November 19, 2021

OUTHERN S The Student Voice of Florida Southern College

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FRIDAY, November 19, 2021 VOL. 138, NO. 5

Fall Town Hall addresses Covid, food changes Sophia Gonzalez Editor-in-Chief

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When we all come back, let’s see what the count looks like...

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-Dr. Anne Kerr President of FSC

Vice President of Student Life Dr. Susan Freeman also echoed Kerr’s statement in regards to allowing off-campus visitors into residence halls. “We are watching how the counts are going, and if we see that not only here on campus but in Polk County, in Florida [and] in the region that our counts are looking like they are now, we’ll certainly consider lifting some of those restrictions,” Freeman said. “But we’re trying to be responsible and ease into lifting some of these factors so that we [don’t] have to turn around and go back to full COVID practices.” Florida Southern’s Junior Journey program was put on hold at the beginning of the pandemic. Some countries have closed their borders to international traveling due to COVID-19.

Article continues on fscsouthern.com

Photo by Sophia Gonzalez Students order at Tutu’s Cyber Cafe. Tutu’s Cyber Cafe has been one of the establishments impacted by oncampus understaffing.

Florida Southern faces understaffing issues Jameson Champion News Editor

Students at FSC this semester have noticed longer waits at some of FSC’s oncampus food venues. Signs have appeared at Tutu’s Cyber Cafe requesting students be patient with longer waits, due to understaffing on campus. The understaffing issue on campus was recently addressed at FSC’s November Town Hall. At Town Hall, Director of Food Services Tim Raible spoke about some of the ways that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected our food services on campus. Raible notes that this is not a problem exclusive to FSC. The food service industry, even at other colleges, has been dealt a heavy blow by the pandemic. “With the [COVID-19] pandemic everybody left the industry,” Raible said. “It’s not just an FSC issue, this is a national problem.” The COVID-19 pandemic has been attributed with a massive shift in the foodservice industry. In August, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 892,000 hospitality workers quit their jobs, or nearly 7 percent of the employees in food service. This is a move which has left around 10.2 percent of jobs in food service vacant. This phenomenon is not exclusive to the food service industry either. These resignations are part of a larger phenomenom during the COVID-19 pandemic referred to as “The Great

Sustainability at FSC

with understaffing is the question of whether to keep all of the campus venues open despite their lack of employees. Raible says that while other colleges have had to resort to shutting down some of their on-campus venues, FSC has worked to keep all establishments open at the cost of them being short of staff.

“We’ve tried our hardest to keep our food places open during the pandemic,” Raible said. “We even opened a new venue [Fresh Twist] this year despite our staffing issues.” Other issues that have affected FSC’s food venues include their suppliers. Raible claims that they’ve had many issues with vendors keeping their items in stock. The school has been forced to accept deliveries with fewer supplies because the issue has spanned across most suppliers. “Hardest to keep in stock are individually wrapped plastic and paper goods,” Raible said. “We looked and found a new source for our cups but even now they’ve started having issues.” FSC has already attempted a few methods to attempt to keep food available despite shortages in staff. “We started moving more towards kiosks like the Publix ones we just opened to give later availability to food on campus.” Raible said. Raible also notes that the school is attempting to alleviate the issues with new recruitment strategies for food workers. Some students have already taken notice to these measures. “The lines seem to be really short in the caf,” senior Nathan Hallmark said. “In fact I’ve noticed that in the caf [Wynee’s Bistro] they’ve hired like 3 new people.” “I’m just happy our school is understanding with these issues,” Raible said. “Our students have been very patient despite the waits.”

Festival of Fine Arts events

Glen Youngkin in Virginia

Resignation” by news outlets. The BLS reported not only that 7 percent of hospitality workers have left their jobs, but also that 2.9 percent of the entire American workforce also quit their jobs in August, roughly 4.3 million workers. These issues may seem to have suddenly come this semester, however, short-staffing problems have been happening since the start of the pandemic. Raible notes that the school has had staffing problems ever since the 2020-2021 school year. However, due to the school operating with a limited number of in-person students there were fewer issues at venues. One of the issues the school also faces

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We’ve tried our hardest to keep our food places open during the pandemic.

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COVID-19 concerns and food hall updates were among the major issues addressed at this year’s semesterly Town Hall, hosted by SGA via Zoom on Nov. 10. Florida Southern announced its mask mandate update on Nov. 8. Students are no longer required to wear masks in residence halls and dining facilities. When asked when the mask mandate was going to be lifted, President Anne Kerr stated that they’re still “watching conditions,” and attributed Florida Southern’s success at maintaining control over the spread of COVID-19 due to the school’s mask mandate. “Let’s wait and see how things go after Thanksgiving and then after Christmas,” Kerr said. “When we all come back, let’s see what the count looks like, and maybe we’ll have a very normal spring semester.” Kerr explained that Provost Dr. Brad Hollingshead is in contact with FSC’s faculty to determine how to maintain everyone’s safety and comfort in classrooms in the future.

-Tim Raible Director of Food Services

An overview of some of the incentives and initiatives for sustainability on campus.

An overview of the Festival of Fine Arts and the events they’re hosting this season.

PICTURED, NEWS - PAGE 2

CENTER - PAGE 4

How a newly-elected SGA freshman senator has been inspired to advocate.

Florida Southern students gathered at Mr. George’s Green to listen to the band Public.

SGA candidate makes waves Live at the Green FEATURES - PAGE 3

SOCIAL MEDIA

@fscsouthern

How did a firmly blue state end up with a Republican Governor? OPINIONS - PAGE 7

Soccer field dedication

The FSC soccer field has received a new name in an alumni dedication.

ENTERTAINMENT - PAGE 6

www.fscsouthern.com

SPORTS - PAGE 8

fscsouthern@gmail.com

The Southern NOVEMBER 19, 2021

NEWS BRIEFS BSU Hosts Harlem Renaissance On Nov. 21, FSC’s Black Student Union and the Poetry Club will be hosting Harlem Renaissance Night at the Polk Museum of Art. The event will happen from 1 to 2 p.m. and feature art created by Black volunteer artists. Admission is free to all FSC students.

An Evening of Chamber Music The Festival of Fine Arts will be hosting “An Evening of Chamber Music” on Nov. 30 from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. The event will take place at the Branscomb Auditorium and online, featuring choir and orchestra chamber ensembles, and it will pay tribute to poets and writers like Homenaje a Fedrico Garcia Lorca and Homenaje a Cervantes. Admission is free and open to the public.

Creativity Night The Center for Student Involvement and FSC Counseling Center will be hosting a creativity night on Nov. 22 at 5:30 p.m. The event will be held at the Meditation Garden and show off FSC’s student performers. Free refreshments will be provided.

Taste of the Farmer’s Market Downtown Lakeland will be hosting a “Taste of the Farmer’s Market” at the Saturday Farmer’s Market on Nov. 27 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. For $10, visitors will be able to sample food from many of the market’s food vendors.

Lambda Pi Eta Induction Ceremony Lambda Pi Eta’s induction ceremony will be on Wednesday, Dec. 1 at 11 a.m. The ceremony will be virtual through Zoom. Members will be able to pick up their certificates from Dr. Loh, after the ceremony. The link to join the ceremony has been sent in an email, to potential and current members.

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United States lifts ban on foreign travel Dylan Olive Staff Writer On Nov. 8, The White House lifted COVID-19 travel restrictions for fully vaccinated international visitors. The ban, which put travel restraints on visitors from 33 countries, was finally removed after 21 months. The ban was initially put in place by Donald Trump in March 2020 with restrictions later reinforced and expanded with the Joe Biden administration’s efforts to fight the pandemic. Visitors entering the United States must show proof of COVID-19 vaccination. However, there are exemptions to this rule: visitors who are under the age of 18 or coming from countries which have a lack of available vaccinations. “It suspends the entry of unvaccinated noncitizen nonimmigrants, except in limited circumstances, and it ensures that the entry of unvaccinated noncitizen nonimmigrants is consistent with applicable health and safety determinations made by the Director of the CDC,” the White House said in an Oct. 25 press briefing. The end of these restrictions will result in a major boost for airlines and hotels as the end of this ban means more flights, more travel and more tourism. Delta Airlines has already seen a 450 percent increase in international point-ofsale bookings versus the six weeks prior to the announcement. “As we expect high demand when the US lifts its existing air and land travel restrictions Monday, we are taking critical steps to be prepared by providing additional resources,” White House spokesman Kevin Munoz said. The end of the U.S. travel ban raised a new question; whether or not Junior

Photo by Sara Ramick

Students on their Junior Journey trip to Switzerland before the pandemic. Journeys will be returning to Florida Southern College in upcoming semesters. Junior Journeys give all full-time undergraduate students the opportunity to travel to a domestic or foreign location and explore different geographical and intellectual areas. Part of students’ tuition goes toward their Junior Journey trips, so students expect their trips to be guaranteed. Trips have been canceled since the start of the pandemic. It now leaves current seniors still without their journey, and current juniors questioning whether or not they will be getting their journeys this year. Current FSC seniors had the option of waiting to take their Junior Journey trip, or receiving the money that would go towards the trip in a check. “I think the school did the best they could considering the circumstances of COVID-19, even though there were a lot of other circumstances that they didn’t handle very well,” senior Juliette Pfeiffer said.

Pfeiffer went on to say, “I also have not taken my junior journey yet and, I do plan on receiving money from the school in order to take one over the summer once I graduate.” The fall Town Hall occurred Nov. 9 on Zoom, and it gave Student Government Association and current students the opportunity to express concerns or ask questions to the administration. One of the questions a student had: when is Junior Journey going to return? “We are looking at May [to resume the Junior Journey program],” Dean of School of Arts and Sciences Dr. Hollingshead said. As of now they are carefully monitoring conditions, and actively listening to what the CDC is saying on travel. The school’s administration went on to say that their number one priority is to keep students safe, and that is why there is such a gradual return to conditions before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Clubs talk about sustainability on FSC campus Sophia Gonzalez Editor-in-Chief Sustainability-focused clubs at Florida Southern College outline eco-friendly incentives to educate and promote oncampus environmental awareness. SGA’s sustainability committee The sustainability committee’s goals include increasing recycling throughout the campus, providing reusable plastic bags and containers, education about light pollution and food waste, and finding a proper replacement for paper straws. Head of the sustainability committee Justin Kellher stated that the best way to inspire sustainability in the student body is through “education, passion and leading by example.” Kelleher stated that one of the major issues on campus is recycling. Students have expressed to SGA that there is a lack of recycling bins on campus, and what is being thrown in the recycling bins is usually thrown away due to crosscontamination. “Through talking with faculty, we have also found that many of our recycled items are contaminated because there are things such as food placed in them, so we need to push out information to help people avoid accidentally ruining a bin of perfectly recyclable waste,” Kelleher said. Some events that the committee has

planned for the future is SGA’s annual “Earth-Yay” event. In this event the committee tables and hosts several events in order to help educate people about sustainability. In a more recent effort to educate students, the sustainability committee is working on creating graphics that highlight some of the “less [talked] about parts of [Thanksgiving],” including food waste and overconsumption. The committee also plans on asking people and students to give their old furniture to them so that they can properly dispose of it. “We’re hoping to put ourselves out there and help people who don’t fully understand what sustainability means and how to practice it can see others doing it in their community,” Kelleher said.

Photo by Sophia Gonzalez

Flosoco members clean up Lake Hollingsworth with Phi Eta Sigma.

Flosoco The president of Flosoco, Claire Bonham, has similar goals to those of the sustainability committee. “Flosoco has been trying to revamp as an organization to improve our presence on campus, as well as work towards our goal, which is to improve sustainability and conservation efforts campus-wide,” Bonham said. Throughout the year, Flosoco hosts a variety of events. They usually host multiple lake clean-ups throughout the year. Their biggest event of the semester, according to Bonham, has been their recycling event, in which Flosoco gave students recycling bins that they decorated and took to their rooms. “As recycling accessibility has greatly improved in Florida Southern’s campus [in] the past year or so, we wanted to make it easier for students to utilize those resources that SGA has provided for us,” Bonham said. Although there are more recycling bins throughout campus, they are not properly labeled, so students may not know that they are there. Therefore, a goal of Flosoco’s, according to Bonham, is to increase student awareness of recycling options at Florida Southern. “A couple students have also vocalized to me that they would appreciate an oncampus compost bin to reduce food waste,” Bonham said.

3 The Southern NOVEMBER 19, 2021

Astronomy club meets during the night to stargaze Alanya Nardone says she’s loved the stars her entire life. Now, she’s the president of the Astronomy Club. “I have always liked space ever since I was a kid, especially with science fiction movies. Specifically, I love stars and the star cycle because it is so cool how they transition and how long they live,” Nardone said. With their big orange telescopes and binoculars, they meet exclusively at night, viewing the planets and stars that are so distant from Earth at a close up. When the conditions in the sky are good—optimally a clear, starry night, they’ve been able to view the planet Venus, as well as Jupiter and its moons. When conditions are at their best, they’ve even achieved visuals of Saturn. “I wanted to learn more about space and learn to use telescopes, once I learned we had an astronomy club on campus,” Nardone said. “We have access to telescopes and binoculars to allow our peers to learn how to use the telescopes.” The group organizes speaker events, movie nights in the newly refinished Frank Lloyd Wright-designed planetarium, and on Friday, they will host their latest stargazing event on the roof of Polk Science. “We wanted to provide an outlet for students and those interested in learning about the universe,” Nardone said. “It’s a club that is both informative and social. A way for many people from different backgrounds to get together and enjoy the many wonders our universe has to offer.” The last event was held in September, on Mr. George’s Green. To view the stars, students use the binoculars available, but for the far-off

Editor-in-Chief

Former justice of the Florida Supreme Court Richard Fred Lewis is known for his contribution to Florida and the U.S. Currently, he is also known as a beloved professor at Florida Southern College. “Seeing my peers be able to intern with him, or having my own experiences working with him during my internship with the legal studies advisory board has provided us students with great insight into the Florida legal system,” FSC senior Lexi Potter said. In his youth, Justice Lewis was recognized for his good grades and athleticism. Justice Lewis is from Beckley, West Virginia, and he was given a basketball scholarship to play for Florida Southern in 1965. “For a kid from the coal-mining area, that’s like being asked to go to heaven,” Justice Lewis told the Florida Bar Journal. Justice Lewis graduated from Florida Southern in 1969. He earned the NCAA Postgraduate Award and was one of the top 15 academic scholars in the United States, according to the Florida Southern college website. When Justice Lewis was selected to the Florida Supreme Court on Dec. 7, 1988, he was the 78th justice in Florida’s history. “Having the opportunity to serve the people of Florida was a remarkable time in my life,” Justice Lewis said. “The responsibility of making decisions that have an impact on society and the justice that is rendered cannot be understated.” To Justice Lewis, being a Supreme Court

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

Eion Mitchell Salvatore Ambrosino Features Editor Photo by Aiden Border

Their first stargazing event of the semester on the night of Sept. 27. planets in the solar system, they learn how to operate telescopes thousands of times more powerful than the human eye. Venus and Jupiter are the most popular destinations at which to point the telescopes. Jupiter appears bluish and yellow, you can see the planet’s stripes, a few of its moons. Venus is a bright planet, closely resembling a star. With the right weather, Saturn can be barely made out as a distant dot in the sky, and much like Venus, closely resembles a star. To solve this, Nardone hopes to acquire newer, more powerful lenses for the club’s viewings. With upgrades in equipment, the club would have better visuals on Venus, Jupiter and Saturn, as well as be able to view additional planets.

“Trying our best to focus on any [planets] that are visible,” Nardone said. “It all depends on the weather.” Although the weather prediction is cloudy, the club looks forward to its next event. In the past, the group has watched blood-moons, a well-known and visible phenomenon of light appearing on the surface of the moon, turning it to hues of dark orange and red. On Friday morning, a total lunar eclipse is due. It is predicted to be the longestlasting lunar eclipse in 600 years.

Editor’s note: Diego de Jesus provided content and interviews for the article. Features editor Salvatore Ambrosino wrote the content.

R. Fred Lewis continues legacy at Florida Southern Sophia Gonzalez

FEATURES

Justice means maintaining the balance of the judicial branch while earning the trust and confidence of the people. “The justices are responsible for the entire state judicial system,” Justice Lewis said. “This includes the competency of attorneys, the local state courts, the lower state court judges, the rules of court procedures, the judicial jury instructions, the rules of evidence, the intersection of the members of the public with law enforcement and the courts, and the interpretation of constitutions and statutes.” Before departing from the Florida Supreme Court, Justice Lewis received a call from Dr. Anne Kerr, the president of Florida Southern College. They met up for coffee and discussed what Justice Lewis says were “issues pertaining to Florida Southern College.” She invited Lewis to become the first Eminent Professor of Law and Letters for Florida Southern. “By the time I walked to my automobile in the parking lot after the meeting with Dr. Kerr, I had concluded that a return to Florida Southern would be the highlight of my retirement,” Justice Lewis said. “I had graduated from Florida Southern in 1969 and a return would be a wonderful way to close my professional work life.” Justice Lewis began teaching at Florida Southern in January 2019. He currently teaches courses on landmark U.S. Supreme Court cases, freedom, civil liberties and rights, law and the courts, and exploring the Constitution. “Ever since Justice Lewis arrived at this school he has provided the pre-law program with great mentorship,” Potter

said. Justice Lewis has had a lot of experience in the academic realm. Before returning to Florida Southern to teach, he had already taught and featured at a variety of law schools in Florida for “a number of years.” “I love working with students. If a student is dedicated and willing to work, I will do anything and everything to enhance the opportunity for success,” Justice Lewis said. “I have high expectations for my students and most work to reach those expectations.” Potter explains that Justice Lewis is “an experienced, kind, and progressive person” and that his presence at Florida Southern has “been an asset.” Throughout his career, Justice Lewis has been awarded recognition for his continuous work in the community. Justice Lewis has been an advocate for people with mental disabilities in the justice system and also implemented a “high-level diversity program for all Florida Justices,” according to the Florida Southern website. He’s been honored with many awards throughout this lifetime, for his service to the public including, the 2005 Great American, the 2006 Guardian of The Constitution Award, and many more. “As long as my health remains good and the administration desires my services, I will [remain] at FSC for the students,” Justice Lewis said.

Editor’s note: Diego de Jesus conducted the interview used in the article.

It is as if he has been on the campaign trail since the day of move-in. “He did dress well,” said Jacob Howard, a resident in Allen Spivey, among the first to see him, and remembers him saying that he’d “make spivey great again.” Eion Mitchell’s statesman-like reputation on campus precedes him. On his days campaigning, he wore a fitted black suit, Calvin Klein, a pink tie with a Moccasins athletic pin—complete with a matching pink handkerchief. He’s a freshman in political science, hailing from Sarasota and from a proud Irish heritage, who recently won his bid in SGA for freshman senator. Like most winning candidates, he maintained an online presence throughout the student government elections, his particularly star-spangled: red, white and blue instagram banners made rounds through the stories of his supporters, “I’m on team Eion!” But what set Mitchell apart from the typical schtick of faith and flag campaigners isn’t his loud patriotic platform, or even his more progressive stances on issues such as women’s advocacy and LGTBQ+ advocacy on campus—it’s that he campaigned in person. Mitchell says he’s inspired by the story of Lawton Chiles, a former governor of the state of Florida. “He campaigned for his senate race by walking along the interstate and stopping in every single town and talking to people in person,” Mitchell said. “They called him Walkin’ Lawton.” According to the official story, Chiles walked 1,003 miles from Pensacola to Key West. It sounds like a tall-tale. Though Mitchell walked considerably less, he campaigned in the lobbies of many halls: Nicholas, Wesley, Allen Spivey, Joseph Reynolds, Dell, Miller and, briefly he says, Hollis. He would orate for up to 20 minutes, gaining signatures, and talking to students as they passed. “I talked to every single person that I saw,” Mitchell said. “Are you a freshman? Hi, I’m Eion Mitchell, I’m running to be your freshman senator, please sign my petition.” He gained over 100 of these signatures. But it turned out the candidates didn’t need signatures to get elected. He asked for them because, he says, he did not know this fact. At the time he started his campaign, he says he was not aware of how any of the elections worked. But, does say he knew at least one thing then.

Article continues on fscsouthern.com

4 The Southern NOVEMBER, 19, 2021

CENTER

FEST

Photos by Jessica Stalter

OF FIN

Festival’s notes Jessica Stalter Staff Writer

The Festival of Fine Arts is a program on the Florida Southern Campus that showcases the various arts departments of the college. Each semester the music, theatre arts and dance and art departments have the opportunity to perform the pieces they have worked on for both the school and community. “For over 50 years the Festival of Fine Arts has delighted, entertained and educated the residents and guests of Polk County and Florida Southern College,” Branscomb Auditorium Director Crystal Norman said. “Uniting the diverse talents of students, faculty, community members, and guest artists, the FFA strives to complement the cultural offerings produced by our students.” There are many shows every semester encompassing the theatre, musical theatre, symphony band, jazz ensemble, orchestra, concert choir, chamber singers, and dancers. Additionally the festival is responsible for the FSC student art exhibition and for various outside guests. “From theatre and dance to music and opera to painting and pottery, FSC has maintained and strengthened numerous partnerships with worldclass organizations to keep the arts alive and thriving,” Norman said. “I love how each department is able to provide amazing performances to build a comprehensive season,” actor Jack Sobel said. “The power of cooperation is so powerful, and our amazing Festival of Fine Arts is the result.”

Choir’s Fire and Water Part II are pictured.

Abo

So far this semes shows, with the D on “Blithe Spirit” Band & Jazz Ense and “Bandtastic,” and Water Part I,” Additionally the O de la Noche.” “There are so m dancers, to profe amazing to watch t so hard on and ge dancer Kaela Wilk of Branscomb are “I love the divers the entire music d Peña said. “While will usually be ada fresh.” These shows giv actually show off real world experie goes on. “For the studen knowledge we lea Sobel said. “Actin but doing so in a those watching, th their knowledge of areas of exploratio

TIVAL

5 The Southern NOVEMBER 19, 2021

CENTER

NE ARTS

out the performances

ster the festival has put on multiple different Department of Theatre Arts & Dance putting ” and “Fall Into Dance,” the Symphony emble putting on “Music Under the Stars” and the Chamber Singers performing “Fire with “Part II” put on by the Concert Choir. Orchestra has put on their fall concert “Musica

many talented people in this program, from essors, to choreographers, it's just really them perform these pieces they've all worked et to see all different styles of movement,” ks said. “The stage, lighting, and sound crew equally amazing at their craft.” se set of music that is performed throughout department,” Bari Sax player Joshua De La e some of the tunes are recognizable, they apted into different forms which keeps them

Future performances The festival is still in full swing with many more performances throughout the remainder of the semester. The Department of Theatre Arts & Dance will be performing the musical songs for a New World, the Music Department will come together for “An Evening of Chamber Music,” featuring both the choir and orchestra chamber ensembles, and for the FCS Christmas Gala. The festival will also include the FSC Student Art Exhibition in the Melvin Art Gallery. Additionally the school will welcome the Florida Dance Theatre to perform “The Nutcracker.” “For viewers and students on campus I think this is just a really amazing way of getting to see and appreciate the performing arts and I highly suggest all students take advantage of it,” Wilks said. All of these events can be found on Engage or on the Festival of Fine Arts page on the Florida Southern website.

ve the performing arts students a chance to what they do in their classes, giving them ence and giving the school a taste of what

nts involved, it allows us to apply the arn in our classes to a real world situation,” ng in front of your classmates is one thing, public setting is completely different. For he festival provides an opportunity to bolster f the arts and expand their horizons into new on.”

Photos by Jessica Stalter

The Southern NOVEMBER 19, 2021

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ENTERTAINMENT

Salvatore Ambrosino Features Editor FSC’s ACE pulls Live on the Green, a concert on Mr. George’s Green fronted by the hit band PUBLIC and opened by Olivia Lunny. The and PUBLIC is original from Cincinnati, Ohio and were all friends in highschool. Other schools have solicited the talents of mostly R&B, hip-hop and rap artists. The performance on the lawn of Allen Spivey Hall hosted the pop artistry of the trio behind the viral track “Make You Mine,” a song with over 300 million plays on Spotify. “My favourite part of the performance was the band interacting with the crowd while everyone danced and sang along,” senior Ashley Roguski said. She spoke to the band after their performance on Saturday, Nov. 13. “It was so much fun,” Roguski said. Concerts at FSC have been missing from campus since the start of the pandemic. Last semester, Florida Southern hosted a cover band, but larger events brought by Southern Sound, ACE’s division working

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My favourite part of the performance was the band interacting with the crowd while everyone danced and sang along

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-Ashley Roguski FSC Senior

in musical entertainment such as Live on the Green and Southern Takeover, had yet to be seen until now. “I absolutely love that concerts are back. I think it’s a great way to bring people together after such a hard time,” Roguski said. Not everyone was familiar with the band or the concert’s opening act, but students appreciated the activity regardless. The crowd was large, students numbered in the hundreds. The sound of the songs coming from the Green could be heard across campus— students at Roux library clearly heard the party at the center of campus. “I wasn’t super familiar with Public before the concert,” Roguski said. “But I knew quite a few of their songs. They also did a cover of Toxic by Britney Spears so everyone loved that too.” The band appreciated the opportunity to perform at the college. “My roommate and I even got to meet them and talk to the band a little bit after they had performed,” Roguski said. “They were really nice and seemed super thankful to be able to perform at FSC.” The summer and fall brought the revival of many aspects of campus life. Concerts are entirely in-person, and Buckner theater has put on sell-out shows since its debut reopening of Blithe Spirit.

FSC theatre department produces ‘Tom Jones’ Dylan Olive Staff Writer

From Nov. 4 through 7, the FSC Department of Theatre and Dance put on their second-stage show of the year, “Tom Jones,” which took place in Fletcher Theatre located in Ordway. The show was the department’s first-ever maskless performance since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it was sold out every night. “Tom Jones” is a farce adapted by Mark Brown, from “The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling” by Henry Fielding. Brown writes in the synopsis: “Tom Jones, a charming young man of questionable birth, is madly in love with Sophia Western. But Sophia flees for her life as her father arranges a marriage with a horrendous man. Aristocrats, wenches and scalawags abound in this bawdy and rollicking romp through the back roads and bedchambers of England.” Director Lawrence Lesher is an FSC alumnus who has worked in every U.S. state and about 35 countries. He is

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This show taught me the importance of never taking what you have for granted.

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ACE hosts ‘Live on the Green’ event in-person

-Lily Brewster Cast member

currently living in Queens, New York, and traveling to different locations directing shows. “Tom Jones has been a blast: a talented, hard-working cast and production team, an irreverently ribald, hilarious script… and Frank Lloyd Wright,” Lesher said. The cast and crew described their positive performance while working throughout the production of this performance. “I had an amazing experience stage

Photo by Matthew Fream

The cast during the production of “Tom Jones” in Fletcher Theatre at FSC. managing and working on Tom Jones,” stage manager Jennifer Woodford said. “I had the greatest pleasure to work with all the production team, actors, and crew. The director Lawrence Lesher was the best director I’ve ever worked with.” “It was such a great and educational experience,” cast member Giselle Meyer said. “With such a limited rehearsal period, it got a little overwhelming at times, but we learned so much and I’ve been able to take away so much and apply it elsewhere in life and theatre.” “It was amazing. The cast and crew were the best cast and crew I’ve ever worked with throughout my entire life,” cast member Tommy Anderson said. “Each of them is kind, hilarious, responsible, and hard-working. Every rehearsal we came in and did what we needed to do, and it was a very fulfilling and wonderful experience.” The cast had to rehearse in masks throughout the three-week rehearsal process in order to stay safe and healthy. The shows contained maskless performers since every cast member tested negative for COVID-19, marking the first show to do so at FSC since the start of the Coronavirus. The performers described that even though rehearsing in a mask was “tough,” the requirement was needed to “ensure” safety. The removal of masks made the story-telling much deeper: seeing each other’s faces and reactions

helped the actors significantly. “You really want to exhibit your emotions to the fullest, and the mask makes that difficult. When we got tested and then performed, it was a breath of fresh air, metaphorically and literally,” Anderson said. “When we finally did take off the masks, our show completely changed. It became alive, theatre in its fullest life form,” cast member Lily Brewster said. As this was many cast members’ first time in a show at FSC, the cast and crew learned many things in their time on this production. Some of these new skills included learning to be “more clear on communication techniques” and working on their “accents” along with “comedic timing.” “This show taught me the importance of never taking what you have for granted. We were so lucky to be able to perform Tom Jones, to experience each other in our art form, and to enjoy the togetherness,” Brewster said. Within the play there was a dance piece choreographed by Meyer in which she learned how to “create movements that fit each performer, the themes, and unique space.” Florida Southern College’s current production is “Songs For A New World,” running from Nov. 18 to 21, and Dec. 2 to 5 at Buckner Theatre.

Students explain TikTok’s impact on music industry Luci Davis Staff Writer The popular social media app TikTok is becoming a huge platform for music discovery and affecting how the music industry works. TikTok is different from other apps because of its use of audios, where users can lip sync, dance or post just about anything to trending sounds. In most cases, these audios are songs that have either

Graphic courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

gained popularity on the app or previously been well known. It seems each case is different, for example, artists such as Billie Eilish and Cardi B received much attention before the app became popular. However, they have also had viral songs on the app. Sometimes songs that were popular decades ago have gone trending on TikTok and then topped the charts. An example of this would be “Dreams,” by Fleetwood Mac, that gained popularity on the app and then reached #2 on the RollingStones Top 100 Songs, despite being released over 40 years ago. People have even come to associate certain songs with TikTok. “I do associate music to TikTok like ‘Say So’ by Doja Cat, especially that one,” sophomore Ava Boornazian said. Doja Cat has had multiple viral songs top the charts in the last year. “I think that TikTok influences a lot of the music that we hear on the radio and I do associate some songs with TikTok: ‘What’s Poppin’ by Jack Harlow, and ‘Captain Hook by Meg Thee Stallion,” freshman Kamryn Potteiger said. The song “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X became one of the first songs to prove

TikTok trends could create hits. Back in 2019 it went number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for 19 consecutive weeks after trending on the app. Artists have also come to depend on TikTok to market their music. This is largely due to the algorithm constantly exposing users to new music. Studies done by MRC data showed that users are more likely to look for songs they have heard on TikTok on music streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. “New music releases onto platforms like TikTok, and as we know, people like to follow trends so they would want to listen to trendy music,” Boornazian said. This causes many artists to pay popular creators to use their music, exposing their songs to a wide audience. Creators such as Charli D’amelio, with over 100 million followers, and Addison Rae, with nearly 90 million followers, have been known to charge tens of thousands of dollars to simply use the artist’s song in their TikTok. Smaller creators, however, charge much less, and due to TikTok’s algorithm potentially exposing their videos to millions of viewers, TikTok is going to be seeing a lot more artists use micro creators to market their music.

7 The Southern NOVEMBER 19, 2021

OPINIONS

Blue-state Virginia elects Republican governor Youngkin Andrew Thompson Staff Writer On Nov. 2, Republican Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin shocked the political world by winning a tossup race in the Democratic leaning state of Virginia. Youngkin’s victory reflects the public’s continuous disapproval of the Biden administration and the valid concerns of parents regarding woke ideology. Though political commentators originally predicted that former Democratic Governor Terry McAuliffe would win the election, Youngkin won with 50.6 percent of the vote, thereby becoming the first Republican to win a statewide office in Virginia since 2009. Republicans Winsome Sears, the first woman of color to be Lieutenant Governor of the state, and Jason Miyares, the first Latino to be Attorney General, also won their elections. In total, the Republican Party flipped the House of Delegates by seizing seven suburban seats from the Democrats. Although political pundits were shocked by the victory, widespread opposition to President Biden explains the result. According to a Suffolk poll, only 38 percent of Americans nationwide approve of the President, as opposed to a CNN exit poll showing that 53 percent of Virginia voters disapprove of Biden. The majority public opinion is valid because the Biden administration has been responsible for numerous failures such as the Afghanistan withdrawal, increase in Congressional polarization, a weaker economy, a bitter culture war and rising inflation rates. In fact, the Department of Labor notes that consumer prices have increased by

6.2 percent, the largest inflation rate since 1990. Moreover, inflation is rising higher than wages and gas prices have reached seven-year highs. Kitchen table issues, such as economic turmoil, led moderate swing voters to elect Republicans in Virginia. “McAuliffe lost because of a nationalized backlash against an unpopular incumbent president,” said Zack Beauchamp of Vox News. Youngkin provides potential remedies to economic challenges such as eliminating Virginia’s grocery tax, an archaic policy which the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities recognizes as harmful for lower-income families and families of color. Virginia voters took this into account when they went to the polls. Perhaps the most significant lesson bystanders can learn from this election is the fact that everyday Americans are tired of a woke ideology which attacks law enforcement and does not consider parental rights. During a heated debate, McAuliffe attacked parental rights in regards to education, a statement which proved to be the turning point of the campaign. “I’m not going to let parents come into schools and actually take books out and make their own decision,” said McAuliffe. Virginia schools are witnessing numerous struggles such as a reduction in academic standards, a contentious debate regarding whether critical race theory should be taught and a well-intentioned bathroom policy with devastating consequences such as the sexual assault of a teenage girl in a Loudon County school restroom. Miyares’ campaign prioritized victim’s rights and security in opposition to the movement aiming to defund the

Photo courtesy of Creative Commons

New Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin talks to voters during Virginia’s tossup election. police. Both the Republican and Democratic parties must learn important lessons from this election. Specifically, the Republican Party must embrace Youngkin-style conservatism in order to find a middleway between Trump-style populism and Romney-style establishment conservatism. If the party wants to retake power, it must reinvent itself and champion the diversity of leaders such as Sears and Miyares. The new Republican government of Virginia must strengthen the state’s education system and reinstate the mandate that school principals report sexual assault to authorities. In the book “The Once and Future Liberal,” journalist Mark Lilla recognizes

that the American left is in crisis due to identity politics and the lack of an ambitious message. As a result of their loss, Democrats must learn to formulate an ambitious message which promotes universal rights and the equality of all people rather than placing people into boxes. Moreover, the party must utilize this message to mobilize voters instead of continuing to aimlessly attack former President Trump in elections he is not running in and taking swing voters for granted. “It does not feel like the Democrats actually made an attempt to get us,” said Christopher Dombek, a Virginia voter who supported Youngkin although he has supported Democrats in the past.

healthy throughout this pandemic. The second time I felt struck with disregard was when I got into some trouble on campus due to an unexpected complication with the wording of the FSCares plan. I had spent time at my girlfriend’s dorm one day only to receive a message soon after that I had been reported for being in a student dorm as a commuter, and I was issued a warning about something that I had not been aware was a rule according to the agreement I signed. My confusion with the general FSCares plan was that it did not include any reference to commuters. The statement that students sign stated at the time, and still does, that only non-FSC students were restricted from entering student dorms. It was not until I had spent an hour searching through the policy that I discovered at the bottom of the FSCares FAQ page, the school’s restriction regarding commuters that earned me my warning. This struck me particularly hard as I did not recall a rule like this, or else it would have been followed. My residential friends and fellow commuters also only recalled signing a plan to avoid having non-FSC students in their dorms, not knowing that we would all be held in the same regard as them. The policy made sense, as commuters were probably more difficult to contact trace concerning COVID. However, it was not well communicated if it took extensive digging to find. That section of the FSCares FAQ has since been removed for this semester’s

plan, and there is zero reference to commuters anywhere, yet according to residential assistants, commuters are still being barred from dorm rooms. “Non-FSC guests will not be allowed in residence halls for visits,” FSCares stated in its plan details for this semester. Last year they were justified in removing commuters because it was hidden within the plan, this year there’s no reference to commuters in dorms at all. The part that offended me the most was that, because of the school’s wording in their plan, I was seemingly not considered a student at Florida Southern College. This earned me the joking title of a “secondclass student” by my friends, a title persisting to this day. Furthermore, that decision to remove the Snake Pit took away another place I could go and feel comfortable and like I belonged. It’s difficult to casually hang out between classes in the library with the amount of students always there, Florida’s weather doesn’t always permit being outside and I don’t have the money to repeatedly travel home between classes with the price of gas. That leaves me with the question of ‘Where am I supposed to go between classes?’ Ultimately this semester’s restrictions have loosened somewhat, although it feels like commuters are still hardly kept in mind through FSC’s decisions. Problems of finding a place to wait between classes have instead been replaced by finding parking first, which is at least one campuswide issue residential students and commuters have in common.

Commuter students feel like ‘second-class’ students on campus Jameson Champion News Editor To say that times have been tumultuous for Florida Southern College’s commuter students would be an understatement, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many students who live and commute from their homes in Lakeland have had a much different experience to on campus residential students. There have certainly been ups and downs. On the bright side, in the fall of 2020 when only residential students of specific majors and circumstances could come back, so could commuters. Even better, parking was an almost nonexistent issue for hardly anyone on campus. However, certain classes were still online and in the case of hybrid classes, if you couldn’t make it home in time, you

had to find a place to Zoom in on-campus. Furthermore, FSC was in the process of converting the Snake Pit, the closest thing to a dorm lobby or hangout for commuters, into a gaming arena which removed a location from which commuters could Zoom in. As a commuter myself, I’ve noticed some of these are symptoms of a larger problem at FSC, and that’s a disregard for commuters. This disregard I first noticed was the conversion of the Snake Pit, but I accepted the conversion because the Snake Pit wasn’t used that often. Even I really only went when I had nowhere else to go. When much of the student population returned in spring of 2021, we were guided by the FSCares program which set out important COVID-19 guidelines that have kept the majority of the student population

Photo by Nathalie Moreno

The Snake Pit, which has been converted into a practice space for e-sports, filled with rows of gaming chairs and desktops, as well as a few tables.

The Southern NOVEMBER 19, 2021 8

OPINIONS

‘Moshpit culture’ takes a deadly turn at Astroworld Festival

Crowd surge at Travis Scott concert leaves ten people dead Nathalie Moreno Opinions Editor As we slowly return to normal, music festivals and concerts are becoming all the rage again. However, things unfortunately took a turn for the worst at Travis Scott’s recent Astroworld festival on Nov. 5. Some have attributed the tragedy to the negative effects of raging and moshing, but on the contrary, there’s nobody to blame except everyone who had a hand in organizing the event, including Travis Scott and his crew. At the concert, held in Memphis, 10 people lost their lives as a result of gross negligence from the organizers, crew, police and Scott himself. Before the show even started, the unbelievably large crowd of fans—about 50,000—waiting for Scott began getting wilder and soon enough, a dangerous crowd surge happened. The closer the start of the show got, the rowdier people became, pushing to get in and to the front before the show began. Concertgoers fell or were pushed down, and soon enough there were layers of people on the ground getting trampled over. If anyone was still upright and vertical, they were getting pushed toward the railing, having to be physically pulled out of the crowd in order to have a fighting chance. “About an hour before the show even started, I had a gut feeling we should leave,” 19 year old Jonathan Garza, who attended the concert, said. “Everyone was pushing and throwing things. When they started the 30-minute countdown at 8:30 p.m., everything went crazy. Just like that, we couldn’t move. We were stuck, we were scared and we knew we had to get out of there.” It’s not like nobody knew what was going on. The first warning call was made by the police at 9:11 p.m. and the event was declared a mass casualty at around 9:38 p.m., not even 30 minutes later. Even at 10:03 p.m., when the concert was finally being shut down, Travis Scott and Drake, apparently unaware of what was going on, continued performing.

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Just like that, we couldn’t move. We were stuck, we were scared and we knew we had to get out of there.

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-Jonathan Garza Astroworld concert attendee

As the concert continued on, things only got worse. Fans who made it out of the sea of humans all crashing into each other tried to get help from medics, cameramen or any authority in general. They were met with blank stares, threats or simply dismissed. Media footage of the concert bagan emerging everywhere, showing so much, yet still not even half, of what went wrong. One video showed the Houston Police drop an unconscious woman on her head as they carried her out on a backboard. Another showed the heartbreaking moment when two fans made it onto the stage and tried to talk to the cameraman

to alert him there was chaos going on only to be met with motions to get off the platform. The two individuals can be heard saying, “There is someone dead in there,” and “Stop the show.” Their cries unfortunately fell on deaf ears. At the end, eight people were announced dead on the scene with handfuls of other fans getting transported to hospitals due to cardiac arrest and other injuries. Since then, two more victims, including the youngest yet at the age of nine, died in the hospital due to injuries sustained at the concert, bringing the death toll to ten. Nothing like this has happened since 2000 when nine people were also crushed to death at a Pearl Jam concert at the

the ground, hurt or worse, it should be anybody and everybody’s duty to stop and help. “Always be ready to help people off the ground,” Detroit reporter Christina Clark said about mosh pit etiquette. “Just because you see someone on the ground doesn’t mean everyone else does. It’s everyone’s responsibility to stop trampling in the pit.” Mosh pit or rage culture, which is widely known in the rock/heavy metal scene, has gradually moved into hip hop/rap as the lines between the two genres continue to show some overlap. Other rappers like Lil Uzi Vert, Playboi Carti and Trippie Redd have also been known for out-of-control crowds, mosh pits or ragers.

Photo courtesy of Creative Commons

Artist Travis Scott performs at FIB Benicassim international music festival in 2018. Roskilde music festival. Everyone from the concertgoers, their families, police, medical team, organizers and even Travis Scott himself are left wondering how something so horrible and tragic could have transpired under their watch. Multiple lawsuits have since been filed against Travis Scott, Drake (who also performed alongside Scott that night), LiveNation, and any other company responsible for the event in any way. The largest of the lawsuits so far has been for $750 million. As usual, such an event was all over the news and social media for days on end. Some people who attended the borderline massacre went so far as to say that the victims should’ve known what they were getting into, because that’s how mosh pits and ragers work, which is untrue. Mosh pit culture has been around for longer than most of us realize. However, unlike what many people assert these days, moshing is not designed to hurt each other. Mosh pits are supposed to be a way for participants to let go of their everyday worries and enjoy the music together. Matt Jarvis, a psychologist and mosher himself, describes moshing as a “social psychology in which a complex set of social processes allow a high level of physical contact with a minimum of antagonism and harm.” There are sets of ‘rules’ so to speak when partaking in pits, a big one being to have open palms and keep elbows close, in order to minimize accidentally hurting anyone you run into. The most important rule is that if someone does end up on

But when things got too out of hand, the stage crew informed the performer that a break was needed until the situation was controlled and everyone was safe. This was something Scott’s crew failed to do on that fearful night; there was no communication, no observation, therefore no regard for the safety of the fans. There seemed to be no acknowledgement towards the rules clearly needed to stay safe at Scott’s Astrofest. Amid all the posts and updates, a video of Linkin Park diffusing a similar situation has since emerged. In the video, Linkin Park frontmen, the late Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda, can be heard stopping the music and helping out a fan they noticed on the ground in the crowd. Bennington then leads a chant, saying “When someone falls, what do you do?” with the entire crowd replying with, “Pick them up.” The stark comparison between concerts like Linkin Park’s and Travis Scott’s emphasizes that the fatalities were not strictly a result of mosh pit culture and raging. The tragedy carried out due to lack of communication between Scott and his crew, lack of preparation for the amount of people there from the venue and organizers, lack of empathy from the people in the crowd who did nothing and lack of medical attention to those who needed it. So while it’s not all any one person’s fault, including Travis Scott, there were many ways the situation could have been diffused or even all around avoided if people simply paid more attention.

SOUTHERN

The Student Voice of Florida Southern College Florida Southern College 111 Lake Hollingsworth Dr. Lakeland, Florida 33801 fscsouthern.com 863-680-4456 fscsouthern@gmail.com

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Deanna Wright

Jameson Champion Nathalie Moreno

Entertainment & Sports Editor Faith Miller

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The Southern is published as an e-edition bi-weekly during fall and spring semesters of the academic year at Florida Southern College by students through the Communication Department. The Southern is unable to print a physical paper due to COVID-19, but is still available on fscsouthern.com. 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 NOVEMBER 19, 2021

Men’s Basketball 11/20 vs. Barry* 11/23 vs. USC Aiken 11/26 vs. Grand Valley State University 11/27 vs. St. Edward’s University 12/01 vs. Florida Tech*

Women’s Basketball 11/20 vs. Barry* 11/26 vs. Ketucky Wesleyan College 11/27 vs. Gannon Univeristy 12/01 vs. Florida Tech

Men’s Swimming and Diving 11/19 Panther Invitational * 11/20 Panther Invitational * 11/21 Panther Invitational *

Women’s Swimming and Diving 11/19 Panther Invitational * 11/20 Panther Invitational* 11/21 Panther Invitational *

Faith Miller Sports Editor During the months of December and January, the main sports happening on campus will be basketball, swimming and hockey. Hockey games have become a huge hit on campus among students, with fun game atmospheres and chanting for their favorite players. With this expectation in mind, many students are looking forward to upcoming events. The basketball season opened on Nov. 12 for both the men’s and women’s teams. Jacob Schner is on his sixth year at FSC on the team and discused the plan for the upcoming year and the future of basketball. “I think Coach Donnelly (men’s basketball head coach) has done a great

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We’re used to trying to have to keep the momentum going, that positive morale throughout the whole season... Molly Kennedy Swim team freshmen

job recruiting great quality men, not just basketball players,” Schner said. The basketball season for both men and

Photo by Jack Portune

FSC swim team member competes in meet on Oct. 30 against FSU. womens teams will continue into March 2022. The FSC swim team’s season had the kick-off of their season on Sept. 25 at UNF seasonal kick-off with games continuing into the spring semester. With such a long season, it can be hard to keep up the teams momentum throughout the meets. Despite this, many members of the team are past “club” swimmers, who are used to having year-long seasons. “We’re used to trying to have to keep the momentum going, that positive morale throughout the whole season even when it’s meets that are less of a big deal than maybe a conference or like your nationals meet,” freshmen swim team member Molly Kennedy said.

Editor’s note: Interviews conducted by Snakebite

FSC rededicates Moccasin Field as Berend Field Faith Miller Sports Editor On Oct. 29, the moccasin soccer and lacrosse field was dedicated and renamed “Berend Field,” after trustee and alumni Dr. Keith R. Berend, MD. Berend attended FSC and graduated 1992. After his graduation, he has since become a world renowed hip and knee surgeon. During his time at FSC, Berend played flag football on the very same field. “I hope that this field serves as inspiration to my fellow alumni and my fellow trustees... to contiue to come back and to give back,” Berend said in the field dedication video. The ceremony featured the unvieling

of Berend’s name accross the field, along with being on the scoreboard and walls surrounding the field. “We had started this process several years ago and to finally have the field dedicated to our family really means a tremendous amount and it’s really overwhelming, “ said K. Berend said in FSC’s field dedication video. The event was attended by FSC staff, alum, trustees and student athletes. FSC President Anne Kerr spoke to those who attended the event, she discussed what this means to the school. “I have no doubt that Berend field will be a place that student athletes can excel, friendships will be made that will last a lifetime, and championships

Men’s Ice Hockey 11/19 vs. Embry-Riddle* 11/20 vs. Embry-Riddle

Volleyball 11/19 vs. Embry-Riddle 11/20 vs. Rollins Photo by Kat Hostetler

* Indicates away game

With a season like this, it can be hard to keep the end goal in mind. To combat this, some swimmers take it meet-by-meet or day-by-day. “It’s all about coming to practice every day with a positive attitude, seeing what’s on the set, what’s on that board and being like ‘all right I’m ready to get it, I’m ready to kill it today,” Kennedy said. Men’s Ice Hockey has also taken place these past few months and will continue into the spring semester. The first game of the spring 2022 semester will take place on Jan. 14 and will continue until Feb. 12.

FSC President Anne Kerr gives a speech to athletes and students at the moccasin field dedication.

will be won,” Kerr said in the FSC field dedication video.

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I have no doubt that Berend field will be a place that student athletes can excel...

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UP NEXT

Winter sports prepare for upcoming season

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SPORTS

9

Anne Kerr FSC President

FSC’s department of athletic communications oversaw the music, media and “overall run of the show.” “I hope it shows that we value [alumni’s] times and efforts to support college athletics,” assistant director of athletic communications Taylor Drake said. “We love having alumni on campus and receiving their support means the world to the student athletes and provides them opportunities to excel at FSC and even grow to succeed in the outside world.” The proccess of the field dedication has been a “long time coming” and Drake felt “thankful to finally give Dr. Berend the recognition he deserves for all of his support to FSC.” Student’s representing different sports attended the event and helped in the univeiling of the new signs across the field and walls. “It was an amazing experience to be able to be there for the dedication. It was definetly an exciting moment for Florida Southern athletics,” women’s soccer team manager Kathlita Hostetler said.