Florida’s Top College Paper
Vol. 75 No. 7
www.theminaretonline.com
minaret@ut.edu
October 3, 2008
Cars On the Wrong Track UT, Prep students refuse to yield By Charlie Hambos Asst. Editor-in-chief
Barack Obama shakes hands with supporters in Dunedin last Wednesday
Photo courtesy of Christopher Brown
UT Dems Travel to “Barack the Vote” By Liz Harrington Reporter
Last week a group of 24 UT student traveled to get up close with their idol, Barack Obama. The UT College Democrats traveled to Dunedin last Wed., Sept. 24 to get a closer look at the Democratic candidate. The group got closer than most, as they stood in the VIP section. For Christopher Brown, President of the UT Democrats, this was his third Obama event, and the excitement and enthusiasm shown by the first-timers kept the
group’s spirit high, even in the heat. “We were right there on the field, surrounded by enthusiasm on all sides. Even the heat of the midday sun failed to reduce the crowd’s spirit,” Brown remarked. “When it was Barack’s turn to speak, he vaulted up the stairs and jogged to the center of the stage. The crowd was roaring, and it took him about two minutes to get us to tone down the noise.” All of the UT students agreed the event was an amazing experience and certainly made the election an up-close reality. The Democrats have been hard at work this semester,
they say, “Baracking the vote” and encouraging registration and student involvement belonging to all parties. They are also always looking for more participation and have a more events planned during the election season. “We meet here at a time of great uncertainty for America,” Obama said at the beginning of his speech. “The era of greed and irresponsibility on Wall Street and in Washington has led us to a financial crisis as serious as any we have faced since the Great Depression.” Liz Harrington can be contacted at swim0688@gmail. com
UT’s lack of commuter parking and student’s claim of full garage leave them no choice but to park where they feel is most convenient for them. For students who have classes in Cass, parking along the grass near the railroad tracks seems to be the best option. “It’s terrible that people park there,” Kevin Howell, Assistant Director of Security said, calling the issue “dangerous.” Howell said that the Jacksonville-based transportation company, CSX Transportation Corporation, owns the tracks and some of the area around it, but the grass part is owned by the city. Howell also said that UT is not responsible for the land. If a student’s car gets broken into, UT is not responsible. Ownership Howell says if a car is in the way, CSX has to stop the train and tow the car which could result in up to a two hour delay. Not to mention that many of the substances running on the trains to and from the Port of Tampa carry liquid sulfur, ammonium and chlorine which are all hazardous.
According to Howell, the city does not consider parking on the grass near the tracks illegal, because it isn’t parking on the sidewalk, obstructing view of the right of way and are 30 ft. away from the stop sign. At any given time during the day cars line the tracks from N. Boulevard all the way to the river. Students go in and out, ignoring the “No Trespassing” signs and danger warnings of being near the railroad tracks. Student Reaction Students know that UT cannot give them tickets for parking in the area. “I park here because I know it is not school property,” said Amanda Waldron, a senior. “The school insists on taking away commuter parking.” Although, Waldron knew the potential risk of getting her vehicle towed. “I only knew of someone being towed because they parked close to the tracks,” she said. Since it is close to classrooms in Cass, students use the area out of convenience. “It’s the easiest way to get See
“Parking” [2]
Photo by Anna Burrell
Athletics Sparking New Spartan Spirit By Sam Gerb, Sara Belsole Sports Writers
Photo by Chelsea Michelson
Inside ...
Fall TV Lineup[11]
In the past three years, the University of Tampa has brought home four National Championships to a school that has shown them almost no support. Regardless of how well the teams performed, the stands were more than likely to be empty. The lack of crowd has a negative effect on the athletes’ game. Statistics show that playing in front of a home crowd influences athletes to play better. In years past, students at UT
Get to Know: Kuwait [8] Debate Recap [4]
UT’s iPod Addiction[9] $700 billion & UT [7] Diplomat Inductees [7]
have not been informed, motivated or interested in attending sports games. The reasons for this can be linked back to UT’s Student Government. “Whether we are going to have a good year or not depends on Student Government,” Gil Swalls, Associate Director of Athletics and Director of Sports Advertising, said. Advertising on campus is a big problem. The school does not want flyers up everywhere because it wants to be a “picture friendly school,” and not like an advertising
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“Any place worth its salt has a parking problem.” [James Castle]
billboard. This limits Swalls from posting flyers in places that students would normally be able to view frequently. Even if flyers are posted, they are ripped down, or other student organizations place their own flyers over them. “Basically there is no ad space on campus,” Swalls said. “I’ve tried to put up giant flyers in Plant Hall, but they always get torn down.” Swalls for years has been trying different methods to boost See
“Spirit” [19]
News.................... News....................[1-7] Features ................. [8] A&E..................[9-12] Editorial .............. [15] Commentary ..[13-16] Sports .............[18-20]