Thanks to all the folks behind the scenes

Editorial

The campus is littered with garbage, the foliage is overgrown and unkempt, and underclassmen with no culinary knowledge are dying from starvation in droves.

This isn't a description of the environment at one of our rival schools - it's a picture of the University of North Florida without its staff members.

The custodians, groundskeepers and other staffers at UNF comprise the support system for the entire school. When a visitor steps on campus, their perception of the university is based directly on the work of the support staff.

Whether the staff member is a student working for some funds to pad their wallet, or a decades-long staffer trying to provide for his or her family, they deserve credit for their service to the community. They keep the school running efficiently and promote a relaxed campus environment conducive to learning.

When the Spinnaker published a column last year concerning the accumulation of debris in a campus lake, the custodial staff was quick to respond.

In addition to assuring us the lake would be cleaned, they promptly made good on their word and scoured the lake for trash.

That's the type of devotion the majority of UNF support staffers exhibit on a daily basis, and it separates our campus from the 10 other Florida public colleges.

Our university operates like a human body. The administration and faculty act as the brain, making the important decisions and instructing the whole of the academic community. The staff serves as the beating heart of the campus.

If it weren't for their work, the school, much like a body, would atrophy and cease to function.

The recent death of Osprey CafŽ employee Jeffrey Rogers is a sobering reminder that the support staff is made up of unique human beings.

Their services might fly under the radar, but that doesn't make their contributions any less important. Take the time to acknowledge the work of the various staff members at the university.

If you receive exemplary service at your on-campus eatery of choice, let your server know. If you bypass a groundskeeper plying his trade, compliment them on the quality of their work.

With the continued help of these people, UNF can really live up to its "no place like this" slogan and differentiate itself from rival universities.

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Time for tough change in Fla. schools with 'bleak' future

Editorial

It's no secret that the one resource every university in the country striving to better itself is always pining for is money. Money, as they say, makes the world go 'round. Money can and does buy happiness, if you're a university administrator.

Money provides for all the critical needs of a university: facilities, faculty, programs, athletics and a host of other factors that make college a worthwhile endeavor for high school graduates.

But, quite understandably, those graduates are also looking to act in their best interest by spending as little as possible to maximize their college experience. What ensues is a constant tug-of-war between the immediate interests of the students and what administrations want to spend money on to ostensibly best serve the long-term interests of the same population.

When circumstances preclude both parties from being perfectly comfortable with the arrangement - as it universally does in a world full of students' empty wallets and schools' expensive dreams - compromises have to be made, and plans have to be abridged.

Exhibit A: University of North Florida President John Delaney told the St. Petersburg Times this month that four faculty members left his Jacksonville institution in recent months "because the future here appeared so bleak."

It's part of a larger exodus that's occurring statewide as professors realize other states have a lot more to offer: The University of South Florida, Florida International University and the University of Florida have all lost professors and even deans to the promise of better compensation elsewhere.

According to a national survey by the Chronicle of Higher Education, the average salary of a full professor at a public university in the Sunshine State is right around $99,000. Compare that with states like Michigan, where the average is more than $114,000

When you give the numbers a close look, it's easy to see why all the talent is migrating north. Even our next-door neighbor Georgia offers greener pastures for higher-education teachers than Florida.

It's time state lawmakers admitted a hard truth to themselves about the much-touted State University System of Florida: The tuition rates might be among the lowest in the nation, but so is the product many students end up with once they pay in. A great value isn't going to benefit anyone if you can't get a job after graduation because every class you attended took place in a packed 200-seat lecture hall.

If the current fiscal situation is forcing individual university administrations to sacrifice teaching talent to stay afloat, it's time to rethink the entire situation on a macro level. There aren't many things you can invest in as a school that are more important than teachers.

In the context of a wealthier school system, the obvious answer would be to cut extraneous programs and projects to protect the standard at which professors should be compensated.

In a system like Florida's, though, where there are precious few resources to be rationed, the answer starts outside individual schools.It's time to buck up and collect more resources to feed into the process.

If Florida can go from being the 49th least expensive state for college in the United States to the 45th and retain more decent professors in classrooms, it's the kind of tradeoff that, while probably initially painful, will benefit students in the long run.

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It's about time trans fat intake became regulated

Student Opinion

By Brandon Jester
SENIOR, CRIMINAL JUSTICE

No matter where you go, these days you're pretty much guaranteed to see overweight people.

Two out of three adults in the United States face a weight problem, and this number has dramatically increased over the last three decades across all ages, races and education levels, according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

There has not, however, been a large scale change in human genetics during this time, which means all signs point to individual behaviors that cause people to become overweight. Only a few rare cases are actually caused by a genetic disorder and can be claimed a "disease."

Because some people have such a big problem controlling their own behavior to prevent becoming overweight, the government believes it's time to step in and take control of people who can't do it on their own.

To a point, even I agree with this because nobody wants to be told what they can and can't eat. But here's the problem: People DO eat whatever they want, and that's why so many people in our country are fat. Nobody wants to stop after two pieces of pizza or just have an occasional soft drink, because water won't keep you awake during exam week.

Fast food chains and junk food companies are being forced to take trans fats, the most harmful type of fat, out of their products in an attempt to make food healthier.

Sorry if you liked the added flavor of trans fats in your super-sized biggie lunch, you can't have it any more because it might show up in your midsection.

Many public school systems are forcing soda and vending machines off their campuses. Sorry kids, you'll have to spend your lunch money on something that's a little less harmful to your long-term health. At least they're trying to catch it early since almost all children that become overweight at a young age will continue to be overweight throughout the rest of their life, leading to many health problems, including high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes.

Only about 25 percent of people are engaging in vigorous physical activity on a regular basis during their leisure time, while most Americans watch enough television in a week to make it a full-time job, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

If nothing else gives people the desire to control what they eat, I think that should do it. It has become obvious the overwhelming majority of us would rather take the easy way out and just grab a value meal, rather than going to the grocery store to buy fruits and veggies.

The bottom line is that as long as we're given complete freedom to eat whatever we want, people are going to take it. To prevent an even bigger problem from arising, we need help and government regulation to make for healthier people and lifestyles. Everybody needs to be more aware of what they put into their body, and take responsibility for their own actions or lack thereof.

Somebody decided what was good for you so you won't have think about it for yourself.

Contact Brandon Jester at discourse@unfspinnaker.com -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE

Life, liberty, fatty food: Don't legislate my lunch

Student Opinion

By Courtney Lambert
SOPHOMORE, COMMUNICATIONS

Americans are very well aware of the obesity epidemic flooding our country and how it's on the rise each year. Multi-billion-dollar fast food restaurants make the choice between fat-packed burgers and organic salads easier with menus that scream "cheap food."

Junk food can be easily obtained around any street corner, offered in larger portions than ever before. Of course, our government leaps to the rescue, since Americans have set themselves on top as the most overweight country in the world. By banning trans fats in many household treats like Oreos, and even outlawing it in states such as New York, America is taking a new step toward health.

But by enacting new laws, is this interfering with our freedom to gorge? It is crucial that obesity be taken seriously, but why must those who watch their weight and eat fat foods sparingly have to suffer at the expense of those who choose to destroy their own bodies? According to USA Today, a government-convened panel of experts recommended doctors "weigh and measure all their adult patients and refer obese ones to intensive counseling and behavioral treatment," which has lead to the declaration of obesity as a disease.

If this is the case, then our rights should not have to be abridged due to those who can't take the time to exercise or eat a carrot or two. If people are free in this country, they should have the ability to eat what they wish, even if it packs a little trans fat.

Can these new government-regulated programs reach out to everyone? Food is very costly, especially the organic, healthy choices that nutritionists preach about. Poverty-stricken Americans lack the money to keep up with rising health food prices, so when it comes to whether they should buy a $4 bag of lettuce or a burger and fries from the value menu at McDonald's, which do you think will be victorious? Others simply pay no heed to the obesity plight, which results in skyrocketing health insurance. Flying has also become a bit harder on the old pocketbook, since heavier bodies equal the need for more fuel to reach destinations.

According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, two-thirds of Americans are overweight, while the other third is in good health. The results are mind-blowing, but everyone should have a right to what they want to snack on, and to not have to deal with laws dropped on their food.

True, the obesity epidemic must not be overlooked, but we should be able to choose for ourselves what we want to put in our bodies. Adults should be able to make rational decisions regarding their health just like they must make other decisions in life. Treating obesity starts with the person and their own personal choices, not with placing boundaries and barriers on our food.

Contact Courtney Lambert at discourse@unfspinnaker.com -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE

Letters to the Editor

Alumna memorializes former Spinnaker managing editor

Dear editor,

As we take this day to remember as a country the disaster of the attacks of Sept. 11, there are a handful of students left at the University of North Florida who will still remember this date for a different reason. September 11 was the last day Richard O'Bryant was alive.

It has been only two years since my friend and colleague Richard decided to take his life in a final act of desperation many of us could not understand. We searched blindly for any reasons we could find, combing through his e-mails for an explanation we knew had to exist. Finding nothing certain, many of us moved on from that place in our minds, but we have always kept him in our hearts.

I had the pleasure of knowing him for much of my time at UNF, and I have yet to meet an individual like him. I know I am speaking for a dwindling number of students at UNF. I am not even a student anymore. However, it would still be nice if the paper could do something symbolic and meaningful in memory of Richard this year, and maybe set up a little something for him every year. This way his mark can be recognized not only in the hearts of the people who were touched by him, but also on the newspaper he cared about so deeply.

Taryn Fivek,
Alumna

UNF: Where students really do come first - in line to pay

Dear Editor,

Sometimes I feel like the University of North Florida is actively trying to prevent people from graduating.

The registration process is inadequate, and it often prevents people from signing up for the classes they need. Due to an error in the school's recordkeeping, several of my Advanced Placement credits from high school were not recorded, which caused me to have to wait extra semesters to sign up for certain classes. The advisers often gave wrong and wildly contradictory information, causing me to take three expensive summer courses I didn't need.

That's not even taking into account the ridiculous parking fees, book costs, and miscellaneous fees for services I never needed and never intended to use. Despite UNF being one of the best value schools and the fact that I had 100 percent of my tuition paid by scholarships through Florida Bright Futures, I still feel like I overpaid.

There's a reason why people call UNF "U Never Finish." Even the simplest of problems require ridiculous amounts of red tape to get through. It's a miracle I'm only graduating one semester late.

I understand some of these things are being fixed, like the Bright Futures issue. Unfortunately, for me, the damage is already done. I'm graduating a semester later and a whole lot poorer than I should be.

Robert Snyder
Senior, Communication

Contact at discourse@unfspinnaker.com -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE