Feb. 18, 2013 Issue of The Vanguard

“If it matters to the USA family, it matters to us.” VOL. 52, NO. 6FEB. 18, 2013

VANGUARDTHETHE

In this Issue: Life, Page 5

Sports, Page 8Opinion, Page 13

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TheVanguardUSA”TheVanguardUSA”

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Baseball comes back Baseball comes back swingingswinging

By JAYSON [email protected]

See YEAR YEAR Page 4

See SGA Page 4

T h e C o t t a g e Hill Civi-tan Club identified M o b i l e C o u n t y health of-ficer Dr. B e r n a r d E i scho ld as the Mobi l i an

of the Year recipient at the Mitchell Center last Tuesday. The Mobilian of the Year award is awarded annu-ally to individuals who make signifi-cant contributions to the local com-munity.

Among Eichold’s contributions are his campaigns against smoking

By Andrew [email protected]

Higher education rally affects future of state fundingHigher education rally affects future of state funding

The Student Government Asso-ciation met on Wednesday, Feb.

13 at the Fresh Food Co. to discuss vari-ous matters pertaining to SGA elections. The meeting was not held the previous Monday due to Mardi Gras.

Senate Pro-Tempore Elizabeth Mc-Donald proposed a number of amend-ments to the current homecoming and SGA election bylaws that are essentially meant to update and refi ne the election process.

Notable proposed amendments in-clude banning the use of sidewalk chalk under all covered areas and campaigning verbally in any building on campus on election day.

“It was also a problem during Home-coming with students approaching other students in dining areas on election day and, in essence, bullying for a vote,” Mc-Donald said.

Fines for violations of election bylaws were proposed to be increased from $1 to $10, and specifi cally from $1 to $15 for placing fl yers on trees or windshields. As part of the proposed changes, any candidate that amasses more than $25 in violation fi nes will be subject to disquali-fi cation.

There was debate among senators as to what exactly constitutes a violation. Many senators also called for a higher amount than $25 for candidates that can be disqualifi ed.

Furthermore, it was proposed that a candidate may no longer use their place of employment as a means of campaign-ing. “For example, if a candidate works at UPS or Kinko’s, they can’t, for example, make copies of fl yers there,” McDonald said.

Many other minor amendments were proposed by Senate Pro-Tempore Mc-Donald. The proposed changes will be discussed again and voted on by the sen-ate at the next SGA meeting on Feb. 18.

The SGA wants students to aware of important dates for this year’s SGA elec-tions. Applications will be available at the SGA offi ce in the academic support cen-

By STUART [email protected]

SGA bylaws SGA bylaws to be alteredto be altered

JT CRABTREE / LOC SPORTS EDITORTh e Jags start off the season with a winning sweep in their opening series. See full coverage on page 10.

Bernard Eischold

Eischold Eischold named named ‘Mobilian of ‘Mobilian of the Year’the Year’

The University of South Ala-bama and the other 14 public

universities from across the state of Alabama will all be rallying in Mont-gomery on Feb. 28 to lobby for more funding in higher education.

USA is attempting to get around 150 or more student participants to ride busses to Montgomery that day in an attempt to show their wants, for better support in the form of money, for higher education.

According to the website highered-partners.org, “Over the course of the last few years, the Education Trust Fund budget has been low in revenue and the amount of funding needed has not been available. During the past few

sessions, we continue to request for university appropriations that will help return the university community to the one-third portion of the Education Trust Fund. When universities do not have adequate support from the state, then the institutions have to cut pro-grams, reduce instructional capacity or raise tuition. These are not choices that are desirable.”

Students will be given the opportu-nity to speak with their state represen-tatives and show how much they want more support. There will be a possibil-ity to meet and talk with these politi-cians in a relaxed setting over lunch and let them know what is needed as students, faculty and a University as a whole.

“The program for Higher Ed Day

doesn't change a great deal from year to year. What does change is the stu-dents who get an opportunity to see and hear how they can make an impact on the future of higher education in our state,” USA Dean of Students Dr. Mike Mitchell said. “We continue to takes students to Montgomery so leg-islators know that the students at USA are voters and that they are concerned about their futures and the futures of college students to come.”

“It is our hope that students, who have never been to the capitol or who have never thought about the decisions that impact this campus and the other campus across the state, would step outside of their comfort zones and take the day trip,” Dr. Mitchell added.

USA’s SGA had a big and in plan-

ning the event again this year and as Dr. Mitchell said, there are students who are affected by Higher Ed Day enough to change their actions and views for the future.

When Zakary Gosa-Lewis went to the rally in Montgomery when he was a freshman, and now, as a junior he is part of planning the event.

“This is an opportunity for the stu-dents to get a glimpse at how things work and make our presence felt in Montgomery,” Gosa-Lewis said. “When I went to Higher Ed Day as a freshman it really caused me to want to get involved and do my best to make an impact. Now as a junior, I’m the person putting the event together, it’s pretty cool.”

Students are encouraged to “step outside of their comfort zone” and take this excused-absence trip to Montgomery to stand up for USA

See RALLY Page 4

VOL. 52, NO. 6 / FEB. 18, 20132

3VOL. 52, NO. 6 / FEB. 18, 2013

“University of South Alabama’s Student Voice”

Editor in ChiefCopy Editor

Life EditorOpinion Editor

Sports EditorLeft of Center

Senior ReporterWeb Editor

Cassie FambroAlyssa NewtonJake HowellNoah LoganPatrick HerringJT CrabtreeJayson CurryMatthew Strick-land

Editorial

Distribution Manager

Bobby Faulk

Distribution

Advertising Manager

Advertising Graphic Designer

Wesley Jackson

Mohammad Al-Zarrad

Rex McKay

Advertising

Advising

Accounting

J. SellersJ. AucoinKathy Brannan

Management

MissionThe Vanguard, the student-run newspaper of

the University of South Alabama, serves its read-ership by reporting the news involving the campus community and surroun ding areas. The Vanguard strives to be impartial in its reporting and believes fi rmly in its First Amendment rights.

PAGE three

Send letters and guest columns to: The Vanguard

University of South Alabama P.O. Drawer U-1057 Mobile, Ala., 36688.

[email protected]

Letters and guest columns must be received by 7 p.m. on the Wednesday prior to the Monday publication. Submissions should be typed and must include the writer’s name, year, school and telephone number. All submissions become the property of The Vanguard. The Vanguard reserves the right to edit letters and guest columns for length and clarity. Letters will be limited to 300 words. Letters and guest columns are the opinion of the writer. The Staff Editorial represents the consensus opinion of the Editorial Board, which is composed of the Editor in Chief, Copy Editor, Senior Reporter, and Opinion Editor. All members of the Editorial Board have the same weight. The Vanguard has a commitment to accuracy and clarity and will print any corrections or clarifi cations. To report a mistake, e-mail [email protected]. The Vanguard is published Mondays during the academic year, except for exam periods and vacations, and is published twice each summer. The Vanguard is supported in part by an allocation from student activity fees and operates in the Student Media Department of the Division of Student Affairs. Issues are available at most University buildings and select off-campus locations. The fi rst copy is free. Additional copies are $1 each. Freelance writers will receive payment at the discretion of the section editor and will be notifi ed.

Weather for Feb. 18-24Weather for Feb. 18-24

Twitter: StormTeam4g9wxFacebook: Facebook.com/StormTeam4Gamma9Wx

2/07:8:15- Burglary Third Degree. The Grove, Bldg 5.

02/08:8:01-Traffi c. North Drive. Passenger in vehicle stopped for traffi c offense, found to have warrants out of Mt. Vernon

police stations02/09

3:11-Reckless driving, DUI-Alcohol. Old Shell Rd and Stadium Blvd.

02/10:2:15-Information Only. The Grove, Bldg 9. Noise

disturbance and alcohol possession02/12:

23:16- DUI-Alcohol. Cleverdon Pkwy @ Old Shell

UPDATE:

A new development in the lawsuit fi led by Gil Collar’s parents occurred Friday as part of the lawsuit was

dismissed.Collar’s parents hired a law fi rm to sue the University of

South Alabama, USA police chief Zeke Aull and USA police offi cer

Trevis Austin. Recently the Vanguard acquired a court document that was an attempt by the University and chief Aull to have the lawsuit against them dismissed do to state-sovereignty. According to the document a public institution like USA and someone performing a role of duty as a University employee can’t be held responsible in a situation when discretionary

force was used. This past fall, former USA student Gil Collar was fatally shot by Offi cer Austin on the USA campus after Collar acted out of the ordinary in the early morning hours outside

of the USA Police department. The toxicology report later suggested that Collar was under the infl uence of drugs when he was fatally shot by

Austin. The lawsuits against Austin and chief Aull are still in place

at this time. -JC

USA Police BlotterUSA Police Blotter

251-460-6312251-460-6312

VOL. 52, NO. 6 / FEB. 18, 20134

Send a letter to the editor to The Vanguard.

Email [email protected] with your issue.

See it in print. Effect change.

The giraffe is irrelevant.

Contact the SGA at [email protected]

ter on Jaguar drive on March 1. Applica-tions are due at the SGA offi ce by 5 p.m. on March 18.

Those that submitted applications must attend a mandatory candidates meeting on March 18 at 5:15 p.m. at the SGA offi ce. Any applicants that cannot attend the meeting must send a represen-tative to the meeting in his or her place.

Primary elections will begin via jag-mail on Monday, March 25 and end on Wednesday, March 27. Run-offs will be-gin on April 1 and end April 3.

Dean of Students Michael Mitchell spoke to the SGA about USA students assisting the University of Southern Mis-sissippi and the city of Hattiesburg in re-covering from the tornado that damaged much of USM’s campus and surrounding areas.

“For the campus…they’ve actually done as much as they can do with human hands in reference to picking up debris,” Dean Mitchell said. Several hundred USM students volunteered to pick up limbs and debris on the USM campus on Wednesday, Feb. 13 according to Dean Mitchell.

“There’s still tons of work to be done in the [Hattiesburg] community and that may be where most of the need arises for people to help clean up and help folks to recover,” Dean Mitchell added.

The SGA encourages all South Ala-bama students to attend their weekly meetings to fi nd out about campus events and have a voice in SGA decisions as part of the student forum. The SGA meets on Monday nights at 8 p.m. in the conference room at the Fresh Food Co. near the residence halls.

SGA Continued from pg. 1

and rising teen rates, internal re-forms to allow locals easier access to health care and his role in numerous volunteer projects. A Mobile native, Eichold graduated from Tulane Uni-versity with various health degrees, as well as serving as an officer in the U.S. Navy.

Other nominees considered for the award were Dr. Barry Booth and Dr. Judy Stout. Booth is a practicing dentist best known for his Honor Flight Program, which sends hun-dreds of World War II veterans to Washington D.C. and his efforts to open a military cemetery in Baldwin County. Stout served as member and president on the Mobile County School Board.

According to Randall Eckhoff, president and chairman of the Mo-bilian of the Year program, the deci-sion process was tough but is con-fident the right decision was made.

“His resume is just so vast. He has several degrees. He has done so many things in Mobile County that, you know, I don’t want to use the words his time but when you com-pare the three, his resume is so much broader than everyone else”

The Civitan Club of Mobile, a nonprofit organization focused on community service, established the Mobilian of the Year program in 1948. The program was chartered to the Cottage Hill Civitan Club in 2007.

“The program was set up to se-lect an outstanding citizen from the city of Mobile that has done a lot of volunteer work to create a better city, to create a better community, to give people the opportunity to im-prove themselves through the arts, through education, through environ-mental programs, and so on and so forth,” said Eckhoff.

The University of South Ala-bama is hosting the ceremony April 4 at the Mitchell Center. The dinner is scheduled for seven o’clock, fol-lowing a reception at six o’clock. The University of South Alabama’s responsibilities for the event include providing a location for the cer-emony banquet and promoting the event. The university has no role in the selection process. The Univer-sity has hosted the event since 2007. The dinner is scheduled for seven o’clock, following a reception at six o’clock.

Mobilian of the year Continued from pg. 1

Gosa-Lewis is now the Attorney General of the South Alabama SGA.

In an email sent out to students on Thursday, students were asked to go to caslce.org/now to sign up for the rally. If students plan to attend they will be given an excused absence from their classes and provided a shirt for the rally. Students will need to be at the University Commons by 7am and bus-ses will leave at 7:30am.

Higher Ed Day CrucialContinued from pg. 1

Jag Bike program gets much needed updateJag Bike program gets much needed update

The Department of Campus Recreation has announced a

new update to the Jag Bike program at South.

Back in 2011, the University’s sustainability program, Jag Smart, unveiled the Jag Bike program that provided students with free-range access to bicycles throughout USA’s campus.

The 500 brand new jag bikes were welcomed to campus on Aug. 25, 2011, at the Jag Bike “Roll-Out,” where the bicycles were ridden on campus for the first time by students.

Jag Smart, which focuses on inte-grating “green” principles in recy-cling, energy conservation, trans-portation, campus construction and campus life, initiated the Jag Bike program to help reduce campus traf-fic and greenhouse gases by offering students a clean alternative to driv-ing cars.

The jag bikes could be picked up at bike racks around campus, ridden to class, and left for other students to utilize.

Unfortunately, it didn’t take long

for some students to begin taking advantage of the free bicycles.

Many of the jag bikes went miss-ing, and the ones that remained be-came badly damaged and were often so mangled that they couldn’t be rid-den.

Students began reporting sight-ings of jag bikes all over Mobile.

Sophomore psychology major, Alex Carper says, “I saw one on someone’s third floor balcony in Inverness Lakes. I honestly think it’s funnier to see them actually on campus now.”

As early as December 2011, it was estimated that there were less than half of the bicycles left on campus. Students were not respon-sible and careful with the bicycles like the program intended for them to be, and the Jag Bikes suffered.

Now, two years after the intro-duction of the jag bike, the Depart-ment of Campus Recreation has announced a new update to the Jag Bike program.

For a fee of $5, students can check out a jag bike for an entire semester. This way, students will be responsible for a single bicycle for the semester, and will be expected to

return it to the university when done using it.

The bicycles may be checked out from the Outdoor Adventures Cab-in, which is located immediately to the west of the student recreation center on Old Shell Road, between

the hours of 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., Mon-day through Friday.

The staff at the Outdoor Adven-tures Cabin is also offering free re-pairs to Jag Bikes, as well as repairs to students’ personal bicycles.

VOL. 52, NO. 6 / FEB. 18, 2013 5

JAKE HOWELL, JAGLIFE [email protected]

By EMILY [email protected]

WEEKLY LOWDOWN

6:30 p.m. - “Mobile in Black and White” Movie and Dia-logue time in the Humanities Building, Room 150.

7 p.m. - Black History Jeopardy Night in the Humanities Building, Room 150.

4 - 5:45 p.m. - Education Career Expo 2013 at the Laidlaw Performing Arts Center.

7:30 p.m. - USA Theatre Presents: “The Burial at Thebes” in the Laidlaw Performing Arts Center.

7 p.m. - “Black Sister Share” presented by Women of Excellence. Location TBA.

3 p.m. - Cooperative Eduction and Internship Program Orientation in Meisler Hall, Room 2100.

Monday, Feb. 18

Tuesday, Feb. 19

Wednesday, Feb. 20

Thursday, Feb. 21

Friday, Feb. 22

Want your event featured in the Weekly Lowdown? Comment on our Facebook page the name, date, time, price, place and a brief tagline (under seven words).

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Despite their infamous beginnings, jag bikes are still an inexpensive alternative to driving on campus, and renting one for the semester is a great deal cheaper than buying one of your own.

Mortar Board application a strong choice to makeMortar Board application a strong choice to makeBy BRANDON CATENGuest Writer, Mortar Board President

JAKE HOWELL | JAGLIFE EDITOR

6 - 10 p.m. - Bongo Ball Mania at the Student Rec Center. Must have USA Student ID.

►

7 p.m. - “Black Male Share” presented by Men of Excellence in the Epsilon 1 TV Room.

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6:00 p.m. - To Write Love on Her Arms presents “Lyrics and Conversation” at Satori. Focuses on mental health.

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What do you get when you mix scholarship, leadership, and service with 50 of the top seniors at your University?

Top it off with a dash of jaguar spirit and you get one thing: the Aza-lea chapter of Mortar Board here at the University of South Alabama.

As the National College Senior Honor Society, Mortar Board is based on three ideals: scholarship, leadership and success.

The phrase "Scholars... chosen for leadership... united to serve..." describes the influence of Mortar Board on the 239 campuses that they are located on around the country.

Now it is time for a new group of rising seniors to apply to carry on the legacy of Mortar Board.

Each year, the Azalea chapter ac-cepts applications for membership from rising seniors who meet the re-quired criteria to become members:

- Senior status by Fall 2013- Minimun GPA of 3.10- Interest in serving South Ala-

bama & the communityWith applications due February

24, the chapter is gearing up to selec-tion the 50 students who will take on the task of carrying on the Mortar Board torch, a task that comes with the challenge of keep the bar high.

The 2011-2012 chapter was awarded The Golden Torch award, an award given to only the top chap-ters nationally.

The Azalea chapter has worked to become a "role model" chapter, hosting events like Top Prof Ban-quet and St. Mary's Home Holiday Party.

In October, they collected over 1,000 books to be donated in the name of "Reading is Leading", the organizations national philanthropy.

Azalea chapter President Bran-

don M. Caten said, "Service does not apply to just the community and the alma mater, but also to our students. South Alabama students are the core to Mortar Board, and we want that to show however we can."

The Azalea chapter set up their award-winning endowed scholarship to award to a rising junior who is selected by a committee of current members.

Every applicant is then encour-aged to apply for Mortar Board the next year. Caten added, " It helps to reinforce the idea that Mortar Board is student-based."

Kristi Williams, the 2012 recipi-ent of the endowed scholarship will be one of the many applicants who are hopeful new members of the Azalea chapter.

When asked why Williams would want to be part of Mortar Board she stated, "It is an honor to ap-

ply to an outstanding honor society that provides opportunities for the scholastic elite to come together as colleagues and motivate each other towards professionalism."

She said she is most excited "to promote the values of scholarship, leadership, and service" to both the campus and her community.

All rising Seniors who meet the required criteria are encouraged to apply by the deadline of February 24.

The application can be found on the Azalea chapter website at South-Alabama.edu/MortarBoard.

Any student with a question can email the chapter at [email protected] or contact a Mortar Board member.

VOL. 52, NO. 6 / FEB. 18, 20136

Foreign language honor society brought to USAForeign language honor society brought to USABy KRISTEN [email protected]

HEY YOU.

‘Warm Bodies’ breathes life into classic zombie fun‘Warm Bodies’ breathes life into classic zombie fun

“What am I doing with my life? I’m so pale. I should get out more. I should eat better. My posture’s horrible. I should stand up straighter. People would respect me more if I stood up straighter. What’s wrong with me? I just want to connect. Why can’t I connect with peo-ple? Oh, right, it’s cause I’m dead.”

With those words, we are introduced to the post-apocalyptic world of “Warm Bodies” and R the zombie, played by Nicholas Hoult.

The premise of the movie is a loose adaptation of “Romeo and Juliet” with

By JAKE [email protected]

star-crossed lovers who just happen to be Hoult’s zombie and Teresa Palm-er’s human Julie. It’s hard to get more “forbidden” than falling in love with a corpse.

Hoult’s R, as previously stated, is a zombie who spends his days shuffl ing through a zombie infested airport, mak-ing small-talk with (i.e. groaning at) his best-friend, M played by Rob Corddry, at the airport cafeteria, and listening to re-cords in his own personal airplane/nest.

It’s when R, M and a group of the airport zombies, or corpses as they’re referred to in the fi lm, get hungry and proceed to wander about the city that the plot starts rolling.

The group of zombies catches the scent of Julie’s band of humans who are searching for supplies in one of the abandoned buildings. The resulting zombie attack leaves a few members of both parties dead.

This fi rst zombie attack, however, introduces one of the most unique ad-ditions “Warm Bodies” makes to zom-bie lore. The reason these zombies eat brains, as explained by R, is that the zombies can experience the memories of their victims as they eat.

R and Julie’s relationship starts un-conventionally, seeing as it’s during this zombie attack that R kills Julie’s boy-friend Perry, played by Dave Franco, and eats his brains. R experiences the memo-ries locked away in Perry’s gray-matter and begins to feel a shadow of Perry’s feelings for Julie.

As the fi lm progresses, R’s relation-ship with Julie begins to somehow re-verse the effects of the zombie virus. This miracle then begins to spread to the other zombies, but not all the zombies are on board.

Bonies, who are essentially animated skeletons with desiccated skin stretched across the bones and will eat anything with a heartbeat, are the zombies who are too far gone to save. They sense the change in the “corpse” zombies like R and M and being tracking R and Julie across the city.

When junior English and for-eign languages major Nicho-

las Knaebel noticed the glaring need for a foreign language honors society, he quickly consulted Dr. Zoya Khan of the foreign languages department.

“I was really surprised to fi nd out that we didn’t already have an honor society for foreign language studies on campus,” Knaebel said.

After thorough mediation, a meet-ing was announced in which the top students of the department, through the mutual leadership of Dr. Khan and soon-to-be-elected President Knaebel, would forge a new academic order: the South Alabama Chi Omega Chapter of the Phi Sigma Iota national foreign lan-guages honor society.

Accordingly, dual Vice Presidents Jessie Houston and Kristen Blosser, Secretary Ariane Weidner and Editor William Almeida undertook Knaebel’s challenge of recognizing and promot-ing academic achievement in the fi eld of foreign language studies and are now seeking aspiring underclassmen to fur-

ther the cause. The establishment of a South Ala-

bama chapter of this national honor society will benefi t foreign language students immensely and it is highly en-couraged that rising foreign language students become part of this presti-gious organization.

The academic goals of Phi Sigma Iota are to stimulate academic achieve-ment in the foreign languages by en-couraging the development of an academic community between students

Obviously, the zombies from the “Warm Bodies” world are quite differ-ent from traditional zombies. The mem-ory-eating aspect of the zombies, R’s quirky habit of maintaining a collection of things, including his record player, aboard his airplane, and their ability to learn all make these zombies refreshing.

Both Hoult and Palmer are likeable and fun throughout the fi lm. Hoult’s narrative voice overs provide a great deal of comic relief, often telling him-self when he fi rst meets Julie, “Don’t be creepy, don’t be creepy.”

Other members of the cast include John Malkovich as Julie’s father and commander of the local militia/army, Grigio, and Analiegh Tipton as Julie’s friend, Nora. Tipton’s turn as the best-friend is hilarious, especially when she begins grilling R, asking him, “How’d you die? How old are you? Because you could be 20-something, but you could also be a teenager. You know, you have one of those faces.”

Academy Award worthy, this fi lm is not, but it is defi nitely good fun. Despite a few plot holes, the characters and the actors’ performances draw the audience in and leave them entertained.

This reviewer would recommend “Warm Bodies” wholeheartedly. After all, where else could you see a zombie learn to drive?

JAKE HOWELL | JAGLIFE EDITOR

Say goodbye to judging books by their covers. The University Library is inviting the USA student body to go on a “blind-date with a book” by covering tomes with brown papers and only slight descriptions of what readers might fi nd underneath.

Jaglife Spotlight: bookish blind-datesJaglife Spotlight: bookish blind-dates

Into the downtown scene?

We need a Scene writer.

Bars, clubs, and night life articles are welcome.

Have bad service at a local restaurant? Excellent service?

Tell us! Write about it and let your peers know.

Email [email protected]

and faculty, to foster an appreciation of cultures beyond one’s own and to en-courage language development through community outreach.

One of the chapter’s community outreach projects that will be further developed and explored within the coming semester is the endeavor to pro-vide language tutoring services to high school students at St. Mary’s Home.

To qualify for membership, under-graduate members must be currently enrolled students at USA, have com-pleted at least two foreign language courses at the 200 level or higher, and have completed 45 semester hours or its equivalent in the university.

They must also maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.15, a minimum grade point average of 3.35 in foreign language courses, and rank in the top 35 percent of their class.

Based on these criteria, individuals who are eligible will receive an invita-tion to submit their curriculum vitae or current resume for review by the advisory council in order to select new members.

Any questions can be directed to Dr. Khan at [email protected].

COURTESY OF PHI SIGMA IOTA

JAKE HOWELL | JAGLIFE EDITOR

“Warm Bodies” offers up a fresh, unique take on zombie mythology while navi-gating a mine fi eld of cracked skulls and love that even death can’t stop.

7VOL. 52, NO. 6 / FEB. 18, 2013

Laissez les bon temps rouler: Mardi Gras 2013Laissez les bon temps rouler: Mardi Gras 2013By JAKE [email protected]

PATRICK HERRING, SPORTS [email protected]

10VOL. 52, NO. 6/ FEB. 18, 2013

Freshman Hayden Jones started his Jaguar career off with a bang, going 3-for-3 in his fi rst three at bats; he also recorded an RBI and a run. BY PATRICK HERRING|SPORTS EDITOR

Baseball opens season 3-0 in series vs. Stephen F. Austin

By JT [email protected]

The 2013 Jags baseball team has already done several things last year’s team never did. The biggest is having a winning record after a three game sweep of Stephen F Austin.

The Jags won their season opener 7-6 after being down by two runs in the bottom of the ninth. South load-ed the bases when Jordan Patterson reached on an error, Nolan Earley walked and Whitt Dorsey was hit by a pitch. Brent Mitchell then hit a two-run single to left to tie it. Robby Campbell followed with a walkoff sacrifi ce fl y to win it.

“I was just looking for one pitch, an inside fastball, and I got enough of it,” Mitchell said. “It wasn’t pretty, but whatever gets the job done. Ev-ery guy on this team battles to the end.”

Pitcher Tripp Cecil made his Jags debut, working 3 2/3 scoreless in-nings to pick up the win. SFA’s pitch-er Cory Maltz was credited the loss after working 2/3 of an inning, giv-ing up three runs, one hit, one run

and a hit batsman.“It’s always good to get a win, es-

pecially on opening night,” Head coach Mark Calvi said. “We faced some adversity, and any time you’re down and can win it late it is a char-acter builder.”

In Game 2, the Jags shutout the Lumberjacks to earn a 10-0 victory. Jacob Noble and Brandon Boyle combined to throw nine innings of four hit baseball. Noble pitched 5 2/3 innings while striking out seven with three walks. Boyle added 3 1/3 innings while striking out three to pick up his fi rst save.

“Noble went out there and did a good job,” Calvi said. “He took us to the sixth inning, and I thought he was outstanding. And I can’t say enough about Brandon Boyle and the job that he did today.”

Nolan Earley went 3 for 5 with two RBI’s. Freshman Hayden Jones added two RBI’s of his own.

“The thing I was most impressed with was that fi ve of our 10 runs came with two outs,” Calvi said. “That’s going to pay dividends down the stretch. You win ballgames with

two-out hits and RBIs. I’m proud of the guys for the way they approached their at-bats.”

SFA’s starting pitcher Kyle Cross gave up fi ve runs, none earned, over 5 2/3 innings pitched while striking out four.

In the series fi nale, the Jags pulled out to an early 2-0 lead in the second inning. The Jags and Lumberjacks exchanged runs until the eighth, when the Jags broke the game wide open. The game was tied 4-4 when the Jags sent 14 batters to the plate, scoring nine runs off eight hits.

“I kinda challenged the guys at the end there,” said Calvi. “I told

Going 2-1 on the series wasn’t good enough for us. We wanted the sweep.-head coach Mark Calvi

“

”

them we gotta fi nish the last three innings. I didn’t think they would fi n-ish it like that, but give them credit. The thing I’m most impressed with is we had seven different guys deliver RBI’s today.”

Dustin Dalken went 2 for 5 with three RBI’s in his fi rst start of the season. Jeff DeBlieux went 2 for 3 with two RBI’s, two walks and two stolen bases. Patterson also added two RBI’s of his own.

Jags starter Jarron Cito pitched 4 1/3 innings, giving up six hits, two earned runs with eight strikeouts. Kyle Bartsch pitched three innings of no-hit baseball to earn the win.

“It’s big to get a sweep anytime,” Calvi said. “We had to comeback twice, it’s a very important to win. Give our guys credit, they battled back. Going 2-1 on the series wasn’t good enough for us. We wanted the sweep.”

The Jags were also able to keep SFA shortstop Hunter Dozier in check, who was voted a preseason All-American.

“I think Coach Keller had a great plan going in for him,” Calvi said.

“We weren’t willing to give in on him. We weren’t going to give him a fastball down the middle 3-1. I was ok with walking him. He was the guy we chose not to beat us this week. Today we struck out 15 and only walked two, and I was very pleased with that.”

This is the fi rst time since 2011 that the Jags have had a winning re-cord or swept a team, a year in which they posted a program worst 23-34 record.

The last sweep the Jags managed to pull off was May 6-8, 2011 against Arkansas State.

The Jags will return to the dia-mond on Wednesday, February 20 at Stanky Field to host Alabama State. They will then return Friday, Febru-ary 22 to start a three game series against North Florida.

VOL. 52, NO. 5/ FEB. 11, 20139

Want us to follow you? Tweet us @USAVGSports

@USAVGSports

Hayden Jones @Hayden_Jones10:Second Baseman

Tarp has been on the fi eld for 2 days #OMG #letusplayalready

Kolton Peavey @OmgItsPeavzilla:Quarterback

This morning was the fi rst time I have been legitimately cold in Alabama. Was not expecting that!

Trey Anderson @UnoDosTrey123:Guard

Well...I don’t know much more about organic chemistry BUT I did watch about 50 harlem shake videos on youtube #priorities #studyprobz

Derek Westbrook @thedwestbrook25:Track and Field

When your rally hat works >>>> GO JAGS!!!

Ross Metheny @RMetheny15:Quarterback

“What’s the cutoff age for bringing ur ball glove to the game?” *Grabs mit walking out the door heading to opening day

Olivia Mohler @Olivia_Mohler12:Middle Blocker

I hate when I can’t fi nd my car at the Mitch. Had to make several laps today. #embarrassing

Drew Dearman @DrewDearman:Offensive Lineman

Jeremy Piven is the a-hole I picture myself being in hypothetical situa-tions.

Jake Howton @J_Howdy_86:Wide Receiver

Our Prof. is sick and wanted to just give our tests back, and we have now had 5 questions from students about next weeks homework. Really?

Rubit, Jaguars maul Ragin’ Cajuns, win 88-64

Sophomore guard Mychal Ammons fl ies through the air en route to two of the 18 points he dropped on ULL. BY JAYSON CURRY|SENIOR REPORTER

The big junior scored a career high 34 points in the conference winBy PATRICK [email protected]

South Alabama had won its previous three games by a

combined 10 points going into the home contest against Louisiana-Lafayette Thursday night. Against the Ragin’ Cajuns (9-17, 5-10 SBC), the lead wasn’t within 10 points at all during the second half as the Jaguars (15-9, 12-4 SBC) demolished the visitors 88-64. The win was the fourth consecutive for USA, who clinched the season sweep of their conference foes.

Interim head coach Jeff Price was pleased with his team’s effort after the game.

“It was good to see us put together a total game for two halves,” Price said. “In the second half we built the lead some, and we’ve had these leads before and we’ve allowed them to go down. It was good to see our team step on it a little bit and build this thing up instead of letting it go down.”

Junior forward Augustine Rubit had a stellar night, recording a career-high 34 points and pulling down 12 rebounds. He shot 11-for-16 from the fl oor and 12-of-16 from the free-throw line. Those numbers are even more astounding considering the fact he watched the fi nal fi ve minutes of the game from his cozy seat on the bench. It was Rubit’s fourteenth double-double of the season, pulling him to within one of the Sun Belt leader, Shawn Long of ULL.

When asked if the game plan was to go to Rubit a lot, Price said, “I think that’s the game plan every game. He had a great game down there and we felt like this was a game where he could have some success.”

The game looked like it was going to be another close one for much of the fi rst half before USA went on a 9-0 run to fi nish out the fi rst half, including a 3-pointer from the left corner by junior guard Antoine Allen with just 5 seconds remaining.

After taking a 39-28 lead and all of the momentum into the locker room, the Jaguars came out with more intensity to start the second period. Allen stripped the ball from Louisiana-Lafayette’s Bryant Mbamalu on the opening play and dished it to sophomore guard Mychal Ammons who threw down an emphatic dunk. If the Valentine’s Day crowd wasn’t already into the game at that point, they certainly were from that point on.

Midway through the half, Ammons hit a 3-pointer, which was followed by a jumper from junior Dre Conner to push the lead to 21. After then, the lead was more than 20 points for all but 16 seconds of the fi nal nine minutes.

Another triple from Ammons with 2:44 left in the game gave USA a 29-point lead—its largest of the game. The big sophomore recorded a double-double of his own with 18 points and 11 rebounds, to go with a pair of blocks. It marked the fi rst time since a Mar. 2012, game vs. Troy in which two Jaguars registered a double-double in the same outing (Rubit and Antoine Lundy).

Junior guard Dre Conner chipped in with 9 points and 5 assists. Senior center Javier Carter and Allen tallied 8 points

apiece.Louisiana-Lafayette came into the

game averaging the most points per game (71.3) and 3-pointers per game (7.1) in the conference. Against USA, however, they only hit 4 of 16 from beyond the arc.

For the Ragin’ Cajuns, Elfrid Payton scored 17 to go with 7 assists. Kasey Shepherd added 16 points for the visitors.

The Jaguars are back in action next Thursday night when they travel to play the conference-leading Blue Raiders of Middle Tennessee. They will return to the Mitchell Center next Saturday for a contest against North Texas before closing out the season with a trip to Troy.

USA Sports Briefs courtesy usajaguars.com

Women’s tennis downs FIU 4-3

USA freshman Michaela Meszarosova won at No. 2 singles 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (7-3) to clinch the match and the Jaguars’ win at the Bruce David Lubel Memo-rial Courts Friday. The win moved the team to 4-0 in their spring campaign for the fi rst time in fi ve years. Sopho-moresMary Angela Martin and Mariya Krachok won in straight sets for the Jaguars. Martin won 6-3, 6-2 at No. 6, while Krachok beat Guiletta Boha 6-0, 6-4 at No. 5. In doubles play, Martin and freshman Cinta Maria Papke shut out their opponent 8-0. Krachok and sophomore Ramona Ghermani were also victorious in doubles play, secur-ing the doubles point with an 8-3 vic-tory at No. 2.

No. 53 Men’s tennis falls to USM

South Alabama lost on the road to Southern Miss 4-3 Thursday. The Golden Eagles extended their win-ning streak to 3 games, while the Jag-uars dropped to 2-4 on the season. Sophomore Daniel Leitner won 6-4, 6-3 at the No. 1 spot. Fellow sopho-more Blake Gregor won 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 at No. 5. Junior Shayann Vaezzadah scored USA’s last point of the day with a 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 triumph. Earlier in the week, Leitner was named the Sun Belt Conference Men’s Tennis Player of the Week for his efforts in defeating three consecutive ranked opponents. The Intercollegiate Tennis Association has him as the 49th ranked player in the country.

Basketball’s Rubit honored

It was announced Monday that junior forward Augustine Rubit was named the Sun Belt Conference Men’s Bas-ketball Player of the Week. It is Ru-bit’s third time this season that he has been given the honor. In an undefeated week, Rubit averaged 17.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. He shot 46.2 percent from the fl oor and 75 percent at the free throw line. Add two blocked shots and a game-winning bucket against FAU last Saturday, and it ap-pears he was teh easy choice for the distinction. He is currently ninth on USA’s all-time scoring list (1279) and he is 100 rebounds shy of tying the school’s all time record, currently held by Terry Catledge.

Men’s golf places third at Gator Invitational

In the opening event of the season, South Alabama rode four scores in the 60s to a third place fi nish. Blake Kel-ley shot a 2-under-par 68, four strokes better than his previous season low. Michael Garretson, Tyler Klava and Lane Hulse all turned in a 69. As a team, the Jaguars were 5-under-par with a score of 275. The total is USA’s lowest of the season. Hulse tied for 23rd place individually with a 54-hole score of 215. Kelley fi nished in a tie one spot behind Hulse after fi nishing one shot behind him. The men’s golf squad is in action again Monday and Tuesday when they host the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate at the Magnolia Grove Crossings Golf Course.

10VOL. 52, NO. 6/ FEB. 18, 2013

By JAYSON [email protected]

The Lady Jags performed powerfully in pink as they topped Louisiana-Lafayette 53-39 Wednesday night at the Mitchell Center. It was the Jags’ annual “Pink Zone” game, a game in which the players and fans wore pink in support of breast cancer awareness.

The Jags (14-11, 7-9 SBC) used an 8-0 run in the fi nal minutes of the fi rst half, as well as another 8-0 run in the second half to help grab the win over the conference rival Ragin’ Cajuns (7-17, 1-14 SBC).

In the matchup, senior Mary Nixon had a double-fi gure outing as she led all scorers with 12 points. She was 5-of-7 from the fl oor, including a couple from long-range. The Jags had eight 3-pointers in the contest.

Mansa El also posted double fi gures, scoring 10 points. She also had 6 assists and grabbed 8 boards, which was just 1 shy of tying her career mark.

Post players Brianna Wright and Veronica Cherizol also pulled down 8 boards each. The pair also had a great performance defensively, helping to lead the Jags to a season-high 9 blocks. They set new career bests in the category. Wright had 4 blocks, and Cherizol had 3.

The bench performed well too. Ronneka Robertson came into the game and posted 7 points, as well as a game-high 10 rebounds. It was the junior forward’s fi fth outing in which she had double fi gures in rebounding.

The Lady Jags shot 40 percent for the game, including 50 percent in the second half when they made 9-of-18.

Despite having a 5-point lead in the opening minutes, it ended in Louisiana-Lafayette’s eleventh straight loss. Their lone player in double fi gures, Keke Veal with 11 points, was held to just 1 basket in the second half thanks to tremendous defensive play by the Jags.

“Every game you win in this league, no matter who the opponent, is very important,” head coach Rick Pietri said. “We answered well, and I liked the run we fi nished the fi rst half with to go into the locker room up eight. When we got to that 37-21 lead, I think our kids thought it was blowout time. It was far from in the bag. They got it right back to within six, but fortunately we hit two threes back to back. We did enough to win the game.”

South Alabama will travel to Murfreesboro, Tenn. to play Middle Tennessee next Wednesday night. They will return to play their fi nal home game against North Texas on Saturday.

Lady Jags think pink, defeat Ragin’ Cajuns 53-39By HANNAH BLACKBURNContributing Writer

Lady Jag softball hosts Mardi Gras Invitational

BY BOBBIE MCDUFFIE|USAJAGUARS.COMSenior outfi elder Britany Campbell heads for fi rst base in the softball home opener vs. Central Arkansas.

The University of South Alabama softball team took a commanding lead of the Mardi Gras invitational Satur-day. The host Jaguars swept there to oppo-nents in ole miss and Lamar to take a perfect 3-0 record in the tournament and a 6-1 record on the season. The jaguars fi nished last year strong after with a 40-16 record becoming Sun Belt champions and playing in post sea-son softball. The Jags came into this season carrying all the momentum and expectations of last season with them but they have yet to disappoint in 2013. USA started the season off with a big win over SEC foe Mississippi State outscoring the bulldogs 3-2. Head coach Becky Clark had led her team to three victories by the mercy rule so far this season including two in the Mardi Gras invitational. USA start-ed the tournament with an 11-2 blow-out of central Arkansas and followed that up with a 4-2 win over ole miss and a mercy rule 8-0 win over Lamar. The Jags will look to carry their suc-cess into the fi nal two games Sunday against central Arkansas and Jackson state.

The phrase is as cliché as it gets in sports, but when talking about USA basketball player Freddie Goldstein it’s true. He is number 11 in our program, but he is number one in our hearts That statement became every evident when in USA’s last meeting against Western Kentucky when Goldstein dove for a loose ball and was land-ing on by a much larger WKU player. Goldstein need assistance to even get up and was walked to the locker room for further evaluation. As he was helped off the court, Goldstein’s name was chanted by all fans in attendance at USA’s Mitchell Center.

The moment would prove to be even more bittersweet as it was de-termined Goldstein had broken his clavicle and would miss the rest of his senior season at USA. “All I remember is hitting the oth-er guy’s knee and I just knew some-thing was wrong. I’ve watched it on playback and it makes me sick every time,” Goldstein said.

“It’s really nobody’s fault,” He added.

After graduation high school Goldstein took three years off of school and returned to attend Mot-low State Community College where he became a two-time NJCAA All-

American. Goldstein was spotted by former USA coach Ronnie Arrow and brought in to help with guard play for the Jaguars. “I came to South because of the coach-ing. They let me know that if I worked hard I could accomplish something after school was over with and that was big goal for me,” Goldstein said. “I want to play overseas so coming to South gave me more playing time and a better chance to get my name out there. In his two seasons at USA Goldstein gave fans more than a few reasons to cheer for him, and his teammates. Last season he set most made three point shots in a game with nine and later tied his own record. The fi rst time Gold-stein made the nine deep balls was against in-state and conference rival Troy. This season before he was injured, Goldstein has averaged 8.1 points per contest and led the team with 105 at-tempted 3’s. Goldstein explained the Jaguar’s goal for this season was to make a run and win the Sun Belt conference tourna-ment and make it to the NCAA tour-nament, a place the Jags haven’t been since 2008. “The goals as a team would be to win the conference championship and have a chance to make it to the NCAA tournament as well. I just wanted to be

s o l i d c o n t r i b u -t o r , ” G o l d -

ste in said.

“I really w a n t e d to help a prog ram build. I wanted to be a part of s o m e t h i n g big.” And although the injury might have slowed him down, the resilient guard won’t give up.

w“I plan on coming back strong ad hopefully going overseas and playing professionally somewhere. I haven’t

given up at all. I know this is just a minor setback and I just have to keep my head up,” Goldstein explained. “And school fi rst. I just have to keep my head up and fi nish up and get this

degree.” Goldstein will be with his

team for the rest of the season

giving moral s u p p o r t as the Jags try to complete

their goals. The USA men

sit behind Middle Ten-nessee State in the eastern

division of the SBC with a 10-4 conference re-

cord.

Goldtstein endes career as USA fan favoriteBy JAYSON [email protected]

JT CRABTREE, LOC [email protected] OF CENTERLEFT OF CENTER

14VOL. 52, NO. 6 / FEBRUARY 18, 2013

The smell of fresh cut grass. The pop of the glove. The “whoosh” of the ball as it fl ies past you. The “ting” of the bat as it hits a ball. Hearing sta-dium music echo in the Gamma park-ing lot.

Baseball is back at South Alabama. But several students don’t know about the history of South Alabama baseball. Historically, we’re a good baseball pro-gram, a very good program.

Let’s take a look back.The Jaguar baseball program has

been around since 1965. During that time, they have won 13 Sun Belt Con-ference Championships, 24 NCAA Re-gionals appearances, 25 All-American selections and produced 22 Major Leaguers. On top of that, the Jags have amassed over 1,600 wins, nine fresh-man All-Americans and three Academ-ic All-Americans.

The Jags were so dominant at one point they didn’t have a losing record from 1966-1985. From 1966-2012, they have only had 4 losing season. That’s right, four. In 46 years of play-

By JT [email protected]

Jags baseball is a historical powerhouseJags baseball is a historical powerhouseProgram only has four losing seasons in its history, produced 22 MLB players

JT CRABTREE / LOC SPORTS EDITORNolan Earley, Whitt Dorsey and Jordan Patterson celebrate after a home run

Women’s Women’s golf starts golf starts

2013 season2013 season

ing baseball, the Jags have only had four losing seasons.

Throughout those 46 years, the Jags have only had four head coaches. Mel Lucas from 1965-68 went 50-44. Jim Crawford was head coach for one sea-son, going 33-11 in 1980. Eddie Stanky, the coach for whom South Alabama’s baseball fi eld is named after, was head coach from 1969-79, 1981-83. The Jags were 488-195-2 under his watch, including a number one ranking in the country.

That’s right; the Jags were the num-ber one team in the country in 1972, going 36-8 that season. They were so good, they had “We’re No. 1 in the na-tion” painted on their team bus.

Steve Kittrell was Stanky’s under-study, and he took over in 1984 was at the helm until 2011. Kittrell is the Jags all-time leader in wins and losses, fi nishing with a career record of 1,022-616-1.

Mark Calvi took over last year after spending a year as the pitching coach. Calvi came to South Alabama a year after winning a national championship with South Carolina. The Jags fi nished 23-34 in 2012, the worst record in pro-

gram history, in Calvi’s fi rst year.In Sun Belt Conference play, the

Jags have a losing record against only one team: Florida Atlantic. The Jags are 7-13 all-time against the Owls.

From 1996-2004, the Jags won the Sun Belt seven out nine times.

It’s ridiculous to think of how good the Jags are when you look at the stats.

Some great names have come through the program also.

Luis Gonzalez, who played in the majors from 1990-2008, played his col-lege ball at South Alabama. Many base-ball fans will remember him for having the walkoff hit in Game 7 against the Yankees in the 2001 World Series. Or how about the 57 home runs he had that season, good for third in the MVP voting.

Jon Lieber was a 20-game winner for the Cubs in 2001, the only year he was selected as an All-Star. He also led the league in innings pitched and games started in 2000.

Juan Pierre has led the majors in stolen bases three times in his 13 year career. He has also led the league in hits twice. He helped lead the Marlins to a World Series win in 2003 with his 65

stolen bases, 204 hits and .305 batting average.

Many fans know the name David Freese, who basically single-handedly won the St. Louis Cardinals a World Se-ries in 2011, when he was named NLCS and World Series MVP. Freese earned his fi rst all-star selection in 2012.

Baseball is tradition at South Ala-bama, and recently it has become more accessible than ever for students to go to a game. You get into any home game for free with a student ID, and you also have access to the party decks in right fi eld called “Jaguar Alley.”

In Jaguar Alley, fans are allowed to bring food, drinks, grills, chairs, tables, fl at-screen TV’s, whatever you can think of. You can even bring your own alcohol. You didn’t read that wrong. As long as you keep all your drinks in cups, you can bring whatever you want. The administration has said themselves that just want us to have fun at games. They even built a parking lot behind the baseball fi eld so you can easily unload your stuff.

Come out to a baseball game. Who knows, you might witness a future ma-jor leaguer in the making.

Courtesy of USAJAGUARS.com

USA women’s golf will open its spring schedule Monday at the Le Triomphe Golf and Country Club Collegiate Invitational, hosted by McNeese State, in Broussard, La.

Live scoring for the two-day, 54-hole event will be available at Golfstat.com. USA will compete with Centenary, Central Arkansas, Florida Gulf Coast, Houston Baptist, Lamar, McNeese State, Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston State, Texas-Pan American, Toledo and Xavier for the tournament title.

Ingrid Hagen led South Alabama in stroke average (77.00) in four fall tournaments, and will team up with Kristen Golightly, Anna Lesher, Ashleigh Ryals and Caroline Beebe to form the Jaguar lineup at McNeese State.

“Our focus is on the golf course and getting the tournament under our belt,” head coach TJ Jackson said. “We had six rounds of qualifying, and we had some good things happen in qualifying so now it’s time to fi nd out what we can do on a course we are not familiar with in a tournament situation.

“Kristen (Golightly), Ingrid (Hagen) and Ashleigh (Ryals) led qualifying and they led in the fall events that we played. They are continuing to play the best golf out of the seven (on the team). But that doesn’t mean they will continue to be the leaders, so we would love to see Anna (Lesher) and Caroline (Beebe) – who will be our (number) four and fi ve – step up and play as well as the other three have been playing. We want everybody to play well.”

Le Triomphe Golf and Country Club plays at par 72, and can be stretched to over 7,000 yards from the back tees, according to the club’s website, and features 12 holes in which water comes into play.

USA carries a team stroke average of 309.25 into the spring after four fall tournaments. Golightly ranks second on the team in stroke average (77.17), followed by Ryals (77.67), Lesher (79.33), Beebe (80.33) and Taylor Appleyard (81.44).

The Jags posted a season-low round of 294 at the ULM Fred Marx Invitational in the fall, and captured two top-10 fi nishes Jacksonville, Fla.

VOL. 52, NO. 6 / FEB. 18, 201312

The Vanguard The Vanguard ViewpointViewpoint

Go to Higher Ed DayHigher Ed Day happens every year and people

always ask why there are so many empty seats in their classrooms on that day.

Don’t be one of the ones that miss out this year.Many think that tuition has gone up due to the

new buildings and landscaping, but they’re wrong. See our article from June regarding the last tuition increase for full details. The short version is that the lack of state funding is forcing the money to run the University to come from somewhere else.

That somewhere else is the students.We used to be a state-funded school and now we

are a state-assisted school. USA is a public institution and should be funded

like one.Students complain every year about the price

they pay for the services received, but aren’t always on that bus on Higher Ed Day to complain to the right people.

Get on the bus. Go speak up.Tell the state lawmakers how you have to choose

between gas and food because what you make isn’t enough.

Tell them about how the process of filing your requests for student aid are so nervewracking you shake as you wait for the results to come back on PAWS.

Tell them that they need to remember that higher education is the road to a better life and that we need their help to keep it alive.

Get on the buses, USA. See the front page article to learn how.

As a country that loves its tradi-tions, the U.S. could stand to bring back one of its oldest: delivering the State of the Union as a written letter to Congress, rather than an address delivered to a captive (in an almost-literal sense) Congress and Supreme Court and broadcast for the morbid amusement of the American people.

On over 100 occasions in the na-tion’s past, this subdued State of the Union was the preferred method for letting the Legislative branch know exactly what a President was mess-ing up and what he intended to do about it.

Instead, the modern State of the Union is nothing more than a Presi-dent detailing his laundry list of quick-fixes and reforms in the hopes of uniting a gridlocked Congress and energizing a tired electorate.

President Obama’s fifth State of the Union address was no different. While the airwaves and blogosphere were awash with “fact checking” and analysis immediately after and a cou-ple of days following the speech, the ugly, sad reality is that nobody really expects the State of the Union to be anything more than a wish list, with the only variable being how many banalities the President thinks he can state with a straight face without snorting into the microphone.

In his speech, the President men-

tioned a few things of immediate interest to young college students such as ourselves. Obama advocated making America the beacon for jobs and business that it built the world’s greatest economy on.

Typically, the president proposed that this be done via the worst ideas possible for job creation, such as in-creasing the minimum wage to $9.00 per hour and adding ever-more debt to the laughably bloated American budget.

In this vein, Obama also ad-dressed “climate change,” which served nothing more than to high-light the cynicism the President brought to the occasion, as he seg-ued from creating jobs to tacitly en-dorsing the sort of job-killing and unnecessary “green” legislation many liberals favor.

Other initiatives of interest in-cluded a proposal to up the mini-mum wage to $9.00 an hour (why not 50 while he’s at it?) and educa-tion reforms aimed at making col-lege more affordable and pre-K schooling universal.

It’s been shown that graduating from college helps people get the kind of high-paying jobs that make the minimum-wage charade a dis-tant thought, and that preschool attendance sets a child on an ac-

celerated path in his or her studies. As with many of the president’s proposals, these would be fantastic policies, except for the continued inconvenience of having to pay for it all somehow, which would be that much harder with lower tax-paying employment and a dollar devalued in part by minimum wage laws.

The ideas the president advocat-ed in the State of the Union were uninspiring, dated and unproductive towards solving a single one of the problems faced by our country. Un-fortunately, this cannot be blamed on the president alone.

Our political system is slowly be-coming a slave to the spectacle and sound bite, and this is illustrated by an unnecessary and trivial yearly tra-dition that we would do well to rid ourselves of. It is a common refrain that our leaders in Washington are unable or unwilling to “get serious” about the problems we face. If they believe that this kind of inanity is what we the people want to hear, how can we blame them?

State of the Union provides State of the Union provides same boring, uninspiring resultssame boring, uninspiring results

VOL. 52, NO. 6 / FEB. 18, 2013 13

NOAH LOGAN OPINION [email protected]

OpinionOpinion

JagPulseShould Mobile have been given a chance to accom-Should Mobile have been given a chance to accom-modate the cruise ship passengers?modate the cruise ship passengers?

Stefanie Meena Yes. This story has made national headlines. Hosting the passengers would allow Mobile to be presented in a positive light on a national scale.

Julie Stone: That all depends on if Mobile Regional Airport had enough fl ights for the passengers. That may be why they opted for New Orleans. They have a larger airport and may of had more fl ights available.

Lauren Linder: Carnival has a

contract with Delta which fl ies direct to Houston from New Orleans, but at the Mobile airport only United Airlines fl ies direct to Houston, so Carnival is just being miserly and showing us how much they *really* don’t like Mobile.

Tara Gebhard: I mean, i can understand the Delta/direct fl ight thing. But if the ship is coming in tonight, then the passengers should stay HERE tonight, rest, relax,

shower, etc. and then go on the buses tomorrow.

Lindsay Byrne: Like my husband said “They need to put on a Mardi Gras parade on for them and show them the hospitality that Mobile can offer.’

Wesley Joel: Cumbest no thank you I bet they are fairly pissed off. thevanguardonline.com

TheTheEditorialEditorialBoardBoard

Editor in Chief Opinion Editor Life Editor Sports Editor LOC Editor

Cassie Fambro >Noah Logan >Jake Howell >

Patrick Herring >JT Crabtree >

VOL. 52, NO. 6 / FEB. 18, 201314

Mobilians need to know Mobilians need to know what’s in their waterwhat’s in their water

Dear Editor,

Water, besides the air we breathe, is perhaps the most important thing that goes into our bodies. It ac-counts for roughly 75 percent of the chemicals inside us. Water also helps administer nutrients to our or-gans and muscles. Because of this, it is very important to pay attention to what is in our water supply if we wish to remain healthy.

According to a quality report conducted between 2004 and 2009 by water utilities and provided to the Environmental Working Group (EWG) by the Alabama Depart-ment of Environmental Zants in the Mobile Area Water & Sewer System (which serves about 275,000 people) that far exceeded the health limit--but not the legal limit. The only toxin that did not exceed either is aluminum.

Radium, a radioactive element commonly found near uranium de-posits that is unsafe at any amount, was found to have an average of 1.47 pCi/L (picocuries per liter). The legal limit is 5 pCi/L. Though most radium swallowed is released from the body through bowel move-ments, around 20% remains in the body’s bloodstream and accumulates in the bones, releasing alpha and gamma particles. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, “Inhaled or ingested radium in-creases the risk of developing such diseases as lymphoma, bone cancer, and diseases that affect the forma-tion of blood, such as leukemia and aplastic anemia.”

Other pollutants that exceeded the health limit are chloroform, bromodichloromethane, dibro-mochloromethane, trihalometh-

anes (THMs), and haloacetic acids (HAAs).

All of these chemicals are disin-fectants, which could be used as an excuse for putting them in the wa-ter supply, but they are all also very harmful to the body.

According to the EWG, “Total trihalomethanes constitute the sum of four disinfection byproducts: chloroform, bromodichlorometh-ane, dibromochloromethane, and bromoform.” And according to the New Hampshire Department of En-vironmental Services, “Chronic oral exposure of humans to chloroform at high doses results in adverse ef-fects on the central nervous system, liver, kidneys and heart.” Is 80 ppb considered a high dose? That’s the legal limit. The health limit, how-ever, is only 5.7 ppb.

The purpose of this article is not to scare anyone into not drinking Mobile’s water, nor is it to raise mar-ket sales for Brita water filters (which I actually do suggest investing in). The point is to raise awareness of a very pressing health issue in our city. The laws regarding our water supply quite obviously do not cor-respond with our health and need to be changed to reflect health. Instead of putting chloroform or radium in our water which damages our health, why not fortify it with vitamins and minerals that benefit our health?

For more information on the pollutants found in the EWG’s re-port, visit http://www.ewg.org/tap-water/whatsinyourwater/AL/Mobi le-Area-Water--Sewer-Sys-tem/0001005/

C.Parker

An appeal for single-payer healthcare An appeal for single-payer healthcare

In the raging debate over healthcare in the United States, many questions of the morality or the effectiveness of universal healthcare are asked. Some may wonder what the costs of such an expansive system would be, or if long wait times for medical procedures are an inevitable effect of universal care. Yet, many important details determin-ing these factors are overlooked.

One must differentiate between single-payer care and affordable care before making a case against universal care. In single-payer care, healthcare expenditures of citizens and legal resi-dents are billed to a government agency, and paid through a fund usually collect-ed through taxes. Single-payer starkly contrasts Affordable Care, which man-dates purchase of private insurance and is enforced through tax penalties, and is inarguably the superior of the two.

A 2010 Commonwealth Fund study comparing the healthcare systems of the US, Canada, Britain, Australia, the Netherlands, Germany and New Zea-land found that wait times for certain non-emergency medical procedures

are as bad in the US as in Canada. All other countries involved, including the United Kingdom, averaged short-er wait times than the US across the board. Also, the doctor-to-patient ratio in the United States is roughly 1390, numbering ahead of Canada (1:470) and Australia (1:400), but behind most countries offering some form of single-payer care like the UK and New Zea-land (1:370), the Netherlands (1:345), Germany (1:278), and France (1:294), which all have shorter wait times overall than the US.

This trend shows that wait times are not an inherent problem, but are strongly related to available medical personnel and can be addressed by training more medical staff.

As for cost, in 2010, healthcare ex-penditures in the US totaled 17.6 per-cent of GDP, making the US system easily the most expensive in the world. The countries listed in the study cited above all spent 10-12 percent of GDP on healthcare expenditures in the same period.

It turns out that private insurance companies are to blame for high costs. Thirty-one percent of every dollar

spent on healthcare in the US pays for administrative overhead due to the sheer number of companies in the pri-vate insurance market. Because insur-ance premiums are too high for many to afford, one in six Americans are un-insured.

Health care providers usually offset the costs of care for the uninsured by raising the cost of procedures, thereby artifi cially infl ating prices. This is chiefl y why Affordable Care is unsustainable; it is based on expanding costly private insurance that fl oods the market and infl ates costs, and does not provide for needed medical personnel.

What the US needs is a system of single-payer care; the system used in Canada--which performs roughly on par with the US at about two-thirds the cost--and the system used in Israel and France--which are rated to have two of the best healthcare systems in the world.

While no system is perfect, single-payer healthcare has been proven by numerous objective studies, and by nearly every industrialized country in the world, to be the most effi cient and cost-effective overall.

While no system is perfect, single-payer healthcare has been proven by numerous objective studies, and by nearly every industrialized country in the world, to be the most efficient and cost-effective overall.

By ALBERT [email protected]

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DistractionsVOL. 52, NO. 6 / FEB. 18, 201315

VOL. 52, NO. 6 / FEB. 18, 201316