volume 10 issue 23
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Volume 10 Issue 23TRANSCRIPT
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The student newspaper at Florida Gulf Coast University
There are many factors when deciding on a college: tuition, financial aid, location and programs offered.
But many colleges nationwide have the tendency to put a premium on a single factor: school ranking. So much that some schools are known to cheat statistics just to move several slots up the list.
But in the end, are students really swayed by rankings when making their decision?
Apparently not. “It sits right on the beach,
there are shopping malls nearby, and it has so many opportunities for people to get involved in the college and the community!” said incoming freshman Shelby Kleimeyer about why she chose to come here. “They have very challenging academic classes, and connections with places all over the United States, letting me know once I graduate from FGCU, I will have a future.”
Lists such as the US News and World Report’s “Best Colleges” and the Princeton Review use factors such as SAT and ACT scores, high school GPAs and graduation rates, among other things, to
formulate their rankings.But some colleges have been
caught cheating their way up the ranks.
Just last month, an administrator at Claremont McKenna College, a private liberal arts college in Southern California, resigned after admitting he altered college entrance exam scores before submitting them to ranking publications over the span of several years.
Other colleges, such as Baylor University in Waco, Texas, paid admitted students to retake the SATs in order to increase the average scores
it could report to ranking publications.
Such policies to boost school ranking have left college admissions officers wary of ranking publications. In a survey by the National Association for College Admission Counseling, more than 80 percent of admissions officers said that rankings gave students misleading conclusions. Yet, in the same survey, more than 70 percent said their colleges used ranking data in their advertising.
Many students have voiced concerns about the lack of lighting on the winding road that serves as the back entrance to FGCU. These concerns will finally be addressed, as construction to add lights to the road will occur over the next several weeks.
“We are going to put some lights by the walkway. They’re going to be the 11-footers you see around campus,” said Jim Hehl, director of the physical plant.
Hehl said that the installation of the lights has already been six months in the working.
“We had to get approval from Miromar since it’s on their property. That was the longest process,” he said.
Students, however, have felt the need for the lights even longer.
“I remember when I first
started at FGCU years ago, and people have felt that stretch of road needed lighting back then. I am glad we are finally doing something about it,” said Maria Hernandez, a senior majoring in business.
Hehl said that safety was the driving factor in creating the plan for adding the lights. The lights will not be installed for the purpose of lighting the road, but instead for lighting the sidewalk next to the road.
“People didn’t feel safe walking or jogging at night. Now, students, faculty, staff, whoever can walk at night and feel safe,” he said.
While the decision has been made, the process is still far from complete.
“It’s going to take several weeks. It’s quite a long run of lights. It will be completed by the beginning of April or mid-April,” Hehl said.
A missed opportunity. That is how Provost Ron Toll explained the decision-making process and the lack of shared input about the space changes coming to Ben Hill Griffin.
“It was a missed opportunity, and I accept that. I’m giving you more opportunities today,” Toll said at this past Friday’s faculty senate meeting. “I did not want to potentially exacerbate an issue when there was a sense of mistrust.”
Faculty was not informed or included in the decision to move Computer Services and
Telecommunications to Ben Hill until Feb. 8. By the next week, renovations had visibly started on offices in the building.
Toll explained the move was important because the servers are located in this central area. He also said when the structure was originally built, it was made for and designed to be the network operation center (NOC).
“There is value for us in terms of the stability of the network and having the people that control those systems nearby,” Toll said. “(We made these changes) to make sure we would continue to have the high speed level that students demand and certainly for what faculty do.”
Senate Vice President Howard Smith, along with other faculty members, thought the decision was still imbalanced.
“I think it’s important to understand the issues here,” Smith said. “338,000 square feet of academic space has been added compared to the over 500,000 square feet of non-academic space.”
Many members don’t agree with the decision because faculty members are still located in the modules, which are a mile away from central campus and only have two years left in their 10-year life span.
The introduction of a bill to fund construction of an amphitheater on the library lawn was met with strong senator support in Tuesday night’s meeting.
The bill proposes the amphitheater “for the use of programming and to encourage students to congregate toward the lawn, essentially create a center of campus.”
“There are so many giant events on the lawn, and this amphitheater is
going to be the center point for all of these traditions,” said senator Eddie Livesay, a sponsor of the bill. “This is such a huge deal.”
The bill describes the amphitheater as the second step towards completing the goal of transforming the library lawn into a multipurpose space for students to enjoy.
The $165,000 cost of the bill is comprised of a $15,000 architectural fee in addition to the $150,000 cost of the amphitheater.
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MISSION STATEMENT:Eagle News, the student media group at Florida Gulf Coast University, represents the diverse voices on campus with fairness.
We select content for our publication and our website that is relevant to the student body, faculty and staff. Members are committed to reporting with accuracy and truth. Our purpose is to encourage conversations about issues that concern the on-campus community.
Eagle News views every culture with equal respect and believes every person must be treated with dignity.
ABOUT US:Eagle News, founded in 1997, is the student newspaper at Florida Gulf Coast University. The newspaper is the only student produced publication on campus and is entirely student run.
Eagle News is published weekly during the fall and spring semesters and monthly in the summer, with the exception of holiday breaks and examination periods.
The print edition is free to students and can be found on campus and in the community at Gulf Coast Town Center, Germain Arena and Miromar Outlets.
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Saturday Feb. 18 at 5:06 p.m.: A panic alarm in a North Lake dorm was activated after a student was cooking chicken on the stove and the bottom of the pan caught on fire. The student told officers that when she moved the pan grease spilled onto the stove causing a flame to ignite. The flame went out but due to an excessive amount of smoke, carbon marks were left on the wall.
Saturday Feb. 18 at 6:08 p.m.: A collegiate baseball catcher was transported to Gulf Coast Hospital after he collided with another player during a game at Swanson Stadium. The player was complaining of back pain after the incident.
Tuesday Feb. 21 at 2:04 p.m.: A student was sent to Student
Affairs after a suspicious person call was made to UPD stating that the individual had stolen a roll of toilet paper from the Howard Hall bathroom. UPD found the individual using paper towels to clean his music equipment. Officers said the individual used obscene language and had an attitude toward them when they questioned him.
Thursday Feb. 23 at 6:58 p.m.: An individual called UPD to report a traffic crash involving a deer. She told officers while she was driving in front of Campus Support Complex a deer ran out in front of her car and she struck it. The deer was killed in the collision and was removed from the roadway.
Thursday Feb. 23 at 9:26 p.m.: Officers discovered drug
paraphernalia sitting on the center console of a vehicle while conducting a traffic stop with an individual on FGCU Boulevard. The stop led to a search of the car. Inside a pipe and 0.8 grams of marijuana were found and was turned over to judicial.
Thursday Feb. 23 at 10:35 p.m.: A drug search of a North Lake dorm recovered marijuana, a grinder, a small pipe, two cigarette rollers, a pack of peach cigarillos, six packs of various brands of rolling paper and a blue glass pipe.
The Police Beat is compiled by Eagle News staff from public logs available at the University Police Department. Police Beat is not associated with the UPD. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty by a court of law.
BRIEFSA2 NEWS EAGLE NEWS WEDNESDAY, FEB. 29 EDITOR: VERONICA VELA NEWS!EAGLENEWS.ORG
Three Oaks Middle School: Three Oaks and the rest of the nation will be celebrating Read Across America Day on March 2. Choose a period to read your favorite story at one of the bell times: 9:45-11:23 a.m., 11:26–1:11 p.m., 1:14–2:34 p.m., or 2:37–4 p.m. Contact Debbie Fite at [email protected].
The Ladybug Project: Help run concession stands at the following Minnesota Twins spring training games: March 5 at 5:30 p.m., March 8 at 11:30 a.m., March 18 at 11:30 a.m., and March 28 at 11:30 a.m. Email Kim Reuter at [email protected].
CCMI: Help the Baby University Program on Tuesday evenings. Need six commitments from March 6 through April 10 from 4:45–7:45 p.m. Greet expectant mothers and families, help with registration, child care and light kitchen duties. Fill out the Fort Myers Volunteer Application at http://www.ccmileecounty.com. For questions, contact Lisa Cronin at 239-332-0441.
FGCU Spring Trail Clean-Up: Choose your path on campus! Help out March 17 from 8 a.m. to noon. Go the route of the casual trail clearer, or fill the role of a jungle explorer and go deep into the woods with only a machete at your disposal! Free light breakfast and full lunch. Park in Garage #1 or the gravel lot just next to it, then meet in the oak hammock across the street from Rec Fields. Register on Facebook at FGCU Trail Cleanup or contact Sarah Davis at [email protected].
Lakes Regional Park: Help with a program for children’s tours of the gardens from 3:30–5 p.m. on a weekday or Saturday at 9 a.m. Concepts that may be included are: importance of plants to the earth, plants and insect interdependence, kinds of propagation, composting and nutrients, ability of plants to filter water. Contact Susan Moore at [email protected] or 239-481-7845.
FGCU Recyclemania: Track the amount of trash and recyclables using measuring sticks provided by Physical Plant. Last year FGCU finished 76 out of 288 colleges and universities in the Grand Champion category and 59 out of 363 teams in the Per
Capita category. Keishla Negron-Acevedo, director of Sustainability for Student Government, would like to do better. Interested students can comment on Facebook at Recyclemania: FGCU.
FGCU Food Forest: This student-run botanical garden highlights tropical/subtropical edible species that grow well in South Florida, and it is right here on campus! They need students to help on Friday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Any messages can be sent to http://fgcufoodforest .weebly.com/send-us-a-message.html.
East County Water Control District: Participate in the inaugural nature event Wings Over Water Festival at Harns Marsh in Lehigh Acres on March 9 from 9–11:30 a.m. and March 10 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Discover the beauty of Southwest Florida’s water, land, and wildlife. Call 239-368-0044 x17.
Randell Research Center: Help out at the Calusa Heritage Day, Pine Island, on March 10 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Contact 239-283-2062 or 239-283-2157.
ECHO (Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization): Help out at Farm Day on March 17 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with parking, admissions, snack areas, nursery, farm market, and as a greeter. Fill out a volunteer application at www.echonet.org. For questions, contact Ruth at [email protected].
Koreshan State Park Historic Site: Students welcome every Wednesday at 8 a.m. Simply show up on time at 3800 Corkscrew Road, the gate opens automatically at 8 a.m. Long pants and closed-toed shoes are required, they suggest water and gloves.
Pinewoods Elementary School: This school is unique in its passion for sustainability and environmental education. Help facilitate, plan, and organize the club meetings, as well as plan educational presentations and activities for the students. Contact Laura Layton at [email protected].
Heartland Gardens: Did you know that FGCU alums started this nonprofit? They have a 1,700 square-foot raised labyrinth and they’re landscaping the entire acre with edible plants. Help with your financial expertise, business background, economic background, bookkeeping and data entry skills, public relations or communications background, or assist with
newsletters, e-blasts, or grant writing. Contact Andrea at [email protected] or call 239-689-4249.
Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium: Numerous opportunities! Contact [email protected] or call 275-3435.
Naples Botanical Garden: Horticulture gardening starts at 8 a.m. Monday through Friday and includes weeding, potting, moving plants, digging, raking, sweeping, clearing debris, etc. Wear closed-toe shoes. No shorts or tank tops. Bring water. Wear sunscreen. Bring work gloves if you have them. Looking especially for groups of students on Fridays. No last minute requests. Give 4-5 day lead time. If you commit and then can’t make it, give notice. Be on time. Email Sally Richardson at [email protected].
Rookery Bay: Help give out literature, talk to visitors about the Learning Center, or assist with children’s crafts. Contact Susan Maunz at [email protected] or call 239-417-6310 x412.
Sustainable Living and Interconnected Education (SLIE): So much of what needs to be done will be decently challenging labor, digging, building raised garden beds, constructing water-capturing vessels and their gutters. Contact Hunter Preston at [email protected] or 239-245-3250.
Bonita Springs Assistance Office: Help this primary social service agency and serve the community in assisting needs of clients, enhancing public speaking presentations, or writing informational materials. Contact Maribel Slabaugh at [email protected] or 239-992-3034.
Education for Collier: Would love strong, committed volunteers! Workshops in the Take Stock Program needs students to help in the ACT testing areas of Math, English, Reading, Writing and Science to help every week. Sessions held at Grace Place in Naples. Choose Monday or Tuesday evening from 6–7:30 p.m. Contact Linda Morton at [email protected].
Uncommon Friends Foundation: Are you a history buff? Become a tour guide in a Georgian Revival-style home located on the bank of the Caloosahatchee River in
downtown Fort Myers. Contact Christine Forbes at [email protected] or 239-337-0706.
Grace Community Center: Has a multitude of opportunities! Help with an afterschool program for at-risk high school students, tutor to GED seekers, thrift store assistance, or serve food to neighbors in need. Contact Cheryl Wilcox at [email protected] or 239-656-1320.
FGCU Athletics: Numerous opportunities with game day operations. Serve as ushers for basketball, baseball, softball, and timers for swimming and diving. Contact Will Pitt at [email protected] or 239-590-7055.
The Quality Life Center: Want to help kids with their homework? Contact Angela Pena at 239-334-2797.
FGCU Center for Academic Achievement: Need tutors in math, biology, chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, economics, statistics, and Intro to Psychology. Applicants must have earned a B+ or higher in the course they desire to tutor and a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. Paid students are not eligible to earn service-learning hours. Contact Frank Graceffo at 239-590-7992 or by email at [email protected].
Abuse Counseling & Treatment (ACT): Second Act Thrift store needs help. The benefit of volunteering is a 50 percent discount! Also, need someone to help this nonprofit agency with a marketing plan for two to three months. Contact Honara Jacobus at [email protected] or 239-939-2553.
YMCA: Help coach basketball, soccer, flag football or assist with events. Contact Lisa at [email protected].
Take Stock in Children: Become A Mentor! Few bonds in life are more influential than those between a young person and an adult. Take Stock in Children needs mentors for Caloosa Middle School, Dunbar High School, East Lee County High School, Fort Myers High School, Ida Baker High School, Lehigh Senior High School. Call 239-337-0433.
Information is provided by the Service Learning department. All opportunities are pre-approved. You can find more opportunities on Facebook at “FGCU Service Learning.”
WEDNESDAY, FEB 29 EAGLE NEWS NEWS A3WWW.EAGLENEWS.ORG
HIT US WITH YOUR BEST SHOT
Eagle News highlights the photography of our readers. Send your best pictures — of events, vacations, scenery, wildlife —
whatever you’d like. If your photo is picked, you’ll receive two free tickets to Regal Cinemas in Gulf Coast Town Center.
E-mail submissions (with your name, grade, major, phone number and a description of the photo)
Alico Arena was full of energy as 150 people came out to Zumba in support of the Children Cancer Foundation. Students, instructors and non-student participants all came together to raise $1,260 to go to children in Hungary battling cancer.
The music was constantly going as different instructors took turns leading the exercises. When asked what brought her into Zumba, Kristi Belotto, a sophomore majoring in criminal justice, said that she wanted to attempt something out of the ordinary.
“I decided to try something new. Best decision I ever made!”
Zumba was not all that drew
participants to the event. The Zumbathon was held for a good cause.
Liga Strautnie, a freshman majoring in communications; and Whitney Masters, a freshman and nursing student, attended because they wanted to support the foundation.
“We wanted to try Zumba and there was a charity event today,” said one of the girls.
The Children Cancer Foundation was established in 1997 to help Hungarian children receive better medical care as well as provide families with financial assistance and counseling. Children’s cancer survival rates are only at 40 percent in Hungary, as opposed to the 85 percent success rate in the United States.
Children Cancer Foundation has
partnered with both Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida and the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, N.Y., to bring children registered with the foundation for treatment.
The event was very important to one of the Zumbathon’s co-sponsors, Klaudia Balogh, a junior majoring in communications. Balogh’s family founded the Children Cancer Foundation. When she’s not studying at FGCU, she is in Hungary, helping with the foundation.
The other co-sponsor, Gala Hoffman, is a certified Zumba instructor as well as a FGCU junior majoring in resort and hospitality, and led some of the Zumba exercises.
“It felt great going up to the front,” said Hoffman about leading The Zumbathon.
“There was so much energy and that is what makes Zumba as fun as it is.”
The experience was not only rewarding to the participants. Shelly Massaro, a certified Zumba instructor who also went to the front to lead, said the event allowed her “to make connections, support a good cause, and get some exercise!”
A free snack bar was provided for attendees and there were raffles being held, with some of the prizes including Everblades tickets, a Zumba Wii game, and Zumba lessons.
For those unable to attend Saturday’s event, there will be future chances. Balogh has confirmed that Zumbathon for the Children Cancer Foundation will be an annual event.
A4 NEWS EAGLE NEWS WEDNESDAY, FEB. 29 EDITOR: VERONICA VELA NEWS!EAGLENEWS.ORG
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In Volume 10 Issue 21 Eagle News published the final allocated budgets for FGCU departments and RSOs. Some of the RSOs (P-Z) were missing.
The missing RSOs budget allocations are to the left. Full and final budgets can also be found on the Eagle News website, www.eaglenews.org
Toll later pointed out the funds for academic space and non academic space are different.
Other faculty senate members, such as Win Everham, a program leader and professor in the division of ecological studies, believe more energy should be put into focusing on the future.
“From my perspective, I’m not focused on that. If that decision was right, it’s done and gone,” Everham said. Shawn Felton, an instructor in the department of physical therapy, echoed this sentiment.
“I think we’re at a time where we might have missed an opportunity. We have structures in place to move forward,” Felton said. “How much more can we belabor this point? Let’s use this as a learning opportunity.”
But in the end, students place school ranking low on their list of priorities when deciding on a college. In a survey of college freshman by UCLA’s Higher Education Research Institute, ranking placed 11th in a list of factors important to students
when considering a college.It is worth noting however, that
first place on that list was “academic reputation,” which ranking can influence.
As of last September, FGCU placed 75th in the regional university (south) category among public and private schools, according to the US News and World Report’s rankings.
Out of regional public universities in the south, FGCU ranked 36th, only outranked by UNF, which placed 19th. FGCU didn’t place on the national university ranking.
“We don’t look at these rankings as being the Holy Grail,” FGCU Provost Ron Toll told the Naples Daily News in September. “But having said that, FGCU is relatively new and young, and I think this means our reputation is getting out and we’re seen as a high-quality regional institution in the South.”
For most students coming to FGCU, ranking was a nonfactor in their decision.
Linda Williams, an incoming freshman from Lakeland, chose FGCU because of location and its unique appeal.
“I chose Florida Gulf Coast
because I don’t know anyone going there, and it’s two and a half hours away from home. I didn’t want to go to college and feel like I was stepping into my high school’s lunch room,” Williams said. “Although FGCU isn’t as well-known and accredited as the other choices I had, its unique appeal overruled everything else.”
For Brianna Morell, an incoming freshman from Chicago, FGCU is a paradise school.
“There isn’t one negative trait to the school in my opinion.”
One of the architects working on the project, Ted Sottong, spoke at Tuesday night’s meeting in response to questions about the anticipated design of the amphitheater.
“We will next meet with our clients, which are represented by your student body president and vice president, and get a better idea of what you would want the amphitheater to look like,” Sottong said. “This is not a linear process, it is very much going to be a back and forth process until we figure out what exactly you would like.”
Sottong estimated that the
project would involve two to three months of construction in addition to the time needed for design planning.
The amphitheater will be positioned at the farthest point from the library and from academic buildings on the library lawn.
Even though the decision of whether or not students’ activities and service fees will fund the project will be taking place in the next couple of weeks, the amphitheater will definitely not be breaking ground in the immediate future.
“If this bill is approved, they will have to break it down into phases, and that is when the timeline will be created,” said Lauren Scheutz, student body president. “But in the next few years, this entire (library lawn master plan) project will be complete.”
Many senators expressed concerns about ways in which the amphitheater may be abused by non-students, such as the controversial speakers that frequently visit campus to express their religious ideas.
“We have to develop a process for this,” Schuetz said, “but from my understanding, outside entities
would not be able to make a reservation to use this space. This is a university space for student activities and initiatives.”
Senators also expressed concerns about any negative environmental impact that this construction may have.
Schuetz, however, said that all feedback from administration and the university physical plant has been positive. While administrative support may be widespread, there are students who oppose the idea of an amphitheater being constructed on the library lawn.
“I think it will make our school look more crowded,” said Liz Dunhill, a junior majoring in elementary education. “I think it would be a waste of the students’ money. They could use it more wisely.”
Dunhill also thinks that the amphitheater may prove disruptive to the academic climate of the university.
“It depends if a band or skit is playing. If so, I think it will negatively affect people in the library. It will be distracting,” Dunhill said.
Voting on the bill will take place 6:30 p.m. March 13 in SU 247.
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 29 EAGLE NEWS NEWS A5WWW.EAGLENEWS.ORG
Going green can keep more green in your wallet — or in the case of the physical plant, save funds for the university.
Megan Barr and Irma Sanchez, both of whom are part of the plant operations and maintenance team, are proud of how the sustainable initiatives their department has taken have saved the campus money as well.
The campus chiller plants are the most effective cost-cutting measure in terms of energy dollars spent. Chiller plant tanks are active primarily during off-peak hours — the hours when Florida Power & Light (FPL) charges significantly less for energy use. During peak hours, chilled water from the plant assists in efficiently cooling connected buildings.
“We save around $150,000 a year just because we are running our chiller plant efficiently and doing the most energy expenditure during off-peak hours for FPL,”
Barr said.Another sustainable concept, conserving
water, also saves money. In the past two years, toilets in several buildings have been retro-fit with dual-flush handles meant to limit the amount of water, and funds, that get flushed down the drain. The physical plant has also readjusted the timers on restroom sinks.
Barr told Eagle News, “Some of the buildings are way down, which is fantastic. We’ve some of them that we’ve actually significantly decreased the amount of water we’re using.”
“Just from the awareness campaigns that we’ve done, including Recyclemania, we’ve seen a drastic decrease in garbage pickup,” Barr said.
During the first Recyclemania, student volunteers reported underutilized trash receptacles to the physical plant. As a result of increased recycling, solid waste dropped.
“In certain places on campus we actually had smaller Dumpsters installed to save money because certain buildings had 5- or 10-yard Dumpsters and they didn’t need them so they went down to a 2-yard Dumpster,” Barr said. “They still get picked up the same amount each week but this way since the Dumpster is smaller, the price is lower.”
Sanchez explained the cost savings of recyclables versus solid waste.
“There’s no charge for the disposal of recyclable materials,” she said. But for trash “they charge us for the container per month, to haul it, and to dispose of it, per ton. Three different fees.”
In addition to chiller plant operations, dual-flush toilets and Recyclemania, the physical plant has been replacing light bulbs with more efficient ones and retrofitting rooms with sensors that turn off lights automatically when
the room is empty.These combined measures have paid off.Since fall 2009, FGCU has added three
buildings to the academic core area — Academic Building 7, Parking Garage 3 and Music. The number of enrolled students has risen by almost 16 percent while the number of faculty and staff has risen by approximately 11 percent.
In spite of the growth, energy usage has only increased by two percent. When savings from the solar field are factored in, the average of total monthly FPL bills for academic core has dropped by more than three cents per dollar.
“We have little tips we use for the people in here. If you’re going to be gone longer than 15 minutes, turn off your monitor. If you’re going to be gone longer than an hour, turn off your computer,” Barr said. “When you’re at work, you don’t think about how you can save the university money. I mean, we do, but that’s kind of the business we’re in here.”
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The University Police department presented Theresa Knight, a resident assistant in North Lake Village, a letter of appreciation for her “good citizen” reactions to a car crash on campus earlier this month.
On Feb. 6 at approximately midnight there was a single-vehicle crash on FGCU Lake Parkway West and Ben Hill Griffin Parkway in which the vehicle flipped over.
Knight witnessed the event and pulled over to help. She was returning home to the dorms in NLV.
“I was more worried about what would happen to them. I have had my own personal car accident and it would have helped me a lot to have a person there,”
she said. Knight stopped her vehicle, assisted
the occupants and waited until emergency medical service and UPD arrived.
“To go above and beyond, she stuck around assisting the passenger in gathering her belongings from the vehicle and assisted me (Chief Moore) … Then she gave the passenger a ride back to her dorm,” UPD Sgt. Brian Jones said.
“Me and her talk now. I followed up to make sure she is OK. That’s the type of person I am,” Knight said.
“Although she was in front of the vehicle and had every opportunity to continue on her way home as some would have, she didn’t,” Jones said.
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(417):Last thing I remember was wondering why there was a mirror on the wall behind the urinal and then realizing I was pissing in the sink.
(734):Too lazy to make dinner. Had chocolate and scotch instead. Check in with me in a half hour.
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When you first type r2rage.com into your browser, you are immediately greeted by a bold banner that proclaims “Ready2Rage” and background music that makes you want to rave in your right in front of your computer. This website is home to the student-founded clothing line Ready2Rage.
Ready2Rage (R2R) is a student-run music, promotions, and apparel clothing line that was started in Fort Myers by FGCU students Daniel Daltas, co-CEO of R2R and a senior majoring in marketing; and Carlos Garcia, the other co-CEO, who is majoring in business management .
The idea for a clothing line began in 2009, but in November last year, the clothing line became a reality.
As of January this year, the website, r2rage.com, and the first line of tank tops were launched.
From that point on, R2R has mainly focused on tank tops.
“When donning a tank top, formality is out of the window, and a state of freedom is bestowed upon the user,” Garcia said.
R2R becomes a unique experience for
customers because they incorporate music, clothing and events all through their online store.
“Ready2Rage is not just about wearing a T-shirt, it’s about making a statement,” Daltas said.
Not only is the experience unique, but the name of the clothing line itself seems to be a statement as well.
“Ready2Rage was created with the inspiration of individualism. Raging previously has been coined as a term, which exudes hatred, anger, violence, or partying,” Garcia said about the name of the clothing line.
“With this company, we plan to expand this set of descriptions and allow rage to simply mean the doing of what you please, but with passion. May it be volunteering at the dog park all day, or dancing till the bottoms of your shoes are raw, be ready to rage,” Garcia said.
Another unique quality that Ready2Rage has is its CEOs. When it comes down to it, Ready2Rage isn’t a fling nor is it about the money, but something that is more long term.
“I am an entrepreneur; if ready2rage keeps growing I would love for it to be my career. It has never been about the money
for me. If it was realistic I would give out my clothing for free,” Daltas said. “But I believe if someone is willing to buy my designs then I am doing something right. I would love to make it in the fashion industry, and if that’s where Ready2Rage takes me, that would be amazing.”
R2R has not only created a clothing line for all of your raging endeavors but they have also made themselves into a key player in local music. R2R promotes local and national events ranging from the Ultra music festival to spring break weekend.
“Being an entrepreneur deep down inside, I have had business ventures at every stage of my life, from what began as selling candy at school, to my own detailing business, mobile barber shop, to what is now a potentially huge clothing empire,” Garcia said about what led to his present business venture.
“Previously, my ventures began as merely a manner of making some extra side cash and putting money in my pockets, but also, a small step forward and small step in experience. Now, with Ready2Rage, I am determined to ensure that it is more than just a couple of shirts to create some fast cash, but instead succeed to an international level and become a very recognizable brand within the eyes of
this millennial generation.”R2R also have been featured in events
such as the foam party in Loft 59 and have also been seen at Fort Myers Beach during spring break.
If you are itching to get your hands on some Ready2Rage gear, each tank top costs $10 and can be ordered online for $12. The delivery is restricted to the Southwest Florida area.
The website says that R2R shirts will be coming to an area near you. R2R doesn’t have any student discounts at the moment, but a loyalty program will be up soon. This loyalty program will allow people who have bought a shirt from the previous line to get a lower price on a shirt from the newer line.
The clothing line has an upcoming spring break-themed line, which they are planning on selling near Wicked Wings and Lani Kai at Fort Myers Beach all spring break.
When it comes to the Ready2Rage clothing line, there is one thing Daltas wants people to know:
“If you want a tank top, think Ready2Rage.When you don’t know where to go out, think Ready 2Rage. When your music is lacking, think Ready2Rage!”
Stress is a word that college students have in their vocabulary. Work, school and social life sometimes don’t balance out, and it causes a lot of fracture in the lives that we are living.
Luckily, there are a couple ways to help take the stress out of those things, and one of them is meditation.
FGCU’s Meditation Club, brought to campus in the fall semester of 2010, has been making a difference in how students deal with stress, and have been bringing some relaxing methods to dealing with stress as well.
“Initially, I started Meditation Club out of a personal need,” said Diana Honorat, a senior majoring in community health who’s the club’s president and
founder. “Over the course of my undergraduate years, my course load became hard and I was very busy with other responsibilities,” Honorat said.
As time went on, Honorat found her reasons for founding such a club.
“I realized that I did not have time for myself, and as a result I always felt disconnected from who I was. I was tired of living life as an automaton.”
She also understood that many others would probably benefit from meditation, which is meant to bring about three key things: serenity, clarity and bliss. It is done so that your mind will be clear and you will feel a difference in your energy.
“I started Meditation Club to offer the students a time step back from their responsibilities and the constant life of ‘business,’ and to feed their soul by
reconnecting with it,” Honorat said.
“Undergraduate experience is not just for academic growth, but also for personal growth as well.”
So for the unfamiliar, what exactly happens when one meditates?
Usually during the FGCU meditation sessions, Honorat led the students through a guided meditation incorporating music.
“These guided meditations can include guided imagery, chakra meditations, breathing techniques, and mantra meditation,” Honorat said.
They have also started to incorporate new techniques, including sound meditation through using Tibetan bowls, which are a type of bell that provides healing through its sound.
“In the future, we plan on traveling to learn about the
various cultures of meditation, for instance, traveling to a Buddhist temple,” Honorat said.
“Meditation Club is a growing club, so we are always open to new ideas and techniques, as we are also learning ourselves,” she said.
“There are physiological, psychological and spiritual benefits to meditation. Research has proven that daily practice of meditation aids in improved concentration, stress relief, and a sense of well-being in general,” Honorat said.
If you want to get involved, Meditation Club meets in Ben Hill Griffin Hall Room 213 from 5 to 6 p.m. Mondays, and they are always open to new members. Stop by and club members say you might just surprise yourself at how much better you feel.
If you go
What: Meditation ClubWhen: 5 to 6 p.m. MondaysWhere: Ben Hill Gri!n Room 213What to wear: Comfortable, yoga clothes
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Australian pop-punk band releases high-powered, full-length collection
One of the newer contestants in the female-fronted pop-punk field is the Australian quintet Tonight Alive. “What Are You So Scared Of?” the debut full-length on the U.S.-based Fearless Records, dumps tons of potential on them for a win in the United States.
Don’t expect to put this on and hear sugary, Beyonce-esque vocals from blinding-blond-haired vocalist Jenna McDougall. No — this album is pop-punk at its heart, and her vocals match that style.
Beside the 1-minute, 29-second-long intro (“Eject, Eject, Eject”), “What Are You So Scared Of?” is a 13-song release packed with that straightforward pop-punk sound. Unlike their lengthy 2010 EP, All Shapes and Disguises, there is little glittery production.
“Breaking & Entering,” the opening song, blasts hard with no remorse, and immediately shows McDougall’s chops. “Sure As Hell” is as typical of a pop-punk sound as you could get, so it doesn’t break much new ground, but it will certainly appeal to the Warped Tour crowd.
Indeed, beside a handful of selections, most of the songs play to this already-established format, which doesn’t always work out — “Reason to Sing” sounds too contrived and too much like filler.
The best parts of the album are on the unconventional. “Thank You & Goodnight” is one big hook, swinging, tongue-in-cheek (“You’re not my type/No hard feelings/Thank you and good night”) and even features one of music’s heroes on guest vocals: Mark Hoppus of Blink 182.
“Safe & Sound” starts off slow and samples one of the few times McDougall breaks into her softer side: The first 30 seconds or so treat you to a dulcet eargasm backed by an acoustic guitar and string arrangement.
The highest point on the album is the soaring “To Die For,” which is actually from “All Shapes and Disguises,” but the band changed some of the production to make it fresher. Don’t discredit it just because it’s reused, though. From the aggressive chorus to the gliding instrumentation and distant backup vocals, it outpaces all the other tracks.
“What Are You So Scared Of?” brings 14 tracks to the listener, which by itself speaks volumes as bands start to lean toward shorter albums.
The band doesn’t choose quantity over quality, though, which is what makes the whole effort such a surprise. Besides one or two missteps, “What Are You So Scared Of?” kicks you in the teeth with catchy, raw pop-punk.
ENONLINE MUSICLog on to www.eaglenews.org to hear Tonight Alive’s music.
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 29 EAGLE NEWS A/L B3WWW.EAGLENEWS.ORG
“Stardust” was first introduced to the world by the developer Bloodhouse in 1993, on the Amiga computer system. In 2007, Sony Entertainment revived the series and produced “Super Stardust HD” in 2007 for the PS3. The series was then ported to the PSP under the name “Super Stardust Portable” in 2008. Finally, Sony unveiled “Super Stardust Delta” for the PS VITA at their world renowned E3 Conference in 2011. Is this opera of light worth the price of admission, or should you let it whiz on by?
As the start button is pressed, an echoed voice rings out the chime “star dust.”
Besides the voice, the sound design in this game is incredible. From the hum of the ship’s tiny blasters to the noise of meteorites exploding on impact, this game has it all.
Although there is no plot in this handheld iteration of “Stardust,” the game play more than makes up for the lack of storyline. The way this game handles itself is so simple it’s mind-blowing.
There are four main buttons to this app: The left joystick to move, the right stick to shoot the lasers, the left bumper to boost the player around the planet and the right to interchange between fire and ice lasers.
The most interesting part of “Stardust’s” game play is the developer’s choice to make the player switch between the fire and ice lasers, which will confuse a new player, thus resulting in ones’ death. The player starts out with three lives and if and when all three lives are lost, the game forces the player to revert to square one.
By accruing points, one can earn upgrades such as more powerful lasers, a new shield and one-ups.
With great game play come superb graphics and this game has them in spades.
Every explosion is a Technicolor light show and the planets look great.
The backgrounds are spectacular with other planets sparkling while floating in the far-off distance and the stars shining bright.
Within “Stardust’s” menus, there are three different modes from which to choose: planets, arcade and mini-games.
The planets mode allows the player to play through five planets at his or her leisure and save them all from destruction. The planets are Alena, Sekora, Mahler, Werth and Yuriko.
Each world has five rounds per planet and on the fifth level a giant boss battle takes place. In arcade mode, the user is put through all five planets (each one consisting of their usual five rounds) in a non-stop fight to the death.
After each planet is conquered, a mini-game opens up for that level. The games are Crush, Disc Slide, Orbit Bomber, Rock and Roll and Trucker.
In Crush, the objective is to destroy incoming meteors by pinching the front and back touch pads together. For Disc Slide, the goal is to control a blue disc, destroy other blue objects and avoid everything that is red. Orbit Bomber has the player using one of the bumpers to shoot incoming enemies to protect a base. Rock and Roll is a mode in which a space rock must be rolled around the planet’s orbit to collect green crystals while avoiding enemies. In the final game, Trucker, the player must target giant, green meteors and reel them in with a tractor beam.
“Super Stardust Delta” by Sony Entertainment is an amazing game play, has good graphics and is intensely difficulty. If you are looking for a game to challenge you with death around every corner, then this is the one to get.
What comes to mind when one hears the word uncharted? One thinks of action, adventure, large-scale battles, an epic story and loot. That’s what millions of fans were spouting across the Internet once “Uncharted: Golden Abyss” was announced for the PlayStation Vita.
As the fourth title in the series, does this fresh handheld game have what it takes to stand amongst its previously successful console brethren?
“Uncharted: Golden Abyss” takes place prior to the events of “Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune.”
In this latest chapter of Nathan Drake’s life, he must solve the murder of a 400-year-old Spanish expedition party and the disappearance of archeologist Vincent Perez.
Additionally, he is caught in a rivalry between his old friend Jason Dante and Vincent Perez’s granddaughter Marissa Chase, while former Spanish warlord Robberto Guerro hunts him down.
Straight away, the graphics are the first element to shine as the intro of the game pans out.
Throughout the story the visuals remain a constant with a lush rainforest to run about and dark, mysterious caves to explore.
The score, conducted by newcomer Clint Bajakian, caters to every situation perfectly. The voice acting in this rendition hits the nail on the head with skillful work by Nolan North as Drake and Richard McGonale as Sully.
As for the game play, the character is easy to control and the camera never fights
back. Climbing is a treat due to the game’s new path painting feature, which allows the player to move Drake through obstacles with the flick of a finger.
A gimmick, such as using the six axes to shoot regular firearms, becomes cumbersome quickly, but when the feature is added to the sniper rifle, it works well.
The action sequences are intense, but it takes some time to get acclimated to the joysticks. The enemy, A.I. sometimes seems insultingly stupid and repetitive, as they stand out in the open, allowing the player to shoot them.
At other times, they simply walk up to Drake, making them extremely vulnerable.
Throughout the course of the game, Drake encounters mini games that the player must complete in order to progress.
Some of these include: putting pieces of shredded paper back together, making charcoal rubbings, taking pictures of the environment, and other types of puzzle solving.
When it comes to the story, this latest tale in the Uncharted franchise happens to be the weakest, with a forgettable supporting cast and a not-so-memorable story.
The first half of the game is passable and only begins to pick up when Sully enters the fray. The replay value, though, is really the saving grace of this game, giving the player over 300 items to collect throughout the story.
Overall, “Uncharted: Golden Abyss” was a decent game with a reasonable story and great gameplay.
Her biting sarcasm has a long way to go, but Plaza has subverted a lot of the traditional “Women are X, Men are Y” material typically implemented by female comics. Her appearances in major productions have only heightened her popularity. You cans see Plaza on shows such as, “Funny People” and “Parks and Recreation.”
Although she’s not on any shows or in any films, Graddick is a nationally touring comic with major crossover appeal. She also has performed for U.S. troops across the globe, utilizing her blend of self-deprecating and irritated humor.
Feimster uses her relatively unique position, an out-of-the-closet Southern lesbian, to garner a lot of laughs. Her primary focus is self-deprecation, but she also puts a welcome freshness on the down -home, middle American voice implemented by many southern comics; think “Ellen Degeneres meets Blue Collar, with a dash of Patton Oswald.” Feimster is fea-tured on “Chelsea Lately.”
Everything Chelsea Handler does was funnier when Rivers did it first. She could easily be called a female George Carlin, never being quite as risqué, but certainly having the progressive influence, especially back when women comics were a rare breed. Even today, she continues to perform. Rivers is featured on “Fashion Police” and basically any late-night talk show.
As a writer, producer, and director, Kaling is an Indian-American best known for her portrayal of Kelly Kapoor on “The Office.” Although an obvious target for jokes, Kaling’s heritage actually plays little role in her material and her valley girl persona on screen is wildly different than her oft-times dark and edgy stand-up. Kaling can be seen on “The Office” and check out her book, “Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?”
Her dead-serious absurdity on “The Daily Show” has won her a lot of fans, which has led to the release of her own book. She’s well-known as a master of making her interviewees look like buffoons. Bee can be seen on ‘The Daily Show” and look for her book, “I Know I Am, but What Are You?”
She hung with Zach Galifianakis and Patton Oswald, and it shows. She uses her whispery style to deliver a lot of off-the-wall punch lines. She’s recently gone faceless mainstream as a voice in the Cartoon Network show, “Adventure Time.” Bamford is featured on “The Comedians of Comedy” and “Tim and Eric.”
“The gay Oprah” has built up a devoted fan base over the years by being one of the first celebrities to come out, but has also kept a pretty family-friendly act (both in her stand-up and on her show), paving the way for mainstream acceptance of gay culture. Degeneres can be seen on her show “Ellen” and also on “Here and Now.”
The Robin to Tina Fey’s Batman, Poehler has created maybe the funniest husband/wife duo with her marriage to Will Arnett and has the ability to play off of any partner. “I think she and her husband are cute. It’s nice to see two comedians who genuinely love each other and still manage to be funny,” Jessica Plescia, a graduate in oc-cupational therapy, said. Poehler’s silly self can be found on “Parks and Recreation,” “Baby Mama,” “Blades of Glory.”
The current queen of comedy, Fey’s SNL stint led to a Sarah Palin impersonation that hangs right there with Phil Hartman’s Bill Clinton and Will Ferrell’s George W. Bush. Her geek-chic look and personable demeanor have made her the successor to Mary Tyler Moore and her exploits have paved the way for the break-outs of Lindsey Lohan, Donald Glover, and Kirsten Wiig, making Fey, alongside Judd Apatow, one of the biggest players in comedy. Fey can be seen on “Mean Girls,” “30 Rock,” “SNL.”
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 29 EAGLE NEWS NEWS B4 EDITOR: VERONICA VELA NEWS!EAGLENEWS.ORG
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Compromise. That was the challenge senators were faced with at Tuesday night’s student senate meeting.
Senators had to compromise on the Student Health and Wellness Resolution, which has an impact on how much money will be added to the fees students pay per credit hour.
The resolution originally came in suggesting a raise of $1.60, but after much
debate and discussion an agreement was reached. Senators voted for a $1.30 increase and a decrease in the 8 percent overhead fee Health and Wellness must pay. This payment was explained as being similar to the fee banks charge their patrons to hold their accounts.
Senator Eddie Livesay was one of the senators who proposed lowering the amount to a dollar.
“I would support a dollar raise and have them come back for the 30 cents next (academic) year,” Livesay said.
Other senators didn’t agree with the heightened charge because of the dispute over the Activity and Service fee controversy that occurred earlier this semester.
“Health is a huge issue, but (A&S) is too,” argued Senator Ashley Hoffner. “I think a dollar, for right now, would do them justice.”
Senator Lis Chimaras, a principal author of the resolution, debated that point, saying health is vital to overall well being.
“I understand there has been a problem with A&S, but if you’re not healthy you can’t do anything else,” Chimaras said.
If the $1.30 charge is successfully passed, an undergraduate Florida resident would pay $9.64 per credit hour for resources such as CAPS and the services offered at the Wellness Center.
The resolution passed 16-2.
OpinionB5 www.eaglenews.org
EN
Over this past weekend, I journeyed with several lovely ladies from Planned Parenthood to Tallahassee.
Although I am an activist regardless of
“rewards,” many students are unaware that they, too, could get service learning hours for protesting or being an activist for a cause they believe in.
However, is all volunteering created equal? Could a student get hours for calling commuters “sluts and masturbators” alongside the campus preachers as well as protesting for the equal treatment of Immokalee workers?
“To earn service-learning hours at FGCU, we require that students partner with a nonprofit, not-for-profit, or government agency and encourage students to build a relationship with that agency and learn about ways that they can help the agency work to meet the needs of the community,” said Jessica Rhea, the bubbly director of service learning.
“This could take the form of direct
hands-on service or indirect service like fundraising or creating a website.”
In this case, service learning truly is objective. You could earn hours from pretty much anything your little heart desires, whether that be working with the new LGBT youth center Visuality, to campaigning for (I do not judge) Rick Santorum.
However, Neo-Nazis and Jehovah’s Witnesses, don’t get too excited. Service learning has to be not for profit, benefitting to the community and non-proselytizing (trying to change a person’s belief system.)
Service learning is a mandatory requirement for all FGCU students to graduate, but also, I think volunteering should be a mandatory requirement for human beings, period.
If you are willing to devote your time to a cause, I don’t care what that cause is, and neither should FGCU. A college student has a busy schedule already, and if they are willing to participate in a social movement, I say let them.
We are the future.
Ashley Scott is a sophomore majoring in Journalism with a gender studies minor. She enjoys art, reading, listening to Savage love and drinks more coffee than anyone ever should.
Student Government: The organization that represents all of us, voted in by a small amount of active students who pick based only on what names they recognize?
Let’s not make that the case. You might remember SG elections in high school when your teacher would hand out the ballots and say, “Remember, kids: This isn’t a popularity contest,” and you would snicker inside and think, “It totally is.”
Well, now we’re all grown up and your student representative body matters much more than back then. Your dollars are on the line. Senate has more than $3 million to allocate to RSOs and departments.
Your interests are on the line. The Revolution party and the Action! party have different platforms — things that they will try to work for if elected. Which platform suits your wants more?
If you care about your money and interests, it’s your duty to vote responsibly. Who do you vote for? That’s a question you must answer yourself. You can ask a question for either of the parties at Eagle News, or you can get in contact with a specific person directly through the “find someone” directory in your Eagle Mail account.
At one point in SG this past year, there were 15 open seats at senate. Fifteen people weren’t showing up. Those people were elected by us. It’s outrageous that that kind of absenteeism occurred, and it’s our responsibility to elect reliable students who will act as our senators. The number of senators who represent each college is based on how many students are enrolled in that college, and this year, that breaks down into:
We urge you to make informed
decisions on the ballot this week. Don’t vote for someone based on whether they are your friend, and don’t just pick random answers for the positions you don’t know much about.
Be smart and elect reliable, responsible leaders.
Here we are in the build-up to yet another presidential election, just like it was four years ago.
You watch the TV programs trying to decide who you will vote for. Finally you think that there is no one worthy of your vote so you decide not to.
That’s right, you have told
yourself that everything that could be on the ballot at any given election time means nothing to you. Someone earlier this year asked how come I don’t focus on things that are important to college kids instead of all this political stuff. I focus on these things because you are all old enough to vote.
You spent your whole childhood wishing to be older. Some wanted to get into to that “R”-rated movie, others to buy things that you had to be 18 for, and still others so they could move out and become adults. So here’s your chance. Why not exercise your adult responsibility and head to the polling locations, request an absentee ballot, or vote early?
If you don’t want to pick one of the candidates who makes it to the run for the White House, fine, you don’t have to pick one. There are more things on a ballot than this one office. At the 2008 election there were two pages worth of items to vote for. At the last general election there were two pages.
See, here’s what politicians and people who sneak referendums onto ballots are hoping for: You to stay home. That way the people who will benefit from a certain measure will turn out and get the measure passed, while later on after you figure out what’s going, it will be too late.
While the election will be laced with offices that you may never have realized are elected positions, like some judges, tax collectors and clerk of courts, there are also items that will affect education, property taxes, infrastructure spending and even redistricting.
You may sit here and think why do you care, you don’t own a house (yet), have kids in school (yet), care about how roads are paid for (yet), or how you’re
represented (yet), but one day you will. And reversing a measure is much harder than speaking your mind first.
This election cycle, you can expect to find a lot of things on the ballot that will directly affect you. I have not seen, nor do I think they have a November 2012 ballot created, but you could expect to see that the state wants to know your opinion on a variety of controversial measures.
Is a corporation a person? When does a fetus become a person? If at conception, can a mother be charged with murder if she gets an abortion? Will a woman’s health insurance cover contraceptive or abortions? Will it cover them for all or some? Will the state cut funding of public education? Should local municipalities raise taxes? Will Florida secede from the Union? Will you be able to say what you want when you want? Will Walmart always be too big to be sued? Will doctors have to perform vaginal ultrasounds for women who may not want to be pregnant? Will counties support the Coalition of Immokalee Farm Workers? Should citizens be monitored by the federal government for potential threatening behaviors?
Some of these things are crazy and will most likely never see a ballot, but some of these things will, and you may never hear about it, until you watch the results on TV.
Do you want to always be treated like a child because you think you are too busy or too good to go to your voting location and speak your mind? Are you going to be one of those who always bitches but never does anything to let your voice be heard?
I’m not saying you have to campaign, lobby, or volunteer for a particular item up for a vote, but you should inform yourself and go.
You can’t be so busy that you have a hard time setting aside 15 minutes to go and exercise your rights as an adult and cast your vote. You have been waiting your whole life to do this, so what’s stopping ya?
The general election is Nov. 6. The last day to get registered to vote
is Oct. 9. Visit http://election.dos.state.fl.us to
learn more.
Mandie is a junior majoring in secondary social science education. She is married with two children and serves on the Board of Directors of C.A.R.E.S. Suicide Prevention.
When you’re a child, there are certain questions you aren’t allowed to ask, and I’m about to break that rule right now with this question now that I am an adult of reason:
Why is a person’s religion such an important role in our presidential elections?
For the Republican voters, I will pose a follow-up question: Why have you allowed your party to be hijacked by religious zealots who want to turn this country into a police state?
The real problems in America are the following:
Roughly 46 million people living in poverty, more than 50 million people without health insurance, 25 million people without full-time employment, and 40 millions Americans who are functionally illiterate, which means they cannot read or write above a fourth-grade level.
In the camp of the Republican Party, the culture warriors once again are outraged over abortion, gay marriage, a candidate’s faith and contraception as discussed by the final four in this GOP primary. It seems as endless as the “Twilight” series of books and films.
By far the candidate who flaunts his religion the most is none other than Rick Santorum, who most liberals (if they’re being honest) would love to see President Obama go against in November because mainstream America would kick Santorum down the street harder than they did Sarah Palin in 2008.
I could write a whole book of reasons not to vote for Rick Santorum, but for now let’s stay on the topic of the culture war with a few of Santorum’s not-so-pleasant moments in the political spotlight.
These moments include saying women should not be allowed to fight in combat, bringing back “don’t ask, don’t tell” during a debate in which a gay solider was booed for asking a question about the issue, to saying sexual relations are only supposed to be within heterosexual marriage, that women who choose career over family are radical feminists, to his hypocritical and homophobic comments about gay people he believes are a threat to the American family, to saying suffering is an essential part of life, which probably explains his hate for humanity.
I have lost count of how many people in Southwest Florida that I meet who hate President Obama with so much passion that they will be willing to vote for whoever the GOP nominee is, even if it is a radical Christian who thinks everyone should be like him and refuses to embrace diversity.
I’ve never voted for a politician because of their faith. First of all, it’s truly none of my business what these folks do in their private lives, and it doesn’t affect their ability to do the job I voted them to do. Right now, with America’s middle class fighting for their life every day, why should we care whether these folks worship God?
I would rather vote for a smart atheist who loves the job of being a public servant than vote for a moronic Christian who seems to dislike government and wants to police morality while blacklisting those he or she disagrees with. Don’t call what Santorum does “love”; call it what it is: 21st century McCarthyism.
I voted for President Obama in 2008 because I agreed with much of his mission for cleaning up the mess George W. Bush left us and not because he is a Christian, which I know is the reason many people voted to re-elect Bush in 2004.
I should also point out that the great thing about that election in 2004 was the third-party members of America who thought John Kerry was weak and voted for a true champion: Ralph Nader.
Those people voted for Nader because they wanted a strong middle class again and the Iraq War to end, not because he was a great lunch companion after church or because he was fun to have a beer with after work.
America needs to wake up and focus on the issues that really matter: education, health care, poverty and jobs, because it is only by dealing effectively with those issues that we can gain our stability back.
So my advice to whoever the GOP nominee is who gets to run against President Obama:
Leave your good book at home and begin to educate yourself on these four issues instead of trying to save our souls, which most of us can do on our time without your assistance.
Alex is a junior majoring in communication. He enjoys going to concerts, going to Starbucks, listening to his Sirius Satellite Radio, going to the movies, swimming and playing games like UNO and Monopoly. His favorite musicians are R.E.M., Bon Jovi, Elton John and Kenny G. His favorite magazines are Mother Jones, Newsweek and Rolling Stone, which he loves to pick up at the campus bookstore.
EDITORIAL
SportsB6 www.eaglenews.org
With the exception of the middle game, this past weekend’s three-game
home sweep of the Bryant Bulldogs certainly was not short on drama.
The madness began Feb. 24 when the Eagles mounted a late comeback down 4-3 in the ninth inning to win the game 5-4.
FGCU would roll to a much easier 8-1 victory the following day to secure their first series victory of the season.
But the big story of the weekend came from Eagles sophomore left-handed starter Brandon Bixler, who came just one strike short of throwing a no-hitter in a 5-1 victory on Feb. 26.
“Lights out, lights out,” said coach Dave Tollett of Bixler’s performance. “Twelve strikeouts, three bases on balls – lights out. It took 26 outs (to give up a hit). No-hitter. ... golly, I would’ve loved to see him get
it. You don’t get many of those. You get a couple chances in your
lifetime. But boy, he really pitched well.”
The numbers already signify how dominant Bixler was the entire afternoon, but junior catcher Mike Reeves’ post-game description of the game plan made the gem even more impressive.
“The funny part about it is we basically pitched everybody the same way, so they
knew what was coming at them but they still couldn’t hit it,” Reeves
said.Reeves also made sure to
give his lefty the recognition he deserves for the work ethic that’s paying off.
“I mean his stuff was awesome,” Reeves said. “He’s been working really hard at it. He jumps in here on his own time. His stuff was electric today.”
With two outs and no one on in the ninth, Bixler walked a batter, who
would advance to second on a wild pitch. The next hitter, Bryant third baseman
David Soltis, lined a 3-2 pitch to center that was just able to find grass.
The no-hitter and shutout were gone and Bixler would depart to a standing ovation from the Eagle faithful.
Bixler stated that pressure did not play a factor in the end. In fact, it might have been the exact opposite.
“If anything, maybe (I was) a little too amped up in the last inning on a couple of pitches, instead of just focusing and being able to finish,” Bixler said.
Admitting that he began to notice what he had in the fifth inning , Bixler said he started to actually think about it in the seventh. And as customary during a no-hit bid, his teammates remained hush and kept their distance.
Bixler, who has never thrown a no-hitter in his baseball life, made it a point to give the entire team credit for a solid weekend.
“The whole team played well,” Bixler said. “We got a sweep. We really needed that.”
On Feb. 27, Bixler was one of four players in the country to receive the honor of Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week.
Sophomore Sean Dwyer, who had an excellent day manning first base and is from the Orlando area like Bixler, displayed a ton of joy when speaking about his teammate’s outing.
“Awesome,” Dwyer said of Bixler’s pitching. “Bixler’s someone that I’ve been lucky to grow up with. And to see him out here on the mound throwing the way he should is good to see. So I’m ecstatic for him.”
Dwyer came up huge over the weekend as well, as he drove in the game-winning run with a walk-off sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth in Friday night’s miraculous victory.
“Basically just to stay in control, don’t try to do too much, and get something in the air,” said Dwyer of his approach in that situation. “(I was) lucky enough to do that, I guess.”
“The Friday night comeback was a great comeback,” Tollett said. “We needed it and we found a way to push some runs across late and win it in the ninth. And then we just sort of got on a roll after that.
“And I told them after the game, I said, ‘Hey, these are the types of games that can get a team on a roll.’ So hopefully it does.’”
FGCU will look to extend its winning streak to four today when they host the Big 10’s Michigan Wolverines.
The FGCU Tennis Club is having a fantastic season in only its second year. The team competed in the state tournament on Feb. 18-19 in Orlando, where the Eagles made it all the way to the semifinals.
Amir Talab, who made it to the semi-finals in doubles with Christian Padgett, is very pleased with how the team did.
“The team did very well and we came back from being down by one point in the quarterfinals, so that was pretty impressive,” Talab said. “I was very happy about that.”
Talab was not at all surprised that the team reached the semifinals.
“Our hard work paid off and it was a reward for what we put in before the tournament,” Talab said.
With Student Senate recently installing budget cuts for club sports, Talab notes that this will hurt the team.
FGCU might not be able to prove itself on a big stage like it did in the state tournament this year.
“We will only be able to take a select few players on the team to different tournaments and this will hurt the popularity of the tennis club,” Talab said. “The budget cuts will also
hurt team traveling and competitiveness.”Even though the amount of traveling will
be reduced next season, Talab feels that this will not hurt the talent level of the team.
“I think we have a lot to prove and we should strive to be the best that we can,” Talab said. “It’s always the off-court stuff that we have to do to improve ourselves.”
Talab said the team will fundraise on its own to travel to big tournaments.
“We want to get to the finals next year (of the state tournament) and win it,” Talab said. “We are hoping to go to Arizona for the Spring Invitational Tournament and we will raise money to go to this tournament by
hosting a fundraiser. “Padgett was excited to have a chance to
play last year’s state champ in Orlando.“It was pretty exciting,” Padgett said. “I
feel that the team did really good and since we ended up losing to last year’s champion it’s pretty good.”
Unfazed by the budget cuts, Padgett notes that FGCU Tennis Club is headed in the right direction going into next season.
“We will probably lose a few players but we are going to keep doing what we’ve been doing and that is continue to win,” Padgett said.
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Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner.
The FGCU women’s tennis team has a new player starting at No. 1 singles this season, freshman Sarah Means.
Means has a 2-2 record and is tied with senior Jen Evans and Sophomore Bettina Botha for the best singles record.
Her wins have come against Bethune-Cookman and UCF.
Means was the only Eagle to get
a win against UCF. A product of a military family,
Means has traveled to Europe and South America to play tennis.
She picked up tennis at 4 years old. “I got serious (with tennis) when I moved back from Europe,” Means
said. My family is in the military and I was about 10 or 11. It (tennis) was exciting. It was fun. My family was very involved and I had the support so I’ve kept playing and it’s been really good for me.”
Means previously played tennis at Wiregrass Ranch High School, teaming with her sister to win the Florida Class 3A State doubles title, while finishing second in the No. 1 singles bracket.
“High school tennis and college tennis are completely different,” Means said. “In high school I only played for one year. I was able to have some success and win the state title and it was a lot of fun.”
In preparation for her freshman season at FGCU, Means also played in three tournaments.
One was the Women’s Open Clay Court Championship where she was a quarterfinalist in singles and a semifinalist in doubles.
She also played in the Celsius Winter Super Series Tournament in 2011, and the Lake Cane Labor Day Super Series in 2010. Means felt that those tournaments helped her moving to the college level.
“I played a lot of tournaments and had a lot of great competition and preparation to come here,” Means said. “I knew that the competition would be tough and I just played a lot of tournaments so I would be prepared.”
Means came to FGCU after she was discovered through a connection
with the team. Eagles assistant coach Joey
Barnes worked with Means as a junior player, when she lived in Washington D.C.
That tie helped FGCU coach Jennifer Gabou recruit Means.
Gabou admired Means’ work ethic from the start.
“Sarah (Means) has a tremendous work ethic,” Gabou said. “She’s very strong off the ground and we identified this early on. We knew that she could be competitive at No. 1 and her recent wins proved that we were right.”
Means uses powerful groundstrokes and plays an aggressive style of tennis.
“Sarah (Means) has a lot of power and she’s a very smart player who likes to step inside the baseline and drive girls into the corners,” Gabou said. “Her biggest strength right now is her forehand. She really gives an amazing effort.”
Means has big goals this season.“I definitely want to win
throughout the season and contribute to the overall wins of the team,” Means said. “I want to win conference and hopefully make a statement at the NCAA tournament.”
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Men’s basketball (Final) Women’s basketball (Final)
FGCU men’s basketball coach Andy Enfield refused to be anything but optimistic discussing his team’s chances in its first Atlantic Sun Tournament
“Our players are excited to compete for a conference championship,” Enfield said. “And an NCAA tournament berth for that matter.”
The Eagles (13-16, 8-10 A-Sun), who finished out the regular season with a pair of tough road losses to ETSU and USC Upstate, claimed the No. 6 seed in the tournament, meaning they play No. 3 Upstate in the teams’ third affair of the season.
USC Upstate swept the season series.
Their most recent meeting on Feb. 23 was an 87-74 Upstate win in which the Spartans drained a school-record 15 three-pointers, including an 8-of-14 night from sophomore Torrey Craig (All A-Sun First Team and Player of the Year).
Freshman guard Bernard Thompson (recently-named to A-Sun all-Freshman team along with guard Brett Comer) and junior forward Sherwood Brown (All-Conference Second Team) each eclipsed the 20-point plateau for FGCU, however the team shot a collective 37 percent from the floor, leading to their second straight loss to the Spartans.
Enfield believes his team can bounce back.
“Since we just played them last week,
both teams know each other pretty well,” Enfield said. “You prepare the best you can. Once you play teams twice during a season and play a third time, the offensive plays don’t mean as much because you know what they’re going to run and they know what you’re going to run.”
The message to his team is simple. “We need to have three really good days
of practice,” Enfield said. We need to prepare physically and mentally. This is supposed to be a fun time of year. Competing for a conference tournament is an exciting time. Anything can happen.”
Three Eagles earned postseason accolades for their play during the regular season. Brown earned A-Sun All-Conference Second Team honors. He was one of two
players in the conference in the top ten in scoring and rebounding averages. Freshman guards Thompson and Comer each earned a spot on the Conference All-Freshman Team. Thompson ranked second in the conference among freshman in scoring (11.9 per game). Comer is the A-Sun leader in assists per game, as well as second nationally among all freshmen (5.6 per game).
The Eagles will take on third-seeded USC Upstate (20-11, 13-5) in the quarterfinal round on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. The game can be heard live on ESPN 770AM in Fort Myers or online at www.770ESPN.com with David Moulton and Mark Miller on the call.
SportsENSPORTSWeekly recap
FGCU freshman Jack Hernandez was named the Atlantic Sun Golfer of the Week on Feb. 22. Hernandez led the Eagles to a third-place !nish in the !eld of 15 at the Rice Intercollegiate by tying for seventh overall out of 81 participants. He is the second FGCU player to be lauded by the A-Sun with a weekly award this season, joining senior Brandon Pena, who won the award on Oct. 5.
Softball
Men’s golf
Highlighted by a two-hit shutout by freshman pitcher Shelby Morgan the FGCU softball team split a pair of games against Seton Hall, 4-3, and Eastern Michigan, 1-0, on Feb. 26 at the UCF Courtyard by Marriott Invitational at the UCF Softball Complex.
Four Eagles quali!ed for the NCWA National Tournament inDaytona Beach March 8-10 and two quali!ed as alternates. Dan Weiner was the conference champion. Ken Hird !nished as runner-up. Austin Vajen !nished !fth and Zach Hurst !nished sixth. FGCU’s head coach, Pat Milkovich, was voted Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year.
Wrestling club
Men’s basketball
Just days away from its !rst-ever Atlantic Sun Tournament appearance, the FGCU men’s basketball team saw a trio of players earn conference postseason accolades on Feb. 27, announced by the league o"ce. Junior Sherwood Brown was named to the All-Conference second team, while rookies Brett Comer and Bernard Thompson occupied two of the !ve spots on the All-Freshmen squad.
At the start of the season, FGCU women’s basketball coach Karl Smesko thought his team would be good.
He never thought they’d be this good.
The Eagles (26-2, 18-0 in the Atlantic Sun) just completed the third undefeated regular season in conference history, and there’s still more basketball to play.
“I thought we’d be pretty good for sure,” Smesko said.
“I thought we had a chance at being the best team in the conference. We weren’t thinking about going undefeated in the regular season, we were just thinking about getting to the championship and being the top seed in the conference championship.”
Smesko and the Eagles completed that task Feb. 18 when they defeated conference rival Stetson in front of a regular season record 3,489 fans. That win gave them the A-Sun regular season championship and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming conference tournament.
“Honestly I didn’t know we’d be this good,” senior Kelsey Jacobson said.
“We’ve exceeded my expectations. Our goal at the beginning of the season was to make it to the NCAA tournament and it still is, but to go undefeated in conference is an accomplishment that we’re pretty proud of. We also know we have to keep going.”
Jacobson is third on the team in points (10.3 per game) and has helped lead her team to the brink of its first NCAA tournament birth.
Jacobson and the rest of the senior class have brought FGCU into national attention, gaining votes from both national polls and even getting feature stories written about them on ESPN.com.
Jacobson and her best friend, senior teammate Courtney Chihil, have led the Eagles to a 104-18 record in their four years. When he recruited them, Smesko didn’t really know much about them, but it turns out his decision was one of the best in FGCU history. “Is it fair to say that I thought they’d be as good as they are now? No,” Smesko said.
“When I saw Courtney play I thought, ‘Boy this is a kid that would be really valuable and really is getting overlooked at this point.’ I felt that Kelsey had the work ethic to be a really good player. To say I knew they’d be
this successful and play so well at this level, I can’t say that.”
One of the reasons Jacobson, Chihil and FGCU are so successful is their unique style of offense. Instead of the traditional offense with a dominant post player and some shooters, FGCU lives and dies from behind the 3-point arc. They make almost 11 threes per game and cause havoc for teams to defend against.
“The reason our offense works so well is because it’s a lot of kids working together,” Smesko said.
“You have to screen, have to read defenses, have to have kids who are skilled and can shoot the ball. Everybody has to be able to work together to create good shots because we aren’t a team that can just break teams down whenever we feel like it. We have to work together to create open looks.”
But despite all of the success of the past, and this season especially, one loss is all it takes to send FGCU back home.
“We basically go into every game like it’s our last,” Jacobson said. “Luckily for us we’ve been preparing for this every game that we play.”
Charlie Creme of ESPN projects that the Eagles will be a No. 13 -seed facing No. 4 Georgia in the first round
of the NCAA tournament. Smesko is optimistic about any first-round matchup.
“I think we match up pretty well with BCS type schools,” Smesko said.
“We know we’re either going to be in the NIT or the NCAA tournament playing some really good competition. Our style lets us make up for any mismatches in style or athleticism and gives us a chance to compete against a lot of teams that people look at us and say ‘There’s no way to match up.’ We’re not trying to match up with them ;we’re just trying to play our game.”
Before the NCAA tournament even starts, FGCU must win the A-Sun tournament, where they could play three teams for the third time this season. Their first game is today, when they will face off against ETSU, a team they just beat Feb. 25. “They know us, we know them,” Jacobson said.
“Hopefully we know them better and hopefully we’ve learned from our mistakes in the past. We made a lot of mistakes the last time we played them. We’re definitely cleaning up mistakes that we made and hopefully that’ll lead to a win.”
All he does is win.Fifth-year FGCU women’s
swimming & diving coach Neal Studd hasn’t done a lot of losing since being hired in 2006 to create a swimming program.
The three-time Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association Coach of the Year has led the Eagles to four consecutive CCSA conference titles and a 21 conference meet win streak spanning the past four years.
“It’s not normal to win four consecutive conference championships,” Studd said. “There are teams behind us with more scholarships and more resources so it’s even more of a challenge.”
Studd is loved by his team and his squad always performs at a high level for him week in and week out.
Junior Danielle Beaubrun said of Studd, “He’s awesome and knows what we need to work on, and he puts a lot of time in to help us improve. Swimming is an individual sport, but at the same when you see a coach that puts that much work in you don’t want to let him down.”
Studd graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 1998, and, in 1999, began an eight-year stint on the FAU coaching staff. Before coaching,
Studd was a swimmer for FAU and served as the Owls captain and qualified twice for the Olympic Trials.
“It was a really special place (FAU) to start my career and I really enjoyed my time there,” Studd said.
When Studd began the FGCU swim program in 2008, the team became an instant success, finishing second in the CCSA swimming conference championships. In 2009, the Eagles began their reign as CCSA conference champions repeating in 2010, 2011, and 2012.
This consistency and dominance shown by FGCU is based on great recruiting and an excellent coaching staff.
Studd is an international recruiter and has ties to the United Kingdom, being a native of Ipswich, U.K.
In 2012, FGCU’s team was made up of swimmers from seven different countries: the United States, St. Lucia, Canada, Honduras, Mexico, United Kingdom and Sweden.
“We are not international on
purpose; we go after the Florida kids first and move outward to find great talent,” Studd said. “Sometimes the international kids fall in love with the school and don’t worry about not having a football team or having sorority row. We are lucky to have some international experience, especially with Dani (Danielle Beaubrun) going to the Olympics this year.”
After this year, Studd will be losing his assistant coach, Elizabeth Lykins, to UNC-Asheville. UNC-Asheville will be starting its swimming program next year, joining FGCU in the CCSA.
“Elizabeth has done a great job to help me out in the past and help me stay organized,” Studd said. “I wish her the best in the future and can’t wait to compete against her next year.”
Studd knows that school does come first, and his girls respond academically.
FGCU achieved Scholar All American status as a team this
season, with a GPA of 3.41. Fourteen swimmers and divers had a GPA of 3.5 or higher. Freshmen Emma Svensson and Kathryn Brewer and juniors Shannon Blizzard and Eva Lehtonen all had a 4.0 GPA.
“I was a little surprised, to be honest,” Studd said. “I had a few girls that weren’t doing their best in the classroom early on and I wasn’t happy with them, but I guess after all the averages were summed up we did a great job. To be in the top 25 of all swimming teams is pretty cool. I hope they keep it up and that the freshmen keep it going.”
Studd is hopeful that a few of his girls will make the NCAA Championships, scheduled March 15-17 in Auburn, Ala.
“If we are lucky enough to have someone make NCAA’s, I think we are at the point that we want to get into the event and prove to ourselves that we belong,” Studd said.