The Minaret 10-6-2011

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Volume 78 Number 6

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October 6, 2011

Faculty Concerned About Their ‘Diminishing Role’ in Campus Decisions

By MIKEY ANGELO RUMORE and RICH SOLOMON Asst. Opinion Editor and Opinion Editor

The letter drafted for President Ronald Vaughn last month by the University of Tampa Faculty Senate expressing concerns over rapid university expansion and the faculty’s relationship with the administration is not the first statement to address such anxieties.

In October 2010, a letter on behalf of the faculty senators within UT’s College of Arts and Letters declared, “Of late, we have become more and more troubled over what we perceive to be the diminishing role of the faculty in the governance of our university.

We often find ourselves at a loss to pinpoint the genesis of issues that reach the floor of the [faculty] senate, and we often find ourselves confronting problems for which solutions have been predetermined by others.”

One example of administrators operating with little-to-no faculty input, according to the letter, was a Freshman Abroad Program to London’s Roehampton University. The program, the CAL faculty letter noted, was “presented to the faculty as a fait accompli [irreversible decision]” and was later a source of faculty contention. The program, intended to enhance campus internationalization, sent some freshman abroad to Roehampton University in London. The program was eventually eliminated.

“In the case of Roehampton, those decisions were not made without faculty input,” said UT provost Janet McNew. “Because it was intended to be an academic program, [it] had involvement from the faculty members in charge of the affected programs from the beginning.

But the faculty felt, and it was true, that that program got ahead of the faculty processes. And they were concerned about quality control with that program. And because they were concerned, so was I.” The 2010 CAL letter also voiced concerns about the university’s partnership with ELS Language Centers, a for-profit, private English-language service that provides academic programs for international students.

The program is part of what McNew described as the “imperative and strategic plan to internationalize the campus.” The CAL letter described the partnership as having been “created without faculty input.”

Tracy Morse, assistant professor of composition and rhetoric, said that controversy over the university’s partnership with ELS resulted from concerns “that we [would] not have enough places that are right for those students” and “that there was an admissions change to the catalog that the faculty had no input into and didn’t know about.” The 2010 university catalog included language referring specifically to ELS. The language has since been removed. However, ELS still operates using university space.

See FACULTY, Page 4

In Other News...

2 Film

Students Meet Pirates of the Caribbean Costume Designer

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Water, Water, Everywhere Storms leave students, campus soaked

By SHIVANI KANJI News Editor

On Thursday Sept. 22 a storm hit the Tampa area, flooding roads and portions of the University of Tampa campus. Three days later, streets were once again flooded, the effects of an afternoon rainstorm. According to Tampa Bay Online, the rain caused parts of Kennedy Boulevard and Bayshore Boulevard to be closed due to flooding.

On campus, many students trudged through high water on their way to class or through residence halls full of water.

Although security reports have not recorded any injuries caused by the flooding, students reported seeing people slip and fall in different areas throughout campus.

Freshman Ashley Singh was working at the Vaughn Center information desk on the night of the first storm. She said she saw people slipping and falling all over Vaughn throughout the evening.

Although many students called the information desk, Singh and her team were unable to provide them with much information since Facilities Management was busy that night and could not keep them updated.

Alireza Bahramirad reported that the tiles in the roof were leaking in the back of his classroom in the John Sykes College of Business.

“I walked in and like three of the roof tiles were on the floor,” he said. Bahramirad’s class had to cram to the front of the classroom for their exam.

Channing Hailey/ The Minaret

Residents drain water out of their rooms in McKay Hall.

See TOP STORY, Page 5

P.E.A.C.E. Receives Philanthropy Award

By DANI CARPENTER News Reporter

This upcoming November, University of Tampa’s volunteer organization, People Exploring Active Community Experiences (P.E.A.C.E) has been invited to receive a prestigious award at the National Philanthropy Day event in recognition of their dedication to humanitarianism and service worldwide. This event is scheduled to be held at the A La Carte Event Pavilion in Tampa.

Every academic year, students complete approximately 100,000 hours of service within both the campus and various communities within and outside the Tampa Bay area. Last year alone, the P.E.A.C.E Volunteer Center contributed an estimated 25,000 hours of community service to that total with their philanthropy-based activities.

Founded in 1994, P.E.A.C.E continually strives “to increase volunteerism at UT through direct service and advocacy.” Members participate in various activities, such 7 Going Unplugged with Rachel Brown 11 Japanese Eatery Prepares Sushi on a budget

as, volunteering frequently at local soup kitchens, visiting shelters for the homeless and cleaning up trash at coastal areas. Their latest service trip entailed an “alternative break” trip to Cayo Costa State Park to advocate towards a cleaner environment.

P.E.A.C.E is considered as a widely diverse group as opposed to other clubs, teams and organizations ran

by UT because the volunteers can be made up of students, faculty and staff members. Each semester, about 100 events are organized by students to help promote volunteering within the community.

Typically, the P.E.A.C.E Volunteer Center’s charitable work is completed without outward recognition. However, this year, the center has been awarded the 2011 National Philanthropy Day Award. This accreditation is sponsored by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) under the Florida Suncoast Chapter, which serves as the “world’s leading association for individuals and organizations that support charitable institutions.”

One member of P.E.A.C.E and a freshman at UT, Shane Autumn Nebbia, commented on her experience with the organization. “[Getting involved with P.E.A.C.E] is a really positive thing for everyone. For the environment, for the community, for me. Community service is something I just like to do.” When asked about her opinions of the National Philanthropy Day Award, she said, “I’m excited that the organization earned this award, maybe this event will cause more people to hear about it and encourage them become more involved.” Nebbia hopes more students, faculty and staff will become involved in the P.E.A.C.E movement and characterize the motives of other volunteers with the organization as well.

On Nov. 16, P.E.A.C.E. will be presented the award at the National Philanthropy Day event, which focuses on celebrating the positive impact that philanthropy can have on lives of individuals and the community.

Dani Carpenter can be reached at dani.carpenter@spartans.ut.edu.

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Film Students Meet Pirates of the Caribbean Costume Designer

By MIA GLATTER News Writer

Film majors and enthusiasts alike sat in Reeves theater Monday Sept. 26 to hear from Suzy Freeman, who succeeded in making a career in the grueling film industry.

Freeman currently works as a costume supervisor on movie sets and in her 10 year career has worked on projects such as Pirates of the Caribbean and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Her life, however, was not always so exciting.

Growing up in a small English town, she had dreams of becoming a film star.

“Where I grew up in the north of England we didn’t go to the cinema,” Freeman said “But we had incredible television and I saw every John Wayne western, every Humphrey Bogart movie; all of the classics.”

Despite dropping out of high school and leaving home at 18, Freeman was able to get a job working in an advertising agency until 1989 when England experienced a major economic crisis.

The firm she was working for collapsed and she lost everything, including her house and company car. This set-back launched an opportunity that would spark Freeman’s lifelong passion.

A friend tipped Freeman off to a job opportunity working for Paramount Pictures while they were on location locally in Yorkshire. “[They were making] Wuthering Heights and they wanted somebody to go out and find extras,” Freeman said. “I

the lowest pay, but I made it work.”

Working on Wuthering Heights was Freeman’s first taste of what a job in film could be like, and from then on she was hooked.

“When I landed on that set I thought ‘this is it, I’m here, this is me’ this is what I always wanted in my life but nobody told me this existed,” Freeman said.

“Nobody told me that somebody without a college education could do what I was doing.”

Freeman spent the next three years working as an assistant to the director on various film sets. She began to scope out what other jobs people had, wondering if she wanted theirs.

She decided she needed to get into the creative side of the business; costuming was the most natural choice.

“My mother and my grandmother were both tailors,” Freeman said. “Costume is in my blood but I didn’t even know it.” Freeman decided that instead of using her previously established film contacts to

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-Suzy Freeman, Costumer

find a job in costuming, she needed to learn more about the craft. At 26 years of age, she was accepted into the Royal Academy of the Dramatic Arts (RADA) in London and began her education in costuming.

Even though she felt awkward

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The costumes Freeman helped design for Pirates of the Caribbean were on display at Disney’s D23 Expo in August 2011.

got in touch with the production company and said ‘what do you need?’ They gave me a creative description of the people they were looking for and that’s what I did. I spent between four and five months working for Paramount Pictures organizing and selecting [a] crowd for the assistant directors. I got

design and that’s it, so I was blown away,” she said.

After she graduated the RADA, she was able to reconnect with her film contacts and begin work in the film industry again, this time in the costume department.

She advised the students in the audience to pursue their dream careers, but to also keep an open mind about other careers

“It’s never too late to start again, remodel yourself and move on to do something that you passionately want to do.”

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Freeman spoke in Reeves Theater on Sept. 26 about her career in film.

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2 OCTOBER 6 2011 | THE MINARET

being one of the oldest students, she was able to adapt.

“It’s never too late to start again, remodel yourself and move on to do something that you passionately want to do,” Freeman explained.

“I was very blessed to be accepted [to RADA]. They take 20 people a year in costume

are available in that field.

“It’s up to you to use education to your advantage.

Within three months of graduating I got my first job in costume, but it was a toss-up,” Freeman said. “You may have aspirations to be a director or a costume designer, but the best thing to do is have a go at it all. You have to know how everything works.”

Freeman decided she needed to move to a big city, because Wuthering Heights being conveniently close in Yorkshire wasn’t going to happen twice.

She moved to London and went to work for one of the founders of Working Title Films where she worked for over a year, both in the office and on the movie set. Although office work wasn’t what she had intended to do, she learned much from the experience.

“I kept my head low and did what they asked me to do, but I listened,” Freeman said. “I learned more about financing of movies during that time and it’s carried me through the whole twenty years of my career.”

Freeman also warned the audience about the perils of having your first job in the industry but to never have a sore demeanor about it.

“The jobs you start with can be demeaning, but what sells you in this business is always being upbeat and happy and [having] a can-do attitude. It

will get you anywhere. That is the key to being successful,” she said.

After working in various costuming jobs, Freeman is currently working as a costume supervisor.

She explains that she works with the costume designer by putting her ideas into motion.

“I have to employ a crew that is specific to her needs,” she said. “If we are working on a contemporary movie, it’s a little less complicated. If we’re doing the Curious Case of Benjamin Button, with onehundred years of costume history, wow we have a huge department.”

Although she says that her job can be stressful at times because of all the conditions, her job is not without its perks and exciting moments.

“I was invited to the penthouse suite of the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills to put together a costume fitting for Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones when he played Captain Jack Sparrow’s father,” she said.

She continued saying, “Now if someone told me that when I was 20, that in 10 years time you are going to be in the penthouse suite of the Four Seasons dressing one of the most famous rock stars in the world as a pirate [I would have said] yeah, right. But I did, and it was wonderful.”

Freeman ended with a final piece of advice for the students who aspire to be in the film industry sharing with them what she loves about her job.

“You get to wear whatever you want to and get to be who you are. The more eccentric you are the more people will love you. You don’t have to conform. How many industries will offer you that?”

“If you get even the slightest opportunity to get into it even at the lowest level, go for it.

Just go for it and if you love it, stick with it. Because there is no other job on the planet that gives you that kind of an opportunity unless you want to be a film star,” Freeman said.

Mia Glatter can be reached at mia.glatter@spartans.ut.edu.

NEWS + FEATURES

THE MINARET | OCTOBER 6 2011

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In Wake of Faculty Letter, Students Share Campus Concerns

By MIKEY ANGELO RUMORE AND RICHARD SOLOMON Asst. Opinion Editor and Opinion Editor

Along with prompting faculty concerns, plans for the university’s rapid growth are also increasingly being considered from the student perspective.

“Regardless of what the issue is, I get told [by faculty], ‘Well, this is not the kind of institution that our students thought they were coming to, whatever it is: size, attitude about this, goal about that, whatever,’” said Evan Chipouras, associate professor of biology and president of the Faculty Senate. “And because I’m not hearing it directly from the students themselves, I don’t know where the balance in the student population is.”

In interviews and chat sessions with numerous students, the balance appeared to swing heavily toward disenchantment and concerns about campus growth similar to those voiced by faculty.

Elisa Turney, a junior psychology major, raised questions about how the university spends its money. “Look at all the palm trees and all the cosmetic renovations that we’re making,” Turney said. “But what about the internal renovations that need to be made?”

She also said the university’s increased enrollment is interfering with her classroom experience.

“I chose UT because it was small and I thought if I’m having some trouble in a class I can always go up to a teacher and get

specific one-on-one help, and I feel we’re losing that with the increase in student body,” she said. “I feel like we admit more students regardless of their academic numbers if they can pay the bill. . . . The student population this year is bigger than the student population last year, [which] is bigger than the student population the year before.”

Turney said she would not be returning to UT for spring semester.

Kirstin Pollock, a freshman communications major, also questioned the caliber of admissions standards. “I’ll talk to someone who will be like, ‘Oh, yeah, I had a 1.8 GPA in high school,’” she said. “And it’s almost insulting. . . . It makes me feel like I’m not going to as good of a school as I thought.”

For Chelsea Bender, a senior sociology major, rising tuition has influenced her decision to minimize her time at UT. “I’m doing the three year track so that I don’t have to pay this ridiculous money anymore,” she said.

Bender wondered whether projects like the Sykes Chapel are really desired by students. As she stated, “I don’t think if you took a poll four years ago, the student body would have voted for a new chapel.”

Bender also acknowledged that this semester seems more tense for students than any other during her time at UT. “The complaints I hear more are [about] the amount of students,” she said.

“Lines everywhere are longer. There are more issues with dorms this year. We have a second hotel. Smiley and McKay, I don’t know if they need to be renovated, but

From the Sept. 25 to Oct. 2 reports Have a Nice Trip?

At 12:40 p.m. on Sept. 28, a faculty member tripped on raised bricks in the roadway causing minor injury.

Papa-paparazzi At 11:20 a.m. on Sept. 30, a student reported a suspicious male subject taking her picture. The case is still open.

Off the Hook At 12:20 a.m. on Sept. 29, students at the Vaughn Information Desk reported receiving several calls from an unknown irate person.

Totally Worth It At 1:02 a.m. on Oct. 1, a student was arrested in Straz Hall for the possession of marijuana, drug paraphernalia and a paintball gun.

Mustang Sally At 4:55 p.m. on Sept. 29, security responded to a report of a hit and run in West Parking Garage. The case is still open.

Making Daddy Proud At 2:01 a.m. on Oct. 1, a student was transported from Smiley Hall to the hospital for a medical emergency involving alcohol.

Step into my Van At 11:00 p.m. on Sept. 29, security responded to a report at the Howard Johnson Hotel of a party bus serving alcohol.

Redecorating At 8:30 a.m. on Oct. 2, security responded to a report of the theft of a mirror from Brevard Hall lobby. The student was sent to the Judicial Board.

Reports compiled by Channing Hailey

they’ve flooded at least twice already.”

One student who finds housing inadequate is Maria Alejandra Ibarra, an international student majoring in communications. “I live in McKay and we have a lot of issues with the flooding,” she said. “There was one storm and the rooms have been flooded for three days. . . . My room gets flooded.

I sleep on the second floor, and the water comes out [of] the walls.”

Ibarra’s rooming situation has also exposed her to what she perceives as misleading university recruitment pitches.

“My roommate works at admissions and we have a room to show, so tours come in and it’s just upsetting how the tours have certain points to say,” she said. “They all say the same things and we’re sitting there listening to lies, listening to everything they’re promising students that they’re going to get, and it’s not true.”

Djenee Dunn, a sophomore advertising and public relations major, said her biggest issue at the moment is parking. “It’s come to a point where you have to get to school an hour or an hour and a half earlier [than normal],” she said. “If you come any later, you’re looking around, looking for parking, and you can’t get to class on time.”

As she added, “I love being here. I think it’s a really good school. I think they just need to find out where they need to put some more of their priorities toward, in terms of satisfying the students and the faculty, because without it nobody is really going to be getting what they deserve or what they’re paying for.”

Kristen Horrocks, a sophomore secondary education major and member of President’s Leadership Fellows, thought that the university’s expansion represented an opportunity for her organization.

“I know in President’s Leadership Fellows we were able to, since we had a bigger student body . . . be more selective,” she said. “With a wider group you’re going to get more of everyone, but that means you’re going to get more talented people and people with higher GPAs and leadership qualities.”

However, Horrocks added, “We have to decide as a university, are we going to be a mediocre medium-sized school or are we going to be a really good small-sized school? . . . I think that UT can offer a lot of really amazing experiences especially based on the diversity that we have. It’s unparalleled in a lot of ways for schools our size, and that’s really special.”

Other students, such as Allyson Bartolomeo, an undecided freshman, feel the average class size was misrepresented.

“The whole reason I came here and didn’t go to a cheaper, bigger state school is because . . . I wanted small classes and

I wanted the attention,” she said. “The first day when I got to my first Pathways class, I counted my class, because when I walked in I was like, ‘This isn’t where I should be.’

I mean, there’s so many people in here . . . it kind of makes me mad. I feel like I should be getting money back or something.”

Bartolomeo confirmed that she found UT to be a “good school” overall.

Sarah Brick, an undecided freshman, agreed that the size of her classes did not meet expectations.

“I got into some pretty good schools, and obviously it wasn’t the only deciding factor, but a big part of it was I wanted to come to school that had good class sizes for me,” she said. “I require that kind of personal education . . . but when I came here and saw how big the class sizes were I was kind of upset.”

“My academics are suffering,” said Caitlyn Guthrie, a senior double major in English and global world affairs. Guthrie does not think UT’s growth has affected her positively. “I picked UT because it’s a small school and the small class sizes,” she stated. “I don’t get that individualized attention when I’m in a class of 30 students versus being in a class of 18 to 20.”

Anne Gormly, dean of the College of Social Sciences, Math, and Education, said that UT does fare well in average class size and faculty-to-student ratio, especially when compared to public universities.

“Class size is a concept that is reported on all institutions,” said Gormly, “[When] they talk about an average class size, many of the students that are responding are probably responding to [the specific classes in which they are enrolled] as opposed to all of the classes.” she said.

She said that figures such as the average class size and faculty-to-student ratio are “standard reporting of any institution” and are not meant to mislead students.

“Clearly when you have, I’ll say, overenrollment, which we did have this year, you’ve got to do your best to accommodate everyone,” Gormly said. “So . . . if you’re coming in here and you say, ‘Oh, I expect there will be 21 students in a classroom,’ first of all that’s not realistic because you’re not going to remember when you’re in really small classrooms or you have . . . individual independent study kind of tutorials and things like that, which a lot of students do have.”

As she added, “The issue is not so much whether there’s 21 students or there’s 30 students in a class, but what’s the quality of the interaction of me as a student with the faculty member.”

Mikey Angelo Rumore can be reached at michealangelorumore@gmail.com.

Rich Solomon can be reached at richard. solomon@spartans.ut.edu.

4 OCTOBER 6 2011 | THE MINARET

NEWS + FEATURES

Can I Get a Fist Bump, Homie?!

Dictionaries Define Pop Culture Terms

By CHANNING HAILEY Asst. News Editor

On Tuesday Oct. 4th, Student Government met in Reeves Theater.

On Oct. 4, Student Government had a general assembly meeting. They covered the following items: On Oct. 11, the Student Leadership Kickoff will be taking place from 7 to 9 p.m. in Reeves Theater. Representatives from campus organizations are required to attend the event.

The Fall Leadership Retreat will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday Oct. 8 in the Grand Salon of Plant Hall.

The Judicial Advisory Board, which collectively makes decisions based on the Constitution of the University of Tampa Student Government has positions available.

P.E.A.C.E. is recruiting volunteers for for the local Big Brothers Big Sisters program. Applications for the mentor program are available in the P.E.A.C.E. office.

October 11 is College Radio Day. Tune in to UT’s station, WUTT 1080 AM. Moisees Benhabib of DRIVE UT presented a survey to attendees asking if they are interested in having a designated place on campus to wash their cars.

On Oct 8, the Memorial Peace Walk will take place in Downtown Tampa at 8 a.m. benefiting families of public servants killed in action. Students are encouraged to attend to show support for those walking.

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August 2011 saw the publication of the centenary edition of the Concise Oxford English Dictionary and, with it, around 400 new entries. The 12th edition of the COED provides some of the most up-to-date pop culture jargon.

Other dictionaries like Merriam-Webster and the COED’s historical companion, the Oxford English Dictionary, don’t lag far behind in defining new words that reflect today’s entertainment and technologycentered culture. Below is just a sample of the words that will no longer be undefined.

Concise Oxford English Dictionary New words as of Aug. 2011

Cougar (cou·gar) (n.) an older woman seeking a sexual relationship with a younger man Domestic goddess (do·mes·tic god·dess) (n.) a woman with exceptional domestic skills, especially one who excels at preparing meals.

Mankini (man·ki·ni) (n.) a brief one-piece swimsuit for men, with a T-back.

Retweet (re·tweet) (v.) (on the social networking service Twitter) repost or forward (a messaage posted by another user) Woot (woot) exclamation; informal (especially in electronic communication) used to express elation, enthusiasm, or triumph

Also fig. Freq. in little black book.

Blackberry (black·berry) n. a proprietary name for: a type of pager or smartphone capable of sending and receiving email messages.

Homie (ho·mie) (n.) slang (orig. and chiefly in African-American use) a person from one’s home town or neighbourhood; a member of one’s peer group or gang; a homeboy or homegirl. In later use also: a member of the hip-hop subculture. Also as a form of address.

La-la land (la·la land) (n.) a state of being out of touch with reality; a (notional) place characterized by blissful unawareness, selfabsorption, fantasy, etc.

Lettermanesque (Let·ter·man·esque) (adj.) characteristic of or resembling David letterman or his comedic presenting style, esp. in being acerbic, irreverent, or sarcastic.

Shitcan (shit·can) (v.) to dismiss or discharge (a person) from a position; to fire.

Take-no-shit (take no shit) (adj.) slang.

Uncompromising, single-minded, nononsense.

Merriam Webster

New words as of Aug. 2011

New words as of Sep. 2011

Boomerang child (boo·mer·ang child) n. a young adult who returns to live at his or her family home especially for financial reasons.

Bromance (bro·mance) n. a close nonsexual friendship between men.

Fist bump (fist bump) n. a gesture in which two people bump their fists together (as in greeting or celebration).

Black book (black book) (n.) an address book, spec. one used to record the names and contact details of (potential) sexual partners.

Channing Hailey can be reached at channing.hailey@spartans.ut.edu.

Oxford English Dictionary

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THE MINARET | OCTOBER 6 2011

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Torrential rains flood campus buildings, close roads From TOP STORY, Page 1 Freshman Jon Mangini, who lives in McKay Hall, said, “I was in class and when I came home, the floor was covered in an inch of water. [Facilities] didn’t come for a while and by the time they came we pretty much got most of the water out ourselves.”

Another freshman, Maria Alejandra Ibarra, who also lives in McKay Hall, has two of her friends living in her dorm room, as well as her own roommate.

Channing Hailey/The Minaret

Flooding brought water and mulch into the Cass Building lobby.

Carolina Gurdian and Alejandra Cervantes moved into Ibarra’s room after their room was ruined by the water.

“They stayed in my room for three days, she said.

“We were four girls staying in a room where the space is designed for only two. I helped my friends clear up the room for the workers to vacuum the water out. Storage bins, phone chargers and a laptop charger were damaged by the water. All their belongings were placed over their beds, including electronic devices.”

She said that at one point standing in their room the water literally reached their ankles.

“For the three days that the flooding lasted, the water never seemed to stop,” she said.

She continued by saying, “It came from the walls and from the doors. As a consequence, after the rooms were cleaned up the humidity created mold in the walls.

Residence authorities allowed two hours of free laundry for students to wash everything that [had] been damaged.”

Director of Facilities Management Dave Ramsey summarized what happened. “On Thursday, Sept. 22, we had four inches of rain in two hours, late afternoon,” he said.

“With rains like this, the city storm drains are overwhelmed and thus the street flooding. Our drains tie into the city’s storm drains. Water did get into several building first floor areas due to an almost unprecedented amount in such a short time.”

The Cass Building, John Sykes College of Business, the eighth floor of the Vaughn Center, the auditorium and stage of the Faulk Theater, and the first floors of Austin Hall, McKay Hall, Smiley Hall and Thomas Parking Garage were all affected by the flooding, according to the Campus Security Office.

There was a water detection alarm that went off in one of the computer labs (security staff was unable to specify which one).

“When we get reports of water entering a building space, we mobilize as many workers as we can (this was after 4:30 p.m on Thursday) to come in to wet vacuum, mop and do whatever necessary to get the water up,” Ramsey wrote in an email message.

“On Sunday, Sept. 25, we had two to three inches of rain in two hours, late afternoon. Again, our minimal Sunday

Photo courtesy of Jennifer Tanacs

The Thomas Parking Garage remained flooded hours after the rain stopped.

staff was augmented with off-duty workers to come in and help remove the water,” he said.

In order to prevent this in the future, facilities staff plan to look at additional drainage opportunities in order to steer water away from the buildings, ensure the landscaping is not blocking the drains, correct defective roof drains, and reinforce response time to heavy rains and flooding.

Shivani Kanji can be reached at shivani.kanji@ spartans.ut.edu.

Discontent among faculty about some university programs, plans From FACULTY, Page 1 “I don’t think any faculty has ever seen a contract [with ELS],” Morse said. “So, what we’ve been told, through admissions, and through even Dr. McNew, is that the agreement with ELS is that when students pass out of their level 12 over there, they’re admitted to the university and they’re enrolled into First Year Writing 101.”

Other issues raised in the letter included the “exclusion of faculty from the Space Planning Committee” and “a policy presented without input determining which full-time faculty can serve on the Senate Executive Committee.”

Lastly, the letter of concern addressed the process by which “new major programs from continuing studies” had been introduced by deans and administration.

The last point refers to the contentious atmosphere that resulted over a proposed Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree. The BLS proposal provoked heavy debate due to the degree approval process. At a May 2010 Faculty Senate meeting, numerous faculty complained that the administration did not follow the correct procedures in vetting the BLS proposal.

The minutes from the meeting reveal that many faculty also expressed frustration over the way the BLS proposal was presented.

According to the minutes, Scott Paine, an associate professor of communication and government and world affairs, said, “There was pressure that if we did not sign it there would be serious repercussions in the department. We were also told that we were the only hold-out in the entire university — that all the other departments are signing off and bending over backwards to make sure things get done.”

In the same meeting, Martha Harrison, an associate professor of education, said, “There have been allegations among faculty members of harassment, intimidation, unfair wavers, misfits, academic hooligans, little boys screaming in the corner, etc. The decision in my college has been a bit of a ‘pissing match’ between academics than it has been about BLS.” Connie Rynder, a now-retired professor of history, is also confirmed to have asked, “How come the high pressure tactics are being perpetrated against chairs and sometimes against individual faculty members?”

Sean Maddan, an associate professor of criminology and criminal justice and chair of the criminology department at the time BLS was being proposed, said that he felt subjected to such high-pressure tactics. Maddan later wrote in a statement, “I was pressured to sign the document or potentially lose faculty lines and other resources [Dean Anne Gormly] did not elaborate on.”

Maddan was removed from his position as criminology chair with less than three and a half weeks left on his contract. He believes his removal stemmed from his refusal to sign off on the BLS proposal.

Anne Gormly, dean of the College of Social Sciences, Math, and Education, said that she would not comment on personnel matters, but that the removal of a department chair during that time period “was not related to the concept of the BLS. … Definitely not related to that.”

Gary Luter, a professor of Speech, Theatre and Dance, as quoted in the Faculty Senate minutes, said, “There seems to have been some coercion of chairs of departments and faculty members into signing something that they really have

had no chance to examine. That is an issue of faculty governance.”

Provost McNew stated that she did not think faculty members were coerced during the debates over BLS. “I think deans were just trying to do what they thought their job was,” she said.

Gormly said she felt allegations of faculty coercion regarding the BLS signing were unfair.

The Faculty Senate meeting on May 7, 2010, resulted in a 26 to 3 vote in favor of tabling the BLS proposal until fall 2010.

That fall, the Faculty Senate approved a revised version of the proposal.

Ultimately, Emilio Toro, an associate professor of mathematics, questioned whether administration is really interested in consulting with faculty. “If the administration is going to consult with the faculty,” Toro said, “then consulting means more than just informing the faculty of the actions that they are going to take, but rather it should involve an exchange, a frank and open exchange of ideas.”

In a recent interview, Gormly agreed.

“An effective administrator is someone who does consult, that does listen because frankly many heads are better than one,” she said. “Now, many heads won’t make the one decision, so that’s where you really do need to have the consulting. Now, can I think of an administrator here at the campus that doesn’t consult? Sure. Has that stopped my from doing the best of my job? No.” However, Toro painted the relationship between faculty and administration as one without such consultation. As he said, “If the administration thinks that there is open communication and that both sides are listening to each other in that sense, then I think that there is a major disconnect because that indicates that they are really not aware of [the negative] sentiment of the faculty in general.”

Mikey Angelo Rumore can be reached at michealangelorumore@gmail.com.

Rich Solomon can be reached at richard. solomon@spartans.ut.edu.

6 OCTOBER 6 2011 | THE MINARET

Diversions

Crossword

Sheldon Benardo / Will Shortz ©New York Times

Across 1. Backseat 5. Place to put in 11. Acid 14. Push for 15. Brooks Robinson, notably 16. Have a mortgage 17. Sen. Olympia's rages?

19. Get the gold 20. Angry speeches 21. Abalone eaters 23. Feel wistful 24. So-so 26. Not as sensible 29. "___ I Kissed You" 30. How coffee filters are used 33. Blue blood, informally 35. Eggs 38. Formula One automaker 40. Authorize 42. Rock music's ___ Fighters 43. Thickheaded 45. Swift fliers, for short 46. Overseas facilities 48. Actress Verdugo and others 50. Open-ended cigars 53. European fashion capital 57. Challenges for Hercules 58. Blasphemous 60. ___ Today 61. Boxer Riddick's glove securers?

64. Render imperfect 65. Go by 66. ___ River (what the Brooklyn Bridge spans)

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

17

11

21 24

23

31

27

32 39

42

43 46

28

Chloe Knowling/The Minaret

29 34

35

40

49

52

53 58

57

54

61

64

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68

69

Down 1. Out of practice 2. Cubs legend Banks 3. Greek market 4. One offering encouragement 5. Stockings 6. Conservatory's focus 7. "___ Lobo" (John Wayne film) 8. Staten Is., e.g.

9. "Stand and Deliver" star 10. Turnpike oasis

55

56

This week, a Twilight-esque photograph illustrates the satirical commentary on obesity in this week’s Opinion Section.

59

60

67. Blood units: Abbr.

68. Upgrades, as factory equipment 69. Looks after little ones

37

45

48

62

36

41

44

47

51

22

25

33

38

13

19

18

26

12

16

20

50

10

15

14

30

9

63

11. Actor Rob's punches?

12. Certain ice cream feature 13. Thickheaded 18. Author Ferber 22. ___ chi 24. Louvre Pyramid architect 25. Literary thief Lupin 27. Gambling game 28. Stand on the dinner table 30. Not running 31. Prefix with natal 32. Actor Russell's nighttime hangouts?

34. Counterfeiter hunters 36. November 11 honoree

37. Horace's "___ poetica" 39. Shock ___ 41. Hardens, as bones 44. French pronoun 47. ___-Magnon 49. Livy's love 50. Stick together 51. Assails 52. "___ Mio" 54. Hawaiian island 55. Hopeless feeling 56. Ants' homes 58. "Hey, buddy" 59. Itinerary abbrs.

62. Old U.S. military aux.

63. Prefix with center or cycle

Horoscopes

By Linda C Black / Tribune Media Services

Aries (March 21-April 19) Your ideas flow with ease. Take notes (with pictures).

Make a list with the obvious steps to realize the most tantalizing dreams first. Take the first step.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) Conditions for long distance travel improve. Check your lists twice. Be sure that your tires are properly inflated, and the oil level’s fine… then green light, go!

Gemini (May 21-June 21) Staying busy may be the best way to stay out of trouble today. Take a deep breath and think before making important decisions. Don’t use big words. Keep it simple.

Cancer (June 22-July 22) You’re entering a negotiation phase. Work behind the scenes when needed, and beware of sudden changes. Choose your partners wisely for different roles.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) Don’t let this busy Monday get on your nerves, or your health could suffer. Get plenty of rest. Take breaks from the screen and stretch regularly. Take one task at a time.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Let a loved one set the schedule. You enjoy the company of dear family and friends. A coming change is for the better, so go along with it, and encourage them as well.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) Now’s the best time to make changes at home. Keep a positive attitude, and play it like a game that you mean to win, but don’t mind losing. Then go ahead and win.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) Great language skills accelerate getting your message across. Continue to study the subject you’re teaching.

Focus on your favorite angle and learn as much as you can.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Making money requires imagination today. Others want to study what you’re up to. Share the knowledge, and use collaboration and group thinking for real innovation.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Some ideas won’t work, but try them anyway. Failure refines the process, adding velocity for future success.

A startling revelation provokes change. Go out and play later.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Keep existing promises first, and consider before committing to new. Clarify your schedule and direction with friends. A change in their plans could affect yours.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) Destruction is part of the creative process. Inhibit any more bizarre suggestions. Strange demands could be made. New and intriguing educational opportunities develop.

THE MINARET | OCTOBER 6 2011

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

Arts + Entertainment

7

Going Unplugged with Rachel Brown Above left: Rachel Brown pours her soul onto the stage as her band jams out to traditional west African music.

Above right: Guitarist Abdoulaye Alhassane rocks out during his solo in the song “Lullaby.”

Below left: Rachel Brown’s debut album, Bumblebee, features three songs and is now available on iTunes.

Below right: Rachel smiles as she looks out to the audience.

Photos by Tiffany Corrada/The Minaret

By NATALIE HICKS

Asst. Arts + Entertainment Editor

As the hours counted down until Rachel Brown’s musical performance in the Vaughn Center lobby last Tuesday night, Student Productions steadily put together last minute preparations while Rachel rehearsed, her surfer girl pipes filling the background.

Once everything was in place, Brown began her set with some uplifting soft reggae to get the audience warmed up. The ambiance was contented and chill, because the low lighting and the smoothness of the band lured in a humble crowd of music lovers on their way back from grabbing a late dinner.

“My music evokes happiness and calmness. I want people to feel relaxed while they listen to my music, but at the same time, I’ve got a few songs that tug at the heart strings. For the most part, I want people to relate to my music-- just be chill,” said Brown.

Rachel and her backup band performed her three most popular songs, “Bumblebee,” “Diamond In the Rough,” and “Lullaby,” as well as a few unexpected covers. They did a cover of Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” giving it a touch of a Jack Johnson meets Sara Bareilles flair.

Rachel also sang a softer rendition of TPain’s “Buy U A Drank.”

Brown’s band members include: Abdoulaye Alhassane (guitar), Mamadou Ba (bass), Idrissa Kone (percussion), and

Yacouba Sissoko (kora), all immigrants from the west African country of Mali.

The entire band hails from the Big Apple, which is where they met and decided to form a band just one year ago.

“There’s this awesome musician hangout spot in New York City called St. Nick’s, and I walked in there one night to check it out. Abdoulaye and the other guys were playing that night, and I just so happened to be looking for some people

]

before that it was kind of secretive that I was learning to be a musician. None of my friends even knew, because I was super shy about it,” said Brown.

Despite her shyness, she bit the bullet and decided to perform at any and every open mic night in the City she knew about.

Even though Brown began this as a hobby, she never imagined that she would turn this into a career for herself, but she says that all the craziness is well-worth it.

]

“My music evokes happiness and calmness. I want people to feel relaxed when the listen to my music, but at the same time, I’ve got a few songs that tug at the heart strings.”

that could play west African influenced music. They were killing it on stage, so I talked to them afterwards. They agreed to play with me just like that. It was pretty fateful,” said Brown.

Although it may look as though Rachel has been performing on stage her entire life, she’s actually a fairly recent addition to the music industry. After she graduated high school in 2005, she took a year off before beginning college to take a recuperation period.

“I bought something like a Guitar for Dummies type of book and started to teach myself. I didn’t even start performing until my sophomore year of college, so

-Rachel Brown

“You never know if people are going to like it. There’s always going to be nerves.

But 23 hours of the day I’m running around like crazy, then during that one hour that I’m on stage, it’s like everything it going to be okay. It’s my time to just chill,” said Brown.

Brown’s main audience is college students, because many of them are extremely open-minded to new music.

She’s also quite relatable, considering she’s a recent college graduate. Many of her songs are about friendship and heartbreak, which are very prevalent topics to college students.

Though her lyrics claim familiarity, the

instruments in the background are anything but. The band’s percussion player, Idrissa Kone, plays on unique west African drums, one called a talking drum and the other called a calabash. Yacouba Sissoko plays the kora.

“A kora is a traditional African instrument. It’s kind of different, because it’s like a weird mix between an electric guitar, a banjo, and a sitar,” said Brown.

An intimate crowd showed up to the concert, and many passersby would stop to catch a listen. After the show, many audience members bought Rachel’s featured three-song album, Bumblebee, while Rachel casually talked to a few students and thanked them for buying her merchandise.

Brown said that every show she plays is important to her, including all of the little ones, but one performance stands out further in her memory than all the others.

“My milestone moment was when one of my musical inspirations, Wyclef Jean, was performing. He invited me on stage to sing with him. It was so crazy, too, because he picked a Bob Marley song for us to sing together, and Bob Marley is my favorite.

It was so bizarre that that happened,” said Brown.

Even though she has performed with big names such as Wyclef Jean, Rachel still frets with nerves just like any other musician.

Natalie Hicks can be reached at natalie. hicks@spartans.ut.edu.

8 OCTOBER 6 2011 | THE MINARET

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

Facebook: The Ever-Changing Social Network

By MIKEY ANGELO RUMORE Arts + Entertainment Columnist

So, it seems that Facebook has changed again. I actually didn’t notice until I began to see a number of my friend’s bitching about Facebook via Facebook, as if it represents much of a protest to the Facebook gods. Only then did I notice the new right-hand scrolling status bar, and the slightly streamlined look of the whole page. I yawned, as I find I keep doing when my friends are up in arms about some issue of the day, and wondered why the new Facebook made them so indignant. I suppose that part of the reason I’m writing this article is because I can’t figure out what the big f---ing deal is. Maybe you, dear reader, can help me out on this.

And it seems like Facebook’s biggest change is yet to come. At the recent F8 conference, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO/ President of Facebook, announced that the site would revamp their profile pages.

The new feature, called “Timeline,” is a weird sort of virtual scrapbook that allows users to tell their life story, a shitty memoir generator, a stalker’s dream. Or, as Facebook itself describes it, “This is where you can tell your story from beginning, to middle, to now.” Notice that the question of who users are telling their life story to is conspicuously absent. Corporations are listening.

With any change comes inevitable growing pains. But has Facebook really changed that much? I don’t think so; I just think its intentions are becoming more and more transparent.

Let’s not forget the ultimate goal of a social networking site like Facebook: to create an intimate and all-encompassing marketing tool for international corporations. That’s why Rupert Murdoch bought MySpace back in 2005. Remember that? The rise of Facebook seems to have began once Murdoch took over MySpace. It became obvious that MySpace had become a top-down marketing database. Facebook grew in popularity because it appeared

more organic, but Facebook and MySpace are in the same business. Facebook’s eventual victory over MySpace happened simply because of Facebook’s more subtle manner of corporate subversion, which has grown much less subtle in recent years as Facebook spends less and less energy pretending that it cares about user privacy.

After all, why would it? The bottom line says otherwise.

Facebook’s goals as a business reveal the central paradox of social networking sites: They empower and exploit users at the same time. It’s democracy with hidden masters, shackled agency.

Once Facebook’s true intention becomes clear, controversial features like “frictionless sharing,” the automatic sharing of Internet activities, begin to make more sense. This potentially embarrassing and intrusive feature has drawn some ire from privacy watchdog groups like the Electronic Privacy Information Center. But privacy concerns are nothing new for Facebook and it’s keeping with the corporate goals of social networking sites to push for the minimum acceptable privacy restraints and maximum user apathy. Constant Facebook changes keep this struggle constant.

Don’t get me wrong. I use Facebook.

I’ll probably be sharing this article on Facebook later tonight. And I’m not exactly advocating for Facebook’s destruction, because if the social networking site du jour was not Facebook, it would be something else. It would be a folly to think that MySpace and Facebook’s revolution of self-promotion can be rolled back. Nor would I want it to; the platform that social networking sites can provide to artists, small businesses, or just the average Joe with something to say, is ultimately positive. But, we should at least be aware of who we’re really sharing our secrets with: Business forces that wish to harvest our private lives for profit. I’m sure most Facebook users see their lives as more than just marketing tools. At least, they should.

Mikey Angelo Rumore can be reached at michaelangelorumore@gmail.com.

Sean MacEntee/flickr.com

The new Facebook profile called Timeline will soon be the standard on every Facebook page. It presents photos like a scrapbook and is much more stalker-friendly.

DIY: The Perfect Layer of Curls and the texture of your hair. The smallest barrel, ½ inch, produces tight, bouncy ringlets, so if you’re going for that Taylor From beautiful Taylor Swift-like Swift look, this iron would be perfect. ringlets to soft romantic waves, curls set The ½ and ¾ inch barrels are the standard for a soft, elegant appearance recommended for short or fine hair and sometimes even an innocent, doll-like because they give hair a more voluminous look. appearance.

Curling hair can be a rather tedious The largest barrels, 1 ½ and 2 inches, process (which is why people with curly create waves which are great if you’re hair should feel lucky), and if it’s your going for that beach hairstyle. first time learning how to curl hair, it can The last essential item you’ll need for be difficult. But of that perfect curly hair-do is course, with the hairspray. Regardless of hair right tools, guidance, type, a spray with a stronger and the old saying hold will help your curls last “practice makes longer. perfect”, you’ll have a For this article, my friend head full of beautiful Priya Sekhon will show stepcurls in no time. by-step how to curl your own The first things hair. you’ll need are tools She is using a 1 inch • 1-inch barrel iron to curl your hair with. curling iron from Bed Head. 1 There are many ways inch curling irons are best for • Heat protecting spray to curl hair, but for creating those basic, naturalthe purposes of this looking curls.

• Hairspray or mousse article, I’ll just go with the conventional way of curling hair Step-by-Step: by explaining how to use a curling iron.

1. Section the top and Curling irons are quick and easy bottom layers of your hair with a clip. Part to master, but if used incorrectly, they the bottom layer of hair in half and bring can damage your hair. Let’s talk about both sections in front. Spray both sections temperature control first. Using heating with a heat protecting spray. appliances often can damage your hair, and cause it to look limp, dry and frizzy.

2. Starting from back of head, take If you have thin hair, it would be better about a 1 inch section of hair closest to to use a lower heat setting, so that your hair the nape of your neck. Face the clamp of won’t fry. If you have thicker hair, use a barrel away from you, and twirl the iron higher heat setting, but be sure to monitor away from face. Hold the iron vertically how long you keep the iron on your hair so for 10 seconds. Leave about 1 inch of hair that you don’t accidentally end up cooking sticking out at the end out of the clamp. it.

Repeat this step until you have finished And before using any sort of heat both sections of your bottom layer. appliance for your hair, always use a thermal protection spray to absorb the harsh 3. Spray hairspray, or scrunch each heat, so your hair will have a smoother, curl with mousse after you have finished frizz-free style. section.

Curling irons are made from various materials. The most common ones on 4. Release the remaining sections of the market are metal plated, ceramic and your hair, and repeat steps 1-3 until you tourmaline ceramic. have finished.

Metal-plated irons are good only if you seldom curl your hair. Their high An optional step if you have a side fringe heat settings can easily damage hair if like Priya: When curling a side fringe, tilt used too often. Ceramic and tourmaline the iron at a 45° angle, so that when you ceramic have gentler heat settings, and are release the curl, it flows naturally with the essentially better for frequent use. rest of your hair.

You have a range of sizes to choose from Tara Temkar can be reached at depending on the style of the curl you want taratemkar@gmail.com.

By TARA TEMKAR

Arts + Entertainment Writer

What You’ll Need

Tara Temkar/The Minaret

Left: Curl your hair in sections. The smaller the section, the tighter the curl.

Right: Once the bottom layer is complete as show, continue to the other layers.

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

THE MINARET | OCTOBER 6 2011

Jackman Packs a Winning Punch in Real Steel

By DANIEL FEINGOLD Associate Editor

It’s been done time and time again.

From Rocky to Cinderella Man to The Fighter, the feel-good underdog fighting story has been portrayed in a variety of ways on the big screen.

Here comes Real Steel taking that same basic formula, setting itself in the near future and letting its fighting be done by not people, but robots. Testing the patience of even the most loyal of boxing film fans, this couldn’t possible work, could it?

Actually, yeah—it kind of does.

In large part due to superbly crafted action sequences, along with Hugh Jackman’s awesomeness, Real Steel surprisingly has a successful one-two punch.

Jackman plays Charlie Kenton, a former boxer who never quite made it big, and who is now a sleazy robot fighter.

He’s not even particularly great doing the

latter, as the movie opens to Charlie’s rusty old robot being obliterated by a bull at a circus. Charlie’s also a lousy guy to make a bet with. He seems to owe somebody something in every town he visits.

Then comes his estranged adolescent son Max (Dakota Goyo), whose parental situation is a mess once his mother suddenly dies. Charlie ends up with custody while we make way for the father and son unlikely bonding gimmick.

Max happening to be a student of the sport, they find common ground in robot boxing. Just as Charlie becomes completely down on his luck, Max discovers an old sparring bot that he immediately becomes attached to.

Enter the underdog. The thing is named Atom, and was built to absorb a lot of punches, but not fight back. Charlie’s a former fighter himself, though, and these robots can learn to mimic human movements. A little fixing up leads to some big wins for Atom. If you’ve ever seen an underdog movie, I have a feeling you know where this story leads and how it will end.

The grand successes here are the fight sequences. Each is unique to the others. All of them are wonderfully shot, both spatially and stylistically. Maybe it’s the wrestling fan in me, but I couldn’t help but become invested in the matches and inevitably find myself rooting for Atom.

More or less, the strength in the action made up for the shortcoming of the melodrama. Real Steel tries to evoke our emotions, to get the tears flowing, but it all sort of just falls flat.

Charlie and Max are so far apart from seeming like father and son that we’re never emotionally invested, the dialogue featured in heart-warming scenes borders on bizarre, and Lost star Evangeline Lilly (who plays Charlie’s long-time friend) hasn’t been doing anyone favors in her acting gigs since finding her way off the

island. It at least tries to have a feel-good human storyline to parallel the feel-good robot storyline.

For a film packed with robot manslaughter, it was nice to see Director Shawn Levy and Writer John Gatins care enough to, at the very least, set a foundation for the audience to potentially warm up to the characters.

And despite knowing the ins and outs of this plot, Real Steel is entertaining enough to get by. Jackman further proves that he has enough good looks and charm to compensate for elite acting skills.

It doesn’t help that his character is unlikeable almost to the point of being offensive. Charlie only gains custody of his son for a few months by convincing his wealthy brother-in-law to pay him six figures while he’s on vacation. In turn, he’ll look after the kid.

It’s a wonder how Charlie manages to not get fed up with Max, let alone care enough to feed him daily. Yet out of all this, by the movie’s finale we find ourselves either forgiving Charlie or just forgetting the fact that he was such a horrible person roughly an hour ago.

Real Steel has a ridiculously long 127 minute runtime, yet it never noticeably drags on.

It’s a summer blockbuster that’s hitting theaters a month too late, but there is no need to punish it for that. It sets out to entertain, and if nothing else, it at least accomplishes that.

Critic’s Review: 3/5 Daniel Feingold can be reached at dfeingold91@gmail.com.

Bored?

Watch Bourdain

By ERIC DUFFERT

Arts + Entertainment Writer

He eats. He writes. He travels. And he’s hungry for more.

This is the premise behind the Travel Channel’s underground hit Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations.

Anthony Bourdain is a host like no other. From the bustling streets of Shanghai to the picturesque bluffs of France, he takes you on a one-on-one tour through the most culturally vibrant destinations in the entire world.

He takes pride in musing on his three favorite topics: food, culture and travel.

Although this may sound stale and about as exciting as watching Olympic style curling, believe me, nothing could be farther from the truth. It’s in his comedic delivery, his no holds barred commentary and the fact that he could care less whether you actually watch his show or not. All Bourdain is concerned with, is where exactly he’s going next.

Maybe that’s part of the attraction. Now on his 10th season with the Travel Channel, Bourdain has more freedom to say and do what whatever he wants than ever before.

Just like the Viewer Discretion label warns in the beginning of the show, he is not afraid to express exactly how he feels. If he thinks that bowl of clam chowder tasted like a dead squirrel that’s been left out in the rain too long, he’ll tell you.

Whether you’re an avid tourist, a food junkie, or just an average joe looking for something good to watch on T.V., Bourdain has got it all. So next time your flipping through your vast array of channels and often neglected pay-per-view events, why not stop by the Travel Channel and spend an enchanted evening with the always entertaining and always captivating Anthony Bourdain. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.

Eric Duffert can be reached at eduffert@aol.com.

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Howl-O-Scream is a separate-ticketed night event. Savings based on advance purchase. Thursday four-pack walk-up admission price is $39.99 per person plus tax. Valid for four or more admissions on Thursdays, September 29 and October 6, 13, 20 and 27. Some restrictions apply. Event dates and times are subject to change or cancellation without notice. Parking is not included. No costumes allowed. Š 2011 SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, Inc. All rights reserved. Warning! This year’s event contains intense adult content such as violence, gore and blood.

10 OCTOBER 6 2011 | THE MINARET

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

Japanese Eatery Prepares Sushi on a Budget

By MELISSA SANTELL Arts + Entertainment Writer

Vibrant red Japanese lamps and hitlist instrumentals underlay the sound of sizzling rice and vegetables on the hibachi grill. As an onion volcano erupts and the fire illuminates your face, you think to yourself, “I’m so happy we came to Koto.”

If you’re in the mood for specialty sushi and hibachi cuisine, you’ve come to the right place. Koto Japanese Steakhouse located on 533 S. Howard Ave. is the sushi lover’s sanctuary. This restaurant is popular for its fresh taste accompanied by a plethora of undeniable specials. Capitalizing on excellent customer service and impressive food quality, this is not your average sushi joint. If you aim to keep your wallet happy and your stomach full, the best time to indulge is lunchtime.

Open at 11 a.m. on the weekdays, Koto offers a heaping lunch special including soup, salad and your choice of two or three sushi rolls. The specials are traditionally served with Miso soup, but if you’re not a tofu fan, clear soup is always an option.

Starting at $8 with the two-roll deal, the special extends to $14 hibachi meals.

Get the best of both worlds when you order a combination platter. If you prefer raw fish sans rice, five pieces of assorted

sashimi and one roll of your choice will run you $10. The sashimi slices include tuna, yellow tail, clam, salmon and white tuna. A second option for $12 offers eight pieces of sashimi and one roll.

Don’t miss out on the Godzilla roll, a tempera roll stuffed with asparagus and yellowtail wrapped in seaweed. The warm, crispy roll is complemented well by a tangy eel sauce and spicy mayo garnish. If simple is your style, go for the Classic Roll, filled with thick slices of raw red tuna and avocado. Make sure you make an appearance by 2:30 p.m. before they close and re-open for dinner.

If you don’t have 45 minutes to spare for lunch, Koto has a $20 all-you-caneat-and-drink menu from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday. With your choice of select appetizers and Photos by Melissa Santell/The Minaret sushi rolls, you can indulge for two hours without coming up for air. If your appetite Above: Koto offers a cheap sushi alternative to other Japanese restaurants.

Below: Miso soup, an open kitchen area, and an assortment of sushi are seen inside the restaurant. isn’t up to par, appease your taste buds with unlimited well-liquor cocktails, wine and Bud Light or Miller Light drafts. This baby shrimp doused in a mild Japanese your birthday in front of the hibachi grill spectacular deal is hard to pass up, but you orange sauce. If you’re having trouble and enjoy a free meal (up to $15) with the can only pay in cash, so leave your plastic deciding, you can’t go wrong with crispy purchase of an adult dinner. A melodic tempura shrimp and vegetables. You can birthday tune, rainbow disco ball and staff at home!

To kick off your meal, start with a only order three items at a time, so conquer serenade will end your visit complete with steaming bowl of edemame lightly dusted your cravings wisely. a scoop of vanilla ice cream sundae. with sea salt. If you aren’t counting Koto’s relaxing yet energetic atmosphere Melissa Santell can be reached at calories, try a plate of Rocky Shrimp, fried is suitable for any occasion. Celebrate msantell@spartans.ut.edu.

Old Hyde Park Continues Fresh Market and Fall Festivities

By XELMARIE MEDINA Arts + Entertainment Writer

Less than 10 minutes away from the UT campus lies Old Hyde Park Village.

The Village is located south of downtown Tampa, in one of the city’s most picturesque historic districts. Its quaint shops and delicious restaurants attract both locals and tourists.

It has everything ranging from sweets and home décor to wine tasting and a

premium movie theatre. You name it, Hyde Village has it. If shopping is your calling, Hyde Park Village offers a mix of boutiques and national retailers. A few recognized labels are Aldo, MAC Cosmetics and Pottery Barn.

Its bistros and European style ranks it among the favorite places to see in Tampa.

As part of the entertainment activities, Hyde Park Village hosts Fresh Market. This cultural activity takes place the first Sunday

Courtesy of thegallerystudios.com

Shoppers scour the tents at Old Hyde Park’s outdoor Fresh Market.

of every month at Hyde’s Fountain from 11 a.m to 3 p.m. With space for over 70 vendors, Hyde Park Village Fresh Market will feature: agricultural products, local food, hand-crafted jewelry, accessories, live music, massages and much more.

Admission and parking are free to the public, and friendly dogs on leashes are always welcome at the Fresh Market and in Hyde Park Village. If you are interested in attending, the next dates are Sunday, Nov. 6 and Sunday, Dec. 4. Other activities will take part in Hyde Park within the next month, such as the Fall Festival.

The Fall Festival will take place Saturday, Oct. 15 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Trick-or-treating and face painting are among the popular activities. The Pumpkin Patch also opens at the Fall Festival. There will be plump pumpkins in all shapes and sizes and festive photo opportunities. More importantly, all proceeds from pumpkin sales benefit The Humane Society of Tampa Bay. For people within the Hispanic community who want to stay close to their roots, the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) is currently celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. This event takes place until Oct. 15. MOSI is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Due to their celebration; MOSI is offering a $10 discount from general admission prices. Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity.

The Tampa Bay Mineral and Science Club will host its 52nd annual gem, mineral and jewelry show on Oct. 22 and 23 at the Florida Strawberry Festival Expo Building. This year, the show will feature more vendors with great buys on crystals, minerals, fossils, gems, beads, unique and

custom made jewelry. Jewelry making classes will be offered for those interested in mastering this art form. Festival-goers will be able to craft their own pieces of jewelry at the show. Children’s activities such as a Touch Table and Sand Mine, where buried treasures of stones and fossils are dug up by the kids, will take place during this family friendly environment. It runs until Nov. 3 on weekends only, Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Adults pay $5, students pay $4 and children under 12 enter free accompanied by an adult. The ticket is valid for both days.

If you are a music fan, diverse amounts of artists will visit the Tampa area. Colbie Caillat and Andy Grammer will perform Oct. 27 at 7:30 p.m. at the Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater. Tickets are around $35. If you are searching for a comedy performance, Wanda Sykes will be at Ruth Eckerd Hall on Monday, Dec. 12 at 8 p.m. Tickets are from $42.50 to $59.50. If classical music is your passion, recognized singer Andrea Bocelli will perform on Sunday, Dec. 4 at 7:30 p.m. at the St. Pete Times Forum.

There are various price ranges for tickets, from $75 to $275.

These are just a few of the entertainment options the city of Tampa offers to its residents. Tampa is culturally diverse area with much entertainment catering to every one’s needs. With so many events, you will never be bored. If the activities explained above didn’t appeal to your senses, you can always check floridaentertaintmentscence. com and artstampabay.com for local schedules and listings.

Xelmarie Medina can be reached at xelmymedina@gmail.com.

THE MINARET | OCTOBER 6 2011

Opinion

11

Political Policy Takes a Backseat to Image-Driven Campaigns

By KELSEY ALLAGOOD Opinion Writer

During the last decade, Americans seem to have decided that the best leaders are the ones we would like to drink with.

In 2000, American voters were asked which of the two Presidential candidates, Governor George W. Bush or Vice President Al Gore, they would prefer to have a beer with. Bush was the overwhelming choice.

In 2004, when he was challenged

by Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, a Zogby poll found that 57.3 percent of undecided voters would prefer to have a beer with Bush, despite two wars and the failing economy being huge drains on the president’s popularity ratings.

But this election cycle’s image politics has gone way beyond who would be a better drinking buddy. Becoming one of the “Everyday Americans” is now the ideal to which all politicians aspire.

Both Democrats and Republicans go out of their way to prove how “American” they are (or Texan or Christian), rather than making clear what policies they actually believe in. This pandering is condescending to all Americans, Ivy League-educated or not, because our politicians are lumping us into one group that does not exist.

The United States is one of the most richly diverse countries in the world, yet the people who claim to represent us have constructed a false identity for the “common folk” that they then build their policies upon.

Texas governor Rick Perry will be the first to remind you that he is Texan with a capital T. His boots are named “Freedom” and “Liberty” (I’m not sure which is the

left boot and which is the right). He said that central bankers like Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke would be treated “pretty ugly” down in Texas, then went on to explain that evolution was taught alongside creationism in Texas classrooms (it isn’t, but everyone remembers how Perry shot a six-shooter at the Texas Motor Speedway, rather than his false claims about his own state’s education policies).

Former ambassador to China Jon Huntsman has run TV ads that show him speeding across the desert on a dirt bike.

He has been described as someone who “rides motocross to relax and played in a rock band called Wizard.”

In the ‘90s, many people thought it interesting that our president played the saxophone, but it didn’t make him qualified for office.

Representative Paul Ryan is not running for president at the moment, but in a Q&A session with the New York Times two weeks ago, the House Budget Committee chairman mentioned his affinity for hard rock, his truck, hunting (with a bow) and the children’s version of the Bible that he’s reading to his six-year-old. Apparently, he also butchers the deer he hunts (with a bow), grinds the meat, stuffs it in casings and smokes it.

Is he trying to prove that he’s a tougher guy than Sarah “Mama Grizzly” Palin, who famously claimed to have shot and killed a moose in the Alaskan wilderness?

During the 2008 elections, the McCain-Palin camp jumped on the image of a plumber named Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, who had challenged thencandidate Obama about his small-business tax policies.

Nicknaming him “Joe the Plumber,” the McCain-Palin team hijacked Wurzelbacher’s image, using the name to represent all working-class Americans.

More than just oversimplifying an entire class of people into “simple folk” who care only about whether their small businesses will pay taxes to “big government,” the iconizing of Joe the Plumber gave politicians a platform from which they could prove their own “American-ness.”

Our very own Harvard-educated president is also guilty of such pandering (like his Yale-educated predecessor).

Obama often goes out of his way to “dress down” during town hall meetings, removing his tie and rolling up his sleeves, often while standing next to someone’s backyard barbeque pit.

He talks about his life in the workingclass neighborhoods of Chicago more often than he talks about the four years he lived in Indonesia as a child, or his birthplace in Hawaii. He may assume that most Americans don’t care much about Indonesia, but I think President Obama may also be trying to focus attention on just how “average, working-class American” he can be.

Sometimes accusations of un“American-ness” take literal forms, such as when Obama, while still a candidate, was faced with challenges to his faith and birthplace.

Called a Muslim by some and Kenyan by others (why these words are “accusations” is another matter entirely), Obama produced his original Hawaiian birth certificate in a news conference earlier this year. It became news that an American president was born in the United States.

The emphasis these politicians place on their own education is so minimal that I am afraid that these politicians will neglect education when they are formulating their “down-home” policies. Did you know, for example, that Jon Hunstman is fluent in Mandarin? Or that President Obama was the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review? Or that Paul Ryan used to drive the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile?

You think I’m kidding.

The point is that I don’t want a president who is “just like everybody else.” As a college student, I’m automatically one of those dreaded “elites” that candidates are trying so hard to distance themselves from.

I have no skill with my hands. I can’t fix a leaky faucet or rewire a house or even change my own oil.

Therefore, politicians appear to think that my wants and needs are un-American and that they do not want to represent me or those like me (increased federal aid to students, anyone?).

But I don’t want someone “just like me” to run this country. Being the President of the United States is, to put it lightly, a huge responsibility, with huge consequences.

I want an extraordinary person to be president, who will weigh policy options intelligently and try to do what is best for the country above all. I hope people like Joe the Plumber feel the same way.

And I wouldn’t want one of my drinking buddies to become president. I picture a president holding a Natty Ice in one hand with the other hand poised over the “release all nuclear warheads” button.

Kelsey Allagood can be reached at kallagood@spartans.ut.edu

Reaching out to teens who were also struggling with their sexuality, Jamey continually posted positive messages on the YouTube channel “It Gets Better,” a site started by Dan Savage that urges struggling teens to persevere through tough times, and offers them encouragement.

The “It Gets Better” project has thousands of supportive videos posted by celebrities and organizations such as: Neil Patrick Harris, Ke$ha, Jersey Shore’s Vinny Guadagnino, Kermit the Frog, as well as Pixar, Apple, Facebook, Stephen Colbert and President Obama.

His death was surprising because of the support he showed through Savage’s project. However, unknown to his parents, Jamey was still struggling with the bullying.

On a Tumblr blog account, which his parents say they did not know existed, the suffering teen continued to post about his bullies, saying things like, “Stop bullying people, maybe then they won’t commit suicide,” and, “Ugh today makes me want to kill myself.”

Jamey’s bullies pursued him both in school and online.

Formspring.com is an anonymous site that allows users to read other people’s thoughts about themselves. Jamey was faced with comments like, “You weren’t born this way, you shouldn’t have been born,” and, “JAMIE IS STUPID, GAY, FAT ANND [sic] UGLY. HE MUST DIE!” On Sept. 18, 2011 Jamey hung himself to death.

Jamey’s story, and the stories of other struggling teens who felt that they needed to take such a tragic and irreversible step are troubling to hear, no matter who you are. His story, and those like his, are

especially troubling for members of the LGBT community, whether they are struggling with bullying or not.

Within his story, however, there is hope.

Since the deaths of so many teens recently, Tyler Cumenti, the Rutgers student who killed himself last year after his roommate filmed his encounter with another male, and now Jamey’s, many people are calling for legislation to help prevent such acts from continuing.

Photo Courtesy of R.I.P. Jamey Rodemeyer/Facebook.com Support groups like Jamey Rodemeyer became a support symbol for teens struggling Gay-Straight Alliances in with sexual identity. schools, the Tyler Project (named for Cumenti) and legislation a reality. the “It Gets Better” campaign, as well as I think real changes could be made, many others, only do so much for suffering especially with so many celebrity teens however. endorsements from the “It Gets Better” In response to Rodemeyer’s death, campaign, and Gaga’s direct involvement. most likely due to him referencing her and With the Obama administration behind her music during his struggles online, Lady marriage equality and so much support Gaga has committed herself to helping for something to happen about bullying, suffering teens in a new way, by fighting to specifically toward the LGBT community, make bullying a crime. it seems unlikely that this issue will go Gaga tweeted, “I am meeting with our unaddressed.

President. I will not stop fighting. This Like the Troy Davis execution sparking must end. Our generation has the power to a likely death penalty reform, Jamey end it. Trend it #MakeALawForJamey.”

Rodemeyer’s death may spearhead a No actual legislation exists nationally movement to help other struggling youths to address bullying, however each state before they choose to make the same has its own definitions and specific acts decision as so many suffering teens before regarding how to handle bullies—mostly them. a code of conduct in schools, but Lady Taylor Whitcomb can be reached at Gaga seems intent on making a national taylor.whitcomb@spartans.ut.edu

LGBT Teen’s Suicide Incites Demand for Bullying Law

By TAYLOR WHITCOMB Opinion Writer

“Jamey Rodemeyer, 14 yrs old, took his life because of bullying. Bullying must become illegal. It is a hate crime. The past days I’ve spent reflecting, crying, and yelling. I have so much anger. It is hard to feel love when cruelty takes someone’s life.” Lady Gaga tweeted, just after hearing the news of the teen’s death on Sept. 18.

Jamey idolized Gaga.

Jamey was 14 years old when he decided to take his own life because of constant bullying from peers about his sexual orientation.

A freshman at Williamsville North High School in Buffalo, NY when he died, Rodemeyer spent most of junior high enduring ridicule from his classmates.

“People would say, ‘Oh my god, you’re such a girl. What are you, gay?’

That kind of stuff,” said Jamey’s mother, Tracy Rodemeyer. “By middle school, the bullying was overwhelming,” she said.

Nearly 40 percent of students in junior high are bullied, and 90 percent of LGBT teens (of any age) endure some form of bullying according to the most recent (2009) study done by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN).

By senior year of high school however, the study reports that only 20 percent of the general student body is bullied, while the number of LGBT students bullied remains at 90 percent.

Family and friends of Rodemeyer thought he was doing well since the start of high school. “He had talked about suicide in the past but denied recently that the bullying had carried over to high school,” said Tracy.

12 OCTOBER 6 2011 | THE MINARET

Execution of Troy Davis Rekindles Death Penalty Debates

By JESSICA KEESEE Opinion Writer

Voltaire once said, “It is better to risk saving a guilty man than condemn an innocent one.” Had the Supreme Court heeded this quote, Troy Davis might still be alive.

On Sept. 21, 2011, Davis was executed in Georgia for the murder of Mark MacPhail, a Savannah police officer. Prior to his death, Davis’s scheduled execution sparked outrage across the globe. Over 500 protesters lined the street in front of the prison before his execution.

Former President Jimmy Carter, Pope Benedict XVI, former Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson and former FBI Director William Sessions all spoke out on Davis’s behalf, pleading for the postponement of the execution; Sessions even asked the Supreme court in 2009 to grant Davis an innocence hearing in order to “prevent a potential miscarriage of justice.”

The NAACP began the “I am Troy” campaign, and considered asking President Obama to grant Davis clemency.

Protests sprang up all throughout Europe, including a rally in France that gathered 150 demonstrators waving signs with Davis’s face printed on them.

The Innocence Project, Amnesty International and the American Civil Liberties Union have all gotten involved, and over 660,000 people have signed petitions in support of Davis. Clearly, Davis’ execution impacted the world.

Executions typically attract antideath penalty protesters, but rarely of this magnitude. The reason for the outpour of support for Davis was the seven recantations of witness testimony prior to his execution.

On a case with no physical evidence to go by, Davis’ conviction was almost entirely based on eyewitness testimony.

Of the nine witnesses that testified naming Davis as MacPhail’s shooter, seven recanted either all or parts of their statements. Some admitted to being coerced by officers to testify against Davis and one, Antoine Williams, admitted that he had no clue who had shot MacPhail and that he was illiterate; he was unable to read the police statement he signed after the murder.

Of the two witnesses who did not recant, Sylvester Coles, the first witness to come forth and implicate Davis, may possibly be the real gunman as more and more evidence is beginning to suggest.

Nine people have come forward implicating Coles as MacPhail’s shooter.

Though no gun was found at the scene of the crime, police were able to determine that MacPhails’s death resulted from the bullets of a .38 caliber gun. Coles admitted to owning that same type of gun.

According to the Innocence Project, 273 death row inmates have been exonerated since 1989 through postconviction DNA. Seventy-five percent of those exonerations dealt with cases where poor eyewitness testimony led to the conviction of innocent people.

In fact, research has shown that eyewitness testimony is often unreliable.

Hugo Munsterberg conducted a study in as early as 1907 questioning how reliable eyewitness testimony can actually be. The American Judicature Society found that the leading factor of wrongful convictions is mistaken eyewitness testimony.

These facts are scary. If 273 people have been exonerated through DNA evidence, imagine all those who have not and who are either still sitting on death row or, even worse, have already been executed.

If research indicates that eyewitness testimony can often be unreliable, how

can people like Davis be executed when eyewitness evidence is all there is for a conviction?

Since his 1989 arrest, throughout his trial and appeals and all the way up until his execution, Davis pleaded his innocence.

After three previous stays and one rare innocence hearing, Davis was denied a final stay of execution by the Georgia Supreme Court, the Board of Pardons and Paroles and the federal Supreme Court.

The Georgia Department of Corrections even denied Davis a polygraph test, which Davis and his attorneys tried to use as a last minute attempt to deter the execution.

Before Davis was finally put to death, he asked to speak to MacPhail’s family and said, “I was not responsible for what happened that night. I did not have a gun. I was not the one who took the life of your father, son, brother,” and then told them to delve deeper and seek the truth once he died.

Regardless of whether or not Davis was actually innocent, he should not have been executed on Sept. 21, 2011. Granted, I realize that just about everyone in the United States prison system pleads their innocence, making it difficult, if not impossible for the courts to devote sufficient time to look at every single innocence claim.

Davis’s case differs because of those seven recantations. With no gun left behind and no DNA found at the scene of the crime, Davis’ conviction relied on those nine testimonies.

The fact that the courts did not look into the seven recantations is mind boggling to me. The recantations and the possibility that Coles might be the real shooter leads me to believe that Davis’ execution was absolutely unjustified.

In trial, the burden of proof is supposed to be on the state. Defendants are innocent until proven guilty, but once they are convicted, that burden goes onto them.

This is a huge burden to answer to and in the case of Davis, nearly impossible to prove. Despite the recantations and other witnesses coming forth to implicate a different man, the federal judge who presided over Davis’ innocence trial did not grant a new trial, instead regarding those accounts as “largely smoke and mirrors.”

I continue to ask myself why those accounts did not even warrant an investigation. They were completely dismissed and Davis was executed.

This is a man who very well might have been innocent but was executed all because of eyewitness testimonies; testimonies that were for the most part later recanted.

If proper evidence ever does come out to reveal that Davis was not MacPhail’s killer, there is no way to repay him and his family. His death is irrevocable. It could have been postponed further. Those recantations could have and should have been properly looked into before this man was executed.

Around campus, there appeared to be mixed views on Davis’ execution.

Dr. Susan Brinkley, Chair/Associate Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, revealed, “I think any time you have the potential of taking a defendants life, all avenues should be explored. You cannot undo an execution but you can undo a life sentence.”

Assistant Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Dr. David Krahl felt strongly on the issue and stated, “I think it was a grave miscarriage of justice. I think it was another example of a criminal penalty, in this case the death penalty, that was misapplied. There was substantial room for doubt … I am fully convinced that in this particular case that Mr. Davis was wrongly executed.”

Logic1914/Photobucket.com

Troy Davis was executed on September 21, 2001 despite evidence of his innocence.

Krahl even asserted, “I can tell you that the case of Troy Anthony Davis is not over.”

Julien Guerard, a senior and a Government World Affairs major, took an opposing stance and affirmed, “I supported the execution of Troy Davis by the State of Georgia because of the extensive and unparalleled judicial review that he received leading up to his execution …

One may disagree with the principle of the death penalty, but no intellectually honest person can ignore the unmatched appellate process that Troy Davis received.

It is in that line of thinking that the execution of Troy Davis was undoubtedly justified.”

This is not an article advocating for

or against the death penalty. Rather, I am questioning our justice system and why Davis was executed without exploring the recantations. If Davis was in fact innocent, there will never be a way to repay him or his family. If an innocent life is taken by our justice system, then I wholeheartedly believe that our justice system is committing the murder which it condemns.

That is not justice. That is a tragic irony.

If Davis was innocent, then anyone could one day face his same fate. Even I could one day be executed for a crime I did not commit. Where is the justice in that?

Jessica Keesee can be reached at jessica.keeseee@spartans.ut.edu

Get SMART UT will conduct a TEST of the Spartan Mobile Alert (SMART) emergency text messaging system on Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at approximately 10:30 a.m. This is only a test, and no immediate action will be required on your part.

SMART is UT’s free emergency alert text messaging service for students, faculty and staff that may be used in potential or developing emergency circumstances. To subscribe to SMART, visit www.ut.edu/safety/smart/.

If you have questions or concerns, contact ecgtestresults@ut.edu.

OPINION

THE MINARET | OCTOBER 6 2011

13

A Satirical Perspective: A Modern Modest Proposal

By ALEX CARABALLO Opinion Writer

It is a repulsive sight when you go to the beach to enjoy yourself and there is an obese whale lying on the sand, ruining your gorgeous view of the sunset. They beach themselves on chairs too small and sit there eating a consortium of processed greasy foods that makes Ramen noodles look like a gourmet meal.

They aren’t just ruining weekend getaways to the beach; they are sitting next to you on the plane taking up their own seat and half of yours, they are blocking you in the aisles of the grocery store while driving completely superfluous mobility chairs and they are eating all the cake at your birthday party.

We normal people know it’s their fault for being obese. The idea that a capitalistic mass society influences people to overconsume everything while simultaneously promoting an image of beauty based on unreal and unnatural expectations is a complete canard.

They expect us to feel sorry when they point the finger at others by saying supermarkets are filled with cheap, unhealthy processed foods and expensive healthy natural foods, or that they have a medical condition such as hypothyroidism or just simply bad genes.

Now the International Red Cross came out with a press release and said what we

I think it is agreed by all parties that this prodigious quantity of people that have adipose tissue hanging on their back, necessitating a back bra, or on their head, making their neck disappear, is a deplorable state of affairs, especially when compared to the prodigious number of people who have nothing to eat.

Whoever can establish a means of eliminating this problem in a way that is cheap and effectiveis deserving of not only our praise, also a large monument on nothing Kwesi Ampofo/The Minaret less than the D.C. national Worldwide, the obese now outnumber the hungry. So eat them. mall. It is my intention to eliminate both problems at the same time, or eat two all have feared; the number of obese and birds with one bite if you will. overweight people is growing so rapidly There is divergence in the distribution that they outnumber starving people in the of food, the obese have too much and the world. There are now 1.5 billion people who starving have too little, leading to the are obese and 925 million starving people. extreme disparity in nutrition we see. I have The number of starving people is given much thought to this, and it has led me growing, which means that television to conclude that the most effective course of programming will continue to fill up with action is the manufacture of a new source of commercials of starving children asking food specifically for the impoverished that for money. have no access to regular sustenance.

It’s not enough that every time South Park Instead of annoying and burdening the is on there’s an ASPCA commercial with rest of us who are normal, the obese should Sarah McLachlan music and sad puppies. contribute to the feeding of the poor.

Their large fat bodies could feed a family for a week, and with 1.5 billion of them, they could help end world hunger, a feat that no one has ever achieved.

America would most likely suffer the largest population loss as a result and sadly, many all you can eat buffets would go out of business and we would lose some of the best comedians, but this is a small price to pay to solve hunger. The benefits of this are two-fold; no more feeling guilty from starving children infomercials during our favorite shows, and no more of that awful show The Biggest Loser.

There is bound to be opposition to such a forward looking idea from the obese themselves, those who disapprove of cannibalism and snack food manufacturers.

They are missing the point by injecting moral subjectivity into an objective debate, who are they to say forced cannibalism is a bad thing? Isn’t that what they do when they feed cows feed enriched with bovine scraps to provide beef for those delicious burgers from the 155° Grill?

This huge, large, heaping, audacious proposal is a start in the right the direction to fixing the disparity in food distribution, much like the Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift tried to end poverty in Ireland in the 18th century by feeding impoverished children to rich aristocrats.

Alex Caraballo can be reached at acaraballo21@gmail.com

military, they affect how people look at soldiers on an individual basis.

For many soldiers the military is not a permanent career, and with the United States in a recession many former soldiers find themselves in an uncertain job market. These murderers who do not deserve the title of “soldier” could change the way people view all soldiers. This causes me great concern, and I am not alone. Other former soldiers on the University of Tampa campus are sounding off on what they think about these soldiers and how they think Holmes and his co-defendants trophy killings will change public opinion on the war, and on our soldiers.

Damon Meixsell, an Photo Courtesy of We stand behind PFC Andrew Holmes/Facebook.com allied health major in Andrew Holmes pled guilty to the murder of three Afgan civilians. his senior year, joined the army in 2004 and left Philadelphia behind based on an isolated incident like this. It while he spent nearly four and a half years would be like inner-city Detroit being the in the army as an infantryman. He spent world’s view of America.” about half his time in Iraq, doing a twelve Another soldier with two combat and then a fifteen month tour with the 101st deployments, Steven Acosta, feels Airborne Division. similarly to Damon. Acosta is a freshman With 27 months overseas, boredom is at UT majoring in management, and has not something new to him, but he feels been deployed to Iraq two separate times what Idaho native Andrew Holmes did was with the 10th Mountain Division out of seriously messed up.

Fort Drum, NY. “I think the general public “I can’t believe that these guys did this, will classify all military that way, they will I am seriously pissed about it. These men think everyone is like that who serves.” definitely have something wrong with Acosta also said that he thinks it will them...I would like to see a longer sentence.” affect the conflicts approval rating as well.

Damon also believes that support will “I believe that certain politicians will drop further as a result of war crimes like use this to bolster support for ending the these. He doesn’t want to see every soldier war. I just don’t want people to judge the harmed by the acts of sick people. rest of the army for the actions of five men.

“People shouldn’t judge the military There was definiwtely a lack of discipline

and leadership that led to this happening, but not all soldiers are like these men.

These men are lunatics.”

What Andrew Holmes and his fellow soldiers did in Afghanistan during their 2010 deployment is despicable. What motivated these men to kill innocent people for fun is beyond my comprehension, and I can only conclude that these “people” are seriously ill. That being said, I feel that seven years is nowhere near enough time for Holmes or any of the accused soldiers to be behind bars.

Put yourself in the shoes of a young Afghani boy: US soldiers are always driving around in loud heavy vehicles, and shootouts are a normal occurrence.

Another patrol of soldiers comes toward you, and suddenly an explosion goes off.

Dust, smoke and debris fills the air, and the concussion of the explosion has dazed you.

The sound of machine gun fire rings out, and you suddenly feel a burning sensation in several parts of your body. Falling to the ground, everything fades to black as you die in a pool of your own blood. Soldiers with US flags on their arms walk up to your corpse to pose behind it, laughing with each other.

That’s a terribly sad and disturbing image, and these “soldiers” deserve much more punishment than they will receive.

Deployments are hard on people, I know.

Spending months in a hostile environment is enough to drive anyone a little crazy, but what these men did is inexcusable and horrendous.

As far as public opinion of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, I just hope that people never forget what our soldiers do. They follow the orders they are given by their country, and they do it with nothing but the best intentions for their country.

The men and women of our armed services always deserve our support, because no matter where they are fighting, they are always fighting for the United States, for us.

David Adams can be reached at dadams@spartans.ut.edu

Murderous Soldier Does Not Represent Military

By DAVID ADAMS Opinion Writer

Andrew Holmes was sentenced to seven years in prison on Sept. 23 for his part in the murder of innocent Afghani civilians while deployed with the 5th Stryker Brigade, now renamed the 2nd Stryker Brigade. Three civilians were killed for sport while his unit was stationed in the Kandahar region of Afghanistan in Jan., Feb. and May of 2010. Private First Class Holmes confessed in court that he fired a heavy machine gun at an unarmed boy, according to the Associated Press. The boy had already been startled by a grenade his platoon mate had thrown at him when Holmes fired at him.

After coming to a deal with prosecutors, Holmes plead guilty to murder by an inherently dangerous act, smoking hashish, as well as keeping a finger bone from his victim as a war trophy. Lieutenant Colonel Kwasi Hawks, the officer presiding over the case, handed down the reduced sentence of seven years to Andrew Holmes, whose family cried as they heard the sentence. Hawks originally had wanted to give Holmes 15 years, according to the Associated Press, but was “restrained by the agreement” that Holmes had made with the prosecutors.

Four other soldiers are also being charged with murder, among other heinous crimes.

Three innocent people were killed by the five soldiers, and some of them kept body parts they cut off of the people they killed.

They also took photos with the corpses, posing over them as if they were game.

Soldiers committing atrocities this extreme gives the Army more than a black eye; it straight up beats the hell out of it. Support for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is waning; according to a July report by ABC News, only 43 percent of Americans feel that the war in Afghanistan has been worth fighting.

With support slipping away, the last thing soldiers need are scandals like this. War crimes not only hurt the reputation of our

14 OCTOBER 6 2011 | THE MINARET

OPINION

For Adolescent Cage Fighters, Momma Said Knock You Out

By PAOLA CRESPO Opinion Contributor

Controversy arose in England when a video of two young boys fighting in a caged ring was released on the Internet on Sept. 10, 2011. The boys, eight-yearold Luca Deeley and nine-year-old Kian Makinson, were in a cage-fighting match in the underground Greenlands New Labour Club in Preston, Lancashire.

They fought without any protection or padding whatsoever, and were being cheered on by a crowd mostly composed of adults. In between rounds, women dressed in bikinis, fishnets and high heels wiggled their way around tables offering alcoholic refreshments to the loud, moblike audience.

The match finally ended when, after the boys had pummeled each other for several minutes, one of them successfully toppled over his opponent and held him down.

Much like normal matches composed of adults, the winner was declared by a referee yelling into a microphone accompanied by a roar from the crowd.

While most would be concerned about children participating in this type of event, the parents of the child fighters evidently think otherwise. “If [Kian] wasn’t cagefighting, he’d probably be chucking stones at buses and giving people grief,� said Kian’s father, Nick Hartley. “But now he has learnt some respect. I don’t force him, his mum doesn’t force him to do it; he does it because he wants to. He is quite good at it and we know he is safe while he is there. He is off the streets and not causing havoc.�

After the match, Luca, who is just 4feet-2-inches and weighs 49 pounds, received medical attention for a leg injury before bursting into tears. In response to this, Kian’s father simply said, “Yes, the other lad was crying, but he had never been beaten before. None of the children were in danger.�

The fight organizer, Steven Nightingale, who is a professional cage-fighter himself, was also unconcerned about the child’s distress. “The child in question was asked on several occasions if he wanted to stop,�

who were at the ringside, were quite happy for him to carry on.� When interviewed, Luca said that he really enjoys fighting and his parents said that they will continue to bring him to the matches as long as he wants to.

Police have launched investigations of the Greenlands Club, but it was reported that no evidence of illegal activity was found. The organizers of this fight will not be facing any legal action. “Child abuse� is the term people are using to describe this incident, but a spokesman for Sharefight, the company that posted the video but recently took it down, thinks otherwise. He told BBC news reporters that people were reacting to “the negative stereotype around cage-fighting� and that the cage was put in place to keep the children from falling off the ring.

He then continued with a bizarre comparison, “I would liken it to a game of chess. It’s about outsmarting your opponent rather than overcoming them.� John Cameron, who works with the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, thinks differently. “Children rightly need to be engaged in sporting activities that are properly regulated. But this type of event is really reminiscent of old cock fighting and bear baiting.�

This statement brings up questions: how is cage-fighting different from other more commonly accepted sports like boxing, wrestling or football? And how young is too young to be participating in such a sport? Although sports such as football and soccer have had instances where the players have become rough and injuries occur, the basis of the sport is not to inflict harm on your opponent.

As for wrestling and boxing, there are strategies, rules and skills involved along with certain procedures that are taken to prevent extreme injury. But you don’t usually see eight-year-olds punching each other in the face in a ring, strategies and procedures involved or not, especially not in front of a mob of baying adults.

Khalid Ismail, a 31-year-old professional cage-fighter who runs two health clubs in

have looked so bad if it hadn’t been in a cage in an underground club for adults. “It is fine for a child to go to a dance class,� he said, “but if you took them dancing in a nightclub it would suddenly become totally different. That is the case with the Preston fight.

It should not be in that venue on that bill.�

What I find shocking here is the irony that nowadays we are trying to stop the problem of bullying and playground fights in schools, but here are parents who encourage their children to fight one another because they think it’s good for them. “We would strongly discourage parents from letting their children take part in this kind of fighting,� said Chris Cloke, head of child protection awareness Photo Courtesy of Kian Makinson/Facebook.com at the NSPCC. “The Would you pick a fight with this kid? Nine-year-old Kian organizers of these activities Makinson shows his fighter’s stance. should think very carefully before allowing children venue looks like it is catching on. Steven to be involved when they are egged on to Nightingale declared the Preston fight an inflict violence.� unmitigated success. “I’m going to be In any case, it’s not only the encouraged putting on at least six more shows in the violence that is upsetting. It’s just completely coming months,� he said. inappropriate for young children to be used Disturbingly, he has another 12 as entertainment for adults. They should schoolboy fighters on his books, youngsters not be used as cheap amusement to satisfy whose parents are apparently willing to adults’ lust of violence. allow them to fight for the entertainment We already have adult WWE and USA of adults.

Boxing. Why do we need to bring children I fear this issue will continue and into it? I understand that this sport can inescapably get worse. I only hope that the be used as a form of stress release for the children being encouraged by their parents boys and gives them something to focus on to participate are not too traumatized by it instead of wandering the streets or playing and left with psychological consequences. video games all day.

Nonetheless, traumatized or not, as There is a difference between practicing soon as those boys step onto that caged in a gym with a punching bag or a group of ring, their innocence is lost and that is boys your age and performing in front of an something that cannot be taken back. adult crowd. They should not be exposed to Paola Crespo can be reached at that kind of atmosphere. Let boys be boys. annabella.palopoli@spartans.ut.edu

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THE MINARET | OCTOBER 6 2011

OPINION

15

A New Solution to Anti-shopping Males: Manland

By DOMINQUE BARCHUS Opinion Writer

Take a second and think about a time when someone dragged you out shopping with them to a place you didn’t want to be. I can remember several; I was bored, anxiously awaiting the moment that I was able to leave and just couldn’t stand sitting around while they shopped. I’m sure I’m not the only one this has happened to.

Fortunately, a new distraction is on the rise to make these bothersome errands more worthwhile.

I say it all started with little kids. Think about it, how difficult is it to take a four or five-year-old to the mall and do some shopping. They get antsy, attempting to wander off and a lot of the time they whine and complain. Very similar to the way a boyfriend acts when his girlfriend takes him along shopping. Not only does he get stuck carrying the bags, but the last thing he wants to do is tag along while you shop for household appliances. The second he can go look at a video game or head to the electronics section, he runs for it.

For kids, this problem was taken care of when playgrounds were put into malls.

Now it seems like little kids don’t mind spending the day with mommy at the mall, as long as they get to run around in a mini play land.

Well guys, don’t fret, your time has come. For all the men who dread going shopping with their wives or girlfriends, your prayers have been answered (during furniture shopping anyway).

According to Yahoo.com an Ikea in Australia has just created “Manland.” This male wonderland is where men can get away from the burden of shopping and play Xbox, watch sports on flat-screen televisions, play foosball and get free hot dogs. Sounds perfect, doesn’t it? Sadly, this paradise is only temporary; there is a time limit of a half hour. Although the men are out of sight, they are certainly not out of mind. Ikea kindly provides their ladies with a beeper at drop off. It is set to sound

after his 30 minutes of “man-time” are up.

It’s very similar to a mini daycare, but for adult males.

They give him things to enterain himself, feed him and even help him make new friends. Pick-up time is not only disappointing for the guy, but for the woman as well. Manland is a benefit to both sexes. Everyone gets what he or she wants and no one leaves with a headache.

Although Manland seems like a blessing in disguise, not everyone is happy with it. There was a tweet to this Ikea from @RMurto calling their new creation “more sexist than funny,” yet @sillsmcgrills thought it was “genius.” For me, if I didn’t have to put up with my boyfriend complaining for a half hour while I picked out furniture, I’d be happy.

I don’t think there are many males that would find this fun-land to be an issue.

They don’t want to be there and if they go, they’ll only complain. On the other hand, if they are getting something out of this dreadful experience then they are more likely to be cooperative.

Now I’ll be honest, I do find the wonderland to be sexist, but not in a bad way. It needs to appeal to men and what they typically want. The things in Manland are similar to what a guy would put in his “man-cave” at home (anything sports related, video games and food). Also, I’m pretty sure they aren’t too distraught over the fact that their significant other isn’t around and they don’t have to pick out coffee tables and kitchen sets.

They’re probably the most upset when their wife or girlfriend has to come back to get them and vice versa. Once they’re in, their inner child will come out and they’ll be the little kid that doesn’t want to go home and leave his new friends and all the fun toys.

Justin Greene, a freshman majoring in Sports Management, stated, “It‘s hard to just tell your girlfriend that you don‘t want to go shopping with her. If every place she wanted to go had a Manland, I would tell her I would offer to go with her but I‘d

really be going just to sneak away and play some Call of Duty and get free food. It’s a winwin.”

This Manland needs to expand to other places and also think about crossing over to the female side. Men aren’t the only ones that want to get away from having to deal with monotonous life tasks, women do too. If I went to a sporting goods store and saw there was a “Womanland” where I could be pampered Nathaniel St. Amour/The Minaret and just relax, I’d let This needs to be in every IKEA. And in antique shops. my boyfriend drag me there anytime. He gets to do his thing while I do mine, and we women when it comes to getting someone don’t have to deal with each other. to go somewhere they don’t want to go.

The idea of a Womanland is definitely Still, the idea of a Womanland is definitely nice to think about. nice to think about.

This Australian Ikea has provided their This Australian Ikea has provided their society with such a gift. I think that if society with such a gift. I think that if Manlands were present in the U.S., more Manlands were present in the U.S., more men would willingly accompany their men would willingly accom ladies on errands. Yes, it would be for pany their ladies on errands. Yes, it selfish reasons, but it’s better than having would be for selfish reasons, but it’s better them complain. than having them complain.

To say having a Manland is sexist and To say having a Manland is sexist and looked down upon is pushing it. Men don’t looked down upon is pushing it. Men don’t like shopping with women and vice versa. like shopping with women and vice versa.

Most of the time we just feel like we need Most of the time we just feel like we need to include men in decisions, so we ask them to include men in decisions, so we ask them to tag along, but chances are we can handle to tag along, but chances are we can handle the task ourselves. the task ourselves.

Manland allows women to feel as Manland allows women to feel as if they attempted to include men in the if they attempted to include men in the errands and sustain a clear conscious and errands and sustain a clear conscious and men can somewhat enjoy these outings. men can somewhat enjoy these outings.

This wonderland provides them with a little This wonderland provides them with a little taste of freedom, although not long lasting; taste of freedom, although not long lasting; they get a little bit of their fantasy fulfilled they get a little bit of their fantasy fulfilled and the couple survives a shopping trip. and the couple survives a shopping trip.

The only issue with a Womanland being Dominique Barchus can be reached at created is that men are not as successful as Dominique.Barchus@spartans.ut.edu

Sexiled: Inconsiderate Dorm Sluts and You

By HANNAH WEBSTER Asst. Opinion Editor

Imagine coming back late from Ybor, or maybe downtown. Not only are you exhausted and still somewhat drunk, but your shoe is broken and you got in a huge fight with your best friend, your boyfriend and your grandma. All you want to do is get into bed and forget the night even happened.

No matter the scenario, when you get to your door, it is donned with a tell-tale tie and/or birthday tiara that informs you if you choose to enter, you’ll probably see a side (or an angle) of your roommate you never wanted to. And what’s worse, this is the third time they’ve done it this week.

And it’s only Monday.

The sounds resonating from the room leave you assuming the inhabitants are not moving furniture and encourage you to heed the warning of the doorknob decoration. There is little to do besides sitting, waiting and praying that the guy has issues with “prematurity.”

But unless you’re fortunate enough to have someone’s place to crash at, you’re pretty much out of luck.

You would think situations like this would be rare, that the amount of people who are that inconsiderate would be low, but excessive “sexiling” appears to be an ever-present issue with on-campus housing.

Sophomore Joanna Hynes is one of many who have a story to tell. “Last year my best friend and I had class at 6 and we were

presenting,” she explained. “We were going to bring brownies to make our presentation more appealing, so we were baking.

At like ten-till, we went to get the rest of our presentation and my roommate was having sex.

We banged on the door and were screaming.”

At least in her case, it was more of a timing conflict than her roommate blatantly locking her out in a time of need so she can get it on. Others aren’t so lucky.

Some even have the misfortune of having a roommate that, instead of kicking them out, chooses to get busy while their roomie is still present.

Hannah Webster/ The Minaret “My roommate would What’s worse than being sexiled?

That’s her bed. bring guys home at three in the morning and do stuff in the bed next to me,” said sophomore Kayla off on her frequent nocturnal activities.

Williams.

Junior Kelly Zino recalls an experience “The day I told her how uncomfortable it from her freshman year that has yet to be made me feel, she apologized and promised called accidental or on-purpose. not bring guys home like that. She did it “I was innocently cleaning my closet that very night again, and this time the boy filled with laundry when one of my didn’t leave until the afternoon of the next roommates came in drunk with one of day. It was extremely awkward.” our neighbors,” Kelly explained. “Since The situation in Kayla’s room got so Austin’s closets are so big, I guess they bad that she was forced to leave her room forgot I was in the room and started to in Vaughn for a room in McKay, a trade that have sex. At first I was unsure if they were many would consider to be a down-grade. just making out, but when I started to hear And all because her roommate couldn’t hold the continuous bed squeaks, I locked the

door on myself in order to avoid any more weirdness. So I spent my Saturday night locked in my dark closet for two hours.”

Awkward.

If you are in such a situation, chances are you’re reading this thinking, “Oops, I am an inconsiderate whore.” Or this paper is crumpling in your hands in anger while you think about the lack of sleep your sexcrazed roommate is causing you.

Both parties just need to extend some consideration. You live together now, not just in the same house, but the same room.

Negotiation is essential.

If you are being constantly sexiled, have a sit down talk with your roomie.

Maybe they don’t understand that having sex in front of someone could be a little rude. Suggest that they go to the other person’s room. Or tell them times when you’ll be gone and they’re free to have at it.

But you can’t just demand they seal of their precious parts and wait for summer.

But the skanks need to stop being so skanky. Yes, you don’t live at home anymore, and mom and dad can’t tell you that there are no boys/girls allowed. But there is someone else who shares your room now, and they would probably like to sleep in their own bed without waking up to see your ass bopping up and down across the room.

Still can’t work it out? I suggest getting a single. But be aware; the walls are thin.

Hannah Webster can be reached at Hannah.Webster@spartans.ut.edu

16 OCTOBER 6 2011 | THE MINARET

OPINION

THE MINARET | OCTOBER 6 2011

Sports

17

Red Sox Losses Lead to Historic September Collapse

By SHAWN FERRIS Sports Writer

There’s a word beyond disappointment.

There’s a word exceeding failure. There’s a word worse than disaster.

That word is collapse.

Ladies and gentleman, your 2011 Boston Red Sox. The epitome of the word.

For the Tampa Bay Rays to make the postseason, everything had to go right.

For the Red Sox to miss the postseason, everything had to go wrong. Guess what?

Everything went wrong. And fast.

The Sox held a nine-game advantage over the Rays as of August 31. At 83-52, they led the American League East by half a game and needed to finish 17-10 to collect a 100 win season. That would have

been only the third 100 win season in the franchise’s 111 year history. Not likely, but something to strive for beyond what seemed to be an assured postseason berth.

Then September happened. What turned into a chance to make franchise history for the Sox, turned into…well, baseball history.

After a 7-18 September filled with awful starting pitching (6.82 starter’s era), baserunning blunders aplenty, blown leads, and crazy, unexplainable plays, the Sox were inexplicably caught by the Rays going into game 162.

However, things were looking up for Red Sox nation after the Yankees took a commanding 7-0 lead over the Rays into the 8th inning, and the Sox took a 3-2 advantage into the 7th against the Orioles.

Keith Allison/Flickr.com

Nolan Reimold slides home, scoring the winning run for Baltimore in the bottom of the ninth inning of last Wednesday night’s game. The loss sent Boston home without a playoff berth.

As the Rays chipped away in the bottom of the 8th to the tune of six runs against Luis Ayala (highlighted by Evan “pitch to somebody else” Longoria’s three run bomb), the Red Sox held a 3-2 advantage heading into the late innings against the Orioles.

Boston would go into the bottom of the ninth in Baltimore still leading 3-2. As planned, they went with arguably the best closer in the league, Jonathon Papelbon, to get the last three outs. Papelbon would dominate the first two hitters he faced en route to two quick strikeouts.

At that moment, it looked like after all that had happened in the last month, Boston would back their way into the playoffs, and somehow hold off the younger, faster, more driven Tampa Bay Rays.

For Sox fans that paid close attention to the last three weeks, they knew they didn’t stand a chance. The most disheartening and stunning 15 minutes in Red Sox history began to take form.

The Red Sox would come within one strike of putting the game away. The Rays would be within one strike of being put away before Dan Johnson decided to hit a game-tying homer (his first hit since April 27 no less) to vault the Rays into extra innings against the Yankees.

While the Yankees would squander chances to score in extra innings because two-thirds of the guys left in their lineup at that point looked like fake baseball players from a Kevin Costner movie, the Orioles would put together two doubles (both with two strikes) and a game winning bloop single by Robert Andino (who had to finish the season 40 of 45 against Red Sox pitching, and no I don’t have the stats to back that up) that landed inches in front of a sliding Carl Crawford’s glove.

What seemed like seconds later,

Longoria (who else?) would hit a low liner down the left field line off Scott Proctor (who knows how to give up a huge extrainning walk off bomb, see Ortiz, David 2004 ALCS) that would barely clear the wall to vault the Rays into the playoffs.

Just like that, it was over. Red Sox nation watched with their mouths agape or their head in their hands. No one teaches you how to react to something like this.

The Sox entered the season with such high expectations. Now they left it early ... and empty.

Now Red Sox nation knows what Charlie Brown feels like when Lucy takes the ball away from him at the last second.

The Rays deserved to be there, the Red Sox didn’t deserve to finish the season.

No one stepped up, no one stopped the bleeding; heck, at times it looked like they didn’t even care.

Let’s face it; the 2011 Boston Red Sox had holes. Injuries didn’t help, but one quality start in a span of 15 outings in September is inexcusable by your starting rotation and can certainly deplete a bullpen, in addition to placing an immense amount of pressure on an offense.

In September, this team was pressed, frustrating, pathetic, and managed to produce more “Are you kidding me looks?” in a month than George W. Bush did during all his speeches about medical care in his entire eight year tenure combined.

This was a team that during the last three weeks of the season, played to lose, and expected to.

Give all the credit in the world to the Tampa Bay Rays. They stepped up. The Sox didn’t.

Let the finger pointing begin in Boston.

Shawn Ferris can be reached at sferris@spartans.ut.edu.

SPARTAN SPORTS UPDATE

Women’s Cross Country Sprints Out to Hot Start

By JORDAN LLANES Sports Writer

Talk about a fast start - the women’s cross country team, now ranked 14th in the nation, has taken the cross country world by storm, finishing in the top five in all four of their races so far this season.

That includes two second-place finishes at the UT Early Bird Classic at Dover Trails on September 9th and at the Lehigh (Pa.) Invitational on Oct.1st.

The women are led by seniors Heather Nicolosi and Jess Butler as well as junior Kaia Hampton, who have finished among the top runners in every meet thus far. Nicolosi finished ninth in the season opening UT Early Bird Classic, followed by a 22nd-place finish at the USF Invite, 12th at the FSU Invitational and 22nd at the Lehigh (Pa.) Invitational.

Meanwhile, Butler finished 20th at USF, 13th at FSU and 20th at Lehigh, and Hamilton placed 7th in the Early Bird, 13th at USF, 16th at FSU and 30th at Lehigh. Other leaders include seniors Katie O’Brien and Lindsey Edwards.

After being paced by Hamilton and Nicolosi in the season opening second place finish, the women finished third

at the USF Invite, once again led by Hamilton. At the FSU Invitational on September 23rd, Nicolosi took charge, leading the women to not only a fourth place overall finish, but to a first overall standing among the Division II schools.

Then the ladies traveled to Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, where they once again finished second, this time led

by Butler.

The women look to continue this torrid pace in the season’s second half, with the Disney Classic on October 8th coming up next.

Following that is the Sunshine State Conference Championships in Fort Lauderdale, where a strong finish would propel them to the NCAA South Regional meet at Dover Trails, a course they’ve had success with in the UT Early Bird Classic.

A first or second place finish there would send them to Spokane, Washington for the NCAA National Championship meet.

These goals seem within reach for the women’s cross country squad as the team looks to go all the way by capturing the first national championship in program history.

Jordan Llanes can be reached at jordan.llanes@spartans.ut.edu.

Men’s Soccer Defeats Conference Rival in First Win

Samantha Battersby/The Minaret

Dominic Cutrofello heads the winning goal in the 22nd minute of the men’s match with no. 16 ranked Lynn University. The goal gave the Spartans a 1-0 lead, which they held onto until the final whistle. After beginning their season 0-6-1, they broke through against the Fighting Knights, earning goalkeeper David Niepel his first shutout of the season.

18 OCTOBER 6 2011 | THE MINARET

SPORTS

Pro Sports

Injuries Take Spotlight in NFL Season Thus Far

By JOE BEAUDOIN Sports Writer

The NFL season has been filled with injuries that have impacted each team in the league. Some of the elite players that have been injured are Michael Vick, Peyton Manning and Jamaal Charles. Each of these injuries have impacted each team’s season.

Vick has been injured on and off the whole season and if he had not been, the Eagles may be atop the NFC East. His first

injury occurred in week two during his return to Atlanta where Vick was knocked out of the game in the third quarter with a concussion.

The Eagles were leading at the time 3121 but the Falcons ended up coming back and winning the game by four. One has to think that if he were not in the locker room, Philadelphia would have been able to hold on to the lead.

His next injury occurred against the division rival Giants in week three. It was thought that Vick had broken his hand but

Ed Clemente Photography/flickr.com

Arguebly the best quarterback of the past 10 years, Peyton Manning is currently dealing with a neck injury that may sideline him for the rest of the season. The Colts are winless without him.

it turned out to be a minor bruise. Vick missed the final quarter of the game. New York ended up outscoring the Eagles by 15 points in that time and went on to win the game 29-16. This is another game that would have been a victory if Vick had just sucked it up and played.

Vick did overcome pain last week against the 49ers. The middle finger on his left hand was dislocated early in the game but Vick stayed in the game and collected a total of 491 all-purpose yards. Even with Vick’s offensive output, the Eagles lost the game and now sit in last place in the division.

If Vick wants to prevent these injuries he needs to stop being a hero and go down like a normal quarterback. The other teams are not hitting him late and it is time to stop blaming the referees.

Charles’ injury was one of the worst injuries by a major player this season.

Charles was lost for the season when he tore his ACL in the team’s second game.

This injury is going to put a ton of pressure on Matt Cassel. Cassel is not the best quarterback in the league and he can use as much help as possible.

Without a treat at running back, Kansas City has been forced to pass much more.

The defenses have been able to focus Dwayne Bowe and make Cassel’s life

extremely difficult. He was sacked three times last week. Look for the Chiefs’ struggles to continue, but on the bright side they might have a shot at Andrew Luck, the college superstar.

The injury that impacted its team the most was Manning’s. He missed all of training camp and the first four games of the season with a neck injury. The injury does not seem to be getting better and the Colts are looking worse.

Indianapolis fell to 0-4 last week and are undoubtedly the worst team in the NFL. The injury to Manning has brought out the many flaws that this team has.

Their defense is horrible, their offensive line cannot block the broadside of a barn, and their running backs could not run through a hole if it was the size of a Mack truck.

When Manning is in the lineup, the Colts are a top tier team. Indianapolis will continue to be horrible if he does not come back soon, unless Curtis Painter becomes Superman overnight.

All of these injuries have negatively impacted each team and if they did not occur the NFL playoff picture would look completely different. It is only Week 5 and crazier things have happened in the past.

Joe Beaudoin can be reached at jbeaudoin@spartans.ut.edu.

NFL Week Five: Packers, Lions Fight To Stay Undefeated

By TIM SHANAHAN Sports Writer

Week five stands as the most intriguing week of football thus far. Rivals square off and top contenders meet from opposing conferences.

Eagles vs. Bills The Bills’ swollen heads got pinched with a sewing needle this past week with a loss to the delinquent Bengals. It’s a harsh matchup for the Bills’ defense lining up against Mr. Michael Vick. The man will make plays all afternoon long, on the away turf.

The Eagles’ offense is fourth in the league in total offense, opposed to the Bills being 27th in total defense. The birds have a lot to prove after an atrocious collapse to the 49ers last week. Expect the Eagles to be on the right side of the turnover battle as they coast to victory.

Jets vs. Patriots The Jets have looked like hooligans for the most part this year. Their running game has been non-existent - Shonn Greene looks nowhere as promising as he did last year. Don’t look now but the most elite offense in the game is hosting. Tom Brady, the man who the noun “stud” was

Talk of the Town Professional Sporting Events in the Region

created for, is primed. The Jets are in for some trouble.

The Jets will play up to the Pats, making the game closer than people will think, but the Pats offense will be running up and down the field. It’s a different animal with the array of options. Somehow New York has to take Welker, Gronkowski and the Benjarvus Green-Ellis law firm out of the mix to stand a chance. Good luck.

Upset Special: Steelers vs.

Titans I wouldn’t consider it a complete upset, but I envision the Titans squeezing this one out. Pittsburgh has the home field advantage and some testosterone on their side after last week’s loss to Houston. The Steelers’ combo of veteran presence and young impact players favors them to rebound.

But not so fast.

Matt Hasselback seems to have found his old self from the ‘05 Seattle Super Bowl days, when there still was no hair on his head.

The Steelers’ run defense is struggling,

surrendering the 10th most rushing yards in the league. Chris Johnson finally gained some momentum last week and I expect a groove session to take place. The Titans’ defense is giving up just 14 points a game, which leads the league.

Raiders vs. Texans The Raiders are not a deprived team.

Darren McFadden is a distinct breed of running back and he holds the possibility to alter games.

Too bad Run DMC and the Raiders are headed into matchup with the up and coming Texan squad.

Fantasy owners of running back Arian Foster breathed a sigh of relief last week.

Finally, he looked like the first round fantasy pick they hoped for, rushing for 155 yards against the Steelers’ aging defense.

If supreme target Andre Johnson is able to play through his injury, his monster mitts will see some balls from Matt Schaub. Expect the Texans to continue working toward a 12-4 record this season.

Falcons vs. Packers I envision the Falcons playing the Packers tough in Atlanta where Matt Ryan has rarely lost. But the Packers’ offense is too potent, with Aaron Rodgers on track to get nine touchdowns by himself this week.

Green Bay is averaging 37 points a game thus far this season. I have the Pack by 10. They are the superior squad with as many weapons as the Pats. I expect this matchup to be the shootout of the week.

Bears vs. Lions The Lions have failed to show up in the first half in either of their past two games.

However, they are forgiven by fans.

They’ve put on clinics in the second half and stand undefeated. Nothing will change after Monday night. Matthew Stafford is coming into his own and Calvin Johnson is a different species of human. He could still catch footballs without hands. He would catch them in his teeth. Da Bears defense has been disappointing this year, ranking towards the back end of the league. Jay Cutler has been above average, but that level of performance won’t be enough.

The Lions will stuff the middle and limit Matt Forte from a monster performance. I will not pick against an undefeated, young and poised Lions team. No thanks.

Tim Shanahan can be reached at tshanahan@spartans.ut.edu.

@ The Rays completed the largest September comeback in MLB history, beating out the Red Sox for the final playoff spot, before losing in the first round of the playoffs to the Rangers.

The Bucs overcame a rough first half to come away victorious from their Monday Night Football matchup with the Colts.

They look to improve to 4-1 on Sunday at 4:05 p.m. in San Fransisco.

FC Tampa Bay ended their season earlier than they would’ve liked, losing 1-0 in the opening round of the playoffs to the Minnesota Stars on Oct. 1. They finish with a record of 11-9-8.

THE MINARET | OCTOBER 6 2011

SPORTS

Selkridge Leads Spartans To Sixteenth Straight Win [From Back, Volleyball] and her success from her sophomore season still echoes throughout the conference.

She’s a force to be reckoned with, and her statistics prove it. Last yearas a sophomore she led the SSC with a .461 hitting percentage, which was second in the nation. She was also fourth in the SSC with 106 blocks. Her experience serves as

[ [ “...The keys to our success are libero Julie Howlett and middle hitter Danielle Selkridge.”

-Chris Catanach, Volleyball Head Coach

a model for the younger players to learn from, and she wants them all to succeed.

“As a team we were much closer last year, but we’re still growing,” she said.

Catanach has coached some excellent players over his time, yet he upholds that no single player can win or lose a game for any team. No player shoulders that responsibility. However, there are a few players that can drastically alter the outcome.

“There isn’t one player we can’t do without. But the keys to our success are libero Julie Howlett and middle hitter Danielle Selkridge.”

She’s on the verge of becoming one of the most solid players the university has seen in some time. She’s durable, a hard worker, but perhaps best of all, she’s humble.

Selkridge understands that no player can endure a season without having to improve particular aspects of her game.

She realizes that complacency can breed mistakes, and she will be the last one to get too comfortable resting on her laurels.

Although she’s had a successful year to the season, she acknowledged that aspects of her game need improvement.

“Hitting the ball in different angles and paying more attention to direction from the outside,” she explained. “The setter is an important part, too. If she doesn’t do well, I can’t do well.”

Selkridge has been a rock in the middle for the Spartans for the previous two seasons, as well as this one. The team’s record reflects perfection, but to realize that one can never be perfect is the best way to achieve excellence.

Greg Spracklin can be reached at gspracklin@spartans.ut.edu.

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Women’s Soccer Coach Garners Milestone Victory

By JOHN HILSENROTH Sports Writer

Women’s soccer coach Gerry Lucey got his 100th win as a head coach last Friday when the team defeated Lincoln Memorial.

“It’s nice but it’s really more about the team,” Lucey said. “I only got here because of the team.”

The Spartans are 6-3-1 through 10 games and have an important conference game tonight, at home against a much improved Lynn team.

“Lynn is much better this year,” Lucey said. “We’re going to have to match their physical nature and athleticism.”

Tampa started out 0-2 with tough road losses in Philadelphia against no. 4 West Chester and Philadelphia University.

“I’m not satisfied with our record to this point,” said Lucey. “8-1-1 would be a better reflection of how we’ve played.

Unfortunately, the surfaces in Philadelphia with the long grass did not suit our style of play.”

After the 0-2 start, the Spartans went on a four game win streak, including an 11-0 over Mercy. Mercy is unranked, but they have had a rough schedule of their own thus far.

They lost to the sixth ranked team in Andy Meng/ Sports Information the country, Franklin Pierce, 3-1 the week Coach Gerry Lucey is the second winningest coach in U.T. women’s soccer history. He’s led the before they played the Spartans. They Spartans to a National Championship (2007) as well as three winning records in four seasons. also lost to the no. 1 team in the country, Bridgeport 2-0, the week after.

At 4-2, the Spartans went on the road to play Rollins. Tampa lost 2-0, but coach Lucey felt they outplayed the Tars. “We were the better team in possession and we controlled the game,” said Lucey. “We

Tampa vs. Lynn October 6, 7 P.M.

made a couple of mistakes and that’s what cost us the game.”

Lucey admitted that the teams’ greatest weakness has been making too many mental mistakes and individual mistakes.

He believes their greatest strength is the camaraderie and togetherness that they posses. “The team has showed the willingness to battle together,” he said.

“Athletically, we’re just as good as any other team, and tactically, we hope we’re better.”

Lucey helped choose a difficult schedule with goals to improve the team. “Some teams worry more about getting early nonconference wins, and looking good, but we always pick a tough non-conference schedule,” said Lucey. “The goal is to play high competition and to be ready for the conference.”

With all of its non-conference games over with, the Spartans have a stretch of seven consecutive conference games to end the season. They finish up the regular season at home against Saint Leo, a team that touts a 10-0 and that is already 3-0 in the Sunshine State Conference.

Tampa is 5-0 at home this season and 0-3 on the road (1-0-1 at neutral sites).

Senior Jazmin Perry is the teams’ leading goal scorer with eight goals and 17 points.

New goalkeeper Emelie Karström has stepped into the starting goalie spot nicely, compiling a 0.67 goals against average.

Ten games are played, and the Spartans are going to take on the conference all this month. “If we’re not ready by now, we’re not going to be ready,” said Lucey.

John Hilsenroth can be reached at jhilsenroth@spartans.ut.edu.

Junior Fills Leadership Role, UT Remains Unbeaten

By GREG SPRACKLIN Sports Writer

The University of Tampa Women’s Volleyball team is 16-0. Out of 49 sets, they’ve lost only seven. They have been overpowering and out-hustling every opponent that has come to cross their path.

They’re 6-0 in the Sunshine State Conference, and have some excellent players propelling them towards, more than likely, a seventh consecutive conference championship.

So, who’s responsible for the success?

Over the years, the one constant has been Head Coach Chris Catanach and his winning percentage at UT, which is upside of .845 as the season progresses.

He’s coached some great players, yet he maintains that each season has its own advantages in roster diversity.

When it comes to a steady stream of talent flowing into the UT reservoir, the philosophy is simple; develop the players right out of high school rather than import them from other colleges.

“We try to develop the players from their freshman year. We like to establish continuity and not go with the multiple transfer route,” he said.

“That being said, if we screw up a recruiting class, we feel the effects later on.”

Seven years of finishing first in the conference makes it hard to believe Catanach and the school have felt those effects he’s referring to. Recruiting is one

of Catanch’s specialties. He sees talent and the potential for talent.

Danielle Selkridge was one of the recruits in a large pool that Catanach hoped to develop.

During high school in the British Virgin Islands, Selkridge was a member of the National Honor Society. She chose UT after receiving heavy Division I interest.

She had time once she got to UT to develop as a player and a student off the court, because she was redshirted her freshman year.

Once she got on the court, she delivered as promised. Her freshman year, she was on the Sunshine State Conference allfreshman team, and the NCAA South Regional all-tournament team. She was thrown into the mix early, playing in 33 matches and starting nine, most of which were towards the end of the season when she became more acclimated to the speed of the college level.

Or at least that’s how some would classify it. Others would say that she was just biding her time, under the supervision of Catanach. Much like a football coach doesn’t rush a rookie quarterback into a game, Catanach did the same with Selkridge. She led the nation with a .444 hitting percentage and had a season high 15 kills in a five set win against Eckerd.

Quite the freshman debut.

But this year, Selkridge steps into more of a leadership role. She’s a junior now, [See 19, Volleyball]

Samantha Battersby/ The Minaret Middle-hitter Danielle Selkridge, a junior, leads an undefeated University of Tampa volleyball squad that boasts just seven upperclassmen and a 16-game winning streak.