Monday, June 29, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
FIGHTING REVIEW AND INTERVIEW WITH ZULAY HENAO
By Philippe Buteau
Copy Editor
I like fighting. And what do you know a movie comes that is all about that.
Channing Tatum, the twinkle-toed marvel from the original “Step Up,” plays as Shawn MacArthur a New York City bootlegger with a mean hit. Harvey Boarden (Terrence Howard) notices his right hook and gives him an opportunity to earn extra money fighting.
The story serves its purpose just fine, namely not getting in the way of the fist-to-cheek action. He fights, he gets paid, he fights, he gets paid more then he fights the final boss. MacArthur’s background is interesting, but the movie spends a bit too much time for my liking teasing something in his past which in turn takes away from the fighting.
I would have much rather learned more about Boarden, the used-to-be-big time hustler from Chicago. I don’t know how people from Chicago speak, but if Howard told me that they speak like his character, then I’d believe him. He delivered his lines with a voice and cadence that at first seemed annoying, but grew on me as I found out more about Boarden’s style and the kind of person he is.
The actual fighting in “Fighting” is bada**. The hits sound like they have real weight, and the reactions from the one hit add to that. I wish I could say more about how much I like the fights unfortunately there weren’t enough of them to talk about. Barely a handful of fights lightly sprinkled into a two-hour movie. Sure, I wouldn’t want them overdone but a little more would’ve made me happier.
Although the story stays out of the fighting’s way, the lovey-dovey stuff between MacArthur and Zulay Valez, played by Zulay Henao, is obtrusive. Throughout the movie they feel unnecessary and like something Montiel felt had to go in. The conversations between MacArthur and Boarden during the long no fighting moments add much more.
The fighting in this movie is sick, simple as that. I only wished the movie knew that or was more confident in it.
Interview with Zulay Henao
Zulay Henao, plays Zulay Valez in Rogue Picture’s upcoming movie “Fighting.” The following is an interview that I had with the actress prior to the film’s release.
Q: Your character shares your name. Can you explain how that came to be?
A: The director [Dito Montiel] really liked it and he asked if he could use it and I said yeah because a lot of people didn’t know how to say my name right. So I thought it was a good opportunity to present my name to the world and be like, “This is how you say it.”
Q: So when Shawn McArthur (Channing Tatum) says in the movie, “It’s like ‘July,’” did that come from you?
A: It did. Somebody said that to me when I was trying to tell him how to pronounce my name. He’s like, “Oh so it’s like July but Zulay.” And I said yeah and I was like that’s a good way to tell people when I meet them when they have a problem because it makes sense. So it worked. And I said it to them in the audition room and the director liked the line and he kept it.
Q: Would you prefer if she wasn’t named after you, or does that not really matter?
A: You know what, in the beginning I was like, “Do I really want it to be my name?” But I think ultimately it’ll be to my benefit. And I think it’s a different, unique, interesting name so why not. It’s fine. I never had a problem with it really.
Q: How was working with Channing Tatum?
A: He’s such a nice, genuine, sweet person. It was really fun. I mean obviously he has so much going on and there’s so much that he’s doing it was great for me to have the opportunity to work with him at this point in my career. So it was great.
Q: And Terence Howard?
A: Terence was very interesting to work with. He’s a very focused and intense actor, and I really enjoyed my work with him and watching him work. And it was great. He’s an Academy Award nominee and that’s a plus to work with someone on that level.
Q: Since he’s an Academy Award nominee, did he offer you any sort of advice?
A: He just told me to relax in my work. He told me to trust what I was doing, so I took those words and ran with it. Because he, well they both did, they all put me at ease.
Q: In the production notes you said that Zulay, Shawn, and Harvey strip each other to the bone. What did you mean by that?
I don’t think I was the one that said it.
Sorry.
A: But I think what they mean by that is that when they all meet, I think that they’re all in a very low point in their lives. These people are not people who necessarily would be friends had it not been for this fighting stuff. I don’t think that they would’ve met, or would’ve been friends under different circumstances. So I think what they meant by that is that they ultimately teach each other how to trust and love again and that’s important. Because I think, especially in a city like New York City, you’re beaten down and you’re just doing, doing doing and you’re not seeing the outcome the way you want it to be, you can get really down and low. So this is about them learning to trust each other again and to trust life and to get up from where they are to ultimately achieve their goals.
Q: How was Dito Montiel as a director?
A: He was a free director. He gave us a lot of freedom to make mistakes and to explore our characters. He was a very, very kind person. I think that his personality definitely comes through in his work. And I really loved and enjoyed his first movie [“A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints”] so I was very excited to work with him on this.
Q: What scene do you remember shooting the most?
A: The first scene because I was so nervous. It was the first day. It was the scene Channing and I shot in the park when I go up to him to apologize… to explain to him why I’ve been lying to him. It’s probably one of the most intense scenes for me. Because she’s now in love with this guy and he’s walking away from her. So it was pretty intense and it was the first day of production for me.
Q: Did you learn anything from this movie as an actress?
A: Yes I did. As you go, every job that you do I think you grow a little bit and feel more comfortable and more free to explore yourself, your experiences and what you can bring to the characters.
Q: Do you think viewers can learn anything from this movie?
A: I think aside from all the action and all the fighting sequences people are going to be able to take away something from the individual relationships that these people are making. I think we can all relate to being in a place in our lives where we’re not exactly that happy. I think that we can all relate to those moments. And I think in this movie we’re going to see three characters who are growing and evolving before our eyes and I think that’s going to be really interesting.
Q: You wrapped S. Darko (the sequel to “Donnie Darko”) before starting to shoot “Fighting”?
A: Yeah that was recent. That was last summer.
Q: Did you learn anything from that movie that you applied to “Fighting”?
A: Maybe just the experience of being on-set, but nothing from the movie itself or from the character. Samantha Darko is completely different; she’s a recluse and someone who is very dark. I don’t think Zulay is dark at all in that sense. So not from character to character, but just the experience of being on-set and working with different types of people.
Q: What do you think is the most interesting aspect of “Fighting,” whether it’s the story or the characters?
A: I think it’s that. Of course we’re all going to like the fighting sequences, but I think the underlying truth is that it’s OK to fall down, to make mistakes, and to get back up and try again. I think that’s what the movie is saying, “you have to get back up and just try again.”
Q: Are there any funny behind-the-scenes stories?
A: I keep coming back to the grandmother because I think that’s funny and everybody finds her funny. It’s been a while, so I don’t remember anything specific but working with my grandmother is a lot of fun. She brought a different energy to the set. She was really funny off and on-camera.
Q: She’s your grandmother?
A: No, no, no. [Laughs] My name. My grandmother. [Laughs]
Q: Seeing as Kevin Misher, one of the producers, created “The Fast and the Furious,” do you think “Fighting” has the potential to be that popular.
Friday, April 10, 2009
E-BOOKS HAVE A CHANCE TO DEBUT ON NORTH CAMPUS
Staff Writer
Innovative thinking by a group of three students on North Campus recently caught the Board of trustees by surprise. Every year, beginning in January, the Board of Trustees conducts three of their monthly meetings on each of the Broward College main campuses. At all of these meetings the students from the individual campuses do a presentation to the Board.
Michael Bramwell, Jewel Khan and Micki Racine used a PowerPoint presentation to illustrate a ground-breaking idea to address the issue of textbook affordability. “According to a recent study, the average cost for textbooks is about $120 per class,” Bramwell told the Board. “We are greatly interested in opening a new chapter in the affordability of textbooks for students at Broward College,” he added.
According to Bramwell, the Florida Legislature previously adopted Statute 1004.085 which required that by March 1, 2009 the State Board of Education and the Board of Governors shall each adopt policies, procedures and guidelines for implementation by community colleges and state universities, respectively, that further efforts to minimize the cost of textbooks for students attending these institutions while maintaining the quality of education and academic freedom.
Jewel Khan’s portion of the slide presentation included information about Miami-Dade College and Northwest Missouri State University. “Miami-Dade will be implementing their first e-book (electronic book) program this summer.
Thirty-seven students will be participating in the will have a choice of utilizing iPod Touch or the iPhone. It will allow students to sign in to class and give non-verbal responses to specific question with the flip of a button,” she said. “They will still have to attend class.”
According to Khan, Northwest Missouri State already has an e-book in place which has 500 students in 10 different departments participating. “Those students were provided with a Hewlett Packard (H/P) rental laptop computer, which is ironic because BC already has a contract with H/P,” she said. “The students are charged $10 per credit hour for the use of the laptop.”
Miki Racine, Phi Beta Lambda President, explained to the Board that each student selected the way they would get involved with an e-book program. “With that being said, I would like to introduce you to the new iPhone,” he told the Board. “Some of the features are that it is very flexible, convenient and compact. Books can be downloaded, stored and deleted.”
The next device Racine displayed was the Kindle 2 by Amazon.com. “I had the pleasure of experimenting with the Kindle 2 and I can tell you from my personal experience that it is great,” he said with a big grin on his face. Racine said that this electronic gadget is affordable and books can be downloaded to the Kindle 2 for only $9.99 and it is capable of downloading a vast number of newspapers and periodicals as well.
Racine showed the Board and the audience a brief video presentation describing the features of the Kindle 2. The video stated that there are over 250,000 book titles available on Kindle 2. “Moving on,” Racine said,” you’re probably wondering how this will benefit students. First and foremost is affordability. They create a way for students to save on the cost of textbooks.”
Racine said e-books are environmentally friendly as well. “It took 8.4 million trees to print the Harry Potter books,” he said. “I can download the whole series onto this little device,” he said as he waved the little 10-ounce unit above his head. Before Racine could turn the presentation back to Bramwell, Trustee Sosa-Douglas asked if she could get a hands-on demonstration of the new apparatus and Racine obliged by carrying it over to her. “I’m just blown away by this idea,” she said.
After the Board members took a few minutes passing the small device among themselves, the students were able to resume their presentation. Bramwell resumed by saying, “So, what are we asking for? Well, we’re asking for your endorsement and support for a pilot program for the fall semester of 2009.”
Bramwell said the North Campus English Department has already endorsed the experiment and has gone as far as authorizing e-books for two classes. “ENC 1101 (Prof. Karen Parker) and ENC 1102 (Dr. Tai Houser) will be using the Kindle 2 in their classes,” he said.
Associate Dean Jeffrey Nasse, who was sitting in the audience, told the Board that the English department was already using e-book in some of their classes. “They are much cheaper than traditional textbooks. Professor Parker is currently using one and Dr, Houser is using one as well in his class. These are much more than just reading. There are a lot of interactive activities and videos that go along with this as well. Faculty will decide which devices are appropriate”
Trustee Sosa-Douglass asked “How can we help you make this happen? You certainly have my full support as a Board member.” BC President J. David Armstrong, Jr. responded, “This is a grand experiment that we should explore and let these great faculty members and the students test it out for us and diagnose what bugs it might have and what challenges there are using e-books in our classes.”
A few days after the Board meeting, Dr Houser said he is pleased that the cost to the student will be less that if they were to purchase a traditional textbook. “I think e-books and the effective use of technology in the classroom, properly utilizing blackboard and its features, for instance, is really a great way for the college to become more learning centered,” he said.
“Students are engaged in reading all the time; e-mails, web pages, chat rooms, blogs, video blogs, etc. If 21st Century education is operating in a 19th Century paradigm, then education and educators are missing their primary goal. It’s fun for me because it’s asking me to step out of my comfort zone as an instructor and into a reality that belongs to my students.”
North Campus Provost, Dr. Barbara Bryan said she has always had an interest in finding ways to help students afford their books. She said she recently read a story about North West Missouri’s e-book pilot program and it looked promising. She met with all of the campus organization leaders and asked if there was an interest on the part of BC students.
In response to an e-mail inquiry, wrote, “E-text books are one on the few viable affordability options that colleges can consider. BC’s research study will focus on students and faculty satisfaction with the e-book format and the effectiveness of e-books as teaching and learning tools.”
Kindle 2 Overview
· Simple to Use: no computer, no cables, no sync
· You never have to locate a “hot spot”
· Utilizes EVDO high speed cell phone network
· No monthly wireless bills, service plans or commitments
· Buy a book and it is delivered in less than one minute
· Lighter and thinner than a typical paperback book
· More than 250,000 titles currently available
· More than 1,100 top blogs available
· Holds over 200 titles
· E-mail your Word documents and pictures to Kindle 2
· Top US and International newspapers can be auto delivered
· Has a text to speech feature
· 6-inch screen with 16-level grayscale electronic paper
· Kindle for iPhone allows iPhone and iPod Touch to access Kindle
· Current retail cost from Amazon.com $359
AN EASILY SURVIVABLE SURVIVAL-HORROR
Copy Editor
Imagine if Freddy Krueger entered your dreams and you Muhammad Ali’ed him until the sun came up. Or if the big breasted blond turned around and used Jason Voorhees’ own machete on him.
Despite the fun I had with Resident Evil (RE) 5 that is my major gripe with it, basically, not being horrified of the horrific characters.
I was sent to a town in Africa to capture some guy who I think was a biological terrorist, or maybe my bosses didn’t like his voice as much I. Then I received some information about an old friend and former boss. I had to rescue the former and stop the latter. He’s bad so I had to stop him, I get it. But why did he want to wipe out the human race? Agoraphobia?
BASEBALL A BIG HIT IN THE POLLS
Sports Editor
It was pure excitement.
The Broward baseball team jumped for joy in the locker room when they first learned that they were ranked first in the state, edging out rival Miami-Dade College.
“We’re finally being viewed as one of the top programs in Florida” said sophomore pitcher Joe Mata.
They held their spot strong in the poll for three weeks before MDC recently flip-flopped their spots, leaving Broward at a close second.
But the players aren’t concerned about that, they believe that the only standings that matter are the conference standings.
The Seahawks (12-4, 26-10 overall) are now tied with MDC (12-4, 32-7 overall) for first with four games to go. Broward is ranked thirteenth in the nation, while Dade, ranked fifth, has a little more respect from the national polls.
Both teams have identical records, identical amount of games left and against identical opponents.
Something’s got to give.
If they come out ahead of MDC at the end of the season, they will be awarded a first round bye in the Southern Conference Tournament which starts from April 27 and ends on April 30.
“It’s played out as I exactly expected,” said Seahawks skipper Bob Deutschman, who feels that his team is right there in the thick of things at the final stretch of the season.
Out of those four games remaining, the Seahawks will slug it out with MDC two more times, one at home then one away.
A first round bye could be critical in one of the toughest conferences in the nation. The Southern Conference is one of the few conferences in the state, let alone the country that has two out of the three nationally-ranked squads in the state.
Although they kept the last two games against MDC close, the boys in blue have only managed to outlast Dade once out of their six meetings.
“Up until this last series it was a bit mental with us,” said Deutschman.
He does admit that being swept by MDC in their first couple of series may have been mental, but says that his team has now overcome that.
“They’re good, but we’ve got Dade twice into our style of play which is low scoring,” said Deutschman, who later on uses a basketball term. “We cannot run with them, we have to play a very slow, methodical type of game which is what we did [recently].”
If they manage to keep their games close, they should be in good shape. The Seahawks are 7-2 in games decided by one run.
Despite gaining interest from the national polls, some players still feel like there are still doubters out there.
“We work hard because we don’t have the big name players like everyone else has and we come to the field everyday to get better because we know we have something to prove to everybody else because people still doubt us,” said Third Baseman Patrick Donahue, who is batting .344 with 16 Runs batted in.
Even though both teams are in a tight-lock race, the Seahawks shouldn’t overlook Brevard CC., who they face in their last two games of the season.
Brevard (5-10, 10-22 overall), is one of the weaker teams in the Southern Conference. Brevard gave the Seahawks a hard time last time they met, scoring 17 runs on Broward as they split both meetings.
“We just got to keep playing our style of game. Keep the game close and let someone get that big hit,” said Mata, who is 2-0 with a 1.87 ERA. “That seems to be the winning formula for us this season.”
YOU AND A GUEST ARE INVITED TO A SPECIAL ADVANCE SCREENING!
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WHEN YOU HAVE NO CHOICE, I'M YOUR MAN
-Brendan Connolly
My fellow Broward Collegians my name is Brendan Connolly, as if you didn’t already know that, and this is my bid for the Central Campus Student Government Presidential position. And even though, as I write this, there is no one, technically, running and I missed the entry date for the exploratory committee, I hope you don’t hold it against me. Help a brother out.
Vote for me. Vote for loose change.
One more term, at least.
LACKMANN (SCHOOL'S LUNCH COMPANY) WANTS TO NEGOTIATE
Staff Writer
Over the last couple of years, Student Government Associations (SGA) on all three campuses have voiced their concern over the quality and pricing of food in the campus cafeterias. SGA members on South Campus were advised not to even bring up the matter at their Student Forum in February. The issue was raised again in March at the Student Forum on North but, if history repeats itself (as the old saying goes) not much will happen.
Lackmann Culinary Services (Lackmann), based in Woodbury, N.Y. (on Long Island) has held the contract to provide to Broward Community College (BCC), now Broward College (BC), since Dec. 17, 2004. That contract is due to expire on Dec. 17, 2009 however it does have a provision in it for an automatic three-year renewal if requested by the college.
According to Bill Pennell, BC Chief Financial Officer, the food service provider preceding Lackmann was Sodexo, a French multi-national corporation and food service provider to over 600 campuses in the U.S. and Canada. Pennell said that when BCC released RFP 805-002, Food Service – College-wide, in November 2004 to secure proposals from firms interested in providing cafeteria service, catering and vending for the college, Lackmann was the lone company to respond.
Pennell said that when Sodexo was managing the food service it was costing the college over $200,000 per year. According to a letter dated Nov. 19, 2004, Lackmann’s financial agreement with the college allowed for a flat $28,000 commission in the first year; $28,000 commission or 18 percent of sales (whichever is greater), plus a 1.5 percent utilities charge in year two; and $28,000 commission or 18 percent of sales (whichever is greater) plus a 3 percent utilities charge in years three through five.
The letter also stated that Lackmann would invest $100,000 into the dining services at BCC and it was signed by Andrew W. Lackmann, Vice President – Development and Marketing. Pennell said that his office monitors Lackmann’s performance with regard to contractual obligations and indicated Lackmann has completed $70,000 of improvements to date.
Kathy Reese, an administrative assistant at Lackmann’s corporate headquarters referred all questions to their regional operations manager. Ed Godziszewski (“everybody calls me Eddie G”) called back to answer any questions. He said the company has enjoyed the partnership it has had with the college over the last four-plus years and looks forward to renewing that affiliation.
The contract makes mention of a food service committee and when asked if one existed Eddie G responded that he has made some requests from his side to get one going but nobody has wanted to participate. “There is not one on-going that I know of,” he said. He also said he was not aware that SGA had raised concerns about pricing and quality at the Student Forums.
“It’s really strange that they have these forums and then they don’t get back to me. How can I deal with the issues if I don’t know about them?” he asked.
According to Pennell, each campus, through Student Affairs, is supposed to have a committee to review customer service aspects of Lackmann’s performance. “I’m aware of initial meetings when I first got involved several years ago, but I believe there have been few, if any, meetings recently,” Pennell wrote in response to a question in an e-mail. Pennell added that in the past feedback has been provided to Lackmann where certain improvements can be made and they have adjusted menus to try to address student/customer concerns.
According to Eddie G, the predominant complaint on all of the college campuses, not just BC, is food pricing. “In the 35 years that I have been in the college food service business, that’s number one,” he said. He went on to explain that the company only operates on the campuses for approximately 30 weeks but they have to maintain their staff year round. “It’s just tough making ends meet,” he said. “There’s a lot of completion out there. Students bringing their own lunch…fast food chains located close to the campuses…it all adds up,” he lamented.
Eddie G also said it was a real test for his company when the college switched to block scheduling. “Business on Fridays is off 47 percent,” he exclaimed. “North Campus has been a challenge for us over the years as well, but now we have the right people (working) there.”
Lackmann provides food service for numerous colleges such as Hofstra University, Pace, St. John Fisher, Miami-Dade and Adelphi. Broward College SGA’s are not alone in voicing complaints about Lackmann. A Feb. 28, 2008 article in Hofstra’s college newspaper The Chronicle reported that their SGA issued a resolution addressing multiple issues with Lackmann including the fact that multi-cultural clubs were dissatisfied with the authenticity of cultural foods provided by Lackmann.
Student’s palates have changed over the years as well. According to a Feb. 25, 2009 press release from Sodexo, their customer insight experts culled through 20 years of menus in hundreds of cafés served by the company and in keeping with the latest flavor trends, came up with a list of the top 10 foods preferred by college students today, and 20 years ago. (See chart below)
Not everyone complains about Lackmann. Miguel Ramirez, Events Coordinator for BC Public Relations said he is very pleased with the services offered by Lackmann. “I get a lot of compliments regarding the food they serve. I use them 90% of the time when I plan events,” he said. “I think they would be very cooperative in resolving any student complaints.” Ramirez said he sometimes uses other caterers in the Fort Lauderdale area when he needs specialty or ethnic foods. “I think their pricing is reasonable as well,” he added.
Contrary to popular belief, Lackmann does not have exclusive rights, or the right of first refusal to the catering service for college events. For example, at the Student Forum on North Campus in March, Student Life chose Exquisite Catering by Robert to cater the luncheon. Event planners are able to get competitive quotes from local companies and from Lackmann as well.
As mentioned before, the current contract has a provision for an automatic three-year renewal. Eddie G said his company is currently working on a proposal requesting that the contract be extended. Pennell said the college would only do that only if it was in both BC’s and Lackmann’s best interest.
Pennell indicated that, as a rule, the BC Board of Trustees does not like to do that type of thing (contract extensions) so he believes the college may look to do another RFP to assure a solid competitive bid process.
In either case, Eddie G said Lackmann wants to continue providing food service to BC. “We just started hitting the mark as far as profit is concerned.
We will be happy to sit down and re-negotiate if that is what the college wants to do. After four-and-a-half years at Broward College, we know the business real well. We want to stay,” he said.
FOUR DAY SCHOOL WEEK SAVES COLLEGE MONEY
Staff Writer
Before beginning a college career, you remember wishing you didn’t have to go to class on Friday. The end of the week would inevitably come around and you’d think to yourself, ‘I don’t want to go to school, it’s the beginning of my weekend!’ Well, your wishes have come true. Recently, Broward College’s (BC) Board of Trustees unanimously passed a four-day workweek schedule for summer sessions.
This new schedule change is being made in order to help the school save money. “We are trying to attain cost savings in buildings that we close on all three campuses,” Dr. Edna Chun said.
Chun, Vice President for Human Resources & Equity, estimated that the savings to the college is projected to be from $23,000 to $50,000, depending on how many buildings are closed on Friday. BC Chief Financial Officer, Bill Pennell, said that his office would be comparing the utility bills from prior years to determine the cost savings.
Economics Professor Hugo Villegas said he loves the idea of the four-day workweek because it gives people more down time and not keeping students and faculty stuck in a room all week long will encourage them to be happier.
Courtney Grosse, Film/Media Studies major, is opposed to the idea. “I don’t think this should go on, it’s not a good idea, the great thing about college is that you can take classes whenever you want, whenever it’s convenient for you, and changing that just isn’t right.”
The libraries will continue to remain open, as will South Campus’ Aviation School and North Campus’ nursing program. In order to save money and conserve energy, BC will be closing unneeded buildings from Thursday evening through Sunday of each week during the summer session between May 11 and August 15.
During this time, security will be highly enforced to ensure that the buildings are not occupied or vandalized. BC President J. David Armstrong, Jr. also said he plans to have the college turn off air conditioners in the portables when they are not being used to save the school more money and conserve energy. Armstrong also said the maintenance department plans on taking advantage of the closure to do routine repairs while the buildings are unoccupied.
The four-day workweek plan will be beneficial to students by giving them more free time and cutting transportation costs. “There will also be a cost savings for students because they will only have to drive to campus four days a week as opposed to five,” said Armstrong.
Electrical Engineering major Luis Ballester said, “The school's [goal] should always be about what’s in the best interest of the student. The school has to recognize that it still functions thanks to the high attendance of students always enrolling.”
This plan is only in effect during summer sessions. “We could never do this year-round,” Armstrong added. “Our buildings are so over-utilized during the fall and winter terms that it would be impossible.” Armstrong said there is less demand for space in the summer, which is the reason the pilot program is being attempted during that time period.
IN WITH THE NEW, OUT WITH THE OLD WEBSITE
Staff Writer
A college website is the first glance of the school seen by eager students interested in enrolling. The website is where information about the college is found, how to apply and what it can offer to students looking to start or continue their education.
On Sunday, March 29 a new website was launched for all Broward College (BC) students.
“The new website will be easier for students to navigate and reduce the number of pages,” said Karen Peruzzi, assistant director of Web Support SVC of Information Technology at BC. The site, which has been in the redesigning process for two years now, was developed by five separate tech people from Information Technology.
Students were confused by navigation of the old website and this new site will be clearer for students to find things, said Peruzzi. Surveys were held at student events and open houses where students, faculty and parents were asked to look at the previous site and find what they didn’t like about it. “We found that it took longer for students to find links to certain pages they wanted to access,” said Peruzzi.
After researching student’s needs the redesigning process began. More color and a modern style were created for an eye appealing website, said Peruzzi. The new website is now more helpful to students and is connecting all campuses. It has many new options for current, transfer and future students making it more student-centric, it’s all about what they need and want, said Peruzzi.
The Career Center, Student Success and Campus Life are the new main navigation tools on the site. A dropdown search, a turning calendar, and having access to changing the announcements is all new to the homepage.
“I had just gotten used to how the website operated and now it’s changed making me have to learn how to use it all over again,” said Psychology major Alexandria Meyer.
After the website was redesigned, it was presented to Broward College Leadership for approval and later was launched.
Also a “maps page” has been added with a link to Google Maps that shows all of the campuses. Information about local transportation that is provided at BC is also available on the same page.
“Pages will all have certain links to them and the pages will be condensed,” said Peruzzi.
A tutoring page was added for all campuses and also a Child Care page for students who have children, providing information about the program for each campus. Page resizing and bookmarks are now on each page link; email is still set up the same next to student log in.
“I like how the new homepage has the BC Seahawks emblem, it makes it a more personal website and gives off the vibe of a more friendly school,” Amanda Ortega, Communications major said.
Students are able to voice their opinion on what they don’t like and what they would like to see on the homepage. “Surveys are there on the rotating announcements and on the Contact Us page, we want feedback to make sure the students like what is happening,” said Peruzzi.
