Photo by Brett Durda

In the mid-1980s Gordy Klatt, Ph.D., a Tacoma colorectal surgeon, decided he was going to take a stand and start raising money for his patients that had battled cancer by running marathons.

What followed became a movement across the globe to fight the battle of cancer. This movement became known as Relay for Life.

On Saturday, March 31, Relay for Life was brought to Jacksonville University’s campus with the help of the surrounding Jacksonville area. Starting at noon on Saturday, the event lasted until early the next morning.

Teams of people camped out around the track while members of each team took a turn to walk for a cure.

Senior Leigh-Anne Edwards played a big part in bringing the movement to campus.

“I’ve helped out every year, and it’s great,” she said. “The main purpose on campus is to bring students and people of the community together to help find a cure for cancer.”

Originally taking place on the Dolphin Green, rain caused the event to be moved into the Founders building, but that didn’t stop the activities or the enthusiasm.

The nine-time award-winning Dazzling Diamonds, comprised of women from the age of 62 through 81, performed a dance for those in attendance. The men joined in as well and dressed in drag to battle it out for the crown of Ms. Relay. The ‘women’ walked around the track for five minutes collecting as much money as they could to win the crown.

The women of the Delta Delta Delta Fraternity had a table at the event and werel having fun and getting involved in every activity that was offered to them.

“We sold baked goods and juice, but we had a blast,” said freshman Sam Sellars. “We did karaoke and zumba earlier in the night.”

Not only were there fun and games at Relay but also ceremonies celebrating both survivors and those who passed away from the deadly disease of cancer.

Relay starts with a survivor’s lap, which invites everyone to participate in the walk and celebrate with those who have survived cancer. This lap also celebrates caregivers of those who have survived and are fighting for their right to survive.

Throughout the event, paper bags were used to remember those who lost their battle to cancer. The Luminaria Ceremony starts after dark with the bags placed around the track with a candle in them. This lap is often walked in silence to remember those who have died.

The last ceremony that takes place is the Fight Back Ceremony where everyone makes a personal commitment to continue to raise awareness and fight back against cancer.

Although the message of the entire event is to raise money to fight cancer and to help those with the deadly disease fight for their lives, there is a family feel to the event, and the true meaning of hope stands out.

Bikinis, beaches, pools and warm sunshine are just a few things people think of when they hear the words spring break. With the 10-day vacation coming up right around the corner, college students are packing their things and making hotel reservations to make the best out of their spring break.

If students are not taking road trips with their friends or just going home, Jacksonville University offers study abroad trips to Costa Rica and Ecuador where students can take a class and help the natives where it is needed, but there is always time for fun on these trips.

Senior Cera Lopez went along for the Ecuador spring break trip in 2011.

“It was the best use of my time for spring break,” she said. “I never had so much fun helping others. I would do it again in a heart beat.”

Although students and teenagers usually think of spring break as all fun and games, there are still things to worry about. More people get abducted or killed during spring break than any other time of the year.

The Dominican Republic is usually a popular destination for spring break mission trips, but it is also attractive to college students looking to have fun. Tourists have become targets of sex-trafficking there, according to the State Department.

In 2007, about 50,000 women were victims of the sex-trafficking industry during spring break in the Dominican Republic, one of the highest numbers in the world. The State Department documented two different incidents where U.S. citizens were abducted and held for ransom.

Since December 2006, the State Department estimates that 34,612 people have been murdered in drug-related crimes in Mexico, a lot of these taking place during spring break.

Companies that are selling tours down to Mexico emphasize that the drinking age is merely 18 years especially around the time spring break rolls around, according to USA Today.

Sean Keener, president of BootsnAll Travel Network in Eugene, Ore., the parent company of StudentSpringBreak.com, says his company offers travel packages that reflect a range of student desires.

“There’s the drunk, drugged-up partiers having sex with everyone they can and [there's] the people who go to Nicaragua and build houses,” Keener said.

Although these statistics show that spring break can be a dangerous time especially for those leaving the country and even those staying here in the U.S., there are still ways to have fun and be safe.

When taking a road trip, buckle up and take turns driving when going for more than three hours. Make sure the person in the front seat stays awake so the driver has company and won’t be tempted to fall asleep himself or herself.

When staying in a hotel, reserve a room above the first floor. First floor rooms are most likely to get broken into, but make sure to stay below the sixth floor. In case of fires, some ladders cannot reach past the sixth floor.

While drinking, pace yourself and know your limits. Don’t put your drink down if you are with people you don’t know too well, and if you do, get a new one. Someone may have slipped something in the drink that could be a danger to you.

Always have at least one friend with you and tell another friend where you are going. Never do anything alone because if something was to happen no one would know where you were going.

Spring break is a time for fun, but staying safe is even more important.

Some students at JU have chosen to stay safe on spring break and are still planning on having a great time.

“I think if you have a strong group of people you trust and they always know where you are then you should be safe,” said sophomore, Jenell Larsen. “And you should always make sure you have someone with you. Never go anywhere alone.”

For those students who are over 21, senior Ronease Thompson shared her advice.

“If you know you are going out drinking, always have a designated driver. Leave your keys at home so you’re not tempted to drive once you start drinking. We all want to come back to JU in one piece.”

Photo Illustration by Grace Singer

In 1848,  the women’s rights movement started to carve its path into American history. In 1920, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution granted women the right to vote. Today women are the CEO’s and general managers of major companies across the world.

Genderism is the belief that one’s sex is superior to the others, but who is it that says this is true?

Genderism had been a problem in the world starting from the beginning of time, but is now being pushed into the background by students and people of the coming generations.

Students on Jacksonville University’s campus have often spoken out about the genderism going on in today’s world.

“Whether you are a woman, a man, gay or straight, in my eyes we’re all equal,” said freshman Richard Adeniy. “I actually think we need a female president. It’s obvious the men aren’t doing anything in the White House, it’s time we gave the women a try.”

Although some men are speaking out about the way they see women and men of the opposite sexual orientation, some women are having trouble believing they feel this way.

“I feel like they think they are still superior,” said sophomore Ashley Gustafson. “Men may say that they think we’re all equal but the way they act doesn’t say the same. Actions speak louder than words and they’re actions speak thousands.”

Susan Greenfield, a professor of neurophysiology at the University of Oxford,  performed recently a study which implied in its Oxford Report that women were not reaching their highest potential.

“One of the main reasons why there are not more female science professors or chief executives or Cabinet ministers is that, on average, men are more intelligent than women,” Greenfield said.

According to the study, by the time both males and females reach 16 years old, male IQ testing is higher than their female counterparts. But this raises the question,what other social and economic factors are effecting these statistics and how does this skew the results?

“I feel like in some cases others can be more superior, but it depends in what,” said junior Chelsey Sanderson. “If someone knew how to survive more than I do then I definitely would consider them smarter, but if they are better at sewing then not so much.”

In JU’s mission statement the words, “Honesty, integrity and mutual respect” stands out from the other words written. Although at JU, the staff and faculty declare that they stand for these things, the responsibility to implement falls in the hands of the students each day.

“Because of the society’s view on the woman’s position in our society, I feel like most men do not treat women equally,” said sophomore Codee Fuquay. “What has been passed down through the generations is not always right and we have the power to change that.”

Photo courtesy of Austin Weaver

Bacon, eggs, quesadillas, burgers, fries and tacos are just a few of the food options seen on the menus at Nellie’s, Waves and The Riverside Café.

Sodexo and its employees work hard for the students on campus to put food on students’ plates. Coming in at least an hour before their shift, employees clean and get food ready for the breakfast, lunch and dinner rushes.

“We all eat lunch at the same time, so it’s the busiest,” said sophomore Kayla Zucker. “I’m grateful for the Sodexo employees feeding me.”

Many of the Sodexo employees have worked at Jacksonville University for many years and have been previously employed in the food industry. Steven Rider, catering director of JU, has worked for Sodexo on campus since 2009.

Rider is in charge of catering, theming and budgeting for all events that involve food on campus. Although Rider is not really into titles, he very much enjoys his job at JU.

“I love working with the students on their special events and that they are proud to share [our services] with their guests,” he said.

Rider also expressed his feelings about his favorite part about working on JU’s campus.

“JU affords me the opportunity to become more familiar with the client and their expectations due to their treating our department as an integral part of campus life,” Rider said.

Rider previously owned his own restaurant and has worked as a general manager of food services at many other universities such as the University of North Florida, Florida State University, University of Alabama and several other colleges and universities.

Other employees of Sodexo such as Rolind Courtney Banks, or Courtney to many of the students on campus, started working on campus back in 2008. Banks worked previously as a bicycle mechanic and simply applied for the job with Sodexo.

He started as a supervisor for Einstein’s on campus, working his way to the café.

“My favorite part about being on campus is definitely the people, the students and the friends I’ve made here,” Banks said as a student hugged him before leaving the café.

Patricia Andrews, or Ms. Pat as students know her as, works at Einstein’s. She has worked on the JU campus for five years. Andrews started working in the food industry long before coming to Sodexo.

“I used to work at the Marriot when my friend told me about the job,” said Andrews. “I thought it was a great opportunity, and I started working in the café soon after.”

Another Sodexo worker, Dyhala Villalobos, known as Ms. D to students, celebrates her seven year anniversary Feb. 22 of this year.

“I love working here,” said Villalobos as she smiled at the students passing by. “I don’t speak English very well, but everyone is so nice and they help me when I need it.”

The veteran of the bunch is Inez Ellis, who has been with the company for 28 years. Although Ellis has only been on campus for three years, she is not new to working with food or students. In the 28 years Ellis has been with Sodexo, she has done catering and held management positions. Most of the students on campus now know her for swiping their I.D.’s during the lunch hour, always with a smile on.

“The students and the people are why I work here,” said Ellis. “Everyone is friendly and that’s how a work place should be.”

It is clear that most of the Sodexo employees can agree the students are one of the main reasons they love working on campus. Supplying JU’s campus with smiles and full stomachs, the employees of Sodexo have definitely found a family amongst the students and staff.