College of Business groundbreaking ceremony at UWF 9:51 PM

"Mi Barrio" generates interaction, immersion 2:12 PM

The University of West Florida Conference Center was bustling with music and chatter on Mar. 7. The festivities were nothing more than a big slice of Spanish fun and games.

Students filled the room and began sitting at tables with specific games. “Uno,” “Bingo” and “Hangman” were but a few.

A large table on the other side of the room was decorated in nothing but food. Students continued to visit the table to take a chunk of “arroz con leche,” a dish consisting of rice, milk and cinnamon.

The event, known as “Mi Barrio,” has been going on since 2006 and has been successful every year.

“Mi Barrio is an event open to students, faculty and staff or whoever would like to have an experience in the Spanish language and culture,” says Laura Arguea, Spanish advisor and coordinator for Mi Barrio.

Arguea says the event is usually run by students or by other parties. The event is usually held in the conference center and the whole purpose is immersion experience.

“Varieties of activities are designed by students,” she says.

The highlight of the event was a game called “Tiago Dice,” a game known to many as “Simon Says.” Participants listened intently to every word Tiago said as he told players to sit up, jump, touch their nose and spin in circles—all in Spanish.

Melissa Rodriguez, senior majoring in Public Relations, participated in the festivities. Rodriguez also helped to set up the Feb. 7 Mi Barrio event.

“Mi Barrio is a great opportunity for people who are learning the Spanish language and for those who want to practice it to come together and try some new foods and some fun games and meet new people,” Rodriguez says.

Rodriguez says she enjoyed the music and the fresh “empanadas.”

Mi Barrio is an event sponsored by the Department of English and Foreign Languages. For more information, contact Laura Arguea at laurguea@uwf.edu.

Guns on Campus 10:27 AM

The University of West Florida has been the pinnacle of what you could call a culture war. Anti-abortion stands and wildlife sanctuaries are but two hot topics that have heated up much discussion and debate among students for the past few weeks.

Now the university faces an even greater dilemma, one that has been gaining massive amounts of
attention recently.

Guns. No, let me refrain that. Guns on a University campus.

Senator Greg Evers bill known as SB234 will allow licensed gun holders to bring their weapons of mass destruction to university campuses.

Our university is divided when it comes to finding a stance on the issue. Some say students should be able to carry a weapon if a license is obtained, while others are saying that guns should not be allowed on campus.

Don't get me wrong, if you feel as if a gun will make you feel safe, good for you.

In a recent Voyager poll, many expressed that one should be allowed to carry a gun if a license is obtained. I feel as if this could be linked to the fact that UWF is a commuter campus and people aren't always here 24/7. Those who are always here seem to lean towards the fact that guns are a bad idea.

Personally, I believe our university does not need this poor excuse of a bill. Sure, we get the occasional creep on University Parkway and a man hiding out in the woods. Does this mean we should have guns just so we feel secure? I feel as if the UWF Police Department is perfectly capable of handling any situations that students may have.

We haven’t even had a campus shooting as far as I’m concerned. I would probably understand if we
were in a poor area with high violence, but we aren’t. We’re in a civilized community.

We are not a large university and (for the most part) we all get along. The whole bill is ironic to me. Bring a gun to feel safe, but live in fear of being shot by someone else.

It seems to me that guns would intensify situations. I’m here to learn and I want to feel safe on this campus. I don’t want to worry about whether or not the guy (or girl) next to me in class has a pistol in her pocket.