Four amendments passed in the Nov. 4 elections from the Florida ballot, and two failed. The Spinnaker picked two that were most significant for college students: Amendment No. 2 and No. 8. Amendment No. 2: Florida Marriage “This amendment protects marriage as the legal union of only one man and one woman as husband and wife and provides that no other legal union that is treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof shall be valid or recognized,” as stated on the Florida ballot. 4,885,009 voters marked yes for approval.

Police are still searching for a suspect involved in an on-campus sexual assault of a UNF student Oct. 3. The suspect is being described by UPD as a black male, approximately 6 feet tall. UPD is unsure if the man has any ties to the university and said any physical evidence is now lost since the victim didn’t report the incident until Oct. 29, UPD Chief Mark Foxworth said. “She said she was afraid,” Foxworth said. “It’s not unusual for a sex crimes victim to delay reporting the incident. Sometimes they are afraid, feel people will look down on them or feel responsible. While the delayed reporting has definitely hampered the investigation, it’s totally understandable.” UPD hasn’t conducted a sketch of the suspect but has put together several photos of possible suspects – with no possible leads so far, Foxworth said.

Nov. 3 – Lost property (Building 39) – A UNF employee reported a lost Dell laptop computer missing. He believed the computer was accidentally misplaced by faculty who are allowed to check out equipment for meetings. Nov. 3 – Criminal mischief (Building 14) – A 2-foot long crack in the column wall and an indentation in the wall were found in the male restroom early Friday morning. The damage appeared to be caused by a hit from a fist which knocked the plaster off of the edges of the column wall. There are no witnesses of the vandalism.

UPD Chief Mark Foxworth wishes a wall could surround UNF but admitted the idea is impractical, he said. Recent reports of violent crimes on campus, including a report of sexual battery Oct. 3 in Osprey Cove, raised concerns about the outside criminal element creeping in. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement statistics show Duval County has the highest overall crime rate and is among the top 10 counties with the most incidents in all of the violent crime categories: aggravated assault, forcible sex offenses, murder and robbery. However, incidents reported to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office within 3 miles of UNF between January 2007 and November 2008 show the university is in one of the safer areas in Duval County when it comes to violent crime.

The enticement was hard to refuse: a signing bonus of $30,000. The wad of cash would help with student loans, so who could turn down the extra cash on top of a nearly $130,000 annual salary? So, straight out of pharmacy school in Chapel Hill, N.C., R.J. Kulyk crossed the country for a job at a Walgreens in Redding, Calif. “It was a no-brainer,” Kulyk said. Pharmacists remain in short supply across the country, particularly in rural areas. Competition among retail outlets and health-care facilities is fierce, and the pay – salaries typically start around $120,000 – is high. To lure pharmacists, retailers are dangling incentives of all kind. For a while, one even put recruits behind the wheel of a BMW.

For one week in November, colleges across the United States celebrate the international cultures and students that diversify their campuses. The U.S. Departments of State and Education help promote the annual event, dubbed International Education Week. UNF’s International Center will host International Education Week Nov. 17-21. Students and faculty can participate in a variety of activities in observance of the week, which will broaden their knowledge of international affairs.

Ospreys for Ospreys is a UNF donation drive for a group of Marines who deployed for Iraq in early September. The Marine squadron receiving the goods works closely with the V-22 Osprey aircraft – a connection Health Administration Director Doreen Perez noted when she began the drive in October. Captain Bryan Willows of the VMM-266 Squadron corresponded with the Spinnaker from Iraq on the donation efforts and the squadron’s efforts in Iraq.

With the stress of the daily grind and just a few more weeks before final exams, students might find themselves becoming more susceptible to influenza, commonly known as the flu. Every year, 5 percent to 20 percent of people will catch the flu. At least 200,000 people are hospitalized due to flu complications, and nearly 36,000 people die every year from those complications. Flu vaccines are often common treatments given in order to prevent the spread of this virus, according to WebMD.com

A group of three students and a coach from the College of Computing, Engineering and Construction recently participated in a regional brain brawl competition with hopes of competing at the international level in the future. But with a young team lacking experience, UNF came in last place, failing to correctly answer the two questions it attempted, said Behrooz Seyed-Abassi, associate professor of computer and information systems. “The other schools were more experienced – many times bringing three or more teams,” Seyed-Abassi said.

Go ahead and quit that job you hate; President-elect Barack Obama is going to pay for your education. According to Obama’s Web site, he plans to create an American Opportunity Tax Credit that will pay the first $4,000 of students’ tuition in exchange for the students’ contribution of 100 volunteer service hours to their community. This action will not only change many students’ situations but the financial aid process as well. If recording volunteering hours becomes a part of this process, the question becomes whether this new duty will be handed to the university or the students directly.

Paloma: second most powerful November hurricane, Minnesota officials prepare for Senate race recount, Warning to Iraq if agreement on American forces fails

Riverbound transformational learning opportunity opened for spring semester, Women perform in first Arts Film Festival celebration, Transportation and Logistics presents Lt. General William “Gus” Pagonis, Free Musical Performance