DISCOURSE
- Goodbye and good luck Editorial
- Biofuels: Promising science or boondoggle? James Cannon II
- Anticipation and not trepidation should be on graduate minds Laura Britton
- Depression and anxiety rising on college campuses Shalini Mayer
Goodbye and good luck
Editorial
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Our university has undergone a
massive face-lift in the past four years. Construction projects have reshaped the core of campus, and UNF now stretches across Kernan Boulevard. Our once commuter school has been shaped into a destination college, and the forthcoming Student Union, Greek housing and Division I transition
cement this idea.
The university has taken many structural leaps forward, but the on-campus culture needs to catch up. There are fewer food options than ever before, and the Boathouse Grille is being closed the same day Spring 2008 graduates embark into the real world. This will leave a lack of campus dining, which could be attributed to Student Government politicians not following through on promises to create more avenues for campus eateries.
The current administration is laudable in its attempt to promote campus athletics and diminish student apathy, but Senate cronyism and partisanship still infect the branches of SG like a malignant blight.
The most recent red party presidential nominees need to put aside Senate pandering and realize cardboard cut-outs just won't cut it.
UNF is in a prime position to move into the upper echelon of Florida public schools. The next crop of freshmen is in for a very different college experience than the seniors preparing to graduate May 2.
The disembarking members of the Spinnaker would like to thank all of our readers for cracking open a copy of your school newspaper. It's been a long, trying road balancing school and
newspaper production, but your support has been invaluable.
Stay classy, UNF.
|
|
Back Row, left: David Morico, Ross Brooks, Matt Coleman; |
David Morico - Photo Editor
Do work! Choose a major you want to actually use after you graduate. Stay in college as long as you can. It doesn't get this easy. Grip it and rip it.
Ross Brooks - Discourse Editor, SG correspondent
It's all about finding out what works for you. Resist any advice that claims to be certain or definite. Some people can get drunk the night before an exam, others can't. Try it all, and if it doesn't work for you, screw it, there's always next semester.
Matt Coleman - Editor in Chief
Don't take school so seriously. Your GPA will only take you so far - unless you're applying for graduate school. Hands-on experience will always trump academic. On that note, jobs are now available at the Spinnaker for the 2008-2009 academic year.
Jen Quinn - Art Director
Half-hearted efforts yield lukewarm results. Always do your best. Even if you make a mistake or fail to reach a goal, you will never let yourself down.
Tami Livingston - News Editor
Always question what you don't understand and those in authority. But most of all, pay attention to the world around you.
Sarah Houston - Production Assistant
Tom Petty said it best. "Relax. Work is for people with jobs. You'll never remember class time, but you'll remember time you wasted hanging out with your friends when you have a paper due Wednesday. Spend money you don't have. Drink 'til sunrise. The work never ends, but college does."
Ashley Beland - Staff Writer
A friend once told me some great advice - don't let classes get in the way of your education. College is about learning who you are and having fun. Work hard, make memories and live life!
Laurel Wright - Features Editor
Open your mind to more than just professors' words. Now is the time to expose yourself to people, places and experiences that will never be available to you again. Have fun and don't waste your time with hate.
Laura Britton - Staff Columnist
Learn to work hard and play harder. College flies by and before you know it, you're wishing you had one more semester before the real world. This is the time of your life. Enjoy!
Sarah Diener - Sports Editor
Don't be afraid to drop classes, study all night, stay out too late or sleep-in. You can always retake a class.
Whitney Donaghy - Advertising Manager (not pictured)
Don't worry if you don't know exactly what you want to do after graduation - there's always grad school.
Biofuels: Promising science or boondoggle?
Student Opinion
Whether you believe in man-made global warming or not is becoming increasingly immaterial in the modern political landscape.
Most rational discussions have ended and the masses have staked their ground and are ardently defending their platforms.
However, one of the few positive
results from this discussion is the willingness to address the use of alternative energy sources.
Proponents for a responsible energy policy have been advocating alternative fuels for quite some time.
Some advocate a more traditional approach to the world's energy needs by relying on technological advances in harnessing wind, solar, geothermal and water sources to power the world, while others have jumped on the biofuel bandwagon.
One thing is certain though: America's energy policy will be drastically different in the coming decades.
Are we on the right track though?
The answer is a resounding no. Biofuels will do far greater harm to the economy and the ecosystem than America's ever-growing oil addiction could ever achieve.
The increasing demand for biofuels has created severe negative, unintended consequences.
One of these is deforestation throughout the world, which releases an even greater amount of carbon into the atmosphere as well as a sharp rise in food costs.
In the name of protecting the environment, Big-Farm has used its entrenched power in Washington to garner support for renewable bio-fuels.
This isn't just an American boondoggle though. "Worldwide investment in biofuels rose from $5 billion in 1995 to $38 billion in 2005 and is expected to top $100 billion by 2010," according to a recent Time Magazine article.
Indonesia, Brazil and Malaysia are all undergoing a massive state-sponsored deforestation program for the sole purpose of creating more farm land to grow bio-material to convert into fuel.
An estimated 20 percent of global carbon emissions come directly from deforestation programs such as this.
"People don't want to believe renewable fuels could be bad," Tim Searchinger, a Princeton scholar and former
environmental defense attorney, said. "But when you realize we're tearing down rain forests that store loads of carbon to grow crops that store much less carbon, it becomes obvious."
The even more obvious problem biofuels create is the inevitable rise in food prices. It is simple supply and demand economics; if corn and sugarcane are demanded at a greater level, the price will adjust accordingly.
World Bank President Robert Zoellick recently called the demand for biofuels a "significant contributor" to soaring food prices around the world.
This problem is endemic to people living in third-world countries such as Egypt, Mexico, Pakistan and Haiti - all of which have seen food riots in the past several weeks.
The World Bank has predicted food costs will continue to soar due to what Zoellick said is clear that "programs in Europe and the United States that have increased biofuel production have
contributed to the added demand for food."
Biofuel production accounts for one-fourth to one-third of the recent increase in global commodity prices, according to a recently concluded study by the International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington, D.C.
When coupled with the government-subsidized deforestation, the hope that biofuels will be humanity's saving grace
is looking even more unrealistic.
Even with the mounting criticism, governments will likely continue down the path of biofuel boondoggle.
As Time Magazine succinctly put it, "If biofuels are the new dotcoms, Iowa is Silicon Valley, with 53,000 jobs and $1.8 billion in income dependent on the industry."
With entrenched agribusiness lobbyists working overtime in Washington, it is clear that both the legislative branch and the executive branch will continue to subsidize this knee-jerk reactionary policy of diversifying fuel sources with biofuels.
In 2007, America produced 7 billion gallons of biofuels at cost of $8 billion to the American tax-payer.
The environment aside for a moment, America will assuredly go bust if there isn't a tenable policy divergence in the near future.
Whatever the solution to global warming, or at least becoming energy-independent, it is clear biofuels are not the solution.
Contact James Cannon II at discourse@unfspinnaker.com -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE
Anticipation and not trepidation should be on graduate minds
Britton Knows Best
This is it: a turning point, an opened window, a new horizon. For the seniors at UNF, graduation marks the beginning of an end.
With exciting new possibilities at our fingertips, it's no wonder that most of us are scared.
The important thing to remember is that this is an opportunity-a gift.
After what seems like a lifetime in school, the real world we've heard so much about is finally upon us.
Don't take it for granted.
It's easy to complain there are no jobs, and if there are jobs, they don't pay enough.
It's even easier to rely on our parents to continue supporting us until we find that dream job.
The reality of the situation is we are on the verge of being college graduates and this title alone is our ticket to being independent, successful members of the workforce.
There are thousands of people who will never have this title or be given the opportunities we have been granted.
The juggle between final exams and applying for jobs can be an exhausting process.
For the lucky ones, a job with a previous employer might await them; or financial security may not be a concern.
For the rest of us, the anxious wait between finding employment and landing that next interview is a rite of passage for nearly all college graduates.
In the midst of all of this, it's hard to remember we're the lucky ones, and we've worked so hard to walk across the stage and get our diplomas.
This is an accomplishment of a lifetime and one that should make you and your loved ones extremely proud.
Time and time again, we will laugh with new friends about something that happened freshman year in the dorms or grumble about the outrageous amount of parking tickets accumulated throughout the years.
The annoyances of today will be the fondest memories of the future.
I can't tell you how many times my friends that have already graduated college tell me how lucky I am to still be able to enjoy it.
If you haven't already, learn to embrace what lies ahead.
While some might be dragging their feet, others are sprinting toward May.
Either way, graduation day is a time when one must step back and realize everything that it took to arrive at this point in life.
So when that day comes, don't stress about impending job searches or the real world; relax and enjoy the step you are taking. It doesn't come for everyone.
Contact Laura Britton at discourse@unfspinnaker.com -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE
Depression and anxiety rising on college campuses
Student Opinion
Marking the April 16th anniversary of the massacre at Virginia Tech last week, it's hard to believe more than a year has passed since that fateful day when one student killed 32 people before shooting himself.
A large and unfortunate part of this tragedy stemmed from shooter Seung-Hui Cho's severe depression and anxiety that was left untreated for so long.
According to studies published from mental health organizations, college students are more likely to experience depression than any other age group.
The 2005 National College Health Assessment, a survey of nearly 17,000 college students conducted by the American College Health Association, revealed 25 percent of students reported feeling "so depressed it was difficult to function" three to eight times during the past year.
Additionally, 21 percent reported they "seriously considered suicide" one or more times during the past year.
The same study also indicated depression interfering with academic performance. In 2007, another study found that rates of college students with anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder, are increasing.
Signs and symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder can vary in combination or severity. The symptoms might include restlessness, feelings of being keyed up or on edge, feeling a lump in your throat, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, irritability, impatience, being easily distracted, muscle tension, trouble falling or staying asleep, excessive sweating or shortness of breath.
There are many organizations that can be contacted for those experiencing any of these symptoms. There are even resources available if you don't have insurance.
CNS Healthcare is a leading research organization in psychological and neurological treatments. The site conducts medication trials on ADHD, insomnia, depression, bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, fibromyalgia, Alzheimer's, and schizophrenia.
Three doctors work with the clinic along with a handful of coordinators who are all licensed mental health counselors, have their master's degree in psychology, are nurses or nurse practitioners.
All treatment is free and transportation is provided if needed.
Once one qualifies for a study, they will be compensated for each visit they
complete. The benefits are countless, but really it is a great thing to do for your health. If you have been feeling anxious, overwhelmed, stressed or sad for too long, you should not leave your symptoms
untreated.
The most important thing to remember from the Virginia Tech tragedy is no one should be without help. Depression and anxiety affect everyone differently, and people are often reluctant to notice symptoms within themselves.
If you or anyone you know is suffering from signs of anxiety or depression, call CNS Healthcare at (904) 281-5757.
Contact Shalini Mayer at discourse@unfspinnaker.com -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE