NEWS
- Trio of rap stars rocks UNF Arena
- UPD tightens campus security Melissa Dixon
- Students favor Clinton, Obama Sarah Diener
- 'Elders' share civil rights insights Ashley Beland
- Shorstein: Law is tricky trade Sarah Diener
- Music partnership provides expensive wind instruments to students in need Carrie Mizell
- Students seek international competition Jessica Medina
- Family event draws record numbers Louis Suffredini
Trio of rap stars rocks UNF Arena
Osprey productions concert
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Brooklyn rapper Fabolous, 17-year-old artist Sean Kingston and hip-hop group Shop Boyz played UNF arena Oct. 7. This was the first major concert of the 2007-2008 academic year for Osprey Productions. See Expressions for performer interviews and audience opinions. |
UPD tightens campus security
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In the five months since the Virginia Tech shooting, the University of North Florida has been fine-tuning its emergency plans in an effort to prevent a similar tragedy here.
Although crime at UNF is lower than that of any other public university in Florida - with only three aggravated assaults and a single robbery reported in 2006 - the University Police Department and the school's crisis management team are constantly working to improve emergency operations.
"Prior to Virginia Tech, all of our officers had been trained on active shooter response," said UPD Chief Mark Foxworth. "But with this, we decided we needed to take it one step further, so we worked with the local area SWAT commander and some members of our staff and customized a training program for our officers that takes them to the next level above active shooter training - more of a tactical response."
Officers will be undergoing advanced physical and analytical training through November.
UPD is also making technological security advancements.
"I think we are improving what was already in place," Foxworth said. He said UNF already has security cameras that cover all major areas, including parking lots.
According to Richard Crosby, assistant vice president for administration and finance, UNF has been allotted $250,000 for all emergency preparations. He said this money will be used to buy a public address system for outdoor areas, such as the parking lots.
"We have a group from the crisis management team that is working on emergency communications issues, and we are basically analyzing all the different mechanisms and modes that which you could communicate to a broad group of people in an emergency basis," Crosby said.
UNF entered into an agreement with the city earlier this year to participate in a call-out system, Crosby said. The system works by having participating students' phone numbers stored in the system, which would send out recorded messages if an emergency situation arose.
"This is a pretty powerful system that the city has," Crosby said.
Crosby said the crisis management team will begin testing this system within the next few weeks. Students will be notified about how to add their phone numbers to the list once
it's ready.
"The key is that you want to be able to send an awful lot of messages in a short period of time in a critical emergency," Crosby said.
Instant messaging is also being considered as a communication tool, Crosby said.
The crisis management team plans to counteract one of the problems VT faced in April by putting locks on the inside of classroom doors. The team also wants to be sure that the PA system can be heard in every classroom and office.
"We are also going through and testing the classrooms and the class labs to see what you can hear in the classroom when the system goes off," Crosby said.
Sophomore accounting major Jessica Young thinks UNF does need to improve in some areas of security.
"I feel safe on campus, but I think getting the system out in the parking lots is really important to students," she said.
Contact Melissa Dixon at news@unfspinnaker.com -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE
Students favor Clinton, Obama
Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama tied for first place in a mock presidential election hosted Oct. 3-4 on the Green by Project Affect during Peace
Awareness Week.
At their table near the Fine Arts Center, the student service club provided voter registration forms and literature on candidates running for president
in 2008.
Students were asked to "vote" for who they support in the
election.
From 64 votes, the top five choices were democrats Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama tied for first place with 13 votes each.
Ron Paul came in third with 10 votes, followed by John Edwards with nine votes and Rudy Giuliani with six votes.
Project Affect President Erin Collins said the rainy weather during the event led to a smaller turnout than the group had hoped, but she felt the experience went well and was beneficial for those who voted or registered
to vote.
"Most people our age don't know a lot about the candidates running," Collins said. "People think, 'Oh, I'll vote for Hilary because she's a woman, or for Barack Obama because he's black,' but we wanted to present the real issues to them."
Project Affect said its mission is to perform service projects for the UNF community.
More information about Project Affect can be obtained by contacting the club at
projectaffect@yahoo.com.
Contact Sarah Diener at news@unfspinnaker.com -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE
'Elders' share civil rights insights
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Students met with prominent civil rights activists as a part of Peace Awareness Week. The 'elders' shared their stories and led group discussions. |
For many college students, the Holocaust, the civil rights movement and the Vietnam War are only stories in a history book, but for about 45 students at the University of North Florida on Oct. 4, these events became more than words on a page.
Students sat down for "A Lunch with the Elders," a Peace Awareness Week activity, in Robinson Student Center.
"We chose this venue and this way of doing this because it's that interpersonal relationship you have in a discussion that ignites passion for this time of activism," said LouAnne Hawkins, a coordinator of
the luncheon.
Willye Dennis
Willye Dennis is a retired librarian, former legislator, civil rights movement veteran and bomb survivor.
The bomb was sent to her at the Jacksonville NAACP office, where she was president from 1994-2004.
What is the most rewarding aspect of your life's work?
"With the desegregation of schools, I feel that the most rewarding aspect of that is seeing all the children being able to attend schools together."
If you could send any message to college students today, what would it be?
"Be the best at whatever cause you choose, and dig deep for the solutions to the many problems we have created."
Stetson Kennedy
Jacksonville native Stetson Kennedy has spent the majority of his 91 years fighting injustice.
Kennedy battled white supremacy and Jim Crow laws, infiltrated the KKK, ran for the U.S. Senate in 1950, and spent time in jail for his causes.
What is the most rewarding aspect of your life's work?
"I spent the greatest part of my life working against racism, and together with the thousands of others who have worked against it, it's been a worthwhile process."
If you could send any message to college students today, what would it be?
"Think for yourself and vote
accordingly."
Henri Landwirth
Holocaust survivor and activist Henri Landwirth spent years in the infamous concentration camps of Europe.
Now, he relives those memories when he recounts his experiences to others in his effort to stop hate.
What is the most rewarding aspect of your life's work?
"It's rewarding if I can help the young adults understand what hate is and what forgiveness is. I try so hard to make sure that our next generation and the generation after see what happened during the Holocaust."
John Linnehan
John Linnehan helped orchestrate the first civil disobedience act against nuclear weapons in Florida.
He stretched a cable across the entrance to the General Electric Neutron Devices Plant in Largo, Fla., in 1983 and spent five months in jail.
If you could send any message to college students today, what would it be?
"It would be for them to think in terms of the big picture - the total community of life, by which I mean the natural world. Humans need to reduce, reuse and recycle."
Peg McIntire
Peg McIntire is a 97-year-old resident of St. Augustine and has spent her life fighting for peace.
She has taken on a number of causes in her lifetime, including contributions to the Labor Movement, stopping both the Vietnam and Iraq wars, building a Farmer's Union for sharecroppers in the South, electing a third-party presidential candidate, and helping the homeless.
Lloyd Pearson
Lloyd Pearson is a resident of
Jacksonville and has an long history with the Jacksonville NAACP.
Pearson registered more than 35,000 people in the black Jacksonville community, and his actions influenced over 65,000 voter registrations. He fought to overcome segregation and participated in several civil rights marches.
He also played a role in the integration of Jacksonville public schools following the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka Supreme Court decision.
What is the most rewarding aspect of your life's work?
"It was registering voters, because I registered over 35,000. Those were my most rewarding year."
Robert Ragland
Dr. Robert Ragland is a retired pediatrician and child psychiatrist who advocates preserving the Earth.
He inherited a farm in the late 1950s, which he fought to keep
intact because Duval County wanted to build a portion of a high school on it. He eventually lost the battle when the farm was split in two by the construction
of I-295.
Ragland has spent years educating people about the Earth's stainability and the preservation of its ecosystems. He is working on an autobiography entitled "Genesis of a Rebel."
What is the most rewarding aspect of your life's work?
"It's maintaining inner peace and to keep acting as I do."
If you could send any message to college students today, what would it be?
"It's you future, you must talk about it."
Contact Ashley Beland at news@unfspinnaker.com -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE
Shorstein: Law is tricky trade
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Florida State Attorney Harry Shorstein visited campus Oct. 8 to speak with UNF's pre-law students. Shorstein discussed juvenile crime and the challenges young lawyers will face throughout their careers. |
Florida State Attorney Harry Shorstein spoke to aspiring legal professionals Oct. 8 at the University of North Florida's Pre-law Day.
Law schools including the University of Miami, the University of Florida and Wake Forest University came to campus to speak to aspiring lawyers about their respective programs. Harry Shorstein said he has been a longtime supporter of the Pre-law Program at UNF and felt it was important to support new and young lawyers.
"I came to give general advice about the legal profession and the importance of a legal education," Shorstein said.
He said the business can be difficult to enter and that there are pros and cons to pursuing a career as a lawyer.
Shorstein said the environment for new lawyers is competitive but stresses there is always a place for a good lawyer. He recommends entering law school with a mindset that the experience will probably not be what you
expected.
"You need to be prepared and understand the obstacles that lie ahead," he said.
Law school representatives talked with students about the admissions processes for their universities, financial aid and preparation for the LSAT, the law school entrance exam.
The UNF Pre-law program and career services have been putting on Pre-law Day for 10 years.
Contact Sarah Diener at news@unfspinnaker.com -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE
Music partnership provides expensive wind instruments to students in need
The University of North Florida's Music Department has partnered with a nationally recognized instrument maker in a deal that will provide the school with $74,161 worth of much-needed
instruments.
Initiated in March 2007, the partnership with Buffet Crampon USA Inc. has enabled the French instrument maker to increase exposure in Florida while providing the university with 13 free woodwind and brass instruments over the next three years, according to Margaret Meadows, assistant director of development for the College of Arts
and Sciences.
UNF has already received seven instruments, including four cornets and one soprano saxophone. The new instruments are being used by faculty and students who would not typically be able to
purchase them. The seven instruments are valued at $14,712, said Crampton Director of marketing Francois Kloc.
James Applegate, a senior clarinet major, borrowed a Crampon A Clarinet this week from UNF.
"A lot of students are not in a position financially where they can go out and buy an instrument like the ones Buffet Crampon has given UNF," Applegate said. "I know the A Clarinet I borrowed is not something I would be able to go out and purchase. Having the opportunity to play these instruments gives me the experience I will need to pursue a career
in music."
The Music Department's partnership with Crampon was established after the French instrument maker moved its North America office from Los Angeles to Jacksonville last year.
Crampon Vice President Bruce Silva is a former UNF employee who worked closely with Music Department Chair Dr. Gordon Brock.
"We share mutual interests and determined that a collaboration would be mutually beneficial," Brock said. "This is the only such arrangement I know of like this in the country."
In addition to new instruments, Crampon will also coordinate guest artists so they can conduct master classes, clinics and recitals at UNF while in Jacksonville.
"We want to provide the best instruments for our students," Brock said.
Contact Carrie Mizell at news@unfspinnaker.com -- --> PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE
Students seek international competition
Competition considered most prestigious in world
Six students from the University of North Florida are preparing to compete in an international collegiate programming contest.
Two teams of three students each will compete Oct. 13 at
Georgia Southern University for a chance to compete in the world finals
in April.
The Association for Computing Machinery hosts the competition which is considered to be the most prestigious programming competition in
the world.
The teams include the "brightest genius-type programmers from [around] the world," said Behrooz Seyed Abbassi, faculty adviser for the UNF
ACM chapter.
Teams will be given a set of 10-12 problems, ranging from simple to complex, and are given five hours to complete as many
as possible.
The team which submits the most problems wins the competition and moves on to the world finals, which will be held in Canada in April 2008.
The ACM chapter at UNF was started in 1980 by professor Yap Chau and has competed every year at the regional competition, advancing once to
the world finals.
When the team advanced to the finals they placed in the
high twenties.
The team would like to place in the top ten this year and usually places somewhere in the middle, said Joshua Hornsby, president of the
UNF ACM chapter.
"It would be nice to do better than last year," Hornsby said.
To prepare for the competition this year the team will "meet, have practice, and get a good night's sleep,"
Hornsby said.
The contest is sponsored by IBM and is expected to include 6,099 teams from universities across 82 countries.
Contact Jessica Medina at news@unfspinnaker.com -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE
Family event draws record numbers
Despite the threat of impending rain, more than 700 families signed up and came out to the University of North Florida Oct. 5-7 for Family Weekend.
Jeanne Middleton, the assistant director for Student Affairs and the Parent Family Program, said she was impressed with the way the university came together to make everything happen.
"It was a great example of the importance of our departments working together to make it happen," she said. "This, to me,
is impressive."
Participation in Family Weekend has increased over the last three years, Middleton said. She said much of this is due to the Parent and Family Programs office, which is now part of Student Affairs.
The office tripled the number of families coming to Family Weekend in its first year.
Middleton said the goal of the weekend was to showcase all the different aspects of campus life. Events were held displaying the drum line and jazz band, and a dinner in the banquet hall hosted students and their families. There were tours of Building 51, the new Social Sciences building, where professors from the department showed off their labs and the academic side of
the university.
First-time attendee and mother Claudia Juergens from Altamont Springs said she enjoyed herself and attended most of the events. Her favorites included the jazz band and the worship service in the
Robinson Theatre.
"This weekend was great," she said. "The university should do it every year. You get to know the campus and staff."
Juergens said she had gone to her son's family weekend event at the University of Florida and did not like it because it was too big and confusing.
She said UNF is just the right size and she likes how everything on campus is within walking
distance.
John Shaffer, a freshman computer science major, said it was nice to see his parents again for Family Weekend.
It was the first time he had seen his parents since coming to UNF, and he said it was nice to spend time with them and show them what his life is like on
campus.
Shaffer's father, Terry, said he had been to the campus many times, but it was his first Family Weekend - an experience he said was positive.
"I enjoy the campus and its relaxed atmosphere, but most of all spending time with my son on campus," Shaffer said.
This, Middleton said, is what parents like the most about Family Weekend.
She said parents just want to spend time with their children and get a feel for what campus is like on a day-to-day basis.
Next year, Middleton hopes to bring more parents to the campus for Family Weekend.
She would also like to have more interactive games for parents and their children to participate in.
Contact Louis Suffredini at news@unfspinnaker.com -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE