March 30th, 2004

Articles

Literacy exit exam
will start this fall

BY Maria Connor

Students enrolling at FCCJ as of fall 2004 will be required to pass an information literacy exam to satisfy completion requirements for an associate degree, said college administration. The requirement has been implemented in response to the burgeoning Information Age. "Technology has become a prevalent part of every day life, and industry expects that college students will have these skills," said Dr. Jack Chambers, director of program development for instructional technology. "This has been an evolution, not a revolution," Chambers said. "It needs to be common knowledge for everyone." The Association of College and Research Libraries defines information technology as the set of skills needed to find, retrieve, analyze, and use information. These critical skills are necessary in order for students to become independent lifelong learners. Students should understand that information literacy is not the same thing as computer literacy, Chambers said.

The test, already available at FCCJ assessment centers, is made up of six modules, said Kristin Kubly, librarian at the Deerwood campus. First-time test takers will not be charged, Chambers said. With proof of remediation, a specific form requiring validation, failed modules can be repeated free of charge. Students who are repeatedly unsuccessful in passing the exam will be charged a fee. There is no limit to how many times the test can be taken, Kubly said. Students have a variety of resources available to them to prepare for the information literacy exam, Kubly said. Written information can be accessed on Artemis. Once signed in, students should look for "LIS1002" under the college resources category. A one-credit course, LIS1002 Information Literacy, is offered to students and taught by FCCJ librarians. "Learning to Learn" by Ann Marlow Riedling, is the textbook used in the course. It is available to students at campus libraries or bookstores.

These same resources may be used for remediation if a student fails any module on the examination. While students are eligible to take the test as soon as they register, Chambers suggested they prepare by reviewing the information on Artemis. Chambers emphasized that FCCJ librarians are the most valuable resource students can avail themselves of. "Librarians at each campus are more than happy to help individuals," Kubly said. The course, which was first offered last summer, was developed by Kubly, with input from FCCJ library staff. "This is an excellent program," Chambers said. Students are not required to take the course, but many students have found it worthwhile. There are definite advantages in taking the information literacy course, Chambers said. The techniques taught to students can be applied not just in the academic setting, but in the workforce also. As college graduates, employers will expect students to be able to evaluate situations in order to take that information and apply it elsewhere. Kubly said several students expressed regret that they had not taken the class earlier. Many said the skills would have been helpful in their other classes.

From the six modules, students learn how to identify retrieve, evaluate, manipulate, and communicate information. Some of the topics covered under the modules include use of Internet search engines, basic software usage, citing sources, and computer security. Components of the information literacy program - both the instructional course and the written exam - are based on standards established by the Association of College and Research Libraries, Kubly said. An information literacy committee was established to generate a means of ensuring that FCCJ students had information literacy skills. Chambers has chaired the committee for a number of years.Members include representatives from liberal arts, workforce development, assessment center management, and the library. "The concept of information literacy and requiring it is not a new idea," he said. "In the past, it has only been required as the master's level." Colleges across Florida, indeed nationwide, are looking at this issue.According to the college publication On the Record, college and universities across the U.S. are adopting similar programs. "FCCJ is ahead of the curve," Kubly said. "They have been pioneers." Workshops have been developed for FCCJ faculty members, Kubly said. The goal is to educate them on information literacy requirements and how these standards can be incorporated into classroom curriculums. Students already enrolled at FCCJ and students not pursuing credit courses, such as those in certificate programs, will not be required to pass the information literacy exam.

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College seeks student ambassadors;
earn $500 and full scholarship

BY Hustin Wildman

The college is looking for good people to serve as student ambassadors. They will receive a full-tuition scholarship and $500 per semester in return. Cindy Brunelle, the student-learning specialist at the Downtown Campus, is in charge of recruiting the student ambassadors. FCCJ has 24 student ambassadors. Four at each campus-North, South, Downtown, Kent-and two at each center-Nassau, Martin, Deerwood, and Open Campus. "All campuses are looking to hire," Brunelle said. Brunelle, who is one of five student-learning specialists, said that FCCJ has had student ambassadors in the past but "in the fall of 2003, the program was revamped." "This is a college-wide recruitment effort," Brunelle said. A student ambassador's role is to assist the college in recruitment and retention activities, Brunelle said. "Their main role is to focus on recruitment," she said. Brunelle said that student ambassadors work through the Student Activities offices at Downtown, Kent and South Campuses and through the Student Success offices at Deerwood, Nassau, and Martin Centers, by providing both new and returning students with the information they need to succeed at FCCJ. Brunelle said that students usually serve as student ambassadors for about a year. They begin in May and end in April. "Students need to be college credit degree seeking students and need a 2.0 minimum GPA with at least nine credit hours for the fall term and spring term," Brunelle said. "We are looking for students with leadership ability or strong potential," she added. Students need to be able to work at least 10 hours a week with a flexible schedule, and provide their own means of transportation.

The job details of a student ambassador are: to lead campus tours, know the campuses resources, contact first-time enrolled students, help with orientation and registration, participate in campus activities and student government, aid the college in marketing activities, help in the recruitment efforts, assist in the operation of the Student Activities office, and help students or guests at the information centers, Brunelle said. "It looks great on a resume and looks good on a job application because it is a leadership position," Brunelle said referring to the title of student ambassador. Student ambassadors receive a full scholarship up to 36 hours per academic year, a book voucher of $30 per credit hour for the fall and spring terms, and a stipend of $500 for each term, Brunelle said. "Applications can bee picked up at the student activities department," Brunelle said. "Applications are now being accepted." For information on being a student ambassador contact one of the following:

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Physics star keynotes session

Brian Greene

By Alicia Padgett

A nationally-known physicist who specializes in making complicated theories understandable will be the keynote speaker at the college's annual teaching conference. Brian Greene, a professor and Columbia University and author of "The Elegant Universe," will speak at noon Thursday, April 1, in the Grand Ballroom of the Adam's Mark Hotel downtown. All students will be admitted free to Greene's presentation on "Explaining the Elegant Universe," said Jack Chambers, a conference official. Greene has appeared on ABC's Brave New World Series, ABC Night-Line, CNN, and hosted a three-part series on NOVA based on his book. Greene's Elegant Universe describes a journey through hidden dimensions, superstrings, and black holes. He uses everything from peach pits to insider trading to ants on a garden hose to illustrate his ideas, according to one conference publication. His latest book, "The Fabric of the Cosmos," is already on the New York Times Best-Seller List. Greene's presentation is part of the weeklong 15th International Conference on College Teaching and Learning. The conference starts March 30 and ends April 2.

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Future dim
for our gen

Jay Stamper

Spring break has past and now it's time for the home stretch: the last few weeks before the year is done. Some of us will be graduating, transferring or deciding whether school can be started up again later on. So, this last spring break may be the last for those that plan on entering the real world. And I spent mine with old people. During Spring Break, my girlfriend and I went to visit her grandparents in a place called The Villages. It is a retirement community that takes up three counties and has everything a town would have, restaurants, hospitals, golf courses. Two for one drink-specials in the center of town, golf cart parking, nightly parties and music and pickle-ball, which is like whiffle tennis. While observing the town partying to Irish folk music and drunk on green beer, a scary thought came to me: What will life be like when we are old? When we look at the Greatest generation, we see folks listening to Lawrence Welk and watching reruns of the Dick Van Dyke Show. Now the Baby Boomers are starting to retire: a generation of protest, free love, and the Jimi Hendrix Experience.

By the time we start collecting Social Security (if it is still around) or pension checks from our professions, life will be radically different. If the change over the last 20 years is any indication, the next 40 will be hellacious. For a setting, I will use The Villages. I can see golf carts with spinner rims being driven with Gen-Xers and Gen-Yers with Tupac or The Dead Kennedys coming out of the back of those electrically-powered bastard children of the automotive world. The Square of the Villages, where the parties happens, will be full of drunk old people with faded green tattoos covering their bodies fighting and breaking beer bottles over their foe's head. A 27 percent jump in crime, including B&E, drugs charges, and assault and battery, shows the generation's complete lack of respect. A lot of our generation took many chances with life and one can only imagine the consequences of our ignorance in youth. For many younger people, there is no tomorrow or future to worry about. We'll worry about our futures when we're old, right? For many of us, we knew or still know people with that mentality. For a good chunk of them, they met their fates already at an all too young age. I'm sure we all know that good kid that died when he slammed his car into a tree. Or that girl that had too much to drink and went home with the wrong guy. We shouldn't need a calculator to total up the people we know that died, had kids, were raped, wound up in jail, or found themselves living under a bridge, but we do. It almost makes me question if our generation will make it to retirement in one piece.

I hope everyone does and I wish everyone can make a million dollars and spend their twilight years chipping golf balls or playing shuffleboard with drink in hand, reflecting a life well survived. It won't be the case. I hate to be pessimistic, but it's true. If we all make it and I happen to see you in the Square at the Villages and you cut me off in the golf cart traffic while I'm on my way to eat at1 Ruby Tuesday's, I'll be sure to take a beer bottle to your head and bring back the good ol' days.

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I brake
for charity

Nicole Smith-Johns

As I was on the way to lunch with a friend on Thursday, I stopped at red light as I was getting on to Arlington Expressway. As I sat at the light wishing it would change because I was soon going to be late, I noticed the homeless man standing to the right of me. Nothing new, I thought. There are homeless people at this light all the time. Some stand silently and hold their signs; others come up to your window. This man only held his sign, and as I rolled down my window to offer him the few dollars I had in my bag, he said that he hoped God would bless me. The blaring of a car horn behind me soon interrupted that sweet blessing.

The light had turned, I had missed it, and the guy behind me was obviously unhappy. This is not the first time I have held up the light to give a homeless person a few bucks. And this certainly wasn't the first time I've had a horn blown at me for doing so. That day, as I was on my way to lunch someone else was depending on the kindness of another to provide him with lunch money--or maybe it was beer money. That day, I was forced to count my blessings. I was eating lunch; in fact, I was buying my own lunch. I drove a car. The man at the light walked. But the whole point is that this man looked needy. Everyone who stands at that light looks needy. So, I did what I do every time I pull up to that light and someone is standing out there with a sign. I gave what I could. I swear I've heard at least a million times, "what if they really aren't homeless, what if it's just a scam?" I've thought it. I think it every time I give to a homeless person. But this is the thing, what if that one time I don't give because I think he's a fake, and he really isn't. What if they really need the little bit of help I can offer. If that doesn't get you some bad karma, I don't know what will. The man at the light reminded me that so many people could easily be in his situation. So many people live paycheck to paycheck and if something happens to one or two of those paychecks then they could easily face the same situation. I was grateful to be able to give that man my Wal-Mart money for the week. And whether or not he really needed it didn't matter to me. He seemed grateful to have it.

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School VP assures:
student evaluations are still important

BY Chris Arter

New light has been shed on previous accusations that student feedback does not effect teachers' evaluations under the faculty union contract. In an email written to the Campus Voice, South Campus economics professor George Bohler related that the door was too open for interpretation. According to Vice President of Human Resources, Christine Arab, the School Improvement Research Series (SIRS) report used by students to evaluate their instructors has not lost any impact towards teacher's evaluations. "There is an objective element to the evaluation tool, which is simply a check-off," Arab described. "But, there is a full piece that is subjective that has to do with the art and craft of instruction," Arab added. Bohler contends that teachers and faculty are subjected to a wide range of interpretation that will not truly reflect a teachers performance. "The administrator has the contractual right, as well as the statutory right to look at all of that information," she said.
Faculty are required to administer the SIRS report to a minimum of four courses per year, but the new contract asks teachers to voluntarily conduct additional SIRS reports as well. Along with the SIRS forms, the student comment sheets are now shown to faculty's administrators, instead of being seen by only by teachers. "There is greater opportunity today, under this process, for full review of student feedback than there was under the former procedures," said Arab. "There will always be that element of subjectivity, no matter how hard you push to make it objective." The check off that Bohler has accused of being unclear reads, "reflects on student feedback." However, the subjectivity of the tool's phrase is nessicary, according to Arab. "The act of teaching is some objective, much subjective," Arab said. "There is a great deal in human performance that simply cannot be tested objectively," she said.

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Opinion: Martha, Martha, Martha

By: Mike Vatter

What's worse? Rape or Money Laundering? Drug trafficking or embezzling? Murder or taking an illegal hot stock tip and then lying about it? Obviously rape, drugs and murder are much worse than the other options. So why did this country spend so much money prosecuting Martha Stewart for a victimless crime? I know it is the current goal of federal prosecutors to crack down on this type of crime, but the guys in charge at Enron stole money from hundreds of employees. They cost people their life savings. They were evil and underhanded. They even lied to the employees they stole from to cover their tracks. So what did Martha do? The way I understand it is that Martha got a hot stock tip and pounced on it. It turns out the tip was illegal. Instead of admitting it and apologizing, she and her lawyers decided to cover up the incident and hope that no one would find out. That's a good thing. Or so Martha and her people thought. The government found out and decided it was a big deal that needed to be handled. So they prosecuted Martha on five counts - one of which (the biggest one that carried the possibility of the harshest sentence) the judge threw out as irrelevant to the case. So weeks go by and the jury finally comes to a decision. Martha is guilty. Not only guilty, but guilty on all four counts. And she faces the possibility of twenty years in prison. The average drug dealer spends two to five years in prison. The average rapist spends one to three years in prison. The average murderer spends five to ten years in prison because of parole and plea-bargaining. So why would a woman who has brought the joy of crafts and homemaking to millions of households face twenty years in prison for saying "I don't want to lose any money on this stock, I am going to do whatever it takes to save some money and cover my tracks" and then acting on it? Because she is a woman? No. Because she is a woman with power. A woman who had been rumored to be the biggest (rhymes with "rich") to ever walk the face of the earth… with power. Women with power like Oprah Winfrey and Barbara Walters who never seem to have negative rumors swirling around them can come out of scandals unscathed. Remember Oprah's beef trial in Texas? Not only did she emerge unharmed, she also got her psychiatrist (Dr. Phil) his own talk show in order to make millions of dollars for her production company. But people LOVE Oprah.

People LOVE Barbara Walters. About half the people love Martha. And the other half despise her. She is one of those celebrities like Hillary Clinton, Rosie O'Donnell, and Barbra Streisand. Either you love her or you hate her. There does not seem to be any middle ground. Why? Because they act like men. They treat their employees like employees. They treat their money like it is their money. Women like Oprah treat their employees like friends and family. They share their wealth with the world. They give millions of dollars to charity and children's organizations. Martha and those other women also give to charities but they act like men when it comes to business. Women with power and authority are perceived as evil (rhymes with "witches") that need to be taken down a notch on the social totem pole. But men who act like this are called "tycoons" or "genius business men." Why the double standard? Because we allow it. We, as a society, allow the double standard to hang around and rear its ugly head when a situation like this arises. If we stop the gossip about these women, the rumors will go away. When the rumors go away, the double standard will cease. But our society thrives on gossip. We have this strange need to know every little detail about our celebrities' lives. Good and bad.

We have a thousand different magazines dedicated to the topic. Not to even mention the tabloids. Even the mainstream media knows that given the choice between a magazine cover with Barbara Bush on the cover, looking demur and refined and a magazine with Barbra Streisand on the cover yelling at an insubordinate employee, the Streisand cover will sell faster. That is why mainstream magazines like Time and News Week have bought into the Bennifer phenomenon. So, back to Martha, will she get twenty years? I doubt it. She will maybe get one or two years in a country club prison where she will play tennis and make macramé plant holders for her cell mates. The part that bothers me is that my tax dollars should be spent on prosecuting drug dealers and rapists, not billion dollar businesswomen who act like men when it comes to trying to save a little money. My tax dollars should go to cancer and AIDS research. My tax dollars should go to the school system and helping the homeless. My tax dollars should not be wasted on prosecuting victimless crimes.

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Director now
casting roles for
new music video

By Lisa Marie Hartselle

Her palms were sweating, her heart was pounding, and her body was trembling as she faced the camera. Nina Kelly, a 19-year-old freshman and business major at Florida Community College, said, "I had no idea what to expect, although I was ready for anything. It was a great experience and hope I make it to the next level." Kelly was one of dozens of students who showed up on March 6 for auditions for an MTV music video for the band Start Trouble. Lance Billing, a 23-year-old junior at UNF majoring in economics, said, "I had such a great time meeting all the new and interesting people. I definitely hope I get a part and most of all I hope this video can bring more things like this to Jacksonville in the future." Allan Carr, director of the video, said, "I'm excited to be in Jacksonville to show others that there is talent in this city. I have big plans for the upcoming music video and can't wait to start. I know we will surprise many." The band, Start Trouble, was not seen at the audition but Carr informed the individuals auditioning that they were very enthusiastic about the forthcoming events. Carr plans for the video to be in a house club environment. Carr is casting the parts of many extras, such as basketball players, party people, and four main roles. Casting has not been completed. For additional information e-mail StartTroubleGangstas@yahoo.com or call 742-1168.

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Volunteers needed
for Writer’s Festival

The annual First Coast Writers' Festival will be held in Atlantic Beach in May, and student volunteers are needed for all kinds of jobs. The festival, which features nationally known novelists, poets, non-fiction writers, agents, and editors, will be held May 13 to May 15 at the Sea Turtle Inn. Registration is normally $200 or more, but students who volunteer to help will be admitted free. Volunteers are needed to meet and introduce featured speakers, help with registration, and other tasks. Further information can be obtained from the volunteer coordinator Bill Dougherty at 542-3846 or send an email to doughertyb@cnrse.navy.mil. The deadline for volunteering is April 15.

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‘Ladykillers’ is great

By Chris Hewitt
Knight Ridder Newspapers

The character Tom Hanks plays in "The Ladykillers" is so diarrheacally verbose he makes a simple greeting sound like the codicil to a will. Like Dennis Miller, the less Professor G.H. Dorr has to say, the more words he uses to say it. In Hanks' ornately, bizarrely funny performance, Dorr is one of the great Coen brothers-created characters, and if the movie he's in isn't as good, it often doesn't matter. Using a jewel-encrusted accent and an obsequious whinny of a laugh, Hanks gives a go-for-broke performance that combines the bluster of Foghorn Leghorn, the fashion instinct of Col. Sanders and the pleased-with-himself preening of James Lipton, host of Bravo's "Inside the Actors Studio." "The Ladykillers" has a simple enough story, loosely based on the Alec Guinness comedy of the same title, which the Coens saw as kids. Dorr and a gang of four screw-up specialists (the explosives guy, the strongman, etc.) plan to knock over a casino, so they move into the basement of a nearby old lady (Irma P. Hall) and tunnel into the safe. When the old lady gets wind of their plan, they decide to get rid of her, but these morons aren't even good at their own specialties, and none of them specializes in murder. "The Ladykillers" is shot through with the Coens' cattywampus humor, such as an offhanded reference to a couple that met at an Irritable Bowel Syndrome singles weekend. The language is the Coens' usual combination of absurdly surreal and oddly perfect-sounding, as when Dorr tells a waitress, "We must have waffles forthwith." And the rousing soundtrack could do for gospel music what "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" did for bluegrass. Still, "Ladykillers" is not among the Coens' best. Their movies are usually stuffed with oddball supporting characters who are like little pieces of candy strewn throughout: Tony Shalhoub in "The Man Who Wasn't There," the sadistic cops in "Barton Fink," Holly Hunter in "O Brother."
But there is not much for us Hansels and Gretels to suck on here. The supporting goons in "Ladykillers" are not as well-written or played as you'd expect, and Hall, who was so devastating in "A Family Thing," is not given much to do. Maybe Hanks' star power throws off the ensemble feel of the movie. I can't decide. I know I wouldn't want "Ladykillers" to have less of his Professor Dorr, but I also know I'd like more of the rest of the characters.
Directed by: Joel Coen
Starring: Tom Hanks, Irma P. Hall, Marlon Wayans
Rated: R, for rampant profanity and some violence.

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CD courses available for summer

The college is offering a wide variety of TV and CD-based courses for the summer term. Registration for the courses is now open. AMH 2010, US History through 1865 and AMH 2020, U.S. History from 1865 to the Present are now available as "fast track" courses. For the first time, FCCJ is offering AMH 2010 in eight weeks (A-8 session) followed immediately by AMH 2020 in the second eight weeks (C-8 session). For students who want a more leisurely pace, AMH 2010 is also available as a full 16-week course. Additional eight week video courses include: BUL 2131, Business Law I--The Legal Environment of Business; GEB 1011, Introduction to Business; MAN 2021, Principles of Management; SPC 2600, Fundamentals of Speech; and PHI 2010, Introduction to Philosophy. These courses begin May 3 and end June 28. Twelve-week courses begin May 3 and end July 26.

Video courses in this session include: ENC 1101, English Composition I; LIT 2000, Introduction to Literature; SPC 2600, Fundamentals of Speech; ARH 1000, Art Appreciation; HUN 2211, Humanities: The foundations; HUM 2236, Humanities: Mainstreams of Cultures; REL 2000, World Religions; MAT 0024, elementary Algebra; MAT 1033, Intermediate Algebra; GLY 1001, Earth and Space Science; DEP 2102, Child Psychology; PSY 1012, General Psychology; ECO 2013, Principles of Economics I; ECO 2023, Principles of Economics II; POS 2041, American Federal Government; POS 2112, State and Local Government; SYG 2000, Introductory Sociology; and SYG 2430, Marriage and Family. There are 16-week courses as well: BSC 1005, Life in its Biological Environment; OCE 2001, Survey of Oceanography; and AMH 2010, U.S. History to 1865. CD-based courses are also available. Students who have computers with CD players can simply go to the library and check out the CDs for the term. The syllabus will be online on the Distance Learning Website at www.distancelearning.org. Click on CD-based courses. New as a CD course this term is SYG 2430, Marriage and Family. This is added to the list of courses that include:
ECO 2013, Principles of Economics I
ENC 1101, English Composition I
HUM 2211, Humanities: The Foundations
HUM 2236, Humanities: Mainstreams of Cultures
MAT 1033, Intermediate Algebra
POS 2041, American Federal Government
SYG 2000, Introduction to Sociology
For questions about video and CD course offerings, call 904-997-2669 or visit the Distance Learning website at www.distancelearning.org.

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Through the Looking Glass:
The birds and the bees for bears

By Mike Pingree

YOU WANT DRUGS? SURE, NO PROBLEM
An Oklahoma woman who wanted to make a drug deal over the phone thought she was calling her dealer, but actually dialed her former probation officer by mistake. It did not end well for her.
FIRST, MAKE SURE HE RESPECTS YOU
A female panda born in captivity in San Diego has been sent to China to mate. But, since she has no experience in this area, veterinarians in China are preparing her for her "blind date" by showing her sex-education videos.
SOMETHING JUST ISN'T RIGHT HERE
A man tried to fake his own death in Siem Reap, Cambodia, to get an insurance windfall. He purchased a corpse, put it into his car and then staged a bogus, fiery accident. He was caught when police realized the corpse was that of a woman.
NO, HIS MESSAGE WAS LOVE! WHAP!
After going to see ``The Passion of the Christ,'' a Georgia couple got into a theological discussion over whether God the Father in the Holy Trinity was human or symbolic. During the course of their debate, he belted her in the face and she stabbed him in the hand with a pair of scissors. Police involvement resulted.
HEY! STOP! THAT'S MY CAR! SMASH!
A tow truck driver at a salvage yard in Calgary, Alberta, mistakenly hauled away a 1992 Buick Regal he thought was slated for a very public demolition at a monster truck event at the Saddledome. The car was actually being stored while its owner was on vacation. Ironically, the vacationing owner was in the stands at the Saddledome, and was somewhat surprised to see his car brought out and smashed by a giant machine.
CAMERA? THERE WAS A CAMERA?
A drunken teenager broke into a gas station on Whidbey Island, Wash., by smashing the glass door, but cut himself badly enough to require treatment. So he called 911 and told the cops that he was injured trying to stop a burglary, unaware that a surveillance camera was running, and the tape indicated otherwise.
YOU'LL NEVER CATCH ME, COPPER!
A cocky rapist sent a letter to Louisville, Ky., police, bragging about his crimes and taunting the cops, because he was still on the loose ten years after his crimes. The police used the saliva on the envelope to match DNA from his victims and were able to get him sent to prison for 420 years.
WITH OFFICES IN INTERCOURSE, PA.
A doctor who surgically restores the virginity of female patients has been forced to halt his practice in Canada due to insurance concerns. So he has set up shop in the Virgin Islands.
CANCEL HIS FATHER'S DAY PRESENT
A 70-year-old man in Stockholm had a sexual fling with a woman in the late '60s that he soon regretted. She got pregnant and named him as the father of her son, though he was convinced he was not. Nevertheless, a court ordered him to pay child support for the next 13 years. He was finally vindicated when the boy _ now a 34-year-old man _ took a DNA test that proved the man was not his father. The old man is seeking the return of the $65,000 he had paid.
___
(Mike Pingree is a columnist for the Boston Herald. Read a second "Looking Glass" column on the Internet at www.pingreeslookingglass.com.)

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FCCJ baseball team two games out of first

By Melissa Bear

The FCCJ baseball team has had its ups and downs so far this season, but according to head coach, Chris Blaquiere, it has had a good start compared to last year. Currently, the Stars' record is 15-8 in non-conference games, compared to 6-15 at this same time a year ago, and 4-5 in conference play, which puts them two games out of first place. This is right where Blaquiere expected to be with this year's team. Early on, there were a few mishaps on the team and a few players were kicked off, but some of the young players really stepped up their game, he said. The Stars are led offensively by sophomore first baseman Jeremy McCann, who recently signed with Gardner Webb University. McCann, who leads the team with 27 RBIs, has been a consistent player all season long with a .330 batting average and five home runs. Two other players whose bats the Stars have been able to rely on are sophomore Ricky Santo with a .300 batting average and 21 RBIs, and freshman Mike Lawro who bats .300 and is one of the state leaders in doubles with 13.

The pitching for the Stars is led by University of Florida signee David Hurst, whose current record is 3-2. Blaquiere feels that Hurst will really be a key for the team as the season continues. Two freshmen who have stepped in to play important roles on the team have been catcher Bernie Hurley and pitcher Scott Chapman. Hurley, who had to step in as catcher after sophomore star-catcher Matt Bernstine injured his hand, has done well in his role, the coach said. Chapman has a record of 4-1, and over the 36 innings he has thrown, he has not given up any walks. The Stars at this time have 16 conference games remaining, and their goal is to be one of the top two teams in the conference in order to make it to the state tournament in May.m Blaquiere said he has a team capable of winning state and making it to the World Series in June.

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Men’s basketball coach
living his dreams

By Chris Arter

The FCCJ Men's Basketball team finished their season 24-9, becoming the conference champions of the 2003-2004 season. The season ended with an 85-72 loss to Marianna; with the Stars shooting for only 33 percent from the floor, it was a cold night, says Head Coach Gregg Gierke. "I probably hate loosing more than I love winning," he said. Although Gierke was not satisfied with the team's performance against Marianna, he was pleased with the effort his players put into the season as a whole. "It was a great year," he said.The Stars averaged 92.8 points a game, and were ranked as high as fifteenth in the nation during the season.

According to Gierke, he does not settle for second best. "The average person strives to get along in life, that's not why we were put here; we were put here to use our abilities." Twenty years ago, before his championship rings, before his 426-180 coaching record, Gierke was in pre-dentistry at the University of Colorado. However, he eventually gave up his pursuit of dentistry for a life of coaching. "People told me I should do what I love to do," he said. Even though his field of work has changed, Gierke says his attitude has not. "If I would have been a dentist, I would have been a very good dentist," said Gierke, but as for coaching, "I want to do it 'till I die."

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Review: A warm reception for ‘Winter’s Tale’

By Jay Stamper

FCCJ and JU came together on March 25 to debut "The Winter's Tale" for the first time in Jacksonville. The cast and crew of 50-plus and a budget estimated at $10,000 strove to make this the schools' most ambitious showing. In order to set themselves apart from other Shakespeare productions, the schools relied on innovation and guts. The most notable change was the setting in time. Instead of taking place in the renaissance like other Shakespeare plays, FCCJ/JU set the adaptation 200 years later in the early 19th century. The first half of "Winter's" highlighted the jealousy, contempt and distrust Leontes, the King of Sicilia (Kevin Gilbert), had for his wife. Leontes believed his wife Hermoine (Amber Davis) was having an affair with Polixines (Dan Henry), the King of Bohemia and tragically followed his instincts, leaving a newborn daughter to brave the wild. With help from a shepherd (Del Austin), the baby has a new chance at life. The second half was the antithesis to the first: lighthearted, mischievous, and full of hope and reunion.

The story jumps 16 years later, and Polixines' son Florizel (Brian Gore) is smitten with a shepherd's daughter named Perdita (Jessica Nolan). Polixines plans to stop a wedding between the two, and that is when the twists begin. The cast, overall, was fantastic. To some, Shakespeare is another language and the cast made it as easy as possible for the crowd to follow along with a plethora of mannerisms and body language. Kevin Gilbert and Benjamin Pearce (Clown) were the show stealers in their own ways. Gilbert had to reach deep down in order to play someone as tyrannical and hell-bent on justice as Leontes. Pearce's goodhearted and naive shepherd's son made the comedy of the second half stand out and helped to ease the crowd after an intense and dark first half. The scenic design by Johnny Pettegrew is visually stunning and displays the talent and proficiency of the Director of Technical Theatre at FCCJ. Kudos also has to be given to the deck crew for their quickness during the complex scene changes that were as rehearsed as the play itself. Megan Elisila's Light Design complimented the amazing scenic design and was able to make up for elements that were logistically impossible. With any period piece, costumes are the most scrutinized. Costume designers Camela Pitts and Dorinda Grogan made near perfect choices when it came to suiting up the cast and the hair and makeup crew made sure the actors went out looking as professional and slick as the rest of the production.

The only points that were problematic: the lack of aging of some of the key characters after the 16-year jump in time; The actors that were in both parts looked the same as 16 years ago. Another was some of the lapses in time. Some of the more crucial scenes to the story were kind of explained by a few actors in the manner of gossip and may have lost some of the audience.Overall, the show is worth seeing and not painful like some might think of other Shakespeare productions. Updating it to a later time-period added freshness and cemented FCCJ and JU as innovators in theatre production. The joint production displayed the schools' determination to broaden the scope of theatre at a university level and show they can compete with a professional level.

All performances will be held in the Wilson Center at South Campus. Tickets are $5 for Florida Community College students; free for JU students with an ID; $5 for Jacksonville University and Florida Community College faculty and staff; $8 for other students, seniors, and military members; and $10 for everyone else.

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Bio prof wins big

Lynn Lisenby

By Dalia Mousa

A Downtown Campus biology teacher, key in the effort to establish an innovative biotechnology center, has won the college's prize for technology innovation. Professor Lynn Lisenby has combined the areas of biology and computer technology to start the new center. "It took two years of hard work to get this lab together," Lisenby said.

The lab will train students for jobs in criminology and biology. TV shows like "CSI" use similar labs as key parts of their sets. The labs do paternity testing, murder and rape evidence testing, crime scene testing, DNA testing, and genetic engineering, she said. "I am very proud of this accomplishment," Lisenby said. Having this kind of lab will help students learn more about the technical side of biology, she added. The $300,000 lab is located in the new Advanced Technology Center near the Downtown Campus.

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Hip Hop Hell celebrates
its first aniversary

By Randy Wilbourn Jr.

Buying a birthday gift for a 1-year-old is usually a simple ordeal, but not even Martha Stewart knows what to get an infant that drinks several gallons of beer in a single night and doesn't get going until 11 p.m. This isn't an average 1-year-old. Hip Hop Hell turned a year old on Saturday, March 27, with a benefit show at Thee Imperial featuring performances by Mas Appeal, Dalgoz, and Nomadic. Hip Hop Hell features break dancing, music played by DJs Razer Ramone and Kidd Yzer, and an open-mic battle where performers go onstage to pit their rhyming skills against each another. The event takes place every Tuesday just a few blocks south of the Downtown Campus at Thee Imperial on 325 Forsyth Street. A typical night of Hip Hop Hell starts at 11 p.m. with the event's founder Ian Ranne, whose stage name is Triclops I, playing contemporary hip-hop records from artists like Mr. Lif or MF Doom. The crowd slowly grows as patrons and performers wander into the small club and DJ Razer Ramone and Yzer start playing classic hip hop at midnight.

Shaun Thurston's intricate, street-inspired artwork illuminates a wall in the dark club via an overhead projector and a tight group of people are huddled together, watching break dancers of varying ages spin on the floor and explode through the air like inner-city acrobats. A bright, solitary light shines from a video camera as a guy hovers around the crowd, filming a middle-school-aged kid do a couple of back flips. The open-mic battle starts about 1 a.m., and the crowds fill the room. "Everyone loves the open-mic battle the most," the Hip Hop Hell founder says.The beats bounce out of the speakers in perfect time like the deep, bass cadence of a subway car engineered by the two DJs who listen intently into headphones and work the turntables. The stage starts to fill with people. Ranne and his co-host Cynic start off with rhymes that announce the battle and call for performers. When one artist stops rhyming, another starts. There are two rules for the battle: one person rhyming at a time and the performers may not touch each another, Ranne says. The event attracts a mix of people. There are guys in their late twenties with cold, $2 Heinekens in hands, to school-aged kids practicing the art of break dancing. Anyone can get on stage and perform if they have the confidence to hold their own, but the MCs can be critical as well as the crowd, says Ranne.

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