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OCT. 28, 2014 | VOL. 16 # 6
The preserve is shrinking, the owls are fading and the students are petitioning. P.14
WHAT IS
FAU
DOING TO OUR
MASCOT’S
HOME?
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The Staff
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TUESDAY
October 28, 2014 News
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF - Lulu Ramadan
Science
Sports
MANAGING EDITOR - Kiki Baxter CREATIVE DIRECTOR - Michelle Friswell ASSISTANT CREATIVE DIRECTOR - Sabrina Martinez BUSINESS MANAGER - Ryan Murphy ASSOCIATE EDITOR - Emily Bloch COPY DESK CHIEF - Carissa Giard ASSISTANT COPY DESK CHIEF - Cristina Solorzano NEWS EDITOR - Jillian Melero SPORTS EDITOR - Wesley Wright
ASSISTANT WEB EDITOR - Alexis Hayward MARKETING MANAGER - Lauren Culp COPY EDITORS - Reimy Benitez and Shafer Ross DESIGNERS - Netanya Walton and Utku Taner CONTRIBUTORS - Lynnette Cantos and Emily Creighton DISTRIBUTION MANAGER - Jake Stuart ADVISERS Michael Koretzky
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Photo by Michelle Friswell
WEB EDITOR - Mohammed F. Emran
Photo by Ryan Murphy
SCIENCE EDITOR - Andrew Fraieli
Photo by Max Jackson
PHOTO EDITOR - Max Jackson
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Student Government takes on an initiative in enforcing Breezeway rules.
FAU neglects to care for or acknowledge the nature preserve on campus.
Charlie Partridge has his football players dressing spiffy on game day. Even better: They like it.
By Lynnette Cantos
By Andrew Fraieli
By Wesley Wright
Page 4
Page 26
Page 30
SmartWater CSI is in 20 South Florida police districts, and FAU is the first university to get it.
FAU ranks among some of the top schools in the nation for minority graduates.
Student Government appoints Michael Cairo as liaison between the student body and the FAU Police Department.
By Jillian Melero
By Emily Creighton
By Kiki Baxter
Neil Santaniello COVER - Photo by Ryan Murphy
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OCT. 28, 2014
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NEWS
A LIQUID THAT’S INVISIBLE AND AN ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN THAT’S ANYTHING BUT SmartWater CSI is no secret, and if you haven’t heard yet, FAU PD wants to tell you all about it. Story by Jillian Melero
Photo by Ryan Murphy
Y
ou may have seen some dark blue signs with a fluorescent yellow handprint near the bike racks around Innovation Village. Or the “Thieves Beware” airplane banners flying over FAU stadium during our last few football games. Maybe you’ve even seen the blue decal plastered on a laptop or two. “It’s all part of the strategy of getting the message out to the thieves,” said Antonio Arserio, the operations manager for
SmartWater. “We spend more of our money advertising to bad guys than we do to our clients.” That marketing gimmick is part of the deterrent aspect of SmartWater CSI, a liquid tracking number that students can use to tag their valuables and that police use to identify stolen property. While invisible to the naked eye, its advertising and promotion is highly visible.
What is SmartWater?
Even the sales rep has trouble describing it accurately. “My girlfriend had to correct me, I kept saying it was mascara, but apparently it’s lipgloss,” said Arserio about the kits which were recently purchased for student use. The lip gloss-sized tube is capped with a similar sponge tipped applicator to dab the liquid onto your property. This allows for approximately 30 uses per bottle. “All they need is a speck the size of a grain of sand,” said Arserio, in reference to the amount of the tracer that needs to be applied in order to be effective. The tracer can be used to mark just about anything. “To give you an idea of what can be marked -– Florida Fish and Wildlife is actually doing undercover operations with our product. We’ve had the National Institute of Health feed it to mosquitos to track them.” 4
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SmartWater is also available in more commercial-use quantities, tailored for use in covert police operations. “There are some other products they’re using that are kind of undercover that we don’t disclose. But there is one that has been public and it’s through the use of a baby seat. Theoretically they can put it on anything,” Arserio said. “There is a pressure switch [and] they bait it with a purse or a laptop. When the person breaks into the car and removes the item off of the baby seat, it sprays them,” explained Arserio. SmartWater remains traceable on skin, clothes and hair for days, weeks, months or longer, depending on the culprit’s hygiene, according to Arserio. The signature is guaranteed to last on property for at least five years, however, maintaining the product registration number within SmartWater’s database usually requires an annual membership fee. Continued on on page page 8 8 Continued
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NEWS
Why FAU?
FAU holds the unique status of being the first school in the country to utilize SmartWater. The partnership came about partly out of necessity and partly out of coincidence. “One of the number-one things that we have here on campus is property theft. So we figured if we could curb it with this technology, absolutely we would do anything we can to prevent property theft,” said Deputy Chief Sean Brammer of FAU PD.
“Antonio is an FAU alum, so it’s a great partnership,” added Brammer. “When we heard of the product, we reached out, we connected, and we decided this would be something that’s great for the university.” Before becoming a sales rep for SmartWater, Arserio was an active member of Student Government. In 2006 and 2007, he served in the roles of chief of staff, senator and chairman of the Campus Action subcommittee.
How much did it cost?
In August, Student Government agreed to allocate more than $9,000 from the Boca contingency fund to buy the forensic tracing equipment for the University Police. While the house bill stated that FAU PD would purchase an additional 300 kits for a total of 600, 250 kits were provided by SmartWater as a promotional gift, and FAU PD has only incurred the cost of signage thus far, according to House Speaker Christopher Ferreira, who authored the bill, and Deputy Chief
Sean Brammer. Ferreira said the SmartWater partnership was first initiated when Police Captain Larry Ervin met with Student Body President Michael Cepeda to discuss the idea. Arserio was then contacted to present his pitch to the Boca House of Representatives, who voted to enter into the deal with University Police in the interest of strengthening the relationship between the two organizations.
Who else is using it? The theft deterrent is currently being utilized by at least 20 police agencies in South Florida. “Oakland Park arrested someone that committed a robbery in Fort Lauderdale because of the SmartWater. Both agencies are using the product, they cross referenced the data and were able to work together,” said Arserio. In March 2014, the Sun-Sentinel reported “the Fort Lauderdale Police
Department subsidized a SmartWater giveaway whereby 500 SmartWater kits, paid for with $15,000 confiscated during arrests, were handed out free at a series of civic association meetings.” In August 2014, NBC Miami reported that the Lauderhill Housing Authority and the Lauderhill Police Department distributed more than 200 SmartWater CSI Residential Kits.
Is it working?
In July, the Sun-Sentinel reported that “In Boynton Lakes North, the first area to receive 500 kits of SmartWater in December, police are already reporting a 31 percent total decrease in burglaries since handing them out. That translates to a 38 percent decrease in residential burglaries and a 20 percent decrease in auto burglaries.”
While the decrease in the number of thefts and burglaries reported by local police agencies seems promising, it will take time to see if this particular partnership venture is a worthwhile one. “Is it 100 percent foolproof ? Absolutely not. But the more tools that we put together to alleviate crime, the better it is,” said Brammer.
For more information, check Upressonline.com 8
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OCT. 28, 2014
Money Spent on SmartWater Student Government’s Contingency Fund
$65,274.00 Amount paid out of SG’s contingencey fund for 300 kits at $30 each* plus overhead
$9,201.60 University Police Expense Budget estimated
$687,515.00 Amount paid out of University Police Expense Budget estimated
$1,350.00 25 (minimum) SmartWater street signs (x30)
$750.00 (1) Holding area sign & TV monitor w/video loop
$600.00 Tracer solution for University & Department property
TBD *$30 was a discounted rate offered by Smartwater CSI, the individual retail rate is $90 per tube.
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NEWS
Student Government house speaker Christopher Ferreira stops two students to discuss the Breezeway Safety Campaign and explains possible consequences of violating the rules of the Breezeway.
SAFETY ISN'T ALWAYS A BREEZE . Story by Lynnette Perez Photos by Max Jackson
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tudent Government wants you to “Stop and Walk” under the Breezeway Safety Campaign, a proposal led by the House of Representatives in collaboration with FAU Police Department. The purpose of the Breezeway Safety Campaign is to raise awareness and enforce the school policy which states that the use of bicycles, skateboards, skates and scooters are not permitted on the Breezeway or other covered walkway areas. The penalties for violations include confiscating devices used in violation of this policy by the University Police. Also, students may be subject to student disciplinary proceedings. “The main thing that we want to get across is that you can actually be held responsible for violating the policy,” said House Speaker Christopher Ferreira. Campaign efforts included setting up tables with posters, apparel, banners, foldable cards, and creating a presence on the Breezeway. Student Government members employed multiple tactics to prevent people from riding along the Breezeway, including using social media like
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Twitter and Facebook, handing out information to pedestrians, verbal reprimands, calling-out violators and even stepping in the path of those on longboards or bicycles. “I understand [why] people like [riding on the Breezeway] — it’s a smooth ride — but I mean, a lot of people get hit,” said House member Alexa Pressoir. “That happens to a lot of people, so it’s something that should be enforced.” SG members held out posters showcasing the alternative routes students can take instead of the Breezeway. Others handed out promotional items along with foldable cards displaying the policy. During these sessions, SG members relied on social peer pressure by shouting out “policy breakers”or “violators” whenever they saw students riding on the Breezeway. “I couldn’t tell you how many times we shouted but it was quite a lot. When we started doing that, shouting ‘violators’ at them, other tables started joining in,” said Ferreira. The campaign’s original timeline was set from Aug. 18 until Sept. 12, according to Ferreira. The actual start date was Aug. 28 due to campaign materials from the branding and merchandising company Wizard Creations arriving later than scheduled. The campaign materials cost a total of $4,012.40 — nearly double the allocated amount of $2,650 during its early stages.
C
Campus Action Chair Juliana Walters worked closely with Ferreira over the summer to apply the Breezeway rules based on the wants and the needs of the student body. After working with the Student Code of Conduct board and the FAU Police Department, Walters found it was a common issue among students. “I kinda knew from being a student myself — first semester or two semesters — that people in general just hated all of the skateboarders and bicyclists on the Breezeway,” Walters said. “It was a safety concern because it shuts people out and puts them in fear almost.” Walters also expressed the trouble of enforcing policy when reports of incidents are not made. “You can only hope that people understand that it puts others in danger. For example, there are people with certain disabilities who are at danger because of the skateboard use on the Breezeway.” Pressoir was proactive in the campaign after sharing similar stories. “What happens when you ride on the Breezeway?” asked Pressoir. “You have to predict everybody’s movements and some people you’re just not gonna be able to predict. I’m one of those people, an unknown factor.” To prove her point, Pressoir jumped in front of students on their bicycles or boards during campaign sessions before handing them cards with the policies on the back. Junior communication major Wilson Malek admitted to the UP that he rides his longboard every so often despite knowing the rules in the Breezeway. When asked if he had ever hit another student when riding on the Breezeway, Malek responded confidently. “No, I haven’t because I’m not bad at riding [my board]. I’ve tripped over myself, though not on the Breezeway — never.” Other students, like freshman graphic design major Ben Rosenthal, told the UP that under certain conditions he might ride on the Breezeway. “I usually don’t ride it on the Breezeway,” Rosenthal said. “Unless it’s really empty early in the morning or [in the] evening.” Even Pressoir revealed to the UP that she would ride on the Breezeway before becoming proactive in the campaign. “I’ll admit it, I was guilty of riding on the Breezeway,” disclosed Pressoir, “I haven’t for a long time, but the littlest of things can stop you.” “September was supposed to be Safety Awareness Month at FAU, so it was more about people being
Continued on page 12
“W
hat happens when you ride on the Breezeway?” asked House member alexa Pressoir. “You have to predict everybody’s movements and some people, you’re just not gonna be able to predict. I’m one of those people, an unknown factor ”
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NEWS
aware that it was a violation of the policy. You can only hope that people understand that it puts others in danger,” Walters stated. “Something else we want to add on is getting the organizations that table there to take a proactive hand in it. They’re out there a lot more than we are, and if they see them and get them to stop, I think it begins to change the culture. I definitely think that in the little time we were out there that we made an impact, even if it was small.” “To be honest we haven’t thought about what exactly the campaign would look like factoring in the construction zones,” said Ferreira. “If the construction was overwhelming, we wouldn’t be out there promoting it.” A month after the campaign, Walters said there hasn’t been any formal violations reported to the FAU PD. Focusing all efforts on raising safety awareness, Walters admitted not following up in regard to enforcing the new policy. Last spring, the UP reported on the “Reinventing the Breezeway” open forum, detailing the concept art and student input on the new and improved Breezeway with a tentative completion date of 2016. Of the three active Breezeway Safety campaign members, none had considered safety measures for the Breezeway remodeling and construction. Walters told the UP she would bring this matter to attention during the next legislative session held on Oct. 20. “If I can get a petition going and see if students want [improved safety conditions], then I’d be more than happy to implement something to keep them safe,” said Walters. Ferreira said the campaign will consider a shift in focus towards preventing popped tires and serious injuries nearby the construction zones when it occurs. “When the House is meeting again,” detailed Ferreira to the UP
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via text message, “planning the [safety] campaign for spring will be the responsibility of the campus action committee.” Despite its lack of supplies and the limited run in the fall semester, Ferreira claims a modest success and aims to keep the initiative permanent starting spring 2015 semester. “We really would like to do it again in the spring,” said Ferreira, “and make it actually be a whole month, now that we have everything.”
“September was supposed to be Safety Awareness Month at FAU, so it was more about people being aware that it was a violation of the policy. You can only hope that people understand that it puts others in danger,” Walters stated.
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SCIENCE Section
Story by Andrew Fraieli Photo by Max Jackson
The burrowing owl and gopher tortoise populations on campus are slowly shrinking. Despite students’ best efforts, FAU is not doing everything it can to preserve the preserve.
I
f you Google search ‘FAU preserve,’ the first result is not a link to the FAU website, but a link to a petition in favor of stopping further development on the FAU preserve. The FAU preserve is currently 90 acres of land in the upper west side of the Boca Raton campus set aside for the protected species that live there — the gopher tortoise and the burrowing owl. This petition was created by students in response to FAU repeatedly building on the preserve and relocating the animals living there. Around the rest of the campus, you’ll find grassland — the habitat of the burrowing owls — which has been built over even more than the preserve. Over the past 20 years, FAU has dramatically downsized the preserve space on campus by building upon it. A.D. Henderson University School and the Innovation Village Apartments were built on top of the grassland as well as the football field and Parking Garage 3, which were built on top of scrub — the large preserved land that is an endangered habitat. Now, instead of the scrub that would be there, the preserve has shrunk by 50 acres to its current size of 90 acres. FAU has not abandoned maintaining the preserve completely. Almost two years ago, the university cleared out a large area on the northern corner of the Boca campus and turned it to grassland for the burrowing owls to repopulate. As it turns out, this new land has caused the population of owls to plateau, according to Tobin Hindle, an FAU professor of ecology. There are no records of the owl and tortoise populations from 2003-2010. According to Public Information Coordinator Liz Barraco of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, there is no policy or law stating that FAU is required to keep detailed records of the protected animal populations. Azita Dashtaki, associate vice president for facilities, is the head of the Conservation Committee that handles the decisions about the preserve. When asked about the lack of records she said, “Prior to 2010, the
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There are three levels of conservation commonly used to describe species in Florida: • Species of special concern - when the population of a species is expected to be reduced by 20 percent in the next 10 years or 3 generations. (Burrowing Owl) • Threatened species - when the population of a species is expected to be reduced by 50 percent in the next 10 years or 3 generations. (Gopher Tortoise) • Endangered species - when 80 percent of the population has been observed to be reduced in the last 10 years or 3 generations and is in danger of extinction Source: gophertortoise.org
Scrub is a special kind of land that is the natural habitat for the gopher tortoise. It is very dry, sandy, and has foliage halfway between grass and forest. It is ideal for building on since it is higher than other land and therefore does not flood. FAU construction has been taking advantage of this quality, therefore contributing to the population decrease.
Photo by Anastasia Kovtunenko
Continued on page 16
SCIENCE
Photo by Anastasia Kovtunenko
The preserve has become overgrown, causing the gopher tortoise to become overcrowded. assessment of gopher tortoises and owls approving,” Hindle said, citing the last time mechanical thinning events are necessary in was conducted by FAU graduate students FAU mechanically thinned out the scrub as making the habitat suitable for the tortoises. This lack of mechanical funding has and was not included as part of a formal 2010. report to the committee.” FAU had Miller Legg start assessing caused the tortoises to cluster into the only Because of the lack of documentation, the preserve in 2012 so that there were habitable area, the small strip of preserve Hindle says he has a “gut feeling that there formal records on the population numbers. on the east side that is not overgrown [see definitely was a decent decline [in the owl According to their 2014 assessment, “Based map]. Almost all the tortoises are squished one side which causes disease, population] five to eight years ago.” on the overall coverage of the preserve, the on this parasites and ticks to spread The bulk of the preserve is scrub, but longevity of the suitability of the preserve faster, according to Frazier recently it has grown too thick, which isn’t area as desirable gopher tortoise habitat may and her students’ research. an environment that allows the gopher come into question if mechanical thinning is There are only about 80 tortoises — a threatened species — to not performed.” survive well, says Evelyn Frazier, an FAU tortoises in the preserve, According to Dashtaki though, “The professor of ecology and entomology. according to Frazier, whose preserve has been greatly improved According to Hindle, a member of the over the past few years and is students do heavy research on FAU Conservation Committee — which in a much better condition the preserve. Florida Fish and makes university decisions about the to support the gopher Wildlife’s Gopher Tortoise preserve — there would normally be a tortoise population.” Management Plan cites a prescribed burn in which the scrub is set on But according to 1987 study that recommends fire to thin out the foliage and help stabilize the 2013-2014 a minimum preserve area of 25-50 acres and at least the environment for the tortoises. However, Miller Legg 50 tortoises for a viable this is not a possibility because the university assessment, population. A 2010 study cited does not have a fire department on campus. The alternative is to mechanically thin in the same plan states there out the foliage to bring it back to normal must be 240 tortoises and levels, but FAU has not done this as of late, 1,865 acres for the population according to assessments by Miller Legg to sustain itself. Frazier — an outside company that assesses the says there are more than 80 preserve every year. tortoises on campus, but the rest are not in the preserve. According to Hindle, this would Image from Google Earth Instead, spread around where need to be done every five to they cannot repopulate. This seven years to mimic fire. Legend Gopher Tortoise is a direct result of construction “It is also a costly procedure that Burrowing Owl the university deserves credit for separating parts of the habitat
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Parking
Continued on page 17
and creating little islands of land that the tortoises are stuck on. There may be an explanation for all the freedom in relocating the tortoises and taking them from their homes, according to Frazier. “The laws that determine the treatment of the gopher tortoises were developed by Florida Fish and Wildlife, the community, very few scientists and the developers,” Frazier said. Frazier’s students use the preserve to study the plants, the tortoises and their habits. The preserve is not only a habitat for protected species but also an important part of the classes here at FAU. The preserve being on campus gives students the ability to go out into the field and practice what they learn in the classroom. Jessica Huffman, a recent biology graduate and former president of the Strategies for Ecology Education Diversity and Sustainability organization, says she “wouldn’t have gotten into research unless there was the preserve. It’s easy with it being right on campus.” Huffman is also the student that spearheaded the petition to stop further development on the FAU preserve, which has over 1,500 signatures. She started using social media in March of this year to raise
awareness of the shrinking preserve space and declining tortoise population. The goal is to get 10,000 students to sign the petition. Dana Elhassani, another alumna petitioning the development on the preserve, says she “would rather have it permanently a preserve so there isn’t that constant worry.” Not only are the tortoises a threatened species but other species, including the 23 or so burrowing owls, which are a species of special concern, depend on the tortoises to survive. According to Huffman’s research, 350 other species depend on these tortoises. FAU alumna Annabelle McKie wrote a thesis in December of 2003 on the burrowing owl population from 1990 to 2003. McKie found that 76 percent of owls that reused territories were reproductively successful, whereas only 43 percent of owls on newly-established territories were successful. McKie found that owls partly survive using the tortoises’ abandoned burrows and whenever FAU builds on “inactive” burrows — burrows containing no eggs or flightless young — they are destroying the possible homes of these burrowing owls. Destroying these burrows is deemed harmless because there are no animals living there. However, it does harm the owl
Burrowing Owl Population
population when they are forced to relocate. McKie’s thesis also found that “the number of chicks (baby owls) produced per year in a territory was strongly and positively correlated to the number of years that territory was occupied.” Unfortunately, there is not much students can do to stop FAU from building on the preserve. The burrowing owls and the gopher tortoises are listed species — FAU only requires permits from Florida Fish and Wildlife to relocate them and destroy their burrows. According to Hindle, FAU maintains the preserve because they are aware of its importance to the animals and the environment. But the loss of preserve land has not discouraged Huffman and fellow students from petitioning to protect the species. “There’s a countless number of opportunities [for] using the preserve and we are just building on it,” Huffman said. “Another reason we need to stand up for the preserve is that we are giving a voice to multiple species that can’t stand up and speak for themselves.”
Gopher Tortoise Population Photo by Ryan Murphy
Photo by Ryan Murphy
Source 1990-2003: Annabelle McKie Thesis Source 2010-2014: Miller Legg Assessments OCT. 28, 2014
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SPORTS Quarterback Jaquez Johnson takes the Owl Walk before the Sept. 27 game against the University of Texas San-Antonio.
Look good,
Play well Head coach Charlie Partridge requiring his football players to dress nicely on game day gives them an incentive to win.
Story by Wesley Wright Photos by Ryan Murphy
O
ne of the first changes that Charlie Partridge made upon becoming head football coach took place off the field — and in the closet. Players are now required to dress business casual before their games. Should they win, players have the option of leaving in sweatpants. A loss means every player has to wear the business attire on the way home. “There is just something about dressing up, you’re in a different mode. This is business now,” Partridge said of his rationale behind having players dress sharply. His motivation goes back to his days at Iowa State. The night before a game versus Iowa, Partridge — an ISU graduate assistant at the time — and the staff dressed in suit and tie. “At the time, I was young. I didn’t want to put a tie on either,” he said. In their Cedar Rapids hotel was another team from a school that Partridge said was on either the Division 2 or Division 3 level of college football. They wore casual outfits, in stark contrast to Partridge and company. “I saw their kids look at our kids, and they felt outclassed,” said Partridge of the other team staying in that hotel. Iowa State went on to defeat the rival Hawkeyes 24-14 on Sept. 16, 2000. What a team wears during the pre and postgame portions of travel depends solely on the head coach. Some, like Kentucky’s Mark Stoops, require players to wear a suit and tie. Other college coaches, including Middle Tennessee State’s Rick Stockstill, require that players wear sweatsuits to and from games. Stockstill played college football for coaching legend Bobby Bowden, who required players to wear a suit and tie on every game day. “You don’t risk guys all wearing different shirts, pants and some having holes,” said the 56-year-old former
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Continued on page 20
ELECTION DAY PALM BEACH EARLY VOTING
DATE TIME
November 4, 2014 7:00am – 7:00pm
DATES October 20 – November 2 TIME 7:00am – 7:00pm
Gardens Branch Library 11303 Campus Drive, Palm Beach Garden Supervisor Of Elections Office 240 South Military Trail, West Palm Beach
Ezell Hester Community Center 1901 North Seacrest Blvd, Boynton Beach
Acreage Branch Library 15801 Orange Blvd, Loxahatchee
Hagen Ranch Road Branch Library 14350 Hagen Ranch Road, Delray Beach
Belle Glade Branch Library 725 Nw 4th Street, Belle Glade
Jupiter Community Center 200 Military Trail, Jupiter Lantana Branch Library 4020 Lantana Road, Lantana Old Boca Raton Library
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200 Nw Boca Raton Blvd, Boca Raton
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SPORTS
Florida State Seminole quarterback. “It’s much neater and more professional all being dressed the same way.” Southern Mississippi coach Todd Monken has his players wear school-issued polos and sweats, but went a step further than Partridge. Using money from the school’s Touchdown Club, Monken bought a suit for each of the graduating seniors — quite a classy gesture, especially given that those men were not his recruits. The 2013-2014 year was the first for Monken as the USM head coach. The men who graduated were players who entered the program under former coaches Larry Fedora (2009-2012) and Ellis Johnson (2013 — fired after an 0-12 season). “I wanted each of our guys to be able to have a suit for their first job interview. I don’t care if their first job interview is for an NFL team or they are going to work a
Freedom Whitfield William Dukes
“I think it prepares us not only as players, but also for the next level. Players now in the NFL, they dress up because it’s pretty much a business trip.” Cre’von LeBlanc nine-to-five job,” Monken said. “I felt like it was a way that I could give back to these young men and help them get their professional career, no matter what that happens to be, off on the right foot.” Monken mentioned that many of his men had never owned a fitted suit before, and there is a similar dynamic on the FAU football team. Some men come from underprivileged backgrounds where they may not have been able to afford business casual clothing, and thus never learned how to appropriately don it. Business attire is required in the bulk of the work world, and even simple tasks like tying a tie or finding the correct length for a pair of pants could work wonders in a future job interview. “[There are] still people learning how to tie a tie,” said senior Christian Milstead. “You would be surprised. That’s what we have teammates for. The coaches help us out too.” In August, FAU cornerback Cre’von LeBlanc was certain that he would have a shot at the NFL — and he wouldn’t entertain any other possibility. LeBlanc helps other teammates dress on game day if needed, and the junior cornerback mentioned dressing up as part of maintaining the focus that the team needs to have during weekends on the road. “I think it prepares us not only as players, but also for the next level,” he said. “Players now in the NFL, they dress up because it’s pretty much a business trip.”
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Christian Milstead Owl Walk Before each home game, the Owls enter the stadium through a human tunnel of students, the marching band, the cheerleading team and dance team. Damian Parms
Calvain Holmes
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Professional leagues have dress codes of their own, too. David Stern grew unhappy with the “thug” image that he felt was attached to the NBA, so the nowretired commissioner instituted a dress code to try and present the players as upstanding citizens. Players have taken the dress code requirements and run with it. You might’ve seen Dwyane Wade, Russell Westbrook or Paul George rocking some unique outfits during the last postseason. That stems back to Stern’s requirements — players have found ways to make their own statements while still following the rules. The infrastructure of the NHL keeps players in line — hockey player Vincent Lecavalier remembers a suit and tie requirement when he was 10 years old. Every NFL team has rules on what players can wear when entering hotels and airports. Two-time Super Bowl-winning head coach Tom Coughlin requires that his players have a suit and tie at all times on the road. While they don’t quite have the financial freedoms of your average professional athlete, the Owls seem to have embraced the new stipulation. Wins aren’t exactly rolling in just yet, but players do appreciate the chance to see each other dressed nicely. Some choose to put dress clothes back on even after a win, opting to flaunt their style for journalists, photographers and, of course, Instagram. “I like it,” said senior receiver Lucky Whitehead, adding that he prefers to keep his outfits relatively simple. “I like dressing up. For the team, it’s like a fashion statement. You get to see who really gets to go all out.” Quarterback Jaquez Johnson has worn pastel colors on several occasions, and is adamant about looking good for the cameras when the opportunity comes. “If I feel like I got some good clothes on, like I look good, I’m going to wear my clothes after a win,” he said. “That’s how I feel.” Outside of himself, Johnson mentioned defensive backs Damian Parms and Christian Milstead as the best dressed on the team. Time will reveal whether the old “look good, feel good, play good” adage rings true. At any rate, Partridge is teaching his players to dress and carry themselves like professionals. That means more than a mere win ever could.
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Lucky Whitehead
Jenson Stoshak
Grant Helm
What to Wear Jaquez Johnson thinks that he is one of the most sharpdressed men on this year’s team and he also praised two teammates. See where they get their style:
Damian Parms
Christian Milstead
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Jaquez Johnson Polo Ralph Lauren
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FEATURES
ARRIERS
BREAKING A
t No. 34, FAU made Diverse: Issues in Higher Education’s list of the nation’s top 100 colleges and universities to present degrees to minority students this year. Diverse: Issues in Higher Education is a bi-weekly magazine published to inform academic, business and public leaders about trends taking place in schools across the United States. The “Top 100 Minority Degree Producers” is a ranking of minority degrees earned in 100 schools around the nation using data from the National Center for Education Statistics. “I definitely think FAU makes higher education accessible to minorities,” said Cedric Brazle, president of the Black Student Union. “That’s the reason I’m even here.” The effort to make FAU a diverse community has continued throughout the decades – even as far back as the ‘80s during Dr. Helen Popovich’s time as the school president. The school’s website states, “Dr. Popovich
placed special emphasis on adding more minorities to the university’s faculty, staff and student body, and she succeeded in pushing those numbers upward. During her six years in office, the enrollment of African-American and Hispanic students increased, and the faculty and administration became more diverse.” FAU is made up of 52 percent minority students. Between fall 2012 and fall 2013, FAU’s reports show a trend in increasing minority numbers. More specifically, there was a decrease in white enrollment and increases in Hispanics and Asians, among others. The rate of African-American enrollment stayed the same. The school is currently ranked 34th for giving out undergraduate degrees and 93rd for graduate degrees for total minority students, including African-Americans, Native Americans, AsianAmericans, Hispanics and those with two or more races. In 2013, FAU was ranked 31st for minority
FAU ranks among the top 100 schools in the nation for minority students earning degrees.
FALL 2013
FULL TIME - PART TIME - TOTAL - PERCENTAGE
American Indian Asian Black Hispanic Pacific Islander White Two or more races International Not reported All data according to FAU’s Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Analysis. 26
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undergraduates. Among other Florida schools, FSU ranked 35th for minority undergraduates and 64th for graduates. FIU was ranked second in minority undergraduates and 48th for graduates. Also in 2013, University of Phoenix’s online campus led at No. 1 for total minority bachelor’s degrees and Nova Southeastern University in Davie held the No. 1 spot for total minority graduate degrees. Despite a drop in rankings from 31st in 2013 to 34th this year, the most recent reports from Diverse show that there was a 7 percent increase in undergraduate degrees given out to minority students from the previous year. Eighteen percent of those minority students were African-Americans, which actually had a 4 percent drop. Hispanics had an increase by 13 percent, holding 24
percent of total minorities graduating with a BA. People categorized as having two or more races made up 2 percent with a 108 percent increase. The Diverse website did not give total numbers for other races including Asian-Americans and Native Americans. 2014 data for all graduate students was also inaccessible. In a statement to the press, President John Kelly said, “We take tremendous pride in the fact that Florida Atlantic University has long ranked as the most racially, ethnically and culturally diverse institution in Florida’s State University System. FAU has become an international center of learning and will continue to enrich students from around the world.”
FULL TIME - PART TIME - TOTAL - PERCENTAGE American Indian Asian Black Hispanic Pacific Islander White Two or more races International Not reported
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REAKING
FALL 2012
NEWS
The new FAU PD liaison Michael Cairo talks about his position and how he hopes to build dialogue between university police and students. Story and photo by Kiki Baxter
S
tudent Government’s recent partnership initiative to improve relations with FAU Police Department included appointing a new liaison between Student Government and the police. The University Press sat down with Michael Cairo to discuss his new role.
UP: What prompted Student Government to appoint a liaison to the University Police? MC: Well it’s actually been written in the statute before, but it’s been kind of neglected the past couple of years. So it’s always been around, but it was kind of something we wanted to bring back to the House and Speaker [Chris] Ferreira thought it would be a good idea to appoint me. I couldn’t be happier to have it. UP: What is the police liaison’s job? MC: Just to keep an open line of communication between the FAU PD and House of Representatives, mainly Student Government. What we really do is just think of ways to involve students in certain things, to bring the police and the student body closer together. We collaborated on a bill with the police department to bring SmartWater CSI to our school. I’m not really here to enforce the laws, that’s their [FAU PD] job. We want students to know that the police are here to help you, not frighten you. We just want to make sure that there’s no animosity between the student body and police. We don’t want the students to go out of control and have the police department step in, but at the same token, we don’t want the police department to kind of start heavily overseeing everybody. UP: How much does a police liaison get paid? MC: I’m not getting paid at all. I do Student Government out of my own time because I’m genuinely interested in Student Government and I think that in light of certain events involving police officers, I just really wanted to learn more about both sides of the situation. I want to see the police perspective. 30
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UP: How long have you been in this role? MC: I was appointed at the end of last session and unfortunately we haven’t gotten started with this particular session just yet, so we haven’t really been able to do things. But I have been in correspondence with Chief Lowe and Speaker Ferreira and other people in Student Government to come up with some ideas and I’m really excited to put them into practice.
UP: Are you aware of any tensions between FAU PD and the students that you plan to address? MC: Chief Lowe and I have been in correspondence, and we haven’t really seen any major specific problems between the student body and the FAU PD at all. One of the main things we spoke about was the stigma and hostility between citizens and the police department in response to extreme cases, such as Ferguson and Eric Garner in New York across the country, not just at FAU. He and I both agree that there really isn’t a palpable hostility between FAU students and the FAU PD. However, we are conscious of the way that students feel about police officers, in general, and we’ve been coming up with ideas that will provide opportunities for the students and police officers to become more personally familiar with one another. The men and women of the FAU PD sought careers in law enforcement so that they can help people, and we want to remind the students of that. UP: What other efforts are being made to build the relationship between FAU PD and the student body? MC: Well, the House session is just getting started now and that’s one of the places in SG where student body events will be planned and
executed through, so I can’t give you specific details just yet. But I can tell you that Chief Lowe, myself and other representatives have spoken about one event in particular in which students will have the opportunity to ask the FAU PD any questions or concerns that they may have about the law, kind of like an open forum somewhere on campus. Again, details and logistics have yet to be set in stone, so I can’t provide you with any specifics at this time, however, I will make sure that we promote it as effectively as possible. We live in a great country that gives us amazing rights as citizens and we want to make sure that students are aware of their rights and that they understand them fully. UP: The UP reported in October that FAU failed to report a month’s worth of crimes on their online blotter, yet keeps their physical blotter up-todate, which students do not have immediate access to. How are you going to assist in the transparency of the FAU PD? MC: Chief Lowe and I haven’t spoken about that specific issue, however I’ll be happy to address it the next time we meet.
Student Government Police Liaison Michael Cairo hopes to establish a more cohesive relashionship between the student body and the FAU PD.