in this issue (pg 6): Life (pg 12): opinion (pg 9): Sports

“If it matters to the USA family, it matters to us.”

fi nd us on Facebook

search “The Vanguard USA” / check out our digital edition

thevanguardonline.com /

vol. 50, no. 12Apr. 9, 2012

VANGUARDVTHE SGA protests calendar change

-page 2

SGA presidency to be decided in runoff USA Foundation remembers Dr. Asa Green

The University of South Alabama family is mourning after the loss

of Asa N. Green, president of the Univer-sity of South Alabama Foundation Board of Directors, who died on March 26 at the age of 82.

Green held his position since 2004 and had served on the board—which holds an endowment that benefi ts the University—since being elected in 1998. He served on numerous board committees before taking the offi ce of president.

“Dr. Green was an outstanding advo-cate for the USA Foundation and for its support of the University of South Ala-bama,” said John McMillan, who served with Green as Vice President on the board

Parker Chastain

Parker Chastain speaks as Zain husain listens at the SGA debate held Monday.cASSie FAmBro / eDiTor-in-chieF

By CASSiE FAMBRoEditor-in-Chief

SGA elections had a higher voting turnout than last year with 1,232

students voting for president, with 8.2 percent of the student body participating.

The top two candidates will face each other in a runoff that will take place by ballot in Jaguar 1 email accounts.

Parker Chastain and Zain Husain obtained the highest percentages of the vote, with 709 total votes between them according to the offi cial election sheet posted and verifi ed on Friday by the Elections Committee (EC).

Candidates squared off in a debate Wednesday, and the summary can be found on thevanguardonline.com under blogs.

Initially, the new method of distributing ballots had a few technical diffi culties, but EC Chair Danny Nguyen said that as of the second day of voting, those issues were resolved.

Campaign issues arose over Husain’s YouTube campaign video, but Husain denied breaking any campaign rules in the spoof

By PATRiCk hERRinGStaff Reporter

Zain Husain

Candidates in their own words: Vote for me because...

I was born and raised here in Mobile, Alabama. I went to school right down

Old Shell Road. For the last ten years, I have seen the University South Alabama develop into a prestigious university. South Alabama has the potential to become a well known university for its student life, athletics, and academics.

I’ve always dreamed of the opportunity to make a big difference at the university that I attend. The chance to help the university and my fellow students reach their full po-tential has always been a big goal of mine. With my last year, I hope to leave South Ala-bama better than when I arrived.

Throughout my college experience, I have been involved with different organi-

zations at South. Getting involved on cam-pus helps students throughout their college careers and in their trials and tribulations throughout life. I’ve gotten the opportunity to make many friends during my time in college. I have proudly been a part of orga-nizations such as USA football, AED, the Kappa Sigma Fraternity, intramurals, SGA, the Biology Student Association, and more. I have also worked as a supervisor for USA Intramurals, a personal trainer at the USA Recreation Center, a South Bound Orienta-tion Leader, and a South Guide for the Offi ce of New Student Recruitment.

With all the experiences South Alabama has given me, I would love the opportunity to give back. I have many goals and ideas to bet-ter this university for our students. I would like to improve our parking situation at South. I want to start the creation of a park-ing deck and increase parking spots near

Hi, my name is Parker Chastain and I am running to be your SGA Presi-

dent. I am a strong believer in the student body here at South, and I would love to be the voice of that body.

I am prepared to take on any challenge that is thrown my way, and I do not take this position lightly.

I believe that a good SGA president should handle him/herself well in tough situations, should be objective, should be a well-rounded individual, a great listener, and should be humble.

These are qualities I believe I possess. I have had the opportunity to run against some great opponents, and I believe this

has made for a challenging race but brought out the best in each candidate. I am asking for your vote South Alabama. If you are cu-rious as to my experience in the senate: I have been a College of Allied Health Senator, Rules Committee Chair, active member of the Homecoming and appropriations com-mittees, and was elected Pro-Tempore this past spring.

Through these positions I have come to a better understanding as to how the Senate works, and how to lobby with administration on your behalf. If elected, I will fi ght for your parking rights, South is going through grow-ing pains and the students are the ones pay-ing for it.

However, I do not believe this is the big-gest problem on campus. My biggest goal is to focus on Academic Success at the Univer-sity.

When asked if it was more important to

see SGA, page 3see GREEn, page 4

see ChASTAin, page 4 see huSAin, page 4

Controversy and an endoresement unfold as elections enter second week

vol. 50, no. 12 / Apr. 9, 20122

SGA’s Answer to Mardi Gras/Spring Break Issue

Printed as requested in its entirety.

STUDENT GOVERNMENT RESOLUTIONFOR THE CHANGE OF

THE 2013-2014 MARDI GRAS/SPRING BREAK HOLIDAY

AT A MEETING OF THE CALENDAR RESOLUTION COMMITTEE OF THE STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA, HELD AT 5:30PM, ON 5 APRIL, 2012,

RESOLUTION – CHANGING THE SPRING BREAK HOLIDAY FOR SPRING 2014

Whereas, the Student Government Association of the University of South Alabama, representing the student body, hereby protests the merging of the two regularly scheduled holidays Mardi Gras and Spring Break by the calendar committee for the Spring 2014 semester; and

Whereas, the calendar committee adopted said changes without adequate representation from the student body; and

Whereas, for the purpose of convenience for students, faculty and staff with children enrolled in the public school system the committee wants to see spring break synced with other universities and the local public schools; and

Whereas, to provide adequate rest time for students and faculty between lengthy stretches of uninterrupted classes, the students need an equal gap between the winter and summer breaks; and

Whereas, potential students may discouraged from enrolling in the University of South Alabama due to the close proximity of spring break to winter break; and

Whereas, the seasonal change from winter to spring will see better and warmer weather for full enjoyment of the break; and

Whereas, colder weather will discourage students on spring break from visiting waterfront locations, which could be detrimental to the local economy; and

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT HEREBY PROCLAIMED by the Student Government Association of the University of South Alabama that a new meeting should be organized by the university calendar committee to review the demands of the students and reschedule spring break accordingly.

Dated: 5 April 2012

Attest-

Stephen Purnell Coleman Wolf Elizabeth McDonaldRiley Davis Eric Beovich Danny NguyenSavannah Swindle

vol. 50, no. 12 / Apr. 9, 2012 3

USAPD: 460-6312

for the latest on your forecast, severe weather updates, and what’s going on in the tropics, find us on Facebook search “StormTeam4Gam-ma9Wx”

you can follow us on Twitter, toosearch “stormteam4g9wx”

and find Patrick Bigbie on Twitter search “metwxpatrick”

Apr. 9 - Apr. 15

Monday Apr. 9

TuesdayApr. 10

8055

7853

7850

7854

8158

8260

8161

7-DayJagCast

WednesdayApr. 11

ThursdayApr. 12

FridayApr. 13

SaturdayApr. 14

SundayApr. 15

USAPD Police BlotterEditor’s note: Have a question for USAPD? Email us at editor.in.chief@usavanguard.com

5:52 p.m.4/2/2012Recreation CenterTheft of property 2nd degree ($500 to $2500)

5:11 p.m.4/2/2012Recreation CenterTheft of property 3rd degree (less than $500)

3:53 p.m.4/2/2012Dining HallDomestic Violence 3rd degree. As-sault of an employee of the Univer-sity’s dining hall.

12:49 a.m.4/2/2012310 Greek RowDisorderly Conduct. Subject was

disorderly at listed location and resisted police’s attempt to restrain him.

1:01 p.m.4/1/2012Sidewalk AreaDomestic Violence 3rd degree. Male and female involved in verbal argument that escalated into a physical confrontation.

3:27 a.m.4/1/2012309 Greek RowMale arrested for DUI, leaving scene of accident. minor in posses-sion of alcohol and reckless driv-ing.

10:36 p.m.3/29/2012Delta 1 Parking Lot

Unlawfully entering of a vehicle parked in Delta parking lot.

9:35 a.m.3/28/2012Engineering Lab buildingIndecent exposure

6:55 a.m.3/27/2012310 Greek RowReckless endangerment, criminal mischief 3rd degree, attempting to elude a police officer and resisting arrest.

11:21 p.m.3/21/2012310 Greek RowOne male arrested for marijuana and drug paraphernalia in Delta Dorms.

“University of South Alabama’s Student Voice”

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paper of the University of South Alabama, serves its readership by reporting the news involving the campus community and surroun ding areas. The vanguard strives to be im-partial in its reporting and believes firmly in its First Amendment rights.

video, which had received almost 1,500 hits at press time.

The only race disqualification was vice-presidential candidate, and for full disclosure, former Vanguard Opinion Editor Jeffrey Gill, for using resources not in accordance with election rules as deemed by the EC.

EC had not sent copies of the candidates expense reports to The Vanguard at press time, but both candidates stated that they remained under the $250 limit.

When asked if any University equipment was used in the production of his video, Husain stated to The Vanguard that James Palomo of the Office of Admissions, the person that directed the video, did it for free, contrary to reports that said otherwise.

“I did everything legally,” Husain said.As for the allegations of using University

resources, Husain also denies using the Office of Admissions cameras, where he also works part-time.

Jay Hunt, formerly of the office of Admissions and now an academic adviser at USA, posted the following on Husain’s Facebook wall.

“Nice job on the video!! It was awesome. (Was the Tebowing my idea? You’re welcome. haha.) James did great filming and editing it all together.”

USA BMD student Chase Lunsford was also in the video, and is Vice-President of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity. Jay Hunt is the assistant chapter advisor for Pi Kappa Phi at

USA, according to his Facebook profile.University officials are not allowed to

endorse candidates, and attempts to reach Hunt were unsuccessful.

Candidates Troy Shephard, Jessica Byrd and Rachel Wyers all received too small of a percentage to make the runoff.

Byrd issued the following statement to The Vanguard.

“Being a productive SGA President takes time, dedication and commitment, all of which Senator Chastain has exhibited this past year. I witnessed him put forth 110 percent in everything he did, whether it was helping with homecoming, acting as Rules Chair or leading the Senate as Pro-tempore. I know that students voted for me because they had faith I would be a productive president, and now I would like them to know I have faith in Parker. So with all that being said, I would like to publicly endorse Parker Chastain for SGA President.”

Byrd received over 200 votes in the initial election.

Other candidates to enter the runoffs are William Pearson and Jacob Weatherly for Treasurer, Riley Davis and Kacie Watson for Chief Justice, and Alex Wiles and Ashley Trinh for Student-at-large.

If there are any ballot issues, report them on our Facebook page, The Vanguard: USA’s student newspaper.

Stay tuned to thevanguardonline.com this week as events unfold in the SGA elections.

Candidate gets endorsementSGA, from page 1

A weak cold front will move through the area on Monday, bringing with it a few showers and mostly cloudy skies. Highs will be near 80 with lows in the mid 50s. We’ll be cooler after the front moves through the area on Monday night, making our highs only reach into the upper 70s with mostly sunny skies for Tuesday through Thursday and lows will bottom out in the mid to low 50s across the area. A very weak dis-turbance will move through the area Friday into Saturday, bring-ing a few clouds across the sky, but we should remain dry with highs in the low 80s and night-time lows near 60. Sunday looks great with mostly sunny skies and highs in the low 80s with lows in the low 60s.

vol. 50, no. 12 / Apr. 9, 20124

Thousands of prospective Jaguars gathered on University of South

Alabama’s main campus March 31, for USA Day. The Office of New Student Re-cruitment has sponsored the event for more than 10 years to bring high school students from around the country to ex-plore the campus and meet with deans and faculty.

Visitors were given a complimentary lunch and 20-percent-off coupons for all “Jagwear” at the campus bookstore.

Visitors were able to attend an infor-mation fair at the Mitchell Center, where they were given basic information from financial aid to the USA Honors program to Greek life. Tours of the Student Rec-reation Center and residence halls were available and JagTran service was pro-vided throughout the day.

Unlike typical student tours, USA Day gives visitors the chance to meet with USA students. Visitors can ask them questions that faculty and staff can’t answer.

Abby Davis, a sophomore from Ridgecrest Christian School in Dothan, really enjoyed that aspect. “The best part of USA Day,” she said, “is having the chance to talk to students, not just fac-ulty.”

Students along the Gulf Coast were no-tified of USA Day through email and post-cards. According to Christopher Lynch, Director of the Office of New Student Re-cruitment, more than 25,000 postcards were sent out, in addition to emails.

Although students in neighboring states were invited to USA Day, students came as far as Michigan to visit campus.

Lynch was excited about this year’s turnout. “Student visitation has gone up 60 percent,” he said. Two years ago, 1,000 visiting students would have been considered a banner year, but next year, 3,000 are expected to attend.

The excitement isn’t limited to USA faculty. Many students who participated in USA Day were enthusiastic about a ca-reer at South Alabama. Kaitlyn Byrd, a ju-nior at Monroe Academy in Monroe, Ala., said, “This is the first college I’ve ever vis-ited. I really like it, though. It’s small, and everything is so pretty, and everyone is so helpful.”

Byrd’s appreciation was echoed by Morgan Grigsby, a senior at Fort Walton Beach High School in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. She said, “I chose South Alabama because everyone is so friendly. It’s like I already feel at home."

buildings. I want to work for better cam-pus safety. I want to implement emergency poles on campus, increase security cameras in parking lots, and increase the presence of police officers at night.

Also, I want to better student life and in-crease campus involvement in order to break away from the “commuter” way of life. An in-crease in student activities on the weekends will keep students on campus.

In conclusion, I want my fellow students to vote for me; not just because I’m a Greek or have been a part of USA Athletics.

I want people to vote for me because I feel I’m the best candidate for the job. I have the work ethic and motivation to lead South Ala-bama to great heights. I’ve been involved in many things at South and I know the poten-tial that this university has.

I hope to see USA become a premiere school in the South.

I hope that my fellow students give me the opportunity to reach my goals for this university.

Hopefully we can all achieve this together. Go Jags and God bless.

USA Day enlightens students

By ChELSEA ARChEyContributing Writer

Letter to the EditorVoices on Deaf Ears: The Challenge for SGA

SGA elections come to an end, and the runoff voting begins for the SGA President between Zain Husain and Parker Chastain.

The heated debate over who to vote for comes to focus. Waiting on that email that may or may not work to cast my vote and make that vote count.

I start by looking over all the facts in hopes that I pick the right one. Reading up on what each person has planned for the next year’s SGA.

One major question comes to mind, Who is best and will represent the student body on our behalf to the administration? When asked to write this article, I was to talk about how it has become a gay/anti-gay runoff.

When in reality it has become a child’s fight over who can throw the most mud in the other’s eye. It should not be who is gay or anti-gay who is Greek or not Greek.

The truth of it is, who is the best fit to run SGA and be the student body leader that represents us all?

It has come a time to return to the com-mon student and ask what means the most to them. When wanting to make change, you must change minds to change hearts. It is

that heart that leads the passion that drives the idea of change and gets things done. In this case we look at the numbers.

According to the Office of Institutional Research, Planning and Assessment (IRPA), for the spring term of 2012 there are 13,739 students enrolled at south.

After the posting of the SGA elections results, only 1,232 students voted for the of-fice of SGA president and even fewer for the other offices meaning that only 8 percent of the student body voted. In other words for every 100 students, only nine voted.

This driving fact that less than 10 percent of students vote every year getting better and worse over the years past shows that the caring of what happens as a whole the stu-dent body has failed.

When voting we are giving a voice to a single person that speaks for all of us. If change is going to happen, we as a student body must prove that we are a united front. So when casting your runoff vote, think do you want someone that goes with the nor-mal flow of things or someone that is going to make a stand for the common student?

-Patrick Collins

The runoff shouldn’t be about anti-gay or anti-Greek sentiments

HusainCAnDiDATE, from page 1

be a student or an officer I said it was whole-heartedly more important to be a student, and that I am in no way trying to elevate my status on campus. This being said we are here for an education, and if students can re-alize it is ok to reach out for assistance, then South will thrive in more ways than one.

Thank you for your attention, and please vote for next years representatives, not only for you, but also for the classes that will fol-low your success.

ChastainCAnDiDATE, from page 1

and assumes his position.Born in Mars Hill, Maine, Green grad-

uated from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. A U.S. Army veteran of the Korean War, he earned his master’s degree from the University of Alabama after returning.

He served as president of Livingston University, now the University of West Alabama, from 1973 to 1993 before retir-ing. While there, he established the Ira D. Pruitt School of Nursing.

The Alabama Marine Environmental Sciences Consortium was lucky enough to have him serve as a chairman for many years. He was also a member of the Presi-dent’s Council of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

Maxey Roberts, managing director of the foundation, says his “incandescent personality” will be missed by all.

“In life, we have a few rare opportuni-ties to work with outstanding individuals who have a great impact on many, and Dr. Green was such an individual,” Roberts said.

He is survived by his son, Steve Ross, and two grandchildren.

Dr. Asa Green rememberedGREEn, from page 1

Asa Green

Miss the April Fool’s

issue?Catch the

PDF online at

thevanguardonline.com

5vol. 50, no. 12 / Apr. 9, 2012

On Saturday, April 14, the hal-lowed University of South

Alabama tradition of Oozeball re-turns to campus in all its oozy glory.

This year’s Oozeball tournament, with the theme “Angry Oozers” will be the 24th Annual Oozeball tour-nament held at USA.

The concept, for those new to USA, is simple. Oozeball is exactly like volleyball—if volleyball were played in mud pits.

Teams of eight players face off in the double-elimination tournament as 8 inches to 18 inches of mud sticks to every possible surface of their bodies.

The Southerners, who work closely with the USA National Alumni Association as ambassadors of the school, sponsor this yearly event.

Eva Osilla, a Southerner and ju-nior Biomedical Sciences major, said, “It’s the one time of the year you can throw mud in people’s fac-es and get away with it!”

While purposefully throwing mud in another player’s face would end in some sort of penalty or dis-qualification, Osilla’s quote echoes exactly what Oozeball is all about.

It’s a time for the University’s students, faculty and staff to come together and just have fun while fighting over a ball in a giant mud pit.

Even if some students were un-able to find a team to play on, watching the games can be just as much fun as playing in them.

According to the 2012 Oozeball application, teams are encouraged to “bring lawn chairs, beach um-brellas, grills and set up your own tailgate party. Encourage your fans to come out to support your group.”

Playing or not, this year’s “An-gry Oozers” Oozeball tournament is sure to be a blast for everyone, faculty and student alike.

Be sure to come out and show support at the Oozeball courts be-tween the JagTran Service Station and The Grove!

vol. 50, no. 12 / Apr. 9, 20126

Bring on the Ooze

BAiLEy hAMMonD, jAgliFe eDiTorlife.editor@usavanguard.comjagLIFE

jAkE hoWELLJagLife Writer

Can you hear the music?STUArT Sox

Contributing Writer

The Mobile-Gulf Coast area has al-ways been known for its distin-

guished and rich culture.This will be evident nowhere more so

than at the SouthSounds Music Festival. The Independent Music Collective, ded-

icated to the enrichment of Mobile’s live music scene, is promoting the event.

The SouthSounds Music Festival, the first music festival in the country dedicated to showcasing Southern music, will bring all of the best new Southern bands to down-town Mobile from April 13-15.

The event’s inaugural lineup will fea-ture exclusively Southern, up-and-coming bands in an effort to increase awareness of the area’s strong musical talent and bring together bands and musicians that call the Gulf Coast home.

There is even more about SouthSounds that distinguishes it from other music fes-tivals.

For a weekend full of exciting, new mu-sic, a weekend wristband is a mere $10.

This wristband allows entrance into each of the event’s venues, which include the Alabama Music Box, The Blind Mule, Callaghan’s Irish, Social Club, OK Bicycle Shop, Serda’s, Soul Kitchen and Haber-dasher.

These locations make for a conglomer-ate of unique and exciting venues, all locat-ed in the beautiful culture-dome of down-town Mobile.

But what makes this event special is that it is truly “band-friendly”.

Whereas most music festivals are geared toward the satisfaction of those that attend the event, SouthSounds is geared toward

not only the entertainment of Mobile’s mu-sic lovers, but also to the success and pro-motion of the bands.

According to Justin St.Clair, English professor at the University of South Ala-bama and IMC activist, “SouthSounds is es-sentially a stage for up-and-coming bands and musicians to be seen and heard by a large audience.”

The festival will be run as “non-profit” as all proceeds after expenses go back to the bands.

Money from sponsorships will be used to cover travel and hotel expenses for out-of-town bands and staging costs.

Also, there will be free public stages in Bienville and Cathedral Squares in con-junction with Arts Alive! and Mobile’s Shrimp Cook-Off.

“We have a lot of talented musicians and bands in the South, and we bring

The SouthSounds Festival mission statement number seven states the fes-tival backers’ intentions to create a lasting event for Mobile.

SoUThSoUnDSFeST.com

them together to network with each other, which can lead to bigger gigs and bigger fan bases,” says Ashley Turner, an intern at 92 ZEW.

“I encourage South students to attend because it’ll be a good time, inexpensive and you’ll be supporting your local musi-cians and bands.”

92 ZEW, a sponsor of the event, is hold-ing on-air giveaways of free weekend wrist-bands, so listen in to 92.1 to find out how you can win one.

Want to know more about the event? Check out southsoundsfest.com, where you can also buy tickets online.

“Every band is a local band to someone,” said Emily Hayes, radio personality on 92 ZEW and co-director of SouthSounds.

Show your support for your local music, and head downtown from April 13-15 for the SouthSounds Music Festival.

SouthSounds Music Festival will have its inaugural weekend on April 13-15 in downtown Mobile.

On April 14 and 15, the University of South Alabama’s campus organization Feminists for Progress (FFP) will be host-ing the annual V-Day event for both the main and Fairhope campus locations.

For over 10 years, V-Day performances across the world have raised money and awareness toward an end to violence against women.

As part of the festivities, members of FFP will be reciting selections from A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer.

The performance will consist of the reading of various monologues concern-ing discrimination and gender inequality.

Admission to the event will be $7 and proceeds will go to benefit national and local charities.

In addition to the performance, the club will also be selling handmade soaps,

buttons, raffle tickets and other merchan-dise.

“Our local beneficiary, Mobile Rape Crisis Center is an extremely deserving organization that Feminists for Progress is proud to support,” says FFP member Alicia Bures.

Attendance is open to the general public. Students are encouraged to bring friends and family to raise awareness and

V-Day performance to raise awareness and benefit charitiesTIMoThy BorLAnD

Contributing Writer

See V-DAy, page 8

vol. 50, no. 12 / Apr. 9, 2012 7

not loud or close enough

It doesn’t happen very often that a movie is better than the novel

from which it is adapted. But on a few occasions, film is a

more powerful format for story deliv-ery.

Jonathan Safran Foer’s novel, “Ex-tremely Loud & Incredibly Close” is a perfect example of how the plot of a novel is improved when translated to the big screen.

Nine-year-old Oskar Schell is strug-gling to cope with the loss of his father in the Sept. 11 World Trade Center di-

saster the previous year. At the same time, Oskar is trying to

cope with his own fears, anxieties and inner demons.

Since the tragedy, Oskar’s anxiety has gotten worse, as he now refuses to take elevators or public transportation.

The main plot revolves around Os-kar’s quest to find the lock that belongs to the mysterious key that he recently found in his dad’s closet.

The only clue he has is the word “Black” written on the envelope that contained the key.

Oskar decides that “Black” must be someone’s last name, so he sets out to visit everyone in New York City who

Weekly Lowdown

tue > apr 10“Miss representation”

Film Screening

6 p.m. the library AuditoriumThis event is free and open to the public.presented by University of South Alabama gender Studies program

wed > apr 11Preparing for the real

World Webinar

2 p.m. at career Services, 2100 meisler hall no pre-registration is required for this event.

Life After College Seminar

3 p.m. at career Services, 2100 meisler hallno pre-registration is required for this event.

fri > apr 13SouthSounds Music

Festival

Downtown mobile at participat-ing locations.

sat > apr 14SouthSounds Music

Festival

Downtown mobile at participat-ing locations.

sun > apr 15SouthSounds Music

Festival

Downtown mobile at participat-ing locations.

Also April 15:

AASA Gospel Choir

First Baptist church of Baltimore, 6:00 p.m.1200 Baltimore Street

mobile, Al, 36605rev. melvin clark, pastorThe AASA gospel choir and

FriendsSponsored by AASA and the

office of Multicultural Affairs

kALyn MCCLELLAnJagLife Writer

Which is better: the book or the movie? Kalyn McClellan puts them to the test

has that last name: 472 people, living in 162 houses.

This seemingly impossible task takes Oskar on a journey that he will never forget.

His life is forever changed by the people he meets along the way and the stories they have to tell.

One of the most poignant moments in this story is when Oskar’s mom is angry with him for saying he thinks it’s pointless to visit his dad’s grave because the casket is empty.

Oskar’s mom tells him his dad’s spirit is there.

Oskar, a self-proclaimed athe-ist screams at her, “He didn’t have a spirit! He had cells, and now they’re on rooftops, and in rivers, and in the lungs of millions of people around New York, who breathe him every time they speak!”

Oskar’s mom is speechless, as are readers and movie-goers. The down-fall of the novel is that it includes too much backstory.

Yes, some history is necessary for a story to make sense, but too much can leave a reader confused.

The novel moves from the present to the past too many times and with little transition. It is easy to forget the main plot, getting lost in the history.

The film leaves out much of the backstory, but that does not mean it lacks in content.

By cutting the story down to the sig-nificant parts, the story flows better and is much more interesting. The film stars Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock and Thomas Horn.

If choosing whether to read the novel or see the film, seeing the film is a better choice. The film has an enter-tainment quality that the novel cannot compete with.

Four stars for the film and two for the novel.

kAlyn mcclellAn / jAgliFe wriTer

The Blu-ray case for the film of “Extremely Loud & incredibly Close” stands victorious over that of the novel.

BAiLEy hAMMonDJagLife Editor

On March 31, 2012, University of South Alabama was the scene of

the first annual Walk for Wishes, orga-nized by Chi Omega fraternity.

According to Chi Omega President Jessica Houston, the event raised nearly $3,000 for their national charity, Make-A-Wish.

“As a past Make-A-Wish recipient, I realize the importance and life-altering ef-fect of this organization. With this money we will be able to help a child’s wish be-come a reality,” Houston stated.

USA students, organizations and mem-bers of the community came to the event to show support for the cause and help raise money.

Alpha Epsilon Delta, pre-medical hon-or society, was one group that had repre-

sentatives at the event. “We plan to make this an annual spring

fundraising event,” said Houston. “Our goal for each of our fundraising

events is to raise enough money to grant a wish. Each wish costs on average $7,000 to grant. Any small dent we can make in that amount is huge!”

In all, this year’s Walk for Wishes seems to have fulfilled that goal, and next year is poised to build upon its success.

Chi Omega’s first Walk for Wishes huge success

8 vol. 50, no.12 / Apr. 9, 2012

Every other year, the Mobile Arts Council (MAC) sponsors an ex-

hibition of the five Mobile colleges and universities, showcasing the artwork of various students.

The event is titled “5.” This year, 18 students from the University of South Alabama have been accepted into the ju-ried exhibit.

The artists selected from USA are Adam Burges, Kayla Daughtry, Ru-fus Ducote, Amber Duncan, Elana El-lington, Elisha Ann Ellington, Hannan Gold-Vukson, Diane T. Havard, Jordyn Justus, Trisha Koger, Daiko Moraes, Sara C. Morales-Morgan, Kerry Parks, Dain Peterson, Molly Phalan, Sophia Wilkinson, Rebecca Willard and Aman-da Youngblood.

“I entered ‘5’ because it occurred to me that I am about to graduate, and this could be my last chance to enter a student show,” Trisha Koger, senior Graphic Design major, said.

Artists did not have to be art majors but simply had to be enrolled as stu-dents for the 2011-2012 academic year at one the five colleges and universities.

“‘5’ is such a great opportunity for students. The submission fee is a bar-gain, and you’re allowed to enter three

A reception for the artists and anyone who wishes to attend will be held dur-ing the LoDa Artwalk on Friday, April 13 from 6 to 9 p.m.

pieces. One of my pieces was chosen. It happened to be the one I was most hop-ing would be chosen,” Koger stated.

According to MAC, 64 artists submit-ted a total of 174 works of art, and only 42 pieces from 36 artists were chosen by judge Clayton V. Colvin to be included in the exhibit.

Colvin is an adjunct instructor in the Art department at the University of Ala-bama at Birmingham and also an inde-pendent curator.

“This group of works was a lot of fun to experience! I love being surprised by choices artists make regarding subject matter and material,” Colvin said.

“I also am amazed by technical skill. The pool of images entered had strong examples of all of the factors.

“In narrowing the entries to the final exhibition, and in choosing the awards, I used those criteria,” Colvin continued.

When asked about being chosen, Ko-ger admitted, “I guess being accepted by the judge was a confirmation that my work must have something to it that I wasn’t sure was there. I was mostly happy because someone professional thought my piece was worth hanging in a gallery.”

The artwork will be displayed at the MAC galleries (318 Dauphin Street) from Monday, April 2 to Friday, April 27.

The gallery is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

BAiLEy hAMMonDJagLife Editor

“5” exhibit showcases USA student art

Handsome Scoundrels

IngredientsRobert Giles (guitar/vocals), Michael McAuliffe (bass/vo-cals) and Andy Scott (drums/vocals)

Musical InclinationsOld-school punk rock with a surf rock influence

Why Playing in SouthSounds Festival at Blind Mule, April 13, 10 p.m. Also, appearing on Studio 10 (FOX10) that morning.

What“Street Legal” debut CD on April 13

Local Band

Spotlight

DELTAREIGN.COM

donate to worthy causes. The main campus event will be held

April 14 at 7 p.m. in the Humanities Audi-torium, Room 170.

For Baldwin County students, an encore matinee performance will be held in Fairhope at the USA Baldwin County Campus Performance Center April 15 at 3 p.m.

V-Day performancecontinued from page 6

jAySon CuRRy, SporTS eDiTorsports.editor@usavanguard.comSPORTS

9vol. 50, no. 12 / Apr. 9, 2012

The South Alabama track and field team has gained momentum as of

late. At last week’s Jaguar Invitational, the Jags set numerous personal records as well as winning a record 16 events.

“I have been real pleased with the ef-fort level with the people on the team. We have been working really hard and getting better,” USA head track and field coach Paul Brueske said. “It seems like every meet we are getting it around 15 to 20 personal bests and that means we are getting better and better.”

The USA men dominated the throw events, starting with the hammer throw. Joey Torres won the event with a throw of 56.47m followed by Steven Nobles who had a throw of 55.99m.

Torres also won the discus throw with a toss of 52.90m followed by run-ner up Demetre Baker 50.88m discus.

Baker would later win the shot put with a distance of 16.39m.

“These guys have come in and set a high standard, and it’s good for our recruits to see, and it’s good for our younger guys to see and see what they are doing to be so successful,” Brueske said. “They have come in and set a high

uSA Track and Field

Left: uSA’s Tori lawson running during a track event, Right: uSA’s joey Torres attempting a hammer throw.BRAD PuCkETT/ SCoTT DonALDSon

standard. It’s good for the program for us to have guys that are leaders, not only for us but in the conference.”

The USA women were also dominant in the throw events as Latifah Johnson won the hammer throw for the women and Bobbie Williamson won the shot put event.

“On the women’s side, we were really optimistic at the beginning of the year, but we have lost about three or four girls through various medical issues and that’s hurt us,” Brueske said. “But we are still going to be competitive, and I’m just looking for some of these younger girls to step up and fill the gaps.”

The Jags also won multiple distance events with Alex Shields winning the 3,000m event and Tori Lawson win-ning the 800m and 3,000m events with

times of 2:17.42 and 10:22.52, respec-tively.

USA’s Lindsay Schwartz has gained attention from the Sun Belt Conference as she was named female Track Ath-lete of the Week with her recent per-formances in the Heptathlon. Schwartz won the event and set a school record at the 85th annual Clyde Littleton Tex-as Relays with 5,468 points. Schwartz is now ranked no. 8 nationally in the event.

“We have Lindsay Schwartz, and we have Latifah Johnson, who is top 11 or 12 in the country in the hammer throw, and Joey Torres, who is ranked very high, who has been conference athlete of the week,” Brueske said. “So we have some people who are competing at a na-tional level. We have come a long way from my first year here.”

“We have progressed well. It’s still early to tell. We are always optimistic going into it, but a lot of it is going to depend on how we perform going into the last stage.”

USA will compete in four more meets before heading to the Sun Belt Confer-ence outdoor championship on May 11 in Lafayette, La. One of those four meets will be USA’s second and last home meet of the season next Friday and Saturday at the track on campus.

Jaguars setting improving, setting records as season closes

Athletics updatesPREPARATION FOR THE 2012 JAG-

UAR VOLLEYBALL SEASON ALREADY UNDERWAY

Even though the start of the 2012 cam-paign is a little over four months away, the University of South Alabama volleyball program has already begun preparations for its first season under new head coach Amy Hendrichovsky (pronounced Hen-dra-hoe-ski).

Over the past few weeks, the Jaguars have been learning the new system un-der Hendrichovsky and on Saturday, the program will face live match competition when USA travels to compete tourneys at the Blazer Spring Tournament in the first of its two spring tourneys.

South Alabama will open play at the one-day four-match UAB tournament ver-sus Kennesaw State at 9 a.m. followed by matches versus UAB at 11:10 a.m., Auburn at 12:50 p.m., and Jacksonville State at 1:55 p.m.

On Friday, April 20, the Jaguars will welcome Spring Hill and West Florida to Jag Gym. Matches are scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. and are free and open to the public.

JAGS FALL To no. 30 FAU, 7-5

Florida Atlantic added an insurance run in the eighth inning and held on to knock off University of South Alabama baseball 7-5 Friday at FAU Baseball Stadium.

FAU (21-10, 9-1 SBC) scored six of its seven runs with two outs, and was led by Mark Nelson who finished 2-for-5 with three RBI. Mike Albaladejo finished 2-for-3 with a home run, one RBI and three runs scored, and Geoff Jimenez added a homer, two RBI and two runs scored.

Ryan Garton (6-2) earned the win in 6 1/3 innings, allowing five runs on six hits with a walk and four strikeouts. R.J. Alvarez pitched two shutout innings, and struck out five while issuing one walk to earn his fifth save of the season.

USA left-hander Phillip Byrd (3-1) suf-fered his first loss of the season in six in-nings pitched, allowing six runs on eight hits with three strikeouts and five walks.

Nolan Earley, Brent Mitchell and Nick Zaharion each homered in the game for the Jags, and Mitchell finished with two RBI.

- Wire Reports

jAySon CuRRySports Editor

“I have been real

pleased with the effort

level with the people on

the team. We have been

working really hard and

getting better.”

PATRiCk hERRinGSports Reporter

vol. 50, no. 12 / Apr. 9, 201210

uSA’s Daniel Leitner takes a shot during a matchBrAD pUckeTT

Greg Hollinger ‏ @LeonG_10- gucci, flocka, future, and 2chains on one track! i might wreck from being too crunk.

TreyFetner™ ‏ @Tfet16- Attention all high school students: stay there, you do not realize now how great you have it! Stay as long as you can- Billy Madison voice.

CJ Bennett ‏ @_MrOneFive_- Just fin-ished my post spring meetings feeling motivated. Got a lot of work ahead but I can’t wait till #jagnation shocks the world this year.

Phillip Wyatt ‏ @DoctorFill1-Every time I set my alarm earlier than 7, I die on the inside.

Kristyn Thacker ‏ @BabyGoT_Thack- put the rest of my pint of ice cream in the freezer? that would include getting up.. #justatethewholething #goodthin-gweworkedout.

Drewski ︻╦╤─ ‏ @DrewDearman- Making moves on the online Master’s site. Switching cameras like a producer.

CJ Bennett ‏ @_MrOneFive_- I promise these girls will post any picture as long as they look good! The friends look like they got beat up but that don’t stop em lol.

Chris May ‏ @May_Day55- Honestly how many thing could the F in Weezy F baby stand for lil Wayne?

Bj Scott ‏ @Bj_Scott_1- Warren Sapp declares bankruptcy & lists his 240 pairs of Air Jordans as assets. SMH, if you’re going to lose it all, don’t lose your shoes!

Drewski ︻╦╤─ ‏ @DrewDearman- An-nouncer just made a Happy Gilmore reference, welcome to the first round of the #Masters

Logan Kirkland ‏ @Captain_Kirk2- “Some people play this game cuz they’re good at it.. And some of us play cuz we ABSOLUTELY love it” #Dirt-Clods @CoachZUSA

Olivia Mohler ‏ @Olivia_Mohler12- Al-abama football team was just escorted by the police to practice... Is this real life?? Get over yourself!

Tennis defeats Troy, moves to (14-5)

The South Alabama men’s tennis team defeated Sun Belt Confer-

ence foe Troy 7-0 at home on Thursday. The Jaguars (14-5) came into the match ranked number at No. 63 in the nation, and they proved worthy of the distinction. After sweeping the doubles point, South Alabama held off Troy (4-15) in some tight singles matches to move to 5-0 in their fi-nal game at the Bruce David Lubel Memo-rial Tennis Courts.

South Alabama won doubles matches at numbers one, two, and three, 8-3, 8-4, and 8-5 respectively.

Coach Nick Brochu was pleased with the doubles matches after moving some guys around.

“We were trying some new combina-tions in doubles today,” Brochu said. “Some of the guys had never played to-gether, and I think that worked out pretty good.”

Senior Romain Bocaert earned two victories after he won in straight sets at number one.

At number three, junior Alex Bernard put the Jaguars on the board quickly, defeating Troy’s Jamie Eccleton 6-2 and 6-0.

“I told the guys if you have an easy match, get us on the board early,” Brochu said. “Alex Bernard won very easily; he didn’t waste time on the court.”

The Jaguars travel to play the Univer-sity of Alabama at Birmingham this Fri-day at 4 p.m. Then on Saturday they will play the University of Memphis at a neu-tral site in Birmingham at 10 a.m. in their final game before the conference tourna-ment starts in Denton, Tex. on Apr. 19.

Sun Belt Conference to add Georgia StatejAySon CuRRy

Sports Editor

The Sun Belt Conference and Geor-gia State are set to have a press

conference Monday to announce Georgia State joining the SBC in all sports.

Georgia State has competed in the Co-lonial Athletic Association for the past sev-en years and will be forced to compete as a transitional team in 2013 before becoming a full SBC member in 2014.

The transitional year will be similar to South Alabama’s football team as it transi-tioned into the Sun Belt.

New Sun Belt conference commission-er Karl Benson has been in discussions with multiple schools about joining the Sun Belt including Texas-San Antonio and Charlotte.

Benson is hoping to add another team to the Sun Belt in hopes of having a mini-mum of a 12 team conference to create conference championship games.

Monday’s press conference, held in At-lanta’s Georgia Dome, comes just in time for Georgia State to leave the CAA before the conference votes to change its exit fee from $250,000 to $1 million.

Georgia State will bring a big media market to the SBC as the university is set in the middle of downtown Atlanta. The school also brings in a large student popu-lation of 32,000 students.

Sun Belt commissioner karl Benson and the Sun Belt Presidents have voted to extend an offer to Georgia State to become a member of the conference.

vAngUArD illUSTrATion

11vol. 50, no. 12 / Apr. 9, 2012

There were several headlines to talk about for South Alabama’s

2012 baseball season. USA head coach Mark Calvi’s first year as head coach, the addition of the party decks in right field at USA’s Stanky field or the 23 new players on the roster.

One of those 23 new players is pitcher Dillon Buhrkuhl.

What most USA baseball fans know about Buhrkuhl is that he is a sophomore from Tyler Junior College in Texas who was given the chance to contribute right away in the Jag’s rotation.

What fans don’t know is how he got here.

It all started his sophomore year of high school.

“I was pitching in the state semi-final game,” Buhrkuhl said, “and I started getting real weak; I didn’t know what was going on.”

Buhrkuhl went to the hospital a few days later with a high fever and was in an enormous amount of pain. Doctors were unsure of the problem, so they held him overnight for observation. He was then awakened in the middle of the night.

“They woke me up in the middle of the night and had to care flight

jT CRABTREESports reporter

uSA baseball player Dillon Buhrkuhl throws a pitch during a game for the jaguars ScoTT DonAlDSon

USA’s Buhrkuhl lucky to be alive

\

me to Dallas, about two hours away,” remembered the pitcher. “They told me if I didn’t make it there in the next few hours I would die.”

Buhrkuhl had a virus that caused all of his organs to shut down. His heart became so swollen that it was three times it’s normal size and his lungs filled with fluid. His kidneys shut down, and his muscles began to deteriorate.

It was a grim outlook for the young man.

It got worse. “I went into cardiac arrest and then

into a coma. I was in a coma for a week.” Then the unimaginable happened.

Even the unexplainable. “I woke up a week later, and it all

went away,” Buhrkuhl said. “They told me I may never fully recover.”

But he did. And his recovery became more amazing after doctors told him he was only the third person in the world to have the virus.

He was the first to live through it. The virus has no name. And doctors

don’t know what causes it, or why it stopped attacking Dillon. There is even a possibility it could come back.

But for now, Dillon is happy to be at South playing for Coach Calvi, who recruited him in high school while at South Carolina.

We, too, are happy he can take the mound wearing a Jaguar uniform.

vol. 50, no. 12 / Apr. 9, 201212

Opinion

TheEditorialBoard

Editor in Chief Associate EditorSenior reporter Life Editor Sports Editor

Cassie Fambro >Aaron Etheredge >

Matt Weaver >Bailey hammond >

jayson Curry >

Vanguard

ViewpointA stAff editioriAl

Find us on Facebook!Search “The Vanguard USA”

Need a public outlet for your opinions?Email editor.in.chief@usavanguard.com

Sometimes, it’s about more than the job

8 percent is pathetic

JagPulseI truly gathered a lot of

information from the an-swers and was able to com-pile a logical decision on my vote based on facts and not chalk on a sidewalk, a free muffin, sheet sign or a Facebook event. So thank you, Vanguard for provid-ing this.

-Daniel Moran

The most dangerous voter is an uninformed voter. Become informed: Cassie Fambro and her team at The Vanguard-USA’s Student Newspaper put together an amaz-ing newspaper this week showcasing our SGA can-didates and positions.

-Stephen Purnell

Loved The Vanguard this week! All that hard work and time was defi-nitely worth it! Great idea on adding in the campaign info for the SGA elections! There is definitely no ex-cuse for not knowing any of the candidates plat-forms.

-Tara Gebhard

What did you think of our SGA coverage?

The SGA candidate forum is never boring, which is why it’s confusing

to see the audience not consist of those who need to be there.

Senators, past senators, student lead-ers and other already informed people come to things like this to get even more informed.

It’s like the smart kids with straight A’s that still go to the tutoring sessions for extra credit.

Do they need it? No. But they care.The mantra is repeated over and over

again from the time Dr. Stearns takes the podium in the Mitchell Center at orienta-tion and tells you to take off your Auburn and Alabama gear and embrace being a Jaguar at USA.

Get involved.Over and over again, people complain

about what’s going on with student fees, tuition, lights, plants, bicycles and pizza.

In order to create effective change, 92 percent of the student body seems to think sitting on their hands is the solu-tion.

Well, tally-oh.Sitting on your hands seems brilliant.Where we come from, working usually

gets you somewhere a whole lot quicker. As President Moulton once said at a fac-ulty appreciation event, “Get down in the dirt and work.”

Don’t sit back with clean hands and blame the people who tried to grow the garden.

Get in there, participate and get your hands dirty. Otherwise, shut up.

It’s immature and cowardly to sit back and say that because you didn’t vote, you aren’t responsible. Nationally, locally or here at school.

You not voting is committing an act.It is committing the act of doing noth-

ing at all. It doesn’t make you superior.It makes you dispassionate, and ill-

educated. If you want more control over half a

million dollars, all you have to do is take five minutes and vote.

Then hold them accountable. Step up, USA, instead of sitting back.

Cassie FamboEditor-in-Chief

I became Edi-tor of The

Vanguard in May of 2011, and since then, my life has dramati-cally changed.

This job isn’t just a job to me, it’s what’s kept me in school and standing upright.

My best friend moved to a foreign country over the sum-mer, and I wasn’t sure how I’d cope with losing him. I decided to focus on the paper.

All of my mentors graduated, the for-mer editors of the paper Daniela, Matthew and Alex. I walked into new computers, new software and took on a new era as edi-tor beginning in May.

I began my senior year with a goal, to graduate. What I found instead was that I needed to change my perspective. I learned who I was. I am a journalist.

In December, I officially made the de-cision to double major in communications and psychology.

It took me four years to learn that be-ing a psychologist wasn’t my future. The meetings, interviews, articles and people I have met over the past year have been what truly helped me find my real calling.

I knew in second grade I wanted to write.

Now, I know how.After deciding to double major, I lost

my mom in January. I share that with readers not for pity or sympathy. She held

on as long as she could. She always would say she wanted to make sure that she knew we were going to be okay.

Weeks before her death, I told her that I was going to be a writer. I was afraid she might worry about how much money I would make or what kind of future I would have after spending so much time taking psychology classes.

She smiled. She was a writer too. She knew that’s what would make my soul hap-py, and she knew I’d be okay.

She wasn’t worried about money or classes, and I knew better than to ever be afraid of that.

She taught me that people matter more than currency, and moments matter more than hours on the clock.

My mother taught me to stay true to my heart and stick to my guns.

All of my life, I’ve followed my heart and kept my pistols loaded.

Losing my mother this year challenged me as both a person and a student.

If it wasn’t for The Vanguard, I am not sure if I would have stayed in school this semester.

Two days after she passed away, I had to get up and put an issue out.

I got up. I drove to Mobile. I did my job.Sometimes, going through the motions

helps you get back on your feet.Over spring break, I broke two verte-

brae in my back in a car accident.A week later, I got up, I drove to Mobile,

I did my job.School seems secondary when so much

is going on, and it’s easy to let a class as-

signments fall to the wayside. I’ve been lucky to have understanding professors and be able to catch up when I’ve slipped behind.

But I’m still here.I finally felt like I was 100 percent last

week when I went to the SGA candidate fo-rum and Dr. Mike Mitchell congratulated me on a great SGA election coverage issue.

I knew my staff had it within them to produce that beast of a newspaper in a weekend and to make it as great as it was.

Being the leader of the ink is a great responsibility, and one that I do not take lightly.

My staff is composed of a wide-range of people, and each one of them brings a dif-ferent gift to the table.

Bailey’s heart in life, Jayson’s humor in Sports, and Aaron’s wit in horoscopes all make up pieces of The Vanguard puzzle.

We spend hours in our office together, Carey copy-editing, Matt and Patrick writ-ing, Wesley getting ads and Naquita work-ing with technology. Ms. Kathy slaves away doing everything behind the scenes, and Dr. Aucoin is our Dumbledore of wisdom and guidance.

I wish everyone could have the college experience I have had with how involved I am and how much I have and still learn.

I have a role here, not a job.I tell stories to the best of my ability that

pertain to USA, and I love what I do.I found myself by throwing myself into

the fire that is The Vanguard, and in the most strenuous year of my life, I couldn’t have been anywhere better than here.

SGA senator takes driving safely, seriously

We’ve all been in

that position: some-one cuts us off in traffic, we say a few expletives, maybe make an obscene gesture.

It seems every-one out on the road today is a reckless

idiot, (except for you and me, of course). We don’t always think about what we

are doing on the road and how our ac-tions at one point may mean the differ-ence between life and death just a few seconds ahead.

Driving is inherently dangerous. Add a cell phone, Big Mac, 20 mph over the speed limit, inches behind the car in front of you, and you’re just asking for disaster.

Since the semester began, I have seen an unusually high number of prevent-able accidents caused by distracted or reckless drivers. Note that one or more factors may be related to the cause of an accident.

Among the most dangerous of the long list of common problems, distractions at

By STEPhEn PuRnELLContributing Writer

the wheel seem to be most common. According to a report released by the

AAA Traffic Safety Programs, “Nearly 80 percent of collisions involve some form of driver inattention (distraction, fatigue or looking away).”

Because of high pedestrian volume and the curvy na-ture of the roads on campus, driv-ers must remain 100 percent fo-cused on the road.

The University has implement-ed speed limits, speed bumps, warning signs, and road mark-ings to increase driver awareness (hit one of those speed bumps at 35 mph, and it will probably knock your teeth out).

Pedestrian safety is the responsibility of both parties, though.

While driving on campus, I have had people blindly step in front of me, eyes glued to the cell phone. Had I been dis-tracted by my cell phone too, the out-come would’ve been a lot worse than screeching tires.

The law states that pedestrians have

the right-of-way; however, common sense dictates that if a vehicle is ap-proaching too fast to stop for you, let it pass, then cross.

The rule that our parents pounded into our head of “look both ways before crossing the road” doesn’t end when we

get to college!Secondly, speed-

ing is a very danger-ous issue that is an all too common practice. We have all been late to class, but that does not give you an excuse to put the lives of other

people in danger, ever.

In a study by the Insur-ance Institute of Highway Safety, excessive speed was cited as a factor in over 30

percent of fatal accidents. There is no justification for speeding and intimidat-ing others to speed (especially while on campus).

Following too close, or tailgating, is a common intimidation tactic that ac-counts for over one-third of auto acci-dents.

Again, being late or in a hurry is abso-lutely no excuse for riding too close be-hind someone. As your speed increases, your reaction time and stopping distance decreases. The less distance you give yourself, the greater your chances for causing an accident.

We are constantly reminded of the ac-tions of careless individuals driving one-ton death machines, especially in the evening news.

Last Sunday, an 8-year-old boy in Theodore was hit by a driver, where wit-nesses “noticed her hand on the steering wheel and her phone up.”

The driver then took off, and was lat-er pulled over by police and issued two citations. Need I bring up the eight-car pileup that occurred in the Humanities parking lot last month?

While texting and driving wasn’t of-ficially cited, police believed “‘excessive speed was involved in the accident”.

As a senator on the SGA, I take the safety of those I serve extremely seri-ously.

So far, we have been lucky that no one has yet to be severely injured or killed by a dangerous driver while on campus. Do not become a statistic! It is up to all of us, drivers, pedestrians, cyclists and anyone that moves, to ensure that this does not change.

“80 percent of collisions involve some form

of driver inattention (distraction, fatigue or

looking away.”

– AAAReport

The University of South Alabama needs benches, chairs, stools, any-

thing actually. Just somewhere for the students to sit down and get some fresh air and not feel like their great grandfa-ther was the stone mason who laid the brick for the cement seat they’re sitting on.

It’s surprising that with all the con-struction, renovation and landscaping go-ing on, that USA has neglected this cheap-er avenue for campus improvement.

Rather than spend millions of dollars on new buildings, spend $2,000 buying 40 benches.

A new set of aluminum benches placed on the sides of a walkway is certainly an appealing sight. For some potential stu-dents, that extra campus flair of “three benches here” and “two benches there” might be the thing that makes our won-derful campus pop out in their mind when they start finalizing their college choices.

What could say, “Welcome to the Uni-versity of South Alabama, we’re a friendly campus,” more than seeing students out-side on benches socializing and enjoying themselves?

It’s horrible to see the absence of benches in some places where there re-ally should be seats available. Take Stokes Hall for example, South Alabama’s jewel for dorm life, and just analyze it. Here is this brand new, four-story dorm that has a wonderfully furnished lobby.

The dorm is surrounded by trees, flow-erbeds, and bushes that were brought in on trucks just to give that extra finesse to Stokes.

Of course, when someone finishes class for the day and decides to go outside to re-view the material their professor covered, they’re disappointed greatly when they have to walk across the road and stare at the nasty, dark brown Delta Dorms.

Why waste all that money on a dorm if no one can enjoy the view at their leisure?

Of course, there are places to rest our feet on campus, but they’re highly incon-

venient for some students. Since there are so few places available, there is always the risk of sharing a bench with that chain smoker that’s sitting downwind, making it harder to study.

Or perhaps it’s because of the ob-noxious crowd of people that drown out your music with their loud shouts and conversations. Ignoring those two things, most benches look like they’ve been there for years upon years and just look nasty.

The only place that’s suited for sitting is in front of the Mitchell Center, and it looks wonderful. With the right resources, the entire campus could look like this.

As the campus continues to expand and grow, one can only hope that there will come a day when benches line the edges of every sidewalk and walkway at the University of South Alabama, and no student will ever go without a bench ever again.

Students Deborah Crabtree, Bailey hammond, and Brandon Cat-en sit on a bench located by the intramural fields.

lAUren geSSner / conTriBUTing phoTogrApher

Keep it simple, South needs more places to sitBy AARon EThEREDGE

Associate Editor

13Opinion

vol. 50, no. 12 / Apr. 9, 2012

Stephen PurnellSGA Senator

vol. 50, no. 12 / Apr. 9, 201214

15vol. 50, no. 12 / Apr. 9, 2012

WeeklyQuotable

QuoteThe weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of

the strong.

~Mahatma Gandhi

Distractions

Picture of the Week

For Student Health appointments, please call 460-7151For Counseling and Testing, please call 460-7051

Aries: 3/21 - 4/19The reason the Easter Bunny didn’t leave you anything is because you neighbors caught him, skinned him and cooked him for their Easter Dinner. Better luck next year when Santa Clause fi lls in for him.

Taurus: 4/20 – 5/20Next week, to avoid yet another car acci-dent on Friday the 13, you will need to em-ploy the services of a co-worker to drive you to an important event. Gemini: 5/21 – 6/21In a faux pas by National Geographic’s Nud-ist edition, you will wake up on Wednesday to hundreds of naked men and women at your front door asking about employment opportunities.

Cancer: 6/22 – 7/22Buffalo Wild Wings has 50 cent wings every Tuesday and Thursday. This does not relate to your real horoscope at all.

Leo: 7/23 – 8/22The Vanguard knows what you did last summer. We will be publishing it next week on the front page. It will be embarrassing to you, but funny to everyone else.

Virgo: 8/23 – 9/22Watch out Trolls. And no, not your ex-girl-friend. Avoid bridges, swamps and Target. These places have high Troll activity.

Libra: 9/23 – 10/22Avoid McDonald’s this week. They will be unnaturally slow because of the fact that Friday the 13 is this week. It’s just bad mojo.

Scorpio: 10/23 – 11/21The government will come knocking on your apartment door this week on a charge that you’re a terrorist because of all the anti-terrorism material you searched for on the Internet. It sucks, because you’re actu-ally patriotic and were just looking for ways to help out.

Sagittarius: 11/22 – 12/21It’s been documented by several univer-sities that if you are a male and you wear jeans that are short pants, you probably suffer from diseases such as “I love the 80’s music,” “I think that scooters are cool,” and “I rear-end people while trolling Facebook on my phone.” None of which are treatable.

Capricorn: 12/22 – 1/19Go to the fl ea market and buy some sort of animal. I would suggest a goat. Or perhaps a small child? Avoid buying from the back of the middle aisle. They’re usually sickly.

Aquarius: 1/20 – 2/18You recently had to place all the SGA ques-tionnaires that were submitted to you into last week’s Vanguard issue. Of the candi-dates, 50 percent of them can’t follow direc-tions and write the question out. The other 50 percent couldn’t follow the word count regulations.

Pisces: 2/19 – 3/20Watch out for the JagTran. In an effort to go green, all drivers have been told to not yield to pedestrians because it burns too much gas to slow down and then speed back up. Also, please know that the JagTran will no longer stop at pickup locations; they will now just start slowing down and making you jump off.

HOROsCOPEs

Student health u d o k u

The Bear Den of Cub Scout Pack 17 en-joyed a day of Cub Mobile Derby Racing at the University of South Alabama. Pack 17 is chartered by Christ United Methodist Church in West Mobile. Bear Den leader, Danielle Jackson is also an employee of the University. Thirteen Bear Cubs partici-pated in the event. First place winner was Kaleb Bradley, second place went to Mat-thew Winterstein and third place fi nisher was Daniel Forbes. Congratulations to the all of the cubs for building and racing their cars! Danielle Jackson would like to thank the University for providing excellent police protection during the race.

Courtesy of Catherine Danielle JacksonFor Matt Anderson, #TeamCrossword

16vol. 50, no. 12 / Apr. 9, 2012