UNA head women’s basketball coach Terry Fowler said he will leave UNA because he has accepted the va-cant head coaching position at the Uni-versity of South Alabama April 16.

The signing was not made offi cial as of late Tuesday afternoon, offi cials said.

At press time, South Alabama Assistant Direc-tor of Athletics for Media Rela-tions Kevin Bea-sley said there was no informa-tion regarding

Fowler’s coaching

status because “the search is still ongo-ing.”

UNA Athletics Director Mark Linder said he has not formally received a letter of resignation from Fowler.

Fowler said he was in Mobile on the morning of April 15 to sign as the new head basketball coach at the Uni-

INSIDEthis week’s paper

NEWS................2AIMAGES..............4AVIEWPOINTS.........7A

LIFE...............1BSPORTS...........5BEXTRA.............8B

BASEBALL STRUGGLES THROUGH SEASON... 5B

JAMES DUBUISSON

Fowler: Iʼm going to South Alabama

DROWNING IN POLLENHEALTH

WOMEN’S HOOPS

After a long, cold winter, many students at UNA are thankful that spring has fi nally arrived.

Unfortunately, with warmer weather come seasonal allergies from allergens such as pollen.

Some al- lergies to substances such as pollen

KAITLYN TEW

Students suffer through allergy season”ONE THING I STRONGLY ENCOURAGE IS TO USE

NASAL IRRIGATION SYSTEMS, SUCH AS NETI POTS. THOSE ARE GREAT TO JUST CLEANSE OUT THE WHOLE NASAL

PASAGE AND THE SINUSES.

CHARLOTTE CRAMER

Fee increase could provide GPS for busses

Students could potentially see an in-crease in their transportation fee next year after SGA Senate passed Resolution 13-02 at their April 11 meeting.

The resolution, presented by student senators Sarah Emerson and Jordan Gra-ham, proposes an increase of $2 per se-mester, which would raise the fee from $22 to $24 in the fall and spring semesters.

Part of the increase would cover the mainte-nance and upkeep of the GPS tracking systems for the university buses, while a small part of the fee would go toward other services provided by the UNA Police Department, according to the resolution.

“Therefore, the Student Government Association proposes for the transporta-tion fee to be raised by two dollars, from 22 dollars to 24 dollars per semester in the fall and spring semesters, with $1.50 of the funds going towards the cost and maintenance of the new GPS Tracker Sys-tems for the buses and $0.50 to go towards the UNA Police department’s efforts to continue to provide the university with adequate services and safety,” the resolu-tion states.

The University Police Department has reached out to the company Transloc Inc. and currently has plans to install the tracker system in the buses this summer, according to the resolution.

“Everyone has a smart phone now,” Graham said. “It will be easy to use those to track the buses with this system.”

Emerson said the system could be use-ful to on-campus students and commuters alike.

“This will be benefi cial to commuters and students who park off-campus, too,” she said. “I see the buses every day, but it’s nev-er at

BLYTHE STEELMAN

FOWLER

AT A GLANCE• PROPOSED $2

INCREASE TO TRANSPORTATION FEE

• GPS SYSTEMS TO POTENTIALLY BE INSTALLED DURING SUMMER

GLUTEN OR NO GLUTEN?

LIFE 1B

photo by CHRISTINA COVINGTON I Staff Photographer

SAFETY

Volume 81, Issue 28April 18, 2013 www.FlorAla.net Student newspaper of the University of North Alabama

The unrest about the fate of univer-sity-owned Kilby Laboratory School has been called off, at least for the time being.

Last May, UNA President Bill Cale announced the offi cial commitment that UNA would continue to supply funding to Kilby. He also announced that Mary Mas-chal, director of Kilby School, and Donna Jacobs, dean of the college of education, were in the process of developing a plan to generate more funding.

As part of this plan, the UNA Board of Trustees approved June 11 the plan to charge a $500 yearly tuition fee per stu-dent, effective in the fall of 2012. Because

of the fee, Kilby is generating more of its funds internally, requiring UNA to make a smaller fi nancial contribution this year than in years past.

“The enrollment fee only generates $75,000 to $80,000,” said Donna Tipps, UNA controller.

Maschal said this fee is enough to pay for necessary classroom expenses, such as textbooks, consumables and pa-per, which are not paid for by UNA or by state-appropriated funds.

The enrollment fee does not seem to be turning parents away; in fact, it seems to be having the reverse effect on student enrollment.

“We have more kids than we’ve ever had before,” Maschal said. “(Parents)

haven’t said anything negative. They’re just very happy that the school is here.”

UNA Communications Manager Jer-emy Britten and his wife Christi will have four children enrolled at Kilby this fall,

NEWS April 18, 2013 • The Flor-Ala2A

UNA offi cials will host Derby Day 2013 May 4 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on the lawn of Coby Hall.

Th is innaugural fundraising event will raise money to benefi t the UNA Founda-tion, which supports the welfare and fu-ture development of the university’s insti-tutional goals.

UNA President Bill Cale will host the event with the help of host of volun-teers led by Director of Admissions Kim Mauldin and Johnette Davis.

“Join us on May 4 and help the univer-sity win the race to be the best,” said Dan Hendricks, vice president for university advancement.

News Briefs

News Briefs are compiled by News/Managing Editor Alex Lindley. Email alindley@una.edu or call (256) 765-4296 to have your event featured in this section.

JUMP to host festival April 23

Th e Japanese University Meal Project (JUMP) will host an all-day outdoor fes-tival April 23.

JUMP group members will wear tra-ditional Japanese attire, and students are invited to have their pictures taken with them.

JUMP will show fi lms from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. as part of a Japanese fi lm festival.

From 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., local art-ists will do live performances. Students will receive free sushi, rice cakes and Japanese pancakes. In addition, several booths will be set up to teach attendees origami and basic calligraphy.

HAVE AN EVENT?

The Society to host second event

Th e Society, a group that combines art, electronic music and conversation to cre-ate an alternative to the typical bar scene, is hosting its second event April 26 at In-die Spaces in downtown Florence.

Th e event will run from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Attendees who are 21 or over will re-ceive drink tickets at the door with their tickets.

Tickets are $10 until April 20. Aft er April 20, ticket prices rise to $15. Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.IndieSpaces.com

Officials to host Derby Day to benefit UNA Foundation

FINANCIAL

Fate of Kilby secure for time being

photo by KAYLA SLOAN I Chief Photographer

Student teaching intern Victoria Roberts teaches Mandy Wicks’ fi rst grade class at Kilby School. Offi cials said they are try-ing to generate more funding internally to reduce the school’s fi nancial pull on the university.

ELISE COFIELD

EDUCATION

Florence school board approves fixed tuitionThe Florence City School board voted

unanimously April 9 to approve a mea-sure to reduce UNA graduate school tu-ition to $675 per course for teachers of the Florence City school system.

An anonymous donor made the de-duction of this and other fees possible, said Janet Womack, superintendent of Florence City Schools.

“In order to accomplish this plan, we knew we needed to have the fi nancial support of three separate entities,” Wom-ack said. “We had Florence City Schools and UNA on board, but we needed a pri-vate donor as well to reduce the price. Through this arrangement, the educator will have still have a fi nancial obligation

when pursuing a master’s degree, but it will not be a large one.”

Womack said the program, which is called Impact 80, is designed to train teachers through UNA’s graduate studies to enhance the quality of the classroom experience within the school system.

“Teaching credentials are valid for a period of fi ve years, and the most conve-nient way to renew a certifi cate is to earn a graduate degree,” said Donna Lefort, dean of the College of Education and Hu-man Sciences. “Since the retention rate for new teachers is extremely low, the advanced degree is one way to assist and support new teachers and hopefully en-courage them to stay in the classroom. In addition, teachers are compensated based on the highest degree they hold, so earn-ing master’s or specialist degrees will re-

sult in an increase in pay.”The fi rst group of teachers will most

likely be able to begin their graduate stud-ies this summer, Lefort said.

“With Impact 80, we wanted to set up a model that can be replicated by other schools systems in the state,” Womack said. “This is especially important at a time when so many teachers are retiring, so programs such as this one will allow younger individuals to gain valuable ex-perience. We are so fortunate to live in a town where, as a school system, we have a university that is always willing to part-ner with us.”

Lefort said the donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, believes the initia-tive to equip teachers and enhance the

PACE HOLDBROOKS

”(PARENTS) HAVENʼT SAID ANYTHING NEGA-TIVE. THEYʼRE JUST VERY HAPPY THAT THE SCHOOL

IS HERE.

MARY MASCHAL

but he said he did not even consider switching schools when he found out about the enrollment fee.

“It’s unfortunate, but it’s defi nitely worth it,” he said. “My daughter is in Pre-K — she just turned 5 — and she’s reading just as good as my fi rst grader is.”

Britten said paying the fee is worth the confi dence it gives his family in Kil-by’s doors staying open.

“We haven’t toured any other schools or anything because I guess we’re opti-mistic that Kilby is sticking around, but we have thought about that,” he said.

Carole Maynard, former president of Kilby PTO, said parents are fi ne with the tuition fee.

“Just from what I’ve heard, when the alternative was not having Kilby, they were perfectly happy to pay the $500,” she said.

While these funds do help with the budget situation, Kilby will continue to require income from UNA and the state.

“The Board approved for $125,000 from the university account to be put into the Kilby account as of Oct. 1,” Smith said.

This is a reduced amount compared to years past and will primarily go to-wards paying for teacher salaries.

“(Kilby is) still active with fundrais-ing,” said Julie Graham, director of fi -nancial affairs. “They’re just not needing to put as much in now because of tuition.”

Kilby is gearing up to host its third annual 5K April 20 to raise money for its physical education department.

“It would be very diffi cult for Kilby to become self-suffi cient,” Maynard said. “The state budget that we get only allots so much per student. The expectation that UNA would provide funding is a reason-able expectation since (Kilby is) offi cial-ly a part of the university.”

This year, Kilby received $873,000 from the state through Lauderdale Coun-ty.

Kilby’s other source of income is a yearly Pre-K grant from the state. This year, the amount appropriated was $92,700. These dollars fund Kilby’s caf-eteria, its Child Development Center and its after school program.

Smith said he could envision the pos-sibility of Kilby becoming fi nancially in-dependent but that making such a predic-tion would be premature.

“I’m sure later on if things improve that that’s a possibility, but that would be determined by the Board,” Smith said.

classroom experience is worth the in-vestment.

“Teachers have not had a pay raise since 2007, so this is also a strong incen-tive for the participants,” Lefort said.

Womack said the employees of Flor-ence City Schools are highly valued be-cause of the positive impact they have on

students.“In the world we live in, the team of

leaders must be innovative and creative to be to retain the best (teachers) out there,” Womack said. “We are willing to work for that because we believe only the best teachers are good enough for our kids.”

The program’s curriculum will con-sist of 11 classes total, which the fi rst 40 students will begin taking in June, Wom-ack said.

UNA hosted Research Day in the GUC banquet halls April 8-9. There were 35 student presentations throughout the two days.

UNA student Alex Edwards, who presented his research on analytical solu-tions to the cubic equation, said research is very important for students.

“I think it is very fundamental,” he said. “I think undergraduate research is something that needs to be strengthened at all universities.”

The turnout received a mixture of feedback as some were pleased with it, while others were disappointed.

“Turnout has been rather well,” Ed-wards said.

Katie Melching was one of those who was disappointed by the turnout.

“(Attendance) hasn’t been as good as I expected it to be,” she said. “I think a lot of the students are here because they have to be here for a class.”

Lisa Keys-Mathews, director of the Quality Enhancement Plan, was pleased with the turnout and presentations but wants to improve upon the numbers next year.

“I don’t think I could be more pleased,” she said. “We have had faculty

members bring entire classes in. I would like to shoot for twice as many presen-tations and twice as much traffi c next year.”

In the second year of this event, Keys-Matthews believes comfort has been very important in the improvement of the event.

“I think that students are becoming more comfortable with presenting re-search, and I think faculty is becoming more comfortable with helping students with research,” she said.

Melching enjoyed seeing the other departments’ research and meeting some of the professors from the other depart-ments.

“I think it is really neat to see how different departments across campus are doing research and what their research interests are,” she said. “It is cool meet-ing professors from other departments that I would have not usually met.”

There are also improvements to be made to the Research Days.

“I want to get community members involved more,” Keys-Matthews said.

Edwards would like to see professors help get students into the banquet halls to see the research.

“I think an improvement would be letting class out for a day and making students write a one-paragraph summary of what they read,” Edwards said.

Edwards has also realized the unique situation UNA is in when it comes to re-search.

“We have a very unique situation here where we don’t have a huge graduate program, but we have a bunch of Ph.D. professors that are very capable of doing a lot of research and are able to have one-on-ones with undergraduate students, and I think that is a great opportunity for the university,” he said.

April 18, 2013 • The Flor-Ala 3ANEWSACADEMICS

Research Day features 35 student presentations

JAMES DUBUISSON

photo by COURTNEY WATKINS I Staff Photographer

UNA graduate Victoria McCoy gives a psychology presentation at UNA Research Day. This year, Research Day featured 35 student presentations, as well as the presentations of several faculty members.

IMAGES April 18, 2013 • The Flor-Ala4A

HUNTING FOR FUN

by Staff Photographer Alli Ownby As a freshman who is new to the area, I’m not

fully aware of all the cool and interesting things to see and do around Florence. I’ve found a lot of awesome and amazing things through geocaching, though!

Geocaching is a hobby shared by people from all over the world. Geocaching is simple — a member hides a cache, logs the coordinates on the website, and other users can fi nd it using a GPS. There are caches all over the world, including the Shoals.

There are a few different kinds of caches. Some are small, and you only sign your name to mark you successful fi nd. Some are larger and contain trade items, which you can take and re-

place with a trade item of your own. My friends and I spent the entire day last

Saturday looking for caches. I love geocaching be-cause it leads you to many new places you might overlook otherwise, such as a pretty view of the river, interesting stores or even just a nice, quiet trail through the woods. We found caches all over Florence, Muscle Shoals and even Tuscumbia. In Florence, we found cool new things such as a huge dinosaur sculpture, the Indian Mounds and a neat creek in the woods.

Geocaching is a great way to hang out with friends, learn about your area and appreciate good weather. It’s easy to get started — just go to geo-caching.com and make an account.

NEWSApril 18, 2013 • The Flor-Ala 5A

the same time or on a schedule.”While Emerson said raising the fee

now will prevent a larger increase in the future, SGA President Will Riley said

he is concerned about the portion of the fee increase that will be used for other services provided by UNA Police, like SNAP patrol.

“I don’t care for student fees going to something that’s not expressly named,” he said.

However, the pool of funds for other

services in the department covers more transportation-related things, too.

“That 50 cents also goes toward the maintenance of the golf carts, which is transportation,” Graham said.

Riley recommended passing the res-olution, since the installation would take up to six weeks this summer. SGA Trea-

surer Laura Giles also pointed out that the fee increase would have to be ap-proved through other groups on campus before it goes into effect.

“This still needs to go through the other branches of Senate, so it’s going to take a while,” she said.

can cause sneezing, runny nose, sore throat and itchy, watery eyes, experts said.

Many students at UNA are suffering from this particular allergy.

“I take an antihistamine everyday and keep a steady supply of Kleenex and nose spray handy,” said Jessi Wood, a freshman at UNA. “When it gets too much to deal with, I go to the infi rmary and see if they can give me something to clear all this mess up.”

There are some things students can do to prevent or reduce allergic reac-tions.

“(One thing students can do) is plan their time of activity outdoors,” said Charlotte Cramer, assistant professor of nursing at UNA. “Many experts feel that the best time to be outdoors related to lower pollen count is early in the morn-ing and late evening.

“However, others disagree and feel that it doesn’t matter since the pollen is there. I guess a person just needs to check on the pollen count and plan ac-tivities accordingly. One thing, too, is when they’re in the car, (they can) keep the windows up and run the air condi-tioner with the recirculation setting.”

Allergies are not just limited to pol-len, experts said.

“(I’m allergic) to cats and mowed grass,” said Kelcy Paulsen, UNA senior. “I take an Allegra and go to sleep.”

Medications are great for treating al-lergies, but there are other ways to treat the symptoms before taking medicine.

“One thing I strongly encourage is to

use nasal irrigation systems, such as Neti pots,” Cramer said. “Those are great to just cleanse out the whole nasal passage and the sinuses.”

She does, however, believe oral anti-histamines, are very important and takes them herself.

“The suggested ones that are over the counter are Claritin, Zyrtec and Al-legra,” she said. “The advantage of those is they are taken once a day and not sev-eral times a day. Benadryl is one that people can take, but the disadvantage of Benadryl is the fact that to get the full ef-fect, you take it three or four times a day. The real disadvantage is the drowsiness it causes.”

To save money, Cramer said, generic medications are usually less expensive and are probably just as effective.

She also said some over-the-counter topical nose sprays can be helpful, but they should be used with caution and should not be used for more than two to three days at a time because they run some risks of dependency.

There are many remedies to treat al-lergies, Cramer said, but if they get to be too much to handle, consult a physician.

POLLEN from 1A: Students use allergy remedies to ease symptoms

versity of South Alabama.USA announced the fi ring of their

head coach Rick Pietri on Friday April 12. Fowler said he interviewed for the job the same day.

“This is a great opportunity for me and my family,” Fowler said.

Fowler said he told his UNA players and their reactions were as expected.

“(Their reaction was) not good, they are very emotional right now,” he said. “It is very emotional for me, too.”

Fowler spent three years as an assis-tant coach at USA from 2000 to 2002.

He also spent fi ve years as an assis-tant coach and two years as head coach at Spring Hill College in Mobile. His fa-miliarity with the Mobile area had little to do with the decision, he said.

“Of course it helped in the decision, but it did not have that big of an affect on the decision,” Fowler said.

USA is a part of the Sun Belt Confer-

ence, which is a NCAA Division I con-ference. This had a big part in the deci-sion to leave, he said.

“As a coach, you always want to see if your system will work somewhere else,” Fowler said.

Fowler was 115-86 in his seven years at UNA.

“The fans are the best, the fans in Flowers are the best, the Flowers fa-natics are the best,” he said. “I want to thank them for their support. We had a good record in Flowers and the fans were a big part of that.”

Fowler said he was also thankful for the community support.

“I want to thank the entire UNA community for their support of me and my family the past seven years,” he said.

Fowler said he was not going to be in Florence until Thursday, April 18.

South Alabama athletic director Joel Erdmann was not available for comment on the hiring.

Stay with www.fl orala.net for the lat-est information as it becomes available.

photo by CHRISTINA COVINGTON I Staff Photographer

Taking over-the-counter antihistamines like Allegra and Claritin can ease al-lergy symptons, experts say.

”(ONE THING STUDENTS CAN DO) IS PLAN THEIR TIME OF ACTIVITY OUTDOORS. MANY

EXPERTS FEEL THAT THE BEST TIME TO BE OUT-DOORS RELATED TO LOWER POLLEN COUNT IS EARLY IN THE MORNING AND LATE EVENING.

CHARLOTTE CRAMER

file photo by MICHAEL REDDING I Staff Photographer

UNA women’s head basketball coach Terry Fowler discusses a play with players during a game earlier this year against Christian Brothers University in Flowers Hall.

A recent study indicated that almost 30 percent of UNA students named the faculty as being the most satisfying part of their UNA experience. The study was conducted as part of a marketing research report presented by the UNA Offi ce of Research, Planning and Assessment.

“A majority of students cited that their most satisfying experience while at-tending UNA was related to the instruc-tional experience, whether that be due to the quality of faculty or their appreciation of small class sizes,” according to the re-port. “Furthermore, a large percentage of those surveyed could recall no outstand-ing negative experience associated with their time as a UNA student.”

For this particular survey, a total of 44 non-returning students or their parents were contacted and asked what they con-sidered to be the most and least satisfying aspects of UNA. The survey indicated that faculty was most satisfying, followed by general social reasons and class size.

“I think it’s a very accurate state-ment,” said Bailey Witt, UNA senior. “Because UNA is a smaller university, faculty and students are able to interact with each other on a more personal level.

Most professors are very understanding and willing to help students any way they can.”

Witt said she has enjoyed taking classes from most of the faculty at UNA that have taught her.

“If I didn’t like the professors, I would not have encouraged my younger sister to attend this great school in the fall,” she said.

Lavonda Cruse, UNA junior, came to the university after sustaining injuries that led her to pursue a different career and cites the faculty as having a positive impact on her readjustment to college life.

“I came because UNA had everything I needed,” she said. “I wasn’t familiar with UNA at all but I’ve been here for a year and have not had a teacher who was not helpful. Everyone here is willing to help you, everybody is really good.”

Cruse said she agrees with the other statistics and fi nds the class size and fel-low students especially helpful.

“The teachers here seem to go out of their way to help,” Cruse said. “It’s like (students and faculty) want you to pass and want you to know things and be edu-cated. They just want you to get a good

Take a moment to recollect the mem-ories of being tucked into bed, given milk to sip through a straw and being told a soothing story to help fall asleep. Instead of an app, there’s a class for that.

Communications professor Bill Hud-dleston is conducting a Storytelling Sem-inar, COM 480/580, during the May 13-31 interim term that students can take for a three-hour course credit. The class will inform students on how to tell a story, how to differentiate types of stories and how to use a variety of techniques within storytelling.

“Students will learn how to share in-formation in a way that tells their story,” Huddleston said.

He said to think of storytelling as an attic.

“Reliving the people we’ve encoun-tered, places we’ve seen and problems we’ve experienced is like going through the attic of your mind, and where the three intersect, that is where the story is,” Huddleston said.

UNA graduate and professional writ-ing major Linely Mobely said it would have been interesting to take the class prior to graduation.

“When a person writes a story, they get into their own groove, and it is hard to change that, but if you are in a room-ful of people telling a number of differ-ent stories, you become encouraged and

challenged to try new things,” she said. “Artists of every kind create a strong community, and it is through community that you come to better yourself.”

Partnering with the class, students will be attending and working the UNA Front Porch Storytelling Festival May 16-18.

The seminar is a three-day internship where students will be working with au-dio, assisting patrons to different events, directing parking and helping with reg-istration.

The third annual Front Porch Story-telling Festival will be featuring many nationally and locally acclaimed story-tellers such as Rick Bragg, Donald Da-vis, Diane Ferlatte, Delores Hydock, Bill Lepp and Barbara McBride-Smith.

McBride-Smith, a storyteller, school librarian and seminary professor, said she is more than excited to visit Florence for the fi rst time to participate in the Story-telling Festival.

“Most of us, or from my personal

experience, don’t think we really under-stand who we are until we understand the people who came before us,” she said. “By looking back at the uniqueness of the town I grew up in, the high school I went to and the kids I grew up with, I am able to tell stories from these things that shaped me into the person I am today.”

McBride-Smith said the main impor-tance of storytelling is that “the audience can associate at least one character in the story to someone they know. When the

characters are relatable to family, friends, etc., you learn something you didn’t al-ready know about them.”

The UNA Front Porch Storytelling Festival will be held May 16-18 in the GUC Performance Center and will fea-ture various storytellers, workshops, and meet and greet sessions. For ticket pric-ing and a list of scheduled events, visit www.una.edu/storytelling.

NEWS April 18, 2013 • The Flor-Ala6A

366C Cox Creek ParkwayFlorence, AL 35630

256-275-3601

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Thursday, April 18 5pm-9pm

Exercise your right to experience pure smoking pleasure.

Join us tonight for fun playing the Krackers game and great deals on the legendary cigars of DREW ESTATE and JOYA DE NICARAGUA

(cigars include: Acid, Tabak Especial, Undercrown, Joya de Nicaragua)

EVENTS

Storytelling seminar to partner with Front Porch FestANNA GRACE USERY

FACULTY

Students name faculty most satisfying feature of UNA

PACE HOLDBROOKS

photo courtesy of SHANNON WELLS I University Photographer

Delores Hydock performs one of her stories at last year’s Front Porch Storytelling Festival. Each year, the festival features nationally and locally acclaimed story-tellers. Past performers include Rick Bragg, Donald Davis and Diane Ferlatte.

”RELIVING THE PEOPLE WEʼVE ENCOUNTERED, PLACES WEʼVE SEEN AND PROBLEMS WEʼVE

EXPERIENCED IS LIKE GOING THROUGH THE ATTIC OF YOUR MIND, AND WHERE THE THREE INTERSECT,

THAT IS WHERE THE STORY IS.

BILL HUDDLESTON

VIEWPOINTSApril 18, 2013 • The Flor-Ala 7A

JOSH SKAGGS

EXECUTIVE EDITORALEX LINDLEY

NEWS/MANAGING EDITORANN HARKEYLIFE EDITOR

MALISA MCCLURE SPORTS EDITOR JARED MCCOY

COPY/OPINION EDITOR BLYTHE STEELMANONLINE EDITOR

LAURA IVIEBUSINESS MANAGER

CORTNEY OLIVERGRAPHIC DESIGNER

ALEX GOUINAD REPRESENTATIVEMATTHEW WILSON

CIRCULATION MANAGERKAYLA SLOAN

CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHERCHRISTINA COVINGTON

MICHAEL REDDINGALLI OWNBY

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERSREBECCA WALKER

ADVISER

The Flor-Ala welcomes and encour-ages Letters to the Editor.• The deadline for submitting let-ters is 10 a.m. Monday, the week of publication.• Letters must not exceed 400 words. • Letters must be accompanied by the writerʼs name, mailing address, phone number and email.• The Flor-Ala prefers to publish your letters exactly as written, but reserves the right to reject slanderous or libelous material.• The publication of any letter is left to the discretion of the Editorial Board.• Priority is given to letters critical of The Flor-Ala, or written in direct response to an editorial, a column, or a news story.• When the editors deem it neces-sary for ease of understanding or to clarify facts, an Editorʼs Note may accompany a letter.• Address correspondence to The Flor-Ala. UNA Box 5300, Florence, AL 35632.Email: florala@una.edu. • Phone: 256-765-4364

Letters Policy

Copyright © 2013The Flor-AlaAll rights reserved.First copy free.Additional copies $1 each.

STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF

NORTH ALABAMA

Diet changes should benefit personal needs

The Paleo diet. The juice diet. Vegetarianism, veganism. What about gluten-free?

One diet, two diet, red diet, blue diet.

With all the popular dieting options out there, you might fi nd yourself trying one after another, getting amazing re-sults or none at all or maybe just laughing at your friends asking, “How many points is this?”

Add to that confl icting information from opposing groups — the vegans versus the meat eaters, the FDA versus HungryForChange.tv, organic enthusiasts versus Semi-Homemade with San-

dra — and your head might be swimming with misinforma-tion.

So, what exactly is the right diet?

As someone who has an on-again, off-again relation-ship with vegetarianism, an obsession with yoga, and the occasional hankerin’ for a beer and plate of fried chicken, I have found that there is no one perfect diet on the books.

The best diet out there? The “you” diet. In the words of vegan chef and Mind-BodyGreen columnist Aimee DuFresne, “YOU are the best expert when it comes to your body.”

And I think she’s right. My mom always said that if you’re craving something, really craving it (say, you’ve been thinking about mashed potatoes since last night or you just desperately want a bowl of ice cream), then there’s prob-ably a reason why your body is asking for a specifi c food item.

Perhaps the diet you’ve put yourself on has created a

nutrient defi ciency or three and your body is trying to make up the difference. Maybe the diet you’re on doesn’t fulfi ll all your bodily needs (shocker!) and is leaving you deprived.

So, listen to what’s going on inside. What does your body need? What do you want to eat for dinner? What food, and what lifestyle, makes you feel good?

Now, I’m not saying that you should necessarily give in to every little craving you get. Gorging yourself on McDon-ald’s simply because you drove by and realized you haven’t eaten there in a while is prob-ably less of a bodily need and more of a mental comfort. Still, if you fi nd yourself dreaming about french fries, what’s the harm in treating yourself to a small, medium or even large order once in a while?

Sound crazy? Treating yourself and listening to those insane cravings — that’s against everything dieting has ever taught us, right?

But what exactly has diet-ing taught us? The Atkins diet taught us that, while we could eat our weight in bacon grease and steak, a piece of bread was out of the question! Weight pills like Hydroxycut taught us that side effects like increased blood pressure and nosebleeds were just part of the weight loss process. And systems like NutriSystem teach us that by ordering a buttload of frozen meals, we’ll feel healthy, lose weight and the food will taste great!

All in all, “diets” often miss the mark. They tend to lead us astray, ask us to put our body under some serious stress and most of them don’t stay popular long.

My advice? Take what you will from whatever diets you try. Some things will work for you, and some things won’t. Combine the different diets that work, and remember that what you must do is try to change your lifestyle for the better.

MALISA MCCLURE

Here I stand at the end of my undergrad career, smiling that it is over and tearing up that is coming to an end.

I will miss my wonderful friends who I will keep up with over Facebook and Twit-ter, the professors who have guided me into the path I cur-rently am on and The Flor-Ala.

Working in the offi ce with this group of amazing and brilliant people is going to be something that I will not easily be able to adjust from. From hilarious conversations riddled with inside jokes to serious news reporting issues that we have encountered this year, calling them family is an un-derstatement. I like them more than my own family, really.

What would I have done differently if I was starting college all over? I would have joined The Flor-Ala sooner. I spent two years of college robotically going to class then heading straight home or to work. I didn’t take the time to make friends, join clubs or imbed myself into that college

culture. It was a slightly depress-

ing existence. Feeling like you paid enough money to a university to belong, yet experienced that strange dis-connect every day walking to class, seeing faces you didn’t recognize.

Starting with the wrong major didn’t help. I had a pas-sion for writing, yet was sit-ting through business classes, trying my best to understand the material. Once I changed majors, the rest came easy.

I started writing every week for The Flor-Ala. I came back every week not just to pad my resume but to get to know the interesting editors. Now it feels weird to not see

one of their faces at any given time.

I wouldn’t be where I am — where I am going — with-out getting to know them. A group of peers that are driven, creative and downright smart will only shape you into a per-son worthy of the adult world.

Don’t just mope around UNA for four years with no friends. Don’t go through your undergrad without joining some clubs or at least trying them out. A degree is only as valuable as what comes with it. Anyone can fi nish college, and employers know that. Might as well throw some clubs on a resume and gain some BFFs while you are at it.

ANN HARKEY

Lack of involvement my biggest regret

grade.”The study indicated that 36 percent

of those surveyed did not state a signifi -cant negative experience while attending UNA.

“Most of these students indicated that there were personal reasons why they chose not to enroll in the fall 2012 semester,” according to the report. “The highest category of negative experience was ‘dorm life,’ as 15.9 percent of re-spondents indicated such.”

Josh Smith, UNA junior, said he did not believe the statistics fairly represent-ed the student body.

“While UNA does provide excellent faculty members, it has been my per-sonal experience that some are lacking greatly,” Smith said. “However, what I do believe is drawing in more students and keeping current students is the slightly greater than mediocre faculty, combined with lower tuition and loca-tion convenience. These seem to be more attractive for UNA than students’ opinions of the faculty.”

Stephanie Simmons, UNA student, also said the study may not accurately represent the entire student body’s ex-periences, although she believes UNA’s faculty are unique in many ways.

“I think it’s that most of them have a unique way of teaching classes,” Sim-mons said. “I think it’s just the way they handle the students and the classroom—they are real down to earth. They don’t talk to students like they’re children.”

The UNA Student Employment Rec-ognition Committee named Amber Bodi-ford the 2013 Student Employee of the Year at a reception April 11 to recognize the nominees and fi nalists for the award.

Along with university recognition, Bodiford received a $500 scholarship and will be nominated for the Regional National Student Employment Associa-tion Organization.

Bodiford has held the position of student assistant to Student Conduct Di-rector Kimberly Greenway and senior administrative assistant Amy Swinford

in the offi ce of Student Conduct and Stu-dent Affairs Assessment since January 2011. She is the fi rst point of contact for students and visitors and does general secretary duties.

“I have supervised literally hundreds of student employees in my 24 years at UNA; Amber ranks in the top 1 percent of those students in every aspect of her work,” Greenway said. “In fact, she lit-erally may be the most reliable student employee I’ve ever supervised.”

Bodiford, a native of Foley, is a se-nior majoring in computer information systems with an emphasis in enterprise information systems. She will be gradu-ating at the end of July and plans to be admitted to Kennesaw State University in Georgia to obtain her master’s of busi-ness administration. By 2016, Bodiford will pursue a career with the FBI’s Cyber Security Division.

“During the two years that I have worked as a student employee, I have learned to be patient, take responsibility and have a proper work ethic,” she said. “It has also given me a better under-standing of expressing empathy toward students.

“Some of the students who are sent to our offi ce may have found themselves in some kind of trouble, so we want them to know that we are not here to punish them in any way but to help them fi nd out why they made a mistake and help them fi g-ure out how they can make better choices and prevent the same mistakes in the fu-

ture.”She advises future student employees

to make sure to be involved at work and try to help students as much as possible, so they can worry about one less thing and focus on schoolwork.

“I recommend students to look into student employment; working as a stu-dent employee helps you get better equipped for the professional world and prepares you for the future,” she said. “There’s only so much classes can teach you and student employment is very hands-on.”

Her campus involvement includes Circle K International, Student Govern-ment Association, Phi Beta Lambda, As-sociation for Information Systems and the University Student Conduct Board. Bodiford also volunteers her time to the Shoals community soup kitchen, which she feels is her proudest achievement.

NEWS April 18, 2013 • The Flor-Ala8A

BE HAPPY.

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AWARDS

Amber Bodiford named employee of yearTRISTA IRVIN

AMBER BODIFORD:AT A GLANCE

• NATIVE OF FOLEY

• WORKS IN THE OFFICE OF STUDENT CONDUCT AND STUDENT AFFAIRS ASSESSMENT

• COMPUTER INFORMATION SYSTEMS MAJOR

• RECEIVED AWARD AND $500 SCHOLARSHIP

• PLANS TO PURSUE A CAREER IN THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

”I HAVE SUPERVISED LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF STUDENT EMPLOYEES IN MY 24 YEARS AT

UNA; AMBER RANKS IN THE TOP 1 PERCENT OF THOSE STUDENTS IN EVERY ASPECT OF HER WORK.

IN FACT, SHE LITERALLY MAY BE THE MOST RELIABLE STUDENT EMPLOYEE IʼVE EVER

SUPERVISED.

KIM GREENWAY

LIFE April 18, 2013• The Flor-Ala • Life Editor: Ann Harkey 256-765-5233SECTION B

photoi illustration by KAYLA SLOAN I Chief Photographer

Gluten is a protein found in several foods such as pasta, bread and salad dressings. Gluten allergies affect a little more than 1 percent of the population, ac-cording to WebMD.

Following a gluten-free diet to lose weight has increased in popularity in recent years as quick and easy diets become more popular among young adults.

“My friends and I talked about doing it one time in high school,” said Caroline Thomas, UNA freshman. “We bought a

few prod-

ucts, but it was way more expensive and inconvenient than we originally thought it would be, so we dropped it.”

According to WebMD, gluten is a protein found in several food and bever-age items such as pasta, bread, licorice and salad dressings. A person wanting to lose weight quickly and effectively will remove all forms of gluten in their diet to help eliminate unnecessary calories.

For some people, following a gluten-free diet is not a choice but a necessity. People with Celiac disease have trouble digesting and breaking down gluten. As a result, the lining of their stomachs can become damaged.

According to CNN, gluten allergies affect a little more than 1 percent of the population within the United States.

Although the likelihood of develop-ing a gluten allergy is low, the allergy itself is a very serious one.

“My symptoms began my freshman year of high school with sharp pains in my side,” said Tessa Johnson, UNA sophomore. “I have been going to doc-tors in Florence since 2007.”

Johnson can relate to other Celiac

disease patients. UNA freshman Nata-lie Martin said fi nding and controlling a gluten allergy can be hard if a doctor does not run certain blood tests or help to monitor the diet.

“Once I discovered I had a gluten al-lergy, it changed my life,” Martin said. “I had to change the amount of bread intake each day and learn how much my body could handle without becoming sick.”

Because gluten is a common protein found in many foods and drinks, Celiac patients need to monitor their food in-take closely.

Sometimes, this can inhibit their daily lives when shopping at the grocery store or eating with friends at a restau-rant.

“There is a lot of food one would nev-er think contained gluten, for example, punch straws,” Johnson said. “Google has been my best friend through this be-cause there are so many Celiac websites and forums to help.”

Johnson said she must also be careful when cooking with family and friends.

“The tricky part to cooking is making

sure no cross-contamination occurs,” she said. “When we cook spaghetti and my family has two differ-ent kinds of noodles cooking, we can-not use the same spoon to stir both. I still eat just like everyone else and my fam-ily fi nds a way to make it.”

Despite the diffi cul-ties the disease presents, Johnson and Martin maintain a positive attitude.

“Going gluten-free was not the easi-est change I have had to make in my life, but it was also not the worst I could imagine,” Johnson said. “I could think of a million other things and be thank thankful that I only have Celiac.”

CORINNE BECKINGER

Students respond to Celiac disease, change dietsly has two diffffereeeeeeeerrrerrree -

of noodlesss we can--

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The Gluten-free diet

LIFE April 18, 2013 • The Flor-Ala2B

Photo Credit: Mary Brown Photography

“Entrepreneurship and community wealth-building in the new economy”

MONDAY, APRIL 22, 2013 at 7:00 p.m.

UNA PERFORMANCE CENTER

Chris RabbChris Rabb

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC • For info: 256-765-4208

Featured on MSNBC,Featured on MSNBC,NPR, The Nation,NPR, The Nation,

the Huffington Post,the Huffington Post,and various other media outlets.and various other media outlets.

Lecture by noted author and consultant Chris Rabb on the intersection of entrepreneurship, media, civic engagement, and social identity.

CREATIVE PROJECTS

Students create music videos for Munookʼs new album

Members of UNA’s Film and Digital Media Production (F&DMP) Depart-ment presented The Munook Experiment

April 5 in the Communications Building, showing an uninterrupted public screen-ing of music videos they created to ac-company Munook’s album “In & Of It.”

The music of Munook is written and performed by David John Lanier with contributions from other artists on the

album.“Each musical creation is left open-

ended and largely improvisational in or-der to allow room for the songs to ebb and fl ow with subtle changes, thereby staying fresh to the creators and the listeners from performance to perfor-mance,” according to Munook’s website.

Every one of the 10 videos was made voluntarily, nine by UNA fi lm students and one by Jason Flynn, assistant profes-sor of F&DMP.

“There are three things you need in this fi eld: talent, drive and luck,” Flynn said. “Voluntarily making these videos demonstrates drive. When an opportu-nity is put out there and (students) take initiative, it makes me proud. That’s the part I can’t teach.”

UNA student Adam Robinson said he enjoyed attending The Munook Experi-ment.

“Being a fi lm major, I always like to see what other fi lm students are produc-ing,” he said. “It encourages me to work harder on my own projects.”

Lanier gave the students total cre-ative freedom, allowing them to listen to the music and do whatever inspired them, Flynn said.

Leah Franks, who made the video for “Making Fire,” said the song inspired her video.

“I thought the lyrics’ jaded themes about wanting to make a difference in the world could fi t a weary war vet, so I asked my dad to be a part of it,” she said. “He’s a Naval Reservist who’s toured Af-ghanistan with the Army, so he had plen-

ty of inspiration to give. The whole thing was really fun. It gave me a good chance to spend some time with my dad, which I don’t get to do very often these days. It felt good to be able to involve him in my creative pursuits and show him how proud I am of him and his military du-ties.”

Each of the videos will be sent to separate fi lm festival competitions, free of charge for the students, and all of the videos will be online.

“I think the music was a labor of love, and I think the videos were a labor of love,” Flynn said. “I expect us to do something like this again in the future.”

photo courtesy of Jason FlynnVance Parrish performs in Patrick Aker’s “Introverted Revolutionary,” one of the fi lms that was shown at The Munook Experiment.

LYNN ECCLESTON

LIFEApril 18, 2013 • The Flor-Ala 3B

The Gyro Shop brings good food to downtownOn Tuscaloosa Street, a block away

from Wilson Park, The Gyro Shop re-cently opened in a small shop that’s easy to overlook.

The shop is entirely unexpected. A Greek sandwich shop in the heart of downtown Florence seems like a mis-placement, though as I entered the small shop during a one o’clock lunch hour, seven people stood in line behind me.

The restaurant is tiny, with no seat-ing available inside or outside – a down-side if you’re needing a place to type an email or take some last-minute study notes while eating your food. There was little room for me and my seven friends to move around, though a homey atmo-sphere was allowed as we began chat-ting.

Walking in, we noticed a menu above us, simply written “Any sandwich - six dollars, Any dip - four dollars”.

The gyro options are chicken, beef or lamb, cooked traditional, rotisserie-style on a skewer with tomato, garlic and

seasoning before your eyes. The friendly shop owner prepared my chicken gyro with crisp lettuce, a tangy radish and de-licious tzatziki sauce with a strong goat milk fl avor, all tucked into a pita pocket.

Fries made fresh in the shop are also available for a mere dollar and a half more. The sliced potatoes are fried and quite greasy, though scrumptiously so.

While chicken is the most traditional meat choice for gyros, the lamb was de-cidedly tastier. The spices and cooking technique accentuate the fl avor of the lamb.

The hummus, however, is a more acquired taste. This chickpea and olive oil spread served with two slices of pita bread was tangy, be that due to lemon juice or the chickpeas themselves. It is not exceptional, but defi nitely preferred over store-bought hummus.

I recommend taking cash. There is no tax, but the owner ran into some compli-cations when running my card through the Square card reader.

Despite the small location, minimal menu selection, lack of seating and pay-ment hassle, the nearby Wilson Park pro-

vided a lovely venue to indulge in a mas-sive amount of food for such a low price.

If you have a tight budget and a big appetite but are looking for an authentic taste of Greece, The Gyro Shop awaits you.

KALI DANIEL

photo by CHRISTINA COVINGTON I Staff Photographer

Beef, chicken and lamb are cooked rotisserie style for gyros. Garlic cloves and tomatoes add fl avor to the meats as the juices fl ow down the metal rod.

RESTAURANT REVIEW

My BIG FAT Greek sandwich

WHATʼS IN A GYRO?

• LAMB, BEEF OR CHICKEN

• LETTUCE

• TZATZIKI SAUCE (GOAT MILK WITH CUCUMBER)

• TOMATOES

• ONION

• PITA BREAD

DATING

Social media provide new dating forum, officials say

Social media outlets, such as Face-book and Twitter, have changed the dat-ing and relationship process, especially now that it is possible to know as much about a person as they are willing to dis-close on their page.

“Social media has changed the fi rst process of dating, which is meeting someone,” said Amber Paulk, associate professor of family and consumer sci-ences. “Now, you have the opportunity to meet and date someone that you have never even met in person, and some-times that person is not even real.”

Social media has also affected the way couples are getting to know one an-other. Paulk said it is possible to know a lot about a person just by looking at their Facebook page.

“You see courtship now as very dif-ferent as it was, say, 100 years ago,” Paulk said. “Now, we can access some-one at any time to get in touch with them, and I can fi nd out mostly everything just by looking at your page.”

Social media has also redefi ned com-mitment. The infamous status change is now a popular way to show the entire social media spectrum that you are in a relationship with someone.

This also makes breaking up even more public than some would like.

“When you break up with someone, that is just spit out into the world, and I can see in real time the breakup oc-cur online,” Paulk said. “It used to be I would not know that someone’s rela-tionship ended until I saw them in per-son and asked them about it.”

UNA student Katie Bagwell said she thinks that posting relationship status changes is disclosing too much informa-tion.

“I would rather be broken up with in person, because that way, the whole country does not know about it instantly, because it is just between me and him,” she said.

Conversely, social media can make a breakup easier when used for lamenting and attention seeking, Paulk said.

This can include going through old photos on your profi le and daily check-ing your ex’s statuses.

“It is easier to lament about a break-up when everything is right there, con-nected to you on Facebook,” Paulk said.

Jealousy is also a factor that Paulk uses as an example in her classes about social media.

Paulk and her students found that Facebook stalking is an online form of the primal instinct of mate guarding.

“Facebook is now an extension of a form of mate guarding, whether it is checking their page hundreds of times, checking their e-mail or going through their phone,” she said.

For these reasons, Paulk said that she is certain that social media has had a negative impact on modern-day dating.

WILL WHALEY

LIFE April 18, 2013 • The Flor-Ala4B

• 4/25 Shoot Him If He Runs, Legends of Leviathan, and Crimson Purge• 4/26 Hip Heart 2013 Art + Dance Music Party• 4/27 An Abstract Th eory, Stego, and Sin City Scoundrels• 5/3 Cheap Th rill DeVille CD Release Party with guests Guano Island, Random Confl ict, and Th e Lonely Gales

4/20 RECORD STORE DAY 4/20 RECORD STORE DAY featuring:The Bear, Grace & Tony, and Blind the Sky

Special Guest: John Paul WhiteJohn Paul White

will be signing copies of his solo album “The Long Goodbye”

recently released on vinyl.

Vinyl Junkies YardsaleVinyl Junkies Yardsale and

Shirey Ice CreamShirey Ice Cream will be scooping

Dark Chocolate Porter

HOUSING

Students discuss on-campus housing pros and cons

UNA’s Residence Life Offi ce in-creased the rates of housing for this com-ing year.

Prices for the standard double occu-pancy in Rivers and Rice halls have in-creased to $3,005 per year at Rivers Hall and $2,780 per year at Rice Hall.

Double-as-single occupancy at Riv-ers Hall is now $4,843 per year and

$4,478 at Rice Hall per academic year. Inside single room housing that is

only available in Rice and Rivers halls is $3,924 per year at Rivers and $3,630 per year at Rice Hall.

Triple-as-double occupancy is now $3,456 per year at Rivers Hall and $3,196 at Rice Hall.

At Lafayette and LaGrange Halls, the double occupancy is $2,889 per aca-demic year.

Double-as-single occupancy is now $4,682 per academic year at Lafayette and LaGrange Halls.

Residence Life is encouraging stu-dents to live on campus for many rea-sons.

“I think when you start taking every-thing into account — the Internet, utili-ties, the staff members that work on cam-pus, the food services — it is actually cheaper to live on campus,” said Kevin Jacques, director of Residence Life.

Safety is also an added bonus for liv-ing on campus, he said.

“We have staff members on ev-ery fl oor of our residence halls that go through extensive training, actually a one-hour credit class that they have to take prior to being hired,” he said. “We believe greatly in safety on campus.”

Some students who live on campus fi nd it easier to be involved on campus.

“I would strongly encourage all stu-dents to live on campus, especially as a freshman,” said Kaitlin Chappell, UNA student. “It allows you to get plugged in more easily, and you are aware of what is

going on campus at all times.”Yet another reason to get involved on

campus is the potential for networking.“We also have the community that

we build here,” Jacques said. “You get to meet a whole lot of different people, you get to form many great relationships and, most importantly, you get to be involved with events on campus.”

Students who live on campus are also not affected by the parking problems on campus.

“You do not have to worry about be-ing late for class because you can just walk to your classroom,” Chappell said. “This is opposed to living off campus where you still have to worry about fi nd-ing a parking spot.”

With pros to living on campus, there are also cons to living on campus.

Some students enjoy the freedom that comes with living off campus and the amount of room that apartments have.

“You do not have as much room as you would in an apartment and you may have to have a roommate, but these things are minor and easy to adapt to,” Chappell said.

Some students dislike the precedents set, such as directives.

“There are too many rules and some people are just nasty,” said Keanu Kirk-patrick.

However, the foremost reason to live off-campus may be the solitude.

“My favorite thing about living off campus is not having a roommate,” said Zach Page, UNA Student.

WILL WHALEY

photo courtesy of SHANNON WELLSRice and Rivers Halls provide housing for on-campus students and are located on Pine Street.

SPORTSApril 18, 2013 • The Flor-Ala 5B

The UNA track team will travel to Sewanee, Tenn., to compete in the Se-wanee Mt. Laurel Invitational April 20.

The team is made up mostly of mem-bers of the cross-country team and other UNA sports.

“It is basically our cross-country team on the track team,” said Scott Trimble, head coach. “It has been a lot of fun.”

Trimble has been coaching cross-country for 14 years and coaching track for 10.

He said that, in coaching track, he has found that his team responds better to track workouts than they do to longer cross-country workouts.

“In track, you do more short speed workouts than in cross-country and I have learned that they respond better to short speed workouts than long speed workouts,” he said.

Trimble said the season has been a fun one and that the girls have been get-

ting along great. “When you get 16 ladies together

and there is no drama, you have some-thing special,” he said.

With the fun comes work, as many of the team members have been working for months preparing for this season.

“Eleven of them have been training since August getting ready for the sea-son,” Trimble said. “The others are in-volved in other sports on campus.”

The track team works hard off the fi eld also, having a cumulative GPA of 3.66. Trimble has nothing but trust for the team.

“I have a 7-year-old at home; I would not hesitate to call any one of the 16 la-dies on this team to watch her,” he said. “That is the type of people they are.”

Trimble got into coaching to coach football but has found cross country and track more enjoyable.

The team has two meets left in the season. The fi nal match is scheduled to take place at Troy University in the Coach “O” Invitational April 27.

“We are getting better every day,”

Trimble said. The team will run hard but will also

keep the fun times going as they wrap up their season.

“They really enjoy each other’s com-pany,” Trimble said. “There is never a dull moment.”

JAMES DUBUISSON

Runners enjoy first season, prepare for final meetsTRACK

The UNA Lions currently sit sixth in the Gulf South Conference and face an uphill struggle to return to the NCAA regional tournament as they did a season ago.

The Lions hope to fi nish the season strong in their fi nal eight games in order to improve their seeding for the GSC tournament that begins May 2.

Last season, UNA constantly fl irted with national rankings and was consis-tently at the top of the conference.

“It’s been a little disappointing year,” said Andrew Almon, third baseman. “We came off the past two years with great regular seasons.”

With no automatic bid to the NCAA regional tournament sitting on their doorstep, the Lions are going to have to manufacture a return trip.

“We’re probably going to have to make a good run and win the conference tournament to make it back to (NCAA) regionals,” Almon said. “We’ve got a lot of talent, and it’s been an up and down year. We’ve had some games that didn’t fall our way which seems to be the story of the year.”

UNA has shown fl ashes through-out the season, including a series win at home against UAH who was ranked ninth nationally at the time.

“We’ve beaten all the top teams at least once,” Almon said. “We’ve got the

confi dence and the talent to beat those teams again. We’ve just got to get into the tournament and do it.”

Besides the series win against UAH,

the Lions have come away with wins against top conference and region teams such as West Florida and Delta State.

“Against some of the top teams we’ve

had small leads late in the game and they were just tough to hold,” Almon said.

MATT WILSON

photo by MICHAEL REDDING I Staff Photographer

UNA shortstop Mathew Tittle waits for the ball while Valdosta State’s Hunter Thompson slides into second base during the April 13 home game.

BASEBALL

Lions struggle in 2013 season

photo courtesy of Sports Information

Hope Rayburn runs in the Emory Crossplex Invitational Jan. 28 in Birmingham.

SPORTS April 18, 2013 • The Flor-Ala6B

PLEASE JOIN US IN TOWERS CAFE ON TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 2012 AT 5:00

PM TO WATCH UNA’S FACULTY AND STAFF BATTLE EACH OTHER

IN THE TASTE OF THE SOUTH SHOWDOWN!!!

COME WATCH THE COOK-OFF AND EAT DINNER WITH US!!

With the semester coming to a close, the UNA soccer team is gearing up for their fall season with preseason training as well as recruiting.

“We have a large amount of incom-ing players so we will use preseason for several team bonding activities along with the usual team tactics and fi tness,” said Chris Walker, head coach. “We will look to get all of the players on the same page and set a very competitive practice environment that will hopefully bring the very best out of all of the players.”

The team has 13 returning players for the fall, but the team is able to fi ll the roster with 22 to 25 players, he said.

Walker said he and his coaching staff have been all over the United States as well as other countries searching for new talent to bring to the UNA fi elds.

Although the team will not have out-going senior player Chloe Roberts in the fall, Walker hopes his team will take ad-vantage of the new season and step into her shoes as leaders on the fi eld.

“We had a talented group of seniors fi nish last fall, so it was never going to be easy to replace what they brought to the team,” he said. “This coming fall will be a great opportunity for several players on the roster to step up and take the team where we want to be. “

Walker and his team are planning to maintain their competitive edge in the Gulf South Conference. Walker expects West Florida will remain one of their toughest opponents in the coming year.

To prepare for the upcoming season, players will be expected to participate in daily summer workouts that will include

fi eld work and weightlifting. The 13 players currently on the roster have al-ready begun their spring workout train-ing.

“I have used this spring to get to know all of the returning players, and I have to give them credit in the fact that they have worked hard and done every-thing that I have asked of them,” Walker said. “We have a very close-knit group, and I think that will only help us as we prepare for the upcoming season.”

Walker could not release names of the newly signed players, but he remains confi dent the soccer team will develop into a strong team by the fall.

“We have managed to sign what we believe is a really good incoming class,” he said. “We are expecting several of them to set up straight away and earn a considerable amount of playing time.”

CORINNE BECKINGER

photos by CHRISTINA COVINGTON I Staff Photographer

(Above) Chloe Richards and Ellis Hillman work on their footwork during the fi rst day of the soccer team’s spring practice. (Below) Abby Hellem participates in spring practice.

SOCCER

Team works on replacing seniors

”THIS COMING FALL WILL BE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR SEVERAL PLAYERS ON THE

ROSTER TO STEP UP AND TAKE THE TEAM WHERE WE WANT TO BE.

CHRIS WALKER

SPORTSApril 18, 2013 • The Flor-Ala 7B

Breanna Riley, sophomore pitcher on the UNA Lions softball team, has been named GSC Pitcher of the Week twice this year.

Riley is second in the GSC with a 1.84 ERA and leads the conference in strikeouts (127) and wins (17).

“Bri has done a great job for us,” said Jason Anderson, head coach. “She had a great fall for us, as well, so we knew coming into the season that if she was to throw the way she did in the offseason that she could be a big time player for us.”

Riley is from Hartselle and has been playing softball since she was a child.

“I started when I was about 5 years old,” Riley said. “One of my best friends at the time, she played. I was too young to play, so I would go out there and watch her and that is what got me play-ing.”

She has been pitching since she was 10 and her parents have been supporting her for her entire career.

“They have been with me the whole time,” she said. “My dad would catch for me when I was younger, and when I go home sometimes, we still go into the backyard and he catches for me. My mom would sit there and chart pitches.”

Anderson said the pitcher is the most important position and has the ability to take over a game, unlike any other posi-tion in softball.

“The pitcher is involved in every play,” he said. “They can single-handed-ly have the ability to shut the other team down.”

Anderson said that ability can de-termine who wins and who loses a ball game.

“In softball, it starts in the circle,” he said. “If you put a solid pitcher in there, you always have a chance to win a ball game. And that is why she has been so important to us.”

Riley said she believes confi dence is the most important part of being a great pitcher.

“As a pitcher, you have to go out there and block everything out,” she said. “There are people in the dugout and the stands yelling at you. If you go up there and you have no confi dence in yourself, then one hit off of you and you are just down on yourself. And then it is downhill from there.”

Riley is an industrial hygiene major who holds a 3.22 GPA.

“She takes care of business in the classroom, and we never have problems out of her,” Anderson said. “In our eyes, she is a great kid.”

The one area that both Anderson and Riley agree can be improved on is her ability to fi eld her position.

“With fi elding her position, I would say Bri has a mental thing,” Anderson said. “When a ground ball comes back to her, it is the throw to fi rst that really gets her.”

Riley said that she has struggled with overhand throw to second since her sophomore year in high school.

“I guess I have a mental block with throwing the ball overhand,” she said. “Fielding my position is probably the one thing I can improve on. But I have found ways to cope with it.”

Riley is the type of player who leads

by action instead of words.“I would say she is one of the team

leaders, but I think she leads more by the way she goes out and does things,” An-derson said.

Riley sees everyone on the team as leaders.

“I pretty much look up to every girl

on the team,” she said.The Lions will lean on Riley when

it comes to the conference and national tournaments.

“We need her to do well if we have a chance to really make a run at this thing, to win the conference and try to advance in the postseason,” Anderson said.

JAMES DUBUISSON

PRIZED PITCHERPLAYER SPOTLIGHT

”SHE TAKES CARE OF BUSINESS IN THE CLASSROOM, AND WE NEVER HAVE

PROBLEMS OUT OF HER. IN OUR EYES, SHE IS A GREAT KID.

JASON ANDERSON

photo by KAYLA SLOAN I Chief Photographer

Breanna Riley looks in and begins her windup in a game earlier this season.

RILEYʼS GSC RANKINGS

17 WINS (1)1.84 ERA (2)127 STRIKEOUTS (1)125 INNINGS PITCHED (2)26 APPEARENCES (3)

With a 12-9 conference record and an abysmal 5-11 overall away record, the struggles of this season aren’t easy to pinpoint.

“We’re kind of performing below our standards,” Cyr said. “Our starting pitching has been good again this sea-son. It seems like when they pitch well, we’ve just not hit the ball as good as we should.”

The Lions are currently batting .309, but the bats are not as consistent as Cyr

thinks they could be.“It seems like we’ve been hitting just

enough and not really as good as we can as a team,” he said. “Hitting goes up and down and there’s not one team that stays hot all season.”

“I think we’re like second in the con-ference in fi elding right now,” Almon said. “I think we might be playing better defensively this year.”

Indeed they might be, with a team fi elding percentage of .967 compared

to .963 a season ago, but where have the differences in 2012 and 2013 come from?

The Lions fi nished 2012 with an 8-8 record on the road compared to the cur-rent 5-11 away record. The Lions also fared better in 2012 at home, posting a 28-6 record at Mike Lane Field while this year’s team is sitting at 17-6-1 with no home games remaining.

“The goal going into the season was to get back to the (NCAA) regional tour-

nament,” Almon said. “We haven’t done a good job to set ourselves up for that so far. But there is still a chance of doing that by winning the (GSC) tournament.

“We’ve got the pitching depth and a deep enough bullpen to come in and pitch some extended innings so we can go out there and win the GSC tourna-ment.”

Riley recieves GSC honors three times this season

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