The Minaret 09/18/2014

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September 18, 2014

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Austin Hall Residents Forced to Move for Repairs

By KATHERINE LAVACCA News Editor

Liz MacLean/The Minaret

The drywall is being ripped up and floors are being vacuumed in order to speed up the drying process on the upper floors of Austin Hall.

Pepper’s Yesod Williams talks Reggae

See OPINION Page 12

The Troubles of Millionares and Billionares: What Does The NFL actually stand for?

See SPORTS Page 18

To AUSTIN Page 3

Domestic Violence Awareness Brought to a New Light

See A&E Page 8

President Obama’s Address Regarding ISIL Informative and Effective

“All of a sudden I heard a loud bang and then water, so I thought maybe it was my suite mate showering. Then I heard someone swear out in the hall and all of the water started rushing in,” said Chelsea Ramsey, freshman pre-med biology major, was one of the many students who had to evacuate Austin Hall on September 10.

Residents were forced out into Delo Park around 6:30 p.m. because of a sprinkler pipe that burst on the 9th floor. The pipe was under an extreme amount of pressure and spouted enough water to reach the first floor lobby. Two residents accidently broke the pipe and

By AVERY TWIBLE Asst. Opinion Editor

One in every four women will fall victim to domestic violence in her lifetime, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV). To help give you some perspective, that means if you have four sisters or daughters, one of them is likely going to be a victim of DV; girls, if you have three girl friends, one of you is likely going to be a victim of DV; anyone, if you look around the room, 25 percent of the females are likely to be a victim of DV. Eighty-five percent of DV victims are women, and almost one third of female homicide victims that are reported in police records are killed by a spouse, according to the NCADV. The saddest and scariest statistic of all, is that most cases of intimate partner abuse are never reported to the police.

It is truly disheartening that for the topic of domestic violence to get the attention it deserves, another celebrity or professional athlete needs to be found abusing a loved one. However, as scarring an incident I’m sure it is for the victim to undergo, the media coverage of the situation is crucial when it is a high profile individual at

the center of it if there is any hope of decreasing its prevalence in society.

Tragic situations like this should be talked about on news sources and every social-networking site, any outlet that has people paying attention because that is where awareness will be spread and change will be made. We must leave no question in the minds of potential and current perpetrators that DV is never okay to partake in, show victims that it’s not typical in a healthy relationship, and that they deserve better.

Situations like this only have one silver lining: to let victims know that they are not alone. Hopefully the outcome of the recent Ray Rice incident will be different; this could be the time where we make sure every individual knows this is not right, it will not be tolerated, and no one is too good for consequences. However, the key to doing so is in spreading awareness, and the usual coverage of the incident is not going to cut it. Beverly Gooden, a DV survivor, unintentionally started the #WhyIStayed movement on Twitter, and it may be the key to educating people on the dimensions of spousal abuse that aren’t apparent from the surface.

“Eighty-five percent

of DV victims are women, and almost one third of female homicide victims that are reported in police records are killed by a spouse, according to the NCADV. The saddest and scariest statistic of all, is that the NCADV claims most cases of intimate partner abuse are never reported to the police.”

To VIOLENCE Page 11

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SEPTEMBER 18 2014 | THE MINARET

MINARET

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Mia Glatter

mia.glatter@theminaretonline.com

MANAGING EDITOR Lauren Richey

lauren.richey@theminaretonline.com

ART DIRECTOR

Justine Parks justine.parks@theminaretonline.com

NEWS + FEATURES

Katherine Lavacca, Editor

katherine.lavacca@theminaretonline.com

Zoe Fowler, Asst. Editor

zoe.fowler@theminaretonline.com

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT Jackie Braje, Editor

jacquelyn.braje@theminaretonline.com

Selene San Felice, Asst. Editor

selene.sanfelice@theminaretonline.com

OPINION

Richard Whitaker, Editor

richard.whitaker@theminaretonline.com

Avery Twible, Asst. Editor

avery.twible@theminaretonline.com

SPORTS

Phil Novotny, Editor

phil.novotny@theminaretonline.com

Jordan Llanes, Asst. Editor

jordan.llanes@theminaretonline.com

MULTIMEDIA

Doha Madani, Editor

doha.madani@theminaretonline.com

Savanna Blackerby, Asst. Editor

savanna.blackerby@theminaretonline.com

PHOTOGRAPHY Casey Budd, Editor

casey.budd@theminaretonline.com

ADVISER

Tiffini Theisen

ttheisen@ut.edu

COPY EDITORS

Khadijah Khan, Head Copy Editor khadijah.khan@theminaretonline.com

Tess Sheets, Copy Editor

tess.sheets@theminaretonline.com

Caitlin Malone, Copy Editor

caitlin.malone@theminaretonline.com

Kai Miller, Copy Editor

kai.miller@theminaretonline.com

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Wendy French

STAFF WRITERS Bianca Lopez Brianna Kwasnik Michelle Konik Madison Irwin Connor Anthony James Belluscio Andrew Stamas Tess Sheets Ed Kerner

COLUMNISTS Marcus Mitchell Caitlin Malone Griffin Guinta Terry Preston

MORE INFORMATION THE MINARET is a weekly student-run publication at the University of Tampa.

Letters to the Editor may be sent to editor@ theminaretonline.com.

To reach THE MINARET call 813.257.3636.

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Each additional copy is $1.00

NEWS + FEATURES

Tampa Bay Times Pulitzer Prize Winners Sit Down with The Minaret for the Inside Story

By THERESA STANTON AND BRIANNA KWASNIK

News Writers

Last April, two young reporters from the Tampa Bay Times, Will Hobson and Michael LaForgia, received the Pulitzer Prize for their relentless investigation into Hillsborough’s Homeless Recovery program. Hobson received a tip on the horrific conditions of a squalid trailer park and decided to look into it. Laforgia helped Hobson with databases and locating records. The reporters found that Homeless Recovery spent millions to house the homeless in rundown, crumbling, bug ridden facilities. The Times editors and lawyers played a major role by making sure all the information put into the newspaper was supported by interviews, documents and facts. We asked the reporters about the impact they made when their story was published and what influenced them to pursue journalism as a career.

The Minaret: What do you think is the most important lesson for a young journalist to learn?

Michael LaForgia: There’s several.

I think they ought to develop a good relationship with their immediate supervisor, first of all. And, always be working on something that is special in addition to getting the job done. You want to show these people, your bosses at your job, that you’re capable of doing everything that is required of you, plus something that is really special. You always got to be going, and you got to work hard at it. Sometimes it bleeds into nights and weekends, and you have to be willing to do that if you want to stand out.

Will Hobson: I think the most important lesson is to work on reporting. A lot of kids want to get into journalism, because we want to write, we want to be seen as writers, and it takes a while to realize that really good writing in journalism comes from reporting, comes from knowing a subject, or a person or a company up and down, forwards and backwards.

M: Were there certain stories that influenced you to go into journalism?

ML: There are two stories that I’ve read that influenced me to go into journalism.

The first story was about a grocery store, believe it or not, in Washington D.C., by Anne Hall. She wrote a very long narrative feature about a grocery store, but it was really about gentrification and new money in Washington D.C., taking over previously poor neighborhoods. The second story is

by Katherine Boo. It was a series called “Invisible Lives.” That story actually made me want to be an investigative reporter. I was outraged and inspired at the same time.

WH: I was really into it [journalism] initially from magazines. As a kid, I was really into writers like Mark Bowden,who wrote the book Black Hawk Down. I really enjoyed Friday Night Lights, the book by Buzz Bissinger. I looked at these guys, and said, “where do these guys come from?” The answer for a lot of them, is they came from newspapers.

M: What is the best newspaper story you have ever read?

WH: A piece by Katherine Boo of the Washington Post 2001, called “Invisible Lives.” It was a story about these horribly misrun homes for the mentally handicapped in Washington D.C. It was a hardcore investigative story that was told through two mentally handicapped men, who had grown up through this horrifically run system. It was extremely well-written, and almost poetic.

M:What are some of the faults in many reports from publications nowadays? What challenges do you think are presented with

Photo courtesy of The Tampa Bay TImes

Michael LaForgia (left) and Will Hobson (right) will be speaking about their Pulitzer prize winning series.

a bigger audience relying on online news?

ML: I think a lot of stuff right now is kind of shallow, and it doesn’t have any real reporting in it. People don’t want to put in the work, especially in some of these online publications, though there are exceptions in places like Republica, where they’ll put a lot of reporting into something. The other thing I don’t like about online is that a lot of stories run on, there is no conscion or brevity.

WH: I think some of the concerns many people have about where the industry is going is that there is more of a hook on opinion, and working on a “quick beat,” than on a deeply reported piece of journalism, which takes more than just a few hours.

M: Did you at times find it hard to detach yourself from the situation you were reporting? How did you manage to do so?

WH: It’s something that journalists deal with- everyday I was writing about someone who died, or something bad happened to them. And calling families of loved ones. You get used to dealing with very depressing subject matter. And you detach yourself from that, so you’re not the most horribly depressed person ever.You always have to step outside that, and leave the emotions aside. It’s something you get used to over the years.

M: What was your reaction when you found out the Port Authority chairman resigned?

ML: I thought that was interesting. I wasn’t really working on the stories then, so I was only kind of half following it. But, it did surprise me how quickly and dramatically things started changing both when Will was writing his stories, and when we started writing together. In other cases, it’s more difficult to shock people into changing.

WH: I was kind of surprised that it happened so quickly. It was like four or five days after the first story had been published.

M: What does it mean to you to be one of the youngest journalists to win a Pulitzer prize?

ML: Being really young, and having won is a really humbling experience and I’m still sort of in disbelief over it. This type of reporting is something I’ve worked very hard at since 2005 basically. I had the advantage of starting right out of school.

WH: It’s kind of scary. There are a lot of journalists who have won that are younger than myself and Mike, and now I’m sure they’re dealing with the same thing that we’re dealing with now, “holy crap, now we gotta kind of live up to that standard.” It was an immense honor that we won this award this early in our career, but it’s also a little frustrating.

You win an award like that, people expect that from all of our work going forward.

M: Did you receive any negative feedback after publishing any section of the series?

WH: There were people who worked for the county homeless agency who lost their jobs. I don’t really know if they deserved to lose their jobs, but the organization was poorly run. They and their families were not happy with us. It was our job to document how that happened- If the outcome of those stories, is that the people in charge decided this needed to happen, that’s the nature of the job.

M: What topics will your talk at the University of Tampa cover?

WH: I think we’re gonna talk a little bit about how the story came together. We’re gonna talk a little bit about our career, how we got to where we are. I found when I was in college, which was not too long ago, it was very valuable just to talk to people that were in the profession I was going to- to find out how they got to where they are. Particularly with Journalism, there’s not a prescribed path, like say becoming a lawyer, or a doctor. There’s not a certain way to get where you want to go.

M: What do you hope journalism students take away from hearing about your experience?

ML: I hope they’re inspired to do this type of work, because it’s really important, and there’s not a lot of it going on right now. We need to have a next generation of reporters who are really interested in the books and storytelling side, but also the accountability side, and holding powerful people accountable. There aren’t many people who can do what newspapers do when it comes to sticking up for people, who can’t stick up for themselves. If nothing else, I want people to gain a sense that, that is the most important thing we can do as reporters. That’s something that they ought to make a priority.

WH: I would hope they take away the value of journalism, what we do, and why it is essential in modern society. I hope young kids who want to get into this industry really want it. You gotta really want it, because, you’re going to work for a while not making very good money. But if you like the job, it could be a very fun job.

If you’re interested in learning more about A Home, But No Help, you can attend a seminar where both investigative writers tell their story, at 4 pm in the Plant Hall Music Room.

Theresa Stanton can be reached at theresa.stanton@spartans.ut.edu Brianna Kwasnik can be reached at brianna.kwasnik@spartans.ut.edu

NEWS + FEATURES

THE MINARET | SEPTEMBER 18 2014

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Residents to move into the Barrymore Hotel this week for repairs From AUSTIN Page 1

are being processed by the UT conduct boards. No ResLife official was able to be contacted about the incident, and the residents responsible wished to not comment at this time.

Only three hours after the pipe burst the 9th floor residents were allowed back into their rooms to spend the night despite soaked carpets, beds, and belongings.

Since the incident happened, crews have been doing everything they can to dry up the water before any permanent damage is done. Crews were working from 9:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. this past weekend, according to an email sent out

by Raven Davis, the ResLife coordinator in charge of Austin Hall.

“They’re creating holes in the [hallway] walls to dry out the water, and they vacuumed and sucked up all the water so everything is fine,” said a 9th floor resident who wished to remain anonymous. “They have specific hours they [allow] workers in our hall, but they wake us up. They’re drilling and knocking down the bottom parts of the walls.”

Workers have determined that students living in certain rooms need to be relocated so that further work can be done.

“We will need to relocate you to the Barrymore Hotel (former Howard Johnson Plaza) for one week. Please pack items

that you will need for the week and any valuables that you do not want to leave in your Austin room while the repairs are made,” stated an email sent by Davis on Monday Sept. 15. “The scope of work includes cutting into the drywall, setting up fans and blowers to dry out the space, and replacing the insulation and drywall, and finally repainting the walls.”

Students are advised to pack up breakables and take down any posters since workers will be moving furniture to do demolition and repairs. Residents are expected to be moved to the Barrymore Hotel Wednesday, Sept. 17 until the morning of Thursday, Sept. 25. Once students have left their rooms they will not

be permitted to reenter without contacting Davis beforehand, according to the email.

“The students who reside on the damaged floors will have the damage to their rooms repaired by the company that is hired by the University to make [them] and bring the spaces back to 100 percent,” said Krystal Schofield, Associate Dean of Residence Life.

The residents who did not receive this email will continue to live in Austin until further notice. If the crews cannot dry up all of the moisture inside the walls the remaining students will have to be moved because of mold and mildew concerns.

Katherine Lavacca can be reached at katherine.lavacca@theminaretonline.com

Liz MacLean/ The Minaret

Large equipment has been moved into the dorm to help with the drying process.

From the September 1 to September 14 Reports

It Wasn’t Me On September 8, a student reported the theft of her property at an off campus location.

Times Are Gettin’ Hard On September 9, a staff member of the book store reported a theft.

Karma Came and Conquered On September 12, a student reported her wallet was stolen with over $500 cash. A student suspect was identified and arrested.

#instagood On September 13, property damage at the Barrymore Hotel Tampa was observed and documented.

Fish out of Water On September 13, pool keys were confiscated from a non student/ faculty/staff member.

Reports compiled by Zoe Fowler

On Tuesday night, the 2014-2015 Student Government Cabinet, freshman and campus-wide senators were announced on Tuesday night during the SG meeting.

Kyle Cockream, the Executive Director of Hillsborough County Public Transportation Commission came to talk about the dangers of Uber during the Student Government meeting.

Newly elected Senators were sworn in and introduced.

Don’t forget to have a representative attend the 2014 Fall Leadership Retreat on Saturday Sept. 30 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. There are still organizations who haven’t signed up. The $10 that you have to pay is refundable.

4 SEPTEMBER 18 2014 | THE MINARET

NEWS + FEATURES

Apple Keynote Highlights:

Why It’s Worth a $600 Investment

By FATIN MOHAMAD AMIN A&E Writer

Apple released their 2014 Keynote presentation to promote the newest iPhone additions: iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus, on Sept. 10 under Apple CEO Tim Cook.

Not only were the new iPhone versions announced, they also released their newest product, the Apple Watch. The newest iPhones are offered in two different sizes, the iPhone 6 with a 4.7 inch screen and the larger iPhone 6 Plus with a 5.5 inch screen.

iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus The iPhone has been praised for its display and megapixels, but now it has Retina HD, which enhances the picture quality. When watching videos on the go, the iPhone 6 displays videos with 1080p quality. Videography and photography have been brought to a whole new level for people who post their photos and videos on social media. Apple has decided to add in a sensor called the M8, which is a next-

generation motion processor for the fitness buffs and health-obsessed. This sensor calculates different movements a person makes and it helps the functionality of fitness apps that are installed on the phone. The Barometer is a new app that Apple has designed for the iPhone 6, which can calculate the distances people walk or run, as well as the amount of stairs a person takes in a day.

Apple Watch

Apple has made a new leap in the world of technology with their latest product, the Apple Watch. The Apple Watch has the same ability as the iPhone, but can do much more. The watch follows a similar format to the 5th generation iPod Nano with a simple home screen and easily accessible applications. Apple’s Digital Crown allows the users to zoom, scroll, and select without covering the whole screen. This little device’s main

Photos courtesy of Apple.com

purpose is to be an accessory consumers are able to use without having their phones with them. It can tell you the time like a normal watch, but it can also make phone calls, send text messages, and have the ability to use Siri. Apple Watch also functions as a day organizer, workout accessory, and a means of staying connected. There are multiple designs and features that are offered to fit everyone’s needs.

Apple Pay

ApplePay is a new application that Apple has devised for easier access to make purchasing as simple as touching a screen. Companies such as Subway, Macy’s, Disney, and many more are starting to allow ApplePay as a form of payment. The iPhone is converted to a scanner with just a tap, and payment for any purchase will be processed. This particular accessory is safe and has added security.

“You have the convenience and security of touch ID. We have a new chip that is called the Secure Element and it is built in all of your iPhone 6 models,” Apple’s Vice President, Eddie Que said. “It stores all your payment information, encrypted and securely. You can also see all your credit cards on your Passbook. ApplePay is easy, it’s secure and it’s private.”

Fatin Amin can be reached at f.mohamadamin@spartans.ut.edu

NEWS + FEATURES

THE MINARET | SEPTEMBER 18 2014

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Diversions ON CAMPUS

OFF CAMPUS

SEPTEMBER 18

SEPTEMBER 21

SEPTEMBER 18

SEPTEMBER 21

Water Balloon Fight

International Day of Peace

Halloween Horror Nights

Tom Petty and Heartbreakers

SEPTEMBER 22

SEPTEMBER 19

SEPTEMBER 21

FMA Filmmaker Series

Bluesapalooza

Glazer Museum Birthday Bash

SEPTEMBER 22

SEPTEMBER 20

SEPTEMBER 21

Hazing Awareness Week

Chillin’ Music Fest

Run for the Fallen

SEPTEMBER 24

SEPTEMBER 21

SEPTEMBER 22

Neon Interest Meeting

Vagina Monologues

10 for 10 Zoo Event

RHA is hosting a water balloon fight in Vaughn Courtyard from 6 to 8 p.m. to cool students down from early semester.

Free food will also be offered.

SEPTEMBER 18

Spartan Abroad Fair

Explore study abroad opportunities with the UT Travel Courses faculty.

Learn about interning, studying, and volunteering abroad from 11 a.m.- 2 p.m. in the Vaughn Center Lobby.

SEPTEMBER 19

Power of Pause Book Club

Join a monthly book club from September- November to discuss the Power of Pause and find ways to settle into moment of peace. Sign up by emailing wellness@ut.edu by Sept. 19.

SEPTEMBER 20

Morning Bike Ride

Enjoy a ride to the Ybor City Fresh Market with fellow classmates at 10 a.m. The event is free for students with a UT ID. Contact kwhite@ut.edu for more information.

Join the Brahma Kumaris of Tampa in celebrating the International Day of Peace for an evening of music guided meditations in the Sykes Chapel from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Academy award-nominated screenwriter Tom Bidwell will speak for the FMA Filmmaker series. The event will take place in Reeves Theater from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Kickoff event sponsered by Fraternity and Sorority Life and the Athletics department at 8 p.m. in Fletcher Lounge. For more information contact Kyle McGee at utgreekmarketing@ut.edu.

Meet the editors of literary publication Neon for information on how to get involved, and offer suggestions on what you’d like to see in the journal this year.

The meeting will take place in Walker Hall room 108 from 8 to 9:30 p.m.

Picture

of the

On select nights Universal Studios will be transformed into your worst nightmare.

General admission is $95.99.

Blues groups like the Delta Swamp Rats and the Black Swans will be performing at Hernando Park. Food vendors will also be available. General admission is $5.

This reggae-rock festival will feature headliners Stephen Marley and the Expendables and many more at Curtis Hixon Park. Prices range from $40- $45.

American Stage Theater Co. introduces a wild array of female voices at the Raymond James Stadium at 6 p.m.

Tickets are $15 in advance.

WEEK

Performing at the Amalie Arena (formerly the Tampa Bay Times Forum) for the first time since 2010. Tickets as low as $32.75

Will include an indoor sidewalk chalk floor and free birthday cake, games and prizes. 1-6 p.m. at the Glazer Children’s Museum. Admission is free.

A free memorial run in which runners pledge to walk or run for all the fallen soldiers across the nation. Held at the Hillsborough County Vetrans Memorial Park & Museum. and starting at 9 a.m..

Florida residents can enjoy discounted admission at Lowry Park Zoo for $10 per ticket until the Sept. 26.

CONTACT US Want to include your event on our diversions page? Email the details to ut.minaret@gmail.com.

The Minaret

@theminaret

@minaret

The Minaret Lead vocalist Jon Simmons of indie-alt band Balance and Compsure took the stage at the Orpheum in Ybor on Sept. 14.

Photo by Casey Budd

Arts + Entertainment

THE MINARET | SEPTEMBER 18 2014

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Tampa Tattoo Arts Convention Showcases Local Artists

By ALEXANDRA MARTIN Photographer

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The first annual Tampa Tattoo Arts Convention took place at the Tampa Convention Center on Franklin St. Sept. 12-14. Special guests from Ink Master, Best Ink and LA Ink attended along with 300 tattoo artists from over 150 different shops worldwide. The event was sponsored by Villian Arts.

}

8 SEPTEMBER 18 2014 | THE MINARET

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

Hyppo Ice Pops Chill Out Morsani Hall

By MIA GLATTER Editor-in-Chief

I first visited The Hyppo four years ago when I was being dragged around, trying to enjoy myself on a 97 degree day in St. Augustine. My makeup, my motivation, and I am pretty sure even my shoes were melting away. The words “HAND MADE ICE POPS” reached out to me on the swinging sign like the hand of St. Peter at the pearly gates of heaven. Out of all the flavors,

I played it safe and chose the Coconut Coconut and I was not disappointed.

The concept of ice pops changed for me that day and I haven’t been the same since.

Four weeks and 60 meal exchanges into the new school year is the time of year I start to feel the monotony of the food options on campus. Suddenly I have the endless choices of the café, Spartan club, and stadium laid out in front of me and nothing seems

Photo by Casey Budd

Hyppo offers all natural and suger free flaovrs like Pineapple Cilantro, Seedless Watermelon, and more.

appetizing, especially when it comes to satisfying my sweet tooth. Imagine my surprise when I turned the corner into the grocery in Morsani and saw a small fridge with those familiar words beckoning me once again.

The Hyppo story begins in 2010 when the company founder, Stephen Dimare was given the idea of adding Mexican-style popsicles to the coffee shop he was thinking of founding.

After some trial-and-error ice pop science, the little shop in St. Augustine was born.

Today, The Hyppo sells dozens of interesting flavors from the traditional Straight-up Strawberry and Pink Grapefruit to the unique Mango Habanero and Mexican Hot Chocolate.

The Hyppo Ice Pops are a great way to satisfy your sweet tooth without the sugary shame of a blizzard. Hyppo Pops are all natural and made with no preservatives. All the ingredients are non-GMO and the dairy is rBST free. There Photo by Mia Glatter are two Hyppo shops located The Hyppo freezer is located in Morsani Hall. in St. Augustine and a third in downtown Gainesville.

Watermelon. They sell for $3.50 and The fridge in the Grocery only can be bought using Spartan Dollars offers a small selection of flavors right and UT Bucks. now including Straight-up Strawberry, Mia Glatter can be reached at mia.

Key Lime, Pineapple Cilantro, and glatter@theminaretonline.com.

Pepper’s Yesod Williams Talks Reggae

By SELENE SAN FELICE Assistant Arts + Entertainment Editor

Pepper, a Hawaii-based reggae-rock trio has been playing music for over 17 years and according to their drummer Yesod Williams, the band is still going strong. The band has been touring the nation and playing festivals over the past year to promote their latest self-titled album and will be headed to Tampa this week. Pepper will be just across the Hillsborough river to play at Curtis Hixon Park’s Chillin Music Fest on Sept 20. Williams took a moment to tell us a little bit about Pepper and what students can expect from their set at Chillin Music Fest.

Minaret: You guys will be playing alongside Michael Franti & Spearhead, Stephen Marley, and The Expendables on Sept. 20 at the Chillin Music Fest at Curtis Hixon Park. Can you tell us a little bit about what we can expect from you guys or the festival in general?

Williams: I think we might have played a festival with Stephen Marley before but we’ve never played with Michael Franti so we’re super excited. We’re always excited to play with new bands. I always like sharing the stage with new musicians because whenever I watch other drummers I always try to pick something up and bring it with me. The whole thing is to expect the unexpected. Even though we always play a lot of reggae music and we play rap music too, our concerts are always kind of like a raw rock show. It’s just the three of us and we always say the fourth member of Pepper is our crowd. We feed off of them and it’s kind of like this back and forth huge circle of energy.

Minaret: How exactly did Pepper formulate? What is your chemistry like (on and off stage)?

Williams: Our chemistry is amazing. We feel so lucky and blessed. We were friends

long long before the band. We all grew up little bit about that? it. We even went back into the writing process together. Me and Brett grew up right down the Williams: It was definitely hard because and the pre-production process maybe like road from each other since the time we were we wanted to get everything absolutely two times while we were in the studio. in elementary school. Kaleo and I had been perfect. And as a band I don’t think we’ve Minaret: Does Pepper have anything playing together since we were 14 and they had ever been 100 percent satisfied with any of our new in the works? Anything else near Tampa? a few different bands with different drummers albums even though, you know, I wouldn’t Williams: We’re actually going to be but it was never Pepper until the three of us change anything for the world. You just want in the studio here coming’ up in between all connected and that’s where essentially the band to put your best foot forward. We took a super these festivals we’re doing’-trying to write Pepper was born and that was in 1997. It blows long time making it because we hadn’t put out the new album. And we always say Florida our mind every time we think about it. I was an album in like five years. That alone being is like our third home. It was definitely one talking to Tim Mahoney from 311, at a festival the first thing coming out in such a long time of the first places where people opened up we played in May and I was asking him “Hey, we definitely wanted to put our right foot their arms to Pepper. We’re just excited to how long you guys been a band for?” and he forward. We worked with Matt Wallace who come back to Tampa. It’s awesome because goes, “Oh about 23 years. How long you guys is just an absolute genius. He produced the we actually visited St. Pete this summer. Us been a band for?” And I started counting and I first Maroon 5 record. We’ve never learned and The Dirty Heads did a tour this summer was like “Oh my god. Like 17 years.” We’re so much making a record. We definitely across the whole country and did about 30 just super grateful to be doing this for so long came out of this better musicians and better shows. We stopped by St. Pete and went and we’re as strong as ever. Some bands don’t songwriters. It’s just process of going into pre- to Jannus Landing so to be coming back so even last a quarter of that time. It’s funny you production and writing and then we’d go into soon, it’s just so amazing. ask about the chemistry because after so long the studio and we’d record some stuff and then Selene San Felice can be reached at Selene. of course we have our ups and downs, but we we’d even try to take a step back and not rush sanfelice@theminaretonline.com. feel better than ever.

Minaret: How has growing up in Hawaii influenced your sound as a whole?

Williams: Me and Brett were raised in Kona and Kaleo was born in Kauai- a different island. He didn’t move over to Kona until he was around 12 or 13. Hawaii is probably one of the biggest influences for us, if not the biggest influence. I think at this point we’ve kind of created our own style. It’s a mixture of a bunch of different sounds, and we’ve kind of made it our own and that’s kind of like the epitome of Hawaii. It’s just a melting pot of everything- of culture, of races of people. It’s a mirror image of the style of music we play.

Minaret: Your newest self-titled album was released a year ago this month. Your lead vocalist, Kaleo Wassman, is quoted to have Pepper/Flickr.com said that making that album is the hardest thing Yesod Williams will be playing with Pepper at Chllin Music Fest in Curtis Hixon Park on Sept. 20. you’ve ever done as a band. Can you tell me a

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

THE MINARET | SEPTEMBER 18 2014

Falling into Fashion: New Trends of the Season

By MADISON IRWIN

Arts + Entertainment Writer

9

UT may be surrounded by palm trees and endless rays of sunshine, but as the weather progressively gets colder in the next few months girls won’t still be wearing shorts and flip flops. Now that fashion week just ended, now is the perfect time to snag some of these new fall trend pieces.

Students should be seen sporting these five super cute and wearable fall fashion trends on campus soon enough.

Moto Jackets

There’s just something so badass about wearing a motorcycle jacket. It’s sexy, edgy, and totally “in” for the fall. And this season’s versions are cooler than ever, with their intricate zipper designs. Many designers, including Versace and Kenzo, also added some feminine touches to their moto jacket designs so that they can be worn on special occasions.

“The masculine-feminine mix feels artistic, expressive, really fresh,” says Gregg Andrews, fashion creative director at Nordstrom. A moto jacket with contrasting sleeves (a very popular trend), can be paired with a silky dress while keeping the jacket unzipped. This style can also mix with elegant fabrics, such as brocade or velvet.

Oversized Knits

Sweaters have never really gone out of style. Cold weather plus a cozy knit equals common sense. However, they have become much more fashionable than the original plain bulky ones that our parents used to wear.

This trend has appeared many times on the runway, especially in Michael Kors’ line. Celebrities, including runway coach J. Alexander (America’s Next Top Model) were already seen wearing this style during NY Fashion Week.

Whether its a sweater or a cardigan, oversized knits should be a staple to every girl’s fall/winter wardrobe.

These new knits are oversized and baggy, but still flattering to the figure. It’s a very easy look to pull off.

These knits are longer(the same length as a mini dress, basically) and can be paired with leggings, which is the most popular way to style them. As long as the bottom part is form-fitting, anyone can rock this look.

Sneakers

Midi Skirts

We’ve all worn or have at least been witness to the maxi skirt and the mini skirt before. But this fall season, there’s a new skirt on the rise: the midi. Lengthwise, the midi skirt is in between the maxi and mini. It falls just below the knee or even lower, but it doesn’t touch the ground; just like the poodle skirts popularly seen in the 50’s.

The midi also comes in a variety of different shapes(full, flowing, pleated, etc.). From the office to the outlets, this look can be pretty versatile. This skirt can be a little tricky to style, but with the right pieces, it can look very chic. Honey and Silk, a popular style blog recommends wearing it with a denim jacket. For a daytime look, pair the skirt with a simple t-shirt or crop top. For a more formal look, go with darker colors, such as the black leather midi skirt. And as far as shoes go, these skirts can be worn with pretty much anything (except sneakers).

Workout attire has become quite the popular trend lately, along with sneakers. What woman wouldn’t want to at least look stylish while sweating like a pig? And these sneakers are just as cute as they are comfy. Back in the early 2000’s, they used to come in just a few colors(such as black,white, and blue), but athletic wear companies and designers, such as DKNY and Chanel, now make sneakers in a variety of feminine colors and designs. Some can even be found that come in unique pastels, like mint green and neon coral.

According to Vogue’s website, designer Riccardo Tisci recently collaborated with Nike for his sneaker line. “When I designed this collection for Nike, I had a girl wearing a Victorian dress and these sneakers in my mind’s eye,” he said. Whether you are hitting the gym, out shopping, or just lounging around, sneakers are both practical and fashionable.

Over-The-Knee Boots

Were these boots made for walking? Not so much. Were they made to look hot? Yes! Over-the-knee boots have come in and out of style for years but they are back again, and hopefully here to stay. Celebrities like Khloe Kardashian, Ariana Grande and Lauren Conrad have been spotted wearing them in the past few months.

These boots typically end right above the knee, although there are some that come up higher. They are available in many different shades of colors and textures and come in many different styles that include heels, buckles, lace-up, etc. Create a more elegant look by pairing them with a dress or skater skirt. If it’s a casual occasion, wear them over a pair of skinny jeans or leggings. Nevertheless, over-theknee boots add a bit of sophistication to any outfit.

Madison Irwin can be reached at madison.irwin@spartans.ut.edu.

Photos taken by Ellis Catalán.

Clothing modeled by Selene San Felice.

10 SEPTEMBER 18 2014 | THE MINARET

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

UT Presents Six Characters in Search of an Author

By KYETRA BRYANT

Arts + Entertainment Writer

This October the nature of reality and illusion comes into fierce debate in the UT production of Six Characters in Search of an Author. The show, based on Italian playwright Luigi Pirandello’s 1921 production, features a family of six: a mother and father, son, stepdaughter, and a little girl.

A play within a play, this production is about a theatre company rehearsing a vapid comedy when the entrance of six characters interrupts them and claims their storyline was abandoned. In search of a new author and fulfilling their existence, these characters convince the director their story would be worth continuing, and he agrees. Throughout the production the line between reality and pretense is straddled.

Alex Moffitt, a junior theatre major, will be playing the “Leading Lady” of the theater company. As the six characters are introduced Moffitt’s character feels threatened by their entrance, especially the possibility of being replaced by the beautiful character known as the “Stepdaughter”.

“I was worried no one was going to ask about the play and only about Les Mis. It’s nice to talk about,” Moffitt said.

Les Miserables, the popular nineteenth century musical will also be performed by students this coming November. Unlike Les Mis, Six Characters has not appeared in

theatres or featured big name actors and actresses like Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, and Anne Hathaway. In regards to what makes Six Characters stand out from more popular plays, Moffitt said, “It’s a piece that makes you question things and have to think about the action onstage.”

Moffit says that she loves everything about the theater business. “It’s chaotic, invigorating, heartbreaking, terrifying all at the same time, and I wouldn’t change a thing.”

Although auditioning for performances is a requirement for Moffitt’s major, she really enjoyed the script after her initial read, and is excited to work with Director Bob Gonzalez.

Gonzalez is an Associate Professor of speech, theatre, and dance at UT. Gonzalez has directed performances at both UT and USF. Many small and mainstage, these productions include but are not limited to: The Life and Death of Marilyn Monroe and William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which he directed for UT in 2009.Gonzalez also appeared in the April 2014 version of Text and Performance Quarterly where discussed his journey through theatrical studies and performances while acquiring his degrees.

Six Characters in Search of an Author, known in Italian as Sei Personaggi in Cerca D’autore, first premiered at the Teatro Valle in Rome.

Due to mixed reviews Pirandello’s

Six Characters in Search of an Author Flickr.com

The Hillsdale Tower Players of Hillsdale College perform their own rendition of the production.

play was not a great success until a later showing in Milan. Pirandello’s controversial masterpiece dives into the ideas of staging and real life. He ponders whether life is the equivalence to a theatrical production, meaning actors and actresses put on masks onstage but then take them off as they

go about their “real lives.”

The show will take place in Falk Theater on Oct. 9-12. Admission is free for UT students with a spartan I.D., $15 for General Admission, and $10 for Seniors and non-UT Students.

Kyetra Bryant can bereached at kyetra.bryant@spartans.ut.edu.

Actress on the Rise

By SAMMI BRENNAN Arts + Entertainment Writer

From modeling, to figure skating, to acting, Analeigh Tipton is showing the world there is nothing she cannot do. She will be starring in two major roles, one on ABC’s Manhattan Love Story, and the other in the romantic comedy Two Night Stand.

At an early age, Tipton began ice skating and found herself competing in four U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships as well as becoming a two-time regional champion. After retiring from skating at 16, she moved

Analeigh Tipton/ Flickr.com

The multi-talented Tipton finds niche in acting.

on to modeling. She placed third during Cycle 11 of America’s Next Top Model. In a Teen Vogue article, Tipton mentioned how much she likes to dress as a boy and was quoted saying, “I take lots of pictures on my cell phone: ‘Look, I’m dressed like a girl!

Surprise!’” She took the advice of Tyra Banks to pursue an acting career.

In 2008, she studied film at Marymount College in California.

Her time in the spotlight began with a cameo in a 2008 episode of The Big Bang Theory and she gradually took on larger roles from there. Her first movie role was as Ana Lee in the 2011 action-comedy The Green Hornet. In Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011) Tipton played Jessica, a babysitter caught up in a web of love of star-studded love triangles between characters played by Steve Carell, Kevin Bacon, Julianne Moore and Ryan Gosling, as well as the character Sandee in the television series Hung all in the same year. In 2013, she starred as Nora in the zombie-romance Warm Bodies.

Earlier this year, she had a small role as Caroline in the sci-fi thriller Lucy.

Sept. 26 Tipton will play Megan in Two Night Stand alongside Miles Teller (Divergent). After a one night stand, Megan and Alec (Teller) find themselves having to extend their time together when a snowstorm traps them inside Alec’s apartment.

Continuing her romantic-comedy streak, Tipton will star in the ABC series Manhattan Love Story in 2015 which tells the story of a new couple through their internal monologues.

Sammi Brennan can be reached at Sammi.brennan@spartans.ut.edu

THE MINARET | SEPTEMBER 18 2014

Opinion

11

Awareness raised using #WhyIStayed on Twitter VIOLENCE from Page 1

Moved by the recent whirlwind of response to the video of Ray Rice’s atrocious act of domestic violence, Gooden initiated the #WhyIStayed movement on Twitter to spread awareness on the difficulties of leaving a violent relationship, according to The Washington Post.

Gooden, a human resource manager in Charlotte, NC, is a survivor of a violent relationship, and probably one of the few people in the country that haven’t seen the video. “The overwhelming tone was, ‘Why did she stay?’” she told The Washington Post.

“I felt that people just don’t realize, asking ‘Why doesn’t she leave?’ is such a simple question for a very complex issue,” Gooden said.

Gooden took to Twitter and began listing off reasons that she stayed in her abusive relationship for as long as she did, giving an insider’s perspective on an issue that is necessary to consider before asking the seemingly obvious question: “Why didn’t she just leave?”

She wanted people to understand that it’s never that simple, tweeting details like “I tried to leave the house once after an abusive episode, and he blocked me.

He slept in front of the door that entire night. #WhyIStayed,” according to The Washington Post, and tweets that followed read things like “he said he would change”; “I thought love would conquer all”; “my pastor told me that God hates divorce.”

The hashtag soon caught on like wildfire, and not long after women were adding #WhyILeft as well. The tweets only got more heartbreaking after that.

The Washington Post showed a tweet by Natalia Oh! that reads “#WhyIStayed not wanting fatherless sons. #WhyILeft not wanting motherless sons.” Another reads “#whyistayed I thought he would

kill me #whyileft I saw his eyes the moment he decided to kill me and I wanted to die free,” by lucida_console.

Gooden didn’t realize the downfall of responses that her tweets would cause, but as Twitter user Connie Shults said, it put “Hope in a Hashtag.”

Our access to social networking sites and the truly amazing number of users that a message can reach is a tool that was, and is, being well utilized to spread awareness on an important topic-- awareness that will hopefully cause change from this day forward.

Gooden “wasn’t trying to justify remaining in an abusive relationship but to illuminate why it is so difficult for women to leave,” according to The Washington Post.

I am fortunate to never have been a victim of domestic violence by someone I love, and my inexperience

to the subject permits me to think I would have the power to leave if I ever was. If I take away anything from this situation, it is that it’s never that simple, and these brave women sharing their experiences have given me a glimpse into what I may face if I ever was. Do you think these women fell in love with their partners after they’d already been abused? Chances are, the answer is absolutely not. They were already deeply in love when the first incident of abuse occurred. At that point they have to question everything they thought they knew about their partner; how can they leave and give up on the one they love?

Do they try to help them? How do they know it will happen again? What will happen to the children? Will they win a custody battle? If they are religious, what if their God will hate them for divorcing? If they don’t have their

own insurance, but need it because of a health issue, how will they survive without his?

These are only a small sample of the multitude of questions a victim of DV can be forced to ask themselves if they were ever abused-- questions no one should have to ask themselves, in a situation that no one should have to be in. Intimate partner violence is 100 percent preventable with the right information being spread, no more perpetrators partaking in the violence, and setting a better example for the next generation. Stop the cycle.

If you or someone you know is the victim of domestic violence, please call The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE(7233) or visit their website www.thehotline.org.

Avery Twible can be reached at avery. twible@theminaretonline.com

ascaro41/Flickr

jezebel.com

The photoshopped version of the CoverGirl image from the “official team makeup look” line went viral on Twitter recently after video of Ray Rice hitting then-fianceeJanay Palmer was released.

12 SEPTEMBER 18 2014 | THE MINARET OPINION Lieutenant Colonel Denied Entry to Daughter’s School Due to Uniform

By CAITLIN MALONE Opinion Columnist

Whenever a man or woman in uniform passes by me, I always share a warm smile and say thank you for your service, and I hope I’m not the only one.

Just a few weeks before the 13 year anniversary of 9/11, Lt. Colonel Sherwood Baker was denied entry to his daughter’s high school in Rochester Hills, Michigan because other students might be offended by his military uniform, according to abc11.com. “They told him some kids might not understand and might be offended. So they gave him a choice, told him he could phone in to the office or go

home and change his clothes,” Baker’s wife, Rachel Ferhadson, told abc11.com.

Ferhadson was waiting in the car when her husband was told he could not enter the school by the security guard who informed Baker that it is school policy to not allow men and women in uniform on campus.

When I first heard of this incident, I was outraged and it still makes me cringe.

Men and women in the military deserve the utmost respect for all that they do and have done for this country. It is absolutely absurd that Baker was not allowed inside of his own daughter’s high school.

Baker has served in the U.S. Army for 24 years, and he served two tours, one in Iraq

Courtesy of Fox 2 Detroit’s Facebook page Lt.. Colonel Sherwood Baker was denied entry into his daughter’s high school due to his military uniform.

and one in Afghanistan. The job of someone in the military can be very stressful and at times can be life-threatening. Being asked to leave their loved ones at a moment’s notice and sometimes being gone for months or years at a time is not an easy job, but they do it. And that is why they deserve to be honored for what they do.

Baker and his wife were on campus to settle an issue dealing with their daughter’s class schedule. Baker was on the way in to talk to his daughter’s counselor about it when he was denied entrance. The policy was backed by four other staff members as well, not just the security guard.

Since this event, the Superintendent at Rochester Adams High School, Robert Shaner, who is a Marine Corps veteran himself, has issued an apology to Baker and his family. Shaner also wrote a letter to Fox News explaining the issue. “The district has apologized for any perception that individuals in uniform are not welcome in the school. The district does not have a policy excluding individuals in uniform and will be working with administration and the firm that handles our security to make sure district policies are understood and communicated accurately,” he said, according to inquistr. com. Baker and his wife plan to speak with the school principal in the coming week about what happened.

I’m glad there has been so many apologies given to this family, and I hope the school is handling the issue with great urgency. What they did to Baker and his family was not only embarrassing, but extremely disrespectful.

How one could be offended by someone in a military uniform? I could understand if it was a parent dressed in, say a Nazi uniform, but not an American military uniform.

Unfortunately, this is not the first incident

involving men and women in uniform being treated in a negative way. Back in 2010, Anthony Walls was denied service by the cashier at a Co-op in Croydon, according to telegraph.co.uk. Walls had just gotten back from Afghanistan where he was deployed for four and a half months serving in the twenty-first Engineer Regiment. He had only been back in the states for an hour and was grabbing a six pack of beer before heading home to celebrate his nephew’s birthday.

The cashier refused to check him out and called for her manager to which he said, “he couldn’t do anything about it.” Walls left the beer and walked out.

“I was deeply hurt,” Walls told the Telegraph. “Sometimes the only thing that keeps you going is the support and love from home,” he said.

Walls joined the army when he was just 17 years old and shared that he had just witnessed the death of one of his best friends, Daryn Roy, while serving in Afghanistan.

“I appreciate the Co-op cashier may have had her own opinions about the war, but we are just doing a job and laying our lives down for this country. A little respect and appreciation would be nice,” Walls said, according to telegraph.co.uk.

I agree with Walls. Even if you don’t agree with the war, you should suck it up and show some respect for the men and women that are risking their lives for you. Now, this incident in Croydon is much worse than what happened a few weeks ago in Michigan with Officer Baker, but it is still an issue of disrespect that was uncalled for and didn’t need to happen.

If anything, we should be going out of our way to make our service men and women feel honored and appreciated for all that they do.

Caitlin Malone can be reached at caitlin. malone@theminaretonline.com

President Obama’s Address Regarding ISIL Informative and Effective

By RICHARD WHITAKER Opinion Editor

As the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’s (ISIL) territories continue their brutal acts of aggression in the Middle East, Western focus on eliminating this terrorist organization grows. On Sept. 10 our President, Barack Obama, dove into the international spotlight when he not only addressed ISIL to the world, but also outlined a definitive plan in removing them as a threat. The president highlighted numerous key points, such as finally defining ISIL, how we plan to stop them, and how we’re using our intelligence assets to accomplish this task. Yet, the biggest takeaway from this address was the direct message the president sent to the members of ISIL: “if you threaten America, you will find no safe haven.”

Our Commander-in-Chief began his speech by stating our nation’s recent successes over terrorist organizations, “we took out Osama bin Laden and much of al Qaeda’s leadership…we’ve targeted al Qaeda’s affiliate in Yemen, and recently eliminated the top commander of its affiliate in Somalia.” The president then explains that we have been able to do so, “while bringing more than 140,000 American troops home from Iraq, and drawing down our forces in Afghanistan.” This is a key point that will later correlate into his strategy of taking down ISIL without putting combat boots on the ground in the Middle East.

The next pivotal point in the speech was when the president clarified what exactly ISIL is, or rather is not. Obama stared into the camera, looked directly at the American people and stated, “now let’s make two things clear: ISIL is not ‘Islamic.’” These ten words are vital in the success of eliminating ISIL while simultaneously ensuring that the international community does not connect this evil conglomerate with Islam,

a peaceful religion. Obama and his advisors understand the importance of separating the terrorist organization from Islam, which may help in fostering relations with practicing muslims able to help stop this threat.

Before finally elaborating on his plan to “degrade and destroy” ISIL, he hits on why it is crucial that we spend

strategy.” This strategy is similar to that of Operation Iraqi Freedom, minus having combat troops on the ground. The initial step is centered on airstrikes, with approximately 150 airstrikes already delivered to good ole’ ISIL. As this first step continues we will use our air capabilities to hinder ISIL’s plans of expansion into Iraq while simultaneously supporting the Iraqi forces as

“thisAmerica has the ability to eliminate threat and in the process allow the

world to inch one step closer to safety and freedom.

”

money and time doing so. “These terrorist are unique in their brutality,” the president stated, “They execute captured prisoners. They kill children.

They enslave, rape, and force women into marriage. They threatened a religious minority with genocide. In acts of barbarism, they took the lives of two American journalists – Jim Foley and Steven Sotloff.” I can’t speak for a nation like the president, but after hearing the extent of these heinous crimes against humanity, I agree with the him; this organization must be stopped.

President Obama touched on the annihilation of ISIL by stating the nation’s clear objective, “we will degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL through a counter-terrorism

they go on the offense.

The second step, and likely the most vital, is sending additional support forces to help “Iraqi and Kurdish forces with training, intelligence, and equipment.”

I find myself a little skeptical here as ‘I ask, weren’t we just in Iraq for over a decade fighting and training this Iraqi force?

However, I have faith in the president and his military advisors. I hope our leaders have learned from the plethora of mistakes we made in Iraq over the past decade or so and train this force in such a way that they can triumph over ISIL. The third step focuses on revamping our counterterrorism capabilities. This includes cutting off whoever is helping

fund ISIL, finding new intelligence regarding this mysterious organization, and stopping foreigners from joining them. Obama then informed us know that he “will chair a meeting of the UN Security Council to further mobilize the international community around this effort.” Again, this is vital as America cannot take on a foreign terrorist organization who threatens the entire world, on our own.

The last step involves increasing humanitarian efforts to help the thousands of civilians of all religions whom ISIL is affecting in the region, as Obama states, “we cannot allow these communities to be driven from their ancient homelands.”

Again, this couldn’t be more important as our nation stands for freedom, not only for our own citizens, but for those oppressed globally.

President Obama continues his speech, but shifts his focus towards gaining support in Congress and elaborating on the importance of our continued presence in a region where bloodshed is so common. Obama states, “American leadership is the one constant in an uncertain world,” and while many may argue that our motives are clouded, I would argue that they are not. We live in a scary time, we live on a scary planet where some men believe evil to be the answer, but we do not have to allow this to continue.

America has the ability to eliminate this threat and in the process allow the world to inch one step closer to safety and freedom for all men and women of all countries and cultures.

Richard Whitaker can be reached at richard.whitaker@theminaretonline.com

THE MINARET | SEPTEMBER 18 2014

OPINION

13

American Apparel Ads Banned For Over-Sexualizing Models in Their Back to School Line of Clothing

By EMILY SILVERMAN Opinion Writer

Theres no escaping it- advertising is everywhere. Cities are plastered with billboards and posters announcing new movies, clothing sales, restaurants, lawyers and everything in between.

Online we are bombarded with ads on nearly every website we access.

With so many businesses competing for our attention and money, it comes as no surprise that companies hire teams to create the most shocking, and eye-catching ads they can get away with. In order to capture that shock-factor, many companies go the sex appeal route, using scantily-clad models in seductive poses to promote their businesses.

Clothing company, American Apparel, is notorious for their scandalous ads and sexy image. They have built an entire brand around sex appeal, but they seem to be exploiting and over-sexualizing young women in the process. American Apparel ads have often raised controversy, but their latest campaign has taken it a step too far. The company has been accused of creating an image comparable to “underage porn,” according to The Independent. They describe the Back To School line in question, as “featuring young women posing in different school settings” and had “the effect of inappropriately sexualising school-age girls.” Images included photos of a girl bending over in a short skirt, taken from the back at an up-skirt angle, and creating a peeping-tom look. While it can be

argued that American Apparel is just doing what they feel necessary to sell their clothes, there are better ways to gain attention. UT sophomore and business management major, Kaela

according to The Independent. The ASA also stated that the “imitated voyeuristic ‘up-skirt’ shots had the potential to normalise a predatory sexual behaviour.” In today’s rape-

to see the problem with their overly sexual images, stating that the models in their back to school ads are “happy, relaxed and confident in expression and pose and were not portrayed in a manner which was vulnerable, negative or exploitive.”

Regardless of the brand’s comments standing behind their campaign, the ads were banned by the ASA in Britain, and rightfully so. American Apparel is completely disregarding the impression their ads are capable of having on audiences, including young children.

The company doesn’t seem to be learning from their mistakes either; this isn’t the first time the brand has been accused of pornographic advertisements.

In 2012, they were called into question by the ASA for a set of photos featuring topless girls, as well as in 2009 for a photo that “could be seen to sexualise a model who appeared to be a child, under the age of 16,” according to The Guardian.

American Apparel needs to take American Apparel/Instagram the negative and sexist impact their American Apparel under fire for pornographic skirt advertisements that take shots from ground level up the skirt. ads are having on society seriously and begin to make changes in their Fields, believes the company did not culture, we need to do everything marketing techniques. Fortunately, need to use these images and stated we can to expel the acceptance of following the Back To School that “business professionals should sexual harassment and rape. While a campaign, the company “pulled the make ethics a priority.” By sexualising risqué ad may seem miles away from offending pictures from its Instagram young women in their advertisements, sexual assault, advertisements like account and website,” according to American Apparel is paying little those used by American Apparel fuel www.dailymail.uk. Hopefully this attention to ethics. the fire. By creating an atmosphere small effort is a step in the right The Advertising Standards of objectification and sexualisation direction for American Apparel Authority (ASA) agreed with the of women in the media, we allow and will lead to them being more complaints of these questionable ads, that atmosphere to be integrated and responsible in the future. calling them “sexist and likely to cause accepted in society.

Emily Silverman can be reached at serious and widespread offense,” American Apparel does not seem emily.silverman@spartans.ut.edu

Mother Breastfeeds Baby While Drinking Alcohol, Asked to Leave Woman accuses restaurant of discrimination

By ELIZABETH ROCKETT Opinion Columnist

Breastfeeding in public places such as restaurants can make other patrons uncomfortable, but when a mother is nursing her baby and consuming alcohol simultaneously, something should be done. At Woody’s Bar and Grill in Chesapeake, VA, a mother who identified herself as Crystal, was told to leave the bar after patrons complained about her behavior.

Crystal claimed to have only taken one sip of beer, as she was going to finish the rest after she was done nursing her baby. NYDailyNews reported that the mother also had a shot of fireball whiskey in front of her as well.

The mother took her rage to Facebook where she accused the restaurant of being “unfriendly to breastfeeding moms,” according to NYDailyNews.

It seems to me that Crystal is trying to pin her mistake on the management of a restaurant that was only trying to do the right thing. The mother claimed she was a chemist with a knowledge of the levels of alcohol she can consume without harming her baby, however, the idea of consuming alcohol while breastfeeding is wrong.

The Mayo Clinic suggests that women wait at least two hours after consuming any amount of alcohol before nursing their children because the amount of alcohol going into their

bloodstream is the same amount that is entering the breast milk. Instead of lashing out on Facebook about the restaurant mistreating her, this mother should be more concerned about the

observing the situation. Our manager went to address those concerns and accommodate all parties involved.

Unfortunately, we were unable to do this and attempted to rectify the

“business, During their five years of being in they had never come across an issue where they did not allow a woman to breastfeed in the restaurant.

”

health of her baby.

Jeff Leroy is a co-owner of Woody’s Bar and Grill but was not present when the incident occurred. Leroy and the other owner--who has not been named-explained the difficult situation on their Facebook page, stating that during their five years of being in business, they had never come across an issue where they did not allow a woman to breastfeed in the restaurant. The sole issue was clearly the simultaneous consumption of alcohol while breastfeeding her child.

Both managers of Woody’s Bar and Grill posted their side of the story on their Facebook page, “In this particular incident, we were asked to address concerns by other patrons who were

situation amicably without success.”

After personally working at a restaurant and understanding the concept of the customer always being right, I can see how difficult this situation must have been for the manager, but I fully agree with the steps that were taken to remove this mother from the bar. To me, one unhappy customer is better than losing multiple customers by allowing a mother to consume alcohol and breastfeed while doing so, which would create a very negative image for the establishment and potentially cause them to lose business.

Unfortunately the mother is taking this situation completely out of context and trying to make the restaurant look

bad, when in fact, it is her who looks bad, as well as irresponsible.

Lisa Ramirez is head of resource development and is also the project advisor at Healthy Start Coalition which provides resources to pregnant women such as information, psychosocial and nutritional counseling, childbirth and breast feeding education, among many other services. During a phone interview with The Minaret, Ramirez advocated for breast feeding in public places.

“Mom’s have the right to breastfeed in any public space, that is their right in this country,” Ramirez said. She did not feel, however, that there was any problem with the mother breast feeding while having a beer. “It will not hit her milk cycle as she is consuming it. It will take a while for the alcohol to hit the milk supply,” Ramirez said.

While I can see that waiting a reasonable amount of time is technically safe, I feel like it was reasonable for the manager to ask the mother to leave. It’s pretty much an unwritten rule: if a baby is developing in your body or nourishing itself from your body you should not be doing anything that could potentially harm the child. Drinking alcohol is not alright when a child is inside the womb, so I would think a mother would stay away from it in order to ensure the safety of her child.

Elizabeth Rockett can be reached at elizabeth.rockett@spartans.ut.edu

14 SEPTEMBER 18 2014 | THE MINARET

OPINION

Men’s Birth Control Might Be Available as Early as 2016

By SELENE SAN FELICE Asst. A&E Editor

For centuries people have been pill popping, condom wearing, tube tying and doing whatever it takes all in the name of child-less love. And yet with so many birth control options and combinations available, there has never been a 100 percent baby-free guarantee. The age of worry, however, is coming to an end. Vasalgel, a reversible hormone-free injection for men, may be on the market as soon as 2016, according to the Parsemus Foundation.

The Daily Dot published an article on Sept. 12 in which writer Harlan Frazier challenged Vasalgel saying it was “150 million disasters waiting to happen,” addressing issues like invasiveness, physical effects, and a lack of male motivation. While Frazier wasted over 1200 words whining about his rare dry-orgasm condition and wasting internet space, he forgot to check his facts.

Frazier claimed that his retrograde ejaculation condition was caused by medication he was prescribed for a kidney infection that contained alpha blockers. Although one proposed method of male birth control is to give men alpha blockers, Vasalgel does no such thing and thus his argument is invalid.

Vasalgel works similarly to a vasectomy by blocking sperm in the vas deferens (the tube in the penis which sperm swim through to mix with seminal fluid).

However, instead of cutting or “snipping” the tube, the doctor simply injects it with the polymer hydrogel that is Vasalgel. Vasalgel is not only highly effective, it is intended to be a completely reversible procedure. If a man wishes to be fertile just months or even years after receiving Vasalgel, another injection can be done to flush away the polymer and return sperm flow.

Frazier claimed that getting the Vasalgel injection is, “an invasive procedure—far more invasive than popping a pill every day.” Of course getting one shot and then doing absolutely nothing else is much more invasive than watching your girlfriend take her birth control.

While you sit back and do absolutely nothing after that gruelingly invasive 30-second procedure, your girlfriend will be running back and forth to the pharmacy, scribbling all over calendars and trying to time her pilltaking to a T. Another statement Frazier made

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was that men simply wouldn’t want to get the procedure because they are too lazy and selfish. If men can expect their girlfriends to go on birth control, than women are just as entitled to ask their boyfriends to go through with something as simple as the Vasalgel procedure. If a guy is simply too lazy to get Vasalgel once it becomes available he probably won’t be getting laid anyways.

Vasalgel is also the solution to what men have seen as an age old problem: condoms. While condoms should still be used to protect against STIs, STDs, and HIV, monogamous couples who are have been tested can use Vasalgel as the ideal birth control alternative.

“I’m just saying that male birth control is highly imperfect,” Frazier writes. Studies have shown that this is far from the truth.

Just after Vasalgel’s initial development in 2010, the Parsemus Foundation, the organization attempting to put Vasalgel on the market, performed 12 months of rabbit studies.

These studies confirmed Vasalgel’s effectiveness in preventing sperm flow, as well as the reverse injection’s ability to restore it in rabbits, according to the foundation’s website. No sperm was detected in the rabbits’ semen samples after receiving the injection and once the polymer had been flushed out sperm flow quickly returned.

Baboon studies are currently underway to determine the precise effectiveness and reversibility of the injection, according to the Parsemus Foundation newsletter. The original baboon subjects were given Vasalgel in March 2014 and have been given the chance to attempt to mate with female baboons. Unlike humans and many other mammals, female primates such as baboons have a genital region that will become a purple color within a week of pregnancy, allowing for less expensive and contact-free testing, as well as much faster and accurate results.

Although human pregnancy symptoms are much more subtle, the Parsemus Foundation has announced on their website that “if all goes well” human clinical trials will start in early 2015 and will possibly be held in Ohio or California. Crowdfunding for these trials will begin in late 2014.

This could be one of the most

effective birth control methods on the market, and if anything is highly imperfect it’s the female birth control system and it’s cost.

The most effective “reversible” female birth control options are also some of the most expensive and can have been proven to cause extreme hormonal symptoms. According to Bedsider.org, the female hormonal injection, Depo-Provera depends on the timing of injections to be effective, can cost up to $300 a year and has been proven to cause severe weight gain.

The female implant is put into the upper arm and is listed on Bedsider. org to cost up to $800, with a common symptom of irregular bleeding. Most forms of the birth control pill are free under insurance (thanks Obama), but effectiveness can be extremely varied depending on when the pill is taken and antibiotics can make it ineffective.

The Parsemus Foundation released a statement in their FAQ stating, “Vasalgel’s developer is committed to making it affordable and widely available—close to cost in low-income countries, and less than current longacting contraceptives in the U.S.—but until the process is further along we won’t know exactly how much it will cost. We’ll have to charge enough to make the company sustainable, but for sure it won’t be $800 like long-acting contraceptives (IUDs) for women in the U.S. A contraceptive shouldn’t cost more than a flat-screen TV!” The foundation claims that the bulk of the cost for a Vasalgel procedure will come from the cost of actually going to the doctor and that they will be working to get the product covered by insurance.

I used to tell people that the future gave me so much hope. That when I sent my kids off to college they’d live in co-ed rooms, be able to buy marijuana from a mom-and-pop pot shop down the street, and top of the line BC would be available for both genders. While cohabiting dorms and nationwide legalization are slow developments, Vasalgel is hope enough for right now. While Harlan Frazier and the rest of America’s lazy men refuse to accept it, change is coming (pun intended).

Selene San Felice can be reached at selene.sanfelice@theminaretonline. com

THE MINARET SEPTEMBER 18 2014

OPINION

15

Rainbow Laces the Answer to Homophobia?

By TERRENCE PRESTON Opinion Columnist

Gay people—they’re just like real people too. Though this may come as a shock to some, the LGBT community serves as a group of societal contributors, including employees, parents, entertainers and even recently, openly gay professional athletes.

The Premier Football League, England’s version of the MLS, or major league soccer, has started the “Rainbow Laces” campaign—a weekend of soccer where many players and supports will tie up their cleats with rainbow laces. The weekend long campaign will take place during European Pride Weekend. According to The Guardian, in preparation for this event over 100,000 pairs of rainbow laces have been distributed to players and supporters to wear during games. The Rainbow Laces Campaign aims to “kick” homophobia out of professional league sports.

According to Buzzfeed, Rainbow Laces has released a promotional video on Youtube in which famous soccer players, including Olivier Giroud, who was voted “Sexiest Player of the Year” (for good reason) by popular French gay magazine, Tètu, state what they cannot change about themselves.

Statements include their height or the belief that they “look like a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.” After a few moments of players stating what they can’t change, a narrator states, “but together, we can change the game. Players are lacing up to kick homophobia out of football.”

The support for the LGTBQ Community in professional sports is a significant step in conquering the ideology that individuals of nonheterosexual orientations cannot compete in professional sports,

because they are not “manly” enough to participate. However, the Rainbow Laces Campaign runs the serious risk of being yet another benign awareness campaign. This is because Stonewall’s efforts lack any call to action for players, fans, or anyone with ties in professional sports to do anything other than change the colors of their laces for two days. This raises the risk that individuals will quickly forget the efforts of Rainbow Laces, and will move on to their next topic of awareness. Simply being “aware” does not create change.

On the other hand, awareness of homosexuals active in professional sports was brought to light this year when Michael Sam, the openly gay first-string quarterback for the University of Missouri, was drafted into the NFL. Though news of his sexuality severely biased the coverage of him as he was drafted, he was eventually picked up by the St. Louis Rams—until being cut from the team almost two weeks ago. Since his termination from the Rams, Sam has been drafted to the practice squad on the Dallas Cowboys. Just because we are aware of gays that play sports, does not mean that any specific team has to choose to accept them.

This is why “awareness” is not going to cut it in the Premier Football League and professional sports altogether. Michael Sam has proved it before—yes, gay athletes exist (they’re just like normal athletes, except ESPN places a greater focus on their shower habits than their performances on the field). However, the existence of an openly gay athlete in professional sports has done nothing to eliminate the bans based on discrimination for sexual orientation on various football teams across the nation.

As a result, the Rainbow Laces

privatenobby/Flickr

The Premier Football League is having players wear rainbow laces to raise awareness of homophobia.

campaign needs to do more than spice up the wardrobes of the Premier Football League for a weekend.

Though the event does utilize twitter for fans to express support with the hashtag #rainbowlaces, there is still no radical change to be made, no progress, and no difference by the end of the pride weekend. The football league should encourage players to regularly wear these laces, showing an ongoing effort to kick homophobia off of the field and keep a continuous focus on the issue. In addition, the Premier Football League should enact clauses in its organization’s bylaws that work to eliminate any form of discrimination altogether, thus making the league a safer environment for players and employees alike.

The world is not going to be

changed with a hashtag. Though they are capable of developing important social conversations, such as that of #yesallwomen, they typically lack any form of real call to action— after all, how much of an ideal can you place inside of 140 characters?

Instead, Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces Campaign should be using their hashtag and pride weekend laces to initiate an ongoing effort, drawing constant attention to the issue at hand until a resolution and equality have been reached. The world has not yet been changed with a tweet—but there is hope of future development of a much greater effort to end homophobia in professional sports.

Terrence Preston can be reached at terrence.preston@spartans.ut.edu

Powerful Black Women Dominate Recent Headlines

By KENISHA EBANKS Opinion Writer

With Nicki Minaj’s powerful “Anaconda” music video, Keke Palmer’s debut as the first African American Cinderella on Broadway, and tennis player Serena Williams’ sixth U.S. Open win and eighteenth overall Grand Slam title, African American women have captured the headlines lately with accomplishments.

African American women trailblazers, such as the late Rosa Parks and Maya Angelou, helped shape the world we live in today and set a strong path for this generation’s strong and resilient female leaders. Our generation has taken it upon themselves to broaden that path in a unique way, while having to deal with a predominantly male society with a focus on mainstream white America.

First and foremost, being a double minority due to gender and race is not an easy task. In a book titled, “Shifting: The Double Lives of Black Women in America,” authors Charisse Jones and clinical psychologist Kumea ShorterGooden have conducted research on 400 black women of all ages and different socioeconomic backgrounds to gain an understanding of what it is like to be an African American female.

They highlight that black women

have so much to offer society, but that the truth of their experiences are not often acknowledged or appreciated.

They attribute this to the reason why many black women today are poorly understood and are unhappy about their place in society.

Let’s take a look at Minaj. The female rapper has a reputation for being outrageous and extravagant with her stage antics. However, Minaj portrays a fierce demeanor proving she can compete with her male rapper counterparts. In a 2012 interview with The Guardian, writer Simon Hattenstone describes Minaj having a body like Marilyn [Monroe] and a mouth like Eminem, implying not to mess with her.

Originally born on the Caribbean island of Trinidad, Minaj was raised in Queens, NY and knows what it means to start from the bottom. Her latest single “Anaconda,” has made its way to the top of the music charts, but the meaning that lies behind the lyrics carry a more profound message than meets the eye. The lyrics represent empowering women through sexuality and owning it without apologizing.

In comparison, self-proclaimed feminist Beyoncé displays her femininity proudly. At the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards, Beyoncé closed the show with a strong feminine statement through her nearly twenty-

minute long performance. In her song “Flawless,” Beyoncé features a speech titled “We Should All Be Feminists”

by Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie which states, “We say to girls, ‘You can have ambition, but not too much. You should aim to be successful, but not too successful. Otherwise you will threaten the man.’ We teach girls that they cannot be sexual beings in the way that boys are.” This speech featured in her performance is a true representation of the struggles and expectations of all women in today’s society.

There is also Keke Palmer. Palmer recently became the first African American Cinderella on Broadway and the youngest talk show host at 21. Known for her acting roles in movies like “Akeelah and the Bee” and “Madea’s Family Reunion,” Palmer hosts her own talk show titled “Just Keke” on BET that addresses the issues that young African American females face. In Palmer’s position, she is empowering the females of our generation and giving them a platform to voice their concerns and opinions.

Serena Williams is the epitome of a successful black woman. Recently winning her sixth U.S. Open and eighteenth Grand Slam title, Williams was raised in Compton, California

where she discovered her love for tennis. In an interview with The New York Times back in 2012, Williams mentioned that she had to learn how to drop to the floor of the tennis court at the sound of gunshots being fired near her neighborhood park where she practiced.

Through her hard work, drive, and perseverance over the years, Williams has set herself up today as one of the most dominant tennis players. With the odds against her, she still managed to rise above society’s expectations.

The strength of these women is inspirational and powerful. Their fame and influence should not be underestimated. Erika Forbes, a sophomore and accounting major at UT, believes that all females should strive to be the best that they can be. “We should not fail ourselves by allowing discrimination to limit our aspirations and achievements,” Forbes said . This is an issue within our society that requires our close attention. Success is attainable for the young female. However, with the given potential, one must be willing and determined to reach high and soar above and beyond society’s expectations despite the limitations.

Kenisha Ebanks can be reached at senia.ebanks@spartans.ut.edu

16 SEPTEMBER 18 2014 | THE MINARET

Pro Sports

Champions League Preview: Who Will Win It All? reigning Champions League winners, and they have lifted the coveted trophy a record 10 times.

Although their season in La Liga (Spanish League) has gotten off to a shaky start, earning only three points in three games played, there is no doubt Real Madrid will turn it around.

With the reigning UEFA Player of the Year in Cristiano Ronaldo, young superstar Gareth Bale, and World Cup hero James Rodriguez, there is no doubt in my mind that Real Madrid can give their fans a repeat performance of the dominance they showed last season.

Bayern Munich

The team that consists of practically the entire German World Cup winning squad will look to lift the trophy again after doing so back in the 2012-2013 season. Bayern Munich has what can be considered as the best squad in all of Europe. The team consists of superstars such as Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben, Mario Götze, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Philipp Lahm, Robert Lewandowski, and Manuel Neuer just to name a few. Bayern have started the Bundesliga well, earning seven out of a possible 9 nine points.

Look for them to keep the momentum up in Europe and get back to the Champions League final.

Jan SOLO/ Flickr

Cristiano Ronaldo will look to lead Real Madrid to its record 11th Champions League title.

By ED KERNER Sports Writer

With the draw completed and the groups set, it’s time for the most exciting club football tournament in the world: the UEFA Champions League. The Champions League consists of the top club teams from Europe’s most competitive leagues.

There are eight groups consisting of four teams, with the top two teams in each group

advancing to the knockout stages. Once the knockout stages are reached, if a team loses then they are out of the tournament. Here is a look at a few teams that have a real chance of being title contenders in this upcoming season.

Real Madrid

Real Madrid is considered one of the best teams in the world, if not the best. They are the

Barcelona

Barcelona is another Spanish giant that is widely considered one of the best clubs in the world. Barcelona has added plenty of depth to an already intimidating roster the past two summers. With the signing of Neymar Jr. last summer, and this summer’s signing of Ivan Rakitić, Caludio Bravo, Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, Jeremy Mathieu, Thomas Vermaelen, and Luis Suarez, watch out for Barcelona.

Barcelona has started the La Liga season

perfect earning nine out of a possible nine points through three games. Led by the best player in the world in Lionel Messi, Barcelona will have a very good chance of lifting the trophy this spring.

Arsenal

It wouldn’t be a Champions League preview without picking an English team to win the tournament. While some people would laugh for picking Arsenal, they are a major potential contender.

It takes only one word to describe Arsenal: consistent. Arsenal has reached the Champions League for a record 17 straight years in a row, which is the longest current streak of any team.

Although Arsenal may not have all the superstars, they have a team that plays extremely well together and has great chemistry. With last summer’s blockbuster signing Mesut Ozil ready to prove himself, and this summer’s signings of Alexis Sanchez and Danny Welbeck, Arsenal have plenty of attacking options.

Even with Oliver Giroud sidelined with an ankle injury, Aaron Ramsey has stepped his game up and became one of the best attacking midfielders in the Premier League.

Oh and lets not forget about the speedy Theo Walcott, who should be back in a few weeks from his ACL injury.

Arsenal will have one of the fastest attacking lines in all of football. Arsenal has yet to win the Champions League, but last reached the Champions League Final in 2006, in which they suffered a heartbreaking loss to Barcelona.

The Champions League kicks off on Sept.

16, and runs all season long until the final in May in Berlin.

Ed Kerner can be reached at edward. kerner@spartans.ut.edu

SPORTS

17

THE MINARET | SEPTEMBER 18 2014

By GRIFFIN GUINTA

Amalie Arena: A New Name For The Home of The Lightning

Sports Columnist

From here on out, fans will no longer be catching hockey games or attending concerts at “The Forum.

As of Sept. 3, local oil magnate Amalie has purchased the naming rights to the multi-purpose sports facility and changed the name to “Amalie Arena.” Rolls off the tongue nicely, doesn’t it?

While the alliterated name may be easier to pronounce, the majority of Tampa locals likely have no idea what Amalie even is.

“I have never even heard of Amalie,” said sophomore vocal performance major Sam Boatwright. “It’s strange that they changed the name of such a renowned arena.”

Junior music major Steven Card went a step further.

“I’m a bit disappointed that a news outlet that most people in the area respect no longer owns the official stadium name,” he said. “I don’t know much about the oil company but it just doesn’t feel as special.”

Though not a household name, Amalie Oil Co. has actually held roots in Tampa since 1977.

Originally founded in Pennsylvania in 1903, Amalie moved to the Sunshine State in the late seventies due to high interest in the Port of Tampa.

Since then, the company has grown to 250 local employees and is “North America’s largest privately held independent blender of motor oils and industrial lubricants,” according to their official website.

It’s a bit unclear at this point as to why the Tampa Bay Times decided not to upkeep the stadium naming rights, but

the decision could be due to financial constraints.

While the Pulitzer-winning Times has been arguably the most successful newspaper in the region, things haven’t been all roses in the past few years.

According to the Tampa Tribune, the Tampa Bay Times Holding Company Revenue dropped from $274 million in 2009 to $151 million in 2012. (Facts and figures from 2013 and 2014 have not been disclosed.)

Additionally, the newspaper took out a $28 million loan recently that is expected to be paid off in December of 2016.

UT alum Jackson Harris, who spent his entire childhood growing up in Tampa, is not surprised that the Times is dropping its name from the venue.

“Everyone knows newspapers are a declining medium and that naming rights for a major sports venue are extremely expensive. That’s why I wasn’t surprised when I saw the Times was dropping theirs,” Harris said. “No one has heard of Amalie Oil but kudos to them, a local business, for snagging this.”

However, Tampa Bay Times CEO Paul Tash insists that the decision did not spawn from a need to save money.

“Is there a better purpose to which we can now spend some of those resources?

Probably so. But the decision is not based on that,” he said in an interview with the Times.

All speculations aside, the newspaper is not completely distancing themselves from Tampa’s lone NHL organization.

The Tampa Bay Times will still serve as “the exclusive print partner of the Lightning, Storm, and Amalie Arena,” according to the Lightning’s

Matthew Paulson/ Flickr

The home of the Tampa Bay Lightning will now be called Amalie Arena starting this year.

official website.

Their name may have been erased on the outside of the building, but expect to see plenty of Times signage on the inside of the arena.

On the flip side, Amalie Co. is thrilled to be starting this multi-year partnership with Lightning owner Jeff Vinik. Amalie Co. has been part of the Tampa community for over thirty years and is seeking to expand its brand recognition throughout the region.

“We want to be a part of this community, and we think this is probably the quickest possible way for us to accomplish that.

We’re just thrilled to death we were

able to pull this off,” said Amalie Co. President Harry Barkett to Channel 10 News.

If Barkett and his crew are aiming to increase their influence, they’re certainly in the right spot to do so. In the 12 years of The Tampa Bay Times Forum’s existence, the venue hosted the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals, the 2012 Republican National Convention, and even selfproclaimed rap god Kanye West.

Being tied to those big names only increased publicity and notoriety for the newspaper, and will likely do the same for Amalie Co. Griffin Guinta can be reached at griffin.guinta@spartans.ut.edu

Trout Paces The Field In Race For AL MVP

By JAMES BELLUSCIO Sports Writer

The American League MVP picture includes a flock of talented players this year, but one in particular seems to be the front-runner heading into the last few weeks of the season.

Despite a recent slump, Angels outfielder Mike Trout remains the favorite to receive this year’s award after falling short the last two seasons.

His overall numbers throughout the season pop off the page. Trout has 32 home runs, 102 runs batted in, 14 stolen bases, and a .285 batting average.

His defensive play also comes at a premium in centerfield. Yet, statistics only go so far. A true MVP has to purely make his team better, and Trout does exactly that. The Angels have taken over with the league’s best record with a whopping 93 wins as of Sept. 14. He is the best player, on the best team, which matters to MVP voters.

Like the National League, the American League MVP race does have a close second. That player is the ace of the Seattle Mariners, Felix Hernandez. During the last weeks of August, King Felix kept the race neckand-neck with Trout.

He had a historic streak of 16 straight starts of at least seven innings with no more than two runs allowed.

But, in his four starts since that untouchable streak, Hernandez has allowed 11 runs in 25 innings, which

hurt his MVP candidacy. He has been excellent, but for a starting pitcher to win the MVP he has to be even better than excellent; he has to be near perfect.

If the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw doesn’t win the NL MVP, there is no way Felix wins it in the AL. Let’s face it: voters are reluctant to award a pitcher the award because they only take the field every four or five games.

Not to mention, the Cy Young Award is the true pitcher award in Major League Baseball.

Trout has been the most consistent, and as long as he can finish out the year strong, he will be a lock to win the MVP award. Yet, there are two players that are a monstrous September short of sneaking in as the AL MVP. One is Victor Martinez of the Detroit Tigers, who is enjoying a career year. The 35-year-old is hitting .335 with 30 home runs, 95 RBIs, 61 walks and only 39 strikeouts. He looks to be on pace to finish with career highs in every statistic. His stat-line may suggest he is having in fact a

Keith Allison/Flickr The Angels’ Mike Trout will capture the first of many AL MVP awards after this season.

better year at the plate than Trout. Yet, because he is primarily a designated hitter and the Tigers are not atop their division, Martinez will most likely come up just short of the award.

The other player that could make a late run is Baltimore Orioles outfielder Nelson Cruz. Cruz was suspended for 50 games last year for taking performance enhancing drugs.

He is leading the league with 39 home runs and 101 RBIs for an Orioles team that has a double-digit lead in the competitive AL East. He will get plenty of votes, but because of his falling .230 average since June, voters will be reluctant to put him before Trout.

In addition, Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays has been on fire as of late. Bautista is quietly having one of his typical monster years, putting up a .288 batting average with 31 home runs and 89 RBIs. Another year with Toronto not making the postseason, will cost him some votes.

Kansas City Royals outfielder Alex Gordon’s late season MVP surge has been built on clutch homers -- three of his four home runs over the last two weeks have either tied the game or given the Royals the lead in the seventh inning or later. His defensive stats also rank on top of the American League. A slow start for Gordon hurts his chances, but expect some votes for the Royals’ star.

James Belluscio can be reached at james.belluscio@spartans.ut.edu

18 SEPTEMBER 18 2014 | THE MINARET

SPORTS

(Left to Right) West Point- The U.S Military Academy/ Flickr, Keith Allison/ Flickr, Mike Morbeck/ Flickr, Parker Anderson/ Flickr

(Left to Right) NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and star players such as Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson and Greg Hardy are in the middle of the current NFL domestic abuse crisis.

The Troubles of Millionaires And Billionaires What does the National Football League actually stand for?

By JORDAN LLANES Asst. Sports Editor

Enough is enough. This plague of violence needs to end. I’m talking about our nation’s most popular sport: the multi-billion dollar juggernaut that is the National Football League.

Over the past few weeks, a number of troubling stories have rocked the landscape of the league. The Ravens’ release of running back Ray Rice, and his indefinite suspension by the NFL, was just the tip of the iceberg.

Commissioner Roger Goodell’s botched handling of the entire situation is of paramount concern here.

But the news that followed was as equally disturbing. When ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Vikings tailback Adrian Peterson was charged with child abuse, I just couldn’t believe it.

That news, on top of the Rice scandal, Goodell’s awful PR fiasco, and Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy’s impending suspension all stem from domestic abuse indictments.

49ers defensive end Ray McDonald’s arrest on domestic abuse charges was almost too much to handle after the installment of the NFL’s new domestic abuse policy.

The league had already taken a huge hit when the video of Rice hitting then fiance (now wife) Janay Palmer was released to the public by TMZ. Now it has to deal with Peterson, Hardy and McDonald as well.

Let’s not even get into the failed proposed resolution to finally introduce HGH (human growth hormone) testing and reduce the penalties for marijuana usage. Why is the NFL in such a hole right now?

Goodell simply has too much power and not enough recourse. It seems like he doesn’t care about what his players do on their own time, which is a cause for great concern.

He handled his interview with the CBS Evening News like a smug, Armani-wearing know-it-all trying to blow off the media, which is what he has done quite a few times during his tenure as commissioner.

If Goodell and the rest of the NFL leadership continues down this road of PR nightmares, it might lead to a change at the top.

Despite having vocal support from Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and reportedly the rest of the owners, Goodell is on thin ice with a lot of NFL fans. That should worry the higher ups, because let’s face it: even though they don’t want to admit it, the owners and league officials must realize that if they lose their fans, they lose their money as well.

Even though Goodell made the right move in recently suspending Colts owner Jim Irsay for six games and fined him $500,000 for his DUI and four counts of possession of a controlled substance arrests in March.

His initial suspensions of Rice on domestic abuse (two games) and Peterson (inactive for the week two game against the Patriots) were deemed too nonchalant or at least thought of as light.

Goodell’s and the NFL’s disciplinary committee’s use of suspensions are inconsistent. After revising Rice’s suspension to indefinite length following the release of the casino’s video, they created a new domestic violence policy in which first time offenders will be suspended for at least six games, while a repeat offender could be banned from a year to the rest of their life.

While crafting the new set of disciplinary actions, Goodell met with six national authorities on domestic violence. That was a step in the right direction, but his handling of the Rice situation has completely botched the forward progress he made.

The interview with “CBS This Morning” co-host Norah O’Donnell was filled with denials, brush-offs and minimal comments.

When asked if anyone in the NFL had seen the the video that depicted the elevator confrontation between Rice and Palmer, Goodell replied with the following: “No one in the NFL, to my knowledge, and I had been asked that same question and the answer to that is

no. We were not granted that. We were told that was not something we would have access to. On multiple occasions, we asked for it. And on multiple occasions we were told no. I understand that there may be legal restrictions on them sharing that with us. And we’ve heard that from attorneys general and former attorneys general.”

O’Donnell addressed the fact that there a lot of people that don’t buy the “fact” that no one in the NFL had seen the tape, but Goodell stood by his statement.

The Associated Press (AP) then later that day released a report about an anonymous law enforcement official who said the NFL got the tape back in April, and an female NFL employee confirmed the delivery of the video via voicemail. However, the NFL continued to refute the report despite pressure from the media.

That’s not to say that Rice, McDonald, Hardy and Peterson are hardly at fault as well. No matter what their significant others did to them, Hardy, Rice, and McDonald should never have laid a hand on those women.

They are supposed to be role models for not only the college and high school players that will follow them in the pros, but for kids all over the country.

They have to keep in mind that they have a public image to uphold, and no matter what they do to try and make the public forget their terrible transgression of striking a woman, we will not forget.

This past Sunday, ESPN’s Hannah Storm emotionally broke down during a conversation she had with her three daughters about Rice’s terrible act against his wife. “...One of my daughters has her first fantasy football team this season. But at breakfast this week, instead of discussing how her team was doing, we watched the Ray Rice video play out again, in all its ugliness. I spent this week answering seemingly impossible questions about the league’s biggest stars: Mom, why did he do that? Why is he in jail? Why didn’t he get fired? And yesterday:

Why don’t they even have control of their own players? So here’s a question: What does all of this mean for the future?” Storm asked the public.

The same standards apply for Peterson. Times have changed. ESPN’s Cris Carter made that very clear on Sunday morning when he stated “This is the twenty-first century! My mom was wrong. She did the best she could, but she was wrong about some of that stuff she taught me. And I promise my kids, I won’t teach that mess to them.”

It’s now not acceptable to hit your kid in the manner that he did.

And the fact that allegations arose on Monday about another instance in which he abused his children is deeply disturbing. Peterson is on track to play during week three against the Saints.

However, now that additional allegations have been revealed to the public, will Goodell bring the hammer down and suspend arguably the league’s best running back for longer?

Or will he allow the legal system to take recourse and make a decision then? Only time will tell.

Even though what Rice, McDonald, Hardy, and Peterson did are deplorable actions, the NFL’s reaction and consequential handling of the situation is the matter that is most concerning.

The inconsistent nature of suspensions, the scrambling to change policies to react to gruesome attacks by some of the league’s best players, and the apparent willingness to lie straight to the public’s face about evidence is highly disconcerting.

One has to wonder, as Storm did at the end of her nationally broadcast monologue, what does the NFL stand for?

Jordan Llanes can be reached at jordan.llanes@theminaretonline.com

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THE MINARET | SEPTEMBER 18 2014

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Men’s Soccer Marches Through Early Opponents

By GRANT PAWLAK

Sports Writer

The men’s soccer team started the season off with an unfortunate defeat against Carson-Newman.

While UT junior forward Chris Campbell netted the first goal of the game within the first 15 minutes, CarsonNewman was close behind, evening the score in the nineteenth minute and took the lead in the thirty-sixth.

The Eagles opened the second half by scoring a third goal and then continued to make another in the eighty-third minute putting them at a considerable lead of 4-1.

The Spartans were the able to net a penalty kick, ending the game with a score of 4-2.

Despite their loss, the Spartans held fast with a strong defense and offense outshooting the Eagles 11-10.

Goalkeeper Zak Downes was able to chalk up four saves while Campbell and senior midfielder Daniel Barboto led the team in offense with four shots each.

The Spartans took their first win of the season when facing off against Spring Hill College with a shutout score of 1-0.

While being outshot 5 to 4, UT junior forward Nikolai Hammer led with a total of four shots in the match. Downes saved two shots directed towards him.

The Spartans won their second game of the season against the Clayton State Lakers after the scoreless game went into overtime.

Photo courtesy of Tom Kolbe

The men’s soccer team looks to continue its’ strong start throughout the rest of the season..

The first half saw a stalemate even with the Spartans outshooting the Lakers.

Downes earned his second shutout of his career and made six saves during the game.

However, the second half of the game saw both teams battle for control over the ball but no goals were made. During the eighth minute of overtime, junior

forward Keith Francisco made an assist to Campbell who was able to score the goal, winning the game for the Spartans.

“To go to the NCAA tournament and get 10 shutouts: that’s our goal as a defense. We’re at two right now and we’re pretty excited,” Downes said.

Sunday night saw the Spartans tie Montevallo in double overtime with a

final score of 1-1. After a scoreless first half in which both teams had multiple shots on goal, the pressure was on.

Hammer came up big for the Spartans again, scoring the lone goal in the 62nd minute. This came after the Spartans trailed Montevallo.

While the season is still fresh, the Spartans have started it off strong. Even though they did suffer one loss at the beginning of the season, both wins were shutouts.

“Were still young, we’ve got a lot of new faces and we’ve just got to continue the upward movement and working hard in practice as well as staying together as a unit,” head coach Adrian Bush said.

The Spartans have added eight new faces to the team, with six of them being starters and each bringing a level of skill to the team.

Sophomore forward Jason Collister, Downes and freshman defender Bay Downing being some of the key players in the pre-season lineup as well as during the first few games.

With 14 more games left in the season, the Spartans still have a long way to go before anything is concrete.

However, if things keep going the way they have been in the first few games, the Spartans are looking to have a fantastic season this year and have a lot to look forward to.

Grant Pawlak can be reached at grant. pawlak@spartans.ut.edu

Women’s Soccer Continues Undefeated Streak

By MARCUS MITCHELL Sports Writer

In what can only be described as sheer dominance, the women’s soccer team have gone undefeated in their first four games and are on an absolute tear as of late.

They’ve been strong at every position on the pitch and have shown little to no weakness so far.

They rolled past their early opposition with 5-0, 2-1, and 7-0 victories against Carson-Newman, Webber International, and Southeastern, respectively.

This past Friday’s match against Tusculum was a tougher test for the Spartans as they played to a 0-0 draw that lasted into double overtime.

Despite the draw, the Spartans controlled the match and outshot Tusculum 31-11, but were simply unable to put the ball into the back of the net.

On Tuesday night, the ladies continued their winning ways, defeating Georgia Southwestern 14-0. Junior Lauren Moore had a school record five goals in the contest, and the ladies dominated the whole match.

Over the course of those five games, the team has collectively outscored opponents 14-1, an accomplishment that is nothing short of spectacular.

Head coach Gerry Lucey said, “The team has come in fit and with a great attitude. They are hungry to succeed and the environment has been fantastic to work in.”

This is Lucey’s eighth season as head coach and he is looking to bring back the Sunshine State Conference title to UT after coming up short last season.

“The players themselves feel more togetherness this season and want to put last season behind them,” Lucey said, and the team looks as poised as ever for a

run at the SSC title.

The “togetherness” that coach Lucey mentions can visibly be seen on the pitch during matches.

Team captain and junior advertising and public relations major, Lauren Moore, described the team chemistry.

“We have all played with each other and are familiar of each other’s play. We know who wants the ball to feet and who wants the ball into space for a run. A lot of our goals have come from us moving the ball really well, not forcing it when it’s not on, and working it around the opposing defense,” Moore said.

Moore has been an integral part of the attacking unit for UT and currently leads the team in assists.

The forwards themselves have been tearing up opposing defenses as senior communications major Gabby Russo and junior film and media major Amber Pennybaker have been wreaking havoc on the wings.

Junior criminology major Cici Gonzalez and sophomore health sciences major Chelsea Martin have been punishing defenders and currently lead the team with five and four goals each, respectively.

On the other end of the pitch, goalkeeper Caroline Frykgard has earned three shutouts and only allowed one goal over the course of the first four games of the season.

Overall, Frykgard has seen little

Photo courtesy of Tom Kolbe

The women’s soccer team has obliterated the competition on the pitch and are poised to win the SSC.

action between the sticks as the defense has been able to shut down opponents.

Opposing offenses have been limited to an average of less than four shots a game and the back four have been a brick wall on the pitch.

Freshman Tampa native and entrepreneurship major Madison Cox has been an anchor as the center back and crucial to the defense.

“Our back four is a force to be reckoned with. I don’t think you can get a faster defense than the four of us. We may be young, but the defense is one of the strongest parts of our team,” Cox said.

It seems like she is certainly correct in regards to the strength of the defense.

Not only has Cox and the defense been able to shut out opponents, but they have been able to do so cleanly.

Only one yellow card has been handed out and any loose balls were dealt with efficiently as the defense has given up less than ten corner kicks thus far.

With the defense as strong as it is, the offense is able to go all out when need be.

This combination has led to the team’s dominance and the team is looking incredible thus far.

The schedule will start to toughen when the team begins conference play this weekend on the road against Nova Southeastern.

Currently ranked No. 15, the Spartans will need to get past conference rivals No.9 Rollins, as well as tough SSC foes Florida Southern and Barry.

The Spartans have their work cut out for them, but if they can continue this form for the majority of the season, they should be able to expect great things once the tournaments roll around in November.

Marcus Mitchell can be reached at marcus.mitchell@spartans.ut.edu

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Volleyball Dominates The Tampa Classic

By TESS SHEETS Sports Writer

To kick off the preseason, the Spartans hosted No. 5 Central Missouri, No. 13 Ferris State, No. 24 Indianapolis and Tusculum College last week in the Tampa Classic.

Coming out of the tournament with a 4-0 record surely makes it a successful week for the Spartans. However, competing against three out of top 25 Division II teams in the nation was no cakewalk.

We played really well against Central Missouri, so that was probably our best match. But the night before, we played Ferris,” Head Coach Chris Catanach said. “They pushed us the most, so we had to make changes.

We had to change as players, so that was good for us, that was the most challenging match.”

While the team did not face anyone in their conference during this competition, the teams they played did prepare them for some of the tougher matches that the regular season will consist of.

“There were good level teams, so they pushed us,” Catanach said. “[They] made us do some things both offensively and defensively that conference teams will do on a regular basis, so it was a nice prep.”

This preseason tournament was not only a way for the team as a whole to determine how they will measure up to others during regular season, but it

also proved to be a diagnostic for the newer players; to establish what they can bring to the court.

“Our game vs Tusculum really showed that our new players can be assets to the team,” sophomore outside hitter Leigh Buttner said. “We started two of our freshman and everyone, both freshman and transfers, got to play the whole game, mixed with returning players.”

The Spartans held their own throughout the entire series, sweeping each of their high-ranked opponents in 3-0 matches.

“I think the game we excelled the most in is the game versus Ferris State,” Buttner said. “They had really good defense and dug our best player’s hits. This made it difficult for our team to get kills but it also pushed us to play harder.”

Despite the team’s indisputable talent over their competitors, the game against No. 25 Indianapolis proved to be more of a challenge than expected, catching the team off guard.

“Our biggest struggle was Indianapolis,” Catanach said. “We had an expectation after playing against Missouri so well, we just thought it would come easy and then going against Indianapolis, we just didn’t do all of the little things that we needed to do: transition, high contact, communication. All of that broke down.”

With the knowledge and preparation gained after last week’s tournament,

Photo courtesy of Tom Kolbe The volleyball team looks to continue their hot streak after their strong performance to begin 2014.

the team heads to Colorado on Sept.

12 to compete in the Colorado Premier Classic in Denver, Co. They hope to use their experience at the Tampa Classic to top the first, third, fourth and seventh ranked teams in the nation that they will be facing this weekend.

“This tournament showed us what

we as a team need to improve on in order to play our best in Colorado,” Buttner said. “By watching film on ourselves we notice what we have to work hard at during practice for us to compete at the highest level.”

Tess Sheets can be reached at tess. sheets@theminaretonline.com

Team USA Cruises to FIBA Gold Medal in Spain

By PHIL NOVOTNY Sports Editor

To nobody’s surprise, the United States is on top of the world’s basketball pedestal. Any doubts about Team USA’s talent was put to rest after defeating Serbia in the International Basketball Federation (or FIBA) world championship game 129-92 to claim the gold medal.

Team USA cruised through the Group Stage by defeating New Zealand, Turkey, and Finland respectively. In the Knockout Stage, it did not get much harder for them as they beat Mexico, Ukraine, and Lithuania to advance to the final.

In the final, point guard Kyrie Irving won the tournament MVP after scoring 26 points and making all six of his three-point attempts while shooting guard James Harden also put up 23 points to assist Team USA in capturing the gold.

To only say that Team USA won this tournament would be an understatement.

In the nine games that they played, Team USA averaged a 33-point margin of victory throughout the tournament.

The United States did not play host nation Spain, whom many fans thought were the second best team on paper going into the tournament.

However, Spain was upset by France in the quarterfinal round by a final score

of 65-52. Regardless, Team USA put with great talent migrate to the NBA 90’s are now the Kevin Durants and the their foot on the gas when it mattered because that is where the spotlight LeBron James’ of today. most. shines the most.

Unless if these other nations can The irony in Team USA’s dominance Even International stars have and are develop their professional leagues like is they didn’t even put their best team still coming to the United States to get the United States has done with the on the court. experience against top American talent. NBA, then the U.S will continue to This year’s team is considered the Although more international players reign supreme on the world stage. weakest national team since the 1992 are playing in the NBA, the United What basketball fans are wondering “Dream Team” and still won every States is developing youth players at a are who the new faces of tomorrow game by at least 25 points. phenomenal rate. are going to be? From what it looks Fans were referring to the national Winning the FIBA gold medal like now, those faces are going to be team as the “B-Team,” since NBA solidifies that Team USA has sustained wearing the red, white, and blue. icons LeBron James, Kevin Durant, its talent over time. The Michael Phil Novotny can be reached at Kobe Bryant, Blake Griffin and other Jordans and the Patrick Ewings of the philip.novotny@theminaretonline.com superstars decided not to be on the roster.

Team USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski had more team oriented players on his roster like phenoms Anthony Davis, Stephen Curry, and Kenneth Faried.

What makes Team USA so dominant on the world stage is the influx of young talent and how the coaches develop it.

For example, players start at a young age by competing on AAU travel teams before moving up to the high school level and are then recruited to play in colleges against the best basketball schools in the country.

If a player dominates against the top amateur competition in the nation then they can get drafted into the NBA. The NBA is the most popular league in a sport where professional leagues Erik Drost/ Flickr internationally cannot compete. Players Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving won tournament MVP and will be a star on future US teams.