March 13, 2020

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FRIDAY, March 13, 2020 VOL. 135, NO. 3

Men’s Basketball wins 25th SSC Championship Spring Town Hall talks COVID-19, housing and safety Sophia Gonzalez Opinions Editor

Michael Arias Mora Staff Writer The Florida Southern College men’s basketball team added another milestone to their season on March 8 by winning the Sunshine State Conference (SSC)

Photo courtesy of Mikaela Queen / FSC Athletics tournament championship. For the Mocs, this is the 25th SSC tournament win, which adds to the storied tradition of the program. The Mocs now have two trophies to celebrate so far this season, as last month they won the SSC regular

season championship. It’s the first time since the program’s national championship winning season in 2015 that the Mocs have accomplished these feats.

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High speed rail service considered for I-4 Gigi Chiaramonte Staff Writer

The state of Florida has approved building a high speed train that goes to Tampa and Orlando. The company for the train, Brightline, has approximately 3 months to negotiate an agreement with the governments of central Florida to build a rail service on the side of Interstate 4.

Back in 2011, Governor Rick Scott did not pass the 2.4 billion expansion for the high speed rail because he was concerned about the cost. Before the decision was made to turn down the bill, the city commissioners voted on supporting the train to stop at Clark Road on Polk Parkway. They have reconsidered and are planning the stop at Florida Polytechnic University.

For the city of Lakeland, the state has not decided where the stop will be located.

Other documents in the contract propose that Duke Energy, Orlando Utilities Commission, Lakeland Electric, and Tampa Electric are all making adjustments for the new train coming to town. Workers all along Tampa and Orlando are will be going to work if the rail stop gets the goahead.

Cuch Barmby, the city’s transportation planner said, “Barmby and his team will likely conduct new traffic research to determine the best spot for workers and residents.”

A spokeswoman from Florida Polytech said, “A stop at the school would bring the region together and work well with the university vision for a nearby research park.”

SOCIAL MEDIA

Photo courtesy of South Florida Business Journal

The high speed rail that may come to Lakeland is a Brightline company train that would add stops from Tampa and Orlando.

Brightline president Patrick Goddard said, “The company looks forward to working with the expressway authority in strengthening Florida’s infrastructure and the proposals companies’ new step in our efforts to expand intercity passenger rail in Florida,” Brightline President Patrcik Goddard said “The [plan for the rail] we have made has created thousands of jobs and generated sustainable economic impact.”

Brighline’s goal is to bring a safe and quick way to get from Tampa to Orlando.

For this train to develop it will require a 44 foot space along Interstate -4 and it will produce 16,500 temporary jobs during the three year period of construction. It will produce 1,600 permanent jobs around the I-4 corridor. For more negotiations the companies also want to target the

important areas in Orlando International Airport, Osceola, Polk county and downtown Tampa.

“I’m extremely happy about the potential economic impact that this train system could have in the area,” sophomore Stephen Kurek said. “Going between Orlando and Tampa in such a short time and Lakeland being a likely spot on the line is really going to be good for everyone living here.”

The students that don’t live in Florida are especially excited because the train will give them easy and fast transportation to the airports in Tampa and Orlando. The Brightline train will take a couple years to be fully developed but once it is built it will change central Florida because of the new technology advances coming from Brightline.

@fscsouthern

President Dr. Anne Kerr announced that classes will continue as usual until further notice in the March 10 semesterly Town Hall, despite growing concerns regarding the coronavirus.

Even though Polk County is permitting in-classroom teaching, Kerr stated that Florida Southern College has been in communication with the CDC and they have been consulting with the Lakeland Regional Medical Center.

“As you might imagine, we have a Florida Southern College emergency preparedness team,” Kerr said. “We’re making decisions as we get information.”

She reiterated that all travels through FSC have been cancelled and that administration will keep students up to date about any alternative trips in the future. Students who were supposed to go on a Junior Journey and couldn’t because of these restrictions will be prioritized as soon as the next trips are announced.

Nursing and physical therapy students are still allowed to work at Lakeland Regional Hospital as of now.

For sporting events, the school is following NCAA standards, since FSC will be hosting the men’s basketball NCAA Division II South Regionals starting on March 14. Sporting competitions will continue as usual, but whether spectators will be discouraged from coming to sporting events in the future has not been determined yet.

On-campus houses will no longer be offered to students because FSC wants to give students the opportunity to interact with each other.

“When we originally decided to add the initial Star apartments, it was under the agreement that we would then vacate the current houses,” Vice President of Student Life Susan Freeman said. “We are committed to a community of scholars being able to interact with one another, and we feel that this not only provides a new space for you, but gives us an opportunity to increase the engagement among students on campus.”

Dean of Students Mike Crawford was also in attendance, and he helped answer students’ housing concerns.

Housing selection is determined by students’ GPA, total credit hours, and whether a student is a Hollingsworth Scholar or in the honors program.

Students will not be allowed to leave their items in their apartments over the summer if they choose to homestead since Florida Southern hosts camps during the summer.

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The Southern MARCH 13, 2020

NEWS BRIEFS Studio Box: St. Paddy’s Celebration On Friday, March 13, Studio Box will host its St. Patrick’s themed show in the Thrift Alumni Room. The improv group will start their show at 11 p.m. and everyone is encouraged to dress according to the theme.

Big Red Bus Blood Drive Students can donate blood between 11 a.m to 7 p.m on March 17 and 18 by Lake Hollingsworth between Nicholas and Wesley.

Anyone who wishes to donate blood must have their drivers license. Snacks and prizes will be available.

Homecoming Bonfire As a part of Homecoming Week, Student Government Association will be hosting a bonfire on Thursday, March 19, at 7:30 p.m.

It will be located at Southern Landing and will have free food.

This is a chance for alumni to get to know student athletes.

Worship Night: Purpose On Thursday, March 19, Beyond Campus Ministries will put on their annual event: Worship Night. It will take place in Badcock Gardens at 7:30 p.m.

Students have the opportunity to get free food, free swag and Passport credit.

Founders Day Convocation Founders Day Convocation for the spring semester will take place on Friday, March 20, at 10:50 a.m. This is mandatory for students for the Passport Program.

Installation of Florida Southern’s 86th Honorary Chancellor, Tom Williams, Chairman and CEO of Universal Parks & Resorts will occur.

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Asian/Pacific Islander Association begins activities Angelo Grajo Staff Writer The Asian & Pacific Islander Student Association held its first meeting on Jan. 3. During this meeting, many different students from FSC’s Asian population came together and discussed the difficulties of growing up in America, the lack of proper Asian representation on campus and what plans they had for the future of the club.

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“People with similar backgrounds meet up and are able to know each other.”

- Ashlynn Honma FSC sophomore

During a group dinner, club members caught up with each other, tried various Japanese cuisines and even taught each other different words from their native languages.

FSC’s new Asian & Pacific Islander Student Association is a safe space for FSC’s Asian students to meet up and share their cultures with each other as well as helping FSC have a more diverse and inclusive environment for students.

“It brings everyone together,” cofounder of APISA and sophomore

Photo courtesy of Brandon Pham Members of the Asian and Pacific Islander Association club spending an evening at Hibachi Express in Lakeland, Florida.

Brandon Pham said. “The club spreads cultural diversity.”

When asked about the purpose of the club, junior, co-founder and president Kayla Dumon said, “For the culture.”

According to DataUSA, as of 2017, FSC’s Asian population is about three percent. Because of this small population, diversity and celebration of Asian cultures has been sparse on campus. With APISA, students can meet up, share their heritage, learn about the different cultures, go to events or just casually hang out with each other.

“People with similar backgrounds meet up and are able to know each other,” sophomore Ashlynn Honma said. “It’s really cool to know other students who share a similar culture! We just wanna chill.”

Students who are part of the club also

share various local establishments around Lakeland and Central Florida that sell various Asian foods and goods. The club also aims to bring various Asian events on campus, such as guest speakers that can share their experiences growing up and how they made it to where they are today.

Non-Asian students are also encouraged to visit club events so they can learn about the various Asian cultures as well.

APISA aims to broaden the diversity and inclusion at FSC by spreading the knowledge of Asian cultures through on-campus events and provide the FSC students of Asian heritage a place to mingle and share each other’s experiences and traditions. The members of this club hope that it will last through FSC history and raise awareness for the cultures they grew up in.

Facebook decides to not fact-check political ads

Vanesa Alvarez Staff Writer

Facebook recently announced the site would not be regulating political advertisements as the 2020 Presidential elections rapidly approach.

Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, announced the site would not fact check or ban political advertisements leading up to the election.

“Taking the First Amendment out of it, I don’t think it should be allowed,” Jessie Praley, an Advertising and Public Relations major said. “It’s doing a disservice to the public by lying to them. I know I’m very gullible. I get a majority of my news online since I don’t watch the news or read newspapers so that wouldn’t be good for me voting wise.”

The decision sparked controversy, specifically after the false advertising scandals which occurred during the 2016 presidential election. Fake advertisements became a hot topic following the 2016 election as President Donald Trump was accused of partaking in these practices. In 2017, The New York Times released an article unveiling Facebook’s report that over $100,000 in advertisements were purchased by a Russian company. It was during this time that Russian influence was deemed the contributing factor to Trump’s win. Democrats, including former vicepresident Joe Biden, criticizing Facebook for allowing false claims to be advertised online.

Facebook’s decision to expand transparency comes from Zuckerberg’s belief that Facebook and the First Amendment are in accord. Zuckerberg emphasized the significance of political

speech and told various news outlets that regulating these advertisements would restrict users’ right of speech.

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“While advertising plays a key role in candidate messaging, voters should also gather information from a variety of other sources to make a well-qualified, informed decision.”

- Dr. Alex Ortiz, Associate Professor of Communications

“I think it certainly highlights the difference between standard consumer goods advertising that we see every day and political advertising,” Dr. Alex Ortiz, associate professor of Communications said. “With traditional advertising, you can expect a certain modicum of truth in the messaging; with political advertising, all bets are off. It’s basically caveat emptor-let the buyer beware, or at least in this case, the voter.”

An internal memo from Facebook’s Vice-President of Consumer Hardware was leaked in The New York Times revealing the company’s viewpoint that limiting users’ access would restrict democracy.

Zuckerberg said Facebook’s policies are built on the principle that people should be able “to hear from those who wish to lead them, warts and all, and that they should be

scrutinized and debated in public.”

As Facebook users will be more susceptible to viewing inaccurate advertisements, Ortiz believes this highlights the significance of voter research.

“Opinion polls consistently show that voters get the bulk of their candidate information from advertising, which in some cases is not truthful or misleading.”

Ortiz said. “While advertising plays a key role in candidate messaging, voters should also gather information from a variety of other sources to make a well-qualified, informed decision.”

Despite the flexibility allowed in Facebook’s advertising, content will still be regulated to protect safety on the site.

Any and all advertisements must abide by Facebook’s community standards which ban hate speech and harmful content as well as content designed to intimidate voters.

The policy currently says that advertisers must comply with laws and processes required by Facebook.

While Facebook refuses to restrict fake speech in advertising, the site is considering the restriction of micro-targeting. By definition, micro-targeting is a practice used to create a more specific target audience, specifically in terms of political parties and election campaigns. Advertisers use microtargeting as a form of direct marketing and specifically use it on social media to target individual political parties.

Facebook’s main reasoning behind not fact-checking advertisements is to protect users’ First Amendment rights more directly in terms of political speech.

Though politicians such as Biden spoke on behalf of the dangers regarding this decision, Facebook continues to stand by its policies.

3 The Southern MARCH 13, 2020

ENTERTAINMENT

NFocus Studios casts FSC students in TV show Kenzie Carlson Staff Writer Communications professor, Tim Register has cast two student actors in his show “Preach” at NFocus Studios.

Register insisted on working with people the team knows, and casted FSC students Chandler Talkington Fletcher and Griffin Trice.

“As an actor primarily rooted in live theatre, it is an absolute joy and honor being allowed to peep through the keyhole into another dimension of the same art form,” Fletcher said. “I look forward to becoming better acquainted with the media of film and how an actor functions in that atmosphere.”

FSC alumna Taylor Tyre, is the director’s assistant for “Preach.”

“My job is, in summary, being Tim’s ‘memory’ as he likes to say,” Tyre said.

“It is a great job that I wake up excited for every day. It doesn’t hurt that I work alongside such wonderful people, and an all around fantastic director.”

The show is inspired by real life events from Register’s life, as his grandfather was a circuit preacher. “Preach” was initially intended to be a movie and then the concept developed into a TV show

‘Orchestral Treasures’

Photo courtesy of Taylor Tyre

Actor and writer Josh Childs and professor, writer and director Tim Register talk on the set of “Preach.” over time. Register is very excited to see “Preach” coming to life after five years of preparation “The show is a faith and family story about a circuit preacher in the 1930s that has a troubled past due to PTSD during World War [I],” Tyre said.

The main character, named Preach, is assigned as a preacher in a small town in Georgia, where you learn that he isn’t the only one with struggles.

Photo courtesy of Taylor Tyre

Script supervisor Gina Brulato and FSC alumna and Assistant Director Taylor Tyre on the set of “Preach.”

The process of bringing any film to life is a lengthy one. According to Register, you must have an idea that will make sense to the audience, know who your audience is and sell your idea.

Filmmaking involves raising money for the production, fine-tuning the concept in Pre-production and actualizing the concept with a group of people who know what they’re doing “It’s very important to work with people you get along with, that understand the project, have the right energy and love the project,” Tyre said.

Register said his favorite part of the filming process is taking an idea he has and giving it to the production team so that they can add things to it and help bring it to life. Without a good production team, a film can’t come to life.

He gave a good metaphor for going from idea to screen, comparing the idea to a can of cheap marinara sauce at the store that you give to a team who adds basil, garlic and other enhancements to make it better.

Register developed the idea for “Preach,” and various people on the production team turned the idea into something bigger and better.

The show began filming on February 24 and will continue through mid March.

‘Sonic’ movie benefits from delayed release Angelo Grajo Staff Writer On Valentine’s Day, the delayed yet highly-anticipated video game adaptation, “Sonic the Hedgehog,” finally sped its way into theaters.

The film was originally set to release Nov. 8, 2019, but was delayed due to backlash from fans and the general public over the design of the titular character.

After this reaction, the film’s director, Jeff Fowler, declared on Twitter that Sonic would get a redesign. Fans quickly latched on the new design by Tyson Hesse, an illustrator who’s worked on Sonic in various comics, animated cutscenes and even a parody web-comic, once the new trailer was released on Nov. 12.

“The rework from the original design to the new one was better than expected,” freshman Anselmis Comna said. “We are very glad that the creators decided to listen to the people and change their design and make it more appealing for the masses to enjoy a family movie.”

Now that the film has been out for a while, “Sonic the Hedgehog” has grossed over $113 million dollars, winning the hearts of its fans, but garnered mixed reactions from critics.

Ben Schwartz plays Sonic the Hedgehog,

WHAT’S NEW

who is forced to leave his planet, and hide on Earth in order to prevent others from taking his powers.

But after accidentally gaining the attention from the government, Sonic must escape with the help of his new friend, Tom Wachowski, played by James Marsden, while the mad scientist Dr. Robotnik, played by the legendary Jim Carrey, chases after them to take Sonic’s power for himself.

When compared to most video game adaptations, instead of directly adapting any specific games, the film takes a well-known franchise and places it in an appealing plot for mainstream audiences while keeping true to the source material.

This practice makes the movie stand out and easier for unfamiliar audiences to understand the franchise while appealing to the hardcore fans as well.

However, the story itself is not the most original in both structure and execution.

The plot is fairly predictable and some story beats from other family road trip movies are taken, with common comparisons to films such as “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip” and Marsden’s previous family film, “Hop.” That being said, the filmmakers obviously care and understand the characters and franchise, similar to last year’s “Detective

Pikachu,” so while the film may be weak in plot, it’s strong in heart.

Schwartz brings a fun and frenetic energy when playing Sonic, which goes along with the character’s personality.

Carrey, on the other hand, brings a bombastic performance as Dr. Robotnik that goes hand-in-hand with his older iconic roles, such as Ace Ventura.

“Overall, I enjoyed the movie,” senior Noah Valletutti said. “It brought back a lot of nostalgia and I liked all of the little nods to the game series.”

The special effects are also a saving factor for the film. The effects artists and animators deliver Sonic’s signature breakneck speed and adrenaline heavy tone throughout the various action sequences, especially in the third act.

The expressive new design of Sonic himself gives the character more depth to Schwartz’s performance, as it’s able to be both dramatic, comedic and even heartfelt when compared to the horrifying original.

Overall, “Sonic the Hedgehog” is a great movie for those who are fans of the franchise or anyone interested in a highenergy adaptation of a video game they can bring their kids to.

While it’s weak in plot, the effects, performances and tone help give the fans a movie they deserve.

Martha Placeres, the conductor of FSC’s Symphony Orchestra and strings program, features a diverse collection of music on March 16 at 7:30 p.m in the Branscomb Auditorium. The night promises well-known pieces, as well as new and compelling ones.

SoCo Sound Bites: Space Jam SoCo’s latest Sound Bites event, “Space Jam” will collaborate with the Astronomy Club. The event will take place on the grass area between Nicholas and Wesley on March 20 at 8 p.m.

Local Film Screening The Polk Museum of Art is hosting an event featuring local filmmakers, FSC faculty and alumni. The films include “¡Come!,” a film written by FSC alumna Pamula Rodriguez, film professor Mathew Herbertz’s film “My Florida Home” and four other local films. Tickets are sold out, but those interested can join the waitist. The red carpet event takes place on March 20 at 6 p.m.

‘Strings and Other Things’ A continuation of the FSC Faculty Artist Series, this event will feature the returning Hollingsworth Trio.

The Trio consists of pianist Paula Parsché, cellist Michael Sedloff and violinist Mark Thielen, all who have played together for over 30 years. The event will take place March 24 in the Anne MacGregor Jenkins Recital Hall at 7:30 p.m.

Live Action ‘Mulan’ “Mulan” (2020) will join the increasing list of Disney live-action remakes.

The film differs from the original cartoon in that it is closer to the original story, musical numbers will be replaced with instrumental versions of the original songs, and some of the characters have changed. The film will premiere March 27.

The Southern MARCH 13, 2020

FEATURES

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Hot air balloon festival takes flight in Lakeland skies Diego De Jesus Staff Writer The Lakeland Balloon Festival took flight at the Lakeland Linder International Airport from Feb. 28 to March 1. The Up, Up, and Away Florida non-profit organization, partnered with Bimbo, Remax, Sun ‘n Fun Expo Campus, Visit Central Florida, Yuengling Traditional Lager, and Corona Extra.

The Lakeland Balloon Festival is a time where people can have a day out with many different avenues of entertainment with live music, food, and merchandise vendors, and, most importantly, the balloons. These balloons flew when the weather was right in the daytime, and they carried out the Balloon Glow at night.

One of the pilots at the Balloon Festival, Andre Boucher, prepared, flew and glowed his balloon along with his crew. Boucher is originally from Quebec, Canada. He’s been in the U.S. since 1976 but currently lives in New Hampshire and travels with his balloon, which he named sunrise passion.

“I fell in love with it on my first ride, and it became my passion, which became the name of my balloon,” said Boucher. “Also, passion was the only thing that I could write in French and English.”

After the pilots flew during the daytime, there was the Night Glow, where all of the balloons come together and light up the horizon where the pilots inflate their balloons with their burners—showing a simultaneous and well-orchestrated light

show that concludes with all the balloons burning at once.

“My dad bought a balloon from someone on the side of the road,” John Petrehn, pilot of the Bimbo Bear balloon from Houston, Texas said. “I grew up with ballooning, and I’ve been flying ever since. I’ve been doing this my whole life, balloons make people excited, and it’s better than working at a desk.”

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“I’ve been doing this my whole life, balloons make people excited, and it’s better than working at a desk.”

-John Petrehn, pilot of the Bimbo Bear balloon

Petrehn flies one hundred times a year, working for an advertising company that promotes a certain brand. The Bimbo Bear balloon was the only specially designed balloon at the festival, meaning that it was in a different shape than the typical spherical shape.

Both Boucher and Petrehn agree that the life of an air balloon pilot is a very expensive one due to the balloon itself and the rest of the credentials such as fuel and maintenance that are required for this occupation.

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Photos by Diego De Jesus

People from all across the United States come out to the Lakeland Balloon Festival. These balloons are specially designed for each pilot.

Disney parks add to vegan and vegetarian options Kenzie Carlson Staff Writer

Earlier this year, Disney announced they would be adding more than 400 new vegan and vegetarian options throughout the parks and resorts so that all guests can enjoy the different foods the parks have to offer.

Plant-based foods are indicated by a small leaf icon on menu boards of restaurants with plant-based options.

Several restaurants, ranging from quick service to sit down, throughout the parks and resorts are offering vegan and vegetarian dishes for all to enjoy.

“Having more dining options (in the parks) allows me to feel included during meals and not need to prepare food to bring for myself,” junior Caroline Lusi said. “As a member of the campus food committee, I find myself drawing inspiration for food I’d like to see implemented at FSC from the new Disney menu as well.”

Although Disney as a whole is implementing more vegan and vegetarian options, not every theme park on property offers the same items or quality of items on their vegan/vegetarian menus.

Sam Brewer, president of the Veg club on campus said that she finds the easiest park to get vegan and vegetarian options to be Animal Kingdom.

“There’s vegan pizza, protein packed bowls, salads, curry and of course dole whip,” Brewer said.

Contradictory to Animal Kingdoms large selection of vegan and vegetarian options is Magic Kingdom, which has a very limited number of options.

“This would affect our students because the tickets that you can buy at a discounted price from the school are exclusively for the Magic Kingdom park,” Lusi said.

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“Having more dining options (in the parks) allows me to feel included during meals and not need to prepare food to bring for myself.”

-junior Caroline Lusi

This means that students who are vegan or vegetarian may struggle to find options during Mocs Magic trips, where students are given meal vouchers.

Being vegan or vegetarian can lead to difficulty finding food options, but Disney makes this easy for their Guests by using a leaf icon next to any plant based menu items.

Some of the locations using the new leaf icon include Be Our Guest Restaurant, Columbia Harbour House, and Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe at Magic Kingdom.

Hollywood Studios’s restaraunts with vegan/vegetarian options include Hollywood & Vine as well aa the new Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo.

“I don’t have to stress and plan out where I can go anymore,” Brewer said. “I can go to a restaurant that someone else picked and be confident in there being a vegan dish there.”

5 The Southern MARCH 13, 2020

2020 Census will count on all students Jameson Champion Staff Writer On Feb 24, 2020 students at Florida Southern gathered in the library for the event ‘Pro Tips: Get Counted! 2020 Census.’ Hosted at the Roux Library, the event brought in guest speaker from the U.S. Census Bureau Greg Engle to explain how the census works and its importance in our society.

The decennial census has happened once every ten years since 1790 and is measured as a snapshot of the entire United States population at that point in time. While the first census was taken by United States Marshalls on horseback, this year will mark the first time that the census will be widely conducted via internet responses.

“The census is done for two reasons: money and power,” Gary Engle said. “675 billion dollars are distributed to different government programs based on results from the census. State representatives in congress are also decided through

population, some states fear the census due to this.”

At a college level, the money distributed to programs such as pell grants for students are decided through census results, and cannot change for ten years when the next

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“The census is done for two reasons: money and power.”

-Gary Engle, Guest speaker from the U.S. Census Bureau decennial census is performed.

The 2020 census is also the largest civilian mobilization in history. The census bureau offers various jobs to anybody over the age of 18 with the necessary paperwork.

Jobs with the census bureau range from working as clerks to employees acting as trusted voices in a community to be able to follow up on census tasks such as speaking with those who did not initially respond.

At Florida Southern College, students living in on-campus housing will not have to worry about filling out the census themselves. College housing is counted as a group-quarters and it is up to the individual college on how they will count their students for the census.

“It’s very important everyone gets counted,” Gary Engle said. “This year’s census will have a lasting impact for the next 10 years and every person counts.”

Census invitations arriving between March 12 and March 20 will include an insert in the 12 non-English languages, inviting people to respond online or by phone in their language, according to census.gov. This gives citizens who speak different languages the opportunity to still be counted, regardless of what language they respond in.

Mardi Gras ‘let the good times roll’ in NOLA Grace Newton Staff Writer

Just because college dorm decorating ca Lakeland has put its own spin on the holiday traditionally associated with Louisiana, Mardi Gras, hosting a variety of events, such as a carnival, parade, and even a specially themed First Friday, inviting everybody to “laissez les bons temps rouler,” or “let the good times roll.”

Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, officially takes place the day before the start of the Lenten season, which begins on Ash Wednesday. As the date is determined by Easter, it is not fixed.

However, while there is one “Mardi Gras Day,” the Carnival season often lasts from the beginning of January up until Ash Wednesday.

The most active locations in the United States for Mardi Gras are those with French heritage, such as Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the panhandle of Florida. As a native of Gulfport, Miss., Mardi Gras was celebrated in my household my entire life.

However, the holiday has become most synonymous with New Orleans, where they hold parades, eat “fatty foods” including king cake, and generally party before Lent begins. According to an article on NOLA.com, the first Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans was presented in 1857, and “it featured only two floats.” Since then, it has grown into a cultural way of living for the natives, where “more than 1,000 floats will roll down the streets” in New Orleans alone.

Smaller celebrations are held all over the southeast and vary by location, with certain common elements. Junior Jaydon Gibbs is from Louisiana, and he enjoyed some more unique traditions.

“My favorite part is the Mardi Gras run, where we would go out on motorcycles and tractors door to door to beg for all of the gumbo ingredients,” Gibbs said.

In recent years, Mardi Gras has expanded past those locations, including to Polk County. However, while the holiday is often associated with alcohol and excessive partying, the majority

Photo by Grace Newton

Zulu Coconuts from New Orleans Mardi Gras are one of the many traditions associated with the pre-Lent holiday. of the events in this area are catered to the whole family. They are also not necessarily held on Mardi Gras Day. First Friday, a regular event in Lakeland, was themed “Mardi Gras in Munn Park” this month, featuring a brass band, bead throwing, and typical “New Orleans food,” like beignets and

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“It’s weird and pointless for other places to celebrate it. It’s just never the same.”

- Jaydon Gibbs, junior Louisiana resident

king cake. Held on Feb. 7, this opened Lakeland’s Mardi Gras season.

While the First Friday theme was newer, some Mardi Gras themed events have become traditions in Polk County.

The Lake Wales Mardi Gras Parade has

been held annually since 1984. With floats, beads, costumes, krewes, and Cajun food, this event is the most reminiscent of the traditional New Orleans Mardi Gras.

Resurrection Catholic Church and School held its annual Mardi Gras Community Carnival. This is the 29 year of the event, which features carnival rides, fair food, and midway games. However, while advertised as a Mardi Gras event, the carnival does not display anything distinctly related to the holiday.

Florida theme parks have also begun to celebrate the holiday. Universal Studios Orlando now has a full Mardi Gras season, including parades, Cajun food, music, and concerts. This actually runs past Mardi Gras, ending on April 2. Busch Gardens also introduced a “New Orleans Weekend,” with New Orleans-related snacks and entertainment.

While Mardi Gras has expanded locations, these celebrations are not always welcomed, especially by those who come from traditional Mardi Gras areas.

“It’s weird and pointless for other places to celebrate it,” Gibbs said. “It’s just never the same.”

FEATURES STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

Paige Berberette

Using Art to De-Stress Abby McHenry Features Editor Freshman Graphic Design major Paige Berberette loves painting and music, and she combines both by painting on vinyls.

Between her sophomore and junior year of high school, Berberette was depressed and anxious, so she began painting on paper. She said she had an obsession with vinyls and decided to paint on them.

Prior to her junior year she cared about photography more than painting, but now she feels the opposite way. “[Painting] was just like a big stress reliever for me,” Berberette said. “I started doing it more and more and then I started selling them and they were actually selling and I was like ‘whoa this is kind of crazy.’”

She sold them at her high school and posted them on Instagram, and her friends and coworkers bought some from her. She was excited that 5-6 of her coworkers loved the records and made a purchase.

Berberette’s favorite painted record so far is one that she sold with a cactus with flowers painted on it. She also loves one she painted with sunflowers and another one with mountains.

In the future, Berberette wants to work on a geometric style record, but she typically works by requests from her customers.

“When I’m feeling particularly creative or sad I make one,” Berberette said. “Sadness isn’t a bad thing for me sometimes because sometimes I paint and I’m like ‘wow this looks really good.’”

One of Berbertte’s favorite music artists and role models is electronic dance music artist, San Holo. If she could pick one quote to paint on a record, it would be “I love you for who you are bb” as tweeted by San Holo.

“I live by it just because that’s how I feel about everybody,” Berberette said.

“Don’t pretend to be anybody around me I like you for who you are.”

Berberette originally came to Florida Southern as a business major but switched to graphic design at the end of her fall semester. She decided to focus on something enjoyable rather than something she could potentially earn more money from.

She said she lives by the idea of pursuing a career that is enjoyable for the rest of life instead of doing it for the money. Her dream is to be a graphic design specialist with Canon or Publix.

Berberette sells these painted records for $10-$15. Her work is posted on her Instagram dedicated to this art under the username paigegraphs.

d

The Southern MARCH 13, 2020

6

CENTER

Housing Selection Important Dates Special Populations Monday, March 23 General Housing Selection Monday, March 30 - April 2

Lake Hollingsworth Apartments

The Basics Proxy Forms

Students unable to attend Housing Selection can use the “Proxy Form� and have another student select their housing. The Proxy Form is available in the Documents Folder on the Community Living Engage page.

Waitlist

Students may be added to a waitlist if they do not receive their first choice of housing. If rooms/apartments become available, students will be offered this option based on their Housing Selection number.

Guaranteed Housing Any students who do not select housing during the Housing Selection Process will be added to the Guaranteed Housing List.

Assignments will be made after the general selection process.

Homesteading Residents can claim their current room in Miller Hall, Hollis Hall and the apartments. If more than one student wishes to homestead, priority will be given to the lowest housing selection number. First-Year students are not eligible to homestead their current space for Fall 2020.

La

7 The Southern MARCH 13, 2020

CENTER Star / Garden Apartments

*All information provided from the Community Living Housing Selection Guidebook that was sent to students.

Jenkins Hall

Publix Commons

FAQs

Hollis Hall

(pictured below)

What is “Homesteading”?

The act of staying in your current space during the subsequent fall/spring term.

Dell Hall

(pictured above)

Miller Hall

(pictured to the right)

ake Morton Apartments

What does it mean to say “Apartment Eligible”?

A student must live on-campus for at least four semesters or have been at least two years removed from high school graduation.

As a second-year student, will I be able to live in an apartment next year?

Second-year students will be eligible for all residential options except Garden, Star and Lake Morton.

When can I start signing up for Summer Housing?

Costs are being reviewed by the institution and will be released prior to signing up for Summer Housing.

The Southern MARCH 13, 2020

8

OPINIONS

College travel restrictions affects older students

Junior Journey cancellations leave seniors uncertain about future Emily Fournier Staff Writer Last week, on the evening of February 27, Florida Southern College made the decision to cancel all of the junior journeys planned for spring break because of the increasing global spread of coronavirus. Students were informed of the cancellation through an email.

“The College has decided to cancel all the Spring Break Junior Journey trips.

Some late breaking news this afternoon related to the spread of coronavirus (COVID 19) has led us to this decision.

Our primary concern for every JJ trip is student safety,” the email said.

The coronavirus has affected much of the world in the past few months, with the spread starting in Wuhan, China.

In recent weeks, the virus has made its way to the United States, with the New York Times reporting that it currently has 539 cases in 34 states, leading many states, including Florida, to call states of emergency. While it was important for Florida Southern to cancel the trips, they did not give enough notice to students ahead of time that this was happening, or that it could potentially happen.

Students were not notified of the cancellation until Thursday evening, just hours before some of the trips, including a junior journey to Israel, were supposed

Photo courtesy of Zeng Michalczyk

FSC students travelling through Scotland go to the Fairy Glen on their Junior Journey.

to depart.

Many trip advisors were still sending attendees information about the trips the same day they were called off and students had already begun packing.

Florida Southern did reimburse the junior journeys’ costs and deposits, but that is not the only money that students spend for their trips. Many had to pay for a physical in order to sign up, extra medication if necessary, appropriate clothing, and a passport, if they did not already have one.

While, given the dangers that the virus poses, it is necessary for Florida Southern to cancel the trips, seniors are left wondering if they will get to use their junior journey funds that are allocated in tuition.

“We will also be exploring a replacement JJ for you- but details at this point in time have yet to be put in place,” students were informed.

However, graduating seniors who will no longer be attending the school come August, will not have the opportunity to participate in this replacement junior journey, or any school trip for that matter.

The money that students pay in their tuition to go on a junior journey will be unused and, essentially, wasted.

Because the junior journeys give students credit hours, students, especially graduating seniors, are questioning how they will make up those credits that are needed for the majors or minors. For some, these trips were necessary to graduate.

Students should not be angry that Florida Southern had to cancel spring break junior journeys because it was for their safety, but rather at the short notice and lack of handling seniors that

“

“I’m glad that we had a lot more notice that it was cancelled, and I’m not really surprised. My new concern is how I am going to finish my minor.”

- Zeng Michalczyk FSC junior

will be graduating before they can take a replacement trip.

The announcement of the May junior journeys being cancelled shows the proper amount of time needed to call off a trip, giving students time to make other arrangements for the summer.

“I’m glad that we had a lot more notice that it was cancelled, and I’m not really surprised. My new concern is how I am going to finish my minor,” junior Zeng Michalczyk said about the cancelled Spain trip.

It will be crucial to see if Florida Southern will come up with a solution for students to obtain those necessary credit hours, and actually handle graduating seniors’ disappointment over the situation they have been put into.

Editor’s Note: On Wednesday, March 11, the World Health Organization labeled the coronavirus outbreak that causes the COVID-19 disease a pandemic.

FSC should label its vegan and vegetarian food items Lack of signage makes identifying VEG options hard Grace Newton Staff Writer Though Florida Southern College has made an effort to have vegan and vegetarian options throughout campus, a lack of explicit signage has made distinguishing options difficult.

Across eight dining establishments, assuming sushi is part of Wynee’s Bistro, every location serves at least one vegan and one vegetarian options.

For example, both The Buck Stop and Grill Master offer vegan and vegetarian burgers, and Happy Place has smoked portabellas to substitute for barbequed meat.

Junior Daria Gill has been a vegetarian her entire life, and she has been generally pleased with the vegetarian options.

“I would say that in general, the vegan and vegetarian options on campus have definitely increased and gotten more diverse, which I’m very appreciative of,” Gill said. “Almost every ‘world tour’ food selection has a vegan or vegetarian option, which was not at all the case my freshman year. However, I do wish it was more clear what was available upon request, because

I never know unless someone else tells me.”

Therefore, the difficulty is not necessarily in lack of options; however, the signage is not fully explanatory.

With the exception of Wynee’s Bistro, as the menus only contain a listing of options, it is unclear which options fit specific dietary restrictions.

At first glance, the avocado soft taco at Healthy Blend Deli could be vegan, vegetarian or even contain meat.

However, as someone who has eaten it, the taco is vegetarian, containing cheese.

Unfortunately, some students have made these discoveries through trial and error.

A couple years back, the VEG club, the campus vegetarian/vegan interest group, created flyers that listed the vegetarian and vegan options at each dining establishment.

However, the majority of these have been taken down in the last few months.

Now, some students struggle to know which foods are safe for them to eat. They can ask workers what is in certain food items, but this can become tedious.

However, Wynee’s Bistro demonstrates an alternative option. Rather than making a list, labels foods as vegetarian or vegan,

amongst other listed diet restrictions.

As menus change, this saves workers the trouble of changing a list while also warning vegans and vegetarians of what is available. Therefore, something of this nature would benefit other establishments.

At Wynee’s Bistro, as the menu is not

“

“I would say that in general, the vegan and vegetarian options on campus have definitely increased and gotten more diverse, which I’m very appreciative of. However, I do wish it was more clear what was available upon request, because I never know unless someone else tells me.”

- Daria Gill, FSC junior

in list form, there is enough space to

write out vegetarian or vegan. With other locations, the menu is a list.

For this reason, a specific symbol could be created for vegan, and one for vegetarian, to placed next to menu items to warn people what is in their food.

Without these labels, certain items can pose as vegetarian when they are not. For example, the rice served at both the Buck Stop and Grill Master is cooked using chicken broth, which is not stated in the signage.

With the simple addition of a symbol system, vegetarians would be aware that this item is not available for them.

According to the FSC website, “Our basic philosophy is that the College’s food service program is focused on you, the student, and your needs and desires.

We are here not only to offer good food and friendly service, but to meet your special requirements for such things as vegetarian meals or special diets.”

While the number of vegetarian and vegan options is indisputable, this is not the major issue in the situation. Clarity in signage would significantly improve the experience of those who follow a vegan or vegetarian diet on FSC’s campus.

9 The Southern MARCH 13, 2020

OPINIONS

SGA discount card should cover alcoholic drinks for students Students 21 and up should be able to drink off campus Emily Fournier Staff Writer The announcement of Florida Southern’s new student discount card comes with questions of what it can actually be used to purchase.

A popular Lakeland eating spot, Cob & Pen, is included on the roster of establishments that will accept the card. However, when SGA negotiated the discount card, they stipulated that it wouldn’t cover purchases of alcohol.

Many students that frequent Cob & Pen do so to drink. The restaurant describes itself as “a gathering place for all to enjoy, experience, and educate themselves in the arts of craft, boutique wine, fine food, and keeping good company.”

Florida Southern College has a “dry campus” policy, meaning that students can not “Possess, consume, dispense, or [be] in the presence of alcoholic beverages on campus,” according to section four of the Student Handbook for the 2019 to 2020 school year.

While students are not allowed to own or consume alcohol on campus, that does not mean that students of age should not be allowed to drink outside of the school’s boundaries. Allowing students to use the discount card at establishments such as Cob & Pen to purchase alcohol will limit

the amount that is on campus.

“I don’t see a reason why we couldn’t use the student discount card on the alcohol at a participating business if the student is 21 or over and off campus,” senior Hannah Kiester, a regular at Cob & Pen, said. “Especially at a place like Cob & Pen that is a staple of Lakeland and frequented by students.”

Cob & Pen offers students the opportunity to purchase drinks, such as

“

“I don’t see why we couldn’t use the student discount card on the alcohol at a participating business if the student is 21 or over and off campus”

- Hannah Kiester FSC senior their signature cocktails and draft beers in a legal environment, where underage drinking is prohibited.

“The presence of the discount card won’t stop students who are able to buy alcohol, from buying it anyway, so why not let them save a few bucks,” Kiester said.

Coronavirus continues to spread: we need to take care Nathalie Moreno Staff Writer The coronavirus outbreak hit the world hard and fast, and from the looks of things, it has no intention of slowing down, at least not yet. The number of cases in the US has grown rapidly, now clocking in at over 500 cases over 34 states and rising, which is more than half the country.

There is no specification in the area that the virus is affecting, seeing as it has spread to both coasts of the USA, along with the midwest as well. The states with the highest infection count are California with 92 cases and one death, and Washington with 106 cases, 16 of which ended in death for the sick patients.

New York is coming in close with 89 cases and has declared a state of emergency. These numbers are rapidly growing by the hour. Coronavirus’ death rate has reached 3.4 percent, officially deadlier than the seasonal flu, though it doesn’t transmit as easily.

California confirmed its first death due to coronavirus on March 4, making it the first death because of the virus outside of Washington state. This death, along with the outrageously growing number of confirmed cases in California, has led Los Angeles County to also declare a local state of emergency. Other California cities are following suit, including Pasadena and Long Beach.

L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger assured the public that this declaration of the state of emergency is for safety and use of resources only.

“I want to reiterate this is not a

response rooted in panic,” Barger said at a news briefing. “We need every tool at our disposal.”

But what exactly does all this mean for Florida? While New York, California, and Washington’s confirmed coronavirus case count is exceedingly high, Florida is lower on the list, with nine confirmed cases. Two of these cases resulted in death on March 6, making Florida the first state on the east coast to have coronavirus-related deaths.

Five other Florida residents have been diagnosed in other states and are being quarantined there. There is low risk of the virus being community spread, seeing as all the infected patients were traveling internationally.

Florida Southern College is taking all the necessary precautions that they can at this time. All spring break college-related trips were cancelled and their famous Junior Journey trips might be affected as well.

“We have yet to make any decisions regarding the May trips,” Dr. Mary Crowe, Associate Provost of the travel program said last week. “We are watching developments to determine future travel decisions.” On Monday, March 9, the May trips were cancelled.

The coronavirus pandemic is getting worse and more dangerous by the hour.

We owe it to ourselves and those around us to take the necessary precautions and do what we can to try and protect ourselves and those around us.

Editor’s Note: This story is on-going, so the figures and statistics presented will continue to change daily.

Photo courtesy of Creative Commons

Students 21 and up would not be breaking any of the school rules if they are drinking off-campus.

Allowing students to use the student discount card on Cob & Pen alcohol gives 21 and over students a safe place, away from campus, to legally enjoy drinks.

The American Addiction Center states that “Overall, people who are under the legal drinking age, 21 years old, are most likely to binge drink” because it is more

easily accessible to obtain from of-age students hanging around campus.

By using the discount card at an offcampus establishment, like Cob & Pen, less alcohol will be present on campus, and Florida Southern’s policy on alcohol will continue to be abided by 21 and over students.

SOUTHERN The Student Voice of Florida Southern College

Florida Southern College 111 Lake Hollingsworth Dr. Lakeland, Florida 33801 Always on fscsouthern.com 863-680-4456 fscsouthern@gmail.com Editor-in-Chief

Jillian Kurtz

jilliankurtz98@gmail.com

News Editor

Taylor Wilson

whoops.tayy@gmail.com

Features Editor Opinions Editor

Entertainment Editor Sports Editor

Centerspread Editor Advisor

Peter Edgar

peter.edgar30@gmail.com

Abby McHenry

abemchenry@gmail.com

Sophia Gonzalez

sophiamcecc@gmail.com

Sam Odom

Sarah Oulman

samanthaodom2021@gmail.com

Christina DiGregory

Mike Trice

s_oulman@comcast.net

christina.digregory@gmail.com

mtrice@flsouthern.edu

The Southern is published once a month during fall and spring semesters of the academic year at Florida Southern College by students through the Communication Department. Opinions expressed on the opinions pages are not necessarily those of the department, the administration, the Board of Trustees or The Southern editorial board. Written and signed responses to views expressed on these pages, or relevant to other Florida Southern College issues, are encouraged and will be considered for publication. All members of the Florida Southern community — students, staff, faculty, administrators, trustees, alumni and other friends of the college — are invited to voice their opinion in and about The Southern. All material submitted is subject to editing for length, style and taste. All material must be submitted to fscsouthern@gmail.com to be considered. The Southern office is in the Chatlos Building on Johnson Ave.

The Southern MARCH 13, 2020

SPORTS

10

Continued from Page 1- Men’s Michael Arias Mora Staff Writer

Conference Recap The 2020 SSC tournament took place over spring break and saw eight out of eleven teams compete for one trophy. As the regular season champs, the Mocs were the No. 1 seed and earned the right to host all of the conference games in Jenkins Field House.

Their first opponent in the quarterfinals were the Fighting Knights of Lynn University. Lynn (12-15, 8-12) entered the tournament as the No. 8 seed and was looking to get its first win over FSC this season after losing both meetings in the regular season.

The Knights did not play like the No. 8 seed, however, as they jumped out to a double-digit lead on the Mocs towards the end of the first half, after a back and forth start to the game.

At the end of the first half, the Mocs found themselves down 51-35. Yet in the second half, the Mocs roared back and cut the lead to single digits within the first few minutes and took the lead at the halfway point.

The team continued to trade baskets with Lynn until the six minute mark, when a massive FSC run put the Mocs up double digits. The Mocs won by a final score of 97-80 with Jalyn Hinton and Brett Hanson as the stars of the game with 33 and 31 points respectively.

In the semifinals, the Mocs took on the No. 5 seed Embry-Riddle. Embry-Riddle (20-10, 11-9), fresh off a road win in their quarterfinal matchup, was looking to defeat the Mocs for the second time this season, having won the first meeting against FSC back in November.

This game played out very similarly to the Lynn game for the Mocs, as once again the team found itself down double digits in the first half. Embry-Riddle used a barrage of three pointers and dominated the inside to build up a 38-26 lead on the Mocs with 3:25 left to play.

The Mocs fought back briefly but ended up down double digits at the half once again with the Eagles up 42-32. The Mocs used a 7-0 run early in the half to cut the lead in half to 46-41. FSC finally regained the lead 62-61 with just under eight minutes to go, and the game was back and forth the rest of the way.

With under a minute left, Jack Rauch found Hanson for a lay up to make the final score 80-77, as Embry-Riddle missed a three pointer at the buzzer.

The SSC championship game had the Mocs facing arguably their greatest rival Nova Southeastern. The Sharks (23-6, 155) were the only team to defeat the Mocs at home so far this season as they won 111-103 back on Jan. 4.

The game initially began with the Sharks scoring the first six points of the game and jumping out to an 8-3 lead. However, unlike the previous game against the Sharks, the Mocs responded quickly and tied the game up before taking the lead on a Hanson to Hinton alley-oop.

The teams continued to trade baskets as the first half continued with the Mocs keeping the lead under control the entire way. The Mocs had a 54-43 lead over the Sharks at halftime, with Rauch as the star of the first half scoring 20 points. Rodgers was second in scoring at 15.

The second half started slow, but eventually saw the Mocs turn things up again as they increased the lead to 15 points at 68-53 around four minutes into

Basketball wins SSC Championship

the half. The Sharks continued to stay in it as they eventually cut the lead back to nine points.

The game then had a stretch where the lead fluctuated between nine and 12 points. The Sharks made another late run, but the Mocs continued to stay poised and eventually brought the lead back up to ten with 4:31 left on the clock. The closest the Sharks would get would be six points as free throws down the stretch gave the Mocs the SSC title 118-109.

The Mocs had five players score in double-figures to Nova’s three. Rauch lead the Mocs with a career-high 31 points, while Hanson and Rodgers scored 26 and 21 points respectively. Hinton and Brandon Carroll also scored double digits, reaching 14 and 16 points respectively.

“It feels great to win the SSC title,” Rauch said. “This one was more special than last year’s because we got to do it at home in front of all of our fans.”

Mark Matthews scored 42 points for Nova Southeastern to lead them in scoring making this his second 40 point game of the year.

Head Coach Mike Donnelly explained that winning the conference championship at home was uniquely important because of the fan support that the team has received throughout the entire season.

“

“[The conference championship] was everything for us. It’s incredible, this program is [like] none other. In our league, to win our 25th Sunshine State Conference Championship, [I’m] just incredibly proud of our guys.”

- Mike Donnelly, FSC Men’s Basketball Head Coach Hanson echoed similar sentiments as his head coach, calling the SSC championship a “great feeling.”

“This was one of the goals we set at the beginning of the year,” Hanson said. “It feels great to have accomplished it.”

Awards and Honors

After the game, the All-Tournament team was announced. Five out of the six recipients were present for the ceremony, as they were either players from Nova Southeastern or Florida Southern.

The Sharks had two players named to

Photo courtesy of Mikaela Queen / FSC Athletics

FSC men’s basketball team celebrating their 25th Sunshine State Conference Championship win after defeating Nova Southeastern 118-109. the team with Matthews and Nick Smith earning the honors, and the Mocs had three with Rauch, Hinton and Hanson.

The other recipient was Darhius Nunn of Palm Beach Atlantic. Hanson, in addition, was also named Most Valuable Player of the tournament for his performance in all three games.

The MVP trophy was not the only award Hanson won this week. Right before the tournament, Hanson was also named Sunshine State Conference Player of the Year for the 2019-20 season. The senior averaged 22.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.0 steals through the 31 games this season.

He was not the only Moc recognized, however, as Hinton was named Defensive Player of the Year for his efforts this season. Hinton is leading the nation in blocks averaging 3.4 a game and leading the SSC in rebounds during the regular season at 8.9 a game.

Hanson and Hinton were named to the first and second teams respectively for the conference. Coach Donnelly was also recognized as Coach of the Year after helping FSC to a 26-2 record during the regular season.

The Mocs have improved their win total every year under Coach Donnelly since he arrived in 2016, and his coaching has helped the Mocs gain national attention as they are ranked No. 5 overall.

The new additions to the team this year have also been a huge boost for the Mocs this season.

“These guys were coming into a tough spot because we had success last year,” Donnelly said. “But our transfers and our new guys, our freshman, came in and played a huge role for us.”

Photo courtesy of Mikaela Queen / FSC Athletics

Jalyn Hinton dunking in the second half against Nova Southeastern during the SSC championship game on March 8.

Donnelly explains that he’s been most impressed the leadership that the returning players showed by embracing the new additions early on in the season. “[The returners] knew that we needed [the new guys] to play a big role, and luckily its all worked out. These guys have developed great chemistry both on and off the court,” Donnelly said.

Hinton, one of the aforementioned new additions, had known about the team’s success from last season coming into the program and feels honored to be a part of this year’s conference championship.

“It feels great to be able to join a program and have immediate success,” Hinton said. “Preparing for the [NCAA] tournament is serious business because it’s win or go home. We just have to do the same thing we’ve been doing all year by locking in everyday practice and not cheating the process.”

What’s Next

The Mocs now stand 29-2 overall, with a regular season and conference tournament championship to show for their efforts thus far. They will now begin preparation for the NCAA D-II tournament where they are the No. 1 seed in the South Region.

The Mocs will host all three rounds of the region starting on March 14 and ending with the Sweet Sixteen and regional title game on March 17. The winner of the regional championship game will then head to Evansville, Indiana for the 2020 Elite Eight.

“We are focused on taking the NCAA tournament one game at a time because that’s all that we are guaranteed,” Rauch said. “If we do that we have a really good shot at winning the South Region Tournament and making a run at the National Championship this year.”

With the season now in a single elimination format, Donnelly explained that the team’s tough battles in the first two rounds of the tournament will help the team going forward.

“We played a little tight [and with] a little pressure [against Lynn and EmbryRiddle] but after tonight’s win I think the guys are feeling great,” Donnelly said.

“We’re hosting the regional so we have an opportunity to get a bigger title and a bigger trophy. Hopefully the guys will stay hungry, I think they will, [and] we’ll enjoy this, but we have more to get next weekend.”

During the D-II selection show Sunday night, it was revealed that the Mocs will play the Miles College Golden Bears, the winners of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, in round one of the tournament on March 14.

11 The Southern MARCH 13, 2020

Miozzi rediscovers love for baseball at FSC Grayson Skweres Staff Writer Santino Miozzi does his best Dikembe Mutombo impression on a brisk February afternoon in Georgia after throwing out a baserunner in an early season contest against Columbus State. Miozzi wagged his finger while jogging off the field after gunning down the runner and ending the first inning, a big smile plastered across his face.

The finger wag is Mutombo’s trademark.

Miozzi’s smile might as well be his. His teammates describe him as funny and jovial; a ray of sunlight in a sport that can easily become a grind.

“Baseball, to me at least, is about having fun out there,” Miozzi said. “Have fun, laugh, hit in the cages, throw the ball around. It’s fun.”

Miozzi, for a short time, lost sight of how baseball should be fun. Baseball can be a challenging game that wears people down, but it’s the challenges that the game presents that shaped Miozzi into the baseball player and person he is today.

The Florida Southern catcher has a unique background compared to most collegiate baseball players. He was born and raised in Venezuela, living there until he was 17-years-old. He did his first two years of high school at a baseball academy in Maracay, the same town that produced stars like Miguel Cabrera and José Altuve.

Miozzi finished high school in Orlando, Florida, where his family moved to leave the tumultuous South American country.

Baseball was instrumental in helping Miozzi adjust to America. He moved to the U.S. barely knowing any English, and the natural extrovert spent hours at the ballpark talking to people and learning.

“

“It bothered me that I would be next to someone, and I couldn’t communicate with them. So I would embarrass myself, I guess, and just say whatever came to my head.”

- Santino Miozzi, FSC senior It was a long way from his native Venezuela. Miozzi, 22, started playing baseball at the age of four. He said he didn’t really like it at first, and neither did his mother, who was raised in Italy and had a liking for soccer instead.

However, in 2003, the Florida Marlins,

SPORTS

UPCOMING GAMES Men’s Basketball 03.14 vs. Miles 03.15 - TBA 03.17 - TBA

Women’s Basketball 03.14 vs. Union 03.15 - TBA 03.17 - TBA Photo courtesy of Mikaela Queen / FSC Athletics

Florida Southern senior Santino Miozzi plays against Columbus State at the Burger King Stadium in Columbus, Georgia on March 7. led by Maracay-born Miguel Cabrera, won the World Series. Miozzi calls Cabrera his first role model, an example for kids in Venezuela.

“The kids [in Venezuela] see baseball as a way out. I didn’t see it that way, because my parents didn’t have that problem, but the kids you play with saw it that way. You just aspire to be a big leaguer,” Miozzi said.

Miozzi reflected fondly on the memories he has of baseball as a child.

“I remember being at home with my dad. He introduced me to the game. We would play in our apartment and the bases would be the walls and he introduced me to hitting and throwing, but I always loved throwing,” he said.

Miozzi found his current day position at the age of 7. He went to play, and his team didn’t have a catcher, so he tried.

“I sucked,” he said with a chuckle, “but the coach said he thought I could be good.”

Miozzi began to practice catching, and it was the beginning of an obsession. By the time he was 15, he was playing in the baseball academies in Venezuela, where he was playing with and against guys that were being signed by MLB franchises for millions of dollars on seemingly a daily basis. Those that weren’t signed for millions still signed for a couple thousand here and there.

Miozzi had a 1.8 pop time, an elite number for a catcher of any age, much less a 15-year-old. Miozzi’s peers needed baseball to escape Venezuela, but he didn’t. He moved to Orlando his junior year of high school.

Miozzi originally scoffed at the idea of college. He had been surrounded by professional quality talent for most of his amateur career, but high school travel ball opened his eyes to the perks of being a

Photo courtesy of Andrew Pawling / FSC Athletics

Santino in action against Lincoln Memorial at Rodda Stadium at Henley Field on Feb. 14.

collegiate athlete.

He committed to Florida Southwestern, a junior college in Fort Lauderdale. Junior colleges are popular options in college baseball because players are still eligible for the MLB draft each year, whereas players that commit to NCAA D1, D2, or D3 schools must play at least three years before becoming draft eligible, barring a couple of exceptions.

Miozzi started both years at Florida Southwestern, playing through injury and poor offensive performance as a freshman.

As a sophomore, his hitting improved immensely, and it caught the eye of the University of Florida, which would become Miozzi’s new home.

Miozzi committed to what was seemingly a dream school. While the treatment was first class, baseball was also hard work. Miozzi lost touch with having fun as the sport felt increasingly like a job.

He found his way out of favor with the coaching staff, and eventually, out of the lineup.

It was a gut punch. A lifetime of work had gone into getting him to this point, and he couldn’t do the one thing he loved above all else: play baseball.

He wouldn’t watch just that game against Miami from the bench, but he would watch the rest of the games from there too. He quickly decided that the University of Florida wasn’t for him.

Miozzi describes himself as a technology nerd, and he used his free time on researching technology, engineering and more. He says that he wants to go into either engineering or IT after baseball, and he’s not sure he would’ve known about these interests had he not gone through the struggles he did at UF. The player left what many would call a dream program and transferred to D2 Florida Southern, his third school in as many years.

College summer ball in the Northwoods League helped Miozzi rediscover the fun of baseball, and the environment at Florida Southern has let the fun flourish.

“Baseball has taught me the importance of self-discipline, hard work, and time management,” Miozzi said. “I show up a couple of hours before practice if I can. That’s self-discipline. It’s about focusing on getting better every day. That is something that will help me outside of baseball too.”

Miozzi doesn’t know if pro ball is in his future; he’s focused on the moment and having fun.

He knows that whether it’s professional baseball, a career in engineering or IT he’s prepared because of the time he’s spent in baseball.

Men’s Tennis 03.13 vs. Northwood 03.14 vs. Auburn Montgomery 03.19 vs. Saint Leo 03.24 vs. North Georgia 03.25 vs. Eckerd

Women’s Tennis 03.13 vs. Augustana 03.18 vs. Saint Leo 03.20 vs. West Virginia St. 03.24 vs. North Georgia 03.25 vs. Eckerd

Softball 03.13 vs. Eckerd 03.14 vs. Eckerd* 03.17 vs. St. Michael’s* 03.19 vs. West Georgia* 03.20 vs. Lynn

Baseball 03.13 vs. Montevallo 03.14 vs. Montevallo 03.15 vs. Montevallo 03.20 vs. Eckerd 03.21 vs. Eckerd* 03.27 vs. Florida Tech

Men’s Lacrosse 03.14 vs. Chestnut Hill 03.21 vs. Palm Beach Atlantic 03.28 vs. Embry-Riddle 04.01 vs. Florida Tech

Women’s Lacrosse 03.14 vs. Mercy 03.21 vs. Florida Tech 03.24 vs. Saint Leo 03.28 vs. Palm Beach Atlantic 04.01 vs. Embry-Riddle * designates double header games For additional game information, visit fscmocs.com

The Southern MARCH 13, 2020

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