MINARET UNIVERSITY OF TAMPA’S NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1933
THE Vo l u m e
81
Number
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Torrie Winsett New SG Vice President
See NEWS Page 4
Red Bull Hosts Play & Destroy DJ Event See A&E Page 9
Barrymore Shuttle PickUp Moved to Back of Hotel See OPINION Page 15
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October
16,
2014
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See SPORTS Page 18
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theminaretonline.com
Ebola: An exploration of the global epidemic
Cooper Neill/The New York Times
Center for Disease Control and Prevention has stepped up precautions with latest Ebola cases causing more concern with American public.
By KATHERINE LAVACCA News and Feature Editor
Women’s Soccer Continues Strong Pace Through SSC
ut.minaret@gmail.com
“I’m sick and tired of hearing Ebola jokes in class. I’ve not been directly affected nor has my birth country but I do know people who are directly or indirectly being affected by the outbreak,” said Leila Rugambarara a sophomore communications major from Burundi, Africa. “Stop listening to what CNN tells you and actually do the research, it doesn’t take that long.” Back in August, the directorgeneral of the World Health
Organization (WHO), classified the Ebola virus a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern.” Yet according to a Google Trends chart, the public did not start paying attention to the Ebola virus until media coverage drastically peaked on Oct. 2, when it was discovered that Thomas Duncan had the virus and was released from a hospital in Dallas, Texas. Duncan checked into the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital and after being readmitted was diagnosed, and died several days later. There have been more cases developing throughout the country
that have drawn attention to this incredibly dangerous disease. While the talking heads scrambled to blame the left, the right and anyone in-between there’s been a lot of unanswered questions floating around: Where does it come from? How do you get it? Is there a cure? What is it? The Ebola virus originated in Africa, is a type of Filovirus and is a highly contagious infection. The virus causes fever, respiratory issues, bleeding, and sometimes problems with the central nervous system that To EBOLA Page 4
Cleanliness of Laundry Facilities Examined By OLIVIA REEB Opinion Writer
The laundry rooms at this school are full of dust, hairballs, puddles, dirty footprints and piles of uncollected clothes sitting on top of the many tables and laundry machines. There are few things worse than dropping clean clothes onto the floor during the transfer from the washer to the dryer. The price UT students pay for housing should encompass the cleanliness and proper working order of the laundry rooms. The conditions of the laundry rooms are well below average. There are some issues that need to be addressed by maintenance such as dust, puddles, dirt and faulty machines. But some issues, like the wet clothes sitting on top of machines and on dividers, are entirely up to the student body to
address. Students need to work together in order to solve this issue. So people with laundry in the washer need to move their clothes to the dryer as soon as they’re finished. People waiting to do laundry need to put their laundry in a different washer, perform a random act of kindness and load the laundry into a dryer. There are always available washers early in the morning and late at night, it would behoove students to capitalize on these less crowded periods. Any student that does their own laundry knows that it costs $1 to wash and $0.85 to dry. On its own that doesn’t seem like an unreasonable price, but they add up quickly. The total cost of three loads of sorted laundry, whites, darks and colors, will cost you $5.55 to wash and dry. There’s also the issue that every once in a while you’ll end up with that dryer that doesn’t say it’s broken, but will eat your money and not
$9,624
average amount spent to live in residence halls cooperate. Before you know it, it’s time to refill your laundry card. The locations of the laundry card refilling machines are an issue too. Laundry cards can be refilled at the MacDonald-Kelce Library, Morsani Hall Food Court, Vaughn Center Lobby, Barrymore Hotel Lobby, or the West Kennedy laundry room. It would be a lot more convenient to keep the laundry card refill stations
in all of the laundry rooms as it is in West Kennedy. One of the most unfortunate things that can happen while doing laundry is to put your clothes into the washer, soap in the dispenser and your laundry card in the slot, only to have the machine tell you that you don’t have enough of a balance to do your laundry. To LAUNDRY Page 11
M
OCTOBER 16 2014 | THE MINARET
MINARET
2
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Mia Glatter
mia.glatter@theminaretonline.com
MANAGING EDITOR Lauren Richey
lauren.richey@theminaretonline.com
ART DIRECTOR
Justine Parks justine.parks@theminaretonline.com
NEWS + FEATURES
Katherine Lavacca, Editor
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Zoe Fowler, Asst. Editor
zoe.fowler@theminaretonline.com
ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT Jackie Braje, Editor
jacquelyn.braje@theminaretonline.com
Selene San Felice, Asst. Editor
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OPINION
Richard Whitaker, Editor
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NEWS + FEATURES
SlutWalk Initiates Social Discussion By Jesse Long News Writer
Five-hundred women are sexually assaulted every day and one in five of these women are assaulted while in college, according to YWCA of Walla Walla. Diversity Fellowship, a UT organization, focuses on the appreciation and celebration of diverse backgrounds on campus and in the community. In order to raise awareness about sexual assault on college campuses, the organization is hosting an event called the Slut Walk. This event is scheduled to take place Oct. 15 at 4 p.m. in the Vaughn Courtyard. Students who are participating in the walk are asked to dress up as a “slut.” Many women wear revealing clothing that is often deemed inappropriate by society and create signs that read, “Still not asking for it,” “My clothes are not my consent,” and “No Means No.” “The message we are trying to send is that women should not be a target for rape simply because of their clothing or how they present themselves,” said Taylor Jackson,
a junior and current President of Diversity Fellowship. The walk’s purpose is to address rape culture. Instead of teaching women how to avoid dangerous situations that could lead to sexual assault, the Slut Walk tries to enlighten our society on a victim’s choice of clothing does not make them responsible for rape. The walk also strives to educate men on how to treat women as equals and not objects to control. According to YWCA of Walla Walla, men without rape education are 70 percent more likely to commit a sexual crime. “This event is especially important to Diversity Fellowship because we want to bring awareness to issues that are important to students. Our main goal is education,” Jackson said. The Slut Walk is an international event that originated in Toronto, Ontario. During February of 2011 citizens in Toronto became enraged with the constant “victim-blaming” occurring. As a result, the Slut Walk was formed to discredit myths and stereotypes by providing accurate education about sexual assault. The
first Slut Walk brought together thousands of people from a variety of backgrounds to fight for this common cause, according to the SlutWalk Toronto website. Soon after the original walk ideas began to spread, resulting in Slut Walks all over the world. Although UT has hosted a Slut Walk in the past it has been several years since the last one occurred on campus. Diversity Fellowship hopes by bringing this cause on campus more students will become aware of this issue and take action. Everyone is encouraged to attend the event and participate; no signup is required. Anyone can come out to spread awareness and support the cause. “The Slut Walk is an amazing program being put on here at UT. It opens the eyes for everyone who doesn’t understand the ramifications that comes with sexual assault,” said Deepali Puri, sophomore and exercise physiology major. “That is why I will be participating in the Slut Walk.” Jesse Long can be reached at jesse. long@spartans.ut.edu
Avery Twible, Asst. Editor
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SPORTS
Phil Novotny, Editor
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MULTIMEDIA
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PHOTOGRAPHY Casey Budd, Editor
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ADVISER
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commons.wikimedia.org Protesters in New York raise their voice on sexual assault, victim blaming, slut shaming and the patriarchy. Some are rape survivors and hold signs to tell their stories.
caitlin.malone@theminaretonline.com
STAFF WRITERS Kai Miller Madison Irwin Dominick Falco Sammi Brennan
COLUMNISTS Marcus Mitchell Griffin Guinta Terry Preston Liz Rockett
MORE INFORMATION THE MINARET is a weekly student-run publication at the University of Tampa. Letters to the Editor may be sent to editor@ theminaretonline.com. To reach THE MINARET call 813.257.3636. Your first two copies of THE MINARET are free. Each additional copy is $1.00
radio-schizo.deviantart.com commons.wikimedia.org SlutWalk protesters marched in New York. They protested against rape culture. They protest against rape culture in the streets of New York dressed provocatively.
THE MINARET | OCTOBER 16 2014
NEWS + FEATURES
3
Hong Kong Protesters Call for Democracy
By IRENE SIDEDE News Writer
The streets of Hong Kong have been flooded with protesters in recent weeks as citizens of the country fight for democracy. The protest began on Sept. 26 and the major objective of the demonstrations was to retaliate against new measures proposed by China’s authorities that would limit which individual can be voted on in the 2017 elections. “The main issue in Hong Kong is about self determination and theoretically in 2017 they are supposed to get their right to select their own Chief Executive who is running the show in Hong Kong and right now Hong Kong is governed separately from the rest of mainland China,” said Assistant Professor of English, Daniel Dooghan. “However, the trick is the people of Hong Kong will not just be able to vote for just anyone for Chief executive, so there are no primaries. They will be able to select from a slate of candidates preapproved by Beijing,”Dooghan said. The pro-democratic group said the government was failing to protect protesters and are opposed to the
Adam Ferguson/The New York Times Pro-Democratic student protesters link arms in Hong Kong as a symbol of unity while facing citizens who had recently destroyed their tents and and camps.
China’s proposal to veto election candidates. A week after the protests began, the conflict was beyond the control of Hong Kong leaders, according to The New York Times. After the protesters called Chief Executive Leung Chung-ying’s resignation. Leung offered peace talks to defuse the situation. This only angered people more because of the disruption and tried to dismantle tents and barricades. BBC reported that secretary general of the Hong Kong Federation of Students together with one of the leaders of the prodemocracy group, Alex Chow Yong Kang, warned that if the government tried to evacuate the protesters using any means of force then the talks would be postponed. Hong Kong’s top leader, Leung, set a deadline for Oct. 6 in order for the demonstrators to disperse so government employees could go back to work at offices and also so classes could resume at schools. Though the government attempted to halt the demonstrations, the prodemocracy activists in Hong Kong ignored the deadline given by the government. Fortunately, there were no
apparent signs of an impending police action leading to peaceful protests. “The protests is in its third week and it has been very very peaceful, but the fear is that China will not tolerate this kind of decent forever and it unclear what’s going to be done. So were not seeing any sort of major crack down,” said Dooghan. Sui Hong Li a student from Hong Kong is hopeful that an agreement can be reached between the Chinese government and Hong Kong’s local leaders. “The government should give the protesters what they want, but a lot of the Hong Kong government’s power is still held by mainland China, so the Hong Kong government’s power is limited. I hope Hong Kong can become a democracy, and I believe it will happen sooner than expected because of how hard the people of Hong Kong are fighting for their rights,” said Sui Hong Li, a sophomore advertising and public relations major. “I would like Hong Kong to have democracy and not what China suggested in giving us a pool of people for the people of Hong Kong to vote on, that’s not democracy,” said Li. Kung Fu movie star Jackie Chan,
posted on Weibo, a Chinese version of Twitter, parroting the rhetoric of some of the protesters’ critics in Beijing and Hong Kong, urging them to “rationality” while insisting the protests were causing dangerous harm to the city’s economy, according to The Washington Post. An article on The Times explained, At the midst of protests occurring in Hong Kong, Leung also faces swelling allegations of financial indecency. After it emerged that he had received undeclared payments from an Australian company during his time in office. Leung reportedly received more than $6 million in relation to an agreement struck between property-services firm DTZ. “There already is limited democracy in Hong Kong, but the issue is perhaps less about democracy and more about self determination,” Dooghan said. “You’d have to answer the question at large of will there ever be democracy in China and because Hong Kong is a jewel in China’s crown, so if people of Hong Kong are asking for democracy it’s not necessarily going to go through.” Irene Sidede can be reached at irene. sidede@spartans.ut.edu
INFORMATION
POLICE BEAT
Reports compiled by Zoe Fowler
You’re Gonna Have a Bad Time On October 8, an intoxicated, underage student was observed urinating in a public area and was found to be in possession of a fraudulent driver’s license. Bready Theft On October 8, student reports observed another student take two sandwiches without paying. Cheaper Than Buying a New One On October 8, a student reported a missing iPhone.
Banksy Wannabe On October 10, graffiti was observed on a barrier brick wall in Plant Hall. NOT COOL On October 12, two university students were reported knocking on a residence hall room door and misrepresenting themselves as RAs. Dangerous Moped on the Loose On October 12, a student was observed riding his moped on a sidewalk on campus property causing a danger to pedestrians.
Police Graphic by Guerra Quintanilla, Spartan Graphic by Orun Bhuiyan
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
Homecoming Week Thursday night is casino night for Homecoming Week. Maleficent will be shown in the courtyard on Friday at 8 p.m.
LGBTQ Spirit Day Thursday, Oct. 16 is LGBTQ Spirit Day. Wear purple to support.
The Minaret’s Coral Skies Giveaway The Minaret is holding a bracketstyle inflatable jousting tournament in Vaughn Courtyard this Saterday at 5 p.m. The winner will recieve tickets to the Coral Skies Music Festival.
Homecoming Court Vote for your UT Homecoming King and Queen through Orgsync.
4 OCTOBER 16 2014 | THE MINARET
NEWS + FEATURES
Torrie Winsett New SG Vice President By KHADIJAH KHAN Head Copy Editor
With Jacqueline French stepping down, Torrie Winsett stepped up for the transition into being the new Vice President of Student Government. Winsett, senior and communication major, officially became the Vice President of Student Government on Sept. 26 at midnight. Former VP Jacqueline French stepped down due to her decision to graduate early. Winsett has held many leadership roles on campus through athletic marketing and has been an active participant in student government. She feels that she will bring a new perspective to Student Government and help benefit the UT community. “The transition into the office has been great. Kristin and the previous Vice President have taught me everything I need to know. Everyone on the executive team has been very helpful with making sure I understand everything,” said Winsett about transitioning in as the new Student Government Vice President. Michael Magnotto, senior and Student Government Treasurer, thinks that Winsett shows great promise, although starting a bit later, will create better connections with the students and their governing body. “I was initially hesitant when approached with the whole situation. Given this is uncharted waters for SG,
I wanted to make the transition of VPs seamless,” Magnotto said. “I have known about Torrie’s involvement on campus and was excited to see what she could do as VP. Only a week in, she had exceeded my expectations. Her outgoing personality allowed for a fun transition of VPs and her work ethic backs it up ten fold.” Winsett was the original running mate with Kristin Anderson, our current Student Government President and has plans for what she wants to change at UT. “I know one thing Kristin and I have discussed is the school spirit is lacking,” Winsett said. “We have been trying to think of ways to bring the different student organizations together and one thing we have been doing is working with the Athletic Marketing president, Haylee Yeatman to promote the games.” Anderson has big plans for the future of the university and getting the student body more involved as the years continue. “I am very excited about the future of SG, we are both planning on creating an accountability report this year and http://progressivepolitics.net/ a strategic plan for the next 5 years to Students gather to discuss a recent decision denying birth control in corporate settings. maintain a solid track of improvement for SG,” Anderson said. “Torrie is for the organization and our officer improve the view students have on our wonderful and working with her has expectations for this year.” governing body as well as improving been nothing short of a blessing. I Although we are six weeks into the students’ experience at UT. have high hopes for the rest of the school year, Winsett does not feel like I found it better that I take my year and though my time with Jackie she’s out of place or unprepared. She leadership skills internally and assume was short, we set a strong foundation is ready to make a change and help the role of VP of Student Government.
Media saturation causes widespread Ebola misconceptions EBOLA from page 1 can result in a coma. “The virus is only spread via direct contact of bodily fluids to open wounds or mucous membranes. The average population should not be affected with proper precautions,” said Cathy Kessenich, the Director of Nursing at UT. “Known infected patients need to identify everyone they have been in contact with so that they can be isolated and tested. West Africa does not have the resources to do this, but in the U.S. that is how we can contain the virus.” If you didn’t have any direct contact with Duncan or anyone else who has contracted the disease you don’t have a high chance of contracting the virus. There are countless scientists, researchers and universities racing to find a suitable cure for the filovirus, but as of today there are only experimental treatments that haven’t been fully tested. A person can recover from the Ebola virus with IV fluids, electrolytes, and round the clock observation, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “A filovirus is a very sophisticated type of virus that leads to high fevers and severe bleeding in primates. Viruses mutate over time, which makes it very difficult to develop vaccines and treatments. Also, new drug development is very costly and time consuming,” said Kessenich. The CDC ranks filoviruses as a level four biosafety hazard, which is the highest category it can be ranked.
Instead of wearing protective goggles and gloves researchers and lab technicians suit up in full biohazard gear when dealing with level four hazards. The virus has only been documented once in the United States since it was discovered, according to an update published on October 8 on the CDC website. Where Does It Come From? “The total number of confirmed, probable, and suspected cases in the West African epidemic of Ebola virus disease (EVD) reported up to the end of 5 October 2014 is 8033 with 3865 deaths. Countries affected are Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and the United States of America,” stated the situation report
already been proven to be false as Duncan died. As of October 8 the CDC and the Department of Homeland Security have released a statement that, “This week will begin new layers of entry screening at five U.S. airports that receive over 94 percent of travelers from the Ebolaaffected nations of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.” “The US is making it a big deal to keep everyone safe and I understand that but the government should have thought about that before they brought the doctors back, said Rugambarara. “It’s a good idea to set up quarantines to keep it from spreading but also the government needs to know they need to go the
“The virus is only spread via direct contact of bodily fluids to open wounds or mucous membranes. The average population should not be affected with proper precautions.” published by WHO on Oct. 8. President Obama held a press conference on Sept. 16 about Ebola stating,“Our experts, here at the CDC and across our government, agree that the chances of an Ebola outbreak here in the United States are extremely low. In the unlikely event that someone with Ebola does reach our shores, we’ve taken new measures so that we’re prepared here at home.” President Obama’s claim has
extra step to keep the doctors dealing with the patients just as safe, if not safer.” Danielle Drouin, junior nursing major, is concerned that the government isn’t doing enough to keep people safe. “I’d definitely say that we could be handling this much better. The patient in Dallas was originally discharged before being hospitalized again and diagnosed with Ebola,
which was wrong because not only could he have potentially spread it, this made him lose precious time that he could’ve used to recover,” said Drouin. “And now, one of the nurses who took care of him has contracted it. It’s scary to think about, especially as a nursing student, because there’s no guarantee that it hasn’t been passed onto someone else already, like a sick patient.” The current outbreak “is the largest and most complex Ebola outbreak since the Ebola virus was first discovered in 1976, there have been more cases and deaths in this outbreak than all others combined,” states the WHO website. “I think the country needs to shut off flights to and from West Africa and our healthcare workings need to do their best to contain it and be diligent with screening and assessing patients for it,” said Drouin. The virus might not be knocking on your front door, but if we want to stop the virus from spreading, people need to educate themselves and step up. For people who want to help combat the virus but don’t have the working knowledge of a biology lab, the UN has set up a fund for ebola research and treatment. Donations will help provide “technical assistance, funding, supplies, and personnel” to countries in Africa where aid is desperately needed. If you’d like the help the cause visit, http://www.unfoundation.org or text ‘Ebola’ to 27722 to give $10. Katherine Lavacca can be reached at the katherine.lavacca@ theminaretonline.com
NEWS + FEATURES
THE MINARET | OCTOBER 16 2014
Scott Running For Governor Re-election By KRISTA BYRD News Writer
Issue
Position Solution/Proposal
The gubernatorial election is quickly approaching, and voters will take to the polls in less than one month to decide the next governor of Florida. Rick Scott, the republican candidate and current Florida governor, has come under fire recently for allegedly failing to report over $200 million in personal assets to the state of Florida, according to a complaint filed by the democratic attorney general candidate George Sheldon. Scott has also been facing backlash after one of his commercials, depicting women dress shopping and talking about the candidates, aired to the dismay of many women’s rights groups. With all of the negative media scrutiny, Scott’s platforms and issues have become buried beneath mudslinging commercials and allegations. “I see the commercials from time to time and they are very slanderous and comical. I like the punches that Rick Scott has gotten,” said Drew Motschwiller a senior and finance major. “You’ve got to take them with a grain of salt though. It’ll give you a little insight from the surface, but you’ve gotta do your research.” Scott is the forty-fifth governor of Florida. He served in the US Navy for 29 months beginning in 1970, and is a graduate of the University of Missouri- Kansas City, with a law degree from Southern Methodist University, according to his website RickScottforFlorida.com. In 2001, Scott
Gay Marriage
No definite stance.
Taxes
Against
Wants to cut taxes.
Medical Marijuana
Against
Doesn’t plan on voting in favor of it in November.
Healthcare Against Transportation Against
Opposed medical expansion in Fla.
Homeless Against
In past, cut $12 million from Homeless Veterans from Homeless Veterans in 2011.
Rejected President Obama’s Tampa to Orlando high-speed rail project.
co-founded the Solantic Corporation, a chain of medical centers, where he ran a network of urgent care centers. He also was the head of the Columbia Hospital Corporation and from 1997 to 2001 owned a controlling share in the media company America’s Health Network (now called Discovery Health). Scott was elected Florida Governor in 2010 with running mate and former Lieutenant Governor, Jennifer Carrol. One of Scott’s major platforms is the creation of jobs in the private sector. “Governor Scott has added more than 600,000 jobs and cut taxes by billions over a period of more than 40 tax cuts. He entered a terrible work climate with high debt from Governor Crist and cut unemployment by about half,” said Matthew Hartford a junior criminology major UT diplomat. While his major platform is job creation, during his term the state has lost over 25,400 government jobs but has increased jobs in the private sector, according to Politifact.com. T:10” Scott is also focused on the improvement of tuition and public
education during his campaign. “He cares about college students and making the best work environment for us when we graduate,” Hartford said. “He has increased funding for public safety and lowered tuition costs every year for Florida students.” During his term, Scott has decreased per-pupil spending and lowered funding for Florida universities, causing an increase in tuition for students, according to Politifact.com Unlike Adrian Wyllie, Scott supports “Common Core,” which sets a new standard of rules for children’s education across the country to make learning the same no matter where you live in America. Scott also advocates higher funding for veterans affairs and increasing benefits for teachers. Some students say that Scott has had his chance to improve things in Florida and his time is up. “I am thinking we need a change… I am not sure who, I just don’t want to vote for the existing [candidate],” said Vivian Gonzales, senior and business
5
management major. “He is a down to earth man who wants to ‘keep working’ to make Florida the best state to live in. He is a veteran who wants to keep serving his country,” Hartford said. “Governor Crist has been a Republican, Independent, and now is a Democrat. He just is a politician who wants to win, not help Florida.” Professor Mary Anderson, an associate professor of government and world affairs at UT, urges students to get involved in government, especially local government. She explained that the governor is the executive of the state and has power to drive the legislative agenda of the state forward. She also urges students to become informed and get out to vote. “State politics are very important. The most relevant laws that impact our day to day activities are made at the state level of government,” Anderson said. The televised debates between Charlie Crist and Rick Scott will be occurring soon, with the largest debate taking place on Oct. 21 on CNN. Students who are legal residents of Florida can register to vote. Voting takes place on Nov. 3, and voting locations vary by address. To find out where you can vote, visit registration.elections.myflorida.com/ CheckVoterStatus. For more information on registering to vote or the candidates, visit RocktheVote.com. “They [students] should vote in the governor race even if they are not from Florida because they spend four of the most important years of their life in the state getting their education. Especially if they are a freshman this year the governor about to be elected or reelected, could affect their life in Florida for the next four years,” Hartford said. Krista Byrd can be reached at krista. byrd@spartans.ut.edu
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PER PERSON WITH ONLINE ADVANCE PURCHASE
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Warning: This year’s event contains intense adult content such as violence, gore & blood. Valid for four or more admissions on Thursdays only (October 2 and 9 at $35, October 16, 23 and 30 at $45). Thursday 4-Pack walk-up admission price is $50. Howl-O-Scream is a separately ticketed night event. Savings based on advance purchase. Prices per person, plus tax. Some restrictions apply. Event dates and times are subject to change or cancellation without notice. Parking is not included. No costumes allowed. © 2014 SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, Inc. All rights reserved.
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6 OCTOBER 16 2014 | THE MINARET
DIVERSIONS
ON CAMPUS OCTOBER 16
Nadine Smith Speaks Equality
The CEO and co-founder of Equality Florida Tampa will speak about her experiences in leading a fight for human rights in Sykes Chapel from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
OCTOBER 16
Homecoming Casino Night
Enjoy music, free food, and gamble away fake money with a chance to win real prizes at 8 p.m. in Vaughn Lobby.
OCTOBER 17
Swimming vs. Florida Southern
Support your fellow Spartans at the Martinez Athletic Center in a meet against Florida Southern at the UT pool from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. OCTOBER 18
Homecoming Parade and Tailgate
Student orgs will parade around campus leading to the tailgate for the men’s soccer game from 3:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
OFF CAMPUS OCTOBER 18
Women’s Soccer vs. Nova Southeastern
Support the Lady Spartans in Pepin Stadium from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Admissions are $5 and free with a UT ID.
OCTOBER 16
OCTOBER 11
This week features music by Betty Fox followed by a screening of Grease in the North Straub Park at 6:00 p.m. Admission is free.
Join the Tampa Museum of Art’s opening day of the Impressionist exhibit to see pieces by Monet, Renoir, and the works. Tickets are $5 with a student ID.
Music & Movies in the Park
Impressionist Exhibition
OCTOBER 16
OCTOBER 22
Former Oakland Raiders cheerleader and comedian Anjelah Johnson, otherwise known for her character Bon Qui Qui, will perform at the Straz Center at 7:00 p.m. Tickets range from $35 to $45.
Hosted at Sweet Chocolate Pi every Monday at 5p.m. audio books of great literary works are played while new dessert items and complimentary beverages are served. A sweet deal!
Books on Cake
OCTOBER 18
Anjelah Johnson
Check out an exciting improv show in the style of “Whose Line is it Anyway?” Presented by UT’s very own comedy troupe “Gluten-Free Improv.” The event takes place in Reeves Theater at 7:30 p.m.
OCTOBER 17
OCTOBER 22
Watch animals have their own Halloween party at the Lowry Park Zoo while smashing, chomping and stomping on pumpkins. The event begins at 11:00 a.m. and is included with regular park admissions.
Learn how to paint “Happy Fish” for only $30 at the Wandering Eye art studio in Ybor.
Gluten Free Improv Show
OCTOBER 19
PNC Concert Series
Featuring organist Haig Mardirosian performing the works of Mendelssohn, Emma Lou Diemer, Alexandre Guilmant, Mozart and Edvard Grieg in Sykes Chapel. OCTOBER 22
Tea Time with Executives
Meet, talk, and learn from elite entrepreneurs in a small-group setting at 3:00 p.m. Contact Conor Green for more information at Conor.green@spartans. ut.edu.
Pumpkin Toss
OCTOBER 20
Justin Hayward
Bluesy singer/songwriter Justin Hayward is on tour with his latest album Spirits of the Western Sky and will perform in Downtown Clearwater.
Wandering Eye Paint Class
OCTOBER 15
Clearwater Jazz Holiday
Join the 35th annual four-day festival with various Jazz artists on the waterfront Coachman Park. Headliners include Edward Sharp and the Magnestic Zeros, Earth, Wind and Fire, and more. Prices start at $15.
PICTURE of theWEEK
Photo by Kai Miller
Ricky Hart from Alpha Phi Alpha stomped it out in a friendly battle of UT fraternities and sororities at School Daze last Tuesday, Oct. 7, in Reeves Theater.
THE MINARET | OCTOBER 16 2014
ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
7
Best New Beats
Photo by Selene San Felice
SBTRKT (above) and Childish Gambino started off the month of October with exceptional music releases. Wonder Where We Land and STN MTN/KAUAI are both available online for download.
Childish Gambino pays tribute to Hawaii and Atlanta with STN MTN/KAUAI By SELENE SAN FELICE
Arts + Entertainment Assistant Editor
The past month has been an exciting time for Donald Glover/ Childish Gambino fans. After announcing an upcoming EP with Chance the Rapper, Glover did several lengthy interviews and dropped hot freestyles for shows like Power 105.1 and Peter Rosenburg on Hot 97. On the morning of Thursday, Oct. 2 Gambino surprised fans by simply tweeting a link to his newest blog post, which would contain his newest mixtape. STN MTN/KAUAI is a two part mixtape with STN MTN being a dream in which Gambino has his own Gangsta Grillz mixtape. With the help of DJ Drama Gambino raps over classic Atlanta beats and samples, paying homage to his hometown. In the KAUAI side of the tape Gambino wakes up from his dream in Hawaii and takes on the persona of his character, The Boy, previously seen in his last album Because the Internet. KAUAI is less of the hard rap and intense beats heard on STN MTN and more soulful melodies with beachy sounds. Jaden Smith also has a notable verse in the track “Late Night in Kauai,” in which he voices The Boy. While the last track of the tape may seem a bit empty, the “3005 Beach Picnic Version” is actually
another part of Glover’s elaborate project. The track is meant to be spliced with a recently found “secret track” which had been hidden for almost a year inside the coding of Glover’s Because the Internet screenplay. Reddit user Peepsie112 found the track inside of the coding of the original “3005” song embedded in the screenplay and Donald Glover himself tweeted confirmation of the find. The combined tracks are available on soundcloud.
Must Listen: 1. “U Don’t Have To Call” 2. “Move That Dope / Nextel Chirp” 3. “Money Baby” 4. “Sober”
In an interview with Power 105.1 Glover mentioned that the proceeds from the STN MTN/KAUAI concept album will go towards changing policies for police officers to start wearing video and audio equipment and keeping the island of Kauai clean. On the website stonemounta. in both sides are available for free streaming. STN MTN is available for download on the site and KAUAI is available for purchase on Itunes as well as Spotify and Google Play. Selene San Felice can be reached at Selene.Sanfelice@ theminaretonline.com.
SBTRKT releases sophomore album Wonder Where We Land By JACKIE BRAJE
Arts + Entertainment Editor
Wonder Where We Land, released Oct. 7, is a two-disc, 21-track monster of silvery electro abstraction. British electronic artist SBTRKT collaborated with several big indie bills on his second full-length album while swiftly dodging the dreaded sophomore slump. Otherwise known as Aaron Jerome, the self-taught producer’s stage name SBTRKT is intended to remove the identity of any one artist and he even performs with a tribalstyle mask to uphold the concept. He cleverly blends elements of dubstep, house, soul and bass-heavy techno, and due to the success of his debut album, ventures further into more intricate, experimental compositions on Where We Land. This album is frustrating. But not in a bad way, in more of a MobyDick-is-a-great-book-but-oh-my-Godcan-it-please-just-end-already kind of way. The tracks are unconventional and fall far from any sort of linear path, jumping from jazz, to hip-hop, to electro and synth. It’s exciting to the ears and keeps the listener’s interest peaked, but it gets awfully exhausting after about 10 tracks. SBTRKT is fairly known for his collaborations with prominent indie names like Little Dragon, Sampha and Jessie Ware. On Where We Land,
Must Listen: 1. “Look Away” 2. “Problem (Solved)” 3. “War Drums” duets with War Paint, A$AP Ferg and Ezra Koenig bring a muchanticipated eclectic flare to the album. “NEW DORP. NEW YORK.” feat. Koenig, mixes elements of Vampire Weekend’s Afro-pop inspired melodies with SBTRKT’s darker, more bass-infused beats. Traverse on over to “Higher,” feat. Raury and you’re entering rapmeets-trip-hop territory. Leaving all jumpiness aside, the album does successfully maintain a few central themes throughout. For one, it’s soulful. With a solid handful of strong vocalists, the fleshed out soundscapes remain powerfully soulful. Also, the lyricism incredibly obscure. From Koenig’s play-on-words in “NEW DORP. NEW YORK.” (“Flag flappin’ in Manhattan/ New Dorp New York/ Gargoyles gargling oil/ Peak of the empire, top of the rock.”). to “Look Away,” feat. Caroline Polacheck (“From the moment that she/ When she told you how she/ But was she there when you needed that?”). Wonder Where We Are is an experimental odyssey through multiple genres: it’s long, it’s tiring, but it takes listeners somewhere entirely new. Jackie Braje can be reached at Jacquelyn.braje@theminaretonline. com.
8 OCTOBER 16 2014 | THE MINARET
ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
UT Students Give Suspenseful Performance of Six Characters
Director Bob Gonzalez and the UT theater department dazzle audiences with a classic production By KARA DELEMESTER Arts + Entertainment Writer
Six ghostly characters—a father, mother, son, stepdaughter, boy and child—wander onto the Falk Theater stage into the middle of rehearsal and claim that they have been abandoned by their author. Originally written by Luigi Pirandello in 1921, UT director Bob Gonzalez’s Six Characters in Search of an Author’s performance mystified audiences then as much as it did this past weekend from Oct. 9 to Oct. 12. The play begins light-heartedly with the cast questioning the meaning of the entire thing, and the director telling them to do as they’re told. As this particular director, played by Adam Hall, informs his cast that it’s “not his fault France won’t send them good comedies,” things get a little weird. At first the Director is adamant that these strange visitors leave his stage, but as they begin to give the audience glimpses of their story, the Director’s curiosity is won over. The cast is forced to join the audience as the Director attempts to stage the family drama that has been thrust upon him.
Photo provided by Jessica Stone
(From left to right) Vitale Christy, Jessica Stone, John Millsap, Spencer Hubbard, Sally Fint and Erin Knowles
The set was fittingly sparse for a rehearsal of a play within a play. As the family’s drama was staged, the Technical Director and Property Manager, played respectively by Griffin Guinta and Jake Scozzaro, hurriedly carried out props from “past plays.” These haphazard backdrops provided settings that allowed the
action of the play to capture most of the audience’s attention. Though the cast of the play within the play was ousted early on, their off-stage banter served as comic relief between scenes and acts, which balanced nicely with the emotionally heavy performances of the six characters. The Father, played by John
Millsap, spent the majority of the play trying to explain to the Director and the cast that this isn’t just some story these characters are trying to produce, it’s their reality. The back and forth dialogue between Millsap and Hall was profound, and their intensity made their performances even more impactful. While Vitale Christy’s character, the Son, spent most of his time brooding off to the side of the main action, when he did partake, his portrayal was full of torment. Though the Son did not hide the shame he felt toward his family, Christy’s acting left you simultaneously hating and pitying his character by the end of the play. The Boy, Spencer Hubbard and Child, Erin Knowles, had no lines, but their silently haunting presence unsettled the audience and left them feeling empty when they met their untimely death in the end. Jessica Stone played a seductive step-daughter who mocked her family’s shame and anguish, and wore her tragic tale proudly like the mourning shawl around her waist. Ultimately, the audience was left awestruck by not only the play itself, but by the performances of a talented group of UT actors and actresses. As the applause of a standing ovation died down, a lone gunshot, the anguished cries of the Mother and the maniacal laughter of the fleeing Stepdaughter echoed long after the cast took their final bow. Kara Delemester can be reached at Kara.Delemester@spartans.ut.edu.
Netflix Guru’s Pick of the Week By KATHERINE LAVACCA News Editor
Quentin Tarantino has developed an extremely gritty style that puts his movies in a category all their own. His films utilize explosive action scenes and dramatized “blood and guts” to heighten the combative sequences. The quickwitted dialog that Tarantino writes for his characters may be easy to overlook but is simply unforgettable. Tarantino films may need to be watched multiple times in order to understand all of the details and story angles. Luckily Netflix has made that possible. Pulp Fiction (1994) 2h 48m It doesn’t really get any more iconic Tarantino than Pulp Fiction. This independent film is what really launched Tarantino into the world of Hollywood cinema and helped revamp many actors’ careers (John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson and Uma Thermon to name a few). The film focuses on a handful of outlandish characters; two hit men, a bank robbing couple, a boxer on the run and a certain Mr. Wolf who all cross paths. A few sticky situations occur when characters meet, making them tread even further on the not-so-sunny side of the law. The plot is shown out of sequence, which adds to the haphazardness of these characters’ lives – they go bouncing around from place to place unapologetically raising hell. Prepare yourself for some 90s wardrobe and get real cozy for the most cocainedriven, twisted ride of a lifetime. Protip: Try the $5 milkshake.
TICKET GIVEAWAY Quentin Tarantino/ Flickr.com
Quentin Tarantino has six films streaming on Netflix.
Reservoir Dogs (1992) 1h 39m Tarantino’s directorial debut was with the criminal-infested Reservoir Dogs. The plot follows a group of independent bank robbers that join forces for one big bust. Reservoir Dogs has gotten mixed reviews throughout the years-- some love it and call it a cult classic, while others say they don’t understand. Tarantino lovers agree the simplistic plot and natural dialogue are refreshing in an era where every plot has a sub-plot and a twist that makes the subplot the main story. The characters are “no bullsh**” tough guys who enjoy their work and are only in it for themselves. It’s nice to see characters react to situations realistically, rather the typical Hollywood “I gotta be a hero” way. If you want to find out what happens when a heist goes wrong and a bunch of bank robbers start pointing fingers, put your finger on the play button and meet the gang. Katherine Lavacca can be reched at Katherine.lavacca@theminaretonline. com.
Oct 18 @ 5 PM – 8 PM Vaughn Courtyard FREE for all students wishing to participate Inflatable Joust tournament
Contact: Doha.Madani@theminaretonline.com for information and signup.
FREE for all students wishing to participate in Inflatable Joust tournament
ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
THE MINARET | OCTOBER 16 2014
Red Bull Hosts Play & Destroy DJ Event
UT and USF will go head-to-head in a battle of the DJs at MacDinton’s Irish Pub By DOHA MADHANI Multimedia Editor
The epic hip-hop rivalry of the East and West Coasts was unforgettable in the 1990s with feuds like Notorious B.I.G. vs. 2Pac. Now, Tampa will be playing part in a new rivalry between the North and South sides of the I-275 divide. On Oct. 23, Red Bull will be hosting the Play and Destroy DJ event at McDinton’s Irish Pub where USF and UT students will face off in a battle of the beats. About three to four students from each university will battle it out with strong playlist choices for bragging rights, a pair of tickets to see Skrillex at Hogan’s Beach on Oct. 28, Sol headphones and other various prizes. The concept is simple enough for college students participating-- all that’s needed is a love of music, a playlist and some creativity. Anyone with passion and an iPod has a chance to win. Red Bull boasts that Play and Destroy is a music battle where “musical instinct trumps technical skill.”
DJs are selected in advance and given a list of 10 to 15 “BattleGories” with topics such as “Best Breakup Song” or “Best Party Rock Anthem” that will be chosen at random during the event. In a headto-head competition, each student will be given 30 seconds to play their song based off a pre-made playlist. Winners are selected entirely from the crowd reaction, so DJs can gain an advantage by bringing their friends out to the event. Red Bull’s Play and Destroy event has been hosted at universities around the country, such as UC Berkeley. The company has played on rivalries before, even pitting schools like Harvard and MIT against each other. This year will be the first time that a faceoff between USF and UT students will occur. Last year the event was hosted at the Ten-O-One bar in Hyde Park solely for UT students. Jose Suarez, also known as DJ Rico, won the competition last year out of seven other participants, according to the Play and Destroy website. This year’s first UT student to sign up was Brandon Kanty, a senior communications major and returning DJ who spins under the alias DJ Cali. Kanty participated in the event two years ago and is excited for the new stage.
“It’s cool that it wasn’t just about the songs you play,” said Kanty. It’s about how energetic you can get the crowd and how well you can get them to cheer for you. Not to mention the prize isn’t a bad one either.” The company hopes to gain an even bigger crowd this year by hosting the crosstown rivals at a SoHo student favorite, MacDinton’s Irish Pub. The event falls on a Thursday night,
9
coinciding with the venue’s famous “Dollar Beer” drink specials. “It’ll definitely be an interesting night. I am a huge fan of dollar beers and I know how packed it can get,” Kanty said. “I’m a little bummed I won’t be drinking as much as everyone else. But hey, at least I get to play my music.” Doha Madani can be reached at Doha.Madani@theminaretonline.com
Red Bull/ Flickr.com MacDinton’s will offer a battle of the DJs and dollar beers for local college students on Oct. 28.
Edison Food + Drink Lab Offers Innovative Cuisine By KAI MILLER
Arts + Entertainment Writer
The intersection at West Kennedy and North Boulevard is a hub for UT students, offering an array of finger foods at The Outpost and cheap late night snack options at Metro Mart. However, what most students tend to overlook is the culinary gem nestled in the midst of these two popular favorites, Edison: Food + Drink Lab. Based off its name, one may expect the restaurant to come complete with beakers, lab coats, and a very serious atmosphere. However, that is far from the case at this subtle culinary haven. Edison pays homage to its namesake, a nod to a nearby cross street and inventor Thomas Edison, with innovative food and dining. A fairly new staple to the downtown era, Edison opened its doors in 2011 and continues to reinvent itself. Chef Jeannie Pierola has led the Edison kitchen since it’s opening, promising a fresh menu and “accessible modern cuisine mindfully created with classic cooking’s respect for technique and ingredients”. Pierola delivers on her promise, especially when it comes to the lunch menu. Lunch at Edison is a far cry from UT’s cafeteria. The lunch menu is comprised of appetizers, “hot starts”, “cold starts”, soups, salads, and mouthwatering entrees. Options range from potato crusted oysters to crispy fish tacos to cracker-fired jumbo shrimp. At first glance, the menu can appear intimidating considering the description of each item and the variety of tastes it offers. Luckily, my waiter Ryan was very helpful in
Photo by Casey Budd
Just across the street from UT, Edison offers an innovative and eclectic menu for local foodies or the perfect date night.
recommending some of his favorite dishes which included the Edison chowder and fried oyster bacon po’ boy. However, I chose to satisfy my hunger by settling for the spicy Jamaican-fried organic chicken dish. Now, when it comes to first impressions, the spicy Jamaican-fried organic chicken dish doesn’t sound like a delectable combination. The dish features tender chicken breast, collard greens, and banana bacon waffles covered in rum curry coconut syrup. The thought of waffles being topped with anything other than traditional maple syrup seemed rather questionable. But the sweet, refreshing taste of banana blended with the zest
of the curry syrup was a prime example of molecular gastronomy. The combination satisfies both your sweet tooth and love for spicy food. The syrup also served as a great dipping sauce for the chicken breast especially the skin which was crisp and fried to perfection. It was the collard greens, however, that topped off my first Edison experience. At first, I had my reservations regarding the side dish. I didn’t expect it to compare, if even, at all to my Nana’s rendition of the southern cuisine. But I was proven wrong after my first bite. The collard greens were a sweet, savory mix of green leafs accented by a blend of spices and peppers that would most
definitely make my Nana proud. Aside from the delicious food and diverse offerings in cocktails, UT students should keep in mind that Edison isn’t relatively college budget friendly. The menu options are a bit pricey especially when it comes to the entrée specials. The spicy Jamaican-fried organic chicken costs $15 but definitely proved to be worth every last penny. Edison is a perfect for date night, brunch, and lunch especially if you’re looking to impress. In fact, the great innovator himself would approve of this exuberant spot. Kai Miller can be reached at Kai. miller@theminaretonline.com.
10 OCTOBER 16 2014 | THE MINARET
ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
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THE MINARET | OCTOBER 16 2014
OPINION
11
Laundry facilities perceived below standard
Daniel Diasgranados
This laundromat located in the Austin Dormitory at the University of Tampa is representative of the degree of filthiness that all of the on campus laundromats possess.
LAUNDRY From Page 1 Then you have to either leave your laundry in the washer unprotected to go refill your card or take everything out of the washer and carry it with you to the nearest refill machine. This might not be too much of an issue if you’re in one of the buildings with a refill station, but this seems unfair to anyone who lives elsewhere. And the nearest machine isn’t always in proper working condition either, forcing students to run around campus in search of somewhere to load their card. Below I have ranked nine oncampus residence halls in accordance with the level of dirtiness based on the amount of puddles, hairballs and dust one should expect when choosing where to do their laundry: #1 Morsani Hall The dryers in Morsani are significantly quieter than the ones in all of the other laundry rooms. There’s a nice couch area with a flat screen TV in the waiting area. The windows in the laundry room overlook campus, and they’re completely see-through and clean. There are no puddles, hairballs, or dust bunnies in this laundry room. #2 Austin Hall Austin Hall looks as though it had just been cleaned. There’s a wet floor sign in the middle of a big , dry open space near the dryers. However, one could easily ltell that the floor was
mopped quickly, not for effectiveness. This was easily discerned by the spotty floor and patchy job around the laundry machines where dirt accumulates. #3 Smiley Hall The most disturbing fact regarding Smiley hall’s laundry situation is the number of dryers available. Smiley houses 130 students but only has 6 washers and dryers, according to the ut.edu. Other than that, there are a few dryer sheets and scraps of paper laying throughout the room. A Smiley Hall resident, Amanda Garcia, a Criminology and Philosophy major stated, “Our [laundry room] is nice. Someone put my laundry in the dryer for me and left a little note.” So, while the room may be dirty, at least the residents are polite! #4 Straz Hall Straz hall looks very clean and well kept at first. However, under further inspection, there are mucky colored puddles under the washing machines. Dust, dirt, and mildew collect in the puddles, making the underneath of the machines look dark and moldy. #5 West Kennedy Hall The West Kennedy laundry room is a bit of a quest to find. The laundry room is hidden behind a sign that read, “Kitchen” and only upon reading a map, asking for directions, and following a trail of muddy footprints was I able to find it. There are puddles of water, dirt, and detergent all over the floor just waiting to be slipped in. Many of the washers are left open, and
on one of them, there was a hairball a centimeter in diameter, hanging off of the wet door. #6 Brevard Hall The floor of Brevard Hall’s laundry facility is completely littered with dust bunnies. Some of them are sitting in puddles on the floor outside of the open washing machines. #7 McKay Hall The McKay laundry room is on the second floor of the hall. In order to get to the laundry room, one must hike up a handful of steps. The floors within the facility are stained and there are holes and cracks in the tiles. On top of that, there’s dust and grime all over the floor, some of it fresh while some was so old that it’s stained on. #8 ResCom The ResCom laundry room is the hardest to find. In order to reach the laundry room, one has to walk through the courtyard of ResCom, next to the construction, through the lounge, back outside, and into a little corner on the other side of the campus security building. There was no air conditioning running while I was there, but there was a precarious fan hovering overhead. #9 Vaughn Center The Vaughn laundry room has puddles of water, detergent, and mud all over the room and under the machines. One corner of the room is so coated in dirt that it’s more grey and brown than the white that once graced it. There are piles of wet clothes on top of the divider between
the rows of laundry machines and enough hairballs to fill a cat. The trash had just been taken out, but no other aspect of the room appears to have been cleaned. A Vaughn resident, Brandon Johnson, an international business major said, “Vaughn is gross. The girls need to do something about their hair.” In reference to all of the hair balls that littered the floor. For the amount of money that students pay to live in these residence halls, which averages at $9,624 per year according to the UT website, the laundry rooms should be kept in better conditions. The students, the maintenance staff and the university need to work together to create an environment suitable for cleaning. Dirty floors are not suitable places for clean laundry to be falling onto. The maintenance staff needs to address the dirty floors, and the leaking washing machines. The school needs to move the laundry card refill stations to places that are convenient for everyone, like inside the laundry rooms, which is not the case in most of our campus landry rooms. Students need to create an environment of trust by retrieving their laundry in a timely manner and leaving anyone else’s laundry alone. If everyone works together, the laundry rooms can become a clean environment, as they should be when considering how new most of our dorms actually are. Liv Reeb can be reached at olivia.reeb@ spartans.ut.edu
12 OCTOBER 16 2014 | THE MINARET
OPINION
Pill Birth Control No Longer Recommended By LIZ ROCKETT Opinion Columnist
The American Academy of Pediatrics ( AAP) is advising teenage girls ages 15-19 to stop using the pill, and start using longacting reversible contraception (LARC) methods such as the implantable rod or intrauterine devices (IUD), as reported by NBC News. These methods would be extremely beneficial when it comes to reliability of birth control in the United States, so I feel that utilizing LARC methods of birth control is the best idea for teens. Teens are typically known as being far less responsible than adults, so remembering to take a birth control pill every day may not be their top priority. Today, 34 percent of teenagers have experienced at least one pregnancy before turning 20, as reported by teenhelp.com. The AAP is urging teenage girls to begin using LARC methods of birth control in order to decrease the pregnancy rate. Unfortunately, just 4.5 percent of teenage girls are taking advantage of LARC birth control methods, according to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. I believe that a large part of the reason teens may not use these methods is because they don’t know about them. Gilbert Hyppolite, a junior psychology major told me that he was not aware of many types of birth control. “I don’t know any forms of birth control besides the pill and the patch,” Hyppolite said. After discussing the different types of birth control, he agreed that the IUD would be a great method because it would allow people time for family planning and financial stability. Hyppolite also thinks the patch is a good method for teens because it only requires attention monthly. I also think that any form of birth control that doesn’t require daily attention would greatly benefit teens. However, religiously speaking, LARC methods of birth control may not be right
The Minaret /Elizabeth Rockett
The AAP says long-acting reversible contraception is the better option for 15-19 year olds.
for everyone. Brianna Simon, a senior criminal justice major at UT believes that the pill is the best option for people who can remember to take it on a regular basis. If someone cannot rely on themselves to take the pill daily, Simon said the shot would be the most effective method. “A lot of people take it for period regulation. If I were to put something in my body that would prevent pregnancy for that long, it wouldn’t work for religious purposes,” said Simon. LARC methods of birth control include
the implantable rod and two different types of IUDs. The implantable rod has a failure rate of .05 percent, and the IUD has a failure rate of .02-.08 percent, depending on the type of IUD used, as reported by the CDC. When comparing those failure rates to the 9 percent failure rate of the birth control pill, and the 18 percent failure rate of the male condom--the two most common forms of birth control--LARC methods seem to be much more reliable. Lower usage rates may be due to the cost. Though the Affordable Care Act
must cover FDA approved contraceptives, patients without insurance can expect to pay about $500-$1000 up front, as reported by The Washington Post. However, considering that this payment is only necessary every three to 10 years, money may be saved over time due to the elimination of monthly payments. In an interview with Sara Conley, an RN at Maine Medical Center in Portland, Maine, she discussed the health risks involved with LARC methods, especially the IUD. “Though they are relatively uncommon, there can be some serious complications with the IUDs,” Conley said. “Rupturing the uterine wall, infections and movement of the device are serious complications that are not unheard of.” When it comes to the implantable rod, side effects such as headaches, nausea and change in sex-drive can be seen, but are also uncommon. Instead of taking a birth control pill each and every day, teenage girls ease their minds for three to ten years if they utilize a LARC method of birth control, as reported by Planned Parenthood. While I agree that this more reliable method would decrease teen pregnancy, I believe it will also decrease condom use and potentially increase the rate of STIs amongst teens. In order to make switching over to LARC methods effective and safe for teens, it is necessary that parents and teachers increase sex education! “Teens often have a lot going on, and they’re going to have sex regardless of whether or not they take their pill, meaning a new method with less user-error needs to be put in place as the standard for effective birth control,” Conley said. With new methods of birth control, as well as a better education about safe-sex behaviors, I believe that will be better equipped to lead a more healthy lifestyle and make wiser decisions when it comes to sex. Liz Rockett can be reached at elizabeth. rockett@spartans.ut.edu
Apple Attempting to Revolutionize How Consumers Shop
Purchasing items may soon be simplified by using Apple Pay By EMILY SILVERMAN Opinion Writer
Our smartphones have taken on the role of personal assistants; they wake us up in the morning, read us our schedules, give us directions and can help us contact anyone, anywhere, at anytime. With so much of our lives already online, it only makes sense that we would put our money online too. This month, Apple plans on releasing Apple Pay to iPhone 6 and 6 plus users in the United States, which would enable customers to complete transactions directly from their phones, according to USA Today. The idea of replacing physical wallets with digital ones seems futuristic and far-off, but we are already well into a digital era, and are moving further and further in that direction. However, as we ease into this new form of payment, we must do so with caution and awareness of where our money and information is going. The draw to mobile payment systems is simple; it’s convenient and easy. Slowly digging through purses
and wallets in search of cash or credit cards takes time and holds up other people who are also trying to check out. Forgoing traditional payment methods and making use of a system like Apple Pay would make checking out a much smoother and faster process. People are busy and our time is valuable, so it makes sense to implement a system that would save us time. However, as with any new technology, society is inclined to be unsure of it at first. Apple’s senior vice president for worldwide marketing, Phil Schiller, stated that he thinks “it’s reasonable for people to always have questions about anything that’s new and want to understand it. That’s healthy and good,” according to USA Today. Before happily purchasing a capable device and using Apple Pay every time we buy something, we must make sure our personal information is secure. Apple is aware that their customers are always going to be concerned about where their records are being stored, and who has access to them, especially when it comes to their credit card and banking information. In order to accommodate for their users need for privacy, Apple has installed “a ‘secure element’ chip where credit card information (but not your actual credit card number) is stored
as a Device Account Number used to process your payment. Apple verifies your ability to pay with a participating bank,” according to USA Today. Apple hopes to ease potential users nerves by ensuring that they will not have access to actual credit card numbers, and that they will not track peoples spending. People should always be careful with their personal information, and so it will take time for Apple Pay to establish trust with the general public. Mobile payments, however, are really nothing new. Several companies, such as Starbucks, have created apps, which customers can download and use to pay for their drinks. Often, users of these apps receive special deals linked to their accounts. In addition to apps like this one, many people already use PayPal, a system similar to Apple Pay, to complete transactions. Apple Pay would basically be taking something that is already being used on a small scale, and bringing it to the next level, where anything could be paid for using an iPhone. Apple is planning to provide access to their new system to as many of their customers as possible. They currently have “partnerships with MasterCard, Visa and American
Express, along with leading banks that handle more than 83 percent of U.S. credit card transactions,” and said that more than 220,000 businesses in the US will be able to accept Apple Pay, according to USA Today. Apple is attempting to make mobile payment more commonplace in society. However, consumers should not rashly jump from using their phone to pay for a latte to making all of their purchases with their phones, but should rather take the time to get to know Apple Pay a little better before beginning to use it. In today’s extremely digital world, much of what we do, we do online. As we continue down this path, we rely more and more on technology and trust it with different aspects of our lives. It is only natural that our buying and selling processes transform with technology. While a world where Apple Pay, or something similar to it, is the only way to complete a transaction is still years away, we are the ones who will build the foundation for it. Because of this, it is so important that we keep a close watch on Apple as they develop and implement Apple Pay. Emily Silverman can be reached at emily.silverman@spartans.ut.edu
OPINION
THE MINARET | OCTOBER 16 2014
13
Emma Watson Addresses Feminist Stigma During a recent speech at the U.N. the young celebrity addressed her campaign for equality By CAITLIN MALONE Opinion Columnist
“I decided I was a feminist and this seemed uncomplicated to me. But my recent research has shown me that feminism has become an unpopular word. Apparently I am among the ranks of women whose expressions are seen as too strong, too aggressive, isolating, anti-men and unattractive,” said Emma Watson in her speech at the U.N. headquarters in New York on the weekend of Sept. 26. Watson, who is famously known for her role in the Harry Potter series, was recently named a U.N. Women Goodwill Ambassador. She announced the launching of the “HeForShe” campaign during her speech after which she received a standing ovation, according to Vanity Fair. The purpose of this campaign is to improve the standards of equality that exist between men and women and boys and girls, but this time Watson is asking not only women but men to get behind this cause as well. In the past and present, saying you’re a feminist wasn’t and still isn’t a very popular thing, and in some cases is associated with “man-hating.” “Why is the word [feminist] such an uncomfortable one?” Watson asked her audience during her speech. “I am from Britain and think it is right that as a woman I am paid the same
as my male counterparts. I think it is right that I should be able to make decisions about my own body. I think it is right that women be involved on my behalf in the policies and decision-making of my country. I think it is right that socially I am afforded the same respect as men.” This time, Watson is calling on both genders to get involved in this campaign so that the “us vs. them” mentality can be forgotten. “Men — I would like to take this opportunity to extend your formal invitation,” she said to the men in the audience, according to New York Daily News. “Gender equality is your issue too.” This is a huge issue that has existed for years, and we have made great improvements such as women being granted the right to vote in 1920 and a definite increase of women in the workforce over the years, but sadly there is still a lot left to accomplish. The “HeForShe” campaign is a perfect way to communicate this issue as it still exists today; I stand behind Watson all the way. Women like myself and many others who choose to pursue women’s rights in an urgent manner should not be associated with “man-hating,” as Watson mentioned. In a recent Huffington Post article five reasons were given as to why this fight pertains to men as well. The first that was given, which I found to be very true, was the “disapproval of the domestic male.” This brought up the issue of men that choose to fill the role of “mom” who are not taken seriously because of it, according to The Huffington
Post. Because of existing gender roles that have been put into place by society, the women are expected to be the sole nurturer, and when men try to step into that role it is seen in a negative way. Another reason I was surprised to hear is the issue of suicide among men. In the UK it is the leading killer of men that are between the ages of 20 to 49, according to The Huffington Post. It is believed that this is so prevalent among men because most of them feel they are unable to ask for help or communicate their feelings in order to not come off as weak or not “manly.” Women have always been seen as the more emotional ones leaving men with the feeling that they are expected to keep their feelings inside. Issues with closeted sexuality and gender identity were mentioned in the article as well. A study done by The New York Times showed that millions of gay men still remain in the closet and do not even share their sexuality with their inner circle of friends, according to The Huffington Post. I’d say those are some good reasons for men to be concerned with this issue of gender equality as well. Since the launch of “HeForShe,” 178,397 men have committed to standing up in support of overcoming gender inequality, according to heforshe.org. Men and women are gradually coming together to fight this fight not as enemies but as allies. The strides that this campaign has made in such little time is truly amazing and makes me excited to see the influence it will have over time. “Both men and women should feel free to be sensitive,” Watson said.
“Both men and women should feel free to be strong. It is time that we all see gender as a spectrum, instead of two sets of opposing ideals.” Watson speaks words of wisdom, yet again. Only progress can be made with both males and females joining together to overcome the concerning issue of gender inequality. Caitlin Malone can be reached at caitlin. malone@spartans.ut.edu
UN Women/ Flickr
Emma Watson speaking on “HeForShe” campaign.
Disabled Student Denied Parking due to “Creepy” Hearse By SAM ALLEN Opinion Writer
Eighteen-year-old Samantha Kidner, a mortuary science student and proud hearse owner, has been denied the right to park her car in her apartment complex’s parking lot. Many residents complained that the hearse was “creepy” and that they “didn’t want to see it or think about what was inside” according to ABC 7 news. Kidner, who is also disabled, said she dreams of opening up a funeral home with her twin sister. Currently, the hearse serves a double purpose as a practical vehicle for her future profession and a way to transport her wheelchair. The Lorenzo, Kidner’s Los Angeles apartment complex, has forbidden her from parking in the handicap parking spaces, despite her handicap license plates. Kidner said that the management for The Lorenzo “doesn’t want it on the property at all.” The Lorenzo’s prohibition of Kidner’s hearse is discrimination and has no practical reasoning. The apartment complex has gone to great lengths to prevent Kidner from parking on the property because of opinion-based complaints that hold no precedence over the law. Kidner said that her mother and sister are on the lease, and she worries that her choice of vehicle
alone will result in her eviction from the complex. A spokesperson for The Lorenzo, Laura Nissley, validates the decision to have Kidner’s car removed by saying “Samantha Kidner is not a resident of Lorenzo, nor does she have an active lease to become a resident in the future. If she is the one operating the vehicle, then there is guest parking made available to her on a first-come, first-serve basis same as anyone else.” However, after doing some research on California apartment leasing laws, I found this argument to be unjustified. “In California and most other states ... if someone has lived in your apartment for 30 days or more, he’s considered a tenant even if he never signed a lease,” according to homeguides.sfgate.com. It seems that The Lorenzo is grasping at straws in order to have Kidner’s car removed. Their determination to stand by their argument does not hide that fact that it is seriously lacking in lawful reasoning. After refusing to allow Kidner to park her hearse on the property, The Lorenzo instructed her to park her hearse in the parking lot of a children’s hospital next door. Kidner, in response, said “I’ve had five brain surgeries as a child. Parents don’t want to come see their kids in the hospital and see a hearse parked in the parking lot.” Kidner also even pays for two parking
spaces for her hearse and is still denied the right to keep it on the property, according to a CBS Los Angeles report. There is nothing obscene about a hearse, especially since Kidner’s car choice is for her intended career and fits her wheelchair. Kidner is not trying to create trouble and should not have to endure such discrimination over her choice of vehicle. When I asked UT students how they would feel about seeing a hearse on campus, many expressed indifference. Katie Killebrew, senior and media arts major, said “I think having a hearse as a car is different and pretty sweet but not at all odd. I would never tell someone they can’t drive one just because it creeps me out.” In fact there is a UT employee, Library Periodicals Specialist, Holly Farnell, who drives a hearse and many students have noted seeing it around campus. “I definitely think Tampa is a very open community. People are not so much opposed to my hearse as they are curious. I always take the time to show it to them and once they see the inside they realize it’s just like any other car. I haven’t had anything negative happen.” Farnell said, when asked how Tampa residents react to her hearse. When the trouble Kidner was experiencing was mentioned to Farnell, she said that she would be very upset if she was forced to remove
her car from campus. The Lorenzo’s refusal to allow a tenant to park her car on the property is absolutely appalling, and apparently there is a large community of supporters who agree. Shortly after the news of Kidner’s car troubles, many hearse owners in the LA area drove their hearses to The Lorenzo to stage a “Hearse-In” according to CBS 2 news. Kidner’s supporters drove their hearses into the parking lot in protest of the harassment Kidner has been facing by The Lorenzo. One protester, Lydia Robinvale, commented on the situation by saying “I think it’s ridiculous, it is discrimination. She pays for a parking spot, she actually is disabled.” I think that to refuse Kidner her right to park in the handicap parking space, that she is not only entitled to but paid for, is an extreme overreaction to a vehicle that poses no threat to the community. A hearse may be creepy, but to say it genuinely disturbs other residents is clearly an exaggeration, and to force her to park it at a children’s hospital is insensitive and absurd. The only significant interruption in the life of any resident at The Lorenzo caused by this hearse, was Samantha Kidner’s. Sam Allen can be reached at samantha.allen@spartans.ut.edu
14 OCTOBER 16 2014 | THE MINARET
OPINION
Introducing “Hookups” to Your Parents SEX AND LOVE COLUMN
Determining who to introduce to your parents can be a nightmare By TERRY PRESTON Opinion Columnist
Parents’ Weekend at UT is the one time of the year when your parents are granted full access to your personal lives at school. Whereas Facebook and Instagram allows your family into select pieces of your social life, the game is entirely changed when your creators set foot in your young adult bubble. You cannot control the people you run into with them, who you see or what they hear. When in your element, your parents are bound to ask—so who is that boy/girl I’ve been seeing you in pictures with? Are we going to meet him/her? For anyone, this question can induce nervous sweats and laughter birthed from fear. Our generation isn’t exactly the fastest to put a label on a situation—the word “relationship” is a significantly larger deal than the “relations” leading up to it. In a philosophy of “try it before you buy it,” consistently hooking up with an individual does not necessarily make them parentmeeting material. So, when is it appropriate to introduce your family? Because our parents were raised in a different generation, their views on when it is time for a meeting may differ from ours-- tremendously. I posed the question to my own parents this past weekend, who have met numerous prior relationship partners of mine and have been open with their opinions of each of them. When they were growing up, it was expected that one would introduce any individual that he or she continually saw to their parents. This ideology does not translate to our generation, and my family did not compute. I covered all the stages of today’s romantic (?) interaction with another person—talking, hooking up, friends with benefits, seeing each other, dating, untitled exclusivity, open relationships and finally, boyfriend/girlfriend status. “You guys need to take ‘dating’ out of your vocabulary,” my father said to me over Pizza Fusion. “You don’t understand the meaning of the word.” This lack in common terminology can be detrimental to the meet-theparents situation, when/wherever it may take place, because the hardest place to begin is at square one— introduction and title. “Mom, Dad, this is the boy/girl I have been consistently hooking up with the most out of all the other boys/girls I’ve been sleeping with,” doesn’t have the same ring to it as boyfriend or girlfriend. Aim to make your parents proud, and not left wondering about the severity of your promiscuity. While our beliefs may not
necessarily translate properly, that does not mean that our parents are always unsupportive of our endeavors. This was exemplified to me at the Parents’ Weekend Barbecue, when a student pointed out a girl he had slept with to his father, who then stood up in disbelief and yelled “Are you serious? THAT’S my boy!” before rewarding his son with a congratulatory high five. Only moments later, a student was approached by another’s parent and informed that they were marriage material, and that their own child would be lucky to have them. Some parents play a larger role in their children’s love lives than others. So, what happens when you’re constantly seeing someone that you’re not dating and your parents
of friends with benefits, he or she will take this as their cue to run. However, for a potential couple that is on the fence with becoming official, meeting the parents can add just the right amount of seriousness that will convince both parties to fully commit to one another. This is because the parental introduction creates an additional layer of closeness between two people, and expands the circle of those informed of the partnership (more specifically, people who birthed one of the partners). As a result, this can be a step in the right direction—assuming that the meeting goes well. The opinions of parents can force serious pressure on any relationship. This is exemplified in movies, books and TV shows from today and all
“If your parents don’t like the person you’re seeing, don’t be so quick to drink the Kool-aid and hope you meet up in the afterlife.” ask to meet them? Many hope that this concept will only remain a nightmare housed in the depths of their unconscious, but for some, this horror becomes a reality. In the words of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, “Parents just don’t understand,” – and explaining to them that you’re “not dating” but are seeing each other can be a challenge. Today, the significance (or lack thereof) of meeting the parents is difficult to interpret—and in itself has the ability to make or break a relationship. If we are willing to arbitrarily introduce our parents to any person we at least sort of know and run into on campus, then why should we make the effort to avoid the people with whom we share more intimate connections? This is because the nudge in the direction of potential seriousness can put your relationship on solid ground—or push it over the edge, killing it on impact. This depends on the views of your partner. In college, we are all in different places in our lives. Some are after the infamous “MRS Degree,” whereas others want to take more time to “find themselves” and even more haven’t given any thought to the idea of marriage either way. While many of us are just playing around, formally meeting a partner’s parents makes the relationship (if you choose to call it that) serious. You have involved outside parties—your founders—and have increased the stock in your partnership. More is at stake when one meets the parents. For an individual who only wants to be something along the lines
stretches of time—the most notable being Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Two feuding families led their children to run away and secretly marry, and then by the result of poor planning, kill themselves in an effort to be together forever. If your parents don’t like the person you’re seeing, don’t be so quick to drink the Kool-aid and hope you meet up in the afterlife. Instead, take the time to set up a second and/or third encounter and give your parents and partner the opportunity to get to know each other a little bit better. After all, first impressions aren’t always our best, and it’s easy to cave under the stress of meeting the people you are supposed to impress. In the event that your parents still
despise the person you are with— do not dismiss their opinion. Though it may feel natural to believe that they will never understand what the relationship is like from your point of you, try to remind yourself of what the relationship looks like from their point of view. As two people who literally made you, their biggest concern is only to make sure that you get the absolute best of what life has to offer. The best may not be what you’re currently dating. As a result, one with a good relationship with his or her parents should not be quick to dismiss their opinions. When your parents and your partner get along, it can make a serious relationship much easier. There is no arguing about having them over for holidays, special events or random weekends at home. If the relationship reaches a marital point, it will be much easier to justify your parents spending the extra cash on your wedding (because I refuse to walk down the aisle for anything less than a twenty piece orchestra playing “Young and Beautiful” by Lana Del Rey) when it’s to someone they like, rather than someone they would prefer to see go up in flames. The donors of your genetics can help to make or break a relationship. Like any other business, group or idea, a relationship needs support from both the outside and within. By choosing a partner that you and your parents can agree on, you are allowing yourself the comfort of continued support by your parental unit and all that they have to offer (like finances and… finances. Pick a real winner and they may even pay for an especially nice honeymoon). If you’re on the fence about whether or not to introduce that semispecial-you-guess-someone to your parents, I advise that you do exactly that. The worst thing they can say is that you’re a huge disappointment and they thought they had raised you better than that. (With love, of course). Terry Preston can be reached at terrence.preston@spartans.ut.edu
OPINION
THE MINARET | OCTOBER 16 2014
15
Yik Yak Continues to Captivate Users By KATIE DRAKE Opinion Writer
Ever want to tell the world something without being held accountable for it? Yik Yak, the social media application that is quickly becoming the new fad, lets you post anything you want anonymously. Seems pretty cool right? Well, yes and no. Yik Yak uses your phone’s location services to show self proclaimed “yaks” to surrounding users; as if “tweets” weren’t bad enough. From there, users can vote each yak up or down to help expose it to more users; all anonymously of course, so why not say what comes to your mind? To college students who want to meet up with other people, Yik Yak provides the perfect opportunity. On the contrary, the fact that this app is anonymous could lead to potential dangers and issues. For example, recently there was a Penn State shooting threat that was posted on Yik Yak. Someone had posted a yak stating the exact time and place that they were going to potentially commit a heinous crime that cannot be taken lightly. According to the website, Onward State, the nyak was down-voted, and disappeared from the site. Due to the anonymous posts, police had to figure out whether the yak was credible or not, asking anyone who had information. Posts like this are more common nowadays, especially on Twitter and Facebook. However, in their case, it is easier to
Droid Guru
Yik Yak’s quickly growing brand has grown popular due to their being anonymous.
pinpoint the persons who would post a threat such as “shooting up Penn State main campus.” “I don’t see the point because everyone is just complaining to other people who are complaining so nobody’s going to fix anything,” said Alexis Teope, a sophomore new production media major. Though I agree the actual utility of the application is virtually nonexistent, after recently attending a conference in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, I now have a greater appreciation for
Yik Yak. It was a quick way to find out what people around us were thinking. Everyone used it to share opinions on various topics; whether it was the people performing, stage production or even the quality of the food served. There I realized what this app could be used for, as well as all the humor that comes along with it. In the right setting, Yik Yak can clearly be a good thing. Senior psychology major Christine Albury agrees. “By creating an app that allows people to talk anonymously, people can posts freely
without feeling the need to hide what’s on their mind.” So on the plus side, Yik Yak can be a good way to communicate with people in your area without filtering users’ opinions. On the down side, it might not be the best thing if people continue to abuse it with threats or offensive comments. Although many comments are college kids taking advantage of their anonymity, local law enforcement cannot allow any threat to go unnoticed. If they must continue to spend their time following up on threatening yaks, it is very likely that action will be taken against the app in the near future. A lot of people misuse the application in other ways, using it for ignorance or perversion as college kids express their every whim and desire. A lot of inappropriate material is posted around our campus alone. Many local yaks are posts about parties and hook-ups. This has been a continual trend on Yik Yak nationally, which has lead to popularity, but also disapproval from many colleges. According to a recent article on The Huffington Post, certain college campuses have taken action to ban the use of the application on their network. With all this animosity about the application, I don’t see Yik Yak lasting much longer. It very much seems to simply be the popular application in the short term, and will soon shrink back into irrelevance the next time one catches on. Katie Drake can be reached at katie.drake@spartans.ut.edu
Barrymore Shuttle Pick-Up Moved to Back of Hotel UT students feel like an embarrassment after being hidden from guests By REBECCA TURNER Opinion Writer
Approximately 450 UT students housed at the Barrymore Hotel (Formerly Howard Johnson Plaza) are now dealing with a sudden transportation change, as shuttle pick-up and drop-off for students is now sequestered to the back of the hotel. This contrasts the first half of the semester, most of its UT residents’ first semester, where it was held in front of the hotel. The Barrymore hotel and Residence Life are obligated to join together and notify students efficiently and uniformly in situations that affect the students housed there, and in this situation they did not honor this obligation. Officially, the change isn’t actually a change, according to the Assistant Director of the Office of Residence Life, Chris Futch. He said that “historically, the pick-up location for the Barrymore hotel has been behind the hotel,” and that this is all a matter of student occupancy versus guest occupancy and to prevent confusion in guests and student shuttles. This is logical and would not have been an issue had the level of notification not been subpar. Some students, like freshman
nursing major Jenny Cedeno, “got a flyer on [their] door,” but not everyone received clear, individual notification. Freshman communications major Lahar Sanantarai did not receive one, and instead was notified on the day of the change by a couple of “posters in the elevators and one on my floor.” Cedeno was told about the change, and that’s why it didn’t upset her like many of her peers. Clear explanation of the situation was, and still is, needed to show that UT Barrymore students are not being treated like an embarrassment by having the stop behind the hotel. There is a great deal of confusion regarding the change. Many students, like freshman business administration major, Sonam Kale, believe that the shuttle stop was moved because the hotel “didn’t want guests knowing that this is a college dorm.” It is hard to argue with this when there is no mention of UT student use on the hotel’s website, not even in a passing comment. Instead, the closest they come to referencing students is listing the UT under “Tampa Area Attractions.” If one scours travel websites looking at reviews for the hotel, however, only a few mention students at all and even less are upset by their presence. Therefore, if guests’ perception of students living at the hotel does factor into the Barrymore’s thinking, then it’s actually pretty irrelevant and would not justify the change. Sanantarai, also thinks “the owner of
the Barrymore hotel is embarrassed” that many of the floors are being leased to UT for student housing. For residents to feel hidden when they pay thousands of dollars for room and board to live there is unacceptable and needs to be addressed by the Barrymore and Residence Life immediately. The Barrymore Hotel and Residence Life need to take bigger strides in assuring students that this change is for their benefit rather than an effort to hide them from hotel guests, if that truly is their reasoning. Also, if the benefit for the student really is their top priority, they should have made it absolutely clear when and where the stop would be changed and should have supplied clear reasons. In addition to their feeling hidden, many students have been inconvenienced as a part of this sudden revert. Many students missed the shuttle on the first days because of poor notification, with some students receiving flyers and others just seeing a posted notice the day of the change. Kale said she “missed it on the first day because I didn’t know.” Notices posted in the building were insufficient as they provided no reason, just directions to the new shuttle stop location. Another one of the unlucky ones to miss the shuttle on the first days after the change was Sanantarai. He claims “when the shuttles used to be in the front, the drivers watched the elevators and waited for you, but now even if I get down there on time I have to run down
the long hallway to make the shuttle, but by the time I get to the end it’s gone.” Hannah Olds, a freshman with an undecided major, has the same problem as she also finds it “inconvenient because when you’re walking out...you have to check in the back” to see if the shuttle is there. This is an unforeseen and unjust consequence of the stop being moved. Students must now arrive even earlier to the shuttle stop to make it to class on time, and as new college freshmen who is still adjusting to the major transition that is college, another disruption on their plate can cause more hassle than the Barrymore Hotel and Residence Life may realize. Many of the Barrymore student residents have unfairly experienced ill effects because the shuttle pickup location was changed in this manner. It is not the move that is so horrible because the stop has been there before. Due to the lack of analogous information being shared, students have missed or been late to classes, wrongfully feeling like an embarrassment to the school that they pay so much money to attend. It could easily have been avoided. Students deserve proper notification of changes that affect them, and this obligation was clearly left unmet in the case of UT students housed at the Barrymore. Rebecca Turner can be reached at rebecca.turner@spartans.ut.edu
16 OCTOBER 16 2014 | THE MINARET
SPORTS
The Diamond Four Cardinals look to retain National League crown against Giants By CONNOR ANTHONY Sports Writer
Keith Allison/Flickr
Kansas City outfielder Alex Gordon is part of an offense that has come to life during the playoffs.
Royals, Orioles clash for American League Supremacy By JAMES BELLUSCIO Sports Writer
After the Oct. 14 close win, the Kansas City Royals took a three game lead over the Baltimore Orioles in the American League Championship Series (ALCS). Coming into the series, it was expected to be a speed vs. power matchup. The first two games have proved baseball fans the same ol’ lesson we have heard for years: throw away anything that happened in the regular season come October. Both games have been thrilling and went down to the wire. In the end, the Royals have jumped out to a 3-0 lead, winning both games in Baltimore and the first contest in Kansas City. That is an impressive task in its own, but the way they have done it is even more noteworthy. Here are the three keys to victory in the American League Championship Series: Speed Kills The Royals literally stole their way into the playoffs and lead the league with the most steals this season, where the Orioles came in last in stolen bases. Speed is dangerous, especially in the playoffs. A walk can turn into -what is known in baseball jargon- a ‘walking double.’ That has made a difference in the ALCS because the Orioles’ pitchers have seemed rattled with guys on base. However, one may argue that Buck Showalter’s O’s have dealt with their speed well. They managed to throw out Royals speedster Jarrod Dyson in both Games One & Two, but the attention of the base runners have been the x-factor of this series so far. The Baltimore starting pitchers have not been able to finish innings, and their pitch counts have not allowed them to stay late in games. It seems they are afraid to let the Royals hit a good pitch when a guy is on base, which leads to longer at-bats, which leads to the Orioles tapping into their bullpen far too early to put themselves in a winning position.
Power Coming into the series the Orioles led the league in long balls. With a whopping 212 home runs, the O’s lineup averages six runs per game. Yet, in Game One, the Royals hit three home runs and the O’s failed to hit any. Adam Jones got a hold of one in Game Two, but four key extra base hits, including a bomb by Kansas City third baseman Mike Moustakas, won the game for the Royals. This left Camden Yards silent and all of baseball on watch because it seems the Kansas City Royals are more than just a hot team; they are on fire. Bullpen One can argue that both teams had the best bullpens in all of baseball. It is a major reason these teams are playing for a chance to represent the American League in the World Series this year. A good bullpen wins games and more importantly wins playoff games. Both pens have given up runs thus far but the Royals won both games on the back-end of the Orioles. Shutdown closer Zach Britton walked the bases loaded in the ninth in Game One and then gave up a double to Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar in Game Two that brought in the winning run. Britton’s struggles have taken out the Orioles’ best strength. Their winning formula is six innings from the starter, one from lefthander Andrew Miller, one from righty Darren O’Day and finish it with Britton. Well the starter can’t get out of the fourth inning, which has led to O’Day pitching too long and Britton coming in to an unusual situation. In other words, they’re uncomfortable and it shows. When a team is used to playing a certain way all season long and it all of a sudden has not gone as planned, it seems nothing can go right. If the Orioles have any chance at coming back in this series, they have to jump out to an early lead to relieve stress off their starter. They need production in the end of the order so the big guns in Cruz and Jones have more pitches to hit. If nobody else in the order can produce, the Royals will pitch around them for the rest of the series and will walk into the World Series. James Belluscio can be reached at james.belluscio@spartans.ut.edu.
The St.Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants weren’t supposed to make it past the first round, but to everyone’s surprise they did. Both teams dispatched their opponents in four games. The Giants set a new record for the longest game in playoff history, when Game Two of the National League Division Series (NLDS) went 18 innings (over 6 hours of playing time) against the Washington Nationals before Giants first baseman Brandon Belt hit a go ahead home run in the top of the eighteenth to take the game 2-1. The Giants dropped Game Three 4-1 before winning the series in Game Four by a score of 3-2, the same score that they won Game One by. The St. Louis Cardinals were able to exploit the Los Angeles Dodgers’ shaky bullpen and their inconsistent hitting to also take their respective series in four. After tagging Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw for eight runs in Game One, the Cardinals nearly came back in Game Two, but fell to a Matt Kemp go ahead home run in a 32 defeat. In Games Three and Four, St. Louis infielders Kolten Wong and Matt Adams both hit home runs to put their team ahead. Despite the Dodgers threatening in the ninth Cardinals closer Trevor Rosenthal was able to record three saves in the series. Saturday’s game will be featuring two of the top pitchers in baseball, St. Louis’s Adam Wainwright against San Francisco starter Madison Bumgarner. Both teams can’t seem to be beaten in the playoffs and have different styles of play. With payrolls ranked seventh (San Francisco) and eleventh (St. Louis), they aren’t loaded with superstars and had to find other ways to get to the National League Championship Series (NLCS). The Giants’ midseason trade for starting pitcher Jake Peavy proved
to be the spark they needed, with Peavy going 6-4 with a 2.17 earned run average (ERA) in 12 starts. Peavy, along with Tim Hudson, didn’t necessarily give the Giants the best pitching rotation, but a veteran presence that in recent years has proved to be just as valuable as having aces. With two World Series wins since 2010, the Giants are an experienced squad who, while not the best team in the regular season, seem to be a completely different team when October comes around. The Cardinals are also a veteran team and have been to two World Series championships since 2011, including a loss last season to the Red Sox of Boston. The Cardinals, behind ace pitcher Adam Wainwright, also have veteran pitcher John Lackey who has started 17 postseason games in his career with a 2.92 ERA. Young guns Shelby Miller and Lance Lynn have continued thus far to pick up on where they left off last season. The hitters will be the difference in this series, with both teams having to work around their disadvantages. The Cardinals were among the bottom of the league in home runs in the regular season, but hit four in four games in the NLDS. The Giants also don’t have power as their advantage, but between catcher Buster Posey, third baseman Pablo Sandoval and outfielder Hunter Pence, they have a solid core in the middle of their lineup that they hope they can ride all the way to a world championship. This series won’t be a one sided series as both teams are pretty near equally matched, and both become nearly unbeatable once the playoffs start. Therefore, the Giants will take the series and represent the National League in the World Series. The Giants seem near invincible once the playoffs come around and after two previous championships, they know what it takes to win a third. Overall, the Giants will take this series in either six or seven games. Connor Anthony can be reached at connor.anthony@spartans.ut.edu
Keith Allison/Flickr
Cardinals slugger Matt Holliday leads an experienced Cardinals squad through another march in the playoffs.
SPORTS
THE MINARET | OCTOBER 16 2014
17
NFL, NBA Strike Gold With New TV Deals New TV deals open up cash flow for professional teams By GRIFFIN GUINTA Sports Columnist
The NFL and the NBA recently became a whole lot richer (as if they needed to). After revamping their TV contracts, each league will be hauling in a considerable surplus of cash in just television revenue alone. In the NBA’s case, it just struck gold on a reported $2.2 billion contract with sports giants ESPN and Turner Networks that runs for nine years--roughly a $1.3 billion increase from the previous deal. The old contract (worth about $930 million) still has two years left, but ESPN and Turner were taking no chances with this one, especially with rival corporations like Fox Sports 1 seeking to fleece a share of the rights. “We believe at the end of the deal it will feel inexpensive,” ESPN President John Skipper said to CBS Sports. As far as the NFL is concerned, their new deal lies with satellite provider DirecTV. Like ESPN and TNT, the popular network television distributor was eager to continue its ubiquitous coverage of every NFL game each week with its popular “Sunday Ticket” program. Unfortunately for DirecTV’s checkbook, the deal cost them about $1.5 billion, almost double what other stations like CBS, FOX and NBC pay. Perhaps DirecTV’s exclusivity will pay off in the long run.
$2.2 BILLION
This entire situation begs an interesting moral question for not only football fans, but media consumers in general. Aren’t we already paying these megalomaniac leagues enough? Between merchandise, pay-per-view access, and buying tickets to the actual games, the average fan could spend up to $1000 a year on the NFL or NBA. It may not seem like it right now, but this entire situation has a ripple effect. If ESPN, TNT and DirecTV are willing to money dump for the rights to these leagues, they’re likely going to charge more money to make up the difference. In turn, the local cable providers (e.g. Bright House, Verizon) will hike up their prices to compensate. Expect a few extra dollars to come out of your pocket per month on your cable bill--whether you watch football and basketball or not. Another byproduct of the deal is the undoubted increase in player salaries. All this money has to go somewhere after all, and the ones providing the entertainment will most certainly get a bountiful share. For all the NBA and NFL athletes this is a fantastic deal, but for those who believe athletes already make way too much this may ruffle your feathers a bit. That being said, there are some noteworthy upsides to the restructured television contracts. First and foremost,
NBA’s contract with ESPN and Turner Sports
$1.5 BILLION NFL’s contract with Direct TV
nationally televised games will increase in frequency. Last year, TNT and ESPN’s family of networks were allotted a combined 142 nationally television games, whereas this year they’ll be able to broadcast 164. It doesn’t seem like a huge difference, but those extra 22 games may give teams who aren’t typically shown on national TV a chance. Secondly, a potential NBA lockout may have just been avoided with the establishment of this deal. Even though bitterness still lingers among players after losing money in the 2011 lockout, there may not be anything to complain about if individual player salaries skyrocket in the coming years. This is good for fans, because who wants to endure another painful bickering fest between owners and players about who deserves more millions? Notably absent from this rights purchasing party is aforementioned sports outlet Fox Sports 1, the alleged new competitor of ESPN. FS1 was left
on the outside looking in after failing to snatch part of the NBA share from ESPN and Turner Networks. It’s truly a shame for them, because aside from Major League Baseball and European soccer, their live sport selection is about as diverse as the food sold at a hot dog stand. Now FS1 will have to wait another nine years before they can take another crack at the NBA sweepstakes. As far as their presence in the NFL is concerned, FOX is mainly limited to local coverage of Sunday games and the occasional Super Bowl. What’s most indicative of these deals is how much we value entertainment. If we as a society weren’t so invested in media consumption, you can guarantee that a sports league wouldn’t be making close to two and a half billion from television revenue alone. But as it stands, the rich keep getting richer and we supply the funding. Griffin Guinta can be reached at griffin.guinta@spartans.ut.edu
Why The NFL No Longer Deserves Non-For-Profit Status By PHIL NOVOTNY Sports Editor
The American Red Cross, Salvation Army and the National Football League are examples of notfor-profit organizations. Yes, the NFL is seen as tax exempt in accordance to Section 501 (c)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code. The tax code, which was amended during the AFL-NFL merger in 1966, states that professional sports leagues are not organized for profit despite paying pensions for individuals. According the 2011 IRS filings, the NFL is seen as a trade association who promotes the interests of its clubs. The league is not known for lobbying the government or creating industry standards like trade associations are supposed to do.. Instead, the NFL is creates a mass amount of revenue for themselves by licensing logos, merchandising and negotiating television deals with the major companies to broadcast games, including the Super Bowl. Overall, the fact that the National Football League creates revenue goes against the purpose of what a nonprofit organization is meant to do. A non-profit organization is supposed to focus solely on a charitable mission for society and not to pocket the additional revenue that they receive. Unfortunately, the NFL is not the only professional sports league that is not-for-profit. The National Hockey League and the PGA Tour and are also non-profits and Major League Baseball
just lost its nonprofit status in 2007. The NBA is the only league that has never had a non-profit label. Luckily, people started to take notice, including U.S senator Tom Coburn. Coburn, a Republican from Oklahoma, proposed a bill in 2012 which would abolish the NFL’s nonprofit status. In Coburn’s annual report in 2012, Coburn stated, “These organizations are taking advantage of the provision of the tax code that allows industry and trade groups, such as the U.S Chamber of Commerce and the Natural Resources Defense Council to qualify as non-profit and tax exempt. None of these groups can report a specific
brand within an industry, but each may promote an industry as a whole.” In addition to taking advantage of the tax code, Coburn pointed out that the NFL can use the loophole in the tax code to avoid some city and state taxes. The Indianapolis Business Journal reported that hotels and restaurants did not tax NFL employees. In those same reports, the NFL used its tax-exempt status to avoid paying taxes, in addition to fuel, auto rental and admissions taxes. Coburn’s reports stated that if his proposal is passed to get rid of professional sports leagues non-profit status then the NFL and NHL alone may generate $91 million annually
Matt McGee/ Flickr
Despite making billions of dollars per year, the NFL’s non for profit tax status has been heavily questioned.
for the federal government. Yet, the Congress’ Joint Committee on Taxation estimated $109 million of revenue that the NFL will produce over the next ten years. Therefore, professional sports leagues should not be labeled as nonprofit organizations due to the fact that leagues do not have a united social mission besides obtaining revenue for themselves. Also, the additional revenue that the NFL would gain would be taxed which would give more money to the federal government. The government can put that money back into the economy which would be more of a benefit to the American people rather than having it be pocketed by corporate executives. Also, if the NFL loses its nonprofit status, the average American will have to pay a little less in taxes per because the NFL would no longer be receiving a tax break for being recognized as a non-profit. Morally and logistically, pro sports leagues are just like any corporation without an objective for social change, they are for-profit. Coburn is still looking to push this bill through Congress. To nobody’s surprise, the NFL has already stepped up its lobbying efforts. OpenSecrets.org reported that the league spent $1.9 million to lobbying against Coburn’s bill. This is just the beginning of a long battle that will not will not go away anytime soon. Phil Novotny can be reached philip. novotny@theminaretonline.com
18 OCTOBER 16 2014 | THE MINARET
SPORTS
Men’s Soccer Undergoes SSC Slump Despite recent slump, men’s soccer still controls destiny By ED KERNER Sports Writer
The past few weeks have been tough for the men’s soccer team. In the heart of conference play, the Spartans needed as many points as humanly possible. Tampa played excellent as they marched their way to a third consecutive win, beating Florida Southern by a score of 3-1. Freshman Bay Downing put the Spartans on board first with an excellent goal in the twenty-second minute. Right after halftime, the Spartans struck again after a goal by junior Chris Campbell. With the win in sight, the Spartans added an insurance goal from a penalty kick in the seventy-first minute by freshman Monty Berrow. After the win, things started to fall apart for the Spartans. The team traveled to Lynn to open up Sunshine State Conference (SSC) play. The game was even at the half, until Lynn scored in the fiftyeighth minute. Trying to begin their comeback, the Spartans scored in the eighty-third minute on a shot from inside the box from senior defender Andrew Clare. Lynn answered back one minute later with a goal from Simon Gubisch. The Spartans were unable to come back and fell to Lynn 2-1 in the first Sunshine State Conference game. Head Coach Adrian Bush of the
Photo courtesy of Tom Kolbe
Defender Bay Downing, forward Craig Laird, forward Chris Campbell and the rest of the men’s soccer team have had little reason to celebrate lately.
men’s soccer team said, “I feel the demands of college soccer caught up with us tonight as it was our fourth game in eight days. It showed on the field, and Lynn was a better side on the day.” The Spartans looked to get back in the win column at Saint Leo. It was a game where defense ruled the match and the Spartans sadly ended up on the losing side once again. The Spartans defense limited Saint Leo’s scoring opportunities, but in the end the Lions broke through in the eighty-fifth minute. “This shows that we can play with anyone, and we must continue to grow with each performance,” Bush said. After playing the previous two games on the road, the Spartans came back home to play Palm Beach Atlantic University.
Clare started the scoring with a goal in the thirty-third minute. Later in the fiftieth minute, the Spartans struck again, with a goal from junior Keith Francisco. Senior midfielder Daniel Barboto scored his first goal of the season in the fifty-seventh minute, as the Spartans took a 30 lead. This would ultimately be the match-winning goal, as the Spartans would walk away with a massive win. Riding the momentum of the last match, the Spartans looked to win again as they hosted Florida Tech. Still without a win in the Sunshine State Conference, the Spartans looked to gather their first against the second ranked Panthers. In what could only be described as a match of two halves, the first half was not on the Spartans’ side as they were trailing 1-0 by the end of the first half.
The second half was all UT as they outshot the Panthers 12-2. Unfortunately, the Spartans could not find the back of the net and lost by a final score of 1-0. With an 0-3 record in the Sunshine State Conference, the Spartans tried Venue Information to get their first conference win of the season at Barry. In a game that was scoreless through 72 minutes, the Spartans broke through with the first and only goal of the game scored by Berrow which propelled them to their first league win of the season. “All that matters now is our next game. In this league, you must have amnesia. Tonight is over, we need to start preparation for Wednesday night at Florida Southern,” Bush said. Ed Kerner can be reached at edward.kerner@spartans.ut.edu
Women’s Soccer Continues Strong Pace Through SSC By MARCUS MITCHELL Sports Columnist
After kicking off the season with a nine game unbeaten streak, the women’s soccer team suffered their first loss of the season in a 2-0 defeat against Saint Leo University. It has been a difficult series for the Spartans as they have played away in four of their last five matches. After the loss to Saint Leo, the Spartans rebounded in a 2-0 victory against Florida Institute of Technology before going back on the road to face Barry. Ranked ninth at the time, Barry defeated the Spartans 3-1 in a close match in Miami Shores. As of now, the Spartans sit firmly in the middle of the Sunshine State Conference (SSC) table. In regard to the recent pair of losses, coach Gerry Lucey said, “We created enough opportunities for a result, but weren’t clinical in the final third.” Unfortunately, this has been a running theme for the offense as they have been struggling to find the back of the net, despite displaying excellent playmaking ability. The team has outshot opponents in nearly every match, the only exception being against Saint Leo, and have made great use of their set pieces on the pitch. Senior Captain Lauren Moore has been a maestro of sorts in the playmaking role for the team and the offense has been able to get
Photo courtesy of Tom Kolbe Seniors Gabby Russo and Lauren Moore have led the Lady Spartans through this season’s tough slate.
after opposing defenses. Junior Cici Gonzalez has continued to be a goal scoring threat and the MooreGonzalez pairing has been wreaking havoc through the center of the pitch. Along the sidelines, wingers junior Amber Pennybaker and senior Gabby Russo have been delivering stunning crosses and their blistering speed creates huge advantages for the Spartans. On the defensive front, the back four have remained resilient and have been able to keep the team in games. Discipline has been a minor issue with three yellow cards in the past four matches and overall fouls
have been a problem, with 42 in conference play. Despite this, the team has still avoided red cards and have managed opposing set pieces to a tee. One of the brightest players on the team so far has been sophomore goalkeeper Caroline Frykgard. Frykgard has been a brick wall for the majority of the season by averaging less than a goal allowed per game from over 70 shots faced. With a team that is still hungry to win, the Spartans are poised to gain good seeding in the SSC tournament this weekend if they rebound during
their tough conference schedule. Playing in one of the toughest conferences in the NSCAA, UT has their work cut out for them. “This is a very tough conference and there are no easy games. From here to the end of the season we need to be more focused on the details within the game and do our best to control and manage.” said Lucey. However, with the tough road trips out of their way, the Spartans are more than able to bounce back. The tough schedule does not frighten the team by any means and freshman centerback Madison Cox said, “As we head into the tougher part of our schedule, I think our back line will get more competition but we are ready for it.”Starting tomorrow, the Spartans will finish out their conference play at home. The team’s unbeaten home streak will be put on the line as they finish their conference season against Nova Southeastern, Eckerd, and Rollins. A strong October is not out of the realm of possibility for the Spartans as they make a final stand at home after a difficult road series. The upcoming home stand is much looked forward to by Lucey as he said, “It will be nice to get a run of games at home in eight days. Feels like we’ve been on the road a lot. I’m sure the team will be happy to see some familiar faces in the stands.” Marcus Mitchell can be reached at marcus.mitchell@spartans.ut.edu
SPORTS
THE MINARET | OCTOBER 16 2014
19
Freshmen to Lead Men’s Swimming
Young talent to replace last year’s seasoned veteran team By GRANT PAWLAK Sports Writer
With the men’s swim team’s regular season almost upon us, there’s a lot to look forward to this year. With a host of new freshmen to fill in the gaps that were left by last year’s seniors, the team looks to have a strong but challenging year. The opening meet will take place on Oct. 17 and the Spartans will be pitted against their SSC rivals, the Florida Southern Moccasins. The Spartans suffered a defeat last year when they went up against the Moccasins so this matchup may prove to be one of their harder fought meets of the season. While many of Tampa’s opponents remain the same with only one new contender added to the roster, the schedule is one of the most challenging the team has ever faced. “Even when our opponents are the same, the schedule gets tougher every year. Our conference has become the most competitive in Division II, so there are few easy wins,” Ssaid head coach Edward Brennan. The Spartans added Boston College to their regular schedule this year, beefing up their schedule. With 11 total meets as opposed to last year’s nine, the variety as well as the difficulty of the competition plays a
factor this season. “We added Boston College this year so our out of conference competitions will be challenging as well. We hope to repeat as women’s conference champions, but it’s even more competitive on the men’s side and a UT win would be an upset. Our national goal is to again finish in the top 10,” Brennan said. Last year, the men finished second in the Sunshine State Conference (SSC) Championships with the women’s team taking the gold. The men finished in the top 10 in the NCAA Championships coming in ninth overall. With the added pressure of new competition, it will be even more difficult for the Spartans to repeat their solid performance once again this season. “At this point I would have to say we’re weaker. We have no depth at backstroke and our breaststroke is a work in progress. It will be up to the freshman to turn that around. We are, as usual, very strong in the sprints and that makes our relays competitive on the national level,” Brennan said. With 14 new freshmen to work with, the talent pool for the Spartans is anything but dry. Some of the new faces on the team include freshmen Jack Cassidy, Kevin Cooney, Eoghan Daly and Richard Gullage. Cassidy is a very strong long distance swimmer, finishing his high school career with a time of 4:48.79 in the 500 freestyle and 1:47.39 in the 200 freestyle as well as an impressive time of 1:59.19 in the 200 IM. Gullage looks to be a strong swimmer as well
Photo Courtesy of Tom Kolbe The men’s swimming team has to recover from the loss of mulitple senior leaders from last year’s team.
with impressive times in a varied array of events. With a time of 53.40 in the 100 backstroke and a time of 21.38 seconds in 50 freestyle, he may very well be able to help fill in the gap the men’s team is experiencing with their backstroke times. “We have a large freshman class and the biggest plus is in our distance freestyle group. Ultimately this freshman class will be an outstanding one it’s just a matter of how long it will take to develop them into scorers in this very competitive conference,” Brennan said. While the Spartans have a large base of new talent, they also have six seniors with impressive race times themselves.
Senior Khalid Aldaboos clocked in last year with an impressive 50 Freestyle time of 20.51 and a time of 45.65 in the 100 freestyle. Kyle Freudiger remains a top long distance swimmer with a 500 freestyle time of 4:41.75 and a 200 fly time of 1:53.82 in his sophomore year alone. With the addition of many new faces to the team and the return of older ones, this year looks to be a promising one for the Spartans, especially if they can integrate the new swimmers to work well with and complement the strengths of the older swimmers in both relays and individual events. Grant Pawlak can be reached at grant.pawlak@spartans.ut.edu
Women’s Swimming Aspires to Best Last Year’s Team By REGINA GONZALEZ Sports Writer
The women’s swim team is ready to dive into the upcoming 2014 season. With their first meet coming up,the girls have been in extreme training mode since the start of the semester to prepare for the major competition they will face this fall. This year’s roster consists of 32 women that came to UT from all across the globe. The team, doubled its normal size from previous years due to the huge 2014 freshmen class that came in. Each swimmer has dedicated an immense amount of time to the extensive training schedule they have had so far. Head Coach Ed Brennan and his staff have the girls up from 6-7 a.m. Monday through Friday, they complete two days training in the pool and three days lifting in the weight room for their morning work outs. They then suit up again to swim two hours in the afternoon on weekdays and three hours on Saturday mornings. “Preseason, like in most sports, is spent largely on general conditioning and working on basic skills, starts, turns, distance per stroke,” Brennan said. “Training is based on the events they compete in. There are 14 events on the NCAA program. It takes a large staff and I’m very fortunate to have four great coaches on the deck with me every day.” Senior Briana Murphy goes into depth about preparation for the
upcoming season: “The training is personalized for each event. If you are a sprint freestyler, you basically only train the 50, 100 and maybe 200 freestyle. If you are an IMer, you will train mostly the 200 and 400 IM, and maybe another stroke if you have one. This works better than a one-size fits all approach,” Murphy said. “The differentiation and event specialization we practice at UT is different than most other programs. I think it gives us more of an edge on the competition.” With all the challenging practice these girls endure, the strengths of the girls on the roster this year are extremely diverse. The team is incredibly strong in the sprint group this year, especially the 50 and 100 freestyle. However, they also added three more distance freestylers this year too, which is a huge due to the fact that the distance groups have been relatively small in the past few years. It’s safe to say that it is a huge commitment to be a part of the swimming program The women’s swim team has raced their way to the top to become Sunshine State Conference (SSC) Champions for three years in a row. A major hope for their upcoming season is maintaining their victories and holding onto their title. “We certainly want to defend our conference championship and get back into the top 10 nationally. Much of that will depend on how our freshman class pans out,” Brennan said. Not only have these girls thrived in the water these past few years,
Photo courtesy of Tom Kolbe
The women’s swimming team looks to capitalize on last year’s strong showing. but they’ve thrived in the classroom as well. Last year the swimmers impressively had the highest student GPA of all athletics at UT along with their well-earned championship title. When it comes to the swimmers to watch out for, there are a number of girls that opponents won’t want to see in the lane next to them. “This year we have some really good incoming freshmen girls. Sophie Long is a really great all around swimmer, especially in the IM events. Brittany Bayes is another one to watch in the distance freestyle events. We also have quite a few returning swimmers who swam great in the past, especially sophomore Marisa Barton and senior Erin Plachy, they’re both sprint freestylers,” Murphy said.
Freshman environmental science and world affairs major Sophie Long, who joined the Spartan family all the way from England, said her successful teammates have been nothing but welcoming in the pre-season process. “Coming to the United States for college and being welcomed right away by such incredible, friendly girls is a wonderful feeling,” Long said, “We are a family already and I really think the love and support we give each other will guide us through our season no matter what happens. I love them!” The girls will put their hard work to the test in their first meet against top rival Florida Southern College on October 17. Regina Gonzalez can be reached at regina.gonzalez2@spartans.ut.edu.
20 OCTOBER 16 2014 | THE MINARET
SPORTS
Men’s Health Article Further Isolates Women In Sports
By DOHA MADANI Multimedia Director
Being a woman in the world of die-hard sports fans means you may inevitably live your life being categorized as either butch, boy crazy, or irrelevant. You’ll constantly be asked if your boyfriend bought that jersey, quizzed about your team as if you’re a poser and probably be told how “hot” it is that you enjoy sports. To top it all off, magazines will tell everyone exactly how to talk sports with a woman – because she will never understand. Recently, Men’s Health Magazine posted
an article called “The Secret to Talking Sports with Any Woman” on their website to encourage men to talk less about statistics and more about storylines. Getting hit with a wave of angry feedback, the publication pulled the article and publicly apologized via Twitter. But is that really enough? To give an idea of how large the female sports base actually is, we can look at the Nielsen reports that accounts women as 45 percent of the NFL’s viewership. Yahoo! Sports reported that over a third of those who tune in to major sporting events are females.The problem with the Men’s Health article is not the idea that women may not like sports, but the idea that
men should talk down to women about sports. While it may be a hard concept to grasp, there are actually women in the world who genuinely love and enjoy sports. The idea that a woman is uninterested in sports merely for her gender is disgracing. The idea that a woman does not care for the numbers involved in sports is sexist.Generalizing both men and women is unfair, but the deliberate moves to demean one gender are just wrong. Whether it involves insulting a girl’s athletic ability, or emasculating a boy for not enjoying a game of football, there is no reason for it. Men’s Health may be targeted only to men, but that does not give them the right to perpetuate stereotypes about women
that honestly insult their intelligence. This culture of isolating the female sports fan base needs to end, not only because it is wrong, but also because it is bad business. With growing amount of women who attend games and purchase gear, the lack of attention to such a significant portion of revenue is also neglecting a boost to profit. It is fair to say that women do not want to support teams that ignore domestic violence or to hear sports reporters drone on about how “manish” Serena Williams seems. Personally speaking, I have been a die-hard fan from my earliest memories. My brother and I fought over Michael Jordan basketballs; I gave speeches about Lou Gehrig for class assignments, and my first jersey was a Terrell Davis Broncos jersey in the 90s. Growing up, my closet had more New York sports gear than anything even resembling the color pink. Baseball hats still liter my room and car, stamped proudly with a Yankees, Rangers, or Giants logo. Sports mania is just as much a part of me as my name, and I cannot be the only woman who feels like that.Dealing with people who quiz my knowledge or passion for my teams is more exhausting than watching a tied playoff game in double overtime. Having to hear strangers tell me how attractive I am for liking sports is more annoying than Sidney Crosby’s constant whining. Listening to people question my sexual orientation is more rageinducing than A-Rod thinking New York fans will welcome his name on the roster next season.Athletics should be an aspect of life where people can bond, argue and yell together with only regional divisions between them. Doha Madani can be reached at doha.madani@theminaretonline.com
Volleyball Continues Crusade Towards Top Ranking By TESS SHEETS Sports Writer
Currently ranked No. 1 in the nation, the volleyball team is on a 10-match winning streak. With the next couple of weeks ahead, the Spartans prepare to participate in the South Region Crossover Tournament. Being the top ranked team in the country has not fazed the Spartans. However, the Spartans are focusing more on achieving their season goals of hosting the regional tournament and winning the national championship. “We all know it’s a ranking based on coaches opinions; It doesn’t mean we win the conference, it doesn’t mean we win the region and it doesn’t mean we play in the Elite Eight,” said Head Coach Chris Catanach. “We could fail in all those goals. So, it’s a publicity thing in some ways; we’re proud of it, we don’t talk about it much. We know what comes with it, the responsibility.” Photo courtesy of Tom Kolbe While the team is not solely focused on The volleyball team has maintained its top ranking in the NCAA Division II polls over the past few weeks. maintaining their No. 1 ranking, they do understand that many others make it a goal to upset the top opponent. Therefore, to keep on reminds us of this before each match.” changes in preparation for the next time,” top of the competition, the team knows that To ensure the team doesn’t get too smug Catanach said. “We won, so are we going to they must constantly be on their toes. in their position in the conference, Catanach make changes? That’s the scary thing, if you “We definitely know that being ranked makes a point of learning and making changes don’t make changes, you stay the same, if No.1 that we can’t be complacent,” said junior after each and every match, regardless of they get better, they beat you the next time. So right side hitter Marissa Lisenbee. “Everyone whether the team won or not. that’s what we’re trying to do is stay ahead of in conference is chasing us and if we take any “Everyone that we’ve played in our the curb and continue to make improvements team lightly it could end up biting us. Coach conference that we’ve beaten is going to make and make tweaks to the team.”
For the Spartans, the sky’s the limit as they work on improving each time they step on the court. The team notes the importance of preparing for each individual team they challenge, taking their season on a game-bygame basis to ensure that they keep a level head and consistent play as they strive to first host the regional tournament and then make it to the Elite Eight. “Each opponent we play is different and we have to prepare for anything to come at us,” Lisenbee said. “We take each match one at a time and coach makes sure that we don’t look ahead and overlook a team when we play multiple games in a week. Each match that we play give us the opportunity to get better and adapt to scenarios that we aren’t quite used to.” In the coming weeks, the team will be competing in the Region Crossover where they will challenge three top teams in the gulf south: West Florida, North Alabama and Valdosta State. The outcome of the tournament will determine whether or not the team will host the regional tournament. “These are some of the most important matches that we will play in regular season,” Lisenbee said. “It’s always nice to be able to host so we’re in familiar territory. We always play really well at home and it’s definitely a perk that we don’t have to miss any of our classes so we stay caught up.” Tess Sheets can be reached at tess.sheets@ theminaretonline.com