Volume5, Issue9

VIEWPOINTS

ENTERTAINMENT

THE QUICKIE

HEALTH & FITNESS

SPORTS

Friendly Fire

Renaissance Festival

Tale of a Triton: David Steren

Everything in moderation

Softball hits it off

Columnists debate improvements in campus food options. page 7

Bay Area Renaissance Festival sends visitors on a blast to the colloquial past.

page 13

Student attempts to build community on campus with his passion page 14 for music.

Learn about the health benefits of moderate alcohol consumption.

Softball has strong start in conference play.

page 15

page 17

Vol. 5, Issue 9 March 7, 2014

EC students rally to support Venezuelan protesters

By María Andreina Mora Contributing Writer Last month, Eckerd College students from Venezuela protested in downtown Tampa in an effort to raise awareness about recent violence.

11 of Eckerd’s 117 international students are from Venezuela, making it the second largest group on campus after the the U.K., which has 13 students here. These Venezuelan students are all studying at Eckerd for the same primary reason: The U.S. can offer them a better education and a safer future than their home country could. Sophomore Maurizio Di Giulio was one of the students that participated in this protest.

Di Giulio, who is from Margarita Island, Venezuela, is an International Business major.

Wanting to be back home is a sentiment that many Venezuelans at Eckerd are feeling.

They want to be there fighting for their country. Because this is not possible, they have found a way to keep fighting from here.

Di Giulio said he found out about the protests on Instagram. “I wanted to go there after watching many videos and looking at different pictures of the situation in Venezuela online. I felt that I had to do something about it, so for me going to Tampa is showing that I am supporting my people back home.”

The protest was not large but the message to raise awareness of the situation in Venezuela was clearly sent to the Americans in the area.

“I saw a lot of energy during

the protest,” Di Giulio said. “Venezuelans maintained their hopes and I saw how they really wanted to change the country for better.”

Students in Venezuela took to the streets on National Youth Day, Feb. 12, to protest the ongoing social and economic crisis gripping their country. Violence against protesters has since sparked further outcry and even accusations against the U.S. of trying to destabilize the government.

Many of the young protesters feel the goods shortages and freedom of speech issues are directly linked to President Nicolas Maduro, previously the Venezuelan Vice President under Hugo Chavez.

For most part, the protests have been peaceful and the marches have increased in size. An estimated 300,000 people have participated in the protests occurring in most major Venezuelan cities.

The violence in Venezuela began on the first day citizens began protesting. Instead of listening to public demands, the government responded with force. During the protests and marches, the military and police attacked and fought against unarmed civilians with guns and tear gas.

As of press time, there have been 17 reported deaths and 261 injuries according to International News Channel Nuestras Tele Noticias 24.

Di Giulio believes the goal for Venezuelans living in the US is to support their country from here. “I believe that Eckerd students should support Venezuela by spreading the voice of the people there and

courtesy of Andrea Avila ELS student Fabiana D’Amato poses with the Venezuelan flag near the entrance of Eckerd.

letting the world know what’s going on in our country. That is what we can do internationally,” he said.

Through social media, Venezuelans living abroad have been able to find out about the situation that is going on in their country.

Due to government controlled and censored media, Venezuelans have had trouble finding out exactly what is happening in their country.

Facebook, Twitter, blogs and Instagram have been the most prominent platforms for communication between Venezuelans concerning

Reunion to honor founding class of 1964

By Aaron Levy News Editor

With the 50th anniversary of the class of 1964 soon approaching, focus on student-alumni relations has reached an all-time high. The 2014 Alumni Reunion will take place the weekend of March 7 to 9 and will bring alumni back to campus in celebration of Eckerd’s founding class.

While reunions happen every year on campus, Director of Alumni Engagement Chris Connors (‘97) believes this year’s reunion will be an especially momentous one.

“I’ve been working with the class of 1964, the founding class, on their reunion for about two years,” Connors said. “In a lot of ways it may be the culmination of events for that group. It’s an incredible milestone that [it’s] been 50 years since they’ve graduated.”

Professor of Biology and Marine Science John C. Ferguson said he joined the Florida Presbyterian College faculty in fall Please Recycle

NEWS 2-4

# P R AY F O RV E N E Z U E L A .

Support from international youth has also been strong. People around the world have been posting pictures on social media websites with a paper sign of their names, country of origin and aforementioned hashtags.

There was a second, larger and more organized protest in Tampa that took place on Dale Mabry Ave. near Columbus Feb. 22. Hundreds of Venezuelans gathered to protest.

See VENEZUELA, page 4

Fishing club reels in tournament success

By Teresa Young Asst. News Editor

INDEX:

the protest places and times, deaths, injuries, marches and information relevant about this situation.

Through these social media avenues, Venezuelans are posting pictures, videos and stories using the following hashtags: #LASALIDA (the exit, as in the exit of the current government), #LACALLE (the street, as in protesting on the streets is the solution), #FEB and the day of the protest, #IMYOURVOICEVENEZUELA, #SOSVENEZUELA and

courtesy of Eckerd College Alumni’s Flickr Eckerd alumni ride bikes at the 2013 Reunion Weekend.

1963 and has always been proud of the first graduating class, nicknamed the “Fiddler Crab” class.

“I was always very impressed by the ‘Fiddler Crab’ pioneers, who took a tremendous risk [to] come to a brand new and ‘experimental’ college, as yet unaccredited,” Ferguson said in an email. “My experience with them inspired me (just out of a traditional grad school) to open my mind and explore new teaching techniques and experimental research approaches which affected me the rest of my life.”

Events scheduled for Reunion

VIEWPOINTS 5-8

Weekend include a picnic on South Beach, boat rides at the Waterfront and a tour of Bayboro Harbor, where the college’s classes were first held.

Connors hopes the reunion will also be a chance for students and alumni to connect with each other.

“To be perfectly frank, that is an area I would like to see grow in the coming years,” Connors said about Eckerd’s student-alumni relations.

Junior Katie Boudreau and Freshman Colleen Walsh, employees at the Waterfront, said

ENTERTAINMENT 9-12

See ALUMNI, page 4

The EC Fishing Club has thus far had a successful 20132014 season. After finishing first and second in tournaments in Titusville, Fla. and Tampa, Fla. earlier this year, the club’s two three-person teams took first and third place in Jacksonville, this time bounced from the top two spots by Rollins College.

Eight of the club’s 16 active members have participated in tournaments this year.

As part of the College Kayak Fishing Salt Series, a sequence of tournaments presented by KayakFishingSeries.com, collegiate teams including Louisiana State, Coastal Carolina, USF and Texas A&M University at Galveston compete in any of 13 regular season tournaments (travel expenses permitting) in preparation for the Sperry TopSider National Championship in Biloxi, Miss. where teams will compete for scholarships, kayaks and fishing equipment.

Teams of three anglers sub-

mit their six largest fish caught.

The Salt Series operates strictly as a catch and release program, so all fish are returned to the water after being logged. Artificial lures must also be used.

While they are planning to travel to Biloxi, Miss. for the National Championship in late May or June, members of the EC Fishing Club plan to participate in two more tournaments before the end of the year. Senior C.J. McGuigan said the two Eckerd teams’ success lies in their different areas of angling expertise.

“A lot of our success is due to the fact that before Bryan Foley organized our club, most guys were still out fishing almost every day on an individual level,” he said. “That’s given us a lot of different perspectives on how to approach new locations that we are competing in.”

Club President Bryan Foley said the club hopes to have a third team participating in tournaments before the end of the semester. He said the guidance

THE QUICKIE 13-14 HEALTH & FITNESS 15-16 SPORTS 17-20

See FISHING, page 4 The Current is a free, biweekly student newspaper produced at Eckerd College. Opinions expressed in this publication are those of the writers.

2 News

March 7, 2014

Editor-in-Chief Malena Carollo thecurrent@eckerd.edu Copy and Design Editor Mike Geibel News Editor Aaron Levy currentnews@eckerd.edu Asst. News Editors Sydney Cavero Teresa Young Viewpoints Editors Ely Grinfeld Shannon Vize currentviews@eckerd.edu Asst. Viewpoints Editor Gary Furrow Jr. Entertainment Editor Ian Lindsay currententertainment@eckerd.edu Asst. Entertainment Editor Hayden Johnson Quickie Editors Chelsea Duca Leah Bilski currentquickie@eckerd.edu Health & Fitness Editor Sabrina Lolo currenthealth@eckerd.edu Asst. Health & Fitness Editor Emma Cotton Sports Editor Mike Geibel currentsports@eckerd.edu Asst. Sports Editors Colin Casey Will Creager Dominick Cuppetilli Photo and Graphic Design Editor Alex Zielinski currentphoto@eckerd.edu Copy Editors Colin Casey Ely Grinfeld Web Editor Hailey Escobar Webmaster Vincent Lynch Faculty Adviser K.C. Wolfe Director of Finances Hannah Zaremsky Director of PR/Advertising Sarah Richardson currentads@eckerd.edu Editorial Consultants Greg Reilly Rose Kraemer

The Current is a free biweekly student newspaper at Eckerd College.

Offices are located upstairs in Cobb at 4200 54th Ave S, St. Petersburg, FL, 33711. Opinions expressed in this publication are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect those of EC students, staff, faculty and administration.

The Current welcomes letters to the editor. Submissions should be typed and not exceed 400 words.

Writers must include their full name, graduation year and contact number. Faculty and staff should include their title, department and contact number. All submissions are subject to editing for the purposes of clarity, style or length. The Current holds the right to reject any letters deemed inappropriate. Letters can be sent via email to thecurrent@eckerd.edu with subject “Letter to the editor.” _______________________________ The Current will run full-length articles covering any arrests that present a clear danger to the community.

Charges that would be investigated under this policy include robberies, assaults, weapons charges or illicit drug manufacturing, such as methamphetamine. The Current will continue publishing a small police blotter for felony arrests, and misdemeanor charges against student government leaders, Residential Advisors and staff members of The Current. We learn of arrests through searching the police arrest database by entering Eckerd’s address, as well as from tips. Questions and comments can be emailed to thecurrent@eckerd.edu.

LET’S BE BRIEF

the current

By Sydney Cavero Asst. News Editor

Spring Ball voting to end soon

Office of Service-Learning looking for Hunger Banquet volunteers

March 7 is the last day to vote for the theme for the Spring Ball . The four potential themes are (A) “All Gold Everything,” (B) “Dappers and Flappers,” (C) “Arabian Nights” and (D) “Under the Sea.” Students may vote by texting “Palmetto” with the corresponding letter of their desired theme to Palmetto’s texting service at 4211247. Voters should also stop by Palmetto’s table at the mailboxes March 7 afternoon to show them the text proving they voted to be entered in a raffle drawing for Beats by Dre.

Office of Service-Learning

The Flush

Mardi Gras style student showcase

The Office of Service-Learning is currently looking for volunteers to help with the upcoming Hunger Banquet, a CPS event on April 24 in Fox Hall to spread awareness about hunger. Students may be part of a Logistics and Planning Committee or a Publicity Committee. Contact Academic Service-Learning Coordinator Amanda Foster, Service-Learning Intern Laura Lea Rubino or Director of Service-Learning Ronald Porter if you are interested or have any questions.

The Flush

WECX now streaming on the web

Student performances, food, music and prizes will culminate in a Mardi Gras themed event at the Waterfront March 14 from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m. Attendees can also vote for their favorite performer. More details will be coming soon.

The Flush

Eckerd to take students to Dali

Eckerd’s own radio station WECX is now streaming their online at WECX.eckerd.edu. This will enable the St. Petersburg area as well as the Eckerd community to listen to EC’s student disc jockeys live. To get involved with WECX, contact Lova Patterson at patterlm@eckerd.edu.

The Flush

Sign-up sheet for Mr. Triton available

“EC Day at the Dali” is an opportunity March 14 for all of Eckerd to go to the Dali Museum, which includes the Andy Warhol exhibit, for free. Faculty, staff and families may also go for the reduced price of $8 per person. Transportation is provided and winners of the surreal film submissions will be announced at 4 p.m.

The Flush

Intramural softball league to accept rosters

Students may now sign up for Eckerd’s all-male pageant, Mr. Triton.

A sign-up sheet will be on Campus Activities’ door March 4 to March 18 where interested candidates should write their name, email address and shirt size. Mr. Triton will be April 4 at 5:30 p.m. and is sponsored by the Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC) and Her Campus Eckerd.

ECOS

Applications for ECOS Executive Council available

The intramural softball league is accepting ten on ten team rosters for an open league and women’s league until March 7. Students may pick up and return rosters in the Fitness Center in the Intramural Office or download them online from the Campus Activities website. Play will begin Sun., March 9 at the North Field and games will be on Wednesday and Sunday evenings at 7, 8, 9 and 10 p.m. Winners will receive an “Intramural Champion” T-shirt and the team with the best uniforms will get a $75 pizza party. Email Ryan Bahn at bahnrv@eckerd.edu for more information or with any questions.

Applications for student government positions in the ECOS Executive Council are now available in Brown Hall, directly outside the ECOS office. The open positions are President, Executive Vice President, Vice President of Academic Affairs and Vice President of Financial Affairs.

Applications are due March 9 at 5 p.m. at the Declaration of Candidacy Meeting in Brown 103, the same day that campaigning begins. Voting begins March 17 at 9 a.m. and ends March 21 at noon, with election results announced soon after. Contact Director of Elections Kira Tangney at kstangne@eckerd.edu with any questions or for more information.

ECOS

Tips for temporarily operating without a Student ID

By Amy Delano Staff Writer Whether they are with our keys or in our wallets, our student IDs are as essential to any outing as our phones. Students and their IDs are basically inseparable, especially considering the EC Book states that students must carry it with them at all times.

But in the event that they are separated, there are steps students can take to make their life easier until it is recovered other than immediately purchasing a $30 replacement. To illustrate this, Freshman Garrett Schultheis took on the challenge to survive one week without using his student ID. “It was like not using a phone for a week,” Schultheis said.

“You don’t want to be attached to it, but you’re attached to it.”

Schultheis began this challenge Tues., Jan. 28, and succeeded in not using his student ID for the full week (ending Feb. 4). One factor that made this challenge a little more interesting is that Schultheis lives in Iota Wrenn.

Compared to the traditional dorms on campus, Iota is distinctive because of its free laundry and swipe-in system instead of traditional complexes’ five-digit codes.

“Honestly I could just mooch for a week if I needed to,” Freshman and West Lodge Resident

Kira Pryzant said, “and I don’t live in Iota, so the only time I ever use my ID is for food.”

Most students live on campus, but the majority do not live in Iota, making this challenge a little easier. If you don’t live in Iota, then you don’t need your student ID to get into your room or to do laundry. So what if you don’t have your student ID as an Iota resident?

“I didn’t do any laundry,” Schultheis said.

Getting into his dorm was not too difficult either, despite the fact that you have to swipe your ID to get into Iota’s buildings.

“There’s always someone in the lounge or someone going in and out, so it wasn’t that hard,” he said.

While Schultheis did describe his decreased accessibility to the dorm as “annoying,” he discovered that time away from his student ID was a positive experience.

“I would just avoid eating at the caf,” Schultheis said.

He would cook his own food, write down his ID number instead of swiping at the register or have a friend swipe for him. At the caf, Schultheis would often bring his clamshell in order to collect food for snacking or for future meals to avoid the inconvenience of having to write down his student number every time he ate.

photo by Alex Zielinski Eckerd students are required to carry their IDs with them at all times.

“I ate healthier and I feel better and I was saving meal swipes,” Schultheis said.

He could think of few cons of not carrying an ID. “Getting into my dorm was definitely not fun,” Schultheis said. “I’d get rid of it again, I [would] just rather just use it to get inside!”

According to a recent survey, roughly 60 percent of students at Eckerd use their ID three to five times a day, but it often depends on your meal plan and where you live.

The more you cook or go out to eat, the smaller the meal plan required, and thus the less you will use your ID. When it comes to the gym, turning on the GO Pavilion lights, etc.,

another student can swipe for you.

“I don’t really rely on identification,” Freshman Leah Sherman-Collins said. “On campus it’s pretty easy to get around without any sort of identification.”

Of course, it is always best to have your student ID with you and Eckerd’s policy requires that students do so. Not only does it make life a little easier when getting food or accessing other parts of campus, but returning to campus later in the evening requires it.

Although not having your student ID can often be inconvenient, you can survive without it in a pinch if you have forgotten yours at home or have recently misplaced it.

the current

March 7, 2014

News 3

News Plagued by potholes, Omega lot unlikely to be repaved

By Sarah Raney and Gary Furrow Jr. Staff Writer & Asst. Viewpoints Editor While the installation of a new traffic light is a milestone in terms of driving safety, other traffic hazards persist. Drivers and pedestrians encounter potholes across campus, from roads to parking lots and even sidewalks. Potholes are especially prevalent, however, in the Omega and Kappa parking lots.

Although the Omega parking lot is especially prone to potholes, it is not likely that the entirety of it will be repaved in the future.

“We got a price last year to do [repave] that lot, but in the five year master plan, that lot will be removed and turned into green space,” Director of Facilities Management Doug Ault said. “When I presented one of the projects last year, it was said why [we] are going to spend money on it when it is going to be taken out in five or six years. The decision was made to just patch it.”

While Facilities is doing what they can to temporarily fix the potholes, the state of the parking lot may be reaching a breaking point.

“I was driving into the Iota parking lot by Omega at night and did not see a deep pothole and drove over it,” Junior Caley Marchesseault said. “I thought I had seriously damaged my car. Thankfully, I didn’t.”

Ault said a large-scale repair might be the next step.

“Since the potholes had gotten to the point where the sub-

grade material was damaged, we patch one area, and now we have potholes in another area. We might be approaching the point of doing a large cut out of some of the problem points,” he said.

Potholes form for a variety of reasons.

“Potholes are usually the result of physical and chemical weathering,” Geology Professor Joel Thompson said.

This is typically caused by fluc-

tuating temperatures or rain penetrating into the asphalt. According to Ault, because the drainage systems in the Omega parking lot are not functioning properly, the deterioration process is accelerated. According to Thompson, potholes can re-form, especially as water cracks the asphalt.

The prevalence of sand and limestone as the foundation of roads in Florida also plays a significant role in the development of potholes.

“The base of a road also has a huge effect,” Thompson said.

“The more flexibility and movement there is, the more easily a pothole can form. Our changes in temperature and rain can cause expansion and contraction, which leads to the formation of potholes.”

However, it is not as easy as one may think to fix a pothole. “It all depends on how big the pothole is,” Ault said. “That is one of the reasons we try to catch them as soon

photo by Cypress Hansen Filled potholes in the Omega parking lot.

as we can. The longer it goes, and the deeper it gets down into the sub grades, the harder it is to fix.”

Typically, the improvements made during the semester are temporary because of high student traffic rates.

“Facilities does continuous maintenance on the parking lots and roadways,” Director of Emergency Management and Campus Safety Adam Colby said. “Usually, this work is done over the summer and winter break due to the disruption it causes to traffic patterns.”

Facilities usually uses one of two methods: Hot or cold patches. In the past months, Ault said Facilities spent around $1,500 for cold patches.

“The hot patch is the black asphalt material you see, and it tends to bond a bit better,” Ault said. “It’s a little harder to install, so we usually need a contractor to do it. With the cold patch, we can have our guys do it. We tend to use it for quick response items.”

However, repaving is the best option because it can aid in fixing foundational issues that cause the development of the potholes.

Though residential students pay $110 and commuter students pay $40 for parking passes, it does not appear that these funds go toward individual repair projects. Every year, Facilities compiles a list of top priority fixes for the summer break. However, according to Ault, last year they provided a list of $30,000 worth of top priority repairs, yet they See POTHOLES, page 4

Survey and e-cig trend prompt changes to EC smoke policy

By Laura Marshall and Amy Delano Staff Writers Not only do cigarettes contribute to cancer and other health problems, but secondhand smoke can cause problems for nonsmokers as well. A recent survey about smoking on campus, together with the increasingly popular electronic cigarette (e-cig) trend on campus, has led to potential revisions in Eckerd’s smoking policy.

Coordinator of Outreach Services Makenzie Schieman recently sent a cigarette survey to the Eckerd community discussing potential revisions of the school’s current smoking policy. While e-cigs have a purpose, she is not convinced that they offer a complete solution.

“It is good for quitting smoking,” Schieman said about the rise in e-cig use. “But if you are going to promote a culture that is smoke-free, seeing something that looks like smoke doesn’t always fit with that culture and we are trying to weigh the benefits of having e-cigarettes on campus.”

Many smokers use e-cigs to wean off the habit without the use of nicotine patches or nicotine gum. “[Cartridges] come in varying strengths,” Bloomberg Businessweek said, “ranging from high concentrations of nicotine to low concentrations to no nicotine at all for smokers trying to quit.”

Because e-cigs use vapor in-

C

stead of smoke, the administration is also contemplating how they will fit into Eckerd’s current smoking policy, which does not allow smoking in dorms.

“That it is one of the things that they were going to look at,” Schieman said, “since state law doesn’t prohibit the use of e-cigarettes inside.”

Besides the lack of smoke, many students feel that there are social benefits to using e-cigs as well.

“Much of the stigma surrounding cigarettes, on a basic level, comes from the smell,” Freshman Patrick Cullen said. “I do think ecigs are more accepted than cigarettes. Nonsmokers typically prefer not to inhale secondhand smoke or have the potent smell on their person. With e-cigs, secondhand inhalation is less obvious to the nonsmoker, and nonsmokers don’t smell like smoke or anything undesirable after hanging out with someone who smokes an e-cig.”

However, e-cigs are still new to the market and thus there may be unknown health risks.

“FDA [Food and Drug Administration] issued warning letters to five distributors of electronic cigarettes for violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA),” the FDA’s website said. “These violations included unsubstantiated claims and poor manufacturing practices.”

Though the FDA is planning to evaluate them eventually, e-cigs are not currently FDA approved.

Visit us online at www.theonlinecurrent.com

Still, the “e-cigarette” phenomenon may soon catch up to that of regular cigarettes, with projections showing that e-cig sales could exceed the sales of traditional tobacco sales as early as 2023 according to Bloomberg.

Bloomberg Businessweek explains that e-cigs are cartridges filled with a nicotine solution and a battery powered coil that heats the solution into vapor, which individuals inhale and exhale like smoke. E-cigarettes give users a nicotine fix without the smoke, making them more appealing to many users than cigarettes.

“I began using an e-cig under the perception that it was healthier than smoking regular cigarettes,” Cullen said. “Now, I use an e-cig to save money as buying the e-liquid is cheaper than if I were to buy packs. It also feels cleaner than smoking cigarettes and obviously doesn’t smell as bad.”

Despite this, many professionals still believe that the e-cig phenomenon is not a positive one.

“Cigarettes are not harmless,” Matt Myers, president of Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said in an article from Bloomberg Businessweek. “You want to discourage people who do not currently use e-cigarettes from taking up the habit. Our concern is that it will re-glamorize smoking and lead people to switch to cigarettes, or experiment with cigarettes.”

photo by Aaron Levy Senior Josh Annarelli using his e-cig.

4 News

the current

March 7, 2014

Reunion to honor founding class, foster relations From REUNION, page 1

they had not heard much information about Reunion Weekend.

“We’re hosting a dinner party here at the Waterfront Friday night and doing some stuff for the alumni that were involved with the Waterfront,” Boudreau said.

“Not so much around campus.”

“I’ve only gotten emails about what we’re doing,” Walsh said.

When alumni were invited to Pitchers with Professors during the 2012 reunion, the event turned out to be a success. This year, alumni and students will be able to interact with faculty at the pub again Mar. 7 at 4:30 p.m. for another Pitchers with Professors event.

“What we’ve learned was that the alumni really enjoy being at the pub with students during that time,” Connors said. “I would say that that event is a great chance to meet, kind of informally, between students and alumni.”

Connors hopes to expand these Friday afternoon gatherings into special interest groups at future reunions to allow for more student-alumni collaboration towards student interests or clubs. He also believes encouraging more student and alumni interaction will inform everyone involved on how they can improve the community.

“I think that the ultimate goal that I have, and I think is an institutional goal from the very top, is to educate our students about what it means to be an alumni while they’re here, while they are students,” Connors

said. “One of our challenges, historically, was the college didn’t pay a great deal of attention to its alumni.”

Reunion Weekend will serve as an opportunity for alumni to learn how they can give back to the college as well.

“What we’ve encountered was many alumni who just don’t understand the impact they can have on the institution,” Connors said.

“There are very kind of simple ways that don’t take a lot of effort that they can play a role in and be continuously involved in the college.”

He suggested some ways alumni can remain involved with the community, including funding, helping current students find internships and assisting in recruiting new students to the school. Connors believes promoting stronger student-alumni relations will be an advantage for the whole school.

“I think that that education really starts with students, so the more interaction we can build between students and alumni, I think it benefits them both a great degree,” he said.

Many students agree that fostering stronger student-alumni relations would be valuable.

“It’s helpful because it’ll establish connections for us juniors and seniors who are graduating. It’ll give us tips on what we need to do and how to do it when we graduate, like what jobs we should be looking for and how we should be applying and what we should be applying to,” Boudreau said.

“I think that’s a really cool idea,

courtesy of Eckerd College Alumni’s Flickr Eckerd alumni at Pitchers with Professors at the 2013 Reunion Weekend.

definitely the networking would be really nice,” Senior Chelsea Bliss said.

Connors is currently focusing on traveling the country to talk with small focus groups of alumni.

The program, Call to Conversation, is aimed at exploring new ideas for future alumni involvement in the Eckerd community.

These ideas, as well as those gained from the upcoming 2014 Reunion Weekend, will culminate in an alumni summit at next year’s reunion weekend.

“A lot of what we do at Eckerd is so grassroots,” Connors said. “We’re going to come out of this [2014] weekend with kind of that roadmap of here’s

where we go, these are the kind of people we need to talk to, and build and build and build towards that summit.”

Connors is planning for the 2015 alumni summit to serve as a venue for larger, more open discussions about the roles both alumni and students can play in the Eckerd community now and in the future.

Demonstrators support Venezuelans From VENEZUELA, page 1

Assistant Professor of Spanish Yanira Angulo-Cano is originally from Cuba, a country that experienced a similar situation to what is happening in Venezuela right now. For her, it was important to assist with the protest in Tampa.

“I am here to support the Venezuelan people because what appears to be a democratic country is not,” she said.

“In addition, the government is unable to govern efficiently as crime is rampant with 25,000 homicides a year.

“Citizens cannot travel outside of the country because of intentional red-tape, and a hostile policy towards airlines that have been forced to abandon the Venezuelan market.

“There are food and power shortages, and Venezuela is even importing oil. Imagine that.”

Venezuela is one of the world’s top 10 oil exporting countries, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Angulo-Cano believes that through the situation going on in Venezuela, Eckerd students have the opportunity to learn about the role social media can play in mo-

courtesy of Bryan Foley A redfish caught by Hunter Wilcox that helped Eckerd take first place at the February tournament in Tampa.

Fishing club sees success cont.

From TOURNAMENT, page 1

photo by Maria Mora Professor Yanira Angulo Cano with Senior Allegra Signorio at a demonstration in

ments of civil unrest and protest.

“This is an opportunity to teach students how social media has benefits and it’s the most pluralistic and democratic way

to convey information,” she said.

“It’s a lesson for my students of what can happen, even behind the curtain of what it seems to be a democratic government.”

SAVE THE DATE

The ECOS Student Senate sponsored Dorm Olympics to be held April 5.

of Assistant Waterfront Director Jim Terkelsen and management of Junior and Club Treasurer Chelsea Kuhs has been integral to the club’s success. In particular, Terkelsen’s experience in the sailing club’s early days proved valuable.

“Since James found out about [the Salt Series] at the end of last summer, he has signed up as the club’s faculty advisor and has been guiding Chelsea and I through his past knowledge and experience of how the Sailing Club got started in the early days of James’ Eckerd Career,” Foley said in an email. “With

the help of Chelsea and James, it has made it possible for us to organize all the tournaments while always looking ahead to see what the clubs next direction should be.”

In its second year, Terkelsen said The College Kayak Fishing Salt Series is a great way for students to get involved with competitive fishing without the high costs normally associated with the sport.

“You just need kayaks instead of big powerboats like you see in the Bass Tournaments,” he said in an email. “It would be great if we got more students involved and helped to grow this new tournament series.”

Facilities fixes potholes cont.

From PLAGUED, page 3

only received $20,000 in funding.

“I would not say the temporary patches would exceed the cost of the permanent repairs,” Ault said.

“I would estimate that we have spent about $1,500 on patching so far this year and that includes work in Omega, Sigma and Beta Lots as well as Derby Lane. The problem for us with the temporary repairs is that we have to keep going back over the same areas, so it uses a lot of our labor resources, but I realize that the funding for this type of repairs has to be prioritized.”

Until then, students

must continue to deal with the potholes on campus.

“I think it’s good that the potholes are filled in,” Marchessault said. “But I think there needs to be a more permanent solution instead of simply filling them.”

photo by Alex Zielinski A pothole near Sigma.

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the current

March 7, 2014

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Viewpoints INSIDE VIEWPOINTS MBFGC

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Friendly Fire

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LGBT Segregation Bill

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A glance at modern Disney princesses

By Hailey Escobar Asst. Entertainment Editor When I first heard about Disney’s newest film “Frozen,” I was much more excited about actress Idina Menzel playing the voice of Queen Else than the actual plot of the movie. I had been a fan of Menzel since her role as Elphaba in the original cast of the musical “Wicked.”

For those who aren’t familiar with the show, Elphaba is supposed to be a strong, intelligent, if somewhat shy young woman with immense power she tries to hide. She also happens to be green and later becomes known as the “Wicked Witch of the West.”

If one were to take away the green skin and the flying monkeys, they would see an uncanny resemblance between Elphaba and Elsa. Both powerful women who try to hide their power. When their power is released however, people view them as villains.

Elsa and her new sister Anna, voiced by Kristen Bell, have recently joined the Disney pantheon of princesses. Well, in Elsa’s case, queens. So far been a major success with two Oscar nominations and toys flying off the shelves.

The film has also added a new sense of empowerment to the Disney princesses, something that has been a trend in films such as “Tangled” and “Brave.”

This is particularly true with Elsa.

Compared to past princesses, Elsa, Anna, and their other modern counterparts seem to focus less on looking for a husband and more on the power of the character themselves.

This was a change that I began to notice with the films released in the 90s with Belle in “Beauty and the Beast,” Jasmine in “Aladdin” and Mulan. All of the characters, while they do possess romantic interests in the films, outwardly refuse any and all romantic prospects at the beginning of their stories.

Elsa is extremely powerful, but was forced to keep it hidden by her parents. You can see it in her outfit and demeanor in the opening of the film where she is extremely proper and covered from head to toe.

Once her powers are revealed, however, we see that she allows herself to let go. Much like Elphaba, she runs away to create a home for herself since she feels no one else will except her. Her costume change also shows this by becoming a more trimmed down, slightly sexier gown. This change in particular is extraordinary because she’s not dressing up for anyone, but herSee FEMINISTA, page 6

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Parking lot potholes pose problems

By Gary Furrow Jr. Asst. Viewpoints Editor

W

hen walking around Eckerd College one notices palm trees, yellow bikes and potholes. In recent months more and more large potholes seem to be popping up all over the beachy campus, and Facilities is struggling to keep up.

“Well, we try every year during summer and sometimes winter break we try to do sidewalk and road repairs,” Director of Facilities Doug Ault said. “I know one of the areas the students are interested about is the Omega lot. You can see what’s going on. We are chasing ourselves.”

Facilities is chasing themselves because, besides fixing the pavement during the academic breaks, repairs also occur when classes are in session.

In addition, the age of the pavement and poor drainage conditions more clusters of potholes are forming faster than Facilities can repair them. Some of the current patch jobs are not working because the school is not using the best methods of patching them.

There are two different types of patches: a cold patch, which is a quick fix that requires less labor as well as money, and a hot patch, which is just filling the hole with asphalt.

Facilities uses cold patches, not only to save money but to prevent having to bring in outside contractors for a hot patch. To date there have not been any injuries or damages reported because of potholes.

There is a more permanent fix to this issue than just patching.

“Well the only permanent fix is by cutting it out and repaving it.” Ault said. The allocated repair budget, however, does not allow for this solution.

According to Associate Vice President of Finance Luz Arcila, the budget comes from a multitude of different places, like from students’ tuition, the cost of parking passes.

It goes to academic programs, student services, institutional support and Facilities. It doesn’t seem enough, though, to cover the cost to repair the potholes. Arcila would not provide a breakdown of specific costs.

“We do not segregate specific fees to pay for individual programs and services,” Arcila said. “The Facilities department budget is $5.6 million.”

Each year, Ault submits a list to the Business Office of priority repairs. This past summer, he requested $30,000 for repairs, but received $20,000 based on available funds.

“I am sure we are going to be looking at some of the same repairs this summer,” he said.

photo by Alex Zielinski The depth and poor condition of one of a Sigma parking lot potholes.

“Every summer we make a list of the worst of the worst and send it to the business office,” Ault said. Potholes, he said, fall under this category.

I fear that if my current tuition, which is expected to push $50,000 next year, is not enough to cover the cost of potholes, then the col-

lege will raise tuition because of the constant cost of repairing potholes and other repair needs.

A total of $1,500 has already been spent on cold patches, according to Ault.

How much more is it going to cost to fix this problem?

How to better remember our loved ones with trees

By Elisa Edelstein Staff Writer “To live in the hearts we leave behind, is not to die.” The quote by Thomas Campbell that accompanies many of Nathan Mosby’s memorial sites, an Eckerd student and one of my best friends who died abruptly two years ago, changed my idea about the way we should act and feel about life after death.

This quote helped me real-

ize that death is only a physical state, by speaking Nathan’s name, sharing stories that star him, and by using other forms of life to help him continue on in this lifetime, I have found several ways to feel that Nathan is not gone.

One of these ways has been working in Nathan’s memorial garden in Puerto Rico. As I worked in his garden for the first time I realized that sustaining a life through other forms of life has to be one of the best ideas that we hardly

utilize. So why not replace tombstones in cemeteries with trees?

That way, we would have vast forests full of life to honor those whose physical bodies have passed.

After posting this idea on Facebook, Senior Phil MacDonald shared an idea with me I had never heard of before. Instead of planting trees instead of tombstones, he shared a site with me called Bios Urns, which was even more sustainable for the lost physical body and the earth. Clearly,

photo by Shannon Vize Trees and plaques on campus, like these for Nate Mosby and Rachel Price, help students who have died live on through nature.

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someone was way ahead of me.

The website describes their practice by saying, “Bios Urn is a funerary urn made ​​from biodegradable materials that will turn you into a tree after you die… Bios Urn turns death into a transformation and a return to life through nature.” This urn not only allows one to turn a lost person or pet they love into something that lives and breathes, but it is doing an environmentally honest deed by turning a body into the lungs of the earth.

“I’ve always had a great appreciation for nature. When I heard about the Bios Urn, I personally thought it was a much better way to commemorate and celebrate the life of a deceased than a traditional tombstone. I would much rather be remembered by a living, growing, colorful tree than a cold, gray, and lifeless tombstone,” Macdonald said.

It seems that Macdonald and I are not the only ones concerned with the validity of commemorating life with a lifeless piece of stone. Unlike the US who has created 6 green cemeteries (with 4 more proposed), Great Britain has pushed the envelope by having over 200 available green cemeteries. The US claims that this is only the beginning, meaning there is a bright future for green cemeteries around the US. This shift in consciousness is not only good because we are planting more trees, but because the burial process of traditional cemeteries can be extremely detrimental to the earth. Joe Sehee, the executive director of the Green Burial Council commented on the destructive nature of traditional burial processes.

These issues are just scratching the surface to the environmental issues that take place in burying bod See TREES, page 6

6 Viewpoints

March 7, 2014

Letter to my freshman self MBFGC:

By Hayden Johnson Asst. Entertainment Editor

My dearest Freshman Hayden, I’m writing to you from the future when you’re a senior at Eckerd College. In my time, it’s the Spring Semester of 2014. Based on my estimates, this letter will have reached you in Aug. 2010 while you’re taking Autumn Term. You know if I could, I would send you every winning lottery number, but I’ve got a word limit. All I hope is that you appreciate this letter maybe while listening to the “Back to the Future” theme song as you read it. Also, I must mention that you are still very socially awkward and your fear of being buried alive has not been conquered. I’m sorry about that.

Right now, you live in Sigma.

There you will meet the greatest of allies that you will know for the rest of your stay at Camp Eckerd. You and this fellowship, with each friend containing their own special abilities, will have such great times that they can only be told by the songs of wind.

This is because these tales cannot be written about in a respectable college newspaper. Nonetheless, brace yourself as the Winter Term “Ham Fight” of 2012 is coming.

Glory will be yours for the taking.

During your sophomore year,

you make a migration across campus and find settlement in Kappa.

At this Shangri La of sorts you will find refuge, more friends and greater times to be had. The creatures that live there will become like a family to you offering nurture and protection. Then you will live on a boat dorm. I’m just kidding, but that reference will make sense sooner or later. You will actually just stay at Kappa to this day as a senior since it is now a home to you and you would definitely get kicked out if you lived anywhere else.

You may be wondering about your major. In your sophomore year, you start to form more of an idea of your interests. I’m sorry to say that I’ve put your childhood dream of being an underwater paleontologist on the side for a bit. Nonetheless, you form a path through “The Current” that leads you to Creative Writing as well as Literature. I don’t think I have to tell you what I minor in because you’re a smart cookie. You also may be wondering about the changes in the world of tomorrow as well.

For one thing, by 2014 there have many technological advances.

There are now glasses made by Google that people can wear that allows them to look up virtually anything at a moment’s notice. We also use technology to make videos

of ourselves doing obscene things that will last for about 10 seconds for the receiver before it gets deleted. At Eckerd we’ve jumped light years into the future with an innovation called “pizza truck.”

We’ve played God and redefined “truck” as something that doesn’t have a steering wheel, engine or driver’s seat, but makes pizza.

There are also challenges to face at Eckerd. Life here can push you to the limit and make you question your humanity. Let me lay this scenario out in your naïve, innocent head. You’re walking on campus and spot a yellow bike. As you look up, you see someone has spotted it too. Now you’re in a race to walk quickly but not run to get it. A look in the mirror after that makes you realize your inner child is gone forever. Trembling yet?

So there you have it. What you get out of this place is what you put in. Good things and bad things will happen to you in this bizarre paradise. Just remember to take lots of vitamins, only hang out with the people who dance and act with gumption.

From TREES, page 5 ies. By making the shift towards green burials, we will be creating more forest and natural space instead of clearing space to make a wasteland of depressing headstones. The feeling of stepping into a natural area and feeling life renewed is truly moving and far more accessible than a cemetery.

Having spent much time working and cultivating Nathan’s memorial garden, I speak for myself and those around me who have experienced his garden by saying that this garden of life allows us to feel Nathan live.

I feel the connection each time I step into his garden and the love and hard work that each person has dedicated to this garden is a much better representation of the form Nathan is in now in comparison to a stone with his name on it.

Whether it is turning a physical death into a tree, or planting a tree above someone instead of a tomb-

stone, I believe green cemeteries are the direction we must switch to. These plants keep those we love alive not just in our hearts, but in a living, breathing form of life.

Council commented on the destructive nature of traditional burial processes.

“We bury enough embalming fluid to fill 8 Olympic-size swimming pools, enough metal to build the Golden Gate Bridge, and so much reinforced concrete in burial vaults that we could build a two-lane highway from New York to Detroit,” Sehee said.

These issues are just scratching the surface to the environmental issues that take place in burying bodies. By making the shift towards green burials, we will be creating more forest and natural space instead of clearing space to make a wasteland of depressing headstones. The feeling of stepping

into a natural area and feeling life renewed is truly moving and far more accessible than a cemetery.

Having spent much time working and cultivating Nathan’s memorial garden, I speak for myself and those around me who have experienced his garden by saying that this garden of life allows us to feel Nathan live.

I feel the connection each time I step into his garden and the love and hard work that each person has dedicated to this garden is a much better representation of the form Nathan is in now in comparison to a stone with his name on it.

Whether it is turning a physical death into a tree, or planting a tree above someone instead of a tombstone, I believe green cemeteries are the direction we must switch to. These plants keep those we love alive not just in our hearts, but in a living, breathing form of life.

If you’re interested in writing a letter to your freshman self for The Current please email: currentviews@eckerd.edu

Trees should replace tombs cont.

#Amusing Musings

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

Follow us on twitter: Literature Professor This is like Disneyland, if you were a skunk. #PoeticLicense

political issues

History Professor Class, you are never allowed to use your phones, unless it’s for Flappy Bird. Then, show me your high score. #IBelieveICanFly

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History Professor Class, you know how cyborgs react. Don’t be shocked. #EmbracingFuture

The war within

By Colin Casey Asst. Sports Editor HIV/AIDS has been correctly labeled a global pandemic,with 30 million casualties. As the specter of the disease came out of Africa, it spread like a shattered mirror to every corner of the globe.

But to me the legacy of the disease has already been well established in the Western world.

And surprisingly, it is not the obscenely large infection rates in Africa nor is it the lack of information about and extended time identifying the disease. Instead, I posit that the darkest living legacy of HIV/AIDS is the misrepresentation of it as a “gay disease.”

During the outbreak in the 1980s, much of the disease’s spread was blamed on the LGBT community. This was the time of mass fear of the disease’s spread. Some believed the panic and felt that any form of contact with an infected person would spread the disease leading to ostracism and the eventual shamed death of millions.

AIDS was initially spread from Central Africa, acquired from chimpanzees via ingesting their infected tissue.

So where exactly does the LGBT community take the blame? Remember, this is the 1980s, the beginning of Morning in America and the dawn of the moral majority. Given the common assumption that homosexuality was immoral and unnatural, it became pretty easy to see who would take the fall.

And playing devil’s advocate, the moral majority had tangible evidence supporting their claim.

At the time, the LGBT culture was deep underground in cities in fear of what society would do to them for being different.

In some cases, this led to an increase in anonymous, often unprotected, sexual relations. The health effects were unknown at the time but if one person was infected, it would put a significant portion of the community at risk if the individual was not careful.

Of the LGBT community, bisexuals were given an especially cruel reputation. Pundits would

the current

accuse them of spreading the disease to straight people. Yet the disease did not solely exist in gay humans; it simply existed in humans and no one could control it.

In the years since the outbreak, victims of HIV/AIDS have actually seen survivorship increase in the developed world. In spite of this, much of the rhetoric about the disease has not changed. Most AIDS information videos have yet to be updated with modern science and still informs viewers that the disease is a death sentence.

But the legacy of fear that AIDS left more parting gifts for the LGBT community. Even to this day some conservative Christians claim that gay people cause the disease and spread it through passive contact. A more official legacy is the banning of homosexuals from donating blood due to elevated risk of infection.

These misconceptions hang almost as heavy on the LGBT community as the initial crisis of the AIDS pandemic. The ghosts of the past haunt every LGBT individual from the moment they first question who they are to the last syllable of their time.

In this case the facts simply are not on the LGBT community’s side; they have an elevated risk of infection, a greater risk when engaging in sexual activity and other parts of society ready to engage in a witch hunt against them.

If you do not believe me ask a NASCAR fan about Tim Richmond. In his short career, he notched 13 wins and 78 top 10 finishes, unheard of in an era commonly thought of as a duel between Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for glory. Richmond was diagnosed with AIDS in 1986 and NASCAR responded by effectively blacklisting him from competition. He was accused of being gay and forced to defend himself in public as he, and his health, quickly deteriorated.

Today, HIV/AIDS is a manageable health condition. There are currently two vaccines in testing and active research into a cure.

Yet even once the disease falls the way of smallpox, polio and plague, there will still be a dark legacy to it within the LGBT community.

This legacy is not limited to the headstones and empty apartments in gay neighborhoods, it’s measured by the nose dive in perception homosexuals suffered. It is not a fair statement, but when a disease does not play fair, it is difficult to imagine humans in a pandemic judging fairly either.

Feminista continued From FEMINISTA, page 5 self, something that hasn’t been seen in other Disney movies.

Instead of focusing on the romantic relationships, the film focuses on other things. Belle and Mulan originally wish to protect their fathers from harm, which leads them on their respective adventures. They also have attributes other than beauty. For Belle, it’s her wonderful intelligence. For Mulan, it’s her strength and determination that leads her into the Chinese army. Jasmine, on the other hand, wants more adventure and doesn’t wish to be held down by her suitors.

However, one must also wonder if these new princesses also represent a movement to a more empowered princess and more diversity to their storylines due to a more gender conscious audience. “I haven’t

seen ‘Brave’ or ‘Tangled’, I have seen ‘Frozen’ (which I enjoyed very much) but all of these films, along with ‘The Princess and the Frog’ especially, seem less like an evolution than a reaction,” Professor of Film Studies Christina Petersen said.

For “Frozen,” this reaction can be seen in the relationship between Elsa and Anna. As an older sister, it was refreshing to see the interactions between the two sisters especially since Disney’s “princess” films have never focused on the bond between sisters before. We’re beginning to see these films drawing away from the classic damsel in distress being rescued from by the dashing prince. Hopefully, this direction will lead to a continuing evolution to more varied and empowering role models for the young girls who watch and idolize these films.

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March 7, 2014

Friendly Fire:

Viewpoints 7

Students hungry to know: Food improved or not?

By Shannon Bownes Contributing Writer

The effort made by Café Bon Appétit to improve the food in the main caf on campus has shown little progress. Although there are ongoing changes in options offered and their distribution, change does not always mean improvement.

Not only has the food remained repetitive, it also does little to accommodate equally to all dietary restrictions. As the caf set forth the effort to improve the quality of its meals, it has yet to fully provide for vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free. Not only have these dietary areas remained lumped together in one station but they have become interchangeable.

The small selection of six options tends to consist of undercooked rice, a couple forms of vegetables, a bland bean mixture and some form of the same triangular tofu.

Although some days are better than others, the options get repetitive after about three meals.

Although the ready-to-order station offers daily vegetarian op-

For more than a year now, there have been posts on the Eckerd Buzzocracy page from Eckerd students complaining about conditions in the pub and cafeteria. The posts grew in frequency to the point that the dining situation at Eckerd became the biggest issue on campus. Because of the student voice these issues were brought to the administration and since, changes have been snowballing.

While physical improvements have been seen in the past semester, the most important change has come in the form of a consciousness shift. The administration is now fully aware of the dining issues on campus because of students voicing their concerns and solutions. With the arrival of Scott Meyers, the new director of residential dining services, changes have rolled out faster.

tions they still fail to diversify. At a school like Eckerd with a high number of vegetarians and vegans, the administration should be setting higher standards for a wider array of options that accommodate all of its paying students.

Although the average meal for an Eckerd student is bluntly mediocre, the service remains consistently pleasant. The employees who directly provide students with food are willing to increase the quality of experience upon reasonable requests.

For example, the tofu at the salad bar has recently begun to be prepared in a variety of simple ways by an employee willing to enhance the quality of an option enjoyed by a small number of caf goers. The servers at the caf are willing and able to provide students with better options, they just need to be provided with the resources to do so.

Despite the lack of effort that has been put forward for students with dietary restrictions,

First, there is the arrival of the fiery, 5-ton pizza truck. Starting at 9 p.m. Tuesday t0 Saturday, you can get a slice or a whole pie of real wood fired pizza that tastes better, is cheaper, and more convenient than ordering greasy cardboard from Dominos or Pizza Hut. With plans to add more options for pizza and a seating area, the pizza truck will continue to become a quality late night dining option.

Most of the issues concerning dining though have been about the overall quality of food on campus.

In the last semester there have been subtle transformations at the main caf. Now at dinner, there is a fourth bar that serves another made-to-order option. This fourth bar located in front of the pizza bar, which also has new recipes and options, often features made-to-order pasta bowls

PerspECtives

“My favorite team is definitely the Eckerd College Women’s Soccer team. I go to every game and the whole student body should go to every game because we’re really hot.”

— Bekah Allen, freshman

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and gyros. This bar also once and a while features the infamous bananas foster option at dinner, and who can pass up cool smooth vanilla ice cream drizzled with warm caramelized bananas carrying a hint of rum?

Many students have been trying to get off the meal plan because of the lack of gluten free and vegetarian options provided on campus.

The main cafe added one bar last semester that combines gluten-free and vegetarian options at lunch and dinner to specifically cater to these students. While students who are vegetarian and gluten-free still have limited options now, the administration and Bon Appétite are looking to create more options for these students in the future. This can also be seen by the addition of a refrigerator next to the main entrance of the cafeteria that holds waffles, bread, muf-

lege still has been slow to fully improve its meals and accommodate to all of its patrons. The school makes it extremely difficult for anyone who lives on campus to get off of the (seemingly unnecessarily) expensive meal plan.

Vegetarians, vegans and glutenfree students have had difficulty getting off a meal plan that provides them with limited 0ptions.The money could be better spent if it was directed toward providing adequate subsistence for themselves.

The myth of the dining services improvement has been created by slow and minute changes that fail to accommodate all the paying students and lack the amount of effort necessary for food options of quality.

For the caf to fully improve it must have a full range of diversified options that accommodate every diet.

Although it has made strides to improve the quality of the food, there is still a long way to go before claiming the caf has made improvements for all Eckerd College students.

fins, and red velvet cupcakes that are all gluten-free. The muffins and cupcakes are also made on campus.

The Pub has also experienced improvements over the last semester.

Now at the wrap station you can get spinach instead of lettuce and whole wheat wraps. There is also a new custom built condiment bar, with a house made barbeque sauce that goes great with any chicken sandwich, wrap, or boca burger.

Meyers and Residence Life will continue to work hard improving the dining situations on campus with helpful and valuable feedback from students.

If you have any ideas on how to make the dining at Eckerd better feel free to post an anonymous buzz to the Eckerd Buzzocracy page, or email head of the culinary relations committee Kyle Clarke, sophomore, at kjclarke@eckerd.edu.

By Henry Ashworth ECOS Executive Vice President

What is your favorite Eckerd College sports team?

“My favorite sports team at Eckerd College is our incredible football team.”

—Alex Trotin, sophomore

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there has clearly been a more adequate amount of effort to improve and diversify the options for the majority of students with a flexible pallet. There have been small changes and more options.

But it is not enough to conclude that the entire caf has improved.

The options currently being presented to Eckerd consumers still lack the quality expected at a highly-priced institution. Improving the quality of food does not mean masking its imperfections.

If a student is expecting simply steamed carrots, they expect quality steamed carrots rather than mediocre carrots covered in toppings in an attempt to add taste.

The effort is clearly being put into the wrong places. Rather than dressing up the hot meal options unnecessarily, the caf should put more focus on the salad bar and raising the quality of its raw options.

Despite Bon Appétit’s publicity for the quality of food served in their cafeterias, Eckerd Col-

“ I like both the soccer teams and I go to every home game that I can.”

— Rose Guimareas, junior

“I really like the Men’s Lacrosse Team because when we went out to their games we had a really good time. A bunch of my friends are on the team and they’re stars, so it’s always great to watch and it’s just a fun sport to watch.”

— Broderick Perlman, sophomore

8 Viewpoints

the current

March 7, 2014

Proposed Kansas bills take aim at LGBT citizens

By Jake Allgeier Staff Writer

Imagine that two people injured in a car crash are brought into a hospital. Upon assessment of their sexual orientations, the surgeon decides he is only morally obligated to save the life of the heterosexual.

This is an absurd situation, but it is one that could have theoretically happened due to Kansas’ House Bill 2453, otherwise known as the “Religious Freedom Act.” This proposed law would have given private employers and government employees the right to

decline service to a gay couple if “it would be contrary to their sincerely held religious beliefs.”

Although the bill was written to sound like it would only apply to gay couples, it in fact could apply to any LGBT individual.

“I find the law offensive and discriminatory,” Sophomore Kathleen Collins said.

“If you were to suggest that people could withhold service from people based on their race or religion, people would be up in arms.

Peoples’ sexual orientation has nothing to do with how they choose to spend their money. To me, there’s

The Kansas legislature is trying to subdue these colors.

no valid excuse for this law. Every excuse is covering up bigotry.”

This bill passed the House with a majority vote of 72-49. It was expected to pass in the Kansas Senate and be signed into law. Republican Senator Jeff King decided that the Senate committee would not consider the bill. The Kansas Senate has more Republicans than Democrats, so why did this happen?

The most logical reasoning is that it would destroy the Republican reputation. A bill of prejudice this drastic would place a stamp of bigotry on the Kansas government as a whole. LGBT rights are becoming the norm, and backfiring against

them on a state level would put Kansas between a rock and a hard place in future political scenarios.

This bill isn’t anything new. There are currently other bills in states that are similar to the one passed in Kansas. Recently, the governor of Texas shot down a similar bill in the state. Also, Idaho is currently considering two anti-gay bills.

The first Idaho bill mimics Kansas’ bill by using loose wording like “free exercise of religion” for private and government workers to refuse service to LGBT people.

As if that isn’t bad enough, the second bill allows people to ignore anti-LGBT-discrimination laws if they conflict with someone’s religious beliefs.

If a private or government worker were to refuse service to a gay person, this new bill would protect the worker from any licensing board from “d e n y [ i n g ] , [revoking] or suspend[ing] a person’s professional or occupational license.” This major loophole makes prejudice not only a right, but also an accept-

courtesy of WikiCommons ; Fry1989

able part of the job field.

The bill isn’t expected to pass the House in Idaho, but the fact that it’s even up for consideration is unnerving.

These numerous bills are all dying attempts to overturn a changing social and political acceptance of LGBT people and their rights.

With the overturning of the Defense of Marriage Act and 17 states legalizing gay marriage, radical lawmakers are bringing out the big guns to make a final stab at a dying political mindset. A decade or so ago these bills might not have been seen as a big deal.

Now that LGBT people are finally getting the rights they deserve, the irrationality of these anti-gay laws is even more apparent.

As odd as it may sound, we can actually view these bills in a positive light. By watching the process of these bills unfold and witnessing their imminent demise, the major backlash from politicians, the media, and American citizens shows an ever-changing mindset of America as a whole.

LGBT prejudice on political and social scales is rapidly dying out. These bills will become a thing of the past.

With each bill that is killed, the significance of LGBT rights will be further solidified. Hopefully one day, Americans will never even have to imagine being turned down by employees and government workers because of their sexual orientation. Until then, bring on the bills. It will be satisfying to watch them crash and burn.

McDonalds considers extending breakfast hours

By Buster Thompson Contributing Writer Before I graduated from middle school in Delaware in 2006, my parents planned to retire to Florida—no surprise there. Better still, our prospective housing site sat only fifteen minutes away from my mother’s parents’ house.

Most of our baggage was brought down by a U-Haul truck and a Lexus LX-300 (or fancy minivan) down Interstate 95, a route well-traveled by many of our Northeast-based Eckerd students. We made this trip numerous times with various complications, but there was always one consistency: an Egg McMuffin sandwich steaming in the hands of my dad as he drove.

It was my first experience with McDonalds’ breakfast sandwiches, and I wasn’t “lovin’ it.”

The smell of juicy, succulent sausage with a perfect circular egg, and pressed between hot, buttery muffin buns, managed to conjoin with the scents of my travelling pets and desecrated any hope of breathing for me. My pets included three cats, one black lab mix, and two cages holding 32 mice.

I was put off the popular sandwich forever. There was something about the mixture of cat vomit and breakfast that made me want to put my head on my dog’s stomach and die in the backseat of the car.

Yet in the chaos of olfactory senses, my dad always wanted, no, needed, his Egg McMuffin from McDonalds.

My family and I would get up at three in the morning so we could leave by five. At first I thought getting up at some horrific time was so we could miss traffic, but I was beginning to wonder. Was my dad re-

ally getting us up early to get to McDonalds before breakfast ended?

Obviously that wasn’t the case, but it was a major incentive for my dad to get behind the wheel of a car for 14 hours.

Here at Eckerd, I notice college students love their breakfast sandwiches first thing in the morning, especially on those weekend mornings. Many students’ first words with their roommates are making plans to get breakfast at McDonalds, Skyway Jack’s or Dunkin Donuts.

“I go probably mostly weekends, Saturday and Sunday, Junior Seth Barrows said, “usually Dunkin Donuts.”

“I usually go on the weekends, at noon,” Junior Marissa Meleedy said.

Now students might have the opportunity to purchase a McDonalds’ breakfast later in the day, as McDonalds considers to expand its breakfast hours. Eckerd students seem to view the idea as a good one.

“It would definitely help with the breakfast hours for people,” Barrows said.

“It’s a lot of good and different food into one thing that’s pretty cheap,” Sophomore Nick Hildebrandt said about the breakfast sandwiches.

Some students don’t see the change as being very influential because of the variety of choices the St. Petersburg area offers.

This is in response to the food chain’s loss of sales, according to Daily Finance. McDonalds reported a 1.4 percent U.S. sales loss in the fourth quarter of 2013, according to CNN Money, whereas Taco Bell’s sales grew three percent last year. Taco Bell’s upcoming release of their “Waffle Taco,” or a breakfast sandwich wrapped in a waffle, is expected in late March. This

could be viewed by McDonalds as competition and a reason behind the shift to later breakfast hours.

News of Taco Bell’s innovative take on breakfast has spread fast through the Eckerd community.

“The waffle taco is revolutionary,” Hildebrandt said.

This is not the first instance of McDonalds of changing things up to try and boost breakfast sales.

During last year, the fast food giant expanded its famous Dollar Menu and introduced healthier options,

like their egg white McMuffin sandwich. Of course, you’ll probably find me at McDonalds’ drive-thru at 3 a.m. anyway, regardless of their minor, healthy menu amendments.

Many other fast food chains, including Burger King, are also taking advantage by producing their own versions of breakfast wraps and sandwiches.

Some students don’t see the change as being very influential because of the variety of choices and competing prices

the St. Petersburg area offers.

“If I’m not trying to spend mad money I’ll go to Dunkin Donuts,” Hildebrandt said.

Although McDonalds isn’t running any live tests to confirm the profitability of extended hours yet, according to their spokespersons quoted in the Associated Press, it’s only a matter of time before they do.

Hopefully, the late breakfast options on 54th Avenue South will begin to include McDonalds breakfast sandwiches soon.

McDonalds, like this one on 34th Street, may soon be a viable late breakfast option for students.

photo by Alex Zielinski

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the current

Entertainment 9

March 7, 2014

Entertainment 36th Annual Bay Area Renaissance Festival opens gates for a historically-themed outing

INSIDE ENTERTAINMENT Outliers Book Review

page 11

Fan Fiction

page 11

Oscar Review

page 12

By Haley Escobar Web Editor In a large field just behind Tampa’s Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) lies a world out of time. For seven weeks each year, the Bay Area Renaissance Festival transports visitors back in time to the days of kings, queens and several village idiots.

I was able to attend the festival’s opening weekend. As always, it brought the opportunity for craftsmen to show off their wares and visitors to enjoy copious amounts of laughter. When I stepped foot through the gates, I was immediately welcomed by actors dressed as pixies and village idiots fluttering around the entrance. There was a tall maypole that stood in the center of the little clearing, surrounded by dancing children, completed the fun, friendly image.

The main attraction of the festival is the many vendors that litter the aisles of the festival selling everything from medieval garb and armor to copper roses.

The vendors come in various shapes and sizes, giving the festival the feel of a lively market.

Among the vendors, there were also many performers that entertained guests with their theatrics.

All of the actors and workers for the festival are dressed in medieval garb, creating the illusion that they are the owners of old pubs, mischievous fairies or even the executioner. These actors interact with the guests as if they were nobility themselves, lords and ladies out for a stroll in the market. The lane performerswere only highlighted by the shows that took place on little stages all of the festival grounds, filling the air with music and cheers.

“Tarzan Pudding” recipe offers tasty non-alcoholic shot

By Gary Furrow Jr. Asst. Viewpoints Editor

photo by Haley Escobar The Washing Well Wenches of the Renaissance Festival “Pearl” and “Isadora.”

“The Washing Well Wenches” is a hilarious show that visitors should definitely stop to see. The show, a popular classic of the fair, stars two cousin wenches who explain “courtly love” to the audience, describing how these rules state that lovers “can’t be caught touching each other in public.” Not knowing any of the men in the audience, they proceed to embarrass the male volunteers of the audience with their antics, occasionally stealing sips of patrons’ beer where they can. It’s also a good show to see on a hot day since the two actresses soak the audience whenever they don’t cheer loudly.

One of the things about the festival also is the fact that no two weekends are the same. Each weekend has a different theme that embodies the spirit of different cultures such as the Scottish Highlands. They’ll also have different competitions

and events to match the themes such as highland games, dance competitions and tournaments in arms.

These themed weekends also allow for different discounts and specials for tickets. Already, the public can receive a small discount for purchasing a ticket online rather than at the gate on festival day. On Buccaneer Beer Fest weekend March 8 and 9, Eckerd students will be able to not only get a discounted ticket for college weekend, but will also receive a turkey leg and drink with the coupon they can receive at the gate.

“It is a place of entertainment and how you can be yourself without judgement,” Junior Caitlin Harding said. “I love it because I meet people that are much like me when I go.” Harding is also a member of The Society of Creative Anachronism, or SCA, which is an organization focusing on re-creating life in

renaissance and middle age Europe.

According to Weston Babelay, Assistant Director of Campus Activities, there is no current trip scheduled to visit the festival with the school although they have had some in the past. “We have in years past. I think maybe a few years ago we had the request. I don’t think that we’ve ever done a shuttle there,” Babelay said.

The festival is fun for those who want to buy some handmade goods or even those who don’t wish to spend tons of money, just enough for a ticket and a turkey leg. It’s definitely a local event to consider checking out and a great way to better know the Tampa Bay area. The festival runs every Saturday and Sunday until April 6 and will also be open April 4.

Jell-O Shots are a cliché college party dessert drink. For a nondrinker like me, Jell-O Shots are just another thing I can not have.

The allure of the Jell-O shot is simple: it is cheap, easy to make and tastes good. It is definitely a party hit. However, I thought of a party recipe that students could make, if they couldn’t drink like me, or have friends who don’t, that is just as cheap, easy to make and tastes good: Tarzan pudding shots.

A Tarzan pudding shot is a quick dessert that is made with simple ingredients and put into a shot glass.

It will be a shot that people will go ape for. It is called Tarzan pudding because it contains bananas; the King of the Ape’s favorite snack.

The Glitch Mob releases revival album

By Ian Lindsay Entertainment Editor After four years of solo projects and stillness, the trio of electronic producers that make The Glitch Mob have come roaring back by dropping their second LP “Love Death Immortality” which was released earlier last month under Glass Air Records.

The mob—originally a five member group hailing from Los Angeles—also produce under their own stage names as edit (Edward Ma), Boreta (Justin Boreta) and Ooah (Josh Mayer).

Together, they form a group with heavy influences from dark industrial rock acts like Nine Inch Nails and Bauhaus.

Lately listening to electronic music has become more and more of a guilty pleasure, but I still have a strong admiration of The Glitch Mob. Their advent into the music scene pre-dates Skrillex and the entire dubstep phenomenon (or curse depending on who you ask), this was back in 2006 when even underground electronic music didn’t extend beyond genres like trance, triphop and house. Their sound is truly a west coast experiment gone right.

The Glitch Mob has always put as much emphasis on their visual pro-

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photo courtesy of theGlitchMob’s instagramr A photoshopped image of the three members of The Glitch Mob.

duction as their sound. Live, their light shows have incredible simplicity, and their music videos showcase images which synchronize with their beats. LDI’s album artwork is what appears to be a complexlooking samurai helmet with smoke pluming outward into an indiscernible face. The music video for the first single off the album, “Cant Kill”

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Us depicts a mirage of different textures all contorting to the music.

The first distinct difference I noticed between their first studio album, “Drink in the Sea” and “Love Death Immortality” is that LDI has a much faster pace. With only 10 songs packed into the album, each song has hyper tempos and percussion has much higher

BPM rate. The heavy use of melodic synths was retained, which gives The Glitch Mob’s sound a haunting feeling. The mob went into the studio and came out with a high-energy chrysalis of sound.

The second, is that with the inclusion of vocals from Aja Vilkman of the band Nico Vega, Yaarohs, Metal Mother and Sister Crayon gives a stronger emotional resonance which is apparent in the new sound. Although sometimes I felt the vocal samples felt a little distracting, and gave the The Glitch Mob a tinge of pop feeling, it also gave the songs a catchy etherealness that wasn’t present before.

My favorite song on the album, the single “Can’t Kill Us,” has no vocal samples. It’s only the mob riding on this one. The song’s intro listens like an edgy rock anthem, but quickly plunges into the electronic sounds that are distinctly The Glitch Mobs’. The crash symbols have great synergy with the various bass tones progressing the song.

“Can’t Kill Us” is a LoFi orchestral barraging of danceable noise.

Also among my favorites was “Mind of Beast.” This is a definite head-banger. This song exemplifies how The Glitch Mob’s newly See GLITCH, page 16

photo by Cypress Hansen The “Tarzan Shot” after garnishing.

Ingredients: Bananas Chocolate chips Banana pudding, prepared Chocolate pudding, prepared Crème filled chocolate cookies Vanilla Wafers Cool Whip Equipment: Refrigerator Shot glasses Spoons Knife Plastic sandwich bags Bowl A pot Stove Directions: Cook the different types of pudding separately. Follow the instructions on the box, and let chill.

While the preparing the pudding chill the shot glasses. Crush cookies in bags and chop bananas. Fill shots with different mixtures of ingredients. Go wild like Tarzan.

This recipe was done for under $3 per serving. This recipe serves 30.

10 Entertainment

the current

March 7, 2014

ECKERD EVENTS

To have your event added to the calendar, email currententertainment@eckerd.edu.

FRIDAY

7 4:30 p.m.

Pitchers with Professors Triton’s Pub First Friday

14

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

8

9

10

11

12

13

Alumni Weekend

Alumni Weekend 10 a.m.

Work Place at the Garden

7:30 p.m.

CPS Conversations about Identity in a Post-Racial World Fox Hall

7 p.m.

Ethics Bowl Triton’s Pub

6 p.m.

Wine and Wisdom Triton’s Pub

8 p.m.

CPS An Israeli-Palestinian Discussion Triton Room 7 p.m.

An evening with writer Erin McGraw President’s Dining Room 10 p.m.

Rock Band in the Pub

17

18

19

20

10 a.m.

Sunken Gardens: Adult Hoop Fitness

7 p.m.

CPS Kids and Careers Fox Hall

9 p.m.

Another Man’s Trash Miller Auditorium

1 p.m.

Walmart shopping shuttle Mailboxes

15

7 p.m.

CPS Ruthie Alcaide from The Real World Fox Hall

MONDAY

16 10 a.m.

Work Place at the Garden

Rachel Price Soccer Tournament 9 p.m.

Drag Green Bingo Fox Hall

1 p.m.

Walmart shopping shuffle Mailboxes

4 p.m.

Doggy Destress Day Hough Quad

8 p.m.

Waterfront Mardi Gras

7 p.m.

CPS We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wiki Leaks Fox Hall 8 p.m.

Open Mic Night In the Pub

The St. Pete Sampler Local fun and fine dining

Bonaroo announces line-up.

The quintessential college diet usually has pizza making up a large portion of the food pyramid. Pizza: A diverse medium of food that can feed dorms of vegeterians or pizza junkies. We took a tour of the pizza joints around the ‘Burg and this week’s sampler takes you to a few places that still call pizza-making an art.

Leonardo DiCaprio still has not won an Oscar.

Hulk Hogan to return to wrestling.

Fans have to wait just under a month for Game of Thrones Season 4.

Pharrell Williams confirms that he is not a vampire.

Divergent to continue crappy trend of young adult sci-fi movies based on books later this month.

Jaden Smith wins the Razzie award for the Worst Actor for “After Earth.”

Silk Road 2 hacked and entire Bitcoin wallet stolen.

THE TIPSY TRITON Cocktails & Mixed Drinks The Kicker

Irish Car Bomb

• 2 parts Espresso Vodka

• 1 pint Guinness Stout

• 1 part Baileys

• 1 oz Jameson whiskey • 1 oz Baileys Irish Cream

Fill Coffee cup with ice. Pour exproesso vodka until vodka until two-thirds of the cup is full. Pour Baileys until cup is full. Do not shake. Stir with any utensil available. Enjoy.

Pour pint of Guinness stout into large glass. Pour Jameson whiskey and Bailey’s Irish Cream into a shot glass. Drop the shot into the beer and drink quickly. The longer the shot settles the more the drink will curdle. Enjoy.

A. Cappys Pizza 2900 1st Ave N 8 mins from campus Sun-Thurs 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Fri & Sat 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

3 1/2 stars $$ Beer and wine only C. Fortunato’s Italian Market 259 Central Ave 9mins from campus Open 7 days 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

4 stars $$ Beer and wine only

B. Tour De Pizza 212 37th Ave N 14 mins from campus Open 7 days 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

4 1/2 stars $$$ No alcohol served D. Joey Brooklyn’s Famous Pizza Kitchen 210 1st Ave N 10 mins from campus Open 7 days 11 a.m. to 3 a.m.

3 stars $$ Beer and wine only

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the current

March 7, 2014

Entertainment 11

Student’s parent publishes sci-fi novel

By Shannon Vize Viewpoints Editor & Fashion Columnist Regina Harvey, mother of Eckerd Junior Mikaela Roosa, published her first book, “Outliers,” last November. The book is a dystopian thriller following a team of outliers as they try to stop the powerful UNITEED from warping and controlling the minds of everyone left on Earth.

Fans of popular dystopian series like “The Hunger Games” or “Divergent” will love Harvey’s take on the genre and how she shapes it to make it her own. The story begins dramatically with Pan Espere, the main character, attempting to transport the outliers she has selected for her team to the safe house.

Each outlier has a strong influence over the public in a different area, which is why Pam selected them, but each outlier’s presence in the real world must be replaced with “gangers,” a creative take on the word doppelgangers, which are their engineered body doubles who will think and react the way they would have.

During their absence from the world UNITEED has constructed, the outliers, Senon, Magena, Abran, along with the others, learn the truth about the stabilizing and recovering environment of the earth, which has been hidden from the public by UNITEED. They also learn that UNITEED is systematically mass murdering villages, including Abran’s own village, in order to control population and keep UNITEED in power.

photo courtesy of Regina Harvey

The book cover artwork for Harvey’s “Outliers”

UNITEED is led by Senon’s Father, Reverend Doctor Cormac, a preacher obsessed with power and genetically manipulating the population, “counseling” as he calls it, in order to control the opinion and thoughts of each person.

UNITEED controls everything in this dystopic world after having come to power during a vulnerable time as the earth’s environment rapidly deteriorated and freak storms wiped out major sections of the planet, as we now know it.

The group uses religious ideology to scare the general population into believing this is the end of days and retribution for their sins.

The outliers are the only ones who know the truth about UNITEED and their impending plans for attacking more of their own congregation. It is up to them to use their influence and abilities to stop Cormac from murdering their gangers and becoming pawns in his scheme to gain total control of the world.

Harvey’s new world comes to life through her invention of creative words and terms, like “okie” and “bee-cee,” along with entire new races of human beings with special gifts like Pan who is from Stri-rajya.

Environmental destruction, genocide, religion as a weapon, the ethics of genetic manipulation, loss and the importance and respect for life are all major themes in this book and are relevant and important topics in today’s culture.

The book cover, which Junior Mikaela Roosa designed, is striking. It depicts Pan in one of the tunics described in the book. The dark, ominous color scheme sets the stage for the dystopic and fatalistic world the reader is about to enter.

“I got started with the book cover because I’ve always been interested in the art. When I switched my major she asked if I was interested. Part of the inspiration was from my mom. It was mostly her idea.

I just wanted to create something that would catch the reader’s eye,” Roosa said.

Overall, the book was interesting and surprising. At first, it was difficult to fully enter the world Harvey created due to the perspective of the narrator changing frequently, the amount of characters to keep track of, and trying to orient yourself in a new world where phrases like “damnation” and “The Second” are commonplace.

But, Harvey does a great job of elevating the tension and suspense towards the latter half of the book and maintains it until the very last page.

Harvey has asked for writers to submit stories in the same world to continue what she calls the EOD series. I am interested to see which direction the story takes when other author’s voices are interwoven into the story.

courtesy of josephgordon_levitt-fanpage’s instagram

Joseph Gordon Levitt posing in front of green screen.

“Hit Record On TV” gains momentum through fans

By Kara Brown Staff Writer Joseph Gordon-Levitt is working at a breakneck pace. From writing and directing “Don Jon” (2013) to working on a film adaptation of the critically acclaimed and well known graphic novel series, “The Sandman,” Gordon-Levitt seems to be doing it all.

“HitRecord On TV” is another personal project Gordon-Levitt has been working on fervently. Hit Record is not like anything you have ever seen on TV before.

Gordon-Levitt started HitRecord in 2005 with his brother Dan who passed away in 2010, as a way to get feedback on the videos they were making. Hit Record grew into an online production company that allows users to remix content that others post to the site. The website has a community of more than 100,000 artists of all disciplines and adds about 250 new members and over 2,500 new pieces of art a day.

Gordon-Levitt said in the question and answer after the screening at Sundance, that “Hit Record On TV” is like an adult “Sesame Street” and that it is. Each episode has varying themes like “One” which is the theme of the first episode, to themes like “Garbage,” “Games” and “Fantasy”. Gordon-Levitt and his team work to put together contributions from collaborations on the Hit Record website that build to make each individual episode.

The first three episodes were screened at Sundance and was in fact only the second time that a television series has been featured. The show airs on Pivot, which is a new cable channel, owned by Participant Media. “HitRecord on TV” is a perfect fit for this channel See TV, page 16

Fan fiction: Weighing in on the influence of a genre

By Haley Escobar Web Editor

Fan fiction. You’ve probably heard the term many times in today’s pop culture whether it’s on a Tumblr dashboard or in a celebrity interview. It’s a place where fans can live out their greatest fantasies. Sure, the writing isn’t always that great, but that’s what makes finding a truly good fan fiction worth it. All the readers and writers care about is bringing their loved stories back to life.

Fanfiction.net is one such site for fan fiction. The website is thought to be one of the largest fanfiction websites with over 2 million users and more than 3 million stories as of 2010. Just exploring th is site, one can get a good look at how far fanfiction expands from television to books to anime and even includes stories based on the real-life celebrities.

Despite that, these stories are meant for fun, to continue the stories and adventures that fans have fallen in love with. No one worries about earning any money or copyright, they just want to tell a story. Then a little gray book came along and with it came the possibility to upset the fanfiction world.

It all started in a place called Twilighted.net, one of the many fan fiction websites dedicated to a singular story. The home page of the website tells you every-

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photo courtesy ofE. L. Jame’s Facebook Page The author of “50 Shades of Grey” E. L. James is one of the most prominent fan fiction writers.

thing about the atmosphere of the stories with it’s crushed velvet background of red and black and gothic lettering used for the title. Readers here can enter a world of many forbidden desires and fantasies.

A few years ago, one of these worlds took place in a story known as “Master of the Universe.” The story followed Bella Swan, a character from Twilight, meeting a human Edward Cullen, also from Twilight, who in this version is now a powerful businessman. He soon convinces her to signing a contract to make her his sexual submissive. Sound familiar at all?

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It wasn’t long after the first part of the story was completed on Twilighted.net that the story quickly disappeared and was later found on bookstore shelves around the world. It quickly grew into a phenomenon rivaling the series that once inspired it. The story was renamed “50 Shades of Grey” by E.L. James.

The book has gone on to surpass even the Harry Potter series book selling record with four books and a new, highly anticipated movie.

It’s also inspired a new line of Fan fiction inspired novels hitting bookstore shelves.

Three books came directly from the pages of

“Twilighted” as well: “The Dominant,” “The Submissive” and “Wallbanger.” By changing some names around, they’ve taken these stories inspired by already published novels and have created an independent story.

Could this lead to fan fiction becoming an industry rather than a free collective where fans can share their ideas with each other? The book recommendation site Goodreads.com lists over 50 other books that were once fanfiction. If this does happen though, there is still a possibility that these books could get the whole world of fanfiction in trouble for copyright laws. After all, all an author trying to get published has to do is forget to delete one little detail from their story that shows it uses the same information as a story that’s been published before..

Sure, not every fan reads and loves fanfiction so not everyone would notice the similarities. “I’m not really fond of it,” Junior MacKenna Cummings said. “I’ve tried reading Harry Potter, but I think that when an author finishes a story, it’s over.”

However, fan fiction has been left to it’s own devices since its creation, being seen as nothing more than a fun hobby for fans.

However, now that it has the potential to for much more such as publishing and film deals, only time will tell if business moguls will sweep up the unnoticed talent or if lawyers will protect the rights of the creators .

12 Entertainment

the current

March 7, 2014

Style under the sun: EC students experiment with dread hairstyles

By Shannon Vize Viepoints Editor & Fashion Columnist Eckerd boasts a wide array of interesting student hairstyle choices. From half-shaved heads to purple dyed locks, students are constantly experimenting with hairstyles most people deem too wild. One of the more extreme student hairstyles is dreadlocks.

Walking around campus, it’s likely you’ll spot a student at some stage in the dreading process, so this week’s column will help to clear up any questions you were too shy to ask, or maybe inspire you to try them out yourself.

There are several misconceptions concerning dreadlocks. One of the biggest is the idea that having dreads means you can’t wash your hair. Hair does not have to be dirty to dread and actually works better if it’s clean. Dreads can and should be washed and cared for in many of the same ways that normal hairstyles are. Dreads are similar to sponges, so you can work the soap and water in and then squeeze and rinse them until they are fully clean.

Another misconception is that if you have them, then you must be part of the Rastafari Movement.

Yes, dreadlocks are known for being associated to the Rastafari Movement, thanks in large part to famous Rastafarian Bob Marley.

However, dreadlocks have also been found in a variety of other cultures throughout history. In the 1970s,

off her dreads and after dreads began to be seen as leaving her remainmore of a style choice than ing hair short for a one directly associated few days, decided with your beliefs, which to shave it entirely. is how many people, “I wanted to cut especially the younger off my dreads for two generation, view them. reasons, one because Former Eckerd they are a lot of mainstudent Yared Armtenance and I was just strong has had getting tired of dreads for eight them and two years.

“Dreads I like changing are super easy to my hair regumaintain,” he said. larly because To begin the I like change dreading process and it had takes time and been a while,” patience, espephoto by Alex Zelinski Carl said. cially if the texture A r m of your hair is silkier Carl’s dreads before cutting her hair. strong is or less apt to dread naturally, but don’t be discouraged. happy to continue rocking his “The first two months require dreads for as long as possible.

“I’m not planning to more maintenance, because the dreads have to lock, before they cut them, but I’m not saydo that they can come undone. ing it won’t happen,” he said.

Although Carl no longer currentRain and water will for sure make them come out if not re-twist- ly has dreadlocks, she’s not ruling ed. After that period of time trying them out again in the future.

“I miss my long hair so I will though, it’s easy,” Armstrong said.

Dreads are viewed as an extreme definitely grow it out a lot, and if hairstyle choice, especially on wom- I do get them done again I will get en, because most people think if them professionally done,” she said.

Dreadlocks aren’t for everyone you ever want to get rid of them you have to shave your head. But this and may not be allowed at cerisn’t exactly true. You don’t have to tain summer or post-graduation shave your head entirely. You can jobs, much like colorfully dyed cut the dreads off where they begin, hair and visible tattoos aren’t alwhich usually leaves at least two lowed by most employers, but if inches of hair or much more de- you’ve been debating giving them pending on where the dreads start. a try and you still have a few years Junior Maya Carl recently cut left at Eckerd, then why not?

Online TV shows gain fanbase From TV, page 15 because not only is it collaborative but it fits in with the channels focus of social advocacy. Not only is “HitRecord on TV” informative but it also challenges what is fair use and highlights the importance of copyright law.

Before screening the first of the three episodes shown at Sundance Gordon-Levitt said, “This is the Netflix experience; The binge watch!”

The first episode, “One,” the highlight of the episode was towards the end when a song called “You’re Not the Only One” which was performed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and two of the contributors to the song.

The highlight of the second episode titled “Fantasy” is the song “Oh, Its Fantastic!” which features not only a song written by The

Gregory Brothers, of Double Rainbow Song fame, but also includes a Gordon-Levitt doing a backflip.

The third and last episode screened at Sundance was titled “Trash” and the highlight of this episode was an interview with John Waters in which they discuss trashy pop culture.

Gordon-Levitt opened up about his brother during the post screening question and answer. “(I) wanted people to try something they didn’t think they could do,” said Gordon-Levitt.

“If someone wanted to write but didn’t think they could show it to somebody else, if somebody sang but didn’t want anyone to hear it, he wanted people to have a place to do it,” Gordon-Levitt said. “We try to do it with such warmth and encouragement.

The Glitch Mob drops new album From GLITCH, page 13 found high-energy works. In electronic music, slower is usually sexier, but for this one, the hardhitting melodies still have that west coast allure I’ve always found sexy.

One last song you don’t want to miss out on this album is “Our Demons,” which highlights Aja Vilkman’s vocal talent. Although the lyrics are typical of pop electro’s lack of creativity, the sound itself is soothing and harmonious.

I love The Glitch Mob, but lyrics like “No wonder, you got demons/Everything you ever did is coming back around”

just do not resonate with me.

However, on the surface level this is IDM at its finest.

Overall, fans of Tool, Queens of the Stone Age, Sonio or any noise rock band will probably love the new album; lovers of electronic music too. If your tastes bring you to other shelves in the record stores, I would still recommend a listen.

The Glitch Mob is a staple in west coast music and are headlining many major festivals this summer.

I find their sound unmistakable in the blurred landscape of artists that make up today›s electronic scene, and give “Love Death Immortality” three and half stars.

2014 Oscars award show delivers a few surprises with Ellen hosting

By Haley Escobar Web Editor

Despite the rainy days leading up to Oscar Sunday, the red carpet shined bright with Hollywood stars to celebrate the achievements of the 2013 films. Host Ellen DeGeneres opened the show to a lot of laughs with her opening monologue, poking fun at different celebrities including Jennifer Lawrence’s trip on the red carpet.

DeGeneres made the atmosphere of this year’s awards fun and lively, often surprising guests by popping up where she was least expected. She even went as far as to order pizza for the audience, passing out slices with Brad Pitt handing out plates and napkins behind

her.

Her most talked about moment, however, would have to go to what viewers have nicknamed the “ultimate selfie.” In the middle of the show, while waltzing through the audience, she decided to take a selfie with nominee Meryl Streep and soon invited about 10 others to join including Angelina Jolie, Bradley Cooper and Julia Roberts.

The tweet quickly became the most retweeted picture ever, according to Twitter, temporarily shutting down the social media site.

Alonso Cuaron’s “Gravity” won the most gold through out the night, winning 7 of its 11 nominations including Best Director for Cuaron. However, it was “Dallas Buyers Club” and “12 Years a

Slave” that won some of the biggest awards of the night. Both male acting categories went to Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto for their performances in “Dallas Buyers Club.”

For “12 Years a Slave,” the film became the academy’s first Best Film winner directed by a black director, Steve McQueen from England.

Kenya’s Lupita Nyongo also shined like Cinderella as she accepted her award for Best Supporting Role in the same film.

Other notable awards went to Cate Blanchett as Best Lead Actress for her role in Woody Allen’s “Blue Jasmine,” “Her” for Best Original Screenplay and “Frozen” for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song.

photo courtesy of A@The EllenShow ‘s twitter From left to right: Jared Leto, Jennifer Lawrence, Channing Tatum, Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ellen Degeneres, Kevin Spacy, Bradley Cooper, Brad Pitt, Lupita Nyong’O, Peter Nyong’O, and Angelina Jolie

Viral video update: Beer, Cursing and Pigs

“Cheap Beer Reviewed by a Wine Expert” by BuzzFeedYellow on Feb.26

“Finding Nemo (Censored)” by thejakevaleshow on Feb. 22

“Camera falls from airplane and lands in a pig pen...” by Mia Munselle on Feb. 9

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the current

The Quickie 13

Mar. 7, 2014

The quickie

There’s always enough time for a quickie

Snake Eyes Across 1 Constrictor snake 4 Open bill at a bar 7 Pinellas Park High 10 70’s disco band 12 Without moisture 14 Swerve 15 The Current office is located here 16 Oil tanker 17 Something that’s not cool 18 President _____ Hoover 20 Slight 22 Gossip topic 24 Another word for soda 25 Humped animal 28 Short for nipple 30 A light ____ 34 “_____ Twist” 36 Used to clean floors 38 A heap 39 Short for minimum 40 To cheat 42 Time period 44 Faster than a walk 45 Face disguise 47 Opposite of hello 49 Film award ceremony 51 Questioner 53 Parent Teacher Association 55 Social status 56 Negative 58 Make a legal statement 60 Colorful, happens after a storm 64 Dolphin movie 68 Shrek 69 Clever 71 Strongly suggest 72 Shade of blue 73 Flanks 74 To ratify 75 A lawyer’s title 76 Another word for pole 77 Mountain Standard Time

crossword by Leah Bilski

For answers, visit www.theonlinecurrent.com

Down 1 Composer Johan Sebastian 2 Double reed insrtument 3 Reduce 4 Eckerd’s mascot 5 To trouble someone 6 Past tense of to be 7 To make a date 8 Another word for cougar 9 Achilles _____ 11 Short for abbreviate 12 Where college students live 13 “ Don’t ____ that thun, thun, thun” 14 A mess-up 19 Swiss mathematitian and physicist 21 A gang 23 Car wheel covering 25 Form of punctuation 26 Secret identity 27 Capital of Belarus 29 Edgar Allen ____ 31 Xylophone-type instrument 32 To say out loud 33 Hearing, for example 35 Abdominal bone cage 37 Short for professional 41 To short someone 43 Computer characters 46 Dog boarding 48 And so forth 50 College grounds and buildings 52 To mug 54 Batman’s butler 57 Gently throw 59 Swiss mountains 60 Memorization through repetition 61 Grows older 62 Iran’s neighbor 63 Whizzing sound 65 Katniss’ sister 66 Chickens lay these 67 Monthly payment for housing 70 Flurry

Her Campus

By Leah Bilski Quickie Editor

Junior Danielle Buchanan has worked as a Campus Correspondent at Eckerd for Her Campus for almost two years now. Her Campus is an online magazine that takes on girls from colleges across the country to write articles on everyday collegiate life. Her Campus now has branches with over 150 schools and is only growing. Eckerd’s branch was started four years ago, but has recently undergone some changes that Buchanan hopes will reach out to more readers on campus.

“We kind of took our own spin on it this year,” Buchanan said. “It’s known as kind of a girly magazine, but we wanted to make it more for Eckerd.”

Buchanan was worried that Eckerd students wouldn’t want to read what was typically published on other Her Campus branch websites, so she decided to diversify. Eckerd’s Her Campus brought on two girls to write a blog and news articles that are exclusively about current events happening in the marine science world.

“There are website, but one of their a lot of mamost popurine science lar features majors here,” is the CamBuchanan pus Cutie said, “we or Campus wanted to get Celebrity them interselections. ested so we Buchanan wouldn’t just finds that be writing this is one of about girlyher favorite girl things, parts about we know Her Campus. it doesn’t “I like the work like surprise facthat here.” tor behind Along with it,” Buchanan the marine said, “bescience articause no one cles, Buchanan’s co-corcourtesy of Danielle Buchanan really thinks r e s p o n d e n t Freshman Tia Hildebrandt, Junior Danielle Buchanan, and Freshman Brice Birdsall hand out that they’re going to be for Her Cam- carnations on Valentine’s Day. C a m p u s pus, Freshschool and some of their favorite man Tia Hildebrandt, has started research. Then at the end I usu- Cutie of the week. It’s really exinterviewing professors to give ally ask them some silly questions, citing to have people feel noticed readers some insight on what like what they have in their refrig- when maybe they aren’t otherwise.”

Campus Cutie and Campus their professors are really like. erators right now and that usually “I just ask them a couple ques- gets some pretty weird responses.” Celebrity can be selected either tions,” Hildebrandt said, “usuThe blog and news articles com- through nomination or be seally about where they went to prise a large portion of Her Campus’ lected by the Her Campus team

themselves. These nominations can be made online, but can also be made at the Her Campus booth at each club fair event.

One of the more popular events that Her Campus hosts is Mr. Triton, a male pageant that happens every April and raises money for a select charity. This year the receiving charity will be Clothes to Kids, an organization that collects donated clothing and distributes it to underprivileged families in Pinellas county. The winning hunk is the one who receives the most donations and is crowned Mr. Triton for the rest of the year.

Her Campus also teamed up with Palmetto Productions this year to hand out carnations and cupcakes to students passing by the mailboxes on Valentine’s Day. “We just wanted everyone to know that we were thinking about Eckerd,” Buchanan said. “It was awesome to see how surprised and happy everyone was to get flowers and cupcakes from us.”

For more information on Her Campus or to nominate a Campus Cutie or Campus Celebrity, visit www. hercampus.com/school/eckerd.

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the current

March 7, 2014

The Quickie 14

Eckerd student hopes to build community through music

By Chelsea Duca Quickie Editor There are many different party scenes on campus, but if you’ve ever experienced the bright lights and excitable crowds of a South Beach Session, you have Junior David Steren to thank.

Steren organized the first South Beach Session during the first semester of his sophomore year.

After noticing that the pavilion at South Beach was largely unused, Steren thought it would be a good idea to set up some lights and speakers and host a party.

“I started South Beach just as a kind of gathering of the vibes,” Steren said. “It wasn’t a theme.

People were just going to come out and listen to some awesome

music in this beautiful setting, you know. Just awesome people that come out and have a good time.”

South Beach Sessions have grown in size over the past year.

Though Steren hasn’t advertised or recruited people, he is excited to see how big the parties have become. To make these sessions possible, Steren partners with a friend from Tampa who provides subwoofers and lighting gear. Steren begins setting up at the pavilion around 6 p.m., but even with students helping to carry gear, he says he is usually rushing to get everything done before people show up.

In preparation for the event, Steren and his friends have to set up all of the lights and speakers, run extension cords across

courtesy of Joe Whalen’s Youtube Steren performing at the Feb. 22 South Beach Session.

the pavilion and tape everything down. Then they have to check the sound and lights to make sure that everything works.

“I’m sober the entire time, which a lot of people don’t believe, because of the amount of things that could go wrong at any moment,” Steren said. “Especially from people just, like, stepping on a wire. It happened twice at the last one. The power just cut because the power strips all have the on/off switch, and when you have nine things plugged into that, if you have someone step on that, it cuts power to three speakers and all the lights, you know.”

In addition to the stress of organizing and running South Beach Sessions, Steren also has to worry about quiet hours. Often times the sets run past 1 a.m., when quiet hours start on the weekend, making him liable to be written up for a quiet hours violation. But Steren still feels that the benefits of the South Beach Sessions outweigh the costs.

“Someone told me after I had been doing them for about a semester they recognized me from South Beach. She was like, ‘Before I went to them I hated it here. Like, people were mean, and I went home for a while. Then I came back and gave it another shot and I went to one of the South Beach Sessions and re-fell in love with the school again.’ That was just so powerful to me,” Steren said. “That I could have so much influence in such a positive way on someone, it’s really just magical. Those moments are why it’s worth all the hassle and stress that

goes into it.”

Steren says that the final South Beach Session of the year will be April 5. Funded by ECOS, Steren booked Fractal, an electronic artist, as the headline act. Students, including Sophomore Nikki Ryan, are looking forward to the last session.

“I think it’s something really unique that courtesy of David Steren’s Facebook doesn’t happen Steren opening for Schwayze in May 2013. at other instilast semester about participattutions,” Ryan said. “And I like ing in a remix compilation of Anthat it’s in an open space rather than in a dorm area. It’s almost drew Masta’s song “Skanky Rock.”

“He came to me asking if I like Eckerd community-building.” would do one [a remix], and I told While Steren enjoys hosting the him that I’ve never had a song reSouth Beach Sessions and being leased on a label before. He said a disc jockey, he said he is a producer first. Playing at South Beach don’t worry about it, just do what and other parties on campus is his you do, but, like, my style is drastiway of showcasing his work, but cally different from his. So I just did producing and creating music is what I like to do to his song specifihow Steren really expresses himself. cally, and it came out really well,” Steren has a studio set up in Steren said. “When I sent it back, his dorm room, complete with he was kind of blown away by it.”

The remix was released on March foam-padded walls and high3

by Nightlife Recordings. To quality recording microphone. download the rest of Steren’s muHe has currently recorded and released two EPs and one full al- sic for free, visit www.soundcloud. bum with 11 songs. Steren was com/dropkick-1 his Facebook page also contacted during finals week at facebook.com/DropkicKdubz.

MY DUDE

Behind the Scenes with “Whatever Wherever”artist Jamal Dutton

By Leah Bilski Quickie Editor Senior Jamal Dutton started writing and illustrating comics as a creative way to stay in contact with his friends back home in Philadelphia. The characters he draws in his comic strips are all based on his friends and family members.

“One of the characters is based off of one of my best friends, Donald,” Dutton said. “And later on I’m going to use my brother in one of the comics.”

Most of the anecdotes Dutton uses are based off of experiences he’s had with his friends and family.

“Throughout the comic are little blurbs and jokes my friends said,”

Dutton said. “I thought they were hilarious so I wrote them into the story.”

Although the main motive behind the comics was to keep in touch with friends and family, Dutton sees his comics as a way to progress as an artist.

“My main goal for this is to see how much I can grow as an art-

ist,” Dutton said. “I have a lot of time on my hands, and I want to develop my own style based on the art around me in my life. I hope a year from now I can look back and see how far I’ve come with my art.”

Fans on Dutton’s Facebook page are already talking about his comics, finding them relatable.

This will not be the last that we

see of Dutton’s work. He will be regularly churning out new comics that he will post onto his Tumblr page. To see more of Dutton’s work or to learn more about the characters seen here, visit www. whateverwherevercomic.tumblr.com or look for “Whatever.

Wherever.” in the next edition of The Current.

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the current

Health & Fitness 15

March 7, 2013

Health & fitness How drinking in moderation may be good for you

By Sabrina Lolo Health & Fitness Editor

ing taken, addiction tendencies and social support system. The imperative is knowing your limit. While moderate alcohol conWe’ve heard about the various dangers sumption has some health benefits, particuof alcohol consumption. It’s a source of adlarly red wine, drinking has known risks such diction; drinking more than seven drinks a as an increased chance of developing cancer. week may lead to major health problems in Red wine contains an antioxidant called men and women. Binge drinking often leads resveratol. It is a cancer-preventing agent to severe memory impairment. Not to menand blood thinner. It also has a reputation it’s the cause of other destructive betion for being an anti-aging chemical. havior, such as family violence, drunk drivDrinking in moderation reduces the risk ing and drinking while under medication. of heart disease and can protect you from However, the “Alcoholism: Clinidementia and Type-2 Diabetes as well. cal and Experimental Research” jourModerate alcohol use is believed to nal show that moderate drinking can improve heart health, circulation and sobe beneficial to your overall health. ciability. Alcohol is often an important There is no universal agreement as to what moderate drinking is. The U.S. part of many social gatherings, which Department of Agriculture determines is necessary for in maintaining your moderation as one drink per day for health and happiness. Also, non-drinkers women and two for men. A drink is meahave shown greater signs of depression sured as 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of than those who drank in moderation. photo by Sabrina Lolo wine or 1 1/2 ounces of 80-proof spirits.

Remember, the key word to this is Red wine has been proven to have health benefits.

Their studies have shown that abmoderation.

Everyone has different tolstaining from alcohol actually increases cent of the abstainers died and 60 pererance levels and that’s a major thing to your risk of dying and that the mortal- cent of the heavy drinkers died and only take into consideration.

Moderate drinkity rates of nondrinkers are significantly 41 percent of the moderate drinkers died. ing is a ways off from getting wasted so Now do moderate drinkers live longer and higher than those of heavier drinkers, even drinking a week’s worth of booze one if they never were addicted to alcohol. what exactly constitutes moderate drinkweekend isn’t going to do you any good. ing and how does it benefit your health?

According to a study done by a team But there’s an overwhelming Still, much of what you’re able to drink of scientists at the University of Texas at amount of evidence proving that alcodepends on your age, gender, genetic risk Austin, showed that over a 20-year pehol can be more beneficial than not. for heart disease or cancer, medications beriod of 1,894 people ages 55-to-65, 69 per-

Natural home remedies to treat acne

By Savannah SpragueJackson Staff Writer Acne is one of the most inconvenient things to ever happen to someone. For college students, this is often the result of stress from presentations, work, interviews, parties, dates and more. Students need treatment that is also worth the cost.

The products advertised on television and in stores cost more than the average student’s budget and the products don’t seem to work half the time. The better option is to use natural remedies that not only work but are also cost effective.

Home remedies are natural alternatives to the tube or jar of chemical cream on the store shelves. They’re better for the body because the products are natural.

They can even improve one’s health in other ways, such as apple cider vinegar, which has multiple health benefits.

A multi-purpose natural remedy is a college student’s best friend.

1. Apple cider vinegar Apple cider vinegar kills bacteria and balances the pH (the acid-alkaline balance of a substance) of the skin. Earth Clinic says it will clear up one’s face and is even said to bring a glow to it. Earth Clin-

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ic gives recipes for a drinking solution and a toner. For the drink, mix one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar with two cups of filtered water, adding honey for better taste. For the toner, mix two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar with a cup of water. Then apply the mixture directly to the skin every morning and night.

2. Aloe vera gel Aloe vera gel comes from the aloe vera plant. According to Everyday Roots, it is best to use the gel straight from the plants by cutting open a stalk. Apply the gel to the skin up to three times a day, or at least after waking up and before going to bed.

It dries up excess oils on the face.

3. Baking soda Baking soda is not only one of the cheaper treatments but one of the most effective in drying up excess oil on your skin. Mix baking soda with water to form a paste to use as a scrub. Apply it to your whole face and rub in circular motions gently. Do this as soon as you get up and right before you go to bed. It can look like it lightened the skin because it’s an exfoliant but it’s removing the sun damaged skin.

4. Avocado and Honey Avocados are full of vitamins and nutrients that tone down acne and are good for sensitive skin. According to Shaista of Stylecare, avocados get rid of dead skin cells, cleanses the skin and protect against the harsh environmental attributes. Everyday Earth’s recipe says to scrape out an avocado and mash it up. Stir in one tablespoon of honey and continue until it becomes a paste. Apply to the skin as a mask for 15 to 20 minutes. Wash off in lukewarm water and moisturize if needed.

5. Oatmeal mask Oatmeal reduces the inflammation and redness that accompanies breakouts.

Make the oatmeal using steel cut oats as it has the least amount of additives. Add the honey when it’s hot. Let it cool until it’s at room temperature. Be careful when applying because oatmeal retains heat. Leave it on for 20 to 30 minutes. After it has set, rinse it off with warm water and pat skin dry.

While these remedies are all useful, everyone has their own skin type. Try each remedy for a week to see if it’s the right one for you. Some remedies help by detoxing your body, such as apple cider, and may get worse before getting better.

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From the iPod of Nicole Zavala

Sex on the Beach Flings: Let them down easy

By Alana Brillo Staff Writer It’s Saturday night and you see an acquaintiance at a party who you recognize from one of your classes. You’ve always found this person attractive. You two start to dance and your inhibitions fade. One thing leads to another, and you find yourself leaving your new friend’s dorm the next morning.

Unfortunately, you soon realize that there is no chemistry in this relationship. Eckerd’s campus size makes it difficult to avoid people, so sooner or later, you’re going to run into that person.

When navigating the confusing waters of a fling, the best way to gracefully bow out of a situation you no longer want to participate in is to be straightforward.

Flings in college tend to start up quickly and fizzle out, but it is a good idea to learn communication skills along the way.

If you decide that you don’t have an interest in continuing your antics from the night before, talk to the person face to face. Texting is too impersonal, and your message will come across more clearly when someone can see your body language and hear your tone.

It’s also best to have the conversation in a neutral location where you are both free to walk away. Instead of heading to one of your rooms, ask to take a walk along the waterfront or meet up at the patio by Chapel Pond.

These areas are secluded enough to have a private conversation but public enough that you can easily part ways after your talk.

Properly conveying what you think about the relationship is critical. Begin

the conversation by saying that you aren’t looking for a serious commitment and a platonic relationship would be the best option for you right now. For some people, this can be an overwhelming task since it involves confrontation, but ultimately it is kinder and clearer than ignoring the person or accidentally stringing them along.

Avoid ambiguous language or language that leaves things open-ended if you do not intend to pursue relations. Phrases like “right now” could imply that you want to continue in the future and don’t adequately convey that you aren’t interested.

Use honesty and courtesy when explaining what you expect after your initial encounter.

If you don’t want any sexual relations with this person but don’t mind being acquaintances, explain to your newest “amigo” that you were glad to have met them and you hope to see them around, but that you’re not interested in anything besides a friendship.

Hopefully, this will be the extent of the awkward conversation and they will understand it’s best to keep a comfortable distance.

However, if you want to completely cut off contact with this person after your one night together, let this person know that the temporary fling was fun, but that’s all it was — temporary.

Be up front and let them know that you would prefer not to be friends.

This was just a fling, and you don’t see a friendship with them in your future.

Likely, the person will understand where you’re coming from and may even feel the same way. The most important thing to remember is to be kind. No one likes to be rejected.

16 Health & Fitness

the current

March 7, 2014

Overcome exercise stigma with willpower

By Nicole Zavala Staff Writer Wherever the crowd goes, most people follow. Especially in the U.S., this practice is apparent whenever the conversation for exercise pops up. Everyone I’ve talked to about this topic who don’t exercise regularly say they are afraid to go to the gym to work out.

Fears like these generally revolve around appearance and a lack of knowledge about the equipment or machines. Freshman Charlotte Stevens, says she doesn’t want to even start going to the gym because she doesn’t want to make a fool out of herself in front of people who know what they’re doing. Others claim they want to start exercising, but the distractions and temptations all around our society prevent the average adult from exercising, and are difficult to ignore.

Having a goal for your health is key to getting in shape. If you don’t have a plan when you say you’ll begin exercising, then it’s probable that you won’t even go to the gym when a more tempting activity comes up, like when “House of Cards” on Netflix comes out with a new season.

There are different reasons to create a personal goal. At first, you may need to focus on smaller tasks, but this goal is only yours to nurture and achieve. For example, you could make 10 pounds as a goal to lift for the first two weeks, then move to a 15 pound weight the next two weeks, or increase your running time from 20 minutes to 30 minutes in seven days.

Whatever you believe you’re able to accomplish, make it your motivation to get your body working for your ultimate aspiration.

I was an avid runner in high

school and had to stop because of knee injuries. After having surgery, I still have knee pain. Because of this experience, I’ve learned what my body is capable of doing and make sure I do exercises that strengthen my knees without injuring them any further. I love moving my body and have taken the initiative to place a heating pad on my knees to deal with the pain after- Students exercise in the fitness center ward. My ultimate workout routines and acclimatize goal is to keep myself healthy yourself to your own abilities. and strong for life. Even with an Love your body and understand injury, I’ve made sure to treat the that everyone has limitations.

Once you figure out what you’re pain and continuing my regime good at and enjoy, stick with it. If for exercise, not use it as an exyou appreciate a good cardio sescuse to cease my physical activity. sion, ride a virtual circuit on the It’s critical to realize this fear is Expresso bikes in the gym or get irrational since those people don’t a good use out of a jump rope. live your life. Why should you care If you enjoy being in the water, about what others think of you if make time to swim some laps in you’re only trying to improve your the pool. As long as you’re able to own health? Whether you want find an activity that captures your to shape your body for aesthetic interest, it’s a great a idea to culpurposes, or improve your health tivate your ability to carry it on and physical abilities, the realizaas much as your schedule allows. tion needs to come in when the There are many health benthoughts of others frighten you. efits to exercise, physically, emoThese imagined thoughts impact tionally, and psychologically, it’s your life in no way at all unless a shame that more people aren’t you allow it. If you are aware of involved in something they enjoy what you want, you have the capa- doing with their body. Personbilities to change your situation. ally, after a stressful day, I enjoy Not everyone’s body type is going ham on the punching bag. able to sculpt the perfect six- Afterwards, I feel revived and pack or lift 400 pounds, but you relaxed; after any great workout need to learn what your body I execute, I’m able to go to bed shows you as you begin your that day feeling accomplished.

For the students on the meal plan, you may notice that there is a special section of both vegetarian and gluten-free options in the cafeteria. Most of us on this campus have some idea about vegetarianism and maybe even veganism, but less know about being gluten-free. What exactly is gluten? If you have Celiac dise ase, gluten is your worst enemy.

Gluten, derived from Latin meaning “glue,” is a protein found in wheat, oats, barley and rye. For those with Celiac disease, gluten triggers an immune response that makes your antibodies attack the intestinal lining in your stomach and prevent the absorption of nutrients.

The consequences are damag-

ing and can lead to malnourishment and a general decline in health. Most people who suffer from Celiac disease suffer similar symptoms such as bloating, gassiness, upset stomach, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, fatigue, headaches, open sores on the mouth, numbness or tingling, irritability or depression.

Although these are the most common symptoms, especially gastrolienal distress, there are about 300 other symptoms that may or may not seem related.

Unfortunately, there isn’t really much you can do for the symptoms by accidentally eating gluten either. As someone who suffers from Celiac disease, any accidental consumption of gluten creates a painful reaction that no one can really do anything

Diversifying every meal of your day is important. Not only is it boring to eat the same thing for breakfast every day, it’s not good for you either.

I fall into the trap of the morning rut, so this month I wanted to create something different that has all the elements of an ideal breakfast: protein, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates.

about except take painkillers like ibuprofen and trying to rest.

However in recent years, Celiac disease has become more common and gluten free diet trends are being advertised more to help lose weight. But there is still very little known about the direct cause of Celiac disease. There are certain risk factors though; if you have a relative who has Celiac disease, you are more likely to have it.

Also, if you have the genes HLA-DQ2 or the HLADQ8, you also have a higher chance of developing Celiac disease. Any other autoimmune disease you may have or even being of European or Central/South American descent can raise your risk for Celiac disease. If you feel like you have any of these symptoms, then you should talk to your doctor.

Pistachio Cranberry Yogurt

By M.J. Harford Staff Writer

photo by Alex Zielinski

As the days pass and I stay consistent with my workouts, the gradual sense of my muscles tightening and reflexes quickening gives me the awareness that I’m changing my body in an immensely positive way. If I’m not able to go to the gym on a busy day, I make time the next day to workout.

Even if at first you don’t notice a difference, keep going.

The results don’t happen right away. Once you do, you’ll love the changes to your body and want to keep the progress going. Don’t worry about what other people see you as because at least you’re getting yourself out there and moving your booty to the sound of your own music.

It can be daunting to start something new for the first time, but you need to make it your intention to follow through. If you believe in yourself, are consistent, and work your butt off in the gym, you’ll start noticing how your body adapts and you might even begin to enjoy exercising.

Living with Celiac Disease as a college student

By Laura Marshall Staff Writer

Meals with Midge:

It’s possible to find out whether one has Celiac disease in a variety of ways. A stool sample can be taken or blood can be drawn in order to test for Celiac disease.

However, if they need to perform a biopsy of your small intestine, it could get bit more complicated.

Some individuals may display the symptoms of Celiac disease but the villi in their intestines do not suffer from any damage. These individuals are gluten sensitive, which is different from those who have Celiac disease and are gluten intolerant.

The only known treatment for Celiac disease and for those with any gluten sensitivity is to be on a lifelong gluten free diet, which includes gluten free grains like rice, potatoes, rice, soy, fruits, vegetables and meats.

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Being lactose-free can create the challenge of finding alternatives that aren’t packed with artificial ingredients, soy or sugar. Green Valley Organics offers that. It has none of the added sugars or preservatives that are common in other dairy imitators.

Generally, you want to look for a short ingredient list that is additive free. As in most meals, the amount of sugar can creep up on you, so be mindful of where it comes from.

For example, if your coconut is the shredded kind you find in the baking aisle, it has a refined sugar level comparable to candy. Try the plain large flake version instead, which you can find at stores like Rollin Oats. My final meal has roughly 12 grams of unrefined sugar in total.

Ingredients: · 6 ounces plain yogurt (traditional or Greek) · 1 teaspoon vanilla extract · 1 tablespoon raw honey · 10 pistachios · 10 dried cranberries (Made in Nature brand) · Handful of flaked coconut (Let’s Do Organic brand) Directions: 1. Scoop the yogurt into a bowl.

2. Drizzle the vanilla extract and honey over the yogurt.

3. Sprinkle the pistachios, cranberries, and coconut on top.

Each issue I’ll be sharing an allergen friendly recipe that is easy, nutritious, and delicious. If you make any of them tag me in your instagram photos (@midgesmoments) with the hashtag #mealswithmidge. If you have any requests, like converting a classic recipe to its healthier version or particular kind of meal for a particular allergy, send me an email. ..(mjharfor@eckerd.edu).

photo by MJ Harford Pistachio and cranberry yogurt.

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the current

March 7, 2014

Sports 17

Sports Softball improves to 2-1 in Sunshine State Conference with first series win

By Will Creager Asst. Sports Editor The softball team won their first Sunshine State Conference (SSC) series of the season, taking two of three games from Nova Southeastern University Feb. 28 and March 1.

After starting out the season by going 0-5 in the Eckerd College Spring Invitational, the Tritons have turned their season around.

They have won 11 of their last 13 games, improving their record to 11-7. More importantly, they are already 2-1 in SSC play, after finishing with 4-20 conference records in each of the past two seasons.

Head Coach Josh Beauregard was not surprised that his team was able to turn things around.

“We have preached to them to have faith in the process,” he said.

“We were not under the impression we would go undefeated this season; losses would happen, and in those losses that weekend we learned we were vulnerable. I believed that motivated them to work harder, focus more on the little things and gave them a desire to want something more out of this season.”

The Tritons took the first game against the Sharks 4-3. Eckerd jumped out to a nice lead, scoring

all four of their runs in the first inning.

Their offense went cold after that, but it proved to be just enough run support for Junior transfer Erin Dixson, who held Nova Southeastern to three runs in her complete game victory.

Both offenses stayed cold for the second game of the series, as the Sharks won a 2-0 pitchers’ duel.

Sophomore Shortstop Kara Oberer singled twice, picking up the only two hits of the game Junior Carolyn Griffin awaits a ground ball in the infield. for the Tritons as 3-1. Dixson gave them another great they wasted a great performance performance on the mound, allowfrom Junior transfer Amber Hay, ing just one run in seven innings. who allowed just two unearned So far, the Tritons have won runs through seven innings of work. on the strength of their pitching, The final game of the series was another low-scoring game, as Eck- as Dixson and Hay have formed erd won 3-1. The game was tied 1-1 a formidable rotation. Dixson is heading into the bottom of the fifth 6-4 with a 2.50 ERA in ten starts, inning, but consecutive RBI dou- while Hay is 5-3 with a 2.00 in eight bles by Senior Outfielder Chelsea starts. They have each been conJeffares and Sophomore Outfielder tributing with the bat as well, as Kaycie Duncan put them on top Hay is hitting .300 while Dixson

photo by Spencer Yaffe

The baseball team is starting to pick up some momentum, as they are currently riding a three-game winning streak after sweeping a doubleheader against Johnson University March 1.

The Tritons won the first game of the doubleheader 11-5. Senior Outfielder Lincoln Dunham led the team with five hits, including a double. He also picked up an RBI, scored two runs and stole two bases. Sophomore

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Zach Hoppe earned his first win on the season, allowing just one run in six solid innings pitched.

Johnson made things interesting in the eighth inning, scoring four runs off the Tritons’ bullpen, until Senior transfer Conar Mahon came in and stopped their rally.

In the second game of the doubleheader, Eckerd entered the fifth inning trailing 5-4, but then took a 6-5 lead on consecutive one-out RBI singles by Senior First Baseman Chris Hanson and Sophomore Designated Hitter Alec Gutierrez.

Gutierrez then drove home an

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insurance run in the seventh, and the Tritons hung on to win 7-5. Junior Kyle Harding got the win in relief, working 3.2 scoreless innings.

Head Coach Bill Mathews is pleased with the way his team has been performing in all aspects of the game.

“We’re hitting the ball constantly well in the middle of the field, playing very solid defensively and our starting pitchers have really done a phenomenal job for us,” Mathews said.

The Tritons have won five of their last six games since Feb.

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Women’s basketball

page 20

Men’s basketball

page 20

Good Vibes: Hawk wins master division of Bowl-A-Rama

By Dominick Cuppetilli Asst. Sports Editor

photo by Spencer Yaffe

is hitting .298 and leads the team with two homers and ten walks.

Jeffares and Oberer have been playing well too. Jeffares leads the team with a .373 batting average, 12 RBI and four steals, while Oberer is second on the team with a .351 batting average and leads the team with 20 hits and 16 runs scored.

With 11 wins, Eckerd is already halfway towards breaking the school record 21 wins in a season.

“We still have many goals to achieve as a team, those goals now seem more obtainable and we are looking forward to the challenge and pressure of achieving them,” Beauregard said.

The Tritons hope to keep their momentum going when they resume SSC play with a three-game series against Florida Tech March 7 and 8.

Senior outfielder Chelsea Jeffares was named SSC Player of the Week for March 1

Baseball prepares for conference play

By Will Creager Asst. Sports Editor

Triton of All Trades

Your Action Sports Source

courtesy of eckerdtritons.com

Sophomore Kara Oberer bats in game against Nova Southeastern University.

INSIDE SPORTS

11. Their offense is hot, as they are hitting .341 as a team and are averaging 9.2 runs per game.

Dunham is leading the way with a .514 batting average, picking up at least one hit in all ten games so far this season. He leads the team with six stolen bases, and is tied for second with three doubles and 12 runs scored. Junior transfer Jimmy Gutowski is off to a great start on the mound, picking up four of the team’s seven wins.

The Tritons begin Sunshine State Conference play March 7 and 8 with a three-game series at Nova Southeastern University.

As snowboard season begins to slow down and surfing gets going in the other hemisphere, it’s a little bit of a lay period in the world of action sports. Competitions have either just finished up, or are just about to start, but you can be sure that things will pick up here in the next couple weeks.

The Quiksilver and Roxy Pro Gold Coast competitions are in the early heats, but the finals will be coming up soon, so make sure to keep your eye on the horizon for that.

The Bowl-A-Rama skateboard contest at Bondi Bowl turned 10 this year as the annual event returned to its home in Sydney, Australia. The contest is divided into two divisions, Pro and Masters (for the Pros with a couple more years on them.

The Pro division was led by Pedro Barros. Barros was also coming off a top of the podium finish at the lesser-known Bowl-A-Rama held in Wellington, New Zealand. Alex Sorgente, the skate behind Barros at Bondi, was also the second place finisher at Wellington. Filipe Foguinho was the third place finisher at the event. Barely missing the podium was Bucky Lasek, who has had somewhat of a resurgence in skateboarding over the last couple years.

The Masters division was led by none other than the Birdman himself, Tony Hawk. Hawk was followed by fellow Bones Brigade alumni, Steve Cabellero. Rounding out the podium was Nicky Guerrero, another Powell Peralta rider.

In other skateboard news, Youness Amrani has officially become pro for Almost Skateboards. The Belgian skater has been around the amateur circuit for a while, and has finally made it to the ranks of pro.

Alliance Wakeboard has just released that the wakeskate of the year for the 2013 season was Andrew Pastura. Alliancewake.com states, “His name has become not only synonymous with a legit skate-style influence on the water, but with winning contests in the most epic of fashions too.” 2014 will undoubtedly be another sound season for Pastura.

In his first rally car race in over two years since trying his hand at NASCAR, Travis Pastrana took second place at the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood. He would fall behind Ken Block who placed first overall. Block and his partner Alex Gelsomino have won seven out of their last eight races as a team according to 100aw.org.

Pastrana was paired with Chrissie Beavis, as the two managed to secure silver despite Pastrana’s recent dislocated ankle. Third place went to the team of Adam Yeoman and Jordan Schulze.

18 Sports

the current

March 7, 2014

UPCOMING

SPORTS March 7

BASEBALL

6 p.m. @ Nova Southeastern University

SOFTBALL

7 p.m. v. Florida Tech

March 8

SOFTBALL

1 p.m. v. Florida Tech (DH)

BASEBALL

1 p.m. @ Nova Southeastern University (DH)

MEN’S TENNIS

1 p.m. @ Florida Tech

WOMEN’S TENNIS 1 p.m. @ Florida Tech

Sports Briefly Eckerd Sailing takes team victory The coed sailing team recently emerged victorious at South Points No.2 Mar 1. The Tritons finished with more than double the score of the runner up. Eckerd won five of the ten total races across both divisions. The next race is South Points No.3 Mar 8 in Tampa.

Beauregard records 100th victory Eckerd softball recorded a milestone win for Coach Josh Beauregard Feb 28.

The Tritons delivered a 4-3 victory in their Sunshine State Conference opener against Nova Southeastern University. The win marked the centurion victory for Beauregard who is in his sixth year as head coach. As of press time, he is three wins from Eckerd’s all time record for wins.

Rugby teams split matches

Women’s rugby achieved their first win of the season Mar 1. The Sirens defeated the University of Miami Hurricanes 3112 on Kappa Field. The victory is also the first for new coach and The Current Sports Editor Mike Geibel, who took over the team in February. On the same day the men’s rugby team traveled to Ave Maria, losing 25-7. The men will have to win their final game of the season March 8 at home to have any chance at the postseason.

National Jimmer traded to Bulls Former Naismith Award winner Jimmer Fredette has been traded to the Chicago Bulls. Originally drafted in 2011 by the Sacramento Kings, Fredette had fallen out of favor with the coach and was suject to the trade. In spite of limited playing time, Frdette has a high shooting percentage which will help the Bulls with their scoring issues.

Isles signs pro contract Carlin Isles has been called the fastest man in rugby, he can now be called a Warrior. The Glasgow club signed him to a one year contract running until next summer’s Rugby World Cup. The U.S. international has scored 24 tries in only 14 rugby sevens tournaments. Isles was previously featured in issue eight of The Current at the USA Sevens Rugby Tournament.

Tournament favorites established The NCAA Basketball Conference Tournaments are due to start soon. The most competitive conference this season has been the Atlantic Coast Conference. With teams such as Virginia, Duke, and Syracuse the ACC could have the National Champion. The other tournament to watch is the Big 10 which has been wide open all year.

SCORE BOARD Men’s Basketball March 1 @ Lynn University L 74-62 Feb. 26 v. Saint Leo University L 60-57 Feb. 22 v. Florida Tech L 61-58

Women’s Basketball March 1 @ Lynn University W 54-51

March 10

Feb. 26 v. Saint Leo University L 72-65

6 p.m. v. Ohio Valley University

Feb. 22 v. Florida Tech W 70-64

BASEBALL

Baseball

March 11

MEN’S TENNIS

March 1 @ Johnson University (DH) W 11-5, W 7-5

2 p.m. v. Young Harris College

WOMEN’S TENNIS

Feb. 27 v. Saint Thomas University (DH) L 6-4, W 7-3

2 p.m. v. Young Harris College

SOFTBALL

5 p.m. v. Warner University (DH)

March 12

BASEBALL

7 p.m. v. Hillsdale College

photo by Stefan Kapczynski Junior Michelle Paul runs the ball in the Sirens’ prom dress game. One week after this photo, the women won their first real match of the semester, defeating Miami 31-12 on March 1.

Winning Shots Send your fan photos to currentsports@eckerd.edu for a chance to be featured in upcoming issues of The Current.

Feb. 19 v. Ave Maria University W 14-4

Softball March 1 v. Nova Southeastern University (DH) L 2-0, W3-1

March 14

BASEBALL

Feb. 28 v. Nova Southeastern University W 4-3

6 p.m. v. Florida Tech

SOFTBALL

6 p.m. @ Rollins College

Feb. 24 v. Goshen College (DH) W 6-0, W 10-0 (5 innings)

March 15

Feb. 22 v. Ave Maria University (DH) L 2-1, W 9-2

BASEBALL

Noon v. Florida Tech (DH)

SOFTBALL

1 p.m. @ Rollins College courtesy of Madison Durley Interim Head Tennis Coach Ben Maxwell and Junior Mark Scafidi share a “twinning” moment on a sunny day at the Eckerd tennis courts.

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the current

March 7, 2014

Sports 19

Maxwell named interim tennis coach

By Colin Casey Asst. Sports Editor

Earning my first career rugby coaching victory

By Mike Geibel Sports Editor The old saying goes, “Those who can, do, and those who can’t, teach.”

I assume the same applies to coaching. This season has been especially tough on me because I am no longer eligible to play collegiate rugby due to USA Rugby regulations. In my senior year at Eckerd, I have been forced to take a behindthe-scenes role for the men’s rugby team. I imagine this type of transition to be difficult for everyone, but it has been especially hard on me.

The rugby team was the first group of friends I had at Eckerd when I transferred in two years ago. They have been my best friends consistently since then, and I hoped that I would be able to take the field with them in my senior year. Unfortunately, college rugby has a strict eligibility policy and I am outside of it.

It hasn’t been all bad taking a backseat role. I have had the opportunity to arrange fun events like the Blatz Bowl, Bullsh*t Ballet and the Beachside Invitational Sevens Tournament.

Interestingly, I’ve had the opportunity for the last few weeks to try something new associated with rugby. In the abscence of the rugby teams’ coach, the women’s club asked me to help out and coach them for the remainder of the season.

I’ve had a lot of experience in rugby, playing for a few years at Georgia Tech before coming to Eckerd.

It was an interesting job to take in the beginning. The women’s team had been suffering from poor attendance at practice and had only played a few matches in the fall, many of which were shortened or mixed-squad versions.

I got two days of coaching in before the team’s first match with me coaching. We traveled to USF on Feb. 15 to play on a cold, rainy day in Tampa.

It was a rough first go at coaching as the women fell behind 29-0 at halftime.

Shortly after half, one of the Eckerd players was injured and taken to the hospital for concussion symptoms and the game was ended. The final score of 41-0 taught me and the team what we needed to improve upon in the next few weeks.

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Over family weekend, Feb. 22, the Sirens held an intra-squad prom dress game. The scrimmage, designed to promote awareness and raise funds for the women’s team, was played with all members of the teams wearing dresses purchased from Goodwill.

The event was very successful and fans came out in high numbers to watch the game.

Many of the Sirens’ t-shirts were sold to parents and students.

The prom dress game also played the role of a morale booster for the team. After the big loss to USF, I had been a little more intense and strict at practices and the prom dress game was important to keep the women from feeling overwhelmed by the drills at practice.

After the prom dress game, there was a lot of positivity among the members of the team. Several expressed their desire to play rugby and get better before their home game on March 1.

At practice in the week leading up to the Sirens’ first and only home game of the spring, I focused on getting more physicality out of the women, as well as drills to simulate game situations that they could encounter.

If teachers are proud of students who go on to do big things, the same can be said about me as a coach. The Sirens took the field against the University of Miami on March 1 in my second real match as their coach. The Sirens took the lead early and Miami tied the game soon after. For the rest of the match, the Eckerd women executed all of the things that we had worked on in practice incredibly well.

Their tackling had improved greatly since the first game, as did their rucking, passing and defensive skills. The Sirens never looked back after regaining the lead and ended the game with a convincing 31-12 win over Miami.

While there is still more to work on for the last few weeks of the season, I was very proud of the way the women played. They put on a good show for the fans and sent out the seniors on a high note.

The women have two games left and if they continue to play the way they did March 1, they will have a very good chance at continuing their winning ways.

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After three years of serving as an assistant coach to the men’s and women’s tennis teams, Ben Maxwell was named Interim Head Coach of both of Eckerd’s tennis programs. He takes over a program that continues to evolve as the season progresses. Both programs own a winless record in conference play as of press time.

Maxwell was named Interim Head Coach in December, as longtime head coach Erin Koenig stepped down from her position. Being a head coach is not a strange occurrence to Maxwell who was previously tabbed for the role temporarily while Koenig departed on maternity leave.Though it may seem a stretch for the Coordinator of Fitness and Wellness to suddenly become a head athletic coach at an NCAA Division II school, Maxwell does have a pedigree for the sport.

Before he had an office with Student Affairs, Maxwell was a tennis player for the Tritons. As a member of the class of 2011, he played four years for the Tritons. His record in his final two years stands at 8-14 in singles and 10-13 in doubles. In spite of his overall record Maxwell holds one of the most notable upsets in Eckerd and Sunshine

State Conference (SSC) history. seems like we’re finally getting a Maxwell defeated the No. 8 in good gist of doubles which will the nation Alessandro Sarra while really help us as well,” said Naula.

In addition, the team overall at Eckerd. Sarra, then playing for Lynn University, was defeated in appears to be ready to play their straight sets 6-4 and 7-6. Maxwell’s hearts out for their new coach. gutty upset is an example that on Junior Katie Benn said of her any given day, the Eckerd teams can teammates, “all of us recognize play with anyone in the conference. and see the amount of effort he’s Such an effort will be required putting into our team, we are reas the SSC boasts national cham- ally fortunate to have someone as pionship winning teams in two of caring and hardworking as Ben.” The next home match for the previous four seasons in men’s tennis. The women’s standings both the men’s and womare no better. Only two years ago, en’s tennis teams is March 11 both national finalists came from against Young Harris College. the SSC. And with both team’s schedules appearing no easier for the remainder of the season, Maxwell may need to tap into his own past to motivate the Tritons back to their winning ways.

Regardless of the schedule ahead, the Tritons are looking forward to playing for Maxwell for the remainder of the season. Junior Amy Naula said that “For the rest of the season I think we’re hoping and preparing to get more wins both individually and as a team.” In spite of the upcoming difficult schedule, Naula was especially hopeful for one courtesy of eckerdtritons.com facet of the team’s game. “It Ben Maxwell

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IMPORTANT Thanksgiving Fall Finals Spring Semester Begins Spring Break Spring Finals

DATES

Thanksgiving Fall Final s November 28-29 Spring Semester Begins December 9-12 Spring Break January 28 Spring Final s March 22-30

May 12-15

20

the current

March 7, 2014

Sports

Men’s hoops loses three to finish regular season

By Dominick Cuppetilli Asst. Sports Editor Seniors Josh Snodgrass, Alex Bodney, and Junior McLeod were recognized prior to the men’s final home game of the season.

The Tritons would host Saint Leo University for the Senior Night celebrations, falling to the Lions 60-57 in a tight finish.

Bodney explained that he wasn’t emotional before his last game in the McArthur center, but the day leading up to it did stick out to him. “Every time I did anything on Wednesday: pre-game meal, getting my ankles taped, getting dressed in our locker room, running out for warm-ups, I realized that would be the last time I would ever do that in the McArthur Center,” said Bodney, “Josh [Snodgrass] and I just kept saying to each other how strange it was.”

Snodgrass said he was focused on the game itself more than it being Senior Night. “As I was standing there listening to the anthem I was thinking about how bad we needed to win the game. After we walked out with our family I was focused on what we needed to do in order to get the win,” he said.

The defensive intensity made for a relatively low scoring start, with both teams tied at seven with 13 minutes to go in the first half. Eckerd would gain momentum from Junior Guard, Malcom Brunner Jr. Brunner scored on back-to-back possessions, making a 3-point play on the second trip after the foul was called. Snodgrass was able to create a similar play for himself,

getting fouled on his drive in capping an 8-0 run by the Tritons.

However, Saint Leo responded with back-to-back three pointers to stay in the game. The teams went back and forth down the stretch, but Eckerd would finish the half on top 34-26 led

by Snodgrass with 10 points.

Eckerd led comfortably for most of the half, but Saint Leo fought their way back to tie the game up at 51-51, leaving the last five minutes of play for anyone to take.

Both teams were clogging the inside on defense, so the game became about who was going to knock down their shots. Snodgrass said, “They have a defensive style that makes it difficult for drivers to get all the way to the basket.” Bodney agreed saying, “Saint Leo is a tough basketball team that relies on making perimeter shots and keeping their opponents from shooting layups to win basketball games.”

After the tie, Brunner would be the first to score for the Tritons, but the Lions responded in the next play. After Jerrick Stevenson nailed a couple of freethrows, Saint Leo sunk a three to give them the first lead of the half.

With three minutes left on the clock, the fans in the Triton’s stands were on their feet in support of the team. Brunner was able to get the offensive rebound and put back on a missed shot, but Saint Leo’s Jarrel Harris (Senior) would get his 20th points of the game to keep his team on top.

The Tritons had several good looks at the basket to push the

game to overtime, but they could not recover in time and would be bested by the Lions.

Snodgrass attributed their falling behind to a breakdown in their defensive plan, while Bodney claimed, “It boiled down to execution and we got out-executed down the stretch.”

The two active seniors had nothing but good things to say about their time at Eckerd. Snodgrass said, “My teammates and my coaches are absolutely the highlight of my senior year. Playing for Eckerd has changed me due to the impact that the coaches have had on my life as well as my teammates throughout the years. I have truly met some great people and they have had a lasting impact on my life.”

Bodney, who is the only senior on the team with four years of experience with the Tritons, had similar regards. “Being a part of this team for the past four years has been a privilege. I have learned so much about myself and created so many great memories, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

Bodney hopes that he was able to touch the team in a way that he has been helped at his time here at Eckerd. He hopes that he has instilled a high standard of excellence for the team to inherit in both their play and in their lives.

He is also very grateful for the experiences that the team has provided for him. “I have had the opportunity to get real life leadership experience in gradual increments as my career has progressed that I believe have prepared me for life after graduation more than anything I can learn out of a textbook could.”

photo by Dominick Cuppetilli Senior Josh Snodgrass takes a shot on Senior Night against Saint Leo University.

Although the Tritons fell in their final game at home, the memories made there will be cherished by the seniors. Bodney concluded on the game, “My final feeling though as I was walking out was, ‘Damn, this was

a lot of fun. I’m going to miss this.”

After falling to Lynn in their final regular season game, the Tritons end with a record of 15-13 (7-9 conference). The Sunshine State Conference tournament is March 5 to 9.

Women’s basketball puts on three-pointer show in Senior Night loss

By Dominick Cuppetilli Asst. Sports Editor

the two graduating players from the team, Amy Buccilla and Liga Vente. Saint Leo would go on to The Tritons hosted Saint Leo win the night’s competition, 72-65.

Buccilla started her final game University for the team’s final home game of the season. Se- in the McArthur Center strong, nior Night began by honoring scoring the first points of the game with a 3-point shot from range.

The senior guard said that before the game, “I was okay until I turned around and saw Kayla crying.” She described the night as being “bittersweet” realizing that the great run she had had was coming to an end.

The rest of the Tritons followed Buccilla’s start, scoring nine of their first 13 points from distance. Through the first half, Eckerd and Saint Leo edged back and forth, exchanging the lead multiple times.

Sophomore guard Kaitlin Jackson hit a photo by Dominick Cuppetilli shot clock beatJunior Kayla Bowlin takes a shot from behind the arc in the er three in the Tritons’ final home contest.

closing seconds of the half to give the Tritons eight three pointers by the half. Buccilla scored 12 of her 17 total points in the first half.

The Tritons started the second half up 37-30, and led for most of the game. However, the Lions would make several key plays down the stretch to pull ahead of the Tritons.

Buccilla explained that Eckerd just missed a couple threes and a couple layups, and Saint Leo was able to get a few back-to-back plays in to take the lead. The Tritons would not come back from behind.

Despite the loss, Buccilla was able to leave the gym in high spirits. “This team has impacted me as a person and as a leader,” she said. She claimed that her teammates have played the biggest role in her career here at Eckerd, and that she has met some of her best friends here on the team.

Buccilla also said, “We have high hopes for the tournament. We could still finish the season strong.”

Buccilla’s prediction looks to be true, as the Tritons won their final game of the regular season, topping Lynn University 54-51.

The win came with a buzzer beater by Junior Rana Thomas with the assist from Kayla Bowlin (Junior).

The Tritons finished the regular season with an 11-15 record (4-12 conference), and will play Nova Southeastern in the conference tournament on March 6, on neutral ground in Kissimmee, Fla.

photo by Dominick Cuppetili Senior Amy Buccilla starts the scoring with one of the Tritons’ eight first-half threes.

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