Florida’s Top College Paper
A p p l e ’s newest iPod that talks! Find out more on page [11]
Vol. 75 No. 24
ut.minaret@gmail.com
www.theminaretonline.com
April 3, 2009
VP of Enrollment Retiring After 14 Years
By Charlie Hambos Asst. Editor-in-chief
When Barbara Strickler came to The University of Tampa, she found a beautiful building but a lack of students walking its halls, and administrators were at the
Liberian President To Speak
By Charlie Hambos Asst. Editor-in-chief
The 66th most powerful woman in the world in 2008 will offer this spring’s commencement speech to the graduates and their family and friends. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, also known as, Africa’s “Iron Lady” was the first woman to ever be elected president of Liberia. "We are very pleased to have such an influential world leader help us celebrate a new wave of future leaders at commencement," said UT President Ronald See “Liberia”
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brink of closing down the school. Fourteen years later, the vice president of enrollment is leaving at a time when UT has more students and programs than ever. “There has been a real renaissance,” Strickler said. “I’ve seen it grow radically just about on every
front.” Dr. Ronald Vaughn became president of UT at the same time Strickler took her position. Both have been credited for bringing the university back to life and making it what it is today. “Barbara has played a critical
role in helping to turn the University of Tampa into a prestigious academic institution with an excellent national and international reputation,” Vaughn wrote in an e-mail statement. “Her skill and hard work has increased not only our enrollment figures, but also the
quality and diversity of our student body.” Strickler nearly quadrupled the full-time undergraduate enrollment from 1,412 students in 1994 See “Strickler”
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GreenFest Brightens Plant Park; AirFest Fills Skies Above Tampa. . . See Page [3]
A yearly celebration of local flora, Greenfest took over Plant Park last weekend. Photo by Lauren Moon
Strong Cannes Rolls Out Red Carpet For UT Student Pitchers, Strong Friends By Charlie Hambos & JP Busche Staff Report
By Brenton Burkett Sports Writer
Van Landingham (pictured) shares time with Henriott
See
“Ballers” [17]
Walking out to the Tampa Spartans’ softball field, Heather Van Landingham and Deanna Henriott are all smiles, talking and laughing the whole way. “She’s my friend,” Van Landingham said of Henriott. But these two have much more in common than just friendship. For one thing, both wom women are the ace pitchers for the nationally-ranked UT softball team. They chose this school for similar reasons. “I really liked this school when I came,” Van Landingham said. “I got a good feel for it. I know they had a good business school. And also recruiting. I liked the coaches. The pitching coach [Jaci Davis] is really, really good.”
From personal conflict to the big screen, the short film “One Last Stand” will not only be screened locally at the Sunscreen Film Festival but will take a UT Film and Media Arts major all the way to France for the Cannes Film Festival later in May. “One Last Stand” is a film that takes place in a world on the verge of WWIII when God chooses two people to make the decision to restart human history. Mehanna came up with the idea after he and his sister took a trip to Lebanon. His family had left six years earlier for the United States. When the Mehanna's went for a returned visit, they only planned on staying a few weeks. During that time, war broke out and Mehanna and his family were in the middle of it. “It was an experience that we never dreamt we would have been a part of,” Mehanna said. During this time he struggled with his faith and questioned why God was not doing anything. Mehanna originally shot the 20-minute film for his narrative
Inside ...
productions class; it cost $300. He decided to redo the film after suggestions from his professors and support from family and friends. “The characters weren’t balanced,” Mehanna said. “The original cut was melodramatic and I wanted it more to be a ‘last breath before you dive, drama.’ The new film cost $4,500 and Mehanna actually had a crew this time, as opposed to just using his father and a camera in the original film. Cut down to 15 minutes, the script was empowered with more “gutsy” dialogue, according to Mehanna. “I wanted it to be as real as possible,” he said. Mehanna’s support from professors, families and friends led him to the decision to submit his film to multiple film festivals; now
Taxpayer Information [3] Cass Building Intruder [4] Students Make A Hopeful Hit [11]
Global Warming Rebuttal [8]
Open Door To Death Cab [12] UT Play Photos [14]
Blogs From Overtime [19]
Senior Soccer [17]
“The poet... may be used as a barometer, but let us not forget that he is also part of the weather. ”
he is on his way to two. Michael Long served as the producer and Andrew Ortoski as the director of photography. Zach Ramos served as set designer, working 48 hours straight to ensure the set’s authenticity. “I feel very humbled and blessed, because of how many people helped and supported me to achieve my aims so far,” Mehanna said. Mehanna will graduate this spring. After going back to Lebanon for two months, he then plans on returning to the states to go to graduate school. He dreams of going to University of Southern California, Chapman University or the American Film Institute, all of which are in Los Angeles. Mehanna is already working on a new script for a new short film.
News.................[1-6] Commentary.. .[7-9] Editorial .............[7] A&E.............[10-15] Sports ..........[17-20] [Lionel Trilling]
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The Minaret | April 3, 2009
Bay Area Drought Affects UT’s Water Use By Jillian Randel Staff Writer
Editor-in-Chief Peter Arrabal parrabal@gmail.com
Asst. Editor-in-Chief Charlie Hambos chambos@ut.edu
News Editor Ellery McCardle minaret.news@gmail.com
Commentary Editor Derrick Austin minaret.commentary@gmail.com
Sports Editor Bobby Winsler
minaret.sports@gmail.com
A&E Editor Mel Steiner
minaret.arts@gmail.com
Online Editor Alex Vera
minaret.online@gmail.com
Head Photographer Mindy Tucker mindy.minaret@gmail.com
Adviser Charles McKenzie charles.mckenzie@ut.edu
Staff-At-Large
Sarah Gottlieb, Staff Writer Jillian Randel, Staff Writer JP Busche, Staff Writer Delaney Spoerl, Staff Writer Erika Escobar, Staff Writer Megan Smith, Staff Writer Austin Daniels, Cartoonist Max Roberts, Artist Abby Sanford, Photographer Kara Wall, Photographer John Meacham, Photographer Elizabeth Harm, A&E Kadie Hayward, A&E Kristen Vasquez, A&E Shelby Kuni, Sports Olivia Glynn, Sports Kyle Bennett, Sports Samuel Gerb, Sports Shannon Grippando, Copy Editor Josh Kratovil, Police Beat
You can reach The Minaret directly at (813) 257-3636
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The University of Tampa campus is known for its park and beautiful landscaping, which begs the question, how will the school maintain its aesthetic appeal with intensified water restrictions? Current restrictions allow sprinkler watering one day a week for the Tampa Bay area, but beginning April 3, all sprinkler watering will be limited to hand watering in order to control the current water shortage. “Current restrictions allow us to water one day a week per area, so we water part of the campus on Tuesday and part on Sunday. A provision in the restrictions allows us to water the sports fields twice a week as a safety measure,” Tim Purdy, UT’s grounds and facilities manager, said. “All grass has overhead irrigation, which is a sprinkler device currently restricted. But for most of our plant material we have a drip tube which is a low volume irrigation not restricted now." Purdy said that even the drip irrigation could be restricted on April 3. The mainstream news media
is not reporting the problem accurately, Purdy said. “The critical shortage exists with potable water, which is supplied by the reservoir and desalinization plants. The reservoir is cracking and not holding enough water, and the desalinization plants are only operating at about half capacity”. However, these are not necessarily the same sources of water used for sprinkler or irrigation systems. “Water for campus flora comes from permitted wells, which are not as critically low right now. Because the shortage is with potable water, the main issue is that they don’t want people watering lawns with potable water right now,” Purdy said. Tampa Bay has been in a drought for three years. The use of water from wells will continue to deplete water sources. Water from permitted wells comes from the aquifers. Periods of drought most often mean that the amount of water the aquifers contain is lower than usual because of a lack of rainfall. Even the use of permitted wells is
Photos by Abby Sanford
using up water that is not necessarily abundant right now. “The twist for the sprinkler watering is that the emergency ordinance that will be in effect on April 3 is not totally written out yet. There could be some changes or exceptions to sprinkler watering from permitted wells. The most critical shortage is with the potable water, which does not come from the same source that we use to water the lawns” Purdy said. He assured that the university was following all watering protocol.
“The university is very high profile, so we have been following all the rules. We will not be doing anything illegal”. Jillian Randel can be reached at jillianrandel@yahoo.com
UT Takes Online Approach to Target Students By Sarah Gottlieb Staff Writer
UT’s advertisements are difficult to miss in the Tampa Bay area; they are on the radio, on billboards and in local newspapers. Lately though, you may have noticed UT ads popping up on Facebook pages. In addition to more traditional methods of advertising such as print and broadcast, the university recently began to amp up its online advertising efforts. “The medium we choose to advertise in is usually dependent on our goals and the target demographic we are pursuing,” Eric Cardenas, Director of Public Information, wrote. “Facebook is a more recent advertising venture that we started this semester to attract current students (enrolled at UT and other institutions) to enroll in summer classes at UT.” The advertisement for summer courses that has appeared on Facebook is sponsored by the Office of Continuing Studies. The ad
Photos by facebook.com
was launched on March 2 and is scheduled to run through the end of June. “We’re doing it as an alternate way to reach people as opposed to just using print and other traditional ads as used in the past,” Karen Full, Director of the School of Continuing Studies and Summer Sessions Enrollment, said. “We wanted to try another route this time to see who else we could reach.” Facebook places ads on pages that are believed to match an advertiser’s target audience. Facebook allows advertisers to choose target audiences by selecting variables such as location,
age, sex, education, relationship interests and languages. Full said that Continuing Studies used targets for education, age and location. She also said Continuing Studies has been trying to target the adult market for evening college in addition to hitting the traditional student market. While traditional advertising varies in expense and is usually paid for per spot or placement, Facebook charges per hit on an advertisement Cardenas said. When asked if she thought the summer session advertisement on Facebook has been successful, Full said it’s too early to tell.
A UT Facebook advertisement
“It’s something that we’re just trying but Facebook seems to have a rising audience. We felt like it was another avenue for us to take,” she explained. Full added though that a similar advertisement placed on Yahoo! had more hits and seemed to be doing better. Cardenas said he suspects the university will continue looking into advertising online on other social media sites. “We believe online advertising is an important tool in many of our marketing strategies,” he wrote. Sarah Gottlieb can be reached at sgottlieb@ut.edu
UT Emails Still a Hot Ticket for Scammers Phishing scams continue to bog UT email system
By Cristobal Gomez Staff Writer
On Tuesday March 24, the Office of Information Technology sent out a global e-mail to all University of Tampa accounts warning everyone about a phishing scam and stating that the university's IT department will “never send an e-mail requesting your username and password.” Phishing scams are e-mails that are designed to trick people into replying with their username and password. The scam than can use the information for identity theft or to send spam e-mails using the
hacked address. At least one UT e-mail account holder was fooled by the latest phishing scam. Director of Instructional Technology, Stephen Magriby, urged account holders to be vigilant and report all suspected phishing emails to spam@ut.edu. Once the phishing e-mail has the information, it uses the hacked UT account to send out thousands of spam e-mails. The problem for UT's IT department is that other users from companies like Hotmail, Yahoo, and Comcast than report ut.edu accounts as spam. Then UT e-mail
accounts are blacklisted and IT the department has to try and get them un-blacklisted. Magriby said the quicker the IT department learns about a phishing scam, the more effective they can be at combating it. “If no one ever responds, than sooner or later it will stop,” he said about the phishing scams. Since July 2008 Magriby estimated three dozen UT e-mail accounts have replied to phishing scams. While staff and faculty seem to report most of the scams, he suspects some students are too embarrassed to report being tricked and
just try to get new accounts. Magriby said that universities in general tend to be targeted by phishing scams because they have more relaxed controls on e-mails than commercial accounts because of academic freedom. Most of the phishing scams that have targeted UT e-mail accounts have come from countries like Holland and Russia. Part of the reason for the new password requirements for UT email accounts is to try and combat phishing scams. Cristobal Gomez can be reached at ceiroa.goomez@ut.edu
News
The Minaret | April 3, 2009
Tax Season Looms Over Students
By Anne Orban Staff Writer
Tuition is deductible more so now than ever. Students might be unaware that they can save thousands of dollars by paying attention to federal education tax credits and deductions. "As a student, I am excited about the potential benefits the changes offer to students. Furthermore, it incentivizes spending, which could spur the economy, and promotes education, bettering our citizens," said the Nicholas Williams, president of UT’s accounting honor society Beta Alpha Psi. With the economy in the shape it is currently in, every dollar counts. And whether parents or students themselves are picking up the tab on tuition or interest loans, they should take advantage of the new tax savings. According to the College Board, 8.5 million taxpayers recently benefited from federal education tax credits and deductions, saving approximately $6.5 billion. In the article “Don’t Overpay for Your Higher Education by Overlooking Education Tax Credits and Deductions”, Sallie Mae (the nation’s leading program in saving and paying for college) recommends taxpayers in college investigate whether they are eligible to claim one of the following credits and deductions: · 529 College Savings Plans are tax free when used to pay for qualified higher education expenses. Many states offer taxpayers deductions for contributions into their 529 plan accounts. Account owners of tax-advantaged 529 college savings plans will be able to count the purchase of a computer for a college student as a qualified education expense in 2009. 529 college savings plans allow families to save money for higher education while earnings grow federally tax deferred and can be used to pay for the cost of college. * American Opportunity Tax Credit (formerly known as the Hope Tax Credit) provides up to a
$1,800 tax credit per eligible student. This credit, which grew by $150 from the previous year, may be claimed for college freshmen or sophomores. A new law has been passed this year that says the American Opportunity Tax Credit will expand the American Opertunity credit from $1,800 to $2,500 and allow families to use the credit for up to four years of college instead of only the first two. For the first time, lower-income taxpayers who do not have a tax liability may also benefit. Because the new credit will be partially refundable, some will qualify for a payment of up to $1,000. Families planning ahead for the 2009 tax year should be aware of changes like this made as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 economic stimulus package, making investments in higher education more affordable at tax time next year. * The Lifetime Learning Tax Credit provides a tax credit of up to $2,000 per family for higher education expenses. Students in any year of college or graduate school or taking continuing education courses may be eligible. * The Tuition and Fees Tax Deduction may reduce taxpayers’ taxable income by as much as $4,000 for tuition expenses and related fees. However understanding income limits and restrictions on how education tax credits and deductions can be combined is important. Tuition and Fees Deduction cannot be combined with the Lifetime Learning Tax Credit, but the Student Loan Interest Deduction can be used in combination with any other education-related benefit. * The Student Loan Interest Tax Deduction can exclude up to $2,500 from taxable income for eligible taxpayers who paid student loan interest during 2008. Scholarships for room and board can also be taxable. According to standards used by the college to determine full-time status, payments for room and board can be qualified education expenses
for college students who carry at least half the normal workload. After looking into all the tax credits and deductions, students should gather the right supporting documents. To calculate the Student Loan Interest Deduction, taxpayers need to obtain form 1098-E from their loan service. Anyone claiming one of the credits or the Tuition and Fees Deduction will need Form 1098-T from their college or university. Students should pay close attention to these opportunities to save their money. One state report found that Florida students combined are likely missing out on more than $24 million in free money for college. Beta Alpha Psi offers free income tax assistance to senior citizens and people with lower incomes (under $42,000 a year). "Over the past few years, we have contributed hundreds of hours of free tax preparation services to the VITA sites throughout the Greater Tampa Bay Area,” said Vice President of Beta Alpha Psi Andrew Argue. “It is a great for our members to use their skills to help as many people as possible. We are always trying to inform people that we can do their taxes… for free!" Students can get free tax a preparation course at Hillsborough Community College, Beulah Baptist Church or at the John F. Germany Library. Simple federal tax returns may be e-filed at no cost by using TurboTax Federal Free Edition. Members of Upromise, a free program that helps students and families save money for education expenses, can earn cash rewards when they purchase TurboTax. “Hopefully new tax benefits will continue to help UT’s student body to grow,” said Williams. “Maybe students who wouldn’t have had the opportunity to go here otherwise can now afford to and we will see a whole new dynamic group of people.” Anne Orban can be reached at aorban@ut.edu
Tri-Beta Purchases Toxic Pollutant By Jeffrey Palmer Staff Writer
In a recent EPA auction, the University of Tampa’s Beta Beta Beta, Biological Honors Society in close collaboration with the Environmental Protection Coalition, placed two winning bids. The event is held annually to purchase the rights to sulfur dioxide pollution. Through a series of fundraisers and by the personal contributions, Tri-Beta accumulated $400 with which to enter the auction. This amount was augmented by a grant from the UT Student Government, raising $1,000. Their efforts were rewarded by purchasing nearly four tons of sulfur dioxide, which would otherwise be released by industrial corporations into the atmosphere. Tri-beta, composed of science majors concerned for environmen-
Members of Tri-Beta Photo by John Meacham
tal issues, is actively engaged in frequent cleaning projects around Tampa, hosting public awareness presentations, and participating in various forms of environmentallyoriented community service. “If organizations like us purchased all of the pollution rights, then there wouldn’t be any sulfur dioxide emitted into the atmosphere by major corporations and
businesses,” Kevin Jagnandan, president of Beta Beta Beta said. Jagnandan also said “We would like to thank everyone who provided assistance in this accomplishment through their donations, purchases, and support. Together, BBB and EPC has made a substantial difference, and we hope to do the same next year.”
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A pair of annual festivals descended on Tampa, with Greenfest bringing spring to Plant Park and Airfest bringing huge crowds and high-tech planes to South Tampa. (Photo above by Lauren Moon; below by Scott Silvestro)
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News
The Minaret | April 3, 2009
Intruder Caught Twice in Cass Building
By Michael Franz Staff Writer
For at least the second time in eight days, a lab assistant in the Cass Communication Lab discovered an unauthorized non-student using lab equipment. The lab is typically reserved exclusively for UT students taking communication courses. Lab assistant Christina Syms was in the lab both times the unknown man was caught using the newly renovated facility. The first time was last Monday, March 23. Syms had no idea the man was not a UT student until he approached her asking for assistance. “He didn’t know anything [about the program or facility],” Syms said. Lab assistants typically alert professors to students struggling with classwork, especially basic techniques like the ones the mysterious person inquired about. When Syms asked what class the project was for, the individual admitted that he was not enrolled at UT and was working on a UT student’s assignment. “In my mind… I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, what is he doing here?’” Syms said. At this point, she kicked him out and thought that would be the end of the problem. The next day, Syms reported the incident to Lab Supervisor Corey George. Eight days later, Syms spotted the same man working in the lab
Students working in an edit lab in the Cass building Photo by Michael Franz
shortly after 5 p.m on March 31. Once again, she alerted George. “After he admitted that he didn’t attend UT, I told him he had 30 seconds to get out or I was calling security,” George said. George knows of no similar incidents at Cass and thinks that the building and the students inside are as safe in the lab as any other building on campus. “When we were planning this building out, security was very important with the building being on Cass Street and on the bridge,” George said. “There’s light in the hallways and the exterior of the building and after 6 [p.m.], you need security clearance to enter the building.” On the other hand, communication professor Donovan Myrie did recall an October burglary of Cass Anex, the adjacent building, where several communication professors’ offices are located.
“Part of the problem is you have to balance the idea of an open campus environment with security,” Myrie said. “We lock down the building at 6 at night but the other thing is do you lock it down during the day?” George and Myrie agreed that Syms handled the situation correctly and believes faculty and students need to be cautious and report suspicious behavior to keep safety at its highest. “A lot of students want this building open 24 hours a day,” Myrie said. “But if we can’t get it right between the hours of 6 and 12, I don’t know how we’re going to get it right between 12 and 8.” UT security advises students not to hold open the doors of secure buildings. Campus Security asks people observing potentially dangerous activity at extension 3333 on campus and (813) 2515133 from cell phones.
New VP of Enrollment to Continue UT’s Growth By Charlie Hambos Asst. Editor-in-chief
Dennis Nostrand has been chosen to follow Barbara Strickler as the next Vice President of Enrollment. Nostrand has been the Vice President of Enrollment Management at the University of New Haven in Connecticut since 2006. Before that, he held the same position at Arcadia University as well the associate dean of enrollment at the State University of New York at Morrisville. He received his bachelor’s degree in secondary education from Ohio Northern University and a master’s degree in secondary education from the State University of New York at Cortland. Dr. Vaughn is happy to bring Nostrand on board as the next Vice President of Enrollment. “Dennis is a very experienced enrollment manager and leader and has been successful wherever he has been. Based on the diverse feedback we received about Dennis, we’re fortunate to have him and his talents at UT,” Vaughn wrote. Nostrand has been to Florida a few times during the hiring process and said that he was very impressed with the maturity of the students, the grounds and Plant Hall. Compared to the other institutions that Nostrand has worked with, he said UT’s current enrollment system is in good shape. “We need to build on what’s already happening,” Nostrand said.
Dennis Nostrand Photo by UT Public of Information
“There are a lot of good things in place.” He did express that he wants to boost UT’s rankings in U.S. News and World Report. He also said he knows UT belongs in the Association of New American Colleges and wants to
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Dennis is a very experienced manager and leader, and has been successful wherever he has been. -President Vaughn
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get the university there. Nostrand wants to improve the technology used for enrollment at UT by using social networking sites. At UNH, he sends each accepted student an invite to join an accepted UNG students Facebook group where his office facilitates discussion. He said that of the 1,800 students in the group, each spends an
average of 30 minutes per day on the site. His office has also implemented programs on YouTube, High Five, Twitter and Digg. One popular program is a radio show on iTunes by the director of admissions at UNH where he brings in faculty from different departments and asks them questions that prospective students may find interesting. He has also implemented a program to have students send a text message of their interest in the university instead of filling out a card. At Arcadia University, the biggest thing he did was change the name. Arcadia University was formerly called Beaver College. Nostrand understands the importance of a school’s reputation to employers and he wants people to know about UT all over the world. “If students want to go to California, they have to know about UT.” Graduates are also important to Nostrand. “Sometimes people forget how important the graduates are,” Nostrand said. He wants to make sure that all graduates think that their education here becomes more valuable each year. Nostrand will start at UT on May 26. Charlie Hambos can reached at chambos@ut.edu
be
Photo by Abby Sanford
UT Grad Program Goes International By Delaney Spoerl Staff Writer
The University of Tampa offers business students an engaging program that integrates traveling abroad and the opportunity to move upward in their business. The John H. Sykes College of Business has been a place of study for top executives of Tampa bay since 2005. The "Enhanced Saturday MBA Program for Business Leaders," which was recently changed from “Saturday MBA Program for Business Leaders,” begins every fall and continues through the end of the semester. It is a two-year program that meets every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fernando Nolasco, Director of Graduate Studies at the Sykes College of Business said, “The program is designed for those in a managerial position with strategic applications of business. The focus of the program is a leadership with an international component.” Students in the two-year program are required to spend a short From “Strickler”: Front Page to 4,712 in 2008. She increased the university’s profile by switching from an open-door admission policy to the current 49 percent admittance rate. Strickler even raised the standard of SAT scores of incoming students by approximately 100 points. Her successes didn’t come easy. In the beginning, no one believed that she could increase enrollment. Even the former director of public information bet Strickler a bottle of Don Perignon that she could not increase enrollment. “I won the bet,” she said, with a smile, sitting in her new corner office in the Riverside Building. When she first came to the university, Strickler’s office in Plant Hall didn't even have a computer. Now, her corner office gives her great views of the Hillsborough River and Plant Park. One of the biggest challenges has been managing the enrollment increase and university expectations, she said. The current economy has become another obstacle for enrollment at UT and around the country. “We have added 30 or 40 new initiatives,” she said. Trying to get applicants to start their application process early is one of the initiatives put in place. Strickler also mentioned that another initiative program flew in guidance counselors from New England boarding schools in an effort to target students who have the willingness and ability
time in a foreign country assessing and creating a business strategy in conjunction with an international company. The program has been redesigned this year using a hands-on approach to business leadership including enhanced course topics in sustainability, knowledge and innovation management, diplomacy and negotiation skills. A list of the 12 courses required over two years can be found on the UT website under "graduate studies." Since the program's start in 2005, it has averaged 36 students, most of which have about 14 years of work experience in business. When asked what students do with this degree after completion, Nolasco said most of them are already working professionals that get promoted to a higher position or switch to a different company. "It gives them an opportunity for upper mobility,” he said. The cost of the program is $38,000 and fall enrollment for 2009 is still open. to pay the tuition. At this point, she is not sure what the outcome will be, but so far the enrollment numbers for the fall are higher than in 2008. “We seem to be weathering the storm well,” Strickler said. Director of Admissions Brent Benner, who works closely with Strickler, expressed that his time with her has been very beneficial. “I have thoroughly enjoyed the four years that I have worked for Barbara Strickler and have learned immensely from her experience and expertise,” Benner said. Strickler has been working hard behind the scenes increasing enrollment every year since she started and has decided to retire but not leave completely. “I’ve been trying to retire from the position for a while,” she said. “I can’t imagine myself retiring and doing nothing." After she ends her career as vice president of enrollment, she will work with President Vaughn on some special marketing projects a few times a week. “I’m also pleased to have Barbara working part-time on some special projects that will benefit UT,” Dr. Vaughn wrote. Strickler said that her time at UT has been successful and the pace fast, but now is the time for her to slow down and catch up. “A lot of people are wondering why I want to retire,” Strickler said. “I feel like I’m letting my life slip by me, and I need to catch back up with my life and do things I like to do.”
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The Minaret | April 3, 2009
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Josh Kratovil
Compiled From Reports Provided By UT Security
Why take a boat when you can ride a bike? A student entered the security office to report the theft of his bicycle from the Boathouse on March 23. He locked the bike up to the stairwell on March 6 only to return on March 15 and find that someone had cut the lock and removed the bike. Facilities were contacted to check if they had removed the bike for safe storage but they informed they had not removed it. I’ve been holding this in FOR A YEAR! A student entered the security office to report that another student had attacked him unprovoked near the Sykes building on March 24. He stated that he was walking in front of the Sykes building when the other student yelled and obscenity at him as he walked by. The student then got up from the bench he was sitting at and approached him punching him on the face. He advised he had a previous incident off campus with this student about a year ago and has no idea why he is targeting him. The student was identified and referred to the conduct board. Tampa Police also responded at the student’s request and completed a request for prosecution on the other subject.
Salsa Rico is on me today, guys! A faculty member came to the security office on March 25 to report that her purse had been stolen from her car in the Stadium Center parking lot. She reported that she had parked her car on March 24 at approx 4:00 p.m. and left her purse inside the car. When she returned to her car at approx 5:30 p.m. she found that the purse was now missing. There were no signs of forced entry to the car and the subject advised that one of the doors may not have been locked. She was also given the non emergency number to the Tampa Police Dept. Definitely not an appropriate way to conduct yourself, kids. Security was contacted by the Office of Student Conduct on March 25 because their camera system had been damaged. Officers responded and found that the wiring of the camera had been damaged in the room used for hearings. Media services responded and corrected the problem. Water spots on my knife again?!?! We’ll see about that. A Sodexho employee came to the security office to report damage to his rental car. He said he had parked his car on the first floor, west of the ramp, at approx 11:00 a.m. on March 25. When he returned to his car at 4:30 p.m. he found that one of his tires had been cut with an unknown object.
The Minaret | April 3, 2009
Shiny Toy Guns Officers responded to the 5 floor Vaughn trash room in reference to an anonymous call of a rifle on March 26. Upon arrival officers they located a semi automatic rifle in the trash area. Closer inspection revealed it to be an airsoft gun that had been taped and painted to have the appearance of a real M-16 rifle. The toy was removed and placed into the security property room. Study Hall visit leads to detention Officers were requested to assist at the Study Hall Bar located on Cass St. by Tampa Police officers on March 26. Thwey had arrested several subjects and wanted to verify if they were current students of UT. Upon arrival of UT officers all the subjects were identified as current students of the university. Tampa Police then transported the subjects to the Hillsborough County Jail for several charges, including underage drinking. All subjects’ information was also forwarded to UT conduct board for further review. Know what’s great … is if you called your phone and then heard the ringing in your professor’s bag… A student came to the security office on March 28 to report the theft of her cell phone. She said that she was sitting on a bench in the Vaughn Center courtyard talking to some other students at approx 11:30 or 11:45 p.m. while waiting for her friends to arrive. She made a phone call and set her phone down next to her. When she left she neglected to pick the phone up with her other belongings. When she returned at 2:00 a.m. the phone was missing.
Mar. 31 Meeting •
Andrew Learned presented a PowerPoint for the second Reading of the New Constitution. Two amendments were revised regarding the VP Programming and the RHA president and the Student Commuter president. All three positions will be a part of the president’s cabinet.
Speech Contest Approaches By Anne Orban Staff Writer
The University of Tampa is having a speech contest April 15. The contest will be open to all UT students. Speeches may be on any topic and may be persuasive or informative. “I think there are a lot of important subjects that need to be addressed right now,” said 2007 UT graduate Jessica Lindner. From “Liberia”: Front Page Vaughn in a UT press release. "Her emphasis on human rights, global understanding and personal freedom complements UT’s mission of educational excellence. This will certainly be one of the most exciting and memorable UT commencements in our history." David A. Straz Jr. helped to get Sirleaf to speak at commencement. She had a previous event in the U.S. and Straz was able to talk her into speaking at commencement. Straz is an Honorary Consul to Liberia and a personal friend of Sirleaf according to Eric Cardenas, the director of public information. “President Sirleaf is an inspiring leader and role model who I’ve known for several years,” Straz said. “This is a wonderful opportunity for UT graduates
The contest will be held in Riverside rooms 11 and 13. No entry fee is required and the grand prize for best speech is $150. “I want to enter,” said Robert Carreiro. “Any chance to win some extra money, I’ll take.” Registration forms and contest guidelines are available through professor Chris Gurrie at cgurrie@ut.edu and professor Ann Marie Coats at acoats@ut.edu. to experience and learn from a world leader who has successfully brought peace and stability to her country.” As president of Liberia, Sirleaf instituted principles to improve development in the country which included: peace and security, economic revitalization, governance and the rule of law and basic infrastructure and services. At commencement, Sirleaf will be given an honorary degree in Humane Letters because of her leadership in Africa and commitment to human rights. Cardenas said that the honorary degree is a great honor that the university can give to someone. (It gives the person the same rights of someone who graduated from the university). Commencement will be held in the St. Pete Times Forum on May 10 and is open to the public.
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7
Commentary
The Minaret | April 3, 2009
Cheers
& Jeers
Blankets
Snuggies
Aliens
Monsters
May Flowers
April Showers
Summer Break
Sunburns
Going Green
Global Warming
The 90s
The 80s
Earth Day
Earth Hour
Softball
Tennis
Satire
Fools
Haiku
Sestina
Career Services Opens Doors To Jobs The University of Tampa’s Career Services office is busier than it ever has been, and with good reason. Seniors are panicking as they face a disrupted job market while underclassmen are clamoring for internships so they are prepared for the weak job market with valuable experience. Luckily, Career Services is up for the challenge. With a team of staff members and a slew of opportunities, they give students an advantage in a disadvantaged market. At last week’s Board of Trustees meeting, much praise was heaped onto the Career Services office. Even Trustee John Sykes, whose name presides over the College of Business, gave the staff a glowing review and urged other trustees to sign their companies up for internships and job openings. The board is filled with dozens of high-powered business owners who have successful operations in the Tampa area, and they could benefit from an influx of student
interns. If they believe enough in the university to donate large sums of money, they should believe in the capabilities of the students they are supporting. More important than the benefits to the business is the growth that UT students will see. With negative job creation, only those candidates who can show an immediate ability to help a company are likely to be hired. Whom would you pick? The guy with the 3.5 and a great attitude, or the guy with a 3.5, a great attitude and a year of working at a Fortune 500 company? Career Services is giving students a leg up. Some trustees and many local businesses are giving themselves and UT students a leg up. But only the proactive, dedicated students are helping themselves. The office is so busy that Sheila Hood, who works with seniors, joked that she crosses her fingers at every incoming email,
praying it’s not a graduating senior who needs help. Everything isn’t roses over in Riverside, though. The office is dangerously low in their abilities to help a wide range of students, especially those in the sciences. Efforts have been made to expand to biology and conservation positions, but they just aren’t up to their abilities yet. Every student should take a trip to the Career Services office. They don’t even make you climb the stairs to the third floor of Plant Hall anymore, as they enjoy their sweet new digs in the Riverside building. You even get to walk down a ramp instead of up three flights of stairs. Get a resume review. Look over internships. Work on a cover letter. Find a job. You pay for these services; show that you know the value of your tuition dollar and get something in return for it.
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Remains A Policy Worth Debating Open acceptance of homosexuals in the military may be just a matter of time
By Derrick Austin Commentary Editor
“Don’t ask, don’t tell” has never made much sense to me— except as the punchline of a joke. From what I understand, this policy regarding homosexuals is supposed to preserve order and troop morale because gays are obviously detrimental to social order elsewhere: schools, malls, corporations, government agencies. Yes, because we’re a disruptive group of people—I’m getting carried away with myself, but you see the point. It’s a nonsensical law that
leadership at all levels, have adverse deserves to be repealed. Obama may not give us gay effects on the willingness of parents marriage, but I strongly believe who lend their sons and daughters he’ll repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell” to military service, and eventually break the Allbefore his term ends—just a “Those arguments Vo l u n t e e r Force.” gut feeling in favor of preserving I hear about his echoes from ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ character that excerpt in t e l l s m e h e are about power, sex this: understands and politics....mired In 1948, how many in outdated cultural Senate Armed Americans are F o r c e s unable to serve fears.” C o m m ittee their country C h a i r man with honesty R i c h a r d and dignity. Russell said, “[T]he mandatory Ye t , o v e r 1 , 0 0 0 r e t i r e d military officers—many used to i n t e r m i n g l i n g o f t h e r a c e s have high-ranking positions in the throughout the services will be government—issued a statement a terrific blow to the efficiency decrying any attempt to change and fighting power of the armed services….It is sure to increase the the law. Changing it “would undermine number of men who will be disabled recruiting and retention, impact by communicable diseases. It will
increase the rate of crime committed by servicemen….” I’m pretty sure my dad hasn’t ruined morale among his troops. Nobody’s fled in terror from him, and if someone has, I’m sure it’s not because he’s black but because that person had a reason to run. Those two opinions sound like every argument against racial and gender integration in the armed forces: they’ll break up cohesion; no one will respect a gay, female or racial minority in a position of power; there will be an increase in sexual harassment; they aren’t as strong or skilled; recruitment rates will drop. (One of the arguments against women joining the armed forces was fear of sexual harassment—yes, because they suddenly cared about the amount of women sexually harassed in the workplace when
nothing is done.) These arguments are about power, sex and politics. They create a hierarchy of strength and are mired in outdated cultural fears. They also exaggerate the inconsequence of how people have sex. Those who make the most fuss about changing the status quo are often the least affected by it. It seems impractical to make such a fuss out of being gay in the military. There are thousands of Americans who’d like to serve but can’t, and if those currently serving conflict over sexual orientation, hopefully they’ll see eye to eye on their mutual love for our country. Despite our current furor and unease, America has proved itself capable of cultural transformation time and time again—it’s only a matter of time.
Impractical Chapel Construction Raises More Anger Than Spirit
By John Jacobs Columnist
When I came to UT and saw the construction site, I didn’t think about what it was or how long it would take to build. It’s now been a semester and a half and ten beams are sticking out of the ground. Yay! Progress! When I realized we were building a chapel, I started to think about what that would mean for the school. We’re now going to have a place on campus where people can go celebrate whatever their religious affiliation is. Sounds reasonable. Then I thought: “Isn’t there a church like right down the street from here?”
Then I got online and figured some stuff out that didn’t make me happy. There are nine churches within one half mile of our campus! Don’t worry Jews; I didn’t forget you—there are also nine temples within three miles of our campus! I thought: “Okay, we have plenty of temples and churches around our school; maybe ‘chapel’ carries the connotation of more than one religion.” So I searched for chapels, and guess how many there are within a 4-mile radius of our campus? There are nine. (I think it has something to do with Google limiting the amount of results at a time. But that doesn’t matter!) Then I figured this must have something to do with John Sykes—the giant round building and business school John Sykes. The way I see it, the administrators took a trip to John Sykes castle (in my head he lives in
a castle, humor me), knocked on his giant golden door and begged him for money. After the butler leads them to Sykes’s throne room, (he’s sitting on a diamond-covered throne, probably eating something that looks really bad, but it’s expensive so they’re impressed) our administrators come face to face with ‘The Sykes.’ “We’re thinking about building something next to your beautiful business school building and were wondering if you would make a donation? As usual, we’ll name it after you.” Now I don’t know what would be going through Sykes’ head, but I believe he answered: “I want a chapel.” “You want a chapel?” “Yes, a chapel! Now here’s money. Go build it!” ‘The Sykes’ then proceeds to throw a Louis Vuitton duffel bag full of a million one dollar bills at them and tells them to get out.
Photo by Abby Sanford. Wonderful! It’s not like our school could have done anything else with the money like build a new dorm to replace “the ghetto” (McKay) or expand the gym. I’m not saying that a chapel is useless, but does the university really need its own private chapel? Also does it really kill people to walk two blocks to worship? It’s not like God had to suffer to get
anything done (this applies to most religions). “Walk two blocks on Sunday morning to save my soul? Sorry, soul, looks like you’re being damned! Maybe if we had a chapel on campus I would save you. Thank you, John Sykes!”
8 Commentary The Minaret | April 3, 2009 Hazy Debate Over Global Warming Masks Importance Of Proactivity hesitant to accept a new reality.
By Nicole Robinson Columnist
The world is flat. Yes, nice and flat. It’s so obvious: when you look out at the sea, there’s a straight skyline, a clear indication that if you sailed too close you would surely perish, falling off the Earth’s edge. Sound ridiculous? Of course it does—now—but at the time, the argument was popular; still scientists provided evidence proving the world had many dimensions. But the real humor lies in how history repeats itself. It seems there is always a group of people who wants to oppose the obvious. Maybe it’s because new notions are too scary. It’s understandable how someone who lived his or her life under a certain idea would be
The new way in which history is repeating itself over the obvious being combated by sophistries and weak arguments is the fight over global warming. Global Warming? It’s a surprise this is still being presented as a phenomenon up for debate. For example, the argument that the earth heats and cools naturally is true. But what people who might use that argument fail to mention is that temperatures have risen in the past hundred years faster than have ever been seen in recorded time. There was a “Medieval Warm Period” where average temperatures did increase slightly, and then in the 1600s “The Little Ice Age” occurred. Since the mid 1800s, average world temperatures have skyrocketed past any “natural” level. Arguing whether or not global warming is truly occurring is the same as arguing whether or not smoking is bad for you. There are plenty of tobacco companies that have “scientists”
performing studies to find how smoking isn’t all that bad for consumers or how it only gives “a certain percentage” of people cancer. Just like some will say CO2 emissions have only increased “so and so” amount and twist the numbers around in order to make the phenomenon seem harmless. But instead of giving you confusing numbers and taking the focus off of the true argument, I’ll just give a bit of perspective. Without elaborating, carbon emissions have gotten so bad they are causing the acidification of the oceans, meaning there is so much carbon in the air it is acidifying the greatest component on the surface of our planet. But it’s only the ocean right? We don’t need fish and stuff. They’re trivial to our life here on earth. In all seriousness, the time for arguing about global warming’s existence is over. It is time for some action. Chlorofluorocarbons are ripping a hole in the ozone layer. Stop using products that contribute
Image by AndrewLee196
7 / Flickr.com
to pollution of the ozone. Clearly, we have technologies that contribute to higher carbon levels in the atmosphere that people during medieval times didn’t have, like cars and buses. A solution to this problem might be to stop going on joy rides even though gas prices are low, for now. While there were many arguing
whether the world was flat, famous explorers were discovering the wonders of our planet. So when people look back and see all these people with their fallacious studies who argued over the existence of global warming, let’s be the ones who actually did something about it. Nicole Robinson may be reached at nrobinson@ut.edu.
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It is blatantly clear that too many people have common misconceptions about global warming. Last week’s Minaret article on global warming portrays perfectly what many non-science people believe. It is obviously not their fault, but making statements about such a huge event requires that you do your homework. It is true that the media has often falsely advertised global warming as some incident, some unnatural event. What Alyssa’s article illustrates is that she has erroneously attributed the problems of global warming to a bunch of “Marketing Environmentalists” who are inciting populist outrage in order to destroy our economy. I agree with her point that the media has over used the term global warming to inappropriately raise excessive fear within the community. Media obviously is a business that sells a product. They have to stimulate human emotions to get people to buy into the green economy out of fear that their actions will lead to their eventual demise. It is also true that the earth is, in fact, coming out of an ice age and warming and cooling periods are quite characteristic of our planet. Heating at this quick rate, however, is not.
To deny that humans haven’t played a substantial role in the increased rate of warming is to make an example of our nature to justify behavior that we know is bad. What we don’t realize is that the evolution of our species is directly related to more oxygen and less carbon dioxide in the air. We owe our existence to a decrease in carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere and no; we cannot live with a huge increase in carbon dioxide levels. Without algae and plants taking in this gas, we wouldn’t be here today! So, when we see that carbon dioxide levels have been higher in the past than they are today, we also need to acknowledge that the organisms that lived then are likely quite different from what exists today. In the past, the earth has reached very high temperatures but this usually happens over a very long time. This gives organisms on earth a chance to evolve and adapt to environmental changes. By increasing how quickly the earth heats, we’re not giving a lot of organisms enough time to adapt and this is a serious problem. However, attacking global warming as not a danger as she has is completely inappropriate. It is not a clever marketing guise to confuse the population.
TO THE
It is a legitimate concern that raises awareness about an incredibly destructive capability of mankind. We are currently living in a period of mass extinction that parallels the loss of species that the earth experienced during the ice age that killed the dinosaurs and ravaged the planet. We have the ability to make the earth uninhabitable for other species just as a cataclysmic natural event can. Alyssa’s claim that humans have little effect on how the earth develops is absolutely false. It definitely does not “adjust whenever it feels like it, much like a college kid adjusts without having enough sleep.” The earth will do what it’s always done, but it does listen to us. We think our planet is so large and our presence has no effect on it, but this couldn’t be more false. We’re lucky. Our wasteful behavior will likely have little serious impact on our lives before we die. Does that make it OK? Fear is a great motivator. While it is really irresponsible for the media to feed people false information, a little fear may just be what we need to keep us moving in the right direction. —Tanya Brunner and Jason Creighton
Want to respond to an article? Words for The Minaret? Send Letters to the Editor to daustin@ut.eu!
9
Commentary
The Minaret | April 3, 2009
The Butt Of A Bad Joke: Racial Stereotypes In Advertising
By Stacy Vieux Columnist
Old Navy’s most recent commercials have stirred up much discussion because mannequins are stereotyped by race and gender. Why did Old Navy take the risk of creating material that they knew people would find offensive? The answer is easy: stereotyping is an attention getter and, therefore, a moneymaker. A British mannequin is told by a black mannequin, “Wow, those jeans even give you booty” implying British women lack “booty.” The black mannequin describes her behind as “nutritious and bootylicious” implying black women have big butts. A Spanish mannequin ,Eva, talks about how it isn’t easy being a “supermodelquin” mom as she gets teased for having more than one ex-husband. The stereotyping does not stop there. An Asian mannequin, Amy, is alone saying, “Someone seems to have curves where there weren’t any before. I’m not going to name any names but it rhymes with
‘Pleather’,” referring to the British mannequin named Heather. Amy whispers, “Plastic surgery happens all the time in our business.” The advertisers strategically chose the Asian to talk about plastic surgery emphasizing the correlation of Asians who are surgeons, while British are more likely to get plastic surgery. Michelle leads a gossipy conversation about how the British mannequin is “too British to bring the badonkadonk.” As I watched the commercial over and over on Youtube (it’s entitled “The Supermodelquins in ‘Denim Derriere’”), I couldn’t help but notice Kelly, the white mannequin, had less of a role in this commercial: she was exempt from stereotyping. I do not think the makers of these ads are racist like some argue. However, I know that the makers of these Old Navy ads took the time to think about which characters would do what and why. Every character is strategically placed and so is their dialog. The Asian character talks about plastic surgery, the Spanish character was teased for having several exhusbands, the British woman was teased for having fewer curves, the black character was chosen to have
her dress stripped off and the white character was less involved in the stereotyping. People come together and brainstorm for weeks about ideas to make a deliberate plan. My point is not much happens on accident when it comes to advertising because every little detail is strategically planned out. A later commercial advertising Old Navy’s midtown gowns has the four familiar female mannequins: Kelly, Michelle, Eva and Amy. Joining them on the platform are two young female kids who based upon their skin color and positioning are the kids of Michelle the black mannequin and Eva the Spanish mannequin. The four women model the midtown gowns while other mannequins observe them modeling on the platform. The characters watching the three models are Michelle’s husband, son, Josh and a dog. Kelly states: “These midtown gowns are crazy cute,” and Eva replies, “Especially if I had your legs.” Kelly then says, “There is an extra pair in the back room.” As she makes that statement the camera shifts to a box in the back. Sticking out of the box are white legs wide open and sprawled in the air. Eva then says, “At $15 these dresses
are gonna fly.” Next you hear a gust of wind, which is the sound of the gown being stripped off the black mannequin leaving her naked with two black lines over her private parts. As the faintly seen store worker strips her dress, you hear Josh, a white character, say, “Sweet.” The dog, alert, barks two times. Josh’s eyes are still stuck on Michelle’s naked body as Michelle’s husband places his hands over Josh’s eyes and states, “Keep your painted on eyes off of my wife.” The commercial ends with Michelle stating, “So what? Like you’ve never seen plastic before?” I asked a few people what they thought about this commercial and one common trend was at some point in the commercial each of them, like me, found at least one thing humorous.
Image by .eyebex / Flickr.com But as the laughs settled down each of them began to think. “I have to admit at first it was funny but then I thought about the stripping of the dress, and I felt offended as a female and a black woman,” said Eunice Nguru. “That’s disgusting,” said Kristen Bell, “but it is of no shock to me that women are still being over-sexualized in the media.” Travis Marat said, “I found the commercial more offensive because of the sexual nature more so than race.” Advertising relies too much on sexual content to sell products. I would like to see more originality because anyone can grab someone’s eye with sex. Someone with some true advertising skills can be able to captivate an audience with tactics other than sexual images and exploitation.
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• Writers • Photographers • Artists • Cartoonists • Copy Editors
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10
Arts & Entertainment
By Linda C Black Tribune Media Services
Aries (March 21-April 19) You're busy, but you can find time for a private celebration. It's good to acknowledge yourself for your recent successes. It helps you come up with more, and you'll need the extra confidence. Taurus (April 20-May 20) Make lists of all the things you plan to do, and set priorities. Some of these items can wait while you handle the more urgent matters. Be frugal with your time as well as your cash. Gemini (May 21-June 21) Home's the best place for you tonight, surrounded by people you love. You may have a busy day, but get back there as soon as you can. And take home a special treat. Cancer (June 22-July 22) If you just wait, a couple of your major competitors will wear themselves out. You could be the only one left standing. Watch what they're doing from a hidden place and step out when they're done. Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) Finish up a few chores as early as possible, so you can get away. Conditions for travel are getting better later in the day. If your partner doesn't want to go, it's OK to do separate things. Don't force the issue. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) If a friend and somebody else approach you with a new idea, consider it very carefully. Timing is of the essence, and it
1. Fly a kite. 2. Learn a magic trick. 3. Play a game of backgammon. 4. Try peeling a banana with your toes. 5. Build a fort like when you were a kid. 6. Walk or bike to the grocery store instead of taking your car. 7. Have a movie marathon with friends and watch a trilogy like Lord of the Rings or The Matrix.
by Austin Daniels
The Minaret | April 3, 2009
may already be too late. This one's uncertain. Take care. Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) Don't be too eager to share your developing plans. Initially, you'll encounter all sorts of opposition. This is good to know, but keep criticism to a manageable level. Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) You're busy enough for three people. Luckily, that's not a problem. The problem is that the oaf in charge isn't following your lead. This person could mess up your personal plans if you're not very careful. Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Proceed frugally, and with caution. Stick with a familiar budget _ something very simple. You've done this before. Although you don't really like it, you can do it again. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Do without something you want, just to stay disciplined. Put the money you save into your piggy bank. It's not much, but it does feel good, doesn't it? You'll get what you want eventually. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) There's lots of confusion, but you can finish the job you started. Do that. It'll make things easier for everyone else. Then collect your check and get out of there as soon as possible. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) Pay back an old debt in full, but not a penny more. You need to find something to sell just to buy what you need. The pressure is making you more creative, though, and that's a blessing.
Arts & Entertainment
The Minaret | April 3, 2009
The By Shannon Grippando Staff Writer
Sleek is sexy in the world of tech and Apple certainly leads the industry in simple, sexy products by constantly inventing and reinventing new ways of making their gadgets not only more user friendly but eye-catching, as well. Apple recently unveiled their newest iPod Shuffle model, a slimmer rendition of its predecessor which curiously has no physical buttons, save one slider. Has Apple gone too far, though? Are they so drunk off of power from the sweeping success of the button-less iPhone that suddenly they believe the path to technological dominance lies in the extinction of the button as we know it? While button-less devices are attractive and (most times) intuitive, I believe the humble button still has a place in this world, kind of like William Shatner: he’s old, past his prime and hard to look at, but, come on, man, he’s a part of history. He’s been with us since what seems like forever and still has a few good roles every now and again (Priceline Negotiator, anybody?) Apple should be cautious of heedless overuse of a new and still developing technology. Let’s break down the new iPod Shuffle first to see where Apple is veering off the course of technological righteousness. As mentioned above, the new Shuffle has no buttons except for one slider with three settings: shuffle, normal play and off. Those are pretty much self-explanatory and easy to use. Apple at least gets a thumbs-up for keeping the simple slider that’s been present in all iPods. Why fix what ain’t broke? Now you may be wondering how you control your songs if there are no buttons on the Shuffle itself. Well, my friends, Apple decided to move the controls to the least convenient place of all: the right earbud’s cord. A + button, a – button, and a plain button—let’s call it the “god button”-- control all of the Shuffle’s actions. The + and – button are fine enough. It’s instinctive to realize they control the volume. However, the “god-button” requires a manual on the scale of an olde tyme VCR to operate. One
11
War On Buttons click plays a song or pauses--Ok, I follow you. Double-clicking plays the next song--tricky, Apple, but I’ve got it down. Triple-clicking plays the previous song—huh, okay…. Double-click and hold to fast forward, triple-click and hold to rewind, click once and hold until you hear a tone to engage the interface--Ah! What? There are too many controls on one button to keep the Shuffle intuitive. Sure, it may not be too bad once you take the time to learn how to use the damn thing, but I don’t want to pour over a manual to learn how to play my music. Apple also included a new feature called VoiceOver. One of the huge drawbacks of the Shuffle has been the inability to know what song is playing and by who due to a lack of a user interface. If you hold down the “god-button” long enough, your iPod will tell you the name of the song, artist or playlist you’re listening to. The drawback is that VoiceOver uses shaky text-tovoice technology that I personally absolutely abhor for anything even remotely professional. The quality is always along the lines of a mix between Stephen Hawking and a musical Hallmark card. It’s great being able to know what song you’re listening to (then again, shouldn’t you already know what your own songs are in the first place?), but if I have to listen to Dr. Hawking’s lectures of such, my brain will implode into one of his theoretical mini black holes, sucking my soul in with it. Finally, the worst part about the Shuffle is the location of the controls in general. Before, when the controls were positioned on the device itself, reaching down to change a song was simple enough; I knew where the device was, and it relatively stayed in position thanks
On The Lookout: Who: Survivor’s Ethan Zohn When: April 7 @ 8:30 p.m. Where: Fletcher Lounge
What: Spring Internship Fair When: April 9 @ 2-4 p.m. Where: Martinez Sports Center
Speech on his experiences and being known as a CBS character
UT hosts information session on summer internship fair
to the clip. With the controls on the earbud cord, they flap all over the place when you run, play sports, or do any type of vigorous activity. Before, the Shuffle made you look cool, an active person with a sense of style. Now you look like you’re swatting flies when you try to change a track—you work up such a sweat and it reeks so bad that flies envelop your body to taste your delicious “Ode to Gar’Baj.” While the new Shuffle is a step forward in innovativeness (in a sense), it’s a step backwards in intuitiveness and easy of use. The problem from the lack of buttons reminds me of a similar problem I found with my iPod Touch. If I want to change a song with the Touch, I have to bring it out of my pocket to see what I’m doing. With my Nano, I can stick my hand (or a lucky bystander’s) in my pocket and navigate the controls by touch, ironically. Touch screens and button-less devices are great for a multitude of reasons—practically unlimited menu options, ease of search, fun controls, etc. But button-less devices as we know them now are not the absolute answer. U n t i l screens physically change to mimic the shape and feel of the buttons that Photo from flickr.com appear, they will still be inferior in some ways to the humble button. Apple, this is a warning. Don’t run around all gung-ho for buttonless devices and touch screens just yet. Ease them in. Don’t forget about the benefits of being able to feel a button and recognize its edges simply from touch. We don’t want everything so small that the controls start meandering around other parts of us. As the great Lewis Black would say, “My headphones don’t need a friend. Get your controls away from my earbuds! They’re talking to my earbuds and making them feel bad about itself.”
UT Hip-Hop Hopefuls Record Demo
By Mel Steiner Arts & Entertainment Editor
Tampa offers some of the best nightlife scenes in Florida. Many undiscovered artists are heard in the clubs every night. For two UT students, this is just the start of what they believe will be their future. Freshman Jonathan Mojica and junior Ja-Rell McArthur went to Miami for Spring Break. Mojica happened to have the instrumentation to the song “Kiss Me Through Your Phone” by Solider Boy, and the two decided to make a remix of the song. With their success with the song, the two began to collaborate on an original. After two days of writing and recording in McArthur’s dorm room, their hopeful hit, “She Wanna Make A Movie,” was finished. The promiscuous club song features both Mojica and McArthur. “We started out with a topic and each wrote separate lyrics. Then we used the programs GarageBand and Adobe Edition to record,” McArthur said. The hip-hop song was played on the UT radio last Monday and the two men are submitting it to clubs in Tampa. McArthur owns a label called Hood Stardom Entertainment. As a music producer, the New Yorker wanted to promote on-therise artists. “It came to a point where I realized that if I could help other people, then maybe I could get help in return,” he said. “I put out mix tapes and promotional clothing.” Last summer, he was an opener at the Juelz/Santana concert.
Mojica was born and raised in Massachusetts. He came from a family of hip-hip music and worked as an advertiser for a DJ. As an EMAT major at UT, he works with recording and video every day. Together with McArthur, he hopes to make his vision for the song’s video a reality. “With the Internet nowadays, people are blowing up now more than ever,” he said. “After we shoot the video, we’re going to upload it and hopefully begin to collaborate with other artists.” The idea for the video is to film a variety of women playing with video cameras and posing for pictures. The location for the shoot is yet to be announced, but the artists think they will use the UT campus and the club, Underground, for filming. They are holding auditions for anyone interested in being in or working with their production. The two have already begun to be noticed by aspiring musicians and plan to work with Andre Burrell, Rob Wright, Diana Blaser and Waldo Egusquiza. “We had a lot of fun but we put a lot into it,” Mojica said. “The success is moving so quickly that we now have people playing our song on Facebook and Myspace.” For the future, they plan to write more music and create music videos to go along with their top songs. They are hopeful that their new single’s popularity will become a number one hit. For more information on auditions and production, email JaRellMmA@yahoo.com. To hear the song, “She Wanna Make A Movie,” visit www.myspace.com/ threeletterman.
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Arts & Entertainment
The Minaret | April 3, 2009
Newest Fashion Springs Into The Season
A
Adventureland The director of Superbad brings us the latest college comedy. The movie offers good music, crude humor and plenty of weed. Throughout the summer, what was once a nowhere job becomes a learning experience for everyone at Adventureland. Director: Greg Motolla Running Time: 115 min Rating: R
Spring is here! This season is all about fresh silhouettes, bold colors and loud prints. Winter featured bright hues and fun cuts, but this spring break mold and strut your confidence with flirty and light apparel. Compare the new Diane von Furstenberg collection to a date with a surfer boy. Uncomplicated, easy-to-wear and comfy fashion, it's great for chilly evenings at the beach bar. Bright-colored stripes and floral prints dominate the dresses whose styles range from long beach dresses to mini sundresses. As the visual spring for the line, her pants come in pink or light blue. Furstenberg's collection offers a style unlike any other designer and will undoubtedly add beauty to your closet. Living spring like a rockstar is this season's motto for Louis Vuitton. Hard cuts, animal elements and dangerous designs added with brightly colored belts or hats create a spring fashion statement that
screams nonchalant, but still very sexy. This season's ultimate outfit could be strappy tank with a snake print skirt and metallic purse. Just add some dark black eyeliner and you can call yourself a rock-chick! My personal must have items are their platform feather sandals. Playfully colored elements remind me of summer necklaces, and the feathers are just gorgeous. Of course there is also fashion for those of us who like it less dangerous and more girly. Lacoste could be the right choice for a movie night with the girls or a late night park date with the boyfriend. Simple items like comfy cardigans for chilly nights or the classic polo shirt are designer Christopher Lemaire’s secret spring recipe. Lacoste rises to a new level in pop culture with this new line. For example, Britney Spears wore the traditional pink Polo in her music video for “If You Seek Army.” This line relies on earthy tones like white, beige and gray. Pair them with brightly colored pants and accessories and you have a killer outfit.
The new designs for beachwear are awesome. Warm up for summer with colorful swimsuits and the accessories that go with them. To cover yourself from sunburn, maybe the black and white Anna Sui hat with wooden applications is the right spring item for you. We are still living in Florida, and a red face wouldn't look good with these new items. Spring promises your feet new flip flops from Tory Burch. A little expensive, but definitely worth it, because the braided leather and yellow sunflower applications bring us back to the hippie love and bohemian style of the seventies. Combined with a nice pedicure in yellow, white or orange, those shoes are THE must have item this spring.
Pinwheel, which soon developed into what would become the beginning of Death Cab. Recording under the pseudonym, All-Time Quarterback, Gibbard released a cassette entitled, “You Can Play These Songs with Cords,” and soon received unexpected news that critics liked his work. With that, he began looking to expand the band, adding Chris Walla on guitar, Nick Harmer as bass guitarist and Nathan Good on drums. Unlike other artists that focused on their pop image and unprecedented record sales in the 90’s, the band’s vision was to put out quality music that they believed in, regardless of their success. Over the next several years the band struggled to find their harmony as musicians, replacing their drummer twice after finally settling on Jason McGerr. Despite their initial problems to find the right rhythm, Death Cab
would put out four records before 2004. Unfortunately, they still remained primarily on the radar of the independent music scene. In 2004 the band finally signed a deal with Atlantic Records that brought them their much-needed mainstream recognition. Death Cab continued recording and, in 2005, released their Grammy nominated album, “Plans.” One of the band’s most noted tracks, “I Will Follow You Into the Dark,” was included on this album and helped define them as mainstream, yet indie artists. “If Heaven and Hell decide that they both are satisfied, illuminate the NOs on their vacancy signs. If there’s no one beside you when your soul embarks, then I’ll follow you into the dark.” After a lengthy tour in 2006 the band decided to take some time off and refocus their energy on their next album. Before the release of “Narrow
Stairs,” in May 2008, many critics doubted the band’s new album and thought after their long hiatus fans would not approve of their rejuvenated sound. Luckily for the band, fans responded exceedingly well, taking the album to the number one spot on the Billboard Top 200. On Tuesday, the Grammy nominated band released their latest EP entitled “The Open Door,” less than a year after their last album, “Narrow Stairs,” debuted. Adding a bit flare to their trademark sound, fans are sure to fall in love with them once again. Although the EP is quite short, with only four new songs and a demo version of their track, “Talking Birds” the band decided to release the tracks anyways as a continuation of sorts from their latest album. The first track from the EP, “Little Bribes,” was actually originally titled “Casino Blues, but
was later changed after the band felt it didn’t quite fit the “Death Cab” vibe. “You said this city has a beating heart that pushes people down the boulevard and they’re all hoping for a wish fulfilled in a desert for a dollar bill.” What I think is so interesting about this band is that through lyrics of solemn and remorse, they show an appealing angle of their emotions which is hard to find anywhere else. Combining upbeat rhythms with depressing lyrics, the contrast in their music is what I feel, gives them their edge. While the band has certainly developed over their twelve years, by the looks of it, Death Cab for Cutie will never die. To find more from Death Cab for Cutie, go to www. deathcabforcutie.com or www. myspace.com/deathcabforcutie.
By Laura Schoebel Special to The Minaret
By Micaela Lydon Staff Writer
Cutie Takes The Cab For One More Ride By Mike Trobiano Staff Writer
If there were one band that I constantly refer back to when skimming through my music library, Death Cab for Cutie would be it. After hearing the song, “A Lack of Color,” back in 2004, I finally thought I found a band that understood exactly what I was feeling through song. Although this is not a powerhouse rock band that belts lyrics and smashes guitars on stage, I guarantee you will be blown away by their music. Back in 1997, guitarist Ben Gibbard embarked on a solo project while with his band,
Bart Got A Room Written and directed by a Floridian, this wacky tale depicts the quirks of adolescence in all its comedic glory. A high school nerd drops 600 bucks in anticipation for an extravagant prom night. The only thing he’s missing is a date! Director: Brian Hecker Running Time: 90 min Rating: PG-13
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The Minaret | April 3, 2009
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Arts Arts&&Entertainment Entertainment
TheThe Minaret | April 3, 3, 2009 Minaret |April 2009
Photos by Kara Wall
Three Cheers For “Debts” Cast By Nicole Robinson Staff Writer
When audience members entered the theatre, actors clad in Renaissance style clothing and colonial accents promptly greeted them. These actors and actresses stood at the entrance ceremoniously like guards and handed them their programs and the “Nottingham Tattler,” a faux gossip column about characters in the play. This delightful treat was part of the vision that director Bob Gonzalez had for his Production of “A New Way to Pay Old Debts,” written by Phillip Massinger. “I really wanted to get the audience into the world of these characters because I know there is a (time) gap and I wanted to bridge that gap for a 21st Century Audience,” explained Gonzales. The visionary director wanted to break the fourth wall and incorporate elements to set the tone. As for the actual play, it was an amazing treat, “Renailicous” if you will. The plot involved many characters that were all tangled up in various schemes to deceive one another. The acting in this production was profound. Eric Sigler, junior and theater major, played Sir Giles Overreach, the antagonist of the production. Sigler, who played the evil villain squared, threatened the life of a priest, slapped the Justice of Peace conned protagonist Frank Wellborn, played by Adam Carson, out of his money and topped it off by holding a sword to his own daughter’s throat. His portrayal and delivery sent chills down the spine. “He is a very cruel extortionist, pirate of a man”, explained Sigler, “ I heard the audience gasp when I was being especially evil,” as they very well did. Another crowed favorite was
Justice of Peace Greedy, played by Meredith Payne, another junior theater major. Her character, whose name should say it all, had chronic hunger issues and could bring any situation back to food. Her portrayal of the sly and hungry Justice of Peace was very well received. Another great component of this show was how well freshman and new actors performed. Freshman Rodner Salgado portrayed Jack Marall who “marred all” put on a wonderful performance. One might have thought that he was plucked right off the streets of some past world. Adam Corson, freshman, played the lead Frank Wellborn with ease and grace. Tanner White, junior as well as only non-theater major lead, played Tom Allworth and drew many laughs from the crowd as his character deceived the evil Sir Giles by getting him to sign a contract allowing his character to secretly marry his daughter. From the leads down to the very last guard and cook, this production had every element of a great production. Subtle touches that the director put in had the audience already excited for the play before the first line was ever delivered. “A New way to Pay Old Debts” was not only economically friendly (although it wouldn’t be advised to earn money by stealing from orphans in classic Sir Giles style) was a great taste of play writing from the past.
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Arts & Entertainment
The Minaret | April 3, 2009
Quilt’s Corner Burn
By: Mary Kelley You never felt right I couldn’t feel right until I buried you. I buried you in the ground Before you took that first precious breath of air Nothing stopped me from cutting you up And spitting you straight down below the earth— I hated you and your happiness You and the blond blowing curls spinning with the sun. We didn’t say goodbye I didn’t seem to care About the footsteps you would make In the pure white melting snow: A future planned in the steps Of an innocent child. Your grave is always painted In my own sweat and crooked tears The swing set, the burnt fence, the green grass It was all too much for you—
Baby dolls, joy, God, playful friends Was it ecstasy? You wanted so much to grow But I stuffed you far down Stay down. I hated you. Never questioning, always accepting Of love and peace. You were just a baby. I only pause now to think Of your scintillating angelic weeps When I burnt you inside myself And stuffed you In the pit of my stomach In the back of my head In the windows and couches of every corner In the playroom. In the memories, I fold and tear Precious Love That I never gave you.
By Michelle Magner Staff Writer
This recipe is great when you have a craving for chicken and you want a touch of healthiness added to it. Different takes on Buffalo Chicken Salad can be found in restaurants but I have my own spin. Any type of buffalo chicken can be added. You can choose to marinate your own or buy frozen strips pre-seasoned. I usually buy Tyson’s Buffalo style boneless chicken wings, which are regular white-meat tenders coated in buffalo sauce. They are delicious with the blue cheese dressing. All the preparation can be done while the chicken cooks too!
Photo by Michelle Magner
Ingredients:
Preparation:
1 Bag or head of lettuce 2 Tomatoes 1 Red onion 1 Avocado Frozen Buffalo chicken or strips Blue cheese dressing (Fat-free or light) Black Pepper
Add the dressing and toss so everything is coated in a thick layer of blue cheese. When the chicken is finished, just add it on top. Sprinkle a little bit of black pepper for taste and serve.
For the chicken just follow the directions on the back of the package. Wash the lettuce and cut up the tomatoes into bite size pieces. Slice the onion. Peel and cut the avocado. Toss it all into a bowl.
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The Minaret | April 3, 2009
Sports
Senior’s Final Game Kicks up Memories
By Shelby Kuni Sports Columnist
I walked off the soccer field Monday night like I had done a thousand times before: out of breath, limping, thirsty, dirty, exhausted, hurt, drained, and a little bloody. More importantly, I walked off the field without realizing I'd never be able to have all these feelings, all at once, ever again.I had completely disregarded the fact that, although it was only a scrimmage, Monday night’s game was the last time I would ever play at Pepin Stadium wearing a Spartan uniform. Pepin Stadium. The field I scored most of my career goals on. The field that I had shattered my nose on and was forced to wear an awfully embarrassing face mask the rest of my junior season. The field that I had scored my favorite goal of my career on (Elite Eight, my sophomore year against West Florida). The field that I broke UT's all-time scoring record on. The field that my coach, Gerry Lucey, broke my wrist on (I jumped in the goal during a water break to show him my sweet keeper skills when he decided to show me that he could kick a ball 100 mph). The field that I had run way too many 300's on. Maybe it was for the better. Maybe if I had acknowledged the circumstances under which I was playing, I would have psyched myself out. Maybe I wouldn't have scored two goals in a 3-2 comeback victory. Just maybe.
Probably for the first time in four years, I played all 90 minutes in the game against local club team Countryside U18 Chargers. The beginning of the game was pretty shameful. The other team was seniors in high school. Their shorts were rolled too many times, their ponytails were too high and they were wearing too much makeup (wearing makeup in general on the soccer field is disgraceful). We were playing like the other team should have been playing. We were dribbling too much, our passes weren't hard, precise or quick enough, and the communication wasn't there. We got scored on early after a defensive miscommunication led to a wide open shot right outside the 18 yard box. Megan Tobin tied the game at 1-1 when she scored a sick volley off of a corner kick by Renata Figueria. The Chargers came back and scored another goal late in the half, and despite picking up our game a little bit, we were unable to capitalize on scoring opportunities and left for halftime down 2-1. After getting a not-so-lovely but muchdeserved scolding at halftime, we started the second half playing like we knew we should have been all along. We played smarter, harder and quicker. We played like one of the best Division II teams in the country and they played like another local scrub team. We scored two goals and held them from scoring to win the game 3-2. I love comeback victories. Well, I love any victory, but comeback wins are really
special. They take an inconceivable amount of courage, perseverance and confidence, and to accomplish that while holding your opponent to no goals is something truly honorable. As sad as I am about not being able to play next year, I am so confident in ability and dedication of the current team. With freshman Sam Kay and sophomores Figueria Kuni attempts the steal. and Tobin holding the team together in the midfield, I expect great things next year. Kay and Figueria are natural leaders and talented athletes who are sure to guide the team to many victories, and Tobin is one of the most technically gifted athletes I've ever had the privilege to play with. Freshman Jazmin Perry's abilities in running at people and crossing the ball is sure to create many scoring opportunities in the coming years. I swear every time I play with freshman Brittan Spence she is faster than she was in the previous game. Defender Charlotte White's bravery and confidence in going forward with the ball will continue to put her in goal creating opportunities. Goalkeeper freshman Kendall Bour-
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Photo by Abby Sanford
don is solid and reliable. She will continue to cause a lot of trouble and frustration for forwards on opposing teams for years to come. There isn't one day I go without wishing I had just one game back, just one more chance to run faster, tackle harder, score a goal, stop a goal, cheer on my teammates, listen to my teammates...listen to my coach. Just one more chance to make a difference. But, I leave the team with utter and complete undying faith that they will continue to make the alumni proud of their achievements, and they will undoubtedly carry-on the great tradition that is University of Tampa women's soccer. Shelby Kuni is a graduated member of the UT Soccer team.
Softball Shooters also Friends From “Ballers” [Front] “I liked how small the school is,” said Henriott. “And it was close to home, but far enough away to where I was on my own during the week. I really liked the coaches and how they coached everyone.” Van Landingham, now a junior, showed Henriott, currently a sophomore, the ropes when the latter arrived in 2008. “I tried to be a mentor,” Van Landingham said. “I don’t know how good of a job I did. [Laughs] But I tried to tell her how everything was here and take her under my wing.” Each can also say she has done a good job on the mound for the Spartans this season. Through Mar. 28, Van Landingham is 7-2 with a 2.23 ERA, while Henriott is one of the conference’s best pitchers at 13-4 with her ERA at 0.85. Henriott also broke the school’s strikeout record in 2008 with 251. “Right now, she’s healthier than me,” Van Landingham admitted. “So right now she is dominating more than I am.” Head Coach Leslie Kanter still praises her pitchers equally. “They’re probably the strongest one and two pitchers in our conference. I don’t think there is another team that has two top pitchers like we do,” Kanter said. “We had it last year, but it’s even better this year because we have a better team behind them. It’s not usual that you can go from game to game and feel just as confident with each pitcher as you do with the other.” “If we’re not feeling it one day or our stuff isn’t working, we don’t have to freak out because we’re going to lose,” Van Landingham said. “We know we have somebody behind us.” They are both talented pitchers, but are they the same pitcher in two different bodies? Van Landingham says she and Henriott are pretty similar in terms of skill and technique. “Our speed, how our ball breaks.
Overall, we’re the same.” Not so, Kanter claims. “The difference is, Heather wears her feelings on her sleeve,” Kanter said. “When she gets mad about something you can see it. Deanna doesn’t.” She says they’re “definitely different,” but she believes they’re both talented pitchers and holds a lot of confidence in them. Regardless off their differences, the girls can attest to one common bond: their friendship. “We’re close as friends,” Van Landingham said. “So it helps that she’s always going to have my back no matter what. We don’t get mad at each other for it. We don’t hate each other. [Laughs] If she’s doing better than me, I’m not going to have any animosity toward her.” “Yes, we’re definitely friends,” Henriott added. “They’ve always gotten along,” Kanter said. “They get along great. They back each other, they cheer for each other in the dugout. If one of them is not doing well and the other goes in for her, she’s fine. Their personalities are such that they’re very happy people. They’re fun, they want to play, they want to win. They both would pitch every game if they could.” They also like how this bond spreads to the entire team and helps them win with teamwork and group leadership. “We have very, very good chemistry this year,” Van Landingham said. “We don’t have the cliques. Everybody pretty much gets along with everybody else. So it helps a lot on the field.” “We have relied on our seniors to be our leaders,” Kanter said. “It’s everyone else that has to get going and score some runs for [our pitchers] and play defense behind them. So I think those are more our leaders as far as getting the team going. But Heather and Deanna are leaders too because if we don’t have good pitching, we’re not going to win the game. That’s how it is.”
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Sports
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The Minaret | April 3, 2009
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19 20 21 Tennis Golf Golf SSC Championships SSC Championships SSC Championships (hosted by Lynn) (Lakeland) (Lakeland) Crew Southern Intercollegiate (Oak Ridge, Tenn.) Softball Barry 1 p.m. Softball Barry 3 p.m.
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2 3 Tennis Baseball at Florida Southern at Florida Tech 3 p.m. 3 p.m. Tennis Palm Beach Atlantic 3 p.m. 10 Crew Florida Intercollegiate (Tampa By-Pass Canal) Softball at Rollins 5 p.m. Softball at Rollins 7 p.m. Baseball Saint Leo 7 p.m.
11 Crew Florida Intercollegiate (Tampa By-Pass Canal) Baseball Saint Leo 1 p.m. Baseball Saint Leo 4 p.m.
16 17 Tennis Tennis SSC Championships SSC Championships (hosted by Lynn) (hosted by Lynn) Baseball Rollins 7 p.m.
18 Tennis SSC Championships (hosted by Lynn) Crew Southern Intercollegiate (Oak Ridge, Tenn.) Baseball Rollins 1 p.m. Baseball Rollins 4 p.m. Softball Barry 6 p.m.
Softball at Rollins 6 p.m.
Baseball at Palm Beach Atlantic 7 p.m.
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4 Baseball at Florida Tech noon Baseball at Florida Tech 3 p.m. Softball at Saint Leo 4 p.m.
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Crew SSC Championships (Melbourne) Softball Florida Southern 6 p.m. Baseball at Barry 6 p.m.
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25 Crew SSC Championships (Melbourne) Baseball at Barry noon Softball Florida Southern 1 p.m. Baseball at Barry 3 p.m. Softball Florida Southern 3 p.m.
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Sports
The Minaret | April 3, 2009
Major League Mix-Up and Madness Gone Missing on
By Brenton Burkett Sports Blogger
Curt Schilling, former Major League pitcher for the Phillies, Diamondbacks and Red Sox among others, retired from baseball this week via a post on his blog. Nobody is sure why he used his blog to retire, but that is not the most baffling part about this story. Schilling won 216 games in his career while compiling an MLB record (min. 15 starts) 2.23 postseason ERA. He played in the Major Leagues for nearly 20 years and won three World Series Championships. Most importantly, perhaps, he and his accomplishments were never implicated in a steroid scandal. In fact, he spoke out against illegal performance enhancers more than any other active player. So when ESPN announced the news of Schilling’s retirement, they displayed his name along with a picture of… Jose Canseco. How is this for irony?
One of the most blatant admitted cheaters in professional sports history gets face time for the retirement of one of baseball’s few advocates for cleaning up the game. Schilling once said of Canseco, “Everything he ever did should be wiped clean. I think his MVP should go back and should go to the runner-up.” Canseco responded, “He’s a complete hypocrite. Nobody takes him seriously.” This was either a serious production gaffe on the part of ESPN or somebody in the control room playing mind games. In either case, somebody may find his or her self collecting unemployment checks soon. If fans out there are lashing out over this, one could only imagine what Schilling thinks. Hopefully he receives word of this and he responds soon – that is, if he did not already fire a fastball through his television. Brenton Burkett can be reached at bburkett@ut.edu. See more like this at www. theminaretonline.com/overtime.
By Sam Gerb Sports Blogger
Where has all the madness gone? Well until Villanova’s Scottie Reynolds heroic game winning shot, this year’s tourney has been lacking its usual gusto. Sure there have been the 12-5 upsets and Cleveland State ruining most brackets with their win over Wake Forest, but where are the George Masons and Davidsons. When George Mason beat UConn in 2006 to advance to the Final Four, that was one of the greatest all-time tournament games. When I look back over this tournament when it is all said and done, I don’t think I will recall anything truly memorable from this year. Of course, I might flashback to Reynolds sprinting down the court, but that is it. Just last year Western Kentucky had one of the most exciting games against Drake in a double overtime extravaganza. That’s exactly what I want to see. I don’t want to see Louisville
Reynolds’game winning shot.
throw away Arizona like yesterday’s paper. No one wants to see blowouts because those games just are not exciting to watch. The Final Four is almost com-
Photo by Ron Cortes (MCT)
plete and I am just praying that one of those games makes me jump out of my seat. See the rest of this post at www.theminaretonline.com/overtime.
Facilities Director Dictates the Details of a Dirty Job From
“Fulton” [Back]
If the game starts at 7 o’clock for a basketball game, I’m going to start setting up two hours before, because an hour before, the court
has to be ready for warm-ups,” he explained. “Soccer is about the same timeline.” For a game to run smoothly, many things need to be taken into account. Seemingly little things, such
as making sure that the lines are down and the flags are up, become increasingly important. “I had an occasion where everything was done except the flag was not up. There was a building across the river that you could see
that had a huge American flag on it, so we just directed everybody’s attention over there,” Fulton said with a laugh. So when he is not singing the national anthem, or scrambling to find a flag, Fulton is happy to make
sure that the floors are clean and the game goes on. “I enjoy doing it, I really do,” he said. “I enjoy seeing an event from concept to fruition.” Olivia Glynn can be reached at oglynn@ut.edu.
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Golf Goes South After competing in the North Alabama Spring Classic, the UT golf team finished in 15th place out of 23 teams. The top golfer on the day for the Spartans was Kyle Roy, finishing the day with a score of 154. In the Roy field of 118 golfers, Roy finished 26th. UT will compete at the Barry Invitational in Miami on April 6-7, which will be the last tournament before traveling to Lakeland for the SSC Championships.
Beach Volleyball The Spartans placed second in the second annual Sunshine State Collegiate Beach Volleyball Tournament held in Clearwater last weekend. Melissa Vanderhall and Kaleigh Cunningham finished second in the Gold Division to take the top spot for the Spartans. Tampa only finished behind Florida Southern in the tournament, which was competed in by all of the members of the SSC. The SSC champion Spartans finished first in the tournament last year.
Facility Humility: Director Dishes on Sport Centers By Olivia Glynn Asst. Sports Editor
From start to finish, Jerome Fulton oversees the entire progression of all home games. As facilities director at the University of Tampa, Fulton makes sure that everything surrounding the games runs smoothly, even if he has to step out from behind the scenes and help out first hand. “I went to play the national anthem once at a game here, and for some reason it did not play,” Fulton explained, “so I sang the national anthem.” Fulton, who is in his 28th year at UT, does his best to make sure that all athletic events at the university are run the right way and in the right conditions. While it’s tough to play favorites, Fulton enjoys taking care of the Martinez Sports Center. “I think that it would probably have to do with my favorite sport, and basketball is my favorite sport, but we also play volleyball in [Martinez],” he said. Being surrounded by sports for so many years, Fulton has
grown to appreciate all sports and athletes, not just basketball, which he grew up playing. “Soccer,” he said, “which is nothing that I grew up with, I really appreciate soccer athletes because they go through a lot.” The soccer field at UT was re-done last year, making it more resistant to heavy rains and a lot of action. “The last field lasted probably about 20 years, which is probably too long,” said Fulton. “Hopefully this will last past my working life.” The new soccer field has made it easier for the facilities crew and also for the soccer players, who now play on a much improved surface. “Soccer was really, really challenging before we got our new field, which we just got last year […] and now the challenge is to maintain that field,” Fulton said. When the fields are not in need of maintenance, his time is spent setting up for games. “There’s a lot of time involved. See
“Fulton” [19] Photo by Abby Sanford
Sunshine State Showdown Looms as Baseball Closes By Kyle Bennett Online Sports Editor
After being drowned by the Nova Southeastern Sharks, the Spartans out-fought the Lynn Fighting Knights, improving their overall Sunshine State Conference record to 6-3. The University of Tampa remains in the hunt for the SSC conference championship with a strong record against conference opponents. NSU starter Miles Mikolas tossed a complete game and struck out 11 UT batters. Tampa dropped game one of the series by a score of 5-1. “Your first goal is to win the conference,” head coach Joe Urso said. “When you win the conference you get an automatic bid into the regional tournament.” “When you lose two out of three to a team that is that group [battling for a tournament bid] they look at head-to-head. It could hurt you. That is the ultimate tiebreaker,” Urso added. Urso preaches the importance of winning a three-game series to his team. “That gives you the edge to get into the tournament without
winning your conference,” he said. After one non-conference win, UT returned to conference play, traveling to Lynn University to take on the Fighting Knights. Tampa took the Friday night fight behind starter Danny Keefe. Keefe gave up just two runs
and struck out seven through six innings of play. The following Saturday featured a double header between the Spartans and the Knights. The Spartans handled Lynn with a 10-3 win in the first game. Tampa starting picture John Wiedenbauer tossed five innings, earning his fifth win of the season. Alex Koronis picked up his fourth save of the season, allowing one run and striking out six Knights while working a four inning save. UT lost the second game in extra innings by the score of 5-4. Urso is not completely sure of the pending conference stretch, as many teams Jared Simon hit his 13th double of the season against Lynn. could pose Photo by Abby Sanford problems for
Tennis
Softball
No. 16 Baseball
>>> With their win streak coming to an end at the hands of Lynn, the Spartans hope to get back in the win column on Friday.
>>> The league leading Spartans travel to take on the Lions for a weekend of conference play in Saint Leo.
>>>The Spartans travel to Melbourne for the second meeting against the Panthers this season. The Spartans won the first 11-1.
April 3, 3 p.m. vs. Palm Beach Atlantic
April 4, 4 p.m. at St. Leo
April 3, 3 p.m. at Florida Tech
UT as they venture through this long stint. The team faces Florida Southern, which has traditionally been the biggest rivalry of the season. Urso recognized that both programs are at constant odds for the top spot in the conference. The Spartans will end the regular season on the road at Barry and Florida Southern. Urso believes that the top three teams are “Barry, Southern and Tampa, in that order.” UT does not plan on backing down as they take on these top teams. “I like that,” Urso said. “We will be in control of our own destiny.” Urso is at the helm of a young team and has to constantly remind his men to stay on top of their opponents. “Pressure is playing against Tampa,” Urso said. In order to stay on top and capture the conference title UT’s young players will need to get any fear out of their mind. “You respect all of your opponents, but you never fear them,” Urso added. Kyle Bennett can be reached at minaret.overtime@gmail.com.
A minor offense and a not so maddening March [Page 19]