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NEWS
FSVIEW & FLORIDA FLAMBEAU | MAY 16, 2011
FSU student bikes, fundraises across nation Chase Jones visits family along the way, raises money for MS research COURTNEY ROLLE Staff Writer Florida State University art student Chase Jones is taking the journey of a lifetime this summer. He will be embarking on a 6,000-mile bike ride across the country beginning in Portland, Ore., on May 25. His journey across America is an effort to raise money for multiple sclerosis (MS), a disease that affects the body’s central nervous system. MS, as of yet, has no cure. The idea for the crosscountry bike ride came to Jones one evening as he spoke to his father, who
lives in New Mexico, on the phone. “I hadn’t seen him in over a year-and-a-half and he asked if I was going to be able to come out and visit him sometime soon,” Jones said. “I told him there’s no way because of flight prices and the shortage of time/money. He jokingly said, ‘Why don’t you just ride your bike?’ ” Jones said that, after the conversation with his father, he thought about how nice it would be to surprise all of his family by riding his bike to visit all of them; his father in New Mexico, a brother in Texas, a sister in Idaho,
one in Utah, a little brother in Sarasota and a sister locally in Tallahassee. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to commit to the cross-country bike ride. “I have been using my bike as transportation around Tallahassee Chase for three Jones years now, and it’s extremely rewarding to ride,” Jones sadi. “I feel happier when I ride, I feel healthier when I ride, and I notice the world around me more when
I ride. Biking across the U.S. would just amplify all of those same emotions, and I would also have the chance to travel, see this beautiful country and visit my family.” Jones will be biking for approximately three months before he makes it to his ending destination of Sarasota. Aside from staying with family, he will be camping at night when it’s time for rest and maintaining a diet of fruits, nuts, veggies, beans, rice and peanut butter to keep himself fueled. Jones also hopes to document everything that he sees along his jour-
ney through writing in his journal and blogging during free time. Jones has begun his fundraising already, starting with his place of employment, the FSU Mom and Pops Hotdog stand outside of Strozier Library. “We have raised $200 because of their help, and they have also donated $200 in addition to help out with the cause,” Jones said. “They are great people.” With many of his friends suffering from MS, Jones is avid about helping to raise money. He will be holding a silent auction
fundraiser on May 23 at the Crepevine on North Monroe Street to help the cause. A total of 25 percent of all sales and all of the proceeds from the silent auction will go to the MS organization. It is free to anyone who would like to donate to the cause. “This Fundraiser will help raise money for research as well as help with the development of homes for patients so that they can live more independently, like in their past,” Jones said. “I want to be able to show gratitude for the blessing I have in my life, of having a healthy body.”
FSU ROTC leaves a mark at national competition Cadets head to West Point for marksmanship, land and water crossing challenges CHAD SQUITIERI Staff Writer Florida State University Reserve Officer Training Cadets (ROTC) were recently sent to West Point, N.Y., to represent the university at a national ROTC competition. A total of 50 teams participated in the competition, including teams from the United States Military Academies, seven other national ROTC teams and international teams from several nations including Chile and Australia.
The competition, which consisted of several events created to test the cadets both physically and mentally, included challenges such as marksmanship, water crossing, land navigation, first aid and a rope bridge construction challenge. Each team was made up of nine cadets with at least one cadet being female. “The [rope bridge competition] is one of our best events,” said Master Sgt. Jackson of FSU ROTC. “We were able to catch up
and pass teams that started before us due to our intense training on that event.” While the FSU ROTC team was not one of the top five teams to place at the national competition, they did recently place first at the Brigades Ranger Challenge held in Fort Benning, Ga. A total of 42 teams participated in the Ranger Challenge including groups from states such as Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, and Georgia. The competition lasted 72 hours, and because the FSU Cadets
FSU’s PBL regenerates and succeeds at state conference
the No. 1 spot no matter where they placed in the next two events,” Jackson said. “I didn’t tell the team that because I wanted them to keep giving their all to the end, and they did. The closest team to us, which was the University of Auburn, was 50 points behind. The last two years FSU had come in third place, so this was our time for redemption.” When asked why such competitions are important, Jackson pointed out that they are once-in-a-life-
time opportunities. “It is an experience that some cadets will never experience in their four years in ROTC or West Point,” Jackson said. “Plus, it helps build teamwork and confidence in each individual to trust themselves, their equipment and their team members.” The ROTC team will only be losing three seniors before next year’s competition, which gives them good odds and perhaps a competing chance at the national level once again.
POLICEBRIEFS
through a red light at the intersection of Jefferson Street and Woodward Avenue on campus. The officer reported that he observed the female student speeding on Copeland Street prior to the stop and also noticed her roll through a stop sign on College Avenue. The student reportedly had red eyes, slurred speech and a strong odor of alcohol that could be smelled from four feet away. Her questionable physical state only added suspicion to her inability to follow traffic laws. After bombing several sobriety tests, the student threw in the towel when she asked officer to “just take [her]” to the station. Upon arrival at the Leon County Jail 45 minutes after the initial stop, the student still had a blood alcohol level of .229. The young lady must have been feeling pretty confident to get behind the wheel with a blood alcohol level almost triple the legal limit in Florida.
took first place, they were invited to compete nationally and represent the brigade. When asked if anything memorable stood out in his recollection of the challenge in Georgia that helped propelled them onto the national competition, Jackson recalled the moment when he realized they were going to advance. “We had two more events left out of the 10 [when] I was talking with the score keeper [who] told me that FSU had already sealed
SCOTT CRUMBLY KARLANNA LEWIS Senior Staff Writer This past spring break, six Florida State University students travelled to Tampa to show off their business know-how in Phi Beta Lambda’s State Leadership Conference. Though just four years ago FSU’s chapter had disintegrated, this year it rose from its own ashes to become the most titled school in the state. While PBL is a businessfocused organization, students of all majors are encouraged to join. “Because I’m a poli-sci major, I didn’t know if the organization would help me,” said Erika Lang, PBL secretary and political science major. “Now, I’m very involved—I’m the community service chair. We have four or five poli-sci majors, and other people are requesting to join from other majors. It’s more than business, learning how to sell a product. With marketing you can pretty much go anywhere in the corporate world.” For Chirag Shah, who first became involved with PBL through its baby-brother organization, Future Business Leaders of America, the transition was natural. “Back in high school I was involved with the high-school counterpart, Future Business Leaders of America,” said Shah, PBL president and marketing and finance senior. “I’ve been in this organization for the past nine years. We’re not a Greek organization. We just use Greek letters. Our main goal is to promote community service and professionalism of our members.” FSU’s chapter—which was first formed in 2000, fell apart, and then reformed in 2007—always welcomes new members. “You have to keep a 2.0 GPA, but it’s basically paying your dues and getting involved,” said Shah. “We have fundraisers, socials and community service. We also give leadership opportunities and encourage members to apply for a state or national office.” Once they join, stu-
It’s really exciting when you’re in a room full of people, and anytime your school gets called, you get to represent your school, and really stand out from the others. Yessenia Hernandez PBL Vice President and business management major
dents will find PBL is very much a members-oriented group. “We ask members what they would like to get out of the organization,” said Lang. “I would rather have a few good members than a lot of members who didn’t want to be there, and right now I think we have some really good members.” Before taking six of their best members to the state competition, PBL spent time getting ready. “We prepped for it.,” said Shah. “We had different professors come out and teach students on a one-on-one basis. We had professors listen to students give a speech and then give them critiques. “ This professional interaction aligns with PBL’s mission to prepare students for the real world. “The goal of the organization is to help students get ready for the workforce,” said Lang. “Not a lot of students know how to build a resume, or how to properly go and introduce yourself, so we help people develop those characteristics. We do a lot of conferences that show what they’re going to work with later in life. Professionals come to our meetings and tell us, ‘this is what you’re really going to see in the workforce.’ ” Going into the competition, PBL teams statewide didn’t have high expectations for FSU. “FSU doesn’t have a strong reputation because our chapter did fail,” said Lang. “Going to state and showing them we have some smart kids here, and we’re here to compete
definitely gained some respect for the organization. One of our girls had first place in all her competitions.” For the members who did trade in their spring break vacation for PBL’s practical learning experience, the exchange was worthwhile. “It was an incredible experience,” said Yessenia Hernandez, PBL vice president and business management major. “It’s really exciting when you’re in a room full of people, and anytime your school gets called, you get to represent your school, and really stand out from the others.” Events are divided into two categories: either multiple-choice exams or performances. “I competed in website development, international business and marketing concepts,” said Shah. “In website development they gave me a topic: Choose a big event in your campus or community, and make a website about that. I chose homecoming. I had to explain the website, and they asked me questions about software and equipment. International business is a 100-question test.” With 22 awards, more than any other school, PBL is preparing for nationals and planning for future conquests. “A lot of the advisors for Florida FBLA and PBL were surprised by how well we did,” said Shah. “We can become the best in the nation. I wouldn’t be surprised if we were No. 1 next year.”
Assistant Editor FSU student falls asleep at the wheel while driving drunk Tuesday, May 10—What began as another Monday night at a local bar ended in a driving-underthe-influence charge for one Florida State University student early Tuesday morning. After he had his fill of alcoholic beverages, the student decided to drive himself back home to pass out. In a perfect demonstration of the reality that drinking and driving don’t mix, the subject passed out before he ever got home. After receiving a call from a Tallahassee citizen, an officer arrived at the intersection of Copeland Street and College Avenue to find the student asleep at the wheel. The officer proceeded to provide a wakeup call for the student, and then had him perform a series
of sobriety tests. After getting off to a bad start with the eyeball test—his eyes were watery and bloodshot—the young ’Nole stumbled through 22 steps in the walk-and-turn exercise, despite being told to take only nine steps by the officer. The officer also had the young man perform a balance test standing on one leg. Not surprisingly, the student did not show any more sobriety than he displayed in the first two drills. The student was booked and taken to the Leon County Jail where a breath sample showed a blood alcohol level of .209, more than double the legal limit of .08. Female student raises suspicion after illegal traffic activity Wednesday, May 11—An FSU student was stopped by an FSU officer in the wee hours of Wednesday morning after running
NEWSBRIEFS WORLD IMF chief’s arrest rocks French presidential race PARIS (AP)—The stunning arrest of IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn in connection with a sexual assault in New York is throwing the French presidential race into disarray. Some rivals and political observers said it could bury any presidential bid by Strauss-Kahn, considered the strongest potential challenger to unseat the unpopular President Nicolas Sarkozy in next year’s election. Others urged caution pending further investigation into the alleged assault by Strauss-Kahn, an accomplished politician and economist who has been in the French public eye for decades. A few even suggested
that Strauss-Kahn may have been set up.
NATION Louisiana floodgate opens, diverting Mississippi River MORGANZA, La. (AP)— Water from the inflated Mississippi River gushed through a floodgate Saturday for the first time in nearly four decades and headed toward thousands of homes and farmland in the Cajun countryside, threatening to slowly submerge the land under water up to 25-feet deep. As the gate was raised, the river poured out like a waterfall, at times spraying 6 feet into the air. The opening of the Morganza spillway diverted water from Baton Rouge and New Orleans, and the numerous oil refineries and chemical plants along the lower reaches of the Mississippi.
—Reports compiled from FSUPD’s weekly police activity briefs.
LOCAL Tallahassee may be launch pad for an energy revolution TALLAHASSEE—The future always begins somewhere. There’s no law that says it can’t start in Tallahassee. Like the future of hydrogen fuel cells that are affordable enough to power cars and trucks, affordable enough to power individual homes and businesses, if not entire cities. Enter Bing Energy, a 2-year-old company that has set up its headquarters in Tallahassee. Bing claims it has a new technology to make fuel cells commercially viable, thanks to a revolutionary breakthrough by a Florida State University professor. Bing claims it’s going to become a billion-dollar-a-year company selling its technology around the world and producing hundreds of jobs. —Compiled by Renee Rodriguez. Local news via the Tallahassee Democrat.