Have you ever romantically chatted with someone online? Asia Johnson dives into the world of online daters and the ‘Catfish’ they attract.... page 5
If you’re looking to live a healthier lifestyle, look no further than student health and fitness trainer, Adam Badger.... page 7
Earl Holmes has been announced as Florida A&M’s head football coach. Holmes is an alumnus who excelled on the football field and went on to play 10 seasons in the NFL.... page 8
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Library now open 24/5
In This Issue: News ..... 1, 3 Calendar ... 2 Special ...... 4 Opinions .... 5 Lifestyles ... 7 Sports ........ 8
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Senate announces new goals, leaders Asia Johnson copy editor
Bianca McCracken/The Famuan
famuan staff report
The Samuel H. Coleman Memorial Library restored its operating hours to its 24/5 schedule Sunday. The library opens Sunday at 1 p.m. and closes Friday at 10 p.m. It is also open on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Coleman Library first extended its operating times to 24 hours nearly a year ago, following a bill proposed by former senate President Bernard Jackson, a senior jazz studies student from Tampa. Deji Owolabi, a senior business administration student
from Houston, is excited about the restored hours. He visits Coleman Library at least three times a week to study. Although he usually visits during the peak hours of the day, he now uses the library to help with last-minute studying. Another student, Imani Hill, a senior psychology student from Plainfield, N.J., is concerned about the security of students who will leave during late hours. However, she is happy about the restoration and its impact on her peers. “This is beneficial for serious students who need the extra time,” Hill said.
Women headed to front line Defense Department announces new policy changes
The 42nd student senate met Monday night to discuss upcoming events, new appointments and goals for the spring 2013 semester. During the meeting, the 2013 Electoral Commission Executive Board swore in seven members. The senate approved a new point system and new procedures for spring elections. Voters will now be allowed to wear campaign material inside the precincts. T-shirts and buttons are no longer banned. Electoral Commissioner Jalisa Brown, a fourthyear biology pre-med student from Miami, said this changed occurred due to the hassle. “As a candidate and an average voter, I understand how much of a hassle it may be to try and find a jacket to cover up your shirt or button,” Brown said. “Also, in a general election on a national, state or local scale, you can wear campaign materials. You just can’t shout out who you support.” Campaign week will commence Feb. 19. In case of a runoff, a second day of voting will take place Feb. 21. Other topics of the evening included a proposal to enhance the university’s mobile application, other new appointments and an See SENATE p. 3
Homeland Security develops gun booklet to promote safety Alexandria Collins staff writer
Mark Humphrey/Associated Press The Defense Department has created more than 14,000 combat positions for female soldiers.
Donovan Harrell copy editor Women have served alongside men for decades in the U.S. military – with certain boundaries. But late last week, the Defense Department made new policy changes allowing women into direct ground combat units. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta overturned the 1994 Direct Ground Combat Assignment Rule, which prevented women from being assigned to units with the sole purpose of direct combat.
This follows a decision made in February 2012 when the Defense Department opened 14,000 new ground combat unit positions to women. Panetta regarded this as a “successful experiment.” According to the department, women represent 15 percent of armed forces, and about 200,000 women have served in various supportive positions in the recent wars in the Middle East. To some, this move comes as no surprise. The front lines are not clear in the volatile Middle East, and women have found themselves in deadly
ground combat situations. More than 800 have been wounded, and 152 have been killed, as of last year, in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Lt. Col. Joseph D. Kelly served with women for more than 15 years during the span of his military career. A professor of military science in Florida A&M’s Army ROTC program, Kelly ran convoys in Bosnia and fought in Afghanistan, where he witnessed women in gunfights and some pulling men out of danger. See WOMEN p. 3
Students set state reading marathon record
BP, Courts meet criminal settlements
Drug violence remains unchanged
Florida’s public school students have broken the Million Minute Marathon reading record they set last year. State education officials Monday announced that 1.5 million students racked up nearly 30.1 million minutes of reading time on Jan. 14. Fiftyeight of Florida’s 67 school districts participated. So did seven early learning coalitions.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — BP PLC closed the book on the Justice Department’s criminal probe of its role in the Deepwater Horizon disaster and Gulf oil spill Tuesday, when a federal judge agreed to let the London-based oil giant plead guilty to manslaughter charges for the deaths of 11 rig workers and pay a record $4 billion in penalties.
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Two months after President Enrique Pena Nieto took office promising to reduce violent crime, the killings linked to Mexico’s drug cartels continue unabated. Only the government’s talk about them has dropped. Eighteen members of a band and its retinue were kidnapped and apparently slain over the weekend in the northern border state of Nuevo Leon.
In the wake of the tragic event in Newtown, Conn., and others around the country, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has created a handbook titled “Active Shooter: How to Respond.” The handbook has detailed information on how to react in case of an emergency. It outlines how to identify a possible shooter, how to escape, tips on training your employees and more. This booklet was distributed at Florida A&M on Friday and is also on the Homeland Security website. The booklet has not been given to any Leon County schools yet. Several county school system officials did not know about it. Even though they have not received the handbook, many K-12 schools are taking the initiative and protecting their students. R. Frank Nims Middle School has made it a practice to lock its entry and exit gates during the day to ensure that no intruders come in. “I screen everyone that comes through my classroom, regardless of if I know who you are, just to make sure that my kids – my students – are in safe hands at all times,” said Genise Petit-Homme, an eighth grade teacher at Nims. She also said that the school has not practiced an “active shooter drill,” but she suspects it will be similar to their fire drills and hopes to have one in the future. A Nims Middle School official said the school is taking all safety precautions and wants to be proactive instead of reactive. More than 50 school and university shootings have been reported in the U.S. since 2000. This epidemic has spurred action from policymakers on the federal and state levels. Vice President Joe Biden’s gun control task force has been meeting with organizations on both sides of the issue to come to a resolution. President Barack Obama is proposing legislation in an attempt to limit gun violence. For more information on the handbook, visitdhs.gov.