to letters critical of The Flor-Ala, or written in direct response to an editorial, a column, or a news story.

• When the editors deem it necessary for ease of understanding or to clarify facts, an Editor’s Note may accompany a letter.

• Address correspondence to The Flor-Ala. UNA Box 5300, Florence, AL 35632.

Email: florala@una.edu.

Letters may also be submitted through our website at florala.net.

• Phone: 256-765-4364

Copyright © 2011 The Flor-Ala All rights reserved.

First copy free.

Additional copies $1 each.

Thursday, April 5, 2012 • The Flor-Ala

Images

Take a look around

By Barry Minor - Staff Photographer - sminor@una.edu

The next time you find yourself in a new place—actually, make that anywhere—take a good look around. If you stop long enough to do this, you may be surprised at what you will see. So many times we find ourselves running literally from one thing to the next, not stopping enough to realize the awesomeness of what is around us.

I would also like to challenge you to go to new places. The next time you find yourself without

something to do, take a spontaneous road trip. You may be surprised where you end up and what you see and experience along the way. The last time I did this, I made some memories, to say the least.

Grab your best friend, cane pole, and a tube of crickets and head to your favorite creek to see what life has in store for you. Oh yeah, one more thing, if you find yourself 10 miles down a dirt road with two flat tires, turn it into a party.

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MORE PHOTOS:

To see Barryʼs entire photo series, visit our website at florala.net.

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?14487?-: KWV\QV]ML NZWU XIOM ) Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche’s “Beyond Good and Evil” states that the will to overcome a passion is in the end merely the will of another or several other passions.

Addiction is defined as the state of being dedicated or devoted to a thing, an activity or occupation in a compulsive way, according to the Oxford English Dictionary. The way to overcome a passion—or addiction—is to develop a will that is stronger than the addiction itself, Nietzsche said.

Dr. Matt Fitzsimmons, professor of philosophy at UNA, said people have to develop habits of consciousness to know how to act.

“The idea is we teach kids habits,” he said. “That way, when they find themselves in situations, they have guidance to help them through it. However, this is something that can’t be taught. We must make it part of our character by repeating it and understanding it.”

Fitzsimmons said willpower can only be strengthened by practice to the point that it becomes habitual.

Some UNA students are trying to overcome their

Extra

own addictions.

Tasha McKinney, a chemistry major at UNA, has been a smoker since she was a young teenager. Last year, her mother had surgery to remove an unidentified growth from her vocal cords. The growth developed mainly from smoking approximately half a pack of cigarettes a day.

“After mom’s surgery, I tried to quit smoking,” she said. “That lasted about three months until finals hit. I started smoking during finals, thinking I could stop again when they were over, but I fell back into that habit.”

She said her mother’s surgery gave her motivation to stop smoking, but so far she hasn’t be able to stop completely.

“When the results came back that it wasn’t cancer, it took the edge off the fear, and it became easier for me to justify smoking again,” she said.

She said her willpower is weak when she leaves packs of cigarettes out in the open.

Some people, however, have no desire to give up their addictions.

Thursday, April 5, 2012 • The Flor-Ala

Florence resident Bertha Rodriguez’s addiction was so unusual that it attracted the attention of TLC’s “My Strange Addiction.” She was featured on the TV show because she drinks up to six bottles of nail polish a day.

“I don’t want to stop,” Rodriguez said. “When I go to bed, I think about nail polish. When I wake up, it’s nail polish.”

Her addiction started almost five years ago when she stepped into a nail salon and the smell drew her in.

“It makes me feel better,” she said. “When I’m depressed, I drink more. It makes me feel stronger, like an energy drink.”

She said she has visited a doctor who told her if she did not stop drinking the nail polish, it could kill her.

Her addiction, however, is so strong she won’t stop.

“I was like ‘whatever,’” she said. “I didn’t care.”

People have the ability to overcome addictions.

However, it takes the use of willpower to achieve this goal, according to Nietzsche.

S PORTS

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Thursday, April 5, 2012 • The Flor-Ala

Contact Sports Editor Tommy Bolton at 256.765.5098

Destination unknown

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D-I conference destination still mystery for UNA <WUUa *WT\WV

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With talks raging on between UNA and Division I conference commissioners, there is still no invite in place at this time, UNA officials said.

UNA officials are still waiting on a conference invite from the top three conferences mentioned earlier this year by Athletic Director Mark Linder. Those conferences include the Ohio Valley, Southland and Southern conferences.

“We have been in contact with the OVC, Southland, and the SoCon periodically, and we give them updates with how all our benchmarks have been going and our expansion,” Linder said. “We basically do this to stay on their radar.”

Linder said he tries not to stay in contact with the leagues every week in fear of being in too much contact and that it could get distracting.

“We don’t want to be a burden on them, so if something important comes up we will shoot those conferences an email or a phone call showing interest,” Linder said. “It’s probably a four-to-five-week basis on when we contact them.”

One of the other key benchmarks for making the transition into D-I was raising money for the application fee, which is at $3 million, and it seems as though UNA is close to achiev-

ing that goal.

“We have raised around $2.4 and $2.5 million so far, and we look to wrap up that benchmark in the next five months,” Linder said.

Linder said it isn’t up to UNA to get a conference invite, but he wants to be ready when the day comes with all the other benchmarks intact.

“Getting an invite is not in our hands, but what is in our hands is us being educated with the (D-I) level and do everything we need to do to be D-I ready and leave the rest to them,” Linder said. “It’s not about if the invite comes, but when—and we want to be ready. Every conference commissioner that I have talked to has been very encouraging in keeping us updated.”

In the meantime, UNA remains a member of the Gulf South Conference in all athletic teams and will continue to be a member until it receives a conference offer.

“We are still a very active member of the Gulf South Conference,” Linder said. “We remained engaged and continue to be engaged until we get an invitation.”

With the OVC turning down UNA this past November, many people began to believe that the timeline for the move to D-I would be moved back, but Linder said the university is right on schedule.

“In the original plan, the first year to go (DI) was fall 2013—not the fall of 2012—so, as far as the timeline goes, we are in pretty good shape,” Linder said. “As for hitting the panic button on this, I don’t think we need to do that.”

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SOUTHLAND 1. Texas Arlington Arlington, Texas 2. Texas State San Marcos, Texas 3. Texas San Antonio San Antonio 4. Texas A&M Corpus Christi Corpus Christi, Texas 5. Sam Houston State Hunstville, Texas 6. Lamar

Beaumont, Texas 7. McNeese State Lake Charles, La. 8. Nicholls Thibodaux, La. 9. Southeastern Louisiana Hammond, La. 10. Northwestern State Natchitoches, La. 11. Central Arkansas Conway, Ark.

SOUTHERN CONFERENCE

1. Appalachian State Boone, N.C. 2. College of Charleston Chaleston, S.C. 3. The Citadel Charleston, S.C. 4. Davidson College Davidson, N.C. 5. Elon Elon, N.C. 6. Furman Greenville, S.C. 7. Georgia Southern

Statesboro, Ga. 8. North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, N.C. 9. Samford Birmingham 10. Tennessee at Chattanooga Chattanooga, Tenn.

11. Western Carolina Cullowhee, N.C. 12. Wofford College Spartanburg, S.C.

OHIO VALLEY 1. Austin Peay State Clarksville, Tenn.

2. Eastern Illinois Charleston, Ill. 3.Eastern 3.

Eastern Kentucky Richmond, Ky. 4. Jacksonville State Jacksonville, Ala. 5. Morehead State Morehead, Ky. 6. Murray State

Murray, Ky. 7. Southeast Missouri Cape Girardeau, Mo.

8. Southern Illinois Edwardsville, Ill. 9. Tennessee State Nashville 10. Tennessee Tech Cookeville, Tenn.

11. Tennessee at Martin Martin, Tenn.

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Thursday, April 5, 2012 • The Flor-Ala

Player of the Chandler credits hard work for recent success 7ZZMa *WT\WV Week ;\INN ?ZQ\MZ WJWT\WV(]VI ML]

Michael Schmidt Hometown: Powder Springs, Ga. Major: Business Position: Second Base Stats: Schmidt had a solid week end, going 7-for-11 with three runs and a RBI despite losing the week end series to Valdosta State.

Week At A Glance Baseball When: Friday, 2 p.m. (DH) Saturday, 1 p.m.

Saturday Where: Home Where W o: Del Wh Who: Delta State

Softball When: Friday, 12 p.m. (DH) Saturday, 11 p.m. (DH) Where: Away

The UNA golf team has made huge strides this season, thanks to the breakout of senior Ty Chandler, who recently won a first place individual medal at the Southeastern Collegiate in Valdosta, Ga. The UNA golf team has gained a lot of momentum from the breakout performance of Chandler. The Lions have finished first place in four of the last five tournaments, and with Chandler finally breaking out with his first victory, the Lions have momentum going into the bulk of the spring schedule.

“It all comes down to hard work, and I’ve been close for a couple of years, but I never put in the work to end up on top,” Chandler said. “I decided to change the way I was thinking and practicing and focus more on my physical fitness. I knew I had to work harder to get myself to the level that I expect, which is winning tournaments.”

Chandler, a native of Stafford, Va., was recruited heavily

by Division I schools from across the country, but the chance to be a main contributor for a championship at a Division II team lured him away and to UNA. “UNA gave me the better opportunity to win championships,” Chandler said. “I feel like the top five guys we have right now could hang with any of the best (D-I) schools.”

Chandler grew up playing other sports like soccer, baseball and basketball. Golf has always

been his main focus and has been put in his blood since a very early age, with his parents and uncle teaching him the fundamentals of golf, he said. Chandler shares his story of learning the game at a very early age with many golfers, such as PGA superstar Tiger Woods.

“According to my parents, I started around the time I could walk, between 12 and 18 months old,” Chandler said. “I started playing competitively when I was four years old. Both my parents taught me the mental and physical aspects of being a hard worker and to never give up. My uncle has always been the common sense guy and both coach (Billy) Gamble and coach (Stuart) Clark have shown me how to work the right way to get to my potential.”

When not on the links chipping in birdies, Chandler enjoys fishing during the summer and also working out. He also follows golf closely. When golf is over at UNA, he said he plans to go professional and wants to try to make it on the PGA tour “I watch a ton of golf, and Tiger is the all-time favorite,” Chandler said. “You want to be as dominant as he was, and you want to be as fierce as he was, along with the physical shape. I also like (Rory) McIlroy, (Nick) Watney, and (Luke) Donald, or the guys who work hard at it and have amazing short games.”

With the recent victory, Chandler said he is never satisfied and is always improving aspects of his game. Whatever it takes to get the program to new heights this season is the goal for

photo courtesy of Sports Information

Ty Chandler makes a putt during a golf tournament earlier this year. Chandler’s game has helped raise UNA golf to a national power.

Chandler and the Lions.

“I’ve done a lot of work with putting and wedge shots under 100 yards, and I’ve seen that improve greatly,” he said. “My driving has always been my strong suit, but recently my short

game has been better than ever.

Individually, the goal is to finish as the best golfer in the country, but, more importantly than that, I want a national championship for this program more than anything.”

Stewart to increase community involvement in athletics department *Ta\PM ;\MMTUIV

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Melody Stewart has filled Who: W Wh o Valdosta State the position of annual funds and major gifts officer in the athletics West Georgia department at UNA. Stewart, an alumna of the university, began the job in January. She has worked in the Office of University Advancement for the past three and a half years and was the liaison for the athletics department before taking the job.

As officer of annual funds and major gifts, Stewart now When: Thursday, Thur 2 p.m. works full-time for the athletics department.

“Our hope is that by having Where: Away W a full-time fundraiser, we will Who: UAH generate additional revenue in two areas,” said Mark Linder, director of athletics. “The first is to help with operational costs, such as gas prices for traveling to away games. That’s the annual giving side. The second—major gifts—is for the university’s transition to (Division I).”

Despite the aim to handling major gifts for the D-I transition, Linder and Stewart both agree that alumni giving has grown ex-

ponentially in recent years and the position was necessary, regardless of the move.

“The alumni giving percentage has more than quadrupled in the four years I have been here,” Stewart said. “It was at 2 percent, and at the end of the last fiscal year, it was up to 9 percent. The university has grown so much that this position was needed, even without the D-I transition.”

Stewart said the biggest part of her job is finding and maintaining involvement with donors and alumni. photo by MALISA MCCLUREI I Chief Photographer “A large part of it is promoting involvement from Melody Stewart was recently hired to the position of annual funds and alumni and handling dona- major gifts officer in the athletics department. She hopes to increase the community involvement in the athletics department for Division I. tions to the athletics department,” Stewart said. “Athwell as a bass fishing tournament letics department as a whole. letics is a huge tradition at UNA, that will take place in October to “It’s been a very positive and we have a strong group of benefit women’s sports at UNA. move for our department,” support.”

“We’re also looking to build Linder said. “Melody’s a tireless Stewart, alongside others in lots of relationships within the worker. She loves the university the athletics department, is work- community this summer,” Stew- and believes in the direction of ing on several events that will art said. “We want to be avail- the department. help bring both community and able as much as the community “This will also hopefully alalumni involvement to athletics. wants us to be.” leviate some of the stress in our She is currently working on the Linder said the creation of department. It’s going to allow upcoming annual membership this position has been, and will the coaches to coach and recruit, drive for the Sportsman Club, as continue to be, good for the ath- which is why they’re here.”

Sports

Thursday, April 5, 2012 • The Flor-Ala

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Weekend roundup: What to look for Softball

Sports Briefs are compiled by Sports Editor Tommy Bolton.

After holding leads late in each game, the UNA softball team fell victim to a pair of West Florida rallies on April 1 as the home team West Florida Argonauts recorded a 5-2, 3-2 sweep in Gulf South Conference play. The two losses drop the Lions to 14-13 overall and 5-9 in league action.

With the loss, the Lions drop to fifth place in the GSC standings while West Florida is tied with UAH for second place.

Jayda Terry was 3-for-3 at the plate to lead UNA. Julie Mercer also went 2-for-4 while Shelby Goodman picked up two RBIs with a 2-run single during game one against the Argonauts but blew a 2-0 lead, taking a 5-2 loss in game one.

UNA held brief 1-run leads again in the top of the first and fifth innings. The Argonauts answered to tie the game each time in the bottom of the innings. With the scored tied at 2-2 in the bottom of the eighth inning, UWF got a lead-off double from Kasie Buckley and a walk-off RBI single by Lauren Correia to complete the sweep.

The Lions will travel to both Valdosta State and West Georgia for double-headers beginning on April 6 at 12 p.m. against Valdosta State. The Lions will then play West Georgia starting at 11 p.m. on April 7.

Baseball At the beginning of the week, the UNA baseball team accomplished something it never has before, being named the No. 1 team in the land, according to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. The Lions opened the week proving they were deserving of that ranking by defeating Martin Methodist 7-3 March 27.

During the weekend series, the Lions traveled to play rival Valdosta State and experienced their first road bump of the season as the Blazers took the series, winning two out of three games. The losses gave the Lions a 25-9 (7-5) record and their first series loss of the season.

Johnny Hornbuckle (5-4) took the loss in game one, allowing 7 runs on 13 hits. In game two Chad Boughner (6-2) got his fourth straight win but had one of his worst outings of the season, allowing 6 runs. In game three, Michael Watkins (5-1) took the loss, allowing 4 runs in the game.

The No. 4 Lions will play No. 3 Delta State at Mike Lane Field this weekend in a battle of top five teams. The Statesmen swept defending champion West Florida last weekend on the road, tying the Lions in the conference at 7-5.

The series is scheduled to begin with a doubleheader on April 6 startphoto by MALISA MCCLURE I Chief Photographer ing at 2 p.m. followed by Andrew Almon slides safely back into first base as West a game on April 7 startFlorida’s JR Pryor catches the ball during Sunday’s game ing at 1 p.m. against West Florida.

Tennis On March 29, the women’s tennis team pulled off an upset against No. 30 Georgia College, according to the NCAA poll and State at the UWF Tennis Complex in Pensacola, Fla. UNA (8-7) swept doubles play but came out flat in singles competition. Georgia College dominated the middle of the lineup, winning spots two, three, four and five. A 6-1, 6-2 victory

by Madison Patey at the No. 6 position kept the match close and set the stage for a winnertake-all at No. 1 singles.

After falling 6-3 in the opening set, the Lions’ Victoria Rees evened the match with a 6-1 win at the top spot. The senior from Cheltenham, England, trailed 3-2 in the decisive set before rallying for the 6-3 victory to give UNA the overall win.

The men’s and women’s teams will travel to rival UAH on April 6 beginning at 2 p.m.

Point shaving entices athletes to earn extra cash during college

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Recent allegations of a point-shaving scandal at Auburn University came at a time when most college basketball fans were printing out brackets and picking their winners.

“Auburn officials were made aware of a rumor regarding an allegation two weeks ago and immediately reported it to the FBI, the NCAA and the SEC,” said Auburn University Assistant Athletic Director for Public Relations Cassie Arner.

The allegation is that Auburn guard Varez Ward intentionally shaved points to cover point spreads in two specific games this season.

These types of NCAA infringements have occurred before at different universities and have often left those programs in ruin for years to come.

Athletic Director Mark Linder said all of the athletes at UNA are educated on the basic rules set by the NCAA and at the beginning of the year, a Life Skills program is put on for the student-athletes.

“We bring in speakers and motivators and have them talk to the students about character,” Linder said. “We may not address point shaving specifically every day, but everyone involved with the athletic department talks about character daily.”

Head basketball coach Bobby Champagne said he talks with his players about all of the basic NCAA rules.

“I have to remind them that they aren’t normal college students, that they can’t fill out a bracket for five bucks, or that they

photo by MICHAEL REDDING I Student Photographer

Freshman pitcher Breanna Riley prepares to make a pitch during a game earlier this season. The softball team looks to get back in the win column this weekend.

can’t let somebody pick up their tab at a restaurant,” Champagne said.

UNA guard Beaumont Beasley said compliance meetings address the basic rules governing student athletes.

“I have a good relationship with my coach, and I feel like my whole team does,” he said. “He has an open door, and I feel like if there was anything I had problems with or questions about, he would be there for me.”

UNA guard Keynan Jackson echoed Beasley’s point.

“Every day I step into coach’s office,” he said. “They want to know how we’re doing. I think we have a good athletic department here; they keep us informed, and you can tell they want what’s best for us.”

Jackson said he doesn’t see why athletes would shave points.

“I don’t know what would bring a player to do something like shaving points,” he said. “I know with all the work and sweat we put into our team, I couldn’t imagine somebody messing it up for everybody.”

LIFE

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Thursday, April 5, 2012 • florala.net

Contact Life Editor Andy Thigpen at 256.765.5233

‘Goin’ up the country’

photos courtesy of Ben Tate

(Top) Springer Mountain is at the base of the Appalachian Trail and overlooks a large portion of the landscape. (Center, right) The original plaque marking the Appalachian Trail at the top of Springer Mountain. (Bottom, right) Victoria McLain (Left) and Mary-Katherine Osborn(Right) try to start a fire to cook their Ramen noodles. (Bottom, left) McLain (Right) and Osborn (Left) reach the top of Frosty Mountain, which is about halfway to Springer Mountain on the Appalachian Approach Trail.

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Three students from UNA hiked a section of the Appalachian Trail during spring break as part of an ongoing psychological research project.

UNA seniors Mary-Katherine Osborn and Victoria McLain and UNA graduate Ben Tate hiked the approach trail to Springer Mountain in Dawsonville, Ga., to find dedicated hikers who would participate in the study via survey.

“It was seven and a half miles up the mountain and seven and a half miles back down,” Osborn said. “A lot of it was straight uphill. It was really tough.”

The project, supervised by UNA psychology professor Dr. Larry Bates, means to examine subjects’ religious views, attention to detail, and sense of trail ethics in order to find and analyze a possible connection between the qualities.

“I get crazy research ideas,” he said.

“I got the idea while hiking for exercise.”

Bates said previous research has shown that people who hold fundamen-

talist views of religion are also more likely to notice and appreciate details.

With that research in mind, the project infers that fundamentalist, detail-oriented people will more likely be conscious of their environmental impact while hiking.

”Thereʼs a certain code of ethics among hikers where we try to leave (the trail) as much as possible like we found it.”

-Dr. Larry Bates “Most religions have at least some ethical code their followers are expected to follow,” Bates said. “There’s a certain code of ethics among hikers where we try to leave (the trail) as much as possible like we found it.”

The researchers passed out carabin-

ers with the website for the survey printed on them to hikers they met. This method was better than passing out fliers because hikers are wary of taking additional weight on their packs if it is not helpful, Bates said.

“We handed out most of the carabiners, and we had a lot of people promise that they would get online and take the survey,” Osborn said.

Aside from being a productive trip, the researchers found the extensive hiking enjoyable and enlightening as well.

“I really felt like a city boy around some of these people, but I think I’ve had kind of similar experiences to them,” Tate said. “It can be kind of euphoric to be out there in nature, getting endorphins going.

You feel good being out there.”

The group looks forward to continuing research in June at the trail’s midpoint in Harper’s Ferry, W. Va., and in September at the trail’s end at Mt. Katahdin, Maine.

“I didn’t have much experience with it before, and now I’m really more excited about it,” Osborn said.

Thursday, April 5, 2012 • The Flor-Ala

Life

Just Married?

• Students, professors discuss pros, cons of getting married while in college photo courtesy of Morguefile

In a high-stress time like college, several students and professors believe the only key to a successful marriage is a strong foundation.

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The average age of first-time marriage is 28, according to a study released by the National Center for Education Statistics.

However, 18 percent of students complet-

ing an undergraduate degree have still chosen to say ‘I do.’

Jennifer Berry, licensed professional counselor at UNA Student Counseling Service, said couples need to assess their relationships in a time as stressful as college before they make any long-term commitments. Success and satisfaction of a mar-

riage has more to do with age and maturity, instead of college itself, Berry said.

“College is only going to be an additional stressor,” Berry said. “What couples really need to think about is how healthy or unhealthy their relationship is.”

Dr. Amber Paulk, assistant professor of family and consumer sciences and sociology, said she agrees.

“Your satisfaction is going to depend on where you’re at in the romantic relationship cycle,” she said. “Everyone’s experience is going to be different based on that.

College isn’t going to make a marriage less satisfying.

“But what we do know after research is that the younger a couple is, the higher the divorce and dissatisfaction rate is.”

There are several strains associated with a marriage entered into while in college, Paulk said. An example Paulk gave is a lack of married friends and support from the community, because society has posed a different social standard than one presented 50 years ago—a standard that expected couples to marry young. This can lead to isolation and lack of understanding, thus causing conflict and strain within the marriage, she said.

Some couples recognize the stresses and decide to wait. Senior professional biology major Zack McMullan and his girlfriend, Amanda Frazier, have been together for almost a year and a half. The couple knows that marriage is in their future but

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have decided to wait until after graduation.

“We want to make sure we have a steady foundation and a way to support ourselves so that we don’t have to rely on others as much,” McMullan said.

For some, though, the potential stresses and strains are worth it. Bailey Ellis, a junior secondary education major, has been married to her husband Kyle for nine months. She said the fact that her husband had already graduated and had a steady job contributed to their decision to get married now.

”We want to make sure we

have a steady foundation and a way to support ourselves so that we donʼt have to rely on others as much.”

-Zack McMullan “Honestly, we got married while I was still in school because we trusted God’s timing,” Ellis said. “Another reason we decided to go ahead and get married is that since my husband had already graduated, we knew he would be able to get a job that would support us while I was still in school.”

Review: ʻHunger Gamesʼ leaves student wanting more )UIVLI 5K/W]OP

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20, 19, 18, 17, 16 … the tributes step on their platforms in order for the hunger games to begin. A much-anticipated movie based off the best-selling book, “The Hunger Games” delivers plenty of action for the viewer. The story is based in a dystopian future in a country named Panem, the former United States of America. Each year, the government sponsors a pageant of sorts where a young boy and girl from each of the 12 districts enters the arena in a fight to the death.

In transferring a novel to the big screen, it’s inevitable that some parts of the story

will be left out or changed. There were a few things I expected to see in the movie and didn’t, but it didn’t really affect the story in a negative way. This may have to do with the fact that the author of the book, Suzanne Collins, co-wrote the script. As a fan of the books, my complaints about the adaptation really are very small.

I was impressed with how spot-on the characters were; they were exactly how I had imagined them. The actors all did a good job of staying true to the characters in the book and bringing them to life. When I read the book, I pictured Haymitch as Jeff Bridges’ portrayal of Rooster Cogburn in “True Grit,” but Woody Harrelson turned out to be a pleasant surprise. I would be

remiss if I didn’t point out how wonderful Stanley Tucci was as Caesar Flickerman— just fantastic.

The Capitol in the movie had fewer luxuries than the one in the book, lacking the buttons that deliver food from the wall, and much of the architecture was dull and gray. While the movie features Avoxes, criminals against the Capitol whose tongues have been removed and have been turned into servants, it’s never made clear who they are. In the book, Katniss recognizes an Avox in her Capitol apartment as someone she saw trying to escape through the woods. This enforced the ominous presence of the Capitol in the book, but this interaction didn’t occur in the movie.

The movie is nearly two and a half hours long and yet seems to move pretty quickly. There’s a lot that happens in the story, and the filmmakers got most of it in there, even if it was rushed. With that being said, I was happy throughout the movie until the ending. It seemed to happen so quickly, and the movie chopped out some important elements. After the games, the book makes it clear that Katniss isn’t safe, and that the Capitol is watching her and her district, but that ominous sense seems to fade away at the end of the movie. There’s a sequel to the book, and the movie didn’t really set up the ending to have that feeling of continuity like I expected.

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Thursday, April 5, 2012 • The Flor-Ala

Is Florence a

College

Town?

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Cities like Tuscaloosa and Auburn have a short, branded term that sums up their entire experience: college town.

The term, however, seems to be up for debate when it comes to describing Florence.

“I feel like Florence is a town with a college instead of a college town because, excluding the downtown and campus area, there is just not a young feeling about the area,” said Cara Depew, a UNA senior.

“Everything is very old and unchanged, and it feels stuffy, quite frankly.”

Depew’s opinion is a popular one.

Some UNA students notice a lack of a certain something that would make the differ-

ence.

“When I think of a college town, I think of lots of things going on all the time,” said Seth Lee, a senior at UNA. The something missing seems to be a focus on the university and its students by the community. In a genuine college town, the school is better known than its location.

“Honestly, I didn’t even know UNA was in Florence when I was in high school,” said Kennedy Pope, a sophomore at UNA. “I’m from Tupelo, and it is a city the size of Florence, but it doesn’t have a college, yet it has the same feel,” Depew said.

“There are some venues and events more common to younger crowds, but they were also created by the younger crowd. The city doesn’t really lend itself well to creating events and places for such a large young

photo by MALISA MCCLURE I Chief Photographer

adult population to thrive or let loose.”

Even though some students feel a lack of connection between the school and the town on a large scale, some specific cases fit the “college town” description better.

“I think the downtown area has a very strong college presence,” Depew said.

“Many of the businesses support UNA programs and students by offering discounts and even internships.”

As in established college towns, university sports play a part in the feel of the community.

“It’s starting to go towards the college town vibe—I suppose—with us moving up in the football department, but it’s still got that small-town feel,” said Kristen Thornton, a sophomore at UNA. Another way Florence fits the profile

of a college town is in the student job market.

“I think there are lots of part-time jobs like restaurants and in stores at malls, but for occupational careers, I would think not,” Lee said. “I would think that since there is a college in Florence, most of the good jobs would be taken up already, and you’d probably have to have some kind of connection to get them.”

Even if Florence doesn’t live up to a status more than a “town with a college,” some said maybe it’s not such a bad thing.

“College towns are fun to visit, but I love Florence just the way it is,” Thornton said. “I like the fact that it’s small and personal and community oriented—that’s the main reason I came to UNA instead of going to a big college like Auburn.”

Workin’ for the

Weekend Check out what’s coming up this weekend in the Shoals.

Thursday, April 5 Matt Roy

Rave to Raise

On the Rocks 9:30 p.m.

GUC 7 p.m.

Ladies of the Shoals Showcase

Phi Mu’s Casino Night 2012 GUC Banquet Halls 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Laura Shoals Theatre 7:30 p.m. $10 students/ $12 general

JD’s 8 p.m.

Friday, April 6 Flannel On the Rocks 9:30 p.m.

Aubrey Taylor Holden and Elle Claytor Rivertown 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.

The Lovelution Presents: Hip Heart the end.

9 p.m.

Laura Shoals Theatre 7:30 p.m. $10 students/ $12 general

Saturday, April 7 Fonetic On the Rocks 9:30 p.m.

Mother May I and SCM Electrix JD’s 9 p.m. - midnight

Laura Shoals Theatre 7:30 p.m. $10 students/ $12 general

Thursday, April 5, 2012 â&#x20AC;˘ The Flor-Ala

?7:<0 KWV\QV]ML NZWU XIOM ) Assistant Athletics Director for Compliance Todd Vardaman said scholarship amounts vary by sport. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Each coach is responsible for determining the award for their student athletes,â&#x20AC;? Vardaman said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Each award is a yearly award; at the end of that year each coach will meet with their student athletes â&#x20AC;Ś at that time occasionally, (scholarships) are increased and decreased according to that coach.â&#x20AC;?

Vardaman said students can appeal the coachâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decision regarding their scholarship amount at the end of each year. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Each sport is awarded (scholarship dollars) and we do it based on what we call equivalencies,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Each sport is different because of the number of awards they are allowed to receive.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Each sport has a certain number of equivalencies they are allowed and in each sportâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s budget, they have a certain dollar amount they are allowed,â&#x20AC;? Vardaman said.

Each sportâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dollar amount is based off of rules the NCAA has in place, and the universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s budget as a whole, he said.

Members of the UNA Pride of Dixie band work during the summer, perform at every home football game and rehearse every week, said Band Director Lloyd Jones.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;If they are going to go out there and do the work and perform at all the football games, we feel like we should give them something,â&#x20AC;? Jones said.

Jones said band members represent the university in many capacities, perform in competitions and get a large amount of exposure, he said. Jones said the band members deserve the money they get because of all the endless amounts of work they put in. â&#x20AC;&#x153;While our team goes out there and performs in front of 4,000 people, we are actually performing in front of 12,000 people,â&#x20AC;? he said.

If there were not a scholarship program for the band, the university would not have a band, Jones said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The way they get a scholarship is simply through an audition score they get in the audition is based on an amount of money,â&#x20AC;?

Jones said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are all humans; you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t help and watch and determine who your valuable players are.â&#x20AC;?

Jones said his band members are awarded scholarship money based off whether they are talented players, involved members and many more qualities.

Although Jones wishes the band had more scholarship money, he said members of the band get approximately $300 to

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$3,500. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What happens is tuition goes up every year and theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll do a little 3 percent to 6 percent (raise in tuition), and after they do that, the burden is really on the students; they are spending your money,â&#x20AC;? Jones said.

Recently, the UNA Strategic Planning and Budget Study Committee approved a request to increase the bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s scholarship amount, which will bring the band a little bit closer to the scholarship percentage they received in 1990, Jones said.

Jones said he is looking at placing a cap on the number of members in the band in order to have more scholarship money to be more competitive with other universities. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Money talks, and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really all it comes down to is money,â&#x20AC;? Jones said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;No matter where you go, college is expensive.â&#x20AC;?

Jones said in order to stay within the bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s scholarship budget, he had to take back $100 from each of the band members because of state proration. This was the first time the band had to take back scholarship dollars from students, he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not something you ever want to do, because you know (students) need that $100,â&#x20AC;? Jones said.

Although the band members understood, Jones said many students did not

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like the fact that they lost scholarship money but they know it is because the band is growing.

Band and athletic scholarships are not the only scholarships available on campus, said Scholarship Manager Shauna James in the student financial services office.

James said students could obtain scholarships for multiple positions on campus that include serving the campus.

Assistant Director of Student Engagement for Leadership and Volunteerism Jennifer Brown said her department offers a scholarship for students who want to serve the campus.

The contribution to campus life scholarships are offered to two students who want to serve in a leadership and service role. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They help with service days, getting the word out about volunteer activities (and much more),â&#x20AC;? Brown said.

The two scholarships Brown offers are half-tuition scholarships, and she said the amount of scholarship is worth the work her students put in. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you want a half-tuition scholarship, you need to work for it,â&#x20AC;? she said.

Students should be thankful for the experience and the resume building instead of looking at the monetary aspect, she said.

8741+- KWV\QV]ML NZWU XIOM ) to mid 20s who was last seen wearing black shorts.

The armed robbery occurred when the suspect approached a female UNA student as she was walking toward the parking garage, according to police reports. The suspect forced himself into the victimâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s car, made her drive to the ATM machine by Rice and Rivers halls and withdraw approximately $500 before returning to the parking garage where he escaped.

Pastula said his department has images of the suspect that were taken with the ATM camera. Investigators are also following leads and interviewing the victim to track down the suspect.

David Shields, vice president of student affairs, administers UNAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lion Alert notification system, which provided students with updates of the armed robbery before spring break.

Shields said approximately 40 to 50 percent of the UNA community has signed up for Lion Alert to receive notifications of campus emergencies. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The chief and I are looking at ways to keep people up to date and looking at ways to keep people informed,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Florence police are also investigating three home invasion burglaries that have occurred during the last two months where two of the victims were female UNA students living near the university, said Chief Rick Singleton.

Singleton said they are searching for a slender white male who breaks in during the nighttime hours to attack women living in the residences. So far, the reports that have

been filed involve women who were able to scare the attacker off, he said.

When a serious emergency occurs on or off campus, Singleton said students should call 911 immediately. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The sooner we get that call, the more likely we are that we will catch them,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Officials said the UNA police department is taking several steps to improve patrols and safety on campus, including the relocation to a new police office in Keller Hall, the implementation of a communications center and through the approval of funding for a 24/7 dispatch center on campus.

Shields said they are looking into purchasing active security cameras with a possible outdoor speaker system to be distributed throughout the campus.

Shields said itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important for the entire UNA community to keep their eyes open for suspicious activity instead of relying solely on the police department. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The university is not a walled city,â&#x20AC;?

Shields said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;(Students) have to remember UNA is a microcosm of the larger city and society and we have to be as diligent about our security and safety as we are in our homes.â&#x20AC;?

Pastula said he has alerted his officers to pay more attention to the parking garage and other desolate areas on campus to prevent future crimes.

He also has added two additional patrol officers to the night shift in response to the recent armed robberies on campus.

/:)6< KWV\QV]ML NZWU XIOM ) â&#x20AC;&#x153;In addition to these activities, focused organizational projects are being planned for the near future to increase awareness of recycling,â&#x20AC;? Gautney said.

Mansell said everyone should get involved with the project. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My involvement has been the application part of the grant, and now the rest of it belongs to the students and staff of UNA,â&#x20AC;?

Mansell said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In order for it to work, it has to be a campus-wide effort by students, staff and administration.

In order for offices on campus to have their own recycling tote, an application was

required. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A request for the office tote comes with an agreement to empty the tote into larger containers,â&#x20AC;? Gautney said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This way everyone is sharing and doing their part. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had a long standing recycling program; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s measured in tons for the amount of recycling we do each year. Our goal is to increase our outtake by 25 percent from last year, since last year we increased by 25 percent from previous year, so weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve already met that goal last year, and we have the same goal again for this year.â&#x20AC;?

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Tweets of the week

Thursday, April 5, 2012 â&#x20AC;˘ The Flor-Ala DISCLAIMER: The tweets below are public tweets found on Twitter by searching hashtags involving UNA, Florence, Shoals and other university-related topics. Want to see yours on here? Be sure to hashtag UNA and Shoals in your tweets.

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