Volleyball team posts another successful season

Lindsay Spencer

Published: November 9, 2005

The Lady Pirates completed yet another terrific season at the state volleyball tournament in Lakeland last week.

In the opening round, PJC lost the first game to Manatee Community College.  They were then eliminated from the tournament by St. Petersburg Community College.

“The team competed and represented PJC very well in the tournament,” Coach Pete Pena said, “and they got valuable experience competing at the state level.”

Many of the girls will use the experience to prepare for the state tournament next season.

“We went into the first round and didn’t play so hot, but in the second game we really came together as a team and played much better,” freshman Margo Yates said. “Now we know the level of competition to play against next year.”

Although the team was extremely young, Yates felt PJC had a great season and is excited about working with her teammates again next year.

“We do, however, have to say goodbye to our three sophomores: Corrine Skislak, Jessica Costa, and Rachelle Salomone.  All three players made great contributions to the team and they will be missed,” Pena said.

Coach Pena is very proud of the team’s performance this season and is looking forward to next year since most of the girls will be returning.  PJC’s overall record was 13 wins and 9 losses.

Basketball team includes international faces

Joshua Watson and Morgan Gates

Published: November 9, 2005

Upon first glance, the team may just seem like any other group of junior college students playing the game they love. However, if you were to get close enough to hear them speak, you would also find out that the men of the 2005-06 men’s basketball team are diverse, as well as talented and passionate about their game.

The team features 13 players in total - 11 from the United States and two international players. Andrius Zukauskas of Lithuania and Luis Buther Lopez of Puerto Rico are similar in many aspects. Both men are 6-foot-5 freshmen and play forward. Both men now also call Pensacola home.

“It’s a definitive cultural diversity, both with basketball and learning,” Head Coach Paul Swanson said. “The addition (of Zakauskas and Lopez) exposes the other 11 men to other countries and cultures.”

But the adjustment hasn’t been all that easy.

Zukauskas said, “The hardest thing for me to adjust to after coming here was the second week. The first week was okay, but the second week we started conditioning training and I had a problem sleeping. Day time here is night time in Lithuania, and for two weeks I woke up around five or six times a night.

“I adapted fast to the team. I felt welcomed by them,” he said.  “I like the atmosphere here, I am very happy to be in Pensacola. It’s still different though, a different culture, a different climate, and a different language. In the south the sun is always shining.”

Although the team might have new players from different places, goals reamin the same. “Our goal is to win our conference championship, advance to the state tournament and contend for the national championship,” Swanson said. “Also, our objective is to be the best team possible both individually and collectively.

“Aside from athletics, our goal is to graduate every sophomore with the chance at being awarded a scholarship at a four-year institution.”

He commended the college for its stance on diversity, especially with athletics.

“Athletics is an integral part of the overall educational process,” said Swanson.

Zukauskas said the level of basketball is better here with a system that allows teachers to pay more attention to his schedule. He says the level of basketball in Lithuania isn’t bad, but just that it’s hard to study and play basketball at the same time there.

“My education is very important to me,” Zukauskas said.

Men’s basketball team faces stiff competition

David LaRock

Published: November 9, 2005

The 2005-06 Men’s Pirate Basketball team begins its fight for the Panhandle Conference Championship with a series of early season non-conference games to sharpen skills. The Panhandle Conference has a strong reputation for being the toughest conference in the nation.

“The Panhandle Conference is one of the toughest junior college conferences in the country,” PJC Head Basketball Coach Paul Swanson said. “There will be no easy teams this season. Nobody seems to have a weakness.”  He attributes the strength of the Panhandle teams to “extreme balance,” meaning that defense and offense are often equally good.

With nine freshmen and only a couple of returning sophomores from last year’s team (Phillip Wallace and Clinton Kilbert), this year will be a challenging one. The team is young, and Swanson is looking forward to seeing what the team can do.

“This is by far the youngest team we ever had. Our biggest weakness is youth and all that brings with it. It will take some time for this team to jell together,” Swanson said.

“They have to learn to accept new roles, as opposed to the different roles they had in high school. These players were extremely talented in high school; they just have to adjust to the intensity of the college level.”

PJC basketball statistician Michael Gilbert is excited about this team’s offensive skill, as compared to previous teams.

“Our team can shoot. Straight up, we got some shooters. This is the best shooting team we’ve had in a while,” Gilbert said.

“We are normally the bigger team year after year. It will be interesting to see how this smaller squad will play. We are quick, so we definitely have to play an up beat tempo game.”

With such an upbeat style of play, the Pirates will need seven players to play a lot of minutes. Gilbert and Swanson have no idea what the first-string team might look like, because of the nine incoming freshman and new player transfers.

Gilbert sees a lot of potential and untapped resources in all this youth. Players such as Phillip Wallace and Clinton Kilbert, who are coming off major injuries last year, will be an added boost of experience for this young team.

“Phillip [Wallace] is a leader. He started last year till we lost him in the tournament last year. Bradley [Skipper] has an excellent shot, and could make a huge difference. He is from Pace, so he is definitely under the radar,” Gilbert said.

Swanson said due to the lack of size and height this team has, they would be more guard oriented. With a little more than half of the team consisting of guards, speed and quickness are key strengths.

Swanson also added that expectations are always high and that players try their best every game.

“Our goal is to get 1 percent better every day.”

Gay marriage is a constitutional, not moral, issue

Byron Tripp

Published: November 9, 2005

Gay marriage has become a heated issue in recent years. Part of this is people’s general resistance to change. Without changing, however, people cannot grow as individuals, nor can they grow as a society. It is time that we reconsider the issue without letting fear of change obscure our values.

Traditionalists and moralists argue against gay marriage by saying that marriage is defined between a “man and woman.” These individuals appeal to religious traditions and historical traditions to substantiate this claim but are unable to back their opinions with legality.

On the other hand, citizens that support gay rights and marriage say that appealing to a moral code for definitions of marriage is against the principles of this American democracy. The U.S. Constitution prohibits discrimination based on religion.

So why are the traditionalist and moralist groups still trying to prevent gays from marrying? Some say that they value traditional morality. Some say that a moral break down in society will occur. Some say it is a sign of the times.  No matter what you may say, what is fact is that traditionalists and moralists individuals are grasping at straws to come up with reasons to deny gay Americans rights.

Why are they doing this? Because they realize the churches have failed in their spiritual responsibilities. Now, religious people are looking to the government to legislate their collective view of morality upon the citizenry.

The real issue is not what is religiously acceptable. The real issue is what is legal.  If a state in the U.S., by majority vote of its legislature, wishes to institute gay marriage, by right of the Tenth Amendment, that state can.

People fail to differentiate between their personal views and the actual duty of the government, which is to provide legality, not morality.  It is not the right of government to limit the happiness of citizens who wish to acquire the same legal status and benefits under the law as is defined by a religious or traditional marriage.

Citizens that serve the public may have religious feelings on the matter but their choice to remain citizens means they accept the Constitution- and it must precede their personal moral views.

Religion has no place in politics and politics has no place in religion. The government has the Constitutional right only to determine what is legal and what is illegal in their jurisdictions, not to determine what is moral and what is immoral.

If we are truly committed to upholding the democratic nature of this country, we cannot prevent gay marriage. Regardless of how individuals are raised or what they believe or accept, our country was founded upon the premises of certain “inalienable rights,” to quote the Declaration of Independence: “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

In accordance with the principles of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, no one can argue with any sound reason that this country should not accept such peaceful social changes.

Marriage is no trivial affair; let’s stop treating it that way

Janson Thomas

Published: November 9, 2005

In the United States Constitution, marriage is defined as a union between two members of the opposite sex as husband or wife.  In most societies, marriage is a religious, legal, and social bond between a man and a woman and is the sole foundation upon which a family is based.

Unfortunately, marriage’s sanctity is being increasingly challenged by societal trends, with unfortunate results: the divorce rate in the U.S. is roughly 56 percent, with some groups (military members and young couples, for example) seeing percentages as high as 80 percent.

Throughout history, marriage has been an institution that has served as a basis for family. With a family came social stability and order; it was a way to have a structured and established life. Unfortunately, the societal reforms of the 20th century, which made obsolete many more traditional structures in society, negatively impacted marriage. It became easier to divorce and it became more socially acceptable to be divorced; the divorce rate skyrocketed.

However, in my opinion, the U.S. divorce rate cannot be accounted for just by the ease of getting a divorce or the acceptability of being divorced. When we marry for the wrong reasons, the chance of having a successful marriage drastically decreases.

We need to remember why marriage happened in the first place if we want to reverse these trends. Every human society in existence has been based upon the unions of men and women, never upon homosexual unions.

According to Focus on the Family, married people live longer, make more money, stay healthier and are less likely to be the victims of violence. Their children do better academically and are less likely to become involved in crime. These are some of the benefits of marriage between a committed husband and wife.

Nowadays, however, people are marrying without any regard to the sanctity of marriage. Gays are demanding the right to marry because “it’s not fair” that they can’t. People are marrying “for love” and then giving up, many of them in the first year of marriage. There has to be something wrong with our definition of marriage if it has become so shallow.

Furthermore, when we start marrying without any consideration for the sanctity of marriage, where do we stop? Should we let gays get married without considering the possible effects it could have on their children? And if we decide to let gay people get married, we can’t forget about bisexuals. So, to be fair, bisexual people should then be allowed to marry a man and a woman. Let’s disregard the possibility that when its time to drop the kids off at mommy’s house, they are being raised by seven husbands and wives all sleeping in the same bed at night.

The importance of keeping marriage in line with its original purposes has very little to do with prejudice against gays, or forcing people back into traditional roles. If we want to see the divorce rates go down, we must start reconsidering our attitudes about marriage.

Court case leads the way to censorship

Yonit Shames

Published: November 9, 2005

Free speech, one of the rights secured by the First Amendment, is more than a basic civil right. Free speech is the safeguard of democracy, particularly in the form of a free and uncensored press, because it forces those in power to be held accountable for their actions.

This includes the college press. College media is as important as its professional counterparts on the local and school levels. Because student newspapers are funded by student activity fees and are run by students, they can express criticism of administrations or local politics without fear of retribution; employees of the school cannot.

Furthermore, student newspapers often are the only media that has a serious presence on campus and provides a public venue for a balanced discussion of school-related issues.

In light of its importance, it is unfortunate and somewhat ironic that freedom of the college press is currently being questioned. Hosty v. Carter, a landmark case currently making its way to the Supreme Court, involves a student editor and staff suing an administrator who demanded prior review of the student newspaper at Governors State University in Illinois.

In July, the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals granted Patricia Carter, the administrator, immunity from being prosecuted for censoring the newspaper. The court said it based its decision on a precedent court case, Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier, in which a high school administration was ruled to be able to censor the high school newspaper for content.

Basing the Hosty decision on the Hazelwood case was a shockingly poor decision. The appeals court decision does not recognize the significant differences between the cases. For one thing, college students are almost exclusively adults, whereas high schoolers are almost exclusively minors. Additionally, the Hazelwood newspaper was directly funded by the high school and produced in the framework of a journalism class; most college newspapers are funded by student fees and produced independently, without administrative input.

Furthermore, freedom of the college press has been repeatedly reaffirmed in the U.S. court system. In Antonelli vs. Hammond, for instance, it was ruled that Fitchburg State College in Massachusetts did not have the right to cut college funding to the student newspaper or demand prior review of its articles.

The administration’s lack of authority over the content of student newspapers even extends to cases in which people sue for libel printed in the paper. In two such cases, Mazart vs. State and Milliner v. Turner, the universities involved were found to not have liability for defamation in the student newspapers because they did not have editorial control over them.

Until recently, the rules of free press were applicable to the college press; Hosty v. Carter threatens to overturn that. The only difference between this censorship case and historical censorship is that the Hosty judges feel that college students are not mature enough to make decisions regarding the content of their papers. If Carter wins this case in the Supreme Court, there may be a day when papers like this one are simply not allowed to be critical of or cover school issues.

For students, that’s an alarming prospect.

Lily the Insomniac (and pirate!)

Published: November 9, 2005

Let’s talk about something besides domesticity, video games, and insomnia.

I have recently become a pirate.  I formed a small crew and declared my tiny apartment balcony the ship, and then upgraded it to the entire apartment complex, for we were so fearsome.  We call ourselves the BOOB PIRATES.  You know.  Because we’re all girls.  I captained twice in a pool (drunk) and four more times on the PJC campus (slightly less drunk).

I have always wanted to be a pirate.  It’s all AAARGH this and YAAARGH MATEY that.  Plus you get to brandish swords and I think it’s called swashbuckling.  I have never heard a word that cool.  SWASHBUCKLING.  Husband thought it would be a good idea to join my crew, but he tried to take it over, and I was forced to throw my pirate grog (beer) at him.

After several unsuccessful attempts at not drowning, I finally put him in charge of rescuing his idiot wife from chlorine-drenched waters.

These days, I’m still practicing.  I practice in the shower, I practice while watching TV, I even practice while eating dinner.  I make sure to yell stuff like “AVAST!” and “SWAB THE POOP DECK!” because it is damn funny.  I even made up rules for being the best pirate ever.

1.) Build or find ship.  There are ships in the ocean, or you can sail around in a cardboard box with rollerskates tied to the bottom.

2.) Forage for liquor.  No good pirate is ever without her beer.

3.) Pillage pirate clothing.  Disregard pirate cliches such as eyepatches, peg legs, and artificial parrots.  Wear a mask instead.

4.) Ripped pants.  Why?  Because they look cool.  These are my rules, shut up.

5.) If you’re the captain, find yourself a fine hat.  Any hat will do, as long as it is not a crocodile hat.  Pirates are not fans of these creatures.

6.) A plank.  Should you need to rid yourself of annoying crew members or hostages that have served their purpose, they’ll need to walk the plank.  Tie some sticks together or steal a board from your neighbor’s garage.

7.) Give yourself and your crew an awesome name.  Examples: The angry emo pirates, The “I own an XBOX” pirates, The sassy chicken pirates, etc.

8.) Eat only meat.

9.) Find a cannon.  If cannons are scarce, make one out of an empty toilet paper roll and an egg.

10.) Finally, sail around and start capturing landlubbers.  Nobody likes those guys.

If you follow my instructions carefully, you’ll become a full-fledged pirate within 7 to 10 working days.  You will receive your pirate diploma from me, a fine conversation piece that was made with a green crayon and half a napkin.  If by 10 days you are, for some reason, not a pirate, do not come crying for refunds.  All of your hard-earned money is mine.

With that, I bid you adieu.  Ooh.. that’s not very pirate-like, is it?

Okay then.

YARGH.

Natural food store offers way to clean living

Caroline Bakhunas

Published: November 9, 2005

There is a haven for health conscious citizens who crave organic or vegetarian meals: Ever’man Natural Food Store.

The store, founded by a group of “hippy” entrepreneurs in the 1970s, started as a buying club among their circle of friends. The idea of eating only organic fit their transcendental way of life as well as their meditation practices, “Clean food. Clean Mind.”

The club set up shop in a small house surrounded by woods in Gulf Breeze, but due to the store’s growing band of supporters, Ever’man moved to the 9th Avenue location, where it continued to thrive and expand its services and number of customers.

Melissa Howard, a PJC student, says “I shop at Ever’mans every single week.”

The new, current location on Garden Street, built six years ago, continues the traditional co-op management. Members of Ever’man, unlike any regular grocery store, actually have voting rights to the personnel elected on the board.

“I like that the store is a co-op and not a huge corporation,” Howard said.

The services offered at Ever’man include: massages with a minimum $10 donation, a newsletter every two months to members, workshops, cooking demos, and member discounts. Membership rates are $12 annually.

Current manager, John Russo is pleased to announce Ever’man is now holding permanent recycling bins on the property and urges everyone to use them.

Recycling isn’t the only change making this store a hot place to shop. Ever’man now offers a variety of food services. The deli, located in the back of the store, prepares ready-to-eat sandwiches, wraps, salads and more.

No, this isn’t a store where only hippies shop. Leading a healthy life is becoming mainstream, and Ever’man attracts various groups of people with different lifestyles. Melissa Howard is a vegetarian and says her favorite part of Ever’man is, “that Ever’man has a wide selection of fake meats because most grocery stores lack that.”

Although natural foods are clean and healthy, buyers should be aware that not all products are wise choices to eat. Note: nutritional contents should be taken into account.

“One lady came in here and told her friend she could eat anything in the store and not get fhat,” laughs Russo, “that is the biggest misconception of our store.”

Besides the deli choices, hormone-free meats, and assortments of every kind of nut you can imagine, fresh produce is what attracts most customers. All the produce is pesticide-free coming from places like Australia, California, Costa Rica, Mexico and Peru, with a few local growers to add to the list.

“I know when I eat the fruits and vegetables that there are no harmful pesticides in my body,” said Mary Taylor Mills, a college student in Pensacola.

Lauren Rushing, a high school student at Catholic High School, started eating solely organic foods after her eczema got out of control.

“I stopped eating chips with additives, pesticide-treated vegetables, and other things that I assumed could cause my skin to break out. After only a week, my eczema cleared up quite a bit,” said Lauren, who is now an avid shopper at Ever’man.

Ever’man, a company committed to the community, continues to keep “clean living” foods and products stocked on every shelf of the store and available for everyone to enjoy.

Single parents small but growing minority on campus

Daniel Cecil

Published: November 9, 2005

According to the United States Census Bureau, in 1970, 40 percent of all households were categorized as traditional family, with the father being the primary bread winner.  That number is down to a mere 24 percent as of the last census in 2000.

In fact, the traditional TV type family, with the father as the only wage earner and an at-home mom, constitutes a mere seven percent of the population in 2000.  Nationally, the single parent family population grew almost five percent annually during the ’70s.

Right here in Florida, according to the 2000 census, nearly 12 percent, or more than 750,000 families have a female head of household. The number of single parent families with male heads of households was not computed, but their numbers are growing as well.

Inspired to learn, whether out of desire to improve their employment opportunities or for continued education, these single parents make up a small but growing minority on campus.  Having been widowed, Terri Herrington has returned to school out of necessity: “My husband died (he was the means of support), and now I need to provide that support.”

Anyone who has ever attended college is aware of its stress and demands.  But single parents also are the primary wage earners, which forces them to find balance between the stress and demands of both work and school.  With whatever spare time is available, these same single parents squeeze in all of their domestic responsibilities.

According to Amanda, mother of five, the most challenging thing about going to school, working, and being a single parent is “finding time to help them (her children) with homework, soccer practice, cheerleading, and finding time to do my stuff.”

In spite of the employment and domestic demands that might impose on their time, these single parents manage to make their mark in the classroom and at home.  Success is only possible if there is good time management and organization.  Amanda pointed out that one of the benefits of her return to school was that, “my study habits are rubbing off on the kids; they see I am organized and they become organized.”

In response to this growing sector of the student body, colleges across the nation are tasked with addressing their special needs and unique concerns.  PJC offers career planning through its career services center, financial aid, on-site daycare and a myriad of services and assistance through student support services.

Regardless of their motivation, these single parent students bring diversity and life experience to the classroom.  Their personal drive and ambition make them admirable classmates and ideal study partners.

High School students visit Warrington health fair

Matt Foster

Published: November 9, 2005

The health career fair on Warrington campus has a reputation.

A Warrington campus tradition since 1995, the health career fair is a huge endeavor put on with the help of a myriad of people that usually results in an influx in the campus enrollment.

Through the career fair, local high school students are introduced to some of the programs and fields that are offered at Warrington, such as dentistry and radiography.

The experience is not only beneficial for the area high school students, but also for PJC students as well.

PJC student volunteers from the various programs gave interactive presentations to their guests, showcasing everything from the human patient simulators to working with X-rays.

“Eight or nine kids from each program actually set up the presentations for their respective program and showcased them for the high school students,” said Jennifer Ponson, recruiter in the Warrington campus Provost office and founder of the health career fair.

“It’s definitely a campus-wide event.”

Eleven years ago, the seeds of Ponson’s idea were planted when a small field trip came to the Warrington campus.

“I had about eight students from Woodham come out,” Ponson said. “They really loved it. I thought that if we could do that on a broader scale.that’s where it began.”

From these humble beginnings, the eight-person field trip from Woodham High School has erupted into an event that sees more than 600 students from Santa Rosa and Escambia counties all coming together at one time.

Even more staggering is that in the past, more than half of the students who attend these fairs come and enter the very same programs.

“You get back what you give,” Ponson said. “These (PJC) students have been given an opportunity to share what they love. That really comes across to the high school students and they take that with them.”

“When you love what you do, it shows.”

Others echo Ponson’s sentiments.

“This absolutely was the best career fair ever,” said Dean of Student Success Joan Ziel, who also has been involved with the career fair from the very beginning. “It doesn’t surprise me that over half of the (high school) students come back. These are the students that are already preparing for it. They already want to be doctors and nurses and etc.”

“It’s a very rich feeling.”

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