Spinnaker [Distributed: Wednesday, November 15, 2006]

The number of homicides in Jacksonville is on the rise in comparison to last year, and community members, city officials and the University of North Florida are joining together to fight this growing trend.

As of Nov. 7, there have been 125 homicides, 100 of which have been murders. At this time last year, the number of homicides was at 95 with 71 murders. There is not one clear answer to why the numbers are so high this year, according to Ken Jefferson, Jacksonville Sheriff's Office public information officer.

Most of the violent crimes are taking place on the Northside of the city where residents live in transitional housing and have lower incomes, Jefferson said. Many arguments start as domestic disputes and escalate to physical confrontations, which typically lead to a shooting or stabbing, he said.

Overall, a large portion of the violent crimes committed are drug-related, and involve males ages 16-30, according to Roy Fabila, a Jacksonville Sheriff's Office patrol officer.

The tipping point for the Jacksonville community came on July 26 of this year, when 8-year-old DreShawna Davis was killed by a stray bullet in her family's home.

The shooting was intended as a retaliatory act against her uncle, according to chief of communications and special initiatives for the mayor's office, Susan Wiles.

Wiles said the Jacksonville community and city leaders found a need to come together to put an end to the violence. Numerous programs stemmed from Davis' murder in hopes of offsetting the violence that had already been done.

The University of North Florida also took part in making its own contributions to the city's growing homicide issue. Jacksonville Mayor John Peyton came to UNF's campus in October to discuss the importance of literacy education at a young age to city officials, volunteers and the UNF Community Outreach Council.

"UNF's Community Outreach Council is spearheading several projects in conjunction with the Mayor's Office and City Council," said Michael Hallett, chair of the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at UNF.

The main project of the Outreach Council is HOMEWORK ZONE, which promotes literacy within elementary and middle school students. Volunteers and UNF Student Presidential Community Ambassadors are able to work one-on-one with the students.

Peyton held an immediate meeting in response to the murder of Davis with city council members, Sheriff John Rutherford and local pastors to plan "A Day of Faith," for all those who lost their lives to homicide or murder, said Wiles.

More than 8,000 Jacksonville residents came to show their support, Wiles said. "This city has reached its boiling point-it will no longer tolerate violence."

Another program in the Jacksonville community is "Walking Wednesdays," which started this fall. The purpose of the program is to increase the communication between residents and law enforcement. Getting residents of high-crime areas involved could be a strong deterrent, Wiles said.

"The program grew out of desperation to involve concerned and law-abiding citizens where murder and crime were unacceptably high," Wiles said.

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce have partnered in another new program, "Operation Safe Streets." This program puts roughly 72 extra police officers in high crime areas 24 hours a day, seven days a week, according to Jefferson. The program is meant to make contacts with residents, discuss any issues they may have, and build communication within the city.

"The goal of the program is to convey to people to not be afraid to report a crime," Fabila said.

The "Gun Bounty Program" is an opportunity for citizens to report people who own guns and intend to use them for illegal activity. If police locate a person with a gun and make an arrest, the individual who called in and gave the information will receive $1,000, Jefferson said.

The "Gun Buy-Back Program" sponsored by the AME Ministerial Alliance and supported by the JSO, allows people to sell their guns to the JSO and receive $50. Law-abiding citizens can worry less about their homes being broken into for their guns if they no longer have any in their homes, Jefferson said.

Mayor Peyton's Review Committee approved spending $2 million for police officer overtime and programs on crime prevention from the last budget year, which ended Sept. 30.

Another $3 million was allocated for the current budget year to pay police officers overtime for patrolling high-crime areas, according to Wiles.

"Homicide affects everybody when one person takes the life of another, Jefferson said, "so we all must do our part in helping to prevent those sorts of acts."

Jefferson advised residents on ways to improve communication among themselves and police.

"Always report suspicious activity, follow your instincts and never be afraid to report a crime."

Grasshoppers growing up

John Hatle is examining what these critters can teach science about aging

In 1513, Juan Ponce de Leon was said to be searching for the fabled fountain of youth in St. Augustine. Almost 500 years later, the key to the mystery may be found hopping in the University of North Florida biology labs.

John Hatle, assistant professor of biology at UNF, is conducting experimental research on grasshopper to understand how aging is controlled.

"Almost all organisms age, and the results of aging are well-known in humans," Hatle said. "We lose elasticity, our skin gets crinkly, our arteries don't expand and recoil as easily, our hair turns gray, and our hormones get weaker. But how that's controlled is not understood."

So he turned to grasshoppers - insects that, unlike the more commonly studied fruit flies, are large enough to follow and to collect blood samples from one individual, Hatle said. Aside from being less expensive than mice, another common experimental model for aging, grasshoppers also live shorter, about three to six months, allowing for an ample amount of time to study its lifespan, he said.

"These grasshoppers are very common around Jacksonville," Hatle said. "Those are the kinds that are pests in people's gardens, so a lot of people around here are familiar with them."

Funded by the National Institute on Aging, a branch of the National Institute of Health, Hatle is studying how body storage affects longevity. According to Hatle, going on in his fourth year at UNF, the standard theory for animals is that aging is a result of reproduction. He said this theory has been proven in studied organisms such as flies, worms and mice.

"Individuals that make a lot of offspring in a young age die young, and individuals that delay reproduction tend to live a little bit longer," Hatle said. "So there's a clear link between reproduction and aging."

Hatle said that through precedent research, it is thought that individuals who delay reproduction store the energy that would have been committed to reproduction and use it to take care of themselves instead.

But what makes Hatle's research differ from those experiments that rely on fat storage for energy is his study of protein storage.

"Humans and vertebrates can't store protein, but insects can," Hatle said. "Protein is what insects need to make eggs. Grasshoppers are vegetarians, of course. They're protein-limited just like any human vegetarian. So, we examine how much protein the grasshopper stores and how that affects their longevity. And to our surprise, we found that protein storage was not related to how long an individual grasshopper lives."

The research, however, does not end there.

"We use grasshoppers for our research, but it's just an experimental system," Hatle said. "In any research like that, you're trying to determine general principles that apply to as many different organisms as possible."

The ultimate goal is to have those principles applied to human health.

"We hope to find some general principles and then let other labs that do more directly medically related research take it up and go from there," Hatle said. "Labs at medical schools often use mice and organisms that are more closely related to humans. At a school like this, we can find some general principles of simple animals like grasshoppers and the next step up would be live mice and then the next step up would be live humans."

Leadership discusses Master Plan

The University of North Florida will undergo major changes in its campus structure and layout over the next 10 years, according to speakers at a LEARNUNF presentation Nov. 9.

Among the planned developments are several new buildings, expansions to existing structures and a new philosophy regarding how space on campus will be used, said Richard Crosby, associate vice president for administration and finance. Crosby said the UNF Master Plan calls for a series of new projects that will eventually phase out parking in the core of campus, opening that space up for more student and faculty working space.

Crosby addressed the student union building, which is due to break ground in May 2007. He said it will occupy the space where Lot 4 currently sits, displacing 752 parking spaces. To counteract the loss of parking, Crosby said the university plans to expand Lot 18 from 1,000 to 1,800 spaces by next fall.

The proposed "eastern ridge" housing complex and a possible sanctuary on the south end of campus are among other ideas attached to the Master Plan, Crosby said, along with the conversion of the State Road 9A-Butler Boulevard intersection to an interchange.

"I think we're probably about another year or so on the interchange," he said.

Director of Facilities Planning Zak Ovadia also gave a presentation outlining some of the newer developments of the Master Plan. He said a new Parking Services building has been designed and should begin construction in the next few weeks.

Ovadia also said an expansion to the Brooks College of Health building is in the works, and may be the next big project to receive attention because of its need. The idea is to construct a new four-story wing that mirrors the existing building, creating a courtyard in between, Ovadia said. He added that classes will occupy the first floor and Student Health Services will move from its current location to the second floor.

"There is synergy between that program [Student Health Services] and the nursing program," Ovadia said.

Every new building will be built according to the same "green" environmental-friendly standards that the new Social Sciences building was, Ovadia said.

University of North Florida President John Delaney said the new designs will focus on energy efficiency, adding that he hopes they will represent a stylistic departure from the older buildings.

"We've got a lot of ugly buildings here," Delaney said.

This opinion seemed to represent consensus among administration involved with carrying out the Master Plan, as Ovadia gave a potential solution to the same problem in his presentation.

"We're trying to improve the environment by introducing a lot of glass [in the new designs]," he said.

Delaney gave the final address as the keynote speaker, offering his view of the most grievous problems facing UNF and their potential solutions. No. 1 on the list, he said, was the lack of a student union.

Understaffing and low employee salaries are also focuses of the administration, Delaney said. He added that since his term began he's fought for changes and has seen some results, but he plans to continue until the issues are resolved.

Delaney also said overcrowding has become a problem, citing the "trailers" that some classes or offices currently reside in. He said the purchase of the AOL building south of campus could help, but may not completely resolve the situation.

"We could fill up that building tomorrow [if offices were moved in]," he said.

Dean of Graduate Studies Dr. Tom Serwatka also spoke at the LEARNUNF presentation, giving a brief overview of how the university makes decisions and where its money comes from.

LEARNUNF is a product of the university's 2006 LeadershipUNF class, said Pam Niemczyk, administrative assistant for the Brooks College of Health. LeadershipUNF is a program instituted by Delaney with the aim to further educate UNF faculty and bring together ideas about how to connect to the community, she said. There are a total of four such presentations planned for the academic year, she said.

Gov. Bush appoints professor to state commission

Anne Hopkins, professor of Political Science and former University of North Florida president, was recently appointed to the Florida Commission on Human Relations.

Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida appointed Hopkins to serve on the commission Oct. 11.

"I hope it will be fun," Hopkins said.

The commission meets four times a year to review complaints about civil rights violations, according to Hopkins. Each case may address discrimination of any sort-sex, age, race, religion or a number of other issues-in specific instances ranging from employment practices to housing, she said.

Hopkins said she will primarily focus on making sure state civil rights laws are adhered to across the state.

"I have strong and passionate feelings about this [mission of the FCHR]," she said.

"I absolutely believe that Dr. Hopkins is the right person for the job," said Dr. Mark Workman, provost and vice president for academic affairs, who worked closely with Hopkins during her tenure as president of the university.

"She is passionate about justice and equity and civility and utterly fair in her judgment," he said.

Hopkins received her bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in political science from Syracuse University in New York. She served as the president of UNF from 1998 to 2002, when she resigned and became a political science professor.

While Hopkins has been officially appointed to the position by Bush, the Senate still must approve her appointment. Until that time, she cannot review cases, she said. If the Florida Senate approves the appointment, Hopkins will serve as a commissioner for a four-year term to end in 2010.

Hopkins said she plans to travel to Tallahassee after Thanksgiving, where she'll be officially oriented in the tasks her job entails. From there, she says she'll begin reviewing cases.

Poppy talk: Students calling home more ofte

Today's college kids can't seem to cut the cord with mom and dad. Great score on a test? Flip open the cell phone and give mom the good news. Roommate bugging you? Zip an e-mail to dad to get some solace. Going home next weekend? Alert the folks to stock up on laundry soap.

Recent studies nationwide show that the so-called "millennial generation" is calling home at a rate that would boggle the mind of past generations.

Strolling through a busy college campus, one might assume all those students busily yakking on their cell phones are talking to boyfriends, girlfriends, buddies. Not so.

Marjorie Savage was walking across the University of Minnesota campus recently when she overheard a brief cell phone conversation. It could serve as a model for modern times:

"I heard a student say, 'OK, mom, test was fine, talk to you later.' That was the entire conversation," Savage said.

Savage, who heads up the U's parent program, practiced the ancient arts of letter writing and calling collect as a college student in the '60s.

At the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., the orientation skit for incoming freshmen includes a plea that parents get text messaging.

In Fond du Lac, Wis., insurance agent Beth Ciriacks had two cell phone conversations with her daughter Amanda Berg, a University of Minnesota senior, by the time she got a midday call via the old- fashioned land line from a newspaper reporter.

Aided by the instant communications revolution, college students contact home for any reason these days. This is a two-way street that involves full participation of the parents.

A parent survey conducted by Savage earlier this year, found that one-fifth are in touch with their kids at college one or more times a day.

More than two-thirds said they're in touch with their kids at least twice a week.

A members survey by the College Parents of America found that three-quarters of those who responded contacted their college children at least two-to-three times a week.

"I probably call my mom two to four times a week," said University of St. Thomas junior Carl Mickman from Otsego, Minn. "I just talked to her about a half-hour ago. ... I might have insignificant reasons for calling, I might need some money for groceries, and that might evolve into a conversation where we discuss what's going on in our lives."

Meanwhile, the conventional telephone and hand-written letter appear to be going the way of carrier pigeons. Savage's survey found that only 9 percent of respondents used a land line frequently. Eight percent take pen in hand with any frequency.

"I've had one letter from my [University of St. Thomas senior] son since he left for college and none from my [University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh sophomore] daughter," said Faye Rasmussen of Stoughton, Wis. And regular long-distance conversations simply don't happen.

"We're talking about cell phones, so these are free calls," Rasmussen said. They converse by e-mail, too.

Rasmussen said her son, Ricky, calls if he's having problems, while daughter, Clarlie "will talk to me about the dorm, what kids are doing, when she's coming home and what she needs."

For Rasmussen, the frequent contact is an extension of her heavy involvement in activities in the K-12 years. It's not easy to give that up.

"I truly went through withdrawal when they went to college," she said. "I had to consciously not contact my son every day when he went to college."

Not everyone's on the same wavelength.

"We have students here whose folks call them every day, or who call their folks every day, or they call them a couple of times a day," said Geraldine Rockett, director of personal counseling at the University of St. Thomas. "Then, we have people who call their folks every Sunday afternoon from the phone booths in the halls."

Ciriacks figured her daughter, Amanda, "might still get on the computer and say, 'hi' to me again," before the day ended. "I don't know; maybe we're excessive. She needs that though; she's very lonely."

But not everyone wants to be instantly reachable via parent phone.

"I dated a guy who was from St. Paul," Amanda said. "I noticed every time his dad would call, he would press the 'ignore' button. His dad called a lot."

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE

Locals address water usage

The use and consumption of water was discussed Nov. 10 during a Regional Water Conference co-sponsored by the University of North Florida's Environmental Center.

Entitled "Water Matters???," the conference featured lectures about the sustainability of water and the current problems plaguing North Florida and the St. Johns River Basin.

Representatives from the Florida Wildlife Federation, the Duval Audubon Society, Florida Sea Grant, the St. Johns River Management District and others provided pamphlets detailing ways to effectively use and conserve water.

The event was also sponsored by the District IV Branch of the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs Inc. Mary Miller, the director of the District IV branch, helped organize the conference with Event Chairman Sarah Bailey.

"She [Sarah] decided on the location for the event because she has worked closely with the university in the past," Miller said. "They [UNF and the Environmental Center] worked with us to help organize the conference and they were instrumental to the event."

Dr. Joseph Delfino, a professor of Environmental Engineering Services at the University of Florida, lectured about the challenges to the sustainability of water resources in Florida.

During his speech, he advised the audience to get into the practice of conserving, reclaiming, reusing and educating children about the conservation of water. He also highlighted a number of unsettling trends in water consumption.

"The UN has predicted that the water supply will be a third smaller per person worldwide in the year 2020," Delfino said during his presentation. "Water usage is tied directly to the population growth rate and the more people there are, the less water we will have."

A Gainesville resident, Delfino related his findings to Florida in particular.

"The sustainability of water is a global problem," Delfino said. "Even in Florida, where we have 50 to 70 inches of rain every year, there are still regional water supply challenges."

Delfino mentioned a number of ways UNF students can become educated in their use of water.

"It needs to be understood that water is a limited resource," Delfino said. "Take advantage of a few classes at UNF's Environmental Center when you have free electives. Develop a conservation ethic when it comes to water, as well as energy."

Felicia Boyd, a representative from the St Johns River Management District, effectively summed up the goal of the conference and the organizations in attendance.

"We are here to protect water quality and to preserve water resources," Boyd said. "We are trying to encourage individual responsibility when it comes to using water."

Schools cash in on students' urge to buy

Students bunking in the newest residence halls at the University of Central Florida will soon be tripping over Maggie Moo's ice cream, Subway sandwiches, Starbucks, Red Brick Oven Pizza, Barnes & Noble and other chain stores on the way out of their dorms.

At UCF and elsewhere, it's getting harder to tell the difference between the university and the mall.

Once content to sell sweatshirts from a generic campus store and meals from a mess hall, universities are entering into increasingly sophisticated arrangements with national retailers, allowing more franchises directly on campus. At UCF, many of the stores set to open in the coming weeks are attached directly to the dorms, across from a basketball arena under construction with its own set of chain stores.

"This much impulse buying on the way to class could be hurtful," said Boston Russell, a 20-year-old sophomore from Longwood, who is among the first living in the new dorms on the edge of a pine forest in suburban Orlando.

The design, he said, is "letting these companies have a free shot at us when we walk by three times a day for class."

But Cheryl Adams, a senior from Daytona Beach, said most students are less skeptical: "Who doesn't like to shop?"

The University of Central Florida isn't alone. Though nearby college towns with quirky health food and rare book stores have long been a staple at traditional universities, many schools are placing retail on campus and collecting rents to subsidize operations and attract students. At UCF, money from the dorms, shops and a pair of parking garages is subsidizing the 10,000-seat basketball arena.

"We're a public university, but we want to adopt some of the best practices of the private sector," said Bill Merck, vice president for administration and finance at UCF.

Florida Atlantic University's board of trustees began moving in the same direction this month. Trustees discussed "Innovation Village," a proposed complex of dorms and retail stores designed around a proposed football stadium at the Boca Raton campus.

Urban schools have a longer tradition of integrating their campuses into downtown retail environments. But even that model has changed. The University of Pennsylvania began aggressively developing the depressed West Philadelphia neighborhood around its campus a decade ago, starting with a $100 million project opened in 1998 that converted a parking lot into a hotel, sporting goods store, Barnes & Noble, Cosi coffee bar and Urban Outfitters, among other stores.

"At the time there was probably not a lot of enthusiasm among developers for the site," said Paul Sehnert, Penn's director of real estate development. "We needed to prime the pump."

Penn added another project four blocks away - including a grocery and multiplex movie theater. Outside developers have since started their own projects, leaving a mix of retail and academic buildings on almost every block.

"I think they've done remarkable things," said Jeff Speck, director of design for the National Endowment for the Arts. Speck is a former planner with the Miami firm Duany Plater-Zyberk, one of the pioneers for the so-called New Urbanist movement that advocates building traditional communities by intermingling homes, offices and apartments so people can walk everywhere.

With a combination of 2,000 more student beds, local residents and customers at the arena, Merck figured he could add retail. A pair of 700-car garages - with $450-a-year reserved spaces - weren't far behind.

Now, UCF can afford the basketball arena.

Asked if he would consider building chain stores in classrooms, Merck paused.

"Well that's an interesting thought," he said sarcastically. "Maybe I ought to think about that."

Print Edition

NEWS

Jacksonville under fire

Grasshoppers growing up

John Hatle is examining what these critters can teach science about aging

Leadership discusses Master Plan

Gov. Bush appoints professor to state commission

Poppy talk: Students calling home more ofte

Locals address water usage

Schools cash in on students' urge to buy

News in Brief

Workshop helps students chose majors

Survey to ask campus about shuttle needs

Broadway parody coming to campus

Thanksgiving food drive taking donations

Flu shots available again