The Future of Florida Tech

VOLUME XXXVIII NUMBER 10 A FLORIDA TECH STUDENT PUBLICATION N MARCH 19, 2004 EWS AND EVENTS Christina Pelzer Staff Writer This semester we have heard quite an uproar from student organizations regarding changes in the Student Activities Funding Committee (SAFC) Document which went into effect late January. Some organizations begrudgingly attend mandatory student government meetings to make them eligible for funding, others have decided not to attend the meetings because it seems that they fail to receive funding every year; yet all have complained about the new policy which will no longer allow the use of an office budget for food. Why the changes? Steve Sheffer, Student Government Treasurer and member of SAFC, claims that the funding of food at general organization meetings was viewed by both students and administration as a waste of money which is otherwise available for student organization funding. In fact, over $10,000 of office budgets was going towards the purchase of food. The purpose of the office budget was intended for necessary supplies to run an organization, like printing, paper, and advertising costs, not as a general purpose cash box which most organizations were using it for. Also, the SAFC does not view general meetings as a normally funded event. Due to these reasons, the The Future of Florida Tech Graphic courtesy of Michael Graves & Associates Continued on Page 2 date. The magic year is 2014, ten years from the present. In this ideal 2014, Florida Tech will be a Carnegie 1 DocThe John and Martha toral Extensive Institute, or, to put Hartley Room was packed on it plainly, a top tier university. We the afternoon of Tuesday, March will have an enrollment of ap9. Over one hundred students, proximately 7500 students (up faculty, and staff sat in folding from 4700), 5000 of which will chairs and leaned against walls be on-campus. Our incoming to hear the first public presenta- freshmen will have an average tion of the Florida Tech’s ten- SAT score of 1300 (up from year Comprehensive Plans. 1169). Our student population The presentation, organized will consist of 20% international, by the Florida Tech Faculty Sen- 80% national, and 30% from the ate and the Quality of Life Com- state of Florida. We will mainmittee, was split up into four tain our 11-1 student-faculty raparts: the Strategic Plan given tio. by President Anthony Catanese, Ideally, we will have a fully the Fiscal Plan given by Provost engaged research program. ExDwayne McCay, the Campus ternal grants and contracts will Plan given by Dr. John Diebboll bring in $100 million. Every unfrom Michael Graves & Asso- dergraduate will be engaged in “a ciates, and the Botanical Gar- creative, team-oriented scholarly dens Plan given by landscape activity.” Florida Tech will have artist Susan Hall. a profitable intellectual property The emphasis was unques- program. Endowment will intionably on the idea that this is crease from alumni donations, the first phase of the process, the annual giving, and capital camplanning stage. All plans and paigns. We will have professional, designs are flexible ,and noth- commercial, and research parting is set in stone. The diagrams nerships. Economic and business and goals stated are simply di- development will cause us to berections, not the path itself. Feed- come an economic force in the back by any and all is greatly area. We will increase nationwide encouraged. and worldwide programs such as Goals were among the first extended graduate studies, unito be discussed. Dr. Catanese versity partnerships, study again stated his ambition to abroad, and international exbring Florida Tech into the cat- change. Ideally, by 2014, we will egory of one of the premier tech- be a leader in education technolnical institutes in the United ogy. States, only this time he gave a A series of new academic proLaura Seward Editor-in-Chief grams have already been proposed, such as construction management, engineering materials, physicians’ assistants, legal assistants, professional golf management, technical design, and real estate development. Research will be expanded. Varsity athletics will gain several sports, such as track and field, wrestling, swimming and diving, and, yes, even football. Residence halls will be redesigned, Greek housing will be moved on campus, the Student Union Building will be expanded, the campus will be fully wireless, and the botanical gardens, known commonly as the jungle, will be revived. Dr. McCay discussed some comparison studies that have been done. Several components were evaluated in terms of where we stood ten years ago (1994), where we stand now (2004), and where we hope to be in ten years (2014). The budget, for example, was $59 million in 1994, is $84 million now, and will ideally be $160 million in 2014. One of the major aims is to decrease dependency on student tuition. Tuition accounts for 75% of our budget, compared to an average of only 45% at our peer universities. The target is to bring that percentage down to 65%. This can be done by increasing the amount of funds coming in from research, endowment, and MELBOURNE, Fla.— The 102 nd annual meeting of the membership of the Florida Historical Society, “Visions of Paradise,” takes place April 14 - 17 at Florida Tech and the Melbourne Hilton Rialto . It will be hosted by Florida Tech. The program chairman is Dr. Gordon Patterson, Florida Tech Professor of Humanities and Communication. The keynote presentation, “Slavery in Florida,” is on April 15, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Olin Life Sciences Auditorium and is open to the general public at no charge. The presentation is by Larry E. Rivers, Dean of Arts and Sciences at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. Bing Bang, a group of percussionists from Central Middle School and Melbourne High School, who make rhythm and music with anything available, will perform on Saturday, April 10 at 6 p.m. They will be at Florida Tech‚s Gleason Performing Arts Center, playing new arrangements of licensed musical works and original works. Bing Bang makes music with balloons, kitchen utensils and more. Florida Institute of Technology today named Mike Williams, president of M.H. Williams Construction, as the first-ever winner of the Panther Partnership Award. This new award is designated for a businessperson that has made a difference in the lives of the students, faculty and staff of Florida Tech through personal and professional involvement. From March through April, Florida Tech‚s Evans Library will host Florida Art and Writing Exhibit: Where the Visual Arts Meets the Written Word. The ex- Continued on Page 3 Continued on Page 2 News “Southgate Accident” Page 3 Sci/Tech “Martian Water” Page 4 A&E “Passion” Page 5 Op Ed “Barren Leaves” Page 12 News 2 March 19, 2004 Florida Tech’s Crimson many events that are proposed do not receive funding. The SAFC meets to discuss which events will be funded based on the following criteria: ~ The extent to which the proposed activity is likely to foster growth and excellence among students. ~ The extent to which the proposed program is likely to entertain, educate and/or strengthen the student body as a whole. ~ The commitment of the activity sponsors to the execution of the activity. ~ The historical performance of the activity and projected needs of the activity for the period to be funded. ~ The amount of outside funding the activity has previously received and the potential for additional funding from other sources. ~ The goals of the organization’s primary activities. ~ The promotion of a variety of student activities. These criteria rule out requests for funding of food at a At Florida Tech‚s 2004 Homecoming banquet, recently, three local men accepted special honors. George S. Shaw of Indialantic received the Distinguished Lifetime Service Award; Mike Williams of Melbourne received the Outstanding Advocate Award; and Philip Loeffel of Palm Bay received the Gold Award as the outstanding graduate of the last decade. Dr. Richard T. Elmore Jr., Florida Tech associate professor of psychology, was presented with the Outstanding Psychologist of the Year award by the Brevard/ Indian River chapter of the Florida Psychological Association. The presentation was made at the chapter’s annual Officer Installation and Awards Dinner, held in late February at the Eau Gallie Yacht Club. Elmore was cited for his many years of community service, providing combat readjustment counseling since 1987 to Vietnam veterans and their families in Brevard County. Florida Tech’s School of Management will present a Faculty/Industry Forum on March 18, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. The topic will be Growing Our Community: Entrepreneurship at Florida Tech. Free and open to the public, the forum includes a question and answer session and will be held in the Denius Student Center Hartley Room, on Country Club Rd. The panelists will be Ken Ports and Dr. Carolyn Fausnaugh, co-directors of Florida Tech Start; Sherry Acanfora, associate manager of Florida Tech Start; and Jim Thomas of Alumni Entrepreneur Alliance. general meeting which is not a universal event, or money for organization T-shirts which will not help the student body in any way. These criteria are revised almost every year by the committee, but generally follow the same guidelines. The SAFC Committee is made of eight voting members, including a member from each of the “Big Five” organizations and three members nominated by Student Government and approved by the Student Body. The “Big Five” are organizations decided by the senior administration chosen based on the organization’s service to the students. Student Government, Campus Activities Board (CAB), the Crimson, Ad-Astra Yearbook and FITV are the “Big Five.” Their funding is taken out of a different pool of money than the other student activities, and they do not have to follow the criteria above. Each year, the Dean of Students reviews their budgets and adjusts them accordingly. How can you get your event funded? The criteria for student funding may look clear, but many events, especially smaller events do not receive funding. “A universal event, which is open to everyone at the school, is the kind of event that SAFC is most likely to fund,” SAFC member Steve Sheffer reported, although “all events are considered equal and no event weighs differently against another event as long as all criteria are meet.” When planning an event, each organization must understand that although no criteria are weighted higher than another, if the event does not invite the entire student body, it will not be funded, whether it is an academic or social event. But there is a way to improve your organization’s likelihood of receiving funding. By planning out your event and budget carestand how the money will be used. “If you fully describe your event,” Sheffer says, “and fill in every detail about the relevant ways the criteria are met, you are much more likely to be funded the amount you are requesting.” According to Sheffer, the best way to get your request approved is by: ~ Writing legibly or typing your request ~ Be specific and detailed ~ Organize your plans ~ Attach quotes for expected expenses ~ Design a general budget If you can demonstrate how your event fits the criteria and what is included in your budget, the only reason you will be denied funding is because of a lack of funds! And don’t worry – if you have already turned in your event proposals for this year, should they be rejected, you can appeal the decision within 3 days of the receipt of denial for primary funding. Are these the best criteria? Florida Tech is made up of almost one hundred organizations, and the school boasts about providing an environment where students can focus on their specific interests; yet the SAFC criteria are focused on organizations providing events which will include the majority of campus. The current SAFC does not recognize the uniqueness of each group’s interests, and favors universal events. However, a lot of students believe it is the specific interests of each group that make the campus so great. Many organizations complain that their events are not sponsored, and would favor hosting smaller, more focused events rather than larger universal events. Continued from “Funding” on Page 1 SAFC office budget no longer covered expenses of food at general meetings. However, SAFC has made a special approval to fund food for an organization’s first meeting, as a recruitment aid. But besides this, only extra or special events are funded by SAFC. How does organizational funding work? Every year the school allocates a certain amount of money for student organizations. Eighty percent of that money is granted to organizations based on proposals submitted by each organization the previous spring. Twenty percent is saved for secondary funding which grants money to organizations throughout the year. Every year, the budget is smaller than the amount of money requested; so Continued from “News and Events” on Page 1 hibit has traveled throughout Florida since late 2002 and offers local fine arts and poetry. The acoustic band, 2 Skinny Dorks, will perform at Florida Tech‚s Residence Quad on Friday, March 26 at 7 p.m. The band consists of two self-described extremely neurotic, semi-compulsive, slightly underweight, deliberately truthful, uncomfortably revealing, somewhat musical and very determined guys who have no ambition, yet nothing better to do than play music. Donald Koranda, a 1977 Florida Tech graduate and president and CEO of the National Aeronautic Association, received this year’s George M. Skurla Outstanding Alumni Award at the School of Aeronautics annual Homecoming Luncheon. Dinner for six, prepared by a Florida Tech chef aboard a private yacht, and tickets for four with limousine transportation to an Orlando Magic game, with dinner at Boheme, are two of several auction items at Florida Tech‚s annual Sporting Affair. The live auction takes place March 20 at Florida Tech‚s Sporting Affair Dinner, 6:30 to 10 p.m., in the Clemente Center for Sports and Recreation. Sporting Affair also offers the Panther Invitational Golf Tournament that day, from 8 a.m. to noon at Suntree Country Club, and the Chopper Dropper on March 19. All Sporting Affair events support Florida Tech Department of Athletics student scholarships. Crimson Florida Tech’s Official Student Newspaper 150 West University Blvd. Melbourne, Florida 32901 Located behind Grissom Hall Web Address: http://crimson.fit.edu Phone: (321) 674-8024 Fax: (321) 674-8017 Email: crimson@crimson.fit.edu Crimson Staff Editor in Chief: News Editor: Business Manager: Sci/Tech Editor: Webmaster: G&O Editor: Op Ed Editor: Photo Editor: Senior IT Technician: Graphics Editor: Layout Editor: A&E Editor: Copy Editor: Laura Seward Dwayne Edwards Adam Linsenbardt Melissa Benua Melissa Benua Calvin Turzillo Benjamin Zinszer Jeff Kelly Peter Nied Andy Gonzalez Dajie Tito Kyle Numan Jenni Kissinger Science & Technology 4 March 19, 2004 Florida Tech’s Crimson Kenneth Bukowski Guest Writer Engineering week took place between February 24 - 26, featuring competitions, speakers, and free food. E-week is a great time to show school spirit and engineering know-how in a competitive environment. Each competition allowed students of various majors to pit their knowledge and engineering experience against other students with the same or different majors. This year’s events really allowed for students of various majors to corroborate on projects, network with other students, and increase their engineering experience. All students had an enjoyable time whether they were identifying mistakes, which created actual consumer products, or making bridges of fruit to hold an unbelievable amount of weight. On top of the fun, great prizes were given to the winning teams, which made the competition all the more exciting. Prizes included appetizers from local restaurants and packages of tools. The festivities began with an opening ceremony on Tuesday the 24th. Unfortunately, the scavenger hunt was canceled due to rain, but it would have been a blast. The following day was an excellent speaker along with free food. The day was finished with a Jeopardy competition in the Rat where students answered questions regarding fathers of modern sciences and major accidents that resulted in either destruction of equipment or the discovery of a new consumer product. E-week was finished off Thursday with the MacGyver competition where students and faculty designed a freestanding tower made of paper clips, balloons, and popsicle sticks. The day continued with the conclusion of the week long competition, where students designed a car to travel on both water and land. At the end of the day, the E-week competitions were finished off with an action-packed fruit bridge competition. Students built bridges made of fruit and skewer sticks which spanned across two tables. Weights were tied to the center of the bridges. The bridge that held the most weight won. In the end, no bridge was left standing. The winning team’s bridge held ten aluminum plates, four full cans of soda, and a roll of duct tape before it fell. The edge of an aluminum plate punctured one of the soda cans when the bridge fell, causing the surrounding contestants to be covered in soda. All in all, the competitions were outstanding and more fun than can be described. All of the E-week representatives enjoyed putting on this event and cannot wait for next year’s Engineering week. We, the student coordinators and faculty, would like to thank everyone who participated in the Engineering week festivities. Without you E-week would not have been successful. We would also like to thank Dr. Kalajian for all of your help in coordinating E-week and making this an enjoyable experience for all. Also, we want to thank Rob Gribbroek for designing the E-week logo. Robert Derveloy Staff Writer In the first week of March, both Spirit and Opportunity (the twin rovers sent to Mars by NASA) found strong evidence that water did, at one point, exist on the surface of the red planet. The rover Opportunity was the first to send data back to NASA that allowed scientists to determine that the rocks near its landing site could have been soaked with water. Three days later and half a world away, the Spirit rover found hints that water once flowed through a volcanic rock located in Mars’ Gusev Crater. Images and other data sent back by the Opportunity’s various onboard instruments indicated the presence of sulfates, interior niches formed by crystals, and BB-sized particles embedded in the rocks. This evidence hints that the structures in the rock could have formed from the accumulation of minerals coming out of solution inside a porous rock that was previously soaked in water. However, the same evidence also indicates that the structures could also have been made by a volcanic eruption or from the lofting of molten droplets caused by a meteor impact. Spirit’s findings, although promising, were less conclusive than Opportunity’s due to the crystal formations in Spirit’s rock suggested that the amount of water that managed to penetrate the rock was far less than what is indicated by the minerals and structures that Opportunity exposed. Dr. Ray Arvidson of Washington University, St. Louis, reported that if the rock being examined by Spirit was found on Earth, the evidence would point out that fluid consisting of water containing dissolved minerals did, at one point, flow through the rock With the p r o m i s i n g leads found by the Spirit and Opportunity rovers, NASA scientists are proceeding with cautious optimism as they continue to collect data and search for a more definitive answer to weather or not water did exist on Mars. If such evidence can be found, it would provide proof that, at one point, the planet did have an environment that would have been able to support life. Amit Patel Staff Writer The threat of nuclear radiation and its harmful effects on the body has always been a concern ever since the Nuclear Age after World War II. Detoxification of gamma and alpha radiation from industrial products as well as chemical spills has been a challenge for the last couple of decades. However that has not been a deterrent for nuclear engineer Michael Kaminski and neurologist Axel Rosengart. Before damages of nuclear radiation and contamination can start taking their toll on the human body, there research in nanoparticles interaction with internal radiation would provide a method of removing the toxins before spreading completely throughout the blood stream. In simple terms, Kaminski and Rosengart are developing a magnetic nanoparticles-based technology that removes biological, radiological and in some cases chemical toxins from blood. The goal of their experimental research is to devise a mobile system that is quick and thorough using nanomagnetic particles coated with antibodies or chemicals that complement toxins. The theories behind the entire process involves injecting the material into the bloodstream and the nanoparticles latch onto the toxins and are later removed when the blood is pumped through tubing into a magnetic separator. The newly cleansed blood is then returned to the body, in which the entire process is self-secured because no external stimuli affect the blood. Some argue that time is such a critical factor when it comes to biological and chemical contamination to civilian and military casualties. However, Kaminski argues, “No matter what the means of exposure, the transport of any toxin is through the circulatory system, he said. If the toxins can be removed before they accumulate in tissue, then organs won’t fail and the patient will survive.” What is so special about these nanoparticles? Well the magnetic nanoparticles could penetrate the blood-barrier that often blocks larger therapeutic molecules. The use of electromagnets in medical facilities could then be used to direct the drugs to brain tissue. The research team got a sudden boost in its experimentation after the September 11th attack through research funding by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Although the theory sounds like a revolutionary salvation for those suffering from chemical, nuclear, and bio- logical contamination; there are many the implants during MRI procedures. challenges that Kaminski and The future looks bright, nonetheless. Rosengart face such as getting the size For more information regarding of the particle cores to the right size, nanotechnology and its applications, between 8 – 12 nm. The possible please refer to: http:// harmful interaction of the particles w w w. n a n o i nd u st r i e s . c o m/ with other components of the human nanodot.html. body, hence they have to be biodegradable a n d biocompatible. The use of these particles is not a completely new idea in biotechnology. Some pharmaceutical corporations already use magn e t i c nanoparticles in medical applications such as Biophan Technologies Inc. in Rochester, N.Y. In such cases the magnetic Photo courtesy of George Joch, nanoparticles Argonne National Laboratory are coated and applied to cathNeurologist Axel Rosengart, left, and nuclear engineer eters and other Michael Kaminski use a laser to analyze nanoscale devices improvmagnetic particles being developed for medical ing imaging of applications. Arts & Entertainment Florida Tech’s Crimson March 19, 2004 5 Mike Giordano Staff Writer One of the most controversial movie in years, but if you’re looking to read about the controversy, you’re not going to find it here. Check out my editorial on it later on in this issue (page 15). For those unfamiliar with religion, the movie’s title comes from the sequence of events just prior to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Mel Gibson wanted to remain as true to the events that transpired as is possible, including the language of the times. Thus, the film is spoken entirely in Latin and Aramaic (I’m not quite sure whether any Hebrew was used). The movie starts off in the Garden of Gethsemane, where a determined Jesus prays on the night he knows he will be betrayed, interspersed with scenes of the Pharisees’ plans to arrest Jesus. From there, we move from the arrest, to the torture, and finally to the crucifixion of Jesus. Due to the fact that there wasn’t a lot of detailed explanations in the Bible of the events, Mel Gibson was given a lot of room to play around with the story, and he adds some nice scenes that while not in the Bible, truly add to the movie. Several scenes from Jesus’s past, including a rather humorous exchange about a high table between him and his mother, add to the emotion and the humanity of Jesus. The cinematography is simply gorgeous. If you don’t find the movie very good, it is hard to argue that the visuals are anything less than breathtaking. Every scene is luscious in atmosphere and color. It really draws you into the film, and you feel as if you’re actually there, more so than in any other film in recent memory. The acting is done very well, too. Played mostly by a cast of unknowns, every character plays their part perfectly. James Cavaziel is excellent in the role of Jesus. Outside of the opening sequence, Jesus seldom speaks, yet Mr. Cavaziel lets his actions speak louder than words and really conveys Jesus’ suffering excellently. Hristo Shopov excellently acts as the law and order in the chaotic Holy Land in the role of Pontius Pilate. Monica Belluci is Mary Magdalene and works very well along side Jesus’ mother, Mary (Maia Morgenstern). Ironically, the character played to an ultimately chilling perfection is that of Satan, who makes a few appearances. Portrayed by a woman, but androgynously, Satan appears in several key scenes to try and crush the will of Jesus. Although appearing for maybe less than ten minutes, every scene is so eerily creepy that you can’t help but be captivated during the appearances. Then there is the gore. When they say this movie is brutal, they’re not kidding. From being beaten by a cane, to a whipping by the cat of nine tails, being dragged, taunted and stoned through the streets, and finally to the actual crucifixion, Mel Gibson doesn’t shy away from the blood and guts. The scourging scene is particularly brutal, more or less leaving Jesus a bloody mess, and the crucifixion scene not being much tamer. If it gives anybody an idea, you can clearly see the actual bone of Jesus’ ribcage by the time he’s done. While all the gore is done in the context of what’s happening in the story, and in as good taste as possible, it’s still a lot, and that’s coming from someone who’s seen a lot of bloody movies. If you’re squeamish, this probably isn’t the greatest movie to see. Definitely don’t go and see it after a full meal. Mel Gibson has created a masterpiece in this film. The movie grabs you from the beginning and does not let you go until the credits start to role. The movie tells the story so well, that it transcends religion. If this movie at the least is not nominated for a lot of Oscars, it would be a tragedy. James Cavaziel and Rosalinda Celentano (Satan) both deserve nominations for their respective performances. If you can stand the gore, I highly urge everyone to see this movie. You don’t have to be a believer to enjoy this movie. You just need to be able to enjoy a good story from a great director. Movie Review Genre: Drama Director: Mel Gibson Passion of the Christ Spring Flicks Troy Histo-mythologica epic film tells the tale of the Trojan War found in Homer’s Epic Poem The Iliad. Release Date: May 21, 2004 Starring: Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Michael Clarke Duncan, Claire Forlani, Emilio Estevez, Orlando Bloom, Rose Byrne, Peter O’Toole, Brian Cox, Sean Bean, Julie Christie, Brendan Gleeson Genre: Historical, Adventure, War Director: Wolfgang Petersen Story Source: Homer’s The Iliad Spider-Man 2 He spins a web of any size, catches thieves just like flies. Look Out! Here comes Spiderman….. Release Date: July 2, 2004 Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Alfred Molina, James Franco, Rosemary Harris, J.K. Simmons Genre: Action, Adventure Director: Sam Raimi In Progress Pirates of the Caribbean 2 “Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me…” Release Date: 2005 Starring: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley Genre: Adventure, Action Director: Gore Verbinski Photo by Jeff Kelly College Players’ dress rehearsal for the Spring 2004 musical comedy “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” to be performed on March 26, 27 and April 1, 2, and 3 at 8:00 pm in the Gleason Performing Arts Center. Shrek 2 Let’s just say you should never bring a big green Ogre home to dinner. A blockbuster’s second installment is coming soon. Release Date: May 21, 2004 Starring: Voices of: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, John Cleese, Julie Andrews, Antonio Banderas, Rupert Everett Genre: Animated, Comedy Director: Andrew Adamson Star Wars: Episode III Welcome to the Dark Side! Release Date: May 25, 2005 Starring: Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor, James Earl Jones, Hayden Christensen, Peter Mayhew, Anthony Daniel, Kenny Baker, Bai Ling, Hugh Jackman (rumored) Genre: Science Fiction Director: George Lucas Dwayne Edwards News Editor While most Florida Tech students were enjoying their spring breaks, the city of Daytona Beach was host to the annual Daytona Bike Week. If you did not attend, you missed out on one of the largest gatherings of motorcycles in the world. Whether you’re into motorcycles or not, there was something there for everyone. There were constant concerts, and contests of all types. But the real reason to go is for the custom motorcycles. This year, all the big names in bike building were there. Orange County Choppers, West Coast Choppers, and Melbourne’s own Billy Lane of Choppers Inc all had their trailers there. The guys from Orange County Choppers, who can be seen on the Discovery Channel show American Chopper, were signing autographs at their trailer for all the fans that came to see the bikes Summer Flicks Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Harry is in trouble and will once again use the powers he didn’t even know he had to beat up some interesting evil creatures. Release Date: June 4, 2004 Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Michael Gamon, Gary Oldman, Michael Gambon, Timothy Spall, David Thewlis, Dawn French, Emma Thompson Genre: Adventure, Fantasy Director: Alfonso Cuarón X-Men 3 Wolverine is back for another hit on the big screen. Stay tuned for more on this one in A&E. Release Date: May 5, 2006 Starring : Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Patrick Stewart, Alan Cumming, Shawn Ashmore, Ian McKellen (possible) Genre: Action, Adventure Director: Bryan Singer (possible) that they watched be built on the television. Over at the Choppers Inc Trailer, people were lined up to see the spokeless rear wheel that Billy Lane is famous for. All the bike makers had production bikes for sale, but buying one of these bikes could cost anywhere up to fifty thousand dollars or more. But if you don’t have the funds for such a machine, you can always just walk away with a shirt or hat from your favorite company. But clothing venders are not the only thing available; there are dozens of food and drink venders up and down Main Street. You can find some of the best BBQ available at the rally. The Daytona Bike Week is certainly a good time for all who attend. Between the bike, food, and other venders, you can spend the better part of a day there and still not take it all in. Besides, where else but Daytona can you drive your bike right out onto the beach? Greeks & Organizations 6 March 19, 2004 Florida Tech’s Crimson Bec’s Box Bec Mazzone Student Government President Welcome back everyone! I hope you all did something exciting to make good use of your spring break. We are in the last stretch of the semester, so by the time you read this issue we’ll be around 43 days away from graduation. It’s going quickly! Congratulations to Pi Kappa Alpha and College Players for their victories in Homecoming 2004. Also, thank you to the Homecoming Committee for putting on an excellent event. Homecoming weekend gets better every year and, as a soon-to-be alumnus, I look forward to coming back to Florida Tech and seeing how much more it grows. To all of the seniors on the committee, you will be missed. Last Tuesday the University showed off the master plans we’d all been hearing so much about. The Botanical Gardens plan was the only part I hadn’t seen before, but I was very impressed with it once I had the opportunity to get up close and view the drawings. If you were unable to attend the actual presentation, you can find the web cast online via the Quality of Life Committee’s website: http://www.fit.edu/quality. The university is interested in feedback on these plans so make sure to provide your comments. On Monday, March 22 and Tuesday and Tuesday, March 23, we will be holding our bi-annual Student Leader Luncheon with the Administration. If you have any issues you’d like brought to their attention, let the President or Vice-President of your organization know. As was done last semester, the content of the luncheons will be sent to the Crimson so it can be made available to the entire student body. March also means it is Campus Clean-Up time. Drag your friends, roommates, classmates, co-workers, and professors out on Saturday, March 27th to participate in this annual event. We’re fortunate to have a beautiful campus here at Florida Tech, so let’s all try and do our part to keep it that way. In Student Government news, Elections for next year’s officers will take place the week of April 5th. There will also be amendments to the Student Government Constitution up for a vote at that time. We’re hoping to hold all voting online this year, so keep an eye out for a link to the polling location. I’ll make sure to include it in my next box. Also, be sure to pick up next week’s Crimson for information on the candidates. That’s all I have for this week. As always, keep the questions and comments coming to sga@fit.edu. We appreciate any feedback, positive or negative, that you can provide to help us serve you better. After all, that is what we’re here for. Michelle Verkooy Guest Writer Ever since 1991, Florida Tech’s School of Psychology, under the supervision of Dr. Juanita Baker, has been running the Family Learning Program (FLP). Not very many people seem to know about this beneficial program, but the program’s mission has helped a lot of people get through the trauma of sexual abuse. This help is thanks to the two clinical teams of FLP, a team of therapists and a research team. The therapists collect the clinical data at the onset and during treatment while the research team uses the data to evaluate the effectiveness of the Family Learning Program and conduct research on the topic of sexual abuse within the family. FLP focuses on providing treatment for children who have been sexually abused. However, the program does not stop there, it also provides therapy for the family members of the victim, as well as a sexual offender program. Because FLP provides comprehensive treatment for the whole family the program stands out from many other sexual abuse treatment programs in Brevard. FLP serves all of Brevard County and has two locations, one in Melbourne and another in Cocoa. The program has been growing since 1991, and one of its many focuses is informing people about the trauma of sexual abuse and how imperative it is to get treatment. Sexual abuse is not something that can be ignored; it happens and may have even happened to someone you know. Simply ignoring the problem does not make it go away; rather it festers inside the victim and causes many problems later on in life. The Family Learning Program is here to help. For more information on the Family Learning Program visit their website at www.fit.edu/flp, or call their office (321) 727-9956, their office hours are Monday through Friday 9am-5pm. Presented by Student Ambassadors The Frueauff Building originally served as a visitor’s center for NASA. In 1977, NASA donated the building to the university. The Development Office and energy labs were moved to Frueauff and remained there through the 1980’s. It now serves as classrooms. Advertisement Florida Tech’s Crimson March 19, 2004 7 Homecoming 8 March 19, 2004 Florida Tech’s Crimson Jenni Kissinger Copy Editor This year’s Homecoming Dance was held Saturday, February 21st in the Clemente Center. In keeping with the “Stepping Through Time” theme, alumni, faculty, and students were treated to music ranging from the fifties to today. The decorations, including an archway and a spinning “time warp” disc, were lovely, and food tables filled with goodies. Each Homecoming Couple also competed in the lip-sync contest, which ranged from “The Animaniacs” to opera to hip hop. At the end of the night, the winners were announced, including Herman Ramos and Lauren Elberson from College Players as Homecoming 2004 King and Queen. Congratulations to the winners, and to everyone who participated and helped make Homecoming 2004 a fantastic success! Photo by Laura Seward Homecoming King and Queen 2004: Lauren Elberson and Herman Ramos (College Players) The Winners! Photo by Laura Seward Dancing the night away. Office Decorating: 1. Academic Support Center 2. Media Services 3. IT 4. Tech Support Fundraising: 1. Student Ambassadors 2. Student Government 3. College Players The total amount raised was $3, 220.17. All monies were donate to University Park Elementary School. They tremendously appreciated the donation. Wacky Wars: 1. Pi Kappa Alpha 2. RHA 3. Alpha Phi Omega and Gamma Phi Beta Parade: Organizational 1. College Players 2. SNAME 3. Student Ambassadors Parade: Community 1. Sable Elementary Drum Corps 2. Fire Department 3. University Park Costume Competition: 1. RHA: Maria and AJ “Pete and Penelope” 2. Student Ambassadors: Bec and Derek “Mary Poppins and Bert” 3. Gamma Phi Beta: Dawn and Kevin “ Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio” Homecoming 2004 Winners: Pi Kappa Alpha Homecoming 2004 King and Queen Winners: College Players—Lauren Elberson and Herman Ramos Photo by Laurie Petrone Let the parade begin. Photo by Laurie Petrone SNAME: History of Scuba Photo by Jeff Kelly College Player’s Dance Troupe at the Talent Show Homecoming Florida Tech’s Crimson March 19, 2004 9 Christina Pelzer Staff Writer Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity hosted Florida Tech’s annual homecoming event ‘Poor Man’s Mardi Gras’ on Friday, February 20th. A party raged from 5:00 pm to midnight just behind the Clemente Center, where Florida Tech turned into a mini New Orleans. For a donation of three canned foods or $5, party-goers could listen to great bands, eat spicy Cajun food, and, most importantly, get some awesome beads. Poor Man’s is one of the few great parties Florida Tech has without security busting it for being too loud. In fact, even a few Melbourne officers came to catch a bite to eat and hear the awesome music. Photo by Laurie Petrone Lambda Chi Alpha’s Poor Man’s Mardi Gras Photo by Jeff Kelly “Simon Says” at Wacky Wars Photo by Laura Seward TJ McCormick and Liz Mazzone I’d just like to say thank you again to all who helped make Homecoming 2004 possible and for all of those who participated. We couldn’t have done it without you! And to all of the faculty, staff, students, and Alumni, I want to say thank you for making my last year on the committee a memorable one! I look forward to watching it from the other side next year! Keep up the spirit! ~ Liz Mazzone Photo by Jeff Kelly “Dizzy Bat” at Wacky Wars Photo by Dave Kincaid Academic Support Center Photo by Laurie Petrone Women’s Basketball Game Sports 10 March 19, 2004 Florida Tech’s Crimson Jessica Hobgood Sports Editor Andy Seminick died at age 83 at Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne on February 22, 2004. Seminick was born in Pierce, West Virginia on September 12, 1920 to Wasil and Mary Dano Seminick. Andy Seminick is survived by his son, Andrew Seminick Jr.; his granddaughter, Andi Kay Seminick; and two sisters, Helen Moscheck and Mary Torsky. Andy Seminick played for the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team for 12 seasons, and he played for the Cincinnati Reds for 3 seasons. Supposedly, Seminick was the last living player from the 1950 Phillies team that won the National League championship. Not only did Seminick play catcher for the Phillies, but he also coached, scouted, and managed for many years after his playing career. Andy Seminick coached for the Phillies in 1957, 1958, and from 19671969. Seminick managed the Phillies’ minor league system from 1959-1966 and 1970-1973. Many of the players that he coached or managed made it to the major leagues. Some of these players include Mike Schmidt, Greg Luzinski, and Bob Boone. Seminick helped to convert Boone from a third baseman to a catcher. While playing for the Phillies, Seminick played in the 1950 World Series against the New York Yankees. Seminick is best known for playing with a broken ankle throughout the series. In addition, Seminick played injured for most of his career. He suffered from arm problems for several years. Hall of Fame pitcher Robin Roberts said, “He was tough, I mean tough, and a great competitor.” In Seminick’s career, he hit .243 with 164 home runs and 556 RBIs in 1,304 career games. He was an AllStar in 1949 when he hit 24 home runs and drove in 68 runs. During the championship season, Seminick batted .288. Seminick also became the ninth major leaguer to hit two home runs in one inning. Seminick was an essential contributor to Florida Tech athletics. He started the baseball program for the then Engineers in 1963. Seminick was also Florida Tech’s first Athletic Director. Furthermore, Andy Seminick was inducted into the Florida Tech Hall of Fame, and he is also a 1993-1994 Sunshine State Conference Hall of Fame member. The baseball field played on by our Florida Tech Panthers is named after Andy Seminick. Andy Seminick will be greatly missed by the Florida Tech community and all of his Philadelphia fans. Sources utilized in this article include www.sportsillustrated.com, www.philly.com, and www.fit.edu. Photo courtesy of National Baseball Hall of Fame Baseball player Andy Seminick was a catcher, coach, and scout for the Philadelphia Phillies. FIT COIN LAUNDRY Located next to 7-11 WASH-DRY-FOLD “DROP-OFF” SERVICE (321) 952-8666 Jessica Hobgood Sports Editor Florida Tech played Georgia Southwestern University Hurricanes on March 9 th and 10 th . Florida Tech lost the first game on March 9 th with a score of 42. F l o r i d a Tech runs were scored by senior catcher #6 J.T. Staples and senior first baseman #24 Ryan Self in the 9th inning. After seven innings of play, neither team had scored thanks to freshman Panther pitcher #15 Jay C r o u s e and the Canes’ pitcher Steve Snell. The Hurricanes runs were scored by shortstop John Kokotajlo, designated hitter Brett Jones, third baseman Jake Mobley, and right fielder Dan Grahl. Florida Tech then turned the second game around against the Canes with a winning score of 6-5 in the 10 th inning. Panther runs were scored by sophomore outfielder #7 Mason Williams, senior catcher #6 J.T. Staples, senior left fielder #10 Scott Aslan, senior center fielder #19 Michael Wisnom, and freshman right fielder #11 Jon Baksh who scored 2 runs. Georgia runs were scored by right fielder Jeremy McCall, shortstop John Kokotajlo, catcher Justus Kimbrough, third baseman Jake Mobley, and second baseman Justin McDonald. #8 Bubba DiFabio drove in two runs with two outs in the ninth inning to tie the game, and #27 Bryan Stanton drove in the game winner in the bottom of the tenth for the Panthers. Freshman pitcher #23 Jody Danca picked up the win for Florida Tech. On March 12, 2004, Florida Tech played a double header against Philadelphia University. Florida Tech played two excellent winning games. Florida Tech beat Philadelphia in the first game with a score of 4-2 and then again in the second game with a score of 11-1. Both of these games were made up of only 7 innings. In the first game, Panther runs were scored by junior third baseman #8 Bubba DiFabio, sophomore catcher #25 Randy Pitts, and sophomore second baseman #2 Paul Stone who scored 2 runs. Philadelphia runs were scored by shortstop Evan Kiesel and first baseman Dan Schmincke. Junior pitcher #9 Jeff Koehler scattered six hits over six innings while not giving up an earned run and striking out three to earn the victory for the Panthers, while junior p i t c h e r #14 Matt VanFleet earned his third save by pitching a perfect seventh. In the second game of the double header, Panther runs were scored by sophomore s h o r t s t o p #27 Bryan Stanton, senior right fielder #10 S c o t t Aslan, j u n i o r third baseman #8 Bubba DiFabio, sophomore first baseman #30 Devin Hopkins, freshman left fielder #11 Jon Baksh, sophomore left fielder #7 Mason Williams, freshman center fielder #26 Michael Messana, freshman second baseman #31 Alex Brown who scored 2 runs, and sophomore catcher #4 Andrew Lerner who also scored 2 runs. The Panthers scored 8 of the 11 runs in the second game in the second inning. Senior Panther pitcher #13 Greg D’Esposito improved his record on the season to 2-4 by not allowing a hit and striking out two in three innings of work. The offensive leaders for the day included #31 Alex Brown, who went 3-for-4 with two doubles in game two, and sophomore catcher #25 Randy Pitts who was 2-for-3 and scored a run in the first game. As of March 12, 2004, the Panthers have a season record of 12-13 and a Sunshine State Conference record of 0-6. The Panthers’ next 5 games are home games. On March 16, 2004, the Panthers play Rollins College in a double header starting at 1pm. Then on March 19, 2004, the Panthers play Eckerd College at 3pm. The Panthers then return the next day, March 20, to play Eckerd College again in a double header starting at noon. Finally, the Panthers play Felician College on March 23 rd and 24 th with both games starting at 3pm. Sports Florida Tech’s Crimson March 19, 2004 11 Jessica Hobgood Sports Editor On March 11, 2004, the Panthers defeated Bloomfield College in 5 innings (due to the 8 run rule) with a score of 8-0. Panther runs were scored by senior second baseman #28 Monica Gordy, sophomore catcher #6 Courtney Harless, junior third baseman #12 Jesse Lawrence, sophomore pitcher #10 Diane Thompson, freshman centerfielder #4 Kristen Fettes who scored 2 runs, and freshman right fielder #2 Katie Naumoff who also scored 2 runs. Senior Panther pitcher #15 Christine Custer pitched her fourth shut-out of the season against Bloomfield. Custer pitched the entire 5 inning game allowing no runs on only one hit. Pitching a nearly perfect game, she also only placed one runner on and struckout ten batters. The Panthers then came back on the same day, March 11, and defeated St. Joseph’s College with a score of 6-0. Panther runs were scored by freshman right fielder #2 Katie Naumoff, senior left fielder #9 Sam Anderson, freshman centerfielder #4 Kristen Fettes who scored 2 runs, and sophomore designated player #23 Kelly Darden who also scored 2 runs. Junior Panther pitcher #24 Kristen Lane was awarded her third straight shut-out. Lane fanned 11 batters while only giving one free ticket to first and allowed four hits. On March 14, 2004, Florida Tech defeated St. Thomas Aquinas College with a score of 9-0. Panther runs were scored by freshman right fielder #2 Katie Naumoff, sophomore catcher #6 Courtney Harless, freshman shortstop #22 Laura Chisena, senior second baseman #28 Monica Gordy who scored 3 runs, and senior first baseman #3 Stacy Warren who also scored 3 runs. Florida Tech had 13 hits. The Panthers made 2 runs in the second inning, 3 more runs in the fourth inning, and an amazing 4 runs in the seventh inning. Every batter in the lineup recorded at least one hit, and eight of the nine starters either scored or drove in at least one run. On the same day, the Panthers defeated University of Wisconsin Parkside with a score of 4-2. Panther runs were made by freshman outfielder #44 Danielle Emhoff who was pinch-running for senior second baseman #28 Monica Gordy, senior first baseman #3 Stacy Warren, freshman shortstop #22 Laura Chisena, and senior left fielder #9 Sam Anderson. The focal point of the game was Florida Tech’s four-run sixth inning. Junior Panther pitcher #24 Kristen Lane tossed a five-hit, seven-inning complete game. Lane allowed two runs, one earned, and one walk. She struck out nine. Florida Tech will play their next home game on March 26, 2004 against Lynn University at 2:30 p.m. They will then return the next day to their home field and play Lynn University in double header starting at 1 p.m. The source utilized in this article is www.fit.edu/athletics. Jessica Hobgood Sports Editor On March 5, 2004, Florida Tech Women’s Basketball team defeated #6 ranked Tampa University in the SSC Quarterfinals with a score of 57-56 and a halftime score of 37-28 Florida Tech in the lead. Florida Tech was led by #30 Marcia Alvarado, a senior guard, with 20 points. #40 Roselyn Nelson, a senior forward, added 11 points for the Panthers. Florida Tech Women’s Basketball then advanced to the SSC Semifinals defeating #2 ranked Florida Southern University with a score of 92-88 and a halftime score of 41-32 Florida Tech in the lead. Florida Tech was led by #54 Danise Fequiere, a freshman forward, with 20 points. #22 Sarah Awe, a senior guard, added 16 points for the Panthers. With 18 seconds left on the clock, Marcia Alvarado nailed a threepointer that trimmed Florida Southern’s lead to 75-74. Florida Southern’s #10 Kohlheim went to the line with nine seconds to play, making the first, but missing the second, and allowing Tech’s #10 Laurissa Reynolds to hit a 15-foot jumper from the right wing at the buzzer to send the game into overtime. It was Reynolds’ only field-goal attempt of the game, in limited playing time. Florida Tech never trailed in the overtime period. The Panthers scored the first four points in the opening minute of overtime and led by as many as six points, 86-80 with 1:32 to play. Florida Southern trimmed the Tech lead to just two, 87-85, with 46 seconds to play, but the Panthers stretched their lead to as many as seven in the final minute. “I’m real proud of my daughter’s (Laurissa’s) shot,” added Reynolds. “It did change the momentum.” “It was just a war out there,” according to Florida Southern coach Diane Foli. “Florida Tech is a team of upper classmen and that can be the difference in big games. That was a big shot off the bench (by Reynolds) and that killed our momentum.” Finally on March 7, 2004, Florida Tech Women’s Basketball was defeated in the SSC Finals against #1 ranked Rollins College with a score of 78-63 and a halftime score of 39-24 Rollins in the lead. The Panthers were led by #30 Marcia Alvarado, a senior guard, with 12 points. #40 Roselyn Nelson, a senior forward, added 11 points. #42 Shayla Fisher and #24 Sharita Tisdale both added 10 points for the Panthers. Florida Tech Women’s Basketball end their season with a 17-12 record in the season and a 9-5 record in the SSC. Florida Tech Men’s Basketball was defeated in the SSC Quarterfinals against Florida Southern University with a score of 81-73 and a tied halftime score of 3737. Florida Tech was led by #33 Titas Vainauskas, a sophomore forward, with 20 points. #22 Brad Rich, a sophomore guard, added 18 points for the Panthers. The Panthers took their only lead of the game with 18:24 to play on a #40 Kevin Krieg jumper, but Florida Southern managed to build their lead back to 10 points, taking a 5545 lead with 11 minutes to play. Florida Southern would lead by as many as 13 points and as few as seven points down the stretch, holding on for the victory. Florida Tech Men’s Basketball end their season with a 5-23 record in the season and a 1-13 record in the SSC. The source used in this article includes www.fit.edu/athletics. Jeff Kelly Photo Editor Experts will point out that one key portion of maintaining a healthy life style is exercise. Yet for many people, finding a good work out is often times difficult and sticking to that workout is even more difficult. Florida Tech offers a number of physical education classes for students to participate in which can meet this challenge, but perhaps one of the more unique options students have available is Introduction to Fencing. While fencing for sport has been traced back to the Egyptian Royal Court in the twelfth century BC, modern sport fencing owes its existance to Renaissance Europe. The Italians, French and Spanish all had different schools and styles of swordsmanship. Coinciding with the three modern schools of fencing are three different styles of blades for the sport. Although the blades do not correspond with any school in particular, various styles accompany the type of blade due to its his- tory. The foil, which is primarily considered to be descended from the dueling rapiers, have a target area that focuses on the torso of the body. The epee, a descendant of the small sword, has a target area of the entire body somewhat reminiscent of the phrase, “to the first blood.” The sabre, whose style derived itself from the military cavalry saber, like the foil has a more specific target area consisting of the upper body, or the area you would most likely slash or stab someone who is fighting on horseback. Florida Tech’s introduction class, taught by Sophie Trett, focuses on the French School and the foil. Equipment consisting of a steel mesh face mask, a jacket, and a foil are available for students in the class to use. Other than that a glove (fencing or otherwise) is all a student needs to go out and get in order to participate. So if you’re thinking about a class that might give you a little bit of exercise, boost your self confidence, your agility, your balance, and maybe even your mental prowess perhaps Florida Tech’s Introduction to Fencing is for you. Photo by Jeff Kelly Sophie Trett’s fencing class lunges towards excellence. Opinions & Editorials 12 March 19, 2004 Florida Tech’s Crimson Than all the sages can. I think this point is one we often lose sight of in the hustle and bustle of university life. As ambitious (and tuition-paying) students, we tend to adopt the routine of simply gobbling up as much knowledge as possible, an image that, to me, resembles PacMan devouring those delicious little white dots. Where do we lose sight of our place as creatures (and care-takers) of a tiny planet in a vast universe and become ravenous for information and knowledge? Certainly there is a need for scientific and technological advancement to improve everyone’s lives (and, in fact, allow us to take better care of our limited natural resources). Is it not arrogant to presume that we can reduce the whole of nature to mankind’s level of understanding? Doing so would be to rape nature of its inherent majesty. Wordsworth asserts a similar argument in lines 25 through 28: Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; Our meddling intellect Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— We murder to dissect. Murder is a powerful word, and Wordsworth must have intended such a connotation. Even though many of us are students of sciences, math, and innumerable technologies, let’s not forget how finite we are. Such an attitude ought to incite a much more reverent perspective than we are prone to assume. The late Dr. James Potter (former Physics Department Head here at FIT) aptly expressed similar views in a piece entitled A Phantasy, which was published in our last issue of The Crimson; “…man may be but as the corpuscle of some higher organism totally beyond his conception, but infinitely more intelligent than he.” Finally, Wordsworth puts forth a course of action we all should heed from time to time, especially when the burden of studying and completing assignments weighs most heavily upon us: Enough of Science and of Art; Close up those barren leaves; Come forth, and bring with you a heart That watches and receives. (29-32) As always, your commentary is welcome and encouraged. Email The Crimson at: crimson@crimson.fit.edu Benjamin Zinszer Op.&Ed. Editor Attending a tech school, we don’t often get as much exposure to the finer points of culture as students at many liberal arts schools do. A few days’ stay at the University of Chicago over spring break has rekindled my fading literary interests though, and I hope to share a bit of wisdom that has long proved invaluable to me and that, one of my favorite poets, William Wordsworth intended especially for the academic community. One of Wordsworth’s most potent commentaries on the intellectual world is his poem The Tables Turned, in which he confronts an overly studious reader with his views on the value of natural wisdom. Invoking various elements of nature to his purpose, Wordsworth argues that contemporary academic studies fall short of the understanding one gains by simply experiencing nature. Lines 21 through 24 exemplify this attitude: One impulse from a vernal wood May teach you more of man, Of moral evil and of good, Security Department Marty “Catfish” Cummings is a regular sight on campus. He is one of the daylight officers who ensure your protection as well as escorting the injured to the many locations they need to go. He received his nickname as a result of feeding the approximately 1500 channel catfish that regularly populate the many ponds on campus. The 16-year Security veteran is married to his wife Paula and has two sons, Clinton Dean and Duane Martin. Photo Provided by Florida Tech Security Marty “Catfish” Cummings Alumni Association Name: Mr. George Poidomani Current Residence: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Current Position: Alumni Association President Consultant Company: GEP Consulting Current Job Description and Job History: Trainer - Coach - Consultant at GEP Consulting Seminar Leader for Advanced Computer Seminars both here in the US and in the UK for CompuMaster Seminars. Served as one of the original 10 Microsoft Windows Mobile Specialist. Member of the Screen Actors Guild doing voiceover work in television and radio. Office located in Northeast Philadelphia, PA. Favorite Florida Tech Administrator/Faculty/Staff and Why: Ray Work, Vice President of Student Affairs When I became an administrator at FIT, I found out that he really cared more about students than the students really knew. Favorite Memory at Florida Institute of Technology: Leapfrogging down Country Club Road during freshman orientation at 3AM. Advice for Current Students: It’s not a perfect world, but by keeping positive communication going, we might get a bit closer each day. Suggest instead of demanding; listen before speaking. Compromise. Photo courtesy of Alumni Association George Poidomani Damian Lythcott Staff Writer On Tuesday, February 24th, some closure was finally brought to the untimely passing of 17-year-old Uchechukwumere (Uche) Udo Ogbuoji, who collapsed while playing basketball in December of last year. Friends and administrators alike gathered for a small memorial service at the campus All Faiths Center to celebrate his life and the short but tremendous impact he made in just one semester as a Chemical Engineering major at Florida Tech. The emotional service was filled with heartfelt sentiments by Dr. James Brenner (Uche’s advisor and friend), Akiki Kasara (one of Uche’s peers in Inter Varsity Christian Fellowship), Andrew Johnson (Uche’s Resident Assistant),Doug Nolder (Dean of Students), and Rev. Darice Dawson from the All Faith’s Center, all of whom highlighted both Uche’s social, personal, and academic accomplishments over his short stay. The soul-stirring piano renditions by Joseph Farley also complimented the somber but relaxed atmosphere of the memorial, and, along with a touching display of some of his memorabilia, added a certain extra dignity and class to the efforts of those who put the ceremony together. Uche may have seemed like one speck in the student body upon his passing, but to everyone at the service he rep- resented a vast universe of knowledge, compassion, humor, dedication, love, and maturity. Always a support and guiding light to his hallmates, classmates and friends, Uche greatly enjoyed life at Florida Tech. He not only immensely valued his studies, he was also in love with the sport of basketball. This detail became the basis for a touching final note by his Roberts RA, Andrew, who said that, much like his role within the hall, he is sure “Uche is somewhere in heaven, holding his basketball, waiting forus to stop fooling around until it is time for us to play together again.” Uche is survived by the Ogbouji Dynasty in Nigeria. May he rest in peace and his essence live in those he touched… everlastingly. Emergency Phones As you walk around campus, the parking garage and around Columbia Village, you might see some strange looking boxes with key pads that look strikingly similar to telephones but have no handsets. These “telephones” are set in yellow boxes that are attached to the front of buildings and in two locations, on concrete posts. There are 33 of these phones that double as both emergency and internal campus call phones. All 33 have key pads to contact any number on campus, as well as a large red button that connects directly to the Security Department. The phase 1 restoration of the Botanical Gardens will include a slightly different version of the phone. The two emergency phones being installed will only connect to the Security Department and will be distinguished by a blue light illuminated 24 hours a day that, when the phone is activated, will flash for a predetermined length of time. This allows bystanders as well as law enforcement/security officials to locate the phone activated. This new version is currently in operation on the covered bridge by the Shephard Building. By the way, sometimes people think it is amusing to activate the phone and run away just to see the light flash. Besides being an irritation and consuming time better spent in other operations, it is illegal and constitutes a criminal offense of false alarms. So while walking around campus, familiarize yourself with their locations. In the event you need one, you will know just where they are. Opinions & Editorials Florida Tech’s Crimson March 19, 2004 13 Jessica Hobgood Sports Editor Many students find it hard to maintain a serious relationship and still have fun in college. Having fun in college may include flirting with others, drinking with others, or just hanging out with new friends. These actions could easily make your partner jealous or angry. This is one way that your relationship is tested. When finding out that your partner disapproves of your actions, you need to handle the situation delicately. If you yell at your partner and tell them that’s too bad, you might be setting yourself up for a break-up. Avoid any irrational or frustrating behavior. Listen to your partner and always let them finish their side of the conversation. Interrupting them may lead them to think that you are not listening to them. They may feel like you are just disregarding their feelings in order to have fun in college. Sit down with your partner and have a long conversation about how each other feels. This may be hard for guys, but your girlfriend needs you to do this for her. Both people need some sort of security in the relationship, and they need to know that the other will always be there for them. You can still have fun in college; you just need to find a suitable solution for your relationship. Pushing your relationship aside and waiting to pick it back up down the road is not a good solution. You need to stick with your relationship and find something that fits; do not give up on the problem or your relationship. For example, you can have a rule where both of you spend one day of the weekend separate from each other and hanging out with new friends. In doing this, you can get to know others, but still have the conformity of your relationship. However, you each need to set strict guidelines on how close you can get with other people. As long as you both agree on the solution of bringing others into your relationship, then you shouldn’t have any problems. This solution always depends on your relationship. It is up to you and your partner to find a solution that suits both of you. It is not an easy task to do, and it is difficult to talk about this sort of thing, but it needs to be done. It will not happen overnight or even in a week. It could take months to get used to conforming to both of your wants of love and fun. This is why it is so important to compromise with each others wants. You won’t get anywhere in your relationship if you stay stubborn; compromising and communicating are the most important ways to solve a conflict or obstacle in your relationship. So, if you are having problems in your serious relationship because you want to have fun in college, then maybe you need to talk about it with your partner and find a suitable solution that involves others. Any questions or comments can be directed to jvanbrun@fit.edu. If you want any advice about anything in your relationship just email me. Don’t be shy. Confidentiality is rewarded. You do not have to sign your email. Brian Garst Guest Writer Can we get a mulligan? That’s what the DNC must be asking itself as John Kerry has secured the necessary delegates to win his party’s primary. One has to wonder what is running through Terry McAuliffe’s mind at this point, other then the fact that his job is in jeopardy as Kerry tries to wrestle control of his party from the Clintons. In a frenzy to avoid the disastrous nomination of Howard “I have a scream” Dean, the party jumped on board any horse it could find. Unfortunately for them, they picked a Taxachussets liberal colorfully described as having “the delivery of Al Gore, the integrity of Bill Clinton and the ideology of Ted Kennedy.” It’s not that they didn’t have the opportunity to pick a better candidate. They had every chance to pick Edwards, though his fight was made much more difficult due to the unusual frontloading of the primary season by the DNC. They structured it in such a way that whoever had the early momentum was unlikely to lose it and that a winner would be determined early in the year. I’m guessing they wanted to avoid the financially draining battles that are typical of primaries so that they had something left to combat President Bush’s massive war chest. But it’s a double edged sword for the DNC. No longer are they getting day after day of favorable, and most importantly, free media coverage. It’s going to cost money to defend Kerry as Bush sets out to define him as a candidate too liberal for mainstream America. Not that Edwards was a dream candidate either; something about a rich trial lawyer running a populist campaign really tickles this pundit’s funny bone. Kerry’s nomination was due primarily to his supposed “electability”. A look at the exit polls shows that’s pretty much the only thing that made him electable. It’s circular logic. Party faithful voted for Kerry because they believe he can beat Bush. They believe he can beat Bush because people are voting for him. Unfortunately for them no one really voted for Kerry, everyone voted against Bush. In primaries where non-Democrats were allowed to vote they overwhelming chose the more moderate Edwards over Kerry. Those are the votes Kerry is going to need if he truly wants to be electable in a national campaign. There’s also some other bad news for Kerry in those exit polls. Edwards voters were far more likely to say that they would only be satisfied if Edwards won - a far cry from Kerry voters who said they would support the Democratic ticket no matter who was at the top. More bad news for Kerry is the record low primary turnout. The media has painted this picture of an energized Democratic base ready to do anything to remove the evil, Hitlerlike Bush (their comparison, not mine). This is not the first time Democrats have stooped to comparing Republicans to Hitler. Harry Truman publicly made that reference when describing his opponent Dewey, but I digress. The point is the Democratic base is not excited about John Kerry nearly as much as the media is. All the polls that the media is so quick to throw on the air showing a tight race or with Kerry leading mean nothing at the moment. Polls at this time twenty years ago showed Walter Mondale leading over then President Reagan, and that turned into the biggest landslide in election history as Reagan easily won reelection. Are we destined for a repeat? My guess is no, but there are comparisons to be drawn. Walter Mondale’s campaign is most noted for his pledge to raise taxes. A majority of Americans believe that if elected John Kerry will raise their taxes. It’s going to be a long, uphill battle for John Kerry. C l a s s i f i e d s New Local Phone Service Experience desired, but not required. * Furnished leads provided * We sign up a minimum of 1 in 4 people we talk to * Reps average $600-$900 + paid weekly * Career/Management opportunities * Flexible hours * Lots of fun! * Outdoor work - transportation required * Best college job you’ll ever find!! 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Contact CampusFundraiser: (888)923-3238, or visit Fraternities - Sororities Clubs - Student Groups Earn $1,000-$2,000 this semester with a proven C a m p u s F u n d r a i s e r 3 hour fundraising event. Our free programs make fundraising easy with no risks. Fundraising dates are filling quickly, so get with the program! It works. Contact CampusFundraiser at: (888) 9 2 3 - 3 2 3 8 , or visit www.campusfundraiser.com. Opinions & Editorials 14 March 19, 2004 Florida Tech’s Crimson Shaun Miller Guest Writer It’s everyone’s favorite year again: presidential election year. Given what happened during the last election here in this great state of Florida in 2000, I’m sure everyone’s wondering if it’s going to be that close again, right? Well I know I have, so I decided to sit down and try to figure out for myself if it will be another close race or not this November. So how does one sit down and try to predict an election, you might say? Well, given CNN’s track record in the past few years, I decided not to rely on any current polls or information circulating this year. As you might remember, on election night CNN called that Al Gore, the Democratic candidate, had won the state of Florida and its 25 electoral votes, then retracted their statement that it was still too close to call. However, not all of Florida is located in the Eastern Time zone. The heavily conservative panhandle is actually located in the Central Time zone, giving them one more hour to vote after the polls close in the rest of the state. I’m not sure of the time frame between the call and the retraction, but in it, CNN had managed to repress up to 28,000 votes out of the 187,000 registered voters that did not cast votes in the panhandle according to John McLaughlin & Associates, a Republican firm based in Washington DC. Those 28,000 voters were deterred from voting when they heard that Gore had already won their state before they had a chance to cast their vote. Of those 28,000, 23% would have cast their vote for Al Gore. The remaining 64%, or nearly three times the number of votes for Gore, would have cast their vote for George W. Bush, the Republican candidate and now-current President. Yale University’s Senior Research Scholar John Lott placed Bush’s net loss of votes around 10,000, while Democratic-based surveys even placed it at up to 8,000 votes. Given the margin of victory was 537 votes in Florida, 8,000 votes would have made a huge difference. Late in 2003, the apparent leading candidate for the Democratic nomination for this year’s election seemed to be former Vermont governor Howard Dean. Several weeks after the primaries and caucuses started, Howard Dean was packing his bags for home while Massachusetts Senator John Kerry was enjoying being the number one candidate. So yeah, I decided not to rely on any CNN polls, surveys, etc. for my predictions. What I did utilize was www.cnn.com’s state by state 2000 election statistics and The 2004 World Almanac. I examined the percentage of votes that each candidate won each state by and based on that percentage, I decided which states Bush would definitely win and which states Kerry would definitely win this year. I also looked back to the 1996 Clinton vs. Dole election to help determine which states Bush, the incumbent Republican, would win. After examining the election results eight years ago, I found that every state that voted for Bob Dole, the Republican candidate who lost handily to the then incumbent Bill Clinton, in 1996 voted for Bush in 2000. So I figured that each of those states will vote for Bush this fall and awarded Bush those electoral votes. Next, I tried to see which states John Kerry would definitely win by looking to which states Gore had won handily in 2000. As a rule of thumb in determining which states would definitely go to one candidate or the other, I decided that any state that went to a candidate by a 10-12% margin of votes or greater in 2000 would definitely vote along the same party lines in 2004. For example, Bush won the state of Alabama with 57% of the vote while Gore took 42% of the vote, a margin of 15%. Alabama also voted for Bob Dole in 1996, so I gave Alabama’s nine electoral votes to Bush. After tallying all these up, I found that Bush would definitely take 162 electoral votes and Kerry would definitely take 168 with 208 electoral votes too close to call by my preliminary standards. Well, after that, I played out a couple different scenarios to see what happens. First, I divided out the states as though they voted on the same party lines as in 2000. If that were the case, the race would still be close, but not quite as close, due to the change in the number of electoral votes from the 2000 census. The Republican states would gain seven electoral votes, while the Democratic states would lose seven additional electoral votes, making a net change of +14 votes for Bush, making for another Bush victory with a score of 285-253. Examining more closely, I found that there were six states that had razor thin margins of victory. Looking at the big picture, the 24,731 votes in those six states determined the outcome of the election out of a nation of 281 million. That should be reason enough for anyone to vote this fall. Those six crucial states were New Hampshire (margin of 7,211 votes or 1%), Oregon (6,765 or <1%), Wisconsin (5,708 or <1%), Iowa (4,144 or 1%), Florida (537 or much less than 1%), and New Mexico being decided by only 366 votes (<1%). I decided to play out the other scenarios by awarding all other states by 2000 party lines and then dividing out these six crucial states. If all six of these states go to Kerry, we will be addressing John Kerry as Mr. President in January 2005 by a margin of 291-247. If all six of them go to Bush, he will keep his seat in the Oval Office by a margin of 307-231. And finally, I decided to go ahead and predict what I think personally will happen. In my predictions, I awarded New Hampshire, Oregon, Florida, and New Mexico to Bush while Kerry will take Wisconsin and Iowa. This would give Bush another four years by a margin of 290-248. A couple of key things to watch have risen in recent weeks though. For starters, Ralph Nader, the Green party candidate, has announced his candidacy again. Nader has been blamed several times for Gore’s defeat in 2000, by taking away votes that would have otherwise went for the Democrats. Also, the “high” that the Republican Party has been experiencing has apparently been coming to an end since it started with the September 11th terrorist attacks. Finally, states have not been following their normal party lines in recent years after the 2000 election. Maryland and California, both heavily Democratic states, have both elected Republican governors. In Virginia and Kentucky, both heavily Republican states, Virginia has a Democratic governor and Senator while Kentucky has recently elected a Democratic House Representative. In a rather shocking statement during an interview, newly elected governor of California, Hollywood star Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) actually guaranteed Bush the state of California and its whopping 55 electoral votes this November. My conclusion is that yes, it will be very close again this fall as we decide who will represent and run our country for the next four years. I strongly encourage all of you to get out there and vote. If you are not registered yet, do so now. You can fill out a registration form on the Internet by searching for voter registration forms and the name of your home state online. If you are registered and not a local, search online and get an absentee ballot which you can send in while you are away at school or pick one up while you are home for the summer. This goes double for all you residents of Florida, since I think it will be impossible to predict this state given the results from four years ago. Even a margin of 8,537 votes in a state of more than six million registered voters is razor thin. Don’t let your vote go to waste, exercise your right to choose. Opinions & Editorials Florida Tech’s Crimson March 19, 2004 15 Bill Losapio The Lonely Libertarian “Such is oft the course of deeds that move the wheels of the world: small hands do them because they must, while the eyes of the great are elsewhere.” Elrond Half-Elven I owe a debt of gratitude to Peter Jackson. His masterful treatment of the story of the Lord of the Rings turned the shallow movie industry upside down, and brought us face-to-face with the truest, deepest themes of humanity almost as clearly as Tolkien himself. I first read the stories when I was in junior high school. Summer between seventh and eighth grade, in fact. The Orlando Public Library will always have a place in my heart as the place where I found Bilbo, Thorin, Gandalf, and Frodo. Before that I had never engrossed myself in a book to the extent I did that summer, turning page after page as the morning sun glared through the living room window, the sounds of neighborhood kids in the background; before I knew it, realizing I had to turn on the light to continue reading…. It’s not hard to find junior high boys enthralled with wizards and dragons. I must say, though, that I don’t recall a childish love of fantasy as what pulled me to those wonderful stories. Well, the cover art was pretty cool, but the stories, for lack of a better way of putting it, touched my soul. What I most recall about the Lord of the Rings was the undercurrent of tragedy, sacrifice, and change. I was beginning to mature around that time. Christmastime didn’t quite give me the same giddy feeling I had as an adolescent, and I was becoming more aware of “big people” stuff like discord in the family… I was losing my rosy, childhood feeling about life. Tolkien seemed to parallel my view of the world. A delightful tale of a silly hobbit progressed into an epic tale of sacrifice, love, and loyalty. An unspoiled naivete in a cozy hobbit hole gets lost in a great wash of battle, toil, despair, and victory. No matter how good the final outcome, the Shire would never be the same for Frodo, Sam, Merry, or Pippin. Thinking about it still pulls on my heartstrings. Peter J a c k s o n u n d e r s t o o d these themes. He knew that the opportunity to overindulge in the technical presentation must not hinder the telling of a magnificent tale. And it truly is magnificent. Like the Bible, many different aspects of the story can be used to paint a relevant picture about current events, world turmoil, or perhaps one’s own life. For sure, Tolkien would have none of his publisher’s attempt to allegorically relate his writing to any event in particular (WWII, for instance). He hated allegory. To paraphrase commentary in one of the behind-the-scenes documentaries, though, it is precisely the universal appl icab il it y of Tolkien’s work that makes it so incredible. The description in the documentary of “the wraithing process” as it applies to the bureaucrats who sent hundreds of thousands of young men to die in the trenches of WWI (Tolkien witnessed firsthand the horrors of the Battle of the Somme) I found particularly poignant. Becoming a libertarian has been (and continues to be) an intellectual odyssey of life-changing proportions. That journey itself I could put into terms of Tolkien’s tale. But my under- standing of human shortcomings, political schemes, the news, current events, and life itself has been broadened by having experienced Tolkien. I can relate Grima Wormtongue to things in the world, as I can Saruman, the Shire, Numenor, Sauron, and yes, wraiths…. Tolkien took right from the human soul to give life to his universe. Ultimately, my perceptions may lack clarity, but Tolkien may have given us one of the clearest lenses into the plight of humankind with his story telling. I suppose it’s possible to o v e r s i m p l i f y , but I think Tolkien’s understanding of the frailty of human leadership and the corrupting lure of power were too brilliantly portrayed to keep from applying them in one’s own view of the world. Some of us Tolkien geeks will just have to deal with the fact that some people just don’t like Tolkien. They don’t like his biblical style of writing, or can’t get past stories with orcs and dragons, or the whole “little people with hairy feet” thing. Luckily, Peter Jackson wasn’t one of them. Thank you, Mr. Jackson, and thank you, Professor John Ronald Reuel Tolkien. Mike Giordano Staff Writer When Mel Gibson declared that he was going to make a movie about the final hours of J e s u s C h r i s t using his own money and in Latin and Aramaic, many people thought that he was crazy and that it wouldn’t get done. It wasn’t until the movie was actually realized that one of the most heated and controversial debates in recent times emerged. The J e w i s h A n t i - D e f a m a t i o n League began pounding Mel Gibson for making a film they claimed was anti-Semitic and would fuel hatred of Jews worldwide. No movie distributor (most likely due to pressure from several high level H o l l y w o o d honchos) would touch this film. Gibson had to create his own distribution company just for this movie to see the light of day. People said this film would ruin him. It would bankrupt him. It has grossed more than 250 million dollars in the short amount of time it has been out. So the big q u e s t i o n on everybody’s mind is, “Is the movie anti-Semitic?” The answer is, absolutely not. Let’s look at some facts. Jesus Christ is the ba- sis for the various branches of the Christian/Catholic religions. The Bible is the main source of information we have on the birth, life and death of him, yet we have very little historical (in terms of legal documents, etc) accounts of him. So let’s say that we wanted to write a screenplay about Jesus. Being that we have so little to go on, the only obvious place to get anything from is the Bible itself. It’s pretty clear in the Gospels that it wasn’t the Jewish people who wanted Jesus arrested and killed. Quite to the contrary, through the various points prior to the actual Passion, Jesus was welcomed and celebrated by Jewish people. It was, in actuality, the Pharisees, seeing a rival in the growing popularity of Jesus, who caused them to try and silence him. Jesus was, in essence, “framed” by an organized conspiracy, and the Pharisees u s e d their p o s i t i o n s of power to influence the people to be against him. Gibson takes pains to portray several non-disciple/family sympathizers to Jesus. During the initial interrogation scene, several Pharisees are thrown out of the t e m p l e for d e f e n d i n g J e s u s . When the random Jew who is ordered to help carry the cross sees people stoning and kicking Jesus when he is down, he comes to his aid, chastising his people. Mel Gibson even cut the one line that has forever been linked to the Jews being blamed for Jesus’ death, that being the one where the Pharisees claim Jesus’ blood be on the hands of them and their children. The Roman soldiers that torture and crucify Jesus are portrayed in a hideously evil manner. Does that make the film anti-Italian, or anti-European? The fact of the matter is that people can get what they want out of anything. A person who has no hate in his heart can watch this movie and never see a drop of prejudice. Now say, if a neoNazi were to watch this, of course they’re going to be able to find something to fuel their fire. This is the nature of humans. We tend to see what we want to see in something. “The Ten Commandments,” one of the most popular and most-watched movies of all time, is pretty much a Jewish equivalent to “The Passion.” Where is the controversy when that movie is aired to every American household with a television during prime time hours where children can see it? After all, that movie paints Egyptian people in a pretty bad light and could cause some prejudice against Egyptian people. How about any movie based on World War I I ? A r e people today going to be prejudiced against the Germans by watching “The Longest Day”? People are way too uptight today. These various special interest organizations keep trying to push their own personal agenda down people’s throats whether they’re believable or not. It’s every group too. The Religious R i g h t , the A n t i - d e f a m a t i o n League, the Gay Rights movement, PETA, the NRA, the NAACP, the ACLU, the group that got McDonald’s to remove the supersize option, and every other special interest group, be they on the left, or the right. They all have an agenda on an issue, and believe, right or wrong, that you should be forced to accept their view, no matter how dumb, unfair, or on the fringe it is, and that any view to the contrary is racist, sexist, homophobic, unAmerican, anti-Christian, etc etc. People in America today need a transfusion of common sense, and unless they get it soon, this country is going to divide itself into nothing, because sooner or later, just being able to breathe is going to offend someone. Opinions & Editorials 16 March 19, 2004 Florida Tech’s Crimson By Chris Sonnenberg The President’s Office, Student Life and Delta Psi Sigma Presents: CAMPUS CLEAN UP Saturday, March 27, 2004 Panther Plaza, 9AM Panther Droppings Panther Droppings is a campus rumors column. Here you’ll find rumors that may be based in truth, but have not yet been researched for confirmation. Submissions come from members of the Florida Tech community. Please submit your Panther Droppings to: crimson@crimson.fit.edu Attention FL. Tech community! It is time once again for the annual Campus Clean Up on March 27th. Help us restore the botanical gardens and surrounding areas. This is a great event for all organizations to get their name out and give back to FL. Tech. The first 125 people who sign up will receive a free Campus Clean Up T-shirt in appreciation for their help. Everyone who participates is invited to a free BBQ lunch after the clean up. Let’s make this event bigger than ever! For more information contact the Student Life office at x8080 or email at mhibbard@fit.edu. * A observation dome is being constructed at the top of the new Olin Physics and Space Sciences building. However, while the dome was accounted for as part of the construction budget, no money has been allocated for the installation of a telescope in the observatory.