Volume 6, Issue 3

VIEWPOINTS

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

HEALTH & FITNESS

SPORTS

Caribbean misconceptions

Mangroves removed

Chris Brown album reviewed

Learn about the war on fat

Women’s volleyball

Cruise through this article to learn facts you may not know about the Caribbean. page 5

Campus scenery has been uprooted. Find out what happened to the mangroves. page 9

See if Chris Brown’s new album lives up to his bad rap.

Low fat may not be as healthy as you think.

Sisterly rivalry takes place against the University of Tampa.

page 11

page 13

page 16

Vol. 6, Issue 3 Oct. 10, 2014

Men’s Golf team under investigation for possible hazing

photo by Alex Zielinski The Golf team is currently under investigation and may face sanctions for a possible hazing incident on Sept. 26.

By Chelsea Duca News Editor A freshman member of the Men’s Golf team was transported to the hospital on Sept. 26, according to Athletic Director Bob Fortosis. As a result, the team is currently under investigation for possibly violating the school’s Abusive Affiliation (Hazing) Policy.

The administration would not confirm the nature or cause of the

student’s apparent injuries, but according to the Student-Athlete Handbook, hazing practices include, but are not limited to physical abuse, forced consumption of alcohol and/or other drugs, causing excessive mental stress, verbal abuse and subservience.

“We’re in a position now where the situation is being investigated,” Fortosis said. “Our Campus Safety people have launched and are undertaking a thorough investigation. They are in-

terviewing all the people involved, all the witnesses, so we’re really in a dueprocess stage right now.”

Fortosis strongly believes that it is important the Athletic Department does not self-police in matters such as this.

“I’ve insisted from the beginning when these rumors first started coming forward, this investigation is not being conducted by the Athletic Department,” Fortosis said. “The inves-

tigation is conducted by the Student Affairs department and individuals not within the Athletic Department.”

Assistant Director of Athletics Bill Mathews has been helping to support and coordinate the investigation, but the investigation is primarily conducted by Campus Safety and Student Affairs and is being led by Assistant Director of Campus Safety Tonya Womack.

Because the investigation is still in

progress, Womack said she was unable to comment.

Fortosis did not want to discuss sanctions before the investigation is complete. If the team did violate the hazing policy, however, Fortosis said that the consequences would be severe. He believes that the severity of any sanction, including suspension, is still on the table until the report is released.

See Golf, page 4

New art building in the works to replace Ransom

By Christie Schafer Staff Writer In the next two years, Eckerd will experience major changes as a newly renovated art building is expected to replace the current Ransom Arts building.

While the details are still being discussed, Professor of Visual Arts Arthur Skinner said in an email that the location for the new building will be along ‘studio hill,’ stretching north-south from the chapel pond to the road. The building will be overseen by Director of Planning, Development and New Construction Bill McKenna, who has also directed the renovations for the other newer structures on campus.

Before construction begins, ECOS will host a Senate event to inform students about the conceptual designs for the building. The event will also address how the equipment may affect where students are able to park and will provide time to answer any questions. ECOS Vice President Sophomore Jack Layden hopes that McKenna will be there to share the information with any interested Eckerd students and faculty at the designated meeting.

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INDEX:

NEWS

photo by Cypress Hansen The old Ransom Arts Center will be replaced by a larger, more modern building.

“I feel like everyone has a certain idea in their head, but they’re not exactly sure what the building is going to look like. The event will give students the ability to see what’s going to happen,” Layden said. “I think it will

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be really cool, because after the James Center was completed, everyone got excited. I believe the art building will give them something more to look forward to.”

One of Eckerd’s Interdisciplinary

5-8 SCIENCE & TECH 9-10 A & E

Arts majors expressed excitement for the installation of the new art building.

“Now they can show the art building on tours like they did for the science building. As a prospec-

tive student, a new art center would definitely get me excited about going to Eckerd,” Junior Sara Keilty said.

“Maybe even more people on campus will get connected with the arts after they update.”

Even though specific aspects of the structure are subject to change, Professor Skinner mentioned a few accommodations that will be an upgrade from the current art building.

“The new building surely will be more commodious than Ransom Arts, with larger labs, and perhaps two galleries. We will have a goodsized 3-D workshop area, which we don’t have at all at Ransom Arts except outdoors next to the clay lab,” Skinner said.

In addition to the changes within Ransom Arts, the studio huts and clay lab which were erected as temporary structures over forty years ago will be replaced as well.

“The new building will take good advantage of the site, possibly including a partly covered upper terrace -- a great place to creatively think outside!” Skinner said.

A more concrete vision of the art building will be announced at the upcoming ECOS Senate event. If you are interested, look out for more information and attend the event to get your questions answered.

11-12 HEALTH & FITNESS 13-14 SPORTS 15-16

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

2 News

the current

Oct. 10, 2014

Editor-in-Chief Sydney Cavero thecurrent@eckerd.edu

Managing Editor Teresa Young currentme@eckerd.edu

News Editors Chelsea Duca Bryan Arnott currentnews@eckerd.edu

LET’S BE BRIEF

By Bryan Arnott & Chelsea Duca News Editors

Waterfront prepares for Fall Funfest

Assistant Editor Dorothy-Mae Eldemire currentviews@eckerd.edu

Science & Technology Editor Emma Cotton

Assistant Editor Sarah Raney currentscience@eckerd.edu

Arts & Entertainment Editor Leah Bilski

Assistant Editor Araesia King currententertainment@eckerd.edu

Health & Fitness Editors Jeremy Brown Blaide Woodburn currenthealth@eckerd.edu

Sports Editors Dominick Cuppetilli Sabrina Lolo currentsports@eckerd.edu

Photo and Graphic Design Editor Alex Zielinski currentphoto@eckerd.edu

Online Editor Hailey Escobar currentonline@eckerd.edu

Layout Editor Hannah Hamontree

Asst. Layout Editors Andrew Friedman Clifford Lezark currentlayout@eckerd.edu

Multimedia Manager Gary Furrow Jr. currentvideo@eckerd.edu

Social Media Coordinator Marissa Meleedy

Faculty Adviser K.C. Wolfe

Business Manager Gabe Rosenthal currentads@eckerd.edu

The Current is a free biweekly student newspaper at Eckerd College.

Offices are located upstairs in Cobb at 4200 54th Ave S, St. Petersburg, FL, 33711. Opinions expressed in this publication are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect those of EC students, staff, faculty and administration.

The Current welcomes letters to the editor. Submissions should be typed and not exceed 400 words.

Writers must include their full name, graduation year and contact number. Faculty and staff should include their title, department and contact number. All submissions are subject to editing for the purposes of clarity, style or length. The Current holds the right to reject any letters deemed inappropriate. Letters can be sent via email to thecurrent@eckerd.edu with subject “Letter to the editor.” _______________________________ The Current will run full-length articles covering any arrests that present a clear danger to the community.

Charges that would be investigated under this policy include robberies, assaults, weapons charges or illicit drug manufacturing, such as methamphetamine. The Current will continue publishing a small police blotter for felony arrests, and misdemeanor charges against student government leaders, Residential Advisors and staff members of The Current. We learn of arrests through searching the police arrest database by entering Eckerd’s address, as well as from tips. Questions and comments can be emailed to thecurrent@eckerd.edu.

The Flush

The Flush

Viewpoints Editor Gary Furrow Jr.

Fishing Tournament sign-ups open

The Waterfront is once again hosting the Fall Funfest on Oct. 10 from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Come down on Friday for a night of free food, carnival games and facepainting.

Deadline approaches for the London Study Centre application The Flush

The 10th annual Triton Inshore Slam Fishing Tournament is now accepting reservations. The tournament will be on Nov. 7 and the entrance fee is $250 per angler.

Items provided include guide/boat, licenses, rod and tackle, bait, angler bag, prizes, a T-shirt, hats, drinks and lunch.

Halloween Ball approaches The Flush

The deadline to study abroad in London for the 2015 Get your costumes ready. Halloween Ball is going to spring semester with Faculty Leader Professor Alexis Ramsey-Tobienne is Oct. 15. Stop by the office of Inter- be hosted at the Coliseum on Oct. 31 at 9 p.m. Tickets national Education (SE 100) for details or to pick up an are $10. The party is going to be hosted by Carraba’s, application. and there will be tons of prizes given out.

Triton Tip-off approaches

Ultimate Frisbee welcomes players

The Flush

The Flush

Come kick off the EC basketball team’s 2014-2015 season in the gymnasium on Oct. 11 at 9 p.m. This event is going to be a white out, and T-shirts will be given out.

Cheer for your peers and win prizes while meeting your EC basketball teams and watching performances from EC Dance and EC Cheer.

Come out to the soccer fields on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. if you are interested in playing some fun, friendly games of ultimate frisbee.

Any potential new players are welcome and encouraged to join.

Campus Activities announces Zombie Run EC Swing Dance Club invites newcomers The Flush

In The Know

Do you have what it takes to survive? On Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. Palmetto Productions invites you to run this three mile obstacle course without being infected. The entrance fee is $5 and sign-ups started in Campus Activities on Oct. 6. A T-shirt is included in your entrance fee.

Every Friday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Eckerd’s swing dancing club meets on the dance floor in the gym. No prior experience or partner necessary. Contact Chris Davenport at cmdavenp@eckerd.edu for more information.

New café likely to come to the James

photo by Alex Zielinski The James Center lobby could be converted to a dining area.

By Becca Kass Staff Writer Students with classes in the James Center for Molecular and Life Sciences may have noticed that the skeleton of a café seems to have been built into the very design of its foyer. Implementation of a new eating facility in the James Center is not underway as of right now, but plans to begin work have been discussed.

According to Director of Planning, Development and New Construction Bill McKenna, the move would be part of a larger restructuring of the eating facilities at Eckerd. The big-

gest obstacle now is negotiating with the school’s catering company, Bon Appétit, to supply and staff the new location.

McKenna says the goal of the restructuring plan is to mirror Bon Appétit’s successes at their other locations, such as Google. The first part of this plan involves renovations to the main cafeteria, with the ultimate goal of creating an after-hours spot open much later than the current caf, with spaces for different sized groups of students to get together to study.

McKenna envisions the new spot in the James Center as a place where students could unwind and recharge

a little between classes, without leaving the academic side of campus. It would fill the void of a place to grab a bite near their classes and ease the dreaded lunchtime lines at Triton’s Pub. The new café would also be attractive to off-campus students or visitors looking to grab coffee or lunch on their way into campus.

“It would be kind of a spruced up café, with coffee, maybe sandwiches, maybe breakfast rolls,” McKenna said.

He mentioned that, ideally, payment would function like Triton’s Pub, where students could use flex dollars or cash.

Café Bon Appétit and Triton’s Pub would require few to no alterations in preparation for a new spot, says McKenna. If the school is able to reach an agreement with Bon Appétit, McKenna estimated that work on the café could begin in six months, likely sometime in the spring.

However, the project is not confirmed.

“It has to make sense,” former General Manager of Dining Services Scott Myers said. “Dean Anarelli and I had some preliminary meetings, but there is nothing set in stone. It is a possibility, though, that at some point there could be a small coffee

and health food option open during the week.”

McKenna said that although there have always been machines in the James Center that Café Bon Appétit supplies with fresh sandwiches, salads and drinks for cash purchase, they have been infrequently used.

He believes that a more inviting atmosphere, generally associated with a live person running the location, would likely lead to better sales.

“But that person needs a salary,” McKenna said. “The truth is, it will probably cost Bon Appétit for the first few months, which they’re fine with, but it comes down to Eckerd’s finances. These finances come from tuition dollars, which we obviously want to keep as low as possible.”

Though the new café is only a concept at the moment, McKenna feels confident it will come to fruition. As of now, the main focus is on renovating the main cafeteria.

“I think that a café is a good idea,” Junior Melody Chaplin said. “There are so many people coming in and out of that building all day, and with crazy academic schedules like some students have it will make it easier for them to get a snack or something between classes. I do hope that it is more reasonably priced than the pub, though.”

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Oct. 10, 2014

News 3

News

By Bryan Arnott News Editor photo by Lia Nydes Caution tape and ropes block entry into the lot.

GMLS dirt parking lot closed

By Chelsea Duca News Editor Students have noticed that parking options near Kappa are limited this year due to the closure of the dirt parking lot by Galbraith Marine Science Laboratory over the summer. Administration has been relatively quiet about the issue, roping off the lot to prevent students from parking there. It seems students have gotten the memo, and the field outside Bininger Theater is serving as the new “Kappa lot.”

Parking by Bininger, however, is an issue when it rains, turning the field into a swamp, and Junior Katherine Thompson is frustrated about the closure of the dirt parking lot by GMSL. “It doesn’t make sense to me.

Eckerd isn’t doing anything with that space, and now everyone has to park farther away. Plus, the new field is at least as bad for our cars as the potholes were in the old dirt lot,” Thompson said.

Associate Dean of Students Fred Sabota is in charge of the Campus Parking Advisory Committee, a

group made up of faculty, staff and students. He says that several factors contributed to the committee’s decision to close the dirt lot.

According to Sabota, the cost of maintenance to repair the potholes and uneven surface of the lot is not worth it, because the parking area would have to be closed in the future anyway. When plans are finalized and work begins on a new Sailing Cove and Center, the dirt lot would be adjacent to an active construction site.

In addition, Sabota said the Environmental Affairs Committee has expressed concerns. They believe that having vehicles park in the lot impedes on the natural mangrove habitats surrounding the area.

At this point in time, Sabota says that there are no plans to reopen the lot for student parking “Up until this point, the lot has been roped off to prevent students from entering and parking in the area,” Sabota said in an email. “As the construction process moves forward, students may receive tickets for unauthorized parking in the space near GMSL.”

The ECOS Senate meeting on Oct. 5 came to order at 7:03 p.m.

The first order of business was a senator check-in, in which senators update each other on plans to renovate or expand on places or ideas for their dorms. No motions were called. Ideas such as

a taco bus, flower gardens and Kappa Kitchen funding were discussed.

The ECOS Senate then voted to modify the ECOS Constitution Amendment 1.1 Section 307: Pet Council. This modification allows the Pet Council to not have a senator at their meetings to approve votes. The vote passed unanimously.

The Dorm Olympics are in the

works, and the Opening Ceremony is pending to be held on Nov. 15. The Olympics will include club tenthouses, free food and fun activities for everyone.

At the end of the meeting a motion was called and passed to provide funding for a memorial flower bed being planted in Epsilon.

The Senate meeting came to a close at 8:11 p.m.

New poker tournament raises stakes

By Rebecca Kass Staff Writer Sept. 18 marked the inaugural Eckerd Poker Tournament, one of many to come this year. A new part of the Palmetto Productions Thursday Event Series, the Poker Tournament offers student players of all experience levels a chance to learn the game and vie for prizes the third Thursday of each month.

Campus Activities Intern Mike Geibel, an avid poker player, is in charge of organizing the monthly event. With better prizes and more students talking, Geibel foresees an even better turnout for October.

“We had 16 students come out last time, and we have the equipment and capacity for up to 40,” Geibel said. “Last time we gave out

flex bucks for prizes, and the winner got a collectible, hand painted card protector coin. But I think students want more than just flex, so we’re going to make better prizes this time.”

Geibel envisions raising the stakes to attract more players with better prizes.

Geibel hopes that the final, culminating game of the tournament will encompass the best players from each round. He says that the stakes will be higher than any of the previous games.

“The end-of-year tournament in April will be for a $250 prize pack.

It will include a trophy, and something poker-related that’s customized for the winner,” Geibel said.

Though at this stage the event is just a monthly tournament offering students -- new or experienced

-- the chance to play in an authentic tournament-style poker match, Geibel is willing to see it through to something more.

A relatively new establishment, the tournament still has issues to be improved upon, besides the prizes.

“I would like to do it,” Senior Robbie Breece said. “However, it should be on a broader scale where there are different brackets for tournaments that lead into the monthly tournaments. I think they should release a schedule at the beginning of the month in order for poker players to have options that are tailored to their temporal demands.”

Palmetto Productions will hold the next tournament on Oct. 16.

Students of all skill levels are welcome and encouraged to try their hand.

EC-SAR and EC-ERT hope to improve medical capabilities

By Yasmin Diaz & Chelsea Duca Contributing Writer & News Editor Eckerd College is home to two highly trained groups of students.

The Eckerd College Emergency Response Team (EC-ERT) responds to medical emergencies and aids students here on campus.

Eckerd College Search and Rescue (EC-SAR) responds to distressed boaters in the Tampa Bay area, which may also include medical emergencies.

Last Winter Term, EC-ERT and EC-SAR coordinated with Director of Emergency Management and Campus Safety Adam Colby, Dean of Students James Annarelli and Dean of Faculty Suzan Harrison to host an Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) course on campus, taught

by Lieutenant Scott Zweifel. Now, both teams have members trained as EMRs, who are certified to provide Basic Life Support (BLS). Additionally, EC-ERT has 16 licensed EMTs, though they are only allowed to practice as EMRs when functioning as members of the team.

Coordinator for EC-SAR Ryan Dilkey explained that in the 1980s and 1990s, EC-SAR members pursued training at the paramedic and

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EMT level, as well. The frequency with which those skills were utilized, however, did not justify the amount of time and effort that went into the training.

Currently, team members operate at the EMR level. Dilkey said that the Director of Medical Services administers a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) be-

tween 911 Dispatch and EC-SAR that allows them to provide BLS services for water rescue emergencies.

This MOU expires every five years, and when it came under review last fiscal year, the medical

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director and the EMS protocol and equipment coordinator for Pinellas County initiated a new push for support of EC-SAR. According to Dilkey, this increased level of support brought additional gear and new training for special gear such as the NuMask -an IntraOral CPR mask -- and the Combat Application Tourniquet (C-A-T). He says that approval for carrying oxygen on the rescue boats is still in the works.

“I think it’s really beneficial that the team is gaining not only new medical training, but new m e d i cal capabilities as well,” ECSAR Team Leader and former Medical Coordinator Senior Taylor McNew said. “People can become severely ill or injured out on the water, so if there is more that we can do for the patient as emergency medical responders while we transport, the better, because it is not always the case that an ambulance will be there to assist us within three minutes. We can spend ten to twenty minutes with a patient before we

get them to an ambulance, so the more we are capable of doing, the better their chances of survival. I am glad Pinellas County is realizing our capabilities and our potential.”

EC-ERT does not operate under a MOU, but because they function on campus, they also face certain restrictions. Team Coordinator for EC-ERT H a y l e y

Musial e x plained that under the scope of the college, the seven medications EMTs are licensed to use -- oxygen, albuterol, epi-pens, aspirin, charcoal, glucose and nitroglycerin -- cannot be administered and are

not carried by EC-ERT members regardless of their EMT training.

Musial doesn’t believe it hinders the team in providing service.

She explained that while the additional resources would be highly appreciated, the team can function just as well without them due to the high level of training its members endure and the importance placed on gathering a detailed assessment of the scene and victim.

“If we do happen to get the medication things and the other stuff cleared then that’ll just supplement what we’ve already become,” Musial said. “But if we had all this stuff and we weren’t even a good team then we’d just be not as effective, I think, in the Eckerd community.”

Musial is working to widen the scope of treatment EC-ERT EMTs can give. She hopes that in the future, EC-ERT will be able to provide free medical transport and care to all students.

“We’re going to need to get a lot of things that we don’t have right now, but I don’t think its impossible and I don’t think it’s that far away, but it’s not going to happen this year,” Musial said.

Chelsea Duca is also the Equipment Coordinator for EC-SAR.

4 News

the current

Oct. 10, 2014

Two Drinks Ago program expands campaign

By Blaide Woodburn Health & Fitness Editor

photo courtesy of Eckerd College’s Flickr Students help build a new community center in El Roble, El Salvador over spring break 2013.

Reflective Service-Learning program alters QFM Service requirement now spread over a four-year period, replaces QFM’s service component

By Becca Kass Staff Writer The phasing out of the service requirement for the current senior capstone class, Quest for Meaning (QFM), has begun. Whereas QFM requires that students complete 40 hours of service during the first semester of their senior year, the new Reflective Service-Learning (RSL) program that was implemented last year will spread the 40-hour requirement over all four years of college.

The class of 2017 will be the first to take a capstone course without the service requirement. The now-sophomores will also be the first to take the modified QFM class during their senior year.

The current QFM service projects are completed in teams, and each student must complete their hours individually while collaborating with other team members towards a stated goal to be completed in time for the Festival of Hope.

The festival is held in December,

and the groups of seniors from every represented organization put together booths to showcase their projects and accomplishments.

While the current QFM layout is intended to provide seniors with a meaningful and thought-provoking culmination to their years in college, it can be a lot to juggle amid upperdivision class work, internships, jobs and other extracurricular involvement. The Office of Service-Learning worried that students were not getting as much out of their service as they would if it were spread out over four years, which is why they developed the RSL program.

“One of the big goals of the Reflective Service-Learning is the reflective portion,” Academic Service-Learning Coordinator Andrea Castaneda said.

“Students now are doing service in just their first semester of senior year, and the work may not be as fulfilling because students are just rushing to get their hours done. They may not even be working with an organization that is meaningful to them.”

Senior Jen Hensley agrees with Castaneda.

“I think 40 hours is really a lot -too many to expect out of a student in just three months,” Hensley said. “I have an internship that requires ten hours a week for me, and people have jobs they’re trying to balance with their school and some are involved on campus, too.”

Many students agree with both Castaneda and Hensley. In the new Reflective Service-Learning program, students are able to pick various projects and log their hours and reflective statements about their projects online through TritonTrack.

They must complete their 40 hours prior to senior year, when they will take a restructured QFM class and write a comprehensive reflective paper about all of their service endeavors.

Students must now also take at least one Academic Reflective Service-Learning class before their senior year. This component entails a class structured similarly to the present QFM, where enrolled students have periodic class meetings in their subject area, and go out to perform related service in the community.

“Depending on the professor, students may choose among selected organizations or may be able to choose their own organizations,” Castaneda said. “Each class has a different number of hours it requires that would count towards the 40 for graduation.”

Academic RSL courses are already offered in the environmental science, psychology, communication and Spanish disciplines.

“This is something we’re trying to develop among faculty, because it is a graduation requirement, so we’d eventually like all academic areas to offer one of these service-based courses,” Castaneda said.

If the academic portion doesn’t cover the full 40 hours, students then have the option to choose their own co-curricular project, such as volunteering or going on a spring break trip.

“Students just have to fill out the proposal on TritonTrack to get it approved first,” Castaneda said. “They must choose three stated goals for their project, and at the end, they must write one to two page reflections on each of their goals.”

Men’s Golf under investigation (continued) From Golf, page 1

“I just want to make sure that we really are thorough and being loyal to the process that is owed to the students,” Fortosis said. “Just because they happen to be student athletes doesn’t mean that they are not entitled to due process. . .every Eckerd student will always be granted full due process, the opportunity to be heard. All sides need to be represented. And even if it turns out to be something quite negative that went on in that situation, our hope is that we can grow through it and help these students grow and mature and make better decisions as part of their whole process and experience here at the college.”

While the investigation continues, Men’s Golf Coach Bill Buttner said that the team will continue to practice and compete.

Fortosis also clarified that the NCAA does not get involved in instances of hazing, and this is an internal issue that will be dealt with under Eckerd’s policies.

“There is never under any circumstances, in any way imaginable a world where it’s okay for students to be abused by other students in a hazing situation,” Fortosis said. “As far

as I’m concerned as the leader of this department, we have 100 percent zero tolerance of any situation in which students are disrespected or their dignity is attacked, or they’re placed in a hostile or negative, subordinate, fear or alcohol influenced situation. We’re just not in any way okay with that, and we’re going to act accordingly if the investigation and due process reports that there was anything inappropriate that happened that night.”

Sophomore golfer5 Max Catucci believes that no matter what the results of the investigation are, the team will remain strong.

“It’s been a very difficult time for our team. The whole situation has been stressful and taxing on all 12 of us, especially Coach Buttner,” Catucci said. “In response to the rumors of hazing, it was incredibly disheartening to see the students of Eckerd take to social media -- specifically Yik Yak -- and paint such an inaccurate picture of our golf team. We are not a fraternity. We’re a close knit group of athletes and would never put anyone in harm’s way. Regardless of what happens as far as consequences go, I speak for all of us when I say that we’ll come back as better golfers, better teammates and better men because of this.”

The last two years have been full of new ideas and changes to campus, and faculty and staff members in the Office of Outreach Services and Health Promotion are no exception. Director of Outreach Services and Health Promotion Makenzie Schieman has made it a priority to increase her office’s presence around campus. One way Schieman is doing this is through the Two Drinks Ago campaign.

Schieman has fully invested her staff as well as herself into promoting the campaign. This campaign existed last year, but only used posters to engage students.

“I saw these posters and really liked them,” Schieman said, “but it was my first year and I didn’t really have a plan for how I wanted to unroll them.”

Although Schieman was able to distribute the posters last year, according to some students, it was to no avail.

“I found that last year’s Two Drinks Ago was very ineffective. I barely knew about it,” Sophomore Robert Weigel said.

Schieman had greater expectations for this year’s campaign. The purpose of the Two Drinks Ago campaign is to raise awareness about excessive alcohol consumption on Eckerd’s campus.

The campaign continues to use posters with sometimes comical, but more often relatable sayings such as “Two Drinks Ago… you didn’t have to ask for a second chance,” or “Two Drinks Ago… the First Friday bus wasn’t so hard to find.”

While students acknowledged these posters and the message they conveyed, Schieman felt as if this program needed an upgrade. The Office of Outreach Services and Health Promotion partnered with EC-ERT and the Office of Service-Learning to hold a community workshop to talk about drinking on campus, and memorabilia for the campaign will continue to be disbursed to students.

Schieman’s office even partnered with the pizza truck to give students an initiative to spread the word through social media. The idea was for students to change their Facebook profile picture to a picture of an already existing Two Drinks Ago slogan, or a picture of a slogan that they created. If students completed this task, they received a free pizza from the pizza truck.

“We wanted to entice students to engage in the campaign through social media by making their own slogans,” Schieman said. “The goal of this was to get students to take the time to think about their drinking or their friends’ drink[ing] and think about how their night might have been different if they had had two drinks less.”

Nonetheless, the campaign is far from over. On Oct. 1, the Office of Outreach Services and Health Promotion launched another social media campaign regarding Two Drinks Ago. In this campaign, students shared their personal Two Drinks Ago posters on the Office of Outreach and Health Promotion’s Facebook page and the student with the best poster will receive a gift.

Schieman is excited about the progress the campaign has been making and plans on continued progress through encouraging students to like the office’s Facebook page in order to stay informed about current campaigns and chances to win prizes.

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Viewpoints 5

Viewpoints Student curbs Caribbean misconceptions

By Dorothy-mae Eldemire Asst.Viewpoints Editor

When the word Caribbean comes to mind, many think of paradise, beaches, sand and sunshine.

The Caribbean is also filled with people who are proud of their culture and roots. After spending 16 years of my life in the Bahamas, I identify with these people. I was born in the United States but have lived in the Bahamas my whole life.

When people ask me where I’m from, I proudly say I’m Bahamian.

I was raised there, grew up there and know its culture better than any other country’s.

The Bahamas is my home, but many feel the only thing that’s there are beaches and sand. It is hard to come from a country known for its people and culture to a place where people know so little about your culture. The same is said for other islands like Bermuda, Barbados, Jamaica, Cuba, Trinidad and Tobago, Dominican Republic and Haiti.

Many hear Bermuda, Barbados and Bahamas, but think Jamaica.

Here at Eckerd, these various cultures are present all over.

Eckerd makes it their goal to promote cultural diversity, especially with the International Students Services available on campus, headed by Associate Dean for Student Life Lorisa Lorenzo. Despite this diversity, many students are still in the dark about Caribbean Islands.

Many of these islands have traditions and cultures that are unique to each island. Barbados and Trini-

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Dear Abby

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Friendly Fire

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Online Editor

photo by Christina Ysaguirre Photography Cabbage Beach in Nassau, the Bahamas at sunset.

dad have Carnival, the Bahamas has Junkanoo and Jamaica has Denby in Maypen. Every island has its own native dialect.

Many put every island into one category and label it Jamaican, but every islander I have encountered has had to make it clear at one point or another that they do not say “yea mon” at any point in time.

This includes Jamaica, where this line originated; however, it is not something Jamaicans say either.

Many people have misconceptions when it comes to people from the islands in that they feel we haven’t evolved as countries yet.

“I’ve been asked some really weird questions like, ‘Do you ride dolphins to school?’ I’ve seriously been asked that, which is insane,” Sophomore Lianna Burrows from from the Bahamas said. “It doesn’t really offend me, it just shocks me that people know so little about places outside the United States.”

By Dan Whitely Staff Writer

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The truth about ALS

#HeforShe

By Hailey Escobar

There was also a post on the social media app YikYak a few weeks ago that was brought to light by Bahamians on campus due to it’s semioffensive nature.

“I heard we have pe ople from the Bahamas on campus but isn’t it like a third world country?” the Yak said. “How do they afford Eckerd?”

“It [the Yik Yak comment] wouldn’t have been offensive if we were considered a third world See CARIBBEAN page 7

Scotland has two seasons: winter and politics Without empires, colonies and conquests in modern times, it is easy to forget that some countries are still under relative control of others. For the past year, the eyes of the world have tentatively watched Scotland since its announcement that a referendum would take place in mid-September of 2014 over independence from the United Kingdom (U.K.). With a large Eckerd population of international students and many students that participate in semester abroad trips, this became an issue that affected Eckerd as well.

The London Study Centre, right in the heart of the United Kingdom, became surrounded by the Scottish independence referendum debate.

The civil and passive approach of deciding to have a national vote on whether or not to declare independence from British rule is a modern testament to democracy. The world has seen a myriad of independence movements that are too vast to list, but in recent centuries these have steadily dissipated. That is why this September was a dramatic international marvel that occurred in Scotland.

England at its height of empire governed 20 percent of the world’s population; however, this vast empire that governed 25 percent of the world’s land mass has dramatically shrunk in recent centuries. Once an empire that stretched across the globe, it now only exists with limited control over a handful of territories, which is primarily composed

INSIDE VIEWPOINTS

graphic by Hannah Hamontree The Scottish national flag has the cross of Patron St. Andrew.

in the U.K. The United Kingdom is a political union of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The U.K. contains these four nations and its capital resides in London, England where its Parliament, or governing body, resides as well. The government that exerts control over the U.K. is composed of each nation, but does give a certain degree of autonomy to each country’s own internal government as well. However, this still leaves economic, military, social and foreign policy in the hands of the U.K. Parliament, which is primarily composed of British citizens. For the past 307 years, Scotland has lived

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under British rule within the U.K. and this year presented the closest opportunity of an independent Scotland since the 1700s.

While this vote represented a monumental change in course for European history, this event did not come without issues. The path to voting may have been given ease, but the insecurities that come along with declaring independence in the 21st century also weighed heavily on Scottish minds.

“I think there is a lot of thought that needs to go into having a referendum for independence,” Junior Zane Hartog said. “You need to be sure you’re set up to economically

and politically flourish.”

Scotland benefits from belonging to the U.K. on numerous fronts, all of which would create problems for Scotland upon separating. Issues such as currency, security and territory disputes arose and complicated the independence movement.

The Scottish benefit from several institutions that being a member state of the U.K. entails, one of the most important being economic stability. All U.K. states are given the pound sterling as their currency. The pound sterling, being one of the most stable currencies in the global market, has economic security that Scotland would lose if voting to leave the U.K This would most likely force Scotland to pursue adopting the Euro as a currency, but this would mean that Scotland would have to be given membership into the European Union (EU).

This is also complicated by the fact that the European Union is currently undergoing growing resentment among certain European countries, England included, making the likelihood of membership uncertain. The European Union would have to approve of Scottish membership into the EU. “There [was] no guarantee that the European Union would accept an independent Scotland,” Professor of Political Science Anthony Brunello said.

On the night of Sept. 18, the world, myself included of course, watched with bated breath as one country after another delivered results on how the Scottish citizenry voted. The simple question “should See SCOTLAND, page 7

When you hear the word feminism, you might be thinking about rights for women as being the primary focus of this political movement that has grown since the early 1900s. However, as actress and newly appointed U.N. Women Ambassador Emma Watson has pointed out, feminism is much more about the equality of all genders and not just a “girls only” party.

During a speech on Sept. 22 in New York about the issues that she would be focusing as a U.N. Ambassador, Watson opened the doors for all genders to be included in the conversation.

“For the record, feminism by definition is ‘the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities,’” Watson said.

Since then, social media has shown that many welcome this change and have been using #HeforShe to show their support around the world. Even some of Watson’s fellow celebrities have come out in support, taking to Twitter with praise. These celebrities include Tom Hiddleston, Douglas Booth, Sean Pegg and Joseph Gorden-Levitt.

There are even those on Eckerd’s campus that support this movement for equality of the sexes, including Dean of Students James Annarelli.

“I enthusiastically support any and all efforts aimed at ensuring gender equity in all areas of our personal and institutional lives,” Annarelli said.

Gender inequality doesn’t just affect the woman getting paid less, but it also affects the way that men feel they have to behave.

After all, boys are often told at a young age when they are being made fun of or told “don’t be a girl” or “be a man” as if being a woman is an insult.

It’s statements like this that make boys think that anything remotely related to what is considered feminine is wrong for guys.

While I only have sisters, a majority of my cousins are boys and watching the way these gender stereotypes can damage them makes me feel as much pain as watching a little girl being degraded for not being pretty enough or girly.

Then I see the backlash from this new forum of discussion. Not long after her speech, the hacker group known as 4Chan, who has become famous for their leaks of nude photos of female celebrities, threatened to do the same to Watson. Despite this being a hoax in the end, it just left me wondering why people would think that gender equality could be such a threat.

I look forward to seeing what this new chapter in international feminism will result in. I hope that the barrier between men and women will slowly dissolve so we may all be able to pursue our dreams equally, without fear of being attacked physically, mentally or emotionally for who we are.

6 Viewpoints

the current

Oct. 10, 2014

Ice buckets raise money, awareness

By Dorothy-Mae Eldemire Assist. Viewpoints Editor It started out small. My uncle couldn’t grip things, or hold onto anything too long. Eventually, it spread from one hand to the other, and over to his arms and legs. Slowly, it became hard for him to talk, much less breathe. It was hard not only for me, but for the rest of our family. He was the uncle that could turn a sad situation into a laugh fest and was also very active. It wasn’t an easy thing to handle.

It’s hard watching family members get sick. It’s harder when watching their sickness turns into watching them lose the ability to do things they love. In my case, it was watching my uncle who played soccer every Sunday consistently lose that ability to do what he loved.

According to the ALS Association, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s, is a progressive disease that affects the nerves and spinal cord. The disease causes motor neurons to die, which in turn stops the brain from sending signals to the muscle to move, which eventually leads to paralysis and death. Yet, few knew about this disease until the ice bucket challenge came around late July.

The ice bucket challenge was started by a friend of Pete Frates, a baseball player with ALS. The challenge entailed dumping a bucket of ice on your head and challenging three or four other people to do the same challenge within 24 hours of nomination or donate $100 dollars to the ALS foundation.

It spread like wildfire through social media as many preferred to do the challenge rather than donate, while others did the challenge and still donated. The foundation has raised over $114 million dollars due to the challenge. However, the question of whether the ice bucket challenge raised awareness and whether a cure could be found with all the money going into the foundation still stood.

“It’s impossible to judge how much an individual who takes a video of them dumping ice on their head and passes it on,” Neuropharmacologist and Assistant Biology

Professor Gregory L. Gerdeman said. “It’s hard to know in any particular case how deeply they looked into it. However, the name recognition of it as a serious disease I think has surely gone up.”

He also feels that it is good that so much money has gone to private research seeing as his research is focused on neuroscience.

“I’m glad to see people putting money toward debilitating diseases,” he said. “I think that’s a good thing. I think it will empower this organization to try some research that they might otherwise have trouble doing and some of it.”

However, when it comes to finding a cure, there are certain elements that have been left out due to legal issues.

According to Let Florida Decide, Cathy Jordan has had ALS for 28 years and is one of the longest surviving ALS patients. Her prognosis from her physicians was five years when she was diagnosed in 1989.

Jordan has outlived three of her neurologists and she is still highly functional for someone who’s had ALS for even a fraction of that time.

What has helped Jordan survive this long however, is the use of medical marijuana. She is actually one of the few legal patients in Florida at this point because she’s been granted a special medical necessity defense.

According to WTSB Tampa Bay News, The Cathy Jordan Cannabis Act was passed to allow patients with debilitating medical conditions to legally obtain and use marijuana if their doctors recommend it.

“I think raising awareness for research is great,” Gerdeman said.

“I’m optimistic enough to believe that in my lifetime we will find cures to some things like that.”

Gerdeman, who has done research on neurodegenerative diseases like ALS is very passionate about the use of medical marijuana and its benefits.

“Could my loved one survive for 25 years and still be able to talk like Cathy Jordan can? Because if her doctors gave her five years to live I guarantee they would have anticipated that two years into it she

would have been more debilitated than she is now. So, why isn’t that a huge deal?”

The idea of looking into other cures that work is a long process, but should be pursued in hopes that if one possibility doesn’t work, we have many others to fall back on. According to the ALS foundation, approximately 5,600 people are affected by ALS in the United States, which is a small number in comparison to diseases like cancer and Human Immunodeficiency Virus. However, with such a large amount of funding going into the foundation, there seems to be hope for ALS patients that a cure could eventually be found.

courtesy of @ycpstudio iconosquare People are still holding events to fundraise for ALS.

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Oct. 10, 2014

Viewpoints 7

PerspECtives Dear Abby, There is too much drama in my family. It seems that if there isn’t anything to fret about they invent something. What is wrong with them and how can I escape?

Thanks, Anti-drama

How did you feel about the Ninjas vs.

Pirates party?

Dear Anti-drama, Families are full of drama, whether it is good drama or bad drama.

There are a few things you can do to “escape” or at least stay sane.

Unless it directly involves you, I would say don’t get involved at all. I know it can seem hard sometimes to not involve yourself in a family crisis, but if you feed into it, or if anyone else does, the problem will only escalate.

However, if a situation seems like it’s going to keep escalating with or without you, I would give the situation time. Time, in my experience, does ease tension. After some time, I truly think things will begin to settle down, but I know it’s hard to cope with the craziness sometimes.

If it’s really bothering you, you also can contact another family member who understands the situation or you can choose to confront the situation head on. If you do that though, you need to communicate honestly and stay in control. I know talks like this can get pretty emotional, so try to stay calm.

A particular skill I have learned about is using “I statements.” I statements allow a person to be clear, and assertive without making the person defensive. Good times to use these statements are when you need to confront a behavior, when you feel you are being mistreated, and also when you feel angry or frustrated. An example of one is, “I feel upset when there is fighting in the family because I don’t believe our family should be constantly arguing.”

I really think you are brave for seeking out help and advice.

Good luck,

photo by Dorothy-Mae Eldemire Abby Sunset at Cabbage Beach on Paradise Island in the Bahamas.

Caribbean life on campus cont.

From Caribbean, page 5 country, but the fact of the matter is we’re not and people need to know facts and people are just very ignorant about The Bahamas and its history,” Burrows said.

Many don’t realize that moving to the United States can be a culture shock to many of these students as well. It is often assumed that because the Caribbean is so close there isn’t much of a difference. This is strange especially due to the comments Caribbean students receive.

“I had someone ask me if I knew about television and if I bought all my clothes in America,” Sophomore Mykhaila Joab from Trinidad and Tobago said. “Moving to Florida was definitely a culture shock.

People here see race more as in if you’re black or white or Hispanic, that’s how people categorize you, but back home we don’t see that as much.”

Many also don’t realize that Hispanic students count as Caribbean, since many of the Spanish-speaking countries border the Caribbean Sea. “There’s a lot of diversity here.

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Many Caribbean students come here because they don’t want to be away from the ocean. I’m from Venezuela and I don’t think I’d ever want to go further inland,” President of the International Students Association and Senior Luis Herrera said.

The variety of Hispanic students on campus is mind-blowing. There are students from Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela and Puerto Rico.

Many of them play soccer and work in offices around the school. Many of them are also well known on campus. Despite this, they too deal with stereotypes.

“I came from Bogota in Colombia, which is the biggest city, when I moved here four years ago for high school. In the beginning, I couldn’t wait to move here because Colombia is really cold, so for this first six months it was like a vacation,” Freshman Nicolas Dangond said. “Everyone has their stereotypes. It’s not like they’re trying to offend me. It’s just that they don’t know, so I don’t get offended.”

Many of these students are willing to speak about their culture and where they are from. A lot of

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these students take pride in speaking about home and each one feels it’s easier when they have someone willing to listen because it helps them to not feel as homesick.

The adjustment international students have to make isn’t easy despite Eckerd being such an accepting and open-minded school.

There are days when many of these students miss home-cooked Caribbean meals like curry chicken, jerk chicken, chow, roti and sancocho or even having someone who speaks and understands their dialect.

It makes it harder when people make assumptions about their countries without knowing the truth. Though there are opportunities to learn about cultures such as International week, many of these students feel people only show up for the food and don’t take the opportunity to learn about the culture.

Despite the hardships many international students face, Eckerd is their home away from home. It may not be home, but it’s easy to make a place feel like home once you feel welcomed. Once students become culturally aware, it’s possible the adjustment will be much easier.

“Usually it’s just a water fight so even if you get drunk you sober up pretty fast. I mean, you get soaking wet. Saturday night was pretty chilly. I dressed up as an Indian either way. Hanging out at Nu because that’s where I live and it was Cowboy/Pirate territory but I don’t think any discrimination came into play.”

“I think it went well compared to other years. I’m a part of EC-ERT and we only had about two calls all night. It’s usually a lower night for calls but having only two is really, really good for us. Shows that there’s an improvement over the years.”

-Tyler Cribbs, junior

-Zack Illare, senior

“I’m a junior so this is the third year that I’ve gone and in comparison to other years it was calmer this year.

The road block addition was a really good idea. It didnt completely corrall everybody but it kept it from going crazy. The changing of the theme -Caroline Stahley, sophomore was a really good idea.A lot of people still dressed up like Indians but if it offends one person why would you do it with that knowledge? But it was fun and I really had a good time.”

“I really liked the theme because I thought it was a lot more appropriate than last year’s theme but I felt like the party itself was sort of thumbs down just because people stay in their complexes too much.”

#Amusing Musings

-Alexine Buchanan, junior

Here is where we immortalize the funniest quotes from EC students and faculty. No names, no shame.

Follow us on Twitter: @TheECCurrent Environmental Science professor: Policy is like sausage making.

No one wants to watch the process. #sausagepolicy

Literature professor: I hate wrecking horrible vengeance on people. It is a waste of my time. #timeofmylife

“Overall it was fun. I like the fact that they had the whole thing organized. It was fun and I enjoyed it.”

-Henry Salazar, junior

8 Viewpoints

the current

Oct. 10 , 2014

Friendly Fire:

Should we give refugee status to immigrant children?

By Matthew Cramer Staff Writer

In 2011, fewer than 20,000 minors were apprehended trying to cross illegally into the United States, traveling from Mexico, Central America and South America.

According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, in 2012, 25,000 minors were apprehended; in 2013, 40,000.

In 2014 alone, 52,000 minors, traveling alone, were stopped and detained attempting to enter the United States. The numbers grow ever higher as conditions in their home countries, particularly in countries like Honduras and Guatemala, grow worse.

The journey too, has become more dangerous than ever, as gangs and corrupt officials only stand to profit more from the ever increasing amount of prey that travel the rail lines.

Children who flee overwhelm-

On Sept. 30, the Obama Administration announced in a State Department memorandum that a new program that would provide refugee status to children in Central America would commence. Last month, President Obama decided that thousands of children that attempted to cross the U.S.-Mexican border would not be granted refugee status.

This decision, which came in light of various political complications, led the president to hold off on creating a new immigration policy that would grant the children refugee status. This decision was seen widely as a failure to solve what many declared was a humanitarian crisis.

Despite the calls to action, the president decided that the issue was too polarizing and held off on making an executive decision until after midterm Congressional elections concluded.

ingly cite their reason for leaving their home country as danger, from the crime, drugs and gangs that run their cities.

This has been recognized by many as a humanitarian crisis in every sense of the word, that is both necessary and prescient to address.

On Sept. 30, President Obama approved a plan to allow children to apply for refugee status within their countries, providing a safe legal path to the United States. This is on some level a positive move, and it cannot be denied that this is a step in the right direction.

Officials in the State Department have announced that of the 70,000 refugee visas, 4,000 will be allocated to South and Central Americans. The State Department will not increase the total number of refugee visas offered. This is like slapping a band-aid on a gushing

This new announcement, which the New York Times reports is aimed at preventing Central American children that are fleeing their homes from making the dangerous multi-country journey, is finally a step in the right direction. This decision puts in place a system in which refugee status can be determined within the child’s own home country instead of at the U.S. border.

The program will build centers in which children in Central America will be able to make their case to gain refugee status and join their family in the U.S. “We are establishing in-country refugee processing to provide a safe, legal and orderly alternative to the dangerous journey that children are currently undertaking to join relatives in the United States,” White House Official Shawn Turner said.

The policy will allow for chil-

wound, and the climate of immigration defense is preventing the necessary stitching from taking place.

The undocumented children being bused to detention centers this summer were met in droves by protesters, waving American flags as they chanted for the children to leave.

This political climate is preventing proper addressal of the issue, as the issue is so polarizing to the American public, politicians are afraid to touch it.

As a result, the recent declaration by President Obama has been received with considerable attention, as if it was a significant step, when in reality, it is the barest minimum move in the right direction. What will these 4,000 visas do when more than ten times that number are fleeing the country?

The numbers the State Depart-

dren in Central America to be declared refugees and join their parents who are legally in the United States.

Many parents in Central America leave their children behind and immigrate to the U.S. in hopes to send money back to their families and eventually bring their children to the U.S. However, this practice often takes years and many children decide to take matters into their own hands.

Thousands start the perilous journey alone in hopes of illegally entering the United States to reunite with their parents. Under this new program, the process for thousands of children in Central America who are fleeing violence and attempting to reunite with their parents, who are U.S. citizens, will be able to avoid the dangerous journey.

The process will be a responsible approach to granting refugee

status to those who need it most of all: the children. With growing violence in countries such as Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, the need to provide refugee status for citizen, especially children, has grown even more pressing in past few years. According to the Huffington Post, the United Nations has been pushing the U.S. to treat children fleeing violence in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala as refugees of armed conflict.

This recent decision does not completely ameliorate the poor political calculation that President Obama made in September. With the politically unstable ground that the president is treading currently, this may be a first step in the right direction. This program is likely to be a platform to build upon that can eventually grow to include more refugees, and expand the definition of refugee status that the U.S. will use in the future.

ment has are even smaller than the numbers escaping the countries, as many minors do not even make it to the U.S. to be detained, and others still are not caught in the first place.

The magnitude and seriousness of this humanitarian crisis are being overlooked in favor of political maneuvering and minor posturing, while children are being raped and murdered indiscriminately.

The American public should not stand idly by while this situation continues, and the proponents of immigration and human rights should not mollified by the recent Obama proposal. Action needs to be taken that acknowledges and faces down this very real emergency. If we and the international community at large do not provide a true solution, we leave these children with only one option: run for their lives.

By Dan Whitely Staff Writer

Scottish referendum, continued From Scotland, page 5 Scotland be an independent country?” posed on ballots across the country generated worldwide attention and inspired hope around the globe.

After hours of voting and the long process of tallying millions of votes the results were in favor of remaining in the U.K. The referendum ended in 45 percent of votes for independence, and 55 percent of votes in favor of remaining within the U.K. Although the referendum did not result in independence, it did forever alter Scotland’s place within the U.K., and also in the global arena. While Scotland did not become an independent, autonomous country after the referendum, it will be granted greater control over itself.

According to BBC, U.K. parliament will follow through on promises made by David Cameron, the Prime Minister of the U.K., where Scotland will be granted greater control over their nation’s affairs.

Issues such as taxation and welfare are just two of the upcoming topics that will be decided whether or not to give Scotland power to decide internally in Parliament this month.

The debate on what degree of autonomy to award to Scotland will

of venturing into independence.

On another front I can empathize with the Scottish with their experience of British control.

For hundreds of years England brutally oppressed Ireland and Scotland, and viciously squelched independence movements in the past in both countries. However, with the creation of the Republic of Ireland in the 20th century, Britain’s hold on U.K. countries has lessened. Scotland, unlike the Republic of Ireland, was allowed a referendum to decide independence by British Parliament.

This gradual devolution in the power England exerts on its U.K. member states has allowed for a greater chance of independence movements to arise in other U.K. With a more open, and equitable, system of governing in the U.K., Scotland and other U.K. countries may continue to stay unified.

This whole event may acphoto courtesy of @bethanyxjane at Iconosquare tually strengthen the United The flag of Scotland flies high before the Referendum takes place.

Kingdom and result in all four countries of the kingdom gainoccur on Oct. 16 and the timetable jor step forward for Scotland. My half of my family from the Repubing equal ground in the U.K. of the drafting legislation on Scot- family background is mostly made lic of Ireland, I can see perspectives “Embrace diversity withland’s new powers of self-governing up of those from The Republic of on both sides of the issue, with in unity,” Brunello said. will occur in January of next year. Ireland and Northern Ireland. With the inherit quest for self-determiFor now the future remains unFrom my own perspective, I see one side of my family hailing from nation on one side, and wanting written, but I tend to look optimisthe vote for independence as a ma- Northern Ireland, and the other security and fearing the unknown tically upon the future of the U.K.

SpringFinal Final Spring

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the current

Oct. 10, 2014

Science & Technology 9

Science & TEchnology Workers mistakenly remove mangroves

By Beau Maysey, Sarah Raney & Emma Cotton Contributing Writer, Asst.

Science & Tech. Editor & Science & Tech. Editor At the end of September, Facilities began the removal of Brazilian pepper from Fox Pond. The Environmental Affairs Committee had requested this project because the Brazilian pepper is an invasive species that outcompetes mangroves.

According to Head of Facilities Doug Ault, at least one mangrove was cut down mistakenly along with over 100 Brazilian peppers.

This could have negative repercussions for a variety of reasons.

Junior and Biology major Ryan Lee often fishes in the ponds around campus and believes that there will be less fish because of the project.

“Mangroves provide shade, which cools off the water, even if its just in that little section… so the water will warm up a little bit, and it will provide less coverage for those fish,” he said.

The fish grow up and feed in the rooted part of the mangrove. It also supplies a shelter that they use to hide from predators.

Environmental Studies Professor Elizabeth Forys agrees that the pond’s ecosystem will change.

Anhingas, Cormorants and Green Herons are less likely to be seen because of the lack of shrubbery.

In the past, Forys has been involved with the identification and tagging of native plants in similar projects.

On Sept. 26, several students told Forys that Facilities workers were cutting down white and black mangroves. After confirming this, she sent Facilities an email explaining that the plants were not just Brazilian peppers, and that they needed to stop. Progress was halted immediately.

At least one mature white man-

grove was completely removed. Forys estimated that it was about 15 to 20 feet tall.

A black mangrove was also mistakenly cut back under the assumption that it was Brazilian pepper.

Eckerd College President Donald Eastman was supportive of the project in the spring but did not intend for any native species to be removed.

“Sustaining the natural environment is a core principle of Eckerd College, so I was very unhappy to learn of the inadvertent damage done recently to some mangroves along Fox Pond,” he said in an email.

Ault was not aware of the accident until he received an email from a concerned student.

“Of course, we came right out,” Ault said. “We think that [the contractor] might not have recognized the white mangrove plant and didn’t realize that it wasn’t something that needed to be removed.”

Although the contractor hired from Sun Coast Tree Service has worked on projects at Eckerd before, this was his first time working with Brazilian pepper removals.

Another aspect that exacerbated the problem was that none of the trees were tagged.

“We did not tag in this particular [project], and I think that’s probably one of the lessons learned,” Ault said. “If you look at this area of the pond, there’s one very large stand of mangroves that was pretty obvious. We did point that out to the contractor, but some of these other areas, frankly, we didn’t get back underneath all the plants to see what all was there.”

Forys laments the lack of communication that took place.

“I could have easily flagged the existing trees,” she said.

This has not been a problem in past removals of the invasive trees. “[In] a lot of the areas where we’ve done removal, the Brazilian peppers had taken over to the ex-

tent there really weren’t any other types of plants,” Ault said.

Forys agreed that the removal of Brazilian pepper was warranted and welcome

by Environmental Studies faculty because of its extensive invasion.

“I had an email from a staff member inquiring about it,” Ault said. “And she thought that the palm trees that were out there were something new that we’d planted, but they’ve been there for years. That kind of shows the extent of how thick [the Brazilian pepper] was.”

The invasive is effective in taking over mangroves and other native plants. It has allelopathic properties, which causes it to secrete a chemical that prevents surrounding plants from growing.

The project originally began during spring break this year. Assistant Marine Science and Biology Professor Jeannine Lessmann helped photo by Lia Nydes coordinate volunteer work At least one mangrove has been cut down while workers tried to eradicate invasives in the area. days with students and FaFlorida,” he said. “A lot of people viously one of our best assets.” cilities, according to Ault.

Eastman agrees that efforts to “Everyone was so pleased with came here for the campus, because maintain native species on our camof how beautiful it is, and I feel like the first phases of this project that pus will improve going forward. we hired a contractor to remove mangroves are a part of that.”

“I am confident we will learn However, the space may allow more Brazilian pepper trees this existing mangroves to grow without from this experience,” he said. “Our fall,” Eastman said.

Facilities staff has assured me that Since the removal, Forys has of- the interference of invasives. oversight and monitoring of such Currently, Ault is not aware of fered to do the tagging in the fuany plans to do a replanting or de- landscaping projects will improve ture.

“We’re lucky to have expertise velop the area. The goal of the proj- dramatically. I know that a number and resources available right here ect was to remove invasive species of students were involved in discovon campus. I think certainly we and open up the area for student ering this accident, and I greatly appreciate their thoughtfulness would want to have them involved,” use, according to Ault.

Facilities will likely change how and attention to the enormous imAult said. “I think using their exportance of paying attention to our removals are done in the future. pertise would be beneficial.”

“I feel really bad that it hap- extraordinary environment. This Lee is worried about the future pened,” Ault said. “We try really campus is sacred ground to all of us, of the ponds.

“I came [to Eckerd] because it hard to maintain the different plant and it is incumbent upon all of us to reminded me of the wild places in life that we have on campus. It’s ob- protect it.”

St. Pete to host legendary ocean advocates at film festival

By Ciera Akins Contributing Writer The Blue Ocean Film Festival and Conservation Summit is coming to St. Petersburg from Nov. 3 to Nov. 9. Blue is a global ocean summit created by Make A Difference Media, a non-profit organization.

This event is in Eckerd’s backyard at multiple venues in Downtown St. Pete.

It will host scientists, filmmakers, photographers, explorers and leaders. James Cameron, writer and producer of “Avatar” and “Titanic,” Sylvia Earle, a marine biologist, who among other things was the first female chief scientist at NOAA, and Fabien Cousteau, JacquesYves Cousteau’s first grandson, are among many to attend. Eckerd Marine Science Professor David Hastings will be speaking at Blue.

Senior and Environmental Studies and Film Studies major Nora Kilcup, who is volunteering and interning at Blue, is excited for all aspects of the festival, but is especially excited to see Earle speak.

“The way she talks about the oceans is so heartfelt and she is very eloquent. I am looking forward to

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see her speak. I’ve always wanted to,” she said.

Blue’s goals are to empower, inspire, educate and entertain people about the future of our oceans, the issues facing them and encourage networking and connections.

Kilcup thinks it is amazing that Blue is coming specifically to St. Petersburg, considering our city’s size. “[It] puts us on the map and makes a big statement to how devoted we are as a city to thinking about the issues of the ocean,” she said.

Environmental Studies Professor Alison Ormsby encourages students to volunteer and attend events.

“On behalf of the Environmental Studies Department, we are thrilled that this opportunity is coming to our area,” she said.

People come together from across the country and around the world to share their love for the ocean, their commitment to saving it and their desire for teaching and sharing what they know. These passions and values mirror many Eckerd students’ dreams.

Junior and Anthropology major Alexandra Bailey is planning to vol-

Visit us online at www.theonlinecurrent.com

unteer for the festival.

“The reason I am interested in it is because, as a student of liberal arts, it is really important to get a

graphic courtesy of BLUE Ocean website

multidisciplinary approach to what you do in the future,” she said.

“That is why this is such a cool opportunity because it would be an incredibly enlightening and enriching experience, for not only marine science majors, but also anthropology majors like myself. I think eventually we should all end up working together to come up with viable solutions.”

More than 100 finalist films that are honored and critiqued to inspire more groundbreaking films are the centerpiece of the summit. Some of

the films being screened are “Deepsea Challenge 3-D,” “The Island President,” “Mission Blue,” “Plastic Paradise” and “Great White Shark 3-D.” In addition to films, there will also be photography by David Doubilet, Michael Aw and others.

There is a diverse group of featured speakers at Blue that highlight a wide range of interests.

One is six-time grantee of National Geographic Expeditions Council and award-winning writer and filmmaker Jon Bowermaster.

The Director of National Marine Sanctuaries Dan Basta is another.

Marine scientist and President of Ocean Doctor David Guggenheim will speak. Two other speakers are Vice President of Walt Disney Studios and Disneynature Paul Baribault and President of International Maritime Inc. Don Walsh.

Blue is sponsored by a multitude of local and multinational companies and foundations including Google, Rolex, the city of St. Petersburg and the Tampa Bay Times.

There are a few free events at Blue; however, they require registration in advance due to seating

limits. These free events to register for are the Career Insights Seminar and the Rising Tides Symposium.

There are tickets and passes available for purchase for different levels of entry. The Film Frenzy Pass, at fifty dollars, gains entry to all of the film screenings throughout the week. Featured Evening Event tickets range from ten dollars to thirtyfive dollars. The Blue Whale Pass also allows access to luncheons, after-parties and workshops. The VIP Patron Pass allows for meet and greets in addition to all events.

Kilcup has taken full advantage of Blue coming to St. Petersburg.

“Having access to these people from all over the place, some of the best scientists, some of the best artists, just basically people who really care about the oceans, and being able to be exposed to that is something that, especially here at a small school, I would not have had the opportunity otherwise,” she said.

The schedule is being updated daily with new speakers and events.

To keep in touch with Blue, download the app or check out their very informative website blueoceanfilmfestival.org.

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10 Science and Technology

Oct. 10, 2014

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Marine Science major creates Twitter account

By Sara-Jayne Thursby Contributing Writer Marine Science Administrative Assistant Bren Ross-Greene has created the first Twitter account at Eckerd for an academic major with the help of Director of Marketing, Communications and Web Services Michel Fougères.

The Twitter account @ECMarineScience will be used to notify followers of global marine science news, breaking news at Galbraith, scholarships and jobs.

Ross-Greene hopes this page will attract large marine science agencies like National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), who could see the standard of education at Eckerd and the strength of the marine science discipline. Ideally, this may lead to increased recruitment of graduates or sponsorship for different projects from NOAA. “I started using text messaging and trying to reach students other ways for last minute notices of events, then I thought of using social media as a vehicle,” RossGreene said.

The aim of this account is to communicate with large numbers of students quickly and efficiently. As most students do not check their email as much as departments would like, it may be used to deliver last minute updates regarding coursework, guest speakers or other events in the marine science department.

“It’s a good idea,” Freshman and Marine Science major Kelsey Gancarz said. “I check my Twitter a lot more than my school email.”

Galbraith Marine Science Laboratory hosts events that are open to the public. For example, Panther Biologist for the Wildlife Conservation Commission, Dr. Dave Onorato hosted a lecture on Carnivore Conservation Genetics that was advertised by Twitter. According to the Marine Science department, 60 people attended the event.

Social media like Twitter tend to reach a larger audience than email lists. Tweets from @ECMarineScience may be retweeted by @eckerdcollege, which has almost 1,500 followers.

It has already attracted professionals from outside of Eckerd.

A live stream of a deep sea dive

by NOAA OceanExplorer was shown on the televisions in the James Center and tweeted to the page. After this, @oceanexplorer replied with “@ECMarineScience ROVs should launch between 8-9 a.m. (ET)!” @ECMarine Science also notifies students about internships and graduate work.

If you are a marine science major or interested in GMSL events, you can follow @ECMarineScience on Twitter, speak to Bren Ross-Greene in the GMSL or go to the Marine Science website, where Fougères has created a live feed of the Tweets for people who don’t have Twitter.

learn responsibly

By Conor Sean McKenna Columnist Like many of you this time of year, I find myself overwhelmed with the work I have to do. I stare at my desk and wait for my brain to melt out of my ears. I need a pick-me-up, some good news to brighten the day. Here’s some good news: Temple University School of Medicine has recently managed to eliminate the HIV-1 virus from cultured human cells.

Very good news indeed. So who’s to thank? Let’s start with Ph.D. Kamel Khalili and M.D., Ph.D. Wenhui Hu, who led the work on Cas9 earlier this year. All hail Khalili and Hu. In the past, HIV deleting methods also had the potential to delete unintend-

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will cure AIDS. This is the first time scientists were able to eliminate the HIV-1 virus from a human cell. All current treatment to AIDS and HIV cannot cure the disease. We only have medication to treat symptoms and stop HIV from spreading. This new nuclease has the potential for wiping out AIDS and HIV altogether, as well as some other viruses too.

AIDS and the HIV virus have proven to be a bit of a problem: more than 33 million people in the world have this lethal disease, according to Temple University.

HIV and AIDS can be transmitted sexually, by needles, blood transfusions and sometimes a newborn child can have it if their par-

ed part of the genome. With the Cas9, Khalili stated that there has been no off target eliminations, meaning that using the Cas9 is a much safer bet.

HIV survives by lodging itself in the genome of a human. In order to attack the virus, Khalili and Hu used an enzyme for cutting DNA called the Cas9. This enzyme, or nuclease, is designed to remove the virus by targeting its RNA without harming the DNA of the cells. This enzyme has the ability to delete all copies of HIV. The largest problem is identifying the cells, since only one in a million cells are infected with the virus.

Once the cells can be located, the Cas9 can be used to eliminate all HIV-1 viruses in the body, and this

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ent also did.

Khalili claims that these are the first steps to curing AIDS. But, before you break out the champagne, the discovery is not quite yet ready to go into clinics. Targeting all infected cells proves to be the first challenge after this victory.

I hope scientists can now find ways to target all infected cells.

There is still progress to be made.

But imagine how this affects our world. If someone on campus were to contract HIV, this could mean just a visit to a hospital.

This is still a ways away, but there is real progress being made. Now, we are all college students and this is exciting news, but STDs still exist. It’s still important to practice safe sex.

Red tide approaches western Florida shores

By Ania Szczesniewski Contributing Writer A toxic algal bloom 60 miles long and 100 miles wide of the dinoflagellate Karenia brevis is approaching Florida from the northeastern Gulf of Mexico.

K. brevis is not man-made and is not something dangerous to humans.

In Florida, red tide typically occurs annually. Red tides can occur over multiple years or end after a few weeks. For example, the 2005 red tide lasted through winter and into 2006.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has been monitoring the red tide with a team of researchers and employees.

One such member from the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute in St. Petersburg is media contact Brandon Basino.

“We can’t predict how long it will persist,” he said.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission website explains that K. brevis is a marine dinoflagellate common to Florida’s west coast and is characteristically red or brown in color, hence the nickname “red tide.”

The algae can irritate the sinuses and cause sinus infections. K. brevis can elicit a primary immune response similar to allergens.

Swimmers may experience skin irritation and a burning eye sensation. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, swimming should be safe for most people unless you have a particular sensitivity to plant products or preexisting respiratory conditions.

“When I was down at Sanibel Island, I saw this surfer out on the water during red tide, and he washed up on the shore coughing up blood,” Junior Alex Burns said.

The extreme nature of the surfer’s reaction is uncommon because he was older and was exposed while also suffering from other medical issues.

Wave action can break open the

photo courtesy of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

Red Tide moves toward the shore of St. Pete Beach.

K. brevis cells, releasing the brevetoxins into the air.

Not all counties are threatened by this year’s bloom, but areas with the red tide five to 35 miles from shore have K. brevis concentrations ranging from background to high levels. Pinellas County was last tested Sept. 26 as having background levels of K. brevis, meaning the microorganism presence was not dominant.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission stated that as of Sept.

26 there were no reports of respiratory irritation on the coast of western Florida.

The algal bloom can be harmful economically to the fishing and tourism industries as well as environmentally to the marine life itself. Fish, sea turtles and sharks are all at risk. Manatees have also been known to die after eating sea grasses that have been contaminated by

K. brevis. This was the case in the 2005 red tide when reefs suffered heavy losses of marine life.

“It doesn’t seem this bloom will impact Florida’s Gulf coast as greatly as some previously devastating events have,” Basino said.

The red tide is common during late summer and early fall. It can infiltrate bays and estuaries, resulting in the mortality of many manatees, as seen in 2005.

Beaches may also suffer, along with people’s nostrils, as the algal bloom will coat the sands and emit an unpleasant stench. Without the appeal of the beach and the ocean, fewer tourists are attracted to the area.

“I could smell the dead fish,” Burns said about his past experience with red tide.

Satellite monitoring allows prediction of algal blooms with forecasts that go three and a half days,

but as of yet there is no known prevention method. This year’s red tide was first sighted July 23, giving at least some warning to local businesses, according to Basino.

In the 1950s there was an attempt to combat the red tide by putting copper sulfate in the water. This proved unsuccessful as it failed to be specific to the red tide organism, and it killed many algal species.

Also, when it would destroy a red tide organism, it would simultaneously release the toxins, which can paralyze the central nervous system of sea life.

“It is important to remember that this is a naturally occurring organism,” Basino said.

Being aware of one’s surroundings and avoiding areas that appear affected by the red tide here in the St. Petersburg area is wise, but an encounter with red tide should not prove life-threatening.

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the current

Oct. 10, 2014

Arts & Entertainment 11

Arts & Entertainment Chris Brown moves out of the darkness, into the spotlight

By Dorothy-Mae Eldemire Asst. Viewpoints Editor Chris Brown is no stranger to being in the spotlight. From his Rihanna debacle to constant court appearances, the spotlight always seems to be on him for reasons other than his musical career.

This time around he finds his way back with a bang. His new album “X,” which was announced in March 2013 with the release of the first single “Fine China,” stunned fans. Listeners were ready for his new album in hopes that the Chris Brown we were getting this time around had matured. Unfortunately, he managed to end up in jail once again for violating probation.

However, this did not stop Brown, who managed to release hit summer single “Loyal” while he was in jail, surprising many. What added to the hype was the fact that it hit number nine on the Billboard and stayed there for 35 weeks.

While Brown may not have the perfect track record, he takes his music seriously, which is seen through each of his album releases and progressed expertly onto “X.” The first track, “X” shows this progression as he sings, “Yikes, I’ve been with the wrong crowd. I can make you a believer if I turn the nonsense down.”

The time spent in jail and in a negative light seems to have af-

courtesy of Radio Vulture.

Chris Brown puts his all into his newest album “X.”

fected him enough that he wants to make this change not only for himself but for those around him.

However, that seems to be the only song on the album where he spends time on reflection.

He follows his title track with songs like “Add Me In,” “Loyal,” “New Flame” and “Songs on 12 Play,” filled with synthesizers and pop beats. The album, filled with features from Usher, Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Tyga, Trey Songz, R. Kelly, Akon, Kendrick Lamar, Brandy, Jhene Aiko and Ariana Grande seemed to at first

be overwhelming, but it added to the idea that Brown creates work that molds together to tell a story.

Unfortunately, the story he’s telling this time around seems to be a bit dark, brooding and filled with heartbreak. On a brighter side, it adds to the fact that we get to see a side of him that he hid from the media throughout all of his controversies, heartbreaks and court dates.

His ninth track on the album, “Stereotype,” stands out among many as he sings, “Fool me once, shame on you, I’d really hate to label you a stereotype.” Here, we

see him seem to be tired of everyone using him and holding him for his Rihanna debacle when he seems to have moved on from it.

Similarly, the track “Autumn Leaves” featuring Kendrick Lamar seems to be Chris asking for forgiveness: “Before I sleep I talk to God, He must be mad with me, it’s coming. I’m confused about who I’ll spend my forever with.”

While many question whether he’s talking about Rihanna or his new on-again off-again girlfriend Karrueche Tran, it seems he’s trying to figure out who he

is and where he’s going with his life. The tone in his voice is rueful as it seems he’s begging for another chance and forgiveness.

He’s then followed by Kendrick Lamar who is known for bringing life to tracks as he raps, “To God you shall consult, when the bright cameras are still cramming in your face and it provoke you to act manic, just stay planted.

Cause you reapin’ what you sowed.”

Here, he seems to be reassuring Brown that he’s not the only one that feels the pressure of the lights and camera; he just has to stay focused on what he wants.

While songs like “Don’t Be Gone Too Long” and “Drunk Texting” seem to follow similar tones of him longing for a love lost, and “Don’t Think They Know” featuring the late Aaliyah bring back a ‘90s vibe you could cruise down a highway to with the top down, Brown seems to spend a lot of this album reflecting on who he really is. “[Chris Brown’s album is] a joyless, purgatorially long slog of faux confessions and unimaginative innuendos,” review site Vulture said.

I completely disagree as this seems to be the first album Brown has released that seems to show the emotional side of him many have longed to see. Although he manages to stay in the media, it seems Brown is finally maturing. “X” is a must listen; I highly recommend it.

Viral video

update:

Movies, music and mountain bikes

“Danny Macaskill: The Ridge” by cutmedia1 on Oct. 2

“Maroon 5 Animals” by moroon5vevo on Sept. 29

“American Sniper Trailer...” by Warner Bros. UK on Oct. 2

To have your event added to the calendar, email currentae@eckerd.edu.

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

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7 p.m. CPS International Cinema Series Presents: Aqui y alla: Filmic narrative of immigration Miller Auditorium

4 p.m. Volleyball

9 p.m.

The Walking Dead Watch Party Triton’s Pub

7 p.m.

7 p.m. CPS A Conservative Vision for Immigration Reform?

Fox Hall

4 p.m. CPS Tampa Bay Estuary Past, Present and Future Lewis House Atrium

7 p.m.

The New Pot Barons Miller Auditorium

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7 p.m.

7 p.m. CPS Top Student, Undocumented Migrant Fox Hall

7 p.m. CPS EC Relay for Life Kick Off Fox Hall

6 p.m. CPS Interstitial Thinking: Religious Musings at the Crossroads

Volleyball

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9 p.m.

Octoberfest Cafe Patio

8 p.m.

Poker tournament Triton Room

7 p.m. Men’s Soccer 9 p.m. Triton Tip Off

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7 p.m. CPS International Cinema Series Presents: Stray Dogs Miller Auditorium

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4:30 p.m.

Women’s Soccer

The Current meeting

4:30 p.m. Women’s Soccer 7 p.m. Men’s Soccer

7 p.m.

Zombie Run

9 p.m.

Another Man’s Trash Miller Auditorium

Visit us online at www.theonlinecurrent.com

The Current meeting

7 p.m. CPS China and India: Comparing Asia’s Two Giants

12 Arts & Entertainment

the current

Oct. 10, 2014 Across 1 Future Farmers of America (abbrev.)

4 Soft drink 8 Afraid 14 The opposite of young 15 Great 16 Secret 17 Awesome 18 _____ and greet 19 Decayed 20 Absent 22 The other half of Jima 23 Ghetto 24 Used to wash 27 Humorous 31 Dot 33 By means of 35 Fib 36 French “yes” 38 Electroencephalograph (abbrev.)

39 Vassal 40 Enigma 44 English Revolutionary soldier 46 Pledge 47 Grain 49 Body of water 50 Wing 51 North northwest 52 Small bird 55 Brief 58. Tons 61 Used to soothe sunburn 63 Little 65 Stealing from 67 Sweet 70 Rational 71 Jaguar (abbrev.)

72 Absence of values 73 Carpets 74 Two Drinks ____ 75 Films 76 Institution (abbrev.) crossword by Araesia King and Nate Gozlan 77 Chicken

Cranial crossword

For answers, visit www.theonlinecurrent.com

Down 1 Molds 2 Whips 3 Totals 4 Partial 5 Starts 6 San ___ (Calif. city) 7 Skit 8 Frock 9 A mass of people 10 Thespian 11 Rodent 12 East northeast 13 Cozy room 21 Suave 25 Avenue 26 Deck 28 Margarine brand 29 Italian currency 30 Opposite of right 32 Tuesday 34 Gets older 37 Solution for wrinkled clothes 39 Beetle 40 Castle canal 41 Harvard’s rival 42 In the night sky 43 Yin and ___ 45 Morning moisture 48 Couple 53 Old Testament prophet 54 Youth 56 Religious teacher 57 Uncanny 59 Strength 60 Tunes 62 Instigate (two words) 64 What we use to see 66 Greatest 67 Surface to air missile 68 Spanish “one” 69 Governor (abbrev.)

70 ___ Lanka

Coast Guard rescues man inside plastic bubble floating towards Bermuda.

Chechnya bombings kill five officers.

Nine year old chess prodigy becomes youngest American to reach expert level.

Flag that flew over U.S. Capitol on Sept. 11 destroyed in memorial fire.

Giant Panda surprises Atlanta Zoo with twin cubs.

THE TIPSY TRITON Cocktails & Mixed Drinks Flaming Dr. Pepper

Polar Bear

3/4 shot amaretto almond liqueur

1/2 oz. creme de cacao

1/4 oz. 151 proof rum

1/2 oz. peppermint Schnapps

1/2 glass beer 1. Fill a shot glass about 3/4 full with amaretto and 151 proof rum.

2. Place the shot glass in another glass and fill outer glass with beer. Ignite the shot, then blow it out. Tastes just like Dr. Pepper!

Mix drinks over ice. Serve in a shot glass. Tastes like a peppermint patty!

photo by Eileen McGraw Visits Coordinator Lucy Lopez has been working for Eckerd for two years. Her favorite childhood memory is learning how to ride a bike because of the freedom it gave her.

“I wish that we could all do whatever we want to do.

We live in a society where we can’t do what we want to do, and I think it would make us happier people if we were able to do that.”

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the current

Oct. 10, 2014

Health & Fitness 13

Health & fitness INSIDE H&F

Studies suggest the war on fat is misguided

By Zachary Chupak Contributing Writer A study released by Patty W. SiriTarino et al. from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has shown that the war on fat may have been founded on misguided information.

According to Chair of the Nutrition Department for New York University, Marion Nestle, and Chair of the Nutrition Department for Harvard School of Public Health, Walter Willet, a study by the Harvard School of Public Health and New York Un i v e r s i t y has shown a noticeable correlation between the manufacturing changes and the consumption of low-fat products.

“In the late 1980s, there were two major reports that came out, ide nti f y i ng dietary fat as the single most important change that needed

to be made in order to improve diet and health” Marion Nestle said in an interview with Frontline.

Both of these studies identified dietary fat as one of the most dangerous food substances that could be consumed and that a change needed to be made in order to improve diet and health.

Ideally, producers were to cut saturated fat content, but this proved to be difficult to communicate to the average consumer.

Dramatic protest against low-fat products in Oxford, England.

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Visit us online at www.theonlinecurrent.com

Thus, campaigns began to encourage people to lower their overall fat content rather than just their saturated fat content.

Around the same time that the “low-fat fad” started, there was a rise in obesity levels. As low-fat products became more popular, obesity levels began to rise.

According to Nestle, manufacturers have made low-fat foods extremely unhealthy by substituting fat with sugar and synthetic fat sub-

Photo by Kamyar Adi / CC BY

Eating disorder epidemic

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Crossfit’s signature workout

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stitutes made from vegetable oils.

These new low-fat substitutes have just as many calories, if not more, as natural fat, but because these products have a higher sugar content, the calories are converted into body fat more quickly than natural fat. Most people in the United States had no idea that low fat could be harmful.

“I never really understood why fat was bad for your body,” Senior Kris McGoern said. “The human race has been eating it for thousands of years.”

These new, synthetic, vegetable oil-based fats were seldomly tested. As the use of vegetable oil increased, the frequency of diabetes, obesity and heart disease also increased. A rise in heart disease started in the late 1930s and catalyzed research about the effects of a healthy diet.

According to Nestle, The ‘lowfat fad’ arose in the 1980s and consumers began to switch to low-fat, high sugar and vegetable oil laden diets. Around this time, there was a sharp incline in obesity rates.

In addition, the diabetes crisis started at the beginning of the 1990s. Type two diabetes can be caused from consuming too much dietary sugar and, as a result, the body is unable to properly produce insulin.

Not only is taking in too much sugar dangerous, but dramatically reducing the amount of fat one consumes is actually very unhealthy.

These past studies have shown that saturated fats and cholesterol are always harmful to the human body when eaten in excess, but new data shows that saturated fats and

cholesterol can be good for you.

Siri-Tarino’s study, conducted over the last few decades, has shown that the a country who consumes the most saturated fats more often than not has the lowest levels of obesity.

Moderation is still very important, but cutting out one of the most ess ingredients of the human diet has been proven to be ignorant, very dangerous and unhealthy.

So, remember, especially when dieting, that cutting out all fats may not be neccessary. Inatead, try focusing on saturated fats and artifical fat substiutes. Alas, do not feel isolated if you were unaware of this misguided war.

“I had no idea that I was actually harming my body by eating low fat,” Junior Johan Nordal said.

14 Health & Fitness

Oct. 10, 2014

Eating disorders pose problem on college campuses

By Samantha Schepps Contributing Writer “Don’t get the freshmen 15” is a common phrase high school seniors hear before they enter the college life. Many students are convinced they will be gaining weight once they begin their college career.

The partying, cafeteria food, lack of sleep and no time for exercise all contribute to students gaining weight. But what about the large number of individuals who seem to lose weight once entering college?

According to somethingfishy. org, a wesbite dedicated to informing the public about eating disorders, statistics show that 95 percent of all individuals with some sort of eating disorder fall between the ages of 12 and 25.

With the media, societal expectations and peer pressure surrounding young adults, it is sometimes difficult to recognize what is normal when referring to one’s health.

College students are out on their own for the first time and there is no one telling them what

to eat, what to wear or when to do their homework. For a lot of students, this is overwhelming.

Consequently, to cope with the stress an eating disorder maybe develop. Just like an addiction with alcohol or drugs, the problem is not on the surface but is due to a deeper, underlying reason.

When analyzing an eating disorder, it is important to know the symptoms of and commonalities between the different types of eating disorders.

The most common eating disorder is anorexia nervosa.

Somethingfishy.org claims it is the third most common chronic illness in adolescents.

It is categorized by restricted and/or lack of eating, rapid weight loss and constant abnormal stress about gaining weight.

The second most common eating disorder is bulimia nervosa.

Bulimia is characterized by eating very large amounts of food at one sitting, followed by the individual purging (i.e. forcing oneself to throw up or abuse laxatives), almost always in pri-

vate.

All of these statistics show how prevalent eating disorders are in college age students, but do Eckerd students match up to it?

It is hard to prove whether or not Eckerd does in fact have as large a percentage of individuals diagnosed with an eating disorder as statistics show. Eating disorders are often kept secret because students are ashamed or scared to come out and say something or to receive help.

“Only a few people are given the tools to spot someone with an eating disorder and how to help them out,” Sophomore Amanda Foley said.

“Many know what eating disorders are from high school or past experiences, but Eckerd should make more of an effort to help the whole student body to understand this problem.”

Education is key when talking about any sort of addiction.

Lots of students who happen to have an eating disorder might think their behavior is normal.

Even when they know they have a problem, they are sometimes

the current

Meals with Midge: Avocado Toast

too ashamed to tell someone.

So, what if you think your friend or classmate possibly has an eating disorder? Licensed Dietitian Caryn Honig has her own ap- By MJ Harford proach if she suspects someone Staff Writer has an eating disorder.

Avocado toast has an almost “It’s best to approach them with compassion and empathy. cult-like following in the food Many times, unfortunately, a community. You will meet peoperson struggling with an eating ple in every camp: from devout disorder will deny any problems “smashers” to serious slicers, to and make excuses for their be- those who think it’s a sin without lime juice and those who swear havior,” Honig said.

Eating disorders are common by chili flakes. But there is truly on college campuses. However, is no right or wrong way to crethis does not mean they are nor- ate this wholesome any-time meal. mal or should be ignored.

You have to start with a good Eating disorders are a serious issue and should be thought of avocado, this means one that is as an addiction, similar to alco- just recently ripened. So not soft enough to make guacamole with hol and drugs.

There are many resources but not hard enough that the slicavailable to assist anyone strug- es would maintain full structure gling with an eating disorder when removed. So when you press such as RAs, the Health Center on the fruit it should only give or other licensed health profes- slightly to your thumb. Next you can move on to the base, this can sionals. be a crunchy piece of sourdough, Resources: a soft piece of whole grain toast, Counseling Services an english muffin, a rice cake, you 727-864-8248 name it. As long as you have qualHealth Services ity ingredients you can have a total 727-864-8326 freedom in your flavor profiles. Do you want some spice? Add a hefty dash of red chile flakes or a drizzle of sriracha. Do you want more protein? Add a sliced hard boiled egg or seasoned chickpeas. Maybe more lightness? Try chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice. Or an entirely different combination all together, you are your own best guide.

Crossfit’s signature workout: Fran

By Daniel Chapman Contributing Writer Many students on campus are getting more and more interested in Crossfit and Olympic lifting. A quintessential workout for both of these is called a Fran. It is a standardized workout done for time that measures a person’s physical abilities with two simple exercises: 95 pound barbell thrusters and pull-ups.

The barbell thruster is a simple, yet effective exercise that consists of a front squat and a push press.

The standard weight of the barbell for this exercise in the Fran is 95 pounds. To do a thruster, begin with the barbell resting on the front of the clavicles with the arms slightly farther than arms-width apart on the bar, then squat down, breaking parallel with your knees.

Extend all the way up to the top and push the bar above your head. Be sure to keep your knees and shoulders externally rotated and your back straight while doing this. The front squat will engage all muscles that a normal squat would engage, but focuses more on the quadriceps as opposed to the hamstrings and glutes. The push press will engage your deltoids, trapezius and your triceps.

The pull-ups done for the Fran are strict pull-ups. To do these, find a bar and place hands slightly wider than shoulder width apart on the bar. Start with arms fully extended and then engage the back and biceps to pull yourself upwards until your chin is above the bar. Then slowly extend your arms back down to the starting position. “Kipping,” which is an assisted pull up by the help of swinging body momentum, can be done when doing the Fran; however, the traditional Fran is done with strict pull-ups.

The Fran consists of three sets of these exercises. Do 21 thrusters, 21 pull-ups, 15 thrusters, 15 pull-ups, nine thrusters and nine

pull-ups. Record your time upon completion of this workout. The point of this workout is to do it as fast as possible without sacrificing form in the process.

Although the regular 5 p.m.

Monday through Friday Eckerd Crossfit does not incorporate Fran into their workouts due to equipment limitations, Dan Chapman, Henry Ashworth, Dylan Eggers or Blaide Woodburn would be more than happy to demonstrate the exercises for anyone at the Fitness Center.

Finally, EC Crossfit Club holds quick Sunday Funday Weekend Warrior workouts at the South Beach pavilion on Sunday mornings at 10:30 a.m.

“Come out and start your Sundays on the right note,” Sophomore Jason Baer said. “On Oct. 5 we had eight people come out, but it would be awesome to see some more.”

Ingredients 1 avocado, cut in half with the pit removed 2 pieces of bread, english muffin, rice cake, etc.

(I have a spectrum of allergies and love Schar Deli Style Bread for this meal) Options: 1 sliced hard boiled egg, curried chickpeas, lime juice, chili flakes/sriracha, roughly chopped herbs (cilantro, parsley, lavash) Directions Toast your base (ignore if using a rice cake) Prepare your avocado by choice, either just slicing or mashing Spread the avocado on the toast and top with the combination of your choosing.

Resource:

Henry Ashworth EC Crossfit Leader hcashwor@eckerd.edu

photo by Spencer Yaffe Dan Chapman displays perfect pull-up form.

photo by MJ Harford Avocado Toast: A delicious and healthy breakfast choice.

Each issue I’ll be sharing an allergen-friendly recipe that is easy, nutritious and delicious. If you make any of them, tag me in your instagram photos (@midgesmoments) with the hashtag #mealswithmidge. If you have any requests, like converting a classic recipe to its healthier version, email me at mjharfor@eckerd.edu. photo by Spencer Yaffe Dan Chapman demonstrates the thruster movement.

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the current

Oct. 10, 2014

Sports 15

Sports

photo by Spencer Yaffe Junior Colleen Owen attacks from the corner in the Breast Cancer Awareness game.

Women’s soccer shuts out Clearwater Christian on Cancer Awareness Night

By Dominick Cuppetilli Sports Editor

The Women’s Soccer team trumped Clearwater Christian College 5-0 in the annual Pink Night game. The game is desig-

nated as a special event of the year where the athletes play in pink to bring about awareness of breast cancer and honor those who have survived the disease.

Junior Colleen Owen, who has put together the event the

photo by Spencer Yaffe Sophomore Monique Elliott strikes the ball at goal.

past two years, feels strongly about the night’s message.

“It is something everyone sees and knows about,” Owen said. “But it’s important to keep reminding people about it.”

Owen said that she was close to a survivor of breast cancer back home, which led her to volunteer in organizing the event here at Eckerd.

Head Coach Danielle Fotopoulos leads a discussion in the locker room before the game to stress the impact of this disease.

“We all know somebody who has been affected,” Fotopoulos said.

The Tritons had a sluggish start to the game against the Cougars. The first light for the team came from a shot by Sophomore Monique Elliot eight minutes into game play. Although that shot would not fall, Elliot shot one over the keeper’s head from 20 yards out just three minutes later to put Eckerd on the board.

The next and only other goal of the half came from Senior Danielle Cook, coming in at just under 15 minutes left to play in the half. At the half, Eckerd led 2-0 with a 15-1 shooting advantage.

Owen said that after the slow start, the team began playing well

when they started communicating more and playing their own game.

The first goal of the second half came 10 minutes in, as Junior Michelle Spesshardt found a way to score in traffic around the net after getting the assist from Senior Arie Anahory.

In the following few minutes, the Tritons proved to be very aggressive at the net, getting multiple shots off from a variety of players. The next goal would be from Anahory, fresh off her ninth assist of the season, who drilled the ball to the back left side of the net.

In the 16th minute, Junior Katie Shafer was able to get the final goal of Eckerd’s five by shooting the ball perfectly over the Cougar goalie’s head after coming too far out to defend the ball.

Clearwater Christian would get their second shot of the game in the closing minutes after breaking down the Triton defense, but Senior goalie Morgan Crescent was there for the save. The 5-0 shutout marks Crescent’s 16th in her time with the Tritons, which ties a school record.

Fotopoulos said that it was a great night for Crescent and that it is really a testament to

the Eckerd defense as a whole.

Crescent agreed saying, that she wouldn’t have had the shutouts without the rest of the defense.

“I couldn’t have done it without the other 10 players on the field,” Crescent said.

Besides the exciting accolade for Crescent, just one shutout away from setting her own record, the win was important for the team as a whole. As the team starts getting into conference play, they were looking for something to get them out of the small rut they were in.

Fotopoulos felt that it was a good kickoff for the team heading into more serious play. She also commented that it was nice to see that the scoring was spread out from five different girls.

Owen and Crescent agreed, saying that it was nice to be able to change up the lineups and see different girls get in. The teammates also agreed that the game provided the confidence they need going into district.

“It brings us back in and reminds us that we can score,” Crescent said.

Men’s soccer drops first conference game

By Meaghan Kirby Contributing Writer The Tritons dropped their conference opener to No. 11 nationally ranked Lynn University on Oct. 4, making their overall season record 2-6 and conference record 0-1.

Fighting Knights Junior, Dominic Friedl tallied his first and only goal of the game in the 11th minute with the assist by Sophomore midfielder Chris Hellmann to give Lynn the lead in the first half. Both teams were battling for possession in the first half of play and trying to get clean shots on goal. Despite the Tritons efforts to keep the Fighting Knights at bay, Lynn eventually added another goal by Nicolas Mortensen at the 35th minute, causing the Tritons to trail 2-0 at the end of the first half.

During the second half of the game, Fighting Knights’ midfielder Hellmann netted another goal at the 61st minute, pressuring the Tritons to make

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something happen offensively.

Junior Midfielder Richard Ainscough netted a goal into the left corner off a free kick at the 65th minute.

His first goal of the season acted as a momentum changer for the Tritons in the contest.

Head Coach Cristian Neagu was pleased with Ainscough’s success.

“It gave us a chance to get back in the game and capitalize,” Neagu said.

Going into Saturday’s contest, Lynn was out scoring opponents 20-7. They continued this trend by out shooting the Tritons 12-8 at the end of the 90 minute game.

Both teams battled in the second half with fouls being handed out on both sides. The Tritons defense was working to keep Lynn out of their zone, but in the 71st minute the Fighting Knights tallied up their fourth goal of the game on a questionable hand ball. This put the Tritons defense and Freshman goalkeeper Alex Gott on their heels, wrapping up their 1-4 defeat against the Fighting Knights.

Gott finished the match up

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with four saves for the Tritons, with two of those goals being pressured one-on-one plays.

“We are going to try and improve our speed of play so we can be more dangerous on attacking,” Ainscough said.

Coach Neagu agreed with Ainscough that the team is doing well, but is just not getting the results they should be getting.

“The 4-1 score was not a fair result in my opinion, on how hard these boys played,” Neagu said.

“But the level of play these boys are playing is making me very proud.”

Even though this match was a steep loss for the Tritons, Neagau and the rest of the team are very hopeful that this game will make them better as a whole and are looking forward to the rest of the season.

The Tritons’ main objective for the rest of the season is to improve their offensive game and maintain their team spirit.

The next conference homestead will be on Saturday, Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. against Florida Tech.

photo by Cypress Hansen Junior Mitchell Metzger breaks down opponent in pursuit of the ball.

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the current

Oct. 10, 2014

Sports Sisters face off as volleyball falls to Tampa

By Christina Rosetti Contributing Writer The Volleyball team was defeated by number one ranked and conference opponent University of Tampa on Oct. 1 at the McArthur Center in front of a rowdy white-out crowd. This was the first time the Tritons faced Tampa this year, which resulted in a 3-1 loss.

After falling in the first set 2518, Eckerd battled back to win the second set 25-23. Despite a hardfought run by the Tritons in the third set, Tampa pulled away with a 25-18 win. Tampa finished off the match with a 25-17 victory in the fourth set coming away with the Sunshine State Conference win.

Freshman Kaitlyn Sibson cotinued her success on the 17 out

of the 36 digs on the night. Junior Emily Shadow and Freshman Gabriella Guimaraes each recorded 20 assists for the Tritons.

Junior Tjasa Kotnik led the way with a team high of 12 kills while Freshman Lauryn Nelson and Senior Ali McAlvany followed with 10 kills apiece. McAlvany leads the team with 172 total kills this year.

The talented rookie Nelson follows with 141 kills for the season.

There was much anticipation leading up to this matchup for McAlvany and her family. For the first time in her career, McAlvany faced off against her younger sister, University of Tampa Freshman Molly McAlvany.

The sisters played together in high school but the two had never competed against each

other. While celebrating the 90th birthday of McAlvany’s grandmother, 32 family members made the trip down from Roswell, Georgia to support the siblings.

“I loved seeing them all here,” Ali McAlvany said. “Playing my sister is always exciting.”

The family roared when both McAlvany’s were called during announcements, all wearing customizes hats for the event. The younger McAlvany finished the night with 17 digs.

“I forgot she was over there most of the time but it’s nice going across the net and seeing her,” Ali McAlvany said.

Though the Tritons came up short against Tampa, Sibson has high expectations for the rest of the year.

“We are going to use this game

photo by Lia Nydes Junior Tjasa Kotnik attacks at the net against No. 1 Tampa.

to really get us in the gear for the rest of the season,” Sibson said.

Sibson, a Tampa native, has settled in well to her starting spot. She leads the team with 214 digs so far this year.

“The team has supported me this entire time,” Sibson said. “We have everything it takes to finish out the season on a high note.”

Following the tough loss to Tampa, Eckerd moves to 1-5 in conference and to an overall record of 8-6. The Tritons dropped to eighth place with 10 games to play in conference. With six freshmen on the roster, the Tritons are in a rebuilding year. Eckerd looks to improve as a program with over half the season remaining.

“We’ve had a slow start,” McAlvany said. “We are a young team, but I think we have a lot of potential.”

photo by Lia Nydes Senior Grace Jones and Freshman Lauryn Nelson put up a block to a Tampa hit.

Men’s and Women’s Rugby teams both fall in their home openers of the season

By Pat Mullen Staff Writer The Women’s Rugby team suffered a tough loss Saturday at the hands of of the University of Central Florida. The Golden Knights proved to be too much for Eckerd, whose team is composed of mostly freshmen with little experience.

“We had 35 girls who played in their first rugby game today,” Head Coach Mike Geibel said after the game. “We’re a very young team and we have some stuff we definitely need to work on. When we got tired, we lost concentration, which caused us to lose positioning on defense and miss tackles. We specifically need to work on conditioning, tackling and defense.”

With such a young and inexperienced squad matched up against a powerhouse like UCF, most weren’t surprised by the game’s lopsided outcome. The Tritons fought hard in the heat but continued to get beat up and down the field. Overall, the experience and size of UCF proved to be too much for them to handle.

“We looked okay for the amount

of experience we’ve had,” Fullback Natalie Minor said. “Next weekend we need to be in a flat line on defense and tackle more aggressively.”

UCF is notorious for being home to one of the most prestigious rugby programs in the country.

The school boasts a student body count that is about 50,000 strong, a substantially larger number than Eckerd, which has approximately 1,800 students. UCF has the ability to cut several players to strengthen their roster, whereas Eckerd’s smaller size serves to be limiting.

The men’s game was a slightly closer contest with the advantage still leaning towards UCF. The beginning of the match was equal.

An early scrum won by UCF advanced the Knights up the field.

Eckerd recovered before UCF obtained possession of the ball again, snuck around the edge and sprinted down the sideline for a try.

Eckerd fought back, kicking the ball into enemy territory before it bounced out of bounds, nearly missing a try. A subsequent try-saving tackle

by Junior Josh Hurley followed,

which turned out to be his first of many critical tackles that game.

“It was a good learning experience,” Hurley said. “We have to be smarter on defense. We have to move together as a unit, because a lot of the times they scored, there were just gaps.”

Like the women’s team, the Men’s Rugby team are a young team with a lot to learn. The final score didn’t appear to cause any of them to hang their heads.

“We scored a great try against the defending national champs,” Hurley said. “That’s a step in the right direction.”

Despite the loss, Senior Tom Houpt seemed very confident about the next match.

“We need to focus on team defense because that destroyed us today,” Houpt said. “But I’m very optimistic. We’re going to play our hearts out next week.”

The Tritons look to redeem themselves and improve on their mistakes at the next home match on Oct. 11 against the University of Miami.

photo courtesy of Danielle Campbell The Eckerd Sirens Women’s Rugby team poses after their game against UCF.

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