News

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.

By Emily DeLoach | edeloach@flagler.edu

After much debate, St. Johns County and the City of St. Augustine have come to an agreement over the homeless population: something needs to be done soon.

The City of St. Augustine has been looking for a way to move the homeless from its downtown areas for several years. City Commissioners held a workshop Sept. 5 to get input from local citizens. Local organizations such as St. Francis House, People United to Stop Homelessness and St. Augustine Catholic Ministries were present at the meeting.

By Danielle Marsh | dmarsh1@flagler.edu

Flagler College administration recently met with St. Augustine city officials to discuss the shutting down of the shuttle service from the parking garage.

The St. Augustine Record reported on Sept. 4 that the city made a decision to stop the shuttle service sometime in October. The shuttle runs from the Visitor Information Center parking garage on Castillo Drive to Flagler College’s campus.

Abare approves governing document, mission for The Gargoyle

By Brittany Hackett | bhackett@flagler.edu

After a controversial ending to the 2007 spring semester, The Gargoyle is moving forward with a new governing document and policy statement.

An issue arose in the spring semester after a story about a controversial proposal for Club Unity, a version of the Gay-Straight Alliance, was not published.

Gargoyle Mission and Governing Document
Photo Gallery: Protest

Student Center, Art Building ready for student use

By Brittany Hackett | bhackett@flagler.edu

The landscape of Flagler College has changed over the summer with the completion of two major construction projects.

The 42,000-square-foot Ringhaver Student Center, located on the corner of Sevilla and King streets, is ready to become the center for student life. In addition to the dining and lounge areas, it will be home to the college bookstore, a multi-purpose room, five classrooms, a theatre-style classroom, group study rooms, faculty offices and the student and career services offices.

Photo Gallery: Construction Complete