On Campus

Flu symptoms, viral outbreaks increase this year, says Baringer

By Jennifer Swift | gargoyle@flagler.edu

Freshman Kerri Paulsen has been ill twice this semester.

“When my roommates get sick, I know it’s only a matter of time before I get sick,” she said. “It stinks. I am too sick to go to class, and when I do go to class, I’m too sick to pay attention.”

The Office of Academic Affairs reported an increase this semester in illness-related class cancelations and student absences.

Students have shown some symptoms of the flu, but most appear to have milder infections, according to Dr. Dudley Baringer, the on-campus doctor at Flagler College.

By Jennifer Swift | gargoyle@flagler.edu The Florida Beta Chapter of Alpha Chi inducted 36 students on March 6. According to Connie St. Clair-Andrews, the faculty co-sponsor, the purpose of the coeducational society is to “promote academic excellence and exemplary character among college and university students…

Questions remain about security, exterior designs of dormitories

By Jennifer Swift | gargoyle@flagler.edu

Questions remain as the process of transforming two of the three Florida East Coast Buildings into dormitories remains on schedule, with a completion date set for July 10.

Before the dorms open, questions regarding security, the exterior designs surrounding the buildings, and even what the buildings will be continue to linger.

Though the new dorms will offer state-of-the-art security equipment within the buildings, the level of security offered for the seven-minute walk from the new dormitories to the main campus remains up in the air.

By Brittany Hackett | bhackett@flagler.edu

Graphic Design professor Mel Shanks passed away on Feb. 16.

According to Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs Yvan Kelly, Shanks had a fatal heart attack while driving home from the Orlando airport.

Author of ‘Mystic River’ and ‘Gone Baby Gone’ draws crowds during three-day visit to Flagler College

By Jennifer Swift | gargoyle@flagler.edu

The Flagler College Auditorium was almost filled to capacity for Friday night’s reading by award-winning novelist Dennis Lehane.

Friday night’s event marked the end of Lehane’s visit to Flagler as the most recent Writer-in-Residence.
Lehane read from his upcoming novel, The Given Day, and took questions from the audience afterwards.

From Staff | gargoyle@flagler.edu United Way of St. Johns County is holding its 2nd Annual “Walk 5K for United Way” fund-raising event on March 1. On-site registration is at 9 a.m. and the walk starts at 10 a.m. The route is a scenic stroll through…

By Jennifer Swift | gargoyle@flagler.edu

Last semester, “Tailgate for the Troops” became the DOW Advantage Public Relations Group’s most successful fund-raiser to date, raising $500 to benefit U.S. troops stationed overseas.

The money raised was first intended to help finance a Super Bowl party for troops in Kuwait, until the group’s contact in Kuwait advised them the money could not be used for its original purpose.

“My contact in Kuwait felt the money would not be used to its full potential there,” Bailey Toombs said. Toombs, a senior at Flagler, originally developed the idea for “Tailgate for the Troops.”

Troops in Kuwait to enjoy Super Bowl party courtesy of DOW Advantage

By Rosanna Gill | gargoyle@flagler.edu

The DOW Advantage Public Relations Group sponsored Tailgate for the Troops before the first home games for the men’s and women’s basketball teams. The chilly night did not stop people from supporting their Saints or their troops in Kuwait.

Bailey Toombs, a senior at Flagler, first brought up the idea for Tailgate for the Troops to the DOW group when the Flagler student-run public relations firm was thinking of a fundraiser or form of volunteer work to do together.

“Since DOW is a public relations agency, we have a tendency to all get caught up in our individual clients,” Toombs said. “By doing something like this as a group we are more cohesive.”

By Capri Martinez | gargoyle@flagler.edu

Dr. Mignonne Pollard is this year’s commencement speaker. Originally from St. Augustine, Pollard is also a Flagler College alumna.

Pollard received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish/Latin American studies from Flagler.

“What made my stay at Flagler most enjoyable was the people I met and friends I made who are still my friends today,” Pollard said.

By Julie Hirshan | gargoyle@flagler.edu

Tradition. Purpose. Symbolism.

The Flagler College class ring exemplifies all of these values. At the Ring Ceremony on Nov. 15, more than 30 students gathered in the rotunda at 6 p.m. for a candle lighting ceremony and a procession to Markland House to receive their class rings.

Flagler President William T. Abare, Jr. opened the ceremony with remarks about what the Flagler College class ring stands for.