Up12 book

Vol. 17 | #12 | Feb. 23, 2016

Trapped Transfer students feel frustrated being forced into repeating courses.

Here are their stories.

Page 12

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UP STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Emily Bloch MANAGING EDITOR Gregory Cox CREATIVE DIRECTOR Ivan Benavides WEB EDITOR Richard Finkel MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Ryan Lynch COPY DESK CHIEF Carissa Noelle Giard ASSISTANT COPY DESK CHIEFS Kerri-Marie Covington, Rafael Baez

Vol. 17 | #12 | Feb. 23, 2016

NEWS EDITOR Patrick Martin

4 Same Court, Different Game

SPORTS EDITOR Brendan Feeney FEATURES EDITOR Brittany Ferrendi

From volleyball captain to basketball walk-on: Halee Davis declined a scholarship to pursue her college basketball aspirations.

OPINIONS EDITOR Andrew Fraieli

7 Your Money

Your student fees are being spent, but probably not where you would expect.

BUSINESS MANAGER Wesley Wright CONTRIBUTORS Celeste Andrews, Miller Lepree, Nate Nkumbu, John Paul Tanner, Hans Belot Jr.

10 Glades Road Ghost Town

There’s little to do around campus on weekends, will it ever change?

DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Bill Good

12 Trapped

We share the stories of transfer students forced into taking the same classes because of university policy.

ADVISERS Neil Santaniello, Ilene Prusher, Michael Koretzky COVER PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY Patrick Martin and Ivan Benavides

14 Booked On Fridays

If it feels like you’re spending more time on campus on Wednesday and Friday, the new departmental class schedule for this spring semester has something to do with it.

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Student Union, Room 214 WANT TO PLACE AN AD? Contact Jacquelyn Christie 888-897-7711 ext. 124 jchristie@mymediamate.com PUBLISHER FAU Student Government The opinions expressed by the UP are not necessarily those of the student body, Student Government or FAU. ADDRESS 777 Glades Road Student Union, Room 214 Boca Raton, FL 33431 561.297.2960

18 Creative Writing Submissions

4

Readers submitted their work. Have a short story or poem? Email us at universitypress@ gmail.com.

Halee Davis gave up a volleyball scholarship for her love of basketball.

Photo courtesy of FAU Athletics 2.23.2016 University Press 3

Same Court, Different Game Despite being offered a full athletic scholarship to play volleyball, Halee Davis’ love for basketball made her take a different path.

Story by Hans Belot Jr. Photo courtesy of FAU Athletics

4 2.23.2016 University Press

“Y

ou work your way to the top.”

That was the motto redshirt sophomore Halee Davis went by when she decided to forgo her volleyball scholarship at Broward College to play basketball as a walk-on at Florida Atlantic University.

Davis’ vocal presence and leadership abilities earned her the role of captain during her year at Broward.

Davis’ parents pushed her to do her best, both on and off the court. With their support, she ensured academics were her foremost priority while playing both basketball and volleyball throughout high school.

She was one of the top students in her class, maintaining a 3.2 grade point average in her senior year and making the honor roll in her freshman and senior years.

“They were my everything. They were there when I was down, when I wanted to quit but they supported me 100 percent,” said Davis. “They just had my back in life overall.”

Her mom had firsthand knowledge of how quickly an athletic career can change and how important an education can be. She was scheduled to participate in the Junior Olympics before an injury cost her the opportunity.

“A big thing for me was not only what could Halee bring on the court, but off the court as well.”

- Kellie Lewis-Jay, women’s basketball head coach

“She is a huge fighter,” Davis said.

Davis started playing basketball when she was just 4 years old, but fell out of love with the sport during her senior year of high school.

“Since I had been playing for so many years, I started playing traveling [basketball] a lot,” Davis said. “I had so much wear and tear in my body, I felt like it was a full-time job.”

It was then that Davis started focusing more on her other high school sport, volleyball.

She was a member of the Amateur Athletic Union/ United States Specialty Sports Association state championship volleyball team that went to the 2010 USA Junior Nationals where she was named team MVP. Davis attended Foundation Academy in Orlando — helping her volleyball team reach the state finals in 2013.

“It was a great feeling, because our school was so small and we were the first team to make it to state,” said Davis. “Everyone had our back and supported us through everything.”

After her high school days were over, Davis took her talents to the collegiate level.

Broward College opened its arms to Davis and offered her a full athletic scholarship to play volleyball.

However, after playing throughout the 2013-2014 season, she had a change of heart and decided to pursue her passion for basketball.

After taking a year off to practice and polish her skills, Davis became a walk-on at FAU and resolved to differentiate herself from the rest of the team through her ability to lead.

“A big thing for me was not only what could Halee bring on the court, but off the court as well,” said FAU women’s basketball head coach Kellie Lewis-Jay. “She is a great positive vibe for our team.”

The former volleyball captain in Davis still comes through as she pushes her teammates to improve every day through constant encouragement and support.

Aware of the team’s recent struggles — losing 10 of its last 11 games — Davis still has big hopes for the women’s basketball team, looking to make it to the Conference USA tournament.

Davis wants to open a retail business when her collegiate playing days are over. She currently has her own online business selling clothes that she hopes to expand in the future.

For now, she just hopes to make it to see her favorite basketball player, Kobe Bryant, play live before he retires at the end of the season.

Halee Davis playing volleyball for Broward College.

Photo courtesy of Halee Davis

2.23.2016 University Press 5

Your Money

It used to go to you, but now it goes to administration. A 10-year trend shows that less and less money has been spent on students.

Story by Gregory Cox

E

ight years ago, America was in a recession.

People were losing jobs left, right and center, but not at Florida Atlantic.

Instead, the university began to bring on more employees and used students’ activity and service fee dollars to pay them, a University Press investigation has found.

The activity and service fee is a $12.32 charge that students pay per credit hour that is supposed to fund programs and events for students.

Over the past decade, more and more of these dollars have gone to pay for administrative positions like “associate director of student involvement” and “senior fiscal assistant” in the Activity and Service, Accounting and Budget Office.

In 2005, 2.8 percent paid for professional staff and administrators.

Now, 31.5 percent of the $7.5 million budget goes to pay professional staff.

“I consider it a tax. You pay your taxes so that you can receive a benefit from it,” said Student Body Vice President Casey Martin. “We’re not maximizing the amount of benefits that students can receive.”

The amount of money going toward concerts, comedy shows and student activities has decreased by about 30 percent.

Money that once went to pay for concerts, comedy shows, new equipment, travel budgets and more is now being rerouted to pay salaries.

One of Martin’s duties as vice president is to chair the University Budget and Appropriations Committee, which is responsible for divvying up the activity and service fee.

These fees fund everything from Homecoming to Student Media, the Student Union to the rec center and everything else that provides extracurricular activities to students.

The issue with this process, however, is that the members of the UBAC can’t cut the amount of money going to salaries and benefits.

“Salaries and benefits is something that we can’t touch,” said Aaron Sherman, a voting member on the UBAC in 2015. “In the end most of it is recommendations.”

Nick Blume, the former Boca Raton campus treasurer who sat on the UBAC, thinks the administration has gone too far with the hiring process.

2.23.2016 University Press 7

Student activities on campus have been vanishing over the past few years.

File Photos

expected decrease in enrollment next year, less money will fund the A&S budget.

The Leadership Education and Development Office — which paid $151,875 toward salaries and benefits last year — will now be funded by money from Student Affairs’ budget, which gets its money from the state, the Florida Lottery and tuition.

Another thing that Student Affairs absorbed into its budget was an overhead expense from the Campus Recreation Center and the Student Union.

Together, King’s department of Student Affairs will cover around $350,000 in expenses that were previously paid by revenue from A&S fees.

Despite King taking in some salary expenses, one office asked for more funding from A&S money.

In this year’s UBAC process, the Activity and Service, Accounting and Budget Office made a request for $225,600 — $45,000 more than last year — to bring on more professional staff.

However, Student Body President Edmunds proposed changes to this budget. She requested that ASAB have its student employee stipends cut down by $36,900, according to the proposal obtained by the UP. Ishraaj Jolly, the fiscal manager for the office, did not respond as of publication time.

Edmunds also recommended that the director of Student Media’s budget be raised by $43,000 to pay for additional salaries and benefits, just weeks after the UBAC suggested cutting 21 of the 36 student jobs for media.

In 2010, the ASAB office had a budget of $79,876, according to past budgets. In 2005, the office wasn’t covered by A&S fees.

Admin Pay - 2.8%

“I think we’re oversaturated with our administrative staff,” he said.

After the committee finalizes a proposed budget, four different entities must approve it — the Student Senate, Student Government President Kathryn Edmunds, Vice President of Student Affairs Corey King and university President John Kelly.

If any of these four decide they don’t like the proposal, it gets sent back down to the UBAC to be reworked.

In October of 2015, King explained to the UBAC that there were some expenses that A&S fee dollars should not be paying for. Months ago, he took steps to help save the committee money since it was forced to cut back.

Blume explained that because “enrollment has been going down … our A&S [budget] goes down.” With an

8 2.23.2016 University Press

TIMELINE OF DECREASINg benefitS

Student Activities 74.5%

Student Expenses 22.7%

2005-2006

The biggest salary expenses that student fees pay for come from the Campus Recreation Center — which cost $741,677 last year — followed by the Student Union, which pays $520,748 to administrators.

Vice President Martin explained that “those are two of the largest tangible things that we pay for using activity and service fees.”

These expenses don’t appear to be going anywhere either, as they have already been cut down to the bare minimum, King explained in a UBAC meeting. He declined to answer additional questions for this story.

Despite the increase of money going to salaries over the years, Martin said that this is something Student Affairs is trying to change.

“What I’ve been told is that we are slowly weaning off salaries and benefits from activity and service fees,” he said. “These things take longer, to wean off departments … to incorporate and absorb them into the university itself as a facet. So it’s going to take a couple years.”

“I consider it a tax.

You pay your taxes so that you can receive a benefit from it. We’re not maximizing the amount of benefits that students can receive.”

The increase started in 2007, when thenuniversity President Frank Brogan became fed up with Student Government’s blunders.

How they got here A series of Student Government missteps led to more money in the pockets of administrators.

“We can no longer allow Student Government to continue to operate in the selfish, immature and potentially unethical manner,” Brogan said in a letter to then-Student Body President Kirk Murray.

Brogan’s intention was to prevent further mistakes by giving the administration more control over SG decisions.

“Once you were duly elected in July, I had high hopes that the questionable practices and actions of Student Government would improve. That has not occurred,” Brogan’s letter read to Murray. “I therefore have no choice but to assume greater control over Student Government to ensure the effective representation of ALL FAU students.”

Student Body Vice President Casey Martin explained that because of this, Student Affairs played a role in constructing the budget, rather than allowing students to allocate the money.

- Casey Martin, student body vice president

Admin Pay - 15%

An impeachment of SG’s then-President Dan Wilson for failing to make meetings and illegally using student activity and service fees to support the Republican presidential campaign were a few things that led to Brogan’s frustration.

“Nine, 10 years ago, Student Government was completely dissolved and recreated,” Martin said. “Student Affairs allocated the money that time.”

Admin Pay - 31.6%

Student Activities 65.5%

Student Expenses 19.5%

Student Activities 51.9%

Student Expenses 23.2%

2010-2011

2015-2016

Martin continued, saying that because of this restructuring, Student Affairs can no longer go without these funds.

“They’ve built a dependency on activity and service fees,” he said. “[They] are supposed to be for immediate support ... and service for student benefit.”

2.23.2016 University Press 9

Opinion

Glades Road Ghost Town Campus is eerily empty on weekends.

Story by Miller Lepree

Photo by Patrick Martin

10 2.23.2016 University Press

C

ollege campuses are supposed to be fun; swarming hives of young adults making irresponsible decisions, late nights and loud noises. Energy, spirit and all around joviality should emanate from the cracks in the sidewalk.

Take a walk around FAU’s Boca Raton campus on any given Friday night, and you will find none of that things. I see a gaggle of students waiting for an Uber, wearing high heels and makeup; their faces scream, “Get me out of here!”

A few guys cruise by on their skateboards, talking about how they wish they had a car. Maybe then they could find somewhere to eat.

Several raccoons emerge from the bushes in front of Heritage Park Towers; even they fail to find food in this wasteland. Nothing about the activity level on campus mimics a college atmosphere. It more closely resembles a retirement community in west Boca.

The main problem here is that nobody lives on campus. Out of roughly 30,000 undergraduate students, only 3,998 live in student housing, according to FAU Media Relations.

This incredibly low number is what led to FAU being branded as a “commuter school.” It doesn’t look to be changing any time soon because of the lack of facilities.

The issue is not a lack of effort on the part of the school, as there are plenty of events hosted by the residence hall: Poetry slams and wiffle ball home run derbies, to name a few. These small scale events don’t seem to attract much buzz and feel more like gimmicks than legitimate attempts at establishing a college atmosphere.

I know plenty of students who live on campus Monday through Friday, whose parents live close enough that they choose to drive home for the weekend. This only contributes to the lethargic atmosphere that oozes out of the desolate dorm rooms.

Take a walk through the spine of our university — the Breezeway — and you will find it densely populated with signs boasting the “limitless” dining opportunities for late-night cravings.

Truthfully, the only restaurant open after midnight is the Subway directly in front of the football stadium.

Of course, the scarcity of students on campus in the waning hours doesn’t allow for much business.

The Living Room Theaters was intended to be a place for students to hang out and catch a movie, but it doesn’t exactly smell like teen spirit as most of its patrons are elderly.

FAU President John Kelly revealed his own 10-year plan to build a small scale “college town” behind campus on 20th Street, and the proposed ideas would certainly entice students to hang around.

If students had somewhere to walk around, eat and hang out, it would open the door for an increase in the on-campus population. The plan sounds like a great idea and fingers crossed, we will see it come to fruition in the near future.

For now, FAU leaves much to be desired for adventurous students.

These issues are no small fix. The only advice I can offer is an escape plan: If you are an on-campus resident like myself, the best way to have fun is to simply find a better place to go.

Junior urban design major Vincent Ubieri walking the abandoned portion of the campus — the Breezeway — at night.

Photo by Andrew Fraieli

2.23.2016 University Press 11

Trapped Transfer students feel frustrated being forced into repeating courses.

Here are their stories.

Story by Brittany Ferrendi

T

aylor Krause has taken 10 college English courses. Now, she’s on her 11th — ENC 1101.

She’s supposed to be a junior, but since many credits from her old university didn’t count, she’s listed as a sophomore. Next semester, she’ll have to take ENC 1102.

And she’s not alone.

Whether the school is private or public, international or within the U.S., it can be a struggle for transfer students to get their credits counted to avoid retaking classes.

Krause, who is studying biology, transferred from Lynn University, a private school just down the street from FAU. “I don’t understand why I’m taking freshman English, because I literally did 10 of them at Lynn,” she said.

“I’m going from a private school to a public school, and Lynn is just completely different.”

When someone transfers from another university, they typically don’t find out which of their credits count until after acceptance and enrollment.

FAU’s website does not provide information for what students can expect after they are accepted to the university, like how their credits will be counted and distributed.

The website’s section for transfer applicants confirms that students cannot meet with an adviser to find out which credits transfer before they apply.

“Unfortunately, the Office of Admissions does not staff academic advisors that can sit down and go over your current transcript with you personally,” the page says. “Students who are accepted to the university will meet with an academic advisor who can better answer specific questions regarding transferrable credits and degree requirements.”

The website provides information on how to apply to the university, but not on how credits will be counted. And some students that already have an associate degree before transferring may have more problems to face.

“I transferred in from an international school, and I came in with an associate degree already, so typically I should have only done two years of class, but they are kind of forcing me to do another four years,” a student who chose to stay anonymous told the University Press. “I had 65 credits [originally], but only four counted at FAU.” That student has to fulfill a 120-credit minimum all over again. “I would assume it would be a money thing, like they are just forcing me to pay

FAU 12 2.23.2016 University Press

more money. Why else would they force me to do classes I’ve already done?”

When the student went to the University Advising Services to see why so many classes were required to be taken again, he claims to have been given “runaround answers.”

“I honestly still don’t know where I am [with my classes]. I just go to advising every semester and ask them for help with classes ... they refuse to actually tell me what I have left,” he said.

Admissions Coordinator Michele Paredes, as well as the admissions office, did not respond to requests for comment.

After going to the registrar’s office, the student went to his college’s dean of students multiple times, as well as advising for the department of his major. The dean asked the student to keep him updated, but the student said he never really did anything.

After more than a year of taking classes here, the student still counts as a junior. “I was even considering transferring back to continue where tuition is free, where I am from, because these classes cost a lot of money and I pay out-of-state tuition.”

Sometimes credits are declared non-transferrable because a college’s or university’s accreditation is not recognized by FAU. That was the case with Logan Smith, marketing major from Digital Media Arts College, a three-year institution in Boca Raton, three miles away from FAU. He lost six semesters, a total of two years, transferring to FAU. DMAC originally told him that the school was accredited, but he later found out that wasn’t the entire truth.

“There was a situation where I couldn’t get past a certain point, and I was like, ‘Alright, well I’ll go to a different school,’ and [FAU is] like, ‘Yeah, those credits don’t come here,’” Smith said.

According to its website, “Generally, FAU accepts credits from regionally accredited institutions in which the students received a grade of ‘D’ or better in college-level courses.”

Smith doesn’t blame FAU for this credit mixup. “DMAC didn’t go through this process [to get accredited], [FAU] would probably have taken care of it if it was.”

According to FAU’s Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Analysis, 50 percent of the school’s 24,000 undergraduates in 2014 were transfers. In that same year, 3,827 transfer students were accepted to the school, while 2,438 ended up enrolling.

“There was a situation where I couldn’t get past a certain point, and I was like, ‘Alright, well I’ll go to a different school,’ and [FAU is] like, ‘Yeah, those credits don’t come here.’”

- Logan Smith, marketing major

After spending two years at Digital Media Arts College, none of marketing major Logan Smith’s credits transferred over to FAU. Photo by Patrick Martin

2.23.2016 University Press 13

Booked on Fridays The class schedule hasn’t been modified for 20 years but this spring, students will see more Friday classes.

Story by Nate Nkumbu

14 2.23.2016 University Press

I

t’s been twenty years since the departmental course schedule has changed. This semester, about 14 days worth of classes have been packed into the Wednesday and Friday class rotation alone.

There were 22.5 hours of Wednesday and Friday classes in fall 2015. This semester, there are 351, making for an increase of almost 1460 percent.

The decision has received mixed reactions, with some strong opinions.

“I think it’s the worst f***ing idea ever implemented

by FAU,” said engineering major Stincy Dumerjean, who is studying for a second bachelor’s degree. She added that the changes may be affecting student performance in the classroom.

The number of class hours for Monday and Wednesday classes decreased by 52 percent.

According to Heather Coltman — the dean of the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters — this is the first time in 20 years that the course schedule has changed.

Coltman said university administration implemented the changes this semester “in order to better serve student demand and need.”

Media relations representative Lisa Metcalf said members of the registrar’s office surveyed over 3,000 students and faculty members on the course schedule and how it could improve two years ago.

Faculty voted for the format of their classes — inperson or online — and the number of days they require per week. Students voted for whether to take

classes in the morning, afternoon, evening or online.

According to a presentation provided by the registrar’s office, 41 percent of faculty voted for more one-day classes, and 38 percent favored more twoday classes. Five percent cast their vote for three-day classes and 16 percent for more online classes.

The board of trustees and the board of governors had a say in the decision as well. They feared if campus facilities weren’t used enough, the school would lose funding for new buildings and renovations, as stated by the presentation.

Business professor Lawrence Newman said the change comes down to money. “The college is having more Friday classes to better utilize the space that’s been left empty during Fridays. Better utilization equals conserved money.”

On the university website, the registrar’s office put up a document explaining the reason for the changes.

It reads as follows: “With careful consideration to the needs of all of our stakeholders, the primary goal of this proposal is to develop a scheduling scheme that increases access for our current students and potential students, facilitates student progression through degree programs for a timely graduation, and fully utilizes the university facilities and resources as efficiently as possible.”

Although there have been issues with the schedule, Ben Lowe, history professor and chair of the history department, thinks the schedule changes put FAU on the right path.

Class Increase

by College

From spring 2015 to spring 2016, there has been an increase of 84 new classes offered.

Spring

Spring

2015

2016

MON

TUE

WED

THU

FRI

College

MON

TUE

WED

THU

FRI

Art/Lett

111.2

158

121.7

147

114.2

Art/Lett

128

146.5

126

131.5

159

Business

16.5

62

44.5

56

4

Business

44.5

45.5

42.5

45.5

21

Nurse

8

10

8

5

9

Nurse

6

13

8

8

9

Medic

0

0

0

0

0

Medic

0

0.5

0

0.5

0

Science

113.8

135

121.3

122

73.8

Science

110.3

130.5

132.8

132.5

80.8

Comp. Sci.

36.5

34

36

30

25.5

Comp. Sci.

21.7

33

27.7

27

29.7

Education

38.3

45.5

49.3

46.5

8.3

Education

24.3

45

36.8

51

17.8

Honors

0

0

0

0

0

Honors

0

0

0

0

0

Military

0.5

3

0.5

5

0

Military

0.5

3

0.5

5

0

Social

18.5

15.5

3.5

14.5

3

Social

13.5

19.5

16.5

16.5

5

TOTAL

343.3

463

384.8

426

237.8

TOTAL

348.3

436.5

390.8

417.5

322.3

College

Increase of Friday classes

84.2

2.23.2016 University Press 15

Stincy Dumerjean is not a fan of the increase of Friday classes.

Photo by Nate Nkumbu

“I think it’s the worst f***ing idea ever implemented by FAU.” - Stincy Dumerjean, engineering major

16 2.23.2016 University Press

“The only problem that we had to deal with is that the [teacher] conference schedule gets mixed up, but otherwise we haven’t had any problems,” said Lowe.

“There was some initial confusion about the schedule because we had staff meetings on Fridays and now we have moved to Mondays.”

The Space Committee, led by Provost Gary Perry, department heads and the registrar, collects the data on the classes and buildings and what days they’re full.

From there, it gives recommendations on the days that classes should be held and how buildings should be used more efficiently, according to Corina Mavrodin, a spokesperson at the Office of Space Utilization and Analysis.

Senior elementary education major Stephanie Canino said, “I think it’s great that there are more Friday classes. It allows more people access to their professors and makes people happy.”

Other students were not so enthused.

Dumerjean said she doesn’t buy into the new schedule changes. “People are doing worse because of the addition of Friday classes.”

According to the engineering major, people have very little time to sleep and study, and that the change is making students take professors they wouldn’t normally choose.

“Hell, my department of engineering is suffering because of this,” she said.

Engineering professor Hangi Zhuang feels the only thing that’s changed is the campus being quiet on Monday, as opposed to Friday.

Zhuang said a change in scheduling is part of what happens as the size of the school increases.

“It wasn’t necessary to have Friday classes when the campus body was 15,000, but at 35,000 and growing, the need to utilize the space on Friday became more apparent,” he said. “At least that’s what the Space Committee said.”

Newman said that financially, it makes more sense for the school to have classes all week instead of just Monday through Thursday.

“I understand the plight of the student and some of the faculty, but it is economically better.”

Photographers Wanted

MEETINGS

EVERY FRIDAY 2PM / STUDENT UNION / ROOM 214

“Day 1”

By Miller Lepree

The shrieking of my alarm clock is a dreadful reminder that I have to wake up today. I roll to my left and see my relatively unattractive wife staring back at me. I kiss her on the forehead because my breath smells bad; so does hers.

About 90 seconds later, once I have come to grips with the fact that it’s time to start my day, I put my legs on the floor. I stand up and walk over to the bathroom sink where I can’t stand to look at my own face. I haven’t shaved in three days. Maybe four. A layer of stubble hides the cheeks that aren’t as perky as they once were; there’s no hiding the bags under my eyes, though.

Once I’ve finished grooming, I head to my closet and choose which one of my 12 entry-level suits to wear. Three of them have pinstripes, four are grey. Today is a Wednesday, so typically I would wear the navy one with my red tie. Brought together with a white shirt, this combination makes me feel far more important than I really am.

I don’t have enough time for a proper breakfast, but a bowl of granola will do. The clumps of bitter grain taste dreadful, but my wife tells me it helps keep my cholesterol down. By the time I finish eating, my wife is ready for work, and she takes a fruit cup with her to the office. I kiss her again on my way out the front door, this time on the lips. This kiss used to carry me into the work day with an unbridled enthusiasm, a glimmering hope.

These days it’s simply a formality, standing between me and the unheated seats of my Hyundai Sonata.

The drive to my office typically takes 18 minutes without traffic, and considering that it’s 6:50 on a Wednesday, I should be at my desk by ten past seven.

The streets are eerily empty this morning, but my brain is not functioning at a high enough level to be bothered by any irregularities in my droll routine.

The first traffic light I encounter during my commute is always red. At the corner of Park and High Street, I can always count on being delayed by 48 seconds while the light allows one, maybe two cars to make their way through the intersection. This morning I am pleasantly surprised and remotely startled to see a green, shimmering beacon welcoming me one step closer to the shackles of my desk.

I arrive in the parking lot at 7:03.

Apparently I’m the only person who bothered to show up early today, which means I get first dibs on the toaster. This minor victory is enough to warrant a fist pump while I exit the car. I stare up at the glum square building, the grey brick hasn’t changed a bit since I started working here nine years ago. The windows 18 2.23.2016 University Press

are too small, and the building looks more like a prison than a place where computer programs are developed.

I walk through the glass front door and push the elevator button. I quickly change my mind and head for the stairs so I don’t feel as guilty about going for a Pop Tart later. The stairs disappear beneath my feet as I come closer to the floor that holds my desk. I push the metal compacting bar with a good amount of force, the heavy concrete door swings open and I stride into the empty sea of cubicles. The lights don’t ever seem to get turned off around here, as the vast space is fully illuminated.

I walk through the aisle passing by empty workspaces until I reach my little cell. My computer has already been turned on, and on the white screen reads a message in red:

Total System Failure.

This is odd. My brain is beginning to wake up, and my thoughts become clearer. Why is my computer on? Where is everyone? I sit at my desk and try restarting it. The system reboots, and on the screen reappears the red message. I try moving the mouse, and a few different key combinations that would normally allow me into the command screen. Everything is frozen, and the message on screen begins to make my eyes hurt.

I stand up to check my neighbor’s station, and on the screen reads the same message.

Maybe it’s just our link. I walk down the aisle, scanning CUBICLE U B I C L E

after

C U B I C L CUBICLE

Each screen I see reads the same message, and my skin begins to tingle. I feel the hairs on my arm come to a point and the pounding of my heart shakes the buttons of my white shirt.

How could the system crash?

We run the most advanced security programs available, it must have come from within, or it’s a glitch. I take out my cellphone to call my boss, who should already be in by now. No service, because of course there’s no service.

My mind races with a thousand different thoughts, none of which make any sense.

It is now 7:10, by which time I should be joined by at least ten other colleagues.

I need a Pop Tart.

I walk into the community kitchen and grab the box of strawberry-flavored cardboard, I unravel the package and drop them into the toaster. The delicious fumes waft through the barren room, I inhale deeply and reach a heightened state of clarity. I suddenly remember that there’s a landline in the kitchen, I lift the phone to my ear, and there is the sound of another human breathing on the other end.

I seconds,

break

the

silence

after

seven

“Hello?”

I hear more breathing but the person doesn’t respond.

“Is anyone there?” I ask.

Another five seconds pass, and as I finally give up and begin to lower the phone in defeat, a voice emerges from the speaker.

“Wake up, Jeff.”

This sinister message chills me to the core, I collapse on the floor of the kitchen while my Pop Tarts start to burn in the toaster.

Blackness follows. I no longer understand where I am or what it is I am supposed to do. I decide that this must be a dream, so I keep my eyes closed. I remember kissing my wife this morning, but I can’t remember her eyes, or if she ever spoke a word to me.

I pinch myself firmly on the wrist, but I remain on the cold tile floor of the office kitchen.

It is time to stand up. I gather my wits and rise to my feet, holding on to the kitchen table. The toaster is billowing smoke now, and I run over to unplug it while the room fills with clouds. I begin to cough uncontrollably, and I run out into the aisles of broken computers.

The screens are still white, but the red letters display a new message:

‘WAKE UP, JEFF!’

My heart jumps in my chest, and begins to throb at the rate of a hyena who just dropped five tabs of acid.

There is a buzzing in my ears, and I have a pulsating headache. I run down the stairs of my stupid grey building and through the glass doors into the parking lot. My car is still there, unattended and alone in the oversized lot.

The red car sits there in its spot every day waiting for me to come down those stairs and turn my pathetic little key, starting its

“Untitled” Anonymous Submission

pathetic little engine. It waits for hours upon hours, just to be driven down the same three roads and sit in my driveway until the next morning when it will do it all again.

A pool of gasoline begins to accumulate beneath the poor little car, one drop at a time it grows larger. I reach into my glovebox and withdraw the hidden pack of cigarettes. I take five steps away from the car, pulling my lighter from the inside of my blue coat. The flame catches the front of the cigarette, I flick it into the puddle of fumes and turn around.

I feel the heat on the back of my neck, the hairs are singed off as I run with a wild abandon. The buildings of my grey town are now amber, the air is full of soot.

I no longer recognize my surroundings, my body functions without the direction of my brain.

The legs that were once glued to the swivel chair of a cubicle now move at speeds I never thought possible. The heat continues to build, fueling my feral state.

My suit and tie have long disappeared, I do not recognize the feet that carry me or the hands that reach in front of me.

She is beautiful in every little way He looks at her like she is the bright of day Alone I stand watching and wanting everything she has.

Is that so wrong?

For she is the girl who has his heart This has been the case from the start I hate that I want him so Because all the this time I know That when he lies in bed with me His mind wonders to the girl of his dreams As much as I want him so He wants her, he needs her And heaven knows That I am not the girl he belongs with so I must keep the way I feel inside For envy will not make him mine For if I want my friendships to last I must suffer alone and hope the pain does not last I will be a good friend And wish them the best But will that get rid of this pain in my chest?

Even if we are not meant to be Does not mean I can’t wish of what could be But I will keep my mouth shut What could would it be For she is my friend and so is he And I want nothing more for them to be happy.

Adrenaline courses through my veins

as the city crumbles around me,

awake.

I am

“Creative Juices” is the UP’s open-submission creative writing section.

Send your screenplays, poems, short stories or any interesting composition to universitypress@gmail.com. If we like it, we’ll print it.

2.23.2016 University Press 19

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