VOLUME 106 ISSUE 113 WWW.ALLIGATOR.ORG FRIDAY, MARCH 2, 2012

Today

We Inform. You Decide.Not officially associated with the University of Florida Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida

Students protest Haridopolos’ employment at UFThey taped negative evaluations to the doors of Tigert Hall, pg 3. RTS to reduce bus service during breakTen routes will follow their regular schedules, pg 6.

Florida wins in extra innings The Gators needed an extra opportunity at the plate to squeeze past Eastern Michigan on Thursday, pg. 8.

84/62

Florida is pre-paring for a second

matchup with Anthony Davis and

top-ranked Kentucky at noon Sunday.

See story, page 13.

FORECAST 2OPINIONS 6CLASSIFIEDS 9

CROSSWORD 12SPORTS 13

Joey Flechas / Alligator Staff

Billy Joel speaks to a packed house at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday night. He per-formed several songs and answered questions from the crowd about his career and the music business.

JON SILMANAlligator Staff Writer

The loudspeakers played Wings and The Clash moments before Billy Joel walked on to the stage. Then the lights fl ickered, and the at-capacity crowd at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts roared.

“I hope no one is assuming this is going to be a concert,” he said.

Joel stood onstage between two pianos and in front of a gong Thurs-day night for Accent’s “Billy Joel — An Evening of Questions & An-swers … And a Little Music.”

He looked like a college professor in a dark sweater, jeans and a base-ball cap, and he used a green laser pointer to pick audience members.

A woman asked if he was going to tour again.

“If I get the vibe, I’ll do it,” he said, his voice loud and deep as he waved his hands around while he talked. “I like to be at home with my doggy and my girlfriend du jour.”

Someone else asked about sing-ing and playing at the same time. He paused, cocked his head, and said “well,” and walked to the piano.

The crowd roared again.He played “Summer, Highland

Falls” with his left hand. Then his right. Then he played them both at the same time, his voice fl oating eas-ily, fi lling the space.

Throughout the almost three-hour show he played pieces of other famous tunes: “New York State of Mind,” “She’s Always a Woman” and “Vienna.”

A 24-year-old student named Ori Eizenberg raised his hand. The business and animal science major wanted to jam. Joel said yes. He ran to the stage and they played a 12-bar blues progression together.

“Never in my life did I think this would happen,” Eizenberg said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportu-nity. Sometimes you just got to go for it.”

Contact Jon Silman at jsilman@alligator.org.

Billy Joel speaks to at-capacity crowd at Phillips Center

� STUDENT WAS TALKING TO THE PREACHER’S CHILDREN.

ERIN JESTERAlligator Staff Writer

A preacher shoved a 19-year-old UF student on Turlington Plaza on Thurs-day.

Matt Bourgault, who goes by Broth-er Matt, pushed philosophy sophomore Christian Chessman after telling him to stay away from his two sons, whom Bourgault brought to campus.

Chessman gave this account:One of Bourgault’s young sons

handed Chessman a fl ier as he was walking by.

Chessman started talking to the boy, asked whether he was hungry and bought him food from Chick-fi l-A. When another preacher called to the

children to stop talking to Chessman, he walked a few steps to some bike racks and the boys followed.

Chessman then walked away to introduce himself to Elizabeth Arm-strong, who came to support Bourgault and the other preachers.

After telling her he is a Christian, Chessman asked if he could talk to the children. Chessman said Armstrong said yes. Armstrong denied giving him permission.

When Chessman went back to talk to the children, Bourgault called to his sons to stop playing.

He called Chessman “effeminate” and “evil.” Bourgault stepped within a foot of Chessman, who told the preach-er he was uncomfortable with how close he was getting. Chessman said Bourgault said, “Good. I want you to be uncomfortable.”

Preacher shoves Christian student on Turlington Plaza

CRIME

TYLER JETTAlligator Staff Writer

Shortly before 9 p.m. Wednesday, two men stepped into a Stoneridge Apartments living room, their faces masked by bandannas, hold-ing guns. The residents inside thought it was a prank.

Sixteen UF students were playing Bible Jeopardy. They were discussing the relation-ship between Jacob and Isaac when the strang-ers walked in. The room went quiet.

“We were waiting for the punchline from the prank,” said a student who lives in the apartment. “The punchline was almost a punch itself.”

The two men demanded — not loudly, but fi rmly — the students’ belongings. They took four laptops, three cellphones, wallets and purses. Their actions led to four arrests and a standoff that lasted about seven hours.

Marcus S. Brantley, 21, and Larance C. Scott, 21, were charged with home invasion robbery and false imprisonment. Martin L. Cadet, 23, who allegedly drove the getaway car, received the same charges.

Cherrion L. Williams, 18, was also in the car, and was arrested on an outstanding war-rant from Orange County. Williams and Cadet have a 1-year-old daughter together, according

to Gainesville Police. The Florida Department of Child Services took the baby.

The man who lives in the apartment, a fi rst-year medical school student who wished to remain anonymous for fear of retribution, said the robbery didn’t last long — two minutes at the most.

Brantley and Scott rummaged through their hostages’ pockets and sorted out the goods. They inspected cellphones and kept the expensive ones.

Minutes later, one student grabbed his phone and dialed 911.

Shortly after 9 p.m., a white Mustang sped into the parking lot of the Gateway at Glades apartment complex. Brantley hopped out, still wearing his bandanna, and ran upstairs carry-ing a laptop and some bags, according to po-lice. The others followed.

Offi cers in the area fi gured out the suspects ran into a third-fl oor apartment.

GPD knocked on the door. Lights were turned off, and blinds shifted. Nobody an-swered.

UF students robbed at gunpoint

SEE ROBBERY, PAGE 4

SEE PREACH, PAGE 4

“We were waiting for the punchline from the prank.”

Stoneridge resident

“I hope no one is assuming this is going to be

a concert.”Billy Joelmusician