Photo By: Dr. Heather Downs

There are more deaths by suicide than by homicide, according to ProjectSPEAK, a suicide prevention program created by Daytona State College and Seminole State College. Because of this staggering statistic, and because college age students are the number one age bracket at risk, with the Jacksonville population having twice as many suicides than the national average, Active Minds, a student organization on campus that strives to raise awareness on mental health issues at JU, held a panel as well as a short documentary viewing with discussion as a resource and a call to action.

With rainy weather and other events on campus, attendance at the Gooding Auditorium was low on Wednesday, April 3. But those who were there engaged in the conversation and broke the walls that are sometimes built with the subject of suicide.

“I feel like issues about suicide haven’t really been addressed on campus,” said Jairid Pacileo, junior and president of Active Minds. “I think any event like this is going to help at least one person, which makes it successful. Hopefully it will warm people up to discussing these types of topics because there seems to be a lack of comfort when addressing these issues of mental health.”

According to the documentary developed by ProjectSPEAK, suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students, and approximately 1,100 college students are lost each year. Still, suicide is preventable, and approximately 80 percent of those who seek appropriate help receive the help they need. Sarah Pamplin, freshman aviation and vocal performance major, attended the event gained a new perspective on the problem.

“I learned the extent of the issue; I didn’t know it was such a huge problem, I didn’t know it was so common,” Pamplin said. “I also learned that people who are considering suicide aren’t set on killing themselves but crying out for help a lot of the time.”

Brittany Bush, freshman film major and an Active Minds officer in training stated a statistic on suicide along with other officers of Active Minds which included information about suicide and veterans, LGBT, college students, and more.

“When people were asking questions I was looking at their faces and I could tell it was helpful for them and the panel,” Bush said. “I think it was nice for [Katherine Segura] to share her story. You could see the relief in her eyes. When other students were asking questions I felt like they wanted an answer, and maybe they’re not going through that right now but they’re prepared if it happens. I think we reached some people.”

The panel who spoke after the documentary showing was Melissa Witmeier, Project Coordinator for Florida Youth Suicide Prevention Project, Dr. Pam Rillstone, Professor of Nursing and Active Minds advisor, Kyle Fessenden, Counselor/Outreach Coordinator for the Student Counseling Center, and Katherine Segura who was featured in the documentary. The counseling center located in the Sam Marks Annex and is free for Jacksonville University students.

Students, faculty and community members who attended the event were left with questions; some could be answered by the panel, but others could not.

“It makes me wonder why,” Pamplin said. “It gives me a lot more of an idea of what this transition in our life means and how shocking it can be to be out from under our parent’s for the first time in what can be a stressful environment.”

Alpha Epsilon Phi and Delta Delta Delta hosted a Hollywood Dolphin Daze philanthropy week in hopes of raising money for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediactric Aids Foundation and St. Jude. Other student organizations joined together to compete with each other for the winner of Hollywood week.

Team names included multiple iconic celebrity figures such as John Wayne, Kristin Chenowith, Harrison Ford, Katie Couric and Mila Kunis. Each team was made up of five students who would be the main students to represent their organization.

Freshman AEPhi sister Allie Hulbert played a major part in making this philanthropy week a success in conjunction with Tri-Delta.

“We picked Hollywood week because it was easy to get people involved that were not in Greek life.” said Hulbert. “People were very interested in helping us, and their curiosity helped bring in more people to help raise money.”

The week started off with a movie night in Gooding Auditorium, students were asked to donate $2 to attend the event. The team with the most members attended received the most points and the members who came with the biggest sunglasses received bonus points.

The following day team members nominated a member to play celebrity for the day and their opposing team had to get the most photos of the member throughout the day. The person with the least amount of pictures taken of them for the day would become the winner for the event.

Next teams were invited to a trivia night in the Oak Hall multi-purpose room where students paid for food and drinks, all to be made a donation to the EGPA foundation. The events concluded with a dinner with Tri-Delta where team Harrison Ford was named the winner.

Vice-president of public relations for Tri-Delta, Tala Farah estimates they raised over $250 for St. Jude and received over 300 addresses for “Sincerely Yours”.

“Sincerely Yours is done by Tri-Delta nation wide.” says Tala Farah. “These letters are sent to people across the world in hopes for patrons to donate money via mail to St. Jude.”

The ladies worked together to support both of their philanthropies and also to give the students something fun to do that would benefit a non-profit organization.

Eight communication and media students were honored Thursday, April 11 at the 29^th annual Communication Honors Dinner and Media Showcase held at the Davis College of Business. Fifty students, professors, family members and friends attended. Communication faculty members were recognized by students for their service and graduating seniors were bid a formal farewell.

Seniors Misha Irfan, Adrian Ruble and Sarah Mecklenburg were named Communication Students of the Year.  The annual award goes to the graduating student(s) with the highest grade point average. This year three students attained nearly identical grade averages, said Dennis Stouse, professor of Communication and chair of the Department of Communication.

“Misha Irfan and Adrian Ruble attained GPAs above 3.9.  They were named Communication Student of the Year for 2012-13,” Stouse said.  “This is the first time we have had a virtual tie.”

Sarah Mecklenburg will graduate in December.  She has attained a perfect 4.0 GPA.

“Since our major awards event is always held in the spring semester, we decided to honor Sarah as our Communication Student of the Year for 2013-14,” Stouse explained.

Irfan has completed a double major in communication and humanities.  She is from Dammam, Saudi Arabia and has served as business manager for the Navigator and news director for Dolphin Radio.  Her senior project was a public event that celebrated Islamic art and culture.

Ruble is a member of the JU NROTC unit.  From Mableton, GA, he has served as an on-air reporter and anchor for Dolphin Channel television and in leadership positions within the NROTC unit.  His senior project was an analysis of the channels of communication within naval reserve officer training corps units.

Mecklenburg is completing a minor in Spanish as well as her major in communication.  She is from Germany and has served as station manager for Dolphin Channel television. She will be honored for her sports reporting at the Florida Associated Press meeting later this month in Orlando.

Bryan Jones, editor-in-chief of the Navigator, was named Communication Student Leader of the year. This award honors a communication student who has distinguished himself or herself in student activities within and beyond the Department of Communication.  From Maryland, he is also a JU Ambassador, active in the JU Pre-Law Society, President of Lambda Pi Eta, the national communication honorary society, numerous student activities and his fraternity, Sigma Chi.

Awards for outstanding academic achievement went to Rose Charlene Charles of Paris, France and Tanya Singh from Gwalior, India.  Chavis Fulmore, a music business major from Jacksonville and station manager for Dolphin Radio, was honored for outstanding service to the department.  Also recognized for outstanding departmental service were Christina Kelso and Sarah Mecklenburg.  Kelso serves as managing editor of the Navigator and Mecklenburg has led the Dolphin Channel television for the past year.

New members of Lambda Pi Eta were initiated.  The new members are Taylor Agnew, Thaddeus Foster, Misha Irfan, Adam Jordan, Mathew Killen, Allison Konig, Clayton Levins, Emily Long, Sarah Mecklenburg, Adriana Rodrigues and Ethan Wellhausen.

The evening also included tributes to the Department of Communication faculty. Misha Irfan spoke about Courtney Barnes, adjunct assistant professor of communication; Greg VanOekel shared his thoughts of Dr. Derek Hall, adjunct assistant professor of communication; Bryan Jones discussed Dr. Keith Saliba, assistant professor of communication; Sarah Mecklenburg talked about Dr. Annmarie Willette, associate professor of communication; and Tanya Singh recognized Dennis Stouse, professor of communication.

The evening concluded with recognition of graduating seniors.

Illustration By: Matthew Martin

Starting from all sides of the Jacksonville cityscape and darting forward in a tangle of directions, the month of April is one where river city residents and guests are in no shortage of opportunities to hit the ground running.

With a number of annual events such as the Gate River Run, MuckFest and Tour de Pain behind them, Jacksonville runners can look forward to events continuing to roll out as the springtime sun shines down.

One opportunity to break in the first weekend of April in color-splattered style is the Color Me Rad 5K, where hundreds of participants of all ages and abilities will descend on Everbank Field, Saturday April 6, to be pelted with neon colored powder paint bombs as they run, walk and laugh their way through a 5K course.

Amidst this color coated company of runners will be Jacksonville University students Tulsi Patel, senior biology major, and Tanya Singh, communications and psychology major.

“A friend and I have been wanting to run a 5K race for quite a while and this seemed like the perfect opportunity,” Singh said. “ This is one of the events where you can be silly, have fun and not care about what others think.”

Participants will experience “the art of running” as they encounter five color stations along their way to the finish line. Volunteers will be armed and ready with bombs, ensuring that by the time runners reach the end, they are coated head to toe like a technicolor dream.

Proceeds from Color Me Rad will benefit the Gator Bowl Association, a non-profit organization that focuses on education and youths in the North Florida area. Each year the organization donates approximately $300,000 to local charities and schools through programs such as the Boselli Foundation and Wolfson Children’s Hospital, according to Gatorbowl.com.

Registration for the event is $45 and closes on April 3. Those interested in Color Me Rad can find more information on the organization’s website www.colormerad.com and clicking the link for the Jacksonville event.

Other events for the month of April include a mix of comfortable run-walks appropriate for all levels from beginners to practiced participants as well as intensive events which may require training before race day.

“More JU students should participate in community running events like Color Me Rad and the River Run,” Patel said. “It’s fun and a great way to release all the school stress.”

Just a few of the upcoming events include the Memories of Love-Marty 5K Bike and Run April 6, Tri-Jax Challenge Sprint Triathlon April 6, Tap N’ Run novelty beer run April 13, JASMYN Strides for Pride 5K Run/Walk April 20, Mud Dogs Fun Mud Run April 21 and LoziLu Women’s Mud Run April 27.

“Events like these are always good motivators to work out,” Singh said. “When you have a deadline, you know you have to work for it, or run in this case.”

It was a bittersweet day as the Jacksonville University men’s lacrosse team took home a win against Siena, but dealt with the emotions that come with the retiring of a fallen teammate’s number.

Corey Lovrich tragically lost his fight against colon cancer last May in New York.

According to judolphins.com, Lovrich played two seasons with the Dolphins, where he wore the number 88 jersey and was team captain before being diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer in 2011.

The ceremony took place during half-time of the game against Siena. It featured various teammates and coaches honoring Lovrich’s family.

“It was a weird day because I was really excited to be opening our conference but I didn’t know how I would take seeing Corey’s jersey being retired,” said Cameron Mann, a former teammate of Lovrich and captain of the lacrosse team.

Lovrich’s jersey became the first jersey in JU’s lacrosse history to be retired and will be hung in the newly dedicated men’s lacrosse team room in Botts Hall according to judolphins.com.

“We play with him in our head and hearts everyday,” Mann said. “We want to win every game for him but especially that one since it was directly in honor of him.”

The team played hard with Lovrich in their hearts and came back after halftime to win 11-10.

“It was really a roller coaster of emotions kind of day,” Mann said. “Once we saw his family and got to stand with his jersey we knew that we weren’t going to let the opportunity of winning the game slip away.”

Although the team won the game for Lovrich, Mann said it’s still really different to not have Lovrich around.

“Corey really brought a different perspective to my life and many of the players on our team,” Mann said. “He was just such a happy guy that worked hard and would do anything for the team. He made it possible for the bad and sad emotions to turn to ones of motivation.”

Illustration By: Matthew Martin

The Jacksonville University radio station has been revamped and renewed over the past few months. The biggest change it underwent was switching from JU 108 to Dolphin Radio: The Big Fin.

As part of the promotion for the revised, newer and better radio station, the radio staff held a relaunch party Wednesday in Nellie’s from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

The main idea behind the relaunch party was to spread awareness of the radio station, located on the third floor of the Davis Student Commons. The event was organized by the marketing and business director Codee Fuquay, a senior communications major.

Station manager, senior Chavis Fulmore is a music business major with a concentration in audio technology. He said that the event would not have been possible without Fuquay and was held to help bring something back to JU.

“Before Dolphin Radio, there was JU 108 at Jacksonville University,” Fulmore said. ” JU 108 was a very successful and popular club in the ’90s but during some point in the new millennium the club disbanded. We are just trying to revive a strong tradition here at Jacksonville University.”

Sophomore photography major and radio DJ Benjamin Watford was on hand at the party along with senior communications major and fellow radio DJ, Keith Zalman on the microphone doing what they do best: gaining attention from JU students with their humor, wit and mix of music.

“If the students use what I taught them, I see the radio winning awards in radio journalism,” Watford said. “But only if they stick to their shows and not stray and try to be bigger than another DJ or host at the radio station.”

Throughout the relaunch party, the radio staff handed out sunglasses with their logo on them along with headphones and iPhone cases. All the merchandise had the website for the Big Fin written on them. This helped the students gain knowledge of how to access the radio station.

In the past, the radio station was only accessible via internet. However an addition the Big Fin has made this year is that students can now enjoy having music played live in Nellie’s as well as in the cafeteria during rush hours. Fulmore believes that everyone who attended and participated Wednesday night were thoroughly entertained.

“We had a sign-up sheet available for potential recruits to provide us with information that we will follow up with in the future,” he said. “I was pleased with the fact that during the tours of the radio station we got positive reactions from everyone.”

The radio station is seeking more student involvement and is constantly looking for more people to come volunteer to play their mix of music or talk and have an outlet for their views and opinions.

As a promotional scheme, the Big Fin also handed out six tickets to the Lingerie Football League season opener on Saturday along with a $50 gift card to Best Buy. In order to win the tickets or the gift card, the students had to answer simple questions like how old JU is or go up and show their “moves like Jagger.”

The Big Fin seems ready to make an impact on the student life here at JU. With new people, new visions and new goals in mind, the radio station is now reaching for new heights even if only within a small community. Fulmore surely sees a bright future because the Dolphin Radio has already exceeded his expectations for this year.

“As the station manager, one of my goals was to provide a foundation for future members to expand on during their time here at Jacksonville University,” Fulmore said. “We’ve exceeded expectations for this year, and can only hope for the momentum to continue in the future.”

Photo By: Christina Kelso

The month of March offered something a little bit more than watching which college team can shoot the best hoops.

On Saturday, March 2, The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens kicked off Community Day, the first event of their annual Garden Month. Community Day featured a plant sale, live music and studio activities.

Throughout the entire month of March, the Cummer had a total of nine events and eight classes for children and adults including “Yoga in the Gardens” and “Clay Hand Building.”

The National Historic Gardens at the Cummer Museum attracts many Jacksonville residents and visitors, including the elderly, couples and children. On top of the steady flow of people through the gardens, Garden Month brings in even more visitors.

“Garden Month is meant specifically to celebrate the gardens in particular,” Amber Sesnick, assistant manager of visitor services at the museum, said. “It’s when they’re blooming and pretty.”

The Cummer Museum is determined to keep the alluring gardens as close to their original ornate state as possible. The nurserymen harvest the same types of plants and flowers as Ninah Cummer, who founded the museum in 1959, once had.

In order to keep the gardens in the best condition for guests, the Cummer has a contract with ValleyCrest Landscape Companies, the largest integrated landscape company in America, according to valleycrest.com. In addition to the landscaping company, the museum has about six volunteers who come in once or twice a week to help with tasks such as pulling weeds and raking.

Most recently, the garden had a caterpillar and slug infestation and the volunteers helped to lay crushed egg shells to help remedy the unwanted plant-eating insects.

“Egg shells! Who knew?” Sesnick said with a shocked chuckle.

In tribute to Garden Month, the Cummer had a special exhibit entitled, “Pascua Florida: Feast of Flowers” by local Jacksonville artist, Jim Draper. Draper created these pieces in honor of the 500^th anniversary of the Spanish landing in America.

Draper’s works of art were inspired by the ecosystems of wildlife, landscapes and greenery in the state of Florida that have prevailed for hundreds of years. The paintings ranged from objects of wetlands, oceans, trees, butterflies, fish, turtles, dunes, marsh and dandelions to objects with new and different perspectives. Along with the subjects of the pieces, he added natural yet eye-catching colors and lighting to draw your eyes in and drag them across the canvas of the painting.

The museum will be opening an all new, never before seen garden to the public next month. It’s taken some time to sow the garden up to par and cultivate it close to its original environment. Also, later in September 2013, the museum will be opening a new sculpture garden.

The month of March kicked off the new, warm Florida season with fresh blooms and friendly comrades buzzing around enjoying the spring air.

“My favorite part of the gardens is the Wisteria flowers in the English garden,” Sesnick said. “They look like lavender grapes, but flowers. They’re only in bloom for about two weeks, but they’re worth it.”

Illistration By: Matthew Martin

In a melee of college students, thunderous bass and inhibited inhibitions, the room was intoxicatingly loud. There was dancing, beer pong, shouting and trash icing the floor. It was a good time, at least for a little while. What they didn’t know however, is that while they littered the floor with their freedom, the vociferous volume came with consequences. On March 12, more than 200 students learned how to party.

Hosted by Residential Life, R.A.G.E was an effort to illustrate to students the reality of choices that could be made during spring break and other social events while also giving students an opportunity to have a good time and learn alternative ways of having fun. Pizza and soda were served, and t-shirts were given to a number of people who went through the program. Music mash-ups played outside William’s Circle while the students waited in line to see the skit.

“The purpose was a sexual awareness, alcohol awareness and drug awareness—trying to give light of the situations that we deal with on campus and how they’re handled, how they should be handled in the future, like hand over your keys instead of driving drunk, different things that could happen,” said Jennah Knight, education student. “Although our residents maybe only were hung-over after one of their parties, a lot of things could have gone down that weren’t supposed to, so we’re giving awareness.”

After hearing some buzz about the event, sophomore Kelly Cleveland, exercise science major, attended with some friends to support Residential Life and to find something fresh and interesting.

“I think the event went really well; everyone I saw seemed really enthusiastic about it,” Cleveland said. “The situations that were presented were real situations that could happen to anyone if they are not responsible. I think it educated students on ways to party safe, especially right before spring break.”

The event took place in William’s Circle and Botts Complex, with skits in each room to help educate the students in an interactive way.

“I think the highlight of the event was definitely the skits involved inside Botts Complex,” Cleveland said. “They brought both humor and seriousness. The atmosphere was pretty relaxed. I felt like I was really being educated on ways to safely have a good time, rather than being preached to. The rooms were set up like dorm rooms, hospitals, etc. Residential Life put a lot of time into preparing for the program and it definitely showed.”

Though some of the themes dealt with during the event were topics discussed with students before, some learned new things and others were reminded of real-life consequences.

“I did not really learn anything new, however it reinforced things I already knew and opened my eyes to viewing it in a different way,” Cleveland said.

Residential Life took roughly three weeks preparing, rehearsing, writing scripts, outreaching and collecting donations. A similar event will be held next semester.

“Look for it in the fall,” Knight said. “We’re just trying to get bigger and better.”