Nov. 18, 2013 Vanguard

VANGUARD THE

VOL. 53, NO. 17

“If it matters to the USA family, it matters to us.”

NOV. 18, 2013

INSIDE

Student radio applies for FM frequency

By STUART SOX

► Life: USA hospital presents cause for celebration.

See JagLife, page 4

► LOC: Fall baseball ends with Red-Blue Series.

See Left of Center, page 8

► Sports: Jags run over by Navy, lose 42-14.

See Sports, page 10

sgsox@att.net

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he Prowl, South Alabama’s student-run online radio station, is applying for an FM frequency that would allow them to broadcast their shows on campus and in much of Mobile, Ala. Heather Stanley, faculty adviser for The Prowl, and the station’s student staff submitted an application for a new FM frequency to the Federal Communications Commission.

The FM frequency that The Prowl is applying for will be a “low power” FM frequency, which means that it will only be available to people on South Alabama’s campus and in nearby areas. “It could reach as far as I-65, but we learned that because of the Mobile Bay and the way the frequencies travel across water … The

Prowl could be broadcasted (sic) over on the Eastern Shore,” said Steven Spears, a communication major and the general manager of The Prowl.

Before this past summer, The Prowl was known as Jag Radio. During the 2013 spring semester, Stanley, Spears and the rest of the staff at Jag Radio decided that the station needed to be branded anew.

“We felt like the station needed to change to be more what students want and to go along with the University’s recent re-imaging effort ‘Experience the New South,” Stanley said.

Along with being renamed The Prowl to reflect the school’s mascot, the station now offers a variety of live radio shows that feature popular music, talk and live sports broadcasts.

All of the radio shows on The Prowl are student-created and managed. According to station website, the music played on The Prowl is mostly “alternative rock.”

“The re-imaging of the station has been a success. We’ve increased listener-

See Sports, page 12

Steven Spears, a communication major and the general manager of The Prowl, produces the radio’s programming.

See Radio Page 3

when you drive to campus, or hear the roar of the crowd as you walk to your dorm.

With all of the new buildings and renovations happening on campus, is it even possible to place a stadium on campus?

Sam Stutsman, a geography instructor at South, decided to discover if it is possible. Stutsman assigned a project to his GIT 462-GIS Applications in Business and Social Sciences class last semester, instructing them to find the best location for a stadium.

“Well, in the GIS class that I teach, COURTESY OF SAM STUTSMAN one of the things we use is spacial analysis to do site location to find the best place to put something,” Stutsman said. “It can be anything, it can stores, a Starbucks, a few restaurants. They all use this software to find the best place.

It eliminates human error and human

By JT CRABTREE decision, a lot of the problems. The software makes that jtc804@jagmail.southalabama.edu decision for us. and we were just thinking where would ver since South Alabama started a football pro- be the best place and so we set up some criteria, far away gram, fans have been wondering, “When are get- from school buildings, close to existing parking lots, close to student housing so that students who live on campus ting an on-campus stadium?”

There’s a distinct difference between the feel of a foot- don’t have to go too far to the stadium, and then one the ball game on your own campus and a game off campus. big factors was access to major roads.”

It’s part of the college atmosphere: to see the stadium See Stadium Page 13

Class mocks placement for on-campus stadium ► Sports: USA cross-country finishes season in Regional.

STUART SOX | SENIOR REPORTER

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Check out our digital edition thevanguardonline.com

Jag Cash adds new locations

By NOAH LOGAN

ncl1101@jagmail.southalabama.edu

S

ome students may be tired of the dining locations on campus, but a new program Jag Cash provides students with more options.

Students are now able to use an additional form of university money that allows them to use the funds at eight different off-campus locations along with the previous options on campus.

The new Jag Cash program was put into action on Nov. 1. The current list of participating offcampus restaurants includes Hungry Howie’s, Domino’s Pizza, Buffalo Wild Wings, Heroes Sports Bar, Mugshots Grill and Bar, Roly Poly and Ollie’s Mediterranean Grill. In addition to these restaurants, students can also use Jag Cash at two different CVS locations: one on Old Shell Road and one on Airport Boulevard.

Assistant Director for Student Center Services Rachael Bolden indicated that the list of eligible locations will only grow in the future as 25 different merchants were invited to participate. Because

In this Issue:

See Jag Cash Page 3

Life, Page 4 Left of Center, Page 8 Sports, Page 10 Opinion, Page 14

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VOL. 53, NO. 17/ NOV. 18, 2013

L OOK FOR OUR NEXT ISSUE N OV . 25, 2013.

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VOL. 53, NO. 17/ NOV. 18, 2013

“University of South Alabama’s Student Voice”

Editorial Editor in Chief Managing Editor Copy Editor Opinion Editor Sports Editor Left of Center JagLife Editor Web Editor Senior Reporter Staff Reporter

Samantha Andrews

Stephanie Feather Meg Lundberg Kelly Ficarelli JT Crabtree Alyssa Newton Emma Mitchell Matthew Strickland

Stuart Sox Noah Logan

Distribution Distribution Bobby Faulk Matthew Rhodes

Advertising Advertising Justine Burbank Graphic Designer Ryan Keller Sheldon Hall

Management Advising J. Sellers J. Aucoin Accounting Kathy Brannan

Mission The Vanguard, the student-run newspaper of the University of South Alabama, serves its readership by reporting the news involving the campus community and surrounding areas. The Vanguard strives to be impartial in its reporting and believes firmly in its First Amendment rights.

Send letters and guest columns to: The Vanguard University of South Alabama P.O. Drawer U-1057 Mobile, Ala., 36688.

Or thevanguardeditor@gmail.com Letters and guest columns must be received by 7 p.m. on the Wednesday prior to the Monday publication. Submissions should be typed and must include the writer’s name, year, school and telephone number. All submissions become the property of The Vanguard. The Vanguard reserves the right to edit letters and guest columns for length and clarity. Letters will be limited to 300 words. Letters and guest columns are the opinion of the writer. The Staff Editorial represents the consensus opinion of the Editorial Board, which is composed of the Editor in Chief, Copy Editor, Senior Reporter and Opinion Editor. All members of the Editorial Board have the same weight. The Vanguard has a commitment to accuracy and clarity and will print any corrections or clarifications. To report a mistake, e-mail thevanguardeditor@gmail.com. The Vanguard is published Mondays during the academic year, except for exam periods and vacations, and is published twice each summer. The Vanguard is supported in part by an allocation from student activity fees and operates in the Student Media Department of the Division of Student Affairs.

Issues are available at most University buildings and select off-campus locations. The first copy is free. Additional copies are $1 each. Freelance writers will receive payment at the discretion of the section editor and will be notified.

Meet your officers

Weather for Nov. 18 - Nov. 24

By LORI BUHRING

lmb810@jagmail.southalabama.edu

A

ccording to USAPD Captain Tammy Orso, “exciting” days tend to be bad days. When asked what it was like being a police officer at South Alabama, Orso explained it very clearly: “I prefer non-exciting days.” This means that typical days consist of dealing with domestic issues, taking theft reports or writing speeding tickets, while “exciting” days tend to be the worst kind of days.

When asked if she had ever been part of a big case, Orso had to go back to one of those bad days. Her mind went back to the stabbing on campus that took place in July 2011.

Orso paused for a while and said, “That was the most important case. That family lost their son and nothing we could do was going to change that. Our investigators worked tirelessly in seeking a conviction in that case.”

According to Orso, there were four USA police officers in that courtroom the day the young man was found guilty. “I can’t speak for the others,” she said, “but seeing the victim’s family receive their justice, and to see how thankful they were to our department, especially our two investigators, was what this job is all about.” Orso continued, “It’s for moments like that, and those moments are rare. It was a small bit of closure for that family and to be a part of that was truly overwhelming.”

Orso has been at the University of South Alabama her entire career, and given the opportunity, she would not want to work anywhere else, not even the FBI. For Orso, “This is home.”

Radio Continued from Page One.

ship by somewhere between 800 and 1000 percent,” Stanley said. “We really have our own identity now.”

Because The Prowl is broadcast online, the staff is able to monitor the number of listeners tuning in at any given time.

It is uncertain when The Prowl will be notified of the results of their FM frequency application, according to Spears and Stanley. The FCC has not given them any kind of time frame.

“It could be anywhere between three months and three years before we know anything,” Spears said, “but it will likely be one to two months.”

“It all depends on the manpower at the FCC and how fast they can get through the applications that they are receiving from across the country,” Stanley said, adding that priority is given to student radio stations. “It’s really important for us to get this license for The Prowl,” Stanley continued, “because it will allow us to spread the mission and the influence of South Alabama past the campus.”

For a list of shows or to listen to The Prowl, go online at http://www.theprowlusa.blogspot.com or listen on the South Alabama app for iPhone or Android.

PATRICK BIGBIE | STAFF METEOROLOGIST

Twitter: StormTeam4g9wx Facebook: Facebook.com/StormTeam4Gamma9Wx

Jag Cash Continued from Page One.

each business has to pay a monthly fee to be a part of the program, Bolden said not all places invited will participate. For example, the fast food chain Foosackly’s, one of the merchants invited to participate, might not find the program worthwhile because they are already extremely popular so students will eat there regardless.

With the addition of Jag Cash, the University now offers three different types of currency that are loaded onto a student’s JagCard. Bonus Bucks, Dining Dollars and now JagCash all offer students an opportunity to eat somewhere other than the main dining hall. Bolden explained, however, that this new program will not necessarily phase out the others because each one is slightly different from the other.

Bonus Bucks are just what the name applies: bonus money awarded to an account for buying a meal plan.

Students get these as an incentive to purchase a meal

plan. Dining Dollars are similar, but they can be bought outside of a meal plan, and they never expire whereas Bonus Bucks expire at the end of spring semester every year. Jag Cash doesn’t expire until a student graduates or leaves the university.

One interesting aspect of Jag Cash is the ease with which students can load them onto an account. Students simply need to go to the website of secure provider Get Funds, which will replace ManageMyID. The specific link for USA students can be found at the end of this article. Students will create an account using their Jagnumber and university email.

Once the account is set up, the service allows students to email a link to family and friends who can then load Jag Cash onto students’ accounts. For the person loading the cash, all he or she needs is the student’s Jagnumber and a credit card, and the funds go through immediately.

All of this information and more can be found at the student center website,http://www.southalabama. edu/studentcenter.

NOAH LOGAN | STAFF REPORTER

USA students Kellie Agalsoff, George Moore and Zac Fox enjoy hookah at Ollie’s Mediterranean Grill, which is now a participating Jag Cash location.

jagLIFE

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EMMA MITCHELL, JAGLIFE EDITOR eem1002@jagmail.southalabama.edu VOL. 53, NO. 17/ NOV. 18, 2013

USA hospital presents cause for celebration

By MARY RODRIGUEZ mcr741993@hotmail.com

U

SA Women’s and Children’s Hospital hosted the first silent auction for A Cause for Celebration Thursday, Nov. 14, at the True Midtown Kitchen.

A Cause for Celebration provides hospital-bound patients with gifts on special milestones such as birthdays, graduations, leaving the hospital or no more chemotherapy celebrations.

Belinda Baggett, director of Volunteer Services, said that the planning of the event has been going on for about a year.

“One of our child life professionals came into my office one day frantically looking for balloons to put together a birthday present for a child,” Baggett said. “A few days later the same thing happened, and me and a few of my volunteers decided we could do better than that.”

There were many volunteers who were immediately on board with the idea of A Cause for Celebration, including 30 people from the development office, the business office and

friends.

The scheduling of the event was an important factor and played a role as one of the most difficult aspects in planning A Cause for Celebration.

“In the fall, you are competing with so many great events,” Baggett said, “trying to find the best time of year and getting as many people as possible. It is about raising money but also about raising awareness.”

Volunteers for the event went to vendors to spread the word about A Cause for Celebration. While promoting the event, many of them found that the vendors already knew of USA Women’s and Children’s Hospital but had not heard about their new expansions, including two Ronald McDonald family rooms and a school inside the hospital. The volunteers promoted the fundraiser, and at the same time, it became a wonderful awareness opportunity, according to Baggett.

Other than the silent auction for A Cause for Celebration, USA Women’s and Children’s Hospital hosts in-hospital fundraisers such as their jewelry sale and uniform sale.

sgsox@att.net

M

“

obile in Black and White,” a documentary about race relations in Mobile, Ala., is being shown at Cafe 615 this month to promote community conversation about racism.

According to Robert Gray and Joel Lewis, the film’s writers and producers, the purpose of the documentary is to improve relations between the different races in Mobile by encouraging conversation about racism and racial division.

“It’s not just about race relations in Mobile but race relations everywhere,” Gray said. “The purpose is to get people to realize that race is still a fundamental issue in today’s society. … Our concept and idea of racism has to change. We think of

it in terms of the civil rights movement, but racism is individual acts of meanness.”

Gray points to the most recent mayoral election as an example of racial division in Mobile. “At the debates between Jones and Stimpson, you would have the black people in the audience shouting and clapping for Jones and then there would be the same for the white people for Stimpson,” Gray said. “It was all racially coated, and it highlighted the sharp racial divides that we are all in denial about.”

Lewis encourages everyone to see the film for the sake of Mobile.

“I think that when we decide that we want to be a community that embraces unity and the diversity of our community, we will sit down and talk about these issues,” Lewis said.

See Documentary Page 6

Monday > Nov. 18 •

Men’s Basketball vs. William Carey Mitchell Center, 7:05 p.m.

Tuesday > Nov. 19 •

“Black Physicians in the Jim Crow South”

by Dr. Tom Ward USA Library room 181, 7 p.m.

•

“Romanian Archaeology and the Barbarian Gepids” - Archaeology Museum, 7 p.m.

Wednesday > Nov. 20 •

Student for Life USA meeting - HUMB room 112, 5 p.m.

•

Women’s Basketball vs. Nicholls State Mitchell Center, 7:05 p.m.

EMMA MITCHELL | JAGLIFE EDITOR

Left to right: Susan Eschete and Vickie Akers at the Cause for Celebration silent auction and dinner on Nov. 14.

“I think the silent auction is going to become our anchor event where we bring something out into the community,” Baggett said.

The silent auction was located at

the True Midtown Kitchen on Dauphin Street. The restaurant was decorated with birthday balloons, and the

Thursday > Nov. 21 •

Laser Tag - Student Recreation Center, 6 p.m. - 10 p.m.

•

Three Musketeers LPAC, 7:30 p.m. $10 students, $12 faculty, $14 public

See Celebration Page 7

Documentary tackles ignored racism

By STUART SOX

Weekly Lowdown

Friday > Nov. 22 •

Men’s Basketball vs.

Southern Mississippi Mitchell Center

•

Three Musketeers LPAC, 7:30 p.m. $10 students, $12 faculty, $14 public

Saturday > Nov. 23

ROBERT GRAY | CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

One of the Cafe 615 showings of “Mobile in Black and White,” a documentary on racism.

•

Jaguars vs. Louisiana Monroe - Ladd Peebles Stadium, 6 p.m.

•

Three Musketeers LPAC, 7:30 p.m. $10 students, $12 faculty, $14 public

Want your event featured?

E-mail the name, date, time, price, place and a brief tagline (under 10 words) to eem1002@jagmail.southalabama.edu

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VOL. 53, NO. 17/ NOV. 18, 2013

Local comic book store, 99 Issues, draws business

By TIMOTHY BORLAND trb903@jagmail.southalabama.edu

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hose wanting to get their comic book fix now have a new destination of choice in Mobile, Ala. Since opening in March, 99 Issues, located on Old Shell Road, has been gaining popularity. The store also represents another independent business contributing to the local economy.

Owner Chris Barnett was inspired to open the store after a trip to a convention center with his children. After getting back into comics, he noticed the need for a place within the community for comic book fans.

“I thought it was sad there wasn’t a place for people to go that they were happy with,” Barnett said.

The store name 99 Issues is a reference to the popular Jay-Z song “99 Problems.” Originally the business featured 99 titles in its store, which complemented the name.

Now the independent business has grown far beyond its original offerings.

The store features more than 200

new releases each month. It also carries several Silver Age and Golden Age books. There are both a couch and a flat screen television for guests to play video games as they wish. There are also several limited edition figurines, and inaction figures are on display. There are even a few one-of-a-kind items such as an original comic book autographed

by Stan Lee and a figurine signed by Todd McFarlane.

Another great service offered by the store is subscription boxes.

Readers can order all their comic book series in advance and have them placed in a separate box. By using this service, collectors can avoid missing an issue if it sells out.

Customers of all ages come to the store, but according to Barnett, the majority of customers are college-aged and up. This is partially due to the current resurgence in adult comics and graphic novels. Additionally, movies based on comic book characters are boosting sales. Currently, some of the most popular series are Deadpool, Spiderman, and the X-Men.

TIMOTHY BORLAND | CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Chris Barnett, owner and operator of local comic book store 99 Issues, browses through his inventory of favorites.

For people who are interested in comics, but maybe have never read one, the staff at 99 Issues can advise which series are well regarded.

“Customers can talk to one of us, and we can kind of find out their interests,” Barnett said.

To find more information about

99 Issues, all are invited to visit them in the store or go to their Facebook page at https://www. facebook.com/99Issues.

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VOL. 53, NO. 17/ NOV. 18, 2013

Student Nurses Association connects students to service

By STEPHANIE FEATHER sf1101@jagmail.southalabama.edu

T

he Student Nurses’ Association is helping the community this month with charity events.

SNA is raising donations for a “Hygiene Kit” drive for 15 Place, a day center for the homeless population in Mobile, Ala. They are collecting donations in a designated bin located in the Health Sciences Nursing lounge now until Nov. 20.

“The center is in great need of shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes, socks, (infant and adult) diapers, baby wipes, lotion, deodorant, combs, razors and female sanitary supplies,” Allie Marshall, breakthrough to nursing officer of SNA, said. “We are really hoping to have a huge success with this drive.”

Another event SNA took part in recently was the “Making Strides for Breast Cancer” 5K in downtown Mobile in October. The walk was very successful with 25,000 participants, and the walk itself raised more than $150,000 for breast cancer.

On Nov. 25 through 27, SNA will hold a silent auction every day from 8 a.m. until 12 p.m. in the lobby of the Health Sciences Building. Many items for the auction have been donated from surrounding local businesses. They hope to make this an annual event. All proceeds made from the silent auction will go toward SNA’s trip to the next national SNA convention in Nashville, Tenn.

Each April, approximately 3,000 nursing students gather in a major city for the event.

The convention features educational programs where students can participate in

leadership and professional development activities, attend a keynote and end note address, plenary sessions, focus sessions, association activity seminars, exhibits and an auction to support nursing scholarships.

Since SNA is not receiving any funding from university resources like SGA, they need this event to fund their trip.

“We really need a huge turnout for this event so we can send as many people as possible to this convention,” Marshall said.

“This convention is a wonderful opportunity to represent the College of Nursing here at USA as well as collaborate with other students from across the nation.”

Marshall shared some information on how the organization has helped her. “SNA has provided a wonderful opportunity to collaborate with other nursing students as well as volunteer in the community,” Marshall said. “I firmly believe that success is easier attained by having support, and that is exactly what our organization does.”

Founded in 1952, the NSNA is a nonprofit organization for students enrolled in associate, baccalaureate, diploma, and generic graduate nursing programs. It is dedicated to fostering the professional development of nursing students.

USA’s chapter of NSNA is comprised of pre-nursing, traditional and accelerated nursing members. They are always looking to expand their organization by recruiting new members. To learn more about the SNA organization, contact Allie Marshall at asm1201@jagmail.southalabama.edu.

Documentary Continued from Page 4.

“This project will be a vehicle for starting those conversations.”

Viewing of the documentary takes place in segments of 20 to 30 minutes, followed by structured conversations about the film.

Showings for the first two segments have already taken place, and according to Gray and Lewis, the response has been overwhelmingly positive so far.

“Some people have expressed a new awareness about these issues,” Lewis said, “and some have begun to question our society, which is what we wanted.”

USA student Kerry Fugett attended the showing of one of the film’s segments at Cafe 615. “The documentary did a good job of showing how racism is now as opposed to how racism was a hundred years ago,” Fugett said. “The problem is less blatant, in-yourface hatred, but now a more corrupt underly-

ing system.”

Once the film’s four segments are shown in Mobile, Gray and Lewis plan to put the segments together to form a feature-length documentary that they can submit to film festivals.

“Mobile in Black and White” has already been accepted by the San Diego Black Film Festival, which will take place in January, according to Gray. Lewis and Gray have also submitted it to many other events, including the internationally famed Sundance Film Festival.

The viewing of the third segment will be on Nov. 18 at 6:30 p.m. at Cafe 615 on Dauphin Street. The fourth segment will be shown on Nov. 25 at 6:30 p.m. at Cafe 615.

The cost to attend is $15 and includes dinner.

To watch segment one, or to learn more about “Mobile in Black and White” visit its Facebook page or website http://www.mobileinblackandwhite.org.

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VOL. 53, NO. 17/ NOV. 18, 2013

Three Musketeers performance begins at USA

By NOAH LOGAN

ncl1101@jagmail.southalabama.edu

T

he USA theatre department’s latest play, “The Three Musketeers,” shows us that courage and honor displayed in dramatic events can be applied in the same way to ordinary situations.

Director T. Fulton Burns (SDC) said that the show “provides everything that drives us as people with love, loss, sex, money and power, and we see this in our hero, D’Artagnan, and his adventure of a lifetime, which in turn proves that life itself is an adventure.”

The show opened Nov. 15 to a crowd of around 160 and will feature performances through two weekends. Backstage before the show, the whispered shouts of “Places in 10” could be heard from almost everyone and created a seemingly hectic environment, but when asked about the potential harm of pre-show jitters, Burns dismissed the idea. “We all just trust the cast.

Everyone trusts in each other. It’s just a matter of diving out head first and doing it.”

Without giving too much away, the show is a great experience for students in particular because many

Celebration Continued from Page 4.

night was filled with bids, food and music from The Stereo Dogs.

The Stereo Dogs are a band made up of four 13-year-olds: Andrew Ayers, Bryan Ayers, Jordan Steele and Jamie Newsome. Andrew Ayers is a former patient of USA Women’s and Children’s Hospital. He was admitted to the hospital’s NICU shortly after birth because his heart stopped.

“My mom used to tell me it was amazing how one doctor can save one life,” Ayers said.

The band played a variety of music from “School’s Out for Summer” to “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Jenny (867-5309).”

“The Ayers (family) came to us and asked if we would be interested in having The Stereo Dogs play,” Baggett said. “I couldn’t think of a better match.”

Many people had kind words to say about USA Women’s and Chil-

our parents goodbye for the first time and immediately ropes viewers into his story.

During his first day in Paris, D’Artagnan manages to infuriate each of the three musketeers by various unintentional encounters. Athos, Porthos and Aramis all schedule a duel with our hero on the same night, but D’Artagnan wins the respect of his idols by helping them fight off the guards of the evil Cardinal Richelieu. Looking back, who doesn’t have friends who, at one point, were willing to put a sword through your heart?

What follows is an outlandish, epic mission to stop Richelieu from taking power from the crown. The script and dialogue are so over the NOAH LOGAN | STAFF REPORTER top that even the most ridicuPre-show stage set up in the Laidlaw Performing Arts Center lous and climactic events are for the Three Musketeers performances. littered with comedy and satire of 17th-century French manners.

Even in the immensely talented of the young students who watch it don Mallette. The show opens with will be able to apply the themes of D’Artagnan leaving his family in the cast, two cast members do a particuthe show to challenges faced in col- French countryside to travel to Paris larly good job of setting themselves in order to become a famed Muske- apart from the rest. Senior perforlege life.

The show is an adaptation of the teer, one of the elite guardians of mance acting student Christina Mcfamous novel by Alexander Dumas the King and Queen of France. His Carty, who portrays D’Artagnan’s and centers around a young man tearful goodbyes with his parents sister Sabine, and Cameron Bivens, named D’Artagnan played by Bran- bring back the memories of telling who plays the role of musketeer

Aramis, both stole the show.

McCarty went from bratty to witty to seductive to hardcore without missing a beat. Her remarkable dedication to the role was apparent—fully embodying the flamboyant, teenaged diva whether or not the spotlight was on her. Her lines and actions onstage drew the biggest laughs on opening night.

Bivens’ Aramis was noticeably less exaggerated than the others, and he pulled it off very well. He channeled the wit and the composure that sets the character apart in the play. Similar to Sabine, Aramis was often the subject of laughs even when his character wasn’t the focal point of the scene. Aramis can often be found kissing women left and right on the corners of the stage when not in the limelight and his dedication does not go unnoticed.

The show will feature three more performances on Nov. 21, 22 and 23 at 7:30 p.m. at the Laidlaw Performing Arts Center. Tickets can be purchased ahead of time by calling 251-460-6306 or can be purchased on performance night at the box office. Tickets are $10 for students at any university, college or high school, $12 for senior citizens and $14 for general admission.

tion silent auction annually, according to Baggett, because “kids’ birthdays will keep happening.”

For more information about vol-

unteer services at USA Women’s and Children’s Hospital, call 251-4151123 or visit the website at http:// www.usahealthsystem.com/usacwh.

dren’s Hospital. Some even chose to share the experiences they had there expressing much gratitude.

Joyce Sawyer recalled when her son Colby was in the hospital for his birthday just a few months ago.

“They really do try and go out of their way to make it as fun as possible for the kids,” Sawyer said. “I can’t speak enough about the staff there that tried to make better for all of us.”

Happiness and normalcy is something every patient in the hospital deserves, according to Baggett.

“Who doesn’t want to celebrate life?” Baggett said. “Who doesn’t want to give a child the sense of normalcy they had as a kid? It’s easy.”

The silent auction featured items donated by volunteers such as gift baskets, holiday decorations, jewelry, gift cards, artwork, Alabama, Auburn and South Alabama items and more.

This is a fun event for volunteers to showcase their talents. During the auction, even more people donated

items for next year’s auction, according to Baggett.

USA Women’s and Children’s plans to host A Cause for Celebra-

EMMA MITCHELL | JAGLIFE EDITOR

Left to Right: Jordan Steele, Bryan Ayers, Jamie Newsome and Andrew Ayers of the band Stereo Dogs performed at the Cause for Celebration’s silent auction on Nov. 14.

LEFT OF CENTER

ALYSSA NEWTON, LOC EDITOR akn1104@jagmail.southalabama.edu

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VOL. 53, NO. 17/ NOV. 18, 2013

THIS WEEK IN SPORTS Monday, Nov. 18 ►MEN’S BASKETBALL

South Alabama vs.

William Carey 7:05 p.m

Wednesday, Nov. 20 ► WOMEN’S

BASKETBALL South Alabama vs.

Nicholls State 7:05 p.m.

Thursday, Nov. 21 ►

South Alabama will have to replace two juniors and 15 seniors from last year’s SBC Champion team.

Troy’s Trojan Arena

COURTESY OF USAJAGUARS

Fall baseball ends with Red-Blue Series

Friday, Nov. 22 ►MEN’S

BASKETBALL South Alabama vs.

Houston Baptist

South Alabama baseball marks the end of ‘fall ball’ with intersquad series

By ALYSSA NEWTON akn1104@jagmail.southalabama.edu

S

outh Alabama baseball ended the fall ball season with its annual Red-Blue Series this past Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Red-Blue has become a tradition in South’s baseball program to mark the end of all fall scrimmages before starting their season in February. The series consists of three games, all of which are played regardless of the outcomes of each game.

Besides being an intersquad scrimmage series that concludes more than a month’s worth of scrimmages, Red-Blue has a few traditions that many people may not see.

Unknown to many, there is sometimes a friendly competition between the red and blue team. In the past, many scrimmages have resulted in the winners of the series enjoying a hearty steak dinner while the losing team eats something such as hot dogs or burgers.

The South Alabama Diamond Girls are a big part of the Red-Blue Series as well. The diamond girls are split into two teams, red and blue, a month before the series. After weeks of planning, the girls meet at the Jon Lieber Clubhouse to decorate the

entire common area, complete with two tables filled with baked goods, candy, drinks and other treats for the teams to enjoy during the scrimmage.

The Red-Blue series also serves as a practice for the new diamond girls to learn the ropes of working on the field and retrieving foul balls.

The series started last Thursday at 3:30 p.m. with right-hander Ben Taylor as starting pitcher for the Red team against the Blue’s Jared Gates.

The Blue team took the series opener 6-2 with the blue team coming off strong in the first few innings.

The Friday game was short-lived, eventually being canceled due to a downpour before the end of the

first inning. The game was moved to Saturday to be part of a doubleheader.

Saturday, the Red and Blue squads met up one last time starting at 11 a.m. to finish their series. Lefthander Locke St. John started off for the Red team in game two as James Traylor took the starting pitching position for the Blue squad. This time the Red took the lead and held it defeating the Blue team 12-1, taking the second game.

The third and final game would decide who would take the series and have the bragging rights until the spring semester. Hunter Soleymani looked to finish off with back to

back wins starting for the Red team while Dillion Burhrkuhl started for the Blue in hopes for a game three win to take the series.

Blue would win the series taking game three 2-0 to ensure the bragging rights until the regular season begins in February.

This year South Alabama must replace 15 seniors as well as two juniors who were drafted into the Major Leagues from last season’s Sun Belt Conference Champion team.

South Alabama starts their season on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14 at 6:30 p.m. against Tennessee Tech University at Stanky Field.

ALYSSA NEWTON | LOC EDITOR

As part of Red-Blue tradition, tables are set up by the Diamond Girls for the players during the series.

VOLLEYBALL South Alabama vs.

UT Arlington 5 p.m.

4:05 p.m. in Mobile, Ala.

South Alabama vs.

Southern Mississippi 7:05 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 23 ►

FOOTBALL South Alabama vs.

Louisiana-Monroe

6 p.m. Ladd-Peebles Stadium

►

MEN’s BASKETBALL South Alabama vs.

Wright State 1 p.m. vs. Southern Miss vs.

Houston Baptist 3:05 p.m

Want live play-byplay tweets of USA sporting events and other sports info?

Follow USAVGSports on Twitter and like USA Vanguard Sports on Facebook

9

VOL. 53, NO. 17/ NOV. 18, 2013

Turner Field’s final years; South students reminisce News of stadium causes USA students to think of memories made at the beloved Turner Field in Atlanta

By ALYSSA NEWTON akn1104@jagmail.southalabama.edu

T

he Atlanta Braves may be a Major League team based out of Georgia, but that doesn’t change the love many South Alabama students have for the Braves.

Many students had mixed feelings when the city of Atlanta announced plans to demolish Turner Field in 2017 when the Braves move out of the stadium and into an anticipated $672 million ballpark in Cobb County, Ga. The Braves opened Turner Field in 1997, and the Atlanta landmark became known as the “Home of the Braves.” But that’s just it—the Braves do not own Turner Field. The stadium itself is in need of millions of dollars for repairs and upgrades.

According to the Braves website, this was a difficult choice to make.

“This decision to move was not easy, and we have mixed emotions about leaving a ballpark that holds so many great memories,” the site states.

“However, knowing that our lease will expire in

2016, we have devoted our time trying to secure the best option for our fans, our team and our organization. We believe this new site will be the best location for our fans and our organization for the next 30 years.”

But the decision has unfortunately broken the hearts of many Braves fans at South Alabama.

“I don’t like the idea of the Braves moving,” Ariel Fleming, avid Braves fan and USA junior, said. “All of my memories of the Braves include Turner Field.

In fact, it was my dream place to work. I was hoping my future job would be a sports marketer and event planner for the Braves and Turner Field where I had so many memories. This will be the third time the Braves have moved since I was born.”

Despite emotional attachment, the move to Cobb County after the Braves’ contract expires does make sense. Turner Field has had plumbing, parking and various other issues that have become even more problematic during the past few years. In this location, there is a lack of transportation, direct access to interstates and, on top of that, the Braves

COURTESY OF LAUREN ASHLEY HIDLE

Turner Field was opened in 1997 and is home to many Braves memories. have no say in or control of the development of their surroundings.

According the Braves’ website, the new location will give the Braves an opportunity to develop around the ballpark and create an enhanced atmosphere for the fans. There will be increased access to the stadium, more parking and easier access to major roadways relieving Braves fans of the infamous traffic jams before and after games. The move may be painful for the team’s loyal fans who grew up knowing only Turner Field as the home of Braves Base-

COURTESY OF LAUREN ASHLEY HIDLE

College students attend a Braves game at Turner Field during a weekend in Atlanta.

ball, but it won’t diminish memories made there.

“My favorite memory is in 2012 when the Braves played the Cardinals to make the playoffs,” Fleming said. “It ended up being Chipper Jones’ last game ever. Even though they lost, it was so much fun. I left that night and it felt as if we had won.”

The Braves may be moving out of Turner Field, but the memories made within its walls will live on forever. And future Braves fans will continue to make memories after the move in 2017.

Chop On.

SPORTS

10

JT CRABTREE, SPORTS EDITOR jtc804@jagmail.southalabama.edu VOL. 53, NO. 17/ NOV. 18, 2013

Follow us for news, updates and play-by-play tweets: @USAVGSports Maha Maarouf @MahaMaarouf_: Midfielder/Forward First time ever in school history the women’s soccer team wins the SBC conference! #makinghistory #BLINGBLING Emily Hundt @emilyhundt15: Setter This is a big year for South Athletics..... #JAGNATION Terry Fowler @Tfowl24: Women’s head basketball coach Excited to start our journey. We must learn from the positives and negatives of the season. I look forward to our growth as a TEAM! Derek Westbrook @thedwestbrook25: Men’s Cross Country I definitely should’ve walked outside before heading to class to find out that there is a wind coming straight from Antarctica Jay Jones @_JayJones8: Running back I couldn’t find useless clothes to go hunting in this morning then I ran across my Troy hood Antoine Allen @TweezMrNutty: Guard Just finished putting that work in no days off over here my hunger for this game is at a all time high so focus it’s #TTE (Time To Eat) Drew Dearman @Drewski72_: Offensive lineman Halftime entertainment: miss universe swimsuit competition right now!

@USAVGSports

The Jags allowed a school-worst 351 rushing yards to the Midshipmen last week.

JT CRABTREE|SPORTS EDITOR

Jaguars run over by Navy, lose 42-14 South Alabama suffers worst loss in two years, had no answer for triple option

By PATRICK HERRING pwh802@jagmail.southalabama.edu

T

he weather in Annapolis, Md., was much cooler than the Jaguars were used to, but their sub-par play can be attributed to the unique looks their opponent was giving them. South Alabama (3-6, 1-3) suffered the program’s worst loss in two calendar years as the Navy Midshipmen (6-4) thumped the Jags 42-14, their biggest loss since a 41-10 loss to Cal-Poly in the final game of the 2011 season.

The Jaguars kept the game close early on, leading 14-10 at one point, but Navy scored 32 unanswered points to leave Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium with the victory.

After the game, head coach Joey Jones addressed the troubles Navy’s triple option presented to his defense.

“You get behind them and you feel like you’re playing catch-up the whole

game,” Jones said. “They keep the ball and keep driving downfield. I think we only stopped them twice the whole game. They’re dang good at what they do.”

Defensive leader Enrique Williams totaled a personal-best 11 solo stops, 12 total, in the losing effort. It marked the fifth time this season he has recorded double-digit tackles.

The solo total ties him with former teammate Jake Johnson for the second most in a game in school history. He also spoke about the difficulties in covering the Navy offense.

“It was just the different looks that they were throwing at us,” Williams said. “For every look we had, it seemed like they had something planned or drew up against it.”

For the first time in three games, the Jaguars went with a twoquarterback rotation, with Brandon Bridge coming off the bench midway through the third quarter. He finished

with 40 total yards, 20 rushing and 20 on 3-of-9 passing. Starter Ross Metheny went 18-of-27 for 160 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also rushed for another 23 yards.

The Midshipmen racked up 519 yards of total offense on USA, the second highest total allowed in school history. They gained 351 yards on the ground, the most ever surrendered by a South Alabama team, and their 20 rushing first downs shattered the previous South Alabama record of 14, which had been achieved four times previously.

Navy’s opening drive was disrupted when Jesse Kelley sacked quarterback Keenan Reynolds for a loss of 8 to the USA 20-yard line.

From there, Nick Sloan made a 37yard field goal to give Navy the early 3-0 lead.

What followed was the longest drive in Jaguar history, totalling 14 plays and taking up 5:39 of game

clock. The drive was keyed by a Metheny keeper on fourth-and-3 that gained 14 yards down to the Navy 16yard line.

Four plays later, Metheny tossed it into the corner of the end zone and Shavarez Smith climbed the ladder over the Navy defender to come down with the 4-yard touchdown catch to give USA the 7-3 lead.

Early in the second period, Navy’s Darius Staten was vital in a scoring drive, rushing for 27 and 17 yards on back-to-back plays, the latter of which went into the end zone to put Navy up 10-7.

Metheny answered with another long drive in which he completed 4 of 5 passes for 41 yards, the last of which went to Shavarez Smith from 22 yards out to give him his second touchdown of the day and put the Jags back on top, 14-10.

See Navy Page 11

11

VOL. 53, NO. 17/ NOV. 18, 2013

Navy Continued from Page 10.

Demond Brown returned the ensuing kickoff 45 yards to the Navy 49-yard line to set up easy field position. It took Navy just 5 plays and 103 seconds to return fire when Shawn White punched it in from 7 yards out to put Navy back on top, 17-14.

The Jaguars fumbled twice on their next possession but were able to keep from turning the ball over. Scott Garber eventually punted it back to the Midshipmen.

South Alabama’s defense managed a small victory by holding Navy to a field goal after they drove to the USA 3-yard line. The 21-yard attempt by Sloan was good to put Navy up 2014 heading into halftime.

On the opening drive of the second half, Reynolds marched the Navy offense down the field, mainly leaning on the rushing attack as the Midshipmen often do, to put another score on the board. After a completion from Reynolds to Casey Bolena gained 21 yards on third down, Navy rushed on six consecutive plays, culminating in Reynolds’ dive in from 1 yard out to put Navy up 27-14.

Neither team would put together a successful possession for the remainder of the third quarter, although South Alabama was putting together a promising drive as the quarter came to a close.

The Jaguars had the ball at the Navy 32 to start the final period, but the drive came to an end when Kendall Houston’s fourth-down rush

attempt was stuffed 2 yards behind the line of scrimmage to end the last realistic scoring shot USA would see.

Navy extended their already insurmountable lead when Reynolds found Matt Aiken wide open for a 45-yard scoring strike. The two-point conversion attempt was converted by the same duo to put the Midshipmen ahead 35-14.

After a South Alabama three-and-out, Navy drove down the field again, this time with their second-string quarterback Tago Smith at the helm. The Jaguar defense was unable to stop the rushing attack, and Tago Smith found the end zone on a 24-yard rush to achieve the final score of 42-14.

The lone bright spot for the Jaguars would have to be the effort of wide receiver Shavarez Smith. He led the team with 5 catches for 65 yards and 2 touchdowns. Smith’s season total of 616 receiving yards broke Courtney Smith’s previous school record of 592 yards, which he accomplished in the 2010 season.

“It’s a huge honor,” Shavarez Smith said.

“It’s an honor just to be a Jaguar, and to have an accomplishment like that, it’s a huge honor. I’m just thankful my coaches put me in a situation to achieve accomplishments like that.”

Wes Saxton also caught 5 passes to rack up 48 yards.

Houston led all Jaguar rushers with 36 yards on the ground.

The Jaguars will be back in action next week when they host Louisiana-Monroe at LaddPeebles Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m., and the game will be televised on the Sun Belt Network.

JT CRABTREE|SPORTS EDITOR

Jay Jones (left) had 31 yards on 7 carries against Navy.

Jag soccer loses 5-0 to Florida

By JT CRABTREE

jtc804@jagmail.southalabama.edu

S

COURTESY OF USAJAGUARS.COM

Shelby Owen (left), Clarissa Hernandez and Jess Oram set a school record by playing in their 84th career start against FSU.

outh Alabama women’s soccer team’s season came to an end Nov. 15 after losing its NCAA Tournament matchup against Florida State 5-0.

The Lady Jags finished their historic season, a season during which USA won their first Sun Belt Conference title and made their first NCAA Tournament appearance, with a record of 14-6-3.

“I’m really proud of the girls tonight,” said first-year head coach Graham Winkworth.

“They have worked extremely hard. I think we came out a little shaky, and unfortunately, conceded some early goals with all the nerves.

This is the first time that our program has been in this situation, so it’s understandable to have those nerves.”

Winkworth continued,“What I enjoy most and respect the most about Florida State is that they are a very well-coached team. They are class acts on the field as well. They are topclass players that are clearly experienced, but what makes me like Florida State over a lot of teams in the ACC is just the style of soccer they play.”

South Alabama playing in 23 matches is a new school single-season record. The Lady

Jags’ 14 wins are the second-most ever in a single-season for the program. Seniors Clarissa Hernandez, Jess Oram and Shelby Owen each extended their school record of most games played, making their 84th start.

Florida State (19-1-3) took an early lead on a Carson Pickett goal at the 9th minute. The Seminoles quickly came back and scored again at the 16th minute (Kaeey Kallman) and the 21st minute (Megan Campbell) to take a 3-0 lead. Pickett scored her second goal of the match at the 47th minute to push the lead to 4-0. Nora Kervroedan scored the final goal of the match right before the final whistle in the 90th minute to make it a final score of 5-0.

“I felt that we did have the nerves starting off with this being the first time ever playing in the NCAA Tournament,” Hernandez said.

“Playing in this tournament is just one of those big things, but we kept fighting towards the end despite the score.”

“Coach told us in the beginning who to keep our eye on, but at the same time we want to play our game, too,” Oram said. “We don’t want to always keep our eye on that one person.”

This was the worst loss for South Alabama since a 9-0 blowout against Alabama on Aug. 31, 2012. The Lady Jags were outshot 20-3 and lost the corner battle 8-0.

12

VOL. 53, NO. 17/ NOV. 18, 2013

Jaguar cross-country teams finish season in Regional

AD Space Advertise your businsess here.

With up to 18,000 weekly readers, the Vanguard is the place to advertise. usavanguard@gmail.com (251) 460-6898

By JT CRABTREE

jtc804@jagmail.southalabama.edu

S

outh Alabama’s men’s and women’s cross-country teams finished their 2013 seasons at the NCAA Division I South Regional Meet on Nov. 15 in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The women’s team placed 17th with 474 points. Florida State (35 points) and Vanderbilt (116 points) finished first and second, respectively, and will advance to the national championships.

The women’s team was led by Kristin Parry, who finished in 39th place with a time of 22:30.89. Tori Lawson finished behind Parry with a time of 21:41.00. Rounding out the team was Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year Nicole Durham (22:30.89), Joanna McCoy (22:30.89), Ashley Heitling (22:47.26), Ivy Chastain (23:01.48) and Alivia Bryars (24:05.50).

The men’s team was led by Patrick Rohr, who finished the 10K course 55th overall with a time of 31:31.11. Robert Mann was next to finish for the Jags, with a time of 31:52.27. They

Kristin Parry (right) led the Lady Jags with a 39th place finish.

were followed by Justin Housley (32:17.13), Joe Gratton (32:38.16), Derek Westbrook (32:39.06), Alex Shields (32:54.15) and Buddy Soto (33:12.19).

Each of the four Jaguar men who competed in last season’s regional competition – Rohr, Housley, Shields and Soto – improved their individual times by more than 30 seconds in Friday’s race.

Out of 26 schools, the men’s team placed 18th as a group with 453 points. Georgia (72 points) and Florida (73 points) will advance to the national championships.

“I was pleased with the effort given on both sides,” head coach David Barnett said. “Patrick (Rohr) and Robert (Mann) ran particularly well today for the men, and the same goes for Kristin (Parry) and Tori (Lawson) on the women’s side. I feel like both teams improved throughout the season while staying healthy, and we’re looking forward to translating our improvement to success on the track.”

COURTESY OF USAJAGUARS.COM

13

VOL. 53, NO. 17/ NOV. 18, 2013

Stadium Continued from Page One.

“So what we did was there is a tool in the software that can calculate distance from anything. Like for the major roads, we have University, Old Shell, Hillcrest, Cody; they’re all close. And from that line that shows a road it goes out and makes a raster, kind of like a pixel cell, and every pixel cell value tells you how far away that is from the closest major road. And then we’ll calculate distances from all those other factors and rank them from good to bad. And then we combine all the rankings together and get a final score, and that tells us this is the best place based on how the distance is ranked from all those criteria. And we just overlay that on top of the property that South Alabama owns, and it lays it out for us.�

According to Stutsman’s class, the best location for an on-campus stadium would be across the street from the student recreation center, next to The Edge Apartments. “There’s a huge patch of woods over there, and it would have access to Hillcrest and Old Shell,� Stutsman said. “So in terms of traffic, that would be a huge factor. If you go to Auburn or Alabama or anywhere else, the way they are nestled inside the campus, you can’t get out. Plus, I was thinking they would have enough room to put a big parking lot or even a parking garage over there.�

STAFF ILLUSTRATION

The black boxes symbolize the best locations for an on-campus football stadium, with the best location being across from the student recreation center.

Stutsman also added that in spite of it being across a major road such as Old Shell, there could be a simple solution. “If you had a walkway going over the road, or even like a JagTran bridge going across the road, they can truly make this a walking campus like they’ve been trying to do for a while.�

The amazing thing about this entire project is it took a week to put together.

“That’s what’s so great about this software,� Stutsman said. “You can do things like this very, very quickly. And as long as you have the data, you can manipulate quickly. We have a good relationship with the city of Mobile, and they gave us pretty much their own database.�

The project is on display on the first floor of the Life Sciences building, but

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Stutsman said. “I feel like they would be the department in charge of taking care of that. The criteria we used, that was the best place to put a stadium. I don’t know what they are looking at, because we had certain factors, but they might be look-

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ing at something different. We own most of Hillsdale, and that’s like a ghost town over there. And there’s a huge chunk of land they put parking and a stadium, but it would be hard to get in and out of.’ An on-campus football stadium is what all fans want, and it is likely going to happen. The big question is “when and where?� Maybe the geography department can help speed along that process.

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Opinion

14

EDITORIAL BOARD

Samantha Andrews | Editor-in-Chief Kelly Ficarelli | Opinion Editor JT Crabtree | Sports Editor

KELLY FICARELLI, OPINION EDITOR kficarelli@gmail.com VOL. 53, NO. 17/ NOV. 18, 2013

Alyssa Newton | Left of Center Editor Emma Mitchell | Life Editor

Civil liberties, domestic security and the Boogeyman M

any American lawmakers put on their best show of being “shocked” and “flabbergasted” with the latest revelations regarding the NSA. However, these encroachments on civil liberties should come as no surprise. Insanely popular political scholar Noam Chomsky predicted it best when he said immediately after 9/11 that every regime is now going to use this incident to further their own goals and agendas, and there is no one to blame for allowing it to happen except for ourselves. The U.S. was no exception to Chomsky’s claim in the pursuit of political goals after the tragic events of 9/11.

From the 1960s to the late ‘80s, “communism” was the hot-button word used to scare the American public and to warrant any foreign and domestic actions that previously would have been deemed unreasonable. After 9/11, “terrorism” became the one-word justification of abusive and hypocritical policies. Several acts

zens by the federal government could and Obama have instructed us to fear be initiated merely by the allegation of the unseen enemy and to let the adults intent, regardless of fact. take care of it. Because of fear, we Terrorism was painted as the “en- have allowed these politicians to gain emy that could not be seen.” It was more and more power. everywhere and everybody. AsymWe all were scared of the boogeymetrical attacks, small attacks on man at some point as children—until larger powers, were more dangerous that one night when we finally musthan ever, so the administration had tered up the courage and opened the the duty and responsibility to sniff closet door to discover it was empty of out all these threats through whatever scary monsters. The Bush and Obama means necessary. In hindsight, many administrations have used this same of these methods boogeyman tactic turned out to be for too long now, inherently politi- The Bush and Obama but Americans evcal, but that was erywhere are finally administrations the beauty of it. opening the door have used this same and finding out The use of the word “terrorism” a lot of these boogeyman tactic for that through the mass “terrorist” threats too long now... media was so sucwere really just pocessful that the litical ploys. ObviAmerican public ously the Bush and was willing to let anything happen as Obama administrations were not the long as this boogeyman lurking in our only ones. The overthrow of the Iracloset would go away. Just like our par- nian Shah in the infamous 1979 coup ents warned us not to get out of bed in is a prime example. the night because the boogeyman was The NSA’s power has been readily hidden behind closed closet doors, the explained using the following analadministrations of Presidents Bush ogy: if you give a fisherman a net big

“

”

Let students learn from the best, bring it home

By KATIE BRASWELL kec802@jagmail.southalabama.edu

I

n researching which country has the best educational system in the world, I found the answer to be Finland. While pondering the reasons why Finland is the world-leader in this area, I came across an idea, the oppor-

tunity that could provide the reasons while also furthering South Alabama’s education students and possibly improving Alabama’s education system.

What if South Alabama’s education program offered a 10-day trip to Finland during which education majors would take part in a documentary observing why Finland is so successful in the classroom?

What if 10 tier-2 students, 16 tier-3 students and four tier-4 students had the opportunity to go to Finland, funded by the education department, and create a documentary showing how Finland’s educational system succeeds so well in the areas our school systems are lacking? These South students would come back with knowledge they never could have learned in the classroom, and they would come back with a video production that could be

shown to the College of Education’s prospective students, enticing them to choose our school and our education program. Not only would it be a great recruiting activity, this project could get statewide attention. We could come back from the trip and send it to the Alabama State Department of Education as evidence of how to pass state standard rules and other things that could be adjusted in the classroom to help our education system in our local area. After all, it is the students they want to make a difference in.

As students at South, we want to be the difference. I believe we are no less equipped to improve our city and our state than any other university.

This project could bring even more respect to our university along with other departments and organizations that striving to make a difference. It

could be offered as a trip during the winter holiday break or offered as an alternative spring break. Communication majors could get involved as well to help with the video production.

Foreign language majors who may be fluent in Swedish or Finnish could go to help translate. Just think, up to 30 education majors, 15 foreign language majors and five communication majors from South Alabama traveling to the world’s best-educated country, sitting in their classrooms and meetings and learning how these students are scoring and graduating so far beyond our 17th-ranked country.

I think this opportunity reaches more than just the individual. This opportunity could improve an institution and possibly a city’s system. So what are your thoughts about Operation Finland?

enough to catch all the fish he needs as well as fish he doesn’t need, all the fisherman has to do is take the fish he needs and throw the rest back. I do feel the NSA is a necessary component of fighting legitimate terrorist threats within our country, and some powers that might be unconstitutional must be delegated for times of extreme emergency. An example outside of the NSA is the recent bombing of the Boston Marathon. After the bombing, police authorities searched every home within a three-block radius hoping to find those responsible.

However, these powers must come with appropriate checks from civilian authorities. Greater transparency and measures such as a mandatory monthly deletion and wipe out of records that are unrelated to terrorist threats must be put in place.

More important than measures on these powers is the importance of the American public refusing to cower in the corner for fear of whatever or whoever may be the next common enemy. We must learn from our mistakes and never again blindly believe in the boogeyman (not) lurking in the closet.

Email Kelly Ficarelli at kficarelli@gmail. com to write for The Vanguard Opinion section

Yourself!

ncl1101@jagmail.southalabama.edu

of Congress and the executive branch, acts labeled as a means of protecting us from terrorism, have made infringing on Americans’ civil liberties far easier. Terrorism has been used in the same way parents use the idea of the boogeyman with their children.

Whether it was the Patriot Act or the amendments to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) in 2008, we swallowed, in fear and without question, whatever the government fed us regarding terrorism.

We the people allowed Congress to make these abuses of power possible.

Looking back on it, it was really genius politics all the way through. Terrorism, even more than communism, gives Congress the leeway to abuse power.

In an Internet broadcast interview with Timothy Ferriss, renowned military analyst Daniel Ellsberg compared the current incarnation of FISA to the East German Stasi. Ellsberg stated that post-9/11 amendments to FISA have opened the door to abuses of power and unwarranted surveillance by the federal government. Unlimited surveillance of the communications and conversations of American citi-

Express

By NOAH LOGAN

15

VOL. 53, NO. 17/ NOV. 18, 2013

Point Counterpoint p Who should you vote for in District 1 congressional race?

Editor’s Introduction: On Dec. 17, a general election will be held to fill the vacancy of Alabama’s District 1 congressional seat after Jo Bonner’s resignation earlier this year. The current candidates are Bradley Byrne and Burton LeFlore.

Byrne is the right choice

Colin AlGreene

I

am not someone who swears undying fidelity to a political party. I think that you should look at each individual candidate and see what they have to say. The best person for the job can be a member of any political party or ideological choosing. I have been a longtime supporter of Bradley Byrne. I think he would have been an excellent governor. Let me give you a brief background on Byrne. He is a graduate of Duke University and the University of Alabama School of Law. He has been a state senator and served as chancellor of the Alabama two-year college system. He would be a great member of the House of Representatives because he is intelligent, reasonable and driven. Intelligence, reasonableness, and drive are things which we as college-educated people should cherish.

I asked Byrne what could be done to help

recent college graduates find jobs. In his words, “The best way to help recent graduates is to have a healthier economic environment, both at the national level and here in southwest Alabama. That begins with lowering tax rates and regulatory burdens on business and industry, and locally it includes continuing the great success we’ve had on economic efforts like Austal and Airbus.” A healthy economy leads to increased hiring, investment and innovation. This is at the very core of what makes for a good environment for those looking to enter the job market. A healthy and vibrant economy comes from high employment and from those people putting money back into the economy.

Bradley Byrne also speaks of a subject near and dear to my heart: runaway deficit spending. When asked about ways to bring down the deficit, Byrne replied, “I would pass a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget, just like the state of Alabama has, and I would decrease federal spending in such a way that we preserve essential services, but so that we can balance the budget without raising taxes.” That is a reasoned approach. Unlike some people, he is not taking a blind ‘slash and burn’ to government. We need to methodically look at our spending and make wise cuts.

If you want a high-quality representative you can be proud of, Byrne is your candidate.

Just look at his record, and you will become a fan, too.

Give South alum a chance

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nowing that Republicans have held Alabama’s District 1 congressional seat for almost 50 years, I fully expected a Republican to take Jo Bonner’s place after he resigned.

But considering the current candidates, I believe Democrat Burton LeFlore would make the greatly needed changes in this state.

LeFlore was born, raised and still lives in Mobile, Ala. He is a graduate of LeFlore High School and the University of South Alabama.

His grandfather was John L. LeFlore, an Alabama legislator and iconic civil rights activist, for whom our magnet high school is named. LeFlore and his family have a history of public service and deep roots in Mobile.

As an alum, he said he loves South, and if elected, he will make strong efforts to improve our college and state education system. He is “tired of hearing that Alabama is dead last in education.” When asked what he will do to repair our broken education system, he responded that he is “100 percent in favor of common core curriculum, which needs to be adopted and embraced.” He said our state should cherish and take pride in education as much as we do our football teams. He also would like to subsidize financial aid so more people have the opportunity to go to college.

He said not every student is interested in college though, so he plans to implement more training programs for people in this district to pursue employment at one of the many new in-

Kelly Ficarelli dustries coming to our area. He said he will work tirelessly to bring and keep industries here, like those such as Austal already in place, so that Mobile will continue to grow.

LeFlore is not a career politician. When I asked what leadership experience he has, he told me he has never held public office, but he is committed to helping southern Alabama. He said we need an official in Washington “who will put District 1 residents first.” He added, “I’m not a Democrat or Republican; I’m an American.”

LeFlore is a graduate of Florida State University College of Law, has been a real estate broker for 15 years and is an entrepreneur. I believe he has the right qualifications, vision, determination and strong roots in Mobile, as well as a love for our community and its people, to turn our state around as District 1 congressman.

Give LeFlore the chance he deserves to progress and advance our state.

Don’t force students to take unnecessary “required” classes

By LYDIA CHRISTIAN quietartsytype@gmail.com

I love being a student. Almost everything about college interests me.

Each one of my classes teaches me something irreplaceable. Studying, reading and writing all appeal to me, and I enjoy each process fully. No matter how much I enjoy being a student at the University of South Alabama, there is one class that I’ve been putting off–– CIS 150. My hope every semester is for the powers that be to wake up and no longer require the class.

Until a few days ago, I wondered if I was just being a whiner (it’s been known to happen a time or two).

Eavesdropping during one of my art classes, I heard a few students talking about CIS 150. One of them men-

tioned how absurd it is to mandate art students to buy a Macbook and then force them to take a Windows-based computer course.

This has been one of my chief concerns as well. Because the University requires a segment of students to have a Macbook, because some students choose to purchase a Mac anyway, its OS X operating system needs to be part of the CIS 150 course. The reasoning behind forcing us to take CIS 150 is to make sure we can turn on a computer, so OS X should be taught as well. Or, at least, it should be taught as an option for those of us who prefer Apple.

However, the University expects us to figure Apple out ourselves, which we do without an issue. Knowing that further strengthens the belief that requiring a ‘computer proficiency’ course

is about only one thing––making more money off students. And because it isn’t taught, yet still required, it’s blatant discrimination against one sect of students, with no regard to the initial logic of requiring a computer course.

Which leads me to the second part of the conversation I overheard. The students next mentioned how silly it is to mandate a computer proficiency class at all. It’s 2013, not the ‘90s, and it’s time to update the curriculum. I think it’s safe to assume that the majority of college students know how to use a computer. It’s like asking if we know how to turn on a television. Well, yeah we do, it’s kind of been a huge part of our lives for, like, ever.

For the students who don’t know much about computers, a proficiency exam has been kindly set up to weed them out and suckle more of their

money. Unfortunately, knowing the exact proper steps to take (without shortcuts or right clicks) is a pretty big deal on that test. There are only a few chances to click the proper link the first time, without searching for it first. One too many clicks, and you’ll be taking the class whether you need it or not.

I have been using Apple products since 2006. My memory of Windows is a distant hazy fog. I can still help my computer illiterate mom (because she lives under a rock), but it takes me a few seconds to get to the right area. Most people I know have to click around for a little while first, or God forbid, search. Even though they get to the right place eventually, the University has no forgiveness for right clicks.

That’ll be a $1,600 Right Click Charge, by the end of next week, please.

At about 15,000 enrolled students, that’s $13,500,000 every several years.

It’s probably a lot more than that, because if we assume that half those students are out-of-state residents, then the University would be raking in $11,130,000. That’s approximately $17,880,000 every four or so years if tuition doesn’t increase––and we all know that will definitely happen. How interesting that none of it is going toward increasing our parking spaces or making the cafeteria food appetizing.

Unfortunately, I don’t look for things to change any time soon. With that kind of money being made from one class simply because it’s a requirement, I would be astounded if it were no longer force-fed. From my experience, any time there is money to be made by an organization, profit always trumps logic and need.

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VOL. 53, NO. 17/ NOV. 18, 2013

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