Crimson 3/12/13 Issue

The official student newspaper of florida Tech

spring, issue 4

march 12, 2013

Olin Engineering lounge hours reduced following messes and misconduct Allison McLellan Staff Writer Students who want to study late at night are quickly running out of options. The popular student lounge on the second floor of the Olin Engineering Building has changed from being open 24 hours a day to being open from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Concerns about property damage and students being disrespectful to custodial staff have been cited as reasons for the change.

With two months left until finals, some students are worried that the new hours put will make on-campus studying locations even more scarce.

“If they don’t get it fixed by finals week, the library’s going to be packed,” said Chip Lovejoy, a senior ocean engineering major.

The Olin Engineering Lounge has been a popular choice for many students since its recent renova-

tions. According to a press release from the Office of Development, the lounge underwent approximately $200,00 worth of renovations in 2011. The renovations included the addition of several LCD monitors that can be hooked up to student laptops and two private study rooms equipped with whiteboards.

According to the Student Government Association’s president, Brian Thai, the engineering department has noticed significant damage to the room. There were also reports of students being rude to custodial staff who were trying to clean the lounge.

The lounge has not closed completely and is not expected to be in the future. Students who wish to study during the day are still free to do so.

“I study here during normal hours since I live off campus, but I know a lot of people come here

See sga, pg. 2

photo by allison mclellan The new student lounge hours were posted outside the room, but the signs didn’t explain the reasons for the closure.

Missing memorial table sparks questions and fundraisers

photo courtesy of squamish Kelly Potter (left) and three of her Squamish brothers work on a pledge painting in 2000.

Drew Lacy Editor-in-Chief For more than six years, a minute’s walk off the beaten paths of the Botanical Gardens, a lonely table stood just short of five feet above the lush jungle floor. The wooden piece, flanked by two benches, was detailed with drawings of grapefruit and a silver plaque on its top.

The table, often obscured by the garden foliage, was never placed on any Botanical Gardens map or visited by any official tour.

Perhaps that’s part of why, when the table and its concrete base were ripped from the ground sometime between summer and fall last year, there was no uproar or university search to find the culprit.

Instead, the foot-deep ruts where

the table once stood gathered leaves and mud under the shady trees. It appeared no one cared about the missing wooden table or its remaining benches.

But one group of students does

care. The Squamish brothers say it had a greater purpose than just a resting spot in the Botanical Gardens.

The Kelly Potter high table, named after a member of Squamish who passed away in 2005, was hand built by members of organization in 2006 to commemorate her life. The grapefruit markings are symbols of the organization.

Potter, an aeronautical science and aviation management student, worked as a flight supervisor at Florida Tech and was also an avid painter and writer. She received her certification as a flight instructor in September 2005, and shortly after fell ill with what she thought was a hard to shake bout of the flu, according to her memorial website.

She was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia the next month, and passed away on Nov. 27, 2005.

See squamish, pg. 3

photo courtesy of squamish The high table, decorated with the Squamish grapefruit symbol, before it was mysteriously removed last year.

College Players balance two shows for spring semester College of Business changes catch students by surprise Laura Fitzsimmons Campus Life Editor When people began questioning Chelsea Forgenie, a sophomore with a double major in international business and marketing, about the existence of one of her majors a few weeks before spring break, she was puzzled.

“People were questioning ‘Chelsea, I don’t think international business is around anymore’ and I said that can’t be possible because I am majoring in it,” Forgenie said.

“I think a lot of people went online on the FIT website to see if it was still there and it wasn’t,” Forgenie added. “They only saw it as a specialization course.”

Forgenie then met with her advisor, who explained the degree program changes and reassured her that she still had her international business degree title.

“What we’ve done is really renamed a lot of the majors,” said

Alexander Vamosi, associate dean of academics. “We renamed it as a business administration degree program with specializations in the various areas.”

Vamosi said the six specializations—accounting, global management and finance, information technology management, marketing, sport management and leadership and social responsibility—will be written on the student’s degree.

“One thing that concerns students is that the title of the program is written properly on the degree,” Vamosi said. “That specialization will appear on their degree.”

Aside from renaming the majors within the business administration program, Vamosi said that the curriculum has also been revised.

These changes include more common business core courses, a specialization requirement of at least five courses within the

See changes, pg. 2 gadget corner

Staff writer Joseph Stoltz reveals a strawberry scented way to listen to music.

See gadget, pg 6

photo by casey doran Gleason Auditorum’s stage will be draped in a colossal American flag for “The Complete History of America (Abridged).”

Hershlay Raymond Campus Life Editor Florida Tech College Players’ staying power is remarkable.

Founded in 1969, College Players is the longest running organizations on campus, with the oldest continuous constitution of any student organization still in service.

This semester, they will host both their 100th and 101st productions. “Dracula,” directed by Brian Patterson, and “The Complete

History of America (Abridged),” directed by Casey Doran, respectively.

The group is hosting the two plays, as well as two nights of improv and the Art & Music Showcase, to reinvigorate their community and to give people reason to look into joining.

“It’s sort of like CP is coming out, which is perhaps inappropriate phrasing for it, but we five big events happening this semester,” said Casey Doran, secretary for College Players and “Complete

sga nominations Members of SGA write about why you should run to be part of the organization.

See letters, pg 9

History of America (Abridged)” director. “It’s exciting to the point where we are realizing that as an organization, we can’t handle these things and I think that a lot of other people would enjoy joining us.”

The additional reason for the College Players’ full spring semester is a more sentimental one.

“We have a really good group of people who are going to graduate this semester, not that previous

See college players, pg 2

campus life................. 2 sci/tech....................... 6 entertainment............ 7 OPINIONS....................... 8 sports........................ 10

2 -march 12, 2013

SGA hopes to work toward compromise for lounge hours

CAMPUS LIFE

Players to present “Dracula” and “History of America (Abridged)”

STORY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 because the library closes early,” said Lydia Wilson, a junior marine biology major.

Wilson has seen some of the mess first hand. She had noticed that on previous mornings there were often shredded papers and garbage left in the room from the night before.

While some students are outraged by the implementation of the new hours, other students understand the decision.

“I can see why they are probably doing it,” said Chris Pear, a junior marine biology major.

“People sleep in there.”

Although Pear understands the decision, he does not support it. He said that he was disappointed in the behavior of some of his fellow students. “We all have to suffer because people sleep in there and throw their garbage around,” he said.

Student Government has been in contact with the office of Dean Ham, the dean of the College of Engineering.

“Obviously student government will try to compromise with administration,” Thai said.

Thai said he wants the student body to know exactly why the restricted hours have been enacted.

“I do want to stress that I do support the administration’s decision,” Thai said. “I think that a few bad students can ruin a great thing for all students, and I do think that they should be held responsible.

Sometimes you do have to send a message.”

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STORY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 semesters we haven’t, but we have a really tight knit group and we’re trying to make sure we send them all off with a bang,” Doran said.

Every semester there is a mainstage production, chosen by the betterment committee.

“They are in charge of bettering College Players as a whole,” said Erich Geisert, College Play-

ers president and producer of “Dracula,” “but their main job is picking a show.”

Geisert explained that first a vote is held to decide between a musical or a play. Then for about a month, a list of potential shows is compiled.

The betterment committee narrows it down to six. They deliver the six to executive board, cut the options by half. The remaining three are told to the organization and they vote to decide on one.

“Dracula,” the mainstage production, was chosen because it demands the full support of the organization as a whole with its large cast of characters and complex set pieces to occupy the technical crew.

Brian Patterson, director of “Dracula,” is in charge of a cast of dozens and full production staff with some unique positions, including character coach that “mainly

focuses on accents and emotion” and a creative advisor who is the “jack of all trades.”

“The director is for large scope, overall general vision,” Patterson said. “Specifics should be doled out to the experts in their field.”

While the grand mainstage production of “Dracula” prepares, the small scale “Complete History of America (Abridged)” is right beside it.

With a production staff of five people, three actors, one musician and one crew member, the bare bones play merely calls for an American flag as the backdrop.

The 50 foot by 30 foot American flag that stunningly engulfs the entire Gleason Auditorium is currently up being stored in the prop loft in is on loan from Bob Steele Chevrolet in Cocoa.

“Car dealerships have those huge American flags up,” Doran

said. They fly them until they are ragged and then they send them out for proper disposal. “We managed to talk them into letting us borrow one on the promise that we return to the veteran’s center for proper incineration.”

Though College Players has two productions simultaneously in the works, the two shows aren’t dueling.

“I think ‘History of America’ is going to be a great show. I really want I support it in every way,” Patterson said. “Our organization is not too competitive. We want to see each other succeed.”

The show dates for “Dracula” are March 27, 28, 29 and April 4, 5, while the dates for “The Complete History of America (Abridged)” are April 12, 14, 17(or 20) and 21.

The date for the second improv show is April 16.

Changes to business majors include more specialization STORY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 student’s field of study and an enhanced global emphasis requirement.

The specializations have also become more interdisciplinary.

“Students now can take more courses in humanities, communication or psychology that they can use in their area of specialization,” Vamosi said.

The research course and major field practicum for seniors have also been revised and there is now a greater opportunity for students to be involved in regional and national case competitions.

“It’s really part internship, part academic and part community service,” Vamosi said of the revised major field practicum for secondsemester seniors.

Following internal discussions and outside input from successful entrepreneurs in the community, S. Ann Becker, dean of College of Business, made the final decision to implement these changes into the Nathan M. Bisk College of Business’s undergraduate degree program.

Vamosi said the program names were changed to more accurately reflect what the programs were and to set students apart and make them more marketable.

The changes will not become effective until fall 2013, but students may choose to follow the new program if they want to, added Vamosi.

Morgan Wilson, a sophomore majoring in international business, was just as surprised as Forgenie when he realized that the FIT website no longer contained info regarding his major.

“It makes finding flowcharts a little difficult,” Wilson said.

Both Wilson and Forgenie felt that, as business majors, they should have been properly notified of the changes made to their degree programs.

“It would have been nice to

have an email sent to students,” Wilson said.

Forgenie felt like it had been done behind her back, especially since other people outside of the business program knew about the changes before she did.

“How did they know before I knew and they’re not even in business?” Forgeni asked.

Vamosi said the idea was for the advisors to communicate the changes to the students, as the faculty had been notified of the changes.

“I don’t think we sent out an email,” Vamosi said. “That was a mistake on my part. We should have notified them.”

Campus life

3 - march 12, 2013

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Squamish will hold paper plane competition to fund new memorial

photo courtesy of squamish The Kelly Potter memorial plaque has not yet been found.

STORY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 “She was definitely the most influential Squamish woman that has come through our organization,” said Megan Walker, who became a member of Squamish in 2005 and knew Potter for two years. “As well as being extremely involved in our organization, she was very active within the entire FIT community.”

A scholarship, the Kelly Potter Aviation Scholarship Fund, was created in her honor and usually

awards $500 to a selected aviation student, according to Michelle Verkooy, development officer at the Office of Development. The scholarship is funded by donations and through sales of Potter’s paintings at kellypotter.org.

The year after Potter passed away, members of Squamish decided to hand build a table in the Botanical Gardens in her honor.

“It’s very sentimental because the jungle was a very important place for her. We know that’s what she would have wanted,” said Vic-

toria Benjamin, a current brother of Squamish.

The table was built through donations from the community and Potter’s parents, and featured a plaque that read “In Loving Memory of Kelly Potter.”

When the table abruptly went missing in the summer of 2012, members of Squamish were shocked.

“I’m extremely upset that the table is gone,” said Walker.

“It’s kind of shameful that such a memorial is missing,” said Benjamin. “It’s disrespectful.”

Benjamin reached out to security and facilities to see if either department removed the table, but was met with shrugs from both organizations. Neither said they had any part in the memorial’s removal.

Though the memorial was not university sanctioned, chief of security Kevin Graham says that the department was familiar with the table and did not remove it. He said that though a report has now been filed, it was reported so far after the theft that it makes an investigation nearly impossible.

Holly Chichester, facilities hor-

ticulturalist, said facilities found parts of the table and its concrete base strewn through parts of the gardens.

Because the table was cemented into the ground, Benjamin is convinced this wasn’t one person act of vandalism.

“Someone had to come in there with intent and manpower to remove it,” she said.

While Squamish searches for the culprit of the destruction of the table, they are also working through facilities to build a new one that is university approved. They are planning a fundraiser to gather enough donations to rebuild it and purchase a new plaque.

A Kelly Potter Paper Planes Competition will be held on March 15, where students can pay to create and “fly” a paper airplane on the Crawford Green. Participants will compete to see who can send their craft flying the longest distance to win a prize.

The event, aviation themed in honor of Potter, will raise money for both the reconstruction of the table and Relay for Life. Though Benjamin is optimistic that they will be able to raise the funds necessary to rebuild the memorial, the question of who destroyed it in the first place remains strong in her mind.

“It was a big table, and it meant a lot to us,” she said. “It didn’t just walk away.”

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CAMPUS LIFE

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Relay for Life staff comes together to fundraise for a cure

Hershlay Raymond Campus Life Editor As the sun sets, there is complete silence as the luminaria bags light up. In the special Relay for Life ceremony, each hand-decorated bag represents a loved one or friend who has fallen victim to cancer at any point in their life and are used to commemorate their fight.

Relay For Life participants, survivors and caregivers gather to remember the loved ones lost to cancer and to honor those whose whose battle with cancer continues.

“My favorite part of Relay For Life is definitely the luminaria ceremony. It is always so touching to see all the candles honoring the survivors and remembering the loved ones we have lost,” said Tina Vanover, community representative for the American Cancer Society.

Vanover has been as the community representative since December 2012 and volunteered for Relay For Life for five years prior to taking the position.

“Florida Tech has an amazing number of teams, new and experienced, this year. There is a great energy that is going to bring this Relay to the next level,” said Tina Vanover, community representative for the American Cancer Society.

When Vanover was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in February of 2003, a previous employer invited her join her Relay team.

“I have been back every year, getting more and more involved.

It finally became clear to me that I needed to make a career change and I’m honored to be a part of this experience for others,” said Vanover.

After Maggie Hansotte, the event chair for Florida Tech’s Relay For Life, watched her first opening and luminaria ceremonies, she was hooked.

“I ended up staying for the whole event. I was inspired by all

of the people that I saw coming together for the fight against cancer and knew that this was a cause that I wanted to help,” said Hansotte.

This year, Florida Tech’s Relay for Life will feature a few additions to mix, including hosting a canned food drive at the event and donating them to a local shelter.

“The cool part is that we’re going to use the cans to hold down the luminaria bags at the event,” said Lenny Bernas, team development chair and team captain for Pi Lambda Phi. “All of the bags have candles in them, and rather than using sand, we’re putting the candles on cans of food and making it an additional philanthropy event. We also will have the most teams participating in the event that the school has ever seen, and a bunch of new and exciting speakers and survivors to share their stories,” Bernas said.

Bernas became involved in Relay for Life when he was appointed as Pi Lambda Phi’s philanthropy chair and Relay for Life team captain philanthropy chair last spring.

“I also look at it as a great way to support my grandma, who has been cancer free for six or seven years now. She’s the reason I agreed to join the committee - I really want to support her as much as I can because I didn’t understand much of what was going on when she had cancer when I was in middle school,” said Bernas.

“American Cancer Society does a lot to help survivors, and knowing that our event benefits such a vast amount of programs is just amazing. I love being able work with our campus to raise awareness and money for the ACS because cancer’s something a lot of people have a personal connection to and shows unity across our school’s diverse groups.”

This year’s Relay for Life begin on March 22 at 6 p.m. and will be held in the Columbia Village parking garage.

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6 -march 12, 2013

SCI/TECH

Sony’s PS4 “reveal” leaves more questions than answers

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Gadget Corner Joseph Stoltz Staff Writer

icool scratch and sniff mp3 player

image property of sony The new DualShock4 controller features a touchpad, though it’s not yet clear how it will be utilized in the new gaming system.

Kelsey McMullan Sci/Tech Editor Late last month, Sony Computer Entertainment announced they are planning on launching a new PlayStation gaming system.

The catch is that they expect consumers to be interested in this system based purely on their new DualShock4 Controller and a handful of clips from games designed for the new system.

Sony has withheld just about every detail about the new gaming system except the controller and new Kinect-like Camera.

Rumors are swirling that the system will be available in time for the holiday shopping season this year, but a price and an exact date have not been announced either.

According to the PlayStation4 website, the DualShock4 controller features a highly sensitive six-axis sensor and touch pad that will “offer gamers completely new ways to play and interact with games.”

Senior Paula Williams has been a PlayStation gamer for years.

“I’ve played PlayStation back in the day from the first model. I’ve seen the transition, “Williams said.

She said that the best thing they have done is to make the load scenes more interesting.

“You have to wait longer, but now you get more out of the game,” she said. “I think they are going to take it to the next step. They always leave you wanting more, but they give you something you didn’t have before.”

I’m not entirely sure how gamers will use a touch pad and the existing controls without growing at least another hand. Maybe the games will be designed so that you only use one interface at a time.

Sony is also trying to incorporate more social experiences into the new system.

Dan Milano from ABC News said “Sony will be putting social media at the core of PS4 experiences, giving gamers the ability to share live streams of their gameplay online with the press of a button.”

Now when you make an epic kill in “Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag,” you can share the blood, guts, and bilge rat slime spraying forth from your victim with the world and continue to desensitize 10-year-olds everywhere!

Is Sony’s marketing plan for the PlayStation4 going to work? It’s a bold move only releasing a handful of game titles, a controller, and a camera but the market for the system is there, and it’s demanding.

The electronic and multimedia gaming industry raked in over $1 billion in 2012. Sony has some tough competition, though. Microsoft’s Xbox is the PlayStation’s biggest rival.

With the release of the new PlayStation bloggers and gamers are expecting a new Xbox to be released soon as well. A Yahoo! blogger, Becky Worley, recently threw out some ideas for the name of the new system.

“We know the new device is code-named Durango, but will the official release name be ‘Xbox 720?’ Or, as others have noted, Microsoft recently snapped up domain names for Xbox8, with the 8 doubling as a symbol implying the name “Xbox Infinity.”

The future of gaming seems only limited by the technology of our time. I envision a day in the very near future where games will not be produced on CDs but rather downloaded straight to your gaming system.

This would prevent games from selling out and gamers from giving up their systems to wait in lines for 72 hours. But this direct download method will also cause system developers to increase the memory and capacity of their systems.

Is it worth the price? We’ll find out.

Compare and contrast: image editors Christopher Pangalos Staff Writer

ms paint By far the simplest and most basic well-known image editor.

While it doesn’t have many advanced features, it comes with all modern Windows installations and does have a wide variety of uses.

Cropping, copying, resizing, and removing portions of an image can be done in a matter of seconds, even for first time users. Good for compiling images, creating basic graphs or tables, and adding text to images already created.

In addition screenshots can easily be pasted into it and saved as standard image files such as .jpeg .png and .bitmap, making it one of the easiest to use conversion tools for anything that will display on your computer.

While its speed and ease of use make it great for simple tasks, it doesn’t have the capability to perform any major photograph edits, only supports a single layer and cannot create 3D-images unless you plan on making them pixel by pixel.

Adobe photoshop Probably the most popular and well-known image editor, Adobe Photoshop comes at a high cost but hosts a variety of automated features from blending images together to automatically removing inconsistencies within images, being one of the first to offer such a wide variety of features.

It has everything from advanced selection tools, to correcting specific colors or patterns of pixels. These features have essentially established it as the name in professional image editing.

Of course, being the “professional” image editor, it’s marketed primarily toward advanced

editors for more complex projects. This makes it much more difficult for casual users to use even to use its more basic features. In many cases serious users either read manuals or take courses to learn its full features.

Gimp Not as famed as Photoshop, but nonetheless popular GPL image editor that can be obtained free of cost often found along with Linux distributions. While it does require some knowledge and practice to use all of its features, those familiar with image editors (particularly Photoshop) should find it much easier overall while still having much of its functionality.

Features include the use of multiple layers, as well as many of the same Photoshop tools from selection tools to healing brushes. While not quite as automated, it does come close in functionality without the cost making it possibly the best alternative.

paint.net An open source image editor somewhat similar to Gimp, though not quite as popular. It’s not as automated as the big names, though it certainly has more advanced features and effects than MS Paint.

Like Gimp and Photoshop it does support the use of multiple layers and also has a history that can be used to undo changes over long periods of time.

While it’s certainly not the simplest image editor, it is much easier to use that Gimp and Photoshop which may make it one of the better choices for those who don’t want to spend excessive amount of time studying its features.

After passing under the radar years ago, an eccentric MP3 player has resurfaced on the internet in geeky lists of bizarre and outlandish gadgets.

For some, this MP3 player will provide unusual, but very simple, enjoyment.

With the name of the MP3 player being iCool, one would probably not expect anything more than a cheap iPod knockoff, but the iCool is quite different from its predecessors and its successors in the MP3 player family. It’s all due to its use of a highly advanced piece of technology called “scratch and sniff,” allowing for you to have the amazing ability to claw at your MP3 player to let loose wonderful aromas.

The iCool comes in six “flavors”: chocolate, roses, lemon, strawberry, raspberry and blueberry. Other than the flavors you get to choose from, iCool is by far lackluster in the tech department. When it was first introduced, according to Techdigest, the internal memory was only 256MB with an additional SD card slot to expand the memory.

If you want one of these amazing aromatic devices, which will probably be hard to find, the price at release was $60.29, the unrounded price is due to the fact that this amazing device hails from the Land of the Rising Sun, and seems to sadly have only been sold there.

youm flexible display screen

The next item up on the list was revealed not too long ago by Samsung at the International Consumers Electronics Show. Samsung introduced their new prototype screen that is able to move and bend in any direction known as the Youm flexible-display technology, or just Youm.

Several Youm screens where displayed at CES and attracted a fair amount of interest due to the fact that the demos were twisted in different positions and still able to provide quite a nice picture. One demo involved showing Ice Age 4 while that screen was bent almost in half, but it still gave a splendid picture. According to Geeky Gadgets, even though the screen has its contortionist abilities, the “5.5-inch flexible screen sports a resolution of 1,280 x 720 and a 267 pixel density,” which is the same resolution and similar pixel density to that of the screen on the Samsung Galaxy S3.

This prototype was not intended to have actually been sold by itself, but instead the intent was for it to simply show the possibilities of what it can do. Samsung did provide one demo with the Youm display on a phone-tablet, in which the display curved around one of the sides on the device, creating a very dramatic, but elegant, appearance for the device.

Samsung even went the extra mile to have a paper tablet device made, in which the tablet is literally like having glossy paper to write and draw on.

Even though this screen sounds like it would be amazing to have on many different devices, it’s still only in the prototype stage, so it’s probably going to be a while before anyone actually gets to have one of these devices to play with.

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ENTERTAINMENT Movie Review: “Dark Skies” In your community:

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Runaway Country

image property of The Weinstein Company If you’ve seen any of the numerous suspense/horror “light” films released over the past decade, including “Paranormal Activity,” you’ve seen “Dark Skies.

When the producers’ credits are type-cast, good chances are the film is as well Heather Macy Entertainment Editor “From the producers of ‘Insidious’ and the ‘Paranormal Activity’ series…”

Heralded across all of the movie posters and in every trailer, those ten words tell you all you need to know about the new film “Dark Skies.”

Now, in a perfect world, the producers would have no impact on the actual content of the film.

After all, a producer oversees and delivers the film to the film studio or other financing entity. So, by definition, the producers typically wouldn’t have too much to do with the plot or plot devices, right?

Well… not necessarily. After all, if the producers can say “we sold these films and they did well in the both the box office and DVD sales,” then why shouldn’t they have influence? Now, I’m not saying that’s how things happen, but it’s easy to imagine when their latest film feels like the leftover scraps of their other produced films.

“Dark Skies” is both written and directed by Scott Stewart, who also was responsible for films like “Legion” and “Priest,” two films very different from his latest en-

deavor. In it, a suburban family’s life is turned upside down by an unknown force that progressively escalates from strange to terrifying and ends with an explosive showdown.

As with most modern suspense films, “Dark Skies” does everything in its power to make the audience feel uncomfortable. Sadly, “everything in its power” means “reuse everything that was used in the other comparable films.”

Immediately, the film tries to be unnerving by having things move or disappear in the middle of the night and asks “is it demons? Is it ghosts? Is it aliens?” This would have been slightly more successful if they didn’t answer their own question within the first half hour of the film.

Much like in “Insidious,” there are plenty of house-alarmgoing-kooky moments that leave the family baffled and concerned (while the audience is left wincing at the extended shots of shrill noise), and, in the spirit of the “Paranormal Activities” series, the father eventually sets up surveillance cameras all around the house and finally believes his all of his

wife’s evidence only after he sees a small glimpse of something on the useless cameras.

The only successful element of suspense was the soundtrack, which knew when to play unsettling scores and when to just stay silent.

Suspending disbelief is part of the territory with any film, doubly so when it is in the supernatural, horror, or suspenseful genre. However, “Dark Skies” is a little greedier than the rest of its brethren. There are lapses in both the story and the plot that leave the audience confused and disorientated; good if you’re trying to make the audience feel like they are experiencing what the characters are feeling, bad if you are making the audience feel like the film’s editors chopped up the reel and tossed the pieces into a blender before sending it out to the theater.

In the end, “Dark Skies” feels like another cookie-cutter genre movie churned out to appeal to a certain percentage of the audience that will watch anything as long as it follows the same formula… and even they will be disappointed in this one, earning this movie one paw.

Heather Macy Entertainment Editor Coming to Wickham Park (2500 Parkway Dr., Melbourne) this March, Runaway Country is a fun opportunity to get together with people from all over and enjoy listening to good music across 400 acres of beautiful Florida land.

Staged as a country music festival, Runaway Country will be featuring 16 bands, including Lady Antebellum, Colt Ford, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Craig Morgan. In addition to the music, there will be room available for camping, RVing, BBQing and plenty of vendors to browse.

Runaway Country will take place over the last weekend in March, running from March 22 to March 24.

Tickets range in price depending on if you decide to do enjoy the event over one, two, or three days and if you prefer to be seated in the reserved section, one of the Cabanas, in a “Sky-Box,” or on the stage itself. All detailed information can be located on their website: http://runawaycountry.com/

Just the facts What: Runaway Country music festival Who: Lady Antebellum, Lynryd Skynyrd, and more When: March 22-24 Where: Wickham Park cost: Starting at $69 for one-day general admission, $129 for three-day

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OPINIONS

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Editorial: Star Wars reimagining - new ideas may salvage prequel disaster

image property of lucasfilm Both Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford are rumored to return in the newest series of Star Wars movies.

Christopher Penta Opinions Editor With the apparent death of the last shred of unique ideas and creativity in Hollywood, it has recently been announced that a new Star Wars movie… or entire series of movies, is in the works.

This big news came after the other big news that George Lucas sold the rights to the Star Wars franchise… making DisneyMGM/MGM/Hollywood Studios “Star Tours” ride a bit less confusing.

Let me bookend this discussion with a caveat. I am a BIG Star Wars fan. Not the books, mind you, but the cinematic gold that my father and his friends first lined up to watch in 1977. I love those three movies; some of my most beloved characters, scenes and backdrops emanate from the original trilogy.

About 15 years ago, however, the biggest disappointment of the 1990s since Wayne’s World II forcibly penetrated my corneas and tore a hole in my childhood forever.

The prequels, while a box office hit, disappointed most (if not all) hardcore fans of the series.

By trying to appeal to a wider audience, Lucas dumbed down the franchise to appeal to the younger crowd. This is a phenomenon I have noticed throughout the pre-

quels. Instead of implying things with plot devices, these movies feel the need to explain everything through dialogue exposition.

While dialogue makes a movie easier to follow, it makes me less inclined to do so. I knew who the emperor was at minute three of Phantom Menace when I was nine years old, so the 7 hours were a bit of a drag for me.

So you can imagine my reaction to the news that Disney will be reimagining the franchise, bringing back some old players (Harrison Ford as Han Solo, has been rumored to be on the roster), but with a fundamentally fresh and fluid approach. It was described to me thusly: “Imagine James Bond.”

A new, rebooted film every three to five years.

I was slightly apprehensive about Disney. Disney is the king of making things appeal to a wide audience, while simultaneously introducing a line of toys. But they are also kings of making this approach work, with movies like Toy Story, The Lion King and Wreck-It Ralph entertaining people of all ages. So there is hope.

What could it possibly hurt? The original theatrical release exists on my hard drive, and in my safe in DVD form (in case George Lucas comes prowling). The original cannon will live on.

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OPINIONS Letters to the editor

9 -march 12, 2013

the Florida tech crimson

for the students, by the students

WHAT DOES STUDENT GOVERNMENT DO?

Brian Thai SGA President

Casey Doran SGA Senator

Prior to attending Florida Tech, I have asked people to describe what college is like. Some people say that college is about finding a job. Some people say that college is just a place for parties. Some people would even venture to say that college is a big waste of money.

After reaching and striving for four years, I believe that Florida Tech is more than that. Florida Tech is a transformation; not a transaction. And becoming a member of the Florida Tech Student Government has the potential to be a life changing metamorphosis.

Nearly eight months ago, at the beginning of my presidential term, I stated that, “College is the time to push yourself harder and farther than you ever have in your life. College is a place for you to develop into a person that you want to be.” Vince Lombardi once said that “Leaders aren’t born, they are made.

And they are made just like anything else, through hard work. And that’s the price we’ll have to pay to achieve that goal, or any goal.”

What does it mean to become a member of the Student Government

Association? The Florida Tech Student Government Association is a group of elected and appointed student representatives that meets regularly to discuss matters of concern to students. SGA acts as a liaison between the student body and the faculty, staff, and administration by presenting proposals, programs, resolutions, and activities that reflect the tenor of student’s opinion. SGA is the medium through which students can comment and discuss issues affecting the student body, make recommendations for improving student life and contribute to the greatness of our university.

SGA primarily exists to address student concerns and needs while providing services that enhance overall student life and development. Working closely with administration and our faculty advisor, the Dean of Students, SGA is committed to the representation and advocacy of all students.

That’s the real bottom line. The members of this Student Government are here for the good of all students. We are here to make an impact.

A man once said: “Decisions are made by those who show up.” I hope to see your name on the election ballot this coming April. I want to thank you for your time and I wish you the best of luck.

A writer at Valve software once famously observed that an engineer, at their core, is merely a person seeking to solve practical problems.

While I’d argue that more emphasis needs to be placed on their reliance upon the scientific method, I’ll use this definition as general enough support for my main point: Everybody knows what problems we have, and most of us have an opinion about how to solve them.

Mercifully, the problems facing our university are, compared to a lot of bigger schools, minor. Still, there’s much to be deliberated upon and we need senators to do it.

What does Student Government do?

Not a whole lot that’s immediately visible, but it’s an important organization regardless.

The various committees tackle student complaints and problems across the board, from Quality of Life to Academics.

We also look for places to initiate improvement on our own- for instance, the new feedback forms being rolled out to many lab courses this semester.

We also maintain a lot of ongoing projects that you’re probably familiar with- the bikes up for rental, the free New York Times program, maintaining a presence in the Evans Student Center, among others.

The SGA meetings are also an important part of student life here on this campus- providing both a central venue for announcements and discussion among campus leaders, and a great place to voice your concerns and complaints.

A lot of people take issue with SGA, noting that they perceive it to be an old, stagnant organization. The truth is that we’re as dynamic of an organization as you vote for us to be.

We’ve taken big steps this year to improve our procedures, from using a new attendance system that I shamelessly stole from College Players to creating a new judicial branch to work with the University Disciplinary Committee.

So. If you think there are problems, great! We do, in large quantities. And we also have opportunities to help. A lot of the senate are graduating this year, or moving up to other leadership positions.

We also added five new senate positions to better represent our growing student body. So get out there, represent yourself, represent your friends, and join me (maybe!) next year, on the SGA Senate.

CAPS PSA: Healthy body image and eating behaviors Latasha Nadasdi CAPS

If you think that you may need to lose simply adjusting your lifestyle to make it about healthy eating behaviors and how body weight, you should check with a doctor healthier. If you need encouragement, find image can affect self-esteem. You will gain first. Stop by Holzer Student Health Center a friend to be your accountability buddy. a better understanding of nutrition, exercise, on campus and talk to a professional about You can encourage each other to make good and tips to make both men and women feel Every day we see images of thin, beauti- healthy weight loss! decisions, but be careful not to compare good about themselves! ful women and attractive, muscular men on There are also many great resources on- yourself to your friends. Everyone gains and CAPS is here on campus to offer additelevision, in movies and in magazines. The line to help you with your goals. Although loses weight differently, and the exact same tional support for many personal difficulties problem is that most of the images we see are you should never worry obsessively about weight on one person can look different on faced by college students, including internot only unachievable but often unhealthy. the calories in your food, it is still important someone else! personal relationship struggles, issues with When even fitness and health magazines to know what you put into your body. An Below is a chart to help you identify alcohol or drug abuse, depression and anxiety choose models that are unreasonably skinny online tracker like myfitnesspal.com can unhealthy behaviors and find healthy alter- concerns, and other issues you may be facing. or muscular (and then airbrush them to help you become more knowledgeable about natives!

Counseling services are free and confidential look even more unrealistic), it can leave us what is in the foods you eat to help you make If you are concerned that you or a friend to all enrolled students of Florida Tech. striving for unreachable and dangerously better choices. may be exhibiting some signs of unhealthy Students can call (321) 674-8050 or unhealthy appearances.

It can also track your exercise and water eating or serious body image concerns, you come into the center to make an appointIt has become normal to talk to our friends intake and estimate what you would weigh can go to fit.edu/CAPS and take an anony- ment. The CAPS website (www.fit.edu/ about how our jeans make us look fat, how in five weeks if every day were like that day. mous eating disorder screener and/or contact caps/) also offers screenings for depression, much we lift or how much weight we have This feature can help you make sure you are the center to schedule an appointment. stress, anxiety, and alcohol use, as well as to lose. However, it often reaches a point on track to lose weight at a healthy rate and Want to learn more? Counseling & Psy- additional information regarding resources, where concerns about our body image can will warn you if you are eating too little. chological Services (CAPS) is hosting the services, and groups. You are not alone, and be a serious problem.

Remember that you may not meet your following student event: “I’m Sexy and I CAPS is just one of the many resources at Although it might feel normal to worry goals every day, and that it is okay to make Know It” on Thursday, March 14 at 7 p.m. Florida Tech that is here to help! about how one looks and to work towards mistakes; you are not on a diet, you are in Evans Hall Room 202. Join us to learn achieving an ideal body, it is important to make sure you are being healthy and realistic.

Healthy Becoming too obsessive with your perceived flaws can affect relationships with family Eating healthy, well-portioned meals and friends, interfere with school and can Skipping meals cause serious damage to your physical and Eating a well-balanced combination of food groups sugmental health.

Restrictive eating gested by a doctor or nutritionist Furthermore, studies show that 30 percent of college students suffer from an Maintaining a healthy weight or slow but steady weight loss eating disorder. There are three main types Rapid weight loss when appropriate (one to two pounds a week) of unhealthy eating behaviors: restrictive eating, purging and binging, and each of Exercising a few times a week to stay active and healthy or any combination of these behaviors can Exercising to burn all the calories you ate be very dangerous. Purging is vomiting, Enjoying your food and being proud of your food choices over-exercising or using laxatives to lose or Feeling guilty about eating maintain weight.

Eating slowly until you feel full Binging is a period of time where one Eating excessive amounts of food quickly, or eating feels out of control and eats excessive because you are bored amounts of food. Restrictive eating is refusAllowing your body to absorb the nutrients that it needs from ing to eat certain foods (i.e. carbohydrates), Purging your food through natural digestion eating only certain foods (a “vegetable and fruit only” diet) or only allowing yourself Weighing yourself a few times a month to stay aware of how to eat an unhealthily low amount of calories Weighing yourself daily your eating and exercising are affecting your body a day.

For the most part, all diets fall under the Noticing yourself through your friends and family, and category of restrictive eating and are largely Constantly looking in the mirror and complaining acknowledging the positive things about your body instead of unhealthy. Even though dozens of diets ex- about your body the negative ist that “guarantee to help you lose weight,” most of them are ineffective, and even if Doing the things you enjoy people can lose weight on them, they gain Limiting your involvement in various activities due it back later. to concerns about your appearance The only healthy way to lose or maintain Notice how your clothes fit. Muscle weighs more than fat! weight is by developing a realistic, healthy Relying on the scale to judge your body lifestyle. If you feel you need a “cheat day” Everyone’s body is different, focus on your own progress or are counting down the days until the diet Comparing yourself to others is over, it most likely will not work and is not good for you! If you want to lose weight Taking vitamins to stay healthy and maintaining a healthy or are worried about maintaining your Using laxatives or weight loss pills to control your weight naturally through good eating habits and exercise weight, you should 1) exercise regularly, 2) weight eat healthy, well-portioned meals that you Choosing a healthy lifestyle (NOT short term diet) by eating enjoy and 3) drink at least eight glasses of Fasting or doing “cleanses” and crash diets well balanced, well-portioned meals water a day.

Unhealthy

the Florida tech crimson

SPORTS march 12, 2013

Running back Jarvis Giles joins the Florida Tech roster after school switches

image property of gamecockcentral.com Jarvis Giles in his South Carolina jersey before the switch to the University of South Florida and then Florida Tech.

David Barkholz Sports Editor When the NCAA first saw Jarvis Giles, he was racking up yards as a true-freshman in the SEC. The next time it will see him, it will be as a man grateful for the opportunity to play football for a division II start-up team.

Unlike so many other studentathletes before him, Giles’ fall from college football’s center stage was not because of character issues or

a violation of team rules. It was because in 2011, the running back, whose limits seemed as endless as the field in front of him, chose family over the sport he loved.

In high school, Giles electrified scouts with his one-cut, slashing running style that sliced through opposing defenses. The young phenom was ranked the number three all-purpose running back in the country by Rivals. com after stellar junior and senior seasons. With a significant amount

of national attention buzzing around him, Giles turned his sights to the collegiate level.

“I was highly recruited when I was coming out,” Giles said. “I could have went to any school.”

But it was the old ball coach, Steve Spurrier, who was able to convince Giles into enrolling at the University of South Carolina.

Giles played as a backup in his true freshman season at South Carolina, compiling 277 yards on 52 attempts. His best game came

Panthers’ season comes to end at SSC quarterfinal

against Florida Atlantic University where he rushed for 113 yards and a touchdown on only 11 attempts.

Entering his sophomore year, a more experienced Giles expected to see a larger role in Spurrier’s offense, but a coaching change within his position dampened things for the Tampa native.

“Coach (Spurrier) told me to stay and things would keep going as planned, but things didn’t go as planned,” Giles said.

No longer fitting into the school’s running style, Giles fell even further down the depth chart behind the team’s new group of running backs.

“I knew it was time for me to get up out of there.” Giles said.

With Spurrier’s blessing, Giles transferred to Louisville with the hopes of a fresh start. He was, instead, met with the death of his grandmother and the birth of a son.

“It changed me. My grandma was the one who raised me,” Giles said. “I had to grow up fast and accept things how they were.”

Nearly 800 miles away from home, Giles had a decision to make. He could ether continue his promising career, or go home and be with his family. Giles left Louisville before ever even playing a down for the team.

“It was mandatory at the time that you had to stay up there, but I couldn’t,” Giles said. “So I came home.”

Giles returned to his family in Tampa with the hopes of enrolling at the University of South Florida and joining their football team.

However due to a Big East transfer

rule that prohibits student-athletes from swapping teams in the offseason, Giles was unable to play.

“I started at USF just for school and handled my family situations,” Giles said. “Football won’t be there forever. That was my attitude.”

Unwilling to accept defeat, Giles continued to train in his absence from football, keeping in shape while he waited for an opportunity to play once again.

When Steve Englehart, Florida Tech head football coach, heard Giles’ story, he knew the running back deserved another chance.

“He came over and we talked for a couple hours in my office,” Englehart said. “We got the whole story of his background and realized he was a good young man that was just craving another chance to play football.”

Giles will not be a part of the Florida Tech roster until the fall, but the coaching staff is counting down the days until they get to play with their new talent out on the field.

“There’s no doubt about it, he’s a tremendous athlete,” said Jayson Martin, the team’s offensive coordinator. “He has the potential to be the best running back in Division II.” Giles says he just wants to prove himself.

“This is my opportunity to show the world who I really am,” Giles said. “I never got the chance at South Carolina to show my expertise, to show who Jarvis Giles is, to represent how I love the game of football and to show how I play football.”

Upcoming Florida Tech Home Games Tuesday, March 12 Men’s Lacrosse vs. Molloy 7 p.m. at Home Wednesday, March 13 Women’s Tennis vs. Bentley 1 p.m. at Fee Avenue Men’s Tennis vs. Bentley 1 p.m. at Fee Avenue Softball vs. Palm Beach Atlantic 2 p.m. at Home Baseball vs. Florida Memorial 6 p.m. at Home

photo property of jim hogue/florida tech athletics Kayk Wilson (above) led Florida Tech with 12 points

Press Release Florida Tech Athletics Florida Tech struggled out of the gate against Rollins in the Sunshine State Conference quarterfinal round.

The Panthers found themselves down 14 points at the half and were not able to recover in the second half to fall to the Tars by a score of 79-53 on Thursday at the Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee.

“We haven’t had any intensity in three weeks,” head coach John Reynolds said. “It looked like we were just going through the motions today on the court, and we didn’t challenge any of their shooters.”

Rollins (19-8) jumped out to an 11-1 lead over the first six minutes of the contest before Florida Tech (16-11) recorded its first field goal.

The Tars increased their lead to 24-9 by the second media timeout with 8:08 remaining in the first half.

Redshirt freshman Peggy Smith scored the Panthers’ first 3-point bucket with 3:57 remaining in the half to cut the deficit to 26-14, but Rollins responded with 9-2 run to extend its lead to 19 points.

Junior Ida Gustafsson drained a triple from the top of the key with less than a minute remaining to send the Panthers into halftime down 35-21.

Rollins’ lead extended to 20 points just four minutes into the second half and it was able to keep that cushion the rest of the way.

The Tars took their largest lead of 28 points with 2:15 remaining on the clock before earning their 79-53 quarterfinal round victory.

FIT is now 26-21 all-time at

the SSC Championship under Coach Reynolds with a 4-8 record against Rollins.

FIT finishes the season with a 16-11 overall record

Friday, March 15 Baseball vs. Florida Memorial 6 p.m. at Home