“If it matters to the USA family, it matters to us.” VOL. 51, NO. 16 NOV. 12, 2012 V ANGUARD THE THE In this Issue: Life, Page 6 Sports, Page 9 Opinion, Page 12 find us on Facebook “Facebook.com/ “Facebook.com/ TheVanguardUSA” TheVanguardUSA” Check out our digital edition thevanguardonline.com See GRANT GRANT Page 4 “Oh when the Jags go marching in” “Oh when the Jags go marching in” JT Crabtree / LOC Editor INSIDE Point/Counterpoint on the elec- toral college and if it facilitates democracy. See Opinion, page 12 SGA president does first TV interview with JagTV. Reveals thoughts on Greeks, Vanguard. See Life, page 6 Basketball wins big against #25 Florida State, See Sports, page 11 USA Football returns to Ladd Mario, Princess Peach and Luigi appeared on campus last week. See story on page 4. 8 byte art surprises USA Physician Physician Assistant Assistant studies studies receives grant receives grant T he Department of Physician Assistant Studies at South Alabama recently received a grant of nearly $1 million from the Depart- ment of Health and Human Services for the purposes of training primary care physician assistants and helping veterans in their transition from mili- tary life to civilian careers as physician assistants. Established at the University of South Alabama in 1996, the USA Physician Assistant Studies program is a Master’s Degree program for stu- dents who have earned a four-year de- gree of any kind. The curriculum of the 27-month program prepares students to sit for the national Physician Assistant Na- tional Certifying Exam. The program equips students with comprehensive medical knowledge, attitudes and skills, allowing them to participate in clinical practice. According to Program Director and Chair Dr. Diane Abercrombie, there is a shortage of physician assis- tants working in primary care, making this course of study all the more at- tractive to students in a world where jobs can be scarce. Administered by the Health Re- sources and Services Administration at the Department of Health and Human Services, this grant is part of an initiative to increase the number of primary care practitioners in the United States. “We hope to have an impact on the populations we serve and provide physician assistants for the healthcare shortage,” Dr. Abercrombie com- mented. Funding priority was reserved for universities that encourage strong re- By STUART SOX [email protected]Rec-center offers more Rec-center offers more than just workouts than just workouts T he Student Recreation Cen- ter at USA is a valuable resource to students who want to maintain a healthy lifestyle while at- tending college. Not only does the rec center have state-of-the-art car- dio and strength training equipment, they also offer many fitness classes through their SouthFit program. SouthFit offers 19 different class- es in four different areas. Cardio classes include Zumba, cycling, water aerobics and high intensity interval training. Strength classes include Body Sculpt and Warrior Fitness. There are also classes offered that combine aspects of both cardio and strengthening. By KALYN MCCLELLAN [email protected]In addition to these fitness classes, SouthFit also offers flexibility and re- laxation classes, including meditation, Pilates and yoga. These classes offer a mental break from the strain of col- lege, allowing students the opportu- nity to relax and clear their minds. SouthFit classes are open to all members of the rec center. This in- cludes all currently enrolled students. All members or students can bring a guest age 17 or older to the rec center for $10 per visit. The guest fee in- cludes access to the entire rec center, including SouthFit classes. Class times vary greatly, beginning at 5:15 a.m. with classes throughout the day, the last class beginning at 7:30 p.m. A complete list of classes and class descriptions along with schedule See SOUTHFIT SOUTHFIT Page 4 Cassie Fambro | Editor-in-Chief The USA Jaguar Marching band performed in front of over 75,000 people at the New Orleans Superdome for the Saints and Falcons game on Sunday. The performance was met with rave reviews from those in attendance.
Transcript
“If it matters to the USA family, it matters to us.” VOL. 51, NO. 16NOV. 12, 2012
VANGUARDTHETHE
In this Issue: Life, Page 6
Sports, Page 9Opinion, Page 12
fi nd us on Facebook “Facebook.com/“Facebook.com/
TheVanguardUSA”TheVanguardUSA”
Check out our digital edition thevanguardonline.com
See GRANT GRANT Page 4
“Oh when the Jags go marching in”“Oh when the Jags go marching in”
JT Crabtree / LOC Editor
INSIDE
Point/Counterpoint on the elec-toral college and if it facilitates democracy.
See Opinion, page 12
SGA president does fi rst TV interview with JagTV. Reveals thoughts on Greeks, Vanguard.
See Life, page 6
Basketball wins big against #25 Florida State,
See Sports, page 11
USA Football returns to Ladd
Mario, Princess Peach and Luigi appeared on campus last week. See story on page 4.
8 byte art surprises USA
Physician Physician Assistant Assistant studies studies receives grantreceives grant
The Department of Physician Assistant Studies at South
Alabama recently received a grant of nearly $1 million from the Depart-ment of Health and Human Services for the purposes of training primary care physician assistants and helping veterans in their transition from mili-tary life to civilian careers as physician assistants.
Established at the University of South Alabama in 1996, the USA Physician Assistant Studies program is a Master’s Degree program for stu-dents who have earned a four-year de-gree of any kind.
The curriculum of the 27-month program prepares students to sit for the national Physician Assistant Na-tional Certifying Exam.
The program equips students with comprehensive medical knowledge, attitudes and skills, allowing them to participate in clinical practice.
According to Program Director and Chair Dr. Diane Abercrombie, there is a shortage of physician assis-tants working in primary care, making this course of study all the more at-tractive to students in a world where jobs can be scarce.
Administered by the Health Re-sources and Services Administration at the Department of Health and Human Services, this grant is part of an initiative to increase the number of primary care practitioners in the United States.
“We hope to have an impact on the populations we serve and provide physician assistants for the healthcare shortage,” Dr. Abercrombie com-mented.
Funding priority was reserved for universities that encourage strong re-
Rec-center offers more Rec-center offers more than just workoutsthan just workouts
The Student Recreation Cen-ter at USA is a valuable
resource to students who want to maintain a healthy lifestyle while at-tending college. Not only does the rec center have state-of-the-art car-dio and strength training equipment, they also offer many fi tness classes through their SouthFit program.
SouthFit offers 19 different class-es in four different areas. Cardio classes include Zumba, cycling, water aerobics and high intensity interval training. Strength classes include Body Sculpt and Warrior Fitness. There are also classes offered that combine aspects of both cardio and strengthening.
In addition to these fi tness classes, SouthFit also offers fl exibility and re-laxation classes, including meditation, Pilates and yoga. These classes offer a mental break from the strain of col-lege, allowing students the opportu-nity to relax and clear their minds.
SouthFit classes are open to all members of the rec center. This in-cludes all currently enrolled students. All members or students can bring a guest age 17 or older to the rec center for $10 per visit. The guest fee in-cludes access to the entire rec center, including SouthFit classes.
Class times vary greatly, beginning at 5:15 a.m. with classes throughout the day, the last class beginning at 7:30 p.m. A complete list of classes and class descriptions along with schedule
See SOUTHFIT SOUTHFIT Page 4
Cassie Fambro | Editor-in-ChiefThe USA Jaguar Marching band performed in front of over 75,000 people at the New Orleans Superdome for the Saints and Falcons game on Sunday. The performance was met with rave reviews from those in attendance.
VOL. 51, NO. 16 / NOV. 12, 20122
facebook.com/thevanguardusa
4,000 people agree we’re the fi rst resource for news at USA.
newspaper of the University of South Alabama, serves its readership by re-porting the news involving the campus community and surroun ding areas. The Vanguard strives to be impartial in its reporting and believes fi rmly in its First Amendment rights.
PAGE three
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VOL. 51, NO. 16 / NOV. 12, 20124
USA receives $1 million grantContinued from pg. 1
Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach visit Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach visit USAUSA
The Vanguard (VG) talked to a representative for the artists (AR) who spoke under the condition that they remain anonymous so that they aren’t faced with any ramifi cations for their artwork.
VG: Why did you decide to chalk these characters?
AR: One of the girls in the group had done it previously at her home and she thought it was a fun idea. The first characters that came to mind were the Mario characters, mainly because they are already pix-ilated and very well known.
VG: Which characters did you choose and why? (We’ve seen Ma-rio, Luigi, and Princess Peach.)
AR: They only did Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach. These are some of the main characters in the game and they stopped at three because it used a tremendous amount of chalk.
VG: How long did it take?
AR: It took about an hour per character with two people per char-acter, however, Luigi and Princess Peach were done at the same time
and Mario was done later. Mario took about fifteen minutes because it was smaller and multiple people worked on it.
VG: What does it mean?
AR: It has no significant mean-ing, it was mainly just for entertain-ment.
VG: How was it planned?
AR: After coming up with the idea, the original girl gathered a group of friends who wanted to participate. They met at the Caf, planned the drawings and set out to start chalking.
VG: Do they appreciate the pos-itive reaction?
AR: They absolutely love the positive feedback. That is also a rea-son why they did it, so others could appreciate the work.
VG: Were they afraid they would get in trouble?
AR: At first they were not wor-ried because it is only chalk and it can wash off. However, after they realized it was a possibility to get in trouble, they decided they wanted to keep themselves anonymous.
VG: How much chalk did it take?
AR: They bought a rather large box of chalk but for each color used, they used up almost two large sidewalk chalk sticks.
VG: Anything else they’d like people to know?
AR: “We didn’t have black! That’s why we had to use grey...” -Male group member. “It was sort of scary being on the top of the Pepsi machine, especially writing “HELP!”. I had to stand on a door.. Haha.” -Female group member.
cruitment, retention and education programs for veteran applicants and students, including academic recogni-tion of medical training and experi-ence during military service.
The fact that South Alabama re-ceived nearly $1 million in funds speaks highly of the quality of the program.
Out of twelve universities that received a percentage of this $2.3 million grant, the USA Physician As-sistant Studies program received the
times are available at southalabama.edu/southfi t.
According to Sarah Schrenk, some classes are more popular than others, as are some time slots.
“Our most popular classes are the dance classes, Zumba and Hip Hop Hustle,” Schrenk said.
“The average attendance for those is about 35 people per class, though attendance is signifi cantly higher at the beginning of the semester than the end,” Schrenk continued.
Schrenk said other classes average 7-15 people per class. “We must have at least 5 people attending a class reg-ularly for it to remain on the schedule, otherwise we cancel the class,” Sch-renk stated.
The peak time is 5:30 p.m. and there is space enough for the rec cen-ter to hold up to four classes to ac-commodate the demand for classes at this time.
In preparation for the upcoming
Southfi t classes a plus for USAContinued from pg. 1
holiday season, SouthFit will be par-ticipating in a fundraiser on Sunday, Nov. 25. On this day, the regular 5:30 p.m. Zumba class will cost $5 to at-tend.
SouthFit is raising money for Holiday Havoc, a rec center program that benefi ts the Boys & Girls Club of South Alabama. All money will go to Holiday Havoc, and all participants will either receive a reusable water bottle or workout towel (while sup-plies last).
All students and rec center mem-bers are encouraged to try out a SouthFit class that sounds interest-ing to them. The schedule is varied enough that there are many opportu-nities to get involved.
Other SouthFit services include personal training, nutritional services, chair massage and health screenings. Information on these programs can be found on the SouthFit website.
largest portion at $999,954.“As the only primary care PA
training program in Alabama, USA is poised to play its part in assuring an adequate healthcare workforce,” Dr. Abercrombie said.
Kalyn McClellan/Staff ReporterCycles for spinning in the rec-center.
If there’s something you’d like featured in The Vanguard, send
Wishes come true at 47th annual SongfestWishes come true at 47th annual Songfest
On Nov. 9, the Beta Theta chap-ter of Chi Omega Women’s
Fraternity hosted its 47th annual Song-fest, an event that brings together stu-dent organizations on one stage in a friendly competition of song and dance to benefi t their national philanthropy, the Make-A-Wish Foundation. “
[Songfest] is the longest running tra-dition at South,” says Andrea Pittman, a junior biomedical sciences major and member of Chi Omega.
Students, faculty and parents attend and participate in Songfest each year.
“This is my fi rst time at Songfest,” said Jordan Harrison, a biomedical sci-ences major who performed with the pre-health professional honor society, Alpha Epsilon Delta (AED).
Other students, like Ashley Smith, a junior exercise science major who per-formed with Jaguar Productions, return year after year. Smith said that this was her third year attending Songfest, but it was her fi rst year performing.
The performances ranged from Phi Mu’s heartfelt Lady Antebellum tunes to Kappa Sigma’s “Gaga” tribute.
There was something about a Kappa Alpha in a red sundress that made the audience chuckle, and Jaguar Produc-tion’s rendition of “Wobble” had every-
one wanting to join them onstage.USA Dean of Students Dr. Mike
Mitchell and Laventrice Ridgeway were the Masters of Ceremonies.
In the sorority category, Kappa Del-ta took home the fi rst place trophy, with Alpha Omicron Pi placing second.
For the fraternities, Pi Kappa Phi’s rendition of One Direction’s “What Makes You Beautiful” earned them fi rst place, and the men of Sigma Chi brought home second.
The most entertaining award went to the gentlemen of Tau Kappa Epsi-lon. In the independent division, Alpha Epsilon Delta placed fi rst, and Jaguar Productions came in second.
When asked about her thoughts on her fi rst Songfest, junior civil engineer-ing major Leeanne Bass commented, “I thought it was fantastic! Everything they [Chi Omega] do and everything they stand for is awesome, and I think it was very well put together. ”
The organization of Songfest is a yearlong effort.
Rachel Stoner, a senior communica-tion major and Chi Omega’s songfest chair, has been working to make this year’s event a huge success since the conclusion of Songfest 2011.
Stoner wanted to bring Songfest back to its heart: raising money to grant wishes for the children with life-threat-ening illnesses.
Rachel Stoner worked closely with the local Make-A-Wish chapter coordi-nator to develop this year’s theme, “Just Wish For It,” which gave the Make-A-Wish children an opportunity to be-come more involved with Songfest.
In addition to the students and com-munity members, fi ve Make-A-Wish children also attended the event with their loved ones.
“We had a lot of families today. It’s not just the kids that are affected; it’s the whole family that goes through the ex-perience too,” Stoner explained.
The children of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Alabama played an even more crucial role in this year’s Songfest. They chose the songs performed by the various organizations.
The children also gave new awards out this year in attendance. Each child chose his or her favorite performance of the night.
Pi Kappa Alpha, Tau Kappa Epsi-lon, Pi Kappa Phi and Alpha Gamma Delta all received these special awards.
Chi Omega pushed harder this year with activities to raise money for Make-A-Wish. Fundraisers included their 5th Annual Songfest Cookout, 1st Annual Walk for Wishes and a silent auction among others.
Without the help of the community and the student body, Chi Omega would
not have been able to more than double last year’s donations. The grand total for this year was $34,603.29.
This money will, according to the lo-cal Make-A-Wish chair Nora Banks, grant seven wishes.
Onstage, Banks thanked Rachel Stoner and the ladies of Chi Omega for their continuous efforts in supporting the children of Make-A-Wish.
Songfest 2012 had an even deeper meaning for the ladies of Chi Omega, especially for Jessie Houston, a senior biology and Spanish double major and the president of the Beta Theta chapter of Chi Omega.
This year marks the fi fth anniversary since her own wish to meet the cast of NBC’s hit show “The Offi ce” was granted.
“I have a personal connection to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Five years ago, my wish was granted by the local Make-A-Wish chapter. After enduring many months of treatment for Hodg-kin’s lymphoma, my wish introduced a new sense of hope that allowed me to defeat the mental and physical trauma of cancer. For this reason, I will be for-ever grateful to the Make-A-Wish Foun-dation,” Houston detailed in her speech onstage.
“It means a lot to me. It’s come full circle, and now I’m actually able to give back,” Houston added offstage.
Snakes slither their way into Life Sciences for Reptile NightSnakes slither their way into Life Sciences for Reptile Night
Snakes are slimy. Snakes chase people. Pythons are taking
over the United States. These are only a few of the many myths de-bunked at the Reptile Night held on Nov. 6, in the Life Sciences Building.
Led by Mike Casper, a member of the Southwest Alabama Herpe-tological Society, Reptile Night not only cleared the air on many negative myths about snakes, but also show-cased several live species and even touted the benefits of these fascinat-ing creatures.
Cooper, who started catching snakes at age 10, conducted his first field project at 15 and gave his first lecture at 18, shared some of his ex-pertise on the leg-less creatures.
First and foremost, snakes are not slimy. In actuality, they’re very dry
Rather than attacking people, snakes are like most wild creatures in that they are more likely to run away first.
“Their natural instinct is flight,” said Cooper.
He also pointed out that the ma-jority of snake bites occur on the forearm and hand, a sign that most bites stem from people attempting to handle or agitate the animals.
Despite these facts, many legends about aggressive snakes reappear in different parts of the United States, often with very few details to back them up.
Most people’s first instincts are to kill snakes, and many see some spe-cies as a real threat, both physically and ecologically.
Take for example the appearance of the Burmese python, a nonnative species introduced to the Florida wild after Hurricane Andrew. Many fear the pythons will spill out of the Everglades and into more northern areas of the U.S.
Cooper, however, explained that despite popular belief, the pythons aren’t handling Florida’s winters well.
The National Wildlife Service re-corded about that 50 percent died in the winter of 2010, but Cooper said it is suggested up to 80 percent could have been killed off from it.
Tuesday’s presentation also pointed out that snake bites lead to very few deaths every year.
In fact, more people die from dog attacks, lightning and even buckets than from snake bites every year, a figure confirmed by the University of Florida Conservation Depart-ment.
Cooper also demonstrated what the best way to treat a venomous bite would be, on a very Ophidiophobic (snake fearing) Vanguard reporter: keep the tourniquet away and call 911.
Treating venomous bites also holds its own slew of myths, includ-ing the use of ice and tourniquets, as well as sucking venom.
“Tourniquets localize venom, and can lead to lost limbs, blood clots,
and infection,” said Cooper.Putting ice on a bite also has
the same effect, along with slowing down any anti-venom that may be injected for treatment.
Cooper also showed how compli-cated a snake-bite kit from Wal-Mart is to use in the heat of the moment, further suggesting a hospital as the best bet for treatment.
Besides Cooper’s informative, and humorous presentation, the au-dience was allowed a close look at Alabama’s six venomous species of snakes.
Three of those shown, the cop-perhead, water moccasin and pigmy rattler, are the three most common snake bite culprits.
Also showcased was the eastern coral snake, which hasn’t resulted in a death since 1967.
This event left a lasting impres-sion of snakes as misunderstood and fascinating, but also very beneficial to humans.
Cooper explained snake venom’s potential for disease prevention.
He referred to studies that have linked copperhead venom to breast cancer prevention, and proteins in the venom of pigmy rattlers for treatment of acute coronary syn-drome.
“These are the animals that hold the cure,” he said.
This breakthrough, along with their intrinsic value, can only lead to more awareness of what fascinating animals they really are.
A full house greeted students act-ing in the Nov. 9 production of
“A Dead Man’s Cell Phone,” a dark com-
edy written by Sarah Ruhl.The play stars Miranda Culpepper as
Jean, a young woman sitting in a café one day when something unexpected hap-pens.
A man sitting at a nearby table doesn’t answer his ringing cell phone and for a very good reason: he’s dead.
When Jean fi nally realizes that the man, sitting upright at the table, has died, she answers his cell phone and fi nds out his name is Bernard (Evan Wilson).
She then calls 911 and stays with him until the paramedics arrive.
After Bernard’s death Jean takes on responsibility of answering his cell phone and letting those calling know about Ber-nard’s death.
Jean meets Bernard’s mother, Har-riet (Lauren Ashley Fussell), after the el-der woman learns that Jean was with her son when he died. Despite the fact that she is a vegetarian, Jean accepts Harriet’s invitation to eat a big meat dinner with Bernard’s family.
At the dinner, Jean encounters Ber-nard’s widow, Hermia (Peri Anne Bush), and his brother, Dwight (Gray West).
Jean tells the family that she and Ber-nard worked together, and that he gave her messages to tell the family before he died.
Jean upsets Harriet, who has to go lie down, and Hermia goes to talk to her. While they are gone, Dwight and Jean bond over a bowl of popcorn and their mutual love of stationary.
Hermia later calls Jean to tell her to meet her at a bar. Hermia proceeds to get very drunk and tells Jean about Bernard’s and her sex life.
Bernard fi nally makes an appearance as well when he has a conversation with one of the cast members--in Hell.
I had no idea that at University of South Alabama we had this level of tal-ent! It’s exciting to know we are walking around with future stars of Broadway in our midst.
Michaela Welsford, a freshman ma-
joring in theatre, commented, “It was re-ally spectacular. I didn’t expect it to be as good as it was. I liked the characters; it didn’t look fake. They did very well.”
Stephanie Sullivan, a freshman ma-joring in nursing, said, “I liked the bright colors and the makeup.”
During intermission, all types of treats from hummus and pita to carrot cake were being served along with sweet tea. The food was provided by Naman’s Catering, The Jerusalem Café and Mon-etego’s Caribbean Café and Bar.
The refreshments were free, but donations were being accepted to fund students traveling to the Southeastern Theatre Conference, Regional Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festi-val and the Outdoor Drama Auditions
The play will also be performed Nov. 15 to 17 at the Laidlaw Performing Arts Center.
Tickets, $10 for students, are available at the box offi ce or by calling 460-6306.
ALEX WHATELY | CONTRIBUTING WRITER(Top) Taylor Knighton, a USA student, holding a python which was only one of the species in residence at Reptile Night. (Below) Cooper discussing details of the various species of venemous snakes with the attendees.
ELLEN SUMRALL | CONTRIBUTING WRITER
“Dead Man’s Cell Phone” will have re-peat performances Nov. 15 to 17 at the Laidlaw Performing Arts Center.
JagLife, Opinion and Sports need writers, and you can email [email protected] to fi nd out how to get involved.
Build your resume.
Raise your voice.
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HEY YOU
8VOL. 51, NO. 16 / NOV. 12, 2012
On the University of South Alabama’s Jag TV, “The
Colton Bradford Show” is enjoying a very successful fi rst season.
Colton Bradford, who has said that his greatest desire for the show is that
it be “the voice of the students,” has featured many interesting guests on the show, most notably Cassie Fambro, the editor-in-chief of The Vanguard, and Ariel McSwain, a radio personality on 107.3.
The latest guest of “The Colton Bradford Show” is SGA President Parker Chastain, who spoke with elo-
quence and a distinct air of profession-alism in his fi rst interview on Jag TV. According to Bradford, Chastain was invited onto the show to help USA stu-dents get to know their SGA President better.
“People don’t know you just yet, so I am going to help people understand you,” Bradford said on the show.
As many USA students may know, there was an abundance of controver-sy surrounding Chastain’s election as the Student Government Association president.
“Whenever you were campaigning for SGA President…the Greeks on campus felt that The Vanguard didn’t paint some of the candidates that were affi liated with the Greek system in a positive light. You are not in a frater-nity and that sparked a lot of contro-versy,” Bradford said.
“Defi nitely this past year there was some division…people get angry and they want to fi nd someone to get angry at…and unfortunately The Vanguard suffered from it,” Chastain responded.
Chastain’s main opponent in last year’s SGA elections was Zain Husain, a member of USA fraternity Kappa Sigma.
“How personal did it get between
SGA President makes appearance on Jag TVSGA President makes appearance on Jag TVthe both of you and did you ever think about pulling out of the race?” Brad-ford asked.
“No, most of the things that were said came through third parties so I can’t judge anyone or hate anyone on anything that was said,” Chastain re-sponded.
“Personal things defi nitely do hurt, but you gotta just let them roll off your back…especially in this position because many students hold you to a high standard,” Chastain added.
When asked how he felt about the Greek system, Chastain said, “I think the Greek system has some good as-pects to it. But I also believe that we are going through some changes as a university and the Greek system needs to grow with those changes.”
As pointed out on the show, Chas-tain is the only independent (non-Greek) student on the offi cer board of the SGA.
When asked if he ever feels like an outsider he said, “Sometimes it’s hard because you’re different…but my of-fi cer board is great. They really work well with me.”
Chastain answered every potential-ly controversial question with clever and articulate neutrality.
“You’re very politically correct…I don’t like that,” Bradford commented jokingly.
When asked about running for SGA President next year, Chastain said, “It’s defi nitely a tingling in my mind but I am hoping to go to gradu-ate school.”
Chastain also confessed to having no intentions to run for any offi cial po-litical offi ce in the future. He sees his position as SGA President as a “help-ing others” sort of job, which is fi tting since he is actually a pre-med student.
“What is the best advice that you’ve ever gotten and from who?” Bradford asked.
“My mom has defi nitely been a driving force to who I am…she said ‘if you’re ever gonna hug someone, hug them so they know it. If you’re ever gonna shake someone’s hand, make sure that they know you mean busi-ness,’” Chastain answered.
To watch new episodes of “The Colton Bradford Show” tune in to Jag TV on channel 63 on Thursdays at 4 p.m. on the campus cable system.
To watch episodes of the show on demand visit the “jagtvusa” Youtube channel. Jag TV can also be viewed on-line at southalabama.edu/jagtv.
It has been two days since I saw the movie “Cloud Atlas” and I still
can’t seem to pry my mind away from the fi lm’s many complicated story lines and epic visual beauty.
The moment the movie ended, my mind started spinning as I attempted to make sense of what I had just witnessed.
“Cloud Atlas” is a movie adaptation of a book by the same name written by David Mitchell. The movie is diffi cult to describe as accurately as its creators do.
Instead, I will simply quote the syn-opsis directly from the “Cloud Atlas” website:
“From acclaimed fi lmmakers Lana Wachowski, Tom Tykwer, and Andy Wa-chowski, the powerful and inspiring epic drama ‘Cloud Atlas’ explores how the
actions and consequences of individual lives impact one another throughout the past, the present, and the future.
Action, mystery, and romance weave dramatically through the story as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero, and a single act of kindness ripples across cen-turies to inspire a revolution in the distant future.”
As someone who knows very little about the theory of past lives, I found this particular approach to it intriguing.
The way each “life” affects the next, and the way a soul progresses and im-proves through time gives a sort of im-portance to the average individual, as if a small decision made in the here and now could grow into something huge after we’re gone from this life.
One of my favorite quotes from the movie was, “What is any ocean but a mul-titude of drops.”
The movie was packed with both heartbreaking and heartwarming scenes that had me on a bit of an emotional roller coaster.
The movie was sometimes diffi cult to follow as they dodge from one story to the next.
They even took the time to create a language, loosely based off of English, which was very diffi cult to understand.
Despite having the moments of “what the heck just happened,” the qual-ity of the picture was so beautiful and ar-tistic that I found myself not caring.
Each “life” is inherently different and uniquely beautiful, beginning in the nine-teenth century and ending in a futuristic land not even on this planet. Every detail from the buttons on the jackets to the fabricated futuristic city was impeccably and breathtakingly done.
The cast of “Cloud Atlas” could fi ll a
red carpet event in and of itself, the most famous of which include: Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugh Grant and Susan Sa-randon, though most will recognize oth-ers as well.
Each of them played multiple charac-ters throughout the movie. The roles were played beautifully, though Tom Hanks’ role, to me, stood out.
His ability to switch from role to role in this movie was a treat for any Tom Hanks fan, essentially the many faces of Tom served on a silver platter.
I think this movie is going to be one that people either love or hate.
Those who enjoy art, love sci-fi , ap-preciate good acting and fi nd pleasure in exploring new ways of seeing the world, will love this movie and contemplate it for days.
Those who don’t care for any of the above will most likely not appreciate it.
To me, however, this movie is a mas-terpiece.
JAKE HOWELL | JAGLIFE EDITOR
The boundaries of life and death are blurred in this visually stunning fi lm.
CASSIE FAMBRO | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Chastain being interviewed by Bradford during the taping of “The Colton Brad-ford Show.”
Past, present and future lives become reality in “Cloud AtlasPast, present and future lives become reality in “Cloud Atlas
Mean Green rides strong second half to 24-14 winBy PATRICK [email protected]
CASSIE FAMBRO|EDITOR IN CHIEF
See FootballFootball, Page 11
North Texas shut out the Jaguars in the second half
and scored 10 points of their own in that span to get out of Apogee Stadium with their fourth win of the season, 24-14.
The Mean Green (4-6, 3-3) only converted on two of 15 third down opportunities, held the ball for 6 fewer minutes than the Jaguars (2-8, 1-5) and gained less total yards than their opponent. They did win the turnover battle (two fumbles to one interception) and gained more yards in the running game—136 of which came on two plays—to notch the victory.
Head coach Joey Jones spoke about North Texas’ play in the second half.
“They dominated us in the third quarter,” Jones said. “We missed the field goal to go up 17-14, and then they drove down and scored, and dominated us from that point forward, really.”
South Alabama’s offense was led by quarterback Ross Metheny, who
went 23 of 45 for 233 yards and a touchdown. The 45 pass attempts were a school record and career high. He also rushed for 17 yards.
“After halftime, they started bringing more pressure and it really got to us,” Metheny said. “We just kept fighting and our guys up front did a great job all night long. We just gotta (sic) make more plays.”
For the first time since a 27-20 loss at Georgia State last season, running back Kendall Houston led the team in rushing with 42 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries.
On the Jaguars’ second drive, Metheny took the offense on a long drive from their 10-yard line. It covered 105 yards due to a personal foul penalty. The key play on the drive was a 26-yard run by Demetre Baker, which was extended by a broken tackle on a spin move.
After Metheny completed a 24-yard pass to Corey Besteda down to the North Texas 4-yard line, Houston bounced around the left side two plays later to push it in for the score from 1 yard out. His first touchdown since opening weekend
put the Jaguars up 7-0.USA later went for it on a fourth
down on the last play of the first quarter on a carry by backup quarterback Trey Fetner, but he was stopped short. Two plays later, North Texas running back, Jeremy Brown, showed some high-end speed on a 51-yard run for the touchdown. The score tied the game
at 7-7. Brown ended up with 61 yards on the ground.
Metheny hooked up with Jereme Jones for a touchdown pass from 13 yards out two drives later.
“It was just one of those plays we worked on in practice,” Jones said. “We just executed it. We saw what they ran and how they lined up when we were in that formation, and Coach (Jones) just put me on the
outside and let me win.” On the drive, Metheny went
5-for-5 passing for 50 yards. The score put USA ahead, 14-7. Jones led the team with a career-high 72 receiving yards on 5 catches.
North Texas got the ball back at their 34-yard line after an illegal procedure penalty on USA. From there, quarterback Derek Thompson completed 4 of 7 passes to move the ball to the USA 14-yard line. The drive stalled there on fourth and 6.
However, immediately after the last completion, USA was called for a defensive delay of game. The penalty moved the ball to the USA 5-yard line, but it was still fourth and 1, so North Texas sent out their kicking team. South Alabama sent out one too many players to defend the kick, resulting in another penalty.
That penalty moved the ball to the 2-yard line and gave the Mean Green a first down. Thompson then completed a 2-yard pass to a wide open Drew Miller for the game-tying touchdown. The extra point knotted it at 14-14 going into halftime.
The Jaguars got the ball to start
the second half. They rode the running game for the majority of the drive, running nine times for 50 yards to move the ball to the North Texas 11-yard line. The drive stalled there, and Michel Chapaseaux was sent out to attempt a 28-yard field goal. The wind, which was blowing at gusts up to 37 mph, pushed the attempt wide left.
On the first play of the next North Texas drive, after the missed kick and a false start penalty, Brandon Byrd busted loose an 85-yard run for a touchdown. With the point after, North Texas took their first lead, 21-14. Byrd totaled 109 yards and the touchdown on 15 carries.
Terrence Timmons fumbled the ball at the USA 46-yard line on the Jags’ next drive. North Texas’ Zachary Orr recovered at the 39. The Jaguar defense held them to a field goal attempt on their ensuing drive, which Zach Olen hit from 33 yards out to extend the Mean Green lead to 24-14.
When North Texas got the ball back, Thompson threw a pass and
Wide receiver Jereme Jones reels in a touchdown pass from Ross Metheny in the fi rst quarter agains North Texas.
The Jaguar offense scores early, but can’t get going in the second half
They dominated us in the third quarter.
-Head coach Joey Jones
“
”
Want us to follow you? Tweet us @USAVGSports
@USAVGSports
VOL. 51, NO. 16 / NOV. 12, 201210
Week ThreeSeason Totals in parentheses
Patrick Herring
Sports Editor
(33-11)
Jayson Curry
Senior Reporter
(31-13)
JT Crabtree
Sports Editor L.O.C.
(29-15)
USA vs. Middle Tennessee
Last home game of the season for USA and they want to get a home win for the home fans. They fi nd a way to pull out the win over the Blue Raiders. USA 27-24.
South Alabama struggles against Middle Tennesse at home. It’s close, but the Jags lose 34-28.
The Jags are showing improvement every week since Ark St, but have fallen just short on a few of the games. The Jags have a tough task on Senior Night, but they win it 31-27.
Alabama vs. Western Carolina
I’ll be surprised if McCarron plays after halftime. A tune-up before the tune-up against Auburn before they play Georgia in Atlanta. Alabama wins 56-6.
Alabama will get the win here. I don’t think there is any doubt. Alabama 56-3.
Yea, no. Bama kills them. 55-6.
Auburn vs. Alabama A&M
Auburn didn’t plan to play an A&M team that had won more games than them. But they are a SWAC team, so Auburn fl exes its muscles against a lesser opponent. Auburn 42-24
Auburn gets their third and fi nal win of the season against the Bulldogs. Auburn 38-23
I don’t know, Auburn is still pretty bad. They aren’t that bad though. Tigers win 41-14.
Stanford vs. Oregon
If any team on the schedule can slow down the high-octane offense of the Ducks, it’s Stanford. But even they won’t be able to stop it. Oregon pulls away after halftime. Oregon 55-35.
The Ducks are really fast and really good. They don’t lose this one. Oregon wins 51-27.
Two high powered offenses going after each other. They’ll break 100 combined points, but the Ducks will take this one 59-55.
College Football PredictionsCollege Football Predictions Editor’s Note: During the 2012 football season, we here at The Vanguard Sports Section will be doing weekly predictions of South’s football game, popular in-state games and one or two nationally signifi cant games. We will keep a running tally of who’s “winning” the prediction game.
Chris May @CmayFive5:Offensive Lineman
The level of ratchetness on cinema-gram is a level that has never been reached before
Rush Hendricks @_RusHen_:Tight End
I always see people on my timeline talking about how “sloppy they look today”; and I’m thinking: I dress like that everyday. #college
Trey Fetner @Tfet16:Quarterback
I didn’t vote because I saw Tim Tebow’s name no where on the bal-lot.... #TebowTime #QBfam
Brittany Fowler @FowlerPower6:Outfi elder
In 14 years ill put in my bid for the presidency... #FOWLER2026
One-Five @CJbennett15:Quarterback
You know your fat when you sweat trying to eat too fast
The moment I realized we were on the way to Miami and I forgot to put the new t swift cd on my iPod... #depressing
Jake Howton @J_Howdy_86:Wide Receiver
Somehow I forgot which room my class was in. I was that guy check-ing all the windows for my teacher. Couldn’t fi nd him..... FIFA anyone?
Ryan Onkka @Big_OnkTight End
When you take a nap and are still tired, you know its gonna be a long day #ihatetuesdays
Want live play-by-play tweets of USA football games and other sports info?
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South Alabama Athletic Director Dr. Joel Erdmann
announced last Monday that head coach Mike Varga would not be returning next season.
Varga’s contract had expired following the Lady Jags 2-1 loss to Middle Tennessee State in the first round of the Sun Belt Conference tournament.
Varga had been the head coach of the Lady Jags for 14 seasons. He started in 1998 and led the team to a
share of the Sun Belt regular season title in 2000. He also managed the team to the championship round of the Sun Belt Conference tournament in 2005.
“We appreciate Mike’s service to the program and university,” said Erdmann of Varga.
The athletic department will begin searching for a new coach immediately.
“A national search is underway to find a new head coach,” said Erdmann. “The search will move as quickly as possible, but also at a pace which allows us to not miss highly qualified people who may still be playing in championship rounds.”
The Lady Jags soccer program had a record of 121-131-26 overall during the 14 seasons under Varga’s watch.
The 2012 squad finished with an 8-10-3 record, while going 3-5-2 in Sun Belt Conference play. The Lady Jags ranked seventh in the Sun Belt Conference.
Mike Varga out as head coach of South Alabama Soccer
BY JOHN ADAMS|USAJAGUARS.COMFormer soccer head coach Mike Varga
11VOL. 51, NO. 16 / NOV. 12, 2012
Continued from Page 9
Football
Point guard Dre Conner holding the ball away from a Spring Hill defender.
Five Minutes with Basketball’s Dre Conner
CHIP ENGLISH|USAJAGUARS.COM
The 2012-2013 South Alabama Jaguars men’s
basketball team has high expectations for the upcoming season, and they start with the newest point guard, Dre Conner.
Conner, a junior, transferred to South after playing one year at Towson University and one year at Labette Community College in Kansas.
In a recent season preview from Yahoo Sports, Conner was named the preseason Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year, setting the bar high for someone who has never played a Sun Belt Conference game.
Conner recently talked with The Vanguard to discuss how he thinks his first season in a Jaguar uniform will pan out.
VG: What made you want to come down to South Alabama?
DC: “The coaches were pretty good. They stayed on me in JUCO. We built a connection and a bond and I really liked it.”
VG: What are some of the differences in playing at Towson and South Alabama?
DC: “It’s a big difference. The coaching staff is a big difference. I give props to the Towson coaches, they were good. But as of right now, Coach Arrow is like one of my high school coaches. He’s really hard on the point guards because he played that position and he needs that position to play well so the team can play well.”
VG: Coach Arrow said you are most likely going to be the starting point guard going into the season, how does that make you feel?
DC: “It makes me feel pretty good knowing that I have his trust and the team’s trust and that they believe in me. I hope that I can make things happen for each and every one of them. I feel pretty good about that.”
Men’s basketball stuns Florida State 76-71 on the road in season opener
DC: “We work really hard as a team everyday and we have our ups and downs, but we’re trying to get better every day. For me to be the Newcomer of the Year for the Sun Belt, it makes me feel really good because I feel like I can help this team a lot. With my abilities as a point guard, run the team, control the floor, and with all the other new guys on the team, we’ve just got to get rolling, we just have to play our roles and everything will come together.”
VG: How are you all approaching the tough schedule at the start of the season?
DC: “We open with Florida State and the guys from last year said they didn’t like the way they played against them. We’re gonna give them a challenge. We’re not gonna be a pushover. We’re gonna compete as one of the top teams in the Sun Belt.”
The fi rst game of the season sets the tone for how any
team in any sport will perform for the remainder of their schedule. A win can get momentum started and give a team confi dence. A loss can shatter expectations and cause a slow start.
For Florida State, they scheduled the Jaguars of South Alabama to open their season at home. The defending ACC tournament champion Seminoles (0-1) probably weren’t expecting much of a fi ght from a team they took to the woodshed last season in an 80-39 victory.
The Jaguars (1-0) weren’t the pushover they were supposed to be.
Led by Antoine Allen, a former Miami Hurricane, and his 21 points off the bench, the Jaguars upset the #25-ranked Seminoles, 76-71, in
Tallahassee Friday night. Allen, whose eligibility was in
question until the NCAA cleared him to play the morning of the game, hit four of the team’s nine 3-pointers en route to the victory.
South Alabama was also helped by a double-double from Mychael Ammons, who totaled 11 points and 11 rebounds on the night.
The Jags were money from the free throw line, hitting 12 straight down the stretch, including three from Freddie Goldstein to give USA the lead with 12 seconds left in the game. Goldstein scored 11 points and dished out 4 assists.
It was the Jags’ fi rst win over a ranked team since beating an eighteenth-ranked Florida squad during the 2009-2010 season.
The Jaguars return home to open their regular season schedule at the Mitchell Center against William Carey at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday night.
Allen’s clutch play from behind the arc downs the Seminoles
Tyrell Pearson yanked the ball out of a North Texas receiver’s hands and ran it back towards the North Texas end zone. He fumbled at the 6-yard line, and the ball hit the pylon on the goal line. The play resulted in a touchback, which gave North Texas the ball right back. The Jaguar defense forced a three-and-out to keep the score at 24-14.
The fourth quarter was uneventful as a whole. The teams combined for just 4 first downs and 7 punts in the period, which ended with the Mean Green kneeling the ball to run out the clock after South Alabama turned the ball over on downs.
The Jaguar defense was paced by Bryson James and Alex Page, who each tallied 7 tackles. For Page, a career-high 2.5 of his went for a loss.
Linebacker Jake Johnson finished
with 6 tackles on the evening—a season-low for the senior.
Fellow linebacker Davin Hawkins had 4 tackles, with 2 behind the line of scrimmage. He hadn’t played a snap all season before last week’s loss to Florida Atlantic.
The Jags are back in action this weekend at Ladd-Peebles stadium, where they will host the Blue Raiders of Middle Tennessee in their last home game of the season at 2:30 p.m.
CASSIE FAMBRO|EDITOR IN CHIEFTight end Greg Hollinger coming down with a catch against the Mean Green defense.
JagPulseWith the communications department moving to the old engineering building With the communications department moving to the old engineering building
in December, how do you feel parking will be affected? in December, how do you feel parking will be affected?
Daniel Moran: UCOM averages around 30-60 cars usually. I don’t think it’ll be a big deal, but I’m sure if it is someone will be sure to let you know.
Zack Eichhorn: The business parking lot is the one behind the building by the the gammas and track fi eld, I park there in the mornings and is generally empty by the building
JT Crabtree: I could see a problem if people have South parking just for UCOM. I guess they would just tell people to park at the Mitchell center and walk.
Brianne Thomas: Is this the parking lot that the old rec center (where the math labs are), the business building and Shelby Hall all share (South parking zone)? If so, I see that being a problem. Its really diffi cult to fi nd parking in that zone.
Matthew Rhodes: People could always use that nifty thing called a JagTran that the university spends a lot of money on.
Eric Hadley: Parking already sucks. Probably want make much of a difference. They will jut have to walk further.
Eric Starling: Central is also the parking the lot BEHIND the building.
The Vanguard ViewpointThe Vanguard Viewpoint
thevanguardonline.com
Accountability is not an easy feat to accomplish.
We all have issues that drive us up the wall, whether it’s having bus drivers that get lost on the way to the airport after a footbal game or professors that won’t accept sources from EBSCO-Host.
However, sometimes those irritat-ing forces require us to dig deep within our already dry wells of patience and fi nd the hidden reserves.
And sometimes those hidden re-serves are not quite as large as we had hoped.
Moments like these remind us that we don’t have to be accountable for other people’s mistakes, no matter how much those people may insist you are.
The truth is: they are accountable for their mistakes.
They are the ones who need to buck up and go down with the ship (if it does indeed sink as they often fear it will).
The same thing goes for self-ac-
Fo r t h e
s e c o n d time since 2004, an a m e n d -ment to fi x racist language in Alabama’s c o n s t i t u -tion has been voted
down. On the outside, Amendment four looked like a no brainer for Ala-bama voters.
The proposed amendment was to remove language in our state’s consti-tution that applies to the desegrega-tion of schools. The exact text of the constitution that is under fi re reads as followed: “separate schools shall be provided for white and colored chil-dren, and no child of either race shall be permitted to attend a school of the other race.”
According to supporters of the bill and members of the press who are criticizing Alabama voters for the decision, the change in language refrained from making any changes in actual legal procedure. Sen. Ar-thur Orr said in an interview that the change in language was needed be-cause it gives Alabama a “black eye”
when competing for new industries to come and produce jobs in Ala-bama. However, an unlikely source of opposition came out in full force against the amendment, the Alabama Education Association and the Ala-bama Democratic Conference.
Yes, a Republican supported bill of removing racist language regard-ing education was shot down due to opposition from educators and a mainly black political organization. After further inspections of the amendment, the reasons why become clearer.
What looks innocent enough on the outside actually holds implica-tions that could result in far worse results for the state than a portion of text that hasn’t been legally enforced since Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. The proposed amendment would have removed the original text. However, in doing so, another amendment that was voted on by Alabama voters in 1951 that removes the right to public education from the state would have replaced it after sit-ting on the shelves since the Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional.
This contains the text, “Nothing in this Constitution shall be con-strued as creating or recognizing any right to education or training at public expense.” Democrats and members of the AEA claim the amendment would essentially take away a child’s right to free education in Alabama.
“It has all kinds of implications in the future for the diversion of edu-cation funds and for the funding of education generally. That’s why we are opposed to it,” Montgomery at-torney Bobby Segall said.
One thing worth noting is that both ALFA insurance and the Ala-bama Farmers Federation were major sponsors of the amendment. These same groups are notorious for try-ing to cut school funding and many people who were opposed to the bill point to those supporters as proof of the underlying intent of Amendment four.
In 2004, an amendment to take out the language was voted down as well because supposedly it imple-mented an unnecessary tax hike to fund education. The fact that our state cannot come up with a simple amendment to remove shameful, out-dated language without also removing the right to a public education or add-ing unnecessary taxes is honestly sad. We’re all familiar with the phrase “it takes an act of congress to get some-body to do something.” Alabama has now taken this to an entirely new lev-el. It appears that it now takes an act of congress to get congress to enact an act of congress to remove a hand-ful sentences out of an outdated and overly complex constitution.
Will Alabama ever remove the racist language left over in the state Constitution?
Noah Logan Opinion Editor
TheTheEditorialEditorialBoardBoard
Editor in Chief Opinion Editor Life Editor Sports Editor LOC Editor
Cassie Fambro >Noah Logan >Jake Howell >
Patrick Herring >JT Crabtree >
countability. If you do something wrong, own up to it. Don’t push the blame onto someone else.
For one thing, you’re only making a jerk of yourself.
For another, you’re not actually ad-dressing the issue at hand.
Positive progress comes from tak-ing control of your life and the impact you make on the world. Because be-lieve it or not, you do make an impact. It’s proportional to the amount of ef-fort you put into living.
This month has been a month of thanksgiving. People have been post-ing statuses of what they are thankful for each day.
However, why does it have to be only one month a year that we openly acknowledge our thankfulness for the small things?
So here’s a challenge USA: Try to take personal accountability
each day for being thankful.
Stand up, be accountable and be truly thankful
VOL. 51, NO. 16 / NOV 12, 201213
POINT COUNTERPOINTIs the Electoral College system the best for America?Is the Electoral College system the best for America?
To no one’s surprise, the Electoral College is under fi re again aft er this year’s election. What are your thoughts on the Electoral College system and if you oppose it, what system would best work for voters to decide on the president?
It’s like clockwork. Every time a presidential election comes
around, voters across the United States (usually liberals, but after last Tuesday night, more than a few conservatives as well) come out taking swings at the Electoral College and the “unfairness” of someone’s vote “going to waste” because it doesn’t count towards elect-ing the President at a national-level ag-gregate.
The conservative bellyaching over the Electoral College can easily be ex-plained as sour grapes. The same goes for any number of foolish ideas be-ing thrown out by some on the right, from raising the voter age back to 21 (or even higher) or restricting voter eligibility to those who own property, which is an idea as antiquated as it is impossible to police.
The majority of the opposition to the Electoral College has come from the left side of the aisle, which is per-haps understandable in the wake of the 2000 Presidential election, which saw Al Gore lose the Presidency to George W. Bush despite gathering about 500,000 more popular votes. Some of the hatred for the Electoral College, however, runs deeper than just a decade of sore feelings.
First, the Electoral College was set in place by the writers of the Constitu-tion as the ultimate expression of the federalist model that led America to greatness, but is considered antiquated by many on the Left today.
America was founded not as a cen-trally-ruled nation, but as a collection of states bound together in a federa-tion.
Thus, the President would be the candidate that could attract votes from many different regions of the coun-try, and therefore a diversity of states. This prevented power from being forever centralized in the more heav-ily-populated Northeast. By the same token, the Electoral College prevents
large cities and their metropolitan ar-eas from dominating elections. This prevents a candidate from promis-ing huge benefi ts or kickbacks to the large urban centers of the country in exchange for votes at the expense of the less-populous areas of the country.
Individual liberty, as it always was with the founding fathers, was at the forefront of the formation of the Electoral College. The Electoral Col-lege protects the voting power of mi-norities and political groups that are not in power in a state, “minorities” in this case referring not only to race but ideology, occupation or anything else that is in short supply.
We see this in practice all the time in the so-called “swing states.” How many times have you seen one or ei-ther of the candidates in a race (this year certainly included) appeal to one small niche of a population to secure votes?
In national popular vote, these votes lose their signifi cance and be-come just one more of a national vote rather than having the effect of swing-ing an entire state over to one candi-date or the other. This would make those voters truly feel (and be) less im-portant than they were otherwise.
As I said at the beginning of this article, one criticism of the way we currently elect our President is that voters who are an ideological minor-ity feel as if their votes are wasted; but by giving them the chance to sway a critical state or region, the Electoral College actually enhances their status.
The bottom line is that the Elec-toral College has served the United States well over the course of our na-tion’s history. Defending the way we elect our leaders is common sense for anyone who understands the unique focus our country’s Constitution plac-es on the powers and rights that are re-served for the states and the individu-als that defi ne our shared history.
”“
Ryan Wallace
If America desires democracy over republicanism, then Ameri-
ca should disband the Electoral College and replace it with a pure popular vote.
Present America and its voting sys-tem profess the virtues of democracy: that everyone’s voice counts equally. The Electoral College serves no pur-pose anymore and functions to sup-press the choice of the minority in heavily-slanted states such as our own.
Ideally, however, America would not pursue outright democracy; in-stead, I would argue, it should return to the spirit of its republican roots, in which how much a person puts at stake into the government would determine his sway in elections.
Benjamin Franklin supposedly once said, “When the people fi nd that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic.” Right now, the country bears a $16 trillion defi cit, and The Heritage Foundation reports that 62 percent of the 2012 budget consists of entitlement spend-ing. According to the National Taxpay-ers Union, in 2009 the top 10 percent of American paid 70 percent of the federal income taxes, and the bottom 50 percent paid 2 percent.
The country nears the point of no return with its debt, but those who contribute most to revenue have the same voting power as those who actu-ally cost the government money. The system favors mob rule, where those who offer nothing to the government vastly outnumber those who do fund the government and its entitlement programs.
Of course, we obviously should not go back to the days where only white, male landowners can vote; however, I would propose a system of weighted voting based on what percentage of in-come (including capital gains) a person gives to the government. So, a person who makes $1 million a year and gives $200,000 to the government would have the same voting leverage as one
who makes $50,000 and gives $10,000. This system would defuse mob
rule; if a person wants a say in his gov-ernment, then he must contribute.
The debt would also become more manageable, because people could not vote to secure wealth or entitlements without contributing. Moreover, peo-ple would have greater incentive to give to the government so that their vote will matter.
Rather than paying for lobbyists and advertisers, the rich might invest in their own vote, adding to revenue. In fact, people would compete with each other to secure the most infl uence, and the wealth dispensed in this competi-tion would fl ow directly to the govern-ment.
One fi nal point, weighted voting would lead to a signifi cant decrease in voter apathy and ignorance. Those voting, having actually invested in it, would desire to make their vote count as much as possible.
I acknowledge that such a republi-can-inspired system is not perfect. The rich can afford to give a greater per-centage of their wealth than the poor can for sure. Perhaps a weighting limit could be imposed for incomes higher than a designated amount. For exam-ple, those making, say, a million dollars and above could not receive any more vote weighting beyond that which they would receive for giving 40 percent of their income.
Regardless, I believe this system would fare better than a democracy in terms of sustainability and without sacrifi cing too much freedom. If we must face reality, though, in which a reversion back to republicanism is now impossible, then we should abolish the Electoral College. The College is a relic of a dead political system, serving only to obstruct the spirit of democracy and yet now devoid of the spirit of repub-licanism.
Counterpoint: Counterpoint: The REPUBLIC of AmericaThe REPUBLIC of America
I would argue, it should return to the spirit of its republican roots, in which how much a person puts at stake into the government would determine his sway in elections.
The Electoral College protects the voting power of minorities and political groups that are not in power in a state. “
”Connor Favreau
Point:Point: Electoral College has to stay Electoral College has to stay
Quidditch (you read that right) is one of many new and exciting
sports to have graced South Alabama.USA Quidditch made its fi rst appear-
ance last fall as one of the newest Ala-bama teams to have joined the sport, right behind University of Alabama.
As part of the IQA Southern Region, USA Quidditch competes against forty Florida teams, six Mississippi teams, six Georgia teams and eleven Tennes-see teams. As part of the ICBA (Inter-national Confederation of Broomstick Athletes)’s Gulf Coast Conference, ex-pect to see matches against the likes of LSU, Loyola, University of New Orleans and Southern Miss.
They’ve also heavily participated in IQA Southwestern Region tournaments held by Texas A&M, Sam Houston State University, LSU, Rice University, Univer-sity of Texas and Baylor University. Some of their members have traveled over to the Western Region and have participated in tournaments hosted by UCLA, USC, Stanford, Oregon, Utah and Cal Berkeley.
The sport has come a long way since 2005, when a Middlebury College student named Xander Manshel adapted Quid-ditch from book to reality. Since then, Alex Benepe has taken over as commis-sioner for the International Quidditch Association (IQA), which is in charge of every team in the world.
As of last year, there are more than
two thousand teams worldwide. Name a renowned university and you can believe they are fi elding a strong Quidditch team. The sport made its fi rst international debut at the Olympics this past summer with teams from Australia, UK, Canada, France and the US competing for the very fi rst Olympic Quidditch gold med-als.
The beauty of Quidditch is its diverse membership. Amongst the diehard bookworms and “Potterheads” are also dedicated athletes. Some have read the books, some have seen the movies and some have never even heard of Harry Potter. It’s grown from being a closeted sport played by students in capes to being on the table for NCAA approval. From art students to football players to TKE Chapters across the country, Quidditch has reached out to MVP’s in both sports and book clubs.
The game itself is a simple concept to grasp: three Chasers and one Keeper (similar to a soccer goalie) are in charge of scoring the Quaffl e through any of the opponent’s three hoops. Two Beaters run a defense with Bludgers in a game of dodgeball, and one Seeker is off-fi eld, try-ing to fi nd and catch the Snitch. All this is done with brooms (that the game man-dates) clutched between the players’ legs.
When all the players are on the fi eld towards the end of a match, Quidditch will appear to be a clusterfl uff of mad-ness; there are Chasers and Keepers charging the Quaffl e up and down the
fi eld, tackling any and all who oppose them, Bludgers are fl ying and hitting faces and body parts in every direction, and Seekers are playing a desperate game of fl ag football and wrestling with the elusive Snitch, hoping to catch it and end the game.
Players spend months upon months recruiting, training and strategizing with hopes and intent of taking home trophies and, more importantly, leaving behind a legacy worthy of the title of Quidditch World Cup Champions.
On Nov. 17, USA Quidditch will be attending their fi rst ICBA National Championship Collegiate Cup in Olathe, Kansas to fi nish off a strong semester.
On the table for next semester’s tour-nament-heavy lineup is their February IQA Southern Regionals in Augusta, Ga. and Mardi Gras Carnival Cup (hosted by LSU), South’s very fi rst March Madness Quidditch Tournament on March 16
(taking place on our Intramural Fields) and the famous Quidditch World Cup April 13 in Kissimmee, Fla. to wrap up the year-long season.
If you’d like to see the sport in action, you can fi nd the Varsity team practicing every Monday, Wednesday and Friday on the Intramural Fields from 5 to 7 p.m. In-tramural players join in every Wednesday for a weekly scrimmage.
From the tattered pages stemmed from J.K. Rowling’s powerful mind to this year’s upcoming Quidditch World Cup, who knew that Quidditch of all sports would grow into such a huge phe-nomenon? Who knew that childhood dreams all over the world have now come into fruition?
One thing can be sure – Quidditch is no longer a myth. It is here to stay, and you’d best have a broom at your side when it comes knocking at your door.
Brooms Up - Quidditch comes to USABrooms Up - Quidditch comes to USASouth Alabama’s Quidditch team is the newest sport on campus
COURTESY OF JENNIFER TRANMembers of the 2012 USA Quidditch Team
If you are looking for a place to watch South Alabama away
games while grabbing a bite to eat, Montego’s has become that place. It is also becoming the unoffi cial home for all Jaguar away games, football and basketball.
Montego’s has aired every Jaguar away football game this season, and also started featuring Jaguar basketball games last week, as fans were able to watch South Alabama upset defending ACC champion Florida State last Friday night. Montego’s also offers drink and food specials specifi cally to Jag fans.
While some games are free on ESPN3, most of the games are on PPV, but Montego’s has generously covered all fees, allowing patrons to watch the game for no extra charge.
Montego’s is the only local restaurant that has shown every South Alabama away game, and fans are starting to notice. For the airing of the UL-Monroe game on Oct. 27, the restaurant was so packed that chairs were brought in from the outside patio in order to fi t more Jag fans. Several others decided to leave due to the large, rambunctious crowd.
Montego’s recently opened its doors this year as a Caribbean Café & Bar. Montego’s is located in a vacated Starbucks across the street from Wintzell’s Oyster House, in front of Providence Hospital. Their menu consists of burgers, pizzas and a variety of sandwiches, among other items.
