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NOV. 11, 2014 | VOL. 16 # 7
How paranoid is FAU ? This is what the campus may look like if the Ebola paranoia continues to grow. By Andrew Fraieli P.14 FIRST ISSUE IS FREE; EACH ADDITIONAL COPY IS 50 CENTS AND AVAILABLE IN THE UP NEWSROOM.
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TUESDAY
November 11, 2014 Sports
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
WEB EDITOR - Mohammed F. Emran ASSISTANT WEB EDITOR - Alexis Hayward MARKETING MANAGER - Lauren Culp DESIGNERS- Tyler Fodiman and Utku Taner CONTRIBUTORS - Bibi Patel, Josue Simplice and Joseph Fields DISTRIBUTION MANAGER - Jake Stuart ADVISERS Michael Koretzky Neil Santaniello COVER - Photo by Mohammed F. Emran
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SCIENCE EDITOR - Andrew Fraieli
Photo by Mohammed F. Emran
PHOTO EDITOR - Max Jackson
Photo by Mohammed F. Emran
SPORTS EDITOR - Wesley Wright
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FAU has an aleternative admissions department it uses to bring in those with special talents.
Students think Ebola is over-hyped and that administrators are worstening the situation.
Fourth-year senior Kelvin Penn took quite a path to Boca Raton — it even involved military school.
By Wesley Wright
By Andrew Fraieli
By Josue Simplice
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Page 16
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The FAU Library takes music from its print collection and brings it back to the stage with its very own orchestra.
Missed Homecoming? Check our photo spread for pictures of Homecoming week events.
The official FAU motto was decided on Friday, Oct. 31 through the partnership of Student Government and Student Affairs.
By Joseph Fields
Design by Tyler Fodiman
By Bibi Patel
NOV. 11, 2014
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EVENTS
helf to Stage
Story by Joseph Fields Photos by Sabrina Martinez
Aaron Kula, FAU library archivist, collects sheet music from across the world. His mission – to save the music and bring it back reimagined.
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n a lesser-traveled section of FAU’s Wimberly Library on the second floor in the east wing, there is a door that appears out of place in a library. On it are the words “Aaron Kula Director of Music Performance and Education.” Behind this door is one of many offices that manage and perform our library’s print music collection. Across from Kula’s office are beautiful scores from the early 1900s, a time that some would consider the golden age of American music. This was a time where the “American sound” arose from the multi-cultural collaborations between Latin, AfricanAmerican, Caucasian and Eastern European immigrants. This movement formed the roots of pop culture and contemporary music. Kula explained, “Music was the great equalizer in America. It allowed everyone to share everything with each other. People intersected through music.” Smiling, he holds a score of a Yiddish song, “Bublitchi,” sung by an African-American jazz singer. He shows students several other examples, including the score of Rodgers and 4
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Hammerstein’s “South Pacific,” a musical about black and white interactions in the South, “Porgy and Bess,” George and Ira Gershwin’s opera about slavery, and Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas.” Using libraries for storing information is outdated. Instead, FAU libraries decided to take its music collection in a different direction. Kula turns “archive” into “activity.” After library hours, he takes the library’s sheet music and performs it as the accordion-wielding conductor and composer of the Klezmer Company Orchestra. Wimberly Library is the only one in the world to host a professional orchestra. As the music director of KCO, Kula describes his work as “shelf to stage,” where he reimagines vintage melodies and brings them to the concert stage with new orchestration and arrangements. “We are making this library relevant for the 21st century,” said Kula. He will take an obscure piano vocal piece and make it more stylistically modern by arranging it for over 20 Continued on page 8
EVENTS
instruments and performing it for a new audience. Klezmer Company Orchestra has made four albums since its formation in 1996, and it has reimagined and transformed over 200 scores. Their second album, “Beyond the Tribes,” was inducted into the Library of Congress in 2011. They toured internationally for the first time this summer at the Montreal Jewish Music Festival and the Toronto Ashkenaz festival. Despite their success, as well as an appearance on the school website and a mention in the presidential speech this year, KCO, for the most part, is unknown to the student body. When mentioned, most students believe they are part of the music college, but KCO and the music college have been separate entities for 11 years. However, from 1997-2003, Kula served as conductor and music theory teacher for the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters’ music department and started his own Klezmer student group. For six years, Aaron was conducting both the student orchestra and KCO. In 2003, Library Dean William Miller offered him a full-time faculty salary to manage the archives, and he took the opportunity. “To have a faculty member here build an archive like that and still be here full time is impossible,” commented Music Department Chair Rebecca Lautar. “FAU and South Florida is
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the perfect place to build that kind of collection and he’s the perfect person to do it.” In their last performance at FAU, the Jubano Jazz Concert, held last March in the Barry Kaye auditorium, KCO held a music composition competition for students. FIU composer Eric Benaim won first place, a prize of $1,000. Not one student from FAU entered. When interviewed, Lautar commented, “I wasn’t aware there was a competition.” Lautar expressed her frustration of how difficult it is for the library and music department to communicate, and more so for both of them to communicate with the student body. “We don’t have enough people to distribute information, to monitor websites, to send out, to communicate,” she remarked. “One of our big issues that we have with our own events, which I’m sure [Kula] has exactly the same issue, is how to we reach our broadest audience both out in the community and on campus and make sure everybody knows.” Lautar is now trying out social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to promote student performances. KCO invites you to attend their next FAU concert on Dec. 7 in the Lifelong Learning Society Auditorium. For more information, please check out klezmercompany.com.
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Undercover Admissions
EVENTS
Forty-one people were admitted to FAU this fall because of a “special talent.” Some were athletes who aren’t ready for college classrooms.
P
lenty of students end up at different universities because they couldn’t qualify academically for the schools they yearned to attend as high school seniors — their “dream” school. Universities across the country admit students who otherwise would not be able to enroll, simply because they have a special talent that most do not. That could be painting or playing an instrument, but in most cases, that special talent is athleticism. Florida Atlantic University has a department that oversees the applications of students who were denied admission to the school. Those students don’t meet admission criteria, but they have circumstances or unique talents that qualify them for a second opportunity at admission. That department is called the Faculty Committee on Student Appeals. The UP requested a list of which members comprise the list, but were told by Interim Director of Admissions Jessica Lopez-Acevedo that “[due to] the sensitive nature of their function, we do not release the names of faculty who serve on the appeals committee.” She later released the names via email, but not before publication time. Lopez-Acevedo, who has had her job for just six weeks, explained the process of navigating the appeals committee. No student ever sees them, but the committee sees a file with a cover sheet, letters of recommendation and other documents that could be vital in gaining admission. Athletics and Admissions work as separate entities when athletes are involved. “All [of] this goes through the University Admissions, not athletics,” Assistant Athletic Director Katrina McCormack said in an email. Of the 315 students who appealed their admissions decision this past year, just 41 gained admission to the school after going through the appeals committee. The UP requested a breakdown of the 41 students and what distinction they had that compelled the school to admit them, but was told no such file exists. “There is no one single source of data,” said Joshua Glanzer, FAU’s assistant vice president of Media Relations and Public Affairs. “Any breakdown would take digging into the data.” Football and basketball are revenue-generating sports. If a young man is exceptional at a given sport, schools take a chance admitting him because of the exploits a winning (money-making) program can bring to a university. They do this thinking that the array of academic support that an athlete — one who is specially admitted — has will help him keep his grades high enough to continue playing. Athletes have resources at their disposal such as tutoring and other services that try to help bridge the educational gap, if it exists. The FAU sports site lists four counselors and two learning specialists
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Story by Wesley Wright Photo by Mohammed F. Emran
paid by the school, responsible for helping all athletes keep their grades high enough to remain eligible. For athletes in particular who come in under the appeals clause, former FAU Athletic Director Craig Angelos compared the situation to a three-legged stool. The first leg of the stool is the athlete, who should be in class and taking advantage of the resources at his disposal. The second leg is the coaches, who have the responsibility of making sure special admits are in class and actively participating. The third and final leg is the academic advisers who help special admits craft their schedule, as well as provide tutoring and academic support when needed. “I’ve seen it very successful,” said Angelos of the special admissions program at his previous schools. He mentioned an NFL running back – one that he would not name – that he sees every Sunday who was once a special admit at the University of Miami. Most players don’t end up playing football like the running back Angelos referenced. The bulk of them assimilate into the workforce with their degree, but at FAU, many football players in past years did not graduate. Florida Atlantic had the ninth-lowest graduation rate of any school in the country when the numbers came out last October. When asked why the rate was so low, Director of Academics Marlon Dechausay suggested that players were chasing the
NFL instead of taking their last classes in the spring semester. There may be a new wrinkle to this issue — some of the players simply aren’t ready to thrive in a college classroom. If players aren’t prepared on the front end, they will have a tougher time reaching graduation. “Is it unethical? Yes,” said FAU Faculty Union President Bob Zoeller. “You’re using [these kids] because they can play football, and making a lot of money off of them. Then they graduate, and they’re not really ready to get into the workforce.” “It’s difficult,” Angelos said. “Once they get in, they have to compete with students who had higher grades and higher test scores in high school.” Coaches know that they are judged on two concrete issues: their win-loss record and their academic progress rate, which has to do with how successful athletes are in maintaining their eligibility. Too many special admits on a team could be an issue because the demand on them to perform and for the staff to support them may be too great. Finding a combination of special admits who can contribute and who can hold their own in the classroom is a sensitive mix. “It depends on your goal and mission. Your whole team can’t be that,” Angelos said of special admits. “If they aren’t graduating, the school will stop the special talent exemption program.” A “special talent exemption” and a
“special admit” represent the same idea — someone who was admitted to a school on the back of their given talent, in lieu of their academic profile. “Everybody calls it something different,” said Angelos. He acknowledged that each of the five schools he has worked for — Miami, Indiana University, Florida Atlantic, South Florida and Florida International — had a program meant for bringing in students with unique talents whose grades and test scores may not have been up to par. To help athletes bridge the gap between themselves and their peers and remain eligible, some schools go to extreme (illegal) lengths. An academic scandal unfolded at the University of North Carolina — 18 years of records revealed that athletes were being funneled through nonexistent classes. The Director of the Academic Support Program at the University of North Carolina is Michelle Brown, and Brown held the same position at Florida Atlantic before UNC hired her in May 2013. She arrived shortly after the scandal broke. “I’m not so sure they’re the ones doing that type of thing,” said Zoeller, adding that his statement was purely an opinion. A former reading specialist at UNC, Mary Willingham encountered many young athletes who couldn’t read or write proficiently. The most recent report from the National Assessment of Educational Progress claims just 11 percent of black males in the eighth
“Is it unethic said F al? Ye AU Fa culty U s,” Presid nio ent Bo b Zoe n “You’re ller. using kids] [ t hese becaus can p e t hey lay fo otball, making and a lot o f mon off of ey t gradua hem. Then th ey te, an d the not re y’re ally re ad into th e work y to get force .”
Continued on page 12
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Lowest Football Graduation Rates*
EVENTS
Florida Atlantic 54% Arkansas
54%
Southern California
53%
Central Michigan
53%
San Jose State
51%
Oklahoma
51%
grade can read on grade level. Men of the same ilk ended up under Willingham’s care. “How do you put them in four college classes?” Willingham said. “The NCAA says they have to be. It’s a constant struggle. That’s how the paper class system started.” In August 2011, Willingham blew the whistle on a what became an investigation into paper classes that UNC athletes were taking — classes that never met, classes that only required a paper to pass the class. A “paper class,” if you will. “That paper class system was specifically so we could keep guys eligible, because they were so woefully prepared,” she said. Led by former federal prosecutor Kenneth Wainstein, the investigation found that more than 3,000 students took fake classes over an 18-year period. The classes were designed to keep athletes eligible to play sports. Willingham was relieved of her duties and received death threats in the wake of the pushback that ensued when she unsheathed the paper class system at UNC. She still believes that she acted in the correct fashion, but wishes that more faculty would have stood up and told the truth about what was going on in Chapel Hill. The system is now gone, but Willingham acknowledges that there are similar programs
at schools across the country. “There’s a paper class system in every school,” she said. The issue is much bigger than an institution, according to Willingham. Young, primarily black men are being funneled into schools across the country because of a system that exploits them. “No one ever talks about the front door,” Willingham said. “What about the responsibility of the people who are letting these kids in? They aren’t being held accountable.” Willingham mentioned coaches and admissions officers specifically are not doing their jobs. She also said the name nuance involved keeps these schools from acknowledging just what the programs are, according to Willingham. “Special admissions, special talent, admission exception,” she said. “That keeps these schools from being transparent. That’s how we hide. It’s all a big scam, a moving target.” NCAA Bylaw 14.1.5.1.1 states, “A student-athlete may be admitted under a special exception to the institution’s normal entrance requirements if the discretionary authority of the president or chancellor (or designated admissions officer or committee) to grant such exceptions is set forth in an official document
published by the university (e.g., official catalog) that describes the institution’s admissions requirements.” Willingham would like to see a complete reform of the system. In a perfect Willingham world, schools who are using special admissions to bring in athletes who are more than one standard deviation below the remainder of their admissions class should make said athletes redshirt — which would give them a year to ready themselves academically. “These guys don’t want to redshirt,” she said. She hopes that dynamic would provide some pushback on state education systems nationwide, to help students leave high school better prepared for the rigors of college. Angelos thinks that schools at the top level of college athletics need a “workable blend of folks you can get through [special talent exemptions].” Schools that aren’t at that level, he says, don’t necessarily need it. Using an alternate admissions program to bring athletes in is a slippery slope, according to Zoeller. “Is this what we want to move toward?” he said, mentioning that FAU President John Kelly saw the FAU football team as a top-25 program in the near future. “Are we willing to go to that length?”
Troy
48%
Florida International
California
44%
Photo by Ryan Murphy
47%
*as of Oct. 2013 There is an extensive tutoring program available in the Oxley Center, located behind the FAU Basketball Arena 12
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WHAT’S UP
EVENTS
Events @FAU Tuesday, Nov. 11
Veterans Day - No Classes
Monday, Nov. 24 8 a.m.
Commuter Student Breakfast
Friday, Nov. 14 - Sunday, Nov. 23 Check fauevents.com for show times
Outside of Wimberly Library, Boca Campus
“Picasso at the Lapin Agile”
Free
A play written by Steve Martin Studio One Theatre, Boca Campus The Department of Theatre and Dance presents an absurdist comedy written by Steve Martin.
Free breakfast for commuter students.
Tuesday, Nov. 25 11 a.m. - 1:00 PM
Movember Wrap-Up Traditions Plaza, Boca Campus
Students $12 FAU faculty, staff and alumni $15 General Admission $20
Grow out your “Movembeard” and join OCHP in celebrating the end of Men’s Health Movember.
Wednesday, Nov. 19 2-3 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 26
Peace Corps Presentation Student Support Services - SU 223 Information session Speak with the Peace Corp regional recruiter to learn about volunteer experiences, ask questions and gain tips to guide you through the application process.
Free
Free
Last Day of Classes Thursday, Nov. 27
Thanksgiving Day Saturday, Nov. 29 Noon
FAU Football vs Old Dominion Sunday, Nov. 23 7-9 p.m.
Band-O-Rama Mizner Park Ampitheater The FAU wind ensemble, jazz band, chamber ensembles, and the Marching Owls join forces at the beautiful Mizner Park Amphitheatre. Bands will be performing works of the masters as well as new music for concert bands and wind ensembles. Free & Open to the Public 14
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FAU Stadium Come cheer on FAU football for our last home game of the season. Military Appreciation Day
Free for students - Ticket required Dec. 4-10
Final Exam Week Thursday, Dec. 12
End of Semester
HOMECO
Photo by Max Jackson
EVENTS
Jay Sean performs at FAU’s annual Owl Prowl Homecoming concert on Wednesday, Oct. 29.
201 Photo by Max Jackson
Photo by Anastasia Kovtunenko
Homecoming 2014 has come and gone. Between October 25 to Nov. 1 students showcased their school spirit by watching our Owls on game day, taking part in charity events and attending shows provided by the university.
An artist paints pictures with spray paint for attendees of FAU’s Homecoming kick off on Monday, Oct. 26 at FAU Stadium. 16
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During a break in the Timucua Pageant show, some audience and Homecoming Court members decide to dance on stage.
Photo by: Mohammed F Emran
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Photo by Mohammed F Emran
COMING
The FAU Student Government rides their float during the Homecoming Parade.
Background photo by Anastasia Kovtunenko
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Cough, Cough, Ebola! Story by Andrew Fraieli Photo by Mohammed F. Emran
FAU is worrying about Ebola, but is it helping or hurting?
L
ately Ebola has become more of a joke than a serious concern. Someone coughs and you’ll hear another person yell, “Ebola!” According to students, the media has been making an unnecessarily large issue out of Ebola, and sophomore biology major Jinny Bryant says that “[FAU] is contributing to [this] hypocrisy of the media because they don’t talk about flu that kills thousands a year,” but rather sends emails out about the arguably trendy disease. On Oct. 15, FAU sent an email to students to “provide the FAU community with the latest accurate information about Ebola to help ensure they are well-informed,” according to Dawn Howard, director of marketing and communications in Student Affairs. The email read: “The international concern over the Ebola virus is one that is shared by all of us in the Florida Atlantic University community. We are committed to the health and well-being of all our students, staff and faculty, and we are monitoring the Ebola situation at the University level. We are complying with recommendations from the Florida Dept. of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). If you have any questions or concerns, please visit www. fau.edu/shs/healthinfo/ebola.php.” FAU’s email stirred strong opinions in students about its necessity and possible repercussions. Junior chemistry major Jacqueline Gonzalez said FAU is “scaring people into being afraid of [Ebola] when many die of the flu.” Kelsi McLaughlin, a freshman marine biology major, thought FAU’s email was “over the top and not needed,” and that she “wouldn’t have thought differently without it.” She thinks the concern over Ebola is “serious, but blown out of proportion.” Ebola is a serious disease, but many students considered it over-hyped even before FAU’s email, such as Galen Hall, a sophomore neuroscience
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EVENTS Science
Infamous Epidemic Death Tolls Symptoms of Ebola Asian Flu 70,000 United States Year: 1957–1958 Source: britannica.com
The 1918 Flu Epidemic 675,000 United States Year: 1918 Source: flu.gov
Ebola 1 United States Year: Present as of Nov. 7 Source: cdc.gov
Hong Kong Flu 34,000 United States Year: 1968–1969 Source: historyandtheheadlines.abc-clio.com
Bubonic Plague 100,000,000 Europe Year: A.D. 541-542 Source: cdc.gov
Smallpox 3,164 Montreal Year: 1885 Source: thecanadianencyclopedia.ca
major. “There are far more common and deadlier diseases than Ebola to be concerned about,” Hill said. And he’s right. Professor Joe Caruso, a medical microbiologist and immunologist, says “40 percent of people carry around viruses [on their skin] worse than Ebola.” It’s all about hygiene, according to him. If we kept our hands cleaner it would be more difficult for these diseases to be transmitted. According to Caruso, Ebola originated from other mammals, like monkeys or bats. The way the disease is commonly spread to humans is through eating these mammals, an example of which is the bat-eating festivals in Nigeria. By eating a bat with Ebola, the person gets infected with it. Ebola can only be contracted if the infected person’s puke 20
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-Fever -Severe headache -Muscle ache -Weakness -Fatigue -Diarrhea -Vomiting -Abdominal pain -Unexplained hemorrhage (bleeding or bruising) Source: cdc.gov
Measles 40,000 Fiji Year:1875 Source: pacifichealthdialog.org
or other bodily secretions get into your body, possibly through a little cut or some similar open wound. Most of those infected die before they can transmit the disease to others. The symptoms that involve bodily secretions usually aren’t seen, but with more advanced medical attention, such as in special hospitals in the U.S., the infected live long enough for these later symptoms to arise. The earlier symptoms are flu-like but rapidly worsen, according to Caruso. The most graphic occurrence that arises from Ebola is what happens to the intestines. According to Caruso, diarrhea is a beginning symptom but gets worse quickly as the intestines start to dissolve into a red bloody mucus and mix with the diarrhea. By the end, the infected is excreting a liquid consisting of their own intestines.
Yet, despite all this complaining about the over-dramatization of Ebola, few know the symptoms of it. Firas Ahmae does. Ahmae, a junior engineering major, believes Ebola is “not something to be concerned about, but we should be aware of it.” Carlos Pulido, a senior business major, agreed. He doesn’t think it has “killed a big enough number for people to be freaked out.” Caruso finished by saying that “unless you’re planning a trip to Manila, [capital of the Philippines and a city vulnerable to infection, according to the World Health Organization], I don’t think there is much risk.”
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EVENTS SPORTS
A Leader in the Making B How Kelvin Penn’s beginnings made him a leader efore Kelvin Penn became a leader for the FAU basketball program, the 21-year-old senior matured thanks to a year of military school – more than 2,700 miles from his hometown of Steilacoom, Wash. “I feel like it really played a big part in who I am today,” Penn said. Steilacoom is a town of just 6,070 people, stretching just over two square miles. The community is tight-knit, the people are friendly. It’s a traditional and historic town district. While in Steilacoom, Penn developed some of the skills that would make him an important part of the FAU basketball program in the future. “He had a real knack for timing of checking shots and rebounding. I mean, I’ve never seen anyone like him time shots and we kind of set our whole defense around that,” said Steilacoom High coach Gary Wusterbarth. “He’s probably the best defensive player that I’ve ever had,” he added. Penn went on to have a successful high school basketball career, was voted co-player of the year and garnered first-team honors during his senior year. “He came to our school as a sophomore and played varsity the whole time,” said Wusterbarth. After finishing high school, Penn decided to attend a prep school to increase his chances of attracting Division I schools – meaning a postgrad year of basketball (and schooling). He attended Massanutten Military Academy (Woodstock, Va.) which produces several college basketball recruits each year.
“[For] most kids, their parents are a couple of miles away or hours and they can usually see their family on the weekends or when they want. Kelvin was coming from hundreds of miles away on the West Coast. He couldn’t see his family whenever he wanted to,” said MMA coach Melvin Abrams. During Penn’s junior year of high school, his father, Charles, passed away at age 44 from a heart attack. Penn described his father as a “great man.” His early death serves as a reminder to be great himself and to stay in peak physical shape. His mother, Jamie, plans to one day become a university president. He used his family and his mother’s drive as motivation at MMA. Because of his post graduate status, he was tasked with leading a platoon – multiple groups of middle school cadets, many of which were there for discipline. Every morning, Penn led younger cadets through the scheduled activities. He became a role model, and the leadership skills he learned benefitted him years later. The added responsibility forced him to mature quickly This was the first time he was thrust into a leadership role. He learned how to set an example for both the young cadets and future teammates, and through being on his own, he became more responsible. “He learned that as a leader, you have to step up,” said Abrams. “It really was an eye-opening experience for me. It helps me set my priorities in order. It was definitely a different experience, a transition phase in my life,” Penn said.
Penn is primarily valued for his defensive prowess. 22
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Story by Josue Simplice
Photo by Max Jackson
Continued on page 26
Winter Session
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EVENTS Playing at MMA, he garnered the interest of several schools – including the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore, the University of Alabama at Birmingham and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University. It was former FAU basketball assistant coach Tim Kaine who reached out to Penn in the spring of 2011 – very late in his recruiting process. Kaine is now an assistant coach at Georgia Southern University, and the school did not make him available for comment. “Coach Kaine was the first one to contact me. He wanted to see if I wanted to come on down,” Penn said he headed to Florida to meet with former coach Mike Jarvis and his staff. While there, he quickly fell in love with the South Florida area and lifestyle. Soon after the visit, he began fostering a close relationship with Jarvis. “Me and coach Jarvis, actually we had a pretty good bond with each other. He told me when he was recruiting me, ‘it’s not gonna be easy playing under me [Jarvis].” One particular memory sticks out. During Penn’s freshman year, FAU played the University of Washington in an early season game – and many supporters of Penn made the 44-mile trip from Steilacoom to Seattle to see him play in-person. “They were out in full force. I had family, friends, everybody. It was great,” said Penn. Photo by Sean Webster
Penn scores most of his points around the rim. He averaged 4.2 points per game last season.
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This experience was a stark contrast to what occured later. The resignation of coach Jarvis after three consecutive losing seasons brought changes for the entire program. But according to Penn, the resignation didn’t come as a shock. “With all the people transferring, and our record the last three years, I guess it was only a matter of time,” he said. The news of Jarvis’ resignation came to Penn through the ESPN app on his cellphone, and through his roommate and teammate Justin Raffington. Penn guided the team while they tried to deal with the various distractions. “He really kept all the guys focused and the locker room tight throughout the whole Jarvis thing,” said former FAU basketball assistant coach Peter Gash. Gash is now a video coordinator for the University of Florida basketball program. Penn remained even as players left the program in bunches (eight scholarship players left in the past two offseasons). When asked about whether he ever thought about transferring, Penn said he never had. This did not come as a surprise to his former coach Abrams. “I kind of suspected that Kelvin wouldn’t leave because he’s such a loyal kid. He comes from a tight-knit family, so him staying or remaining wasn’t that big of a surprise,” said Abrams. Some of his best friends, including guards Omari Grier (Bradley University) and Dennis Mavin (Florida International University) were among those who did move on. “Having so many people come and go, whether it be because of them, or because of coach [Jarvis], that’s actually been kind of hard for me to deal with,” Penn said. During Jarvis’ tenure, Penn tried to use what he was experiencing to his advantage. “I think through the whole Mike Jarvis era he was trying to figure out how to be a leader to the team and to the younger guys, and just trying to figure out how to step up in that aspect,” said former FAU guard Richard Morrow. Morrow is now a model for various companies. Penn and his teammates expect the program to rebound under new head coach Michael Curry, who played in the NBA for 11 years before brief stints as a head coach and assistant coach for the Detroit Pistons and Philadelphia 76ers. Penn described Curry as a players’ coach, and an extremely approachable, personable man. “He seems like he really cares about the community and what they have to say,” Penn said. Penn and Curry have discussed an expanded role for him on the offensive side. “I’ve been working on my jump shot a lot more,” he said. Regarding what he expects for himself after college, Penn would like to pursue a professional basketball career overseas. Aside from basketball, Penn also has a passion for filming – specifically sports filming. In 10 years, Penn sees himself owning his own production company and making movies. He has a friend who is a practicing director and Penn hopes that he’ll be able to help him make movies one day.
Creed At Last: FAU’s Official Motto Has Been Decided
EVENTS
Student Affairs and Student Government collaborated on a new student motto that will be implemented on all FAU campuses. Story by Bibi Patel Photo by Max Jackson
F
AU has a new creed: “We the
students of Florida Atlantic University will embrace diversity, create opportunities, and be active leaders in our community. We are one Family, one Wave, and one FAU.” The decision was put into legislation during Student Government’s Oct. 31 session. The legislation further states that the creed will be “incorporated into all aspects
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of university life … university-wide residence halls … and in high-traffic areas around all campuses (i.e., Breezeway in Boca Raton, the Student Union in Davie, and the Burrow in the MacArthur Honors College Campus). This year marks the 50th anniversary of FAU since it officially opened its doors in 1964. And while FAU is relatively new, universities that were founded after FAU such as FIU and UNF already have student
creeds or mottoes. A motto for FAU began being considered this past summer when Student Body President Michael Cepeda, Boca Governor Kathryn Edmunds and President’s Chief of Staff Tara Levy visited several Florida universities and noticed mottoes at their entrances. Interim Vice President of Student Affairs Corey King led a committee to create a creed. The group included Student Body
EVENTS “Sounds ‘fake’ or ‘forced’. Also the Jupiter Campus doesn’t feel like its part of the FAU family.” -Student from Jupiter Campus “It doesn’t flow to me. Maybe something like: We strive, succeed, and lead together as FAU champions.” -Kayla Louramore, undecided 2018. “Should be One Owl, not One Wave. What is a wave?” -Cody Eads, social work, 2017 “It’s not honest. Neither is Student Government.” -Anonymous student Students who were satisfied with the motto stated why, but none of the respondents chose to identify themselves: “I agree with all of these values.” -Anonymous student “It sums up what we are and what we stand for. Love it.” -Anonymous student “I’m in SG and this motto is great.” -Anonymous student
Vice President Thomas DeMaio, President of College Panhellenic Association Eva Chalef and Chief of Staff of the Broward Campus Francine Coker. King says the importance of having a creed is “the recognition of the values that the University’s students believe are important to uphold.” The group worked together over summer to create a list of values they believed FAU students possess. DeMaio says he met with students on the Boca, Jupiter and Davie campuses and received positive feedback on the current suggestion. The creation of a school creed is the sort of thing he campaigned on. The Cepeda/DeMaio campaign slogan was, “Let’s build traditions together.” DeMaio believes that the students will come back in 10 to 20 years, see the values and say, “Holy cow, I actually made that happen.” DeMaio emphasized the importance of student involvement in deciding upon the motto. When asked how students could submit their suggestions, he stated, “The easiest way right now would be to reach out to student leaders that sit on the VPSA board. We have been talking about possibly making an online survey for students to give us some of their feedback.”
An official survey for all the FAU campuses was not created by Student Government prior to the decision. The University Press was able to put out a small independent survey where students were able to cast their vote anonymously if they chose. There was no original deadline for the student motto due to the fact that SG wanted to get as much as student input as possible before the final decision. DeMaio originally intended for the Student Advisory Board to come to a final decision by the spring semester and then begin incorporating the creed in the campuses in the summer for fall students to see. DeMaio could not be reached for follow-up questions regarding the sudden changes in deadline or the length of the decision making process. By giving FAU and all of its campuses an official motto, Student Government hopes to establish “a value system for students [that] will provide characteristics that all students can strive to emulate; in turn, this will promote stronger school spirit and deeper bonds between the FAU student bodies,” according to the bill passed by the Boca House of Representatives.
Other University Mottoes: UCF- Integrity, Scholarship, Community, Creativity, Excellence FIU- Hope, Knowledge, Opportunity USF- Inspiring, learning, changing lives, one student at a time UF motto- Civium in moribus reipublicae salus (The welfare of the state depends upon the morals of its citizens) 30
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