News

College presidents got it right

Spinnaker | Sep 17, 2008

The Amethyst Initiative, a group formed in July comprised of former and current university and college presidents, has called for a national discussion about the legal U.S. drinking age. Nearly 130 presidents and chancellors have signed the Amethyst pledge advocating a factual and dispassionate debate about the effectiveness of the 1984 National Minimum Drinking Age Act, which imposes a 10 percent reduction in federal transportation assistance to states with drinking ages lower than 21.

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Americans must take Sept. 11 lessons to heart

Spinnaker | Sep 17, 2008

Sept. 11 is a day etched in everyone’s minds. Ask anyone where they were when the first plane crashed in 2001, and you are sure to hear many stories and memories. The day will not be forgotten by those who lived through it, but the lessons learned can often be tossed among the pile of all the others. Grief, loss, pain and suffering are emotions that usually override anything else people might be experiencing, and there is a time for these emotions.

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Gassing mentally ill inmates must stop

Spinnaker | Sep 17, 2008

Guards at the Santa Rosa Correctional Institution in Northwest Florida shut off the water to inmate Danny Brown’s cell at 3 p.m. June 11, 2002. At the same time, guards outside taped the window so nothing could escape – including Brown. Then the guards released chemical gasses into the cell. Brown, a bi-polar inmate, suffered an asthma attack, breathing difficulties and mental and emotional pain from the gassing, according to the lawsuit he filed the following year with 21 other prisoners at the correctional institution.

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Celebrities deserve basic human rights

Spinnaker | Sep 17, 2008

Among the principles laid by the founding fathers of our country is the right to remain innocent until proven guilty when under accusation. And while athletes and other celebrities in the public eye are often kept to higher standards than the average citizen, it does not mean they lose their basic rights.

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Support U.S. troops by honoring those who die

Spinnaker | Sep 17, 2008

"Support our Troops” is a phrase that no longer needs mention in this country, as the ideal has become one of the golden tenants of new-American patriotism – a nationalistic effort enacted, presumably, the day the U.S. invaded Afghanistan. This statement is undeniably agreed upon – to the extent the creed has been printed on every type of magnet, flag and T-shirt imaginable, and donned by Americans and naturalized citizens of all types.

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Eco-adventure fun

Spinnaker | Sep 17, 2008

Saturday morning – intense boredom, and you haven’t a clue how to fix it. You don’t have the gas money to drive anywhere off campus. You spent Friday night at the game room. The library is too quiet. It’s a no-go for the Arena. Your bathing suit and gym clothes are in the wash. Think a little harder; fun is right across the street. Indeed, those woods you drive by everyday hold more than just trees.

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Greene: College grads must stand out, speak less at job interviews

Spinnaker | Sep 17, 2008

Jacob Greene, 28, sits at his desk with his pen out, easing back in his chair, listening to talk of company growth, change and branding at the head of a long table; this is typical of Greene’s day-to-day management of his consulting company, Greene Group, which he formed in 2006. Greene, who wrote “Whoa, My Boss is Naked!: A Career Book for People Who Would Never Be Caught Dead Reading a Career Book,” has offered peer-leveladvice to professionals striving to find a dream job.

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NCAA profits off explotation of athletes

Spinnaker | Sep 17, 2008

NCAA athletics is a multi-million dollar industry, and the majority of the “student athletes” who participate in these sports are not students at all, just athletes. Many major college football and basketball programs are using the four-year learning period as a minor league of sorts, and that’s exactly how the players, coaches and trainers look at it. The athletes play four years, win some games, turn some heads and then get called up via the draft, signing a multi-million dollar contract for their potential.

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Photo Gallery: Sen. McCain's Rally

Spinnaker | Sep 15, 2008

Sen. John McCain’s Straight Talk Express passed through the First Coast Sept. 15 for a campaign rally at the Veteran’s Memorial Arena.

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NCAA officials need to be held accountable

Spinnaker | Sep 11, 2008

Officials serve a valuable purpose for athletic games at all levels. The difficultly and importance of their job often goes unnoticed, however, more and more officials are making wrong calls that are costing teams games. It seems to be happening more in college football than in any other sport, and the officials need to start facing the repercussions of their incompetence. Or, at the very least, recognize a problem exists.

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News in Brief – Sep 10

Spinnaker | Sep 10, 2008

Club Fest invades the Green, UNF focuses speech on climate changes, Coggin puts students through boot camp

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Parking a foe without financial aid

Spinnaker | Sep 10, 2008

Parking at UNF can be an adventure. With cramped lots that often require an additional commute on a shuttle, diminished parking in garages due to construction and expensive fines for those who don’t follow the rules, additional stress is created for students outside the classroom.

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