Pay more for parking

By Ashley Beland
STAFF WRITER

Erin Weiffenbach

As the university continues to grow, so does the need for parking to accommodate the UNF community.

To address the current needs of parking at UNF and also plan for the future, the parking council recently submitted the Parking Advisory Council proposal for the next five years, which will go before the Board of Trustees for approval Jan. 17.

The plan includes an outline of parking prices for the next five years along with an increase in parking spaces and the number of permits sold for those spaces.

Under the plan, the parking permit fee will increase $5 for all categories in the 2008-2009 school year.

By the 2012-2013 school year, most permits will have increased by $25.With an approximate $2 million needed for building new parking for Osprey Fountains and dialogue about a new parking garage, Parking Services needs revenue for upcoming construction, said Director of Auxiliary Services Vince Smyth.

"With the projection of enrollment growth and our current inventory, we know we'll need a new garage for the fall of 2012," Smyth said.

Its major source of proceeds for these projects is parking permit fees. There is a price tag with growth, and some fees have increased to minimize the affects of state-mandated budget cuts on the university.

Parking Services carries approximately $10 million of debt from the last two garages built in 1993 and 1999 and is planning a $1 million maintenance operation on them for this year, Smyth said.

He estimates that the new garage will cost around $12.5 million and will yield 1,000 new spaces. Garages cost more than surface lots, but UNF doesn't have any land it wants to utilize for surface parking purposes, Smyth said.

Parking Services operates by its fund balance, which is separate from university funding. Monies from permit sales, daily permits, parking tickets and interest on the fund balance help sustain the department.

"Our main source of revenue comes from parking permit fees," Smyth said. "Without the [fee increases], the bonding company wouldn't give us the money to build a new garage because the debt coverage ratio wouldn't be in place."

The debt coverage ratio is the amount of revenue the bonding company requires compared to the loan amount, he said. In simpler terms, the permit increases are allowing for more parking to be built to accommodate the growing UNF community, Smyth said.

"Students often complain about not having enough parking, but the permit increases will eventually allow for more parking to help meet students' needs," said John Barnes, Student Government senate president and vice-chair of the Parking Advisory Council.

Parking Services needs about $3 million by 2013 from permit sales to cover its expenses, Smyth said.

The permit categories will stay the same during that time, with the number of permits being sold increasing annually by about 500 to 600 decals.

Ticket prices are also subject to rise gradually from their current $30 penalty to $44 in 2012-2013. The proposal recommended by the Parking Advisory Council will be analyzed each year to ensure the plan continues to meet the needs of Parking Services, Smyth said.

"The proposal that was passed allows for there to be a gradual increase to parking permit prices over the next five years for all the categories, rather than one substantial increase to a single category," Barnes said.

He said the proposal still provides adequate service for everyone, especially the students.

"What I need to have as an administrator is to know I have a workable solution, and the [proposal] is a workable solution," Smyth said.

Parking Permit categories

Reserved
All floors in the garages, any surface lot except designated spaces and Lot 7. (Reserved spaces are both covered and exterior spaces identified as reserved for a specific individual or position).

Designated
Designated spaces on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th floor of the garages, Discount and Premium lots. (Designated spaces are all exterior surface spaces within UNF Drive identified by orange lines and wheel stops noting "Designated").

Garage 1st Floor
All floors in the garages, Discount and Premium lots. (1st floor garage spaces are covered and on the ground level of the two garages on UNF Drive).

Premium
2nd, 3rd and 4th floors of the garages and surface lots except designated, reserved, lots 7, 10, 11, 12, 15 and 17. (Premium spaces are covered on the 2nd and 3rd floors of the garages and include all ramps. The 4th floor of the garage and surface lots are exterior spaces).

Discount A
Lots 18 and 53 only. (Surface lot spaces off Central Parkway and east of Kernan Boulevard for first-year college commuters).

Discount B
Lots 14, 18 and 53 only. (Surface lot spaces near UPD building, off Central Parkway and east of Kernan Boulevard).

Housing A
Lots 10, 11, 12, 18 and 53 for residents in Osprey Hall, Osprey Landing, Osprey Cove and Osprey Village. (All surface lot spaces near resident buildings).

Housing B
Lots 15, 17, 18 and 53 for residents in the Crossings. (All surface lot spaces).

Motorcycle
Motorcycle spaces both covered or exterior interspersed in garages and lots around campus.

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Firming foundation for COEHS future

By Josh Salman
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

UNF President John Delaney poured the first concrete slab of the foundation for the new College of Education and Human Services Building Jan. 10.

The three-story, 100,000 square-foot building will cost approximately $27 million to construct and will house classrooms, teaching labs, faculty offices, auditoriums, student services offices and meeting space. It also marks the fourth large-scale construction project in progress on campus.

"It is very exciting to see our future unfold," said Larry Daniel, dean of the College of Education and Human Services. "It is certainly a building of not just the bricks and mortar; it is the people, programs and students that will be a part of it."

Delaney said the amount of construction currently happening on campus is amazing.

"We are looking at about a fifth-of-a-billion dollars worth of construction going on all at once," he said. "That's probably more than we have spent in the entire history of the university."

Among the features of the new building are a model technology classroom for preparing educators to work with technology in schools, an American Sign Language lab, and a large multi-purpose classroom.

The new building is planned to be a "green" building. It will use energy-saving measures, recycled materials and natural light to improve the environment, Delaney said.

"This is a major milestone for the UNF College of Education and Human Services," said Daryl Everett, senior education major and president of the Student Council for Exceptional Children.

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Last week by the numbers

Each week the Spinnaker staff reports what's going on around campus: the good and the bad. In this little space, we want to summarize the life of the Osprey during the past week.

150 Students attended the International Dinner Jan. 10, hosted by the Interfaith Cener.

3 Floors flooded in Building R of the Crossings.

47 Free movies shown by Osprey TV, Channel 118.

39 Teams signed up for the spring Intramural Basketball season.

2 Screaming preachers return to the Green. That was quick.

Compiled by Holli Welch
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Carmakers on the road to efficiency, some say it's costly

By Justin Hyde
DETROIT FREE PRESS (MCT)

Courtesy of hybridautoinfo.com

The Toyota Prius is a main reason for Toyota's lead in hybrids in the United States. The company's hybrid sales rose 44 percent in 2007. Other automakers are not finding the same results as prices to construct hybrids rise.

From plug-in hybrids to biofueled supercars, automakers at the North American International Auto Show say they know how to build environmentally conscious vehicles. What they don't know is how many customers will buy them, and at what price.

Every automaker has given a glimpse over the past two days of their strategies for dealing with tougher U.S. fuel economy regulations, rising oil prices and a surge of global warming rules around the globe. While Toyota Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co. have pledged new hybrids, General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC have touted a variety of approaches, while Ford Motor Co. has bet big on a single technology.

But in interviews with the Detroit Free Press, U.S. industry executives said the technical hurdles to meeting a 35 mpg standard by 2020 are less difficult than getting customers to accept the changes and extra costs that come along with the goal.

General Motors Corp. Vice Chairman Bob Lutz told reporters at the show that the new U.S. rules would cost the industry $5,000 to $7,000 per vehicle, with much higher costs possible for some models.

"Technology is an easy thing to do. What's not easy is how you absorb the cost," Lutz said Monday. "I don't care if you're Toyota, Honda or anybody else, you're not going to do it without adding expensive technology to the automobile."

And while the classic American V8 engine isn't extinct, the new rules could sharply cull its numbers. GM killed plans for a new V8 last month, and Ford Chairman Bill Ford said such engines will be " more industrial than retail" in the future, limited mostly to high-end sports cars and commercial trucks.

"Will we turn our back on the Carroll Shelbys of the world? No," Ford said referring to the sports car icon and the high-performance Mustangs that bear his name. "But will we sell them in big, big numbers? Not really."

While green cars have been a part of the Detroit show for years, the new U.S. fuel economy rules have given automakers a sense of urgency toward bringing them to market. Even luxury brands such as Mercedes, BMW and Ferrari noted the drive toward fuel efficiency and reducing carbon emissions from vehicles. International trend

The two largest Japanese automakers recommitted themselves to gasoline-electric hybrids as their main tool for more efficient cars and trucks, despite hybrids' additional costs. Honda announced plans for three new hybrid models, two of which will be sold in the United States. Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe pledged Sunday to unveil two new hybrids at next year's auto show, and said he had challenged the company's engineers to meet the 2020 standard early.

Toyota enjoys a sizable head start toward the goal because of its lead in hybrids, which produce extremely high fuel economy numbers under the federal tests used to measure compliance. Toyota's U.S. hybrid sales rose 44 percent last year to 277,750, and Toyota wants to sell 1 million annually worldwide by 2010.

But Detroit executives at the show expressed less concern about lost sales and more concern about the added costs of a hybrid, which can easily run to thousands of dollars per vehicle, a serious matter for automakers with weak finances.

GM touted its hybrid portfolio, saying it would launch 16 new models over the next four years, but several of those models are so-called "mild" hybrids with modest fuel savings. But GM executives pushed hard to paint biofuel-powered vehicles as a better environmental solution.

Tom Stephens, group vice president for GM Powertrain, said fuel economy standards were just one factor in reducing fuel usage, with cutting carbon emissions and replacing oil demand also in the mix. He said automakers had to solve a Rubik's Cube of technologies to meet environmental goals, but that the costs were substantial.

"Any advanced technology will not pay for itself in the first and second generation," Stephens said. "The electrification of the automobile is very expensive today, but we'll get it down in a couple of generations."

Ford's strategy differs in key ways from not just the domestic automakers but the rest of the industry. It's backing a range of four- and six-cylinder engines with turbocharging and gasoline direct injection under the name EcoBoost, with plans to ramp up production to 500,000 annually by 2012.

Ford executives say because those engines will put out far more power than similar engines of the same size, they will be able to reduce fuel consumption by up to 20 percent over comparable models. The technology is far less expensive for consumers and for Ford than hybrid or diesel systems, and can be added quickly across the lineup, from small cars to the Ford F-150.

But Ford's plans come with risks, especially with convincing consumers to buy a smaller engine, even if it saves fuel while performing as well as a larger one. The technology isn't exclusive - GM has a similar engine in production on the Sky and Pontiac Solstice roadsters today - and other automakers could copy it quickly.

Bill Ford and other executives said the company would have to market the engines aggressively and convince possible buyers to have an open mind.

"I think people will be skeptical until they drive the vehicle, but the performance is there," Ford said. "I needed to get in the car and see for myself if it's real."

While the company has two more hybrid models coming, along with plans for a small test fleet of plug-in hybrids, no other production hybrid models have been announced.

"I'm less enthusiastic that they're going to be the silver bullet," Ford said.

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Penn sued in student's death

By Will Bunch
PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS (MCT)

The death of a 19-year-old University of Pennsylvania sophomore from bacterial meningitis in early September has prompted a lawsuit and a war of words between the family's lawyer and the university hospital where she died.

The suit filed Friday by the family of Anne Ryan, a promising student from near Erie, Pa., accuses the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania of ignoring clear signs of the deadly bacterial illness when it failed to admit her after an emergency-room visit Sept. 6 of last year. It seeks unspecified damages.

The family's attorney, widely known trial lawyer Tom Kline, leveled a new allegation Friday - that doctors at HUP performed an unnecessary procedure that contributed to her death on Sept. 9, after she returned to the ER the night before.

"This was a young lady who had a life of promise ahead of her, and she ended up tragically dying after two visits to the Penn emergency room," Kline said Friday.

University as well as hospital officials said Friday that they were limited in discussing all of the specifics of Ryan's death, but insisted that the care she received during her emergency-room trips was appropriate.

Dr. P.J. Brennan, chief medical officer for the Penn Health System and a specialist in treating infectious diseases, did say without details that the allegations by attorney Kline "are shamefully inaccurate."

The one thing that both sides seemed to agree on Friday was that the sudden death of the vivacious Ivy Leaguer with a passion for modeling, music and exotic languages, was an unthinkable tragedy for her parents, her brother - a Penn grad living in Philadelphia - and her three sisters from Northwestern Pennsylvania.

Kline said that when Ryan went to the emergency room at the Penn hospital on the second day of classes in September, she reported classic meningitis symptoms including neck pain and a fever of 103 degrees. What's more, he said, blood tests showed two signs of a bacterial infection.

However, Ryan was sent home and told she had a less serious viral infection after a test of fluid from a spinal tap; Kline insisted that a negative result on this test - a Gram stain - does not conclusively prove that meningitis is not present.

Also, Kline alleged that a second spinal tap performed when a more severely ill Ryan returned to the ER two days later was unnecessary and, because of brain swelling from the bacteria, caused her brain to shift and led to a hernia that along with the advanced meningitis led to her death.

The university issued a statement after the suit was filed defending its actions and contradicting some of Kline's allegations.

"Although Ms. Ryan's symptoms were not classic for meningitis, she underwent a thorough evaluation and testing which included receiving the recognized test for detecting meningitis - a lumbar puncture - and the results were negative and remained negative," the Penn statement said. "She unquestionably did not have meningitis when she was tested in the Emergency Department."

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College of Education construction set to begin

Media Relations

(From left to right) University of North Florida President John Delaney pours the first concrete block of the new College of Education and Human Services building Jan. 10 along with special education student Daryl Everett and Dr. Larry Daniel, dean of the COEHS. The building is scheduled to be completed in Spring 2009.

Courtesy of Facilities Planning

An artist's rendering of the 98,000-square-foot College of Education and Human Services buildilng.

New College of Education and human services building

Expected completion: Spring 2009

Size: 98,000 square feet

Cost: $27 million

Will house: teaching labs, lecture halls, faculty offices and student services and classrooms. It will also allow education students, faculty and staff to work under the same roof for the first time in years.

The university is planning to use private donations to construct an annex to the building for a 6,000 square foot Disability Resource Center sometime in the future.

Compiled by Tami Livingston
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University expects strong donation year

By Josh Salman
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

With state support decreasing annually, the university is relying on private donations more than ever, said Ann Crook, assistant vice president of institutional advancement.

While the continuing cuts to the higher education budget are expected, and numbers for this year won't be out until June, UNF staffers are expecting good things in the donations department.

"The more we raise, the more we are able to help students, so private support is very important," Crook said.

On average, UNF receives between $10 - 15 million per year in donations. Most of these gifts are provided through corporations, friends in the community, and the Annual Giving Program, a fundraising drive to encourage alumni donations.

The Annual Giving Program has a goal this year of a 3 percent increase in alumni participation. To help achieve this, director Laura Porter is pushing the new Power of 10 Campaign - a program emphasizing how small donations can be combined to make a significant impact.

"With the power of 10 we are trying to show that any gift can make a difference exponentially," Porter said. "Your $10 combined with nine others would equal a $100. So if you couldn't do the $100 gift yourself, you could at least make a contribution. Participation is the most important thing and that's what our goal is for the annual giving program."

Crook said the money generated from private gifts is used to help construct buildings, buy equipment, support scholarships, fund study abroad programs and faculty fellowships, and enhance overall academics.

To help increase donation incentives, the state provides matching funds if the gift is $100,000 or more. The percentage of the amount matched varies on the size of the gift. The larger the gift is, the more the state will match.

"We are very fortunate," said Brandon McCray, assistant vice president of development. "We are one of the only states that do give leverage and offer matching."

There is also a chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals at UNF.

The club hopes to increase students' interest in non-profit organizations. Lyndse Costabile, assistant director of annual giving and adviser for the student club, hopes the program will help demonstrate the importance non-profits play on campus and in the local community.

"It helps students become aware of what philanthropy is all about and why it's important to give back," Costabile said.

UNF is one of only 11 schools in the country to offer a student chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

"One of the things we are focusing on now is getting the students involved, like they should be," Porter said.

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Students, administration headed to Capitol

Campus group geared to encourage student political interest

By Louis Suffredini
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

University administrators and students alike are gearing up for the first ever Jacksonville Day to be held in Tallahassee Jan. 24.

The event is part of the American Democracy Project - a political program on campus seeking to raise student awareness about political and public affairs, stimulate interest in politics and encourage civic engagement, said Dr. David Jaffee, assistant vice president of undergraduate studies.

"The survey data on college students shows declining knowledge, interest, and participation in/of conventional politics compared to previous generations of college students," Jaffee said.

Students often will get involved in the community doing service projects Jaffee said, but not political programs and seem to have lost touch with the understanding of their constitutional rights.

The ADP hopes to change this by encouraging more political participation.

Jacksonville Day is one of many events planned for the spring semester to engage students in politics, said Mark Smith, director of governmental affairs for Student Government. The ADP plans on taking 40 students by bus to Tallahassee to represent Jacksonville.

Throughout the trip, students will have the opportunity to meet with state representatives and discuss various issues during a series of meetings about higher education and other political issues, Smith said.

In March SG representatives will be traveling to Tallahassee again for the "Rally in Tally," which is an event sponsored by the Florida Student Association.

Students will meet with legislators to discuss issues such as updating the technology fee and future of Bright Futures, said Martina Perry, coordinator for undergraduate initiatives.

Perry said this semester the ADP is going to work on incorporating more students in the planning and implementation of ADP initiatives.

"We are planning to assist student organizations in launching an issues forum, which will be an opportunity for students, faculty, staff and community members to come together and discuss the political issues of the day," Perry said.

Sierra Lifsey, a junior special education major, said she would be more politically active if she felt her vote mattered more.

"I'm not saying that I don't think my vote is important, just that people probably feel that way since it is just one vote out of tons," Lifsey said.

"I think if there were ways to rally about [political concerns], like on campus and stuff, people especially our age would be more apt to vote and take part in it," Lifsey said.

"It's an extraordinarily brilliant move by the university to endorse this project," said Nancy Soderberg, visiting distinguished scholar, and political science professor.

Soderberg said the ADP gives students first-hand experience on how democracy works and shows them it is possible to have a career in politics.

The ADP does not favor any political party but wants students to get involved, asking questions and become active and informed, Jaffee said.

More information about the ADP and upcoming events can be found at www.unf.edu/acadaffairs.

Semester of events

January
Jacksonville Day, Jan. 24
The Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce is organizing this event and UNF students will be a part of the delegation to Tallahassee from Jacksonville. Students will have the opportunity to meet with state legislators to discuss issues such a property taxes, higher education, and health care.

February
Jacksonville Week in Review, TV and radio show, TBA
Students will sit in on taping of the show and participants of the show will stay and have a discussion with students. The purpose of this initiative would be to give students insight into the media as well as how civil discourse is conducted.

March
Sunshine Week, MARCH 24-28
Students will choose an issue and request public records from public agencies such as City Hall, as a test of agency compliance with Chapter 119 of Florida statutes.

Rally in Tally, MARCH 25
Students will participate in meetings with legislators along with the Florida Student Association. Issues for discussion include updating the technology fee, full FTE funding, and the future of Bright Futures.

APRIL
Global Youth Service Day, APRIL 25-26
Various locations around Jacksonville.

Film Screening: April 25, 5-7 p.m.
"Does the Media Turn Off Young Voters?"
Fine Arts Center Recital Hall

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Colleges tailor classes for retirees

By James T. Hammond
MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS (MCT)

Courtesy of Stock Exchange

More and more students at colleges and universities are over the age of 65. Furman University in South Carolina is providing land for a university-linked retirement community, the first in the state.

Erin McKinney, who teaches nursing at USC, decided in September to take a course outside her discipline.

"I've worked at the university 11 years and had never taken a class," she said.

"Another reason to take the class was to see if I can do it. The first day of class, I was nervous; my heart was pounding."

She enrolled in Walter Edgar's South Carolina history course that covers the state's history through the Civil War.

McKinney was one of several older, nontraditional students in Edgar's class in the fall semester.

She was not seeking a degree but took it for credit because she wanted to ensure she did all the course work.

McKinney had another motivation to do well; her daughter, Katie, was also taking the course. Katie's minor is in history, and the two studied and did research together.

McKinney believes she will be part of a wave of retirees who will use their time in retirement for intellectual pursuits.

"In nine more years, I can just retire and go to school all the time," she said.

She's auditing a survey of religion course in the spring.

Edgar said he likes having older students in the classroom mix.

"Having nontraditional students in class is great.," Edgar said.

"They are very interested in what they are doing, they do their assignments, and they write beautifully," Edgar said. "They bring something to the class that 18-, 19-year-olds may not in terms of background, knowledge."

According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, 50 colleges nationwide, including Stanford University and the University of Michigan, are creating housing on or near campus for interested retirees.

Private colleges like Furman University in Greenville, S.C., also are tailoring programs to attract retirees.

"The Furman University Learning in Retirement program has been tremendously successful," said Furman spokesman Vince Moore. "It started in the fall of 1993 with seven courses and 62 students. This fall, FULIR enrolled 634 students and offered 78 courses."

The 3,000th member of the program will enroll this winter, Moore said. Members are raising money to build their own facility on campus.

John Crabtree, an English professor at Furman, retired in 1992 but continues to teach in the retirement program - and to take classes in it as well.

"These older students are very highly motivated, very bright, and they are there because they want to be there," Crabtree said. "It's a very active teaching and learning situation. You don't have to give exams. They are really marvelous students."

Last term he taught a class of 90 students about three plays by Shakespeare, two of which are not very well known.

"I find it very exciting. I have taken a class, too, and I enjoyed it enormously," he said.

In the program, the students determine the curriculum, and they know what they want to study, Crabtree said.

"They get involved in the community because of this program. I know people who come in and find out that some of the public schools are looking for adjunct teachers, to coach reading and other subjects."

They become great supporters of local theater, of the arts, and they get involved. That's the key," he said. "They have a wonderful time, and they get involved. Many of them study Spanish. These are very vigorous and vital people."

Many people in the program are retired CEOs, doctors, lawyers and college professors, and some also teach courses.

The Greenville university also is providing land for The Woodlands at Furman, a $43 million state-of-the-art continuing care retirement community.

It will be the first university-linked senior living community in the state.

"We expect the FULIR program to grow even larger when The Woodlands at Furman is up and running," Moore said.

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Greek recruitment

David Morico

Despite the chilly weather, members of Greek Life shoot hoops and play on the Green Jan.15 during recruitment Jan. 14 - 18. Representatives sat at various booths throughout the day to answer questions for interested students. A total number of potential pledges is not currently available.

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