October 4, 2010

See Arts & Entertainment, page 7

USA’s most recent play “Rabbit Hole” Comes to a Close

Get to Know USA’s Next Opponent in Football

See Sports, page 11

Are City-Wide Smoking Bans Good or Overdoing it?

See Opinion, page 13

Inside Police Blotter p. 2 Arts & Entertainment p. 7 Sports p. 10 Opinion p. 12 Distractions p. 14

What trait do you like most in your professors? Take our

weekly poll at www.usavanguard.com

VOLUME 48, NUMBER 10 October 4, 2010 Serving USA Since 1965

A USA student was arrested late Thurs-day night at The Grove on charges of attempted arson after police responded to a report of a fi re.

Torrean Katsumi Kinnel, a 21-year-old from Biloxi, Miss., was spotted by police at the scene and arrested on charges of two counts of fi rst-degree arson attempts, public intoxication, criminal trespassing and second-degree marijuana possession.

The fi re University police responded to at The Grove Thurs-day night was the fourth such incident reported that day. There had previously been two fi res re-ported in the Student Center and one in the Delta Commons.

“We had pulled video from both the Student Center and the Delta Commons to see if there was anybody we could see that was common to both buildings, and he was the only one we saw,” USA Chief of Police Normand Gamache said. “We had printed pictures of him off of the video and given them to the offi cers.

“When they responded to the call for a fi re at the Grove they were looking around to see who was there and they happened to spot him,” he said.

Damages from the fi re at The Grove were limited to the shrubbery outside of

USA Student Arrested on Arson Charges

Mobile fi refi ghters rescued a small, black kitten Thursday afternoon from an under-ground drainage system next to the Univer-sity Library after it had been trapped inside for a couple of days.

“This is unusual, but we do it when we get the chance,” said Larry Bailey of the Mobile Fire-Rescue Department.

Several USA students had heard the kitten’s meowing and attempted to fi nd aid for it over the past few days by calling the Maintenance Department at the University, but not much ever came from the requests, the students said.

On Tuesday, the Maintenance Depart-ment came out and opened one of the drains, but the kitten ran into a different area of the system, according to Shauna Pettey, a student involved in the rescue. Af-ter that, workers closed the drain and left, leaving the kitten inside.

Pettey said that she and a few other students had called tmaintenance workers again approximately three hours before the kitten was rescued Thursday. No one from the maintenance department responded to the call.

“When I called maintenance, they said at least 20 people had called, and that was at lunch time [Thursday],” said Sarah Prine, another student involved in the rescue.

Prine said she called multiple humane societies, the Mobile Society for the Preven-tion of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and the city’s animal control department, but representatives from the organizations said they could not help rescue the kitten.

“I understand [the maintenance depart-ment has] stuff to do. Waiting an hour or two hours is fi ne, but it’s already been two-and-a-half or three hours. Also, it’s

been three days. And they also came out here [Tuesday], but to try one drain and give up after that and leave is ridiculous,” Blaine Green, a third student involved in the rescue, said.

Finally, the Mobile Fire-Rescue Depart-ment was notifi ed and responded in less than 30 minutes. A fi refi ghter then cor-ralled the visibly frightened kitten into an orange construction cone to contain it while he climbed out of the drainage system on a ladder.

After its rescue, the kitten was taken to the Mobile SPCA for treatment.

“We’ve just got to keep working with it to see if we can get it calmed down before we can do any tests or anything,” SPCA Offi ce Manager Jeannie Cooley said. “Sometimes they will come around when they are that little, and sometimes they won’t.”

According to Cooley, the kitten is too small to run some tests that need to be done, but the kitten is being taken care of until the tests can be run.

Th ousands Gather at 16th Annual BayFest

Serving USA Since 1965

Cameron Adkins ASSOCIATE [email protected]

Cameron Adkins ASSOCIATE [email protected]

Mobile Firefi ghters Pull Trapped Kitt en From Drainage System Near USA Library

Kinnel

see ARSON | 2

CRIME

To see The Vanguard’s video and online photo gallery of the rescue, visit www.usavanguard.com.

Student Shauna Pettey holds the kitten after it was pulled out of a drain near the University Library where it had been trapped for several days. The visibly frightened kitten was taken to the Mobile SPCA after the ordeal for treatment.

Daniela Werner / Editor-in-Chief

VanguardVanguardVanguard The

Rapper Nelly took the stage Sunday night. To read more, turn to page 8.

The grand unveiling of Moulton Tower is planned for Friday, but some students say they still have difficulty using the new tower as a clock.

For example, Kristina Walter, a freshman The-atre major, said she just had to guess when asked to read the clock.

All of the students surveyed took about five seconds to correctly identify the time, and many pointed to the long back portion of the hands as the culprit for the delay.

“I have to look at it for a second,” senior Ex-ercise Science major Siedan Banks said. “The other side of the hand sticks out too much.”

University spokesman Keith Ayers calls the feature part of the design and said he has no trouble reading the clock.

“In fact, [the back part of each hand] is round to differentiate it,” Ayers said.

Regardless of the difficulty, at least one student doesn’t believe it’s serious enough to do anything about.

“Yeah, the short hand is too long,” Alex Wiles, sophomore psychology major, said. “But the University shouldn’t spend money to fix it.”

Moulton Tower and Alumni Plaza cost about

$3 million to build, two-thirds of which came from private donations.

2 October 4, 2010VanguardThe

VanguardThe

University of South Alabama’s Student Voice

Mission

The Vanguard, the student-run newspaper of the University of South Alabama, serves its readership by reporting the news involving the campus community and surrounding areas. The Vanguard strives to be impartial in its reporting and believes firmly in its First Amendment rights.

Submission and Editorial Policies

Send letters and guest columns to: Opinion Editor, [email protected] or The Vanguard, University of South Alabama, P.O. Drawer U-1057, Mobile, Ala. 36688. Letters and guest columns must be received by 7 p.m. on the Wednesday prior to the Monday publication. Submissions should be typed and must include the writer’s name, year, school and telephone number.

All submissions become the property of The Vanguard. Unsigned letters will not be published. The Vanguard reserves the right to edit letters and guest columns for length and clarity. Letters will be limited to 300 words. Letters and guest columns are the opinion of the writer.

The Staff Editorial represents the consensus opinion of the Editorial Board, which is composed of the Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, Associate Editor, Copy Editor, and Opinion Editor. All members of the Editorial Board have the same weight during weekly Editorial Board meetings.

The Vanguard has a commitment to accuracy and clarity and will print any corrections or clarifications. To report a mistake, call the Editor-in-Chief at 251-460-6442 or e-mail [email protected].

The Vanguard is a member of Collegiate Presswire and U-Wire, which syndicates to a national audience.

The Vanguard is published Mondays during the academic year, except for exam periods and vacations, and is published twice each summer. The Vanguard is supported in part by an allocation from student activity fees and operates in the Student Media Department of the Division of Student Affairs. Issues are available at most University buildings and select off-campus locations. The first copy is free. Additional copies are $1 each.

Web site:http://www.usavanguard.com

Mailing AddressThe Vanguard

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

Phone Number(251) 460-6442

Article XIV, Section 8 of The Lowdown: The editors of the student publications shall be free from any type of censorship and shall be responsible for the form, content and staff of the publication.

SPLC Statement: The Vanguard recognizes and affirms the editorial independence and press freedom of all student-edited campus media. Student editors have the authority to make all content decisions and consequently bear the responsibility for the decisions that they make.

EDITORIAL STAFFEditor-in-Chief: Daniela Werner

Managing Editor: Matthew PetersonAssociate Editor: Cameron Adkins

Etc. Editor: Laura Beth CalcoteArts & Entertainment Editor: Cal Thomas

Opinion Editor: Alex WhalenSports Editor: Matt WeaverPhoto Editor: Colin McGee

Webmaster: Rodney Thompson

DISTRIBUTIONDistribution Manager: Johnny Davis

ADVERTISING STAFFAdvertising Manager: Wesley JacksonAdvertising Representative: Regi Allen

Advertising Representative: Daniel FordemwaltGraphic Designer: Brittany Hawkins

MANAGEMENTAdviser: Jim Aucoin

Accounting: Kathy Brannan

P LICE BL TTER9/24- Theft of Article From AutoA laptop, duffle bag with clothing, ladies ring, calculator, iPod nano, iPod touch, a textbook and a checkbook were reported stolen from a vehicle in the Mitchell College of Business parking lot. The items were valued at $1,450.

9/25- Burglary, 3rd DegreeAn Xbox and a black Gibson guitar were reported stolen from a resident at The Grove. The items were valued at $1,700.

9/27- Theft of Property, 3rd DegreeA student reported that a Mongoose bike was stolen from a bike rack between 9/25 at 8 a.m. and 9/26 at 10 p.m. The item was valued at $250.

9/29- HarassmentA Delta resident reported the crime of harassment was being committed.

9/29- Theft of Article From AutoBetween 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and unknown person entered a vehicle in the Computer and Information Sciences parking lot and stole an iPod. The item was valued at $500.

9/30- ArsonBetween 5:04 p.m. and 9:21 p.m. fires were reported in the Student Center and the Delta Commons in men’s restrooms.

9/30- Arson, 1st Degree/Possession of Marijuana, 2nd Degree/Public Intoxication/Criminal TrespassingA student was arrested at 10:20 p.m. at The Grove on charges of arson, possession of marijuana, public intoxication and criminal trespassing.

Jag Growl

What You’re Saying About

“Mobile Firefighters Pull Trapped Kitten From USA

Drainage System”

“And how much did that

COST us taxpayers?

What a waste of time

and money”

-Democratic Senator.

“Some students and

some firefighters

collaborate to do a

good deed, and you

are worried about a

few dollars in gas?

Firefighters get paid by

the hour whether they

are fighting a fire or not,

so no additional cost

there.

-Doc Mike

(comments taken from usavanguard.

com)

Students: Bell Tower Difficult to ReadMatthew PetersonMANAGING [email protected]

the building, according to Gamache.At this point in the investigation police are

“leaning towards just one person being in-volved,” Gamache said, and there is no known motive.

“I think the real of advantage of a video system is that it gives us the ability to review where we have the cameras when these things take place,” Gamache said. “If we didn’t have the video systems in either of those buildings

the possibility of solving this would have been greatly reduced.”

Gamache was unable to say whether or not Kinnel was a suspect in the fire at the Life Sci-ences Building over two weeks ago due to a lack of sufficient evidence for criminal charges in that case.

Police took Kinnel to the Mobile County Metro Jail, where he is currently still incarcer-ated. His bail is set at $14,450.

Arsonfrom page 1

Alex Whalen / Associate EditorSome students say they have trouble reading the clock tower because of the length of the back part of the hands. What do you think?

3October 4, 2010 VanguardThe


(Next to Chuck E Cheese)

Moulton to Chair State Commission for Oil Spill Relief

USA President Gordon Moulton was chosen by Alabama Governor Bob Riley to chair the Coastal Recovery Commis-sion’s environmental subcommittee, which will recommend ways to allocate possible BP fine money.

“Riley got out in front of the [possible funds coming in from BP] and created a citi-zens’ group composed of a wide cross-section of people on the Gulf to see what needs to be done to plan [for any future disaster],” Moulton said.

The commission is made up of more than 80 members on three sub-commit-tees: environment, health, and economy. Press-Register Publisher Ricky Mathews will chair the commission.

Moulton said his main mission as chair of the environmental sub-committee was to look at the long-term environmental impact of the spill and see how the Gulf Coast could be more resilient.

“We’re going to make recommendations on what you can use these resources for to improve the likelihood that we can recover from the next disaster,” Moulton said.

The commission will essentially recom-mend ways for the next governor to use money that comes from fines imposed on BP beyond that they pay to those directly affected by the oil spill.

“I think it’s an excellent thing to do,” Moulton said. “It puts Alabama in an ag-gressive posture relative to having a plan … The focus would be that these funds ought to be spent on the Gulf Coast and go back into the areas that suffered the most harm.”

Dr. Bob Shipp, chair of Marine Scienc-es, also serves on the environment subcom-mittee.

“I and a number of others have become cautiously optimistic [that damages from the oil spill won’t be as bad as thought],” Shipp said. “We haven’t seen wholesale die-offs.”

But he was quick to point out that they still don’t know about the long-term effects of the oil-spill. Shipp differentiated be-tween acute effects, or those that happen right away, and chronic ones, or long-term damage, which scientists still do not have a handle on.

“We’ll continue to take measurements and monitor the situation to determine the impact,” Shipp said.

Matthew PetersonMANAGING [email protected]

Moulton

Get Your Opinion

Published!

Send Letters to the Editor to

[email protected]


News in BriefNew Dining Hall Delayed Again

Administrators now expect the new Dining Hall to open in mid-October, at best.

Dr. John Smith, vice president for Student Affairs, said the furniture is scheduled to be installed today, but they are still waiting on equipment and a health inspection.

The facility, which will feature fresh foods, a coffee shop, and other amenities, was originally slated to open at the beginning of the fall semester.

In August, administrators said the project had been delayed and would open in early October.

In the meantime, students on meal plans will continue to be served at The Market in the Student Center.

USA to Host Professional Behavioral Seminar

Career Services will host a “Professional Behavior” seminar for USA students and alumni on Oct. 14 in Meisler Hall, Suite 2100.

The focus of the seminar is what employers look for in their employees. The definition of professional behavior, having integrity, being a team player, confidentiality and being a committed professional will all be discussed.

The seminar is free. For more information call Career Services at (251) 460-6188 or visit online at

www.southalabama.edu/careerservices.

Moulton Talks Parking, Money

Editor’s note: This is the first in-stallment in a series of articles from an interview The Vanguard had with University President Gordon Moulton Oct. 1.

The Vanguard: What can students look forward to at USA this year?

President Moulton: I would hope the new Student Rec Center is a good experience for them on campus, and of course this is the second year of football. The main thing … to look forward to is good programs, and good classes and experiences like we’ve always had.

… The main thing is that their opportuni-ties grow and there is a better rounded experi-ence for them on campus.

V: How do you think parking is on cam-pus?

M: Well you know, it depends on where you’re parking and who you ask, but there’s adequate parking in terms of parking places on campus. There are places out there some-where every hour of the day.

Now are they adjacent to the buildings and within say, always a five-minute walking dis-tance? No, they’re not, but then again they’re not on any major university campus, either.

Is there a way to make it better? Maybe. We certainly need to look at that.

Let’s say you [wanted to make] more park-ing spaces today. Where would you put them? We don’t want to go and chew up all of what green space we have left in the interior of the campus. I don’t think anybody would advo-cate that.

So they’ve got to go further out, so it’s not

going to improve the walking. There’s addi-tional parking space.

The main thing I think we could focus on is to trying to make sure we do the best we can with transportation to be able to move from the parking places to the respective buildings in a reasonable period of time.

V: What does the financial future of USA look like?

M: I think there is a great deal of uncer-tainty about the financial future of everything in our country. It’s at the national level.

If you turn on the talking heads on the news channels today, they are all still talking about the recession and where we are, what’s going to happen and unemployment. All those issues are out there.

There’s also a good deal of uncertainty associated with [the question] “When is this going to turn around?” Public universities [are] driven to some extent by state funding and state appropriation. In [Alabama], the state revenues for education are largely de-rived from sales tax and income tax. Those two taxes are tied directly to economic activ-ity. Higher unemployment, lower income tax, naturally.

Lower employment, higher unemploy-ment, less purchases, sales tax. The whole thing goes hand-in-hand. We all know that.

The only thing I can say is that we have tried to take every precaution possible to give the University the best reserve protection we can. In other words, trying to be very, very conservative with our expenditures and our budgets, our projection of revenue and ex-penses.

That’s one of the reasons we’ve been able to

Daniela [email protected]

see MOULTON | 15

7Vanguard

The

October 4, 2010

Arts & EntertainmentArts & EntertainmentArts & EntertainmentCal ThomasA & E Editor

[email protected]

In the wake of BayFest is a lesser-known festival in Pensacola from Oct 15-17 called De Luna Fest. De Luna Fest is a three-day festival on Pensacola Beach commemorating Tristán de Luna y Arellano’s landing in Pensacola Bay in 1559; this year marks the 50 year countdown to the 500th anniversary of the founding of Pensacola.

Facing the recent Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster, Pensacola’s tourism industry – and thus economy – has suffered.

De Luna Fest is a way to bring attention back to the area and show the nation that the Gulf of Mexico (and the community around it) has enormous resilience.

With bands like Daughtry, Stone Temple Pilots, 311, and 30 Seconds to Mars, there is sure to be a huge turnout. Willie Nelson has also recently been announced

as a headliner – so there is sure to be something for everyone!

Weekend passes are $90 in advance or $99 at the festival. Tickets for individual days are $47.50 online and $55 at the gate.

Fifty percent of the ticket sales are going to ecological endeavors, such as Emerald Coast Keeper, which works to preserve our beaches, and the Gulf Coast Energy Network, which is searching for ways to improve home and workplace energy efficiency.

Those attending only pay for Friday and Saturday – Sunday is a day of free music for ticketholders. You can pick up your tickets at the gate or at www.delunafest.com.

Those looking for volunteer opportunities can find them at De Luna Fest along with great music – work three 5-hour shifts before, during, or after the festival, and get in for free! Work is scheduled so participants can work with their friends and see the acts that they want to see. Interested? Visit www.workexchange.com!

If you need a fix for a theatre performance that evoked laughter as well as tears, the Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Rabbit Hole,” by David Lindsay-Abaire, is just the rem-edy.

“Rabbit Hole” is a story that many can probably relate to, whether it be a relation to loss, childhood, parenting, or all of the above.

When mother, Becca, and father, Howie, are forced to cope with the inescapable loss of Danny, their only child, family and friends must step in, placing the pieces of this couple’s life back in order. It is an emotional rollercoast-er filled with the components that make up all families: laugh-out-loud funny moments and heart wrenching cir-cumstances all in one.

It was also very exciting to know that the characters the audience found they could relate to on stage were the same students that attend our university. These actors include Laura Beth Calcote, as Becca; Miranda Culpepper, as Izzy; Evan Wilson, as Howie; Dee Baker, as Nat; and Ste-phen Dunham, as Jason. Each of these cast members has his or her own individual touch that, as a whole, creates the perfect emotion for Rabbit Hole.

Izzy, Becca’s younger sister, finds out somewhat early in the performance that she is pregnant, and this is another constant reminder of the loss of Danny. But strangely, it also plays a role in quickening the grieving process for ev-eryone.

The mother, Nat, is the type of woman who places hu-mor into her reasoning but still has that perfect mixture of motherly comforting touch. An average teen named Jason, who was responsible for Danny’s death, constantly tries to make amends with the family, hoping to share their burden and lighten the load of pain.

Is this a worthwhile performance for an audience of college students? Dr. Leon Van Dyke, director of “Rabbit Hole,” gave his answer: “Absolutely, unless you’re allowed to cry, what is laughter worth?”

And this was, indeed, found to be true at the perfor-mance I attended on Sept. 26.

The last weekend to view this incredible performance was from Oct. 1 – Oct. 3, but there are many other plays being performed this season, so don’t be shy. Season mem-berships are available, or you can buy the tickets separately for each performance you plan to attend.

You can purchase your tickets at the box office inside the front entrance of the Laidlaw Performing Arts Center, or you can call the center to order tickets over the phone at 251-460-6306. The Dramatic Arts Department has a website that can answer many questions you may have, as well: www.southalabama.edu/drama/.

Also, for those of you who had the pleasure of seeing “Rabbit Hole” or who simply have a genuine interest in theater, being a dramatic arts student is not necessary to audition for roles.

Even biomedical students have gotten involved in the-ater, and anyone with a combination of time and talent is welcome to audition, Van Dyke explained.

So, students of South Alabama, come out and see the talent that is hiding inside the walls of USA’s Laidlaw Per-forming Arts Center, and allow yourself to open up the “rabbit holes” of your own world.

The Beatles. Bob Dylan. Jimi Hendrix. The Supremes. The Rolling Stones. Bands everyone has heard. You may worship the ground they walk on or be indifferent to their music.

Either way, you can’t deny the fact that these artists and others are what made 60s rock memorable. As Barry Drake said, “This music changed your heart and mind.”

On Sept. 29, Barry Drake presented the history and de-velopment of rock culture in the 60’s. He’s been voted the best campus lecturer eight times and has been nicknamed “The Encyclopedia.”

Drake has a passion for all rock music, not just 60s, but he argues that the music from the 60s is the most influential. His love for music was obvious as he sang along to every clip that he played. Drake covered every aspect of the era, from British Invasion to Folk to the Blues.

Drake said that the 60s music era began with the election of JFK. The events of the 60s inspired many people and led them to music. The Vietnam War was happening, and many of the drafted soldiers were 18-year old boys who couldn’t even vote until they were twenty-one.

The assassinations of Martin Luther King and John F. Kennedy upset the people who supported them. Racial seg-regation was also at its peak. But from all these tragedies, many artists came forth whose ideas bled into their music.

As the 60s began, the remnants from the 50s carried over, and the music we now know began to appear. The U.S. managed to last for a while with the Uptown Rhythm and Blues, the girl groups, and the dance crazes, but the artists realized that do-wop bands wouldn’t work anymore.

Bob Dylan was working on this by making folk music popular, but he didn’t produce his own music. Other bands covered his songs.

He couldn’t reinvent the music by himself. Bands that played instruments were needed.

When The Beatles originally tried to make it in the U.S, they were turned down.

They got their break in February 1964 on the Ed Sullivan show and from there, they sky-rocketed. So much so, that by time the first week of April 1964 came along, they held the top-five spots on the countdowns. No other artist has ever done that.

The Beatles were certainly not the first. The Rolling Stones emerged out of the British Invasion, gaining their first single a year and a half after The Beatles made it. The Who, The Kinks, and The Yardbirds also came out of Eng-land. In 1964 and 1965, over half of the hits were from England.

Continued at www.usavanguard.com.

60s Rock: When the Music Mattered

Open Yourself to ‘Rabbit Hole’Mary Beth LursenCONTRIBUTING [email protected]

Sarah WraightCONTRIBUTING [email protected]

Colin McGee / Photo EditorUSA students act in a dress rehearsal in “Rabbit Hole,” a story about normal people with lives that are anything but. Though you can’t catch this show, be sure to keep a look out for later shows from the USA Theatre Department.

De Luna Fest Still Happening Despite Gulf Oil SpillCal ThomasA&E [email protected]


The pungent stench of stale beer fills the air amid a sea of faces. Bright lights and discord approach from every direction. Paranoia, claustrophobia, and

agoraphobia are slowly sinking into the crowd’s subcon-scious while visions of grease-filled, fried fair food dance in their head. Yes Mobilians, BayFest has returned.

BayFest is an annual tradition that I have often enjoyed. Many of those positive memories are masked by alcohol or some other such party favor.

This year I chose to take a sober, realistic evaluation of BayFest, and the image is not so pretty.

I do not understand what the BayFest staff were think-ing when they decided it was wise to wait until the bands began on Friday evening to start letting people into the event.

The line to the main entrance was more than an hour’s wait and stretched from Bienville Park to Cathedral Square. Many missed the show they came to see.

Once inside the event gates, BayFest will transform de-pending upon the willingness to imbibe highly overpriced alcohol. Clearly, there is a war between the sober and drunk attendees.

The drinking crowd is determined to have a good time having spent $5 a beer for such a privilege, even if that fun involves spilling brew, stumbling into you without apology and littering the ground with debris almost as if in an effort to create a minefield with which to deter the sober crowd.

Another unavoidable fact that sober individuals at Bay-Fest must confront is the disgusting nature of port-a-pot-ties. This unpleasant necessity can be easily overlooked by an inebriated person, but is unbearable by sober stan-dards.

These aspects are forgivable for an event of this scale until the lineup is considered. BayFest seems to enjoy al-ternating years of awesome bands with years of “WTF?” bands. Needless to say, I was not in attendance the year Michael Bolton headlined.

Last year Stone Temple Pilots, Meat Puppets, Train, 3 Doors Down, and Chevelle pleased a crowd so packed into the venue that I developed an odd sympathy for sar-dines. Attendance is much more thin for 2010 headlin-ers Godsmack, Shinedown, Motley Crue, Mary J Blige, Babyface, and Nelly.

All of these artists have their respective eager audienc-es, but the effect of a weak or mismatched lineup can lead to a diminished response the following year.

With the exception of the headliners, many of the acts listed at this year’s BayFest are difficult for most people to recall. Patrons of this event rarely purchase a ticket only

to see one show.Even if BayFest is anchored by a few big name art-

ists, the quality of the supporting acts are equally impor-tant and can become deal breakers for the casual person weighing the pros and cons of a $45 weekend pass.

Ultimately, guaranteeing the survival of the Gulf Coast’s beloved downtown music festival will depend on the coordinator’s ability to learn from the mistakes of City Stages. BayFest is Alabama’s biggest concert event only because Birmingham’s City Stages went bankrupt in 2009.

Although complicated by a lack of city funding and

poor ticket sales in a receding economy, the death nail for the event was weak lineup choices.

The final year of City Stages featured too many nostal-gia acts like REO Speedwagon, Styx, and Doobie Broth-ers. Many fans of these bands are much older than the average concert attendee.

I believe BayFest can avoid the pitfalls of the festival’s deceased big brother City Stages, but only if promoters make smart lineup decisions that attract a young audi-ence to help the event grow.

This year marked BayFest’s 16th anniversary in Mobile. Founded in 1995 by Robert O. Bostwick, Jr., under Mayor Mike Dow, the festival sought to revitalize downtown Mobile at a time of year where there is a lull in convention activity and coastal tourism.

Since then, the festival has seen tremendous success: the estimated attendance of more than 225,000 this year is a far cry from the 50,000 that turned out for BayFest’s first weekend.

A small two-stage festival at its inception, BayFest has grown to encompass nine stages with more than 125 acts that range from gospel to rap and cover everything in be-tween. Many have been well-known, established artists like Nelly and Godsmack, but a stage called the Launching Pad worked to spotlight local and regional talent for those who were ready to perform for a larger crowd.

And a large crowd it was. This year, the festival was spread over 14 city blocks to accommodate the almost quarter-million attendees.

Tickets were purchased in 18 states and in two countries, according to Shana Jordan, executive director of BayFest, someone in Scotland ordered four advanced tickets to come see Lady Antebellum, she said.

With that kind of reach it is easy to understand how in-fluential it is to Mobile’s economy. Downtown largely shuts down while BayFest is in town: streets are blocked off for traffic, businesses change hours to cater to the crowds and police presence almost rivals that of Mardi Gras.

But in the past 15 years BayFest has successfully attract-ed over $185 million of revenue for local establishments. Bands and local businesses are the only ones that really make money; little that is made inside BayFest is kept by the festival.

BayFest is a private non-profit 501C3 organization, which means that they do not receive a profit from traffic.

When the festival does make a profit, some of the money is invested in the next year’s BayFest, and the rest is saved in a “rain fund” to ensure that future festivals do not have difficulties with inclement weather interfering with perfor-mance.

BayFest is staffed by volunteers, including many students from South. There were nine interns and media tech vol-unteers this year, and their participation was coordinated by Brigette Soderlind, who coordinates South Alabama’s Greek life.

This year Dr. Christopher Keshock of USA's PE and Leisure Services had 13 students conducting an on-site survey regarding festival attendees’ demographics, spend-ing and interests.

BayFest is a festival that encompasses every part of Mobile in some way and impacts most of South Alabama’s students, either by appealing to their musical tastes or their desire to get involved. They truly have “something for everyone.”

Cal ThomasARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR [email protected]

BayFest Celebrates 16 Years of Going Strong in Mobile

BayFest 2010 By Timothy Borland

Mobile’s Annual Music Festival Celebrates Its ‘Sweet 16’ With a Wide Array of Artists

Colin McGee / Photo EditorCMA- and Grammy Award-winning group Lady Antebellum played the IP/At&t stage at BayFest this past Sunday night.


After T.I.’s notorious arrest Sept. 1 for a drug-related charge in Los Angeles, he was forced to cancel his highly anticipated appearance at this year’s Bayfest. In the wake of T.I’s absence, the sole representative of the rap genre at the festival was platinum artist Nelly. Nelly has had a string of hits including many crossover hits featuring an unusual array of artists such as Justin Timberlake, Tim McGraw, Destiny’s Child, Akon, Ciara, Ashanti, Fergie, Sean Paul, Usher, and T.I. himself.

Despite his consistent career featuring an instantly recog-nizable string of hits, I was quite disappointed with Nelly’s performance on the Pepsi stage that closed out Bayfest 2010. The bass was far too loud – I was standing two football fields away and my ears still hurt.

The multiplatinum celebrity proceeded to ‘rap-sync’ over

a recording of himself. He appeared drunk and only man-aged to yell out a few ‘yeah’s and ‘oh’s during the perfor-mance. When Nelly closed out the show with “Hot in Herr” the irony was not lost on the crowd as jacket-worthy winds swept across the long sleeved crowd who did not proceed to take off their clothes as they were instructed. Nelly invited would-be groupies on stage to sing with him, only their mics were turned off leaving the poor girls unawares.

Disappointed is an understatement. Rather than continu-ing to spew bile about the show, I decided that a better way to express my feelings was to ask fellow USA students what tasks would be a more productive way to spend their Fall break than to go see Nelly at Bayfest. Here are some of their Ideas:

Music Education and Print Journalism double major, yours truly, muttered:

“Sharpen Pencils or spend time staring at a wall.”

The lineup of rock bands this year at BayFest produced some amazing shows that will not soon be forgotten.

I spent my time at the Pepsi stage and was lucky enough to see Top of the Orange, Five Finger Death Punch, Sick Puppies, Shinedown and Godsmack.

For me BayFest began with a little turmoil. The wise people at BayFest decided it was necessary to schedule Godsmack and Mötley Crüe on the same night at the same time on different stages.

Thanks, BayFest.Since Saving Abel was opening for Mötley Crüe and I would

rather pull off my own ears than listen to that garbage, I went for Godsmack.

Mobile band Top of the Orange put on a great show as usu-al. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing them multiple times before at Grand Central, and they never disappoint.

Next up was an insane band that calls itself Five Finger Death Punch. Generally that would not be my scene, but just about anything would be better than Saving Abel. An ungodly amount of mosh pits, crowd surfing and a lead singer that really knows how to work the crowd and can actually sing when he doesn’t scream made for a great show.

I can safely say that I do not regret seeing Godsmack over Mötley Crüe. Sully Erna, Godsmack’s lead singer/rhythm guitarist, is a great frontman. A mixture of their older hits and songs from their newest album gave a good balance to the show. That combined with their amazing guitar riffs, relentless drum barrages and the occasional slow,melodic tune (a la “Serenity” and “Voodoo”) is what makes Godsmack one of the great rock bands in recent history.

Saturday night I decided to forego Rehab and jump in when Sick Puppies went on. This was my first real exposure to Sick Puppies, but after that performance I will be listening to them frequently. They put on an energetic set, and their influences of Rage Against the Machine and Green Day are apparent.

During all of this I think I fell in love with bassist Emma Anzai. Her playing was phenomenal, and her stage presence is incredible.

Continued at www.usavanguard.com.

Saving Abel Members Talk Music

Bayfest: How Mobile Rocks

Last Friday we got to catch up with Jared Weeks (vocalist) and Jason Null (guitarist) from Saving Abel at BayFest. Saving Abel, formed in 2004, hails from Corinth, Ms. and is current-ly signed to Virgin Records. Some of the songs they are well known for are “Addicted,” “18 Days” and “Drowning (Face Down).”

The band’s name comes from a religious background - Null had been spending time reading the Bible. The story about Cain and Abel intrigued him and he spent some time googling the story.

“‘There is no saving Abel from his brother Cain,’ that line just jumped out at me,” Null said.

Their self-titled debut album was released in 2008 by Virgin Records. One year and five days after it was released it was

certified gold (over 500,000 units sold). “We have a lot of good fans, they buy our albums and are

pretty loyal,” Weeks said. He and Null attributed the success to the fans that bought the albums and those that turned out to shows. Without the fans showing their support, Saving Abel’s success would have been impossible for them to achieve.

Saving Abel has become known for their southern rock type of music. It is not always easy for southern rock to make a huge impact in the mainstream charts, but this is something they have been able to do; Southern rock still has a huge way to go before it can be compared to popular styles such as rap, hip-hop, R&B and punk rock.

Something that Southern rock might be missing out on is the blend between genres. Pop and rap acts like Snoop Dogg have begun blending, and so have rock and rap – like BrokeN-Cyde and Lil Wayne.

Nelly Leads Rap Lineup at Bayfest

Tinashe NyatangaSTAFF [email protected]

Cameron AdkinsASSOCIATE [email protected]

Timothy BorlandSTAFF [email protected]

see RAP | 15

Colin McGee / Photo Editor


Vocalists for Earth, Wind, & Fire perform Sunday evening on the Miller Light Stage during Bayfest 2010.

Godsmack's lead singer Sully Erna emoted in front of the crowd at BayFest this past Friday night.

see ABEL | 15

Calling the decision to distance itself from “South In Your Mouth,” a ban was slightly premature according to South Alabama director of athletics Dr. Joel Erdmann.

“We’re not saying that no one can use the chant,” Erdmann said. “We’re just asking that our cheerleaders and band refrain from leading it. We can’t endorse anything that could be perceived as unsportsmanlike.”

The athletic department is expected by both the NCAA and Sun Belt Conference to avoid endorsing inappropriate or disrespectful behavior.

The cheerleaders are recognized as members of that department and are thus privy to the same expectations.

“We want to lead our fans but we also want to be a respectful representation of the University as well,” USA

cheerleaders coach Steve Clanton said.The cheer originated at the start of

the last decade by several long-standing fans and was never officially adopted by

the University. “South In Your Mouth” was

reportedly an add-on by fans to the cheerleaders’ “USA” chant, and represents the “In Your Face” taunt popularized during the 1990’s.

It was only after the chant began to spread into the pep squads’ lexicon that Erdmann had to make a change.

Erdmann had previously worked in South Alabama’s athletic department from 1995 to 2002 and says that he had never heard the chant until his 2009 return to USA as athletic director.

Fans will not be punished for using the phrase but free throws could get testy should the cheerleaders and band replace the chant with something new.

Erdmann has instructed Clanton to explore alternatives.

“We’re always looking to start new traditions and find new cheers,” Clanton said. “That said, we don’t have anything new planned for free throws during the upcoming season.”

A compromise could be met if the pep squads remain silent for free throws.

10Vanguard

The

October 4, 2010

Matt WeaverSports Editor

[email protected] Kings of The JungleSouth Alabama Football Remains Unbeaten with 52-3 Victory

The University of South Alabama foot-ball squad proved once again that they were the top cat, defeating the Kentucky Wes-leyan Panthers (KWC) 52-3 on Saturday afternoon. The Jaguars improved to 4-0 on the season.

“We can’t get complacent where we are,” Jones said. “It’s up to our players, staff and everybody involved not to get complacent at any time. We know the task at hand and we have to get better next week.”

South Alabama’s stout defense tied a school record five turnovers. USA forced three fumbles, two interceptions and four sacks.

The Jaguars received the ball first and wasted no time scoring as Kendall Houston rushed for the one yard touchdown. After the successful point-after-touchdown, USA took the early lead 7-0.

After KWC threw their first interception, South Alabama was set up with great field position at the 14 yard line. Kendall Hous-ton stayed hot, running into the end zone for his second touchdown of the game.

The first quarter closed at 14-0.In the second quarter USA looked un-

stoppable, scoring 28 unanswered points. South Alabama quarterback Myles Gibbon threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Paul Bennett. The score capped off a 96 yard drive.

After a fumbled kickoff return, the Jags recovered and C.J. Bennett tossed a 19 yard touchdown pass to Courtney Smith to in-crease the lead to 28-0.

After a Panther punt, the Jaguars were

spotted at the 49 yard line. Santuan McGee scored the two-yard touchdown rush after Bennett threw a 49 yard pass to Bryant Lav-ender, making the score 35-0.

On the next possession, the Panther’s quarterback threw an interception, which was returned for a 75 yard touchdown by Michael Wilson, making the lead 42-0. The Panthers tacked on a field goal just before halftime to close to 42-3.

In the third quarter KWC received the ball but quickly punted. After the punt, C.J.

Bennett tossed his second touchdown pass to Lamontis Gardner for 25 yards. The Jags continued to roll on increasing the lead to 49-3.

In the fourth and final quarter, the Pan-thers muffed a kickoff, and South Alabama fell on it, setting up a Jordan Means 18 yard field goal to finish the game 52-3.

The Jags will look to remain undefeated against the Missouri S&T Miners on Oct. 9, 2010 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Kickoff is set for at 4 p.m.

Thousands of screaming fans crowded into Ladd-Peebles stadium Saturday to watch another USA rout. This time, it was Kentucky Wesleyan, who USA trounced 52-3 to continue undefeated.


“It’s not a ban,” according to South Al-abama athletic director Dr. Joel Erdmann.But it might as well be.

In ordering the cheerleaders and pep band to find new cheers, Erdmann is by proxy banning “South In Your Mouth.”

He finds it offensive and has heard enough complaints from visitors and the aging boosters who support the program.

Personally, I find Morehead State Uni-versity offensive. And Miami? There is nothing more offensive than hurricanes in the gulf coast.

The point is that anything can be deemed offensive or vulgar. We’re living in the “That’s What She Said” era of pop culture where everything can be deemed as politically incorrect.

This whole thing is rubbish.Detractors have said from the start that

a slogan should unite and not divide the community.

They’re absolutely right. Only a select few have opposed the slogan. With the quasi-ban in place, hordes are coming out of the woodwork to support it. It’s almost like a rallying cry for the modern passion-ate Jag fan.

A verbal riot could be unleashed when men’s basketball officially starts on Nov. 12.

Longtime fans will chant “South In Your Mouth” against whichever new cheers the pep squads have devised.

Some conspiracy theorists have even suggested this was the plan from the start. With the Outlaws a shell of its former self and with fan interaction dwindling, some-thing had to be done.

With the University officially distanc-ing itself from “South In Your Mouth,” fans are going to come from all over just to shout it on Nov. 12.

The truth is that everyone wants to be a rebel. Chanting something against the University’s intent is everything that being a twenty-something in college stands for.

Doing it for a cause is just icing on the cake.

When all is said and done, the popular-ity of “South In Your Mouth” will grow and the South Alabama brand will be stronger as a result.

Just ask Alabama fans who fought the “Rammer Jammer” ban in 2005 for its inclusion of the word “hell” and its un-sportsmanlike connotations.

The ban was reversed by the student body later that year and was used all the way through their 2009 BCS National Championship season.

The power of the student spirit is im-measurable and that’s something South Alabama and Dr. Erdmann are about to learn.

Chant Ban Has Started A Fire Storm

South Alabama director of athletics Dr. Joel Erdmann.

usajaguars.com

USA Athletic Director Says It’s Not a BanMatt WeaverSPORTS [email protected]

Charging the Mound

Matt WeaverSPORTS [email protected]

Jake WasdinSPORTS [email protected]

see MADNESS | 11

“As long as our fans stray away from using profanity and offensive material, they can say pretty much anything,” Erdmann said.

On the matter of the Outlaws having their latest T-shirt design nixed, group president Madison Salter resigned last month, leaving the athletic marketing department to oversee the group.

Since the Outlaws receive appropriations money through the SGA, the University has a lot of say in the Outlaws current direction.

The Outlaws had planned on teaming “South In Your Mouth” and “Bleed It Red” on this year’s shirt.

“’South In Your Mouth’ has now been banned from all student organizations on campus,” Ann Barrett, the new Outlaws president said. “We’re looking at new alternatives, including the “Mouth of the South”.

If ‘South In Your Mouth’ is to survive it will have to be through the fans willpower.

“We’re going to say it anyway,” South Alabama sophomore Matt Jackson said. “So it doesn’t really matter what the department says.”


This Week in Foot-ball:

South AlabamaVs.

Missouri S&TOct. 9, 2010

Ladd Peebles Sta-dium

Madnessfrom page 10

VanguardThe

Sports Poll

Vote Now!

“The South In Your Mouth Will Rise Again.”

- Anonymous

* Yes* No

LAST WEEK: THIS WEEK:

Should USA ban the South In

Ya Mouth chant?

Will the Braves return

to the world series?

There is no doubt that Bobby Cox has been one of the more important figures in baseball for the last quarter-century.

He, along with general manager John Schuerholz, was the key figure behind the rebuild and resurgence of the Atlanta Braves. Cox was Atlanta’s manager from 1978 to 1981 before being fired by team owner Ted Turner.

In the ensuing press conference Turner was asked who was on the short list to be hired re replied, “It would be Bobby Cox if we hadn’t just fired him. We need somebody like him to run this team.”

That line alone shows just the type of man and manager Bobby Cox has been to baseball.

After a short stint in Toronto, Cox came back to Atlanta as the Braves’ general manager.

Trading in his jersey for a suit, Cox was never really comfortable as GM. And after having fired two coaches in five years, Cox appointed himself the team’s manager.

From that moment on Cox formed the more successful Atlanta Braves of recent memory.

Cox is responsible for bringing in players like Ron Gant, Tom Glavine, and David Justice.

Cox was also responsible for drafting Chipper Jones with the first overall pick in 1990 and the rest has been history.

Jones has been a staple of the franchise and is a perennial hall-of-famer.

Cox has won 15 division titles as a manager, a Major League Baseball record. He has won the National League Manager of the Year Award four times, including 1985, 1991, 2004, and 2005.

He is also the fourth winningest coach of all time, going over 2,500 wins on Sept. 25.

Cox also set the record for ejections and as of Sept. 17, was ejected for the 158th time, a major league record.

Cox took the Braves to 14 consecutive division titles and also took the team to the 1995 World Series.

The last Saturday of the regular season was Bobby Cox night and it drew the largest crowd since 1966 to Atlanta.

In front of a home crowd of over 50,000 fans, the Braves brought home the final regular season home game of Bobby Cox’s hall of fame career, catapulting the Braves into the playoffs for the first time since 2005.

The crowd was electric and Bobby’s team gave him exactly what he deserves, a win and one last shot at the World Series.

It’s waiting time, for both the Braves and Bobby Cox.

They await the San Francisco Giants and the MLB Division Series. But as the crowd waited for Cox to exit Turner Field, they chanted, signs held high, and everyone in the stadium and in baseball have said and thought, “Thank you, Bobby. There will never be another like you.”

On Saturday, Oct. 9, the South Ala-bama football Jaguars will square off against the visiting Missouri University of Science and Technology in Mobile at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.

The Miners are 0-2 on the road, and finally won their first game of the season at home against Wisconsin La Crosse Uni-versity.

From Rolla, Mo., the Miners are suffer-ing from a 1-4 record this season under first-year head coach David Brown.

Brown was previously an assistant coach at Ohio University for four years. One of Brown’s goals for the Miners was to touch up on the defense.

Brown’s 3-4 scheme defense is designed to apply pressure to the quarterback by becoming smaller but quicker on the ball.

“We’ve moved a lot of players around in order to maximize their abilities,” Brown said. “I’m happy with our overall team speed and feel good about what we have up front on the defensive line.”

The Miners will look to get their senior wide receiver Chad Shockley rolling early in the game.

Shockley posted one of the best offen-sive performances in school history as he tallied up 272 all-purpose yards in the win over La Crosse.

On five receptions, Shockley recorded 199 yards and three touchdowns. The Jaguars secondary will have to be on their heels Saturday with a wideout with that sort of burst speed.

“We come out to practice every day and coach tells us regardless of the other team’s record or who they have played, they know that we are undefeated,” South Alabama quarterback Myles Gibbon said. “They know that we are a good team, so that is going to make them fight even harder.

“We don’t look at a team and say they are soft because we know they are coming here to punch us in the mouth. We have to come out to every game thinking that these guys want to get us, and it would be an insult for us to let them do that.”

The Jaguars are coming off a 52-3 vic-tory against Kentucky Wesleyan in which South Alabama forced a school-record five turnovers.

“We’re not satisfied with where we are yet,” Jones said. “We’ve got to come out and work every day and strive to be better week in and week out.”

This will be the Jags’ last home game before they hit the road for their final two road games in Texas and California. Kick-off is set for 4 p.m.

Sports Editor Matt Weaver contributed to this story.

Getting to know Missouri S&TUSA Football

Jake WasdinSPORTS [email protected]

kwcpanthers.comMissouri S&T receiver Chad Shockley led the Miners in their win over Wisconsin LCU

Bobby Cox Exits a Legend

Curry’s Corner

Jayson CurrySPORTS [email protected]

We've heard so much about the plight of parkers in the East and Central Lots that we

forget about those with the "Housing" tag.

But it is those in the dormitories that face the greatest parking challenge moving forward.

Next fall, there will be three new buildings in the dorm area: the Recreation Center, the Dining Hall (assuming it's done by then), and the new 330-bed residence hall now under construction.

However, no new parking will be added for the Dining Hall, while negligible additions will accompany the new dormitory, and the Rec Center has a few spots, too.

The 30 to 40 new spaces for the new residence hall will, of course, do near nothing to accommodate the 330 new people living there, even if some of them opt not to bring their cars.

The administration also deludes itself into thinking people will take the 45-minute

JagTran ride to the Dining Hall and Rec Center instead of driving.

If USA students could, I'm sure they would drive from their classrooms to the bathroom down the hall, so the idea they won't drive all the way across campus and take up parking spots there strikes me as ridiculous. And please don't even mention walking anywhere to a USA student.

This creates a looming, and unique, problem for those living on campus: Where do you park?

Unlike academic buildings, parking cannot be miles away from the door. First, dorm residents often arrive home late at night or with a lot of things to carry, so it poses both a logistical and security problem.

Secondly, they have to park somewhere, and that somewhere cannot be another parking zone, as they will get ticketed or create problems for the other zones.

Right now, about 1,100 people live in the Epsilon and Delta dormitories, compared to 924 parking spaces in the surrounding lots. Though it can be tight at times, this ratio generally works well, so let’s say about .8 parking spots per resident is a workable number.

However, when you add 330 more people into the mix with only an increase of 30-40 spots, that total ratio decreases to about .67 spots per resident, and that’s not even counting those who would drive to the Dining Hall and take up parking spots.

USAPD does not traditionally ticket the housing area, according to Normand Gamache, chief of Police, but this could

be revisited once the new chief comes in. If they don’t ticket the area, then students will have absolutely no reason not to drive to the Dining Hall, which would make the problem even worse.

Essentially, on-campus students will need somewhere to park that's not too far away from those dorms. The parking garage is also no closer to being a reality, according to Chris Willis, director of Facilities Management, so we can't count on that.

Why not just add more parking? Yeah, it may cost money, but the students who pay increasingly more for tuition and housing rates deserve to be able to park.

At the very least, the housing area should be ticketed. Again, this may mean adding another ticket person to patrol that area, but maybe providing students the parking they deserve outweighs that minor cost.

[email protected]

Tilting at WindmillsTilting at WindmillsBy Matt hew Peterson

12Vanguard

The

October 4, 2010

Alex WhalenOpinion Editor

[email protected]

The new fi scal year for USA began on Oct. 1, and if everything goes according to plan, the University will run a defi cit of $5.6 million. This is actually good news con-sidering the rough economy and the fact that USA had a $10.2 million defi cit last fi scal year.

All this will supposedly be achieved with a minimum impact on students, aside from the usual tuition increase.

Our worry is that, given the economic uncertainty of the next 12 months, this will be a tough promise to keep.

We’ve already seen how even the surest of plans can still fall through leaving students to pick up the tab. Take the new dining hall, which was absolutely going to be fi nished before this semester started.

What did the administration do when the building wasn’t fi nished? They just stuck with their original plan and forced on-campus residents to pick up the tab for a building they can’t even use.

It’s this lack of contingency planning that has us wor-ried, and there are a lot of contingencies in a budget like this.

Yet the plan for this fi scal year is about the same as last year. Open faculty positions will remain unfi lled and some university assets (like the Brookley Complex) will be sold to decrease overhead, while the tuition hike will increase revenue.

All this sounds dandy, unless something goes wrong. And if history is any guide at all to the future, something will.

One likely scenario is a decrease in expected state fund-ing. We should almost expect this given Alabama’s abys-mal education system, and the fact that state funding was

cut by $2 million last year.Or perhaps construction costs on one of the many on-

going projects will increase. Or maybe student enrollment won’t remain where it is. Any of these factors could have a dramatic effect on the budget.

If any of these scenarios actually happens, it seems there is going to be an unavoidable impact on students. The University will have to cut spending somewhere, and whether that’s in faculty and staff, services offered, or de-partmental funding, students are going to feel the impact.

Odds are, the University will use its reserves to absorb any increased defi cit, but this is just holding off the effects and saving them for future students.

According to Wayne Davis, vice president of Financial Affairs, the University is well aware of these scenarios and has a very conservative outlook for the new fi scal year. They also have contingency plans in place just in case any of these scenarios actually happens.

Davis also pointed out the effect that the oil spill could have on USA’s state appropriations, since that money comes from sales and income taxes.

Eventually, though, this defi cit will have to be overcome. If this trend continues, USA will exhaust its reserves and we’ll all be in that proverbial creek without a paddle.

We need proactive solutions, and not the “keep chug-ging no matter what” kind of reactive solution for the dining hall disaster. The students and faculty here deserve better.

Maybe we’re just being pessimistic. But with such global economic uncertainty, we’re trying to be realistic.

OUR VIEWA Tough Promise To Keep

Quinten RussellSeniorHistory

Damen WoodFreshman

Undecided

Travis DavisSeniorHistory

Chi TranSophomore

Biology

I guess it’s alright. It just seems like everyone is super sensitive. And you’ve got to trash talk the other team. I don’t fi nd it offensive, but I see how others might.

They should be able to do [the chant]. We don’t go to a Christian college, so what’s the problem? The fans like it and it throws off the other team.

I’m in the band, and this chant seems like a tradition. Why take it when it’s obvious the crowd likes it? I don’t think it’s offensive - at best it seems like a joke.

Yeah it’s offensive, but that’s what it should be. You’ve got to throw the other team off their game, so it’s supposed to be offensive. You’ve got to do whatever you can to give your team the upper hand.

Recently, USA offi cials decided the cheerleaders, dance team and pep band can no longer lead the “South in Your Mouth!” chant. Th ey worry it’s off ensive. Here are your reactions.

Want a soapbox? Well, here you go!

Just e-mail your campus thoughts, complaints, or ideas to

[email protected] and we’ll print them right here!

Th e Real Parking Problem

Daniela Werner / Editor-in-Chief

The Delta parking lot may not be full now, but this may be a diff erent story next year.


POINTCOUNTERPOINTCitywide Smoking Bans: Taking care of us, or taking it too far?

Editor’s Introduction: Citywide smoking bans are nothing new. There is evidence of smoking bans enacted in certain European cities and buildings nearly 400 years ago. Once the dangers of smoking and second hand smoke were fully realized, citywide bans weren’t far behind. 1990 saw the first citywide smoking ban in all public places in San Luis Obispo, Cal. Currently there are 26 states

with a smoking ban covering the entire state. Many find statewide bans too broad or simply ineffective, instead focusing on letting cities decide for themselves whether to allow smoking in bars and restaurants. We know the health benefits, but should the consumers or the city decide what kind of environment these establishments are?

Blanket Legislation Have Some ConsiderationThere have been some clear

benefits to citywide smoking bans: an enormous drop in the percent-age of cardiac arrests and some areas have seen an increase in clientele base.

But there have also been some sobering drawbacks. For example, bar owners throughout banned areas have seen a 40 percent decrease in business, resulting in a number of businesses closing.

Many areas have also suffered an increase in drunk driving deaths, due to smoker friendly bars being farther from home.

These pros and cons are significant because they represent an impact on our daily and long term health - one of the main reasons given for these bans.

The argument goes something like this: breathing is a necessary part of life, smoking is not. Smoking (both directly and indirectly) harms those that breath it.

Thus, smoking should not be allowed in places where non-willing participants should be forced to breath something detri-mental to their health.

Protecting people’s airways and lungs is a positive and must be respected, especially in the case of children or those unable to proactively protect themselves. However, to apply a citywide ban on smoking in public places is inappropriate.

Yes, if we want to force everyone to capitulate to a particular way of life then by all means, let’s apply universal bandages to problems we have within our culture.

Once taking measures to protect those that cannot help themselves, as well as pro-tective measures for workers in hazardous

environments, forcing businesses to capitulate to a smoking ban is pushing it too far. Particularly in the restaurant and hospitality industry.

The very nature of these indus-tries is to cater to a specific clien-tele. Due to the enormous variety of tastes and styles, these business must have the flexibility needed to appeal to consumers.

In the case of smoking in pub-lic places, if those places are clearly

designated and choose to provide an environment for clientele who like to smoke then that is ap-propriate.

In the same vein, if a business realizes that many of its clientele enjoy a smoke free environment and chooses to cater to that demographic, that option is still available.

In short, instead of a large government body applying a stifling blanket to a problem, the people and business owners of local areas ought to work out answers to these issues on their own.

For the consumer, speak with your money: buy a service or do not. Enjoy a smoke filled environment or not, the busi-ness owners are listening.

The health benefits to bans seem to be proving real enough, and that is fantastic, but at what cost? It is the selling of our collective soul.

Everyone knows that smok-ing is dangerous and potentially lethal. But people are still smok-ing.

I remember the character in the X-Files who smoked through the hole in his throat where he had cancer. It’s an addicting habit, and it’s widely recognized how bad smoking is.

At South, I can’t walk through the humanities breezeway at

any given time during the day and not see a handful of people smoking.

I’ve been known to walk up to the life sci-ences building to the little cluster of smokers and smack the 25 feet sign and glare. I don’t feel like I should have to walk through the smoke of people that are mak-ing a choice for them-selves that I do not make for myself.

Before anyone jumps at me and tells me I don’t know what it’s like, think again. I smoked when I

was younger and much of my family and friends smoke or smoked.

I no longer care about cigarettes and they repulse me, but I like hookah. So I do know.

Alabama has no statewide smoking ban. The Alabama Clean Indoor Act of 2003 at least tried to curtail some of the entitlement that smokers seem to have.

It states that a smoking section must be designated and sepa-rate, as well as ventilated suffi-ciently. Two bills since then, one in 2008 and the other in 2009, have failed to enact a statewide ban.

Cities can make their own judgments, and some of our neighbors are on the right track. Gulf Shores, Daphne, and Orange Beach have all banned smoking indoors in bars and restaurants and all enclosed

work spaces.I do think bars and casinos may be

taking it a little too far. I expect people to smoke in a bar. I, however, do not feel comfortable with someone who is as self-ish to light up at a restaurant two tables away from a baby in a high chair. I don’t feel comfortable with someone so entitled that they feel they can light up in a bowl-ing alley where families are so common.

On campus, it bothers me that people just light up and walk down a sidewalk, leaving a trail of toxic smoke behind them for the crowds of people to walk through. It’s negligent. Go stand some-where 25 feet away from a building and smoke.

More importantly, I feel that at least indoors it should always be a given that people shouldn’t be smoking. Addicted or not, you can go outside to smoke.

Calabasas, Cal., banned smoking in all indoor facilities as well as all public outdoor facilities. It’s known as the strict-est ban in the country.

While states, cities and universities

Clearing the AirBy Alex Whalen

[email protected]

When Pandora opened a jar (often mistranslated as a “box” – even in God of War!) containing all the world’s evils, only one thing remained in the jar:

hope. I always wondered why hope stayed in

the jar. After all, if it wasn’t released into the world like the evils, how it could have an effect on mankind?

I’m coming to believe that hope did make it out of the jar, approximately 12 years ago – around the time a small search

engine company called Google was incor-porated.

You might be asking yourself, “Is this clown seriously suggesting that Google represents the hope for mankind’s future?” Well, no. But I want to make my allegiance to Google perfectly clear before they take over the world. Allow me to explain.

Let’s take the Bronze Age as an example. It seems pretty clear that whoever con-trolled the bronze controlled the power. Everyone wanted bronze to make weapons and crafts, so if you had it, you’d be a pretty powerful person.

Now that we’re in the so-called Informa-tion Age, the analogy becomes apparent. Google thrives on indexing and categoriz-ing information, and the demand for this information keeps increasing.

Google makes no qualms about what it’s after. Their mission statement, “to organize the world’s information and make it univer-sally accessible and useful” is clear enough.

What’s funny to me is their effort to try to merge profits with ethics, with unofficial

slogans like “Don’t be evil.” This little gem is information in itself, which gets dissemi-nated to the public through media outlets. But the ultimate source of information like this is, of course, Google themselves.

So Google wants to be portrayed as a company that collects information for the public good and as a mean in and of itself. But make no mistake – those in power at Google have a pretty good idea of what information is truly worth, even if the rest of us don’t.

All this was fine because it was taking place in cyberspace. Sure, Google may know our shopping habits and which porn sites we most frequent, but that can’t physi-cally hurt us.

As their power and influence grows, though, Google is starting to flex its muscles in the physical world. Just this year, they in-vested $38.8 million in some wind farms in North Dakota. The infiltration has begun.

But don’t be afraid. Life will be so much better in Googletopia.

I can imagine chips that we can buy and

install in our bodies with software similar to what powers Android phones. We could make calls, update our Facebook status, and Google whatever we needed to know. And we could do all this just by thinking about it!

Imagine not having to remember any-thing at all. All those useless “facts” you keep in your head are just a quick search away.

Plus, Google is already kind enough to let us know which sources of information are most useful by placing them at the top of the search results.

Of course, knowledge itself will be devalued and replaced with one’s skill in ef-fectively using search terms. But that’s okay since it will be Google that decides what’s true or not, and what sources of informa-tion are most important

Although, if they keep their current search engine model in Googletopia, then Wikipedia will be the most useful and factual source of information. That doesn’t seem right …

Googletopia

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“There has to be a unity between Southern rock and other influences within ourselves, as well as other bands and artists. There has to be a marriage there so we are not pigeonholed as just a Southern rock band,” Null said.

On June 29 they released their sophomore album “Miss America” which charted at No. 24 on the Billboard charts, beating their de-but album that charted at No. 49.

“We are a little bit more hardcore southern edge,” Weeks said about the new album. He was differentiating it from their debut album, but they want to stay true to their original sound.

Songwriting is essential for a band to show its creativity. Without a songwriting process a band can be at a disadvantage, and in many ways this could hinder their road to success. For the debut album it was mostly Jared Weeks and Jason Null who did the songwriting, but for this album the whole band was involved in the songwriting process.

“We would sit in a room and if we liked it we would keep writing,” Weeks said.

As we closed out the interview we asked for some words of wisdom for any upcoming art-ists that they would like to share. Weeks said something that can be applied to every col-lege student’s drive for success: “Never give up. The only thing that can stop you is you.”

go these last three years without doing some of the things that other campuses have had to do, such as furloughs, or even in some cases, sub-stantial layoffs [and] discontinuing programs. We’ve done small amounts of that in targeted areas, but the truth is we probably haven’t done as much of that that we should have been doing even in good times.

Let’s take Brookley [Center] as a good ex-ample. There’s something we’ve known for quite some time that we needed to take some action to cut the losses at Brookley. Certainly when something like this happens, it prompts you to do that.

The best comfort that I could give anyone is that we’re about as well postured as we could hope to be. We certainly are as well postured as any average state institution around the country or in this state for that matter.

Some probably have larger reserves, but they are bigger institutions than we are.

Can you live off your reserves forever? Of course not. We have to all be optimistic.

If it were to go for five, 10 years, which I don’t think it will, but if that should happen,

then you’ll obviously have to look at a whole different way of life – a different way of doing things.

I’m not sure I know totally what that would be.

V: We were surprised to learn that there are more than $160 million in the University’s re-serve budget.

M: That’s a correct number, but there is so much of that money that’s quasi-committed. Let’s supposed in that number today, we don’t have any bond money, state fund money or ad-ditional money to do the Student Rec Center renovation, but we’ve been putting money aside in reserves that we could use for on-campus maintenance, recurring maintenance issues and renovation.

That money is in that $168 million, so if we should decide we have to spend the old $168 million strictly to take care of operating costs, projects like [the Student Rec Center] would have to fall by the wayside.

[It is not that way for all projects], but there are some commitments against that $168 that we would hope to be able to use those funds to do those kinds of things.

Look for the continuation of Moulton’s interview in next week’s issue of The Vanguard.


“Jag Life” A Comic by Ben Lewis

Moultonfrom page 5

may not need to go that far, it would certainly be feasible to nationally ban smoking in restaurants and public facili-ties where people under the age of 18 frequent. It’s a bad example, unhealthy, and unnecessary to smoke indoors.

Smokers in general need to respect non-smokers more. From the stench of a smoker’s breath to the trail of smoke you leave in your wake, you’re forcing your choice down our throats and into our lungs. You have the freedom to smoke and pollute your own body.

You do not have the freedom to do it within 25 feet of any building on cam-pus, and you shouldn’t have the liberty to smoke indoors with the exception of plac-es specifically for the 18 and up crowd.

Considerationfrom page 13

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from page 9

Undecided USA sophmore Ashley Ma-honey replied

“I could have had more fun watching Na-poleon Dynamite…..twice.”

Undecided USA sophmore Brandon Small suggested

“Eating pudding in the dorm or 3 hours BET for the same content.”

Art Major USA sophmore Ashley Collock said:

“I could have seen Avatar again.”Interdisciplinary major Amanda Lee of-

fered:“Teaching my cat to walk on a leash and

cutting my grass with scissors.”ROTC PreMed and Chemistry double

major Matt Davenport wryly replied,“Watching paint dry or eating lead.”

Rapfrom page 9

October 4, 2010

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