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the current
Oct. 11, 2013
Government shutdown examined through Triton lense By Margaret Tronsor Contributing Writer
Lack of funds means locked doors.
The government fiscal year ended without a new spending bill being passed September 30. Conservative House Republicans have stated that they will not pass a bill without changes to the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Without a spending bill to decide how money is spent, the government can’t spend any money, and shuts down. The main concern is that people will not be getting paid to do important jobs such as patrol our national parks or work the immigration offices. This means that many government operations and services do not get funded and their workers do not get paid. Congress, however, does get paid. While a projected 800,000 government workers will not get paid photo by Aaron Levy during the shutdown, Congress will
continue to collect their paychecks. Not to worry, police and emergency services will continue to operate, as they are deemed essential, so “The Purge” will not be taking place anytime soon. Along with emergency services, mail will continue to operate as well as air traffic control workers, branches of the military, and various other critical services. If you are dealing with a federal loan, you will have to wait on processing, according to a CNN analysis of the shutdown. Concerning the economy, the shutdown could do some damage if it goes on for long enough. “A protracted shutdown would cause larger, escalating disruptions including induced declines in private production and rising risk premiums in financial markets,” economist Mark Zandi of Macroadvisers.com told XXXXX. The whole debacle has caused significant confusion among Americans, as well as Eckerd students specifically. To put it in a better perspective, ECOS President Brady O’Donnell and Vice President Henry Ashworth discussed what would happen if ECOS shut down.
“If ECOS shut down there would be more consequences than I could explain,” Ashworth said. Many campus programs would be cut such as club funding, activities and he adds that there would be, “almost zero representation of the student body to administration.” Without representation to the administration, students’ opinions and voices would go unheard and decisions could be made without considering student input. Shutdowns in the past have varied in duration, with some lasting for up to 21 days. Luckily, ECOS has never and hopefully will never see a shutdown that lasts as long. In the event of a full ECOS shut down, “All club, campus activities, and ECOS events would cease to happen,” O’Donnell said. “I would be waiting outside of President Eastman’s office until it started running again.” Hopefully we will see the end of the shutdown in the next few days, and never see one at all on Eckerd’s campus. It seems that ECOS, though, would be much more motivated to get back to work than Congress appears to be.
B l a s t f r o m t h e pa s t Welcome to the “blast from the past,” a feature showcasing articles from our archives. These pieces, from the Triton Tribune Oct. 6, 1995, detail the hot tub installed in Beta Kennedy and give advice to students.
The Oracle of SAL SAL says what’s up with RAs & ex-boyfriends Dear Sal, I just broke up with this guy and I am feeling really down. We went out for three months and I really thought it was going to work. It took me by surprise when he dumped me. How can I get over him? -Down and outDear Down, It really is tough to get over a guy, especially when he dumped you out of the blue. I advise talking to him about it. If you know why he did it, maybe it will be easier to get over him. Hang out with yourself for a bit, but don’t forget your friends. I’m sure they can help you cheer up and maybe even find a new guy. If all else fails, get a hobby or a punching bag. That will get rid of some of the anger. Good luck! Dear Sal, I’ve been at Eckerd for two whole weeks now and don’t have one single friend!!! I’m a transfer student and it seems as if everybody has already formed their little cliques. HELP!!!! -Lone RangerDear Lone, What is this self-pity routine? I’m sure there must be some way for you to make friends. Get
your butt of the couch and go to every meeting possible. Become asocial butterfly and talk to everyone that passes your way. If in the end you still don’t have any friends, write me and I’ll help you find some courses to make friends (our of cardboard). Dear Sal, I cannot stand my RA. She is always in my room telling me what to do. She thinks that because I don’t have a roommate that I am bored or something. I am perfectly O.K. without a roommate and if she tells me that I “just need a hug” one more time I will explode!!! -Going crazyDear Going, Well, maybe you do need a hug. Just kidding. The only way you can resolve this is by telling her that you like to be alone sometimes. You have ot be honest with her even if it hurts her feelings. The next time she comes into your room, sit her down, tell her how you feel, and then ask her if she needs a hug. Dear Sal, My RA is just not sensitive toward my feelings. I was telling him my guy problems when the phone rang. He picked it up and told me it would
take a while because his father was talking to him about football. What a creep!! During my time of need and despair he just shot me down. What should I do? -Deeply disturbedDear Deeply, Have you considered moving? Why don’t you switch rooms with Going crazy? Well, you really should talk to him. He is supposed to be there for you at all times. That is his job. If he does not fulfill his duty, he needs to be replaced. In the meantime, find someone else to la your problems on. Someone who will listen and give you feedback. However, it is important to realize that your RA may have something more serious oing on his life and that he was discussing football was his way of avoiding having to disclose something he is not at liberty to discuss. Remember, I’m always here for you! Dear Sal, I have problems with wrestlers from Ohio. What’s up with that? -Some dudeDear Some, Okaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy!?!? So don’t talk with them. It really is that simple, Ed.
Kennedy gets a hot item in lounge
The men of Kennedy House are going to become even more popular than they already are. Yes, the rumors are true -- Kennedy House now has a heated Jacuzzi in their upstairs lounge. Hold on, do not grab your swimming trunks just yet. The Jacuzzi is to be used only by Kennedy residents and their “close friends,” according to Brian Murphy, hwo has played a large part in making the Jacuzzi a reality. The idea of putting in a Jacuzzi originated last year, but they had some problems actually finding an affordable Jacuzzi to buy. Eventually they did find one for $450 through a newspaper ad. It was in fairly good condition, with only the outside casing in
need of fixing-up. After buying some lumber, they refurbished the casing in only a night. So now the Kennedy guys have an awesome Jacuzzi and everything is perfect, right? Wrong. Eckerd College Housing has caused a few problems, but Murphy is not expecting those problems to exist much longer. “Housing is concerned about the chemicals involved and the filter, but we have everything under control,” Murphy said. Murphy will be testing the chemicals everyday to ensure user safety. He expects Housing to conduct an inspection to make sure everything is in working order and safe, so that no students are injured. “We realize that they will find things
wrong with the Jacuzzi, but we plan to take care of that by asking Housing for a list of wrong things so that we can correct the problems. We want to keep this Jacuzzi because we have worked hard for it,” Murphy said. Along with the initial inspection, Kennedy is expecting monthly inspections from Housing, which is understandable. Kennedy is taking precautions to ensure that no one will get hurt. They have placed a lock on the Jacuzzi to prevent any potential accidents. They also have had and will have numerous dorm meetings concerning the safety.
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