Money saving tips

DANNETTE WALLACE- THE CORSAIR

Cutting financial corners in difficult times

When you listen to news reports today it is clear that the United States is still feeling the effects of the recent economic recession. Students are not exempt from these aftershocks. A query about student savings with an internet search engine yields many results most of which are common sense. Saving can also be found in unexpected places for students who take the time to set goals, plan ahead, research options and budget their finances.  Here are some useful money saving tips.

Academic pricing on software and computers

The technology industry is very generous to students. Most computer firms like Hewlett Packard and Dell offer student discounts and bundles. Software companies often have academic pricing which saves students up to 80 percent on popular software packages. For example, Microsoft offers a single license for its 2010 Office Professional Suite, which retails for $499.99, to students for just $79.99. These discounts can be found at the supplier websites or online at the campus bookstore.

Saving on Energy and Water Resources                                                    

Everyone must contend with the high cost of energy in Florida but Pensacola State College Professor Michael Johnston (pictured right) offers some excellent energy saving tips. He advises students looking for apartments to choose one on the ground floor to reduce cooling costs.  This alone can save you about $60 a year on your energy bill.

Gulf Power offers power evaluations to customers to help them save energy as well as many different rate and billing plans. Many students are still paying premium rates but there are plans such as Residential Variable Rate Pricing which bases its prices on what time of day the energy is used. This can result in savings of up to 40 percent. There is also Budget Billing which averages the customer’s energy bills and guarantees a set amount every month. This is perfect for students who have not perfected the art of budgeting their finances.

Another high cost which Professor Johnston estimates accounts for about 20 percent of students’ energy bills is home lighting. He suggests replacing incandescent bulbs with comparable compact florescent light bulbs which are 40 percent more energy-efficient.  Though there is an initial investment of about $15 - $20, depending on how many bulbs are needed, you save about $900 over the life of those bulbs. Just starting with the most commonly used rooms in your house can offer significant savings.

He suggests placing a plastic liter bottle, filled with water and a layer of pebbles, in the tank of the toilet. It displaces about ½ gallon of water so you waste less water. He advises, however, against putting a brick in the tank as it diffuses over time and can cause problems.

Wise use of banks and financial institutions

Students are offered a wide variety of accounts which are advertised as being “free” but they often come with stipulations. It is important to ask the right questions about monthly minimum requirements and transaction fees.

 Jennifer Newman, Branch Manager for Sun Trust Bank said, “There are so many people who really do not know anything about keeping a register or how to save or budget their money.  People fall short or get in trouble when going with all of the electronic routes and never actually sitting down and writing down everything that they do in a check register.”

She reiterates how important it is for students to talk to financial advisors and educate themselves about how to achieve their short-term and long-term goals.

Medical savings tips

Though there is no easy way to the address the need for affordable healthcare, there are options for students.

“There are health care professionals who have dedicated their lives to helping college students. They know the best ways to make it cost effective.”  

The college clinic offers services at no charge to students as well as a wealth of free information and referral services as needed. According to Johnston.

Before visiting a physician, visit local pharmacies like those at Publix and Wal-Mart to get pamphlets listing their free or discounted prescriptions. A doctor can often find alternatives on those lists for a fraction of the cost.

Buying in bulk

Students who are sharing a household might find it beneficial to obtain a membership card from a store which sells in bulk. A Collegiate Membership at Sam’s Club costs 40$. There is a special offer at this time for a 15$ gift card for signing up. Buying in bulk requires some household planning in advance but offers many benefits.

Discounts on-campus

Students training for careers under the oversight of licensed professionals can offer significant savings for services on campus. The cosmetology department offers a full range of services from haircuts to manicures for low rates Mondays through Fridays by appointment.  For an appointment, call 484-2567. The dental clinic at Pensacola State offers students X-rays, teeth cleaning and fluoride treatment for 20$. You can make an appointment by calling 484-2236.

Students are faced with more financial concerns in these difficult economic times than in years past but small changes can add up to big savings over the course of a year. If students learn to develop intelligent savings strategies they will gain knowledge which will serve them beyond their college years.

Students participate in Mock Murder

Kyra Wood - The Corsair

The Criminal Justice program set the stage April 22 with mock murder scenes on PJC’s Pensacola campus.

Assembled by the program’s all-star faculty, with a little help from the Collegiate High School’s Art department, the scene provided the vocational training needed by the Criminal Justice students as well as shined some light on the program’s potential.

Students were given a basic briefing of the situation before being unleashed onto the scene where art students provided some realistic finishing touches, such as fake blood patterns.

Both real clues and simulated clues were left for students to observe, record, identify, collect and preserve as if they were working a real crime scene. This was an official law enforcement exercise.

Hank Shirah, school resource officer at the Collegiate High School and lead instructor of the program, has huge hopes for the future, but believes that “lack of awareness” is the main contributor to the problem of proper work space and funding.

The mock murder scene was an exercise not only to showcase its practical existence, but to help the instructors evaluate the progress of students and their own teaching methods.

“The bottom line is it served as a measure of the program and provided us with a marker to tweak the program to provide the law enforcement community with a better employee,” Shirah said.

26 students are officially enrolled with the program, three of which transferred from Troy University and UWF because PJC is the only college in the area that provides a CST (Crime Scene Technician) Certification program. All instructors have extensive experience in law enforcement in several different areas.

Shirah served not only as a sergeant in Vietnam and a lieutenant in charge of major crimes, but also as a state trooper for seven and a half years and with the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office for 23 years.

Teamed with Nadia Attamincuh and Jim Wilburn, who handle the more technical courses, the three provide what they can with limited space and technology.

Attamincuh specializes in Crime Scene Photography and worked as a Crime Scene Technician for Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office. Wilburn is a retired West Palm Beach police officer that is a certified Crime Scene Investigator who also teaches at the George Stone. He has worked with the FBI’s serial crime scene profilers and is a fingerprint specialist.

“We ordered supplies that gave us all the tools needed to simulate a working crime scene unit,” Shirah said.

Items on the list included cameras, demonstration kits, collection tools, measuring equipment and a metal detector.

“Our goal was to train students and provide them with the skills and a portfolio to present to a potential employer that will demonstrate that not only do they have the book knowledge; they have the foundational skills to be an excellent employee,” Shirah said

A buried body simulation was in the works with help from Santa Rosa Sheriff’s Office.

“The more equipment we get, the more we can do,” Shirah said. “There is already a plan being worked out with the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office where we would be able to simulate a buried body, use ground penetrating radar to find the site and do the archeological dig and evidence recovery.”

Until the program is granted a more personal space for growth, instructors will make the best out of Building 11’s T.E.A.L Room.

“As our course grows, I would hope to supply a lab with much of the equipment used in a forensic lab,” Shirah said. “We are a young program; we have some exceptional instructors, a truly interested and committed group of students, and an administration that is committed to providing quality education and training that is current and relevant.”

Bookstore offers books to prisoners

Nick Alford - The Corsair

Sandy Welch was hitchhiking down Kingfield Road in Cantonment when she was picked up by a passing motorist. When asked where she was going, she said she was on her way to a gas station. The driver told her that wasn’t a problem and signaled for her to hop in. She smiled, said “thank you” and sat down.

“I’m gonna pick up some beer,” she said. “I’m breaking eight years of sobriety tonight.”

She had been trying to hide the fact that she’d been crying; her God Bless America sweatshirt was soaked with tears and she was sniffling and trembling. She broke down and let it out.

“My son was murdered in prison this morning,” she said.

Michael Welch, 31, was stabbed to death in the Santa Rosa County Jail in late 2009 while serving a term for drug possession, according to his mother.

“He was supposed to be released in less than six months,” she sobbed. “That was my baby they killed.”

Stories like this shouldn’t be uncommon, right? Florida has the largest prison population in the United States — a country with the largest number of inmates on the planet. According to the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Statistics, over 3 million American adults (20 percent of the world’s inmate population) are currently in prison, far surpassing both the United Kingdom and China. The United States spent over $50 billion to maintain its penal institutions last year.

Altogether, one out of every 45 Americans is in some sort of correctional program, whether it be parole, probation or incarceration. The majority of those incarcerated are locked up for consensual or victimless crimes: drug use, gambling, prostitution and traffic violations.

While in jail, inmates cannot receive books and educational materials from anyone other than a publisher or a bookstore. So Lauren Anzaldo, co-founder of the Open Books Prison Book project in Pensacola, has been trying to help. Since it opened in October 2008, Open Books is one of only a few places where a Florida inmate can get books.

The non-profit Open Books sells books at a discount to its patrons as well as delivering free books to inmates in Florida prisons. For a few hours every Monday at 6 p.m., a handful of volunteers gathers in a small building on the corner of Barrancas Avenue and Second Street to read letters from inmates and try to fulfill their requests. The idea is that inmates who better themselves through reading are less likely to return to prison.

“To realize you are helping somebody that you will never meet,” said Anzaldo, “It’s just something that really makes a big impact in your life.”

The bookstore itself is very small, and crammed with a huge variety of books. It is run solely by volunteers, and every penny made beyond operating costs goes for postage and shipping materials for the project.

The hunger for reading material is evident by the number of letters pouring in.

“We receive between 10 and 20 letters a week” said Anzaldo, “We probably get an average of 50 letters a month.”

Several letters request how-to books, according to Anzaldo, but most requests are for dictionaries and thesauruses. Some letters, like the one from a female inmate in Broward County, just ask for someone to talk to.

“We’ve had a few inmates request books about quantum physics or structural engineering,” said Anzaldo, “It really varies. Sometimes you do get letters from those who have already received books and just want to talk about them.”
Want to help?

It takes about six months for a prison inmate to get a book from the Open Books Prison Book project so volunteers are always welcome to help expedite shipments. Also needed are contributions of books, shipping materials, photo copies and cash. For more information, visit openbookspcola.org.

Did you know?

One hundred percent of all military helmets, ammunition belts, I.D. tags and armor vests are made by federal prisoners. Prison inmate labor also accounts for 93 percent of domestically produced paints, 36 percent of home appliances and 21 percent of all office furniture.

Church group heads to Guatemala

Adriana Dueck - The Corsair

The Northridge Church’s Fusion 8 youth group is enthusiastically gearing up for an Aug. 8-18 overseas missions trip to Antigua, Guatemala.

While in Guatemala the 19-member group of students and adults will take part in the Living Waters International Feed-a-Child program, staying at the Quiche Ministry Center and working as volunteers in Antigua and an as-yet-unnamed city in the mountains of Guatemala.

Their efforts will be welcomed. According to www.ruralpoverty.org, 71 percent of Guatemala’s rural population – mostly indigenous people – live in poverty. There are pockets of poverty in other areas, as well as a “poverty belt” that runs across the northern and northwestern regions. Those areas were severely affected by more than 30 years of civil war which ended only in the mid-1990s.

“I’ve been preparing myself by working with the 17 teenagers I will be taking on this trip by fundraising and being a liaison between the church and the ministry we’ll be staying with,” Northridge Pastor Randy Hamil said.  “We’ve had quite a success with the fundraisers just being done at our church and have already raised over $5,000.”

“I’m totally excited for this trip because I’ve never been out of the country or pretty much anywhere outside the southern United States,” said Bethany Kolb, a freshman at Pace High School and a member of the Fusion 8 team.

Bethany knows the culture will be quite different.

“The girls have to wear long skirts because if you go into the city with shorts on you’re considered a hooker,” she said.

Alex Hillburn, a freshman at Central School has been preparing for the trip by doing yard work for friends and relatives and has also been helping his mother around the house to earn some extra cash.

“We’re going to be serving food and helping people get tree limbs out of their yards and other activities like that,” he said.

Bethany Steelman, a homeschooled sophomore, has taken a slightly different approach in preparing for the trip.

“I’ve started walking everyday and different exercises to prepare for this trip,” she said. “The air is really thin in the mountains, so you have to be fit. I can’t wait to get there and start doing things to help people less fortunate than I am.”

Homeless saved by Habitat for Humanity

Andrea Mcmillian - The Corsair

“I am going to have a house,” said Heather Molina. “It’s always been a dream to me but I didn’t think it would be possible.”

A single parent, Molina and her two daughters are one of the many families in Escambia County who do not have proper shelter. Homelessness, historically a problem in Pensacola, has only gotten worse because of the recession. At this point, many homeless shelters have waiting lists.

That is why the efforts of Habitat for Humanity are so valuable.

“I heard about Habitat for Humanity through my church. It worked out. I’m happy,” said Molina.

Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit, Christian-based housing ministry which builds small, affordable homes for low-income families. To provide the labor needed, Habitat relies on volunteers from all religions, races, creeds and backgrounds.

Since 1976, the international organization  has built more than 350,000   houses,  now providing  shelter  for   about 1.75 million people.                      

The homes are not free. To receive a house, a family must spend 300 hours providing labor.

“It’s sweat equity,” said Andrew Baker, who lives in a Habitat home with his wife and three children. “It’s worth it, though. I got my house in 2005, my mandatory volunteer hours are done. Now I’m just trying to help out other people in a similar situation.”

Habitat supplies the tools and material needed for home construction.

“All we need are people who want to help,” said group leader Amelia Omarosa. “No experience is needed, we are more than happy to train people.”

The No. 1 priority at any Habitat work site is safety. Volunteers are asked to bring their own hardhat and gloves. Everyone must also complete a safety quiz before working on a site.

A normal volunteer day runs from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. At the beginning of the day there is a group meeting in which plans are laid out and groups organized for the day’s work.

“Don’t be late. That’s important. The meeting sets up the guidelines for the entire day,” said Omarosa.

“I’ve laid pipes, learned how to frame walls, do drywall, floors, you name it. Anything that I have ever had a question about, they have taught me,” said Baker. “It’s like working, only better, because you’re going at your own pace. It’s a learning experience and a bonding experience. You see that house that you helped build without trying to get something back for yourself. Now that’s a good feeling.”

There are other opportunities for volunteer work with Habitat besides construction. The organization’s ReStores sell donated items at great prices. Also there are several committees which need volunteer help, including ones for family support, family selection, fundraising, and publicity.

“It’s a good way to blow off steam and work for a good cause. I’m helping myself and my community by helping others” said Molina.

PJC police work hard for safety

Lauranne Stouder - The Corsair

Like most professionals, Wallace Carter starts his day reading and sending e-mails. But unlike much of the rest of the working world, he wears a blue uniform and carries handcuffs as part of his job. Carter is a police officer on the Pensacola Junior College Warrington campus.

The duties of PJC police officers vary according to which of the three campuses they work on. For instance, there is much more work involved with traffic control and enforcement on the Pensacola campus, which is larger than the Warrington and Milton campuses.

All campus officers are state certified, the same as city, county and state law enforcement officers, and also have the power to make arrests.

Arrests and major incidents don’t happen often on campus. Officers work hard to keep students and faculty safe, trying to make themselves accessible to students to help find out what is going on and to establish a relationship in which students are comfortable telling them about any problems or concerns.

Many of the officers’ daily tasks involve giving directions to students, opening their car when they lock the keys inside, or jump-starting a vehicle. They also investigate crimes and patrol the area looking for people who shouldn’t be on campus. These patrols help deter crime and provide a sense of security to the campus community.

Every day brings a different event or situation, said Carter.

“Police officers, even college police officers, can’t or shouldn’t fall into routines or patterns. The reason I say this is because if we stop expecting the unexpected then we could fall prey to someone who wants to hurt us or someone else. So we try not to let our guard down,” he said.

Carter has been working as a PJC police officer for almost 10 years, coming to the school after working as a prison guard.

“I have loved every minute of my time at PJC. It has the warmest and friendliest environment,” he said.

Carter said his most exciting assignments have involved helping provide security for top government officials when they visit PJC. During such visits he has had an opportunity to work with the Secret Service to see how that agency performs its job.

In addition to the sworn law enforcement officers, a number of students work with the PJC Police Department as part of the school’s work-study program. Heather Lutrick is one of those students and she works with Carter on the Warrington campus.

“I love my job, and the people I work with, they provide a comfortable working environment,” said Lutrick.

Lutrick has worked with the campus police for two years. Her daily duties include answering the phones, issuing parking decals, writing parking tickets and helping lock up campus buildings at the end of the day.

“There is work that has to be done, and when there is down time I get to catch up on some school work. I also love this job because it is so flexible around my school schedule,” said Lutrick.

Game players come to LAN parties

Wade Manns - The Corsair

Sometimes if you’re a gamer, a friendly multiplayer session of gunplay and death are all you need to de-stress after a long day. Such opportunities are commonplace at a LAN (local area network) party such as those hosted by the Panhandle Gamers.

A community gaming organization founded in late 2006, the Panhandle Gamers has organized 14 LAN parties over the past 3.5 years. A local area network is a gathering of like-minded individuals who connect their computers or game consoles for gaming or exchanging information.

Panhandle Gamers, currently led by local gaming enthusiast Grant Corbin, began as a small group but now holds events at the Pensacola Beach Hilton which have attracted as many as 200 people. A LAN party on April 3 had a turnout of about 80.

Corbin’s first experience with LAN parties came at about age 13 when he was in middle school.

“I found out what it was on the Internet after a friend told me that there was one upcoming in the Pensacola area,” he said. “The guy who ran the LAN parties at the time was rumored to move away. I discussed this with him and inherited the events.”

Shortly thereafter Panhandle Gamers was born, its Web site up in a week and its first event planned, Corbin said.

Games played at LAN parties may include first-person shooters such as Team Fortress 2, Counter-Strike or Modern Warfare 2, but may also extend into real-time strategy games or even single-player, or massively multiplayer, online games.

The competition at these events can become fierce, especially during tournaments. In many cases, more than bragging rights are at stake. Sponsors offer prizes that can include specialized gaming keyboards or controllers, T-shirts, mouse pads and bumper stickers. Also, there is always a healthy selection of posters for anyone to grab after the event. Mix all that up with a little karaoke, mostly performed by Corbin, who really knows how to ham it up on stage, and you’ve got yourself quite a diversified event.

Global Warming: is it fact or is it fiction?

Kimberly Sweetman - The Corsair

The debate continues to rage over global warming. Is there cause for alarm? Does the condition even exist? If so, are mankind’s activities responsible for climate change?

Those are the questions researched and debated by 14 members of science teacher Jeff Wooters’ introduction to environmental science class during a presentation for fellow students and community members held March 22 at PJC’s Hagler Auditorium.

“We have been investigating this topic through several different guest speakers, panel discussions, discussion forums, and classroom assignments,” Wooters said. “Last year I had my zoology students do a class project on endangered animals. This semester I decided with all the things in the news lately about global warming, it would be a good time to get the students to investigate.”

Wooters pointed to increasingly dire predictions about rising temperatures on earth by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, along with the worldwide attention given to former Vice President Al Gore’s film, “An Inconvenient Truth.”  Countering such arguments, however, have been questions about the trustworthiness of data gathered about global warming, and even the fact that this past winter was one of the coldest on record.

Team 1 argued that global warming is taking place and is caused by human activities. Team 2 argued that global warming is not occurring or, if it is happening, is a natural environmental event. Both sides had to do extensive research for the debate and each team member contributed either through research or a presentation.

Kelly Suhrheinrich began the debate with an opening statement for Team 1.

“Basic principles of physics and chemistry dictate that the earth will warm as concentrations of atmospheric greenhouse gases increase. Indefinite temperature data from the atmosphere, the ground, and the subsurface, combined with evidence such as melting snow, ice and permafrost, rising sea levels and observed changes in plant and animal behavior make it clear that the earth’s surface is warming noticeably,” Suhrheinrich said.

She then cited examples and data supporting her argument.

Marian Doyle opened Team 2’s presentation with statistics she collected.

“Global warming is defined as an increase in greenhouse gases resulting from human activity such as burning fossil fuels and deforestation,” Doyle said. “A stunning 79 percent of Americans polled in 2007 agreed that human activity is largely the reason why our climate is changing. In reality, humans are only responsible for 3 percent of fossil fuel emissions released into the atmosphere. The rest is largely due to decay of plants, volcanoes and forest fires.”

She urged the audience not to “jump on the band wagon” before researching the topic.

Damien McNeil made a point during Team 2’s presentation that lightened the room’s serious mood: “In 1998 the U.N. reported that the earth’s global warming phase was officially over. There was, however, a Senate hearing on global warming last month that was unfortunately canceled due to unexpected freezes and snow patterns. Sorry about that, better luck next time.”

But that remark about this past winter’s severity was rebutted by Chelsee Raynsford: “As climate changes, the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events will change whether it is warming or cooling.”

Raynsford and other Team 1 members argued that the rising level of carbon dioxide is causing global warming.

Catherine Churchwell with Team 2 countered that “when temperatures increase, carbon dioxide increases as a result.”

Following both teams’ closing presentation, most agreed that the debate had ended in a tie. But that did not diminish arguments that continued even after the presentation.

Said Allie Toussaint, an audience member and student in Wooters’ class: “I don’t think global warming is actually happening because I think it is hype, and a lot of propaganda is behind it.”

Fellow student Kieanna Ponds begged to differ, believing humans are the cause of environmental problems that are growing increasingly more serious.

No matter what your opinion, the most important thing is to educate yourself about the issue, said Roman Fiol.

“Regardless of which side of the debate you are on, it is best to look at both sides of the argument and make the decision for yourself before you jump on the band wagon of what everyone claims,” he said. “The environment is very important, but exactly how much do we impact it is the important question here. Open your eyes and look at all the facts before you jump on.”

SGA students visit Tallahasee for Rally in Tally

Wade Manns - The Corsair

Twenty-one PJC Student Government Association leaders joined 325 other community college student leaders from across the state April 7-8 to lobby legislators on bills currently being considered.  The annual Rally in Tally, staged by the Florida Junior/Community College Student Government Association, included a rally on the steps of the old capitol building as well as individual meetings with legislators in their districts.

The Pensacola group met with District 2 Rep. Dave Murzin, District 3 Rep. Clay Ford, and District 4 Sen. Don Gaetz. Before the meetings, students were taken on a tour of the new Capitol building, including gallery views of the House of Representatives and the Senate as well as the office of Gov. Charlie Crist, led by PJC Executive Director of Government Relations Larry Bracken.

“I believe that we made an impact on the legislators because they saw a group of college students that have a strong passion for our schools and who care enough to all gather together to fight for what we believe in,” said PJC representative Cody Ray Engle.

The state group lobbied legislators on several issues, according to PJC SGA representative Tremayne Burnett, including: textbook affordability; legislation that would allow undocumented students the right to claim residency for tuition purposes; and no more changes or reductions to Bright Futures, or to the state college system budget.

Burnett said, “We wanted to make the incentive here to afford those foreign students the same opportunity that we have to get an education. This is America.  At some point in time we were all foreigners.”

At the Rally, the state group welcomed Ocala native, 24th District Representative Kurt Kelly, who began the Rally with a speech: “I am now looking into the eyes of leaders. No, not just future leaders, but leaders. You are leaders of people, already… the leaders of the House that are coming up the next couple of years were all presidents of their respective schools… Many of them were involved in student government; they understand what it takes to be a great leader… kindness.”

This was not only an educational opportunity for the students involved, allowing them to get an inside view on politics as it affects them, but was also a great social opportunity, culminating in the awards banquet and a late-night dance party afterwards.

“Being able to come together with other people that believe in the same things as me and fight for what is right made it so much better,” Engle said.

College students look forward to a long spring break

Madelain Tigano- The Corsair

A salty aroma fills the air as the hot rays beat down, tanning exposed flesh. Booze and sun oil lie next to oversized towels of the vacationers who have flocked to the warmth of the shore to release their stress in a week of freedom.

Spring break: it’s what most college students look forward to every year. It offers the ability to hang loose with friends, make new ones, take a trip, acquire extra work hours or just enjoy a break from the books.

Students are already making plans for PJC’s spring break from March 29 to April 4.

“My friend and I might go on a road trip to Orlando and Miami,” said pre-law student Micha Mesuri. “I’ve never been to Miami, so it should be fun.”

Brennan Decker, a pre-pharmacy student, said he is “probably working more hours at Java Junkies in Navarre to make extra money for the summer.” But he also plans to hit one of the local beaches.

Jet skiing in the waters of Perdido Key is criminal justice major Josh Hatten’s plan. Unlike previous spring breaks, he’s not going out of town to experience one of the most popular destinations this time of year.

“Panama City Beach parties harder than we do,” Hatten said.

However, our neighboring beach plans to calm down its 2010 spring break season. It won’t be partnering with MTV like previous years. The music-television network has provided entertainment and televised the partying of Panama City Beach in the past.

“I think mtvU has managed to paint us with a big black brush,” Panama City Beach Mayor Gayle Oberst said in a news article. Oberst also said mtvU events brought in too many unruly spring breakers.

But Cassandra Williams, a criminal psychology major, doesn’t have the beach in mind. The trip she has planned is much more unusual.

“For spring break I am going to find my brother that I’ve never met,” she said. “I will be spending the whole week in Anniston, Ala.”

Williams explains that her older brother is actually her half-brother from her dad’s side.

“I found him on MySpace. My younger brother and I are going to see him,” Williams said. “We are going to spend the week getting to know each other and going out places.”

Pirate baseball player Terry McClinton said he has baseball games throughout the week. Yet he knows what would be the ultimate spring break.

“My ideal spring break would be in Key West, fishing the flats with a few good friends,” McClinton said.

 

 

 

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