Florida’s Top College Paper
Vol. 75 No. 21
ut.minaret@gmail.com
www.theminaretonline.com
February 27, 2009
UT Security Normal for Spring Break By Jillian Randel Staff Writer
April 19
Plant Park
F
ans of public nudity, stolen cookies and the deathgrip of the agent of love will get their wish as Gym Class Heroes will headline this year’s Party in the Park on Sunday, April 19. At the Campus Movie Fest finale, Student Productions announced that the popular fusion band will perform at this year’s spring concert
View From the Top: Osprey Gets Birds-Eye View By Olivia Glynn Asst. Sports Editor
Anyone in attendance at a University of Tampa baseball game is sure to notice what sits atop a pole down the right field line, a large birds nest. The nest is home to an osprey, one of the largest birds of prey in North America. Ospreys are known for building their nests on man-made structures such as telephone poles, as well as platforms built for them in order to reestablish them into areas where they See had “Osprey”
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Photo by Olivia Glynn
Inside ...
Photo Illustration by Max Roberts
in Plant Park. “The band is way different from last year,” said Mykie Shapiro, the music chair for Student Productions. “I heard they are amazing live and I’m really looking forward See “Story” [9] to working with them.”
By Delaney Spoerl Staff Writer
For many of the lucky students who attend the University of Tampa, it is hard to imagine a childhood that lacks the encouragement to discover new possibilities. The first time a child learns a lesson, whether it be one they carry with them forever or simply a trick, the person who shared that knowledge is never forgotten. Big Brothers Big Sisters is a non-profit organization, providing grown up friends to children that need mentors in their lives. To those that brush the idea off, the fact that there are 800 children on the waiting list in the Tampa Bay area should cause a reason for second thought. In 2008, Big Brothers Big Sisters matched 2,250 children with mentors in Hillsborough, Pasco and Polk counties. With the economic downfall in the last year, it has left many more children, approximately 800 and counting, stuck on this waiting list. De Anne Sheffield, chief development officer and VP of partnership development at BBBS said, “The economic crisis has impacted our agency in many ways: we now see more families who need our services;
companies aren't able to give employees an hour off to mentor as much as they used to.” The types of children in the BBBS program come from many different backgrounds including those at great risk of involvement in the juvenile justice system, those with incarcerated parents, children who have witnessed or experienced domestic violence, ones that struggle with low selfesteem, peer pressure and children from single-parent homes in need of mentoring. What many people don’t know is the difference one
[5]
Domestic Abuse [16] Diversity Fellowship [13] Basketball Postseason [17]
hour a week can make in these children’s lives. The Juvenile Justice system reports that it costs taxpayers $60,000 to pay for a child in Juvenile detention. With 130 known gangs in Hillsborough County, the 800 children on the BBBS waiting list are those with the best chances of becoming involved. People join gangs for protection, sense of belonging, personal attention and material wealth. Studies show that See “BBBS”
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Photo by bbbsfl.org
Venezuela Referendum Passes [2]
Underground Wrestler [4]
See “Security”
Big Brothers Big Sisters Seeks UT for Help
Student off to Harvard [4]
Blogs from Overtime [19]
Although a large majority of students will be gone over spring break, the status of the security office on campus will remain the same. Students should practice more caution, however, because the decreased traffic means that there are fewer people around to notice or help with an incident. However, UT security will stay the same. Jackie Smith, Campus Safety and Security office shift supervisor, said that all the dorms and buildings will be manned with the same amount of personnel as usual. “Our situation at security does not change during spring break, we take our vacations during the summertime,” she said. But students are still advised to be cautious. "Students should make sure that they lock the doors to their rooms and their suites. Also, students should take more preventative measures by not allowing their friends to use
Spring Dance Concert[9]
“Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart. ”
News.................[1-5] Commentary..[13-16] Editorial ...........[15] A&E...............[7-11] Sports ..........[17-20]
[Elizabeth Andrew]
The Minaret | February 27, 2009 News UT Venezuelan Students React to Referendum Passage
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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
Josh Kratovil, Staff Assistant Sarah Gottlieb, Staff Writer Jillian Randel, Staff Writer JP Busche, Staff Writer Delaney Spoerl, Staff Writer Thiago Queiroz, 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
You can reach The Minaret directly at (813) 257-3636
The Minaret is a weekly student-run publication of the University of Tampa. As a student organization, The Minaret invites all students to take part in its production. Inquiries and comments may be sent to ut.minaret@gmail.com
Check out TheMinaretOnline.com for up-to-the-minute information on top stories and breaking news. Your first two copies of The Minaret are free. Each additional copy is $1.00.
Venezuela passed a referendum last week that will allow President Hugo Chavez, as well as all other publicly-elected officials, to run for office indefinitely. The referendum passed with a vote of 54 percent to 46 percent. While many supporters of the referendum cheered in the streets, there were others who expressed less than enthusiastic feelings. UT students Carlos Acedo and Jean Paul Behrens shared their thoughts with The Minaret on the constitutional change that occurred in their home country. Do you think that Chavez passed the referendum fairly? Carlos Acedo: Yes and no. The official results show that he actually won. Since he first won the election, he has been taking control of all the institutions of the government. The current vice president of Venezuela also used to be head of the organization that controls elections. This is just one example of how Chavez has too much influence on the formal organizations in the country. Jean Pierre Behrens: Not at all. For example, I couldn’t vote. The consulate in Miami would not let me register. Imagine all the people that are outside Venezuela that couldn’t do that. Chavez could not pass the referendum allowing indefinite terms in 2007. How was he able to pass it now? CA: What Chavez wanted to do was a complete overhaul of the constitution. One of the major laws he wanted to pass was this referendum. He took all the major changes he wanted to make and broke them down into little pack-
ages of laws, and he is going to try to pass them progressively, not all at once as before. The change would have been too extreme and he realized that. In the new referendum, he included a provision that said all government officials could run for indefinite terms. Do you think that was a huge factor? CA: He realized that if he was the only one to be re-elected, he would not have the support of the people in the congress that could actually vote for this referendum. When he switched the referendum to allow all public officials the chance to be re-elected for indefinite terms, he gained the support of all of the people of his party. Even if someone other than Chavez comes into power, nobody is going to take that law away. Power corrupts people, and that is one law that allows people to become more corrupted. If you stay in power for too long, at some point you become a tyrant. I think it hurts the democracy. What are the chances that someone will actually beat him in the next elections? JPB: I am always on the positive side of things. I always tell everyone we have to fight for 2012. Many people did not vote in this election. If we actually get people to vote, we could still beat him. We have beaten him before. It is just that the opposition right now is so disorganized. CA: At this point, I don’t think that somebody will be able to take him out of office without a fair election process. Chavez has complete control of the political institutions in Venezuela. There are twenty-two states and twenty of the governors are from his party. He controls pretty much 90 per-
Photo by Antoshko/flikr.com
cent of the country. What is the general feeling in Venezuela about the referendum passing? CA: From what I heard, people are really depressed. You can actually notice an atmosphere of failure in the people. Everybody was feeling like they could have done something, but didn’t. Some people were really mad about those who didn’t actually vote around 33 percent. With that 33 percent you could have made a difference and stopped the process. What do you think a Venezuela with Chavez in power would look like? JPB: Venezuela is in such disorganization. For example, the central bank accounting and auditing have to be released to the public so that everyone can see the balance
sheet of the central bank. That procedure has been lagging for a year and a half, so there is a whole year and a half of operations that are unaccounted for. If Chavez stays in power, imagine how it will be. The social side would be even worse. Before Chavez there were social divisions, but we still managed to live together happily. We were the most capitalistic society in Latin America. Not everyone was rich, but we still got along. Now there is a lot of resentment towards those who have things. Socially, classes resent each other and we have social insecurity. I just can’t see a happy future with Chavez in power. Jillian Randel can be reached to jillianrandel@yahoo.com
Post-Election: UT Democrats Keep Campaigning
By Rebecca Zimmer Staff Writer
The recent election has resulted in more Democratic support nation wide then in any previous election in American history. The involvement among UT students has made the UT Democrats an increasingly popular organization and has enabled them to contribute outside the state borders. On Feb. 20, Kristen Bell and Siobhan Harley, two UT juniors and members of the UT Democrats, traveled to NYC to attend a Young Democrats conference. The conference largely focused on ways to keep the Democratic Party moving forward. The change in presidency caused the conference to have a different outlook this year. “The whole party is different now; its going through a transformation,” Kristen Bell said. We are trying to seize what we have in addition to keeping it going.” The attendees of the conference were reminded that elections do not only happen every four years and that the presidential campaign is not the only democratic position that needs attention. Elections take place all of the time and the more democrats in office the more powerful they are as
a party. Voter disenfranchisement was also a large issue discussed. Harley and Bell attended a seminar focused on this issue and Harley noted, “It is a huge issue everywhere and our big thing is to ensure that all UT students are able to vote.” Florida’s publicity over voter disenfranchisement has prompted many other UT students to get involved in voter issues and help develop preventative measures to minimize the reoccurrence of this problem in the future. Chris Brown, a UT senior and president of the UT Democrats and vice chair of the Hillsborough County Democratic Executive Committee (HCDEC), said his job is to encourage all young democrates to get involved. “Even though the presidential season is over, that we shouldn’t get down. There are other important issues that we need to focus on, such as Fair Districting, which a petition that we are working towards to put certain parameters to make it fair for all candidates.” UT Democrats are also getting involved in other off campus activities. A field organizer frequents UT Democratic meetings to inform the member of what internships are available. Information pertaining
Photo by Robert Willett/MCT
to internships may also be obtained through the field office. The first 100 days of a newly elected president are always crucial. No president has ever matched the accomplishments that FDR made in his first 100 days, but the American public has high hopes for Obama. Many eyes are on him to see what he is going to do and how certain changes are going to be made. Obama has always said that it isn’t going to be easy; it’s going to take time. It is important to see what happens in the first 100 days, but the focus, Bell emphasized, should
be on long-term effects. “Government,” Bell stated “isn’t supposed to be shady, keep things from you, or lie to you, and that is the feeling they got from previous years during the Bush administration.” Americans seem to have a lot of hope in Obama and realize what a difficult job has just been placed on him. It all goes back to Obamas’ words, “Yes we can.” If anyone is interested in joining the UT Democrats, meetings are held every other Tuesday and students may join the UT College Democrats Facebook group.
News
The Minaret | February 27, 2009
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From “BBBS”: Front after children join the BBBS program, they are 52 percent less likely to skip school, 27 percent less likely to begin using alcohol, 46 percent less likely to begin using illegal drugs, 33 percent less likely to hit someone, become more confident of their performance in school work and get along with their family and peers better. A more unfortunate statistic is that 70 percent of the volunteers for BBBS are women while majority of the children on the waiting list are male. For a young boy to qualify for the program, he must not have a male idol in his life. Whether it be the fact that many adult males don’t know about the program or don’t find it to be of interest, it is important that they become more involved. Sheffield said, “You'd be surprised how an hour a week can make a huge difference in the life of a child, whether it's helping with homework, playing ball, or just hanging out. Many children who don't care about school begin showing up on time because they don't want to miss seeing their Big.” BBBS is aware that volunteers don’t always have a lot of time to give. When asked if interested in the program, freshman Pat Burris explained, “ I don’t think I would have enough time in my week to do that.” Fortunately there is more then one option. There is the traditional, community based program, where a mentor is paired with a child, spending a couple hours a week together, riding bikes, playing games, visiting the library or simply staying in. For those who have a more hectic weekly schedule,
A Big Brothers Big Sisters mentor with his mentee Photo by bbbsfl.org
there is the site-based program, where the match meets during the workday or at an after-school program one hour a week at the child’s school. There are many elementary schools in the area that need mentors, so students with out a car here at UT can easily become a part of this program. The main concern of volunteers is getting along with the child or coming up with things to do, but BBBS provides mentors that are always there to help with these problems and give suggestions. It is a common concern for many when getting started, but stories like the one about Marlie and Kerry make it much easier to comprehend the magic these mentor’s bring to a child’s life. “Little Sister Marlie and Big Sister Kerry Sapp first met through the Take Stock program. They were matched for more than two years. Marlie is an accomplished cello player and has won numerous awards and honors, including the opportunity to play at Carnegie Hall. Kerry helped Marlie research scholarships and grants for college, and the hard work paid off.
“Blair Witch Project” Director Visits UT By JP Busche Staff Writer
Last Monday,Reeves Theater was once again filled with film aficionados. Professor Tom Garrett coordinated the visit of Gregg Hale, the producer of the independent film, Blair Witch Project. Hale, who was born in Selma, Alabama, studied one year at Western Kentucky University, before he ran out of money and joined the army for four years. After he was done with military service, he decided to go to Orlando. Having just $20 in his pockets, he moved to Orlando where he attended Valencia Community College and the University of Central Florida to study film. Hale then moved to Los Angeles but quickly came back to Orlando. There, he met with people he enjoyed working with while in college. The
group came up with the idea for "Blair Witch Project." “We tried to get funding by telling the investor the story would be real, but as soon as we told them it is fiction, they lost interest,” Hale said. The group came up with a budget of $22,000 and managed to create the financially most successful independent film ever made, generating over 200 million dollars in box office revenue.
Marlie earned several scholarships including Take Stock and will be attending the University of Tampa, majoring in music. In a letter, Marlie wrote, "Ms. Kerry was like an angel sent from God. I was blessed to have her as my Big Sister." Kerry considers blessed as well to be a part of Marlie's life.” Getting involved is easy, public awareness has become the dilemma. The P.E.A.C.E volunteer office on the second floor of Vaughn is asking people to apply for the coordinating position for next semester between BBBS and UT. With a coordinator in the P.E.A.C.E office, students will be able to join the program through the university. As of now, any volunteer who wants to join BBBS is referred to the website where they can sign up. It is work-study position and the person needs to be available for students who are interested in signing up along with answering their questions. Molly Murphy, a UT senior and volunteer in the P.E.A.C.E office said, “We’re really looking forward to someone who is dedicated and
A Big Brothers Big Sisters mentor blows bubbles with her mentee Photo by bbbsfl.org
wants to expand the program.” Not only would this person make students more aware of the need for BBBS in the Tampa Bay area, important fundraisers like the largest annual campaign for children “Bowl for Kids Sake” would become even more of a success. “Bowl for Kids Sake” is a campaign guided towards raising money for matches in the BBBS program and helping at risk children in the Tampa Bay area. They currently need team captains who will recruit people to be on their
teams of five. Sponsors can be found online, making the process much easier. Not only will these teams be helping the children in the organization, complimentary food, prizes, bowling games and a great time will be provided. The games take place March 14, 21, 29 and April 25. For more information email Connie Murphy at connie.Murphy@bbbs.org. For more information about the coordinator position in the P.E.A.C.E office contact Mike Seitzler at mseitzler@ut.edu.
The Grille Receipt Change Causes Major Mix-up
Photo by Mindy Tucker By Delaney Spoerl Staff Writer
At the end of the fall semester, the ordering procedure at the Grille in Spartan Club was remodeled. Previously, students would place their order in the computer system and the people cooking the food would know what was ordered. Once the food was received, a receipt would be given to the student who would take it to the register. Recently, the process has
changed, and the receipt is automatically printed for the student, who then takes it to The Grille and hands it to the cook to place an order. When asked if this has become an inconvenience, freshman Meghan Dias said, “It’s not really annoying or anything, I just forgot to give the guy my receipt the first time and ended up waiting for a while.” Amy Truong, the general manager of Sodexo dining services at UT, said she was not aware of the reasoning behind the modification.
She explained that it is possible this happened because the printer system behind the Grille would malfunction every so often. The Minaret was the first to come to dining services about this adjustment. While there have been no substantial problems, the reasoning behind this remains unexplained as of press time. Delaney Spoerl can be reached at delaney83090@yahoo.com
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News
The Minaret | February 27, 2009
From Oxford to Harvard, Student Prepare Distinguished School
“It took all of my composure not to yell in her ear,” he said. He said his mom was thrilled Harvard has only been a to hear the news too. dream school for most students “She’s spent the past two but for one University of Tampa weeks trying to track down my student, that dream was in arm’s kindergarten teacher,” he said. reach. Senior Charlie Connally has Connally said with a full just been accepted to Harvard Law schedule of honors classes, band School. practice, and basketball practice, “I didn’t even think it was he has always been disciplined. possible,” Connally said. He said the memory of his father’s Connally said he was on edge passing when he was 14 is what all week waiting to hear back from kept him motivated when times got tough. the school. “He’s my inspiration. He’s “I was having the worst day who I keep working hard for,” he ever and I remember getting back said. to my room and seeing that 617 Connally is a Criminology area code on my caller ID,” he and Government major who grew said. up in the Tampa area. Immediately returning the “I’m going to miss the weathcall, a woman gave him with the er here. It’s been my home for the news of his acceptance. last 14 years,” Connally said. Connally also attended Oxford through the Honors Program where he made try-outs for their basketball team without even realizing it. “I thought it was for club basketball, then I found out I was on the team,” said Connally. Working all Photo by Charlie Hambos By Annie Orban Staff Writer
through college, Connally had jobs at Hollywood Video, Radio Shack, Gateways mentoring and now works as a Resident Assistant for the Honors floor in the Frank P. Urso dorm. In his spare time, Connally enjoys reading comic books and working out. His freshman and
sophomore year, he participated in the Iron Man competitions. He recently visited Harvard with the UT Honors Program to partake in the Harvard Model UN. He represented the country Togo. Although he was invited to apply at Yale, Connally is certain that Harvard is where he will be
residing this fall. “I’m expecting cold weather and a lot of reading. My glasses prescription will most definitely go up,” he said. Connally says there is a simple strategy used in gaining success. “Just go to class and work hard.”
Charlie Connally Is Proud Example of UT Success
By Peter Arrabal Editor-in-chief
He came bolting through the Vaughn Center, a big smile on his face. He extended his hand. "Whats up, Charlie," I asked. I hadn't seen Charlie since last spring, since he spent the last semester across the pond at Oxford. "I got into Harvard Law," he beamed. There was really nothing more to say than just, "Wow." Seniors are scrambling to find post-graduation plans. Medical school, graduate school and actual jobs are at the forefront of everyone's mind right now, but
Charlie Connally's next few years are set. The future lawyer has traveled a long road at the University of Tampa, and an even longer road in life. He was in the first class I ever walked into at UT. He was the quiet-yet-outspoken guy, the one who suffered through the loss of his father, who lived off campus, and who always had something to say. The most interesting thing about him was that he knew everything about movies that was possible. The shift manager at Hollywood Videos, Connally spent mornings, afternoons and nights at work. Sometime between all of that, he came to our Composition & Rhetoric I class. Over the rest of our academic careers, our classes rarely intertwined. We shared one more
class, a one-time class with Dr. Anne Stockdell-Giesler. I think I learned more from that class than any other. Connally succeeded (obviously) and went to Oxford. He sent me a few Facebook messages, asking to write for The Minaret. (By the way, I'm still waiting for that, Charlie.) The news that he had gotten into Harvard Law was a great joy for me. The economy is in the tank, we aren't supposed to travel to Mexico, my neighbor was just evicted and his house foreclosed on, but at least a bright spot can shine through -- a man I met the first time I stepped into a UT classroom has achieved what is considered a pinnacle of undergraduate achievement. Congrats, Charlie Connally.
Childhood Inspires Student’s Underground Wrestling Club By Michelle Magner Staff Writer
Wearing a cape and crown has become a weekly routine for sophomore Jeremy Donovan. Each Friday night with Lady Lockheart by his side “The Majesty Jon Juris” is ready for his match. Growing up in Tampa, majoring in Communication, Donovan is part of “Global Underground Wrestling.” A group of friends who wrestled in high school have turned their idea of fun into a reality. This group of friend’s practice each week, taping a “Friday Night Inferno” that is posted on youtube accessible to anyone to see. There is a storyline behind each wrestling match with each
person having his or her own character. “I think I am the king and I talk in an English accent,” said Donovan. But practice is not only about preparing for matches but it is also a time for these wrestlers to perfect and learn new moves. No one in Global Underground Wrestling has had a serious injury but some of the moves look quite dangerous to the on looking eye. Suplex, one of the most basic wrestling moves consists of someone hooking their arm over the opponents head, picking them up and slamming them back down. “You know who is going to win at each match, there are certain spots you plan out,” said Donovan. “But most of the time whatever happens, happens.”
Each person has signature moves. “Royal mutilation is one of mine,” said Donovan. “It’s when you hook one arm over and one arm under and land the person on their face.” The other move is known as a submission hold and is when a person is held to tap out and give up the match. Donovan’s interest in wrestling started from age two when he would watch wrestling matches on TV with his grandfather and to this day watches wrestling matches from home. Global Underground Wrestling held their first match in November of 2007 and had an audience of 40 people. Cheer Tampa’s Gym was so generous in letting the team prac-
Jeremy Donovan gets ready to wrestle at his Global Underground Wrestling Photo by Jeremy Donovan
tice in their gym that they gave all of the money they earned on admission back to them. Saturday Feb. 21 Global Underground Wrestling is holding
another match at the Cheer Tampa Gym off Himes. They are open for more people to join whether it is for wrestling, referees, or announcers.
UT Student Rides Out Passion for BMX at Local Bro Bowl By Amanda Price Special to The Minaret
among other bands. Before he was an insider at the park, Elhert discovered the patience it takes to learn BMX tricks.
Only a 10-minute ride from the University of Tampa, there is a bike rider's haven found in the Bro Bowl used by athletes as far back as the 70s. Few students take advantage of the park, but even fewer have the passion and talent Scott Elhert does for BMX riding and bicycle motorcross. The famous Bro Bowl is easily his favorite hangout. Florida weather allows him to ride there three or four times a week, essentially every week of the school year. Elhert practices while listening to Radioplay, Lifehouse, Scott Ehlert does a no-handed foot jam Brand New or Angels & Airwaves, Photo by Scott Ehlert
He knows how important full commitment is; a rider cannot be careless. A self-taught rider, Elhert gave BMX his total effort. "It's worth it," he says, despite a broken shoulder on two occasions. He began riding five years ago in his hometown of Chicago, Ill., where he was inspired by demos and the chance to meet professional riders. The X-Games are a must-see for Elhert each winter and summer. Garrett Reynold and Jamie Bestwick are Elhert's favorite riders, because, he explains, "anyone who's unique in their riding is worth looking up to." He has no interest in competing, as only some of the Bro Bowl riders are sponsored in competitions. Elhert is content with trying
new tricks and pushing himself to go all-out in his attempts. In competition, he says, "I would end up hurting myself." BMX for him is a passion, not a contest. His favorite accomplished tricks are the nothing (no hands or feet in the air), the no-footed x-up (twist handlebars) and the no-footed cancan (one handed). Then there are the variations of the classic 360, such as the onehander and tire grab. Of course, Elhert strays from the regular tricks and creates his own, giving them unique names. His no-handed smith-grind places his back tire on the ramp with the front peg grinding. A nohanded 360 requires the rider to squeeze the bike with their knees,
something he is working toward. Elhert sets up a video camera on occasion to film his riding. BMX is a huge part of his life. He describes the adrenaline build and gives his perspective on extreme sports, like his other favorites, skateboarding and snowboarding: "There are followers and there are leaders." He would love it if more UT students were BMX riders. The best advice Elhert can give is to have a lot of fun, a lot of patience and to leave a cocky attitude behind. His future will keep him at the park out of love for the sport, but his career will bring him to the financial industry due to his love of the stock market.
News
The Minaret | February 27, 2009
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P.E.A.C.E. to Explore Everglades on Weekend Trip By Emily Benham Staff Writer
Charlie Hambos Compiled From Reports Provided By UT Security Compiled from the Crime Log from Feb. 9 to Feb. 24 At 8:50 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 9 UT security officers responded to a motor vehicle accident in the West Parking Garage. That same Monday, Drugs were found in the Vaughn Center at 6:45 p.m. The students were referred to Judicial Board. On Tuesday, Feb. 10 at a theft was reported that supposedly occurred the preceding week in Stadium Center. An injury was reported in Straz Hall on Feb. 10 at 8:40 p.m. In Stadium Center a theft was reported at 2:30 a.m. in Straz Hall on Tuesday, Feb. 10. An alcohol violation was reported in Brevard Hall at 4:15 p.m. on Feb. 10. A student was transported to the hospital from the Vaughn Center on Thursday, Feb. 12 at 5 a.m. A battery was reported in the Vaughn Center at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 12 A fire alarm was set off in the Boathouse at 12:20 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 13. On Friday, Feb. 13, at an unknown time a vehicle accident occurred in the West Parking Garage. A theft was reported in Thomas Parking garage at 10:55 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 13. On Saturday, Feb. 14, at 4:20 p.m. a medical emergency was reported in Brevard Hall. A student involved in the incident was referred to judicial board.
The University of Tampa’s PEACE organization is offering students a three-day weekend of A battery was reported on volunteering with Florida’s wildSunday, Feb. 15. at 2:45 p.m. life and bonding with fellow UT in Brevard Hall. A student students. The trip is scheduled for involved in the incident was Friday, April 3 through Sunday, referred to judicial board. April 5 at Everglades Outpost in Homestead, FL. A maximum of 12 A case of criminal mischief was students can go on the trip. reported in Brevard Hall at 3:40 The trip involves helping allia.m. on Sunday, Feb. 15. gators return to their natural habitats, feeding animals and cleaning On Monday, Feb. 16, a fire the area and stalls. All the students alarm went off in the Vaughn Photo by Dana Hill/flikr.com will be staying in the local EverCenter at 4:21 a.m. glades Hostel. Katrina Vidal, alternative A student was injured in Plant breaks coordinator for P.E.A.C.E., in volunteer work and spending a Park at 5:40 p.m. on Tuesday, who is helping to coordinate this weekend in Florida’s finest EverFeb. 17. upcoming trip said, “This just be- glades Outpost is encouraged to came a big program this year and act fast on this excursion while the In Thomas Parking Garage, it is a great chance for people who opportunity is still available. security officers were called on want to be a part of it.” The total cost of this trip, to the scene after some criminal When asked where the idea due March 18, is $50 dollars and mischief was reported at 2 p.m. came from for this trip, Katrina includes most meals and travel on Tuesday, Feb. 17. UT_09_p AM Page 1costs. said “We1/26/09 thought it11:39 was something The application for the trip that people would be interested UT security officers reported is due March 16 at midnight. The in.” Anyone who has any interest to damage at the Community Television Station at 6:55 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 18. Someone failed to provide proper identification and damaged something in president Vaughn’s parking space on Wednesday morning, Feb. 18. A case of criminal mischief was reported in Thomas Parking Garage at 7:20 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 20. Someone’s property was damaged in Stadium Center at 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 21. A medical emergency was reported in Austin Hall at 2:45 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 21. A non-student was reported trespassing, a warning was issued and the person was transported off-campus on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 8:10 p.m. At 11 a.m. a vehicle accident was reported in the West Parking Garage on Tuesday, Feb. 24.
A vehicle accident was reported in West Parking Garage at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 14.
Feb. 24 Meeting •
Senior Graduation Party, April 18 8 p.m.-midnight.
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For all finance appropriations, email Morgan at mtanafon@ ut.edu
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The Food Committee is looking to expand the salad bar. Options include more veggies, grilled chicken, as well as vegetarian options.
•
The OTIS Elevator Company is expected to come and check all campus elevators for residence safety.
application can be found at http:// tinyurl.com/CAMC. An informational meeting will take place Wednesday, April 1 at 10 p.m. with a follow-up meeting on Wednesday, March 18 at 10 p.m. Students can email AlternativeBreaks@ ut.edu with any questions. Spring their access cards to their dorms or propping doors opened for friends to come in as they please,” she said. From “Security”: Front Page their access cards to their dorms or propping doors opened for friends to come in as they please,” she said. Students will have access to rides from security late at night, as usual, by calling security at 813-251-5133. LASER team will also be available through the Vaughn Center by calling 2533333 ext. 4515 or 257-4515. Jillian Randel can be reached at jillianrandel@yahoo.com
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The Minaret | February 27, 2009
Arts & Entertainment
By Linda C Black Tribune Media Services
7 Things To Do This Week: 1. Try a new restaurant in town. 2. Play a board game with friends. 3. Get rid of 5 things you never use. 4. Open an old high school yearbook. 5. Smile at 3 strangers while your out and about. 6. Change your computer's desktop background. 7. Avoid using the internet for an entire day. (Well, maybe just a few hours!)
Aries (March 21-April 19) By now, you should have a rough draft. If you need more information, contact the people who know. You’re into unfamiliar territory, but that just makes it more exciting. Taurus (April 20-May 20) You can push your interests from behind the scenes. You don’t like the spotlight much anyway, nor should you. Stir things up while attention is diverted elsewhere. Gemini (May 21-June 21) You’ve run the gauntlet by now, taken a lot of abuse, overcome your fears and, basically, made it through. You may not be all the way there yet, but celebrate how far you’ve come. Cancer (June 22-July 22) You should be able to get away for a little while. Hurry and do your chores, clean up and make sure you’re ready. Pack your bags, or at least your toothbrush. Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) Get out for a breath of fresh air with your favorite companion. By now, you should know what you can afford and how far you can go. Walking works, too, by the way. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Why is everybody looking at you? They’re starting to suspect you’re the brains behind the operation. They’re all just checking in, to make
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sure they’re on the right track. Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) You may still be struggling, but you’ve got a lot of support. This makes your job a lot easier, but make sure you stay involved. You’re still the brains behind the operation. Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) You’re known more by your deeds than by your words. You’re not disadvantaged when that’s on the daily agenda, as it is now. In other words, shut up and shovel. Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Push! Push! Push! Sound familiar? This is how creativity happens. The action is not a recommendation or “a good idea.” It’s mandatory, and you know what to do. Do it. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Don’t run away, even if you’re starting to experience some heat. Well, it doesn’t hurt to have an escape route in your plans. Don’t panic, though. Do it responsibly, when the time is right. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) The more you learn, the easier it gets, as you have doubtless noticed. That should be especially true right now. Keep on asking questions. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) If you sell something you’ve had stashed away in your storage bin, you can buy something you need now. Crazy? Not really. Find the means to get a new tool that will make your life easier.
by Austin Daniels
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The Minaret | February 27, 2009
9
Arts and Entertainment
Dance Concert Springs Into Action
By Mel Steiner Arts & Entertainment Editor
Gym Class Heroes, which mixes rock, pop, R&B and rap into their music to produce a unique sound, will visit the University of Tampa for the second annual Party in the Park this April. Student Productions posted a survey via Blackboard asking students their preference on topics such as genre and different bands. Genre choices were rock, pop, alternative, R&B and hip-hop. Student Productions chose Gym Class Heroes out of a
plethora of others including Secondhand Serenade, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, O.A.R., OK Go and Metro Station. The New York native band consists of four talented musicians: Travis McCoy (vocals), Matt McGinley (drummer), Disashi Lumumba-Kasongo (guitar) and Eric Roberts (bass). Their indie rock and punk funk sound was picked up by Decaydance/Fueled by Ramen, who have produced Gym Class Heroes’ several award-winning albums. At the 2007 MTV Video
Music Awards, Gym Class Heroes won the Best New Artist award and were nominated for the Best Group award. Their most popular songs are “The Queen and I,” “Cookie Jar,” “Clothes Off!” and “Cupid’s Chokehold/Breakfast In America.” Gym Class Heroes released their latest album “The Quilt” on Sept. 9, 2008. In 2005 they released their chart-topping “The Papercut Chronicles” and in 2006 released “As Cruel As School Children.” Since the Yellowcard performance last year, there has been much anticipation the 2009 Spring Concert. Gym Class Heroes is sure to rock UT’s Plant Park.
Photos from flickr.com (heybelinda)
April 19
360 Game Releases Second Round of Fear By Austin Ashby Staff Writer
When the first F.E.A.R. was released on the PC, it was highly praised for the sound quality, the AI, and the graphics. After two disappointing expansions made by a different developer, original devs Monolith have released the true sequel to the franchise. That game is, of course, F.E.A.R 2: Project Origin. How does F.E.A.R. 2 holds up against the original F.E.A.R.? The game does not hit the high marks the original did, but it’s a good game overall. Instead of picking up where the original game ended with the city in shambles from the explosion and Alma breaking free of the facility, the single-player starts out thirty minutes before the explosion that aspired in F.E.A.R. In F.E.A.R 2, you control a silent Delta Force officer named Michael Becket. The story is a good one for a first person shooter and it’s not as confusing as the first F.E.A.R. was. Like the first F.E.A.R., the game ends on a cliffhanger, which will leave a very sour taste in your mouth. Excepting that ending, the game gives us more answer to the questions we have pondered since the first premiere of F.E.A.R. When F.E.A.R was released onto the PC, it was the benchmark for graphics of the moment. While F.E.A.R. 2 is not as
high of caliber as its predecessor. The game looks good, nonetheless on the 360. The special effects and lighting in the game is great. There is a ton of details that was put into the environments. The audio is, like the first game, simply excellent. The music for the game fits it well. When you hear something, you will simply turn off your flashlight and look around to see what made the noise. The voice-acting in the game is pretty good, as well. The audio is simply a key part in helping the game to be a good FPS, and to up the creep factor. One of the problems in the original F.E.A.R. was the variety in enemies was near non-existent; all you had was the replicas and the high-tech ninjas. The sequel adds more enemies to spice up the encounters. While replicas and the ninjas reprise their roles (with a new coat of paint, too), there are now paranormal creatures like puppet masters, and mercenaries. Another problem I (and everyone else in the world) had with the F.E.A.R. was it had major problems with the variety of environment. For the majority of that game you were just going through office buildings. F.E.A.R. 2 has remedied the problem quite a bit. Instead of simply going through a bunch of offices, you will travel through a hospital, a school, and etc. More than one location!
Rejoice! The gunplay in F.E.A.R. 2 is very solid. The game doesn’t try to renovate the shooter genre at all, but simply takes great parts of other games and mends them together to make a solid shooter. While it sports a fine shooting aspect, the horror aspect kind of fails. While I was scared playing through the first F.E.A.R., I was not as scared in the sequel when I was playing through it. When the game did go creepy, it became very interesting. While I enjoyed the FPS side of the game, I wish I could have seen more of Alma and the bizarreness she brings upon Becket. The game does break up the action a bit by adding a few mechs into the arena with some turret actions and those are fun. The slow-motion is brought back to the game, but while it was fun to pull off in the first game the mechanic is starting to get stale in 2009. Bottom Line: I was hoping to learn more about Alma and the world that the F.E.A.R. franchise is based in. While the game is not a benchmark-setting game like the original was, it is still a good shooter. I wish there was some innovation in the game instead of taking parts from other qualities shooters. I hope in the next game, there is some type of innovation and hopefully it will be as groundbreaking as the original game was, since F.E.A.R. 2 is, as it stands now, just more of the same goodness. I’d give this game a 7/10.
By Micaela Lydon Staff Writer
T
he University of Tampa’s Department of Speech, Theatre and Dance brought us the 2009 Spring Dance Concert this past weekend. Family, friends and faculty watched as talented UT students showed off their weeks of hard work in a stunning show comprised of eleven unique pieces. Performances were marked with everything from sexual zing to intense drama in a quick procession of jazz, hip-hop, modern, tap and ballet. Linda Lopez, professor of Dance at UT, praised the show, saying, “There is truly something for everybody.” Can’t get enough of UT dance? Come show your support at the upcoming Spring Dance Happening. Spring Dance Happening Auditions: Saturday, Feb. 28 at 10 a.m. or Monday, March 2 at 7:30 p.m. in the Edison Building Spring Dance Happening: April 29 – May 2 8 p.m. in the Edison Building For more information, contact Susan Lennon at (813) 257-3745.
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Arts & Entertainment
By Michelle Magner Staff Writer
To go out to dinner or to cook dinner in is a huge contemplation among many college students here at UT. Classes are over; homework is piled by the computer and thoughts of “what’s for dinner,” come to mind. A craving for Mexican food sets in, now it’s time to make that same decision again. Should I go out to dinner, or go food shopping and buy the ingredients that will satisfy this craving? With the local Mexican restaurants being Miguel’s on Kennedy, Algusto’s across from campus and Estelas on Davis Island, it’s hard to decide where to go. Senior Katelyn Chapman enjoys dining out. “I like to go out to dinner for the experience because it makes it more special and you don’t have to worry about cooking it yourself,” she says. “It’s also another reason to go out with your friends.” But if dining in becomes the answer to the question, the popular Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market holds all the ingredients. Budget is a crucial factor for college students in deciding where to go. That’s why I did some research to find out some prices to make the
option a little easier to decide. Miguel’s, currently under renovation, serves fajitas for $11.95. Algusto’s, which is walking distance from campus, charges $10. 25. Estelas, with outside seating and pet accessibility, charges $15.59. The logical and cheapest dinner answer would be to go to Algusto’s because driving wouldn’t be necessary so gas is knocked off the bill. But if you’re a picky eater, hate waiting for food or worried about the extra calories consumed on eating out then cooking in might suite you. Eating in could actually be cheaper in the long run. The prices for the ingredients needed to cook fajitas from the Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market are as follows: • 10 Flour tortillas.................$1.72 • Beef...........$5.75 for a package, or $1.08/lb • Chicken.....$4.38 for a package, or $0 .88/lb • Onion.................... $0.58 for one • Pepper................... $0.68 for one • Avocado................ $0.58 for one • Mexican Cheese.................$2.48 • Pace Salsa.......................... $2.08 • Sour Cream........................ $1.88
Quilt’s Corner Living Happily Ever After Alex Vera
The Dark Scene Brittany Johnson The world fell apart in your absence— white walls remained blank slates of nothing and no voice came from the silence— god disappeared with you, taking the crackle from fallen leaves and the rose that tinged the blue sky. Your name became a thin and I could not grasp the concept-I can not. And I was left with only myself to fall into, crashing like a violent wave in the midst of chaos, forgotten to forget alone.
The Minaret |February 27, 2009
Orpheum Brings Fans Closer to the Bands • Rice............. ..................... $0.98 • Beans................................ $0.88 • Total.........$17.61 for beef fajitas $16.24 for chicken fajitas Now these prices are higher then what it would cost at any of the restaurants but if and when that craving for Mexican comes back, cooking in could be cheaper. Buying a jar of salsa, a package of cheese, a container of sour cream and a bag of tortillas means you are going to be able to use these ingredients two or three more times, considering they are most likely all not going to be used in one sitting. If that’s the case, then most likely only the meat, peppers and onions need to be purchased. If you’re a picky eater and only like the meat, or prefer only sour cream on your fajitas, then the prices are all going to be cheaper at the grocery store. The facts are yours, now it’s your turn to answer the question: What’s for dinner tonight?
By Zach Fraser Staff Writer
In a time where computers and software chug out hit singles, the music business has become a dying industry that is struggling to keep its head above water. One of the industries only saving graces is the natural art of a live concert. Fortunately for UT students, the local Tampa area provides one of the most intimate venues on the western coast of Florida. Ybor City, one of Tampa’s premier hot spots for nightlife and shopping, is home to one of the area’s biggest secrets: the Orpheum. The Orpheum is a small concert venue on 14th Street that offers the south Tampa area numerous concerts every month. One of the venue’s biggest perks is the low cost of admission. As all tickets are general admission (no reserved seats), tickets usually range from a
mere $8-$20, making the Orpheum one of the most affordable venues in the area. Another great benefit of the Orpheum is the smaller size it offers to fans and artists. For fans it’s great because you can literally get right up to the stage and be standing only inches from the band. As for the artists, it gives them a great opportunity to interact with the crowd and really connect with the fans on a personal level. Junior Max Forsythe has attended shows at the Orpheum and agrees that the smaller size of the venue adds to the overall experience of the concert. “It’s a really different feel to be able to be so close to the bands,” Forsythe said. “The artists really have great crowd interaction at the Orpheum, which makes the concerts that much better.” Make sure to keep an eye out for upcoming events at the Orpheum at: http://statemedia. com/events.php
Franz Ferdinand: Freaks of Music By Mike Trobiano Staff Writer
What do you get when you combine rock beats, electronic Euro-pop and the name of an archduke? If you guessed Franz Ferdinand, you know your stuff. I’m not sure whether it’s the keyboards or high-powered electric guitars but no matter where I am, if any one of their songs come on, I can’t help myself from dancing to the point of borderline public humiliation. Typically I describe music as morning music, driving music or even gym music, but the best description I have for Franz Ferdinand’s style is simply “unique music.” Officially forming back in 2002, the band of four actually began careers years earlier in four separate bands during the 1990s, doing what they love best, creating music. It’s so rare to see the formation of a real band in today’s world where so many reality shows and television contests hand out record deals like money being thrown at the stimulus package. The idea of becoming a celebrity has certainly outweighed talent. But don’t let me fool you; this group definitely has met the requirements to become successful musicians. But if your still don’t recognize their name, take a blender and add half a cup The Doors, half a cup The Rolling Stones and a pinch of 80’s pop and you’ll have Franz Ferdinand. When first starting out, the band members actually belonged to several different groups before combining forces. It wasn’t
until 2002 that the band began recording their debut album with Tore Johansson, the same producer of Cardigans. They quickly hit it off and the next year, released their first single, “Take Me Out.” “I say don’t you know, you say you don’t go, I say take me out! I say you don’t show, don’t move, time is slow, I say take me out!” The single immediately made its way to number three on the UK and number twelve in Australia but somehow, only made it to thirtyfour in America. That same year, the band won several awards for the single and was compared to powerhouse groups like Duran Duran, The Rolling Stones and even The Beatles, yet “Take Me Out” remained the only song off the band’s self titled album to make any waves in the music industry. The band went back to their passion and began recording more music in Scotland and in October released their second album, “You Could Have It So Much Better.” While in the studio, the band decided to broaden their music range and record some tracks without their trademark disco-pop sound. Despite their efforts, the album did not receive many stellar reviews, with many feeling the album was rushed. Unfazed the unsatisfying reviews, the band continued touring with their album but held
off recording their third; deciding to take it slow and focus on their sound. It was not until late 2007 that the band went back to recording and spent an entire year developing and perfecting the new tracks. In late January of this year, the band finally released their third album entitled, “Tonight: Franz Ferdinand.” The first single off the album, “Ulysses,” is already starting off well and shows the band is back to their original sound. “Well I found a new way, I found a new way, C’mon and use me I don’t need your sympathy. My Ulysses my Ulysses no, bet you are now, boy, so sinister, so sinister last night was wild.” If you cannot tell by the lyrics, this band is certainly not drab or boring. While they still remain somewhat underground here in America, I would say it’s only a matter of time before this album makes it big here and around the rest of the globe. Whether you have already fallen in love with their retro sound and unique style or you are just now becoming allured to avant-garde persona, you must take a listen to their new album. Your foot just might start tapping. To find out more about Franz Ferdinand go to, www. franzferdinand.co.uk or www. myspace.com/franzferdinand.
Arts & Entertainment UT Senior’s Film To Be Shown At SunScreen Film Festival
11
The Minaret | February 27, 2009
By Jackie Maass Staff Writer
“One Last Stand,” a 15 minute film written and directed by UT senior Alan Mehanna, will be shown at the fourth annual Sunscreen Film Festival. What began as a project for class has grown to an impressive door-opener. Mehanna is very excited about what opportunities this may bring for him. The film is set during tumultuous times and features two people, an Arab man and an American woman, who have been put in a room by God to make a unanimous decision regarding the future of mankind. They must choose whether to reset the world from the very beginning, or face the possibility of the next World War. This crucial decision is made even more intense with two drastically different opinions and a limited amount of time. The first version of this film was filmed last spring, but the idea
came years earlier when a war broke out during Mehanna’s visit to his home country of Lebanon. “Experiencing and being a part of this tragic event put things in perspective and changed my view of the world. I found myself Top Alan Mehanna asking God why Right Screenshot from he was not do“One Last Stand” ing anything to prevent this from for the one day or week, like a happening,” said Mehanna. Assistant Professor of Com- wedding,” Garrett said. munication, Tom Garrett, was Speaking of the festivals, happy to help Mehanna with his Garrett recalled, “That’s where vision. Garrett was enlisted as the they meet each other. In retroExecutive Producer for the shoot spect, for me, almost everything and oversaw some of the adminis- either began at school or (from) trative aspects. new friends from festivals.” He commended the hard work Mehanna said, “As far as what and dedication that so many stu- the next step for ‘One Last Stand,’ dents put into their work. aside from festivals, nothing as of “They work on it all year long right now.”
Film Educational Panel: From Florida to Hollywood
Date Feb. 28 Time 1-2 p.m. Location Plant Hall, Music Room Contact Tom Garrett at circafilm@aol.com The Sunscreen Film Festival, which anyone can attend, will take place from April 29 to May 3 in St. Petersburg, but an exact date for Mehanna’s screening has not yet been announced. Ticket prices and information about the many events sponsored by Sunscreen can be found on www.sunscreenfilmfestival.com.
Film Student To Premiere In Gasparilla Film Festival By Jackie Maass Staff Writer
One of UT’s own to be shown in Gasparilla Film Fest Sean Malloy, a senior Film And Media Arts Major here at UT, will have his six minute documentary shown at this year’s Gaspa-
rilla International Film Festival. The documentary features Malloy’s uncle, Thomas Eger and his struggle with Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma, a rare form of NonHodgkin’s Lymphoma. “He has been tested endlessly and it took tons of doctors and tests to find out what he had wrong with
him. Initially he was given two years to live,” Malloy said. The film festival is from Thursday, February 26th to Saturday, March 7th. Malloy’s screening will take place Friday February 27th at 6:20 pm at Channelside Theaters. Tickets for Malloy’s showing are $5. He asked for sup-
port from his fellow students and added, “Thomas Eger will be there if anyone wants to ask any questions about his disease and what he has been through.” Jackie Maass can be contacted at jmaass@ut.edu
By Vicky Blyde Special to The Minaret
By Kristen Vasquez Staff Writer
Friday marked the end of New York’s Fashion Week. While it did not entirely disappoint, providing us with ample amounts of glitz and glamour, during these less then desirable economic times, to put it plainly, style took a bit of a licking. Sponsored by Mercedes Benz, more then 63 designers were scheduled to show off their latest collections in Bryant Park. This isn’t counting the hundreds of other shows scheduled all throughout the city though. Or the thousands of stylists, editors, buyers, and fashion elite in attendance. More than likely, the crowds made everyday New York traffic look like a Spencer Pratt fan club meeting. Being the disturbing fashion fanatic that I am, I spent Fash-
Photo from flickr.com
ion Week glued to my computer, with twice daily email alerts from Style.com flooding my inbox. Cutting off all my ties from reality, I will admit I was just slightly on a reclusive kick for the week. But what better way to pass the time then looking at the creative blunders and endeavors of people who have no concept of the envy I somehow bear to live with. Color me green. To start with a funny observation, this year was the first that PETA did not storm the shows, throwing blood on everyone and causing unnecessary insanity. Has fur won? Are we finally going to be able to parade around in coats made of 12 pounds of rabbit fur? Probably not, but it’s nice to dream. Valentine’s day marked Barbie’s first ever fashion show, celebrating her 50th birthday with 50 specially designed dresses showcased on “life size” Barbie-esque models. Complete with patent pink Christian Louboutins, the show went back throughout Barbie history, with each look reminiscing a particularly iconic outfit. I am sure Mattel was having the time of their lives marketing this. Minus the ridiculously long intro (complete with sparkles and epic Barbie glittery moments) and 10 minute long breaks randomly thrown in, the soundtrack was enough to make up for it. Using MSTRKRFT’s mix of Annie’s “Heartbeat”, the tempo kept the audience on their
toes. Also, you can’t deny the utterly adorable ending walk with each respective Barbie escorting a little girl. But it wasn’t all flowers and candy for the rest of Fashion Week…oh god no. There were some serious letdowns. Let’s start with Zac Posen. Showing us an amazing pre-fall collection, with some serious channeling to early 1940’s glam, I had some expectations for his Fall looks. However, they were just…not up to par. Some of the gowns, from a few stunning florals to a particular ruby one were not disappointing, but half of the gold 80’s prom massacres he sent down the runway made me want to do a double take. Alexander Wang was boring. I suppose though you can only do grunge so many ways. Marc Jacobs main line could not hold up against his diffusions-Marc by Marc Jacob actually triumphed. Newcomer Robert Geller played up the whole “depression era” trend, with tweed coats, chunky cable knits, and bow ties. All totally unwearable, yet very comically relieving. Another humorous event was definitely the Herve Leger show. Bandage dresses and sky high heels-recipe for disaster once you throw in a 6ft waif stomping down the runway.
GO ONLINE Read the rest of the article online at www.theminaretonline.com
Upcoming Events:
Director: Andrzej Bartkowiak Rating: PG- 13 Running Time: 97 min.
Want to be crowned UT’s Drag King or Queenv Sign Up Mar. 2,3,4 and 16 in Vaughn Center Auditions Mar. 18 and 19 in Austin Oak Room
Reflections on Women and War Author Gail Hareven Date Mar. 4 Time 10 a.m. Location Reeves Theatre
Fighting in the Streets of Bangkok Kristin Kreuk, best known for her role as Lana Lang in the TV sitcom “Smallville,” stars in this action-adventure movie based on a popular video game franchise. The movie is set mostly in Bangkok, Thailand, and follows Chun-Li, an Interpol agent who joins a group of warriors training for the final battle between good and evil. Kreuk is joined by an eclectic cast, including Neal McDonough, recently seen as Dave Williams in “Desperate Housewives” and Chris Klein, who portrayed Dusty Dinkleman in “Just Friends.”
Jonas Brothers Continue to 'Burn Up' This week offers a new, 3-D look at the Jonas Brothers during their July through Aug. “Burning Up Tour” in 2008. The three brothers offer a new exclusive song, a performance with Demi Lovato and Taylor Swift, and a behind the scenes look inside their family endeavor. This film will only be shown in 3-D and is from the same director as “Hannah Montana/ Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour.”
Director: Bruce Hendricks Rating: G Running Time: 76 min.
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Commentary
The Minaret | February 27, 2009
Diversity Fellowship Finds Rewards in Mentoring Youths
Aliya Brooks mentors student. Photo by Randy Tarnowski By Alyssa Lum Columnist
Last Friday, I went to Blake High School to talk to students in the AVID program about diversity. AVID is a way to prepare high school students for college. Typically these kids will be the first ones in their families to attend a college or university and this program is designed to teach students how to apply for financial aid and how to make a resume.
It’s the ultimate program to give kids the chance to make their dreams come true. So going to Blake reminded me of what high school was like. Everyone had their comfort zones, and few cared about diversity or even what it was. One of the girls looked like none of it mattered and what was the point. All of us noticed but kept on going through our presentation. Afterwards, we had forgotten
about her, until about fifteen minutes later she came to talk to us on our break. She came to apologize to us about her behavior. It wasn’t that she didn’t think diversity was important; it was that she didn’t really know what she identified with. Her parents are divorced and her father has never been around. She knows her mom is Puerto Rican. All of her friends are mostly African American. This has led her to an unsettled identity and a life vastly different than her peers. She continued to open up to us about how at 16 she has already faced pressure to join a gang, to be a drug dealer, and to have had boys treat her like a piece of meat. Also she takes care of her five younger brothers and sisters at night because her mom works the night shift. She cooks dinner, cleans, and puts them to bed so they don’t have bad dreams at night. She asked us how to deal with people making judgments about her and if it would get better. She also said that we were the first people she’d ever really opened up to,
including her mom. And sitting there, I really took it all to heart. I was able, along with my peers, to help this girl who was on the verge of tears to see how much she mattered. I got to express to her that it’s okay to be confused and to not always be happy. Most importantly, I got to encourage her to make a difference with other people through her story. I sat there and almost cried
along with her. Life up to this point has been hard, but it has been nothing like what this girl has had to face. Even through all the emotions, that experience made the trip to Blake High worth it. It made me feel like something good came out of that day. It’s been the most rewarding conversation of my life, and it put everything into perspective. Alyssa Lum may be reached at alum@ut.edu.
Winta Assefaw helps high schooler. Photo by Randy Tarnowski
Nine Ways To Engage Your Mind While At UT By Anna Burrell Columnist
straighten out a jumble of thoughts when surrounded by people and noise. Quiet time is not always a bad thing.
College is amazing; there are so many new people with different personalities that clash, cohere 3. Everyone has a story to tell, and collide. College is the chance just because it might be similar to grow and to yours to question “College is one of doesn’t mean everything. those ‘scheduled life it’s the same. There is a It’s amazing wealth of crises’...” what you can knowledge learn if you and ideas that suddenly appear at just listen for a little while. the stoop of one’s mind. The only problem is figuring 4. Sometimes when people tell out how to balance these new ideas stories, they tell them just to get with old one’s that we’ve been them off their chest. If you have raised to value. a similar story or experience then No one can tell you how it will awesome, but maybe now isn’t the work for you because we are all proper time to tell it. different. Everyone has a different purpose and outlook, different 5. Care about your professors! experiences shaping how they view Some of the professors here are life (no matter how mundane the amazing and have a wealth of past experience). knowledge! It’s amazing what you College is one of those can learn from them not only in the “scheduled life crises” where classroom but outside of it as well everything that you thought you knew gets turned on its head. 6. Always be open to try new Everything your parents taught things. This is the time in one’s life you to hold dear doesn’t matter to that can determine what one does anyone but them now. I know that’s for the rest of his or her life. harsh to say, but it’s true. Values are re-thought; rules are 7. Don’t be afraid to look a all but thrown out the window. It’s little silly to try something that you a big step! Life goes from being in want to do. the power of the parents to being in the power of the offspring. 8. Don’t be afraid to go off on There are, however, a few your own, just be smart about it! things that I think I have figured out so far: 9. Have fun! 1. Almost anyone is approachable, just approach with cheer and a smile! You will very rarely get turned away.
Don’t just take my word on it though. Spend some time alone really thinking about what matters to you!
2. Spend some time alone with your thoughts. It’s much harder to
Anna Burrell may be reached at aburrell@ut.edu.
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Commentary
The Minaret | February 27, 2009
In the U.S., more than 10 million people are struggling with an eating disorder. Although eating disorders are more common in women, they also occur in men. As many as 10% of women and 1% of men suffer from an eating disorder. Eating disorders often begin during high school or college. They can interfere with self-esteem, social interactions and performance at school or work. People who suffer from eating disorders can experience a wide range of physical health complications, including serious heart problems and kidney failure which can lead to death. -HealthyMinds.org Eating Disorder Resources University Counseling Center Located in the Student Health and Counseling Center behind Austin Hall Phone: (813) 253-6250 E-mail: Counselingcenter@ut.edu University of Tampa Healthy Eating and Body Image Support Group This education and support group will begin on March 23 at 7:00 p.m. and will continue for the semester. If interested, please contact gfirth@ut.edu The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness - www.eatingdisorderinfo.org National Eating Disorders Association www.nationaleatingdisorders.org Eating Disorders Anonymous www.eatingdisordersanonymous.org
Free, CONFIDENTIAL Eating Disorder Screening Friday, February 27th 12:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m. Vaughn 219 1-1 screenings FREE STRESSBALL AFTER COMPLETION
You may also take the screening on-line at www.ut.edu/detail/aspx?id=2824 (Health and Counseling Center link on UT’s website For more information, contact gfirth@ut.edu
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Commentary
The Minaret | February 27, 2009
Cheers
& Jeers
“Slumdog Millionaire” Wins Best Picture
“The Dark Knight” Snubbed By Academy
Rihanna
Chris Brown
Spring
Winter
Mardi Gras
Lent
Spring Break
Midterms
Ash Wednesday
Shrove Tuesday
“Spider-Man” on Broadway
“Batman” on DVD
Reminder: Tampa Scholars Have Fun As the middle of the semester nears, everyone is flustered and tense. Sleep-deprivation clouds eyelids, while the consumption of coffee rises to cope with the seemingly insurmountable amount of stress. Midterms need to be studied for. Chapters that were skipped and forgotten are hurriedly skimmed. Seventeenth century plays and Victorian novels remain covered in dust as Spark Notes are consulted instead. Organizations from Greeks to The Minaret have all sorts of projects to finish. Yet, in the mid-semester flurry it is important to remember a rather simple, yet constantly underrated (usually by parents and professors) part of, not just college life, but life in general. Have fun.
Grab a rainbow-colored blanket and lay blissfully in Plant Park for a couple of hours with your favorite band blaring in your ear. Take a walk to the John F. Germany Library and check out that Stephen King novel you’ve been dying to read, yet have been unable to due to other obligations. Go out to the club and dance away the knots and tensions. Head to the beach. Or, a personal favorite and a favorite of others, stay in bed for hours on end. The body is a machine, but it is also a temple; treat it as such. Respect its need to rest and relax. After all, stress is possibly more dangerous to one’s health than junk food or not exercising. Everyone needs to breathe once in a while and it is important not to forget that fact. Of course, you don’t want
to lounge around to the point that you neglect your duties and responsibilities. You are attending a university for an education and a degree, don’t forget that. However, take it easy. Remember that you are only human and can’t do it alone. Ask your friends for help to ease the burden of school day stress. It’s your best bet. Sure study groups sound lame and why bother to ask another organization member to take care of something if you can do it faster yourself, but groups always make work easier and more entertaining. Chuck that heavy backpack on the ground and just zone out for a bit. After all what good are you to your friends and yourself if you’re stressed beyond belief?
Domestic Abuse Wounds Everyone From Hollywood To College
By Stacy Vieux Columnist
“When it comes to an abusive person, there are no prototypes.” This is what Grace Maineri, training coordinator of The Spring (a safe house for victims of domestic abuse) stated when I asked her if she was shocked to hear about the alleged attack singer Chris Brown made against his at the time girlfriend Rihanna. The alleged allegations against 19-year-old Brown will hopefully serve as a news flash to America. At this point, they are only allegations but even Brown himself reported being truly sorry for his
actions. They seemed like the perfect couple. They appeared to have it all, expensive shoes and fan favorite personalities. Some even labeled them the mini Jay and B after power house couple Jay-Z and Beyonce. I hope this situation serves as a reminder to everyone that no one is incapable of doing harm to someone else. Women, on average, return to their abusers 7-10 times before attempting to get some kind of help. At this particular shelter 90 percent of the clients are female while the other 10 percent are male. The oldest client Maineri has helped was a 92-year-old woman. Her husband had been beating her for 66 years when she finally sought out help. Unfortunately, victims suffer
“learned helplessness,” groing convinced they deserve their beatings. According to Maineri, victims reminad with their partners because of “a lack of self esteem and self worth,” and I would have to agree with her. No one should stay in an abusive relationship because no one deserves to be someone else’s personal punching bag. There are people in denial about their inability to control their anger or refuse to accept the person they love has a problem. People will come up with excuses to justify their actions. When it comes to abuse there are no excuses. Not alcohol. Not drugs. Not circumstance. Nothing. Like Maineri stated, “there
are no prototypes for abusers.” An abusive person does not carry a sign that reads watch out I am abusive. In fact, an abusive person looks just like you and I. They smile like us, dress like us, sleep, laugh and eat the same way you and I do. We interact with them, go to class with them, have relationships
with them and see them on a daily basis. They are people we know, love and care for so much that we underestimate, ignore and even deny their capability to ever be called abusive. Stacy Vieux may be reached at svieux@ut.edu.
Image by a_mayesizing / flickr.com
Affirmative Action: Artificial Equality Proves To Be A Real Issue By Josh Kratovil Staff Writer
I can’t do it anymore. I can’t watch this trend and remain silent. I have to speak up. I’m done. I don’t understand and can’t understand why we still have to be so careful and so conscious of race at all times. And when I say “we,” yes, I mean white people. Now, if hearing that has gotten you upset, then you know how I feel as a Caucasian male. Other cultures and ethnicities constantly group themselves together to empower themselves and celebrate their culture. Why should I not be allowed to be proud of my heritage, too? I don’t have a Confederate flag. I don’t draw swastikas on my notebooks. I don’t wear my sheets out around town on the weekends. Hell, I even voted for Obama. I’m not a racist or a bigot. I’m just tired of the double standards. I’m fed up with watching as my country continues to force artificial equality down everyone’s throats. I’m tired of political correctness. It’s all garbage, and I think that it
distances and divides us more than petty derogatory terms. In trying to force equality, we build more walls than we could ever tear down. A prime example is affirmative action. While a quick and convenient fix for the decade of its introduction, the concept as it works now is flawed at its core because it aims to eliminate racial bias in selection criteria, and yet it creates a system based not on merit but solely on race. I recall an incident in 2004 where the president of the College Republican sect at Roger Williams University in Rhode Island devised a scholarship for whites only in order to prove how silly the whole system is. Students were required to submit “proof of whiteness,” a short essay on why they were proud of their white heritage and a list of accomplishments. The funny thing is that the organization’s president and scholarship sponsor, Jason Mattera, was actually of Puerto Rican descent and on a $5,000 scholarship from the Hispanic College Fund -- a scholarship that Mattera felt gave him an “an inherent advantage over
[his] white peers,” according to the CNN.com story. Of course, there was a national uproar at how insensitive this was, despite the existence of scholarships (such as the one provided by Mattera’s own sponsor, the Hispanic College Fund) for practically every other racial and ethnic group in the country. Are we really “leveling the playing field,” or is it all artificial? If what we’re pushing for is equality, then why do we need these legup programs for everyone else? Mattera, a scholarship recipient himself, pointed out the inherent hypocrisy of such an idea, and he’s right: there’s really nothing fair about creating a “fair” playing field based solely on race. An even better example is the current controversy surrounding the “racist” cartoon in the New York Post. The cartoon depicted a monkey being shot by police with the comment, “They’ll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill.” The cartoon was referencing an event in Connecticut where a chimp mauled a woman and was subsequently shot by police, yet certain groups instantly
drew the conclusion that this was a racist cartoon. Leading the charge is the evertimely Al Sharpton who, along with a host of other racial organizations, maintains that the cartoon is, in fact, aimed at Obama. These people say the toon implies that he is the monkey, a once common racial slur for black people. These folks are encouraging people to rally and boycott the paper and discouraging the paper being sold in their neighborhoods. That is ludicrous. For people like Sharpton, Jackson and the rest of their ilk who insist on looking at everything through a racist viewpoint, the cartoon will, of course, appear racist. Why does the idea of the ethnic slur “monkey” have to be the first thing to jump to their minds, and why must it mean Obama instantly? These fools exemplify the very barrier-creators I talked about earlier, and insist on crying “foul” and keeping racial issues brimming so they can maintain their publicity. How can they even have any credibility left as “progressive” racial leaders? For crying out loud,
Jesse Jackson himself once referred to New York City as “himey town,” using a slur for Jews! Way to set an example, Jesse. I applaud those in the Post that took a stand and called these “leaders” out for what they really are: publicity opportunists. Cheers to those who held their ground! We cannot continue acknowledging and caving to every single “racist” accusation, especially unwarranted and ridiculous ones from attention mongers like Sharpton and Jackson. I know it’s impossible to erase hundreds of years of mistreatment and abuse, but it becomes especially difficult to leave it behind and build new appreciation for other cultures when I keep having the misdeeds of my ancestors and earlier generations flung in my face while anything I say could be interpreted as racist. Sadly, there will still probably be many who will call me a racist for writing this article or twist my words to make me sound like some kind of Klan-crazy fascist. Grow up, America. Josh Kratovil may be reached at jkratovil@ut.edu.
16
Commentary
The Minaret | February 27, 2009
Faith Through Language: A Poet’s View On Spirituality
sincere is telling a truth one knows as solidly fact. There is no faith in that. However, all poets require faith: belief in their craft, belief (or the pursuit of belief) in language, By Derrick Austin belief that through the barren times Commentary Editor inspiration will rain down again and There’s a little of God in belief in oneself. poets. Being a poet isn’t all inspiration Etymologically, the words are and whimsy with the muse; like interestingly related: “poet” comes any other discipline it involves a from the Greek “maker,” and “God” tremendous amount of hard work can be traced from Proto-Indo- and patience, enduring the droughts European when the “ Fr a n k l y, p o e t r y words don’t meaning, “ t o c a l l , (the writing or reading come: those invoke.” days when T h e of it) can be intensely faith is most w o r d s p i r i t u a l a s a n y required. “poet” is And, let’s religious service.” rooted in face it: poets the act of practice an art genesis; the creation of worlds form that isn’t exactly revered through words much like God in in this country; there is no J.K. the Tanakh. Rowling of poetry. “God” speaks to the ancient Yet we persist. vocation of the poet as the lyricist, I explore the world through the singer of songs. writing, drawing up proofs and I draw attention to this because testing theories through metaphor poetry is spiritual to me—as close and music. to a religious practice as I have yet If you open the Bible and start to experience. reading, chances are good you’ll Frankly, poetry (the writing hit poetry. or reading of it) can be intensely Old Testament prophets spoke spiritual as any religious service. in verse; patriarchs sang songs of A good poet writes the Truth, thanksgiving; and an entire swath of bears witness to some small insight the Bible from Job to Ecclesiastes into life and human nature. contains some of the most beautiful A True poem is hopelessly rare, writing ever conceived. though there are thousands of true, Most of the Bible was spoken, sincere poems. based in oral traditions long before “All bad poetry is sincere,” it was ever noted. quipped Oscar Wilde—being If one can read Psalm 63 and
be touched; how can one read Jane Kenyon’s “Briefly It Enters, and Briefly Speaks” and not be moved? Or Amy Lowell’s “In a Garden?” Or Langston Hughes’ “Suicide’s Note?” When I read a dazzling poem or am in the ecstasy of writing the only way to describe it is to quote Emily Dickinson: “I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off…that is poetry.” Perhaps, it’s this aspect of writing poetry that’s the most divine. The transcendental feeling of removal from oneself, a split that allows the most primal act of creation: naming. When you speak or write something down, you imprint yourself through language. When you give something a name you bestow your faith and trust into it; you define the world —part of the poet’s labor. In an editorial I wrote not too long ago, I described religion at its best as a series of questions, a dialogue between the individual and the divine—a seemingly hopeless cause in pursuit of peace, some measurable semblance of response. We poets do this all the time, trying to discern the weave in the ineffable fabric of the world, asking the big questions, humbly making art from silence. Derrick Austin may be reached at daustin@ut.edu.
Image by bearvseskimo / flickr.com
Graduating soon?
Info Session GRADUATE PROGRAMS IN
BUSINESS AND EDUCATION MBA (part-time and full-time) M.S. in Accounting | M.S. in Finance | M.S. in Marketing Certificate in Nonprofit Management Master of Arts in Teaching | Master of Education
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Feb. 28 | 10 a.m.
Sykes College of Business, room 134 Reserve Your Seat (813) 258-7409 | utgrad@ut.edu Register online: www.ut.edu/graduate
SYMBOL OF EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE
17
Sports
The Minaret | February 27, 2009
Women Leap from Stuttered Start to Contender By Brenton Burkett Sports Writer
The recent winning streak by the women’s basketball team has vaulted them near the top of the Sunshine State Conference heading into postseason play. The team entered their Feb. 25 matchup with Florida Southern at 20-5 (10-4 SSC), having won seven consecutive games, four of which were on the road. They now sit in second place in the conference standings. To top it off, they believe it may not be over yet. “I don’t think we’re at the top of the mountain yet,” head coach Tom Jessee said after the Spartans’ Feb. 21 win over Florida Tech. “I By Brenton Burkett Sports Columnist
Tiara Cook lays the ball off the glass.
Tennis Rollins 10:30 a.m. Baseball at Valdosta State 1 p.m.
1
Golf Florida Tech Invitational (Melbourne) Baseball Saint Anselm 1 p.m.
8 M. Basketball Baseball SSC Tournament Final (hosted Seton Hill 7 p.m. by Nova Southeastern) W. Basketball SSC Tournament Final (hosted by Nova Southeastern) Softball vs. American International (Clermont, Fla.) 11 a.m. Softball vs. West Liberty State (Clermont, Fla.) 1 p.m.
Photo by Abby Sanford
2
The Tampa Spartans may be the best women’s basketball team out there when the Sunshine State Conference tournament is played in the first week of March. Throughout their late-season surge towards the top of the SSC standings, I have seen quite a turnaround. Coach Tom Jessee agrees. “We were about as bad as I’ve ever seen anybody play in the first ballgame of the season,” Jessee
Golf Florida Tech Invitational (Melbourne) Tennis Saint Leo 3 p.m. Baseball Shippensburg 4 p.m. Softball Salem International 6 p.m. Baseball Shippensburg 7 p.m. Softball Salem International 8 p.m.
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3
10
4 M. Basketball SSC Tournament Quarterfinals (campus sites) W. Basketball SSC Tournament Quarterfinals (campus sites)
15 16 17 W. Basketball W. Basketball M. Basketball Softball NCAA South Regional (campus NCAA South Regional (campus NCAA South Regional (campus Hillsdale 6 p.m. sites) sites) sites) Softball M. Basketball M. Basketball Tennis Hillsdale 8 p.m. NCAA South Regional (campus NCAA South Regional (campus Montevallo 3 p.m. sites) sites) Baseball Nyack 5 p.m.
22 Tennis vs. Albany State (Tifton, Ga.) 10 a.m.
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23
Golf North Alabama Invitational (Muscle Shoals, Ala.)
30
Tennis St. Olaf 3 p.m.
Golf North Alabama Invitational (Muscle Shoals, Ala.) Baseball at Saint Leo 7 p.m.
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M. Basketball NCAA Elite Eight Mass.) W. Basketball NCAA Elite Eight Mo.)
free throw shooting, three point percentage and assists. But even with their streak and the postseason looming, the players are careful not to look too far ahead. “We’re always just looking to win the next game,” Cook said. “You don’t want to go past the game after that, like, always be focused.” “We’re playing our best basketball right now, but our toughest opponent is the next game,” Messina added. “That’s how it’s going to be the rest of this season. We just have to win every game from here on out.” Brenton Burkett can be reached at bburkett@ut.edu.
said after the Feb. 21 defeat of Florida Tech. “These guys can tell you that. But we knew we would change. As time went on they learned the offensive system and the defensive scheme. So we’re right where I hoped we would be this time of year.” What I see on the floor is exactly what the team preaches and practices. They don’t care what the venue is, they still find ways to win. The Spartans are led by numerous multi-talented players.
Cook has registered four double-doubles this season, stepping up the game in the paint. Taylor is shooting over 50 percent, leading the team and helping Cook defend the front court. Gianna Messina leads the team in scoring average, assists, steals and even rebounds despite being a 5-foot-6-inch guard. From long-range threats to big post players, the Spartans have it all and can take it all the way to the conference title.
Tennis Eckerd 3 p.m. Baseball Grand Valley State 7 p.m.
5
Swimming at NCAA Championships (Houston, Texas) Softball vs. Wayne State (Neb.) (Clermont, Fla.) 1:30 p.m. Softball vs. Felician (Clermont, Fla.) 3:30 p.m.
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Softball vs. Grand Valley State (Clermont, Fla.) 1:30 p.m. Softball vs. Saint Joseph’s (Clermont, Fla.) 3:30 p.m. Baseball Saint Joseph’s 7 p.m.
6
W. Basketball SSC Tournament Semifinals (hosted by Nova Southeastern) M. Basketball SSC Tournament Semifinals (hosted by Nova Southeastern) Softball vs. Ohio Valley (Clermont, Fla.) 11:30 a.m. Softball vs. West Virginia Wesleyan (Clermont, Fla.) 1:30 p.m. Baseball Quincy 7 p.m.
13 Swimming at NCAA Championships (Houston, Texas) W. Basketball NCAA South Regional (campus sites) Softball Nova Southeastern 7 p.m. Baseball Eckerd 7 p.m.
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14 Swimming at NCAA Championships (Houston, Texas) W. Basketball NCAA South Regional (campus sites) M. Basketball NCAA South Regional (campus sites) Crew Augusta Invitational (Aiken, SEC Basketball Tournament S.C.) Hosted in Tampa through Softball March 15 Nova Southeastern 1 p.m. Baseball Eckerd 1 p.m. Softball Nova Southeastern 3 p.m. Baseball Eckerd 4 p.m. 18 19 20 21 Tennis Softball Tennis Green Bay 3 p.m. at Lynn 2 p.m. at Abraham Baldwin Baseball Agricultural 10 a.m. at Nova Southeastern 6 p.m. Softball at Lynn 1 p.m. Baseball at Nova Southeastern 1 p.m. Softball at Lynn 3 p.m. Tennis vs. Stillman (Tifton, Ga.) 3 p.m. Baseball at Nova Southeastern 4 p.m. 25 26 27 28 M. Basketball M. Basketball M. Basketball (Springfield, NCAA Elite Eight (Springfield, NCAA Elite Eight (Springfield, NCAA Elite Eight (Springfield, Mass.) Mass.) Mass.) W. Basketball W. Basketball W. Basketball (St. Joseph, NCAA Elite Eight (St. Joseph, NCAA Elite Eight (St. Joseph, NCAA Elite Eight (St. Joseph, Mo.) Mo.) Mo.) Baseball Baseball Tennis Southern Connecticut State Lynn 7 p.m. Lynn 10 a.m. 7 p.m. Softball Softball Florida Tech 7 p.m. Florida Tech noon Baseball Lynn 1 p.m. Softball Florida Tech 2 p.m. Baseball Lynn 4 p.m.
Swimming at NCAA Championships (Houston, Texas) Baseball Palm Beach Atlantic 6 p.m.
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see some things we can still do better, but we certainly are a much different basketball team right now than we were a month ago. So this is where we could only dream of being at this point in the year.” “We want to keep winning, and we’re not finished,” junior forward Tiara Cook said. “We still have a lot more games to play.” The Spartans boast a bevy of talented players ready to lead the team deep into the tournament, which begins March 4. Three starters – Cook, Gianna Messina and Kym Taylor – average double figures in scoring. The team as a whole is shooting over 40 percent from the floor. They also lead the conference in
Get your articles in print and your blogs posted online. Contact minaret.sports@gmail.com to find out more information.
18
Sports
The Minaret | February 27, 2009
Spartans Keep Composure Heading into Postseason
By Ryan Burkett Sports Writer
By Ryan Burkett Sports Columnist
They are near the end of the regular season as they fight to cement a better spot in the upcoming postseason. They have endured a season that has had its share of encouraging highs and dispiriting lows. Through all of it, however, they are in the midst of their 10th straight winning season under a head coach who has been enshrined in the Spartan Hall of Fame. They are the University of Tampa men’s basketball team, and they are looking toward yet another Sunshine State Conference tournament...with a positive focus, of course. The Spartans rank in the middle of the pack out of nine SSC teams as the postseason draws near. Knowing where the team stands, Tampa head coach Richard Schmidt, as he always seems to do, put the team’s outlook and preparation in the proper perspective. “It’s pretty much business as usual,” Schmidt said regarding the tournament. “We’ve been working hard all year to get better at everything that we do.” The team’s players appear to be focusing on the positives going into the annual tournament. “Everybody seems to be in good spirits, the best that we’ve been in all season,” senior Johnathan Ball recently stated. The Sunshine State Conference tournament begins March 4 with quarterfinal games. Nova Southeastern is set to host the tournament this year. Matchups and game sites are still to be determined. Ryan Burkett can be reached at rburkett@ut.edu.
I have covered the men’s basketball team for a few weeks now and have seen them go through ups and downs. This this time of the year, more than any other, is the time to be “up,” so to speak. The Spartans are nearing the end of their regular season and are now preparing to participate in the SSC tournament, where the hopes and stakes are both high. The good news is that head coach Richard Schmidt is again leading the Spartans to a winning regular season. For him, it is more about staying consistent than anything else. “We haven’t changed much, we just have to keep working hard,” Schmidt said. Rashad Callaway has played incredibly well lately and leads the team in points per game. He is also the only Spartan to have started every game so far this season. Senior guard Johnathan Ball has also come on strong late in the season, including a career day in an overtime victory over Eckerd on Feb. 11. “Certain people are having great games on certain nights and no one seems to be doubting themselves at all,” Ball said recently, regarding the team’s ability to step up when needed. Ball has a point in this matter. The team has had contributions from its bench in addition to its starting lineup. One example of this is Arnaldo Abreu, who made his first start at Nova Southeastern on Feb.15 and played a team-leading 36 minutes, scoring 16 points. All-in-all the team has a number of players who can contribute given the opportunity. Let’s just hope that it shows when crunch time arrives and the tournament begins.
Rashad Callaway takes the ball to the hoop.
Photo by Abby Sanford
From “Osprey” Continued From Front Page disappeared. “The bird was at the previous stadium, well at least a bird, was at the previous stadium,” said Jerome Fulton, athletic facilities director. “It had built a nest up in the light pole, which they tend to do, and I believe that the building and grounds people put something else similar to what is there now for the bird.” With fear that the twigs from the nest might start a fire due to the heat from the lights, a new home was made. The osprey was accommodated with a platform on top of a pole next to the previously inhabited lights. “Initially it went back to the light pole,” Fulton explained, “and then maybe the next season it started using the platform.” When the baseball field was recently renovated, they had to consider the home of the protected osprey. At the time of the renovation, an osprey chick was living in the nest, which caused a
bit of an obstacle. “When we built the new stadium, we had to consider the bird,” said Fulton. The pole supporting the nest had to remain standing while all others were taken down. Once the birds left the nest, the pole was taken down and replaced. The platform and nest were also put back close to where the original nest was, in cooperation with Florida’s law protecting the bird. In the state of Florida, the osprey is a Species of Special Concern under the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and unless more is done to protect them, the ospreys could become threatened in the near future. Like most wild animals, the osprey is vulnerable to environmental disturbance and habitat modification, as well as human disturbance. As for the osprey living at the University of Tampa, it is sure to catch its fair share of fish out of the Hillsborough river, and plenty of baseball games. Olivia Glynn can be reached at oglynn@ut.edu.
Write down your suggestion for the baseball field’s resident osprey, cut out this box, and submit it to The Minaret office,Vaughn 211. We’ll pick the top names and publish them in our next issue.
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Sports A-Fraud Blows Smoke and College B-ball’s Senior Citizen
The Minaret | February 27, 2009
Say-What?- Rod
By Kyle Bennett Online Sports Manager
Alex Rodriguez spoke to the media again to explain his use of drugs. He told the media that his cousin from the Caribbean injected him with an ‘energy booster’ twice a month for six months. Rodriguez has told media that he will not eat a Snickers bar, or candy bar. Rodriguez stated he was young and stupid and did not know what he was taking.
A-Rod tries to explain himself to the media .
Honestly, do you think that a man who will not eat a candy bar will let his cousin inject him with a substance that he doesn’t know the effects of? Get serious A-Fraud. No one in their right mind would believe you at this point. Everything you say is a lie. No one can trust anything you say. “Boli,” Rodriguez called the substance. As a 24 or 25 year old, we were too young and too stupid to do outside research to find more information out about the drug, Rodriguez said in his press conference. Kyle Bennett can be reached at kbennett@ut.edu.
Theresa Osborne had never rowed until she came to the University of Tampa. Four years later, the Michigan City, Ind. native earned a scholarship. After a high school career riddled with knee injuries, Osborne wanted to participate in a sport at the collegiate level but knew her injuries would limit her possibilities. “Having to re-define myself after injuries was the toughest part because I had to shift focus to become a better leader,” said Osborne. The exercise science major has earned a 3.90 cumulative GPA through her four years at the university on top of having practices at 6 a.m., six days a Osborne week. Having to balance her early morning workouts with her full academic schedule was something the senior had to get used to. “I am not naturally smart so I had to spend a lot of time on my class work, and working on my time management skills. It’s what it takes to succeed when you’re in my position,” said Osborne. Osborne alternates between being a rower and being the coxswain. The coxswain is usually referred to as the person in charge of the boat. Her duties require her to make sure the steering and navigation of the boat are all in proper form so the entire team can function as one. “When you’re on the water, you have to
By Olivia Glynn Sports Blogger
As a freshman guard at Lees College in Ky., Ken Mink was kicked off of the basketball team for allegedly covering his coach’s office with shaving cream. While he still denies ever doing that, his basketball career was over, at least for the time being. That was in 1956. After 52 years, Mink decided to further his education at Roane State, a junior college near Knoxville, Tn., and he even made the basketball team. Imagine that, a 73-year-old man playing basketball with kids in their late teens. As you can imagine, he is the oldest person to ever play college basketball. On Feb. 7, Mink scored 2 points against Hiwassee College in a feel good win. Unfortunately this feel good story didn’t feel so good once Roane State had to forfeit that game because Mink was ineligible. Student athletes at Roane State must be enrolled in 12 credit hours and pass all their classes.
Mink was struggling in Spanish, so his coach advised him to pick up another course through an online college that could then transfer the credit to Roane State. He did so, and earned a B in the online sociology course, and proceeded to fail his Spanish course. Mink thought that the online course would balance out his failing grade, but that is not how the system works. The National Junior College Athletic Association made Roane State forfeit the game. Mink did not go through the correct process of restoring his eligibility, which resulted in a forfeit for the Raiders. The president of Roane State appealed the NJCAAs decision to make the team forfeit. Although he is 73, he is still a studentathlete and still has to abide by all the same rules as any other player. It surprises me that a 73-year-old man could make a college basketball team, even at a junior college. I wonder how the freshmen trying out for the team felt while running suicides along side a senior citizen. When the news first broke about Mink making the basketball team in the fall, it was a refreshing story about second chances. Now it is just an unfortunate story, about a man who does not know when to throw in the towel, and who needs to let the kids play the game. Olivia Glynn can be reached at oglynn@ut.edu.
Photo by Steven M. Falk/MCT
Senior Rower Reflects in Final Year with Crew
By Zach Place Special to The Minaret
Super-Senior Sets Back College Team
know what you are doing because you are in charge of the boat. You are the coach on the water and have to tell everyone exactly what to do. It’s not what you say out there, but how you say it,” said Osborne. Although early morning practices are quite demanding, Osborne takes them day-by-day and looks at them in a positive light. The senior enjoys the tranquility of the still river as the rising sun’s rays warm her face, shouting commands to her team as they glide across the surface of the water in one unified fluid motion. “To wake up and have to be that focused and doing something that you love is very rewarding and is something that unifies the team. You have this sense of completeness within you,” said Osborne. At The University of Tampa, the senior has been able to benefit from her decision to pursue rowing. Starting off on the lightweight team as a freshman, she eventually worked her way up to the varsity team. Now, she performs as part of the team, and is also the head rowing coach at the Academy of the Holy Names high school in Tampa. “At first you feel awkward and are worried about the position of your body and the proper techniques, but once you get used to it and really set your mind to it, you really benefit from it in the long run. “If you are able to push yourself outside the water, the benefits in the water will come quicker than you think,” Osborne said. Four years and countless hours on the water later, Osborne is enjoying a hardearned scholarship, in a sport she did not start until her first year in college. Zach Place can be reached at zplace@ ut.edu.
Heat things up! ’09 SUMMER SESSIONS s %ARN CREDIT FASTER s 3ATISFY PREREQUISITES s 3NAG HARD TO GET CLASSES
visit www.ut.edu/09summer for a complete schedule of classes and more information Session I: Session II: 12-Week Session: Saturday MBA: Inter-Sessions:
May 26 - July 2 July 6 - Aug. 13 May 26 - Aug. 13 May 16 - Aug. 8 May 11-22, Aug. 17-28
(813) 253-6249 | scs@ut.edu
Register today on SpartanWeb!
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‘n t u O Bracket Beaters
The Minaret will be hosting a bracket for the ensuing March Madness college basketball tournament. Selection Sunday takes place March 15 and The Minaret’s bracket will run the following Friday. Cut it out, post it your wall and let us know how you do.
Softball’s SSC Star Softball opened up their season 3-2 at the Eckerd Tournament hosted in Clearwater. The lady Spartans beat two SSC conference opponents, Florida Tech and Saint Leo, but the games will not count Becker as conference wins due to tournament play. The weekend also brought about the SSC player of the week honor to senior first baseman Samantha Becker, who had 7 RBI while averaging .500 over the five games.
Fan Poll Fun Vote Tucked away in the bottom right corner of the athletic web site is a survey. The current question is “How many national championships will UT win in 200809?” There have been just under 500 votes. The next most popular response is one with 31.5 percent of the votes, totalling about 156 people. The remaining sports are baseball, softball, both basketball teams, golf and tennis. The Minaret was one of the 22 percent that voted 0.
Pro, College Teams Collaborate for Late Coach By Bobby Winsler Sports Editor
Major League Soccer team Real Salt Lake skirmished the University of Tampa men on Tuesday, Feb. 24, before their match against BK Hacken of Sweden for the Tom Fitzgerald Memorial game. Fitzgerald had coached for college and MLS programs, including the UT coach from 1984-1995 before returning in 2004 when he died. Though the Spartans lost the exhibition 4-0, the experience gained was essential to a young team. “It was a great opportunity for our players. Every player here is returning next year. There’s not that many college teams that get a chance like this,” Tampa coach Adrian Bush said. “Every player played tonight, we’ve got a lot of depth as we continue to build. I think the score is deserving for the mistakes we made tonight.” As good as the off-season
practice was, both program’s real concern lies in Friday’s game for the Tom Fitzgerald Scholarship Fund. Real head coach Jason Kries was coached by Fitzgerald on the United States National B team about 15 years ago. Despite the time elapse, Kries collaborated with Bush and the athletic department to make the philanthropic game possible. BK Hacken has been training overseas in Miami and also committed to helping a man who had been building ties with Swedish players since 1978. “We really want to thank Real Salt Lake for their efforts for looking to secure the game to make sure it happened,” Bush said. “It’s a great honor for one of the greatest ambassadors definitely in Tampa Bay of soccer, not just college but youth soccer and for the United States. To have a Swedish team playing in the actual game, I know he’d be very proud to have that.” Bobby Winsler can be reached at minaret.sports@gmail.com.
Pascal Milien dribbles past a defender.
Photo by Kara Wall
Baseball Bats Back from Losses with Good Pitching
After suffering three losses last week, the Spartans start winning By Kyle Bennett Online Sports Manager
The University of Tampa Spartans outscored the Stillman Tigers 37-25 as they took three of four games in weekend doubleheaders hosted by UT. The Spartans rode a career performance by Josh Bowman in game number one Feb. 21. Bowman turned in 14 strikeouts allowing just two runs on six hits and granting no walks, leading UT in a 7-2 victory. Left-hander Max Kreuter tossed the final two innings, sealing the deal for the Spartans. The win takes Bowman to 3-1 for the season. Tampa bats roared early against Stillman starter Josh Cagle. UT took their frustration out on Cagle in the first inning, scoring four runs on three hits. Michael Bourdon ripped a solo homerun in the second inning. In the second game the Tigers came out clawing. Starter Chase Wilson was able to go the distance against UT allowing just two runs on three hits. Tampa reliever Alex Koronis
Basketball
Feb. 28, 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at Lynn >>> The men and women travel to Boca Raton for the last game of the regular season. The SSC tournament also begins this week.
made an appearance in the fifth inning on the contest. He took in two runners left on base by starter A.J. Pinera. Four hit batsmen, one wild pitch and one passed ball, accounted for two runs in the Tiger half of the fifth. Starter Pinera and reliever Koronis drilled two Stillman Bowman hitters each. Stillman added their fourth and final run in the seventh after Sean Blair stole second and third bases. Grayson Crawford knocked him in with a double down the left field line. Stillman finished the game win a 4-2 victory over the Spartans. The Tigers would not taste the sensation of victory again during the weekend as UT swept the doubleheader on Feb. 22. UT struck first taking advantage of a Tiger error, in the opening inning. Tampa tacked up three runs
No. 10 Softball
March 3, 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. vs. Salem International >>> UT will host Fighting Lions in the first home games of the season for the nationally ranked Spartans.
in the frame, two being unearned. Tyler Cox scored in the second inning after Correy Figueroa drove him in from second base. Cox stole a career high three bases in the game. The Tigers would not go away however. They scored four runs in the fourth to even the score and another run in inning number five to take the lead 5-4. Tampa answered in the bottom half of the fifth-inning. Stillman started the inning for UT as Michael Schwartz and Jose Jimenez were issued back-to-back walks setting the Spartans up for a four-run inning on just one hit. UT added another two runs in the seventh and the eighth to seal the win at 10-8. The way game number two began UT looked to be headed to extreme devastation and a disappointing loss. The Tigers started the game by posting five runs in the top of the first inning. Tampa shortstop Jesus Barroso committed a throwing error accounting for two of the five runs for the Tigers. The following innings showcased both a fantastic display
of both teams’ bats, but also a horrific display of pitching and defense. The teams committed a combined five errors while also stroking 40 hits and scoring 35 runs. The University of Tampa proved to be victorious as they won the game with a walk-off single in the bottom of the eighth inning by the score of 18-17. Tampa shortstop, Barosso, came around to score the game winning 18th run, possibly covering up his previous defensive mishaps. Figueroa, Schwartz, and Jared Simon each tallied a homerun in the 18-17 effort for UT with Sean Blair (2) and Josh McGinnis scoring long balls for Stillman. UT infielder Devin Gonzalez batted in nine runs on the afternoon. Tampa was in action Thursday in Winter Haven, Fla. against Nebraska-Omaha. The Spartans will bring their now No. 9 ranking home to take on Valdosta State in a double header beginning at 1 p.m. Kyle Bennett can be reached at kbennett@ut.edu.
No. 9 Baseball March 2, 1 p.m. vs. Saint Anslem
>>>The Spartans return from a weekend away to take on the Hawks and kick off a 12-game home stand.
Play-Rod works the press and a 73-yearold college basketball player [19]