On Campus News Briefs

Flagler celebrates Day of Hope
By Kelly Gibbs | kgibbs@flagler.edu

Photo By Phillip C. Sunkel IV

Flagler celebrated a day of hope on October 20, which was a day of remembrance for those who have lost their lives in the struggle against homosexual intolerance. It was also a nationwide campaign to stop bullying.

President of Flagler College’s Club Unity Jessica Brousseau, 19, said she was happy to see such a great turnout for the event.

“Usually these type of events don’t get a big following, but when I went out for my third class, I saw tons of people wearing purple and it was a really good feeling because we’re kind of bridging the gap between all different types of people,” said Brousseau.

The outcry of support came after Rutgers student Tyler Clementi, 18, committed suicide on Sept. 22.

In Texas, Asher Brown, 13, shot himself on Sept. 23 after being continually bullied at school for being homosexual.

These deaths and the others that followed show an alarming amount of intolerance that still exists in America. Though the U.S. viewpoint on LGBTQ rights has progressed and evolved, cracks can still be seen.

“It’s obviously a tragedy, but suicide is not the way to go. There’s always support in school or within your family, but sometimes those are the places where you’re faced with the most intolerance and it’s sad that they felt that they had nothing else to be here for,” said Brousseau. “I really wish people would understand that sexuality doesn’t make a difference in a person’s ability to love other people or to be successful in society.”

Brousseau plans to have many more events this and next semester and to make Club Unity a bigger presence on campus including food events and weekly movie nights.

Shining a light on suicide awareness
By Tiffanie Reynolds | gargoyle@flagler.edu

Flagler College Active Minds club is leading St. Augustine toward a better understanding of suicide and suicide prevention.

On Nov. 20, they are holding Walk Out of Darkness, a symbolic walk-a-thon around the city and over the Bridge of Lions.

The event starts at the Visitor Center just before dawn and ends at the Anastasia Lighthouse with the sunrise. It is to symbolize the group walking out of the darkness of suicide and into the light of understanding. Jacob Burke, current Active Minds president, says that is it to raise suicide awareness and understanding about how many people it can effect, especially those with mental illness.

They have been planning this event since last year, as previous president Carrie Rehberg wanted to hold the event. Since August, Active Minds has been completing what was left last year. Usually this event is held by suicide prevention organizations, but Active Minds is the first organization to hold an event like this in St. Augustine.

“I want to do it for club benefit and raise awareness for it,” says Burke. They are also planning to fundraise for the event and take the donations to a suicide prevention organization in either St. Augustine or Jacksonville.

This event is one of many that Active Minds holds every year, although the first on suicide awareness. The club, which usually focuses on breaking the stereotypes of mental illness and promoting mental health on campus, wanted to also address the stereotypes of suicide. They hope that participants will leave the event with the knowledge of how to better handle the issue as well as help those that are fighting with the prospect of suicide.

Flagler students crazy about Glee
By Kayla Ward | gargoyle@flagler.edu

For Flagler College junior, Kristy Kurowski, 8 p.m. on Tuesday nights is reserved for “Glee.”

“I have a club meeting at eight but I always rush downstairs to finish watching it,” Kurowski said of the new hit show.

Glee, a sitcom about a high school glee club, kicked off its second season in late September. The musical guest on last week’s episode was pop princess Britney Spears.

In previous episodes Glee has featured music by artists like Lady Gaga, Journey, Beyonce and Madonna. But last week’s Britney episode pushed the show to the top of its game. According to MTV.com, the episode “drew in 13.3 million viewers, leading the 8 p.m. hour and posting its best-ever rating among adults 18-49.”

Flagler junior Autumn Roth, cannot watch Glee when it airs on Tuesday nights but catches up on the episodes by watching them the next day on Hulu.com.

“I’m always in the student center on Tuesday nights for meetings and whatnot and I think it’s so funny how many kids come down to watch Glee. I’ve never seen so many people gathering in that room and that is just to watch a TV show,” she said.

Glee follows the trend of musical television that was started by Disney Channel’s High School Musical movie series. The show is different than many of its prime time competitors such as Grey’s Anatomy, Jersey Shore, My Generation and Vampire Diaries.

“I think it’s [popular] because it takes real life situations and issues and turns them into a fun lighter topic by having these kids sing about them,” said Kurowski.

Flagler senior Dana Lewis is also a fan of the TV series.

“It’s just fun and entertaining and I’ve always wished that my life was a musical and that songs would just start playing during certain situations,” she said. She watches the show in her apartment and said if she did not have cable she would be in the student center every Tuesday night.