The Sandspur Vol 121 issue 21

Volume 121 Issue 21 • Thursday, April 2, 2015

Page 2 • NEWS News

Thursday, Thursday, October April 2, 2015 2014

Established in 1894 with the following editorial:

EXECUTIVE STAFF David Matteson Editor-in-Chief Ali Perry Managing Editor

Marcela Oliveira Production Manager

New York City, New York

Alps, France

Rome, Italy

CONTENT STAFF Lauren Waymire Head Content Editor Alexandra Mariano Head Copy Editor Nolan Brewer Webmaster Marta Lazowik Web Assistants

Sana’a, Yemen

Kate Barnekow Esteban Meneses Sabrina Kent Copy Editors Micah Bradley Eric Hilton Raquel Leon Section Editor Micah Bradley Dani Del Pico Nicholas D’Alessandro Staff Writers Matt Boggs Production Assistant

DESIGN DEPARTMENT Shaayann Khalid Head Designer Carmen Cheng Marcus Camacha Designers

BUSINESS & FACULTY Greg Golden

Interim General Manager of Student Media

Taylor McCormack Business Manager

PUBLIC RELATIONS Diana Drprich Multimedia Manager Jordan Cole Public Relations Intern Irina Ryabikina Multimedia Manager

ADVERTISING

Contact: advertising@thesandspur.org

Cover Art By: Will Hauver ‘15

Compiled by Lauren Waymire Alps, France Germanwings flight 9525 crashed into the French Alps after the co-pilot sent the plane into an intentional descent. Andreas Lubitz, the 28-year-old co-pilot, reportedly locked the door to the cockpit after the pilot left for a moment and manually programmed the plane to go down.

Investigators have found links to mental illness but there has been no mention of terrorism. The heads of state from Germany, Spain, and France—whose citizens comprised most of the passengers onboard—paid their respects together at the crash site.

A total of 150 people lost their lives as a result of the crash.

Rome, Italy Amanda Knox and her ex-boyfriend, Italian national Raffaele Sollecito, have been cleared of

Saudi Arabia’s navy has aidthe 2007 murder of Knox’s British flatmate Meredith Kercher. ed in evacuating diplomats from Kercher was stabbed to death in Yemen as the United Nations the flat that she and Knox shared has simultaneously removed all international in Perugia, Italy. staff from the This is the final country.

The ruling in the A gas-related case. Knox and move follows several days of Sollecito were explosion in Saudi-led airfound guilty in strikes on the 2009 and then Lower Manhattan Iranian-allied freed in 2011, caused the Houthi fightbut the charges collapse of two ers. Yemen is were reinstatcurrently expeed last year and buildings riencing clashsent through the es between the top Italian apHouthi group peals court. The and Sunni tribal justification for the overturned conviction will be fighters in the south. The Saureturned in 90 days. Knox is now di-led air campaign is also trying free to travel outside the United to stall an advance on the port city of Aden by a Shi’ite Muslim States. led group. Many are concerned Sana’a, Yemen

“

about the possible humanitarian crisis that could unfold as a result of the fighting.

New York City, New York A gas-related explosion in Lower Manhattan caused the collapse of two buildings and subsequently ignited a fire that spread to nearby buildings. Inspectors had declared the plumbing and gas utility work shoddy just an hour before the explosion occurred.

A total of 22 people were injured—several critically—and some remain missing. Those walking by just before the explosion happened reported smelling gas coming from the buildings.

The incident came a year after a building exploded in East Harlem, not far away, injuring about 50 and killing 8. This explosion was also the result of a gas leak.

Page 3 • FEATURE

Thursday, April 2, 2015

Students prepare for elections Campaigns for President and Vice President of SGA have officially begun. There are three different sets of candidates running, each with their own vision and ideas.

Micah Bradley

Matthew Cassidy ‘18 & Reagan Campbell ‘18

Staff Writer

On March 25 the Student Government Association (SGA) released names of the three sets of candidates that will run for President and Vice President.

The candidates have Facebook pages promoting their campaign and sharing their vision. Voting will be held online in April.

This school year Elise Ablin ’15 and Romulo Rainha ’15 served as President and Vice President respectively. Some of the most important issues being discussed in the race are school spirit, the representation student voices, food services, and campus safety.

One of the many duties of the Rollins SGA President is to represent the student body to the board of trustees, the administration, alumni, and other people.

The Vice President typically runs Senate meetings and writes the agenda.

“We may be freshmen, but between the two of us we have years of previous SGA experience and an ample amount of resources and connections throughout the Rollins community. Our driven, outgoing personalities mesh perfectly together. To say the least, we are ready

for the big leagues,” said Reagan Campbell.

Some of their priorities include making SGA accessible, listening to students, and creating more events presented by SGA. “I would like to see more events hosted or sponsored by

SGA. I would like to bring artists, comedians, and speakers from around the nation and the area to come and help the students enjoy their time here, raising our retention rate here at Rollins. Additionally, I would like to work with Career Services to see more career expos for Rollins students

so that when it comes time for graduation, students can find the jobs they deserve,” said Matthew Cassidy.

Cassidy also wants to rid SGA of a sense of apathy and bring different departments and groups on campus closer together.

Cortlandt (CJ) Dunn ‘16 & Gabrielle (Gabby) Masse ‘16 “We are the only ticket with someone who have served on the SGA executive board. We have participated in all kinds of organizations throughout the Rollins community and have held leadership positions in a total of nine organizations,” they said.

Their three priorities would be to increase school-wide spirit, improve campus safety and communication, and improve transparency with SGA. “The two main things we want to work on changing are the relative lack of school spir-

it at Rollins and what we see as a rut on the subject of safety,” said Dunn and Massé. They also would want to see Rollins become a more unified college.

They said, “The first thing we would do if elected President and Vice President would be to

bring the Rollins community together with a large-scale event.

We feel the school is really divided and needs to be brought back together as a unit. We can achieve this through an event which we want to launch in the fall, homecoming.”

Adriana Talbot ‘17 Caleb Archuleta ‘18

Accepts R-Cards!

“My favorite is spinach, tomato, and feta”

Locally Owned and Operated

Roger Lewis, your local Domino’s Manager

12

Choose any style with any toppings

each

CODE 5041

LIMITED TIME OFFER Cash Value 1/20c. Prices may vary. Tax may apply.

©2014 Domino’s IP Holder LLC. Not valid with any other offer.

©2014 Domino’s IP Holder LLC. Not valid with any other offer.

1 LARGE ANY WAY!

Valid with coupon only at participating stores.

Minimum Purchase required for delivery. Delivery charge may apply. Limited delivery areas.

LATE

ORDER NOW AT DOMINOS.COM

2 LARGE

ter mechanisms to get a feel for what the student body wants, and I want to represent the student body’s interest to my best ability. A way to do this would be through online surveys and increased incentives for students to attend student government meetings and voice their opinions,” said Talbot.

“In the future we hope to work closely with Campus Safety to improve safety for our Holt students and to foster a closer relationship between Greek Life and Campus Safety,” added Archuleta.

Minimum Purchase required for delivery. Delivery charge may apply. Limited delivery areas.

2-Topping Pizzas

Additional Toppings extra.

CODE 5364

LIMITED TIME OFFER Cash Value 1/20c. Prices may vary. Tax may apply.

Valid with coupon only at participating stores.

OPEN

Maitland

1510 S Orlando Ave. Orlando, FL 32751

“I am running with Caleb as my Vice President because he is motivated, hard working, and has a pulse on the freshman class, which is the future of Rollins. . .

Our combined skills make us the perfect team for SGA President and Vice President,” said Talbot.

Some of their priorities in office would be maintaining transparency between SGA and students, unity between different groups and schools on campus, and changes to common issues with the on-campus dining system.

“I want to implement bet-

Election Days:

April 13 - 17

Page 4 • FEATURES

Thursday, April 2, 2015

Ariana Simpson Writer Festival life is coming back to Rollins with WPRK’s annual Fox Fest. There will be musical artists, local art vendors, a beer garden, and much more.

Drew DeVito ’16, the WPRK Station Manager, said that the purpose of Fox Fest is “to give Rollins students something that they haven’t gotten before, which is an event with super talented musicians, a great time, a chance to literally just walk out of the door of your dorm and see music. In past Rollins years that’s just something you haven’t been able to do.”

The lineup for this year includes talented Rollins artists, local performers, and undergound artists. So who are the Rollins students performing Foxfest? DJ & SJ (David Simoneau ’14 and SJ Renfroe ’17), Tim Ajayi (“Menace”), and Elie Gottlieb ’15, notoriously

known as VIVIDO will all appear at the event.

From the local music scene there will be The Groove Ori-

“

[Fox Fest is] a chance to literally just walk out of the door of your dorm and see music.

In past Rollins years that’s just something you haven’t been able to do.

ent, a Fox Fest staple. Self-proclaimed music enthusiast, avid festival-goer, and one of the core event coordinators of Fox Fest, Jonny Scoblionko ’16 states that

Page 5 • FEATURES

CULTURE CONVERGES ON CAMPUS

“booking the Groove Orient was kind of a no-brainer. In past years we have had nationally renowned acts such as The London Souls, Hundred Waters, and Bright Light Social Hour, so we wanted to find acts that would be able to put on a killer show,” On handling the musical magic behind the scenes, such as compiling the lineup, making contracts with the artist, and heading the Artist Outreach is very important.

Scoblionko shares that the team “wanted to be sure that we booked a multidimensional lineup. As a team, we agreed that we did not want the event to be around one band or one sound, so we went out and booked acts spanning all genres. We wanted to be sure that the lineup was the right representation of the event, as well as the Rollins community.

We chose to book a diverse lineup that features everything from electronic music to rock and roll

to experimental psychedelic jazz and funk.”

The nationally touring acts are Eliot Lipp, the co-headliner, and Marco Benevento, the headliner.

Co-headliner Eliot Lipp was “the first act we locked in” remarks Scobionko.

Marco Benevento, the headliner, is also in high demand.

“All you have to do to understand how fantastic Marco Benevento is, is listen to the song ‘At the Show.’ It’s kind of like the perfect indie-catchy, pop-catchy ballad. He is a baffling good musician with these really catchy songs that almost anyone would love but also he will put effects on his grand piano [WPRK snagged a really nice piano for Benevento also],” said DeVito.

Having seen Benevento at AURA Music Festival in 2014, Scoblionko knew this was an act to go after.

Being able to book Beneven-

to was “a dream come true,” said Scoblionko.

Catering to Rollins students and WPRK listeners, and Winter Park and Orlando residents, the music lineup for Fox Fest clearly

“

The diversity at the event this year through the music and vendor community is going to make it bigger and more interactive than ever before.

pulls from a variety of genres, but the diversity extends beyond the music.

Fox Fest coordinators have invested time and energy through-

out the semester to ensure that a variety of activites and vendors will be available throughout the festival. These activities and vendors appeal to a wide array of interests and are guaranteed to draw students from all over campus.

Just a few of the activities include: free yoga led by local instructor Lindsay Graham on the lawn starting at 2 p.m.; an exciting display of live art at 4 p.m; and when the music starts, beer from Will’s Pub. Food will also be available as students browse through the mutliplem vendors.

A majority of the vendors are locally based, have Etsy shops, and are even Rollins alumni.

Tierney Torchin ’16, said “the products range from geode rings to vinyl record butterflies. The diversity at the event this year through the music and vendor community is going to make it bigger and more interactive than ever before.”

Thursday, April 2, 2015

UWF Cybersecurity

Save the world from hackers, attackers, and crashers Cybercrime is a trillion-dollar-a-year business. Become a cyberwarrior. Earn your graduate degree or certificate in Cybersecurity online or in person at our Pensacola campus.

Splash on! Scholarships and financial aid available.

Get the facts: uwf.edu/cybersecurity.

Camp Takajo

Scoblionko said, “We want Fox Fest to be something that unites everyone in attendance and allows people to abandon social inhibition. We chose to create an interactive music and arts festival to help bring Rollins together as a community. We want to help provide an authentic college experience for Rollins students. I for one am tired of all social events taking place off campus, and I want to use Fox Fest as a means of strengthening our communal bonds and bettering the college experience on the Rollins Campus. My goal is for Fox Fest to be a stepping stone and a catalyst for change regarding on-campus life.”

And Scoblionko’s vision for Fox Fest is coming true, with a much bigger venue on Mills Lawn (instead of last years Mary Jean Plaza), the festival promises to host more students and draw attention from around campus. The artist pull extends into the com-

munity and outside of the Winter Park area, boasting headliners from across the country instead of only local bands. Weaving together the Rolins arts community with global performances and local vendors promises that Fox Fest 2015 will deliever performances far beyond expectations.

Meet new friends! Travel!

Teach your favorite activity!

Fine Arts Land sports Outdoor Education Water Sports

“

We chose to create an interactive music and arts festival to help bring Rollins together as a community.

So don’t miss it. Festival life at Rollins kicks off on Saturday April 11 on Mills Lawn. The music starts at 4 p.m. and goes until 10 p.m.

June to August. Residential.

Enjoy our website.

Apply online.

Camp Takajo 1-800-250-8252 www.takajo.com

Page 6 • FEATURES

Thursday, April 2, 2015

Budget cuts create anxiety Despite having a three million dollar surplus for this year, additional budget cuts are on the way in hopes to maintain Rollins’ current financial standing.

Brooke Varney

Writer

The implementation of potential budget cuts is causing campus wide anxiety. The cuts affect everyone–from students to faculty and staff–and almost every aspect of college-related expenditures, from tuition to housing supplies.

The trick is in minimizing obvious impacts of funding reductions, while enhancing the essential qualities of the college.

It is also one of the things that make Rollins one of the most sought-after places in the area to work.

One might expect the greatest impact from budget cuts to result in layoffs, wage freezes, and reduced work hours amongst facilities and staff members, such as custodians, food service workers, and administrative support.

However, after delving into the specific ramifications of Rollins’ budget tightening, this proves untrue for almost every nonacademic department at Rollins.

Among the positions that have disappeared are Director of

Business Services, an apprentice locksmith, a janitor, a secretarial position in athletics, and a commercial project manager to oversee venues, including the Bush Science Center, the Alfond Inn, and Strong Hall.

These positions, however, were not vacated by layoffs, but rather by what Vice President for Business and Finance and Treasurer Jeff Eisenbarth refers to as ‘natural attrition.’ This way, the college will ultimately save money that can be used elsewhere.

“Normally, somebody leaves and you have a vacant position and you just automatically go through the process of starting to refill that position, but now we have to think if we really have to have that,” said Eisenbarth.

“Mostly, we asked everyone to do a three percent and a six percent budget cut scenario.

We never had to go to the six percent, because the three percent was enough to balance the budget,” he explained. “Everyone went through their budget, and travel was reduced, operating supplies, and other types that I

would call administrative support expenditures.”

With a $3 million surplus this year, it is a vast change from last year’s $4 million deficit. Even with the availability of funds, action is being taken to maintain good financial standing.

Maria Martinez, associate vice president of human resources & risk management, points out the positive effects of budget cuts through the years.

“When you have budget cuts you become much more conscious of the work that needs to be done at the college. We need to analyze what we are doing and make an assessment as to what is really needed,” Martinez said.

Scott Bitikofer, director of facilities management at Rollins, has overseen the application of budget cuts to his department during the past 17 years, and has experienced their effects on staff firsthand. With 30-40 percent of facility costs being fixed, a disproportionate share of facilities’ cuts fall on ‘discretionary’ work.

It is to Bitikofer’s and his staff’s credit that the impact of cuts to

their budget is not readily apparent to Rollins students.

“We think that we’ve made some surgical cuts in this past year that have made us a little leaner, and a little more efficient, but they’ve also made us a little more disciplined. We lost about five percent roughly, so you can see that our funding was reduced more than the average across campus, but I like to think that folks haven’t noticed a big difference in services,” he said.

Budget cuts save money: the funds are redirected to the essential workings of the college.

Faculty and most staff therefore typically find themselves with compensation and benefits that they may not be able to receive elsewhere.

“Having competitive salaries in all areas–academic, faculty, and staff–is important. We don’t see a lot of that attrition at Rollins. We don’t lose a lot of people,” Eisenbarth said. “It’s considered one of the top places to work in Orange County and the Greater Orlando area. We have great benefits, and we have competitive salaries with our

peers.”

Compared to Rollins’ overall budget of $100 million last year, this year’s $104 million budget will allow for many improvements campus-wide.

Although there is always a desire to increase staff and to have additional funds available, reevaluating work processes and perceived needs allows the facilities department to innovate and do more with less. Every position adds value, but learning to compromise by not refilling certain positions generates opportunities to find more efficient ways of operating, keeping the costs for students from rising unnecessarily.

Bitikofer looks at these changes from a business perspective, recognizing the necessity of making yearly budget cuts in certain periods.

“If you’re in business for any length of time, business has cycles. It kind of ebbs and flows,” he said. “Things kind of expand to a point, and if something happens, they contract, so this is probably a fairly normal, and a fairly healthy, natural cycle.”

Immersion team continues to grow The Immersion program works diligently to provide more alternative spring break experiences.

Celia Clark

Writer

Rollins’ student demand for alternative spring break experiences continues to grow, and the Rollins Immersion: Citizens take Action program plans to deliver.

In its seventh year, the immersion program has had a steady increase in participation, creating the need to modify the model to meet the growing demand.

Since 2007, the number of students choosing an alternative break has grown from 12 to 250, and the number of programs in an academic year has grown from 1 to 20. Grant funding creates the opportunity for Rollins students to engage in weekend experiences at no cost. Spring break experiences range from $250-$350 with students traveling to places like Nepal, Rwanda, the Bahamas, and Louisiana.

The combination of an ac-

tive presence on campus, social media, and word of mouth has helped to create awareness among both students and faculty, said Graduate Assistant Raul Carril ’15 ’16MBA. “We are interacting with the Rollins community, trying to engage the entire campus while building our brand and identity.”

Now, more than ever before, faculty and staff members are working with the Immersion team to create experiences that enrich the in-class curriculum. The program is also seeing “repeat breakers” wanting to become program facilitators in order to lead a team focused on a personal passions or social issues. This real world learning experience has created another way for students to connect with each other and the campus.

“Students who are thinking about transferring, or who are not finding a place at Rollins,

Celia Clark and have been encouraged to go on an Immersion experience, end up connecting and staying,” said Melissa Looby ’15, who is one of Rollins current student coordinators and a past Immersion participant.

The process surrounding program initiatives is driven by a facilitator team, which consists of two students and a faculty member or administrator. The team creates an experience that connects passion with social is-

sues. This year’s past alternative spring break HeARTs in Motion: Art Therapy in Early Education was created out of passion for art, children, and music. Being flexible, open to trial and error, and not afraid to make mistakes are just a few of the unique characteristics and appeal of the program for repeat breakers.

“It’s just a big, messy learning process that we end up falling in love with,” said Looby.

As students share their en-

thusiasm for the collaborative process and applications increase, the Immersion team is dedicated to answering the demand with more opportunities locally, nationally, and internationally.

Carril said, “The Immersion experience is an experience that you take with you when you leave college. It provides memories, feelings and emotions that will shape and impact you and last forever.”

Page 7 • ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Thursday, April 2, 2015

2013 Skybird

2014

The Blissful Juice

Juice Bar

2009 Loving Hut

2010

Rhapsodic Bakery

Café 118 Artichoke Red Vegan Market

2007

2006 Dandelion

Ethos

Cafe

Orlando offers more vegan options As the vegan trend grows in popularity, so does the number of vegan dining options. Orlando is no exception with new vegan restaurants, as well as several vegan juice bars and a bakery.

Marcela Stolzmann

Production Manager

Labels such as “vegan options,” “vegan friendly,” and “no animal products” are becoming more frequent and familiar each day. The growth of the vegan trend has changed the food scene of cities all over the world.

Orlando is no exception, and neither is Rollins.

In the last nine years, nine different vegan venues opened in the Orlando area. From vegan bakeries to specialized restaurants, these establishments provide followers of the vegan diet with alternatives to homemade cooking. These venues give vegan students, such as Kristen Gorton ’17, safe and tasty options that complement their diets.

Gorton has been a vegan for three years. Information about animal cruelty issues helped her decide to give up animal by-products. Despite the challenges of the diet, she does not regret her choice. For someone who has an alternative diet, such as Gorton, the Orlando area provides many options. “Orlando’s vegan and vegetarian scene is awesome. It makes being a vegan here worth it,” said Gorton.

Dandelion Commnitea Café, the first of such specialized restaurants in the area, opened in 2006. While serving vegetari-

an dishes, the venue also serves vegan needs. Eight other venues followed the example in the following years.

But restaurants are not the only vegan-dedicated establishments in the area. Two all-vegan juice bars, a bakery, and a neighborhood market also offer vegan food lovers diverse food delicacies. The Rhapsody Bakery, which opened in 2010, takes pride in its lack of animal products. The Artichoke Red Vegan Market, opened in 2009, provides a safe shopping option for those who follow the diet.

Brian Friscia, Professor of Health and Wellness and Associate Head Athletic Trainer in the Sports Medicine Department at Rollins, said that there are serious reasons why veganism has become such a growing trend, “Some people don’t want to consume meat that may have been raised unethically or with the use of hormones and antibiotics,” said Friscia.

The vegan diet also presents a safe and healthy way to eat since people are more careful about the food they ingest, he said. The growth of the number of restaurants and venues in the area indicates the growing number of people looking for this alternative cuisine. “With GMOs and everything happening right now, everyone wants to do ev-

erything they can to make sure that they are eating optimally,” said Friscia.

Friscia said the trend poses problems linked with the diet.

The lack of meat and animal products means fewer sources of protein for vegans. The daily intake of iron and amino acids are also concerns for those who adopt the lifestyle. But these restrictions, as Friscia explains, are not a problem if “you have a nice, well-rounded diet.”

The restaurants in the area help vegans find these balanced nutrients. The diet can be quite time consuming since many vegans prepare their own food in order to watch the ingredients of each meal and also because they have to constantly be looking for these animal-product-free ingredients. The availability of these establishments is crucial to healthy eaters.

The Blissful Juice, a juice bar and vegan café, is the most recent venue to have opened in the area, just in 2014. Another popular venue, Ethos, relocated from downtown Orlando to Winter Park in 2012 but has been serving 100 percent vegan dishes since 2007. The lack of any completely vegan restaurants inspired husband and wife Kelly and Laina Shockley to start the business. “Laina and I have done a lot of traveling and noticed that

just about every major city has at least one fully vegan restaurant,” said Shockley.

The effort seems to be paying off since the restaurant is successful within the community; however, the owners keep their humble attitude.

“We don’t want anyone to feel like we are saying that veganism is for everyone,” said Shockley. “We don’t have an elitist stance of veganism. We just want to supply central Florida with a positive restaurant experience with delicious food without animal products in it.”

Greg Golden ’11 ’16MBA, Rollins’ General Manager of Student Media, sees the popularity of Ethos as a sign that, if not more vegans, the Orlando area has seen an increase in people curious about the vegan diet and its dishes. Golden was a vegan for two years as a way to maintain his health, but he has recently begun consuming fish and eggs again. The lack of time to prepare meals that complied with his dietary needs was one of the main reasons why Golden had to give up on veganism. “You have to eat a lot as a vegan to get everything you need for your diet.

I felt like I didn’t have the time to prepare my own meals as much anymore,” said Golden.

Golden thinks that the options in the area provide enough

choices for those who want to experience vegan cuisine. Besides specialized venues, he appreciates how many restaurants have been incorporating vegan dishes in their menus. He believes the vegan business is flourishing.

“I can’t think of a place that has taken away vegan options,” said Golden. “I don’t see places that have failed that have been exclusively vegan.”

Besides the vegan venues in the Orlando area, the city also offers four vegan food trucks.

Rollins has also gotten invovled with on this growing trend. Sodexo started offering the vegetarian/vegan dish station at the Rollins cafeteria in 2010, and this semester they have introduced new complements in the salad bar. Gorton has noticed the difference. “I noticed a lot of changes when I came back from Winter break. There were a lot more options and there was tofu at the campus center,” she said.

Whatever people’s motivation for eating vegan dishes may be, it is undeniable that having venues that comply with the vegan diet help those who want to stay away from animal products get their daily intake of essential nutrients. The vegan venues opening in the area represent the interest that greater Orlando residents have with this alternative cuisine.

Page 8 • ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Thursday, April 2, 2015

WPRK continues to draw fans Rollins’ student-run radio station, WPRK, continues to build on a base of fans who love the shows’ casual atmosphere and diverse music.

Sarah Bryant Writer

They come with their CD collections, their laptops, their iPods, and their MP3 players; they come with guest singers, guest speakers, and local bands.

WPRK is the best in basement radio and the voice of Rollins College.

During its first decade, WPRK was only on air for five hours every evening and was not completely student-run. By 1991 scheduling changed. Students ran the airwaves and played music from all over the world.

Diversity brings lis-

teners from all over the world to tune into WPRK online. Online reports from February 2015 show that 75 percent of listeners are from the United States. Twenty percent of listeners come from Germany.

In 2014, only 66 percent of listeners were from the U.S., but 29 percent came from Germany.

Surprisingly, 1 percent of listeners in 2014 tuned in from Finland. In 2015, that 1 percent was replaced by listeners in Mexico.

It is hard to pinpoint what particular time of day and what type of show is the most popular

with listeners, because the station has become so diverse in what it plays.

“One thing about WPRK is that we literally play everything,” Drew DeVito ’16, Station Manager of WPRK said.

“Different times will be popular with different listeners.”

DeVito’s guess is that drive time on weekdays would be popular regardless of genre.

Greg Golden ’11 ’16 MBA, General Manager of Student Media, said that the show Local Heroes is particularly popular.

“It’s on Wednesdays from 5 to 7. They always

have a live band in studio and it’s a kind of variety show where they’ll play local and independent artists from CDs and then also have a live band and a conversation with the band.”

WPRK continues to grow in diversity, playing everything from Chopin to Biggie Smalls. The 70 DJs that WPRK sees throughout the week are required to play five new songs each hour during daytime broadcast.

“We are always seeking opportunities to invite the community to participate,” Golden said.

WPRK is more about

sharing music and experiences than conforming to expected popularity trends.

Golden makes WPRK successful by helping students create the best versions of each of their shows.

“Being a non-commercial station, we don’t try to make scheduling changes based on popularity,” Golden said.

“We’re really committed to when a time works for one of our students or community members to be a DJ, we want to give them all the support that they need to be successful at that time.”

TICKETS ON SALE NOW FLORIDAFILMFESTIVAL.COM