The Current Volume 3 Issue 9

Health & Fitness: page 19

News: page 4-5

Viewpoints: page 9

EC Pride plans for the future Club seeks more student involvement as it prepares for the upcoming semester.

ECOS elections just around the corner

Keep calm and do yoga

Candidates for executive office begin campaigning— see inside for platforms and more.

Yoga helps relieve stress, improve posture and strengthen the body and mind.

The Official Student Newspaper of Eckerd College

Vol. 3, Issue IX—March 9, 2012

Professor Irby earns role in upcoming movie

BON APPÉTIT

By Malena Carollo Asst. News Editor Harmony Korine’s upcoming film “Spring Breakers,” starring James Franco, Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens, will open on a classroom.

Students on laptops fill the desks, the film’s starlets among them. All pay little attention to the Civil War lecture being given—by Eckerd’s very own Professor Lee Irby.

Irby sits across from me during the interview in shorts, a shortsleeved button up and blue Asics athletic shoes, exactly the relaxed look a “bohemian history professor” calls for in the film.

Irby was recommended by Liz MacDonald, letters collegium secretary, who met with the film crew when they came to Eckerd.

“They said they wanted a history professor who would be able to also do a little bit of acting, and I said See Irby, page 3

Eckerd looks to engage alumni, increase donations to Annual Fund

By Greg Reilly Asst. Sports Editor

Despite Eckerd’s above average alumni participation rate in donations, the number of dollars raised is far less in comparison than peer institutions, according to Matt Bisset, Eckerd’s vice president of advancement.

“For the last couple of years, our alumni participation rate has tracked at just above 30 percent, which is slightly above the average 23 percent for comparable liberal arts colleges,” Bisset said in an email. “In terms of dollars, last Eckerd alumni gave $1.25 million to the college; the average of our peer institutions is $5.8 million.”

One reason the college lacks more donations is because it is still a young college, so the alumni bodies are younger and smaller See Alumni, page 6 Please Recycle

INDEX: News 2 - 8

One year later photo by Alex Zielinski Freshman Michaella Paddock selects an orange from the café.

Food Committee gives students a voice Bon Appétit has made significant small changes in dining service

By Malena Carollo Asst. News Editor The Food Committee was reestablished mid-spring 2011 to address student concerns regarding the quality of the food served by Bon Appetit on campus. Donald McMullen, ECOS vice president, was appointed as chair of the 14-student committee. The group meets on an as-needed basis to discuss food quality, appearance, sustainability and overall experience at the campus food outlets.

“Anything that you’re paying for with that meal swipe, we talk about as an issue,” McMullen said.

With Anne Wetmore, assistant dean of students for administrative services and family relations, acting as a faculty liaison for the group, the committee meets with Jaime Llovera, general manager of Bon Appetit at Eckerd, Valerie McHugh, executive chef at the main cafeteria, Kathy Mills, catering manager, Dawyn Patterson, operations

manager and Justin Long, director of campus housing.

An average of three to five students attend each meeting, held during business hours. They share comments from their personal dining experience or concerns other students have expressed, keeping the positives and negatives as close to 50-50 as possible.

“We get a lot of positive comments about the employees, that’s always the top of the list,” McMullen said.

According to McMullen, the committee tries to contextualize all complaints. They consider which food center the incident happened at and how much of the student population the incident affects to more effectively address the issue.

“The turnaround time is not as immediate as you would expect or hope for, but at the same time we’ve had a lot more positive feedback in the last few months, heard less complaints,” he said. “It seems like things are heading in the right

direction.”

Llovera, Bon Appetit’s general manager at Eckerd, attempts to accommodate the committee’s requests within reason. He aims to attain a 77 percent satisfaction rate, which is measured by Bon Appetit’s own surveys, conducted semiannually.

Since its inception, the group has affected several “little things” at the food outlets, McMullen says. Fewer casseroles are being served, an effort is being made to post accurate menus online before meals, more allergen information is out and the cereals are rotated more frequently.

One area of interest for students is the ice cream topping station. In one of the meetings, the committee voiced many students’ desire for available ice cream toppings in the main cafeteria, as they are in the CEC cafeteria.

“I have to admit one thing we haven’t done, and that’s our fault for neglecting it from being too

Viewpoints 9 - 12 Entertainment 13 - 16 The Quickie 17 - 18 Health & Fitness 19 - 20 Sports 21- 24

busy, is the toppings on the ice cream,” Llovera said. “It’s in the books, we have the bowls, we have everything including the toppings, we just haven’t had time to put them out. We’ve been so busy with catering they’ve been placed on the backburner.”

Llovera’s goal, however, is to provide quality service for students, especially if they have special dining needs.

“If they have any dietary needs… don’t feel scared to talk to us,” Llovera said. “Come talk to us.

We’ll accommodate. Even if I have to hire an extra chef just to do specific meals for specific students, I will.”

All parties agree that the biggest impact the committee has had is in raising awareness with Bon Appetit on what students want and expect from their campus dining experience.

“We’ve seen a big response from the executive chefs and working See Bon Appetit, page 7

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

March 9, 2012

Briefing Global

National $7.8 billion settlement reached for BP oil spill BBC

The long-running lawsuit with BP reached a $7.8 billion settlement Feb. 2. According to BBC, this settlement benefits around 100,000 civilians including fishermen and local residents who were affected most by the April 2010 Deepwater Horizon drilling site explosion and ensuing oil spill.

The settlement reached does not include US and state government claims, and is not an admission to liability.

BP Chief Executive Bob Dudley said, “The proposed settlement represents significant progress toward resolving issues from the Deepwater Horizon accident and contributing further to economic and environmental restoration efforts along the Gulf Coast.”

courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Putin wins presidency with 58-59 percent USA Today

Vladimir Putin won the presidency in Russia March 4. Putin comments, “we have won in an open and honest struggle,” despite the opposition and others insisting that there was vote fraud.

Putin’s opposition said they will hold a rally to protest the election. Mikhail Kasyanov, who was Putin’s prime minister before opposing him, said, “We will not recognize the president as legitimate.”

According to the Associated Press, evidence of vote fraud in December’s parliamentary elections drew attention to Putin that resulted in widespread protest against him.

courtesy of Wikimedia commons

Romney wins Washington despite not being an insider The New York Times

200 killed in an acidental explosion in Congo MSNBC

According to MSNBC, around 200 people were reportedly killed, and many more injured, in a blast in Brazzaville, Congo. The explosion occurred early Feb. 4 at an arms depot in a military base.

Congolese officials reported a fire started the explosion, and that it was not the start of a war or a mutiny.

Statewide

Mitt Romney won the Washington caucuses Feb. 2 with 37.6 percent, with Ron Paul following at 24.8 percent. Romney commented on his win, saying that Washington does “not want a Washington insider in the White House.” Romney also contrasted himself to the other GOP candidates as “a conservative businessman who understands the private sector.”

According to The New York Times, Romney has focused his attacks on Rick Santorum as an insider who does not understand the economy.

Campus

Florida challenges providing free contraception

New senator elected to Nu complex

Florida has joined six other states in a lawsuit filed on Feb. 23 to challenge the requirement that free contraceptives and similar services are provided by religious groups to their employees. Those who back the lawsuit claim it infringes on the First Amendment rights of religious institutions by forcing them to promote a message they don’t believe in. Florida is joined in the lawsuit by a Catholic school, two Catholic organizations, two individuals, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas.

Nu complex has elected a new senator to take the place of Junior Matt Ward, who moved off campus. Elections ended March 2, and Brenna Durkin was chosen as the replacement for the complex. Durkin hopes to help Nu residents “recognize that they can change Eckerd for the better.” Durkin also hopes that students will come to her with any issues or problems within the complex so she can assist in getting them solved. Of her position, Durkin says, “I believe I am an excellent candidate for this position because I am enthusiastic and exceptional at communicating and cooperating with others.”

Grand Prix racing into St. Petersburg this month

Service Learning extends spring break trips to summer

The Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg will be held March 23 - 25. Several participants are Florida natives, including Ryan Hunter-Reay, Tony Kanaan and Helio Castroneves. A tribute to Dan Wheldon, coordinated by the city, IndyCar, race officials and stakeholders, will be held during the prix. The new IndyCar chassis will be “labeled ‘DW12’” in honor of Wheldon’s “effort in testing the car during the 2011 season.”

The Service Learning Office has expanded on their offerings of service trips beyond spring break. Programs offered include trips to New York City to work with local farms and other service work in Yosemite National Park in California. The summer service trips will include much of the cost in the fee for participation, but students will need to coordinate their own transportation to and from the program locations. There will also be ample time to enjoy the sights and sounds of each location and experience the local landmarks.

Miami Herald

Tampa Bay Times

New trash cans coming soon to Beta parking lot Eckerd facilities and ECOS are working on the final details to add six new trash cans to the Beta parking lot. The total cost of the trashcans will be just under $2800 taken from the budget of the ECOS Executive Vice President, Donald McMullen. Facilities is currently planning how and where to secure the new receptacles to allow for optimal use by the Eckerd community. Three of the new bins will feature an ashtray top to keep cigarette trash to a minimum in the parking lot.

promotional photo

CORRECTION: In Issue 8, The Current improperly attributed “A year later, Egypt still struggles with democracy.” The author is staff writer, Sean Lawlor.

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the current

March 9, 2012

News 3

Cnews Kappa Karnival backed by ECOS and others

By Ian Lindsay Asst. Entertainment Editor

Kappa Karnival is one of Eckerd’s most cherished annual events. A party filled with rides,music, food and a petting zoo, one final celebration for students before they hit the books to prep for spring exams.

The carnival is also one of the biggest and most expensive events of the year.

“It’s massive, absolutely massive,” said Associate Director of Campus Safety Lova Patterson.

“It is the largest community event, we get at least 1,500 people: staff, housekeeping, facilities. It takes a lot of money and a lot of man power.”

The carnival has grown over the past years, making last year’s Karnival considerably bigger than the first few years. “When it first started out, it was one Ferris wheel and a couple inflatables in a parking lot,” said Patterson.

Kappa Karnival had eight rides last year, costing $20,000.

Including expenses for food, extra security guards, audio and stage equipment, the entire event can cost up to $30,000.

Some students are under the impression that Kappa Karnival is paid for in part by the fundraising done at Kappa Kitchen. This is not true. According to Kappa Senator Rosenheim, most of the Kappa Kitchen funds will be spent

on decorations for Kappa Karnival and cooking supplies for the lounge. Money allocated to him as a senator will also be budgeted toward these projects.

Funding for Kappa Karnival comes from a variety of sources.

ECOS, Afro-American Society, Student Senate, Palmetto Productions, the Deans of Students, Student Affairs, the President’s Office and Campus Activities all contribute. Many clubs approach Palmetto Productions and ask if their leftover funds can be allocated to sponsoring a ride for the carnival.

“The clubs are the students, and I would think that the majority of students on campus look forward to Kappa Karnival,” said senior Stephen Barber president of ECOS. “Because of the number of departments and organizations that fund Kappa Karnival, if there was a drop in ECOS funding, the Karnival would most likely not be cut out,” said Patterson. “We may have to decrease the size of the event quite a bit, but would not drop it all together.”

Eckerd’s fiscal year ends during the middle of April, when budget freeze for clubs takes place. “We don’t have a way to roll over our student activity fee, that’s not set up in our government,” said Barber.

Unspent club budgets are pooled together for different

projects including Kappa Karnival.

“You don’t want to be over budget, you want to be slightly under, and you can’t do that if it’s all split up into individual departments,” said Barber.

The pooling of the unspent budget funds both gives back to the Eckerd community and ensures responsible spending from clubs before budget freeze.

“I don’t think it presents an issue in any way shape or form,” said Kappa Senator Roble Poe VelascoRosenheim. “I think that clubs go through the year, and spend their budgets as needed, I don’t think they should make an effort to spend money that they don’t need to spend.”

Projects like the patio outside of the student activities office and new bike racks have been completed in recent years with money from the pooled account fund. “It’s not that we’re just stripping it away from clubs and saying sorry, thank you, goodbye,” said Barber. “[Clubs] still have the ability to appeal budget freeze and have access to funding.”

“It’s a way that ECOS can give back,” Patterson said. “Any money that’s left in ECOS at the end of the year, [it] is ultimately up to ECOS where it goes, and everyone thought [Kappa Karnival] was the best way.”

that we have one history professor who was also a playwright,” MacDonald said. They wanted to talk to Irby, but he was out. “I said he’s playing basketball right now, and they were like ‘This gets even better!’”

For a man who has no business cards or headshots and doesn’t know his own shirt size, the role was perfect.

He arrived at the audition wearing a J-Crew shirt and Chinos, “Which I thought doomed me anyway because I looked too normal,” Irby said. “It didn’t look bohemian enough. Plus I just got my hair cut, so I though all these things were conspiring against me.”

The audition was fairly brief.

“They said ‘go ahead, do your

thing,’ so I started giving my civil rights lecture like I always do, peppering it with my usual asides,” Irby said. “And they enjoyed it.”

Irby was doubtful when the casting director told him it was “great,” especially when a week went by with no call.

“I thought that just shows I couldn’t even act like a history professor,” he joked. “I didn’t care, the whole thing was fun enough as it was. And then he called me and said I got the part.”

Though the part is only a speaking part, Irby still has to sign a Screen Actors Guild contract, and will receive a credit if the scene makes the cut.

“It’s going to be the launching pad for something huge,” he said.

“I have ten seconds to steal the movie and launch my

career as a character actor. It’s going to be tough.”

The plot follows four girls who try to fund their spring break trip with money stolen from a restaurant. Franco plays a drug and arms dealer who bails them out and catapults them into a wild spring break trip.

“What I don’t want to do is come between Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez, that’s what I’m trying to avoid,” he jokes. “I’m going to really dial back on the charisma and charm, I don’t want Justin after me.”

A minute-long scene isn’t quite enough time to capture all that is Irby, but he’ll be able to embody some of what his natural teaching style is.

“I feel that people learn best through play. And I’m not the

only one who thinks that, there’s an entire school of cognition that thinks that,” Irby said. “It’s playfulness and modeling the behavior, those are the two things I like to do.”

Reminiscent of Patch Adams, Irby believes in the power of laughter, if for education instead of laughter.

“If they don’t laugh every class, I’ve done something wrong,” he said.

The scene will be shot March 8 at the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota.

“If I make it in, I’ll probably watch this movie every day for the rest of my life,” he said. “I hope it’s good.”

4-5

Environmental Film Festival

6

Student shuttle service stops

7

Journalist killed in Syria

7

8

Contextualizing Palmetto’s text service photo by Lauren Murphy Students enjoying rides at last year’s Kappa Karnival.

Where are you going for Spring Break? Make sure to bring a copy of The Current with you whether you’re going home, on a cruise to the Caribbean or on a service trip to Detroit. It doesn’t matter what issue you take, but make sure to capture a couple of great photographs of yourself with the issue. Send your photographs to thecurrent@eckerd.edu. A selection of photos will be featured in The Current’s next issue and at theonlinecurrent.com, and those students will receive a $20 iTunes gift card.

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ECOS candidate platforms

Blast from the past

Irby to play history teacher in upcoming film about spring break IRBY from front page

INSIDE NEWS

By Stephen Barber & Rhemy Brezin ECOS President & Palmetto Productions Director of Committee Are you textually active? According to the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project, 73 percent of adult cell phone owners use the texting function on their mobile devices, sending or receiving an average of 41.5 text messages each day. The 2011 study found 95 percent of young adults between 18-29 years send and receive an average of 87.7 text messages daily. Statistics for 18-24 year-olds are even more impressive. The study found young adults send or receive, on average, 109.5 messages each day.

One of our long-term goals as an organization is to continue to integrate technology into ECOS, Student Senate and Campus Activities in an effort to increase transparency and student involvement, and to keep up with modern trends of the student body.

This year we have concentrated the majority of event advertising using a number of social media outlets, including Facebook and the “Twitterverse.”We have also used Google documents to share meeting agendas and minutes, digitalized the ECOS van reservation process and attached active links to important forms and documents on our upcoming website homepage.

To reach this goal and help ECOS integrate technology, Palmetto Productions has capitalized on the popularity of texting and recently partnered with BoomText, a full service text messaging marketing company.

By sending out weekly updates with the inside scoop about Palmettosponsored events, the texting service increases awareness and effectively gauges student input for future programs, ideas and themes. In addition to exclusive event information sent out

by Palmetto Committee, “palmetto texters” are eligible to win a number of giveaways and weekly movie tickets redeemable at any time. To date, 221 people have signed up for this service and the goal is to have 500 people textually active by May 2012.

Be protected from boredom and text PALMETTO to 411247. You just never know what might happen.

courtesy of Palmetto Productions

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4 News

the current

March 9, 2012

2012 ECOS Executive Council Elections Seven candidates will vie for four ECOS executive council positions in the 2012 ECOS elections, including a three-way race for president. Voting begins March 12 and ends noon March 16. To vote, log on to ECWeb and click on “Elections and Surveys.”

Each candidate’s platform, in their own words, can be read below. We had some questions of our own, too, so accompanying each platform is that candidate’s responses to our generally serious, sometimes quirky questions. Let the electing begin!

All photos courtesy of ECOS PR, the respective candidates or Alex Zielinski

Meet the candidates President Rhemy Brezin, junior, “Brez for Prez!”

I am seeking the position of ECOS President because I have efficient leadership skills and multiple years of experience with ECOS. I want to serve the student body and be an easily accessible link between the student body and the Eckerd administration. I also have fun and exciting plans to implement for next year, such as a spring field day and continuing

Techno Fridays!

Upon being elected as ECOS President, one of my first priorities would be to make the Food Committee a standing committee within the ECOS Constitution and begin to implement more of their ideas as well as looking into additional Pub hours on the weekend and a 24 hour sandwich vending machine for late night snacking. I would lobby for additional mural boards around Kappa and Nu through the continuation of

the “Small Changes Significant Impact” campaign. I also want to improve the community feeling of Eckerd through the installation of more communal sitting areas and working with complexes to develop traditional events similar to Kappa Ball and Bulls--t Ballet.

I feel that Stephen Barber has done a wonderful job as ECOS President and I would work to continue that tradition of excellence by being available to students in the ECOS Office and promptly responding to emails.

I am a very open and approachable person, so, as ECOS President, I will always be willing to meet with students, administrators, faculty and staff. I am a good mediator, a good listener and very organized.

I have served on the Student Senate for the past two years and have accomplished many objectives from planning and running events, such as Snow Day, to the purchase and installation of the residential ice machine in Omega. During my time in Senate, I also served on the Public Relations Committee. I am the Director of Committee for Palmetto Productions, so I am experienced at working with groups of students and at planning and running events on campus.

But most importantly, I am very devoted and passionate about the student body and ECOS.

What will you bring to the RespECt Campaign?

“I spoke with Dean Annarelli, he’s been working on bringing the campaign back to campus next year, so there’s a focus group meeting between current ECOS members, SCSB, Academic Honor Council and certain professors on campus to come up with a pilot program. We haven’t had the meeting yet so we don’t necessarily know what we’re going to do yet but I plan on being involved in that and whatever they suggest implementing on campus next year.”

What do you do for fun on campus?

“I’m on the women’s rugby team, so playing awesome games. I’m also on Palmetto [Productions] so I go to all the events, help plan events…. and just wandering around Omega on the weekends, partying it up.”

Favorite energy drink?

“Coffee and coke.”

Define coke.

“Like Coca-Cola.”

Who is your presidential role model, and why?

“I have to admit, [I’m] not that big on American history, but I’m going to have to go with Devon [Williams] and go Obama. Change, it’s where it’s at.

Drew Englund, junior, “Vote penguin, vote Drew Englund” My name is Drew Englund and I aspire to be ECOS President.

The reason that I want this position is because I have a desire to make some changes about the college.

My biggest goal as President would be to change the interaction between students and the meal plan system. Specifically, right now the only way to get off of the meal plan is to have a doctor’s note that says that you are actually getting sick from the food, or move into the Omega dorm.

It would be my goal to give students who wish to obtain food from sources other than Bon Appétit the ability to do so.

The most unique asset that I think I would bring to the office is my experience as a paralegal. I am familiar with the legal system, and especially have experience with the legal workings of nonprofit organizations (such as ECOS).

What will you bring to the RespECt Campaign?

“I’m really happy with how well the campaign has gone. I actually know very little about the RC so my first missions would be to find out more about it, ask people who have been in charge of it the last couple years what’s going on and try to coordinate everybody together. Getting students involved would be excellent.”

Who is your presidential role model, and why?

“Honestly, I really like Nixon. This will probably surprise a lot of people because Nixon gets a lot of hate, but I really like Nixon namely because of how excellent he was at diplomacy. It might strike people as odd…he opened diplomatic relations with China, he had an excellent foreign policy, and he just did all kinds of things.

“The fact that he’s looked down upon as a pretty

terrible person also helps me sort of root for the underdog.”

What do you do for fun on campus?

“Well I’m going to have to take a nerd position on this question. I play a lot of video games, I’m also the president of two of the probably nerdiest clubs on campus, EC Dungeons + Dragons and the Magic the Gathering Trading Card Game club. That’s primarily what I do with my time, I play D+D, I trade cards and I play video games.”

Favorite energy drink?

“I don’t drink energy drinks.”

Devon “Makin’ Change Since ‘91” Williams, junior My love for ECOS began as a freshman senator representing the Sigma complex. Since then I have served as the Director of Communications, a member of the Board of Intercollegiate Relations, the Executive Chief of Staff and Vice President of Academic Affairs. ECOS is an untapped resource on campus and I can help everyone to realize his or her membership in the Eckerd College Organization of Students.

My goals in office consist of: Transparency Students don’t realize all of the ways that ECOS can benefit them. In continuing the work that Stephen Barber has done as President this year, I would like to expand the reach of ECOS and make sure that students know they can employ the resources ECOS offers like the Academic Conference Grant, ICV Funding and other means to pursue projects, trips, club events and

academic endeavors.

Communication ECOS internal and external communication needs to be overhauled. I have a communication plan I intend to implement immediately upon induction into office that includes creating a strong foundation for all members of the ECOS Executive Council and Cabinet. This plan will also include more effective and efficient ways for students to communicate their needs to ECOS and work with the Executive Council and the Cabinet to achieve their requests.

Tradition Traditions at Eckerd have been fundamental in the academic, residential, athletic and recreation spheres of the community. I would like to dedicate a lot of my time as President to helping preserve the traditions we already have like supporting athletics, NCAA and intramural, as well as helping students to create new traditions by planning events and supporting new initiatives.

My love for ECOS and the Eckerd community makes me the perfect candidate for ECOS President.

I’m driven and dedicated. I won’t fault on my promises and I promise you will benefit from ECOS when I am elected President.

What will you bring to the RespECt Campaign?

“The respect campaign is something I really love because I was part of the founding as a freshman senator in sigma, and something that has been a good addition to the campaign this year is that it’s really spread campus wide. It’s no longer just an ECOSexclusive campaign that we’re running here.

I think when it was first implemented it was a lot of what ECOS thought, and now as someone who is a representative of the students in ECOS, I want to re-focus and see what the students think.”

Who is your presidential role model, and why?

“I would definitely have to go with Barack Obama. His first 100 days were extremely impressive, the bills passed are all things that are in my core values, especially the

equal pay act which,…as a woman and a feminist, that’s something that I really subscribe to.”

What do you do for fun on campus?

“When I was a Beta girl, it was all about laying out at the waterfront.

Now that I’m a Nu girl, rocking in nu 11, always on Kappa Field, love cookouts on South Beach.

“I have recently taken up riding yellow bikes. I used to be very afraid to ride yellow bikes because I’m kind of short so I’d need something like a sidewalk to get on them but these new ones are just my height so I get to ride around.

I love going to all the Palmetto events...there are a lot of great events on campus.”

Favorite energy drink?

“Coffee.”

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the current

March 9, 2012

News 5

ECOS Executive Council candidates continued...

Vice President Eliza Van Dissel

Perry Evans

Junior “Call me a Mustang because I’m driven.”

Junior “Vote for Pedro Perry.”

The best lesson that I learned from spending the last year as a part of ECOS Senate, representing Zeta, was that I want more. I want more teamwork, more communication and more efficiency; all qualities that I can bring to the table. I want to reiterate that this campus belongs to students. Stephen Barber’s ‘small changes, significant impact’ campaign is something that I want to make bigger and reflect the desires of you: the student body.

I plan to bring scoreboards to Kappa Field for the men and women’s rugby clubs. I’d like to put up mirrors around campus to reduce the long board collision rate, a vision that I believe has been planned but yet to be made a reality.

I also want to make this campus more sustainable with small, modern changes. I believe there has to be a way to have more lights on campus be set to timers and motion sensors; I’ve already put research into seeing if there is a way to power the fitness center by utilizing energy created by cardio machines.

After spending the past year as part of ECOS Senate, I believe I have a solid understanding of the responsibilities I’m signing myself up for; and I’m ready for the opportunity to do more for you. I look forward to being a communicator between students and ECOS. I want to be Vice President, because I want to be yours, and make this campus ours.

When you decide to run for an elected position they give you a packet explaining the rules and asking you why you are interested in running. Really it couldn’t be simpler; I’m running because I love this campus!

My name is Perry Evans and over the three years that I have been here, Eckerd College has facilitated a change in me for the better, so it’s time to give back. As Executive Vice President I would make sure to connect the student body with the amazing work that ECOS does by making weekly updates about senate meetings mandatory. As students you deserve to know what’s happening and your voice matters.

Also, as the current club head of EC men’s Rugby I know how hard it is for clubs to get the support they want and need. Because of this I will be working with ECOS to make club related business more streamlined.

Overall I know that I can do this job effectively and will strive to represent the students of this wonderful school as best I can.

What do you consider your greatest leadership position?

I feel as though I rise to leadership in most occasions that need it. I did a National Outdoors Leadership School (NOLS) course and after that I really fully came into myself and I think that part of being a good leader is being a good follower so it’s important to know what you are getting into.”

What do you do for fun on campus?

I like to be involved in everything. I’m part of Palmetto. I’m currently on ECOS senate.

I just ran my first half marathon, which was pretty fun. I like playing volleyball and lying

out on Kappa field.

What has been your greatest learning experience in or out of class?

Eckerd provided me with the opportunity to travel abroad in Thailand and backpack around southeast Asia so the ability to become self reliant and competent all around the world was awesome and I carry that with me and utilize that for other experiences.

Burrito Boarder or Tijuana Flats?

Tijuana Flats – fish tacos

What do you consider your greatest leadership position you have held or are holding?

Being President of EC Men’s Rugby team is definitely the leadership position I am most proud of and one which has kept me adapting to new situations.

What do you do for fun on campus?

Well besides Rugby I’m a big fan of laying on Kappa Field and recently I have gotten

into paddle boarding, [it’s] so fun.

What has been your greatest learning experience in or out of class?

Having taken LSDP my freshman year and now facilitated two years, I would say that that has been my greatest in class learning experience.

Burrito Boarder or Tijuana Flats?

BURRITO BOARDER!!

VP of Academic Affairs

VP of Financial Affairs Erin Stringer Sophomore

Brady O’Donnell

Freshman “Stuff happens, let’s make it good stuff.”

My name is Brady O’Donnell and I am incredibly eager to run for ECOS Executive Vice President of Financial Affairs.

Earlier this year I ran for Beta Senator as a freshman and unfortunately did not win the election. But hey, “stuff ” happens and you just have to pick yourself up and try again, because I am confident I will undertake the responsibilities of the Exec VPFA position.

As an extremely motivated, resourceful, caring, and outgoing person I know I can synergize with this school’s outstanding clubs and organizations, especially because I have been getting involved since day one. I look forward to working with clubs and their budgets and I will be confident about approving or rejecting transactions. I think a great new addition would be to transition the reimbursement process from paper work to online processes, because it’s important students get their money quickly. As Vice President of Financial Affairs, I will promise to have a big impact on the ECOS Executive Council and I will continue to do so all year. Maybe I was not meant to be a senator so I could run for this position instead.

Everything happens for a reason and I know I’m fully capable for this position after planning Capture the Flag and Pizza with the President, taking Leadership and Self Development and assuming the responsibilities of Chief of Staff in ECOS. I’m ready to make a difference.

On any given day, how quickly do you respond to text, emails and calls?

“I also receive email on my phone, so an hour at the latest, if not right away.”

If given the choice, would you rather fund a limited number of ‘powerhouse’ clubs or a larger number of upstart smaller clubs?

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“I believe in having a balance, the powerhouse and smaller clubs have an equal right to money.”

I love being involved in ECOS. I have been since freshman year, first as an Academic Affairs committee member, then as the ECOS Director of Public Relations, so I know what’s worked and what hasn’t for this position.

I think the biggest thing that’s been lacking is student involvement. We have so many varied interests at this school and so few voices in deciding what speakers come onto campus. Getting a strong Academic Affairs committee as well as going out and talking with students to find out what types of speakers they want would be my focus if elected.

Aside from that, I want to expand the student-faculty interaction. I have quite a few ideas for that, my favorites being student-faculty Olympics and jeopardy. The student-faculty relationship at Eckerd is unique and one of my favorite things about this school, and the more opportunities to cultivate it the better.

I think the potential for this position has been overlooked the past few years and I want to change that. This position is all about listening and acting upon the interests and values of the Eckerd students and I’m confident I can do that well.

What events do you plan to bring to Eckerd?

I want to expand on the Pitchers with Professors idea. I plan to bring events that are casual but allow students to interact with professors outside of the classroom. I would like to also start a type of Jeopardy game with students and professors as well as studentfaculty Olympics.

What experience do you have with managing funds?

What do you do for fun on campus?

I am the president of the concert choir. I am in charge of collecting money from the choir members to purchase thank you cards and the end of the year gift for the director.

Deadmau5 or Skrillex?

What has been your greatest learning experience in or out of the classroom?

“Rugby and any other sport on Kappa Field. Playing music with my dorm mates.”

“Old deadmau5 and new Skrillex”

Visit us online at www.theonlinecurrent.com

I learned a lot about life experience dur-

ing the time I took off before starting school.

I worked a lot and went on a mission trip abroad. It really helped me to find who I am as a person and what I want to accomplish in my life.

What do you do for fun on campus?

I am a member of concert choir. I also enjoy kayaking and paddle-boarding. I eat sushi a lot with my friends. I’ve also recently gotten back into running and Eckerd is a great place to go for a run because it is so beautiful on campus.

What is your favorite TV show?

My favorite TV show right now is “Downton Abbey.” I’m kind of a history geek. I love it. I also enjoy “How I Met Your Mother.”

6 News

the current

March 9, 2012

Editor-in-Chief Ashley Daniels thecurrent@eckerd.edu Managing Editor Max Martinez

News Editor Jaclyn New Elizabeth Tomaselli currentnews@eckerd.edu Asst. News Editors Malena Carollo Josh Keeler Viewpoints Editor Jeralyn Darling currentviews@eckerd.edu Asst. Viewpoints Editor Carver Elliot Lee

Entertainment Editor Shelby Howell currententertainment@eckerd.edu Asst. Entertainment Editor Cait Duffy Ian Lindsay The Quickie Editors Hayden Johnson Ely Grinfeld Health & Fitness Editor Elizabeth Tomaselli Asst. Health & Fitness Editor Kelly Coston Mike Geibel Sports Editor Lincoln Andres-Beck currentsports@eckerd.edu Asst. Sports Editors Will Creager Greg Reiley Photo Editor Cassie Ochoa Asst. Photo Editor Alex Zielinski Web Editor Johnny Jones Asst. Web Editors Mike Geibel Seth Ravid Web Master Shawn Craine

Film Festival raises environmental issues For 14 years and counting, Eckerd’s Environmental Film Festival has been supplying the Tampa Bay area with thought provoking films. Made possible by a host of campus departments and organizations as well as a grant from the Phoenix Foundation, the festival aims to start a conversation in the community about issues that our environment faces every day.

By the looks of the most recent installment of the festival, it’s accomplishing just that.

The festival opened with “The Turin Horse” directed by Hungarian director Bela Tarr. While it stood out among other films for not being a documentary, it was still able to provide a look at nature in a more abstract way. It showed how a lack of resources, especially in barren rural areas, can be so important and can also be thought of as an example of the treatment of animals.

“Eckerd College, for a long time, has said that there are two unique perspectives it wants to make sure every student engages. One is international, and international cinema does that, and the other is environmental and the environmental film festival works with that environmental perspective,” comments Professor Catherine Griggs, one of the two coordinators of the Eckerd College

Graphic Designers Carver Elliot Lee Max Martinez Alex Zielinski

Faculty Adviser Tracy Crow Director of Finances Beth Robinson Director of PR/Advertising Devon Williams currentads@eckerd.edu Asst. Director of PR/Advertising Arielle Burger Columnists Sean Lawlor Ethan Packey Evan Bollier

Environmental Film Festival along with her partner Professor Nathan Anderson.

Saturday’s film was “Crude,” directed by Joe Berlinger, which chronicles the drama of one of the biggest corporate lawsuits ever, brought against Chevron for its destructive drilling practices in the Amazon. In the film, we not only see the legal proceedings of the case but also have our eyes opened to the destruction oil production causes in the environment.

“Crude” was courtesy of Professor Griggs introduced by special Students, professors and community members participate in a discussion following a movie at the 14th guest speaker Peter annual Environmental Film Festival.

Maass, an awardThe movie was particularly taught by Prof. Cathy Griggs for winning writer and the author of the book Crude relevant due to the recent coup in students in the PEL program, World: The Violent Twilight of Oil. the small island country that forced and another class for residential students, taught this year by Sunday’s documentary was a last Nasheed out of office.

The film festival has been Prof. Jason Sears,” Said Professor minute entry directed by Jon Shenk titled “The Island President.” an enlightening experience for Anderson.

Freshman Sarah Jackson was This film followed Mohammed community members and students Nasheed’s first year as president of alike. “It gets some issues out one of these students. “It’s nice to the Maldives and his fight against there,” said junior Kyle Berghold, give us an opportunity to learn a global warming in international adding that “The Island President” bunch of things through this,” she marked the first time he had heard said. “These are films I never would politics. about the plight of the Maldives. found on my own, so it’s cool that He praised “Crude” for being, “very they set these up for you.” enlightening about some of our At the end of the festival, the modern oil productions issues. I documentary “The City Dark” won thought it was very motivating.” the Audience Choice Award for its After the credits rolled, viewers portrayal of the effects that light took part in in-depth discussions on pollution has on the environment. environmental issues that allowed As far as the overall attendance of the whole room to spark with the festival, Professor Griggs noted, questions and ideas on the topics “we had excellent audiences every presented. “Such a spark!” said one night. Opening and closing nights of the participants and community were close to capacity of Miller activist Winnie Foster. “The people Auditorium. We had audiences who stayed behind here obviously drawn from the EC community, have some things to say to each faculty, staff and students, as well other and the film stimulates is. So as interested people from the local we need to make something grow community. out of that in the community.”

“The audience has grown steadily The festival is also used for two over the years and now most courtesy of Professor Griggs individual classes. “There is a class screenings are near capacity.”

Food from the organic garden on display at the EFF. 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.

Alumni, the gift that needs to keep on giving Alumni from front page

compared to peer institutions such as Cornell College, Juniata College, Hampshire College, and Hartwick College, according to Bisset. In order to increase the yearly donation figure, the College will soon name a new Director of Alumni Engagement.

“In my experience, the only reason someone doesn’t give is because he or she hasn’t been connected to Eckerd first and then asked for a gift,” Bisset said. “The Director of Alumni Engagement, a position we hope to have filled by mid-March, is an essential part of the College’s plan to expand our culture of giving. Without sustained engagement from the time of a student’s graduation (and even before), it is too easy for an alumnus to develop other priorities and lose his or her connection with the institution, which only results in more difficulty rebuilding the relationship down the line.”

Currently, the College’s pursuit

of donations consists of speaking with as many alumni, parents, and friends as possible at events hosted by alumni and parents throughout the country, as well as Reunion Weekend March 9-11, which includes a breakfast with President Eastman. Also, the college wants to raise awareness on the impact that donations have on students’ education.

“We want Eckerd students to understand that gifts from alumni play a direct role in funding their education,” Bisset said.

“By increasing that awareness, we hope to encourage students to assist those who follow them after graduation. As natural givers, Eckerd students and alumni are poised for philanthropy. Already, alumni from the Class of 2011 are making gifts at whatever level possible for them, and their participation will only increase as we work harder to keep graduates interested and involved in Eckerd.”

According to a survey of Eckerd

students, 47.5 percent said the from Manhattan, N.Y. said. plan on donating after graduating, “We know the healthiest schools but 47.7 percent of those said they have strong cultures of giving would only donate between $5-$50 back among students and alumni,” dollars per year.

Bisset said.

The average “Alumni giving donation at plays a crucial Eckerd is $250, role in the health with donations of an institution. ranging from $5 Grantmakers look to $75,000. 78 at alumni giving percent of those data – how many who said they give and how much would not donate – when assessing said they don’t see whether they will themselves being make a gift to a able to afford to college. donate to the “Nearly 47% —Karyn Paradis, sophomore College. of Eckerd alumni “I definitely made a gift to the want to donate successful Many Experiences, One to Eckerd,” Karyn Paradis, a Spirit Campaign, and thanks in sophomore from East Hartford, part to the Campaign, the College Conn. Said. “But I won’t be able to is in its best financial health ever. until I pay off my student loans.”

Our next priority is to engage more “I love Eckerd, but I would donate to a charity before Eckerd,” alumni in the exciting year-to-year Gea Cohen-Paci, a sophomore growth we are experiencing.”

“I definitely want to donate to Eckerd. But I won’t be able to until I pay off my student loans.”

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the current

March 9, 2012

Unused and unwanted: Are the EC student shuttles gone for good?

By Sarah Malhotra Staff Writer It takes almost seven minutes to walk from the psychology building to Café Bon Appetit. To get from Fox Hall to Lewis House it’s close to eight minutes. It takes nearly 13 to walk from the pool to Omega.

And this is at night, without having to dodge long boarders, bikers, cars and pedestrians. Imagine what it’s like between classes.

These times were reduced significantly with the aid of the EC student shuttles, but the shuttles are no longer here to help.

Campus Activities instated the temporary program to help out when the parking lots were under construction. Now that the parking crisis has died down a bit, the shuttles are gone.

“It was never meant to be a permanent program,” said Campus Activities Director Fred Sabota.

“We wanted to ease the transition by offering the shuttle service.”

The shuttles were driven by students in the work-study program and were meant to shuttle students and faculty from displaced parking lots to communal drop-off areas

mostly on the academic side of campus. After several student drivers reported that the shuttles weren’t consistently used, Campus Activities decided the program was no longer cost-effective.

“We had to pay for the gas and the rentals [of the shuttles] and student staff costs,” said Assistant Director Weston Babelay. According to him, it wasn’t a cost-effective solution.

Despite Campus Activities’ insistence that there have been no complaints about the lack of shuttles, students have noticed their absence.

“People loved the shuttles if they were a freshman going to the freshman lot, or drunk people going to Omega. It was a great way to make friends and get around,” said junior Brianna Dickinson, a former shuttle driver.

Junior Kelsey Alheim said that she misses the student shuttles, as they shortened her long walks to and from classes.

“It would be so much more convenient to have the shuttles.

Three out of four of my classes are in the psych building, so that means I have to walk back and forth from there to Nu several times a day.

Catherine Griggs, professor of American Studies in the PEL program, was preparing for the Environmental Film Festival at her desk at home when she received a call from her sister. It was a Wednesday.

“Aunt Rose Marie is on the [TV] station,” her sister said. “Boo was killed in Syria.”

According to Newsday, Griggs’ younger cousin, Marie “Boo” Colvin, was killed on Feb. 22 by a rocket attack while on assignment in Homs. She was 56.

Colvin worked as a foreign correspondent for London’s The Sunday T i m e s .

T h o u g h she covered war, she often focused on bringing light to an o f te n - o v e r l o o ke d demographic courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

By Evan Bollier Columnist

photo by Lincoln Andres-Beck Student shuttle parked outside Service Learning.

It is highly unfortunate and time consuming.”

The shuttles themselves were rentals, because purchasing shuttles was too expensive. The Business Office already had to hire extra students to drive them around campus, so they didn’t want to spend thousands of dollars buying shuttles, as well.

Weston Babelay acknowledged that there is always a chance the shuttles could return if the need arises.

“There’s always a possibility if students voice their opinions, but it’d be on a limited basis.”

Campus Activities maintains that the new speed bumps do not hinder golf cart or shuttle performance. However, in the course of doing research for this article, I witnessed a golf cart slow down when approaching a speed bump and drive up onto the grass to avoid going over the bump. Maybe the shuttles really weren’t made for such intense obstacles after all.

during wartime—women and children.

“She [was] in a tradition of women correspondents who have very dangerous kinds of beats around the world,” Griggs said. “There aren’t many correspondents out there who cover the stuff she did.”

It was on this dangerous beat that she acquired her iconic eye patch. According to BBC, she was wounded by military fire, losing her eye. As soon as she could, Griggs said, Colvin was back out in the field ready to cover the next story.

Though Colvin spent most of her adult life in London, the two were close in their youth.

“When we were kids we had tons of fun together,” Griggs said. “They were the Oyster Bay, Long Island branch of the family. Our mothers [were like sisters], it was a very closeknit family.”

Both Colvin and Griggs share the family’s “wild hair.” Griggs described Colvin as serious and “very committed to social justice causes,” but also fun-loving.

“Her nickname was Boo because she was always sneaking up on people and going ‘Boo!’,” she said.

Colvin is one of several foreign correspondents who has died recently.

“It seems to be open season on war correspondents,” Griggs said, citing the deaths of New York Times Foreign Correspondent Anthony Shadid and photographer Tim

Hetherington. “Her brother said that when he saw her on an interview the day before that he was really worried because you could she where she was, and she had been a target for a long time. She out-slicked everyone by out-moving, but in Syria you couldn’t keep moving.”

Griggs fears that Colvin is the “end of a breed” of journalists that cover hard news.

“The way journalism is going is very disturbing to me in that it seems like one paper after another is rolling up its foreign bureaus and not supporting real journalism,” she said. “It seems like most Americans think the Colbert report is real news without any realization that the information comes to us from some very brave individual. I fear [foreign correspondents are] becoming endangered.”

At the time of press, Colvin’s remains were buried in Homs, despite reports they would be returned March 6 to the United States. A Syrian activist posted a video on YouTube burying what he claims are her remains on March 5.

“She wouldn’t like it if this was just about her,” Griggs said. “She would much prefer this to be about the crisis in Syria and the way the world is thinking about these kinds of global events now. Otherwise it just becomes celebrity, a wellknown journalist is killed. It kind of renders what she did with her life and her death kind of unimportant.”

Committee works with Bon Appétit to improve food service Bon Appetit from front page

with their other chefs in just kind of passing that message along,” McMullen said.

To help empirically measure this, Student Affairs is conducting surveys during March on student opinions of campus dining. Using three iPods from Campus Activities, student workers ask students leaving the dining facilities to take a brief survey that measures their satisfaction. Surveys are conducted randomly at different meal times and food outlets.

Campus Labs, an off-campus assessment organization, processes the surveys. They conduct similar processing for other departments,

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including the housing survey.

Student Affairs hopes to get 300400 survey responses, though one person can take it at multiple meals.

While the committee has made some strides in expressing student opinion, they’re still getting their footing. Wetmore, faculty advisor for the group, wants to see a larger representation of the student body meet more consistently.

“I always felt like at every meeting there were different people there, so you didn’t really build momentum,” she said. “It’s like you’re starting again because you have a whole new audience that’s bringing its own agenda to the table.”

Visit us online at www.theonlinecurrent.com

Earth update Carbon Offset Fund finances new campus sustainability project

Professor’s cousin and well-known journalist killed in Syria

By Malena Carollo Asst. News Editor

News 7

Long, who provides a faculty perspective on the cafeteria experience in the committee, was a founding member of an earlier version in 2002. Sodexo was the food provider then. The group, The Food Service Committee, had an email alias for student feedback and discussed variety and new ideas for the menu.

He echoed Wetmore’s sentiment for more consistent meetings and involvement, further suggesting an email alias or online forum.

The forum, he says, would allow students to provide feedback at their convenience and allow the administrative members of the

group to gauge how students are feeling about the cafeterias.

“With us being the type of school that we are, we want as many student-led things as possible,” Long said. “We don’t want to have the administration be the ones to say ‘Hey, let’s do this’ all the time.”

Food Committee meetings are open to the public. To get involved, contact McMullen at mcmulldp@ eckerd.edu.

“We’re always looking for more active members,” McMullen said.

“We’re also going to need someone who is really passionate about this to kind of step up next year as well.”

Students from Winter Term trips and Spring Break Service Learning Trips have donated money into this fund to offset their carbon from flying around the world. Instead of donating the money to a third party company to offset carbon elsewhere, the money goes directly to support sustainability initiatives on Eckerd’s campus. This year we want you, the students, to decide which sustainability project the Carbon Offset Fund money should support. Check your email for a survey sent from Evan Bollier so you can vote for one of the following before March 14: Reducing Paper Towel Consumption: If chosen, the money will go to purchase a Dyson Airblade hand dryer for the Cobb Fitness Center bathroom. This is an extremely energy efficient machine using 80% less electricity than a standard hand dryer. Each dry with paper towels accounts for 12.5g of carbon dioxide where as the Airblade emits 3.8g of carbon dioxide per dry. This is a 70% reduction over paper towels.

Increasing Energy Efficiency: If chosen, the money will be used for 15 EcoThink Modlet smart plugs, which drastically reduce stand by (or vampire) power in computer labs and other places with large plug loads.

Promoting Reusable Water Bottles: If chosen, the money will go to purchase two water bottle filling stations. These filling stations make it much easier and efficient to fill reusable water bottles with filtered, cold, clean water while avoiding disposable plastic water bottles

Office hours: Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. bollieea@eckerd.edu 727-864-8980.

8 News

the current

March 9, 2012

B l a s t f r o m t h e pa s t

Welcome back to the “blast from the past,” a feature showcasing articles from our archives. This piece, from Nov. 16, 1976, tells the story of a pig who become an EC student and the adventures he went on.

Bringing home the bacon: A boy and his pig

By Robert Dietz Long-gone alumni “Bold New Directions” has once again struck Eckerd College. Late Tuesday night a new concept in the admissions policy of this institution arrived on campus to look things over. If he approves, a whole new era at Eckerd will have begun. Of course I am referring to Mordamar Schnurd (commonly known as Mort the Snort). Despite the fact that his SAT scores were not as high as most of the freshmen class, his unique background made it possible for Admissions to accept him.

If you have not been formally introduced to Mordamar yet, he is the pig that was tied up in front of the cafeteria on Wednesday night. He was not returned to the cafeteria again because he said the food isn’t fit for pigs (mind you, this is merely one pig’s opinion and does not nessarily reflect the opinions of the owners).

After arriving on campus Tuesday, Mordamar paid an unexpected visit to the room of Dan Pantano early Wednesday morning before deciding the Freeman House was for him.

Most observers believe that he will feel right at

home in Freeman House. Despite remaining in his “room” most of the day Wednesday and Thursday, Mort commented that he is enjoying the social life here, especially the romps with the codes (dogs), Ouisel, Lucey and Jolie, behind Beta Complex.

Where does this advance in recruitment leave Eckerd College? It has been suggested that Eckerd go agricultural. This would allow other deserving cows, chickens, etc. to get the best in educational opportunities. The job market for pigs with college education is virtually untouched and this would be an excellent opportunity for deserving pigs throughout our nation, and the extra enrollment would certainly help the college.

Mordamar has received a work scholarship with Buildings and Grounds (B and G) digging trenches. One administrator expected an increase in work productivity.

Among his other interest, Mordamar is quite a sports enthusiast. He mentioned that he was the biggest “rooter” for the athletic teams at his last school. Mordamar has also made it knownhe will be leaving soon (to our chagrin) and is going to become the pet of some deserving 4-H Club member in the area, but has shown interest in possibly becoming an Eckerd College Trustee.

Mordamar’s only regret about his stay thus far is that his Eckerd education is lacking in one respect: that of having a roommate. Thus, Mordamar would like to make his request for a roommate official. If photo by Pete Angelos you feel you are compatible with these fellow Greg Lawson recently confided that he’s always envisoned himcharacteristics, Mordamar will be accepting selg as he’s pictured here - romping in causul dress with man’s personal interviews. proverbial “best friend.”

Some facts about Mordamar: Age: 8 weeks Height: 18 inches Weight: 35 pounds Hair: Reddish brown Health: Excellent, he’s even had his swine flu shot Sex: Male Breed: 100% Chauvinist Eating Habits: He loves corn, but he eats like

a pig Marital Status: Single Favorite Sport: Skiing (he loves hotdogging) Least Favorite Sport: Football (he can’t bear to watch people throw the old pigskin around) Occupation: Comedian (he’s a born ham) Guardians: National Association for the Advancement of Pigs (NAAP), Robert Dietz, Chris Kogstrom, Keith Orr, John Petito and David “Arkansas” Scruggs.

Three Eckerd community members passed recently Clark Bouwman At the age of 92, Clark Bouwman, founding faculty member of Florida Presbyterian/Eckerd College, passed away Feb. 7.

Of Dr. Bouwman and a select group of men, Eckerd College President, Donald Eastman, in Feb. 2008 said, “These are the men who made a college of transcendent purpose and compelling vision out courtesy of www.eckerd.edu of hope and faith, sand- Founding member Clark Bouwman spurs and palmetto. Those of us who came after came, mostly, because we were moths to the flame of the light of that vision.”

James R. Carlson

Gary Meltzer

Founder of Eckerd College’s Theater Program and physical designer of Bininger Center of Performing Arts, James R. Carlson, passed away Jan. 28 at the age of 94.

Carlson joined Eckerd College’s faculty in 1964, a mere four years after the opening of the College to students. courtesy of www.eckerd.edu Professor Carlson was Theater program founder James Carlson the director for the theater program in the 60’s and early 70’s.

Gary Meltzer, associate professor of classics at Eckerd College, passed away Dec. 31 at the age of 60. Professor Meltzer earned a double Ph.D in classics and comparative literature and worked at The George Washington University and courtesy of obits.dignitymemorial.com Villanova UniversiProfessor of Classics Gary Meltzer ty where he was the director of graduate classical studies.

Visit us online at www.theonlinecurrent.com

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the current

March 9, 2012

CViewpoints Painting over the pain “Once a herald of acceptance and freedom, EC Pride had been marred by juvenile remarks and attitudes.” — Ely Grinfeld Inside on page 11

Viewpoints

9

INSIDE VIEWPOINTS

Op-ed: Staff writer Sean Lawlor discusses GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum’s view on a secular government page 12

Letter to the Editor: Bring back the bulls--t Max asked for it, now some students are planning for it page 11

My big fat gay column: Is America’s LGBTfriendly attitude sincere?

page 10

Friendly Fire: Sean Lawlor and Ethan Packey take on tax reforms

page 12

The mural, painted in 2009, was originally created five years ago after homophobic and racial slurs were plastered around campus.

photo by Ely Grinfeld

A call for more spirit

Athletes deserve priority scheduling

By Ashley Daniels Editor-in-Chief

Student-athletes at Eckerd are not given priority registration, and it’s affecting how we play.

As I was applying to colleges, I fully envisioned myself going to a large school with a recognizable name and reputation. To a school I’d seen on TV, thanks to its football team and coliseum-like stadium filled with screaming fans all dressed in a rippling sea of school colors. These were the schools, to me, that projected a sense of passion and community so powerful I felt I had to be a part of it, regardless of whether it would actually be the best academic fit.

Obviously, Eckerd was not the ideal choice. Even though I don’t play sports, I have always had a great respect for them. After all, I grew up with a football coach as a father who believed, “A real college has a football team.” So imagine his shock when I chose Eckerd, or should I say when Eckerd chose me since I didn’t get into those big schools whose names you would recognize.

Coming from a high school where spirit week was the most anticipated week of the year and homecoming weekend brought in the largest crowd, I’ve never understood why Eckerd doesn’t partake in such events. Of course, all schools are different, and it may be unfair to compare a small liberal arts school like Eckerd to the largest, most popular See SPIRIT, page 11

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By Greg Reilly Asst. Sports Editor

courtesy of Triton Tribe The blue man with Triton Tribe members.

“I think this year’s lack of enthusiasm and attendance at sporting events also has to be attributed to our students.”

- Turner Humphries, Triton Tribe president

Visit us online at www.theonlinecurrent.com

It is no secret that being a student athlete comes with certain perks, especially at the Division I level.

Some of those perks are legal, such as free gear, missed classes for games without consequence and access to free training and treatment, among others. The more frequently publicized perks are the illegal ones, like envelopes of money, paychecks from off-campus jobs that don’t expect you to actually work or free cars, which tend to get big-time sports schools in hot water with the NCAA. Another common perk for athletes at the Division I and II levels is priority scheduling, or the right to schedule their classes first to ensure that they can make it to practice on time.

Eckerd’s athletic program is Division II and does not offer its athletes this luxury.

Eckerd’s stance on the matter is simple, according to Athletic Director Dr. Bob Fortosis. “Eckerd is not a place where athletics is the

tail that wags the academic dog,” Fortosis stated in an email. “We are insistent that our student athletes should be and are treated just as any other Eckerd College student.”

While those intentions are good, the bottom line is that a lot of money goes into funding Eckerd’s 11 athletic teams, which accounts for about 180 student athletes. So why not give a small percentage of the student body a chance to get their work done early in the day so they can join their full team at practice in the afternoon? After all, that is what Eckerd’s competitors do.

“It’s not about comparing us with other schools, it’s about comparing students with students,” said Bill Buttner, head coach of the men’s and women’s golf teams. “It’s ridiculous to have a team sport that can’t practice during a scheduled time.”

This affects every sport. How is a basketball team supposed to practice their offense if there aren’t enough to play defense? How can the soccer teams scrimmage if their goalies are in class? Even tennis, one of the most individual of sports at Eckerd, is affected, says senior Brian Hill.

“It affects us that we never have our entire team at practice,” Hill said. “So if I’m the number two guy and I need to be practicing against See ATHLETES, page 10

10 Viewpoints

the current

March 9, 2012

My big fat gay column

Smile like you mean it

By Max Martinez Managing Editor

Contrasted against decades of contempt and disapproval, it’s nice to finally see the public putting on a hearty smile toward the gay community. But while I can see the whites of your teeth, I’m not convinced it’s entirely sincere.

Are you finally clamped down hard enough on that tongue of yours because you realized you were wrong, or because you’re just afraid of risking a sharp backlash?

We went for the throat after Tracy Morgan went hypothetically homicidal in pursuit of humor. And regardless of how he fares in the primaries, Santorum will always have his Google problem.

Is that really our reputation, the expected response to any non-progay sentiment? “Come at us and we’ll take your career, your business, whatever you got and knock it out at the knees.” Did I miss those votes at the last National Gay Agenda Strategy Summit? I mean, we unanimously approved the continuing indoctrination of youth through The Wiggles and Sesame Street, but bitchiness too?

Maybe that was approved before my time.

If you’re afraid to break that smile, I apologize; I don’t ask for saccharine tolerance. There are numerous things I frown at, laugh at, satirize, criticize.

The “modern gay,” if you will, is not without its share of problems, as is the case with the modern male, the modern female, the modern parent.

Take a shot if you’d like, it’s only fair. You shouldn’t have to fake an ambiguously gay persona to justify your gay jokes and criticisms (I’m looking at you, Tosh).

Don’t incite violence or promote ignorance, but feel free to voice respectful disapproval. Besides, the responsible exercising of First Amendment rights is pretty much my only workout; I support it being yours as well. If you want to frown, frown.

Those still smiling, you want to

back it up, talk real equality?

First, stop using us as token feel good news stories, seizing the equal rights zeitgeist for a ratings boost.

Following the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” we’ve already had two big news stories about same-sex homecoming kisses between troops and their partners, one in the style of the infamous WWII V-Day kiss. It’s symbolic, sure, but I bet we won’t see such news make it big again too many more times. Same goes for the general spike of LGBT-related stories; we’ve reached media buzzword status.

I will say, though, I’m pleased with the way the media has dealt with the violence toward the LGBT community, especially the recent beating of a gay man in Atlanta, and last year’s teen suicide fiasco. They’ve focused on something important, even if they are sucking every last ratings-boosting drop out of it.

Asking Hollywood and TV networks to move away from the flamer gay archetype would be asking too much, but if the entertainment industry is legitimately cool with gay people, then show us in bed. Nothing Xrated (If you like “Dexter” you’ll love “Six Feet Under”), just on par with how straight characters are shown sexually. We’re lucky to get an extended make-out scene but they can more or less show some cougar screwing the pool boy in Desperate Housewives?

Party foul, ABC. And yes, I watched season one.

As much as I hate to admit it, “Glee” is probably the most progressive show in terms of gay representations and topics, even with the horribly stereotypical but well-drawn character of Kurt Hummel.

Finally, don’t assume all gays want to meet all other gays. If I had a dollar for every time somebody told me, “oh you should meet my friend, he’s gay too,” I’d be well on my way to paying off my student loan debt. If it’s the thought that counts, I appreciate it, but just because we share a defining character trait does not mean we’ll get along. Maybe it’s because we’re not portrayed as much past our sexuality in pop culture, but there’s more diversity within the gay community than outside of it.

So smile like you mean it. Or just pout.

perspECtives “Yes. We’re a community; everyone knows we’re a part of that community and it’s pretty interesting because the community gets up to some interesting stuff.”

- Kim Roth, Sophomore

Response to “Save the bulls--t, bring back the ballet” Dear Viewpoints Editor, It has come to the attention of members of the Eckerd community that there is a distinct lack of quality traditions within the student body. The article by Max Martinez in the previous issue addressed this problem directly and the response has been incredible.

Since the article was published, word has begun to spread about the return of Bulls—t Ballet. The gears are already beginning to turn on the process of resurrecting the ballet and support is growing from all over campus.

The rugby team is preparing to bring back the humorous side of the ballet, without making the mistakes that happened in past years. We are in the fortunate position to have a good group of funny players on the team who are determined to make the next generation of Bulls—t Ballet the funniest it has ever been.

We view the ballet as another opportunity to entertain the members of the Eckerd community who have supported us all season on Kappa Field and to reward everyone with a night of laughter.

The skit-writing team includes players on the team including myself and Chris Higgins, who have both performed

at comedy nights this year.

Many other members of the team are excited to perform onstage in front of a crowd as well.

Max’s article has certainly created a spark within the team to bring back the show, which many of us agree went a bit too far during its last performance.

The team is determined to put on the ballet without overstepping the boundaries of decency. Students who remember the old days of the ballet will find the skits’ content familiar, many poking light-hearted fun at members of the Eckerd community and on-campus events. New students will get their first taste of the ballet that will hopefully become a solid tradition as Max’s article suggests.

There is still a lot of work to do. If you have ideas for things you’d like to see, please let one of the players know. We still don’t have a date for the performance, and haven’t even started the process of setting up the ballet through the administration side of campus, but thanks in part to Max’s article, we are committed to making this happen and showing Eckerd College a great time.

Sincerely, Mike Geibel

“This is no Robin Hood and his Merry Men... Bart’s dead now.”

- A sociology professor on real life problems.

“You’re not drunk are you? Or stoned?”

- A literature professor to a student yawning during his own presentation.

“Cypress knees with all their fairy conventions.”

- An environmental professor on how Cypress trees look like they are straight out of a fairy tale.

“I’d like you to do one problem, just to keep you from having fun this weekend.”

- A physics professor on assigning homework for the weekend.

“If there were a thought balloon over that snail it would be empty.”

- An environmental professor on estivation of tree snails.

“I’m from north Georgia, but it’s almost east Tennessee, so I can speak that language. What’s a merangue? It’s the rang on my fanger.”

- A physics professor on backwoods accents.

Student-athletes deserve priority registration ATHLETES continued from page 9

the number one or three guy but only number 10 or 11 are there, then I’m not getting anything out of practice. But it is what is. It’s Eckerd.”

Two members of the women’s golf team are never available to make the afternoon tee times the team is provided because all the classes they need to take are in the afternoon. How can they be

expected to be ready to compete?

They can’t be. They can’t practice at night, like the basketball team is forced to do.

I know there are non-athletes who have outside commitments and jobs, but I have never heard of an employer telling a student he or she can’t work around their class schedule.

I understand that the college wants to be fair to non-athletes, but this isn’t fair to the student

athletes the school recruited to come play here.

The athletic department says it is open to the idea of improving scheduling, but if it hasn’t happened by now, I don’t think it’s because they haven’t gotten around to it.

While the college may not believe current scheduling practices are putting the teams that we fund and support at a disadvantage, they are.

Q: Do you think that Eckerd students have school spirit?

“Not to the extreme of my high school.

I think that most people show Eckerd spirit when they go to basketball games because it’s not just, ‘Oh I have Eckerd on my shirt,’ but it’s also someone cheering for your college. When I go to basketball or soccer or whatever, everyone’s really excited for our team.”

-

Amusing Musings

Letter to the Editor:

Caitlin Harding, Freshman

“I think they do. They do at the games and the cheerleading. Everyone does a very good job supporting Eckerd. It’d be fun to do stuff on campus except there’s not much to do on campus other than the games.

There’s also a lot of spirit at the parties, dressing up and stuff, it’s great.”

“I think definitely. The student body is driven by something, if you go to a rugby game there’s so many people there cheering. We are spirited because we are awesome ”

- Annaliese Davidson, Freshman

- Cameron Lucas, Freshman

photos by Cassie Ochoa

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March 9, 2012

Viewpoints 11

EC Pride:

Painting away the pain

By Ely Grinfeld Quickie Editor EC Pride has not been receiving the attention that it deserves.

The club is a safe haven for the LGBT community at Eckerd College and for those who empathize with their LGBT peers. Samantha McBride, a junior with a bobbing haircut and radiant demeanor who is vice president of Pride, grew attracted to the club and became enamored with the tight community.

She found hope in the familiarity of the environment, having been the co-president of the Pride club at her high school.

But as time passed, she found herself wanting more from the club.

“Not many people showed up after two weeks,” said McBride.

EC Pride faces the challenge of being a group with a unique characteristic distinction: being inherently tied to sexual identity. While the club is open to all, the existence of EC Pride says something about where we are in terms of acceptance and tolerance. Most believe that Eckerd is an open-minded place and it is. Yet, most also forget quickly and easily our self-perception as an inclusive community can be shattered.

If you have ever eaten at Eckerd’s main dining hall, you have definitely seen the two murals in front of the Bon Appétit Cafeteria.

They stand side by side, adjoined by a haunting message from Nathaniel Branden of acceptance. Few students are likely to be able to tell you what these murals represent.

On Apr. 1, 2006, homophobic and racist graffiti was found all over the academic grounds, some of it directed toward specific professors.

Not a single student voluntarily came forward or used silent witness to provide information regarding the incident. An investigation led to the summary suspensions of three students, suspensions that were upheld after the College’s Community Standards processes were complete. Eckerd students and faculty were horrified and shocked.

“It was very much a surprise,” remarked Associate Director of Campus Activities Lova Patterson. “I see Eckerd as being an open place.”

Overcome with a sense of duty, members of EC Pride knew they had to act.

“The students’ response was to do the mural on the ‘pumphouses,’ as they are called,” Patterson stated. “[The murals] are very sacred because they really exemplify what

photo by Ely Grinfeld A student signs up for EC Pride at the Club Fair.

Eckerd College stands for.”

The original mural is on the smaller pumphouse with colored palm prints on it. A revamped version of the mural, completed during the 2009-10 academic year, stands proudly next to it. According to Dean of Students James Annarelli, “The mural resulted as a collaboration between EC Pride and concerned students, faculty and staff who wanted to memorialize the community’s condemnation of the abhorrent actions of a few while affirming the values of tolerance and inclusiveness that define the Eckerd community.”

Lately, however, people view EC Pride as being too quiet or inactive in the community. “We lost a lot of

members by cancelling meetings,” McBride commented. “With [its] size right now, it’s a little impotent as a club.” Once a herald of acceptance and freedom, EC Pride had been marred by juvenile remarks and attitudes.

“The club itself is stereotyped,” McBride said. “People don’t want to be seen joining the ‘gay club’ and are afraid of judgment.”

Hearing that from the vice president of Pride nearly shattered my heart.

Today, EC Pride works on attracting new members and expanding their presence on campus. The club will continue hosting its famed annual drag show and hopes to incorporate more movie nights. The

club also is thankful to finally have t-shirts, a project that has been in the making for a few years.

They enjoy the attention Club Fair gets them. This year they brought out delicious cupcakes and cake pops that dazzled people’s eyes like never before. I followed the club throughout the day and noticed how each member radiated warmth that attracted people from all over.

Commenting on her plans to improve Pride’s image, McBride said, “I imagine we could do that by building up membership and gaining visibility. It’s not just a gay club, it’s an alliance and it’s open to everyone.”

A call for more spirit: EC spirit is lacking this year SPIRIT from page 9

schools in the country, but by no means are the popular ones the only schools with a strong sense of school pride and spirit.

Currently, we have 11 teams here sanctioned in the NCAA Division II Sunshine State Conference. Our teams, whether battling on the field or hitting the court, have home games during their respected seasons, and we students can attend for free. Lucky for us, we live in a climate that allows us to be outside most months, giving us no excuse not to head down to the Turley complex.

Yet, if you do find yourself at a game, you’ll find the stands near empty. Not because students are so busy with their academics or extracurricular activities but because they tend to not care what the sports teams are doing, which is a damn shame if you ask me.

Eckerd has the potential to be a school full of pride and spirit. We say we are a “community,” so I don’t understand why we don’t do more for those members of our community who are athletes.

Take for example the basketball game Feb. 29 when the men’s team took on Barry University in the first round of conference play. A huge game. At the peak of the game, I counted roughly 75 students, with only 40 or so actively cheering.

Now to some this may seem like

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a decent amount of fan support for a small school, but the gym holds plenty of people to cheer our team on. That’s a lot of empty space in need of filling.

When any type of team competes with Eckerd written across its chests, it’s representing our entire student body. I honestly believe we owe each other and our athletes the opportunity to compete within a sea of teal and white.

An absence of support is not always the case here at Eckerd. Head out to Kappa field on a Saturday for a rugby game and you will be greeted by swarms of students. Now imagine this was a normal occurrence across campus, year-round, and for all of our major sports.

Fortunately, the club devoted to school spirit, Triton Tribe, advertises the majority of athletic competition on campus, but the club’s main focus is basketball.

Junior Turner Humphries started Triton Tribe in 2010 to bring a sense of school pride to EC. The Tribe, as known by many students, has had great success, yet there are still those students who just don’t seem to get “it.”

“I will never understand the students that go to a sporting event, sit down and don’t say a word,” Humphries said.

“I think that is probably the biggest problem because more often than not those are the stu-

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dents complaining about the lack of school spirit here at Eckerd. If you really want to see a change in school spirit, you have to take an active role in that change. It is not something that will just magically appear.”

Eckerd is moving in the right direction. ECOS PR sends emails out each week to promote the games.

Basketball and Volleyball hand out free Domino’s pizza cards if eight 3-pointers or eight aces, respectively, are made in a single game. The bookstore is selling “Our House” t-shirts. Still, it is our job as students to bring school spirit to our campus.

Let’s rally a group of friends, paint our faces in EC colors, and head out to a game.

courtesy of Triton Tribe Triton Tribe members cheer on the men’s basketball team.

Q&A with Triton Tribe President Turner Humphries Why did you start Triton Tribe?

I started Triton Tribe because I was disappointed in the general lack of school spirit and dullness of our fans. Participating in the student section at sporting events is just another facet of college life that above anything else is just fun. You get to hang around your friends, yell stuff, and with Eckerd being such a tight knit community the people you are cheering on are more often than not classmates or friends.

What has been the biggest challenge for the club?

The first year Triton Tribe experienced a great deal of success, moving Eckerd’s attendance ranking to second in the conference and winning “best new club” from ECOS. While this success could not of been achieved without the help of the student body, I think this years lack of enthusiasm and attendance at sporting events also has to be attributed to our students.

I want to be careful not to lump all the blame on students, but I think students at Eckerd seem to not have a profound interest in sports. There is a pretty regular and consistent group of students that fill the student section and make

themselves heard, but if some of them don’t turn up there is little to no atmosphere. I think the administration really just has no idea what to do when it comes to sports. They a lot of money to get a mascot produced and I don’t think I’ve seen it more than a few times.

How can Eckerd promote better school spirit?

School spirit should be something that requires no promotion.

I mean you are going to be here for 4 years; take a break from whatever you’re doing and go watch a game. I promise you will have a good time.

12 Viewpoints

the current

March 9, 2012

Friendly Fire:

Tax Reform

Sean Lawlor Senior

The litany of excuses for avoiding tax reform needs to be put to rest. Since the implementation of the infamous Bush tax cuts in 2001, regressive tax policies have failed to increase economic growth or pay for themselves as conservative policy makers have claimed. By 2009, the Bush tax cuts had contributed over $1.8 trillion to the national deficit, the bulk of Bush’s deficit legacy.

Instead of providing shared economic prosperity, cuts to income, capital gains and estate taxes have only benefited the top 1 percent of earners. Since the nation is currently suffering from the largest budget deficit in history, it seems appropriate to start raising revenues by either increasing tax rates or closing tax loopholes. However, any mention of tax reform is unjustly labeled as an appeal to class warfare without any second thought that this is mere common sense. If conservatives truly believe in shared sacrifice, then the “Buffet Rule” would be passed in Congress immediately. The wealthy owe a modest portion of their wealth to the public apparatus that provides an environment where free enterprise can thrive. How could wealth be accumulated efficiently without roads, transportation, law enforcement and public safety standards funded by taxation?

First off, the tax code, even with the Bush tax cuts, is still progressive. There are six tax brackets apart from the poorest of the poor who don’t pay taxes. All tax brackets pay a standard income tax of 10 percent and tax brackets 2-6 also pay marginal rates; 15, 25, 28, 33, and 35 percent respectively.

Despite these marginal rates, Warren Buffett still makes his claims about unfair taxation because he [and most other rich people] hire expensive tax lawyers to milk the thousands of tax exemptions for all their worth. In fact, the report from President Obama’s 2010 fiscal commission identified $1.1 trillion of revenue that the government loses every year because of tax credits and exemptions used largely by the rich.

Unfortunately, the president’s plan to hike marginal tax rates on the higher tax brackets is unnecessary because those people already pay a higher percentage of their annual income, and closeminded because he doesn’t take up the readily available cause of tax simplification. This is why the president’s approaches are rightly labeled as class warfare, because they aren’t effective policies and they pit the poor and middle classes against the rich.

There have been two credible tax reform plans proposed in the last 18 months that would have eliminated tax exemptions, consolidated tax brackets, and lowered marginal rates. The first came from the 2010 fiscal commission and the second from Republican senators on the super-committee.

Both plans still succeeded in raising more tax revenue over the next decade; $1 trillion and $300 billion respectively. Both plans were endorsed by leading congressional Republicans and rejected

by President Obama despite their effectiveness in raising revenue largely on the backs of the rich.

Ethan Packey Junior

photo courtesy of Flickr/Politisite

Rick Santorum crucifies secular humanism

By Sean Lawlor Staff Writer

President Obama is far from being an ideologue on this issue.

The president’s proposals have also considered tax simplification. The Buffet Rule sets an appropriate standard that those making over $1 million should not pay less than 30 percent of their income. This bill will have a larger effect on capital gains where the rich acquire the majority of their wealth. This rate is taxed far lower than the normal income tax rates that you have referenced, 15 percent respectfully, which is why Mitt Romney can escape with a tax rate far less than the average American.

President Obama has also made a proposal to reduce the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 28 percent. At the same time, the tax plan will eliminate tax loopholes and place a minor tax on profits being made overseas by American companies. Some corporations will actually end up paying more in corporate taxes due to the closing of tax loopholes. Thus, no deficit will accumulate from these tax cuts. Mitt Romney’s plan however calls for 20 percent cuts across the board. How is the government going to pay for this? While Herman Caine’s 999 flax tax plans make catchy campaign slogans, they can’t be implemented without accumulating deficit and raising the tax rates of the financially vulnerable.

For the record, I am not defending the policies of either Herman Cain (9-9-9 plan) or Mitt Romney; I am giving my own ideas on the issue of tax reform. And on the issue of working towards a flatter tax code, both of the plans I mentioned in my last entry raised revenue and created a flatter tax code so those two goals are not mutually exclusive.

Moving quickly to corporate taxes, President Obama did come out this month in favor of decreasing the corporate tax rate. On the other hand, Republicans have been proposing these cuts for reasons of competitiveness since the presidential primary elections of 2008. Obama can only be credited with agreeing to the reality of the tax situation, not coming up with new policy ideas.

And yes, the capital gains tax rates are used as a tax shelter by the rich. But, you are missing two facts: 1) short-term capital gains tax rates are already tied to personal income tax rates and 2) the hikes in long-term capital gains rates that you want would kill investment of all kinds while raising no new revenue. In fact, it is already problematic that capital gains taxes are a double taxation; capital gains taxes are applied after personal or corporate income taxes have been collected. An appropriate course would be to eliminate capital gains taxes and use regular income taxes.

Rick Santorum at the South Carolina GOP presidential debate.

My disgust for Rick Santorum isn’t just because he’s a candidate for the GOP nomination.

I can laugh at Gingrich’s antics, such as his outrageous claims of a moon base and $2 a gallon gasoline.

I can connect with Ron Paul’s platform for civil liberties and an isolationist foreign policy, despite the fact that I disagree with the degree of his policy proposals and rhetoric.

I can even respect Mitt Romney’s frankness in explaining his values in personal success and free market capitalism.

But with Rick Santorum it’s hard to find anything humorous or commendable.

Rick Santorum stands for the kind of dangerous compassionate conservatism that, using his words, “makes me throw up.” Unlike other GOP candidates, when I think of Santorum, I immediately think of a pile of…well I’ll just let Google have the honor of putting the image in your head.

Santorum first struck my political nerve about a year ago when the Senator stated that liberals were responsible for Americans knowing too little about American history.

As a proud liberal and a recipient of a DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) award for American History, I take offense at not only a blatant statement of propaganda, but irony. After all, it’s Santorum who said, “I don’t believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute.” This statement directly contradicts the ideals of one of our founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson, who felt that religion was a subject best reserved for one’s personal not public life.

While the Constitution does not refer to the separation between Church and State, Thomas Jefferson eloquently made this clear in his 1802 letter to the Danbury Baptist Association. “Legislature should make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, thus building a wall of separation between Church & State,” he wrote. These words were to become the blueprint for the infamous “Establishment Clause”, thereby prohibiting the government from establishing a state religion.

Santorum’s statement I referenced above was meant to criticize JFK’s Catholic faith speech, which was designed to assure Americans of Kennedy’s loyalty to the American value in secular government. In Kennedy’s words, which echo that of Jefferson’s, “I believe in an America that is officially neither Catholic, Protestant nor Jewish---where no religious body seeks to impose its will directly or indirectly on the general populace or the public acts of its officials.”

Kennedy and Jefferson understood something that Santorum, George Bush and other social conservatives don’t. A healthy democratic society requires a secular public sphere that grants its citizenry the right to worship

as they so please.

In contrast, Santorum argues that, “the idea that the church should have no influence or no involvement in the operation of the state is antithetical to the objectives and vision of our country.” What Santorum is proposing is the equivalent of an Iran for Evangelical Catholicism, where women are subservient to men, homosexuals can’t serve in the military and scientific truth is up to the discretion of the pulpit.

In essence, secular humanism must be crucified while pervert priests are free to “prey” on minors, no pun intended. I’m sorry, but doesn’t that sound kind of, well un-American?

Still, it’s ambiguous what Santorum means by “involvement” and “influence” of the church within the affairs of the government.

After all, the Catholic Church has historically supported liberal policies for labor unions and welfare for the poor. In fact, Catholic Bishops have been influential backers of immigration reform that favors some form of amnesty.

In response, Santorum has stated, “If we develop the program like the Catholic bishops suggested, we would be creating a huge magnet for people to come in and break the law some more, we’d be inviting people to cross this border, come into this country and with the expectation that they will be able to stay here permanently.”

The Methodist Church has supported the president’s healthcare reform and environmental policies that protect “God’s creation.”

Santorum, on the other hand, accused President Obama of practicing “phony theology” by blocking oil exploration projects in the western frontier. Heck, Santorum even criticized President Obama and Secretary Hillary Clinton for apologizing for American soldiers burning Korans in Afghanistan.

Does Santorum really support freedom of religion and religious involvement in the public square or just a gross form of fanatic faithbased fascism?

According to Eckerd College Associate Chaplin Libby Shannon, Santorum’s faith diatribes appear selective in the ideal of religious freedom. “The problem we’re running into right now is that only one particular brand of one particular faith tradition is being supposed and imposed on the wider culture,” says Shannon. “The moment Mr. Santorum presumes his version of Christianity over any other we no longer live in a democracy, but a narrow theocracy.”

Ultimately, Santorum won’t win the GOP nomination, and if he does it will be a “Godsend” for the Democratic Party. Since the late 1990s, social conservative issues have failed to charm the moderate electorate, and Santorum’s brand of Republicanism is slowly dying out.

In fact, if she were alive today, I’d suspect conservative ideologue Ayn Rand would be Santorum’s harshest critic, for in her own words, “faith is extremely detrimental to human life: it is the negation of reason.”

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March 9, 2012

ENTERTAINMENT

Child’s play with the Gambino

By Shannon Vize Staff Writer

Never heard of Childish Gambino? Don’t worry, I’ve found that most people haven’t.

But as rap fanatics seek out fresher, original music, Gambino is sure to prove he should be the next rap sensation.

Donald Glover, 28, best known as Troy on NBC’s “Community,” is also rapper Childish Gambino. The name sounds like a combination of some sort of legend and fable, but Glover got the name after playing around with a Wu-Tang Clan name generator. He has released three albums and two mixtapes, all of which are available for download online.

With three older brothers, I’ve grown up listening to the likes of Biggie, Eminem, Big L, Jay-Z and Immortal Technique in their prime as my guides for what rap should sound like. Nowadays, I’m bombarded with overdone, auto-tuned tracks presented by sell out rappers incapable of creating lyrics with depth, emotion, and creativity.

If you’re looking for a rapper with lyrics imbedded with analogies and meaning, all

the while backed by incredible beats and instrumentals, then check out Childish Gambino.

Gambino first caught my attention in 2010 with his song, “Do Ya Like,” where he sampled Adele’s “Melt My Heart to Stone.”

His sampling of Adele’s emotionally charged lyrics backed his individualistic flow perfectly.

However, his lyrics needed sharpening and he went back to work before releasing his most infamous track, “Freaks and Geeks,” which earned him recognition and a steady growth in his fan base. The video alone received more than seven million views.

In November, Gambino released his first highly anticipated studio album, “Camp” and he didn’t disappoint.

His first single, “Bonfire,” is one of the few tracks on the album that is reminiscent of his previous work. The single hooks his fans in to what they assume will be an album filled with bass heavy beats, entertaining and engaging lyrics, and an overwhelming amount of references to his fetish for Asian girls.

But all assumptions are abandoned as each track presents more to Gambino than I ever

Keeping tradition alive Eckerd’s Irish Steppers follow in their family’s footsteps, reveal difficulty of trait

By Hailey Escobar Staff Writer

St. Patrick’s Day is well on its way. While the Irish holiday is well known for its courtesy of wikimedia commons

leprechauns and green, well, everything, there seems to be one cultural tradition that doesn’t receive a proper spotlight. That tradition would be Irish Step Dance.

Irish step isn’t something new. References to this style of dance can be traced as far back as the Druids and the Celts. Today, it can be found all over the world, particularly in North America and Australia where dancers compete in traditional Gaelic arts and culture festivals, or “Feis’s.” Here, the intricate footwork of the dancing is accompanied by curly wigs and grand costumes to add stage presence. Dancers train for years in the hopes of mastering this dance. Eckerd Sophomore Evalyne McInnish and Freshman Wyatt Sugrue are two of the dedicated few.

Both of these students have been dancing since they were about 3-4 years old and as part of their families’ traditions. “My whole family, which includes my two brothers, two sisters, and me, all took Irish dancing lessons just as our parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and even

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thought he was capable of.

Gambino prides himself on his nerdy beginnings and often references the bullying and racism he went through in tracks like “Hold You Down,” “Fire Fly,” “Backpackers,” “That Power” and “Outside.” His frustration with the racial stereotypes he has experienced comes through in “Hold You Down” when he raps, “White kids get to wear whatever hat they want / when it comes to black kids one size fits all.”

Gambino challenges the repetitive and boring subject matter most rappers sing about like cars, money and jewelry in “Fire Fly.” Instead, he focuses on meaningful themes and personal battles.

Although he is most often heard with a deafening bass and string of beats as unique as See GAMBINO, page 16

grandparents did,” said Sugrue.

Sugrue also mentioned how hard the training process for competition had been before he stopped competing at 15 years old. “When big competitions would come around I would have practice every day for at least 3 hours, which included intense conditioning, crazy amounts of dancing, drills and group choreography work,” he describes. “When I was dancing and it was not around the time of a big competition I would still practice 3 times a week.”

However, for Sugrue and McInnish (who is taking a break from competing to go to school at Eckerd), the challenges were brightened by the positives. McInnish said, “The best part has probably been all of the really cool people that I’ve gotten to meet and all of the friends I’ve made through dance. I have friends from competing schools and we hang out all the time at competitions.”

Irish step is a powerful form of dance that, when performed by a trained dancer, can leave the audience in wonder.

“It’s cliché, but it’s a lot harder than it looks,” comments McInnish when asked about what she wanted others to know about Irish step. “A lot of people are like “oh, I can do that” and it really takes years of learning. I’ve been dancing for 15 years and I still, at times, feel like I hardly know anything.”

By Christine Twete Staff Writer Next to the ever popular watering hole World of Beer, a new pizza place has arrived to the downtown St. Petersburg night scene.

Wood Fired: Pizza and Nightlife opened to try to make a name for itself. The aim: to give St. Petersburg a taste of artisanal woodfired pizza.

The ambiance caters to a night crowd with minimal lighting and an open feel. The outdoor patio is almost as expansive as the indoor seating and is connected to the World of Beer deck. If you want to sit inside, there is a space called the “Chef ’s Table” that allows you to view the pizzas being made in the wood-fired oven.

Appetizer choices range from $5 to $18 and include salads, cheese plates and ‘wedges,’ which are wood-fired dough crusts with different topping options.

With home-made pizza dough and homemade mozzarella, as well as sustainable and organic toppings, the flavors of the pizza can be described as fresh, light and delicious.

The ingredients are blended together masterfully and do not feel overly greasy or salty.

The pizzas come in two sizes and range from $9 to $19.

The menu has a many options suitable for vegetarians, but there are more than twenty topping extras. “Accompaniments,” as they are referred to on the menu, can be added to the pizza for $2 to $6.

The bar, while not the largest in downtown, is respectable enough to handle a large crowd on the weekends and has 20-plus draft beers and 5 flat screen TVs. There is even a portion of the bar accessible to the outside patio area so there is no need to go inside just to get a drink.

While the food is met with nothing but praise, the prices are not for the budget-conscious. The cheapest pizza starts at $9 and is vegan friendly, without any cheese.

Wood Fired is located at 344 1st Avenue S. Hours are 11:30 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Wednesday and 11:30 a.m. to 3 a.m.

Thursday through Saturday.

Thrifting in the ‘Burg

By Sadie Williams Staff Writer Thrifting is a great way to shop.

Regardless of your economic situation, buying secondhand clothing benefits your wallet, community and the environment. Garments at thrift stores are inexpensive and unique. It’s also a great way to recycle clothing that might otherwise end up in a landfill. However, the endless racks, bins and shelves can be daunting. Don’t let this dissuade you from buying used.

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Consignment shops, the more discerning relative of the thrift store, are often more organized, sell higher quality clothing and have a distinctive stylistic focus. They buy up used clothing, then give a portion of the sales profit to the seller in cash or store credit.

Consignment and thrift stores have something for everyone, and are great places to look for spring wardrobe refreshers. Check out these stores if you haven’t already, and consider either donating or consigning unwanted

Visit us online at www.theonlinecurrent.com

Photo courtesy of Alexander Zielinski A sampling of Wood Fired’s yummy offerings.

clothi n g .

It’s a feel good way to get in the spring spirit and either help out a charity or put a little extra See THRIFTING, page 16 courtesy of wikimedia commons

Palmetto Productions is proud to present: DJ Earworm

at the 2012 Spring Ball Date: Sat. April 14th Place: Jannus Live Price: $25 for a single ticket; $40 for a pair Includes transportation, beverages and dinner Theme: TBA promotional photo

14 Entertainment

the current

March 9, 2012

Of Montreal releases 11th studio album, takes a turn for the pyschedelic promotional photo

By Hayden Johnson Asst. Quickie Editor Of Montreal returns with their newest album “Paralytic Stalks,” their eleventh studio album since “Cherry Peel” was recorded in 1997.

Of Montreal is an eight-piece band from Athens, Ga., led by front man and music producer Kevin Barnes. The group is a member of the Elephant 6 Collective.

The collective consists of many independent musicians including Neutral Milk Hotel.

Listening to “Paralytic Stalks” is like having the nine muses puke

mixtures of psychedelic rock into colorful spectrum of trippy sound the cavity of your skull in all the effects, the listener can tell that a best ways possible. The shortest great deal of engineering went into song on the album is “Malefic “Paralytic Stalks.”

Dowery,” at roughly The album’s 2 minutes long. The “...like having the nine songs were rest of the album all written by consists of more muses puke mixtures of Barnes, bringing lengthy tracks that psychedelic rock into the the lyrical embody progressive cavity of your skull...” content of the rock qualities. music to a much As with past more personal albums, “Paralytic Stalks” embodies level. One example of this is in Of Montreal’s catchy pop-rock “Spiteful Intervention” in which sound. Despite the pop hooks, Barnes sings, “I spend my waking there is a lot of experimentation hours haunting my own life, I made with sound on this album. With a the one I love start crying tonight

and it felt good, still there must be a more elegant solution.” Lyrics like these are found in most all of the other songs, bringing a more introspective and intense tone to the tracks.

To a seasoned listener of rock, the group’s latest album seems to have been influenced by David Bowie. Songs like “We Will Commit Wolf Murder” and “Wintered Debts” have similarities to songs of Bowie’s, such as “Hunky Dory” and “Ziggy Stardust.” To a Beatles fan, “Paralytic Stalks” can be heard as very reminiscent of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”

Listeners will always compare the new with the old. This will be no different with “Paralytic Stalks.”

Many changes have occurred within the band’s lineup since 2007’s “Hissing Fauna,” “Are you the Destroyer.” The different line up brings great shift in sound and builds off of older material. I would recommend this album to those who also listen to The Flaming Lips, Animal Collective, Artic Monkeys, or The Shins.

Recently, of Montreal announced tour dates for the 2012 year, including a March 8 show in Orlando.

“Miss Representation” questions gender equality in American media

By Rachel Beck Staff Writer

promotional photo

Cuba, Afghanistan and Iraq have more women in politics than the United States.

Only 17 percent of U.S. senators are female, and women constitute only 12 percent of state governors.

However, women make up 52 percent of America’s population.

These statistics, from the documentary “Miss Representation,” directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom and shown by the Women’s Resource Center in Miller Auditorium on Feb. 28, highlight the underrepresentation of women in our country. The documentary followed Newsom’s exploration

into how the media’s portrayal of women adversely affects the involvement of women in politics and business.

Newsom’s work is masterful, with a multitude of engaging interviews with prominent scholars and media personalities such as Katie Couric, Rachel Maddow and Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Though focused on the portrayal of women, the documentary also touched on men in the media, securing the film’s relevance to all Americans.

After analyzing various advertisements that showcase women as powerless and uncomplicated objects, the documentary establishes how this negative depiction prevents

women from entertaining political aspirations or from becoming powerful within corporations.

Newsom revealed in her research that within the major corporations in the United States, women are underrepresented as both CEOs and board members, leading to corporate decisions that favor men.

Without equal representation, the documentary argues, women are treated as second-class citizens without a voice or a way to make effective change.

In the realm of politics, the documentary effectively demonstrates how many political pundits and commentators degrade female politicians by

commenting on their personal appearance instead of their political views, mirroring the media’s attention to a woman’s body instead of her mind. This keeps women out of power and decision-making positions.

This documentary was not only enthralling, but also thought provoking, and should be seen and discussed by all Americans. By taking a closer look at women in American media, entertainment and politics, this film creates an emotional impact through captivating interviews and critical investigation.

I highly recommend this film to anyone, male or female, who is interested in looking closer at gender inequality in our country.

Who is Doctor Who? British series ramps up for 50th year on television

By Hailey Escobar Staff Writer In 1963, a blue police box, harboring the secrets of time and space, graced British television screens. This box was soon known as the TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension In Space), and became the iconic image for the BBC show “Doctor Who.” This television series about a space man called the Doctor and his TARDIS eventually gained recognition throughout the United Kingdom and around the world, allowing the Doctor to experience hundreds of great adventures against the Daleks, the Cybermen and the Master. Over the decades the Doctor “regenerated”, completely changing himself in order to avoid death, and each time a new Doctor was born.

Whovians, major fans of the UK-based series, can be found all over the map, including here in the Eckerd community. Freshman Alice Elliot learned about it through other

fans of the show. “I went to a high school with a big “nerd” faction, and so it was mentioned a lot. I finally sat down to watch it on Netflix Instant and started with the first season and the Ninth Doctor in the fall of my sophomore year of high school. I was hooked immediately.”

Another freshman whovian, Kara Brown, was introduced to the series by her dad. He piqued her interest when he once thought of how the series used to be filmed, complaining about the old special effects. “My dad was telling me how bad the 70’s version was and I was just scrolling through the directory because we had Direct TV and I saw the modern day Doctor Who,” said Brown. Since then, however, she has grown to be a fan of the show. “I like it because it’s well written and for the relationship drama.”

What is it about the Doctor that has kept fans watching through eleven “regenerations” of the main character? “What strikes me the most at times is how human yet inhuman the doctor is,” says freshman Eve Minkin.

“Different incarnations display a variety of humanity to him...and the human aspect of him is almost as surprising as his alien aspects, since at times he seems so human that you forget that he’s an alien.”

After being cancelled in 1989 and revived for a made-for-TV movie in 1996, the Doctor was brought back to television screens in 2005. Since the revival, the show has introduced three new Doctors: Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant and the current Matt Smith. Just this past month the show began its filming for the seventh season in Cardiff, Wales, powered by big excitement from fans after last season’s ending cliffhanger. The highly anticipated 50th Anniversary episode is also set to be released this upcoming season, keeping watchers on the edge of their seats as they wait for the next new episode.

promotional photo

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March 9, 2012

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Events Monday

Tuesday

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7:30 p.m.— CPS Combining Biodiversity Research and Conservation with Sustainable Development in Gabon and Peru

7:30 p.m. — CPS Reframing an Open Source Church Fox Hall

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Mar. 9 - 22

Wednesday

Thursday

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7 p.m. - CPS Microfinance 101: Making a Difference in the Community Miller Aud.

Miller Aud.

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SPRING BREAK 2012 To advertise your event with The Current, contact Current Entertainment at currententertainment@eckerd.edu

Chardonnay taste tests compare flavors, prices

By Christine Twete and Emily Cohen Staff Writers

Ever want to know what a bottle of wine may taste like before buying it?

Afraid to try something new, thinking you may hate it? We selected three inexpensive bottles of Chardonnay, a sweet white wine characterized by a buttery after-taste, sampled their flavor and provided insight on each wine’s characteristics.

We asked our testers, all of whom were 21 years old or older, to explain what they liked and disliked about each wine.

The three contenders our testers tried were from Lucky Duck, Beringer, and The Naked Grape vineyards.

The cheapest option, Lucky Duck, rings in at less than $4 a bottle and was one of the preferred wines of the women at the taste test. The wine was not too bitter, but lacked a strong flavor. It seemed the most plain and simple of the three. Tess Busch, a senior, commented, “The wine doesn’t have layers

like the other wines.”

The men who tried Lucky Duck were not as approving. “This won’t impress a lady,” Nicola Zenzola, a senior, commented.

They agreed with the women in that the flavor was plain, but they noted the wine had a sharp edge to its flavor and tasted as if it were diluted.

The general consensus on the Lucky Duck chardonnay was the wine was tart and easily identifiable as cheap, but it’s the easiest to drink.

A dollar more than the Luck Duck wine is the chardonnay from Beringer vineyards. This $5 wine drew the biggest discrepancies in opinion.

Those who enjoyed the Beringer found the wine to be one to sip on with dinner and enjoy while the flavors slowly open up. “It is very round, very dense and seems smoother than the others,” said Laura Moe, a junior. Everyone agreed the Beringer chardonnay tasted the most complex out of the

In the hectic times of midterm examinations and papers, a calm night on the town can act as a welcome alternative to another hour in front of a computer screen. With this issue’s St. Pete Sampler, you’ll find a guide to an easy night on Beach Drive in downtown St. Petersburg, from dinner to dessert to after-dinner tea, including two options for your frozen dairy treats. Bon Appetit!

Price $-$$$$ ($ = <$5.00 per meal $$$$ = $20.00+ per meal) Food Quality (1-5 stars)

courtesy of Emily Cohen

three.

Others did not care for the full flavor of the Beringer wine.

Amy DeBevoise, a senior, said, “It’s overwhelming, like a punch in the face.” Half of our testers did not care for this wine as they thought it was overly bold and unenjoyable.

The last, and most expensive option at $7 per bottle, is the chardonnay from The Naked Grape vineyards. This selection was met with approval by everyone.

The testers found The Naked Grape had easily identifiable fruit accents

in the flavor. “The Naked Grape tastes the most like fruit juice,” Jenna Morris, senior, noted. Most found the wine to be very sweet and light.

Overall, the men enjoyed the Beringer option better than the other two brands, while the women were split between The Naked Grape and the Lucky Duck chardonnays. The general consensus was Beringer seemed to be the most expensive based on the taste and the bottle design, even though The Naked Grape cost more.

Bartending on a budget By Emily Cohen Christine Twete Staff Writers

and

Rum Cooler 4 oz. Lemon Lime Soda 2 oz. Dark Rum Mix together and serve with ice. Garnish with a lemon or lime wedge.

It’s 9 p.m. on a Saturday night and all you have left over from Friday is liquor or wine. You either have no car or no one Majik Spritzer 6 oz. 7-up is in driving condition. Your only choice is 6 oz. White Wine to go to Triton’s Pub and swipe for mixers with your flex dollars. Here are some basic Mix together and serve with ice. Garnish with a lemon or lime wedge. options for your last minute drinking needs.

Note: The beverages and reecipes on this page are intended for consumpEvery ingredient in the following tion only by individuals who are 21 or older. The Current does not prorecipes can be found at the Pub, mote underage drinking. When combining alcoholic beverages with cafexcept the liquor or wine. feinated 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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The St. Pete Sampler: An Evening on Beach Drive

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A. The Moon Under Water 332 Beach Dr. NE 16 mins from campus 4 stars $$-$$$ Sun.- Thurs. 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.

Fri. - Sat. 11 a.m. to midnight Alcohol available for purchase

B.Paciugo 300 Beach Dr. NE #120 16 mins from campus 3 stars $ Sun. - Thurs. 7 a.m. - 10 p.m.

Fri.- Sat. 7 a.m.- 11 p.m.

No alcohol available

C. The Hooker Company

Tea

300 Beach Dr. NE #124 4.5 stars 16 minutes campus $ Mon.- Sat. 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Sun. 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

No alcohol available

D. My Yogurt Cafe 234 Beach Dr. NE 15 minutes from campus 3 Stars $ Mon. - Wed. Noon to 10 p.m.

Thurs. Noon to 11 p.m.

Fri. - Sat. Noon to Midnight No alcohol available

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March 9, 2012

Childish Gambino set to climb charts From GAMBINO, page 13

monosyllabic rhythm, “Camp” features a variety of instruments.

Gambino even weaves a xylophone wonderfully into his track, “Kids.” He keeps fans guessing by showcasing his range in “Kids” and “All the Shine” as he blends his own singing into the tracks.

Gambino’s lyrics in “Heartbeat,” the second single off the album, and “Letter Home” revolve around failed relationships. But, they create depth beyond their subject matter and are more than bitter responses or whiny complaints like most of fellow rapper Drake’s lyrics. Gambino, in contrast, comes off creative, inventive, and selfaware in the majority of his tracks.

But, he is not without fault.

“Sunrise” falls flat and contorts his style too much in an effort to become radio-friendly. The album as a whole could benefit greatly from zoning in more on Gambino’s lyrical capabilities and unique sounding voice, rather than trying to alter it with auto tune or drown it out with beats intended to be catchy, which, to his credit, are sparse.

photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Childish Gambino rocking out at the Bowery Ballroom, NYC

“Outside” centers around the main theme of the album, Gambino’s reflections on his inability to identify with any race.

It also captures his anger and frustration at a corrupt society and racial stereotypes that cost him his relationship with his cousin when he raps, “Street took you over/ I want my cousin back/ the world sayin’ what you are because you’re young and black.”

“Camp” portrays Gambino in

the light he is known for: arrogant and boastful, while still maintaining an air of insecurity. His lyrics are tinged with his embarrassing nerdy past and his inability to fit in, all the while contrasted by his constant references to his genitals and a plethora of allusions.

This album encapsulates Gambino’s individuality and talent and displays why his record sales, fan base, and popularity will only increase.

Viral video update: March’s most popular

A Call to the Artists of Eckerd College: We want your works! Do you have a picture of life on campus, an interesting take on the palm trees of south beach, a painting for class that you’re especially proud of, or a unique view of the buildings ?

What about photos from a recent trip to an Aquariam or Botanical gardens? Send them to us at currententertainment@eckerd.edu along with your name and class rank to see if your photo makes it into our next issue! We will be open for submissions until April 25.

The Current is also actively seeking photographers and graphic designers who’d like to join our awardwinning staff. Meetings are above the Cobb gallery every Monday at 7 p.m. Pizza will be served.

Illustration by Cait Duffy

St. Petersburg’s best consignment and thrift stores From THRIFTING, page 13

padding in your own wallet.

St. Vincent’s 180 34th Street N. St. Petersburg, Fl St. Vincent’s is a smaller thrift store that offers just as wide a variety of garments and housewares as Goodwill. You’re sure to find something to take home here, and the overall shopping experience is much less overwhelming than other, larger stores.

Average prices range from $1$20, clothing for both men and women. St. Vincent de Paul is a Catholic charity organization that gives back to the community in numerous ways, this store being one of them. Supporting their cause with your patronage, through donations or purchase, is a great way to give back locally. For more information, check out their website, http:// www.svdpsouthpinellas.org/, or give them a call at (727)-328-2730.

“Guardian open journalism: Three Little Pigs advert - video” Uploaded by TheGuardian on Feb. 29 Views as of March. 5 346,042

courtesy of youtube.com

Goodwill 3365 Central Avenue St. Petersburg, FL This store is perfectly suited to a college students needs. Their extensive clothing department, both male and female, is a great place to look for funky prints, tropical shirts, summer dresses, and more.

Average prices range from $1-$10, clothing for both men and women.

Purchasing your clothing here allows this international organization to support job training and creates both entry level and green collar jobs. You will also be supporting a number of national and community based initiatives that focus on empowering and enabling individuals in need. Their website, www.goodwill.org, gives detailed accounts of their efforts and lists other ways you can help.

Classy Closet 2710 4th Street N. St. Petersburg, FL

“Epic Zipline” Uploaded by TobyTurner on Mar. 3 Views as March. 5 114,508

courtesy of youtube.com

This is my new favorite consignment shop. Opened by Jeanette Ohanian two years ago (she keeps her first dollar bill tacked to the wall by the register), Classy Closet

boasts the lowest prices of any consignment shop in the area and carries both new and used clothing.

Jeanette is helpful, friendly, and will give you advice if you ask.

Check out the extensive denim selection, trophy worthy sequined tops, breezy cotton pants, and funky jewelry. If you’re interested in designer bags, and have a bit more to spend, definitely go here. She often consigns new or barely used designer bags and sells them at a very reasonable price. If you see something you love, buy it. Chances are it won’t be there next time, as she has a rapid turnover and puts new merchandise out on the floor every day. Primarily geared toward effeminate taste. High quality at low prices, it’s the best of both worlds.

For more information regarding hours and consignment policies, visit their website http://classyclosetstpete.com/.

Revolve 2000 4th Street N. St. Petersburg, Fl This is a great place to consign unwanted clothing, because unlike some consignment shops that put a time limit on your store credit, your credit at Revolve will never expire.

You’ll receive 30 percent store credit or 20 percent cash of the sale price of your unwanted clothes. They primarily focus on “wearables”; mall brands such as Forever21, American Eagle, Loft, etc. Think denim, mini skirts, printed T’s, and day dresses.

Nothing special, but don’t let that deter you. They also carry vintage clothing, including a great selection of vests, warm weather pants, and more formal dresses.

However, if you’re a big vintage lover, don’t even bother going to the St. Petersburg store. Get on the highway and scoot over to their Ybor location. The prices might be a little higher, but you’ll come away with some incredible finds that would make Florence Welch jealous. Check out their Facebook page, Revolve Clothing Exchange St. Petersburg (omit the “St. Petersburg” to be directed to their main Ybor site) for outfit ideas, store hours, consignment information, and directions.

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March 9, 2012

CThe quickie

crossword by Will Skinner

The Quickie 17

There’s always enough time for a quickie ACROSS 1 Python meat?

5 Rays’ new (old?) 1B, to teammates 8 Dial-up replacement 11 Vulcan mind ____ 12 Facebook filing which will ask “friends” to invest 13 Indian philosophical discipline 14 Basic building block 15 Slugger Williams 16 Play units 17 Convalescence 19 Space launch, occasionally 21 Gov’t agency responsible for screenings and pat-downs 22 Male unconscious, to Jung 24 Emeril catchphrase 27 Obscenity 28 Marlins moniker, from now on 30 In the red 33 Spain and Portugal, for the most part (Andorra and Gibraltar too) 34 Indian men’s garment 35 Dessicated 36 Compass dir., Miller to Cobb 37 All-time leader in strikeouts and nohitters Ryan 39 Drain 42 Promontory at the southern tip of 33-across 43 What neither Alfred Hitchcock nor Cary Grant have to their name?

45 Ballot 48 “Iron Man” Ripken; also, about 4.2 kJ 50 Pianist and singer-songwriter Amos 51 College fundraising target, often 52 Disease named after the man whose record 48-across broke 53 Youngest player to reach 500 home runs, briefly 54 Vietnamese holiday on which the Viet Cong launched a major campaign 55 Footballer between the defense and forwards 56 Kelly or Wilder

DOWN 1 Hurt 2 World of Beer’s pizzeria neighbor; also, Sampras and Rose 3 Hawaiian auto-antonym 4 Ecstasy 5 Kindled 6 Impatient birthday guest’s words?

7 Last sight of Lot’s wife 8 Halladay, Fudd, and Who? 9 Rank immediately above Cpl. 10 Vegas article 13 Former Houston Rocket Ming 18 Babe of baseball 20 Childish DJ? 23 Egyptian goddess of the sky 24 “It’s Always Sunny” haunt 25 Pierre’s pal 26 POW*___ 27 Tennis unit 29 Troop threat 30 Gate requirement, nocturnally?

31 High school graduation accolade 32 Start of a mnemonic device in “The Sound of Music” 33 “The Troubles” belligerent 35 Caesium or potassium 38 Pragmatic shaver?

39 Twenty 40 Only Hall-of-Famer with more home runs than 18-down 41 Parade type 42 Stage 5 sleep 44 Solo 45 Sales tax alternative 46 ___ Miss 47 King in the 14th century BCE 49 Acid

ASPEC Visual Arts Program 2012 March 14 - Lance Rodgers March 28 - Bill Gannon (on Benjamin West, artist and teacher of artists)

Scan this QR code with your smartphone to get the solution to this week’s puzzle, or visit www.theonlinecurrent.com

All programs are 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. Wednesdays. Locations vary, so watch for notifications prior to meeting. If you have suggestions or wish to participate with the Arts Council, please contact: Ann Rascoe, Jim Sweeny or Bette Dolinsky.

Club spotlight Chess Club debuts this year, checking for mates

By Ely Grinfeld Quickie Editor The Chess Club opens its doors to all the kings and queens who wish to play the game. Founded by Alejandro Borrero and Liam Murphy this year, the club finally provides Eckerd with a community that rejoices for the beloved classic board game.

It was no trivial feat making this club come to fruition. Backed by years of chess prowess and a desire for intellectual stimulation, Murphy and Borrero felt driven to bring chess to the public.

Borrero and Murphy are both invaluable in their capabilities as competitive chess players and club leaders. Sophomore student Borrero has been playing for three years.

Freshman Murphy, on the other hand, is a reigning champion of New Hampshire in competitive chess and has years

of experience in teaching chess strategies and basics.

Members of the community will certainly find themselves at ease knowing they are playing chess under the supervision of our contemporary Eckerd equivalents of Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov.

Currently, the club has ten registered members and hopes to expand. They meet Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7p.m. Hopefully, with expansion, will come intercollegiate competition and glory. Yet, each step of progress for this new club makes ripples that will grow larger as time passes.

“Right now our special duties are simply finding a way to bring the game to Eckerd,” says Borrero. “We want to make it fun to engage in games and having people come and learn and simply have fun.” courtesy of Chess Club Freshman Nikki Szlamnik strategizing.

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18 The Quickie

March 9, 2012

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courtesy of dailyinforgraphic.com

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March 9, 2012

CHEALTH & FITNESS

Workout Playlist

Food pyramid evolves to MyPlate

By Kelly Coston Asst. H&F Editor

We are all familiar with the standard food pyramid that was released in 1992. This original pyramid’s base consisted of grains, recommending 6-11 servings per day and making it the most highly suggested item in the pyramid. Though it cautions to use sparingly, the original pyramid also contains a section at the tip for fats, oils and sweets.

A new and improved pyramid, released in 2005, not only has a new look but also some The original pyramid released in 1992 courtesy of USDA website updates. The new pyramid ditched the sweets

Health & Fitness 19

section and added an exercise element.

Last year, the USDA came up with an entirely new icon. They got rid of the pyramid all together and replaced it with a plate. MyPlate, as it is called, is sectioned into fruits, vegetables, grains and protein, with a side of dairy.

Tom Vilsack, secretary of agriculture, claimed the pyramid was too confusing and needed to be simplified. “MyPlate is an uncomplicated symbol to help remind people to think about their food choices in order to lead healthier lifestyles,” he said in a press release.

From the iPod of Padraic Fitzgerald 1.“Twilight of the Thunder God” by Amon Amarth 2.“Living Weapon” by Warbringer 3.“Ratamahatta” by Sepultura 4.“Cut to the Heart” by Dagon 5.“K.I.N.G.” by Satyricon 6.“MAHAKALA” by Chthonic 7.“Harem of Scorpions” by Cancer Bats 8.“The Essence of Ashes” by Eluveitie 9.“Trail of Champions” by 3 Inches of Blood

The revised pyramid released in 2005 courtesy of USDA website

KEEP CALM AND

DO YOGA DownwardFacing Dog Strengthens: shoulders, upper and lower back, abs

Instructions—From Child’s pose (kneeling with arms stretched in front of you to the mat), reach forward with your hands and press into the mat with your fingers spread wide for balance. Lift hips up and back to form an inverted V-shape. Try to maintain a flat back and stretch your heels to the mat. Hold this pose for at least 10 seconds. For a challenge straighten one leg out behind you and raise it up above your back.

MyPlate, the USDA’s replacement for the pyramid courtesy of USDA website

General yoga practice •Maintain steady breath flow throughout your movements and poses.

•Never hold a pose that is painful or your body is not ready for.

•Maintain a positive mental attitude, let go of judgment and expectations.

•Be present in the moment and enjoy your time.

Stretches:

Tree Pose

latissimus dorsi,hip adductors

Strengthens:

hip adductors, abs, shoulders Instructions—Find a focal point on the wall ahead of you about eye level (this will help you concentrate and maintain your balance). Slowly shift your weight to one leg and begin to slide the other up (resting above or below the knee), bring your hands into prayer position. Maintain your gaze and balance, hold for at least 10 seconds then switch legs. For a challenge you can raise your arms straight above your head.

S tretches : glutes, hamstring, shoulders, calves

Shannon Forshee has been practicing yoga for almost 10 years and is certified through YogaFit. In addition to teaching yoga at Eckerd, she also teaches off-campus at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve. “Even though yoga isn’t a high intensity work-out,

10.“Tróndur í Gøtu” by Tyr

there are some major benefits that yoga can offer compared to other fitness activities.” Forshee said. “Yoga can increase flexibility, improve your posture, strengthens your body as your well as your mind; especially when you practice regularly.”

Triangle Pose Strengthens:

quads, obliques, hip flexors, shoulders

Instructions—Stand facing the long-side of your mat spread out with your feet about one stride length apart, right foot facing the top of your mat. Straighten your arms at shoulder height, lean forward shifting your hips and then bend down, allowing your right arm to reach for your right foot (resting on your shin is fine as well). Try to maintain an open chest by pulling your left shoulder back and the left arm reaching up perpendicular to the mat. Hold this pose for at least 10 seconds, then switch sides. For a challenge, try to look up at the hand in the air (this will test your balance).

Stretches: hamstrings, hip adductors

Supine Spinal Twist Instructions—Lie down on the floor on your back. Extend your left leg straight out front, while bending your left knee and placing your foot on the mat. Shift your weight onto your left hip rotating your right knee over your left leg toward the ground. Gently twist your upper body to the right, with both arms spread out at shoulder height. Hold this pose for at least 15 seconds while remembering to breathe deep, then switch sides.

Stretches: hip

adductors, lower and upper back, obliques

photos by Alex Zielinski

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March 9, 2012

Healthy spring break tips

By Megan Coy Coorinator of Health Promotion Spring Break will be here before you know it, and there are some things to think about when it comes to staying healthy while you are participating in service trips, going on vacation or even staying near Eckerd.

For Safe Spring Break Week, March 12-15, the Office of Health Promotion will focus on a different topic each day. Here are some tips to get you thinking before you head out on Spring Break: Drink Responsibly: If you choose to drink alcohol, prevent negative consequences of alcohol by eating before and/or dur-

ing drinking, pacing your drinks to one or fewer an hour and alternating non-alcoholic beverages with alcoholic beverages. It’s also important to stay hydrated with non-alcoholic beverages when you are in a warm environment to prevent heat-related illness.

Wear Sunscreen: One way to really put a damper on your Spring Break is to not wear sunscreen. Who wants to look bright red in every picture taken on the trip? Remember, sunscreen is still needed on cloudy days, and make sure it is SPF 15 or higher.

Practice Safe Sex: Make sure you communicate openly with your partner and use protection.

If you’re going to be sexually ac-

March events sponsored by the Office of Health Promotion:

tive over break, pick up some condoms March 12-15: Safe Spring Break from the Office of week Health Promotion in Brown Hall (StuMarch 14: Free rapid HIV testing dent Affairs) or the basket in Counseling March 30: “Set Sail to Good & Health Services so Health” Spring Wellness Fair you are prepared.

Drive Safely: More For more information about any than likely, you’re goof these events, “like” Eckerd Coling to be traveling in lege Office of Health Promotion a car or van sometime during the Break.

When you’re drivmph, you’ve driven the length of ing, avoid using your cell phone for calls or text mes- a football field in that amount of sages and always wear a seatbelt. time.

Think about these tips; stop According to Distraction.gov, your eyes are off the road for 4.6 by our table at the mailboxes seconds when you send or read during Safe Spring Break Week a text, and if you’re driving 55 and enjoy your break.

Contraception proposal fails

By Elizabeth Tomaselli H&F Editor

courtesy of wikimedia commons

Alternative healing options

By Hayden Johnson Quickie Editior Healing can be found in alternative places. The term alternative medicine covers a wide variety of treatments that include mind-body healing techniques such as acupuncture and meditation as well as manipulative body practices like massage therapy. Alternative medicine is now widely practiced. Even some Eckerd students have participated.

Eckerd Freshman Chloe Bach spent the summer of 2010 interning at the Integrative Holistic Healing Center in Santa Fe, N.M. “Working there was really cool, I had to clean a room full of dead sea horses and beetles in jars,” says Bach. Not only did she help out around the center but she participated in various holistic treatments including acupuncture, hypnotherapy and sound therapy.

“It was a very serene experience,” says Bach on sound therapy. In sound therapy, the patients have metal bowls placed on their back and they are tapped with a mallet. The mallet causes relaxing vibrations to ring through the back. She also underwent hypnotherapy, which she claimed had

no effect.

One of the most well-known forms of alternative medicine is acupuncture. Acupuncture’s origins can be traced back to China, where the therapy involves thin metal needles inserted into different points on a patient’s body.

These points regulate chi, an energy that is believed to flow through the body. Stimulating these points adjusts any abnormalities in the flow of chi. Acupuncture is often used to treat asthma, migraines, anxiety and other ailments.

“You’ll feel a tiny little prick, but it’s really nothing,” says Jane.

“It helped a lot with reducing my stress level.” Jane is the alias of an Eckerd student who underwent acupuncture therapy for an eating disorder, but wishes to remain anonymous. The therapy included needles in her legs, arms, hands, ears and between the eyes to help reduce the anxiety that came with the disorder.

She recommends that it’s worth trying, stating, “It doesn’t work for everyone, but there’s no risk of harm.”

Alternative medicine exists in a realm outside of doctors, nurses, physical therapists and psychologists. Techniques in alternative medicine can and are also used to complement conventional treatments as well.

Republican efforts to overturn President Obama’s contraception policy failed on the senate floor last Thursday. The 51-to48 vote highlights the partisan divide over a controversial issue that has burst into the race for the Republican presidential nomination.

The Obama administration announced in January that, according to the new health care reform law, most health insurance plans must provide contraception coverage for women including FDA approved contraceptive drugs— like Plan B—and devices and sterilization procedures.

However, after repeated public outcry from conservative groups and the Roman Catholic Church, the Obama administration agreed to what they call a compromise; by shifting the cost of contraceptives from nonprofit religiously-affiliated organizations—universities and hospitals—to the health insurance companies themselves, the administration hoped to offset accusations of violating religious liberties while ensuring all women had access to free coverage.

Still, senate Republican leaders aimed to overturn the president’s policy in the hopes of granting an exemption to insurers with religious or moral objections as well.

The failed proposal was created

by Republican senator Roy Blunt of Missouri as an amendment to a highway bill.

Many senators saw Blunt’s proposal as a way to combat the

injustices of the Obama administrations accommodations. “This is about religious freedom, and anything short of a full exemption is no compromise,” Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) said in a statement.

The public controversy prompted Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney to back peddle on a previous statement saying he was against Senator Blunt’s proposal, claiming he was, indeed, for the proposal and that he had misunderstood the question in an interview with an Ohio news station. “Of course, I support the Blunt amendment,” Romney clarified via phone with a Boston radio show.

In response to recent media attention surrounding women’s contraceptives, Democratic Senator Nina Turner of Cleveland introduced new legislation Friday with a focus on men. “The men in the policy making positions of this country have spent a generous amount of time working to protect the well-being of women through their reproductive health. I thought it was only fair that we look out for men in the same way,” Turner told Forbes.

The proposed legislation calls for a psychological professional opinion as well as one from a physician before prescribing a PDE-5 inhibitor—a drug used in treating erectile dysfunction.

However, it’s clear the contraception debate will not end with the failed Blunt proposal.”It’s important for us to win this issue,” said Speaker John Boehner.

Quick healthy snack: tabouleh

By Miranda Watrous Contributing Writer Oh, the wonders of wheat. The primary ingredient in this Lebanese treat, tabouleh, is wheat berries that have been cooked, dried and cracked with a mostly removed hull (more commonly known as bulgur).

It’s a regular super-food. Eatingwell.com claims that eating three whole grains a day, such as bulgur and quinoa, are actually as beneficial for your tummy as doing crunches. Increased whole grains leads to statistically less belly fat and also provides for a more fiberrich diet.

One cup of bulgur consists of a measly 150 calories and a whopping third of your daily recommended fiber as well as a healthy dose of protein.

Add some veggies and herbs and you have yourself a delicious snack that’s easy to make and store away for later. Try it with pita chips or simply dig in with a spoon.

2 c Water 1 c Bulgur (found in the healthy & natural section of the grocery store) 1 c Parsley 1/4 c Mint 1 Cucumber (optional) 2-3 Roma tomatoes (great because of their fewer seeds!)

3 Scallions (AKA green onions) 1 Clove garlic 1/4 c Lemon juice 2 tbsp Olive Oil Sea Salt & Pepper 1. Cook the bulgur as you would rice; let the bulgur and water come to a boil then turn the temp down to low and let simmer for about 20 minutes. Most of the water should be absorbed and the bulgur fluffy. Drain any residual water and refrigerate.

2. Chop all ingredients. Peel the cucumber and chop into 1/2 inch cubes. De-seed the tomatoes with your fingers and cut the same size. Scallions should be cut into small disks

In case you didn’t know...

Should you avoid carbs after exercise?

In a recent study done by the Journal of Applied Physiology, eating a meal with fewer carbs after a workout enhances your body’s sensitivity to insulin, making it easier for sugar to move from the bloodstream to muscles and tissues. This will help keep your bloodsugar level on the right track.

The best time to workout Research shows that working out before eating burns more calories than a post-meal workout. So should you forgo eating before working out? Not necessarily. “If you’re interested in performing better, like if you’re training for an event, you might want to eat first,” said exercise physiologist and “That’s Fit” expert Liz Neporent. “But for weight loss, evidence does seem to be trending towards not eating before working out.”

Burn more fat According to a study from The College of New Jersey, exercising harder during the first half of your workout can burn up to 23 percent more fat than the opposite. Get moving sooner and take it easier toward the end of your workout.

Skip the juice Pediatrician Dr. Manfroy explained to Health Magazine that not only will eating a piece of fruit instead of drinking juice save you calories, but it will also help boost your metabolism.

Next time you have the option, grab the orange not the orange juice.

Try a Mediterranean diet Reseach published in the British Journal of Nutrition shows that eating foods high in monounsaturated fats, such as nuts, olive oil and avacados, can help trim both weight and fat. Also, using herbs and spices for flavor instead of salt is healthier for your heart.

Kick away calories

courtesy of wikimedia commons

starting at the white end (discard the very end piece with residual roots) chopping finely from the white part up about an inch into the green part of the plant. Any further and the flavor is gone.

3. Mix a vinigarette with the lemon juice, olive oil, finely chopped or pressed garlic and salt and pepper to taste.

Mix all ingredients with the cooled bulgur.

Ultimately refrigerate the tablouleh before serving. The longer it sits, the more flavorful it becomes. Enjoy.

Danish research reveals playing soccer burns more fat and builds more muscle than jogging, but feels less tiring. Grab a few friends and play a pick up game on Kappa field. It beats the gym.

Sweet, skinny dreams Getting a full eight hours of sleep helps you lose more fat than only sleeping five hours, according to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

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March 9, 2012

Sports 21

CSports Rebirth of a college athlete

By Greg Reilly Asst. Sports Editor

Not many college athletes come to college playing one sport, and graduate playing a completely different one. But that is what Brian Hill, a senior, is about to do.

After coming to Eckerd on a

baseball scholarship to pitch, Hill developed hip tendinitis in his freshman year that kept him off the mound. “My hip injury was not all that serious initially, it was during my freshman year and I was eager to play,” Hill said. “I pushed it too much early in the recovery process and eventually lost my entire

photo by Greg Reilly Brian Hill hits a backhand against Cumberland (Tenn.) University.

season.” Hill’s competitive nature would not let him sit on the sidelines for his last two years at Eckerd.

After getting a medical redshirt, he returned sophomore year healthy and ready to play, but it wasn’t to be. “That fall I started having problems with my control and it got so bad that I didn’t make the team that spring. My junior fall, after giving baseball one last try for the first weeks of September, I finally let it go and started tennis.”

So that fall, Hill picked up a tennis racquet for the first time since childhood and walked onto the men’s tennis team.

“Giving up baseball was tough and something I never thought I’d be able to do,” Hill said. “But I literally couldn’t throw a strike after hurting my hip. Not being able to perform a task I literally had been doing my entire life became entirely too frustrating. So I walked into Skip’s (Coach Matthews) office and thanked for the opportunity and told him I was going to try and walk onto the tennis team.”

Although giving up baseball was hard for Hill, he considers it a learning experience and he has no residual effects from his injury on the court. “One of the many lessons I learned from my whole experience with baseball here was how to take care of my body both mentally and physically, over the course of a college athletics season,” Hill said. “I have not had any problems with tennis and after seeing a sports psychologist I understand a lot more about myself and what possibly went wrong with baseball, which has helped in my approach to tennis.”

Hill, the lone senior on the young squad, now finds himself trying to learn to not only compete at the college level, but do so in a leader-

ship role. “I think I’m a good role model for the guys, but there are guys who have more experience than I do so I’m trying to learn from them too,” he said.

In a Feb. 14 match with St. Leo University, Hill jumped out to an early lead against Alou Adjenak, the 43rd ranked player in the nation, winning the first set and nearly taking the third for the win before falling 10-8. “That was my first real experience with gamesmanship and poor line calls, but its something I hope to build from over the course of the season so I’m completely used to that stuff and hopefully I can win a tight match like that.”

Hill’s coach and former teammate Ben Maxwell loves his attitude and energy on and off the court. “Being Brian’s teammate was great he was always positive and would be the first one to root you on if you got into a tight match,” Maxwell said.

“His aggressive nature for always wanting more and more out of fitness and tennis makes him a great athlete and a positive influence to be around. I expect him to get beat by players that have been around for years and I also expect him to win big matches that he shouldn’t.”

When he’s not on the court or in the classroom, Hill can be found working downtown at Push Ultra Lounge. After graduation in May, Hill will look to find a job in politics and eventually go to law school.

But until then, he’s just having fun being a college athlete.

“I wanted to keep playing college sports because I really can’t imagine going to school without them in my life,” he said. “My father played college tennis and I knew if I worked hard I had the talent to improve my game quickly. Obviously I’m still learning and improving, but I could not be enjoying myself more.”

Rays looking toward 2012 season

By Colin Casey Staff Writer As the end of Spring Training approaches, so too does the next season of Major League Baseball. It seems like only yesterday that the Cardinals were hoisting the World Series trophy, triumphantly at the peak of the baseball world.

Meanwhile, the teams of Florida sat at home, having been eliminated weeks earlier. Both teams finished the season on opposite notes; the Tampa Bay Rays were eliminated early in the playoffs by the eventual American League Champion Texas Rangers while the Florida Marlins were eliminated from contention by mid-September. The offseason that ensued has set up what could become the best year in the 15-year history of America’s pastime in the Sunshine State.

Over the past four years, the Rays have gone from consistent division bottom feeder to a force to be reckoned with in the American League.

That is no easy task in the Ameri-

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can League East, often called one of the toughest divisions in baseball, home to both the powerhouse New York Yankees and the dynamic Boston Red Sox. Complicating this division is baseball’s postseason structure that allows only the division

leader to make the playoffs with second place having to vie for one Wild Card spot. Since the creation of the Wild Card in 1994, a team from the AL East has occupied the American League Wild Card spot 13 times, the closest other division

photo by Colin Casey The view from the upper deck at Tropicana field.

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is the AL West which has only been represented three times. The Rays have risen to the crème of the crop in this difficult division due to a resilient playing strategy.

Rays manager Joe Maddon has been with the club since 2006 and in his time he has grown from the expectation of only a winning season to the demands of a playoff berth in every year. He is regarded as an old fashioned manager with a noted presence within the clubhouse as opposed to allowing the players to run themselves as done by several other noted teams in the modern day. Despite managing in the small Tampa Bay market, Maddon has also received national attention as a two time American League Manager of the Year in both 2008 and 2011. With his old contract set to expire at the end of the current season, the Rays organization made a personal appeal to Joe and signed him to a three year extension that was finalized on Feb. 14.

Under Maddon’s leadership, the See RAYS, page 22

INSIDE SPORTS Eckerd Sailing

back cover

Bryant Gibson

back cover

Women’s Rugby

page 22

Sports Calendar

page 23

Scoreboard

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Lance Kearse named SSC Player of the Year

By Lincoln Andres-Beck Sports Editor Senior Forward Lance Kearse is going out in style.

Kearse was named the Sunshine State Conference Player of the Year today when the conference’s annual awards were announced. Kearse also made first team All-SSC. Kearse started all 27 games this year, averaging more than 26 minutes per game. Kearse also averaged 16.3 points and six rebounds per game with 26 blocks on the year, leading the Tritons in each category.

He also managed to shoot 77 percent from the free throw line.

Redshirt Junior Woody Taylor praised his teammate, saying that, “His work ethic and relentlessness showed in every game which is why this award is truly fitting for him.

He led us this year with his play which is the true definition of a player of the year.”

Within the conference standings, Kearse was third in scoring, eighth in rebounds, sixth in blocks and tenth in shooting percentage, at 47.7 percent. Kearse opened the season with a phenomenal performance against Southeastern University finishing with a career-high 31 points. That night started a run of 13 straight games in which Kearse scored in double figures.

Fellow Senior Wayne Sears Jr. predicted the award winning year for Kearse, and considers it well deserved. “Well I told him that he was going to win the award and I used to tell him during the summer that he would get it.” Sears Jr. said “He is one of the best players in the country. And he’s only the second (SSC) player of the year in Eckerd College history. I’m glad I had the chance to be on his team. He’s one of my really good friends and I’m very happy for him.”

Coach Tom Ryan praised Kearse’s season, saying, “He deserves this award. I am very proud of how hard he has worked as a student and athlete. He represents our program well.”

The #2 seed Tritons lost in the SSC tournament semifinals to the #3 seed St. Leo and will be in the NCAA DII tournament as a #6 seed in the South region, facing #3 seeded West Georgia in the first round on Saturday, Mar. 10 in Huntsville, Ala. The winner will face the winner of #2 seed Christian Brothers University or #7 seed Florida Southern College.

22 Sports

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March 9, 2012

Eckerd

Sports Briefly Global

Men’s Basketball makes the Big Dance By earning the sixth seed in the South Regional as an at-large selection, the Tritons (20-8 overall) earned a first-round matchup in the NCAA Tournament against No. 3 seed University of West Georgia (22-8 overall) set for Saturday, March 10, in Huntsville, Ala. This marks the seventh time Eckerd has qualified for the NCAA Tournament under EC Head Coach Tom Ryan’s watch and the first time since the 2007-08 campaign when the Tritons faced Benedict College in the opening round.

Women’s Basketballers make All-SSC team The Eckerd College women’s basketball senior guard tandem of Kati Rausberg and Taylor Young were recognized by the Sunshine State Conference as the league’s annual season honors were released on Thursday morning. Rausberg, an Honorable Mention All-SSC pick a year ago, led the Tritons in scoring at 11.4 points per game. She finished her career with 249 total three-pointers made while shooting 44.6 percent from behind the three-point arc, both career program records. Young averaged 10.1 points per game this year and started all 26 possible games for Eckerd. She averaged 8.6 points per game in her career.

Women’s Tennis gets first win

The Eckerd College women’s tennis program recorded its first victory of the spring campaign by defeating Cumberland University, 5-4. With respective 8-6 and 8-4 decisions, Eckerd’s pairings of Stephanie Jenks and Taylor Bullock along with Katie Benn and Carson Trapp accounted for two of the team’s five points. The Tritons No. 4, 5 and 6, slots in singles action came through with big individual wins as freshman Amy Naula rolled to a 6-0, 6-0, sweep against CU’s Tais Laceida. Bullock continued her unblemished afternoon with a convincing 6-1, 6-2, decision over Abby Wilson and Fridrik notched her first win of her career with a 6-0, 6-3, score that broke a 4-4 tie in the team scoring.

Pro Golf has a new Number 1 Rory McIlroy, 22, is the second-youngest number one golfer in the world after beating Tiger Woods, by two strokes at the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Fl. on Sunday. McIlroy, the Northern Ireland native who now resides in Jupiter, Fla.., fired a final round 69 (-1) to finish -12 for the week and hold off Woods who jumped back into contention with a final round 62 (-8). McIlroy, who now has three PGA Tour wins and six worldwide, has finished outside the top-5 only once in his last 11 starts worldwide. McIlroy will tee it up again this week at the WGC-Cadillac Championship in Miami.

Tampa Bay Lightning streaking toward playoff spot After being in last place in the Eastern Conference on Jan. 17, the Tampa Bay Lightning are just two points behind the Winnipeg Jets for the last playoff spot heading into Tuesday’s game against Ottawa. The Lightning have won seven on their last nine, including four in a row at home, including back-to-back overtime wins against the first-place New York Rangers and the Caroline Hurricanes over the weekend. The Lightning have just 17 games left on the schedule, two of which are against the Jets.

NFL Investigating New Orleans Saints assistant for ‘bounty’ program The NFL has evidence claiming that the New Orleans Saints were offering monetary rewards for injuring opposing players after the NFL’s Security Department conducted an investigation that included numerous player interviews. The league found that 22 to 27 Saints defensive players maintained a “pay for performance” program that included bounty payments for injuring opposing players from 2009-2011.

The Saints defensive coordinator at the time, Gregg Williams, has admitted his involvement in the “pay for performance” program and met with league officials Monday after new reports claiming he was involved in similar practices while coaching for Washington and Buffalo.

The Rays of our lives RAYS from page 21

Rays have improved their respective crafts dramatically. No player is better than third baseman and perennial All Star, Evan Longoria.

“Longo” as he is affectionately known by the Tampa fans has been a member of the Rays since his rookie year in 2008 and has been resigned until 2016 and has improved his defensive ability around the hot corner immensely.

Tampa also boasts one of the scariest pitching staffs in the American League. The ace in the staff has been All Star David Price, who in recent years has contended for the American League Cy Young Award.

Although Price is still a relatively young player, he mentors an even younger pitcher in Matt Moore.

Moore has only started three games in the Majors, but when one of those games is an away playoff game

promotional photo

where he successfully held the best offense in the American League hitless for the first four innings leading to a victory, he becomes national news. Moore resigned with Tampa over the offseason and now looks to cement his place in the rotation for the foreseeable future.

Coming into the year, the Rays have also brought in a new face as well as an old fan favorite. When the 2011 season ended, so did the contracted services of slugger Johnny Damon, who brought a veteran leadership to the clubhouse that proved instrumental to the stunning comeback that the Rays embarked on last September.

To replace Damon, the Rays picked up designated hitter Luke Scott from the Baltimore Orioles.

Scott, who had a shoulder injury for most of the 2011 season had previously put up good numbers at the Ballpark at Camden Yards is signed for one year as a trial for what many Rays fans hope to be a solid future investment at a position they have consistently been weak in.

Also returning to the Rays is Carlos Peña. Peña was traded away from the Rays to the Cubs two years ago; the Cubbies then released him

during the offseason after putting up poor numbers in hitter friendly Wrigley Field. He looks to return to prominence after years of unfulfilled expectations.

Speaking of things that underwhelm, the Rays have consistently been at the bottom of league attendance despite solid play. For whatever reason: poor stadium location, poor stadium design or high prices, fans have just not supported the Rays as ownership had envisioned.

Despite this understated support, a loyal fan base does exist in the region and it demands nothing short of success. This year proves to be crucial to the Rays future in the area as well as the team’s viability as a location for players.

A World Series may not be won in Tampa Bay this year, but look for the Rays to make solid strides into a future partnership with the Tampa Bay community.

Look for the Rays in September, if they reside anywhere near the top of the AL East standings they will enter the postseason and look to write their future despite everyone who thinks that they are down and out.

photo by Victoria Richardson Briana Ballard prepares to put the ball into scrum.

Women’s Rugby stays undefeated against Midwest U19 All-star team

By Mike Geibel Asst. Web Editor March 3 marked a big day for Eckerd women’s rugby. The undefeated Sirens hosted the Under-19 USA All-star team from the Midwest region.

The U19 team, several of whom are still enrolled in high school, were also undefeated coming into their showdown on Kappa Field.

The U19 team consists of very talented and hard-working players from all over the Midwest. The team travels around the country for its matches and found themselves on the Eckerd campus for two games in the same day, the first against Eckerd and the second just 2 hours later against the USF Lady Bulls.

At the onset of the game, the U19s incredible rucking and scrumming capabilities were on full display as the young women held onto possession of the ball for long periods of time. Eckerd countered the attack with several long runs but were unable to break through the defenses for a score in the first half.

Solid defense on both sides was played through the first half, with the only points coming on two hard fought tries by the U19 team leaving the halftime tally at 10-0 for the visiting team.

Eckerd came out fighting in the second half putting up two quick scores to take the lead. Long runs and very physical play again shone through as both sides fought for the advantage in the game. Again the U19 team showed tenacity as they pushed in another score with five minutes remaining in the game.

The next few minutes proved to be the most exciting play that the

Sirens have seen yet this season.

Down by five points with less than two minutes remaining, the Eckerd women were backed up against their own try line, with the U19 team threatening to put in another score and seal the game.

After a penalty and mishandled pass by the visiting team, the ball made its way out to Amy Mautz, who kicked from inside Eckerd’s own try zone. The kick sailed in the wind, took a hard bounce on the grass, and ended up nearly 80 meters down the field.

As a member of the U19 team attempted to collect the ball from the grass at her own 22-meter line, winger Liz Scherbatskoy chased her down and made a great tackle, pinning the U19 women inside their own 22. After some good defense, it appeared Eckerd had a clear shot to recover a loose ball and score when Amy Mautz was interfered with.

The referee awarded Eckerd with a penalty try because it was clear that had the interference not occurred, Eckerd would have clearly scored. The penalty try tied the game at 17.

As time ran out in the game, Amy Mautz once again made a clutch kick, splitting the uprights with the conversion, to give the Eckerd Sirens the last second victory, 19-17.

The U19 Midwest team came back, after a very short rest, to play a friendly match against the USF Lady Bulls.

Before they left for their next destination, the U19 women were thanked by the Sirens with goodie bags of Eckerd and Palmetto items and wished well in their future endeavors.

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March 9, 2012

Sports 23

Gibson on tear, hitting .371 GIBSON from BACK COVER

compliments his arm. “Bryant is a very athletic centerfielder who can cover a lot of ground for us. His arm strength gives us the ability to keep base runners from advancing as well,” Mathews said.

Besides baseball, Gibson has another passion: the water. This explains why his two favorite athletes are Torri Hunter, an MLB outfielder, and Kelly Slater, a world renowned professional surfer.

On off days, you can find Gibson

courtesy of eckerdtritons.com Senior Bryant Gibson.

out on the boat fishing, surfing on his 5’11” round nose board or simply hanging out on the beach. They help him relax. “I like to get away from life and just chill out,” Gibson says while readjusting his Oakley’s.

Though Gibson is a laid-back guy, he’s no beach bum. Next on the list for this business management major is law school; he plans on taking the L-SATs upon graduating.

Gibson commends his parents, who both have a background in law, for helping him in that direction.

What about the minor leagues?

“If it happens it happens,” Gibson said casually. “It’s a once in a lifetime chance. If given the opportunity I would definitely do it, but I don’t have all my chips in that basket,” he continued.

With that said, there is a chance Gibson will take the field for his last competitive baseball game on May 5 of this year. “I am putting off those emotions for as long as I can,” Gibson said. “I haven’t really thought about playing my last game yet, but I know it will be weird.”

Though it is still unknown whether or not the path Gibson will take after graduation will be a base path, it is as clear as the water he surfs on that his dedication and work ethic will lead him down a successful road.

SSC Preseason Baseball Poll, based on votes from the league’s coaches and sports information directors Rank Team Points 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Tampa Barry Nova Southeastern Florida Southern Florida Tech Lynn Rollins Saint Leo Eckerd

192 158 146 139 103 93 70 47 24

courtesy of eckerdtritons.com Senior catcher Aaron Shapiro behind the plate during a doubleheader against Florida Memorial University.

Baseball playing, winning, as a team BASEBALL from BACK COVER

season while allowing five runs in 5.1 innings pitched.

So far this season, Eckerd has outscored its opponents 10063. They are hitting a blistering .310/.378/.467 as a team. Three different Tritons are hitting over .350. Shortstop Del Monte is hitting .382 with a team-leading 12 walks and is tied for the team lead with 14 runs. Center fielder Bryant Gibson is hitting .370 with a teamhigh 9 stolen bases. Third baseman Spinelle is hitting .362 with two homeruns and leads the team with 13 RBIs. First baseman McLemore leads the team with five homeruns, while catcher/second baseman Regidor leads the team with seven doubles.

The Tritons pitching staff has a 3.25 team ERA, led by ace Cuda.

In six games, four of which were starts, Cuda is 3-1 with two saves

and an amazing 1.12 ERA. In 32 innings pitched, he has held his opponents to just 18 hits and a .165 batting average while striking out 43 batters and walking just three.

Lancaster (3-1, 2.04 ERA), Wilder (2-1, 2.96 ERA) and Huchro (1-1, 4.41 ERA) provide plenty of pitching depth in the rotation. McLemore, Joe Clagg, and Matt Ramsey have all held the opposition scoreless in three appearances apiece out of the bullpen.

Both Cuda and head coach Bill Mathews attribute the recent successes as total team efforts. “I feel as though we are really starting to play together,” says Cuda. “We have been able to capitalize on a few big games and use those successes to continue towards our goal of being a conference contender. Our team morale has really started to come around and I feel like everyone is quickly realizing that we have the potential to do something great this year.”

Mathews says that the current seven-game win streak can be summed up to three things: “Good defense, good pitching, and situational hitting.” After pointing out that the team has raised their fielding percentage 30 points in the last two weeks and has raised their batting average 26 points in the winning streak, he went on to say “There’s a reason why we play baseball everyday. We have to get it right everyday. We can’t look back and be satisfied with how we played before.”

The Tritons start conference play with a three-game series at Barry University on March 9 and 10. They play the Netherlands National Team at home on March 14 at 7 p.m., and then continue conference play with home games against Florida Southern College on March 16 at 7 p.m. and then a doubleheader on March 17 at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Eckerd Scoreboard Women’s Basketball Feb. 22 @ Saint Leo University W 65-61 (2OT) (EC) Charles 24 Points, 8 Rebounds (EC) Rausberg 13 Points, 7 Rebounds Feb. 25 v. Lynn University W 66-51 (EC) Niles 20 Points, 4 Rebounds (EC) Charles 9 Points, 10 Rebounds Feb. 29 v. Nova Southeastern Uni.

L 72-56 (EC) Charles 17 Points, 3 Rebounds (EC) Niles 14 Points, 11 Rebounds

Men’s Basketball Feb. 25 v. Lynn University W 74-58 (EC) Sears Jr. 16 Points, 5 Rebounds (EC) Snodgrass 12 Points, 3 Assists Feb. 29 v. Barry University W 71-62

(EC) Kearse 16 Points, 9 Rebounds (EC) Wade 13 Points, 6 Rebounds March 3 v. Saint Leo Uni. @ Florida Southern University L 68-66 (EC) Kearse 15 Points, 9 Rebounds (EC) Wade 12 Points, 13 Rebounds

Baseball Feb. 29 v. Saint Anselm College W 6-4 (EC) McLemore 2-4, HR, 3 RBI’s

(EC) Menendez 6 IP, 1 ER, 2 hits, W

Softball

March 2 v. Florida Memorial Uni. W 7-0 (EC) Cuda 7 IP, 0 ER, 12 K’s, 0 BB’s (EC) Spinelle 1-4, HR, 2 RBI’s

Feb. 27 v. Mount Olive College (DH) W 6-2, L 12-0 (ECG1) Dougherty 6.1 IP, 0 ER, W (ECG1) Schurr 1-3, 2B, 2 RBI’s

March 3 v. Florida Memorial Uni. (DH) W 8-7, W 9-5 (EC G1) Lancaster 7 IP, 1 ER, W (EC G1) Del Monte 3-4, HR, 3 RBI’s (EC G2) Shapiro 3-5, HR, 5 RBI’s (EC G2) Gibson 2-4, 2 SB’s, RBI, Run

Feb. 29 v. Dominican College (DH) L 9-0, W 6-5 (EC G1) Bernier 2 IP, 0 ER, 3 K’s (EC G1) Jeffares 1-2 (EC G2) Mitchell 4-5, 3B, 3 RBI’s (EC G2) Lolo 2-2, 2B, RBI, Run

Sports Calendar 9

Friday

Baseball @ Barry University 6 p.m.

Softball @ Florida Southern College 7 p.m.

16

Baseball v. Florida Southern College 7 p.m.

Softball v. Nova Southeastern University 7 p.m.

10

Saturday

Men’s and Women’s Tennis v. Nova Southeastern University 10 a.m.

Men’s and Women’s Tennis v. Bentley University 10 a.m.

12

Monday

13

Tuesday

14

Wednesday

Softball v. Concordia University (DH) 4 p.m.

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

Baseball v. Netherlands National Team 6 p.m.

17

Baseball v. Florida Southern College (DH) 1 p.m.

Softball v. Nova Southeastern Uni. (DH) 1 p.m.

18

Men’s and Women’s Tennis v. West Virginia State Uni. 11 a.m.

Women’s Golf @ Embry Riddle Eagle Invitational all day

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19

Softball @ Warner University (DH) 2 p.m.

Women’s Golf @ Embry Riddle Eagle Invitational all day

20

Baseball v. Clearwater Christian College 7 p.m.

Women’s Golf @ Embry Riddle Eagle Invitational all day

15

Thursday

Men’s and Women’s TenMen’s and Women’s Tennis @ University of Tampa nis v. Otterbein University 3 p.m.

3 p.m.

Baseball @ Barry University (DH) 12 p.m.

Men’s and Women’s Tennis v. Palm Beach Atlantic Uni. 1 p.m.

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11

Sunday

21

Softball @ Palm Beach Atlantic University (DH) 3:30 p.m.

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The Official Student Newspaper of Eckerd College

CSports

March 9, 2012

Senior Gibson thrills with speed on the field; surfs during spare time

By Kelly Coston Asst. H & F Editor

A

fter years of playing the game, Bryant Gibson’s final season is underway.

Gibson does not have a typical fast-paced, heart pumping walkup song like most baseball players. This 21-year-old

Florida native strolls up to home plate to the beat of a reggae tune, one you would hear sitting poolside on a hot day. As “Good Vibes” by Rebolution plays through the speakers, #14 gets ready to hit.

“I love that song,” Gibson said. “It calms me down before I bat.” It must work since the 6’3” senior centerfielder is currently batting .371 this season.

On game days, Gibson can be seen pulling into the Turley Athletic Center in his silver Nissan Xterra with a “Salt Life” fishing decal on the back window, wearing a Guy Harvey shirt and board shorts. Once he changes gears and puts on his uniform, he sits in the training room where he gets his ankles taped.

“I broke my ankle while conditioning at practice one day,” Gibson laughed, “in the middle of an ultimate Frisbee game.” This injury caused Gibson to miss more than half of the season during his second year at Florida State College, where he played before continuing his baseball career at Eckerd.

Once he is taped up, he heads to the field to stretch, take batting practice and get his arm lose before game time.

Bryant has been playing baseball since his dad drove him to start when he was 5-years-old. The coaches immediately noticed his speed and put him in the outfield. “I was fast as a little kid, so they stuck me out there,” Gibson remembers. His speed has kept him there ever since.

He maintains his quick feet by doing sprint workouts and ladder drills. Though his favorite part of practice is hitting, he also loves running down balls people don’t think he can get.

One of his favorite baseball memories can be attributed to his speed when he broke up a no hitter late in the game against conference rival Florida Tech last year by running out a bunt. “You never want to have a no hitter thrown against your team, so it was one of my highlights.” Gibson said that, “It felt great,” with a smirk.

Coach Mathews agrees speed is one of Gibson’s specialties, but also

courtesy of eckerdtritons.com Senior Bryant Gibson taking his cuts at the plate.

See GIBSON, page 23

Baseball carries momentum

By Will Creager Asst. Sports Editor The Eckerd College baseball team (11-4) is on a roll, currently riding a 7-game winning streak and having won 10 of their last 11 games.

The streak started Feb. 16, when they beat Clearwater Christian College 4-1. Since, they have beaten Ave Maria University 14-0, swept a two-game series against Saint Anselm College, and most recently taking three straight games from Florida Memorial University March 2 and 3.

In the first game against the Florida Memorial Lions, which the Tritons won 7-0, pitcher Joe Cuda starred, nailing down seven shutout innings, allowing just four hits while striking out a season-high 12 batters and not walking a single batter. The Tritons provided Cuda with all the support he would need with a run in the third inning on a two-out RBI single by David Regidor, and then a four-run fifth inning, capped off by a Lee Spinelle two-run homerun.

Eckerd added two more runs on two more hits in the sixth inning.

In the first game of the doubleheader March 4, the Tritons pounded out 13 hits, including homeruns from Spinelle, Joe McLemore and Alex Del Monte, and pitcher Johnny Lancaster allowed just one ER in seven innings to pick up his third win of the season.

Jordan Huchro came in to stop the Lions rally in the ninth, as Eckerd survived a fourrun ninth inning outburst from Florida Memorial to escape with the 8-7 win.

In the third and final game of the series, Eckerd won 9-5, in large part due to catcher

Aaron Shapiro, who went 3-4 with a homerun and 5 RBIs. Pitcher Jake Wilder settled down after allowing three runs in the first inning, and picked up his second win of the See BASEBALL, page 22

courtesy of eckerdtritons.com Head Coach Bill Mathews during a recent game.

Sailing away

By Lincoln Andres-Beck Sports Editor Eckerd College played host to the Eckerd Intersectional FJ sailing regatta March 3-4, 15 colleges and universities from up and down the east competed in the event that featured high winds on the water throughout the competition.

The U.S. Coast Guard Academy was dominant in the team competition with a score of 54, the next closest score was a 62 by the team from College of Charleston.

Eckerd finished in 8th place holding a score of 159, ahead of University of Miami, who also had 159 points, based on head to head placing.

Each team has two crews on the boats for each race and the combined placing scores decide the teams overall scores. On the A squad sides it was Coast Guard Academy who had the low score of 23, followed by Yale and MIT with scores of 29, Eckerd’s A crew of Senior Emilie Mademann who

crewed all 10 races, along with Senior Sarah Workman who ran races 1-6 and 9-10, and Sophomore Rachel Cruz who ran races 7-8, finished in eighth among A squads with a score of 88.

The B squad races were a different story on the top as College of Charleston took top honors with an overall score of 25, followed by the Coast Guard Academy with 31 points, and Yale University with 36 points. The Tritons B squad consisted of Sophomore Walker Banks crewing all 10 races, Junior Emily Mitchell crewing for races 1-6, and Freshman Tony Collins crewing races 7-10. The Tritons took ninth in the B squad competition with a score of 71, as they sat at the tail end of the pack, the next closest score being 108 by Fordham University.

Overall, Eckerd beat out some sizable competition including such schools as Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, Jacksonville University and Miami University (OH).

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