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.