JACKSONVILLE UNIVERSITY’S CAMPUS NEWSPAPER VOLUME 66 • ISSUE 3 • September 16 - 22, 2009

Lacrosse Paths with FatePage 8

New Law Program in the Works?

Page 3

Nellie’s Spices Things Up

Page 9

Dolphins Clash With Monarchs

Page 15

2 THE NAVIGATOR • SEPTEMbER 16 - 22, 2009 EDITORIALTHE NAVIGATORJacksonville University’s Campus Newspaper2800 University Blvd. NJacksonville, FL 32211Main office: (904) 256-7526Business office: (904) 256-7524E-mail: navigator@jacksonville.eduFax: (904) 256-7684

EDITORIAL bOARDRENAE INGRAM JR.Co-Editor-in-ChiefPhotography Editor

DAVID BERRYCo-Editor-in-ChiefSports Editor

JEANs fIlsBusiness Manager

sARAh WIllAtsCopy Editor

JARED BRooksNews Editor

kAMERoN JACksoNFeatures Editor

ED kEllEhERLayout Editor

CoREY WoolfoRkDistribution Manager

PEtER MoBERG, Ph. D.Faculty Advisor

STAFFstaff WritersMArEN TiThLArry MAxwELLTiFFANy BroMFiELDriCA CAughMANMErDEiTh BrowNryAN DiBENEDETTo

staff PhotographersrENAE iNgrAM jr.

Cover photograph*rENAE iNgrAM jr.

EDITORIAL POLICYThe views represented in The Navigator’s columns and editorials do not necessarily represent those of the faculty, staff, or administration of Jacksonville University. We welcome letters to the editor representing similar and contrasting opinions. To be eligible for publication, all submissions must include name, class distinction, major, phone number, and e-mail address, and should be e-mailed to navigator@jacksonville.edu. Please limit them to 300 words or less. The Navigator reserves the right to refuse publication or edit any material on the basis of clarity, space, or journalistic ethics.

NavigaTor@JaCksoNviLLE.EdU

(904) 256-7526

70%The Navigator polled students on a recent statistic which states: 70% of profession black women are single. We asked why?

MereDiTh BroWNsTaFF WriTEr

“Art is boring.” “Art sucks.” i hear it all the time. People seem to really hate the arts, and it’s a terrible shame.

i’m a performing artist, an actress to be exact, and i often feel like i’m running in cir-cles trying to figure out how i’m ever going to make a living as an artist in a world where the arts are seemingly becoming irrelevant.

i guess even the non-artist has to wonder what they’re going to do with themselves in this recessed, verging on depressed, world we’ve created.

i can’t try to save jobs in every field — i’m just not that good — but i can, in my own small way, vie for the subject area that has given the most to me, and seems to go total-ly unappreciated: the arts.

Being an artist means everything to me. To express myself, connect with other

people, and share messages with the commu-nity in which i live.

Art, music, books, newspapers, theaters,

movies, television shows that actually have writers (not reality) help us escape when the world feels too heavy, and artists help us to shape and reflect the society in which we live.

imagine the world without art. The build-ing you’re in wouldn’t exist, the chair you’re sitting in would be gone, and you’d be naked, because someone had to design and create all those things, using at least some artis-tic skill.

on a less basic level, your iPod would be empty, your bookshelves would be bare, there would be no movies to go see, no TV to watch, no concerts to go to.

Art is important — not just pop art and pop stars — but all art on all levels.

without opera singers there would be no Lady gaga, which some of us might argue wouldn’t be a bad thing, but you get what i’m saying.

Art is always evolving and changing, but in our ever-digitalized society, it seems to be disappearing and that could spell trouble for our future.

we need artists to make useful things, and we need the escape of the beautiful things that they create as well.

So, i ask you, to pay for a song instead of downloading it for free every once in a while, check out what’s playing at your local (live) theater, go to a museum or check out the museum provided for you right here on this very campus.

And try to appreciate it, because without it, you’d be freezing your butt off in the wild trying to figure out how to start a fire.

Upcoming FREE Arts Events at JU:September 18 @ 7:30pm in Terry Concert hall

A Water Bird Talk- it’s an opera, but it’s very funny, so don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.

September 26 @ 7:30pm in Terry Concert hall Ricci in Concert- our own artist in residence

will be expanding your jazzy knowledge with some little performed pieces.

For more information on this and other events, check out arts.ju.edu/events.

Art? relevant? Who needs it?

“bECAUSE THEY fEEL THEY’RE SUPERIOR AND INDEPENDENT AND DON’T NEED A MAN TO HELP THEM DO ANYTHING.” LEHMON COLbERT, SENIOR

“MAYbE THE MAN LIKES THE STAY-AT-HOME TYPE AND THE WOMEN IS TRADING ROLES.” CAMILYA CLARK, fRESHMAN

“bECAUSE LESS bLACK MEN ARE EDUCATED THAN bLACK WOMEN. THESE WOMEN DON’T WANT A MAN Of LESS EDUCATION. ALSO, bLACK MEN ARE MORE WILLING TO MARRY OUTSIDE THEIR RACE. ALSO WOMEN ARE TOLD THEY HAVE TO CHOOSE bETWEEN bEING HOUSEWIVES OR PROfESSIONALS AND THEY HAVE A HARD TIME RECONCILING THE

TWO.” YUSUf HUSSAIN, SENIOR

“THEY [bLACK WOMEN] NEED TO STOP bEING fEMALE DOGS.” RENEE fREEMAN, SENIOR

“bECAUSE THEY ARE AfRAID TO bE MISTREATED, AfRAID Of bEING LET DOWN. bLACK WOMEN HAVE A HARD TIME fINDING SOMEONE ON THEIR LEVEL. ALSO, THEY’RE SEEKING PEER ACCEPTANCE.” DARIUS SAbbIDES, fRESHMAN

“fROM THIS STATISTIC I CAN MAKE THE INfERENCE THAT MEN HAVE A HARD TIME DATING A PROfESSIONAL WOMEN bECAUSE Of THEIR OWN INSECURITIES. MEN HAVE TO fEEL AS If THEY’RE NEEDED, AND WITH A WOMAN WHO IT’S MAKING A GREAT LIVING fOR HERSELf WHAT’S THE NEED fOR A MAN. IT’S AS If THEY’RE THREATENED!” bRITTANY

CARTER, SOPHOMORE

“I THINK IT’S bECAUSE THE MEN fEEL INTIMIDATED bY A WOMAN WHO CAN TAKE CARE Of HERSELf. MEN ARE KNOWN (SINCE bIbLICAL AGES) AS bEING THE ‘PROVIDERS’ WHEN A WOMAN TAKES THAT POSITION (AND THIS IS JUST MY OPINION) MEN GET SCARED OR SIMPLY CAN’T HANDLE THE PRESSURE I.E. WOMAN’S ALWAYS WORKING, MAKING

THE CASH ETC.” OLIVIA AbASSA, SENIOR

“fIRST AND fOREMOST I WOULD LIKE TO AVOID ALL THE REDUNDANT AND IGNORANT RESPONSES THAT APPLY TO bOTH SExES AND SIMPLY PUT A LITTLE fOCUS ON bOTH SExES INDIVIDUALLY. I THINK THE REASON fOR THAT PERCENTAGE bEING SO HIGH IS bECAUSE AS fAR AS MEN ARE CONCERNED, MOST MEN HAVE PRObLEMS WITH ExPRESSION

AND UNDERSTANDING (A TRAIT MORE PERfECTED IN THE bEAUTIfUL fEMALE SPECIMEN). THOSE PRObLEMS ARE CATALYST TO JEALOUSY, IRRATIONALITY, INSECURITY. WITH WOMEN, MOST WOMEN IN POWER OR WHO ARE IN A POSITION Of POWER ARE fEMALE DOGS. bEfORE ANYONE TAKES OffENSE TO THIS, LET US REMIND OURSELVES THAT

WE ARE SPEAKING IN GENERALITIES AND NOT SPECIfIC INDIVIDUALS. LETS MOVE fORWARD, THEY EMANATE AN AURA Of SNObbISH bEHAVIOR THAT IS NOT CUTE. AN AURA THAT NO MAN, WHETHER SUCCESSfUL OR WITH NOTHING MORE THEN HIS DICK AND AN IDEA WOULD WANT TO PUT UP WITH. GAbRIEL UNION IS A GEORGEOUS WOMEN, bUT I

WOULD TOSS THAT GIRL TO THE LEfT REAL qUICK. THAT’S NOT LADY LIKE OR SExY...SIDE NOTE, SHE PLAYS THOSE ROLES VERY WELL.” ALEx JEANTY, JUNIOR

“THAT’S bECAUSE THEY ALL LIVE SECRET LESbIAN LIfESTYLES. SO IN THIS CASE THEIR ‘GIRLfRIEND’ IS NOT THEIR bEST fRIEND.” GIGI THOMAS, SENIOR

“STANDARDS ARE TOO HIGH.” WALTER HILL, fRESHMAN

“I THINK IT’S MORE Of WOMEN HAVING THEIR PRIORITIES IN ORDER bEfORE DIVING INTO THE RELATIONSHIP WORLD.” TIffANY SIMONE, fRESHMAN.

THE NAVIGATOR • September 16 - 22, 2009 3EDITORIAL

riCA CAUghMANsTaFF WriTEr

Q: I am currently in a long-dis-tance relationship.

My boyfriend only lives a cou-ple hours away so we see each other regularly.

But lately we have been fight-ing a lot over stupid stuff and neither one of us is happy.

We love each other and want to make it work.

What can we do to make our relationship work?

A: ok so long-distance relationships are hard, but they can definitely work.

it takes a special couple to really make this work.

i personally won’t even consider one because i’m not willing to jump through the hoops involved.

And if you’re like me and need to see your man frequently then a long-distance situation is definitely not an option.

in this day and age, being in col-

lege makes it even more difficult to be monogamous while your significant other is part of your everyday life.

This is a time when you have the opportunity to meet new people and find yourself and by all means we should all take advantage of this experience.

however, if you feel like you are strong enough for this kind of commit-ment and your relationship is worth the work it will take to make it successful, then sit down with your boyfriend and have a heart to heart.

Both of you will have to make some tough decisions about where you want this relationship to go and what you can do to lessen the arguments.

Try to come to an understanding of what each of you needs from the other to make it work.

hopefully your talk will end with a realization of the path your relationship is going to take.

Follow your heart and trust your instincts.

if you have any questions or com-ments email me at navigator.ju.edu (ATTN: rica)

Cornered by Love: 3

jAreD BrookSNEWs EdiTor

just face it, monogamous relationships among college students are rare these days like black greeks at jacksonville university.

with that said, there is an effective and efficient way to balance your several sideline males or females without overexerting yourself.

in wake of college football season, building your team of females after the oklahoma State Cowboys will provide you with the least amount of stress and the most success.

Being that i am a heterosexual man, i will be refer-ring to the members of my team from my personal perspective. however, this mindset can be applied when dealing with the opposite sex.

The first thought that typically comes to mind when thinking of oklahoma State football is probably unproven, overrated, and talented.

however, when building a team of females after oklahoma State university football you are guaranteeing that your team will have a star player, such as Dez Bryant.

Keeping a female on your team with this kind of big play potential and raw ability will help you devise a clear and concise game plan anchored around this one female. This is your dime! This is your trophy-chic!

This is the most attractive female you have on your team that will undoubtedly enhance your image, make others envious of your team, and boost your confidence because you know you have a go-to player that can carry the load at any given time and that you can count on to make the big plays.

Another vital part of creating an efficient team is sur-rounding your star player with a solid supporting cast. okla.

State is fortunate enough to have an overwhelming amount of talent, potential, and other capable players sur-rounding their star.

For example, this season Dez Bryant is surrounded by a very stable backfield with Kendall hunter at running back and an All-Conference caliber, dual threat quarterback in Zac robinson.

Keeping a maximum of two above average females on your team will not only allow more versatility to your game plan but will also ensure that if your star player is unable to produce, you have two other quality players to rely on.

when your number one female is unable to make it that special event, you want to be able to choose between two other viable options that can get the job done when called on. it is important to keep in mind that your two above aver-age players must always know their role on the team.

Allowing them to believe they can be the Dez Bryant of your team will result in total chaos and mayhem.

okla. State has a few players that will make the neces-sary plays to keep the chains moving but you will rarely acknowledge their existence.

Keeping a few females on your team with this mentali-ty will elevate your team to being a national contender. A female that knows her role and is willing to act according-ly is priceless.

oK State is also known for their inconsistent defense, which is exactly what you need!

if possible, you would rather avoid dealing with a female that is constantly trying to block potential prospects and pressuring you all the time. Spare yourself the trouble.

remember, each female on your team is going to expect a certain amount of attention.

There are several teams across the country that you want to avoid building your team after for a variety of reasons.

1. Miami Hurricanes: Very talented team but very young.

Although jacory harris is beginning to emerge as the team’s star, he’s only a true sophomore.

you don’t want to build your team around a female that hasn’t proven herself because that will result in you giving each and every member of your team attention until a star emerges.

Not a good look. Miami is also a very inconsistent team at times and that’s the last thing you need from your entire team!

2. Florida Gators: hands down the most talented team in the country at every position.

however, they are loaded with seniors, which means a majority of your experience will be leaving at the end of the season.

Not to mention that with so many talented players on the same team, it would be too difficult to spread the wealth amongst your team.

3. Ohio State Buckeyes: Always has an All-American or two on their roster, however this team is too dependent upon that particular star.

if that star player were to get injured, ohio State instant-ly slips into the ranks of mediocrity.

you don’t want your team so heavily dependent on the well being of one player.

ideally, you want to maintain a comfortable balance of quality females with that one standout woman as the star.

Follow this guideline and you will see a tremendous amount of success and efficiency in your ability to balance your relationships.

Building a Championship Team

� THE NAVIGATOR • SEPTEMbER 16 - 22, 2009

THE NAVIGATOR • September 16 - 22, 2009 �NEWS

riverfront beach on the St. johnsjAreD BrookSNEWs EdiTor

jacksonville university has big plans for its riverfront property along the St. john’s river in the upcoming future. A property that has seemed ignored over the past few years could possibly turn into the home of the campus’ main attractions.

According to joey Sanchez, jacksonville university Student Alliance (juSA) President, “The riverfront is an exciting issue on the agenda for ju this year. we are very interested in creating the ultimate stu-dent recreation area.”

Derek hall, Ph.D. Vice President for university relations and External Affairs, added, “President romesburg really wants to see this project happen. There would be a great benefit to campus life and atmosphere to open up access to the river.”

ideas for the riverfront have been gath-ered through student surveys and other juSA events.

“Last spring a survey was distributed out to the st udents to rate their favorite ideas for the river front. The survey results are with student life and are being reviewed. juSA wants to create a ‘build your river

front’ event, much like the Davis Student Commons construction process three years ago, where students physically mold a model of the river front. we will make sure that the students who want to be heard, will be,” said Sanchez. ideally, the university along with juSA hopes this property will be a direct reflection of student’s desires.

There are several ideas being considered for the riverfront property as of right now, however it is too far out to have any idea which idea will actually be constructed.

“ideas include: a jogging trail, amphithe-ater, frisbee golf course, dining facility, and many more. All plans are in the preliminary stages and will be discussed throughout the year,” stated Sanchez.

when asked when students should expect to see construction on the property, hall responded, “As with all projects at ju, the source of funds must be identified before going ahead. That is why we did the render-ings. we are talking to donors who may be interested in assisting with this project. ”

This is an especially exciting topic for the younger members of the jacksonville university community, who are more likely to benefit from the riverfront project.

Sophomores Kirby gaddis and Laurel

hinds think the ideas are great! “i hope i haven’t graduated by the time this project actually happens. Sounds like a really good idea!” said gaddis.

hines added, “From the way it sounds, every student is going to want to hang out

down there! hopefully we get to see this very soon!” with the university doing its part along with the input of ju students through juSA, the riverfront will soon be the center piece of the jacksonville university campus.

New law degree in 3/3jAreD BrookSNEWs EdiTor

For students who have ambitions of attending law school, ju has a new program that may be perfect for you and could save you some money. jacksonville university and Florida Coastal College of Law have agreed on a 3/3 program, which will allow students to earn both a Baccalaureate and a juris Doctor degree in six years.

According to a jacksonville university press release Coastal Law vice dean Terri Davlantes stated, “This program will pro-vide students with the opportunity to earn both degrees in a minimum of six years, as opposed to the traditional seven years of study here in jacksonville.”

She also added, “it’s a wonderful joint effort between our two schools, and we’re hopeful it will lead to more collaboration in the future.”

Derek hall, Ph.D., Vice President for university relations and External Affairs, stated, “we have been talking to FCSL for a while and are happy to formalize this agree-ment. if a student knows law school is for them, this will save one full year of school (tuition, living expense, etc.) and really helps a student focus their studies. This is one of those niche programs that provide a great benefit to the student. The key is find-ing students who plan ahead. FCSL has a great success rate and we are excited to

partner with them.” The program is in place for the Fall

2009 semester and both students and facul-ty are excited about the new addition to the ju curriculum. Steven D. Macisaac, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Political Science at jacksonville university, feels that students who plan to go to law school and then practice in the jacksonville area, where FCSL has tre-mendous contacts, can benefit the most.

Macisaac added, “The most obvious benefit is the finan-cial savings; they save the money they would have spent on a fourth year at ju. More sub-tle benefits may come as students who con-sider the program find they must take their studies seriously from the beginning. improved grades for those interested in the program may be an out-come. From the perspective of the school the program has generated interest such that more potential students may be interested in attending ju because of the 3/3 program.

in the process of investigating the 3/3 pro-gram they may actually find themselves interested in other 20 programs at the uni-versity as well.”

The new program requires no specific major but Macissac advises that partici-pants keep a few fac-tors in mind.

“Anyone interest-ed in this program will probably have to choose a major that requires a limited amount of coursework for completion and has few required cours-es within the major. Social Science and humanities majors will probably have the easiest time meeting the ju requirements since most of their programs require 39 hours and allow up to

18 hours of electives within the major. if the major requires more than 45 hours for completion and allows fewer than 12 hours of optional electives within the major, it will be difficult if not impossible to qualify for the 3/3 program.”

Although there is no selection process

for the 3/3 Program, the requirements to remain in the program are set high accord-ing to Macissac.

Students must, by the end of year three, meet two sets of requirements.

one set is specified by Florida Coastal School of Law: a 3.3 gPA or better and a 158 or higher on the LSAT. The second set is specified by ju:

1) Completion of all Core Courses; 2) Completion of all required courses in the major and enough electives within the major to be within 12 credits of completing the major; 3) Completion of the 42 credits of upper division coursework required for graduation; 4) Completion of 90 hours of coursework at JU. Upon successful completion of the first year program at FCsL 30 credits of electives will be transferred from FCsL to JU, which will complete the 120 hours of coursework required for graduation at JU. Up to 12 of these 30 credits can count toward electives within the student’s major.

hopefully this 3/3 Program is just the beginning of jacksonville university expanding in the academic curriculum. only time will tell how successful this par-ticular program will be.

“This program will pro-

vide students with the

opportunity to earn both

degrees in a minimum

of six years, as opposed

to the traditional seven

years of study here in

Jacksonville.”

TERRI DAvlAnTESFlorida Coastal College of Law vice dean

6 THE NAVIGATOR • SEPTEMbER 16 - 22, 2009 NEWS

riCA CAUghMANsTaFF WriTEr

jacksonville University Student Alliance (jUSA) is a group of students that work as a council to facilitate the relationships between students, faculty, administration, and the local commu-nity. The Navigator recently caught up with jUSA President, joey Sanchez to ask a few ques-tions about jUSA plans for this year:

Could you elaborate a little about what plans have been made?

we are now three weeks in to the school year and juSA is already making progress.

issues we have talked about include a school wide honor code, ju student transportation, a handicap acces-sible campus, and getting a red box DVD vendor on cam-pus.

These are just small steps in our larger goals for the university. we want to make ju a great school.

How would the student body and/or com-munity benefit from these plans?

with a better ju comes a better Arlington. i believe our community service should be directed

mainly to our local community. Arlington needs our help in every way possible. i would love to see Arlington become a true college

town where each business supports ju and ju students give their time to those in need.

What goals do you hope to accomplish? Is there anything hindering these goals?

we have a list of goals that we have identified since spring semester of last year.

we have short term and long-term goals that have one main theme: MAKE ju grEAT.

how would we make ju grEAT?

By diving deeper into what makes a university “A university.”

Sure we want better meal plans and food but how about tradition or culture.

Many see ju as just a school but a university is some-thing that you take with you for the rest of your life.

we want to create a campus community with a deep culture of prestige, academics, spirit and success.

it will take some time but with the help of all of the students, faculty and administration we could make this a very special place.

How active do you expect JUSA to be in addressing the concerns of students?

i believe juSA has done an excellent job of creating an outlet for all students to have their voice heard.

we are on Facebook, have meetings every Thursday night and mainly juSA ThurSDAyS — a lunchtime idea box where you can express your thoughts direct-ly to juSA.

What advice could you offer anyone inter-ested in joining?

This is a piece of advice to any student who is think-ing of graduating from jacksonville university.

“get involved; make your school the best it possibly can, because it will forever be a part of your resume. i am joey Sanchez from jacksonville university.”

So i believe everyone should get involved, it’s your school! Also, those who complain and do not choose to act just hurt themselves.”

Anything else you want the student body to be aware of?

get to know your school; this year is the 75th anniver-sary of our university.

our school has a rich history of exciting events and alumni who have come to our campus.

help ju become great by learning all about it. have a sense of pride about ju and it will come back

to you tenfold.

Q & A with jUSA Quickies•Delta sigma theta: Meet the Divas

wednesday, September 168:30 pm, gooding room 211

•high- Rolling with AkPsiwednesday, September 16

5:30 pm, Davis College of Business room 171 Don’t miss out on this casino-themed night of games like Spades, Blackjack, Taboo, and much more! Food

will be served so come and enjoy a night out with the Brothers.

•Effective Immediately!!Smokers are now to smoke only in designated

smoking areas. There are 3 locations on campus.

• GREEN kEY ACCEPtING APPlICAtIoNs green Key will be accepting applications through

Friday September 25, 2009. Applications will only be received electronically . Late, incomplete or incorrectly completed applications may not be

considered. Please direct applications and questions to the faculty advisor (Dr. Karen jackson, kjackso@

ju.edu, x7321, reid 213).

• Got JU spirit? on September 17, photographers will be on campus taking pictures of you showing your ju spirit. wear your ju apparel that day. you’ll help ju expand their

image library and have a blast doing it!

•2009 JUSA ElectionsjuSA Elections will be held September 22 &23

Applications for vacant positions will be accepted until September 18, 2009. Drop your application

off in the Davis Student Commons 3rd floor juSA offices. Call 256-7520 for more information.

THE NAVIGATOR • September 16 - 22, 2009 �

8 THE NAVIGATOR • SEPTEMbER 16 - 22, 2009 FEATuRES

killa kelleher: wow fools, what a weekend huh? i’m sure 1 out of every 3 of our readers (considering

that’s just about our entire fan base) most likely watched some NFL football on Sunday.

i know i did, but i just didn’t keep a 24 pack of beer by my side just because i could.

For those who have been working on those six packs, keep going!

it’s only six beers son, and you’ll be rewarded with one of those beer bellies some time soon.

on a personal note, i was very pleased with this past weekend’s opening games.

i saw one hell of a fluke play by the Broncos to win a game, the Bills (The T.o Show) blow an upset against iron Man Tom Brady, and yet another win by Brett Favre.

The man has now won with 3 different teams and nobody cares, including me. i hate everybody.

Not to sound cold, but actually sounding cold, i was so glad to see Donovan McNabb break his rib.

it seriously warmed my cold heart. Now that he’s dead, they should take the rest of his

ribs and sell them to folks up north. They could be the next menu item at Tony Luke’s

or Bull’s BBQ in the Phillies’ Stadium. we can only hope.

There are only a few things in the world i hate more than the Philadelphia Eagles, and i can only hope and pray to Satan that McNabb will be done for his crappy career.

other than the Eagles, i hate Asian drivers, illegal aliens, aliens that are here illegally, those aliens from “Distract 9,” big headed black guys hating on mini-country singers, and people with two name names like Bob ryan.

Bob, if you’re reading this, i hate you. i’m getting pretty sick of not having any readers here for real!

i’m…i’m…i’m flippin’ pissed! But you know what, us Killas don’t give a hell! Three

weeks in a row i’ve tried to entertain you fools, now it’s Kam’s turn again! Can you guess what Kam will say this time???

killa kam: This past Sunday marked this year’s MTV Awards, which supplied the goods as usual.

i thoroughly enjoyed myself watching events such as Cirque de Pink, Erection Bowl ’09 brought to you by

Beyonce, and of course Lady gaga’s halloween wardrobe that ranged from an android to a sore throat.

however, on behalf of all black people who are not in jail, i would like to take this time to apologize for the actions of Kanye west.

i know white people think that ALL black people steal but i would honestly like to say that some of us are not very good at it, like Mr. west. Kanye simply forgot the internet existed so instead of just blogging his opinion on some site, he literally SToLE the spotlight from the American Vanilla Princess known as Taylor “was that a negro” Swift in order to share his thoughts on “one of the best videos of all-time…….. one of the best videos of all-time”.

Black folks are supposed to steal petty stuff like soap and bags of potato chips and get life in prison.

white people tend to go for bigger things like continents or elections and get away with it………clean.

For everyone who hasn’t a clue what i’m saying, you might want to get your head out the back of the toilet where all the technical stuff is at and turn on a TV.

The whole show was like a comic book where the villain (Kanye) comes out at the very beginning to do the damage on the victim (Swift) before the villain is defeated in the end by an extremely classy and very attractive hero (Beyonce).

i can’t wait for the movie. in other news, football season is now underway as a few

bad teams showed why they are bad by losing their respec-tive games literally in the last couple of seconds.

you losers know who you are. Apparently ju has been having trouble paying their light

bill, giving the lucky students a taste of how life is in the hood.

Kinda makes you wonder if the gate and the upcoming moat with the alligators was a good investment. i also found out that hBo is hidden in my TV somewhere.

i’m actually on my way to help one of the Mexican immigrants over the gate so he can get it straight.

jU AThLeTiC DePT.Lacrosse has only been on campus

at jacksonville university for a few weeks but already its student-athletes are making an impact in the commu-nity as several members of the ju men’s lacrosse team saved two peo-ple from drowning in the tumultuous rip currents caused by hurricane Bill less than three weeks ago.

Freshmen Dan McNulty, Mike williams and joe o’rourke were among the players who went to jacksonville Beach on that day to enjoy the sun, sand and company of their teammates. Suddenly, one of the players thought he saw something wrong and alerted the other team-mates to a man crying for help.

“we heard a man yelling ‘help, help,’ and saw that he was being taken out to sea,” said williams, a Maryland native. “A couple of us ran in and grabbed him until a lifeguard came out to help us take him back to shore. The man was telling us that

he couldn’t move his arms or legs because the current was so strong and he was so tired from struggling.”

After the first incident, McNulty, williams and o’rourke went out to body surf when they heard more cries help.

“There was a woman about 20 yards away from us screaming and flailing,” said McNulty. “She’d been caught out in a riptide and it was tak-ing her down. we swam over to her and she was hysterical so we tried to calm her down but every time we would grab a hold of her, a big wave would come crashing down and tak-ing her under again.”

Finally, after fighting with the woman for several minutes, seven lifeguards came up with a body board and took her safely to shore.

“After the whole situation, we went back onto shore and a lifeguard came up to talk to us,” said o’rourke. “he told us that if we weren’t there, they wouldn’t have been able to get out

there in time. She would have died.”head coach Matt Kerwick said

that he was proud of the actions taken by his players over the weekend.

“one of the most important things we look at when thinking about bring-ing a player to our team is their char-acter,” said Kerwick. “we can all be thankful that they were there to help that day. These young men are prime examples of the courage and leader-ship that we want in our family.”

None of the players have ever had any lifeguarding experience but, instinctively, they knew what to do.

“She was yelling but we man-aged to stay calm,” said McNulty. “She kept yelling ‘i’m not going to make it,’ but we kept telling her it was going to be oK. She was flailing around, making it almost impossible for us to keep hold of her but some-how we did it. Eventually, we man-aged to calm her down until the life-guards got there. we’re just glad that she’s oK and we were able to help.”

LAX to the rescueSArAh WiLLATSCoPY EdiTor

“Currents,” former-ly “jazzman’s,” now serves Starbuck’s specialty drinks and Sodexho brand foods in the Davis College of Business lobby.

ju students have been working hard to get Starbucks on-campus since last semes-ter.

inovations to “jazzman’s” began shortly after August and were finished just in time for the new school year.

A larger refrigerated area for drinks and lunch items (including sandwiches, salads and sushi), and an addition-al counter for order pick-ups were among the renovations done to jazzman’s.

Since jazzman’s had their name on most of their cups

and napkins, a name change was needed.

“Currents” fits in with the river-theme of the other din-ing services—like Nellie’s and waves.

The switch to serving Starbucks specialty drinks has greatly improved busi-ness at “Currents.”

Prices are generally the same, but profits are going up for the cafe.

Starbucks coffee alone has also attracted more customers than before.

Students love the variety of coffee drinks available, and the many kinds of Tazo® teas served.

So, the next time you have a little break between class-es and want a treat, stop by “Currents” and get a nice fresh cup of Starbucks cof-fee or tea.

“Currents” on Campus

THE NAVIGATOR • September 16 - 22, 2009 9FEATuRES

kAMeroN jACkSoNFEaTUrEs EdiTor

Still in the mindset that all the water used in simple everyday tasks is consid-ered waste?

well, think again. jacksonville university’s Division of

Science and Mathematics has made a break-through with innovative irrigation technolo-gy that could greatly benefit the institution in the future.

Last week the division announced the creation of a new project which tests a residence-to-garden greywater delivery system.

greywater is simply non-industrial wastewater generated from domestic pro-cesses such as dish washing, laundry and bathing.

you could say that it serves as a “grey area” for water as it is not fresh enough to be considered “white,” but not polluted enough to be called “black water.”

ju’s greywater, for example, will hail from the air-conditioning units, laundry machines and rain gutters of a specific resi-dential apartment building at ju.

This greywater will be used to irrigate a demonstration garden that will educate the students, staff and faculty of the greywater delivery system.

The experiment will also show the value of reusing greywater for irrigation purpos-es.

“This project is interdisciplinary in nature,” says Dr. Lee Ann Clements, ju’s Chair of the Division of Science and Mathematics.

“[The project will be] drawing upon knowledge from engineering, biology and environmental science to design, build and evaluate [the new system]”.

The demonstration garden will serve to reduce nutrient load-ing into the near-by St. johns river and reduce the load to municipal sewer/septic systems and wastewater treatment plants.

The pioneering new system will hope-fully fulfill its goals of cutting the costs of treating wastewater as well as lowering the use of potable water and fertilizers for irri-gation and growing purposes.

According to Clements, the experi-ment will also, “Evaluate one of the first residence-to-garden greywater systems designed for a university campus by under-graduate students.”

The project will benefit from the finan-cial help of the EPA, or the Environmental Protection Agency.

The initial phase of the test run will begin September 1, 2009 and come to an end May 1, 2010, shortly after ju’s Class of 2010 graduates.

roCheLLe roSesTaFF WriTEr

The menu change at Nellies directly reflects the student opinion.

A Spring 2009’s student preference sur-vey inspired Sodexo’s head cook Brian Bowser and operations manager Ashley Curry to create the meals that are avail-able today.

“i was getting tired of that stuff,” alum-ni Casey Francis proclaimed about Nellie’s old menu.

The primary goals that Bowser and Curry aim to accom-plish with each serv-ing are to increase quality, consistency, student satisfaction, and value.

Each selection on the menu is health conscientious and fresh including sauces made from scratch.

Curry admits that Nellie’s has been get-ting a great deal of slack because of the amount of time students spend waiting in line.

She is not too worried, however, because it may lessen once the cooks learn and adjust to the new menu.

on the other hand, a wait is inevita-ble because every student at jacksonville university eats lunch in the same hour.

There are 200 more students in the stu-dent body than last year, which simply adds to the clog during lunchtime rush.

Astonishingly, Nellie’s gets about 500 orders in thirty minutes.

Sophomore Sung-joon ryou nitpicks, “The only thing i don’t like about this year is that the salads are more expensive.”

The reason why the side fruit and salads cost extra is because the fries and chips are easier to have on hand.

Students are forced to come out of their pockets because organic produce is not only

labor intensive, but the packaging also costs more.

The menu seems to have shrunk since last semester, but Sophomore Kyle orree begs to differ. “i think the selection is a lot wider and better than last year.”

All in all, it is appar-ent that the Sodexo staff is proud of Nellies.

The restaurant is now modeled after Panera, with only two fryers and two grills.

Latin American cuisine will be featured in future weekly specials.

when asked if the current menu was the final change, Bowser answered, “No. The menu is constantly evolving along with culi-nary trends and marketing.”

jAreD BrookSNEWs EdiTor

if students aren’t complaining about the quality of the food at jacksonville university it’s probably because they are thinking of some-thing to say about the meal plan options the university offers.

Freshman imesha McNeal was shocked to find out the restrictions of her mean plan.

“when i offered to use a meal for my friend since she left her iD in the room, i was told me i could only swipe my card once during the lunch period. i’m paying for it so why can’t i swipe it 15 times if i choose to?”

Matt Clifford, Director of residential Life, offered a legiti-mate reason for this restriction.

“we review the meal plans every year, and actually did a student sur-vey last year. Based on the results of that survey, it seemed that the majority of students desired a meal plan that did not have ‘meal period’ restrictions (using more than one

meal per meal). we explored that option and found that a meal plan without those restrictions would be too costly for students. Additionally, dining services needs to be able to plan and prepare an adequate amount of food for students. Since “block” meal plans do not have restrictions on their meal period use, it limits the ability of din-ing services to plan for meals. For example, if there was a “run” on a particular day where more meals are used than have been prepared, then service issues could result.”

Sophomore Anesha hines under-stands exactly what Clifford means.

“if students were allowed to use their meals when they pleased, a lot of them would probably be out of meals by the weekend! So the limi-tations help students more than they realize.”

on the other hand, some resi-dents of the on-campus apartment community along with commuter students argue that the 75 meal per semester plan isn’t sufficient enough.

Senior jarvis williams feels that he has to really make his meals stretch throughout the semester.

“i feel like i’m running out of meals by the end of the semester if i use my meal plan everyday. i don’t want to pay for the 12 and 15 meal per week plans. why can’t ju offer a meal plan around the same price with more meals?”

with the 75 meals per semes-ter plan, students can use their meal plan as much as they please until they run out.

williams admitted that part of his problem was allowing his friend’s to use his plan every now and then.

when asked about this issue, Clifford stated, “The 75 meals were determined based on one meal/weekday for the semester. we could certainly raise the amount of meals offered on this plan, however, the cost would increase in turn.”

it is important to note that unused meals do not rollover into the next week under the 12 and 15 meal per week plans.

Weekly Meal Plans Made easy

“I think the selec-tion is a lot wider and better than last year.”kylE ORREEsophmore JU student

Nellie’s Upgrades Menu

“This project is interdisciplinary

in nature.”

DR. lEE Ann ClEMEnTSJU Chair oF ThE divisioN oF sCiENCE

greywater Breakthrough

CLASSiFieD Office room for rent. Large windows overlook- ing oak trees. Perfect for massage thera- pist or psychologist. • Contact Mary romaine (904) 292-4151

old Town Canoe for sale. 16’ Appalachian. Very good condition. Paddles, outrigger, and anchor included. $600. •Contact Albert Francis (904) 223-8795 or (704) 578-6316

10 THE NAVIGATOR • SEPTEMbER 16 - 22, 2009

LArry MAXWeLLsTaFF WriTEr

i’m sure you all have seen the jay-Z commercial where he goes through a photo shoot of all his previ-ous album covers up to his latest album, The Blueprint 3. in his 11th studio album, jay-Z brings back the pomp-ous, arrogant jay-Z we knew before in the last two albums, Kingdom Come and American gangster.

This album is not the “back to basics” or the call back to the last two Blueprint albums. This album is about moving forward or evolving in hip-hop. jay-Z is creating a “blueprint” or a template for other artists who will inevitably follow him.

This is all explained in the song “on to the Next one” where jay-Z’s first line is, “want my old stuff, buy my old album.”

The Blueprint 3 is the retro jay-Z with a lot more synthesizers added, but all in all, it is still a jay-Z album. in this album he sounds hungry — as if he’s trying

to relive the glory days of reasonable Doubt and the past Blueprint albums.

The amazing album has crazy flow patterns, weird time signatures, crazy sam-ples and an all-star cast fea-turing and producing the album. Artists featured on the albums include Kanye west, Drake, Kid Cudi, up-and-coming rappers j. Cole, Mr. hudson and many more. The producers of the tracks include none other than Kanye west, The Neptunes, Timberland and more.

The Album’s opener, “what we Talkin’ Bout” jay commands your atten-tion with his words and even his ad-libs. in the song, he raps about past criticisms and past music associates (Dame Dash and jaz-o). jay-Z even calls out his fans and artists referring to the success of hip-hop, obama’s historic presidential election and senseless violent feuds.

The Album continues this mood with, “Thank you”; “DoA” and the num-ber one single “run This Town.” For those expect-

ing to hear some vintage jay-Z, then “Empire State of Mind” and “real As it gets” are the tracks for you. Both tracks feature soul samples, his love of New york City, and a series of name-droppings.

The Albums consist of 15 amazing tracks ending with “Forever young.” in this song jay-Z closes the album on a positive note reflect-ing on the universal sounds of music and knowing that staying young in hip-hop (despite his age) means cre-ating timeless music for future generations.

The album is not as jaw dropping as reasonable Doubt, yet it has more drive and hunger than American gangster and is not short as The Black Album.

overall, the Album is a must-have for jay-Z fans. it offers more of the artist in jay-Z as he tries to steer hip-hop in another direc-tion. So stop waiting and reserve yourself a copy. you’ll thank me later.

“Blueprint” for Success

PhoTo CoUrTEsY oF hoLdThEThroNE.CoM

ARTS

THE NAVIGATOR • September 16 - 22, 2009 11

ryAN DiBeNDeTTosTaFF WriTEr

Man creates machine to benefit man-kind. Military uses machine to take over mankind. Machine becomes self-aware and turns on mankind. Machine destroys man-kind, and a hero emerges from the ashes to fight against the machines. wait a second; didn’t we already see this back in May? No, this is not the Terminator sequel we saw last summer, but the storyline is so similar that it first appears this is an animated version of “Salvation”.

But that’s where the similarities end. whereas the Terminator sequel did not live up to some of our expectations and hype — at least for some people — this movie hit the mark. i’m talking about a little animated movie called “9.” okay, “little” may not be the right word to describe this movie. The right words to use would be breathtaking, amazing, imaginative and fun to watch.

“9” begins with a scientist sewing together what appears to be a robotic ragdoll. The rag-doll, whose name is 9, wakes up and finds the scientist dead and the world in ruins. 9 ven-tures out and discovers that he is not the only one of his kind. he meets another ragdoll named 2, who has a knack for fixing things. Their meeting is cut short, however, when a

cat-like machine appears out of nowhere, kidnaps 2 and leaves 9 injured.

Eventually 9 finds himself in the compa-ny of other ragdolls, each named 1through 8. okay, maybe the names are not very imaginative. Their leader, named 1, who’s deathly afraid of the machines; 3 and 4 are mute twin ragdolls, who use their eyes as film projectors to com-municate with the others; 5, who is also an inven-tor; 6, who claims that he can see into the past and future and; and 7 and 8 who are skilled war-riors. 9 wants the others to help him rescue 2 but his request is refused because 1 believes it’s too dangerous to do so.

however, 9 manages to convince 5 to help him, and they go out to try to rescue 2. They find 2 and with the help of 7, who shows up at the last minute destroy the cat machine and rescues 2. And that is when the fun really begins. As they are leaving, 9 discovers a key

of sorts that he had found in the scien-tist’s lab and out of curiosity, puts the key into the slot and wakes up an even more ter-rifying machine that has the abili-ty to produce more machines.

This new machine suppos-edly kills 2 and tries to kill the rest of the group. 9 now must lead the others into a bat-tle that will deter-mine the fate of the world and must

discover the true meaning behind the

machine’s identity.Although this movie was animated, it’s far

from childish and is one of the better movies this year. The story, although not very origi-nal, is told in a way that makes it unique and piques your interest. Screenwriters Shane Acker and Pamela Pettler take the Man vs. Machine concept and turn it into something

completely different. Animators joe Ksander and David y.

Chow create a breathtaking world that is both terrifying and visually brilliant. Elijah wood, who played Frodo in The Lord of the rings, is perfect for the character of 9. Like Frodo, 9 is both brave and determined. john C. reilly plays 5 and is known for his comedic roles in Talladega Nights and Step Brothers, abandons his goofball persona and plays a character that is both serious and sympathetic. Legendary director Tim Burton, who is known for his dark and creepy movies, produced the movie and added just enough creepiness to give it a dark edge.

To be honest i did not have high expecta-tions for this movie. Surprisingly, it was one of the better movies i’ve seen this year with its great story, strong characters and stun-ning animation. its only flaw was that it was too short—just an hour and 19 minutes long. By the time i took my first breath it was over. Still, if there is one movie to see this year it’s 9. i give it three and a half dolphins out of four.

“9” reasons to See this Movie

PhoTo CoUrTEsY oF

FiLoFiLia.CoM

EARWORMS Of THE WEEK“Thank you”By: Jay-Z Because: “do me a favor, don’t do me no favors....i’ll handle mine!”Sufferer: Jared Brooks

“Make Her Say”By: kid Cudi feat. kanye West and Lady gagaBecause: i told ya about this song months before it was out.Sufferer: Larry Maxwell

“Do you See”By: Warren gBecause: i want alan g to stop chasin’ them rainbows.Sufferer: kameron Jackson

“Devour”By: shinedownBecause: i was listening to it and it was also played during the opening of “The Final destination”Sufferer: ryan dibendetto

“kiss of life”By: Friendly FiresBecause: The music video makes me want to get up and sing and dance like nobody’s watching.Sufferer: rochelle rose

“Already Gone”By: kelly ClarksonBecause: That’s how i feel in most of my classesSufferer: sarah Willats

“Party in the USA”By: Miley CyrusBecause: i absolutely love Miley!!Sufferer: scott Paulick

“love is you”By: Chrisette MichelleBecause: This might be my new favorite song.Sufferer: renae ingram Jr.

“Day late Friend”By: anderlinBecause: You can’t always have what you want.Sufferer: Ed kelleher

“love is your”By: Jay ZBecause: Probably my favorite hova song of all time.Sufferer: david Berry

ARTS

THE NAVIGATOR • September 16 - 22, 2009 13

Contact Jean Fils, Business Manager, 904.256.7524, navigator@jacksonville.edu

14 THE NAVIGATOR • SEPTEMbER 16 - 22, 2009

THE NAVIGATOR • September 16 - 22, 2009 15SPORTS

DB’s NCAA football predictions: Week 3DAViD BerrysPorTs EdiTor

Last week provided some very good storylines to pre-view what should be a huge week for college football. Freshmen quarterbacks were the talk of the town last week-end. uSC was propelled by Matt Barkley and joe McKnight on a last-minute drive to top ohio State 18-15. Michigan edged out Notre Dame in a classic as Tate Forcier showed glimpses of what wolverine fans can expect for the next for the next few years. This week promises more great match-ups and even the chance for an upset or two.

DB’s game of the Week:No. 14 georgia Tech at No. 20 Miami

Fans and players from both schools have had this date cirThe ACC has been in a bit of a funk so far this season, and this looks like this will be the perfect game to remedy that problem. Both teams last played in close games against conference rivals, and i see this game being no different.

Miami has something to prove against a triple-option attack from georgia Tech that racked up 472 yards rush-ing, including 128 yards by 2009 ACC Preseason offensive Player of the year jonathan Dwyer.

The hurricanes have had extra time to prepare for the most unique offense they will face all year, and they will certainly need all the time they can get. The keys for Miami will be to stop the fullback -who is Dwyer- on dive plays and they have to force georgia Tech into obvious passing situations.

yellow jackets quarterback josh Nesbitt struggled might-ily in their win over Clemson, passing for only 83 yards and only had one more completion (three) than interceptions (two).

Miami has the home-field advantage this time around, still has momentum from their season-opening win over Florida State, and a lot to prove. Truthfully, i originally

thought georgia Tech squeak out a thriller. After their last game however, i am giving the edge to Miami.

DB’s game of the Week prediction: Miami 30 georgia Tech 28

The ACC is being tested this week, now with the Cornhuskers making a visit to Blacksburg. Both teams are coming off of big wins over relatively weak teams in week two.

Virginia Tech was able to show that they can have a run-ning game, even with the loss of Darren Evans before the start of the season. Freshmen running backs David wilson and ryan williams each ran for 160 yards, the first time in school history that has happened. obviously they are going up against a much better defense, but it can also be said that Nebraska isn’t facing the chumps that they did in the first two weeks of the season.

This is a very tough game for me to pick, they seem even to me. once again, i will have to take the home team because their backs should be more effective. you also can never count out “Beamer Ball”, i think it makes at least one appearance on Saturday. These wins by Miami and Virginia Tech would set up a huge early-season matchup that could determine who represents the ACC Coastal divi-sion in the championship game.

DB’s prediction: Virginia Tech 23 Nebraska 17

Next up is Florida vs. Tennessee. This game has been heavily anticipated since Tennessee hired Lane Kiffin in the winter. he has done nothing short of anger Florida gator fans, players, boosters, and coaches. The coaches won’t dis-play their anger very much right now, but you can believe that urban Meyer would put up 70 points if he could.

The thing is, he won’t be able to do it this year. The things going against that for the gators are big: no real

game-breaking wide receivers have shown themselves yet. he will also be going against Monte Kiffin, who he has a good relationship with, but will also throw the most com-plex defense he will see all season. we also can’t forget, Tennessee has Eric Berry.

All being said, i still think Florida will win the game. it will be closer than the experts think, but further away than the Volunteers will like it to be. Florida’s defense is still too dominant on defense and they have Tim Tebow. had Tennessee won last week against uCLA, i might have a different tune. They didn’t, so now i predict a fairly easy Florida victory.

DB’s prediction: Florida 42 Tennessee 14

Byu and Florida State is interesting because it repre-sents almost the opposite ends of the college football spec-trum off the field. in Provo, you find the clean cut boys who all have to go on missions and seem not to ever break any rules. Meanwhile, the visitors from Tallahassee are, well, Florida State.

on the field, this should be an interesting match-up. Both teams won last week, but Florida State had a much harder time than they anticipated against jacksonville State of the FCS in a 19-9 victory.

honestly, it’s hard to pick against Byu right now because they are at home, Florida State isn’t exactly light-ing the world on fire, and the Cougars still have dreams of a BCS bowl. They still want to prove that they can play with the big boys. No better time than this week for the Mountain west to stand up again.

DB’s non-BCS prediction: ByU 31 Florida State 21 DB’s Upset Alerts (the pick for the game)east Carolina at No. 24 North Carolina (UNC)No.18 Utah at oregon (oregon)No. 10 Boise State at Fresno State (Boise State)

DAViD BerrysPorTs EdiTor

The jacksonville university foot-ball team comes into week three trying to rebound from a loss to Southern Conference opponent Samford. Their opponent this week is FCS independent and first-year program old Dominion.

The Monarchs are 2-0, with both wins coming over Division ii teams. Last week, they defeated Virginia union 49-17.

ju will be the first FCS team on a schedule that will consist of only FCS teams for the rest of the season for old Dominion.

The Dolphin defense will have to deal with a dual-threat quar-terback. redshirt sophomore Thomas DeMarco has passed for 321 yards and three touchdowns along with no interceptions in his first two games. he has also rushed for 3 touch-

downs, which is tops on the team.Behind DeMarco is a running

back that ju will have to keep their eye on. redshirt freshman jamar Parham has averaged 75 yards and one touchdown in two games.

when the Monarchs look to go to the air, it is pretty clear who they will be looking at. redshirt freshman wide receiver reid Evans is the only pass catcher with double-digit receptions (11) for 150 yards.

on defense, junior lineback-er Mychael Mcjunkins leads the team with 16 tackles (11 solo) and redshirt freshman defensive back Craig wilkins has two interceptions for 68 yards.

old Dominion Preview

KicKoff for the game against the

monarchs will be at 1 p.m. the game

will be broadcast on 1010Xl.

16 THE NAVIGATOR • SEPTEMbER 16 - 22, 2009 SPORTS

DAViD BerrysPorTs EdiTor

Back to the drawing board for the jacksonville Dolphins football team, which is about as simple as it can be said.

was this the worst loss for Kerwin Bell and his team to suffer? Not even close, but given the high expectations for the team, i did think i’d see more from them this past Saturday against Samford.

As always there are positives and negatives to take away from the game. The biggest thing i see is that we have two-thirds of the game solid and ready to make a run at the Pioneer Football League title.

The defense is tested and looks poised to dominate the PFL. jacksonville probably has the best front seven in the conference in terms of skill, talent and depth. They held Samford to seven points in the second half and kept the team in the game in the first half, despite a phan-tom personal foul call on what clear-ly was a bad call.

The biggest question i have about the defense is the secondary, which has given up an average of 300 yards and two touchdowns passing in the first two games. i know that there have been injuries to that unit and they are still searching to replace the two key members who graduated, but this still could be the area of the defense that could cause problems later on in the season if improve-ments aren’t made.

The area of the team which seems to look strongest so far this season is the special teams. Sophomore punt-er Logan Chipperfield could make a serious case for most valuable play-er on the team. he has changed field positions in jacksonville’s favor on multiple occasions in the first two games.

he leads the PFL in punts and punt yardage, which itself seems to be indicative of some offensive struggles so far, but he is also third in punt average (42.8).

jacksonville boasts the best punt returner in the PFL and one of the best in the country in wide receiver Elliott Finkley, who leads the con-ference in punt return average (13.2). There is not much to complain about on that third of the ball.

The most questioned unit should by far be the offense. There is a ton of talent on that side of the ball, but the skill players will not be able to do it all themselves. They were able to mask some of the problems in the win over webber international last week. however, when faced against a tough and much more tal-ented Bulldog defense, Kerwin Bell’s offense barely managed to reach the century mark for total yards and was shut out.

The offensive line still needs to develop some serious chemistry because as the season goes on, defen-sive coordinators will look to put pressure on an offensive line that has already given up nine sacks.

in defense of the offense, they will not face another defense that talent-ed all season. you are dealing with scholarship athletes who held uCF from the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) to 28 points and less than 300 yards of total offense. They are also in the Southern Conference, which is the SEC of Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) so they are used to seeing talent.

overall, jacksonville university’s football program has come a long way since i first came here. Most of the team went up there expect-ing to win and came back thinking they should have won. The difference between this season and seasons past is that they were actually in this game for a good amount of time.

They have closed the gap between themselves and some of the schol-arship teams in the FCS. i see no reason why jacksonville won’t be the best non-scholarship team in the country.

But for them to make that next step, big improvements still need to be made.

Dolphins Still a Work in Progress

rENaE iNgraM Jr.