BY JOSHUA M. SMITH
Lions’ Pride Online Editor

Photograph by Joshua M. Smith

Josh’s immediate reaction to one-party rule in Washington.

Now that we’ve all had time to let our emotions settle down from the election, I’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate Barack Obama, his family, and the Democrats for their triumph on November 4. Obama truly ran an impressive campaign, and he could not have done it without the help of his loyal followers.

I mean, just imagine what the results might have been if his followers in the press hadn’t provided so much positive coverage of him and negative coverage of his opponent. It could have been a disaster for the Democrats had the press actually done its job and “pressed” for answers from Obama regarding his vague promises, his troubling personal associations (Rev. Wright, Tony Rezko, Bill Ayres), his lack of executive experience, his support for abortion and infanticide, his ultra-liberal voting record, his admitted use of cocaine, or his “lost” college years, of which we still know precious little. [Read more →]

BY KATELYN GAISER
Lions’ Pride Layout Editor

“Ladies and gentlemen, the 44th president of the United States, Mr. Barack Obama.” These words are what people will be hearing all across the country come inauguration day on January 20th.

To some, this is a problem, an outrage, and a certain mistake. To others, it is comforting, life-altering, and a breath of fresh air.
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BY DR. MARK TIGER EDMONDS
Special to The Lions’ Pride

America, you have to stop buying over-priced, excessive crap you don’t need with money you don’t have. Right after over-population, this is the main problem. If it weren’t, we wouldn’t be in the economic mess we’re in. If it weren’t, our dumps, junkyards, and landfills, wouldn’t be bursting at the seams.

America, you should stop rushing to help victims of natural disasters half-way around the world. We’ve got plenty of our own victims right here in the U.S.A. who need the help. It would seem that the folks in New Orleans and Iowa and California should come way before the people in places we can neither pronounce nor find on a map.
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BY ALLYN TUFF
Lions’ Pride Staff Writer

The Soccer season is officially over. Now it’s time to rack up all the stats, and see how the men and women did.

On the men’s side, they finished third in their conference for the regular season with a 5-3 win-loss record, and finished off the year with a record of 10-7-1; this did not come without great effort though. In the playoffs, the Lions made it all the way to the semifinals, where they fell to University of Tampa 4-1. Tampa then moved on to the Championships from there.
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BY CAITLIN CRAFT
Lions’ Pride Sports Editor

For those of you who are avid ESPN watchers you have obviously notices that it isn’t just about the Bucs or the Rays, basketball season is in full swing now, and the Heat is on in Miami. It is the same thing for our Saint Leo University Lions, they have hit the court a few times already and both teams are off to a good start.

The lady Lions had a little jump on the men hosting the Sleep Inn Classic with a home court advantage. The Lions swept the tournament winning both of their games by a hefty margin. They won the first game by more than 20 points and then rattled the stands by hitting the 100 point margin and beating Ave Marie University by more than 45 points. The Lions are out to shock the fans this season as their third game against the University of Puerto Rico-Cayey ended in a victory for the Lions and their third straight win for the season.
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BY TIM PEASE
Lions’ Pride Sports Editor

This fall season has been a very exciting time for Saint Leo athletes. First the women’s soccer team wins the conference tournament and now the volleyball team has taken on big time rival Florida Southern College and beat them both times. The most recent win granted the Lions to advance on in the NCAA regional tournament. The Lions will continue their battle after the break is over to take on the final game of the tournament.

With a regular season record of 28-10 and a conference record of 8-8, the Lions were ranked in fifth place for the Sunshine State Conference. And they didn’t have an easy time getting there. The last six games on their regular season schedule were all conference based play. While the Lions have already played against these teams once during the season, that was their last chance to redeem themselves and improve the record in order to be apart of the tournament.
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BY TIM PEASE
Lions’ Pride Staff Writer

The Saint Leo University men’s and women’s swim team are off to a good start this season, especially considering they are entering into a new conference this year.

The swim team has a current record of 3-1. The team is on a current winning streak of two of there last three meets. After a rocky start to the season against Savannah College of Art and Design, the team really dived into the dedication necessary for the last two defeats against Rollins and FAMU. The Lions do have some ways to go, especially with a few early winter invitations in Savannah, Georgia and Daytona Beach, but every day they practice in the pool is another step ahead of their competition.
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BY MARY F CHUHINKO
Lions’ Pride Staff Writer

President Elect Barack Obama

Senator Barack Obama is the new President Elect; he will be sworn in on January 20, 2009.

This election was particularly significant because the American people were really stepping into the 21 century by having the choice to vote for either the first African American President or the first female Vice-President.

On November fourth, the Democratic Party took back control of the White House after eight long years under President George W. Bush.

This particular race to the White House was a tough one, especially for the Democratic Party. Senator McCain was able to take a step back and work on his campaign while Senator Obama and Senator Hilary Clinton battled it out for the Democratic nomination.

Once Senator Obama won the nomination for the Democratic Party, the real battle between the Republican and Democratic parties had begun. People all over the country were predicting this to be the closest Presidential election in history.

Many voters can only remember the long drawn out election between President Bush and former Vice-President Al Gore in 2000. Even the election in 2004 between President Bush and Senator John Kerry wasn’t decided until Wednesday morning.
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BY ANDREW SHALNA
Lions’ Pride Staff Writer

Sober monitoring has become an integral part of event planning for many fraternities and sororities. Safety for those enjoying themselves has become a priority.

Many times during events guests become careless and may not realize how high a level of intoxication they have reached. With sober monitoring several completely sober people are on the lookout for erratic behavior, over-drinking, and the overall safety for guests in attendance.
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BY JESSICA O’KEEFE
Lions’ Pride Assistant Editor

The votes are in and Obama is it.

After months of speeches, rallies, and a few debates, the next president has been decided. America has voted for change. Tuesday, November 4, 2008 marked a historic day in America’s history. For the first time, a minority was elected President of the United States.
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BY DONOVAN RUMMEL
Lions’ Pride Staff Writer

The room inspections, or rather the health and safety inspections, are held once a semester by all R.A.’s, but not everyone is aware of what they are for.

Just to clear everything up for the masses, the inspections were intended to be, as the name implies, a form of “checking up” on the students.
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BY LINDSAY RENNER
Lions’ Pride Staff Writer

Several Saint Leo University students were arrested last month in connection to a house party thrown in the Wesley Chapel area.

The party was hosted by a group of students known as the Tri State Boyz. While not the first to be hosted, it was the first to be busted by the police.
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BY KERRI HEASLEY
Lions’ Pride Staff Writer

Thanksgiving is traditionally all about family, food, and fun. This year it is going to be more costly to fly home and partake in these joyful festivities. Some last minute tickets are costing extravagant amounts of money that travelers can not afford.

While the holidays are typically a more expensive time to travel, the 2008 holiday season may be the most expensive yet. The Thursday before Thanksgiving, November 20, to the Sunday after, November 30, is one of the costliest times to travel. With school vacations, this is also the time when the majority of students are in search of plane tickets home. Flying out before Thanksgiving is not usually the problem. That Sunday, November 30, is when travelers are really hit with high air fares. The day before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after are two of the busiest travel days of the year.
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BY SIMONE WILLIAMS
Lions’ Pride Ad Manager

Saint Leo University’s MBA is moving to Asia!

Recently, Saint Leo’s MBA program established a partnership with the Lincoln Business School to expand the program into Taiwan, Singapore, and Shanghai. With more than 1,000 students enrolled worldwide, this expansion offers the MBA program to more students who couldn’t access it before.
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BY COLLEEEN SHANAHAN
Lions’ Pride Online Assitant Editor

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, students are busy thinking about and planning their Thanksgiving breaks. Here are just a few of the plans students have:

“I am going home to Virginia. Thanksgiving isn’t that big of a holiday for our family, but we do always have Thanksgiving dinner with the immediate family. We make it a point to go visit our other family. We don’t do anything super special. We tend to just have the traditional Thanksgiving dinner, but none the less, it’s still my favorite holiday,” sophomore Jordan Coates said.
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BY LISA KING
Lions’ Pride Staff Writer

The atmosphere was light despite the seriousness of the presentation. Most people were prepared for a boring lecture about drunk driving, but what they got was a hilarious surprise.

At first, it was hard to pick out speaker Nicole Martingano from the crowd, but it soon became apparent as she swaggered around with a belt that said “Gator Belt.”
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BY KERRI HEASELY
Lions’ Pride Staff Writer

Photograph by Kerri Heasely

Freshman Catherine Hall appreciates the photography of fellow student sophomore Erin Shortt during the reception

The annual Saint Leo art and photography exhibition was held on Thursday, November 6 in St. Edwards Hall.

The walls were filled with drawings, paintings, and photographs all done by fellow Saint Leo students.

The room was covered with brightly colored pictures and paintings depicting different areas of interest with some of the proud artists standing nearby their work. The backdrop was warm and inviting, with light refreshments as well as live music played by two talented Saint Leo students.

Many onlookers roamed among the art work, admiring the talent that can be found at this university. Students and faculty alike mingled among the art and lovely sound of the live music.
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BY JOSHUA M. SMITH
Lions’ Pride Online Editor

Abortion is the killing of an innocent human being. It is not “reproductive health.” It is not “a woman’s choice.” It is not “birth control.” It is an abomination.

This has been the position of the Catholic Church since before its very creation. Saint Leo University is a Catholic university. That is why pro-choice displays are not allowed on campus.
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BY KATIE GAISER
Lions’ Pride Layout Editor

Free speech is a right that we are all entitled to as Americans. As citizens of this country, we enjoy the right to share our opinions and speak our minds any time we chose. However, it’s not always as simple as: have an opinion, tell the world. Sometimes, we must abide by certain rules when in certain places, like when standing on Saint Leo University soil.

I know what you’re thinking: Saint Leo is on American soil, right? So, students should have access to the same rights on and off campus, right? Wrong, folks. It appears that at a Catholic university, the same rules do not apply.

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BY COLLEEN SHANAHAN
Lions’ Pride Assistant Online Editor

Photograph courtesy of myspace.com

Saint Leo University isn’t just known for its affordable quality education anymore. Musician D2!R, better known as Kyle Rowland, has put Saint Leo on the map with his amazing talent in the R&B/ hip
hop genre.

D2!R music interest started early, as most do.

“I’ve been into music since I was old enough to comprehend it! I was probably around 4 or 5 years old when I started singing songs I heard on the radio. I started getting serious about it during my senior year of high school,” said Rowland.

Music in Rowland’s life proves to be his true passion.

“I love the fact that I have the ability to write and create music, and out of all my talents, it is the one I enjoy doing the most,” said Rowland.

“My mom used to sing around the house when she was cleaning and stuff. Maybe she has been my
main influence. I’m not really sure about that,” said Rowland.

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BY ANDREW SHALNA
Lions’ Pride Staff Writer

The explosions were loud and the arena smelled of gun powder. Hordes of signs and banners overshadowed the thousands in attendance. The music was nearly deafening and a steel cage hung over the ring. World Wrestling Entertainment’s Monday Night Raw was in town at the St. Pete Times Forum on November 3, 2008. Emotions were high and the energy rivaled that of one of the many pay-per-views the WWE has monthly. This was also a special night. It was the 800th Episode Celebration.
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BY KERRI HEASLEY
Lions’ Pride Staff Writer

If movie goers were drawn to the theater to view The Haunting of Molly Hartley because of its Halloween release date, they were sadly misguided. The lackluster movie barely had any scary elements, and did not frighten viewers as the previews had promised.

The Haunting of Molly Hartley was basically about a girl experiencing hallucinations because of an agreement her mother and father made when she was born. The day she turns 18, the prophecy that her parent’s agreed to would occur, changing her world forever. The duration of the movie is about Molly trying to run from her fate, although it seems inevitable.
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BY SIMONE WILLIAMS
Lions’ Pride Ad Manager

Photograph by Brandy Scaglione

Bougrelas fights for his family’s honor against one of Pere Ubu’s henchmen.

Any production that starts off with a young man in half-drag monotone dancing to Insane-O-Flex’s “I Like Your Booty (But I’m Not Gay)” is a production worth seeing.

Alfred Jarry’s Ubu Roi was put into production on Wednesday, October 21 by Saint Leo University’s David McGinnis. Seats were filled five minutes after doors opened resulting in an amazing turnout. There was even a fight or two over reserved seats versus regular ones.

The pre-show extravaganza was akin to an eccentric night club. Leo Competello, who also plays Captain Bordue, opened the pre-show with his not so hot dancing skills that had everyone in the audience laughing. He was soon followed by almost Superstar reenactment and a toilet paper rave. The entire time, Dr. Shawn Bingham sat atop his toilet throne.

And then, the play began.

The opening scene featured Mere Ubu and Pere Ubu, played by Jessica O’Keefe and Joseph Pless. O’Keefe had the audience in tears with her sloppy makeup, abrasive attitude towards her husband, and heavy New York accent. Pless’ performance was superb with his accurate depiction of a fat, sloppy, greedy oaf.

Pere Ubu is relentless in his political ambition and idiotic in his plans for complete take over. With his vicious badger, played by Julia Tealo, and Polish cronies, played by Lisa Lomaglio, Brittney Currie, and Emily Belvo, Pere Ubu was unstoppable.
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BY CAITLIN CRAFT
Lions’ Pride Sports Editor

Photograph by Caitlin Craft

Lauren Hudson

Photograph by Caitlin Craft

Lizzie Seedhouse

Photograph by Caitlin Craft

Luisa Metallo

These three amazing athletes have taken the women’s soccer program far past it’s original expectations. As these three women strive to continue their education they leave their playing time behind. It is now time for them to be awarded for their records, their victories, and their dedication to a game that they have so rightfully played at Leo.

BY CAITLIN CRAFT
Lions’ Pride Sports Editor

Photograph courtesy of Sarah Tatko

Seniors Sarah and Amanda Tatko

Diving into the pool one after the other, seniors Amanda and Sarah Tatko are the swimming Tatko twins ready to take the Blue Grass Conference by storm during their last year at Saint Leo University. Despite their physical similarities, these fraternal twins do have their differences in their interests and hobbies. However, as Amanda and Sarah continue their road through college life, they know they will always have each other to lean on.

As distance swimmers on the women’s swim team, both Tatkos have the endurance in the pool, during violin practice, and in the classroom. Swimming and violin have been two things that Sarah and Amanda have always done together. With little interest in the same subjects at school, after school activities were a time when they could spend together.

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BY CAITLIN CRAFT
Lions’ Pride Sports Writer

Photograph by Caitlin Craft

Lions celebrate after tournament win

The lady Lions have done it. After coming up short the past couple years, the Lions took the challenge by its legs and dragged it all the way to the final shootout. After a nail biting victory over Rollins College on Nov 7, the Lions advanced to another long nerve-racking game.

If fans know about Lions soccer, they should have been prepared for the team to take it to the very last extreme. The Lions ended the first half of the game down by one against Florida Southern College, but with a little less than ten minutes in the second half, freshman Pia Soesemann, with the assistance by senior Lizzie Seedhouse, came up with a big goal off a corner kick. Both teams had opportunities to score, but defense on both sides was holding tight, which is what brought both teams out of regulation and into overtime.

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BY JESSICA PALL
Lions’ Pride Staff Writer

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. It evolved from the first Day of Unity observed in October, 1981. This month, students should become aware of the problems that are associated with domestic violence.

What is domestic violence? It involves any form of abuse that someone uses to gain control over their partner in an intimate relationship. This includes physical, sexual, emotional, economic, and psychological abuse. Without any doubt, domestic violence is a crime.
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BY JAMISON WHITNEY
Lions’ Pride Staff Writer

The presidential race between Barack Obama and John McCain has been one of the closest in recent history until the past week.

The political climate has grown increasingly hostile toward McCain, showing Obama with a 5 point lead in the projected national polls. Political pundits also show the Democratic candidate with a commanding lead in electoral votes, possessing about 248 of the only 270 needed for a win. Amid trying to control incidentally inciting their rallies to irrational hatred of Obama and overcoming the rumors regarding the validity of Sarah Palin’s candidacy for V.P., the third debate was going to be a deciding factor in the outcome of the election.
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BY COLLEEN SHANAHAN
Lions’ Pride Assistant Online Editor

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, students are busy thinking about and planning their Thanksgiving breaks. Here are just a few of the plans that students have.

“I am going home to Virginia. Thanksgiving isn’t that big of a holiday for our family, but we do always have Thanksgiving dinner with the immediate family. We make it a point to go visit our other family. We don’t do anything super special. We tend to just have the traditional Thanksgiving dinner, but none the less, it’s still my favorite holiday,” sophomore Jordan Coates said.
[Read more →]

BY COLLEEN SHANAHAN
Lions’ Pride Online Assistant Editor

Every month, Walgreens puts out an EasySaver rebate book. In this book, shoppers find an array of Walgreens coupons and rebates each month. While some people may view these ways to save as minimal, with the ever changing economy, every little bit helps.

Walgreens rebates and coupons vary month to month, so shoppers must be vigilant. The best way to maximize off of these rebates and Walgreens coupons is to pair savings with manufacturer’s coupons.
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