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Career Expo Takes Over Kinne Center

February 13, 2012 By William Fewox Leave a Comment

Photo by Grace Singer

Jacksonville University recently underwent a not so hostile takeover from over 40 companies. At least, that’s how the Career Expo, held at the Kinne University Center on Feb. 8, appeared. The Career Expo was held for the benefit of students nearing graduation, so they could peer ahead at what potential jobs might be in store for them after college life. It was a chance for ambitious students to meet with potential employers and get ahead of the curve. The administrators who organized the event, the students who attended, and the companies who took part in it seemed overall satisfied with the event.

It was certainly a good day for Jacksonville University itself. Several of the companies at the fair, were in fact, being represented by JU Alumni.

“CSX has a long-standing relation with Jacksonville University. We’re always pleased with the candidates amongst the students we get.” said Jeff Hollenbeck, aided by Michelle Kargbo, two JU graduates who were running the booth for CSX, a transportation company.

“I’m really happy to be here- the students here are always highly qualified; we’re always impressed with JU, not only the students, but their supportive teachers as well.” said Dwan Adams, the Regional Recruiter for the Peace Corps, which was also represented at the Expo.

The range of companies represented at the expo ranged from major corporations like CSX to non-profit organizations, such as The Peace Corps and the Step Up Organization, an organization fighting for scholarship programs for low-income families. The Expo organized the employers according to what majors would be compatible with which companies, presenting a color-coded guide and giving students who majored in anything from Communications to the Humanities a chance explore possible futures.

Students appeared just as impressed with the companies as the companies seemed impressed with the students; many students came to the expo with resumes in hand, dressed to impress in formal, business attire.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity for life after graduation, I think.” said JU Alumni Heather Kane.

The Administrators who put the expo together expressed a pride in its accomplishments.

“We’re very excited. We’ve had over forty employers show up this year, and we’re just as excited about the student turn-out. It’s been a definite success.” said Devan Coughlin, Career Development Center Director.

In the end, the expo was a great opportunity for students and companies, with their minds set into focus on individual wants, to network, communicate and step forward into future potentials.

Filed Under: Front Page, News Tagged With:

Conquest of the Latin Games

February 8, 2012 By William Fewox Leave a Comment

Photo courtesy of Susan Brodersen

Some may have noticed that in lieu of Super Bowl Sunday this weekend, Jacksonville University’s campus was treated to a Roman Invasion.

What’s more, it would have been easy to see that all said invaders were between the ages of 11 and 18. JU hosted the North Florida Regional Latin Games this past weekend; a competition aimed at students in middle school and high school who are studying Latin and the cultures of Greece and the Roman Empire. The games, which were held on Feb. 4, were a day long event, consisting of Roman-themed costume contests, sporting events such as foot and chariot races, art contests, Latin exams and Jeopardy-style trivia.

It was considered an honor for JU this year, as it was the school’s very first time playing host to the games. A press release was written prior to the event by the university’s own Dr. Cheryl Sowder, an art history professor who acted as a Campus Coordinator for the days activities. At the end, the press release said, “Jacksonville University is proud to serve as the platform for this caliber of local educational achievement.”

Not only was hosting the games an honor in of itself, it also proved an opportunity for JU to recruit new students. Students and parents who had time to spare throughout the course of the day were treated to a tour of the campus.

“It was a chance to allow these high school students to receive college experience ahead of the game,” Sowder said.

The games started as most American events do, with the Pledge of Allegiance. Of course, given the nature of the games, the Pledge of Allegiance was recited entirely in Latin.

To further tie the games to their ancient inspirations, the modern calendar was suspended for the day; participants found themselves not in the year 2012, but 2765 ab urbe condita, temporarily revitalizing the same calendar used by the ancient Romans. The games themselves were very competitive, but never unfriendly; students from the competing schools came up with several creative projects outside the academic and athletic events such as monopoly-style board games, water color paintings, lamp shades, mosaics, home-made period costumes and house of cards styled as famous Roman monuments to showcase their understanding and mastery of the Latin language and the classical culture of ancient Greece and Rome.

“[The games] give students who study Latin a more hands-on experience through the projects showcased at the games,” Sowder said.

Some JU students, mainly those taking Sowder’s classes, served as guides during the day’s events, prepared to assist any of the participants or officials of the games who got lost over the course of the day. Some even assisted with the judging of the various costume and art projects. However, none were available for comment due to their involvement with the games.

“[I was] very pleased to see students from [my] Roman art classes at the events,” Sowder said.

Filed Under: Features Tagged With: , ,

Gabrielle Giffords’ Graceful Exit

January 30, 2012 By William Fewox Leave a Comment

Photo courtesy of congress.gov

Stepping down from her Arizona congressional seat, Gabrielle Giffords’ chooses health over politics, bringing an end to a story that has riveted the nation for over a year now. The popular congresswoman survived an assassin’s bullet in early 2011, the product of an attack that killed six people.

The assassination attempt was a terrible shock, and after a service was held in Tucson for the victims, people across the nation came swiftly to her side. The public wished her a quick recovery. To their delight, her push forward  has proved to have no major incidents or setbacks.

The Democratic Senator from Arizona, representing Arizona’s 8th District since 2007, is well respected on both sides of the political spectrum, and her resignation announcement, first given informally on sunday of last week, surprised many. She stated that she wanted to devote all of her time to focusing on her recovery.

She was critically wounded by a shot to the head from a would-be assassin. This temporarily impaired her senses, mental capabilities and speech capabilities. There was some initial doubt about how well she would recover, but she has been seeing steady progress and returned to serve in Congress on Aug. 1 of last year. Her resignation was formally submitted to Congress on Jan. 25. It was received with a standing ovation by her peers and the leadership of the House of Representatives.

Even though she did not represent the people outside of Arizona’s borders, the national community as a whole has been following her story. This holds true for the Northeast Florida community and students of Jacksonville University.

“I don’t know much about what she’s done in Congress,” said sophomore Michael Sullins, “but I think she’s probably doing what’s best for her.”

“I think it’s kind of sad that she had to resign after she survived being shot,” said  sophomore Jim Prescott. “It really sucks that her time in office had to end that way.”

It is rare in a time when Congress’s approval ratings are at an all-time low that any member of Government can command large amounts of admiration within American society. However, Gabrielle Giffords’ story was one with a reputation for honest conduct. This notoriety placed much of the public on her side in a time of personal turmoil.

Her political story, however, is now coming to a close. Although many are sad to see her step down from Congress, many say that she provided a tough act to follow. Despite this, Republican and Democratic hopefuls are already planning to campaign in a back and forth battle for the congresswoman’s empty seat.

With Gifford’s resignation leaving a slot to be filled, there is a notion of public intrigue on which party will grasp its place and to what caliber they will hold the power. While the national and local sentiment is one of thankfulness for Gifford’s time in public service rather than revel in the past, peoples eyes inevitably are turned towards the future. Interest is peaked on what course Gifford will take for the future as well as the course of the blank-slate-face that will take over.

Filed Under: News

Dolphins Descend on Seaworld

November 15, 2011 By William Fewox Leave a Comment

Photo courtesy of Summer Gagel

Over Veteran’s Day weekend, one of Jacksonville University’s conservation groups, the ECO-SOS club, went to Seaworld in Orlando for a day long field trip.

The famous, world-class marine animal park was a good match for the ECO-SOS club. The park’s commitment to conservation of marine wildlife and the ECO-SOS’s predominant popularity with marine science majors made the park a perfect fit for the club’s field trip. The club, headed by JU student Janelle Larson, has made many previous trips over the years to the Jacksonville Zoo, beach clean-ups and the Right Whale Festival. It is open to all majors and students, causing it to become one of JU’s more popular campus organizations.

The group had a very early start. The van was originally supposed to leave at 7:30 a.m., but did not leave until 8:30 leaving many members shuffling around campus during morning hours not familiar to most college students.

Summer Gagel, a freshman and marine science major, was able to describe the group’s trip to Sea World and the events of the day.

“The whole trip was a lot of fun, but we had a rough start,” she said. “Our bus was over an hour late, and getting everyone together early in the morning was more trouble than it should have been.”

Seaworld has been trying to rebrand itself as a more adventure and thrill oriented park over the years with rides such as the roller coasters Kraken and Manta. However, it is still mostly known for its nature shows featuring its animal inhabitants such as the world famous Shamu, the park’s mascot. The ECO-SOS club came primarily for the animal exhibits and shows.

“We fed animals most of the day,” Gagel said. “We got to see dolphins, sea lions and mantas.”

The park features many open-air venues where guests can buy food for the animals. Majority of the funds will be applied to the park’s conservation efforts.

The animals at the park are mostly performers, well-trained and usually bred in captivity, but Seaworld runs an extensive conservation program that rehabilitates animals and then releases them back into the wild once they have recovered.

When not feeding animals at the exhibits, the club took in some of the shows the park had to offer such as “Blue Horizons,” a theatrical show that introduces marine animals. The day culminated in the evening viewing of “One Ocean,” the show starring Shamu in his titular arena, exhibit and living area, Shamu Stadium.

“After that, it was a hassle getting everyone back together. The officers told us we had to get back together one last time even though most of us were going home separate ways,” Gagel said.

After the show, the group dispersed; some returned to Jacksonville, others, mostly Orlando native sons and daughters, stayed behind to spend the long weekend at home.

Overall, despite the difficulties in getting to Orlando and staying together in the park,  the ECO-SOS club had a whale of a time at Seaworld over the holiday weekend.

Filed Under: Features

In One Brow of Woe

November 15, 2011 By William Fewox Leave a Comment

Photo courtesy of One Brow of Woe

“In One Brow of Woe,” Jacksonville University’s own feature-length film is a joint collaboration between the theater and film departments. Directed by professor of film Carolina Conte and co-directed by theater professor and Director Deborah Jordan, “One Brow”, is a film by drama students, for drama students.

The main character, Andrew,is played by Samuel J. Smid. Andrew’s antics in the beginning of the play of a rather ignorant, self-centered but ultimately innocent and childish student contrast greatly with his slow mental descent into near madness. He feels himself possessed by Claudius, the villain of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, whom Andrew portrays in a school play after failing to get the part of the titular Prince of Denmark. The psychological defects plaguing this character are enough to satiate any fan of theater, though the transition between the comedic Andrew, reminiscent of Mr. Bean, and the very serious Claudius can be jarring at times. Overall, however, the film stands strong.

Every aspect of the film was either directed or created by students and professors, and while the cinematography is only adequate because of that regard, the musical accompaniment by professor Watkins and the JU orchestra adds decent flavor to the film’s psychological theme. The plot flows well enough, and it is very evident the amount of love and work that went into the project. However, it could be said that those that weren’t familiar with Shakespeare or the theatrical world may be lost in the film. Heavy emphasis is put on acting terms, the process of putting together a play and what happens back stage. Many art students will instantly be able to relate to the troubles facing the characters as they put together their production, but it may have lost other audience members not familiar with such problems or processes in creating art or drama.

“I liked it, but it kind of lost me at times whenever it got into the parts showing the play and putting it together,” said freshman Kody Mattern. “Not that it wasn’t cool, but I didn’t get all the terms they used.”

Is that enough to hurt the film, however? Even though some technical terms were thrown out there, many simply overlooked it and dived right in to a deep and compelling story of the thrills and challenges of college and the dangers of losing oneself to their art.

“I thought it was great,” said sophomore Jimmy Prescott. “I’ve never been into Shakespeare, but if this is what it’s all about, I could get behind it.”

At the end of the day, “In One Brow of Woe” knows exactly what it wants to be – a deep exploration into the psychosis of college students as they face the daily challenges of college life that is aimed only at people who can truly appreciate the depth it’s trying to accomplish.

Filed Under: Arts & Entertainment

Bleeding Heart

November 15, 2011 By William Fewox Leave a Comment

Photo Illustration by Grace Singer

As the holiday season draws closer, charity organizations across the nation are spreading goodwill to those less fortunate at this generous time of the year. Two groups in particular, the Second Harvest Bank of North Florida and the Florida Blood Alliance are joining together in a special collaborative effort to help society on two fronts.

For the holiday season, every blood donation the Blood Alliance receives, the Second Harvest Bank will receive a monetary donation. This agreement between the two organizations promises to bring much needed aid to thousands who are struggling this year, whether they are in need of a blood transfusion, or simply food to survive. Many individuals will rely on the kindness of donors who can give their blood, their money, or their time. The Second Harvest Bank is excited about their new partnership with the Blood Alliance, as they are currently in the midst of expanding their operations to reach out with Health initiatives. These include an anti-obesity program, an after-school program for impoverished children, an alliance with the Salvation Army, and an initiative to help people pay for electricity while still putting food on the table. They have also taken up participation in community events, such as the play “Wellfarewell”, a fable about helping those in need, which played from October 24th to October 30th at the Theatre Jacksonville.

Blood Alliance, which has been working in Florida since 1942, hosts several blood drives across the Jacksonville Area and Duval County daily, hoping to reach as many places as possible. Besides donating money to Second Harvest for each Blood Donation they receive, they also promise tax deductions for each donation as a basic incentive for donors. The Blood Alliance has also set up a points system for repeat donors, where points can be collected for rewards on the Blood Alliance’s online store, and includes items such as shirts, bags, mugs, pocket knives, and limited time offers, such as Kindle E-readers.

Both Organizations have been flourishing. However, depending entirely on the generosity of everyday people in the community,  they still need help every day. To attract new donors and reach the new internet generation, they have now made it easier than ever for people to help out and more convenient to reach them. On their website, www.igiveblood.com, the Blood Alliance provides a Blood Drive database, giving daily information and times for the various blood drives hosted across the city. Second Harvest’s website, www.wenourishhope.org, has recently streamlined their online services. On it, donors can volunteer, send in food or cash donations and schedule volunteer hours. The two organizations have joined internet trends in setting up Facebook and Twitter accounts, to reach ever further and get their word of  generosity and charity out to as many people as possible. Both the Blood Alliance and Second Harvest Bank have strived to make it easier and more fulfilling than ever for anyone to get into the holiday spirit of giving,

Filed Under: News

A Raised “Brow”

November 2, 2011 By William Fewox Leave a Comment

Photo courtesy of One Brow of Woe

When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, one would hope to have had a chance to see the feature-length film developed entirely by the JU community, “In One Brow of Woe”.

What can only be described as a psychological thriller with a truly Shakespearean twist, the film was produced Carolina Conte, directed jointly by both Carolina Conte and Deborah Jordan, and stars JU Alumni, Samuel J. Smid. The film will run for a limited time only November 4th and 5th at Jacksonville University’s Swisher Theater.

The movie follows the story of a college student in a school production of Shakespeare’s most famous play, Hamlet.  The production process takes a jarring turn when the student’s role as Claudius, the villain in Hamlet responsible for killing the King of Denmark, his brother, and usurping the throne; starts to consume the student’s psyche. The barriers between the reality of this world, and the deep, dark psychological challenges in Hamlet’s 16th century Denmark are shattered.

“It was a lot of fun. It’s almost a cultural experience,” said Brooke West, a senior majoring in Theater who plays the joint role of Elisha and Gertrude

“It’s a big switch from going on stage, because you have to be big and loud enough for everyone to hear you… Film is not very forgiving, because the camera’s right in your face catching everything. It’s almost more of a challenge that way,” said West.

Dustin Mollohan, a film major, admitted that it didn’t take long for him to take the production very seriously.

“After seeing everything people were doing with it, it made me realize it’s not a three day project.”

The film, according to Carolina Conte, started as a joint project between JU’s Theater program and Film department, and quickly encompassed other areas of the arts, too. Dr. Thomas Harrison and Scott Watkins, both members of the University’s music department, created the score for the movie and had it brought to life by the JU Orchestra.

“It was actually shot last fall,” Conte said. “It started when I asked the Dean for a joint production between the Theater and Film departments…and it took over a year to make.”

The amount of work and effort going into this production is about to pay off, and it truly promises to be as enthralling as one of Shakespeare’s own works.

Filed Under: Arts & Entertainment, Front Page

In the Dark with Power Outages

October 19, 2011 By William Fewox Leave a Comment

Photo by Grace Singer

Power outages were not a rare sight over the weekend of Oct. 7 to Oct. 9. The power went out no less than four times over the course of three nights in every residential hall on campus except Oak Hall.

Everyone on campus knows what happened; the residents of Oak Hall certainly noticed when the population of their building doubled, and everyone else on campus became aware when they were suddenly plunged into darkness four times over the weekend.

All four outages happened late at night, while a majority of residents were still awake. This caused many to roam the halls, usually ending up in Oak Hall to get an Internet signal, to finish up homework or to hang out with friends in lit, air-conditioned rooms again.

A combination of bad weather and the overuse of air conditioning could have contributed to the outages.

Two community advisors who were involved in keeping the peace over the course of two power outages on Sunday night were sophomore Nathan Diehl and junior Ray Saez; they shared their opinions and described their experience.

“I was just sitting in bed, and then I felt the whole building shaking,” said Nathan Diehl. “I could feel the power in the building slowly turning off.”

“We had to do continuous rounds to make sure everyone on our floors were alright,” said Ray Saez. “Most of the people on my floor thought it was fun. Community advisors in emergency situations such as a power outage are relied upon to keep order in every residence hall.

Once the power went out most people got together in groups, either going to Oak Hall or roaming around outside. The power in all four outages came back on within an hour or two, but it still began to upset many people once it became a nightly occurrence. Many questioned what the problem was and why the power supplied to all the residence halls except for Oak kept failing.

“The power grid is just shoddy,” said Saez.

Since Oak Hall is a newer building than the other residence halls, it was built on a different, more up-to-date power grid than the other halls. Since Oak Hall also houses the convenience store and sandwich shop Waves, it is also supplied with a back-up generator, but the generator is only powerful enough to keep power going to Waves, not the entirety of Oak Hall. Local laws and regulations for food service areas require this back-up generator. The two community advisors were not able to give any more details.

The Residential Life Office, the organization in control of the community advisors on campus, was not at liberty to give comments on the situation.

There is no knowledge at the present time whether any plans are being made to fix or update the power grid the residence halls, outside of Oak, rely on to prevent a similar situation from happening again, so it is very likely that many people will be kept in the dark again in the future.

Filed Under: Features

League of Women article

October 5, 2011 By William Fewox 7 Comments

Photo by Grace Singer

The Kinne Banquet Hall was reserved Saturday, Oct. 1 for a day long political presentation held by the League of Women Voters of Florida.

The organization is a non-partisan political group dedicated to political education; it is a branch of a national organization with identical motives.

They were warmly received by Jacksonville University, being the first time the organization held a gathering on campus. It was to be the first stop in a statewide tour called “League University”, where the LWV planned to speak to several college campuses across Florida. Students were welcome to attend seminars covering political awareness and education for those interested in going into politics as candidates.

The organization also provided a workshop for those interested in serving government on a more local level primarily for city board members.

Speakers included Mike Hightower, a member of the board of directors for Jacksonville’s Chamber of Commerce, and Audrey Gibson, a newly-elected State Senator who won her seat in a special election following the resignation of State Senator Tony Hill.

Both politicians spoke of what they wished they had known during their own campaigns and passed on advice to anyone looking to follow their careers.

Dr. Stephen Baker, a professor of political science at JU, helped with the seminars and spoke in his own presentation on political debates for candidates.

Carlos Paez, an intern for the LWV, explained the extent of LWV’s political and social volunteer efforts and the League’s commitment to providing “opportunities for the politically active.”

Jessica Lowe-Minor, the Executive Director of the League within Florida, hosted the presentation and explained how the LWV is “dedicated to educating for informed and active participation in politics.”

The League has been involved in campaigns to raise political awareness and involvement across the state for many years.

The presentation was also the League’s opportunity to introduce a new program, aimed at those serious about partaking in politics by holding an office.

“There are courses for educating people on how to run a campaign, but they cost hundreds of thousands of dollars,” said Lowe-Minor. “We have an affordable program, available to anyone interested in serving on a city board or becoming a political candidate.”

Angelique Cox, a junior with a political science major, represented the University’s student body in the LWV. Dr. Baker first told Angelique of the organization during his presidency class. She was volunteering her time to help make the seminar possible and took the time to enjoy the presentation, giving her opinion on how it was proceeding.

“I think it’s really good. The speakers they have are very effective and they represent the material isn’t overwhelming,” she said.

The presentation lasted from morning to afternoon, providing a unique opportunity for JU students. Lowe-Minor expressed interest in having the LWV return to Jacksonville for another event next year based on the reception the League received.

Filed Under: News

Cookies

September 27, 2011 By William Fewox Leave a Comment

The Jacksonville University administration, staff members, and even President Kerry Romesburg, Ph.D, have been seen passing out cookies to students in the campus’ residential halls.

This is just the tip of a massive volunteer effort. Ever since summer vacation, university staff members have been volunteering their time and attention to help students feel welcome here at Jacksonville University.

According to Dr. Kristie Gover, Dean of Student Development, since summer staff members have been devoting time to the organization and running of Orientation.

“[We are] trying to connect with students prior to the academic year, by helping them to get connected on campus,” said Gover.

Over 75 staff members were involved with Orientation and the Week of Welcome alone, and several continue to go beyond to reach out to students.

If a student attended an Orientation session over summer, he or she would have received a handwritten note welcoming them to Jacksonville University, and after the first week, e-mails and countless offers for help, or just for someone for the students to talk to. There is a heavy emphasis on getting students involved in the university’s community.

“We find students with the highest levels of satisfaction are those that are connected in the community,” said Gover.

According to Dr. Gover, staff members who volunteer their own time coordinate all community development activities on campus.

There are, however several organizations implemented on campus, staffed by people who are devoted to relating to students and making them feel welcome throughout the year.

First is the Student Solution Center, which is responsible for the handwritten notes and emails received by all students. It is staffed by Laura Andrews, the director of the center, and managed by Davina Hamilton and Katie Counihar. They open themselves to any student who wishes to talk, and are always concerned with students’ opinions on several issues around campus.

The other main organization on campus concerned with student relations is Dolphins in the Know, where staff members set up monthly sessions to make several of the procedures in college, such as academic problems and registering for classes, easier and more convenient for students.

Both organizations go out of their way to reach students, and to get as much input as possible. Essentially, all the staff has been trying to figure out what students want out of their education here at JU.

Many of these programs, like the Cookie House Calls mentioned at the beginning of this article, are continuing from years past and show every sign of continuing in years to come. So next time you see a staff member, take a moment to think about what they might have done to make all students feel at home.

Filed Under: Features