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Elections, police response, food in Mobile, what coaches think about attendance at sporting events and more.
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“If it matters to the USA family, it matters to us.” VOL. 51, NO. 15NOV. 5, 2012
VANGUARDTHETHE
In this Issue: Life, Page 6
Sports, Page 9Opinion, Page 12
fi nd us on Facebook “Facebook.com/“Facebook.com/
TheVanguardUSA”TheVanguardUSA”
Check out our digital edition thevanguardonline.com
INSIDE
Opinion Editor draws the conclusion that the end of the world might not be so bad if it means no more political ads.
See Opinion, page 12
Superhero comic book exhibit comes to the Museum of Mobile.
See Life, page 6
Coaches give their opinions on student attendence at sporting events.
See Sports, page 11
USA Football heads to Texas
USAPD defends controversial arrestUSAPD defends controversial arrestCassie Fambro | Editor-in-Chief
Hurricane Hurricane Sandy a Sandy a “superstorm”“superstorm”
By JAYSON [email protected]
By DENNIS [email protected]
See USAPD USAPD Page 2
The actions of USAPD and some of their offi cers has come into ques-tion after an incident with students last weekend.
The incident with the Univesity of South Alabama Police happened when a group of USA students were being noisy and disruptive outside of the residence halls on campus after quiet hours, which begin at 8 p.m.
According to many students that were at the scene, they were just hav-ing fun racing each other on foot when USAPD arrived and told them to leave. The offi cers allegedly called the students names, including some racial slurs, cursed and used unneces-sary force when arresting one of the students.
The USA student that was arrested was Stephon Jaquarious Owens, 19, of Montgomery.
USA student Joshua Frye told The Vanguard when offi cers responded the situation became volatile.
“They threw punches,” Frye said. Frye also alleged that the offi cer put Owens in a choke hold. Another stu-dent, Laura Andrews also went on re-cord saying Owens was put in a head-lock.
Stephanie DeRamus told The Van-guard that the offi cer used racial slurs including the n-word when dealing with the group which was comprised of predominantly African-Americans.
After investigating this situation, USAPD chief Zeke Aull and USA dean of students Michael Mitchell say the accounts of the incident by the stu-dents are false.
Dr. Mitchell was allowed to watch the video from the offi cer’s body-cam that was on the scene and said the po-lice acted by the book and they did nothing questionable. All USAPD of-fi cers have been outfi tted with cameras that record audio as well as video for situations such as this.
"The offi cers arrived after many calls came from students in their dorms who couldn't study or sleep," Mitchell said. "We are supposed to create a safe
and quiet learning environment for students who live on campus and these students were obviously having a good time but they were being loud enough to disrupt others after quiet hours."
"As far as the accusations go from the students, I had a chance to watch the video of the incident as a third par-ty person who isn't directly involved with the police department," Mitchell explained. "The offi cers did exactly what they are taught to do. They asked the students to leave the area multiple times in a polite manner. You can see there are students who aren't listening and continue to hang around."
Mitchell and Aull both commented on confl icting stories of racial slurs and excessive forced used by the US-APD offi cers.
"I saw one comment from a stu-dent that said there were punches thrown and another comment that said the student arrested was bleeding everywhere," Aull said. "That is just not true."
"And what really bothers me is that
Pictured: USAPD Chief Zeke Aull oversees the command center at the department.
Hurricane Sandy, or “Superstorm Sandy” as many news outlets now call it, made landfall in New Jersey last Monday, taking a track feared by me-teorologists and city planners for de-cades.
The category one hurricane had winds of 80 miles per hour when it came ashore near Atlantic City, New Jersey, but the seemingly weak nature of the hurricane was deceptive.
Sandy had the second largest wind fi eld ever recorded in a hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean, producing tropical storm force winds 520 miles from the center of the storm (roughly the dis-tance between Atlanta and Washing-ton DC, for comparison) as it neared landfall.
The sheer enormity of the hurri-cane’s wind fi eld helped to create its most damaging aspect – the storm surge, or sea water, pushed inland by the strong winds. T
he surge was three to almost 14 feet deep in spots along the New Jersey and New York coast, with a record 13.87 feet of water recorded in New York City’s Lower Manhattan during the height of the storm.
The fl ooding that resulted was cat-astrophic. In just a few hours, many homes and businesses along the coast from North Carolina to New York washed away in the surge, seven of New York City’s 23 subway tunnels ei-ther fully or partially fl ooded with high-ly corrosive saltwater and the fl ood wa-ters sparked a fi re in the Breezy Point neighborhood of Queens, New York that burned down almost 100 homes.
The storm’s widespread high winds
See SANDY SANDY Page 4
For this holiday season, the Univer-sity Library is sponsoring a “Will Read for Food” donation drive benefi ting the Bay Area Food Bank.
The library asks that non-perish-able food items be brought to the Cir-culation Desk on the fi rst fl oor of the University Library.
The University Library will be col-lecting food donations from Monday, November 5 - Friday, Nov. 30.
Library collecting donationsBy CASSIE [email protected]
VOL. 51, NO. 15 / NOV. 5, 20122
there is a racial undertone to what these students said. In any situation the actions of these offi cers refl ect on myself and more importantly the uni-versity and these comments just aren't true," Aull added.
Mitchell and Aull both believe if any actions are in question it is of the students who didn't leave the area when asked and the student who was arrested.
"The housing on campus would rather handle situations like this them-selves but in this situation, USAPD had to be called," Mitchell said. "RA's tried to get the students to leave and quiet down but they didn't listen. And in the video you can even hear other students in the crowd of about 50 tell-ing the students who resisted the of-fi cers to 'go home, go to your room', but they wouldn't listen."
"Now this group of students were predominantly African American but that has nothing to do with offi cers being called or someone being arrest-ed. These offi cers didn't target these students because they were African American," Mitchell said. "And if any-one was yelling or cursing it was com-ing from the side of the students and not the offi cers."
In any situation, if you feel an of-fi cer is acting inappropriately, there are many ways to go about solving the problem, but resisting an offi cer is not one of them.
Stephanie DeRamus, who told the Vanguard about the situation of US-APD offi cers using racial slurs, is lob-bying for the offi cer involved to be suspended and an investigation after what he said to the group.
"If any student thinks an offi cer has done something wrong, they can come to the police station and fi ll out a form to make a statement and we will let the offi cer know they are being in-vestigated internally," Aull said. "If we do fi nd something is wrong then we will handle that accordingly. And I will meet with a student anywhere any time they want to talk to me about a situa-tion with an offi cer if they aren't com-fortable with coming into the station."
"As the dean of students there are few people on campus that would worry and care about our students and how they are being treated more than myself," Mitchell said. "If anything is wrong we defi nitely want to be able to fi x that situation immediately."
USAPD reacts USAPD reacts to allegationsto allegationsfrom page 1from page 1
While many of the signifi cant changes on campus have been noticed by students, faculty and visitors, such as the completion of Shelby Hall and renovations to the Humanities Build-ing, smaller additions also deserve rec-ognition.
Several new sculptures now call the USA campus home, adding character to the landscape and making the cam-pus more aesthetically pleasing.
One of the more interesting sculp-tures that is drawing lots of attention is located on the southeast side of the Humanities building. This new sculpture, titled "The Old Man and the Sea," references the character of Santiago from “The Old Man and the Sea” by Ernest Hemingway. It is 8 feet high by 14.5 feet long. The sculptor is Jane DeDecker of Loveland, Colo.
DeDecker has made major contri-butions to the world of sculpture for more than 25 years. She has created more than 250 limited-edition, origi-nal sculptures, and her work has been sought by everyone from the National Parks Service to the President of the United States.
When asked about this sculpture, DeDecker said, “Santiago’s life goal was to conquer his fears and master the art of obtaining something he worked for day in and day out...San-tiago’s devout mission to never give up and take each day as a learning experi-ence in order to seize the day when it came is an example we all strive for in our lives.”
This statement, engraved on the sculpture plaque, offers a great mes-sage to students who are trying their best to get their degree.
Students are taking notice of this
c o m p e l l i n g sculpture.
CeCe Stew-art, sophomore pre-radiology major, likes the sculpture and thinks that it is in a perfect lo-cation because it represents a great work of literature and the English Department, located in the Humanities building.
“For English majors and people who would understand the symbolism, it is a good piece and I think it is visu-ally appealing,” Stewart said.
Kevin Rodriguez, sophomore pre-physical therapy major, said, “[A]t fi rst I didn’t understand what the sculpture was, but now that I do, it is appropriate for the location.”
This sculpture is part of a group of new sculptures around campus do-nated by David and Lynn Gwin. The Gwins donated the Gridiron Sculp-ture in front of the Football Field House, which was dedicated last year (October 2011).
According to an October 2011 press release, “The 24-foot-tall stain-less steel sculpture was designed by sculptor Bruce Larsen. It depicts a runner holding the ball to the sky triumphantly as he is swarmed by a throng of tacklers.”
David Gwin received his bachelor’s degree in communications from USA in 1972. He went on to have a suc-cessful career in broadcast journalism before launching Vic Communica-tions, an advertising agency with cli-ents worldwide. He and his wife, Lynn, are loyal Jaguar fans and members of the Jaguar Athletic Club.
Other new sculptures on campus donated by the Gwins include “Ein-stein” near Shelby Hall, “SouthPaw” near Alumni Hall and two sculptures to come: “Challenge” near the Mitch-ell Center and “Setting the Pace” at the Student Center Amphitheatre.
Kalyn McClellan |Staff ReporterPictured: The Old Man and the Sea sculpture outside of Humanities.
Kalyn McClellan |Staff Reporter
New art on campus intrigues many
Kalyn McClellan |Staff Reporter
By KALYN [email protected]
On the heels of USA’s most success-ful Homecoming yet, the Student Gov-ernment Association gave out Home-coming awards at the Oct. 29 meeting.
For independent organizations, third place was the Honors Program Organiza-tion and Students Today Alumni Tomor-row, second place was Student Veterans and fi rst place was the Catholic Student Association.
For Greek organizations, Alpha Omi-cron Pi and Kappa Sigma placed third, Chi Omega and Sigma Chi placed second and Kappa Delta and Tau Kappa Epsilon won fi rst place.
Jaguar Productions also received a trophy for their unprecedented dedica-tion to making this year’s Homecoming exciting and memorable.
A representative from South Ala-bama’s Men’s Club Soccer team came before SGA to request funds for new uniforms for travel games. $2,460.47 was awarded to the Club Soccer team for Nike uniforms with each shirt cost-ing $64.50 and each pair of shorts costing $45. Fees for lettering on the jerseys were waived because of a fortunate discount organized between the team and Nike.
Before any conclusions are made that the uniforms are a frivolous expense, it must be known that the Men’s Club Soc-cer team is obligated to wear Nike be-cause the University of South Alabama is exclusively sponsored by the brand.
This is also a worthwhile investment because the Men’s Club Soccer Team is scheduled to play universities like Mis-sissippi State, Auburn, Alabama, Florida State, LSU, Clemson and Arkansas State.
“I think this is a really good thing be-cause they are going to other campuses, large campuses, and projecting South Alabama. Anything that gets us out to these schools and lets people know about South Alabama is good thing for us to support,” Student-at-Large Alex Wiles said.
As of the time of the meeting, the Men’s Club Soccer Team had gone unde-feated in playing against UWF and Sprin-ghill twice.
In other new business, a supplemental travel for the Cricket Club was discussed as a representative of the club came be-fore the senate requesting travel funds. After hearing the representative’s appeal, the SGA decided to allot $1,000 for travel on a receipt basis.
As always, all South Alabama students are encouraged to attend SGA meetings to fi nd out about weekly campus events and have a voice in student forum. SGA meets on Monday nights at 8 p.m. in the conference/meeting room in the Fresh Food Co.
SGA awards groupsBy STUART [email protected]
CORRECTION: The Vanguard apologizes for a tweet sent in error that contained profanity. It was not intended to be sent on The Vanguard account and we are sorry to those that were offended. Protocol for sending tweets has been altered and it will not happen again.
3VOL. 51, NO. 15 / NOV. 5, 2012
“University of South Alabama’s Student Voice”
Editor in ChiefCopy Editor
Life EditorOpinion Editor
Sports EditorLeft of Center
Senior ReporterWeb Editor
Cassie FambroBailey HammondJake HowellNoah LoganPatrick HerringJT CrabtreeJayson CurryNaquita Hunter
Editorial
Distribution Manager
Bobby FaulkDistribution
Advertising Manager
Advertising Graphic Designer
Wesley Jackson
Mohammad Al-Zarrad
Rex McKay
Advertising
Advising
Accounting
J. SellersJ. AucoinKathy Brannan
Management
MissionThe Vanguard, the student-run
newspaper of the University of South Alabama, serves its readership by re-porting the news involving the campus community and surroun ding areas. The Vanguard strives to be impartial in its reporting and believes fi rmly in its First Amendment rights.
PAGE three
Send letters and guest columns to:
The Vanguard University of South Alabama
P.O. Drawer U-1057 Mobile, Ala., 36688.
Oreditor.in.chief@usavanguard.
com
Letters and guest columns must be received by 7 p.m. on the Wednesday prior to the Monday publication.
Submissions should be typed and must include the writer’s name, year, school and telephone number.
All submissions become the property of The Vanguard.
The Vanguard reserves the right to edit letters and guest columns for length and clarity. Letters will be limited to 300 words. Letters and guest columns are the opinion of the writer.
The Staff Editorial represents the consensus opinion of the Editorial Board, which is composed
of the Editor in Chief, Copy Editor, Senior Reporter, and Opinion Editor.
All members of the Editorial Board have the same weight.
The Vanguard has a commitment to accuracy and clarity and will print any corrections or clarifi cations.
To report a mistake, e-mail [email protected].
The Vanguard is published Mondays during the academic year, except for exam periods and vacations, and is published twice each summer.
The Vanguard is supported in part by an allocation from student activity fees and operates in the Student Media Department of the Division of Student Affairs.
Issues are available at most University buildings and select off-campus locations.
The fi rst copy is free. Additional copies are $1 each.
Freelance writers will receive payment at the discretion of the section editor and will be notifi ed accordingly.
Twitter: StormTeam4g9wxFacebook: Facebook.com/StormTeam4Gamma9Wx
Weather for Oct. 5-11Weather for Oct. 5-11
See Something suspicious? See Something suspicious? Report it to USAPD.Report it to USAPD.
10/23/2012:
16:04- Mobile, AL 36688. 1. Theft of Property in Third Degree ($500 or less)
16:37- The Grove- Bldg #6. 1. Possession of Marijuana Second Degree 2. Failure to Appear-No Seatbelt.
10/24/2012
14:36-Faculty Court South Parking Lot- Bldg 0. 1. Duty Upon Striking an Unoccupied Vehicle.
15:55- Delta 5. 1. Criminal Trespass Third Degree. 2. Failure to Comply with Directions of University Offi cials.
23:00- 6251 Tonsmeire Drive.
1. Failure to Disperse 2. Resisting Arrest 3. Violation of State Law 4. Failure to Comply
10/25/2012:
2:06- Delta 5. 1. Theft of article from vehicle.
16:51- Delta 2. 1. Unlawful Break and Entering a Vehicle.
10/26/2012:
9:01- 77 South University Blvd. UCOMM. 1. Duty Upon Striking an Unoccupied Vehicle.
14:21- John Counts Drive, Intramural Field. 1. Theft of Property in Second Degree. ($500-$2500)
10/27/12:
15:28 Tonsmiere Dr. 1. Failure to Appear-Driving While Suspended.
10/28/2012:
18:57- Recreation Center. 1. Theft of Property in Third Degree ($500 or less)
20:17- Intramural Fiel House. 1. Theft of Property in Third Degree ($500 or less)
MCSO is looking for anyone that took cellphone photos or videos of the fatal I-65 crash last Friday. They’re also asking for help requesting photos/videos from the public. If anyone was on I-65 last Friday, they are asked to contact MCSO.
USA Police BlotterUSA Police Blotter 251-460-6312251-460-6312
VOL. 51, NO. 15 / NOV. 5, 20124
Text 90999 to donate to the Red Cross
Hurricane Sandy severely Hurricane Sandy severely damages east coastdamages east coastfrom page 1from page 1
also caused considerable damage, downing trees and power lines, and knocking out power to over 8 million people at one point. Offi cials estimate that power might not be restored until Nov. 10 or 11 in the hardest hit com-munities.
One of the more unusual impacts from Sandy occurred over the Appa-lachian Mountains, as the western por-tion of the hurricane interacted with a cold Arctic air mass moving over the eastern United States.
The merger resulted in blizzard conditions along the higher elevations, with snowfall totals of three to four feet recorded in parts of West Virginia.
The death toll in the United States approached 100 on Friday morning, and The Washington Post reports that Sandy could be the second costliest storm in United States history, behind Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
If you’d like to help with the recov-ery efforts, the best way to do so is to donate money to organizations like the American Red Cross.
You can text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 to the organization’s di-saster relief fund (charges will appear on your phone bill). You can also visit redcross.org to make a donation and see what else you can do to help.
VOL. 51, NO. 15 / NOV. 5, 20125
Superheroes invade new Museum of Mobile exhibitSuperheroes invade new Museum of Mobile exhibit
Before the television shows and blockbuster movies, there were
comic books. Comic books were the birthplace of the superhero, and it’s through them that the Museum of Mo-bile has begun to tell the story of the evo-lution of those caped crusaders.
On Oct. 20, “Up...Up...& Away! Evo-lution of the Comic Book Superhero” opened at the Museum of Mobile.
This exhibit showcases hundreds of comic books, many of which were donat-ed or loaned to the museum, spanning an entire spectrum of characters from Su-perman to Sheera Queen of the Jungle.
Even though a time line detailing the physical evolution of comics books from the earliest caricatures to the blockbuster movies of today acts as a framework around which the exhibit is built, the real story is that the evolution of comic books parallels the evolution of America.
Comic books, through their brightly colored panels and detailed story lines, refl ect changes in American culture and ideals.
Superman, in fact, is one of the fi rst examples the exhibit details as a refl ection
of America. According to Scotty Kirkland, cura-
tor of history at the museum, the endur-ing popularity of comic books and their characters has “never been about the red capes or the guys who where [sic] their underwear on the outside. It’s always been about superheroes representing the best of what see in ourselves while vil-lains are what we’re afraid we’ll become.”
It’s the real struggles with love, temp-tation, loss and vengeance that make su-perheroes so relatable to the American people.
Comic books also parallel current events and social changes occurring in the world, such as the election of Presi-dent Obama in 2008.
While comic books normally don’t spark major ideological changes, they do refl ect and incorporate these changes as they happen.
A prime example of this is the role of race and gender in comics.
For much of the early history of comic books, the vast majority of su-perheroes were white men. It wasn’t until society’s views on racial minorities and women began to change that these people were brought into the fold as side-kicks and, eventually, superheroes.
Another, more recent, superhero who has refl ected major changes in American ideas is Northstar, one of the fi rst openly gay American superheroes and the fi rst to marry his longtime part-ner in June of 2012.
Comic books and superheroes have developed into things much larger than entertainment. They’ve become records and commentators of not only our his-tory, but also how we see ourselves.
“The superhero exhibit is great, not just because it shows you how the heroes
you love got their starts, but also prompts those who go to see beyond the story and into the art,” said Parker Chastain, a se-nior biomedical sciences major and SGA president, of his trip to the exhibit.
The exhibit concludes with a ques-tion, asking, “Does the world still need superheroes?”
The answer, of course, lies with us and whether we still see ourselves behind those masks and capes.
“Up...Up...& Away,” will remain at the Museum of Mobile until March 3.
VOL. 51, NO. 15 / NOV. 5, 2012 6
JAKE HOWELL, JAGLIFE [email protected]
By JAKE [email protected]
WEEKLY LOWDOWN
8 a.m. - University Library “Will Read For Food” Food Drive begins. Donations will be collected until Nov. 30 at the University Library.
7:30 p.m. - USA Jazz En-semble Fall Concert in the Laidlaw Recital Hall.$5.00 USA Students/Faculty/Staff.
Presidential Election Day!
10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. - “What’s on Wednesday” Free leather bracelets in the Student Center Mall.
7 p.m. - Chi Omega’s Songfest in the Mitchell Center.
7:30 p.m. - USA Theatre presents “Dead Man’s Cell Phone” in the Laidlaw Performing Arts building. For Ticket information call: 251-460-6306.
7:30 p.m. - USA Wind Ensemble Fall Concert in the Laidlaw Recital Hall.$5.00 USA Students/Faculty/Staff
Monday, Nov. 5
Tuesday, Nov. 6
Wednesday, Nov. 7
Thursday, Nov. 8
Friday, Nov. 9
Want your event featured in the Weekly Lowdown? Email the name, date, time, price, place and a brief tagline (under seven words) to [email protected]
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LoDa Art Walk puts Mobile talent on displayLoDa Art Walk puts Mobile talent on displayBy STUART [email protected]
On the second Friday of each month, many of the art galler-
ies and restaurants in downtown Mobile open up their doors for a celebration of Mobile art and culture.
This event, which is nearing its eighth year, is known as the LoDa Art Walk.
LoDa refers to the location of most of the participating art galleries in the Cathedral Square Art District, which is lower Dauphin Street.
The Art Walk is a popular event among many USA students.
“It’s an opportunity to see cool, lo-cal art and hang out with people at the same time,” said Kelli Greene, a sopho-more French and international relations double major.
The Art Walk is also the perfect place to buy gifts for family and friends be-cause the art, crafts, and most merchan-dise are original works.
“I love the things they sell at the Art Walk. I’ve bought some jewelry and some gifts for my parents,” Greene added.
Brad Robertson is one of the owners of Robertson Gallery, a contemporary art gallery on Dauphin Street.
“It’s refreshing seeing so many new faces and repeat visitors at Art Walk,” Robertson said.
“For the Art Walk we try to do a fea-tured artist, serve food and drinks, and meet all of the people that are interested in our art,” Robertson added.
With Christmas coming up, the next two Art Walks (Nov. 9 and Dec. 14) will
STUART SOX | STAFF REPORTERLaura Fliegel, a sophomore and French major, takes in just a small portion of the works of art on display at the LoDa Art Walk.
be the busiest and most exciting yet, ac-cording to Michael Pitillo, the store di-rector at Urban Emporium on Dauphin Street. Urban Emporium is a retail store for nearly any kind of gift or product imaginable.
“Art Walk is far and away the best day of each month as far as sales,” Pitillo said.
The Art Walk isn’t showing any signs of slowing down, either.
“Every Art Walk is busier than the one before, and these next two leading up to Christmas will be the best of the year,” Pitillo added.
The Art Walk is a must-see for all University of South Alabama students, especially those who appreciate original and local art.
“The Art Walk gives you a chance to see the downtown scene and life grow-ing,” said Giang Nguyen, a sophomore occupational therapy major.
There are many more galleries and spectacles downtown to be seen other than the ones mentioned here. On Fri-day, Nov. 9, venture downtown on Dau-phin Street and share in the cultural ex-perience that is the LoDa Art Walk.
11:15 a.m. - FRUNCH (Free Lunch) with Westminster Fellowship in Faculty Court South, Room 8.
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JAKE HOWELL | JAGLIFE EDITORThis pyramid of comic books, illustrating the infl uences on characters and story lines, is only a fraction of those displayed in the exhibit.
Beta Alpha Psi Thanksgiving Food Drive begins. Dona-tions will be collected at the Mitchell College of Business until Nov. 16.
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5 p.m. - Pre-Occupational Therapy Club meeting in the Allied Health Building, Room 2074.
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VOL. 51, NO. 15 / NOV. 5, 20127
I have not been this excited for a new restaurant in ages, and I’ve
been in the 251 for awhile. Indian food has been in short sup-
ply around these parts, and Nepalese food even more so.
This is where Yak the Kathmandu Kitchen comes in.
It has fi lled both the Indian cuisine void and the void in my stomach ever since it appeared at 3210 Dauphin St. a few months ago.
For my fi rst trip there, seniors Eri-ka Tumulak, Camli Al-Sadek, Dalton Burks and fi rst-year pharmacy student Sara Lott joined me for dinner.
This restaurant is one of those places where everybody’s got their smart phones out, Googling every-thing on the menu.
Luckily, we all possessed adventur-ous palates.
To start, the waitress brought us lentil crackers, tamarind chutney and mint chutney as an appetizer.
The tamarind was sweet and tangy, while the mint fl avor was very strong.
Burks, a chemistry major, enjoyed the malai kabab, described on the menu as grilled boneless chicken marinated in cream and ginger, which contained a
lot of different herbs and spices. Tumulak, a biomedical sciences
major, postulated that Nepalese cuisine uses so many spices because “it is cold on Mt. Everest.”
The thalis, however, are what you should really go for if you want to try anything and everything. They are es-sentially mini-buffets with six different dishes on a silver tray accompanied by fresh naan and a small salad in the middle.
Vegetarian thalis are also available. My own thali came with chicken
tikka masala, dal fry, vegetable curry, tandoori chicken, basmati rice and rice pudding.
The table’s favorite dish by far was the chicken tikka masala, which is grilled chicken breast in a creamy on-ion tomato sauce.
It was so delicious that some of us (i.e. me) came back the next day to or-der it specifi cally.
The sauce was rich, fl avorful and pureed so there were no chunks of to-mato or onion.
I love to mix the tikka masala with rice and eat it with naan, a grilled In-dian fl atbread.
Naan is amazing because it is crunchy and buttery, which makes it a perfect companion to creamy dishes.
The dal fry is a vegetarian dish,
made up of lentils, peas, potatoes and spices.
The tandoori chicken I received had a good fl avor, but the chicken was dry.
The rice pudding dessert was a re-freshing end to the meal with the co-conut milk and vanilla fl avors cleansing the spices from our mouths.
The salad, consisting of iceberg let-tuce, baby carrots and cucumber slices, was totally ignored.
Biology major Al-Sadek’s thali came with chicken curry, dal, vegetable curry, gundruk (fermented vegetable leaves and roots), basmati rice and rice pudding.
“I really liked it, I felt like the food was really fresh and they used high quality ingredients,” Al-Sadek said of her dish.
For dessert, Al-Sadek and Tumulak ordered mango lassi and mango kulfi .
The mango kulfi was a sweet, creamy Indian frozen dairy dessert similar to ice cream and the mango lassi was a thick, yogurt-based drink.
The lassi had the consistency of a smoothie.
Both desserts are excellent choices for those who like sweet things and in-tense mango fl avor.
Since we were there for dinner, we missed out on perhaps the best part
Yak the Kathmandu Kitchen offers incredible varietyYak the Kathmandu Kitchen offers incredible variety
about this place: their buffet. Their buffet ($9.95) is only offered
during the day, since many of the op-tions are on the dinner menu too, like tikka masala, naan and dal.
The well-prepared food blows all the other Asian buffets around here out of the water.
The prices are reasonable, but even
By MAELYNN [email protected]
more so because there is a student discount. Showing a Jag ID gets 10% off of the buffet and 15% off dinner menu.
Their excellent Nepalese/Indian dishes combined with this discount will keep me and a few hungry se-niors coming back when ordinary fare around here isn’t cutting it.
MAELYNN LA | CONTRIBUTING WRITER
This thali, accompanied by naan, is a prime example of the cuisine offered at Yak the Kathmandu Kitchen.
If you like eating as much as I do, the Annual Greek Festival held
at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church on South Ann Street was the
place to be on Nov. 1 to 3.After paying my $2.00 admission, I
found the Greek Festival staple, gyros, which consist of tender slices of beef and lamb in a pita wrap with lettuce and tomatoes all topped with tzatziki
sauce.Inside the church, chicken and
lamb dinners, vegetarian plates, chil-dren’s plates and Greek salads were available for purchase.
I bought a lamb dinner for myself, a Greek salad for my mom and Bak-lava, another Greek Festival favorite, for my father.
The lamb was tender and juicy and also was accompanied by dolmathes, grape leaves stuffed with spiced beef and rice, spankopita, a spinach and feta cheese mix wrapped in philo dough, and a small Greek salad.
I sampled some of the Baklava, a dessert consisting of philo dough lay-ered with nuts and spicy syrup. This stuff is delicious.
In addition to the main meals, festi-val visitors were able to sample assort-ed cheeses (all made of lamb’s milk), olive oils, pastas and dips. I tried the caviar dips, which were particularly de-licious.
George Kolaris, a local merchant, told me that the best way to eat these cheeses is to dip them in cognac and set them on fi re.
Greek heritage showcased at annual Greek FestivalGreek heritage showcased at annual Greek FestivalThe pastry section was another ap-
pealing destination. Booths were piled high with baklava, almond cookies, koulouakia (twisted butter cookies) and traditional braided bread.
Some of the other desserts being sold were karidopita (walnut cake fl a-vored with cinnamon and drenched with a sweet syrup), diples (a hand rolled pastry dough that is fried before being soaked in honey and sprinkled with cinnamon and walnuts), ergo-lavos (a crescent shaped cookie made of almond paste, sugar and egg-white, topped with almonds) and Kok (two layers of chocolate cake fi lled with chocolate custard and topped with chocolate sprinkles).
In addition to the great food, there were a variety of beautiful arts and crafts celebrating Greek heritage for sale.
There were bracelets and key chains made from blown glass beads, paintings of fl owers and main street settings and, my favorite, hand woven purses
As I entered the ornate sanctuary of the Greek Orthodox Church, I no-
By ELLEN [email protected]
ticed a wooden box fi lled with sand that had a perfect imprint of a cross in it with a lit candle in the middle.
When asked about the candle, Ellie Constantine, a Mobile resident attend-ing the festival, said, “When someone enters the church, they will light a can-dle and put it in the sand to represent that Jesus is the light of the world.”
The Greek Festival is an event de-scribed on the Greek Festival’s website as “a yearly opportunity to eat, dance, shop, and be entertained as if you were in Greece itself!”
Liz Ezell, a senior biomedical sci-ences major, attended the Greek Festi-val for the fi rst time this year.
“I was surprised at how much was there. I watched a live band that was so entertaining they literally had children dancing around one of the musicians, enjoyed great food and checked out lots of Greek stuff like jewelry, paint-ings, iconography and clothing,” Ezell said.
For those who might have missed out on the fun this year, just remember that next year’s festival will be here be-fore we know it.
ELLEN SUMRALL | CONTRIBUTING WRITERFan favorites, like baklava (pictured), and gyros were in no short supply at this year’s Greek Festival.
8VOL. 51, NO 15 / NOV. 5, 2012
Tau Kappa Epsilon, like all Greek organizations at USA, is well known for the various philanthropic events they hold throughout the year.
On Sunday, Oct. 28 Tau Kappa Ep-silon and Goodwill Easter Seals collab-orated to put on “Trick or TKE,” an event at which brothers of Tau Kappa Epsilon and girls from various sorori-ties went trick-or-treating with mental-ly and physically disabled children from the Mobile area.
“Trick or TKE,” which has been held annually for nearly two decades now, was held in the Lexington sub-division on Cody Road from noon to around 3 p.m. Lunch was provided for all of the children and their families.
Two weeks before the day of “Trick or TKE,” brothers of Tau Kappa Ep-silon went door-to-door in Lexington to fi nd out which houses would be will-ing to participate and give out candy.
Goodwill Easter Seals took care of advertising the event to the families in the community with mentally or physi-cally disabled children.
This year’s “Trick or TKE” was the most successful yet. Around 30 houses in Lexington participated, approxi-mately ten more than last year. Roughly 40 kids went trick-or-treating, up from between 20 and 30 kids that came last year.
Ryan Stringfellow, University of South Alabama Tau Kappa Epsilon brother and senior English major, par-ticipated in the event.
“I love this event, it’s a lot fun get-ting to walk around with the kids. We enjoy it just as much as they do,” Stringfellow said.
Stringfellow also commented on the importance of events like these to change the stereotypes of fraternities.
“Automatically when you think ‘fra-ternity’ you don’t think of events like these…this changes the image we have and shows that we care about the com-munity,” Stringfellow said.
“It’s a good environment for the kids, a heartwarming experience for us that gives us a good perspective,” Stringfellow added.
TKE holds “Trick or TKE” eventBy STUART [email protected]
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9VOL. 51, NO. 15/ NOV. 5, 2012
Golden Panthers score 4 unanswered TDs, win 28-20By PATRICK [email protected]
BY CARLY BRAGG|CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
See FootballFootball, Page 10
South Alabama passed for more yards, ran for more yards, had
more fi rst downs and did better on third downs than did Florida Interna-tional. The Jaguar defense had more tackles, more sacks and more quar-terback hurries than the Golden Pan-thers. However, FIU did better where it counts, the turnover margin and, more importantly, the scoreboard.
Florida International (2-8, 1-5) es-caped Ladd-Peebles Stadium Satur-day with a 28-20 victory over South Alabama (2-7, 1-4). The Jaguars came into the game having almost stunned Louisiana-Monroe on the road last weekend, while the Panthers were hoping to end a seven-game skid.
Quarterback Ross Metheny did a good job of spreading the ball around, completing 19 passes to six different receivers for 270 yards and 1 touchdown. However, he also threw two passes to the other team. Both interceptions ended promising USA drives.
All of the blame doesn’t fall on Metheny. Running back Demetre Baker also turned the ball over twice, coughing up two fumbles in the sec-ond half.
Coach Jones wasn’t exactly
pleased with the play of his team in the fi rst half of the game.
“Obviously, we dug too big of a hole, and got behind 28-7 at the half,” Jones said. “We made a good comeback, but didn’t score in the red zone down there, and that was prob-ably the tell-tale sign of the game right there.”
The Golden Panthers got the ball to start the game. On their opening drive, at the USA 37-yard line, USA’s Will Thompson caused a sack fumble of FIU quarterback Jake Medlock and Pat Moore recovered to give the Jags the ball at their own 48-yard line.
The Jaguar offense was solid coming out of the gate. Metheny completed a few quick passes, and Baker broke a couple of solid runs to put the offense in scoring position.
T.J. Glover rushed around the left end for a 15-yard scoring rush short-ly thereafter. It was Glover’s fi rst rushing touchdown since November 2010, against Arkansas-Monticello. He would go on to lead the team in all-purpose yardage with 104 in all.
Florida International countered with a heavy dose of the running game, rushing on seven straight plays to gain 50 yards. After converting on fourth-and-inches, Medlock com-pleted his second pass of the game
for a 26-yard score to Willis Wright to tie the game at 7.
FIU running back Kedrick Rhodes torched the USA defense in the fi rst quarter, gaining 109 yards on just 12 carries.
On the Golden Panthers’ next drive, it took only four plays for them to reach pay dirt. Medlock completed another touchdown pass, this one to Jacob Younger, to increase the lead to 14-7.
After rushing for a career-long 32 yards down to the FIU 27-yard line, Metheny promptly threw an inter-ception to John Cyprien. The pick gave the Golden Panthers the ball at their 19. The Jag defense held and forced a punt.
Two drives later, Medlock com-pleted a long pass to Younger for a 35-yard gain to the USA 20-yard line. After a couple of plays gained mini-mal yards, Medlock escaped a sack and scrambled for a 19-yard touch-down to extend the lead to 21-7.
The next South Alabama drive stalled after seven plays, and Scott Garber came on to punt for the Jags.
Medlock and the offense began their drive at their own 26-yard line. The run game was a good decoy for FIU this time. The USA defense loaded the box and the secondary
got burned twice on the drive for 22- and 13- yard gains. Two penal-ties also helped move the ball into the South Alabama red zone. Once there, Rhodes broke a tackle and ran around the left side to waltz in from two yards out for the touchdown. The score put the Golden Panthers up 28-7 going into halftime.
On the fi rst play from scrimmage in the second half, Metheny hit Corey Besteda in stride for a 75-yard touch-down completion, career longs for both players. The longest pass play in school history made the score 28-14. Besteda would total 96 receiving yards to go with the score.
Besteda talked about the play af-ter the game.
“We talked about it all week in practice,” Besteda said. “We knew it was gonna [sic] work.”
After the defense forced an FIU punt from their end zone, Glover re-turned the punt to the FIU 24-yard line. The offense couldn’t do any-thing with the ball from there. Chapa-seaux came on and kicked a 39-yard fi eld goal. The kick tied Chapaseaux for the school record with seven con-secutive made fi eld goals, and pushed the score to 28-17 in favor of FIU.
The Jaguar defense forced two more Golden Panther punts. With
the ball back, the offense drove all the way to the FIU 1-yard line, but a false start by Baker pushed them back to the 5.
From there, Metheny was unable to convert. Chapaseaux was called on for another fi eld goal attempt. He made the 19-yarder to break the school mark for consecutive made fi eld goals with his eighth. The score brought the Jags to within eight, 28-20.
The consecutive fi eld goal mark would end there, as Chapaseaux would miss an attempt off the left upright two drives later.
Florida International went with a more conservative attack, running the ball for the better part of the remainder of the game. The USA defense did hold up, though, forcing four straight three-and-outs.
“Our defense did a great job of getting the ball back to us in the sec-ond half,” Jones said.
Linebacker Jake Johnson felt the defense played better in the second half.
“We didn’t change anything really, we just nutted [sic] up and just took away the big plays,” Johnson said.
They would also limit Rhodes to
Quarterback Ross Metheny (left) cocks to throw against FIU. Wide receiver Wes Saxton stiff arms an FIU defender.
Despite shutting FIU out in the second half, the Jaguars can’t pull out the win
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@USAVGSports
Week ThreeSeason Totals in parentheses
Patrick Herring
Sports Editor
(31-9)
Jayson Curry
Senior Reporter
(29-11)
JT Crabtree
Sports Editor L.O.C.
(27-13)
USA vs. North Texas
The Mean Green have played some good teams close and gotten blown out by some bad ones. I think USA pulls off the upset in the Lone Star State. South wins 31-27.
South Alabama dropped a close game against FIU last week, but they get their third win on the season against the Mean Green. USA wins 27-24.
If the Jags play like they did in the second half, they should dominate the Mean Green. I think the Jags win it on the road. USA 24-14.
Alabama vs. Texas A&M
Alabama played their closest, most emotional game of the season. They may have a small hangover in this game. Manziel keeps it close. Alabama wins 35-27.
Alabama continues to win on the way to a perfect season. They beat a hot Texas A &M team 38-15.
Alabama had their fi rst test against LSU, but were able to pull it out. While A&M blasted Miss St. I think it’s closer than expected, but Bama wins 34-28.
Auburn vs. Georgia
The Tigers come back to reality after that win over New Mexico State. The Bulldogs roll in this one. Georgia 52-17.
Georgia let Ole Miss hang around for most of their game last week but they don’t do Auburn any favors this week. UGA wins 45-20.
Auburn, even though they fi nally put up points against NMSU, are still not any good. The Bulldogs are going to rip them apart. UGA wins 45-7.
Mississippi Statevs. LSU
LSU won’t let this be a trap game. After falling to the Crimson Tide, they get redemption against the Bulldogs. LSU wins 34-24.
Mississippi State got crushed by Texas A&M and they lose their second in a row against LSU. Tigers win 31-24
I can’t believe Miss St lost like they did to Texas A&M, and LSU nearly beat Alabama. The Tigers will win this one, and Mettenberg-er will have 3 TDs. Tigers 28-13.
College Football PredictionsCollege Football Predictions Editor’s Note: During the 2012 football season, we here at The Vanguard Sports Section will be doing weekly predictions of South’s football game, popular in-state games and one or two nationally signifi cant games. We will keep a running tally of who’s “winning” the prediction game.
B.J. Scott @Bj_Scott_1:Safety
There’s nothing in my closet than can prepare me for this Mobile weather freezing in the morning hot as hell in the evening
Shaun Artz @SHaun_ARTZ73:Offensive Lineman
Drowning my sorrows from that test in a Chick fi l a milk shake
Trey Anderson @UnoDosTrey123:Guard
I think my organic chemistry teacher was speaking chinese this morning
James Elliott @JDElliott54:Offenzive Lineman
Walked right under the tower bell when it rang. Literally thought I just got shot
Rush Hendricks @_RusHen_:Tight End
The guy in class in the squeaky seat that can’t sit still.... I’m that guy.
Darius McKeller @BigDdaBasedLord:Offensive Lineman
No teachers breath should be smell-ing this rancid. Especially for an afternoon class. You had all day to atleast gargle some water 4 a few seconds
C.J. Bennett @CJbennett15:Quarterback
I’m convinced the carts at Wal Mart come with a faulty wheel.... And for some reason they always go left
Olivia Mohler @Olivia_Mohler12:Middle Blocker
Defi nitely just went upstairs and told the people above me to stop stomp-ing around. I NEED TO CATCH SOME Z’S it’s game day!!!!! Garsh!!
Continued from Page 9Football
USA Sports Briefs
Junior midfi elder Clarissa Hernandez was named Capital One fi rst team Academic All-District last Thursday. She achieved a 3.95 GPA in Chemi-cal Engineering while starting every one of the 21 matches USA played this season. Hernandez led the team in goals (6) and assists (5).
Soccer’s Hernandez earns academic honor
Women’s Tennis announces 2013 Spring scheduleThe season will begin Jan. 20, with a sevengame home stand featuring matches against Southern Miss and conference foes FIU and North Texas. After the home stretch, the team will travel for 13 of its last 17 matches. Some notable opponents they play on the road include Tulsa, Tulane and Memphis. The regular season will wrap up with the Sun Belt Championships, which will be played in Lafayette, La., this year.
Courtesy of usajaguars.com
Friday, USA doubles teams of Daniel Leitner and Blake Gregor & Alex Bernard went undefeated, beating teams from Auburn and Tulane & Furman and Jackson State, respec-tively. Both pairs would go on to fall in their respective fi nals on Saturday. In singles play Friday, Leitner was the only Jaguar to win a singles match. On Saturday, Bernard won two sin-gles matches before falling to Matt Frost of Southern Miss. He played for fi fth place Sunday, results aren’t printed because the tournament end-ed after this issue went to press.
Men’s Tennis performs well at Crimson Tide Championships
Despite 17 kills from senior Melissa Waelter, the Lady Jags fell 3-1 to conference foe Middle Tennessee State. After dropping a close fi rst set, 29-27, USA was unable to recover. MTSU won the next set (25-21) be-fore dropping the third set (25-16). The Blue Raiders closed it out in the fourth, winning 25-18. The loss dropped the Jags to 13-14 and 6-6 in conference play. The Jags played Sunday, but the game ended after this issue went to press.
Volleyball loses heartbreaker to MTSU
Wide receiver Corey Waldon comes down with the catch against FIU.
just 40 yards in the fi nal three quarters. He fi nished with 149 yards and a touchdown on 27 rushes, plus two receptions for 15 yards.
The Jaguar offense was not able to convert any of their last four drives into any points, allowing FIU to run out the clock and leave Mo-bile with their second victory of the season.
Wide receiver Wes Saxton had his best game of the season for USA, pulling in a game-high and career-high 6 passes for a career-high 92 yards.
On defense, linebacker Jake John-
son was making plays all over the fi eld. He tallied a season-best and team-high 15 tackles, 12 of them be-ing solo.
Alex Page added in six solo tack-les. B.J. Scott and Enrique Williams also chipped in six apiece.
At halftime, this year’s USA Ath-letics Hall of Fame class was recog-nized. Former Jaguar baseball stand-outs Juan Pierre and P.J. Walters, and decorated tennis stars František Babej and Cindy Summers were pre-sented with their plaques in a cer-emony before the game.
Next week the Jags travel to Dal-las to play North Texas (3-6, 2-3).
BY CARLY BRAGG|CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
VOL. 51, NO. 15 / NOV. 5, 201210
VOL. 51, NO. 15 / NOV. 5, 201211
Coaches believe student attendance makes a differenceWe at the Vanguard Sports Section asked the coaches of South Alabama athletics what student attendance at their games,
meets and matches means to them and their athletes. This is what they had to say:
BY JOHN ADAMS|USAJAGUARS.COM BY JOHN ADAMS|USAJAGUARS.COM
BY JOHN ADAMS|USAJAGUARS.COM BY JOHN ADAMS|USAJAGUARS.COM
COURTESY USAJAGUARS.COM COURTESY USAJAGUARS.COM
“Student attendance at any university shows pride and commitment towards the Univer-sity and it’s athletic department. Students are the best fans you can get at a college sporting event and most students that attend a vol-leyball match for the first time are surprised with the intensity and fun they can have at a college match. In my first year, we have been fortunate to receive a solid support base but know there are many students who still don’t realize what they are missing.”-Volleyball head coach Amy Hendrichovsky
“In the sport of soccer, the team gets tremen-dous energy from the students and all attend-ees that come to our matches. We take a lot of pride in representing the student body that we are a part of and are appreciative of their support. Home field advantage is real and the students that attend the matches have a great deal to do with that. This year alone, crowd support has energized us and frustrated the opponent. There is a difference when we have support and when we don’t.”-Soccer head coach Mike Varga
“At our stadium the students sit across from us and we get to look at them and when we see those guys getting rowdy and giving the other team a hard time it really motivates us. When we have our students and our crowd behind us, it makes a big, big difference in our game.”-Football head coach Joey Jones
The football team’s next home game is Satur-day, Nov. 17, at 2:30 p.m. when they take on Middle Tennessee State at Ladd-Peebles Sta-dium.
“We hope that when the students come, we give them an environment where they want to come back. This is their team and it’s something we want them to be proud of. There’s nothing like having students at the game. There’s nothing like it. They come, they yell and they want to have fun. As far as I’m concerned, it’s part of the college experience.”-Basketball head coach Ronnie Arrow
The fi rst home game of the 2012-2013 men’s basketball season is Wednesday, Nov. 14, at the Mitchell Center against William Carrey at 7 p.m.
“Student backing is a huge deal. It creates a great atmosphere and excitement. We need more students at our baseball games.”-Baseball head coach Mark Calvi
The fi rst home game of the baseball season is Friday, Feb. 13, 2013, against Stephen F. Austin at 6:30 p.m. at Stanky Field.
“Student attendance is very important to the women’s basketball team. Division-1 college ath-letes want their community’s support at all home contests. There is no question that vocal support by the local crowd of students and members of the community creates an advantage for the home team. The members of the women’s basketball team and I yearn for the support of the student body at all home games from start to fi nish.”-Women’s head basketball coach Rick Pietri
The fi rst home game of the 2012-2013 women’s basketball season is Monday, Nov. 12, at the Mitchell Center against Tenn. St. at 7 p.m.
“Students are a great support during our match-es. The players love to have the support of the student body. The home crowd can really make a difference during our dual matches.”-Men’s Tennis head coach Nick Brochu
The Spring 2013 Men’s Tennis schedule hasn’t been announced yet, but stay tuned to usajaguars.com to fi nd out when the fi rst home matches of the season are.
COURTESY USAJAGUARS.COM
BY JOHN ADAMS|USAJAGUARS.COM
“The student -athletes really like it when teach-ers and fellow students come out and watch them compete. Spectators really seem to inspire our athletes on to greater performance.”-Men’s and Women’s Track and Field head coach Paul Brueske
The fi rst home meet for Track and Field is Wednesday, Mar. 3, 2013, against Troy and Spring Hill.
VOL. 51, NO. 15 / NOV. 5, 2012 12
NOAH LOGAN OPINION [email protected]
OpinionOpinion
JagPulseIn three sentences, who are you voting for and why?
Matthew Rex Strickland: I will defi nitely be voting for Barack Obama on Tuesday. If Mitt Romney cuts pell grant funding like he promised to do, I will no longer be able to afford college. My entire life plan will be ruined because he tried to balance the budget on my back.
Alexia Elizabeth Fitzgerald I’m voting for Romney because his political standing aligns with my personal beliefs. All I’ve seen from
Obama is a whole lot of talk, very little action, a whole lot of empty promises and a very big blame game. I want a President that is going to make a difference, not one who is just a bunch of talk.
Dennis Mersereau: Obama, because he’s achieved an incredible amount over the last 4 years, and he needs 4 more years to keep up the good work. The thought that he could have fi xed everything in one term is silly -- even Romney admits
it would take 8-10 years for some of his own budget/jobs policies to work.
Leo McDermott: I am voting for Gary Johnson. Gary is about ENDING REAL issues- NDAA, CISPA, HR 347, The Patriot Act, Socialized Medicine, Etc. and bringing us back to what our Founding Fathers envisioned. Mitt Romney and Barack Obama only want to continue more of the same.
Vanguard ViewpointVanguard Viewpoint
THEVANGUARDONLINE.COM
2012 Presidential elections sets nice 2012 Presidential elections sets nice tone for the end of the worldtone for the end of the world
N e x t Tu e s d a y m a r k s the end of 2012 presiden-tial elec-tion. Start-ing next Wedne s -day, the world has
45 days left in existence according to the Mayan calendar. Not to mince words, but thanks to the 2012 presi-dential race, the end of the world now seems like the light at the end of the tunnel.
With the start of my third full month in college on the way, I’m fi nd-ing the option of changing my major from political science to something else more and more enticing. The main reason I haven’t yet is because I don’t consider the walk up to the sec-ond fl oor of Humanities worth it with this election symbolizing the end of existence. The idea of taking Ameri-can politics and interpreting it as apoc-alyptic warnings is a tad bit outlandish, but I have to admit that it does make for a pretty good movie script. When you really think about it, the election has featured some of the more promi-nent warning signs of a stereotypical apocalyptic scenario.
Race is involved. I truly don’t believe the majority of America is taking race into consideration when deciding on a candidate. However, saying that race is not a subtheme of the past eight years of American politics is oversimplifying. Ev-ery news outlet and individual who ever mentioned the fact that Obama is the fi rst black candidate confi rms that race is enough of an issue to at least point it out. Lining up with certain apocalyptic prophecies, the 2012 election comes to a close just as a natural disaster wreaks havoc. Our obsession with technology and the growing possibilities we now have for our society because of technol-ogy sets the same eerie tone as The Ma-trix. The presidential election fi ts the cri-teria of doomsday blockbusters such as “The Day After Tomorrow,” “The Ma-trix” and “2012.” Frankly, I’m spooked. If the Mayans are right, this election is surely ensuring that Americans are expe-riencing the most drawn out and painful apocalypse possible.
The 2012 presidential election has in-volved nearly every trait of dirty politics since biblical times. Lies, propaganda and
more lies have been in ample supply as we saw one of the fi rst signs of hope for American politics, Barack Obama, turn to cheap political tactics in order to claim a victory in this election. Whether or not it was worth it is anybody’s say so. Both candidates have increased the num-ber of ads ran each day and the swing states have found themselves in a “swing state hell,” as elegantly put by Jon Stew-art. The state receiving the most atten-tion remains Ohio, with 333 presidential ads a day, and I’m almost positive that citizens of Akron and Cleveland would prefer to be citizens of New Jersey right about now.
The thought of being without power until the election is over is actually a pleasant one. Nothing would be more enjoyable than to live in a world where I wasn’t informed about how unconstitu-tional Obamacare is every time I turn on my T.V. However, I’m sure after a short period of time, the campaigns will devel-op methods of inserting all these ads into our dreams and the government caused apocalypse will then run its course and it will all be over. We can only hope.
By NOAH [email protected]
Noah Logan Opinion Editor
TheTheEditorialEditorialBoardBoard
Editor in Chief Opinion Editor Life Editor Sports Editor LOC Editor
Cassie Fambro >Noah Logan >Jake Howell >
Patrick Herring >JT Crabtree >
ILLUSTRATION BY TEA LEAF NATION
Vote.Respect each other.
Stop attacking people for their beliefs.
Red, blue or green, we’re all Americans.
Speak with your vote, USA.
VOL. 51, NO. 15 / NOV. 5, 201213
2012 POLLS
►
As a Republican on a college campus in 2008, I argued and campaigned for a Democratic defeat. It was an incredibly defl ating experience. Those of us in the Texas A&M chapter of the College Re-publicans knew the race was over some-time around the start of the debates. The poll numbers for the two candidates lead-ing up to the election bore this sentiment out, as did the results on Election Day. In 2012, Republicans have much more to be cheerful about than McCain did four years ago. It has been assumed for weeks now that the election will be determined by the electoral votes from Ohio, much like the 2000 race came down to Florida. The President HAS to have the Buckeye State to win; Romney would need several other “battleground” states to swing his way to offset an Ohio loss, a very un-likely scenario. Keeping all this in mind, here are my two predictions for the 2012 Presidential race:
First, Mitt Romney will win Ohio, and the Presidency. There are several sta-tistical reasons to believe this, but I’ll limit myself to just a few. President Obama, according to an Associated Press story late last week, will come into the election with the highest unemployment numbers
Election & Referendum Coverage 2012Election & Referendum Coverage 2012Battlefield OhioBattlefield Ohio
for any incumbent since Franklin Roos-evelt. Voters have made it clear that this election is going to be about the econo-my, and Romney has done an admirable job of almost single-mindedly hammer-ing the President’s performance in that sector. Also, based on polls on “voter enthusiasm,” as well as the results of early voting, Obama isn’t going to enjoy anything like the turnout he had in 2008. The statistic that has really stood out is the independent voter numbers. It is sim-ply not possible to win Ohio without at least making it very close with the state’s sizeable number of independent voters. According to CBS, Romney currently en-joys a 5% lead amongst the independent voters, a number that has been steadily increasing for weeks now.
Secondly, I predict that the election will resemble 2000 in a much less desir-able way: we won’t know the fi nal result for at least a couple days after Election Day. If we can avoid widespread Florida-style recounts, it would be considered a win for the sanity of the country as a whole. Whether these predictions are right or wrong, the world will be watch-ing Ohio as a battered electorate drags itself to the fi nish line of yet another grinding, contentious election season.
Alabama voters face important referendum votesAlabama voters face important referendum votes
The Alabama elections are coming up on Nov. 6 and
much of the attention has been dedi-cated to the candidates of the election and not on the amendments. How-ever, the amendments are just as im-portant, if not more in some cases, as the elections. From state parks to the amount of pay legislators receive dur-ing their term, the amendments vary greatly. Alabama voters should focus on the state amendments that are also up for vote as much as they are for the upcoming presidential vote.
Amendment one deals with For-ever Wild and state parks. It extends payments made to the Forever Wild Land Trust for a 20-year period. The Forever Wild Land Trust project was founded in 1992 and has since ac-
quired 205,408 acres in 22 different counties throughout Alabama with-out raising taxes (Forever Wild Land Trust). The idea behind the Forever Wild Land Trust project is to con-serve natural resources while support-ing outdoor recreation. This amend-ment would give approximately 300 million dollars to the Forever Wild Land Trust.
Amendment two aims to allow issuance of general obligation bonds of no more than $750 million. These bonds would give Alabama the abil-ity to pay for job incentives for new industries. It would also allow the re-fi nancing of existing bonds at a new lower rate. However, it does increase the interference from the government into the market place.
Amendment six would prohibit mandatory participation in any health
care system. In essence this amend-ment would directly contradict the federal health care bill. Thus, this amendment would completely give the middle fi nger to the federal health care bill and allow citizens of Ala-bama to opt out of the requirement to own health insurance.
Amendment seven would allow for the use of secret ballots in union votes. There is not much else to this. This amendment would just allow for unions the use of secret ballots.
Amendment eight provides the compensation paid to legislators to not increase during term of offi ce. This also repeals last year’s pay raise. This amendment would limit state legislators to being paid Alabama’s annual median household income. Basically it creates an amendment that would make state representatives and state senators receive the same
income as the median household in-come in Alabama.
Amendment ten relates to the authority of state legislature and banking in the state. This amendment changes the Constitution dramatically. This amendment eliminates the ability of Alabama to create and establish a state bank. Not only does it block the state of Alabama from establishing a state bank, it also eliminates gold and silver as the standard of money in the state of Alabama. This amendment could increase infl ation in Alabama or it could not. It all depends on wheth-er or not the backing of the paper currency in the United States is again going to be backed by gold and silver.
Election Day is rapidly approaching. This year happens to be a Presiden-tial election year. Americans will fl ock to the polls in order to cast their vote for the next leader of the Free World. There are, however, many other offi ces up for election that also deserve atten-tion. Of the local offi ces, maybe none is as important as the treasurer.
The treasurer adds a level of ac-countability and oversight to the bud-get. Some may argue it is a duplication of services provided by the fi nance of-fi ce; however, the fi nance offi ce is not accountable to the people. It is also argued we are one of three counties to still maintain the offi ce of treasurer, but what many don’t realize is that the other counties have rolled the treasurer’s du-ties into the revenue commissioner’s of-fi ce. In this situation, no elected offi cial has oversight over the budget.
There are two offi ce seekers for Mobile County Treasurer; the Repub-
lican candidate, Phil Benson, and the Democratic candidate, Christian Smith. Christian is the clear choice in the up-coming election. Firstly, she is highly qualifi ed. Christian holds a Master’s de-gree in Public Administration. The Of-fi ce of the treasurer is, after all, a public sector entity.
Secondly, she has a clear plan for transparency. She wants to take the bud-get and break it down so a person with-out a background in budgeting can easily understand it.
Thirdly, she wants to promote wiser investments. With the economy currently how it is, we cannot afford to rely on a department that is not accountable to the people to make sure the investments are representing all the citizens of Mobile County. It is her goal to task this duty back to the treasurer’s offi ce to benefi t all the citizens of Mobile County.
She wants to modernize the offi ce. To allow the citizens the transparency of the budget on the expenditure and in-vestments site she would like to modern-
Office of Treasurer still importantOffice of Treasurer still important
By RYAN [email protected]
By MICAH [email protected]
By COLIN [email protected]
ize the offi ce by providing a website di-rectly dedicated to the budget. Currently it is one of the few offi ces that does not have its own website, which means if you would like to know any of the fi nancial information about the county you need to go downtown and go through boxes and boxes of papers.
Finally, she wants to use the Offi ce of the Treasurer as a means to engage the citizenry. By allowing citizens the ability to review the budget online, they are able to understand what is going on with their money and are able to ask questions. Too often do citizens feel disconnected with their community or fail to see the point in voting since they feel their voice doesn’t matter. By having this information readily available, citizens can voice their opinions and hold their elected offi cial account-able. Mobile needs to move forward, and we cannot move forward if we do not know what is going on in our backyard. A vote for Christian Smith is a vote for moving Mobile forward.
ARCHITECT OF THE CAPITOL
STAFF ILLUSTRATION
STAFF ILLUSTRATION
JT CRABTREE, LOC [email protected] OF CENTERLEFT OF CENTER
14VOL. 51, NO. 15 / NOV. 5, 2012
The South Alabama Lady Jags soccer team lost to the
Middle Tennessee State Blue Raid-ers 2-1 in the first round of the Sun Belt Conference tournament last Wednesday at The Cage.
The number two seeded Blue Raiders jumped out to an early lead against the number seven seeded Lady Jags with a goal by midfielder Amalie Anderdal at the 14:20 mark. The game remained 1-0 until forward Whitney Jorgenson scored from the left side just outside the box to make it 2-0 for the Blue Raiders in the 64 minute. Both Blue Raider goals were unassisted.
The Lady Jags did not give up however. In the 78 minute, mid-
fielder Clarissa Hernandez found forward Linsey Snavely open up the middle for a one-touch shot that found the back of the net. The goal was Snavely’s fourth of the season. Hernandez picked up her fifth as-sist, and added to her team lead of 17 points.
Lady Jags goalkeeper Lauren Ar-nold had one save against 22 shots on goal, while giving up two goals. Jessica Gilchrist did not record any saves while allowing one goal on eight total shots.
“It’s always disappointing to fin-ish a season like this and going down two goals made it tough for us,” said head coach Mike Varga. “The first goal was a great shot by them; you take your hat off for the finish. Sec-ond goal, we turned the ball and we
By JT [email protected]
Women’s soccer loses 2-1Women’s soccer loses 2-1Lady Jags fall to No. 2 seeded MTSU in SBC Tournament
JT CRABTREE / LOC SPORTS EDITORMembers of the Lady Jags soccer team get ready to defend a free kick from MTSU
Life as a Life as a Diamond Diamond
GirlGirl
What is a diamond girl? The USA Diamond Girls
are a volunteer group of students dedicated to assisting the South Alabama baseball program.
“Our purpose is to support the program through game promotion, working the games and participation in community projects with the team,” said Bree Drinkard, current president of the Diamond Girls. Drinkard also says that Diamond Girls have been a part of baseball at South Alabama for longer than most people know, with some photographic evidence of early Diamond Girls dating back to the 1970’s at USA.
On game days, Diamond Girls have responsibilities that are important for keeping the games running smoothly. Their tasks include retrieving bats, balls and foul balls that go in stands, communicating with the umpires and making sure they have fresh game balls when needed and keeping them hydrated.
If you catch a foul ball the Diamond Girls even have trade giveaways.
But a Diamond Girl’s duties are not limited to the baseball field. One of the most important jobs for a Diamond Girl is promoting the team. The girls actively publicize home games via Twitter, Facebook, announcing them in their classes, passing out schedules, making sheet signs and more.
Diamond Girls take representing Jaguar Baseball and
By ALYSSA [email protected]
South Alabama to a whole new level. Every year they host the players’ parents and get to know them as individuals. The Diamond Girls are involved within the community as well, volunteering as a group with different organizations. Annually they volunteer with the Salvation Army Angel Tree program by adopting a child and volunteering at the Angel Tree warehouse.
The South Alabama Diamond Girls are a unique tradition of South Alabama baseball and proud to be ambassadors of the South Alabama baseball program.You can follow them on Facebook by “liking” the South Alabama Diamond Girls page or the new baseball Facebook page, USA Jaguar Baseball.
gave them a chance. But we fought back. We fought all the way to the end and I’m proud of the girls for doing that.”
The Lady Jags, who hosted the Sun Belt Conference tournament, finish their season with an 8-10-3 record, with a 3-6-2 record in con-ference play.
“Hopefully this will motivate and we will work hard for next year,” said Varga. “I think we have a lot of potential. We have to get more fit and clean up some things but we have the ability to win the ability to win the conference next year.”
The season ended on a disap-pointing note, with coach Varga say-ing, “It’s tough to swallow when you end your season.”
Jags pitcher Brandon Boyle JT Crabtree / LOC Sports Editor
Jags ranked higher than AuburnJags ranked higher than AuburnIn last week’s version of the
USA Today’s FBS rankings, many South Alabama Jaguar fans found themselves pleasantly surprised to fi nd that the Jags were ranked higher than the Auburn Tigers.
The Jaguars were ranked 110, one
spot ahead of the Auburn Tigers, who were ranked 111. The Jags also had a better record than the SEC team at the time of the rankings. South Alabama was 2-6 at the time, while Auburn was 1-7. The Tigers lone win came against Sun Belt
Conference opponent UL-Monroe in double overtime.
UL-Monroe was the highest ranking Sun Belt Conference team, falling in at 43. Western Kentucky, the second place team in the conference, ranked 52.
15VOL. 51, NO 15 / NOV. 5, 2012
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