The Current Issue 4

The Official Student Newspaper of Eckerd College

November 6, 2009

St. Petersburg, Florida

Issue 4

Th

e d fl an ip g -f er lo s ps of

Vol. XXIV

Flip-flop culture

Adorable footwear, extreme dangers

News & Features — Page 5

Thrilling the world

EC students add to “Thrill the World,” a Michael Jackson tribute

Arts & Entertainment — Page 12

Surf’s up

Resillient surf club members search for waves

Sports — Page 18

news & features

ECOS senate undergoes changes Executive Board Managing Editor Meagan Bemis thecurrent@eckerd.edu Editor-in-Chief Petra Stevenson Copy Editor Emily Krumm Director of Finance Michael Yunker Director of Advertising Caitlin Gerry Asst. Advertising Abby Gestl currentads@eckerd.edu Faculty Adviser Tracy Crow

Editorial Board Entertainment Editor Francie Devine currententertainment@eckerd.edu Viewpoints Editor Catee Baugh currentviews@eckerd.edu Photography Editors Shawn Craine Erin Linebarger Palmer Suk Sports Editor Max Martinez Asst. Sports Editor Kasey Kilinski currentsports@eckerd.edu Sports Photographer Doug Thayer

Staff Writers Jaclyn New Jeralyn Darling Johnny Jones Sarah Malhotra Sarah Yost Sydney Albright Will Creager Abby Gestl

Contributing Writers Brittany McNamara Abigail Sustar Allie Solan Shelby Howell

• Nov. 6, 2009 • • Vol. XXIV Iss. 4 • 2

Friday, November 6, 2009

By Abby Gestl Staff Writer Recently, Eckerd’s student government underwent a few changes to better reconnect student government with the student populous. Instead of having four represent an entire student class, each complex now has a senator, along with commuters, students who do not live on the Eckerd campus.

This has led to a total of 11 complex senators, one for each complex, and two representatives for commuters based on the ratio of off-campus students to resident students.

After all, what better sense is there rather than to represent the students with whom you’ve been sharing space? This means, students

now have both an RA and a Senator available to them within their complex.

This change is actually a return to the prior system of the Legislative Council that was eliminated because student leaders in 2001 thought the Legislative Council was too big to be able to accomplish anything.

At that time, LC, as it was known, was comprised of a representative from each of the four houses in each complex plus representatives of NU, Omega and commuter students.

The move to a class year-based Student Senate, however, broke the connection to the residents.

“Reconnecting Senate to the residential community, many of us believe, will result in greater mutual accountability and greater fluidity of communication between Senators

and the students they represent,” said Dean of Students James Annarelli.

Apparently under the new changes, this year’s elections went smoothly, but this will still be a year of transition into the new system for the senate. Luckily, when the senate asked who would be interested in running for student government in each complex, at least one person responded ensuring that each complex would have a voice.

Students who wish to voice concerns about issues here on campus may talk to the senator who lives in their complex.The senate meetings are open. Students are encouraged to not only attend but to also bring topics for discussion. The meetings are at 8:30 p.m. Thursdays.

Repower America opens headquarters in St. Pete

By Jaclyn New Staff Writer Clean energy, numerous jobs and a reduced impact on the earth’s climate: the promise of one of the country’s most recent and growing campaigns to help solve the current and ongoing climate crisis. Repower America unveiled its new office Oct. 13 in St. Petersburg.

Established under the Alliance for Climate Protection, Repower America aims to do just that, to re-power America. The campaign emphasizes the importance of investing in renewable, clean energy. Its goal is to pass a senate bill concerning comprehensive climate change legislation. If the bill is passed and the campaign efforts are successful, the United States will be well on its way to reducing its carbon footprint.

Repower America focuses on two crucial initiatives: legislation and education, posing the question, “Why do you want to re-power America?” The efforts also centralize on sending handwritten, personal letters to the senate to convince members to pass the bill.

Eckerd alum Katy Swanson now works at Repower America Florida State Headquarters in St. Petersburg. Because of its recent establishment, the organization is currently accepting applications for interns. To apply or find out more information, visit repoweramerica. org or contact Katy Swanson at katy.swanson@ climateprotect.org

news & features

An age-old debate: when should it be legal to drink?

By Abby Gestl Staff Writer One of the hottest topics on college campuses today is whether to lower the drinking age from 21 to 18. In a recent CPS event sponsored by ECOS, two top debaters on both sides of the issues duked it out.

Barrett Seaman, on the board for Choose Responsibility and the author of Binge: Campus Life in an Age of Disconnection and Excess, argued in favor of lowering the drinking age, a view also shared by Eckerd President Donald Eastman. Eastman has publicly discussed his support for lowering the legal drinking age in a St. Petersburg Times 2008 letter to the editor, prepared in the wake of the death of an Eckerd student as a result of drinking and driving.

On the other side of the debate was James Fell, Senior Program Director with the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE) in Calverton, Md. Fell provided Eckerd students with two separate handouts and a PowerPoint to go along with his argument for the debate.

Seaman, who had no such materials or visual aids, encouraged students to visit the Web site www. chooseresponsibility.com, which provides information in favor of lowering the drinking age.

Seems the less-than-popular side of an argument can change minds if the argument is properly presented. According to one sophomore, “Based only on the presentations [of the two debaters] given, the proponent for not lowering the drinking age had a much stronger case based on scientific facts, charts, and graphs, while the other had no visual aids.”

Regardless, Seaman believes that 18 is a better line

at which to draw the drinking age because this is when most legal actions are considered ‘adulthood’ such as getting married, getting drafted, etc. Fell, on the other hand, contended that lowering the drinking age would make it harder on enforcers, in part because of how much harder it is to tell an 18 or 19-year-old from a 16-year-old or younger, as opposed to a 21-year-old who has finished about all physical growth by that age.

Freshman Kevin Mack proposes a unilateral choice.

“Whatever the age is, it should be the same, to join the military, vote, drink, it should all be the same.”

Fell argued that since the 21-age limit went in effect, there have been decreases in suicides, unintentional injuries and murder in the core age group (people under the age of 21).

Seaman, however, believes that a 21-age limit induces underaged drinkers to go underground, thus making it harder to control and more dangerous to those involved.

He also said it would be easier to spot someone who was having drinking problems or in need of an intervention if drinking were a more open experience instead of something hidden.

He contends that the current law promotes a ‘forbidden fruit’ effect, enticing the very group the law is intended to protect to drink even more.

In answer to this, Fell referenced a study that showed the drinking age limit has saved an estimated 800 to 900 lives. Seaman argued that the declines in death began before the drinking age took full effect and was more in part due to advanced technology in regard to safety. He cited evidence that deaths for all age groups have decreased. decrease in death for all age groups, using Canada as an example, which also had a drop

in fatal car crashes at the time but maintained 18 as the legal drinking age.Fell maintained that the decrease was in all age groups in Canada, while the U.S. study found that the decrease in fatal crashes of those under 21 was double that of all drivers (a 62 percent decrease).

In places like Denmark that, according to Seaman, introduced drinking age limits then had a sudden drop in crashes was more likely due to parents being informed on what was going on and that in Southern Europe only one in ten parties where drinking is involved leads to intoxication.

Fell then pointed out that 29 countries with lower legal drinking ages had higher rates of intoxication and more children at the age of 13, an illegal drinking age in all countries. Fell’s PowerPoint presented newspaper articles that address the problems with binge drinking in France, and how many European countries are considering instigating new laws about drinking. The fact that Europe has less drinking and driving accidents may be because Europeans drive less, he said, than Americans.

Seaman pointed out that it seems as if the medical data on the brain-damaging effects of alcohol may be misused because of the differences of the effects of alcohol at different ages. This relates to the fact that the human brain does not fully develop until the age of 25. Alcohol will certainly damage the brain of say, a 14-year-old much more than that of a 19-year-old.

Fell argued that brain damage has been found in MRIs of adolescents who have been drinking for only five years, and that the age limit helps to push back that first drink, thus limiting the years of potential damage.

What about the role of

artwork by Shawn Craine

parents? Seaman argued that the current law diminishes a parent’s role of teaching proper respect for alcohol.

He advocates that education on alcohol should be started sooner and that parents should be involved in the teaching of how to drink responsibly.

Furthermore, each state, in his opinion, should decide the age limit and how to deal with infractions.

Fell, on the other hand, believes states already have rights in regard to how to handle underage drinking and that half of all states have exceptions to the drinking laws specifically to allow parents to teach their children how to properly deal with alcohol.

Whitney Wall, Eckerd’s director of health promotions, agrees with both sides. “I think that more needs to be done to prevent alcohol abuse and reduce the negative consequence associated with dangerous drinking, especially among the collegeage population.”

Wall is not convinced that lowering the drinking age, however, is the end-all solution. “For me to fully support lowering the drinking age, this strategy would have to be paired with other targeted policy changes and not just mandatory educational programs.” Wall stated she could support strategies “such as increasing the legal driving age to 21, mandatory interlock devices in the cars of new drivers, revoking new driver’s (or maybe all driver’s) licenses for any alcohol-related crime, improved access/quality of public transportation, etc.”

Freshman Aidan McClave expressed a somewhat unique angle on how to solve the drinking age debate. “I think that the drinking age should be lowered and the driving age raised to, therefore, give teens more experience with alcohol without the potential danger of getting behind the wheel of a care when drunk.”

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news & features

Lightfoot and Clark investigate history of slavery and the Jim Crow effect

By Erin Linebarger Photography Editor Randolph Lightfoot and Cody Clark addressed the history of racism in America at a recent CPS event. Their lecture was in conjunction with the Jim Crow Era Exhibit that was displayed in Elliot Gallery the week of Oct. 12. Lightfoot explained that it is important for young people to know this history because we are all slaves to our cultural experiences, and must, therefore, fight to overcome our cultural baggage.

The term “Jim Crow” stems from the beginning of black enslavement in America and the racist attitudes that followed. Dancing, then defined by the Puritan church as movements characterized by the crossing of the feet, was considered a sin. So when the Africans wanted to dance, as was customary in their culture, they simply made sure their feet did not cross.

After seeing a black man dancing and singing the then-popular song “Jim Crow,” white entertainer Thomas Rice began to perform at his shows

a caricature of a black man dancing. The exaggerated image that resulted perpetuated the idea that African Americans were lazy, less intelligent and not worth integrating into society. Thus, the name Jim Crow came to be a derogatory term. Later, its meaning came to signify the laws of oppression toward African Americans.

Slavery, a practice that has existed for many centuries, was legalized in the United States in 1641. It was rationalized by the belief that blacks were inferior to whites, an assumption that proved profitable for many white slave owners as no one found the practice morally objectionable.

Post-Civil War, the 1896 “separate but equal” doctrine only legitimized national segregation.

Today, most of us have at least a general knowledge of the history of slavery and racism in the United States. However, it is not a topic often touched upon in large public discussions.

Lightfoot believes a national conversation about race is necessary to move forward as a society. photos by Erin Linebarger

Artwork presented at the Jim Crow event.

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Friday, November 6, 2009

news & features

Famous Florida footwear a flop

By Brittany McNamara Contributing Writer Easy, breezy, beachy. These words could describe the ever popular flipflop. Veronica Renuart, a senior here at Eckerd College, is just one among many who wears flip-flops practically every day. “[Flip-flops] are easily accessible,” she said. “They’re more comfortable than any other shoes for having to be in them all day…and they’re cheap and easy to replace.”

On the other hand, Lisa DiJenno, another senior, tends to wear shoes other than flip-flops on a more regular basis. DiJenno may have the right idea.

Flip-flops carry dangerous bacteria, cause foot and ankle problems and endanger drivers. For these girls and other frequent wearers it is important to be aware of the perils of sporting flip-flops.

Roughly 18,100 bacteria contaminate flip-flops. Some may argue that all shoes could have this much bacteria on them. The problem is that wearing flipflops exposes your feet, making them more susceptible to these germs. It’s especially a problem if you have open sores, cuts or wounds on your feet. If bacteria enter a wound, skin infections or boils can occur.

Most importantly, Staphylococcus aureaus, (commonly known as a staph infection) has been found on sandals.

Dennis Kinney, Ph.D., told the New York Daily News, “It [Staphylococcus aureaus] can make you pretty sick if it got into a wound and into your blood, where it could attack any of your internal organs.” If left untreated, it could kill you. However, bacteria on sandals should not pose any danger if you have a healthy immune system.

“As long as your skin is intact, as long as you use common sense and don’t knowingly expose yourself…you shouldn’t be alarmed,” Dr. Lisa Plano, a microbiologist at the University of Miami, told Today.

Flip-flops also cause several foot, ankle and leg problems. When asked if she knew the dangers of flip-flops, Renuart said, “I do know that flip-flops are bad for the arches of your feet.”

This is true. Improper functioning of the muscles in the arch can also cause problems for other parts of your foot, such as with pronation.

“Flip-flops have a spongy sole, so when the foot hits the ground, it roles

inward and the sponge allows it to roll even more than usual,” Dr. John E. Mancuso, a podiatrist at the Manhattan Podiatry Associates in New York, told Forbes. This is pronation. Normally, the arch absorbs shock during each step by locking into place.

During pronation, the arch releases this locking mechanism, causing pain in toes, the arch, the forefoot and heel.

Flip-flops are flat and thin. They provide little support.

The lack of padding in flip-flops can create heel pain. “Wearing flat shoes stretches the calf muscles hugely if the wearer is used to wearing a heel,” Barry Francis, a Harley Street foot surgeon, told Daily Mail. “It strains the Achilles tendon and the back of the leg.” It is also common when wearing flip-flops for people to clench their toes while walking.

This can lead to arch strain and pain, tendonitis and shin splints.

This lack of support and the minimal foot coverage flip-flops offer brings about many self-induced injuries. Anything from blisters to broken ankles can occur. The injuries could be from tripping, falling objects, slipping off a step, or many other blunders. Skin cancer is also a possibility because the top of the foot is exposed to the sun.

It is also necessary to be wary in the car. Wearing flip-flops while driving is a bad idea. The sandal could easily get caught under the car pedal. Renuart often wears flip-flops while driving, but thankfully has never had any problems.

So is it time to put away our flip-flops for good? Not at all. Dr. Philip M. Tierno Jr., director of clinical microbiology and immunology at NYU’s Langone

photo by Brittany McNamara

Medical Center, suggested on Today to wear flip-flops temporarily, instead of the entire day.

DiJenno is one student who appears to abide by this rule, but for different reasons. “I really like shoes and how they look,” says DiJenno. “I think shoes are really comfortable, too.” Not to mention her feet won’t get cold in sneakers!

So will students still wear their flipflops knowing the dangers? “If I have serious problems with my feet and find out that it is a direct result of flip-flops, I would probably cut down the use of wearing flip-flops,” says Renuart. “But if I didn’t have any problems regarding my feet I would probably continue to wear them.” DiJenno is also unlikely

to change her flip-flop wearing habits.

“I don’t wear them that much anyway,” she says.

For those who still want to wear flops on a regular basis, there are several things to do to prevent infections and foot and ankle injuries. To prevent a foot infection, cover up cuts or blisters on your feet or wear another shoe until it has healed. To prevent foot or ankle pain, try choosing safer sandals. Look for shoes with a good tread pattern and a strap around the back of the heel.

The sandal should be molded to cup the heel and fit the arch. Thicker soles will also better cushion feet. Finally, next time you get into the driver’s seat of a car, for your safety and others’, remember, don’t drive in flip-flops!

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news & features

Japanese exchange student shares experiences

By Shelby Howell Contributing Writer Seiko Tanaka was born in Kanazawa, Japan, but today she calls Eckerd College home. This last week, I was able to talk with Tanaka about the journey that led her from Japan to the U.S. Here is her story.

Tanaka hoped to study in the U.S. right after high school, but her parents didn’t want her to be so far away. She enrolled in the Kyoto University of Foreign Studies. After four years, she graduated with degrees in international relations and English.

After graduation, she moved to Tokyo where she went to a translation school for a certificate for medical translation. It was then that Tanaka began to feel she wasn’t on the right path. She says a friend told her about the Sakae Institute of Study Abroad, and she went there to fill out paperwork. “I asked for a school with an international business major, good connections for grad school and to be close to the ocean.” Eckerd College was one of the schools that matched those criteria.

She flew over after receiving her acceptance letter at the beginning of the Fall 2009 semester. When I asked Tanaka how she felt about Eckerd’s “party school” reputation, she seemed shocked and didn’t seem to understand what I meant.

Apparently, if you compare Eckerd to Kyoto University and other Japanese schools, Eckerd is pretty tame. “In Japan,” she said, “high school is for studying.

When you get into college, then you can party.”

The Japanese have an intense college exam similar to the SAT. High school students spend a lot of their time studying for this exam and many even go to cram schools over the summer so they can continue studying during the break.

The higher the test score, the better the college. And once you get into college you are home free.

Tanaka told me, “In Japan most classes are graded only on a final exam and attendance. Very rarely is homework assigned. This leaves lots of time to party.

If there was not a party on campus then we could always go to the clubs which are open all night in Japan, instead of closing at 2 a.m. like they do here.”

I asked Tanaka if she had any other problems adjusting to life at Eckerd. “I started living alone when I was 16 so I am used to being away from my family.

Sometimes I miss Japan, especially the food, but there are so many nice people at Eckerd that the feeling does not last long.” Tanaka is fluent in English and

photo by Taeko Tanaka

thus had no problem with the language.

However, she has seen many differences between Eckerd and Kyoto University that have required adjustments. For starters, there is the small size of Eckerd.

Tanaka’s high school had a larger student body than Eckerd, and Kyoto University was even bigger. “But I love the sense of community Eckerd has,” she said. “If you pass someone on the sidewalk, you may not know that person, but chances are you know a friend of that person.” There’s also the difference of Eckerd’s appearance that she appreciates. “At Kyoto, the campus is all concrete and steel.

I love how you can see nature all around the Eckerd campus.”

When all is said and done, the main thing you quickly discover about Tanaka is that she is an extremely friendly person. Within the time it took to walk from our class in Seibert to the Pub, Tanaka waved hello to five people, gave hugs to two and had a sunshine smile for everyone. She enjoys horseback riding, hanging out with friends and has just started taking advantage of Eckerd’s wakeboarding down on the waterfront.

She loves to travel and hopes that a lifetime is enough time to see the rest of the world.

Teach for America strives to eliminate educational inequality

By Allie Solan Contributing Writer

Considering the present state of the economy, most college graduates have a hard time deciding what to do after college. Should I go to graduate school? Do I go out and try to get a job? Some are turning to the popular alternative, Teach For America.

Teach For America was founded by Princeton graduate Wendy Kopp. Kopp proposed the idea of Teach For America as her senior thesis. Luckily, with much support and funding, in 1990, Teach For America took off. That year, five hundred men and women began teaching in six lowincome cities throughout the United States.

According to Teach For America’s Web site, the mission 6

Friday, November 6, 2009

is to “Build the movement to eliminate educational inequity by enlisting our nation’s most promising future leaders in the effort.” These future leaders are most likely college students without a concrete plan for life after college.

The organization recruits recent college graduates who have an interest in schooling in low-income communities.

Candidates must be willing to sign up for a two-year commitment to the organization. Before being placed at one of the thirtyfive locations, which range from eastern North Carolina to Hawaii, candidates are put through a rigorous five-week summer course designed toward producing effective teachers.

Pia Chawla, a recent graduate of CW Post- Long Island

University in Brookville, NY, and one of the many recently recruited candidates for Teach For America, explains her interest: “It was last October when the realization had hit me that I was graduating that upcoming May and I had no idea what I was going to do.

I was to graduate with an Elementary Education degree, but with the way the economy has been, I knew I was not going to get a job as a teacher right after May, so I had looked into Teach For America.”

Chawla went on to admit that the application and interview process was a bit grueling, but worth it.

After the five-week training, the organization places its teachers in an area where their knowledge would be most useful. Currently, the organization is looking to

become more math and science savvy because of the national need to strengthen both these programs.

Chawla was one of three chosen to work in Chicago.

“Essentially, I was placed in Chicago because the districts there are lacking help in the English curriculum. I had received a concentration in Literacy Skills. Therefore, the organization thought my knowledge could best be used there.” Chawla now has her own classroom of 22 first graders in Logan Square, a suburb just West of Chicago.

Teach For America instructors are paid a salary and receive healthcare packages similar to the teachers who work in the district. They also get a discretionary living fund. These funds differ for every teacher depending on

where he or she is placed. In a rural area, a teacher is paid on the lower-end compared to a teacher placed in a suburban area.

Other benefits include grants and loans, which can help teachers prepare for life after college. Teach For America provides car and student loans, though the cap on student loan help is $5,000.

Chawla was lucky enough to obtain some loan aid from Teach For America. “In a perfect world I would have received the full $35,000 that I owe my loan company, but that is just unrealistic. I can’t expect Teach For America to pay for all four years of my education, while I only signed a two-year contract with them.

But in the end I am grateful for the help that I did receive.”

arts & entertainment

Thrill Eckerd!

Eckerd students and staff participated in the largest simultaneous “Thriller� dance Oct. 24. Clad in ripped clothes and covered in fake blood, the 18 dancers jerked and staggered across Hough Quad to the classic Michael Jackson tune. The performance included more than 23,ooo people worldwide.

Video of the Eckerd dancers can be viewed at www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIbq8v_Un2G photos by Petra Stevenson and Lauren Murphy

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arts & entertainment

Dancers: Manuel Bay Hilary Mueller Debra Lanning Alysse Curtin Annie Cavanaugh Aundrea Dolan Elena Weinberg

Laurie Green Stacey Burke Rachael Benton Kyle Bershold Rachel Rainbolt DeLaran Withers Jalina Ramirez

Stacy Noland Lila Lupertin Emily Wiemken Zoah Alvarado Lova Patterson

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arts & entertainment

Local Halloween events live up to expectations

By Meagan Bemis Managing Editor Loud bangs and blood curdling screams filled the air of both Busch Gardens and Universal Studios as the two theme parks provided guests with an annual night of fear and fun. Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens in Tampa and Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios in Orlando both lived up to their horror-promised brochure and were worth the lines and drives.

Busch Gardens’ Howl-O-Scream greeted guests with a faux fashion show to uphold the theme that “evil never goes out of style” at the entrance of the park, complete with fog machines and multi-colored lights. The S&M fashion being displayed on the catwalk let viewers in on the secret that these may not be your ordinary models. After a few sexy walks for the crowd the lights changed from catwalk to dreadful and we found out that the models were vampires, out for our blood! Into the crowd they jumped and the terror began…

After the initial scare zone I walked into a theme park full of bloody-murder screams, howling wolves and the occasional loud scream in my face.

The multitude of scare zones each had their own theme and included everything from werewolves to psycho clowns. Needless to say, my boyfriend’s arm remained around my waist regardless of the fact that it was 90 degrees outside.

The haunted houses featured throughout the park were usually around a 90-minute wait unless you possessed a “front of the line” pass valid for all eight houses only once (the attendants punched your card

every time you went through a house). Because of the lines we only made it into three haunted houses; “the secret sorority house,” “the taste of blood” and “trapped in the walls” – all of which featured loud bangs, ear-piercing screams and people jumping in your face for ultimate fear-impact. I was pretty scared, but would not have been satisfied after having to wait in line for longer than half an hour. Get a “front of the line” pass. And, as with every year, there was a frighteningly funny musical Halloween show playing in the theatre. This year it was “fiends,” featuring naughty nurses and Igor from Frankenstein. It was full of corny jokes and dirty dancing – who wouldn’t like that?

The rival Halloween event in the area, Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios, is a bit of a longer drive (about an hour and 45 minutes from St. Petersburg) but well worth it. With a theme like “ripped from the silver screen,” it was bound to be a night of screams due to the familiarity of the characters. And even before I entered the park I was greeted with zombie movie theatre attendants asking if I needed any help.

Once inside, like Howl-O-Scream, I was greeted by an initial scare zone. This one was some sort of alien invasion combined with people who probably rolled around in some radioactive material. Aliens and scared people alike were warning visitors not to enter the park, yet everyone pressed on in sheer rebellion.

The houses were in a much better pattern around the park than at Busch Gardens, however, because they were all along the edge of the park and not more than a few hundred feet apart, making it very easy to

see them all. The lines here were just as long, if not longer, than the ones at Busch Gardens, so again I would suggest a “front of the line” pass. We managed to go to four houses here; “wolfman,” “silver screens,” “Dracula” and “Frankenstein,” all of which were elaborately designed with a great aesthetic energy. The scare actors had fantastic makeup and a great passion to scare. Also, instead of a typical “long hallway” feel like most haunted houses, these all seemed to have ample room throughout, which actually amplified the fear because I had no idea where anyone was coming from.

Halloween Horror Nights had great scare zones throughout the park as well, with the best one being a bus accident featuring psychotherapy patients and frantic passengers running around asking people to help them while being covered in blood and talking to themselves. Also, the Cirque du Freak featured some pretty eerie subjects, and I was forced to walk through it twice to get around the whole park.

And of course, the annual Bill and Ted Halloween adventure, featuring Wayne’s World-esque characters that manage to get themselves in some kind of trouble involving pop culture and risqué jokes, was intensely hilarious and had every showing filled to capacity.

The show poked fun at 2009’s most notorious news features as well as popular (and unpopular) movies throughout the year. I nearly keeled over in laughter during the entire 30-minute show.

All in all, both parks were worth the ticket and the drives if you were looking for some adrenaline pumping, all-American fear around Halloween time.

Make sure to attend next year, because you won’t want to miss what either of these parks have in store if it’s anything like this year and years past.

Kokopelli Cafe provides free coffee for all students

By Shelby Howell Staff Writer The Kokopelli Café is now open.

President Donald Eastman, Dean of Student James Annarelli and ECOS President Lauren DeLalla joined forces for a ribbon-cutting ceremony Oct. 21 during which they thanked workers, students and Blue Cross Blue Shield.

The café is located in Brown Hall where Palmetto Productions was once located. Inside, visitors will find comfortable seating, board games, even a small stage to host entertainment and poetry readings. Outdoor seating is also available, and in newly landscaped surroundings. “I think the 14

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coffeehouse really encompasses the atmosphere that is present on campus,” said Sophomore Dylan Meyer. “A small, relaxed area for students to get to know one another.”

The café will also have a constant supply of regular and decaffeinated coffee, as well as hot water for tea. Visitors will have free access to these beverages at all times. There are disposable cups provided, though students are encouraged to use their own cups to cut down on waste.

Kokopelli Café will be open for student use 24/7, which Sophomore Stephanie Biagioni finds appealing. “A 24-hour coffeehouse is a great idea,” she said. “What college student doesn’t need coffee 24/7?”

photo by Lauren Murphy

arts & entertainment MOVIE REVIEW

The “Bubble” List: must do’s before graduation 1) Stay up all night on Kappa field- lay and watch the stars, play soccer or light up Frisbee.

2) Late night IHOP or early morning Skyway Jack’s.

3) Visit Dinosaur World in Plant City- Cheesy and educational fun.

4) Jump into Frenchman’s Creek.

5) Dress like a burrito for Halloween and go to Chipotle — Free Burrito!

6)Yellow bike ride in the rain.

7) Camp out in the Palm Hammock (and probably get lost) 8) Cook out at Ft. Desoto.

9)Grab a couple friends and play putt- putt golf at Polynesian Putter.

10) Visit The Holy Land Experience in Orlando.

Have an idea for the bubble list? E-mail suggestions to currententertainment@ eckerd.edu

Whip it!

Whip it was real good

By Sarah Katherine Yost Staff Writer Have you ever had to hide something you’re passionate about from your family?

Ellen Page plays Bliss Cavendar, a suppressed indie-grunge-trash-punk seventeen-year-old stuck in the small town of Bodeen, Texas. She itches to free herself from her mother’s beauty pageants and the jerks at her school. While out shoe shopping with her mother Bliss witnesses three tattooed, pierced and ripped chicks whip into the store on roller skates. They hand flyers to the workers behind the counter. Bliss is captivated by the independence the women portray, and sneaks one of the flyers into her backpack. It seems to be the answer to her prayers—it’s a flyer for roller derby. She shares her newfound information with her best friend Pash (Alia Shawkat) and together the girls sneak out to a warehouse in Austen to see the underground sport.

Bliss is enamored by the aggression and hit or be hit attitude on the track. Smashley Simpson (Drew Barrymore), Bloody Holly (Zoe Bell), Rosa Sparks (Eve) and Maggie Mayhem (Kristen Wig) make up the team The Hurl Scouts. Bliss is sparked by the idea of becoming one of them. After the event she tells Maggie Mayhem, “I just want to let you know you guys are my heroes.” Maggie replies, “Why don’t you be your own hero and tryout.” Bliss

is dumbfounded—the last time she wore skates they had Barbie on them. She doesn’t quite let the thought slip away and decides to do despite her shy personality, making the team because of her natural speed. Bliss lies in order to get on the team (you have to be 21; she claims to be 22), and to her parents by telling them she’s taking an SAT course. She becomes her alter ego Babe Ruthless and shoves her way to near stardom by becoming the poster child for the sport.

The film has a decent message about how you need to do what makes you happy in life and not give up on the people who love you. It has a soundtrack that makes it even better, with Cut Chemist, Peaches and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. What could be better? Oh yeah, a love interest with a cutie like Landon Pigg who plays Oliver a pinball champion high scorer who sings in a band. Add kissing under water, girls skating in short skirts, wicked make-up, sharp right hooks, some gruesome bruises and a couple pageant gowns and you got yourself an entertaining movie.

Whip It makes roller skating look awesome again. I wouldn’t be surprised if I started seeing flyers for an underground roller derby on campus. I think it’s time to dig in my basement for my own old pair of Barbie Skates.

Dec. 1 is the deadline for applications and submissions to this year’s conference, which is open to Eckerd students as a winter term course. This year’s writing faculty will include Dennis Lehane, Anita Shreve, Laura Lippman and many others. For more information visit writersinparadise.eckerd.edu.

Friday, November 6, 2009

15

arts & entertainment

T

EC’s Initiative presenters and programs will also feature: •Grammy Award-winning a cappella group Ladysmith Black Mambazo •New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof •Ugandan peace negotiatior Betty Bigombe •Immaculée Ilibagiza, a survivor of the 1994 Rwandan genocide •Darfur/Darfur and Congo/ Women Portraits of War: The Democratic Republic of the Congo photo installations

he Plight and Promise of Africa: An Eckerd College Initiative will raise Africa’s profile through academic study, activism and community consciousness.

Combining the power of action with words, Eckerd will launch The Plight and Promise of Africa: An Eckerd College Initiative, a yearlong effort beginning in January to engage the EC and Tampa Bay communities in public dialogue about Africa.

President Donald Eastman sees the initiative as “a unique opportunity for a liberal arts college to demonstrate its capacity for creative collaboration.”

For starters, this creative collaboration includes Enough Project co-founder John Prendergast.

Prendergast will be a Visiting Scholar-in-Residence here in March, and will focus on the genocide in Darfur and southern Sudan; sexual violence against women and girls in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and the abduction of young children to become child soldiers in northern Uganda.

Another cornerstone of the Initiative will include a September visit by author Dave Eggers and Valentino Achak Deng, a former Lost Boy from Sudan and the subject of Eggers’ novel, What is the What.

Why the focus on Africa? EC’s Initiative founders cite Africa as a continent burgeoning with both stories of plight and promise. The program, according to EC officials, will deepen understanding of the ongoing violence and suffering affecting several nations, and develop an appreciation for the successful transitions to stability, peace, economic development and

democracy in neighboring countries. The diversity of Africa’s history and rich cultural heritage will also be honored and celebrated.

“It is often the knowledge acquired outside of the classroom that helps students to independently establish personal beliefs, values and opinions,” said Dr. William F. Felice, Professor of Political Science at Eckerd College and Co-chair of the Eckerd-Africa Initiative. “Our students’ education is strongly influenced by the connection that Eckerd has to its local community and the responsibility that comes with being a citizen of the world.”

Over the years, members of the Eckerd College community have traveled to various parts of Africa for academic study and affiliations, servicelearning opportunities, exploration of social justice issues and discovery of common interests.

This interest has been reflected in classroom discussion, lecture hall forums and conversations around the picnic table.

The Initiative will also include an opportunity for a Winter Term 2010 study in Malawi, Ethiopia/ Rwanda and Morocco. History Professor Kate Heller will also be providing a course, “History of Modern Africa.”

As a prequel to the 2010 launch, EC students, led by Erica Magnusson, raised $1,500 during “Little Field Big Party” held Oct. 10 for the Little Field Home in Chigamba Village in Malawi. A Little Field 5K Run and Silent Auction fundraiser is scheduled for Nov. 13.

“Eckerd faculty, students and staff,” said Eastman, “have joined efforts to develop a program that surpasses the routine lecture series. With Africa as our focus, we have created a forum that intentionally promotes open dialogue - on campus and in the community at large.”

•Writers Anita Shreve and Jerald Walker •Tampa Bay’s own Dundu Dole Urban African Ballet •Dialogue, films, lectures, art, music, dance, photography and creative writing

courtesy of Wikicommons

Ladysmith Black Mambazo Friday, November 6, 2009

16

viewpoints

Snapshots of Eckerd

Tyler Christie: a semester down under

photo by Lucas Benjamin

By Abigail Sustar Contributing Writer For a student with a concentration in environmental studies, there can be no better living than at the edge of a rainforest. That’s where Tyler Christie, today a junior, found himself with his best friend. The two spent last spring semester “Down Under.”

With the help of the Colorado-based study abroad organization, AustraLearn, Christie applied to James Cook University in Queensland and set off 14 hours into the future. Christie said he’d become intrigued by James Cook University because of its environmental courses and its location. Cairns (pronounced Cans) is a small town in the far north of Queensland, on the edge of a rainforest.

But for Christie and best friend, Lucas Benjamin, a former Eckerd student, life in Cairns would be different than they had expected. For example, Christie would bike the three miles from his apartment to the university twice each week. Classes were easy enough, no assignments or exams until the very end of the semester, but with an enrollment of 3,000 students, there was little sense of community. Being detached from campus life was quite a difference from the buzzing academic and social life at Eckerd.

Instead of focusing on classes, he spent his time exploring the small town of Cairns and he found that it was simply bursting with little oddities and excitement. “I met an Aborigine named Archie on the street. He invited himself over to our apartment for dinner. He told us some crazy stories about tribal wars

and showed us his stab wounds. But he was happy.

Just a real happy man.”

Aside from the people, Christie was also fascinated by the language. “It was hard to avoid the twangs. I started noticing I was talking differently, saying “ay” at the end of all my sentences and asking people, ‘How you going?’ which doesn’t even make any sense!”

Even something as ubiquitous as McDonald’s is pronounced differently. “Macca’s,” says Christie with the leftover twang in his voice. “That’s how they say McDonald’s.”

Surprisingly, when asked about the most memorable part of his semester in Australia, his answer was, “Japan.” He gave a little laugh and then explained that he felt his life in Cairns had become somewhat boring, maybe just a bit too routine. So, he and Benjamin scraped together what little Japanese they knew and headed out for Japan. Ten days of backpacking, hiking ancient pilgrimage paths and staying with families who knew little English was just the kind of vacation they needed.

Although Christie will probably not pursue a career in rainforests, the environmentally-intensive semester was a great academic experience. He is still unsure about life after graduation, but traveling to the other side of the world did teach him something. “I know what I don’t want to do. I don’t want to do policy making. I don’t want to work for the government.” He pauses, then adds with a small laugh, “But I probably will.” Overall, Christie looks back on his semester in Australia with a smile and a greater sense of selfawareness. “I’m glad for the experience. I didn’t realize how little I knew about myself.”

Idioms: United States vs. Australia U.S.: College Australia: Uni (According to Christie, “If you say college, no one knows what you’re talking about) U.S.: Bicycle Australia: Push Bike U.S.: Shopping Cart Australia: Shopping Trolley U.S.: Sunglasses Australia: Sunny’s

courtesy of Wikicommons

Friday, November 6, 2009

7

viewpoints

“Amusing “It’s really easy to read this and just want to take a pair of scissors and cut them all off” (makes snipping motion).

—A human development professor on reactions to accounts of wartime rape

“Hey man, your pigs are stressing me out.”

—An anthropology professors about the ecological problems created by an excess of pigs

“I named my daughter after Emily Dickinson. I took that baby and took her picture on Emily Dickinson’s grave...She’s still Emily.”

—A literature professor on naming her daughter

“I remember the first time someone called me the cream in their coffee.

I was like, can’t you do better than that?”

—A literature professor on courtship

“Let’s take them out...and break their legs.”

—An accounting professor on the consequences of not participating in class

Musings ” 8

Friday, November 6, 2009

EDITORIAL

AFGHANISTAN:

Do we stay or do we go?

By Sydney Albright Staff Writer A certain EC professor, who should remain nameless for the sake of my grade, starts every class with a brief discussion about current events.

That’s fine, except that I’m a creative writing major, and this is a creative writing class. I might see the benefit if I were, say, majoring in international relations.

But this same professor tells us that writers, the good ones anyway, are hungry to broaden their “base of knowledge.” And then adds, anything and everything might somehow be used as a reference in a poem, a short story and so forth.

In my head, I’m screaming, “But I like living in the Eckerd bubble.” The bubble is safe. The bubble is Zen. Don’t burst my bubble with your 24/7 news of death and destruction.

This, as my too-eager classmates take turns sharing news tidbits they’ve gleaned from iphones on the way to class. “October,” says the sophomore to my right, “is the deadliest month for American troop fatalities since the war in Afghanistan began.” Across the room, a freshman, I think, adds, “And the president is supposed to announce a decision in the next couple of weeks about whether to pull our troops or send more in.”

And that’s when it hits me. I mean, folks, it really hits me. Here I am, sitting in this classroom, happily living in the Eckerd bubble, with the luxury of studying great literature, and punishing my classmates with my crappy first drafts, while half a world away, American men and women, my age, are being punished with… indecision.

Should we stay or should we go?

Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m not going to venture an opinion.

Frankly, politics falls outside my comfort bubble level. But there’s something about indecision that fascinates me. Maybe it’s because courtesy of Wikicommons I see myself as a wannabe writer, and conflict is, well, at the center of all great storytelling, right?

What richer conflict is there than the internal type – of man’s (or woman’s) inner turmoil toward decisiveness? Take Shakespeare’s Hamlet, for example, tormented by indecision. Even William Faulkner stated in his Nobel Prize speech, “The only thing worth writing about is the human heart in conflict with itself.”

So lately, I’ve been paying closer attention to the news – about Afghanistan, in particular; a country I couldn’t locate on a map before being forced to read Kite Runner last year. Further proof, I suppose, that Ambrose Bierce was dead-on about American character as far back as the 1840s when he wrote, “War is god’s way of teaching Americans geography.” Yes, thanks to the war in Afghanistan, Mr. Bierce, I now know the geography of the Middle East.

But I’m digressing. Truth is, I’m actually hooked on the outcome of this “Do we stay or do we go?”

I’m hooked on this idea of our president’s “human heart in conflict with itself.” Some would say it’s just semantics, but the decision seems less about how we win and more about can we win. Is there a hand going up for an elegant withdrawal? After all, the Russians under Gorbachev pulled out in 1989.

Of course, the Russian withdrawal created a vacuum in leadership, which led to the formation of the Taliban....

See the dilemma? Perhaps our president’s mulling over the proverb: “Better the Devil you know than the Devil you don’t.”

So let the critics lambaste Obama for his less-than-hasty process, and tout his inability to make a speedy decision as proof of weakness. I say, “Take your time, Mr. President.” Demand everything of your resources: your cultural experts, your military experts, your spies on the ground, your historians, and…your very human heart.

viewpoints

EDITORIAL

LGBT finds acceptance at Eckerd Jeralyn Darling Staff Writer “I’m definitely very lucky to be going to a school that is so accepting,” says freshman La Chavez.

Many other members of the LGBT community at Eckerd agree with her. Through my interviews with a few members of Eckerd’s EC Pride, the equivalent of a Gay-Straight Alliance on campus, I learned that our campus offers a uniquely open and accepting community. Thankfully, as senior Stacy Noland says, “Eckerd is extremely open to all people and anyone looking to discriminate is more the outsider than the group they’re discriminating against.”

I, personally, was proud to be a member of such an open community as Eckerd, but after hearing what so many members of EC Pride had to say about the absolute lack of discrimination on campus, I am now ecstatic. Eckerd has presented a much easier opportunity to “come out” for many

non-heterosexuals on and off campus, especially if the student’s home is in a much more conservative area. Eckerd has provided many people with a more open society. Rosa Benatatos says, “I am fortunate enough to go to a school like Eckerd where I don’t have to hide.”

The people here at Eckerd are what make our community so diverse and accepting. The pleasant reception of so many students and faculty at Eckerd makes it immeasurably easier for members of the LGBT community to be out and accept themselves and others. “I think that Eckerd’s community is very open-minded, which helps both those in the closet and out,” says Benatatos. Stacy Noland, the EC Pride Vice President, also extended a thank you, “The gay/lesbian/bi/trans community would not be as accepted here if it weren’t for our many allies. Straight students and friends, faculty, staff and members of the administration have all tried to make it clear that this should be a safe campus for us by showing their Safe Zone signs, participating in

PerspECtives Q: Do you support gay marriage?

Why or why not?

our events and just letting us know they care.”

These rainbow “Safe Zone” signs can be seen in the windows of many offices all over campus.

Students, faculty, staff and administrators all show that they accept the LGBT community on campus fully and unconditionally. Says Noland, “Overall, the gay/lesbian/bi/trans community at Eckerd seems to be pretty well accepted.” The only concern any of my interviewees wished to voice? “I wish EC Pride was bigger,” from Lilah Greenberg.

Says La Chavez, “the LGBT community at Eckerd is treated just like everyone else. I find it hard to imagine being put down for my sexual orientation here.” Noland said, “It was a lot easier when I came to Eckerd.” Many members of the LGBT community at Eckerd feel that the college’s acceptance was effortless and genuine. With the help of everyone at Eckerd, students, faculty and staff alike, we have made our campus open and nondiscriminatory for all.

“Yes, I feel that everyone has the right to be with the person they love and desire.

I don’t believe the argument that it’s unnatural, on the grounds that a gay couple can’t reproduce together, applies today, the world being as overpopulated as it is.”

By Erin Linebarger Photo Editor

“I’m for it because I don’t see what the problem is.

I don’t feel like it affects me, and we live in a free country.”

—Leah MacFarlane, senior (left)

“Yes, because every argument against it can be disproved today except for the religious one, but that shouldn’t matter since our government is supposed to be kept separate from religion.”

—Paul Montoya, junior

“Yes, basically because everyone should have the right to be with someone that they love.”

—Stephanie Burkhardt, junior (middle)

“I personally don’t agree with it, but I’ve thought a lot recently about whether or not I should have someone else follow my views. So I don’t know what it should be like politically.”

—Rachel Bell, senior (right)

—Lilah Greenberg, freshman Friday, November 6, 2009

9

sports

World Series Of Poker returns for finale

By Will Creager Sports Writer The 2009 World Series of Poker main event takes place Nov. 10.

The tournament actually began July 3 with 6,494 entrants, some of them professional poker players but many of them unknown amateurs hoping to become the next Chris Money Maker or Greg Raymer. Just twelve days later, 6,485 players had seen their dreams of winning the $8.5 million in prize money fall short.

Of the nine players remaining, only two are well-known professionals. Jeff Shulman, the editor of Card Player Magazine, is currently in 4th place with just over 19.5 million in chips, and has cashed 15 times at the WSOP. Shulman declared that if he wins the bracelet, given to the winner each year, he would throw it in the trash. ESPN recently quoted him stating, “If I win, I’ll never play poker again.”

The other professional still in the mix, and the more likeable one by far, is Phil Ivey. Ivey is widely considered the best poker player today. In the 2009 WSOP alone, he cashed five times and won two bracelets (not including the main event). Despite being only 33, he is currently tied for sixth place all-time in bracelets won with seven. Ivey’s career earnings stand just above $3.4 million, The 2009 World Series of but he is poised to add anywhere from Poker $1.2-$8.5 million more to his total on Nov. 10. He is currently in seventh with When: Tuesday, Nov. 10, 9-11 p.m.

9.7 million in chips.

Where: ESPN (Channel 27) Going into the final table, Darvin Why: What could be a better way Moon, a logger from Maryland, is in to spend a Tuesday night than watching nine guys, including a the lead with almost 60 million chips. logger, a magazine editor and a Despite his dominance so far, Moon Frenchman, play a game of cards was quoted by ESPN saying that out of for $8.5 million in prize money? the original 6,485 entrants, “I’d guess about 6,300 of them are better poker players than I am.”

Eric Buchman and Steven Begleiter head into the final table just behind Moon, with 34.8 and 29.9 million chips respectively. Buchman has stated he is in it solely or the money not the fame, and has cashed multiple times in the past on the World Poker Tour.

Joseph Cada, the youngest player at just 21 years old, is in 5th place, with Floridian Kevin Schaffel just behind him. Rounding out the last two spots are Antoine Saout, a Frenchman who has barely a year of professional poker experience, and James Akenhead, who has just 6.8 million in chips. Even if Akenhead falls first at the final table, he is still guaranteed $1.2 million.

This year’s WSOP was special, as it marks the 40th year the event has taken place. However, if one were to observe the first ever tournament in 1970, it would in no way resemble the spectacle that the WSOP has become in the past decade.

The first tournament saw just seven entrants post the $5,000 entry fee, including the great Johnny Moss, who won the entire $35,000 pot. After the charismatic “Amarillo Slim” bested the 12-man field in 1972, poker began to get its first glimpse of publicity. In 1973, CBS Sports brought the WSOP to television for the first time. That same year also marked the first time that the WSOP included more than one tournament, with four preliminary games preceding the main event.

The WSOP continued to expand year after year. In 1978, Barbara Freer

became the first woman ever to play in the WSOP. It was also the first year in which the prize money was split amongst multiple players, as the top five finishers all cashed.

In 1979, Hal Fowler became the first of many amateur players to win the main event, causing an increase in the number of amateur entrants at the WSOP. After New Yorker Stu “The Kid” Ungar won the 1980 main event, NBC Sports picked up television coverage the following summer, an event that Ungar won once again. NBC’s coverage introduced poker into millions of homes and raised East Coast awareness of the WSOP. In 1982, the schedule expanded to accommodate up to 11 preliminary events, plus the introduction of a Ladies World Championship. The following year began the use of satellite tournaments to attract more players who could not afford the standard $10,000 buy-in.

The following decade saw continued growth in both size and popularity, including ESPN’s first coverage of the event in 1988. Brad Daugherty won the first ever $1,000,000 payout when he bested a field of 215 players to win the 1991 main event. The payoff remained $1,000,000 until the 2000 main event, when Chris “Jesus” Ferguson won $1,500,000 for outlasting 511 other players.

Then came poker’s popularity surge. It started in 1998, with the release of the movie Rounders, portraying the underground, high-stakes poker lifestyle, starring Matt Damon and Edward Norton, Chris Moneymaker, an Atlanta-born accountant, was inspired by Rounders to begin playing poker. Still an amateur when he won his entry fee into the 2003 main event by winning a $40 online satellite tournament, Moneymaker shocked the poker world when he won the 2003 main event by outlasting 838 to capture the $2.5 million prize. His victory kicked off what was dubbed “the Moneymaker effect,” as poker had reached mainstream success. Just one year later, the main event’s entrant pool more than tripled in size, from 839 players in 2003 to 2,576 players in 2004. The field grew significantly the following two years, peaking at 8,773 players in 2006 before leveling off from 2007-2009, with 6,358, 6,844, and 6,494 entrants respectively.

As the main event has increased in size, so has the WSOP as well. What started as just one small tournament in 1970 has become 57 much larger tournaments, plus many satellite tournaments and cash games, and a few tournaments in Europe as well. Poker has evolved greatly into the sport it has become today.

How much is $8.5 million?

The winner of the final table at the 2009 WSOP will walk away with $8.5 million in prize money. What could you spend the cash on? Here’s a few ideas…

•

41.7 games of Alex Rodriguez’s services at 3rd base, based on his 2009 salary of $33 million

•

56 Lamborghini Gallardo’s, at roughly $150,000 per car

•

206.5 years of tuition at Eckerd College’s current rates (meal blocks included)

•

5000 new 15-inch Macbook Pros

•

242,857 six-and-a-half foot tall Christmas trees from Walmart, at $35 per tree.

•

647,372 packs of Trojan condoms, with 36 condoms per pack.

•

708,333 cases of Natural Light, with 30 beers per case Friday, November 6, 2009

17

sports

Surf club makes its own waves

By Johnny Jones Staff Writer Surfers at Eckerd College are like pirates at sea: water, water everywhere but not a wave to surf.

“Or at least 85 percent of the time” says Trevor Browning, head of the surf club.

So how does a place with no waves have a surf club? Trevor has taught me that where there’s a will there’s a way, and there certainly is for a dedicated band of Eckerd students willing to trek across Florida in search of their shares of the waves.

The beginnings of the Eckerd College Surf Club started seven years ago when a couple of guys bought four surfboards, appropriated two more and found two others. This informal band of surfers had no formal gathering until 2005 when transfer student Troy Johnston started it up again.

This club of about 10 or 12 original surfers has grown to roughly 40 active members this year. Members travel to a range of beaches on the East Coast, including Jupiter, Fort Pierce, New Symrna and Cocoa Beaches. “Other trips happen whenever we want to, basically whenever there’s waves. We do try to go on at least one trip a month.”

Trevor said that they occasionally surf Bradenton Beach when they can and another local spot that he refused to disclose. I guess you have to join the club to find out.

Additional benefits of being a surf club member include free board usage, free camping supplies, “mostly” free food (if they eat past their budget) and free gas.

Unfortunately, you have to be willing to do something most people consider incredibly stupid: head into the mouth of a hurricane. “On the West Coast, one of the only times we can surf is during hurricanes,” Trevor said. “But part of surfing is just going out there and doing it, so even if the waves are bad, we still go.”

Trevor’s dedication to surfing amazed me. He told me one of his favorite things about the surf club is teaching new people to surf. “We have a big day on the West Coast and we get a ton of people down at the beach and I see kids who normally might not think twice about surfing catch a wave and just love it.”

I noticed that Trevor was quick to assure me that he wasn’t by any means the ruler of the club, that it was much more of a group mentality. “The whole point of this club is to set up a network of surfers that can work together. We want to provide people with an outlet to surf even when kids can’t afford it.”

“The surf club is really for anyone who enjoys the water.”

Photo By Johnny Jones Surf club members prepare to take to the waves during a recent beach trip.

The club is clearly very casual. “The surf club is for anyone who enjoys the water,” says sophomore Brett Thompson. There are no tryouts, no fees to pay and no requirements.

But despite the club’s informal nature, they are also ecologically responsible.

“We are part of Surfrider, which is the largest environmental surfing club in the world.” Club members are careful to leave their campsites as clean as they found them, and the club has plans for several beach clean-ups in the future.

The laid back, friendly attitude of the club members I’ve met made me feel perfectly comfortable to join the club, despite never having stepped on a surfboard in my life. Besides, at least that way I could learn the location of the surf club’s secret surf spot.

Contact Trevor Browning at brownitn@eckerd.edu if you are interested in joining.

Sports Men’s Basketball

Women’s Basketball

Wednesday, Nov. 18 v. Palm Beach Atlantic 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 15 v. Northwood 2 p.m.

Tuesday, Nov. 24 v. Florida Memorial 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 21 @ Valdosta St 6 p.m.

18

Friday, November 6, 2009

Volleyball Tuesday, Nov. 10 v. Tampa “Pack the gym” night 7 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 13 v. Barry 7 p.m.

sports

Tampa Bay Lightning announce internship opportunities For students hoping to work in the world of sports, there’s no better place to start than an internship with local organizations. The Tampa Bay Lightning, the area’s only professional hockey team, are currently seeking applicants for a number of internships across several fields. The following are the available positions and their respective contacts.

Position: Lightning Vision Production Trainee Video & Graphics Description: Assist in the preparation for the 2009-2010 Tampa Bay Lightning season and other events at the St. Pete Times Forum Contact: Shannon Stein (sstein@sptimesforum.com) Position: Broadcasting Internship-Tampa Bay Lightning/St. Pete Times Forum Description: Monitor Lightning Radio website to ensure site is up to date, while writing a regular blog (3-4 times a week) featuring Lightning players, games and NHL news. In addition, applicant will be required to record the visiting coaches’ morning skate press conference before all home games.

Contact: Jim Ciotoli (jciotoli@sptimesforum.com) Position: 2010 Spring Internship program Departments: Accounting, broadcasting, corporate sales & marketing, corporate communications, event coordination, event operations, game operations, group sales, hockey operations, human resources, Lightning Foundation, client services, public relations, ticket office Contact: Shannon Stein (sstein@sptimesforum.com)

Courtesy of Wikicommons The interior of the St Pete Times Forum during a Lightning home game.

For more information regarding these or other internship opportunities, contact John Ingmire at Career Resources or ingmirjm@eckerd.edu

5000 34th St. South 727-866-7200

Eckerd College Student Discount Medium 1 topping $5.55 Large 1 topping $7.77 Medium 1 topping, bread stix, & 2-20oz sodas $11.50 Large 1 topping, bread stix, & 2-20oz sodas $13.50

Valid for carryout & delivery ($2 delivery charge applies) Friday, November 6, 2009

19

The Official Student Newspaper of Eckerd College

sports Page 17

The 2009 World Series of Poker’s final table

Page 18

Surf Club takes to the sea

Page 19

Tampa Bay Lightning Internships

photo by Doug Thayer