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The Current is a free, biweekly student newspaper produced at Eckerd College. Opinions expressed in this publication are those of the writers.

News 2-8 Viewpoints 9-12 Entertainment 13-16 The Quickie 17-18 Health & Fitness 19-20 Sports 21-24

Religious experiences in ByzantiumOver winter term, students ex-plored the Byzantine empire and marveled at the religious icons. Read their reactions here.

Students study abroad for spring semester

Vol. 4, Issue 7—Feb. 1, 2013

By Aaron Levy Asst. News Editor

The James Center for Molecular and Life Sciences,

a highly advanced, green and sustainable building, is about to officially become one of the new staple features of Eckerd’s campus.

The new 55,000-square-foot facility will host the Science Symposium Feb. 9, an event that Eckerd’s director of planning, development and construction, Bill McKenna, is excitedly anticipating.

The JCMLS is divided into two wings. The north wing will hold classrooms and teaching labs for advanced classes, and the south wing will hold introductory class facilities, says Associate Professor of Marine Science Laura Wetzel, staff liaison to the construction team.

From the moment you walk into the main lobby, which will be known as Wrenn Hall, you’ll notice all of the clear glass walls. In fact, these panels can be slid open to make an open-air gathering space capable of holding 400- 500 people. The lobby is kept cool with three Big Ass Fans, and that is their real name. There is also a lounge area with vending machines.

Walking through one of the building’s several main corridors, you’ll notice that all labs and

James Center for Molecular and Life Sciences officially opensNew building boasts state-of-the-art technology, energy-efficient design

photo by Alex ZielinksiThe entrance to the James Center for Molecular and Life Sciences.

By Maria Mora Staff Writer

This spring, 61 students from Eckerd College are spending the semester abroad. These students feel both the excitement of living in a new country, and at the same time, the fear of a cultural shock and homesickness..

Junior Colton Thomas majoring in both international relations and Spanish, which influenced his decision to go to Nicaragua. “I’m a Spanish major and I want to live in a Spanish speaking country so I can become fluent,” Thomas said. “I’m going to be really excited when I get there. I might be a little homesick the first couple weeks, but then I think I will probably get complacent and enjoy myself and become fluent in Spanish.”

The living situations in different countries vary. Some countries have more than one housing option. Thomas mentioned that he will be living with a host family, the only option available.

Some other students that are traveling share Thomas’s goal of improving their languages skills abroad, while others seek a different learning experience. This is the case of Junior Seth Kelly, a biology major looking to study aquaculture in Bodø, Norway.

Kelly is expecting to have a great experience. However, he knows that it will be different. “I’m going to be cold and it is only my second time leaving the country so I’m pretty nervous

EC alum’s donation to Athletics on holdBy Elizabeth Tomaselli Editor-in-Chief

Shortly after Eckerd alumnus Tony Menendez found out he was finally approved as a franchise operator for the St. Pete Beach Chick-fil-A location, his boss’s controversial comments made national headlines and caused some here to raise questions about a possible donation to Athletics.

Chick-fil-A president and COO Dan Cathy caused a summer media frenzy when he told a Christian news outlet that his family-owned business supported “the biblical definition of the family unit.”

Countless staged “kiss-in” protests and “show your support” days brought politics to the forefront, particularly once the media got wind of the company’s donations to pro-traditional marriage and family organizations, something the company has never tried to hide; the company’s charitable arm, the WinShape Foundation, has openly supported Christian values, taking a

particular interest in strengthening traditional marriages, for more than 30 years.

The chain receives around 20,000 applications for franchise operators a year. Of those, only 65 or 70 are actually selected, according to their website.

So when Menendez, a 2005 graduate, was finally selected from thousands to begin working with Chick-fil-A in October, he was thrilled to be in a position to give back to his alma mater.

“[Eckerd] gave so much back to me over the time that I spent there,” Menendez said. “I truly believe that I would not be in the position in business, or in my personal life with a loving family, if it had not been for my time that I spent at Eckerd College.”

Menendez, captain of the EC baseball team for both his junior and senior year, was hoping to contribute $2,000 annually to Eckerd Athletics as well as a halftime promotion at all men’s and women’s basketball games. The promotion would have given students the opportunity to win free

books for the semester at each home game.

“Anytime an alumnus chooses to make a gift to his alma mater it is deeply appreciated,” said Director of Athletics Dr. Bob Fortosis. “Tony was a near 4.0 student, a tremendous athlete and was an exemplary campus citizen, so I was especially thrilled when he told me he wanted to reconnect with Eckerd in this way.”

Exemplary indeed. During his time here, Menendez was also Scholar Athlete of the Year his senior year and was the recipient of the James R. Harley Award.

However, the Chick-fil-A affiliation led to some setbacks, even though, according to the St. Pete Beach Chick-fil-A website, the store is independently owned and operated. “From the very beginning of our discussions, Tony made it crystal clear that his personal values matched up perfectly with Eckerd’s and that he fully intended to

See JAMES, page 4

See JAMES, page 4

See CHICK-FIL-A, page 8 See ABROAD, page 7

Viewpoints Entertainment The Quickie SportsHealth & Fitness

page 16

Buccaneers invade Bayshore

Eckerd students dress up and get bussed out for the Gasparilla pirate parade in Tampa. Aaargghhh!

page 17

Club Spotlight

Disney Pride club connects fans on campus through conversations, meetings and trips to Disney parks.

page 19

Sex on the Beach

The popular sex column has moved to a new section. This issue, which foods improve (and impair) libido.

page 24

Baseball preview

The baseball team hopes to rebuild and compete in the SCC after los-ing last year’s ace to graduation.

The Official Student Newspaper of Eckerd College

photo by Alex Zielinski The front entrance has begun its redesign, with a temporary sign marking the campus on 54th Ave. South. While remodeling is expected to be completed by the summer, newly planted trees and bushes will take a few years to fill out.

courtesy of WikicommonsTwitter Logo

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LET’S BE BRIEF

Local

NationalGlobal

Campus

Another penny for Pinellas tbo.com

A proposition to increase sales taxes in Pinellas County will appear on the ballot come Nov. 2014. The additional penny per dollar will be put toward expanding the bus service and light rail in Pinellas. The county’s transportation agency unanimously voted to ask the Pinellas County Commission to put the question to voters on Nov. 4, 2014. According to PSTA Executive Director Brad Miller, the sales tax increase is needed. Without it, the agency will have to make deep cuts to busing and, by 2015, will have an $8 million budget gap. Pinellas County already has a higher sales tax rate than other counties in Florida, at seven percent versus six percent, the original “pennies for Pinellas” campaign.

Barge spills thousands of gallons of crude oil into Mississippi River Reuters

Two barges were damaged after being slammed into a railroad bridge over the Mississippi River in Vicksburg, Miss., causing oil to spill into the river reported the U.S. Coast Guard. The barge, one of two being pushed by a tugboat, was carrying 80,000 gallons of crude oil. Officials used devices called “absorbent booms” to contain the spilled oil. Water repellent, these devices are incredibly absorbent polypropylene filters that float even when fully saturated with oil. Though only one spilled oil, both barges were damaged in the accident. No one was injured in the accident, and local, state and federal officials responded to the scene. The companies involved in the accident have not yet been released.

Spring break service trip info session

Service learning will hold an information session for spring break service trips Feb. 4 at 6 p.m. in Fox Hall. Applications can be picked up at that time.

Combining fitness with culture tbo.com

The Tampa Downtown Partnership is now offering a program that combines fitness and community. “Do The Local Motion” consists of a free guided walking tour around the city, offered every other Friday from 12-1 p.m. A different route and theme will be assigned each time. No RSVP is required; participants meet in Lykes Gaslight Square and should be ready to walk. The tours feature different themes, featuring various related historical locations.

Government mandates equal athletic opportunities for disabled students Reuters

The Department of Education issued directives Jan. 25 to clarify the opportunities that federally funded institutions must provide for disabled students. The directives aim to clarify the 1973 Rehabilitation Act, which prohibits discrimination based on disabilities in federally funded programs, including public school athletics. This action follows a critical report by the Government Accountability Office, which disclosed that disabled students have not been given equal opportunities in school sports. Examples of possible changes include changing the “two-hand touch” finish at swim events so that one-armed athletes can compete alongside able bodied competitors.

Dutch designer develops glowing road lanes to replace road lights Reuters

Dutch designer Daan Roosengaarde has developed a new system of road lane stripes that could spell the end of expensive roadside lighting. The system uses photo-luminescent paint to cover lane stripes on the road, which then use the sun’s energy to charge during daylight hours. At night, the energy is released while glowing for up to 10 hours. In theory, the system will be more cost-efficient and safer. Roosengaarde also has several other road-improvement projects in the works, including a charging-lane for electric cars that would charge cars while driving.

Egyptian president forced to declare state of emergency Reuters

President Mohamed Mursi was forced to declare a month-long state of emergency in three Egyptian cities along The Suez Canal Jan. 27 after violent anti-government protests resulted in the deaths of 49 people. Mursi, who was elected in June as Egypt’s first freely elected leader, is accused by protesters of failing to carry out the democratic goals of the revolution. Backed by his Muslim Brotherhood Group, Mursi has been forced to deal with a deeply divided country and struggling economy. Violent protests erupted Saturday following a court ruling that sentenced 21 people to death for involvement in a deadly protest last year at a soccer match in the Mediterranean port.

Exxon passes Apple as world’s most valuable company AP

Shares of Exxon Mobil climbed to $91.73 Jan. 27 for a total market value of $418 billion. This follows Apple Inc.’s quarterly earnings report, issued Jan. 23, that suggests Apple’s period of fast growth may be slowing dramatically. Consequently, the iPhone maker’s stock fell 12 percent Jan. 24, the biggest one-day drop in price for the company since 2008. Among only a half dozen American companies to ever have achieved a market value of $500 billion, Apple had led Exon since early 2012. The first 9 months of 2012 saw the Irving, Texas based Exxon earning nearly $35 billion.

Michael Bloomberg donates $350 million to Johns Hopkins, $1.1 billion over four decades NY Times

New York City Mayor and Johns Hopkins University alum Michael Bloomberg donated $350 million to his alma mater Jan. 27. Bloomberg’s gifts to the campus have been responsible for substantial improvements made to the school over the years, as his monetary gifts total $1.1 billion over the last four decades. University officials report that number makes the politician the most generous living donor to any educational institution in the United States. The 70-year-old mayor has pledged to give away all of his $25 billion fortune by the time he dies.

Mirror Lake to receive makeover ilovetheburg.com

This spring, the city of St. Petersburg will be giving Mirror Lake Park a makeover. More than $500,000 will be invested into the park to make it safer and more enjoyable. The city’s architect, Raul Quintana, said the goal of the project is to make the park more user friendly, and integrated with the development that has happened around it. The biggest addition will be a new walking path around the park. Also, a ten-foot walkway will be added around the lake.

SafeRide returns

The Eckerd College SafeRide program through Bats Taxi returns for another semester this spring. The membership fee is $50 for a 24/7 service that expires May 19, 2013. The SafeRide card only works within the city of St. Pete and only provides free rides to Eckerd College or the home address on the SafeRide ID card. Remember that tips are not included in the SafeRide membership. The SafeRide is not for everyday use, and abuse of the service will result in contacting the cardholder.

Santa Maria, Brazil, nightclub fire kills over 230 Reuters

A fire overtook a large nightclub in the southern Brazil city of Santa Maria, killing at least 232 people early Jan. 27. The fire started after a band member pointed a flare from the performance toward the ceiling, igniting the roof. Eyewitness reports say the fire spread “in seconds.” Most of the victims are believed to have died from smoke inhalation and being trampled while running toward the club’s exits. Local first responders say at least one exit was blocked and that club security initially kept club-goers from escaping, thinking they were trying to leave without paying bar tabs.

Thousands protest NRA, march for gun control in Washington AP

Thousands of people, including about 100 citizens from Sandy Hook, Conn., participated in a silent march to the Washington Monument Jan. 26. Many carried signs bearing slogans such as “Stop NRA” and the names of gun-violence victims. Upon reaching the monument, speakers called for a ban on high-capacity ammunition and assault rifles and for universal background checks on firearm sales. “This is about trying to create a climate in which our children can grow up free of fear,” Education Secretary Arne Duncan told the crowd. The protesters were said to stretch across two whole blocks on Constitution Avenue.

Viva Florida 500 vivaflorida.org

This year, the state of Florida hits a significant milestone with the 500th anniversary of Juan Ponce de León’s arrival on Florida’s East Coast in 1513. Viva Florida 500 is a statewide initiative, led by the Florida Department of State, to recognize the 500 years of history and Ponce de León finding the great land he named “La Florida.” Special events will take place year-round, all over the state. Check out www.vivaflorida.org or follow @VivaFlorida500 on Twitter for more information on events.

By Kelly Coston & Aaron LevyAsst. News Editors

Keystone XL pipeline protest: take two

Students are organizing another trip to D.C. for the Keystone XL protest Feb. 17. There will be an information session Jan. 31 at 7:30 p.m. in Fox Hall.

Changes to front entrance begin

By Kelly CostonAsst. News Editor

Though Beta was next to have its lounge renovated, it is going to have to get in line. Instead of continuing the renovations of the complex lounges, Eckerd plans to renovate the legacy dorms on Edmunson Ave., also known as “Dorm Drive,” beginning this summer.

The provisional plan is to renovate two houses each summer until all of the legacy dorms are finished, beginning with Douglas and another unknown house from the Epsilon complex.

According to Dean of Students James Annarelli, eventually the loop portion of dorm drive will be turned into a “pedestrian mall,” where vehicles would only be allowed during move-in, move-out and during emergency situations.

“We are starting with the first dorm you come to in order to create a new sense of arrival on to Dorm Drive,” Annarelli said.

The buildings of the dorms will remain the same because of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) “fifty percent rule.”

The rule states, “Any building that is to be remodeled, renovated or improved – when that project cost is 50 percent or more of the building value – will have to be brought into compliance with the NFIP standards.

This ordinance, as well as new flooding codes and regulations, would require all completely renovated dorms to be elevated higher. While the building itself will not change, significant changes will be made to it.

While the details of the rennovations are not yet set in stone, there are mutliple projects in

each house the adminsitration hopes to take on.They hope to transform the restrooms to

allow for more privacy, similar to those in the newer Iota complex. New furnishing could be purchased, new windows may be installed, the mechanical system should be replaced and closets will likely be removed.

The floors should be made of polished concrete, as seen in new Zeta and Delta lounges, and outside insulation may be installed for more energy efficient buildings.

“The dorms will be more energy efficient but still decorative. The exterior coat will look more like the smooth stucco on Iota,” Annarelli said.

The projected cost is unknown at the moment, but funding permitting, accelerated progress will be made. The complex lounges will be renovated as well.

“Our primary goal is to move forward as soon as possible in improving the residential side of the liberal arts college experience,” Annarelli said.

Visit us online at www.theonlinecurrent.com

photo by Alex Zielinski Epsilon Douglas as it currently stands. The complex is set to receive a facelift over the summer.

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NEWSINSIDE NEWS

James Center opens 4

Sheen renovations 5

Eckerd Edge 7

Blast from the past 8

Epsilon on track for renovation this summer

By Rhemy BrezinECOS President

Welcome back for another se-mester, Eckerd students. I hope you had an educational, relaxing and eye-opening Winter Term. The Eckerd College Organization of Students (ECOS) is looking for-ward to an exciting Spring semes-ter full of discounts, Spring Ball, the James Center Opening, Kappa Karnival, Executive Council elec-tions and graduation.

During Winter Term, ECOS released the Student Discount Card. It is free to Eckerd College students, has printed discounts for over 15 restaurants and a link to ad-ditional discounts online. All you have to do is display the discount card when making your purchase thus saving some money but also supporting local businesses. We encourage all students to come pick up a card in the ECOS Of-fice or Campus Activities in Brown Hall. If you have any issues with or questions about the card please contact me at ecospres@eckerd.edu.

The grand opening of the James Center will be from 3 - 5:30 p.m. Jan. 31. It will feature live music, free food, demonstrations by pro-fessors, prize giveaways and a rib-bon cutting ceremony. We would like for all students to come out and join in this celebration of our scholastic community, as well as get a tour of the new building and its green technology and design.

We in ECOS are here to serve you, the students. If you have ques-tions, concerns, or ideas please do not hesitate to contact me or stop by our office in Brown Hall. I also encourage any students who have an interest in running for an Ex-ecutive Council position or joining any branch of ECOS, this year or next, to also stop by and chat with us.

Good luck with spring semester.

P r e s i d e n t looks forward to new semes-ter, events for students

By Amy Baxter Contributing Writer

As Eckerd College begins its third year since beginning the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), its purpose and mission, providing meaning in service learning through reflection, needs its own reflection. How is the QEP going?

Professor Olivier Debure, the director of international students, organizes the QEP at Eckerd. “The students realize they are actually doing service within their academic discipline, within their major, and they really like that. They feel committed,” she said.

Eckerd’s QEP was selected in 2008 as a service-learning-based project. It provides the opportunity for full time students to partake in credit bearing service that would focus on reflection. The plan was implemented in Fall 2010.

According to Eckerd’s website, the program should emphasize that, “service-learning outcomes could (and should) be significantly improved by emphasizing the reflective dimension of learning through service and introducing more rigorous assessment of service-learning outcomes.”

Senior Katie Herklotz is one student who has participated in the QEP. “I took the Writing For Social Change QEP Class last semester and am enrolled in another for next semester,” she says. “The reflective aspect was particularly helpful, as we had class time dedicated to sharing our experiences. I think it’s really important to hear your peers’ point of view as it broadens

the whole aspect of service and its definitions.” Herklotz also serves as one of two student representatives for the QEP advisory committee. Senior Katie McDonough is also a representative.

This service learning reflection is influential because it gives young people a reason to embrace the role of a life dedicated to service. Moreover, it has long been a part of the Eckerd lifestyle. The Eckerd College History and Timeline, provided by the school’s website, quotes Dean of Students James Annarelli in 1999 as saying, “Volunteer community service has long been a dimension of the extracurricular experiences of college students in the United States through campus-based service clubs, ministry groups, national civic or service organizations.

For the 2011-2012 academic year, Eckerd recorded 40,842 service hours, an increase of 7,563 from the previous year. This increase was brought on by QEP. Eckerd, by a national standard, is a much more active campus when it comes to service learning. In the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) 98 percent of Eckerd seniors were reported as having completed service learning in a community based project. This number is significantly higher than national counterparts, making Eckerd a prime place for service learning.

Many classes at Eckerd incorporate service learning into the curriculum. For example, environmental studies students are required to do a certain number of service hours on campus.

“As part of a class, [service]

is more meaningful. It’s more consequential learning rather than planned learning,” he states.

During the 2011-2012 academic year, six reflective self-learning courses were offered with 93 students enrolled and involving 23 community partners. Year two was a decisive one for QEP. All the plans had been executed on time in the first two years and the steps for improvement could begin to be outlined.

As QEP develops, there are other pieces of the plan that need to take shape. The students, faculty and the agencies are the three physical components driving the program. Debure pinpointed the need for each component. Students are looking to learn what reflection actually means and how they can learn from reflection. This will require some sort of training in the future.

The faculty will also need to have some sort of guide or material that can help shape curriculum to incorporate service learning and the emphasis on reflective learning. This will require classes to integrate a meaningful service component that links the academic and service areas.

Finally, the agencies where students volunteer are in need of support in order to provide for the students quests for meaning in service learning. “The agencies are beyond just volunteering, because they are partners in learning,” says

Debure. The QEP Year Two Report,

published in September 2012, analyzed the successes of the program, highlighting the satisfaction of the students.

According to the report, “About 83 percent of respondents contributed more than 15 hours of service to their partnering agency, with mainly positive responses: 50 out of 55 respondents agreed they had an enjoyable experience working with their community partner.”

The report proves that there is an enjoyable experience to be had in the QEP classes, with service learning done under one’s own academic interests.

Eckerd’s website states the ultimate goal for the program on the section dedicated to the QEP. “By the end of the project, we anticipate that reflective service-learning will have had a transformational impact on student learning outcomes in the areas of critical thinking and problem-solving, civic engagement and leadership and openness to diversity.”

The QEP is a five-year plan that will continue to educate young people about the importance and meaning of service learning and civic roles. Eckerd’s embrace of this type of integrated curriculum hopes to promote a dedicated and compassionate group of individuals.

“...98 percent of Eckerd seniors were reported as having completed service learning in a community based project.”

Quality Enhancement Program enters third yearStudents, faculty reflect on the effectiveness, popularity of service learning program

Contact ECOS President Rhemy Brezin at eco-spres@eckerd.edu

the currentFeb. 1, 2013 News4

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photo by Alex ZielinskiThe new center’s water cooling system, featuring state of the art, environmentally friendly technology.

photo by Alex ZielinskiA research lab in the James Center for Molecular and Life Sciences.

photo by Alex ZielinskiThe lobby of the Molecular Science Center, featuring “Big Ass Fans.”

classrooms look out into the hallway. The heavy use of clear glass is part of what Wetzel calls “science on display,” a principle that the building’s design team took from several other college campuses. Those walking through the building can observe education in action.

Gone are the days of struggling with projectors. Equipped with “One Touch” AV systems, pushing a single button from the computer desk turns on the projector, lowers the screen, dims the lights and lowers window blinds. Wetzel and McKenna were happy to show off the facility’s high tech capabilities, and they didn’t stop there.

The first of its kind, The JCMLS uses Magnetic Bearing Chillers to cool down the building, fully circulating the air eight times every hour. While most buildings use cooling towers, Eckerd’s new top of the line system is 33 percent more efficient and was designed in cooperation with the City of St. Petersburg. It pulls water directly from the neighboring water treatment plant before sending it back after cooling the building.

While touring the new facility, McKenna and Wetzel pointed out the “green” and “sustainable” features of The JCMLS. Classroom and lab tables, for example, are made from recycled bamboo. Carpets, chairs, tables and the other furniture in the lounge areas are made with only sustainable materials. There are also several “recycle stations” located throughout the building for food trash, paper, plastic and other materials.

The JCMLS is first and foremost a science facility for biology and chemistry courses that will become the new home of the natural science collegium. However, Wetzel was very specific about pointing out it is a building for all students. There is one classroom reserved for non-science courses, and many big and small conference rooms for students to make use of. Several of the conference rooms are even equipped with large, touch-screen monitors that can be attached to laptops and act as electronic whiteboards.

Winter Term 2013 saw several courses making use of the facility, acting as a sort of “soft-opening,” but the building was still mostly empty when Current correspondents were given a tour. When asked if the building was designed to house a potential growth in Eckerd’s overall student population, McKenna said that it was planned for Eckerd’s current size. “The building master plan targeted a population of 1850 and is intended to maintain that population, but the building is capable of accepting a small growth. Labs are designed to hold a class size of 24 students.” With the new building absorbing many of the courses that were traditionally housed in the Sheen science facilities, there are several more changes in store. Behavioral Science courses will be moving from Sheen C to Sheen B, and computational sciences will be moved to Sheen C. There are currently plans for Sheen A and B to be renovated and those changes will be finished by fall 2013.

The James Center for Molecular and Life Sciences is a big step for Eckerd. Inside, the roughly $1 million in new equipment keeps Eckerd’s science program on the cutting edge of technology. Outside, the landscaping solidifies Eckerd as one of the most natural and environmentally consistent campuses in Florida. 98 percent of the new plants are native, and all the water used to irrigate the many new trees is reclaimed.

photo by Alex ZielinskiOne of the new classrooms, featuring “one touch” projectors.

James Center for Molecular and Life Sciences boasts sustainable features, green technology

JAMES, from front cover

By Hailey Escobar Asst. News and Web Editor

The Eckerd College Organization of students (ECOS) is now offering a new way for students to save money at local restaurants this year with the ECOS Discount Cards.

These cards are a way for ECOS to give back to the Eckerd students in a way that’s never been done before.

While many at ECOS had a hand in the creation of the product, Chief of Staff Langdon Perry Evans spearheaded the project. “We had sort of flirted with the idea for a while, but never had a real good direction or someone saying this is a good idea,” he explained.

The project began taking shape earlier this school year when ECOS attended the American Student Government Association (ASGA) Conference in Boston.

Evans explained how one of the improvements that was mentioned at the conference was a discount card. “A small change on campus or something that could really impact your students,” he recalled the cards being called.

After returning from the conference, Evans, with ECOS, began to work on getting local businesses interested in giving

discounts to Eckerd students, but without much luck. Then they sought out the help of c o l l e g e d i s c o u n t c a r d s . c o m .

The Internet-based company is endorsed by the ASGA.

With the help of collegediscountcards.com, ECOS was able to narrow down their list 70 local businesses to the 21 that enrolled in the program. These businesses were selected because of to their popularity with students.

Many are local businesses that ECOS felt would benefit greatly from the support of the Eckerd community. Each card costs ECOS about $2.50 per student to make, and enough were ordered for each enrolled student to have one.

“ECOS decided to go forward with the implementation of the Student Discount Cards because we felt they would enable Eckerd students to save money while also supporting our local community and businesses,” said ECOS President Rhemy Brezin when asked about the student discount program. “We look forward to hearing students’ opinions about the effectiveness of this new program.”

According to Evans, “Their cards are good for one year.”

The discounts will be honored until the end of 2013, at which point ECOS will evaluate the popularity of the program.

If ECOS decides to continue with the use of discount cards, the process will be easy. Collegediscountcards will retain a record of Eckerd’s design and can even replace infrequently visited businesses with new options for students.

Despite the slow reception due to the decrease of student activity on campus for winter term, there has still been an overwhelmingly positive reaction to the new discount cards, which feature the logos of participating businesses printed on the back.

“[Students] will look at it for a while when they first get it and point out what they like a lot themselves and it’s usually a range of them,” Evans describes.

“I really like Waffle House, IHOP and Burrito Boarder,” Sophomore Trish Smithwick explained as she talked about her personal favorites on the card.

Other businesses include The Hurricane Seafood Restaurant, Hooker Tea Company, Tijuana Flats, Skyway Jacks and The Brass Monkey.

Visit us online at www.theonlinecurrent.com

photo by Hailey EscobarThe ECOS Discount Card.

Feb. 1, 2013 News 5the current

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By Arielle Burger Director of PR/Advertising

The James Center for Molecular and Life Sciences and the Eckerd College front gate are not the only resources on campus getting a facelift. The faculty and staff have recently been busy putting together plans for renovations, expected to be completed by the fall of 2014, for the Sheen Science Complex.

Not only are the faculty and staff working hard on the project plans, some students are also involved.

The environmental studies seniors have been hard at work this past semester, during their comprehensive class, working on grant proposals and projects that could possibly aid the complex’s renovations.

Evan Bollier, Sustainability Fellow at Eckerd, stated that the environmental studies seniors were given the assignment to compose a grant proposal for an environmental upgrade to a building. In this case, the Sheen renovations were on the minds of all the environmental studies students who received the assignment.

“Students like to see projects that they do research on come to fruition,” he said.

The projects also have the potential to end up in the building plans for Sheen. The students were given a budget of up to $10,000 to work with while they created these projects.

In turn, the students researched environmentally friendly designs that they thought would suit the complex well. Some projects that have been mentioned in the past were solar panels for dorms, composting systems and solar hot water systems.

The seniors were given grant proposal guidelines for the projects they would like to see

involved in the renovations. They researched how much their projects would cost, keeping within their allocated budget.

The projects gave students a chance to practice conducting grant proposals and researching the cost of their plans. The projects can include tasks such as landscaping in front of the buildings, window films or weather stripping on the doors.

Environmental studies major Ethan Cooper took his comps project in a different direction. Cooper was able to develop a project that would incorporate all majors for the Sheen renovations.

He proposed a student art display that would showcase environmental art pieces around the complex. “It would be a student competition where his or her submitted art work would be voted on by students and faculty and an award would be given to the student,” Cooper said. “The art would be displayed depending on how much money would be put into the project.” Cooper described this project as “eye opening” and it prepared him on how to do grant proposals for the future.

Environmental studies Professor Allison Ormsby has been actively working with her senior comps students through creating their proposals. Ormsby is the project manager for the Sheen renovations and serves as the liaison between the faculty and administration.

She communicates the desired changes that the faculty would like to see in Sheen and provides that information to the contractors and administration. “I keep the lines of communication open,” she said.

The James Center for Molecular and Life Sciences will be for chemistry and biology majors, whereas Sheen A, B and C will hold environmental studies, computational sciences and any majors involved in the behavioral

sciences collegium. The buildings will give those majors a “cohesive identity,” as Ormsby proposed.

Sheen B, which will begin seeing construction during Winter Term, will occupy the behavioral science collegium. Those majors will have a more “identifiable presence,” as Ormsby recalled. “The renovations may also inspire new directions for majors and minors.”

Sheen A will be the next on the list, focusing on maintaining the Environmental Studies major and Sheen C will hold the computational labs and classes for physics, math and computer science. “I hope there will be more research collaborations between departments as a result of the rennovations,” as Ormsby stated.

Ormsby paid close attention to how other campuses were renovating their buildings and outside courtyards.

Bollier noted they examined how the University of Florida had remodeled their outside courtyards for the students, and that they were environmentally friendly and aided to students’ technological needs.

Ormsby noted how they really want to make the three buildings open so that each department can work with one another.

Professor Beth Forys is also excited to see the Sheen renovations underway. As an environmental studies representative, she stated that the grant proposals were “a good source of future ideas.”

Forys said Sheen A will be a great place to showcase the major and the local environment. She hopes that it will educate the public and the surrounding area about what Eckerd has to offer. Forys mentioned that they could see some extensions of the palm hammock, as well as future developments of the garden and possible greenhouses.

Seniors create proposals for Sheen renovation

ECOS brings student discount cards to campus

photo by Alex ZielinskiThe Sheen Quad.

photo by Alex ZielinskiThe back of Sheen ready for renovations.

photo by Alex ZielinskiThe walkway into Sheen.

Cards feature local businesses, offer students 10-20 percent discounts

Discount cards can be picked up at the ECOS office, located in Brown Hall, and can be presented at any of the listed businesses before placing an order. Discounts can be anywhere between 10 to 20 percent off the entire purchase.

the currentFeb. 1, 2013 News6

Visit us online at www.theonlinecurrent.com C

The Current is a free biweekly student newspaper at Eckerd Col-lege. Offices are located upstairs in Cobb at 4200 54th Ave S, St. Petersburg, FL, 33711. Opinions ex-pressed in this publication are those of the writers and do not neces-sarily reflect those of EC students, staff, faculty and administration.

The Current welcomes letters to the editor. Submissions should be typed and not exceed 400 words. Writers must include their full name, gradu-ation year and contact number. Fac-ulty and staff should include their title, department and contact num-ber. All submissions are subject to editing for the purposes of clarity, style or length. The Current holds the right to reject any letters deemed inappropriate. Letters can be sent via email to thecurrent@eckerd.edu with subject “Letter to the editor.”_______________________________ The Current will run full-length ar-ticles covering any arrests that pres-ent a clear danger to the community. Charges that would be investigated under this policy include robberies, assaults, weapons charges or illicit drug manufacturing, such as meth-amphetamine. The Current will con-tinue publishing a small police blotter for felony arrests, and misdemeanor charges against student government leaders, Residential Advisors and staff members of The Current. We learn of arrests through searching the police arrest database by enter-ing Eckerd’s address, as well as from tips. Questions and comments can be emailed to thecurrent@eckerd.edu.

Editor-in-ChiefElizabeth Tomaselli

thecurrent@eckerd.edu

Managing EditorJeralyn Darling

News EditorCait Duffy

currentnews@eckerd.eduAsst. News Editors

Aaron LevyKelly Coston

Political ConsultantEthan Packey

Viewpoints EditorEly Grinfeld

currentviews@eckerd.eduAsst. Viewpoints Editor

Alex Roberts

Entertainment EditorIan Lindsay

currententertainment@eckerd.eduAsst. Entertainment Editor

Hayden Johnson

The Quickie EditorHailey Escobar

currentquickie@eckerd.edu

Health & Fitness EditorCaroline Campbell

currenthealth@eckerd.eduAsst. Health & Fitness Editor

Lizzy Brophy

Sports EditorMike Geibel

currentsports@eckerd.eduAsst. Sports Editors

Colin CaseyWill Creager

Dominick Cuppetilli

Graphic Design EditorCarver Elliot Lee

Photo EditorAlex Zielinski

currentphoto@eckerd.eduAsst. Photo EditorDominick Cuppetilli

Web EditorGreg Reilly

Asst. Web EditorsHailey EscobarWeb Master

Vincent Lynch

Faculty AdviserTracy Crow

Director of FinancesKevin Boyd

Director of PR/AdvertisingArielle Burger

currentads@eckerd.edu

By Kelly CostonAsst. News Editor

As the end of another academic year marches closer, post-graduation plans have begun creating knots in the stomachs of seniors. Yet those concerned about not attending graduate school or receiving any job offers should not lose sleep yet.

The office of Career Resources is now introducing the Eckerd Edge, a program designed for recent Eckerd graduates who are not employed or enrolled in graduate school within six months of graduation. It allows students to audit up to four Eckerd courses at no cost, and receive one-on-one coaching from an Eckerd Career Services professional.

Those eligible to take advantage of the edge are those who entered Eckerd in the fall of 2011 or later, remained a full-time student with a 3.0 cumulative GPA or above and have never been on disciplinary or housing probation.

Qualified graduates can then audit any undergraduate class offered on campus, given there is space available. Students may audit a class they have already taken, or a class that had nothing to do with their major. However, prerequisites must still be honored.

President Donald Eastman and Dean of Students James Annarelli, with the help of Dean of Admissions John Sullivan, worked to put together a task force consisting of faculty, student life staff, a trustee who is also an alumna and a career coach, who came up with the Eckerd Edge program. “We started the initiative in summer 2010, when we agreed we needed to take a closer look at the career services program, and assess ways to enhance the center for career planning and applied learning,” Annarelli said. As a result, Jessica Neander, the new executive director of the Center for Career Planning and Applied Learning, was hired in May. “Alumni can call us in a month, five years, or 20 years [after graduation.] We are a forever resource,” Neander said.

“A Liberal Arts education is the best preparation for life and a career,” Annarelli said. “The Eckerd Edge is designed to enhance student success, and make students as marketable as possible.”

By Carly YoussefContributing Writer

When students need help with a research paper, or a comrade to pacify their writing portfolio anxiety, the 10-student staff at the Eckerd College Writing Center is at their disposal. With majors ranging from religious studies and biology, these students can help you with any paper.

They are not just human auto correctors. “Being a consultant is about helping students with the higher order problems with their papers, not just about checking grammar,” said Junior Jenna Levine, a veteran consultant.

“Being a writing consultant is a lot more work than I originally assumed it would be,” said first-year consultant Michaella Paddock, a sophomore.

Consultants look at citations, content flow, thesis construction and overall formatting of a paper. This doesn’t mean that they will mark up a paper in red pen and play teacher for 20 minutes. A consultant is a friendly guide who leads the student to appropriate formatting or language.

First-year consultant and Sophomore Luke McKinnon said, “When you help people with their papers usually they know what they need to fix. You just remind them of that.”

Conversation is the key to good consultations. The consultant will point out a certain passage of the paper and discuss possible ways of fixing it with the students, but they focus on helping the student discover and fix his or her own mistakes.

“We’re there to really help

students work on their writing skills and help build their confidence about writing,” said Junior Roiya Amin-Arsala.

“My best consultations always happen when a student comes in with specific questions and is interested in being involved with me as we actively work on their assignment,” Levine said.

Writing consultants help students in the Program for Experienced Learners (PEL) and ELS along with residential Eckerd students. Different skills are needed in each different learning style. According to Levine, “Working with ELS students can be more challenging than working with regular Eckerd students, as they have less practice with the English language.”

In these cases, grammar and minor problems usually require more attention; however, consultants still try to create a relatable and less teacher-like environment. Reading out loud proves to be useful because usually the students can hear their mistakes.

Sometimes language or other learning obstacles are too difficult to conquer in a session. “I find myself less helpful with PEL and ELS students because they usually need a different kind of service than I can offer,” says McKinnon.

However, according to Amin-Arsala even these tough sessions are rewarding because the students are very grateful for help. “They are more enthusiastic and ready to learn than regular Eckerd students,” said Paddock.

“I love coming to the writing center,” said Junior Maria Mora. “Everyone is always so nice and helpful.” Even though Mora

graduated from the ELS program and is a full-time Eckerd student, grammar is still troublesome. “I usually come for help on all of my papers so I’m there every week. I basically live there,” she joked.

The busiest time of the semester for the consultants is when writing portfolios are due. Writing Center Director, Professor Erika Spohrer explains that the Writing Excellence program knows that the portfolio causes anxiety because it’s so high-stakes. “Our aim is to reduce that anxiety by making the process as transparent as possible,” she said.

The staff takes on extra shifts and sets up a room dedicated for students to complete the timed-writing portion of the portfolio. They conduct information sessions that explain each category and the annotations.

In the Writing Center there are also books of past writing excellence winners, providing examples to learn from. Although the consultants can’t guarantee whether a paper will pass or fail they help to their best ability.

“Be sure to get a head start so that you are not trying to write your entire portfolio in one week,” suggested Levine. Bringing one paper in at a time throughout the semester has proved to be most helpful. Don’t come in with all four papers a day before portfolios are due and expect to fix all of them.

“It’s best to be confident in your own writing,” Paddock advised. “Strive to take pride in and improve your work,” said McKinnon.

Time and effort really do pay off when it comes to the portfolios.

Spohrer, Assistant Professor of Rhetoric, has run the Writing Center since 2005, with a two-year hiatus from fall 2010 to spring 2012. Over the years she has worked to build a community within the Writing Center staff. “What I love about this [current] group is that everyone has such a terrific attitude,” Spohrer said. “This group is also extremely reliable, sharp and kind.”

The application process for a position at the center is more difficult than if students were applying to other on-campus jobs. Teachers recommend the students who can apply. All invited students interview with Spohrer, or, in previous years, Professor of Rhetoric Zachary Dobbins. Next, an application with the best examples of your writing is submitted.

Good writing is an obvious requirement, but interpersonal skills and reliability are also essential. Spohrer tries to select a group with diverse majors. “It’s competitive,” said Spohrer. She typically goes from 20 interviewees to only 4 or 5 hires.

“I applied because I enjoy writing and I believe that it’s something I’m good at,” said Paddock. “Helping others is also something that I like doing and that’s exactly what a job at the writing center is.”

The writing center, located on the first floor of the Seibert Humanities building, is open Sunday through Thursday 6–10 p.m.

Writing center student staff offers compositional help

Eckerd gives students an ‘Edge’

courtesy of Wikicommons

By Samantha HagarContributing Writer

Senior David Font believes that every good movie needs to have a solid focus and the director must have a clear vision of the story. Font, the director of his own story, knows where his life is going and how to get it there. He is absolutely in love with the movies.

Font sits in his Omega dorm room, observing his walls lined with movie posters. His CD collection is stocked with dozens of movie soundtracks. He has countless shelves filled with DVDs and Blu-rays. “I probably own 500 movies or more at home,” he says modestly. “It’s the equivalent to a hobby. My parents yell at me, tell me I’m wasting my money.” He laughs. “My mom collects spoons and my dad collects rare coins, so most of the time I don’t listen.”

Font’s interest in movies goes way back. He can’t recall the moment it all began, but he does know that his love of films was evident even as a toddler. He was a serious “Peter Pan” enthusiast. “I was probably only three at the time I first saw it,” Font says. “My parents tell me that I watched the movie so many times that I eventually broke the video tape. I’ve never lost my love for Disney movies, if anything my adoration for them has probably only been strengthened over the years.”

After starting college, Font’s love for films continued to grow. He had always dreamed of writing for his college newspaper and he found his niche at The Current as a film critic. The first film he reviewed as a certified film

critic was “The Social Network.”As one of the best films he’s seen in 10 years, his review has also become one of his favorites.

His experience on The Current staff was his foot in the door with the online news site, The Examiner. He has been writing film reviews for the website for more than a year and, although he doesn’t mind that the gig provides some extra income, he says he would be doing it for free. “What I enjoy most about film criticism is the endeavor to sell or caution a movie to an audience better than it’s preview trailer,” he says. “It’s why I do what I do. I do it for myself and for others as well.”

Font’s film fanaticism was not stopping there. He started the EC Film Aficionados club in fall 2011 and tries to screen one or two films each week. Not your traditional Eckerd club on campus, the EC Film Aficionados has no scheduled meetings or a member roster; rather those who choose to attend the screenings reap the reward. Although the club does cover a multitude of genres, Font does admit he chooses films that he has seen and enjoyed and/or those that have been newly released. “We have been very successful,” Font says, “but starting next semester I want to start showing either more obscure films or at least the ones that should not be missed.”

David Font “lives and breathes cinema,” and no one could or would argue against it. He hopes to someday direct his own film. He sees movie watching as a highly enjoyable form of study. “I plan on going to film school after I finish up at Eckerd,” he says. “The more I watch, the more I’ll be able to bring into my own future films.”

courtesy of Eckerd CollegeThe cover of the new Eckerd Edge brochure.

Student’s love of films becomes a career path

Visit us online at www.theonlinecurrent.com

Feb. 1, 2013 News 7the current

C

Spring semester sends students traveling abroad

By Doug IzzoContributing Writer

Working to connect students with em-ployers has been the primary objective of the Eckerd College Office of Career Servic-es, but the opportunities available in the fish tank filled office don’t end with a handshake.

“We are working hard to change the image of Career Services. We had this stigma on campus, that this is where you go if you want to put on a suit ev-ery day and work in an office,” said Krystle Fogarty, event coordinator.

Fogarty went on to explain that Career Services offers much more. “If you want to work on a beach in South Africa, we have an internship for that. If you want an in-ternship not listed, we will work with stu-dents to find one.” Fogarty can also help you search for available internships in a stu-dent’s hometown for summer or even win-ter terms. The opportunities are endless.

“We went from having events once a month to having events at least once every week,” said Fogarty. The last event of the Fall semester was the annual Holiday Network-ing Social Workshop and Mocktail Hour.

Akash Patel was the speaker for this event in 2012. Patel is the founder of El-evate Inc. in Tampa. Elevate Inc. is a strategic business development firm. Patel specializes in community rela-tions, social media, target marketing, public relations and government affairs.

During this mixer, students have the privilege to learn how to handle themselves in a job setting through hands-on experi-ence. “A mixer is real-life social network-ing. During this cyber age, people forget how to interact face to face,” said Fogarty.

There are job fairs, networking mix-ers, workshops, etiquette dinners and so many more opportunities for students to get involved in the events offered by Ca-

reer Services. “We don’t want to give stu-dents a lecture. They get lectured all day in class. We want to engage the students and make them more comfortable with their surroundings,” explained Fogarty.

There will be a Valentines Day speed dating CPS event where students will have an opportunity to practice their interview skills with several different faculty and staff members acting as hiring managers. This will give students the opportunities to use what they learned from the mix-ers. Students are told to come up with an elevator speech. Fogarty explained that “an elevator speech is a 30-second speech about who you are and what you do.”

An elevator speech can give students something to say when they meet a po-tential employer, rather than standing in front of them with a blank stare. “An elevator speech is very important and ev-eryone should have one,” said Fogarty.

Career Services can also help you get everything you need organized and ready for your graduate school or scholarship application. Staff are willing to sit down with you and go over everything you have in your application. They will make sure it is well prepared as well as give you information on what you still need to complete and tips for improvement.

Senior Alex Laton, a political science ma-jor, is getting ready to send in her applica-tion to graduate school. She took advantage of the benefits of The Office of Career Ser-vices. “They helped me tremendously with getting my application together in time to submit it. Every student should take advan-tage of the resources Career Services offer.”

Mary Anderson, career counselor, is in charge of resume workshops. “She is the resume specialist,” said Fogarty. “If a stu-dent comes in who is just starting a re-sume or needs it updated, she’s incredible.”

Junior Patrick Blanchard stated “Mary

Anderson helped me with my resume. I showed her a copy of my resume and she went through it with me line by line and told me how I could improve it. She also showed me examples of good re-sumes and gave me literature with tips on how to use specific wording and things.”

The biggest problem Fogarty, Ander-son and the rest of the team face is lack of time. “We need time. Don’t come in in November for a winter term internship. If you want a job right out of college, start coming to Career Services before you graduate. It makes graduation easier if you use the tools we offer. If you’re inexperi-enced, there are ways to get that first posi-tion and experience through internships.”

The Team in The Office of Ca-reer Services are always busy work-ing together. They even have three fish tanks to help make the office feel more inviting and open to students.

The bigger, main fish tank is lo-cated in the sitting area of the office. One fish is named Kai which means ocean in Hawaiian. The other fish is named KuKui which is a Hawaiian nut.

The Office of Career Services has two students who are currently working at the office. They are in charge of creating the posters, flyers and other promotional items for various events.

Jessica S. Neander is the executive direc-tor of the office. She oversees operations throughout the office. Neander also spends a lot of time out of the office actually going to businesses around the bay area to set up internships and employment opportunities for students.

John Ingram is in charge of internships, but has been on medical leave since Au-gust. Till Ingram’s return, Neander has taken over his role and has been assisting students with internship guidance.

Career Services gears up for new semester

Courtesy of Eckerd CollegeThe cover of the new Eckerd Edge brochure.

about it,” said Kelly. “It will be interesting to be on my own in a different country be-cause I have never had to deal with that.”

Nicole Kirchberg is the coordinator of overseas programs for Eckerd College. Since March 2011, Kirchberg has been sending Eckerd students abroad. “I have the best job. I love the students that I work with,” Kirchberg said. In all the jobs that Eckerd offers she considers hers the most fun. “How fun it is to tell people that they can go abroad, have new experiences and see them come back different people,” she said.

One of the popular programs that Eck-erd offers is the International Student Ex-change Program (ISEP). Students usually travel through this program because they pay room and board directly to Eckerd and do not need to worry about spend-ing more money. Students also keep their scholarships through ISEP.

Some students want to focus on a spe-cific program when they go abroad. Junior Mary Kate McKenna is studying in Monte Verde, Costa Rica this spring.

“The program that I’m doing is a sus-tainability program,” McKenna described. Costa Rica is one of the most ongoing countries in terms of sustainable develop-ment. People there are really into preserv-ing the habitat.

“I’m going to an institute and I will be taking classes that involve the natural his-tory of Costa Rica and just sustainability issues. We will be meeting NGOs from green organizations and talking to locals.”

The program that she is participating in is through the Council of Internation-al Educational Exchange (CIEE) study abroad. This CIEE program not only of-fers the opportunity of going abroad and having a different experience but also a

chance to grow professionally though in-ternships and meeting important organi-zations.

Some students were looking for an ex-otic place to go. Junior Philip MacDonald is one of them. “I love going to foreign countries. After two years at Eckerd, I de-cided that I just wanted to do something exotic, and I decided to go to the most ex-otic place that I could find in the catalog of schools in the International Education office,” MacDonald says.

MacDonald is in Thailand, through the ISEP program. Thailand is not one of the common places that Eckerd students pick to go for their semester abroad. However, MacDonald couldn’t resist the opportu-nity of traveling to a totally different en-vironment.

The study abroad program has been successful through the years. Hopefully, all 61 students going abroad will have an unforgettable experience.

By Evan Bollier Sustainability Fellow LEED Green Associ-ate

Have you no-ticed the new water bottle filling sta-tions around campus?

Over winter break, our facilities depart-ment installed five new bottle fillers, bringing the cam-pus total to seven.

Each has a coun-ter on them that displays how many

16-ounce dispossible plastic water bottles have been displaced from the landfill.

The bottle filler in the Fitness Center dis-plays that it’s diverted over 27,500 plastic bot-tles, that’s nearly 3,500 gallons of water that have been dispensed from that bottle filler alone since March.

Get into the habit of bringing a reusable cof-fee cup and water bot-tle wherever you go this spring semester. Can you find all seven bot-tle fillers on campus?

New water bottle filling stations installed

photo by Evan BollierOne of the new water bottle filling stations.

courtesy of Philip MacDonald’s Facebook pageJunior Phil MacDonald makes a primate friend upon arriving in Thailand.

courtesy of Seth Kelly’s Facebook pageKelly and a friend experience the Northern Lights in Norway.

ABROAD from front cover

photo by Maria MoraA corkboard in the International Studies office highlights various locations students can visit around the globe.

B l a s t f r o m t h e pa s tthe currentFeb. 1, 2013 News8

Visit us online at www.theonlinecurrent.com C

photo by Alex ZielinksiThe Chick-fil-A in St. Pete Beach, owned by Eckerd alumnus Tony Menendez.

operate his restaurant in a way that was warmly welcoming to all people,” said Fortosis.

After hearing about the possible donation to Athletics, ECOS President Rhemy Brezin requested a meeting with Fortosis, Menendez, Professor Tony Brunello, who is the faculty athletic representative, Associate Director of Campus Activities Lova Patterson and other representatives from the athletics department.

Brezin said she was originally fond of the idea of the donation to Athletics, until she learned there was a tie to Chick-fil-A. “I had some reservations because we have such an active and vibrant LGBT community on campus,” Brezin said.

Patterson also voiced her concerns with the contribution. “Personally, I could not support Chick-fil-A because of where the money goes, to the top of the corporation. It personally affects my life—I’m also a vegetarian,” Patterson said in a recent interview. “I want that money to be there for students. I’m just not sure how I feel about where it comes from.”

The concerns were ultimately enough to cause Menendez to

rescind his offer. “In my opinion, as an alumnus that was looking to give back to the college that so graciously gave back to me over the years, there was much push back due to my affiliation with Chick-fil-A,” he said. “Due to this push back, I thought it would be best to withdraw our offer and revisit this opportunity at a later date.”

Though he was excited about the opportunity to work with an alum, Fortosis could sympathize with Menendez’s dilemma. “I understood this decision from his perspective, and I supported it,” he said.

Brunello was also disappointed in the outcome. “I was very sorry that our former student Tony Menendez was unable to share his success with Eckerd College. The Athletic program is responsible to raise financial support from donors and sponsors, and this would have been most welcome. I know from talking to Mr. Menendez that he had the best of intentions, and as always, Eckerd College’s interests, at heart.”

In the future, Menendez is open to revisiting his donation, as is Brezin. “ I am willing to keep it on the table and we can see if things change in the future,” she said.

Welcome to the blast from the past, where The Current features articles from Eckerd College’s earlier newspapers. This selection features an alumna’s depiction of the “Eck,” a curious creature that can be found running around a liberal arts campus, preparing to study abroad.

Campus evaluates proposed Chick-fil-A Athletics giftCHICK-FIL-A, from front cover

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Viewpoints9Feb. 1, 2013 the current Viewpoints

Visit us online at www.theonlinecurrent.comCVisit us online at www.theonlinecurrent.comC

INSIDE VIEWPOINTS

Elie Wiesel experience 11

QFM reflections 11

First Times 10

By Ethan PackeyPolitical Consultant

For Winter Term, I chose the Sacred Byzantium trip.

With me were the fifteen students in my group. By the time we reached Istanbul, we had already traveled through Greece, Bulgar-ia and Romania. Notably, all these countries were once part of the Byzantine Empire and continue to show remarkable signs of Byzan-tine cultural influence.

The reason I chose this trip was quite simply that I was looking for my cultural roots. My parents come from two cultural traditions. My dad’s family is Pennsylvania Dutch; Germans and Austrians who have been in central Pennsylvania at least since the American Revolution, likely much longer. My mom’s family is Italian-Irish, full-blooded Roman Catholics, who came through Ellis Is-land into New York City a century ago.

From my mom’s family, I inherited Roman Catholicism, which also claims to be a hal-lowed guardian of the Western tradition and Christianity. But as I grew older, I learned

more about the Church and grew unsettled by its theological innovations and political history. Notable among its historical errors was its endorsement of Charlemagne and his Holy Roman Empire, a usurper state claiming the Roman crown that still existed in Con-stantinople with the Byzantines.

But I still stayed with the Romans because, until twelve months ago, I didn’t know of anything else. That’s when this journey to find my roots started, in January 2012, when I had the chance to take Byzantine Monas-ticism for my Winter Term with Professor Bruce Foltz.

I learned a great deal about Eastern Ortho-dox Christianity at that time, both from the time the Byzantine Monasticism class spent at Eckerd and from the eight days we spent at an Eastern Orthodox Christian monastery in California. As a result, I decided that what I found was the truest and purest form of the Christian faith I already had.

But Eastern Orthodoxy does not allow people to join overnight so I became a cat-echumen, or a convert with training in Chris-tian doctrine, and thus have had time to

ponder my decision. And there were some nagging questions left by my decision. The Eastern Orthodox Church wasn’t just anoth-er Christian church among the hundreds that have proliferated across the Western world since the Protestant Reformation. It claims to be the Church, the unbroken line of ap-ostolic succession from the Twelve Apostles, Mary and Jesus Christ himself.

That ancient church is preserved today in Eastern Orthodoxy, at least according to Eastern Orthodoxy. I wasn’t ready to declare that last January, but now I’m coming to be-lieve the veritable truth of that statement. But whatever my beliefs about its historical claims, such a church would properly bring more than just a new perspective on Chris-tianity. It would bring incredible cultural and potentially philosophical knowledge, as well. This greatly appealed to me, the budding lov-er of philosophy, and I promptly decided to enroll in three philosophy classes that spring and became a philosophy major.

My final philosophy class that semester was Introduction to Philosophy which has

photo by Ethan PackeyEckerd students marveling at the Rila Monastery.

Students get in touch with old roots in Byzantium

see ROOTS, page 11

The Middle East has always been a polar-izing issue. Religion, politics and violence are all rolled into one societal mess. Ameri-ca’s biggest ally in the Middle East, Israel, is dividing America down the middle.

Violence between Jews and Muslims has caused public backlash toward the small country. But often times, people don’t know what’s really going on there. College students are trying to stay in-formed and at the same time, respectful. “The human component on both sides of the conflict is something that I feel goes un-noticed by a lot of Americans,” says Junior Colleen Rast, who spent the last several months studying in the middle east.

In retaliation for some of the heavi-est rocket fire into Israel from Gaza in months, Israel Defense Forces respond-ed by launching Operation Pillar of De-fense on Nov. 14, and assassinating Ahmed Jabari, chief of Hamas’s military wing. Hamas, which is recognized as a terrorist organization by the United States, United Kingdom, European Union and Israel, has been in control of Gaza since violently tak-ing control in 2007.

One aspect of the political conflict that isn’t clear to students is whether Hamas is representative of a common Arab-inter-est, and whether the organization has the support of it’s citizens. “A person is not a Hamas,” says Senior Ethan Cooper. “It isn’t an ethnicity, it’s a political party.”

Junior Julia Levy feels that preconceived notions about Islamist groups can influ-ence the way people think about the con-flict. “Just because a group is Islamist does not mean that it is a terrorist organization,” explains Levy, “An Islamist group believes Is-lam should be incorporated in politics.”

The popularity of Hamas among Arabs is a deeply complicated question. Professor Fait Muedini, assistant professor of politi-cal science, spoke on the topic. “A number of people do not agree with Hamas’ politics, but have some level of support for them be-cause of the social services that they provide in Gaza,” he explained.

Though many don’t support Hamas, Muedini believes, Gazans are happy with the concessions Hamas has achieved from Israel through indirect negotiations. Israel warned residents of Gaza about the planned strikes on Hamas military targets with leaflets and phone calls. Yet, 174 Pales-tinian casualties were nevertheless reported, including 100 civilians. Israel, which main-tains a vastly more advanced defense system, reported six casualties including four civil-ians.

Ed Rosenthal, rabbi to Eckerd and sev-eral other Suncoast-area colleges, feels that the casualty numbers can be deceiving. “Be-cause more Palestinians were killed than Israelis, people think that Israel uses dis-proportionate force, is targeting civilians or views Palestinians as being worth less than Jews,” he says. “I often wonder if they would simply like to see more dead Israelis.” Cooper feels the casualty numbers don’t tell the whole story. “I think the number one misconception amongst students,”

Israel, Hamas conflict impacts EC communityBy Aaron LevyAsst. News Editor

see CONFLICT, page 12

By Ethan PackeyPolitical Consultant

The election is over, Obama’s second in-auguration has passed, but politics proceed as usual. President Obama reopened the gun control debate Jan. 16 by rolling out his pack-age of reforms for increased gun control.

Chairman of the Eckerd College Repub-licans Ryan Heffner expressed mixed senti-ments about the reopening of debate. “The reconsideration of federal gun laws is a good thing. There has been no legislative action in 18 years, yet the firearms industry now sells more modern weapons and there have been two landmark Supreme Court cases about gun rights. So I would say that it’s time for an update of current regulations to fit the 21st

century.”According to The Washington Post, the

president’s package included four legislative proposals and a number of administrative and research initiatives that Obama can enact by executive order. I find that the legislative proposals are either genuinely bipartisan or stridently partisan.

First among the proposals is the institu-tion of universal background checks on gun purchasers. This would be an expansion of the Brady Bill enacted by President Clinton that required background checks for all of those buying from federally registered gun sellers.

The expansion would involve those sell-ers not covered by the Brady Bill, normally sellers at gun shows as well as in private gun

sales. Similar thoughts were voiced by polit-ically-involved Senior Brianna Dickinson. “For safety reasons I agree with the right to own a gun but with the revelations showing that that there aren’t adequate background checks on these individuals is worrisome. Yet I realize gun control is a great task, but obviously things around gun control need to be changed, but our view of guns needs to change too.”

The second proposal that President Obama made was reinstating the now ex-pired assault weapons ban. Such a ban was originally passed in 1994, but the initiative to renew it in 2004 failed. The ban’s renewal has been on the wishlist of many gun control advocates since that time, but I don’t think it

Gun control debate at center of politics

see GUN, page 10

First Times

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By Jeralyn Darling Managing Editor

Marriage and life after Eckerd

Gun control: It’s time for an update #AmusingMusings

For this special edition, these are some of the reactions for Eckerd students posted on Social Media sites Twitter and Facebook. Follow us on twitter: @TheECCurrent

Visitng ProfessorIt’s a humanities building, and there’s no bathroom. That’s not

humane at all! #OhTheHumanity

Philosophy ProfessorAnd the airport we are flying out of is shared with migratory bird-

populations.#AirTraffic

Geology ProfessorYou’re from Florida? We should

just leave you here to die.#EmpatheticPedagogy

Spanish Professor

Alcohol cures everything.#TalkingToMyCupOfWine

Sociology ProfessorWe have beer. That’s why we are better than any other major.#TalkingToMyCupOfWine

PerspECtives How was your Winter Term and what did you take away from it?

Managing Editor Jeralyn Dar-ling shares her “first time” experi-ences during her final year at Eckerd.

It’s been quite awhile since my last First Times column, so I’m going to have to play catch up. First and foremost, this has been hands-down the biggest first of my entire life: my boyfriend of five years (and best friend of ten years) is now my fiancé. Yes, faithful Cur-rent readers, this girl’s getting married.

Matt Van Hook (‘12) has been my big-gest fan throughout my career on The Current. He has endured innumerable frustrated phone calls, understood my strange newspaper layout hours and never batted an eye when I had to miss an an-niversary dinner for a breaking news story.

Many first times stemmed from the moment Matt got down on one knee —planning a wedding, figuring out what state I’m going to live in, sitting my par-ents down and reminding them that I’m not a little girl — all of this on top of fin-ishing out my final semester at Eckerd.

I have only three and a half months left here, the place I have called home for so long — and I’m going to make them count.

There are so many life-changing things happening during this time that it’s tough to sit down and think of them all at once, but if there’s anything I can say to my fel-low seniors, it’s this: enjoy Eckerd while it lasts. I’m having a more difficult time than I thought I would with slowly letting go.

Instead, I’m holding on with a white-knuckle grip to everything I care about here: the campus, the faculty, the class-es, the newspaper and all of my closest friends. I can’t fathom leaving all of this behind. So, for the first time, I have to tell myself to loosen my grip on the real-ity I know and dive head first into the unknown (marriage and life after Eckerd).

Whether next year finds me in a pub-lishing internship, a job on a newspaper, or waiting tables and applying to grad school, at least I know that I’ll be with the one steady thing in my life — Matt. And that makes letting go just a little bit easier.

would have much effectiveness. Instead, I find it perfectly logical and de-

cent to think that the strength of gun own-ership regulations in the Brady Bill and in President Obama’s other proposals would ef-fectively prevent the legal sale of firearms of any kind to criminals. As for illegal gun sales or gun theft, that gun control falls under the purview of crime prevention and cracking down on drug trafficking.

Besides, an assault weapons ban within America would only export assault weapon production to other countries outside the United States. Such a move would facilitate a more extensive underground market for the reentry of assault weapons into America through existing criminal and drug-traffick-ing networks.

Obama’s third initiative is a policy that was previously unheard of and in my opinion is blatantly partisan, limiting magazine sizes. The president proposes a limit of 10 bullets per magazine. The House and Senate have also scheduled hearings about magazine size and the potential effect of regulations on that particular issue.

I think such regulations are the most plain-ly stupid of President Obama’s proposals. Al-lowing fewer bullets per magazine will simply mean that people will buy greater numbers of magazines. So sure, bullet sellers will expe-rience a small economic boom. But when it comes to the ability to dispense bullets there will be no practical effect to the gun user.

The fourth proposal is a bill that would fur-ther crack down on gun trafficking. I think that this proposal will also find bipartisan support. I also think that this proposal is the one that will have the most practical effect on mass shootings domestically since most mass shooters obtain their weapons illegally.

Congress’s reaction to the package of pro-posals was less than warm. The Washington Post reported that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said they were thought-ful recommendations but isn’t taking any spe-cific action on the proposals. Instead, several of his subordinates in the Senate are bring-ing the issues up in committee hearings that could eventually lead to legislation.

I find that this move makes a great deal of sense for Majority Leader Reid. He comes from a swing state, Nevada, and will face re-election in four years when President Obama will not be able to provide a wave of support for down-ticket candidates.

Reid also has a large class of moderate Democrats from red states or swing states that are up for reelection in 2014. His hopes for retaining the majority at that time may hinge upon his rejection of the most partisan aspects of President Obama’s second term agenda.

The House was also disappointed by Presi-dent Obama’s proposals, noting the partisan nature of proposals such as the assault weap-ons ban and magazine limitations. However, the Washington Post did mention a state-ment from House Speaker John Boehner indicating that the House would act on any legislation that passed the Senate.

I find such a stance is reasonable. President Obama preempted the Republicans with a major reform package that included many bipartisan measures. So instead of playing tag-along, they’re waiting for the legislative process to play out. Such a move lets them consider gun control measures that have passed the Senate on their own turf, The House, instead of through the media. And this is the way it should be done. We have not had serious gun control legislation since the law banning the carrying of firearms in public schools passed in 1995. That was 18 years ago; it’s time for an update.

GUN CONTROL, from page 9

“I knew that I'd become seriously antsy sitting on the couch for that long so I opted to take LSDP. Best decision ever!”-Gabe Rosenthal, freshman

“I went to London for the "History of Science" class. It was great be-cause we had the chance to go to in-teresting museums and learn about the beginning of modern science.”- Tina Napoli, sophomore

“Though working as an assistant natu-ralist at a state park I experienced en-vironmental education in a fun new way and made connections with envi-ronmental law enforcement that will help me in the job search next year.”- Ethan Cooper, senior

"I was incredibly lucky to attend the "Language and Culture in the South of France" Winter Term — es-pecially as a freshman. It was a very eye-opening experience to be in such a different environment and it en-abled me to learn in ways I wouldn't have been able to on campus!”- Molly Hurd, freshman

Correction;In the Dec. 7 issue of The

Current, there was an incorrect statement in an article entitled “Writing portfolio: Who is really benefitting.” The incorrect state-ment read, “My consolation prize is that I am able to ‘opt out’ of the composition requirement on the basis that my major is already writing-intensive.”

Here is the revised portion:“My consolation prize is that I

am able to petition to ‘opt out’ of the composition requirement on the basis that my major is already writing-intensive. Whether or not my petition is approved is up to Dean Sanfillipo.”

We, at The Current, take factual accuracy seriously and strive for ex-cellence in reporting.

courtesy of Wikicommons

had the most practical relation to my journey into Orthodoxy. We read from one Orthodox theologian for the class, Diony-sius the Areopagite, who dates to the first century A.D. His writings talked a great deal about a theology that is a unique, but central facet of Orthodoxy. This is the distinction be-tween God’s essence and God’s energies. The distinction is quite simple and the basis for religion.

To reconcile the transcendent nature of God with the im-manent nature of an earthly church, Orthodoxy believes that God’s essence is self-fulfilling and unknowable to humans. However, God’s energies or actions in this world are distinct from from his essence and readily knowable to humans. Thus God’s energies explain how a person and a church can have a living faith rather than a blind faith according to Orthodox theology.

The theology of energies also contributed to the theologi-cal soundness of iconography. Iconography is sacred art, cre-ated specifically by blessed members of the faith, that pres-ent the innumerable invisible, but holy realities in material form. Prior to the advent of the printing press, these icons also allowed the illiterate and poor to learn Church history and theology.

So in Introduction to Philosophy, I did find the basics of what I expected philosophically from Orthodoxy: that, academically, Orthodoxy does contribute a great deal to the Western philosophical tradition. So I chose to come on the Sacred Byzantium Winter Term trip to more fully explore the culture as well as the philosophy.

The trip has blown past all of my expectations. As a cat-echumen, I’d learned a great deal about the religion and its

metaphysics already. But the great churches, the astounding iconography, the culture of these Eastern European countries, everything fit together. It was like I’d walked into the ancient Byzantine Empire, minus the emperor.

There were also many ultimately useful modern ameni-ties. And to speak of modernity, it seems much more effec-tive here. Notable among these is that Orthodoxy’s current theological leader, Bartholomew, the Ecumenical Patriarch, has the nickname “the Green Patriarch” for his championing of environmental issues. But he has a traditional environmen-talism, one motivated in a respect for the traditional view of Earth as God’s creation.

The tradition on display in these places was overwhelm-ing. Yet it wasn’t a hateful politicized cultural tradition. It was quite simply a way of living. America, it seems, has become such a melting pot that we’ve forgotten how to have any cul-tural roots in our everyday lives.

But in the East, this is simply not so. Cultural history is alive, family history is alive, connection to place and to the world around them is alive. The Eastern Orthodox Church’s metaphysics of God’s energies being vested in the world, in nature, was no longer just an obscure theological position. It is real. I could see a collection of peoples that lived and breathed these energies, that found great meaning in the world around them, and in themselves, because they believed in something far greater than themselves.

To see this form of human society vindicated effectively all the personal decisions that I’d made about joining the Eastern Orthodox Church and becoming a philosophy major over the past year. I now know that I will never turn away from my newfound faith. I know that I’m glad to be studying philoso-phy, especially political, social and religious philosophy.

Now that I’ve found Byzantium and the Eastern Orthodox Church, I have found a cultural, philosophical and religious tradition which I feel comfortable in. It doesn’t have the ex-treme legalism, nationalism and individualism of Western cul-ture; instead Byzantium elevates the family and the continuity of cultural and historical experience.

Yet I don’t feel that I’ve betrayed anything that I got from my parents. I’m still Christian, I’m still American, I’ve just found a way to imbue my life and the world around me with a great deal of meaning that isn’t based upon superficial feelings and/or transient political ideology.

I went on the Sacred Byzantium trip in the hopes that I would discover where my cultural roots lie. I am glad to say that I have found them with the Christian Empire of Byzan-tium which looked to the East and the West, to the Jewish and Greek past and to the glorious future of Christendom.

11Feb. 1, 2013the current Viewpoints

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ROOTS from page 9

Philosophy, fellowship, faith found in trip to Byzantium

photo by Ethan Packey

By Hailey EscobarAsst. News, Web Editor

I gained a new nickname over Winter Term this year: Gatekeeper. It wasn’t because of anything extraordinary that I did. I just held open the door. It’s the person who gave it to me that makes it important to me. I had the honor and pleasure to learn from and hold the door for Dr. Elie Wiesel this past Winter Term as a student of his class Madness, Tears, and Laughter and it was an experience that I will not soon forget.

At first, while I was excited to learn from such an influential and inspiring man, I was very nervous about the workload for the class. The course was a philosophical look at different texts to understand the way mad-ness, tears and laughter effects our lives. The reading list was made up of 10 texts including the book of Ezekiel from the Bible, selec-tions from Franz Kafka and four of Wiesel’s own work. Eckerd is the only school where Dr. Wiesel teaches his own books.

What was interesting was that while we were there to listen to him, he was there to listen to us. For most of class he would sit qui-

etly beside Professor Carolyn Johnston, who co-taught the class, and they would listen to our opinions, questions and, at times, argu-ments. When I was able to have my private conversation with him, it was the same. He asked me questions about my life, my family and my aspirations. He even offered to read some of my previous work and asked about what my sisters aspired to do in their lives. It was a strange experience to have someone like Dr. Wiesel be so interested in what I wanted to say, but it was greatly appreciated. In class, he called himself a witness, someone who told his story and the stories of those around him. He said that we were all witnesses and in those moments that he listened to us, he taught me what it means to be a witness.

When he did speak, however, it was always with great insight or with an amazing story. He would discuss his conversations with President Obama whom he saw during Win-ter Term for the inauguration. He explained what he was thinking when he wrote certain books such as “A Beggar in Jerusalem.”

I also learned a lot about my own beliefs and gained a new awareness to the world around me. I realized that indifference couldn’t be tolerated when there are so many

people in this world who need help. I discov-ered that I truly believe that life is mad and the way it affects a person depends on how he or she uses this madness. From Kafka, in par-ticular, I learned that you waste your life away if you wait for permission and that we are all messengers in some way. One classmate, Sophomore Emily Lehew, said “I learned not only about the ideas discussed but about the omniscient silences, which began and ended in each idea. I gained a new appreciative awareness of stories untold by history and their potential to change preconceived ideas by society.”

I learned a lot of things, perhaps too much to fit in this viewpoint and I’m sure that if you asked one of my classmates, his or her view might be a little different.

We’re human, so it’s understandable that our views differ. All I know is that Dr. Wi-esel was too right in his comment on the first day of class. He said “Life is not measured in years, but in moments.”

The classes with Dr. Wiesel and Professor Johnston and the times they called me the Gatekeeper are moments that I will hold dear for the rest of my life.

Student shares experience with Dr. Wiesel in WT

courtesy of Hailey EscobarProfessor Johnston (2nd left, 2nd row), Elie Wiesel (center) with students.

By Samantha HagarContributing Writer

It’s a necessary and sometimes unwel-comed rite of passage for every Eckerd Col-lege student: QFM.

It serves as Western Heritage’s opposite bookend and as the beginning of a collective Eckerd senior experience. It’s a quest not ev-eryone wishes to embark on, though some still walk away with new appreciation for ser-vice and community. The journey in question is Quest for Meaning.

According to the QFM website, the senior level course was “created to challenge [stu-dents] to ask and seek answers to questions of meaning and purpose in [their] own life with-in the context of the greater community.”

The course presents thought-provoking questions for graduating students such as: “What do I really want to do with my life? Who do I really want to be in this world? What will make me truly happy? How can I serve the greater good and still fulfill my deepest yearning? What am I called to do with my life and how can I comprehend and follow that calling?”

However, Eckerd alum Jackie Scott never wanted answers to those questions in the first place. “I wasn’t looking for anything when I went into QFM,” says Scott. “In fact, QFM took up space for another class that I’d really wanted to take.” Scott found that the class was more of a burden than a way to reflect on her world views.

Having taken the class in fall 2011 and graduated the following May, Scott is not surprised that the class has had no lasting ef-fect on her post-Eckerd life. “I never really had the chance to quest for my own meaning because I was too busy living in the confines of the class,” Scott said.

Senior Angela Bird felt similarly about the goals of the course. “Who says that seniors are on a quest in the first place?” says Bird. “Sure, some students don’t know what they’re

see QFM, page 12

Experiences in QFM are not for ev-eryone: a look into the senior capstone

Temple of Hesphastion.

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Cooper says, “is that the ratio of casualties is representative of how much military action is actually be-ing taken on each side. Students don’t consider the fact that there’s a better defense system in Israel. If there wasn’t that, the casualties would be much higher on the Israeli side.”

Israel’s “Iron Dome” defense sys-tem, which aims to destroy Israel-bound rockets from Gaza before they reach populated areas, had an 84 percent success rate and blasted 421 rockets out of the sky during this most recent, seven-day escala-tion in violence. Since 2010, Presi-dent Obama has given $275 million to the expensive yet effective sys-tem.

Gaza, which shares a southern border with Egypt, a western bor-der with the Mediterranean Ocean and both northern and eastern bor-ders with Israel, has been in con-stant conflict with the jewish state since the IDF withdrew occupying troops in 2005. The conflict is rec-ognized as a part of the larger Pales-tinian and Jewish conflict that has been ongoing since the early 20th century when Arab and Zionist nationalist movements started to emerge and clash in the region.

Perhaps the most difficult aspect of understanding the violence, for those not directly affected, is find-ing reliable, unbiased news sources. The Israeli government and Hamas, which runs it’s own television sta-tion Al-Asqa TV, have both been accused of distributing false propa-ganda about the opposing side.

In at least one confirmed ex-ample, Hamas released a photo of a bloodied girl that was originally published by Reuters in 2006. They claimed it to be an example of Is-raeli war crimes even though it was from an incident unrelated to Is-rael.

“I turn to CNN for the most

unbiased news,” says junior Julia Levy. “They do a great job of find-ing members of the whole political spectrum.”

Progressively more, students are turning to social networks to stay updated and informed as best they can. However, some grow tired and cynical about seeing biased articles and people engaging in discourse that relies mostly on blanket state-ments and “bumper sticker poli-tics.”

“I think it’s mainly just a bunch of people who don’t know what they’re talking about starting argu-ments,” says senior Katherine Rak-er who spent a semester in Israel. Facebook and Twitter can easily become platforms for broadcasting anti-semitic and anti-arab senti-ment. Levy feels similarly. “I don’t think it is productive if people who are posting about it (on social net-works) are uneducated on the sub-ject,” she says.

Junior Colleen Rast has spent the semester studying abroad in Jordan. Being in a Palestinian hub where 90% of the population is muslim has drastically changed her opinion.

“The perception that all Palestin-ians are affiliated with Hamas or the PLO is like saying all Afghans were part of the Taliban,”she elaborates.

Rast thinks social networks are “an interesting tool,” for discussing and debating the issue. “I think it depends on how the topic is being discussed that determines if the conversation is productive or not.”

“It is the responsibility of the reader to consider what angle their news is coming from,” states Rast. “My best recommendation would be to compare news sources like CNN, The Huffington Post, and BBC Middle East to other news sources like Al Jazeera and The Jor-dan Times.”

Though a ceasefire was reached November 20th, tensions along the Israel / Gaza border remain tense.

QFM from page 11

EC students have different takes on Middle Eastern conflict

going to do post-graduation, but I think Eckerd would be better off mak-ing QFM a life experience or an entire-ly service learning-based class. Gradu-ates could then have some firsthand, real-world experience in a chosen field and start to build a network.”

Service is an integral and unique component that sets QFM apart from Western Heritage, though the texts in Bird’s opinion weigh down the course. “I didn’t find the texts especially use-ful,” says Bird. “The service learning hours were more useful in my opinion. It provides life experience.”

Scott agrees: “Very few of my class-mates ever opened their texts, but they all felt the need to have an opinion on the topic of discussion. People were making mortal enemies of each other over these things that they hadn’t even read.”

“The service hours were the most interesting,” added Bird, “the time constraint of 40 hours in one semester made it more of a burden than an in-sightful experience.”

Senior Rebecca Cassidy shared a similar opinion and found she had a difficult time dealing with the course

schedule: “I think QFM would be bet-ter spent spring semester when people aren’t applying to grad schools and whatnot.” She also had some concerns about the monetary situation. “There should be stipends for gas to your ser-vice learning project,” says Cassidy. “I think it’s unfair that I was limited in what I could do because I couldn’t af-ford to drive far.”

Cassidy, like the others, did not come away with a new perspective. “I didn’t have too many expectations.”

Alumnus William Skinner found the service hours to be of a benefit to him even after graduating Eckerd. For his QFM hours, Skinner began working with a hospice group, visiting terminal-ly ill patients. “Meaning lies in doing good for others,” said Skinner.

By visiting two elderly gentlemen, Skinner said he could help show them that their lives had meaning. “They had already lived a life that had meaning, that what they had done during their lifetimes validated that.”

Skinner has visited the same hospice patient almost every week since the fall of his senior year and continues to visit him today. “I feel that, in addition to a friend, my service has given me the

ability to see myself more clearly in a nursing career some day,” says Skin-ner. “I’ve even thought about getting trained as a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) and working for Suncoast Hospice while I try to get my EMS ca-reer off the ground.”

Skinner believes his QFM volun-teering has not only touched the lives of others, but changed his own. “I feel like I needed the push, the impetus, to go out and volunteer. I had volunteered only once before, for Big Brothers Big Sisters in high school, and I needed to be reminded of how rewarding it can be.”

QFM functions as hot topic for some seniors

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By Alex RobertsAsst. Viewpoints Editor

Who am I kidding—I have always loved to travel. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t packing a suitcase and smiling at the adventure ahead. I didn’t care where I was going, only that I was on the move.

It’s not that I don’t love where I am now. I do. And I do love coming home. But I also love going so I may return. Admittedly, I’m never quite sure what I’ll find—only that after having been there, I’ll be the better for it and some-thing within me will have changed.

Eckerd College’s list of travel abroad opportunities was an academic wind-fall of bucket list destinations, and there was something for everyone—as long as you met the eligibility require-ments and could come up with the cash. Fortunately I did, and for me

Winter Term was a chance to fulfill a dream… a chance to study eco-systems, wild game and great white sharks in South Africa.

I had saved for years to pay for an experience like this, but in the end my memories from the trip were priceless.

I don’t know what I expected to find in South Africa, but common mis-conceptions were foreshadowed long before I stepped on the plane. At the insistence of a travel doc, I had four ty-phoid pills, three rabies shots, one yel-low fever shot, one Hep B booster and I was thrown a tube of malaria tablets for good measure.

In exchange for becoming a human pin cushion, I got an official looking yellow paper that would supposedly save me from more shots if my plane made an emergency landing. (It didn’t.)

Upon State Department advice, I registered with the American Embassy in case our group was taken hostage by

rioting South African miners and later held for ransom. (We weren’t.)

About the only advice I didn’t follow was to carry a list of snakebite clinics in case one of South Africa’s deadly snakes bit me. (I wasn’t.)

Despite everyone’s advice, nothing prepared me for what I would find in South Africa. For me, South Africa was warm and inviting and it felt like com-ing home.

I was reminded that South Africa is different for everyone, and no two experiences will be exactly alike. I sup-pose it is because nobody is exactly alike. We all have our own prejudices, fears, and misconceptions to deal with; our own lessons to be learned; and, our own defining moments to be em-braced—or forgotten.

South Africa has forever changed the way I will see things. Time will tell if it has changed the way people will see me too.

A student recalls her experiences in South Africa

CONFLICT from page 9

“I think Eckerd would be better off making QFM a life experience or an entire-ly service learning-based class. Graduates could then have some firsthand, real-world experience in a chosen field and start to build a network.” - Angela Bird, senior

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Oscar predictions 15

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Hip-Hop Triton “kills it”By Dominick CuppetilliAsst. Sports Editor

Sophomore Luke Burton performed at the “New Year Hip Hop 2013” show held at the State Theater in St. Petersburg Jan. 19. Burton has aspirations to make a name for himself in the world of Hip-Hop, and this show was a great jumpstart to that dream. Burton said, “I want to be the best artist I can be, and have as many people listen to me as possible.”

The Hip-Hop artist stylized his name as “luke-Burton” (fully “lukeBurton Muzik”). Burton has been a lyricist for seven years, ever since his dad took him to see Eminem at age 13. Burton

looked back at it saying, “If this white guy can do it, so can I.”

Although lukeBurton has had other minor Hip-Hop showcases and gigs, he considered this to be his first big performance. Burton was feeling confident enough in his music to invite his parents to the show. He explained that his father had not seen him perform in three years, and he was really anxious to make him proud.

Next to this goal, Burton’s major plan was to get more listeners. “I’m stoked to see my friend’s faces, but more excited to see new faces,” said Burton. “I hope people see me tonight and say, ‘This guy is kinda dope.”

Just as with any major life event, Burton felt the “pre-game jitters” before going on stage.

“I feel like I have to throw up and pee at the same time.” He continued to say, “If

this doesn’t go well, this may be my final statement [as lukeBurton].”

Burton held the third act of the night in a line-up of about

10 artists. Being so early in the night, the crowd was

not very large in number yet, and were casually scattered in the small venue. That didn’t stop Burton. Before the first song had ended, Burton had called out to the crowd to step up to the stage and put their hands in the air.

In fact, Burton’s interaction with the crowd was one of the most distinguishing things that set him apart from the other performers. SPC Sophomore Tyler Spencer said, “For the lack of people it was still a good time and the crowd was into it.” Eckerd Sophomore Holly Bu-resh had the same to say about the crowd’s involvement, and added, “He was a really fun performer.”

Burton actually jumped down from the stage and walked in the crowd, with-

out ever missing a beat. On top of the

crowd interaction, lukeBurton was also the most pronounced in his lyrics. In many of the other live performances of the night, artists were not understood as clearly, and some were just lip syncing. Burton, on the other hand, left a lasting impression.

Buresh said that she thought he was rapping about being “real” and not listening to all of the haters in the world. This was a theme that sev-eral others in the crowd took away as well.

The set list was short and sweet, comprised of five songs, all written by Burton. Fortunately for him, the set did go well, and his comment about having the final statement was thrown out the window. “I live to fight another day.”

“It went better than I expected,” said Burton. “I performed well by my standards, and by the end of it I feel like everyone was into my set.” He said that he felt a lot of support from the crowd, and a lot of love from the Eckerd com-munity.

“People didn’t know what to expect when I came out in a button down shirt and tie, but I like making people say, ‘You can actually do this.” Burton’s attire was certainly different than the rest of the performers, but he also walked away with more crowd recognition, so maybe there really is something to be said about a sharp dressed man.

Burton will use the success of the show to fuel the progress of his E.P. set to release in the next month or so, followed by the full mixtape, self-titled, “lukeBurton Muzik.” The mixtape will revolve around the single “Rabbit Hole,” which Burton considers to be his most promis-ing track.

With the night being a hit in both the Eckerd community and to St. Pete locals, Burton was able to smile in satisfaction leaving the show. He concluded, “All I know how to do is just kill it, and I did.”

The “D” is silent; New Tarantino movie is unchainedBy Jennifer Lincoln Staff Writer

From the first shot of Christoph Waltz’s pistol into two intolerable slave-traders, I fell in love with “Django Unchained” and so, it seems, did everybody else. The absurdly powerful film stars Jamie Foxx as Django, a slave in the pre-Civil War South, who meets Dr. King Schultz (Chris-toph Waltz), a peripatetic dentist turned bounty hunter who kills with a sense of flair and speaks with no fear of retribution.

Dr. Schultz transports his corpses in a wagon topped by a large fake tooth attached by a spring that perpetually swings side to side, and rides a horse named Fritz who whinnies at the sound of his name. The two pair up in respects to rescuing Django’s wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) from the malicious “Monsieur” Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio), the infamous Francophile and owner of “Candyland,” a plantation known for it’s awful treatment of slaves and number of “Mandingo fighters” (two slaves pitched against each other in a brutal fight to the death for the sport of their owners).

The beautiful love story based on a German fairy tale should be noted here, because, apart from the rest of the blood and violence sur-rounding the couple during the movie, they stay focused only on returning to each other through-out the length of the story. Leonardo DiCaprio performed quintessentially as the vile plantation owner and “Mandingo fighting” expert who at one point in the film ordered a runaway slave to be torn apart by dogs in front of a multitude of other people, and in another scene, cheered on his “Mandingo fighter” Big Fred.

Another actor’s phenomenal portrayal of a difficult character was Samuel L. Jackson’s char-acterization of Stephen, the head slave of the house who is just about as cunning and vicious in his own right as anyone could imagine.

Tarantino, keeping with his usual style, welds genres together throughout the film. The direc-tor’s flamboyant show of blood and gore and specific style of humor is just as present in this movie as in his others. Tarantino’s lurid scenes of blood rapidly spurting out of wounds interrupts the dialogue as in his signature manner of mak-ing movies.

As exaggerated as the gore scenes in the film were, they propelled the ugly truths of pre-Civil War South to the forefront of everyone’s minds. The very first scene of the movie showed a group of male slaves in shackles walking away from the camera, backs brandishing horrific scars from being whipped and beaten.

Tarantino’s disregard for softening any aspects in his movie is just what excites people about Django.

However, his humor does somewhat offset the raw violence. One illustration of this is when the Ku Klux Klan sat on their horses awaiting their attack on Django and Dr. King Schultz, and they began bickering over the eyeholes in their white hoods being too small to see out of. This is also when Jonah Hill makes an impromptu and comi-cal appearance as a younger member of the Ku Klux Klan.

Another humorous aspect of the film hap-pened when Dr. Schultz gave Django the op-portunity to pick out his own clothing and he chose a gaudy blue suit with white ruffles. When Django was being shown around a plantation

by a slave named Betina and he revealed to her that he was a free man she exclaimed, “You mean you wanna dress like that?” Jocular dialect and ad nauseum gore scenes aside, Django can easily be considered Quentin Tarantino’s greatest film thus far, rivaling Pulp Fiction.

On Rotten Tomatoes, Django scored a 94 percent approval rating from the audience and 88 percent for critics. Also according to Rotten Tomatoes, it earned $138 million in the box of-fice as of Jan. 20. The only aspect of the film I would change would be the length. Throughout the third hour of the movie my body began to get sore and my mind started to wander toward other things.

Breach the EC bubble; St. Pete’s finest excursions

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By Mike GeibelSports Editor

Students should take some time to step out of the Eckerd bubble and experience something new in order to break the monotony that can set in during the last push be-fore the end of each semester. Eck-erd is too small a school to stay on campus all the time. By finals week each semester, students can feel trapped by the mundane and repetitive schedules that they plod through.

The same meals, the same peo-ple, the same classes and the same weekend activities in the same complexes change Eckerd from the place that we all love into some-thing much more boring.

Below are five things to do around St. Petersburg and the sur-rounding area in the next few weeks to breathe a bit of fresh air into your daily grind.

1. Painting with a TwistLocated in downtown St. Pete,

this art studio features guided classes in which students can paint their own piece of art to keep for themselves or give as a gift. Classes are taught several times a week and range from paintings of animals and nature to still life and more abstract ideas.

To join a class, simply go to the calendar on the studio website, choose which painting or day you would like to attend, and sign up. An interesting facet of this studio is that those guests who are above the legal drinking age are permitted to bring their own wine or beverages. The two and three hour classes are a great way to have a new experi-ence with friends and create some-thing that can be kept as a memory of the occasion.

($35-45, www.paintingwithatwist.com/stpetersburg)

2. Sunken GardensThe more than 100-year-old

Sunken Gardens are a relaxing way to take in the beauty of nature. Lo-cated very close to downtown St. Pete, the gardens feature thousands of tropical plants along with wa-terfalls and other natural displays. The location is only $8 for adult entry and features many different paths and sights to relax and en-joy. The Sunken Gardens also offer yoga classes, hoop dance sessions and tons of workshops and semi-nars. Located just off 4th street, the Sunken Gardens are one of St. Pete’s hidden gems.

($8, www.sunkengardens.org)

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Feb. 1 - 14Events

1 2 3 4 5 6 7Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday ThursdayWednesday

8 9 10 11 12 13 14

1 p.m.Super Store Shopping Shuttle

6 p.m. Superbowl Party

1 p.m.Womens’ Basketball vs. Rollins

4 p.m. Men’s Basketball vs. Rollins

6 p.m.Film Aficionados Movie Night

First Friday 7:30 p.m. “Justification by Doubt”

7:30 p.m.Swing Dance Lessons

7:30 p.m.“Funny Bones”

4:30 p.m.Pitchers with Professors

9 p.m. Chinese New Year

9 a.m.Fourth Annual Eckerd College Symposium11 a.m.Saturday Morning Mar-ket Shuttle1 p.m. Men’s Rugby Game6 p.m.The Role of Buildings in Scientific CollaborationFilm Aficionados Movie Night9 p.m. Speed Dating

7:30 p.m. CPSWalt Musical

5 p.m.Valentines Dinner

7 p.m.“Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter”

7:30 p.m. Swing Dance Lessons

6 p.m. CPSInterview Speed Dating

8 p.m.Palmetto Stuff A Bear Valentines Event

10 p.m.Rockband in the Pub!

1 p.m.Super Store Shopping Shuttle

3 p.m. CPSKaplan Piano Duo

To advertise your event with The Current, contact Current Entertainment at currententertainment@eckerd.edu

The Tipsy Triton:Cocktails & Mixed Drinks

The St. Pete Sampler: Local Fun & Fine Dining

A. Mezze 119 119 2nd St. N 3370113 mins from campusMon.-Thu. , Sun. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.Fri. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.3 ½ stars$$Beer & Wine Only

D. Lotus Vegetarian Restaurant6575 Park Blvd 3378122 mins from campusMon. - Sun. 10 a.m. - 4 a.m. 4 ½ stars$No alcohol served

B. Leafy Greens Cafe1431 Central Ave 3370114 mins from campusMon. - Tu. 11 a.m. - 7p.m.Fri. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 8 p.m.Sun. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.3 ½ stars$$No Alcohol Served

C. Central Cafe & Organics243 Central Ave 33701 13 mins from campusMon.-Thu. 8 a.m. - 7 p.m.Fri.- Sat. 8 a.m. - 9 p.m.11 a.m. - 5 p.m.4 stars$Beer & Wine

Looking to keep up your New Year’s Resolutions for eat-ting healthier and organic? Get green with these local vegitarian cuisine spots round the ‘burg.

Note: The beverages and recipes on this page are intended for consumption only by individu-als who are 21 or older. The Current does not promote underage drinking. When combining alcoholic beverages with caffeinated beverages, it is important to be aware of the potential side-effects and limit your consumption accordingly. Drink responsibly, our friends.

Harvest HighBall1.5 oz Ketel One Citroen Vodka .5 oz Lime juice .5 oz Simple syrup (one part sugar, one part water) 2 oz Chilled ginger beerMix and garnish with lime wedge then enjoy.

True Manhattan

2 fluid ounces whiskey1/2 fluid ounce sweet vermouth1 dash bitters (optional)1 cup ice cubes1 maraschino cherry for garnishMix and enjoy.

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Out of the EC bub-ble, into the world3. Sports league Tampa Bay Club Sport of-fers leagues in many different sports for a fairly affordable price. Leagues in all of the major recreational sports are available throughout the year and the organization even of-fers leagues in alternative ac-tivities like bowling, cornhole and water polo. Participants can sign up as an entire team or join as a “free agent” to be placed on a team. Most leagues run weekly and are available for the St. Pete area as well as other cities like Clearwater and Tampa. Joining a recreational sport is a fun way to meet new peo-ple and have a lot of fun. ($40-110 per season, www.tam-pabayclubsport.com)

4. Saturday Morning MarketA popular destination for Eckerd

students since it began in 2002, the

St. Pete staple has become the larg-est once-weekly fresh market in the southeast. Located in the Al Lang Field parking lot at the corner of 1st Street and 1st Avenue South, the market features food, produce and craft vendors along with the added entertainment value of live music during the market. Customers can expect to find the normal produce options but can also find interesting items such as handmade candy and buffalo milk cheese.

(free entry, parking price varies,

www.saturdaymorningmarket.com)

5. Science + Technology Educa-tion Innovation Center

This interesting attraction is a fun place to experience science without opening a textbook. Stu-dents can enjoy many of the exhib-its including a 600-gallon marine touch tank, an animal room with many different species, a planetar-ium and an observatory. One main attraction is the ongoing exhibit on American alligators. Students can view the animals in their plexiglass habitat and learn more about the alligator’s contributions to nature. The center offers many classes and special exhibits throughout the year as well, including movie nights, yard sales and guest speakers. ($3, www.sciencecenterofpinellas.org)

No matter what your preference in activities, there are many options that can fit any budget and any per-sonality around the St. Pete area. There are so many benefits to ex-panding your horizons, so venture forth and get out of the Eckerd bubble.

Taking home the golden man: Oscar 2013 predictionsBy Hailey EscobarQuickie Editor

Only a few more weeks until one of the biggest nights in Hollywood and the question on movie lovers’ minds is who will win the Oscar? Will the foreign film “Amour” sweep the awards? Or will Spielberg reign supreme?We won’t know for sure until the Awards air on Feb. 24, but The Current Staff can guess who might be screaming “Oscar” in some of the most talked about categories. Best Supporting Actress Who will probably win: Anne Hathaway in “Les Misérables”

After her win at the Golden Globes for stunning, emotional portrayal of Fantine in the musical film “Les Misérables,” there has been a lot of buzz that Hathaway might be the one walking away with the Oscar. Her main competition might be Sally Field for her role in “Lincoln,” but the attention Hathaway has received for the role hints at a win.

Best Supporting Actor Who will probably win: Christopher Waltz in “Django Unchained”

An extremely tough category to predict since so many of its nominees are masters

of their craft and had extraordinary per-formances this past year. However, of all of them, Waltz has stood out among the rest. Waltz has also won the 2010 Oscar for best supporting actor in 2010 for his role as Hans Landa in “Inglourious Basterds.” He has al-ready snagged the Golden Globe as well for the role and it’s a good bet that he might win the Oscar as well. Best Actress Who will probably win: Jessica Chastain in “Zero Dark Thirty”

Another difficult category to predict. This year’s nominees for Best Actress was talent of all ages and genres. Jessica Chastain, who made a splash in the controversial film “Zero Dark Thirty” as CIA agent Maya, has become the favorite to win. However, this category could be anyone’s game with Jennifer Law-rence being nominated a second time and newcomer Quvenzhané Wallis, the young-est nominee in Oscar history at nine, being hailed for her power house performance in “Beasts of the Southern Wild” despite her young age. Best Actor Who will probably win: Daniel Day-Lewis in “Lincoln”

There is almost no doubt that Daniel Day-Lewis will walk away with the Oscar for his portrayal of President Lincoln. Lewis is near-ly unrecognizable in the role and his powerful performance is what the Academy is looking for. Best Director Who will probably win: Stephen Spielberg for “Lincoln”

Despite the controversy of certain direc-tors snubbed for this year’s awards, the ques-tion still remains. Which of the nominees the made the cut will triumph in the end? Seeing that Spielberg has received so many critical acclaims for the film, he has a really good chance at winning. However, Ang Lee’s “Life of Pi” with it’s beautiful cinematography and CGI and Benh Zeitlin’s indie favorite“Beasts of the Southern Wild” could also be major contenders. Best Picture Who will probably win: “Zero Dark Thirty” or “Lincoln”

This is probably the most difficult category to predict, only rivaled by Best Actress this year. All ten films are stunning and deserve to be nominated. It’s anyone’s game, but the fa-vorites among predictors seem to be Kathryn

.Bigelow’s “Zero Dark Thirty” and Spielberg’s “Lincoln.” However, any of the films have a good chance of taking home the gold.

By Hayden JohnsonAsst. Entertainment Editor

Sometimes there is a script and it’s the script for its time and place, and that’s, “Two Gentlemen of Lebowski” by Adam Bertocci.

I remember the first time I saw “The Big Lebowski.” It was at a cult classics night at a small non-profit theater near my hometown. From that night on, the Dude’s ways have stuck with me in some form or another. Since its success as a cult film, The Big Lebowski has achieved a wide range of fans. Events such as Lebowski Fest, a showing of the film along with cos-tumes and bowling, as well as the religion of Dudism have shown the Dude’s influence on pop-culture. Just like the film, I stumbled upon “The Two Gentlemen of Lebows-ki.”

The premise of Bertocci’s script is one that any Lebowski fan can abide by: what if Shakespeare had written “The Big Lebowski?” What you get is your favorite famous lines given new life in the most perfect homage to one of the biggest cult movies of all time. The main focus in the play is a character who goes by the title of the Knave. However, he can also be called “His Knave-

ness, or mayhap Knaver, or mayhap El Knaverino, in the manner of the Spaniard, if brevity be not in thy soul nor wit.” He is joined by his friends Sir Walter of Poland and Sir Donald of Greece as he gets caught up in a ransom plot that started off

with the soiling of his rug that really tied the room together.

The script gives a new life to a film that fans have seen many times again and again. The plot will hold no new surprises for those who have seen the film, but the way in which the time, setting and language have changed will keep you occupied and intrigued. One of the best parts of “The Big Lebowski” is the many memorable lines in the film and they all trans-late well in this homage. The piece takes some lib-erties with adapting the

story for a different time but it never steps over the line.

The Knave is still a man for his time and place who enjoys white Russians and “the smoking of the pipe.” Sir Walter still brings up the war in the jungles of the Orient whenever he can and Sir Donald, is still “as a child wandering and strut-ting amidst the groundlings as a play is in session.” Brother Seamus this time is an actual Irish Monk, but Joshua Quince remains a peaderast. “Two Gentlemen of Lebowski” is a reading that I would recom-mend every fan of the original film to sit down and take it easy with. Before reading I would definitely recommend watching the 1998 Co-hen brothers’ film. If you’ve seen it and didn’t like well, that’s like, your opinion man. As a fun light read, the script will keep make you laugh and find what condition your condi-tion is in. Even for those of you who believe in nothing, there is only one thing to say about this script. The Dude abides.

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The dude abides; new script of cult classic

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“A dramatic surprise on an ice-cold day”uploaded Jan. 24by turnerbenelux

“Dramatic moment Prince Harry runs for an ice cream van dur-ing Afghanistan inter-view” uploaded Jan. 22by producertom85

Viral video update: dramatic moments

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By Natasha Wade-Lowis Contributing Writer

Tucked into a corner of down-town St. Petersburg, the lush and exotic Sunken Gardens are a gem not to be missed. Although it doesn’t seem like much from the outside, this roadside attraction has been enticing visitors like me since 1935. Immediately upon entering, I began to understand why.

The moment you step through the doors you are transported to another world. The aroma of rich earth and sight of sunlight trick-ling through the dense canopy onto the winding walkways creates a meditative calm. As the outside world faded away to the sound of tinkling fountains, I was entranced by the jewel-like colors of tropical flowers, friendly Koi that swim up to the edge of their ponds to greet visitors, talkative Macaws and cool flamingos tanning themselves on a sandy knoll.

Next, I stumbled upon the or-chid arbor, which is notable because it is the only permanent display of orchids in the country. The Sunken Gardens also has accommodations for weddings and other events. As I strolled through the bougainvillea and sunflower flanked north lawn I couldn’t help but sense the aura of warmth and happiness exuded by this wonderful location. This venue would be perfect for any couple looking to tie the knot.

For other events there is an Am-phitheater and Oak Pavilion, as well. There are also yoga classes for $15 per class and a children’s mu-seum called Great Expectations, making this a destination for visi-tors of all ages.

The employees are just as happy here too. I had the opportunity to chat with Courtney Phillips, an employee of the Sunken Gardens for the past two years. “I like go-ing out to meditate in the garden,” says Philips,”It’s a great place to un-wind.”

With operating hours, Monday- Friday 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sunday noon. to 4:30 p.m. and an admission fee of $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $4 for children, this is a convenient and economical way to enjoy a beautiful and memorable experience with the whole family. Sunken Gardens also has member-ships available for those who fall in love with the gardens (which isn’t difficult). These annual passes are available for $35 for seniors, $40 for individuals and $50 for the whole family. The gardens are located at 1825 4th St. N.St. Petersburg, FL 33704 and the phone number is (727) 551-3102 also, rental informa-tion can be reached at (727) 551-3106.

Sunken Gar-dens offers tropical place to meditate

Gents & wenches: Gasparilla pirate fashion

By Caroline CampbellHealth & Fitness Editor

Pirates invaded Gasparilla Jan. 26 for the Gasparilla Day Parade. Though the most popular fashion was inebriation, many different forms of pirate garb were seen. I have been attending this pirate festival and pa-rade since 2006. My costumes, year after year become more detailed and authentic. This most recent Gaspa-rilla, for inspiration, I got ready with a gaggle of other pirate wenches listening to the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack while drinking rum. We snipped, layered, tore and fixed different fabrics of red and black colors.

I chose to go for the pirate zombie look with sunken eyes and cheeks. To master this look, use brown, black or gray eye shadow and a blush brush. Sweep the dark eye shadow under your eyes and across your eyelids. Next, sweep the eye shadow below your cheekbones and blend. Add some more eye shadow below your jaw- line to create a skeletan look. I saw men and women with different variations of this creepy pirate makeup. There were some Captain Jack Sparrow look-alikes with heavy eyeliner drawn across their lower lids and out into a cat-eye line.

Pirates are all about getting creative with their head-gear and hairstyles. Random dreads, braids or beads in the hair add authenticity to any pirate look. Dawning your head with frayed wraps, or pirate hats help protect

the scalp from the sun.

Not everyone at the Gasparilla Pirate Festival were in full pi-rate costume, but most people rocked some sort of skull or pirate clothing. I saw bustiers, fishnets, skull suspenders, pi-rate boots, scars, hooks and eye patches.

For any of those that missed this Gas-parilla, there is plenty of time to prepare for next year. Just remember to bring sunblock, wa-ter, your pirate attitude and your walking shoes as the full parade extends all of Bay-shore Blvd. in South Tampa.

Sophomores Dominick Cup-petilli and Tyler Tocchio collect boat loads of beads from floats during the Gasparilla parade in Tampa Jan. 26.

Buccaneers on the Skeleton Cove float throw pink beads and launch faux can-nons to keep the crowd’s energy going.

Senior Caroline Campbell uses make-up and costume pieces to achieve the perfect pirate-zombie

Students wait to board the bus to Gasparilla.

photo by Caroline Campbell

photo by Joe Whalen

photo by Elizabeth Tomaselli

courtesy of Dominick Cuppetilli

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THE QUICKIE

By

Hailey EscobarQuickie Editor

Living at Eckerd means living only two hours from one of the happiest places on Earth: Disney World. It’s no wonder there’s a club for students with a love for Walt Disney and the magic of his parks and mov-ies. EC Pride is a home for all Disney lovers on campus. Started by Junior Alice Frye in fall 2011, the club quickly gained the attention of students and they have already had trips to Disney World. Frye was kind enough to answer a few questions about her love of Dis-ney and what’s to come EC Disney Pride this semester.

How did the Disney club start?

The Disney club started, because I have an obsession with Dis-ney, and wanted to give people a club to share this obsession with and get to take Disney World trips and just have fun and watch

some of my favorite classic Disney mov-ies. I basically came up with the idea that I wanted to start a club, and I was not sure it would be as popular as it has been, and was completely nervous to start the club, but it has definitely been worth it.

What does the club do?

In the club, we take Disneyworld [sic]trips to all Disney parks or one specific park. We have fun meetings where we talk about Disney news, movies that are coming out, and plan out events. We also, watch clas-sic Disney movies on weekends and possi-bly weekdays at Eck-erd, and go see Disney movies that are new.

Why should students join?

Students should join this club, because it is a relaxed and fun club to hang out and meet new people, go to Dis-ney World, and also to reminisce and watch classic Disney films,

and also participate in fun events.

What are some up-coming plans?

Upcoming plans for this semester are to participate in Relay for Life, go to Magic Kingdom and other parks, watch a few Disney movies such as “Brave,” and pos-sibly have a high tea like Disney princesses, and have some Disney dress-up days.

Why do you think Disney is still in the hearts of so many people?

I think Disney is still in the hearts of many people, because it allows us to have an escape from reality and reminisce about our childhood. Also, I kind of think that everyone still is a kid somewhere inside, and bringing that back out to the surface really allows people to just have fun without wor-rying about all the bad stuff that is happening in the world and what-ever they are stressed about.

ACROSS1 Islam’s head6 Famous cookies10 Not women’s14 Protein part, with ‘acid’15 “The Truth About Love”16 Skip17 Lizard18 Guilty or not19 Costa __20 Vane direction21 Sermon23 Move unsteadily25 Off-Broadway award26 Possessive pronoun27 Oven mitt (2 wds.)30 New Spielburg Film34 Relating to the ear35 Dracula’s tooth36 Downwind38 Pacify39 American Kennel Club (abbr.)40 Texan accent42 Kitten43 Animal insect44 Molecular Life and Science Center45 Remembers48 Last act49 Past50 Liability51 Pencil remover54 Antic55 Professional58 Flee59 Persia61 “The Jungle” author Sinclair63 Seed pod64 Vale65 Palatable66 Eye infection67 Among68 Forefinger

DOWN1 Animal house2 Prayer ending3 Head bug4 Writing liquid5 Soccer6 New York City7 White drink8 Only9 Hockey player’s skill10 Overly (2 wds.)11 Shine12 Naughty or __ (what Santa checks)13 Celebrity22 Succor24 And so forth25 Opaque gem27 Fastener28 Outside layer29 Corny30 Large ponds31 Ancient Indian32 South American animal33 Stairway post35 Topple37 Otherwise40 East African country41 Scold43 Viva _______ 50046 ABC Crime Drama47 Maturity48 ___ up50 Ate51 Tides52 Underground part of plants53 Unite54 Surrealist artist55 Posttraumatic stress disorder56 Memorization57 Black gem60 Cram62 Cooking tool

courtesy of EC Disney PrideAbove: Sarah Cannady and Danielle Buchanan enjoy a ride on It’s a Small World.Below: Sarah Cannady, Danielle Buchanan, Alice Frye, Cassandra Lyon and Benjamin Frazier meet Micky and Minnie at Disney World.

Crossword by: Hailey Escobar

The club meets once a month-Wednesdays at 8 p.m. If interest-ed, contact Alice Frye at aefrye@eckerd.edu or visit the EC Dis-ney Pride page on Facebook.

Club Spotlight: EC Disney Pride

For answers, visit www.theonlinecurrent.com

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Libido bluesBy Caroline CampbellHealth & Fitness Editor

Male and female sexual impotence is not a common problem among col-lege students, but external and inter-nal influences can still have a negative effect on your sex drive.

Here are four foes of the libido ac-cording to www.bodyandsoul.com.au:

1. Alcohol: apparently, drinking more than four glasses of alcohol per week can suppress a woman’s libido because alcohol mimics estrogen. This mimic can hinder ovulation, which is the period in which a woman’s sex drive peaks.

2. Television and other distractions or detractors in the bedroom: having the TV on during foreplay or sex hardly sets a romantic mood. A bedroom full of dirty laundry, dirty bed linens, computers, exercise equipment and harsh lighting can all distract your sexual partner, or you from the pas-sionate action at hand.

3. A poor diet, including sugary or processed foods, negatively affects your hormones, glands and organs.

4. Lack of exercise: by not working out regularly, serotonin (happy chemi-cal) levels decrease. Exercise encour-ages healthy blood flow in the body which helps pump blood through our happy places, increasing sexual per-formance.

Many healthy foods are not only good for your heart and future well-being, but they are also friends of your libido. Here are some libido friendly foods:

1. Green Leafy Vegetables: the vitamin E in these vegetables helps boost the release of the major sex hormones. The manganese helps produce estro-gen for women, and zinc helps sperm production for men.

2. Seafood: fish is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids which helps boost your metabolism. Seafood also helps in-crease dopamine levels (another hap-py hormone). The Vitamin B in sea creatures is responsible for fertility. Oysters are the richest source of zinc.

3. Dark chocolate: the phenethyl-amine present in dark chocolate helps keep your body relaxed and happy, in-creasing your serotonin levels.

4. Bananas: an enzyme named Brome-lain helps boost the male libido, while the present B vitamins help increase your body’s energy level and sex hor-mones.

5. Celery: a present substance in cel-ery is called andosterone, which is an aphrodisiac in male perspiration (odorless).

6. Avocados: the high levels of folic acid in avocados help increase male and female libido. The vitamin B6 present is also a powerful hormone regulator.

**Sex on the Beach has moved to Health and Fitness. Please sumbit any ideas to currenthealth@eckerd.edu

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HEALTH & FITNESS

By Alex ZielinskiPhoto Editor

Whether it was a New Year’s reso-lution, or you’re already an avid run-ner, finding a race to train for this spring will not be difficult. There are many Florida races coming up this semester:

Feb. 10: The Rock n’ Roll Mara-thon Series is coming to St. Peters-burg. After this half marathon, you can hang out downtown and take in music by Sean Kingston and other artists.

Feb. 23: The Gasparilla Race in Tampa, includes a 5K, 8K, 15K or half marathon. The races will take place on Saturday and Sunday. After your race, you can become your in-ner pirate and enjoy entertainment all day.

If pirates aren’t your fancy, there’s always princesses. The same week-end as The Gasparilla Race is Walt Disney World’s 5th annual Princess Half Marathon weekend. The Prin-cess Half is a RunDisney East Coast race that’s all about the power of women.

March 2: The Suncoast Classic 5K and 10K will be happening in St. Petersburg. All proceeds from the event go toward the Ronald Mc-Donald House in Tampa. This race is good for those who like running but haven’t trained for the longer runs yet. Plus, it’s for a good cause.

April 6: Eckerd College sports teams will be hosting the annual Triton Trot 5K. If you don’t feel like traveling far, this race is just steps from your dorm. Be sure to check out Eckerd’s Health Promotions of-fice in the gym for a training sched-ule.

April 14: Iron Girl Event Series by Athleta will be hosting a half mara-thon and 5K in Clearwater. Just like the Princess Half, Iron Girl’s mis-sion is to empower women and en-courage a healthy lifestyle.

May 4: RunDisney’s Expedition Everest Challenge will lead teams of two a through a 5k course filled with obstacles in Disney’s Animal King-dom, followed by a scavenger hunt with clues collected during the race. In total, the race is more around a 10K. After this night race, finishers are allowed to party in the park until 3 a.m.

Fun Fact: This race will be the second night race I have done with Disney, and will help push me one step closer to completing all the RunDisney night races. But more on that later.

Good luck runners!

By Caroline Campbell Health & Fitness Editor

The new year means new challenges. Taking advantage of ev-erything Eckerd has to offer should be a priority on everyone’s to-do list. Eckerd and Fit2Run-Saint Petersburg are working together to provide students with a free 5k training program beginning 5:30 p.m., Jan. 31, at the local Fit2Run at 256 2nd St. North. Students who attend the kickoff will receive a discount that evening on any Fit2Run purchases.

The actual 5k training will begin at the GO Pavilion Tues-day, Feb. 5 at 5:30 p.m. The training will continue every Tuesday and Thursday until the Triton Trot 5k on Saturday, April 6. The workouts at the GO Pavillion will last about 30 minutes and the coaches will encourage you to do a third workout on your own time. A training schedule will be provided. It is not necessary to attend every meeting over the nine weeks, but you are encour-aged to train as much as possible.

The CEC is changing its schedule beginning Friday, Feb. 1. It

will now close Fridays after lunch and reopen Sunday evenings for dinner. Bon Appetit assessed student usage during the week-end of the CEC last semester and the number was very low.

Students work their way from couch to Triton Trot 5k

CEC schedule change

courtesy of Triton Trot FacebookRunners at Triton Trot 2011.

By Caroline CampbellHealth & Fitness Editor

If you’re looking for a way to eat all of your daily fruit in one quick delicious meal, try this smoothie with spinach to help maintain healthy iron levels, and plain Greek yogurt for a healthy protein supplement. Raw local honey will help reduce your seasonal allergy symptoms. Honey is also antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal.

Add ingredients to taste and throw them all into a blender (if you fill the whole blender it makes about 2 servings).

• Plain Greek yogurt• honey• pineapples• blackberries• mango• strawberries• blueberries• tangerines• raspberries• orange juice• spinach

Mix it up

photo by Caroline Campbell Fruit and spinach smoothie.

Fruit, spinach and protein smoothie

Sex on the Beach

Spring into race season

the currentFeb. 1, 2013Health & Fitness20

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When I was in high school, I loved to say that patience was a virtue, and one I didn’t have. Whether it was sitting down to complete research for projects or taking time to practice my violin, I was frustrated by the inability to see the end result immediately.

As a result, McDonald’s and micro-waves made my life a dream when I got to college. I could have almost any delicious meal prepared instantly, so long as it was freeze dried, pre-packaged or pre-made. Of course, most foods meeting those merits are stuffed full of preservatives and chemicals, or heavily grain based.

Patience was a virtue that I began to learn with my introduction to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet following a diagnosis of ulcerative colitis, then Crohn’s disease, just months after my junior year. Suddenly, every meal was made from scratch, and it took patience and practice to make it taste good.

One of the benefits of cooking for yourself is controlling the quantity you prepare, and this can be especially ben-eficial with finger foods. Though they take a bit of time to prepare, deviled eggs can be an exotic and luxurious afternoon snack, providing energy from natural protein.

Ingredients:6 eggs1 tbsp dijon mustard3 tbsp mayonnaise3 stalks of celery1/2 tsp creamy horseradishGround black pepperSaltPaprika

Directions: 1. Place eggs in a medium sized pot,

covering with 2 inches of cold water.2. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and slowly

bring water to a boil.3. Let boil for one minute, then re-

move pot from heat and let sit, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes.

4. Remove eggs from pot, let cool for 30 minutes, then place in fridge overnight.

5. Slice eggs in half vertically.6. Carefully scoop yolks into a mixing

bowl and place whites on a plate.7. Add Mayonnaise, mustard and

horseradish to yolks.8. Mix together, then add salt and

pepper to taste.9. Scoop yolk mixture into the egg

whites.10. Sprinkle with paprika.11. Use the celery for leftover yolk

mixture; chop stalks into small chutes and spread the mixture on.

12. Place on a plate, and enjoy! If re-frigerated, these snacks should stay good for up to 5 days. Makes 12 deviled eggs.

By Cait DuffyNews Editor

Cait’s Cookin’: Deviled Eggs

By Giuliana GrossiContributing Writer

If walking or running gets bor-ing, maybe you should look into the sport of freerunning. Fre-erunning and parkour may be based on the body’s fundamen-tal abilities and physical growth, but many participants believe in these sports’ abilities to trans-form one’s life.

Senior Joel Barnes said, “Fre-erunning made me see the world differently. I see all obstacles as new pathways. There are no ob-stacles.” This isn’t just a hobby for many freerunners or traceurs (those who partake in parkour), it’s a way of life.

Parkour and freerunning are sports that have been growing in popularity for the past 20 years. The idea of parkour is to move your body from one point to another in the quick-est way possible. In contrast, the goal of a freerunner is to move creatively along a path, rather than a direct route.

Barnes is a freerunner who flips his way across campus in his spare time. During his sophomore year, Barnes start-ed a group on campus to prac-tice his techniques and get together with other students who shared an interest in the hobby. Barnes takes time to train freerunners and traceurs at any skill level.

Barnes came to Eckerd to study marine biology, but his love for adventure extended further than his studies. “I

freerun because it’s the way I re-lease stress and clear my mind,” he said. “It’s also a great workout. Running is boring and I hate lift-ing weights. Freerunning changes every day. You can go to the same place every day and have a differ-ent experience.”

Parkour was initially developed as a training program for the French military. When the body performs a sequence of physical obstacles, the brain stores the motor movements.

Each time a person repeats the course, muscle memory advances, which improves spatial skills.

The activity gained a follow-ing with civilians when two men from France, Sebastien Foucan and David Belle, began imitating

the training programs. Foucan and Belle became the founders of freerunning and parkour.

These sports are now practiced internationally. “The academy aims to convey my experience of movement and instill in you the confidence that comes with self-development,” Foucan said on his freerunning webpage (foucan.com). “The fitter and more able you become physically, the more well-being you will experience.”

Barnes got into freerunning while doing high school cross-country. He and his friends would turn a three-mile practice run into a one-mile obstacle course, jumping over fences or anything in their path.

Barnes didn’t realize his cross-

country shenanigans were an es-tablished sport until an onlooker mentioned the terminology while he and his friends were doing ac-robatics at a local park.

Barnes began practicing the sport using freerunning tutorials on YouTube. His friends would get together, exchange tech-niques and teach each other their newfound moves.

Freerunning is an activity that can be experienced with others but it’s also very personal.

The sport can serve a different purpose for each person. Wheth-er you freerun for exercise, en-durance, discipline, creativity, entertainment or something else, it’s a sport that is physically and mentally beneficial.

In an out of control world, total control of your own body and its movements provokes to some, a sense of peace.

The life lessons in-stilled in freerunners and traceurs might be subjec-tive to each individual, but it’s bound together by a common thread of overcoming obstacles. “That’s part of the phi-losophy of freerunning,” said Barnes. “Everything has its own interesting part about it. It’s the ul-timate form of true ex-pression and freedom.”

If you are interested in learning more about par-kour contact Joel Barnes at jabarnes@eckerd.edu.

Hardcore parkour

courtesy of Joel Barnes

Snack savvy for the Super BowlJoel Barnes at National Jam in Denver, 2009.

Deviled eggs and celery.

photo by Cait Duffy

By Elizabeth BrophyAsst. Health & Fitness Editor

The Super Bowl offers a great opportunity to get together with friends and family, cook some great food and watch football. Typical Super Bowl food is all American: wings, chips and dip, nachos, etc. Unfortunately, although junk food is a tradition, your body treats it just like it would any other day. For those try-ing to eat healthy, that means possibly hav-ing to pass on some of those goodies. We’ve dug up some great healthy versions of classic Super Bowl recipes that taste delicious but won’t leave you with a junk food hangover the next day.

Baked buffalo wings with blue cheese yogurt dip (via the Food Network/ Mi-chelle Buffardi)Ingredients:For the dip:

3/4 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese2 tbsp mayonnaise1 small clove garlic, chopped1 tbsp skim milk or buttermilkJuice of 1/2 lemonKosher salt and freshly ground pepper

For the wings:Cooking spray, for the baking sheet3 pounds chicken wings, split at the joints, tips removed4 stalks celery, cut into thirds4 carrots, cut in half2 bay leaves1 cup fat-free low-sodium chicken broth1 cup Frank’s Red Hot sauce (or 1/2 cup other hot sauce)2 tbsp paprika2 tbsp unsalted butter1 tbsp honey

Directions:Make the dip:

1. Pulse the yogurt, blue cheese, mayon-naise, garlic, milk and lemon juice in a food processor until combined but still chunky.

2. Season with salt and pepper. 3. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Make the wings: 1 Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. 2. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with cook-

ing spray. 3. Put the chicken wings in a deep skillet;

add 3 pieces of celery, 3 pieces of carrot, bay leaves, chicken broth, hot sauce, paprika, but-ter, honey and 1/2 cup water and bring to a simmer over medium heat.

4. Simmer until the chicken is almost cooked through, about 18 minutes.

5. Transfer the wings to the prepared bak-ing sheet and arrange in a single layer; reserve the sauce in the skillet.

6. Bake the wings, turning once, until the skin is golden and crisp, 30 to 35 minutes.

7. Meanwhile, simmer the reserved sauce over medium-low heat until slightly thick-ened, about 15 minutes.

8. Discard the celery, carrot and bay leaves. Reserve one-quarter of the sauce for serving.

9. Return the wings to the skillet and toss with the remaining sauce.

10. Serve the wings with the blue cheese dip and reserved sauce; cut the remaining cel-ery and carrot into sticks to serve on the side.

Baked mozzarella sticks (via Skinny-Taste)Ingredients:

12 sticks part-skim, reduced sodium moz-zarella string cheese

1 large egg, beaten2 tbsp flour5 tbsp Italian seasoned breadcrumbs5 tbsp panko crumbs2 tsp parmesan cheese1 tbsp dried parsleyolive oil cooking spray

Directions:1. Cut cheese in half to give you 24 pieces.

Place cheese in the freezer until cheese is fro-zen.

2. In small bowl, whisk the egg. Place the flour on another small dish.

3. In separate bowl, combine bread crumbs, panko, parmesan cheese and dried parsley.

4. Dip the frozen sticks in flour, shaking off excess, then into the egg, then coat with the crumbs. Repeat this process with the remain-ing cheese placing them on a tray with wax paper.

5. Place cheese back into the freezer until ready to bake (this is a must or they will melt before the crumbs get golden.

6. When ready to bake preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly spray with oil.

7. Place frozen cheese sticks on baking sheet. Spray the tops of the mozzarella sticks with a little more oil and bake in the bottom third of your oven until crisp, about 4 to 5 minutes.

8. Turn and bake an additional 4 to 5 min-utes, watching them closely so they don’t

Hot wings. photo courtesy flickr/ Bitslammer

With so many on-campus ac-tivities such as renting kayaks or paddle boards, going wakeboarding or swimming off of the Waterfront dock, it’s easy to forget about fish-ing. But Senior Michael Gabriele, who has been fishing here since 2009, believes that’s a mistake.

“Eckerd College is situated on a world renown fishery, Tampa Bay,” Gabriele said. “From a fisherman’s perspective, we are so blessed to be right where we are. We are near the mouth of the Bay, and that makes this location even better. We have grass beds, docks, oys-ter beds, a deep channel and sea walls, which all attract fish. There is no need to leave Eckerd cam-pus to catch a variety of fish, big fish or even the fish of a lifetime.”

With water touching our cam-pus from the Waterfront all the way to Lewis House, Eckerd has plenty of good fishing spots like the seawall, the Water-front dock, and the pier at Galbraith. “In my opinion the best spots are the pier, The waterfront and the grass beds be-tween the south beach pavilion and Zeta beach,” Gabriele explains.

Another one of Eckerd’s star

fishermen, Ben McCarron, finds the obscure fishing spots. “You can even catch some nice fish in the ponds. Where to go really de-pends on the conditions of the day. If you want you can get a kayak from the waterfront and paddle out to the flats around Indian Key or to the first Skyway.” Kayaks and fishing poles are available for rent at the Waterfront, but you must be able to present a Florida State Fishing License that you can buy from any Walmart in Florida.

Students have reported catch-ing many different species on campus including trout, redfish, snook, cobia, Spanish mackerel, lizardfish, ladyfish, catfish and even sharks and stingrays. McCarron has caught them all, including plenty of sharks. “I’ve caught sharks. Atlantic

sharpnose, black tips, bonnet heads, hammer-heads, these are usually 2 to 4 feet. I’ve seen bull sharks push-ing 7 feet in places where kids swim, but I’ve never caught one.”

What’s the best way to learn how to catch the big fish around cam-

pus? Ask some of your friends who fish, or the people you see walking around campus with a pole, and they will almost always have some helpful tips. “The guys that you should ask for advice are the ones that you see fishing on a regular ba-sis. Those guys have put time in on the water, and they know a thing or two. Ask me for advice and I’ll help in any way that I can,” offers Gabriele. The senior is often on the pier, and always willing to help.

To get started, however, you’ll need a few things. Obviously, you’ll need a pole, which can be rented at the Waterfront, and you’ll need to decide whether you want to use bait or lures. With a cast net you can catch mullet, greenbacks, or pinfish off the Galbraith pier or the sea wall. Eckerd students have caught several different types of fish using many variations of bait near the pier and Lewis House.

If you don’t want to fish with bait, you can buy a lure from Walmart, which seems to work just as well if not better. “There is a time and place for lures,” Gabri-ele said. “If you want the best re-

sults from those top waters and subsurface lures,

then fish morning and late evening when fish are more active on the surface. Wade in between Zeta Beach and South Beach and try to find some pock-ets of trout, reds, or an occasional snook.”

McCarron says the simplest way to catch fish is to use shrimp on a plain hook. “Just cast them off the sea wall or the docks and let them sink naturally. Sunrise and sunset are good

but you can catch fish just as easy during the day.”

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SPORTSINSIDE SPORTS

Good Vibes 23

Basketball Back Cover

Coach Mathews Back Cover

courtesy of Michael GabrieleGabriele shows off a catch.

Students look to hook catch of a lifetimeBy Davis NunnelyContributing Writer

The Eckerd baseball team is look-ing to improve upon a disappointing year in the upcoming 2013 season.

The team started the 2012 season well, rolling to a seven-game win-ning streak from Feb. 16 to March 3, improving their record to a season-best 11-4. However, as they quickly cooled off and lost their next six

games, including getting swept in a tightly matched three-game

series at Barry University, their first conference games of the season.

The series at Barry, which took place March 9 and 10, was a frus-trating one for the Tritons, who were trying to make a message to the rest of the conference af-ter the preseason poll had them predicted to finish in last place. They lost all three games by a combined four runs. Eckerd had the lead in the 7th inning or later in each of the first two games.

Eckerd finished the season with a 19-28 record, including a 3-18 mark in Sunshine State Conference play. It was yet another last place season for the Tritons in one of the tough-est conferences in Division II.

However, the season wasn’t all bad. According to Head Coach Bill Mathews, the Tritons’ strengths last season were their starting pitch-ing and their experience. The one player who contributed the most to both of those aspects was Joe Cuda.

Cuda entered the 2012 season as a bona fide ace, having won the 2011 Sunshine State Confer-ence Pitcher of the Year as a ju-nior. He had yet another great season this past year, leading the Tritons’ staff with six wins, 86.1 innings pitched, 114 K’s and a 2.92 ERA while walking just 14 batters.

His consistent excellence over the past two years was rewarded in June, when he was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals organization in the 27th round of the 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

Cuda then went on to make 13 starts for the Batavia Muckdogs, the Cardinals’ Class Short-Season A minor league team. He went 7-1 in 60.2 innings, striking out 53 batters while walking just 11. “Per-sonally, I feel that the transition was a wonderful new experience,” Cuda said. “Like any new transition there was an adjustment period, but overall I couldn’t have imagined a better first year. I am really lucky to be a part of a great organiza-tion with so many quality people.”

The Tritons are definitely go-ing to miss both Cuda’s talents on the mound and his leader-ship this season. Said Mathews “You don’t replace Joe Cuda, you just try to get better with-out his presence and leadership.”

Cuda isn’t the only talented play-er that the Tritons will be losing. In addition, there were 12 other seniors on the team last year. According to Mathews, “It was the largest group we ever graduated and the deep-est class in terms of overall talent.”

To help soften the blow, the Tritons added 12 new freshman to the roster this season. Seven of

them are pitchers while the oth-er five are position players, and Mathews has high expectations from them and thinks they will all be key contributors this season.

Mathews also expects two re-turning players to have breakout seasons this year: starting pitch-er Jordan Huchro and infielder/designated hitter Lee Spinelle.

Huchro appeared in 16 games and made 11 starts in 2012, his ju-nior season. He posted a 3-5 record with a 4.58 ERA, striking out 45 batters in 57 innings pitched. Spi-nelle, who was also in his junior season last year, hit .283 with 14 doubles, three homers and 25 RBI. He started all 47 of Eckerd’s games, getting playing time at first base, third base and designated hitter.

Eckerd’s 2013 season gets start-ed on Feb. 2, with a home double header against Warner Univer-sity. They start conference play on Feb. 22-23 with a three-game home series against Florida Tech.

This should be an exciting season for the Tritons. Mathews sees the team being better this season with a deeper roster. “The improvements will be with better depth through-out the pitching staff and our abili-ty to hit from 1 through 9... the line-up will be dramatically improved.”

Baseball season brings high expectations for TritonsBy Will CreagerAsst. Sports Editor

For years, the sailing team has been known as one of the most prestigious sports on cam-pus. Of all the sailors that the team recruits, it was lucky to land Sophomore Seth Barrows.

At only 12, Barrows learned how to sail at East Hampton Town Sail-ing Program. “I started on a JY 15;. It stands for a 15 foot boat,” Barrows says. As he gained years in his life, and experience in the boat, Barrows began working at the East Hamp-ton Town Sailing Program five years ago, and is now an instructor, teaching the classes that he learned how to sail in not eight years ago.

Before coming to Eckerd, Bar-rows had never sailed competi-tively, and soon found out that the new form of sailing came with a learning curve. “[Seth] is con-stantly asking questions and try-ing to improve,” says sailing team Captain Emily Mitchell. “The big-gest thing I have learned is there are so many little parts to sailing that it can really effect your race. It’s not just about trimming the mane, its about the little details.”

The sailing season is divided into two different kinds of racing. The fall is fleet sailing, or individual rac-ing, and the spring is team racing. “I like fleet racing, but team racing is fun because I’m still learning.” And learning seems to be what Seth enjoys most about the sport.

In early September, the sailing team went to Rollins College for a Southpoint Series. “I placed sec-ond over all out of twelve boats, and as a team we won all of the South Point Series.” Barrows’s impressive racing earned him the title of Athlete of the Week. It is no doubt that Barrows is a force on the Eckerd College sail-ing team, and he doesn’t plan on slowing down any time soon. After college, he plans on continuing to teach sailing and sail competitively.

Barrows’s success drives sailing team in bid for water suprem-acyBy Davis NunnelyContributing Writer

2013 Eckerd baseball conference schedule

2/22 v. Florida Tech 7 p.m.2/23 v. Florida Tech (DH) 1 p.m.3/8 @ Fla. Southern 6 p.m.3/9 @ Fla. Southern (DH) 1 p.m.3/15 v. NSU 7 p.m.3/16 v. NSU (DH) 1 p.m.3/28 @ Rollins College 6 p.m.3/29 @ Rollins College (DH) noon4/5 @ Lynn University 3 p.m.4/6 @ Lynn University (DH) noon4/12 v. Saint Leo 7 p.m.4/13 v. Saint Leo (DH) 1 p.m.4/19 @ Tampa 6 p.m.4/20 @ Tampa (DH) noon5/5 v. Barry University (DH) 5 p.m.5/6 v. Barry University 6 p.m.

Games denoted with (DH) are doubleheader contests

For more sailing coverage and all of your favorite

Eckerd sports’ results and profiles, go to

www.theonlinecurrent.com

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Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday

NationalEckerd

Sports Calendar

Sports Briefly

Submit your fan photos to currentsports@eckerd.edu for a chance to see them featured in future issues of The Current.

Winning ShotS

Baseball v. Warner Uni-versity noon

Softball @ Ave Maria University (DH) 1 p.m.

Women’s and men’s basketball v. Rollins College 2/4 p.m.

Softball v. Southeastern University (DH) 5 p.m.

Baseball v. Clearwater Christian College 7 p.m.

Women’s and men’s basketball @ Nova Southeastern Univer-sity 5:30/7:30 p.m.

Baseball @ Webber International Univer-sity 6 p.m.

Softball v. Georgia Col-lege & State University/Colorado Christian University 3/5:30 p.m.

Softball v. Columbus State University/Palm Beach Atlantic Univer-sity 11 a.m./1:30 p.m.

Women’s and men’s basketball v. Florida Tech 2/4 p.m.

Softball v. Lindenwood University/Lynn Uni-versity 9/11:30 a.m.

Baseball @ Saint Leo University 6 p.m.

Women’s basketball @ University of Tampa 5:30 p.m.

Men’s basketball @ Univeristy of Tampa 7:30 p.m.

Men’s Basketball

1/12 @ Florida TechW 80-76(EC) Mack 21 points, 6 steals(EC) Taylor 14 points, 6 assists

1/16 @ #20 Florida SouthernL 93-82(EC) Mack 24 points, 16 rebounds(EC) Bodney 14 points, 4 rebounds

1/19 v. Barry UniversityW 75-63

(EC) Mack 24 points, 7 rebounds(EC) Brunner 17 points, 12 rebounds

1/23 v. Saint Leo UniversityW 61-57 (OT)(EC) Mack 22 points, 9 rebounds(EC) Stevenson 14 points, 9 rebounds

1/26 @ Palm Beach Atlantic Uni.W 68-60(EC) Moody 16 points, 2 steals(EC) Brunner 12 points, 2 blocks

Women’s Basketball

1/12 @ Florida TechL 62-48(EC) Vente 16 points, 4 rebounds(EC) Bestry 12 points, 3 rebounds

1/16 @ Florida SouthernW 54-39(EC) Vente 12 points, 10 rebounds(EC) Thomas 12 points, 5 rebounds

1/19 v. Barry UniversityW 72-68

(EC) Bestry 19 points, 3 assists(EC) Charles 16 points, 15 rebounds

1/23 v. Saint Leo UniversityL 53-47 (EC) Thomas 20 points, 5 rebounds(EC) Charles 4 points, 6 rebounds

1/26 @ Palm Beach Atlantic Uni.W 62-51(EC) Charles 18 points, 11 rebounds(EC) Buccilla 15 points, 3 steals

Sunshine State Conference oppo-nents in bold

Eckerd Scoreboard

photo by Bill StickleyJunior Amy Buccilla finds a hole in the defense during the Tritons win over Barry, Jan. 19.

photo by Alex ZielinskiSenior Woody Taylor (10) helped lead the Triton men to an overtime win over St.Leo, Jan. 23.

6421 3 5 7

98 11 14131210

Sunshine State tops in Academic Success Rate

Division II College Athletics often finds itself unheralded and ignored by most recruits. Even so, a study by the NCAA recently found that in terms of academic success, the Sunshine State Conference, of which Eckerd is a part, topped the list of Division II conferences with an 86 percent student success rate. Each member school also had one more benefit, at least one sport from each of the SSC’s 10 member schools held a perfect academic suc-cess rate. Softball was that sport at Eckerd.

Alum re-signs with Rays farm team

Eckerd graduate Craig Albernaz (‘05) has been re-signed by the Tampa Bay Rays. Since 2006, Albernaz has worked through the sys-tem ascending to AAA Durham, one level below the majors. He has an average suc-cess rate in throwing out baserunners aver-aging a 41 percent success rate over seven seasons. Accompanying his new deal is an invite to Major League Spring Training in Charlotte County, Fla. The Rays first spring training game is Feb. 23 against Pittsburgh.

Darren Mack repeats as Player of the Week

While students were at home or traveling over Winter Term, the men’s basketball team did not rest. The best of the team was Senior Dar-ren Mack, who was named the Sunshine State Conference’s Player of the Week in back to back weeks early in January. Mack clinched the honor by shooting 65 percent against then 20th ranked University of Tampa. Since his honors, Mack has led the Tritons in scoring by a mar-gin of 30 points over his nearest teammate.

Braves solidify outfield through free agency

Before the start of Spring Training, the Atlanta Braves have improved their outfield by add-ing the Upton brothers. The two Uptons have not played on the same team in the majors and were in different leagues last year. The Uptons solidify what has been called the best outfield in the National League along with 2010 Rookie of the Year, Gold Glove winner Jason Heyward. The Braves look to improve upon a season that saw them bow out of the playoffs after los-ing a play-in game to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Super Bowl XLVII set for New Orleans

The NFL’s championship game is set to pit the John Harbough led Baltimore Ravens against his brother Jim’s San Francisco 49ers. The Ravens are led by a balanced offensive attack featuring quarterback Joe Flacco and All-Pro runningback Ray Rice. The 49ers have adapted well this season after the benching of starting quarterback Alex Smith in favor of Colin Kae-pernick. Kaepernick has led the offense since a Monday night matchup against the Chi-cago Bears in November, defeating the Green Bay Packers and Atlanta Falcons en route to the franchise’s Super Bowl appearance.

Duke struggling in ACC play

After beating 3 of the preseason top 5 teams and quickly ascending to a number 1 national rank-ing, the Duke Blue Devils have fallen onto hard times with the start of conference play. Coach K’s squad first fell to the Wolfpack of North Carolina State. The Blue Devils lost again to the Miami Hurricanes in a blowout. At press time, Duke had fallen to fifth in the rankings.

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the current

By Dominick CuppetilliAsst. Sports Editor

The Mavericks Invitational, one of the most extreme competitions in the athletic world, concluded with Peter Mel standing atop the podium. The competition began back in late December and contin-ued on until mid January. This surf competition is an invitation only contest in which only the most elite surfers ride the Mavericks.

Mavericks is the series of waves that occur in winter off the shore of Half Moon Bay, mid-way up the California coastline. Accord-ing to mavericksinvitational.com, the name “Mavericks” came from the dog of one of the original rid-ers to surf the waves. Typically Maverick (the dog) would swim out with his owner, but the surf was so big that the dog had to be tied up to the car on shore. Thus the waves were dubbed Mavericks.

Back then, only a small group of pioneer surfers knew about Maver-icks and of those who knew, only a select few dared to ride them. Now they are an internationally known surf spot. Still only those experi-enced enough in big wave surfing try to attempt these monsters.

Although Mavericks is not con-sistent every winter in the way they act, waves have been mea-sured to be in between 50-60 feet in their crest height according to mavericksinvitational.com. No matter if the waves are 15 feet or 50, they are always an intense ride, and have taken many lives. One of the earliest deaths, and most fa-mous, came to Mark Foo in 1994.

Because of the inconsistency of these massive waves, the Mavericks Invitational cannot be competed in every year. Sometimes the waves don’t show up, and sometimes con-ditions are just too monstrous to ride in. So, Mavericks riders must be ready to travel at the drop of a hat to compete. The first competition was held in 1999, although the contest has not been completed every year.

Fortunately, 2012/2013 brought a steady enough swell of moderate waves for the competition to hap-pen. Mel finished at the top of each of his heats in the bracket, before finishing first in the whole thing. Behind him came Zach Worm-houdt, followed by Greg Long. Just off the podium was Alex Martins in fourth, Mark Healey in fifth, and Shawn Dollar in sixth. According to surfermag.com, before the final heat started, the competitors all agreed to split the $50,000 purse.

Australia’s largest cable wake-board and wakeskate contest, Liq-uid Force Boardstock, also hap-pened mid January at Cables Wake Park Penrith. The weekend event was packed full of events in both wakeboard and wakeskate areas, di-vided into many age brackets as well.

The first event was the Wake-life Riders Cup, where many of the major wakeboard brands com-peted as teams where riders ac-cumulate points for their respec-tive team. Brands included CWB, Slingshot, Ronix, Byerly, CTRL, and of course Liquid Force. Team Liquid Force International came in first, followed by Liquid Force Australia and Byerly behind them.

In the rest of the competition,

15-year-old Liquid Force Rider Daniel Grant dominated in both wakeskate and wakeboard events. He stood on top of the podium in all four wakeskate events (King of Kicker, Double Up 2 Tower Chal-lenge, Rail Jam, and the Triple 1), and in the wakeboard division also took first in the Double Up 2 Tower Challenge, second in the Triple 1 Challenge, and third in the Rail Jam.

The Double Up 2 Tower Chal-lenge was centered around a quarter pipe along with a double sided kicker and flat bar. The King of Kicker was simply best trick on the kicker, as well as the Rail Jam being best trick on the rail setup. The Triple 1 was an all around competition at the park.

Besides Grant hogging most spots on the podium, other high-lights included Mitch Langfield landing a new trick called the strait jacket winning the King of Kicker and taking the top spots in the Rail Jam and Quarter Pipe Challenge, Sophie Hogben kill-ing the women’s pro division of the Double Up 2 Tower to take first, and Guy Carter scoring first in the amateur men’s Rail Jam.

In other wakeboarding news, Liquid Force’s star rider Phil Soven has removed himself from the team. Soven announced on Twitter and Instagram that he has decided to part ways from his long time supporter. His twitter read, “After 17 years I have decided to part ways from Liquid Force to pursue other future ventures. Thanks for ev-erything Tony and Jimmy.” He has not released anything about future plans, but intends to announce his next aims in the weeks to come.

Good vibes: your action sports source

Another season of golf has passed, with veterans graduating and new faces to the Eckerd men’s golf team. One face that stands out in particular is Freshman Jo-han Wahlberg from Stockholm, Sweden.

Wahlberg, the son of Mats and Anita Wahlberg, also has an older sister, Rosanna, and an older brother, Fredrik. Wahlberg helped his high school golf squad, Fredrika Bremergymnasiet, place fifth at the Swedish National Championship, coached by Vik-tor Gustausson. His career-low is a round of 64 at the Tyreso Golf Course in 2011.

“I heard about Eckerd College through an agency for students who wanted to study abroad. They helped me contact all the schools and golf coaches for me,” said Wahl-

berg. Wahlberg was just another European kid who wanted to come to America to play golf and study as an international business major. “I had been to America once prior to coming to Eckerd. My family and me went on vacation to Orlando and also visited Ft. Lauderdale in the same trip,” said Wahlberg.

It seems the weather may have played a big factor in his decision to attend college in the sunshine state. “Well it’s a big difference from back home, it’s a lot warmer and doesn’t snow here, enough said. The weather was definitely a big reason why I chose Florida.”

Wahlberg’s decision to come to Eckerd was a late choice. “I made my final decision to come here pretty late, so it didn’t really cross my mind on what I was going to expect.” Johan chose Eckerd over North Carolina, Wesleyan University and Fairleigh Dickinson University.

The towering 6-foot-5 freshman wast-ed no time making a name for himself in the fall. Wahlberg played in all four tour-

naments this fall for the Tritons and has put on a heck of a performance so far.

His 75.83 scoring average so far this year is nothing to overlook, especially for a freshman with no college golf experience. “I enjoy it so far, there are a couple minor differences from what I’m used to. Here in the U.S., we play thirty-six holes without a break, back home we get an hour between the 18 holes. I enjoy every single one of the guys on the team. The boys are a lot of fun to be around; we got a good group of guys and great team chemistry.”

Wahlberg is one of two students on the golf team from another country. Lewis Bick-erton is from the Canary Islands, Spain.

Another person who has had the oppor-tunity to get to know Wahlberg is veteran teammate Junior Jeff Evanier. Evanier has been one of Wahlberg’s roommates when the team has been on the road for tournaments.

“He’s adjusted to living in the states on his own pretty well. He’s got the poten-

tial to be a great player. Johan’s a quiet kid, great golfer and a nice guy,” said Evanier.

His golf game has clearly shown so far that nerves don’t seem to faze him at all. “Yeah I used to get nervous in the beginning, but I’ve learned that the more tournaments you play in, the easier it gets to relax on the course.”

Wahlberg’s best performance throughout his campaign was at the Guy Harvey Invi-tational hosted by NSU (Nova Southeast-ern University) in Palm Beach Gardens, the most competitive tournament of the fall.

The Swede fired a 72, 76 and a final round of one under par (71), leaving the tournament finishing tied for 15. His performance also helped the Tritons place in the top five for the tournament. Wahlfberg is already mak-ing noise in arguably the best conference in Division II golf and it is only his first year.

The focus level will be the key for the Swede’s success throughout his ca-reer at Eckerd. The talent is clearly there.

By Bobby TaggartContributing Writer

courtesy of Wikicommons/ Shalom JacobovitzBig wave surfing at Mavericks.

Swedish influence adds diversity of talent to men’s golf team

Putting down the ball, picking up the mic for a good causeBy Mike GeibelSports Editor

With so many students abroad or home for Winter Term, I didn’t have much of a chance to join up with a specific team on campus for this issue’s column.

While that seems like it could be a bad thing for a column that relies on telling the tale of my experiences in each sport, I think of it another way. I get an opportunity this issue to talk about an event that I had the chance to be a part of which means much more than the sports we love.

Back in December, before fi-nals week began, I got the chance to MC for the “Pause for a Cause” fundraiser event to benefit the Cesar Odio Leukemia Fund.

I’ve worked on a microphone before, performing at comedy nights on campus, MC at events and even spending a few years host-ing bar trivia nights back home. I felt comfortable speaking in front of crowds and that feeling was only made easier by the excellent cast of help that I had around me.

The athletics department, and specifically the terrific guidance of Coach Tom Ryan helped me with an idea of things to announce and a general schedule. ECOS execu-tive vice president Eliza Van Dis-sel was instrumental in planning and executing the event, as well.

The event raised money for

Barry basketball head coach Ce-sar Odio who was diagnosed with leukemia. It was truly a great sight to witness so many Eckerd athletes, coaches, students and other members of the community come out to support the event.

The games were all fun and the giveaways were great, but in the end it was all out of sup-port for another human be-ing that the event went so well.

Odio is a friend of several members of the Eckerd commu-nity, including Ryan. The show of support for a coach that many had only seen as an opponent during basketball games against Barry was extraordinary and the event featured several oppor-tunities to donate to the cause.

Several more events are already being planned including the Spring Fun-lympics which will put clubs and organizations of Eckerd against each other in modified, Olympic-style events. Proceeds from these events will also benefit the cause.

As far as my involvement in the “Pause for a Cause,” it was a great experience and one that I can be proud to be involved in. It is always fun to be handed a microphone and given the freedom to walk into the stands and chat with the attend-ees while announcing the games.

Be sure to look out for any future events and get in-volved in this great cause.

Visit us online at www.theonlinecurrent.com C

The Official Student Newspaper of Eckerd College

SportSFeb. 1, 2013

Bill Mathews is more than just the baseball coach here. For those who know him, he is also a teacher, mentor, friend and much more.

Mathews, a Rhode Island native, will be entering his 23rd season as the head coach of the Eckerd baseball team this upcoming season. He is also the assistant director of athletics, the official scorer for the Tampa Bay Rays, and spent six years as a member of the NCAA Baseball Committee. He has led the Tritons to 462 victories in his tenure as head coach, making him the winningest coach in Eckerd baseball history. He was also honored as the Sunshine State Conference Coach of the Year in 1999.

Mathews’s path to Eckerd began when he started playing organized baseball in the 5th Ward Little League when he was 8. He played shortstop and pitcher, preferring shortstop. His favorite players were Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle. His middle school coaches played a huge role in him wanting to become a coach, as he learned a lot from them and they helped guide him through his younger years.

Mathews enrolled in Eckerd in the fall of 1975. He found out about Eckerd through other people from his hometown going there. He chose Eckerd over both Notre Dame and Princeton, both of which he received aid from for a combination of athletic and academic reasons. “Eckerd afforded me the perfect combination of academics and athletics so that I could really see how best I could maximize both avenues,” he said. “Balancing your workload as a student-athlete is simply a matter of prioritizing your free time. Work has to get done ahead of socializing.”

Mathews played on the 1977 Triton squad that lost 4-1 to UC Riverside in the Division II NCAA Championship game. He was teammates with Steve Balboni and Joe Lefebvre, both of whom made it to the Major Leagues, and Brian Sabean, who is currently the General Manager for the San Francisco Giants.

Lefebvre also currently works for the Giants as a Senior Scouting Advisor and the Assistant Hitting Coach. Mathews said, “The keys to the team's success were pitching, timely hitting and a very solid lineup that survived without injury for the entire season.

Joe Lefebvre and Steve Balboni definitely carried the club on their shoulders.”

Mathews majored in management with a psychology minor. His favorite Eckerdmemory was the day he graduated, becoming the first member of his family to earn a degree. He received his master's in educational administration from USF in 1989. After graduating, he worked as an assistant coach for Eckerd for four years. He then worked as a high school teacher and administrator until 1990, when he returned to Eckerd as the head coach.

According to Mathews, the key to his success as Eckerd’s head coach “lies in the hundreds of graduates who are working successfully in the real world right now... without good people around them, coaches would all be very average.” He loves waking up every morning knowing that he is excited to go to work, and the best part of his job is being able to guide his players and students through their college years and watching them earn their degrees.

However, Mathews does wish he was able to commit more time to the team andhis players, as the NCAA limits the number

of hours a student can spend on athletics to20 hours a week. “College athletes need contact time with their peers and coaches in an athletic setting and the 20 hour rule makes it very difficult to get as much accomplished as we would like with each athlete.”

Coach Mathews's personal approach gives guidance to student athletesWill CreagerAsst. Sports Editor

Men's, women's basketball get key wins in January games

photo by Bill StickleyJunior McLeod (33) dominates the rim against Nova Southeastern.

Men's

201212/29- Paine College W75-6112/30- Miles College W65-62

20131/5- NSU L74-791/9- Tampa W73-701/12- Florida Tech W80-761/16- FSC L82-931/19- Barry W75-631/23- St. Leo W61-571/26- PBAU W68-60

Women's

201212/30- Adelphi L63-80

20131/5- NSU L58-841/9- Tampa W63-531/12- Florida Tech L48-621/16- FSC W54-391/19- Barry W72-681/23- St. Leo L47-531/26- PBAU W62-51

What you may have missed

photo by Dominick CuppetilliCoach Bill Mathews at a baseball practice.

By Mike GeibelSports Editor

While much of the Eckerd population was scattered

across the globe or spending time at home, the men's and women's basketball teams were busy battling conference foes around the Sunshine State Conference. Both teams navigated through the past month of games with records of .500 or better and continue to push toward the top of their conference rankings.

From the end of December until the beginning of February, the Eckerd men have tallied a 7-2 record including a current 3 game win streak. The men have not lost at home since a five point fall to Nova Southeastern Jan. 5.

The current streak includes key wins over Barry and St. Leo at home and a road victory at Palm Beach Atlantic. Before the streak, the Tritons also notched a big victory over then-ranked

Tampa in the McArthur Center. The men have about a month remaining in the regular season consisting of all SSC games leading up to the conference and national tournaments. The Triton men have been getting support and contributions on the court from many different sides, including a strong class of freshmen who have recently found their stride and helped the team in their win streak.

The recent home game against St. Leo drew a strong fan base to the McArthur center to see the Tritons compete against a team who beat the University of Miami in an exhibition game earlier in the year. Miami recently beat then No. 1 Duke by 27 points. The overtime finish was highly contested by both teams, with the Tritons pulling out the victory in the final seconds with clutch free throw shooting.

On the women's side, the Tritons have rattled off some thrilling victories both at home and away. Most notably, the women took down the University of Tampa just before the men completed the

sweep of the team. In an impressive offensive show againt Barry, the women knocked down eight three pointers before halftime.

The women shot close to fifty percent from the field on the night and four Tritons were perfect from the free throw line. Recently, the women boasted a free throw percentage that earned them sixth rank nationally in the statistic.

The men and the women combined for two thrilling sweeps during winter term in front of the home crowd. Both Barry University and the University of Tampa were swept at the McArthur Center only ten days apart. Both the men's and women's Tampa teams were nationally ranked at the time, making the sweep even more exciting when considering the conference standing stipulatios. As of Jan. 28, the men held an overall record of 11-4 and were in fourth place in the conference with an SSC record of 4-3. The women also have a 4-3 conference record, good enough for fifth place, and hold an overall record of 8-7.

photo by Alex ZielinskiFreshman Kaitlin Jackson fires a shot from the corner.