Nov. 15 Issue

LIONS COME TO END OF ROAD SOCCER 1B

Nov. 15, 2012

Volume 81, Issue 13

Mayor vows to listen to students, seeks their input PACE HOLDBROOKS

Staff Writer hholdbrooks@una.edu

See MAYOR, page 5A

Student newspaper of the University i of North Alabama

THE PILL FOR MEN?

FLORENCE GOVERNMENT

Mickey Haddock was sworn in as the new mayor of the city of Florence Nov. 5. Haddock said he intends to work very closely with UNA students to build on their relationship with the city.

“UNA has a tremendous economic impact, as well as a human impact on the city of Florence,” he said. “We need to listen to those students to know their ideas HADDOCK and divisions about the city of Florence because they are going to be our next leaders.”

One example of impact is the continuing improvement of the city’s downtown area as a social gathering place, Haddock said.

“I want to enhance that a little bit and work with the students,” he said.

“Maybe we’ll have additional nights for student nights and different things from the city’s aspect.”

The mayor said he believes restaurants have already played a key role in attracting students to downtown and hopes to see more expansion in this area.

The city wants to continue learning how to serve the students better, Haddock said.

“I also want to involve them in work with the community,” he said. “If there’s a project that we can do to help the

www.FlorAla.net

photo by CHRISTINA COVINGTON I Staff Photographer

JQ1, a new drug in clinical trials for cancer treatment, greatly reduced sperm count in male mice.

Advances in medicine could allow men to take sperm-reducing pill HALEY WRIGHT

Staff Writer hwright@una.edu

The possibility of a birth control pill for men has triggered some debate regarding whether or not birth control pills are only for the female gender.

A new drug, JQ1, is currently

in clinical trials for cancer treatment, but during testing the drug greatly reduced sperm count in male mice.

Dr. Vicki Pierce, UNA assistant professor of nursing, said there are many factors to consider when discussing this drug, such as dosage, side effects and cost.

“It will take years to develop and test the drug for this purpose,” she said.

If male birth control were to become developed and work the same as the current female birth control pill, many male students said they

See PILL, page 5A

STUDENT MEDIA

Newspaper theft can lead to jail time, attorney says BLYTHE STEELMAN Online Editor bsteelman@una.edu

University police are currently investigating two suspects in a recent alleged newspaper theft on campus.

Witnesses reported seeing students steal entire bundles of newspapers from campus newsstands Nov. 8.

The Flor-Ala’s executive editor and adviser reported the theft to campus officials and UNA police. The alleged

INSIDE

this week’s paper

crimes are now being processed through the university’s student conduct office.

Newspaper theft is a crime and individuals can be prosecuted through a variety of legal avenues, according to the Student Press Law Center’s website. The SPLC is a legal advocate for student media.

“Newspaper theft is theft,” said Adam Goldstein, attorney advocate at the SPLC, “The mistake that people will make is that they’ll say, ‘If you’re not charging for it, how can someone steal

NEWS................2A IMAGES..............4A VIEWPOINTS.........7A

SPORTS...........1B LIFE...............5B EXTRA.............8B

it?’ But just because you’re not charging for it, doesn’t mean it’s not theft. You don’t ask, ‘Is it free?’ You ask, ‘Does it have value?’”

Josh Skaggs, executive editor of The Flor-Ala, said while 50 of the missing papers were returned, The Flor-Ala still lost approximately $350 for the remaining copies taken. Skaggs also said individuals who steal copies of the paper are stealing the product numerous writers, photographers and editors work to produce each week.

“We pay $985 to print the paper each week, and we print about 4,000 copies,” Skaggs said. “When students decide that they’re going to steal newspapers off of our stands, they’re taking away about 200 hours of collective time spent putting together a weekly publication that students could be getting relevant and pertinent information from.”

Goldstein said stealing newspapers should be taken seriously.

See THEFT, page 5A

FASTING FROM MEDIA... 5B

2A NEWS CAMPUS POLICE

NOV. 15, 2012 • The Flor-Ala

POLITICS

Trespass Students react to Obama re-election site reopens BEN ELLIOTT

Student Writer telliott@una.edu

UNA has reopened its online trespass website and urges students to be vigilant and report anyone on the list to police.

“Chief (Bob) Pastula has posted on his webpage folks who have been criminally trespassed from the campus,” said David Shields, vice president of student affairs. “The reason that we put them up there is that we want people to be aware these are folks that are not supposed to be on campus.”

The Web page had been down due to the changes made on the UNA website.

“When the university made its shift over to our new system that is set up, that page didn’t transfer over well,” Shields said. “That’s why we’ve been sending these things out.”

The site also lists any individuals who have created a major problem at UNA. “It doesn’t have to be a student — it could be a person who we see on campus causing a nuisance,” Shields said. “That person can be trespassed from the campus and that information would go out to the campus.”

Some students are unaware of the list.

“I didn’t know the list existed,” said Ariel Miller. “I saw the emails, but I didn’t know there was a list.”

”

I DIDNʼT KNOW THE LIST EXISTED. I SAW THE EMAILS, BUT I DIDNʼT KNOW THERE WAS A LIST.

ARIEL MILLER UNA student Zach Reynolds said he had also never heard of the list.

“Honestly, I didn’t look at the list, and I check my Portal every day,” said UNA student Stephanie Moore. “But they continually send out the same emails over and over. I didn’t look because I don’t feel like these people are that big of threats; they need to spend more time on those people who are raping and breaking in people’s houses.”

The list has been available in several formats, from emails to Facebook posts.

“We’ve posted all trespass notices to the community directly, and then eventually they’ll all get posted on this Web page,” Shields said.

Pastula sent out two emails about the list, explaining in the first that the trespass list would be back up and running and in the second that it would be delayed slightly due to technical errors.

Most of the list is still down as UNA police adds more information.

Shields urges students to report suspicious activity.

“Call the police,” Shields said. “We can’t be everywhere 24/7. It’s important for all of us to assist law enforcement by helping them do what needs to be done, which is to be vigilant.”

photo by KAYLA SLOAN I Chief Photographer

UNA students participate in a voter rally Nov. 5 in the GUC. Students exhibited mixed reactions to the re-election of President Barack Obama.

LUKE SMITH

Staff Writer lsmith1@una.edu

President Barack Obama cruised to an easy re-election Nov. 6, defeating Republican challenger and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in the con-

clusion of a race that was hotly contested throughout much of the year.

Obama won 332 Electoral College votes to Romney’s 206, winning every swing state except North Carolina.

Democrats increased their majority in the Senate by two, while Republicans maintained control of the House of Rep-

resentatives.

While Obama retained the presidency, the question that remains at the political forefront is whether Congress will be able to rise above the partisan gridlock that has been a contentious issue in this year’s election cycle.

“It was probably the most progressive election that I’ve seen in this country; major strides for women and the LGBT community,” said UNA student Casey Bedingfield. “New Hampshire will have the country’s first all-woman delegation. I never thought I would see two states, Colorado and Washington, legalize recreational marijuana use.

“Democrats held firm control of the Senate. The changing demographic in this country will be something the Republican Party will have to come to terms with in 2016. I was excited to see Elizabeth Warren win the Massachusetts senate seat. I have a lot of friends who actually would love to see her run in 2016 for president.

“Health care reform is very important to me, and while it may not be perfect, the lack of an alternative offered by the Republican Party was not acceptable to me,” Bedingfield said.

UNA student Hunter Marks said he was pleased the president was re-elected.

“I voted to re-elect President Obama, and I support most of his decisions,” Marks said. “I believe an affordable health care system is needed. It allows me to have insurance through my parents for another four years, as well as stopping my aunt from being turned away based on pre-existing conditions.

“I’ve talked with many living overseas and in Canada who are perfectly happy with being able to be treated and not getting slammed with huge medical bills on their way out of the hospital. I support same-sex marriage, and I’m excited to hear it being legalized in Maine and Maryland.

“I also think Roy Moore is a prime example of why religion and politics should not mix, and I’m a little irritated to hear he was re-elected,” Marks said.

UNA student Andrew Finch said he was indifferent about the results.

“As a Libertarian, I really don’t care for either Obama or Romney, so I knew I probably wouldn’t like the results either

See REACTION, page 3A

ACADEMICS

Professors add new religion course JAMES DUBUISSON Staff Writer jdubuisson@una.edu

The UNA spring schedule will include a new religion course called From Temple to Basilica.

Carl Gebhart, who is in his 12th year of teaching religion courses at UNA, will be teaming up with Tom Osborne to teach the course.

Gebhart said one of the reasons that religion is taught at UNA, a public university, is because it is impossible to separate religion from the history of governments.

“Religious developments and politi-

cal developments, and changes in both, are each related to the other,” Gebhart said. “How do you study Rome without studying religion? That is the problem; we can’t, as much as modern Americans would want to separate them. They are actually historically inseparable.”

One of the biggest problems that people have with religion courses, Gebhart said, is the fact that many of the courses on campus assume the absence of religion.

“In our modern world, we have seen a lot of the violence pinned on religious fervor and, there again, you can’t sepa-

rate religion from politics,” he said.

“Sometimes firearms are the things that bond the two together — ironic, but it is the way it is.”

Gebhart said the uniqueness of the class is what makes it such an important class.

“We offer courses in Old Testament, New Testament and history, but what we hadn’t offered before was a block of history and traced all of the cultural religious strands of development at the same time, in the same course,” he said The course will trace the religion,

See COURSE, page 3A

NEWS 3A

Nov. 15, 2012 • The Flor-Ala

GREEK LIFE

ATO team bounces to new world record TEENA PATEL

Student Writer tpatel5@una.edu

Alpha Tau Omega fraternity broke the Guinness World Record for Longest Marathon on a Bouncy Castle (team) Oct. 31 through Nov.1 at the GUC as part of Valhalla 2012 and Taus for Tatas.

The seven members of the ATO team were Will Britton, Fabian Cortez, Taylor Eaves, Scott Hawkins, Aaron Lovelady, Chad Willis, Jacob Winkles and Jason Zak. They jumped for 27 straight hours to break the world record. According to the Guinness World Records website, the previous record was 26 hours and was set in March 2011 by a team in Ohio.

Valhalla is an annual event, but this year’s theme of Taus for Tatas was organized to help raise money benefitting breast cancer awareness, said Matt Jones, ATO special events chair and UNA junior.

Jones, who is also the vice presidentelect for ATO, said the world record attempt helped publicize Valhalla 2012.

The fraternity picked breast cancer awareness as its philanthropy project for Valhalla 2012 since some members in the fraternity have been related to or have known women with breast cancer.

Taylor Eaves, a UNA freshman and an ATO pledge, became part of the team after the fraternity had decided on the record it wanted to break.

“At first, I thought, ‘That’s awesome,’” Eaves said. “I like jumping around and stuff. I can’t sit still.”

Eaves said he spent a total of about

REACTION, continued from page 2A way they went,” Finch said. “I’m just hoping that Obama doesn’t implement anything else like the NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act) in his second term.

“As for other things, I was disappointed that we didn’t vote to take the racist language out of the constitution.

Also, I was disappointed that Roy Moore won against Vance, because I feel that Moore will judge things based on his Christian beliefs and the Bible and not on the Constitution,” he said.

UNA English adjunct professor Stephen Melvin commented on the broad aspects of the election.

“I think what the election showed us is that America is much more a center to center-left country than is often portrayed in the media,” Melvin said. “Groups like the Tea Party got an inordinate amount of coverage over the last few years, and living this deep in the South we sometimes get a skewed view of what the average American thinks. You saw not only a decisive win for President Obama but also some real victories in key states on issues such as same-sex marriage and the legalization of marijuana.

“Furthermore, in the down-ballot races there were a lot of key victories in places like Indiana and Missouri where it was once thought that the Democrats didn’t have a prayer. It seems pretty clear that the collective ideology of our nation is quite different from the broad brush strokes we sometimes see.”

photo courtesy of ATO

Scott Hawkins, Will Britton, Jason Zak and Jacob Winkles pose outside of the bouncy castle where they recently broke the world record for consecutive hours in a bouncy castle.

COURSE, continued from page 2A The course will trace the religion, culture and politics of Israel from about the time of the fall of the Temple in about A.D. 200 to about 400 B.C. “I hope that one of the things that they bring away from (the class) is a clearer sense of the human fingerprint on what they have always considered to be sacred scripture, that the human involvement in the development of New Testament scripture is very present and very appropriate,” Gebhart said. “And out of that I hope they get a sense of comfort in the New Testament that will help them to discover answers to their pressing questions — meanings of life, whatever those are, for any individual.”

Gebhart, who had spent 40 years in the ministry, said the goal of the course is not to convert students from their own beliefs but to inform students.

“We have plenty of opinionated people; we have plenty of denominations; we have plenty of preachers like myself, who are all too willing to tell people what they are supposed think, believe and do,” Gebhart said. “But at some point we reach a point in our maturity when we have to make those decisions for ourselves and it is impossible, I think, to make good decisions if we don’t have good information.”

On a scale of one to 10, Gebhart said the class would be a high eight or low nine. There will be reading, classroom lessons, lectures, a term paper, new information the student will be tested on and the student will be expected to have a general knowledge of the Bible.

four hours and ten minutes in the bouncy castle.

Jones said two members were returning from a previous failed attempt at the world record at ATO’s Caffeine High 2011. Willis and Winkles had participated in the previous attempt and jumped with a team for 17 hours before the event was rained out.

Team members took 20 minutes turns, although Jones said two members bounced for longer than their 20 minutes at one point. Lovelady jumped an hour and Cortez jumped two hours as they took extra time to give fellow team members a break, Jones said.

Eaves said he started feeling tired about four hours into the event.

“If you’re going to break a world record, make sure you’re prepared for it,” he said. “It was a real group effort. The other guys really deserve some credit.”

Jones said preparation for breaking the world record included contacting Guinness World Records six weeks prior to the world record attempt, organizing the event and publicizing it. The event was mainly publicized through Twitter and Facebook, although the bouncy castle itself attracted an audience.

The two signing witnesses for the world record were Samantha Fotovich and Sarah Ann Keeter of the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority, who stayed the entire time, Jones said.

Jones said Jayne Jackson,

See RECORD, page 8A

4A IMAGES

Nov. 15, 2012 • The Flor-Ala

INTO THE LIONSʼ DEN

by Chief Photographer Kayla Sloan

I just want to let it be known — these photos were not taken with any sort of zoom lens.

All that separated me from 900 lbs. of fangs, claws and pure muscle was a metal grate. I could have touched Una’s tongue with my hand and felt her breathe on my arm — if I were tall enough to reach a lion standing on its hind legs. And Leo could have peed on me with how close we were.

As a matter of fact, he almost did!

All this might have been terrifying if the lions’ caretaker and human mother, Anne Howard, wasn’t there.

Howard, who refers to the lions as her babies, insists that Leo and Una are nothing but love. She cares for them daily, feeds, cleans, and even pets them. And get this — these kitties are litter box-trained.

Howard has known and handled them since they were babies. You can really feel the mutual love they all have for each other.

But crouched down between the metal grates with my camera in hand and Howard dangling a hunk of meat over my head, the pacing lions seem like they just might have an appetite the little sliver of red meat won’t satisfy…

FEATURE 5A

Nov. 15, 2012 • The Flor-Ala

would still not be willing to take it. UNA junior Tim Byrom said he wouldn’t be willing to take the pill because girls will start relying more on guys, who are more likely to forget to take the pill.

“When guys take it and get mood swings, guys are going to be more angry,” Byrom said.

UNA senior Robert Moody has similar views on the subject. He said he wouldn’t personally take it, but he thinks a lot of guys would before they consider the chemical imbalance it would cause.

UNA senior Taylor Fife said he would take the male birth control pill.

He said males have a higher sex drive than women. The higher sex drive will cause men to be more willing to take the birth control pill. Telling a guy he can take a pill and not get a girl pregnant will make him take it, he said.

“Same side effects, same price, same everything,” Fife said. “I’d be more than happy to take it.”

UNA communications instructor Stephanie Montgomery said via email she believes men will be more receptive to the idea because responsibilities and roles about fatherhood have been and are being redefined. The drug itself may still be difficult to sell, though.

“I think that men who are most com-

fortable with themselves will be more likely to use it,” she said via email.

UNA senior Virginia Branscomb said a male birth control pill would be a smart option.

“It would be the same as them trusting (women),” Branscomb said. “I’d still take it (female birth control pill) for double protection.”

Men don’t have the same exact responsibilities, said Lauren Sawyer, UNA senior. She said the man isn’t actually carrying the child.

“Is the man going to take it quite as seriously?” she said.

Besides the childbirth aspect, the daily dosage of the female birth control pill often times causes health issues. There is no reason why one person in the relationship should endure that when there may be better alternatives, Montgomery said.

Though the idea of a birth control pill for men sparks a lot of interest, it could be years before it is marketed.

Drug companies are willing to invest time and money to develop new drugs only when they think they can make a profit, Pierce said.

“It is an interesting prospect to consider, but a birth control pill for men is still a long way from becoming a reality in the United States,” Pierce said.

The city of Florence’s Web page has been updated for accessibility, and Haddock said he is looking to use social media to interact with students.

“I’m trying to decide exactly how we want to do a Facebook page and I may do a Twitter account, also,” he said.

“That would be the easiest way for me to communicate with them.”

Haddock said he and others have already begun working with the Continuing Education program at UNA to develop a curriculum to train municipal workers in customer service.

“When you talk about government, especially in municipal and city government, it’s all about customer service,” he

said. “We are hoping to make it a model that other municipalities will buy into and participate in. We are trying to make it innovative.”

Haddock said he is also excited about current expansions at UNA from the Academic Commons building to the future science building and the eventual move to Division I. Haddock said he looks forward to being there for students and serving them as mayor.

“I want students to know that I will be involved,” he said. “Anytime that I have an opportunity to stand before the students, I will make myself available to come. I just want them to know that my door is open.”

PILL, continued from page 1A

photo by KAYLA SLOAN I Chief Photographer

A new drug that is currently in the testing phase could potentially reduce sperm count in human men

MAYOR, continued from page 1A quality of life for an individual in the city of Florence, I’d like to involve the students in that. Put a roof on a house, wash someone’s windows, cut someone’s grass — I’d like to see a joint effort between the students and the city to do things like that.”

Haddock said he also desires to bring more industrial and high-tech jobs into the Florence area for students to take after they graduate.

“We’re very fortunate that our unem-

THEFT, continued from page 1A “You can go to jail for newspaper theft,” Goldstein said. “I mean, you would have to steal a lot of newspapers for it to happen, but at some point it ceases to be petty theft and becomes a larger problem.”

Skaggs said he intends to follow through to make sure the thefts are adjudicated.

“I give this warning to any students, faculty or community members that think it is OK to steal the Flor-Ala: I will ensure proper prosecution and punishment for stealing any amount of papers over the free issue we provide each week,” Skaggs said.

The Office of Student Conduct adjudicates alleged crimes committed by students, Shields said.

“For individuals being referred to the student conduct board, Dr. (Kim) Greenway (Director of Student Conduct) will review the report and any additional information before determining the appropriate charges,” said David Shields, vice president for student affairs. “She will then notify them and they will begin the code of conduct process, including the hearing. If it’s determined that an

ployment rates are fairly low, but we can do better,” he said. “I want to get more jobs by bringing some different companies in. I’d love to bring someone in that would set up a company that would explode, like Google or something to that effect.”

Haddock said he will be establishing an advisory board within the next 90 days that will serve to provide the city government with regular information about student life and needs at UNA. “I want to make sure we do the right thing, so I plan to put one or two UNA students on the board,” he said. “I just want to be a good listener and involve the students in the things that I do.” organization as a whole was involved, it would be dealt with through the Office of Student Engagement and their respective adjudication board.”

Director of Student Engagement Tammy Jacques said sanctions are not concretely set in place prior to a hearing.

“You don’t go into a case with preemptive sanctions,” Jacques said. “The whole process is meant to be educational, but you have to put all of the pieces together first and get the whole perspective before you hand down a sanction.”

Shields and Jacques said possible sanctions, such as community service and disciplinary probation, are listed in the student handbook, but sanctions are not given until the completion of the hearing.

“Whether this is a suspendable offense or not, I don’t know,” Shields said.

“It has to be determined by Dr. Greenway and what she reviews from the information available.”

Greenway was not available for comment at press time.

The Flor-Ala distributes papers across campus and in the Shoals community each week, with the first issue being free to students and staff members at UNA while any additional copies can be bought costing $1 per issue.

Approximate number of hours* spent producing each weekʼs issue of The Flor-Ala: THE BREAKDOWN: Advertising g Sales Design Bookkeeping/Management

Story Content Interviews Writing Editing Photography Taking photos Editing Page Design Pagination Editing Circulation Initial distribution Followup Distribution Meetings

172

NUMBER OF HOURS: 10 hours 6 hours 12 hours

1 hour per story x ~20/week= 20 hours 1.5 hour per story x ~20/week= 30 hours

7 hours

6 hours x 4 photographers= 24 hours 2 hours x 4 photographers= 8 hours 8 hours per editor x four editors= 32 hours 16 hours (one hour per page) 2.5 hours .5 hours 4 hours

*Hours are conservative estimates.

6A NEWS

Nov. 15, 2012 • The Flor-Ala

ROTC

ROTC students enlist, enroll in college

photo by ROGER WANG I Student Photographer

ROTC students Kirk Fuller and Travis Green help each other train at one of three sessions, which usually start at 5:45 a.m., at McFarland Park in downtown Florence.

ELISE COFIELD

Staff Writer mcofield@una.edu

The morning hours come far too soon for many sleep-deprived, over-committed college students. Yet, while these students drowsily set out on the trip to early classes, some of their classmates in uniform have been awake for hours in physical training.

Early mornings are routine for UNA

students in the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC). Cadets train three times every week from 5:45 until 7 a.m., occasionally starting earlier than that. In addition, cadets still have the duties of a student.

ROTC is a leadership preparation course that provides college students with training needed to become an officer in the U.S. Army after graduation.

While technically considered an “elec-

tive curriculum,” most cadets consider it a far greater commitment than extra classes added to their course schedule.

In fact, sleep is just one of many sacrifices ROTC cadets have to make. “(Cadets) learn to exercise their leadership ability and accomplish tasks,” said Lt. Col. Michael Snyder, senior instructor of military science at UNA. “Probably the greatest challenge a cadet may have is balancing competing priorities more than the typical student. The responsibilities only increase the longer they are in the program.”

In other words, training does not stop at push-ups.

“In the army, officers are responsible for planning, preparing and using critical reasoning skills,” Snyder said. “Having a bachelor’s degree demonstrates a proven aptitude that you can do those things.”

Academic excellence is one of the most important duties of a cadet, he said.

Finding a job is as competitive within the military as it is outside the military, Snyder said. Upon graduation, each cadet goes through a rigorous evaluation process. Cadets are scored based on GPA first, followed by physical fitness.

While working for a college degree, cadets find ways to work their duty to the ROTC into routine college life. Some cadets find this difficult.

“Being in the ROTC means I have no social life,” said cadet David Graham.

“My Friday nights and Saturday nights are gone. But I figure, if that’s the hardest part, it will be worth it in the end.”

Freshman cadet Graem Cook said his

”

BEING IN ROTC MEANS I HAVE NO SOCIAL LIFE.

DAVID GRAHAM involvement in ROTC has been rewarding.

“I don’t see myself as different from other people on campus, other than the fact that my run time is significantly better and my sleep schedule is significantly worse,” said Graem Cook, a freshman cadet. “The classes we take teach us how to become officers and lead people. It’s something to get used to.”

UNA senior and Battalion Commander Ethan Herring said he finds that serving in ROTC opens up endless opportunities.

“The final outcome of being commissioned as an army officer is going to be a great honor for me,” he said. “That’s a big motivation. I don’t know of any other program in the university that’ll pay you to go on an internship to foreign countries, full expense paid, and I had the opportunity to do that this past summer.”

Cook agrees that the ROTC is a challenge worth accepting.

“ROTC is very close-knit,” Cook said. “Everyone in the program looks out for each other because we’re all shooting for the same thing.”

Want to SHAKE IT like a polaroid

PICTURE? Dioramaʼs SENIOR photos in GUC Student Engagement

Wednesday, November 14 12:30-1:30 Thursday, November 15 9:30-10:30 Friday, November 16 11-1

Nov. 15, 2012 • The Flor-Ala

STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF UNIVERSITY OF NORTH ALABAMA

VIEWPOINTS 7A

Grow up, this is college

THE

JOSH SKAGGS EXECUTIVE EDITOR ALEX LINDLEY NEWS/MANAGING EDITOR ANN HARKEY LIFE EDITOR MALISA MCCLURE SPORTS EDITOR JARED MCCOY COPY EDITOR BLYTHE STEELMAN ONLINE EDITOR LAURA IVIE BUSINESS MANAGER MATTHEW WILSON CIRCULATION MANAGER KAYLA SLOAN CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER CHRISTINA COVINGTON MICHAEL REDDING ALLI OWNBY STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS REBECCA WALKER ADVISER

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 writerʼs 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 Editorʼs Note may accompany a letter.

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

Email: florala@una.edu.

• Phone: 256-765-4364

Copyright © 2012 The Flor-Ala All rights reserved.

First copy free.

Additional copies $1 each.

MATT WILSON

Staff Writer mdwilson@una.edu

Stupidity is coursing like a wild virus these days here on the friendly grounds of our quaint university. Everyone knows it, but most people just keep their heads down and try to ignore it, hoping that it will go away like that thing on their lip they got after that night with that guy or girl.

Frank Zappa said, “There is more stupidity than hydrogen in the universe, and it has a longer shelf life.”

Part of growing up, part of continuing education, part of going to college and becoming an adult is that you have to mature. That’s part of the deal, see? Apparently not, at least not for some of our college community.

I work for The Flor-Ala in a couple of facets. I am a staff writer and earlier this semester I took the position of circulation manager. I spend a lot of hours each week interviewing, covering sports, writing stories and delivering the paper around campus and town.

Last week, for the second

time this semester, numerous copies of The Flor-Ala were stolen from a few different locations.

Why, you might ask, would any person or group do such a thing? Was it so they could line their girlfriend’s hamster cage?

Was it so they could fold them into little sailboats and have races down at the Wilson Park fountain with their “brothers?”

Or was it to try and censor a sore subject that happened to be on the front page?

Unfortunately, shortsightedness is not easily cured. Often times it requires stubborn veracity and rolled up newspaper.

Connection there? Perhaps.

Simply stealing the newspapers from various locations could not un-ring the bell that had tolled for thee.

No sir, you see, technology ensured the story was online and available for all to see. Even if that had somehow prevented a portion of the UNA population from seeing the story about Greek organizations “vandalizing” cars, it was still wrong and a violation of people’s First Amendment rights, not to mention petty theft.

But I understand these things. College kids are shortsighted and ignorant to the ways of the world. That’s why we are all here: to learn how to interact with other people and to hopefully be worth a damn in the future.

I’m sure that the people

who stole The Flor-Ala last week have spent hours working on some sort of project. Maybe they have built a float for a parade before. Maybe they have practiced stomping and twirling to raise money for a good cause. Maybe they have even had a paper route.

Another thing I’m sure of is that they would not appreciate me coming behind their efforts and screwing with it. Unless they’re sadists.

The point is simple. Don’t be a jackass to your fellow community members. We’re all in this together and we’re all trying to figure it out. Don’t be the immature kid with snot on his sleeve that thinks that he is the center of the universe. I can assure you that you aren’t even half as important as you think you are.

If you have a problem with what The Flor-Ala reports, or if you don’t like the coverage that a certain topic received, be a civilized, mature human being and write us a letter or call the editor. Start a dialogue with us.

We won’t laugh at your grammar mistakes … for too long.

Stealing newspapers out of stands around campus and town is immature, but it is also so cliché, boring and uncreative.

If you want to really make a point, write a pithy letter to the editor and I guarantee you we’ll print it. Steal our papers again and you can write a check to your bail bondsman instead.

I’d be interested to see how many people actually removed anyone from their social media outlets.

And then, the election came.

I was so relieved — not necessarily in a political way (I’m not here to talk politics), but in a no-more-ridiculous-unfounded-political-posts way. But my relief was all too brief.

My social media feeds began to blow up with an onslaught of “Screw this, I’m moving to England” or “Hello, Canada” posts in response to President Obama’s re-election.

I even saw a post comparing President Obama to King Louis XVI, saying to remember what happens when politicians get too comfortable in office. Wow. Fortunately, that’s the only post I saw wishing death on our president.

Come on, people. I know it feels good to threaten to leave the country, but you should be embarrassed.

For one thing, no you’re not. You’re staying right here.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Completely uprooting your entire life because your

favorite candidate didn’t win would be ridiculous.

More importantly, let’s consider the politics behind this. Obama critics accuse him of being socialist (because of Obamacare) and too liberal.

England has socialized healthcare. Yes, there is private healthcare there, but the healthcare system is predominantly public. Sounds a little like Obamacare to me.

And Canada has socialized healthcare, too. Want to go where the healthcare is privatized? Try Pakistan.

I’m well aware that health care isn’t the only issue. I’m simply saying that if you move to England or Canada to escape President Obama’s “liberal muck,” you’re going to have a bad time.

But nobody is really moving. So, let’s not make any more empty threats, especially on Facebook or Twitter. I’m not saying it’s wrong to be politically involved or to care that your candidate didn’t win; just don’t act like a child pretending to “run away forever” when he or she gets put in time-out.

IʼLL HELP YOU PACK, MOVE ALEX LINDLEY

News/Managing Editor alindley@una.edu

By now, the election is likely old news to pretty much everyone. I say that with a degree of relative certainty because, well, Facebook and Twitter don’t lie.

Leading up to the election, my news feed on Facebook and my Twitter feed were so inundated with political posts leaning one way or the other that it looked like the transcription of a conversation between a bunch of schizophrenic political analysts.

It drove me absolutely crazy. And I wasn’t alone. People started posting about how they were going to unfriend or unfollow anyone they saw post another political rant.

Before long, I got sick of those posts, too. On a side note,

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: I am writing this letter in response to an Opinion article in regards to safety on-campus as well as SGA’s involvement. As quoted in the article, “This is a perfect opportunity for SGA to step up and be the leadership students feel confident looking toward, yet I see only one or two individuals who are part of the organization taking advantage of it.”

The author of the article didn’t realize that SGA had reached out to Chief Pastula and invited him to speak at the October 18 Senate meeting to discuss safety issues on campus. Here are some facts that Pastula shared with the SGA Senators and other students present at the meeting that we believe are important for you to know: • Campus crime is down 70% from 3 years ago, according to Pastula.

• Camera monitoring system will cost $350,000 and should be purchased and implemented over the next few years. Cameras were proposed 3 years ago with Pastula’s arrival. The challenge has been finding the funds.

• UNA police is implementing a communication center with dispatchers monitoring cameras, according to Pastula.

• Campus police hours changed from 8- to 12-hour shifts, according to Pastula.

• Chief Pastula started the Student Nighttime Auxiliary Patrol (SNAP) to escort students to their cars late at night.

• UNA police was moved from the outskirts of campus to the center of campus to be more visible, according to Pastula.

• UNA police recruited reserve officers that are accompanying our UNA police officers on shifts, according to Pastula.

He also reported that the relationship between his department and SGA is very strong and continues to make changes in accordance to student feedback. Also, one of the 2012-2013 SGA Goals is Navigation/Accessibility. We are researching the possibility of adding additional lighting in areas that are shady to deter potential crime and increase safety.

SGA is continuing to work with Pastula and his officers to provide a safer campus. If UNA students have suggestions on how to improve campus safety, please send those suggestions to SGA at weriley@una.edu or UNA Police at 256-765-4357.

Sincerely, Will Riley President, Student Government Association

8A NEWS RECORD, continued from page 3A coordinator of University Events, and Will Riley, SGA president and ATO Chaplain, were also involved in making this event possible.

“First off, I’d like to thank Jayne and University Events for letting us do this in the GUC,” Jones said. “Secondly, I’d like to thank all the jumpers for all their hard work, as well as the witnesses.

”

FOR ATO, IT STANDS OUT THAT WEʼRE ABLE TO DO SOMETHING CRAZY LIKE THIS.

TAYLOR EAVES Definitely, the PR that the moon bounce brought to the table helped ATO have a great Valhalla in support of breast cancer awareness.”

Eaves said he was happy ATO could distinguish itself in this way.

“For ATO, it stands out that we’re able to do something crazy like this,” he said. “We like to stand out in different ways.”

As the end neared, Eaves said he began feeling excitement again as they were about to finish and could say they got through the 27 hours. He said he recalls feeling like his last turn felt like five minutes.

Jones and Eaves said they hope ATO continues breaking records in the future.

“It’s definitely something we’re looking forward to,” Jones said. “We were actually looking at different world records to break next.”

Nov. 15, 2012 • The Flor-Ala

ACADEMICS

Students thrive in success courses KATIE LINDSAY

Student Writer klindsay@una.edu

According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, many student success courses are sufficient in theory but need improvement. Here at UNA, these courses are widely known as learning communities.

Learning communities are offered every fall to first-year students.

“Students enrolled in these courses are far more likely to graduate with a four-year degree,” said Stephen Melvin, UNA English and learning community professor.

In an article published in The Chronicle of Higher Education, senior research associate Melinda Karp said, “College 101 courses done well can help students develop critical skills for the short and long term.”

According to The Chronicle, to do these courses well, they should be focusing on as few credit hours as possible and engage academic departments. UNA officials strive to do both of these.

These courses combine two general education components, such as first-year composition and world civilization or music appreciation, and meet one extra hour each week. During this hour, they work on different material and have speakers from such programs as the Center for Writing Excellence and Career Planning and Development give tips and help with whatever problems the students might have. “(Learning communities) give tips, help retention rates and help the students

”

IT BLEW ME AWAY HOW MUCH (STUDENTS) IMPROVED OVER THE COURSE OF ONE SEMESTER.

STEPHEN MELVIN to make friends,” Melvin said.

The class sizes of learning communities tend to be smaller, leaving more room for individual, personalized help.

“I’m actually able to have one-on-one conferences with each of my students,” Melvin said. “I definitely think (learning communities are more helpful than traditional classes).”

Melvin said the atmosphere is very laid back, and students are far more willing to participate during these smaller classes than in others.

“Students seem to tremendously enjoy it,” Melvin said.

According to the UNA website, “96 percent of the students who participated in a learning community during the past two years said that they would recommend a learning community to an incoming freshman.”

UNA’s learning communities do more than just improve grades and retention, Melvin said. “(Learning communities) also encourage getting involved in university life and the community in general,” Melvin said.

According to UNA’s website, learning communities encourage the integration of different courses, promoting cross-curricular learning.

“By organizing students and faculty into smaller groups, there is an opportunity for students to establish support networks, there is an increased focus on student learning and the program offers an excellent chance for students to adjust to the college environment,” according to the website.

Melvin said that, with learning communities, improvements happen quickly.

“It blew me away how much (students) improved over the course of one semester,” Melvin said.

photo by PHILIP HOLCOMBE I Student Photographer

English Professor Stephen Melvin teaches a learning community.

SPORTS S Follow us on

Twitter!

ECTION B

BASKETBALL

Opening victories

@FlorAlaSports SPORTS BRIEFS

Keepinʼ up with the Lions Weekly scores, stats and other tidbits VOLLEYBALL (11-17, 7-9) The Lions concluded the regular season with three road GSC losses to Christian Brothers, Shorter and West Georgia Nov. 6 through 10. The team is set to play Valdosta State in the opening round of the GSC Tournament next weekend in Pensacola, Fla. The winner will face top-seed West Florida in the second round.

FOOTBALL (5-5, 2-3) UWA - 42 UNA - 27 The Lions fizzled out in their final season game at West Alabama Nov. 8, where the defense continued to struggle and the offense was unable to close the scoring gap. The game ended the 2012 season for the Lions, who wonʼt advance to the GSC or NCAA D-II tournaments.

SOCCER (13-6-1, 7-3-1) UWF - 4 UNA - 2 After defeating the Valdosta State Blazers in the first round of the NCAA D-II South Regional in Pensacola, Fla., Nov. 9, the Lions dropped the semifinal match to West Florida, losing to the Argonauts for the third time this season. The loss brings the teamʼs season to an end.

BASKETBALL Women: UNA - 68 Fisk - 34 Men: UNA - 92 Fisk - 7 The basketball teams started off their home season with two wins agasint Fisk Nov. 12. The women host Montevallo Nov. 17 at 1 p.m. while the men play Miles on the road.

Nov. 15, 2012 • The Flor-Ala • Sports Editor: Malisa McClure 256-765-5098

Lions kick off home season with strong start JAMES DUBUISSON Staff Writer jdubuisson@una.edu

The UNA men and women’s basketball teams had successful home openers Nov. 12.

The women’s team doubled up Fisk as they won 6834 in their third game in three nights.

“We have gotten better every day,” said head coach

FINAL SCORES WOMEN: UNA - 68 FISK - 34 MEN: UNA - 92 FISK - 67

Terry Fowler. “The first day was a struggle, the second day was a little better; today was a little better and that is what it is going to be: a process.”

Corinne White led the Lions with 11 points on the night while 11 other players scored.

“It is going to be a different person every night; I don’t think we’ve got a go-to player,” Fowler said.

”

OUR PERSISTENCE WAS THE DIFFERENCE TONIGHT.

BOBBY CHAMPAGNE Fowler said his main goal is playing better every night.

“No matter who is on the schedule, this is college basketball; everybody can play,” he said.

Fowler said the most important thing the Lions need to work on in practice is defense.

See BASKETBALL, page 3B

photo by MICHAEL REDDING I Staff Photographer

UNA forward Bruce Adams warms up before the Lions game against Fisk University, in which both the men’s and women’s teams took their first season wins.

SOCCER

End of the road for Lions MATT WILSON

Staff Writer mdwilson1@una.edu

The UNA soccer team ended their season Nov. 11 in Pensacola, Fla., at the hands of West Florida, falling 4-2 in the NCAA south regional semifinal.

This was the fourth straight appearance in the NCAA regional tournament for the Lions. After the weekend, UNA has a 2-4 record in NCAA tournament play.

The Lions held out for a 1-0 win over Valdosta State Nov. 9 in the opening round of the south regional as Morgan Grace recorded five saves while keeping a clean sheet.

Jennifer Osmond scored her 10th goal of the season to put the Lions up, after cleaning up a melee in front of the VSU net following a corner kick.

UNA moved on to face

UWF Nov. 11 in the semifinal round of the south regional.

For the third time this season, the Lions matched up against West Florida, this time on their opponent’s home field.

The Lions had lost 4-1 earlier in the season at home and, just a week prior, lost 4-0 in the GSC tournament final.

Head coach Graham Winkworth explained what they tried differently as far as tactics.

“Initially I wanted to keep things tight and allow them to sit back in their end of the pitch,” Winkworth said. “What let us down was defending the set pieces. I thought we played great in open play.”

Senior midfielder Nikki Brown said they wanted to try something different against West Florida after their first two meetings.

See SOCCER, page 2B

photo by MATT WILSON I Staff Writer

Abbey Hellem fights off Valdosta State’s Kim Caitlin Alderman during the first round of the NCAA Division II South Regional Nov. 9 in Pensacoloa, Fla.

2B SPORTS PLAYERS SPOTLIGHT

Nov. 15, 2012 • The Flor-Ala

Young leaders

True freshmen step up for Lions football AUBREE WHITE

Student Writer awhite3@una.edu

On Feb. 1, 2012, UNA head football coach recruited one of the Lions’ largest classes of true freshmen from local high schools.

After the players’ arrival on campus, as the 2012 regular season progressed, a few of those freshmen were needed to

fill a selection of unexpected spots.

Following the Lions’ fall scrimmage game, the team was forced to cope with a few unexpected injuries. Safety Nick Williams and wide receiver Chris Simpson both sustained ACL tears. Simpson also tore his MCL and meniscus.

Following the fall scrimmage game, the Lions were also faced with injuries inflicted on their center, receivers and

photos by MICHAEL REDDING I Staff Photographer

(Above) Freshman running back Lee Mayhall runs in a touchdown in the Tarleton State game Nov. 3. (Right) Freshman quarterback Luke Wingo takes a quarterback keeper to the endzone in the Tarleton State game.

SOCCER, continued from page 1B “We wanted to sit back and force them to make mistakes,” Brown said.

“This time we wanted to wait for them to send the long ball and go from there.”

Chloe Roberts netted her 17th goal of the season in the opening minute of play to put UNA up 1-0.

“Chloe’s goal was exactly what we needed,” Brown said. “But we kept the mentality that it was still 0-0.”

As the game settled in, the Argonauts found their way and brought the score level at the 20-minute mark. Four minutes later, West Florida found the net from a corner kick. With 15 minutes left in the first half, the UWF goalkeeper sent a long punt downfield that bounced over the Lions’ back line. An Argonaut ended up with it in the UNA box before assisting the third UWF goal of the half.

“In the second half, being 3-1 down, I really wanted us to play high up on the field and pressure them,” Winkworth said. “I think the girls did such a good job of that and giving all they had.”

The Lions came out in the second half down 3-1 but they were far from giving up. Both teams came out cautious yet still threatening to score more goals. Jo Chubb found Chloe Richards numerous times early in the second half, sending her down the left side and threatening the goal. Brown found space on the right side and whipped crosses into the box, looking for Roberts or Osmond.

In the 54th minute, Osmond scored her 11th goal of the season and second goal of the tournament when she connected on an assist from Chubb. The en-

ergy from bringing the score to 3-2 was short-lived as UWF scored three minutes later off a free kick.

“After Jen (Osmond) scored to make it 3-2, there was definitely a buzz going for us, but that free kick goal for them just killed it for us,” Winkworth said.

The final 30 minutes saw emotional play from the Lions as they fought to preserve their season. Emotions may have gotten the best of senior Katie Crosby as she was given a red card for retaliating to a foul by a UWF player. Even while playing a player down for the last portion of the game, the Lions kept the pressure on and threw as many people forward as they could to try and find the net. In the end, UNA fell 4-2 to perhaps one of their biggest foes now.

Brown explained her thoughts on the season.

“We’ve been a close team all year and I love this team,” Brown said. “I do think we had a good season. Obviously, I wish we could have continued further into the tournament, but I wouldn’t change this season for the world.”

Winkworth said he is proud of the effort and the class that the team showed all season.

“I’m extremely proud of the ladies for playing how they did,” Winkworth said.

“I’m proud of the effort and the class that they showed all year long, because that is something that I stress to them.

“This has been my favorite year as a coach. This team has changed my life as well as the soccer program at UNA.”

quarterback.

“The offensive line had a definite shortage,” said freshman running back Lee Mayhall. “They really had the biggest spots to fill.”

Mayhall said the freshman linemen did an outstanding job at rising to the occasion as early as they had to.

Finishing the season with a total of 62 tackles, freshman Floyd Jones had to step up on defense.

“I really didn’t expect to have to come in so early,” he said. “Although, I feel like the experience will seriously benefit me and the other freshmen in the long run.”

Freshmen quarterback Luke Wingo showed up this season as well. With a total of 241 rushing yards and 845 passing yards this season, Wingo commented on the effectiveness of splitting playing time after the starting quarterback’s thigh injury.

“UNA signed 40 freshmen players this year,” Wingo said. “We seriously had to step up and help out as much as we could.”

Wingo also commented about a few freshmen having to play every game.

“College football and high school football are two different sports,” Jones said. “The other freshmen and I learned that quickly.”

Mayhall and Wingo said there is definitely a difference in the atmosphere, game play, coaches and players all around.

As far as this year went, Wingo, Mayhall and Jones all feel appreciative of the experience this year has brought to them and the other first-year players.

“We’re with such a good group of guys,” Wingo said.

SPORTS 3B

Nov. 15, 2012 • The Flor-Ala BASKETBALL, continued from page 1B “When we play good defense, it has generated our offense,” Fowler said. “It is easier to get baskets getting rebounds than getting it out of the bottom of the net.”

The Lions defense forced the Bulldogs to commit 13 turnovers and only shoot 29 percent from the field.

The women’s team (2-1) will host Tennessee Temple Nov. 14 in Flowers

Hall at 6 p.m.

The men’s team also defeated Fisk 92-67 Nov. 12 in their first game of the season in front of the 1,216 fans in Flowers Hall.

photo by MICHAEL REDDING I Staff Photographer

Lions forward Mekena Doss (#30) and guard Lauren Faris (#15) put pressure on Bulldog Sommer Griffin in the Nov. 12 game against Fisk at Flowers Hall.

“We were deeper than Fisk, they had a couple guys so that contributed to (the victory),” said coach Bobby Champagne.

The Lions played all 12 players on their active roster, with 10 of them playing more than 10 minutes. DeAndre Hersey played 18 minutes off the bench and led the Lions with 20 points. Three other players for the Lions scored in double digits.

“Our persistence was the difference tonight,” Champagne said.

UNA forced Fisk to turn the ball over 20 times but also gave up 15 turnovers.

Champagne said that is the biggest thing the team needs to improve on.

“We’ve got to get better at executing; a lot of those (turnovers) were unforced and just not really having a grasp of the offense,” Champagne said. “We had too many turnovers tonight.”

The offense was up-tempo, which made turnovers more frequent for the Lions, but the UNA defense balanced out the turnovers given up.

The Lions offense also got 25 offensive rebounds, which led to easy secondchance points.

There were not too many students at either games against Fisk and the noise was not exactly deafening.

“The fans were good — tough night tonight,” Champagne said. “There was a lot of stuff going on. We’ve got to get more students in here.”

Champagne’s men’s team will travel to Morehouse Nov. 19 and return to the “Lions’ Den” Nov. 26 to face Lane College.

4B SPORTS

Nov. 15, 2012 • The Flor-Ala

LIFE SPORTS

Greek organizations host inaugural tournament TAIMA NAGLE

Student Writer tmnagle@una.edu

UNA students competed in the inaugural Phi Mu/Sigma Chi Dodgeball Tournament Nov. 7 in the SRC. Phi Mu’s philanthropy chair and UNA sophomore Anna Leigh Rossi said students involved raised $435 for Children’s Miracle Network Hospital, a nonprofit charity that has been helping children in need of medical care since 1983.

”

I THOUGHT IT WAS A GREAT EVENT BECAUSE IT SUPPORTED KIDS. WE ALL HAD TONS OF FUN PLAYING AND THE TURNOUT WAS GREAT.

DARNELL JOHNSON “We had a great turnout in the SRC where both contestants and onlookers came out to show support,” Rossi said.

Rossi helped keep track of the winners as the games started Wednesday night, with teams competing in multiple rounds and being eliminated after two losses.

The 15 teams competed in multiple rounds until the final teams played for the trophy and cupcakes brought by sorority members for the last team standing.

“We wanted to get campus organizations other than just Greeks involved,” Rossi said.

Rossi worked with Sigma Chi’s philanthropy chair Austin Holt over the past month to organize the event.

The event was free to watch for all UNA students, and each team who entered raised $30 or more for the charity in order to participate in the event.

After three hours of intense dodgeball mania and a few innocent bystanders being hit, the final game came down between the baseball team and the football team.

After both fought hard and long for the gold, the football team took away the title of Phi Mu/Sigma Chi Dodgeball Tournament champions.

UNA senior Darnell Jackson helped the football team win the championship and said he enjoyed playing in the match.

“I thought it was a great event because it supported kids,” Jackson said.

“We all had tons of fun playing and the turnout was great.”

With all the money raised in such a fun way, campus organizations plan on making this a traditional event at UNA. “All in all it was a very successful event, and we look forward to planning another one in the near future,” Rossi said. photo by KAYLA SLOAN I Chief Photographer

(Right) Students compete in the Nov. 7 inaugural Phi Mu/Sigma Chi dodgeball tournament at the SRC.

LIFE 5B

Nov. 15, 2012• The Flor-Ala • Life Editor: Ann Harkey 256-765-5233

CAN YOU DISCONNECT? Student goes on 24-hour media fast

CORINNE BECKINGER Student Writer cbeckinger@una.edu

This past week I committed myself to a 24hour media fast. From the time I woke up until the time I went to bed, I did not use my phone, iPad, computer or television.

At first, I was lost and caught myself subconsciously reaching for my phone. Then, it really hit me; my phone had ceased to become a cool gadget. My phone is now the equivalent of a stuffed animal I had when I was 5 — I need to bring it with me everywhere and at night I tuck it in next to my pillow.

“It’s too convenient having something in your pocket that allows you to check email, news, text, weather, Facebook or anything else, for that matter, whenever you want,” said Tabb Sanford, a senior UNA student.

It’s no secret that college students spend a lot of time on their electronic devices. Ideally, we would be working on homework and boosting our IQ scores as we read the latest online editions of The Wall Street Journal or The New York Times.

“I’m an interdisciplinary studies major and several of my classes are hybrids or WebSee MEDIA, page 7B

photo illustration by KAYLA SLOAN I Chief Photographer

STUDENT REVIEW

‘Cloud Atlas’ highly recommended JARED MCCOY

Copy Editor jmccoy@una.edu

The promotional tagline for Lana and Andy Wachowski’s (“The Matrix,” “V for Vendetta”) latest film “Cloud Atlas” says, “Everything is connected.”

Even viewers who are accustomed to the Wachowskis’ complicated plotlines with seeming multitudes of characters will watch this film, tagline in mind, and say, ”I can see that, but how is it all connected?”

The film’s story and setting drastically spans time and place — from a ship in the South Pacific Ocean in 1849 to the post-apocalyptic Hawaiian

Islands in 2321. The opening sequence before the title drop quickly jumps back and forth between the film’s six storylines rapidly, helping the viewer get used to the format for the rest of the film, which moves only somewhat slower.

Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess and Hugh Grant appear in all six of the stories while the rest of the ensemble cast still make their fair share of appearances. These reappearances could be interpreted as reincarnations of the respective actors’ characters, or it may simply be a literal way of showing how stories and characters repeat over time.

It remains unclear (at least to me) if tracing the connections for a specific actor’s characters throughout the film would be a decent way to read it; however, it can be said for (almost) certain that Weaving is always the bad guy.

In typical Wachowski style, each of the stories features a chosen hero

(labeled for your convenience by a comet-shaped birthmark) who rebels against some kind of system, whether it be a business deal, local superstitions, a totalitarian society or a retirement home — it makes sense in context.

Each of the plotlines’ characters are reading about the plotline before it, whether through Adam Ewing’s (Sturgess) journal or a film about Timothy Cavendish’s (Jim Broadbent) life, an action one of Berry’s characters describes as “trying to understand why we keep making the same mistakes … over and over.”

The makeup department for “Cloud Atlas” deserves a standing ovation or a medal or something. While Hanks is mostly recognizable in each of his roles in the film, the fantastic makeup job had me convinced that Berry was both a white woman and a Korean man — it makes just as much sense in context.

See ATLAS, page 7B

Student wants to bring MMA to UNA ANN HARKEY

Life Editor aharkey@una.edu

“Suffer the pain of discipline, or suffer the pain of regret” is the motto of UNA freshman Taylor Ware, the captain of the up-andcoming mixed martial arts team on campus.

The psychology major is trained in Krav Maga, a noncompetitive martial art and self-defense system developed in Israel that is a mix of karate, boxing, jujutsu and wrestling.

“When I was a kid, I was always interested in boxing and fighting,” Ware said. “My father is in law enforcement and started Krav Maga about one year before I did.”

See MMA , page 7B

6B LIFE

Nov. 15, 2012 • The Flor-Ala

STUDENT REVIEW

ʻ6 Characters in Search of an Authorʼ

photos by KAYLA SLOAN I Chief Photographer

(Above) Noah Akers, Max Raybon, Summer Akers, Candace Williamson and Laurie Anne Akers appear as the ghostly characters in the play. (Right) Raybon, Adam St. John and Akers appear in an intense scene as Williamson looks on.

ANN HARKEY

Life Editor aharkey@una.edu

UNA’s department of music and theatre presented Luigi Pirandello’s “Six Characters in Search of an Author” Nov. 8 at 7:30 p.m. in the George S. Lindsey

theatre.

The play will have multiple showings, including Nov. 16 and 17 at 7:30 p.m.

The play follows a troupe of actors rehearsing for “The King Stag” in the George S. Lindsey Theatre. The characters are all named after their real-life actor counterparts and feature lines that are relevant to the Florence area and UNA community that brings the audience into the action.

As the actors rehearse for “The King Stag,” six ghostly characters appear on stage during a glitch in the power. The pale, otherworldly characters include a father, a mother, a stepdaughter, two sons and a young daughter all dressed in shades of gray or black. Their speech is reminiscent of historical English, proper and with certain dialects. The ghosts tell the rehearsing actors that they are looking for a place to tell their story through actors in a play. Reluctant, the actors listen to their ghostly tale.

The play — the one the audience is experiencing — features minimal props, tons of transitional lighting effects and costuming. The story captures the audience in the first moment the ghostly characters appear on stage. Their story involves estranged parents, disturbing “love” affairs and severe depression, all with appropriate touches of humor throughout.

The actors, while playing themselves, added just enough flair to their “characters” that was believable and entertaining. Their interactions with the six ghost actors felt natural, reacting appropriately to each scene. The ghost actors never lost their accent or form, including the very young child actors.

The audience members felt the performance was dead-on.

“It was intense,” said Sarah Varden, UNA student. “It makes you feel chills.”

The play put fear into other students.

“I don’t know if I could be in (George S. Lindsey Theatre) alone,” said Chelsea Perri.

The actors enjoyed performing the

play.

“It was a challenge,” said R.J. O’Connell, actor. “I’ve never worked on a play in this style, but it was fun.”

Some actors found it a different experience playing a dramatized version of themselves.

“It is strange playing yourself,” said Abby Hood, actor. “I wouldn’t normally be such a diva. “ Overall, the performance was entrancing, enjoyable and definitly worth going to see.

LIFE 7B

Nov. 15, 2012 • The Flor-Ala

TECHNOLOGY

Windows 8 more like tablet, smartphones

photo by MICHAEL REDDING I Staff Photographer

The new Windows 8 screen features tiles similiar to Windows smartphones.

MATT WILSON

Staff Writer mdwilson1@una.edu

Microsoft released Windows 8 Oct. 26 as part of a growing group of evidence that the computing world is mov-

MEDIA, continued from page 5B based,” said David Johnson, a UNA senior. “I use the Internet for research in all my classes as well as a few textbooks that I have as E-books.”

Honestly, though, how much time do we spend taking those necessary “study breaks” on Facebook or Twitter while we are busying studying, reading or researching for a class?

At first, I had a small heart attack at the thought of parting from my dear phone, not just because it had my Pinterest and Facebook accounts on them

ATLAS, continued from page 5B One of my few but chief complaints with the film are aspects where the Wachowskis have ripped themselves off. The entire storyline set in 2144 Neo Seoul feels too much like a carbon copy of “The Matrix,” this time starring a less-than-expressive Doona Bae instead of the less-than-expressive Keanu

ing toward applications, tablets and smartphones.

When Microsoft introduced Windows 7 in 2009, it was done so for a couple of reasons. First of all, Microsoft had to do something to end the sad reign of disappointment that was Windows but also because my fiancé is currently in China for a year. Our precious phones are, quite literally, the things that keep us connected anytime, anywhere.

It sounds like a viable excuse; except, it isn’t. With a 14-hour time difference, half the time I spend “checking messages” is usually prime sleeping time for him and prime time for me to start Pinteresting.

Then, it occurred to me that with the absence of my computer or iPad, I would have a hard time finishing certain class assignments, and I would be completely unaware of any important class or university announcements.

Vista. Secondly, they had to do something to answer the Apple domination of the computing marketplace.

Local computer technician Don Rickard said Windows 7 was important.

“Vista was bad and so I think they had to rush and get Windows 7 out there,” Rickard said. “Windows 8 is just the completed version of that new direction.”

And Windows 8 is a new direction, if nothing else, for one of the largest software houses in the game.

Matt Morris, a computer sales associate at Best Buy in Florence, said Windows 8 has a totally new approach.

“The first thing that people notice is that the famous start button has been removed,” Morris said. “Instead, what this new Windows OS has are live tiles, which require users to approach things differently.”

Morris said the new approach from Windows shows that Microsoft is starting their focus on tablets and smartphones.

“I think Microsoft is definitely doing something to answer the Apple move of synchronizing the iPhone, iPad and MacBooks,” Morris said. “You can see that with the Windows phones, their move into tablets and with this new version of Windows for PCs.” For Rickard, one of the most important points is the e-commerce compatibility that Windows 8 has.

MMA, continued from page 5B

An active person, Ware said she tried the martial art for the first time at Huntsville High School during the off-season for her swim team.

She fell in love with the sport and began searching for a place to practice in Florence when she moved last summer to attend UNA. However, her father wanted her to focus on school for her first semester and to discontinue practicing.

“I can’t not do sports,” she said. “I secretly began looking for a team. I missed fighting so much.”

She holds her conditioning on campus and at No Doubt Fitness Gym in Lexington.

Reeves. It’s a small grievance that stands She also developed all of her condiout to me only as a “Matrix” fan, so oth- tioning exercises and training exercises ers might not feel so put off by it. herself, to somewhat unpopular response.

“Cloud Atlas” may be almost three The team narrowed down to a handhours long, but I was intrigued for the ful of people committed enough to folentire time.

If you absolutely must immediately understand exactly how everything fits together in a movie, stay far and away from this one. However, if you are willing to wait, step back and see the painting that the film’s tiny brush strokes make, then I highly recommend it.

“Windows 8 works well in that capacity, and I think that the interface works the way users expect it to work,” Rickard said.

The size of Windows 8 is a bit more in line with Microsoft’s reputation.

Rickard said it is nothing like the Android or Mac operating systems.

“Windows 8 looks great and works great, but it is huge,” Rickard said. “It is a memory hog. When Windows started the move to this new style of operating system with Windows 7, they brought along a lot of the old code from Windows XP and Vista.”

The official review by PCWorld.com makes the point that operating systems nowadays are less important; instead, the ability of applications to work correctly across a span of devices is the focus. They describe this as ecosystems as opposed to operating systems.

Without the start button or desktop icons, Windows 8 has a start screen that is populated with “tiles” of applications.

Everything about this new version lends itself to the future of touch-screen computing through smartphones or tablets.

The official review summarized the new version of Windows 8 by saying that “love it or hate it, Windows 8 is ushering in a new era of cloud-connected Microsoft services, a unified user interface and more robust social media interaction.

Only time will tell whether it’s the right risk at the right time.” low her lead in training.

“You have to do things you don’t want to do — that’s how personal growth works,” she said. “If you can’t get up at 5:30 in the morning, how can you get up when someone knocks you down in the ring?”

Her goal for training her team is to enter into an MMA competition in Tennessee in January if she feels the team is ready. She also isn’t sure if women are allowed to compete at all in the competition. However, she doesn’t want this to discourage women from training.

“I’ve got bruises on my knuckles, but my nails are painted,” she said. “I just want people to try.”

Her team practices on campus every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 5 p.m. and at No Doubt Fitness Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 5 p.m. For more information on how to join her team, contact her at tware@una.edu or call 256-975-5529.

8B EXTRA

Tweets of the week

Nov. 15, 2012 • The Flor-Ala DISCLAIMER: The tweets below are public tweets found on Twitter by searching hashtags and keywords 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.