Voyager 8/24

W. Paul SmithStaff Writer

A new Student Government Association election will be held this fall after the results of the most recent election were invali-dated when Luke and Rachel Killam, candidates for president and vice-president respectively, were disqualified after the SGA election commission found cred-ible evidence of proxy voting.

All of the results of the contested races in SGA election have been overturned, and a new SGA election will be held for president, vice-president, senate president, and finance chair using the same ballots, minus the

disqualified candidates.“The new election is simply a

re-voting process,” said Tammy McGuckin, interim dean of students.

According to the docu-ments released by the dean of student’s office, Rachel Killam was accused of proxy voting, meaning she allegedly used other UWF students log-in informa-tion to vote online on the Argus website.

“Whether done with some-one’s permission or not,” McGuckin said, “proxy voting is a violation of SGA election rules. It is unfortunate that multiple candidates were impacted by the

proxy voting and the legitimate votes of many UWF students were invalidated.”

An investigation conducted McGuckin found evidence that confirmed two credible instances

of proxy voting, and the SGA elec-tion commission subsequently chose to disqualify the Killams on April 21.

“Hopefully, the elections in the fall will be void of controversy,” McGuckin said.

Dong Pyon and Diego Santiago, candidates for president and vice-president respectively in the SGA election, released a state-ment to The Voyager that read, in part: “We are looking forward to the elections in the fall, and we wish all candidates good luck.”

SGA President Josh Finley said the tentative date for the next election will be Sept. 26.

Terry StricklandNew Media Editor

The health advisory for Thompson’s Bayou has been lifted, and the Edward Ball Nature Trail has been reopened due to a reduction in bacteria levels.

The advisory had been in effect since August 15, when a ruptured pipe sent 1.4 million gallons of raw sewage into the waterway.

The 12-inch PVC pipe is owned by the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority. ECUA spokesperson Jim Roberts said the cause

of the spill was not known, but workers at the site believe that it could be related to damage from tree roots.

The spill came only two months after another leak in the same section of pipe sent 2.2 million gallons of raw sewage pouring into the bayou.

The latest spill was quickly identi-fied thanks to newly installed monitor-ing equipment at the Central Water Reclamation Facility, and the leak was stopped after only two hours.

ECUA spokesperson Ned McMath said

that ECUA will replace the section of pipe that produced this summer’s spills with high-density polyethylene (HDP), a more durable material. Work is set to begin next week.

The new pipe will be installed beneath Thompson’s Bayou through horizon-tal directional drilling. This method will minimize the amount of digging that must be done in the wetlands.

Brandy Smith, a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, said that state law does not

require utility companies to inspect or replace sewer lines; although, they must keep the lines “in good working order.”

The ECUA recently hired a consul-tant to recommend improvements, which included replacing much of their old infrastructure. These improvements are estimated to cost ECUA “in the millions,” according to McMath said.

The ECUA will face penalties for the sewage spills, which violated the Clean Water Act, though specifics are still unde-termined.

VOLUME 41 ISSUE 1 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2011The voice of UWF students since 1968

The Voyager

IndexNews . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..2Opinion . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 3Life & Entertainment .. .. .. .. .. .. 4-5Classifieds.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..6Sports .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .7-8

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Life

See full story on page 7


Opinion

SportsVOYAGER IN BRIEF

The national success of the UWF baseball team has sent a wave of inspiration throughout all UWF athletics as well as the community. Fall sports teams are using the championship to motivate themselves to emulate the recent success of the baseball team.

Baseball inspires fall sports teams

Specific plans for change still vague


UWF students traveled far and wide this summer for foreign internships, study abroad programs and to just explore and experience other countries.

Students like Alfredo Ramos, Paula Lannes and Lindsay Prestemon left Pensacola and now have unforgettable memories.

Students spend summer abroad

The Voyager staff weighs in on President Judy Bense’s plan for student life enhance-ment, cautioning that while it may promise positive trans-formation on campus, definite plans should be formed to ensure the dreams become reality.

Edward Ball Nature Trail reopens after sewage spill

❱❱ RundownA new SGA election will be held after two candidates were disqualified from last spring’s election. A tentative date of September 26 has been set for the next election. However the date and election procdures will voted on at an upcoming SGA Senate meeting.

Brittany CarrEditor-in-chief

With a football helmet raised high during the Argo Arrival Kickoff Pep Rally on Aug. 18, President Judy Bense made it clear that change is coming to the University of West Florida.

Amid cheers from a crowd of more than 1,500 students, faculty, staff and community members, Bense announced the university’s intention to pursue plans that would improve student life on campus, including the addition of an intercollegiate varsity football team and potential additional women’s sports, such as swimming.

“This is our time,” she said. “We are about to trans-form the University of West Florida.”

The plan for enhanced student life, which was formed based on recommendations from the athletics visioning team and the football feasibility committee, includes the renovations and new facilities mapped out in the 2010 athletics facilities master plan.

An Aug. 18 press release from the university listed a renovated Field House, a new University Commons and events center and a 5,000-seat football stadium as some of the “possible enhancements.”

Student Body President Josh Finley said he hoped the new plans would promote pride and excitement among

students. He also challenged students to play an active role in making their voices heard as the next steps are taken in instituting the changes.

“My challenge to the student body is to be active,” he said. “This your school. Now more than ever, your voices need to be heard.”

Finley said he and Kevin Bailey, vice president for student affairs, have already discussed plans to launch an informational campaign to educate students about the plan to enhance student life and how it will affect them.

Photos by Tim Keebler

President Judy Bense displays new football team helmets to a cheering crowd during a pep rally Thursday, Aug. 18. She presented her plan to transform UWF from a commuter school to a more traditional campus.

n Bense announces plan to provide students with more ‘traditional’ college experience.

Change is in the air

See RALLY, page 8

New SGA election planned after candidates disqualified

See ELECTION, page 2

President Judy Bense confirmed she is pursuing plans to start a football team at UWF. A women’s swimming and diving team is also being considered.

However, Finley said the election proce-dures and date will be voted on at an SGA Senate meeting in the near future.

“We’ve done everything we can to ensure that none of the previous election problems will happen again and to move SGA forward,” Finley said.

The Killams share their side

In an exclusive interview, Luke and Rachel Killam sat down with The Voyager to explain their side of the events.

“We want to be completely open,” Luke Killam said. “We’re not trying to hide anything.”

“I didn’t do anything out of mali-cious intent,” Rachel Killam said. “It wasn’t running through my mind that it was proxy voting.”

According to the Rachel Killam, she texted several of her friends on the day of the election. One of those friends informed Rachel that she would be unable to vote and asked Rachel to vote for her, supplying her Argus login information.

As for the other proxy vote, Rachel Killam admits she did vote for another of her close friends who did not have access to the internet and whose login information the friend had previously shared.

Rachel Killam said she did not inform the friend until after the fact that she had voted for her.

“Bottom l ine is that I proxy voted for two p e o p l e w h o would have voted for me anyway,” R a c h e l K i l l a m said.

Both of Rachel Killam’s friends whom she proxy

voted for later w r o t e s w o r n

statements attesting that they did support the Killam ticket.

The Voyager has spoken to the students in question and has been able to independently verify the veracity of the Killams’ claims.

The Killams had a total of 541 votes in the election, with the next clos-est ticket of Dong Pyon and Diego Santiago garnering 451 votes.

“Throw out those two proxy votes,” Luke Killam said, “and we still won, comparatively speaking, a blow-out victory by 90 votes.”

Rachel Killam said that she felt very bad about the whole incident and took responsibility for her actions, saying that she knew her deeds led to their

being disqualified.“It’s been really hard,” she said.

“Even though it was a simple little mistake, it was because of me.”

Luke Killam said he had no desire to “throw Rachel under the bus,” but also made it clear that he had no involvement in the proxy voting inci-dent and knew nothing about it until after the fact.

“Rachel messed up and wasn’t aware of what she was doing,” Luke Killam said. “We didn’t kill anyone’s grandma here.”

The Voyager has also learned that no further actions will be taken against the Killams by UWF. In an email forwarded to The Voyager by the Killams, McGuckin wrote:

“The disqualification from the SGA elections is the only University action in response to this incident.

“There will be no further investi-gation of the matter and no future student conduct charges wil l be pursued. There will be no record of this incident in your educational records.”

Luke said that while he was relieved to put the incident behind him, he was disappointed in what happened because he had a strong desire to be SGA President.

“That ’s what b u r n s m e s o b a d i n s i d e , ” L u k e K i l l a m said, “because I wanted to get in there and help clean up SGA.”

“ B u t o u r sister is coming up next year,” R a c h e l K i l l a m said chuckling, “so we may have a third Killam run.”

“Killam cubed,” Luke Killam added.When asked how they were doing

as siblings since the incident, Luke leaned over and kissed his sister on the cheek.

2/News Wednesday, August 24, 2011 www.thevoyager.net The Voyager

“It is our goal to provide a first-class education to our students, and this is evidence that we are succeeding.”

—Judy BenseUniversity President

UWF ranked among top schools by ForbesJohn StricklandContributing Writer

The University of West Florida has been ranked as one of America’s Top Colleges by Forbes maga-zine.

Of the 650 schools that the Forbes rankings encompass, the University of West Florida is ranked 490th in the nation.

Williams College, a private college located in Williamstown, Mass., topped the list. This is the second year in a row that Williams College has been named the top school in the nation.

Of the 21 colleges from the state of Florida included in the Forbes

rankings, the University of West Florida ranks tenth.

In a press release p u b l i s h e d A u g . 3 , University of West Florida President Judy Bense said this is a significant “first” for the school.

“It is our goal to provide a first-class education to our students, and this is evidence that we are succeeding,” Bense said.

“It is indeed satisfying to see our student satisfac-tion, retention rates and graduate success at an all-time high.”

Rollins College, located in Winter Park, ranks 133rd in the nation, the highest ranking for any college in the state of Florida. The University of Florida was the top-ranked university from

the state of Florida in the Forbes rankings last year, at 93. This year, UF ranked 137th.

The list was compiled by the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, a think tank located in Washington D.C., in conjunction with Forbes.

T h e C e n t e r f o r College Affordability and Productivity based the rankings on five general categories: post-graduate success, student satisfac-tion, student debt, four-year graduation rate and competitive awards.

The University of West Florida also ranks 27th nationally in the Forbes Top 100 Best Buy

Colleges, which is avail-able exclusively on the Forbes website.

The rankings for the Forbes Top 100 Best Buy Colleges were calculated by taking the overall qual-ity rank of each school from the America’s Top Colleges list and dividing it by the tuition and fees a student must pay at each school.

Of the seven schools from the state of Florida included in the Forbes Best Buy Colleges list, UWF ranks fifth. The University of Florida is the top-ranked college from the state of Florida in the Forbes Top 100 Best Buy Colleges rankings and is

ranked 11th overall. In other Forbes rank-

ings, The University of West Florida ranked 168th nationally among Research Universities and 136th among the Best Southern Colleges.

The rankings have been available on the Forbes website since Aug. 3. The rankings for America’s Top Colleges will also be presented in the Aug. 22 issue of Forbes magazine.

For more information on the methodology used to compile the Forbes rankings, visit the Center for College Affordability and Productivity website www.centerforcollegeaf-fordability.org.

Election: Former candidates speak out after voting incident

For more information on the UWF-sponsored Student Health Insurance Program, visit www.gallagherkoster.com/FloridaUSystem or call 877.540.7407.

Also Available � Dependent Medical Insurance

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Sept. 24, 2011University of West Florida

L. Killam

R. Killam

“I didn’t do anything out of malicious intent. It

wasn’t running through my mind that it was

proxy voting.”

—Rachel KillamFormer SGA candidate

Hello, readers! My name is Jon Short and I’m your new web editor for The Voyager.

Last school year I was greatly involved with our university paper, volunteering as a contributing writer for financial stories and on-campus events.

This year I’ve swapped my pencil and notepad for a computer monitor and a keyboard in order to give you readers a brand new website.

I may not be fluent in the language of computers, but I’m always up for a chal-lenge and eager to learn something new.

This semester, I hope to make The Voyager more accessible online.

With a revamped website and new online features, I aspire to further enhance stories that are published in the paper.

Expect more online content and experi-ence The Voyager online!

So, I’m W. Paul Smith, the opinions editor for The Voyager. I’m often not very comfortable writing about myself in this sort of context, and when given the opportunity, it takes every ounce of strength to take it seriously and not turn it into some sort of self-mocking satire

Though it is my job to dish out opin-ions on various issues, whether soci-etal or political, I’m an agnostic gener-ally speaking and don’t see myself as one who holds very strong opin-ions on “matters of consequence,” to quote Saint-Exupéry. And as a result, I sometimes feel a bit like a charlatan peddling snake oil from the back of my wagon for two bits a jar.

But, having said that, I do have a strong desire to communicate ideas that challenge people to think in new ways. My work is ultimately aimed at finding ways to encourage more ratio-nal, nuanced discussions, bridging common ground and inspiring people to work toward more balanced and amicable interactions with each other.

I encourage anyone who wants to write opinion pieces for The Voyager to please contact me. We would love to have as much student input as possible. And please send us “letters to the editors” anytime you wish to share your thoughts on issues around campus you would like to discuss or think we should be covering.

Meet the Voyager editors

Opinions Editor W. Paul Smith

News EditorValerie Thornewell

I’m Chris Elkins, the sports Editor of The Voyager. Ever since I was five years old I’ve been playing sports. It started out with soccer, led to t-ball, and later to running cross country and track and field.

I later found a love for writ-ing, but I found most general news boring. Thus, I became a sports writer.

I’m lucky in the sense that I’ve found a job that I love to do.

This year, I hope to provide readers with a balanced view of University of West Florida sports as well as stories involving health and fitness.

While doing that, I hope to give readers an inside scoop on UWF sports with features about players, teams, and news about the national scene.

With the continued success of Argonaut sports, a new student enhancement plan and the possible addition of new athletic teams, UWF sports looks to be more exciting than ever.

Sports EditorChris Elkins

I really hate writing biographies. My personality just can’t be summed up in a paragraph. But I will surely try.

I’m Rebecca Barnhart and I’m the life & entertainment/managing editor.

After two years of contributing stories and copy editing, I decided I wanted a more proactive role on staff.

This year, my goal is to give new life to

the section and make it a relevant, fun read not just for me, but for you guys as well.

When I’m not hunched over a desk writ-ing up a storm, I like to go to the beach, see live music, dance (badly), hang out with friends and enjoy college as best I can.

If there is something you feel should be covered in the section, let me know. I look forward to your ideas!

Arts & Entertainment/Managing Editor

Web EditorJon Short

I never know how to start these things, but I guess I’ll go with: Hi, I’m Brittany, and I’ll be the editor of The Voyager this year.

I’m a senior print journalism major, and all I know about what I want to do in the future is that it involves writing.

For the next year, though, all of my focus will be on making the paper your No. 1 source for news that is relevant to life at the University of West Florida.

The atmosphere on campus is changing rapidly, and I hope you begin to notice that the paper is evolving with it.

We’ve made some exciting changes already by redesigning the website (check it out at thevoyager.net), and the best is yet to come.

But the main thing I want to get across is this: It is my hope this year that you will look at the Voyager as a conversation, but not one that is one-sided.

We are always looking for your feedback, whether you’re a student, faculty or staff member. We can’t do our jobs without your input, so feel free to use the pages of this paper to let your voice be heard. That’s what we’re here for, after all.

Editor-in-ChiefBrittany Carr

Brittany CarrEditor-in-Chief

W. Paul SmithOpinions Editor

Chris ElkinsSports Editor

Valerie ThornewellNews Editor

Hey there!I’m Valerie, your news editor at

The Voyager this year. With UWF welcoming its largest

freshman class in history, there are sure to be plenty of changes in store, and I hope to keep you well informed about all of them.

I am a senior this year, majoring in print journalism with a minor in Forensic Studies.

I am currently planning a back packing trip around Europe for after graduation.

I love athletics and am the presi-dent of the Aquatic Racing Club as well as a member of the Ultimate Frisbee team on campus.

I also work at Panera Bread and at the Pensacola News Journal as a freelance reporter.

I am very excited to be a part of such an awesome team this year and I hope you have as much fun read-ing The Voyager as we will putting it together.

Rebecca Barnhart

Opinions &

ditorialsE3Opinions Editor,

W. Paul Smith [email protected]

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Jon ShortWeb Editor

Rebecca BarnhartL&E/Managing Editor

Change is coming to the University of West Florida, but what does that mean for current students? President Judy Bense generated excitement with her Aug. 18 announcement that the University plans to pursue the “student life enhancement” plan, but it came with very little information.

We at The Voyager feel that, while new and renovated facilities and a football team, among other proposed improvements, would be a good step toward changing the atmosphere on campus from that of a commuter school to a more traditional college, we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves.

We can’t help but notice the similar-ities between the push for the student life enhancement plan and that for the Maritime Museum. A strong campaign was presented, complete with pictures of cool-looking buildings, but ulti-mately, financing fell through.

The question on everyone’s mind now is money. A football program alone would cost $1 million in one-t i m e s t a r t - u p f e e s a n d a t l e a s t $2 million annually to maintain, according to a study done by Collegiate Consulting.

Add that to the funds needed to build a new student union, events center and other facilities, and you’ve got a staggering increase in campus costs. The general reaction from students so far has been that a football team would be great, but they don’t want to pay for it if it won’t be estab-lished during their time at UWF.

The administration has already confirmed that student fees will not be raised for at least a year, and Bense said that they wouldn’t significantly increase student fees without first conducting a referendum vote.

We at The Voyager recognize that the administration is headed in the right direction by forming an imple-mentation team, but in order to keep students and the community believ-ing that this will really happen, a defined plan for when we’re going to see changes and how they’re going to be funded would be beneficial. In the meantime, students should be active in voicing their opinions on the plan. After all, Bense said these changes are for us.

— The Voyager

Campus changes need definite plan

Courtesy of Andy Marlette/[email protected]

Cara BloomerContributing Writer

The classic “body-switching” movie gets a raunchy twist in David Dobkins’ comedic flick, “The Change-Up.”

Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman play life-long best friends Mitch Planko and Dave Lockwood, whose lives have taken dramatically different turns.

While Dave (Bateman) is a stressed out lawyer and father of three, Mitch (Reynolds) is an immature quasi-professional actor who mainly sits at home and smokes a lot of weed. During a drunken night, the two men pee in a fountain, both exclaiming, “I wish I had your life!” Fate is twisted and the two end up switching bodies and lives.

The movie follows the two mixed-up men while they live each other’s lives for a week. Dave finally gets to live the carefree life of his best friend, while Mitch must some-how learn to grow up and survive in his friend’s “all work and no play” world.

In the end, the two men come to terms with who

they really are, life lessons are learned and bodies are returned to their rightful owners.

Of course, this wouldn’t be a comedy without some laughs in it. “The Change-Up” follows the lead of outrageous Judd Apatow comedies such as “The 40 Year Old Virgin” and “Knocked Up.” With plenty of awkward moments, female nudity and cursing, the film becomes almost redundant in its need to shock.

Instead of coming off as a fresh new take on a classic theme, “The Change Up” is as predictable as it is crass.

J a s o n B a t e m a n , however, is the film’s saving grace. In the begin-

ning of the film, Bateman plays his usual go-to char-acter of a stressed out, overworked and emascu-lated nine-to-fiver, but it is his portrayal of a foul-mouthed stoner that really wins. With snappy come-backs and perfect comedic timing, Bateman is clearly the star of the film.

All in all, “The Change-Up” is a solid comedy and a great choice for any date night. If you are looking for your next big go-to film with some quotable lines and memorable moments, I would pass on this one. While the movie does have its funny moments, it is mainly forget-table.

❱❱ Rundownn Rave Motion Pictures Pensacola Bayou 155149 Bayou Boulevard, Pensacola, FL1:10 p.m., 4:40 p.m., 7:50 p.m., 10:35 p.m., n Rave Motion Pictures Pensacola W Street 186595 North W Street, Pensacola, FL12:40 p.m., 4:45 p.m., 7:40 p.m., 10:25 p.m.n Carmike 10 - Pensacola161 East Nine Mile Road, Pensacola, FL7:25 p.m., 9:50 p.m.

Rebecca BarnhartL&E Editor

Whether you are new to Pensacola or simply beginning the next chap-ter in your hometown, your first week as a fresh-man can be difficult.

You have probably met some friends, memo-rized your schedule and successfully navi-gated through the scenic campus.

One thing that may not be on your radar as a new student at the University of West Florida is some of the best college student-friendly and affordable go-to places around Pensacola to help ease the transition.

Blaise Moehl, a senior marine biology major, visits O’Zone Pizza Pub once a month for a deli-cious dinner.

“ E v e r y t h i n g i s awesome,” he said. “I am a huge advocate of cashews and cream cheese on pizza.” O’Zone offers half-off pizza every Monday night and several other specials throughout the week.

The restaurant is located on the bottom floor of the old Sacred Heart hospital on North 12th Avenue. “It’s a cool place because it’s close to downtown and pretty creepy,” Moehl said.

City Grocery, in the quaint East Hill neighbor-hood, carries some of the most delicious sandwiches in town. The restaurant also operates as a small grocery store.

Only Boar’s Head meats and cheeses are used for their sand-wiches, and they also offer pre-made meals, salads, wraps and desserts if you are in a hurry.

For those who enjoy their meals al fresco, Bayview Park is an ideal spot to enjoy the last days of summer. This large park has tennis courts, picnic tables, a dog beach and docks that overlook the water of Bayou Texar.

Junior Darian Havens

is an elementary educa-tion major who gets her live music fix at Vinyl Music Hall. Most recently, she saw the Dave Matthews Tribute Band play to a packed house.

“I really like the atmo-sphere there,” she said. “It has a very laid back feel but doesn’t feel like a typi-cal college bar.”

Movies can often be a rare luxury in college at $10 a ticket. At the Silver

Screen Theatre off Davis Highway, students can see a first-run film for $4.50 at all times. Catch a movie on Tuesday and bring a friend for free, as the popular special is 2-for-1.

There are so many places in the area to eat, relax and play that it is impossible to list them all.

The best method is to go out and explore the town, if possible. You may find a hidden gem.

Rebecca BarnhartL&E Editor

Some University of West Florida students may not have a tan from a summer spent on the beach, but their resumes are now much more impressive.

Interning in metropoli-tan U.S. cities, backpack-ing through foreign coun-tries and taking classes abroad are only a few of the adventures experienced this summer.

Paula Lannes, a recent UWF graduate now pursu-ing her master’s degree, was one of the nine criminal justice majors who traveled with John Smykla, a profes-sor in the department, to Scotland for two weeks to learn first-hand about that country’s judicial system.

The trip was based around the comparative criminal justice course. The group visited sites like the Barlinnie Prison, Scotland’s largest prison.

“My favorite part was seeing everything we talked about in class that morning and making those connec-tions,” she said.

Other students explored on their own, like Alfredo Ramos, a senior majoring in biology and psychology. He spent two months back-packing around Europe and a third month studying French in Paris.

“While backpacking, I

went to seven countries and 18 cities,” Ramos said. Holland, France, Spain and Germany were a few of the many places he visited.

“My favorite part was meeting people from all

over the world at hostels,” he said. “I am still in touch and will probably visit them in the near future.”

M e a n w h i l e , o t h e r students completed their graduation requirements

by interning stateside. Most students intern some-where locally for conve-nience and to save money. But big cities like New York City and Los Angeles often attract interns who are looking for an urban expe-rience.

Recent UWF gradu-ate Lindsay Prestemon interned in New York City at BWR Public Relations firm. Prestemon said she usually “ran errands rang-

ing from buying magazines where our clients were featured to running prod-ucts to different people.”

Prestemon said she was ready to leave the area and try something new.

“I knew I wouldn’t be able to find something that excited me like New York City could,” she said. “It just seemed like a gamble,and at the same time a great opportunity to learn about the New York City culture,

so I went for it.”Traveling the world is

something these students all agree is worthwhile. “Take advantage of study-ing abroad. It opens your eyes about how beautiful the world is,” Ramos said.

“My favorite part about living or visiting new places is trying to figure out what the culture is like,” Prestemon said. “There are so many different types of people, it could keep you entertained all day.”

Life &

ntertainmentE4


L&E EditorRebecca Barnhart

[email protected]

UWF students go global

‘Change-Up’ has no switch in summer’scomedy flick formula

Photo special to the Voyager

Alfredo Ramos stands in front of the famed Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy.


“The Change-Up” follows the story of Dave Lockwood, played by Jason Bateman, and Mitch Planko, played by Ryan Reynolds, in the classic “Freaky Friday” model of switching identities and bodies between two best friends.

Photos special to the Voyager

TOP: O’Zone Pizza Pub sells a variety of pizzas, appetizers and grinders.

BELOW: A personal pizza from O’Zone’s.


Paula Lannes poses among a cityscape of historical Escocia, Scotland buildings.

Old haunts fornew students

❱❱ Rundown

City Grocery: 2050 N. 12th Avenue

Silver Screen Movie Theatre: 7280 Plantation Road

O’Zone Pizza Pub: 1010 N. 12th Avenue #111

Bayview Park: 2001 E. Lloyd Street

Vinyl Music Hall: 5 E. Garden Street

L&E/5The Voyager www.thevoyager.net Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Kings of Leon dethroned after WharfCara BloomerContributing Writer

“The skies they blink at me, I see a storm bubbling up from the sea, and it’s coming closer.” Never have these lyrics from the song “Closer” been more prophetic about a band or a perfor-mance.

A t h u n d e r s t o r m t h r e a t e n e d M e m p h i s rockers Kings of Leon p e r f o r m a n c e a t t h e W h a r f A m p h i t h e a t e r in Orange Beach, Ala on July 26. The audi-torium was evacuated right before the opening act, but Kings of Leon refused to leave without performing.

Just a stone’s throw away from the University of West Florida, several students caught the show that would turn out to be their last before they cance led the band ’s summer tour.

“The show was amaz-ing,” said senior telecom-munications major, Josh Englund. “They played almost 22 songs, about four or five from each of their albums.”

“They came out and said that there wasn’t a curfew so they weren’t going to leave without

putting on an amazing show for us,” Englund said. “They looked like they were having the time of their lives on stage. The energy was so

high in the crowd.”Electric performances

l ike this and dedica-tion to their fans have b e c o m e t h e b a n d ’ s trademark.

That’s why it came as such a surprise when less than a week later in Dallas, lead singer Caleb Followill walked off stage after giving a

rambling speech saying that he had lost his voice.

Shortly after that, the band cancelled the rest of their summer tour,

citing Followill’s exhaus-tion and vocal problems.

H o w e v e r , r u m o r s h a v e c i r c u l a t e d t h a t Followill has fallen back on some o ld habi ts . The band has long been known for their hard partying ways.

Members, especially Fol lowi l l , have been open about their past b a t t l e s w i t h a l c o h o l addiction.

C r i t i c s h a v e b e e n quick to blame this for the cancelled tour dates and have even gone so far as to predict the band’s breakup.

As far a s t h e b a n d g o e s , t h e y r e m a i n steadfast in the i r c o m m i t -ment to p l a y i n g a n d r e c o v e r i n g together. They will pick up and perform together a g a i n i n C a n a d a o n September 28.

The fact that they are st i l l carrying on with the rest of their dates has many fans hope-ful that their favorite crooners wil l be back and stronger than ever.


Kings of Leon played a show at the Wharf Amphitheater on July 26 and cancelled their tour the next week.

Englund

6 Community &

lassifiedsC

HOUSING

PERSONALSThe Voyager is now accepting personal ads of 20 words or fewer to [email protected] with a subject line of “classified.”

The VoyagerEditor-in-ChiefBrittany [email protected] News EditorValerie [email protected] Sports EditorChris [email protected] L&E EditorRebecca [email protected] Opinions EditorW. Paul [email protected] Web EditorJon [email protected]

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Communities EditorBobby [email protected] Copy EditorsFriedrich LangerfeldKristi NoahJessica HarrisKristine MedinaJosh de Leon Distribution ManagerJohn Strickland

The Voyager is produced weekly by students of the University of West Florida and is partially funded by Student Activities and Services fees with assistance from the Office of Student Affairs. This public document was promulgated by the president of the University at an annual cost of $.275 per copy. Opinions expressed do not necessarily represent the views of UWF, The Voyager or its staff.

Advertiser and advertising agency will indemnify and hold harmless The Voyager and its staff for all contents supplied to publisher, including text, representation and illustrations of advertisements printed and for any claims arising contents including, but not limited to defamation, invasion of privacy, copyright infringement, plagiarism, and in the case of a pre-printed insert, deficient postage.

The Voyager is printed by Freedom Florida Commercial Printing, in accordance with Florida Law. The above information is presented in compliance Section 283.27 of Florida Statutes.

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must be signed and must include the author’s address and telephone number for verification purposes. Only the author’s name will be printed. Letters are published as space allows and do not necessarily represent the views of The Voyager staff. The editor reserves the right to edit letters or refuse to publish letters. E-mail letters to [email protected] with “letter to the edi-tor” in the subject line, or stop by Bldg. 36 Room 120 to hand-deliver your letter.

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to accurately report the news. If you see any errors in our newspaper, please let us know so we can issue a correction in this space.

Send corrections to [email protected], with the subject line “Voyager Correction.” Please also include the issue in which the error occurred.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

CLUBS Get involved on campus. Your organization putting together an event and would like to get the word out to people. Feel free to send us a description of what’s happening at [email protected] with “classifieds” in the subject line.

JOBSIf you have a job listing, email The Voyager at [email protected]. For more information on employment on campus, visit jobs.uwf.edu.

Communities Editor, Bobby Bone

[email protected]


PILED HIGHER DEEPER A comic by Jorge Cham

LAST DITCH EFFORT A comic by John Croes

ANNOUNCINGThe Voyager is now accepting classifieds from faculty, students and staff at no cost.

If you would like to place a classified with more than 20 words, or you are not affiliated with UWF, please contact our Business Manager, Jeff Hagedorn

The deadline for your classified ad is the Thursday before the week you want it to be printed.

Please email your classifieds to [email protected] with “classified” in the subject line.

MOBILE

August 27

Join the Sailing Club for FREE sailing any Saturday this fall from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Pensacola Yacht Club! Boats, equipment and wind provided.

For more information or to register email [email protected].

August 24

Career Services will be hosting a program to encourage students to seek career mentors. The event will be held from 11 a.m. to noon in building 19.

Are you interested in discovering more about a particular career? Would you like to connect to a mentor in the field to learn more about it? Would you like to shadow someone in a particular career? Attend a Backpacks 2 Briefcases orientation session to learn more about how to find a UWF mentor and start a job shadowing experience!

RSVP on JasonQuest or call Career Services at 850-474-2254.

August 30

Career Services will be hosting their 5th Annual Part-Time Job Fair in the Commons Auditorium from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

This Welcome Week event will host on-campus and off-campus employers in need of great employees like you! If you are not ready for a part-time job, check it out anyway and get great contacts for the future!

For more information, contact Career Services at 850-474-2254 or view this event JasonQuest.

August 29

The African American Student Association will be hosting their first meeting of the semester from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in room 271 of the Commons.

Come out and see what AASA can offer you here at the University of West Florida.

For more information contact Dwayne Manuel at [email protected].

We at The Voyager are here to help if you are having trouble finding that last roommate.

Give us the details of the residence and whom you might be looking for at [email protected] with “classifieds” in the subject line.


The University of West Florida men’s and women’s cross country teams look to continue their increas-ing success since Head Coach John Bergen took over the teams in July 2008.

Men’sThe men’s cross country squad

is looking to improve upon a fifth place finish at South Regionals and a fourth place finish in the Gulf South Conference in 2010.

The Argonauts will be led by senior Jared Black and junior Eddie Pagan.

Black was named the UWF Distance Award Winner after strong track performances in the spring that included two sub-16 minute 5ks. He ran a 15:53 and a 15:29.

Black is a two-time Second-Team All GSC honoree.

“We have a nucleus of four real good returners,” Head Coach John Bergen said.

He said Black and Pagan could be all regional, and that Pagan was prob-ably going to be their top runner.

Pagan is a two-time All-GSC honoree and received All-South Region honors after finishing 10th with a time 32:05 at the South Regional last fall.

Another core runner, Martinique Sykes was named the UWF mid-distance award winner of the spring after running a 3:57.25 1500-meter time and a 1:55.01 800-meter time.

“Sykes had great sophomore year and is continuing to work,” Bergen said.

However, his twin brother, Dominique Sykes, had the better cross country times out of the pair and was named to the Al l-GSC Second Team in 2010.

“We’re not going to have a big front runner,” said Black, who was given the Argo Award for his leadership and dedication. “We need to work together as teammates and finish together.”

Bergen said that each of the last three years the teams have been better than the year before.

“There are two or three teams that can fight for conference and we’re one of them,” he said.

However, the Argos are going to need some help as the defending champions from Harding return five

of their top six runners from the GSC Championship Meet.

“Hopefully we have some freshmen step up,” Black said. “Brandon Skeie is one to look out for.”

Skeie was a four-year letterman at Southern Regional High School in New Jersey with a school record 15:32 in the 5k.

Black said the team has been running high mileage over the summer with very few speed work-outs. Runs are usually 10-12 miles.

“We have high expectations,” he said. “We want to go out strong and definitely leave it all out there.”

Women’sThe women’s cross country team

has similar goals to the men after finishing second in the GSC and sixth in the South Region last fall.

However, the women’s team will look toward their youth in order to have success. Kelbe Beck, the Argos’ lone senior runner, likely will have to red shirt the 2011 season.

“Beck had a foot problem in the arch of her foot and a bone that needed to have foot surgery,” Head Coach John Bergen said.

Thus, the team will heavily rely on the success of last year’s freshmen class in order to compete for a GSC Championship this season.

“We’re returning most of our top kids,” Bergen said. “We had a great freshman class with Carney, Ashley, and Porsch. Those three are three we’ll count on quite a bit.”

McKenzie Carney received All-GSC

Second Team honors in the fall and was named the UWF Mid-distance Award winner after setting the school record in the 800 with a time of 2:17.79.

Ruth Ashley was given the UWF Most Promising Freshmen Award after finishing in the top three for the Argos in three of her first four meets as a freshman, and fourth at the NCAA South Regional.

Renea Porsch had the fastest time of the freshmen class in the 5k running a time of 20:06.

The Argos’ top returner, junior Karyssa Tourelle-Fallon, will lead the three sophomores.

“She should be our clear No. 1,” Bergen said.

However he said Carney could challenge her for the top spot.

“Carney could be ready to step up to the next level,” he said.

During the spring, Tourelle-Fallon was the distance award winner after running the fastest 5k time of the season with a 19:05 performance and the second fastest 10k time ever run by an Argo of 41:09.

“Karyssa and Eddie have a very good shot at making nationals,” Bergen said.

The Argos open their season on Sep. 1 at the Choctaw Season Opener hosted by Mississippi College.

The teams will host their home meet on Oct. 1.

7Fitness &

portsSn First ‘Big 3’ championship builds community support

Photo special to The Voyager

Junior Eddie Pagan looks to lead the Argos in 2011.

Student wakeboards against national competition

Baseball championship motivates fall sports

Sports Editor, Chris Elkins [email protected]



The University of West Florida’s fall sports teams are as motivated as ever after watching their fe l low student-athletes from the base-ball team win their first national championship.

“Hopefully it creates excitement for fall sports,” Athletic Director Dave

Scott said. The national champi-

onship was the sixth in UWF history and the first in one of the big three sports: baseball, basket-ball and football.

“It’s definitely inspi-rational that they can go from never going to a world series to winning one,” senior cross country runner Jared Black said. “It’s a boost and brings

inspiration to the school.” The team won the final

game of the NCAA D-II tournament 12-2 on June 4 against Winona State. The team finished with a school record 52 wins and nine losses.

“It’s great for the university,” Head Cross Country Coach John Bergen said. “It brings us more notoriety as a top-notch school for athletes. I’ll use them as an exam-ple of how a team can put it together.”

The 2011 baseball season also was an exam-ple of how well student

a t h l e t e s s u p p o r t each other at UWF.

“ W e ’ r e f r i e n d s with them,” sophomore v o l l e y b a l l s t a n d o u t Lindsay Homme said. “It’s exciting to see their hard work pay off.”

Scott said he saw student athletes support-ing their peers at all competitions in addi-tion to their already busy schedules. When the

baseball team hosted the NCAA South Regional, coaches and student-athletes volunteered to help out.

That wasn’t always the case in the past.

“Five or six years ago, you wouldn’t see cross country athletes at other events,” Bergen said. “We interact much more now. It’s a tribute to the athletic organization and President Bense.”

T h e e x c i t e m e n t surrounding the national championship promoted a lot of school spirit this summer.

“I’ve noticed people are starting to support UWF more and more,” Scott said. “When I wear UWF clothing down-town, people stop and c o n g r a t u l a t e m e o n the championship, or I see them wearing our apparel more often than I used to.”

T h e U W F b o o k -store had to re-order the national champion-ship shirts three times, he said. There has also been an increase in Nike purchases with the UWF logo.

Scott

XC teams look to run away with 2011 season

Black

Bergen

Cara BloomerConrtibuting Writer

When was the last time somebody called a model hardcore? Well, if they met Leah Gibney they would. This 19 year old University of West Florida sopho-more and nationally ranked wakeboarder proves that there is a lot more going on behind that pretty face.

A graduate of the John Casablanca School of Modeling, Gibney has trav-eled the world for modeling. But it is her amazing skill and talent on the water that has landed her fame.

Once she became too muscular to model anymore, she took on wake-boarding full time, a deci-sion that she was more than happy to make.

“I started competing

when I was 12, and it just came naturally to me,” she said. “I won pretty much every competition that I went for.”

Typically speaking, wakeboarding isn’t some-thing that you see a lot of women going after. At the national championship last year, Gibney was just one of 15 in the women’s divi-sion compared to the 200 plus men competing. This is a stereotype that she is hoping to help change.

“When guys first see me out there, they are pretty much shocked,” Gibney said. “But after watching me and what I can do, they give me a lot of respect.”

It is Gibney’s hope that wakeboarding takes off, literally, at UWF. She is now the president of the wake-boarding club at UWF and hopes that the more recog-

nition she gains, the more the spotlight will shine on the club. She hopes to gain funding from the Student Government Association to host clinics and make it easier and cheaper for students to go out on the water and practice.

She also has her mind on expanding the number of club members.

But it is not all fun and no work for this hospital-ity major. She hopes to one day work for a major resort where she can plan wake-boarding and other water sports events and tourna-ments. It is this dedication to her game, but also her education and future, that has made Gibney a favorite among the press.

“Most other wakeboard-ers drop out of school and just wakeboard all day,” she said. “But I’m still in school

and trying to get my degree. I think that it is a big reason why people are so drawn to me and my story. I’m trying to do something more than just wakeboarding with my life. I’m showing that you can do both and be success-ful at both.”

Probably one of the most interesting things about Gibney is that although she is amazing at her sport and has earned several titles and awards, she has no delusions of grandeur. Although she is proud of her accomplishments, she remains passionate about getting better and further-ing herself, and not just in the game.

“I don’t want this to just be it for me,” she said. “I don’t want to compete forever. I’m doing this to learn about life and about

what I can really do.”Just hearing the passion

in her voice when she talks about her myriad choices in hobbies makes you see how much excitement and

drive she has. Whether she is wakeboarding, modeling or hitting the books, she goes after it with everything she has.

Sports Briefs Basketball recieves $100K

Bense appointed to panel

Women’s soccer ranked top in Preseason GSC Poll

Fell named director of golf

Photo Special to the Voyager

Leah Gibney hopes to use her fame to strengthen the wakeboarding club.

The University of West Florida men’s basketball team received a $100,000 gift, the largest gift to athlet-ics in school history, from long-time supporter and former athletic director Joe Ambersley in a presen-tation on August 11. The gift came in the form of an endowed scholarship for men’s basketball student-athletes created by the Ambersley Family Foundation.

Ambersley has been one of the department’s biggest assets for over 30 years, including a three-year stint as athletic director from 1981-84. The UWF Athletics Hall of Fame inductee also coached the Argonauts baseball team in 1982, its second season, and led the team to a 31-20 record.

President Judy Bense has been elected as the Region 2 representative of the NCAA Division II Presidents Council, effective immediately. Her term will expire January 2016.

“It’s a great honor to have been elected to the Division II Presidents Council,” Bense said. “Many important issues impact athletics in D-II, and I’m looking forward to serving on this council with my colleagues to serve the best interests of our student-athletes.”

The council is a 15-member panel of presidents and other leaders from D-II institutions that serves as the chief governing body for D-II athletics.

For the eighth straight year, University of West Florida is the preseason favorite to win the Gulf South Conference women’s soccer championship, it was announced by the conference office on Wednesday. The three-time defending champion Argonauts received six first place votes and one second place vote, edging North Alabama by five points.

On the back line, senior Jordan Stone (Fort Walton Beach, Fla./Fort Walton Beach HS) and junior Rachel Cutts (Pensacola, Fla./Ole Miss) earned preseason All-GSC picks for the Argonauts. Senior Tina Murray (Kingston, Jamaica/Meridian CC) and junior Monica Malavassi (San Jose, Costa Rica/Methodist HS) repre-sented UWF as midfielders, and sophomore Alexis Garrand (Orlando, Fla./Dr. Phillips HS) was the Argonauts’ lone pick at forward.

Steve Fell, head coach of the University of West Florida men’s golf team since 1994, has been promoted to director of golf at UWF for the 2011-12 academic year. Fell will oversee both the UWF men’s and women’s golf programs. Current UWF women’s golf head coach Jennifer Pandolfi will continue to lead the Argos women’s team, and she will report to Fell during the 2011-12 academic year.

In his 17 years at the helm of the men’s team, Fell led the Argonauts to NCAA Division II national champion-ships in 2001 and 2008. He has also claimed 10 Gulf South Conference titles, the most among active confer-ence schools. Fell claimed career tournament win number 50 this year; he now stands at 52 in his career, averaging just over three tournament wins per season.

From Staff Reports

8/S&F Wednesday, August 24, 2011 www.thevoyager.net The Voyager

“It’s our job now to separate fact from fiction,” Bailey said during a press conference after the pep rally.

Bense said during the press conference that any increase in student fees for the current school year had been “taken off the table.”

Bailey said the earli-est they would consider raising fees would be fall 2012, and he said they had only discussed a $2 to $4 increase so far.

When the University of South Alabama added a football program, it added a $150 student fee based on a full-time course load.

Currently, the fee per student credit hour at UWF is $159.79, with $15.91 already included for athlet-ics.

“We would never imple-ment a $150 fee without student input,” Bailey said.

The next step, Bense said, is assembling an “implementation task force” to come up with a business plan for making the dreams a reality.

According to the univer-sity’s press release, the team will “address several benchmarks laid out by the football feasibility commit-tee, including resources to fund the student life

enhancements.”The Alexander Hass

fundraising firm presented the findings of a study to the feasibility committee on how much money the university could raise if it put on a large fundraising campaign based on trying to raise $15 million for the athletics program.

The firm projected that UWF could raise $2.6 million.

Solutions to other issues brought to the feasibility committee, such as fully staying within the param-eters of Title IX, federal regulations that mandate athletic opportunities must

be substantially propor-tionate to the student population, have not been publicly addressed.

The main goal behind enhancing student life on campus, Bense said, is to provide a more “tradi-tional” college experience for UWF students.

“I know this won’t happen overnight, and it’ll take more time than I’d like,” she said. “But all of us here tonight, we are the founders. We are the visionaries. While this campus is entrusted to us, we will make it better in every conceivable way.”

Sports Editor Chris Elkins contributed to this story.

Rally: Finances and other issues still on the table


The University of West Florida volleyball team has won three consecu-tive Gulf South Conference Championships and is the favorite to four-peat in the fall.

The Argonauts are nationally ranked No. 19 in the American Volleyball Coaches’ Association Division II Coaches’ Poll.

“It’s an honor to be ranked as a top team again by so many coaches,” Assistant Coach Marcela Cunha said. “It helps girls see how to keep working harder.”

The Argos went 30-7 overall and 9-1 in the GSC last season.

It’s harder and harder to stay successful every year, Student Assistant Coach Patricia Gandolfo said.

Sophomore Lindsay Homme, who was named to the All-GSC Preseason Team, will lead the Argos.

She said it was an honor to be so highly ranked even though she was injured last season.

Homme led the team with 75 kills before break-ing her foot last season. In 2009, she had 142 kills, 38 blocks and 27 digs.

“My foot is doing well. I expect to do everything this season,” Homme said.

However, Cunha said, “we can’t pretend it wasn’t there.” There’s still work to do.

She also said junior Anna Stoecklein was a key player to watch.

Stoecklein led the Argos

with 573 digs in 2010, which is the second-highest season total in UWF history. She also had a school record 30 digs in a single game last season.

“She’s been so consistent and everyone likes play-

ing with her,” Cunha said. “Having those two will definitely help.”

The Argos were elimi-nated by the then-ranked No. 2 Tampa Spartans in the NCAA South Regional Finals last season. Since then, the team has not missed a beat.

Homme said even though there weren’t any official practices this summer, the team contin-ued to practice at all hours. The team would wake up before regular gym hours, so they opened it up them-selves.

“Volleyball was all they talked about since the season ended,” Cunha said. “They didn’t wait. They’ve been working since January, physically and mentally.”

The Argos return with nine players from last season.

“We expect to be young, but at the same time, expe-rienced,” Cunha said. “I think we’re going to be a really hard-working team with a lot to strive for. Having many returners will help us.”

Nine of the 17 players on the roster are under-classmen, including three freshmen. However, the six sophomores have all seen significant playing time including two Division I transfers.

Cunha said Autumn Duyn has the best chance to make an impact as a fresh-man.

“She’s an all-around player,” Cunha said. “She comes from a successful program.”

Duyn was a three-year letterman at Venice High School in Venice, Fla. She led the school to three district championships and was the Herald Tribune Area Player of the Year in 2009 and 2010.

Head Coach Melissa Wolter was unavailable for comment because she was coaching the U.S. National Youth Team in Ankara, Turkey. She has been an assistant coach for the U.S. Youth Team for four seasons.

The Argonauts open the season on Sept. 2 at the Ulndy Invitational in Indianapolis, Ind.

Volleyball squad looks to jump to new heights

Photo Special to the Voyager

Junior Anna Stoecklein, left, looks to continue to set Argonaut records in 2011.

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