MINARET UNIVERSITY OF TAMPA’S NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1933
THE Vo l u m e
80
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9
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October
24,
2013
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Homecoming Awareness Decreases with Incoming Freshman
Student Productions/Facebook The 2013 Homecoming King and Queen crowns were provided by International Diamond Center. By DOHA MADANI News Writer
“I honestly did not know about Homecoming until about two days ago,” said Sloan Goldberg, a freshman studying marine biology. “They gave us drink koozies and a girl walked up to me and asked me to vote for her for Homecoming Queen.” Homecoming week is a tradition to unite the student body and emphasize school spirit with events surrounding the chosen home sports game. One of the many difficulties in rallying a
school like the University of Tampa is getting the message to the students about all of the opportunities to support their school. Homecoming Week is from Oct. 23 to Oct. 26, with tailgates and parties that are free for students including raffles, giveaways and food. The week began on Wednesday night with the kickoff party in Vaughn Lobby, followed by Casino Night on Thursday in the same venue, and a tailgate for the homecoming game on Friday night between North Walker Hall and Sykes College of Business. This year,
Homecoming has expanded the program with a new event called Spartan Splash, a party being held for students Saturday morning at the UT pool. Casino Night, one of the most popular Student Productions events on campus, has also been expanded to include more tables to avoid overcrowding in recent years. The opportunity to be crowned Homecoming King or Queen has also expanded with an additional spot added. In previous years, Court has traditionally held three candidates for both King and Queen, but new this year is an expansion to four candidates each. Student Productions, the organization in charge of arranging these events, has worked on increasing their social media presence in addition to spreading the word around campus with posters and free giveaways, such as drink koozies with event information printed. Despite these efforts to expand the event and its marketing, many freshmen are unaware of any details about Homecoming Week at UT. “We are really trying to push social media this year,” said Marianna Herrera, a senior government and world affairs major who is also the chair of the Homecoming Committee. “We’re doing Facebook, we’re doing Twitter, Instagram… everything. Since so many students complain they do not hear about things, this year we are going to make our marketing a lot more interactive.” Students like Goldberg and Kristin Collins, another freshman who is studying biology, both met Student Productions representatives on campus and received free giveaways. However, while students are hearing about the events, they
Student Creates Blog Focusing on Up and Coming Artists By KIRBY JAY News Writer
With years of planning and brainstorming behind her, junior journalism major Kai Miller has finally found her niche, with a blog called Gen. Y Collective, a website that features artists who differ from the average celebrity, found on Wordpress. Miller claims that her blog, has positively enhanced her life after she created it last August. “I really try to reach out to people who appreciate different cultures,” Miller said. “I want [the readers] to get a sense of who the person is.” Born and raised in New York, Miller grew up with two brothers and a close group of friends who she said are artistically unique. Whether it’s fashion, rapping, photography or modeling, each friend had an individual focus while Miller never found something to smile about everyday. “Just going through high school and coming to college and seeing them grow into their talents, I kind of struggled with what I could be,” Miller said. Miller came to UT as a biology major with every intent of becoming a doctor. After a long two years of calculus classes and challenging science courses, she eventually switched her path to journalism, which she described as the best decision she has ever made. “I realised that [being a doctor] didn’t suit me; it didn’t make me happy,” Miller said. “I didn’t wake up every day with a burning passion or desire.” With the inspiration of her friends,
she made the move and completely changed her life direction. The artists featured on Gen. Y Collective use their talents to express themselves by dancing, singing, rapping or even designing clothing; some have made music videos which are streamed on Miller’s website. The blog exposes the artists with an aim to spread their ideas and lifestyle. One of the recent artists shown on the blog, Niqa Mor, is acknowledged for her music video called Sweetest Addiction. Miller explains the story behind the video, which uses a twisted technique of showing the artist’s dark fantasies. Miller has yet to feature any UT student artists, but claims she is open to collaborating with aspiring musicians and designers. “I really want to play a major role in showcasing the aesthetic culture here in Tampa,” she said. Today Miller is the only writer for the blog, but she hopes to expand in the near future. “I would definitely love new ideas and new ways to get [the blog] out there,” Miller said. She plans to create an interview process for the potential writers in hopes that they are relatable. Even though she is open to new ideas, Miller wants the main ideas to continue accommodating independent culture. Miller sees herself following a radio or television career where she will be able to implement her ideas around the country. Even with the resume-boosting advantages of this blog, Miller doesn’t envision building a career from it. “I just want it to be a component
of my everyday life.” She feels UT students will benefit from following the blog because it often acts as a social platform that promotes unity. “I want to lead by example in showing how powerful one voice can be,” she said. “I want to inspire others to take their first steps in paving a unique lane for themselves and following their dreams.” Kirby Jay can be reached at kirby.
still remain in the dark about the details. Collins thinks that one way to reach out to more freshmen is to go through programs that all freshmen must take like the Gateways/Pathways courses. “I had homecomings in high school, but I feel like it is different here,” Collins said. “I really don’t know a lot about it. I think [Student Productions] could talk to our Gateways professors or do what Legacy Productions does and slip cards under our doors.” Without a major football team at UT, some students feel a lack of school spirit on campus. However, the university still has several national title-holding teams including soccer, baseball and volleyball. “It will definitely be interesting to see a Homecoming without a football team, but it still sounds like a lot of fun to go out and see UT pride,” Collins said. Herrera has focused on broadening Homecoming in 2013 in efforts to meet student needs, and create a larger sense of pride in the UT community for the teams that have brought home national titles. In the end, her goal is to make a bigger impact on school spirit and include the entirety of the student body in every way she can. “School spirit comes mostly from athletic support, and this is our opportunity to really throw it in there with them,” Herrera said. “Not only that, but to get involved with alumni, athletic marketing and all the other organizations that will be present at Homecoming.” Doha Madani can be reached at doha. madani@spartans.ut.edu
In Other News...
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7 Spooky Celebrity
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9 LGBT Film Festival in Tampa Features Big Name Actors
11 Schools Shame Overwieght Kids with ‘Fat Letters’ to Parents
13 School Punishes Sober Student for Picking Up Drunk Friend from Party
20 Word Series
2013: A Rematch of Epic Proportions News................................. 2 Diversions........................ 6 A+E................................... 7 Photo courtesy of Kai Miller
Kai Miller, founder of Gen Y Collective.
Opinion........................... 11
Sports............................. 16