Viewpoints
Entertainment
The Quickie
Health & Fitness
Sports
Big Fat Gay Column returns
Garden of E.D.M.
Club Spotlight
Happy-go-healthy
Gay athletes in sports
A sophomore picks up the LGBT column, writes how the “Eckerd Bubble” made coming out easier.
Eckerd grads give current students and electronic music lovers something to dance about.
Ultimate Frisbee Club plans exciting year of competition.
Discover the foods guaranteed to boost your mood.
Asst. sports editor talks breaking down barriers in professional sports.
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The Official Student Newspaper of Eckerd College
Vol. 4, Issue 2—Sept. 28, 2012
One student arrested, one hospitalized in two separate physical altercations By Malena Carollo Asst. News Editor, & Jeralyn Darling Managing Editor Students were recently involved in two physical altercations—one resulting in a felony battery on a security guard, the other resulting in injuries that required emergency medical attention.
photo by Tyler Cribbs A group gathers to enjoy refreshments in the new Delta lounge.
Campus unveils latest dorm lounge updates For ribbon-cutting details, photos and future rennovation plans, see page 3.
Sept. 23
Responding to noise complaints near Zeta, Campus Safety Officer Kevin Osani arrived about 1:20 a.m. According to an eyewitness, Sophomore Anna Vecchio, Osani approached a group of students regarding quiet hours, and had to use a megaphone to be heard over the music. Vecchio says the students complied by turning off the music. That’s when Sophomore Samuel Ramey attempted to leave with a speaker. Osani, according to Vecchio, pursued Ramey and attempted to take the speaker from him, grabbing Ramey by the arm. According to Campus Safety policy, officers may confiscate speakers to honor quiet hours. But Vecchio says that’s when an altercation broke out between the two, beginning when Osani used his forearm to shove Ramey against an outdoor Zeta wall. The two See INCIDENTS, page 7
Students, staff react to perceived difference in policy enforcement By Malena Carollo Asst. News Editor
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rom a larger freshman class to a refurbished Delta lounge, the new semester has ushered in several changes to Eckerd. While many of these were widely accepted, adjustments to Campus Safety’s and residence life’s approach toward policy enforcement have elicited stronger reactions than other changes. Two shifts have occurred. A Campus Safety officer will now accompany the on-call RAs during rounds, and RAs and Campus Safety officers are no longer allowed to give warnings for policy violations. “[The change] was definitely a joint effort between us in residence life with Campus Safety,” Jamey Handorf, associate director of residence life, said. “When it comes to policy enforcement we both
sort of share that responsibility on campus, so it makes sense that any sort of changes in the approach to that would be a joint effort so students wouldn’t be confused by two different approaches.” Now, all policy violations will be documented and the decision to issue a formal warning to a student or pursue other forms of disciplinary action is decided by the Office of Community Standards. RAs and Campus Safety officers, Handorf said, will still have an amount of discretion while in the field. The model is intended to create greater cohesion between residence life and Campus Safety while addressing several related issues. “First and foremost we are trying to limit the amount of underage drinking on campus, that is always a goal,” Handorf said. “We’re trying to limit the amount of unsafe
drinking practices that take place on campus… By doing that, we will also limit that perception that students have that everyone drinks, because that’s just untrue.” The perception to which he refers stems from the large numbers of students in and between residential complexes with clearly marked alcoholic beverages. This behavior, Handorf said, has contributed to the “party school” perception of Eckerd, landing the college on several dubious lists in the past five years. One such ranking publication is the Princeton Review. In 2010, Eckerd was pegged at 17 on the “Most Beer Drinkers” list, a subcategory of the “Top Party Schools” list. In 2011, Eckerd dropped to 19. Another aspect the new system addresses is repeat-offenders being given multiple warnings by RAs and
Campus Safety officers with no way to track if they were already issued a warning. Contrary to rumors, the alcohol and drug policy being enforced has not changed. A related policy addition is that students can lose their housing if they accumulate three substance-related offenses, though loss of housing is not automatic. Likewise, Adam Colby, director of emergency management and Campus Safety, said Campus Safety’s role remains the same. “The big thing is Campus Safety officers are here for the safety of the community,” Colby said. “If people were perceiving that they should be allowed to drink and have their music up as loud as they want [and] be disruptive See Policies, page 4
Tracy Kidder visits Eckerd; offers advice to novice writers By Cait Duffy News Editor
promotional photo Please Recycle
INDEX: News 2 - 8
“No one makes rules for everyone.” Pulitzer prize-winning author Tracy Kidder began with one of his favorite John McPhee quotes Sept. 17, speaking to a Creative Nonfiction class. Renowned for such works as “Mountains beyond Mountains,” “Strength in What Remains” and “The Soul of a New Machine,” Kidder spent the course of a week amongst Eckerd students and faculty, answering questions about his novels and offering advice to writers. His activities ranged from speaking to individual classes, to addressing those in Quest
for Meaning in a plenary assembly, to a talk hosted in part by the Tampa Bay Times, to a vegetarian chili cook-out. Kidder was even available for one-on-one meetings with students, making himself available for office hours throughout the week. During his stay, Kidder had much to say, and Eckerd students had much to ask. The next speaking point of Kidder’s guest lecture during Tuesday’s class was another of his trusted sayings, and a description of nonfiction writing’s greatest challenge. “The nonfiction writer’s fundamental job is to make what is true believable.” A challenge he encountered, and conquered, when drafting
his novel “Mountains Beyond Mountains.” The next afternoon, Kidder confided his difficulties in relating the character of farmer to the senior class. “It was a problem of goodness” that stood in his way. The subject of the book, Dr. Paul Farmer, seemed simply too good to be true. Solving the problem took a step that most journalists, literary or not, typically steer away from. He placed himself as a character within the story, a living foil of a true, imperfect human for Paul Farmer’s exceeding humanity. He described Paul Farmer’s presence as one
Viewpoints 9 - 12 Entertainment 13 - 16 The Quickie 17 - 18 Health & Fitness 19 - 20 Sports 21- 24
See Kidder, page 4 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
Sept. 28, 2012
LET’S BE BRIEF Global Libyan government cracks down on rogue militias In the aftermath of the attack on the U.S. embassy, there has been a remarkable crackdown on militias in many cities throughout Libya. In Benghazi, the site of the U.S. embassy, pro-government demonstrators managed to force the evacuation of numerous militia compounds. The crowd of demonstrators swelled to thousands of people as they moved across the city ousting militas that had not submited to government approval. Many of the militias had ties to Al-Qaeda or other radical Islamist groups. Meanwhile, other militias were disbanded in the Libyan cities of Derna and Tripoli by both civilian groups and government security forces. Since the end of the NATO-backed uprising in 2011, the Libyan government has been giving militias the option of integrating into the national security forces or disbanding. Before the pro-government protests, the Libyan government didn’t have enough power to enforce that choice. Yet Reuters reported many demonstrators had signs reading “Yes to pluralism! No to Al-Qaeda! No to extremism!” With the demonstrators support, the Libyan government is clearing neighborhoods in Tripoli and removing militias in Derna that were originally courtesy of Wikicommons placed to fight Gadhafi. The Libyan flag.
National Baby panda dies at National Zoo The National Zoo in Washington D.C. was sad to announce Sept. 23 that its week-old baby panda died. The baby was born late in the evening on Sept 16. The zoo had monitored the panda for the week as it grew and interacted with its mother, one of two pandas at the zoo. But Mei Xiang, the baby’s mother, started making noises and distress calls shortly after 9 a.m., Sept. 23. Zookeepers and veterinarians managed to retrieve the cub about an hour after Mei Xiang began her distress call. Unfortunately, it was too late to save the baby. Despite administering medication and the use of an oxygen respirator, the baby could not be revived. It had died shortly before its mother began making the distress calls. The cause of the baby panda’s death is not yet known, but the cub showed no outward signs of infection or injury.
Israel and Palestine negotiate over Gaza’s marine gas deposits
Eurozone crisis deepens as Cyprus and Spain consider European aid
The Palestinian Authority (PA) entered into negotiations with Israel over the development of gas reserves in the Mediterranean Sea off Gaza according to an Israeli Foreign Ministry press release on Sept 23. Israel and Palestine have historically been two of the poorest countries in the Middle East when it comes to fossil fuel reserves and production. That has been changing in recent years as Israel began developing its oil and natural gas reserves in the Mediterranean. There are also natural gas deposits in the Mediterranean off the Gaza Strip, but development of these has been held up for political reasons. The two foremost political reasons were Hamas’s coup in Gaza and the subsequent blockade of Gaza by Israel. But the PA, which theoretically governs Gaza, is bypassing Hamas and seeking to develop the reserves with Israeli assistance. Normally, Israel would not be involved, but the PA does not have the money or diplomatic corps necessary to solicit foreign companies to develop the natural gas deposits. Negotiations are ongoing and no official deal has been struck, but an Israeli official anonymously told Al-Jazeera that “we’re ready to move forward on this.”
The Eurozone has been going through a tremendous debt crisis in many of its countries since 2010. Five bailouts have already occurred, four of them sovereign bailouts for Greece, Portugal and Ireland. The final bailout was for Spain’s banking sector. But the crisis is deepening. Cyprus is now the fifth country to have applied for a bailout. Negotiations are ongoing between Cyprus and the EU for what would be the country’s second sovereign bailout, the small country receiving a loan from Russia in 2011. However, the threat of Cyprus’s withdrawal is hanging over negotiations. The country’s ruling government is not willing to disavow its strong public-sector unions. Also, Cyprus has an election in February and it is highly unlikely that the union’s influence will decline any time soon. Elsewhere in the Eurozone, Spain is facing the reality of accelerating the pension cuts that were part of its initial deficit reduction program. These cuts are necessary to meet Eurozone budgetary requirements and appease investors. Despite these pension cuts, investors and European officials still expect the country to formally apply for a sovereign bailout before the end of the year.
Amazon unveils large line of kindle fire devices In 2011, Amazon progressed from selling e-readers into the realm of tablet computers with the release of the Kindle Fire. The Kindle Fire was notable for being slightly smaller than the iPad, having a 7 inch screen rather than a 9.7 inch screen, and for having a considerably lower price. The original Kindle Fire sold for $199, in comparison to the iPad’s lowest cost of $499. In the 10 months since its release, the Kindle Fire has become the second most popular tablet PC in America according to Forbes magazine. The original version of the Kindle Fire now costs $159 and stands in a larger line of tablet devices that Amazon is selling under the Kindle brand. That line includes upgrades for 3G connectivity, internal storage, HD picture quality and screen size. The full range of Kindle Fire devices now runs from $159 to $599. The corresponding range for iPads runs from $499 to $829. The price differences are largely a result of business model. Apple prefers making money off of the tablets themselves. Amazon focuses instead on making money on digital content, a market where Amazon is strong.
Space shuttle endeavour retires to California Science Center The Space Shuttle Endeavor made its final landing atop a jumbo jet in Los Angeles Sept. 21. However, the 12-mile trek from LAX to the California Science Center created controversy when 400 trees were removed to make room for Endeavor’s wingspan. To repair the environmental damages, the California Science Center has pledged to replace the 400 lost trees with 1,000 new ones. Prior to landing at LAX, the shuttle had endured a five-hour flight around California. The flight passed many important California landmarks including the Golden Gate Bridge, the State Capitol, Dodger Stadium and Disneyland California before landing at the airport. Endeavour will remain at LAX for several weeks as it is unstrapped from the jumbo jet and moved onto a flatbed trailer. Endeavour was the last spaceworthy shuttle made by the United States, coming into service in 1992, and is now the last shuttle to be retired. The other two remaining shuttles, Discovery & Atlantis, are already in their final resting places. Atlantis will remain at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Merritt Island, Fla. and Discovery at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. courtesy of Wikicommons Shuttle Endeavour landing on a jumbo jet.
Campus Holes in Eckerd’s emergency text message system leave out groups of students Students with the cell phone service providers Sprint and T-Mobile may not be able to receive text alerts about emergency situations on campus, according to a recent email from Campus Safety. When Campus Safety inquired about the situation, T-Mobile was not able to give a definitive answer with regard to the emergency system’s text messages. In a recent email, Campus Security indicated that if students suspect their texts are being blocked by T-Mobile, they should contact their mobile provider independently. Sprint, on the other hand, is a different story. Campus Safety confirmed that Sprint does actively block short-code text messages, such as the ones the emergency system uses.There is also a way for Sprint customers to unblock the emergency system texts. Campus Safety’s instructions were to text “allow 89361” to the phone number 9999. That text will trigger the response “Text messages to and from 89361 are now allowed.” That response ends the block on Sprint mobile phones and any emergency system text messages will come through as they normally would.
Repairs finish at Iota Complex Everyone remembers when Hurricane Isaac rolled by the West Coast of Florida and almost threatened to evacuate campus at the end of Autumn Term. While the worst of it missed Eckerd, Isaac, along with Tropical Storm Debby, revealed some building flaws in the Iota dorm complex and the Armacost Library. Both suffered roof leaks that were previously undiscovered. The repairs to Armacost Library are already complete. As of press time, the Iota Complex was due to be complete Sept. 27, and has been the site of repair workers for some time. They’ve been repairing the leaks and taking further waterproofing measures. Facilities asks your cooperation as the workers finish their job and apologizes for any noise and inconveniences that may occur as repairs are finished. courtesy of Wikicommons Hurricane Isaac pouring rain on Florida.
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the current
Sept. 28, 2012
News 3
news New Delta lounge opens, Beta to come next
photo by Tyler Cribbs A crowd enjoys refreshments in the new lounge.
By Malena Carollo Asst. News Editor The doors of the newly-renovated Delta lounge opened Sept. 18 with a brief “lounge-warming” party. President Donald Eastman, ECOS President Rhemy Brezin, RA of Delta Copley Jamal Dutton and Dean of Students James Annarelli snipped a ceremonial ribbon with four pairs of golden scissors, declaring the lounge open. “I’m excited,” Meghan Andes, sophomore, said. “I think [the lounge is] really cool. I’m looking forward to cooking in it.” A crowd of about 50 stayed after the ribbon cutting to enjoy beverages and snacks provided by Bon Appetit. The lively atmosphere mimicked the vibrant blue, green and yellow hues of The kitchen area of the lounge offers modern cooking appliances. the space. The layout of the lounge is identical to that of Zeta’s lounge, though attendance were members of resiwith yellow tractor-seat bar stools dence life, Architect of ARC3 Eddie chosen for durability and a glowing Masterlurtz, Delta and non-Delta residents, Bon Appetit members, green ceiling light. Measuring cups printed with Campus ministries members and Dithe Eckerd logo and “Delta Lounge rector of Housing Justin Long. Annarelli announced at the event Opening 2012” were perched on the tops of counters and shelves, free for the next complex that will receive a lounge makeover—Beta. those present. Aside from the ribbon cutters, in
photo by Tyler Cribbs A souvenier cup commemorates the new lounge.
photo by Tyler Cribbs
photo by Hailey Escobar President Eastman, ECOS President Rhemy Brezin, Delta Copley RA Jamal Dutton and Dean of Students James Annarelli cut the ribbon at the new Delta lounge.
The Eckerd College Organization of Students Vice President for Academic Affairs, Erin Stringer, has big plans for Eckerd this year. When I sat down with Erin to talk about her goals, she shared some interesting insights on what she is up to. One of her larger goals for the year includes bringing speakers to Eckerd that cater to each collegium. The idea behind this is to increase the number of speakers while also encompassing the variety of students’ interests on campus. Stringer hopes to work with professors in having speakers come to Eckerd, and to make the faculty more of a presence within the
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VPAA position. She feels that the professor’s knowledge and experience will give a more enriched experience for students. Another one of Stringer’s goals is to strengthen the Academic Affairs committee. She stated that it had not been used to its full potential in previous years, and she hopes to greatly improve it as a whole. Stringer plans on having more hand picked members that meet weekly or bi-weekly, as opposed to monthly. This will go a long way in creating an effective team of students dedicated to bringing dynamic speakers to campus, as well as planning events such as Pitchers with Professors. Stringer hopes to have the fall semester booked solid with some great speakers. Some already scheduled include Paul Lobe and James and Joanne Huskey. Paul Lobe is widely known for promoting political awareness and participation within students and communities, especially through
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Summer storm damages
4
Romney releases tax info
5
New professor on campus
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ECOS Senate results
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ECOS Executive Vice President shares her optimism for the 2012-13 academic year By Eliza van Dissel ECOS Executive Vice President
ECOS updates: in the pipeline Official Press Release By Walker Banks Assistant Director of ECOS Public Relations
INSIDE NEWS
voting. Stringer believes this will help get students more motivated and involved in not just the national government, but also at a local level. James Huskey is a former U.S. Foreign Service member and Joanne Huskey is the author of the book “Unofficial Diplomat.” Stringer expects these speakers to have a lot of interesting insight regarding foreign policy and international relations and their importance to U.S. politics and actions around the world. Paul Loeb’s CPS event, Soul of a Citizen: Hope in a Time of Fear, will be held in Miller Auditorium on Oct. 4 at 7:30 p.m. James and Joanne Huskey’s CPS event, Surviving Double Jeopardy: From Tienanmen Square to Nairobi, can be heard in Fox Hall at 7:00 p.m. on the Oct. 25
This being my first year as a part of the ECOS executive branch, to me, the end of September now means the beginning of a new Senate. Quite honestly, I can’t wait to begin forming group objectives and goals, as well as mapping out what is plausible and possible for the year ahead. My focus with Senate this year is to Make It Happen. I want for Senators to realize that they can accomplish more than just complex objectives. I also want Senate to envision goals on a larger scale. I’m looking forward to having all fourteen Senators come up with a group goal that they can all work toward achieving. If fourteen sounds like a larger number than last year, it is. Due to our wonderfully populous freshmen class and new expansion into West Lodge, there is a new senator position. I am looking forward to seeing how the West Lodge community develops. Due to the fact that almost half of this year’s Senate is occupied by freshmen, I am looking forward to seeing their influence; I project that they are bound to provide a multitude of innovative ideas and leadership not only within ECOS, but also all over campus. One of my own goals this year is for ECOS to become a more cohesive part of the student body. I am happy to say that I believe that my fellow Executive members feel that same way, and after meeting this year’s Senate, that goal will become accomplished faster than expected. After all, it’s not just myself and those in the ECOS office who are here for you and because of you, but now fourteen fresh faced Senators are ready to Make It Happen. Please stop by the ECOS Office, located in Brown Hall, any time if you have an idea, suggestion, complaint, or just want to chat.
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the current
Sept. 28, 2012
EC still recovering from Tropical Storm Debby By Malena Carollo Asst. News Editor Tropical Storm Debby blew through St. Petersburg, Fla., in late June, bringing heavy winds and rain. Though most of Eckerd wasn’t here to experience it, some members of the community are still working through damages from the storm. On the second floor of Armacost Library, a shelf stands conspicuously empty, sandwiched between rows packed with books. Above the shelf, new tiles lay in the frame of the drop ceiling. Previously, the bare shelf held literature books, which were removed after Debby caused a leak in the roof above the section. Facilities replaced the tiles immediately and began working on a solution during the thunderstorm.
Normally any time there is a storm, clear tarps are put over the bookshelves to protect from water damages. The tarps hadn’t been put up yet at the time Debby hit. The leak damaged 49 books totaling $800 in damages. “If it’s going to hit anything it’s good to hit an area that you can replace without breaking the bank,” Jamie Gill, director of library services, said. Had the water damaged a section of chemistry books, for example, the cost would be much higher—each chemistry book is priced at around $150. Though the books were more easily replaced than others, the money for replacement will not come from insurance. According to Luz Arcila, associate vice president for business and finance, because the damage to the books was less than $1,000, the insurance deductible was not met, “therefore,
photo by Alex Zielinski The alarm for this refrigerator failed to sound, causing massive specimen loss
the expense for the books would be funded by the college.” Debby isn’t the first storm to damage the library. Since its construction in 2005, storms have caused the roof to leaks. The eyebrow around the perimeter of the library required resealing. “We have a lot invested in our collection,” Gill said. “We definitely don’t want to see it flooded out.” Another structure affected by Debby was the walk-in freezer in Galbraith. According to Nancy Smith, associate professor of marine science and biology and chair of the natural sciences committee, a large condenser for the freezer sits on the roof of Galbraith, connected to the freezer by refrigerant lines. The condenser brings in the air from outside and the refrigerant lines cool it to -20 degrees Celsius, colder than a normal freezer. During the storm, the refrigerant lines were damaged, meaning that the air pulled in was warm, heating up the walk-in freezer quickly. Normally, if the freezer begins to defrost, an alarm is tripped via the phone lines, sending a message to facilities and Campus Safety. Because the phone lines were damaged in the storm, the alarm was never tripped and a call was never sent. The defrosted freezer was discovered 48 hours later. Facilities responded immediately and came out to assess refrigerant lines. Inside the freezer were chemicals, reagents, tropical tissue samples and other temperaturesensitive samples. “When your stuff thaws out, your tissue samples are no longer viable,” Smith said. The college, Smith says, is working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to quantify losses. Smith estimates at least $500,000 in damages. “Basically, someone’s professional life was negatively and severely impacted by this storm,” she said. “Failure of refrigerant lines compiled with the failure of alarm systems. These two failures resulted in the situation we’re in.” Smith said facilities is working to install an audible alarm system in addition to the current alarm to prevent a situation like this from reoccurring.
Sustainability update: rECycling By Evan Bollier Sustainability Fellow Are you are interested in the environment, student activism and sustainability? If so, please consider joining the recycling and composting programs. As a friendly reminder, please be respECtful and put only empty plastic, glass and aluminum items in the appropriate blue recycling bins. All cardboard and paper items may be disposed of in the upright green recycling bins. Please do not discard trash, especially food waste, in the recycling bins; your peers work hard to empty these and keep the program functional. Also, please dispose of appropriate food waste in the designated compost bins in each complex. The recycling program operates in two shifts per day, 1-3 p.m. and 3-5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Volunteers meet in the Gamma lounge and follow the designated recycling coordinator to start collecting bins on the academic and residential sides of campus. All materials are then sorted in the recycling center
across from the softball and baseball fields. Would you rather volunteer with the composting program? Shifts run twice per week, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tuesdays and 1-3 p.m. Fridays. Please meet in the Gamma lounge at the aforementioned times to start working with Compost Coordinator Celine Currier. All food waste will be brought behind the campus community vegetable garden to the composting tumblers. The tumblers are emptied every two to three weeks, and supply the garden with fresh nutrient-filled soil. The primary goal of these programs is to support Eckerd’s commitment to greenhouse gas reduction through waste minimization. As more items are recycled and composted, fewer are incinerated and sent to the landfill. Please keep this in mind over the next school year. Stay green, Eckerd.
Police Blotter
Samuel Ramey, 20, was arrested early Sept. 23 and charged with felony battery on a security guard, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff ’s report. Ramey was released late Sept. 23 on a $2,500 cash bond.
Pulitzer Prize-winning author discusses craft with students KIDDER from front page
that can “make the reader feel uneasy,” but with a narrator also feeling uneasy, the reader is less intimidated. Kidder became intrigued by Farmer’s tale when the two were on the same flight from Haiti to Miami, but it was a few years before Kidder began following it more closely. He described to the intrigued seniors that he was hesitant to write the piece, fearing his “view of life being shattered.” In fact, Farmer’s story did change Kidder’s life. “He showed me more reasons for despair than I had ever seen before, but it was the most exhilarating experience of my life. It was a double edged exhilaration though, because of the gap between what can be done and what is being done.” It forced him, and in turn the readers, to question the luck behind birth, and to ask themselves “What if I had been born Haitian?” Now a devoted supporter of Partners in Health, the Boston based nonprofit healthcare organization cofounded by Farmer, Kidder advised students to assist the world in the way best suiting them. “I don’t have a recipe for any of you, because every one of you is different.” He also reinforced the values of self-betterment through education. “If you begin to improve yourself,
you’ve already begun to improve the world.” As Kidder later described, it’s truly the person who drives him to write the story, regardless of situation or subject matter. His book “The Soul of a New Machine” follows the race of two companies to create a new mini computer. But when beginning the research, Kidder was less than enthusiastic. “I had preconceived notions of dullness about computers and their engineers.” But this quickly changed when he met Tom West, hardware engineering team leader at Data General Corporation in the 1970s. West insisted on hosting the preliminary interview in a dark corner of the cafeteria, as far from all security cameras as possible. “He began speaking of the technological wars, the blood shed and people shooting from the hip.” Kidder described the interview, saying the emotion West displayed compelled him to write the book. As Kidder described to the non-fiction class, it was “the most fruitful interview” of his career. When asked whose story he would like to tell the most, whether alive or dead, following around as he did Farmer, Kidder was unsure. “Someone like Abraham Lincoln, as I understand it, he really hated being president. Or maybe Michaelangelo. But, for once, I’m not sure what to say.”
photo by Hailey Escobar Kidder (left) speaks at a CPS event Sept. 19 moderated by Tampa Bay Times book editor Colette Bancroft (right).
Campus policies see changes POLICIES from front page
to the community, then it’s something we’re going to have to work with.” The sudden adjustment in approach, however, is being perceived by some students as a crackdown. “I’ve been here since Autumn Term. I was a TA, and the second I’ve gotten here till now the enforcement has definitely been a lot stricter,” Junior Joe Whalen said. “They’ve definitely been paying a lot more attention and showing their faces around here a lot more and writing a lot more people up. I’ve been written up way too many times this semester already.” Other students haven’t noticed a change. “Honestly, so far I haven’t really noticed a difference,” Junior Chloe Holzinger said, noting that her level of interaction with Campus Safety and RAs has been fairly similar to previous years. Reactions from students varied when they learned of the reasons for the change. “Just be smart,” Holzinger said. “It’s not that hard to follow the rules. Just carry your ID, keep it in a cup, don’t carry a beer bottle around. It’s not that hard, it’s not asking too much. I think it’s fine.” Other students were more concerned with the vibe associated with the change. “It seems overly bureaucratic to say the least,” Kyler Thomann, a junior, said. “There’s this harmonious aspect of living at Eckerd, living at Kappa, and that’s
kind of going to the wayside when every five seconds someone’s getting written up. The thing is, if we’re told [to put it in a cup], we’re going to be like, ‘Yeah we’ll put it in a cup.’ I wouldn’t be like, ‘Screw you!’ I’d just go put it in a cup.” A possible future alternative approach is a “community policing model.” According to Dean of Students James Annarelli, it would be similar to a beat-cop model. Campus Safety officers would be assigned to specific complexes and develop relationships with residents, RAs and complex senators. “In this model,” Annarelli said, “Campus Safety officers would come to know residents of their assigned complexes quite well and could then address any potential violations of community standards in the context of that relationship.” A relationship with their Campus Safety officer, Annarelli hopes, would deter students from breaking policy by making them feel personally accountable to the officer on their “beat.” He hopes the officers would “become part of the family” of a complex over time. While staffing issues prevent this idea from being a reality anytime soon, the new approach to enforcement isn’t meant to impede on student enjoyment. “We’re not here to ruin anyone’s fun,” Colby said. “At the same time, we are here to enforce the rules and regulations of the college. So if your fun stays within the rules and regulations of the college, state, local and federal laws, then by all means have as much fun as you want.”
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the current
Sept. 28, 2012
News 5
On patrol with campus safety Part One: an in-depth look at the day-tonight operations of our Campus Safety patrol
B l a s t f r o m t h e pa s t Welcome to the blast from the past, where The Current features articles from Eckerd College’s earlier newspapers. This selection features adjustments to the school’s tuition and budgeting amounts for the 1980-1981 academic year. Sit back, relax and enjoy your trip to yester-year.
Eckerd students will be paying 11 percent more for next year’s tuition, according to President Peter Armacost. Presently at $3,995.00, tuition will jump to a soaring cost of $4,435.00 for the next academic year of 1980-1981. This increase in tuition proposed by the executive council will be submitted to the Board of Trustees for further discussion April 23. “The fundamental question is whether we are competing on quality. We must remain educationally as well as fiscally strong in later years to come,” Armacost said on the proposed tuition increase. “There are three factors which must be considered in planning for next years budget,” Armacost explained. The first is the future cost of present expenditures and current inflation. Part of the increase will go towards a 10 percent salary pool. “This is not a 10 percent salary increase across the board. Salaries will be raised based on promotions, merit and inequities of present employees,” Armacost said. A second consideration will be the need for program improvements. According to Armacost, there are, at the present time, eleven faculty searches in progress. Four of
these positions will be new openings in the departments of sociology, biology, human resources and mathematics. Two positions held by adjunct and overload faculty will be replaced by new faculty in the areas of management and economics. Other improvements planned concern the game room, library and Brown Hall. Funds will be appropriated to the library for “modest acquisitions.” Brown Hall will receive approximately $15,000.00 for the purpose of carpeting and painting its interior, while Eckerd’s work-scholarship program will receive approximately $142,000.00 according to Dennis W. Binning, Vice President of Finances. A third consideration for Eckerd’s budget is this year’s deficit. With an income of $8,106,958.00 and an expenditure of $8,482,641, Eckerd’s deficit for 1979-1980 is currently $375,683. “We must limit every department’s expenditure to a 7 percent inflation rise,” says Binning. As room and board costs will increase from $1,625 to $1,871, next year’s comprehensive fee will come to $6,306. While last year’s comprehensive fees rose only 9 percent, this year’s rose 12.3 percent.
Answering demands of the public, Romney releases 20 years of personal tax returns By Ethan Packey Asst. News Editor
would have led to an effective tax rate of 10.55 percent. Following the release, Romney In a surprise move, Mitt Romney publicly stated that he didn’t claim all released two decades worth of tax the deductions in order to keep the returns to the public on Friday, Sept. previously made pledge that he’d always 21. These returns showed his financial paid more than 13 percent of his income information from 1990 running through in taxes. 2011. Since his 2003 move to the Of course this didn’t stop the onslaught governor’s mansion in Massachusetts, of attacks from Democrats regarding most of Romney’s personal income came his taxes. Senate majority leader Harry from his investments. Those investments Reid accused Romney of “creative are managed in a blind trust to prevent accounting,” saying that his tax choices a conflict of were “galling.” interest with “...if Romney had claimed What the tax the various do show on all his returns political offices deductions is the accuracy he has held and charitable contributions, of Romney’s aspires to hold. statements would have paid regarding the blind His 2011 he tax return $467,000 less in taxes.” trust controlling showed an his finances. Also, annual income it shows that the of $13.69 million with $1.9 million, or Democratic attacks indicating that the approximately 14.1 percent, paid in taxes. majority of his wealth is in offshore This is an increase from the 13.9 percent accounts is also wrong. rate that he paid in 2010. The percentage The full releases were also analyzed by is also in line with Romney’s statement PriceWaterhouseCoopers, who reported last month about his taxes. At that time that over the twenty years, the Romney he said, “I did go back and look at my taxes over the past ten years. I never paid less than 13 percent.” Romney’s 2011 tax returns also showed that he donated $4.02 million to charity; an amount that is almost 30 percent of his 2011 income. His income for 2011 was investmentbased and therefore fell under the capital gains tax rate of 15 percent. Romney claimed charitable tax deductions for $2.25 million of the donations. According to the Washington Post, if Romney had claimed deductions on all his charitable contributions, he would have paid $467,000 less in taxes. That Romney/Ryan campaign ad.
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paid an effective rate of 20.2 percent. That time period includes some of Romney’s tenure in the business world, where an annual salary invoked the 35 percent marginal tax rate on upperincome earners.
courtesy of Wikicommons Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney.
photo by Cait Duffy
By Elizabeth Tomaselli Editor-in-Chief
I
t’s 8 a.m. on an uncharacteristically crisp morning. Campus is bare, plagued with an unfamiliar silence that can only be found in the early morning. The hot, concrete sidewalks are steaming—a combination of leftover moisture from the late night sprinklers and the recent appearance of the unclouded sun—the birds are beginning to make a ruckus, the daily campus Tampa Bay Times has only recently been delivered and Phil has already been on the job for two hours. The Campus Safety office is quiet on Monday morning and the desks are cluttered with weekend incident reports and family pictures. Walking through the side door, I pass through the break room with a round lunch table and an industrial size coffee canister and sit at a desk in the office to wait for Phil to return from an errand. Across from me, on the floor to ceiling bookshelf, sits a predictable collection of crime prevention books among a binder of residential and academic floor plans, a Webster’s dictionary, RA reports, masking tape, ticket books and yellow caution tape. On the wall above my head there’s an office-printed sign reading “Demand More…Expect More…DO MORE…EC Campus Safety.” I notice it on the wall at least three more times and one rests on the bulletin board in Director of Emergency Management and Campus Safety Adam Colby’s personal office. Shortly after, armed with his silver coffee thermos, Phil and I hop on one of the three charging electric golf carts outside the office and make our way to 54th Avenue South where we will do a perimeter check. We head out the back gate by the pathology lab, fearlessly—on Phil’s part, not mine—plowing through speed bumps that cause the golf cart to land with a thud, like a tin can bouncing off a trampoline. The perimeter check takes us on the other side of the Eckerd property fence, along the Pinellas Trail and down to the water next to the 275 ramp over by Alumni Grove. These perimeter checks are a new patrol for campus safety and have become part of a twice daily routine ever since a homeless family was found on the Eckerd side of the perimeter fence last semester. Though no one believed they posed a threat to the campus, it was a new issue presented to Campus Safety. Driving along the perimeter, it’s clear the only buffer between Eckerd property and the outside is a weathered, medium-height, chain link fence. At the corners, some areas of the fence have small holes or have been bent so low it would take little effort to step over it. The thick woods beyond the fence into Eckerd’s property make it difficult to see through clearly so Phil and I slowly ride along the perimeter, occasionally stopping the golf cart to ensure a thorough search. They’ve learned how to assess the borders, where scattered garbage littered through the grass usually just means Eckerd students and large clusters of food wrappers and garbage could be the sign of homeless trespassers. The day shift, Phil explains, is more focused on service calls, unlocking rooms, vandalism investigations and parking tickets, among other miscellaneous problems that inevitably arise. Phil Gareau is one of the team leaders at Eckerd’s Campus Safety office. Safety officers are divided into groups of three, where one person is the team leader responsible for delegating and remaining in contact with the director on their 12 hour shifts. Phil’s been at Eckerd for four years and before that he worked in gourmet food sales back in Virginia. Phil takes me for a patrol loop of campus, something safety officers do throughout the day, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We start our patrol in the sigma parking lot where we examine cars for registration and handicap decals. A Nissan and a Honda seem to lack the proper registration and he writes them a ticket citing “failure to register vehicle”—a $200 fine. Phil hands me a blank ticket to keep for reference in my “journalist notebook” and we move on to circle the back corner of McArthur. Throughout our patrol, Phil graciously answers my questions and points out spots of vandalism. He asks me about my career goals and my classes and we bond over academic anxiety. Phil feels my pain; he’s been through comps in PEL for a degree in humanities. We also share a love for writing. Phil has a knack for creative writing, and, from what I know, he’s pretty darn good at it too. His genuine modesty would have never let him offer the information, but I managed to get him to admit he was recently nominated for Writing Excellence for his writing portfolio.
For part two of the article, see the upcoming issue of The Current.
6 News
the current
Sept. 28, 2012
Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth Tomaselli thecurrent@eckerd.edu Managing Editor Jeralyn Darling
News Editor Cait Duffy currentnews@eckerd.edu Asst. News Editors Malena Carollo Ethan Packey Viewpoints Editor Carver Elliot Lee currentviews@eckerd.edu Asst. Viewpoints Editor Ely Grinfield Shannon Vize
Entertainment Editor Ian Lindsay currententertainment@eckerd.edu Asst. Entertainment Editor Hayden Johnson Aaron Levy Lizzy Brophy The Quickie Editors Alex Roberts Aaron Levy Shannon Vize Ryan Wheeler Dominick Cuppetilli Lizzy Brophy Health & Fitness Editor Alex Roberts Asst. Health & Fitness Editor Caroline Campbell Sports Editor Mike Geibel currentsports@eckerd.edu Asst. Sports Editors Greg Reilly Colin Casey Ryan Wheeler Dominick Cuppetilli
Graphic Design Editor Carver Elliot Lee Photo Editor Alex Zielinski Web Editor Mike Geibel
Faculty Adviser Tracy Crow Director of Finances Kevin Boyd Director of PR/Advertising Devon Williams currentads@eckerd.edu Asst. Director of PR/Advertising Arielle Burger
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 welomes 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 goverment 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.
Creative writing department gains new professor, linguistic insights By Michalla B. Bolton Contributing Writer
On entering the residential office in Roberts Hall 124, students may be greeted with enthusiasm by the new creative writing professor, Jonathan Chopan. The office is sparsely decorated. Five pencils dangle from the ceiling, representing Chopan’s love of the X-Files. A UFO poster is taped to the wall behind a clutter free desk. A picture of him and his brother in their hockey attire from years ago, dangles below a half filled bookshelf. Chopan himself sits comfortably in a business suit and jeans ensemble, sporting a faux-hawk and a smile. One of Eckerd’s newest faculty members, he began his days in Rochester, N.Y. His recently published book, “Pulled from the River,” is largely focused on the area. Chopan’s decision to join Eckerd’s staff came more by chance than sheer determination or direction. “I have friends who teach at USF, so when the job opened up I applied to Eckerd. I was lucky enough to get an interview and speak with Scott Ward, a fantastic man, and was offered the position.” Scott Ward, head of the creative writing department, was a strong influence in Chopan’s acceptance of the position. He “never envisioned himself living in Florida, the opposite of New York.” Chopan previously lectured at Ohio State for four years. “I’ll miss my students at Ohio State, but I’m really looking forward to working with Eckerd students, who seem to be more prepared than students I have worked with in the past.” Chopan is also looking forward to concentrating his instruction to creative writing. I was taken by surprise when Chopan commented that he didn’t think he was one destined to be a writer. He got a B.A. and Masters in history, but left when he realized it wasn’t his passion. When he went away to college it was because his father, a janitor, wanted him to go. Later, Chopan fell into literature. “It is all sort of a series of dominos that fell, beyond my control. It’s random luck that I am here. You have to write your ass off and hope you’ll land a job and publish a book.”
photo by Cait Duffy Prof. Jonathan Chopan hard at work in his office in the Roberts Hall 124.
Professor C, as he calls himself, sets himself apart from other creative writing professors by engaging students in unique ways. For one assignment, he requests that students go out and ask the name of any random person, really look at the person to try to get into their minds and then write that character. Chopan believes in getting into the minds of each of his students and understanding their personal needs in education as best he can. Chopan was an assistant coach and believes his style of teaching is closely tied with his approach to coaching. “I see writers as being similar to athletes. Everyone can be taught technique, but that doesn’t mean they will be a great writer. The magic within a person to create is where the success comes from.” As the interview comes to a close Chopan divulges his advice for aspiring writers is to read as much as humanly possible, write a lot, prioritize, work hard, balance and hold passion. “If you are going to succeed at writing it needs to be your top priority, above distracting
photo by Cait Duffy Professor Jonathan Chopan.
college life, above your job. When you leave school, no one will care if you write. No one will push you to do your best. The drive and passion have to come from inside the students.”
Teachers strike in Chicago forces families to adapt By Taylor Glaws Contributing Writer Late in the evening of Sept. 18, after a sevenday strike, the Chicago Teachers Union voted to return to school. The decision, voted on by 800 union delegates, brought an end to a frustrating ordeal for families with children in the Chicago public School system. Many, such as Eckerd College junior Christina Smith, felt sympathetic toward the teachers, who demanded higher salaries in exchange for increased school hours. Citing the dangerous nature of her hometown, Smith, who’s family lives on the South Side of Chicago, feels that “as risk goes up, so should salary.” Another dispute, in which Smith agreed with the union, was the issue of student test results being used for teacher evaluations. Smith insists that “there is such a thing as bad test taking,” a practice she feels is “alive and well in....innercity like neighborhoods.” Smith feels that teachers should not be held accountable for poor test results, which may be influenced by other factors. Sympathy from Smith toward the union extends only so far, however, as she goes on to explain the problems caused for her family by the strike. One of the main problems during the recent strike was that many students, who would otherwise have been at school in relative safety, came into more direct contact with the dangers of innercity life. Smith agrees with action taken by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel, who sought an injunction against the strike partially on the grounds that it endangered children. Chicago is notorious for its high crime rates, with a 28 percent increase in homicide rates since the beginning of 2012. As Smith says “when they [school children] are not in school, they are pretty much in danger, especially on the South side and the West side,” emphasizing the particular dangers of gang violence. Smith expressed her concern for her two young
siblings, 11-year-old McKinley 9-year-old and Elise. “I talk to them every day,” says Smith of the two, who were homeschooled by their mother during the strike. Another difficulty faced by Chicago families during the strike stems from the crushing poverty rampant in many communities. Low cost school lunches are, as Smith explains, a staple food source for thousands of children: “Chicago public schools will get like six feet of snow, and not close....[because] some of these kids may not get a meal all day long – anywhere - if they do not go to school.” The strike, which occurred just a few months before the presidential election, has serious political ramifications in addition to its impact on the people of Chicago. The conflict between a Democratic Mayor (Emanuel) and a teacher’s union places President Obama in an awkward position. As Steven Greenhouse explains in an article for the New York Times, Obama cannot afford to fight within his own party or offend the teachers union, a key source of campaign donations. For these reasons, Obama was careful to remain neutral during the strike, and his press secretary was moderate in his response to its ending, saying that Obama “welcomes resolution to the dispute.” Conversely, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney was able to take a definitive stance toward the strike, and used it to his advantage. Romney, who is quoted as saying “Teachers’ unions have too often made plain that their interests conflict with those of our children,” capitalized on an opportunity to attack Obama on education policy, a key issue in the upcoming election. The strike and the experience of Christina Smith’s family emphasize the presence of problems larger than contract disputes in Chicago. While far from ideal, the Smith family’s home-schooling arrangement is a luxury that thousands of families, many of whom
depend on a single source of income, were only able to dream of. Many working parents were forced to bring their young children to work or leave them at home, often by themselves if a babysitter proved to be too expensive. The problems in the Chicago Public School system go beyond teacher salaries and test results. Smith feels that the problems facing public schools are inextricably linked to the problems in the community; poverty, drug use and gang violence all threaten the well-being and academic performance of students. As Smith says, many of the problems facing public schools in Chicago are not issues that “any amount of money” can fix.
courtesy of Wikicommons Protestors brandish signs at the Chicago teachers strike.
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the current
Sept. 28, 2012
News 7
Weekend incidents lead to one student arrest, one hospitalization INCIDENTS from front cover
promotional photo
Big Brothers Big Sisters club comes to campus
By Victoria Glavin Contributing Writer
At Eckerd College, students are always striving to help enhance the campus, local, national and global communities. JJ LaFontaine, a current freshman, has recently helped bring the volunteer program Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay to Eckerd. The Big Brothers Big Sisters of America program began in 1904. The program reached the Tampa Bay area in 1964 and was recognized as a member of the nation-wide program in 1975. LaFontaine has done volunteer work in the past with programs such as English as a Second Language (ELS). The Big Brothers Big Sisters program initially attracted him because of the emphasis put on, as he described, “building relationships with your little.” LaFontaine contacted Stacey Grusden, a company liaison, at this fall’s volunteer fair in order to discuss bringing the program to campus. With the help of Grusden, LaFontaine was able to bring program representatives to Eckerd to discuss different ways of volunteering with students. Over thirty students came to this meeting to get more information about the Big Brothers Big Sisters Program. Many of the students filled out volunteer applications. LaFontaine described the volunteer work that is done with
the program as “…character building…especially working with somebody that really needs your help, like little kids.” He also expressed the tremendous impact of being a Big Brother or Big Sister on the student volunteers as being equally profound. As a volunteer, students must be prepared to a minimum commitment of at least one year. Eckerd is working with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay to provide transportation for students. Minimal training is required in order to participate as a big sister or brother. However, an application must be filled out and an interview is required before volunteering can begin. LaFontaine expressed that the club is currently looking into working with a nearby high school. Volunteers (big brothers and sisters) will be meeting with their little brother or sister at least once a month. Little brothers and sisters are children that have been recommended by parents or teachers to the program. These children are usually recommended because they need a role model, friend or an older sibling figure. The program is a great way to get involved in the local community. Students can contact LaFontaine in order to sign up. He will continue to work with advocates and will be organizing an official sign-up. Students who are interested in club administrative positions can also contact LaFontaine.
Sept. 22
Colby could confirm via email “off-campus visitors who were struggled over the speaker, says guests of an Eckerd student were Vecchio, before Ramey pulled involved,” referring to the Tampa himself free of Osani’s grip and ran. students. He noted that “as Osani pursued Ramey, but indicated in the EC Book, students Ramey outran him. Ramey was are responsible for the actions of later booked by the St. Petersburg their guests,” and “in situations Police Department at 4:50 a.m. and when a student is victimized in charged with a felony. Bail, set at some way by a guest, it is the $2,500, was posted late Sept. 23. student rather than the college According to Adam that presses charges.” In past of Emergency cases, he said, Eckerd has Colby, director of Director emergency management Management and Cam- “criminally trespassed the offending visitor.” and Campus Safety, the Safety Adam Colby Colby encourages any case is currently under pus investigation by Campus encourages any students students with information about the incident to Safety, human resources and the office of community with information about the contact Assistant Director standards. Because it is incident to contact Tonya of Campus Safety Tonya Womack at 727-864-8260 or being actively investigated, Colby said Campus Womack, assistant director womacktm@eckerd.edu. At press time, no arrests Safety cannot provide any of Campus Safety. were made in connection to comment on the matter. the incident. “All Campus Safety officers’ Reports are conflicting about human resource records are For any updates what generated the fight. Like confidential,” Colby said in an email, po st-pu bl i c ati o n, the previous case, Colby said this “but I can assure you that Officer incident is also being investigated please go to our Osani is an exemplary officer who by Campus Safety “in collaboration website at www. most recently assumed supervision with the St. Petersburg Police of our student-run Eckerd College theonlinecurrent. Department.” Colby said Campus Emergency Response Team (ECcom. Safety cannot provide any comment ERT). regarding ongoing investigations. In a separate incident, an EC student was hospitalized for injuries he sustained during a brawl that involved four visiting students from the University of Tampa. According to eyewitnesses, the fight took place at the Kappa complex after a verbal altercation turned physical.
Reminder! Writing Portfolios are due before 4 p.m., Friday, Oct. 5. Information is available in the Foundations Office, the Writing Center (SE 105) or online.
Following the food: steaming away mysteries behind cafeteria cleanup By Evan MacMillan Staff Writer Lots of things keep me up at night. Most of the time it involves my crippling addiction to caffeine, but lately it’s been a particular question. Where does my food go? I know it’s been keeping you up as well. Now, I’m not talking about where your food goes after you eat it. You can find that out on your own. I’m talking about what happens to all the dirty dishes and trash that gets placed on that magical rotating device in Café Bon Appetit. You’ve all seen it, and you’ve all stared at it awkwardly thinking about what to do next. Maybe you’ve even tried to stick your head in there to see what’s on the other side. Don’t do that; it does not end well. With this in mind, I asked several students what they thought happened behind the scenes. “They probably have compost knowing Eckerd,” Dan Walker, freshman, said. “They probably get kind of irritated sometimes at the amount of trash on the plates.” Dan Patterson, YEAR, agreed, saying “it would be nice to have a few trash cans, maybe a recycling bin.” Compost was a common theme. Senior Eliza Van Dissel said, “They probably just throw everything away. I think they should compost, but that would be a lot of compost.” She recommends a food consumption challenge, as well as donating extra food to local shelters and converting some compost to ethanol. Other theories were much stranger. Laura Winters, freshman, suspects, “They just put all the ketchup together in one big vat,” and Mary Kelley, freshman, believes the dishes “get taken to Narnia.” Junior Dylan Eggers has a feeling “there’s magical elves back there that eat all the food.” His friend Patrick Glynn, YEAR disagrees: “they’re leprechauns.”
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But perhaps the most outlandish theory came from Jared Vick, freshman: “I think they just clean the dishes.” After all this talk of elves and leprechauns, I decided to go behind the scenes of the Café to see if I could find any pots of gold, and maybe even the truth. I didn’t meet any mythical creatures, but I did encounter several of the Café staff, including one of the men behind the magical rotating machine, Duran Johnson. Johnson explained that after taking the plates off the machine, they dump the food and trash into the garbage and run them through a dishwasher that washes and disinfects them. The dishwasher was a beastly machine that looked like it could The dish carousel at the main cafeteria. scan your carry on baggage for oversized shampoo bottles. The dishes were placed on a conveyor belt of sorts and sent through the machine, which would run constantly and cycle through dishes. As for all the trash, I was surprised to learn that none of it was composted or recycled. The plastic cups are biodegradable, and while trash from the preparation of the food gets composted, none of the leftovers do. Regarding plates of food that have barely been touched, Johnson said occasionally they see them, though it doesn’t annoy them at all when they get a lot of trash on one plate. Johnson also explained that if they put trash cans out in the café, they would fill up faster than they could be emptied; in a single meal time, the trash that they throw the leftovers into usually has to be emptied around four times. I didn’t find either elves or composting, which were the two most widely predicted things that I would encounter. I learned, however, that students generate a lot of trash when we eat. So finish everything on your plate darn it, even those veggies. The dishwasher in the main cafeteria.
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photo by Sarah Cole
photo by Sarah Cole
8 News
Sept. 28, 2012
ECOS SENATE ELECTIONS FALL 2012
NU
OMEGA
KAPPA
Hank Broege
Kyler Thomann
Junior
the current
Brenna Durkin
Junior
Senior
COMMUTER
BETA Alek Matthiessen
Henry Palmer
Freshman
Junior
EPSILON
ALPHA
Isaac Anderson Sophomore
Henry Ashworth Freshman
MEETYOURSENATORS GAMMA
IOTA
James Patterson
Katherine Pace
Freshman
Freshman
WEST LODGE
ZETA Mary Jean Harford Sophomore
Haven Allard
COMMUTER
Freshman
Josh Annarelli Junior
DELTA
SIGMA
Timothy Farrell
Ashley Sargo
Sophomore
Junior
Apologies to Mary Jean Harford for incorrectly addressing her as Mary Jean Harper in Issue 1.
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the current
Sept. 28, 2012
9
Viewpoints
Viewpoints INSIDE VIEWPOINTS First Times
10
Op-Ed: Is Eckerd affordable
11
Friendly Fire
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“Strength in What Remains”: Essay contest winners announced Our freshly matriculated freshman class wrote extensively on Tracy Kidder’s book “Strength in What Remains”, the summer reading. The students were to write in response to Kidder’s evaluation of the issues with ethnicity, tribe nationalism and identity in the ethnic hotbed known as Burundi and in the U.S. Of all the essays, three were chosen and recognized by a faculty committee as the overall winners and given their choice of a bicycle or longboard. See FRESHMAN on page 11 photo courtesy of Flickr/Carrie Sloan Service Employees International Union members protesting in Chicago with the Chicago Teachers Union.
Teachers strike for fair evaluations By Katy Carr Staff Writer Chicago’s teachers have finally returned to their classrooms after more than a week on strike. Nothing groundbreaking about the future of education has changed, but Chicago’s teachers have made the biggest deal out of the subtle changes that have been happening nationwide over the last few years. President Obama’s initiative “Race to the Top” currently offers funding to schools following Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s education reform that focuses on evaluating “good” and “bad” teachers. Unions and their supporters claim that the models currently in place for these evaluations are ineffective. Based on students’ standardized test scores, formulas try to define how much students have improved during their time with a teacher. It’s not a bad idea, but the reality is flawed. Effectiveness ratings tend to be inconsistent for teachers. A teacher who ranks “good” one year will be “bad” the next, and vice versa. For one thing, a long standardized test certainly isn’t the best way to determine the intelligence or progress of a student, or the quality of a teacher.
I grew up in Massachusetts, where annually we take the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS). Naturally, we hated the test, and it negatively impacted the way classes were taught because teachers taught to the test. I remember, more than once, a teacher saying we would be skipping a unit or spending less time on the subject because it was less likely to appear on the test than something else. Whether or not it would be important in our future learning was forgotten. That said, teachers unions are questioning more than the effectiveness of models currently used. Teachers in Chicago seem to be questioning whether any evaluation of this sort is fair. Their students, they have said, come from circumstances that make learning more difficult, and teachers should not be blamed for this. The Chicago Teachers Union has stated that “there are too many factors beyond our control which impact how well some students perform on standardized tests such as poverty, exposure to violence, homelessness, hunger and other social issues beyond our control.” Certainly, one’s situation in life is going to affect how a student learns. We can imagine how a student with parents who struggle
to feed him might not be able to dedicate as much time to homework as another student. But the union’s point of view seems unnecessarily fatalistic. It seems to suggest that children in these circumstances are a hindrance to other students’ learning. I believe we all know that any student can learn, no matter where he comes from or how much money his parents make. But I can imagine it would be more difficult if the student had a teacher who believed otherwise. Inner-city kids are not hopeless cases, and we must have teachers who believe this. It may be true that standardized tests inhibit teacher creativity, and that implementing an inconsistent model is unfair to students, but teachers unions must stop fighting against education reform. People are clearly unsatisfied with public schools. Charter school attendance is growing and evaluation models are being implemented and changed. The system of teacher evaluation is imperfect, but it is new. The model is and will continue to change as we attempt to learn how best to discover what makes a teacher effective. Teachers must have perspective on this, and if they can put aside their fear of losing a raise, they may be able to help.
Are women really paid less than men? By Gabe Stanberry Staff Writer One of the statistics commonly used by feminists is the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) average that women make 75 cents for every dollar men make. I have every faith in the statistical abilities of the BLS, but how their statistics are interpreted give me great pause. Where this data becomes misleading is when feminists claim that the BLS statistics indicate market discrimination. First of all, it is one of the basic rules of statistics that correlation doesn’t prove causation. So while there is a broad disparity in the general compensation of women when compared to men, that alone is not enough to prove discriminatory practices. In order to prove discrimination in the labor market,
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See EQUAL PAY on page 10
photo courtesy of YouTube A screen shot from the video of Steven Horowitz, professor at St. Lawrence University.
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My Big Fat Gay Column returns Sophomore Beth White picks up the LGBT column where Max Martinez left off
A new environment for coming out
By Elizabeth White Columnist
Before I came to Eckerd, I had never met an openly homosexual individual. Coming from West Virginia, the two gay guys I knew were both “in the closet,” and I had yet to meet another woman who identified as a lesbian. Because I lived in such a heteronormative place, I did not even recognize “coming out” as a possible reality. My freshman year at Eckerd included some very big revelations about me and the greater LGBT community. Living in the “Eckerd bubble” of near-complete acceptance makes it easy to feel untouched by mainstream society’s marginalization of the LGBT. The small “safe zone” flags all over campus make me smile every day, and I have yet to hear an Eckerd student insult or belittle another for his or her sexuality. Fellow Sophomore Maya Carl completely agreed with this sentiment. “When I came and visited Eckerd, I could already tell that it was so accepting and just knowing that made it easier to come out at home. Knowing that there was a big LGBT safe community here was really comforting.” Kayla Wilder, a freshman and an area native, says that this LGBT friendliness is not limited to Eckerd. “This area in general is really gay friendly.” See COMING OUT on page 11
10 Viewpoints
the current
Sept. 28, 2012
First Times
Team work works By Jeralyn Darling Managing Editor
Have you ever thought about how different you are from when you were in high school? This week, my roommate Manon Ironside gave me an NEO Personality Inventory test for one of her psychology classes. It included 240 questions that I had to answer about myself. It’s harder than it sounds. One aspect of the test focuses on extraversion, a trait that I think is pretty apparent in my personality. I scored incredibly high in all six subcategories: warmth, gregariousness, assertiveness, activity, excitement seeking and positive emotion. Thinking back on my high school years, I know that had I taken the same test four years ago, I would have scored on the opposite end of the spectrum. My confidence, self-esteem and independence all skyrocketed by my second semester at Eckerd. I really came into my own space and liked where I was headed. I never really sat down and thought about it until I took that personality test. Several of the questions gave me some pause, but there was one in particular that really made me think. It was something along the lines of, “I prefer to work alone as opposed to in a group.” The responses are on a scale from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree.” I strongly disagreed. During my high school years,
and even freshman year of college, I loathed group projects. I don’t know when or why, but one day I decided that I liked working in groups, not because I can rely on others to do the work, or so I can necessarily lead the group, I just prefer to be surrounded by others. Working on The Current is like doing twelve group projects in a year with the same group of people. And it’s awesome. Teamwork is a vital aspect of what we do and being a part of a team has taught me more about myself than I could have imagined. I have taken up a leadership position that allows me to lead by example as well as allowing me to act as a peer mentor for the other editors. Our first layout was anything but smooth, but that’s how we learn and grow as a team. Working in a group has become, for me, much more than a managing editor, editor, writer relationship. No one person can create a newspaper on her own, much like no one person can truly be an individual without including the experiences he or she gains while in the company of others. No idea or job would be complete without the input of others. I never would have said this before coming to Eckerd, but in such a tight-knit community we rely heavily on each other for support in most facets of our everyday lives: classes, social events, jobs, relationships, etc. I feel truly blessed to have realized this early on in my life that in order to do something right, one must consider everyone else’s feelings and incorporate those ideals into my own. This is the first time I’ve ever felt part of something so much bigger than myself and I think I like where it’s taking me.
perspECtives
Are women really paid less? EQUAL PAY from page 9
feminists need to do far more research. The research, however, does not support feminist conclusions. Steven Horowitz, an accredited economics professor at St. Lawrence University, recently posted a video on www.learnliberty. org about the equal pay issue. He discusses how the difference seen in women’s pay versus men’s is not discrimination, but the difference in educational and career choices men and women tend to make. He starts by noting that men tend to go into hard sciences and business, while women tend to study lower earning fields like humanities, human development and social studies. Men also tend to work full time where as women
tend to work part time. Professor Horowitz then concludes his presentation by mentioning recent studies that have compared the earnings of men and women in the same careers and same level of education. With these controlled variables, women now make about 98 cents for every dollar men make. Many families in America are still traditional in that women postpone careers to take care of children. And there are also families where both parents work. But think about it. Who usually has the higher earning, longer hour career? I simply don’t get why feminists have such a problem with the idea that fathers make more money while moms devote more time to family life.
#Amusing Musings Sitting in class and your professor says something funny? Tweet it to @TheECCurrent and include the hashtag #AmusingMusings Literature Professor: If you love the sea and want it to have your babies, that’s fine. #NatureIsIndifferent
Male Creative Writing Professor For the duration of this exercise, you may imagine me as a naked woman, but afterwards you must desist. I’ll know it if you don’t. #Fantasies
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Literature Professor: He whittles it into something much more refined... like a stegosaurus. #PoundPoetry
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Literature Professor: If none of us are married we’re all going to move to a lesbian convent. #LifetimeMovies
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Communication Professor: Somalia? Go nuts, do whatever you need to do. Pirates, whatever. #RelativistEthics
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Literature Professor: Leaves of Grass my ass. #WaltWhitman
Q: Are you planning on voting in the upcoming presidential election? Why or why not?
photos by Ely Grinfield
“Yes, I am. Because I feel like if Mitt Romney wins my parents will have to retire much later and they have been working very hard since they were 18.” – Scott Horning, Sophomore
“Yes, because it’s super important. Florida is a swing state and Pinellas is a swing county. And I don’t want to pay more for student loans.” – Brigid Carr, Freshman
“Yes, because I finally can!” – Olivia Kim, Junior
“Yeah, I don’t know as much as I want to about politics, but I want to vote. I heard Romney is cutting back on financial aid, so just for that I’d vote Obama.” – Jamie Auer, Sophomore
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the current
Sept. 28, 2012
Viewpoints 11
Eckerd ranked among the least affordable
MBFGC: Coming out in an open and new environment COMING OUT from page 9
Growing up in a predominately LGBTfriendly community, Wilder came out while still in high school, despite her parents’ disdain, a testament to the local atmosphere of tolerance. “I came out when I was 15, even though my parents weren’t crazy about it. But my friends and the people I went to school with, everyone else was really cool with it. This county in general is very open and very accepting and that almost bleeds into Eckerd. It’s like Eckerd has absorbed that mentality because of its surroundings,” Wilder said. Despite local benevolence, outside of liberal communities like ours, homophobia is still real and continues to impact legislation on basic human rights. Same-sex couples are denied the right to marry in all but seven states, making it understandable that “coming out” is a challenging process for many LGBT Americans, in spite of a culture that does not accept us, we have to learn how to accept ourselves. Personally, it is mind blowing, considering where I was two years ago, that I am now not only out, but also openly writing for something titled “My Big Fat Gay Column.” Before Eckerd, I would never have imagined it. With this privilege I hope to explore the diverse nuances within and issues relevant to the LGBT community, and I invite all members of the Eckerd community to send us your reactions or ideas for these articles, in addition to your stories and insights.
By Matthew Wilson Staff Writer While doing some research recently, I came across an article that greatly surprised me. It was an article from The Daily Beast, showcasing many different lists of colleges; e.g. Top Party Schools, Most Rigorous Schools, Most Conservative Schools, etc. My interest was piqued, so I decided to delve into the first list, “Least Affordable Schools.” As I scrolled through the slideshow, I was taken back when I saw Eckerd College at number 14. I couldn’t believe that our college was so high on this list. I had never thought, at any time throughout my matriculation at Eckerd, that the college was overtly expensive, and it seemed as though other freshmen held the same view. The Daily Beast explained the reasoning behind their choices. “We considered affordability on a collegeby-college basis as a metric of longterm affordability. The schools that landed atop our least affordable list may not have the highest sticker price, but when measured through a lens of earning potential as well as the average debt level of graduates, these are the schools where students are least able to shoulder the cost of their degree.” I couldn’t believe Eckerd’s curriculum wouldn’t balance out to the cost. My understanding of the college’s liberal arts program
and philosophy was that students would be able to study at Eckerd and the costs would pay off in the end. As I read the article, I felt that Eckerd’s curriculum, coupled with its liberal arts education, made the school promising for future career opportunities. Eckerd, I believe, is an independent-minded school. Students are given the opportunity for fun and relaxation in this neartropical environment, to study under the wings of a highly accredited faculty and sit in on academically inspiring CPS events. This ideology is at the heart of the liberal arts education and should be praised. In all, I believe an education should be what you make it and that the quality of a school trumps the price. Speaking at the Western Heritage lecture, Professor Bill Felice put it best when discussing the rhetoric in college marketing ploys. “You probably heard over and over the dedication we have to the ‘liberal arts.’ You may have viewed this as a marketing ploy. Such words often seem like empty rhetoric in our competitive, consumerist, individualist and careerist society. And, many of our nation’s colleges and universities focus solely on discipline expertise and career training. Yet, for the faculty here at EC, your achievement of a liberal education is our ultimate goal.” So even if Eckerd isn’t that affordable, it is still worth something to me.
The entrance to Eckerd campus.
photo by Alex Zielinski
How The Daily Beast calculated its numbers: “To compile the list, we considered four factors: debt, total cost, financial aid and future earnings. Average debt per student and the percent of students that graduate with debt, according to data from College InSight was weighted 25 percent. The total price, including tuition and living expenses, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), was weighted 25 percent, as was the percentage of full-time students receiving financial aid and the average amount of financial aid (this was a proxy for student wealth and financial need). The last 25 percent of the weighted ranking was based on the starting median salary and mid-career salary from each university, according to PayScale. Public schools with differing in-state and out-of-state total cost statistics were considered twice for this list, once for each level of total cost.”
The Price of Eckerd: Total Price (on-campus) Graduates with Debt Average Debt of Graduate Full-time Undergraduates Receiving Financial Aid Average Amount of Grant Aid Starting Median Salary Mid-Career Median Salary
$45,772 66%* $30,881* 96% $26,000 $39,000* $63,200*
* These numbers were reported by The Daily Beast and could not be confirmed with college officials by press time.
Freshman class writes essays in response to Kidder The Evanescence of Identity This piece was chosen as The Current’s favorite of the three contest winners. To read the other winners, Matt Hardy and Kelly Armstrong, visit us at www.theonlinecurrent.com By Eva Wixon Contributing Writer This essay has been published in its entirety and original form.
In all cultures there are prejudices; preconceived opinions not based on fact or reason. These prejudices are often deep-seated from childhood, an opinion that a child is raised with. Whether a parent blatantly states their dislike for a different type of person, or unknowingly demonstrates prejudice, children learn from example, and from their environment. In his book “Strength in What Remains,” Tracy Kidder portrays unjust prejudices and their ramifications when fearful people act on those prejudices. The prejudices that Kidder presents are those from war torn Burundi. Through his recounting of one man’s journey Kidder makes it clear that the two different groups that hate each other seem rather similar, in fact the groups themselves were often unable to distinguish each other apart. Yet the civil war and genocide in Burundi was not caused because of slight differences between two peoples, but because of a deep, burning hatred, and an over powering fear of one another, that many had whether or not they knew its origins. In his presentation of the prejudices in Burundi, Kidder links the people’s preconceived opinions
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to their identities. He demonstrates how identity is invariably connected to one’s heritage, upbringing, and the opinions and background of those who judge us. “In Strength in What Remains,” by Tracy Kidder, Deogratias is first introduced in the present day while he and the narrator are driving through southwestern Burundi. Kidder describes Deo at that moment as someone who would appear to be a wealthy tourist from a foreign place, but it becomes evident that Deo is no stranger to Burundi as he recounts a memory of his childhood in Burundi. In part one Kidder illustrates Deo’s struggles in coming to America, and the obstacles that Deo overcomes as he faces an unknown city. Deo appears to be a strong person, and as the book progresses Kidder explains Deo’s background more in depth through flashbacks. In the moment in a banana grove when Deo comes across a dead woman whose baby is still alive, through all the horror that he has seen, he makes a decision. Deo walks away, even deeper into the grove and attempts to comfort his conscience by reminding himself that “he couldn’t help the baby. He couldn’t even help himself.” That conscious decision by Deo altered his identity, he became a person who was able to endure the horrors of genocide, yet still remain sane, and compassionate, much like a
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doctor must do when facing sick patients. Part of Deo’s identity, as Kidder presents it to the reader, is that of a doctor. Deo is happiest and most at peace, when learning, practicing, or being involved in medicine. When he is suffering from ailments, whether the wound in his back in Burundi, or his fungus and stomach ache in New York, Deo calms himself by deducing how he would treat his ailment if he had access to medical supplies and equipment. When Deo comes to America he quickly realizes that the method he used to use to view, and to assess people and their social standing in Burundi, could not be applied to people in America. In Burundi, if a man was fat it meant he was wealthy, but in America this was never the case, many of the poorest people were overweight. While in Burundi people were judged by almost a singular trait, whether they were a Hutu, or a Tutsi, in New York City, as Kidder presents it, people are judged on what they wear, how they talk, how much money they appear to have and their overall demeanor. Prejudices in Burundi seem to be based on ethnic identity differences, ethnicity being people that share a common heritage, ancestor, or religion, while prejudices in New York City appear to stem from cultural or socioeconomic differences. Kidder demonstrates how people in New York City judged Deo, such as Goss Deo’s manager at Sloane grocery store, based on their misconceptions of his abilities, and intelligence because of a cultural and lingual divide. In Burundi names are given to children as a symbol for who they
are, where they have come from, or who they are going to become, while in the United States names are not a definition of who a person is, and are used as a title in conversation by which someone is addressed. Deogratias was given his name because his mother almost died while carrying him, and she wanted to give thanks to God for her survival. Throughout the book Kidder demonstrates Deo’s strength and ability to continue going, both in Africa as he travels through the countryside many times narrowly avoiding capture and death, and in America where he managed to stay alive through malnutrition, and inhospitable conditions. In this way Deo’s name seems to define him, and protect him, he survived through events that many others would not have been able to withstand, perhaps due to the grace of God. Like Deogratias, my name was given to me to pay tribute to someone important, not to God, but to my grandmother, Evelyn. An Austrian Jew, my grandmother came to America, New York City in particular, where her and her husband raised a family, and achieved affluence. Eva is derived from Hebrew, and means “Life” or “Giver of Life,” and although I am alive, I have yet to give life to another. My name takes on a more spiritual tone in relation to my identity, I see it as a type of mantra; “Life”, something to live by. My background is somewhat uncommon, adopted at birth by a loving interfaith couple; I struggled with my identity throughout my early youth. My blonde hair and blue eyes stood out against the dark locks and chestnut irises of my friends from Temple B’rith
Sholom, and were a stark contrast to my adoptive mother’s brown curly hair. Looking so dissimilar to the group of people that I was told I was one of led me to question whether or not I did belong. But religion had never been of the utmost importance to my parents, my adoptive dad is protestant, and I was able to experience Christmas in addition to Hanukah and other religious holidays. However this spiritual grey area only seemed to make my views on my own identity more blurred. As I grew older and developed tastes in music, literature, and movies, I began to get a grasp of who I was. My friends were from completely different backgrounds, ethnicities, and cultures; and through their embracing of me and of my background I became prepared to address my own identity. I have come to realize that my identity is not defined by the God that I pray to, or by the color of my hair, or by the identities of my friends, but it is dependent on my actions, and the way I view myself. There are many facets of identity, a person’s name, their location, appearance, and opinions all form a somewhat complete portrait of oneself. In Strength in What Remains Tracy Kidder illustrates Deogratias’ identity through an account of Deo’s journey. The troubles in Burundi that Deo struggled through shaped him into a more durable person, and the hurdles that he had to clear in America made him more resilient, overall Deo’s identity was the result of circumstance and chance. An identity formed by the environment he was born into, and by the choices he made when presented with options.
12 Viewpoints
the current
Sept. 28, 2012
Friendly Fire: liberal vs. conservative GOP can fix America By Ethan Packey Asst. News Editor There are a great many statements flying around from both sides of the political aisle saying that the 2012 presidential election is the most important presidential election in decades. I wholeheartedly agree and here’s why. America is in the opening stages of a crisis. The crisis is social, political and economic. Well, the political part has been happening since the beginning of the 21st century when politicians started ignoring the growing deficits and debt that the U.S. government was incurring. But this crisis extends beyond the petty partisanship that defines Washington. America has always been known as the land of freedom, the place where anyone could succeed if they tried. But these days that promise comes with a price. That price is the loss of some basic freedoms as well as a growing corruption in Washington. Washington’s corruption is that the business friends of politicians get all kinds of special handouts because they can game the system in their favor. And for people who fall through the cracks of the great American system, the country has a safety net. But that safety net isn’t really a net, it’s more of a prison. The prevailing ideological wisdom is that we simply need to provide them with some minimal standard of living. But standard of living on the public dole is a poverty and crime-stricken existence with little chance of escape. We’re giving them handouts instead of a hand-up back to success. This is the great social travesty of our era. To top off the list of problems, politicians are willing to straight up lie in order to get reelected.
For years, politicians on both sides of the aisle have been ignoring political corruption, the growing underclass and our looming debt burden. America sounds a lot to me like Omelas, the fictional town described by Ursula Le Guin in her short story, “The Ones Who Walked Away From Omelas.” Omelas is almost utopian in creation; people are able to realize every great aspect of human excellence. But it comes at a price, the town has a deep dark secret that all those of age must know about and decide whether to accept the secret or leave the town. Omelas is keeping a small boy in putrid filth and darkness as the price for the town’s happiness. However America, unlike Omelas, can deal with its problems by objecting to and reforming the system. Romney has spent his entire career in business and public service making difficult changes that ensure the success of institutions. Paul Ryan has been leading the Republican Party back into fiscal conservatism since his rise in Republican leadership in 2007. That is what the R o m n e y - Ry a n ticket is about. Romney and Ryan are the ones speaking out, rejecting the lies and trying to make America a better place. photo courtesy Flickr/Talk Radio News Service
Democrats move forward By Ashley Walsh Staff Writer Overall, convention speeches are meant to rally the base more than establish credible policy. However, it is also a moment where tones and issues can be set for the rest of the race. Everything before the conventions is a matter of the candidates finding their footing. The build up was a battle of wedge issues and awkward placement of unique candidates into their party lines and ideals. Mitt Romney had to establish himself as a Mormon with a Catholic running mate while still maintaining Evangelical ideals. On the other side, Obama has to attempt a much different campaign strategy than the one he was elected on; he wanted to change the status quo and now he is the status quo, which brings about another point: the uniqueness of this year’s presidential campaign slogans. Typically, in elections where one of the candidates is an incumbent, the other candidate will run on the idea that Washington is corrupt, and therefore, the incumbent is corrupt — post hoc ergo propter hoc. Rom-
photo courtesy Flickr/Barack Obama
ney has certainly attacked Obama’s actions. However, Romney’s campaign wholly supports a return of what he believes is right and good. Notably, Romney is a conservative and by definition conservatives have always advocated for what is safe and normal for the protection of society, a return to ideals and a bad taste for progressive ideology. It seems, however, that Romney’s campaign is the country’s latest call for a time machine. During the convention, one of the big slogans was, “We Built It.” While this slogan draws from a gaffe Obama made several months ago in a speech referring to American infrastructure, it also brings us back to this idea of what we as a nation have had and have done, not necessarily what we will get and will do. It is a similar picture to his main slogan “Believe in America,” again reinforcing who we are as a nation instead of who we could be as a nation. Romney continues to attack the status quo and says that nothing is working, but his end goal isn’t necessarily to change anything; it’s to uphold and return to the American ideal. This of course goes against Obama’s campaign ideology, “Forward.” Overall, Obama seems to carry a healthy progressiveness, and supports the idea that not only the nation, but also the world, should be trying new things. He mentions issues of energy and sustainability and uses ‘she’ as a primary pronoun in his speeches. This started during the convention when he only said “he” once. As much as it is a cheap campaign strategy to rally the female base, it is still cool to hear that changed up by someone like the President of the United States and not just feminists and Rachel Maddow. It’s also evidence that unlike Romney, who wants to take us back, Obama is following his campaign slogan, “Forward.”
Breathe in, breathe out meditation helps relieve stress By Hailey Escobar Staff Writer Begin your meditation journey with a comfortable and quiet place to sit or lie down. Close your eyes, concentrate on your breathing and relax. Take the time to add meditation to your daily routine and feel the stresses of the world become more manageable. Once you find a way that works for you, keep doing it. Or join the Buddhist Meditation Club to practice with other students on campus. The club meets Mondays from 7-9 p.m., and meditation will be guided by an outside teacher from the Tampa Bay area. Once one is selected, that teacher will be used the remainder of the semester and more classes will be added for the club to meet and practice what they learned the previous Monday. There are many different forms of meditation that benefit a wide spectrum of human health including improvements in creativity, self-esteem and spiritual healing. Moreover, “[It is] a great tool for college students and anyone looking for a healthy way to help manage their stress,” says Megan Coy, Coordinator of Health Promotion. Sophomore Yunho Kim created this club when he was unable to find one already on campus. Kim was inspired to start practicing meditation after learning about Buddhist teachings in Seoul. “I luckily met Kwan Haeng, an African American monk practicing Korean Buddhism, in Hwagyesa,” says Kim. “I learned the basics of meditation directly from him. I do meditate every day since it really helps
me among all my workload; I can immediately feel relaxed and calm just after I practice meditation.” Professor Michael Jerryson sponsored Kim’s ideas to make the club possible. Jerryson himself supports meditation. “Students who regularly practice meditation will find that it decreases stress and anxiety levels, as well as enables them to focus more -- all of which would help substantially in an academic context,” Jerryson says. The club’s other leader, Senior Blaze Marpet, advertises the benefits of meditation, “to students with all different levels of experience,” says Marpet. “We want to make sure to help students just learning to meditate, so we’ll practice mostly basic meditation techniques.” Come to the meetings or practice on your own dressed in comfortable clothing. Choose a place to sit on the floor, legs crossed, with your hands in your lap. Close your eyes when you are ready and begin to focus on your center, or mantra. Allow your body to relax and feel your breath slow. If you find your mind beginning to wander, don’t panic. Instead, empty your mind. Try to do this twice a day for about 20 or 30 minutes. Freshman member Samantha Brito loves meditation. “My motto is, just close your eyes, breathe in, breathe out and all your worries will seem so small compared to the size of the world. Meditating is my way of reconnecting with the world.” For more information, contact: Yunho Kim ykim@eckerd.edu, Blaze Marpet brmarpet@ eckerd.edu or faculty leader Michael Jerryson jerrysm@eckerd.edu.
Freshman Kathleen Collins meditates.
photo by Hailey Escobar
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ENTERTAINMENT Viewers go wild for new film “Beasts of the Southern Wild” By Jennifer Lincoln Staff Writer “Beasts of the Southern Wild” took the film world by storm this summer for more than one reason. The movie itself is a stunning piece of cinematography that delves into the underlying delicate nature of the world around us, showcasing the innate strength that lies within all beings. One of the strong points of this film was the cast that put on an impressive performance. Behn Zeitlin, first time director, made the bold decision to use local fishermen and other non-actors to portray the people of “The Bathtub,” a fictional rural bayou area shot in Terrebone Parish, La. Dwight Henry, who plays the lead male character, Wink, was discovered in a local Louisiana bakery shop which he owns, and only accepted the acting job after Zeitlin adapted the filming hours to fit around his bakery schedule. Henry is currently in the process of opening up a new bakery, appropriately named after his character in the movie. Quvenzhane Wallis, who plays the female lead, Hushpuppy, auditioned for the role when she was only 5 years old and beat out more than 4,000 other girls for the part by reading well and being able to burp on command. Zeitlin later commented to GQ Magazine that a main principle of her character was “that somehow you can restore order to the universe through your behavior.” She delivers an unparalleled performance as an impetuous young girl growing up in a world without government interference and intrusion, ministering to her own wants and needs while simultaneously dealing with the failing health of her father, and the impending flood waters with strong imagination and willpower. Even when disaster strikes “The Bathtub” and their entire home is rendered underwater, Hushpuppy,
promotional photo
her father Wink and a small group of others decide to ignore the government rescue squad and remain in their home. The film shows poverty in a real light, exemplifying the hope found in despondent places. Hushpuppy’s teacher epitomizes the underlying values of the community in one simple phrase when she remarks, “That y’all learn to take care of the things that are smaller and sweeter than you.” Throughout the film, the audience never loses sight of the encompassing sense of community exhibited by “The Bathtub,” and the tendency of its citizens to care for and watch out for each other, no matter what. “Beasts of the Southern Wild” conveys the controversial idea that human beings are happier in simpler situations without government involvement or presence. The people of the bayou form a cohesive bond and
unique cultural identity that consume them to the point of escaping a flood refugee camp to return to the only life they know how to live, even if it is completely underwater. Scoring an 85 percent approval rating and many “fresh” reviews on RottenTomatoes. com, it’s no wonder the film won multiple awards this year at both the Sundance and Cannes film festivals. Zeitlin commented to GQ Magazine,“We finished the movie two days before Sundance, and we never had time to think about it, basically. There wasn’t a moment to be like, ‘What will happen? Will people like this movie?’ I was focused on trying to get the movie to a version that I could live with. But it’s been an amazing experience to see the film travel this far. It was just such was a ragtag little film when we were making it. I don’t think anybody ever imagined that the movie would be so big while we were doing it. It’s so cool to hear it resonate with people who don’t have the same cultural context that we do in Louisiana, never mind in America. It’s so crazy.” The movie definitely made a big splash at the film festivals, and many people in Hollywood are discussing the possibility of 8-yearold Quvenzhane Wallis receiving an Oscar nomination for her performance as Hushpuppy. Personally, I wouldn’t be surprised if Dwight Henry was also nominated. His delivery of lines that would sound cruel and callous by anybody else, kept a fatherly nature so that the audience never lost sight of the fact that he loved his daughter Hushpuppy, and would do anything for her. Overall, both cast and crew did a phenomenal job on this film and I urge anyone and everyone to see it. It is a beautiful piece of cinematography that perfectly captures the wild imagination of a child who is faced with overcoming very grown-up obstacles, and the strength of a community that lives harmoniously without organized government participation.
Eckerd students keeping it hip By Maria Castro Staff Writer Hipsters, according to Urban Dictionary, are a “subculture of men and women [who] value independent thinking, counter-culture, progressive politics, an appreciation of art and indie-rock. They also value creativity, intelligence, philosophical ideas and witty ironic banter.” Ideologies and attitude aside (because that’s another article altogether), hipster fashion reflects the mentioned ideologies but has been adopted by many others who are simply appreciative of its nostalgic adaptations of fashion from the past. In other words, vintage is in. Hipster fashion consists of many different articles. There are tops, Tshirts, jeans, accessories, belts and bottoms to choose from. Usually hipster tops are plaid shirts, cowboy shirts, anything in gingham, checkers, paisley, vintage floral and my favorite, pastels. Basically anything that makes someone look like a Pacsun model that’s being photographed through an Instagram filter. This fashion blast from the past also consists of a country/open field
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look. Bleached high wasted shorts, a pastel top and cowboy boots topped by curly beach hair puts together an outfit for any kind of outing. For guys, T-shirts are vital to the hipster look. Tight fitting shirts, ironic T-shirts, and T-shirts with ‘80s cartoon characters like Smurfs, Rainbow Brite, Transformers or My Little Pony are considered part of hipster fashion. Tees with cats, old video games and old sitcoms are also quite popular among the younger generation of hipsters. What I think is actually significant and notable about hipster fashion is that guys now have more outfit options to choose from. Hipster fashion seems to be the equivalent of corporate casual for women-it’s being able to dress nicely without being too dressed up. The nostalgia for the styles of the 50s, 60s and 70s drives this fashion trend to be classy yet casual, controversial yet appropriate, self-expressing yet ironic. Skinny jeans have been the high note in the hipster look that really set this fashion aside from others. Whenever one thinks hipster, they think skinny jeans. But in actuality, skinny jeans, for both men and
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women, take an outfit to the next level and reflect the 50s Greecer style. The great thing about skinny jeans is their ability to make it seem like you’re wearing nicer pants. They really do put together an outfit, whether you’re wearing a graphic tee, a pastel top or a button down collared shirt, skinny jeans do the job. For the girls, bottoms can be anything from skirts to skinny jeans to high waisted shorts but lately leggings, jeggings, treggings, and high waisted pants have just come into high hipster popularity. The jeggings, or leggings, are usually matched with a cute long top or a grandma sweater - pair that up with some cute thick rimmed glasses for the relaxed studious look. Treggings, a cross between leggings and trousers, are great if you don’t want to wear uncomfortable jeans but still want to create that old time look without all the effort. Of course you can’t have a hipster without accessories. Eyewear is always a main factor for hipster fashion. The bigger and thicker the rims, the more intellectual and deep you look. Also you’ll look like Buddy Holly, a symbol of a more traditional
photo by Mary Kate Mckenna Juniors Kyler Thomann and Morgan Bender flaunt their hipster garb.
and classy past that Hipster ideology seeks to portray. Shoes are also considered important to the wardrobe; anything from cowboy boots, to short heeled shoes, Converse, flats, and, of course, TOMS are considered to be part of the quintessential hipster trend. Remember to keep in mind that the more vintage looking pieces you have on the better. The core of hipster fashion is to keep it intelligent, well rounded and fashionable.
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Garden of E.D.M. review
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photo by Caitlyn Rainey
Me gusta Taco Bus By Hayden Johnson Asst. Entertainment Editor
Driving down Central Avenue, a parked amber bus will not only catch your eye but your taste buds as well. This bus is none other than Taco Bus. One of the great features that makes Taco Bus a great venue for a quick and quality bite is the versatility. Their four-step process allows you to customize your meal to your exact taste preference. These steps include choosing your item, your main filling, your vegetables and then enjoying a taste of some fine Mexican cuisine. The first step is choosing your menu item including tacos, burritos, quesadillas and tortas, also known as a Mexican sandwich. Once you’ve chosen the way you want to eat your meal, you get to choose the meat. Like most restaurants, Taco Bus offers beef, chicken, fish and shrimp. The real treat, however, is the tongue. Most likely you will never encounter tongue at a roadside food stand but you should definitely check it out. With a smooth texture and a parallel yet slightly distinct taste to beef, the tongue will surely expand your horizons. Taco Bus not only has a great assortment of meats but also has options that are vegetarian and vegan. The tomatoes, onions, cabbage and cilantro give Taco Bus plates a fresh feeling. Accompanied by a lime, just a small squeeze can add even more zest to your meal. Not only do the crisp vegetables give life to meals but also the beverages as well. One telltale sign that Taco Bus is authentic is the beverages that they serve. Such drinks that will give you a culinary adventure include the Jarritos Mexican Soda as well as the Agua Fresca. Their Agua Fresca is a variety of flavored waters ranging from pineapple to hibiscus flower lemonade. Even the Coca-Cola Mexicana is worth trying as it comes served in classic glass bottle and contains the one ingredient American coke does not have: sugar. On top of the great food and drinks that Taco Bus serves, the venue has nice outdoor picnic tables as well as a few seats inside. The service has always been relatively quick and very friendly. Being a 24-hour establishment Thursday through Sunday, Taco Bus even has great weekend hours for late night meals. This venue will also be kind to your wallet as a taco will only run you $2.89. With late night hours, low prices and high quality food, Taco Bus is a friendly choice for Eckerd students. The venue is a gem of the local dining culture. With a great culmination of location, good service and atmosphere, Taco Bus establishes itself as more than your average dining space. Although it is always parked at the same place on Central Avenue, Taco Bus is the bus that you do not want to miss.
14 Entertainment
the current
Sept. 28, 2012
“Centipe HZ” gives Animal Collective new sound By Cory Champer Contributing Writer After Animal Collective’s 2009 album, “Merriweather Post Pavilion,” fans were left wanting more. Originally from Baltimore, the band has made their way onto the music charts and into everyone’s sights. Starting off as childhood friends, Animal Collective now performs on stage in front of thousands of people. Now that they are running their own record label, it’s no surprise that their latest album, “Centipede Hz,” has everyone talking. Animal Collective’s psychedelic-pop sound can be compared to MGMT, or even Radiohead, but with a twist. They have their own unique sound that draws people in. “Centipede Hz” was released Sept. 4 to fans surprised yet excited to hear a different sound on the album. “Moonjock” is the album’s opening track and a good indication of what listeners are in for. At one point in the album, Avery Tare, the bands lead singer sings, “You gotta get mad,” and when listening to the album, that is exactly what one would think he did. There is just too much noise going on all at once. Most of Animal Collective’s best songs such as “Fireworks” and “My Girls” were revealing stories, executed in a slow suspenseful way with mellow melodies. But with their latest album, the beat just begins without building up and without a smooth transition. The beat was a punch in the face without an explanation. The songs seemed to have a static noise in the
background with bits of radio broadcasting to transition the songs together. It seemed as if each member of the band wanted to establish an individual presence in the music and were competing with each other. Still, underneath the clutter are Tare’s lyrics that can grab anyone’s attention if they can dig their way out of the samplers. Animal Collective’s change of pace worked in both positive and negative ways. Animal Collective took a risk with the band’s “clarity, complexity and a willingness to challenge themselves and their audience,” says Dan Weiss of Past Magazine. The album provided a plethora of music genres from folk to pop and psychedelic to electronic, creating their own sound, which is what makes Animal Collective what they are. The band does not fear the risk of failure, but rather the sense of not trying and getting too comfortable and reliant on their old sounds. They are not the typical cookie-cutter indie band craving mainstream attention. They have yet to let the newly-gained popularity change their personality or the meaning behind each song. One of the major twists on the album was hearing the fourth member of the band, Deakin, perform his own song, “Wide Eyed.” Tare, the lead vocalist, is usually the voice that sounds as if he is shouting and overpowers the backup voices. “Wide Eyed” is one of the few songs on the album that brings back the chilled
Clearwater Jazz Festival arriving soon By Carver Lee Viewpoints Editor
promotional photo
out Animal Collective sound but still provides a new feel to it with the synthesizer setting the beat in the background providing an aquatic sound. With this particular song the music flows with the lyrics and doesn’t feel forced or off tempo. Cecelia Verde, a freshman at Eckerd, who has listened to the album says, “I am not sure how I feel about it. It’s not something I would hear playing at a Kappa party, but I would listen to it if I was hanging out with my friends or doing homework because it’s still pretty chill.” Even though this album is not something to dance to, it is still a good album to hear playing in the background at the pool or the beach. The album provides a chilled out vibe that the fans crave. “Centipede Hz” is not one of their worst albums but also not one of their best. After listening to the album for the first time it sounded messy, but after listening to it again it is starting to grow on me. With this album being different from their earlier ones, it will be interesting to see if they keep up with this new sound, continue evolving or eventually revert back to their original sound.
Oct. 18-21 will bring big things to Clearwater, Fla. this year. Waterfront Coachman Park,in downtown Clearwater, will be the site of the four day Clearwater Jazz Holiday music festival. Organized and funded by the Clearwater Jazz Holiday Foundation, the festival is an important part of Clearwater’s past, present and future. The Clearwater Jazz Holiday Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating and funding jazz musicians and scholars. As a part of the CJH Youth Outreach program, the organization brings professional jazz musicians to local schools to work with young students, teaching them about the history of jazz and sharing their talents. The organization has also partnered with Ruth Eckerd Hall’s Marcia P. Hoffman Performing Arts Institute to create a jazz track program that includes clinics, performances and scholarships for high school students. The Clearwater Jazz Holiday music festival is the main fundraising event for the organization, as it brings in thousands of visitors from all over the country. Though in the past admission to the event has been free, this year there is a daily admission price of $10. Some of the profits from the new ticket price have been earmarked
for education, but the new ticket prices have allowed the organization to bring in larger musical acts, such as The Avett Brothers, that they haven’t been able to afford in the past. Aside from fundraising, the festival also furthers the mission of the organization by focusing on education. The organization has invited students from local middle and high schools and colleges, including Eckerd, to volunteer and get experience in the logistical aspect of hosting such an event. School clubs that are music or art based can even volunteer to collect donations throughout the event and in return, they’ll receive a portion of those donations. The line up for this years festival includes Bonnie Raitt, Mindi Abair & Friends, Sister Sparrow and The Dirty Birds and The Avett Brothers.
promotional photo
Tampa Bay gives Eckerd swings By Alix Brett Contributing Writer Who knew a plank of wood and some rope could incite a revolution? Two recent graduates of the University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, had a courtesy of Tampa Bay Swings Facebook good hunch. Hunter Payne and Reuben Pressman are the clever pioneers of a movement that’s sweeping the Tampa Bay area, Eckerd turf included. These two young men realized the power of a simple idea and took it upon themselves to spread the love. Their instruments of choice? Hand-made rope swings. What started as a successful environmental design project has blossomed into Swings Tampa Bay, what Pressman and Payne describe as their spontaneous community building organization. Nearly two years have passed since they hung the first swing on USF’s downtown campus. Amazed by the installation’s magnetic vibe and capacity to spark instant conversation and curiosity, the duo hit the streets of St. Pete in full swing. These two contagiously creative minds have actualized a refreshing platform for fostering ideals of sustainability and togetherness. Something quite rare in this often-disheartening time of contentious Super PACs and economic warfare. Yet a vibrant message of hope continues to surface all over town, often in the most unexpected of places. Thanks to Swings, the city is now dotted with 135 and counting - hand-made, hand-painted wooden wonders. The philosophy behind the chosen spots? “We just find a place that speaks to us and go for it.” Their swings are found inside buildings, on trees, dangling from bridges and piers, inside the fenced-in pedestrian overpass on I-275… and of course, any spontaneous new location. Suggestions are always welcome. Since the
birth of the swing movement, Payne and Pressman have kept their eyes peeled and their wallets open, making their initial magical works a reality by dishing out $5 to $10 per swing. The financial backing of the operation took a turn for the better in 2011, when they took top prize in Creative Loafing and Creative Tampa Bay’s 10/100/1000 awards. Swings walked away with a thousand-dollar grant and the best idea to better the community. From there they began hosting “Let’s Paint Swings” events at the Saturday Morning Market, giving members of the community a chance to hand paint swings with whatever tickles their fancy. So far, 1,028 have been painted. Pressman and Payne have been invited to hang permanent swing installations in five locations, including the Museum of Fine Arts. The swingers’ mission: “Get people together, together.” And they have done exactly that. Each swing represents an otherwise absent opportunity for the exchange of ideas, interaction with the environment and chance to step outside the humdrums of routine. All shapes and sizes of St. Petersburg’s are excited about their mission to bring us together in such an offbeat and beautiful way. A swing, simple as it is, has a mystical magnetism that seems to speak to human connectivity in a primal way. Perhaps it is a nostalgia we feel for times spent as children flying methodically through the air on elastic strips of rubber, grasping the links of chains and hearing creaks sing hee-haw above our small heads. Whatever the reason may be, the people of St. Pete are certainly inspired to get their swing on. The Eckerd campus locations include two sings by the Ransom art building, two in the front and back of Gamme, one by Zeta, one by Omega, one by the Armacost Library and one by the Wireman Chapel. Everyone is encouraged to create their own swings and share their slices of the movement with the rest of the community. Payne says, “It’s fun, it’s possible and you should do it, no doubt.”
courtesy of Wikicommons
New Avett Brothers album brings folk to rock By Carver Lee Viewpoints Editor
rich cello and Bob Crawford’s heavy stand-up bass lay the emotional foundation. The unique percussion In 2009, The Avett Brothers gave builds and releases tension not just us the album “I and Love and You,” within individual songs, but within full of emotional folk-rock ballads. the entire album. Their latest album, “The CarpenWith an energy that manages to ters,” released on Sept. 11, 2012, knock me back from my speakers, retains the classic Avett Brothers “I Never Knew You,” stands as the lyrical depth, but highlight, in my picks up the pace “With an energy that opinion. With and moves back less Mumford manages to knock and Sons and toward the hard beats and rugged me back from my more rock, this vocals that charwhole album speakers.” acterized their possesses a more earlier albums. aggressive and “Live and Die,” released early as a flirtatious attitude than their past single, is only one of many examples few albums. Whether you’re in the of the Avett Brothers’ mastery of mood to move every limb of your arrangements that have perfect bal- body, sprawl out on Kappa field with ance between dramatic vocals and a book or close your eyes and ignore instrumentation. The overlapping your roommate, “The Carpenters” croons of Seth and Scott Avett bring serves as proof that everything in intellect to each and every song life can be narrated by a banjo and while the beats from Joe Kwan’s a drum.
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the current
Friday 28
Sept. 28, 2012
Saturday
Sunday
29
30
Noon CPS Sexual Health Forum
10 p.m. Party at the Seawall
6 p.m. Afro-American Society pool party
6:30 p.m “The Grey” with ECAF
Events Monday 1 7:30 p.m. CPS Research Management in Nepal
5 5:30 p.m. Super Smash Brothers Brawl Tournament
6
7
9 p.m. Another Man’s Trash
Wednesday 3
2 6:30 p.m. CPS Why do Politics Matter?
Sept. 28 - Oct. 11
Columbus Day 7 p.m. CPS Regenerative Medicine
Waterfront Fall TriFunathlon
10
9 6:30 p.m. CPS Women’s Rights and Islam
7 p.m. CPS Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine
7 p.m. International Film
7 p.m. CPS Wages of Fear 7:30 p.m. CPS Paul Loeb- Soul of a Citizen
8
6 p.m. South Beach Supper Club
Thursday 4
9 p.m. Presidential Debate
7:30 p.m. Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeroes at Jannus Live
7 p.m.-CPS Film Socialism
First Friday
Tuesday
Entertainment 15
2 p.m. CPS Sustainability Through Service 7 p.m. Interview Intervention
11 7:30 p.m. CPS Healthcare in Africa 9 p.m. Vice Presidential Debate
To advertise your event with The Current, contact Current Entertainment at currententertainment@eckerd.edu
The St. Pete Sampler: Local Fun & Fine Dining This issue’s sampler takes a look at some of the Burg’s finest tributes to the far East. From New York style Chinese take-out to Thai-Mexican fusion, you can find great Asian cusine right here in the bay area. Skip the burger and gives these a try.
A. Hooks Sushi Bar & Thai
Price $-$$$$ ($ = <$5.00 per meal $$$$ = $20.00+ per meal) Food Quality (1-5 stars)
Food 1210 9th St. North 33705 4 Stars $$ 10 minutes from campus Mon. - Fri. 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. Mon. - Sat. 5 p.m. - 10 p.m. Sun. 5 p.m. - 9 p.m. Beer & Wine only
B. Hiro’s Tokyo Steakhouse & Sushi Bar 5250 4th St. North 33703 3 Stars $$ 15 minutes from campus Hours vary Full Bar
C. China Wok
Tipsy Triton
Ingredients: 1 part vodka 3 parts cranberry juice 1 part pineapple juice lime wedge
Ingredients:
Preparation: Pour vodka and juice into a glass over ice. Stir well. Garnish with a lime wedge.
Preparation:
1 part silver tequila 3 parts Sprite lime juice
courtesy of Wikicommons
Pub Mixers
Bay Breeze
Pour tequila over ice. Add Sprite and lime juice. Stir well.
Note: The beverages and recipes on this page are intended for consumption only by individuals who are 21 or older. The Current does not promote underage drinking. When combining alcoholic beverages with caffeinated beverages, it is important to be aware of the potential side-effects and limit your consumption accordingly. Drink responsibly, our friends.
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5055 34th St. South 33711 4.5 Stars $ 2 minutes from campus Hours Vary No Alcohol
D. Nitally’s Thai-Mex Cuisine 2462 Central Ave. 33712 4 Stars $$ 10 minutes from campus Tue. - Fri. 11 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Tue. - Sat. 5:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. Sat. 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Beer & Wine only
courtesy of Google Maps
16 Entertainment
the current
Sept. 28, 2012
Viral Video Update: fall starters
By Roxxanne Vooderschmittan Contributing Writer
“Pig Rescues Goat” uploaded on Sept. 19 by jebdogrpm
courtesy of Youtube.com
“Fox and Friends punked?” uploaded on Sept. 17 by Charlie Spiering
courtesy of Youtube.com
With all the talk of the new novel “Fifty Shades of Grey,” I was recently told a story of a friend who, while having sex with her boyfriend, was asked to be blindfolded. She was shocked, not only because she never thought that being blindfolded was considered “sexy” but also because of the instinctual vulnerability she felt both psychologically and physically. At this point, anybody’s first response would be “don’t do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable or used.” I told her this and she reassured me that it wasn’t anything that would be considered a warning sign but it was rather a shock of change. After a glass of wine and some more discussion on sex and relationships, we delved deeper into the realm of bondage. Bondage, or BDSM, is the act of restraint for sexual pleasure. Now there is more to it than that but for the sake of this article and my friend, I will keep the realms of bondage to a limited definition. This limited definition of bondage is considered light bondage (or bedroom bondage) and couples usually only use handcuffs, blindfolds, whips or sometimes rope to enhance the feeling of sexual mystery or constraint. Remember, this is a very narrow digestion of what bondage really is but if you’d like to spice up the bedroom life, bondage can really make it happen. To understand the appeal of bondage, one must understand that it’s all about trust. Without trusting your significant other you cannot even begin to attempt these things. Bondage is all about being able to trust your partner with your body because after all, what does sex really mean if not giving yourself up to your partner and feeling intimate and close? The trust you have in your partner, and the trust your partner
knows you have in him or her, is an absolute turn on all by itself. Keeping that in mind, light bondage can add mystery and playfulness in the bedroom. It’s usually seen as foreplay, as it physically and psychologically excites both you and your partner. This act of trust, love, attraction and pure sexiness is what makes bondage so appealing for couples. It brings together the mind and the body and appeals to a carnal yet loving form of sexual pleasure. Here are some misconceptions about bondage that most people tend to misconstrue: bondage is not about limiting or controlling. It’s about exploration and mystery. Tying your partner up should never be about control or dominance. It’s about having the sexual pleasure of knowing they trust you and also the excitement of anticipation and suspense. Most importantly, you should always talk to your partner before you try anything. This is where my friend’s boyfriend went wrong. Without talking you can cause major anxiety or pressure to your partner and the whole mood will be ruined. I know how awkward that talk can be, but always remember that a relationship of any kind is always about conversation and compromise. On the bright side, now that the mode of sexual conversation has been opened, you can also talk about other things that you’d like to try. Bondage, or any type of sexual activity that goes beyond the “ma and pa” way of consummating, is all about being comfortable with your partner. It’s about communicating what both you and your partner want and desire. With trust, bondage can bring the relationship to another level of intimacy. That being said, safety is always key. Thus I caution any exploration without full investigation of how to do it properly. Like I said previously, a relationship can only grow stronger with communication and trust. Just talk it out first.
College night at The Garden delivers E.D.M. By Lizzy Brophy Asst. Entertainment Editor Electronic music has been blowing up over the last few years. Eckerd students have been bumping to house and dubstep for years, but were hard-pressed to find any good venues downtown. HiJAC, composed of Eckerd graduates Anthony Gianotti, Jon McChesney and Curt Viscome are trying to change this with their new event, “The Garden of EDM” on Tuesday nights at the Garden. The idea for the event started this summer. “The growing frustration with the music that is generally played downtown led us to asking the owners of several clubs if they could hire DJs who played better music,” Gianotti explains. When an opportunity surfaced to play at the Garden, they took it. “I was caught off guard because we didn’t have any experience playing in front of people, but we bit the bullet, went out and had a blast,”
says McChesney. “The owners liked what they heard and a week later, Curt [Viscome] was talking with them about Tuesdays.” Until recently, Tuesday nights used to mean free drinks at Bishop Tavern for Eckerd students but they have since switched to Thursdays. “They’re [The Garden] taking the risk to invest in us and invest in the specials to target the open gap during the week,” explains McChesney. The venue offered a two-toned experience. Inside, the dance club atmosphere provided flashing lights, smoke machines and thumping beats. The outside patio contrasted with relaxing music and a beer pong table. Drink specials were tailored to the college student budget: $5 long island iced teas, $4 fireball shots, $3 well drinks, and $1 draft beers. Ladies also drank free until 1am with a college ID. The night started very slow, with only a handful of people at 11 p.m.
However, it picked up as the night went on, reaching a peak around 12:30 a.m. The dance floor never got very crowded. Instead, most people gathered in clumps on the patio and around the inside bar chatting and bobbing to the music. HiJAC’s set balanced popular electronic artists, such as Afrojack and Avicii, with less familiar ones. There were some awkward transitions but overall the beats matched well between songs. “It was my first experience hearing electronic music at a venue,” says Senior Amanda Vannucchi. “They had a good variety of artists and opened me to a new genre.” Co-owner Vagelias Varlas is excited to get Eckerd students involved in an event at the Garden. “Whenever there is an Eckerd event, the whole school comes out,” he explains. “Everything from Eckerd turns into gold.” Students agreed. They were everywhere, socializing on the patio and rocking out on the dance
photo by Andrew Odell Eckerd alumni DJs spinning at The Garden in Downtown St. Petersburg. floor. “Its really nice seeing Eckerd students going out and supporting previous Eckerd students,” said Senior Jennifer Duncan. “It’s nice to have that sense of community.” Co-Owner Tommy Varlas was very satisfied with the night. “Whoever came out tonight had a great time,” he explained. “The first night went really well,” agreed McChesney. “The whole crowd,
environment, and atmosphere was awesome.” Hi-JAC is looking forward to the future. “If we continue to do what we’re doing, continue to market it, not just on Facebook but with flyers, I think it’ll shoot off,” says McChesney. “It’s all uplifting music and it makes you feel good. That’s what attracts us to it and that’s what attracts others to it.”
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the current
Sept. 28, 2012
The quickie
The Quickie 17
There’s always enough time for a quickie
ACROSS
1 Looney Tunes company 5 Embattled dictator 10 Padded foot 13 Bellow 14 Engine boost, in racing games often 15 Tegan and ____ 16 Donkey or Diddy 17 Fairway follower 18 Baseball’s “Lovable Losers” 19 IOU part 21 ELS hotel 23 Black or photo 26 TV alien 28 Film critic Roger 29 New film professor and International Cinema Series coordinator this semester 32 Mushroom Kingdom resident 33 Somewhat 34 Type of jar 36 Eye part 37 Incan capital 38 Noodle dish 42 Comedy type 43 “Othello” antagonist 44 Store 46 Professor who normally coordinates the International Cinema Series 49 Greek philosopher 51 Pine derivative 52 Before, poetically 53 Interim Dean of Faculty 57 Comedian Michael ___ Black 59 Ye follow-up, occasionally 60 Embellish 62 Red Muppet 66 Vacuum 67 Drop in crossword by Will Skinner 68 Protective covering 69 Football position 70 Adversary 71 Metrical (not metric) unit
DOWN
1 Moses and Noah parallel 2 Dove sound 3 Chess piece, perhaps 4 Therefore 5 Seraphim, for example 6 Peppermint Patty, to Marcie 7 Cell type 8 51, for example 9 Doorbell end 10 Video game status, occasionally 11 Ann of Michigan 12 Coen brothers film: “The Man Who _____ There” 15 Jacques Cousteau innovation 20 Card game 22 Fluorescent 23 October birthstone 24 Townshend of “The Who” 25 Laurel or Lee 27 Longest bone 30 Sullivan and McMahon 31 Lines in Peru 32 Overly 35 Olfactory stimulus 37 Gun type 38 ISS predecessor 39 Alleviate 40 Horror film assistant 41 Zero 42 Ellipse features 44 Morally degraded 45 Employed 47 Delicate 48 Epoch 49 Push escalation 50 Raptor claw 54 Pitching statistic 55 Ruler of Asgard 56 Rhinoplasty target 58 Gun type 61 Boundary 63 Water closet 64 Barnyard sound
65 Frequently
Club Spotlight: Ultimate Frisbee Club By Rachel Beck Staff Writer
Ultimate Frisbee club is gearing up for another exciting year filled with good friends and fun games. Want to be part of the most ultimate club on campus? Come out to one of the pickup games from 4:30-6:30 p.m. every Monday, or 4-6 p.m. on Friday at Kappa field. For even more Ultimate Frisbee practice, there are off-campus games at Bartlett Park on Wednesdays from 9-11 p.m. These games include players from all over the St. Petersburg area, with ages ranging from high school to senior adult Ultimate Frisbee club strives to promote a positive and encouraging atmosphere. “It’s good exercise, you go out, you get a workout,” says Will Demarest (‘15), president of the club. Demarest played club Ultimate Frisbee for four years in high school. Everyone is invited to join the club, and no previous experience is necessary. “If you can walk you can play,” says Nick Ioffredo (’14), an officer of the club. Ioffredo played for two years in high school and this will be his second year playing with the club at Eckerd. Each Ultimate Frisbee meeting starts by warming up by throwing around the Frisbee. Then the members divide into two teams for a scrimmage. The members play “nose goes” to decide who is the captain for each club meeting, circulating the responsibility of being captains each meeting. “It’s a good study break,” says Anna Klingenberg (’15), an officer of the club. “You go with the flow, you have fun. You like the people you are playing with.” Klingenberg also plays with an outside Women’s Ultimate Frisbee team located in Tampa, which is more competitive than the club here at Eckerd. photo by Alex Zielinski Eckerd students playing Ultimate Frisbee.
The club goes to one to two tournaments per year, including the annual Kennel Kickoff in Orlando, hosted by the University of Central Florida. Last year, the club stayed in a hotel and participated in multiple games against other Ultimate Frisbee teams. The club covered the expenses for members, and will cover the cost again this year for members that want to compete. Ultimate Frisbee club is all about relaxing and having fun. “If you go out with the intent of just having fun, you always have fun, no question about it,” says Demarest. Show up to any of their practices and you will be sure to have a good time. Want to know more? Email Will Demarest at willdems@yahoo.com.
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18 The Quickie
Sept. 28, 2012
the current
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the current
Sept. 28, 2012
Health & Fitness 19
HEALTH & FITNESS STIs:
Sexually transmitted infections, the information you need to know and the various places you can go to find it
By Megan Coy Coordinator of Health Promotion
As many of you know, the Office of Health Promotion works with Metro Wellness and Community Centers to offer free HIV testing once a month on campus. According to the Spring 2011 American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment II (ACHA-NCHA II), more than one quarter of all Eckerd students reported being tested for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection. While it is great that our students are getting tested for HIV, it is important to be sure you are getting tested for other Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) as well, if you are sexually active. You should not assume you have been tested for STIs, even if you have been to the doctor for an annual exam or pap test, or given blood or had blood work done. The only way to know you are getting tested for STIs is to ask your healthcare provider. Many STIs have no signs or symptoms, and there is no single test your healthcare provider can do to test you for all STIs. When speaking with your healthcare pro-
vider, don’t be afraid to bring up testing and ask any questions you have. They’ve likely been asked a similar question before. Remember that even if you do have an STI, many of them are curable and all are treatable. If the cost of getting tested is a concern for you, be sure to ask when you call to make an appointment. Some places you might go for STI testing include your primary care provider at home, the Eckerd Health Center (727-864-8326), or Planned Parenthood (727-898-8199). Free HIV testing will be offered from 1-3 p.m. at the mobile unit in Cobb Loop on the following Wednesdays during the fall semester: Oct. 10, Nov. 7 and Dec. 5. If you would like to be tested at Metro Wellness and Community Centers, you can visit their website for more information (www.metrotampabay.org). Condoms offer good protection against STIs. Free condoms are available from the Office of Health Promotion in the Fitness Center, Counseling & Health Services
(there’s a basket just inside the door) and at sexual health education events on campus. If you’re looking for more information about STIs, such as getting tested, where to get tested or how to talk to your healthcare provider and/or partner about testing, contact the Office of Health Promotion. The Coordinator of Health Promotion, can be reached by phone (727-864-8031), email (coymc@eckerd.edu), Facebook (www. facebook.com/EckerdHealthPromotion) or just stop by the office in the Fitness Center. GYTnow.org is another great resource. You can also stop by the Sexual Health Forum, a CPS event, taking place Sept. 28 from noon to 4 p.m. in Hough Quad. The Office of Health Promotion will be hosting presentations from Diane J. Snyder, M.D., FACOG, Tami Shadduck, MPH, and Tarik Djamil, MA, on sexual health, contraception, sexually transmitted infections and healthy relationships. Plenty of resources are available to you; look into testing to stay safe.
Shelby Busque on Kappa Field.
Sally Florio outside Kappa complex.
From the iPod of Colin Casey
Hula club puts the groove back in hooping
By Shannon Vize Asst. Viewpoints Editor
I love hula hooping. I have since I was a child. But I had no idea the extent of tricks, spins and optical illusions a circular piece of plastic could produce when put in the right hands. This summer I found myself immersed in the “hooping” culture. When I first tried out hula hooping virtually on Wii Fit, I realized I had never thought about hula hooping as a workout before. It became clear that it is, and it’s a good one at that. A few Facebook friends of mine had posted pictures of themselves with their own multi colored hoops; some even had light-up LED hoops. I searched on YouTube for a few hooping videos and I was overwhelmed by more than 53,000 videos of people hoop dancing, fitness classes involving hoops and hooping tutorials. I did more research and found some reliable forums about what hoop size to get and why weighted hoops were different than polypro hoops. Weighted hoops are used more for fitness related exercises and can help tone your abs, arms and legs if you learn a few basic tricks. Lighter hoops, like ones made out of polypropylene, are better once you become more advanced. To use a lighter hoop, you must be able to do more difficult tricks—and the lighter hoop is still a workout, trust me. Although hooping is a great alternative for people like me who absolutely hate working out, it’s also a great form of expression and a way to de-stress. A member of the EC Cosmic Hoop Club agrees. “Hooping is a great workout,” says Julia Calder (‘14). “It takes me two or three times longer to sweat at the gym than it does if I’m just hooping. Plus, hooping never gets boring and you can always improve.” I started hooping because I love dancing and after seeing a few students around Kappa hooping during my sophomore year, I was amazed at the tricks they could do with just a hula-hoop and how much they seemed to enjoy it. I decided to start. I got my first real hoop this summer at a craft fair and began watching a few tutorials online. I learned some basic tricks, set up a playlist of music that helped me create my own flow and spent my days in my backyard trying each trick over and over until I finally got it right.
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My backyard was a bit too small once I bought a few other hoops, so I had to graduate to the front yard. This move prompted a lot of stares from my neighbors, along with some jokes from my brothers. Granted, I’m from Wisconsin, and most people don’t have candy colored hair or hula-hoop in their front yards to Led Zeppelin. After about a month and half, I could tell my arms had become much more toned and even a few other muscles on my body as well. I couldn’t wait to get back to Eckerd and find some other students who enjoyed hooping as much as I do. I signed up to join the EC Cosmic Hoop Club. I often find myself out in the Kappa courtyard hooping with girls and guys much more skilled than myself, but always very welcoming. Junior Shelby Busque, president of the club, has been hooping since January and despite having bruises everywhere when she first started, she decided to stick with it. Now she is enthusiastic about hooping and encourages everyone to try it. I, too, encourage everyone to pick up a hoop and give it a try. If you missed out on the Club Fair and want to join the EC Cosmic Hoop Club, feel free to contact Shelby at snbusque@eckerd.edu.
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Shelby Busque on Kappa Field. photos by Mary Kate McKenna
Your Health and Fitness editors want your input By Alexandra Roberts & Caroline Campbell H&F Editor and Asst. H&F Editor We hope you enjoyed the first issue of this year’s Current newspaper — we enjoyed creating it for you. The Health and Fitness section is fairly new, and so are we as editors. The section is going on its third semester, and we are going on our fourth week. Please email us with questions, comments, concerns and ideas of what you want to see in future issues. We appreciate your feedback and contributions to the section. We also look forward to promoting a healthy environment for Eckerd College students. photo by Carver Lee Keep it clean, keep it healthy and most of all keep it happy.
Caroline Campbell and Alexandra Roberts
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Happy foods that boost your mood By Hailey Escobar Staff Writer Everyone has heard of eating right, but what about eating happy? Certain foods encourage production of chemicals in the brain that release feelings of pleasure and happiness. Go Green This time going green does not refer to saving the environment; instead, it refers to saving your body. Green is a go-to happy color when it comes to foods. Leafy greens such as kale, spinach, broccoli and asparagus are filled with B vitamins, which help the brain create serotonin – a neurotransmitter that controls mood. These foods should be easy to work into an everyday diet whether by having a spinach salad or just putting a few pieces of broccoli on the corner of your plate. Still avoid your vegetables? Senior Jeralyn Darling defends these greens. “Kale is one of those vegetables that if you don’t know what it is, you’ll hate it,” says Darling. “If you do know what it is, you know it’s the most delicious leafy vegetable out there.”
Try the Turkey Burger There’s a reason why turkey makes you happy on Thanksgiving. It’s high in phenylalanine, which is an amino acid essential for the brain to produce dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that activates several of the mind’s pleasure centers. Studies have even shown that phenylalanine can help with depression. So, when you have a choice between a regular hamburger and the healthier, leaner turkey burger, at least give the turkey burger a try. It might just brighten your mood. “I love turkey because not only is it healthier than a lot of things, but it’s also really delicious,” Freshman Veronica Hodge explained. Got Milk? “I’m a milk-aholic,” admitted Junior Dana Schletter. It’s a good thing she is, too. Milk isn’t just good with cookies. It’s also a good source of tryptophan, an amino acid that helps create serotonin. In addition, milk contains antioxidants, vitamin D and vitamin B12 which fights stress and aging. A tall, cold glass of milk is a perfect and happy way to start, end or continue your day.
Be a Little Nutty It’s pretty well known that most kinds of nuts are filled with protein; however, there’s more to these little bite-sized goodies than that. Walnuts, peanuts, cashews and Brazil nuts are full of Omega-3 fats and vitamin E – an antioxidant that fights stress. They also contain selenium, which is a chemical that helps ward off depression. Sophomore Caitlin Harding began listing off different kinds of nut products when asked about foods that make her happy. “Peanuts, peanut butter, almonds…” and she was right. Just be sure you don’t have a nut allergy before grabbing a handful.
Plenty of Fish in the Sea Living in Florida means that there are plenty of fish. Oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, trout, tuna and sardines are special treasures from the sea to make a person happy. Like nuts, fish are high in Omega-3. They also contain vitamin B6 and B12, both help with producing serotonin. When talking to Senior Andrew Weaver about the fish that makes him the happiest, he replied, “I love spicy tuna rolls when I go out for sushi. They make me really, really happy.” Chocolate Chocolate contains sugar and a chemical called phenylethylamine that is used to release endorphins, hormones that create a feeling of euphoria. Along with endorphins, chocolate contains caffeine, a stimulant, and anandamide, a chemical that helps brighten your mood. When asked what food makes him the happiest, Senior Ethan Cooper replied, “Chocolate doesn’t make me happy, but it makes me not sad,” said Cooper. “Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Creme candy bars are an explosion of happiness… It’s like happy little fireworks going off in your mouth when you eat it.”
Body training techniques to fit hectic schedules School is in full swing now. Have you been making time to get a workout in each day? Need a little inspiration boost? Maybe an upper body weightlifting workout will give you the push you need. This workout consists of three supersets and a mini circuit. Follow with your favorite cool down. In the supersets, mini circuit and set, I recommend completing ten reps in each set, and three sets of each exercise. If ten is too many, feel free to lower the amount of reps. Are you ready? Here it is: Superset 1: Lat Pull-downs: Sit down at the pull down machine and grip the bar with the palms of your hands facing forward. With both arms extended above you, lean your torso back slightly to form a slight curve in your back and stick your chest out to complete your starting position. Bring the bar down until it lightly touches your upper chest – only your arms should move – and slowly raise the bar back to the starting position. Incline Bench Press: Lie back on an incline bench and lift the bar straight over you with your arms locked for the starting position. Lower the bar until it nearly reaches your upper chest, and press the bar back up to the starting position. Repeat. Superset 2: Overhead Press: Sit on a bench with a barbell positioned in a rack that is set to a height almost above your head. Grab the barbell wider than shoulder width and with your palms facing forward. Lift the bar and hold it above your head extending your arms, this is your starting position. Lower the bar to shoulder height, press the bar back up to the
Almond flour chocolate chip cookies
By Cait Duffy News Editor After my first strike during the Specific Carbohydrate diet, I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy task. Not only were ramen noodles completely out of the question, but so were all of my habitual methods of quelling a mean sweet tooth. I was in desperate need of a filling snack that could satisfy my cravings for cinnamon buns and flan. The problem? Not a single restaurant I knew served desserts that were not only gluten free but also grain, sugar and preservative free. Google came to my aid yet again. My discovery of the webpage scdrecipe.com led me to dozens of ideas for delicious desserts that wouldn’t upset a sensitive stomach. It also informed me of the fact that almond flour works equally as well as wheat flour for baking. After a couple weeks of messy bowls and experimental doughs, I finally perfected my own version of almond flour chocolate chip cookies.
Ingredients
photo by Alexandra Roberts Turkey burger covered with spinach, peanuts, a side of chocolate and a glass of milk provided with a fish figure to complete all happy food sections.
By Alivia Kelsey Staff Writer
Cait’s Cookin’:
starting position.
ward you back to the starting position.
Cable Crossover: Raise the pulleys to a setting above your head; add the resistance you would like to use. While holding a pulley in each hand, step forward in front of an imaginary straight line between both pulleys, while pulling your arms together in front of you, this is your starting position. With a slight bend in your elbows, extend your arms straight out to the sides in a wide arc until you feel a stretch on your chest. Using your chest, return to your starting position.
Triceps Pushdown: Stand at the pull down machine grabbing the bar at shoulder width. Stand upright with a very small forward lean. Upper arms should be close to the body and perpendicular to the floor. Your forearms should be pointed toward the pulley as they hold the bar; this is your starting position. Bring the bar down until it touches the front of your thighs and your arms are fully extended; slowly bring the bar back to the starting position.
Superset 3: Arnold Press: Sit on a bench with back support; hold two dumbbells in front of you at chest level with palms facing your body and your elbows bent. Your arms should be next to your torso. This is your starting position. Raise the dumbbells upward rotating your palms outward until facing forward. Slowly lower the dumbbells downward rotating your palms to-
3 cups almond flour 1 softened stick unsalted butter -or- 1/2 cup margarine 2 eggs 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp baking soda 2 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 cup Ghiradelli dark choco late chips (60% Cacao or high er) 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Directions 1. Preheat oven to 375* F. 2. Grease cookie pan 2. Mix butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until blended 3. Mix in flour, salt and baking soda 4. Fold chocolate chips into dough 5. Scoop batter into balls, and place on greased cookie sheet 6. Flatten cookies as cookies will not expand when baking 7. Bake 15 minutes, or until golden brown Enjoy your cookies like I do with a cold glass of almond milk.
Mini Circuit: Bicep Curls: Stand up straight with a dumbbell in each hand at arms length. Keep your elbows close to your torso and hold the dumbbells down at your side, this is your starting position. Keep your upper arms stationary, curl the weights rotating your hands so the palms are facing up, and raise the weights until the dumbbells are at shoulder level. Lower back to the starting position. Physioball Pushups: Get into a pushup position with your hands shoulder width apart, but place your toes on top of an exercise ball for elevation. This is your starting position. Lower yourself until your chest almost touches the floor, then use your chest muscles to press your body back up to the starting position. Standing Tricep Extensions: Stand shoulder width apart with one dumbbell in your hands. Raise the dumbbell over your head, arms extended, palms facing the ceiling, this is your starting position. Bend your arms, lowering the dumbbell behind your head, your elbows bent, then raise your arms back to the starting position. Integrate this training into your workout
photo by Alexandra Roberts routine to move on your way to building a Caroline Campbell demonstrating tricep extensions.
stronger you.
Cookies with almond milk.
photo by Cait Duffy
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Sports Rainbow barrier: sexuality in sports By Colin Casey Asst. Sports Editor It can be funny how nothing really changes in the world. Two years ago, I was standing in the outfield bleachers at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago watching my favorite baseball player being honored with a statue. For my entire childhood, I bore witness to Frank Thomas make then Comiskey Park his house with many home runs and constant leadership through the franchise’s troubled times. As he pulled the sheet off his monument at the spot of his longest home run, I found myself in tears seeing him come full circle, and my emotions were not lost on my boss. She was a 27-year-old African American woman whose makeup had smeared from her own waterworks. She looked at me as if I’d grown two heads and asked why I was so emotional. I responded with what I thought was the simple truth. Frank Thomas was my all-time favorite ball player. I’d grown up loving to watch him play because he was the best hitting infielder I had ever seen. At that, she hugged me and cried even more, saying, “I can’t believe a white boy from Chicago would ever look up to a black athlete.” Words that have echoed in my head ever since. But in that moment, I was at a loss for words. I had been raised to appreciate greatness when I saw it. If a person happened to be different, why would I care? After all, Frank Thomas had been the best player on the field. Since then, I’ve found myself asking an extension to the question she posed that day? How is it possible to not have a public member of the gay or bisexual community in American sports? There are many easy answers to such a question, ranging from overarching machismo to the thought of team unity. But if a great player of a different race can be beloved in a place that Martin Luther King once described as “worse than the South,” why couldn’t a great player of an alternative lifestyle not be appreciated? In reality, I suppose we can
bic slurs in baseball circles.” blame the general culture Those types of homophoof America that reinforces bic slurs have made a previous traditional gender roles in appearance in baseball in the sports. Think of the single case of Glenn Burke, an outworst insult that could be fielder for both the Los Angelevied against a kid on the les Dodgers and Oakland Athfield, “you play ball like a girl!” letics in the 1970s. Burke came I grew up playing baseball, out to his teammates while and I heard that insult a lot. playing in Los Angeles. He said I’ll admit it even made slidthat by 1978 all of baseball was ing into base spikes up a bit aware of his orientation deeasier to handle. Especially spite not disclosing the inforin football where a player mation to the general public. can be called a fruitcake or In an interview with the New a fairy if he doesn’t want to York Times, Burke claimed over hit someone or suffer that prejudice drove him a possible career ending hit. out of baseball sooner than That aggression begins he should have. He insisted with coaches and extends to upon not changing his lifestyle teammates. Worst of all, this and said in his autobiogratype of aggression even comes phy, “prejudice just won out.” from parents. External presBefore his death in 1995, sures can come from other Burke explained that he surprising places, as well. Relooked back on his career cently, three time Pro Bowler and his role in breaking a and Baltimore Ravens outside stereotype in a positive light. linebacker Brendon AyanHe stated that his mission badejo released statements dewas to break a stereotype. “I tailing his support for LGBT think it worked,” he later rerights and gay marriage. flected. Unfortunately, given Such comments from NFL the current climate, Burke players are extensively rare in may not have had the imthis charged political climate. courtesy of Wikicommons Ayanbadejo’s comments were Former MLB player Mike Piazza made headlines in 2002 pact that he believed he did. The Escobar incident met with intense scrutiny by announcing, “I am not gay. I’m heterosexual” in refrom Maryland state delegate sponse to rumors about his sexuality. His comments left represents the current low point in professional sports. Emmett Burns who sent a many LGBT groups puzzled and angry. A statement with hate as its letter to Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti stating that the Ravens is king, baseball is still America’s sole intention has no place in such a organization should “inhibit such past time. Becoming a baseball high position in athletics. But such expressions from [their] employee player is the dream of millions of an action raises one more question and that he be ordered to cease young athletes across this nation. to me: what if an openly gay player and desist such injurious actions.” As with myself growing up, every made it to the major leagues but was In response, Bisciotti publicly de- one of those dreamers has a favor- terrible? One predominant stereocried the letter releasing it to Yahoo ite ball player. One such player is type against the LGBT community Sports for publication and affirming Yunel Escobar, a shortstop for the is their perceived inability to play the organization’s support of Ayan- Toronto Blue Jays who was recently sports. He would be held to such a badejo by telling him that “this is a fined by Major League Baseball for standard that any perceived failure not a team that believes in discrimi- writing a homosexual slur on his would become a trap hole of “well, it just is not his nature to be good.” nation in any way, shape, or form. eyeblack. Coincidentally, another When I think of this question, I am You have this tremendous platform of my favorites, Mets catcher Mike reminded of an argument I would here, use it.” Football is the height Piazza, announced at the 2002 All have with my friends at home, the of popular sport in the U.S. mak- Star Game that he is heterosexual, discussion of if Jackie Robinson did ing billions of dollars each year and reportedly to cease a hurtful ru- not have a Hall of Fame caliber caattracting nearly 111 million view- mor against his image. Even more reer would he be as honored as he ers to its championship game last recently was the announcement by is today? Unfortunately for the gay year. Such an open platform could former Pittsburgh Pirates owner and bisexual baseball community, generate more acceptance of indi- Kevin McClatchy that he is gay but Burke was not voted into Cooperviduals of the LGBT community. he hid his identity out of fear from, stown in any of the years he was But while monetarily football as he stated, “frequent homopho- eligible and has since been taken off
INSIDE SPORTS Scoreboard Sports Calendar Action sports coverage
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the Hall of Fame ballot. The first person to break a barrier always faces challenges that no other player will have to deal with later and if they are unable as an individual to achieve what is expected then the problems that plague the community in that endeavor will continue. Which brings me full circle to the bleachers at Sox Park on that day. As Thomas unveiled his statue one shirt appeared out of place on several fans across the outfield. The shirt depicts the World Series trophy with the caption “our parade” next to two men holding hands under a rainbow with the caption “your parade.” This is meant as a shot at the Chicago Cubs whose stadium sits only a mile from Chicago’s gay community. The shirt also references the Cubs World Series drought by saying that the only parade that they will ever get is a pride parade. The crosstown teams are bitter rivals and whenever they play, fights and homophobic slurs flow faster out of the fans than the beer at a vending stand. I still see those shirts being hawked by vendors outside the ballpark, as a last celebratory gasp of reclaiming that long stale championship pride from seven years ago and I just shake my head. Thinking about what the woman had said earlier the answer hit me all at once. Just because someone can be great at what they do will never stop the existing prejudices that have been around almost as long as the game itself. Just because someone can do something spectacular that it seems to halt the hatred and prejudice against them only means that the hatred has moved to something else. Unfortunately, there is no true escape from the rainbow barrier, just the same as the color barrier before it. Even if everything works out perfectly, there will always be someone different to hate. Although just as it is with sports, maybe it is better to not stop believing in the best of people.
Volleyball opens conference play with impressive wins By Dominick Cuppetilli Quickie Editor The Eckerd College women’s volleyball team came out strong in their home conference opening game Sept. 21. The Tritons swept the Florida Tech Panthers (25-21, 25-16, 25-17) to start the Sunshine Conference 1-0. After a rough ending to the previous weekend, the volleyball team found the connection they didn’t have at the tournament in Savannah, Ga., earlier in the month. Coach Bri Smith said they “had a good week of practices, mixing both fun and hard work” to get their minds back on the right track. Both coaches were extremely proud of
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the girls’ work leading up to the match and how they played during the contest. Smith said she “could see the girls having fun on the floor,” while head coach Michelle Piantadosi claimed the girls were “firing on all cylinders.” Eckerd’s defense was a force to be reckoned with, tallying 11 blocks. Three different players also notched double digit digs. The Tritons will use the win as a stepping stone for the rest of the conference play after a disappointing finish to a tournament in Savannah, Ga. a few weeks ago. The team started strong in the tournament but faltered on the second day, going 1-2 on the weekend. Sophomore Ali McAlvany, a Georgia native, said, “We just weren’t having fun
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the second day. We weren’t ourselves.” McAlvany said that the team is normally really close but something felt just a little bit off. “There was no ebb and flow, just all chaos.” She reported that Smith said that the team needs more love to succeed. McAlvany wanted to remind students, “We always need more fans.” On the subject of having a new assistant coach who is also a former teammate, McAlvany admitted, “I didn’t know what to expect, but I think it’s a good transition. She does a really good job with all of the girls.” The Tritons continued their strong start to the conference season Sept. 21 and 22, defeating first Florida Tech and then Rol-
lins College in back-to-back SSC victories. Eckerd beat Florida Tech in a sweep as Lindsay Biggs and McAlvany notched 11 and 9 kills, respectively. The pair also added good numbers of digs for the Tritons. Rollins College avoided the sweep, edging out the second game 25-23, before ultimately losing the match 3-1. Biggs (13 kills, 26 digs) and McAlvany again led the scoring lines for the Tritons in the victory. The women have another big weekend of conference matches to end the month on Sept. 28 and 29. The Friday night home match against Saint Leo University begins at 7 p.m. The following day, the Tritons travel to Lakeland, Fla. to take on Florida Southern College.
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Eckerd Scoreboard Men’s Soccer
Women’s Soccer
Women’s Volleyball
9/12 @ #23 Rollins College L 6-0
9/12 @ Rollins College L 6-2
9/15 @ #7 University of Tampa L 1-0
9/15 @ #16 University of Tampa L 1-0
9/14 v. Uni. of Puerto Rico-Piedras W 3-1 (25-20, 25-15, 23-25, 25-15) (EC) Biggs 10 kills, 13 digs (EC) McAlvany 11 kills, 11 digs
9/15 v. #22 Flagler College L 3-0 (20-25, 21-25, 20-25) (EC) Biggs 18 kills, 10 digs (EC) Burr 27 assists
9/19 v. Florida Tech T 1-1 (2OT)
9/19 v. #17 Florida Tech T 0-0 (2OT)
9/21 v. Florida Tech W 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-17) (EC) Biggs 11 kills, 12 digs (EC) McAlvany 9 kills, 11 digs
9/22 v. Nova Southeastern Uni. L 1-0
9/22 v. Nova Southeastern Uni. T 0-0 (2OT)
9/15 v. Armstrong Atlantic State (Ga.) University L 3-1 (18-25, 21-25, 25-21, 14-25) (EC) McAlvany 10 kills, 7 digs (EC) Biggs 16 digs
(EC) Biggs 13 kills, 26 digs (EC) McAlvany 10 kills, 20 digs
9/22 @ Rollins College W 3-1 (26-24, 23-25, 25-21, 25-14)
South/Southeast Region Challenge presented by Optim Health opponents in italics Sunshine State Conference opponents in bold
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Friday
Volleyball v. Saint Leo University 7 p.m.
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Saturday
30
Sunday
Volleyball @ Florida Southern College 4 p.m.
1
Monday
Rays v. Baltimore Orioles 7:10 p.m.
Men’s Soccer v. Barry University 5 p.m.
2
Tuesday
3
Wednesday
Women’s Soccer v. Lynn University 6 p.m.
Men’s Soccer v. Lynn University 6 p.m.
Rays v. Baltimore Orioles 7:10 p.m.
Rays v. Baltimore Orioles 7:10 p.m. (last game of regular season)
4
Thursday
Women’s Soccer v. Florida Christian College 7 p.m.
Women’s Soccer v. Barry Uni. 7:30 p.m.
5
Volleyball @ Nova Southeastern University 7 p.m.
6
Volleyball @ Lynn University 2 p.m.
7
Men’s Soccer v. Warner University 5 p.m.
8
9
Men’s Golf @ Guy Har- Women’s Soccer @ vey Invitational All Day Nova Southeastern University 6 p.m.
10
Men’s Soccer @ Nova Southeastern University 6 p.m.
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Women’s Soccer v. Clearwater Christian College 7 p.m.
Men’s Golf @ Guy Har- Volleyball v. University vey Invitational All Day of Tampa 7 p.m.
Sports Briefly Eckerd Fall intramural season kicks off
Fall intramural sports have kicked off with the start of the 3-on-3 basketball league. The league spans two weeks with each team playing two games per week. There are a total of 15 teams, including two female teams. There are three total pools for the league. The pool setup includes two for the men and one for the women. After each team plays the others within their pool, the team with the best records from each pool will play in one final game to determine the champion. Games are played on Wednesdays and Sundays at the GO Pavilion. As in all intramural sports, champions will receive the all-coveted intramural champion t-shirt.
Crescent off to strong start for EC
Women’s soccer has quickly become one of the best defenses in the conference, behind the blazing start of sophomore goalkeeper Morgan Crescent. Through the first six games, Crescent leads the conference in average saves per game and shutouts. She was named SSC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 24. In two games against ranked opponents, she gave up one goal against No. 16 Tampa and none in a double overtime draw against No. 17 Florida Tech. Crescent turned in another impressive performance at home against Nova Southeastern in a second double overtime draw in as many games. Crescent tied her season high of 13 saves, including a crucial stop in the closing moments of the second overtime. So far this season, Crescent has 49 saves and three shutouts in six games.
Men’s golf disqualified
The Eckerd men’s golf team was disqualified from their event Sept. 24 due to a simple mistake. The Tritons teed off from the wrong tee box, normally a two-stroke penalty and a replay of the hole, but the team was already on the next hole and thus had to be disqualified.
National College football rankings change
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish returned to the top ten in college football rankings for the first time since 2006 by defeating number 18 Michigan on Saturday. The Irish, who start 4-0 for the first time since 2002, now look forward to a potential major bowl game and their renewed rivalry with the Miami Hurricanes on October 6th in Chicago. Leaving the top ten are the Oklahoma Sooners whose national title hopes fell short in a shocking loss to Kansas State on their home field.
MLS season winds down
As the calendar changes to October, professional soccer in the United States enters their stretch run. Powerhouse clubs such as the Los Angeles Galaxy and the San Jose Earthquakes have already locked up the top spots in the Western Conference while the playoff race in the East comes down to the wire. Battling for the top spot Sept. 28, are Sporting Kansas City and the Chicago Fire. The two top Eastern Conference clubs upcoming match can be seen at 8:30 on NBC Sports Network, channel 26.
Orioles keep winning
The Buck Showalter managed Baltimore Orioles have shocked Major League Baseball with their stunning run to the top of the American League East. As of print time the Orioles and Yankees are separated by a single game in the standings as baseball enters its final weeks. The O’s have emerged with a distinctive knack for winning one run and extra inning games of late as they look to secure the city of Baltimore their first baseball Postseason since 1997.
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Good vibes: your action sports source By Dominick Cuppetilli Quickie Editor
courtesy of Wikicommons The Georgia Dome, home of the Atlanta Falcons.
Three NFL teams remain undefeated entering week four By Ashley Walsh Staff Writer
Going into Week 4, the only three teams still undefeated are the Atlanta Falcons, the Arizona Cardinals and the Houston Texans. The Texans were picked early this year to go far because of their schedule; however, the Falcons as well as the Cardinals have thrown everybody for a loop. A lot of fans (although this is nothing new) have blamed the officiating, which has legitimate backing this year with what is happening with the lockout. From another angle, several other journalists and analysts have been talking about how the game is changing, it’s becoming more offensive and perhaps some teams are just having less trouble adjusting to not only the new rules, but the style of the game itself. The Texans could have been predicted as going into Week 4 undefeated, and were by a lot of people. The AFC South simply isn’t particularly strong; in fact, the AFC isn’t particularly strong right now. There was a lot of talk in the off season about the New England Patriots and the Baltimore Ravens. Perhaps the Ravens put an end to the murmurs in last Sunday’s game, but with all the talk about the game moving to be aggressively offensive and Joe Flaccos’s hit or miss quarterbacking, both teams seemed to have moved out of the spot-light to let the Texans be the new table talk for the AFC. Of course, let caution be established as the Texans do have a habit of starting out strong and popular and then not being able to back it up midway through the season. If the Texans can do it, this is certainly their season, but it is yet to be determined whether Arian Foster and Andre Johnson will stay healthy, and if they do, the Texans can keep on driving. The Falcons have had a good streak their last three games against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Denver Broncos, and the San Diego Chargers. One may look at their schedule and suggest they have had an easy run opening the season, and perhaps that is a factor, but (as much as it pains me to say this) the Falcons have a well put together team this season. Matt Ryan is starting to show up as a leading quarterback in the game. ‘His three passing touchdowns in Week 3 bring his total to eight passing touchdowns so far this season. Ryan also has four really big weapons: Julio Jones, Roddy White, Tony Gonzales, and Michael Turner. Where the Falcons may start to get in trouble this season is with three of those four weapons. First and most recently, Turner with charged with a DUI after Week 2’s Monday night game against the Broncos. With Roger Goodell on
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his “the NFL can do no wrong, and shall not endorse the wrongness of others” streak, it is completely plausible to see a two-three game suspension for Turner. Also, no one should forget that Roddy White was out most of last season and is still having problems with his knee. And Tony Gonzales is, for lack of a better term, old. While Gonzales has always performed well as a tight end, his age may make him less reliable. Ultimately, the Falcons are starting out with a great season, and if they can maintain all their players they will continue to have a great season, but it’s anyone’s guess if White will stay healthy and Jones will keep catching footballs. So now, the Cardinals… The Cardinals are an interesting team because they are starting to look like the Lions did last year. Larry Fitzgerald has really come out of the woodwork as an amazing wide receiver whose only vice is his quarterback. Kolb is an odd quarterback who is generally hard to understand. In Week 3 he stepped things up in terms of attention to Fitzgerald, which ended up working out well for the Cardinals. If Kolb can develop good chemistry with Fitzgerald, it wouldn’t be hard to imagine the Cardinals having a great season. But… this is a team that has been perpetually overshadowed by the rest of the NFC West (although not the strongest division) during recent seasons, especially the San Francisco 49ers this last year. In fact, the Cardinals have been pretty much buried under the rubble ever since their loss to the Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII. The past three weeks people have been attributing their winning streak to poor officiating and good luck, but if Kolb can keep it together, the Cardinals could have Super Bowl potential for this season. Week 4 promises to be an interesting one certainly, and judging by their performances last week, and this week’s schedule, all three teams could hold onto their winning streaks. The Texans are playing the Tennessee Titans, and although the Titans upset the Detroit Lions, the Texans have the home field advantage and momentum. The Falcons are playing the Carolina Panthers, an increasingly big division rivalry since the introduction of Cam Newton last season. The Falcons could take it, but that depends on whether Cam decides to show up and say last week was a fluke, or if he lets the Week 3 loss to the New York Giants get the better of him and he yips. The Cardinals are playing the Miami Dolphins who have neither a good season start nor a stable quarterback situation. The Cardinals should be able to take advantage; however, there’s always a chance Kolb will feed off Tannehill’s anxiety. And with the ref situation the way it is, anything could go in Week 4.
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It’s my first year with The Current and I noticed that the sports section didn’t have any coverage on action sports, and to me that just isn’t right. “Good Vibes” can be your one stop for action and extreme sports. Here you will find results and schedules for contests both around the area and across the globe and featured athletes we have right here at Eckerd College. With this first article, I’ll be recapping a handful of contests that happened over the summer. First up we have wakeboarding and wakeskate. One of the largest annual wakeboard competitions moved its way to the Lake of the Ozarks. Liquid Force’s BROstock occurred June 15-16 in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains in Missouri. Imagine hundreds of ski boats from around the country lined up on the banks of a lake that is solely for the purpose of hosting one of the best weekends of the summer. Now put some of the best wakeboarders in the center battling it out for $33,000 worth of prize money and you’ve got BROstock. A big chunk of that prize money went to first place winner, Adam Errington. Following him in second place was Steel Lafferty, Rusty Malinoski took the bronze and Phil Soven took the fourth spot according to liqiudforce.com. Our next event lies in the realm of wakeskate. For those of you who don’t know what wakeskating is, it’s basically wakeboarding but your boots are not attached to the board, allowing the rider to do flip tricks with the board. The Wakeskate Tour culminated in Bithlo Florida Aug. 30 to Sept. 1, with three riders stand-
ing on the podium. Andrew Pastura rose to the number one spot, with Ben Horan sliding into second and Nick Taylor getting the bronze according to the wakeskatetour.com. Both the unsOund Right Coast Tour and the 13th Annual Billabong Cosmic Creek Surf Contest happened on Sept. 9. The Right Coast Tour was incredibly close all the way through according to quiksilver.com, but Blake Jones squeezed out the win with Gabe Kling following close in the finals. Third place went to the hometown surfer, Balaram Stack. The veteran competition, Cosmic Creek, has been going strong for 13 years and did not disappoint this summer. The competition had seven different divisions ranging from pros to amateurs and different age groups. According to billabong.com, Wade Goodall wound up taking gold with Courtney Conlogue behind him and Tom Curren in third. Also keep your eyes open for the Quiksilver Pro, which will take place in France this year at La Graviere from Sept. 28 - Oct. 8. The top 34 surfers in the world are all counting down the days, so you should too. The Element Make It Count international tour started in January and went all the way through to August with the finals. Skaters gathered points at each stop of the tour (a total of 15 cities), which would potentially land them a spot in the finals. Jos Cos made his way to first place, with Dustin Blauvelt following him and Nate Greenwood locking down third place according to elementbrand.com. Along with the prize money, these top three skaters were presented hand carved wooden trophies made by an Element artist. Another traveling tour was the
Street League Skateboard Competition sponsored by DC shoes and put together by Rob Dyrdek. The tour stopped in Kansas, California, Arizona and the finals were held in New Jersey. Similar to the last competition, skaters accumulate points over the stops and compete in the final for the very top positions. Nyjah Huston dominated the entire tour according to streetleague.com. He finished first in 3 out of the 4 stops, and just killed it in the finals to win it all. Veteran Paul Rodriguez filled up the second spot, and another long time rider Chris Cole took third. It’s hard to believe that at 17, Huston can be considered a veteran along with these high caliber skaters, but he picked up his first board at 2 and turned pro at 11. He has won a thing or two. Huston racked up $550,000 in just these four stops. But the earnings didn’t stop there. Just five days later, Huston picked up another $50,000 at Canada’s largest skateboard competition, Take the Cake, sponsored by West Forty Nine. Along with this chunk of change, Huston received a cake to the face, given by second and third place finalists Micky Papa and Matt Berger, according to west49takethecake.com. Well, that wraps up this first of many articles on the sadly left out world of action sports. Hopefully, you feel caught up on some crucial info. Now go use this knowledge to go strike up a nice conversation with that hot surfer you’ve been dying to talk to, or impress your friends with some sports knowledge that not everybody knows. The point is go, and the Good Vibes keep coming.
Rookie ruggers get valuable ingame experience for the Sirens By Mike Geibel Sports Editor Many new faces wore the Eckerd Sirens blue for the first time on Kappa Field Sept. 22. The Eckerd Sirens women’s rugby team gained a large recruiting class of freshmen and firsttime players for the upcoming season. After their undefeated regular season and run up to the south championships, the returning Sirens were hoping to attract more attention to their recruiting efforts. The women
were able to field two entire teams to take on USF in a friendly match. The roster for the women’s rugby team now rivals the men’s team in numbers and the club’s membership is now one of the largest on campus. The young Sirens, wearing navy blue to distinguish themselves from the lighter blue of the returning players, got their first taste of collegiate rugby and put on a very good show. The younger team rotated with the returners several times during the first half of the “match”, which was
photo by Tyler Cribbs From left: Alex Bailey, Alexa Iorillo, Jordan Kuperberg, Ali Hahn and Zane Almquist (on ground) form a ruck against USF as Amanda Cortez looks on.
more of an instructional playing session geared toward getting the young players some real experience. For many of the freshmen, it was their first time playing against anyone besides teammates in practice. The young team performed very well, only allowing USF to score once. Club president Breege Boyer said of the new players, “they played extremely well and looked like they knew what they were doing, which is more than I can say about my first game.” Boyer continued that the girls were very positive and excited after the game and expressed a strong desire to continue with the sport. “Our coach Candi [Orsini] and myself are proud of them and can’t wait to see what the season will bring us,” she explained. After halftime, the Sirens put a team of mostly returning players into the game with a few new players filling gaps created due to injury or absence. The second half squad, which is likely very similar to the starting lineup which will be put forward in the first conference game, held the USF Lady Bulls scoreless for two 20-minute periods and continued their winning ways from last season. At the final whistle, the Sirens came out with a victory by one score and will now look ahead to begin their conference play and make another run to the playoffs. Because of their success last year, the Sirens will be moving up to Division I for this upcoming season to test the waters for a possible permanent D-I move.
The Official Student Newspaper of Eckerd College
Sports
Sept. 28, 2012
Soccer teams battle in close conference games By Bobby Taggart Contributing Writer
score of 6-0. This game did not count toward SSC (Sunshine State Conference) The men’s soccer team’s winning play. On Sept. 15, the men had streak came to a halt at two, after a Sept. 12 loss to no. 23 ranked Rollins another tough test against the no. College. Prior to playing Rollins, 7 ranked Tampa Spartans. This the Tritons had won two of their last was the conference opener for three, including a big victory over both squads. The Tritons headed no. 18 ranked Clayton State (GA) into this contest without their top University 3-2 in double overtime. two scorers Junior Mark Lee (2 The Tars out-shot the Tritons 21 goals) and Freshman Nick Jackson to 5. The game was all-square until (1 goal, 2 assists), both sitting out forward Rob Crowley of Rollins from cards from the Rollins game. College broke the 0-0 tie to make The Tritons did manage to outit 1-0. The Tars managed another shoot the Spartans 5-4. That didn’t two goals in the first half making stop the Spartan’s star sophomore the score 3-0 at halftime. From the forward Tyler Blackwood from second half on out, the Tars had scoring 10:40 with the first goal of control of the game, ending with a the game, which ended up being the game-winner. The Tritons hope to get back on track Saturday at home as they get ready to take on the NSU Sharks (Nova Southeastern University) at 7:30 p.m. On the women’s side of soccer, the Tritons got off to a hot start, going 2-0, but since then have failed to grab a win going 0-2-1 in their last three. On the same day as the men's game against the same opponent, the women also photo by Tyler Cribbs traveled just Sophomore forward Nick Murawski prepares to dribble past a across the bridge Florida Tech defender. to take on the
Senior Meredith Mahoney plays the ball during a practice drill as teammates look on.
Tampa Spartans. The women’s story was the same as the men’s against Tampa falling short with a 1-0 loss. The 16th ranked Spartans were on their heels after a scoreless half from both sides. With 47:55 in the second half, the Spartans sophomore midfielder Arielle Gonzalez snuck one in, which resulted in the game-winner. Two heart breakers for both the men and women’s team against Tampa. On Sept. 18, the Tritons took on the no. 17 ranked Florida Tech Panthers, where Morgan Crescent stole the spotlight. Crescent denied the Panthers of every attempt the Panthers threw at her. She made a spectacular airborne save with two seconds left in the second overtime. “I was somewhat nervous because
the game was still tied, we had almost played 110 minutes, and the other team was shooting left and right hoping anything would go in the back of the net,” said Crescent. “I was so pumped up but also kind of in shock that I saved the last shot. I gave everything I had to keep us in the game, but I have to give a lot of credit to my team for working hard all 110 minutes and never giving up." Crescent had a career high 12 saves. “As a team we need to improve on communication and getting forward to score,” said Crescent. “I am very excited to see where the rest of the season will take us.” The Tritons held the Panthers scoreless through the first and second half, then shutting them out again in both overtimes. The game ended in
photo by Ethan Cooper
a 0-0 tie, the Tritons tied a league opponent for the first time since Eckerd knotted Nova Southeastern University, 1-1, on Oct. 16, 2007. The Tritons then went on to face Nova Southeastern University Sept. 22. For the second straight match, the Triton women battled a conference opponent to a 0-0 tie. Morgan Crescent tallied 13 saves, tying a season high for the sophomore goalkeeper. In the past two matches, Crescent has locked down the Tritons goal for a total of 220 scoreless minutes, an outstanding achievement. The women look ahead to a three-game home stand which includes two conference opponents in Barry University on September 29 at 7:30 p.m. and Lynn University
Hockey fans lament looming player lockout By Colin Casey Asst. Sports Editor
When the Los Angeles Kings emerged victorious from the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals, fans across the North American continent were expecting a long off-season wait for the next season. Most fans, however, could not imagine how long a wait this year could bring about. On Sept. 15, the collective bargaining agreement between the NHL Players Association (NHLPA) and the league's ownership expired causing the owners to lock out the players for the third time in the last 20 years. With the pending loss of a season, some fans chose to bury their heads in the sand, while others simply scratch their heads at the lack of logic in the process. At Eckerd, Junior Max Martin is one of those concerned fans. As a lifelong supporter of the Pittsburgh Penguins and a former hockey player himself, Martin understands the game as well as the backstage business aspects of the league. As a fan, Martin cannot make sense of this latest work stoppage, especially at the actions of the team owners in recent months. According to
him, though the most the game of basketball apparent issue has been became globalized the potential negative into new markets. effects on the league as Upon becoming the a whole as "hockey was NHL Commissioner just starting to gain traction in 1993, Bettman oversaw again as a major sport, which the lockout that caused the now seems to be halted." To 1994-95 season to be halved, Martin, the environment earning the ire of fans for the sport has rapidly across the league. Further changed and developed, but grief was expressed as that growth does not seem under Bettman, many to match with hockey's traditional hockey own business past. markets, such as The rapid growth Winnipeg, Quebec and development in City and Hartford the game as Martin were "robbed" of mentioned has been their teams, which assisted by the current were moved south to NHL Commissioner Phoenix, Denver and Gary Bettman. As a Raleigh respectively. Columbia Business Throughout his School alum, Bettman tenure, he has grew into the business opposed the NHLPA of sport in the including nearly National Basketball causing its extinction Association under their courtesy of wikicommons following the 2004commissioner David The Stanley Cup. 05 full season lockout. Stern, from whom he Further growth learned many of his negotiating has been sustained in the form of strategies. At the time, Stern mostly overall league coverage. Each of ignored the NBAPA and instead the 30 franchises has existing local catered to the individual owners as broadcast deals in place to bring
hockey to their own fan base. But the game has grown nationally as well. Last year, the NHL signed a new 10 year, million-dollar contract with broadcast giant NBC to assure that a record of games could be seen nationwide. This includes several successful new brands including a game on Black Friday and the outdoor Winter Classic on New Year’s Day as well as the broadcast of every game of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. This new revenue source is shared among the league and all 30 teams. The deal has led to another problem. In the last several years, contracts for "star" players have increased dramatically. Several high profile players ranging from New York's Brad Richards to San Jose's Joe Thornton have signed multi-year contracts that have been back-loaded at the end of the deal. These so-called "retirement contracts" have increased in recent years, with four high profile deals occurring this off-season. The contracts in question were given to Sidney Crosby by the Pittsburgh Penguins, Shea Weber by the Nashville Predators and
to both Zach Parise and Ryan Suter by the Minnesota Wild. The average length and dollar amount for the contracts equates to 13 years and more than $100 million. Despite offering such prized free agents that much, the owners are campaigning to end such deals in the next collective bargaining agreement. The players, on the other hand, would happily take the increases in salary to invest the money toward their families' futures to prepare for their eventual departure from the game. Unfortunately, with both sides refusing to negotiate and the entire preseason canceled, it looks like, once again, hockey fans will have to wait for their beloved sport to return. With many experts saying that the earliest return to action will be at the Winter Classic on the first day of 2013, fans have held such false hope before in the long winter of 2004-05. Until both sides can agree on limiting contracts, revenue sharing, and proper allocation of health resources it appears that hockey will have to wait while business takes the drivers seat.
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