Avion Orientation Issue 2014

| Orientation Issue | Wednesday, August 20, 2014 | theavion.com |

Welcome to the Greatest Aviation and Aerospace University on Earth.

SOAR HIGH,

CLASS OF 2018 Follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/theavion, download our app in the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store, and check out our website at theavion.com.

Welcome Eagles

Page

A2

The Avion

August

20 2014

TH

Welcome From Student Affairs

Dr. Nancee Bailey V.P. of Student Affairs As Vice President of Student Affairs and on behalf of the Board of Trustees, President John P. Johnson, the administration, faculty and staff, I want to welcome you to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU).

You are now part of the ERAU family; a family that is known worldwide as the world’s premier aviation and aerospace university. We

appreciate the confidence you have shown by selecting us as your university of choice. We feel certain that you will find Embry-Riddle a challenging, exciting and stimulating place to engage in gaining the skills to personally, professionally and academically prepare you for your future.

This is a very exciting time for Embry-Riddle. As the University continues to grow, the opportunities are great and the outlook is bright. Our mission at Embry-Riddle is to provide high quality comprehensive education to prepare graduates for productive careers and responsible citizenship with special emphasis on the needs of aviation, aerospace,

engineering and related fields. Our faculty and staff work hard to provide you with the best educational experience, which is of the highest quality in the industry.

As you, and your families go through the Orientation process you will notice that the Daytona Beach campus is engaged in projects aimed at expanding and enhancing the academic and social aspects of the campus. Improvements to the campus such as the recent addition and completion of a College of Arts and Sciences Building as well as our plans for a new student union are just a few examples of the innovative and exciting projects here at Embry-Riddle.

We are dedicated to improving each student’s experience and to building a better university for you!

Through classes and student life activities you will find boundless opportunities for leadership, social interaction, recreation, intellectual and personal development to enhance your educational experience.

During your time with the university you will develop friendships and relationships that may endure for the rest of your life. Most people look back on their college years as some of the best times of their lives. As you learn about yourself and the world around you we are pleased to have the opportunity to be a part of, “the time

of your life”.

The entire Embry-Riddle community extends a warm welcome to you. We are glad you are here! Over your tenure at the University we look forward to being a partner in your educational journey and career success. We wish you the best and want you to know that we in the Division of Student Affairs have a motto that guides all that we do to support students. You will hear it often, and we are proud to say that we place— STUDENTS FIRST! Nancee Bailey, Ph.D.

Vice President of Student Affairs

Student Government From The Desk of The SGA President

A Service to Students

Andre J. Prescott SGA President It’s incredible to think that not too long ago I was just starting to discover what it meant to be an Embry-Riddle (ERAU) Eagle.

Words cannot express how excited we are for you this year while you start your college experience at ERAU. When upperclassmen tell you that time flies when you’re in college (no pun intended), they aren’t kidding; it feels like yesterday that I was starting as a freshman for this incredible institution.

You may have looked at different universities before coming here, or you may have always known that you wanted to come here; regardless, you’ve made a great decision. That being said, just because you’ve gotten into Embry-Riddle, doesn’t mean you are guaranteed to be successful. You have made a great decision, but your success will be limited only by the decisions that you make. You may be fed up with this term by now, but

a decision we advise you to make is to get involved.

As a first-year student at Embry-Riddle, you have some pretty exclusive opportunities to take advantage of if you get involved; one of them is the Student Government Association (SGA).

The SGA is a student-led organization dedicated to providing service and events for the student body, as well as acting as a liaison to faculty, staff and administration. What does this mean? It means that our focus is neither on politics nor preparing students for a better political background; our focus is on serving the students of ERAU. As a freshman, the best way to get involved with SGA is via the FirstYear Initiative (FYI), which I’m sure you will hear all about from our FYI Captain, Zachary Willis. If you are serious about one day being a student leader on campus, FYI is a perfect way to start.

The other ways you can get involved with SGA from day one is to participate in one of the three

divisions within the SGA. Our oldest division, The Avion Newspaper, is a group of hard-working individuals with incredible networking opportunities within the aerospace industry. Their mission is to produce the school’s newspaper every week, but they do so much more. Whether you enjoy journalism, photography, interviewing, design, editing or engaging in social media, the Avion is a great way to be a part of the SGA. Our second oldest division, the WIKD 102.5 FM (Daytona Beach’s only free-format radio station!), is a very distinct group that are constantly working behind the scenes to provide higher quality entertainment. Not only is WIKD now on iHeartRadio, but they are number two in the nation among college radio stations.

But that’s not all they do, they also provide on and off-campus DJ services!

Seriously, these guys are nothing short of wikd cool.

Finally we have TouchN-Go Productions, a group of diligent women

and men that raise the bar every year when it comes to on-campus entertainment. These people provide weekly movies that have yet to come out on DVD, comedy shows, co-sponsorships with other organizations, and an annual spring concert with high quality bands. Oh, and did I mention that this is all FREE? That’s right, attending these events will not cost you any extra money.

To me that’s the icing on the cake.

As you can see, there are plenty of ways to get involved with the SGA, but if you feel like none of those are what you are looking for, that’s ok! We always appreciate feedback from students with suggestions or concerns.

It is an incredible honor to have been elected to serve as your SGA President for the 2014-2015 academic year, and if you have any questions, feel free to email me at sgapres@erau.edu or simply stop by the SGA office – our door is always open and it we would love to get to know you.

386-248-8500

SGA

Page

A6

The Avion

August

20 2014

TH

WELCOME!

Zachary Willis FYI Captain

You may be fresh out of the military or fresh out of high school. You may have even taken a year or two off before starting college. Regardless of where you were a year ago, life has brought you here to Embry-Riddle. Prior to arriving, you probably heard this saying over and over: “College is supposed to be the very best time of your life.” Although this is true, remember that you choose what you will get out of college. Riddle is a very unique place! There are so many things to do, people to meet and places to go. Take this advice:

To the freshmen right out of high school, do not take this moment for granted.

This may be your first time living on your own. I know that when I came to Riddle, it was my first time living away from home. I was extremely excited, but I quickly realized how important this time of my life was. You are starting a new chapter in your life, and you have the ability to be whoever or whatever you want to be. You can try new things and meet new people. I have met some people here at Riddle that I now consider family. Give yourself the opportunity to try new things. All of these experiences shape you into the person you will ultimately become. Live every second to its fullest!

To my first-year students who may not be a traditional freshman, you are not alone. You may be prior military or currently in the military. Maybe you are a returning student or transferring from another university. You may have taken some years off before coming to college. Some of you may be married. To you as well, do not take this moment for granted. You probably have already had many experiences in life that have shaped you as a person. Embry-Riddle serves as another experience to help you to grow. Again, Riddle is a very unique place. No matter your past life experiences, there is someone with a similar story to yours. Find them! Then find someone with a completely different story and make new friends. With all the wisdom you have gathered, share it with someone who may not have as many life experiences as yourself. Then allow them to share with you what they have learned. College is a place where intellectuals come together to share ideas, give and receive advice, and learn new concepts. You have so much advice to give, but remember to get some along the way.

To everyone, get involved. College is about growing, and becoming a more well-rounded individual. The best part about Embry-Riddle is that it’s not difficult to get involved! With over 150 student organizations on campus, you can find people with similar interests.

I encourage you to get involved, even if you are just sitting in on meetings to see what it’s about. You decide what you will get out of college. You decide whether life at Embry-Riddle is the best time of your life or just four years of school. If you decide to take as much from college as you can, I promise you that you will love your time here.

With all of that being said, our Student Government Association wants to help you find your place on the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University campus. FYI, or First-Year Initiative, has been created to support new student participation and leadership. We are here to help you figure out why you love being an Eagle! If you have any questions about FYI, or just how to get involved, feel free to contact Representative Zachary Willis at willisz@my.erau.edu. You can also go to the SGA Office, located in the Student Center near the front desk.

The SGA wants YOU! Christina Alford COE Representative Are you motivated and creative? Do you have what it takes to make a difference? Do you have the ability, passion and motivation to enhance the student life on campus? If your answers are yes, becoming a part of

the Student Government Association’s Student Representative Board (SRB) is the job for you! As a member of the SGA, you are able to represent the students of this campus.

Through constant communication with departments on campus, you will work to provide essential services to improve and heighten the lifestyle here on campus.

You will be given a Liaison position to a campus department. That will make you the direct connection between that department and the student body.

You can also participate in or chair one of the

SRB committees: Progress Committee, Academic Committee, Safe Ride Committee, Marketing Committee and Constitution Committee.

A position in the SGA gives you the opportunity to address your concerns regarding student affairs, conduct events and forums to educate and inform the student body, and build connections that will last a lifetime.

So if you want to accept the challenge and make a difference, pick up an application for one of the vacant representative position at the right. You will not regret your life-changing experience.

College of Engineering

College of Aviation

College of Arts & Sciences

College of Business

Housing & Residence Life

Applications will be available soon in the SGA Office located in the Student Center. You must have completed at least one academic semester in order to apply. If you have any further questions, please stop by the SGA Office for more information or contact the SGA Vice President at sgavpres@erau.edu.

SGA Divisions The Avion Newspaper WIKD 102.5FM

August

20 2014

TH

Rick Moore WIKD General Manager When someone mentions the words “college radio”, what do you think of? Probably something like what your parents used back in the day. Times have changed and it’s definitely for the better! Welcome to Embry-Riddle, home to The WIKD (Wicked) 102.5 FM! What’s different?

What makes us better than every other station in Daytona and the world? Lets get into it!

The biggest thing is that we are ALWAYS COMMERCIAL FREE! You aren’t the only one who changes the station when commercials come one. So we the students made our entire broadcast commercial free! You can do the same when you join The WIKD 102.5 FM! The other reason we’re the best is that we are FREE-FORMAT. We play everything from pop to country, alt rock to house.

We have DJs and radio per-

sonalities of all kind who host shows like The Rave, The Flipside, as well as your Daily Dose which are all staples of radio shows here in Daytona. You can do the same when you join The WIKD 102.5 FM! Over the past year we have made more improvements and additions to the station. The WIKD 102.5 FM now broadcasts all over the country and around the world with iHeart Radio!

So when you head back home you can take free-format and commercial-free music with you anywhere.

You can also stay In touch with us all the time via our website, www.

WIKD1025.com.

There you will find a plethora of things to do and listen to.

You can take a peek into our studio with our studio cam, vote for songs to play every 30 mins with WIKD On-Demand and hear what’s brand new with our You Oughta Know posts.

You can even see what we are playing as well as what songs just played. So if you

ever hear a song on 102.5 and you are dying to know what it was, our website is the place to find out.

Finally, we throw events like our WIKD Pool Party during orientation, Rocktober and our Jamuary event.

These events are awesome because you get to hear both local and up and coming bands that eventually make it big. The best part?

They are always free!

So, are you interested in becoming a live DJ or On-Air Personality? Well, we got your back. We offer some of the most advanced training and talent as a college radio station in the nation! Have your voice, talent, and music heard all over Daytona Beach by roughly 500,000 people as well as the rest of the country! Who knows where you might end up!

We have sent talent to New York and Atlanta and all over the world to pursue their love of storytelling and their passion of music.

Stop by UC 111 to get started today!

Trey Henderson Editor-in-Chief Welcome to Embry-Riddle! I’m sure you’ve already heard - and read - that one a thousand times. But nonetheless, congratulations on reaching the world’s best aerospace and aviation university.

We are The Avion Newspaper, the campus source for news, reviews, and information.

We publish on a weekly basis, distributed on news stands located all around campus. We bring you all the news that you care about.

Our reporters regularly cover campus events, airshows, rocket launches, races, and anything else in the Daytona area or in the aviation and aerospace industry.

Not only do our reporters and photographers get

front-row access to some of the coolest happenings, the connections our staffmembers get the opportunity of making are unparalleled by any other organization on campus.

We often host interviews with high-ranking campus officials, Thunderbird pilots, United Launch Alliance and NASA engineers and executives, and countless others.

With a working relationship with NASA, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, numerous air show venues and the Daytona International Speedway for over four decades, The Avion covers nearly every launch from NASA and CCAFS with priority media access, gets ridealong privileges in aerobatic aircraft, and in-field media access to major Daytona races.

In addition to having the opportunity of seeing things

Page

A7

The Avion

no one else has the opportunity of experiencing, our reporters and photographers gain important experience valued in the workplace.

Communication and writing skills are highly sought-after in the aerospace industry.

If you’re interested in joining, feel free to contact any of our executive board members, come by our office, or drop in for our first meeting of the semester.

Contact information for our executive board can be found on our website (theavion.com), our office is located in the Student Center in room 110, and our first meeting will be taking place Tuesday, August 26 at 7:00 p.m. in the Endeavor Conference room (Student Center, 2nd floor.)

Be sure to like us on Facebook and download our smartphone application to stay up to date!

James Dougan/Wikd 102.5

Mark Millimet Chairperson Touch-N-Go Productions is proud to welcome the Class of 2018 to the best university on the planet! We are so glad to have all of the incoming students join us on campus as we host some of the best possible entertainment on campus for our students. Touch-NGo Productions (TNG) is the student run entertainment division of the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University SGA. As a division of the Student Government Association, we strive toward bringing many different forms of entertainment to campus; from the occasional hypnotist/magician along with our monthly Seriously Funny Comedy series barely scratch the surface of the many different services

Touch-N-Go Productions TNG provides the student body throughout the year.

One of our most popular event series is our Thursday Night Movie Series that is held every Thursday of the semester. A large majority of the movies shown are new movies not yet released onto DVD. Most of the movies take place in the IC auditorium at 8:30pm. Check out the movie schedule for this Fall Semester and mark your calendars for all the movies you want to see!

Throughout the academic year, TNG proudly hosts three major events on campus; two of which are during Blue and Gold Week and the other at the end of the Spring Semester. With one major comedy show, a carnival and country concert, and #TNGBIGSHOW at the end of the year

we have brought some pretty cool acts over the years. Some of these acts include: Theory of a Deadman, Daniel Tosh, Bowling for Soup, Bo Burnham, Gary

ing students to join a student organization to maximize on the college experience.

We are a student run orga-

Allen, Jim Gaffigan, Gloriana, Demetri Martin, Yellowcard, All American Rejects, Lifehouse, Augustana, and many more!

I encourage all of the incom-

nization comprised of hard working individuals that constantly work to provide the ERAU community with top of the line entertainment.

All of the events that we put

on for the students are FREE! TNG does all of production in house which includes staging, sound, lighting, hospitality, advertising & marketing, and more! If you are interested in joining the Touch-N-Go Productions there are numerous advantages. The general board of TNG enjoys several incentives for their volunteer work such as member retreats

during the fall and spring semester, and voting privileges to decide which acts are brought to campus family Our meetings are every Thursday at 7:00pm in COAS 126. Everyone is welcome and no experience is necessary! For more information stop by our office in the Student Center (SC107) or visit our website at www.touch-n-go.org.

Zachary Wilkinson/The Avion Newspaper

Greek Life

Page

A8

The Avion

Sigma Chi Jay Caluna Sophomore Freshman year, I came to Embry-Riddle as any regular freshman would, excited to finally begin my dream of being a pilot. Yet I was completely clueless about what the next four years had in store for me. High school was great and everything came so easy to me. Academically I succeeded and playing three varsity sports was simply amazing. Now I had to start all over and I didn’t know anyone here.

I soon came to realize how unprepared I was for college.

The truth was high school did not prepare me for college at all. I never studied for a test and still managed to maintain an honor roll status, but now I found myself lost and overwhelmed with the workload. For some crazy reason, I decided to rush a fraternity knowing I already felt like school was simply too much at the moment. That decision to rush and eventually pledge Zach Bettis President My name is Zach Bettis and I am the Consul, or President, of the Eta Iota Chapter of the Sigma Chi International Fraternity here at ERAU. Sigma Chi is a leadership fraternity founded in 1855 at Miami University (Ohio) based on the values of Friendship, Justice, & Learning.

We are one of the largest fraternities with over 239 chapters and 300,000 initiated brothers. Some of those Sigma Chi brothers include: John Wayne, Brad Pitt, David Letterman, Luke Bryan, John Young, Mike Ditka, and Tom Selleck.

Founded in 1971, our chapter is one of the oldest on campus and is lucky enough to have the largest alumni network with over 800 brothers. Our alumni work in companies and agencies like SpaceX, JetBlue, NASA, CopaAir, and the FAA. Sigma Chi is a lifelong commitment and our alumni are always looking for ways to help and mentor us.

We are currently the only fraternity on campus to have a chapter house.

Our house is conveniently located 7 minutes from campus and houses 20 of our 36 brothers throughout the year. Oh, and it has a pool. We are one of only two chapter houses in the Greek world to have a pool. Our house currently went through

a $20,000 infrastructure renovation thanks to the generosity of our alumni.

As Sigma Chi brothers, we hold ourselves to a higher standard. We are not content with just going to class and getting good grades, although we do currently have the second highest GPA among fraternities on campus.

Our chapter is extremely involved outside of Sigma Chi as well. Our brothers are involved in a wide variety of organizations such as Student Government Association, O-Team, Sailing Club, and ROTC. Many of us hold leadership positions in those organizations too.

We are a social fraternity which means we enjoy having events with other fraternities and sororities on campus. These events often benefit our philanthropy: the Huntsman Cancer Institute. Founded by Jon Huntsman Sr., HCI is dedicated to finding the causes of cancer, developing new and better treatments, and preventing people from ever developing cancer. Last year, Sigma Chi donated its one-millionth dollar to HCI. Our chapter has also done philanthropic work with Habitat for Humanity, Children’s Miracle Network, and Relay for Life.

Sigma Chi gives back to its campus and community, but Sigma Chi also helps its own. The

Sigma Chi Foundation offers thousands of dollars in scholarships to undergraduates.

The Foundation also offers opportunities for personal development through a multitude of educational programs. Programs like Horizons in Snowbird, Utah focus on leadership and personal growth and is free of cost thanks to the Foundation. Another Foundation program is Crossroads, which focuses on the dangers that undergraduates can potentially face in college.

It’s very difficult to describe in 500 words what Sigma Chi is, does, and means. I can tell you that joining Sigma Chi is the best decision I have made in college. I have made lifelong friends and learned skills that will benefit me long after my time at Embry-Riddle is done. I wanted something more out of my college experience so I joined Sigma Chi. I wanted to be a part of something that would push me and challenge me to do more than the bare minimum. The world asks more of Sigma Chi than it does of other men.

Sound like something you might be interested in? Come check us out at Meet-the-Greeks, Activities Fair, or contact me personally at bettisz@ my.erau.edu.

Roll Flock,

Zach Bettis

August

20 2014

TH

PIKE

Pi Kappa Alpha was the best decision I could have ever made. These new guys I had just meet were already going out of their way to help me with homework and becoming adjusted to college. Pike taught me more than just time management, and teamwork. It went further than that. Pike

stands by their four pillars of Scholars, Leaders, Athletes, and Gentleman and instilled it in my pledge class. It gave us something to stand for and strive to become well-rounded gentlemen. The bond I created with my pledge class extended past mandatory library hours, meeting, and events. We developed a

bond of brotherhood and helped each other improve.

The brothers of Pi Kappa Alpha made sure that school always came first and that managing your time efficiently will allow you to get the grades that you want while creating friendships that will last past graduation. Once initiated, getting involved within the fraternity exposed me to more opportunities to keep learning and growing. I had brothers each with their own unique attributes including veterans, ROTC cadets, student athletes, pilots, engineers, campus leaders, a world champion aviator, and even an SGA President.

It’s amazing how days before classes began, I would’ve called all these men strangers and now I call them my brothers. They were all there to help in academics, athletics, self-improvement, and creating a true brotherhood.

Pike paved the way through my freshman year with some amazing brothers and memories.

Perseverance and Determination The Epsilon Rho Chapter of Phi Gamma Delta

Zachery Hinds Corresponding Secretary The International Fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta, also known as FIJI, is one of the oldest and most secretive fraternities in existence, dating back to 1848 and thriving to this very day. At ERAU, however, Phi Gamma Delta is the youngest, having been chartered just over a year ago! Due to this, we have the honor and fortune to not only live as brothers in one of the greatest organizations existing today, but we also have the opportunity to forge our own path in the long history of Phi Gamma Delta.

As we look to build the foundation of our chapter and achieve the highest acclaims within FIJI and Greek life in general, we do so by embodying the true values of our Fraternity Friendship, Knowledge, Service, Morality, and Excellence – in everything we do. With accolades

ranging from the highest all-Greek GPA on campus (3.21 for Spring 2014), the People’s Choice Award, Outstanding Service, and much more, we strive to not only better our community and campus, but also to build true gentlemen and brothers, whose friendships and impacts will last far beyond our days here. This mission is propelled by Phi Gamma Delta’sbelief that the bonds that we create during our short time here, are truly not for college days alone.

Everywhere you go, you will either find a Fiji, or the lasting impression that one of our brothers left there.

From presidents, to CEOs, to famous athletes and beyond, the full impact of Phi Gamma Delta cannot truly be expressed in words alone. Only in joining our fraternity, in feeling that bond between your brothers here and those all across the world despite having known eachother beforehand, can you fully

understand what it means to be a brother of Phi Gamma Delta.

Thus, as we, the Epsilon Rho Chapter of Phi Gamma Delta at ERAU, continue our upward march, we are actively seeking out sharp-minded gentlemen who are willing and able to carry our banner into the future as proudly and effectively as we do today!

If you are willing to take this challenge, or just want to learn more about us, feel free to stop anyone in a FIJI shirt! You can find us just walking around campus, at the activities fair, or of course, during Rush Week! We hope to see you sometime this semester, possibly joining us in our great and incomparable brotherhood! Until then, we wish you the best of luck in all your endeavors andduring your transition to college life!

Fraternally Yours,

Zachery Hinds

Greek Life Alpha Xi Delta Sigma Sigma Sigma

August

20 2014

TH

Mercedes Zinn Public Relations To all of our fellow classmates, welcome back for another amazing year!

To those who are new, congrats on becoming an Eagle and welcome to our wonderful school! I’d like to take a second to introduce myself, I am a sister of Alpha Xi Delta, one of the three Panhellenic Women’s Fraternities on campus.

When I first came to Embry-Riddle, I had absolutely no clue what to expect my “college experience” to be like. From a new environment, a completely different stu-

dent body, and moving away from home, I was an overwhelmed freshman. However, everything became so clear and easier when I joined Alpha Xi Delta. These ladies, welcomed me into the sisterhood with open arms, and became my home away from home. My sisters and advisers helped me grow into the strong, confident leader that I am today, something that I never thought that I could be. Now, as an organization, we believe in helping woman ‘Realize Their Potential’ through education, leadership, and personal growth.

Our philanthropy is

Autism Speaks, and we raise money through our annual Walk for Autism Speaks, Xi Man competition, and Light it up Blue baseball game. As a national philanthropy, we have raised over 2 million dollars in just a few short years! Joining Alpha Xi Delta has changed my life forever and has been the best decision I have ever made, and if you are interested in having these unbreakable bonds, I encourage everyone to come out to the Activities Fair and Meet the Greeks to learn more about all the Fraternities and Sororities that call this campus home!

Photo Courtesy: Alphi Xi Delta

Page

A9

The Avion

Sorority

Photo Courtesy: Sigma Sigma Sigma

Kelsey Smith Secretary Sigma Sigma Sigma was founded at Longwood University on April 20, 1898.

Since then our sorority and the women involved have strived to uphold Tri Sigma’s mission statement – “To establish among our members a perpetual bond of friendship, to develop in them strong womanly character, and to impress upon them high standards of conduct.”

In addition to upholding Tri Sigma’s mission statement, each member strives to follow and demonstrate our long standing core values of – wisdom, power,

faith, hope and love– not only within the sorority but throughout their everyday lives.

The Eta Tau chapter of Sigma Sigma Sigma was established at Embry Riddle on January 21, 2006. Our members come from as far as New Zealand to as close as Daytona Beach.

Within the sorority, we encourage sisters to challenge one another with new and differing ideas and strive to not only better each other but the entire Embry Riddle community. It is Tri Sigma’s goal to bring the women at Embry Riddle closer together and help create a strong set of skills that will continue to grow beyond college

while also developing a perpetual bond of friendship that will last a lifetime.

To learn more about Sigma Sigma Sigma and meet all of the sisters we encourage everyone interested to visit us at Meet the Greeks on September 5th! At this event, everyone will be able to meet various members of different organizations as well as learn more about the Greek Community as a whole.

Tri Sigma will also be hosting three additional events during recruitment week - September 15th through September 21st.

All women interested in sorority life are welcome and encouraged to attend!

The True Gentlemen of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Ryan Clarke Member True Gentleman. As members of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, that is what we strive to be every day.

Through friendship, campus involvement, scholarship, and community service, our members work towards becoming better people, and better men.

If you are considering joining a fraternity, or

just want to be involved on campus, SAE might just be the right fit for you! As a fraternity we hold and attend events throughout the year both on and off campus. Some of our events include fraternity/sorority socials, an annual trip to Ginnie Springs, FL, Paddy Murphy Week, and our fraternity formal, Lion’s Ball.

As a part of the Embry-Riddle community,

SAE attends and shows support at athletic games, Greek Week, the semi-annual activities fair, campus fundraisers, charity events, as well as freshman orientation and move-in.

As a Fraternity, SAE has a large presence in the community, and as a chapter we have made a huge effort to live up to those standards. This past spring semester, our

chapter began working with Habitat for Humanity, in which we helped build houses for families in need. We are a part of the Adopt a Highway program, voluntarily keeping Richard Petty Blvd. clean throughout the year.

We also support other events such as the Mutt Strutt, held by the Halifax Humane Society, and Relay for Life, for the American Cancer Soci-

ety. Sigma Alpha Epsilon also has a national philanthropy, The Children’s Miracle Network, in which we fundraise towards throughout the year.

Friendship and brotherhood - these are things that we take very seriously, and hope we can share with many new members this fall semester. SAE is a positive environment that supports moral val-

ues, academic success, as well as future success.

If you are looking for a way to make your years at Embry-Riddle something to remember, a time of personal development, a time to make a difference, and most of a whole lot of fun, the brothers of Sigma Alpha Epsilon are looking for you. See you at move-in and rush week! Look for the purple and gold!

Photo Courtesy: Sigma Alpha Epsilon

Club Sports

August

20 2014

TH

Page

A11

The Avion

ERAU Parkour

Creative Flight For Your Body James McDanolds Club Founder PARKOUR! FREERUNNING! DO A BACKFLIP! As most or some may have heard or seen on youtube - Parkour seems as the body moving sensation that normally shows high octane stunts and movements. Such is the general populace’s conception!

Some believe that it is all about the flips and show, when really what is really is about is overcoming obstacles both physically and mentally. Some may see parkour and freerunning as the same thing when in meaning they are different.

Parkour is taken a form of

discipline or martial art that is trained to be used for a specific purpose such as overcoming obstacles in one’s path. Freerunning is a more creative oriented of the two that focuses on expressing one ‘self through physical art of motion. Each are seen as a fun and creative way to keep yourself in shape as it works all parts of the body, even those hard to reach places.

ERAU Parkour was established just last year in mid-November by founders Ryan Druss and James McDanolds. The club focuses mainly on training and teaching newcomers and current members the

concept of safety while also giving members the opportunity to train with other practitioners that love the sport throughout the University and surrounding community.

Classes are held regularly by training supervisors and certified instructors.

Open Sessions are also held regularly so that members can work on current skills and also take time to try movements they have learned in classes. For more information you can check us out on facebook on the ERAUPK Facebook page and add us on connections for more classes and open session information.

Equestrian Team

ERAU Cricket Club Rishabh Patel Correspondent Coming to a new college, some people might wonder, why has college been so hyped up? The reason is because college is all about new experiences. College offers new relations, new environments, new knowledge, and new sports. Everyone is familiar with the regular sports here such as football and baseball, but how many have ever heard of cricket? Even though cricket and baseball have few basic components of the game in common , the rules are enormously different. For example, it is mandatory to bounce the ball on the ground before

it reaches the batsman. It is also legal to aim for the batsman after the ball has been bounced. Of course there is protection for the batsman so he does not get hurt, but letting someone aim for the batsman is something which is very different to the United States.

Why stick to the traditional bat and ball sport of baseball when in college?

Come to the Embry-Riddle Cricket Club’s station at the activities fair and find out more about this amazing sport. The Embry-Riddle Cricket Club is not just another club, but it is a family. The members have developed such a bond that they have supported each other during games

and outside of games. The juniors and seniors have guided the freshmen in their academics while some freshmen have helps seniors with their game.

Some of the members have driven their teammates at 1:00 a.m. to get food because they are hungry. The club itself does offer new experiences and knowledge of new sports, but the relations that are made throughout the semester is really what college is about. With new nets installed on campus, the club can practice their game and make new friends all on campus. So try something new and come join the Embry-Riddle Cricket Club for a unique college experience.

Zack Wilkinson/The Avion Newspaper

Zack Wilkinson/The Avion Newspaper

Photo Courtesy: ERAU Cricket Club

August

20 2014

TH

Rev. Dr. David Keck Campus Chaplain

The Center for Faith and Spirituality and the Chaplain’s Office invite all students, faculty, and staff to their Open House on Thursday, August 21, from 2-5. You will have a chance to meet the staff of the Center as well as with representatives of local religious institutions.

The Center is located on the west side of campus, near McKay Hall. The Center welcomes people of all religions as well as those struggling with faith and those who simply want to learn about other religions.

The Center for Faith and Spirituality offers a quiet space for students, faculty, and staff to nurture their spirit and/

Faith Organizations or practice their faith.

A meditation room and several prayer rooms dedicated to a variety of religious traditions are available for individual reflection, meditation, and prayer. There is also an informal seating area available for quiet conversation, study, and relaxation.

The Chaplain’s Office offers individual conversations and counseling regarding spirituality and/or faith. The chaplain also serves as a resource or presenter for groups planning programs and provides support and oversight for student spiritual/faith groups.

He assists students looking to connect with a religious group on campus or in the local community, and he provides crisis care for those strug-

gling with deaths, hospitalizations, accidents, or even days that simply seem overwhelming.

This fall, Embry-Riddle is welcoming a new chaplain – Rev. Dr. David Keck. He has served as the chaplain of Hampden-Sydney College, where he was coordinating a campus conversation around the themes of vocation, meaning, and purpose.

He has been the pastor of several congregations in Virginia and North Carolina.

This past summer, he taught Pastoral Care at Duke Divinity School, and he has written a book on the theological dimensions of Alzheimer’s disease (as well as a book on medieval beliefs about angels).

He is looking forward meeting with students, faculty, and staff.

Page

A12

The Avion

Zachary Wilkinson/The Avion Newspaper

Drawing Close and Staying Connected Zachary Wilkinson BCM President So here you are, your room is organized to the last detail, your classes are set in ink, and you’re already complaining about the meal plan. You are a first year student at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in sunny Daytona Beach, Florida, and I want to wish you a heartfelt congratulations. Welcome to the greatest University on Earth!

For students of Christian faith, have you considered the importance of joining together with other students like you? Or for any other reader, have you ever wondered what being a follower of Christ all is about?

Then don’t let the busyness of these first few weeks keep you from making the most important decision you have in college, the decision to stay close to Christ in your new life here. A sobering statistic is that sixty percent of Chrisitan teenagers stop attending church after

going to college. Don’t let yourself become part of that statistic! I joined BCM duting my first semester here, and since then I’ve gotten to know many wonderful people who enrich my life.

It led to getting involved in the College Ministry at First Baptist Church here in Daytona Beach and allows me to help spread the Gospel to college students.

For the last year, I have been the President of Baptist Collegiate Ministries, known as BCM, and I want to welcome you to join us. BCM is a club of believers whom are made up of students from many backgrounds and denominations. We spend time meeting each week to study God’s word, we give out free PB&J Sandwiches, and sometimes we just have fun events too, like bowling or movies. We provide transportation to church as well as all of our events.

On Friday nights we have a Bible study and delicious food provided for us

by members of the First Baptist Church in one of their homes. In addition to that, we often hold game days on an occasional Sunday afternoon to grow closer to eachother and move around a little after a long week of schoolwork.

I want to personally invite you to our first event!

We are having a Barbeque and game day on Saturday, September 13th from 9:30-1:30 on the Intramural Fields.

There will be delicious free food there, and you will get an opportunity to fellowship with our current members and get to know other students like you. There will even be prizes for the winning teams from the team games. We would love to get to know you and tell you more about our club. Again, welcome to Embry-Riddle, and if you have any further questions, feel free to email me at wilkinsz@my.erau. edu. Thank you!

Facebook: Baptist Collegiate Ministries at ERAU

Zack Wilkinson /The Avion Newspaper

Sigmund Baretto CSU President No matter what your faith may be, staying connected is vital (and I don’t mean electronically), especially in our fast-paced life, not to mention that of a college student’s. There is a certain inner peace of mind that simply cannot be experienced through anything else. Our lives are so busy that we rarely have any time to just, well…do nothing. Even if we find ourselves with free time, we immediately hop on to Facebook or watch our favorite TV show. This blocks out all the creative ideas and thoughts that you may be surprised to know you were even capable of. Set aside some time during your day to pray, get to know your faith a little more, or just sit down in silence.

Regardless of your faith background or spirituality, students are invited come check out the Catholic Student Union (CSU).The CSU played a big role in helping me stay connected. Prior to starting my

freshman year, I thought I would I would find it very difficult to stay in touch with my faith but on the contrary, I found myself more immersed in it than I had ever been. This allowed me to not only to grow deeper in faith, but also with all the activities and social events, I was able to keep myself busy and avoid getting homesick.

The most important part of the CSU is the weekly mass held in the newly named ‘Center for Faith and Spirituality.’ Set aside some time on Sundays at 7pm and you will find it to be far more beneficial than cramming for that Physics test on Monday morning.

Take the opportunity after mass to hang around for a while and get to know your peers while snacking on some wings, pizza or even a full home-cooked meal!

POPMOM (People of the Parish, Meal of the Month) is our monthly dinner after mass where people from the local parishes cook a delicious meal for everyone to enjoy. Social gatherings like Go-karting or

bowling after mass is held often to get your competitive spirit going.

Equally important is the social service projects done by the CSU. There are several projects and volunteer opportunities that can be taken to give back to the community and help our brothers and sisters in need. These may range from activities like helping someone with yard work, feeding the homeless, collecting canned goods for the poor or participating in an alternative spring break trip to the Dominican Republic. The key is to use your gifts and talents for the local community.

Whether you’re interested in taking part in projects outside of your regular classes, want to continue staying spiritually connected or would just like a piece of pie and make new friends, the Catholic Student Union would love to have you! For more information, join us on connections and make sure to like us on Facebook to stay updated, search for ‘Catholic Student Union – ERAU Daytona Beach.’

Photo Courtesy: Catholic Student Uniion

STUDENT LIFE

Student Life is very active on campus and off. From the famous Thursday night movies hosted

by Touch-N-Go productions, to the the Sport Aviation Club’s Glider intro-ride days at Pierson Airpark, there is an endless varity of things for YOU to get involved with this year. Go check out Greek life, go skydiving at Deland Airport, take a nature hike at DeLeon springs, or dive with the Scuba Club. The Student Activities deaprtment has over 150 Registered Student Organizations, many of which you can meet in person at the Activities Fair on September 9th, from 9-3 on the Legacy Walkway. We at The Avion Newspaper encourage you to take a step to join at least one campus organiztion this fall.

B01

Page

B2

The Avion

Student Organizations

AstronomersWanted

Maggie Gallant President First, the Amateur Astronomy Club wants to congratulate and welcome the Class of 2018 to Embry-Riddle! If you are interested in space, things that are already in space, things that go to space, things that look at space, things that could possibly live in space, how space got there, taking up space, or all of the above, then you can stop searching because you’ve found the organization of your dreams!

Our members consist of all majors and minors, and we cater to astronomers of all levels. We teach both astronomy and telescope basics but also have open discussions on advanced topics, such as stellar evolution and the formation of the

universe.

Meetings are, and always will be, on Wednesday nights at 8:00 PM. At these meetings, we discuss current astronomical events, upcoming events for the organization, and astronomy in general. Occasionally, we get the chance to take the telescopes out when there are clear skies.

The Amateur Astronomy Club does more than just weekly meetings. Our activities also include one camping trip per semester, visiting the local planetarium, and attending or hosting star parties. If you aren’t able to make the meeting time, we encourage you to join us on Facebook if you are interested in attending our events.

Additionally, and probably most importantly, we are responsible for

putting on three Astronomy Open House events during each semester, so we always need plenty of volunteers to help out.

These allow Embry-Riddle to showcase their impressive collection of telescopes and teach the public about space and science.

This coming year is going to be especially demanding because of the university’s brand-new, research-grade, 1-meter telescope. Fall 2014 will be the first semester that the telescope will be operational, and many people will want to come and see it.

Therefore, we invite all astronomers, beginning or expert, to the very first interest meeting of the Fall semester, which will take place on Wednesday, September 10, at 8:00 p.m., as always.

Not quite ready to give up that instrument you learned in high school? Want to support Embry-Riddle in the coolest way possible? Then join one of only a handful of musically inclined clubs on campus: the Pep Band and Drum Corp here at ERAU! We perform for the: Girl’s Volleyball team, Men’s Basketball team, the newly formed Women’s Basketball team and anything else that requires our unique brand of “rent-a-mob with instruments”.

As a member of the pep band, you would attend practices twice a week (as long you don’t have a prior academic commitment) on Mondays and Thursdays from 6:45-8:00pm, regularly perform at games and have the opportunity to enjoy some non-instrument time

with your bandmates (such as: midnight trips to Denny’s and Steak and Shake after games, home-cooked dinner nights, etc.). Transportation to and from games (and even to and from our out-of-band activities) will be provided by members of the band with a vehicle, so no worries if you think you can’t get off campus.

Please feel welcome to join us for our first practice on August 28(Thursday) at 6:45 p.m.. if you do not have your instrument with you at the time you can still sit in or pick up one of the Pep Band’s own instruments yourself.

As one of the louder clubs on campus, we have our very own special building. It is located across Clyde Morris Blvd. in the second modular (aka mobile unit/trailer) behind the ROTC building.

If you think the directions are too confusing, you can meet up with one of our members

inside the Student Village main entrance around 6:30.

They will be wearing a blue, yellow and white jersey with Pep Band @ ERAU in white and yellow on the front.

Please bring your instrument with you if you have it. If you do not have an instrument with you, stop by anyway!

If you cannot make it to the first practice you can come any Monday or Thursday at 6:45 and just ask around for someone important or find our table at the activities fair.

If you have any questions please email Adam Cascio: cascioa@my.erau.edu or ask anyone roaming around campus in a blue, yellow and white jersey as described above.

We love having new members that are dedicated to performing and look forward to meeting everyone that comes to the first/second/twenty-ninth practice.

20 2014

TH

Eagles Flight team Flies higher

Emmy Dillon Public Relations Welcome, new Eagles! We are the Eagles Flight Team, Embry-Riddle’s elite flight competition team. We participate in regional and national competitions in both flight and ground events as part of the National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA).

Our flight events consist of precision landings, highly precise navigation, and dropping messages onto a target from hundreds of feet in the air. Our ground events consist of cross country flight planning, making manual flight calculations at record speeds, recognizing and identifying aircraft from around the world, preflight, and much more. All of these are some examples of the many events in which our members have the opportunity to practice and compete against other colleges and

universities from across the country.

The Eagles Flight Team is comprised of dedicated and hard working students from all over the United States and from many international countries. Not only are our backgrounds diverse but our studies are diverse as well; along with Aeronautical Science and Aeronautics majors, some of our team major in aircraft maintenance, air traffic control, engineering, and business. What you read is exactly right; you do not need to be a pilot or even be working towards a flight certificate to try out for and be a part of our elite team! We hold open tryouts for ALL students! Joining our team will be a catalyst for gaining aeronautical knowledge, developing your flying skills, and becoming an integral part of the most exciting industry in the world. We continuously challenge ourselves and each

Pep Band & Drum Corp Kevin Wade, Adam Cascio, and Magan Walker

August

other to refine our skills and cultivate our knowledge, and we are looking for dedicated and bright individuals who strive for perfection and aspire to join us and represent the greatest collegiate aviation institution in the world.

The team will be holding a Mass Briefing or two in the beginning of September to provide details about the team, the tryout process, competition events, and practice schedules. The Mass Briefing will also be a great opportunity for you to meet the team and ask questions. If you have any questions in the mean time or want to find out more about us, we are reachable 24/7 via the official Eagles Flight Team Facebook page and the university’s Connections website.

We are looking forward to a great 2014-2015 season, and we are excited to have you as part of our team!

August

20 2014

TH

Student Organizations

Page

B3

The Avion

Women in Aviation Laura Buritica Women in Aviation Where else can you get the opportunity of a lifetime to talk to SR-71, WWII and aerobatics pilots? There is no better place to meet these great legends than in Women in Aviation, International, or WAI. Our organization gives students an experience they will never forget.

WAI, as stated by National Headquarters, “is an organization dedicated to providing networking, education, mentoring and scholarship opportunities to both men

Nathan A. Sonnenfeld Staff Reporter Are you a future professional that is interested in attending national conferences – in cities such as San Diego, Chicago, and New Orleans? Are you a future professional that is interested in ‘rubbing elbows’ with the most reputable Human Factors experts across every industry – including Aerospace, Education, Healthcare, Human Performance, and Virtual Environments fields?

Are you interested in advancing your career with a single decision?

Join HFES, the Human Factors & Ergonomics Society student chapter at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Human Factors is the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of interactions among humans

and women who are striving for challenging and fulfilling careers in the aviation and aerospace industries.” We learn and help each other grow, but most importantly, we have fun!

In Women in Aviation, you will have the chance to be part of a family and make friends that will last for a lifetime. Our organization is very active on campus and throughout the community.

We reach out to elementary and middle school students to help them explore the opportunities in STEM and aviation fields. We actively

participate in homecoming activities, host fundraisers throughout the year, and have fun fellowship events such as attending the Sun ‘N Fun Airshow. WAI has brought in guest speakers that give our members insight into their aviation careers, while others help students grow professionally.

Each year Women in Aviation, International hosts a conference where students and professionals can network and learn. At our most recent conference, which was held in Orlando, Florida, members were able

and other elements of a system, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data, and all other methods to design in order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance.

The Society’s mission is to promote the discovery and exchange of knowledge concerning the characteristics of human beings that are applicable to the design of systems and devices of all kinds.

HFES furthers serious consideration of knowledge about the allocation of functions for humans and machines – whether people serve as operators, maintainers, or users in the system.

And, it advocates systematic use of such knowledge to achieve compatibility in the design of interactive systems of people, machines, and environments to ensure their effectiveness, safety, and ease of performance.

Membership to the student chapter includes: Current projects by Human Factors & Ergonomics Society members include volunteer work for Habitat for Humanity and beachclean up day, the HFES garden (as seen by Doolittle Hall), and research involving virtual environments & simulation equipment, personality & social psychology, and astronaut isolation studies.

However, HFES is not simply an organization for graduate students and Human Factors majors. Our projects involve students and faculty from every major on campus. Several members are currently contending in the national HFES competition to redesign the American voting system, and are working closely with students and faculty from the Homeland Security Department, Computer Sciences Department, and the Mobile App Development club to design the interface.

Our student and faculty members have numerous projects related to every major and every field, so join now to reap all of the benefits of our organization – and we will help you construct a professional career in any industry!

to network with Prescott’s members and ERAU alumni. Many of our members were able to talk and interview with companies such as Boeing, Pratt & Whitney, American Airlines, United Airlines, and many more.

Some of the sessions provided, introduced members

to topics such as how to find a good work life balance.

The WASPS, Women Airforce Service Pilots, were also present and they talked about their experiences as women pilots during World War II. Women in Aviation is already getting ready for this year’s upcoming conference

in Dallas, Texas March 5-7, 2015. We hope you will join us for an amazing year!

If you would like to get involved and join our Women in Aviation family, come see us in the Activities Fair. You can also find us ERAU Connection or on Facebook.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Lucy Kliethermes-Jones President Ok, so I might be a little late, or maybe a little early, but there’s no wrong time to celebrate! You were born at some point, and it looks like you’re doing pretty well now. Count yourself lucky, because not everyone has the chance to be born, to grow up and to experience the world. So celebrate the fact that you can try new things, fall in love, laugh with your friends at absolutely nothing, and eat cake batter when no one’s watching (or is that just me).

People often ask me

“what is Students for Life”?

We are students who believe that every human life is valuable, that every person has worth, and that there is no such thing as a life not worth living. We strive to protect pre-born children, to defend the rights of those who cannot speak for themselves, and to help those around us recognize the intrinsic worth of each person’s life. We also work with local organizations to provide information, resources, and material support to new mothers. Last semester, thanks to the generosity of Embry-Riddle students, we were able to donate thou-

sands of diapers to the Pregnancy Crisis Center of Daytona Beach. While many of our members are motivated by their religious beliefs, we are not specifically a religious organization. We feel that love and respect can transcend differences in belief, and that people from all ways of life can work together to build a better future.

If you are interested in our club, or would just like to know more about us, please visit our Connections page. The time and place of our first meeting will be posted to Connections, and we hope to see you there!

Photo Courtesy: Students For Life at ERAU

The Sport Aviation Club Billy Janus President First off I’d like to welcome you all to your first semester here at ERAU. I know you’re probably excited and overwhelmed at the same time for your first day of classes. So I’ll try to make this brief. My name is Billy and I am the president of the Sport Aviation Club, and I would like to tell you a little bit about our club. The Sport Aviation club isn’t just

for pilots, or just for engineers, or any specific degree.

The Sport Aviation Club is for anyone with an interest in aviation. As a club many of our members participate in club activities such as going to Airshows, camping at a local grass field, Pierson Airpark. We also spend time flying together and learning skills like how to apply fabric to airplanes and flying remote control planes. Embry-Riddle professors and Flight Instruc-

tors teach classes for us on subjects like flying tail wheel airplanes, gliders, and aerobatics. We also work with a local flying club called Eagle Sport Aviation which has a Piper Cub, a Pitts S2-B, an ASK-21 Glider, and several other neat aircraft. We team up with ESA attending their aerobatic contest. The Sport Aviation Club also attends EAA meetings at the Spruce Creek Fly-In community.

Not everything is airplanes with us, sometimes it’s not

out of the ordinary to find us playing card games or wasting time at local restaurants like Texas Roadhouse.

So if you like talking about airplanes, being around airplanes, working on planes, or just hanging out with a bunch of like minded friends with their heads in the clouds the Sport Aviation Club is for you. We will be at the Activities fair on September 9th from 9-3pm where you can meet us and see some of ESA’s aircraft.

Zachary Wilkinson/The Avion Newspaper

Zachary Wilkinson/The Avion Newspaper

August

20 2014

TH

Student Organizations

Eaglecast Weather Jonathan Lezman Staff Writer Central Florida is a playground for afternoon thunderstorms, tornados, heat, and all sorts of severe weather. Getting accurate weather information quickly is critical when you do not want to mess up your new hairstyle with some rain. Luckily, one of Embry-Riddle’s 150+ clubs is dedicated solely on your safety and wellbeing. EagleCast is a club that provides forecasts made by students, for students, twice a day.

The forecasts are accurate, the information is delivered promptly, and you can walk outside knowing confidently if you will need an umbrella, or some sunscreen. An interview with residing President, Corallys Plasencia, shed some light into EagleCast’s goal, their mindset, and their passion – sharing the weather with students at Embry-Riddle. She said,

“I want students to get the most accurate forecasts and also have a way to get weather updates whenever, wherever. Students will have a way to check the weather constantly by watching our daily weather broadcasts, and weather updates, on our social media sites”.

EagleCast is not just about advising students of local temperatures and humidity levels, but is also about keeping students safe such as National Weather Service bulletins and advisories.

Surfing can be a great recreational sport to pursue at Daytona Beach; however, without an accurate surf report, that fun day at the beach could turn into a calm, peaceful day with no waves, or worse – getting caught in a strong rip current. The students in EagleCast are happy to forecast, are dedicated to the education and safety of the student body, and are willing and ready to provide the most accurate

forecast for Embry-Riddle.

Social media plays a large role in today’s news; likewise, follow EagleCast on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for all of the latest updates and videos. EagleCast will also be launching a brand new website, which is currently under development, so stay tuned for an update on what is to come from the newly improved EagleCast at Embry-Riddle. So, do not flip a coin and hope it is not going to rain on your fresh dry cleaning, do not guess and check what the heat index is going to be – instead, rely on your daily news team and student meteorologists who are solely for informing you of what is to come.

EagleCast’s goal is “to provide students with the most accurate forecast”, so make sure you tune in to see the most current, up-to-date forecast. If you have any questions, or any comments, please feel free to email Corallys Plasencia at plasencc@my.erau.edu.

M.A.D: Mobile App Development Club Aaron Kersch President Welcome to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University! If you are like most people today, you probably own a smartphone or tablet; but have you wondered how the apps you use every single day are made? By joining the Mobile Application Development (M.A.D.) Club, not only will you learn just that, but you will learn how to make your own!

The M.A.D. Club was started this past Spring semester by three engineering students. Our goal is to reach as many students as possible to teach them about app development

and develop new abilities through peer learning. In an increasingly modern world, we feel that it is very important for students on our campus to understand the technology they use, and to open more career paths.

Run by students in the Electrical, Computer, Software, and Systems engineering department, our club teaches Android and iOS application development to those eager to learn.

Whether you have never coded before or already have published apps of your own, we accept and encourage anyone and everyone interested in learning how to program to join us.

Using online documentation and forums, the students in our club take the learning into their own hands to create work they can feel proud of. Of course, the more experienced members of our group are always there to lend a helping hand. Student and faculty led workshops will help provide a primer to help you get started.Our meetings run for one hour where we teach a new piece of code each week. Join us on Mondays at 5:00pm this Fall to learn more (location TBD).

We look forward to having you. For more information, contact M.A.D. Club President Aaron Kersch at Kerscha@my.erau.edu.

Page

B4

The Avion

Join the Artificial Intelligence Club Be a Part Of The Future

Sean Holden Representative For decades, artificial intelligence (AI) has captivated the minds and imaginations of many engineers, scientists, writers, and filmmakers alike.

Agents such as JARVIS, Cortana, and R2-D2 are part of an endearing and enduring cultural psyche. While these sorts of superintelligent agents currently exist just within the realm of fantasy, other types of AI impact our lives today.

AI focuses on the use of computers and how they can be effectively used to develop intelligent software and systems. There are many different fields of AI. Machine learning is a popular field, and is applied in areas such as stock market prediction, self-driving cars, and Netflix movie recommendations. Natu-

ral language processing focuses on understanding speech – Siri is a well-known application of this. Computer vision seeks to understand the physical world in areas including optical character recognition and object detection. Finally, augmented and virtual reality devices use AI to enhance our natural capabilities.

Our club is currently a small and upcoming group on campus, consisting of students from a variety of degree programs. We are interested in learning about AI problems, implementing the techniques for their respective solutions, and keeping abreast of current developments in the domain.

Our past projects have primarily focused on the implementation of AI in the context of games, including the development of Conway’s Game of Life, Connect

4, and several flocking algorithms. With a new school year in sight, we are looking to grow our membership, allowing us to expand the number of active projects.

We also have some neat hardware to facilitate our projects, which include the Microsoft Kinect and the Oculus Rift.

If you’re curious to see what we’re all about or are ready to simply dive right in, feel free to visit our ERAU Connection page or contact our president, Sean Holden, at holdens@my.erau.edu.

We welcome students of all experience levels and disciplines; no previous experience in programming or AI is required!

If you want to share our passion for artificial intelligence, if you want to look under the figurative hood of the vehicle that drives progress, or even if you just want free food every once in a while, then join us!

OBSERVE:

Engineers in Their Natural Habitat Adam Joseph ERPL President On my very first tour of Embry-Riddle back in spring of 2011 I remember walking through the halls of Lehman Building and coming across a lab with a sign on the glass that said “Observe: Engineers in their natural habitat”.

On the tour, we proceeded to enter the lab and we were surrounded by rockets, tools, and a bunch of other things that I had no idea what to call. That lab belonged to ERPL (Experimental Rocket Propulsion Lab) and after hearing more about the club I knew I would be joining if I made the decision to attend Riddle. Sure enough, freshman year I did in fact decide to join ERPL, and now two years later I am Vice President of the club and Plasmas Division Lead.

In Plasmas, we are currently doing some experimentation with trying to achieve a steady plasma and measure the temperature and electron density of said plasma. This experiment allows the team to learn about instrumentation and experiment set up, as well as gain hands on experience with programs like LabVIEW.

These are beneficial things to know because as a student, it sets you apart from others in the eyes of potential employers. On a side note, I would just like to add that when I was a freshman I did not even know what a “plasma” was: “Like blood plasma?”

Not exactly.

If you do know about plasmas and you know it’s not your thing that is perfectly fine! ERPL has a lot to offer in terms of different divisions. For example, we also have a Hybrids (flight and experimental), Liquids, and a CFD division. All of these divisions offer great opportunities to learn some hands-on and technical skills. Specifically, Hybrids participates in flight competitions (allowing members of ERPL to gain their model rocket certifications), experimental development, and

fuel research, Liquids is currently making a liquid engine and utilizing on-campus 3D printing, and CFD or Computational Fluid Dynamics (the process of studying complex flow problems with the help of computers) is teaching members how to use commercial CFD software with a focus on rocket engine analysis.

In ERPL, there is something for everyone- not just AE, ME, or EP students. For example, many of the projects require electrical work and circuitry to be done which would be a perfect job for, say, an EE student. Everyone can benefit from project and technical experience since employers are always looking for team players with great technical skills. All that being said, we look forward to seeing you at our next meeting.

Page

C2

The Avion

CAMPUS DEPARTMENTS

AUGUST

20 2014

TH

Welcome International Students!

Judy Assad International Student Advisor International Students arriving for the Fall Semester 2014 are welcomed as they prepare to begin degree programs.

Judy Assad, International Student Advisor, adds that students are invited to meet her in First Year Programs, Suite 115,the College of Business (under the Blue Awning).

Services provided to students in the International Student Office include letters and documents. Students may be asked to have a letter verifying enrollment from the Records and Registration Office before specific letters can be prepared.

There is assistance with alternative housing, evaluation of alternative health

The Wellness Center is Here For You! Pamela Petrone, RN Wellness Coordinator Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University aims to encouraging students to use wellness resources to improve or maintain their health and overall well-being. The ERAU Wellness Program realizes when students implement a healthy lifestyle; it allows each individual to be leaders in the careers and their future beyond ERAU. There are many resources available throughout the Daytona Beach Campus. The ERAU Fitness Center is located in the center of campus and offers state-of-theart fitness equipment and group fitness classes.

The gym has convenient hours that can be utilized by all students.

We are proud that our University has become a tobacco-free environment. No tobacco products are allowed on University property or leased

property. If any student would like support to quit smoking please stop by the ERAU Health Services to receive more information on support classes located on campus and throughout the community.

ERAU Health Services is staffed with 2 physicians, 1 nurse practitioner, 1 physician assistant, and 5 registered nurses.

We respect that all students are on a timely schedule. At Health Services there is a minimal wait time to be seen by a healthcare professional. Our services include; Physical Examinations, Evaluation and treatment of illness, First aid and follow-up care for injuries, Placement and removal of sutures, Women health exams, Nutritional Specialist Consults, and Medical flight groundings (flight students).

The ERAU Counseling Center is another wellness resource. The Center is

committed to enhancing the emotional, relational, and psychological well-being of students.

The staff provides confidential counseling, consultation services, and innovative and interactive campus-wide programs.

Health Services and the Counseling Center are located at the Wellness Center Complex, Bldg 20, directly across the parking lot in front of Doolittle Hall.

We encourage all students to take advantage of the services that are offered. We are all here to support you to be successful in your studies and your future careers.

Connect with us online at: www.facebook.com/ erauwellness and www.facebook.com/ eraucounselingcenter.

You can also scan the QR codes below to go directly to the websites above!

Students First!

insurance to see if admissible for waiver, required letter for Social Security application, and proof of address for driver’s license or State of Florida ID. In February each year, help is provided for students who either worked on campus or at an internship to do U.S. income tax returns on the 1040NR-EZ, particular for international students.

Students who may need certification from the State of Florida on an ERAU diploma or official transcript may have assistance with that process. The Forida Department of State in Tallahassee certifies documents that have been signed by the Registrar and her signature notarized. The charge by the Department of State is $10 per document. Liaisons are

maintained with Embassy and Scholarship agencies.

Students so sponsored are asked to sign releases to allow discussion of academic progress with sponsors who request it.

A memo prepared to help non-citizen flight students apply for the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) application to begin flight is available with explanations and helpful phone numbers for FAA Medicals and the fingerprinting process. Students needing transportation to the Daytona Beach International Airport for fingerprinting may request help with transportation. You may email for more specific assistance at assadj@earu. edu or telephone (386) 2266577.

Again, welcome all new International Students!

STUDENTS ARE FIRST AT ERAU HEALTH SERVICES! Representative Health Services Welcome Eagles! Not familiar with Health Services? Well you should be! Health Services is your medical team while you are away from home. Your registration fees support us so your visits are free of charge.

What? We are a full service wellness clinic. Our staff consists of 5 RN’s, 2 mid-level providers, and a university MD. We offer routine and specialized care while you’re a registered student at the Daytona Beach campus.

Walk-ins are welcome but appointments are also available. All visits are completely confidential. Additional services include nutrition

counseling and assistance in quitting tobacco products.

A bonus for you…we also keep a stocked box of easy to grab items for your convenience such as band aids, cough drops, ointments, and condoms in our front lobby!

When?

To better serve our students we offer extended hours of operation for the fall and spring semesters.

We’re open 60 hours a week!

On Mondays through Wednesday, we’re open from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

On Thursdays and Fridays, we’re open between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. On weekends, we’re only open on Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Where? Health Ser-

vices is located at The Wellness Center, Building 20 (just across the parking lot from Doolittle Hall).

Got Questions? Stop by for a visit, or Phone 386-226-7917, or by email dbhealth@erau. edu.

We encourage both students and parents to visit our websites to learn more about our offerings.

Find us online at www.daytonabeach. erau.edu/health or www.connection.erau. edu (choose H under the organization tab).

You can also scan the QR codes below to go directly to each website.

Thank you for choosing ERAU as your university. Health Services is here for you!

Caring for wounded eagles since 1928!

AUGUST

20 2014

TH

CAMPUS DEPARTMENTS

Get Oriented!

Michelle Parker Academic Evaluator The Office of Records and Registration welcomes you to Daytona Beach and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and hopes your time here will be full of experiences that grow your knowledge, build new friendships, and help you live your dreams. We are located on the second floor of the Student Center Annex, above the Departure Lounge. We are available during the fall and spring semesters, Monday through Friday, 8am to 4pm.

The staff and student assistants in our office will be happy to assist you with

many of your questions and needs. We can help you with registration, transcript requests, enrollment verifications, academic evaluations, and much more.

When you have questions about transfer credit or graduation, for example, you may find yourself in the office of an academic or graduation evaluator.

Or you can visit us and talk with a records specialist when you have questions about your Campus Solutions Student Center or need help dropping or auditing courses. The office is a great place for academic support to help give you the tools and information you need to succeed during your time here at Emb-

ry-Riddle.

You will find three self-service computers in our lobby if you would like to access ERNIE, browse the catalog, or make schedule adjustments.

You can also access most of our forms, like the request for academic evaluation and the off-campus petition on our page in ERNIE. You can find our page on your ERNIE by clicking the Student Services tab, then the link to “Records & Registration” in the upper right-hand corner.

Please feel free to stop by to say hello or contact us by phone at 386-226-6030 or by email at dbrecrds@erau. edu. Again, welcome!

View Advisement Reports from Records and Registration Michelle Parker Academic Evaluator The Office of Records and Registration provides academic support for students from matriculation through graduation and beyond. Our team ensures accuracy and confidentiality of academic records while providing appropriate access to students, faculty, and other internal and external constituents.

We strive for continuous improvement by embracing emerging technologies and best practices in enrollment, records maintenance, reporting, and policy interpretation and implementation. Our focus on exemplary student service contributes to the success of our students in their academic pursuits and in their future careers as global citizens and leaders in the aerospace industry.

We are pleased to announce that we are now offering an Academic Advising Report (AAR), for catalogs 2011 and newer, which is available online.

Keep in mind that the evaluation is specific to the major, area of concentrations (AOC) and minors which you have declared. If your program requires an AOC or minor that has not been declared, all applicable credit will not apply.

The AAR report displays the academic requirements for your program of study and indicates which requirements have been completed. Please refer to your report often to track your progress toward graduation. You’ll find the report helpful for course selection in subsequent semesters.

Please contact your advisor if you have questions regarding your AAR. Please follow the steps below to review your Academic Advising Report (AAR).

1.Log on to ERNIE – Select Campus Solutions Student Center.

2.Under the Academics section, select Academic Requirements (2nd option within the drop-down box).

3.Click the Go button >>

4.Once the report opens, select “Expand All” 5.Please check the report thoroughly as course substitutions and MET credit (shown at the bottom of each section) will be denoted with a hyper link number next to them with a note attached. Click on the number to view the note. (Please see screen shot for example) 6.To view a pdf version of the report, select “View ERAU report” If you would like a full tutorial on how to utilize this report, follow these steps: 1.Click the Student Services tab of your ERNIE account.

2.Click the hyperlink Training/Tutorials under Campus Solutions.

3.Click the View your Academic Program Requirements hyperlink to view the short tutorial.

The staff of the Office of Records and Registration is here to assist you as you embark on your next semester!

Page

C3

The Avion

Student Employment:

Earn While You Learn Kathryn Parsons Student Employment Director Welcome new and continuing students. We in Student Employment are very excited about the return of our previous workers and the challenge of assisting our new students seeking employment.

Embry-Riddle University employs over one thousand students during the fall and spring semesters and over five hundred during the summer; this equates to nearly one-quarter of our student population!

On-campus employment is available to all students regardless of financial need.

As soon as you are registered for classes, please view our on-line job postings through ERNIE> Student Services tab > Employment Resources > Search for Student Employment.

That’s it. Now you are ready to search for jobs and sign up for job mail.

If you need assistance, don’t hesitate to come and see us.

Where is the Student Employment Office located? Tomcat Annex, Bldg. 30 Room 121 What are the hours of operation? We’re open Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm.

“I never worked on campus before, what

should I do?” You can view available jobs online; you can apply on-line – be sure to follow the employers instructions and submit your resume if requested.

Once you have accepted a position, you will need to come to Student Employment to complete necessary documents. Students must provide original documentation to prove identity and employment eligibility prior to employment, such as a passport, birth certificate OR social security card.

How about off-campus employment? Our off campus job market is booming this year, so check out the off campus openings on our website.

Since ERAU students are reliable, focused and conscientious workers they are sought after in the community.

On September 18th we are planning an off-campus job fair. The event will take place in the Student Center from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.

Our community business partners are ready to meet you and offer some wonderful opportunities.

How does WorkStudy differ from Student Employment? To be eligible for Federal Work Study, you must already be receiving

Financial Aid and your aid does not cover your cost of attendance.

There are only two jobs, which you must qualify for Work Study: our Volunteer Network and our off-campus Elementary Tutor Program. A Student Employment representative can advise you of your eligibility. All other jobs are open to all students.

Temporary Employment – Throughout the year there are opportunities for temporary employment on and/or off campus. The jobs may be as brief as an hour or up to a week in length. Sign up with Jill Watson (watsonj4@erau. edu) in Student Employment to be placed on a list.

First Time Freshmen – Confused whether you should look for employment or not? It is our philosophy that students should consider getting adjusted to university life first and foremost. Once you are adjusted to campus life and can determine what your “free” time to work will be, that is when to start looking for a job.

Of course, if you desire to work right from the start, begin your job search after arriving on campus.

We welcome you to ERAU, and we hope we can be of service to you now, or in the future.

Page

C4

The Avion

CAMPUS DEPARTMENTS

AuGUST

20 2014

TH

Technology For Your Success Information Technology Department From Microsoft Office and storage in the cloud to discipline-specific technology in labs and classrooms, Embry-Riddle offers an advanced campus network and an exciting technology environment.

Information Technology has continued to implement the features of Microsoft Office 365 that are accessed through your Outlook Web Access (OWA) email account.

Office 365 is a cloud-based system that provides you with access to email and calendar, file storage and sharing, web conferencing and instant messaging, and social networks. Each of these applications provides an exciting new functionality that contributes to your success as an Embry-Riddle student.

Store and share files using “OneDrive”. With 1

TB of personal storage that you can access from anywhere it’s easy to share files with others for viewing and editing. It’s also a great place to store your personal stuff for school or work. Be sure to review the privacy settings to make sure you keep private things private.

In addition to the one copy of free Microsoft Office Pro and Windows upgrade available from the ERAU web store, now you also have access to Office Online. Office Online allows you to create and edit Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote files via a web browser. This is available to use on any computer even if it does not have a full version of Office installed.

Start a web conference or instant messaging using “Lync”. You can share your desktop, a program, or a PowerPoint presentation.

You can also record a meet-

ing, share the recording, and play it back. Or you can just talk face to face with others if you have a web cam on your computer.

Join the private, Embry-Riddle social network when you log into “Yammer”. You can join groups to follow or create your own group. When you post here everyone at Embry-Riddle who logs into Yammer can see your posts.

To create a Blog, follow other Blogs, or find and connect with other students, faculty and staff at Embry-Riddle use “Sites”.

Here you can follow interesting people and blogs as well as be followed by those who are interested in you.

To try these great new Office 365 tools, from your ERNIE homepage choose the email icon (OWA) or open a web browser and go to www.outlook.com/erau. edu to login. Click on the gear icon in the top right

corner and choose “Office 365 Settings”, then click “Get Started”.

Another important tool that will contribute to your academic success is lynda. com. An amazing online library of more than 2,700 learning courses for people at all experience levels.

Courses cover technical skills, creative techniques, business strategies, and more. Watch from your computer, tablet, or mobile device. You can access lynda.com through ERNIE.

For convenient access to your classes and coursework; news and events; maps, directories, sports, videos and more download the Embry-Riddle mobile app from your mobile carrier’s app store.

You also have access to computer labs for completing assignments or doing group work. Labs are located in the Library, Lehman Building room

371, as well as the College of Business room 123. Lab hours vary throughout the year, and are often extended during finals.

Personal computer support services are provided through the ResNet support office, located in the Student Village 1st floor. We have completely refreshed the ResNet office this summer to make it more customer friendly and inviting. Contact IT Support at the number below to schedule an appointment for a student technician assist you with your personal PC issues.

Information Technology is happy to welcome all new and returning students to campus. Be sure to log into erau.edu/it to explore all of the services that will help you achieve a successful fall semester or give us a call at 386.226.6990 for 24-hour support, seven days a week.

Senior Eagle Scholarship Supports Seniors In Need

Photo Courtesy: Melanie Stawicki Azam

Melanie Stawicki Azam Correspondent The final semester leading up to graduation is an exciting time, but it

can also be a financially trying time for many Embry-Riddle students.

That is where the Embry-Riddle Senior Eagle Scholarship can

help. Created for students by students, the fund provides one graduating senior per semester a $500 scholarship to help them overcome

their financial hurdles.

This person may typically work one or more jobs and is struggling to support themselves while attending Embry-Riddle.

The Senior Eagle Scholarship was originally created by the May 2013 Senior Class Council (SCC) as a way to leave their legacy behind after graduation, while assisting fellow students in need. The hope is that this scholarship would continue to grow and help as many students as possible.

“Scholarships provide students with the opportunity to focus on their education, dreams and passions,” said Paul Wir-

kowski (‘13, DB), one of the scholarship’s founders who served as May 2013 SCC President.

“Although I’m fresh out of school and paying back my own loans, I want to give back whatever I can to help provide students the same opportunities I had.”

Each semester, the SCC raises money for their class gift. Since its inception, the SCC has chosen to support this scholarship as its class gift. So far, scholarships have been awarded to three deserving students. The scholarship selection committee is comprised of SCC alumni, as well as that semester’s Council.

If you are a graduating senior and are interested in joining this semester’s SCC, please attend an upcoming graduation meeting Sept. 17 or 18 at 7 p.m. More information will be emailed to all graduating seniors when it becomes available.

By making a gift to the Senior Eagle Scholarship Fund, students help the fund grow and continue to help their peers for years to come. If you’d like to know more about how to donate to the Scholarship Fund or how to apply for the scholarship, please contact Yoon Choi at 386-226-7223 or Yoon.

Choi@erau.edu

2013-2014: A YEAR IN REVIEW

Page

D2

The Avion

YEAR IN REVIEW

AUGUST

20 2014

TH

Richard Weakley/The Avion Newspaper The United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV being launched from Cape Canaveral early this summer.

ULA Launches Delta IV Homecoming Weekend Finale Filled with Fun!

Richard Weakely Advertising Manager

GPS satellite constellation is operated by the United States Air Force Space Command.

ULA is a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin that is responsible for engineering, integration and infrastructure for the Atlas V and Delta IV launch vehicles. The Delta IV was first launched on Nov. 20, 2002 with a commercial communications satellite from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

The Delta IV is an evolved expendable launch vehicle that can be configured with varying numbers of solid rocket boosters, Common Booster Cores and different payload fairing sizes. The engine on the Common Booster Core, the RS-68, is an American-built engine.

The vehicle that launched on Friday was in the Medium+ (4,2) configuration with two solid rocket boosters manufactured by ATK in Utah and a payload fairing measuring four meters in diameter. In this configuration, the vehicle has 1.2 million pounds of thrust at lift off.

The next launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station will on May 22 between 8:45 and 10:15 AM with a ULA Atlas V flying in the 401 configuration. This configuration has a four meter diameter payload fairing, no solid rocket motors and one RL-10 upper stage engine. The flight will be placing a classified National Reconnaissance Office payload into orbit.

All Photos Credit: Richard Weakley, Trey Henderson, Khaled Saeed/The Avion Newspaper

On May 16 at 8:03 PM EST, a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV roared to space at sunset, lofting America’s newest GPS satellite to orbit from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 37B. ULA attempted to launch this vehicle the day before, but the launch countdown was halted when the weather in the area would not present conditions acceptable for launching. The weather system moving through the central Florida region produced several severe thunderstorms but did bring cooler and very clear conditions for the launch on May 16.

Launch occurred on time at the beginning of the launch window. The vehicle quickly accelerated off the launch pad due to the solid rocket boosters’ flight characteristics. Mach one was reached less than a minute into the flight. The two strapon solid boosters burned for approximately 90 seconds before being jettisoned. The RS-68 main engine fueled by liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen burned for just over four minutes into the flight before the first stage (Common Booster Core) was separated seven seconds later. Fifteen seconds after the Common Booster Core was separated, the second stage engine ignited, propelling the satellite until a little after 15 minutes into

the flight. Ten seconds after this burn was initiated, the payload fairing was jettison since it is not needed anymore. The payload fairing protects the satellite while the launch vehicle is propelling it through the atmosphere.

Approximately 15 minutes after liftoff, the upper stage engine shutdown, placing the rocket and satellite into a three hour coasting orbit.

In order to change the orbit from elliptical into circular, the upper stage burned for another minute and half with spacecraft separation occurred a few seconds later.

This type of mission profile allows for the satellite to be placed into the desired orbit directly, without using a sequence of orbit changes to place the satellite into an operational orbit for the mission.

The Boeing-built GPS 2F-6 satellite is the sixth satellite and the latest addition to newest constellation of satellites on orbit. The GPS 2F constellation will have twelve satellites onboard when all are launched by 2016. The new 2F GPS satellites offer greater precision, better timing and a longer operational life than the current generation of GPS satellites. This enhanced capability will improve the functionality of the vast array of GPS devices in the world today from car GPS receivers to GPS-guided weapons. GPS 2F-6 will replace an older GPS satellite launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on a Delta II. The

Elizabeth Worsham Staff Reporters On Nov. 9, the Armstrong parking lot transformed into a spectacle of music, rides and glittering lights as a finale to ERAU’s Homecoming Week 2013. Thirty people put in a total of 1200 hours over the weekend to make sure that Homecoming finished with a bang.

After a long week of activities, students and the general public were welcomed to Friday’s comedy show featuring Demetri Martin. 1800 people attended the event, with nearly 100

students staffing the show.

Yet that was just an appetizer for Saturday Night’s festivities, as Touch-N-Go hosted a closed-to-thepublic carnival and concert for ERAU students.

Over three thousand students attending the carnival participated in a range of activities from rides and face painting to vendors and fun houses.

The carnival featured a concert headlining Gloriana and with Erick Baker performing as the opening act. Gloriana is a country music group hailing from Nashville, Tennessee. Their hit songs include “Wild at Heart,” “How Far Do You Wanna Go?” and “(Kissed

You) Good Night.” In 2009, they were recipients of the American Music Awards Breakthrough Artist of the Year Award, and in 2010, they won the Academy of Country Music’s Top New Vocal Group Award.

Erick Baker is a singer-songwriter from Knoxsville, Tennessee. In addition to his own headlining performances, he has performed with artists including James Blundt, Gavin DeGraw, John Legend and Goo Goo Dolls.

Did you enjoy showing your ERAU spirit during this week’s festivities? Do not worry, the 2014 Homecoming celebrations are only a few months away!

August

20 2014

TH

Year In Review

Without

I’ve been compiling thoughts on the disappearance of Malaysian 370 for some time now. Specifically on how the story was treated in the media, looking back, we’ve waded through a lot of nonsense for several weeks; and now, nothing. As a student at Embry-Riddle , I’m the guy everyone among my family asks: “What do YOU think happened to that one airplane?”. I’m sure many students here can identify with being in that position. The longer this search drags on the more disappointed I am with the News media, and in general, the people who pretend to know a lot about aviation which have flooded the media.

Reporters love to interview the ‘experts’ and blow up their ego’s with thoughtful guesswork and theories. I’m left to wonder: Since when did educated speculation become the last word in news? If there’s another incident in the future, will we have learned anything?

No one seems to be willing to admit that we still know next to nothing about what occurred that night. Because the awful truth is truth is: we know next to nothing about what occurred that night.

We watched theory after theory pass into the spotlight and then be rejected by the next one to be thought up. It’s humbling isn’t it? In all of Man’s technological superiority, we’ve lost an aircraft which represents the pinnacle of that advancement; and we are no closer to finding it than we were on day one.

As of the time I write this, it’s been 70 days since the aircraft went missing with all 239 souls aboard.

It makes you feel small, doesn’t it? It’s the principle of that fact: Not being able to give an answer, that cuts so deep into the human psyche.

We have to know what happened, and we have to know it now in HD LED TV with full surround sound. Not knowing the truth leads to defense mechanisms such as rationalization and fantasy. Did you know that people exist who think the airliner’s gone into orbit? Or that it snuck inland and landed under the radar shadow of another aircraft?

I believe we need to take a refreshed look at this tragedy, and how we treat future ones like it. This is not a missing aircraft case; it’s a missing person’s case.

The one facet of this story that has yet to be well represented is that of the families who have lost loved ones. I think it would be a

D3

The Avion

NTSB Chairman Visits Campus Zack Wilkinson Director of External Aff.

A Trace Zack Wilkinson Director of External Aff.

Page

Photo Courtesy: Wikipedia.org

first class act if one of the International news agencies would talk to a few of them.

Their own governments are keeping them in the dark and mistreating them. If they were given a platform to speak, It would give a face to the loss which has gone unrepresented. What I most want from this search is closure for the thousands of family members who lost someone on Flight 370. I couldn’t care less “Who did what” to directly cause the plane’s disappearance, even if it was terrorism driven, which looks quite unlikely.

For Context: In 1970, Southern airways 932, a Chartered DC-9 carrying the Marshall University football team, boosters, and athletic staff crashed into terrain short of the runway at Huntington Tri-state Airport in Huntington, KY; killing 75 aboard. Seventy children lost at least one parent in the crash. Eighteen children we’re orphaned. Also lost were two of the towns Physicians, a Senator, and a state representative. The toll on the town of Huntington, KY was enormous and will never be forgotten by them. Scars remain on that community.

By comparison; MH 370 had 239 people aboard, more than three times

the amount of casualties, and though the effect of their disappearance will likely not be known for sometime, and the geographical distance of that suffering is far away from our individual eyes, It is, undoubtedly, immense by comparison to Southern Airways 932.

Furthermore, Don’t get me started on the course jokes which have emerged about the flight. It’s definitely not a laughing matter, so I hope we can all agree to be more sensitive to the issue.

In times like this, I think it’s best to remain silent on the speculating until real facts arise. I try my best to respond first with gentleness, and not blame. The time for that will come after the investigation is complete and the dead are mourned.

It may be a long time before the families of those who we’re aboard that triple-7 have closure, and all of us who have lost someone close to us know that process is a very long and painful journey. The best we can offer is first our condolences and second, our support.

As demonstrated with Lindbergh’s crossing of the Atlantic in 1927, aviation unites us all in our greatest times, so why should it not also unite us in the lowest times?

At Right: A map detailing the possible search areas for MH370, taking into account the satellite which recieved the pings from the aircraft Above: The same type of Airpcraft which disappeared on March 8th, a Boeing 777-200.

Photo Courtesy: Wikipedia.org

As long as there have been airplanes, there have been airplane crashes.

The first recorded death from an airplane accident occurred at Fort Meyer, Virginia on Sep. 17, 1908.

At the controls of the aircraft was our very own hero, Orville Wright. The ‘Flyer 3’ aircraft experienced a sudden loss of control and nose down pitching moment at low altitude due to a loose propeller shearing. Contributing to the accident was an undiscovered stress fracture in the propeller.

The victim was Orville’s passenger, Lt. Thomas Selfridge, who was viewing the exhibition on behalf of the US Army.

On Wednesday Apr. 7, Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Honorable Deborah Hersman and three other NTSB investigators, Erin Gormley, Katherine Wilson, and Katherine Wilson, visited Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to participate in a meet-and-greet and a roundtable event.

The College of Aviation Atrium was packed with over 300 students, faculty, and visitors who were eager to hear about the organization.

The NTSB was created in 1967 under the Department of Transportation Act of 1966. The legislation was enacted the following year. Initially the NTSB reported directly to the Department of Transportation for administrative purposes. To avoid further conflict of interest, The Board became an independent agency in 1974.

Their website states that since its creation the board has investigated more than 132,000 accidents and made 13,500 safety recommendations.

Though aviation accidents typically take the spotlight, the NTSB is also tasked with investigating railroad, highway, marine, and pipeline accidents.

Hersman spent the first portion of the event introducing the purpose of the NTSB. She empha-

sized that it’s not merely a domestically operating board. Their aircraft crash investigations frequently become international investigations. “There is no such thing as a purely domestic accident anymore”, said Hersman. An accident may take place on US soil, but the operator may be from one nation while the aircraft itself could be manufactured in another. The NTSB often travels overseas to investigate accidents which take place in other countries.

The Apr. 2013 crash of a National Air Cargo 747-400 in Bagram, Afghanistan was visited by the NTSB. “It was an example of a civilian operator flying a military mission, and even in that kind of case, the NTSB is there”, said Hersman; “Every accident we investigate internationally is cooperative. It’s about learning lessons and bringing them home.”

After fielding questions from students, the event switched to the roundtable discussion where the three other women, two of them Embry-Riddle Alumni, shared their own stories of how they became investigators. The goal of the Safety Board is to make recommendations for changes in the industry. “It’s about putting on pressure to accomplish a result”, said Hersman.

Each new investigation allows NTSB officials to learn more. Hersman explained how the NTSB is like a ‘Comment Card’ operation; they can only act when things happen.

“Even today we are still learning, even after years of accidents…” said Erin Gormley, an Aerospace Engineer from the Vehicle Recorder Division of the NTSB, during the roundtable discussion. Each year the NTSB publishes a ‘Most Wanted List’. The list focuses on critical changes needed to reduce transportation accidents and save lives.

Sometimes a goal takes more than one year to accomplish, and is carried over to the next year. You can find this year’s Most Wanted list at ntsb.gov.

Campus Map

O-Issue Staff

Top Left: Zachary Wilkinson, Editor-In-Chief Right: Matt Rutowski, Advertising Manager Bottom Left: Michael Wildes, Managing Editor Right: Trey Henderson, Photo Editor/ Photoshop Wizard