Issue 14 - Spring Hill College

Transcription

Issue 14 - Spring Hill College
Rock ‘n’ Roll all night long! Ballin’ Badgers!
Louisville-based band Velcro Pygmieswill be playing at Soul Kitchen all
weekend long.
Details on page 11.
SHC dishes up a win against
Dillard this past Saturday, extending the conference winning streak to six games.
SpringHillian
Details on page 16.
The
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
Volume 88, Number 14
Mobile’s First Collegiate Newspaper
Thursday, February 19, 2009
SHC Treasures:
The future of
advertising
could use text
messaging
Stan Galle Field
truly is a field of
dreams
Stan Galle Field has
hosted baseball games
since 1889 and has been
played on by many baseball greats.
Pizza Hut, McDonald’s
and Dunkin’ Donuts
are all on the forefront
of using text messaging
to convey promotions in
advertisements.
ADAM PFAFF
Advertising Manager
Since the economy’s
downturn in late 2008, company
heads have started to reevaluate
their budgets across the
board. Some of these affected
companies have decided to
begin layoffs while others
have changed their production
strategies. The largest area of
company spending that seems
to have been affected, however,
is advertising.
The downshift among
many companies’ incomes
have spawned new attitudes
towards advertising and where
ad money is going, so it is no
surprise that certain companies
have decided to try an all new
frontier for advertising: mobile
media.
Two companies in general,
Google and America Online,
have recently added mobile
See Promotions page 2.
Photo by Maria Walser
SHC has a new Mardi Gras King and Queen!
S
eniors Kiernan Ambrose and Luisa Gomez were crowned Mardi Gras King
and Queen this past Friday, Feb. 13, 2009, at the CPB-sponsored event. Students rocked out to the sounds of Kung Pow from Nashville, Tenn.
SHC students win big at the ADDYs
SHC students Jacqueline Cherigo,
Veronica Morton and Doug Bruce
take home awards from the American Advertising Federation.
ELIZABETH FARREN
News Editor
On Saturday, Feb. 7, three Spring Hill
College students were awarded for their
artistic abilities at the American Advertising
Federation’s (AAF) ADDY Awards, which
were held at the historic Saenger Theater
in downtown Mobile. According to the
ADDY Web site, the awards are “the
advertising industry’s largest and most
representative competition, attracting over
50,000 entries every year in local ADDY
competitions. The mission of the ADDY competition
is to recognize and reward creative
excellence in the art of advertising.
Conducted annually by AAF, the local
ADDY Awards are the first of a threetier, national competition. Concurrently,
all across the country, local entrants vie
for recognition as the very best in their
markets. At the second tier, local winners
compete against other winners in one of
14 district competitions. District winners
See Advertising page 3.
DEVIN GOLDEN
Sports Reporter
One of Spring Hill
College’s oldest treasures
on campus is not academic
related nor does it involve
even the opening of a book.
This treasure involves the
crack of aluminum against a
baseball and the pop of a glove,
where the Spring Hill College
baseball field has stood since
the 1800s.
The baseball field, named
Stan Galle Field after the man
Stan Galle coached at Spring
Hill for 26 years, is the oldest
continually used
college
baseball field in the nation,
and it has one of the richest
histories with tales of former
baseball greats playing pickup
games. The most famous tale
is of Babe Ruth taking a trip to
the College and hitting a home
run in the field, adding to its
lore, but there are other views
of the story that say otherwise.
See Baseball page 2.
News
2 THE SPRINGHILLIAN Thursday, February 19, 2009 Promotions target consumers via text messaging
Continued from page 1.
media outputs to their already
staggering territory.
In 2007, AOL purchased
the mobile media company
Third Screen Media that
specializes in everything
from mobile web browsers
to actual text message
advertising, two new ideas
that would have been deemed
rather unimportant over a
year ago.
Google
has
also
recently acquired a mobile
media outlet, dMarc, letting
the company focus their
attention toward the growing
epidemic of mobile based
media such as radio stations
and even your integrated
GPS navigation systems.
One of the first ideas
concerning mobile based
advertising came about in
2006 when Google CEO
Eric Schmidt realized that
he was tired of hearing ads
on his radio that seemed
inapplicable to his daily
routine. Schmidt gave the
example at a 2006 press
conference that, “While
driving past a clothing store,
I wish my radio would
remind me to stop in and
purchase the pair of pants
that I need.” He believed that
the frontier for advertising,
within two years, would start
to adopt his beliefs on what
ads should consist of.
It seems as if the
overexposure of certain
advertisements, especially on
radio and television, seem to
be advertising to populations
that are, in all entirety, not
present.
In Mobile, during
a
60-minute
television
segment, it is possible to be
shown advertisements for
companies such as Dave and
Busters, Macy’s and Red
Robin. According to Dave
and Busters’ Web site, their
closest location to the Gulf
Coast area is in Marietta,
Ga. This location, according
to MapQuest’s Web site, is
more than 300 miles away.
To many advertisers,
and audiences, the need to
advertise to possible clientele
does not necessarily include
screening ads in areas
that would not spawn any
revenue.
This fact is exactly
what dMarc is planning on
changing. With all of the
capabilities that Google
has within their grasp,
they are looking to create a
radio channel that would be
dedicated to bringing local
advertisements to listeners,
thus supplying advertisers
with a more localized
audience. Radio stations, however,
are only the beginning of this
new advertising territory. Companies like Third Screen
Media are looking to become
even more personal with
customers, letting them hold
ads right in the palm of their
hands.
The trend of mobile
media devices, such as
iPods, iPhones, Blackberrys
and the plethora of “3G
capable” smartphones on the
market have opened up new
possibilities for advertisers. Now, a person does not
have to be sitting in front of
their computer or listening
to the radio just to receive
their daily dose of media. Companies such as The New
York Times, ESPN, USA
Today and even Verizon
Wireless dove headfirst into
the frontier of mobile media
networks. These companies
already have ads streaming
across the heads of multiple
mobile internet browsers and
are even looking towards the
next step.
Dallas based company
Pizza Hut is possibly the most
“mobile friendly” company
to date. The pizza chain has
been allowing customers
to order through personal
Internet connections for
over two years, and now,
customers have even more
choices. Certain Pizza Hut
locations have now started
to allow customers to place
orders through their mobile
web browsers as well as
through text messages.
Text messages seem to
be the future for advertisers.
With companies such as
McDonalds and Dunkin
Donuts already completing
successful text message
campaigns, it seems like
the obvious outlet for more
companies. The fact that
a local business can send
you a text message offering
special discount codes or
informing their patrons
about the day’s specials is an
ability that is unparalleled
when it comes to trying to
reach the source of one’s
clientele. There is no
other medium that is more
personal or more immediate
that a text massage sent to
someone’s personal media
device, and for companies
like McDonalds and Pizza
Hut, the core consumer is
where they want messages
to go.
The positive aspects of
text message advertisements
and promotions are that
they are immediate and
fairly inexpensive overall. With ads for a 30-second
slot during the Super Bowl
coming in at around $3
million, a 10-cent text
message to a couple hundred
people in a given area seems
all too reasonable.
The problem with said
advertisements, however, is
the fact that these companies
get the phone numbers from
databases containing lists of
subscribers, being only the
people that are willing to
receive these spontaneous
messages. These databases
are also mainly compiled of
European subscribers since
text message ads are already
very popular in European
countries.
Over the coming months,
other companies are going to
be adopting this new strategy
of more personal advertising
campaigns, looking to make
better investments on the
behalf of their ad budgets.
So be on lookout for
better ads over the radio
waves, more ads on the top
of your mobile web browser
and special offers right in the
palm of your hand.
Baseball legends visit Stan Galle Field
Continued from page 1.
Charles J. Boyle wrote the book Gleanings – from
the Spring Hill College Archives and offered an
account of the story that would say Babe Ruth in
fact did not play at Stan Galle Field. In short, he
states that Ruth played in what is now the parking
lot behind the East Wing of the Administration
Building and actually hit a home run into what is
now the baseball field.
Regardless of the right account, the field
has been a continual campus monument, and
when head baseball coach Frank Sims hears
a mention of the possibility of tearing the field
down, he offers the distinction of making the
field a landmark. “It is the jewel of the campus,”
said Sims. “When someone tours the campus, the
field is right there with the church and chapel for
the grandeur and lore.”
The field was first used for intercollegiate
games in 1889, and has the unique distinction of
being built directly next to the Administration
Building. Another of the unique natures of the
treasure is the closeness of the fans to the field.
There are no bleachers running along the right
field line, and only one set of bleachers along the
left field line, so fans must find seating along the
pathway. Fans are even allowed to find seating
atop the home dugout. Coach Sims commented
that opposing players always remember playing
at Spring Hill because of the field and the close
proximity of the fans to the actual game.
“A lot of coaches say this is their favorite
place to play,” said Sims. “The place oozes
with character. I don’t know how else to say it.”
Coach Sims said that sometimes after practice
or a game, he is the last one off the field, and
there’s a sunset handing over the outfield fence
to the west, casting a certain shadow over the
historic treasure of Spring Hill. “It’s a warm and
wonderful feeling. I can’t even begin to explain
it,” said Sims.
News
Day & Date
Thursday, February 19, 2009 THE SPRINGHILLIAN 3
This Week at Spring Hill College...
Event
Time
Location
Contact Person
5 p.m.
6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
7 p.m.
9:00 p.m.
Outlaw Recreation
Eichold Gallery
Outlaw Rec
St. Joseph Chapel
www.shcbadgers.com
Wanda Sullivan, [email protected]
www.shcbadgers.com
Campus Ministry Office 380-3495
Colten Brio, [email protected]
Admissions: Senior Visit Day
Baseball vs. Mobile
8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
6 p.m.
Gautrelet Room
Stan Galle Field
Brandi Lyndall, [email protected]
www.shcbadgers.com
Saturday,
February 21, 2009
SGA Senatorial Electional Filling Period Begins
Baseball vs. Mobile
Ladies Basketball vs. LSU - S
Men’s Basketball vs. LSU - S
Unspecified
1 p.m.
TBA
7:00 p.m.
Unspecified
Stan Galle Field
Outlaw Recreation
Outlaw Recreation
Colten Brio, [email protected]
www.shcbadgers.com
www.shcbadgers.com
www.shcbadgers.com
Sunday,
February 22, 2009
Ministry: Community Mass
11 a.m.
St. Joseph Chapel
Campus Ministry Office 380-3495
Wednesday,
Ministry: Ash Wednesday Mass
Ministry: Ash Wednesday Mass
12:15 p.m.
9:00 p.m.
St. Joseph Chapel
St. Joseph Chapel
Campus Ministry Office 380-3495
Campus Ministry Office 380-3495
Thursday,
February 19, 2009
Ladies Basketball vs. Tougaloo
Steve Strickland Art Reception
Men’s Basketball vs. Tougaloo
Ministry: Praise and Worship
Campaigning for SGA Elections begins
Friday,
February 20, 2009
February 25, 2009
SPecial Notices: Mardi Gras Break is Monday, Feb. 23 through Wednesday, Feb. 25. Classes resume on Thursday, Feb. 26 at 8:15 a.m.
Advertising organization honors SHC students at ADDYs
Continued from page 1.
are then forwarded to the thirdtier, the national ADDY Awards
competition.”
The Bay Area Advertising hosted
the event. Jacqueline Cherigo, a
junior from Robertsdale, Ala., won
for her work titled “Jacqueline
Cherigo Personal Logo.” She was
awarded the Student Silver ADDY
award. When asked about her work,
Cherigo says “My logo was my last
assignment for Graphic Design
I, and I was supposed to make a
personal logo that fit in a square
boundary using my initials. I was
playing around with the composition
one night for a few hours until I had
a breakthrough. It’s one of those
‘aha!’ moments like Janden says. It
just clicked and I was happy with it.
Janden’s reaction was my favorite
because she just loved it. She’s the
one who talked me into entering it
for the ADDYs. I did, and I won
which is awesome. I was honored
to be recognized among others for
my creativity and design.”
Veronica
Morton,
senior
communication arts major from
Mobile, Ala., won a Student
Silver ADDY for her work on
“Funky,” a poster displaying color
contrasts. When asked about her
piece “Funky,” Morton said, “My
inspiration for my piece Funky
was to combine different color
combinations that complimented
one another and also contrasted
with one another. I chose colors
that I liked and thought reflected
my personality and name while
staying within the assignment. I
really enjoyed seeing all the bright
and dull colors.” Morton continued by telling
her experience of entering the
competition. “When I entered the
ADDY awards I was not expecting
to win. I only entered to gain some
exposure and to see what would
happen. When Janden Richards, my
instructor, told me I was one of the
winners I thought she was joking
with me but when she assured me
that she was serious I was awed
and flattered. Winning an ADDY
and being recognized by a group
of professionals assured me of my
skills as an artist. It made me want
to strive to be better in the career of
Graphic Design.”
Doug Bruce, a junior electronic
media from Milwaukee, Wis., and
founder of Doug Bruce Productions,
came home with two awards. He
won a gold student ADDY for his
production of the “BRENN Band
EP Release Video.” When asked
about his experience with the
ADDYs and his video, Bruce said,
“The ADDYs provide an incredible
opportunity for students to not only
display and critique their work, but
to see the work of other students
and professionals. For those who
volunteer as assistants to those who
work as judges, the commentary
they hear is invaluable.”
He explained the production
of his video: “I submitted work
that involved the use of graphics,
sound and video. The piece won
a Student Gold ADDY and the
‘student best of show’ award. It was
submitted in Interactive marketing
- online advertising category. I
produced a promotional video
in Nashville for a band named
BRENN to advertise their newest
EP on websites. It was shot in HD,
with four cameras, including a jib
crane. This kind of production
is much different than any other
type of graphic production, but at
the same time, all types of work
that are successful in advertising
require a lot of care and thought,
and sometimes even revisions to
make them successful.”
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Our 2 & 3 bedroom
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4 THE SPRINGHILLIAN Thursday, February 19, 2009 News
Revised stimulus plan passed by Congress
Questions answered
for students about the
stimulus plan and the
changes.
ELIZABETH FARREN
News Editor
On Feb. 17, Congress
passed a revised stimulus
bill placing new restrictions
on top executives at many
United States corporations. Many corporate executives
are giving an annual bonus
based on their performance
for the previous year.
The original stimulus
plan came into effect with
five main goals. The first
goal is to create, promote
and preserve jobs. The
second goal is to help those
who are most affected by the
recession. The third goal is
for the government to invest
in sciences and technologies
that will boost the economy. The fourth goal of the stimulus
plan is for the government
to invest in transportation,
environmental
protection
and other infrastructure with
long-term economic benefits.
The fifth goal of the stimulus
plan is to stabilize the
local and state government
budgets.
All of the five
main goals have a long-term
economic goal in mind. So then the question
arises: “How does this plan
help the consumer?” The
first change begins with
income taxes for 2009. The
tax credit is as high as $400
for individuals and $800 for
married couples that are filing
joint tax returns. However,
not all individuals or couples
are eligible for a tax credit. Persons who make more than
$75,000 and couples who
make more than $150,000
will not have an opportunity
at a tax credit. Employers
have the option of having
your tax credit slowly added for new car owners. With maximum and minimum
into your account through the the purchase of a new amounts for students will be
course of a year. car, recreational vehicle, adjusted. Each student will
The second change is motorcycle or lightweight be affected differently. The
to unemployment. The plan truck the consumer purchasing next change is for higher
allows for more people to be the vehicle would not have to education students. This
eligible for unemployment. pay sales tax. The vehicle to credit is for lower income
Those
already
students who are
receiving benefits
paying their way
will no longer have
through college: in
to pay taxes on the
order to participate,
first $2,400 they
the student must
receive pay at least $4,000
The
third
dollars in education
change is to health
tuition and fees to
insurance, which is
receive the whole
almost directly in line
$2,500 in benefits.
with unemployment.
In addition to
The government is
higher education
now setting it up so
rules
changing,
that they will cover
so are 529 plans. 65 percent of the
Previous to this
premium if a recently
stimulus
plan
fired
consumer
only room, board,
chooses
COBRA
books and tuition
following the loss of
were
covered;
their job. According
now, computers
to the United States
and
computer
Department
of
technology are all
Labor,
COBRA
covered. (Consolidated
For first-time
Omnibus
Budget
homebuyers, there
Reconciliation Act) are brand new
is to “provide certain
benefits, besides
former employees,
having a place that
retirees,
spouses,
is all your own. former spouses and
If the home is
dependent children
purchased between
the right to temporary
Photos/graphics courtesy of Google images Jan. 1 and Dec. 31
continuation
of
of this year, the
President
Obama
signed
the
stimulus
bill
this
health coverage at
owner or owners
group rates. This past Tuesday.
is eligible for a
coverage, however, is only be purchased must be new, tax credit up to 10 percent of
available when coverage is not used. Most of the time your home or up to $8,000. lost due to certain specific state sales taxes run between Anyone who now
events.” They are not six and seven percent. Again takes public transportation
eligible for this assistance if this change has a few strings. to work can speak with
they make over $125,000 for One cannot receive sales tax their
employers
about
individuals or $250,000 for breaks if he makes above setting aside more premarried couples from other $125,000 or $250,000 for tax money from their
sources of income. a married couple annually; income to cover the cost of
The fourth change also, if the vehicle costs traveling. Previous to this
comes through the Social above $49,500, the purchaser act, the amount for public
Security
Administration. cannot take advantage of this transportation commuters
This year, people receiving break. was $120 per month; now,
income from Social Security As
mentioned
in it is up to $230 per month. could receive a $250 check. an earlier edition of The The final change for the
The next change is SpringHillian, Pell grant everyday citizen is the ability
to avoid the Alternative
Minimum Tax. The idea is
that if one avoided the tax
last year, one should be able
to do it again. With this new stimulus
plan, Congress and the
House of Representatives
are hoping this will help
boost our economy.
With the arrival of a
new stimulus plan, many
Americans are wondering
what happened to all of the
emergency funding awarded
to many banks. Following
the first bailout plan for
America’s corporations, the
Associated Press discovered
and reported that many
companies who received
government aid refused to
share just how they were
spending the money. As a
result Congress is enforcing
new rules for the recipients
of the bailout money
previously and to come. The companies will
now be forced to report how
they spend the money. They
will be notified that they can
no longer spend the money
in certain specific ways,
including lobbying and
political advances. The new
restrictions also reinforce
the goal of the bailout: to
credit the nation’s financial
companies and find more
support for lending to help
the American consumer. Sen. Dianne Feinstein,
a Democrat from Calif., said
“At present, we don’t know
whether these companies
are using these funds to
fly on private jets, attend
lavish conferences or lobby
Congress.” Several congressmen
are worried about banks’
requests for more money. For example, Sen. Jon Tester,
a Democrat from Mont., is
specifically worried about
banks using the money to
consolidate. News
Thursday, February 19, 2009 THE SPRINGHILLIAN 5
‘Out and About’ in Mobile? New places to try... February’s
Check out these activities in downtown Mobile
that are fun and sometimes free! Check out the
Web sites for these events
and venues and get out
there!
ADDIE BRANNIN
Contributing Writer
AND
LINDSEY PETERSON
(Co) Editor In Chief
LODA Art Walks:
Every second Friday
of the month. The next
one will be on March 13,
2009. Shops are open late
with music, art, food, wine,
beverages and entertainment!
Taste Wine Bar:
Located on Old Shell
Road. Saturdays feature
$10 wine and tapas tastings.
Club Insanity:
(Don’t
be
fooled
by the name!) Thursday
Special: $3 cover for $1
Miller Lite, $1 Coors
Light, $1 Well Drinks. If
you are under 21, it is $5.
Serdas Coffee House: They have live music
on Fridays and Saturdays
from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. They
also serve food, ice cream
and have a small bar with a
“Happy Hour” from 4 p.m.
to 7 p.m. that takes $1 off
domestic beers, $3 off well
drinks and $5 off martinis
Monday through Friday.
Head downtown to check
them out!
Crescent Theater
Downtown:
An independent film
theater that also serves food
and beverages. Sundays: Café 615 Champagne Brunch:
Choose from a handful of
delicious brunch entrées
for about $20 and add
bottomless champagne for
just $3 per person. There is
also live music on the lanai.
Brunch is served from 11
a.m. to 3 p.m. Reservations
suggested.
Blind Mule:
Thursdays are “ladies’
night!” They have $2.50
wine, and half off appetizers
from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Thursdays are also iPod
night. Bring your play list
and sign up to have it played
throughout the night.
Space 301:
It is a very modern,
fun art gallery and reception
venue. Art exhibits and
art-opening receptions are
free. They are open from
Wednesday through Saturday,
from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and
Sundays, from 12 p.m. to
5 p.m. They are closed on
Mondays, Tuesdays and
major holidays.
Saenger Theater:
This old-time theater
hosts various plays, concerts
and speakers throughout the
year, along with performances
from the Mobile Symphony
and Opera.
Mardi Gras parades and events around Mobile!
It’s Mardi Gras time! If students are around Mobile this break, check out
some free parades. After all, Mardi Gras is but once a year! The schedule
is as follows but subject to rain delays and cancellations.
ADDIE BRANNIN
Contributing Writer
AND
LINDSEY PETERSON
(Co) Editor In Chief
Thursday, Feb. 19, 2009. 6:30 p.m. - Mystic Striper Parade
Friday, Feb. 20, 2009.
6:30 p.m. - Crewe of Columbus Parade
Saturday, Feb. 21, 2009.
12:00 p.m. - Floral Parade 12:30 p.m. - Knights of Mobile Parade 1:00 p.m. - Order of Angels Parade 6:00 p.m. - Mystics of Time Parade 6:30 p.m. - Coronation of Queen to King Felix III
Sunday, Feb. 22, 2009. (Joe Cain Day)
1:00 p.m. - Arrival of King Elexis I
2:30 p.m. - Joe Cain Parade 5:00 p.m. - Le Krewe de Bienville Parade 5:30 p.m. - Les Femmes Cassettes Parade 8:15 p.m. - Coronation of King Elexis
Monday, Feb. 23, 2009. 11:00 a.m. - Arrival of King Felix III
12:00 p.m. - King’s Parade and Floral Parade 3:00 p.m. - MLK Business and Civic Organization Parade
3:30 p.m. - MLK Monday Mystics Parade
4:00 p.m. - Northside Merchants Parade
6:30 p.m. - Infant Mystics Parade Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2009. (Fat Tuesday)
10:30 a.m. - Order of Athena Parade 12:30 p.m. - Knights of Revelry Parade 1:00 p.m. - King Felix Parade 1:30 p.m. - Comic Cowboys Parade 2:00 p.m. - Mobile Area Mardi Gras Association
6:30 p.m. - Order of Myths Parade
Public Safety Reports
February’s reports for
Spring Hill College’s campus entailed below. Courtesy of James Crosby.
•At 11:08 a.m. on Feb. 1,
2009, a student noticed that
her vehicle had a dent and
scratches on its exterior. At
9:30 p.m. on Jan. 31, 2009,
she had parked her vehicle in
the Mobile Hall parking lot. On the morning of Feb. 1,
2009, she drove her vehicle to
the New Residence Hall and
parked it. She did not know
how, by whom or where the
damage had occurred.
•At approximately 10:00 p.m.
on Feb. 3, 2009, a student
parked his vehicle in the parking lot at Fairway Apartments. When he returned to his vehicle at 11:56 a.m. on Feb. 4,
2009, he noticed that his vehicle had sustained damage
to the lower left rear quarter
panel and rear bumper. There
was evidence of white paint
on the damaged areas.
•At 10:56 p.m. on Feb. 5,
2009, a student was attempting to enter campus at the Old
Shell Road gate entrance. A
black pickup truck (driver
unknown) hit the left rear tail
light assembly and the left
quarter panel on the student’s
vehicle. The driver of the
pickup truck left the scene of
the accident. The Mobile Police Department is conducting
an investigation. •At 3:41 p.m. on Feb. 7,
2009, a college staff member
advised that someone had removed a table (six foot long)
from the hallway basement of
the Arthur Outlaw Recreation
Center. The table was last seen
at approximately midnight on
Friday, Feb. 6, 2009. 6 The SpringHillian
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Opinions & EDITORIALS
Letter from the Editor: The American value is diminishing
In Ashley Robinson’s
column, she discusses
the effects of a disappearing childhood.
ASHLEY ROBINSON
(Co) Editor in Chief
Have you ever wondered
what you will become after
these hard years of college
have finally concluded? I’m
sure you have at times in your
life, most likely beginning
around age six. Nowadays
people seem to be losing faith
in work.
A few days ago my
eyes fixated on a simple
commercial where a five-yearold boy crawled around on
the floor pushing a toy dump
truck round and round. My
initial thoughts were, “What
is that little boy thinking at
that moment (assuming he is
not an actor but in a regular
life scenario)? What does he
want to be at that age when he
becomes an adult? Are the toys
he is playing with at that age
affecting his career choices?”
As I thought about the
smiling young boy so enthused
with his truck, I started to
associate these questions with
three things: why Americans
are losing the value of work,
outsourcing and degrees that
rank the highest in colleges.
Yeah, I know I think too much
into commercials, but, hey,
don’t you think subliminal
messages are everywhere?
How have kids today
changed their choice of
amusements from those choices
of our parents’ generation?
Kids at age six (in most cases
I have witnessed) are no
longer playing with noisy fire
trucks or dump trucks, they
are playing the Wii, Grand
Theft Auto, combat games,
hand held electronic games,
iPhones, iPods and only God
knows what else. What is the
difference, you are wondering,
and don’t these electronic
games incorporate hand-eye
coordination and push a sense
of learning to some extent?
Here’s the difference.
When you were six, that dump
truck was everything to you. It
could carry dirt, rocks and sticks
and run over mud puddles and
create a huge mess that your
mom would eventually scold
you for. But in the end what
you were really absorbing from
that dump truck was a sense of
worth. That truck was a job.
You understood the value of
its capabilities and knew that
one day you could possibly
grow up to drive and operate
a real dump truck. My point is
that it was creating a dream for
that young boy and a mindset
of work. Electronic games can
be great as long as they teach
a value, like word puzzles,
online checkers or chess,
spelling games or any other
game where you are being
taught not only to react but to
use your intelligence and grow.
But as for blowing up buildings
or playing online pool, we are
not learning anything. We
are excluding ourselves from
the knowledge of work and
interaction with others. That
hands-on relationship learned
with the dump truck is lost
and is replaced with a social
barrier that is learned when
gluing one’s self to a computer
all day. People no longer know
how to spell things or do basic
math because of all the readily
available technology doing
See Technology page 7.
Letter from the Editor: Confessions from a true shopaholic
In Lindsey Peterson’s
column, she discusses
the dark secrets of frequently shopping.
LINDSEY PETERSON
(Co) Editor in Chief
“Oh my gosh, Lindsey,
they made a movie about
you!” said my mother after
she saw the first previews for
the new movie Confessions
of a Shopaholic. I think that
if I had been in a television
show, that would have been
the moment that I looked
directly into the camera
with an awkward wow-thatreally-is-me moment.
Like just this weekend, I
hit up a few outlet stores for
a to-die-for pair of fish scaleinspired, leather high heels that
were the most beautiful shade
of turquoise. I also snagged a
cute skirt and charming gold
chain necklace.
No, I don’t always go
for Hermes, Versace, Bulgari
or Christian Lacroix; maybe
the occasional Michael Kors,
Prada and 7 for All Mankind.
I always ask myself, what
is it about shopping that I
love? The thrill of buying
something really pretty, or
wearing something that is
really pretty, or the worst,
buying something to just
look at it? Eww, that really is
the worst.
My philosophy is that
if you buy it just to look at
it because you don’t want
to ruin it because it was
entirely too expensive, then
you can’t afford it. I go by
that rule!
I could not really tell
you the thrill that is shopping.
It could be that extremely
trendy music that stores have
playing. The songs that make
you feel really sexy when
you try on ugly clothes. Then
the sales lady says, “Oh my
goodness, I have the best pair
of heels to go with that!” You
say, “Oh, I need new shoes!”
But I don’t. Then, you put
the heels on and then prance
around the fitting room like
you’re some kind of model
because the sales ladies are
like, “Wow, that really looks
good on you; like really.”
Oh, the horror of getting
an ugly “final-sale” frock that
you bought after being caught
up in the moment. At least the
shoes were cute because, after
all, shoes are always cute.
I should know better, I
used to be a sales assistant. I
digress.
Nevertheless, and in all
seriousness, being a shopaholic
can be rather dangerous. Yes,
you will always look fierce,
fabulous and bananas, but if not
kept under control, it can allow
you to run out of funds to pay
bills and become financially
irresponsible. I always make
sure that I can afford to pay all
of my bills before I set out for
a productive and therapeutic
day of shopping.
So, if any lady out there
has paid their bills for the
month already, call me and
we’ll do lunch and some
boutique-ing!
The
SpringHillian
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
Mobile’s First
Collegiate Newspaper
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: (251) 380-3850
or 380-3840
FAX: (251) 460-2185
Editor in Chief
Lindsey Peterson
[email protected]
Editor in Chief
Ashley Robinson
[email protected]
News Editor
Elizabeth Farren
[email protected]
Opinions & Editorial Editor
Stacie Taylor
[email protected]
Life and Culture Editor
Kate Griffith
[email protected]
Sports Editor
Eric Quintana
[email protected]
Sports Reporter
Devin Golden
[email protected]
Photographer
Maria Walser
[email protected]
Advertising Manager
Adam Pfaff
[email protected]
Advisor
Stuart Babington
[email protected]
Publisher
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Opinions & EDITORIALS
Thursday, February 19, 2009 The SpringHillian
7
Laissez les bon temps rouler? Technology hinders the youth of today
Columnist Stacie Taylor
contemplates the fun in
Mardi Gras.
STACIE TAYLOR
Op/Ed Editor
Frankly, I have never
understood the attraction of
Mardi Gras. I place no stock
in the allure of plastic beads,
the power of the plushies or
the magic of the MoonPie.
Unfortunately, I live in the
heart of the madness.
I actually discovered that
Mardi Gras has a rich history,
dating all the way back to
the French colonization.
However, this Southern
holiday has wandered far from
its roots. Contemporary Mardi
Gras in Mobile is outrageous.
Festivities carry on for several
weeks, with parades every
night, wet or dry. Often, parade
organizations also host Mardi
Gras balls, each with its own
court and call-outs.
Attending parades is not
for the faint-of-heart. As I’ve
learned firsthand, it is not a
spectator sport. Parade-goers
camp out to get that perfect
spot behind the barricades,
only to be pelted with beads,
MoonPies, coins and cups.
Alcoholic beverages are also
often in abundance, resulting
in spills and increasingly
confrontational individuals.
Is a MoonPie really worth
fighting over?
Mardi Gras doesn’t reach
its peak until its final days
over Mardi Gras weekend.
There are close to 50 events
in Mobile beginning Feb. 20
and continuing through Fat
Tuesday. For most people,
the essence of Mardi Gras
is contained in one simple
phrase: “Laissez les bon
temps rouler.” But keep in
mind it’s also crucial to live
and let go—literally.
Continued from page 6.
it for us! I guess you
can call me old-fashioned,
but I bet you didn’t think
about that American dump
truck driver building a
skyscraper that will create
60,000 jobs for its town,
now did you? Leading into
my second point, I’d like
to ask why we have given
so many jobs to laborers
overseas. Oneword: outsourcing.
Where do I begin? Why
has America given away
so many jobs that are so
vital to the growth of our
nation? Before I go on a
rampage of opinion, let me
just give you the facts and
let you decide. According
to Time Magazine, “The
Department of Labor
estimates
the
North
American Free Trade
Agreement or NAFTA was
responsible for the loss of
more than 500,000 U.S.
jobs between 1994 and
2002.” In 2004, 406,000
jobs were outsourced.
According to Forrester
Research, a technology and
market research company,
“At least 3.3 million
white-collar jobs and $136
billion in wages will shift
from the United States
to low-cost countries by
2015.” Unfortunately, upto-date statistics have not
been readily available,
but I can only imagine
how much these numbers
have grown. So many
jobs that Americans could
fill are being shipped
away (literally) to other
countries. My last point in
defending the toy dump
truck has simply to
do with the number of
business majors these
days. According to the
National
Center
for
Educational Statistics, “Of
the 1,485,000 bachelor’s
degrees conferred in 2005–
06, the largest numbers of
degrees were conferred
in the fields of business
(318,000).” I have five
friends that are getting a
business degree. Four of
those five friends have no
idea what they want to do
after college. Why do so
many business majors not
know what they want to
do after college?
Are kids feeling like
they must go to college in
order to sustain an ideal
way of life? Once they
get to college, do they
have an idea of what they
want to become or are
they just going to college
because they feel a dump
truck driver job will not
uphold the standard of
living which they desire?
But my question still
remains, is this desirable
way of life (one which
I’m sure entails lots of
technology) really helping
us or is it hindering us
from becoming American
workers? Columnist explains the importance of speaking your mind
Contributing writer Tyrone
Barnes conveys the effect of
words as weapons.
TYRONE BARNES
Contributing Writer
Salutations,
SpringHillians! This is your captain flying in this
week to take you onto the wings
of my mind and into my world of
clever nonsense and suggestions for
healthy living. But hang on tight,
passengers. I have a feeling that our
topic for today may send us crashing
straight into… ourselves? But don’t
let your brain turn to mush just yet…
we haven’t done our story.
Tasmanillian (possibly the name
of my first unborn child) is over in
Saudi Arabia one weekend trying to
stock up on some oil for anticipation
of gas prices going up once more. In
the midst of his vigorous digging,
Tas (possibly the nickname of
my first unborn child) uncovers a
shiny, golden lamp. Unaware of
the mystical contents within the
treasure, Tas swiftly rubs the dust
off of the lamp as he unknowingly
unleashes a magical genie. The
genie immediately begs the young
Tas to make three wishes as this is
what is to happen when someone
rubs his lamp and interrupts him
from watching the story of his life, “I
Dream of Genie.” Overwhelmed by
this rare opportunity, Tas begins to
make wishes for: for his sister to go
to rehab, a bit of color to be added to
his house, and for a dab of fantasy in
his reality. Ummmm… even though
these seem like pretty vague wishes,
reports indicate that shortly after the
Genie granted these wishes Rihanna
was assaulted, Barack Obama was
elected President and ten additional
reality TV shows were created.
Whew! I thought we were never
going to land from that quirky tale. Now despite the fact that I know you
detected EXACTLY what it was I was
trying to say in the rift raft above, I’ll
expound on it just to humor myself. Words are powerful weapons that
we use strategically to attack the
everyday barriers of communication
(and occasionally the imbecile the
cuts in front of use on the interstate). When we consider this notion, it can
be deduced that our tongue is a sharp
tool that can cut through what IS,
while simultaneously making way
for what COULD BE. That is, there
is a tremendous amount of power in
the simplest things we say, whether
it is about doing well on a big test
or meeting our untimely death from
consuming the shipwrecked contents
from the “pooleteria” (gotta love
Kate G.). The words that we allow
to escape from the borders of our lips
have a significant part in the shaping
of the way in which we conduct
ourselves in the action(s) of which we
speak. As we say these things we are,
in such a way, preparing ourselves
for the event we are creating in our
minds. The event becomes a real-life
threat when we act on the negative
thoughts ruminating in our heads,
and then comes the delineation of
the cliché, “We are our own worst
enemies.” I say that now is the time to
rally up our best thoughts, innovative
ideas, and positive thinking to carpe
diem through, as a distinguished
friend of mine creatively described,
“this harsh, economic landscape.”
It is quite possible to be the
See Time page 8.
8 The SpringHillian
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Opinions & EDITORIALS
Jim’s ‘Six-Pack:’ stock investments
Columnist James Love
suggests six stocks to
watch in 2009.
JAMES LOVE
What are some stocks
that could have strong
2009 performances?
DISCLAIMER:
I
am not liable if you lose
everything in the market.
I am not an economist
(nor do I claim to be) and
I am nothing more than a
recreational stock trader.
AAPL (Apple)
The downside to Apple
is that it does not pay a
dividend to its shareholders.
The upside to Apple is that
it reported strong iPod
sales last quarter despite
the economic landscape.
Last quarter marked record
revenue (just over $10
billion) and earnings for
the tech giant. The talk of
introducing a $99 iPhone is
seen by many investors as
an opportunity for Apple to
reach a larger market and
that will likely send share
prices higher.
MO (Altria)
Altria has always had a
dominant share in the U.S.
tobacco market and that only
got larger when it acquired
UST (a smokeless tobacco
giant) last month. Vice
stocks usually heavily over
achieve the market during
recessions; on average
have outperformed the
Contributing Writer
S&P by 12 percent during
the last six recessions. This
stock has an eight percent
yield and will continue to
pay this strong dividend.
Finally, like most stocks, it
is near its 52-week low of
$14.34 and is a great buying
opportunity
right
low
despite the looming federal
cigarette tax increase.
BA (Boeing)
Boeing is trading at
the same price as it was 13
years ago. The stock has
plummeted from a high of
above $100 a share in late
2007 to around $40 today.
Shares were rocked because
the economy has led to
less travel and airlines are
strapped because of the oil
price spike last summer.
Boeing has seen its sales
and profits triple over their
levels from 1995-1996,
yet it trades at the same
price. Boeing is oversold
at this price and shares
should go up in advance of
the expected debut of the
787 Dreamliner in the first
quarter of 2010.
CVX (Chevron)
Despite a volatile
2008 for gas and oil prices,
Chevron’s net income
increased 28 percent over
2007. The stock yields 3.73
percent and is well off of
the high price it attained
last spring. If the economy
improves globally (the
global economy cannot get
much worse than it is now)
Time to rally up some innovative ideas
Continued from page 7.
solution to your own problems by proudly
and publicly announcing that you are
fully capable of doing such things. If you
like to hear yourself talk, then trust me…
this is the way to go. By establishing a
conducive environment for success and
happiness to thrive within your mind,
“Coffee Talk”
crude oil prices will rebound
and share prices across this
from:
sector could go higher.
MCD (McDonald’s)
McDonald’s
has Where students can voice comments, concerns
handled the U.S. and and suggestions about recent issues on campus.
global recession better than
any of the other 30 Dow
companies. Global sales
offee Talk is meant to be a forum for
increased 6.9 percent and
Spring Hill College, a “marketplace of
operating income increased
eight percent in the U.S.
ideas,” if you will.
from 2007 to 2008. Share
prices are just about even
• We welcome your comments that are
compared to one year
ago, which is amazing
submitted face-to-face with a Springconsidering so many stocks
Hillian staff member. Come to our weekly
have posted 50 percentmeetings on Tuesdays and Thursdays or
plus losses in share price
during the same period.
you can set up an appointment through
McDonald’s increased its
[email protected].
dividend in 2008 and it
is currently yielding 3.52
percent.
DE (John Deere)
TOPIC
Between the writing
of this article and the
publishing of this paper,
Deere will release its
“The solicitors that were lurking around camquarterly earnings report. I
pus a few weeks back were creepy! They were
hypothesize that the report
will not be positive. Global
unprofessional and, to be quite frank, the majorcommodity prices are down
ity of them look disheveled and smelt awful!”
and the U.S. Department of
Agriculture is predicting
-Gabi Rivera, 2011
a 20 percent decline in net
farm income (which leaves
farmers less money to spend
on equipment). I have been
“I think that it’s a shame that the ‘salesmen’
nothing but negative so far,
were able to roam in and out of people’s apartbut I believe that Deere
might be an excellent play
ments without anyone getting suspicious.
based on the stimulus
They scammed a good number of students, and
packages that are being
as far as I know, they got away with it.”
passed globally.
you can then project this environment
through your actions with the result being
the positive outcome you foresaw with
the words you initially spoke with your
own mouth. Reach up and pick out a
star friends, any star. By the way, I don’t
think En Vogue was too far off when they
said, “Speak your mind / and the rest will
follow.”
Spring Hill College
C
THIS WEEK’S
:
Solicitation on private campuses
-Patrick Crawford, 2009
NEXT WEEK’S TOPIC:
Fan participation: Does it make
or break the team?
Life & Culture
Thursday, February 19, 2009 The SpringHillian
9 Get to know: Dr. Steven Almquist SHC student publishes
her first book of poems
This new member of the English department adds to the number of SHC
professors who have migrated to the
South from the cold, wintry North.
To promote her new
book, the Multicultural
Student Union will
host a book signing
later this month.
LINDSEY PETERSON
(Co) Editor in Chief
Spring Hill College has a whole slew of
new professors on campus; professor Chris
Dodsworth, professor Michael Ferry, professor
Bradley Tuggle and featured professor Steven
Almquist are all relatively new faces. For me,
what sets Almquist apart is that I was in a class
that he taught during one of his interviewing
sessions.
But enough about that, let’s get to know
Almquist. For starters, Almquist came to
Mobile from North Dakota. Originally, he was
from St. Louis Park, Minn., a suburb that is
located outside of Minneapolis. He has also
lived and taught English in places like St.
Vincent in the Caribbean, as well as Kenya in
eastern Africa.
Almquist received his B.A. in English
from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota;
from there he headed out to the state of North
Dakota to receive his M.A. from the University
of North Dakota. Finally, his last stop in the
mid-West was in Iowa, as he received both his
M.A. and Ph. D. in English from the University
of Iowa. Almquist said, “I declared my
English major my sophomore year in college,”
and added, “I didn’t necessarily know that I
wanted to be a professor, but I really enjoyed
the challenges and rewards of reading, writing
and thinking,” and has thus become one of the
most interesting new professors on campus.
Sudoku
Answers to last week’s Puzzle:
KATE GRIFFITH
Life and Culture Editor
Photo by Maria Walser
If he is not teaching a class, students may
see him taking a swing at a golf ball on the
golf course. He also enjoys winter-weather
sports a great deal, and played ice hockey
for his old high school’s ice hockey team.
Unfortunately for him, Mobile is not the best
place for winter-weather sports, as it does not
get nearly as cold as it does in North Dakota.
He even joked about how his father would
flood the back yard in the midst of winter,
and then it would freeze over to make a mock
skating rink.
Obviously, Almquist teaches in the
English department at SHC and has been here
for just two semesters. He teaches English
Composition, Introduction to Fiction and
Postcolonial Literature this semester. He can
be found in his office in the Rev. Gregory F.
Lucey Administration Center in office 384, or
students can reach him at [email protected].
If any student has a suggestion about
a professor to feature in an upcoming
issue of The SpringHillian, e-mail Lindsey
Peterson at [email protected] or
at [email protected].
Junior Kaiesha Ford
recently published her
first book of poems about
life from an AfricanAmerican perspective. To
honor her achievement,
the Multicultural Student
Union (MSU) is hosting
a book signing event on
Friday, Feb. 27.
Ford began writing
poetry in middle school,
and this book of poems
encompasses her work
since then. Called Issues
We Face: From a Sista’s
Point of View, the poetry
centers on the experiences
of an African-American
today. This is Ford’s first
book of poetry. Many of the
themes focus on personal
racial discrimination Ford
has faced, along with
other general issues in the
African-American
community, such as family
Photo courtesy of Amazon.com
situations and even death.
While her poetry is about
issues specific to the
African-American
community
and
is
written from the AfricanAmerican perspective, the
emotions and thoughts
expressed in her poetry
can have a powerful effect
on people of any race.
Ford wrote her first
poem after artist Aaliyah’s
death, but it was not until
the next year, when she
was in eighth grade, that
her writing really took off.
She was inspired by a Black
History Month program
See Poetry page 10.
S
U
P
M
ID CA EK
CANTDO OF THE WE
PHO
“Sophomore Lynne Fritscher makes the
decision to go ‘green’ at lunch. While the
school builds a ‘green’ campus center, she
does her part in the temporary pooleteria.”
Keep an eye on The SpringHillian to see if
your antics merit mention in the
Candid Campus Photo of the Week.
Life
&
Culture
Poetry night honors Black History Month
10The SpringHillian
Thursday,February19,2009
along with Ford and budding SHC poets
Continued from page 9.
that encouraged students not to change
because of the color of their skin.
Previously, she had been criticized by
teachers, especially young AfricanAmericanteachers,“abouthowIwould
neveramounttoanything.”Shesaidthat
writing poetry allows her to “express
myfeelingsandthoughtswithoutbeing
judged.”Ithasgivenheranoutlettotell
theworld,“Ilovethecolorofmyskin.”
When MSU approached Ford
about the book signing event, Ford
specifically requested that it be held in
February.FordchoseFebruarytofocus
on the importance of Black History
Month. She said that she wrote one of
herpoems,called“I’mNotGivingMy
Black Back,” for African-Americans
who call themselves black but do not
embrace it. Ford finds significance in
holdingtheeventduringBlackHistory
Monthbothasatributetotheinspiration
for her poetry and to honor the “one
month where we specifically embrace
ourheritage.”
MSUissponsoringthebooksigning
aspartofaBlackHistoryMonthPoetry
Night.WhiletheeventwillfeatureFord
and her book, plans for the evening
also include open poetry readings and
a step performance. Rochelle Haylock
said,“Icameupwiththeideaofhaving
a book signing event for Kaiesha Ford
… because I think she would be an
inspiration to others who are talented
likehersothattheyrealizethattheycan
gettheirtalentoutthereaswell.”
The MSU sponsored book signing
willbeheldFriday,Feb.27at.7p.m.in
theNewHalllobby.Ford’sbookwillbe
available for purchase at the event, and
lightsnacksanddrinkswillbeprovided.
Ford’sbookisalsoavailabletoorderfrom
Barnes&NobleorAmazon’sWebsite.
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All about Mardi Gras
Explore some of the
history behind Mobile’s
favorite holiday.
STACIE TAYLOR
Op/Ed Editor
Mobile is home to
the oldest annual carnival
celebrationinAmerica,Mardi
Gras, which began at least 15
years before celebrations in
New Orleans. Today, Mobile
is home to many mystic
organizations who parade
through downtown and host
lavishballs.
Mardi Gras began in
1703, when Mobile was a
colony of French soldiers. The
colonization was celebrated
withthe“MasquedelaMobile”
until 1709, coupled with the
establishment of the Societé
de Saint Louise. This came
to be celebrated annually as a
day for the French colonists to
commemorate their heritage.
More celebrations followed
and the first parade was held on
“TwelfthNight”(Jan.5,theeve
oftheEpiphany)bytheSpanish
Mystics, which also celebrated
the new year. Another parade
wasaddedin1830byMichael
Krafft. The next year they
formed the “Cowbellion de
Rakin Society” and continued
paradingonfoot.
A Mardi Gras closer
to what we know today
emerged in the 1840s when
the Cowbellions hosted their
first pageant and themed
parade, complete with bands
and horses. Several other
mysticorganizationsfollowed,
ricochetingofftheCowbellions,
whodeniedthemmembership.
The Cowbellions proved to
be the premier organization,
holding the first ball in 1852.
By this point, celebrations
extendedwellintothenewyear,
ending around Mardi Gras.
The Cowbellions then
expandedtheirreach,venturing
intoNewOrleanstoformtwo
organizationsthere.Ironically,
the year before, The Bee,
a New Orleans newspaper,
declared Mardi Gras to be
dead. The latter of these two
organizations, the Krewe of
Comus, made many firsts: it
coined the term “krewe” for
a mystic organization, chose
a mythological namesake,
presented a themed parade,
used floats in a parade and
followed it with a ball. The
Cowbellions held their last
paradein1865.
The following year, Joe
Cain made his first appearance
onMardiGrasday,ridingacoal
wagon through town. On his
nextjaunt,hewasaccompanied
by the Lost Cause Minstrels,
comprised of Confederate
Soldiers, and followed by the
OrderoftheMyths.
In less than 150 years,
from 1867-2006, close to 40
mystic organizations were
founded in Mobile, many of
which still parade today. The
legendary Comic Cowboys
debuted in 1884, followed by
the first women’s organization,
the MobileWomen’s Mystics,
in 1890. The first queen was
crowned in 1893 and what is
nowknownastheMobileArea
Mardi Gras Association was
foundedin1939.
Mardi Gras is very
different today than it was
50 years ago, when the Polka
Dots were the first women’s
organization to parade. It is
evenmoresothanitwaswhen
it began in 1703. However,
the most important aspect of
MardiGrasdatesbackcloseto
100 years: the MoonPie made
itsdebutin1917.
Life & Culture
Thursday, February 19, 2009 The SpringHillian
11 Velcro Pygmies, Ugli Stick perform Movie Review: Shopaholic
If you are planning to stay in
Mobile for Mardi Gras, check
out these bands that are playing
in town.
ADAM PFAFF
Advertising Manager
This past weekend seemed to be
dedicated to favorite local musicians
bringing Mardi Gras into Mobile, and
this week is going to be no different. A
couple of good, local bands are hitting
downtown Mobile to help keep the
good times rolling this weekend.
The celebrations for this upcoming
weekend’s Mardi Gras festivities don’t
just start on Friday with the parades;
the real fun begins afterwards, when
The Velcro Pygmies hit the stage at
Soul Kitchen Music Hall. The Pygmies
have been one of Mobile’s most popular
bands, both due to their 80s hair-metal
style music, as well as their somewhat
“different”
appearances.
With
everything from their bleach blonde
mohawked guitarist to the “Johnny
Depp” look-alike bassist, these guys
bring as much energy to the stage as
they do to their makeup application.
The Pygmies may be best known
for their integration of 80s hair-metal
into their original work but they are also
known for their two separate “college”
versions of “Sweet Home Alabama,”
one claiming to be the Bama version,
and another, the Auburn one. Be sure
to rep your team gear to the show so
hopefully they will play your favorite
one. The Velcro Pygmies take the stage
around 11 p.m., but doors open at 9:30
p.m. so get there early for a spot close
to the stage. The cost of the show is
$10 at the door.
If you are in the mood for
something a little bit mellower with
a little bit less eye shadow on Friday
night, right across the street at Grand
Central is your location. The Ugli Stick,
fellow Mobile rockers, will be kicking
off their double-header weekend, with
both shows taking place at Grand
Central. The Ugli Stick represents good
Southern rock, but they also represent
the funkier side of Mobile music. With
a sound that is as much Red Hot Chili
Peppers as it is Lynyrd Skynyrd, these
guys have nailed funky Rock ‘n’ Roll
on its head.
If you are too busy watching the
Pygmies’ show on the other side of
Dauphin Street on Friday night, don’t
worry. The Ugli Stick will be playing
at 11 p.m. on Saturday night; so, with
two nights to choose from, there is no
excuse not to drop by and see these
guys during your Mardi Gras weekend.
Remember, Grand Central is 21 and up,
and expect a cover charge at the door.
Stacie popped into a theater
near you to get the scoop
on the new book-into-movie
Confessions of a Shopaholic.
STACIE TAYLOR
Op/Ed Editor
Confessions of a Shopaholic
is by far the cutest movie to hit
theaters so far this year. It is based
on the series by Sophie Kinsella
which chronicles the adventures
of self-professed journalist and
shopaholic-in-denial
Rebecca
Bloomwood. Rebecca thinks
credit cards are magical and finds
comfort in shopping, racking up
a bill of over $9,000. She then
loses her job, trading gardening
for finance, as she lands a position
at Successful Savings magazine.
Bloomwood knows nothing about
finance and is forced to rely on
Google and Finance for Dummies,
while still becoming a hit at the
magazine. Bloomwood manages
to do all this while falling for her
editor, Luke Brandon.
A review on Hollywood.com
stated that, despite the “real credit
crunch going on,” this movie is
a “hilarious non-stop laughing
spree [that] is worth the price of a
ticket.” Another review in the Los
Angeles Times found Confessions
of a Shopaholic to be “a cleverly
constructed catwalk of a romantic
comedy that’s a lot like that perfect
outfit … Regardless, if the blend
of colors and textures, designer or
not, fits your mood, fits you, you
feel fabulous.”
The characters are as rich and
colorful as the designer clothes that
rule the film. Bloomwood is a witty
young woman on the rise, despite
her mounting debt. Brandon is
appropriately conservative—until
he meets Bloomwood.
This movie features everything
a girl could want in a movie:
comedy, romance, friendship and
fashion. It’s heart-warming, funny
and, yes, cute. It is clearly a “chick
flick,” unless you happen to “speak
Prada.”
Overall,
Confessions
of
a Shopaholic is a wonderful
translation of a British novel into
an American film. It features Isla
Fisher and Hugh Dancy in its lead
roles. Fisher and Dancy are both
established actors. Fisher earned
acclaim as the imbalanced Gloria
in the 2005 hit Wedding Crashers.
Dancy played hunted hunk to
werewolf in Blood and Chocolate.
Deep thought of the week: what’s the value of a vowel?
Kate considers how vowels can communication uses vowels—if it entire language, they’re even worth could either be driven by someone who
more than consonants. Have you ever enjoys winter sports or a physician
have such a big impact on life. consists of grunting like cavemen.
KATE GRIFFITH
Life and Culture Editor
There are a lot of things we take
for granted. As an affluent society
with any number of resources at our
fingertips, we tend to overlook some
of the smaller details. One of the things
we take for granted are vowels.
Yes, vowels. Those pillars of
society, vowels are the glue that
holds our language together. Without
language we would be unable to
communicate and without vowels
we wouldn’t be able to pronounce
our language. Some languages use
fewer vowels than we do, some use
many more, and some don’t seem
to use any at all. Even non-verbal
Vowels help words flow as we
pronounce them in our efforts to
connect to other human beings. They
are the select few of our 26 letter
alphabet. When you’re little and still
learning all those letters, Sesame
Street helps you out by focusing on
one letter per show. You then learn to
differentiate between consonants and
vowels. Of the 26 letters, five are the
special vowels and one is a wannabe.
You know what I’m talking about—
how can “y” sometimes be a vowel?
You’d think it has to be one way or
the other. But “y” breaks those rules.
What a rebel—or poser.
I mean, five letters are vowels
and that makes them pretty special.
Not only are they the glue for the
seen Wheel of Fortune? You can have
any number of letters you want for
free—except vowels. Those you have
to specifically request and pay for:
“I’d like to buy a vowel.” That makes
them special, right?
Apparently not. You have to pay
extra for vowels and maybe that’s
why they’re the first things to go when
you’re writing out your vanity plate.
When you try to fit an entire sentence
onto a license plate which fits eight
characters at the most, the vowels are
always taken out in an effort to make it
all fit. That’s what makes it so difficult
to decipher some of those plates—
they could mean three different things
depending on who’s looking at them.
For example, a car labeled SNOBDR
who thinks too highly of himself.
The vanity plate example is just
one instance when vowels are taken
for granted in our society today.
They should be respected for the vital
role they play in our communicative
efforts, and yet they are thrown by the
wayside whenever the opportunity
presents itself. As Americans, it is
our duty to cease taking vowels for
granted. We should remember that we
are more fortunate than the millions of
people around the world who endure
a shortage of vowels. Let’s not waste
another moment before giving our
vowels the respect they deserve. This week’s column was brought
to you by the letter “y,” neither vowel
nor consonant, but somehow both.
12 The SpringHillian
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Life & Culture
Wacky facts in an unusual tribute to Presidents’ Day
Learn something new
about the men who have
fearlessly, or not, led our
country over the years.
KATE GRIFFITH
Life and Culture Editor
This week, students
begin focusing on the
upcoming Mardi Gras break,
but elsewhere in the country,
people are celebrating the
illustrious leaders of the free
world: America’s presidents.
They are most frequently
honored through sales at car
dealerships and furniture
CARPE DIEM
COFFEE & TEA CO.
MOBILE’S ORIGINAL
EUROPEAN-STYLE
COFFEE HOUSE
Try Our
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Your Loyalty Card
is a lifetime membership
that entitles you to
buy 10 get the 11th FREE
on all drinks!
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www.springhillcoffeeroasters.com
PRESENT YOUR STUDENT ID
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Let your card serve
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(251) 304-0448
WI-FI AVAILABLE!
stores, but this holiday is
also an opportunity to find
out some wacky facts about
our presidents. Enjoy!
Last month, President
Obama was inaugurated the
44th president of the United
States. But did you know
that there have actually only
been 43 presidents? Grover
Cleveland was both the 22nd
and 24th president. He was
elected to two nonconsecutive
terms. And Cleveland is one
of two former presidents to
have a fictional character
share his name; the other is
James Garfield.
Calvin Coolidge, a
rather reticent man, was
given the nickname “Silent
Cal.” His wife once reported
that while at a dinner party,
a woman sitting next to the
president informed him of
a bet she had made with her
friend. She had bet someone
that she could get him to
say more than three words
at dinner. Without even
looking up, he responded,
“You lose.”
The “s” in Harry S
Truman’s name is not an
abbreviation: his middle
name is simply “S.” Both
of his grandfathers’ names
began with that letter and
to appease both sides of the
family his middle name is
simply an initial.
William H. Harrison
is remembered for both the
longest inaugural address
and the shortest term in
office. He caught pneumonia
from standing in the rain
to deliver his hour and 45
minute speech and died
after exactly one month as
president.
Thomas Jefferson began
the custom of shaking hands
with his guests; before his
term in office, people bowed
to presidents.
John Adams started
smoking when he was only
eight years old.
Millard Fillmore did
not read anything except the
Bible until he was 17 years
old. While that might not be
the most interesting fact, it
was worth mentioning that
we had a president named
Millard Fillmore.
The names of both
a candy bar and a stuffed
animal
came
from
presidents: the Baby Ruth
bar was named for one
of Grover Cleveland’s
daughters and the teddy bear
was named after Theodore
Roosevelt.
William Howard Taft
was the largest president. He
weighed over 300 pounds
and got stuck in a White
House bathtub the first time
he used it. He then ordered a
larger one that could fit four
regular sized men.
Our 34th president’s
mother did not want her son
to gather any nicknames,
so she named him Dwight
David Eisenhower. He is
affectionately known as Ike.
At 43 years old, John F.
Kennedy was the youngest
man
elected
president;
however, Teddy Roosevelt
was the youngest man to
become president: he was
42 when he assumed office
after William McKinley’s
assassination.
A few of our presidents
have made big names for
themselves in history, but
you can find any number
of interesting facts about
all of the 43 men who have
held the highest post in the
land. By this point you have
learned something new about
presidents you may never
even realized we had. And
what better way is there to
honor Presidents’ Day?
Restaurant Review: the Shamrock, Rose and Thistle
Find a taste of Britain here in
Mobile at a tearoom that captures European flair without losing that downhome Southern feel.
ANNA PLOVANICH
Contributing Writer
In July 2007, a charming little
tearoom opened its doors to the city
of Mobile. The Shamrock, Rose and
Thistle takes its name from Irish,
English and Scottish influences,
respectively. One of the co-owners,
Bill McGinnis, hails from Yorkshire,
England, which warrants the tearoom’s
authenticity. This, mixed with his wife
Rhonda and sister-in-law Angela’s
Southern heritage, gives the tearoom a
truly unique appeal.
The building itself is roughly
a hundred years old and once stood
downtown near Fort Conde. The quaint
house is painted blue and white and has
a wrap-around porch for outside dining.
As for the interior, a variety of gifts are
on display at the entrance, including
Crabtree & Evelyn products
and British imported edibles. There is also a delightful
player piano and a tea bar
where one can grab a cup of
tea without the formality of
the dining area. Patrons with
more time on their hands are
seated at tables with fresh
flowers, pretty linens and fine
china. The walls are decorated
with beautiful tapestries and
prints, giving the tearoom an
air of whimsy.
Shamrock, Rose and Thistle serves
both lunch and afternoon tea. Over 30
different kinds of teas are available,
varying from Jasmine Oolong to
Windsor Castle black tea. The lunch
menu offers delicious soups, quiche
and sandwiches, while the tea menu
has more of the traditional items. For
instance, the Abbey Garden Formal
afternoon tea comes with fruit, scones,
lemon curd, Devonshire cream, tea
bread, mini-sandwiches and desserts,
quiche, soup or salad and, of course,
Photo by Anna Plovanich
your choice of tea. I recommend Bab’s
quiche, the tomato basil bisque and their
spinach puree sandwich.
Spend
a
lazy
afternoon
at
Shamrock,
Rose
and Thistle and expect to be whisked
away with the European tradition of
teatime. Prices are affordable, service
is friendly and efficient and the fare is
imaginative and delectable. The tearoom
is located at 4513 Old Shell Road and is
open Tuesday through Saturday from 8
a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit their Web site or call
251-343-4669 for more information.
Life & Culture
Thursday,February19,2009The SpringHillian
News You Can Use
13 7-day Weekly Forecast
Thurs.
60/32
Fri.
Partly Cloudy
10%
54/38
Sunny
0%
Sat.
62/34
Mostly Sunny
0%
Sun.
53/37
Sunny
0%
Mon.
Tues.
Wed.
59/46
63/50
68/51
Partly Cloudy Partly Cloudy Mostly Cloudy
10%
10%
10%
Icons courtesy of The Weather Channel Online
WoRd JuMbLe
Sudoku
brackets to unscramble the answer to this week’s joke or riddle.
GOOD LUCK!
numbers 1 through 9. Answers for the puzzle will in next week’s paper.
Directions: Unscramble the words below. Then use the letters in Fill in the grid so that every row, column, and 3x3 box contains the
1. IDGTHEDLE
2. OTANANIL
3. UDSEERPA
4. ERHAEOFD
5. ERAEVW
__ [ ] [ ] __ __ __ __ __ [ ]
[ ] __ __ [ ] __ __ __ [ ]
__ __ [ ] __ [ ] __ __ [ ]
__ [ ] __ [ ] [ ] __ __ __
[ ] __ __ [ ] [ ] __
Why do pictures of George Washington
always show him standing?
Because __ __ __ __ __ __ __
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __.
Last week’s answers:
1. DAPPLED 2. TERRIBLE 3. SIGNAL 4. VERNAL 5. HEARTY
What do you call a very small valentine? A VALENTINY
Establishment
TheGarage
See last week’s answers on page 9.
Downtown Mobile Musings
Entertainment
Localbands
Enticement
Buy1get1freeallnightTues.,
Mon.-Sat. for happy hour
Entry
21andup,nocharge
Pat’s
Livemusicwithlocalbands
$1wellsonWednesday,
PennybeersonThursday
Nocharge
ClubInsanity
Ultra-lounge with DJ music
Playpoolordance
$1MillerLite,CoorsLight
andwellsonWed.&Thurs.
21 and up: $3
under 21: $5
HAPPY MARDI GRAS, MOBILE!
14 The SpringHillian Thursday, February 19, 2009
Baseball team sweeps weekend
conference series against Loyola
The Badgers win seventh straight
game and move to above .500 for the
season after outscoring Loyola 25-8
for the series behind strong starting
pitching.
hitters in the Badgers’ lineup (Hall, Harrison
and Holstein) combined for six hits in the
game and four runs driven in.
In the third game of the series, a game that
was originally scheduled for Friday evening
but was postponed until Sunday afternoon due
to rain, the Badgers finished the sweep with a
9-3 victory. Josh Essington (2-1) got the win
for SHC as the starting pitcher by allowing
three runs, one of which was earned, through
five innings. Michael Bouche came in with
four strong innings of relief and recorded his
first save of the year.
Loyola jumped out to an early 1-0 lead,
but the Badgers took the lead when Holstein
rocked a two-run double in the bottom of the
third inning, and the Badgers stretched their
lead to 5-1 in the fourth inning. They never
lost the lead after that. Hall had three hits,
scored three times and drove in three runs from
the lead-off spot in the lineup. Much like the
second game of the series, the first three hitters
in the SHC lineup (Hall, Ryan Cummings and
Holstein) led the charge with eight hits and
eight RBI combined. Blake Nelson also had
two hits and scored twice.
The starting pitching for the Badgers
combined for 16 2/3 innings through the series
and allowed just three earned runs. This is the
longest winning streak the baseball team has
had since before the 2002 season.
The Badgers will host arch-rival and Gulf
Coast Conference opponent, the University of
Mobile next weekend in a three game series
at Stan Galle Field. The first game will be on
Friday beginning at 6 p.m.
Sports Reporter
The Spring Hill College baseball team
(8-5, 7-5 GCAC) extended its winning streak
to seven games over the weekend with a
conference series sweep of Loyola University
(3-9, 3-6 GCAC).
In the first game of the series, the Badgers
won by a score of 7-3 after closer Todd Kline
came in for his second save of the year with
the bases loaded in the top of the last inning.
The Badgers led by a score of 4-3 heading into
the bottom of the sixth but put up three runs
to give them some breathing room. Starting
pitcher Matt Hasley pitched six and two-thirds
innings, allowing three runs and eight hits.
Offensively, the Badgers were led by
a first inning two-run home run and an RBI
double from designated hitter Javier Cherta
along with a two-run double from right fielder
Ryan Hall. Justin Harrison also had two hits,
a run driven in and crossed the plate twice for
the Badgers.
In the second game of the series, and
the second of a Saturday afternoon double
header, the Badgers routed Loyola by a final
of 9-2. The Badgers jumped out to a 5-0 lead
with three runs in the third inning and two in
the fourth inning to separate
them from Loyola early on.
SHC pitcher Nick Clapper
(1-1) had his first start of the
season, pitching five scoreless
innings and getting the win.
Quinn Nichols came in for
relief with four innings and
only allowing two runs.
First baseman Brad
Holstein led the offense for
the Badgers with a solo home
run to straight away center
and Hall drove in two runs
and had three hits. Second
baseman Pat O’Malley also
Photo by Maria Walser
contributed two runs driven
in and two hits. The first three Josh Essington recorded the win for the Badgers on Sunday.
DEVIN GOLDEN
Sports
Men’s and Women’s
Intramural basketball
Men’s Division 1. The Bomb Squad
2. The Elevators 3. The Knights
4. Lambda Chi 5. Good Guys 6. T-K-E
7. Dudes playing ball
8. TKE-off 9. The Bad Knees Bears 10. Slippery When Wet
11. T.O. Jane Seymour 12. ICONZ 14. Yo No Se
14. Tasty Life
15. The Knights A-Team
16. TKEs that make you chuckle
Record
4-0
4-0
3-1
3-1
2-0
2-1
2-1
1-2
1-2
1-2
1-2
1-2
1-3
1-3
0-3
0-4
Women’s Division 1. Juggernauts 2. Braidy Bunch 3. Badger Ballers
4. Sloppy Seconds
5. Keith’s Ballin’ Beasts
6. Mighty Ducks
7. Off in yo face
8. Young Gunz
Record
2-0
2-0
1-0
1-1
1-1
0-0
0-1
0-4
Note: Records do not reflect games played on
Wednesday night.
Lady Badgers’ basketball team
goes on winning streak
ERIC QUINTANA
Sports Editor
The Lady Badgers
won their second game in a
row Saturday, Feb. 14, after
beating Dillard University
by the score of 75-55.
The Lady Badgers shot
extremely well, shooting 51
percent (24-47) from the
floor and 50 percent (8-16)
from beyond the three point
line.
Seniors Keisha Forbes
and Rashonda Belton each
scored 19 points while
Sharidan Hollis scored 14
of her own. Forbes also
recorded a double-double
with 10 rebounds for her
fifth double-double of the
season.
“We played together as
a team and took good care of
the ball,” said Head Coach
Ray Fron after the game.
“We’re playing our best ball
toward the end of the year,
that’s always a good thing.”
Fron expects that the
Lady Badgers will play
clean and as simple as
possible
The Lady Badgers (618, 3-11 GCAC) will next
host Tougaloo College (718, 4-9 GCAC) on Thursday
at 5:30 p.m. at the Arthur
Outlaw Recreation Center.
Sports
Thursday, February 19, 2009 The SpringHillian
15
High School football star to Athletes of the Week
play in college, with a catch
Here’s proof being deaf
is not a disability.
ERIC QUINTANA
Sports Editor
Of all the stories
ESPN picks up on and does
features stories about, it
comes as a great surprise to
me that this story still has not
been picked up.
We all hear about the
teams picking up the fivestar high school athletes on
National Signing day. We all
hear about their potential and
the promise that they hold as
athletes. We all hear about
the talent of the top 150
prospects and how naturally
gifted they are.
But on National Signing
Day, only one athlete truly
grabbed my attention and
gained my absolute respect.
Ryan Bonheyo (pronounced
bon-hey-o) doesn’t listen to
the ESPN analyst critiquing
his juke moves he pulled
in high school. And it’s not
because he’s only going to
Towson, a division I-AA
school outside of Baltimore.
He doesn’t even listen to the
quarterback’s snap count, or
the referee’s whistle signaling
the end of a play. Bonheyo
plays with 11 other deaf
students at one of the nine
schools in the country that
man an 11-player football.
He is among only a handful
of deaf athletes that have
ever played at the collegiate
level.
Sure, it’s only division IAA. But do we quickly forget
the success Joe Flacco had in
his rookie season in the NFL?
“I’ve already opened the
doors for a lot of deaf people
Marcus Coleman
Brittany Abate
went five of eight from
the three point range with
19 points for the Badgers
against SUNO.
Photo courtesy of Washington Post
Bonheyo rushed for 1,000 yards all four years of high
school and was their defensive player at outside linebacker.
at my school,” he told the
Washington Post through a
language interpreter. “I want
to show them deaf people can
go higher than that.”
Bonheyo is his high
school’s star running back
and outside linebacker. He
stands 6”2’ and weighs 210
lbs. “He can run, he’s a
tremendous hustler and he
is physical at the point of
contact,” Rob Ambrose, first
year head coach at Towson,
said to the Washington Post.
His mission: to prove that a
deaf athlete is not limited by
his disability.
Is it possible? Let us
think about the advantages a
deaf player has on defense.
First, crowd noise will never
be an issue. He’ll never feel
that added pressure from
thousands of screaming
fans. Second, in head coach
Jimmy
McGinty
(The
Replacements) fashion, look
at it this way; he’ll never be
called for encroaching on a
hard snap count. Reacting
to the snap, rather than the
cadence of the quarterback
has huge advantages for
a defensive player. Third,
defensive formations can be
easily conveyed to players
through hand signals from
the sidelines.
It’s been a lifelong
dream for Bonheyo to play at
the collegiate level. “Get that
equal-rights thing going,” he
said. The Washington Post
added that scholarships for
deaf athletes average less
than one per year. “I’m just
glad to have an opportunity
to play at a college level,”
Bonheyo said, “It’s amazing
that less than one percent
of high school athletes play
at the collegiate level.” His
videos on YouTube’s Web
site are pretty convincing.
“It’s going to be a big change;
growing up, I’ve been around
deaf people most of my life,”
Bonheyo told the Washington
Post. “I prefer to find out and
know my limits rather than
wonder for the rest of my
life.”
pitched five scoreless innings for the Lady Badgers in Friday’s win and
also drove in a run.
UPCOMING GAMES
TEAM
WB
DATE
Feb 19
OPPONENT
Tougaloo (GCAC)
LOCATION
SHC
MB
BB
Feb. 19
Feb. 20
Tougaloo (GCAC)
Mobile (GCAC)
SHC
SHC
SB
SB
BB
BB
Feb. 20
Feb. 20
Feb 21
Feb. 21
Lee University
Shorter College
Mobile (GCAC)
Mobile (GCAC)
Falkner
Faulkner
SHC
SHC
WB
Feb 21
LSU-Shreveport (GCAC)
SHC
MB
Feb. 21
LSU-Shreveport (GCAC
SHC
KEY
WT - Women’s Tennis
WB - Women’s Basketball
BB - Baseball
MB - Men’s Basketball
MT - Men’s Tennis
SB - Softball
RECENT RESULTS
TEAM
MB
SB
SB
DATE
Feb 12
Feb. 14
Feb. 14
OPPONENT
SUNO (GCAC)
Judson College
West Alabama
OUTCOME
W 79-71
W 2-0
L 5-6
SB
Feb. 14
Judson College
W 8-4
SB
Feb. 14
West Alabama
L 2-10
WB
Feb. 14
Dillard (GCAC)
W 76-56
MB
Feb. 14
Dillard (GCAC)
W 65-58
BB
Feb. 14
Loyola (GCAC)
W 7-3
BB
Feb. 14
Loyola (GCAC)
W 9-2
BB
Feb. 15
Loyola (GCAC)
W 9-3
Sports
Thursday, February 19, 2009 The SpringHillian
16
Badgers earn sixth straight conference win over Dillard
The Badgers have won six
straight conference wins but the
rest of their schedule will prove
to be their toughest match ups
yet.
ERIC QUINTANA
Sports Editor
The Spring Hill College Badgers won their sixth conference game
in a row last Saturday, Feb. 14, after
beating Dillard 65-58, a team the
Badgers lost to the first time these
two played in a close, 47-44, game.
Junior forward Owen McNally
scored 16 points for the Badgers
while junior guard Marcus Coleman
added 13 points. Freshman Chris
Dees also scored his own 11 points
game. The Badgers shot 49 percent
(21-43) from the field and an amazing 50 percent (7-14) from behind
the three point line.
The Badgers are now in fourth
place in the GCAC standings and
are in contention to take the top spot
in the conference if they win out
their schedule. It will not be easy,
though, as they face the top three
teams above them in their next three
games.
Their advantage: The Badgers
are shooting the lights out of the last
six games they’ve played and are
playing great defense. They are also
getting great contribution from their
bench and the post men are getting
tons of points in the paint.
The disadvantage: The Badgers have to play the top three teams
in the conference in their next three
games.
They have already beaten
Xavier – New Orleans in a previous game, but like many basketball
players will tell you, it’s hard to
beat good teams twice. The Bad-
gers have also played Tougaloo and conference-leading Tougaloo ColLSU-Shreveport as well but did not lege (17-9, 10-4 GCAC) on Thursfare as favorably.
day, Feb. 19, at 7 p.m. in the Arthur
If the Badgers can continue to Outlaw Rec Center.
play the level of basketball that they are now
playing, they should
be able to keep this
game within reach until the final buzzer. The
basketball team urges
everyone to attend the
next two home games,
as they are against the
current top two ranked
teams in GCAC. The
Badgers having home
court advantage against
the two toughest teams
on their schedule will
be of no use if there
Photo by Maria Walser
is no fan support. The
The
Badgers
shot
nearly
50
percent from beBadgers (14-9, 8-6
GCAC) will next host yond the arc in their 65-58 win over Dillard.
Lady Badgers win two of four games over weekend at invitational
The softball team picked up its first two
wins of the season behind the arms of Brit
tany Abate and Lauren Crane.
DEVIN GOLDEN
Sports Reporter
The Spring Hill College Lady Badgers
softball team (3-5) split its four games in the
West Alabama Invitational over the weekend,
beating Judson College twice and losing to
West Alabama twice.
On Friday, the Lady Badgers defeated
Judson College by a score of 2-0 in a rain
shortened, five inning game. Junior starting
pitcher Brittany Abate (1-2) lasted all five
scoreless innings and allowed only three
hits. At the plate, Abate helped her own
cause with an RBI double in the first inning
after an RBI single from Monica Zeringue to
give the Lady Badgers two first inning runs
and the early lead.
On Saturday, the softball team played a
very rare triple header because of rain on the
previous day. In the first game, West Alabama
barely escaped with a 6-5 win over the Lady
Badgers. West Alabama was ahead 5-0 after
the second inning, but SHC put up five runs
in the third. West Alabama scored again in home games of the season on Wednesday in
the bottom of the third inning and took a 6-5 a double header against Northwest Florida
lead. In the fourth and fifth innings, the Lady State Community College starting at 1
Badgers stranded a runner on third base p.m. From there they head to the Faulkner
with the potential to tie the game. Samantha University Tournament on Saturday to
Brooke (1-2) pitched the entire game for face Auburn-Montgomery and Faulkner
SHC, allowing 10 hits and striking out six.
University.
In the second game on Saturday and
the second game against Judson
College, the Lady Badgers won by
a score of 8-4 to complete a sweep
against Judson College for the
weekend. Lauren Crane (1-0) got her
first win of the year for SHC with 10 Anytime Fitness offers:
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