Battle of bands play at UWF 8:18 PM

With a line-up of five unique groups, UWF held its Battle of the Bands competition on Thursday, April 7 at the University Commons Auditorium.

The event, sponsored by the university’s Campus Activity Board, allowed bands to compete for a cash prize of $400.  Approximately 80 people turned out to hear the bands jam out.

The winner of the cash prize was the band Elyse Therose, a three-member band playing various ambient songs.

The first band to play that night was alternative rock band, The Mainstream, playing samples of popular songs such as AC/DC’s hit, “TNT.”

Next on the line-up was a scream band known to many on campus as Scream Out Loud. The band made a dramatic transition in music, with the crowd livening up and moshing near the stage.

After Scream Out Loud’s musical performance was Elyse Therose, the band that blew the competition away.  The audience was attentive of Elyse Therose’s performance, even clapping along to one of their songs.

On their Facebook page, the group describes themselves as “a female-fronted power trio with a huge sound and a fresh, new take on Indie-Rock music.”

Making the transition in musical styles yet again was the band, Long Division. The band used a keyboard to play quirky songs, such as one that was about “love and zombies,” according to lead singer Tammy Mills.

After Long Divison’s musical performance was The Real People, a band specializing in soft, ambient rock. The band was last to play, following after the popular Elyse Therose.

Each band was given a time limit of approximately 30 minutes to perform that night.  The event lasted late into the night, ending after 11 p.m.

Katilin Winters, junior majoring in Telecommunications, says she loves coming out to Battle of the Bands to see them play.

“I went last year to the event,” Winters said. “It was a really good turnout and a lot of fun.”

To listen to some samples from the bands who participated, visit their personal pages and websites on Facebook and Myspace.

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.

UWF Presents TAGGED 2011 Art Exhibit 12:23 PM

The University of West Florida is currently displaying student art in the annual TAGGED exhibition at the Center for Fine and Performing Arts.

“It usually happens in the spring,” Art Gallery director Amy Bowman says. “All students at UWF are eligible.”

The exhibit, sponsored by the Lewis Bear Company, allows students to submit works of art despite not being affiliated with the art department.  

“They submit their works either in physical form or digital submission,” Bowman says.

Bowman also says the UWF art department faculty judges the works to determine what will be displayed.   She also says this year’s exhibition has been very competitive.

According to a Feb. 16 “Voyager” article, more than 60 students submitted over 100 works.  34 of the submitted works were selected from 27 students.

An open reception was held on Feb. 17.  Bowman says there was a huge turnout that night, with approximately 184 people.

Jordan Gilliland, senior majoring in philosophy, has two works of art on display at the TAGGED exhibit.

His work, “Honest Hunger,” is a sculpture made out of wood and electrical wires. His second piece, “Imfamy,” is a large canvas piece.”

“It is a drawing that I did with just paper and ink,” he says. “This one I was just exploring the process of playing with the ink and water and how it works on the paper.”

Bowman says this exhibit is a way to bring the community together through art.

“It’s really about celebrating the work that the students are producing at UWF,” Bowman said. “It’s also an opportunity for the entire university as well as students that are working in the community to come together.”

Donna White, art enthusiast, says she thought the exhibit was excellent and the students really captured what the exhibit was about.

The exhibit will be on display until Mar. 4. For more information on the event, visit uwf.edu/art or tag82uwf.wordpress.com.

Gallery hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday. The gallery is also open on Saturday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Abortion and the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform 8:15 AM

Valentine’s Day: A day of love, affection and a lot of candy and Hallmark cards. When I woke up to go to class on the morning of Feb. 14, I thought it would be just another normal day on campus. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

The first thing that seemed out of place was the giant abortion truck that passed me as I was walking up University Parkway. On the side of the truck was a graphic image of an aborted fetus. Under the image was the organization’s name, the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform.

I wondered why on earth this truck would be heading to campus but it wasn’t until I reached the Canon Greens that I found out what was going on. The Center for Bio-Ethical Reform was setting up camp here, and there campsite was a fortress of tall posters displaying aborted fetuses.

To be honest I was a bit shocked to see such a disturbing eyesore take over our campus. I thought it was some kind of cruel joke at first but I went home later that day and found out they were a legit organization. The abortion stand was part of CBR's "Genocide Awareness Project."

From their website:

“CBR operates on the principle that abortion represents an evil so inexpressible that words fail us when attempting to describe its horror. Until abortion is seen, it will never be understood.”

A picture may be worth 1,000 words, yes, but what gets me is some organization from out of town invades our space and starts preaching to students about what a woman MUST do with her body. It’s kind of like having religious doorknockers inviting themselves into your house and telling you what to do.

You can’t just force sensitive issues onto people like that. That and we never even got a warning about CBR’s arrival as far as I’m concerned…

So with that being said I had a few questions for the University. Why did the CBR get a reserved spot on the Canon Greens, whereas every other organization is bound to the secluded free speech zone? What makes these guys special? Did they pay us?

Whatever your stance on abortion, the CBR got what they wanted and got everyone on campus turning heads at their stand. If you’re still looking for more information, visit abortionno.org.  (Visit at your own risk, as there is an abortion video that starts up as soon as you visit the site.)

A Day With The Elderly 8:30 AM

Usually on the weekends I do absolutely nothing. I’ve been doing a lot this semester so I try to take advantage of any free time that I may have.

It seems I can never be satisfied though. I complain about being busy, yet when I’m free, I wish I was being productive.

A week ago I made good use of my weekend and went with a friend to help her out with her “job.” By the end of the day, I’m glad I went to help her out.

My friend takes care of an elderly couple. She shops for their groceries, feeds their birds in the backyard and does other mundane chores. I wasn’t too keen on helping out with this kind of stuff, especially since I can’t even complete my own household chores.

Before we left to go to Nina and Kearney’s house (the elderly couple), my friend told me to bring my laptop with me. Kearny had a CD with old pictures he wanted to show us so I brought it along. No biggie.

Their house is an average looking home with a garage and large windows. The roof is flat and the entire structure is made of white brick. My friend and I walked up the wheelchair ramp to the door and greeted the couple. I was a little nervous because I wasn’t sure what to say.

Nina is French and speaks in a really thick accent. I was pleased to find out that she spoke Spanish and lived in Spain for a while. She was familiar with some of the cities I’ve been to when I lived in Spain: Rota, Cadiz, Jerez, Sevilla…

Kearney is American and he walks around the house with a cane. He argues with Nina a lot and it’s hilarious to see them go at each other’s throats. Despite the arguing, you can clearly tell that they love each other, especially when Kearney hums in French to Nina.

We viewed pictures with Nina and Kearney and I was amazed at the quality of the photos. Some of them went back to the 1920s. There were men in suits looking like they were ready to go swing dancing, women in fancy hats at social gatherings and photos of vintage cars.

Nina and Kearney knew a woman named Mimi who used to be the oldest dependent of Pensacola. Nina said that Mimi always loved wearing large, fancy hats. We saw a few pictures of Mimi on the CD, she looked like a really classy lady.

After doing some chores for the two and feeding the birds in the backyard, Nina told me about how people used to adore America before Vietnam. She said it was a different time and a different place. She was obsessed with the American Dream and now it just kind of withered away.

“America isn’t what it used to be,” she said.

Before I knew it, the sun was going down and it was time to go. I gave Kearney a handshake and gave Nina a hug before leaving. I told myself I would be back. I would love to get to know these people and hear their story.