Florida International University FIU Digital Commons PantherNOW - Student Newspaper Special Collections and University Archives 3-12-2010 The Beacon, March 12, 2010 Florida International University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/student_newspaper Recommended Citation Florida International University, "The Beacon, March 12, 2010" (2010). PantherNOW - Student Newspaper. 769. https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/student_newspaper/769 This work is brought to you for free and open access by the Special Collections and University Archives at FIU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in PantherNOW - Student Newspaper by an authorized administrator of FIU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ing Break A Forum for Free Student Expression at Florida International University SSpringpr Break Vol. 22, Issue 73 www.fi usm.com Friday, March 12, 2010 SPOTLIGHT SGC-MMC AT THE BAY PAGE 3 SUNNY SIDE UP The SACS accreditation team had Proposal nothing but positive remarks for BBC’s sense of community and service. LIFE! PAGE 4 addressed at GSA meeting Alternative Breaks gives students a tremendous opportunity to donate PHILIPPE BUTEAU their time to the causes that they Senior Staff Writer believe in most. LIFE! PAGE 4 Instead of a general meeting, the Graduate The Harvest of Hope festival brings Student Association held a town hall meeting March big indie names to Florida in the 1 to address disagreements that they and graduate spirit of charity. students had with a proposal to restructure GSA. OPINION PAGE 6 Anthony Rionda, Student Government Council at Modesto Maidique Campus president, and Jose Toscano, SGC-MMC advisor, presented the proposal. The proposal includes not only plans to add two additional graduate senators and increase the Cabralitics: Chris Cabral proposes conference funding, which Rionda said has already trading Marco Rubio for Charlie Crist happened, but also rescinding the Council for as Rubio’s pole numbers rise in the Senate race. Student Organizations’ point system and creating a GSA advisory council. OPINION PAGE 6 “We’re not doing this for any other reason than to Letter to the Editor: Andrew “Don’t increase effi ciency and effectiveness,” Rionda said. Taze Me, Bro” Meyer gives his take on the American media. The CSO point system was cited as one of the reasons the restructuring is necessary. In his presen- SPORTS PAGE 8 tation that was meant to provide historical context, FIU baseball splits home series with Toscano said GSA was asked to follow a point Boston College. Jabari Henry hits a grand slam to steal victory over system that was “administered by undergraduate Boston College. students who had little or no understanding of a graduate student’s schedule.” SPORTS PAGE 7 CSO uses a point system to determine how money FIU pitcher Kasey Barrett earns LINDA LEE/THE BEACON third straight Sun Belt Conference Senior Juan Chu (left) and senior Jesse Peterson (right) cook couscous in their solar oven on March for clubs is allocated. Clubs and their members must Pitcher of the Week award. 4 outside the Frost Art Museum. As a class project for ART 3681C, Time Art, the oven was made attend events, host meetings or be involved in the with a $8.27 budget using household materials and can reach a maximum temperature of 283.5 community to earn points. degrees in one hour and 30 minutes. UPCOMING EVENTS GSA, page 2 The Cherry Orchard, March 12, 8 p.m. Come and enjoy this classic play presented by FIU Theatre. $10 for students/faculty/staff and $12 for general admission. The play will Walk for cystic fi brosis premieres on campus be performed at WPAC. FIU Take Over’s the Miami Heat, March 14, 5:30 - 10 p.m. Meet players, ALEXANDER MILLER a series of walks (called Great According to the organiza- ening lung infections and cystic fi brosis. get gear and watch a Heat game, all for a Staff Writer Strides) for cystic fi brosis that tion’s Web site, cystic fi brosis obstructs the pancreas and Many people with the discounted price. Visit groups.heatexperience. take place around the U.S., but is an inherited chronic disease stops natural enzymes from disease can now expect to live com/fi utakeover this is the fi rst time there will that affects the lungs and diges- helping the body break down into their 30s, 40s and beyond. St. Patrick’s Day Street Fair, March 17, The FIU Wertheim College 5 p.m. Free at John Martin’s Irish Pub. of Medicine is sponsoring the be a walk taking place at FIU. tive system of about 30,000 and absorb food. Kharrazi works on research fi rst walk for cystic fi brosis “It’s pretty exciting to be children and adults in the U.S. In the 1950s, few chil- directly related to cystic – More events can be found in our Monday and Friday issues of Life!. to occur at the University to planning the walk and it’s the and 70,000 worldwide. dren with cystic fi brosis lived fi brosis in the College of Medi- create awareness about the fi rst time we’re having a walk A defective gene and its to attend elementary school. cine’s Department of Molec- WEATHER illness and get people involved for cystic fi brosis at FIU,” protein product cause the body Today, advances in research ular Microbiology and Infec- FRIDAY as a whole. said Rebekah Kharrazi, FIU to produce unusually thick, and medical treatments have tious Diseases. T-Storms Through the national Cystic Cystic Fibrosis Foundation sticky mucus that clogs the further enhanced and extended LOW: 67 HIGH: 83 Fibrosis Foundation, there are chairperson. lungs and leads to life-threat- life for children and adults with WALK, page 2 SATURDAY Scattered Showers LOW: 53 HIGH: 78 SUNDAY Program prepares freshmen for writing exams Mostly Sunny LOW: 54 HIGH: 78 MARIELLA ROQUE The program, which was initiated Curriculum prerequisite, in which Originally, the late Jeffrey Knapp, Contributing Writer by Associate Dean for Undergraduate professors assign the students a two- director of the Academy for the Art CONTACTS Studies Glenda Belote and Univer- page essay based on the book as well of Teaching, was placed in charge of Editor in Chief .................... 305-348-1580 The Common Reading Program for sity Ombudsman Larry Lunsford, is a as a quiz. the project. But it was handed down chris.necuze@fi usm.com freshmen fi nished its fi rst University- requirement for incoming freshmen. The program aims to prepare to Assistant Dean for Undergraduate MMC Offi ce ........................ 305-348-2709 wide implementation this semester and It began as a pilot program in the students for college reading and get Studies Valerie Morgan after Knapp’s news@fi usm.com will continue into this Summer and Summer semester of 2008 at Biscayne them used to writing and taking tests passing. BBC Offi ce .......................... 305-919-4722 bbc@fi usm.com next Fall. Bay Campus, and has received high on a book. A committee of 10 faculty and staff Tips & Corrections .............. 305-348-2709 The freshmen-geared program has student approval ratings since. “We basically want to enhance [the and two student representatives leads tips@fi usm.com fi rst-year students read a book chosen The program is tied to the First Year students’] reading skills,” Lunsford Advertising ........................ 305-348-6994 by the Common Reading Committee. Experience course, a University Core said. READING, page 2 advertising@fi usm.com 2 The Beacon – Friday, March 12, 2010 NEWS www.fi usm.com NEWS FLASH Proposal includes a new council NATIONAL GSA, page 1 increased from $45,000 to $100,000 Several graduate students said where American charged with terrorist conspiracy based on a stipend of $250 for 400 their conference funding came from was Because of this system, graduate students. This model is similar to one not very important, what was important A Pennsylvania woman has been charged with plot- students who are members of graduate the University of Florida currently uses, to them is how they found out GSA was ting to kill a Swedish man and trying to recruit fi ghters student organizations, which are within according to Rionda, and it was also one being restructured and graduate student via the Internet to commit violent attacks overseas, the CSO, have to do this to earn conference of major contention. advocacy. U.S. Justice Department said on Tuesday. funding. All graduate students at the town hall As for the advocacy, Saleem According to Reuters, Colleen LaRose, who also All of the graduate students in atten- brought up the argument that $250 could suggested that instead of an immediate went by the pseudonym of “Fatima LaRose” and “Jihad dance approved of getting rid of the point barely cover the airfare for their confer- restructuring, SGA should monitor GSA Jane,” was charged with conspiracy to commit murder system. ences. Rionda said that number could for six months to one year after warning overseas, conspiracy to provide support to terrorists, The GSA advisory council will be increase, but then fewer students would them that they are not meeting certain making false statements and attempted identity theft. made up of the four graduate senators, be covered. criteria. two paid graduate student positions, a Several graduate students brought up Rionda did not specifi cally address ‘Lost Boys’ star found dead in his apartment Graduate Student Organization coordi- the issue of GSA’s functionality during Saleem’s idea but admitted that graduate nator within CSO and other members the town hall. Muhammad Saleem, one students were not properly informed of Corey Haim, former 1980s teen movie actor, was appointed by GSA, SGA and other of the graduate senators, asked what the what was happening.