Volume 6, Issue 11 by The Current

VIEWPOINTS

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

SPORTS

ECQSA aims to change the world one gender binary at a time. page 5

Eckerd hauls in seven Hollings scholars.

Tennis looks towards rebuilding after this season. page 15

page 9

Vol. 6, Issue 11 April 17, 2015

Students show their colors during annual Pride Week

photo by Peter Bouveron

Delta James to be next gender neutral house By Timothy Lee Asst. News Editor

Housing has announced that Delta James will join Kappa Oberg as the second gender-neutral dorm for the 2015-2016 academic year. This means that any student, regardless of their sex or gender identity, may live on either floor with any other person as their roommate and use either floor’s bathroom. Housing will be implementing this change in response to student requests for housing options that provide a safe and comfortable environment for students who are transgender or who for any reason feel more comfortable living with someone who is legally considered of the opposite sex. “We knew that we were going to be adding more gender-neutral housing on campus, we just weren’t sure where…We finally were able to make a decision and settle on Delta James,” Associate Director of Housing Victoria Reeves said. According to Reeves, Housing’s primary concern throughout this process was ensuring that whichever house they chose to be made gender-neutral would have bathrooms with shower doors to ensure student privacy. Kappa Oberg’s showers are outfitted with these doors, and Reeves explained that doors will be added to the showers in Delta James over the summer. Suites in Nu and Omega have been gender-neutral for several years, and Kappa Oberg was made officially gender-neutral beginning in the fall of 2014. Eckerd’s experiment with gender-neutral housing in Oberg appears to have come off without any major issues. “This year, it’s been amazing. I haven’t had any [unusual] troubles, really,” Oberg’s Resident Advisor and Senior Sarah Sims said. “Everyone has been really accepting here.... I don’t think there’s been even a question of it being different. People are friends.” But some students expressed concerns that Oberg was insufficient. Oberg only has one floor of traditional housing, with the top floor devoted to suite-style rooms.

See Delta, page 3 Please Recycle

INDEX: NEWS

1-4

photo by Chelsea Duca ECQSA President Beth White and Publicity Chair KT Klens hold the banner as the club parades across campus on April 13.

By Chelsea Duca News Editor

As LGBTQ rights continue to make waves in the national and global dialogue, Eckerd’s own EC Queer Straight Alliance is hosting a series of what they hope will be fun, educational and empowering Pride Week events. Pride Week got off to a start with the Drag Show on April 10, which was organized in conjunction with Palmetto Productions, according to ECQSA Publicity Chair and Senior KT Klens. The winning act, Junior Abby Walter and Freshman Connor Alsheimer, took home a $150 prize for their rendition of the “Time of My Life” routine from “Dirty Dancing.”

Right on the heels of the Drag Show, ECQSA expressed their gratitude to LGBTQ allies during the April 12 Allies Rock Slam ‘n’ Jam event in Slater’s Woods, with music, food and slam poetry. “It’s a chance to really focus on the allies. We want to celebrate them and all the work they do,” Klens said. “We wouldn’t have any rights if it weren’t for the help of our allies.” On April 13, ECQSA members and friends marched in a Pride Parade that started at Miller Auditorium and ended in a party on Kappa Field, complete with cupcakes, games and a bounce house. The club is also asking Eckerd to acknowledge and participate in the National Day of Silence on April 17

to honor LGBTQ voices that have been silenced. To finish off the week, ECQSA is hosting a “Burn the Closet Bonfire” at 8 p.m. on April 19. According to Klens, this is the third year that students have participated in this therapeutic bonfire, and the event usually draws a large crowd. Klens said that an accordionstyle closet door gets broken apart and everyone gets a piece on which to write something that they would like to let go about being LGBTQ. “Maybe someone said something that they want to let go, or maybe something is going on in their family right now about it and they want to talk about it,” Klens said. “It can be totally public or private, whatever they want.”

Then they throw all the pieces in the fire and watch them go up in flames. “We literally and metaphorically burn the closet that we feel like we are in sometimes,” Klens said. A lot of work has gone into the organization of this week of events. According to ECQSA President and Senior Beth White, she met with all of the ECQSA officers at the beginning of the semester to discuss ideas and coordinate the group’s spring events — including Pride Week — to work with the Campus Activities calendar. They then submitted the forms for all of their events as early as they could.

Other renovations are also on the way. President Donald Eastman and Dean of Students James Annarelli detailed some of the admin-

istration’s plans during a meeting with The Current staff. The administration plans to knock down the Ransom Visual

Arts Center and erect a new art building with refurbished art studios in its place.

See Pride, page 3

Plans currently in the works for campus renovations B R H y

iley

uff

Staff Writer

The Eckerd campus is currently undergoing renovations and may experience more in the next few years. Construction began this semester on a sailing cove near the Galbraith Marine Science Laboratory. The school plans to move the sailing team’s practice location to this cove from the Waterfront. Sophomore and ECOS Vice President Jack Layden eagerly awaits the new addition and sees it as an opportunity to encourage the team in its activities. “The sailing cove will be cool because then we can actually support the sailing team,” he said. In addition, Eckerd plans to get rid of the land bridge to the Wireman Chapel and construct a path along the outskirts of Fox Pond. Construction for this could begin as early as this coming fall semester. VIEWPOINTS

5-8

See Renovations, page 4

photo by Lia Nydes Workers install the docks in the new sailing cove.

SCIENCE & TECH. 9-10

A & E 11-12

HEALTH & FITNESS 13-14

SPORTS 15-16

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

2 News

the current

April 17, 2015

Editor-in-Chief

Sydney Cavero thecurrent@eckerd.edu

Managing Editors Teresa Young Gary Furrow Jr. currentme@eckerd.edu

News Editors Chelsea Duca Bryan Arnott

Assistant Editor

Timothy Lee currentnews@eckerd.edu

Viewpoints Editors Dorothy-Mae Eldemire Araesia King currentviews@eckerd.edu

Science & Technology Editor Sarah Raney

Assistant Editor

Ania Szczesniewski currentscience@eckerd.edu

Arts & Entertainment Editor Jennifer Lincoln currentae@eckerd.edu

Health & Fitness Editor Blaide Woodburn currenthealth@eckerd.edu

Sports Editor

Dominick Cuppetilli

Assistant Editors

Christina Rosetti Simon Sheidegger currentsports@eckerd.edu

Photo Editors

Nate Gozlan Lia Nydes currentphoto@eckerd.edu

Online Editor Hailey Escobar

Assistant Editor

Cassie Madden currentonline@eckerd.edu

Layout Editor

Andrew Friedman currentlayout@eckerd.edu

Graphics & Design Editor Hannah Hamontree hmhamont@eckerd.edu

Multimedia Manager Gary Furrow Jr. currentvideo@eckerd.edu

Social Media Coordinator Marissa Meleedy mjmeleed@eckerd.edu

Business Managers Gary Furrow Jr. Teresa Young currentads@eckerd.edu

Faculty Adviser K.C. Wolfe

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.

LET’S BE BRIEF By Timothy Lee Asst. News Editor

ECQSA invites you to “burn the closet”

Eckerd to feature Dirty Heads

Join the members of the EC Queer-Straight Alliance for a bonfire and a symbolic closet burning intended to celebrate the acceptance of diversity in human sexuality and gender. The event will be held at South Beach on April 19 at 8 p.m.

The National Concert featuring Dirty Heads will be held at the GO Pavilion on April 24 at 9 p.m. Dirty Heads has produced such popular singles as “Lay Me Down” (2010), “Dance All Night” (2012), and “My Sweet Summer” (2014). They have performed with their student line-up since 2006 and have released four studio albums. Their most recent album “Sound of Change” released in July 2014 peaked at number eight overall, two among rock albums, and one among alternative rock albums.

Springtopia schedule

The Flush

Martha Nussbaum to speak to students CPS event

Noted author and University of Chicago professor Martha Nussbaum will speak to students on the subject of “Anger and Revolutionary Justice” in Fox Hall on April 20 at 7:30 p.m. Nussbaum is the Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics at the University of Chicago and the author of many books, including “The New Religious Intolerance”, a required Human Experience reading for current freshmen.

Museum hosts Festival of Chocolate Tampa Bay Times

The Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa will be hosting a chocolate festival on April 18 at 9 a.m. Festivities are to include pastry chef demonstrations, wine and chocolate pairings, a chocolate game show, classes on working with chocolate, a Cocoa Couture “Eurydice” performances continue fashion show, kids activities and, of course, lots of CPS event chocolate from vendors for sale and to sample. Admission will be free with museum entry, which costs Come see a performace of the Eckerd student pro- $22.95 for people aged 13-59. Check out tampa.festiduction of “Eurydice.” Sarah Ruhl’s modern interpre- valofchocolate.com for more information. tation of the Greek myth of Orpheus and his descent into the underworld in pursuit of his wife Eurydice Educator speaks on gender violence is a comedic and surreal retelling of the classic myth CPS event from the perspective of his wife. Performances will be on the evenings of April 15 through 18 and April Educator, author, filmmaker and advocate Jackson 22 through 23 at 8 p.m. and on the afternoon of April Katz will discuss issues of gender violence and bully19 at 2 p.m. Admission will be $1 for students, $5 for ing prevention at a CPS event in Fox Hall on April 29 other members of the Eckerd community and $10 for at 7 p.m. The event will be titled “Taking it Personall others. This will be held at Bininger Theatre. ally: Why Gender Violence Is an Issue for Men.” Katz is the first man to minor in women’s studies at Earth Day Festival to be held downtown the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and holds a Tampa Bay Times Master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of A celebration will be held for Earth Day at South Education and a Ph.D. in cultural studies and educaStraub Park in downtown St. Petersburg on April 18. tion from UCLA. He also created the “Mentors in ViThe event will be free. Visitors can meet with repre- olence Prevention” model of gender violence prevensentatives from leading sustainable companies to learn tion, and his TED Talk “Violence against women—it’s about eco-friendly technology, research and products. a men’s issue” has received over 1 million views.

FRI

CPS: 2nd Annual Humanities Symposium, Sheen Auditorium, 1 p.m.

SAT

Festival of Cultures, Slater’s Woods, 4:30 p.m. National Concert, Dirty Heads, GO Pavilion, 9 p.m. Baseball, Nova Southeastern University, 6 p.m.

MON

EC-QSA Burn the Closet Bonfire, South Beach, 8 p.m.

CPS: Anger and Revolutionary Justics, Martha Nussbaum, Fox Hall, 7:30 p.m.

BullS@$t Ballet, Hough Quad, 8 p.m.

Dorm Olympics, North Field, 12 p.m.

Baseball, Nova Southeastern University, 12 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Color Dash and South Beach Luau, South Beach, 5 p.m.

Another Man’s EARTH: Every Trash show, Miller Student An Artist, Auditorium, 9 p.m. Cobb Library, 5 p.m.

CPS film: “Cinema is Nicholas Ray Retrospective: Bigger Than Life (1956),” Miller Auditorium, 7 p.m.

SUN

Splash Bash, Water- Bodies and Bagels, Fox Hall, 11 a.m. front, 3 p.m.

TUES

The Current meeting, upstairs Cobb, 7 p.m.

WED

THURS

Staff and Facul-Tea Earth Fest, Hough Tasting, James Cen- Quad, 12 p.m. ter, 4:30 p.m.

Survivor Speakout, Women’s Empowerment Society, Miller Auditorium, 7 p.m.

Final Poker Tournament, Triton’s Pub, 8 p.m.

Tritones Final CPS: Taking it Showcase, Miller Personally: Why Gender Violence Is Auditorium, 7 p.m. an Issue for Men, Jackson Katz, Fox Hall, 7 p.m.

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the current

April 17, 2015

News 3

News August ELS incidents prompt campus security improvements, program changes

photo by Nate Gozlan Delta James will be the fourth gender-neutral house at Eckerd.

From Delta, page 1

graphic by Hannah Hamontree The 40-year ELS-Eckerd relationship has evolved significantly in the past year.

By Sydney Cavero Editor-in-chief Nearly eight months after two reports of sexual assault propelled the ELS program into the spotlight, administrators still had to answer the central question of whether the program will continue at Eckerd. The English Language School (ELS) will be continuing its programs next year, according to Dean of Executive and Continuing Education Kelly Kirschner. Female students in the program will continue to live in West Lodge and males will continue to stay offcampus with local families, known as homestays. Eckerd will also continue to host the ELS summer camps, which primarily cater to youth under 16 years of age. Eckerd already has the largest network of homestay families out of the approximately 60 other ELS program locations nationwide, but Kirschner said that they are recruiting more in this area. “The quickest way to learn a language is through a homestay — living, drinking, breathing a foreign language, 24/7,” he said. Other campus leaders are considering additional far-reaching changes to the ELS program to ensure its long-term viability and value. “[Eckerd’s relationship with ELS] is going to continue and it’s going to change...we are going to have additional new programs that we don’t have now,” President Donald Eastman said. “I think they’re committed enough to us...we’ve been a big center for them for so long.” Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students James Annarelli would like to see students stay for a longer period of time. “What would be ideal from my perspective would be students who are committed to a lengthier stay in the program — those who are serious about language study — and, taking it another step, perhaps a percentage of those who are interested in using ELS as a bridge for becoming matriculated Eckerd students,” he said. Center Director for ELS St. Petersburg Karen Grubbs would also like to increase the length of each ELS student’s time here for the financial as well as the interpersonal benefits. Despite the incidents in Autumn Term, she believes that ELS and Eckerd have strengthened their relationship through working together to find a solution.

Grubbs has already made changes to further enrich both the ELS program and its relationship with Eckerd. These changes include working more with Eckerd staff members on events such as the Festival of Cultures and changing ELS students’ Autumn Term orientation to be more interactive and indepth. Students from West Lodge will also be invited to meet their ELS neighbors. She hopes this will improve the integration between the different students, which Director of Campus Safety and Emergency Management Adam Colby said has been a problem in the past. “There is an obvious failure to integrate,” Colby said, “and part of that has to do with the way the ELS program is and part of that has to do with the difference between a residential Eckerd College student and an ELS student.” He said that previous complaints about ELS students were common because Eckerd students did not know them. While an Eckerd student might knock on their Eckerd neighbor’s door in West Lodge to ask them to turn the music down, Colby believes they are more likely to call Campus Safety and complain about ELS students they don’t know. Since their removal from campus, Campus Safety has not received any informal complaints from Eckerd students about ELS students, which included phone calls as well as reports filed through “Silent Witness,” Eckerd’s anonymous reporting system. Colby added that the numbers also could be down because there are fewer ELS students on campus. “Student safety is such a relative term...it’s a perception that their safety is better,” he said. “... we haven’t turned it into Fort Knox down there [in West Lodge].” Sophomore Alex Barone lived in West Lodge for two years and said that it is calmer this year as compared to last. She said that the fire alarm used to go off often in the middle of the night, there would be loud parties, dorm damage fees due to vandalism and her fellow residents complained about cat-calling — all of which are virtually nonexistent now. “They got rowdy a lot last year,” she said. “I never had a problem, but I know a lot of the girls at West last year had a problem...this year it’s weird because there’s like no one.”

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According to Colby, many safety features were implemented shortly after the events in August that could contribute to improved safety on campus. Eastman agreed that the incidents may have pushed the measures up on the college’s list of priorities, though they had long been on the agenda. These measures include a new fence, new cameras and the hiring of night dispatchers. The latter are Campus Safety officers who watch the cameras from the Campus Safety office, answer phones and dispatch officers all night, allowing the officer at the gate to be more vigilant. Colby said that Campus Safety plans to add lighting to the parking lots near West Lodge and other walkways, including the sidewalk leading from Epsilon to Kappa, the walkway from Franklin Templeton and the walkways north of Sigma and West Lodge. Coordinator for Community Standards Mara Shingleton said that approximately 12 to 15 ELS students have been cited for minor offenses since August, such as curfew or parking violations. “Those violations are not what we would determine to be a disruption to the community so much,” she said. Shingleton added that males — both residential Eckerd and ELS students — are documented more often than females, which could also translate to ELS violation numbers. Although Shingleton receives every report that is filed on campus, if it is regarding an ELS student, she forwards it to the ELS coordinators. Despite the positive safety implications for students, the removal of the ELS males had a financial impact on the college. According to Kirschner, fewer filled rooms means less money, both for Eckerd and ELS. However, he said that with an $80 million budget, Eckerd is able to shift money to account for fluctuations. “While the terms of the College’s agreement with ELS, including financial matters, are confidential, it is accurate that there has been a reduction in revenue,” Vice President for Business and Finance Chris Brennan said in an email. Though this revenue goes to students’ financial aid, Brennan said that it will not affect the amount that Eckerd will be able to offer to students.

“I think the specific demand [for gender-neutral housing] is for elsewhere than Kappa Oberg,” Reeves said. Many students also prefer a quieter dorm environment than Kappa offers. “A lot of people aren’t too keen on the Kappa environment,” Senior and ECQSA Social Media Chair Adrien Krajnik said. “Although that’s great for some people, it’s not for everybody.” Krajnik also expressed concern that Kappa residents are often held responsible for considerable damage charges, making living there more expensive than living in other traditional dorms. This might make gender-neutral housing unattainable for students who cannot afford it. Oberg is also an animal-friendly dorm. Despite living in an animalfriendly dorm, Senior and ECQSA Publicity Chair KT Klens noted that it is not ideal for the only gender-neutral dorm on campus to be

animal-friendly, as some students have allergies. Housing and Residence Life worked through these concerns with EC Queer-Straight Alliance (ECQSA) leaders and eventually settled on Delta James as the right candidate for the expansion of gender-neutral housing. “We had a group of students come to us with a concern and a need for gender-neutral housing. So, after discussing it with them, we found that we could we could provide that without any real issue,” Director of Residence Life Jamey Handorf said. He was describing ECQSA this year to convince Eckerd’s administration to make one of the traditional dorms gender-neutral. Last fall, they hosted a signature and letter-writing campaign to demonstrate the student demand for this housing option. “We couldn’t have done it without the collective effort or without Housing and Residence Life,” Klens said. “They were nice and listened to us.”

photo courtesy of Sorella Andersen Participants in the Eckerd Drag Show pose together.

From Pride, page 1

Leading up to Pride Week, the officers met again several times to prepare. White worked closely with Klens to design a schedule and fliers, as well as with the communication co-chairs Sophomores Natalia Fernandez and Casper Brophy to get the information out to the Eckerd community. “It was a group effort, and we all contributed,” Klens said. “But Beth put in most of the work and effort to set up the events.” White also worked with Associate Director of Campus Activities Lova Patterson and Assistant Director of Campus Activities Weston Babelay to make sure that all of the materials the club needed were available for each event. But all of the work was worth it to make Pride Week a success. “I think the importance of Pride Week is a few things,” White said. “It’s a celebration, it’s about visibility, it’s about having a conversation...it is a queer straight al-

liance, so we want to have events where we can get everyone together and form our community. Eckerd’s a very safe place, but this is just about facilitating a community where we feel not just safe, but loved.” Klens also believes that Pride Week plays an important role in the view of society. “I feel like it’s good to have a week that specifically focuses on people in this community because it is easy to feel invisible,” Klens said. “It’s important to recognize and let people know that we’re here and we have a strong community of support, and this is our way of showing it.” If you are interested in getting involved as an officer of ECQSA, candidacy announcements will be made at the Burn the Closet Bonfire starting at 8 p.m., and elections will be held at the next bonfire meeting on April 26 at 8 p.m. For more information, contact Beth White at eawhite@eckerd.edu.

4 News

the current

April 17, 2015

Spring Ball rocks Jannus Live

photos by Cypress Hansen

From Renovations, page 1

However, construction could pose issues for the art program. The school would need to find a new place to hold the classes and art supplies that are currently held in the Visual Arts Center for approximately 18 to 24 months. “These things are complicated in a number of ways,” Eastman said. “We have not had a final conversation about how much mess and noise — construction noise — students want to put up with.” The administration has tentative plans to renovate several of the traditional housing complexes. If all goes according to plan, the Epsilon bathrooms and Alpha Complex lounge will be redone.

Zeta complex will have their courtyard redone to have consistent materials and finishing. Furthermore, Eastman and Annarelli also voiced plans to build a lounge in the Iota Complex. Lounge construction will likely begin in the latter part of this year. Eastman and Annarelli hope the lounge will foster a sense of kinship among residents. “Not having a complex lounge is really an impediment to community,” Annarelli said. According to both Eastman and Annarelli, these plans are all conditional - forward movement depends on finances, approval from the Board of Trustees and student endorsement.

photo by Cypress Hansen This frequently used landbridge will be removed from Fox Pond this summer.

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the current

Viewpoints 5

April 17, 2015

Viewpoints

Eckerd student abroad gives hitchhikers thumbs up By Emma Cotton Foreign Correspondent

In the U.S., most Americans would never think to hitchhike. We’ve heard the stories -- the murders and assaults, the countless victims who have gone missing. Our mothers and fathers tell us that there are bad people on the road, and most of us don’t dare try to prove them wrong. In New Zealand, however, many travelers don’t think twice about sticking their thumb out to hitch a ride. This country’s wanderlusty nature and lack of public transport has deemed hitchhiking a regular thing, another adventure on many travelers’ bucket lists. Personally, I wouldn’t do it. My parents did well with their warning speeches. The risks are too blatant.. I cringe at the thought of putting my fate in a strange driver’s hands -- of trusting someone I’ve never met before. But exploring is a necessity, and transportation must be found, so my friends and I shell out the money for rental cars. Last weekend, on our mid-semester break, my British flatmate Sophie and I rented a little black Toyota from a shop across the street and headed to Mt. Cook, the tallest peak in New Zealand. The road (there was really only one during the entire trip; we only took one left turn) wound through valleys, over mountains, passed sheep, cow and deer farms and through tiny towns. We were just leaving a town called Timaru when we saw two girls, about our age, standing on the side of the road, their thumbs raised. Sophie looked at me. We wouldn’t hitch ourselves,

but picking someone up was somehow a different story. Though we didn’t say it, I knew we were thinking the same thing: these girls could either be picked up by us, or by one of the murderers we were so sure trolled around looking for this very opportunity. We pulled over. “Where are you headed?” I asked. “Mt. Cook!” They said together. We helped them load their bags into the trunk and we were off. Helena and Theresa traveled from Germany to New Zealand for their gap year and were headed to a university when they arrived home in June. We swapped stories about mountain peaks, the friendliness of the Kiwis and the feeling of never wanting to leave. The conversation eventually lulled, stunted by a combination of language barrier and fatigue of all of its members. I turned to my iPod. I have never been fond of the pressures that come with being discjockey, especially now that I had an international audience. I paused, trying to think of something fun and happy that everyone would know. I put on Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours.” The familiar chords evoked smiles from our guests, and we all sang along. I was reminded of a day in Autumn Term, my first year at Eckerd, when I went to a Jason Mraz concert with a gaggle of other freshman. We sat on the grass, giddy in the warm Florida evening. I remember realizing that I didn’t know any of the people sitting around me -- I didn’t know what their lives were like, if they had any siblings, even their last names. Even so, many of them became my best friends.

By Timothy Lee Asst. News Editor There is currently a major debate going on concerning the rights of transgender people -- that is, people who do not identify with the gender they were assigned to when they were born. The question of whether trans people and their gender identities should be treated with equality and respect is finally being discussed at all levels of society and government. The EC Queer-Straight Alliance has been very active in engaging Eckerd’s student body on trans issues. Their successful petition and letter-writing campaign last semester led Housing to the decision to make Delta James gender-neutral next year. They have also been gathering signatures in opposition to a bill proposed in the Florida legislature that would ban people from using public bathrooms for people of their gender. At a broader level, the Obama administration has spoken out in favor of trans rights. In October 2012, Vice-President Joe Biden declared trans rights to be “the civil rights issue of our time,” and on April 8, the president’s executive order from last summer barring federal agen-

photo by Emma Cotton Junior Emma Cotton soaks up landscape while studying abroad this semester in New Zealand.

The road twisted by crystal clear blue lakes and jagged, barren mountains. We were silent, besides the occasional “wow” or “look at that.” Though none of us had ever seen Mt. Cook before, we all knew what it was when its unmistakably large, snowy peak breached the horizon. We were one Brit, two Germans and an American, forget-

ting our differences, united by our destination. The two girls were no longer hitchhikers, but rather friends with whom I was connected because of this moment. We traveled on, realizing the glory of the mountain as we neared it. When we finally reached the girls’ hostel, they gave us both hugs and fresh apples they had hand-

Transcending transphobia: How to be a better ally

photo by Chelsea Duca Students gather outside of Miller Auditorium to support EC Queer-Straight Alliance as they host Pride Week from April 10-19.

cies and contractors from discriminating based on gender identity in employment went into effect. This order helps to protect the jobs of the many transgender federal employees and contractor employees who live or work in one of the 32 states, including Florida, that offer no such protections.

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picked as a token of appreciation. I felt a twinge of nostalgia; I didn’t even know enough to add them on Facebook. They were gone forever. What they made me realize, however, will stick: the road is not full of bad people. In fact, most of the strangers we fear are headed in the exact same direction as we are.

Though the visibility of transgender people in the media is still severely lacking, it is at an all-time high. Such popular and awardwinning television shows as ABC’s “The Fosters,” Netflix’s “Orange Is the New Black” and Amazon’s “Transparent” prominently feature transgender characters as genu-

ine, complex and relatable people. Despite a relative lack of major celebrities, professional athletes and national politicians who are openly transgender, the challenges trans people face in our society are finally being discussed thanks to this media representation and to the many courageous

trans people who have chosen to come out in their everyday lives. But some feel threatened by our society’s progression toward greater equality. In several states, including Florida, fear-mongering legislators have introduced bills intended to prevent transgender people from using the correct bathroom. Violence against transgender people, particularly women and people of color, is also an epidemic in our society. A 2011 report by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs found that those who identify as transgender are 58 percent more likely to experience physical violence than those who do not. But aside from opposing such legalized discrimination and pushing for tougher hate-crime laws, what can ordinary people do to make our society a safer and more accepting place for our trans siblings? The EC Queer-Straight Alliance recently published a list of things cisgender people, that is people who do identify with the gender they were assigned at birth, can do to be better allies. I have adapted the list with the permission of its author Sophomore and Casper Brophy for publication here. See Transphobia page 8

6 Viewpoints

the current

April 17, 2015

Freshman year: Haphazard experience or a Human Experience? By James Carter III Contributing Writer Freshman year begins with a shot in the dark, a near-random class and mentor assignment that could land you with any mishmash of students. For better or worse, this is the cast of characters for your Human Experience for the rest of the year. This randomization characterizes the course enough to leave students with completely different experiences of the course depending on their classroom environment. Everyone will tell a different story about their Human Experience just as they’ll tell a different story about their experience as a human. The class was an investment for everybody in one way or another, but always in polarizing ways--either an engrossing discussion or an empty chunk of your morning, either corresponding with your major or at odds with it. “Coming from a class with an amazing teacher who able to facilitate highly arresting discussions, I have always enjoyed Human Experience,” Freshman Ben StinsonHurwitz said. “But I know many people whose classes are basically like chores that they simply bear and some who even claim to do

nothing at all every single class.” The course obviously aims to educate us on being liberally educated, but how and if that goal is individually reached depends on which of the 25 professors conducts the class. The lack of commonality might be the most common thread through all of Human Experience, and it’s subjectivity ultimately determines what we take away from the course. “From their individual discipline’s perspective, [the professors] build a campus-wide academic community of lifelong learners,” Assistant Professor of Spanish Yanira Angulo-Cano said in an email. It’s no secret that a professor can make or break a class, which means Human Experience’s setup is a bit risky. A good professor, however, handles that risk by encouraging and working in conjunction with the class they have been given. If the material is outside of the professor’s subject, their goal is to adapt and use their knowledge in the most useful and teachable way. A good mentor match boils down to luck, and I’ll admit that I got lucky. Professor of Composition Kat Robinson (Narratives of Sailing) always encourages us to dive into dynamic discourse and engages

us with creative ways of learning, from psychological tests to taking the class sailing. “Having a professor from China was a unique experience that I felt like other Human Experience classes didn’t have,” Freshman Maxx King said about Assistant Professor of Political Science Jing Chen (U.S. & China: Images & Politics). “In particular when reading ‘The Woman Warrior,’ we were able to compare the novel’s setting with that of our own professor’s upbringing.” Standard as it may be, the material in the course takes a back seat to the heart of the course: the professor. Conducting a class with so many variables is not an easy undertaking, and is certainly not an undertaking for just any professor. Learning to adapt to that uncertainty is a life skill -- one that any professor who teaches the class successfully demonstrates for their students first hand. “Getting to know and to work with faculty from across disciplines promotes and encourages such great conversations and relationships [for the students],” Fellowship and Scholarship Advisor Kat Robinson said. “Yes, it’s a lot of work, but it’s so worth it.”

photo by Dorothy-Mae Eldemire Human Experience classes focus on a variety of literature genres from around the world.

PerspECtives:

I’m not looking forward to Around the World because it’s an Omega Party. Everyone knows Nu parties are much better than Omega parties. - Luke McKinnon, senior

For what Around the World theme are you most excited?

I’m definitely looking forward to Omega 109 for the team of strippers. -IsarWadhwa, freshman

If I was going to be here for Around the World, I would definitely look forward to the Wolf of Wall Street Room. - Cory Champer, junior

I’m looking forward to the Mos Eisley Cantina Room. I really hope they play the Cantina song on a 10 hour loop, nonstop the whole night. They could put a projector on the wall with the band. That would be cool. - Robert Grudzien, senior

I’m most definitely looking forward to going to the Nudist Colony. I’m most comfortable in my birthday suit so, it’s going to be a good time. -Dustin Colson, senior

the current

April 17, 2015

Viewpoints 7

Transgender-friendly feminism By Hailey Escobar Online Editor At Eckerd, we have had a long history of politically-minded students protesting for what they believe is rights all over the country. On March 31, Sophomore Casper Brophy traveled to Tallahassee with Planned Parenthood to lobby against House Bill 633. The bill would require that all women seeking an abortion would have to go through a 24hour consent period before their procedure in the state of Florida. This will greatly impact women of low-income who will have to miss additional work days for these procedures. “It’s just another way to infantilize people with vaginas, to be honest,” Brophy said. According to Reproductive and Sexual Health Reality Check data, the bill was voted out of both the Health Quality Subcommittee and the Judiciary Committee last month. It’s still waiting to be voted on in the Health and Human Services Committee. Brophy refers to this law and others like this as reproductive injustice, making reproductive rights inaccessible and taking away the power that women have over their bodies. “I think it’s also worth mentioning that reproductive rights doesn’t affect all women, it affects cis women. It also affects anybody who was assigned female at birth whether they’re non-binary or a transguy or whatever. If the person has a uterus and a vagina, they’re affected by this,” Brophy said. Cis women refers to women who agree with the gen-

photo by Chelsea Duca Pride Week at Eckerd focuses on keeping our campus LGBT and QSA friendly

der they were assigned at birth -- the opposite of transgender. This is where Brophy’s experience with feminist issues becomes interesting. When I first met Brophy last year as a freshman, he was still going by the name Amanda. Transgenderism is not a new topic, but it has recently been one of the many issues thrust into the spotlight with actors such as Laverne Cox raising their voices in support. I would say that transgender is-

sues would also be considered feminist issues since they promote the equality of the genders and the sexes. Brophy taught me that has not been the case. “Radical feminism...was the first strain of theory to equate womanhood to biology and it was the first thing to say that if you had a vagina, you’re a woman and along with these ideas came very transphobic ideas such as the idea that transwomen have male privilege which is transmisogyny at it’s worst,” Brophy said.

Debates on the subject of radical feminism and transgender issues have made headlines for many major publications such as The New Yorker and the Huffington Post. According to the article published in the New Yorker, “What is a Woman?” radical feminists today are still being treated with hostility because they “insist on regarding transgender women as men, who should not be allowed to use women’s facilities, such as public restrooms, or to participate in events

organized exclusively for women.” If this is how radical feminism treats people like Brophy, why would he still fight for these feminist issues? “I am a boy -- I mean, whether or not I’m trans or cis or white or black or gay or straight or pan or asexual,” Brophy said. “When it comes down to it, I still believe that feminism is necessary. The basic idea behind feminism, the equality between all of the genders and all of the sexes, that’s not something that’s ever going to change for me.”

Eckerd lacks racial diversity, compensates with diversity of interests, abilities By Nicole Zavala Staff Writer Before you came to Eckerd, you probably flipped through brochures and pamphlets advertising this school. You saw images of people having conversations in front of the James Center and pictures of people riding their long boards in front of South Beach. To give an accurate representation of Eckerd, you could have seen students hugging trees or seniors partying during Springtopia. You might have also noticed that there was a wide variety of people representing the students that attend Eckerd on the covers of these pamphlets. However, some students don’t feel like that is an accurate representation of this campus. Even though Eckerd attempts to bring in a wide variety of people to this campus, the majority that seem to be attracted to this school have many similarities. “The people here seem to be geographically and academically diverse but as far as ethnic differences, there doesn’t seem to be much variation,” Freshman Erica Wirth said. Sophomore Zack Zielinski agrees that this school isn’t as diverse as he first thought it was when he attended, but he’s been noticing the types of people increasing. “I’m definitely noticing more ethnicities being represented on campus,” Zielinski said.

Photo by Peter Bouveron Eckerd’s diverse number of students and clubs adds to the school’s diverse dynamic.

Director of Admission Jake Brown has been trying to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to making sure all ethnicities are represented at Eckerd. “Students at Eckerd are represented by 48 states and about 80 percent of students who attend Eckerd are from outside of Florida,” Brown said. Brown says compared to larger public schools, Eckerd has a high

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percentage of out-of-state students. The average travel distance for Eckerd students is 1,000 miles. Brown also says that Eckerd is trying to open up new territory. “There was a representative who led an admitted students reception for students in Puerto Rico in March...we’ve also been sending more admissions counselors to the Pacific Northwest and New Mexico,” Brown said.

While Eckerd boasts a large population of international students, it seems to attract many females. According to the Common Data set on the Eckerd website, 60 percent of Eckerd students are female. “[I’m] not complaining,” Freshman Connor Moloy said. Not only is Eckerd geographically diverse and beginning to become more ethnically diverse, but the student involvement also includes a lot of diversity.

“People here have similar mindsets and seem to be very passionate about social issues,” Wirth said. While Eckerd does seem to lack diversity in some areas, it definitely makes up for it in other aspects. There are plenty of clubs to get involved in that focus on your passions and favorite things to do, like the Outdoor Adventure Club, Spearfishing and the Green Team. Eckerd offers over 50 different clubs that are related to global, political and religious issues. Amnesty International, ECHO (Eckerd Homeless Outreach) and the Young Democrats all are dedicated to specific causes. Eckerd can’t do much when it comes to the types of students who overwhelmingly apply to Eckerd, but students at this school are definitely the most involved within the Eckerd community. The Coalition for Community Justice works on making sure everyone involved in the Eckerd community is treated fairly and with respect, including housekeepers, professors and the students, among others. The LaFe Latino Fellowship, Buddhist Meditation Club and Eckerd Queer-Straight Alliance (ECQSA) are other clubs that connect specific types of people and offer communication between others that care about certain issues. Be sure to check out eckerdstudents.org/list-of-clubs to understand the different things that you can get involved in on campus.

8 Viewpoints

the current

April 17, 2015

Academic scholarships on equal playing field with athletics

By Dan Whitely Columnist With tuition at Eckerd rising every year and rising as a whole across the nation, the need for scholarships to counter the cost for students is pressing. The question over how to solve this issue can take many differing perspectives. One perspective is slimming down student athlete scholarships. With a limited interest on Eck-

erd’s campus for athletic pursuits, the perspective is only given further credence. With that in mind, universities should examine the possibility of lowering scholarships given to athletes. Colleges and universities should be primarily focused on preparing their students for their careers and the pursuit of knowledge which students may utilize for the entirety of their lives. I am by no means stating that athletes should be stripped of their scholarships or be viewed as siphoning financial aid. I acknowledge that many athletes here and in other academic institutions greatly contribute to academia. Instead I am merely exploring the possible alternatives to distributing aid in a way that would better contribute to an academic institu-

tion’s overall goals. In the midst of college tournaments, particularly at this point of the year, it becomes more clear that student athletes spend a great deal of time focusing on athletic performance and prestige, rather than focusing on academics. While it is important to many students and fans to have a team to rally behind, the question remains about how much monetary support should be filtered to student athletes who are primarily focused on sports rather than scholastic achievement. According to CNBC, the national student loan debt is at $1.2 trillion, which is higher than auto and credit card loan debt. This should be alarming and a sign that some reform be put into place. While shifting who receives finan-

cial aid to a more academically focused type of selection of students will not wipe out the trillions of dollars of debt, it can dramatically lower the amount. Transferring the amount of scholarships and aid given to students that are primarily focused on academic and career-oriented reasons for attending higher-education institutions can achieve a better result. The shift has the opportunity to benefit both the academic institution and the nation. Filtering money into students pursuing high-paying careers that attend colleges or universities for purely academic reasons will be more likely to repay debt accrued from loans and will likely donate after they they graduate. Also those who wish to study at a university for academic over athletic

purposes but cannot afford the steep price tag would benefit from more scholastic scholarships. These reasons should be proof that while athletic scholarships should not be dismantled, colleges or universities should consider shifting aid to those pursuing academics. The original intention of colleges and universities should once again be followed: enriching students’ lives through higher education. So much of college and university athletics has been popularized and commercialized that education seems to take the back seat. With that in mind, perhaps higher-education institutions should return to being places of learning rather than a sports camps.

ably cheered them on just as passionately as you resented them, at every home game. Fast forward to college. The jocks now get scholarships based on those skills you envied during high school. Some would argue such practices are entirely unfair. How can someone who worked their entire high school career for the perfect GPA get a similar, possibly even smaller, scholarship than someone who put the majority of their time into sports, not academia? The reality is that academics aren’t everything. Sport scholarships are just as important as academic scholarships. At Eckerd College, academic achievement scholarships are awarded during your first year and stay the same

until you leave, or you fall below a specific grade point average. The scholarships are awarded based on students’ GPA and SAT/ ACT scores. Whereas athletic scholarships are available for select sports, the process going entirely through the Athletic department rather than a set GPA standard. Sports provide players a chance to learn motivation, dedication, cooperation, leadership, creativity and patience. Some would refute that academics can teach people these same skills, but everyone learns differently; sports are simply another teaching method. There are many people that struggle with different parts of academics but excel at a specific sport. In this case, academics wouldn’t

be the key to make a well-rounded person -- sports would. When I was in high school, I was on the girls basketball team for three years and captain of it for two. Basketball was more than just an afternoon activity I was required to participate in; it was my family. While we all struggled with teenage angst and complicated relationship statuses that interfered with our GPAs, none of that was allowed on the court. Practices and games were our time to forget our petty problems and remember that if we slacked or let anyone down, we’d all be running suicides for days. As corny as ‘teams are your family’ truly sounds, that’s what sports are for a lot of players. You’re a

family that learns and grows together. You work out at least five days a week collectively. You get yelled at by your coach together. You win and lose as a family. And when someone is slacking academically and about to get suspended from the team until their GPA goes back up, you work to tutor them together. This type of camaraderie isn’t easily achieved through academics. You learn an entirely different set of skills that will be useful throughout life. Being book smart can only take you so far. If the goal of college is to prepare students for the real world, then sports have just as an important role as academics in developing students for the next phase in life.

From transphobia page 5

prejudices and internalized transphobia and work to overcome them. Do not get angry if a trans person corrects you on their pronouns or name, even if you are trying to get them right. Do not expect a reward for getting a trans person’s name or pronouns correct. Do not speak over or for a trans person, no matter how educated you are, but rather use the platforms you have to allow trans people to educate others. Never tell someone they are in the wrong bathroom, because they probably know which bathroom is theirs and would just like to pee in peace. Do not be afraid to stand up to those around you, including your professors, to challenge their transphobia and help create a society that respects trans people. These steps will put us on the path to being decent allies to trans people. In my experience, this is well worth the trouble. My trans friends are all wonderful, interesting and unique people who have made my time at Eckerd richer. They are real people who deserve our respect and our support.

Sports scholarships benefit students, teach camaraderie

Corelle Rokicki Columnist The High School Jocks: if you weren’t one of them, even by association, then you envied or despised them. They were obnoxiously loud, ridiculously hench and ate way too much of the school cafeteria food. But regardless of that, you prob-

Make a habit of asking everyone what pronouns (he, she, they, etc.) they prefer, because you cannot infer another person’s gender from their appearance and the habit of asking about preferred pronouns marks you as a safe person. Do not ask a trans person invasive questions about their experiences or bodies. Refer to all people by the pronouns (he, she, they, zir, etc.) that they prefer, because trans people are just as capable of determining their own legitimate identity as anyone else. Do not out someone as trans without their express permission. Also, never assume someone is already out just because you think it is obvious that they are trans. Never tell a trans person to calm down or stop being angry when they are frustrated over being discriminated against, because you should assume their anger is valid. Educate yourself about gender identity terminology, the history of trans people, their contributions to our society and culture, the issues trans people face in our society, and the intersectionality of oppressions. Be aware of your own structural

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the current

April 17, 2015

Science & Technology 9

Science & TEchnology Eckerd boasts seven new Hollings scholars By Christa Perry Staff Writer graphic by Hannah Hamontree

By Ania Szczesniewski Asst. Science & Tech Editor

Peanut butter and what? Jelly. What will you pour on those mashed potatoes? Gravy. In American culture, these duos are classics. Tradition breeds comfort, but routine can lead to boredom. We live in a time where we can eat a greater variety of food in a week than ancient peoples could in their lifetime. This gives us the opportunity to mix and match ingredients that have never before shared a kitchen. The field of molecular gastronomy studies how recipes function on a chemical level, so chefs can predict delicious combos without blind trial and error. The scientific compatibility of foods can’t be explored without an understanding of aroma’s role in experiencing flavors. Dr. Susan Schiffman was quoted in an article in The Chicago Tribune in 1990 saying that 80 percent of what we taste is actually aroma. At the time she was a professor of medical psychology at Duke University Medical Center and this statistic remains generally accepted to this day. It explains why by eating an apple with your nose plugged, you may as well be chewing on a potato or onion. Foodpairing is a Belgian firm specializing in creative food technology who uses gas chromatography mass spectrometry (separation of a mixture into its different parts and then measuring how much there is of each) to generate flavor profiles. This is their first step when researching an ingredient because this method builds a graph of all the aromas it is made up of. The only scents humans register are those which surpass a given threshold, so these graphs can show what aromas we experience when sniffing a piece of fruit versus a baked good. Once the dominant aromas, such as fruity, cheesy or spicy, are pinpointed, pairings can be calculated. Sophisticated algorithms and years of research eventually brought Foodpairing to the conclusion that different foods will pair better if they share certain aromas, like chocolate and strawberries for their “roasted” quality. Bizarre matches can be explored by chefs who may otherwise not have considered throwing two foods in one pot. So similar aromas equal good taste, right? Not necessarily. Scientists Anupam Jain, Rakhi N K and Ganesh Bagler collaborated on a paper published this year saying that while our Western cuisine prefers positive food pairing, Indian cuisine exhibits a preference for negative food pairing. Their dishes are built from mixtures of dissimilar flavors. Swapping even one spice from an Indian dish can drastically lower the food pairing score (higher indicating complements) as the balance of the flavor sharing pattern is thrown off. Undoubtedly, Indian cuisine is loved by many, indicating that our enjoyment of food may be even more complex than previously thought. If you’re skeptical about straying from that wine and cheese platter to try oysters with strawberries, think to yourself “you only live once” and take a bite.

With seven Hollings Scholarship winners for 2015, Eckerd College continues its legacy as the nationleading winner of Hollings Scholarships with a total of 62 recipients. The 2015 Hollings Scholarship winners are Sophomores Carina Graham, Brittany Evans, Sarah Raney, Austin Hunter, Jason Baer, Daniel Chapman and Jessica Richter. “When I finally opened the email, I read the first two verses and just screamed,” Evans said. “All that came out of my mouth was ‘Hollings! Hollings!’” In 2005, the Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship Program was started by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to recognize U.S. Senator Ernest Hollings. The scholarship is a two-year program that allows undergraduate students to get experience in a research setting working directly with NOAA scientists. During the first year, scholars undergo an orientation process that works to pair them with faculty to conduct research with. In the second year of the program, scholars conduct research with NOAA scientists in the form of a 10-week paid internship. Additionally, winners receive $16,000 in tuition support. “This summer, we have to go to a mandatory conference in D.C.,” Baer said. “We get to meet all the head researchers at NOAA and choose the partner we’re going to do research with the next summer.” The Hollings Scholarship program is unique because it allows

undergraduate students to conduct research they are passionate about. “I’m really excited to do research on something that I get to choose and am truly interested in,” Baer said. Since the program was introduced in 2005, Eckerd has become the top winner of Hollings Scholarships in the country, besting the University of Miami, Pennsylvania State University, University of Oklahoma and Cornell University. This is astonishing considering Eckerd is a small, private college competing with public universities. According to Fellowship and Scholarship Advisor Kat Robinson, Eckerd gives research opportunities to its students that prepares them for success in applying to scholarships like the Hollings Scholarship. “The Hollings Scholarship is a very competitive award,” Robinson said. “Eckerd’s success is a direct reflection of the power of the research opportunities that the faculty give our freshmen through the freshmen research program and also through educational research.” Eckerd has no trouble boasting about its success. The first time Evans heard of the scholarship was on her tour of Eckerd’s campus. “My goal has always been to do research,” Evans said. “I want to work for NOAA once I graduate, so being able to intern with them sounds like a dream.” Doing hands-on research with NOAA scientists as an undergraduate student is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. “It doesn’t seem real to me,” Evans said. The Hollings Scholarship application consists of an essay and an online application.

photo courtesy of NOAA

Sophomore Jason Baer wants to research coral through the Hollings Scholarship.

According to Evans, several people helped her with the Hollings application: her mentor Associate Professor of Marine Science William Szelistowski, Fellowship and Scholarship Advisor Kat Robinson and her roommate, to name a few. “I couldn’t have done it without them,” Evans said. According to Robinson, a Hollings Scholarship seminar was held in the fall. Both former winners of the Hollings Scholarship and students interested in applying were invited to attend. At the seminar, the application process for the Hollings Scholarship was reviewed, in particular the essay. The application process was long, taking Baer three months to complete. “They really wanted to get a big picture of who you were,” Baer said. “It was a lot of writing and editing.” In the second year of the Hollings Scholarship, scholars work alongside NOAA scientists on their research for 10 weeks over the

summer. Evans hopes to work on population genetics and population dynamics, but any research at all is exciting to her. Baer hopes to work on coral reef research, possibly in restoration or conservation. Evans’ future is shaping into everything she dreamed it would be. “I’m excited that I’m doing professional research and that I’ve reached this point,” Evans said. After Eckerd, Evans hopes to get her Ph.D., work for NOAA and eventually become a professor at a small college like Eckerd, so she can pass her knowledge on to the next generation. “I’m really grateful for this opportunity,” Evans said. Baer is not sure what his future holds, but with the Hollings Scholarship, it is sure to be a bright one. “I’m really excited,” Baer said. The Hollings Scholarship is a huge step forward into the world of research and beyond. “It lays a great foundation for future successes,” Robinson said.

ECOS pushes to “Ban the Bottle” on campus By Fiona Maguire Columnist The ECOS Committee for Environmental and Social Responsibility is working on reducing plastic use on Eckerd’s campus through their “Ban the Bottle” campaign. Their mission is to get Café Bon Appétit to stop selling disposable water bottles in Triton’s Pub and opt for pitchers with glass cups at faculty and staff meetings. On April 2, the committee received over 330 student and faculty signatures for their petition. Over 90 other colleges have started similar projects including Harvard, Brown and the University of Seattle. The first part of the committee’s project has been installing the new water bottle filling stations around campus. ECOS Director of Environmental and Social Responsibility and Junior Alexandra Mezentsev believes that making the switch to a reusable water bottle will give students the positive knowledge that they are directly contributing

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to less plastic in our ecosystems. “I scuba dive, and for me it’s crazy to see plastic in the oceans, and that’s going to be a huge reality if we don’t start addressing and minimizing plastic,” Mezentsev said. “People are going to have to live in a world that has plastic all over the place.” Due to the low quality plastic of most disposable water bottles, only about 20 percent ends up being recycled, wasting one billion dollars of plastic each year, according to Office of Sustainability Intern and Junior Haley Burger. Along with aluminum and paper, plastic is not actually recycled, but downcycled because it decreases in quality each process. Eventually there is a point where the plastic is no longer recyclable, which means that reusing plastic and reducing use are more effective solutions. Switching to a reusable water bottle can also help save money for consumers. Recycled bottles at Eckerd go to the recycling center on campus by the Waterfront until they are picked up on an on-call basis by the vendor, WSI (Waste Services Incorporated), according to Sustainability Fellow Evan Bollier.

photo by Fiona Maguire The EC Recyling Team collects a variety of plastic bottles, many of which will be downcycled into lower quality plastics.

“We’re making the claim that water should be a universal right, and it is unethical to sell water,” Burger said. In addition, tap water in the U.S. has more regulations than bottled water. Because the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates water as food, they are not constrained by the violation reporting or certified lab testing that tap water is. “Tap water, debatably, can be just as good, if not better than some plastic water bottles,” Mezentsev

said. The most resistance that the project has encountered thus far is the concern that a ban on plastic water bottles will cause students to buy less healthy drink options such as soda and other sugary drinks. Although there are many benefits to reducing plastic use, plastic water bottles cannot be completely banned from campus because there needs to be a supply of water in case of an emergency, such as a hurricane. Updates on the progress of the project can be found on the Eckerd College Office of Sustainability Facebook page.

10 Science and Technology

the current

April 17, 2015

Eckerd hosts eighth annual Student Research Symposium

photo by Connor Kenworthy Senior Taylor Harned explains the role of dopamine in the brain. Student Research Symposium invites the EC community to hear about students’ research projects.

Senior Karl Lindberg discusses his research with marsh-resident fish with other students.

photo by Connor Kenworthy

By Sarah Raney Science & Tech. Editor This year Eckerd hosted the eighth annual Student Research Symposium on April 1. Students were invited to share their research projects from summer internships, senior theses and work with Eckerd professors. According to Professor of Marine Science and Geosciences Laura Wetzel, 53 students submitted abstracts for posters and presentations, a record number. The participants were judged in the categories of oral presentations and posters. First place winners included Senior Jeff Good (Session A), Senior James Giordano (Session B) and Sophomore William Lawless (Session C), according to an email from Wetzel. “I really enjoyed the fact that the symposium was a CPS event because it encouraged people who aren’t super involved in the sciences to come,” Sophomore Julia Tanquary, who won second place in Session B for her poster about her

summer research, said. “I love sharing my passion for research with others, and I felt that the symposium was a great environment for that.” Both presenters and participants enjoyed the quality of the posters and presentations. “I am always so impressed by the level of student research and the quality of the presentations,” Wetzel said in an email. “I talked to a lot of the poster presenters and was very impressed with their clear explanations and enthusiasm for research.” Even though the symposium is hosted in the James Center, the presentations are not exclusively for natural science majors. “Most presentations were from the Natural Sciences, but we also had students from Human Development, International Relations and Psychology this year,” Wetzel said in an email. “I am always hopeful that more people will attend in the future, and that we will have an even greater representation of student projects from all collegia.”

OH OH

drunk on

Science HO

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fault, and is the reason why California has so many earthquakes. The San Andreas movie is ludicrous because the city of Los Angeles is not even located on the San Andreas faultline. There is a large earthquake expected to occur along the fault within the next 30 years and the fault is estimated to occur 35 miles away from the city, but the feature film is a little bit (a lot) of an exaggeration. The “thinking” behind tectonic activity in the movie “San Andreas” is creating a scenario where California’s earthquakes are much more dramatic than they actually are. The same dramatic exaggeration can be applied to the “The World at Eckerd College” video, except instead of presenting Eckerd and showing the small tidal range we have, we would see massive tidal waves breaching the school and a freshman Dwayne Johnson running around in flip flops. But the “San Andreas” movie does bring an interesting question to light: why do we humans feel the need to obsess over our impending doom? What brings us from enjoying a sunny, beach day here in Florida and then asking, “Hey, does anyone want to see a movie with millions of deaths and the destruction of civilization itself?” We find ourselves watching trailers of disaster movies or reading articles explaining that the world will end because of X, Y and Z, and I can only assume because it O

O OH

learn responsibly By Conor Sean McKenna Columnist O

I’m sitting in a movie theater in California when the next “epic,” “jaw-dropping” feature starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson appears on screen. In the preview, Los Angeles is being destroyed while the ground below shifts and alters the landscape dramatically. The movie title appears on screen: “San Andreas.” The entire theater bursts out laughing. I learned that it is up to The Rock to find his daughter in San Francisco after a disastrous earthquake. San Francisco is prone to earthquakes, so I would not recommend going there right after one. For example, the great San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was one of the most destructive earthquakes in American history, destroying 80 percent of the city. Other than that, the city is my favorite in the United States, and I recommend making a trip there if you can. San Francisco lies directly above the San Andreas Fault, a divide separating the Pacific Plate and North American Plate. As these giant earth structures move, the Pacific Plate moving north and the North American Plate moving south, they rub against each other. This is called a right-lateral strike slip

fascinates us, it is considered to be edgy. This may be becoming more of a social science rather than the formal and natural science I usually cover, but the point still stands for scientific articles. A fellow student brought to my attention an article in Scientific American, written by Annie Sneed, entitled “Earth’s Impending Magnetic Flip.” Impending is very heavy word, leaving me visualizing the world flipping upside down, with thunderclouds dooming humanity. Note: Nothing that I have visualized is even slightly scientifically accurate. The article explains that the magnetic poles of the Earth alternate from south to north on an average of 450,000 years. The last switch occurred around 780,000 years ago, so we are due for another within the next 1000 years. The process is slow, so scientists are able to measure the amount of magnetic polar shift we see today. When complete, our compasses will begin to point south. According to Sneed, the only threat is a possible disturbance to power grids and communication systems and some very confused backpackers. However, scientists predict that by the time this happens, our technology will be considerably more efficient and be above any disruptions the shift will present. The conclusion to the impending magnetic reversal is that it will unlikely cause any disaster, so why use “impending”?

Eckerd creates first annual Food Safety and Security Conference By Sarah Raney Science & Tech. Editor On April 24 and 25 Eckerd will host the first annual Food Safety and Security Conference in Wireman Chapel. Assistant Professor of Biology Liza Conrad and her Food Security: Production and Sustainability class will lead the conference, which they have been planning throughout the semester. According to Conrad, the conference will be held in the round at Wireman Chapel. On April 24, three debates will be conducted involving three internationally renowned speakers. The speakers that will be presenting are Global Sustainability Manager, Scientific and Regulatory Affairs of Mars, Inc. Rachel Goldstein, Ph.D. and cooperative extension specialist in biotechnology at University of California, Davis Alison L. Van Eenennaam and Ph.D. plant geneticist at the Land Institute in Salina, Kansas. Lee R. Dehaan. The speakers will present for five minutes and 85 minutes will be devoted to questions from the panel, which will include Eckerd students and faculty. “The expertise we have on the panel in addition to the students

covers everything from our local food, our food supply system in St. Pete to an international level,” Conrad said. While the first day will involve debates, the second day will use small groups to promote discussions between panelists and audience members. The goal is to formulate ways to promote turning ideas into actions through policies. “The first day we have the debates,” Conrad said. “The second day everybody who attended, not just people who participated, is invited to sit in on small discussion groups. In those discussion groups we determine actionable steps that individual people can take to work towards the goal of food security.” The caucus sessions or discussion groups allow everyone to share their opinions. “It’s educational, and it also allows people to actually participate and have their voice be heard in a moderated way,” Conrad said. Registration is required to attend the event as a participant (on April 24 and 25) or observer (only April 24). The cap for participants is 225 people, so be sure to register soon to ensure your spot. For more information or to register, check out their website, eckerd.edu/food.

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April 17, 2015

Arts & Entertainment 11

Arts & Entertainment

Disney to come to life with new films By Hailey Escobar Online Editor

photo by Lia Nydes

The new exhibit encourages students to make their own artwork and be creative.

“Every Student an Artist” exhibit at Cobb By Riley Huff Staff Writer On April 19, the “Every Student an Artist” exhibit will open in Cobb Gallery. The exhibit will show dozens of art pieces from Eckerd students. These pieces will be available to view until May 1. Senior Will Tucker will host the opening ceremony on April 19, which will run from 5p.m.-7p.m. Food and drinks will also be provided at the function. A panel of curators from museums such as the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg and the Ringling Museum in Sarasota will review the works on the day before the opening ceremony, according to Tucker. The first, second and third-place entries will be awarded $300, $200 and $100 respectively. These pieces will also become permanent parts of the Eckerd art collection according to Adjuct Professor of Art Marshall Rousseau of the art department. This semester, Rousseau has been teaching the Museum Laboratory class that is putting this exhibit together. While the art department has sponsored this exhibit, Rousseau looks for artists beyond the art major as well. “It’s kids from all endeavors, any major, who just happen to do art on the side,” he said. The class has welcomed submissions from several media, such as clay, painting, print, photography and video. However, all of the

pieces are united through this year’s theme, Earth. Rousseau’s class of nine students is sifting through the pieces in order to pick the contenders. The class is looking for quality but also wishes the exhibit to display a wide variety of pieces. “Earth is such a broad theme. We don’t want to just have 30 digital photos of mountains,” Tucker said. In addition to hosting the opening ceremony, Tucker has also been pouring over submissions with the rest of his class. Together, they have spent class time deciding which pieces will best represent the college’s student body. “We want pieces that will interpret the theme as uniquely as each Eckerd student [is],” Tucker said. Considering the large number of environmentally conscious students on campus, he hopes the theme will appeal to the student body. “It’s cool that the show is going to be available for Earth Day,” he said. Rousseau has been teaching museum studies courses at Eckerd since 2002. However, this is only his fifth year teaching the Museum Laboratory course. At the end of the course, students must complete a final project. For the past three years, the enrolled students have facilitated an art show as their project. Thus, the “Every Student an Artist” exhibit was born. Rousseau was the executive director of the Salvador Dali Museum

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graphic by Hannah Hammontree

in St. Petersburg and the interim director of the Ringling Museum. He saw this course as an opportunity to share his passion for museums with students at Eckerd. As one of these students, Tucker has appreciated the experience he has gained over the course of the semester. “It’s given me a different perspective on museums because I’ve always been a patron but I’ve never been on the institutional side,” he said. Though he is a sociology major, Tucker has become more than a

spectator. As the designer for the posters advertising the exhibit, he has been able to exercise some artistic license of his own. Rousseau is delighted by the class’ enthusiasm and high level of involvement with this project. “I think I’ve got a good class this term. They’re going to work hard to make this a good show,” Rousseau said.

For any questions, contact Will Tucker at whtucker@eckerd.edu

Since Walt Disney first started animating in the early 1920’s, generations of fans have fallen in love with the company’s storytelling. Famous cartoons such as “Snow White,” “Cinderella” and “Beauty and the Beast” have captured the imaginations of movie goers by bringing to life classic fairy tales of courage, love and kindness. Recently, Disney has begun to bring their beloved characters to life in a whole new way. Live-action versions of the stories are being planned for the big screen over the next several years and nearly every fan favorite is getting in on the action. Live-action adaptations are not new to the Disney company. In 2010, Tim Burton directed a version of “Alice in Wonderland” starring Johnny Depp and Mia Wasikowska. Last year’s “Maleficent,” starring Angelina Jolie, brought a whole new point of view to the classic tale of “Sleeping Beauty.” Most recently, Kenneth Branagh’s “Cinderella” has also begun to enchant audiences. However, the success that has followed these titles has inspired a new wave of films. Over the past several months, Disney has announced the production of eightnew live-action films: “The Jungle Book,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Dumbo,” “Mulan,” “Winnie the Pooh,” a sequel to “Alice in Wonderland,” “Pinocchio” and the company also just bought the rights to use Fox Animation’s “Anastasia.” Senior Barbara Del Castello can’t wait to see “Beauty and the Beast.” “The casting has been superb, ranging from Broadway stars to witches! I’d love to see a dark twist on the original story,” Del Castello said. According to the International Movie Database, “The Jungle Book” and “Beauty and the Beast” have received their casts and are scheduled for 2016 and 2017 releases. The two casts include a plethora of AList stars including names such as Scarlett Johansson, Bill Murray, Lupita Nyong’O, Christopher Walken, Emma Watson, Luke Evans and Emma Thompson. Director Tim Burton will also be returning to direct both the “Alice” sequel and the adaption of “Dumbo.” Not all Disney fans are happy though. “I’m actually a bit frustrated at the sudden influx of liveaction remakes,” Junior Paige Kesselman said. “My main argument against all of these productions is that I’d rather be seeing Disney work on as many or more new, fresh, original animated movies, rather than picking out different already-made animated movies and getting a free remake card.” Besides the movies featured above, Disney has magical additions to beloved franchises like the “Star Wars” and “Pirates of the Caribbean”. This is in editon to the 12 Marvel films planned to be realesed over the next five years. Disney plans to leave a mouse of a mark on cinema’s future one fairy tale at a time.

12 Arts & Entertainment

April 17, 2015

Springtopia crossword

PORTS For answers, go to www.theonlinecurrent.com

crossword by Jennifer Lincoln

Across 1 Money has been lent out and must now be paid back 5 Tides 9 A popular type of pickle 13 A wild party with loud electronic music and flashing lights 14 To close your eyes and drift off 15 Follows the rules 16 Opposite of odd 17 To be able to see through something 18 Alcoholic drink that pairs well with cheese 19 Letter decorating 21 People who you count as family even when they are not blood related 23 Electron, for example 25 Fasten 26 Muscles in your abdomen 29 Twelve inches 31 Something that is disgusting 34 Snip 35 To stay on top of the water to avoid sinking 37 State famous for having a large population of Mormons 39 A fun get together of friends listening to music and dancing 41 ____ Lanka 42 Witticism 43 What our Sun is 44 Goofed 46 Representative 47 Workers for a store or company 50 To raise your voice in an angry or excited manner 51 Before, poetically 52 Twist into itself 54 Ooze 56 Grotesque or wicked 59 Doctrines 63 Advise against something 64 To look out for 66 A tradionally yellow pick-up and drop-off service 67 Gloat 68 Decorates 69 A fox’s hole (2 words) 70 Loch ____ Monster 71 Bark in pain 72 Trail

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Down 1 Mined metals 2 What surfers ride on their boards 3 Always 4 A popular clothing material in the 1970s 5 Building addition 6 Meat made from cows, commonly used for burgers or steak 7 Winnie the Pooh is this type of mammal 8 The season that occurs after winter ends 9 Heavy rainfall 10 As previously cited 11 The glass part of glasses or a camera 12 Caustic substance 14 A place that teaches children basic knowledge 20 Swollen 22 What Van Gogh cut off of himself 24 Hanging knot on a hangman’s rope 26 Mountains in Switzerland 27 Vessels for crossing large bodies of water 28 Small herring 30 Loaf 32 To keep away for when needed 33 Not as insane as someone else 36 Wheels on cars 38 Excitement for a certain event 40 Outlines made over existing drawings 42 Lazy person 45 Votes into office 48 A grand old time 49 Famous snowman from children’s songs 53 Dough 55 Floral leaf 56 Rabbit 57 Time periods 58 Ground where you can grow plants and flowers 60 What a baby calls their male parent 61 Wagon pullers 62 Trigonometric function 63 Compass point 65 Official

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SCORE BOARD

Araesia King Viewpoints Editor

Women’s Basketball

Jan. 31 vs. Florida Institute of Technology L 65-72 Jan. 28 @ Palm Beach Atlantic W 70-59 Jan. 24 vs. Barry University L 44-53 Jan. 21 @ Saint Leo University W, 52-45 Jan. 17 @ vs. Rollins College photo by Eileen McGraw W 75-63 Junior Sara Keilty is from Orlando, Florida. If she had a super power it’d be the power of regeneration.

Jan. 14 @ Florida Southern College 69-58 “I think the W best advice I’ve ever received

is someone said to me once, ‘If you’re always Jan. 10 @ you Lynn University true to yourself, never go out of fashion.’ I Wthat 86-64 thought was pretty cool.” Jan. 7 vs. University of Tampa W 55-44

From BASKETBALL, page 15 After

game

winning

in a row from beyond the arch giving the men’s squad a 31-23 lead. The Tritons were able to hold the

team when it was crunch time. Now we just need to work on on executing

Men’s Basketball

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Health & Fitness 13

April 17, 2015

Health & fitness Vegetarianism, veganism myths deconstructed

INSIDE H&F

Meals with Midge

page 14

How to do a pull-up

page 14

Powerlifting presses towards success By Danielle Cleary Staff Writer

A common misunderstanding about vegetarians and vegans is that vegetables don’t provide enough dietary nutrition.

By Christie Schafer Staff Writer Most often when someone decides to change their omnivorous diet to an herbivorous one, a lot of decision-making and thought comes into play. Some of the top reasons people choose to become a vegetarian or vegan include health, animal ethics and the environment. One aspect many new vegetarians and vegans do not expect upon implementing this change in their lives, though, is the list of questions their meateating loved ones tend to ask. Questions typically revolve around protein, calcium and vitamin and minerals intake. In addition, Omega-3 fatty acids and the expense of being adopting the different lifestyle are often brought up. However, many plant-eaters will tell their peers that their concerns are merely myths created by a misinformed society. In truth, a plant-based diet holds many benefits. This article addresses the six most common myths. Myth #1: “You can’t get enough protein without eating meat.” A common misunderstanding in the United States is that protein, or complete protein, can only be obtained from meat products. However, many plants are rich in protein as well. Quinoa, sea vegetables, lentils, nuts and hemp seeds are all examples of complete protein. The biggest health difference from meat products and plant products is that while they both contain protein and other im-

portant nutrients, meat carries cholesterol and higher levels of saturated fat. According to the award-winning documentary “Forks over Knives,” Americans typically eat more meat in one setting than is recommended. Myth #2: “The food is so expensive!” Produce often comes with a price tag; however, there are a few options for shoppers searching for vegetable and fruit products. For example, if fresh produce gets pricey, a shopper can buy it frozen instead. Special offerings, such as the Saturday Morning Market in downtown St. Pete, also help shoppers manage the quality and price of their food. In addition, meat prices continue to rise. The U.S.D.A.’s Economic Research Service predicted beef and veal prices would increase by 11 to 12 percent in 2014, and will rise by another five percent in 2015. Myth #3: “Your workouts must suffer.” As with any diet, nutrient intake must be balanced properly in order to produce positive results. Withholding from meat and dairy does not automatically hinder workout performance. In fact, there have been many vegan athletes who have gone on to achieve great success, such as former professional Ironman athlete Brendan Brazier. Myth #4: “You must not get enough calcium if you’re not drinking milk.”

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“It’s shocking to me that we’ve become so immune to the idea that we are drinking another species’ breast-milk and it’s not weird,” Sophomore and vegan Claire Russell said. “The ‘Got Milk?’ campaign hit America hard and was incredibly effective, but we’re not designed to keep drinking breast milk after we’re no longer babies. You add in all the pesticides and hormones of today’s dairy industry and it was enough for me to give it all up.” According to nutritionist and author of “Whitewash: The Disturbing Truth about Cow’s Milk and Your Health” Joseph Keon, “Milk offers no guarantee of protection from bone fracture while at the same time burdens the body with additional saturated fat and cholesterol, hormones and growth factors and, frequently, antibiotic residues.” Millions of people around the world maintain their health by consuming calcium from plant sources. Calcium is easily obtained from leafy greens, vegetables, fruits, legumes and some nuts and seeds. Myth #5: “Aren’t you worried you’re going to get a Vitamin B12 deficiency?” “B12 originates from bacteria, not animal products,” said R.D. and co-author of “Becoming Raw” Vesanto Melina. “The reason this nutrient cannot be obtained from plant-foods is because of our sanitary methods of food production. This lack in sanitary plant foods does not mean that all vegans are deficient in this nutrient, because they can easily obtain the recommended levels of B12 via foods that are fortified with

B12.” Such products include nondairy milks, soy foods, veggie “meats” and breakfast cereals. Vitamin B12 supplements are also available. Myth #6: “All vegetarians and vegans are animal activists and supporters of PETA.” While some people may change their lifestyle because they are concerned about how animals are treated, any two plant-eaters are just as diverse as any two meat-eaters. In reality, many follow this particular diet because they do not trust the meat industry to supply them with safe meat. According to Russell, her decision to be vegan stems far beyond food. “For me it’s been a journey that has so little to do with food itself but much more with the social constructs around it,” Russell said. “I think the important takeaway here is not ‘don’t eat meat,’ but just to attempt to educate yourself on matters of diet just as you would any issue in our world.” It is important to recognize that not everyone with this lifestyle follows PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or forces their beliefs onto others. If students are interested in learning more about why people choose to switch to a vegetarian or vegan diet, are considering changing their own eating habits or would like to decipher between fact and fiction even more, the award-winning documentaries “Food, Inc.,” “Forks over Knives” and “Vegucated” are all available to watch online.

Senior Peter Chindavong is the president and founder of the Powerlifting Club, located in the Gamble Weight Room on Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. All fitness levels are welcome. He started this club after taking a Winter Term class called Strength and Mathematics, taught by Assistant Professor of Mathematics David Kerr. During the course, bodybuilder and powerlifter Layne Norton came in to talk to the class about powerlifting as a sport. This presentation locked in Chindavong’s interest in the sport. Powerlifting consists of three main movements: squat, bench press and deadlift. However, these movements are not the only exercises one will see during the club meetings. Supplemental and assistance exercise are also used to further improve the three major movements while preventing muscle imbalances. “Our main goal is to lift safely and efficiently as possible, while at the same time trying to maximize the [weight] lifted,” Chindavong said. Over Spring Break a few members of the Powerlifting Club went to a weightlifting competition on March 14 and 15 in Boca Raton. In total there were over 100 competitors. Eckerd students excelled during the two-day competition, and each student left with a medal. Freshman Liz Price left with a gold medal in her teen (18-19 years old) division, 72 kg weight class; Freshman Austin Beaven left with a gold in his teen division, 74 kg weight class; Junior Alex Holdernes left with a bronze medal in his junior (20-23 years old) division, 83 kg weight class; Junior Jeremy Brown left with a silver in the junior division, 74 kg weight class and Chindavong left with a gold in his junior division, 74 kg weight class. Assistant Professor of Chemistry Joseph Larkin also competed in the open division, which means all ages can compete, but did not place. “We did not expect to place,” Chindavong said. He was very excited to see such a great outcome. Chindavong would also like the Eckerd community know that there is a mock powerlifting meet scheduled for April 24 at 6 p.m. in the Gamble Weight Room, next to the pool. It won’t be as intense as a real meet, but it will be an accurate simulation for Eckerd students and faculty of what a meet would be like. If the meet interests you, then powerlifting might be the next sport for you.

14 Health & Fitness

the current

April 17, 2015

Workout spotlight: pull-ups

Meals with Midge: Fresh Potato Salad

By MJ Harford Staff Writer There is something about warm weather that conjures images of barbeques and cookouts filled with cold salads and charred (veggie) burgers. This potato salad is free from heavy mayonnaise and eggs, two ingredients which are not only unfriendly for those with “Top 8” food allergies, but rack up calories and fat content as well. By swapping those out for fresh herbs and a lighter dressing, potato salad can become a backyard friend, not foe.

photos by Peter Bouveron South Beach is a great place to do pull ups and enjoy the beautiful views.

By Samantha Schepps Staff Writer

Pull-ups are an exercise that many students dread or hate for the simple reason that they are hard. For me personally, I struggled for almost a year trying to learn how to build muscle to do even one pull-up. A common belief that using the assisted pull-up machine will help one master an actual pull-up is false. This is because when using this machine, one’s body is oftentimes not in the correct pull-up position. Using the machine teaches incorrect form, and this in turn does not allow the use of the correct muscles. It is possible to use the machine to one’s advantage, but most students tend to drift backwards, pop their elbows out and scrunch their shoulders at the top, according to an article from the Huffington Post. Why do pull-ups? A study done by The Department of Health and Exercise Science at the College of New Jersey conducted an experiment in 2009 on resistance training in adolescents. The experiment concluded that resistance training, including pull-ups, reduce the risk of chronic diseases later in life. Additionally, weight training exercises significantly improve bone density and overall bone health. Not only will pull-ups help build the latissimus dorsi, biceps and various other

upper body muscles, but they will also help with bone health. There are three main kinds of pull-ups: the standard overhand pull-up, underhand chin up and a neutral grip with hands facing each other. All of these three types will work the lats, biceps, shoulders, as well as multiple other chest and back muscles. The standard overhand pull-up will target more of the lats, the underhand chin up targets more of the bicep and the neutral grip targets more of the shoulder muscles. “I use pull-ups as supplemental work for bench day because it’s incorporating the latissimus dorsi muscles as well as other muscles that are used in the bench press movement,” Junior Jeremy Brown said. Although the different types target specific muscles, pull-ups are considered a full body exercise. This is another reason the assisted pull-up machine fails at its purpose: it does not allow a person to use their whole body. One of the best exercises an individual can do to build muscle for a pull up is bodyweight pull-ups with resistance bands. Tie the band over the top of the pull-up bar, place your feet at the bottom of the band and do as many pull-ups until failure. The resistance band allows for you to be in correct pull up form,

but takes some weight off to make the pull-ups easier. A good goal would be three to five sets of 10 resistance band pull-ups. This can be performed with any of the three types of pull-ups. However, if you do not have a resistance band, there are several other ways to build the correct muscles. The exercise that helped me the best was called a negative. This focuses on the downward part of the movement after reaching the top of the pull-up. Jump up to the top of the pull-up position, hold for a few seconds, then go back down as slowly as possible. Doing three to five sets of five to 10 pull-ups is a good way to start out. Additionally, holding yourself at the top of the pull-up position until failure is a great exercise. If these are too difficult, then hold on to the bar in the pull-up position and just hang from the bar. Try to really feel the muscles contracting and focus your mind on the muscles. This may not seem like much, but it will help with progression. Hold this position until failure for three to five sets. Pull-ups are difficult, and I know for me personally progression is very slow. However, do not get discouraged if there is not progress automatically. This success will come with time and dedication to working out.

Mint has a dual role in this recipe; it is both high in antioxidants and decreases salt intake, according to Medical News Today. Traditional potato salad is laden with salt, something that can be beneficial in small quantities but can do damage in excess, so by adding mint into a meal, the likelihood of excessive ingestion is lessened. Including starchy vegetables with diverse health benefits, such as peas, is another turnaround for this recipe. Peas are exceptionally high in fiber and iron, assisting with satiety and energy, according to Livestrong. This recipe will last up to five days in the fridge, possibly shorter depending on the freshness of the mint used. Ingredients:

d potatoes 1 1/2 pound small re peas 2 cups quartered snap ozen) 1 cup cooked peas (fr mint leaves d big handful choppe mustard 2 tablespoons dijon oil 2 tablespoons olive er vinegar 1 tablespoon apple cid er, salt & pepper Dash of garlic powd

Directions: 1. Scrub potatoes, place in large pot and fill with water so all potatoes are submerged, salt. Bring pot to a boil and cook until tender (should be easily punctured with a fork). Drain and let cook. 2. Cube potatoes. 3. In a large bowl combine the potatoes, peas and mint, then dressing components. Toss well to evenly coat. Each issue I’ll be sharing an allergen friendly recipe that is easy, nutritious and delicious. If you make any of them tag me in your Instagram photos (@midgesmoments) with the hashtag #mealswithmidge. If you have any requests, like converting a classic recipe to its healthier version or particular kind of meal for a particular allergy, send me an email (mjharfor@eckerd.edu).

Sun protection tips explained By Duncan LeBlond Staff Writer

As summer starts to roll back around, it is important to start thinking about sun protection. This holds especially true for Eckerd students living in ever-sunny Florida. We live in a fair amount of sunshine year-round and feel the effects especially during the warmer months. While these effects can result in cosmetic benefits such as tanning our skin and bleaching our hair, it is important to remember that there are also negative consequences of long term sun exposure. These consequences range from the ever-constant threat of skin cancers to just really bad burns. Before writing yourself off as being immune to such issues due to your already golden tan, remember that anyone and everyone can be subject to these effects. “I burned myself twice out at the Waterfront whilst tanning without the proper sun protection, and did some serious damage to my skin,” Freshman Liz Comeau said. Keeping all of this in mind, it is important to know and remem-

ber the strategies for keeping one’s body healthy while “thinking outside.” The most obvious of these is sunscreen. Many people seem to think that applying sunscreen will somehow prevent them from tanning to the same extent as they otherwise could. This is untrue, however, and sunscreen merely acts as a shield to some of the more harmful UV rays trying to penetrate your skin. The SPF rating on the side of your sunscreen bottle translates directly to Sun Protection Factor, and the number associated explains the amount of time that one is supposed to be exposed. Students should take this into account when using sunscreen, and remember that anything under SPF 30 is much too low for extensive sun bathing. Further, it is important to cover every part of one’s body because even though someone may not burn in certain areas often, that does not shield their body from other effects of prolonged UV radiation. Another important factor to keep in mind is eye protection. Sunglasses are a must, being as close to

the tropics as Eckerd is. This issue will continue to be important as our climate changes and UV radiation becomes more prevalent. These sun rays are incredibly harmful to the eyes and essentially burn into one’s retinas. Thus, spending time in the sun over the year without proper sunglasses can cause gradual loss in vision quality. Since not all people are comfortable wearing sunglasses, an alternative to these is wearing a hat. Though not quite as effective, a hat can shade eyes from the direct sunlight, even if it does not block rays to the same extent. All in all, the best way for students to stay healthy as the sun gets more intense this year is to limit exposure time. Though the aforementioned strategies are effective for combating UV exposure, nothing is more effective than exposure in moderation. The use of sunscreen is also an added layer of protection. So remember next time you’re out at the Waterfront, take a break, find some shade and rehydrate to help yourself stay healthy.

Research reveals benefits of coffee By Blaide Woodburn Health & Fitness Editor According to a study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, energy drinks may be adding unnecessary ingredients. Two of the most common ingredients in energy drinks are caffeine and taurine. The study found that beverages containing only caffeine had the same effects on cardiorespiratory fitness, endurance, strength, power and cognitive ability as beverages containing taurine, suggesting beverages containing both caffeine and taurine have antagonistic effects.

This means that the addition of taurine to any energy is rather useless and could be simply used for its appeal factor. Furthermore, researchers at the National Cancer Institute found that coffee consumption may protect liver cells. The study shows that, out of 27,000 participants, those who drank more than four cups of coffee a day showed the lowest levels of ALT, AST and GGT enzymes in the blood, which are biomarkers for liver damage. Thus, coffee may be the cheaper and more beneficial option when choosing your get-up-and-go nectar.

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April 17. 2015

Sports 15

Sports

photo by Connor Kenworthy Sophomore Emily Fridrik and Senior Erika Fridrik attempt to hold off the nationally ranked Tars.

Women’s Tennis to lose five seniors, start rebuilding year By Simon Scheidegger Asst. Sports Editor

failed to hold their next service game, giving the Tars the opportunity to serve the match home. The two Tritons earned two break points but could not convert either one, so that the visitors would also prevail in the last doubles match and entered singles competition with a 3-0 lead. “That could well have gone the other way,” Head Coach Ben Maxwell said. The six singles on the Bullard Courts remained a lopsided affair. The Tritons would only win a total of 15 games throughout the match-up. Freshman Laurence Bourgault was even bageled, as she lost 0-6 in both sets of her match. Maxwell knew that it would be tough against the op-

ponent from Winter Park. “When playing tough conference opponents, you’ve got to give credit where credit is due and fight as hard as you can, anything can happen in this sport, you’ve just got to fight until the end,” Maxwell said. However, things did not start to go in favor of the Tritons either, when they traveled to Saint Leo. The Lions are ranked No. 5 in the nation, and displayed their strength right from the start as they allowed the Tritons only to take three games in the doubles competition. In the end the Tritons would fall 0-9 but senior Gipson Hawn at least took three games from the No. 14 player in the country. The Tritons then hosted the

Sailfish from Palm Beach Atlantic. Again Eckerd was facing a strong opponent, and again it became clear rather quickly that it would not be EC who would leave the court victorious. But there was a difference to the previous two games: Erika Fridrik grabbed a win for the Tritons in a pro-set match, winning 8-3. After this season, the Women’s Tennis program will enter a rebuilding process. Five of the eight players on the current roster are seniors. “Change can be good sometimes and I’m sure Ben will be able to overcome this hurdle,” Naula said. During their four years as Tritons, the seniors collected over 80 wins and helped shape the program. “It is going to be re-

ally sad,” Maxwell said. At the same time, the 26-yearold coach is looking forward to what the future holds. It will be Maxwell’s responsibility to build a new team and continuously support players in their development. Sophomore Emily Fridrik is going to be the oldest player on the team and she knows that this will bring some responsibility for her. “I’ll have to set a good example,” Fridrik said, “and I hope that our team continues to grow and develop into a great one.” Maxwell has already begun the recruiting process for next year’s team. “We’re going to be a very young team next year, but I am looking forward to that,” Maxwell said.

double to deep left field. Freshman Dana Paul followed with a double to right center field scoring Dixson. Freshman Chelsea Armstrong The softball team is in the sent a two-run homer past center midst of a record-breaking season. field, extending the Triton lead, 9-3. Despite falling in 13 of the last 14 Senior Amber Hay earned her games, the Tritons still have the 17th win of the year, improving winningest record in program hisher single season wins record. tory with 28 wins and only 16 losses. With eight strikeouts on the night, The Tritons went 1-1 on April 7 Hay moved into second place for against the Ave Maria Gyrenes at all-time strikeouts in a career. Turley Athletic Complex. Eckerd “Amber is a phenomenal took game one, mercy-ruling the pitcher,” Dixson said. “When Gyrenes 13-3 in five innings. The TriI see her getting strikeouts, tons struggled to hold their 8-1 lead it pushes me to work harder.” in game two, resulting in a 12-8 loss. Hay added four more strikeIn a three-game away series outs during the away series at St. against St. Leo University the following weekend, Eckerd went 0-3. Leo, putting her within two of tying the all-time career strikeouts record. “For her personally, it’s been an outstanding year,” Head Coach Josh Beauregard said. “I think we have two great pitchers between her and Erin that can shut down any team we play.” In game two for the Tritons, Dixson started on the mound. Eckerd was the photo by Lia Nydes first on the board Freshman Janna Gaburo allowed only one hit against Ave Maria in her seventh appearance for the Tritons. as Junior Kara

Oberer sent a long shot to deep center, hitting her 13th home run of the year and extending the school’s record for career home runs to 33. Earlier this season, Oberer crushed the career home run record and is now tied for second for the single season homerun record. Oberer is also tied for second in Eckerd’s record book for career RBIs with another season left to play. “I am extremely proud of what the team has done this year,” Oberer said in an email. “We are breaking many team records and we are setting the standards for years to come.” In the bottom of the second, Shere grounded out, picking up her first RBI of the night and putting the Tritons ahead 2-0. Later in the third, Dixson sent a tworun blast over the right field fence for her 10th home run of the season. Dixson grabbed her sixth RBI of the night and tallied her 32nd RBI of the year, ranking second on the team behind Oberer. Eckerd capitalized on early mistakes by Ave Maria to cushion their lead in the third. With a seven-point advantage going into the fifth, the Tritons idly watched the lead slip. As the Gyrene’s bats came alive in the fifth, untimely errors resulted in a comeback performance by Ave Maria. Ave Maria scored four runs in the fifth inning to narrow Eckerd’s lead. The Gyrenes added two more runs in the sixth and knotted the game up early in the seventh. Ave Maria

scored the go ahead run in the top of the seventh inning off an error. The five run inning by the Gyrenes sealed the loss for the Tritons, 12-8. “Sometimes our defense can let us down because we do get a lot of ground ball outs,” Beauregard said. “And those are the hardest ones to make.” Dixson was perfect from the plate in both games going five for five while Armstrong nabbed three total hits on the night. In the three game matchup the following weekend, the Tritons faced an unforgiving St. Leo University. In last year’s meeting, Eckerd swept the Lions earning their first Sunshine State Conference sweep. With this in mind, St. Leo was out for redemption. Eckerd fell 11-1 in game one and 8-3 in game two. The Lions served the Tritons with a shutout in the final game of the series. “It’s tough,” Beauregard said. “We have the longest season of any sport on campus.” With 51 games to play in the spring season, the softball team must demonstrate mental endurance in order to be successful. The Tritons have done so despite a rough patch late in the season, and are currently the most the successful team in program history with a record number of wins. “Part of it is learning how to win and developing a winning culture,” Beauregard said. “Back-to-back winning seasons and setting the mark higher and higher every year is really what we are striving for.”

With the season winding down, Women’s Tennis find themselves on a losing streak which started with a 0-9 loss to the Rollins College Tars in a Sunshine State Conference matchup. The Tars are nationally ranked at 38 and that difference would increasingly become visible on the scoreboard as well. While Seniors Gipson Hawn and Amy Naula started off doubles with an 1-8 loss, the sister duo, Senior Erika Fridrik and Sophomore Emily Fridrik, fought to bring home a win for Eckerd. Down 5-6, the two broke Rollins to tie the match. However, they

Softball continues record-breaking season By Christina Rosetti Asst. Sports Editor

In game one, Ave Maria came out strong, scoring the first run of the night. The Tritons answered quickly in the bottom of the first inning, with a home run by Senior Sydney Dinelli down the left field line. Though the Gyrenes added two more in the top of the second, Ave Maria would not score for the remainder of the game. The Tritons countered the Gyrenes with an eight run second inning. With heads-up baserunning by Junior Kirby Parnell and Freshman Carrie Shere, the Tritons were able to narrow Ave Maria’s lead. With the bases loaded, Senior Erin Dixson brought everyone home with the go-ahead

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the current

April 17, 2015

Sports Perseverance helps Senior Rana Thomas lead Tritons By Dominick Cuppetilli Sports Editor In many ways, Senior Rana Thomas has emerged as the face of Eckerd’s Women’s Basketball program. On paper, few can beat her accolades. This season alone, Thomas led the team, scoring 507 points. She was also second in scoring for all Sunshine State Conference players and third in the Triton record books for most points in a single season. Thomas also led her team this season in scoring average (16.4 PPG), three pointers made (62) and free throws made (89). She led both her team and the SSC in free throw percentage (86 percent). Her performance on the court led her to be two time SSC player of the week, first team All SSC, and first team All South Region. As impressive as Thomas was on the court, her coaches and teammates felt her presence off the court was just as vital. Head Coach Paul Honsinger said that the team’s energy came from Thomas’s magnetic personality this year. “We needed her character as much as we needed her points per game,” Honsinger said. Newcomer to the team, Freshman Elisabeth Giegerich said that it was Thomas’s approach to the game that helped her feel at home as a Triton. “No matter who you are on the team, she makes you feel part of the team,” Giegerich said. Giegerich added that it was Thomas’s heart and passion, along with the other seniors that fueled the team’s success this season. However, even though Thomas is seen as a leader of the team today, her role has not always been a shining one for the Tritons.

Before coming to Eckerd, Thomas was set on going to play at Southwest Baptist University in her home state of Missouri. Due to complications with the coaching staff there, Thomas found out with short notice that she wouldn’t be playing there in the fall of her freshman year. She fell back to her backup choice of Northeast Oklahoma, but was not enthusiastic about playing there. One month before Autumn Term classes started, Thomas got a call from a small liberal arts college in Florida that showed an interest in her. “I didn’t know anything about Eckerd or St. Petersburg until that phone call,” Thomas said. Not knowing how much the visit would change her path, Thomas made the trip down to Eckerd and was immediately sold on coming here to play as a Triton. The young player had averted playing at a backup school she was not passionate about, but she would have a different set of trials to overcome sooner than she thought. In her freshman campaign, Thomas struggled, only scoring 32 points on the season. For the first time in her life, she was not the starting, go-to person on the court. Thomas contemplated quitting the team, if there was even going to be a position for her to come back to. Thomas knew that something in her had to change to prove that she could be a vital part of the team. Returning for her sophomore year, Thomas was given the opportunity to come in after an injury to one of her teammates, and she rose to the occasion. “Rana [Thomas] epitomizes perseverance,” Honsinger said. The head coach said he saw the young player take advantage of the moment she had and that

she has not looked back since. Senior Kayla Bowlin has been with Thomas since day one of her time here at Eckerd. “Rana’s growth has been sensational,” said Bowlin, “I couldn’t be more happy for her.” Bowlin and Thomas are the only two remaining players from an original freshman class of five that have played for the Tritons all four years. “I think it says something special about our characters. It was difficult but we stuck with it,” said Bowlin. The final senior of the Triton’s big three this year was Ivana Grbic. Grbic originally intended to join Eckerd as a freshman, but was unable to attend until her junior year, after playing two seasons at a junior college in Montana. Thomas and Grbic have grown especially close as teammates, becoming roommates with each other as well. Grbic, who is originally from Belgrade, Serbia, said that Thomas has really helped her feel at home here at Eckerd. “We have had so many fun moments on the court. I think that’s the point of this game,” said Grbic, “We shared each other’s success.” The trio of seniors helped the Tritons reach the most wins they have ever had in a single season, advancing to the second round of conference tournament play and to the National Tournament for the first time in the school’s history. Looking back on the season, Thomas said that this was the first time she genuinely didn’t want the season to end. Many times, teams will get burnt out by the end of a season, looking forward to the break the off-season brings. This year, however, all three seniors said they were having too much fun to think about it ending. Coach Honsinger has seen the

road these seniors have taken to the spot they have achieved, and admits that it has not been an easy one to climb. In the end though, he has helped produce three standout athletes that the program will not soon forget. “It’ll be difficult to replace the consistency, the leadership, the loyalty and the personality of these seniors,” Honsinger said.

“I became a fan of the three of them, not just a coach. I was clapping along with everyone else.” Of all the accomplishments, all the awards, all the down-tothe-wire wins Thomas has been a part of, she still maintains that the most important thing to her has been her teammates. “This is the best team I have ever played for,” Thomas said.

photo by Dominick Cuppetilli Senior Rana Thomas joins the 1,000 point club for the Tritons.

Baseball drops two against Barry in triple header By Christina Rosetti Asst. Sports Editor

Cashman singled to left field and advanced to second base off a sacrifice bunt. A single by Senior Mike Abraham and sacrifice fly by Sophomore Lorenzo Vazquez brought Cashman in to tie the game. The Bucs got their bats swinging in the top of the fifth, making it a five run inning while capitalizing on two Triton errors. Barry added another five runs in the seventh inning making the score 11-1. Despite the deficit, Eckerd still had some fuel. Vazquez led off the bottom of the seventh inning sending a one-run homer over the left field

wall. Vazquez tabbed his second home run of the year, with a .385 batting average. Junior Adam Moreau followed with a double The baseball team played Barry down the left field line and later University last weekend in a three scored off a base hit by Senior game Sunshine State Conference James Petika in what proved to series. The Buccaneers topped be the final run for the Tritons. the Tritons in game one with a The Bucs added another run in 12-3 victory Friday, April 10. The the top of the ninth, sealing Barry’s series continued with a doublevictory. Pitcher Jack Silberman header on Saturday resulting in an picked up his third loss of the season 11-8 win and a 13-4 loss for Eckerd. falling to 3-3. Vazquez and Cashman In game one of the series, the each tallied two hits on the night Buccaneers took a quick 1-0 lead. while Junior Nick Hill collected The Tritons battled back in the his sixth stolen base of the year. second inning as Junior Carter “There have been some nagging injuries,” Hill said. “But everyone continues to give everything they have no matter if it’s practice or a game. The Tritons marked their 16th win of the season on Saturday, beating the Bucs 11-8. Senior Jimmy Gutowsphoto by Cypress Hansen ki earned his Junior Matt MacMahon notched four RBIs, three hits and two runs on the weekend. fourth win on

the mound, going 6.2 innings. The Tritons got to work early on offense with two RBI’s from Moreau and a triple by Hill. Hill ran home for the sixth run of the inning off a bunt single from Junior Jake O’Rourke. “We did a good job as a team of getting on the board early,” Gutowski said. “It’s crucial in conference to put pressure on the other team by scoring runs.” Eckerd added another run in the third as Petika sent Hill home on a ground ball. The Bucs scored their first two runs of the game in the fourth, trailing Eckerd 7-2. Cashman hit his 15th double of the season in the sixth sending Petika home. Junior Matt MacMahon and Abraham each hit an RBI extending the Triton lead to 10-2. The Bucs got within two of the Tritons after back-to-back three run innings. “I struggled a bit throwing strikes for the first few innings,” Gutowski said. “But my teammates made plays behind me and the offense continued to swing the bats well.” Junior Taylor Owens and Senior Kyle Harding closed out the game with Harding earning his fourth save of the year. The Tritons did not see similar success during the second game on Saturday. In the top of the first

inning, Barry scored three runs and added five more in the second. It wasn’t until the fifth inning that Eckerd got on the board off a triple by O’Rourke. The Tritons narrowed the lead in the eighth inning with an RBI from MacMahon and two off the bat of Hill. Barry sealed the victory in the ninth, defeating Eckerd 13-4. “It’s been tough since we got into conference to try to match the intensity and talent that this conference has,” Head Coach Juan Ranero said. “This conference is very talented so I was very proud of our guys going out there and competing, giving everything they have.” Junior Rowdy Andrews collected five hits in Saturday’s games while MacMahon had four hits, two runs and three RBI’s. The series brought the Tritons to a record of 16-21. “Pitchers are gaining consistency with throwing strikes and the defense is cutting down on mistakes,” Gutowski said. “We’re looking forward to winning some big games down the stretch and ending the season on a high note.” The Tritons will head to Lakeland to face Florida Southern College in a conference series matchup with a game on Friday night and a doubleheader on Saturday.

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