The Fine Print, Summer 2012 by The Fine Print

Volume IV, Issue IV

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SUMMER 2012 FREE

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SUDA F O OY B T S 18 LO . p A , D LE LLE THAT GAINESVI TO

reactors in the d i s t a n c e : The revival of nuclear energy in Florida, p. 26

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this issue

The Church of Holy Colors

(pictured right) Evan Galbicka paints at the Church of Holy Colors, an influential working space for local artists and musicians. If you haven’t experienced Gainesville’s underground culture, here’s a great place to start.

p. 22

Published with support from Campus Progress/Center for American Progress (online at CampusProgress.org). Administration

Kelley Antoniazzi

Print Editors

Lydia Fiser Chelsea Hetelson Henry Taksier Jeremiah Tattersall Lily Wan

Photo Editor

Henry Taksier

Assistant Photo Editors

Ashley Crane Erik Knudsen

Art Director

Susan Bijan

Layout Director

Isabel Branstrom

Creative Writing Editor

David Eardley

Copy Editor

Hyesu Kim

Web Editors

Travis Epes Lydia Fiser Henry Taksier

Distribution

Ellen McHugh

Page Designers

Kelley Antoniazzi Isabel Branstrom Sarah Davis David Eardley Chelsea Hetelson

MISSION STATEMENT

The Cost of Medicaid Cuts

A look at how promised Medicaid cuts will affect Shands Healthcare Center and its most vulnerable patients, such as 9-year-old Daniel Markey, whose cystic fibrosis medications amount to at least $15,000 a month.

p. 14

Cover art by Kelley Antoniazzi.

columns For the Record, p. 06 Our music column reviewing locally grown and produced albums returns.

spotlights See SAW Draw! p. 10 A new school breathes life into childhood fantasies.

features The Future, It Doesn’t Look So Bright p. 24 State budget cuts, rising tuition and lessening support from Bright Futures shape a tough outlook for students. Don’t Haze Me, Bro p. 30 Tradition’s tough to break—Can laws and policies ever successfully bring hazing to a halt? Fast for Fair Food p. 32 Despite recent efforts from the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, Publix refuses to address human rights violations within its supply chain.

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from The fine print’s

E D I T O RI A L D ES K by Lydia Fiser and Henry Taksier

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Multimedia, more stories, blogs and a community calendar. PLUS! Comment on stories, see photos from the printed issue (and more!) IN COLOR, flip through a digital version of the printed edition and much, much more, all updated throughout the month.

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I’ve waded through oil-slicked waters in Yellowstone National Park, the result of a busted attempt by Exxon to harness Grow MOs power from the Earth. G e re th I’ve planted seeds with locals in India Whe to reclaim a land and tradition from people who one day decreed themselves owners of 24 + GROW, p. THE GMOs O: WHERE nature. MONSANT I’ve climbed mountains in California to facebook.com/thefineprintuf escape waddling hoards of tourists who lick twitter.com/thefineprintuf weeping ice cream cones as they snap photos of bears peeking from the trees, not realizing—or caring—that they are the reason why there is so little room left for the rest of nature. As I travel, I continue to witness a species that has invaded the Earth, IN MEMORY OF CHARLES M. WILLETT snatching up everything in its path and kicking the rest aside as it surges forward, all the while increasing its numbers at an eerily exponential rate. (1932 – 2012) The global system relies on a belief that the Earth is something to possess. Groups scrapping for “mine.” Or fighting off others to reclaim what they On Feb. 5, 2012, Charles M. Willett passed away. once shared with nature, but now must claim as their own to survive in a To many, Mr. Willett will be remembered as a world culture of greed. military veteran, outspoken pacifist, human rights After working with The Fine Print for four years, I hope that I have advocate and champion of the alternative press (in helped our readers realize the faults of the system we rely on and the damage Gainesville, he founded Counterpoise Magazine we are all responsible for if we don’t speak up. and co-founded the Civic Media Center). To - Lydia Fiser others, he’ll be remembered as a loving father, Two years ago, I had the privilege of working at Counterpoise Magazine, grandfather and friend. And to some of us at The a quarterly review journal for the alternative press. During that semester, I Fine Print, Mr. Willett will be remembered as a lived in an old house along Williston Road that was once occupied by the mentor and a source of inspiration. If you’d like magazine’s founder, Charles Willett. The Counterpoise motto, “For Social to learn more about this remarkable man whose Responsibilities, Liberty and Dissent,” resonated in every item scattered legacy stretches far beyond Gainesville, you can throughout the house: picket signs, pamphlets and posters, all of which check out the The Gainesville Sun’s insightful indicated a life of resistance. tribute to his life (http://bit.ly/AnNhij). Mr. Willett’s passion for alternative media and human rights advocacy ultimately stemmed from his military service. Prior to serving as a rifleman in the Korean War, he studied at Harvard University. He told me once that if only he had more access to dissenting viewpoints, he would have reconsidered his decision to fight. featured staffer To Mr. Willett, knowledge was a form of liberation, and one of his goals Aleksandra Bacewicz in life was to liberate others. In 1993, he co-founded the Civic Media Center (CMC), Gainesville’s independent library for alternative books, magazines Aleks is pursuing her Master of public health degree and documentaries, which also serves as an infoshop and hub for nonprofit and hopes to work as an organizations. I personally feel indebted to this man because only half of my epidemiologist and write education occurred at the University of Florida. The other half took place about human rights isat the CMC, and later through the community organizations I came across sues. Born in Poland, she while volunteering there. That includes The Fine Print. speaks three languages I’ll be leaving Gainesville soon, and these may be the last words I write and is working on a for The Fine Print. If you think Gainesville is just a boring college town, we fourth. Despite her stoic hope to show you what lies under the surface. And if you have an interest in and somber Eastern Euroutilizing journalism to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable, you pean nature, Aleks loves may want to consider working with us. indie electronica and is quite optimistic. - Henry Taksier otech

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Summer 2012| T H E F I N E P R I N T | 03

COLUMN / PAPER CUTS

Paper Cuts Ouch! The truth stings, doesn’t it? Paper Cuts are our short, erratic and sometimes painful updates on current local and national events. See our website for more Paper Cuts at the fineprintuf.org Image courtesy of the Nationaal Ar chief via Flickr Co nal image can be mmons. The origifound at http://bi t.ly/iAYOvR

Break in Case of Emergency On a group of islands north of mainland Norway, approximately 600 miles from the North Pole, there stands a solitary fortress that would make Superman proud. Built to withstand nuclear war, climate change and even an asteroid strike, the Svaldbard Global Seed Vault aims to house every crop seed ever used by a human being. February 28th marks its fourth anniversary, and the steely facility celebrated by welcoming some fresh additions to its some 740,000 seed samples. The Government of Norway funded the entire $9 million facility tasked with securing the world’s plant biodiversity. Historically there have been a number of controversies around these genetic resources. With no commercial seed industry and no private interest involved, Norway headed the list of countries everyone could trust. In case of a worldwide cataclysmic event, local arctic conditions should maintain temperatures under zero degrees (F), cold and dry enough for certain crops like wheat to remain viable for 1,700 years. Even in the most disastrous global warming scenarios, the vault (dug 410-feet into

Arctic permafrost) would remain frozen for 200 years. The vault’s architects understood the treasures dormant within seeds — genetic traits critical to rekindling regional or global agriculture such as heat and drought resistance, or pest and disease tolerance. Clearly preparing for the worst, this year the U.S. sent several subspecies of barley imported from Poland — including one malting barley known as “Klages,” which is quite popular amongst craft brewers.

choice by opening up more avenues in which an employee can press charges for discrimination, such as allowing these cases to be taken to the less expensive circuit court, rather than the more costly federal court. As one of the largest groups discriminated against in the workplace, Wisconsin women see this as another bill intended to cut them down. The Wiscon-

And 1st Place for Dumb State Law Goes to...

sin Alliance for Women’s Health (WAWH) reports that women in Wisconsin earn 75 cents on every dollar a man makes. The national average is reported at 77 cents. Bravo, Wisconsin Republicans and Governor Walker. Thanks for your support. But wait, there’s more! Just a month earlier, this past March Wisconsin state senator, Glenn Grothman (R) proposed Senate Bill 507 declaring that single parents are a “contributing factor to child abuse and neglect” and that this should be addressed by “disseminating information about the problems of and methods of preventing abuse and neglect” to

By Travis Epes

Lately, Florida has been the center of negative news coverage thanks to our Stand Your Ground law, but it’s time we cede the spotlight to someone else. We’re a nation founded on many horrible laws and legislation; there’s room enough for other states to share the infamy. Take Wisconsin, for example. April 5, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) repealed Wisconsin’s Equal Pay law. The 2009 Equal Pay Enforcement Act was enacted to deter employers from discriminating against their minority of

04 | T H E F I N E P R I N T | thefineprintuf.org

the Wisconsin people by emphasizing the dangers of “nonmarital parenthood.” If passed into law, single parenthood would be a formal contributing factor to child abuse. This coming from a man who publicly stated that “The Left and the social welfare establishment want children born out of wedlock because they are far more likely to be dependent on the

If passed into law, single parenthood would be a formal contributing factor to child abuse. government.” Senator Grothman’s got it all figured out. Undoubtedly, single mothers and fathers abuse their children, while “The Left” encourages them to be single parents on purpose in order to be eligible for money-sucking programs such as low-income housing assistance, government subsidized day care, food stamps and other “social welfare establishments.” A Leftist conspiracy, no doubt. Does Florida still get first prize in ridiculous harmful laws? I don’t know, but Wisconsin definitely deserves our attention.

By Chelsea Hetelson

COLUMN / MONTHLY MANIFESTO

Student

Animal Alliance

Text by Matt Binder Illustration by Gracy Malkowski Student Animal Alliance is a UF-based group of conscientious individuals that advocate for the well-being of all animals, including humans. United by a desire to help those who cannot speak for themselves, we face global issues through individual education. Our events are designed to show students the true costs of animal products by contrasting their harmful effects with the viability of alternatives. With considered tact, we inform people of the consequences of institutionalized animal cruelty, as well as the benefits of plant-based diets, synthetic and plant fabrics and humane methods of product testing. To meet American demand for animal foods, leathers and by-products, concentrated animal feeding operations (also known as factory farms) slaughter over 9 billion animals per year. Over the course of their short lives, these animals are systematically tortured through processes like beak clipping, tail and horn docking and castration. Undercover investigations like those recently compiled in “Farm to Fridge” reveal the conditions inside factory farms. Animals are densely packed together in open areas or confined to dirty pens and cages too small for them to fully extend or move their bodies. Workers are at liberty to abuse the animals, and they often do. The animals suffer from insanity, sickness, sores and compromised immune systems. Antibiotics and pesticides are used to keep them alive. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, fac-

tory farming consumes the largest share of America’s water and agricultural space (in the form of feed crops). It’s the single largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions (beating the transportation sector), and it pollutes the water with pesticides and feces run-off (causing eutrophication, which leads to ecologically devastating algae blooms). Although plant-based agriculture is not without its ecological costs, the difference is on an order of magnitude. Animal products cost more than ten times their caloric con-

We inform people of the consequences of institutionalized animal cruelty, as well as the benefits of plant-based diets, synthetic and plant fabrics and humane methods of product testing. tent to produce, and America uses almost 70 percent of the grains it grows as animal feed. If those grains were instead used to feed people, recent estimates show that the surplus could end world hunger. A variety of studies show that animalbased foods contribute to a host of human ailments, including heart attacks, cancer and diabetes. Diets high in whole plantbased foods, in contrast, have been shown to extend life expectancy, reduce the risk of chronic disease and even reverse the progress of chronic diseases in their early stages. And contrary to popular misconceptions, plantbased food can be cheap, delicious and satisfying (tofu is not your only option).

If students demand artificially cheapened animal-based foods, fabrics and by-products without considering the consequences, the logical result is the current condition of government-subsidized factory farming. Through education, we can shift the market toward alternatives that are economically, environmentally and morally feasible. Student Animal Alliance works toward the formation of a community and support structure for those who want to learn more, meet others or make personal changes, but need help transitioning. We have meetings twice a month, host monthly potlucks and frequently volunteer as a group at local animal sanctuaries. We also host fun events like Hug a Vegetarian Day, show movies and put on an annual VegFest, where we give out tons of free vegan food on campus. One of our favorite places to volunteer is Rooterville, a sanctuary dedicated to rescuing farm animals. They specialize in potbelly pigs (pets that often get abandoned after their “cute” piglet stage) and farm pigs, which are often clever enough to escape from factory farms (no lie). It’s hard to get an idea of how smart pigs actually are until you spend a day with them. They each have unique and complex personalities. It’s not anthropomorphizing to call a pig shy but curious, friendly and loving or a jealous attention whore. They remember people and will recognize you after long periods apart. A day at Rooterville is a long day full of physical labor, but spending the day wallowing among pigs and knowing you’ve helped is always worth it. For more information on Student Animal Alliance, find us at www.facebook.com/groups/ SAA.UF or e-mail mbinder@ufl.edu. Summer 2012 | T H E F I N E P R I N T | 05

FOR THE RECORD

(From L to R) Trayer Tryon, Paul Giese, Zach Tetreault, Nicole Miglis and Sam Moss of Hundred Waters hang out in their backyard in Gainesville in November 2011. Photo by Chris Hillman.

hundred waters

ethereal-techno-folk Released// Feb. 25 Recorded at// Their home Sounds like// múm Key tracks// “Me and Anodyne,” “Boreal,” “Vistitor” Where to get it// elestialsound. com

// Hundred Waters Nicole Miglis// vocals Zach Tetreault// drums

Most would have thought that talent like this was lost years ago, in the woods of a distant tribe. But this tribe is alive and hails from Gainesville Florida, and goes by the name of Hundred Waters. They have a distinct sound, their talent is natural, and their music is lush, heartfelt and soulful, extraterrestrial yet still grounded. Hundred Waters’ self-titled debut album is a gift. Credit is due to the amazing musicians that are a part of this band and their uncanny camaraderie, but the best instrument is Miglis’ voice. She is a siren, and may drive you over the stern. The album was produced in the home of the band, but composed separately. Each time a moment, riff, or melody was written, the members would analyze them individually, and then join to put the puzzle to-

06 | T H E F I N E P R I N T | thefineprintuf.org

Trayer Tyron & Paul Giese// bass and programming Sam Moss// harmonies and percussion

gether. Effortlessly and seamlessly, they blend electronic music with a folk style organic composure. Some of the tracks can be a sensory overload, which I found to be their only flaw. But, at times, it also works in their favor. It showcases their individual talent and highlights the band’s ambition. “Me and Anodyne” is an obvious favorite, waves of electronic influence, it is pure and honest and I haven’t even begun to describe the Bjork style vocals. This track is polished. While no one wants to be left hanging, the sudden dissipation of this track keeps the listener looking for more. Hundred Waters are masters at flexing their music talent. “And/Or” has three lines of lyrics and is four minutes long, mostly made up of Miglis’ and

Moss harmonizing, with djembe percussion, a Spanish sounding guitar and slow keys. “Visitor” begins with a synth sound that ripples through airwaves like droplets of water. The vocals take you on a ride, the flute gives the track a mythological feel — like you’ve just stumbled upon some faerie creatures in an enchanted forest. This song is able to pull the listener into an intimate setting. It has the ability to woo you, while remaining aloof. I don’t want to be too hasty, or jinx them, but Hundred Waters is on a road to put themselves on the map. From the sixminute opener, “Sonnet” to the two and a half minute “Wonderboom,” these musicians have a cohesive vision. Miglis’ voice soars paired with the haunting lyrics will keep you returning for more. by Natalie Teer

like your face

gypsy-funk electronic jazz-fusion disco Released// Feb. 25 Recorded at// Medusa Studios Sounds like// If Ratatat dealt in guitars and keyboards rather than techno beats. Inspiration// Phish, Pearl Jam Key tracks// “Spaghetti and Meatballs,” “Cosmicaaj” Where to get it// Free download at www.j2kband.com. Hard copies available at Hear Again.

something

for someone

// J2K Jason Shooster// guitar and keyboard Josh Hoffenberg// drums

When I met Jason Shooster, Josh Hoffenberg and Keith Ladd (hence J2K), the upbeat nature of their album “Like Your Face” made sense. These are three of the funniest guys I have ever met, and they really bring that charisma into their music. This 50-minute release is a concept album. All of the tracks flow into each other, which sometimes is automatically corrected on iTunes. To get the full effect, ‘Gapless Playback’ must be selected, or whatever the equivalent is for you non-Apple users. The trio has shared the stage with Big Gigantic, Dumpastaphunk and Zoogma. They played the official after party for Bassnectar last fall and played Aura Music Festival in St. Cloud, Florida in March. J2K has been on the bill with these big names in livetronica music, and yet have only been together for a year and a half. “Mountain,” the album intro, begins with acoustic guitar strums, a simple drum beat and harmonizing. A minute in an electric guitar, louder drums and a banjo-esque folk jam begins. On his role as keyboardist Shooster says, “I was always a huge organ fan, but I thought it

Released// Aug. 3 Recorded at// Their home Sounds like// Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix Inspiration// (for this album) Neil Young Key tracks// “Not Here,” “Solid Ground,” “Flood” Where to get it//$5 dowload at ancientriver.bandcamp.com or $10 CD at ancientrivermusic. com

Keith Ladd// bass

would be impossible, no one is ever going to buy me an organ.” Within his first month after moving to Gainesville, he bought 3 organs off of craigslist. “I just bought them and put them in every room, and that is when I started taking keyboards really seriously.” “Spaghetti and Meatballs,” is possibly one of their most popular songs. It has a polka, Belgian feel that really adds to the hilarity of the song. If you haven’t seen the group’s music video for “Spaghetti and Meatballs” you are seriously missing out. At one point, Hoffenberg plays drums with uncooked noodles. Ladd’s bass skills really shine. They are prevalent in “Snark” and “Andor Fin”. The latter begins as a calm jam — like something you could see people dancing around a campfire to — until it leaps into wailing guitar. The transitions on “Like Your Face” are downright impressive. It keeps you guessing, but never too much. “We want it to take you on a journey,” says Hoffenberg. Each shift flows well and each member is impressive in their own craft. by Natalie Teer

// And the Giraffe TJ. Barretto// vocals Zach Veltheimr// bass

ambient dream-folk

FOR THE RECORD

And the Giraffe met in 2009 at preview for UF. Morris now lives in Nashville and Roberts lives in Gainesville. Last summer, the two had some time off and were able to put together a 6-track album: Something for Someone Their songs begin similarly to the long introductions of Explosions in the Sky. But And the Giraffe’s music isn’t infinitely complex. They never really leave the ground, sticking with the base of their song throughout each track. The genius of this album is in its simplicity. While, at times it feels as if their songs do not vary, it must be noted that it is their first album. As well, the style itself lends to repetition. Although the songs sound similar, they are not butchered in any way. This group is focused, and their music shows a clear direction. “1055” has a slight twang to the intro, and the lyrics reap the sadness of a country song.

Chad Voight// drums

Emotional and lovely, this track has a particular honesty to it, and lets you know Morris is being sincere. The guys switch singing duties on Something for Someone. Morris is also on “Masquarade.” His voice is a bit deeper than Roberts, it is easier to distinguish. I almost wish the vocals had been a little distorted for this song, scratchy, kind of like Tom Waits. The guitar strums are tranquil and the guys are onto something when they they harmonize on the line “Now you feel it all.” The last minute of the track is an electronic guitar solo, the most stand out memory of this album. This is a great start for a new band. But to move forward from being a side project, And the Giraffe is going to have to lose their reservations, incorporate new sounds (similar to the guitar solo and the sax) that make their tracks stand out, and to fully engage vocally. by Natalie Teer Summer 2012 | T H E F I N E P R I N T | 07

feature

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City Farmer URBAN FORAGING: WILD EDIBLES IN NOT-SO-WILD PLACES Text and Illustrations by Krissy Abdullah

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Urban foraging is a great way to get to know the plants in your immediate surroundings. And spring is the perfect time to see everything dressed to the nines. Flowers are popping, trees are budding and the landscape is colorful and fresh. Not only can wildcrafting in the city teach us to more intimately know and appreciate many overlooked “weeds,” but eating wild edibles— especially in their young, tender stages— is a great boost to the immune system. Think about it: Why are weeds so resilient? They persist with virtually no care and despite the threats of lawn mowers, drunken parades, drought, pollutants, you name it. When you go foraging, remember a few things: 1. Bring a paper bag or something airy to put your “groceries” in (plastic bags will make them wilt really quickly). 2. Take a walk around your neighborhood. Find an overgrown or abandoned yard (you shouldn’t have to walk far). Meet your neighbors, ask them if you can forage in their yard and then talk with them

about what you harvested. 3. Don’t pick plants near the road. Try to harvest more than 20 feet away from the curb. Fifty feet is ideal. 4. Use this guide to correctly identify plant and mushroom species, but always check a second (or third, or fourth) source if you are not familiar with the edible (poisonous look-alikes abound in the wild). If you’re still not sure, don’t eat it. It’s not worth the risk. 5. Don’t overharvest. Yeah, yeah, these are “weeds.” But it’s still important to maintain an ethic of only taking what you need. Use common sense and respect the plants that are providing your meal. You never know what challenges next season will bring. 6. Familiarize yourself with some basic botany and mycology lingo. Knowing the basics parts of a plant/mushroom is the first step in correct identification. The local public library has great resources on both of these topics as well as plant identification books. Check ‘em out!

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column / CITY FARMER Figure A

Spiderwort Tradescantia ohiensis I see this plant so often it even haunts my dreams! Also known as bluejacket, dayflower and cow slobber, this plant is completely edible. The deep purple to lilac flowers have a lifespan of only one day, but each plant will produce more than 20 flowers per stem. The flowers are monocotyledons, with three petals in a terminal cluster, and have tons of hairy stamens that are also purple with yellow pollen at the tip. The leaves are sedge-like (sedges have edges, rushes are round, grasses are hollow all the way down; see Figure A), and are 2-ranked (see Figure B) and alternate at 180-degree angles to each other. Harvest early in the day and eat the young leaves, stems, flower pods and flowers raw. You can also make a poultice of mashed leaves to reduce itching from bites or stings (chew up a few leaves in your mouth and apply the poultice directly to the affected area... it works wonders!). The flowers can also be used as a pigment in dyes or watercolor paint. In science labs, spiderwort is a good instrument for measuring cumulative doses of radiation and chemical pollution, and has proven more effective and accurate than many human-made radiation detectors. Figure B

Cleavers Galium aparine

Poor man’s pepper Lepidium virginicum

Also known as Stickyweed and Goosegrass, this climbing plant has long round stems with six to seven ensiform-shaped leaves (see Figure D) that grow in whorls (see Figure B). The leaves, stems, and seeds have tiny hooks that make them cling to everything they touch. Cleavers have long been used as a medicinal herb and their health benefits abound. They have been used topically to treat skin problems (this is another plant that makes a great poultice for bites and stings). Ingested, they are a mild diuretic and blood detoxifier, and a great source of Vitamin C. They can be eaten raw, but due to their sticky nature they are best sautéed or steamed. Dried and roasted, the seeds can be used as a substitute to coffee. And a deep red dye can be obtained from a decoction of the roots.

A member of the Brassicaceae family (broccoli, kale, brussel sprouts, mustards), this plant is my new substitute for store-bought mustard. Poor man’s pepper has tiny white flowers at the tips of its bottlebrush seed stalk. The flat circular seedpods grow along the stalk in a perfect spiral succession (called a raceme) and the leaves are alternating and pinnate (see Figure B and Figure D). While still green, the seedpods have a strong mustard flavor that almost makes my eyes water. Ground in a blender with some vinegar, miso, turmeric, and salt, the seeds make a delicious mustard sauce. The leaves are also edible, sautéed or raw.

Figure C

From a distance, I have been fooled to think the chives of wild onion plants were just grass. However, upon closer examination, I have found entire fields covered in these wild onions. This plant gives off an aromatic garlicky smell, and the short, round chives have a great taste. To harvest, grab from the base of the plant, and gently work the root out of the ground. You may have to loosen the soil a bit to pull it up. But if you are successful, you should see a pearl-sized bulb similar to an onion at the base. To eat, snap off the taproot and squeeze the pearl out of its protective outer layer. Enjoy them raw or sautéed.

Wild Onion Allium canadense

Figure D Meadow Mushroom Agaricus campestris These voluptuous white caps (see Figure C) are one of the most common wild edible mushrooms. They are very similar to the button mushrooms that are mass cultivated and sold in grocery stores. Their gills are free from the portly stem and a pinkish color, turning dark brown as the fungus matures. A spore print will be chocolate brown in color. The meadow mushroom has no vulva, and the cap may bruise a slight reddish brown color (the Agaricus xanthodermus, a slightly toxic cousin of the meadow mushroom, will bruise yellow). These can easily be found after a rain. However, I do not advise anyone who is unfamiliar with mycology identification to eat a wild mushroom. Rather, this information is being offered for the sake of learning the basics of mushroom identification. As I already mentioned, there are many poisonous look-alikes (such as the Amanita virosa, commonly called “the destroying angel,” that is morbidly toxic), so please use caution and backup sources before consuming something you are unfamiliar with.

Summer 2012 | T H E F I N E P R I N T | 09

SPOTLIGHT

Text and Illustration by Travis Epes If “sequential art” sounds pretentious: good. That was Will Eisner’s goal. The graphic novelist best remembered for creating the comic series The Spirit, Eisner popularized the term in 1985 to shed comics of their stigma as ‘kid-stuff.’ “Ultimately, it sounds to us more like what it is,” says Tom Hart, a founder of the Sequential Artists Workshop (SAW) in Gainesville. Sequential art includes: comic books, comix, graphic novels, manga, cartooning, funny papers or any other combination of words and drawings that create a narrative. And nowadays, thanks to its strengthened reputation, these works can be found in libraries and universities across the country. But while it’s becoming more common for sequential art to be found in schools, few programs specifically teach comic artists. Only a handful of universities offer B.A. or M.F.A. programs in sequential art, and most come with hefty price tags. So last year, Hart moved to Gainesville to create an affordable program for those who aim to spread their passion for comics. A drop-out of New York’s School of Visual Art (SVA) himself, Hart knows the limitations of a traditional art education. Believing he could develop better ideas about cartooning and art than the school’s curriculum had to offer, Hart left SVA and spent most of the ‘90s in Seattle. Here, his talents developed alongside contemporaries — such as Jim Wood and Peter Bagge — through a collaborative workshop method that, years later, has served as a model for SAW’s approach to education. “Diversity is key,” Hart says. Although he oversees SAW’s general curriculum, instructors are allowed to decide the specifics of their courses. The goal is for students to encounter as many different perspec10 | T H E F I N E P R I N T | thefineprintuf.org

tives as possible and learn to respond to them all. Hart describes himself as a “puller” — a mentor who pulls and directs students to discover their own voices. In contrast, his wife, Leela Corman, is more of a “pusher” of correct technique and style. Together, along with the rest of SAW’s rotating faculty, they try to

Comics are an easy, fun and malleable medium, so our main goal is to help [students] recognize their own voice. provide students with a balanced education in the production, philosophy, technique and history of comics. But why Gainesville? “It’s a welcoming DIY place that rewards initiative and engagement,” Hart says. He had been teaching cartooning to undergraduates at SVA for 10 years prior to moving to Gainesville, but the exhausting pace of NYC life slowed his enthusiasm. In 2008, Hart returned to Gainesville to attend the University of Florida English department’s annual Conference on Comics (both Hart and Corman had spoken at the previous year’s conference). It was here, in Gainesville, that Hart first imagined SAW as a tangible possibility. From then on, he says, he “imagined SAW and Gainesville — always in the same sentence.” Soon after, Hart set out on the first steps of opening the new school along the more tranquil streets of downtown Gainesville. He chose a spot nestled with the Church of Holy

Colors, Citizen’s Co-op and the Civic Media Center, and set up SAW’s unassuming campus. After a successful campaign on Indiegogo. com, a website that helps projects raise money, Hart raised enough funds to open SAW for what he describes as “beta-testing.” The school is now in its second round of beginner and advanced adult workshops and is preparing for a second teen workshop at The Doris. Its galleries display local talent, guest artists and the work of the school’s first students. Beginning in the Fall, SAW will offer its first single-year program designed for serious students of comic art. The school is not accredited and does not intend to gain accreditation in the foreseeable future. The process is costly and time consuming, and Hart believes students benefit more from close mentoring and group support than simply receiving a trade certificate. SAW’s sense of community offers an advantage to students that larger B.A. and M.F.A. programs often do not. Throughout a recent showcase of the work of students in a week-long, intensive workshop with comic artist John Porcellino, for example, the distinction between experienced and amateur artists was clear in the art, but absent in demeanor. Without the pressure of competition, all 14 participants instead focused on helping each other develop and learn. So far, workshop participants have been as diverse as the art form itself. “The medium is open to all types of sensibilities and people,” Hart says. “Comics are an easy, fun and malleable medium, so our main goal is to help them recognize their own voice.” With the success of their inaugural workshops and showcases, it’s clear SAW is on the path to achieving that goal — becoming a hub for locals to gather and share their art.

SPOTLIGHT

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Eating Disorders by Aleksandra Bacewicz Illustration by Susie Bijan

Nearly 10 million women and 1 million men suffer from the most common eating disorders in the United States, anorexia nervosa and bulimia. Millions more suffer from others like binge eating disorder. It is likely that these numbers are much higher, but fail to be reported because of their often secretive nature. Eating disorders tend to develop in adolescence and early adulthood, and are often fostered in college environments. Statistics from the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders report that 22 percent of college women diet often and 5 percent always diet. They also show that about half of those who diet for weight loss are actually within a normal weight range. If you or someone you know has an eating disorder, here are some resources available in Gainesville:

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This program offers assessmtent and treatment for eating disorders as well as counseling, nutrition and medical services. Ongoing support groups and workshops are also available. 352-392-1575 3190 Radio Road

This center offers dietary and psychiatric evaluations, treatments and therapies for anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, eating disorders and addiction, eating disorders not otherwise specified, eating disorders and OCD. There are inpatient, outpatient and partial hospitalization programs and support groups available. 352-265-3372

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Individuals can meet with a registered dietitian here (no referral necessary). The clinic provides assessment and nutrition recommendations. 352-392-1161 Infirmary Building, 1 Fletcher Drive.

Here, individuals can get assessments and treatment for disordered eating, body image issues and compulsive exercise, among others. Counselors aim to focus on the individualâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s relationship with food through nutrition therapy. 352-371-8181 3221 NW 13th St., Suite D2.

7YQQIV | T H E F I N E P R I N T | 11

clean donate &

RECYCLE How to clean house, move out and recycle your things

Illustrations by Gracy Malkowski and Tim Yingling Text by Chelsea Hetelson

one

Sandy’s Savvy Chic Boutique

Open the closet door. It’s probably been

a while since you’ve been in here, so be weary of smells and protruding wire hangers. Since most of your daily clothes are probably already in the hamper or on the floor, the clothes in your closet may at first seem unfamiliar to you. Oprah says clothes you haven’t worn in a year or are now finding for the first time since you bought it are not your clothes anymore. For once, I agree with Oprah. Do yourself and the next generation of thrifters all a favor and kindly give them back to the world of recycled clothing.

Haven Hospice Attic 300 NW 8th Avenue Gainesville, Fl 32601 (352) 378-7484

Children’s Home Society Thrift Shop 710 North Main Street Gainesville, FL 32601 (352) 393-2826

Moving out is no day in the park. In fact, it’s a day in the hot summer sun moving bed frames and book shelves. Before you break your back lugging trash bags of clothes and heavy TVs or unwanted books and linens, follow these steps to clean out your house and find out where you can donate to local organizations or properly recycle and dispose of everything else.

Outreach Thrift Store 125 NW 23rd Ave Gainesville, Fl 32609 (352) 371-2245

Habitat for Humanity 2317 SW 13th St Gainesville, Fl 32608 (352) 373-5728

12 | T H E F I N E P R I N T | thefineprintuf.org

(Moving over the summer to) 2330 NW 13th St Gainesville, Fl 32609 www.sandysresale.com

Flashbacks Recycled Fashions 509 NW 10th Ave Gainesville, FL 32601 (352)375-3752

Cecile’s Consignment Shop 2131 NW 6th Street Gainesville, Fl 33609 (352)367-2666

sell local to Buys “trendy” clothing and home furnishings dating back to two years. Buys “college-style” clothing, like skinny jeans and trendy tops. Buys, trades and consigns seasonal items, such as clothing, shoes and home furnishings by appointment only (just call ahead).

or donate to Humane Society 4205 NW 6th St Gainesville, Fl 32609 (352) 373-9522

St. Patrick Thrift Shop 2010 NW 6th St Gainesville, Fl 32609 (352) 373-2206

Sell and trade records at Hyde & Zeke’s on NW 10th Ave or Hear Again Music & Movies downtown.

SPOTLIGHT

two

Pantries and cupboards. These are the places where things

drip and grow and hide and multiply. Kitchen pantries and bathroom sink cupboards, abound of bottles of this and cans of that, but only when you’re not looking for them. After you clean both the kitchen and bathroom (pssst! that’s a tip for maybe getting your deposit back), you’re often left over with multiple cans of peas and green beans and barely used bottles of dish soap and Drano. Are you going to move out of Gainesville with boxes of canned tomato soup? I’m sure they sell food where you’re going. Why not leave it here?

R ECY CLE H E RE Alachua County Recycling Center 10714 NW 34th St Gainesville, FL 32653 (352) 334-3875

Drop off such materials as used motor oil and filters, flammable liquids, paints and other surface coatings, aerosol containers, dry cell batteries, end of life electronics (e-scrap or e-waste) and unrepairable or obsolete TVs, computers, computer monitors, stereo equipment and VCRs for recycling. For a full list and the hours for drop-off, visit the website at www.alachuacounty.us/Depts/ EPD/hwc/Pages/CollectionCenters.aspx.

donate to

Vetspace

Accepts items pertaining to personal hygiene, cleaning Provides living space at two group suppliess, even if they homes in Gainesville, six- and are used, linens, small 10-bedroom, for homeless veterans. appliances and some furniture. 1220A NE 8th Ave, Gainesville, Fl 32608 (352) 872-5500

Bread of the Mighty 325 NW 10th Ave Gainesville, Fl 32601 (352) 336-0839

Provides food to not-for-profit agencies in Alachua, Dixie, Gilchrist and Lafayette that run pantries and soup kitchens.

Accepts food items, as well as thrift store items that will be given to those agencies that also run thrift stores.

three

Pencils and AA batteries, rubber bands and notecards. If there’s

ever more junk in a space, it’s in your work space. Papers and old cell phones, paper clips and dead iPods. This is where stuff just collects. If you decided you don’t need eight bags of paper clips or five reams of unused loose-leaf paper, donate to Alachua County Schools or donate cell phones to benefit the Gainesville Pet Rescue shelter.

donate to Gainesville Pet Rescue 5403 SW Archer Road Gainesville, Fl 32608 (352) 692-4773

A not-for-profit pet shelter that strives to find every pet a home, no matter how long the stay may be. Since 1993, Gainesville Pet Rescue has placed thousands of pets in good, loving permanent homes.

Drop off old cell phones and Gainesville Pet Rescue will send them to Phoneraiser.com, a company that recycles phones it can use and then sends back a check for the phones that could be reused and salvaged. Gainesville Pet Resuce also accept items as donations for their monthly yard sales. They will accept anything except clothes, shoes and large furniture. Pet items are especially appreciated as they will be directly used at the shelter.

Tools for Schools 1147 SE Seventh Ave Gainesville, Fl 32641 (352) 374-5213

If a school in Alachua County has over 50 percent of its children on free or reduced lunch, then that school can send every teacher to the Tools for Schools location come once a month. If the number is below 50%, then one representative of each grade can come once a month.

Accepts classroom materials, such as children’s books, markers and pencils, for students in Alachua County, as well as office supplies for teachers and creative materials for art projects. Also accepts office chairs for teachers, but no large furniture.

Summer 2012 | T H E F I N E P R I N T | 13

SPOTLIGHT

The Cost of Medicaid Cuts

Daniel Markey lives in a trailer with six of his family members. He shares a room with his mother and his 18-year-old sister, Tiffany. “We don’t ever let him stop doing anything just because he has cystic fibrosis,” his mother says. “We want him to live a normal life.”

by Aleksandra Bacewicz Photos by Ashely Crane Tina Markey received a letter from Medicaid in late December informing her that her son had been switched from her preferred health plan to another without further explanation. Her son, 9-year-old Daniel Markey, was born with cystic fibrosis (CF), a genetic disorder causing the body to create unusually sticky and thick mucus resulting in digestive and pulmonary complications. Until late December, Daniel was covered by Children’s Medical Services (CMS), a health plan under Medicaid that allows eligible children with special needs to receive adequate care. With the unexplained switch from CMS to Sunshine State Health, a more general Medicaid plan, Markey frantically scrambled to understand the mix-up. “I couldn’t get my son his medication, his formula, during all of January. He couldn’t see his pediatric doctors,” Markey said. “I was worried about his care.”

14 | T H E F I N E P R I N T | thefineprintuf.org

Cystic fibrosis requires a strict care regimen and falling behind can mean long hospitals stays and difficulty breathing. Luckily, Markey had an extra supply of her son’s medications from his previous hospital visit. “I fought with Medicaid for weeks, until they switched us back to CMS. His medications were running out when we could finally go back and see his pediatric doctors at the beginning of February,” Markey said. The switch from the specialized but more expensive care Daniel was getting under CMS to Sunshine Health was likely Medicaid’s way to save money. The healthcare options available under Sunshine Health are not as extensive and limited Daniel to certain doctors, not the specialists he needs. Markey argued with the Medicaid office for weeks, filling out form after form to prove her case and provide evidence of Daniel’s need for the most comprehensive health care plan. Medicaid finally approved to switch Daniel back to CMS in late January.

Impending cuts to Medicaid funding will likely cause the stacks of paperwork for patients and healthcare facilities to grow in the coming months, creating further obstacles to healthcare access. Due to Floridaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s monetary shortfall in recent years, state officials voted during the 2012 State Legislative session to cut $235 million from the state Medicaid budget. This resulted in a 5.65 percent reduction in funding on top of last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cut of 12.5 percent. These cuts will mainly affect safety-net hospitals, which provide services for vulnerable populations of uninsured and low-income individuals, like Daniel Markey. Shands is one of the largest safety-net hospitals in the state. Of all its patients, more than a third are on Medicaid or are uninsured. And according to the hospital, as the number of these patients has been increasing in recent years, funding is steadily decreasing. Between the budget cuts from the past two years, Shands is now operating with an estimated $41 million reduction in Medicaid funding. Cindy Capen, a nurse and associate with the Pediatric Pulmonary Division at Shands, estimates that about 80 percent of the patients she sees are on Medicaid. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t turn people away, but there are many hoops to jump through to get reimbursed for the many Medicaid patients we do see,â&#x20AC;? Capen said. She predicts the difficulties will only get worse with the recent budget cuts. Based on what Capen has witnessed while working at Shands, she asserts that Medicaid regulations are mainly guided by cost and not by clinical understanding of diseases. If a medication is not typically used for a diagnosis or is not on the approved Medicaid list, for example, Medicaid requires additional paperwork from providers. The process is meant to insure that the funding is used appropriately, but more often, she said, it simply creates delays in care and reimbursement as providers struggle to prove that the medications they are recommending are in the best interests of the patient. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Nursing used to be funâ&#x20AC;Ś now itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s become a battle against bureaucratic red tape,â&#x20AC;? Capen said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So much time lost that was once spent in direct patient interaction.â&#x20AC;? State hospitals are bracing themselves for the coming year, not sure how to continue the best level of care with less Medicaid funding. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If specialists canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t decide whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s right for the patient and not hit all these barriers,â&#x20AC;? Capen asked, â&#x20AC;&#x153;how can we provide the best care?â&#x20AC;?

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Summer 2012 | T H E F I N E P R I N T | 15

SPOTLIGHT by Aleksandra Bacewicz Photos by Ashley Crane The following photos were taken of Daniel Markey, a 9-yearold boy born with cystic fibrosis from Middleburg, Fla. “When I wake up in the morning, I have to do my percussions, my nebulizer, my inhaler and my nose spray,” he says. “Other than that, I’m just like all the other kids.” Daniel lives in a trailer with six of his family members. He shares a room with his mother and his 18-year-old sister, Tiffany. His medications alone amount to at least $15,000 a month, aside from his visits with CF specialists. With recent budget cuts to Medicaid reimbursements for Florida hospitals, individuals under the healthcare plan fear they may face limited access to medical services. These cuts will primarily affect safety-net hospitals like Shands, which provide healthcare for vulnerable populations of low-income and uninsured individuals like Daniel (see page 14).

DEPENDENT ON MEDICAID 16 | T H E F I N E P R I N T | thefineprintuf.org

SPOTLIGHT

(Top) Daniel wakes up a half hour early each morning for respiratory treatment before he heads off to school. (Bottom right) Lucas and Daniel have been best friends ever since Lucasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mother, a respiratory therapist, took care of Daniel seven years ago during a period of hospitalization.

Summer 2012 | T H E F I N E P R I N T | 17

SPOTLIGHT

NEVER LOST

Jacob Atem does not know his exact age. But he knows that when he was about 6 years old, the Northern Sudanese Arab militia entered his village, burning huts to the ground, killing men and kidnapping women and children. In 2008, Jacob founded the Southern Sudan Health Care Organization with a fellow lost boy of Sudan, Lual Awan, to provide a clinic that would reduce maternal mortality rates in his village. Photo by Ashley Crane.

A Sudanese Refugee Whose Journey Led Him to UF BY FAITHFUL OKOYE Eight-year-old Jacob looked around the riverbank. Behind him, bullets rained from AK-47s shot by men in military uniforms. In front of him, crocodiles waited along the bank with open jaws as thousands of young boys ran toward the water. Those who dove into the Gilo River to escape their pursuers met their death by crocodile teeth. Others, desperate to flee the crocodiles, grabbed branches to swing across the river, but the men shot at them, and Jacob remembers their bodies falling into the water. Those who escaped struggled to wade to the other side. Many could not swim, and many drowned. But Jacob Atem survived. Now a UF graduate student, Jacob is one of the lost boys of Sudan who survived the second Sudanese Civil War, fought from 1983 to 2005 between North and South Sudan. About 2 million people died, 4 million were displaced and thousands of orphaned children like Jacob 18 | T H E F I N E P R I N T | thefineprintuf.org

fled by foot to refugee camps, facing starvation, wild animals, bombs and military attacks. “We formed a human exodus walking a thousand miles through lion and crocodile country,” Jacob wrote on his website, “eating mud to stave off hunger, drinking urine to quench our thirst.” This is his story.

****

Jacob does not know his exact age. But he knows that when he was about 6 years old, the Northern Sudanese Arab militia entered his village, burning huts to the ground, killing men and kidnapping women and children. Jacob and thousands of other boys were not there at the time. They had gone to a cattle camp by the Nile River, a custom of nomads. During the dry season, the village boys would walk with the cattle and goats to find water for the livestock.

SPOTLIGHT

It was a beautiful day, Jacob remembered. He was looking after a calf with his 14-year-old cousin, Michael Atem, when he heard bullets popping in the distance. He looked toward his village and saw clouds of smoke in the sky. Many boys fled. Jacob ran into the woods with his cousin, where they hid for about a week. He learned from those who escaped the attack by the militia

back on my life, I can honestly say that Michael saved my life many times.” Despite his wounds, Jacob and the boys had to continue walking. They suffered from hunger and starvation. They went months without almost any water as they walked through arid deserts and mountains. Many boys ate mud and drank their own urine to survive.

What we realized was [there was] no turning back. that his mother and father were killed, and that his sister was captured. “What we realized was [there was] no turning back,” Jacob said. More than 20,000 boys started walking to a neighboring country they knew vaguely as Ethiopia. The only living relative he knew was his cousin Michael. When Jacob got tired, Michael would carry him over his back as they walked miles at a time, ran from troops and escaped bombs dropped from planes. At night, while the boys slept, someone would always keep watch. One night, while Jacob was sleeping, a lion attacked his group. “Michael slapped me in the head,” Jacob remembered. “It was pitch black and all I heard were people yelling, ‘Lion! Lion!’” He scrambled to his feet and fled “like a scared rabbit” in pitch darkness, running into a prickly branch that tore straight into his leg, down to the bone. “Today, I look at the scar on my leg and think of all Michael and I went through. When I look

Gilo River: The River of Blood, Tears and Haunting Memories After five months of walking, the boys came to a refugee camp in Ethiopia, and their pursuers stopped shooting because they were no longer in Sudanese territory. In Ethiopia, Jacob was baptized as a Christian and changed his name from Thon to Jacob. Meanwhile, Ethiopia had been fighting its own civil war since 1971. In 1991, its government was overthrown, and the new government told the boys they had to leave.

Jacob and thousands of other boys with nowhere else to go insisted on staying, until one day, the Ethiopian government forced them at gunpoint to leave. What resulted was the bloody night between man and beast along the banks of the Gilo River that Jacob remembers from his childhood. More than 2,000 boys died in the river that day. Jacob and the others who survived the Gilo River walked all the way back to South Sudan. The northern Sudanese militia, upon learning that the lost boys had returned, came after them with guns and tanks. The boys fled again – this time to Kenya. Wild animals, airplane bombings, gunshots, hunger and thirst plagued the boys daily. After about eight months of walking, the boys came upon Kakuma Refugee Camp in northwestern Kenya. There, Jacob lived for almost a decade. “And now, you’re not a boy anymore,” Jacob said. “You’re grown a little bit into a young man.” He and the other boys relied on the United Nations for food and clothes. When the United Jacob married his wife, a lost girl of Sudan, last January in 2011. Jacob is now a Gator at the University of Florida, where he is completing his Ph.D. in Health Services Research, Management and Policy. Photo by Ashley Crane. Summer 2012 | T H E F I N E P R I N T | 19

SPOTLIGHT, CONT’D

Jacob Atem unloads USAID supplies in the Sudanese village of Maar, where the Southern Sudan Health Care Organization (SSHCO) will soon open its clinic. Photo taken in 2009, courtesy of the SSHCO. Nations didn’t bring food, they went hungry. There was a school in the camp for the young refugees, but Jacob was too hungry to go. “Imagine when you’re so hungry that your eyes go blind temporarily.” His friends who did go shared one book with about 50 other students. Classes were held under a tree. A blackboard was hung on the tree, and the boys sat on branches and wrote their notes in the sand. Many of those who finished eighth grade taught first grade. In 1998, the United Nations took steps to bring them to the United States. The young Sudanese refugees were asked to each write their life stories. “It was my cousin that wrote the story,” Jacob said. “I didn’t know how to write.” In 2000, the United Na-

tions came with lawyers to determine if they had been truthful in their stories. It became subjective. “I know a few friends that didn’t make it,” Jacob said. “It could [have been] me.” After they passed the interview, they had to take blood and urine tests to inspect for infectious diseases. Once cleared, they began a three-day orientation called “Welcome To America,” where they learned about life in the U.S. Jacob doesn’t remember much, but one thing he does remember: “Whatever happens, just call 911.”

Family Left Behind

Though Jacob and Michael made it to safety in the U.S., they left behind Jacob’s sister, who they haven’t seen since the

20 | T H E F I N E P R I N T | thefineprintuf.org

day she was captured by the Arab militia that attacked their village. From the start, girls were at a disadvantage. When the Northern Sudanese Arab militia attacked, many of the boys were at cattle camps, while the girls, who often stayed at home to cook and clean, were in their villages. Like Jacob’s sister, most of them were captured and taken into slavery. Many girls were raped. Those who did flee joined the boys on their journey. When they got to the Kakuma Refugee Camp, the boys were placed loosely under adult care, while the girls were placed with foster families. When the United Nations considered the plight of the young Sudanese refugees, the girls were considered to be already cared for because they were with foster

families. Of the more than 20,000 young refugees who fled Sudan, only about 3,700 made it to the U.S. And of the 3,700 who came to U.S., only 89 were girls. Most of the lost girls remain in refugee camps and face very similar circumstances to those Jacob once faced. Others, like his sister, remain bound as slaves to their northern masters.

A New Life

Today, if you ask a lost boy what his birthday is, you can be sure of the date – Jan. 1, the day many of them arrived in the U.S. When Jacob came to America at about the age of 15, he was placed in foster care in Webberville, Michigan. He took a high school placement test and was assigned to the

SPOTLIGHT, CONT’D freshman grade, not because of his scores, Jacob emphasized as he had not attended much school, but because of his age. “I could barely speak English, just using a lot of hand gesture.” At school, kids would bully him, Jacob said. “They’ll call me the ‘n’ word, the ‘f ’ word, you name it.” Little did they know the struggles he’d been through. The state of Michigan required all students to graduate by the age of 18, so Jacob worked hard to graduate on time, successfully graduating in three years. He was the first in his family to ever receive a high school diploma. He met his wife, a lost girl of Sudan, and they got married in January 2011. Jacob is now a Gator at the University of Florida, where he is completing his Ph.D. in Health Services Research, Management and Policy. “It’s great to be in the Gator nation!”

Sending Hope Home

On his computer desktop, Jacob pulled up a picture of a girl who looked like nothing but bones squatting as a vulture landed nearby. South African photojournalist Kevin Carter committed suicide soon after taking the Pulitzer Prize winning photo. His note read: “I am haunted by the vivid memories of killings and corpses and anger and pain ... of starving or wounded children.” Jacob looked at the photo, and he remembered his village, Maar. In July 2011, South Sudan gained independence from the northern government. Jacob believes he was spared from death for one reason: to pay it forward.

“What can I do to make sure that this doesn’t happen?” he asked. In 2008, Jacob founded the Southern Sudan Health Care Organization with a fellow lost boy of Sudan, Lual Awan, to provide a clinic that would improve maternal mortality rates in his village. The only standing clinic that existed after the war was pervaded by bullet

One of the board members, Tim Page, an ophthalmologist who is going to Maar for the first time, will perform surgery on patients with cataracts – an affliction that has left thousands of Sudanese blind. Jacob’s hope is that people will partner with him to get the clinic up and running and to ship supplies. “If we have 50 students paying $20 a

Imagine when you’re so hungry that your eyes go blind temporarily. holes. The maternal mortality rate in South Sudan is the worst in the world. According to a 2008 UNICEF report, one in every 32 women is likely to face maternal death. Last year, with the help of donations, the building for the Southern Sudan Health Care Organization was completed in Maar. Medical supplies worth about $500,000 were also donated to the clinic. The supplies still have a long journey ahead before they arrive in Maar. They have already been shipped from Springfield, Ill., to Mombasa, Kenya, and are expected to arrive this spring. Jacob hopes to have them shipped immediately to Juba, the capital of South Sudan, and then to his village, Maar. It costs about $35,000 to ship the container, he said. So far, they raised about $15,000. Jacob and the rest of the non-profit’s board of directors will visit Maar to officially open the clinic this spring.

month, that’s $12,000 a year.” Looking back on his journey, Jacob said his faith in God cannot be separated from his experiences. “We have been called lost boys, but really we don’t feel lost,” Jacob wrote. “Even though we suffered much and lost many things dear to us, deep down in our hearts we know that we have never been lost from God.”

****

To learn more about how you can support Jacob, his dream and his organization, go to http://www.sshco.org/. You can also vote for the organization in the Dell Social Innovation challenge, where the projects with the most votes from different geographical regions are awarded $1,000. The last day to vote is May 13. To vote, visit dellchallenge.org.

A Brief Histor y of Sudan Jan. 1, 1956 > Sudan gains independence from the British. > Sudan divided into the predominantly Christian south and Muslim north.

1956 - 1972 > Civil war breaks out between South and North Sudan. > North wins and enforces sharia law.

1973 - 1983 Peace for 10 years.

1983 - 2005

July 9, 2011

> Civil war breaks out again, during which Jacob and thousands of other Lost Boys flee. > More than 2 million people killed and 4 million in South Sudan displaced.

South Sudan becomes a separate nation.

Summer 2012 | T H E F I N E P R I N T | 21

SPOTLIGHT

The Church of Holy Colors

by Rain Araneda Photos by Ashley Crane True to its name, the interior and exterior of the Church of Holy Colors are testaments to a pure love and worship of color. Every door, corner, wall casing, floorboard, piece of tile, everything, has been integrated into a greater, continuous piece of artistic work – each part unique, none singularly noticed. The church is a tangible expression of an artist’s statement. “None of the art at CHC is ever really signed,” says one of the original founders, Evan Galbicka. “It isn’t necessary. You know who created what by looking around and by truly knowing each other.” And that’s exactly the mission of CHC: to encourage real human interaction, collaboration and creation. Each person is a unique character, like a color, and makes a distinct but unclaimed contribution to the greater picture. It’s a sacrifice of the ego in an effort to reach a more refined expression. Though the church itself is a working space for resident artists, it also functions as a recording studio for musicians. Gainesville locals may recognize some of the homegrown bands that have played at CHC like Hundred Waters and Euglossine. The church’s musical followers have grown en masse within the last few years, so much so that the CHC recently 22 | T H E F I N E P R I N T | thefineprintuf.org

built a modular stage to increase visibility from the first three rows. As Evan explains it, the church sees these events as a way to initiate human contact in a perpetually technical culture. He doesn’t think communicating through social media should be the norm. “We’re not technical beings,” he says. “There are truths expressed in the art [and music] that help us live more happily.” CHC members hope to work directly with the community on various upcoming projects. About a year ago, the church planted a garden, which continues to grow through community support and functions to educate others in D.I.Y. techniques and sustainability. With the help of a few volunteers and Chris Cano, founder and owner of Gainesville Compost, CHC recently planted for the new season in February. At the event, participants planted seedlings in raised beds and received Cano’s instructions on composting. CHC is a place of refuge, but also reuse. A major part of its non-technical mission is to reduce its consumptive footprint. As a result, the church’s members seek out leftover waste materials like paint and wood, which can be synthesized into completed works of art. As a recent project, the church raised $8,500 through a Kickstarter campaign to purchase a diesel van for its upcoming art and

music endeavors. In an effort to live better, CHC intends to convert the van to run on used vegetable oil (rather than biodiesel). They’ve already solicited contracts with members of the local business community for obtaining the oil to use as fuel for their van. CHC is excited to share the cultural nexus of Florida art and music that Gainesville has been developing into. They see the bus as a mobile encapsulation of this Florida culture, which they can transport to other cities. Elestial Sound, a Gainesville record label that hosts many local artists, had its first showcase at the South by Southwest music festival in Texas, where CHC came to work with them on the visual elements. If you haven’t experienced Gainesville’s vibrant underground culture, the Fifth Avenue block (part of a currently developing land-share/trust in downtown Gainesville) is a great place to start. The block is home to CHC and several other communityminded and supported ventures, such as the Civic Media Center, the Citizens’ Coop, the Sequential Artist Workshop and the Repurpose Project. Each establishment shares an overlapping mission: to get people together, promote alternative ideas and encourage dialogue.

Summer 2012 | T H E F I N E P R I N T | 23

feature

the

FUTURE, BRIGHT it doesn’t look so

by Ellen McHugh and Lydia Fiser

Florida lawmakers voted to cut $300 million in funding to state universities during the 2012 Legislative Session this spring. UF will take a hit of about $36.5 million out of that total, leaving it up to tuition-paying students to make up the difference. State universities have been raising tuition for the last five years due to continuing cuts in state funding. This year’s undergraduate tuition at UF is $188.55 per credit hour, but just four years ago it was at $108.55. Based on the average of 30 credit hours in two semesters, that’s a jump from $3,256.50 to $5,656.50 a school year. In the past, the State University System capped these increases at 15 percent per school year. But a new bill (SB1752/HB7129) passed during the 2012 Legislative Session would allow universities to surpass that limit, raising tuition to "market rates." Considering UF is about 30 percent cheaper than the national average, ranked seventh on the Princeton Review's 2012 Best Value Colleges list, this would be a major change for the university.

24 | T H E F I N E P R I N T | thefineprintuf.org

While this bill was passed during the same legislative session that funding was cut from the university system, they're not exactly interconnected. The reasoning behind this bill isn't to make up for lost state funding, according to lawmakers and the Board of Governors. The bill states their main purpose is to "elevate the academic and research excellence and national preeminence of the highest performing state research universities." "Highest performing" means that it wouldn’t apply to all state universities, only those that meet at least 11 of the 14 benchmarks set by the bill. UF meets 13 based on factors like selectivity, graduation rates and research. The tuition increase also likely wouldn't apply to all students at UF. The bill allows for "differentiated tuition," which translates to mean higher tuition for majors that are expected to contribute to the growth of a state economy built on high-wage jobs. The bill doesn't specify which majors those are, but alludes to them being scienceand technology-based. In return for paying higher tuition, the university – following the guidance of The Board of Governors – would aim to improve the education offered to

feature students in these areas. The ultimate goal, according to the bill, is to push the university higher up in national rankings. Although the bill passed both the state house and senate during the legislative session, in order to become law, Gov. Rick Scott must sign it. He said in the past that he "doesn't believe in tuition increases,” but he is still undecided on this increase. Student groups and activists say students are already cashstrapped enough and are fighting the bill all the way to Scott's desk. But university officials aiming to make UF a nationally competitive university see this as an opportunity to improve the school and become more competitive in price and education. If passed, UF president Bernie Machen has said that he hopes to raise tuition up to 40 percent to reach the national average. This would put UF on par with schools like the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and the University of Michigan, both roughly $7,000 a year. However, he said he would wait until fall 2013 to implement those numbers, and only for incoming freshmen, in order to give families who may be considering UF a year to find a way to bridge the new 40 percent gap. Even if Scott doesn't sign the bill into law, students will still face increased tuition in the upcoming school year similar to recent years. These annual tuition increases have been and will continue to be a strain on families and students as they try to pay for the rising cost of a college education. Graham Picklesimer, copresident of Graduate Assistants United, pointed out that even if lawmakers continue to raise tuition, it won't be able to keep up with state budget cuts. The days when the state gave out textbook stipends are long gone. With it also goes a time when students could gradu-

ate from UF debt-free, one of the charms of a state university known for being affordable. In the recent past, the state promised high school students that if they earned good grades, they would be guaranteed an in-state college education that Florida’s Bright Futures scholarship would cover at either 100 percent (Florida Academic Scholars) or 75 percent (Florida Medallion Scholars), based on academic standing. Then in 2009, the scholarship program was amended to cover a flat rate instead of a percentage. Now, with pending tuition increases, that flat rate will likely cover less than half of tuition costs for even its highest merit recipients. In addition, the state cut 5 percent of Bright Futures’ funding for the 2012-2013 school year as well as set higher standards for current college students to meet in order to renew their scholarships in upcoming years. The current GPA requirement for students to renew at the FAS level is a 3.0. Next year it will be a 3.25, and the following year a 3.5. For FMS, the GPA requirement will rise from a 2.75 to 3.0. As Bright Futures scholarships flounder, other financial aid programs like Florida Prepaid are struggling to predict future costs due to the constant fluctuation in tuition. This is making planning harder for parents who try to budget for their children’s future college tuition. So, are all these changes worth it? Is it understandable for lawmakers to raise tuition in order to improve the quality of state universities while at the same time chopping away education's share of the state budget? Or is it better to keep tuition costs low in order to maintain accessible higher education for in-state students? Tell us what you think at thefineprintuf.org.

ARE YOU

AFRAID OF THE

DARK? Bright Futures award amount per credit hour for 4-year Bachelor’s degrees and the cost of UF tuition per credit hour.

FAS = Florida Academic Scholars, formerly “100%” FMS = Florida Merit Scholars, formerly “75%”

2008

2009

FAS

$126

FMS Tuition

$95 $125.91

2009

2010

FAS*

$126

FMS* Tuition

$95 $145.76

*Textbook stipend discontinued. Must pay for dropped classes. Flat-rate award replaces percentage award.

2010

2011

FAS

$125

FMS Tuition

$94 $168.15

2011

2012

FAS

$101

FMS Tuition

$76 $188.55

2012

2013

FAS

$100

FMS Tuition

$75 TBD

Summer 2012 | T H E F I N E P R I N T | 25

Reactors in the

Distance

Crystal River Nuclear Facility lies dormant amongst the stacks of Progress Energyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s coal plants in Citrus County, Fla. In addition to fixing and renewing this 35-year-old reactor, the company is in the final phases of establishing an entirely new facility in the neighboring Levy County. Photo by Ashley Crane. 26 | T H E F I N E P R I N T | thefineprintuf.org

FEATURE, CONT’D

Environmental organizations and industry critics question Progress Energy’s plans to revive nuclear energy in Florida BY LILY WAN A breezy weekend morning overlooking Crystal River makes you forget you’re so close to Gainesville for a moment. The air’s quiet and crisp, critters rustle through the grass and fish weave through the glistening water. In the distance, two nuclear power plant cooling towers shimmer. Certainly an unexpected presence at the otherwise pristine Crystal River, Progress Energy’s nuclear facility is more than just an eyesore. In the past three years, the 35-year-old plant has had three major structural defects, which put it out of commission in 2009, just one year after Progress Energy applied for the plant’s 20-year license renewal. While a host of environmental organizations and experts warn that nuclear energy in Florida is dangerous, unnecessary and unfair to rate payers, Progress Energy plans to not only renew the license of its current plant, but to also build an entirely new plant in Levy County, about 8 miles north of the Crystal River facility.

A Cozy Relationship?

Before a nuclear plant is even built, it must be approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for its operational license, which lasts 40 years. Additionally, each plant may apply for a license renewal in the years leading up to the original license’s expiration. Even though its original expiration date

looms on the horizon, just four years from now, Progress Energy wants to extend its operating license for another 20. They wanted it, and they got it. Well, almost. If it hadn’t been for those three containment wall cracks in 2009, the Crystal River nuclear facility would most likely be up and running until 2036. In the NRC’s 37-year history of establishment, it has only ever denied two nuclear power plants their operating license. Two of 104. Additionally, the NRC has only ever denied one license renewal (more about that later), granting 62 facilities their 20-year extension to date. The relationship between the NRC and the bodies it regulates -- each of the country’s 104 nuclear power plants -- “plays a roll in everything the NRC does -- licensing, inspection, enforcement,” said Peter Bradford, Vice-Chair of the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), a nonprofit science-focused environmental advocacy group. Bradford served as a commissioner of the NRC from 1977 to 1982 and became part of the UCS board in 1997. “Looking at the NRC’s track record over the last decade or so, when it intervenes in particular proceedings, it almost always does so on the side of the industry,” he said. The New York Times echoed his assertion last year in an article titled, “Nuclear Regulatory Commission Criticized for Industry Ties,” which provided multiple examples of the NRC bending its own rules to please the nuclear industry. Summer 2012 | T H E F I N E P R I N T | 27

FEATURE, CONT’D According to Roger Hannah, Senior Public Affairs Officer of the NRC, the final decision on Crystal River’s license renewal is still pending. The NRC still needs a better understanding of the Crystal River technical staff’s plan on taking the appropriate steps to repair the plant and ensure that it will meet safety standards over the next 20 years.

Picking Up The Tab

In the process of routine maintenance, Progress Energy opted for the D.I.Y. route, trying to save some change ($15 million, to be precise). Unfortunately, the maintenance didn’t go as smoothly as anticipated. The containment wall sprouted a 42-inch long crack. And in the process of repairing that crack, the wall cracked again. And, predictably, trying to fix that crack birthed another. Upon discovery of these cracks, Progress Energy temporarily retired the plant and, at the time, ensured the public that their neighborhood nuclear facility would be back online in early 2011. Early 2011 turned into 2014. With the plant’s original license expiratory year just two years from the currently projected repair completion, is it even worth the $2.5 billion repair bill? While most of it will be covered by Progress Energy’s insurance, local ratepayers may still end up forking over a hefty sum. Progress Energy spokeswoman Suzanne Grant said the company is still working through the numbers with Nuclear Electric Insurance Limited (NEIL), their insurance provider, and could not yet provide an accurate estimate of the customers’ portion of the bill. Progress Energy believes NEIL will cover at least three quarters of the total bill; some quick number crunching leaves the ratepayers with a maximum tab of $625 million. Through 2012, ratepayers won’t see any hint of these charges on their electricity bill. And they won’t until 2013, if and when the Public Service

28 | T H E F I N E P R I N T | thefineprintuf.org

Commission approves a rate increase.

Tweaking the Rules

With every license renewal, the NRC compiles a comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement assessing and accounting for potential

12 people are expected to die from cancer as a direct result of normal operation and radiation releases. environmental risks for the 20-year extension period. According to Crystal River’s report, Progress Energy has considered other options -- coal, natural gas or a combination of the two. There’s also a no-action alternative in which Crystal River’s license would not be renewed. The NRC vies for a license renewal on the existing nuclear plant as the best option, claiming that the significance of environmental impacts from reopening the Crystal River plant would be “small,” meaning that they are “not detectable or are so minor” that they wouldn’t “noticeably alter any important attribute” of the geographic, biophysical and social environment. “In evaluating nuclear plants, the NRC sees some environmental issues and health hazards as simply something that is just an accepted fact in dealing with nuclear power,” said Mary Olson, Director of the Southeast Office of the Nuclear Resource and Information Service (NIRS). NIRS is the information and networking center for environmental or-

ganizations concerned about nuclear power and sustainable energy issues. Yankee Rowe, a nuclear facility in Massachusetts, was one of the first facilities to request a license renewal. However, it didn’t meet the NRC’s standards for renewal at the time: it was not even in compliance with its existing license, which was one of the two requirements for license renewal. The rejection alarmed the nuclear industry and operators of another plant in Minnesota fought back, claiming the NRC’s renewal requirements examined a time period that extended beyond relevancy, making license renewal uneconomical. “[The NRC] realized if Yankee Rowe couldn’t meet [rules for extending licenses], other reactors couldn’t meet it either,” Olson said. Yankee Rowe, just scathed by the NRC’s blade of rejection, ended up shutting down. This close call was a little too close, and the NRC became introspective. In 1995 the NRC went in and tinkered with their rules a little bit. Just a tad. One new, albeit very easily overlooked, amendment found its place in a mere footnote. In said footnote, the NRC acknowledged that per each commercial nuclear reactor granted its 20-year license extension, 12 people are expected to die from cancer as a direct result of normal operation and radiation releases. In the scramble to address the energy crisis, politicians are starting to throw nuclear in with other “green” options like solar and wind technology. Sure, the nuclear plant itself doesn’t emit carbon gasses, but that’s not the only thing to be accounted for when assessing environmental impact -- Olson points out that environmental and human health risks, including those associated with the transportation of uranium, must be examined as well. Nuclear plant workers and neighbors experience only a small percentage of additional radiation exposure -- about one extra millirem of radiation on top of the estimated national

FEATURE, CONT’D average of 310 millirem per year. However, radiation has the potential to escape in just about every step of production from the uranium mines to the neighborhoods surrounding a nuclear facility. Radioactive materials only leak out in small amounts during routine and proper plant operation but in heaping proportions if and when accidents occur. Radiation is known to cause an increased rate of cancer, infant mortality, and birth defects, including mental retardation. But the effects of radiation aren’t evident until decades after exposure, making them difficult to trace.

In With the Old, In With the New

Progress Energy doesn’t just want to keep the Crystal River station chugging along longer; they want another entirely new facility as well. Progress Energy has their eye on 5,000 acres, including 765 acres of wetland, just southwest of Gainesville in Levy County. In the first stages of planning the Levy facility, Progress Energy was only looking at one reactor with an estimated cost of $2.5 to $3.5 billion. Now, after nearly six years and a projected $14.5 to $19 billion dollars added to the bill, Progress Energy is preparing for two 1,100 MW reactors. These two reactors would provide energy to about 900,000 homes, with the first of the two reactors set to come online in 2021. And although construction is yet to begin, local ratepayers are already getting charged. Thanks to Florida’s Nuclear Construction Cost Recovery (NCCR) law established in 2006, utilities are allowed to collect preconstruction and construction costs from ratepayers prior to the planned facility’s operation. In 2010, the average Progress Energy customer shelled out an additional $89.52 over the year as part of the Levy County reactors’ preconstruction costs. Progress Energy has since filed with the Florida Public Service Commission to lower that figure to $61.68 for 2012. Since its initiation in 2006, the Levy County project’s price tag has only inflated. By 2021, the average 1,100 kWh

residential customer will be paying an additional $59.83 per month to fund the construction. Progress Energy communications specialist Rob Sumner said that despite the cost, Progress Energy still plans on moving forward with the Levy County plant. Besides, even if they were to halt all future plans for the Levy facility this very second, they’d be stepping away with a hefty, customer-paid and non-refundable $150 million. This no-refund policy is tucked away in the fine print of the NCCR law. Progress Energy still has some hurdles to jump before breaking ground for construction on the Levy County nuclear plant. The NRC is currently working on compiling the proposed facility’s Environmental Impact Statement, which has a tentative completion date of late this year or early next year, Hannah explained. “We haven’t even scheduled the [final] hearing yet. We’re three steps away from the final decision.” Three steps and many months away,

a flat line in the demand for energy in the state,” said Mandy Hancock, High Risk Energy Organizer for the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE). Hancock and Bradford both vie for efficiency as the cheapest energy solution. Not quite the same as conservation, “efficiency” simply translates to using less energy by means of adopting more efficient technology and building standards. Efficient use of the “right” kind of energy is also key. Bradford suggests turning to “some renewables and natural gas” as supplements. Yet here we are, the Sunshine State itself, still devoid of a Renewable Portfolio Standard, which would require a certain portion of the state’s energy to be generated from renewable sources by a set date. According to an in-depth analysis conducted by Energy Savvy, a software company dedicated to making energy efficiency easy and widely accessible, money spent on a new nuclear plant is better spent retrofitting homes. The

We not only don’t need nuclear power at all, but we can actually create a flat line in the demand for energy in the state. but Progress Energy customers are already feeling the strain. “It’s certainly not fair to those customers, whether residential or business customers, who won’t be around when the plant might start up,” Bradford said, “it’s also not fair to low income customers in Progress Energy’s territory who have more urgent uses for the money, like rent and food.” “Another nuclear plant in Florida is affirmatively unnecessary,” he added, aptly summing up the position of the NIRS and a host of other environmental organizations and activists.

Moving Beyond Nuclear

average levelized cost of electricity generated by a new nuclear plant is about $0.08 per kWh. Over a standard 40year licensing period, without renewal, this plant would cost about $40 billion. Retrofitting 1.6 million homes, on the other hand, would only cost about $20 million. “The problem is not that we don’t have the technology; the problem is that we don’t have the political will to really pursue aggressive energy efficiency measures,” Hancock said. “It’s absolutely not too late for the Levy County facility to be stopped,” Olson confidently added.

“We not only don’t need nuclear power at all, but we can actually create

Summer 2012 | T H E F I N E P R I N T | 29

FEATURE

DON’T HAZE ME, BRO

by Ted Eliott Illustrations by Emma Roulette Editors Note: All the anecdotes in this story are true, but the names of the brothers have been removed to protect their identities. This story is written by a fraternity brother under a pen name. Mold and mildew blended with the smell of old eggs, rotting vegetables and anything else the brothers managed to get their hands on. The attic had been ransacked multiple times that week. The clothes and sleeping bags the pledges had brought the first night were now strewn 30 | T H E F I N E P R I N T | thefineprintuf.org

across the room, saturated in a layer of dirt and bodily fluids. Four sleepless nights in the attic were taking their toll, as the pledges drifted in and out of consciousness. Up to this point, they had endured ice baths, 5:00 a.m. “fun” runs, a myriad of verbal assaults and whiskey-soaked brawls. For participating fraternities here at UF and other universities, the Hell Week culminates in the initiation of the pledge class. Eight weeks of dress code enforcement, tests and non-stop scrutiny drag to a close with the transformation from pledge to brother. Blindfolded, the pledges are led in groups and the ritual

begins. To the average person unassociated with Greek life, fraternity men exude an aura of cocky arrogance whose only priority is attending the biggest party and bringing home the hottest “slammie.” The

“Being hazed is my choice.” word “fraternity” evokes images of boat shoes, excessive alcohol consumption,

FEATURE the word “bro” and hazing. Across the board, fraternities tout their stance against hazing, promoting a zero tolerance policy. Yet, below the surface, a different story is taking place. What fraternity men tell their mothers is not going to be the same shenanigans they’d gush about with fellow “bros.” State and university policy prohibits hazing, which Florida considers a third degree felony or a first degree misdemeanor depending on whether serious injury or death occurs. UF defines hazing as “any action that intentionally endangers the mental or physical health of a student for any purpose, including initiation into any group or organization.” However, tradition often triumphs over law. As one Spring ‘09 brother put it, “Looking back, [hazing] was the one of the best experiences of my life.” Perhaps most surprising is that most new members want to be hazed. Even during a new member’s pledgeship, the positives of hazing are more often cited than the negatives. When Hell Week was cut two days early for one Fall ‘10 pledge class, the group refused to go home. Up to this point, every other pledge class belonging to this fraternity had gone through a full Hell Week. To them, it was custom. It represented the final challenge before entering the ritual and becoming initiated. A haze-free initiation just didn’t carry the same significance. In fraternity life, hazing exists in a legal and moral gray area. What constitutes hazing is still open to debate in most brothers’ eyes. One Fall ‘11 brother pointed out, “If a coach can make you run laps, why can’t we?” Another pledge chimed in, “Being hazed is my choice. If I am willing, what’s the problem?” As one brother said, when hazing does happen, it is rationalized as “character building – a way to bring pledges out of their shells,” implying that it is easier to get to know someone after hazing or being hazed with them. As generation after generation experience hazing, it almost becomes normalized. The cycle becomes a rite of passage and the justification is just

that – a matter of tradition. In late January, allegations against the UF chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity thrust hazing into the national spotlight once again. According to the UF Police Department, five potential members

Janine Sikes, UF’s Director of Public Affairs, said the university’s Anti-Hazing Task Force is planning on implementing several new methods to further combat hazing, one of which is an online record of disciplinary sanctions against campus

“Hazing exists in many organizations. To effectively combat it, we need to address it as a universitywide problem.” sustained serious injuries after being “repeatedly paddled and struck in the chest by members of the fraternity in a hazing ritual.” An e-mail sent by the Office of Sorority and Fraternity Affairs to members of the Greek community said that the UFPD had completed its investigation of Alpha Phi Alpha and that State Attorney Bill Cervone “will now review the allegations and evidence to decide if he will pursue charges against these individuals.” Less than two months later, the UF chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi was the second fraternity embroiled in a recent hazing incident. The UFPD crime log cites the incidents under investigation took place between April 23, 2010 and Jan. 31, 2011. During this nine-month period, pledges allegedly endured repeated whippings across their backsides that resulted in extensive bruising. Sworn allegations name 13 brothers involved in the beatings – striking pledges anywhere from 30 to 150 times on numerous occasions throughout this period. All of this falls on the heels of the Florida A&M hazing incident that resulted in the death of Robert Champion Jr., a 26-year-old drum major who was found unconscious after being thrashed by his fellow band members in mid-November.

organizations. In theory, these published online records will make fraternities’ histories transparent. Perhaps it will serve as an incentive to fraternities to not haze, since any incidents would now be easily accessible to potential members and parents. “Hazing exists in many organizations. To effectively combat it, we need to address it as a university-wide problem,” Sikes said. “It is ingrained into these organizations, but it is not acceptable at the University of Florida.” Chapters found in violation of hazing policies are subject to sanctions from the university as well as from the national level of the fraternity. In more serious cases, the university may temporarily suspend or revoke the chapter. Alternatively, the national level of the fraternity can either terminate or re-establish the chapter through an exhaustive membership review. Either way, most fraternities are likely to be re-established in a matter of years. But will a fresh start successfully eradicate hazing? Regardless of programs and legal measures against hazing and fraternities’ own sugar-coated mission statements, brothers continue to use fear to instill their values. After all, hazing is more deeply rooted in tradition than it is in the actual members.

Summer 2012 | T H E F I N E P R I N T | 31

Fast for Fair Food

Benito Garcia (front) and 60 other farmworkers fast outside Publix’s corporate headquarters in Lakeland, Fla. from March 5 to March 10. The Fast for Fair Food, organized by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, was one of many recent efforts directed at Publix Supermarkets to shed light on the exploitation of farmworkers within its supply chain. Photo by Diana Moreno

Despite recent efforts from the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, Publix refuses to address human rights violations within its supply chain by Rain Araneda and Henry Taksier On March 10, hundreds of protesters from the Interfaith Alliance for Immigrant Justice and the Student/ Farmworker Alliance marched 3 miles from a Publix grocery store to the company’s headquarters in Lakeland, Fla. There, they joined 61 farmworkers and seven allies who were on their sixth day of fasting with the hope of getting Publix Supermarkets to address the possibility of human rights violations

32 | T H E F I N E P R I N T | thefineprintuf.org

within its supply chain. For nearly three years, Publix, a $1.5 billion company, has refused to negotiate with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), a grassroots organization that advocates fair wages and humane working conditions throughout Florida’s fields. The CIW’s “Fast for Fair Food” from March 5 to March 10 was one of many recent demonstrations in which farmworkers have tried, without success, to gain the attention of Publix’s

upper management. “We don’t have any plans to sit down with the CIW,” Publix Media and Community Relations Manager Dwaine Stevens told the Baldwin County News in 2010. “If there are some atrocities going on, it’s not our business. Maybe the government should get involved.” To date, Publix has not changed its position. The “atrocities” he mentioned include the widespread exploitation of farmworkers throughout Florida’s

FEATURE recent history—specifically, subminimum wages, questionable working conditions and at least nine cases of outright slavery since 1996—which the CIW has been struggling to eradicate. Publix, which allegedly provides a market for abusive growers, is one of the CIW’s last remaining targets.

The Fields of Immokalee

Florida provides 45 percent of all tomatoes purchased in the United States, and from October to June, the rate skyrockets to over 90 percent. The fields surrounding Immokalee make up the epicenter of Florida’s tomato industry, and every growing season, Immokalee’s population temporarily doubles, flooded with migrant workers who rely on income from picking tomatoes. In Immokalee, the lack of institutional protection leaves thousands of workers vulnerable to slavery, physical assault, child labor and sexual harassment. The CIW, which began as a handful of defiant farmworkers, now represents the collective voice of about 4,500 migrant workers of mostly Hispanic, Haitian and Mayan descent. On a grassroots level, the CIW holds meetings and hands out materials informing workers of their rights and outlining ways to legally report abuse. Through its Fair Food Program, the CIW has struck deals with ten major food corporations— including Taco Bell, McDonald’s, Burger King, Subway, Aramark, Sodexo, Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s—and over 90 percent of Florida’s tomato growers. The program requires growers to follow a Code of Conduct designed to protect their workers from human rights violations, and it requires retailers to cut their purchases from growers who fail to enforce it. The Code of Conduct includes worker-to-worker education sessions on farms and on company time, a worker-triggered complaint resolution system, a network of health and safety volunteers on every farm and provisions concerning environmental factors like shade in the fields. Participating retailers have also agreed to pay one extra penny for each pound of tomatoes they purchase, which would trickle down to the workers who pick them. To a struggling farmworker, the extra penny could mark the difference between abject poverty and livable wages.

The Last Piece of the Puzzle

About two years ago, the CIW shifted its focus to supermarkets, which could be considered the “last piece of the puzzle,”

according to Joe Parker, co-coordinator of the Student/Farmworker Alliance. Any major supermarket that isn’t part of the Fair Food Program may provide an outlet for abusive growers. But Publix refuses to join the CIW’s Fair Food Program, claiming that any sort of abuse within its supply chain is a labor dispute between workers, growers and, if necessary, the government. As spokesperson Shannon Patten said in an interview with Creative Loafing last March, “Publix is more than willing to pay a penny

wellbeing, and a nicer world,” Publix says on its Fair Trade coffee label. In an online press release, Publix advises farmworkers to take their concerns directly to their employers, but also acknowledges that farmworkers are exempt from the National Labor Relations Act, which would have protected their right to organize and actually do so in the first place. Publix also dismissed the CIW’s assertion of wage stagnation over the last 30 years and pointed to a U.S. Secretary of Labor report, which claims farmworkers in

“Over the years we have seen real significant changes in the camps regarding workers’ rights and ability to organize without fear, or work without discrimination or sexual harassment” more per pound or whatever the market price for tomatoes will be in order to provide the goods to our customers. However, we will not pay employees of other companies directly for their labor. That is the responsibility of their employer. We suggest that whatever the impact of their negotiations, they put the cost of the tomatoes in the price they charge the industry for the goods.” In response to Publix’s arguments, the CIW contends that its Fair Food Program would not require Publix to pay farm workers “directly for their labor.” Instead, the produce repackers would charge the extra penny, considered a Fair Food premium, embedding the penny raise into the market price. Those funds are then passed on to the growers and then to the workers as a bonus in their paychecks. As the CIW explains on its website, “The high degree of consolidation in the food industry today means that multi-billion dollar brands on the retail end of the industry [like Publix] are able to leverage their volume and purchasing power to demand ever-lower prices, which has resulted in downward pressure on farmworker wages. The Fair Food Program reverses that process…” The CIW and its allies have pointed out that other supermarkets—like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s—have already joined its program, which would benefit workers in Florida through the same process that Publix’s Fair Trade coffee benefits workers in Latin America: “Fair trade prices help farmers provide employees with livable wages and work conditions. Which fosters the same values we do: community,

Florida are paid $9.50 an hour. In a detailed online refutation, the CIW points out that the Secretary of Labor’s $9.50 figure refers to the 2011 Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR), which is not specific to tomato harvesters, and that 95 percent of Florida’s tomato pickers are not even legally eligible to earn the AEWR. “Like textile workers at the turn of the last century, Florida tomato harvesters are still paid by the piece,” the CIW says. On average, workers earn 50 cents for each 32-pound bucket of tomatoes they pick. To make the equivalent of minimum wage, farmworkers would have to pick more than 2.25 tons of tomatoes in a typical 10-hour workday, which is more than twice the amount they would have had to pick 30 years ago. According to estimates from 2005, farmworkers earn about $10,000 each year with no overtime, no health insurance, no sick leave and no paid vacation, and the pennyper-pound increase would nearly double their wages. “Over the years, we have seen real changes in the camps regarding workers’ rights and their ability to organize without fear and to work without discrimination or sexual harassment,” said Oscar Otzoy, a CIW member and Fast for Fair Food participant. Thanks to the CIW’s progress, entire families are better off now, rather than just workers in the field, he added. After the march, music, speakers, prayers and ceremonial breaking of the bread, which ended the fasting, the workers and allies turned to Publix’s headquarters and chanted in unison: “We’ll be back! We’ll be back! We’ll be back!” Summer 2012 | T H E F I N E P R I N T | 33

feature

THE

BIOMASS

EFFECT Your wallet’s perspective on the city’s upcoming facility by Christine Csencsitz In 2009, Gainesville officials approved plans for a new biomass energy plant, an up-and-coming energy source that the city’s utility company touts as both renewable and carbon neutral. The plant will turn scrap trees and agricultural products into fuel. It’s slated for completion by late 2013, at which point electricity rates are predicted to rise in order to compensate the plant’s building and production costs. The 100-megawatt Gainesville Renewable Energy Center (GREC) was designed for Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) by American Renewables, a Bostonbased conglomerate. The Gainesville City Commission voted to bring the plant to Gainesville in 2010, GRU representative Katherine Weitekamp said, and construction began in 2011—two years after American Renewables officially signed the contract with GRU. With the construction of the plant now well underway, residents will soon face rising electricity rates.

34 | T H E F I N E P R I N T | thefineprintuf.org

Over the past year, rates have already begun to rise, unrelated to the biomass plant. These hikes are mostly the result of increased regulatory requirements and a slowed economy matched against rising costs, according to GRU’s 2012 budget proposal. Consumers are using less water, for example, so the City Commission voted last summer to increase water rates by $1.26 per month for the average consumer. In 2009, GRU released predictions regarding the rise in utility rates related to the biomass plant. At the time, some thought it was too early to accurately gauge how the plant would affect prices, but since then, newer estimates have remained roughly the same. GRU and American Renewables maintain that the initial hike will come to roughly $10.56 per month for the average consumer— the result of a one cent per kilowatt-hour increase. This will become effective once the plant is operational. In order to keep the price of biomass competitive with that of coal and natural gas, this increase is projected to taper off to about

$5.12 per month by 2019. GRU estimated the increase in utility rates based on an average consumption of 1,000 kilowatthours per month. The U.S. Energy Information Administration cites the national consumer average is actually 958 kilowatt-hours per month. And according to GRU, the average usage in Gainesville is 813 kilowatt-hours per month. The figure used in GRU’s calculated rate increase, however, does not make a distinction between apartments and single-family homes. To ease some of the financial burden on residents, Gainesville expects to receive tax credits from the 2009 Stimulus Act. “The tax break wasn’t missed,” said Pegeen Hanrahan, Gainesville’s former mayor and strong biomass advocate, “the plant is on track to receive 30 percent from the federal government.” Initially, GREC construction will create 350 temporary jobs. Roughly half of these jobs will be filled by local residents, according to American Renewables. Once production is completed, the

feature

plant is expected to create 45 new jobs on site and 160 periphery jobs within the forestry sectors. In the course of the 30-year contract, the natural gas and coal burning energy production plants that are currently in use – Deerhaven Units 1 and 2 – will be phased out in 2024 and 2031. As they are decommissioned, Gainesville’s reliance on the biomass plant will grow. Despite GRU’s claims that the biomass plant will be carbon neutral, the EPA is still unsure that it really is a “green” form of energy. Currently, the EPA is giving all biomass plants a “three-year pass” while studies are done to determine if the gas emissions from the plants are linked with climate change. Gainesville’s plant will fall under this pass’ umbrella and consequently will not have to apply for permits under the EPA’s Clean Air Act. But while permits may be set aside for the time being, GREC’s original plan did have to be altered to comply with new Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) regulations. MACT is an annex of the EPA that deals with the combustion of hazardous waste. These regulations, which came about at the end of 2010, resulted in a remodeling of the future plant’s filter system— the “baghouse”— in order to catch smaller emission particles. This change added $10 million to the plant’s construction costs. The Union of Concerned Scientists, a nonprofit proponent of green and sustainable energy, goes beyond the EPA’s uncertainty,

stating that biomass has “environmental risks that need to be mitigated.” To determine carbon neutrality, the amount of emissions is examined within a certain time frame. According to the EPA, carbon emissions could be argued as neutral if “carbon emitted is offset by the uptake of CO2 resulting from the growth of new biomass.” This growth of entirely new forests, however, takes many years, while carbon emissions from the plant itself are released each day. Despite ongoing debates over the carbon neutrality of biomass, the Gainesville plant is well on its way to opening. According to their contract, American Renewables will own GREC for the first 30 years, and then GRU will manage it. However, the plant may not last that long. The lifespan of the average biomass plant is about 30 years, after which it typically requires repairs and updates. So far, no such maintenance plans have been made for the Gainesville plant. If it makes it through 30 years, American Renewables will hand off the biomass plant to GRU, which will be left to decide how to manage either the plant’s decommission or renewal. To see how the rate increases beginning in late 2013 will affect your monthly GRU bill, turn it over and find the electric consumption for the month. Then multiply that number by 6.1 cents.

how biomass

works The process of creating biomass energy is relatively simple. The trees and scrap material are burned (or “cooked”) and converted into methane.

The methane gas then powers steam generators through an anaerobic process called “gasification,” which is what creates the energy.

This process of gasification is considered one of the benefits of biomass energy, versus the direct combustion method used in fossil fuel plants.

Summer 2012 | T H E F I N E P R I N T | 35

PROSE+POETRY

Possible Soul: Parts of Parts 1, 2 & 3. \\\Danny Ennis a. Victory I got a pet cat when I was five and my mother told me to name it Francis. “Find a better name for it and we’ll talk,” she said. “How about Lunchbox?” “Lunchbox?” “What’s wrong with lunchbox?” She couldn’t find anything wrong with Lunchbox, so we named him Lunchbox. u. Paint sets I bought a paint set last winter and used it last night for the first time. I wonder what percentage of relationships with a paint set turns romantic. I drew a picture of myself and the girl that I want to marry, but I haven’t met her yet so I just painted Joanna Newsom and then painted over her with Winona Ryder although she looked more like Conan O’Brien because I am not a very good painter. v. Racing “I’ll race you to the top of the mountain?” “Can’t we go down the mountain? That seems easier” “We can go down later” “But wouldn’t it be easier if we—” “Let’s just go up first” “You know what, I don’t really feel like racing”

he was in that movie” “Uh huh” “What? Now you’re mad?” “So you can break up with me for not seeing Star Wars, but if I mention one movie that you have to like, then you’re all of a sudden the Pope over there with infallibility?” “The difference is: I’ve seen The Graduate. It sucked. You haven’t seen Star Wars. For no reason other than stubbornness” And then we broke up again. III. Cheese “Name your top ten cheeses” “I don’t know if I know ten cheeses” “Just name your top ten” “Uh. Ok. Gouda. Gruyere. Dubliner” “Keep going” “I’m running out of ideas” “You can’t name more than three cheeses?” “Swiss” “No” “What” “Swiss cannot be your number 4 cheese” “But I can’t think of any more” “Swiss can’t be higher than number 15” “American?” Then I walked away.

x. Star Wars “I can’t stand watching these celebrities” “Why not?” “They’re always arguing about something. What’s the point?” “I mean, they’re not always” “Is there anything else on?”

V. Unlimited pancakes It’s only when you can’t have them that you want them most.

y. Star Wars wars “What do you mean you haven’t seen Star Wars?” Then we broke up.

XIV. Pope Pius the XIV “Was that the pope that was listed as one of the sexually active popes on Wikipedia?” “Have you ever gone to that page on Wikipedia?” “The sexually active popes page?” “It’s surprisingly lengthy”

jj. The Graduate “How do you not like The Graduate?” “I just didn’t think it was that great of a movie. I can never get over the fact that Dustin Hoffman will forever in my eyes be much, much older than 36 | T H E F I N E P R I N T | thefineprintuf.org

VI. Unlimited pancakes ii When you can finally have them, you don’t even want them.

XVIII. Boat spotting The balloon floats up and back, almost disappearing at the horizon over the water. What seems like is parallel to the balloon on the horizon is an ocean-liner that is just beyond the edge of the horizon so we can’t see the hull, but we can see the bow and aft poking above the water’s edge to look like the boat is split in two like two sharks’ fins in the distance. “Think we could swim to that boat?” “Probably not” “But things always look farther than they actually are” “I think you have that backwards” “Are you sure?” “No” “We could try” Then we try and get about 20 feet out into the ocean and look at each other and swim back. “Yeah you were right. That was farther than I thought” XXV. Graveyard Weekend We bike to see the cemetery but prefer to call it the graveyard because it seems more appropriate because it seems less religious because that’s what they call it in Zelda. Matt jumps out from behind a gravestone because it’s dark and we can’t see him but he trips and falls and spills the soda he’s holding. “Where did that soda come from?” “Cargo shorts, man, cargo shorts” “I guess that answers my question..” XXVVIII. Boys should have stockings “Boys should have stockings” “Don’t be ridiculous” “Why shouldn’t boys have stockings?” “Because stockings are girl things” “But boys want little gifts and treats too” “What kind of stockings are you talking about?” “The kinds with treats in them” XXVVIIIIIIIII. Over the pond His excitement grows as he sits in the balloon dressed as Amelia Earhart dressed as Charles Lindbergh, kindling the flame of the balloon as the east coast nears. He nearly wets his pants. He nearly throws up. He does throw up. He doesn’t wet his pants. %. Butte “The West was supposed to be jobs, working, money, capital, capitalism, success, winning, pride, adoration, love, religion, livelihood, worship, exercise, refreshing, bootstraps, jean jackets, paying off. Instead, it’s a tumbleweed, perpetuating itself. I flew into Denver, Salt Lake City, Boise, Reno, and Vegas, over a series of vacations and finally settled to live in Butte, but not just because of the name. Maybe I should’ve

chosen San Diego or San Francisco or San Marzano tomatoes, anything but Butte. Regardless, I took one look at the unpaved driveway and drove back to the airport to find another place to rejoice in not living in Butte,” I hear my father telling the story I’ve heard too many times to a bored looking man sitting next to him. @$. Presents There is a box waiting for me on the counter that my roommate says is from my parents and tells me to open it. We gather round the small cardboard box. “How’d you know it was from my parents?” “They dropped it off” “Are you serious?” “No, the mailman delivered it. Their address is on the return label. Open it” A smaller box is inside, wrapped in Christmas paper. “Where did they get this paper from? It’s March” “I don’t know. I guess they like to be funny” “What’s the card say?” “Happy 50th birthday, may this year put you over the hill, but not push you over the hill” “But you’re 22 this year” “Like I said, my parents like to think they’re funny” “I guess that’s kind of funny. What’s inside?” “A watch” “I thought you hated watches” “I do” “Is there anything you don’t hate?” “Not much” “Well it’s a nice watch. I’ll take it if you don’t want it” “I think it’s engraved” “I’ll still take it” “I’ll probably keep it. Thanks though” #!. Flipbooks There is a drawer in my house with some poorly drawn flipbooks of Bill Clinton riding a bicycle, bears juggling classic novels of the 20th century and a girl doing a cartwheel over and over. When I was 13, I replaced the girl doing the cartwheels with airplanes taking off. When I was 17, I added a flipbook of a guy eating crackers and cheese. Today I added a flipbook of a boy rubbing chocolate syrup all over his teeth and freaking his friends out from it. I hope my dad isn’t angry that I keep adjusting his old collection. He doesn’t know I know it’s there. _____________________________ This piece is part of an ongoing series of pieces collectively titled Possible Soul, which is part of a literary movement called Ratsy. For more information about Possible Soul or other Ratsy works, find Danny on the internet.

Illustration by Kelli McAdams Summer 2012 | T H E F I N E P R I N T | 37

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