The Seminole Scribe Issue No. 4
Seminole State College of Florida
November 1 , 2012
Is Seminole State Joining the Ban Smoking Bandwagon?
Smoke-Free sign next to the Administration Building on S/LM campus
I
By: Sabira Mawji (@SabiraMawji)
magine the kiosks on Seminole State campuses no longer occupied with smokers polluting the air with second-hand smoke. This could be a prodigious dream for some or a horrid nightmare for others. Recently, the Seminole State Professional Employee Council, the Career Service Employee Council, and the Student Government Association met to discuss smoke-free campuses for Seminole State College. “Smoke-free campuses are the way to go,” Tiffany Orben, a student at Seminole State, said after coughing her way through the designated smoking area in front of the main office on the Sanford/ Lake Mary campus. “I transferred from Valencia and was actually shocked to see that smoking was allowed here on campus. It was not tolerated on Valencia campuses.”
Photo by: Danielle Wiebe
school takes away my gazebo, I might as well quit my classes because there is no way I can last four hours of not smoking. No way. ” Along with a smoke-free campus, the topics of planning a wellness center and the continued expense of maintaining the kiosks were discussed at the meeting. Jay Davis, director of communications and media at Seminole State, said the thought of developing a wellness center seems “incongruent” with Seminole State’s current smoking policy, if not hypocritical.
“I have been smoking since I turned 18,” he said. “Now 34, and coming back to school, I must have a cig after each hour. If the
Dr. Abbas Ali, a cardiologist at Osceola Regional Medical Center, said there should be no smoking in public to cut down on second-hand smoke. When the law prevented smokers from smoking in public in Italy, Dr. Ali said a 30 percent drop in massive heart attacks was observed in the non-smokers due to the avoidance of second-hand smoke.
“The College is faced with the continued expense of upgrading and maintaining smoking kiosks on its campuses,” Mr. Davis said. “Many of the kiosks at the Sanford/Lake Mary and Oviedo campuses were built when the current smoking policy was approved in 2006. This funding could be used toward the
Orlando’s Own is Broadway Bound By: Kimberley Lewis Feature writer In the past, the city of Orlando has produced numerous famous
personalities like Wesley Snipes, Carrot Top and Tiger Woods. Now, local talent and entrepreneur Dominique Minor is clawing to be considered. As a production company founder at 17 years old, a recording artist, and a performer in numerous venues around Orlando, Mr. Minor, known simply as Dominique, has been conquering the city since 2006. In a 2010 issue of Orlando Weekly Magazine, local theater reviewer Al Krulick attests that “it would be difficult to find a better voice in any other theater in town” when reporting on Theater Downtowns 21st Anniversary Show. Most recently, he can be seen on the Oct. 3 to 9 cover of Orlando Weekly
Cover of October Issue of Orlando Weekly Magazine
“I have asthma and taking the Lynx bus means having to wait next to smokers for about 10 to 15 minutes each day,” Sammy Mahadani said when caught having her face in her shirt, avoiding the nearby gazebos’ cigarette smoke on the Sanford/ Lake Mary campus. “It kills me to the point I usually wait inside the main office until the bus comes,” she said.
Since 2006, when the current smoking policy was approved, Seminole State provided the designated smoking areas and could be regretting it. As a result, Seminole State plans to follow Valencia College and University of Central Florida’s footsteps, which have recently become smoke-free campuses. However, even though the intention of banning smokers from puffing away on campus is not intended to drive away students, many are feeling dejected. Chris Tucker, a student at Seminole State, is one of them.
wellness center.” While board members are concerned about finances and the status quo, a majority of students interviewed believed that second-hand smoke should be the main reason for a smoke-free campus.
introducing Come Out With Pride 2012. Since graduating Hagerty High School in 2010, Dominique received full scholarship to the Boston Conservatory, a prestigious academy for training in musical theatre. On break from his studies, Dominique spoke with the Seminole Scribe about his Orlando influences and his future endeavors. “I was motivated to pursue the arts from a very young age by my mother and grandma as a way to express my emotions and get creative” Dominique said, when asked about his inspiration to begin performing. “I’d say I’ve always been an entertainer, and was encouraged to pursue many pathways within theatre, dance BROADWAY contined on page 4
A decision has not been made yet until the Board of Trustees discusses the policy changes at their next meeting on Dec. 3, 2012. If the Board accepts the non-smoking on campus policy, the transition will take place over a period of six months. What do you think about the school banning smoking on campus? Email theseminolescribe@gmail.com and you might be published in the next issue!
For election day news, turn to page 3
Photo by:Michael Tennant
2 November 1 , 2012
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The New World of Social Networking
By Joseph Chalbaud, Staff Writer @joeylovesfsu Social Networking has become a vital part of the college experience. Fraternities and sororities plan socials, political science majors follow debate reactions, and some students even organize intramural sports teams with their friends. Social Networking was not always this deeply integrated with the college life. The development of social networking has spanned over a decade and may have not yet reached its full potential. In fact, that potential may very well be limitless. The idea of what qualifies as social networking can be argued but, in the most basic sense, it has been around on the internet since public online forums(BBS forums) and online role playing games (RPGs) were developed. After this is when social networking started to look more like what it does today. Blogs became popular with sites like Xanga and Livejournal, which were mainly centered around the user journaling the events of their day or week in the form of emotional release or storytelling. Now these blogs are no longer confined to that style and are more often about helping people with tasks like cooking healthy food, building a shed or proper money management. Friendster was the first site that truly morphed the idea of the potential behind
social networks. Friendster allowed the user to reconnect with old acquaintances, socialize with current friends, and meet new people. In 2003, this type of website took off and Myspace and Facebook were developed, redefining what social networking was and how massive it could be. Myspace and Facebook battled for the top spot while promoting two majorly different themes: Facebook was centered around the idea of exclusivity, only opening its doors to college students with a .edu email address. Myspace dominated the music scene, going above and beyond promoting new bands and solo artists. Myspace also allowed for more customization, making it more difficult for the servers to support massive amounts of users on the site. Facebook kept the site clean and uniform, allowing for the most reliable servers on the web. This helped keep Facebook from having the technical problems Myspace had. In 2006, Facebook opened its doors to the public, no longer requiring a .edu email address, and Facebook’s popularity soared high above any other website. At Coral Beach Resort social networking is an important part of the communication between staff and helps to keep everything on track.
Victor Rivera, a manager at the resort said, “We use social networking, mainly Facebook literally every day. We use it to organize ourselves, to easily communicate outside of the office, and to plan office events.” After seeing Facebook explode by going public, other forms of social networking started to gain popularity. In 2006, Twitter was created, which allowed users to instantly share ideas within a 140 character limit. Twitter’s rise to prominence was gradual, but noticeable, taking advantage of big events. Twitter would reach a new record day during a sporting event or a news scandal, and retain a percentage of that increased traffic once the buzz had gone. Seminole State student Victor Melgen said, “Twitter plays an integral role in my life. I use it to keep up with the latest news in sports, as well as what’s going on with my friends.”
THE SEMINOLE SCRIBE The Seminole Scribe is the student newspaper of Seminole State College of Florida. MISSION STATEMENT
We are a student-run newspaper that aims to construct a publication of professionalism. Through each individual staffer’s utmost potential, we write for the interest of the school and its student body to deliver a quality news and entertainment source that uphold traditional journalism values.
STAFF Editor Ambar Wessin Layout Designer Ashley Crooke Photo Editos: Ashley Crooke
Other sites, or programs, that would gain popularity include Tumblr, a microblogging site based around photos and journaling, and Instagram, a free photo-sharing application that let users share and edit pictures, as well as easily browse through photos of those they follow.
Danielle Wiebe Reporters Joseph Chalbaud Sabira Mawji
Trash TV or Treasure? By Kyle Yeoman
Kimberley Lewis Taryn Martin
Do you have the desire to transform your photography from simple snapshots to story-telling images? Students:
Trash TV shows like Geraldo and Ricki Lake could be among the most watched TV shows today. According to the website tvbythenumbers.com, well-known trash TV shows like the Jerry Springer Show and Maury have an average of 2.7 million viewers.
television. I think that trash TV shows are a waste of time, it’s nothing but drama. That is why I stopped watching them.”
Seminole State College Sociology instructor, Kerri Smith, said that trash TV shows are exploitive.
“People find amusement out of people putting their business out for everyone to watch,” Mr. Lane said.
“The behavior of the poor class is usually entertainment for the middle class,” Ms. Smith said.
Moreover, he said that he used to watch the Maury show a few days a week, but lost interest after a while.
NEW
“Today I do not watch any of them anymore,” Mr. Lane said.
A course in Photojournalism
“Some people feel better about their lives when watching others behave outrageously. Trash TV shows are a sad testament for the media.” Although she said she dislikes trash TV shows, she could not say that she wants all trash TV shows to be banned. “I would just like to have better programming on television,” Ms. Smith said. Keith Brooks, a Seminole State College student, said he used to watch shows like Jerry Springer and Maury. “That was only if there was nothing else on television,” Mr. Brooks said. “Many people just like to see others’ personal business on
Another Seminole State College student, Kaleb Lane, said trash TV shows are entertaining.
“It’s all just mindless entertainment with the same story. There’s no point in trash TV shows.” Furthermore, Brandon Selmon, a Seminole State College student, said that he used to watch the Jerry Springer show. “I would watch Jerry Springer every once in a while on the weekend,” Mr. Selmon said.
Are you interested in a career path in photojournalism?
for Spring 2013
- JOU 2930 (Selected Studies in Journalism Tuesday and Thursday from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m.
on the Sanford/Lake Mary campus
“Usually when there was nothing else on television but not anymore. People enjoy watching others fight over ignorant issues. Trash TV shows are stupid, but also funny to watch.”
Though coffee and tea are both beverages favored in our society, some people prefer one over the other. Both can have benefits, and consequences, especially in cases of over consumption. “The reason I prefer coffee to tea is because it’s more easily accessible, especially with there being coffee shops all over town,” Kevin Monahan, a Lake Mary High School student, said.
“Coffee also helps to wake me up quicker, where tea does not, and usually, coffee is more affordable than tea.” Michelle Munoz, an Oncology nurse at Florida Hospital, said she prefers coffee. “It has a tendency to stain teeth,” she said. “However, there is evidence to suggest that coffee may help in the prevention of type two diabetes. In terms of
Michael Santagata Michael Tennant Ashley Vazquez Colon Cindy Villalobos Kyle Yeoman
The Buzz About Caffeine: Coffee or Tea? By: Austin Rogers
Austin Rogers
health benefits, tea is actually healthier than coffee because tea is loaded with antioxidants, which helps to relieve stress and lose weight.”
Health fanatics like Alexa Ricci, an avid tea drinker for many years, said she prefers tea for the health benefits. “Not only is tea more flavorful than coffee,” Ms. Ricci said. “It’s also a lot healthier and can help with relaxation.”
Faculty Adviser Jennifer Sheppard PUBLIC FORUM The Seminole Scribe is a “designated public forum.” Student editors have authority to make all content decisions without censorship or advance approval. COPYRIGHT ©2012 The Seminole Scribe. All rights reserved. All content is property of The Seminole Scribe and may not be reproduced or transmitted without consent. The Scribe is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press, Florida Community College Press Association and College Media Advisers, Inc. EDITORIAL POLICY Viewpoints expressed in columns and letters to the editor are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Seminole Scribe or Seminole State College. Letters or columns can be emailed or dropped off at the office. Please limit letters to 500 words, and include phone number, name and area of study or affiliation. Letters will not be printed anonymously. We reserve the right to reject letters. CONTACT US Room J-112 Sanford/Lake Mary Campus thescribe@seminolestate.edu
Although some people prefer one over the other, others fall right in the middle and choose both. Aspiring engineer Dallas Graves said he doesn’t prefer one over the other, and instead drinks both. “I feel like coffee and tea both provides some great benefits but also both have faults,” he said. “I like them both, honestly and my mood determines which of the beverages I choose.”
Incognito Starbucks shot
Photo by Ashley Crooke
NEWS
THE SEMINOLE SCRIBE
November 1 , 2012
3
Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire: Lies in Politics By Ashley Vazquez When logging online or turning on the TV, one of the first things people see are political ads. Whether the ads spell out the truth or not, politicians succeed in attracting people’s attention or annoying them. But for some people like Professor Pat Southward, who teaches U.S. Government at Seminole State, the attention is for the wrong
reason. “It has been very depressing to see that both major political campaigns have outright lied about the other candidate and their ads and I find that appalling and I’m not the only one,” she said. For Harold Noel, a Seminole State student, the ads are ridiculous and they lie. “I think they’re dumb because I think they’re talking so much crap about each other and that’s not the way to win an election,” he
said. Political ads are supposed to help voters make an educated decision on whom to vote for this election. Websites like FactCheck.org and Politifact. com offer information on the truths and lies from both sides of the campaigns by fact checking its comments. Both websites have different ways of
rating the statements said by the candidates. For example, FactCheck.org, a project from the Annenberg Center of the University of Pennsylvania, checks the facts by monitoring anything said by the political candidates and then checking to see whether it is true or not. Politifact.com, a project from the Tampa Bay Times, rates the statements by scaling them from true, mostly true, half-true, mostly false, false and pants on fire, meaning the statement isn’t accurate and makes a ridiculous claim.
But for some the referring to fact checkers has had a kick back because people said that the fact checkers might be lying. “So what are you going to believe?” Professor Southward said, “Well, I guess you have to look at two or three fact checkers and it just takes a little more time, so I think a reasonable voter might decide what issues are important to him or her.” The lying in the political campaigns has to stop, Professor Southward said, because it challenges people’s faith in the political system and the democracy. “They become cynical about politicians. They become cynical about policy and government and they withdraw from the process because they are so appalled by what is going on and that undermines the whole democratic system,” she said. But the lying does not matter much to Seminole State Student, Tishae Spence. “I don’t think they lie per say I think is more of, they twist the truth, like they take something out of the context and then they put it in a big perspective,” she said.
To Vote or Not to Vote Is the Question By Michael Tennant
V
oting in elections is a right and a privilege not available everywhere in the world.
Across Seminole State College voters come into this election with different degrees of experience: from longtime voters to those who are new to the voting experience. The twenty-sixth amendment to the United States Constitution provides citizens who have reached the age of 18 the right to vote. Every voter must decide between the major party candidates along with possible write-in candidates. These decisions may be complicated by political ads.
“The single biggest reason why someone votes the way they do is party loyalty,” Professor Hoover, pictured below, said. “Democrats are mostly going to vote for Democrats, Republicans are going to vote for Republicans.” Photo by Michael Tennant
Photo by Michael Tennant
Another Seminole State Student, Robert RoblesRamos said he is voting for the first time. “I think that every vote does count,” he said. “I hope that my vote does count. I’m looking forward to it.” Veteran voter Michael Hoover, professor of political science at Seminole State, said he has participated in every election since 1972.
Students like Phon Angwarawong have checked out books for both reasons. “This semester, I checked out three books already for my reading class,” she said. Other students like freshman Nick Anema have never checked out books other than for personal use. “I haven’t checked out any books for classes,” he said. “I’m such a nerd; I have read about ten books in two semesters.” Whether students read because it is mandatory for a class or because of their personal interest, one thing a few librarians at the Sanford/Lake Mary campus agreed on is the books that get checked out the most are the ones that are required for class. And there are more resource books than literature books, anyway. Librarian Michael Schau said about 90 percent of the books at the library are resource books.
The reason why Seminole State College libraries, including the Altamonte, Heathrow and Oviedo campuses, have more books that support courses than books for pleasure, according to Librarian Karen Kaufmann, is because academic libraries have a different purpose than public libraries.
“I hope that our economy and our country continues to progress forward,” Mr. Nicholson said, “It’s in our best interest that we work together. There’s got to be room for compromise.”
“I don’t think any vote is wasted,” she said. “I guess all of them are important.”
By Ambar Wessin, Editor While some students at Seminole State College are required to check out library books to get homework done, other students are checking out books for a completely different reason: to read for pleasure and personal interest.
“Here we have maybe five to six columns of fiction books,” Mr. Schau said. “The rest is nonfiction, which is completely the opposite of public libraries, for which I worked before, where the majority of the books are fiction and the rest in non-fiction, cause’ that’s what people want.”
Yet Mike Nicholson, assistant athletic director at Seminole State College who said he participated in every election he has been able to, still has hope for the future after the election.
For some, voting is a new experience. Raven Gilmore, a Seminole State College student, said she is excited to vote in her first election.
More than Banned Books at the Library
Of course, outside of voting for a Democrat or Republican, is the option of choosing someone from a minor party or a write-in candidate. In the state of Florida for a write-in vote to count, a candidate would have to register with the state elections office placing their name on the official ballot In recent years, “The ability to get on the ballot for minor parties is much greater than it used to be,” Professor Hoover said. As Election day approaches, more and more commercials appear in support of various candidates. Some of these ads are decidedly negative. “Attack ads have been being used successfully for a couple of decades,” Professor Hoover said. “It’s easier to remember something that is negative about somebody than it is to remember something positive about somebody.” In addition, Professor Hoover said voters have no idea who is responsible for these ads. “It does conceivably lend itself to a more negative kind of advertising,” he said, “because there is really
VOTING contined on page 5
“But you have to understand,” Ms. Kaufmann said, “we are not a public library. We are an academic library, so the reason for our resources is to primarily support their curriculum. People are coming here for specific information, for specific research and often times it is pretty narrow.” Ms. Kaufmann said the reason for the library is to help students succeed with their curriculum and assignments and yet, Seminole State College libraries are different from the tutoring center at the college when it comes to assisting students. “There’s a difference,” she said. “We librarians are ready to assist in your research process, which
is different than the actual writing of a document, finding sources, narrowing your topic, assisting with using keywords so that you can get good results, so you can have the information you need to create that paper.” According to David Spencer, a technical assistant at the library, the library not only offers help with research and books that support courses, the library also offers a collection of popular literature books. “We have literature best seller books, like the ‘Hunger Games’, ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’, ‘Harry Potter’,” he said. “They are never in. They are always out.” The displays are a good place to find literature books, he said, and are based on popularity, attracting covers, best sellers, along with a calendar, where he looks at holidays and what is going on in that month like Black Heritage Month and Halloween. Sometimes, the displays include banned books, which are books that have been questioned whether they should be open to the public or have a restricted use because of their content or personal perspective, Mr. Spencer said. “The banned books display this past month was probably the display we’ve got most feedback on,” he said. “Some people thought we were banning books. Others just told us they loved the display. And these are books like ‘The Bible,’ ‘Harry Potter,’ ‘Huckleberry Finn’ that have been challenged. These banned books we have here at the library will be here forever on.” There is only one copy of literature books, according to Mr. Spencer. And this may be disappointing when students find out that the book they want to read is not available. However, according to Leona Jones, the library provides a large collection of E-books and DVDs. Librarian Karen Kaufman said some students use the college library to relax, study, check out books for a class, read literature books, get help with research from librarians, check out DVDs and E-books, while others just use the library for computing because of the technology offered. Still, some students are not aware of these resources. Edgardo Hernandez said he did not know that the library offered netbooks and laptops for two hours to use. “I didn’t know they had laptops,” he said. “I could have used one to do my PowerPoint because all the other computers were occupied.”
The library on the Sanford/Lake Mary campus is hosting Drop-In Research Workshops at the S/LM library for students who need research assistance for their research based assignments. A workshop will be held on the second floor Instruction Lab from 2 to 3 p.m. on November 15. For info, contact Faculty Librarian Mike Schau at schaum@ seminolestate.edu or (407)708-2113.
THE SEMINOLE SCRIBE
FEATURES
November 1 , 2012
4
BROADWAY contined from page 1
and singing since I was a kid.” As a performer in two major cities, Dominique expresses that the best parts about performing and producing in Orlando are “the unlimited possibilities hidden around every corner for those brave enough to dive in and get involved. The theater community is active, passionate and supportive as I’ve had the pleasure of performing and/or producing with every professional theater in the city.” Although his primary residence is in Boston, Dominique is an Orlando native which “gave me a lot of competition, but it was only more motivating” he said. “With endless opportunities to perform within theme parks, public events and a bursting downtown scene meant a ton of practice in auditioning, performing, and rejection.” Personal fulfillment is not the only reward for his hard work, as many of Dominique’s accomplishments have benefitted major organizations. “I have always loved giving back” he said. “The most personally satisfying projects I’ve been a part of were in partnership with my favorite charity organizations like Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and The Human Rights Campaign.” Dominique continues to participate and contribute to groups that cultivate and support children in the arts like his adolescent alma maters The Orlando Youth Theater and the University Performing Arts Center. Its work like this that has planted Dominique in the spotlight, along with awards like the 2009 Orlando Fringe Theatre Festival ‘Patrons Pick’ for his student operated company Checkerboard Productions’ representation of Elegies for Angels Punks and Raging Queens. “In its heyday, Checkerboard Productions was a very important company for the city of Orlando as it represented a first on many fronts” Dominique said. “Initially, the main purpose of the company was to expose audiences to works never before staged in the city, and to bring a level of innovation through our many productions and cabarets.” The real originality of the company stemmed from the idea that the organization be run and operated entirely by students. “The success of our production of Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens opened many doors for the cast and creative team, lauding us with amazing critical reception and a highly successful hold-over at The Orlando Shakespeare Theater” he said. Toward the end of his senior year of high school, when many students were
applying for college, Dominique faced several difficulties when sending applications. “Finances were definitely my biggest complication when applying to colleges” he said. “I have four siblings and am the child of a single parent, so the thought of college seemed incredibly daunting, as I didn’t want to burden my family or myself with future debt. In addition to money issues, the audition process was unbelievably nerve racking. But as they say, practice makes perfect, especially when applying to over 15 BFA (Bachelor in Fine Arts) programs.” At the conservatory, Dominique branched from the stage to the studio when he wrote and recorded his first mix tape entitled WarHorse with the title track Love King. “I’ve always been a lover of music” he said, “so when I had the opportunity to team up with prolific Berklee College of Music producer Sam Crowe, I had to jump at it. The entire experience was liberating and challenged me creatively in a way that I really needed.” After completing sophomore year, Dominique attests that “classical training has given me a broader understanding of my craft and has helped to open up context and give me confidence to tackle more challenging work. I can definitely see the richer and more refined quality to my performances that I have always strived for.” Like many other entertainers and entrepreneurs, Dominique has achieved a wide following on his Facebook fan page and other social media sites. In his profile biography, he opens up about performing influences like “divas of the stage; Bernadette Peters, Barbara Streisand, Stephanie Mills, Idina Menzel, and Jennifer Holiday. But, some male character inspiration has definitely branched from Broadway boys like Cheyenne Jackson and Gavin Creel” he said. It’s on his fan page that Dominique also updates on his current and upcoming projects. “I have huge plans for 2013 inside the Orlando community including cabarets, one-man shows and local performances” he said. “Expect the same fierce, heartfelt a fun work you’ve seen in the past, only on a whole ‘nother level.”
Respect their authority: attitudes vary toward police By Mike Santagata While some adults would say that it is better to be feared than to be loved, teenagers and young adults may disagree when asked to describe their feelings toward police officers. “Teens today seem to lack the respect for police officers,” Brian Peacock, a Seminole State College student, said. “The same police officers who lay their lives on the line each and every day, in order to protect the citizens they’ve sworn to serve. Teens today feel pretty much that ‘without that badge, you’re a b**** in a hat, so f*** the police.’ Teens are so quick to say ‘f*** the police’, but imagine how they’d feel if their lives were in danger, and the cops yelled ‘F*** the victim.’” Some students have different views on exactly what causes teenagers to feel such hatred toward cops. While some blame personal experiences, others blame the society and the media. Some even argue this form of disrespect to be a classic case of nature vs. nurture. Orange County Sherriff’s Deputy Henry Amole said, while on a police ride along, that personal experiences, mixed with the media, are to blame.
According to Brian Blevins, former psychology professor at the University of Central Florida, underdevelopment of the frontal lobe may be the most probable cause of disrespect. “The frontal lobe is the area of the brain often most associated with judgment, popularly known as common sense,” Mr. Blevins said. “Disrespect shown to a law officer can only result in a couple of outcomes, and they are all negative, so even the most screaming narcissist would refrain under normal circumstances.” Or, parents could be the ones to blame, according to Internal Affairs Officer Steve Cuppy, because parents should teach their kids that the police are there to protect people. “Some parents just don’t teach their kids to respect police, and it’s really quite ridiculous,” Officer Cuppy said. “I’ve seen just about everything, and I know that one thing that really irks me is responding to a call and being disrespected by a kid.” Intake Building at John E. Polk
“Kids see the flashing red and blue lights and right away they think ‘I’m going to jail!’, when that usually isn’t even the case,” he said. “Yeah, it certainly is better to be feared than loved, but today’s teens don’t fear the police, they fear spending time in jail. The real problem is teens fearing jail doesn’t make them fearful of committing a crime, it makes them fearful of being caught, and that’s dangerous.” Society and the media seem to play a large role in this situation, agreed Kiel Mullen, a Seminole State student. “I blame television. It’s these shows like ‘Cops’,” Mr. Mullen said. “These shows display officers running around like maniacs, screaming curse words, and beating up crack heads. Personally I’ve never seen real cops act like that, so maybe the show is staged. But young kids don’t think that way, they see something on television, and automatically associate it to be the truth.” If the media, bad parenting and bad friends aren’t to blame, then perhaps the cause of the disrespect is nature.
Sheriff’s vehicles outside of Eugene Gregory
Photo by Ashley Crooke
Photo by Danielle Wiebe
VOTING continued from page 3 no accountability.” For some, the worst thing is that the ads are everywhere. “Not just on TV,” Roberto Robles-Ramos said. “on social networks too: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram; it’s all over the place. Everyone has an opinion.” Voting in the federal elections remains the primary way that many citizens take part in politics.
Art by Michael Tennant
“It all comes back to, are we doing what’s best for the country?” Mr. Nicholson said.
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CAMPUS LIFE
Aikido:Spirituality and Self-Defense By Taryn Martin
A
ikido is a traditional Japanese martial art, which stems from Jujitsu, and builds both physical and mental strength, balance and flexibility. Aikido has been officially recognized since 1942, although the art began around the turn of the century. “It transformed during the Second World War and came out of the War as a very different kind of martial art,” Ian Phillips, who has practiced Aikido since 1998 and is the sensei (teacher) of the Aikido Club at the Seminole State College of Florida, said. Started by O’Sensei (great teacher) Morihei Ueshiba, Aikido was founded on Buddhist principles and follows the belief that “it is bad karma to injure other living things,” Mr. Phillips said, “The founder was a mystic [and] into a bunch of zen, spiritual stuff.” “Aikido is a martial art that has different philosophies. It is probably the most difficult martial art to learn because of the need to relax, focus, and practice,” Marshall Bryant, assistant sensei of
Seminole State’s Aikido Club, said. Unlike other, better-known martial arts, such as Karate and Taekwondo, Aikido is purely a form of self-defense, and does not have sparring competitions, as no
attack techniques exist in Aikido. “All Aikido techniques are initiated by someone attacking you,” Mr. Phillips said. Compared to Karate, “Aikido is more like dancing [and uses] a lot of circular movement,” Mr. Bryant said. Aikido teaches sensitivity and mercy. An Aikido student defends his/herself while ideally protecting his/her attacker from serious injury, but attacker injury is sometimes inevitable. “Don’t underestimate Aikido, because it is a very dangerous, deadly art,” Mr. Bryant added. Aikido is beneficial to both women and the elderly, since it is built solely on technique rather than brute strength. “The fact that it’s a self-defense and doesn’t use a lot of strength makes it an ideal martial art for women,” Mr. Phillips said. Cynthia Hayashi, who is currently an Aikido instructor in the San Francisco area, was forced to put the arto use when she was attacked by two men in an alley in 1977, only 18 months after she began training at the Aikido of San Fran dojo (practice hall). “Both of those guys ended up in the hospital with serious broken parts,” Mr. Phillips said. Meanwhile, Ms. Hayashi was unharmed. In Japan, Aikido is widely practiced by elderly people, according to Mr. Phillips’ website Aikiorlando.com. “Despite their age, these people have better aerobic conditioning, balance, strength, flexibility and coordination than many typical Americans in their 30’s,” the site said. Students of Aikido are less likely to contract diseases such as diabetes, obesity and
cancer. Seminole State students and faculty members of any age, gender or degree of fitness can benefit from joining the Aikido Club, which meets Tuesday and Thursday from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in SLM H-118 & 119. Prospective members visit seminoleaikikai.com or email the club treasurer: bryantm@seminolestate.edu
Students choosing Mom’s house instead of Animal House By Stephanie Akin/The Record (MCT wire story)
Megan Byrne of Hillsdale, N.J., lived on campus her first year of college for a simple reason: She figured she would make more friends in a dorm than at her parents’ house 20 minutes away. But after freshman year, she decided to move back home for another simple reason.
There isn’t a lot of research that ties trends in college commuting with the economy, said John Rury, a University of Kansas professor who studied the rising number of American commuter students from 1960 to 1980. That increase had more to do with the expansion of the American middle class and more students being able to afford college, he said.
“It was basically just the economics,” said Byrne, a sophomore at Ramapo College in Mahwah, N.J. “It was too expensive.”
The present-day statistics are difficult to decipher because researchers don’t know how many students are traditional college students living at home to save money and how many are commuting for other reasons, including working adults who return to school for job skills when they are worried about impending layoffs.
A recent study suggests that Byrne is now in the majority. As college tuition continues to rise and students contribute more toward their education, 51 percent of American college students decided this year to live at home, compared with 43 percent in 2010, according to the student lender Sallie Mae.
“There is a lot of anecdotal evidence that students and their families turn to commuter institutions in tight times, as it’s a rather obvious way to cut costs,” he said. “On the other hand, I haven’t seen reports of institutions having trouble filling the dorms.”
The numbers make sense in light of the ever-rising cost of a college education.
The on-campus population could be shielded from dips tied to the recession because the economic downturn had a disproportionate impact on families with lower levels of education, who are less likely to send children to residential institutions. In addition, federal financial aid and student loans generally make it possible for students to pay for on-campus housing despite their family’s financial situation, he said.
Student loan debt, which reached $867 billion, eclipsed credit card debt for the first time in the country’s history earlier this year, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Average tuition at public four-year colleges went up 26 percent more than inflation did over the past four years. And federal aid is stagnant after years of rapid growth, according to a study released this week by the College Board. It is unclear, however, how much higher costs play into students’ decision to commute. Most schools don’t ask students their reasons for eschewing the dorms. And economic pressure to commute is often offset by a common understanding that the college experience is fuller for students who live on campus. “It has to be a financial decision, but if that’s not the major factor, I certainly would advocate living on campus,” said Courtney McAnuff, vice president for enrollment management at Rutgers University. “It’s a very important part of the growth of the students.” Commuter students also need to factor in hidden costs of living off campus. Besides fuel and parking, commuter students often take longer to graduate than their peers in the dorms, McAnuff and other administrators said. For those who do need options to save money, Rutgers administrators suggest commuting as one of several possibilities, a spokesman, E.J. Miranda, said. Still, the majority of this year’s incoming students have opted to stay on campus despite the $11,000 price tag for room and board. All the university’s 16,000 beds in residence halls were filled this fall, including 2,000 in dorms that have opened the past year. The total cost for an in-state student living on campus for the 2012–13 school year is about $24,000.
One Ramapo senior, Gabrielle Mondo, who commutes from her parents’ house in Parsippany, N.J., discovered firsthand how difficult it is to track such trends when she investigated rumors of empty floors in residence halls for an article in the student newspaper. Lower numbers of students living on campus had indeed allowed the school to reduce the number of students who had to triple up in dorm rooms she found. But the number of students living on campus, 2,771, is only 83 fewer than last year, said a spokeswoman, Anna Farneski. The school has 52 new commuters this year. Most commuters Mondo interviewed for her article said the economy played a role in their decision, but it wasn’t the only factor. The research matched her own experience, she said. “Even though my parents could afford to keep me there, it didn’t seem financially responsible when I could save so much money by staying at home,” she said. The decision has saved her parents about $40,000 over the past three years, she said. She added, however, that she probably would have decided to commute anyway. She simply wanted to be closer to her parents. She said she has been able to maintain the same social life as during her freshman year when she lived on campus. Commuting, she said, has another often overlooked advantage. “My parents aren’t going to be saying, ‘do shots’ when I have an exam tomorrow,” she said. “I see that as a big plus.”
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The Seminole Scribe will be looking for a new team of reporters for the Spring 2013 semester. Visit the Seminole State website and search “Journalism” for more information about the student newspaper produced on the Sanford/Lake Mary campus.