Issue 9 of The Current

Women in combat: ROTC cadet affirms role in combat. see page 9

Nancy Janus: See how Prof.

Janus has progressed since her accident one year ago. see page 4

Vol. 4, Issue 9 March 8, 2013

Remembering Rachel Price

By Jeralyn Darling Managing Editor

The Eckerd community is mourning the loss of one of its own. Friends, and family, faculty, students and teammates have come together to remember Freshman Rachel Price, 18, who passed away in a car accident late Feb. 28. Athletic Director Bob Fortosis said Price, a member of the women’s soccer team, was a “phenomenal player,” according to an email

from Dean of Students James Annarelli. Price was a three-time Player of the Year in high school and an All-American by her junior year.

The Eckerd community came together Friday evening for a candelight vigil on the soccer field. About 75 people gathered in a circle at midfield with candles while members of the women’s soccer team spoke of Rachel’s passion for life. The team released six white paper lanterns at the vigil, to represent Price’s jersey number, and one lime green lantern, her see page 21 for more

WT photo contest

Overall winner: Cleo Warne r Cleo Warner traveled to Southeast Asia while taking the Contemporary Buddhist Activism course. “In the mornings, we would accompany the nuns in their alms runs as they walked around the neighborhood collecting food the locals offered to them. I was struck by this little boy who appeared to be on one of his first offerings with his parents. He was noticeably shaken up from the experience, but unbelievably cooperative and showed maturity seemingly beyond his years throughout the process,” Warner said.

See page 6 for category winners Please Recycle

INDEX:

NEWS 2-8

VIEWPOINTS 9-12

photo by Miranda Rivera

EC wins fight for the light

By Jeralyn Darling Managing Editor Bob Shepherd’s death will not be in vain.

The ASPEC man who championed the cause of getting a traffic light at the intersection in front of Eckerd College, who was killed in a Nov. 7 accident at that very intersection, may finally have peace.

After almost 12 years of deliberation, petition and debate, Eckerd will see a traffic light at the en-

trance intersection.

Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Ananth Prassad, Senate Transportation Chairman Jeff Brandes, Senator Jack Latvala and Representative Kathleen Peters announced the decision Feb. 13.

More than 4,000 people signed the petition to Governor Rick Scott “Prevent another tragedy along Pinellas Bayway” and a Nov. 14 hearing of the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) unanimously passed aSee motion to request LIGHT, page 3another

ENTERTAINMENT 13-16 THE QUICKIE 17-18 HEALTH & FITNESS 19-20 SPORTS 21-24

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

Mar. 8, 2013

LET’S BE BRIEF

By Kelly Coston, Hailey Escobar, Taylor Glaws & Aaron Levy News Team

Global

Former NBA star Dennis Rodman visits North Korea’s Kim Jong Un AP

National

Studies prove Keystone XL Pipeline will do little environmental harm

Basketball icon Dennis Rodman recently traveled to North Korea to meet with Kim Jong Un, the country’s 30 year-old Supreme Leader. Rodman is the first notable American to meet with Un since he inherited power from his father Kim Jong Il in 2011. Relations remain tense between the two countries, who have no official diplomatic relationship, following nuclear tests that North Korea has been executing in recent weeks. Rodman said he was aware of the country’s human rights record. “He’s a good guy to me,” Rodman said of Un, “as a person to person, he’s my friend. I don’t condone what he does.” Rodman told reporters that Kim Jong wants a call from Obama so they can talk basketball. “He loves basketball. ... I said Obama loves basketball. Let’s start there,” Rodman said to ABC’s “This Week.”

abcnews.com The State Department concludes a study that proves impact on air, water and landscape would be minimal. The study also concluded that the unlikely chance of an oil spill would be contained within a few hundred feet of the source which would be much safer than tankers transporting oil. Government analysts found that pipeline would produce the same amount of carbon dioxide as 620,000 cars each year in operation. However, they also concluded that whether or not the pipeline is approved, those emissions would still occur because of fuels produced and obtained from other sources. “No matter how many times KXL is reviewed, the result is the same: no significant environmental impact,” said Marty Durbin of the American Petroleum Institute.

Attack on Nigerian military base leaves 20 dead

Young child cured of HIV; marks only second disinfection worldwide

Former Egyptian president to appear in court next month

Space station supply vessel docks at ISS despite bad start

AP Fighters linked to the Islamic terrorist network Boko Haram attacked a base in the northern Nigerian city of Monguno Mar. 3, killing 20 terrorists. At least one civilian was also killed. The group, who maintains that Nigeria will remain under attack until an Islamic state is established, said in a video statement released before the attack that “Whoever kills any of our members should await a grave retaliation from us.” Nigerian military spokesman Lt. Col. Sagir Musa acknowledged the death of 20 terrorists, but neglected to mention the civilian death and whether or not there were any soldiers injured. Nigeria’s military forces iare notorious for downplaying casualty numbers.

AP Scientists are reporting that a 2 year-old baby born with the HIV virus has been cured. Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health told the Associated Press that “you could call this about as close to a cure, if not a cure, that we’ve seen.” The child had faster treatment than is normal for babies born with the infection, receiving a “three-drug infusion” within 30 hours of being born. Normally, HIV cells spread to “hideouts” throughout the body that reinfect the host when medication is haulted. Scientists announced Mar. 3 at a major AIDS conference in Atlanta that the child has not received medication in about a year, showing no signs of infection.

AP Hosni Mubarak, former president of Egypt, is set to face a new trial beginning April 13. He is facing charges of failing to prevent the nearly 900 deaths that occurred during the 18-day uprising in 2011 that eventually led to his ousting. Both Mubarak and his former interior minister were sentenced to life in prison this past June, but an appeals court overturned the sentences in January. The retrial is set to begin less than two weeks before Egypt’s parliamentary elections, which have divided the country to an extreme extent. President Morsi, Egypt’s leader who succeeded Mubarak, promised during his election campaign to put leaders of Mubarak’s former cabinet on trial if new evidence was brought to light.

AP A privately owned earth-to-orbit delivery capsule docked at the International Space Station Mar. 3, a full day late, despite a shaky entrance into space. A “clogged pressure line or stuck valve” prevented the firing of small maneuvering rockets and the release of solar panels upon entering orbit. SpaceX, the commercial space company with a $1.6 billion contract with NASA to keep the station supplied with food and other provisions, said flight controllers struggled for several hours before gaining control of the orbiting, unmanned capsule and landing at the ISS. Space station commander Kevin Ford said everything about the supply vessel rendezvous ended up “fantastic.” NASA’s Houston mission control replied that “there sure were some big smiles all around here.”

Hot air balloon crash leaves 19 tourists dead in Egypt

President Obama pardons 17 offenders

Officials near the southern Egyptian city of Luxor are reporting that 19 tourists died in a hot air balloon crash Feb. 26. A spokesman for several of the area’s hot air balloon companies told Reuters that the crash resulted from a gas explosion roughly 300 meters above the ground. The passengers included Chinese, Japanese, French, British and Hungarian tourists. Two british tourists and one Egyptian pilot were taken to the hospital following the crash. Witnesses report hearing a “frightening bang.” In 2009, a hot air balloon crash killed 13 tourists in the same region.

President Obama pardoned 17 people March 1 for relatively minor crimes-- some of whom included falsely altering a money order, unauthorized acquisition of food stamps, drug violations and possession of an unregistered firearm. The recipients of the pardon were sentenced to punishments ranging from one year probation to five years in prison. The White House did not issue a statement of why Obama decided to pardon these lucky few, as he has only pardoned a handful of people since taking office.

Local

Campus

Fluoride back in Pinellas County tap water

“Chasing Ice,” “Contact” win big at Environmental Film Festival

Al Jazeera

pinellascounty.org

huffingtonpost.com

eckerd.edu/news

March 1 Pinellas County Utilities officials began implementation of a decision to fluoridate tap water. The County Board of Commissioners voted to resume the policy Nov., after it had been stopped in a 2011 decision. Some opponents of public water fluoridation claim that fluoride can be poisonous in certain amounts. In an answer to a frequently asked question on the Pinellas County Utilities website, the board said that it reached its verdict in the face of “overwhelming information that fluoride is beneficial to the dental health of most citizens,” and also that the amounts of fluoride to be added to water systems are based on “data and/or the recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), US Environmental Protection Agency.”

At this year’s Eckerd College Environmental Film Festival, “Chasing Ice” and “Contact” were both recognized in the 2013 “Visons of Nature/ Voices of Nature” Awards. The Audience Choice Award went to the 2012 documentary Chasing Ice directed by Jeff Orlowski. The Special Jury Award went to “Contact”, a 2009 Australian film directed by Bentley Dean and Martin Butler. These films stood out from the nine films that were shown at this year’s festival between Feb. 15-23. The festival is an annual event and was open to the public. It is sponsored by the Phoenix Venture Philanthropy Foundation.

FAU GEO gift

Campus Safety starts weekly blog for “Actions of Dis-respECt”

npr.org & palmbeachpost.com Florida Atlantic University students are outraged over the institution’s acceptance of a $6 million dollar donation from the controversial GEO Group. While school president Mary Jane Saunders described the donation as “a true representation of The GEO Group’s incredible generosity to FAU and the community it serves,” many see the university’s cooperation with GEO Group, which runs private prisons, as unethical. The group came under fire for its mismanagement of the Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility In 2012, when reports of horrible abuse by guards and inmates came to light. Many FAU Owls have taken to calling the new football stadium, which is to be named after GEO Group in exchange for the donation, “Owlcatraz.”

Gasparilla Art Festival

tbo.com, gasparillaarts.com & baynews9.com The 43rd annual Raymond James Gasparilla Festival of the Arts was held March 3-4 in Tampa.

The Festival, which draws crowds averaging 250,000 people each year, was held in Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park where 250 artists displayed their work. For many artists the festival provides a useful venue for exposure and sales. One such artist, Photographer Paul Shatz, shared his positive business outlook for this years festival: “I had 20 percent better sales last year than the year before.” Cash prizes totaling $74,000 were awarded to artists of the Festival’s best pieces, as judged by George Kinghorn, director and curator of the University of Maine Museum of Art.

Adam Colby In cooperation with ECOS, Campus Safety has now begun a new way to inform students of actions of “dis-respECt” around campus. The blog highlights acts of vandalism done by students around campus. Students can submit stories, pictures, and information on vandalism to statements@eckerd.edu, www.eckerd.edu/silentwitness for anonymous statements, or call Campus Safety. The blog is a part of the “Respect Our House” campaign.

Campus Safety hopes that hopes to encourage positive bystander behavior. The blog can be found at www.eckerd.edu/campus-safety and students can sign in using their school ID.

Two Eckerd alumni recognized in Florida Book Awards

eckerd.edu/news Eckerd Alumni Tracy Crow ‘02 and Dennis Lehane ‘88 were recognized in the 2012 Florida Book Awards. Crow, assistant professor of creative writing and faculty advisor of The Current, won bronze in the general non-fiction category for her memoir “Eyes Right: Confessions from a Woman Marine.” Lehane, co-director/co-founder of Eckerd College’s Writer’s in Paradise, won gold in the general fiction category for his 10th novel “Live by Night.”The Florida Book Awards honors works written by Florida writers and about Florida culture.

Seffner sinkhole

Modifications to EC-Book regarding fire safety devices

A sinkhole opened beneath 240 Faithway Drive in Seffner Fla. Feb. 28, burying 37-yearold resident Jeffrey Bush in 100 ft of debris. After it became apparent that the area around the sinkhole was too unstable, rescuers called off efforts to recover Bush’s body. Under Florida law, if no body is recovered, the Bush family must petition a court to have Jeffrey declared deceased. Fearing further expansion of the 30-ft wide sinkhole, authorities ordered the residents of the two houses on either side of Bush’s to evacuate March 2. Demolition of the house began on March 3 after a prayer by Bush’s younger brother Jeremy Bush.

A new modification has been made to the EC-Book. The policy will read, ““If a student is found responsible for intentionally and falsely pulling a fire alarm or discharging a fire extinguisher which results in the unnecessary dispatch of emergency services to campus, the student will be removed from campus housing in addition to any other assigned sanctions.” Questions regarding the policy can be directed to Meehan.

tampabay.com, abcnews.com & huffingtonpost.com

Lori Meehan

Visit us online at www.theonlinecurrent.com

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the current

Mar. 8, 2013

News 3

News ITS: Changing the technology game on campus

By Carolyn Moritz Contributing Writer Most students who visit the Information Technology Services department in the library rarely make it past the Student Repairs office. Much of what goes on farther down those pastel corridors, however, has a direct impact on the everyday experiences of faculty, staff, students and their families.

The Academic Resource Center, more recently referred to as “Digital Media Services,” is involved with virtually every aspect of the Eckerd community-- and they are changing the game for everybody involved.

Let us imagine for just a moment that we are back in Winter Term.

The James Center for Molecular and Life Sciences is all but finished.

Various members of administration are being shown around the new classrooms and labs, and there are golf carts running back and forth.

Campus Security, maintenance and faculty all have to be trained on the modern equipment. All of the classrooms are equipped with new Apple televisions, an upgrade soon to be imitated in classrooms all throughout campus. President Eastman will be charming the crowd gathered outside the entrance for the new building’s grand opening ceremony. All of the audio will be remotely controlled on a tidy little iPad app completely integrated with the CMLS’s sophisticated electrical system-- and what’s more, this same iPad could just as effectively be controlled from the podium, from inside the building or all the way across campus at ITS. Now, return to the present. Eckerd has just successfully completed its fifteenth Environmental Film Festival. Diverse audiences from around the St. Petersburg commu-

nity have been shocked, moved, angered, inspired and saddened each night by high quality films screened on a brand new projector in Miller Auditorium. Meanwhile, jazz musicians have been delighting visiting parents over in Fox Hall with the most powerful and efficient audio system the room has ever had.

The Eckerd community is driving to engage the world at large on an increasingly involved level and Media Services is greasing the wheels.

The department has traditionally been responsible for taking care of campus multimedia needs, from fixing classroom projectors to setting up sound for important lectures, to projecting 35mm film for International Cinema Series.

It also provides students with the ability to check out laptops or video cameras for academic use (or the occasional personal project).

The real value in their work lies in cooperation; Media Services works with Campus Activities, with professors, students, and club leaders along with nearly every department on campus. Now more than ever, it is growing into its new role on campus as so much more than just “the A/V guys.”

In November, Bruce Dietz took over the role of coordinator and gave recent graduate Tyler Fortune reign to help develop the new face of Media Services. Many once knew the former student as a barefooted, dreadlocked student skateboarding from one end of campus to the other. Now, sporting button-down shirts and a short haircut, Fortune has an office bearing his name and a new title: “Digital Artist.”

Together, Dietz and Fortune have overseen a modernization of the equipment and policies used to run academic life. The most exciting addition to the media family is the

passed a motion to request another FDOT review of the intersection’s traffic problems.

The FDOT removed a traffic signal from that intersection in 1992 - now, they’re putting it back.

Students, faculty, administration and staff share their reactions below. Many believe the light is exactly what the campus needs.

“It’s just a great thing for the campus,” President Donald Eastman said. “The first person I called was Bob Shepherd’s widow. She’s just immensely pleased...

A lot of people got behind it. ASPEC got behind it. Students, a bunch of people signed a petition.”

Dean of Students James Annarelli said it is “a decision that will create a much safer environment at the entrance of our campus.”

“I am very excited,” said ECOS President Rhemy Brezin. “I think Eckerd students were really interested in this project not only in commemoration of Bob, the ASPEC member that passed away, but also in terms of their own

photo by Carolyn Moritz Tyler Fortune testing out the new Canon Mark III.

office’s brand new Canon Mark III, the same HD video camera used to shoot television shows and even the Olympics. Armed with this new camera, and a small militia of work scholars, Fortune has a completely new plan for the direction this useful department is going to take.

To Fortune and the student workers involved in most of his projects, the video camera represents much more than the ability to do the same old thing in a higher resolution.

Dietz and Fortune are working to pull the Media Services department out of the dark and eerie sound booth and push it right onto the forefront of campus life.

This new interactivity was recently put to the test with a request from the Admissions department to create a promotional video for prospective students. The enthusiasm and wit of Admissions combined with Fortune’s equipment and directing skill resulted in “Where’s

Your App?”-- a short video showcasing the best aspects of Eckerd’s campus, arriving in the email inbox of every prospective student who has yet to submit an application.

Along with ensuring everything within the Eckerd universe runs smoothly, there is a new focus on helping to shape the college’s image to the outside world.

The world is changing and Eckerd College is moving right along with it. It is the firm intention of Bruce Dietz and Tyler Fortune to ensure that the entire community knows just how powerful this little school really is.

The first step is to proudly display this new face to the world, starting with the name itself. “After all, ‘Audio/Visual’ is such a dated phrase,” Fortune said. “What we do? That’s Digital Media.”

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“It’s just a great thing for the

campus. The first person I called was Bob Shepherd’s widow.”

-President Eastman

safety. Like, being so close and personal in front of our own front gate I think really ticked a lot of people off so I think it’s definitely a great improvement to our campus and I think it’s going to make everybody a lot happier and a lot safer.”

Commuter Senator Junior Josh Annarelli said, “As a commuter student I drive on and off campus several times a day. With the installment of the traffic light, entering and leaving campus will be much safer and will prevent backup leaving campus.”

“It seems like a great victory for [ASPEC],” said Kappa Senator Kyler Thomann, “and I hope that it gives them some sort of peace in a friend they lost.”

Junior Alex Jacques said, “It will provide a much

needed safety adjustment that this school has needed for quite some time and decrease the accidents coming in and out of the school.”

Junior Anna Luhrmann said, “Actually I think it’s a good thing because I know a lot of kids who fly through that intersection.”

“I’m very glad to hear the news that the legislature has decided to get behind putting in a traffic management system,” said Senior Ethan Cooper. “It’s something that’s been a long time coming. It’s sad that it took this tragedy to do it, but it’s something that will protect Eckerd students in years to come.”

Ryan Jarrett, a senior who spoke at the MPO hearing after the petition, said, “I think that’s fantastic news and hope that it will pre-

Visit us online at www.theonlinecurrent.com

ECOS candidates

5

Bart Simpson

7

New ECOS website

8

By Rhemy Brezin ECOS President

Students react to news of signal light at main entrance LIGHT, from page 1

INSIDE NEWS

vent others from being killed or injured at the intersection in the future.”

Junior Jeanine O’Connell, a commuter student, said “I think it’s going to be really good for the traffic that we have there. Honestly, I think it’s a good idea. I’m excited that it was passed.”

“I like the idea,” said Senior Maddie McGill. “I think it’s safer overall because of the bike path and multiple lanes, it seems as if all the intersecting paths and types of traffic confuses a lot of drivers. This will clear that up, keep people safe and, unlike the speedbumps, will not be damaging to any vehicles.”

Junior Kidd Campbell said, “It always feels like a guessing game trying to pull out of there so it’s nice to know it’ll be there.”

Some others are concerned it may add to the dangers of the intersection or, at the very least, add to the confusion.

Yared “Red” Armstrong, a junior who commutes onto campus, said, “I would say that would be a poor decision and a dangerous one because not only would it disrupt the flow of traffic on 54th, 275 exists off nearby and a back up could cause unnecessary accidents.”

Senior Kara Miller, another commuter, said, “Although I know I will get angry at it when I am already late for class and it refuses to turn green, I think it will make turning into Eckerd safer for less confident drivers who find crossing a three lane highway intimidating.”

Sophomore Thomas Ogg said, “I hope that it’s safe, but I also hope that it doesn’t slow me down.”

Andrew Weaver, a commuting senior said, “I hope this doesn’t make me late to class in the morning.”

Greg Reilly, Cait Duffy, Aaron Levy and Hailey Escobar contributed to reporting.

ECOS is currently formulating a constitutional amendment to implement a “green fund” to be taken from the Student Activity Fee for environmentally friendly projects on campus. The fund itself will consist of a few dollars per student which will be deducted before the club allocation process begins each spring semester.

Currently, our environmental initiatives are supported by the Carbon Offset Fund. The Carbon Offset Fund is funded by the Carbon Offset Fee, which is paid by all students who attend Eckerd-sponsored Winter Term or Service-Learning Spring Break trips. The price varies per trip, and is based on the mode of transportation, the number of miles traveled and the number of plane stops if traveling by air.

Then, the Environmental Sustainability Fellow, Evan Bollier, sends out a survey to students to determine which on-campus project will receive the most support for implementation. In the past two years, he has purchased several of the water bottle filling stations and this year Alumni Grove will be restored and replanted.

Thus, this “green fund” from ECOS will assist the Sustainability Fellow, ECOS and students at-large in implementing and supporting more student-led environmental initiatives such as the recycling program. We hope that it will provide a base fund for future projects at Eckerd that will assist in limiting our carbon footprint, protecting our local biodiversity, or supporting local community-based efforts.

The constitutional amendment will go before Senate then be released to the student body for feedback before being approved

by Executive Council, so please watch your inbox and speak with your ECOS representatives if you have any questions, comments, or concerns about the implementation of the “green fund.”

Contact ECOS President Rhemy Brezin at ecospres@eckerd.edu

Senate update

By Liz Tomaselli Editor-in-Chief Senate approved Kappa Senator Kyler Thomann’s unused $100 from last semester to offset costs from the most recent Kappa Kitchen.

Executive Vice President Eliza van Dissel reminded senators that there may be a few thousand dollars left over in the senate budget for an end of the year gift to the school. Van Dissel also suggested the possibility of the student senate participating in a memorial for Rachel Price and Commuter Senator Henry Palmer offered the possibility of donating a plaque to the soccer team in her honor.

4 News

March 8, 2013

Professor Janus’s year of progress

By Kelly Coston News Editor

the current

extending range of motion in her arms. “I just keep working hard,” she assured.

Janus has always been active and outgoing; she rode her blue and white carbon fiber bicycle every day, and referred to it as her “baby.” At the time of the accident, Nancy was riding about 100 miles a week. “They say that was a good thing that I was in as good

with Janus is well aware of her positive attitude and high spirits. However, she admits there are things she gets easily frustrated with nowadays, mainly having to It started out like any other Wednesday be so dependent on others. when Human Development Professor Nancy It wasn’t easy for Berry to cope with all Janus got on her bike to meet her bicycle of the changes and challenges. Luckily, the club for their weekly ride. Now, nearly a year family was comforted with huge community later, we look back at the day that didn’t end support. Eckerd students, members like any other Wednesday. of Janus’s bicycle club and families “It’s ironic, I was on a ride to involved in the local NGO Taking the ride and got picked off,” Janus Back Lives all provided their family said from her living room, while with meals in their time of need. sitting in her wheelchair.

“They thought I was going to die for On the clear morning of March the first three weeks, so the kids and 14, 2012, just three days before Brian must have spent those three she was scheduled to leave on weeks waiting to see if I was going a Spring Break service trip to to come out of it,” Janus said. “If I Panama, Janus was struck from hadn’t been wearing a helmet, I’m sure behind by a Chevrolet van in her I would have been dead. You’re never own neighborhood. A helicopter totally safe when you’re on a bicycle. arrived quickly on the scene and I’ve become a lunatic about helmets.” flew Janus to the hospital, while Since the accident, Berry says he her husband Brian Berry, former lives by the mantra–one day at a time.

Eckerd professor, was left to pick “I took things day by day, that’s all I up the many pieces of both her could do. I can’t think too far ahead, shattered helmet and the life as and it is utterly pointless to think they knew it. courtesy of Janus’s Facebook page back,” he said.

“The story that we’ve been Nancy (center) and her three daughters, Susana, Elena and Cari (left to Since her leave at Eckerd, Janus said told,” she said, “is that (the driver) right). she has been eager to return to her hit me from behind and dragged my bicycle, and me, awhile, and then I of shape as I was, that’s really helped me get teaching, and is planning a return this fall.

Once back, Janus just might find herself one flipped up onto her windshield, and then through this,” Janus said. she realized I was there so she slammed on Janus says the loss of her active lifestyle of the most tech-savvy professors at Eckerd. her breaks and threw me through the air has been the hardest thing she’s had to Her iPad has dictation software, which and onto the pavement.” It’s hard to find endure. “It is so hard having to sit in a allows her to speak while it turns her words anything funny in that tragedy, but Janus wheelchair 24/7. The other day I had this into text on the screen. “I figured next year offers next, “She was 70-years-old, so we feeling I wanted to go running, and I haven’t when I go back to teaching, the students can decided she wasn’t texting.” run for years, but just to do some real send me their papers by email and then I can talk a response since I can’t write.” What she After being immediately airlifted exercise. And use my bicycle.” to Sarasota Memorial Hospital, Janus She has taken up solitaire, and has been misses more than teaching are her students. underwent many surgeries of which she has keeping busy reading lots of books. If Brian no recollection. Her husband helps to fill has errands to run, she is more than willing those gaps. “She was in a coma for about ten to accompany him. “I’m so grateful to get days,” he said. “During that time, she had out of the house,” she said. “Just riding surgery on her neck, hip and abdomen. She around in the car makes me happy.” obtained a spinal cord injury to the neck, her Though Janus is healing slowly physically, pelvis was broken in two places, her femur she is quick to point out that she’s still a broken in three and a broken heel in which quick thinker. “I may be in a wheelchair they didn’t do anything about.” Janus is also but I’m still me,” she said. “My memory is still recovering from a deep laceration on funny. My daughter had to have work done the right side of her head, still not healed on her car and I gave her the number for the mechanic off the top of my head, and I even eleven months later.

For six months, Janus called the hospital think, after all I’ve been through, there’s still home. However, it wasn’t until June before all the same junk in the filing cabinet.”

Janus isn’t the only one in her family she understood what had happened. Janus spent the first month with a respirator and whose life has been significantly altered by the next month learning how to breathe the accident. Her husband, along with their without it. Berry said, “For the first three daughters Elena, Susana and Cari have all months, it was ‘where am I?’ and ‘how did I made sacrifices. Susana came home from get here?’ every day. Now her mind is back to Eckerd. Elena came home from Columbia. normal, but nobody knew if that was going Cari turned down a tennis scholarship to stay here in town for her freshman year. to happen.”

Janus spent an additional month re- Brian retired a year and a half before the learning how to swallow, and can now eat accident, and put his plans on hold to normally if she takes it slow. “She can’t wolf become her caregiver. “I‘m his full time job,” courtesy of Janus’s Facebook page down a tortilla from Taco Bell like she once Janus said.

Nancy working hard at physical therapy.

“And a handful you are,” he joked. did,” Berry said, and laughed.

“I love Eckerd. I miss my colleagues, I miss Daughter of Nancy and Eckerd student, Though Janus is back living at home, her the way it’s run and all that stuff, but I miss everyday life is drastically different. “This Susana Berry, admits the past year has the students more than anything,” Janus is my Cadillac,” Janus said about her new brought many challenges, some of which said, and smiled. The feeling is absolutely electric wheelchair that she got in early she is still facing. “The important thing is mutual.

September. The smallest things are now big that we’re all together and she’s home. Our Anyone who knows Janus knows her things for her–things as simple as getting relationship is stronger now,” she said. other passion is traveling. She has traveled Even after everything she has been dressed or getting out of bed. “All this stuff to, and taken students on services trips, to that you never think about when you’re able through this past year, she is still the same so many countries even she has lost count. bodied, all the sudden it’s a big deal,” she old high-spirited woman we all know and Junior Gea Cohen-Paci admits that Nancy’s love. “If I look for the positives in this, I passion for travel, teaching and helping said.

Changes needed to be made to their would say that it’s been really important in others is contagious. “Nancy Janus is the house to accommodate Janus and her the appreciation I feel for Brian. He gives kind of professor that changes a student’s wheelchair. Ramps leading to the front door wonderful care and he’s a wonderful friend. life; I know that this was the case for me were installed, and into the living room. Sometimes after you’ve been married for a when I went to Thailand and Cambodia The shower in the master bathroom was long time you forget to think about those with her,” Cohen-Paci said. “She continues enlarged. They even bought a handicap things, but I don’t forget anymore,” Janus to encourage and influence me everyday– said. “He’s so cute. He does funny little and I value the relationship I have formed accessible van.

Her daily schedule consists of getting things and it’s just who he is. But I was going with her.” up and getting dressed, which is a process, so fast all the time that I never noticed.”

Senior Maddy Anderson agrees. “I eating breakfast and going to physical Anyone who has ever come in contact experienced studying abroad with Nancy therapy Monday through Friday. over winter term, and it had a huge influence Janus has made huge improvements in on my decision to study abroad for a whole the eleven months since her accident. Until semester and I thank her every day for that.”

August, balance problems made even sitting When asked if she would ever travel again, upright a challenge for her. She can now lift she made it clear that she does not want to her arms to about a 90-degree angle and is travel in her wheelchair, so she is planning slowly learning how to walk again. on waiting until she can walk. “As soon as I At first, Janus would hang from a machine can walk, I’ll be gone,” she said looking down during rehab that would support her body at her “I love Cambodia” T-shirt. Her next weight while she practiced moving her left destination is unknown, and she is not picky leg, the only one she has control of so far. She about where it might be. “I’d go anywhere, would move her left leg, while her therapist just get me out of this chair.” pushed her right. Three weeks ago, the hard March 14 will mark the one year work paid off when she started working with anniversary of the accident that shook not a walker. only the Janus/Berry family, but the entire While she has gotten much stronger Eckerd community. Students are invited to in core, Janus is still not strong enough to join Janus in one of her first visits back to hold herself up. So much of her therapy campus for a stroll around Kappa Field, 1 is directed toward building muscle, and photo courtesy of Brian Berry p.m., March 13.

Nancy sitting in her “Cadillac.”

courtesy of WikiCommons

China poses little threat to U.S.

By Richard Meyers Contributing Writer It seems like everywhere I turn I see the fear of a rising China. China seems to be the bogeyman of global economics that pundits yell about on TV as if global wealth were a zero sum game, and that every time China gains, we somehow lose. The more I speak to my peers at Eckerd, the more I realize how prevalent this China-phobia is. Therefore, I have decided to set the record straight and explain why the prophesized, frightening future may never come to fruition.

First of all, the seesaw notion that as the wealth of China rises, the wealth of the U. S. must decline, is unfounded. The last century saw the greatest increase in wealth in history for much of the planet. As J.F.K. famously proclaimed, “A rising tide lifts all boats.” Having one billion Chinese citizens with more money in their pockets translates to one billion more potential customers to purchase American products and 1 billion more tourists to visit American cities. Additionally, Americans can profit from the growth of the Chinese economy whether it be through investing in stocks, currency, or real estate. Furthermore, as wages rise in a wealthier China with a stronger yuan, goods produced there will be less price competitive and American products will be that much more attractive. If handled correctly, development in China can translate to tremendous profits for America.

Another erroneous impression is that China’s growth is unstoppable. While China made headlines last month when it surpassed the U.S. as the nation with the greatest balance of trade surplus (value of total imports and exports), statistics such as these can be deceptive. This number, for example, does not take into account that a large percentage of China’s exports consists of items that first were imported in the form of raw materials, and then exported after making only small changes to them.

The misleading statistics also fail to account for fully manufactured components that were imported into China, and then solely assembled there. These products count as imports and exports, yet China is actually making little money on them, and China will lose much of this business as its economy grows and the cost of labor rises. Furthermore, several leading economists doubt the veracity of these numbers since China self reports them and has been known to manipulate its statistics.

What’s more, the Chinese government habitually miscalculates its own growth and has built entire “ghost towns,” “phantom malls,” and theme parks, which were meant to house or be frequented by millions of workers, but now lie empty because no one wants to live or patronize them.

China also has unparalleled environmental issues including air, water, and soil pollution that threaten the health of its citizens and much of its agricultural output. As if all of that were not enough, China has an artificially suppressed currency (to keep its exports cheap) as well as a population that is migrating from the countryside to the city at an unmanageable rate.

China seems to be following in the footsteps of other Asian nations, like Japan, that once inspired fear, but are now slipping down the global economic rankings. No one can say definitively what China’s financial future may be, so for now we should focus less on fearing their financial success and focus more on fixing our own economic troubles.

Visit us online at www.theonlinecurrent.com

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Exhibit celebrates black history month

By Hailey Escobar Asst. News Editor

Throughout the month of February, we celebrate the different African Americans who blazed a path in civil rights such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. In the Armacost Library, an exhibit highlighted the accomplishments of Louise Graham.

Graham began to dedicate her life to the service of disabled children after visiting her husband’s cousin, Grant Graham, at the ward for Black Children at the American Legion Hospital for Crippled Children.

After that trip, she committed herself to helping disabled children,

white and black, and making sure they had the skills they needed for the future. Her work continued even after her death in 1983; and her legacy has continued with the Louise Graham Regeneration Center on 23rd St. South and 3rd Ave. South.

The center’s mission is, “To provide opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities, to maximize their independence through the provision of quality life skills training, paid employment and participation in the community at large.”

This exhibit was brought to Eckerd’s campus thanks to Dr. Barbara Weinlich, with support from the Afro-American Society

and the Office of Multicultural Affairs. It was made up of several panels that were on loan to the school from the Regeneration Center to help spread the story of Graham’s service to St. Petersburg.

A mixture of photos and text chronicled her life.

When asked about her opinion on the exhibit and Graham, Library Director Jamie Gill stated, “Having just gone through here and read what’s on these panels, she appears to be a really remarkable woman who took her experiences, and her interests and turned it into a real model for places across the nation.”

The exhibit was located on the upstairs walls of the library from Feb. 1 to the 28th.

I’m at Happy Hour where a few EC professors are concluding their Friday and I get another round.

The bartender raises her eyebrows “Tocobaga?” I ask and while she fills me up I look behind the bar at the flat screen TV. I wonder if the mark of a bar where professors like to go, besides two for one Happy Hour, is that the National Geographic channel is playing instead of the ubiquitous sports game. The sound is muted but a meteor collides with the Earth in a fiery blaze while an enraged Tyrannosaurus bellows her last. I take an extra deep gulp of my beer.

If there is one side effect of this scientific age it’s the baffling array of doomsday possibilities that pre-scientific times only began to fathom. I bring up death by meteor because of the most recent headlines. On February 15, 2013 death by meteor caught our attention on two fronts.

Firstly, an Olympic-swimmingpool-sized asteroid discovered by Spanish astronomers, through a grant from the Planetary Society with CEO Bill Nye the Science guy, and tracked by NASA missed Earth by roughly fifteen minutes (Stuart, 2013). Remarkably, a second asteroid exploded over central Russia and injured 1,200 people (Quin, 2013) on the same day.

As far as asteroids go, February 15th was historic and an unsettling reminder as to how little we actually know about what may be coming at us from the cosmos.

But we as a species are saturated with scientifically plausible doomsdays that sound equally threatening. The looming Global Climate Change situation appears to be getting even direr, with some claiming that predictions from climatologists have been too conservative (Sherer, 2012). I

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Have you ever wondered why or how the new CMLS building is labeled “green”? Although the building will consume vast amounts of energy, it is more efficient than comparable 55,000 square foot science buildings.

The United States Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system categorizes how “green” buildings are on a scale (from low to high): Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum.

The CMLS building is expected to earn Gold level certification.

To address electric- The touch-screen monitor in the lobby. ity consumption, some of the more In both the north and south highly visible items are LED lights, wings of CMLS are single bulb balsingle bulb ballasts, and fans. By op- lasts. Typical fluorescent ballasts erating large fans in the entry way throughout the rest of campus have and circulating more air efficiently, two bulbs, thus consuming more it reduces the need to over air-con- than twice the electricity.

To address water conservation, dition the space.

This is vital for the main lobby reclaimed water from the water since large events will often be held treatment facility next door is being

pumped over for the cooling tower, which is part of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. Cooling towers evaporate thousands of gallons of water per day to cool down the air that is being circulated in a building.

Unlike conventional towers that use potable water, the CMLS tower uses 100% reclaimed water that is unfit for human consumption.

To address the education component, there is a state-of-the-art touch screen energy monitor. It tracks live energy photo by Evan Bollier consumption as well as historical data. There are ways to view daily, monthly, and annual data in kilowatt-hours, metric tons of carbon equivalent, and dollars.

The hope is that this monitoring system will be added to other existing buildings including Iota and the soon-to-be renovated Sheens.

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Why the James CMLS is “green” there and the sliding doors will often be left open for long periods.

Also in the entry way there are light emitting diodes (LEDs) that produce many lumens while using little energy.

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By Evan Bollier Columnist

News 5

March 8, 2013

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remember swine flu and the initial panic from the media that warned of the worst-case scenario: a repeat of the 1918 influenza pandemic that killed some 50-100 million people.

That’s 1-3 percent of the Earth’s population at the time!

Who didn’t get invited to a 2012: End of the World Party? Just watch an episode of Doomsday Preppers on National Geographic and I hope you see where I’m coming from. Electromagnetic pulses!

Supervolcanos! Terrorists with nuclear weapons! Tsunamis! Its like people are looking for any excuse to cash in their chips in a blaze of glory worthy of a B-Sci-fi flick.

While apocalypse-philia may not be new (just pick up a bible) science has opened the realm to a baffling array of potential ends, leading up to the conclusion that the sun is gong to intensify, expand, and wipe out the Earth anyway. Is our fascination with the end what ultimately separates us from the other animals?

I’d like to call upon humanity to freak out rationally, not just in regards to the theoretical but also to the everyday. There clearly are times to worry. It would be foolish of me to dismiss the very real ramifications of Global Climate Change, the approach of a meteor on a trajectory towards Earth, or the state of the economy. But with reason we know more of what the universe can dish out at us and what used to make us afraid can instead inspire curiosity and respect through understanding.

If something concerns you, think about it and do some research. If you’re still worried about it, talk to an expert and try to do something about it. If you’re still afraid of something after all of that, come talk to me. I’ll have the beers ready to go, the asteroid missed us and I’m going to celebrate.

ECOS Senators declare candidacy For more information on the the 2013-2014 candidates and their platforms, scan the QR code to go directly to TheOnlineCurrent.com. All photos courtesy of the respective candidates. Voting begins March 11 at 9 a.m.

Matthew Wilson is running for ECOS president.

Alpha Senator Henry Ashworth is running for ECOS executive vice president.

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Vice President of Financial Affairs Brady O’Donnell is running for ECOS president.

Visit us online at www.theonlinecurrent.com

Beta Senator Alek Matthiessen is running for vice president of financial affairs.

Gamma Senator James Patterson is running for vice president of Academic Affairs.

Incumbent Erin Stringer is running for vice president of Academic Affairs.

Commuter Senator Henry Palmer is running for vice president of finanial affairs.

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March 8, 2013

Students return from WT trips with winning photos Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth Tomaselli thecurrent@eckerd.edu Managing Editor Jeralyn Darling News Editors Kelly Coston Aaron Levy currentnews@eckerd.edu Asst. News Editors Hailey Escobar Political Consultant Ethan Packey Viewpoints Editors Ely Grinfeld Alex Roberts currentviews@eckerd.edu Entertainment Editor Ian Lindsay currententertainment@eckerd.edu Asst. Entertainment Editor Hayden Johnson

N a t u r e

The Quickie Editors Rose Kraemer-Dahlin Taylor Glaws currentquickie@eckerd.edu Health & Fitness Editor Caroline Campbell currenthealth@eckerd.edu Asst. Health & Fitness Editor Lizzy Brophy Sports Editor Mike Geibel currentsports@eckerd.edu Asst. Sports Editors Colin Casey Will Creager Dominick Cuppetilli Graphic Design Editor Carver Elliot Lee Photo Editor Alex Zielinski currentphoto@eckerd.edu Asst. Photo Editor Dominick Cuppetilli

Director of Finances Kevin Boyd Director of PR/Advertising Arielle Burger currentads@eckerd.edu Director of Communications Cait Duffy

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.

Junior Kendal Hansen (Second) Course: Cultural and Natural Environments of the World

“While we were there we also saw a lot of alligators, but this happens to be an American croc. The beast was jumping out of the water to catch some dinner, but luckily for the prey, missed, and lucky for me I snapped just the right photo.”

“Brightly colored green crickets devouring a plant on the Kariega Game Reserve of South Africa.”

Junior Michael Freeman (First) Course: The Arts in Vienna, Salzburg and Prague

Junior Sara Fish (Second) Course: Sacred Byzantium

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Web Editor Greg Reilly Asst. Web Editors Hailey Escobar Web Master Vincent Lynch Faculty Adviser Tracy Crow

Freshman Frazier Springfield (First) Course: Independent Study

“At the top of the Untersberg, experienced adventurers have the opportunity to parachute down to any of the nearby villages. This was the perfect day for a jump, as the weather in this area is often foggy or cloudy.”

“Candles from a monastery in Bulgaria.”

P e o p l e Sophomore Leah Bilski (First) Course: Language Immersion in Sicily “This picture is of a man in his shop near Piazza Steri in Palermo.”

S t u d e n t s

Sophomore Raquel Rubin (Second) Course: Traveled on my own “I spent this past winter term in Guatemala, volunteering at an orphanage called Semillas de Amor. There are 24 kids at this home, ages 5-12; all of whom are completely wonderful in their own way. Every child seemed to have an infinite amount of love to share.”

Freshman Claire Pfeifer (First) Course: Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia

Sophomore Trent Adamson (Second) Course: Ghost Ranch: Abiquiu, New Mexico

“Seniors (left to right) Ana De Olano, Julia Rozell and Liz Hackett dressed in native clothes and non la (palm leaf conical hats) on a farm after an afternoon of farming in Hoi An, Vietnam.”

“Photography Over Chimney Rock. After an hour hike up the mountain we stopped to take a look at the great view, and get some photographs. This is a shot of senior Chelsea Gribbin enjoying the view and capturing the moment.”

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the current

March 8, 2013

News 7

BP faces stiff fines under Clean Water Act

By Ethan Packey Political Consultant The Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill rocked America three years ago when an exploratory well for British Petroleum, operated by subcontractors Transocean and Halliburton, failed in tremendous fashion.

Since each of the companies, especially BP, has faced numerous legal and financial charges related to the disaster.

BP alone has shelled out $30 billion to clean up the oil spill, compensate Gulf Coast companies for lost busi-

ness and settle criminal charges with the United States Department of Justice.

But three years later, there are still unresolved issues including whether the companies were negligent, or grossly negligent and whether or not individual company employees will be prosecuted criminally. The next move in this ongoing legal drama is BP, Transocean and Halliburton being brought to trial in civil court.

The investigation into the oil spill is ongoing. BP pleaded guilty on 14 different criminal charges, the Justice Department’s investigation and legal actions will now focus on certain employees who may have violated criminal statutes includ-

ing those regarding obstruction of justice.

This is where Eckerd College Republicans Chairman Ryan Heffner finds his beef with the government. “How long will the drama continue?” said Heffner. “It is entirely without precedent to criminally prosecute both a company and its employees over an event such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Also, does President Obama remember that the statute of limitations prevents him from bringing any new criminal charges or civil suits against BP once we pass the event’s five-year anniversary?”

Despite all the litigation, fines and the threat of an ongoing investigation by the Justice Department, the situation is unac-

ceptable for Pete Fotheringham, a freshman Democrat. “It just shows how the government treats major corporations” said Fotheringham. “They get all manner of tax breaks and now, three years later, the BP case is finally brought to trial and all they’re going to get is fines? Corporations are prosecuted so much less than people in this country.”

From their moves so far, it looks as though the Obama administration wishes to change whatever precedent exists that lets corporations off easy.

BP has shelled out more than $30 billion related to Deepwater Horizon. Experts at the Wall Street Journal say that the number could approach $17.6 billion.

Bart Simpson’s newest film proves to be a hit at Eckerd’s environmental film festival

By Hailey Escobar Asst. News Editor The Environmental Film Festival has been a staple at Eckerd for 15 years as a way to bring important, innovative films and filmmakers to campus.

This year’s festival was no different. Bart Simpson, producer of films such as “The Corporation and Bananas!*,” was one of these filmmakers who made an appearance at the festival this year for his involvement in the film “Big Boys Gone Bananas!*.”

The new film began back when Simpson and the team of “Bananas!*” were preparing for the first documentary’s premiere at the LA Film Festival in 2009. The film followed the story of lawyer Juan Dominguez as he represented 12 banana workers from Nicaragua in a case against Dole Foods. When their documentary caught the eye of the corporate food company, “Bananas!*” began to receive major backlash, legal problems and pressure to back out of showing the film.

According to Simpson, the documentary “Big Boys Gone Bananas!*” hadn’t been planned.

“We were getting a lot of heat in the beginning,” he explained.

“We decided that the protection against any incoming legal battle was to film everything. We didn’t know it would be a film.

Nobody knew it would be a film.

It really started as a defense.”

This isn’t Simpson’s first film that questions the corporate world. He is also well known for his work “The Corporation,” the

Pulitzer-Prize

By Hailey Escobar Asst. News Editor

By Aaron Levy News Editor

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promotional photo Promotional poster for “Big Boys Gone Bananas!*”

Tampa Bay, taking back the night

winner Hedrick Smith visits Eckerd Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist and activist Hedrick Smith recently made a stop at Eckerd College to promote his latest book “Who Stole The American Dream?”

(Random House, 2012) and to present “Real Eco Horrors: Poisoned Waters,” a film narrated and co-written by Smith, as part of the Eckerd College Environmental Film Festival Feb. 21 in Fox Hall.

A Frontline production directed by Rick Young, the film brings attention to the increased levels of pollution in several of America’s major waterways such as Puget Sound and the Chesapeake Bay, and the ensuing effect on wildlife.

Smith is the author of several successful books, including “The Pentagon Papers” and bestseller “The Russians.” His latest book explores how America arrived at the polarized, economically unequal point that it is at today, and how the American Dream has “unraveled” for the country’s middle class.

Smith talks to a variety of people in the book, including political leaders Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich, as well as many working class citizens like airline mechanic Pat O’Neill, to illustrate how America came to be so divided.

At a small meeting with students the afternoon of the film screening, Smith started his lecture with the questions, “How many people voted? Okay, now how many people think that what is happening in Washington today corresponds to what you voted for?”

Smith told his audience of about 40, “I started writing this book because back in 2009, I was disappointed with the state of America.”

Hedrick’s discussion focused on both politics and economic policy, pausing to point out the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans are taking about 20 percent of all income nationwide. “How did we get from a situation where we had pretty widely shared prosperity to a situation where we

2003 film that won acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival. When asked about what draws him to the subject, he stated, “Maybe I would call it a drive for corporate responsibility. Let’s be open about this, we have a lot of privileges, but do they have a lot of responsibility? And that’s part of the type of stuff that I like to do.”

The film was well received at the Environmental Film Festival. Junior Cassie Ochoa said “Big Boys Gone Bananas!*” was her favorite film at the festival.

promotional photo Hedrick Smith.

have tremendous inequality of wealth?”

Smith also brushed on the gridlock in Congress, the accomplishments and shortcomings of the “Occupy” movement and the state of grassroots activism in our country.

“I have a sense as I go around the country talking to different groups, that there is more of an activist climate than we’ve had in quite a while in America,” he remarked.

When asked about ethics in journalism, Hedrick had much to say. His answer included experience from his time as the Washington, D.C., bureau chief for the New York Times, and printing a story about a certain former White House Chief of Staff embarrassing himself in front of the wife of an Egyptian ambassador at the White House.

Speaking more broadly, he said “If enough people doubt our society, it falls apart. We must never let anger, cynicism, or political anger blur our vision, we must not disparrow the republic.”

Before opening up to audience questions, Smith concluded his lecture. “The last six words of my book are ‘We, the people, must take action’ and that is what we have to do,” he continued, “We, the people, must take action.”

At one point during the question and answer period, Smith quoted a friend of his who poignantly stated, “Power corrupts, but powerlessness also corrupts.”

Hedrick Smith’s book “Who Stole The American Dream?” is available at most major retailers and the Eckerd College Bookstore.

Visit us online at www.theonlinecurrent.com

International Women’s Day is celebrated all over the world every year with different events to mark the many achievements women have made in society.

Even Eckerd’s Women’s Empowerment Society will be celebrating this occasion March 8. “It’s a day that definitely celebrates the progresses women made and still, kind of, trying to focus on the progresses we need to make,” Senior Rebecca Cassidy said.

However, this will only be the start of many more events to come from the club as they prepare themselves for many events in March and April to bring awareness around campus about sexual assault and female empowerment for Take Back the Night.

“Women’s Empowerment Society is having a lot of really cool, really fun, really serious, really informative events on campus to try and change campus culture about what it means to be a feminist, what is means to be a woman, what it means to be a human and the rights associated with that and it’s all pretty exciting,” Junior and Vice Executive President Lily Ellis said.

The series of events will kick off with the club’s mocktail event March 11 in the Pub. This event is to educate students about responsible drinking habits in social

situations and taking care of yourself.

The group plans to show two documentaries in Miller Auditorium. The first is “The Purity Myth,” a 2011 film featuring feminist writer Jessica Valenti who visited Eckerd last year as a guest speaker for the WES Take Back the (Fort)night event.

This film details the effects of “purity” and abstinence culture on American youth.

It’s also inspired by Valenti’s book by the same title. It will be shown on March 27. Then, the second film that will be shown on April 2 is the 2001 “Mickey Mouse Monopoly,” which details Disney’s corporate power on our global culture.

There will be also the annual Feminist Rally. “A bananza of fun,” Cassidy called the event during a meeting to plan the many events. The rally is to celebrate the success of women, much like International Women’s Day, and will have several things to do including the Heel the Soul race. The race involves men wearing heels and running through an obstacle course.

One of the biggest events planned is a CPS event with photographer Grace Brown, creator of Project Unbreakable. Brown has raised awareness about sexual assault through her photos of assault survivors with quotes from their attackers.

The series of photos began with Brown’s Tumblr page back in 2011, and she

has taken over 1500 pictures since. Her blog was also named one of the top 30 Tumblr blogs to follow by TIME magazine. Brown travels all over the country to speak to college students.

Thanks to Junior Penelope Alexiadis, one of those schools will be Eckerd April 18.

Another big event for Take Back the Night will be the Survivor Speak Out. This powerful event welcomes assault survivors in the Eckerd and St. Petersburg community to speak out about their experiences to educate students. Ellis, who is in charge of this event, made it clear that students are invited and encouraged to speak at the event if they feel comfortable.

In addition to these major events, the WES also plans on meditation events to help students relax and decompress after the more serious events offered during Take Back the Night. Other events will include a vigil for the victims of sexual assault, the popular sex toy party and involvement in the Tampa Take Back the Night event April 21.

Women have made many achievements in the world from Malala Yousafzai’s stand for girls’ education to the increase of women in international politics.

However, there are still events that shows the world that there is still have a long way and sexual assault is one of those hurdles.

8 News

the current

Mar. 8, 2013

Brought to you by Career Services

Eckerd to host Nobel laureates at CPS event

By Colin Casey Asst. Sports Editor

Dear Lindsey, I just got back from a semester abroad and can’t get enough of traveling. Are there any internship or job opportunities available in different countries?

Sincerely, The Traveling Triton Dear Traveling Triton, Yes! The Office of Career Services has just launched a new database of international jobs and internships. ‘Going Global’ is not only a great place to search for opportunities, but it offers country-specific guides that allow you to view career information and samples of resumes particular to that country. Want to know how a resume should look in Japan? This tool has that information, as well as guides to 40 other countries that include industry and employment trends, professional and social networking, embassy listings, information on work visas, cultural interviewing tips and cost of living advice.

There is also a guide to the expenses you may encounter while in the country. So all-inall, ‘Going Global’ should be considered a very versatile and extremely helpful tool to aid you in your international search!

What’s more is that ‘Going Global’ is also a great database for U.S. jobs, and contains guides to all of the major metropolitan areas that include lists of the top companies, employment trends and a detailed guide to the cost of living in that area. Need to find out when the next job fair is in Boston? The listing contains links to five upcoming fairs. This is just one example of how in-depth this resource is.

‘Going Global’ can be accessed through the Career Services homepage. If you login offcampus, you will need to access this tool through your Eckerd ID and password.

Best of Luck, Lindsey

Eckerd College’s college program series events are a unique way for the school to draw attention to programs. Each event offers students opportunities to be in the presence of individuals who have truly helped shape the course of the modern world.

Such will be the case later this month when the college will host a lecture from Nobel Laureates Dr. Henry Pollack and Dr. Pier Vellinga on their work in the field of global climate change.

Both men collaborated with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007, along with former United States Vice President Gore, for their collected work in better informing the world about the problem of global climate change.

Despite skepticism on the subject, global climate change is mostly accepted by the scientific community. Both doctors have worked around the world, seeing the effects of climate change in their work, and feel that the issue should be depoliticized.

In the United States, climate change is often treated as a secondary issue to national interest despite support from the more liberal Democratic Party. On the conservative side of the aisle, the most recent acknowledgement of the issue was an opening joke in then-Presidential-candidate Governor Mitt Romney’s acceptance speech at the 2012 Republican National Convention.

Gridlock has repeatedly stalled government progress on other issues often put in front of climate change legislation, the two parties’ own staunch attitudes on compromise preventing any forward progress.

Dr. Henry Pollack commented on the apparent gridlock during a recent Skype interview with The Current. “I feel that the [federal] government has not exhibited leadership on the subject of climate change; Congress just doesn’t want to hear the message.”

Dr. Pollack is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Michigan and is one of the most esteemed geologists collaborating in IPCC reports. His latest book, A World Without Ice, is a study in climate change forensics analyzing the geologic history of climate change events on Earth.

While the book itself is not a hypothetical disaster scenario, it outlines a scary reality of a world where melting ice caps and permafrost potentially alters modern life.

Offering his experience and knowledge of geologic history, Dr. Pollack offered several reasons for any climate change critics to believe.

“The current warming period we have entered has experienced more rapid change than any previous event in history.

The difference is that there is a new player on the block [man] affecting the process.”

According to Dr. Pollack, the world has mostly seized control of the climate system in the post World War era and now must work toward sustainability through several means to avert a crisis.

Perhaps the best analog to the coming sea level rise is the experience of the Netherlands, which for years has dealt with a rising sea level along its low lying shores. One of the most prominent scientists in this threatened nation is Dr. Pier Vellinga, a climate change scientist and former coastal engineer at Wageningen University Research.

Dr. Vellinga’s original doctoral thesis in effects of storms on the Netherlands’ coastline helped contribute to the current Dutch Delta Evacuation Plan. He is currently the chairman for Knowledge for Climate, which receives state funding in order to help the nation adapt to future climate change.

Dr. Vellinga also sat with The Current via Skype to discuss the growing crisis facing the world’s coastal regions. “The trouble with the coasts is that each stretch is different and faces different stretches; the mid-atlantic of the U.S. is not the same as the Florida coast,” Vellinga said.

There is no one-solution fix for the issue of sea level rise, especially in a nation as varied as the United States, where two of the five largest cities have been struck my major hurricanes in the last 20 years. When asked if there were any possible adaptations to the current issues in Florida, Dr. Vellinga recommended a solution reminiscent of his current work with Knowledge for Climate.

“What we are doing in the Netherlands is trying to minimize the use of hard surfaces, such as cement, in our shorelines, and encouraging more natural barriers and vegetation which maintains the sediment levels.”

The future is nowhere near certain and both Dr. Pollack and Dr. Vellinga are fully aware of the fluidity of the climate change situation.

Dr. Vellinga believes that the population must encourage future political action in regards to climate change and that inaction today could be catastrophic 40 years from now. Yet he still found a way to tie in the pressing economic question in the United States.

“Today’s problems are tomorrow’s job opportunities,” Vellinga said. Dr. Pollack feels that the change will begin in the private sector and slowly move through government beginning at the local level. In regards to how climate

ECOS launches new website for clubs

By Rachel Beck Staff Writer Club leaders rejoice. ECOS has launched a new website to smooth out the kinks in the club chartering process. According to the ECOS website, there are more than 90 clubs on campus, which means lots of chartering applications. ECOS Parliamentarian, Sophomore Greg Johnson, created this website (http://eckerd.webs.com/) so that anyone starting, or re-chartering, their club will be able to access both the application and examples of correct bylaws online.

“I wanted to make the club application process easier and faster,” Johnson said. “The [club leaders] can use the website to get the applications and get some guidance.” Examples of bylaws have been posted on the website to clear up any confusion about writing the club charter. “People will create

great club ideas, and they have to keep having to resubmit their bylaws because there are minor errors that could be really easily fixed if they had the guidance to do so,” Johnson added.

“There has never been guidance [available] until this website.”

Prior to the creation of the website, students had to pick up printed versions of the application from the ECOS office or Campus Activities. Screen shot of the new ECOS website. students can submit their charters With the new website in place, students don’t even have to be on online. “I certainly think that one campus to start preparing their day, clubs will be able to charter club charter. According to Johnson, online,” Brezin said. “Paperless is students can start over the summer, a more environmentally friendly, or if you live off-campus you can get and an organized way to run an it ready from home. organization. Thus I feel that being Though the application can be able to charter online would only accessed online, students must make this process easier for both still print it out before submission, ECOS and for the clubs.” as a signature from the club Brezin is looking forward to sponsor is required. In the future, more updates to the ECOS website ECOS President Rhemy Brezin as a whole. “ECOS is currently hopes to create a system where working on its overall web page,”

promotional photo Dr. Pier Vellina.

promotional photo Dr. Henry Pollack.

change can be so divisive politically, he made a haunting statement. “Unlike the politicians, nature has been talking and its [nature’s] politics are neutral,” Pollack said.

Their ASPEC sponsored CPS event lecture “Sea Level Rise in florida: Mitigation, Adaptation, or Retreat?” will be Thursday March 28 in Fox Hall at 7 p.m.

Correction An issue 8 article “Campus Safety brings in local reinforcements,” misquoted Eckerd College Coordinator of Community Standards Lori Meehan. The misquote was caused by an error in the editing process, where the word “not” was unintentionally left out. The original quote stated “Meehan hopes that students understand that Campus Safety does not want to get them into trouble.”

Brezin said. “We are working to include an activities calendar, contacts for all ECOS positions, The Current extends club heads and important campus personnel, a photostream, meeting sincerest apologies to Ms. Meehan and the office of announcements and any other information that ECOS wants Campus Safety and Security for the egregious overto get out to the student body sight. The Current’s edito[through] the website.” rial staff prides itself on Johnson hopes that the website accuracy and we deeply will help make the chartering regret this copy editing process more student-friendly. “I error. want more students to be active on campus,” Johnson said. “This is a

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the current

Viewpoints 9

March 8, 2013

Viewpoints INSIDE VIEWPOINTS

Legislation allows women in combat: changing the front line

By Nick Napoli Contributing Writer

F

ormer Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey signed a memorandum Jan. 24, 2013 that has changed the military’s landscape, as we know it.

Military Services are developing an implementation strategy that lifts the ban on assigning women to direct combat units. This memo repeals the DoD’s memorandum dated Jan. 13, 1994 “Direct Ground Combat Definition and Assignment rule,” which states “Service Members are eligible to be assigned to all positions for which they are qualified, except that women shall be excluded from assignments to units below the brigade level whose primary mission is to engage in direct combat on the ground.”

In today’s battlefields there are no distinguishable front lines, with missions aimed at counterterrorism, stability operations, and nation building in which women have been actively involved in.

Instead, the traditional “front lines” of combat units and “rear lines” of support units are blurred and equally engaged in, or susceptible to combat operations.

In Iraq and Afghanistan women have been in what is considered

direct combat at an exceptional rate. More than 130 women have been killed and more than 800 wounded in these wars. Women have been hit by Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), indirect fire, and small arms; they have been ambushed and captured as POWs. They have fought honorably and with valor. PFC Jessica Lynch was captured early during the Iraq war. SGT. Leigh Ann Hester was awarded the Silver Star, one of the highest decorations for valor, while her MP unit was ambushed. This marked the first time since World War II that a female has received this distinguished medal.

An RPG in Iraq hit Lt. Dawn Halfaker who has become an icon for wounded women warriors.

Women have lead combat patrols, lead convoys, and have even worked alongside Special Forces.

One of the most noticeable missions today is Female Engagement Teams (FETs). In Iraq and especially Afghanistan where there is a large female population, cultural norms disallow interaction between males and females. The FETs were developed to interact with females and to build relationships while on combat patrols. This meant they often accompanied infantry units (which are currently closed to women) on patrol or in direct combat operations. see COMBAT, page 10

First Times Living on a boat

Christianity getting a makeover

By Riley Huff Contributing Writer Are faiths around the world starting to buck tradition? Eckerd alum Libby Shannon (‘05), now working in the Eckerd College Center for Spiritual Life says, “God, I hope so.”

Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation was the first time papal duty has been in almost 600 years for the Church.

In 1415, Gregory XII was forced to abdicate his power amid a civil war known in Vatican history as the Great Western Schism. Papal politics prompted this, and Pope Gregory’s departure led to a twoyear period with no formal pope.

As far as we know, Pope Benedict is leaving on good terms.

The pope claims he is no longer capable of doing his job due to health issues--an amicable split that history has rarely seen.

To get a glimpse of changing religious institutions, we need not look further than our own Eckerd community.

Shannon has noticed differences in the religious community here. “There’s been a notable change in how people worship on campus.” When she first came to work at the Center for Spiritual Life in 2010, services involved many aspects viewed as standard practice. Hymns and scripture readings were staples each Sunday.

Sunday services look a lot different now. Today, the talks shift away see CHRISTIANITY, page 10

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One thing you’re told from a young age is that college will prepare you for the future. That might be true, but without a vision and without goals, where are you really going?

Being that I major in creative writing, I express my visions creatively.

I learned about vision boards in high school, and I swear by them now. A vision board is a visual representation of where you want to go, what you want your future to look like and how you’re going to get yourself to that point.

Traditionally, they’re designed to be updated the beginning of every new year, but giving yourself more time might lead to major changes that will affect your vision.

I made my first and only vision board last winter, and I don’t see myself making a new one in the immediate future. My vision board hangs above my bed, and right now it’s exactly me and where I want to go.

There are quite a few ways to go about making a vision board, but here are the steps that I took: First, start with a piece of poster board or cardboard. Something sturdy and big. Cover it in any color paper to eliminate white space.

Pick out your favorite colors and let them become part of your vision.

Second, think of inspirational quotes or sayings that you want

11 12

‘They’ are showing heteronormativity

By Rose Kraemer-Dahlin Asst. Viewpoints Editor

courtesy of Nick Napoli Cadet Alexandra Espinel with children during a leadership program in Afghanistan.

to see every day to remind you of your goals. They can be in your own words, famous quotes or anything that you have the need to say.

Third, go through magazines, newspapers, the Internet or whatever you have laying around. Pick out words, pictures, people, outfits or anything that you feel belongs in your future. Remember that these things do not have to exist in your life right now.

Fourth, design how you want your board to look. Place each piece on the paper before gluing anything down to make sure it all fits. Things should overlap and you should aim to take up almost all of the board.

Finally, glue everything down. If you have it, you can put Mod Podge over the features of your board to keep everything secure and be nice and shiny, but it’s not necessary.

A vision board can be comprised of anything that inspires you, even things that happen on campus. “I feel like just being here [at Eckerd] is an opportunity in and of itself,” said Freshman Alexa Iorillo. “Eckerd has so many things going on all the time that I’m never bored.

One unexpected opportunity is ESCAR. A lot of people have preconceived notions of what it is, but it’s really a great way to meet wonderful people and to learn amazing things that help others.”

As our vision sets up what we want our future to look like, we

gather an idea of how to make such a future start happenig now.

We take the opportunities that will get us to our desired destination. “I’ve had such an amazing college career up to this point,” said Freshman Hunter Ballak-Leggett.

“I have become a part of the event staff and an administrative aid in the Campus Activities office, I now work for WECX, the Eckerd radio station and I have become a part of the Eckerd community.”

Most people who see my vision board and ask what it is have never heard of it. Those people have goals, just not as physically illustrated as mine. “I made a vision board last year and it had Eckerd on it and Australia,” said Freshman Chelsea Duca. “So now that I’m at Eckerd I want to study abroad... probably in Australia. And then I can make a new vision board.”

Even though I don’t foresee myself doing another vision board in the immediate future, I do plan on eventually adding things like my favorite John Green book (Paper Towns) and update some of the handwritten quotes to coincide with how Eckerd has impacted my view of what my future holds.

For now, I enjoy glancing up and seeing my corner dedicated to Disney, an Oscar and a Pulitzer prize that I hope to one day win and a reminder of what kind of person I strive to be every day.

photo by Paige Kesselman An excerpt of Paige Kesselman’s vision board.

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Milan Fashion

Student illustrates dreams on vision board

By Paige Kesselman Contributing Writer

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If you are unfamiliar with the term “heteronormative,” it’s pretty much exactly as it sounds: the norm to be heterosexual.

The concept is a series of ideals and practices that position heterosexuality as normal and natural whereas everything not heterosexual (i.e. homosexual, bisexual, transgender, etc.) is abnormal and unnatural.

We may be unaware of the heteronorms we experience daily, for example, the gender binary on campus. Two that stand out at Eckerd would be our lack of gender-neutral housing and public restrooms.

These pressures to conform to the gender binary can sometimes be subtle. Culturally, we use heteronormative language, assigning the labels “he” or “she” without the consideration of the lingustic alterntives. One is the singular version of the plural pronoun “they,” which has a history of being used by authors like Chaucer as a singular pronoun.

Two centuries ago, gender neutral singular pronouns like the singular “they” were the norm in academic environments. Only in the past two centuries were they less familiar, until now. For example, when not knowing a gender of a student, one can say “They were walking out of their class.”

Realizing their importance in our language, we’re beginning to accept these terms as necessary to our political correctness.

Heteronorms seep into our discourse. A friend of mine who identifies as queer told me once that they felt labeled when another friend nicknamed them the “gay best friend,” immediately putting them in a box as “the gay one.”

Another friend told me she hates it when her partner tells her she’s probably “PMS-ing” whenever she expresses the slightest bit of anger toward him, in effect, gaslighting her (attempting to delegitimize her feelings by doubting her intuition and giving it an excuse, in this case “PMS-ing”). This falls into a heteronormative abuse paradigm because it functions from prejudices against women by men.

The first circumstance stemmed from a precursor for error: the subject of Valentine’s Day. Settling down before class, the professor casually asked if “any of the ladies were getting flowers from their boyfriends. Not sure? All right then, moving on...”

“Hey – wait,” I thought. Was that fair to assume all “girls” would date “boys” or vice versa? That flowers would appeal to women? I glanced around to see if anyone was knitting brows or roused from the question, but no one in the class seemed miffed. I decided to keep my mouth shut, but that didn’t last long.

In the uninhibited first few minutes of my next class, my professor contributed to a conversation.

Regarding the prospect of having a colorful debit card when they, (singular they), commented, “Hmm, see HETERO, page 10

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the current

March 8, 2013

First Times Broadening the travel horizon

By Jeralyn Darling Managing Editor My last column got me thinking about traveling. And, for the first time, I’m traveling outside of the U.S. for spring break.

I’ve never been outside of the U.S. aside from the Bahamas (though, when you live on the East Coast of Florida, the Bahamas doesn’t even really count).

I may not have traveled abroad, but I have seen so many wonderful places within the U.S. since coming to Eckerd.

I’ve gone on beer trips visiting craft breweries up and down the East and West coasts, gone on an RV road trip from Florida to Washington state and back and took a summer cruise to Alaska with my family.

For our three-year anniversary, my fiancé Matt and I drove to New Orleans. Now, for our five-year anniversary, Matt is taking me to Quebec City, Canada. We’ll be staying at the Château Frontenac in the middle of Old Town for the entirety of spring break.

It has become a tradition of ours to travel, enjoy local cuisine, drink well and immerse ourselves in the culture of our location.

So, passport and airline ticket in hand, I will meet my love in a brand new, historically dense culture and I couldn’t be more excited.

Quebec isn’t typically the place to visit in early spring (in fact, many spring breakers travel to St. Pete), but Matt and I love the cold (OK, he’s going to call my bluff, but at least I get to wear my cute purple peacoat).

As far as cuisine, I’m not trying to get my hands on poutine (a common dish that is basically a pile of gravy fries with cheese curds), but maybe I’ll try a bite or two of tourtière (meat pie). So, food is a maybe, but I’ve heard the craft beer scene is a hit. I’m sure we’ll be checking that out (The drinking age is 18.

Why did I wait till I was 22 to go to Canada?).

I guess, between the excited jitters of going to Canada for the first time and the butterflies of seeing my fiancé, I’ve realized that the real world is only a couple short months away.

I’ll have a job (fingers crossed), a wedding to plan, rent to pay, maybe even a dog to take care of. I may have jam packed my semesters at Eckerd with classes and extracurricular activities (you’re reading the epitome of time-consuming extra curriculars), but I know what I’ve sacrificed to do what I love.

Unforunately, my time is running short. I need to get my traveling in soon – and I need to do a lot of it.

Military working to implement women onto front lines from COMBAT, page 9

(which are currently closed to women) on patrol or in direct combat operations.

What the military is looking at now is a scientific study of combat related MOSs that are currently closed to women and the steps necessary to integrate women.

The infantry they are studying how much does an infantryman have to carry, lift, travel, and most importantly the average weight of the combat load plus weight of the individual to include being able to carry wounded companions.

Armor and artillery units are studying the requirements for carrying heavy rounds and loading tanks and artillery pieces. For example, to work in a tank or paladin, individuals must carry and load a 50 pound average shell. Females will have to demonstrate these various requirements alongside their male counterparts.

This will be done by creating a standardized and fair assessment of physical capabilities.

People have brought up the idea that men would not be able to fight adequately

cade. Living and fighting in close quarters and difficult conditions however does raise the important issue and potential of increased acts of sexual harassment as women are fully integrated into direct combat roles.

The military has been fighting sexual harassment and assault for a long time. There are a growing number of programs offered to both men and women to prevent such actions. The military leadership has been given more tools and innovative methods to identify and combat the problems as well. Nevertheless, it remains a significant issue that must be further studied, fully investigated on every account, and fought since with this change in policy there is likely to be an increase in female and males living together.

The United States military has been the forefront of social change. This change in policy will be implemented and I have the utmost confidence that the military will do it in the most professional and responsible way possible.

Nick Napoli is currently a ROTC cadet in his last semester.

Christianity’s impact...diminishing? from CHRISTIANITY, page 9

from specifically Christian values.

While Eckerd still lays claim to its strong Presbyterian ties, the services have become more inclusive and revolve around topics such as sustainability and the environment. Community gardening has become popular with a program called Common Ground. Shannon affectionately refers to this time with her fellow participants as “playing in the dirt.”

“We talk about mindful eating, Sabbath, what it means to take time out from being in the library and just work in the dirt,” Shannon describes.

The Center for Spiritual Life has started encompassing all religions into its services. Events associated with the chapel like kayak trips on the bay have

become increasingly less traditional.

Employed as a student coordinator in the Center for Spiritual Life for two years, Senior Katie Doyle has seen drastic changes in the Center’s ideology. Not all the changes have been viewed as positive though.

“What attracted me to the program freshman year is no longer how it is now,” she says.

So where did all the tried and true Christians go then? “InterVarsity Club has really blossomed on campus,” says Doyle. “For Christians, there’s a need for a steadfast establishment, a need for a community to be a part of.” InterVarsity Club is part of the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, a nationwide organization uniting Christians of all denominations. Interestingly enough, we have spiritual but secular students partici-

pating in chapel services while the attendance of actual Christians has decreased.

Instead, these Christians now practice their faith outside the confines of the altar.

Like the rest of the world, Christianity at Eckerd College is going through a transitional period. The Vatican is undergoing some administrative changes now. It was not too long ago that Eckerd also gained new leadership.

The Christian community is learning how to adjust to a world which is becoming not only less religious but also less traditional.

Little does the Pope know that the most groundbreaking thing he has done with his power was to surrender. He has opened the door for custom to be shattered.

Sexuality norms exist in language today from HETERO, page 9

just not pink for the guys.” Laughter. “Why not?’ I asked.

“Well, I guess… let’s begin class.” It’s just not the time and place, I told myself.

Case number three happened the next afternoon in a subtle and interesting way. In our class discussion, an argument emerged suggesting that maybe the main character was divorced and unhappy because he was a closeted homosexual. At first, this felt like a refreshing perspective, one that forced our class to consider the possibility and think of evidence to support or debunk the claim.

As I continued to think about the situation I realized that this argument somewhat assumes that if heterosexual relationships don’t work, then your sexuality is probably different than previously thought. It restricts unsuccessful relationships to sexual orientations in heteronormative terms.

PerspECtives

“They definitely need one. I know because I ride my bike every day and it’s dangerous.” - Dino Clark, Pub Staff

with women because they would be preoccupied with protecting the females instead of the other men or focusing on the mission. There are a lot of fathers, brothers, and husbands in the military and undoubtedly some form of protector instinct will surface.

This, however, should be mitigated through trained and aware leadership, realistic pre-combat training, and focused counseling on an individual basis as needed.

Another question being evaluated is the type of conditions certain MOSs are living and fighting in, especially in regards to health, and sanitary environments. People have seen images and videos of infantrymen living in horrible conditions, with little hygiene, lack of food, in the mud, rain, and cold.

A common question is why would anyone want to live like that for a year at a time? The reality is however, that not only infantrymen, but many women have already been living in such conditions alongside their male counterparts on remote Forward Operating Bases (FOB) or Outposts (OP) in Afghanistan and Iraq over the past de-

Whatever happened to the quality of relationships? Regardless of sexual orientations, qualities in all relationships will vary.

In using a non-personal experience but rather an observation of heteronormativity’s existence on campus, I asked ECPride President Sam McBride if she thought Eckerd should provide gender-neutral bathrooms. “I think it’s a great idea to have gender neutral bathrooms, especially as it encourages acceptance of gender variance.”

In this understanding of gender as a continuum, not a binary of females and males, we can begin to notice heteronormativity in our language and social structures. By practicing the use of a more discerning, commodious language as well as being mindful of political correctness in our speech we can foster an environment that communicates effectively without subscribing to the gender binary.

McBride admits that developing this awareness and adjusting our diction will not be easy. “I try to do this as much as possible, but it is difficult to break habits, especially when those habits are reinforced by the surrounding culture.”

Fortunately for us, we are members of a liberal arts college where we are forever encouraged to partake in these challenges like addressing heteronormativity. We have thefreedom to explore the thought of genderneutral spaces and discuss their meaning and effect through civil discourse, trial and error.

We are developing skills and practices very unique to Eckerd College that we’ll take with us from now on, implementing these progressive, sophisticated and equal-rights oriented methods after graduation, now, in 50 years, in another country, at another school, wherever you go. So what are we waiting for?

What do you think about the traffic light installation on 54th Avenue?

“For safety reasons I feel this is past due. It may be a little inconvenient but in the long run it will be much safer for everyone.” - Donna McIntosh, Campus Safety secretary

“Although I think it is a necessary change, there’s a good chance it’s going to be pretty inconvenient when the road gets busy. But, safety is more important in the end.” - Jim Bodson, senior

“The traffic light is good so fatal accidents don’t happen again.” - Tom Brunello, freshman

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the current

March 8, 2013

amusing Free of musings Facebook

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

Follow us on twitter: @TheECCurrent Literature Professor You could be talking about a touching young adult novel or beastiality. #Language

International Business Professor Tell Pablo I want one kilo of Colombian gold. #IPadStartedPlayingMusic

Gender Studies Professor You develop in the womb, pleasure is sustained, then you are out, and shit goes down. #Birthing

Literature Professor My margin notes say,“Am I drunk?” #ProfessorNotes

By Lindsay Biggs Contributing Writer I had been playing with the idea of deleting my Facebook for quite a while.

The ridiculous amount of time I was wasting on a daily basis scrolling through notifications and photos was not healthy by any means, and I found Lenten sacrifice to be the perfect opportunity to cut out social networking altogether.

My inspiration came from my younger sister who was able to successfully give up Facebook for Lent last year. Both my parents and I were positive that she wasn’t going to last the entire 40 days, but she proved us all wrong.

So here I am one year later—if my 14-year-old sister can live without Facebook then so can I. Until March 28 I will remain completely Facebook free.

At the beginning, a few of my friends from back home tried to talk me out of it by asking me, “why would you ever want

to do that?” They said I would be completely unaware of everything that would happen there.

My friends here didn’t really have much to say about it, though no one was brave enough to try it out with me. But now everyone is supportive—and even a bit stunned—at how easy this sacrifice has turned out to be.

Originally, I wasn’t really sure what life without Facebook was going to entail. Especially since I was one of those people who could sit on Facebook for hours stalking my “friends,” some of them whom I haven’t personally seen in years. (Yes, I know, I’m that creepy.)

But I am genuinely surprised how little I actually miss “The Book.”

Deactivating my Facebook account has forced me to engage myself fully in life.

Whereas before, when I would find myself bored in a waiting room or not knowing what to say in a forced conversation with a stranger, I would simply get my iPhone out and start scrolling through my news feed—a habit that is all too common throughout our generation today.

However, now I’m finding myself to be much more alert during conversations and I am introducing myself to people I would have never even noticed before.

Another student also recently chose to temporarily cut the social networking ties to gain a sense of self-awareness. “Our generation has grown up with the development of technology and we hardly realize how tetherd we really are to it,” said Junior Rachel Feinberg. “We have unlimited access to information through texting, social media like Facebook and Twitter, the web and applications. However, we are completely oblivious to the fact that we are constantly plugged in and the only time people actually become aware of their dependency on technology is when they’re away from it.”

This severe dependency that our generation has on Facebook has lead to one of its most common criticisms: the tendency to promote procrastination.

I could not agree more, as getting off Facebook has shown me what it’s actually like to be productive. I am now able to do things I previously thought I would never have time for.

Instead of stumbling upon pointless, but funny, videos on Facebook, I am now watching the news. I actually have some sort of idea of what’s going on outside of our “Eckerd bubble.”

Beforehand, I would even catch myself opening a textbook at the library, picking up my phone to check

Viewpoints 11

it quickly and next thing I know a whole hour has passed without me even looking at my work once.

Yes, I no longer am as in touch with what family members halfway across the country are doing on a daily basis, and I don’t know what that random kid from high school who I spoke to maybe twice in four years is doing for his birthday.

But I still hear the important details from my parents and close friends back home. And by no means do I feel “out of the loop” with what’s going on.

My days are much quieter now and I focus on the more introspective things. I am not wondering what part of my day is or isn’t worth sharing online.

Which is probably best with the privacy settings on Facebook constantly changing and the real world just around the corner.

With more and more people being denied once and a lifetime job opportunities because of photos posted on Facebook from high school or college, I truly believe that I have made a smart move.

As much as I miss the convenience and the social connectedness that Facebook provides, I am thoroughly enjoying my time offline and do not see myself going back anytime soon.

Writer describes life on boat Letter to the editor : Paying

By Norris Comer Contributing Writer

When asked to write about living on my sailboat, I was immediately overwhelmed.

Nothing evokes so many fond, traumatic memories, and the almost perverse combination of the two that must be love, as my good boat Capias, a Catalina 27’ from 1973.

I’ve lived on her about a month now and we’re safely tucked away in O’Neill’s Marina. But things didn’t start out that way.

All I was told about her past when I first saw her last summer was that a stranger who didn’t speak English towed her in from somewhere and dropped her off, no questions asked. I didn’t really know what to look for but I pretended I did when the owner’s friend toured me around. ally know what to look for but I pretended I did when the owner’s friend toured me around.

Looking back, I reckon a third of what he said was bulls--t, for his job was to get rid of the boat not to scare me away. The paint was worn in places where the blue gelcoat was visible on deck. She boasted an impressive 20 horsepower Yanmar three cylinder inboard diesel engine… that didn’t work and would require a few thousand bucks to fix, money that I didn’t expect to have anytime soon.

A soft spot, where water had softened the material between the fiberglass, had created a weak area in the middle of the deck wherea good stomp could send a leg all the way into

the cabin. There was an old, roach eaten folder that held some old memorabilia of her owners from the 70s. Big curly white people fros, denim mom shorts, and hairy open chests were a must for the 1 percent back then.

Capias, I read her name off an old float chain. “I’ll take it,” I said after half a dozen visits. Who has not thought about taking to sea on a vessel?

Off our very own Eckerd seawall there are a handful of sailboats posing seductively from the “mooring field,” which is not official in any way but gathers boats nonetheless. I see people out there all the time paddleboarding out to one, curious about what treasures may be aboard and eager for adventure.

And yet I wouldn’t trade my current lifestyle for any other in the world.

A neglected piece of my spirit that was underfed by a life of merciless convenience and safety grows strong. For every one of the stories I mentioned before there are countless evenings aboard in overalls just reading a book while the rain pitter-patters on the deck.

Or the mornings spent meditatively scrubbing down the deck. Most of all, I’ll never forget those afternoons of easy sailing where I felt like I had just exited heaven when I returned to shore. I work to make my orphaned floating corner of the world a little better every day and each averted crisis is a lesson.

Maybe someday I’ll develop something that will resemble wisdom. For now, I’m 23, in good health, and I live on a sailboat. I envy no one.

attention to diversity on campus

By Michael Mario Albrecht Assistant Prof. of Media Communication At our most recent faculty meeting, President Eastman made the assertion that in order for Eckerd College to succeed in the long term, it needed to attract a body of students that more closely reflected the rapidly changing demographics of the United States.

Despite my inherent distrust of administrators, I was heartened and even inspired by an administrator who shares my aspirations for a more diverse campus and who is dedicated to the broader principles of a liberal arts education.

Two days after our meeting, Eckerd College prepared for its annual Family Weekend.

As part of the weekend of celebration, the college proudly displayed a wide array of state and national flags in order to represent symbolically the geographical diversity of the college.

Included in the display of flags was the “official” state flag of Mississippi. While many of the southern flags still allude to the “Stars and Bars” in their flags, (Florida still maintains the red cross from its days as part of the Confederacy), Mississippi is the only state that still includes the entire flag of the Confederate States of America as part of its flag’s design.

By no means do I want to pick on the Magnolia State; however, I do want to suggest a disconnect between the admirable discourse that administrators at Eckerd College promote verbally, and the implicit discourses of racism, segregation and vio-

Original Mississipi flag flown at Eckerd.

courtesy of Norris Comer Norris Comer sailing by South Beach.

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lence that proudly flying “rebel” flag evokes.

By raising the “Stars and Bars” in any form, Eckerd College runs the risk of discouraging certain students from applying to Eckerd or matriculating to this remarkable institution.

The flag potentially deters not only African Americans whose ancestors were directly affected by the horrors of the Confederacy and Jim Crow laws, but also students of all colors who are committed to the ideals of social justice and equality—pillars of the liberal arts principles that Eckerd vociferously promotes.

Supporters of the Confederate flag claim that the flag represents the “tradition” of The American South and not its brutally violent and racist past.

However, the flag has too much history to separate this history from its most visible symbol.

The swastika has a rich history in Indian spirituality; however, despite this history, the horrors of Nazi Germany remain deeply imbedded in the symbol. To those who are insistent upon the importance of “tradition,” I propose that Eckerd flies The Magnolia Flag in order to honor the “tradition” of the state through a sign that is much less wrought with the unavoidable baggage of the “Confederate Flag.”

If Eckerd truly wants to attract a broader swath of traditionally college-aged students, it should commit to being an international liberal arts college, and sever all ties to the “Old South” and no longer allow any version of the Confederate Flag in any official capacity on its campus.

Magnolia version of Mississipi state flag.

Send a letter to the editor currentviews@eckerd.edu Past letters to the editor have been on: - school spirit - the health center - political issues

12 Viewpoints

the current

March 8, 2013

Environmental Studies department thanks Yellow Bike program for artificial reef

By Carolyn Moritz Contributing Writer Note: This article is a satirical piece meaning its contents are not to be taken literally.

As always, the highly anticipated Yellow Bike Rally proved a great start in kicking off the spring semester.

Throughout the day, passersby eagerly eyed a sunny array of shiny new bicycles presented at the twice-annual rally that has come to represent such an iconic part of Eckerd tradition.

Students race off into the sun-

set while members of the environmental studies department cheerfully look forward to another successful installation of their experimental Yellow Reef Initiative.

Established nine years ago, Yellow Reef Initiative was a program designed to establish various artificial reefs in prominent bodies of water around campus, most notably Zeta Pond, the pond by Wireman Chapel and Frenchman’s Creek.

“We had been trying to attain funding for this project for years,” recalls an environmental studies student. “Every year, some other idea captured the donors’ atten-

Student abroad attends Milan Fashion Week

By Shannon Vize Current Foreign Correspondent The last week of February in Milan, Italy only means one thing: it’s Fashion Week. As an avid fashion lover and addict of any fashion magazine I can get my hands on, to me it felt like heaven had descended on the city.

There are several destination opportunities to study abroad, but I chose Milan because of its status as fashion capital of the world and its close location to other European countries.

Milan in the fall or spring is ideal for fashion lovers because the whole world gathers to see the upcoming looks from the notorious Italian designers during Fashion Week.

It is one of only four prestigious cities that gets to host Fashion Week twice a year, including Paris, New York and London.

Milan gets the coveted title of fashion capital of the world because of the numerous influential designers that stem from the city, like Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, Armani, Versace as well as many others.

Designers like Dolce & Gabbana also have a rich history in the clothing world, and a specific style centered around the use of fine, quality fabric and a simple and elegant look that many designers still follow today.

When Fashion Week finally hits, it is evident at every turn.

The metro is more packed than usual and the typical model

sightings become much more frequent as models dash from runway to runway between shows.

Milan streets are typically filled with stylish people, but this week everyone who is anyone is dressed to kill.

Neon Doc Martens, every color and style of sunglasses, wild high heels and experimental combinations are on every street.

The only signal to the heavy snowfall are the luxorious fur coats sported by few, but it seems to most streetwalkers fashion outweighs discomfort.

The pop up buildings made for the various and plentiful runway shows are all over the center of the city near the Duomo and inside the courtyard of the Castello Sforzesco.

Several designers from Milan, like Dolce & Gabbana and other brands, hold their shows at their own private showrooms near their workrooms.

The schedule for Milan Fashion Week presenting the collections for Fall/Winter 2013 is posted online and includes more than 170 shows, 132 collections, draws 2,500 international and Italian journalists and 15,000 buyers.

Almost all of the shows are closed to the public and every single show requires an exclusive ticket or invite to get in.

However, the sponsors of Fashion Week set up booths around the Duomo where you can get your hair, makeup or nails done by professional makeup and hair stylists.

You can also enter to win one

tion: a new basketball court pavilion, barge dormitories, a center for molecular and life sciences.”

Undaunted, the department took matters into its own hands.

In 2004, the first batch of yellow bicycles appeared on campus.

Presented as a free public service for students, the Yellow Bike program was laced with enough rhetoric about “community consciousness” and “shared respect” to inspire the feverish levels of apathy needed for the project to work.

After that, there was no looking back. From that semester onward the project has largely

been considered a huge success.

“We try to release about 100125 bikes per semester,” explains a Campus Activities official.

Although a few bicycles do remain intact enough to ride throughout the academic year, the significant annual contributions to the Yellow Reef have exceeded the expectations of even the most optimistic of the Initiative’s original planners.

“It just serves as yet another example of what you can accomplish when you truly embrace the Eckerd spirit,” smiles the environmental student. In the name of environmental progress, she

of several giveaways for tickets to a show or take a seat and snap a picture in BMW’s newest car.

These small things allow everyone to feel like they are part of the action.

Editors, designers and those working the shows have been known to hand out a few free tickets to the most stylish, edgy or unique person anxiously waiting behind the black roped off areas if all the seats aren’t filled.

Many students, bloggers and die hard fashion fans like myself find themselves outside the shows decked out in their best look, hoping for a ticket in o a glimpse at next fall’s collections.

Outside Dolce & Gabbana’s show was a madhouse of people flashing their tickets, photographers vying for the best shot of celebrities and bloggers trying to find the best street style to photograph.

I found my place at the front of the black roped off area and anxiously waited for the show to end hoping for a photo of a model. I wasn’t disappointed.

Through the doorway, I was able to see the models exit the runway, still dressed in their incredible runway looks of red, sequin, glamorous dresses of varying heights. All of them looked elegant, beautiful and exuded femininity, all of which are often associated with Dolce & Gabbana’s looks.

As everyone exited the show, the models were easy to pick out. All of them had creamy complexions and cheekbones highlighted perfectly, coupled with a crimson lipstick and cat eye eyeliner applied by Dolce & Gabbana’s makeup artists.

They looked just like they had stepped out of a magazine ad with legs for days and thinner than

anyone out on the streets. Most were happy to stand and have their picture taken before they rushed off to their next booking.

I thought that my Fashion Week experience couldn’t get any better, but the final day of Fashion Week proved to be the best one yet.

A fellow American student at the Universita Cattolica (with an accent over the a) del Sacro Cuore, Caroline Filippone, and I found ourselves inside the tent of the New and Upcoming Designer’s runway shows.

After we explained to a woman working there that, unfortunately we didn’t receive tickets or an invite and that we were leaving as the shows were just about to start, she informed us to wait right there and that she would find us a way in.

Not only did she get us in, we found a spot front row right next to the dozens of photographers and reporters, as well as A-list buyers, stylists and editors. The lights dimmed on the crowd and the first model began walking to the pulse of a fresh and upbeat Italian song.

We saw all six of the New and Upcoming Designer’s shows, which included the beautiful and innovative collections of Mauro Gasperi, Francesca Liberatore, Ryuya Ohishi, Miguel Alex, Lucia Ji Youn Jang and Isabella Zoboli.

The shows were closed with a speech by the head of one of the sponsors of Fashion Week about the need to move Italy toward more sustainable fashion and how by doing so we can help end poverty and stop climate change, which was inspiring to see the elite fashion world taking an initiative to help the environment.

encourages everyone to remember the program whenever we see an overturned bicycle halfsubmerged at Gamma Point.

courtesy of Campus Safety blog Yellow bike in James Center pond.

I don’t think there is anything quite like being in Milan during such a stylish, fashion crazed time like Fashion Week if you are a fashion addict. Without studying abroad, I never would have had such an incredible, rare experience.

All photos by Shannon Vize

Shannon Vize gets her hair cut and styled by a fashion show sponsor.

Street style outside Dolce & Gabbana fashion show.

All the looks from the Francesca Liberatore Show.

Custom heels from Miguel Alex’s show.

Model post-runway at D&G show.

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the current

Entertainment 13

March 8, 2013

Entertainment Unique pets invade campus

By Conor McKenna Staff Writer We’ve seen them around campus, in our dorms, in various shapes and sizes. Pets are a great, fun and significant contribution to Eckerd College living. They can be a lot of fun to own, a great way for college students to learn responsibility. Ordinary pets are really cool, but having a bizarre one can make it even better.Unique pets match unique people, and there are a substantial amount of both at Eckerd.

If you haven’t seen the popular duo already, Eckerd College is presently the home of two Pekin ducks, Kilgore and Patrick. The ducks are owned by Sophomores Kelly Ejnes who owns Patrick, age 3, and Kerry McElroy who owns Kilgore, age 5. Ejnes and McElroy are roommates and have lived with the ducks at Eckerd, since their purchase about a month ago.

The roommates have surely had an adventure taking care of them.

These ducks can be messy at times,

Other unique pets on campus (past and present): hedgehogs ducks snakes scorpions tarantulas chinchilla

Patrick the duck. photo by Alex Zielinski

going on adventures to cat litter boxes and needing diapers indoors.

Though messy, the ducks are fun and have had no real negative effects on anyone’s lives. Ejnes and McElroy also explained how feeding them can be fun and interesting, giving them baby duck food pellets, vegetables and fruit.

Ejnes and McElroy have to take them out on walks and swims as the ducks chirp along beside them. “It’s unique that we can take them out and they just follow us. Even if they get confused and follow other people, they normally know to come

back to us,” said McElroy.

It’s a hilarious sight to see, watching the ducks pecking and chirping alongside their owners.

“They think we’re their mothers,” explains Kelly. The ducks and the girls have a strong bond. The ducks don’t like to be left without their owners. Patrick, and Kilgore have affected Ejnes and McElroy’s lives, and vice versa.

This upcoming summer Ejnes plans to take care of Kilgore, and possibly Patrick as well. The roommates have really enjoyed having

the ducks with them.

Pet Council recently reached out to these two sophomores because they also own a cat. It’s against policy to own more than two animals.

“My roomate and I are trying to come to a compromise,” says Ejnes.

“We love these ducks so much, as does the entire student body. We are hoping they come around and realize we can handle three pets.”

The pet council has given them the option of keeping the two ducks and sending the cat home, but the issue has yet to be resolved.

Hedgehogs have also proven to be great, unique pets. Sophomores See UNIQUE PETS, page 15

gives gas station food gourmet twist

By Carver Lee Graphics Editor Being from Tennessee, I had only heard stories regarding the greatness of the Mid-Atlantic gasstation chain Wawa. I doubted its grandeur initially, thinking how could anything be better than my hometown Golden Gallon that sold Mayfield’s Milk and used to have a TCBY counter? Until trying Wawa, I have always thought a gas station was a gas station. I was wrong.

Wawa does not exist in the same category as any old regular 7-Eleven, Chevron, Citgo or Sunoco. It’s not simply a convenience store. It’s the most convenient store. Why the dramatic explanation? Because it deserves it.

Wawa is the Apple store of gas stations. As you pull up, the clean, bright, fresh exterior and large, spacious gas pumps serve as welcome

respite from many of the rundown sketchy alternatives that line interstate exits. The gas prices themselves lure me to the pumps, despite the fact that I pass 5 other gas stations on my way there.

When you walk through the front doors, you’re likely to be personally greeted by a Wawa employee (depending on the time of day). You’ll look to your left and see the makings of a typical convenience store: chips, candy, assorted snacks and drink coolers lining the wall. In front of you is the food station, a rounded counter with employees creating delicious foods for your immediate consumption.

Surrounding the outside of the counter, at random intervals, are touch computer screens, waiting to take your order. Hot and cold hoagies, daily soups, quesadillas, mac and cheese, smoothies and specialty coffee drinks are all made to order.

After ordering your food, you can explore the more than 15 varieties of coffee, the fresh-made doughnuts, or the walk-in beer cooler. For only .89, you can grab your own fountain drink, with the option of adding any of seven different flavoring syrups to your choice of soda. They even give you the option of cubed or pellet ice.

Or, in the drink cooler, you can grab a Wawa brand flavored iced-tea. As you browse the chip and snack aisles, you’ll see that it’s not the usual stock of Lay’s potato chips and off-brand moldy Twinkies. Instead, you’ll find more mid-Atlantic brands, Takis and Herr’s potato Chips, an entire shelf of Tasty Cake pastries, and some healthy-ish varieties of pita chips and vegetable fries.

Before you check out, you’ll be presented with the option of buying hot Wawa snacks, such as

cream cheese or cheddar cheese stuffed soft pretzels, or jalapeno poppers. Just like the sandwiches and smoothies, these snacks are far superior to the 7-Eleven equivalent of reheated pizza and taquitos.

Overall, Wawa is not just a gas station. It’s an experience with great food, provided by a great organization. In a time where Walmart employees are denied fulltime status and benefits, Wawa provides its full-time employees with medical insurance for themselves and families, internship programs and, because the store is open 24/7 it is a great place for students to work with a college schedule.

Though the closest one is about 15 minutes away on Gandy Blvd., the company plans on opening new stores frequently throughout the state. So, make your way over to Gandy and enjoy the wonders that Wawa will introduce to your life.

Local group starts positive opportunity for youth

By Lizzy Brophy Asst. Health & Fitness Editor From the jazz movement in the 1920s to the hippies of the 1960s, music has always been an instrument to bring people together and enact positive change. Whether it be jazz, classical, electronic or anything else, music has the power to touch the soul. Operation Coexist, founded by Katie Talbert in December 2012, strives to use the healing capabilities of music through various projects in St. Petersburg.

According to Talbert, her passion for this cause is a natural product of her musical upbringing. “I have always been a strong believer in the healing power of music,” she says. “I grew up with musician parents and have been writing and per-

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forming music my entire life. I began researching music therapy and the more I learned the more eager I was to come up with a plan to create a movement to improve the quality of life through music. Operation Coexist was a combination of everything I have ever learned and everything I have ever loved.”

The organization looks forward to benefiting the community in a variety of endeavors. Their first project, “From the Streets to the Studio,” aims to help the youth. “(We) create an opportunity for at-risk youth in local high schools to be given an all-inclusive musician›s ‘press-kit’ that will be put together by a group of college student volunteers,” says Talbert.

Another project entails fundraising for Music Sweet Music, Inc., a

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charity that provides instruments and musical therapy sessions for sick children. Volunteer Brittany Hazeltine adds that the group also participated in a Santa’s Angels program this December in which they donated gifts and food to adopted families in the St. Pete areas.

In addition to its therapeutic properties, Operation Coexist also celebrates the entertainment value of music, hosting a monthly “Coexist through Music Series,” at Ruby›’s Elixir in downtown St. Petersburg.

The event raises funds and awareness for the cause in addition to providing an enjoyable Sunday evening activity. Past performers have included Roots for Change, Burning Tree, Paint the Town Red and Automatic Heat.

“I’m a musician by profession,” says Talbert, “and have become well

promotional photo

See COEXIST, page 16

INSIDE ENTERTAINMENT “Descension” album review

15

“Walking Dead” culture

16

Fashion column

16

promotional photo

“Please Subscribe” shows lives of Youtubers

By Kara Brown Contributing Writer It’s often easy to forget how large the YouTube community is.

So I was pleasantly surprised to find about 20 people in the movie theater when I walked in to see “Please Subscribe.”

After 30 long minutes of waiting for a broken projector, a theater employee came and transplanted the audience into a theater previously occupied by showings of “Gangster Squad.”The theft of the theater and insider nature of the audience gave the feeling of being in a gangster squad of our own. An excited energy filled the room as we were all excited to see the familiar faces that graced our computer screens take over the silver screen.

Every minute, 72 hours of content is uploaded to Youtube, which means that there are plenty of videos to watch beyond a keyboardplaying cat or just a flash-in-thepan viral video. “Please Subscribe,” a documentary directed by Dan Dobi, follows eight people who are content creators on Youtube, more commonly referred to as “Youtubers,” and explores what it means to be a content creator.

The stars included Grace Helbig (Daily Grace), Mitchell Davis (LiveLavaLive), Hannah Hart (MyHarto), Dan Brown (PogoBat), Joe Penna (MisteryGuitarMan), Adam Montoya (SeaNanners), Will Hyde (The Will of DC) and Craig Benzine (WheezyWaiter).

Just the different types of videos on YouTube, these creators all have diverse backgrounds and paths for gaining popularity on the site. However, while they may have diverse backgrounds, “Please Subscribe” highlights their shared drive and entrepreneurial spirit.

Dobi got the idea for the film when he realized that there was an entire community dedicated to making content. He wanted to highlight the fact that making videos on YouTube is a legitimate See YOUTUBERS, page 16

14 Entertainment

the current

March 8, 2013

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

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9

10

Alumni Weekend

Alumni Weekend Day at the Dali

Events

Alumni Weekend

1 p.m.

4:30 p.m.

Super Store Shopping Pitchers with Professors 11 a.m.

Saturday Morning Shuttle Market Shuttle 7 p.m.

Swing Dance Lessons 6 p.m.

Film Aficionados Movie Night 8 p.m.

Cotton Club 9 p.m.

EC Surreal Film Festival

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16 Spring Break

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

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7 p.m.

Mocktail Monday 7:30 p.m. CPS Ivette Vargas-O’Bryan, “Tibetan Medicine, Disease Spirits, Environmental Awareness”

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Spring Break

11 a.m.

6 p.m.

Film Aficionados Movie State Fair Night 1 p.m.

Super Store Shuttle

March 8 - 21

Spring Break

7 p.m. CPS Fait Muedini, “Women’s Rights in Islam”

7 p.m. CPS Panel, “Women in Leadership”

11:30 a.m.

Pi Day

7:30 p.m.

Swing Dance Lessons

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19 Spring Break

21

Spring Break

Spring Break

7:30 p.m.

Swing Dance Lessons Shopping

To advertise your event with The Current, contact Current Entertainment at currententertainment@eckerd.edu

The St. Pete Sampler Local fun and fine dining

Looking for a taste of Italy outside the Eckerd bubble?

Check out these fine ristorantes for a variety of flavors from around the downtown area.

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A.

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THE TIPSY TRITON Cocktails & Mixed Drinks

Cucumber Cooler 2 ounces of gin or cucumber vodka 3/4 ounce of St. Germain 3/4 ounce fresh squeezed lime juice Club soda Cucumber slices for garnish Preparation: Pour all of the ingredients with the exception of the club soda and shake with ice. Pour into a rocks glass and top with soda. Garnish with cucumber slices. Enjoy!

Passion Fruit Mojito 2 parts Passion Fruit Mojito mix 1 part white rum Ice Club soda Mint sprigs Lime slices Preparation: Combine in a pitcher 2 parts Passion Fruit Mojito mix, 1 part white rum, and ice. Mix, then pour into ice-filled glasses. Top with a splash of club soda. Garnish with a mint sprig and a lime slice.

Note: The beverages and recipes on this page are intended for consumption only by individuals who are 21 or older. The Current does not promote underage drinking. When combining alcoholic beverages with caffeinated beverages, it is important to be aware of the potential side-effects and limit your consumption accordingly. Drink responsibly, our friends.

A. Moscato’s Bella Cucina 449 Central Ave. 9 mins from campus Tue.-Wed. 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

Thu 11 a.m.- 10 p.m.

Fri.-Sat. 12 p.m.-12 a.m.

4 stars $$

B. Primi Ristorante Italiano 27 4th St N 8 mins from campus Mon. - Thu. 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m.-10 p.m.

Fri. 11:30 a.m.- 3 a.m.

Sat. 4:30 p.m.- 3 a.m.

3½ stars $$ Full Bar

C. Gratzzi’s Ristorante 211 2nd St S 10 mins from campus Mon.- Thu. 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.

Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.

Sun 4 p.m. - 10 p.m.

3 ½ stars $$ Full Bar

D. BellaBrava 204 Beach Dr NE 10 mins from campus Mon. - Thu. 11:30 a.m. - 10 p.m.

Fri.-Sat. 11:30 a.m. - 11 p.m.

Sun 3 p.m. - 9 p.m.

4 stars $$ Full Bar

Beer & Wine Only

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the current

March 8, 2013

Coheed and Cambria’s new album “Descension” keeps fans rocking

By Conor McKenna Staff Writer

ed. The end of certain songs consisted of dialogue or noises which apply to the futuristic story setting, which were cool and unique but took away from my enjoyment of the musical aspect of the album.

This album felt very well made and sounded fantastic, but seemed as if it wasn’t entirely finished because of a few little annoyances and problems.

This album had one single titled “Dark Side of Me.” This was surely a powerful and passionate composure by all aspects of this song. The lyrics suggest living with past mistakes and darkness that cloud today.

The guitar, bass and drums put out a great effort into the song as well as Sanchez’s voice.

“Dark Side of Me” was a great part of the album but the song itself felt a little stretched

“Descension” is the second part to double album“The Afterman” by Coheed and Cambria with the first album in the two-part series being “Accession.” The previous album received mainly positive reception, “Descension” has done faintly better. Coheed and Cambia’s albums, including “The Afterman,” have been primarily alternative rock.

All of the albums composed by Coheed and Cambria are concept albums containing science fiction stories written by lead singer Claudio Sanchez. These stories, called “The Amory Wars,” have been written into comic books as well as a novel. “Descension” follows the storyline of the character Sirius Amory, and his journey to different worlds and discovery of an afterlife.

Though the lyrical content for every song is based around “The Amory Wars,” the meaning behind them is still highly entertaining and engaging. “Descension” altogether sounds fantastic with Coheed and Cambria’s distinct sound.

Claudio Sanchez’s unique voice continues to give off a high yet strong and powerful tone. His vocal and lyrical performance is magnificent in songs such as “Away We Go” and “Number City.”

The instrumental sounds in the entire album are fairly solid. Josh Eppard’s pounding drum work and Zach Cooper’s terrific bass grooves are magnificent, but the main focus of the album and the best songs derive from Travis Stever’s guitar. The melodies, for the most part, sound and flow well. This is best demonstrated in the songs “Iron Fist” and “Key Entity Extraction V: Sentry the Defiant.”

At most, I found myself feeling the power behind the lyrics, yet at times I felt parts of the album were dull or maybe even uninspired. The introduction song, “Pretelethal,” was an interesting way to open up, but took more away from the album than it contribut- Album cover for “Descension.”

out instead of being shorter and more solid.

It is undoubtedly one of the best of the album’s songs, though it wasn’t a favorite and certainly not the best “Descension” provided.

Not much really stood out to me. There were well made and fantastic performances, but nothing made this album more than another Coheed and Cambria album. Yet it definitely consisted of tremendous songs that would make a great contribution to a playlist.

This album also had a slightly different vibe than portrayed in their other albums, moreso in some songs than others.

Though some songs such as “Number City” felt different than their previous albums, it will still certainly satisfy fans of Coheed and Cambria. This album has left me genuinely satisfied with a great contribution to my alternative rock collection.

promotional photo

Briefly entertaining: Local concerts, just released albums, new movies Concerts

Lovin’ is what they got Bad Fish at Jannus Live - Mar. 8

Albums Never before heard Jimi Hendrix - People Hell & Angels

Movies Back to Oz Oz the Great and Powerful - Mar. 18

Punk Rock in Tampa Bad Religion at The Ritz Ybor - Mar. 16

They love it Icona Pop - Iconic EP

Applying for comedy Admission - Mar. 18

Colt 45 + 2 Zig Zags = all we need Afroman to at The Locall 662 - Mar. 17

From big to small They Might Be Giants - Nanobots

Fun in the Sun Spring Breakers - Mar. 22

Entertainment 15

Beetlejuice the hedgehog.

photo by Brian Story

Eckerd students collect strange animals as pets from UNIQUE PETS, page 13 Alexander Zielinski and Brian Story own a cute little African Pygmy hedgehog named Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice was certainly a bizarre pet to have, being a hedgehog and having a selective nature. This African Pygmy would only allow some people to pick him up, though usually just Story. If Beetlejuice didn’t like the person, he would curl up and wait until Story picked him up again.

Beetlejuice is easy to take care of. The hedgehog only needs to be fed and bathed, as well as cleaned out cage every once in a while.

A unique trait of Beetlejuice is his spine covered back. The pricks can leave give a small swelling rash on your skin, so you needed to be careful picking the little guy up.

Another great animal to have as a pet on campus the snake. There are a great amount of snakes on campus, coming in a variety of sizes. Stinson is a corn snake living with Sophomores Sebastien de Lavalette and Andrew Bene. Though his species is a regular corn snake, Stinson’s personality is far from normal.

Stinson is a bizarre, yet very timid and calm, snake, making it hilarious and entertaining to see him react to certain things.

Stinson, like Beetlejuice, also has a selective personality, slithering on some people fast and freely, or trying to escape or constantly excrete on others such as Bene.

Stinson created some great stories as well.

One weekend, without even breaking the cage to clear a way out, Stinson was gone.

Bene, de Lavalette and a few others, including me, looked for him everywhere we could.

Four to five days had passed and there was no sign of the corn snake. Then one day I walked out of my room at 2 a.m. only to find Stinson slithering in the hallway, heading directly toward home. We never knew how the snake escaped or where it went, but Stinson came back, acting as he always had.

“Walking Dead” from TV screen to cultural outbreak

By Sabrina Lolo Staff Writer Not even the Grammys could put AMC’s zombie thriller the “Walking Dead” on hold as nearly 12.3 million viewers tuned in Feb. 10 to watch the much-anticipated midseason premiere.

Based on the popular comic books by Robert Kirkman, the show tells the story of a small group of humans led by cop Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic zombie riddled world. The show takes place in the Atlanta metropolitan area and the surrounding countryside of northern Georgia.

An infectious disease has pushed mankind to the brink of extinction and a world ruled by zombies. The zombies are referred to as “walkers” or “biters” and will devour anything they can get their undead hands on. If a human gets bitten or scratched, they turn into a zombie as well and must be exterminated so they don’t risk the lives of the remaining survivors. In other words, this show is nonstop blood, guts and gore.

But what is our society’s fascination with

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the zombie apocalypse? Why are we so obsessed with violence and gore? It seems that a large part of the appeal of this show is that it’s kind of realistic. No, I don’t mean that the world is going to be taken over by flesh-eating corpses anytime soon, but the storylines are actually very relatable. We live in a world where epidemics such as the Black Plague and AIDS have killed off millions and the thought of a disease wiping out a significant amount of people doesn’t seem so far fetched.

Also, in other horror stories and psychological thrillers, the bad guys are entities that mainly come from the imagination, like demons, monsters and aliens. But in this zombie-run world, your enemies are people you care about: your neighbor, your doctor or even friends and relatives.

While I was watching this show, I kept thinking about what I would do if there were a zombie apocalypse. How would I feel if my loved ones were either dead or bloodthirsty zombies? Would I even bother to go on living in such a dire situation? It’s because of the questions you ask yourself while watching the Walking Dead that makes the show so addicting; it goes deeper than just the bloody battles

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between humans and zombies and into the mindset of the survivors.

“It’s interesting to see how people would react in a zombie world,” said Junior Richie Kowalski.

“It’s awesome because it’s fascinating to see how people would react psychologically to an apocalypse,” said freshman and fellow fan Don Czech. “You can see in the premiere how Rick’s mind has been affected by the apocalypse when he starts hallucinating.”

As a result of the humans’ struggle for survival, you can see the destruction of ethics and morals. People are A “walker” from Season 3. promotional photo shooting their loved ones of the characters.

The show presents a grim after they’ve been bitten and sacrificing one internal conflict.

What’s the point in living another so they can live.

No matter the situation, it’s hard to watch if it feels like you’re fighting a losing battle this show and not see it from the perspective against a world full of bloodthirsty zombies?

16 Entertainment

the current

March 8, 2013

Operation Coexist aids locals from COEXIST, page 15 acquainted with the local music scene and many of the musicians that have performed in our series thus far have been friends I have made or artists that I’ve worked with over the past year and a half I’ve been living in the city.” Local artists also have an opportunity to showcase their products through vendor stands at the event.

Two Eckerd Alumni, Jon McChesney, class 2012, and Curt Viscome, class 2011, D.J. between sets at each music series event. “It’s such a great vibe and atmosphere, everyone there is really happy,” says McChesney. “Even though it’s a Sunday and I always have work the next day, I could care less because it’s such a great cause.”

Talbert is excited about the response that the project has received so far. “Daily I receive emails and inquiries from bands and individuals interested in

volunteering and being a part of this series and this is only the beginning,” she says. “When we first started off the turnout was good, but not nearly as high of a volume as it is now,” says McChesney. “Last time it was packed.”

For some Eckerd students, volunteering with Project Coexist can offer a fun and rewarding opportunity to fulfill service hours or simply get involved in something outside of the campus bubble.

“For the Eckerd community it fits really well because the culture is definitely revolved around music,” says McChesney. “Music therapy is unique and we can all relate to it one way or another. If you’re in a bad mood, what better way to cheer up than to put on some music? It’s a fix-all.”

“It’s not just beneficial to the community, it’s beneficial for the volunteers themselves,” adds Hazeltine. “It’s rewarding in

multiple ways.”

The organization hopes to work with Eckerd and other local colleges to create opportunities for internships and service projects.

“Some of the most rewarding experiences I had during my four years at the College of the Holy Cross were spent volunteering,” says Talbert. “I hope that I can offer that same experience through Operation Coexist to students at Eckerd College.”

Although the organization has only been around for a couple of months, the group is excited for the future. “It’s gonna do really well, it already has,” said McChesney. “It has a chance of becoming a nationwide event.”

“It’s gonna blow up,” agreed Hazeltine.

As for future projects, they are keeping the possibilities open.

“The sky is the limit,” says Talbert.

Youtube documentary’s one night screening from YOUTUBERS, page 13 thing that people can and do make a living from.

The film felt like a traditional documentary for the most part.

Since Dobi filmed it entirely himself, however, it felt more personal, almost like watching a video blog (vlog). At times, this aspect is distracting due to the shaky camera and the fact that sometimes people’s heads were out of framed.

Despite this, the personal touch allowed Dobi to get the Youtubers to open up. One touching part of the movie is a scene where Mitchell Davis reveals why YouTube means so much to him, in an interview where he calls Dobi back. In addition to the interviews with the Youtubers, “Please Subscribe” incorporated a fantastic soundtrack and animated parts of the Youtubers’ stories with a “Super Size Me” feel.

The film has the perfect balance of seriousness and humor, which helps to show that while these

Youtubers have fun doing what they do, it’s not all fun and games.

For example, Helbig talked about one time when a subscriber found her address and put it up on her main channel page, which she found unnerving.

One theme that was woven throughout is the fact these Youtubers all love what they are doing and hope to continue making videos as long as they are alive, even if they are not able to make any money. As Davis puts it, he hasn’t had any other job and he can’t imagine not making videos, which is a sentiment echoed by others throughout the film. The movie also highlights the strong sense of community that YouTube can help create and that has sprung up around these creators’ content.

YouTube is different than traditional media in that these content creators can get direct feedback from the comments.

The consumers have more direct contact with the creators

themselves, which makes “Please Subscribe” even more exciting for those regular viewers who get to see some of their favorite Youtubers from a new (camera) angle.

Overall, the movie is spectacular, and I would give it five stars. It helped highlight a facet of the Internet that many people think they know a lot about, but in reality many don’t. What made this documentary interesting was that it was a sneak peak into the off screen personas of these stars. What makes these Youtubers and many others different from the thousands of other posters and traditional media is that they are changing the entire structure of how we as a society consume media.

While the movie had a one night only screening in theaters you can still order it online. If you want to learn more about this growing new community, remember to like, comment, share and “Please Subscribe” to this fantastic new film.

promotional photo

Local consignment shop offers art

By Jennifer Lincoln Staff Writer Downtown St. Petersburg has a lot to offer to fashionable students in terms of vintage shops and consignment stores. One of the most popular is Artpool Gallery, which has been open since April 2008.

The compound is made up of one central store and a separate vinyl shop and café connected by an outside courtyard. The eclectic space is owned by Marina Williams, an artist and entrepreneur, who is aided by her mother Becky, her “other half ” Evan Williams and chef C.F. Hawkins.

Artpool Gallery is full of unique clothing, vintage electronics, vinyl records, jewelry and other trinkets.

There is always something new and the store is perfect for hunting down costumes for themed parties, or just eccentric outfits to wear around campus. I found a white gypsy shirt with coins hanging from it to wear to Gasparilla, which I got compliments on all day.

Other items I have discovered there include mermaid necklaces, ceramic elephants, vintage typewriters, faux fur leopard vests and retired style Converse high tops. I’ve added tons of records from their record store to my own collection, and it’s the only place I find vinyl now because they have such a great selection.

Artpool Gallery is a host to a multitude of local artists who send in their portfolios to Marina Williams for her to choose if the style fits the shop.

Sophomore Loren Gluckman said, “I really value that they remember me everytime I go in

and appreciate when I bring new people in. I like supporting local businesses and this is a more than worthy local business.”

The different cafes and art galleries that neighbor Artpool Gallery have made downtown St. Pete a metropolis. Marina Williams states she came up with the idea of Artpool Gallery because she is an artist. “(I) wanted a really cool space for different folks to collaborate and show their work as entrepreneurs and get their work out there for the public to see” said Williams.

The gallery hosts many art parties and shows, so everyone can look forward to their Mad Hatters Masquerade March 9. The masquerade will include art, music, fashion, body art, video art and is a great way to support the local art and fashion community.

It costs $10 for a ticket to this event, and you can submit your artwork to be presented in the show by emailing the gallery.

Freshman Allison Devine has modeled in the shows before.

“The shows are fantastic,” she said. “Marina is so talented; she always comes up with the best themes and transforms the store into a wonderland. There are great artists that make the models look incredible. It’s really laid back so being on the runway is never nerve racking, it’s just a big party every time.”

Overall, Artpool Gallery is full of diverse fashions and art, and an interesting place to shop and browse.

The gallery holds meetings once a month. Anyone who is interested in being featured there can email Artpool at artpoolgallery@gmail. com.

Viral video update: Harlem shaking with troops, puppies

“Harlem Shake (original army edition)” uploaded by Kenneth Håkonsen on Feb. 10

“Harlem Shake (Puppy Edition)” uploaded by jonathanjoly on Feb. 12

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March 8, 2013

The quickie

The Quickie

17

There’s always enough time for a quickie.

All things Eckerd Across 1. Spring Concert’s Aaron Smith 2. It Rhymes With Noodle 6. Bizarre Pets 8. The Rock We Walk 12. Armed Ladies in ___ 14. Safety Addition to Entrance (2 wds.)

18. 16 Required for Graduation (2 wds.)

19. Floating Triangles 22. Foundations at 4 (2 wds.)

25. Full Beverage Faculty (3 wds.)

27. Freshmen Frenzy (2 wds.)

28. Enables Campus Entertainment 29. Student Gov’t 32. Corn On the Fitness Center 33. Krazy Annual Tradition (2 wds.)

34. Home of EC-SAR 35. You’ll Find This Puppy in The Pub 37. Last Club Spotlight (2 wds.)

39. Tropical Trunks (2 wds.)

40. James’s Vending Machine Pick-me-up 41. EC Sirens 43. Snowy Flyer Over Zeta Pond 46. 99.9 Call Letters 48. Satirical Reef Builders (2 wds.)

50. Makes Your Hair Frizzy 51. Homophone: New 52. Flood House 53. Furry Friend House (2 wds.)

54. Moving Water Paper (2 wds.)

55. Gottahava: think gas 56. Clever Creature Corridor (2 wds.)

57. Inanimate Mascot 58. Student Health Survey Reward Crossword by: Rose Kraemer-Dahlin

Down 3. Vitamin D Builder 4. Communal Living Companion 5. Bon Appetit Nickname 7. Norris Corner’s House 9. Coming Up: Greened or Pinched (3 wds.)

10. Big City Big Lights Big PLACE (2 wds.)

11. Kick, Push, Coast 13. Midnight Oberg(er) (2 wds.)

15. Conforming to Gender Binary 16. Foreign Corresponding Vize’s Home 17. Club Fair Venue (2 wds.)

20. 23 or Older Learning acronym 21. How Visual Learners Prepare for Future (2 wds.)

23. Service Trip Time (2 wds.)

24. Spring Forward acronym 26. They Eat Pub Leftovers 30. They Flock the Dock 31. Patrolling Golf Carts (2 wds.)

32. WT Photo Winner (2 wds.)

34. Chilly January Learning (2 wds.)

36. Last Letter Swamp (2 wds.)

38. Student Resort (2 wds.)

42. Pub’s Best: Tuna¬¬¬ ___ 44. Communications Professor Mike 45. Movie ___ 47. Local Consignment Shop 49. Dance Fitness

For answers, visit www.theonlinecurrent.com

Club spotlight: Swing club

By Rose Kraemer-Dahlin Quickie Editor Residential students, commuters, PEL students, EC Alumni and members of the community gather 7:309:30 p.m., Tuesdays, in the fitness center’s dance room for a fun night of swing.

Club President Senior Cherish Fuller emphasizes that all levels of dancers are welcome. “Our lessons are beginner-friendly. We encourage people to get out of their comfort zones and come on down to have a good time.” The club is committed to supporting student dancers by providing professional instructors at a low cost of $5 per lesson.

EC Swing is a place to learn how to swing dance, practice your dance moves and explore varieties of swing dance styles including the Lindy Hop, East Coast Swing, the Charleston and more.

“Swing Club is a great way to get in shape, learn how to ‘let loose,’ de-stress and bring joy to life through the art of dance,” says Fuller. In two hours, according to Fuller, not only will you experience a fun workout but you’ll gain a better understanding of swing history.

The club is an alternative social scene both on campus with lessons and formal events, as well as sponsoring student involvement off campus at local swing venues. EC Swing and the Afro-American Society’s next event is the annual “1920’s Cotton Club,” featuring a live band, swing dancing and a casino night. Come on out to Fox Hall 7 p.m. to midnight March 8. If you’re new to swing, no worries – there will be a free beginner’s lesson at 6 p.m.

For more information visit the club’s Facebook page: Facebook.com/ECSwing

photos courtesy of Cherish Fuller Above: Senior Cherish Fuller takes a dip from Jason Podolak at the local swing venue Nova 535.

Top Right: Intstructor Brendan Smith (in green plaid) teaches Swing Club a group dance called “the Big Apple.”

Bottom Right: Senior Cherish Fuller with Jesse Wolf and Ashley Traczyk with Patrick Foley make a move at this fall’s club fair.

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March 8, 2013

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Courtesy of DailyInfographic.com

18 The Quickie

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March 8, 2013

Health & Fitness 19

Health & fitness Student Health Survey: Have you taken it?

By Megan Coy Coordinator of Health Promotion All residential students at Eckerd College received an email March 1 inviting them to participate in the Eckerd College Student Health Survey. All students who complete the survey, which takes about 20 minutes, will receive a free Domino’s pizza voucher, and one randomly selected student will receive a $250 airline ticket voucher. After the survey closes March 15, the winner of the airline ticket voucher will be notified and all students who

completed the survey will receive an email with details about how to pick up the free pizza voucher.

This survey is used on more than 500 college campuses, and is known across the country as the American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment II. The survey measures campus health, assesses need and guides health promotion efforts. We also use the data in presentations on campus and health-related articles in The Current.

The Eckerd College Student Health Survey is confidential and your name and email

Alex’s Workout

address will never be associated with your responses. You will be assigned an ID number in order for the secure Internet server to manage your online survey input. To ensure confidentiality, ID numbers and e-mail addresses are destroyed before data is shared with the staff at Eckerd College.

If you have any questions or concerns about the survey, please contact Megan Coy, Coordinator of Health Promotion, by emailing coymc@eckerd.edu or calling (727) 864-8031.

There is also a Facebook event for the survey available through the Eckerd College Office of Health Promotion page.

Finishing runDisney’s night races

By Alex Zeilinski Photo Editor I always run at night, it is easier than running in the morning for me because I like sleeping in.

Luckily, runDisney has a variety of night races to choose from so I don’t have to leave the comfort of my bed in the morning.

I discussed my first runDisney race in October after completing the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-Miler with my sister and three other Eckerd students. Since my

race in the fall, it has caught my attention that other Eckerd students have started participated in runDisney races.

I know one student who participated in the 20th Anniversary Walt Disney World Marathon at the beginning of January, while three others participated in the Princess Half Marathon Feb. 22.

I have only two more night races to complete all of runDisney’s night races—the Expedition Everest Challenge and Wine and Dine Half Marathon.

I’ll be participating in the 2013 Expedition Everest Challenge in May with the rest of my family when they come down to Orlando.

My family will have three teams participating.

I look forward to seeing which of the three teams will win. Spaces are already filled for the Expedition Everest Challenge for this year, so if you’re interested in participating in 2014, registration should open up sometime in December.

F--kin Problem ASAP Rocky

Earthquake Labrinth

Caged Bird, Part 1 Zion I

Dimmakmmunication Bloody Beetroots

Awesome

Bloody Beetroots ft. The Cool Kids

Bring the Noise

Public Enemy vs. Benny Benassi

Bangarang Skrillex

Black Betty Spiderbait

Get Up

Korn ft. Skrillex

Seven

Army of the Pharaohs

MENU

Still up for a night race though?

Why not run the Wine and Dine Half Marathon in November as part of the Food and Wine Festival at Walt Disney World’s EPCOT? After the race, runners are left to seek out food and drinks at the World Pavilion.

Will you grab a Altenmunster Oktoberfest in Germany, or the Coq au vin in France?

For those of you interested, the Wine and Dine Half Marathon’s registration opens March 12.

From the iPod of Alex Giles

Fat burning workout 

By Jon McChesney (‘12) Contributing Writer The main focus of this workout is to sustain your heart rate between 60 percent to 90 percent of your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR).

Keeping your heart rate within this range during the routine is called your “Target Heart Rate” and will induce fat burning in the process.

You can easily calculate your maximum heart rate by plugging your age into this equation: (220-Age = Maximum Heart Rate).

If you would like to calculate your Target Heart Rate, please follow the simple steps below.

Jump: 4 Sets (10-15 Reps) 3.Start Dumbbell Squats: 4 Sets (10-15 Reps) 1. Warm-up and stretch: 5-10 minutes of 2.StartBoxstanding with your legs fully exstanding with your feet shoulder cardio (treadmill/bike/row machine/elliptical) Warming up is critical prior to performing any physical activity. Properly warming up will reduce the likelihood of injury and will increase your muscles’ range of motion during each exercise.

tended and your feet shoulder width apart.

Perform a half squat and jump onto the platform. Land softly on the balls of your feet.

Hold your position for 2 seconds and then slowly step or jump down off the platform softly on the balls of your feet.

Resume to starting position and repeat.

width apart holding the dumbbells at your sides. Keep your weight on your heels. Lower your body while maintaining good posture until your thighs are parallel with the ground. Return to the starting position and repeat.

Remember: Always hydrate prior, during and after exercise.

Example of Calculating Your Target Heart Rate: Lizzy Brophy Age 21 Lizzy’s Maximum Heart Rate: 220 - 21 = 199 MHR Lizzy’s Target Heart Rate:

Crunches: 1 Set (15-30 Reps)



4. Good Morning (w/ Barbell): 4 Sets 5. Calf Raises: 4 Sets (10-15 Reps) (10-15 Reps)

Start standing with feet shoulder width Start standing with the barbell resting on your shoulders; feet shoulder width apart- apart holding the dumbbells at your side.

Bow down a little more than 45 degrees until Rise to the balls of your feet. Slowly descend your torso is almost parallel with the ground to the starting position. while maintaining good posture. Return to the starting position and repeat.

If Lizzy would like to know what 75 percent of her Maximum Heart Rate is, she will multiply her Maximum Heart Rate by 75 percent or .75. (199 x .75 = 149 Target Heart Rate).

Reverse Crunches: 1 Set (15-30 Reps)

6.

Lunges: 4 Sets (10-15 Reps) Start with your feet shoulder width apart

holding the dumbbells at your sides. Lunge forward with your right leg, landing first on your heel and then shifting your weight to your forefoot. Lower your body until the knee of your rear leg almost touches the floor. Return to the starting position. Repeat motion using opposite leg.

NOW ONTO THE WORKOUT *Between each set rest for 30-60 seconds.

All Photos by Lizzy Brophy Jon McChesney demonstrating different workout poses.

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Roman Twist: 1 Set (15-30 Reps)

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Planks: 1 Set (15-30 Reps)

Cool Down: 5-10 Minutes of light cardio (treadmill/bike/row machine/elliptical)

20 Health & Fitness

the current

March 8, 2013

Vitamin D shines through

By Randi Rogers Contributing Writer The center of the solar system, the basis of all life on earth, a blazing star of hydrogen and helium gas. However you refer to it, it is the reason Eckerd attracts many beach loving students’ attention. The sun has even shone for a record 768 days from 1967-1969 here in St. Petersburg.The sun is enjoyed by Eckerd students for fun and entertainment during downtime, but also provides an essential nutrient that all humans need to support good health.

Consumer health advocate and editor of naturalnews.com Mike Adams, also known as The Health Ranger, describes vitamin D as “the single most underrated nutrient in the world of nutrition.” It is produced by the body when UV light from the sun hits the skin.

Students can look forward to more readily absorbed vitamin D intake from sunny weather as the spring semester progresses into warmer days. As little as ten minutes a day of direct sunlight can prevent vitamin D deficiency on clear days when the UV index is above three.

Spending time in the sun is often considered a leisurely activity, but a regular amount of sun exposure is an essential component of living a nutritionally balanced life.

Adequate amounts of the nutrient are not only helpful for attaining that perfect shade of tan, but are also responsible for maintaining calcium and phosphorus levels in the bloodstream. These nutrients are carried through the blood to support strong bones and muscles, which is why time in the sun can help to prevent disorders including osteoporosis and arthritis.

Research conducted by The Cancer Treatment Centers of America suggests that people with adequate levels of vitamin D have significantly lower risk of developing cancer compared to people with lower levels.

The nutrient’s role in metabolizing minerals also suggests that vitamin D is important in weight loss and maintaining a healthy body weight. Vitamin D is also found in fatty fish like salmon and mackerel, egg yolks and foods fortified with the vitamin. Much milk in the U.S. is fortified with vitamin D, as well.

According to a recent National Health and Nutrition Examination survey, up to 40 percent of the United States population, including 9 percent of children, is vitamin D deficient.

Students across the country spend hundreds of hours over the span of a semester inside attending classes and working in the library, but many Eckerd students take time from their busy daily schedules to enjoy the mental and physical health benefits of playing and relaxing in the sunlight.

Sophomore Emma Van Zandt devotes time in the sunshine to hula hooping and sunbathing. She understands the importance of the sun. “It gives me life,” said Van Zandt. “It gives everything life.”

As a student it is very easy to find yourself studying near a window enviously peering out at the warmth of photo by Caroline Campbell the sun’s light, but vitamin D does not Students sunbathing on South Beach. penetrate glass, so it is important to boosts the body’s ability to handle sunlight take a small part of the day to get your daily without burning. dose of direct sun exposure.

During these stressful and busy days of Weak sunscreens as low as SPF 8 can also spring semester, it is easy to transform into a block your skin’s ability to synthesize vitamin nocturnal book rat scurrying through library D, but sunscreen is important for spending rows and dormitory hallways. But a break in more than a half hour in the sun. the sun or simply reading outside is a free and Unlike other minerals, the human body is easy way to provide relaxation and a boost self-regulating in vitamin D production so it is of power to your mental and physical health. impossible to overdose or generate too much Next time the monotony of cabin fever sets of the vitamin while laying out on the beach. in, do not hesitate to give yourself a rewarding Including more antioxidants in your diet moment in the sun.

Sex on the Beach

By Caroline Campbell Health & Fitness Editor

I used to think I was cursed. I always met guys as they were packing up their belongings and heading out of town, out of state or out of the country.

Last October, this happened once again. Being a realist, I had no expectations for my relationship with this man to last past the moment the wheels of the plane lifted off the black top and carried him away to his hometown of Albany, Western Australia.

But thanks to modern technology and an attraction so strong it reaches past seas and mountains to stretch halfway around the world, we are still together four months later. As I reflected on my current long-distance relationship and my previous relationships, I realized the root of success for my current relationship is communication and the root of frustrations and failure in my past relationships was the lack thereof.

We, as humans, are all guilty of being frustrated with friends, family members or lovers because they are not acting the way we want them to, but I have yet to meet a mind reader.

It takes patience and self-reflection to realize our expectations for people are unrealistic if we do not communicate in a clear way what we want out of them or out of our relationships with them. It starts with having realistic expectations of people.

I once had a friend share a valuable lesson with me, “if it feels like you’re pulling teeth, it’s not going to work.”

This saying can be applied to many different settings. I’m sure you can get creative, but for me it applies to com-

municating with and hanging out with the person I am dating. If both parties are not or don’t want to be on the same page, then it is not worth your time or energy.

You deserve to have the love you send out be returned in an equal fashion. I always thought this but it never seemed possible until I met my boyfriend. His time zone is thirteen hours ahead of mine so when we get to talk it is in the wee hours of the morning or late at night. When we text and ask, “how is your day?” we respond with more than just “good.” It takes effort and elaboration to show the other person that you care. We tell each other about our fears, needs, daily frustrations, future goals, relationship goals and sexual desires.

As this is the Sex on the Beach column, I can’t forget about the importance of communication in the bedroom (or wherever you like to do it).

The foundation of sexual growth is good communication. Whether it’s in a relationship or with a stranger, your needs can only be met if you let the other person know what those needs or curiosities are. You can only please your partner if you ask and insist on knowing what they desire. There’s no room to be shy when you’re naked.

I may be biased because I’m a communication major, but good communication is what has made my longdistance relationship seem so easy and effortless. My boyfriend is moving back here in April and because most of our relationship has been getting to know each other over the phone or Skype, I am positive those communication habits will stick with us and help our relationship to grow even stronger.

Make moves with Zumba

By Amy Baxter Contributing Writer It wasn’t too long ago when the word “Zumba” never registered any meaning in my mind. In recent years, however, this mode of dance and fitness has seemingly taken over.

Zumba is everywhere – in resorts, dance studios, exercise clubs and even Eckerd College.

The aerobic dance has generally been a positive experience for students who have taken a class at Eckerd.

Senior Emily Mitchell enjoyed her introduction to Zumba with her friends.

“It was kind of embarrassing, because I am not good at dancing. But it was fun.

I went with a big group of friends,” said Mitchell. She took an hour-long class that involved lots of belly dancing along with some other exotic dance moves.

Another student, Junior Meredith Weber, says this type of exercise has become one of her favorite ways to get a good burn. “I liked Zumba. It really worked me out and I sweated like no other,” said Weber. “It’s a full body cardio workout that gets the blood going and it’s entertaining.”

However, Mitchell seemed to find the class more fun than sweaty. “It was a good workout, but not as intense as I was looking for,” she said.

Zumba fitness was created in the early 1990s by Colombian dancer Alberto Perez. Zumba’s aerobic dance program includes influences from salsa, merengue, mambo, belly dancing, hip hop and samba.

According to Zumba Fitness, approximately 14 million people take Zumba classes every week across the world. It’s one of the most popular dance fitness programs ever created, and has recently become a favorite of celebrities, increasing its popularity in American fitness clubs and gyms.

For those who are not dancers, fear not. Zumba is specifically designed to be “easy-to-follow,” fun and even contagious in its energy. “I felt a little insecure at Zumba dancing but that’s because I didn’t know the moves, but with time I’ll get those down and feel fine. I’m not insecure about dancing otherwise. I love to dance and will boogie down anytime,” said Weber.

Eckerd offers classes a few days a week. The Group Fitness Schedule is available online on Eckerd’s website under campus activities. For students looking for a new way to workout, it’s worth checking out.

Weber encourages all Eckerd students to join in the fun. “Yes, I would recommend it,” said Weber.

“Other students should definitely do it.”

Cait’s Cookin’: Spaghetti squash

By Cait Duffy Director of Communications When I was searching for alternatives to my favorite foods, it was always amazing what nature had readily available.

Most of my favorite baked goods could be prepared with almond flour, almond milk, which provided a quick alternative to dairy and coconut palm sugar, which is a tasty substitute for cane. It simply required the patience of scouring through online recipes and the trial and error of kitchen chemistry to figure out how to have chicken nuggets and French fries for dinner on a grain and starch free diet.

However, I never believed I would have the patience to learn how to make my own pasta from almonds. It just seemed to be too tedious and daunting of a task to attempt. After growing up in a New Jersey town with a heavily Italian palate, I had sadly resigned to never enjoying another night of easy noodles.

That is, until a botanical miracle was brought to my attention. Sold in most grocery stores, spaghetti squash is a winter squash that provides a sweeter, crunchier noodle with less effort than boiling a pot of water. Low calorie, high nutrition and incredibly filling, it can be served with a sauce or eaten alone.

While I typically prepare my own version of a Bolognese sauce, an alternative is to melt 2-4 tablespoons of butter, depending on the size of the squash, and 1/4 cup of coconut palm sugar into the cut squash during the last 10 minutes of baking.

Ingredients: 1 spaghetti squash 1 jar of locally made, organic tomatobasil sauce 1/2 pound of ground beef 2 tablespoon fresh cut garlic 1 tablespoon oregano 1 tablespoon basil 1 tablespoon salt 1 tablespoon pepper 1/4 cup lemon juice 6 medium sized plum tomatoes 1/2 large white onion Directions: 1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. 2. Carefully cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise.

3. Using a spoon, remove the seeds and guts from the center of the squash, as if you were gutting a pumpkin.

3. Place the halves face down on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake for 45 minutes.

4. While the squash is baking, mince onions and slice tomatoes into small pieces.

5. In a frying pan, cook the beef, seasoning with 1 tablespoon of garlic, 1/3 of the chopped onion, 1/2 tablespoon of salt and 1/2 tablespoon of pepper.

6. In a large pot, combine cooked beef with the jar of sauce and remaining ingredients. Cook on low-medium heat, stirring every 2-3 minutes, for thirty minutes or until squash is fully prepared.

7. After removing squash from oven, flip the halves over and let cool for 10 minutes or until cool enough to handle.

8. Using a fork, scrape the baked flesh of the squash into a bowl or plate. It will peel away in strands that look just like noodles.

9. Coat with your sauce, add your cheese of choice and enjoy.

photo by Caroline Campbell Spaghetti squash Bolognese.

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Sports 21

March 8, 2013

Sports Soccer community mourns loss of young star From PRICE, page 1 favorite color.

The men’s and women’s soccer team also honored Price with a 6x6 soccer tournament Saturday morning and the team is also selling T-shirts with Price’s name, jersey number and favorite color (see page 22).

A tremendous athlete, Price was featured on ESPNRise’s winter all-star list in 2011 and was also a member of the United States Under-18 National Team.

She was also recently named to the 2012 Sunshine State Conference Commissioner’s Fall Honor Roll.

“Anyone will tell you she really loved the game,” Senior Caroline Bond, one of Price’s teammates, said in a text message. “And she had so much talent as a soccer player. When was was healthy and starting in games for EC, she changed the tone on the field and played lights out. She wanted to play for the national team, and we wanted to see her get there.”

A story on topdrawersoccer.com states: “Rachel’s story inspires each one of us. Being diagnosed with Lupus her senior year of high school, Rachel lost her D1 scholarship and gained an obstacle she’d have to face every day and every time she stepped onto the field.”

Morgan Crescent, a sophomore on the soccer team said, “The amount of love and support for our team through our school and conference right now is unbelievable.”

Tweets from teams in our conference, St. Leo, Barry, even the Sunshine State Conference, have been pouring in to support the Tritons.

And it’s not just our conference. Mia Hamm, a soccer legend, tweeted “Thoughts and prayers go out to Rachel Price’s family, friends, and teammates. #PlayForPrice.”

“Rachel was an inspiration to all who knew her,” said Sophomore Kaitlyn Curley, another teammate. “I’ve never met someone with as much love for life, or power to overcome the challenges God threw her way. She took a piece of my heart with her. She is our rock, our foundation that will not break but will forever keep us strong.”

Coach Danielle Fotopolous had an incredibly heartfelt reaction. “Hearing the news of Rachel Price dying was a great sadness. Sometimes I sit and my heart just hurts. I am still in disbelief that I won›t see her come into my office and plop down on a chair to talk to me about when she is going to be able play again. Rachel was always wanting to play more than anything and she never wanted to let anyone down. People doubted her, but she never doubted herself. She would get down and out about playing, but would always bounce back even stronger willed than before. She was a warrior who loved the game. Her will to play and love of the game will always motivate me to be a better person and coach.”

Arie Anahory, a sophomore soccer player said, “It was an honor to get to play on the field with her, her drive for the game has made a huge impact on our team and she we know she will always be on the field with us. We now play for Pricey.”

“I will remember Rachel as a superb, highly-competitive athlete, but more importantly as a fun, intense, independent, smart and sweet young lady,” said Eckerd Director of Athletics Dr. Bob Fortosis in an article from eckerdtritons.com. “She was loved by our family of Triton student-athletes and will be missed by our entire Eckerd community.” “[Rachel] dealt with so much more than most of us could even fathom,” said Meredith Mahoney, captain of the women’s soccer team. “It still gives me chills seeing all the love and support she has gotten from all around the country. It just goes to show you just how much of an impact she conquered in her life. Her battle with lupus wasn’t the easiest thing to deal with, it kept her from doing the thing she loved the most, and that was playing.

But she pushed through and persevered through those difficult times. Rachel will forever be a role model for this team and someone who will be missed tremendously.”

INSIDE SPORTS Scoreboard

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Triton of All Trades

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Baseball coverage

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Greg Reilly, Mia Whylly and Kelly Coston contributed to reporting.

courtesy of eckerdtritons.com Saint Leo University, the Sunshine State Conference and U.S. Soccer legend Mia Hamm were among many of those who offered condolences to the Eckerd community. Saint Leo University and Barry University also tweeted a photo of the moment of silence before their SSC softball game “to honor the life of Rachel Price.” Above: Rachel Price’s soccer team photo.

Editor hits the links with women’s golfer Jenee Vanderstyne

By Greg Reilly Web Editor It’s Tuesday morning, and I’m leaving the putting green at St. Petersburg Country Club for class at about 7:45 a.m.

St. Petersburg Country Club, formally called Lakewood Country Club, is located in the Lakewood Estates neighborhood just a few minutes east of Eckerd. It’s not the most modern club in Florida, and feels a little bit like Bushwood from the movie Caddyshack, but it has a well-kept course with smooth greens.

As I throw my clubs into the trunk, a silver Toyota 4Runner pulls in next to my black sedan. Jenee Vanderstyne, a junior on the women’s golf team, shuts off the ignition and walks around to the back to grab her clubs, parallel to me.

“What are you doing here?” I ask.

“Got to work on my short game.” Jenee is by far the hardest worker on the golf team; I see her practicing all the time.

“Didn’t you guys just get back from a tournament last night?”

“Yeah,” she says, pulling her slightly faded blue Eckerd golf bag out of her trunk.

“You shoulda seen my chipping, Greg.”

What I’m thinking is that you couldn’t pay to me to get to the course the day after a college tournament. So what’s motivating her? She has to be pretty tired after a long tournament the last couple of days. I recall we both have similar schedules and both have Wednesday mornings off, so I invite her to play golf with me, and tell her I’d like to interview her while we play. It takes

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a little convincing, but she finally says yes.

The next morning is overcast and cool, even for a Florida February. I pull into the parking lot. This time, her silver bus is there first. She jumps out, 7-eleven coffee in hand, as I park. The 5’6” golfer sure looks the part in her teal windbreaker, black rain pants, black Nike golf shoes and black Eckerd golf hat. Her brown hair is wrapped in a bun.

She throws me a “Good morning” in her Rochester, N.Y. accent. She grew up there, she’ll tell me, and on a golf course. But she only played occasionally until her freshman year at Nazareth College. She left Nazareth at the end of her sophomore year.

“Rough morning,” I say to her.

“Tough to get out of bed, thought I was going to be late.” She’s standing there with one strap of her bag over her right shoulder.

“Me too, I almost didn’t have time to get coffee after the gym.”

“What time were you at the gym?” I ask, bending to tie my shoes.

“6:30.”

And for two days in a row she succeeds in making me feel lazy.

We strap our bags onto a cart, a recent privilege we’ve been given this year, as opposed to having to walk. Jenee’s on the driver side so I can take notes. Bill Buttner, the men’s and women’s head coach, who also works as an assistant pro at the club, tells us to drive out to the 10th tee across the road because most of the members are going off the first. We hurry off to the back nine to avoid getting in the way.

By now, it’s 8:45, and I have only been awake 29 minutes. Jenee offers to play a

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friendly match, but only if she can subtract one stroke from her score on 12 of the 18 holes to make the match fair. I accept, even though I haven’t hit a warm-up shot and fear I might be getting hustled.

I somehow advance the ball down the fairway, and then Jenee pulls her white Taylormade driver and confidently struts up to the tee. She pulls a yellow tee from behind her ear and stabs it in the ground as she chomps on a piece of gum. She makes a couple of aggressive practice swings behind the ball, steps up to it, waggles the club once, and rips the ball down the fairway with a slight left to right fade--perfect for the hole that doglegs right. Jenee has come to play.

Earlier in the month, Jenee shot scores of 93-89 at the team’s first spring tournament in Lake Wales, Fla., which are somewhat typical scores for her I’ve noticed, but below average for a college golfer. And those scores certainly aren’t ones likely to help her turn pro.

Jenee knows that, but is still up early trying to get better. She hopes to play one more year of college golf next year at graduate school, after graduating from Eckerd with a degree in business management. She’s still undecided on where she’ll go for grad school and on what she’ll study.

Back to number ten, Jenee fails to get up-and-down (one chip up onto the green and one putt down into the hole) to save par from behind the green, and the same would be the case on hole 11, so I am twoup through two holes. I know she gets some strokes, so no lead is safe in a match play.

On the 12th hole, a slight dogleg right,

we both hit good drives down the left side, and I ask her what made her come to Eckerd, knowing she played volleyball and basketball at Nazareth. Turns out, after basketball season her freshman year, she needed surgery to remove a cyst from her tailbone.

“Basically I spent four months on a couch,” she tells me while making several short rehearsal swings for her pitch shot.

“And they told me I couldn’t do anything with physical contact eight to 12 months.”

We tie the 12th hole and I remain two-up.

With no opportunity to train for the upcoming volleyball and basketball seasons, Jenee tells me she started playing golf as soon as she got off the couch in May. “I was bad,” she says as we approach the 13th green. “But I loved it.”

I win the 14th hole with a par to go three-up, and as we drive down to our balls in the 15th fairway, I ask her why she stuck with golf once she was fully recovered.

“It was like a new challenge for me. How good could I get?” She says she was hooked, and Rochester’s cold winters were getting in her way. She started looking for schools in Florida, but realized she wasn’t good enough to play at most Florida colleges. She didn’t come across Eckerd until July in the summer after her sophomore year at Nazareth, with school set to start in September. She applied in August, and after being accepted, showed up a month later, ready to go.

On 15, Jenee rolls in a 20-foot putt for par to win the hole. She cracks her first smile for her first par of the day.

“I’m not done yet,” she says, and laughs.

See VANDERSTYNE, page 23

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March 8, 2013

Eckerd Scoreboard Men’s Basketball

(EC) Bodney 25 points, 4 rebounds (EC) Taylor 15 points, 5 assists

2/20 v. #6 Florida Southern College W 85-75 (EC) Mack 27 points, 14 rebounds (EC) Taylor 7 points, 9 assists

Women’s Basketball

2/27 @ #11 Saint Leo University W 69-68 (EC) Mack 26 points, 3 steals (EC) Stevenson 15 points, 7 rebounds 3/2 v. Lynn University W 67-65

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Friday

2/20 v. Florida Southern College W 59-47 (EC) Armstrong 14 points, 3 assists (EC) Charles 12 points, 4 assists 2/27 @ Saint Leo University W 64-62 (EC) Charles 22 points, 8 rebounds (EC) Bowlin 10 points, 3 assists

3/2 v. Lynn University L 67-55 (EC) Charles 21 points, 12 rebounds (EC) Armstrong 8 points, 4 assists

Baseball 2/22 v. Florida Tech L 11-5 (EC) Witkowski 1-1, 2B, 2 RBI (EC) Vavasis 1-3, 2B, 2 RBI, BB

2/23 v. Florida Tech (DH) L 8-0, L 8-6 (EC G1) O’Rourke 2-3, 2B, steal (EC G1) Spinelle 2-4 (EC G2) Andrews 3-3, 2 2B, RBI, SB (EC G2) Dunham 1-3, RBI, run, BB

(EC G1) Abadal 3-4, 5 RBI, run (EC G1) Huchro 6 IP, 0 ER, 7 Ks, W (EC G2) Hanson 1-2, HR, 2 RBI, run (EC G2) Moreau 1-1, 2 runs, BB, SB

2/27 v. Florida Memorial University W 6-1 (EC) Horsfield 8 IP, 0 ER, 1 hit, W (EC) Moreau 2-3, RBI, run, SH

Sunshine State Conference opponents in bold

3/2 v. Florida Christian College (DH) W 12-3, 3-2

Sports Calendar

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Saturday

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Sunday

Baseball @ Florida Southern College 6 p.m.

Baseball @ Florida Men’s and women’s tenSouthern College (DH) nis v. Bentley Univer1 p.m. sity 11 a.m.

Softball @ Florida Southern College 6 p.m.

Softball @ Florida Southern College (DH) 1 p.m.

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Softball @ Florida Tech 3 p.m.

Baseball v. Nova Southeastern University (DH) 1 p.m.

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11

Monday

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Tuesday

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Wednesday

Baseball v. Tiffin University 7 p.m.

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Thursday

Men’s tennis v. University of Southern Indiana 3 p.m.

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Baseball v. Ave Maria University 7 p.m.

Baseball v. Mansfield University 7 p.m.

Softball @ Webber International University (DH) 2 p.m.

Men’s and women’s tennis v. New York Institute of Technology 10 a.m.

Baseball v. Nova Southeastern University 7 Softball @ Florida Tech p.m.

(DH) 1 p.m.

Sports Briefly Eckerd Womens basketball draws Tampa in first round

National “Americans abroad” goal record broken Last year, Fulham’s Clint Dempsey tallied 23 goals in all competitions to break a record that previously stood for nearly a decade. Dempsey’s record will not last a calendar year, as Jozy Altidore scored his 24th goal for AZ Alkmaar of the Dutch Eridivisie. Altidore has been in nearly unreal form since his transfer from Villarreal two years ago, yet he cannot seem to match his club form with the United States National Team.

The Lady Tritons were recently announced as the third seed in the Sunshine State Conference Tournament and will play the No. 6 seed University of Tampa. Eckerd has had the better of Tampa in the two conference meetings, including a victory at the MacArthur Center over a then tenth ranked UT 63-53. The most recent South region rankings from the NCAA have Eckerd ranked at No. 10 as the Lady Tritons look to continue their season into March. The game is March 7 in Kissimmee. Stamkos keeps scoring

Over the last four years, Lightning fans have Mens’ basketball to face Nova Southbore witness to one of the best pure forwards eastern since the days of Gretzky in Steven Stamkos.

Eckerd faces an unusual task in the upcoming Sunshine State Conference Tournament.

As the No. 3 seed, the Tritons have drawn Nova Southeastern who previously beat Eckerd at home in January. Eckerd got a win back in Fort Lauderdale a month later, so the season series between these clubs is tied and will be decided on a neutral floor. Eckerd is currently ranked No. 5 in the South region by the NCAA. The game is March 8 in Kissimmee.

Softball swept in conference opener The Lady Tritons softball team fell flat in their conference opening homestand against Florida Southern last weekend. Game one was a tightly contested match ending in a two out RBI given up in the top of the seventh inning.

The next two games proved to me no contest.

Eckerd pitcher Whitney Bernier only lasted one and two thirds innings after allowing five hits and one earned run. They fared no better on defense where in the first two innings alone the Tritons Had two error which led to a further four unearned runs. The Tritons were shut out in the back end of their doubleheader.

Over the first four years of his young career, Stamkos has scored 179 goals, topping 50 goals a season twice. The shortened season threatens his success yet he has still scored 15 goals at press time. He is poised to surpass the 200 goal mark by the end of the season. The Lightning faithful have recognized the success by filling the Tampa Bay Times Forum in hopes that Stamkos will light the lamp.

United States to compete in World Baseball Classic The World Baseball Classic got under way on March 2, with Japan, Chinese Taipei and the Netherlands all picking up wins. The United States, who are led by 2012 NL Cy Young R.A. Dickey and 2011 NL MVP Ryan Braun, are in Pool D, along with Canada, Mexico and Italy. Their first game is on March 8 against Mexico, and then they play Italy and Canada on March 9 and 10, respectively. The top two teams from the pool advance to the second round, where they will match up against the top two teams from Pool C. The Semifinals and Championship game will take place at AT&T Park in San Francisco on March 17-19.

courtesy of Arie Anahory

Sophomore women’s soccer player Arie Anahory shows off her Rachel Price Tshirt. The team is selling the shirts for $10. Proceeds will go to benefit the family of Rachel Price. All those interested in purchasing shirts should contact Head Coach Danielle Fotopoulos (fotopodr@eckerd.edu), Morgan Crescent (mkcresce@ eckerd.edu) or Arie Anahory (amanahor@eckerd.edu).

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the current

March 8, 2013

Good vibes: your action sports source

By Dominick Cuppetilli Asst. Sports Editor

Beyond the arc with the Eckerd men’s basketball team

By Mike Geibel Sports Editor Catching up with men’s basketball has been a bit more difficult than I had originally planned. The men practice a lot, and often at odd hours of the night when the gym is available. When I finally got my schedule to match up with the team, they were more than willing to help me out with my column.

We decided the best thing to do was to engage in a little shooting game most people know as H-O-RS-E. We had a fair number of guys playing, so we decided to shorten the game to P-I-G. I had one stipulation for the game due to my obvious disadvantage: no dunking.

Warming up, I happened to glance at some of the guys shooting around with me and I got very nervous about the upcoming game.

Among the contenders were Sammy O’Garro, Woody Taylor, Jerrick Stevenson, E.J. Moody and Nemo Rmus. I’ve always had a pretty good jump shot growing up playing basketball, but these five were NCAA athletes who came to Eckerd specifically to play the game.

As we got the game started, Nemo surprised me by nailing a three from way beyond the arc with his first shot, and after I clanged a shot off the rim, I had my first letter. The next time around, he drilled another three, this one longer than the last, and just like that I was in danger of being out.

Lucky for me, and quite the ego boost, I didn’t end up being the first player out of the game. One by one the players started to be knocked out of the contest until only Rmus and Stevenson were left.

In what would prove the final round of the impromptu contest, Rmus again shot from close to midcourt and drained another long shot. Stevenson, an excellent shooter in his own right, put up a great effort but rattled his shot out, and gave the victory to Rmus.

I took the chance to ask Taylor a bit about his experience in his final year playing with the Tritons.

Taylor expressed to me that his job was to help get the young guys ready to take over when he was gone. “They’re good, and they’re

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only getting better,” he explained, “E.J. is a great player, Steve [Stevenson] is great and already averaging nine points per game, all of the freshmen are playing really well.”

All of the seniors on the team will be missed, and Taylor’s leadership will obviously be a void that needs to be filled. As a fifth year senior after redshirting his first year, there are not many students left at Eckerd who have seen a Tritons team without him. Although his role will surely be missed, Taylor has high hopes for the future of the team, “They have a lot of talent. They’re going to be a really good team for a while.” He went on to say that the younger guys including Alex Bodney, who is averaging over 12 points per game and ranks ninth in the nation in free throw percentage, will continue to contribute and step into leadership roles. Taylor also believes this year’s freshman class is very strong, “All of the freshmen are good. E.J., Jerrick, Ray and Kendall are all solid. [Roberts] is one that everyone is sleeping on, because he doesn’t get a lot of minutes right now but he’s one to watch. He does everything right. Everything.

In practice, in games, everything.”

During our interview, Senior Darrien Mack poked his head into the gym. Taylor jokingly called out to him from across the gym, “There he is. Say something for the camera. National player of the year, ladies and gentlemen.”

While Taylor was clearly having fun with his teammate, Mack has made a strong showing in the SSC this year. He was recently awarded SSC Player of the Week for the third time this season. He leads the conference in scoring and rebounding, and ranks third in steals. His performance in combination with the rest of the team has led to Eckerd’s recent success.

It is clear from the Tritons’ current six game win streak that they have hit their stride at the right time. The team has won eight of their last 10 including big victories over No. 6 Florida Southern and No. 11 Saint Leo and has earned the three seed in the SSC tournament.

They will face Nova Southeastern in the first round Mar. 8 in Kissimmee.

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The Red Bull Ultra Natural presented by Nike is a snowboarding event like no other. The invitationonly contest brought in 16 riders to ride down a 50-degree incline slope covering 2,500 vertical feet at Baldface lodge in southern British Columbia. Austrian rider Gigi Ruf managed to pull out the win at this monumental event.

The run was made up of three more or less distinct parts. The top was filled with obstacles leading to massive drops, followed by a more terrain style ride and finished with the groomed park-style jumps. A rider that can perform well in all three styles of riding can truly be seen as a great rider.

The Baldface lodge also provided a fun atmosphere for the riders, allowing them to partake in some activities that fall on the more lumberjack side of Canada, such as axe throwing target practice and speed sawing.

At the end of the event, only three of the world-class snowboarders could stand on top. According to redbullusa.com, after finishing second in last year’s event, Ruf snuck into the gold position, and Nicholas Muller of Switzerland filled in the second spot. Muller also won the best trick competition as he performed a 100-foot drop mute air. Finishing up the podium was Bryan Fox, who was a late entry wild card rider out of the U.S. Around the world on the Southern Hemisphere, the 2013 Burton Toyota Pro Junior took place in Newcastle, Australia. According to the contest’s website, two great up and coming surfers stood atop their respective podiums.

For the junior men, Jake Sylvester took first in his hometown competition, and Ellie-Jean Coffee had it for the junior women’s.

This early season win was a

great start for each rider. Sylvester made this his second win at the event after taking first in 2011, and Coffee also was very appreciative of the win, as this was the first ASP win of her career.

Moving back up to the major leagues, the Volcom Pipe Pro was hosted at the Banzai Pipeline of Hawaii. The Pipe Pro hosts 112 surfers according to its website, but this contest is especially important to local Hawaiian riders. The top eight Hawaiian riders will obtain reserved spots in the Pipe Masters event held at the end of the year as part of the Triple Crown.

Every heat was a major competition of its own, as riders were all looking for that one perfect wave.

Many of those perfect waves, however, went to Hawaiian local John John Florence. Florence has been known to have a special connection with the ocean, especially on his home court.

This connection would secure his spot in the finals to win it all.

Following Florence was Chris Ward, who had just managed to get out of his semi-final heat by just .03 of a point. Josh Kerr was behind him sitting with bronze, and rounding out the heat just off the podium was Olamana Eleogram, also a native Hawaiian.

It’s award season in the entertainment world, but action sports stars like to get awards, too. Both the ASP (Association of Surfing Professionals) World Surfing Awards and the Transworld Skateboarding Awards took place the last week of February.

The ASP Awards were hosted in Surfers Paradise, Australia (Where else would they be?). The ASP World Tour website indicated that the award ceremony was both to celebrate the best surfers of last year and to also celebrate the start of a new season.

Both the Men’s and Women’s 2012 world champions were

from Australia, with Joel Parkinson representing the men and Stephanie Gilmore representing the women. Kelly Slater was runner up in the men’s division and Sally Fitzgibbons for the women’s.

The 2012 Men’s Rookie of the year went to Florence, who was fresh off the win at the Volcom Pipe Pro, and really deserved every bit of that trophy. The rookie for the women was Malia Manuel, who also resides in Hawaii.

Among many other awards were the Men’s Longboard Champion given to Taylor Jenson, the Women’s Breakthrough Performer, Lakey Peterson and the heat of the year, which went to Slater and Mick Fanning for their heat at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach.

The Transworld Skateboarding Awards, presented by New Era, also had a full night of awards to give out, starting with the Eric Stricker Memorial Award given to Steve Van Doren. Skateboarding. transworld.net claimed that because “the godfather of vans” has dedicated his life to the progression of the sport, skateboarding needed to recognize him in return.

The New Era Readers’ Choice Award was given to Guy Mariano, who also received the award for Best Video Part in “Pretty Sweet”. It was no surprise that the Girl/Chocolate video, “Pretty Sweet” also won the award for Best Video. The Best Team of the year was awarded to DGK. The two awards remaining are opposite in definition, but very close in importance. Gilbert Crocket, a rider for Alien Workshop, took the award for Rookie of the Year. So many new riders are finding their way into the sport, so to be recognized as rookie of the year is a major accomplishment. The final award went to Tommy Guerrero for the Legend Award. Nobody will dispute that this guy is a legend, and his award was well deserved as a man that revolutionized the sport.

Vanderstyne finds her swing on back nine from VANDERSTYNE, page 21 We cross the road to the 16th tee, where she blocks her drive too far right out of bounds, her typical miss. On the way back to the cart, she whacks the grip of the club against the side of the cart in frustration. “I’m so sick of missing this stupid thing to the right!” she barks.

I go back to three-up after my birdie, but then we both hit our tee shots inside 15 feet on the 17th, a par three. I miss my birdie attempt, and Jenee misses hers short and to the right on a putt that breaks a little left to right.

“Why can’t you miss it on the high side?” she asks herself, pacing off the green with her head down.

“You’re kind of hard on yourself,” I say to her after we tee off on 18, a par five.

“I know, I know better,” she says.

“In golf, you yourself are your biggest challenge. The more tense you get, the worse you’re going to play.”

Jenee has been competing her whole life, I can see Jenee isn’t golfing for the fresh air. She wants to win at whatever she does, something she said she gets from her mother, who was also an athlete.

Later, Coach Buttner will validate Jenee’s work ethic for me. “Her training athletically has allowed her to transition into golf,” he will say. “She’s working as hard as any member of either golf team. Unfortunately, golf is a game of experience. Her scores will improve as she

matures into the playing aspect.”

And today, she admits she needs to relax, let her game develop. “I expect a lot, but I forget how new I am at it,” she says as we ride down the second fairway after making the turn, still threedown to me. “But for the time I put in, it’s frustrating because I still make the same mistakes.”

Those mistakes are usually sloppy chip shots or poor drives off to the right, as she does on the second hole. But she made a mental error on the first hole (our tenth), aiming for the flagstick from a bad angle, and left the ball in the bunker.

On the second, I notice she is going to try to fit the ball through some trees, a low percentage shot with not much greater reward than if she punches out to the left. I convince her to do the latter, and she nearly holes out from 150 yards for eagle on the next shot to win the hole.

A momentum shift. Something clicks on that shot.

Jenee wins three out of the next four holes to go one-up on me.

We head to the last hole, and I am one-down, and I can see Jenee feeling confident and pleased with the way she has played on the second nine. “If I would just let things go, I play so much better,” she says.

Golf is a game that’s as mentally challenging as it is physically, and drives those of us who play it crazy. But there’s always that one shot that brings us back.

On the last hole, Jenee’s short game lets her down again. I win the hole with a par and she double-bogies, but the shot she nearly knocks in on the second hole shows her what she’s capable of.

Still, Jenee wasn’t playing for a tie.

“After all that, we end up tied, huh?” she said after shaking my hand.

I can see she’s clearly disappointed that she let the match slip away.

“It’s all right, you made it interesting,” I say, impressed by her resilience.

Knowing Jenee, she’ll want a rematch. Soon.

photo by Greg Reilly Vanderstyne addresses the ball on the tee box.

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Sports

March 8, 2013

photo by Ethan Cooper Center fielder Jake O’Rourke scoots out of the way of an inside pitch during a bunt attempt against Florida Southern.

Eckerd bounces back to win three after sweep

By Will Creager Asst. Sports Editor The Eckerd College baseball team (8-7 overall, 0-3 SSC) started off SSC play on a rough note, getting swept in a three game series by Florida Tech (15-4, 5-1) Feb. 22-23.

The first game, which took place at the Turley Athletic Center on Friday night, started out as a pitchers’ duel. Starting pitchers Jason Boyer of the Panthers and Andrew Pierson of the Tritons matched zeros through the first three frames.

The scoring finally got started in the fourth inning, when center fielder David Johannessen led off the inning with a home run, giving Florida Tech a 1-0 lead. The Panthers would add two more runs that inning, and picked up a run in both the fifth and sixth innings, opening up a commanding 5-0 lead.

Eckerd fought back, picking up two runs of their own in the bottom of the sixth inning on a two-run double by left fielder Mike Vavasis.

The score would stay 5-2 until the eighth inning, when Florida Tech broke things open by scoring four runs against the Eckerd bullpen.

After Eckerd went quietly in their half of the eighth, the Panthers scored twice more in the top of the ninth to extend their lead to 11-2.

The Tritons tried to make things interesting with a ninth inning rally. A hit by pitch and two walks loaded the bases with one out, which led to a two-run pinchhit double by A.J. Witkowski.

Eckerd added one more run on an RBI ground out by right fielder Tyler Abadal, but their rally fell well short and Florida Tech won the first game by a final score of 11-5.

The first game of the doubleheader on Saturday once again started out looking like a pitchers’ duel, as this time Cody Lewis and Kevin Plant, the starting pitchers for Florida Tech and Eckerd respectively, held their opponents scoreless through the first three innings.

However, from the fourth in-

ning on, the Panthers’ bats heated up while the Tritons stayed cold at the plate. Florida Tech scored at least one run in each of the last six innings, while Lewis and three relievers combined to throw a six-hit shutout, as the Panthers cruised to an 8-0 win.

In the final game of the series, Eckerd’s offense finally showed up, as they scored four runs in the first inning to give Eckerd their first lead in the series. Third baseman Lee Spinelle, Abadal and center fielder Jake O’Rourke all picked up RBI hits in the inning.

Triton starting pitcher Jordan Huchro looked like he was going to make the 4-0 lead hold up, as he limited the Panthers to just two singles through the first three innings. However, Florida Tech struck for three runs in the fourth inning, including a two-run homer by first baseman Scott Carcaise.

Eckerd was able to get two of those runs back in the bottom of the fourth on consecu-

tive RBI hits by shortstop Rowdy Andrews and outfielder Lincoln Dunham. Florida Tech then scored two runs in the sixth inning, with help from three Eckerd errors, and Eckerd took a 6-5 lead into the seventh and final inning.

The Panthers had two on with two outs when catcher Austin Allen hit a three-run homer, giving them an 8-6 lead. This ended up being the final score, as Eckerd was unable to score in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Eckerd has rebounded strongly since, winning three straight nonconference games. First they beat Florida Memorial University 6-1 on Feb. 27 behind the strong start of David Horsfield. Horsfield pitched eight one-hit innings, allowing just one unearned run while walking two and striking out four.

Eckerd then swept a double header against Florida Christian College on March 2. They won the first game by a score of 12-3, scoring at least one run in each of the

first seven innings. Huchro pitched six scoreless innings, while Abadal picked up three of the Triton’s 17 hits while driving in five runs.

The second game was much closer, as Eckerd came from behind to win 3-2. Trailing 2-0 entering the bottom of the fifth inning, first baseman Chris Hanson delivered a pinch-hit two-run homer to tie the game. Catcher James Petika then came through with the game-winning hit with two outs in the sixth inning.

Head coach Bill Mathews is pleased with where the team is at. “I think this team is just starting to find its identity as a club.

We have one returning position starter and the rest of our spots are filled with new faces... that lends itself to some growing pains early on in the season. We are 8-7 right now, with better things to come.”

Eckerd resumes SSC play with a three-game series at Florida Southern College March 8-9.

Eckerd tennis teams look ahead to strong season in tough conference

By Arielle Burger Director of PR/Advertising The men’s and women’s tennis teams are looking forward to a promising spring season. After a tough 0-18 spring season last year, these 22 student-athletes hope to improve their performance during matches and work hard to maintain a good group dynamic.

Assistant Coach of the men’s and women’s teams, Ben Maxwell, states that he “wants to see everyone grow to their fullest potential.”

Maxwell, a former EC Triton himself, played on the team all four years while attending Eckerd. “I miss it. I try to play as much as I can. I put my four years in and college tennis has helped me improve on and off the court.” He has been the tennis coach for the last two years but has had experience coaching the sport since he was 14 years old.

In addition to his coaching position, Maxwell is the Coordinator of Fitness and Wellness. Maxwell also trains alongside head coach, Erin Koenig, who is entering her sixth season with the Tritons.

Senior Manon Ironside is also looking forward to serve her last season as an EC Triton. Ironside has been playing tennis for Eckerd for three years. “My goals for this season are to keep a steady position, improve on my match playing and improve my mental game.” Ironside states that as a team they are looking to create a better team cooperation. “Tennis is an individual sport, so it is hard to get that team feeling.” The team is doing more activities in order to create a better team dynamic.

With five sophomores and four seniors on the women’s

team, Ironside believes that the underclassmen are strong athletes and that they will put the team in a good place next year.

For this season, the teams have been changing up their fitness schedule to develop better skills during competition. According to Ironside, the team has been working a lot on footwork in order to improve their overall game. Their aim is to work on moving better on the court. Maxwell also affirmed that he has been working with Koenig to create a practice schedule that is geared towards consistency and point play. “As a player you get bored and you reach a plateau where you level off and not get any better if you are constantly doing the same things.”

After their loss against the number four school in the nation, Lynn University, during their first match this season, the team hopes to better themselves during competition. The team practices at least five days a week and works around their class schedule in order to train with Koenig or Maxwell.

Athletes to watch include Taylor Bullock, who was named most valuable player last season and Erika Fridrik, who was out last year because of injury. On the men’s team, Frazier Springfield and Jonathan Cheng are also valuable assets to the team.

Even though the team would like to see a few wins in the future, Maxwell states that he “doesn’t want to worry about wins and losses.” “At the end of the day, wins and losses are just a W and an L.” Ironside states that everyone should come out and watch the two teams compete. “It is a great way to enjoy the weather and it looks like a great season.”

Tennis remaining schedule 3/9 Ave Maria University 3/10 Bentley University 3/14 U. of Southern Indiana (men only) 3/21 New York Inst. of Technology 3/23 Rollins College (men only) 3/24 Merrimack College 3/28 U. of West Alabama 4/4 Rose-Hulman Inst. of Tech 4/5 U. of Tampa (women only) 4/9 Rollins College (women only) 4/12 Saint Leo University SSC matches in italics Home matches in bold

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