E AGLE N E W S The official student media group at Florida Gulf Coast University since 1997
VOLUME 17, ISSUE 27
WWW.EAGLENEWS.ORG
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2019
EST. 1997
SWFL nonprofits rescue wolfdog By Leah Sankey Opinion Editor Two SWFL nonprofits joined forces to rescue a wolfdog hybrid that was seen roaming near the Hendry County line. Kathy Irey, a volunteer with Clewiston Animal Control and rescue coordinator with Doghouse Rescue Academy, said that the wolfdog was wandering around in the middle of nowhere. “He was obviously domesticated and the way that he acted brought back memories of a hybrid that my brother had,” said Irey. Irey brought the wolfdog back to Clewiston Animal Control where they found he was not microchipped or neutered. She then, contacted Dawn Humfleet, the founder of Doghouse Rescue academy who has experience with wolfdogs. Together, they were able to identify the animal as part wolf, part malamute husky. “As a rescue, we have to take responsibility for what we’re doing,” said Humfleet. “We couldn’t allow a wolfdog to be adopted out by just anyone in the general public.” Humfleet reached out to Shy Wolf Sanctuary, a refuge for exotic animals. Shy Wolf confirmed that this animal was in fact a hybrid and placed him with an experienced foster. The rescuers initially suspected that the wolfdog had been dumped by its owners. The owners reached out to Shy Wolf Sanctuary about their lost pet after a story aired on Wink News claiming that the animal was abandoned. According to Shy Wolf, the wolfdog’s owners are currently going through the adoption process to get him back.
Is FGCU ready for the next big storm? By Seth Tanenhaus Gulf Coast News Wire Florida Gulf Coast University survived Hurricane Irma in September 2017 with minimal damage, but rather than lauding that fact, the FGCU community should be asking how this happened and whether the campus is prepared for stronger storms. What sets FGCU apart from other land in the area and what some credit as the main reason the campus was in such good shape after the storm is the university’s extensive green space. Green space is undeveloped land that is more accommodating to plants and animals. FGCU’s green space includes the various marshes, swamps and wetlands on the university’s main campus and the immediate surrounding areas. “Post-hurricane, two things prevent you from going back to normal: power, and where the water is,” FGCU professor of environmental studies Win Everham said. “[FGCU] got power back on pretty quickly, maybe just by chance. You can’t go to work if the roads, parking
Seth Tanenhaus/ Gulf Coast News Wire Service FGCU sits in the middle of a hurricane path. After Hurricane ran through the area in 2017, FGCU has taken certain measures into effect. lots or buildings are flooded. That’s the part where the green space had a positive impact.” Everham said that many housing developments are around 10 to 20 percent green space, with some older developments being less than 5 percent. FGCU is somewhere between 49 and 53 percent green space. “If you take a piece of land and build it completely so you have pavement, lawns and roads and then you drop a foot of rain on it, it
fills up a foot and you’re flooded,” Everham said. “If you take a piece of land and develop half of it, with the other half as green space, you can put a foot of water on and the places that can’t hold the water run off to the places that can.” While FGCU was able to handle Irma because of its unique design, it can become somewhat difficult to answer the question of whether the university can withstand a stronger storm, partly because of
what constitutes a stronger storm in the first place. “When you look at rainfall from hurricanes and tropical storms, there’s not a strong association between how strong a hurricane is and how much it rains,” Chris Landsea, Chief of the National Hurricane Center’s Tropical Analysis and Forecast Branch said. Hurricane strength is based solely on the Saffir-Simpson
STORM >> Continued on A2
FGCU student balances college life with army life By Emily Simpson Gulf Coast News Wire Quinn Bonner lives a double life. When he’s not studying business or partying with his Jewish fraternity at Florida Gulf Coast University, he’s serving the country. Unlike most college kids, he trades in his notebooks and pencils for ammo and cannons. “As soon as I throw on my uniform, I become a different person,” Bonner said. One weekend a month, Bonner travels to Dade City where he performs maintenance, crew work and firing operations on howitzer cannons. His unit is the 52nd Infantry Division in Florida. “It’s a lot to jumble at once,” Bonner said. “Even though we’re not full-time, we’re held to the same standards.” Bonner has learned to juggle classes, work, Greek life and the framing of his future business, all while training to become a sergeant. “He does have a lot on his plate, but he manages to do it,” said Brent Butler, one of Bonner’s roommates. “He has great work ethic. It’s impressive.”
Out of about 100 men, Bonner is one of four in his unit that balances college life with army life. “My friend at the University of Tampa is an astrophysicist”, Bonner said. “This man will be out with an astrophysics book in his hand covered in dirt, gun grease, flipping through and taking notes.” Bonner has been in similar situations. Last October, Bonner was called for state active duty to help with relief following Hurricane Michael. Midterm week at FGCU was creeping right BONNER around the corner. “I carried all my textbooks in my military backpack, and I would study my notes as I was loading helicopters or doing search and rescue,” Bonner said. “It gets tight in moments like those, but for the most part, school and the army go hand and hand.” Bonner joined the army about five years ago, right after graduating from his military high school in Bartow, Florida. In June of 2019, Bonner will
head to sergeant school. During this three-week course, Bonner will learn the leadership and paperwork skills that coincide with this rank. “I fell in love with the structure the army gave,” Bonner said. “I find it’s a lot easier to give myself timelines and have a strict schedule, even when I’m not training.” Bonner is an academic junior at the university and is studying entrepreneurship. He plans on starting his own business after graduating. Currently, Bonner is a part of the FGCU Runway Program, which is designed for young entrepreneurs to facilitate business growth through a series of courses. “Being in the army has challenged me to think differently,” Bonner said. “When building my company, I have used ideas both from the collective military side and my creative free-thinking side.” Bonner’s unit is one of the top firing batteries in the United States and one of the first units to be called for hurricanes, natural disasters, and public disorders. Because of this, Bonner has traveled all over the country and has had unique experiences. “There’s a lot of things that we
see that doesn’t get covered by the news, which would surprise a lot of people,” Bonner said. His unit was called to serve at Trump’s presidential inauguration in 2017. Bonner and his team held fencing to control rioters and keep the peace. “A big part of being in the military is professionalism, so no matter how you feel personally or politically, you have to act accordingly to the situation and make sure it gets handled properly,” Bonner said. Bonner’s unit has also served along the Mexican border. During this time, Bonner witnessed horror and was even shot. “The most shocking thing I saw was a 7-year-old girl being sex trafficked across the border,” Bonner said. “Things like that break your heart. It’s something you never think goes on in the world or even your country.” Part of Bonner’s experience along the border was working with counter-cartel operations. Since there are still ongoing efforts, Bonner was not able to disclose all of the details. “We were out in one of the cities –that I can’t name– and we’re in the
distance watching these guys raid through a compound. The next thing you know, we’re getting shot at,” Bonner said. Bonner was shot in his mid to lower back. The bullet came from about three stories off the ground, according to Bonner. “You have a lot of adrenaline pumping through your body at the time, so you don’t feel what you think you feel,” Bonner said. “It isn’t until you look down and go into shock when it all hits you.” Bonner was transported to a hospital in Austin, Texas and underwent surgery. Bonner spent a month and half recovering. “It was a scary conversation to have with my parents,” Bonner said. “That worried them a lot. But I felt like I gave something up for the good.” These occurrences don’t intimidate Bonner. “Things like that motivate me to keep going,” Bonner said. “As much as people joke about not reenlisting, it makes me want to reenlist after seeing the good that we do firsthand.”
ARMY >> Continued on A2
INSIDE
CONFEDERATES SHOULD NOT BE MEMORIALIZED
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL EARNS NO. 13 SEED
WRESTLING CLUB MEMBER EARNS GOLD MEDAL
PROGRAMMING BOARD CELEBRATES MARDI GRAS
The statue represents an important time in our history,while some say it represents the wrong side of history. See more on A5
The FGCU women’s basketball team was given the No. 13 seed in the NCAA tournament and will play No. 4 Miami. See more on B1
Jabari Irons of the FGCU wrestling club received first place in the 184-pound weight class at the NCWA. See more on B3
Students gather in Cohen Center to attend Programming Board’s “Mardi Gras Madness” with food and fun. See more on B5