UP15_20

FAU’S FINEST NEWS SOURCE

UNIVERSITYPRESSMARCH 11, 2014 | VOL. 15 # 20

READ US - UPRESSONLINE.COM LIKE US - FACEBOOK.COM/UNIVERSITYPRESS FOLLOW US - @UPRESSONLINEFIRST ISSUE IS FREE; EACH ADDITIONAL COPY IS 50 CENTS AND AVAILABLE IN THE UP NEWSROOM.

There will be a new man at the helm of FAU Basketball next season, and the resignation of Mike Jarvis is welcome news to many of his former players

p. 16

GameOVER

Reasonable accommodations should be requested of the event sponsor, International Student and Scholar Services, at [email protected] or 561-297-2559 at least five (5) business days prior to the event or service.

Cosponsored by Multicultural Programming, Office of International Student and Scholar Services, Student Government and The International Friend’s Program.

Festival_of_Nations2014-UP.indd 1 3/3/2014 12:37:37 PM

3

8

777 Glades RoadStudent Union, Room 214

Boca Raton, FL 33431561.297.2960

WANT TO JOIN THE UP?Email [email protected]

Staff meetings every Friday, 2 p.m. in the Student Union, Room 214

WANT TO PLACE AN AD?Contact Marc Litt

[email protected]

PUBLISHERFAU Student Government

The opinions expressed by the UP are not necessarily those of the student body,

Student Government or FAU.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF - Lulu Ramadan

MANAGING EDITOR - Michelle Friswell

ASSOCIATE EDITOR - Chris Hamann

CREATIVE DIRECTOR - Brendon Lies

ASSISTANT CREATIVE DIRECTOR - Laura May

Jockers

BUSINESS MANAGER - Ryan Murphy

COPY DESK CHIEF - Carissa Giard

ASSISTANT COPY DESK CHIEF - Cristina Solorzano

FEATURES EDITOR - Jamie Vaughn

REVIEWS EDITOR - Maddy Mesa

SPORTS EDITOR - Wesley Wright

SCIENCE EDITOR - Andrew Fraieli

PHOTO EDITORS - Max Jackson, Kiki Baxter

MULTIMEDIA EDITOR - Miranda Schumes

SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR - Cealia Brannan

SENIOR EDITORS - Emily Bloch, Austen Erblat

DESIGNERS - Jonathan Giger

COPY EDITOR - Lynette Perez

CONTRIBUTORS - Sabrina Martinez, Melissa

Landolfa

DISTRIBUTION MANAGER - Jake Stuart

ADVISERS

Dan Sweeney

Michael Koretzky

COVER - Head basketball coach Mike Jarvis.

Cover illustration by Brendon Lies.

MaRch 11, 2014TUESDAYupressonline.com

Photo courtesy of sxc.hu

tf

@upressonline

universitypress

FAU promised one donor a $200,000 scholarship fund with his money. Find out what the university is doing with his money now that he’s gone.By Dylan Bouscher

Head basketball coach Mike Jarvis resigned after six years at FAU and if you ask his former players,

it’s about time. By Wesley Wright

Get a glimpse of the content exclusively on the University Press website.

16

28

Reasonable accommodations should be requested of the event sponsor, International Student and Scholar Services, at [email protected] or 561-297-2559 at least five (5) business days prior to the event or service.

Cosponsored by Multicultural Programming, Office of International Student and Scholar Services, Student Government and The International Friend’s Program.

Festival_of_Nations2014-UP.indd 1 3/3/2014 12:37:37 PM

Photo by Melissa Landolfa

Upressonline.com 3March 11, 2014

Download the #1Taxi Booking App

FAU STUDENT SPECIAL

MAINTENANCE SERVICEAir & Cabin Filters, Alignment, Belt & Hoses, Coolant Flush, Tire Rotation & Balance, and Shocks & Struts.

REPAIR SERVICESAir Conditioning, Clutches, CV Boots & Axle, Diagnostics, Engine Repair, Tune Ups, Timing Belts, Radiators & Water Pumps, Steering & Suspension, Starters, Alternators, Batteries and Transmission.

BRAKE SERVICESComplete auto brakes inspection, Replacing pads or shoes, and more

REGULAR OIL CHANGE

$19.99House BrandWith Coupon Only. Not Valid With Any Other Offer. Expires 04/15/2014

Download the #1Taxi Booking App

Eric Alexander, a 94-year-old Austrian immigrant who taught himself engineering after leaving Princeton

before graduating, died expecting his $200,000 donation for FAU students in St. Lucie County to be matched.

At the time, the university was expanding its Treasure Coast campus and promising the state would match Alexander’s donation by 50 percent. Seven years later, Alexander is dead, and the state Legislature approved, but never funded, a 50 percent match for Alexander’s scholarship. Instead they cut FAU’s funding by $79 million, but not before the university was forced to close its Port St. Lucie campus.

It doesn’t end there. Those legislators also promised you, the students and donors at Florida’s other 11 universities, up to $286 million in similar matching gifts for donations. The only problem? The state’s too broke to pony up the dough — it suspended funding for the program in 2011. Another FAU donor, who was put in charge of Alexander’s scholarship in the original contract, is alleging it’s a “great con,” if the program is never funded.

Where does that leave you, me, and the

university? We’re seeing less of our own tax dollars being used to fund public schools across the state, while paying more tuition than ever before to make up for historic funding cuts. According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, the 2012-2013 academic year was the first time four-year public American universities were funded more from tuition and fees (21.1 percent) than state funding (20.9 percent).

All because 160 people in the state House and Senate, who you may or may not care enough to vote for, decide that Florida’s $70 billion annual state budget is better spent on anything but education. Of course, Florida’s politicians love to justify the tuition hikes and budget cuts by touting that the average tuition rate at Florida’s 12 public universities is lower than the rest of the country’s, but that won’t stay true if we keep reelecting the guys and gals using those numbers to deceive us.

So when students like you and I are strapped for cash, while being productive members of society by excelling in academia — just kidding, I’m barely managing a 2.5 GPA after losing Bright Futures — our reward is millions in broken promises as matched scholarship dollars? Our reward is raised standards for state funded scholarships because too many students are meeting and exceeding the current standards for programs like Bright Futures?

That’s not right. The world may not owe us any more fairness or opportunity than any previous generation, but if having a degree is the only way to land a decent job in an economy ruined by previous generations, then we deserve as much access to scholarships, grants and other funds to support our schooling as we can collect. Under the status quo, with the budgets the incumbent state Legislature passed year after year, we’re not receiving that access.

Between the $79 million FAU lost in state funding over the last six years and unfunded gift matches, we’re being skimped.

Incumbent Fla. Gov. Rick Scott and your representatives in the State Legislature, who are seeking reelection this year, didn’t fund the major gift matching program or the Alec P. Courtelis Facility Enhancement Challenge Grant from 2007 to 2013. Instead they slashed $79 million from FAU’s state funding before restoring it below 2007 funding levels.

Former Gov. Charlie Crist, running against Scott this year, froze funding for the two major gift matching programs in the 2007-2008 fiscal year.

GubErnatorial CandidatEs

State Senate District 34 is held by Democratic incumbent State Senator Maria Sachs, who was elected in 2010 and will face reelection this November.• “It’s important that students stay

engaged with the workings of their State government as they finish their academic pursuits here in the district,”Sachs said while speaking to students at the Boca Raton campus of Palm Beach State College on Feb. 1.

• District Office: 301 Yamato Road, Suite 1240, Boca Raton, Fl, 33431-4931

• Phone: (561) 470-6607

statE sEnatE

The State House District 89 seat is held by Republican incumbent Bill Hager, who also faces reelection this year.• District Office: City Hall, 100 NW

1st Avenue, Delray Beach, FL, 33445

• Phone: (561) 279-1427

statE HousE of rEprEsEntativEs

but tHErE’s somEtHinG you Can do on nov. 4

Before your visit to the voting booth later this year, call up your state congressmen and ask them if they’ll unfreeze Florida’s gift matching program once elected or not. Then ask why.

vanisHinG millionsNot only has the Florida Legislature given less money to the state’s 12 public universities over time, it’s also frozen funds it promised donors in scholarship gift-matching programs.

By Dylan Bouscher

News | Opinion

Upressonline.com6 March 11, 2014

$

Treasure CoasTMarks The spoT

aA brief history of the Florida State Legislature’s gift matching programs, its $ 75,652 broken

promise to late St. Lucie donor Eric Alexander, its $286 million broken promise to all other State University System donors,

why our elected officials aren’t funding the program, and why one donor is calling it “a great con”.

MarCh 28, 2008:The Florida Board of Governors approves FAU’s application to match two-thirds of Alexander’s donations for $75,652, totaling a 50 percent match of the donated $151,309 from Eric’s original $200,000 commitment

May 24, 2008:Eric Alexander dies at 94, leaving his car and home to a close friend and neighbor, 68-year-old St. Lucie County resident Patricia

Stumbaugh

Nov. 13, 2008:FAU opens a $10 million, “state of the art” building to double its classroom space for a growing 3,100 Treasure

Coast campus enrollment

DeC. 4, 2009:St. Lucie County resident and Geomatics Engineering senior Thomas Walker is awarded one of the first three $500 scholarships

from Alexander’s fund

“Students should take some classes, an internship or a part-time job and shouldn’t hesitate to explore their options,” Walker said after receiving it. “If they are interested in working outdoors and solving problems using math, digital equipment and computers, then I would definitely tell them to give geomatics engineering a shot.” Because of Eric Alexander’s gift, and no thanks to the state Legislature, Walker was able to do something Alexander

didn’t: graduate.

MarCh 22, 2007:After not funding the major gift matching program for four years, one State University System official advocates doing so as a remedy to the state’s economic hardship. “We try to find all ways to jump-start our economy. Here’s an easy way,” Ava Parker, chairwoman of the Board of Governors, said during a meeting. “We are one of the economic engines … and I think that engine is being slowed down because we’re

not investing the matching dollars.”

april 13, 2012:FAU Foundation Executive Director of Gift Planning David A. Rutherford sends Stumbaugh an update on the Eric Alexander Engineering and Computer Science Endowed Scholarship. His

update states:

“The value of the fund has grown to $204,121 as of June 30, 2011 thanks to some improvement in the U.S. economy and the prudent investment policies and management of our endowments by our

FAU Foundation Board.”

By Dylan Bouscher


$ X1979:

Florida’s State Legislature creates the Florida Endowment Trust

Fund for Eminent Scholars

1985:Florida’s State Legislature creates the Trust Fund for

Major Gifts

1988:Florida’s State Legislature creates the State University System Facilities Enhancement Challenge Grant Program

July 1, 1994:Florida’s State Legislature amends its three gift matching programs, combining the first two funds for students and donors, while revamping the facilities matching program as the Alec P. Courtelis Facilities Enhancement Challenge Grant

Program

July 30, 2007:Florida Gov. Charlie Crist signs an annual state budget passed by both houses of the Florida State Legislature, freezing funding for Florida’s Major Gift Matching program and its Alec P. Courtelis Facility Enhancement Challenge

Grant

oCT. 15, 2007:Eric Alexander signs and completes a Gift Agreement to give $200,000 to the FAU Foundation, forming the Eric Alexander Engineering and Computer Science Scholarship Fund specifically for St. Lucie

County students

“I do not have great personal resources, but I want to leave something that will benefit deserving students from the area who want to attend FAU,” said Alexander, Austrian immigrant and resident of Port St. Lucie. He studied engineering at Princeton, but never graduated. “I’ve always enjoyed learning and valued the importance of a college degree. Hopefully

my gift will inspire others.”

april 17, 2012:Gov. Rick Scott signs a $300 million cut to the Florida State University System, approved by the Florida State Legislature. FAU absorbs a $24.7 million budget cut and raises tuition by the maximum 15 percent allowed for the fourth year in a row,

totaling a 60 percent increase

May 31, 2012:Jennifer Dubuque, assistant vice president for development in FAU’s Division of Community Engagement emails Stumbaugh, updating her about two information engineering and Geomatics seniors with 3.36 and 3.82 GPAs respectively, taking classes in the Treasure Coast who received

the scholarship

Scholarship support helps students focus on their coursework and complete their programs without additional debt,” Dubuque wrote to Stumbaugh. “FAU is very grateful to Eric Alexander for his commitment to helping our students achieve their goals.”Dubuque’s note did not include the

names of the students receiving the scholarship, unlike the 2009 press release announcing Thomas Walker’s award.

JuNe 12, 2012:June 12, 2012: The last known scholarship awaiting approval from the Florida Board of Governors in the Major Gift Matching program, the BOG’s own Johnson Scholarship Foundation endowment, a $275,000 fund requesting a

$275,000 match, is approved

CoNTiNueD oN page 14Upressonline.com 9March 11, 2014

Enhance your education with an enriched program of seminars and other activities which will partner the science and humanity courses being offered at the FAU’s MacArthur campus.

Jupiterexperience2014

Registration opens March 17, 2014.

Contact Dr. Monica Maldonado

561.799.8647 www.honorscollege.edu

Call to Enroll:

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT DAN GWYNN954.835.7230 or [email protected]


FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT DAN GWYNN954.835.7230 or [email protected]

$x

JuNe 31, 2012:FAU closes the Treasure Coast campus, relocating some faculty and staff to Jupiter and Boca, who were serving 247 students or less than 1 percent of FAU’s enrollment at the time. The Eric Alexander scholarship fund’s market value has depreciated

from its 2011 peak value to $200,290

JuNe 5, 2013:FAU Foundation Executive Director of Gift Planning David A. Rutherford sends Stumbaugh an update on the Eric Alexander Engineering and Computer Science Endowed Scholarship. He asks Stumbaugh to send all questions to him in writing and includes no information about what’s being done with the scholarship, now that the Port St. Lucie campus is closed, revealing only that the fund has

depreciated from $204,121

JaN. 16, 2014:FAU Presidential hopeful John Kelly considers a fundraising

campaign if selected

“There are donors, who are very interested in helping people move forward, and that, as I mentioned earlier, ought to be a big part

of a campaign.”

JaN. 31, 2014:FAU’s alumni donation rate is between 1 and 2 percent, according to FAU Foundation Chair Bruce Allen. He claims that’s because FAU’s not a

traditional campus.

JaN. 27, 2012:Florida Education Association President Andy Ford speaks out against Gov. Rick Scott’s re election year budget proposal as “lacking in education funding.” Ford observes that Scott’s $542 million education funding request, which sets Florida’s state education funding at a record $18.8 billion, is still below 2007-08 levels and doesn’t cover

the cost of updating technology.

Meanwhile, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has proposed a budget that calls for $22 billion in education funding, and covers technological updates. Both state governments serve roughly 19 million taxpayers, but only Florida has a gift matching program. New York and California, the only two states educating larger populations

than Florida, opted for corporate sponsored gift matching programs rather than a state funded one.

[Sources: The Florida Board of Governors, the Tampa Bay Times, the Florida Education Association, FAU’s True Blue News, FAU Foundation documents, UF Foundation documents, Council for Education Policy Research and Improvement]

JaN. 31, 2014:FAU Foundation Chair Bruce Allen welcomes more funding for the gift matching program after Patricia Stumbaugh attends an FAU Executive Committee meeting demanding answers about the Eric

Alexander scholarship fund

CoNTiNueD FroM page 9


$

S

*FOR NEW, ESTABLISHED, RETURNING, & NONTRADITIONAL STUDENTS* SERVICES PROVIDED BY SPECIALISTS WITH PHDS

Help Maneuvering College Life Guidance with On-campus

Involvement and FREE Student Services

How to Communicate with Professors/Instructors

Discount Textbook Purchasing Resources

INTERNSHIP Assistance Resources

Time Management & Organizing Skills Development (Family/School/Work/Leisure)

Self-esteem & Confidence Building Exercises

REFERRALS FOR: FREE Tutoring Services (ALL SUBJECTS) FREE Writing Improvement/Development Services FREE Document/Reports/Paper Review Services Financial Assistance Resources (GRANTS/SCHOLARSHIPS)

CONTACT #305.934.9277 [email protected]

*FIRST CONSULTATION FREE* SE HABLA ESPAÑOL*

COACH L

TUDENT

IFE

*GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR STUDENT LIFE (& STUDENT FEES)*

Student Life Coach Associates

An Evening With

tickets are on sale now!PURCHASE AT T ICKETMASTER.COM OR CHARGE BY PHONE (800)745-3000

FRIDAY, MARCH 28SUNSET COVE AMPHITHEATER

UnaccomplishedMission

MIKE JARVIS WAS BROUGHT TO FAU IN 2008 TO BUILD

THE BASKETBALL PROGRAM. NOW HE’S RESIGNED AFTER

SIX YEARS, AND THE MEN WHO PLAYED UNDER JARVIS COULDN’T BE HAPPIER TO

SEE HIM LEAVE.

By Wesley WrightSports Editor

CONTINUED ON PAGE 18



Unaccomplished




IF IT WERE UP TO HIS PLAYERS, HEAD BASKETBALL COACH MIKE JARVIS WOULD HAVE BEEN RELIEVED OF HIS DUTIES YEARS AGO.

Jarvis was brought to Boca Raton in 2008 by then-Athletic Director Craig Angelos to build the FAU basketball program. When he retired years from now, Jarvis planned to hand over the reigns to his son, Mike “Deuce” Jarvis II, who was FAU’s associate head coach – and still is as of today.

“My dream was that we would be able to build this thing so that he [Jarvis II] would take over, and he would be the head coach,” Jarvis said after a loss to FIU on March 6 after Jarvis announced his plan to resign mid-contract. “What I’m thinking is where is my son going to be next year? It’s not going to be here [FAU].”

Jarvis resigned after winning just 40 percent of his games and suffering three straight losing seasons. He managed just one winning season in his six year tenure.

According to former players, Jarvis’ coaching style and the way he treated his players led directly to the transfer of eight young men in the last two years, and several men in the seasons before that.

Those departures relegated FAU basketball to where it stands now — a below average team that doesn’t look like it will be winning games any time soon.

With Jarvis’ departure, the UP spoke to several former players that left under Jarvis’ reign and found out what the coach was really like.

FOUL PLAYTHE BAD BLOOD BETWEEN COACH AND PLAYERS STARTS FRIGHTFULLY EARLY. Nick Gagel, a guard who was part of Jarvis’ very first recruiting class at FAU, left after his freshman year. Gagel offered this on his former coach in an email to the UP: “I left because of Jarvis, would like to leave it at that.” Gagel transferred to Tusculum College in Tennessee.

Gagel is far from the only player who shares that sentiment. There are many former Owls who hold strong resentment toward

Jarvis, borne from severe dissatisfaction after voluntarily entrusting four years of their life with him.

According to another former player, Ray Taylor, the team created petitions to remove Jarvis from his head coaching position on two separate occasions during the 2010-2011 season. Every player signed the petitions, but then a few players withdrew. According to Taylor, players feared retaliation from Jarvis if their pleas to remove the coach were ignored.

“Kids were like, ‘Ray you have somewhere to go, Omari [Grier] you have somewhere to go, but we don’t,’” Taylor said. “They really thought no other programs wanted them.”

DeMonte Simpson, a former FAU forward who transferred after the 2009-2010 season, confirmed that the petitions did in fact exist. He added that during his time in Boca Raton, his teammates thought their coach was in over his head, especially considering his advanced age. (Jarvis is 68, but was 65 at the time.)

“Guys respected him, but thought it was about his time to retire because he would tell you one thing, forget he told you and tell you

to do it in the opposite way,” Simpson said.His biggest gripe with Jarvis boils down to

the same issue that many of Jarvis’ players had: trust, or lack thereof.

“I put my trust in a man who was telling me he was going to do this and that, and he didn’t come through,” Simpson said. “That was what bothered me the most.”

Simpson’s dissatisfaction with Jarvis seems justified. After his freshman year, Jarvis asked Simpson to shed some weight, with the agreement that if Simpson met the request, he would become a starter. Simpson obliged, only to see his playing time dwindle during his sophomore season.

“I was told at the end of the year meeting after my freshman year that if I got down to 240 I would not only play, but start,” Simpson said. “I met the requirements.”

Simpson transferred. He finished his college years playing for St. Thomas University. Jarvis’ antics troubled him so much so that even years after he left, he still warns incoming FAU freshmen about Jarvis and what they should expect while playing under him.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN PLAYERS TURN THEIR BACKS ON THEIR COACH?CONTINUED FROM PAGE 16

Head basketball coach Mike Jarvis at practice. Jarvis resigned from his position as coach after three consecutive losing seasons at FAU. Photo by Melissa Landolfa


“I always encouraged [new recruits] to just work hard and play, but I did warn them of how crazy Mike Jarvis was and that it would be tough to play under him,” Simpson said.

Jarvis banned Simpson, Taylor and every other player who transferred during his tenure from attending open gym, where the current FAU basketball team runs intra-squad scrimmages against each other and against anyone who comes in and is willing to play.

Simpson and incoming freshmen would instead play in the recreation center on campus. There, he told them to be wary of Jarvis and how he managed his team.

“They left on their own after finding out the hard way. When they left, they said, ‘you said it would be crazy,’ but I didn’t believe it was that crazy,” Simpson said.

“They” are Cavon Baker, Devonte Thornton, Stefan Moody and Chris Bryant in particular.

THE FOURFOUR PLAYERS TRANSFERRED AFTER THE 2012-2013 SEASON: Baker, Thornton, Moody, and Bryant.

In the past two offseasons, a total of eight have transferred out of the program and several men — whom Jarvis himself recruited — left in the years prior.

And the player turnover has hampered the development of this team. Prospects who might have made sizable contributions to the program have left in droves, stripping the team not only of potential talent, but also of the continuity that mid-major programs need to create a winning culture. Many — if not all — of the men who transferred have cited Jarvis’ personality and his behavior as a deciding factor in the decision.

If Jarvis had been in his first few years at the school, some transferring would be understood — players who came in under the previous regime may understandably decide to leave. But Jarvis has been at FAU for six years, and the men who have transferred in recent years are men that he recruited.

Simpson pointed directly to Jarvis and his son, Jarvis II, as the only factors in the mass exodus that the team has seen in recent years.

“No way in two or three years a whole roster leaves just because,” Simpson said. “Mike

Jarvis I and II were the reason people left. Nothing else.”

Simpson added that the transfers changed the course of what he thought FAU basketball could have been.

“FAU could have been a mid-major powerhouse,” he said.

No player who mentioned the coaching staff contradicted the gist of Simpson’s statement. One former Owl, who asked not to be named, did defend two coaches — but neither were of the Jarvis bloodline.

“[Assistant] coach Kaine goes out and busts his chops to get great talent to come to

FAU,” he said. “For [recruits] to get treated the opposite of what they are selling is purely disappointing. [Assistant] coach Pete [Gash] really mentors the guys and encourages them, even in negative situations.”

After speaking so positively of Jarvis’ assistant coaches Tim Kaine and Pete Gash, the anonymous player gave a description of what he saw from the two remaining members of the coaching staff that was nothing if not eye opening.

“Athletes are leaving after just nine months of enrollment because of betrayal, dishonesty, cowardice, disrespect towards players and

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN PLAYERS TURN THEIR BACKS ON THEIR COACH?

“I PUT MY TRUST IN A MAN WHO WAS TELLING ME HE WAS GOING TO DO THIS

AND THAT, AND HE DIDN’T COME THROUGH. THAT WAS WHAT BOTHERED ME THE MOST.”

DeMonte Simpson, Former FAU Basketball Player

Former FAU athletes Ray Taylor (left) and Shavar Richardson at basketball practice in September 2011. Taylor left the basketball program in 2012 because of his experience with head coach Mike Jarvis. Photo by Christine Capozziello

CONTINUED ON PAGE 20Upressonline.com 19March 11, 2014

coaches, degradation, and abuse of power,” he said. “I never thought it was supposed to be like this at the college level.”

A LOSING SPELLWHAT A DIFFERENCE A FEW SHORT YEARS CAN MAKE. There was once a clamor for FAU to to extend Jarvis’ contract.

In his first three years, Jarvis had the program on the rise. Six wins in his first year. Then 14 in his second. Then 21 during the 2010-2011 season and a trip to the National Invitation Tournament.

Six of the seven top scorers from that season returned, and several preseason magazines claimed the Owls were poised for an NCAA Tournament run.

But the team severely underachieved the following season — losing their last five games in an 11-19 campaign. That year, FAU led Troy by 19 points in the second half, went scoreless in the final three minutes, and lost 83-82 on Senior Night.

Shortly afterwards, four players transferred, including Taylor, who is eighth all time on the career scoring list at FAU. Taylor is

now at FIU, along with another player that left, Dennis Mavin, who won the Owls’ Newcomer of the Year award in his lone season.

Another former player Omari Grier — who led the Owls in 3-point shooting percentage (41 percent) in his lone season — left Boca Raton in favor of Peoria, Ill.

His stellar play once made Jarvis utter “There’s probably not a better first year shooting guard in the country than Omari Grier,” in a postgame conference on Dec. 17, 2011. He now plays for the Braves of Bradley University. Another former player, Kore White, ended up at the University of South Florida. Jarvis once publicly trashed White’s play to media members just before the team began the Sun Belt Conference Tournament in 2012, saying his effort simply wasn’t there.

“He hasn’t played consistent. You can’t play 20, 30 minutes and get one rebound,” Jarvis said at a press conference in March 2012. “Two points? Come on, man. With his body? He should be one of the best forwards in our league, but he doesn’t work hard enough.”

Heading into the 2012-2013 season, there was excitement around the program. Jarvis called his fifth recruiting class the best in

school history. Nothing came of it. The team went 14-18

and lost in the first round of the conference tournament for the fourth consecutive year.

Four players also left during that offseason. Among them was Stefan Moody, an electrifying athlete who, as Jarvis told the UP in Nov. 2013, could have been one of the best players to ever come through Boca Raton had he stayed.

“By the end of the [previous] year, Stefan Moody was one of our top scorers. He was one of the best athletes I’ve ever coached. He’ll end up at a big-time school,” Jarvis said of his former point guard in November. “He could have been one of the greatest to ever play at FAU.”

Chris Bryant, former Florida 3A player of the year, transferred to the College of Central Florida, a junior college closer to his native Tallahassee.

Then Cavon Baker left. Baker is now at Lee College, just outside of Houston, Texas. Jarvis, who was maligned during his St. John’s tenure for not recruiting New York City talent, convinced Baker to come all the way from New York to South Florida, and he transferred after just one season.

Head coach Mike Jarvis coaches point guard Marquan Botley in a game against North Texas on Feb. 23. Eight players left during his tenure and if Botley transfers this season, the Owls may have their fourth starting point guard in four years. Photo by Max Jackson

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19

CONTINUED ON PAGE 22Upressonline.com20 March 11, 2014

Devonte Thornton, now one of the top junior college scorers in the country, is at Gordon State College in Georgia. He left during the year because of a family issue, but says the situation could’ve played out differently — if one aspect of the team was different, that is.

“I would have stayed if [Jarvis] wasn’t there, honestly,” Thornton said.

Another player who transferred after the 2012-2013 season reached out to the UP via email and asked to remain anonymous.

“My experience at FAU under the leadership of Mike Jarvis Sr. & Mike Jarvis “Deuce” Jr. was very negative, degrading, and almost ended my passion to play basketball,” he said. “It saddens me to know that the FAU Men Basketball Program Director hasn’t figured it out yet, but the Men’s Basketball program is due for a serious restructure [sic].”

Grier was reluctant to speak ill of his former coach, but offered this through email: “He gave me an opportunity, which I appreciate. But at the same time, if 8 players leave in two years, it should be pretty much explanatory [sic].”

Taylor provided some perspective on the disconnect between Jarvis and Grier. Like Taylor, Grier was also beloved (at one point) by Jarvis and the coaching staff, only to become alienated during the year. The two were teammates during the 2011-2012 season.

“He missed shots when we played Harvard. Jarvis pulled him. He was a young kid, he was confused, he was frustrated,” Taylor said.

Grier shot 1-6 in 35 minutes of gametime in a 63-51 road loss to Harvard during the 2010-2011 season. Once pulled out of the starting lineup, he played only sparingly for the remainder of the year.

No testimony regarding Jarvis is as harrowing as that of Taylor himself.

A PLAYER SCORNEDRAY TAYLOR TRANSFERRED AFTER HIS JUNIOR SEASON, but claims the relationship between him and Jarvis was marred beyond repair long before that.

“I actually wanted to transfer my sophomore year,” Taylor said. “My mother convinced me to stick it out.”

Taylor’s junior year ended after FAU lost in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament to Arkansas State. On that day, he said, Jarvis was in rare form.

“I saw a side that day that I had never seen from him. Overall, my relationship went down from there,” Taylor said.

Jarvis sat Taylor the entire second half of the loss to Arkansas State, placing him in the game in what is referred to as “garbage time,” meaning the outcome of the game had already been decided. Taylor entered the contest with just nine seconds to go.

After the loss, a crying, distraught Taylor called his mother to see if he was violating NCAA regulations by missing the team flight. She confirmed that he was not, since the loss had technically ended his team’s season. Taylor paid for his own flight back to Boca Raton.

“He did that just to embarrass me. That’s why I flew back by myself. I haven’t spoken to

Former FAU point guard Ray Taylor goes for a layup in a game against FIU in March 2012. Taylor transfered to FIU after only three years because of a rocky relationship with head coach Mike Jarvis. Photo by Melissa Landolfa




Nov. 14, 2008Mike Jarvis wins his first game as the

FAU basketball coach, a 72-69 win over Monmouth, one of just six wins during

Jarvis’ first year on the job.

Jan. 29, 2009 A 63-47 win over Louisiana Lafayette ends the worst losing streak that had

reached FAU basketball had ever seen.

March 13, 2011The Owls learned that after a

21-10 regular season, they would face the Miami Hurricanes in the National Invitation Tournament. Miami won just three days later,

85-62.

Feb. 4, 2011 Mike Jarvis wins his 400th game against North Texas. Just

three months later, Jarvis had 46 wins stripped after an incident during his St. John’s tenure. It was revealed that Jarvis’ staff

had paid a player 300 dollars a month during his college career, which is against NCAA regulations.

him since,” Taylor said.During his freshman year, Jarvis allowed the

5’6” point guard to run the team the way he saw fit. Somewhere along the line, a shift in the amount of freedom Taylor felt he had on the floor affected him.

“Long story short, the team went as I went. You [as a coach] have to let me be me. He doesn’t let players use their court feel at all. I had the green light my freshman year,” Taylor said.

Right or wrong, Taylor voiced his thoughts — the team’s thoughts — to Jarvis in a locker room meeting during his sophomore year.

“Nobody enjoys playing for you,” Taylor claims he told Jarvis in front of every teammate and coach.

“You [as a player] did not want to do anything for Jarvis. Our motto was 12 strong, because there were 12 players on that team. We were playing for ourselves,” Taylor said.

The unrest brewing within the program came to fruition during the following year. FAU finished the season 11-19, and after a first round conference tournament loss to Arkansas State ended their season, Greg Gantt uttered these infamous words to the UP in March 2012:

“It’s the same shit that happened all year. It was frustrating. Nothing different. We get into a big game and we just chill. They came out and punched us in the mouth first and we didn’t respond. Same exact thing every game. We got out challenged. We’ve been underachieving all year.”

That year, Taylor became unhappy after being pulled for poor play. After he shot 2-14

in an early season win over the University of Portland, Jarvis berated both Taylor and fellow guard Alex Tucker. Tucker started the next game versus the University of Washington.

At the time, the UW had a talented guard by the name of Tony Wroten, who now plays for the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers. Taylor had been relishing the opportunity to play Wroten, who Taylor felt he could match in terms of talent.

Taylor wishes that Jarvis had continued to play him through the bad stretches. The team eventually suffered.

As difficult as it was to play in Jarvis’ system, Taylor feels no regret about how he performed while at FAU. He only wishes that his head coach had been more invested in the players.

“Imagine what I could have done if I had had a coach who had cared about his kids,” Taylor said. “My little sister could have had a better future if I had been with a coach who really was in it for the kids.”

Even coaches were adversely affected by how Jarvis operated, according to several players.

“Jarvis had coaches afraid,” Taylor said. “I’m not going to name any names, but one coach told me that they had to suggest ideas to Jarvis by manipulating him. Making him think he [Jarvis] had the idea.”

DeMonte Simpson offered a similar sentiment regarding the coaching staff.

“There is a reason Coach [Pat] McCall, who is at Florida now on the number seven team in the country, left FAU within a year of being there,” says Simpson. “So not only players left, a coach left. All the assistant coaches beside Mike Jarvis II were ass kissers and were scared

to speak up.”It only got worse from there. Taylor told

Jarvis that he planned on transferring after his junior year. He anticipated that Jarvis would make obtaining transfer paperwork difficult, so he put his name in the NBA draft pool — which you can only do once in your career. If you get into the NBA, you’re good to go, but if you don’t, you can’t come back.

Taylor only entered the draft to force Jarvis to give him paperwork involved in transferring.

Then, according to Taylor, Jarvis then gave him some advice — take a week to consider his decision to transfer.

Unbeknownst to Taylor, the end of that week was the deadline to pull your name out of the NBA draft pool if you planned backing out and staying in school (his plan all along).

Taylor says Jarvis never told him about the deadline.

He pulled his name out of the draft pool (late) after a friend and sports agent told him that he needed to.

He had no plans to actually enter the draft, but he had no choice. He no longer wanted to play for Jarvis, but he also knew Jarvis would make leaving difficult. In his words, putting his name in the NBA draft was taking his future out of the hands of Jarvis and putting it into the hands of God himself.

Taylor enrolled at FIU the next fall and redshirted his entire senior year, completely unaware that he was ineligible to play. He did not learn of his ineligibility until just before FIU took on Bethune-Cookman University on Nov. 21, 2013.

FIU head basketball coach Anthony Evans

May 26, 2010Pablo Bertone signs a letter of intent to attend Florida Atlantic University. He ended up scoring more than 1,000 points in his career, one of only 14 Owls to ever do so. Bertone is the only

player from the 2009-2010 recruiting class who stayed all

four years.

TIMELINE OF HEAD COACH MIKE JARVIS’ CAREER AT FAU:



told Taylor he may not be able to play against BCU and that his eligibility may be in question. Taylor protested, thinking his status was fine, but upon doing some research, he found that eligibility was in fact an issue.

Taylor has not played a game since Nov. 18, when he scored 18 points and dished out seven assists in a 75-66 win over the Stetson Hatters. He will never play at the college level again.

Even though his college career has come to a disappointing end, Taylor learned a concept

upon leaving FAU that would have been completely foreign during his time under Jarvis.

“I didn’t even know kids actually went to a coach’s office to talk about life until I went through one who didn’t do that,” Taylor said. Coach [Richard] Pitino and I talked a lot. [Anthony] Evans and I talk all the time.”

THE AFTERMATHMIKE JARVIS BURNED MANY BRIDGES in the final years of his FAU tenure if nothing else. He alienated so many players that when they left, the team found itself with very little talent and almost no foundation with which to build upon.

The losses that unsurprisingly have piled up cost Jarvis his job. On Feb. 28, the original report from ESPN said that Jarvis been fired by Chun.

Later, it was revealed in an interview with Chun that Jarvis and Chun had come to an agreement that Jarvis would step down at the end of the year. Jarvis only consented

to that because he wanted to avoid being fired again.

Before announcing his resignation, Jarvis had one year remaining on his contract, which was extended in April 2012. Former Athletic Director Craig Angelos, the man who hired Jarvis, was fired in March 2011. So it was interim AD Melissa Dawson who extended Jarvis’ contract. Current AD Patrick Chun was hired in July 2012.

Not even two years later, Chun finds himself

with the task of finding a replacement for Jarvis.

Chun, who worked at Ohio State University for 15 years before coming to FAU, said he planned on speaking to current Ohio State basketball coach Thad Matta soon, hoping to find an OSU assistant that would be interested in taking the job.

“We want coaches that serve our student-athletes, we want someone that cares for and serves our student-athletes,” said Chun in regards to what he is looking for in selecting a new coach. Whoever does replace Jarvis next season will have the option to replace the entire coaching staff if he sees fit, according to Chun.

FAU basketball may have found a gem in point guard Marquan Botley, who plays honest, tough defense and can run a team in a way Stefan Moody, for all of his athleticism and scoring prowess, could not. If Botley does leave, the Owls may be using their fourth starting point guard in four years come next fall.

There is no guarantee that Botley or any other players will stay. Players may transfer if they don’t feel like they can thrive under the new regime or if they simply do not like the man who is replacing the coach they originally came to play for.

The new coach will also have the power to cut and replace players if he chooses.

Perhaps an influx of new coaches and players is a blessing in disguise. The program can move past the years of broken player relationships and perpetual losing.

March 3, 2012FAU loses to Arkansas State in the Sun Belt Conference

Tournament, ending an 11-19 season where the team lost its

final five games of the year. The following offseason four players

transferred.

Dec. 27, 2012Greg Gantt became the all time leading scorer in FAU basketball history in a 61-54 win over

the Troy Trojans. He overtook former Owl Earnest Crumbley, who scored 1,559 points

in his career.

Jan. 21, 2014 In one of their better wins under Jarvis,

the Owls bested Harvard 68-53 at home. Jarvis is a former Harvard

assistant head coach. Jarvis mentioned postgame that the win was important to him, since at one point he believed he should’ve been the Harvard head

coach.

March 2, 2013 Freshman Stefan Moody scored 28 points in a 77-60 win over the FIU Panthers on Senior

Night. Gantt was drafted into the NBA Developmental League, and another senior, Jordan

McCoy, went to play professional basketball overseas. Four more

players transferred during the next offseason.

TIMELINE OF HEAD COACH MIKE JARVIS’ CAREER AT FAU:

Athletic Director Patrick Chun forced head coach Mike Jarvis’ resignation after six years at FAU. Photo by Max Jackson


Your design here

Want to get paid to design advertisements for the University Press?

Email us at [email protected] or come to our Friday meetings at 2 p.m. in room 214 of the Student Union

[[Upressonline.com26 March 11, 2014

Mental Health and Addiction

Treatment Center Depression, Anxiety, ADD, Insomina,

Suboxone CerTIfIeD DoCTorSopiates, Tobacco, Alcohol, benzo

Dr. James Milne 954.776.7566

www.browarddoc.com

Most Insurance excepted” and “”

Most insurance accepted

open 6 days, including early morning and evenings

S.U.P. If you need accommodations to fully participate in this event please contact

Jenna English a [email protected] or TTY Relay Station 1-800-955-8770. Please contact 4 business days prior to the event.

A Registered Student Organization at FAU®

Email [email protected] before March 14, 2014 to Audition.

S.U.P. If you need accommodations to fully participate in this event please contact

Jenna English a [email protected] or TTY Relay Station . 1-800-955-8770. Please contact 4 business days prior to the event.

A Registered Student Organization at FAU®

March 10:

March 11:

March 12:

March 13:

March 14:

Magic the Gathering Free Play

FIFA Dance Central 3 Tournament

Chess Tournament

Super Smash Brothers Melee

IN-DEPTH, DAILY REPORTING ON UPRESSONLINE.COM...

SPORTS FEATURES

More baseball...

Check out detailed coverage of each series of FAU baseball

Photo galleries from home games

Player and coach interviews

More campus life...

Previews of events on and around campus like concerts

and lectures

Featured stories about students on campus and clubs and

organizations

FAU BASEBALL TAKES TWO WINS FROM BOSTON

COLLEGEAfter two home wins in the last series versus Boston College, FAU baseball is now 10-3 on the season.

FAU’S MUSIC LIBRARY HOSTS SOLD OUT CONCERT

FOR KLEZMER MUSIC FESTIVALFAU’s music library hosted a sold-out Jubano Jazz concert for students and community members.

as it happensPhoto by Michelle Friswell Photo by Sabrina Martinez


IN-DEPTH, DAILY REPORTING ON UPRESSONLINE.COM...

REVIEWS NEWS

More movie reviews...

Reviews of commercial movies as they release, like “The Wind Rises,” “Robocop,” and “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”

Reviews of movies releasing in the on-campus movie theater,

Living Room Theaters

“300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE” HAS PLENTY OF BLOOD

AND ACTION AND THAT’S ABOUT ITIf you are looking for blood and violence,then this movie is for you. But if you’re looking for a film with historical accuracy, come on, really?

More Student Government...

Coverage of the Student Government elections for

president, vice preisdent and campus governor

Student Government debates and meetings

FAU STUDENT GOVERNMENT LEADERS ADMIT TO

SECRET PAY RAISES, ADMINISTRATORS WON’TStudent Government leaders are giving themselves secret pay raises with the $10.8 million students pay in the activity and service fee in their tuition.

Photo by Sabrina MartinezPhoto courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures Photo by Dylan Bouscher


If you need a reasonable accommodation to fully participate in this event, please contact Mike Burdman at 561-297-3735 and [email protected] or TTY Relay Station 1-800-955-8770. Please make your needs known as soon as possible to allow sufficient time for effective accommodations, preferably by March 24, 2014.

If you need a reasonable accommodation to fully participate in this event, please contact Mike Burdman at 561-297-3735 and [email protected] or TTY Relay Station 1-800-955-8770. Please make your needs known as soon as possible to allow sufficient time for effective accommodations, preferably by March 24, 2014.

www.BOCAJOURNEY.comWHAT DOYOU BELIEVE?

YOU’RE INVITED TO THE JOURNEY CHURCHTHIS SUNDAY @ 10:30AM for the NEW TEACHING SERIES:

A recent Gallup poll found that 9 in 10 Americans believe in God, but if we’re honest we ALL have questions about God.

Join us THIS SUNDAY, and discover the truth about God and why believing in God is the key to finding hope and peace in your everyday life.

The Journey is not your typical church. You’ll have a great opportunity to meet people like you, have a genuinely fun and meaningful time at church and grow spiritually in your life. The teaching will be relevant, the music will be rockin’, and the dress is casual, so come as you are. I hope to see you Sunday!

Casual Dress | Practical Teaching | Rockin’ Music | Journey Kidz | Church That’s Actually FUN!

www.BOCAJOURNEY.comA Casual, Contemporary, Christian ChurchNEW

NELSON SEARCYLead Pastor, The Journey [email protected]

Glades Rd.

95

Exit 45

Boca RatonCommunityHigh School

MEETSHERE

Whole Foods

FAU The Journey Church meets atBoca Raton High School1501 NW 15th Ct., Boca Raton(at Glades Rd. and I-95 exit 45;across from FAU, by Whole Foods) www.BocaJourney.com

Attend THIS SUNDAY and receive a FREE copy of Unshakable: Standing Strong When Things Go Wrong by Pastor Nelson Searcy.

A FREE BOOK Just For You!

Casual Dress | Practical Teaching | Rockin’ MusicGreat Children’s Program | Church That’s Actually FUN!

Join us forEASTER @ THE JOURNEY

Sunday, April 20Two special Easter service times

(see website for details)

SAVETHE

DATE!

says:

“Rarely has a 65-minute

church service gone so fast.”

Documents

UP15_20