No. 01

University of north Florida
June
17
www.unfspinnaker.com
2009
Wednesday
Volume 33, Issue 1
UNF’s athletic admissions
furthers Division I program
News
New state college
By max jaeger
staff Writer
By Heather Furey
Assistant sports editor
UNF Athletic Director Lee
Moon and his predecessors
have emphasized the importance of UNF athletes’ ability to
excel both in the classroom and
in competition.
“It’s the tradition of the university to have high academic
standards,” Moon said.
He said it is up to the athletic
department to find athletes who
want that quality education.
“Our athletic admission’s
standards by the previous policy were tougher than Duke
University,” President John
Delaney said.
Will Dixon, Duke’s senior admissions officer, said there are
no fixed GPA or testing requirements for a prosepective athletic student looking at Duke. The
student merely has to contact
the athletic department and
Tuition rate set in
stone for 2009-10
By Kim Nelson
Assistant news editor
they were going to utilize.
Additionally, every state university except Florida A&M is
highly considering implementing an additional 5 percent “tech”
fee that would be earmarked
for technical improvements
around campus.
Each individual percentage
included in the 7 percent tuition
differential inflates UNF’s budget by $171,000, according to
the board.
During the meeting, UNF
Student Body President John
Barnes voiced an imperative
question into the phone.
“I know we need an increase,
but why the full 7 percent, why
not 5 percent, or 6 percent?”
Barnes said.
UNF President John Delaney
assured Barnes that the funds
would primarily be pumped into
hiring roughly 30 new visiting
professors.
See TUITION, page 4 �
UNF revises student
religious absence rules
Riverside Arts Market
By april schulhauser
assistant features editor
By Max Jaeger
STAFF Writer
Graphic: Chad Smith
UNF released a notice of
amended regulation May 11 regarding student absences on
days of religious observation.
Members of the Office of
General Counsel revised the
document so it would be in accordance with an amendment
the Board of Governors made to
Florida’s constitution regarding
religious observances.
According to the regulation,
students must notify professors
10 days in advance of a religious
holiday and must offer evidence
of religious affiliation if the holy
day does not appear on UNF’s
university calendar as a day of
religious observance.
Under the old regulation,
Section II.A. bullet four required
students to make up missed work
prior to the end of the term or as
prescribed by the instructor at
the beginning of the term.
The amended regulation
reads, “Missed work shall be
made up in accordance with a
timetable set by the instructor at
the beginning of the term.”
Though professors must set
a timetable for completing makeup work at the beginning of the
semester, Marc Snow, associate
general counsel responsible for
the initial draft of the revision,
said there is no need for professors to include that timetable in
their syllabus.
“Accommodations are made
on a pretty subjective basis,”
Snow said.
When the regulation passed
See St. Johns, page 5 �
Features
Graphic: Chad Smith
Energized by the state
Legislature’s May decision to
grant the UNF Board of Trustees
the power to raise tuition up to 15
percent for the 2009-2010 school
year, the board summoned an
emergency conference call May 22
to finalize the budget ratifications.
UNF elected for the full 7
percent climb, hiking undergraduate tuition 15 percent in
total. UNF’s increase will not be
covered by Bright Futures.
The board members gathered
around the conference table to go
over the facts and conduct a final
motion over speakerphone with
Tallahassee budget officials.
An 8 percent tuition excess
was already set in stone, but on
an individual university level,
each institution had the power to
choose how much out of an additional 7 percent tuition increase
File Photo | Spinnaker
Courtesy of Duke University
See GRADES, page 14 �
UNF student-athletes (right) are encouraged to succeed in competition and the classroom. In the past the
university to held high standards, which are tougher than those at Duke (left), said Athletic Director Lee Moon.
Joe Pickens, president of
St. Johns River Community
College, recently announced
the college’s decision to enter
the realm of four-year universities. The road will be long
and difficult, but their current
course of action won’t be expensive, he said.
SJRCC will not be looking
into a name change anytime
soon but instead is focusing on
one degree at a time. Two affordable flagship degrees are
planned for fall 2010 and will
not require additional facilities but only a small increase
in faculty.
The college has locations
in St. Johns, Putnam and Clay
counties. Prospective students
living in those areas would find
the commute to SJRCC attractive compared to UNF’s distant
location, Pickens said.
before the Education Policy
Committee – a subset of the
Board of Trustees – May 29, a
member of the Spinnaker staff
raised a discussion during open
comments about the questionability of a timetable set at the
beginning of the semester that
is not required to be shared with
students at that time.
After discussion, the committee agreed to address the faculty about the issue and bring it
back to the table at the following
full Board of Trustees meeting
June 25.
Two other sections saw
changes. Section II.A. bullet five,
which read, “Professors and university administrators shall in
no way penalize students absent
from academic or social activities because of religious observances,” was stricken from the
revised regulation.
“It was extraneous,” Snow
said. “A few groups asked about
the change and found that reply
acceptable. It is obvious UNF
will not penalize students for
See RELIGION, page 4 �
Locally organized arts markets are cropping up all over
the city.
The Riverside Arts Market
vends authentic pieces of art,
organic produce and original
crafts -- all while back dropped
by singer-songwriters and performers.
The weekly-held outdoor
market attracts folks from all
walks of life. It provides the
possibility of an enthralling
Saturday morning.
See Arts Market, page 10 �
Sports
Tebow, Wuerrfel speak
By heather furey
assistant features editor
Danny Wuerrfel and Tim
Tebow came to the Jacksonville
Veteran’s Arena May 8 to
speak about their faith during the Night of Champions,
sponsored by the University
of Florida’s Fellowship of
Christian Athletes.
In addition to a television-style
interview between Heisman
trophy winners Wuerrfel and
Tebow hosted by ESPN’s Kirk
Herbstreit, a comedian and a
band also performed.
The event was geared toward
Christians and was an opportunity for nearly 6,200 people
to come together and share
their faith.
See Tebow, page 14 �
News
Page 2
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Question of the week
“What do you think is the best way to stimulate the economy?”
w
Sarah
Deierlein
Ben
Hawkings
Senior,
English
“Focus more government
funds on economic
research rather than
waste money on the war
on drugs.”
Scott
Perry
Sophomore,
Mechinical
Engineering
Keith
Drummon
Junior,
Computer
Information
Technology
“Lower sales taxes;
lower everything!”
Jordon
Farell
Junior,
Computer
Science
“Tax cuts for small
and large business
owners.”
Junior,
Nutrition
“End the prohibition!”
“Spend money
already!”
Compiled by Kim Nelson.
7-day
forecast
Wednesday June 17
police beat
May 20 - June 4
Isolated
T-Storms
5 June 3 – Theft (Lot 2)
2 May 26 – Petty Theft
6 June 3 – Accidental
Injury (Building 5) – A
UNF staff member was
servicing equipment in
the pit by Building 50
when he accidentally inhaled chlorine fumes.
The staff member started
having difficulty breathing although remained
conscious,
ambulatory
and speaking. Rescue responded and transported
the victim to Mayo Clinic
for observation. This case
was non-criminal and has
been cleared.
(Building 43) – An employee called UPD to tell
7
them her cell phone and
raincoat were missing.
She said she was not
sure where the items were
stolen, but according to
her service provider someone had made calls after
the items went missing.
UPD tried calling the
cell phone to identify the
thief, but the officer’s efforts were futile.
91/74
Rain: 30%
THURSDAY June 18
Isolated
T-Storms
88/75
Rain: 30%
(Building 53) – An employ8
ee of Physical Facilities
left his backpack under a
stairwell.
He left it there for 45
minutes and upon returning, found it was gone. The backpack contained his wallet, which
had $100
in cash, an
9
Intellikey and a Building
53 access card.
FRIDAY june 19
Partly
Cloudy
7
1
89/75
Rain: 20%
3
5
SATURDAY june 20
Partly
Cloudy
1 May 20 – Petty Theft
10
3 May 26 – Burglary (Lot
14) – A student parked
his car and went to the
Carpenter Library for 15
minutes, leaving his passenger door unlocked.
Upon returning, he immediately noticed his parking decal was missing and
contacted UPD.
`Since the vehicle was
11
not forcibly entered, UPD
could not process the vehicle for latent prints.
6
9
89/77
Rain: 20%
10
7
SUNDAY june 21
11
3
T-Storms
12
4 June
3
–
Theft
11(Building 43) – A portable
19
91/72
Rain: 50%
MONDAY june 22
9
Partly
Cloudy
6
8
2 12
5
1
4
89/72
Rain: 10%
generator was missing
from the maintenance
shop. There was no forced
entry to the building. The generator was only
discovered to be missing
when a technician came
to service it. Police have
checked LINX pawn records for the generator
and have found no record
of it being pawned.
– A student parked their
vehicle in Lot 2, claiming
to have their parking permit hanging from the rear
view mirror.
When they returned to
the vehicle on the same
day, the parking permit
had been removed.
Due to the lack of
forced entry and the lack
of printable surfaces, the
vehicle was not processed
for latent prints.
7 June
4
–
Drug
Possession (Building A)
– An RA was walking by
a room when she smelled
what she believed to be
marijuana, after which
police were notified.
The student admitted
that the marijuana belonged to him, as well as
a resonated multicolored
pipe with residue on the
coffee table. Also observed were
several empty beer bottles
and two empty liquor bottles.
All subjects were referred to Student Conduct
and the student with marijuana was issued a Notice
to Appear.
Compiled by Rebecca
McKinnon and Kim Nelson.
Online
Log on to UNFspinnaker.com to read the complete report.
TUESDAY june 23
Partly
Cloudy
93/69
Rain: 10%
For updated
weather, visit
UNFspinnaker.com.
Source: NOAA
Last month by
the numbers
Each week the Spinnaker staff
reports what’s going on around
campus: the good and the bad.
In this little space, we want to
summarize the life of the
Osprey during the past week.
144
40 15
Confirmed
deaths
caused by
swine flu.
Offices and
services have
moved to
new locations
on campus.
63
6
Percent tuition
increase was
approved June 1.
Days since
the last Spinnaker was
published.
UNF Athletics media
relations coordinators and marketing
diectors fired.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
News
New committee established
to standardize financial aid
By Angela Passafaro
Staff Writer
UNF formalized its financial aid procedures by
creating the Financial Aid Policy Committee, subsequently establishing a Financial Aid Regulation,
which went into effect Jan. 5.
The regulation was made in response to a
Florida Board of Governors initiative that was
sent to all the universities in the state university
system, said Willie Hunter, assistant director of
student financial aid.
The board made the initiative in order to ensure
that all State University System of Florida universities specified their financial aid policies in a formalized document and instituted a Financial Aid
Policy Committee.
At UNF, the Financial Aid Policy Committee
consists of the director of student financial
aid, the associate vice president for Enrollment
Services and representatives from the offices of
Institutional Advancement, Office of the Provost,
Administration and Finance, President’s Office
and Student Affairs.
“The Financial Aid Policy Committee was established with the responsibility to recommend
university policy on matters relating to financial
aid, recommend specific program objectives and
facilitate the conduct of financial aid activities,”
Hunter said.
Nothing has changed in the financial aid policy
itself, he said. The regulation is simply formalization, into a university policy statement, of the already standard procedures.
“The financial aid director and staff still continue to develop and implement UNF’s financial
aid procedures,” Hunter said.
The goal in creating the Financial Aid Policy
Committee was to gain a universal assessment of
issues relating to financial aid at UNF.
“The Financial Aid Policies Committee was
established in hopes that it would provide more
feedback from the entire university community on
matters related to institutional financial aid programs,” he said.
“[The committee] is also there to ensure that all
things you should know
• The committee is responsible for
recommending university policy on matters
relating to financial aid.
• The committee will recommend specific
objective is for financial aid programs.
• They will also facilitate the conduct of
financial aid activities.
• The committee will provide feedback for
UNF on matters relating to financial aid.
program objectives are consistent with the university’s mission and strategic plan,” Hunter said.
The committee will play its biggest role in the
recommendation of institutional financial aid regulations.
“Financial aid is already heavily regulated by
the Federal Department of Education (Title IV
standards) and the state of Florida,” he said. “The
Financial Aid Policy Committee oversees and
makes recommendations on matters related to the
university’s institutional financial aid programs.”
The committee has not made any recommendations thus far and does not plan to anytime soon
because of the FDE’s already successful output of
regulations, Hunter said.
Even though the Financial Aid Policy Committee
has been formed, Enrollment Services is the sole
office designated to coordinate and administer financial aid at UNF, he said.
Distribution of financial aid, now a part of official policy, will also remain unchanged.
The Financial Aid Regulation will go unnoticed
to many students because it only formalizes what
was already UNF procedure.
“Students will not notice any difference in their
financial aid,” Hunter said.
Page 3
Around the State
Environment groups shoot back at Florida Panther gunman
Various environmental and
sporting groups have pooled
money and are offering a $15,200
reward for information leading
to the arrest in the shooting of a
Florida panther.
The cat was found April 21 in
Hendry County, and the shooting
is currently being investigated by
Florida Fish and Wildlife.
The shooter may face up to
five years in prison, as shooting or
killing an endangered species is a
felony under state law.
The perpetrator may also see
additional jail time and could face
up to $105,000 in fines.
Contributers to the reward
fund include the Humane Society,
The Florida Wildlife Federation,
Defenders of Wildlife and others.
Around the Nation
Sheriff shocks Texas woman, with taser for speeding
A 72-year-old woman and
great-grandmother were tased by
a Texas sheriff May 11.
The woman was pulled over for
speeding and refused to sign her
ticket.
She reported the event, saying
that she did nothing to warrant
the measure. But the policeman’s
dashboard camera told the whole
story.
The woman was unruly, and
dared the officer to tase her numerous times.
He gave her warnings and
asked her to comply as she tried
to push past him and get into her
truck and drive away.
She has made no comments
since the dash-cam was released,
but has hired a lawyer.
Around the World
Iran re-elects Ahmadinejad, reformists openly protest
Iran held its tenth presidential
election. The election resulted
in the re-election of incumbent
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad June 12.
The campaign saw fierce
debate among all four candidates
with supporters flooding Tehran’s
streets over the last two weeks.
Ahmadinejad, who denies that the
Holocaust occurred, even accused
his rivals of perpetrating a smear
campaign against him similar to
the one used by Adolf Hitler’s
propaganda machine.
With an 85 percent voter turnout, Ahmadinejad received 62.63
percent while his biggest competitor, reformist Mir-Hossien Mousavi
received 33.75 percent.
Mousavi’s supporters and
dissenting Iranian government
employees claim the election was
stolen.
E-mail Angela Passafaro at [email protected].
Compiled by Max Jaeger.
News
Page 4
News in Brief
Workshop to help, inform those interested in logistics
The “Careers in Logistics
Workshop” is coming to the
University Center June 24
from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. courtesy
of the Division of Continuing
Education.
WorkSource funded the free
workshop, which is meant to help
the people who might want a career in logistics.
During
the
workshop,
activities will include distribution, engineering, international
logistics,
inventory-materials
management, IT, supply chain,
third-party logistics, transportation and warehousing, according
to a press release.
Pre-register now by calling
620-4200
or
visiting
www.ce.unf.edu.
Craigslist’s competitor assists with low-cost textbooks
A new Web site, Mainstreetfair.
com, resembles other free advertising Web sites like craigslist.
com, except there are a few differences.
The site was started by a single
mother concerned for the lack of
funding in the educational field.
The whole purpose of the site
she created is to raise those funds
for the schools that need it, while
helping out students as well.
The site offers many free and
low-cost items, including college
textbooks and more.
The company’s headquarters
are in Rancho Santa Margarita,
Calif. For more information, call
(877) 797-1398 or e-mail info@
mainstreetfair.com.
Physical Facilities gets recognition after improvements
UNF’s Physical Facilities
department,
which
handles
everything
from
construction to transportation around
campus, has garnered some
recogonition.
The department received an international Award of Excellence
in Facilities Management.
“Three years ago when I became director, I established a vision
to be the best Physical Facilities
in the state and Southeastern region of APPA,” Matthew Taylor,
director of Physical Facilities
said in a press release. “Our staff
was challenged to improve performance and customer service.
They met the challenge, and
it’s because of the entire Physical
Facilities staff that we won this
award.”
Caps, gowns available for pre-order at Bookstore
Students getting ready for summer graduation can now pre-order
their caps, gowns and announcements in the UNF Bookstore.
To pre-order, go online to
http://www.herffjones.com/college/unf. Students may walk in
to pick up these items anytime before graduation, but correct sizes
are not guaranteed to be available. Students can only pre-order
until June 19.
Graduation celebration is
scheduled for June 17 and 18 from
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Students can order special packages of graduation supplies during this time.
Womens’ Center offering weekly lounge entertainment
The UNF Womens’ Center is
hosting the Friday Lounge, a
grand-opening event for its new
location in Building 9, room 2507.
The event is scheduled from 2 p.m.
to 4 p.m. June 12.
This event is the beginning of a
weekly series of Friday Lounges,
all meant to stir lively conservation.
For more information, call 6202528 or e-mail DeeAnne Crookham
at [email protected].
Light refreshments will be
available.
AASU accepting applications for student membership
The African American Student
Union is currently accepting new
members. If interested, just stop
by its new office in Building 58E,
room 3401 and ask the receptionist for an application to fill out.
Contact Jessica Davis at
[email protected]
or
call
6202750 for more information.
Compiled by Rebecca McKinnon.
TUITION
�
from page 1
Gov. Charlie Crist signed SB 762 June
1, which allows universities to raise
tuition an additional 7 percent on
top of the state’s 8 percent baseline
increase.
These visitors have short-term,
year-to-year contracts with the
university and cover many class
sections.
“If we don’t have the visitors’
budget, we can’t accommodate enrollment,” Delaney said.
Freshmen enrollment is estimated to rise by a few dozen students for fall 2009, according to
board members.
“More visiting professors
mean more class sections, more
class sections mean more students
can get the classes they need to
graduate on time,” Delaney said.
Each visiting professor on
average maintains eight class sections per year. If enough is left
over after supplementing the visitors’ budget, the remains could
be moved to paid faculty salaries,
Delaney said.
E-mail Kim Nelson at
[email protected].
RELIGION
By referring students to One
Stop, the new regulation makes
the appeals process easier and
� from page 1
more personal.
missing class on religious days Students may now speak to
of observance; that is the whole an actual person to initiate an
appeal instead of trying to track
point of the regulation.”
Section II.B. bullet six was down the document.
amended to prevent confusion and Some sentences were altered
streamline the appeals process. to mirror the language in the
The original regulation referred Board of Governors amendment,
students to an academic appeals and other minor changes were
document but did not state how made to make the document
to obtain one, so the revised regu- more inclusive, Snow said.
lation states the appeals process Sentences referring to students as “him” have been amendcan be initiated through One Stop
ed to “him or her,” and UNF no
Student Services.
“Web sites like myWings can longer “advocates the concept of
change,” Snow said. “It’s better religious freedom” but instead
to reference procedures through “advocates religious freedom.”
One Stop.”
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
“
“Accommodations are made
on a pretty
subjective
basis.”
Marc Snow
UNF Associate General
Counsel
E-mail Max Jaeger at
[email protected].
News
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Page 5
St. Johns River Community College
transitions to offer four-year degrees
Institution to gain additional faculty in
attempt to increase higher education
By Max Jaeger
Staff writer
St. Johns River Community College might be joining
the trend of community colleges offering four-year degrees and could become a state college in the future.
The school is in the process of designing curriculum
for two majors: organizational management and early
childhood education, said Joe Pickens, the college’s
president.
After the new curriculum is designed, it will pass before the State Board of Educators for authorization.
After authorization, the state Legislature must allocate proper funding for the school’s expansion.
“There are several more points in the process where
our trustees could say ‘We’re not ready yet’ or ‘The budget is such that we need to postpone our offering [these
degrees],’” Pickens said.
Overcoming hurdles
Despite the bureaucratic hurdles, Pickens is confident the process will go smoothly and said SJRCC might
be able to offer the new degrees as early as fall 2010.
The two flagship degrees will not require specific or
additional facilities, but only a small increase in faculty, making them affordable additions to the school’s
curriculum.
SJRCC will evaluate the success of the two degrees
with the hopes of offering more in the future, perhaps
some sort of fine arts degree, Pickens said.
“We’re also going to be closely watching the nursing
market, because more and more hospitals want bachelor’s degree nurses,” Pickens said.
Name change
There are no definite plans for a name change yet,
because in order to have the word “state” in a college’s
name, it must offer four-year degrees, Pickens said.
“We’re just keeping our old name until we offer bachelor’s degrees, and then we have the full array of options
of what to change our name to,” Pickens said.
New degree offerings are not necessarily focused on
increasing the number of full-time students who attend
SJRCC.
They are more so aimed at increasing access to
higher education for those who live in St. Johns, Clay,
and Putnam counties, Pickens said.
“The geographical isolation of people in Putnam
County, especially those who are working ... it makes
more sense to offer bachelor’s degrees in that location,”
Pickens said.
The new degree programs will be aimed at
non-traditional students – such as those working full-
Joe Pickens
St. John’s River Community College President
time or with families.
They will most likely be scheduled in the evenings to
make them more accessible for full-time workers.
He also expects to offer what he called “hybrid classes,” which are conducted in classrooms and online simultaneously.
“We’re trying to increase access,” said Pickens.
“We’re trying to make four-year degrees more available
to the geographically place-bound student.”
E-mail Max Jaeger at [email protected].
Schultz Hall (temporary)
Bldg. 9
UNF Hall, Bldg. 53
• One Stop Student Services
• Cashier’s Office
• Administration and Finance
• Welcome Center
• Info Tech Center (ITS)
“
“We’re trying to increase access. We’re trying to make
four-year degrees more available to the geographically
place-bound student.”
• Temporary until rennovat-
College of Education,
Bldg. 57
Student Union,
Bldg. 58
• Classrooms, Labs, Advising
• Childhood, Secondary Ed.
• Outreach, Instructional
• Office of the Dean
• Gameroom, Bookstore, SG
• Spinnaker, Outtakes, Boathouse, Credit Union
• Food Court (opens Fall)
ion of Bldg. 2 complete
• ACE, Counseling & Women’s
Centers, Career Services
Graphic: Chad Smith, Photo: Harris Zeliff, Erick Tanner
Page 6
Spinnaker’s Picks
� Best
� Worst
� Fix
It’s summer, which means fewer classes
(hopefully) and more sunshine-related
activities. Go to the beach!
Summer also means ice cream and
other junk food goodies. Jacksonville
was ranked the eighth fattest city in
the U.S. by Men’s Fitness Magazine.
Students should take advantage of the
many healthy options around campus
— everything from sushi to free fitness
classes.
EDITORIAL
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Awarded second place for Best of Show at the
2008 National College Media Convention by the
Associated Collegiate Press
v
v
v
Spinnaker Staff
Editor in Chief
James Cannon
Layout Editor Dan Rosemund
Art Director Mike Tomassoni
Business Manager Klajdi Stratoberdha
News Editor Rebecca McKinnon
Features Editor Beca Grimm
Photo Enhancement: Josh Simpson
Sports Editor John Weidner
Graphic Designer Chad Smith
Copy Editor Ryan Thompson
Web Editor Ian Albahue
Photo Editor Harris Zeliff
Asst. Web Editor Peter Nguyen
Asst. News Editor
Kim Nelson
Asst. Features Editor April Schulhauser
Asst. Sports Editor Heather Furey
Production Assistant Sarah Houston
Advertising Manager Michael Kent
Asst. Ad Manager Kristen Montalto
Staff Writers Josh Gore
Angela Passafaro
Max Jaeger
Distributor Jason Strickland
Adviser John Timpe
Printer Florida Sun Printing
v
v
v
Student Union, Bldg. 58E room 2209
1 UNF Drive
Jacksonville, FL 32224
Phone: 904.620.2727
Fax: 904.620.3924
www.unfspinnaker.com
Notable & Quotable
“What distinguishes the
successful entrepreneur and
promoter from other people
is precisely the fact that he
does not limit himself to be
guided by what was and is,
but arranges his affairs on the
ground of his opinion about
the future.”
– Ludwig von Mises
Philosopher and economist
(1881-1973)
CONTRIBUTORS WANTED
The Spinnaker is looking for motivated
contributors to write news, features and
sports stories. A strong grasp of the English
language is a must, as is basic knowledge of
Associated Press style.
If you are interested please e-mail us at
[email protected].
New staff confirms commitment
M
ahatma Gandhi, standing
proudly in statue-form at
UNF, once said, “I believe
in equality for everyone,
except reporters and photographers.”
UNF’s student-journalists at the
Spinnaker respectfully disagree with
this statement. But we did like it when
he said, “As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to
remake the world ... as in being able to
remake ourselves.”
The close of spring 2009 saw seven
members of the Spinnaker staff leave
their rankings and move on to seek
jobs in a turbulent climate.
Most of the 2008-2009 senior staff
has left the Spinnaker, and several
have already obtained gainful employment in the industry.
However, after several promotions
and new hires, the Spinnaker is poised
to continue producing an award winning paper, even without the staff that
won its awards.
The new staff has been taught well,
has some great ideas to improve the
paper and increase readership.
Consider this newspaper staff
“remade.”
our
Two sense
Josh Gore
Staff Writer
Along with the change in payroll,
the Spinnaker is transitioning away
from some other traditions we have
grown accustomed to.
The old Spinnaker office — likened
to a cramped closet — is now empty.
Readers may now visit us in the
Student Union — Building 58E, room
2209. Just look for the multiple 20082009 awards, which will soon be hung
up on the walls leading to our office.
Last year the Spinnaker was able
to garner a second place Associated
Collegiate Press Best of Show Award,
a first place Best Front Page Design
and Best General News Writing
award from the Florida College Press
Association.
And this year, we are already on
the shortlist for the ACP’s highest
honor, the onlne Pacemaker award.
The award is given to papers that are
“setting the pace” for the rest of the
industry.
Online presence
Spinnaker web editors are working on
multiple advancements to our newly
redesigned Web site,
www.unfspinnaker.com, as well as new
applications for our Facebook page and
additional breaking news updates to
our Twitter account —
http://twitter.com/UNFspinnaker.
Many articles, including our Police
Beat, will be linked to a Google maps
page in order to further connect our
readers to the scene of the crime.
Furthermore, the entire layout and
look of our publication — even our
logo — are under the knife, in the process of receiving a major facelift that
has yet to be unveiled this issue.
In this way, we are keeping up with
the most recent models in the newspaper industry, while also maintaining
the level of edginess necessary to the
look and feel of a college weekly.
The Spinnaker has been around
for UNF students since 1977 and will
continue on through all progressions
of time.
The hours and hours of work the
staff puts in to make these changes
possible are only a byproduct of our
love for this paper and a desire to serve
our readers in the best way possible.
This has been and will always be our
final goal.
A group of Spinnaker staff members gives its views on key issues.
James
Cannon
Editor
in Chief
April
Schulhauser
Assistant
Features
Editor
Rebecca
McKinnon
News Editor
What are you most looking forward to this school year?
Graduating and reading my
soon-to-be fans’ hate mail.
Graduation! And, running this
paper into the ground. Thirty
plus years of history ends...
now!
Being able to still rationalize
my reckless overabundance
of partying with the ever-soperfect “I’m still in college”
excuse. Graduation is awesome; getting a big-girl job is
not.
Being busy! Fall 2009 for me
will inlcude 16 credit hours,
involvement in clubs such as
the Association of Fundraising
Professionals, a part-time job
and enjoying my new position
as news editor!
Discourse
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Page 7
national view
Economy takes ironic turn due to government lies
A
lot of time has passed since
I waxed verbose in this
space, so I have made the
executive decision to briefly visit
the state of the economy and some
recent political developments.
To wit, the government’s stress test
on the nation’s banking institutions
has given Libertarians one more casein-point. The unemployment rate the
test was based on has already been
left in the dust.
The actual rate for Quarter One
was a half-point higher than the predicted rate, while the actual rate for
Q2 was a full point higher.
More to the point, both quarters’
actual rates were significantly higher
than even the government’s more
adverse category, which was supposed
to peg a worst-case scenario.
Quite an ironic turn of events
since the American public was promised “two million jobs would be saved
or created.”
Looking past the obvious – it is
impossible to empirically peg the
President’s actions to job creation –
why are people buying into the notion
that the worst is over?
A lot of noise on the Hill was made
Staffer
Opinion
James Cannon
Editor in Chief
over the newly unemployed statistics
being lower in May. However, the real
truth is another half-million people
are now unemployed.
More than two million new unemployed people have been reported
since the President’s famous speech.
All the while, we continue to
meddle and intervene in the market,
because if we do not, people will lose
their jobs.
A lot of people make the argument,
“if we hadn’t done anything, it would
be much worse.”
Forget for a second this is a straw
man argument, why don’t these
people ask how much worse off are
people because of government
intervention?
Another interesting development
as of late is politicians’ supposed
Obama connects with youth
T
he other night I was routinely lounging on my
couch, watching late-night
television laced with a hefty dose
of political satire, when something so pivotal, so shocking and
so inspiring occured.If you missed
Stephen Colbert’s prerecorded June
8 show then you may have no idea
what I am talking about, and shame
on you.
In the spirit of condensing things,
I will give you the wrap-up and get to
the good part. The show actually took
place in Iraq in an auditorium in
front of a plethora of soldiers.
Most of the show involved him
in a camouflage suit and tie spitting
witty monologue without mocking
his conservative political pundits,
but of course there was the moment
that triggered my jaw to drop.
Basically, Colbert declared victory
in the War on Iraq because no one
is talking about it anymore, which instigated me cracking up, but was not
the piece de resistance.
Then, like a climax in a piece
of prose, guest Gen. Ray Odierno
informed Colbert, “If you really want
to be in the military, you’re going to
have to get your haircut like these
guys out here.”
Valuing his very idiosyncratic full
head of hair to the utmost, he initially remained unconvinced, until – this
is the part that blew my mind – our
very own President Barack Obama
appeared via satellite to say, “I
hereby order you to shave that man’s
head.”
Well, the President did order him
to do something, so naturally he
complied. As Gen. Odierno delicately
Staffer
Opinion
Kim Nelson
Assistant News Editor
removed Colbert’s chestnut locks, a
strange emotion washed over me.
The fact that Obama ordered
Colbert to shave his head was not
the point; what I am getting at is our
President is attempting to connect
with America by being funny.
It is bloody brilliant, really. He
knows the youth of America watch
Colbert like your mom watches Food
Network, and the simple fact that he
is cool makes all of the difference.
Having voted Republican in this
past election, I have been hesitant
to embrace the new administration
wholeheartedly, but the mere fact
that Obama is attempting to make us
feel closer to him and more at ease
through one of our youthful media
niches is ridiculously comforting.
He just gets it.
An American President made me
laugh with him, not at him, and for
that, I can sleep at night.
As for what’s next in President
Obama’s attempt to find innovative
ways for America to get more intimate with him via media outlets, I
am convinced we need a reality TV
show inside the White House called
“Oversight.”
E-mail Kim Nelson at
[email protected].
concern over the national debt and
fiscal responsibility.
“Over the long term, achieving
fiscal sustainability ... requires that
spending and budget deficits be
well controlled,” Federal Reserve
Chairman Ben Bernanke said. He
warned that, “we will not be able to
continue borrowing indefinitely.”
It would be great if he actually
practiced what he preached.
Between Bernanke, ex-President
George Bush, ex-Treasury Secretary
Henry Paulson, Treasury Secretary
Timothy Geithner and President
Barack Obama, the national debt has
increased by almost 50 percent with
the Congressional Budget Office predicting trillion dollar deficits annually for the next 10 years.
That does not even take into
account the more than $9 trillion in
federal guarantees to favored corporate behemoths that the market
deems inefficient.
And more, none of the monumental
debt figures represent the debt obligation for previous welfare programs
– Medicaid, Medicare and Social
Security – and do not even begin to
account for the astronomical costs associated with the pending legislation
on universal healthcare.
The point being, the government is
going to lie to you.
Every emergency spending plan
that is “necessary to stave off utter
collapse” has been misrepresented at
best and a bold face lie at worst.
Micromanaging 300 million people
and a multi-trillion dollar economy is
not as easy as Paul Krugman would
have Americans believe.
It is high time for Washington to
engage in a reasoned and dispassionate discussion of its role as chief meddler and creator of inefficiency.
E-mail James Cannon at
[email protected].
Twitter encourages dumbing down of
society in 140-character spurts
A
s I write this I am wearing nothing but high
heels and a gimp’s mask.
There are actually three shoes
involved, but you will never guess
how the third one fits into the
equation.
What? You didn’t want to know
that? Well, I don’t want to read
the pseudo-intellectual – and I am
being generous here – musings
you fervently thumb onto your
BlackBerry as you sit wedged between a 400-pound man and a bum
on the bus.
Twitter perpetuates the myth
that we are all beautiful little snowflakes whose lives and the minutia
therein are too special not to share.
I realize it is a bit ironic to spit
my opinions and then say that
opinions do not matter, but if you
actually kept reading after the first
line then I really do not care what
you think.
Every tweet is a tiny self-gratification session. We want others
to fawn over the every dumb little
thought we have and can type before it passes out of our skulls.
Everyone does things to stroke
their ego. At this point in the article, mine is chaffing and there is
nothing wrong with that.
If you are going to stroke that
ego, at least channel your energies
into something more substantial
than a poorly constructed two-sentence reaction to the latest episode
of The Hills, or whatever it is the
kids are watching these days.
Staffer
Opinion
Max Jaeger
Staff Writer
Go paint a picture, or write a
poem for Christ’s sake.
On top of that, I cannot watch
any news without being bombarded with stories about so-and-so’s
recent inflammatory tweet or how
a congressman was tweeting during congressional hearings.
That is some kind of news story.
Whoa, Shaq said what in his
Twitter? Oh man, thank you national news networks, I am now a
more enlightened individual. Those techno-hipsters over at
CNN are the worst; Rick Sanchez, I
am looking at you. Welcome to the
useless information age.
If u want 2 record ur thoughts,
remember paper and pens are as
portable as cell phones and we
don’t have 2 b subjected to whatever u write.
So that is less than 140 characters if I cut out the punctuation. I
am totally going to tweet that when
I find my phone.
E-mail Max Jaeger at
[email protected].
Letters to the Editor policy and how to contact the Spinnaker:
The Spinnaker welcomes all columns
and letters to the editor.
All student submissions must include
the author’s first and last names, major
and academic classification.
Faculty and guest submissions must
include department title or company
name.
All letters must be accompanied
with a contact number for verification
purposes. No anonymous submissions will be
published.
Submissions will be verified for authenticity before publication and they
may be edited for content, grammar,
word length and libel.
All printed submissions will ap-
pear online at unfspinnaker.com. The
Spinnaker will not honor requests to
remove online content, including
letters to the editor and columns.
Letters should not exceed 400 words
in length, and columns should be
approximately 500 words.
The ideas expressed in columns and
letters published in the Spinnaker do
not necessarily reflect the opinions of
Spinnaker staff or the university.
The deadline for columns is Friday
at noon. The deadline for letters is
Monday at noon.
Submit columns and letters
to the editor at
[email protected].
Expressions
Page 8
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Jacksonville weighs in as the eighth fattest city in America
by Angela Passafaro
staff writer
“
Kristen Lazowick
Political Science Student
FILE
PHOTO
Jacksonville was named the
eighth fattest city in America
in a survey conducted by Men’s
Fitness magazine.
The magazine then assigned
grades to the cities in various
areas of health-related subjects
such as fitness centers and sports
stores, nutrition, sports participation, TV viewing, junk food, parks
and open space and motivation.
A list of the 50 most populated
areas in the U.S. was compiled in
the 11th annual survey.
While Jacksonville received
the designation of eighth fattest
city in the U.S., its evaluation was
not filled with completely dismal
grades.
Some students at UNF feel
this hefty ranking is undeserved.
“I don’t feel like Jacksonville
is anymore overweight than other cities in Florida,” said Carly
DeWitt, a business finance student from Tampa. “I don’t go
home and think that people are
so much healthier there.”
DeWitt also believes UNF
is doing its part to ensure the
healthiness of its students, faculty and staff.
“I think that our school
provides many healthy eating
choices such as sushi, salads and
smoothies,” DeWitt said. “UNF
also has many options for outdoor
activities such as hiking trails
and canoeing trips.”
The city received an A- in the
parks and open space category, with
Men’s Fitness magazine reporting
that Jacksonville’s acreage per capita is 494 percent higher than average and the highest in the survey.
Jacksonville scored a B in
”I feel like you see more people that are
morbidly obese than you saw in the past,”
the junk food category, with the
survey finding that ice cream
stores are 42 percent less popular
in Jacksonville than the national
average.
The city also scored well in the
area of commute, receiving a B-,
and geography, receiving an A-.
However, the good marks end
here.
Jacksonville earned a D in
the areas of fitness centers, sports
stores, nutrition, overweight, sedentary and air quality.
The survey found that adults
in Jacksonville are 3.6 percent
more sedentary than the average
adult in the other cities surveyed.
Jacksonville received F’s in
the categories of sports participation, TV viewing, motivation and
state obesity initiatives.
Jacksonville residents participate in sports 18 percent less
than average and watch 13 percent more television, according to
Men’s Fitness.
The survey showed that despite
plenty of open space, Jacksonville
scored low in motivation to participate in outdoor activities.
However, other students see
obesity levels on the rise.
“As time goes on, I feel like
there are more and more people
that are overweight,” said Kristin
Lazowick, a political science student from the Miami area and a
member of the UNF women’s soccer team.
“I feel like you see more people that are morbidly obese than
you saw in the past,” Lazowick
said.
But how did other cities in
Florida weigh in?
Miami was ranked as the
fattest city in the U.S., while
Tampa was ranked as the 23rd
fittest city in the U.S. by Men’s
Fitness magazine.
These were the only other cities from Florida to be named to either list of the 25 fittest or fattest
cities in the country.
Miami has almost three times
as many fast food restaurants as
the average city, according to the
survey,.
Conversely, Salt Lake City in
Utah ranks as the fittest city. The magazine attributes SLC’s
high ranking to its abundance
of parks and sports-enthusiastic
residents.
Perhaps if the River City
stepped up their athletic game,
Jacksonvillians would be more
motivated to get moving and let
then pounds drip off.
“Until I thought about it, I
never realized how many more
fast food places Miami has than
Jacksonville,” Lazowick said.
“There are more fast food places
around Miami than there should
be.”
Whether it is in the shopping centers of Jacksonville
or on the beaches of Miami,
Florida has made its presence
known in Men’s Fitness’s 25 fattest cities in America survey.
E-mail Angela Passafaro at
[email protected].
Expressions
Page 9
BY: MAX JAEGER
STAFF WRITER
W
ith
the
completion
of
UNF’s
Amphitheater just weeks
away, students – and really anyone in the souther n Jacksonville area – can
look forward to more music,
more theater and maybe even
a little more local competition.
Director of the Student Union,
Justin Camputaro, is confident the
new Amphitheater will rival not only
the beach’s amphitheater, but also
St. Augustine’s.
The total capacity will be 6,000,
according to Camputaro. That number is, however, a fluid one, because
there will be no per manent seating.
The stage measures 60 feet by 25 feet,
most of which is covered by a canopy.
The area will not be per manently
fenced of f.
“We anticipate the majority of
events to be free. But if we do any
ticketed events, we will work to fence
it of f temporarily,” Camputaro said.
The facilities have the means to run
smaller events without renting any
outside equipment, he said. Billy Parker, production specialist responsible for the Robinson
Theater, plans to take over operation of the Amphitheater, he said.
Free events would be in the spirit of a
university, where the dissemination of
art, culture and new experiences should
be prized above all else. But does the
new Amphitheater really have what it
takes to compete against local big-dogs?
Dan Larson, a marketing and promotions manager at the St. Augustine
Amphitheater,
remains
skeptical.
He said the facilities would be g reat
for student use (music majors, you can
start drooling now), and free and notfor-profit events like many world music and jazz festivals (music majors,
may I of fer you a bib?), but is unsure
whether the facilities can handle national rock, pop or hip-hop events.
“[Sixty] feet is a g reat width, but
25 feet is a little short [for length],”
Larson said. “Amphitheaters are
usually 50 feet by 40 feet or 60
feet
by
50
feet.”
One option is temporary staging.
According
to
their
website,
St.
Augustine’s
stage
has
a depth of
just over 38 feet.
Anyone
running
an
event
at
UNF could use risers to extend the
stage if needed, but that would
cost money.
Larson also said the lack of any
per manent fencing could hurt UNF’s
chances at wrangling larger acts.
Fences,
risers
and
additional audio equipment all cost money, and their procurement will
dent
any
promoter’s
profits.
Re garding the kinds of acts St.
Augustine’s monster of an edifice
books, artist fees alone range from
$50,000 to $150,000, ergo, it would
be wise for UNF to avoid extra
expenses like fences.
With all these expenses, one
wonders how Osprey Productions
will entice any of those “Lil” rappers
to
leave
their
brood-nest
in Atlanta and come to campus.
The
simple
answer:
Osprey
Productions does not have to.
Though Osprey Productions is responsible for most of the “major” acts
that visit UNF – Ben Folds being the
most recent example – they are not the
only avenue artists can rock at UNF.
The Amphitheater is part of
the Student Union, which is in
some ways in business for itself.
“The Student Union is auxiliarydriven,” Camputaro said. “We are heavily, but not entirely, funded by UNF.”
Any profit the Amphitheater makes
goes to the Student Union, which pays
UNF a 7 percent overhead and pockets
the rest. The Amphitheater essentially acts as an independent venue and
pays UNF a percentage of its profits
as a sort of initial dues type of deal.
UNF
does
not
have
to
pay
artists
to
come
to
campus.
Entertainers can use the facilities as they would any concert venue.
Promoters can come to the Student Union
and rent the Amphitheater for any major ticketed event if they want, though
they would be responsible for security
and additional sound equipment if
needed.
Of course you will not see $5 student tickets, but that is a luxury only
Osprey Productions can provide.
Although, who is to say a large number of Ospreys would not be willing to,
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
shell
out the extra loot to see
Wayne
Coyne
of
the
F laming
Lips
run
around
in his giant hamster
ball at UNF. Lots of
other
public
F lorida
colle ges
subscribe
to a similar set of rules.
Despite a few minor detractions, the new Amphitheater has
one major advantage: location.
“Promoters I know who book at St.
Augustine’s amphitheater are very interested in having events in the heart
of Jacksonville,” Camputaro said.
UNF has a better location than
the beaches or St. Augustine, because it is so close to downtown and
the center of Jacksonville. Promoters want a venue that is accessible and can draw the largest crowd,
especially in an area with no other competitors, and our campus has the kind
of location that makes that possible.
Extra expenses like risers and fencing may not be such a big deal to promoters when they are looking at a location
that can feasibly draw attendants from
just about anywhere in Duval County.
This proves that UNF’s Amphitheater
and St. Augustine’s amphitheater
are
fundamentally
dif ferent.
St.
Augustine’s goal is profit, and while
UNF’s Amphitheater can tur n a profit,
it is really in service of the community.
“This Amphitheater allows the
campus to host events for the students that they would nor mally have
to leave campus for,” Computaro
said. “It will also help us to reach
out into the Jacksonville community, hosting events to bring them
onto our campus and showcase UNF.”
Although the amphitheater’s viability is untested, UNF can be sure
that it is an addition that will enrich
student and community life. This next year will be provingg rounds
for
the
Amphitheater,
and its future looks quite good.
See you at the Fall Concert Series!
E-mail Max Jaeger at
[email protected]
Photo illustration: Chad Smith, Photo: Erick Tanner
Expressions
Page 10
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Indie-princess lickss Florida with her ‘Acid Tongue’
by Max Jaeger
Staff Writer
Courtesy of Team Love records
Jenny Lewis and her troupe
of troubadours, will roll into
Jacksonville June 30 to perform at Jacksonville Beach’s
Freebird Live.
The show is part of the second tour promoting Jenny’s sophomore solo effort, “Acid Tongue,”
though some may consider it an
act of penance for not coming to
Jacksonville on the first tour.
Lewis, child actress turned indie-princess, got her musical break
heading up indie act Rilo Kiley.
Her solo career, however, is
quickly cementing her place in
America’s musical canon (sitting
somewhere near Joni Mitchell
and Emmylou Harris, no doubt). Lewis has worked closely with
Bright Eyes and Cursive.
She also appears extensively
on The Postal Service’s only album “Give Up.”
Lewis’ previous solo release,
“Rabbit Fur Coat,” is a countrified-folk gem with slide guitars,
twangy vocals and the Watson
twins providing the kind of
harmonies
that
make
The ex-Beverly Hills trooper herself and entourage. Jenny lewis will perform June 30 at Freebird Live.
you
want
to
buy
a
bloodhound, down a bottle of
whiskey and sing until your
throat gives out.
Stylistically, “Acid Tongue”
is closer to roots-rock and
Americana
than
straight-up
country. The orchestration is
sparse, compared to “Rabbit Fur
Coat,” and this newfound space
really lets the music breathe.
The album is a mix of acoustic and piano driven ballads – the
title track is just Jenny and an
acoustic guitar with bursts of
barroom choirs during the chorus – and foot-stomping saloon
singles like “Carpetbaggers” and
“See Fernando.”
Even the ballads have a nice
stylistic range that keeps things
from getting stale.
Some are moody with eerie,
reverb-drenched electric guitars
while others are so sweet you will
have to keep them away from your
diabetic grandmother.
As if Lewis does not have
enough star power, she recruited
M. Ward, Zooey Deschanel and
Elvis Costello, among others, to
belt her tunes with her.
Lewis’s sister and semi-estranged father also make appearances on the record.
Unfortunately, there’s a slim
chance that any of the artists will
accompany her at the Freebird,
but fans should keep their fingers
crossed.
If they do not show up, we can
expect a more-than-able performance from her boyfriend and
the album’s co-writer, Johnathan
Rice.
The blissful evening of tunes
will be opened by Fat Possom duo,
Heartless Bastards.
Attendees can look forward to
a night of powerful female vocalists who are a little bit country
and a little bit rock ’n’ roll.
E-mail Max Jaeger at
[email protected]
Riverside Arts Market offers free, dry venue for local art
Monday
BY April Schulhauser
• Student Union Gameroom Open, 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.,
Building 58, room 1200.
Assistant Features editor
Tuesday
• Joey Cape (Lagwagon), 9 p.m., Jack Rabbits.
Wednesday
• Summer B Welcome Cookout, 5:30 p.m. - 7:30
p.m., the Green.
• 48 Hour Film Project, 7 p.m., Florida Theatre.
Some local bakers makin’ that dough at the RAM on a Saturday morning.
creations and even more difficult
putting a price tag on them.
“It may say ‘$15’ on [the price
tag] but if I know that they only
have $10 to spend, then that’s what
it turns out to be,” Free said. “It
makes me happy to see somebody
be able to get something they
really want.”
Anything from freshly baked
bread and dishware, to caricature drawings and earrings, can
be found at RAM.
There are also a variety of
people there such as men on unicycles juggling knives, face-painted toddlers and average Joes totting their four-legged friend is
on leashes.
On this particular day, overflowing with torrential downpours and rainy day specials,
about 8,000 to 12,000 visitors
weaved between the tents filled
with funnel cakes and hand-crafted home furnishings; it seems everyone has a chance to get something they want from RAM.
Stephen Heywood, a UNF assistant ceramic professor, considers RAM a good opportunity for
students to display their art and
learn how to market their work.
“I could see [RAM] as being
a viable resource for students to
gain some life experience with
selling their work and marketing
it,” Heywood said.
The
Riverside
Avondale
Preservation has limited liability
ownership of RAM, allowing the
free market to operate under its
non-profit umbrella.
One issue Allegretti describes as a “positive problem”
involves over 500 artists applying
to participate in the market, yet
there is only booth availability
for 178.
Plans have been drawn to expand the market to Riverside
Park and the funds have been
budgeted, but not yet allocated.
“It’s not unlike the other
things that you might do that
would cost you a ton of money,”
Allegretti said.
RAM is a place where
students can hide from the
summer rain and enjoy a
marketplace
atmosphere.
They utilize the under-a-bridge
setting to catch up on reading or
even have a picnic.
There is also free Wi-Fi available, perfect for students who
want to catch up on their e-mails.
E-mail April Schulhauser at
[email protected]
Thursday
calendar
• Smoking Cessation Classes and Support Group, 12
to 1 p.m., Building 3, room 1201.
April Schulhauser | Spinnaker
Waking up to the pitterpatter of raindrops is the perfect way for a pointless summer
day filled with outdoor plans
to disappear. But what hides
the sunshine now could end up
revealing a few extra bucks in
your wallet.
Jacksonville’s rain or shine
market, affectionately titled the
Riverside Arts Market, draws
thousands of
locals every
Saturday to enjoy free concerts
and venues of local artists and
farmers – rainy day specials
included.
Underneath the towering
arches of the Fuller Warren
Bridge, about 178 vendors comprise “the biggest weekly arts
market in the south,” said
Tony Allegretti, the director
of RAM.
The unique location on
Riverside Avenue invites a cooling river breeze from the St.
John’s on sunny days and protection from downpours otherwise.
Family friendly, dog friendly
and also environmentally friendly, RAM is considered a green
market for more reasons than its
abundance of pesticide-free and
hydroponic produce for sale.
It prides itself on requiring
reusable bags and biodegradable containers for its vendors
and visitors. A good portion, although not all, of the produce is
purely organic.
“We are more organic than
when we started,” Allegretti said,
who has hopes of more local, organic produce becoming available in the future.
Behind all the extravagant paintings and intricately
designed art pieces are those
who act as the very fuel to
keep RAM a hot commodity.
Nestled quietly into booth 514
on rainy May 23 was artist Mary
Free, who attracted passersby
with her trendy hand-blown
jewelry and dishware. Born and
raised in Jacksonville, Free has
traveled from Middleburg to display her creations every RAM
weekend since its April 4 inception.
“I just couldn’t stay away from
the art,” Free said, as she sat custom fitting necklaces for her customers and offering jewelry maintenance advice.
At times, artists can find it difficult to part with their personal
• Library Exhibit: Thomas Wolfe Exhibit at the Thomas
G. Carpenter Library, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
• Healthy Osprey Focus Group, 4 to 5 p.m., Building 3,
room 1201.
Friday
• Summer A classes end. Deadline to withdraw
from 10-week term.
• Downtown Reception with UNF President Delaney, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m., Museum of Contemporary Art
Jacksonville.
• Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, 8 p.m., Building 15,
room 1303.
• Jacksonville Craft and Beer Import Festival, 7 p.m.
- 10 p.m., Jacksonville Municipal Stadium.
Saturday
• Crash Course in Screenwriting, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.,
University Center.
• Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, 8 p.m., Building 15,
room 1303.
• Riverside Arts Market, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Riverside Ave.
Sunday
• Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, 2 p.m., Building 15,
room 1303.
• Jacksonville Suns vs. Mobile Baybears, 3:05 p.m.,
Baseball grounds at Jacksonville.
Expressions
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Page 11
With fluctuating gas prices on the rise
Graphic: peter Nguyen
again, it might be time to consider local public
transportation options. JTA provides four
inexpensive trolleys to commute around the
beaches and downtown.
Compiled by Beca Grimm and Kim Nelson
Riverside
Bay Street
Beaches
Beaver Street
• Runs from downtown at Water
Street and Laura Street and from
Riverside at Margaret Street and
Riverside Avenue
• Runs from St. Andrews Station,
onto Bay Street to Broad Street
and Jefferson Street, then Water
Street and the Jacksonville
Landing • Runs from the Atlantic Village
Shopping Center, near the intersection Aquatic Drive and
Atlantic Boulevard, to the South
Beach Regional Shopping Center –
J.T. Butler Boulevard at
South Beach Parkway
• Runs from Rosa Park Transit
Station to Winn-Dixie at N.
Liberty and E. Beaver
• Operates:
Monday through Friday,
10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. • A trolley will make a stop
approximately every
10 minutes • Operates:
A trolley will make a stop approximately every 15 minutes
during peak time and 30 minutes
during off peak – 9:30 a.m. – 2:30
p.m., weekdays only • 50 cents to ride • Free
• Hip places you pass: Bars, restaurants and shopping venues in historic Five Points, Memorial Park,
MOCA, Main Library, Florida
Theatre, London Bridge and
Burrito Gallery
• Hip places you pass:
Bars, restaurants and
entertainment off Bay Street at
the Landing
• Operates:
Friday 7 p.m. – 2 a.m.
Saturday Noon - 2 a.m.
Sunday Noon - 6 p.m.
• 50 cents to ride
• Operates:
Monday-Friday: 6 a.m. – 7 p.m.,
running every 50 minutes
• Free
• Hip places you pass:
Beaver Street Farmers’ Market,
Cathedral Towers and
Convention Center
• Hip places you will pass:
Seawalk Pavilion Amphitheater,
Jacksonville Beach Pier, Freebird
Live and dozens of beach bars
• Closed: Independence Day and
Labor Day
Horoscopes by The Spinnaker Sisterhood of the Celestial Skylines
You would be better off
playing in the water this
month than on land. If
you are shopping and spot
any water gear at half
price, you better go ahead
and purchase it. This is a
March 21 - April 20 month of adventure and
excitement – a time to
climb a tree, for example.
Your lucky stone in the coming days is a
diamond. If you wear it on the left side of
your body, it should bring you some bona
fide luck, which you will need when you
fail your summer A exams. Zing!
A possible love interest —
whether it be anything from
a simple crush to a longterm relationship – is looking your way this month.
You have really shown your
stuff and they are digging
it. But be warned … if you
July 23 - Aug. 22 let them see your now overinflating ego, their interests might begin to wane.
Your confidence should be used to your
advantage now, but do not let it dominate
the other aspects of your personality. Your
warmth and compassion will earn you a
kiss, or more, this month.
Center yourself. Focus on
your needs and wants for
a change, and take time
to pursue your goals. This
month is all about you and
your relationships with
others. When you take
time to better yourself, you
Nov. 23 - Dec. 21
can then begin to better
the relationships around
you. Although an authority figure, such
as a professor or boss, may be overbearing at this time, be patient in school or
in the workplace.
Instant gratification is not
coming quick enough for
you this month. But not
to worry, because what
you crave most now will
come to you when you
least expect it. Be patient.
April 21 - May 20 Until then, pour your emotions and effort into your
friends, family and immediate surroundings. As the world is round,
karma will come back around fourfold,
whether you choose positive or negative
actions – this month especially.
Stop falling asleep or daydreaming in class this
week, or you will miss very
important content that
could compromise your
grade, or even worse — your
graduation date. Instead
of organizing your room
Aug. 23 - Sept. 22 this month, you should
organize your schoolwork
and other more important
things. Know your deadlines, and do not let
your wandering thoughts take over your
life, which is already busy enough as it is.
This month is the time for
embarking on that long
awaited health and fitness
journey. June brings cosmic support for assimilating new fitness techniques
into your daily routine.
It is time to start a new
Dec. 22 - Jan. 20
work-out plan. Watch out
for opportunities to invest in your ideas. Take practical steps to
transform ideas into actions. Focus not
only on your mind but also on your heart.
The end of the month is ideal for mending
broken relationships.
Ooh, it is birthday month
for you, twinsies! Getting
down is a given. You are always being told that there
are two sides within your
being, this is the month
to decipher what the gods
May 21 - June 21 mean by that ridiculous
notion. Try messing with
people, playing off your
dual-natured persona and experiment with
different sides of yourself. “Variety is the
spice of life” is your sign’s motto. Frequent
some yuppie bars one night to get the 411
on this season’s Cole Haan tassel loafers,
Maybe take a break from
updating your Twitter status quite as often, as the
urge strikes in the next few
weeks, young Libra. Leave a
little mystery in your mojo
and indulge in your solitude. Try an evening flying
solo. Go sip a cup of green
Sept. 23 - Oct. 23
tea in a quiet corner over a
private notebook filled with
your personal thoughts — not some cyberspace void. Besides, not as many folks give
a hoot about that spanking plate of lentils
you had for lunch as you think.
For the next few weeks you
should feel a shift in how
you show affection towards
others. Usually, you are detached and not sure how
to tug those heartstrings,
but now you will become
infused with the confiJan. 21 - Feb. 19
dence to expand upon using touch and verbiage to
express your true feelings. Do not get all
fleshy and weak-saucy on us now, but do
not be embarrassed to call your mom and
tell her you miss her or explain to your
roommate that putting the toilet seat down
really does stir your soul.
Cancers have a creative
energy that extends into
their physical lifestyle. You
should take advantage of
the many group fitness programs in the UNF Arena
this week. This physical
June 22 - July 22 activity will stir your creative thoughts. Don’t get
too creative, though! If
your art is culinary, the heavens are predicting an exponentially increasing fat total in the hip and thigh areas.
Scorpios are supposed to
make fine doctors, apparently. Did you know that,
Scorpio? And what more
respected doctor is there
in America than a love doctor? None. Take this next
week as an excuse to actively exercise your exquiOct. 24 - Nov. 22
site amore advice skills and
inundate everyone in hearing distance with tips. After all, you are the
expert. Or at least you can try and trick everyone into thinking you are. People may
respond unfavorably — looking away, walking away or humming loudly over you.
Do not go outside. Do not
leave your bedroom. Do
not go to class, out to eat
or turn on your television
for at least a week. You
are in serious danger this
month. Consider yourself
in a Final Destination
Feb. 19 - March 20
film right now and watch
out. There is someone – or
something – out to get you, your money or
your organs. The heavens suggest going online to order a deadbolt for your front door
if you do not already have one. Make sure
to only accept the package through your
mail slot. Better safe than sorry.
Page 12
Comics
Classifieds are now
accessible online at
unfspinnaker.com
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
FOR RENT
Beautiful townhouse on the lake in the Village of
Summer Lakes. 3/ 2.5 baths, new appliances,
washer, dryer, screened lanai, 1 car garage.
Available immediately with 1 month security
deposit. 412 216-1858.
Silver Springs is in a prime location just minutes
from UNF and St. Johns Town Center. Amenities
galore. Come see for yourself.
MISSING YOU
Meg, I can’t wait to see you again next semester!
I love you!
-C
LOOKING FOR LUXURY?
Country Club Lakes is located in Jacksonville,
Florida on Hodges Blvd only 10 minutes away
from Florida’s beautiful coast. Enjoy fine dining,
sophisticated shopping, and great nightlife just
minutes away from Country Club Lakes.
We are also located close to UNF.
Our apartments include alarm systems,
washer/dryer hook-ups, and spacious closets.
In select units we offer screened in patios,
solariums and lake or wood views.
20090616cpbss-a.tif
Be Heard
If you would like to submit a classified ad,
please stop by The Spinnaker office, Building 58
room 2209, to pick up your FREE order form.
For display ads, contact Kristen Montalto or
Michael Kent: [email protected].
The Spinnaker accepts all kinds of advertising. We retain the right to reject any
classified or display ad deemed not in the best
interest of the newspaper. The material the
Spinnaker closely watches out for includes but
is not limited to obscenity, pornography, and
discrimination or false claims.
The objective of the game is to fill all the
blank squares in a game with the correct
numbers. There are three very simple constraints to follow. In a nine-by-nine-square
Sudoku game, every row of nine numbers must include all digits, one
through nine, in any order. Every column of nine numbers must include all digits, one through nine, in any order. Every three-by-three
subsection of the nine-by-nine square must include all digits, one
through nine.
Solutions
Page 13
Inside the Huddle
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
News Editor
Features Editor
Graphic Designer
Staff Writer
Rebecca McKinnon
Beca Grimm
Chad Smith
Max Jaeger
Question 1: As of early June, the Jacksonville Suns have recorded an off-and-on season this summer often in rain
conditions. Has the rain had an impact on the Suns performance?
The rain has definitely affected the
Suns’ performance, most notably
that of outfielder Gizmo Mogwai.
The rain, combined with Mogwai’s
existing condition has increased
the team’s roster exponentially.
Yes, because it’s already hard to get
ready for a game and then find out
that it’s canceled. Imagine how the
pitchers feel about having to warm
up causing more wear and tear in the
long run.
Duh.
It’s had an impact on their fans’
moods more than anything. I tried
to plan a date at a Suns game, but
it was rained out. How sucky.
Question 2: Thirty Jacksonville Jaguars recently bowled with kids to support the Clara White Mission to stop hunger.
What kind of impact do the Jaguars really have on Jacksonville?
These kinds of events may raise
some money, but that amounts to
a few drops of water in the desert.
The Jaguars’ actions are laudable,
but they simply raise awareness,
rather than change things.
I think it’s great that they are getting involved in the community, but
I still feel that there is a stigma with
professional athletes because of the
the fame associated with it. Thank
Richard Collier.
I think the Jaguars’ impact on
Jacksonville begins and ends with
the absolutely horrid gold and
turquoise color scheme of the city.
They have a lot of influence, especially in the younger generation.
I’m always hearing about different
volunteer opportunities they get
involved in.
Question 3: UNF Athletics Director Lee Moon has been making several changes to UNF Athletics since his arrival
earlier in the year. How will these changes impact UNF’s 2009-2010 athletics season?
Until UNF adopts and legitimizes
my full-contact chess team, we
don’t have an Athletics department as far as I’m concerned.
If you have a
question for the
members of the
Huddle or want to give
answers, e-mail the
Spinnaker at sports@
unfspinnaker.com.
Hopefully it’s a wake-up to UNF sports
in general since we are in Division
I now. The expectations are a lot
higher. It’s a different ballgame now
thats it all counts.
Positively. People dubbed names
as lovely as “Lee Moon” could
only possibly breed goodness.
Hopefully, it’ll make UNF win more
often! Hopefully, these wins don’t
result in lower grade point averages of the athletes.
Question 4: After being grouped together at The Players Championship and the Memorial tournament in Ohio, Tiger
Woods and Ernie Els saw a lot of each other. Do golf pairings have any impact on the actual competition?
Pairing Els and Woods made a
powerful statement about apartheid twenty years too late. Proving that golf is the hippest
sport around.
I think the players become more
susceptible to the pairings because
there is no real advantage, just pure
skill with which Tiger Woods wins. He
is the Jordan of golf.
It’s essentially an elevated sort of
“buddy system.” The guffawing
probably leads to life-long
friendships.
Whatever. If I was competing for
a living, I wouldn’t want to make
any friendships that might cost me
first place.
Compiled by James Cannon.
Sports Column
Lower academic standards for UNF athletes
could hurt the reputation of the university
An introduction:
Josh Gore is a new staff writer
with the Spinnaker this year and
has a keen interest in sports. He
is a senior majoring in journalism.
This column will review sports issues at the university, state and
national levels.
It may dispute or defend coaching
decisions as well decisions made
by the UNF athletic director. Attention will be given equally to issues
in all sports regardless of their
popularity. Emphasis will be put
on recruiting, game substitutions,
injuries and violated regulations. It
will be his job to read through a
coach’s jargon and tell the readers
what is really going on.
Attending press conferences
and one-on-one interviews with
coaches and players will be some
of his tasks. He will also be able to
express his opinion clearly to the
student body, and keep the students
aware of what the Athletics department
isn’t saying.
Josh Gore’s experience in sports
including being a three-sport
letterman in high school increases his qualifications to write this
column.
Staffer
opinion
Josh Gore
Staff Writer
UNF takes another big step in
the transition to Division I athletics
by easing admission standards for
athletes. But if lowering academic
standards is the only way UNF can
field decent teams, how far will UNF
go to win?
The new Athletic Director Lee
Moon has been the orchestrator of
these lower standards, though it was
UNF President John Delaney who
went back on his longstanding previous policy that kept athletes more
academically accountable.
Delaney recently told me that his
previous policy was too tough on
the coaches. He also said that every
AD in the past has asked for these
standards to be eased.
The old policy allowed 12 athletes
who were academically unqualified
to be admitted into the university. The
new policy increases 12 to unlimited.
It is obvious Moon has come in to
increase fundraising and turn the
failing basketball program around
by instantly firing Matt Kilcullen,
and hiring Matthew Driscoll, who
was a great catch, but whether he
will be the next Billy Donovan is yet
to be determined.
Moon’s new tactics through
possibly recruiting less intelligent
athletes is inconsistent with the
university’s motto, “No one like you.
No place like this.”
It is just another step toward
trying to look more like the bigger
Division I universities.
Because Moon understands that
winning increases booster support
and fundraising, this lower standard
may prove to be a fiscal success. Winning also increases attendance that raises money through
concessions and team apparel.
The message UNF is sending to
high school athletes who are trying
to balance athletics with academics
is not a good one.
Moon is now telling the students
that their time is best spent in the
gym rather than the library.
High school athletes should not
be pressured into maintaining minimal academic achievement in order
to become better athletes.
This is just one step closer to what
could become a great embarrassment for the university as they begin
in Florida State University’s footsteps,
which led to academic cheating.
Once the university begins bringing in athletes that are not intelligent enough to pass their classes,
will UNF help them in their classes?
Will the UNF athletic department
take their classes for them?
Moon’s actions reflect that he will
do whatever it takes to win. He uses
the number and color systems to
evaluate prospective athletes, but
where is the accountability?
If Moon feels an athlete will help
the athletic program, there is not
much stopping him from injecting
his subjectivity into this system.
I urge Moon to reconsider this
lower standard, to oversee the incoming recruits for all the athletic
programs and to ensure that these
athletes have the academic ability
to perform at UNF.
UNF has a great opportunity in
this transition to be known around
the country as a university that does
not turn its back on academics in
order to have athletic success.
As the university slowly creeps into
national conversation, it would always
be referred to as a great academic
institution and respected by many
around the country.
Well not any more – unfortunately.
E-mail Josh Gore at
[email protected].
Sports
Page 14
Inspirational Athletes
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Gators share stories of faith on special night
By Heather Furey
assistant sports editor
Danny Wuerffel,
UF Graduate
an example both on and off the field.”
Andrew Hinojosa, one of hundreds of volunteers at the
Night of Champions, said he thought it was great to see somebody of Tebow’s magnitude who also represents Christianity.
“I like what Tim has to offer beyond football, where he is
trying to remain humble and unselfish,” said Herbstreit.
The University of Florida FCA has one of the largest programs in the nation. FCA makes a point to regularly come
to Jacksonville and sponsor events such as the Night Of
Champions. They hope to help people invest in God and to
find themselves through Christ and the message they gave
that night, Wuerffel said.
“To me it’s more important to follow God than to win the
National Championship,” Wuerffel said.
But in addition to the message, the program also had a
mixture of entertainment. Comedian Kenn Kington was
in attendance, celebrating his faith with the Tebows and
Wuerffel, along with a musical performance by Richie
McDonald, Christian and former lead singer for the country
group Lonestar.
The FCA’s mission is to serve as a ministry tool of the
Fellowship of Christian Athletes by inspiring, informing
and involving coaches, athletes and fans to make an impact
for Jesus Christ throughout the community. In order to have
a ministry and put on events such as this, the FCA takes
one-time and monthly donations to receive funding.
But the experience with the FCA doesn’t end with
the Night of Champions. The FCA has local staff members and ministries nationwide, including a branch in
Northeast Florida. This branch serves middle school,
natalie broach | spinnaker
“
“To me it’s more important to
follow God than to win the
National Championship.”
natalie broach | spinnaker
In conjuction with the Fellowship of
Christian Athletes in Jacksonville, Gators Tim
Tebow and Danny Wuerffel took some time, during the Night of Champions, to inspire the faith
of an arena filled with about 6,200 Christians.
At the Veterans Memorial Arena May 8,
the area director of the FCA, Robby Tebow’s
goal for the night was to make sure a crowd of
Christians, including Gator fans, were a part
of an unforgettable night.
“The most important issue we as a community face is the involvement of parents in the
home,” Tebow said. “I believe this event is a
step forward in correcting this problem.”
In a sea of orange and blue, including shirts
that had a superimposed logo of a “T” for
Tebow, Gator fans enjoyed a television-style
interview with Wuerffel, his parents and Tim
Tebow, conducted by ESPN college football
analyst Kirk Herbstreit. It was based on the players using
their fame as a vehicle to reach Christians and their faith
through FCA.
With the Heisman trophies on the corners of the stage,
the interview also included a small portion of Wuerffel’s
parents giving the audience a taste of their son’s life
as a child.
The participation of well-known coaches and famous athletes at the college and professional level is a vital part of the
FCA. They even have a Sports New Testament bible that features testimonies from the professionals, including a special
presentation from retired NFL Coach Tony Dungy. But Tim
Tebow has a very important presence in Northeast Florida.
“Timmy knows the responsibility he has both as a
Christian and as a role model,” Robby Tebow said. “He understands that people will follow what he does, and he takes
that very seriously. He does a great job of leading and setting
Gators Tim Tebow and Danny Wuerffel visited the Veterans Memorial Arena May 8 to share inspiring stories during the Night
of Champions for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
high school and college campuses in all seven of the
First Coast counties: Baker, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Nassau,
Putnam and St. Johns County.
For more information on the FCA and their Northeast
Florida chapter, visit www.nefloridafca.org.
E-mail Heather Furey at
[email protected].
GRADES
ÄÄ from page 1
relay an interest in becoming a
Blue Devil. They look at the student’s
economic background, public
services
and
any
high
achviements in high school performances.
“It’s not a numbers game; we
make our admissions process
easy,” Dixon said.
What Moon believes is different about this year, is that in the
past, no one really had a plan
for running a Division I
program.
That is why Moon says he
was brought to UNF, because
he has plenty of experience in
getting Division I programs off
the ground.
Before Moon arrived at UNF,
there were 12 admissions exceptions annually across the board
for athletes who fell below the
level of normal criteria for fall
admission, Moon said.
He does not even know if
all the exceptions were used,
but knows not all the sports
used them.
There was also no money set
aside for athletes to be admitted
into a summer school program
although it was still a possibility.
However, Moon believes that
by reevaluating the previous
systems and making small adjustments, UNF will be able to draw
in more high profile recruits.
UNF’s athletics department
has a new process by which they
evaluate each prospective athlete
through different criteria and
see how they would fit into the
UNF program.
Moon reviews every candidate
that the coaches submit. And instead of the Athletics department
bound by 12 exceptions, Moon can
now bring in an unlimited number of athletic exceptions.
There is a form they
apply to each student that classifies them on different criteria including SAT, GPA and character.
After the form is filled out,
each student is classified by what
level of risk.
Moon said they have used
color systems and number
systems
to
classify
the
athletes’ risk. The color system is: green, for
all clear; yellow, for caution; and
red, for high risk.
The number system goes from
one to five, with five being a low
risk and one being a high risk. The whole process is designed
to weigh how much of a benefit to
the university the athlete would
be against how much risk the university would be taking on them.
After classification, Moon
had
:C
phic
h
Smit
Gra
meet the established criteria,
called the summer Academic
Potential Program.
Those students who do not
meet the university admission
requirements for fall may be
admitted to summer B classes.
If they achieve a C or better in
those classes, they can continue
on at UNF in the fall.
The benefit
makes
tion on
his
recommendawhether or not an
Updated daily with breaking news,
staff blogs, videos and photo galleries
unfspinnaker.com �
athlete should be offered a scholarship to John Yancey, UNF’s
admissions director.
If Yancey says no to a candidate, they can still be accepted for
the fall term by approval through
an appeals committee.
According to the UNF catalog, an average student needs a
recalculated grade point average of 3.0 in order to be accepted
into UNF.
But there is another option for students who do not
Thanks to the shifting of
funds the money is now there for
UNF Athletics to provide prospective athletes with the opportunity
to enter summer classes.
Allowing student athletes
to be admitted during the summer session is a good plan, Moon
said, especially because of the
high levels of support the athletic
department is providing for
their teams.
“We aren’t taking anybody
who wouldn’t normally be able
to get into the school,” Moon said.
But we are bringing in athletes
who meet the summer school
requirements.”
The coaches also play a pivotal
part in the athletes’ academics,
Moon said.
They have to understand and
be committed to making sure
the students get the support
they need to achieve good grades
and attend all their classes and
necessary tutoring sessions.
“We make sure we take care of
our kids and give them the right
support,” Moon said.
“If we have somebody that is
not as good a student as others
then we know what we have to do
to help them. We are not going to
just throw them to the wolves.”
E-mail Heather Furey at
[email protected].
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Page 15
Baseball
Moon reorganizes UNF Athletics staff
Sports Quotes
“If winning isn’t everything, why do they
keep score?”
- Vince Lombardi
“All pitchers are born
pitchers.”
- Joe DiMaggio
“The pitcher has got
only a ball. I’ve got a
bat. So the percentage of weapons is in
my favor and I let the
fellow with the ball do
the fretting.”
- Hank Aaron
• Associate Athletic Director for Ticket Sales - this will the
first time UNF has ever had a position for ticket sales.
• Dan Wuerth - comes to UNF to take over the position of
Associate Athletic Director for Media Relations.
• Associate Athletic Director for Facilities and Operations
- will be in charge of all UNF athletic facilities and scheduling operations.
• Associate Athletic Director for Development - Will be in charge of all financial development for the AD.
“I’m aware if I’m playing at my best I’m
tough to beat. And I
enjoy that.”
- Tiger Woods
Graphic: Art team
• Eric Scott - has taken a job as an intern on the media
relations staff of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
• Shawn Lafata - is currently looking for another career
after spending time in UNF and JU’s media relations departments.
• Elliot Darkatsh - is leaving the position of Director of
Marketing and Relations for UNF.
• Adam Johnson- accepted a position at Northwestern
State University as their director of ticket sales.
By John Weidner
Sports editor
UNF Athletic Director Lee Moon has taken
another step toward improving UNF’s athletic program by replacing several members of
his support staff.
In May, the entire staff of the UNF
Athletics development and media relations
departments was released or moved on to
new jobs.
The departing employees include former Assistant Athletics Director for Media
Relations Shawn Lafata, Media Relations
Assistants Adam Johnson and Eric Scott,
Development officers Trevor Stanton and
Rick Grainger, and Director of Marketing
Elliot Darkatsh.
The moves have left what Lafata said is a
gaping hole in the athletic department.
“Without any of these people, it’s hard to
make progress,” Lafata said. “There’s nobody
to raise any money for athletics, and UNF is
pretty much in a black hole from a [public relations] perspective.”
A majority of the burden of important off-
season duties falls on Moon. There are several
key issues the athletic department is currently
facing including in a highly disputed radio contract and the constant public relations battle,
Lafata said. However, Moon said he feels fortunate that the openings came at the best time
possible and that he has strong support from
several people.
“He’s been around the block more than a
few times,” Lafata said. “He’s secured several
big donations and rebuilt programs in the
past. Who knows what he’s capable of ?”
The change in staff is just the latest big
move for UNF Athletics since Moon’s arrival
in February. Moon has replaced the entire
staff of the men’s basketball team, whose success is essential to the expansion of UNF athletics, he said.
Moon has already begun with the process
of replacing these positions and has already
found one “great acquisition,” he said.
Moon announced the hiring of Jeff Wuerth
as the new Assistant Athletics Director for
Media Relations May 28. Wuerth comes to
UNF from the University of South Florida,
where he oversaw all the communication
“I want to test my
maximum and see how
much I can do. And I
want to change the
world of swimming.”
-Michael Phelps
needs for the Men’s Basketball and Men’s
Golf programs, in addition to duties with the
school’s athletics Web site and football team.
Wuerth has more than 15 years of experience in media relations including work at
both Division I and professional levels, coordinating opening rounds of the 2008 NCAA
men’s basketball tournament, directing public relations for Columbus Crew of Major
League Soccer, and helping media relation for
the 2008 and 2009 Outback Bowls and the 2009
WNBA Draft.
“Jeff brings a lot of experience to the table
that UNF can really benefit from in the future,” Moon said.
The athletic department is in the early
process of advertising and selecting search
committees in hiring the rest of the new staff
members, Moon said.
It is also in the process of reallocating finances in order to open up new positions and
is currently working on reevaluating different job duties and descriptions.
E-mail John Weidner at
[email protected].
Baseball in Northeast Florida gets hot with the Jacksonville Suns
By Amanda Foley
contributing Writer
Jacksonville may only have
one professional sports team,
but for sports fans on the First
Coast looking for an off-season
fix, there is an answer: the
Jacksonville Suns.
Besides the games themselves,
there is a variety of entertainment the Suns offer for the community as a way to better enjoy
the day at the park.
The grounds are familyfriendly with two bouncy houses, a giant slide, an obstacle
course and an inflatable speed
pitch game. The Suns also host
several family oriented promotions each month including postgame concerts, Friday Night
Family Fireworks, Saturday
giveaways, Fifty Cent Family
Feast Tuesdays and when kids
run the bases on the field at
the Grounds after each game
on Sundays.
For others, there are several
other promotions to enjoy, including weekly specials such as
Wednesday’s
Businesspersons
Specials and Thursday Night
Throwdowns.
In 2003, the Suns received a
new baseball stadium as part of
the Better Jacksonville Plan.
In the same year, they broke the
record for the highest attendance
in the Southern League and surpassed that number the following
season. In 2005, the Suns were
recognized as Southern League
“It doesn’t get any
easier. You go out and
try to hang in and put
as much pressure on
him as possible.”
- Roger Federer
Champions and as Baseball
America’s Minor League Team
of the Year.
Although the Suns are only
a minor league team, they are
known for providing North
Florida a chance to see major
league talent play.
In 2007, there were 61 former
Suns players on major league rosters including New York Yankee
Alex Rodriguez, San Francisco
Giant Randy Johnson and Los
Angeles Dodger Ching-Lung Hu.
The Suns have also had several
stars and Hall of Famers on past
rosters such as Bret Boone, Hank
Aaron, Tug McGraw, Nolan Ryan
and Tom Seaver.
The Suns are currently in
their first season of affiliation
with the Florida Marlins as their
AA affiliate.
The team has been affiliated
with major league teams in their
47-year history and recently finished a nine-year affiliation with
the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2009.
The team’s current roster includes several former players
from the North Carolina Mudcats,
previously affiliated with the
Florida Marlins, who won the
North Division last season.
Suns tickets can be purchased
online at jaxsuns.com, over the
phone during normal business
hours by calling (904) 358-2846 or
at the ticket office.
E-mail Amanda Foley at
[email protected].
“No one did what I did
last season and for this
I deserve the Golden
Boot and why not the
best World Player.”
- Cristiano Ronaldo
“In sports ... you play
from the time you’re
eight years old, and
then you’re done forever.”
- Joe Montana
“Hitting the ball was
easy. Running around
the bases was the
tough part.”
- Mickey Mantle
“The only way of finding a solution is to
fight back, to move, to
run, and to control that
pressure.”
- Rafeal Nadal
“Ask not what your
teammates can do for
you. Ask what you
can do for your teammates.”
- Magic Johnson
Page 15
Spinnaker
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
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