Do I have what it takes to make the team?

Soccer enthusiast, editor tries out for soccer team

By Igor Mello
Editor-in-Chief

I’m still waiting for my phone call. Whenever my phone rings I jump, only to be consistently let down by my mother or anybody with less relevance calling me.

Every high school athlete that has never played in college still has that itch. They still point and shout at the TV during a game. They still dream that they have a shot at being a superstar.
I just want to keep the dream alive. I needed to scratch my itch.

That opportunity arose when the college approved the new extramural soccer team. This was my chance. It’s just a community college, how much talent can there possibly be out here?

Boy, was I wrong.

There were roughly 130 pairs of cleats clicking and clacking on the pitch on the first day of tryouts. I was merely an ant in an ant pile. The school anticipated about 400 people to tryout despite only having 18 spots available. Though the odds weren’t on my side, I thought I’d still give it a try.

Haitian soccer legend and Broward College’s head soccer coach Ernst “Nono” Jean-Baptiste had a tough job on his hands, so I made sure I got there early to meet him, that way he’d remember my face.

He explained to the players that he’s not looking for anything fancy. “I want to see how you position yourself on the field,” Jean-Baptiste said to the crowd of players before we began to fight for our soccer lives.

The only positioning I did was placing my heavy foot on top of the ball and busting my butt. The pain from the fall was unbearable, but I quickly hopped back up and continued the drills, concealing my pain. Luckily, Jean-Baptiste’s peripheral vision didn’t reach my side of the field.

After the drills, Jean-Baptiste gathered the gang around to start some scrimmages. My eyes locked with his eyes as he walked around searching for captains. It was as if my eyes told him to choose me.

Once Jean-Baptiste appointed me as captain, I felt as if I was the head coach. My leadership skills were on full display as I directed all my teammates to their positions.
“If you score a goal, the other team will give me 10 push-ups,” said Jean-Baptiste, who also added that 20 push-ups would be awarded to the opposing team if we completed 10 consecutive passes.

The scrimmage only lasted 10 minutes, but that was no excuse for me. I was still dissatisfied with my performance. On any day two assists would look great, but on a tryout night, two assists didn’t feel like it was enough.

Despite not getting the call, there is not an ounce of bitterness in me. I have no regrets. My performance may have not stood out among the greats, but I didn’t stink up the field. Just to know that I can hang with the big boys made me feel like I still had it. My sore, bruised body will remind me each day for the following week that I got to relive my dream of being a soccer star. I’ll probably have an itch to play again once that pain goes away, but in the meantime, my bruises will be treated as a badge of honor.

Sky Kings

By Jessica Poitevien Staff Writer

“We have to fly.”
Those simple words can be announced at anytime. For the pilots of Electronic News Gathering (ENG) helicopters, those words start the workday.
Within minutes their jet engines are revved up, ready for action. The sound of helicopter blades rhythmically beating fills the air. With an address and clearance from the control tower, the pilots take off into the skies, unsure of what to expect.
These pilots are specially trained to operate ENG helicopters. Flying for all the major news networks, including NBC, ABC, CBS and FOX, they chase the news all over Broward and Miami-Dade Counties.
“It’s a totally different realm because it’s not just picking up, flying and landing. It’s moving into a position and being able to hold the helicopter there,” said Danny Mangano, an aerial photojournalist.
When they’re not covering the news, these helicopters can be seen waiting on their platforms at North Perry Airport as Broward College students make their way to South Campus.
Each day these pilots and their choppers tell the stories of South Florida, but behind the airport gates, they have their own story.
The Business of News
The workday of ENG helicopter pilots and reporters can be full of surprises. Despite the unpredictable nature of the job, every day starts off at the Helicopters Inc. office and helicopter hanger at North Perry Airport.
Since its 1978 founding, Helicopters Inc. has become one of the largest helicopter leasing companies in the nation with about 70 news organizations across the U.S. using their services. Their first contract in Miami-Dade and Broward was signed in 1998 with CBS 4. Channels 6, 7 and 10 soon followed suit and Helicopters Inc. now leases all ENG helicopters flying for English news stations in both counties.
Before these news networks started using Helicopters Inc., they kept aircrafts at their own stations. When breaking news happened and a helicopter was needed, a reporter would drive to the station where a pilot would be waiting, but this wasted time and money.
“If the reporter gets stuck in traffic, the story is still occurring. It’s not going to stop for you,” said Ralph Rayburn from Channel 7 Skyforce. After over 20 years of doing ground reporting and helicopter reporting, Rayburn advocated having full-time journalists dedicated to waiting at an airport and covering stories from the air when needed.
“We missed enough stories and we missed enough video that they finally tanked on me about three years ago and asked me to do this full time,” Rayburn, who has flown approximately 18,500 hours in his career, said.
Helicopters Inc. provides its clients with the aircraft, a pilot and a photojournalist if necessary. These pilots and reporters are stationed at the airport waiting for the signal from their news stations to cover a story. When their workday is over at 6 p.m., they are still on call in case a major story occurs overnight.
“This is basically a waiting game. You never know when there is going to be breaking news,” Mangano said.
Danger in the Skies
July 27, 2007 in Phoenix, Arizona: Four people are killed when two ENG helicopters collide.
October 13, 2008 in Houston Texas: A pilot employed by Helicopters Inc. and a photographer are killed when their helicopter crashes.
The ENG helicopter pilots and reporters may work hours similar to a 9 to 5 job, but their line of work is far from typical. Each time they fly, they take a risk.
Ramsowr can attest to the fact that some dangers of the job are unpredictable. One night while following a police chase, Ramsowr was thoroughly entertained as he watched the suspect weave through traffic while waving a bottle of Jack Daniel’s rum outside of his car window.
“Those things are exciting. They’re fun little changes from the monotony of going to a car accident because they eventually all look the same,” Ramsowr said.
What happened next was unexpected. The driver grabbed a gun and pointed it directly at Ramsowr’s helicopter which was hovering 500 feet above. Ramsowr immediately backed away. “He could’ve hit me. It would’ve been a lucky shot, but still, all it takes is one,” he said.
ENG pilots can do nothing to prepare for such unanticipated circumstances, but they train to prevent more common safety issues such as engine failure, emergency landing and awareness of their surroundings.
Communication between pilots is vital to preventing accidents like the Phoenix incident. Each helicopter has a radio that allows them to speak with other pilots and the control tower. When several helicopters are covering the same story they stagger their altitudes and notify each other before moving positions.
“Our first thing is safety. No news story is worth the safety of a pilot,” Mangano said.
The people flying and reporting in helicopters risk their lives to report the news, but their main concern is returning home safely.
“Everybody works together. Even though we’re competitors everybody knows everybody and it’s a professional operation,” Rayburn said. “It’s not a bunch of cowboys up there flying around chasing after stuff.”

Make up 101: From frightning to funny faces

By Jillian Goltzman
South Bureau Chief

Ghastly ghosts, gruesome ghouls and candid clowns can be seen lurking around the shadows of Central Campus. Think this is just a Halloween scare? Think again. Every Monday at 6 p.m. at Bailey Hall on Central Campus students gather to learn frightening-to-funny stage makeup techniques from the Associate Dean of the Visual and Performing Arts Department, Deborah Kondelik.
Casually walking into Building 4, Room 164 you can find students like Natalia Chmielewska painted up as a cross between Darth Maul and Princess Amidala from Star Wars, Britni Serrano sitting quaintly while painting her face into the looks of the Joker and his sweetheart Harley Punn from Batman, and student Justin Hazan merging the worlds of the popular Homer Simpson with “a dark emperor.” On the student’s Oct. 12 class, Kondelik approached the students with the project of creating the image of “contrasting characters” on their faces.
In addition to Kondelik’s contrasting characters assignment, she said her students will learn “corrective makeup, which is correcting any perceived flaws a person may have, straight-up makeup, which is learning how to accentuate the actual look that the actors have so they can appear more three-dimensional to the audience, and character makeup, which ranges from fantasy, old age, facial hair, wig styles, facial structure alterations, prosthetic makeup and airbrush makeup.”
The creativity of Kondelik’s Makeup for Stage and Television class is not only open to theater students, but to everyone. Kondelik’s students range in majors and passions.
Chmielewska, a psychology major in Kondelik‘s class, describes the course as an opportunity to be “creative and productive at the same time.” Chmielewski, who is considering a minor in theater, said, “It is more fun for me to create something and be backstage.”
Hazan, art and graphic design student is taking the makeup course to improve his makeup skills while working on his acting.
With the plummet of the economy taking place and the amount of unemployed actors battling for the same roles all over the country, what can be made of what Chmielewska considers “not a safe market?” Is technical theater a safer route than performance theater?
Hazan said, “It is best to know all aspects of theater so that you have a handle on everything.” Serrano, musical theater major and stage makeup student, later chimed in, “It’s really interesting to know the different ways of doing things because you’re never going to have professional people doing your makeup; You’re always going to end up doing your own.”
Kondelik strongly believes that every person should ask themselves “What do I want to be doing for the rest of my life?” She encourages theater students to learn all aspects of theater. “It doesn’t hurt to know a lot of things, you may find your forte,” she said. “We are all just pieces of the puzzle and the director sits back and puts those pieces together,” added Kondelik.
Kondelik, who transposed from the billboards to the chalk boards, revealed “I’m so happy [with] what I do. I was a professional actress before I got into education and I love it and it is fabulous! You have got to do something you love and the rewards will come if you put in the effort.”
For students interested in the Makeup for Stage and Television course, but were too late to sign up for the class, there is good news: students can get involved in workshops offered by Kondelik herself. Prosthetic makeup workshops, just in time for Halloween, can be taken. The upcoming date is Oct. 22 in room 165, Building 4 and students like Allen Grujesku, a former makeup student of Kondelik’s, will be learning about the prosthetic side of makeup and the eerie touches that will make a Halloween costume go from ordinary to outstanding.
Grujesku, who aspires to own a hair and makeup salon in the future, said, “You can go to the store and buy a mask appliance, but it’s not going to look great, it’s not going to stay on your face and by the end of the night you are going to look [like] a mess! If you make it yourself, you get the satisfaction of being able to say you made it and it’s more aesthetically pleasing.”
With Halloween around the corner, several of the students plan to use their newfound makeup techniques to dress up their costumes. Serrano giggled, “My brother wants to be a vampire so I’ll see what I can do with it!” Grujesku revealed he “spent hours” doing his friends’ makeup during the spooky season last year.
The makeup techniques will be displayed in the upcoming play “Artificial Jungle” debuting on Oct. 28 and playing until Nov. 8 on Central Campus. Both Chmielewska and Serrano will be doing the stage makeup for the production. Director and theater professor Mariah Johnson said, “It’s a very funny, spooky, thrilling play! It’s perfect for Halloween!”
Further into the future, from Dec. 11-13, students can take a trip into Oz while watching the musical “All About Oz,” which has been created by director and professor Jett Canary. The musical features songs from major musicals like “The Wizard of Oz,” “The Wiz” and “Wicked.”
Canary revealed, “This performance art version is set in a modern day ‘PhilOZophy’ class where a substitute professor casts spells on students, making our favorite Oz characters come to life.”
To take part in the fun of Kondelik’s Makeup for Stage and Television course, all a student needs is “the desire to practice” according to Kondelik.
“It’s a lot of fun and even if you’ve never played with makeup before, it’s a way to be really creative. It is different than doing art where you are sitting in the classroom, painting. You get to actually do it by yourself and you can totally transform yourself,” said Grujesku.

Over 350 students try out for new soccer club

By Igor Mello
Editor-in-Chief

Sophomore Fazlin Miller, mass communications major, was walking down the hallways of Central Campus as she stumbled upon a bulletin board and sophomore Antonio Corbett, accounting major, had heard rumors so he logged on to the school website to see if it was true. The school was forming a soccer club and both students wanted to be involved.

They weren’t the only ones that wanted to participate.

The Broward College baseball complex was host to over 350 students for three days to see who had what it takes to make the men’s and women’s soccer team.

“Why not try this? It’s always interesting to discover new talent,” said newly appointed head coach of the men’s team Ernst “Nono” Jean-Baptiste. “You never know where you’re going to find the next Cristiano Ronaldo or Kaka.”

A legend in the Haitian and South Florida soccer community, Jean-Baptiste was looking for smart players that can play team ball. On the other hand Patti Barney, head coach of the women’s team, is looking for “technical skills” in her players.

One thing these two leaders do have in common is that they want to win.

“I’m looking to be in the championship of the Broward Women’s Soccer league at the end of the season. We have a lot of work to do to get the girls in shape…” said Barney, who has been coaching for 28 years.

Miller, who was trying out for the center midfield position, found that out the hard way.
“I thought it was going to be easy [for me] but that wasn’t the case,” said Miller, who felt she was being unrealistic because she was out of shape going into tryouts. “Now I actually feel like this is going to be a bit of a challenge.”

Corbett, who is trying out for the sweeper position, felt confident about his performance. Despite playing hurt, he felt like did the simple things, which was what Jean-Baptiste was looking for.
“I knew I had a sore ankle so I know I couldn’t give it my best, but I was hoping I could at least stand out [from] everybody else,” said Corbett.

As of Oct. 9 both players are still unaware if they have made the squad.

According to Neil Cohen, Associate Vice President of Student Programs and Development Services, both teams are hoping to have made their cuts by Oct. 25 so they can start practices.

“The most important thing is [for the guys] to enjoy this [experience] but I want to represent the school well everywhere we go and then we can see if we can have a winning program,” said Jean-Baptiste.

Although the inaugural season is set to start in January, both teams will scrimmage other opponents in the community to train for the winter.

Barney has hopes of soccer becoming one of the more popular sports here at the school.
“Hopefully if the talent is there maybe we can make it an intercollegiate sport the following year,” said Barney.

Making green out of being green

By Clayton Gutzmore - Staff Writer
& Kelly Rivera - Copy editor

Money doesn’t grow on trees but it does come out of trash, and Broward College proves this theory by practicing sustainability. Sustainability is exercising the habits of recycling and reducing your carbon footprint on Earth; whether it’s throwing an empty bottle in the recycling bin or turning off the light or fan in a room, it’s all about reducing the amount of energy and waste we create to make Earth a better place.
BC has its very own Environmental Sustainability Committee whose goal is to coordinate efforts to increase environmental literacy and spread environmental awareness through out the campuses. The college-wide committee is co-chaired by Alex Denis, Associate Vice President of Procurement, and Sean Devaney, Manager of Facilities on South Campus. “The committee meets to discuss issues that have an impact on campus life, review policies, [and] suggest new policy. Simply, we all have an interest in providing a safe, clean and environmentally sound campus community for our students, faculty, staff and community partners,” said Devaney.
Each campus has its own individual committee that handles the sustainability issues. According to Dr. Peggy Green, professor of Natural Science at North Campus and member of the Sustainability Committee, the committee is recommending the college hire a Sustainability Director to oversee issues like recycling and energy conservation and to infuse sustainability in the curriculum.
BC has benefited from sustainability by using the TerraCycle program, run by Jarrod Hersh, Senior Financial Aid Advisor for South Campus.
This program involves taking candy wrappers, potato chip bags and other disposable items and sending them to TerraCycle. They then make products to sell out of the trash and pay about $0.02 for each item which funds the Michelle A. Lawless Scholarship.

According to Dr. Green, BC has saved $8.5 million over a 10-year period with these energy saving measures.
By using these methods and recycling, BC also reduces the release of carbon dioxide and other pollutants in the air. “BC is an institution of higher learning, we are teaching the leaders of tomorrow. How our graduates conserve and consume will be influenced by the values they learn here at BC,” said Dr. Green.
She encourages sustainability among students and staff members. “Our future and that of all life on Earth depends on humans learning to live in a sustainable way that does not use the Earth’s resources faster than the Earth can generate them,” said Dr. Green.
Student participation is a factor for sustainable living at BC and many students have embraced the cause by participating in campus projects like promoting sustainable campus dining and maintaining the native landscape.
“Student groups are supportive and active in committee initiatives such as the campus environmental fairs, electronic recycling, paper & comingled recycling, wild flower gardens, campus clean-up [of] cigarette butts, book recycling programs and the graduation pledge,” says Devaney. BC graduates are given the opportunity to sign a pledge stating they will be green in all of their endeavors after graduation.
The committee is trying to bring Trash to Treasure, a creative reuse center, to South Campus for Environmental Awareness Week in Feb. 2010. Trash to Treasure is a nonprofit organization that locates and finds clean reusable material to redistribute as educational and artistic resources.
Specifically, BC’s Sustainability Committee on North Campus is in the process of upgrading the parking lot lighting to concrete poles with LED lights. “Not only will the fixture use less energy, the lamps will last up to fifteen years,” said Devaney.
He goes on to say that President J. David Armstrong and the college administration are very much in support of college-wide sustainability initiatives. Dr. Green believes that students are supportive, “From my interactions with students from North, I would say, yes, enthusiastically.”
“It is a continuous process of considering sustainability in all decisions, at all levels, both at work and home,” said Devaney. Denis added, “Our sustainable practices will also call for us to prepare our students for a world in which sustainability will be at the forefront of every decision from the boardroom to the classroom.”
BC is turning 50 years old next semester and the committee would like students to submit their theme ideas for Environmental Awareness Week in February. For more information, log on to the BC website.

Stir up your knowledge in the Brain Bowl

By Faithful Okoye
Staff Writer

Ever been asked some of the most obscure questions and didn’t know the answer? What is the biggest lake in Japan? Who was the last president of the Soviet Union? What Virginia airport was named after the former secretary of state? Most college students may answer with something along the lines of “Japan has lakes?” “What’s the Soviet Union?” and “Who even lives in Virginia anyway?” Broward College Brain Bowl students may just be the exception. On Sept. 23 and 24, BC’s Brain Bowl team held tryouts in Central Campus’ Central Café.
The Brain Bowl is an academic competition for community colleges that tests participants knowledge of everything from math to religion.
Last year, the Brain Bowl team had math professor Rob Fusco as their leading coach. This year, assistant math professor Jeffrey Guild and behavioral science professor Ronnie Rothschild will be leading the team.
There are two different types of competitions involved. The first is the main Brain Bowl Competition that includes all Florida community colleges. The other competition, the National Association of Quiz Tourneys (NAQT), involves all American universities as well as community colleges.
Last year, during the Florida Community College Activities Association (FCCAA) Tournament, BC’s Blue Team finished the tournament in first place with an undefeated record and BC’s White Team finished the tournament in second place.
For the NAQT tournament, the Blue team finished the round robin, a tournament where each contestant meets every other contestant in turn, in a tie for first place. They lost the championship match to Valencia’s Red Team, finishing in second place. The White team finished in sixth place.
Guild says that the tryouts held were a gauge to find out who would be the best students able to tackle the match.
There are two teams with five players but only four team members out of the five actually play. When one team plays, the other wouldn’t, and vice versa.Guild says it is not too late to join, “If you show up and you do well, of course, we would look at you as a potential.”
During practice, the buzzer is kept on the table and the first person to press the buzzer gets the chance to answer. If they don’t get the answer right, it’s passed on to the next person to press the buzzer. It is offered in a similar way as the actual Brain Bowl competition is presented.
In the Brain Bowl competition, the judge starts with a question that anyone may answer by buzzing in but this time without discussing the question with other team members. “If the answer is correct, the team gets to participate in a 20-point bonus round.” The team may discuss the question at this time, “but they must answer in 10 seconds.” The team with the most points at the end of this round wins the competition, according to the BC Honors Institute website.
Brain Bowl team members are awarded scholarships for their contribution to the team.
“It’s also a lot of fun,” Guild said. “The people who participate in Brain Bowl have fun and they enjoy representing Broward College.”
Students wonder if the competition is difficult and in response, Guild compared the game to other sports like football. To the spectator or someone looking from the outside, it probably looks hard, but that is not the same for the football players. Yes, they work hard, but they don’t see the game as hard. They are playing to have fun and to do the best they can.
The returning players from last year are Chris Pannier, Marc Warrior and Paul Rowe.
“I’m excited for this year,” said Pannier. “I’m excited because we have a lot of motivated students, but it’s always a tough competition.”
“I think we’re going to have a really strong team this year. We have strong players and we’ve met new players that look very promising as well,” said Guild.
Practice is held every Tuesday and Thursday in Building 9/Room 101 and Building 1/Room 140.
For more information, contact Professor Jeffrey Guild or Professor Ronnie Rothschild at jguild@broward.edu or rothsch@broward.edu.

Adding Latin Spice to the annual Chili Cook-off

By Vanessa Chang
Central Bureau Chief

What could be spicier than a Chili Cook-off? The ingredients can be found in a tablespoon of salsa, tunes and a buffet of authentic Spanish cuisine to complement bowls of chili stirred with a healthy serving of competition.
On Oct. 6 students gathered on Central Campus to appease the appetite of not only their hunger but fun at the merging of Broward College’s Chili Cook-off and Hispanic Heritage Festival. The cook-off took place in the courtyard and was followed by a Latin dance competition.
Omoy Watson, Programming Coordinator of Student Life and the Student Programming Association (S.P.A.D.E.S.) said, “Our Chili Cook-off is usually a separate event, and we usually do a country theme. This year we wanted to incorporate both of them and make it an event bigger and better.”
Student Life and S.P.A.D.E.S. were out early prepping the courtyard area behind Building 19 with tables, decorations, coolers with soda and getting a stage together.
Around noon, the Chili Cook-off began to boil, and students noticed the free food.
Live music was provided by The Javier Mendoza Band on a center stage directly across from the chili contestants.
The judges critiquing the chili were two student government officers and one S.P.A.D.E.S member.
There were 12 teams; each team involved represented a student club, organization or faculty.
Last year’s winning team, Team Showtime, was confident about their homemade chili, said team captain Johnny Burgess. “Special people make special chili,” shouted Team Showtime member Arturio McCrea.
Even though chili is a dish that is often associated with ingredients like ground beef, tons of beans and spicy secrets; it would not be enough to sway the judge’s taste buds.
After approximately an hour of debating, the judges grabbed the microphone to pronounce Phi Theta Kappa’s team, Save the Beef, Eat the Turkey, the winner.
Team captain Cara Malave said, “I was up until midnight making the chili.” Malave turned to her Puerto Rican roots to spice up the chili with traditional Hispanic ingredients like sofrito.
Team Save the Beef, Eat the Turkey, won a $200 voucher in sponsor money and a trophy. Second place went to the Phi Beta Lambda and third place went to the Dean’s Office.
After announcing the winners, there was a smooth transition from the Chili Cook-off to the Hispanic Festival.
Free yellow rice, tostones platanos, maduros platanos, pastries and Spanish sodas were available. The line that formed measured the length of the courtyard, about 60 students.
Many of the female members from S.P.A.D.E.S. were dressed in festive red dresses, while the male members were dressed in sombreros and colorful ponchos.
After the winners of the cook-off were announced, 10 students paired off for the Latin dance competition.
As the heat reached its peak, the dancing began and after the first elimination, a huge crowd of students formed to watch the remaining four pairs dance in the next round.
From this point the judges would eliminate two pairs, scoring based on chemistry, energy and variety of movement. The final round had two couples dance to the same song for first place.
William Cubas, President of the Salsa Club, and Bernadette Orellana, member of the Salsa Club, won a trophy and a Phillips portable DVD player. All participants won movie vouchers.
“I feel we devote the same importance to all of our cultural events,” said Watson.
Student Life and S.P.A.D.E.S. put a lot of effort into making sure the events are executed to their full potential. They begin planning fall events in the summer, ensuring the success of each activity. Martin Fitzgerald, S.P.A.D.E.S. member since 2007, explained his thoughts about what it takes to make an event like the Chili Cook-off a reality: “A lot of team work, organization and communication.”
Watson said the event went well and felt the big turnout was proof of its success.

Shhh! Don't ask, Don't tell events held at Central Campus

By Farrah Fleitman
Staff Writer

This past year President Barack Obama proposed the plan to repeal the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. Meanwhile hundreds of miles away from the White House, this past semester Broward College’s Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) managed to upstage the president by creating the “Do ask, do tell” policy!
Homosexual students and supporters of equality assembled on Central Campus on Oct. 8 for the “Do Ask, Do Tell” informational session, which not only raised awareness and answered questions, but also provided a warm, welcoming and judgment-free environment for students to share their experiences.
For Andrew Dutka, Archives Librarian and GSA Advisor, it was “a personal goal to host a college-wide event celebrating and recognizing National Coming Out Day,” which was Oct. 11, and hopes to “use this as a building block to have more events coming up next year.”
A panel was assembled consisting of student members Andrew C. Frosch and Amy Miller, Charles Miller, Transportation Coordinator for the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, and Jim Gigliello, local LGBT Rights Activist, who is in the process of publishing a comprehensive book on the history of the movement’s pioneers, such as Harvey Milk.
Panel members addressed such questions as, “Is the media supporting the gay community or portraying them in a negative light?” For instance, movies and television shows can give an incorrect or exaggerated idea of what being gay really is.
“I don’t want to offend anybody who likes “Will & Grace,” but growing up watching that I thought, ‘Wow, I don’t feel the way they do,’” said Frosch.
The forum also discussed how to deal with offensive and derogatory terms based on one’s sexual preference.
“Instead of [opting for] resentment and futile loathing, I’ve chosen to see those people [who are offensive] as an opportunity for growth,” said Frosch.
There was a general sentiment of unity at the event and had a powerful force driving people to push for equality. During the discussion, a student in the audience commented, “It’s up to us to change those stereotypes.”
Also mentioned was the example set by Rosa Parks, and how one valiant effort led to countless accomplishments for the Civil Rights Movement.
It was said that the gay community should follow in those footsteps and continue working to change oppressive legislature.
Students are taking a proactive approach toward their rights and there will be a video, based on the ideas of what love is, submitted to Congress by the GSA in hopes of changing preconceived notions.
Students shared their own coming out stories, and how some found acceptance from their family members to be difficult.
Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) is an organization which provides support for those going through a complicated time.
The question of identity was also brought up. “It’s a part of me but it’s not who I am,” said panelist Amy Miller. This was argued by Gigliello, who stated, “it IS who I am, I want everyone to know.” There are divisions within the community regarding ideas and lifestyle choices, but this is also interpreted as freedom of expression.
“Do Ask, Do Tell” succeeded in providing answers and a comfortable environment in which to discuss them. “I’m very grateful for the GSA to put this event together...I’m thrilled,” said Dutka.
A great deal of work was put into it by GSA members including Vice President Rodrigo Labbe, who moderated the questions. “I was amazed by the turnout,” said Labbe. “I feel like I’m definitely doing this for the right reasons.”
Despite the hardships faced by the community, they continue to press forward in togetherness.
“We’re a big family... We come from different places and we’re different colors but we’re all a family,” said Gigliello. “It’s okay to be different. The difference is what makes the rainbow.”
Interested in joining the Gay Straight Alliance? Meetings are held every other Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Central Park Cafe on Central Campus. For more information, e-mail Andrew Dutka at adutka@broward.edu.

Fit4Life: New club to help students stay fit at South Campus

By Jessica Poitevien
Staff Writer

With obesity and weight-related diseases reaching near epidemic levels in the United States, three Broward College students have taken a stand and created a new club, Fit4Life, which is designed to help its members improve their overall health.
It all started last year when Fit4Life advisor, Denise Brown, began discussing the importance of health and fitness with Melanie Tuitt, the president of Fit4Life. They both agreed that something needed to be done to help students become healthier.
“It was an idea that our advisor, Denise Brown, had and little by little it grew to what we have now with club officers and a few members,” Tuitt said.
The road to where Fit4Life currently stands was a hectic one according to Tuitt. Since last year Tuitt and Brown have been working to get students interested in this club, which would act as a support group to help people meet their health goals.
After a health and fitness workshop hosted by the Success Center prompted Fit4Life vice president, Marie Domond and secretary, Adriana Brito, to get involved, this new team of four began by promoting their group at Club Rush on South Campus.
With 27 new members joining Fit4Life, Tuitt said she considers Club Rush a success and gives some credit to their healthy snacks, which attracted people to their table.
“We were the only ones with food,” Tuitt said. “It got people talking and coming up to us.”
Everything is set for their first official meeting on Oct. 7 and the Fit4Life officers have several goals for the club and its members.
Brito said she realizes many people will join the club to improve their appearance, but she hopes they will aspire for more.
“It’s not always about having a good body and looking good, it’s about being healthy,” Brito said.
Brito once struggled with her weight and high blood pressure. She wants to use her experiences to help others take control of their health.
“If you have bad health, you need to tell yourself, ‘Stop.’ You need to think what are you doing right or wrong,” she said.
Domond wants members to learn about the importance of overall health, including nutrition and regular checkups with the doctor. She also envisions the club spreading statewide.
“I hope it goes to other colleges, so it can become a trend,” she said. “We all look for fitness. We all look to be healthy and look good,” she said.
In order to reach these goals, the officers are planning to meet at 1:30 p.m. in the gym on the first and third Wednesday of every month.
According to Tuitt, each meeting will be different. Some will have guest speakers who will discuss several health issues that students face, while other meetings will include group exercise.
“If it’s just 30 minutes a day of exercise or 2 hours for the week it makes a huge difference,” Tuitt said.
Overall, Tuitt wants people to realize that it is possible to lead a healthy life. “You can have a balanced lifestyle,” she said. “You don’t have to be in the gym every day.”

New Seahawks welcomed at Freshmen Frenzy

By Matthew Porche
Contributing Writer

Young, eager faces crowded into Broward College’s South Campus Gymnasium to attend the Freshmen Frenzy event on Oct. 3. The event was organized and put together by Rose Ortega, Director of Student Life and Development on South Campus, with the help of student advisor Dr. Matthew Pace, English professor Dr. Patrick Ellingham, Student Government (SGA), Student Programming Board, and Gay Straight Alliance (GSA).
Booths were set up around the gymnasium giving freshmen detailed descriptions about the numerous clubs and organizations available at BC. These clubs included Student Government, the Student Programming Board, the Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society, GSA, and ASPIRA organizations.
Dr. Pace, who hosted the event, explained why he thought the event was helpful to freshmen students. “Freshmen students attending the Freshmen Frenzy will learn that there are also other things they can do outside of their school curriculum, including clubs and organizations they can get involved in,” he said. Students were able to receive information on a new club called Fit4Life, created to encourage students to live a healthy lifestyle.
In addition to informing freshmen students about the several clubs on campus, areas of the gymnasium were set up to give information about ways students can receive financial aid, scholarships and legal assistance. “My advice to students is to get involved [with] as much as you can by getting connected with your peers and professors,” Dr. Pace said.
Between the commentary by Dr. Pace and Dr. Ellingham, who spoke words of encouragement to the freshman class, students were entertained by hip hop and salsa dancing performances, a team oriented beach ball activity and prize drawings that included a $50 gift card and an iPod Nano. “I really enjoyed the hip hop dancer [named Pablo], he was really talented,” said Karland Joseph, a freshman majoring in nursing. She felt she would walk away with better knowledge of her college experience. “The Freshman Frenzy was helpful because it elaborated on things freshmen students should know.”
Baret Hazell, a freshman majoring in architecture, enjoyed the event as well. “I would recommend this to other students in the future because you really don’t get a chance to interact with everyone in the classroom, and here there are fresh, familiar faces,” Hazell explained while enjoying lunch with his new friends.
Students were given a lecture on campus safety by Albert Smith, dean of business, and were explained how BC maintains a safe environment for students. Later in the event, the students were given a PowerPoint presentation by Dr. Ellingham, who spoke to students about the importance of becoming good learners throughout their lives. “Once you stop learning, you stop living, really, because there is so much more to learn about life than what you learn here in college,” he said. Dr. Ellingham went on to explain the relationship between professors and college students. “Our job as professors is [to be] here to help you along the way, as you find your way and discover who you want to be.”
SGA and the Student Programming Board also took the stage and performed a skit for the freshman, giving them information about the opportunities available on campus such as intramural sports and the campus game room.
After the event, students were given free Popeye’s lunches, and were allowed to tour the gymnasium and view the various booths that were set up. According to Laudy Oliverous , Central Campus student, the event was a success. “It’s really good to come here and learn new things, especially relating to how we can improve in college,” said Oliverous.

Slaves of a modern healthcare system

By Buzz Lamb
Staff Writer

Dr. Walter McConnell knows a challenge when he sees it. Dr. McConnell has climbed Mount Everest three times. In 1997 he biked across the U.S. with a group from Bucknell University, his alma mater and for 30 years he was the top master runner in his age group in the state of New Jersey.
Dr. McConnell, 78, retired from the medical profession in 2000 but he has always kept his finger on the pulse of healthcare in the U.S. Dr. McConnell’s latest challenge entails being one of the executive producers of a documentary titled “Money Driven Medicine.”
According to Dr. McConnell, the documentary was produced by Gabriel Film Group and Alex Gibney, director of the Oscar-winning “Taxi to the Dark Side.” It takes a look at the American medical marketplace and explores why, when it comes to healthcare, money can’t buy everything. It is directed by Andy Fredericks.
The documentary was inspired by the book, “Money Driven Medicine: The Real Reason Why Health Care Costs So Much,” by Maggie Mahar. Its New York Premiere was held on June 17, 2009 in New York City at the Society for Ethical Culture. According to Dr. McConnell, the 83-minute film explores how a profit-driven health care system squanders billions of healthcare dollars while exposing millions of patients to unnecessary or redundant tests. “We’ve got to get a handle on this,” Dr. McConnell said.
According to the website www.moneydrivenmedicine.net the United States has the most expensive healthcare in the world. Americans spend at least two-and-a-half times per person more on healthcare than any other developed country. But what are we getting in return for all that money?
Dr. McConnell said one of the major problems with healthcare these days is that medical students who graduate are virtually forced into specialization in order to repay student loans. “The lack of primary care in this country is going to cause serious problems if we don’t correct that situation,” he said. “At one point in my career, I got so disgusted with the way the medical profession was going in general that I co-authored a book called “Malignant Decisions.”
Dr. McConnell said Senator Mike Balkus (Montana), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, has recently addressed the issues of the lack of primary care. Balkus highlighted a new concept called the “medical home” in legislation he introduced last fall. Dr. McConnell and Dr. Dan Larsen from Hudson Headwaters Healthcare produced a YouTube video as well. In the video the two discuss primary care and what to do about it.
The “medical home” concept is based on the idea that stronger relationships between patients and their primary care doctors will save money in the long run. A “medical home” would coordinate all of a patient’s needs. Proponents point to research showing that 30 to 40 percent of medical care is unnecessary.
“Somewhere along the way, doctors gave up being decision makers. The decision making was taken over by insurance companies, HMOs and hospital administrators,” Dr. McConnell lamented. “They were telling us what we could do or what we couldn’t do even though I felt it might not be in the best interest of my patient.” In the documentary, Mahar says the word “care” is the keyword. “Is it just medical care or someone who cares?” she asked. “A physician puts his patient’s interest above all else. A corporation puts its stockholder’s interest above all else.”
In remarkably candid interviews, both doctors and patients tell stories of a system where medicine has become a business. “We are paid to do things to patients,” says one doctor. “We are not paid to talk to them.”
According to Dr. McConnell, Chris Matonti, a 1994 Bucknell graduate and president of Gabriel Film Group in New York City, asked Dr. McConnell to do a synopsis of what he felt the issues in healthcare were. “I wrote them all up and sent them to Chris,” Dr. McConnell said after Gibney read his one-page diagrammatic. He said, “Oh, Walter must have read Maggie’s book.” He had not yet read Mahar’s book but, after reading it, he said he realized at that point they were on the same page as far as the issues were concerned. That’s when he decided to join the 26-person investor team.
Dr. McConnell said the documentary in essence does not necessarily offer solutions. “It brings up all of the issues for people to look at,” he said. “It is an educational thing… these are the problems that are affecting our healthcare system.” Dr. McConnell said his YouTube video actually suggests solutions to the primary care crisis.
He went on to say “We have to give everyone in this country access to a healthcare system.” Yet he said he is opposed to universal healthcare. “Ask the Canadians if they are happy with their system,” he said.
Dr. McConnell feels that there are viable alternatives to President Obama’s healthcare overhaul plan. “My concern is that we already have people telling the doctors what they can and cannot do. Now they want to add the government and I just think that is wrong,” he said. “For example, they’re talking about eliminating certain procedures for those over the age of 65.”
He says that doctors today should be able to sit with a patient and talk about prevention rather than shuffling them in and out, treating them with medications. “It’s very important to talk about wellness rather than me seeing you when you are sick,” he said.
Dr. McConnell said that the vast majority of people who are being seen in the emergency room have insurance. “This is addressed in the documentary,” he said. “They are there because they can’t get in to see a primary care doctor!” He looks at Obama’s plan as a bailout. “Doctors have asked, ‘Can’t we fix it before we finance it?’ I think we are going about it the wrong way… [the government] wants to finance it and then they’ll try to fix it,” he said. “The motivation to fix it should be the fact that it is not being financed.”
Dr. McConnell emphasized that the documentary serves three vital purposes: get informed, get involved and be heard. “People will have a better understanding of our healthcare system after they view the film. They can go to the website and fill out a survey which will feed into Washington,” he added.

Mullikin documents history in an unique way

By Kara Spadone
Staff Writer

If a picture is worth a thousand words than Mildred Mullikin can write a novel! Mullikin, a former Broward College theater faculty member, has pages upon pages of photos, letters and more documented in her scrapbooks at the Central Campus library that are solely dedicated to BC’s history. Mullikan plans to return to BC on Oct. 21-23 to reunite with old friends, colleagues, students and most importantly her scrapbooks.
“Ms. M,” as her students refer to her as, was born June 26, 1928, and graduated from Lander University in South Carolina, earning her Bachelor’s Degree. She earned her Master’s Degree from the University of Alabama. “I’m an eighth generation South Carolinian,” noted Mullikin.
Prior to working at BC, Mullikin taught at Blue Mountain College in North Mississippi for 10 years. She accepted the theater position at BC after several phone calls from Dr. Elzie Lauderdale, BC’s former dean, and persuasion from her own mother.
After a visit to South Florida to explore the school formerly known as BCC, the environment ended up growing on Mullikin and her mother. “I think we both kind of fell in love with South Florida and I did with the idea of building a program from, truly, the ground up,” said Mullikin.
Part of the reason for Mullikin’s initial decline of interest in the beginning was because she was focused on earning her Ph.D. However, Dr. Lauderdale assured her that she could get her Ph.D. from the University of Miami while she worked as head of the theater department at BC.
Mullikin explained that her love of theater came from her mother, an organist, and her father, a Methodist minister and Shakespeare enthusiast. “I had a lot of creative input from both parents,” added Mullikin.
Aside from teaching students, Mullikin also directed several plays. She confirmed that she directed some of the time, and other times she would do the design of the set. “I did a lot of the technical aspects of theater, too,” stated Mullikin.
During the 30 years Mullikin taught as head of the department, an average of four to five plays and musicals a year were conducted. “That’s a lot for a major university, much less a community college,” said Mullikin.
Some of the plays and musicals included: “Finian’s Rainbow,” “The Sound of Music,” “Fantastiks,” “The King and I,” “Baby,” “Fiddler on The Roof,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and “The Corn is Green.”
There were many more plays and musicals which Mullikin directed herself, such as “Cinderella,” “Winnie The Pooh,” and “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.” These pieces were part of Children’s Theater, a program that initially was a way for live theater to be provided to elementary school children at the college.
Mullikin was associated with Children’s Theater, and firmly believes that children need to be taken to live theater when they’re very young so they are able to experience it at an early age. She mentioned that one must be carefully taught and introduced to all the things in the world that make it exciting. “I have nothing against movies, but live theater- there’s no substitute for it,” claimed Mullikin.
Throughout the years, Mullikin would save articles, pictures, letters, and information from all her work with the drama department, and spent 10-12 years compiling and completing the scrapbooks after she retired in 1990. She said that she always saves things that she thinks might be pertinent to history. “I guess you could call me a pack rat,” joked Mullikin.
The 50th anniversary of BC is Aug. 2010, and Mullikin wanted to donate the scrapbooks prior to the anniversary so that it would be available for everyone to admire.
The scrapbooks were created because Mullikin wanted to value and savor all of the precious moments formulated throughout her theater career. “Our past is so important, and we have to remember it and we have to look at it because it will help us with the future,” said Mullikin.
Mullikin’s scrapbooks are located in the Archives and Special Collections Department on the fourth floor of the Central Campus library. Come check out the history of BC, and the woman behind all of the theatrical tenacity!

Lady Seahawks fall short to Miami-Dade

By Igor Mello
Editor-in-Chief

In most sports looking ahead on the schedule could hurt a team, but not according to volleyball assistant coach Michael Zarate

In a dead-lock race for second place in the Southern Conference, the Lady Seahawks volleyball team stumbled to nationally ranked Miami-Dade College in straight sets (25-13, 25-16, 25-13).
“Everything must start with communication. Our communication today was absolutely horrible,” said Zarate, who is in charge of the team while head coach Caitlin Faulk is on maternity leave. “We have to be playing our absolute very best in order for us to compete with them.”

This was Broward’s third straight loss as they drop to 9-4, 5-3 in the Southern Conference. Only the top two teams in the conference are awarded a playoff berth for the state tournament.
With first place out of reach, Zarate feels the team must focus on defeating Palm Beach Community College (PBCC).

“We were hoping to use this match as good way to practice to get us ready for Palm Beach [Community College]. The result wasn’t as good as I was hoping for it to be, but that is what practice is for,” said Zarate.

Freshman right side hitter Allorie Sanders also felt that it wasn’t necessary to beat MDC.

“To be honest, it wasn’t that important. Our main competition that we need to focus on is Palm Beach [Community College] right now,” said Sanders.

PBCC is currently in second place, slightly ahead of the Lady Seahawks in the standings. Both teams have split the season series at one game apiece. The ladies will play host to PBCC. one more time on Oct. 22.

The team seemed to disagree about whether Miami-Dade’s long winning tradition is a factor on the court. Sanders admits that Miami-Dade intimidated her team and had a mental edge over them despite Zarate stating otherwise.

“They’re pretty big if you haven’t seen them,” said Sanders referring to the Miami-Dade players. “We just thought about how they did in the past… it got to our heads.”
Freshman outside hitter Jessica Mendoza also feels that intangibles such as mental edge can affect her sport.

“Volleyball itself is a very mental sport. It’s just a swing of momentum,” Mendoza said.
According to Mendoza, this team has the potential of being special and can possibly compete with the top notch teams in the state tournament.

“I think we all have our mind straight and that’s where our goal is. We all want to get to the top and we want to make it far. We don’t want to end our season here,” she said.

With only two remaining home games on Oct. 20 against Indian River State College and Oct. 22 against second place PBCC, home court advantage will be crucial for the Lady Seahawks.

Time for Cheney to stand trial for war crimes

By Fred Snyder
Contributing Writer

May 3, 1946 and Dec. 5, 2008. These two dates are more than 60 years apart, but what happened on these days can be seen as a measurement for how far we have come as a nation.
The first date marks the beginning of the The International Military Tribunal for the Far East, or as its more commonly referred to: The Tokyo Trials. These trials were led by the U.S. and a coalition of other countries that fought in World War II. Their goal was to put Japanese military officials and civilians that where suspected of authorizing , engaging in, or promoting war crimes against enemy prisoners of war and civilians on trial.

By the time the trials ended on Nov. 12, 1948, there were seven people sentenced to death and 16 sentenced to life in prison. Of those seven sentenced to death, five were found guilty of Count 54, which was for those thought to have ordered, authorized and permitted “inhumane treatment of prisoners of war (POWs) and others.” This makes what happened on Dec. 5, 2008 so historical and so disturbing.

On Dec. 5, 2008, ABC news anchor Jonathan Karl conducted an interview with former Vice President Dick Cheney. Cheney has done hundreds of interviews throughout his political career but what made this sit-down so special was that it gave a new title to the former Vice President; he was now an admitted war criminal. The question asked was, “Did you authorize the tactics that were used against Khalid Sheikh Mohammed?” The answer was “I was aware of the program, certainly, and involved in helping get the process cleared… and I supported it.” This program included the use of waterboarding on detainees at Guantanamo Bay. A 2005 Justice Department legal memorandum states that waterboarding was used 83 times on Abu Zubaydah and a total of 183 times against Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

This was not because of “a few bad apples” like in the case of abuse in Abu Ghraib, this time the torture was approved and promoted by Vice President Cheney. Waterboarding is performed by strapping a prisoner to a flat surface and pouring water into their nose and mouth to simulate death by drowning. It is obvious that this is a form of torture and that is why waterboarding was one of the “inhumane treatment(s)” listed under Count 54 in the Tokyo Trials, and it is to this day seen by every organization as a form of torture. Waterboarding is illegal and goes against both the War Crimes Act and the Detainees Treatment Act, and as it was over 60 years ago, the punishment, if found guilty, is death.

This admission by any elected official, let alone the second most powerful person in the country, is an offense that should have Americans taking to the streets and Cheney sitting in a defendant’s chair. But sadly this isn’t the case. It has been more than nine months since Cheney’s admission on national television but there has yet to be any strong outcry from the public or our elected officials.

We talk about how much we need change, but in a democracy, you can’t just say you want something then sit back and wait, you need to take action. Gandhi put it best when he said, “The spirit of democracy is not a mechanical thing to be adjusted by abolition of forms. It requires change of heart.”

We have a new administration but we also need to have a new mindset. The way to prove to ourselves, to our government, and to the world that we have changed is to punish the people of the last administration that showed blatant disregard for laws and human life. We must start with former Vice President Cheney because we have the evidence and we have an admission.
I am like the rest of the rational thinking members of this country in that I want to move forward and far away from the eight years of abysmal Bush administration memories. But we all need to have some closure. Americans and the rest of the world know that what the Bush Administration did (wire taps, outing CIA officials, starting wars on false information) were all morally wrong and in the case of former Vice President Cheney authorizing torture tactics, downright illegal. The ace that Cheney holds is the sad but true belief that Americans simply don’t care. This may have been true before but the time has come to change this way of thinking. Cheney is not any more powerful than you or I because he gets his power is from the people. This is the double-edged sword that is democracy. We get to have officials that we elect, but we also have to hold ourselves responsible for their actions. By silently observing criminal actions that take place on a national and global level, we are also be to blame.

One of the things that Cheney said is that when he looks back on all the things he has caused in the last two terms, he has no regrets. Well, Former Vice President/War Criminal Cheney, I wish the American people could say the same thing. What we can do is make our voices heard and our power felt. We must make it known that we won’t accept anything less than to see Cheney punished for the war crimes that he committed, and admitted to.

The Bush Administration supporters are always saying that “history will judge the Bush Administration,” but this escapist ideology cannot be accepted anymore. We cannot wait, we need to take action now and make Cheney stand trial. We cannot forget that we have the power to make Cheney pay for what he has done to this country, the American people and the world.
Lets get something done.

Visit myflorida.com and write an e-mail to the Office of Attorney General or Supreme Court of the United States.

The best way to "zone out" when traveling

By Brandon Audain
Columnist

Let’s get one thing straight, riding the bus is no fun. I do believe the very first time I rode the bus was the second day of school, in kindergarten.

On my first day of school I was taken by my mother, so I was pretty disappointed to have to ride the giant yellow bus to school.

Between the ages of five and 19, everywhere I went by myself, was on the bus, whether it be the city bus or the school bus. When I was 19, I received my current car, and I haven’t touched the bus since, and with good reason.

When I think about the bus, not many positives come to mind, but the negatives sure do stand out.

You know, like the smell, the noise factor, not being able to sit down, being late and actually missing the bus… there are too many to name.

However, as with all setbacks, one must find a way to cope with their situation, and I did just that.

In sixth grade, my bus experience completely changed when I got my first CD player. It was then that I learned the power of music, and how it seemed to change many situations. With those headphones covering my ears, the minor incontinences of the bus no longer seemed to matter, because frankly, I no longer noticed them. With my music taking control of my attention, riding the bus was no longer a pain.

As I would soon find out, there is different music for different situations. There’s music to drive to, music to sing to, relaxing music, etc.

There is also music that takes you away from your current position and places you in another; something I call “zone out” music. “Zone out” music is perfect for the bus for that very reason.
One example of such music is the first album by Kelis, “Kaleidoscope.”

The music on this record is so organic, so out-there, and so funky, that it’s almost perfect for long rides on the bus. The lyrics may not captivate you, but the production surely will. Released in 1999, acclaimed producers, The Neptunes, show no mercy on the production forefront. 13 of the 14 songs on the record are just about incredible and will take your mind for a spin.
I cannot recommend this album enough for the young adult sitting on the bus in frustration. “Kaleidoscope” is a journey that everyone should take.

My next example is from the rap group Mobb Deep, and their second album, “The Infamous.”
With its top-notch production and stellar lyrics, this could, once again, be the perfect album for this situation. The lyrics on this album are so unbelievable, they almost force the listener to imagine and visualize what’s being said.

You seriously will not believe the stuff being said on this album, which is far too gangster to be printed in this publication, but when you listen to songs like “Temperature’s Rising,” and “Trife Life,” you will fully understand where I’m coming from.

Once you start mentally seeing the lyrics, you will quickly be hooked by the production (which I would argue is the second best on any rap album, ever), and will have hopefully “zoned out.”
My final suggestion for this “zone out” time is from rapper Raekwon, and his debut classic, “Only Built for Cuban Linx…”

This album is basically a movie in CD form as it starts with two men, Ghostface and Raekwon, talking about how they would rather sell drugs for the rest of their lives and ends with one man’s revelation about life. This is by far, the greatest rap album ever produced and the easiest album to “zone out” to, and it should hook you on the first listen.

Similar to “The Infamous,” this album will have your mind visualizing images of the gritty New York streets, while trapping you with the production. It’s indeed a formula for success.
Before I learned the power of music, when I was riding the bus, the only place I wanted to be was “anywhere but here.” Music effectively allowed me to travel to different times and places at a very low cost.

Only through music can I travel back in time to 1995 to take my mind off of the present.
I want you to learn of this power as well, and if you already have it, pass it on.
Everybody on the bus is super miserable as it is; the least we can do is help.

Tigertales

By Sheri Wieseman

Staff Writer

Hanging out in the cafeteria and walking around the mall are no longer the only places for Broward College students to spend their time. Wouldn’t it be nice to go kayaking and windsurfing between calculus and biology? Seems like a comical idea, huh? What if these activities were free for BC students? Now they are.

Tigertail is the place for students to go to fulfill their water sports need. Everything from canoeing to rope climbing is offered and all activities are free for BC students. If students are looking for more intense learning sessions, they can choose to take part in a course. These courses are all one elective credit hour classes and are open to all levels.

The scuba course was designed in the early 2000’s and has grown to become an eight-week class. Students learn the fundamentals of scuba diving, such as snorkeling and safe diving. The class, which meets once a week, spends half their time in the classroom learning from ‘how-to’ videos, and half the time in the water. Divers can become certified with a Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) Open-Water Certificate by the end of the course. The length of the course is scheduled so that the four-hour class time is “just perfect... enough that you stay interested,” said Jon Groover, Senior Water Sports Coordinator.

The idea that Tigertail should have a scuba program was inspired by the lake’s rolling topography. World Water Sports is adjacent to Tigertail’s location and they help the program by lending out gear. Groover also thought up the idea to rent out the lake to other instructors in the area. This helps bring in more revenue to invest in the programs offered. Tigertail was able to acquire 15 sets of scuba gear and a compressor for the oxygen tanks with this money. Learning to scuba dive is an amazing opportunity.
“You become the anemone of the ocean,” said Groover.

Besides teaching open-water diving, the program offers confined water dives. This means learning skills in the safety of a pool. The pool is built into the lake inside of the existing dock. It has an eclosed shallow end that is 4 feet deep and the deep end of the pool is 10 feet deep. The lake also has a $100,000 dock.

Other activities and courses available are kayaking, sailing and windsurfing. There are also a multitude of other skill-based classes, such as underwater photography, basic lifesaving and a technical series of classes helpful to firefighters. Many courses are certified by PADI. Tigertail is an ideal learning location because it has its own private lake and the students are “not going to run into million dollar yachts,” said Groover.

The ropes course is another popular amenity for visitors. A group of at least 10 people can have an adventure-filled day working as a team for a common goal. Tigertail hosts many corporate events, which lets employees get out of the office. They work on their “interaction with each other, weaknesses and needs and get comfortable talking to each other,” said Groover. Once a month there is an Open Challenge Day for everyone to participate, and admission is free for BC students.

Another attribute of Tigertail is the adventure trips which last anywhere from day trips to five day getaway trips. The scuba trip costs $200, which includes food, lodging and boat trips. Anyone is welcomed on the trips, though participation in at least one course is suggested. The only test required is a swim test. There is also a surfing trip during the summer and Spring Break trips are also popular. Lake Placid, the Keys and Ocala National Forest are popular spots.
Michaela McGuire, a sailing and windsurfing teaching assistant, says her favorite aspect of Tigertail is “the multitude of different people... many different cultures,” She says the adventure trips are one of the greatest features of Tigertail. During the canoe trips to Blue Springs, it is not too uncommon to spot manatees. Students can “see all kinds of wildlife,” said McGuire. Tigertail “wants everyone to have fun and put a smile on their faces,” added McGuire.

Lensey Knox, 18, just started participating in the water sports courses. “Everyone should try it,” said Knox, “It’s different, something new.” Deanna Wall, 23, trained in lifeguarding at Tigertail and loves the adventure trips to the Keys. Once students start coming to Tigertail, they end up “being here everyday,” said Wall. “We are one big happy family.”

Tigertail is an alternative way to spend your day off and a way to learn new skills in water sports. Come on your next day off to dive to the lowest depth and discover a statue of Poseidon, or try your hand at rope climbing. Groover says Tigertail is “your facility, feel free to use it.”
For more information, students can visit the Tigertail website at www.broward.edu/watersports/ or call (954) 201-4500.