UP12-31

UNIVERSITY PRESS

UPRESSONLINE.COM JUNE 21, 2011 VOL. 12 ISSUE 31

students &owls &tortoises

New homes for students could mean less homes for animals on FAU’s preserve 10

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Letter from the editor

the freeze university press www.upressonline.com june 21, 2011

EdItoR-In-cHIEf Gideon Grudo ManagIng EdItoR Mariam Aldhahi WEB EdItoR Tyler Krome coPy dESK cHIEf Ricky Michalski nEWS EdItoR Sergio N. Candido fEatURES EdItoR Mark Gibson SPoRtS EdItoR Ryan Cortes tRaInIng EdItoR Briana Bramm PHoto EdItoR Christine Capozziello LIStIngS EdItoR Kaceion Hudson SEnIoR EdItoR Karla Bowsher cIRcULatIon ManagER Chris Persaud aSSIStant aRt dIREctoR Ariana Corrao aSSIStant WEB EdItoR Paul Cohen SEnIoR coPy EdItoR Rachel Chapnick SEnIoR REPoRtERS Brandon Ballenger Monica Ruiz Staff REPoRtERS Brittney Deoliveira Staff PHotogRaPHER Elizabeth Whitton Staff dESIgnER Phaedra Blaize contRIBUtoRS Jordan Robrish, Zack Duarte adVISER Michael Koretzky

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Contact Marc Litt at (732) 991-6353 or marc@universityimpress.com PUBLISHER: FAU Student Government The opinions expressed by the UP are not necessarily those of the student body, Student Government or the university. coVER PHoto By cHRIStInE caPozzIELLo

upressonline.com

Gideon Grudo Editor-in-ChiEf After 13

months of

student Affairs to fulfill a promise, students signed a petition. Less than a day later, we got what we wanted.

It was in January when student senators allocated student money to all of the student organizations across campus.

A piece of the pie was given to student media. A more specific piece of the pie was given for the sole purpose of hiring an adviser.

I (a student), along with the station managers of Owl TV and Owl Radio (students) and the student body president, all agreed to use the student money on an adviser for the student-run newspaper.

But when the time came to use it, we couldn’t. The vice president of student affairs wouldn’t let us. We were told he might need it elsewhere — and it was all by the book.

We haven’t had advisers in student media since a little over a year ago, right before the new university president set foot on campus — they were all fired.

Since then, the ground has been shaky in the newsroom. While relations have been steadily improving between student media and administration, one mistake keeps creeping back into most conversations.

It is the continued failure of Student Affairs to fulfill a 13-month-old promise to “move student media forward” by replacing our parttime advisers with full-timers, among other things. (To read a comprehensive account of the ordeal, go to www.owlmanagement. wordpress.com.)

The advisers got the boot with three days’ notice in May 2010. Student Government gave us money for an adviser in January 2011.

Several months later, while we all wanted to move ahead and hire an adviser, it was surprising to hear that the powers that be stopped us by freezing the position. (To read the plan for the adviser, go to www. upressonline.com.)

So we took it upon ourselves to change minds.

On Monday, June 6, I walked into our biweekly student media meeting bearing a letter.

My sports editor and managing editor came with me that afternoon. We presented a copy to each person present: Owl Radio Station Manager Tiffani Tyler, Owl TV Station Manager Chris wAiting for

Student Affairs big wigs can grab our student money and run—or sit

Swain, Student Media Specialist Garrett Astler and IT Specialist Vince Barbosa.

The letter called for Vice President of Student Affairs Charles Brown to unfreeze the adviser position. (To read the entire letter, go to www.upressonline.com.)

After some minor tweaking, the student media leaders all signed the proposal. It then proceeded to Terry Mena, our interim director of student media.

Three more signatures were requested, those of Student Body President Ayden Maher, Terry Mena and Vice President of Student Affairs Charles Brown. The proposal set a deadline for their signatures.

“If you do not wish to sign below, I ask that you provide your reasoning in writing to me by email no later than Friday, 6.10.2011,” it read.

The next morning, less than 20 hours after submitting our proposal, Mena informed us by email that he was “excited to share that Dr. Brown approved the establishment of the third student media position.”

Though surprised, I wasn’t as excited as Mena was, so I replied to the email.

“I am glad to hear that Dr. Brown has decided to reverse his freeze. However, the document also calls for specific details regarding that position,” I wrote. “So, your signatures on that document are still asked for, or your reasonings in case you don’t want to sign. The deadlines stands.”

None of them signed by deadline. Maher cited car problems while the other two offered no explanation at all.

I thought it would be important to find out why Brown had approved the position so I asked for an interview.

By the time we all sat down on June 16, along with Associate Vice President and Dean Corey King and a media relations spokeswoman, the student body president had signed the proposal.

I only had one question: Why unfreeze the position now?

I got all sorts of answers.

None of them had anything to do with our petition or with the fact that local media were getting involved — at least that’s what I understood from the confusing and vague reasons that administrators gave me.

“I froze positions across the Division of Student Affairs some time ago. The position is unfrozen as you got from [Press Secretary] Kristine Gobbo,” Brown said. “I have the authority, based on where we are in the budget, to freeze all positions.”

I asked my question differently, thinking I might have been unclear.

“We don’t want to bring people in and have

to lay them off, regardless of funding source,” Brown said, citing a 3-year-long budget crisis. “What students don’t understand — if the university ever hits that wall where the university has a true budget problem, the president can take money from any source in the university.”

I asked it a third way.

“The assessment — the evaluation — I looked at the position to see if we needed to keep it frozen,” Brown said. “That’s what we do when we freeze positions.”

At this point, Corey King tried to help.

“I don’t know where the term ‘frozen’ and ‘unfrozen’ came from,” he said. “In my mind, technically, [Brown] did not freeze your position because your position doesn’t exist.”

Brown nodded, “The position wasn’t frozen in a real sense.”

So they explained: The position was never frozen because it didn’t exist. All that existed of it was a stack of money (allocated by the student senators) and an idea: Give the UP an adviser, as promised. So, technically, all Brown did was not let us use money that was allocated to us — instead, he sat on it in case he needed it elsewhere (budget crisis).

Call it what they will, I call it a freeze.

And I call the “approval” of the position an unfreeze.

But I’m just an editor, what do I know?

I asked the student body president to help me understand it all.

“Administration was creating too many positions at once. They wanted to create them slowly,” Ayden Maher explained. “Dr. Brown put a temporary hold on the position.”

A “temporary hold” sounded a lot like a freeze. I decided I’d ask Garrett Astler — he served as Owl TV station manager before becoming a graduate assistant for Student Affairs.

“It’s not that the position was never frozen, it’s that it never got approved from Dr. Brown,” he said.

On June 15, student media leaders, along with Mena and King, finalized the job description of the UP adviser position.

It’s circulating though Human Resources currently.

“I had full faith that we could justify the position. I’m excited for our potential growth,” Astler said confidently “I’m glad we got the position at the end of the day.”

I, on the other hand, still have my doubts.

To get updates on the doings of Student Media, visit my new twitter, twitter.com/FAUStudentMedia.

June 21, 2011 3

4 JUNE 21, 2011

UPRESSONLINE.COM

PHoto CoURtesy oF MeDIa ReLatIons

Wire

neWS

gone

Wrong

FAU football player Cortez Ash arrested for stealing copper wire Ryan CoRtes SportS Editor

P

olice reported that an FAU football player and his friend stole 400 pounds of copper wire from a scrap yard on Sat., June 11.

When the scrap yard was empty, redshirt freshman Cortez Ash and his friend, Donovan Roberts, 21, of Vero Beach, entered, loaded copper wire onto pull-dollies and successfully removed nearly $1300 worth of copper wire from the facility. When the owners arrived, they found their video cameras had captured the crime, and were even able to

Roberts claimed he acted alone and Ash was uninvolved. Minutes later, however, Roberts recanted. He admitted that both he and Ash had stolen the material.

Ash was subsequently charged with grand theft, a third-degree felony dealing with stolen property and burglary of businesses.

The FAU football team was aware of the alleged crime, and senior defensive tackle Jarvis Givens expressed disappointment.

“I felt like he messed up by going back to the same scrap yard,” said Givens. “But

aBoVe: Freshman Cortez ash, pictured in his FaU jersey.

BeLoW: ash’s mug shot taken the day of his arrest sat., June 11.

show recognizable faces.

The owners, Shannon Cook and Mike Carroll, called the police to report the crime. After their initial report, though, they had to call back once more.

Around 11 a.m., Ash and Roberts returned to the scrap yard, trying to sell back the stolen wire to the same people they had stolen it from. Carroll recognized the faces from the video and called the police again. Deputies arrived and read Ash and Roberts their Miranda rights.

In an initial interviews with police, upressonline.com

at the same time, he could have went a better route of getting money if he needed it.”

Given the legal situation, the alleged crime also puts Ash into limbo with regards to his future role on the team.

“I was disappointed, because he’s a big asset to the team,” said Givens. “Really, right now, I don’t think we can afford to lose him.”

Ash posted a $7,500 bail, and faces a hearing on all of his charges on Monday, July 25, at 8:30 a.m.

PHoto CoURtesy oF tC PaLM

“I felt like he messed up by going back to the same scrap yard,” - Jarvis Givens

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FEATURE

Breaking the cycle of poverty PHOTO BY TAMMY DURAND Volunteers stand with the Cambodian orphans they provide education and medical care for.

JORDAN ROBRISH CONTRIBUTOR

T

FAU professors travel to Cambodia to help orphans

his summer, professors from FAU will be embarking on a self-financed relief mission to an orphanage in the Southeast Asian nation of Cambodia.

The all-volunteer team will be transporting donated dental supplies, sporting equipment and prescription eye glasses to orphans on the outskirts of the city of Siem Reap.

Kathie Coelho, a retired school nurse who organized the week-long mission, will be traveling alongside professors Rhonda Goodman, Charlotte Barry and Beth King of the FAU College of Nursing.

The group has already collected more than 200 pairs of donated prescription eyeglasses. Additionally, the volunteers will be purchasing sandals for every orphan upon arrival in Cambodia.

Their goal is to save and improve the orphans’ lives. AIDS/HIV has impacted the Cambodian population enormously, claiming the lives of more than 100,000 people and leaving 43,000 orphans as a direct result, according to www. cambodian-orphans.org.

“I want to make a difference. We live in such a place of abundance. I feel so blessed that it’s my responsibility to give back to the world, and bless others less fortunate than myself,” Goodman said.

8 JUNE 7, 2011

The volunteers will be departing to tax-deductible.

Cambodia for their relief mission on July Goodman and her fellow volunteers 9. will be transporting the donations of Goodman is currently raising prescription eyeglasses, sporting donations for the orphans goods and dental products in through the Trailblazer their luggage, at their own Foundation, a expense. nonprofit, taxThe orphanage is exempt charity. very basic. There The are four bamboo foundation’s classrooms Individuals interested in website set within a contributing donations in the form claims its small, walled of funds or prescription eyeglasses mission compound. is “to Outside the to aid the orphans of Cambodia empower classrooms, can bring them directly to room the rural there is space NU 325 on the Boca campus on villagers of for the children Cambodia to play during or before July 3. They can also by providing breaks. The contact professor Goodman them with classes are directly through the College of appropriate made up of Nursing. technologies approximately 8 to to create 20 children, whose self-sustaining ages rangefrom 4 programs.” Its to 16. Additionally, focus is on water, the volunteers will be school, construction educating the children on and community preventative health measures, development projects designed such as the benefits of wearing to foster healthy families, sufficient food proper footwear to avoid contracting the and sustainable incomes. All monetary deadly, but preventable, disease known as donations to the Cambodian orphans are hookworm.

According to the Trailblazer Foundation, Cambodia has one of the highest mortality rates among children.

One in every seven children dies before the age of 5, many from preventable diseases.

The nurses will be teaching the orphans the necessity of cleanliness through proper daily hygiene and hand-washing. The group of volunteers will also be performing vision tests and educating the orphans in proper dental techniques.

Professor Goodman has already purchased bicycles in Cambodia via telephone for $35 each. She will be donating them to the orphans of Siem Reap upon arrival. She is also purchasing a commercial sewing machine using donations to the orphanage.

The Trailblazer Foundation currently has a trained seamstress in Cambodia.

She will be manufacturing school uniforms for the children, in addition to teaching other women in the village how to make their own clothing.

“School nurses are naturally givers and caretakers — it goes with the territory.

I am looking forward to traveling to Cambodia and experiencing the cultural diversity of the tropical paradise, while also helping save children’s lives,” Coelho said.

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If FAU preserve keeps shrinking, animals might lose habitat A gopher tortoise takes shelter in a burrow in the university’s last remaining strip of natural perserve

SERGIO N. CANDIDO NEWS EDITOR

C

ramped between Boca Raton Airport and a parking lot on the north end of campus sits a patch of land with overgrown grass and dense vegetation — the university’s natural preserve and home of the dwindling burrowing owl, the inspiration for the school’s mascot.

Because of construction of the FAU football stadium, the preserve has shrunk considerably. According to biology faculty members and students, if development on the preserve continues, as university documents project, the owls and many of the other 300 species that inhabit the acreage will lose their habitat.

If construction moves forward, the university will violate its policies and break promises made to the FAU community, biology faculty members also said.

“When a habitat gets too small, it no longer can support the diversity and abundance of species that it had before,” biology professor Dianne Owen said.

10 JUNE 21, 2011

BROKEN PROMISES Owen is a member of a conservation committee that meets several times a year with university officials and governmental authorities to review construction plans and assess the impact those decisions could have on the environment.

The committee is composed of faculty members, students, government environmental agency representatives and FAU staff members. The university’s architect and the vice president for facilities also are members.

More than a year ago, the members were asked to approve the latest development plans.

A dotted line that marked a rectangular portion on the southwest side of the preserve labeled “Potential Innovation Village Phase II” struck their attention.

According to committee members Owen, biology professor Evelyn Frazier, and biology student Joshua Scholl, both the architect and the vice president for facilities guaranteed that those lines were going to be erased from the map.

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PHOTO COURTESY JOSHUA SCHOLL

Trading wildlife for students?

“They reassured us over and over again that there wasn’t much chance that it would actually happen — that they didn’t expect it to happen,” Owen said. “But they also didn’t say it’s definitely not going to happen.”

The conservation committee refused to endorse the map because of concerns that Innovation Village Phase II would be built. However, the committee has no power and only makes suggestions.

Now, a year later, the dotted line for Innovation Village Phase II is still there.

Moreover, the Innovation Village website shows a detailed illustration displaying Phase II, which will comprise another apartment complex and a parking garage.

And Figure 7.1 of the Boca campus master plan also displays the same drawing, referring to it as a future housing location.

FAU Architect Tom Donaudy doesn’t deny that construction on the preserve may occur.

“All is approved through our master plan process. It’s just a matter of the appropriate financing, and figuring out when is the appropriate time to construct,” Donaudy said. “Especially in housing, you don’t want to have something that’s not going to fill.”

Donaudy said the first Innovation Village apartment building is filling quickly.

As of May, the university has secured contracts for about 800 of the 1,200 beds the complex will have when it opens in the fall.

But that doesn’t fully guarantee construction of another dormitory will happen on the preserve. Donaudy said there are other factors they have to evaluate to see if further development will take place on the natural habitat.

“The question that we are going to ask ourselves as we are moving forward in the next phase of housing is, ‘Do we want it to be for the underclassmen or for the upperclassmen?’” Donaudy said.

If the university decides there’s a bigger need for freshman and junior housing, he said, chances are administrators will look for a site on the south side of campus. But if officials decide to increase housing for juniors and seniors, that patch of land marked on the preserve may be developed.

Meanwhile, environmental faculty and students say they are only feeling one thing: helplessness.

“We don’t have any power to veto anything,” Frazier said.

Because the master plan has been approved by the city of Boca Raton and the FAU Board of Trustees, the university is entitled to do what it wants with its land, Donaudy said.

“What they call the preserve is something they designated — nobody else designated it,” said Ricardo Zambrano, a biological scientist from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, whose main job is to help the university get the permits it needs for construction. “The school designated that area a preserve and they define the boundaries.”

But Donaudy’s argument appears to contradict the policies outlined in that same master plan.

Policy 1D-1 in the conservation section of the Boca campus master plan states, “The University’s Conservation Committee has designated various areas of

“EVENTUALLY THE TORTOISES WILL DIE OUT.” environmentally sensitive land and wildlife habitat for protection. These areas are indicated on Figure 13.2, Valuable Conservation and Open Spaces … . These areas shall remain protected from development and all other activities that may diminish their natural values and functions.”

That rectangular patch of land set for Phase II is one of the areas in the pre-

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MAP COURTESY OF GOPHER TOURTOISE COUNCIL

NEWS

Research conducted by biology student Joshua Scholl estimates around 30 active gopher tortoise burrows in the area designated for Innovation Village Phase II

serve labeled as a “valuable conservation space,” but it’s also labeled as a “future housing location” in Figure 7.1 of the master plan, which was approved in 2009.

On Feb. 25, 2010, members of the committee wrote a letter presenting this apparent contradiction to FAU Architect Tom Donaudy and to Azita Dashtaki, vice president for facilities, both of whom said that Phase II will not occur.

During the committee meeting on April 19, 2011, the issue about the preserve’s boundaries and its future construction arose again.

“The university understands that if we are going to move forward with that, we have to mitigate for land, for conservation needs,” Dashtaki said. “Keep in mind that if the mission of the university is to be supportive and we need additional housing, we have to evaluate and see what’s the best location.”

Dashtaki added that the university owns land north of Spanish River Boulevard that could be used for a gopher tortoise habitat.

In 2005, the preserve comprised 176.6 acres. In 2010, after part of it was cleared for the football stadium, 90.9 acres remained — roughly the size of 69 football fields. If Phase II proceeds, only about 70 acres would be left.

Tortoise haven Biology student Joshua Scholl is one of the students who takes advantage of the biodiversity found in the preserve. He has spent six months conducting research on it.

He studied the gopher tortoise, which is listed by the state as a threatened species, meaning that its population has decreased drastically in the last few years.

These animals also are an indicator of the environmental health of an area.

They are called “keystone species” because gophers build dozens of burrows that may be used by around 300 animals and 60 insects, including the indigo snakes, frogs, mice and burrowing owls. The burrowing owl is listed as a species of special concern in Florida.

Scholl found that the population of tortoises is already overcrowded due, in part, to the lack of land after almost one third of the preserve was used to build the stadium and its amenities. The animals that were located where the football stadium and Innovation Village I are being constructed were relocated to the preserve.

Continued on page 12 JUNE 21, 2011 11

NEWS He believes that if another chunk of the preserve were to be taken out, the population of tortoises would not be able to sustain itself. If this happens, other species that rely on the burrows they make will also suffer the consequences.

“Eventually the tortoises will die out,” Scholl said.

Biologist Mark Brandenburg disagrees with Scholl’s predictions.

Brandenburg works as an environmental consultant for FAU. His job includes the relocation of burrowing owls and gopher tortoises.

“A population of tortoises will be able to sustain itself,” Brandenburg said via email.

He argues that the FAU preserve currently contains 72 acres of habitat appropriate for gopher tortoises. At a minimum density of two tortoises per acre, the FAU preserve can accommodate 144 tortoises. Based on his most recent assessment, the preserve tortoise population is 94.

Brandenburg also said that burrowing owls require open grassland areas. The area discussed as a potential site for Innovation Village Phase II does not include such open areas.

Between 25 and 30 burrowing owls live on campus, which includes portions of land outside of the preserve on the southeastern part of campus, he said.

But Scholl said that during his research last year, he saw at least one pair of owls living on the land designated for Phase II. The university has also cleared a small patch of land on the north tip of the preserve to make it suitable for burrowing owls. Dianne Owen believes that even if the area is mowed, owls might not migrate there because the soil is too sandy and water will destroy their burrows.

“When there’s a lot of flooding their burrows might not even be inhabitable, it really remains to be seen how good of a habitat the preserve is going to be for the gopher tortoise and the owls as they are planning to manage it now,” Owen said.

A 2005 Sun Sentinel article states that between 1971 and 2003, the numbers fell from 48 to 26 owls, according to research by then-FAU graduate student Annabelle McKie. Biology professor Evelyn Frazier said that at one point, the owl population may have reached 86 birds.

Under the terms of a federal migratory bird treaty, it is illegal to harm a burrowing owl, its nest or its eggs, as it is a species of “special concern.” But its presence isn’t a legal basis to stop a construction project. If the owls’ burrows are blocked, the birds will fly away and relocate.

The gopher tortoises, however, need to be relocated by specialists if their habitat is to be developed. This may be the only thing legally saving the remaining preserve from construction, since some of the tortoises on the area destined for Phase II have already been relocated to that sector and they can’t be relocated twice, according to Chance Cowan from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

“In any case, no matter how many tortoises we find anywhere … there will be no more relocations into the preserve,” Cowan said.

CREATING AWARENESS For their part, the biology faculty members say they will do anything they can to create awareness about the preserve.

“We are passing petitions all over the place to get the university to make that into a permanent conservation area,” Frazier said.

Professors Frazier and Owen also teach a field ecology course in the preserve. They recently received grants and were able to install weather stations on the land to gather data that includes soil moisture and rainfall.

“I HAVEN’T SEEN ANY INTEREST IN CONSERVATION FROM THE NEW PRESIDENT. IN FACT, WITH ENROLLMENT GROWING SO RAPIDLY, THE EMPHASIS IS NOW ON EXPANDING CAMPUS FACILITIES.” Scholl, along with others, has made a trail in the preserve to get students to walk through it and learn about its fauna and flora.

“The goal of the trail is to get the entire FAU community involved, not just to do research but to try to create more awareness,” said Scholl, who plans to add benches to the trail for next fall.

Earlier last semester, Scholl met with FAU President Mary Jane Saunders for five

12 JUNE 21, 2011

COURTESY OF FAU MASTERPLAN

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11

A map of the Boca campus master plan shows part of the preserve as a future location for housing (in yellow), while another map of the same master plan displays the preserve as one of the valuable conservation areas (in pink). The UP superimposed both maps to show the apparent contradiction.

minutes to discuss the preserve.

“She said, ‘I don’t really know what’s going on, but I can assure you that if there were a preserve, they’ll have to buy land elsewhere [to accommodate the animals].’ But she didn’t want to take any sides, either for or against it,” Scholl said.

“I mean if our president doesn’t even know all the things that are out there, it is hard to expect the community to try to fight for the land because they probably don’t know.”

Asked about the future of the natural preserve, President Saunders referred the question to the university architect.

“The BOT [Board of Trustees] approved Master Plan does identify the potential site for the second phase of Innovation Village apartments as extending within the current conservation boundary. This information has been shared with the Conservation Committee and the updated Habitat Management Plan identifies the site as the proposed location for Innovation Village expansion,” Donaudy wrote in an email.

“When the university determines the need to move forward with this phase of Innovation Village, we shall evaluate mitigating strategies for an equal or greater piece of property to offset this impact and in addition as part of our planning process we continue to examine all of our property for highest and best use in accommodating the Universities core mission,” he wrote.

Professor Dianne Owen believes Saunders is focusing too much on making FAU a more traditional university and forgetting about her background in the natural sciences.

“I haven’t seen any interest in conservation from the new president. In fact, with enrollment growing so rapidly, the emphasis is now on expanding campus facilities.”

“I think that having students live on campus is a good thing. Is Innovation Village the only way to do it? Has that been seriously looked at? … I don’t think there’s been a real effort on the part of the FAU administration to say, ‘Well, we need to look at conservation,’” Owen said.

“We can’t just look at how do we deal with the human side of it, we have to look at how do we get the conservation and the human side of it.”

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FEATURE

A wrap-up of the ’s experience at E3 2011 and the hard-facts aftermath

Bethesda Softworks held demos behind closed doors at E3 2011. Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Prey 2, and the soon-to-bereleased Rage were only open to select media.

MARK GIBSON SENIOR REPORTER

T

The monsters from the video game Rage roamed the walls on the outside of the convention center.

Exhibitors of Sony Ericsson wore digital block heads while walking around the E3 show floor.

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he Entertainment Electronics Expo, a.k.a.

E3, the world’s largest annual technology and video game convention, stormed Los Angeles, Calif., from June 6 to 9. For the first time ever, the UP was there.

A trip to E3 is like a trip to a theme park. People wait in lines for hours at incredible building-type booth structures just to play a game or watch a demo for 10 minutes or less and then move on to the next booth and start the process all over again.

While 46,800 gamers packed into the L.A. Convention Center to get a quick glimpse at the upcoming games and products, only media outlets like the UP were privileged enough to preview games like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, which were closed out to the general public. Some of these closed-off booths were like a whole other world.

Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo had full-scale two-story minicomplexes set up. Then there were the major publishers like Square Enix and Activision that had giant movie screens showcasing game

trailers. Activision even went as far as to have show times set up where people would gather in their booth’s giant lobby to watch a game trailer as if it were the intro video to a thrill ride.

But despite all the mega booths, Nintendo and Sony stole the show as they revealed new hardware, the PlayStation Vita and the Nintendo Wii U. We got up close and personal with the Wii U, and after further examination, it wasn’t quite as exciting as expected.

For starters, the gameplay footage shown in Nintendo’s conference that was supposedly showcasing the Wii U’s graphics capabilities didn’t actually come from that system. Nintendo of America president Reggie FilsAmie admitted some of the footage from the Wii U gameplay reel actually came from the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

“We’re talking a year away from when the system is going to launch,” said Fils-Aime in an interview with GameTrailers.com.

“In terms of how good it looks, that will be driven by what the individual developers do.”

In other words, the Wii U will “supposedly” have the same thirdgeneration graphics quality as its

PHOTOS BY MARK GIBSON

E3 and the real world

Sony and Microsoft counterparts.

Aside from that, the system seems like a larger version of a DS. The controller was the attention-getter because it looked like an iPad with more buttons on the sides.

Not to mention the controller itself is bulky and feels like it’s missing standard controller buttons like analog sticks and triggers, which makes it a little awkward to use.

If you were thinking of popping in your old GameCube games on the Wii U, you can forget it. The head of Nintendo’s public relations division, Mark Franklin, told GiantBomb.com the Wii U will not be backwards-compatible. In addition, the system will also not support DVD or Blu-ray discs.

Overall that’s not a big deal but it still seems like Nintendo almost took a step back with this system.

We won’t really know if the Wii U is destined to be a hit or not until we get confirmations about third-party games that support the Wii U’s new graphics capabilities.

Until then, fingers crossed.

For reviews of all of the conferences at E3 and more detailed coverage of games we saw on the show floor, visit www. upressonline.com.

JUNE 21, 2011 15

SPORTS

Dreams of grandeur

Three of FAU’s baseball players continue on to the next level

ZACK DUARTE CONTRIBUTOR lmost one year ago, FAU’s ace pitcher, Paul DAVIS, received an offer to join the Boston Red Sox — and turned it down.

Fast forward to 2011 and Davis had led the Owls’ charge deep into the June postseason, but the month had just begun for the two-time Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Week. Last week, Davis was again selected in the annual Major League Baseball Draft. This time he was selecrted by the World Series Champion San Francisco Giants.

For three former Owls, the draft has marked a new beginning.

After signing contracts with different Major League Baseball squads, Paul Davis, Raymond Church and Nick DelGuidice all attained one of their career aspirations: They made it to the professional level.

A

REPRESENTING FLORIDA

then and there and was met by my family at home with big smiles all around,” said Davis.

Although Davis was not selected within the first 15 rounds, he still signed a contract to start his professional career with the World Series Champions.

“I’m checking off one of my career goals, and looking forward to checking off more in the years to come.”

JOINING A CHAMPION

THE POWER HOUR

For former Owls pitching ace Paul Davis, things went a little differently. After being drafted in 2010 by the Boston Red Sox in the 29th round of the draft, Davis, a sophomore then, said no. He instead chose to accept an offer to join FAU’s team in hopes of getting drafted higher in years to come.

After boasting an impressive 10-1 record and adding first team All-Sun Belt Conference honors to his resume, Davis was snagged by the reigning champions of the baseball world, the San Francisco Giants, in the 17th round of the Major League Baseball Draft.

“I wanted to get drafted in the top 15 rounds,” admitted Davis, “but ultimately I improved my draft stock and I am going to a place where I can succeed.”

Davis was actually enjoying the company of video games while the draft was going on.

“Once my name was called I dropped the remote right

While Davis and Church were drafted, the process of joining a majorleague team was bittersweet for former Owls shortstop Nick DelGuidice.

After speaking with several teams and several scouts, DelGuidice’s name was not called in the draft.

Afterwards, DelGuidice, along with his brother and dad, went to the gym to blow off steam from not getting drafted. Mid-workout, he received a phone call from a scout he had worked with from the Kansas City Royals.

“That’s when he offered me a contract to come play for them,” said DelGuidice.

DelGuidice went from not being drafted to accomplishing one of his childhood dreams within an hour.

“Everything turned completely around, it was one of the best moments of my life so far,” said DelGuidice. “It was one of weirdest few hours I have ever experienced.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF MEDIA RELATIONS

“It was a huge weight off my shoulders, knowing I had finally reached one of my goals,” said Church. “And now it’s on to the next one.”

Church, who led the Owls in runs scored, hits and home runs, started in all of the 57 games played this year.

Still, he had to wait more than 25 rounds to be chosen.

“I was extremely nervous because I’m a senior and if I didn’t get drafted my playing career was in jeopardy,”

said Church. After hearing his name called by the Tampa Bay Rays with the 810th selection of the draft, Church, along with his dad, who had been following online, engaged in a celebration with his family.

After signing a contract with the Rays, Church is already in the process of beginning his professional career.

Paul Davis 16 JUNE 21, 2011

Raymond Church

Nick Delguidice UPRESSONLINE.COM

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JUNE 21, 2011 17

OPInIOn

Your game rocks Mark Gibson Senior reporter The UP had the honor of going to this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, Calif. We saw and played tons of awesome new video games that are still in the early stages of development or are set to hit store shelves later this year.

By the last day of the three-day convention, some booths were littered with “best of E3” tags by big names in media like G4, IGN and Gamespot. The best-of-show was based on the games’ playability, visuals and overall awesomeness. Unfortunately, some of the really cool games we saw didn’t win a best-of-show by the big dogs.

We may not have given out stickers or ribbons, but we’ve compiled a list of the UP’s best-of-E3 in the way we know best. Here’s our top 10:

10.

Crusader of Kings II

You probably haven’t heard of the first one, but if you are a big history buff you should get to know this game. In Crusader of Kings II you assume the role of a ruler who actually existed in history, and the choices of who you can be are vast. The game mixes RPG (role-playing game) with RTS (realtime strategy) gameplay. Things that actually happened in history happen to you in the game. It’s so detailed that you even have to pick a suitor for your daughter and hope she has an heir to continue your bloodline. Talk about pressure.

9.

8.

PayDay: The Heist

This first-person shooter was very easy to pick up and play, as its gameplay resembles games like Call of Duty. PayDay features a campaign mode and multiplayer mode, where you work together with your friends to successfully pull off a bank robbery.

The game is as much about strategy as it is a shooter.

Killing hostages can result in point reductions, as you are meant to use the hostages in exchanges with the police. This game pays tribute to bank heist movie scenes from big blockbusters like Die Hard and Heat. You can even play bank heist missions that are just like scenes from those movies. This is about as close as you’ll get to actually doing it in real life … sigh.

7.

Star Trek

This Star Trek game takes place during the new Star Trek storyline as you assume the role of Captain Kirk or Spock. The good thing is that this isn’t a movie-based video game, but rather a video game inspired by a movie. The creators at Digital Extremes are working closely with the 2009 Star Trek filmmaking team, and it features an original storyline by that same writing team and award-winning God of War writer Marianne Krawczyk. The demo made the game look awesome. We can only hope it stays awesome and doesn’t pull a Tron: Evolution.

Prime World

If you like tower defense games, then you’ll love Prime World. The game is very similar to League of Legends but with a few cool added features. In Prime World, you can customize your skill sets. There are so many skills to choose from for each character that the combination possibilities seem endless. In a match, once you destroy an enemy tower, terraforming takes place, which changes the environment around that tower to your hero’s element. It’s a really cool thing to watch and gives you that extra feeling of satisfaction. Best part: It’s 100-percent free to play.

6.

XCOM

2K Games has had this game in production for a few years now. Unfortunately, the game was scrapped and redone a year ago. At this year’s E3 we got a glimpse at what the new XCOM has become.

To put it simply, it’s like Mass Effect-meets-X-Files set in 1962 — and we have no complaints about that. You take the role of an agent of a government agency called XCOM whose task is to stop a living synthetic race of aliens from destroying Earth. Oh 2K. You always seem to know what game plots pull at our heart strings.

5.

Mass effect 3

The final chapter is almost upon us. As sad as that is, the third installment in the Mass Effect franchise looks just as amazing as expected.

The game plays a lot like the second one, but this fight with the Reapers comes to Earth. Old teammates make a return, assuming they didn’t die in your other playthroughs, and you get to use a new weapon called the omni-sword, which allows you to pull off awesome melee moves. There is a really cool live-action trailer for the

18 June 21, 2011

UP’s top 10 video games at E3 2011 game floating around the Internet. We encourage you to watch it. Hopefully the eventual movie will look similar to it.

4.

Dead Island

3.

elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

2.

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations

If you’re looking for a new zombie game to get hooked on, this would be it. You are trapped on an island full on zombies. But of course, you are immune to the zombie effect, so you go on a zombiekilling rampage trying to escape Dead Island. The game supports up to four multiplayers, so you and your friends can go on a zombie-killing binge in this open-world-style game. The game has all the blood, guts and insanely disgusting zombie kills you could ever imagine. If you’re wondering if it’s okay to tear up over a video game, yes it is. We did.

This game was probably one of the most anticipated games of E3 — and the demo did not disappoint. There are more than 150 dungeons to explore throughout the game’s world. And if that doesn’t get you excited, the combat system was given an upgrade. The developers added cut scenes of finishing moves to break up the action and make it less routine.

They also added the feature of using yelling powers such as dragon’s breath, which allows you to breathe fire like a dragon. It’s probably safe to say this is the Elder Scrolls we’ve all been waiting for.

This is the final chapter in the story of Ezio before the franchise moves on to Assassin’s Creed 3. Ezio is older in this game and comes packed with a new arsenal of weapons, including the hookblade, which can be quite bloody. Altair also makes a return as he is a playable character in the game. If you were wondering if it would be boring to be running around renaissance Italy for the third time as the same character, the answer is no. The storyline continues to keep you immersed in the game as you run around climbing buildings like a spider monkey.

1.

BioShock Infinite

Out of all the games at the expo, BioShock Infinite is the most impressive. What makes this game different from the others in the franchise is that this one takes place in the sky rather than underwater. The Big Daddies are like giant iron eagles, which actually makes them more intimidating. The game has some of the classic powers like fire and ice, but also includes some new ones like a swarm of birds instead of bees. The game seems more fluid and fastpaced, and we can’t wait to get our hands on it. Even if you’ve never played a BioShock game before, after you watch the trailer, you’ll want to play this one.

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June 21, 2011 19

o T d e t i v n I e You’r

H C R U H C Y E N R U O J THE L O O H C S H G I H CA RATON u! o Y r o F t s u J n o t a R a c o nB I h c r u h C A New m * BO

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FUN! y l l a u t c a ’s that h c r u h C | g achin e t l a c i t c a r usic | P m ’ n i k FAU c o R Exit 45 | s s e r d l a u s Ca Glades Rd. MEETS HERE DEAR FAU STUDENT AND FACULTY, Boca Raton NW 15th Ave. My name is Nelson Searcy and I am the Pastor of a Brand New Church in Boca Raton called The Journey.

It is my pleasure to invite you to join us at The Journey, Sundays at 10:30am at Boca Raton Community High School, right across from FAU at Glades Rd and I-95.

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