UP14_19 by University Press

UNIVERSITY PRESS FAU’s student magazine

FEBRUARY 5, 2013 | VOL. 14 #19

Permission Denied Students for Justice in Palestine ran into trouble with administration while planning an event for Gaza Awareness week — and it isn’t the first time

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READ US - upressonline.com LIKE US - facebook.com/universitypress FOLLOW US - @upressonline upressonline.com January 29, 2013 FIRST ISSUE IS FREE; EACH ADDITIONAL COPY IS 50 CENTS AND AVAILABLE IN THE UP NEWSROOM.

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Tuesday February 5, 2013

The Staff EDITOR-IN-CHIEF - Regina Kaza MANAGING EDITOR - Lulu Ramadan

IN THIS ISSUE Cover

20.

Find out how the Students for Justice in Palestine threatened the environment with biodegradable balloons.

ART DIRECTOR - Chase Kennedy

By Cealia Brannan Photo (right) by Michelle Friswell

BUSINESS MANAGER - Michael Chandeck WEB EDITOR - John Kramer WEB DESIGNER - Phaedra Blaize WEB PHOTO EDITOR - Melissa Landolfa COPY DESK CHIEF - Emily Mitchell-Cetti SPORTS EDITOR - Rolando Rosa FEATURES EDITOR - Emily Bloch PHOTO EDITOR - Michelle Friswell SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHERS Christine Capozziello, Ryan Murphy

Features

18.

COPY EDITORS

Check out the photos from the Spring Greek Recruitment Week. Photos by Max Jackson Photo (right) by Max Jackson

Hannah Cunningham, Chris Hamann, Sarah Pruzansky, Alyssa Ruane, Amanda Rubio STAFF WRITER - Mohamed Abdihakim SENIOR EDITOR - Ryan Cortes DISTRIBUTION MANAGER - Lore Khazem CONTRIBUTORS - Cealia Brannan, Bryant Eng, Max Jackson, Laura May Jockers, Zack Kelberman, Breanndolyn Lies, Kevin Mann, Maddy Mesa, Monica Mitry, Claudith Saint-Jean

26.

Get a look inside YouTube sensation Vitaly Zdorovetskiy’s journey to fame. By Bryant Eng Photo (right) by Michelle Friswell

ADVISERS Dan Sweeney Michael Koretzky

Cover - The Students for Justice in Palestine held a silent protest in November to bring awareness to the IsraelGaza conflict. Photo by Michelle Friswell

777 Glades Road Student Union, Room 214 Boca Raton, FL 33431 561.297.2960

Sports

A UP reporter tags along with FAU champion track athlete Danielle Aromashodu. By Zack Kelberman Photo (right) by Michelle Friswell

WANT TO PLACE AN AD? Contact Marc Litt 732.991.6353 mlitt705@gmail.com

WANT TO JOIN THE UP? email upress@fau.edu Staff meetings every Friday, 2:30 p.m. in the Student Union, Room 214

PUBLISHER FAU Student Government The opinions expressed by the UP are not necessarily those of the student body, Student Government or FAU.

12.

Men’s basketball has more international players on its roster than any other team in the state of Florida. By Bryant Eng Photo (right) by Ryan Murphy upressonline.com January 29, 2013

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Sports

A mile in her shoes

From weight training to high hurdling, Danielle Aromashodu is FAU’s most accomplished track athlete

By Zack Kelberman Contributor

Aromashodu, a back-toback Sun Belt Conference champion hurdler, in prime position on the track. Photo by Michelle Friswell

pushed through a pair of white metal doors and heard the sounds of weights clanging and rap music blaring in the Tom Oxley Weight Room. “Looking for Danielle?” head track coach Alex Smolka said, pointing to a specific area of the gym. “Over there, white headband.” I aimlessly glance around for my intended target — Danielle Aromashodu — who I couldn’t locate upon first glance in the sea of women’s track members. And then I spotted her, effortlessly completing her initial set of power cleans, a daunting full-body exercise that requires immense

balance, strength, and technique. Simply put, daunting doesn’t apply to Aromashodu. She’s a back-to-back Sun Belt Conference champion 400-meter hurdler, and comes from a family of athletes, including her brother, Devin, who’s an NFL wide receiver with the Minnesota Vikings. “Hey, what’s up?” Aromashodu guardedly said as she set down the bar, her two workout partners standing aside to help her if necessary. Their assistance wasn’t needed, though; she barely broke a sweat. After her

teammates, Lauren Walton and Ariell Burrell, gave it a go, it was my turn to step up to the plate. “You want to keep your back straight and butt out,” Aromashodu instructed. Easy to say, apparently harder to do. My attempt wasn’t so graceful. My legs wobbled and shook as the bar thunderously hit the floor, drawing a smirk from each athlete in the vicinity. “Let’s move on to bench press,” Aromashodu offered, much to my relief. I held my own, but the best — or, in my case, worst — would still await me.

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Sports Born in Miami, Fla., Aromashodu is the youngest in a genetically-gifted family. Her dad, Inkey, played football (though unprofessionally) and her mom, Dorothy, ran track in high school. However, her greatest influence is her big brother, Devin, who’s spent the last seven years playing for seven different NFL teams. As we walked along the Oxley Center’s gravelly parking lot, Danielle fondly recalled how Devin inspired her to begin running as a child. “One day my brother urged me to go run for the Miami Northwest Express (a track club in Miami),” Aromashodu said with a hint of nostalgia. “I went out there when I was nine, and kind of stuck with it because I became good at it.” She also used an unconventional way of sharpening her craft, involving Devin, of course. “I’d be at my brother’s middle school and high school football games,” Aromashodu remembered, as she slowly cracked a warmhearted smile. “I’d be running from end zone to end zone on the sideline, cheering for him and rooting him on.” Aromashodu characterizes Devin as one of her biggest role models, a title he gladly embraces. “It means a lot that someone looks up to me that much and it’s my younger sister,” Devin Aromashodu said. “I always wanted her to do well and I know school came first, but I’m just glad she was able to follow her dreams and able to run track in college.” A typically stoic person, Aromashodu also Attempting a hurdle is harder than UP Reporter Zack Kelberman imagined. Photo by Monica Mitry

Aromashodu shows UP Reporter Zack Kelberman the proper way to line up on the “blocks” for a sprint. She joked that I had trouble getting in the correct stance. Photo by Ryan Murphy

has non-family members that bring her visible joy. Her eyes lit up when discussing Lauren Walton, her weight-lifting partner and roommate of three years. Naturally, Walton and Aromashodu became best friends with an inseperable bond. “We’re extremely comfortable around one another,” Walton said. “We know what lines not to cross, what jokes we can say. We have that connection with each other.” Walton, who began doing 400-meter hurdles with Aromashodu as a freshman, has been privy to some entertaining, never-before-thought moments. “She does this thing where she laughs so hard, she starts to sound like a donkey,” Walton said, failing to maintain a straight face. “One time she fell off her bike, she was laughing so hard. It was hilarious. I never knew that’s how she laughed.” If you saw her on the track, you’d never know, either.

“Back when I was first getting a feel for hurdles in middle school, there was one time I fell through a hurdle ... and skinned my whole leg. I got up laughing and finished the race and everyone was proud of me.”

Judgment day has finally come. I make my debut at the track, tagging alongside Aromashodu, who displays the same enthusiasm that got her inducted into the Reagan/Doral High School Hall of Fame. Despite a rainy and windy afternoon, she joins her coaches — Alex Smolka and John Guarino — and teammates and begins warming up as if there isn’t a cloud in the sky. “Knees up, knees up!” Guarino shouts.

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“C’mon, Danielle!” Now sporting a passionate, almost ticked off facial expression, Aromashodu starts to kick it into another gear during tempo runs and sprints, sweat falling from her all black spandex ensemble to the clay track and green grass. It’s this type of exuberance that has coach Smolka so proud of her accomplishments. “We’ve had previous champions but she’s the only one who’s gone back to back now,” Smolka says. “It’s extremely tough having the mark on your back to be chased. Repeating is very difficult and she’s done a very good job of it.” Not even embarrassing or painful moments seem to rattle Aromashodu. She has an uncanny way of overcoming adversity with a winning result. “Back when I was first getting a feel for hurdles in middle school, there was one time I fell through a hurdle,” Aromashodu recounts with a chuckle. “I don’t know how that’s possible, but I fell through the middle of it and skinned my whole leg. I got up laughing and finished the race and everyone was proud of me.” Nowadays, these types of blunders are few and far in between. Watching her glide over the row of waisthigh hurdles prompts me to give it a go. Just like the power cleans, though, the results aren’t pretty. “If you’re not doing it correctly, you can hurt yourself,” Aromashodu warns, just as ts

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Sports

Danielle Aromashodu (far right) posing next to her brother, Devin. Her parents, Dorothy and Inkey, are seen on the left. Photo courtesy of Danielle Aromashodu

Overlapped The women’s track season has begun in an impressive fashion. During last week’s Jimmy Carnes Invitational in Gainesville, Fla., 20 personal records were set from the Owls’ slate of competing athletes. The event, however, was held on the road, as all of the track meets are. FAU doesn’t house the necessary facilities for track and field, leading to a perception that the sport is generally less respected than, say, football or basketball, both of which take place in up-to-date venues. Coach Smolka attempted to spin the slight into a more positive light. “Every year for the past eight or nine years, we’ve sent people to NCAA championship-level competition,” Smolka said. “On the track, the success will bring about more recognition.” Aromashodu did the same, morphing depreciation into motivation. “People only hear about you when you do something good,” Aromashodu said. “Our motive is to get people talking about us through achievements, first place finishes, and events as a whole.” Track isn’t a glamor sport, and the average person can’t comprehend the dedication that goes into it. “All you see is Usain Bolt breaking records, not the sweat that goes into the training and everything behind it,” Guarino said. “Track athletes in general aren’t attention seekers and kind of let their work speak for themselves. It’s not a sport where you’re going to get the attention that’s deserved.” But that fact won’t prevent the squad from striving for greatness. “Our team wants the recognition and attention,” Smolka said. “We’re definitely going to keep working toward it.”

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teammate Burrell stumbles to the ground in the midst of a hurdle. She is right. I notice the red, inflamed gash on my thigh from scraping the corner of the hurdle while pulling an awkward, Matrix-like leg maneuver. “You probably should’ve worn shorter shorts,” Aromashodu quips, pointing to my baggy red gym shorts, evidently the wrong attire. In a moment of redemption, I challenged Aromashodu to a short sprint off the “blocks” (metal devices). We got set in our lanes, set our feet, and she explained the proper stance to me. “I never know when you’re ready,” Aromashodu jokingly says. “You keep lining up wrong.” Following a few mini (failed) tutorials, we take off. To absolutely no one’s surprise, she

Aromashodu captured in her natural element, sprinting down the track and making it look easy. Photo by Ryan Murphy

blows past me, as I struggle to maintain my balance. I finish with a bruised knee, as well as a banged up thigh. Unfortunately for me, there is no bench press — or silver lining — this time around. Aromashodu is currently FAU’s most decorated track athlete, as evidenced by her back-to-back conference titles and Hall of Fame high school status. But she also sets her sights on bigger pictures. Fascinated with bones and muscles, she would like to eventually become an orthopedic surgeon. In addition, Aromashodu aims to one day compete in the Olympics, the grandest stage for her sport, and according to her peers, this is a much more achievable goal. “Looking at her ability, I think she definitely would have a shot,” Smolka said, when asked if Aromashodu could become an Olympian. “As long as she keeps working hard, definitely.” “I really feel like she can make it to the Olympics,” Walton emphatically said. “She’s a good person and good athlete all over. I’m going to be there supporting her.” Nevertheless, Aromashodu hasn’t lost sight of what got her to this point: her tightknit family, who supported her every step of the way. “Everything we do involves athletics,” she said. “My family is very supportive of my athletic life, and they constantly traveled to see me in high school and now college.” Put simply, however, there’d be no conference championships, no Hall of Fame awards, no immense amount of respect from her fellow teammates if it weren’t for her big brother. This would be cause for sibling rivalry in most households, but not the Aromashodus. “I don’t think she can outrun me,” her brother said. “But I’d probably let her win anyway.”

FAU MBA — Sport Management 2013 Spring Information Sessions Learn about the exciting opportunities available in the FAU MBA — Sport Management Program. Program benefits include a wide variety of industry related internships including but not limited to: hockey, football, basketball, baseball, motorsports, inter-collegiate athletics, facility management, and tennis. Current students as well as the MBA Sport Director, Dr. Jim Riordan, will be available to talk about their experiences in the program.

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February 5, 2013

Sports

Foreign Atlantic University

BASKETBALL FAU’s basketball program has more foreign players on their roster than any other team in the Sun Belt Conference. Here’s a look at FAU’s four international Pictured right: Pablo Bertone players. By Bryant Eng Contributor Photos by Ryan Murphy

ver the past few years, the FAU men’s basketball program has become a proverbial melting pot. The Owls’ roster has the most international players in the Sun Belt Conference and in the state of Florida, though Florida International University and Florida Gulf Coast Academy trail FAU by just one player a piece. FAU’s four international players — Pablo Bertone, Dragan Sekelja, Javier Lacunza, and Justin Raffingtont — have come from all around the globe to play basketball for the Owls, but according to assistant coach Peter Gash, “the transition for them is pretty easy because they are great kids.” Gash believes foreign players are attracted to FAU because of head coach Mike Jarvis. “[Recruits] know that coach Jarvis has a good track record with international players,” Gash said. Jarvis developed that track record while coaching basketball at George Washington University, where he had several opportunities to coach international players. “Jarvis does a great job at teaching the game and simplifying the game [for international players],” Gash added. Continued on page 14

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Sports

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Dragan Sekelja: Zagreb, Croatia Sekelja, who is playing his first season at FAU after transferring from Baylor University, is from Zagreb, the capital city of Croatia. The junior center is one of only two 7-footers in the Sun Belt Conference. While Sekelja is averaging a modest 3.6 points per game and 3.9 rebounds per game, the big man has shown flashes of the potential and talent that FAU’s coaching staff envisioned when they recruited him from Baylor University. Sekelja admits that the American style of basketball is a radical shift in approach from his playing days back home. “The NBA players are more talented. There’s more superstars and one-on-

Pablo Bertone: Arroyito, Argentina Bertone was born and raised in Argentina, but has been playing basketball in the United States for nearly five years now. The junior guard was recruited to FAU while playing at RISE Academy in Philadelphia, Penn., but the weather there was far too cold for Pablo. “I cannot deny the fact that I love the weather in Florida,” Bertone said with a wide smile. Living in a multicultural environment such as South Florida

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has made the transition seamless. “There’s so many different cultures here,” Bertone said. “So it’s easy to adjust.” On the court, the Argentinian guard is averaging 8.3 points per game this season, good for third on the team. Bertone scored a season high 21 points in a Dec. 27 victory over Sun Belt rival Troy.

one plays,” Sekelja said. “In Europe it’s more about the execution of plays.” Gash knows Sekelja has enormous talent, but he also acknowledged that for the big man to realize his potential, he would have to work at it. “Consistency has to be learned,” Gash said. “Dragan is learning that process now.” Sekelja has shown more consistency lately. In his last four games — all against Sun Belt Conference rivals — Sekelja has increased his scoring to six points per game. Over the span of those four games, the 7-footer also displayed impressive passing skills, racking up eight total assists.

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Javier Lacunza: Pamplona, Spain The lanky freshman hails from Spain, where he posted an impressive 21.1 points and 9.2 rebounds a game during his senior year of high school. However, just like Sekelja, Lacunza has definitely noticed a difference between European and American basketball. “It is a lot more physical — a lot more pressuring the ball, running the court, defense,” Lacunza said. “This is a big change.” The style of basketball played in the United States isn’t the only change that the freshman

forward has dealt with. Lacunza is still mastering English, but his Spanish has bailed him out more than a couple times. “If I don’t know say [sic] something in English, I just like try say [sic] it in Spanish,” Lacunza said. “And for some reason they understand me.” Gash pointed out that Lacunza has to get a little stronger physically, but that the forward’s strong work ethic and commitment to improving are going to pay dividends down the road.

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Sports

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Justin Raffington: Freiburg, Germany The native German transferred from the University of San Francisco and must sit out the 2012-13 season in compliance with NCAA rules. At 6-foot-9, 245 pounds, the junior center will spend this season honing his skills and preparing for next year’s basketball season. During the 2011-12 basketball season, the forward averaged only 2.1 points and 2.2 rebounds while playing for the San Francisco Dons. But next season

— when Raffington is eligible to return to the court — more will be expected from the Owls’ second tallest player on the roster. According to Gash, Raffington has “been showing [the coaching staff] a lot of great things in practice,” but to FAU basketball fans, Raffington is an unknown commodity. Gash described him as a “power player” with a really great jump hook and a really great drop step.

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Students for Justice in Palestine had their balloon release event canceled, even though their goal was to commemorate lost lives — not threaten the environment Photo by Michelle Friswell

News

Permission denied By Cealia Brannan Contributor

Pop. Like a pierced balloon, the Students for Justice in Palestine’s excitement fizzled with disappointment. Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), an on-campus human rights group that promotes awareness and justice for Palestinians, wanted to release 352 balloons into the sky as a memorial during Gaza Awareness Week, the week of Feb. 4, for the 352 Gaza children killed in the conflict between Israel and Gaza from December 2008 to January 2009. Apparently the Student Union administration rejected the idea due to “environmental concerns.”

SJP chose to use biodegradable balloons and cotton string for the balloon release in order to be environmentally friendly before putting in the request for the event through the Student Union. The administrative staff of the Student Union discarded the idea due to “the potential impact of the surrounding areas and the potential impact on wildlife,” as Lauren Adamo, Student Union assistant director stated. Gabi Aleksinko, SJP spokeswoman, and Matt Schneider, SJP vice president, described their group as being underrepresented and Palestine as

relatively unknown to many people. They planned Gaza Awareness Week to put on events in honor of the lost Palestinian live. Adamo said that the administration canceled the event based on the policies for the general use of facilities on campus. When asked which recommendations in the policies guided the event cancellation, Adamo provided the links to the policies, none of which included restrictions on the use of biodegradable materials for university events. “From the beginning we said, ‘Let’s go with the biodegradable balloons. Let’s Continued on page 22

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News go with the cotton string,’” Noor Fawzy, SJP president, said. “From an environmental standpoint, releasing non-native seeds (I was informed that they may be nonnative plants) in each balloon into the environment is not environmentally friendly,” Joshua Scholl, the director of the Council of Student Affairs Organization (COSO), said. “These seeds could grow and out-compete important local plants.” The balloons symbolized the brevity of the children’s lives. A single poppy seed and sunflower seed would fill each balloon and represent growth and development. Fawzy explained that the children of Gaza cherished these two ideas. Fawzy said that SJP thought the balloon release was the perfect way to represent the lives of the children. She explained that they made sure all the materials were biodegradable or environmentally friendly. Aleksinko continued by saying that she thought

the resulting flowers would not only be good for the environment but also be a literal representation of life and growth in honor of the children of Gaza. The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) said that “if not ingested by wildlife, a latex balloon will degrade and break up into smaller and smaller pieces, but will still be present within the water column or local environment.” These latex fragments will continue to exist unless they are incinerated, the MCS website says. “We’re very upset,” Fawzy said when she heard from the Student Union that their event was canceled. “I mean, it was a unique idea that we came up with, and we already purchased the seeds. Now we’re not quite sure what to do with them.” Fawzy said that SJP is a grassroots organization, “meaning we don’t have much money.” She said that SJP spent almost 10 percent of their yearly budget on the seeds. Dawn Howard, the Director of

Continued from page 20 Marketing and Communications of Student Affairs, clarified that the Student Union administrators have never approved an event involving the release of biodegradable balloons in the specific areas of campus that they are in charge of. They requested that SJP come up with a replacement event for the balloon release. Fawzy said that although she and her group were disappointed, they thought of another way to represent the fallen children of Gaza. The Student Union administrators’ approval of the replacement event kept Gaza Awareness Week from being canceled, Fawzy recounted. Instead of balloons, SJP decided to dot the free speech lawn with 350 to 400 Palestinian flags and 25 to 50 stuffed, white garbage bags. Fawzy explained that the Gaza people take their martyred and put them in bags, tie them, and bury them. They chose to demonstrate this by stuffing white garbage bags with Styrofoam or crumpled paper,

Members of the Students for Justice in Palestine work on flags for their demonstration, which will be on Feb. 7 on the free speech lawn from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Photo by Michelle Friswell

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News SJP member Nadine Aly makes decorations for their rescheduled event. Photo by Michelle Friswell

These are the three policies the Student Union staff used to provide the basis to cancel the balloon release, none of which mention balloons. Policy 4.2.1, Section 5, C and D: General Conditions for the Use of Facilities; Unsafe Items, Materials, Conditions; Instructional Activities This policy states that approved events must not use any unsafe materials like firearms, explosives, and parachutes. Events must “maintain an educational environment” to encourage safety and must keep areas in condition to be used by students, faculty, and staff. Policy 4.2.2, Section 2, D: General Use Guidelines This policy outlines what events are not allowed to do, which includes disrupting other FAU events, blocking exits and traffic, and posing a safety threat. Policy 4.2.4, Section 2: General Distribution Guidelines This policy regulates the distribution of printed material and does not permit littering, placing printed materials on vehicles, or selling printed material.

tying them, and splattering them with red paint to represent the dead bodies of the Gaza martyrs. Fawzy said that they plan to lay these “body bags” on the free speech lawn for the Children’s Memorial on Tuesday during Gaza Awareness Week. “It’s unfortunate that they canceled the event, and I think it would have been really great,” SJP member Renata Glebocki, political science sophomore, said about the balloon release. “I know that we are going to still do other things that are awesome, so to make up for it in a way.” Lisa Metcalf, Director of Media Relations, affirmed through email that FAU follows The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines which “states that balloon releases pose a serious threat to wildlife.” When asked where this statement is located within the EPA guidelines, Metcalf did not provide a response.

February 5, 2013

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When SJP had to make a replacement for the balloon release, many of the group members expressed the feeling that they sometimes have to “jump through extra hoops to do what we want to do,” as Fawzy said. Fawzy and Aleksinko recounted one of SJP’s events that occurred in April 2012, where they posted 200 mock eviction notices in elevators and on random dormitory doors. Aleksinko said that SJP received approval for distributing the notice, but that they faced harassment and opposition when the event was over. The Palm Beach County seal on the lower left-hand corner of the notice caused the uprising, Fawzy said. “The local- and campus-based proZionist opposition went up in arms,” she said. President Noah Tenenbaum of Owls for Israel, an FAU group promoting awareness and advocacy for Israel, explained that most of his group’s

events have run smoothly. He said they only encountered slight problems when getting guest speaker Noam Bedein, CEO of Sderot Media Center, to the Golden Pavilion in October 2012, although the issue was with coordinating the speaker’s arrival, not with FAU administration. Tenenbaum expressed the opinion that SJP presents one-sided facts and explained that there are civilian casualties on both sides of Israel and Gaza. “A lot of their facts are very demonizing of Israel and not necessarily right,” Tenenbaum stated. On the other hand, Fawzy felt the Owls for Israel have an easier time planning events. With the Golden Pavilion and Hillel center, she said they “go on without say from the university.” Despite the obstacles, Fawzy focused her energy on planning a new event to recognize the lives lost. “It’s the least we could do for the people of Gaza,” she concluded.

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Features

February 5, 2013

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FAU’S PRANK-STAR:

VITALY Vitaly Zdorovetskiy’s most recent prank video at FAU is just another step towards the YouTube star’s ultimate goal

By Bryant Eng Contributor YouTube star Vitaly Zdorovetskiy — well known at FAU for his “Do You Even Lift?” video which has been viewed 1.2 million times with 24,616 “likes” and 928 “dislikes” — calls himself a “professional idiot,” but he didn’t leave his native home of Murmansk, Russia just to play jokes. Zdorovetskiy wants to be a star. For Zdorovetskiy, the road to fame has been unconventional and often rocky. After an injury riddled stint as an aspiring pro-skateboarder, a rendezvous with the adult film industry, and multiple encounters with the law, the 20-year-old Boca resident has finally found his niche — producing prank videos. Zdorovetskiy has been producing YouTube videos — which can be viewed on the YouTube channel VitalyZDTV — for over a year and a half. “Miami Zombie Attack Prank!” is his most popular video and has been viewed 19.2 million times. Inspired by last May’s gruesome cannibal attack of a homeless man in Miami, Zdorovetskiy dressed up as a zombie and traveled to some of the poorest neighborhoods in Miami to scare random bystanders. Tanya Beniquez, a sophomore communications major, thought “Miami Zombie Attack Prank!” was hilarious. “He just went crazy out of nowhere,” Beniquez said. Recently, Zdorovetskiy’s career as a full time YouTube producer has brought him to FAU. “[It’s] one of my favorite places to film,” said Zdorovetskiy. Some FAU students are familiar with Zdorovetskiy after “Do You Even Lift?” went viral, with scenes filmed near the Breezeway as well as the Recreation & Fitness Center. But this time around, he’s not alone. Zdorovetskiy reunited with his friends and fellow YouTube video producers Roman Atwood and Dennis

Roady — the Ohio State University masterminds behind prank video website SketchEmpire.com — to help film and produce his latest FAU video, “The Letter B Prank.” The three met while collaborating on an Ohio version of Zdorovetskiy’s zombie attack prank entitled “Columbus Zombie Attack Prank” with VitalyZDTV. Atwood and Roady invited Zdorovetskiy to their hometown of Columbus, Ohio to help them produce a prank video similar to “Miami Zombie Attack Prank!” Zdorovetskiy, Atwood, and Roady agreed to talk about their most recent video filmed at FAU, but the pranksters were nearly half an hour late for their interview. “[We all had to] take a shit at once.” The only problem being that there was only one toilet to share. “Three guys, one toilet,” Roady recalled with a wide grin. The jokester’s reference to the Internet video “Two Girls, One Cup” was a simultaneous stomach curdling and comical preview of the three’s personalities when mixed. Regardless, Zdorovetskiy and his prankster colleagues arrived at Starbucks on FAU’s Boca campus and immediately expressed that they were optimistic that their video would be well-received by FAU’s student body. The video features Atwood and Zdorovetskiy placing a small mailbox sticker with the letter B on it onto the backs of FAU students. Zdorovetskiy then tells students that there’s a “B” on them. After observing manic reactions of students being afraid of getting stung by a bee, Atwood or Zdorovetskiy politely remove the sticker from the students’ backs revealing that there was in fact no insect on them at all.

Photo by Ryan Murphy

Continued on page 28 Designed by Phaedra Blaize

upressonline.com

February 5, 2013

Continued from page 27

Features Roady called the reactions to the prank “absolutely beautiful,” but officials at Florida Atlantic University are unlikely to share Roady’s sentiment. The UP requested a statement from Media Relations and Student Affairs concerning the prank videos Zdorovetskiy has produced at FAU, but repeated requests were ignored. Then, only days after the UP’s interview with Zdorovetskiy, he said he recieved a disturbing visit. Zdorovetskiy contacted the UP claiming that Robert Vickens of the Florida Atlantic University Police Department visited Zdorovetskiy’s home and asked him to come into his office for questioning. The UP contacted the FAU police department, but was not able to reach Vickens. Later that evening, Zdorovetskiy posted this message on his Facebook page: “Trespassed from FAU … everyone loves me there … cops gotta mess everything up.”

“YOU GIVE THEM [THE RUSSIAN POLICE] FIVE BUCKS, AND I CAN BREAK THIS WINDOW.” It’s unlikely that Zdorovetskiy will be able to return to FAU to film more prank videos, but he argues that if he were still in his home country of Russia, the police wouldn’t pose much of a threat. Zdorovetskiy believes his home country’s corruption would actually make it easier to produce prank videos. Zdorovetskiy says Russian police can easily be bribed. The British publication The Guardian stated that “the sheer amount of bribes paid to officials has skyrocketed” under Vladimir Putin’s reign. The prankster pointed at Starbucks’ window in the Breezeway and, with a smile, said, “You give them [the police in Russia] five bucks, and I can break this window.” Born in Russia, a young Zdorovetskiy realized early that career prospects in his home country were bleak. “No future, no nothing, pretty much

February 5, 2013

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Vitaly Zdorovetskiy shows his fans some of his new videos during a meet and greet in Mizner last week.

be a bum, drink vodka every day,” said Zdorovetskiy. “The education [in Russia] is higher, but when you finish that education you cannot get a job.” According to Forbes Magazine, Russia’s unemployment rate dropped to a modest 5.3 percent, but “a country can achieve a very low unemployment rate while still being relatively poor and having a number of serious structural issues.” Despite his apparent contempt for Russia, Zdorovetskiy hopes to one day return to Europe to produce more prank videos. He has a large fan base overseas — recently his “Miami Zombie Attack Prank!” video was ranked 2012’s No. 1 prank video by the popular British show “Rude Tube” — but Zdorovetskiy would rather move west before he goes back east. Zdorovetskiy has his heart set on Hollywood. “That is my goal,” he said, despite rumors that he was considering enrolling at FAU. Zdorovetskiy plans on moving to California this October. One of Zdorovetskiy’s first tastes of fame came when he appeared on Comedy Central’s “Tosh.0,” but Zdorovetskiy is more interested in starring in comedy or action films than being featured on someone else’s

Photo by Michelle Friswell television show. He believes that YouTube will propel him to more desirable roles. “I am pursuing my career through YouTube, so when I go to auditions I have a resume to show, because a lot of it is acting.” While the YouTube sensation has no reservations about becoming a movie star, Zdorovetskiy has already begun to experience some of the negatives of fame and attention during his short time as an Internet sensation. Zdorovetskiy said his personal relationships have, at times, taken a backseat to his obsession over his fan’s feedback, praise, and criticism.

“MY GIRLFRIEND HATES ME, ALL MY FRIENDS, MY BEST FRIEND … WE ARE NOT FRIENDS ANYMORE.” “My girlfriend hates me, all my friends, my best friend … we are not friends anymore,” said Zdorovetskiy. The online actor says he’d rather be looking at what YouTube viewers have to say. “I’m on my phone constantly, comments, comments, comments — Continued on page 30

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upressonline.com January 29, 2013

Continued from page 28

Features [YouTube comments] mean a lot to me.” The strain that Zdorovetskiy’s career has had on his personal life isn’t anything he can’t handle. To achieve fame, Zdorovetskiy has overcome challenges from the police, the law, YouTube competitors, and severe critics. A friend lost over an obsession with YouTube comments won’t phase the stoic Russian.

2007 Zdorovetskiy’s aspirations for stardom date back to his high school years. In 2008, footage of Zdorovetskiy executing impressive skateboarding tricks in a video titled “Sponsor Me: Vitaly Zdorovetskiy” surfaced on YouTube. The then-16-year-old had aspirations of pursuing a career as a professional skateboarder, but according to Zdorovetskiy, constant injuries derailed any hopes he had of gaining sponsorship. He resorted to waiting tables until his next big opportunity came up. The short video has only been viewed about 16 thousand times, which pales in comparison to Zdorvetskiy’s prank videos.

2011 Zdorovetskiy wanted to be a movie star, but it didn’t take him long to figure out he preferred the mainstream film industry over the adult film industry. Shortly after Zdorovetskiy turned 18, he appeared in a pornographic video with porn star Diamond Kitty. The short video appeared on the popular adult website BangBros.com, whose headquarters are located in Miami, Fla. “I needed the money,” said Zdorovetskiy. “You only live once. I am trying to do everything possible.” “He has an enormous cock,” added Roady. “That is his problem. It gets him into trouble.”

2012 For Zdorovetskiy, fame and success was followed by notoriety and legal trouble. His “Miami Zombie Attack Prank!” video was sandwiched by two different arrests. On March 23, 2012, the prankster was arrested for impersonating a law enforcement officer following the production of his video

January 29, 2013

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Photo by Michelle Friswell

During Zdorovetskiy’s meet and greet (above and below), fans took part in “the invisible box” prank, where they would pretend there was an object in front of the car to get a reaction from the driver.

“Disturbing the Peace 4.” Zdorovetskiy was wearing fluorescent orange shorts, a white shirt, and a Santa hat, but was cited for fraudulent impersonation regardless. Zdorovetskiy was arrested again on June 26 for hoax bombing charges stemming from a mishap that occurred while filming “Russian Hitman Prank Gone Wrong!” Zdorovetskiy is still engaged in a legal battle with the State of Florida. “[The State of Florida] says go to trial, but if I go to trial and lose I could be facing six years.” It still isn’t clear whether or not Zdorovetskiy truly wants to be a movie star, or just desires recognition, fame, and praise for his unconventional collection of talents. What is clear, though, is that Zdorovetskiy’s most recent prank video produced at FAU is sure to get a reaction.

CMY

Photo by Michelle Friswell

VitalyZDTV’s YouTube by the numbers With his top video already being viewed over 19 million times, here’s a look at Zdorovetskiy’s numbers as of Feb. 2, 2013:

67,517,835 416,349

video views

subscribers