Volume 5, Issue 12

Page 1

THE QUICKIE

VIEWPOINTS

ENTERTAINMENT

HEALTH & FITNESS

SPORTS

Club Spotlight: Cheese Club

Senior Editor Farewells

Summer Festival Survival

Summer is coming

The Current sports awards

Learn everything you need to know to survive the festival. season. page 15

Learn how to get that hot summer body with a special workout.

Read about Eckerd’s top athletes of 2013 - 2014.

If you are a cheese connoisseur, read about joining Cheese Club.

Read goodbyes from each of the senior editors.

pages 12 to 13

page 9

page 16

page 21

Vol. 5, Issue 12 May 2, 2014

Facilities unveils renovation plans for summer, next academic year By Sydney Cavero Asst. News Editor Many renovations are on Eckerd’s construction agenda for this summer and next year, the most expensive of which include installing new air-conditioning units in Zeta and replacing the soccer field’s 10-yearold turf, according to Director of Facilities Management Doug Ault. Zeta’s new units will be selfcontrolled and will solve the moisture and leaking problems many residents have faced in past years. Ault said this change will also involve replacing the existing closets with the armoires present in dorms such as Iota. Ault added that, unlike previous summers, a dorm lounge will not be renovated this summer due to the expenses of more urgent needs around campus. He currently estimates that new units and turf will cost $180,000 and $350,000, though he is still waiting for contractors to submit their final bids. “During the year we just get to do routine maintenance stuff,” Ault said, “so it’s nice during the summer to get to do projects and solve problems and get some of those things corrected.” Other construction Ault hopes to accomplish by this summer includes replacing Delta Ibsen’s carpet with tile flooring, building a new roof for Gamma Freeman, repaving the Omega parking lot to remove potholes, installing new bathtubs for many Nu rooms, modifying one Sigma bathroom to make it more accessible for disabled students and replacing the Armacost Library’s air-conditioning units. Ault said he would eventually like to have tile flooring in every dorm because it is healthier and easier to maintain, but that Facilities decided to begin in the pet dorms. Projects that are unable be completed by the end of this summer are often completed over winter break, according to Ault. Funding for these projects comes from the project budget, which is primarily composed of students’ tuition, and covers routine maintenance projects. Ault meets regularly with Director of Planning, Development and New Construction Bill McKenna, so they can update each other on the progress of current projects and discuss future plans. Every spring, Ault, Dean of Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs Suzan Harrison and Director of Housing Justin Long collaboratively devise a plan for See FACILITIES, page 6

Please Recycle

INDEX:

NEWS

photo by Colin Casey Eckerd College has risen out of a sea of rivals thanks to its Hollings Scholars. Above, the seawall off Galbraith Marine Science Laboratory during Tropical Storm Andrea in 2013.

Hollings Scholars add to Eckerd’s legacy By Colin Casey Copy Editor With the announcement of the 2014 Hollings Scholars, Eckerd’s nation-leading number of winners rose to 55. The number is staggering given that such a small school has competed with major research one (R1) universities and has come out on top. The closest school is the University of Miami with 46. The Hollings Scholarship was started by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in 2005 as a way to honor longtime U.S. Senator, and friend to NOAA, Ernest Hollings. The program allows students to work in NOAA labs side by side with researchers on an array of major projects. The horns of victory play the loudest in the Natural Science Collegium, where most winners hail from. “The Hollings Scholarship has highlighted the science programs at Eckerd College and put us on the

map on a national scale,” Natural Sciences Collegium Chair and Associate Professor of Marine Science Nancy Smith said. She said that the school has been greatly impacted by the winners of the scholarship both in recruiting and in profile. She also pointed out that Eckerd’s Freshman Research Program, which instills students with experience in a research environment, also contributes to the many victories. “Having research experience with a faculty member provides a stepping stone for our students to obtain the Hollings,” she said. Smith’s enthusiasm is matched by Associate Professor of Marine Science William Szelistowski. He noted the benefits to the students as a wonderful opportunity for both a monetary scholarship as well as the research experience toward their future studies. He also noted that Eckerd has won so many Hollings Scholars because the applicants themselves are the best of the best. “Compared to a bigger univer-

sity in particular we sometimes have opportunities that freshmen take advantage of that make them more competitive,” Szelistowski said. “We have some freshmen who are TA-ing [being a teachers assistant] and we have some freshmen and sophomores working with faculty on research programs. So students already have experience before they apply.” But Eckerd College students experience far more than what is only in the classroom. Certainly, added research experience is important but what about other factors? As I pondered this thought, my eyes grew wide with inspiration. What do the Hollings winners themselves think about the scholarship and its impact on both them and Eckerd? * * * There are few places more dynamic than the Eckerd Waterfront before a storm. The rush to close combined with the howling wind

generates a unique atmosphere of bodies flowing to every corner trying to tie the equipment down. The workers spread from the boathouse to the outer docks like the sloshing fluid of the creek as students return to terra firma to escape the weather. I move East along the docks wondering where I am to meet the first subject of my search. We had arranged to meet outside the Eckerd College Search and Rescue (EC-SAR) offices to discuss his future work. But with this wind, my microphone checks on my recorder couldn’t even catch my voice. Almost on cue, Junior Jeff Good appeared from ECSAR’s door with a calming look in spite of his chaotic surroundings. Good is one of the most recognizable people in Eckerd’s scientific community. He has worked within the Marine Science Department since his days in the Freshman Research Program. He also routinely finds himself on See HOLLINGS, page 2

Freshmen admissions data accidentally posted on Moodle By Malena Carollo Editor-In-Chief Admissions data for the 2013 freshmen class was accidentally posted on Moodle the week before spring break. Associate Dean of Faculty for Institutional Research and Assessment David Eubanks mistakenly posted the information on his Calculus I class’ Moodle page instead of data for a class assignment, removing it shortly after. Freshman Meredith Alden, who is in Eubanks’ class, was the first to notify him of the situation.

1-8 THE QUICKIE 9-10 VIEWPOINTS

“Right away I opened it, thinking obviously that it was what I needed,” Alden said. “And I opened it, and all of a sudden there was this list of like the entire freshman class’ [information].” The data contained a significant amount of personally-identifying information. Dean of Admissions John Sullivan would not confirm whether or not Social Security numbers were in the data set in the interest of maintaining the security of Eckerd’s internal information systems. Eubanks works with survey and

database data, including student demographics and national center for education statistics. Alden was one of three students to download the data. After she emailed Eubanks about the incident, he notified ITS to have the information removed. “We helped the professor use the tools behind the scenes in Moodle to determine who had downloaded the file,” Director of Information Technology Services John Duff said. Duff had each student come into his office and wiped the data off their computers. “They were very cooperative,”

Duff said. “They allowed me to inspect their laptops and make sure all vestiges of the file [were gone].” He then asked them a series of questions to determine if they had copied or distributed the file. According to Sullivan, the information wasn’t encrypted because it was intended for internal use only. “We were satisfied with their answers to each of those questions,” Duff said. “They all promised they hadn’t made a copy of the file.” He admitted that beyond their word, it would be very difficult to

11-14 ENTERTAINMENT 15-18 HEALTH & FITNESS 19-20 SPORTS 21-24

See DATA, page 7

The Current is a free, biweekly student newspaper produced at Eckerd College. Opinions expressed in this publication are those of the writers.


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
Volume 5, Issue 12 by The Current - Issuu