October 7, 2022 - The Southern e-Edition

THE SOUTHERN

Student Voice of Florida

Students impacted by Hurricane Ian, Fiona

HLSC students grieve impacts of Fiona

By Nathalie Moreno Co-Editor-in-Chief

For 11 days, from Sept. 13 to Sept. 24, Hurricane Fiona aggressively hit Puerto Rico and worsened the massive destruction caused by Hurricane Maria.

Puerto Rico is no stranger to hurricane destruction after falling victim to the deadly currents of Hurricane Maria, a category 4 storm, just fve years ago in 2017. This time, Hurricane Fiona made landfall on the island on Sept. 18, exactly 33 years after Hurricane Hugo devastated the land and two days before the fve year anniversary of Maria.

Maria left the island reeling with over 3,000 deaths, a damaged power grid that left millions in the dark for months and other collateral damage, some more irreparable than others. The island was still healing from one hurricane when they were struck by another.

Hurricane Fiona reached Puerto Rico as a category 1 storm, but because the island is still recovering from the last hurricane, it took out the power, destroyed multiple homes and injured citizens nonetheless. Ironically, a bridge that was built in response to Maria in order to improve upon the island’s defenses against natural disasters was destroyed as well.

Hurricane Ian strikes southwest

By Salvatore Ambrosino Southern editor

Florida Southern College students residing in southwest Florida navigated fooded highways and debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian when returning to campus.

On Sept. 29, the category 4 storm made landfall near Fort Myers, battering the southwest coast of Florida with wind gusts clocked at 155 mph, causing catastrophic storm surges, fooding and power outages lasting days after the storm.

Sophomore Tian Ho lives in Englewood, where the eyewall of the hurricane barrelled for 6 hours, tearing historic buildings to the ground. Houses are collapsed or are completely missing, Ho describes.

“Leaving the area, it was really unrecognizable,” Ho said. “It’s an older town—a lot of legacy buildings. A lot of those are completely gone, especially the mobile homes. Gone or large parts of them ripped off, some were completely in the canals.”

Ho lost power at around 3 p.m. on the day the Hurricane made landfall. He lost cellular service and internet access soon after. He remained without power or a means of communication for four days, unsure of when he should return to campus, unable to receive messages sent by the college or keep up on the news of his area.

Ho says Hurricane Ian is the worst storm he’s lived through.

“We weren’t expecting to have that bad of a storm,” Ho said. “And then I’m sitting in the eyewall for six hours. There were houses that were completely gone, collapsed in on themselves.”

Freshman Ryan Larsh notes the smell of seaspray and mold the morning after the storm in Naples, a city 43 miles south of Fort Myers where the storm made landfall,

“When you go down the streets of Naples right now, on both sides there’s 5-ft of stuff on the street,” Larsh said.

Many piled their wreckage on streets into mounds of water-logged furniture and shot drywall torn from the inside of homes shattered by the storm.

“Every single house, you’ll see people with their garages open, everything from their house outside, cut up and being

Wellness Center Celebration

The Wellness Center celebrated its 25 anniversary with the student body.

thrown away.” freshman and fellow Naples resident Kaiden Krishna said. “It destroyed everything. The foors, the drywall, it’s shot. It’s heartbreaking because everything they had pretty much had to be thrown away. Whether it’s furniture, carpet, tools — anything really.”

Over the last few days, Krishna has been helping his neighbors clean out their houses.

Flooded-out cars are scattered on the streets of Naples. Boats are fipped upside down in the road, “in total chaos,” Krishna says.

“People with their car hoods open trying to get them started. Everybody’s cars are completely toast,” Krishna said. “We couldn’t start them.”

Infrastructural damage is projected to cost the state billions of dollars in repairs and is expected to disrupt vehicle traffc across the state for weeks to come.

“A really big landmark in Naples is the Naples Pier,” Krishna said. “It’s completely devastated.”

During the storm, communications in southwest and central Florida deteriorated.

The impact extends far beyond the borders of Puerto Rico alone — even here on Florida Southern’s campus. Members of the Hispanic/ Latinx Student Coalition have felt the effects of the hurricane especially, because of their ethnicity and their being located in Puerto Rico.

“When I frst heard about the hurricane, I felt worried for my family but at the same time I knew they would be okay,” student Gabi Lopez said. “I knew we had been through worse and had dealt with it in a calm manner so knowing that this hurricane was a lower category than [Hurricane Maria] defnitely helped.”

HLSC member Jessica Valdés also commented, saying she was heartbroken to hear about the hurricane, especially for PR, because it’s “as if they can’t catch a break.”

Both Coalition members feel as if there can always be more awareness, especially in the US.

“I feel like people try and bring out awareness as much as possible yet not much is done,” Lopez said. “A lot of people are still suffering loss from Hurricane Maria and adding this one on top of it really does not help at all.”

Nearly two weeks after the hurricane struck, about 230,000 homes and businesses are still powerless while an estimated 80,000 are without water. Still, with last weekend’s number of those without power sitting at 800,000, the utilities are being restored to the island much quicker than in 2017.

FSC’s Damage from Ian

Multiple trees and sidewalks were uprooted from Ian causing much damage to campus.

CENTER - PAGES 6-7

Dance Company

Little Mermaid Controversy

There has been controversy around Little Mermaid after announcing its lead role.

The late Queen Elizabeth II’s contribution to Lakeland with its gifted swans.

The Lehrer Dance Company is performing at Branscomb Auditorium with FSC’s students.

New York Yankee player

new

single season.

Photo by Salvatore Ambrosino

Multiple trees were uprooted across FSC’s campus which caused only minor damage to the property itself allowing students to return when the debris was cleared. For more photos of the damage, go to pages 6-7.

Wand Making

On Oct. 7, from 5 to 5:30 p.m., the Harry Potter Club will be in Ordway 101 making their own customized wizard wands inspired from the Harry Potter franchise. Materials for the wands and free food will be provided for the occasion, although attendants are encouraged to bring their own materials for the wands.

Soul Talks

The Black Student Union is hosting Soul Talks in the Simmons Center on Oct. 7 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Students are invited to come and talk about Black identity and culture in the United States with free snacks and beverages provided.

Lake Hollingsworth Cleanup

There will be a cleanup around Lake Hollingsworth hosted by FLOSOCO and the FSC Nature Enthusiasts on Oct. 9 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The Nature Enthusiasts are meeting at Florida Southern’s Waterfront Moc Dock where cleaning supplies will be provided.

Indigenous People’s Day

In the Simmons Center, the Black Student Union will be hosting a celebration of Indigenous People’s Day on Oct. 11 from 5 to 6 p.m. To commemorate the lost Indigenous women and children, a banner will be painted in their honor.

Bridges to Peace

The Festival of Fine Arts is hosting Bridges to Peace in Branscomb Auditorium. Directed by Beth Gibbs, the Chambers Singers Choir will be performing on Oct. 11, from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. with free admission for FSC students.

Anniversary celebrated by Wellness Center

Campus-wide student attendance increased to 58% last year

Diego De Jesus News Editor

The Nina B. Hollis Wellness Center celebrated its 25 anniversary on Sept. 20. Students and past employees were invited to partake in a daylong celebration of the Wellness Center and how long it has come as a facility.

The Wellness Center was built in 1997 from a demand from student on campus for a new ftness facility on Florida Southern College’s campus.

Alicia Rossow, the Director of Wellness, who’s worked at the Wellness center for 14 years and has seen the facility grow during her time working there.

“When they originally built it [the Wellness Center], it was kind of more a student hub purpose. When we frst opened the building, it had pool tables, ping pong tables, and couches,” said Rossow. “More of a student hangout, but there was still the ftness room and the gym.”

The Wellness Center expanded itself using yearly surveys from students. They took suggestions on what students on campus thought would be a good addition to the facility, according to Rossow.

“Pre-Covid, I was really thinking of having speeches and kind of making it a more formal thing and then just getting past

the two years of Covid with no restrictions, I just kind of wanted a day of fun rather than a more formal presentation,” Rossow said. “Most students like to just come and go and things like that.”

With roughly 100 students employed at the Wellness Center, it is the largest student employer on campus. It has a heavily involved employee base with a diverse background to help it grow more.

“I think we’ve always kind of been a hub and people have always wanted to come by. We’ve always had plenty of events,” Rossow said. “But I do think that every year it does get a little bit better,

more people come. It does help that the school’s enrollment goes up.”

Jenna Borntreger is a junior who’s worked at the Wellness Center for two years. She shared some insight about the facility’s expansion.

“During our training, the director of athletics told us that we normally have a 50-60% participation rate from the entire school,” Borntreger said. “However, this year we are aiming for closer to 70%,”

25 giveaways were given every hour, starting at 9:30 a.m. along with a raffe. Students received these giveaways once they swiped in at the front desk.

FSC celebrates constitution day with faculty

Jessica Stalter Staff Writer

On Sept. 16, Florida Southern College’s political science students hosted the annual Constitution Day celebration in Joseph-Reynolds Hall. The event is organized and run by students in the freshman class of 2026.

“Planning the event was stressful, but also very rewarding. I believe that it is important for students to get the practice of planning events shortly after arriving to campus, as diffcult as it may be,” freshman Sophie Grace Posick said. “It helps you become acquainted with campus, and also appreciate all of the work that goes on behind the scenes to make everything happen.”

The event was held to better understand and appreciate the United States Constitution.

“It is really important to promote a greater understanding of the Constitution and I think we helped with that,” Posick said. “Looking back to the founding of our country and the rights that we have as citizens on this country is vitally important to understand where we are at today.”

The event opened with the on-campus a cappella group the Mocapellas performing the national anthem. Following this was a speech from FSC President Anne Kerr and a Constitution themed Kahoot competition.

Organized by the 2026 freshman class, speakers were invited to the JosephReynolds Hall to celebrate the Constitution.

has changed in the digital age and the importance of the Constitution, stating “the Constitution is not a technicality.”

Child of the Sun Night of Music

Hosted by the Festival of Fine Arts, the FSC Symphony Band and Jazz Ensemble will be performing in Branscomb Auditorium on Oct. 13, from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. FSC students have free admissions access to the concert.

The frst speaker was Florida Southern’s own professor and former Florida Supreme Court Justice R. Fred Lewis. He spoke about the Constitution, saying “we have to live it every day, and we have to think about it.”

“I always enjoy listening to Justice Lewis in particular,” sophomore and FSC’s College Democrats President Solana Millik said. “Every year, whenever I talk to him, his speeches just really always evoke a lot of emotions, and it’s amazing.”

After the Mocapellas’ performance of “Dancing Queen” by Abba, Assistant Public Defender Blair Allen spoke about the role of public defenders within the American legal system, the Bill of Rights with emphasis on how the concept of search and seizure

After a short break, the fnal two speakers, State Attorney Brian Haas and Assistant Public Defender Peter Mills, took the stage to discuss the importance of the Constitution and the jury system for freedom of speech. Elected State Attorney for Polk, Highland, and Hardy counties, Haas urged his listeners to “support, protect, and defend” the Constitution as part of the “We the people” referenced in its opening.

“It was a very eye opening event,” Robinson said. “I think it’s really important to hold these educational events on campus because they not only teach us things, but we learn to appreciate how far we’ve come as a society.

Sure it’s rocky and our past is far from perfect, but it makes you think where we would truly be without the

constitution and the men and women who have fought for it.”

Between these fnal speeches, attendees had the opportunity to participate in a constitutional true or false game, testing their knowledge on the speakers, the Constitution and the government. At the close of the event, students had a fnal opportunity to socialize.

“It’s important that we have these kinds of events so that young people have an opportunity to be involved in things about the Constitution,” Justice Lewis said. “Those who are in classes... certainly they’re aware of what’s going on, we teach it every day. But to have a day, a special day where it’s fun, where we have food and music, and to come together and to understand, it’s a way of life, and the Constitution is signifcantly part of our life.”

Photo by Jessica Stalter

Photo Courtesy of the Wellness Center

The original donors who funded the construction of the Wellness Center were given a banner out of appreciation.

Remembering the Queen’s legacy left behind in Lakeland

Jameson Champion Co-Editor in-Chief

Many consider one of the most prominent fxtures of the City of Lakeland to be its famous swans that live on Lake Morton. The graceful birds are prominently featured across the city; they’ve become the city’s mascot in signs, marketing and even the themed statues placed near local businesses.

The swans are known by many to be beloved occupants of the city. Lakeland goes through extensive measures taking care of the birds, spending $10,000 a year on feeding and other costs. The city also hosts annual “Swan Roundups” where they capture all the birds to perform yearly medical check-ups. The event in 2020 also included a sale of pairs of swans, done occasionally by the city to ensure that they do not overpopulate their home on Lake Morton.

Despite their popularity, many may not know how they tie Lakeland to the recently deceased Queen Elizabeth II of England, and how it was her contribution that gave Lakeland a major piece of its identity.

According to the City of Lakeland, Lakeland’s frst swans were not from the queen, but rather from seasonal residents who brought them as exotic pets. By 1926, swans adorned every lake in Lakeland, which established a Swan Department to oversee them.

The swans were part of Lakeland for almost 30 years until they died out in 1954. Attacks from local wildlife like alligators and dogs, as well as interactions with humans, meant that the birds were wiped from Lakeland’s lakes. What was once an attraction at nearly every lake in the city was all but gone.

This is where the queen came into play. A former citizen of Lakeland, then living in England, brought the matter to Queen Elizabeth II to bring swans back to Lakeland. The Queen offered Lakeland a pair of royal mute swans that swam along the Thames River, so long as the city could pay the $300 for the handling and shipping of the birds.

After a rocky journey that included a nearly failed fundraiser and an oil barge sinking and contaminating the birds at the outset of their travels, the birds fnally arrived in Lakeland. After three years without its graceful birds, Lakeland had a male and female pair foating on Lake Morton in 1957. Disaster struck when the city realized the birds’ wings had not been clipped which left the male to fee the female’s company soon after their arrival. Despite it being recovered it died shortly thereafter in an accident.

The death of her too-curious partner left the widow to pick from a local swannery a commoner who she could mate with. This

new partner was a much more successful pairing, producing the baby swans that many of Lakeland’s current swans descend from today.

While the Queen had celebrated her 70year Platinum Jubilee in February of this year, Lakeland’s swans got to hold their own 65-year Sapphire Jubilee in the same month.

Alongside the mute swans provided by Queen Elizabeth II, Lake Morton’s swan population has also been diversifed to include three other species.

“The swan population is made up of four species: Australian Black Swans, White Mutes, South American BlackNecked Swans and White Coscoroba Swans,” Lakeland Communications Director Kevin Cook said in a 2016 interview with The Southern.

Since their arrival, the swans have become Lakeland’s own sort of royalty and mascot of sorts. An iconic feature of the city are the statues that adorn local businesses. According to Lakeland’s

Public Library, the statues, each painted with a unique art style, were originally part of a 2002 art program called ‘Swansation’ where these statues were displayed before being auctioned off.

The proceeds from that auction went to Explorations V, a museum located in the downtown area, alongside other charities. Many of these statues are still on display today, such as in front of the Terrace Hotel on Main Street, the RIS radiology clinic on Massachusetts Avenue and the First United Methodist Church located on Lake Morton.

Other locations in which the birds have become mascots include Lakeland’s logo. According to the Lakeland Ledger, Lakeland’s original logo was of a ‘citrus globe’ due to Lakeland’s burgeoning citrus industry in the mid-1900s. However, with the decline of citrus in Lakeland, a new look was needed.

“In 2001, we went to a swan logo,” Cook said in a 2014 interview with the Lakeland Ledger. “Lakeland’s synonymous with the swans, and they basically are like our mascot. So in 2001, we developed the swan logo. Very basic, and truthfully, it’s clip art.”

In 2014 the self-described ‘clip art’ logo received a rework to the one on Lakeland’s iconography today. A sixcolored, minimalist-style swan was implemented in October 2014, meant to represent Lakeland’s diverse community and values.

All of this leads to Sept. 9, when a wreath was placed in city hall, honoring the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. Without her contribution to the mute swans that Lakeland is known for, the city would not have the unique identity it’s known for today.

Sophomore swims deep with Sharklife Conservancy divers

Diego De Jesus Southern Editor

At 6:30 a.m., sophomore Molly Kennedy woke up getting ready for another launch day, bracing for the hour long walk toward Launch Beach.

She was joined by her mentors, Candice and Romain, who advised interns academically on the projects they were assigned. They taught them the effects diving has on the body.

“Once you hit about 10 meters, your lungs sort of half in size,” said Kennedy. “So your organs are squishing under the pressure. So it’s about being able to control your parasympathetic nervous system response.”

Launch Beach was the only place where researchers, scuba divers and fishermen had access to the ocean. Sometimes they would hook the boat to a tractor called the G-Wagon, and it would be a 15 minute ride.

Other days, where she was walking along the cow-ridden dirt road, passerby coming to and from the beach would give her rides along the way.

Kennedy was in Sodwana, a town on South Africa’s eastern coast for an internship studying an assortment of sharks along the coastline. No one but her and her research team were permitted to swim among the wildlife.

The portion of blue was untouched by humanity.

There was an assortment of sharks like ragged tooth sharks, tiger sharks and the human’s whaler sharks– a species that

was only discovered in 2014.

While surveying sharks, her team was avoiding blue bottle and portuguese man o’ war jellyfish. blue dragon sea slugs would cluster on the surface to where they were blue patches on the sediment.

On some days, she was diving alone and heard the ominous echoes of whale calls submerged in blue.

From the boat, Kennedy could see everything they were about to survey.

For now, they were surveying Sanctuary, the farthest point from the shore.

On days when they were surveying

at Sanctuary, diving usually lasted 7 to 10 hours, including launching from and landing back at the beach.

Poachers would occasionally roam the area looking for game.

The sun would set at 4 p.m.. With only four hours of power a day, they lit candles in empty bottles during the night and water wasn’t readily available.

Kennedy would frequently visit restaurants – like Goonies– across the street from her residence in town that had generators and were the only sources of power in Sodwana.

Her stay was originally supposed to only be a month, but she stayed for 2 months after enjoying the unique experience.

“I ended up extending to 2 months while I was in Africa, so I was really enjoying myself,” Kennedy said. “I thought ‘well, I can fit another month in,’ so I changed my flight and stayed an extra month.”

She was interning with Sharklife Conservancy– an organization whose cause is to prevent shark exploitation and conduct noninvasive research in Sodwana Bay.

They would test to see where sharks prefered to dwell, whether it be in varying sediments like sand or reef, as well as where humans lived versus untouched regions.

There were many like her there, passionate interns from many corners of the world who landed in Cape Town.

Sodwana is a molecule compared to the size of Africa, but it is densely populated with people of ages 18-30 from across the globe.

“Everyone is kind of young and fguring out what they wanted to do,” said Kennedy.

“So you have people working on Masters’ theses or there are some people who are just [in Sodwana] cause they’re interested in diving and are interested in sharks.”

Sometimes, before she dove into the water to conduct research, she would see the wide array of colors that the reefs exuded depending on the area they were surveying. How long they pushed against the waves to see each area.

Photo courtesy of Caroline Bryant

A swan swimming with other wildlife at Lake Morton

Photo courtesy of Molly Kennedy

Clockwise from top left: Kennedy scuba diving at Launch Beach; a Butterfy fsh; A Ragged Tooth Shark; A school of fsh swimming.

Lakeland shop owner unites community through books

Dylan Olive Southern Editor

In July 2021, Christina and Paul Needham achieved their dream of opening an independent coffeeshop and bookstore in downtown Lakeland: Pressed Books & Coffee - leaving a long-lasting impact on the Lakeland community ever since.

The idea behind Pressed started a few years ago with a “maybe I’ll do that someday” mindset. Christina Needham spent the last decade working as a music educator, but she began gravitating towards

The grand opening for Pressed Books & Coffee was July 29, 2021, with the vision of using books to engage with the community. They also wanted a space where people would want to come and stay; “perhaps read, create, study and even work remotely, this is when the combination of ‘books and coffee’ came to be,” Christina Needham said.

“The love of books has been passed down to us through both of our families,” Needham said. “In our personal lives, books have been the starting point of self-discovery, growth, and great conversations.”

First walking into Pressed is like walking into any regular bookstore. There are books all over the place on bookshelves and tables. But as you keep walking, it turns into a regular modern-day coffeeshop full of workspaces, relaxing chairs and couches for people to sit.

“The environment is what sets it apart,” sophomore James Simpson said. “It’s more laid back and more lowkey. It’s different than going to Black and Brew or Mitchell’s.”

encourages people to read while they sip, which just adds to the really nice atmosphere,” sophomore Hannah Noll said. “I also love that there’s a used book section, too, as well as locally-made artwork you can purchase.”

The book selection is not that of the extent of a full-blown bookstore, but there is still a large array of books to choose from in various genres. There are children’s books, current best-sellers from popular authors like Colleen Hoover and classics like “The Great Gatsby.” There are books from local authors and a used book section that serves as a cheaper option for purchasing books.

Needham wishes to triple the number of books Pressed has on the shelves. She listens to her customers to see what kind of books they are wanting to see, as well as researching new releases and listening to podcasts to see what would be best to offer. Taking time to visit other indie bookstores also helps to see what works for them.

the public. Needham hopes these events bring the community together, support local artists and create a safe and pleasant environment for Lakeland.

“I love Pressed– every time I’ve gone in, the coffee has been great, the atmosphere has been calming, and the staff has been super nice, including the owner,” Noll said.

In regards to expanding Pressed outside of Lakeland due to its success over the past year, Needham is still unsure about that idea.

“I have so many things I still want to accomplish for the business here in Lakeland,” Needham said.

the idea again amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. She and her husband revisited the possibility of opening their own bookstore and coffeeshop, and everything started to become a reality in spring 2021.

The idea of a bookstore and a coffee shop is what differentiates Pressed from other local coffeeshops in the area because it attracts both coffee and book lovers. Entering Pressed, you will fnd all sorts of people of varying ages enjoying coffee, reading a book or working on their laptops.

“It’s such a unique idea to combine a coffeeshop and bookstore, and it

For coffee, the menu is extensive with regular coffee, lattes, matcha, tea, pastries and more. Apart from books and coffee, there is even a small area where you can buy art from local artists, ranging from little canvas paintings to novelty knickknacks.

Pressed hosts many different programs, such as book-signings with local authors, story-times with guest readers, book clubs, book-release parties, live music and so many more events that are open to

The Deskovic Foundation reads letters sent from prison

Salvatore Ambrosino Southern Editor

A 69-year-old woman pleads to be let out of prison in a letter addressed to Florida Southern College.

“To whom it may concern,” the letter reads. “Please help me out I will be 70 this year and in 2008 I was on the medication Adderall, an amphetamine, and only weighed 87 lbs.”

The woman says she’s afraid she’ll die in prison for a crime she committed while on pharmaceutical medication.

“I went into an amphetamine psychosis and stabbed my 15-year-old son,” the letter reads. “He’s perfectly alive.”

Florida Southern College’s Deskovic Foundation is the only college chapter in the country shuffling through stacks of paper mail sent from incarcerated individuals in Florida prisons seeking a claim to their innocence—and a chance at freedom.

It’s chapter of the foundation founded by Jeffrey Deskovic, a New Yorker whose infamous wrongful conviction led to his 15 year imprisonment for the brutalization and murder of his classmate.

The then 16-year-old Deskovic was driven to a far-off location and interrogated by detectives and police without his parents for 6 hours. During this he gave a false confession, being told that DNA evidence would clear him as a suspect. In 1990, the jury clung to his confession as strong evidence and he was convicted for the killing and sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.

It wasn’t until January 2006, 16 years after his conviction, that the Innocence Project, an organization dedicated to restoring freedom to the wrongfully

convicted, took up Deskovic’s case. The organization used DNA technology to find that the samples connected to the case matched that of an alreadyconvicted murderer. Deskovic was exonerated and released from prison in September of that year.

“The Florida Southern chapter of the Deskovic Foundation is ramping up,” Deskovic said. “It’s ramping up for us to do policy work in Florida, aimed at preventing wrongful convictions. It’s also ramping up to work on wrongful conviction cases.”

Deskovic started the Foundation in 2011, after he was compensated for his wrongful conviction.

What separates the Deskovic Foundation from other organizations like the Innocence Project, the organization that freed Deskovic, is that the foundation does not deal exclusively with cases involving faulty or DNA evidence.

“They were not willing to go beyond doing DNA cases,” Deskovic said. “I felt strongly that if someone’s innocent

they can be proven innocent, why should it be limited only to DNA cases?”

Associate Psychology Professor Dr. Deah Quinlivan met Deskovic at John Jay College of Criminal Justice during a conference shortly after his exoneration. They’ve been close friends ever since, even spending some holidays together.

The two had the idea for a Floridian chapter of the foundation for a while before Deskovic met some of the students.

Deskovic said, “It just made sense.”

Then, Deskovic sent Quinlivan a box of letters from Florida prisons.

“The first way it started was Jeff sent me a huge box of things he got from Florida,” Quinlivan said.

Though the chapter is just starting out, they have received piles of handscrawled letters from people in Florida prisons claiming their innocence between the bars of lined paper.

“I can relate because I used to do it,” Deskovic said. “The letters mean a lot because I know that it gives people hope. It all starts with letters.”

Members of the chapter spend hours nearly every day sorting through applicant’s court documents—drug tests, urine samples, fngerprints analysis and drawings of bodies on graph paper for mortuary reports. Anything that might be crucial to proving someone’s innocence.

Though they are without the resources to help people incarcerated outside the state of Florida, they receive letters from prisoners addressed from other states across the U.S. A desk inside Quinlivan’s office is piled with mailing envelopes and vanilla folders.

Total, the chapter has received “about 80 applicants.” Most of the applicants hear about the foundation by word-ofmouth inside prisons.

“This is a normal week,” Quinlivan said. “People told people.”

The chapter examines two factors of every case. They examine the innocence claim and decide whether or not they believe it. Then they examine the viability of the case, the strength of the evidence for the innocence claim.

Two interns shuffle through the letters in Quinlivan’s dark, windowless office, whiting out sensitive information on a copy of the original letter to be stored in a filing cabinet with the rest of the trial information they’ve collected from the cases they work. This documentation is crucial to the process of organizing a plausible case for freeing each applicant.

“We are the only school with undergrads in this program,” intern and psychology major Adelyn Zeff said. “It’s really important that we do our work so we don’t look like the little 18-year-olds.”

This story continues

Photo courtesy of Salvatore Ambrosino

A prison letter provided by the Deskovic Foundation.

Photo courtesy of Dylan Olive Inside of Pressed Books & Coffee

“

“

... it encourages people to read while they sip, which just adds to the really nice atmosphere.

-Hannah Noll FSC sophomore

Country Star Loretta Lynn Dies

On Oct. 4, famous country musician Loretta Lynn died at age 90. Famous for songs like “Coal Miners Daughter” and the controversial hit “The Pill”, she made huge waves in the country music scene over her career.

For more coverage, go to page 10.

Students prepare for FSC Theatre’s Hamlet

Nicole Richmond Staff Writer

The Florida Southern’s Theater program is kickstarting the year with its frst performance of the semester: Hamlet. This play premiered at the Buckner theater Oct. 6. This show was originally supposed to premiere on Sept. 30 but had to be cancelled as a result of Hurricane Ian.

Hamlet is about the dead King of Denmark, appearing to Hamlet, his son. He urges Hamlet to avenge his untimely death by killing the new king, his brother and Hamlet’s uncle. After the new king hears about the plot Hamlet has devised to kill him, he devises his own plan to kill Hamlet. There is drama, a duel, love, death, comedy and tragedy surrounding the characters in this play.

Disney’s ‘Hocus Pocus 2’

The long-awaited sequel to the 1993 Halloween flm has fnally arrived. This flm follows the return of the three wicked Sanderson sisters for more “comedic mayhem” according to its descripton. It has been 29 years since the Black Flame Candle has been lit and brought back the wiches, and they are out for revenge. Three high-school students must come together to stop them and the havoc before dawn on “All Hallow’s Eve.”

Disney’s “Andor”

From the creators of “Rouge One” This show takes place within the Star Wars universe and follows the story of Cassian Andor and his time in the rebellion. The show premiers new episodes weekly and displays Andor’s struggles in the rebellion that lead him on the path into becoming a rebel hero.

Netfix’s ‘The Empress’

Once again Netfix has created a period-piece drama to captivate audiences. This show follows the Viennese court, and the rebellious character of Elisabeth as she falls for Emperor Franz and becomes his bride. Facing pushback from those around her, she strives to be closer and help the people of her country.

While this play may not sound familiar unless you read it in your high school English class, there is a pretty famous line that you might recognize: “To be or not to be, that is the question.”

I did not even realize I knew what this play was until I heard that line while sitting in on one of the rehearsals. The rehearsal was incredibly interesting to watch and observe the intricacies that occur in the week leading up to the big show.

The rehearsal I attended is known as a “dry run” in which the actors do their best to be “off-book” and see how well their memory is of the lines. Some props are used, but none of the costumes are worn and it is still pretty casual. If an actor forgets a line, they are to shout “line” and someone off stage will read a few words to jog their memory. It was impressive to see how the actors would shout “line” in tone with the scene. For example, if someone was angry in a scene and they forgot their line, they would angrily shout “LINE” as to not break the moment and stay in character.

Actors perforimg a “dry-run” during the rehersal process.

It was also interesting to see how the stage was utilized as there are 3 levels to it. There is the base of the stage in which certain characters would be seen conversing, a frst level to the stage, and some stairs leading up to a second story. Every aspect of the theater is involved, as Hamlet even has lines in the audience and shouts to the characters on the main stage. Something else to note is how there is constantly someone on the stage. When a scene between two characters is over, more people immediately walk on the stage as those characters exit.

After the cast ran through the full show, the director, Paul Bawek, gave the cast some notes and they re-ran certain scenes. This allows for constructive criticism to occur and things to be fxed for the show this upcoming weekend.

After the rehearsal, I was able to interview Zachary Covell who is a Senior B.F.A. Theater Performance Major. He is playing the lead of Hamlet and was able to answer some of the questions I had: The Southern: Is there anything you want people to know before seeing this play?

Covell: Have an understanding of the story before you come because it’s so much. If you don’t know the story it becomes increasingly diffcult to understand. We all put in weeks of research into our lines and stuff, but if you’re in the audience, you don’t get that.

The Southern: How long have you all been rehearsing this for?

Covell: We started the beginning of the second week of school. From beginning to end we usually have four weeks and four days. So, a lot to learn in a really short amount of time.

The Southern: What does this character mean to you?

Covell: The character means to me the love of my father. Everything [Hamlet] feels and does is through the lens of the love of his dad. When he grieves his death in the beginning of the show he is told his grief is “unmanly” yet he sticks it out and avenges his father.

The Southern: What has been the biggest struggle you have had to overcome for this role?

Covell: The biggest struggle, aside from getting past memorizing the lines, is that Hamlet is a thinker. Being able to think and fnd out these thoughts for the frst time every night is very hard. His thoughts often slow down or speed up his quest, and he wants to remain a moral person but also a person who won’t be stopped from getting his revenge. There is always a struggle within Hamlet. While his line, “To be or not to be” is most famous, many of his lines struggle with the dichotomy of his situation.

The premiere of Hamlet will be Oct. 6 with performances being held throughout the weekend, with the fnal matinee on Oct.9 at 2:30 p.m. Typically the Theatre department has shows for two weekends, due to hurricane Ian the frst set of shows were canceled and are not planned to be rescheduled.

FSC hosts Hispanic Heritage Celebration

Nicole Richmond Staff Writer

In the last edition of The Southern, I wrote a preview leading up to this first concert in the Festival of Fine Arts Series. When I went to the concert on Sept. 19, some unexpected changes had occured. Despite the setbacks that COVID-19 caused, this was still an amazing concert and a great start to the Festival of Fine Arts.

Dr. Martha Placeras, director of the music department here at FSC, caught

COVID-19 and was not feeling up to performing at the concert.

At a typical Florida Southern Fine Arts event, everyone receives a program that lists who will be performing and what is being performed, however, this was not the case for this concert. Everyone was a little confused until Professor Thomsen, Director of the Festival of Fine Arts stated, “Due to one of the members [Placeras] of the quartet falling ill…the program has changed signifcantly. That is why there is no printed program.”

This meant that the others who were

scheduled to perform would have to improvise a bit. Certain songs that were to be done as a group were not done, and while the theme of Hispanic Culture was still there, some pieces from other countries were also performed to fll the space of time.

After Thomsen’s announcement, the frst group, The Lopez Tabor Duo performed. This duo includes pianist Michelle Tabor, and violin player Alfonso Lopez.

Photo by Nicole Richmond

Photo by Nicole Richmond

Students during the rehersal of the production of Hamlet.

Fallen trees, power outages in the wake of Hurricane Ian at FSC

Salvatore Ambrosino Southern Editor

At Florida Southern College, trees were uprooted—some blocked sidewalks. Branches fell from trees causing various damages to campus, and a glass door was shattered in Honeyman Pavilion. All were caused by the winds of Hurricane Ian that battered Southwest and Central Florida.

Lakeland city offcials are assessing the damage as of Thursday morning. As reported by The Ledger, the city will keep a detailed inventory of debris to send to government offcials to apply for assistance programs for businesses and residents who sustained losses.

On the morning of Sept. 29, an estimated 63,000 in Lakeland were without power. Hurricane Ian made landfall near Fort Myers as a category 4. The storm barreled across the Florida peninsula through the night, gradually losing power and never coming within 60 miles of Lakeland. Despite this, it maintained

wind speeds in Lakeland of over 70 mph.

According to an email sent by the school, Florida Southern College sustained only “minor damage.”

Classes at the College were able to resume on Oct. 3.

Students sheltered

On the morning of Sept. 28, Florida Southern College began sheltering students living in off-campus housing and apartments in

Branscomb Auditorium. Students living in offcampus apartments and houses were mandated to shelter in the auditorium. Community living warned that students caught

A tree cracked in half near Edge Hall, blocking the pathway to Nicholas and Wesley dormitories.

Photo by Salvatore Ambrosino

A tree fallen tree branch into Jenkins dormitory parking lot. Photo by Kathlita Hostetler

staying in those housing assignments would be at risk of suspension.

Students caught leaving the shelter were also at risk of suspension.

“I’ve slept in here for four hurricanes,” said Terry Dennis, Florida Southern’s Vice President of Finance. “If that tells you how safe it is.”

Hurricane Ian would be his ffth hurricane in Branscomb. Dennis spent the night with an estimated 50 students as Hurricane Ian, downgraded to a category 3 storm, continued its projected path north through central Florida.

The storm made landfall early near Fort Myers, with severe hurricane-force winds clocked at 155 mph.

Students who are living in residence halls were allowed to shelter in Branscomb. In the halls of Branscomb Auditorium the walls are lined with mattresses to be moved into the building’s practice rooms where students were bunkered.

“It’s actually nice in here,” student Abby Witzel said. “I think I expected worse because I didn’t know what to expect. There’s plenty of space. It’s better to be down here than in

a dorm.”

Witzel’s sister was at Florida Southern in 2017 when Hurricane Irma struck near the college, which caused students to pack into the auditorium. Her stories of the event discouraged her from sheltering this year.

“I knew it was going to be an option,” Witzel said. “I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go.”

There were board games, and a snackbar with a coffee dispenser.

“They’ve got TVs we can watch movies on,” Witzel said. “Plenty of food.”

“I was very surprised,” FSC

senior Morgan Gregg said.

“Of course FSC usually goes above and beyond, but this is something I haven’t seen.”

Up until the storm stalled in southwest Florida, Polk County remained mostly at the center of the hurricane’s forecasted path north throughout central Florida.

Students were permitted to leave the shelter at 10:30 a.m., Sept. 30, the storm’s eyewall by then nearing its exit out of the peninsula into the Atlantic.

The hurricane made its second landfall later that evening on the coast of South Carolina as a category 1 storm.

The bough of a tree fallen onto the intramural feld fence.

Photo by Kathlita Hostetler

Photo by Kathlita Hostetler Branches damaging the sand volleyball nets in fron of Wynee’s.

Snapped tree in front of Spivey Hall.

Photo by Kathlita Hostetler

A small tree lays in front of the fountain in the courtyard between Allen Spivey and Joseph Reynolds dormitories.

Photo by Salvatore Ambrosino

Jon Lehrer Dance Company performs with FSC student’s

Luci Davis Staff Writer

On Sept. 22, FSC’s dance department partnered with New York based dance company, Jon Lehrer Dance, to participate in a captivating performance.

“It all started 14 years ago at a place called Doctor Philipps High-School in Orlando when the director of their program took a chance on a very young company and brought us in for a residency and performance. From that one residency over the 14 years, the support has grown so much that right now we have been in Florida for fve weeks: performing, teaching countless classes to middle schools, high schools, colleges, and dance studios. This is our third and fnal performance of our tour,” said John Lehrer, the director of the company, in his opening remarks preceding the performance.

The opening number of the performance featured eight FSC dance majors: Chrissy Lewis, Devin Mantei, Sydney Mays, Madison Prasad, Taylor Thompson, Abigail Torres, Kinsey Vaughen, and Susannah Zellem. The piece was titled “Rhapsody” and the

dancers danced to jazz-like music by Guild Keetman and Carl Orff, while wearing sleeveless blazers. Flexed feet, tempo changes and v-formations were seen in this piece.

The preceding pieces were all

ranged from serious contemporary numbers to a comedic piece that highlighted a family of superheroes who through the love affair of their mother gained a new sibling.

The piece following the intermission, titled “Cash or Check” was set in the

1920s, and in that decade the name was used to ask, “Will you kiss me now or later?”

“I really enjoyed the “Cash or Check” piece because it was a really great example of how jazz and modern can be combined,” said sophomore dance major Marie Claire Owens.

Two pieces were seen for the frst time ever that night. “Stand” presented an “Evocative and thrilling solo” according to the show presenter and spotlighted company member, Christiana Cavallo, who danced to music by Regina Spektor. The second world premier piece, “La Follia” was originally set on students from the University of Tampa, something that company director, John Lehrer had never done before since he previously had only set reused pieces on college students.

“My favorite piece was the last number titled “Through the Storm” because I loved the development of the dancers going through the storm and their movements really progressed as time went on,” said Owens.

The company’s next performance will take place back in the home of the company in Buffalo, NY on Oct. 20 and 21 at Burchfeld Penney Art Center.

Student reviews FSC’s Hispanic Heritage Concert

Cont.

The two of them play duets together and accompany each other on their respective instruments. Tabor began their set by saying, “Even though this is a Hispanic program, we’re going to start with the Italian baroque.”

Due to the changes caused by COVID-19, not all pieces could be from Hispanic/Latino culture in order to compensate for Placera’s absence.

Following the Lopez Tabor Duo was Rafael Ramirez who is a concertmaster and performs with the Lakeland Symphony Orchestra. Right before his performance, another unconventional incident occurred; a safety offcer interrupted his intro to report a vehicle with the emergency lights on in the parking lot. While the offcer was doing their job, it was still an unusual occurrence.

Most performers might have forgotten what they were going to say or even struggled to play after a distraction like that, but Ramirez stayed focused and

performed some beautiful pieces. He even made a joke after this interruption saying, “Perfect timing right?”

While he was originally supposed to only be playing on the viola, he began his solo pieces on the mandolin which is a pretty uncommon, but gorgeous instrument. He even mentioned this instrument’s origin as coming to South America with the Germans and Italians.

Preceding this was Dr. Robert Christian Sanchez who is the chorus and orchestra director at Coleman Middle School in Tampa, Florida. “I am very keenly aware that I have some of my students watching on the livestream. To them I say hello, I’ll be looking at that substitute report tomorrow, ”joked Sanchez.

His primary solo instrument was the cello and he played some pretty diffcult pieces from Cuban and Puerto Rican heritage.

After Sanchez the Lopez Tabor Duo came back out to perform a few more pieces and included techniques like “plucking” on the violin. In this

technique, the performer does not use the bow, but instead uses his fnger to pluck specifc strings. At one moment, Lopez was using both the bow and his fngers to pluck and strum the strings on his violin simultaneously which was very impressive.

For the fnale, all performers came back out, Lopez on violin, Tabor on the piano,

Ramirez on the viola, and Sanchez on the cello. The four of them had a wonderful fnish to a rather unconventional concert.

“Our guests are excellent musicians and they were up to the challenge to change the program on such a short notice. That certainly speaks highly about their professionalism and level of musicianship,” Placeras said.

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Photo by Nicole Richmond

FSC’s Hispanic Heritage Concert was part of the Festival of Fine Arts.

First ever POC Southern Takeover headliner combats educational racism

Nathalie Moreno Co-Editor-in-Chief

After the announcement of 3OH!3 and Sage the Gemini being the headlining acts this year at Southern Takeover, students everywhere were beyond hyped, and for good reason.

With the list of previous headliners consisting of artists like Plain White T’s, American Authors, and, most recently, COIN, this year’s headliners, specifcally Sage the Gemini, differs in signifcant ways. The hip hop artist is the frst Black headliner and the frst rapper to headline Southern Takeover. This is also the frst time in Southern Takeover history that there have been co-headliners. The invitation of a rapper, let alone

a Black rapper, to perform on Florida Southern grounds is a testament to just how much times have changed since the opening of the college in 1852.

Florida Southern opened as a Methodist conservative private school, so one can imagine what its frst thousands of students looked like.

It’s no secret that FSC is a predominantly white institution, and as all the other schools, being a PWI comes with built in discriminations and ignorance toward all students of color/non-white origin. The question is which institutions are willing to do the work it takes to fght not only against the undeniable racism embedded in education systems everywhere, but to fght for their students of color.

Florida Southern has turned a tide when

it comes to their inclusivity efforts, with the establishments of cultural/ethnic/ racial clubs like the Black Student Union, Multicultural Student Council, Asian/ Pacifc Islanders Student Association, Hispanic/Latinx Student Coalition and International Student Association.

The creation of all these clubs are a testament to how the student body continues to grow and feel more comfortable using their voices on campus.

Black Student Union member Raven Harrison has waited since her freshman year to see a Black headliner at Southern Takeover, and that time is fnally here.

“I think FSC has fnally become more aware of how diverse the campus is,” Harrison said. “Especially with the rise of all of the new DEI organizations on campus who are advocating for more inclusivity on campus, from better freshman recruitment to the talent brought to campus, the school is defnitely listening.”

Southern Takeover’s invitation to Sage the Gemini might not seem that big of a deal, but it serves as only more proof of how the student body has changed over the years.

The performers are chosen by the Association of Campus Entertainment, and this selection demonstrates that there are now more than just one or two genre loving students on FSC’s grounds, including some hip hop fans. This selection also appeals to the hundreds of students of color as well as hip hop listeners, providing that sense of relief from a long-awaited anticipation.

Junior Cassie Turczyn acts as the ACE Sound Director, the offcer responsible for choosing Southern Takeover performers. After asking around and getting a lot of suggestions for 3OH!3, Turczyn knew

she wanted to book them from high demand, but also book another artist of a different genre as well.

“I really wanted to do a double headliner instead of multiple openers because I thought that it would appeal to more students, ultimately increasing our attendance. So, Sage the Gemini was a great option because he’s a different genre than artists we’ve brought recently,” Turczyn said.

Turczyn made the Sage the Gemini pick because she felt his music would pair nicely with the other two artists, Emily Brimlow and 3OH!3.

“My intent was to gradually increase the level of energy from Emily to Sage to 3OH!3,” Turczyn said. “For our opener, Emily Brimlow, I looked through artists on Apple Music and used that to fnd a bunch of up and coming female musicians.”

With the large combination of different genres present this year, from electronic dance to hip-hop/rap to R&B and pop, there’s sure to be a serious mix of students present.

Of course, there is more to be done in the scope of inclusivity and diversity efforts; after all the work must be consistent to be effective. But giving a Black hip hop artist the main stage at a PWI for the frst time in the institution’s concert history is a good place to start.

“Having Sage the Gemini perform is a stepping stone in making sure black students feel included here on campus,” Harrison concludes. “It also allows POC to be seen outside of just our DEI organizations and the Simmons Center. It helps build a more inclusive campus and lets POC students know that they [are] heard and seen when advocating to be better represented at events.”

The “pursuit of happiness” right in the Declaration of Independence is unclear

Thomas Hodge Staff Writer

One of the rights endowed by our Creator and enumerated in the Declaration of Independence, the pursuit of happiness, was an interesting switch written into the principles of our nation. The concept initially came from John Locke, who posited that humans have a right to life, liberty, and property.

This was changed in Jefferson’s version, replacing property with the right to pursue happiness. Unlike the two prior notions, the pursuit of happiness is a relatively vague statement; after all, what is happiness?

It is this switch that is one of the greatest triumphs, and pitfalls, of this world changing document. While it is easy to point out that the Declaration of Independence is not the article that actually governs the American system, it is impossible to ignore the fact that they are inextricably linked. A simple understanding fnds the Constitution is the how, and the Declaration is the why.

A more accurate depiction of them holds the Declaration of independence as the axiom that every law and process found within the Constitution is written to defend and uphold.

So, what exactly is our Constitution meant to defend and uphold? Let’s take another look at those three unalienable

rights: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. As aforementioned, the two former rights are very objective, in the sense that they have a textbook defnition. There may be debate over just exactly how liberal liberty should be, but for the most part, it is a relatively straight forward topic.

Most importantly, it is not a human emotion. Emotions are fckle things, and there is no doubt that when the objective right to property was substituted with such a relative right, there was a defnitive goal in sight for these brilliant craftsmen of history. The Founding Fathers knew that property was not enough, there was some higher meaning beyond that of the physical that they attempted to describe.

Often, the metaphysical presents itself in the physical, and while the physical act of separation for the Founding Fathers was a war of independence from British rule, the question could be raised as to what it was all for.

The group of men who would go to such lengths to fght the most powerful empire in the world must have some greater meaning in mind; this vision is evident in every new sentence of literature and thought that men such and Hamilton, Jefferson, Paine, Franklin and Madison produced. They had a very specifc vision of the world they would construct from the very pages of history.

This now brings us back to the

question of inalienable rights. What does the Constitution leave us free to pursue? In the text it says happiness, but what is happiness in this context?

The Founding Fathers were nearly exclusively Christian, and while we may not be a Christian nation by name, it is utterly impossible to argue that the country was not founded upon Christian values and worldview.

Taking this into account, what did the defnition of happiness mean when the Declaration was written? Western civilization was built on two pillars of teaching: those of Jesus of Nazareth and Aristotle of Greece. Both men emphasized the importance of virtue, a school of thought called eudaimonia. Eu- meaning good or well, and daimon meaning spirit; eudaimonia most directly translates to well or good spirit.

More to the philosophical application, it is meant as a fulfllment of human nature - living the good life. As for the Founding Fathers, they collectively accounted for some of the most educated men of their time, maybe even all time. So impacted were they by classical education, that those of whom attended prestigious universities were expected to already be able to translate many GrecoRoman epics and the bible from their original Latin and Greek.

It would be an understatement to pose that the men who authored these

documents were simply infuenced by Greek and European thought. It shaped their entire existence and world views.

This is the problem surrounding the question of what the Constitution leaves us free to pursue. The Founding Fathers secured liberty for their posterity to pursue happiness in the form of virtue and morality, not vice and shallow pleasure. This was understood in the culture in which it was written.

After 246 years, it seems that much has been lost in translation. If we are to remain basking in the liberty of ideas that gave us so much, it would do us well to come to terms with the ideas themselves; we cannot scorn the past while we partake in the fruit of its labor. As we stand facing the future, it would behoove to have the winds of past wisdom in our sails; to the pursuit of happiness, as our forefathers understood it. Godspeed.

What does the U.S. Constitution protect? Our unalienable rights are not so apparent.

Sage the Gemini in 2014; Popular hits include feature “GDFR” and “Gas Pedal.”

Photo courtesy of Flickr

Thank you, Loretta: celebrating a trailblazer for women in country music

Emma Lauren Poole Southern Editor

You’ve been done a disservice if you’ve never listened to Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn. Not just their voices - but their words.

Truth be told, country music wasn’t an easy world for a woman to enter as recently as a few decades ago. For some, it’s still not the most welcoming environment.

In the days following Loretta’s passing at 90 years of age, people have remembered her in their own special ways. They’ve called her inspirational, courageous and brave. Perhaps they don’t realize just how true their words were.

For a younger version of me, someone who loved music and played any instruments she could get her hands on (and still does), Patsy and Loretta were the ideals. It didn’t occur to me that their acts within the country music world took a great deal of bravery and courage.

Legend has it that during one of her appearances on the Grand Ole Opry, Patsy Cline became the frst woman to wear pants onstage at the venue. It seems miniscule, but it’s not.

Patsy completely did away with the idea of a woman having to choose between her family and her career.

She did both. And while her life ended tragically in a plane crash when she was just 30 years old, that legacy lived on.

Patsy didn’t make it out of this world before Loretta noticed her.

I heard growing up, and from watching the entirety of the Ken Burns Country Music documentary a few years ago, that Patsy and Loretta’s paths frst crossed

after the former was in a car crash. The latter sang one of her songs on a Nashville radio show. She heard the tribute from a hospital bed. The rest is history.

Patsy became someone Loretta looked up to - in her family, her career and her personal life.

Loretta became someone the world looked up to - an icon and trailblazer whose example of boldness has inspired countless women to speak their truth.

Loretta spoke her truth.

She was born into a humble coal mining family in Kentucky, then relocated to Washington state, where she frst achieved chart success with “I’m A Honky Tonk Girl.” Eventually, she ended up in Nashville, where she took the industry by storm.

She was unapologetic about who she was, and gained extreme amounts of respect from others for the genuineness and honesty with which she conducted herself even after achieving fame.

She sang about her raising: “I was born a coal miner’s daughter, in a cabin on a hill in Butcher Hollow…”

She sang about the struggles of being a woman in her groundbreaking song, “The Pill:” “But all I’ve seen of this old world is a bed and a doctor bill; I’m tearin’ down your brooder house, ‘cause now I’ve got the pill…”

…And she sang about never settling for less than you’re worth. “Well one of these nights you’re gonna come home, and fnd it’s comin’ home to you; You see what you’ve done and what’s good for one, is also good for two…”

She taught me a lot about that - never settling for less than you’re worth. Her voice coming through a staticky radio or the speakers of my parents stereo system

growing up reassured me. I wasn’t the only one.

“You have no equal, Loretta Lynn,” country singer Charley Crockett said on Instagram while paying homage to Lynn.

“I can never repay you, Loretta,” said Margo Price. “Thanks for blazing the trail. I’ll love you forever.”

I chimed in, too. I hope, if somewhere in heaven, Loretta is reading all the amazing words people have said about her online, she smiled when she read mine.

They’re true - “To one of my very biggest inspirations: as long as I live,

you will too. Thank you for empowering women like me.”

Thank you, Loretta.

For enduring tough beginnings in an industry that couldn’t see how much you had to give to the world.

For working so hard for everything you achieved, inspiring so many others to do the same.

For teaching millions of women everywhere that they deserve the world.

For not being afraid to sing and speak your truth.

For everything.

‘The Little Mermaid’ trailer sparks controversy and mixed opinions among fans

Promise Davis Staff Writer

At this year’s D23 expo, Disney premiered the trailer for “The Little Mermaid” live action movie. Fans were initially excited to see the movie after watching the trailer, but once it was shared with the rest of the world, it stirred a lot of mixed feelings.

The uproar was due to many fans of “The Little Mermaid” animated movie. In the animated version of the movie, Ariel was depicted as a white female,

while in the live-action adaptation, she is depicted by Halle Bailey, an African American actress and singer. She is a prolifc R&B singer, having been nominated for fve Grammy Awards.

Her casting had originally been announced in July 2019, and while it ruffed some feathers then, the new trailer has brought the discussion of racial recasting back to the forefront.

It is understandable to some extent that fans are upset because the casting does upset a certain continuity in the flm’s

franchise, as well as the current problem in the flm industry of miscasting actors or actresses when comparing the original idea to a live-action adaptation.

As previously stated, some irritation is expected when the casting of a longawaited movie does not go as expected. “The Little Mermaid” is a large franchise that has a very large following.

To some, Ariel is a role model, and this flm was supposed to be a big nostalgic moment for them. Due to a shift in casting, that should not change. As far as viewers

know, the storyline is not changing, there will just be a different face to go along with the story being told.

Many little girls looked up to Ariel because she looks like them, but as far as the Black community goes, the only Black Disney princess is Tiana from “The Princess and the Frog.

While Ariel may not have originally been African American, the fact that she is in the live action of the movie gives Black girls one more princess to look up to.

When looking at the argument as to what race Ariel should be, people have expressed that it is impossible for Ariel to be anything other than white.

While this is a fair argument, this is not only a movie, it is a movie about mermaids. There is no scientifc evidence to prove what race Ariel should be since it is a work of fction.

Even though it is easy to make an assumption about how good a movie is based on a trailer, it is necessary to wait until watching the full movie to form a complete opinion about the movie. The portrayal might be different than the original, but Halle Bailey may surprise viewers and give the performance of a lifetime that changes original opinions.

She has been acting since the age of three, and has made a name for herself in both the television and music industry. It is only fair that the audience gives her a chance to play this role as they would any other actress.

The release date for the movie is set for May 26, 2023. The trailer has already accumulated more than 20 million views.

Bailey, the actress playing Ariel

Photo courtesy of Flickr

Some viewers are angry that a Black woman is taking on the role of Ariel and not a white woman.

Photo courtesy of Geeks of Color

Loretta Lynn performing in 2012.

Athlete Spotlight

Henri Tophoven

Staten named Defensive Player of the Week

Emma Lauren Poole Sports Editor

Florida Southern goalkeeper Jenny Staten has been named the Sunshine State Conference Defensive Player of the Week.

“This past week we had two very challenge games, our frst one was against the #2 team in the nation, Embry-Riddle, and a historically very tough opponent, Florida Tech,” Staten explained.

The Mocs tied number two ranked Embry-Riddle 1-1, and defeated Florida Tech 1-0. Staten said she owes the honor she received to her teammates, who worked to assist her in shutting out Florida Tech.

“Without a doubt, without them I wouldn’t have been able to receive this honor of Defensive Player of the Week,” Staten said. “They were an essential part to the shutout, as well as our tie to the number two team in the nation.”

Staten said she is thankful for the honor she received.

continue to push myself for more.”

Staten hopes that this drive will carry the whole team to success in the rest of the season.

“As a team, our number one goal is to make the conference playoffs,” Staten said.

“That is our frst priority, but that comes with focusing on each game individually and making sure we give 100 percent both on and off the feld each day.”

So far, Staten says, the team has been successful this season. She describes the positive results of games against tough opponents such as Embry-Riddle as being critical to the team’s success.

Currently, the team is ranked eighth in the region, and the top six teams in each region make the playoffs. Staten believes that if the team capitalizes on the next two games, they will have a chance to be a contender in the playoffs.

“I strongly believe we have the players and the support to make conference playoffs,” Staten said. “I believe we have a chance of making the NCAA tournament.”

Right now, the team’s, and Staten’s, focus is on qualifying for the regional playoffs. To achieve this, they must give each and every game their all.

Staten says that the attendance of fans play a crucial part in the team’s success. The team feeds off of the fans' energy.

“The support from our sidelines and our fans have been essential to our success,” Staten emphasized, “and we need to continue to bring that energy to each game.”

As for Staten, she will continue to put her all into the next few games. Since the interruption to the Mocs’ season due to Hurricane Ian, it is of the utmost importance that the team continues at the same level of performance they had been delivering before the storm.

“It is very exciting to see how much fght and heart we leave out on the feld each game,” Staten said. “We are still pretty early into our conference season, so I'm excited to see how we handle these next couple games.”

Henri Tophoven has made headlines this season - he has been named the SSC Offensive Player of the Week twice (frst during the week of Sept. 5 and second during the week of Sept. 26) and was honored as the United Soccer Coaches National Player of the Week during the week of Sept. 7. Tophoven was the frst player in FSC program history to be named National Player of the Week. He answered a few questions for this edition’s Athlete Spotlight:

Name: Henri Tophoven

Sport: Soccer

Hometown: Brüggen, Germany

Year in college: Graduate Student

How long have you been playing soccer? I’ve been playing soccer for 18 years now.

What is the highlight of the season for you? Our 3:2 win against University of AlabamaHuntsville after a 3 hour lightning delay was defnitely one of the highlights. In addition to the win I was also able to score my frst college career hattrick in that game.

What are your expectations for the rest of the season? Ending up in the Top 6 of the SSC and playing in the conference tournament. After that, hopefully qualifying for the NCAA tournament.

Who are your role models? My father and my grandfather are my role models. I hope that one day I will be able to provide the same opportunities for my family they did for us.

What are your goals for the future? Playing 2-3 years of professional soccer in the US and then working and living in the US and Europe.

“I’m very honored to have received Defensive Player of the week,” Staten said. “I’m excited to see what we accomplish the rest of the season and looking forward to more success as a team.”

Staten has been playing soccer since she was three years old. She had a role model for continuing to play the sport within her own family.

“My brother played soccer growing up,” Staten said. “I looked up to him and he really inspired my love for the game and my competitive spirit.”

This competitive spirit has carried Staten far in her soccer career - this season, she accomplished 13 career shutouts, a feat she is proud of.

“I’ve always wanted to leave my mark here at Florida Southern so it was unique to achieve this,” Staten said. “I want to

Men's soccer bounces back after loss to Lynn

Karl Van Gelder Staff Writer

The Florida Southern Men’s soccer team defeated Atlantis University and tied number 6 Florida Tech after falling to Lynn University on September 17.

The game against Lynn was a back and forth battle in the frst half with neither team dominating possession of the ball or being able to break through the opposing team’s defense. Going into the second half, the Mocs had clear control

of the game, but as the night progressed, and the weather conditions got worse, the Mocs’ momentum slipped away.

Despite the Mocs’ efforts after conceding the PK goal, Lynn prevailed 1-0, their frst win of the season.

Even immediately after the game, the team already knew what they would need to do to improve before their next game.

“We have to be more focused at the end of the game,” Mocs defensive midfelder Santiago Erazo said.

This loss led the Mocs to success in the

two games they have played since then. On Sept. 20, the team took on Atlantis in a non-conference exhibition game, which they won 5-0.

Junior Kyle Carr found the back of the net twice against Atlantis

“The biggest thing on my mind was that we needed some goals, and I just wanted to get involved as much as I can,” Carr said.

Carr says that the key to the team’s success is to play together as a team and develop a mindset of being one both on the feld and during practice.

After the Atlantis exhibition, they returned to conference play with a matchup against number 6 ranked Florida Tech.

The Mocs took the lead early in the game. After the Panthers scored twice, the Mocs caught up with them again. The game ended in a tie, but this was still a significant result on the road for the Mocs.

Henri Tophoven scored both goals for the Mocs during this game, contributing to the team’s success against the Panthers. Throughout the beginning of the season, Tophoven has averaged 1.125 goals per game.

Due to Hurricane Ian, the team has been out of competition for a week and a half, but hope to have success in the coming days. They will face Palm Beach Atlantic University next as they look for a conference win.

Photo courtesy of FSC Athletic Comm Staten in action against SNHU on Aug. 18.

Photo courtesy of FSC Athletic Communications

The Mocs work to hold off Lynn players during the rainy Sept. 17 matchup.

Photo courtesy of FSC Athletics FSC goalkeeper Jenny Staten reached 13 career shutouts this year.

Photo courtesy of FSC Athletics Mocs forward Henri Tophoven.

From the Mocs to the Angels: Ryan Langford tells about his frst steps toward the big leagues

Emma Lauren Poole Sports Editor

Ryan Langford says being signed to the Los Angeles Angels organization has already been an incredible experience. On Sept. 5, 2022, the former Moc and right handed pitcher signed a contract with the Angels - his frst offcial step toward a professional baseball career.

He graduated from Florida Southern last year, when, as a reliever, he saved 9 games in one season - a top 10 amount of saves in a single season in Florida Southern history.

During his freshman year, the team went to the world series, where they fnished third. It’s become one of the most formative experiences in his baseball career.

“It was an unbelievable experience,” Langford says of his freshman season. “Coming in as a freshman and not knowing what to expect…the other guys really brought us in and took care of us.”

The lessons Langford learned that year have stuck with him since.

“It really taught us young guys how to be on a winning team,” Langford says.

The Mocs haven’t returned to the series

since Langford’s freshman year, but he is grateful to have had that experience.

Over the summer, Langford spent his time in Maryland, where he played for the Frederick Keys in the Draft League.

He was selected as the Draft League’s pitcher of the week back in August, just a few weeks before he was signed to the Angels organization.

“I went [to the Draft League] for about a month and a half,” Langford explains.

“The coaches were all ex-pro baseball players…they gave us all the knowledge of not only how to pitch to the guys, but the mental side of the game.”

Langford recognizes the learning he did about the “mental side” of baseball in the Draft League as being one of the reasons he is where he is today.

“The competition was really good,” Langford says. Rightfully so - with the draft pool having been smaller since the beginning of the pandemic, more talent is present in the Draft League. It’s a highcaliber environment.

But, for now, Langford is just excited to be an Angel.

“It’s an honor to be a part of that organization,” he says. “Especially with big

names like Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout.”

It’s exciting, but new. He talks about how things are in California and at the training camp in Arizona. No, he hasn’t met Ohtani or Trout. He even gave his introduction to the team in Spanish. He’s already met several of the other players who signed to the organization.

He explains that he’ll head back to the training camp soon, then have an offseason for about two months, and return to Arizona for spring training.

Langford undoubtedly is a unique and rare talent.

After all, he’s only the sixtieth player in FSC history to be signed as an undrafted free agent, and the two-hundredth-andfrst player since the school’s program began to have the chance to pursue a professional baseball career.

How does it feel to be in his position?

“Honestly, it’s a loss of words, for real,” Langford says. “It’s an honor, especially with the talent that’s come through this school.”

He’s right - the Florida Southern baseball program boasts a rich and talentflled history.

“It’s definitely exciting,” Langford says. “I’m just getting into it - it’s just the beginning.”

Langford, like anyone, has plenty of goals for his career. As he works his way up through the Angels organization, he hopes his future includes a few things:

“...Hopefully a lot of baseball in the years to come,” he says, as well as “Staying true to myself - just going out there and competing, attacking hitters and hopefully making it up through the teams to be on the big feld one day.”

With an attitude and talent like Langford’s, it’s hard to go wrong.

Editor’s Note: The full interview with Ryan Langford can be viewed on The Snakebite through FSCTV on Facebook and @TV_FSC on Twitter.

All Rise: Aaron Judge breaks American League single-season home run record

Emma Lauren Poole Sports Editor

New York Yankees outfelder Aaron Judge has broken the record for most home runs hit in a single season by an American League baseball player.

The previous record of 61 HRs was set by outfelder Roger Maris on Oct. 1, 1961.

Home run number 62 came for Judge on Tuesday, Oct. 4 during a game against the Texas Rangers.

“It’s surreal,” Judge said in a post-game press conference.

“Getting the chance to do this with the team we’ve got, the guys surrounding me, and the constant support from my family, who’s been with me there through this whole thing - it’s been a great honor.” Judge said. “Also - Roger Maris Jr., him and his family supporting and being along for the ride… congratulations to them too for their constant support through this whole process.”

Judge acknowledged during the press conference that it must have been hard for Maris’ children to see their father’s record be broken. For that reason, their support throughout the season was even more special to Judge.

“Congratulations to Aaron Judge and

his family on Aaron’s historic home run number 62!” Roger Maris Jr. said in a tweet. “It has defnitely been a baseball season to remember.”

When Judge rounded the bases after hitting number 62, his whole team was waiting to congratulate him once he crossed home plate.

“Finally seeing them run out on the feld and getting the chance to hug them all and say congratulations…that’s what it’s about for me,” Judge said.

Judge is honored to be among the ranks of Yankee greats from generations past.

“Getting the chance to have my name next to someone as great as Roger Maris, Babe Ruth, those guys, is incredible,” Judge said.

With just one game left in the season, Judge’s time to hit number 62 was limited. But in the second game of a doubleheader, Rangers pitcher Jesus Tinoco gave up number 62 to the Yankee slugger.

In the same inning that Judge hit the historic homer, Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole broke the Yankees franchise singleseason strikeout record of 248, held by Ron Guidry since 1978.

Judge's mother and the Maris family attended several Yankees games hoping to witness history, but 62 did not come until the Yankees were back on the road

in Texas. Judge’s dad, Wayne, and mom, Patty, were in attendance to see their son break the AL record.

“For me, I never tried to focus on the number,” Judge refected, “[I focus on] going out there and playing my game, and if I’m good enough, and God willing, it’ll happen. I think just having that type of faith kind of helped me out through this whole process.”

Up Next

Women's Soccer

@ Palm Beach Atlantic University 10/8 @ 6 p.m.

vs. Eckerd College 10/12 @ 7 p.m.

Men's Soccer

vs. Palm Beach Atlantic University 10/8 @ 7 p.m.

@ Eckerd College

@ 7 p.m.

Women's Volleyball

@ Barry University

10/7 @ 7 p.m.

@ Palm Beach Atlantic University

@ 4 p.m.

Ice Hockey

vs. University of Tampa

Photo courtesy of Ryan Langford Langford played for the Frederick Keys in the Draft League this summer.

Photo by Caroline Bryant Ryan Langford visited his alma mater for an interview with Snakebite on Sept. 19.

Photo courtesy of Ryan Langford During August, Langford was selected as the Draft League pitcher of the week.

Photo courtesy of FSC Athletic Comm Langford was a relieving pitcher for the Mocs until his graduation in 2022.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Yankees slugger Aaron Judge in 2018.