News: page 3
Viewpoints: page 9
Entertainment: page 13
Health & Fitness: page 20
Students can bond with profs over drinks
Israel study abroad yields no class credit
The Current presents Spring Ball fashion
A look at the history of Pitchers with Professors and the unique interactive opportunity it provides.
Students studying abroad in Israel won’t receive academic credit for their semester in the Middle East.
Staff writer reviews the gamut of Five ab exercises you don’t need to fashions at Spring Ball in relation leave your room to do so you can to past fashion decades. be ready for beach-body season.
Get great abs in the comfort of your dorm
The Official Student Newspaper of Eckerd College
Vol. 3, Issue XI—April 20, 2012
Eckerd Democrats aim to educate, cooperate By Sean Lawlor Columnist
photo by Alex Zielinski A photograph of Nate Mosby (1992-2012) is displayed on the altar at his memorial service on Kappa Field, April 14. Nate enjoyed riding his longboard (front) around campus. His favorite books, Franz Kafka’s “The Trial” and Cervantes’s “Don Quixote” (behind the board) are displayed next to flowers and vegetables (right) from the Edible Peace Patch garden where he volunteered.
Celebrating the life of Nate Mosby Friends and family join the Eckerd community in a memorial on Kappa Field By Johnny Jones Web Editor “A parent witnessing a child’s death is the ultimate sign of a world turned upside down,” President Donald Eastman said in his speech at Nathan “Nate” Mosby’s memorial service April 14. When a community loses one of its members, the innate reflex to focus on the positive aspects of a person’s life while censoring the negative kicks in. We forgive their flaws as a sign of respect during a difficult grieving process. But some people’s lives are so beautiful that they need no such censorship. Nate Mosby was one of those people. The vast breadth of the English language still fails to accurately describe Nate’s positively radiant aura. He was such a phenomenal person that the story of his death seems like a cliché story that you see on the evening news: the actively involved model student of gentle goodwill who served on the Aca-
demic Honor Council, performed many hours of community service and was an excellent friend to all, tragically killed in a car accident. Except this was no Bay News 9 report. This was my friend. It seems the crowd of at least 300 people gathered on Kappa field that day shared this sentiment. So did the more than 60 who participated in the memorial “Skate for Nate” longboard and bike lap around campus at sunset. Before and after the service, the line to sign the guestbook stretched far across the grass. From his professors to his father to his former roommate Sophomore Brad Samuels, everyone who gave a speech during the service paid a wonderfully unique tribute to Nate’s life. Dean James Annarelli posthumously awarded Nate the Mark W. Smith Award, which, according to Eckerd.edu, “honors a student who has given outstanding service to the campus community and who has demonstrated extraordinary leadership and initiative in the effort to
enhance campus life.” Yet Nate’s ceremony was Samuels gave an incredibly mov- wrapped in a thin veil of sweetness ing speech that also made us laugh because it allowed us to accept his when he shared Nate’s greatest ca- death and begin to move on. The service could not have been reer ambition – “to own a BMW.” Professor and Director of Ser- a more fitting way honor our fallen vice Learning Brian MacHarg spoke friend. A makeshift altar displayed some of how, of Nate’s w h e n possessions, reading includliterature, ing two of the grief his favorwe feel ite books, when a Franz Kafcharacka’s “The ter dies is —Mark Mosby, Nate’s father. Trial” and directly Cervantes’s p r o p o r“Don Quixtional to ote.” how much The stage was adorned with an the author brought that character intricate display of flowers and to life. Judging by the lack of dry vegetables from the Edible Peace eyes in the audience that afternoon, whoever wrote the book of Nate Patch garden where Nate spent so many hours (after learning of Nate’s was a damn good writer. Nate’s memorial service was bit- death, the children who work in tersweet. The loss of a close friend the garden wanted to name it after is mostly bitter; it leaves a horrid, him). There comes a definitive point in vile taste in your mouth that lingers the mourning process when a tidal for an eternity.
“If friendship is an art,
then Nate was a master artist.”
See Memorial, page 3
Please Recycle
INDEX: News 2 - 8
Viewpoints 9 - 12 Entertainment 13 - 16 The Quickie 17 - 18 Health & Fitness 19 - 20 Sports 21- 24
Eckerd College is certainly a liberally minded campus, but it remains to be seen whether Eckerd students are sincerely active within the local political community. With this being an election year, the heads of Eckerd’s Young Democrats, Brianna Dickinson and Veronika Slep, see this semester and the next as an opportunity to encourage political activism and organization on campus. “Eckerd is very much a liberal school,” says Dickinson, “but when it comes to politics we aren’t as involved, which is something we would love to change.” Since the club was recently rechartered as late as last fall semester, their presence on campus has been small but effective. As of now, Young Democrats has 15 solid members, but that doesn’t mean other students haven’t shown interest in getting involved at club meetings. While this group of student partisans seeks to encourage support for local and national Democratic candidates, their ultimate goal is to inform and encourage dialogue on campus. Club events have been far from partisan and have sought student input on future activities. See EC Democrats, page 4
RAs rate housing complexes By Alexandra Roberts Staff Writer With room draw in our wake, students can look forward to living in a new dorm community next year. Eleven complexes are available to the community, all offering a unique atmosphere. Student resident advisors, with behind-thescenes access, can offer insight into specific dorm personalities. Nu and Omega will continue to be specific to upperclassmen. Each of the seven traditional complexes includes four houses, some of which will be grouped by new themes. Themes include: all female, pet, health and wellness, community service, global living, environmental, or a combination of themes. Other houses are simply co-ed. In Alpha, Prasch will be global, Gershwin will be health and wellness, Gandhi will be female and Mill will be co-ed. “I have lived in Alpha Mill for See Dorms , page 7
The Current is a free, biweekly student newspaper produced at Eckerd College. Opinions expressed in this publication are those of the writers.