BY IGOR MELLO

SPORTS EDITOR

With the start of the 08-09 Women’s Basketball season set to embark on Oct.18 at the Southern Conference Jamboree, the Lady Seahawks seem poised to prove that things have changed this season. To prepare for the season opener the team held a “Mid-day Madness” scrimmage game on Oct. 4 at the George E. Mayer Gymnasium to display to the fans what is in store for the team this season.

“It’s a good morale-builder. For us as coaches we get to see how some of them play together. Today I learned something new about the team that I didn’t know so that’s why these kind of things are good for the team,” said the new ladies basketball coach Mike Schawe. “Now I know who I got to work and who I don’t have to work.”

Although the team has 11 new freshmen and one transferee, the former assistant coach was there for the ride last season when the ladies fell short at the state tournament and it almost feels as if they have some unfinished business.

“We’re looking to win the conference championship this year. That is our goal. I believe that we can do it,” said Schawe at the Mid-day Madness scrimmage.

After some off-season training and conditioning, the Lady Seahawks took on the hardwood for the Blue vs. White game. As the game progressed, it was clear to see that the top scorer on the court out of both teams was Mellisa Caplan, a transferee from PBCC who scored 32 of the Blue's 68 points in a win over the White team..

“Mellisa Caplan had an outstanding game. She actually impressed me very much, especially how well she worked with the team,” said Schawe. “I knew she was a good player, we were worried about playing her when we played Palm Beach every time.”

Caplan claims that her new team is finally coming together and seems to be happy at her new school.

“I didn’t like the (Palm Beach) coach. I was going to go back but they did not have any room,” said the sophomore forward Caplan. “He wasn’t fair to the team and he just judged me too much so I don’t like him.”

Following the scrimmage the fans got to interact with the players and were later treated with free pizza, macaroni and cheese, curry chicken and pork alongside with free beverages. Schawe promised the fans that they would make it to states and it seems as if the players are behind him.

“I think we’re going to be a great team, we’re young but fast, and strong and really smart,” said sophomore forward Dawna Wright. “Were underdogs, people don’t know what they’re going to get,” said Wright. “They are really going to be shocked on how well this team is.”

The newly promoted coach stressed that the team still needs some improvement on defense and rebounding and is still tweaking the offense.

“We’re going to have a lot of motion, a lot of pick and rolls, a lot of one on one isolations because as you see we have a great shooting team,” said Schawe.

The anticipation is growing, as the Lady Seahawks will tip-off their home opener on Nov. 13 against the Miami Rain AAU team. All home games are scheduled to take place at the Omni Auditorium on North Campus.

Worth The Drive

By Philippe Buteau
South Bureau Chief

How do I go about reviewing Sex Drive? Should I use almost four hundred words to say how much I enjoyed it, get really cynical and discuss why it isn’t the greatest movie of this type or try to convince those that decided to not see the movie to see it?

Whichever angle I pick I still wouldn’t know where to start.

For example, I could start with the characters. Which, excluding the male and female leads, were really defined, written and played by their respective actors. James Marsden (Cyclops in the X-Men trilogy) did such a good job in a role so different from what I’ve seen him do that I’d go so far as to compare him to Tom Cruise’s character in Tropic Thunder.

But if there was one character that made the movie it would have to be Lance played by Clark Duke. The “get-all-the-girls” nerd is a rare treat in movies, and Duke plays it extremely well.

There are also about a half-a-dozen more well written and played supporting characters, such as the sarcastic Amish mechanic played by Seth Green.

But I don’t want to start this review with the characters. Maybe how funny the movie is?

It certainly is funny, especially if the idea of a cruder American Pie sounds good to you.

However, the funny, which isn’t to spread out, comes more from what is seen as opposed to what is heard, but in this movie physical comedy works. Not physical in that “hit in the head with a wrench” way, but physical none-the-less.

No, I won’t start like that. I know, I’ll start with the story and the lesson it tries to teach.

But should I discussing a story as clichéd as this? A story of the “poor virgin” going on an adventure to get his. Thankfully the specifics aren’t predictable, but you realize that you saw the ending in American Pie 2. And the moral of the movie itself can’t really be argued, but its introduction at the movie’s conclusion didn’t make much sense.

Nah, not that way.

Now I’m stuck. I really did enjoy this movie and would recommend it to people who just want to laugh in their comedies and don’t need story; I just don’t know how to start this review.

After Two Years, Still Fighting For A Contract

By W. Earle Simpson

STAFF WRITER


For the third consecutive year, Faculty at Broward College will continue to work without a Ratified Contract if the administration and the Union- United Faculty of Florida (UFF) find no solution to what has been declared an ‘impasse’.

“Over the last several years there have been a series of problems at the negotiations between the union and the board of trustees. The board of trustees has been very slow in granting an agreement to the faculty contract. Two years ago the board put off voting on our contract for four months. There was an agreement in July 2006, but the board waited and waited until November and since then, we have not gotten a ratified contract. In fact, in September the board declared an impasse,” noted Robert Koppelman, UFF State Senator and BC faculty member.

That impasse led to a Public Employees Relations Commission-PERC arbitration, for which a ruling will be had on Oct. 25, 2008. According to Dr. Daniel Rieger, Vice President of UFF and Chief Negotiator of UFF/BC, “There are legal issues that have been encountered in terms of getting a contract and those legal issues have been addressed in a recent hearing before PERC at the end of Aug. 2008.” PERC is the organization that holds hearings throughout the state of Florida on labor and employment disputes. After hearings, PERC issues a final order, which may be appealed directly to the District Courts of Appeal.

But the Union is not expecting that an appeal will have to be made. “I have no basis for thinking that the ruling will be against the Faculty, but if it is in favor of the Union, the Administration may appeal…in which case, I would be unable to say when Faculty will have a ratified contract,” cautioned Dr. Rieger.

Ratification of contracts has been an annual event since Faculty first joined the UFF on May 22, 1981. The UFF prides itself in effectively negotiating collective bargaining contracts, thereby “strengthening administrative accountability and faculty authority,” and promises Florida higher education professionals to bargain on their behalf for “improve salaries, hours, terms and conditions.” Since 1981, UFF would, between February and March of each year, smoothly negotiate contracts on behalf of its BC members.

But according to the Nov. 2006 issue of the UFF Community College Update, “today a board of trustees appointed by Governor Jeb Bush is challenging faculty standards and principles in ways faculty have never seen before…but Broward faculty is rising to the challenge.”
Back then, according to a report in the October issue of this paper, faculty members rose to the challenge by “dress[ing] in black and graduation attire and picketed on what they viewed as a violation of an agreement made between UFF and BCC administration on Oct. 12 on Central Campus.” Those demonstrations did not render a solution to the problems they sought to highlight. Rather, they were reported to have resulted in the resignation of the then president.

Today, whereas faculty is still upset, both they as well as the head of administration are exhibiting caution in ways contradictory to the openness and bravery associated with their actions in 2006. “Some faculty may be reluctant to talk about it because we just want position to be stated. We want to make our position very clear; what we think the legal and ethical issues are and we want to keep those front and center,” opined Koppelman. When prompted to comment, President Armstrong, apparently mindful of legal implications, related that he’d rather speak on the issue after the PERC, while several calls made to Human Resources and Equity Vice President, Dr. Edna Chun were not returned.

At the heart of the matter, according to the UFF, are issues arising from articles five, six and seven of the 2006-2007 Collective Bargaining Agreement between UFF/BC and The Board of Trustees of BC. Article five deals with faculty compensation; article six with benefits, including health insurance, while article seven with faculty work conditions. “Over the years since 1981, some of these issues have been debated and re-debated,” said Damon Davis, UFF/BC president. “The issue of salaries and benefits which houses health care, which houses dental care and all the benefits that are entitled to faculty. But the sore points here would be salary increases; how much there are and how they are calculated.”

Each year the board and UFF struggles to agree on these three areas but board member Levi Williams sees the problem a different way. “I think that at the heart of the matter is really the difficulty of the union to make a decision in the best interest of those that it serves,” he insisted.

Davis countered and in clear reference to his 400 members, representing 70% of faculty, said, “our take on this is that we are a part of a family and we have to interact as a family. We are in the house, not outside of it. We serve a major role and I think a justifiable one.” Furthermore, like Koppelman, Davis believes that the board violated state law when they gave a salary increase without having a written agreement.

Yet, sometimes the line between where one year’s negotiation completes and the next begins is blurred by lack of agreement and when asked why not opt for longer term contracts, Dr. Rieger commented, “Our lives are not static. Our lives are subject to change and because of that it is important to negotiate compensation and benefits year to year. The advantage of having a yearly ratification is that issues that arise can be addressed immediately.”

Not-with-standing Rieger’s comment, Williams thinks that “the contract before everybody that the union is using has been patch worked, piece-mealed and bastardized for the last 20 to 40 years,” he said. “There are terms and conditions in the contract that make it difficult for both parties to move forward in an effective and productive manner. I have communicated with representatives of the union multiply times about the fact that the contract needs to be overhauled. If that was done, one of the potential benefits would be the possibility of multi-year agreements. Under the current contract, such agreements would be impossible due to its many ambiguous and failing language.”

So how will this crisis be resolved? “We believe that PERC will rule in our favor and if they do, it will set a precedent that the board has to follow the law. And once the board is humbled somewhat, realizing that they can’t just do anything they want, ultimately, the administration will have to show more integrity and honesty in their negotiations with us,” Koppelman suggested. “But if the ruling goes against us, I think we will continue to have difficulties until this board or some of its members get replaced.”

But until then, everyone awaits the PERC rulings.

Welcome Week Photos

PHOTOS BY PHILIPPE BUTEAU

Politics made plain, a gift from John McCain

BY HANNAH GILES
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

For all those self-reliant, independent persons who don’t look to government to fulfill their identity, but prefer to carve their own path in life, voting for Sen. John McCain this fall is crucial. He is a man who has been there and done that in regards to his service to this country, and America would be blessed to have him as its next president.
John McCain doesn’t have a background typical to most politicians. He wasn’t a political science major and his record can’t be described as “squeaky-clean.” He can be described as a: former Naval Aviator, Vietnam POW for five years, Captain in the Navy, Congressman, Senator and a man who dedicated his entire life to the service of his country. Rudy Guiliani, former Mayor of New York City, said John McCain is “serving a cause greater than self-interest and that cause is America.”
America needs a solid president who is capable of running this nation. The U.S. is in a war, and unless more terrorist attacks on the level of 9/11 are desired, it is probably best that this nation is lead by a man with adequate experience. McCain is Ranking Member of the Armed Services Committee, and the current successes in Iraq are a result of his vote for the troop surge. Not only did McCain vote for the insurgences but he was also the one who suggested this idea to President Bush when they were discussing the problems overseas. Thanks to John McCain’s well-reasoned initiative, we are seeing victory in Iraq, and the day draws closer when American troops will come home.
John McCain has an independent spirit that resonates with the American people. He stood up to the Vietnamese when they held him as a POW, he has stood up to his very own Republican party on several occasions and, as President of the United States, Americans may rest assured that John McCain will stand up for their safety and prosperity.
As noted, in McCain’s four terms serving in the U.S. Senate he has passed many notable pieces of legislation, which more often than not, found him reaching across party lines and working with Democrats. He partnered with Russell Feingold (D-WI) in creating the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, and also worked with Joe Lieberman (I-CT) in writing the legislations which created the 9/11 Commission. John McCain understands the importance of politicians working together to ensure the satisfaction of the American people.
“I’m not running for President to be somebody, but to do something; to do the hard but necessary things not the easy and needless things.” These words are a promise from John McCain, and based on his record, Americans can confidently expect him to fulfill every word. The man is quite figuratively driving the “Straight Talk Express,” and it is in the peoples best interest to jump aboard the McCain train as it leads America closer to national and international success.

I Know What Maverick Does Not Mean

BY BRENDAN CONNOLLY

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

I'm not sure of the exact definition of maverick. Is it someone who doesn't kneel, or grovel, to peer pressure? Someone who enacts on what they say they will. Maybe, it's someone, whose sheer dedication to the principles and rights of freedom and happiness, imbued to us by men of action, that they stand out in history.

Even if they don't want to.

I've, and I imagine you have as well, heard John McCain call himself a maverick. The Original Maverick. Apparently, now, there are spin-offs, his running mate, Sarah Penal (R-AK), is the Alaskan Maverick. A soccer, I mean, hockey mom with an inherent driving force within her to shake things up. Maybe that's a maverick, someone who goes for the gusto, so to say, against the big guys.

The Establishment. That's what jugular John McCain, Maverick, will be sinking his canines into. Pork barrel spending and governmental programs will bleed out, and as he says, back into our pockets.

The Establishment. Fat Cats. Monocled blue-bloods. That's who John McCain, Maverick, is gunning for.

I find it slightly ironic, though, considering John McCain, Maverick, belongs to a rubber-stamping Republican party, who from 2000-2006 held the House of Representatives, the Senate, and that big easy chair John McCain, Maverick, has his hopes set on. Before 2000, Congress was controlled by the Republican Party that he, John McCain, Maverick, was and still is a part of for at least a decade prior.

That's like, sixteen years. For most of you, I imagine, that's a good portion of your life. To me, that sounds like the Establishment.

To be fair, Lincoln was the first Republican president, and to some, the best ever. Did you know that their second president, Andrew Johnson was impeached? By them? The Republicans. Because he had his own ideas that conflicted with theirs.

Some could call that a maverick. Perhaps a maverick is someone whose ideas could have them removed from their position. Maybe John McCain, Maverick, has been putting together some sort of revolutionary, but of course conservative, agenda.

John McCain, Maverick, wants to make the Bush Tax cuts permanent. Tax cuts that prompted 450 economists, including 10 Nobel Prize Laurents, to write a letter to President Bush not to sign them into law. The Congressional Budget Office, a federal agency, said it increased deficits by 60 billion dollars in 2003. They estimate, this year, that number has risen to 340 billion dollars.

John McCain, Maverick, wants to make the Alternative Minimum tax permanent. In 2006 the IRS's National Taxpayer Advocate said it was the single most serious problem with the tax code. The Congressional Budget Office, huh them again, said by 2010 one in five people will qualify, or have to pay, for this. This grows amongst married people and, in essence, punishes people for having children and living in higher taxing states( it removes the deductibility of state and local taxes).

John McCain, Maverick, would like to Reduce Corporate tax. You know he, John McCain, Maverick, plans on cutting taxes for large corporation. The same corporations who employ us, pay us, and then get their money back when we need, or want, to purchase just about anything.

John McCain, Maverick, would like to limit the availability of abortion rights. And only grant them in such cases as rape, incest, or if there is a risk for the mother.

John McCain, Maverick, wants to start drilling in the ANWR Province, the Outer Continental Shelf, and begin extraction, and development of oil shale, which currently resides, in most part, around Wyoming and Montana. I could only assume when John McCain, Maverick, included Theodore Roosevelt, the first president to set aside land for it's beauty and not it's profitable resources, in his "Our Party produced..." portion of his acceptance speech at the RNC, he could only assume that Teddy had set aside the land for him, John McCain, Maverick, to dig up.

to be honest, i find politics quite repugnant. But i also understand the desperate hope of someone who is looking for salvation. Looking for a shining example of stoic determination. Looking for a maverick.

But John McCain is a self-described maverick. He is marketed as such. As someone who constantly follows their own way. But a majority of his votes conflate with conservative and Christian fundamentalist views on values. In a democracy the majority rules.

John McCain, self-described Maverick, accepted the endorsement of the worst American President, so far. There are pictures of him and Bush hugging, a maverick embracing an aloof tyrant. And it's no secret John McCain, marketed Maverick, does not like President Bush. But we all understand the practice of greasing wheels. The same old song and dance, so we can get where we want to be.

Mavericks do not and should not.

Especially when Mr. Maverick spent 7 years in a prison camp, while their new buddy's father got them, that would Bush, in the champagne squad of the armed forces. And while Mr. Maverick was being tortured and interrogated, the man whose mantle he will inherit, Bush again, went AWOL.

A maverick would not shake this man's hand.

When you sacrifice your beliefs and principles for a gain or a desire, that's called selling out. That's kneeling and groveling, asking for more from a mud-coated boot heel.

I may or may not know the exact definition of maverick, but I know what the definition isn't.

$19 Million to Reduce Parking Shortage

BY EARLE SIMPSON
STAFF WRITER

In about 18 months time, the students, faculty and staff of the BC Central Campus will get a parking garage after years of suffering the inconveniences of parking space shortage and flooding.

“The garage will have approximately 1000 parking spaces, and the students will not pay anymore than they are currently paying,” announced Francisco Hoyos, BC Business Affairs Dean. The new garage is, in part, the solution to the age old problem of flooding in the campus’s parking areas. “It has been like that for over 30 years,” responded John Stancil, Central Campus former Dean of Business, in answer to how long has the problem been around.

But flooding is not the only problem faced by users of the parking lots. According to William Pennell, BC VP Facilities, in a letter to the President of the college, “the campus regularly has a shortage of parking spaces available during peak classroom hours.” In fact in an attempt to combat this shortage, during peak hours students regularly park on grass adjourning parking lots.

There are approximately 18,000 students on the Central Campus of BC but according to John Thornton, Central Campus Business Affairs Dean, “there are currently a total of 4380 parking spaces on Central Campus, 540 of which are overflow spaces organized in five lots.” The five overflow lots are a recent response to the shortfall but Thornton is mindful that the solution to the parking space shortage is far from being met. “Between now and October 6, we are hoping to create at least an additional overflow lot,” he added.

But the overflow lots are not expected to be a long term solution. “Approximately three weeks ago, the board approved the design/build contract and we will break ground for the project by the 3^rd of October this year,” said Juan Raigosa, Construction Project Administrator. Following the ground breaking, the project will commence and run until March 2010 when it will be completed. “It’s about an 18-month completion process,” confirmed Hoyos.

The garage will be built at a cost of $19.2 million which will be funded by a board approve state bond issue. According to Pennell’s letter, the bond will be repaid with the use of the “transportation and access fees as well as Capital Investment Fees (CIF).” Hoyos said that the board has approved the bond and now it’s just a matter of “breaking grounds if everything goes well and we get our drainage permits.”

The garage will be located on the right of the College Avenue and south of the 30^th Avenue entrance. Although the garage with its 1000 parking spaces will not solve the shortage nor the flooding problems, especially in the parking areas located on the east side of the campus, according to Pennell’s letter, it will “sit on land that is currently parking 136 cars, so the college will pick up a net additional 839 parking spaces with the construction of this new garage,” and that is expected to blunt the two problems but most of all, students will have the convenience of parking in the new facilities at the expense of the flood prone areas.

Cost of tuiton goes up again

Jessica Rosenberg

Copy Editor

Over the last year the entire country has felt the heat of a recession. With rising fuel prices and the increase in the costs of everyday necessities, it is no surprise that students would not be exempt from a struggling economy.

BC Board of Trustees members had a tough choice to make, but eventually decided to increase the tuition, again.

Last January, just one semester ago, the tuition was raised by 5 percent. Now students are faced with an additional 6 percent increase; making the total amount $77.84 per credit hour for the fall 2008 semester.

According to Bill Pennell, CFO of Broward College, raising the tuition was in the student’s “best interest.”

“Due to $6.4 million in cutbacks, the Board made the best decision they could under tough circumstances,” said Pennell.

It was also important to Pennell that the positives of the increase are understood as well.

“We’re also pushing for 10 additional full-time faculty members as opposed to adjunct professors and also an increase in student advisors as well,” explained Pennell.

The decision to increase the tuition did not come easy for Board members.

“I thought it was terrible…with the rising costs and the decline in the economy, tuition should be the last worry for students,” said Board member Levi Williams.

Although Williams was conflicted by his decision, he wanted to ensure students that the result would not be in vain.

When asked to rationalize and explain the benefits of the increase to ease the student’s dissatisfaction, Williams did not hesitate.

“I understand the students concern and I would say the biggest benefit is no doubt the continuation of higher education that BC provides and the quality it maintains.”

Students had their chance to sound off on how they felt about the tuition increase. Surprisingly many students didn’t even realize there was an increase.

However, the ones who were aware were not pleased.

“It’s ridiculous! I pay so much anyway for books and gas to get here. I mean, what’s next? Why does this keep happening?” said Tanique Douglas, 23, business major.

Broward College is not the only college to feel the impact of rising tuition costs.

According to Pennell, “All 28 community colleges as well as several universities have been met with the 6 percent increase this semester.”

Although that doesn’t bring tremendous relief to students, BC Board members and faculty promise the highest level of excellence will be maintained.

Broward College drops the "Community"

Bruno Niccoli

Editor-in-Chief

In the fall of 1960, the Junior College of Broward County welcomed its first 701 students and 28 faculty members.

Eight years later under the leadership of Dr. A. Hugh Adams, the students were welcomed to Broward Junior College.

September 1970 marked the time when “Junior” was changed to “Community,” which is used to describe publicly funded two-year institutions.

Now, 49 years after its establishment, over 55,000 students will hear:

Welcome to Broward College

The name change was a result from the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools changing the college to a Level 2 accredited institution.

The Level 2 accreditation allows the college to offer four year bachelors programs. The accreditation was received on the exact same day as the college changed its name, July 1. Broward College President J. David Armstrong stated, “We became Broward College officially today and we got our Level II approval, which makes us a four-year bachelor’s degree-granting institution. We are on our way.”

The trend of removing the word “community” from a college that offers bachelor degrees has been around for more than a decade. The most notorious case in South Florida happened when Miami-Dade Community College, changed its name to mark the beginning of a new chapter for the college.

When the first discussions came about changing the college’s name, members of the faculty were allowed to send e-mails with suggestions for what the new name could be, but eventually the decision was made to just keep it simple and remove a word.

By removing the word community, the college was able to maintain the same concept behind its new logo, which had just one “C” line removed. In addition, some of the signs only required the removal of “Community” by using blue paint to match with the background. Jillian Printz, Special Assistant to the President, explained, “We wanted to capitalize on the recognition that the BCC logo has through out the county, and actually through out South Florida.”

The welcome sign at the entrance of the South Campus is a perfect example of the money being saved by not drastically changing the college’s name.

When seen from a distance a person only reads Broward College, but upon close inspection the space and the shape where “Community” once stood is still very noticeable.

It may seem sloppy to be welcomed by a signed that was simply painted over, but on times of severe budget cuts, these are the kind of temporary solutions that help the college to save a great deal of money.

The college will also save money by gradually changing its name and logo from the office supplies, business cards and other products that will eventually have the new look.

According to Jillian Printz, the internal cost for the name and logo change is about $7, 500

Old logos and signs that have been around the campuses and are now considered historic will not be replaced.

Printz explained that the change couldn’t have come at a better time, because the idea of changing some of the signs on not only the entrance of the campuses but also in the buildings, has been considered for quite some time.

If the name had been changed a couple years from now, the college would have spent the money twice, because there were plans to replace the old BCC logos to newer logos still containing the word “Community.”

The college slogan has also been changed from “we keep you thinking” to “Define yourself”

The four year programs will become available for the students in the next year. Education has been chosen to be the first bachelor degree offered by Broward College, and the students can register for the new major in winter 09.

Nursing and Information Technology will eventually be available for students.

Regarding the future of the school as a college President J. David Armstrong stated “This in no way changes our mission as a community college; what it does do is meet a critical workforce need in Broward for more teaching faculty in K-12 classrooms, while providing a four-year degree that is a hallmark of the excellence and affordability of our institution. We will continue to embrace and support our two-year degree programs, while we expand our curriculum to meet the needs of our community.”

Back to school issue

The Observer's back to school issue will be available in all Broward College campuses August 18, the first day of classes.