June, 16 , 2010
Volume 8, Issue 29
www.eaglenews.org
SG president, 4 others beat pot smoking claims
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By Samantha League News editor
tudent Senate has finally settled the incident dividing its unity. Student President Peter Ryther, Director of Environmental Initiatives Tyler Offerman, and senators Rebecca Gwyn and Rafael Feliciano will keep their Student Government seats after surviving a Tuesday night im-
peachment hearing at the Student Union. Sen. Millie Ruiz, who was not present Tuesday, will have her hearing June 22. The five student leaders faced impeachment for allegedly smoking marijuana the night of June 4 at a mandatory Flight School retreat paid for by student funds. Another accused official, Senate president Jasmine Villanueva, resigned last week after the alle-
gations became public. Sens. Rosa Mendoza, Justin Carter, Lauren Schuetz and Cody Hinson claimed to have witnessed the accused smoking pot. However, the accusers were not the ones who informed administration. Their intent was to reprimand the SG leaders themselves. “Once we reprimanded them, we were swayed by friendship,” Mendoza said. “I personally
thought they could do better for themselves and have a second chance.” According to Mendoza, Chief Justice Chris Harmon approached the group about the incident and told Michele Yovanovich, dean of students. Harmon refused to comment after Tuesday’s meeting. “Mainly, when everything came out in the open, we had to
‘Left-handed out of the womb’
tell the truth and nothing but the truth,” Mendoza said. Approximately 120 people showed up for Tuesday’s meeting. Among them was Howard Smith, professor of political science and public administration, who gave a statement on behalf of Public Affairs that was intended to help “guide the Senate through the process.”
Please see Senate on page 4
College Club purchase pending ByAllison Gagliardi Editor-in-Chief
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White Sox sold on Sale as top pick Chris Sale throws in a bullpen session before the start of a game at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers. Photo courtesy of Naples Daily News / Greg Kahn
By Josh Siegel Sports Editor
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efore Chris Sale became a Major League Baseball first-round draft pick, his career was on the fast track to nowhere. His performance in the fall of his freshman year at FGCU, the only NCAA Division I school to offer him a scholarship, demanded change. The lack of consistent velocity on his pitches — a tendency that scared away recruiters — and a dour mindset to match, left his future looking bleak. “Chris had a terrible freshman fall, the worst I’ve ever seen,” said Dave Tollett, FGCU head coach. “After that period he seriously considered quit-
ting. He didn’t think he could play at this level. He just didn’t have a lot of confidence. Once the train started, he didn’t know how to stop it.” Richie Erath — Sale’s roommate, closest friend, and a fellow pitcher — observed, “He would throw real hard the first few innings of a game, and then he’d go down to like 88 or 89 (miles per hour).” As Sale himself tells it, “My freshman year I really struggled. I was having trouble getting outs. There was a span where I was pitching good, but during mid-summer my fastball was really flat. I kind of hit the wall.” Though he hadn’t experienced success at the collegiate level yet, he still was good enough to be plucked out of high school by the Colorado
Which meal plan is right for you?
Check out www.eaglenews. org to read the editor’s notes from Tuesday’s Board of Trustee’s meeting.
Rockies in the late rounds of the MLB draft before deciding to attend FGCU for the immediate playing time it offered. His status was lofty enough to where it would be natural to resist modifications, and to persist with what had gotten him there. However, displaying a bigpicture vision, Sale entered the Northwoods League in Wisconsin the summer after his freshman year with the intention to tear himself down in order to build himself back up. “I was talking with some of the coaches there and they were saying you can’t keep doing the same thing you’re doing, you have to try something different,” Sale said. “So I dropped down and tried a different arm slot (a three-quarters delivery). I saw immedi-
ate results with it. It was night and day. My velocity went up, I got the most out of my changeup, and I got better with the slider.” Beyond physical, tangible benefits, the altered technique and the results that followed allowed for the inner confidence that Sale always possessed to show through. “What the change in arm angle did was create movement and sink on his pitches,“ Tollett said. “He had the belief now that he could get it done. I started putting him in situations where he could be successful, where he didn’t have to worry about results. Then I put him in some big ball games and started to see what his future could look like.”
ollege Club will soon be added to the student housing empire. The Board of Trustees approved housing bonds to finance the $17 million purchase of College Club, located across Ben Hill Griffin Parkway from FGCU, which will become part of campus housing. The university entered a due diligence period in January, after the property fell into default of the loan used to build the complex. At the beginning of April, FGCU released a statement that it was no longer interested in the property, but months later, the offer is too good to pass up. “Just on price alone we would be saving,” said Joe Shepard, vice president for administrative services. According to Shepard, the apartment complex was built by Kraft Construction, which has built many structures on campus. The purchase requires minor changes and renovations, such as changing the locks and purchasing new air conditioners. “This is going to take time and money, and we believe we have both,” Shepard said. The Board of Governors will need to approve the purchase in September. Shepard doesn’t anticipate any issues. It was discussed at the Board of Trustees meeting the limited amount of land FGCU can build on. Trustees recognized that the College Club purchase would be an appropriate expansion, as well as a sound investment.
Please see College on page 4
Football feasibility report in the works By Eagle News staff University President Wilson Bradshaw announced that the university was moving forward with Carr’s Sports Association, an intercollegiate athletics consulting company, to construct a feasibility plan regarding the creation of a football field and team. “I don’t think we have to study the desire,” Bradshaw joked. “Let me emphasize with everyone here, this is not a plan to do football,” he said. The plan will outline what needs to be done for an FGCU football team to be competitive at the NCAA Division I level.
Please see Sale on page 11
Hoop players enjoy China
Go to page 10 to take a quiz to help you decide what meal plan best suits you.
Flip to the back page to read about their trip.
See OPINION on page 10
See SPORTS on page 12
Ask me anything
See what students had to say about popular questions. See A&E on page 6
Index News ......................... See page 3 A&E ........................... See page 6 Opinion ................... See page10 Sports ...................... See page 11 Fun & Games .............. See page 9 Classifieds ................. See page 9