News

Voters of all political parties will come out to voice their opinion on Florida’s tax reform bill when voting in the national primary elections in January 2008.

The tax reform bill is suspected to bring out many voters because it “hits the pocketbook,” said Stephan Kira, chairman of the Republican Party of St. Johns County.

In May, the Florida Legislature approved by a large majority an election reform bill, which included moving the state’s primary date to the last Tuesday in January.

By Brittany Hackett | bhackett@flagler.edu

Veteran Washington reporter Robert Novak began his career 50 years ago in an age without 24-hour cable news channels, cell phones or the Internet, but that doesn’t prevent him from having an opinion on the technology.

Novak will be speaking at tonight’s Forum on Government and Public Policy, where he will talk about his recently published book, The Prince of Darkness: 50 Years Reporting in Washington. In the book, Novak shares memoirs of his career and the people he has encountered.

Student Services turns down club after it passes through SGA

By Brittany Hackett | bhackett@flagler.edu

Student Services has turned down a proposal for Club UNITY, a club that focuses on promoting a positive image of the gay and lesbian community. This is the second time in three years that a club focused on such issues has been denied.

Chris Lauth, president of Club UNITY, said those involved with the club are “very disappointed, but not too surprised” with the decision, which was announced Oct. 9.

The club was denied because its “purpose does not fall within the realm of the mission of the college,” according to the official denial letter written by Dean of Student Services Dan Stewart. No elaboration was given in the letter, and Stewart would not comment on how the purpose of Club UNITY conflicted with the mission of the college. Stewart said he had no comments on the issue in general.

Pesticide-free produce may not provide added health benefits, according to European research

By Kayla Hrynyk | gargoyle@flagler.edu

America’s cultural retaliation against expanding waistlines has launched a number of alternatives for the health-conscious consumer. While we may easily disregard the phrase “healthy fast food” as an oxymoron, the subject of organic foods comes packaged with some surprising controversy.

To many, the word “organic” is simply synonymous with “healthier.” College students on a budget usually tack on an alternative meaning: “pricier.”

A call to keep the music playing after high school

By Haley M. Walker | gargoyle@flagler.edu

I often use the phrase, “this one time at band camp,” and sincerely mean it. I know the difference between a bass clef and a treble clef, and at times I would rather read music than my school books.

When I first began playing flute in the sixth grade, I would have never guessed that my experience with music would become such a dynamic part of my life. At the time, it was just another half-hearted, extra-curricular activity to add to a list of many that I tested while young.

Emergency notification can be made through text, e-mail systems

By Richard Harris | rharris@flagler.edu

Students who ignored an e-mail urging them to register for a new campus emergency notification system may have given it a second look if they had known about a series of bomb threats the college received just minutes before the mass e-mail was sent.

The set of four threatening e-mails, sent in the early hours of Sept. 3 to an account monitored by Director of Admissions Marc Williar were all the same. According to the St. Augustine Police report, they stated: “A bomb is in the General’s House and will explode on 4th of Sept… This will be Flagler’s day in history.”

By Danielle Marsh | dmarsh1@flagler.edu

The city-run shuttle running from the Visitor Information Center parking garage on Castillo Drive to Flagler College’s campus will continue for the duration of the semester, according to an e-mail sent out by the college on Sept. 27. The college reached an agreement with the shuttle service provider to continue the service for Flagler College students only.

This comes on the heels of a Sept. 4 story by The St. Augustine Record that said the city made a decision to stop the shuttle service sometime in October because the cost of maintaining it was higher than the amount of money being brought in by people who park in the garage.

Providing a vegetarian meal, Food Not Bombs takes an active stance on feeding homeless

By Haley M. Walker | gargoyle@flagler.edu

Several times a week, a group of friends and members of the community cook for a group much larger than just themselves. Every Monday, Thursday and Saturday, the organization Food Not Bombs provides a homemade, vegetarian dinner for the homeless in St. Augustine.

“It’s more about doing what you are going to do, rather than saying what you are going to do,” said Flagler student Molly Jane Hammond. “Direct action is more important than mantras.”

Illustration by Ashley Sadeghy

Boost from energy drinks could have negative side effects

By Alicia Nierenstein | anierenstein@flagler.edu

When Daniel Wittig needs a boost in his day, he grabs a RockStar Energy Drink, opens it up and drinks it down. There is something appealing to him about the drink, and it is not just the surfing sponsorship he gets from the company.

Like many other college students in America, energy drinks of all sorts are the answer to an all-night study session, an athletic event or major exam. Thirty-one percent of teenagers polled in the United States said they drink energy drinks, and that number has nearly doubled in the past three years, according to a study done by Simmons Research Group.