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University Press

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February 21, 2012Vol. 13 Issue 21

Florida Atlantic University’s finest news source

upressonline.com

What if the SG President couldn’t deny bills?

Find out why the student population doesn’t vote.

How to take FAU’s sports hall of fame to the next level.

PG. 4 PG. 8 PG. 20

LEADTHE WAY

The Student Government elections are on Feb. 28 and 29 and all three presidential candidates think they have what it takes to be your leaders.

PG. 12

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3Feb. 21. 2012upressonline.com

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Mariam Aldhahi

MANAGING EDITOR Ryan Cortes

ART DIRECTORPhaedra Blaize

WEB EDITORAndrew Alvino

BUSINESS MANAGERMichae Henry

COPY DESK CHIEF Michael Chandeck

NEWS EDITOR Regina Kaza

CRIME EDITOR Monica Ruiz

FEATURES EDITORCarolina Fernandez

PHOTO EDITOR Charles Pratt

SPORTS EDITORRolando Rosa

SENIOR EDITORSRachel ChapnickGideon Grudo

SENIOR REPORTERSKarla BowsherSergio Candido

SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHERChristine Capozziello

STAFF REPORTERSDylan BouscherJordan Robrish

STAFF DESIGNERElena Medina

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERMelissa Landolfa

COPY EDITORJessica Cohn-KleinbergCONTRIBUTORS

Jessica Calaway, Wadreama King, Woody Othello, Amanda Rubio

ADVISERSMichael KoretzKy

Dan Sweeney

COVERIllustrations by Woody Othello, Photos by

Charles Pratt

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February 21, 2012

FeaturesNews

Letter from the editor

SportsStudents running for president and vice president of Student Government will be holding debates at 11 a.m. on Feb. 20 in the Grand Palm room in the Student Union. The presidential and vice presidential candidates will introduce themselves to students, tell them why they’re running for their positions and inform students how they can vote. Candidates will debate on issues like improving FAU traditions and student involvement.

Two administrators talked for two hours Monday

morning about the mostly nude photo of a student — and talk is all they did.

Terry Mena, associate dean of students, and Michael Gaede, director

of student media, knew the picture would be a problem only after the subject of the photo claimed that OwlTV Station Manager AJ Jordat violated her privacy.

The 20-year-old female student, who wanted to stay anonymous, wants the photo to disappear and her story to be heard. Jordat posted the photo as an official FAU OwlTV tweet on Feb. 16. It shows a woman’s body, shoulders down, wearing nothing but a bra and panties. The accompanying tweet: “These ‘Spanish girls love me like I’m on Twitter’ — she didn’t get the memo that sexting is dangerous; at least no face.”

So what did these two men do when they got an email from the girl on Feb. 18, claiming that Jordat “violated her privacy and abused his position”? Well, they discussed policy and censorship. In short, political nonsense. They didn’t talk about the girl, but about the institution.

In the email, the woman tells her side of the story and details how she came to send the photo: “On Wednesday (2/15) evening, he told me he wanted to make me a ‘Hooter Hottie of the

Week.’ He said I’d have to come in and audition. I didn’t want to, and asked if I could just send him a photo. He said I could, and promised he’d be the only one to see it.”

Jordat defended his actions and used it as a selling point for “Sex & the University,” an upcoming OwlTV show.

“That’s the danger of sexting,” he explained. A tweet posted by OwlTV soon after the photo was posted read, “We seemed to have shocked our followers with that last Tweet... But that was the point. “Sex & The University” COMING SOON!!”

So, in hopes of talking to someone who is as disturbed by the incident as I am, I turned to Gaede. No luck. As sometimes happens when talking to administrators, I was fed a lot of talk about new policies and “implementing guidelines to assure this doesn’t happen again,” as Gaede put it.

I was met with similar feedback when speaking to Mena. Talks of guidelines and becoming a more “traditional” student media office took our conversation in directions that helped to avoid the point.

This was no longer a discussion about a young woman who felt humiliated, this became an issue of university policy. I had been looking for some sort of regret and that’s the one thing I didn’t find. Their university appointed positions aside, Jordat and the administrators still showed no remorse.

The real problem is not one that can be solved

with a series bureaucratic ramblings and the induction of even more rules and guidelines. The real problem is that this situation was handled solely by men. The station manager of OwlTV? A man. The director of student media? A man. The associate dean of students? A man. As a result, the woman who felt betrayed was left in the dust while codes of conduct took the spotlight.

“This says something about the male dominance of leadership,” explained Gaede. Jordat didn’t consider how the young woman would be affected. The men involved in the situation let their positions get the best of them.

As the editor-in-chief of the UP, I commend the Office of Student Media for allowing a news outlet to practice free speech. As a woman, though, this is a problem that should have been addressed without getting distracted by university policy.

The photo should have never been posted online and you don’t need to be a “student media leader” to understand that. The photo became the problem. The woman in the photo? She’s no longer a factor. How she felt when she realized her body was being used as a gimmick didn’t matter anymore — it never really did.

Now, we’re left with a woman who feels completely violated and the only thing that matters to the men involved is how new policies and provisions will help “move student media forward.”

All of this when, really, someone should have just sat him down and said, AJ, stop being a scumbag.

The theatre department is presenting a comedy by David Lindsay-Abaire, called “Wonders of the World,” from Friday, Feb. 17 through Sunday, Feb. 26 at the Studio One Theatre in the Performing Arts Building on the Boca campus. The play tells the story of an unhappy girl named Cass who leaves her home and husband to find a better life. Tickets are $20 for the public, $12 for FAU students, and $16 for faculty and staff. Tickets can be bought at www.fauevents.com or by calling 800-564-9539.

FAU baseball made history over the weekend, becoming the first non-conference opponent to sweep Alabama at home. The Owls won the three game series by a combined total of 23-8. Senior outfielder Alex Hudak drilled two home runs in the final game. FAU plays a four game series at home against Manhattan beginning on Feb. 24.

Opinion

Sex & The University

By Mariam [email protected]

Student leader promotes OwlTV show with nearly nude photo of a student

4 Feb. 21, 2012

By Dylan [email protected]

The Student Government president’s job could get easier. He may not have to look at House

bills anymore.The Boca House of Representatives

wants to change the SG Constitution so the president has no say over the bills they write. Right now, the constitution grants the president the power to pass or veto legislation from the campus Houses and university-wide Senate. In the past, President Ayden Maher vetoed bills about parking, pot and sexual orientation.

Now Boca House Speaker Boris Bastidas is showing the House how to change the constitution so the president can’t veto their bills anymore. “If certain executives are not going to do their jobs and if we’re looking for something to do, maybe this is something to do,” Bastidas said to the other representatives at a BHOR meeting.

“There is some big time discussion, a lot of people think the president should not have veto power over the campus Houses.” Bastidas never said who else was discussing this.

Jupiter House speaker, Amrita Gopaldas, said, “Even though the student body president is mainly on the Boca campus, his role is to represent and serve all campuses. So I think he should be able to veto legislation from the MacArthur House.”

“I feel that it is a misallocation of their time and energy. Part of keeping the university-wide feeling [in SG] is having the relationship between the president and the Houses,” Maher said about the Boca House’s new idea.

Last August, Maher vetoed four poll questions the Boca House passed that would have asked students for their views on issues such as discrimination against sexual orientation, FAU’s marijuana policy, parking and traffic and course registration crashes.

Maher vetoed the poll questions because he felt each bill asked a question the university-wide Senate should address. The poll questions, and a bill to pay for Lambda United and the Resident Student Association to go to Halloween Horror Nights were the only bills Maher vetoed

in the last year. The poll questions were written and sponsored by Bastidas.

When the same poll questions were written into Senate bills, however, Maher still vetoed two questions related to sexual orientation and course registration servers.

“Maybe there is some spite between certain people, because of the vetoes,” Bastidas said, referring to Maher killing the poll questions.

To make these changes the Constitution Revision Commission has to meet. The CRC is a group of students and faculty that review changes to the constitution. Bastidas showed other representatives they could take away Maher’s veto power without a CRC meeting. As it stands, all bills passed by a campus House or the university-wide Senate have to be signed by the president, the campus governor and the vice president of Student Affairs.

SG Vice President Robert Huffman, who is also a presidential candidate, said, “If my veto power were taken away, I wouldn’t be too upset. There are not a lot of instances where the president has to veto bills.”

Current Broward Gov. Helen Pferdehirt is running against Huffman in the upcoming election. Pferdehirt said, “As far as I understand, it’s an issue within the Boca House, and the Broward House and Jupiter House don’t share those feelings.”

Pferdehirt added the House is more than capable of taking away the president’s veto power. “The House has the right to raise any issue they want, and if they can get it done, more power to them.”

Whether the president’s veto power is taken away or not, all bills still have to be signed or vetoed by the non-elected vice president of Student Affairs, Dr. Charles Brown.

Boca House of Representatives wants the president to have no power over them

plays

P R ES I D EN T M A H E R :“I feel that it is a misallocation of their time and energy.”

H O U S E S P E A K E R S

Bastidas: “A lot of people think the

president should not have veto power over

the campus Houses.”

Gopaldas: “I think he should be able to veto

legislation from the MacArthur House.”

Power

P R ES I D EN T I A L C A N D I D AT ESPferdehirt: “The House has the right to raise any issue

they want, and if they can get it done, more power to

them.Huffman: “If my veto power were taken away, I wouldn’t

be too upset. There are not a lot of instances where the

president has to veto bills.”

News

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By Regina [email protected]

Students pay the elections board chair $8,100 to try and get

them to vote in the Student Government elections, and over the past three years none of them have been doing their job.

Out of almost 30,000 students, only 2,000 voted

for SG president and vice president in the past three years. New Elections Board Chair Kevin Varela thinks candidate interviews on Owl Radio and Owl TV, along with banners hanging in the Breezeway will do the trick and raise the voter turn out. That’s not likely to happen.

His salary comes out of A&S fees that are included in students’ tuition. Even though everything in SG from the president and VP’s salaries to Homecoming is funded by students’ tuition, they just don’t seem to care about voting.

FAU students don’t even have to get out of bed to vote for their SG leaders. All they need to do to vote on Feb. 28 and 29 is log onto www.myfau.fau.edu, click the “vote” tab, and make their choice. “The online voting saves a lot of paper, saves a lot of time, and it’s easy,” Varela said. “I used to be in that category of people who were too lazy to vote, but all it takes is two seconds.”

Varela had six weeks to prepare for the spring election when he got the job in January. Since then he asked Owl TV and Owl Radio to get on board by interviewing the candidates and they agreed. Varela planned to have a meet and greet for students before the debate on Feb. 20 in the Grand Palm Room in the Boca campus Student Union. Varela will also make a banner counting down the election to hang up in the Breezeway.

Owl TV will upload interviews of the candidates on their YouTube and Facebook pages. The issue with this is that, according to Station Manager AJ Jordat, Owl TV’s YouTube and Facebook videos only get about 200 views, while election interviews get 400-500 views. But there are

29,000 students at FAU that can vote.Owl Radio interviewed the candidates in their

studio on Friday, Feb. 10 and broadcasted the talks live in the Breezeway. Most of those listeners are walking to and from class and not stopping to tune in to who their next SG president and VP might be. Since Owl Radio does not have a local frequency station, the Breezeway is their main source of listeners, which is not enough to convince students.

“All I want to see is for the candidates to show their faces and who they are. I want to see them leave a good impression and actually go out to the students and ask what they can do to help us FAU students,” Dwayne Robinson, sophomore education major, said.

If students still feel this way, maybe it’s time for the elections board chair to think of some new ways to target voters by doing more than just hanging up a banner in the Breezeway or posting videos on Facebook. Besides, students are paying him for this anyway. Alejandra Parada contributed to the reporting of this story.

Count the vote

Opinion

New Elections Board Chair Kevin Varela is using Student Media to promote the SG elections on Feb. 28 and 29. Photo by Charles Pratt

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Although they say they’re the underdogs in this election, McIntosh and Howell might be the key to getting students jobs after graduation.

As SG president and VP, McIntosh and Howell hope to bring their outside work experience to the students, and help make sure they leave college with more than just a really expensive piece of paper.

After serving in the Navy for six years, McIntosh worked for several corporations, such as Wachovia, where he became a manager in less than six months. Howell also returned to get a degree in management after working at AFCO Constructors Inc., a construction company less than a mile from the Boca campus. McIntosh returned to FAU this year to pursue his interest in finance and make some changes to the school by running for president along the way.

McIntosh’s enthusiasm for the school is what made Howell run as his VP. “I like Elrigea, he has some great ideas and incredible passion,” Howell said. “That’s one of the main reasons I wanted to run as his vice president.”

McIntosh and Howell’s main goal is to get companies who hire FAU students for unpaid internships to reinvest in the school. “We’re a world of give and take,” McIntosh said. “If we can work with the private sectors, where they can donate X amount of donations, give internships, it will balance out in the books.”

He and Howell also think companies donating to the school will keep FAU from raising its tuition. But if that doesn’t work, they have a back up plan. “Tuition, that’s decided on a state level and we have some connections with some state senators and we hope to use those,” Howell said. He refused to mention the names of the senators.

McIntosh will need to meet with businesses and look into how they can team up with FAU. “How will that work? I wouldn’t know until I sit down with those businesses. There has to be a meeting of the minds and shaking of the hands,” he said.

Besides getting students jobs, these guys also want to make students’ time at FAU more enjoyable. This means tackling issues, like fixing the leaky breezeway and getting more shuttles on campus to ease up parking. Enforcing a skateboard ban in the Breezeway is also one of their main goals.

“There are too many clubs and people trying to relax for people to be skateboarding down that,” McIntosh said. “It’s really dangerous and you

can really hurt some one.” He plans to enforce this by giving students tickets, fines or having them ushered off the Breezeway for skateboarding or biking.

McIntosh and Howell will also be tabling in the Breezeway, getting to know students, and telling them how to vote a few weeks before the election. “One student, one vote, one handshake. That’s what our campaign is built on,” Mcintosh said. “I’m aware we’re the underdog. We’re running against the current VP and the young lady is a very active [sorority sister],” he said referring to presidential candidates Robert Huffman and April Turner.

Underdogs or not, McIntosh and Howell hope their experience in the workplace will help secure students’ futures with jobs and make FAU a better place while they’re here. “I really want this,” Howell said. “We want to win bad. I believe we can really make a difference.” LEAD

THE WAY

&ELRIGEA MCINTOSHJONATHAN HOWELL

Elrigea McIntoshAge: 37Major: International Business and Finance.•Served in the U.S. Navy for six

years.•Worked at several corporations

including Wachovia.

As governors on the Broward and Boca campuses, Helen Pferdehirt and Ryan Ebanks knows there are others at FAU who aren’t the typical four-year student, which is what they think gives them the

edge no other candidate has. “We have more experience, period,” Ebanks said, who has served

as treasurer for two years and is currently the Boca governor and running for vice president. Pferdehirt has worked with both the Boca and Broward Program Board in the past. She is currently the Broward Governor and is running for SG president. This experience is what helps her “understand the students that aren’t the majority,” a skill she thinks none of the other candidates have.

Pferdehirt and Ebanks plan to improve FAU by getting to know the students on different campuses and creating a research journal in which students can publish their research

The research journal will help undergraduate students with average GPAs publish their work and help them get into graduate schools. “While they do maintain good grades, it’s not good enough,” Ebanks said. “It doesn’t make them as marketable.”

He hopes that working with professors to publish this research will give students more professional experience and help them get jobs. “These professors can network the students outwards to several different avenues and I can say that because I’m one of those students,” Ebanks said.

Pferdehirt’s main goal as president is to make SG more visible, and let students know who represents them. She plans to do this by visiting FAU’s seven campuses and introducing herself and Ebanks so that students can come to them with their issues.

“Right now, if you go to any of the other branch campuses, they’re not as aware of what goes on in Student Government unless they’re involved,” Pferdehirt said. “Students can see faces and at least have some sort of recognition of who it is that advocates for them, even though we might not be able to get there all the time.”

Pferdehirt and Ebanks also plan on clarifying SG statutes and laws so that there is no controversy when different campus statutes don’t agree. Their experience as governors in the legislative branch will help them fix these problems. “Laws are always being changed, everything needs improving, it’s not specifically anything. But things need to be clarified a lot more,” Ebanks said.

As president, Pferdehirt said she will fight for Greek housing on campus, but doesn’t think that FAU should become a traditional university. “We pride ourselves on being an untraditional university but at the same time we do want some of those traditional things,” Pferdehirt said. Since FAU spans over seven campuses, Pferdehirt doesn’t think it’s possible for the school to become a traditional campus such as University of Florida or Florida State.

“I don’t think we will ever become one of those traditional universities but we can definitely take our uniqueness and make that our tradition.”

Jonathan HowellAge: 29Major: Management Entrepreneurship and Finance•Worked at AFCO

Constructors Inc.

News


Whether it’s passing on spirit traditions at football games, or trying to get students to stay at FAU for more than two years, Huffman and Turner are all about getting

students involved. They hope that traditions like Owl Prowl and Rat’s Mouth

tailgating will help boost GPA and get students excited about going to FAU. “That’s something we’re going to keep forever,” Turner said about Rat’s Mouth. “That’s something that no one will ever forget.”

Huffman is a founding member of Delta Tau Delta’s FAU chapter and current SG vice president. Turner was Homecoming Queen and a member of the Boca House of Representatives. During their time at FAU, they have built relationships with administration, which will help them bring up student concerns. Huffman and Turner think that keeping a humble mindset will help them address issues that are most important to students.

“Keeping that mindset that you are still a student and you’re no greater than anyone else allows you to be approachable and actually really hear what the students want and relate to them,” Huffman said.

As VP, Turner wants to voice students’ frustrations about things like parking, higher tuition and the need for healthier food choices on campus. “I really want to put the ‘student’ back in ‘student government,’” Turner said. “And give them back that control that they feel like they’ve missed.”

Part of that control is telling students where their money is going within SG. Huffman hopes to make sure students know where their A&S fees are going. “More students should be aware of what they can do as a student here and that they can actually control where their money goes to,” Huffman said.

The duo want results fast and they plan to get those by being the middleman between student and administration. “We want things to get done now, not in six years,” Turner said.

Huffman and Turner think their positive attitudes and ability to work together will help them in these positions. “I think if you have two people who wake up every morning thinking about how great this university is and how great it can be every day then you’re going to get the most positive outcome that you can,” Turner said.

&ROBERT HUFFMAN APRIL TURNER

Robert HuffmanAge: 22Major: Business Administration and Marketing Management•Served as director of the Council

of Student Organizations (COSO)

•Founding member of Delta Tau Delta FAU chapter

•Current SG Vice President

AprilTurnerAge: 21Major: Exceptional Student Education•House Representative•Homecoming queen 2010•President of Alpha Delta

Pi and College Panhellenic Vice President of Programming

Six candidates are running for Student Government president and vice president with big plans on how to win over their fellow voters.By Regina KazaThe student body president gets free tuition, an exclusive parking spot, and a free cellphone. As students, though, we’re picking up the bill. So it only makes sense that the Student Government president and vice president are people worth paying for and will give the students what they need. Whether you’re fed up with parking, or sick of high tuition, these are the people that want to help. And with the elections only a week away, you might want to choose wisely. Here are the candidates that think they have what it takes to lead the way.

LEADTHE WAY

As governors on the Broward and Boca campuses, Helen Pferdehirt and Ryan Ebanks knows there are others at FAU who aren’t the typical four-year student, which is what they think gives them the

edge no other candidate has. “We have more experience, period,” Ebanks said, who has served

as treasurer for two years and is currently the Boca governor and running for vice president. Pferdehirt has worked with both the Boca and Broward Program Board in the past. She is currently the Broward Governor and is running for SG president. This experience is what helps her “understand the students that aren’t the majority,” a skill she thinks none of the other candidates have.

Pferdehirt and Ebanks plan to improve FAU by getting to know the students on different campuses and creating a research journal in which students can publish their research

The research journal will help undergraduate students with average GPAs publish their work and help them get into graduate schools. “While they do maintain good grades, it’s not good enough,” Ebanks said. “It doesn’t make them as marketable.”

He hopes that working with professors to publish this research will give students more professional experience and help them get jobs. “These professors can network the students outwards to several different avenues and I can say that because I’m one of those students,” Ebanks said.

Pferdehirt’s main goal as president is to make SG more visible, and let students know who represents them. She plans to do this by visiting FAU’s seven campuses and introducing herself and Ebanks so that students can come to them with their issues.

“Right now, if you go to any of the other branch campuses, they’re not as aware of what goes on in Student Government unless they’re involved,” Pferdehirt said. “Students can see faces and at least have some sort of recognition of who it is that advocates for them, even though we might not be able to get there all the time.”

Pferdehirt and Ebanks also plan on clarifying SG statutes and laws so that there is no controversy when different campus statutes don’t agree. Their experience as governors in the legislative branch will help them fix these problems. “Laws are always being changed, everything needs improving, it’s not specifically anything. But things need to be clarified a lot more,” Ebanks said.

As president, Pferdehirt said she will fight for Greek housing on campus, but doesn’t think that FAU should become a traditional university. “We pride ourselves on being an untraditional university but at the same time we do want some of those traditional things,” Pferdehirt said. Since FAU spans over seven campuses, Pferdehirt doesn’t think it’s possible for the school to become a traditional campus such as University of Florida or Florida State.

“I don’t think we will ever become one of those traditional universities but we can definitely take our uniqueness and make that our tradition.” &HELEN PFERDEHIRT

RYAN EBANKS

Helen PferdehirtAge: 21Major: English•Worked in the Broward

Program Board.•Volunteered in Boca

Program Board.•Broward Governor

Ryan EbanksAge: 26Major: Spanish•Served as SG

Treasurer for two years.

•Boca governor

All illustrations by Woody Othello. All photos by Charles PrattFor a breakdown of the campus governors, visit upressonline.com.


Back in 1978, “Nippy” was the only name by which FAU professor Michael Zager knew

her. He didn’t know then, couldn’t know then, that the shy, church-singing, 14-year old girl would become multi-platinum icon Whitney Houston.

As the world reflects on the life of the late legend, Zager sits in his office — Room 111 of the Arts and Humanities Building — remembering the moment he first met her and the opportunity he gave her to record her first professional solo track, “Life’s a Party.”

Zager is now the director of FAU’s commercial music degree program and the university’s record label, Hoot/Wisdom Recordings; something he founded in 2002. He has written, arranged and produced music for television commercials and major motion pictures, and worked with an array of famous artists, from Luther Vandross to 50 Cent.

But the highlight of his career, arguably, was the moment he took a chance on a young, quiet teenager who, according to him, didn’t speak unless spoken to.

It all happened in a 1978 New York City recording studio. Zager had worked closely with Cissy Houston, Whitney’s mother and a two-time Grammy award winner, as the producer of several of her albums in the 1970s. On the night before they were scheduled to record background vocals for one of Cissy’s songs, one of the singers couldn’t do it. Cissy knew her daughter, Nippy, would be the perfect choice.

Skeptical, Zager gave it a shot.“The next day, we waited for her

to get out of school. She came in her school uniform,” Zager said. “She

came into the studio and I taught the background singers the part, and she cut it immediately. I couldn’t believe it. She sounded like an adult.”

Around this time, the Michael Zager Band was in the process of recording its second album. Zager was looking for a singer for his upbeat disco track, “Life’s a Party,” and he picked young Whitney for the job. The track was released on the album, but never became one of Houston’s hit singles.

Zager believed in the young church singer’s talent. Cissy insisted that she finish her high school education.

“At that time I wanted to sign her to my production company to get her a deal because I thought she could make hit records,” he said. “I didn’t realize she would become an icon.”

Accord ing to Zager, Whitney was quiet, obeying whatever her mother said. “She was a clone of her mother,” he

said. “In singing and every other way.” Houston didn’t sign a contract with

a producer or record label while in high school, but she did work with Zager throughout those years, singing backup vocals on any tracks for which he needed her, including her mother’s.

Zager kept in touch with Houston throughout her developing career, and even attended a couple of birthday parties she had thrown for Cissy. He was aware of her struggle with substance abuse because of the stories he heard in the media, but not because he ever saw her that way.

“If anybody had ever told me that she would get caught up in all that, I would have told them that they’re crazy,” he said. “I would never have believed it. It was a total surprise to me.”

Remembering a legend FAU professor who

discovered Whitney Houston mourns her death

By Carolina [email protected]

“I didn’t realize she would become an icon.”

-Michael Zager

Professor Michael Zager first met Whitney Houston, then a 14-year-old girl, in a recording studio where her talents impressed — immediately. Photo by Charles Pratt

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new slogan, new attitude

An attempt to create school spirit and brand itself are crucial steps in developing a passionate fan base

By Rolando [email protected]

The Owl fingers are getting a makeover. It’s time to “Salute the Hoot.”

The idea of Owl fingers dates back to 2002, but FAU decided with a new era of football and student life at the University beckoning, it was time to rebrand it.

“It’s something that has been done already, we just said let’s make

it official,” Dexter LaMont, associate athletic director for external relations said. “When you put your hands up and you put those Owls up, you’re now saluting the hoot.”

When I initially strolled upon the FAU sports website and discovered we had a new slogan for 2012, the first thing that crossed my mind was that the idea made perfect sense.

With all the new changes the school is undergoing, it is only natural for FAU to brand itself with a slogan. For a school with little sports tradition, it is a logical way to build unity among its members, faculty and alumni.

LaMont says the idea was inspired from the popularity of “The U” of UM. He believes “Salute the Hoot” can eventually be just as effective a marketing tool for FAU.

“After hearing it and listening to it, and seeing how it can be viral and expand, it’s just something that I thought was worth taking to the executive committee of the presidency,” LaMont said. “I think this is something that has some legs to it.”

So, how exactly do you “Salute the Hoot”?Much like in the same manner as the Owl fingers, you

start out by making owl eyes with your index and thumb,

sticking out the remaining three fingers in the air. The difference now is that in addition to that, your arms are now crossed in an X shape. This was a recommendation from President Mary Jane Saunders after noticing it was popular among students.

The X shape makes the sign look more menacing than in the past, but will it be popular enough to stick with the student body?

The answer appears to be a resounding yes. Just ask Andy Hackett, president of the Owl Rangers, a group that paints its bodies in school colors at sporting events.

“I really like ‘Salute the Hoot’ because it rolls off your tongue,” Hackett said. “It’ll make it a lot easier to be spirited if we have a slogan that everybody knows and everybody respects.” Hackett already throws up the Owl eyes at every given opportunity.

“I do it in pretty much every picture that I’m in,” Hackett said. “Whether it’s a family photo or a sports related event where I’m crazy and painted up.”

If the leader of the most popular student fan club is such an advocate, there is no doubt “Salute the Hoot” should resonate with everyone else. The idea behind the slogan and symbol is to bring the community together; helping fellow

Owls to connect with one another both locally, and even out of state.

“If I was in New York and I’m an FAU grad, and I happen to see another FAU grad, I can salute them with that,” LaMont said of an instance when the sign can be used.

Solid marketing is definitely an aspect needed to properly promote a program, but winning plays a major role in determining if this campaign will be

successful. The football team went 1-11 last year in its inaugural season in the new stadium. Slogans and gimmicks are nice, but positive results are a key ingredient to bringing fans back too. Athletics knows this.

“Winning does make a big difference,” LaMont said. “It will get people more in tune to look at and act on what you’re marketing. I can market all day and provide schedule cards, brochures of that nature, they’re not going to act on it if they’re (the team) not doing well.”

Whether “Salute the Hoot” will have an immediate impact on creating a sense of school unity is unknown, but it deserves the opportunity to be given a fair chance to acclimate itself into the culture of the university.

“Traditions don’t happen overnight,” LaMont said. “So we’ve got to see it through the good or struggles we may have. No one knew this (owl fingers) for the longest and now you see the whole side of the student section putting it up at the basketball games when our guys are at the line. We need to sustain those traditions. Continue to believe in them and let them grow.”

And if they do, one day FAU will have one of the strongest fan base’s in the state.

“When you put your hands up and you put those Owls up, you’re now saluting the hoot.”

Opinion

FAU selected its new slogan, “Salute the Hoot,” after Omni Advertising conducted focus group testing and received positive feedback. Here freshman Kylie Higginbotham, undecided, and freshman Kelly Blakely, undecided, demonstrate “Salute the Hoot.” Photo by Charles Pratt

New era,

Dexter LaMont, associate athletic director for external relations


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By Rolando [email protected]

Kevin Cooney (baseball) and Shontavia Williams

(women’s basketball) are set to be inducted into FAU’s hall of fame on Feb. 24.

Wait, FAU has a hall of fame? Since 2006, apparently. If this shocks

you too, don’t feel bad. It’s pretty easy to miss. FAU’s hall of fame is literally … in a hallway.

Buried in The Burrow are pictures of various former players and coaches who contributed to FAU athletics. There is also a page on FAU sports’ website with information on the members of its hall of fame.

Cooney coached the baseball team from 1988-2008. Along the way he amassed a record of 750-480-5, as his teams were perennial contenders, advancing to seven

NCAA regionals. The pinnacle of his coaching career came in 2002, when FAU defeated Alabama to win the regional championship. Cooney is one of FAU’s best coaches in the brief history of Owls athletics, but he will go virtually unnoticed.

Likewise for Williams. She was a member of the women’s basketball team from 2002-2006. Williams’ 1,466 points are the most in school history for the women’s team. Her 394 free throws are a school record. Williams led the Owls to an Atlantic Sun (FAU’s conference before the Sun Belt) Tournament title and a birth in the NCAA Tournament in 2006.

Yes, there will be an induction ceremony for the two at FAU stadium, but that is not enough.

UF, FSU and UM all have hall of fames, but those schools market theirs better. UM has a celebrity bowling tournament for the public to mingle with hall of fame alumni. FAU athletics does not have the history of a program like UM, but it should still think big.

The hall of fame should be a separate

room, with bronze busts, similar to the NFL hall of fame. Hire and train students to enthusiastically give fans a tour of the hall. If the school wants tradition as badly as it claims — go about it in the right way.

Howard Schnellenberger, the father of FAU football and the man responsible for the arrival of the new football stadium, should be the centerpiece of the new hall of fame. The exact statue that sits near the gates of the stadium should be in the room. Have a large television that plays highlights of the inductees. Bring all the members — not just the ones from the current year’s class — back for activities throughout the weekend. Hold a barbeque meet and greet for fans with the hall of fame alumni on the front lawn of the stadium.

Dexter LaMont, associate athletic director for external affairs, said it best —

traditions don’t start overnight. But, they have to start somewhere. When it was first formed in 1998, the football team was practicing barefoot in a gym and playing in a stadium a half hour away from campus. Now, they have a state of the art facility in Boca, which is the most impressive stadium in the Sun Belt Conference.

The future of athletics at FAU is on the rise, but like the old saying goes: You don’t know who you are until you know where you came from.

So, what exactly is the process for selecting FAU’s hall of fame inductees? According to fausports.com, “The Florida Atlantic Athletics Hall of Fame was founded to honor, pay tribute and perpetuate the memory of those individuals who either through participation, support or interest, have made outstanding contributions in intercollegiate athletics and who have helped bring recognition, honor, distinction and excellence to the University.”

Hall of (no) fame

Shontavia Williams fought for loose balls on the women’s basketball team at FAU

from 2002-2006.Now? She’s fighting crime.

Williams is a police officer in Boca Raton. She studied health administration at FAU, but had a change of heart after realizing her passion was in the police field. After FAU, Williams played

overseas in Germany. She only lasted four games before she realized the lifestyle was not for her. While at FAU, every game she played had at least 15 family members in the crowd. In Germany,

she was all alone and the transition was not easy.“Worst experience of my life,” Williams said. “I cried every day. I was homesick.”

Her grandfather became ill and passed away, prompting her to move back home, where she immediately joined the police force.

Her fondest memory at FAU came in her senior season, when she led the Owls to the Atlantic Sun title.

“We played three games in three nights. We won all three and cut the nets. It was excitement at first. Hard work paid off. I was there for four years and we finally did it in my senior year.”

She finished her career as the all-time leading scorer in school history with 1,466. “It was pretty cool,” Williams said. “It’s something I never even thought about when I came to FAU.

Kevin CooneyWhen Kevin Cooney retired from FAU

after 20 years of coaching in 2008, he traded in the beaches of Florida for the mountains of Tennessee. It is a decision he does not regret. “Every night I watch the sun go down on the Tennessee River,” Cooney said. “It’s a beautiful spot.”Cooney now owns an antique store in an old, downtown district of Sweetwater, Tenn. He is also a Sunday school teacher at his church, St. Thomas, something he expects his old players to be shocked to discover.“Some of my players would probably find that kind of funny that I teach Sunday school,” Cooney said. “I had to learn to change my vocabulary talking to 9 year olds as opposed to 19 year olds.” While Cooney admitted his passion for baseball is still there, he is quite happy with the opportunity to spend more time with his wife and two children and enjoy a different lifestyle.“I never had time to be part of a community other than my team when I was coaching,” Cooney said. “So, God allowed me to make this move and I wanted to do something positive in that regard.”

Shontavia Williams

FAU’s secret club inducts two members this weekend

Making the “hall” Some requirements: •A coach must be retired for at least five years.•An administrator must have served for three years.•A player has to wait three years after graduation or completion of their

eligibility.•Under the special consideration category, eligibility is possible for any person

who has made a significant contribution to the program.To be elected, a candidate must receive a three-fourths vote from the Hall of Fame Selection Committee, who were unavailable for comment.

Opinion

FAU’s hall of fame, founded in 2006, has 25 individual members and also honors the 2003 football team. Photo by Charles Pratt


Crossword

Across 1 Mean 5 An interpretation 9 Villainous 10 Carp 11 Defeat 12 Infamous 13 Recount 15 Angle away 17 Become rigid 19 Control oneself 21 Twilight 23 Dentalfilling 25 Artist’s stand 26 Frequently recurring 27 Tropical storm 28 Clothing

Down 1 Puerto Rico capital 2 Blooper 3 Expose to radiation 4 The capital of Cameroon 5 Guest 6 Indy entrant 7 Free from injury 8 A set with no numbers. 14 Win’s second place e.g. 16 Lenient 17 At that place 18 A waterbird 19 Stocking material 20 Blue state 22 Big sheet 24 Spoil, with “up”

Crossword

Created by Jessica Cohn-Kleinberg

Go to upressonline.com to see the answers.


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