Meeting scheduled for those interested in running for SG, Nominations for the 2008-2009 UNF Faculty Awards for Distinguished Professor,

UNF administrators did a very smart thing a few years ago. They began planning and putting money away for a rainy day. And with the state, local and national economy facing a downturn and learning institutions across Florida being hampered by budget cuts, that rainy day has now come. But while other state institutions are scrambling to avoid drastic measures, UNF only has to tap into its reserve funds. The result: UNF accomplished a feat many other state universities could not – improving the learning level by bettering the campus community.

Mike Tomassoni Art Director John Weidner Assistant Sports Editor Rachel Elsea Copy Editor James Cannon II Assistant News Editor With more budget cuts targeted to affect Florida universities...

The UNF men’s basketball team might have had a bitter taste in its mouth to start the new year Dec. 31 after losing to the University of Miami 94-41. The Hurricanes’ performance began with a 9-0 run, holding the Ospreys scoreless for more than seven minutes. UNF freshman guard Cameron Lovlace put the Ospreys on the scoreboard with a 3-pointer to cut the lead 9-3 early in the game.

After visting ESPN’s website on December 17, I was taken aback to see the UNF men's basketball team featured on the website’s homepage. Unfortunately, I quickly realized that the article, which centered around a 76-36 UNF loss to No. 25 Clemson, had little to do with any improvements UNF has made on the court. Rather than focusing on UNF’s attempt to keep up with Clemson Whelliston’s article had a much different objective: explaining the $80,000 paycheck UNF received to get crushed by Clemson. However, the author, Kyle Whelliston, did have a few words of praise to say about UNF’s effort.

Every week, the Spinnaker compiles the most recent arrests, investigation updates and often humorous findings from UPD police reports. Here’s a look back at some of the most outrageous police beat moments of the Fall 2008 semester: Incidents of burned chicken nuggets, crashed golf carts and strangers terrorizing campus are all included.

J acksonville citizens, including several UNF students, participated in the “End the Fed” rally Nov. 22 downtown at the Jacksonville Federal Reserve Building. Approximately 150 people gathered to protest the Federal Reserve and Treasury Department’s bailout of Wall Street and the planned bailout of the automakers. The rally was part of a 39-city protest. Some cities had thousands of supporters listening and chanting to Republican and emocrat elected officials who opposed thebailout. Police officers (right) were called in to videotape the protest.

After hearing Gov. Charlie Crist’s plan to increase Florida college tuition annually by 15 percent for the next eight years, many college students might have a negative reaction. Most college students struggle financially, and being forced to pay more money is not an encouraging thing. But Florida in-state students currently live as royalty anyway, paying the cheapest tuition rates in the country. The plan would cap the tuition increases at the national average, and it would take seven to 10 years to even skim the surface of that level. This plan, though costly at first, will make the college degree – and the experience – more valuable. There are 15.9 million students currently enrolled in college, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and some of those are only there because someone else – a parent, grandparent, or fiancé – is forcing them.

Anna Renfroe’s day begins at 6:30 a.m. Living with three girls with disabilities, everyday she helps them wake up for school, fix breakfast and walk them to the bus stop. Afterward, Renfroe has a full load of classes and helps the girls plan dinner when the day is done. On other days, she takes the girls grocery shopping, bowling and out to dinner. This is Renfroe’s life as an On Campus Transition Program mentor and housing assistant. “I figured [working with the On Campus Transition program] would be a good opportunity to really learn about people with disabilities and get hands-on experience,” said Renfroe, a senior elementary education major. In August 2007, The Arc Jacksonville and UNF partnered to begin the On Campus Transition program at UNF. It is run by volunteers of UNF peers.

A combination of partying, the lack of home cooking and the ever-rising prices of textbooks might account for the phrase “broke college student.” And now more than ever, it might be a struggle for college students to keep money in the bank. However, there are ways for college students to combat these worrisome financial times and still have a little fun. One of the most important steps students can take to save money is to know what they are spending money on and how much they are spending, said Bettie Adams, assistant professor of accounting and board member of Community First Credit Union. Adams suggested students keep track of their expenses for a week, including small things like trips to the vending machine.

Approximately 190 dancers showed up for the Children’s Miracle Network-sponsored Dance Marathon which took place at the UNF Arena Nov. 21 and 22. The event benefited patients at the Wolfson’s Children’s Hospital and Shands. After 18 hours of learning dances from various local instructors, playing games and hearing benefiting families speak, the total amount raised: $19,096.35, was revealed to participants. The money came from different outlets such as events on and off campus prior to the marathon, donations from the public and the added amount of what each individual dancer raised, which totaled approximately $15,000.

After losing 33-26 to Florida Atlantic University and winning by forfeit to the University of Miami at the Florida Rugby Union College Championships in Tampa, Fla., the UNF rugby club is proud of the resilience it showed but knows it could have done better, UNF Rugby President Jackson Frenot said. The UNF rugby club entered the championships with high expectations and a lot of confidence, team captain Max Schwartz said. After upsetting FAU earlier in the season, UNF quickly fell behind in the first half of the two teams’ tournament match. UNF executed a surge in the second half but came up short in the final minutes.