September 29, 2011 Edition

Volume 80 No. 6September 29, 2011

A LOOK INSIDE

Kilby Laboratory School held its fi rst-ever

reunion for students during homecoming.

Rape Response and other groups work to

raise awareness about sexual violence.

Matisyahu discusses his connections to

music and spirituality.

Local church offers an alternative approach

to spirituality.

Volleyball head coach Stephanie

Radecki reaches a milestone.

See page 11

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See page 5

See page 8

See page 9

www.FlorAla.net Student newspaper of the University of North Alabama

@UNAFlorAla

@FlorAlaSports

UNA offi cials recently reported to the board of trustees that es-timates for the new science and technology building are over the original expected budget.

The science and technology building to be located on Pine Street is expected to cost $41 mil-lion, according to current estimates given to UNA administrators.

One of the original estimates to build the science building came in around $35 million to complete. The current estimate for the build-

ing will cost $251 per square foot. The administration and board

of trustees have given their full commitment to build the science building, said UNA president Bill Cale. Cale said he has instructed the architects to continue working on the project.

“It is important to know that there is not a fi xed budget for this project,” Cale said via e-mail. “We have a signifi cant amount of mon-ey in reserve for this project, and the cost estimate gives us a sense of how much additional funding will be needed to complete the

photo courtesy of Michael Gautney

The projected image of the new science building, coming in 2012.

Science building costs over budget

Homecoming festivities donʼt disappoint

Homecoming queen Allison Ray and king Will Riley are crowned Sept. 24 at the game.photo by Malisa McClure

Homecoming concluded Satur-day with the football victory over Harding University and the crown-ing of the 2011 homecoming king and queen. Throughout the week, there were spirit competitions, stu-dent activities and alumni events.

Allison Ray, a senior from Huntsville, was crowned home-coming queen, and Will Riley, a junior from Tuscumbia, was named homecoming king. Both students were surprised and elated to be se-lected for the titles.

“It was an incredible feeling,” Riley said. “My heart was racing so fast, and I had the widest grin when they announced my name. I hon-estly had no idea.”

He said that it is an honor to rep-resent UNA as homecoming king, and is thankful to all the UNA stu-dents who voted for him. Riley, the vice president of University Pro-

gram Council, said that this year’s homecoming elections had the big-gest voter turnout in UNA history.

Ray said she was humbled to have been chosen by so many of her peers as the UNA homecoming queen this year.

“I’m pretty sure my face said it all: total disbelief,” she said.

The winners of Spirit Chal-lenges were announced Saturday at the game. Alpha Delta Chi won the overall spirit award, which is given to the organization that received the most points overall throughout the pep rally competition, window paint competition and parade fl oat competition.

“It was defi nitely a lot of hard work but so worth it in the end,” said Katie Birth, homecoming chair for Alpha Delta Chi. “I’m so blessed we have a great sisterhood willing to step up and help.”

Birth said the events took about two weeks of planning and constant brainstorming to pull together.

The parade took place Saturday morn-ing, and the winner of the parade fl oat competition was Phi Gamma Delta.

The pep rally competition occurred Friday night, featur-ing groups from all over campus, from Greek life to Resi-dence Life. Each group performed a chant and was judged and awarded for their performance.

The overall winner of the pep rally compe-tition was Alpha Delta Pi.

“The pep rally is one of Alpha Delta Pi’s favorite events, and with about 50 girls participating in our cheer, we knew we could make it stand out,” said Lauren Graviett, social chair of Alpha Delta Pi.

Graviett said that two sisters

worked together to come up with the words and movements and they taught the rest of the sisters in three practices.

“We had a blast learning it with each other, and I’m glad everyone seemed to enjoy it,” Graviett said.

photo by Malisa McClure

Kaitlyn Gowdy of Phi Mu performs her organi-zation’s routine at the pep rally Sept. 23.

photo by Darrick Dawkins

Una, one of UNA’s mascots, high fi ves students at the pep rally on the practice fi eld Sept. 23.

Thursday, September 29, 2011 • The Flor-AlaNewsCampus, local organizations offer help to rape victims

Officials see partying as concern on campus

Post-secondary education may be necessary

According to a recent article in The Chronicle, the “master’s is the new bach-elor’s.” Recently, the media has even gone as far as declaring that the bachelor’s is the new high school diploma.

Dr. Vince Brewton, director of the UNA Honors Program and associate professor of English, sheds some light on the media’s claim.

“There is some truth to the idea that a bachelor’s degree ‘means’ about what a high school diploma once meant, particu-larly if we are comparing the ‘value’ now to the value of a diploma during the boom

post-war years,” he said.However, Brewton notes that there are

defi nitely perks to having a higher degree. As the director of the Honors Program, Brewton sifts through numerous resumes.

“The data shows people with post grad-uate degrees make more over their life-times, and it’s just a fact that many fi elds now require additional specialization,” he said. “Sometimes, the graduate degree is needed to stand out in an ever-growing pile of resumes as the real unemployment rate climbs toward 17 percent.”

After four years of undergraduate class-es, two more years in a classroom are not always ideal for students.

UNA senior Ethan Cagle agrees that there is not one answer to the question of whether to pursue a master’s.

“There are lots of students who graduate with only a bachelor’s and are successful in the job market,” he said. “But, also, the degree opens up doors. It makes you more competitive.”

Melissa Medlin, director of Career Plan-ning and Development, offers a different perspective. She often deals with students who are debating between entering the workforce and continuing their education.

“Getting your master’s is about special-izing,” she said. “When I continued my ed-ucation, I had a purpose. But so many stu-dents are saying ‘I can’t get a job, so I may as well go to grad school.’ The question is, are you really gaining knowledge?”

In Medlin’s opinion, life experience can be just as valuable as a degree.

“Just having the education isn’t enough,” she said. “The degree is not a stand-alone. Many students will come out overeducated and under experienced. It’s a competitive market, and students need to hit the ground running.”

Both Brewton and Medlin want to en-courage students to make decisions that will have the best outcome and receive an education that will provide a future.

“All in all, education makes a difference in terms of future income and in developing good citizens,” Brewton said.

Glorifi ed by the popular movies “Old School,” “Animal House,” and “National Lampoon’s Van Wilder,” college parties of-ten contain promiscuous, spontaneous and out-of-control students.

While the movies make it seem like go-ing with the fl ow is the best way to have fun, Kyle Smith, intern for Rape Response at the UNA Women’s Center and president of One in Four, a nonprofi t organization dedicated to the prevention of rape, offers students advice on how to be safe while partying.

“In this area, we serve one student ev-ery other day, predominantly college-age adults,” he said. “The majority of (sexual) incidents included the involvement of al-cohol and someone considered an acquain-tance. Play it smart. Students tend to have too much trust for acquaintances.”

Being mindful of one’s beverage is also important, according to UNA police Chief Bob Pastula.

He advises that students watch their drinks and their consumption. Someone can easily slip something into a beverage without the drinker being aware. Students

also need to monitor how much alcohol they drink.

“Try not to drink to the point you lose your faculties,” Pastula said.

Vice President of Student Affairs David Shields said UNA faces similar challenges to other universities when it comes to party problems.

“Not to say UNA doesn’t wrestle with these issues would be naïve,” he said. “We are going to have these issues.”

Shields offers some advice to students.“I think the biggest thing is to be aware

of your surroundings, whether you’re walk-ing, going somewhere unfamiliar or taking a ride from someone,” he said.

He advises that students come up with a plan for the evening before they go out. The plan should include how to deal with pos-sible situations that could arise, such as un-wanted advances and how to get everyone home safely, whether it is by cab or even the Downtown Express.

Even though the Downtown Express was created as a means for students to visit local restaurants at night, it does provide a safe way home for students who have been drinking.

“I’d rather you get on that bus and get here than get in your car and not get here,” Shields said. “If you have been drinking,

don’t drive. I know it’s the old cliché, but it’s true.”

Rape Response in Florence served 188 victims of sexual violence and rape in 2010, translating to around one individual every other day throughout the year, according to offi cials.

Kathy Connolly, executive director of Rape Response, said 28 percent of those victims were women and men ages 19-24. She said college-aged people are one of the highest risk groups for sexual violence in Alabama and across the nation.

“This is a huge issue nationally, and the Shoals is no different,” she said. “Rape is the most under-reported crime, and even so, the numbers (we do have) are staggering. I think the main producer of sexual violence is vulnerability, and younger people are sometimes more vulnerable.”

Connolly said the biggest misconcep-tion about sexual violence is that it is the victim’s fault in some way, whether it stems from alcohol consumption, the way a victim dresses or whether a victim fought back.

UNA police Chief Bob Pastula reports eight forcible and three nonforcible inci-dents of sexual violence, which include consensual or underage sex, involving UNA students since 2007. He believes the statistics at UNA are low because students are afraid to come forward due to the shame and stigma sometimes attached to rape.

Excess alcohol consumption is a con-tributing factor in most incidents of sexual violence involving college students, ac-cording to Pastula.

“Students put themselves in that posi-tion by consuming too much alcohol, par-tying with people they don’t know, not having any of their friends around and not being aware of their surroundings,” he said.

Emily Horn Kelley, coordinator of the UNA Women’s Center, believes the human body resents intrusion and will fi ght back emotionally and psychologically when a person has been raped or affected by sexual violence.

She said women and men who have been raped should seek local resources and

counseling immediately to handle the dif-fi cult emotions that can develop as a result of sexual violence.

“You cannot get through this by your-self,” Kelley said. “This is something that will eat away at you from the inside out and has the potential of literally destroying you as a human being. The embarrassment you may feel now is nothing compared to the depression you will feel later on.”

Connolly advises rape victims to fi nd a safe place, refrain from brushing their teeth or showering, get a medical exam through Rape Response or local health provider and report the rape to university or local police.

UNA Police also offer free rape aggres-sive defense training to women, as well as educational programming about sexual vio-lence to all students.

Dr. Kim Greenway, director of student conduct, planning and assessment, reports fi ve cases of sexual misconduct involving UNA students through the Offi ce of Student Conduct since 2009.

Greenway said UNA Police are notifi ed when an incident of sexual violence is re-

ported through her offi ce and a full investi-gation of the misconduct begins. If offi cials deem the alleged perpetrator is a danger to the campus community, they take immedi-ate steps to remove that person from the university.

“Our concerns are the safety of individ-uals on campus, the attitude of that student


Nearly six out of 10 rapes occur in the victim’s home or at the home of a friend, rela-tive or neighbor. Sexual assaults occur often, and organizations like Rape Response are working to help victims and raise awareness about sexual violence.”Sometimes the graduate

degree is needed to stand out in an ever-growing pile of resumes as the real unemployment rate climbs towards 17 percent.”

-Dr. Vince Brewton

photo by Barry Minor

Partying is seen as a problem on many college campuses around the country. Binge drinking is one of the main prob-lems universities see with students.

Need help?

Rape Response - 256-767-1100Safe Place - 256-767-6210UNA Police/SNAP Patrol - 256-765-4357Florence Police - 256-760-6500UNA Offi ce of Student Conduct - 256-765-5012UNA Health and Wellness Center - 256-765-4328

Thursday, September 29, 2011 • The Flor-Ala

The Flor-Ala editorial board believes that the U.S. is one of the greatest countries in the world, which is why it is difficult for us to accept last week’s execution of Troy Davis, the man accused of killing off-duty police officer Mark MacPhail.

Hazy evidence and reasonable doubt did little to deter officials and a jury from ordering Davis’ death. The saddest part is that neither evidence nor reasonable doubt should never even be a fac-tor in a human being’s death.

The U.S. is one of the last remaining countries that still allows the barbaric practice that is the death penalty—the govern-ment-sanctioned ending of human life. Who do we think we are?

Is it truly that we are making a moral statement by killing our accused killers? The irony here is laughable.

Is it that we want them to never commit such horrendous crimes again? It seems that life in

prison would suffice.At least with life in prison

we can end the punishment for those suspected criminals who are later found innocent. And such an opportunity should prove useful for us, as nearly 200 prisoners on death row have been exonerated by post-trial evidence.

Moral standpoints and objec-tions aside, the unbelievable num-ber of death row exonerations alone should be enough to con-vince anyone that the death penal-ty is an outdated, flawed practice.

But it’s not enough, obvious-ly. More inmates are put to death each year in pro-capital punish-ment states. The irony is that so many supporters of the death penalty are the same people who vehemently oppose abortion.

So is it human life that anti-abortion, pro-capital punishment citizens value? Or is it the value of that life as interpreted by our flawed justice system?

Like it or not, innocent or

guilty, Troy Davis was a living human being.

If Americans choose to rank the value of human life, the sys-tem needs to be fixed. If even one person had been proven inno-cent on death row, that would be enough to prove that the system is full of holes—and we have 200 times that much proof.

The Flor-Ala editorial board feels that human life is human life. The value isn’t up for inter-pretation.

That’s not to say that murder-ers and other criminals should run free. We should keep them in prison for the duration of their sentences. At least the decision to send someone to prison can be reversed.

Nothing in life is certain--not even judgements handed down by our government--but death cer-tainly is.

The opinions expressed are the collective ideas of The Flor-Ala editorial board.

ViewpointsThursday, September 29, 2011 • The Flor-Ala

Flor-Ala looks for student feedbackFrom the first day that I began

writing for The Flor-Ala, I knew I wanted to be executive editor someday. I was passionate about journalism, and worked as hard as I could to get to where I wanted to be.

Well, now I’m here, and so far my run as editor has been interesting, to say the least. The stress and responsibility associated with the job has been high, but I expected that after working as an associate editor last year.

Last year, I dealt more closely with writers, while this year, I have mostly taken a step away from that role and am man-aging a staff of around 12 stu-dents. It’s an entirely new job and can sometimes be challenging, but I’m beginning to get into the swing of things.

So far, The Flor-Ala has faced the tornado outbreak in late April, controversial Division I decision, tragic death of a former student, a campus spoof newspaper, bomb threat on the day of our first dead-line, major technical difficulties and more.

But, we’ve been able to offer a more UNA-focused newspa-per, stronger editorial stance,

quality photos, regularly updated website, student-produced vid-eos, more distribution on and off campus and increased advertising revenue.

I try to encourage the edi-tors on a weekly basis to look at each issue criti-cally and see where we could have improved. We value constructive criticism from each other, but especially

from our audiences on and off campus.

One aspect of The Flor-Ala that is still relatively fresh is our presence on Facebook and Twitter. We’ve run into a few kinks, but have discovered how effective reporting the news can be through those media. We will continue to utilize tools such as live blogging to better inform readers of what’s going on.

One complaint I have heard about the new Flor-Ala is the lack of humor. We’re stuck between a rock and a hard place on this issue. We want to upgrade the quality of the paper and not rely solely on jokes for readership, but we want to keep students enter-tained as well.

Still, we recognize that humor

is what some of our readers want, which is why The Flor-Ala is brainstorming for innovative ideas to meet that need. We’re also looking for volunteer student and faculty columnists to write about topics that interest students, such as humor, politics, health, sex, technology, Greek life and more.

It’s hard for me to believe that this week will be the sixth paper we’ve completed together, not including the 48-page SOAR edi-tion we published in early sum-mer. There are only 23 papers left for this year, but I’m looking forward to seeing how the staff evolves and the paper grows.

All I can do is push my staff to continue to be ambitious, work toward a standard of excellence and maintain journalistic integ-rity. I want to thank each reader for sticking with us, and for shar-ing praises and criticisms of our paper.

We know that without our readers, we are nothing, which is why we will continue striving to produce the best campus newspa-per we can for you.

Lucy Berry can be reached at 256-765-4364 or [email protected].

Student newspaper of the University of

North Alabama

LUCY BERRY EXECUTIVE EDITOR

JOSH SKAGGS NEWS/MANAGING EDITOR

ANDY THIGPEN LIFE EDITOR

TOMMY BOLTON SPORTS EDITOR ALEX LINDLEY

COPY/OPINION EDITOR JORDAN BRADLEY

ONLINE EDITOR DEVIN KENNAMER

AD MANAGER SAVANNAH COMER

GRAPHIC ARTIST EVAN KING

CIRCULATION MGR MALISA McCLURE

CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER KAYLA SLOAN BARRY MINOR

DARRICK DAWKINS STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS

REBECCA WALKER ADVISER

EDITORIAL BOARD: LUCY BERRY

ALEX LINDLEY

PAWS UP, PAWS DOWN

Calling it like we see

it at UNA, in the Shoals,

across the state and

around the world

Alabama Arise, a non-profit group that lobbies to help the poor, recently set an agenda to put a stop to poverty within the state, following the new U.S. Census figures that one in six Americans are poor.

The Flor-Ala welcomes and encourages Letters to the Editor.• The deadline for submitting letters is 10 a.m. Monday, the week of publication.• Letters must not exceed 400 words. • Letters must be accompa-nied by the writer’s name, mailing address, phone number and e-mail.• The Flor-Ala prefers to publish your letters exactly as written, but reserves the right to reject slanderous or libelous material.• The publication of any let-ter is left to the discretion of the Editorial Board.• Priority is given to letters critical of The Flor-Ala, or written in direct response to an editorial, a column, or a news story.• When the editors deem it necessary for ease of understanding or to clarify facts, an Editor’s Note may accompany a letter.• Address correspondence to The Flor-Ala. UNA Box 5300, Florence, AL 35632.E-mail: [email protected]. Letters may also be submit-ted through our website at florala.net.• Phone: 256-765-4364

Letters Policy

Sprint and AT&T have joined with T-Mobile to create cell phone apps that help prevent distracted driving by putting a stop to certain phone functions when users are in their vehicles.

North Alabama local Weston Stewart recently became the national banjo playing cham-pion at the Walnut Valley Music Festival in Winfield, Kan. Sept. 18. Stewart’s win makes him the second bluegrass champion of the area, after local Dillon Hodges won the Flat Picking National Championship in 2007 at 17.

RegionalCare Health Partners, the recent buyer of Eliza Coffee M e m o r i a l Hospital, is c o n s i d e r i n g two locations in Colbert County for a replacement hospital after ECM is closed. This is in direct vio-lation of a contract which promised a 300-bed replace-ment hospital in Lauderdale County. The loss of the hos-pital could represent an eco-nomic blow for Lauderdale County.

In the last few months, around 15 young adults in T u s c a l o o s a have been sent to emer-gency rooms after consum-ing synthetic marijuana substances. Complaints of paranoia and rapid heart beat have been reported.

Congratulations to Ann Harkey for writing last week’s story of the week!

Copyright © 2011The Flor-AlaAll rights reserved.First copy free.Additional copies $1 each.

Capital punishment is barbaric practice

This Saturday, Oct. 1, Matisyahu is scheduled to perform at Norton Au-ditorium. The week before his show, Matis gave a few minutes of his time to talk about his musical and spiritual philosophy.

Who are your biggest musi-cal inspirations? What do you listen to in the car?

I’ve been going through a lot of old CDs lately. I moved to California, so I’ve been in the car a lot, so I’m deciding what to keep and throw away. This morning, I was listening to Phish and some Michael Jackson. I found an old one that I really like, too—the Temper Trap. I don’t really have just one band or artist I’ve been lis-tening to. If I like it, it infl uences me in some way. That’s the process: trying to fi nd your unique voice and blend the elements of the different types of music you like.

From your fi rst studio album to your most recent, there has been a big change in the sound. What has infl uenced that change? The main idea there is that the mu-sic isn’t staying stagnant. It’s constantly growing and changing. It’s very organic. It’s not like there’s one major realization that causes the change. The music is always a continuous process that’s mov-ing with me. I’m also sometimes creating different things at the same time. With “Light,” I

was interested in focusing on the vocals and really carving and crafting out the songs. I was also working with a veteran producer who was good at that. The next record I’m making, I’m with a younger, more hip-hop oriented pro-ducer, so it’s going to sound different. I’m not really limiting myself to one thing.

And your fans have been ap-preciative?

You can’t really make music based on what you made in the past or what people are going to like. You have to do what’s right for you.

What kind of messages do you try to convey in your songs and with your music? I try not to speak too much about it. For different individuals, music resonates and means different things. Even with lyrics and songs that have specifi c ideas, at the end of the day they resonate dif-ferently with someone, and I don’t want to limit them to my interpretation of what they mean--even though I wrote them.

Your spirituality obviously af-fects your music, so how has this inspired you along the way?

The two things are very much linked. When I was a kid searching for myself, it was about music and God and history. It’s always been about those different things coming together. It was never an option to make them separate; they all kind of blend for me.

So, would you say it’s a con-fi rmation of identity in some ways? It wasn’t so much an identity thing. Music was always powerful and dynam-ic for me. It was spiritual in the way it makes you feel and another way in how it makes you perceive things. Music and identity were always linked because I always felt a very strong con-nection to what I was listening to. As I started to discover and develop a sense of who I am, I started to blend my history

or my culture or my philosophical spiri-tual beliefs, and the music kind of grows out of that.

What message do you have to students who are still trying to understand themselves? It’s good to stay open to things. You shouldn’t be too concerned with won-dering who I am or what I am, but just to be in that stage of exploration. It’s impor-tant not to get stuck too early in who you believe you are, but to be open-minded.

Life Thursday, September 29, 2011 • The Flor-Ala

15 minutes with Matis

“Light” is Matisyahu’s third studio album. It was released in 2009 and represented an evolution in his approach to his sound.

photo by Jared Polin

As October approaches, people are being asked to volunteer for the upcoming events that Keep the Shoals Beautiful (KTSB) is taking part in. According to the offi cial

Keep the Shoals Beautiful website, the non-profi t organization is committed to promot-ing a cleaner, healthier and safer commu-nity. Through education, implementation and action, the organization strives to preserve natural resources. It also tries to alter bad

environmental behavior, such as littering, and turn it into a behavior that will help beautify the environment. The Shoals Chamber of Commerce es-tablished KTSB in 2007. It is the fi rst as-sociation of its kind in Alabama to have organized efforts throughout several cities. KTSB is driven toward making mean-ingful and positive changes to the commu-nity. “Our main focus is anti-littering, beau-tifi cation and basic good environmental practices,” said Judy Keenum, coordinator of KTSB. “The community always needs volunteers. Helping out with KTSB is re-warding, and it offers opportunities, such as scholarships.” Members of the organization are often found doing cleanups, putting additional trashcans and recycling bins out for pub-lic events, and making announcements re-minding the community to keep the envi-ronment a clean and healthy place for all. Keenum said students from UNA have been very involved with the organization in the past, and she hopes the contribution from the students continues. The organization believes that improving the environment begins with personal re-sponsibility.

Volunteers who support the organization are much appreciated. “I think that through volunteering, stu-dents build their character,” said Jennifer Brown, assistant director for Student En-gagement for Leadership and Volunteerism. “When you have worked toward something

bigger than yourself to help a community or a single person, it changes you and makes you see life differently. It gives you a great-er appreciation for what you have, or for what you do not have.” Brown, who works closely with KTSB, said that anyone is welcome to volunteer. KTSB is involved in several events in Oc-tober, including Oktoberfest, PALS litter pick-up, Adopt-A-Mile, Sam Phillips Mu-sic Celebration and the Renaissance Faire.


A statue of W.C. Handy stands at an entrance to Wilson Park in downtown Florence. Wilson Park is one of the areas that KTSB tries to maintain to keep it beautiful.

”I think that through volunteering, students build their character.” -Jennifer Brown

Volunteers needed to help keep campus, Shoals beautiful

Thursday, September 29, 2011 • The Flor-AlaImages

The land of a thousand waterfalls

Few people actually know the beauty we have in our own neck of the woods. One may be surprised to fi nd that there are numerous beautiful waterfalls only an hour from our own campus. Many fi nd themselves traveling thou-sands of miles to see a beautiful landscape, when, little do they know, they have an equally beautiful area hundreds of miles closer to them. I pride myself in my knowledge of the area known as Bankhead National Forest and my ability to share

the beauty of this area through my images. Anyone willing to do a little walking can drive to the trailhead and walk along the trail to most of these falls. Of course, there are also those that require some effort to locate. Anyone wishing to take a little trip can fi nd the information necessary to locate the falls online. I would like to challenge you to go out and explore the area that is close to us to fi nd those things that most do not realize are there. Find your outdoor escape.

By Barry Minor - Staff Photographer - [email protected]

Feature Thursday, September 29, 2011 • The Flor-Ala

Tweets of the week

DISCLAIMER: The tweets above are public tweets found on Twitter by researching hashtags involving UNA, Florence and other univer-sity-related topics. Want to see yours on here? Be sure to hashtag

UNA and Florence in your tweets.

During the September board of trustees meeting, questions were raised about where the additional funding needed to complete the building would come from.

“There are several avenues of poten-tial support open to us, and we are looking at all of them,” Cale said. “One is federal grant support, another is private giving, a third is to acquire additional funds through borrowing.”

UNA is working with EXP Inc., a com-pany helping architects and UNA adminis-trators design the building.

“We are working with experts in the design of scientifi c buildings and labo-ratories, and we will not take any actions that compromise the quality and integrity of this building,” Cale said. “Our aim is to build what we presently need and what will serve us in the future and to identify the necessary resources to accomplish that.”

After EXP Inc. came in and looked at the plan, the technology and building de-sign changed slightly, increasing the cost of

the building a small amount, according to Mike Gautney, director of facilities admin-istration and planning at UNA.

Dr. Brenda Webb, chair of the Depart-ment of Physics and Earth Science, said she is excited to teach and work in a building that was designed to be student friendly.

“I’m particularly excited about the spaces, classrooms and laboratories that will be inviting to students,” she said.

The learning environment in the build-ing will be greatly enhanced compared to the current science labs in Floyd Hall, she said. Webb said although a great deal of learning is going on in Floyd Hall, the new building will enhance learning and boost morale of both students and faculty work-ing in the building.

“The learning environment is going to be really conducive to interactions between faculty and students because of additional space and attractiveness,” she said. “The facilities will allow us to move into the fu-ture.”

The winners of window painting competition, which took place Tuesday, were announced Friday at the pep rally. Phi Mu was the overall winner of this competition.

David Johnson, UPC spirit chair, said that the events of Homecoming went well this year.

“I think the window painting went exceptionally well this year, and we had more people than ever for it and the pep rally,” Johnson said.

Johnson thanked all the students who participated, including faculty and staff who made every event possible and the UPC Spirit Committee for all their hard work before and during homecoming.

Friday and Saturday were not only huge events for students, but for alumni as well. Friday, there was the Jack Ke-arns Memorial Golf Tournament and the

Alumni Awards Banquet. Three UNA alumni were named Alumni of the Year, and several others were given service awards.

Carol Lyles, director of alumni rela-tions, was pleased with Homecoming 2011.

“I thought homecoming was larger than life,” Lyles said. “There were events with Kilby School Alumni, Kappa Sig-ma fi nally burned their mortgage after 27 years, men and women who went to UNA in the 1960s came back for the ded-ication of Florence and Stripling Halls, and there were large groups from every-where coming back and having their re-unions in their own special ways.

“It was about expanding our hori-zons, not just our legacy. It’s not only about building on our past, but looking toward our future.”

photo by Phillip Holcombe

The “Ghostbusters” homecoming fl oat (above) was one of many fl oats created by students, organizations and members of the Shoals community.

and how willing they are to take responsi-bility for the act and the likelihood of (the incident) happening again,” she said. UNA student Kaylie Watts, president of Alternative Break Board, is currently planning Sexual Assault Awareness Week, which will take place Nov. 7-11. Watts be-lieves the activities that take place during that week will open students’ eyes to an issue that is often overlooked on campus. “It’s not to scare people, but to educate the campus community that this actually does happen,” she said. “It’s to say, ‘Hey, this could happen, and this is what you can do to stop it from happening.’”


Thursday, September 29, 2011 • The Flor-AlaLife

The Prayer for Protection de-scribed the atmosphere at the Living Spirit Church on Wood Avenue in Florence on the morning of Sept. 18.“The Light of God Surrounds Us.”

The white building with the col-ored windows is an all-faiths-inclu-sive church following Jesus’ prac-tice of “the religion of the heart,” according to Spiritual Leader Vicki Goldston. Her message is that the light of God is in all people regardless of race, beliefs or actions. That light of God and connection with others is what she and her congregation focus on in every person that enters their doors.

“The Love of God Enfolds Us.” “Our doors are open with love, and we never know what we are going to get with our doors open,” Goldston said. “On Thursdays for 12 to 2:30 p.m. we have open door where we serve lunch. We never know who is coming, but there is always enough food to go around.” She said that many churches have the saying “What would Jesus do?” but her church really practices what Jesus would do by loving all people.

“The Power of God Protects Us.”

Goldston, a native of Chicago, and her husband, from Sheffi eld, are the founders of the church. They were al-ways believers of the New Thought Spiritual Community but had no place to go. “We are very different and we hug a lot,” Goldston said. The key to the power of her min-

istry, she said, is that practice makes perfect. She and her church family, sometimes just simply artists passing through or long time followers, prac-tice meditation and prayer as a way to fi nd the peace, love, compassion and joy of God. “The Presence of God Watches Over

Us.” Even though Living Spirit Church is nontraditional, all people can learn something from the service in the

white building, according to Hailey Boeck from Atlanta. A freshman at UNA in the Honors Program, Boeck said that Living Spirit made her ap-preciate church. Through the teach-ing of facing challenges through changing one’s perspective and prayer, Goldston and fellow min-ister Camille Bennett are happy to help anyone craving positive spiri-tual teaching, living and giving to fi nd his or her place. “I love speaking to young peo-ple,” Bennett said. “When I speak, my messages are defi nitely youth based.”

“Wherever We Are God Is.” In sorting out all the puzzles of this world, Goldston said one must start with oneself. Quoting spiritual statistics in her message, she said that by one person centering his or her life through prayer and scrip-tural practices, thousands can be af-fected. People who attend the church have open arms for new guests. Through poetry readings, chants, prayers, and other forms of self-expression, Living Spirit Church welcomes all that have an attitude of love into their ranks.“All Is Well and That’s the Truth.”

Living Spirit Church offers alternative beliefs

photos by Malisa McClure

The multi-colored, stained glass windows look out through different sides of the house, over Wood Avenue and Seven Points.

Spiritual Leader Vicki Goldston leads a small group on a Sunday morning at Living Spirit.

Th e No. 2 Lions football team looks to extend its undefeated season aft er their trip to Southern Arkansas this weekend.

Th e Lions were able to hold onto the vic-tory against Harding last weekend despite only having 25 yards rushing, compared to Harding’s 381 yards rushing for the game.

Th e Lions were lead by senior quarter-back Lee Chapple, who threw for 308 yards and three touchdowns, including two in the fourth quarter.

“He missed some deep throws early on in the game and started to hit those deep balls in the second half, and we needed that,” said head coach Terry Bowden.

Th e Lions also got some big plays from receivers Mo Milliam, Tristan Purifoy and Jason Smith, who combined for 261 yards and two touchdowns.

“When you play a team that loads the box to stop the run, you got to hit some of those deep balls, and we did that, and our receivers made some plays for us,” Bowden said.

Th e No. 2 Lions (4-0) will play their fi rst

true road game of the season against South-ern Arkansas (1-3), who gave the No. 5 Val-dosta State everything they could handle last weekend.

Th e Muleriders had a 21-17 lead going into the fourth, but Valdosta scored 21 un-answered points to win the game 38-21.

Th e Muleriders also played the Lions’ last opponent Harding the fi rst game of the season at home, but were blown out with a fi nal score of 63-14. Th e Muleriders had no answer for the Harding triple option, giving up 515 yards rushing for the game.

Th e Muleriders average 21.8 points per game against their opponents this year. Th ey are lead off ensively by quarterback Ty-ler Sykora, who averages 207 yards passing per game and six touchdowns.

Also included is running back Mark Johnson, who averages 93 yards rushing per game with fi ve touchdowns on the season.

Defensively, the Muleriders are lead by linebacker A.J. Steele, who leads the team in tackles with 27 on the season.

Last season the Lions blew out Southern Arkansas at Braly stadium with a fi nal score of 48-6.

Chapple completed 16 of 26 passes while throwing for 195 yards and two touch-downs. Th e running game had a combined 141 yards for the game.

Th e Lions will travel to Southern Arkan-sas Saturday with kick-off scheduled for 6 p.m.

Recently, UNA volleyball head coach Stephanie Radecki accomplished a goal in her sports career when she reached her 200th win.

Radecki was born and raised in Mead-ville, Penn. Th ough she started out play-ing basketball, her love for volleyball grew when she was fi rst introduced to it in 7th grade.

“All of my friends were trying out for the volleyball team, so I decided to try out with them,” she said.

Even though her friends were more op-timistic about trying out than Radecki, she was the only one of her group to make the team.

“I could not help but laugh and brag about it,” she said. “Th ey were not happy about it, but they were still my friends.”

From then on, Radecki played volley-ball from high school to college and served mostly as an outside hitter.

One of her most memorable games took place when she was a senior at Maplewood High School when her team won the state championship games.

While still in Pennsylvania, Radecki played volleyball for four years at Edinboro

University.She graduated in 1998 with a bachelor’s

degree in health and physical education. She served as a student assistant coach there and helped lead her team to win the league championship.

Th ere, Radecki was chosen as the Fe-male Athlete Player of the Year, Pennsylva-nia State Athletic Conference Player of the Year and captain of her volleyball team.

Later on, aft er leaving Edinboro, Ra-decki was selected to the 2008 Athletic Hall of Fame.

Radecki chose to make a transition from being in the game to coaching. Before com-ing to UNA, she earned her master’s at Au-gustana College while she was an assistant coach for three years.

She fi rst became a head coach for a vol-leyball team at St. Leo University in Florida.

In 2003, she fi lled the head coaching po-sition for the UNA volleyball team.“I love my team here in UNA,” Radecki said. “UNA is a great place for female athletes to get a great education and be success-ful.”

One of Ra-decki’s most m e m o r a b l e moments as head coach at UNA was when her team man-aged to defeat the No. 1 seed and played for the national championship.

More recently, Radecki captured her 200th win as head coach for UNA against the University of South Carolina-Aiken.

“I feel lucky to have had so many amaz-ing people cross my path,” Radecki said. “So many individuals have been a part of my career, and, because of their hard work,

dedication and trust, we have been success-ful together.

“It is always fun to refl ect on the expe-rience and the people that I have had the pleasure to work with through coaching.”

Radecki currently has an overall record of 201-88 for her UNA coaching career.


Sports Thursday, September 29, 2011 • The Flor-Ala

UNA volleyball head coach Radecki reaches milestone

”I love my team here at UNA. UNA is a great place for female athletes to get a great education

and be successful.” - Stephanie Radecki

Volleyball head coach Stephanie Radecki helps one of her players during a game.

Football team prepares for trip to Southern Arkansas

photo by Kayla Sloan

Senior running back Antwan Ivey during the homecoming game.

Game Recap• The Lions held on to a 28-20 victo-

ry against Harding despite getting outrushed 381 to 25.

• Senior quarterback Lee Chapple fi nished the game throwing for 308 yards and three touchdown, includ-ing two in the fourth quarter.

• The Lions got big plays out of Mo Milliam, Tristan Purifoy and Jason Smith, who combined for 261 yards recieving and two touchdowns.

Player of the week

Lee Chapple

Hometown: Alpharetta, Ga.Major: Business Management.Position: Quarterback.Stats: Completed 21-31 passes with 308 yards passing and three touchdowns, including two in the fourth quarter in comeback win.

Week at a glanceFootball

When: Saturday - 6 p.m.

Where: Magnolia, Ark.

Who: Sourthern Arkansas

SoccerWhen: Wednesday - 7 p.m. Sunday- 10 a.m.

Where: 1. Home

2. Carrollton, Ga.

Who: 1. Delta State

2. Christian Brothers

VolleyballWhen: Thursday- 6 p.m.

Friday- 6 p.m.

Where: 1.Carrollton, Ga.

2.Savannah, Ga.

Who: 1. West Georgia

2.Valdosta State

.

as

s

Thursday, September 29, 2011 • The Flor-AlaSportsSoccer team prepares for start of conference play


Sophomore forward Jennifer Osmond heads the ball down the fi eld against Southern Indiana earlier this year. She and the rest of the Lions prepare to open their conference schedule this week against Delta State on Thursday and Christian Brothers on Sunday.

UNA begins its Gulf South Conference play to-night, hosting Delta State at 7 p.m. with hopes to build off two non-conference losses and prevent more in-juries to the team. UNA stumbles into con-ference play with key inju-ries that include junior de-fensive player Julia Osmond and midfi elder Gabriella Madrigal out for the season.

Even with the injuries, UNA has found a way to keep winning (6-2) with their depth and the emer-gence of sophomore mid-fi elder Jennifer Osmond as the team-leading scorer. “Jen is an all-around player and has the ability to play anywhere on the fi eld,” said UNA soccer coach Graham Winkworth. “Her attitude is fantastic, and she has been real key not only in scoring goals, but has worked really well on defense.”

Delta State comes to town tonight (2-5) with wins over Spring Hill College and Freed Hardeman. UNA is not going to look past their record, especially with the

injuries that have plagued the Lions this season. “Delta just got a new coach this season,” Winkworth said. “Th ey are well orga-nized and also very diffi cult to break down.” UNA hits the road Sun-day against the Christian Brothers team (4-2-2) with an off ense that is averaging two goals a game and lead-ing in the conference in 0.5 goals allowed, which could be a cause for concern for the Lions.

In the two games the Li-ons have lost, they were held in check for only one goal in each game. “I believe high expecta-tions and the combination of teams playing great defense may have played a role in the two losses,” Winkworth said. “We have to be more clinical and make better decisions. (Christian Brothers) plays very attractive soccer, and they put a lot of pressure up the fi eld. It’s important for us to stop their breaks down the fi eld.” Th e Lions are coming off a win against Alabama State and a loss against Florida Southern last week. Osmond is coming off a big week, af-ter three goals and earning

GSC player of the week. Junior midfi elder Nikki

Brown is also coming off an impressive game against Alabama State, scoring three goals and one assist.

“We still try to stick to what we do best,” Wink-worth said. “We only had 16 players in the last game, in-cluding (Roberts) being out. Changes were forced due in part with the injuries that we have.” UNA is 6-2 and still primed to be one of the frontrunners in the confer-ence.

“Even with the two losses, I’m happy with the style of soccer that we are playing right now,” Winkworth said. “We want to win with the best soccer and continue to entertain our fans with the kind of soccer that hasn’t been seen here before.”

Th e Lions are sched-uled to play Delta State on Th ursday at home starting at 7 p.m. and will travel to Christian Brothers Sunday starting at 1 p.m.

Quick Recap• Last week, the Lions lost to

Florida Southern (2-1) but beat Alabama State (6-0).

• Jennifer Osmond scored three goals total and is currently the team’s lead-ing scorer. She was also the Gulf South Conference Player of the Week.

• The Lions’ overall record is 6-2, and the team begins conference play this week.

News Thursday, September 29, 2011 • The Flor-Ala

According to the U.S. Department of Education, 8.8 percent of borrowers who started repayment in fi scal year 2009 de-faulted on their loans, approximately 320,000 borrowers out of the 3.6 million. Of those who began repayment in 2005, only 37 percent paid on time and in full.

Shauna James, scholarship manager with Student Financial Services, said the economic recession is the largest factor in the rise of default rates. In recent years, tuition rates across the country have in-creased, while the average family income has not.

Defaulting on a student loan can have serious consequences in the long run. This can include inability to borrow for a car or house, wage garnishment, seizure of tax refunds, or even, in an era when employers increasingly check credit reports, diffi culty in getting a job, according to reports.

The number one way to help prevent student loan default is to not borrow more than you will need, said James.

“Keep in mind, these funds will have to be repaid,” James said. “If you don’t need the money, don’t take it out.”

Upon graduation, students are given a six-month grace period to seek employ-ment before beginning repayment of their loans. Two options are available for repay-ment, which are the standard and income contingent methods.

The current income contingent repay-ment plan was introduced in July 2009. Borrowers in repayment will pay 15 per-cent of their discretionary income for their payment for up to 25 years; after that, the remainder can be forgiven.

Workers in public service will also pay 15 percent of their discretionary income, but are eligible to be forgiven of the re-mainder after 10 years.

After 10 years, or 120 monthly pay-ments, borrowers employed in eligible public service will have their remaining loans forgiven. Such positions include military service, public safety, law en-forcement, public health, public education, social work in a public child or family ser-vice agency.

“Everyone is eligible for the income-based plan, but only if your income-based payment would be lower than the standard payment,” James said.

In order to begin repayment after grad-uation, students need to contact their loan servicer. To avoid default, borrowers will need to stay in contact with their servicer.

“They are there to help you and will work with you in making your payments,” James said. “If you are laid off, call and ask ‘What can we work out?’”

To manage current cumulative loan in-formation, students can visit nslds.ed.gov, which provides detailed information on loans.

Student loan default rises, officials blame recession

Kilby Laboratory School held its fi rst offi cial school reunion this past weekend. The two-day event allowed generations of Kilby students to interact and see the prog-ress the school has made.

Kilby was established in 1872, and the Parent Teacher Organization at the school felt it was time to celebrate its history.

“Kilby has an amazing history, and we wanted to do what we could to see that that history was not only preserved, but carried on into future generations of Kilby Cubs,” said PTO President Carole Maynard.

Planning for the event began in May when the PTO started collecting names of alumni and creating an alumni association to keep updates of past and future graduates of Kilby.

Maynard said that all Kilby alumni and former Kilby teachers and administrators, along with current Kilby families and mem-bers of the UNA community, were invited.

UNA’s Web Communications Manager Jeremy Britten attended the reunion with his family. Britten said that more than 350 people registered for the event.

“From what I could tell, it was a much desired event,” he said.

On Friday, Kilby hosted a pep rally with UNA cheerleaders, Leo and Una.

Friday evening the teachers hosted a movie night where Kilby students and the children of alumni could enjoy time togeth-er.

Britten said Kilby was well represented in Saturday’s parade with four fl oats. One fl oat was dedicated to the alumni, and the other three were for current Kilby students.

Attendees had the option to purchase tickets for a picnic with performances by Dillon Hodges and Eric Kirkman.

Maynard said that the playground was fi lled with different activities for the chil-dren to enjoy.

The reunion also held a silent auction. All proceeds went to help establish the Kil-by Alumni Fund through the UNA founda-tion. Some of the items up for bid included UNA-themed baskets, a watch from Mef-ford’s and furniture from Ingram’s.

Britten said the reunion was great for Kilby students to reconnect with former classmates and to see what current students are working on.

“The PTO would like to thank all of the UNA community for supporting this fi rst-ever Kilby reunion,” Maynard said. “Kil-by’s tie to UNA and the history we share is what makes Kilby the unique, special place that it is.”


Alumni of Kilby School had the opportu-nity to tour the school and participate in a silent auction during the reunion.

Kilby hosts first reunion

September 29, 2011 • The Flor-Ala

September 29, 2011 Edition

Documents

Transcript of September 29, 2011 Edition