Are YOU looking for a fun, flexible, fantastic Saint leo campus job?
Well then, consider working for The Lions' Pride student newspaper. With flexible hours and advancement opportunities, The Lions' Pride is an ideal job not just for those who are interested in journalism but for business and computer majors as well.
For more information about employment opportunities with The Lions' Pride, stop by our office on the first floor of the Student Activities Center or email our Editor In Chief, Kristin Brittain.
Have you ever seen yourself in journalism? Are you interested in learning how to incorporate multimedia into news stories? Have you ever been looking for a cohesive, fun, and creative work environment. If you can see yourself answering yes to any of those questions, then The Lions’ Pride is for you. The Lion’s Pride is going to be interviewing shortly for positions for the 2010-2011 school year. The following positions are open for interviews
Editors and Assistant Editors earn an extra .25 cents an hour.
If you are interested in applying for one of these positions, please contact either
Colleen Shanahan at Colleen.Shanahan@email.saintleo.edu (online editor)
or
Valerie Kasper (Advisor) at Valerie.Kasper@saintleo.edu or by phone at (352) 588-7424
We will get back to you shortly with dates and times of interviews.
BY EDWARD AND EDGARD OLIVA
Lions’ Pride Staff Writers
One day while shopping at American Eagle, I saw a winter hoodie that had fuzz in the hood. I had always wanted a hoodie with fuzz. “You won’t need that!” Ashleigh Curtis said.
BY EDGARD AND EDWARD OLIVA
Lions’ Pride Staff Writers
Edgard: Many people over the break enjoyed their long vacation off of school and some were ready to get the school year started off early. My brother, Edward, and I went to school on Sunday to get a head start on unpacking our things when we were informed that our rooms were locked until Monday. [Read more →]
During the fall semester, freshman Cory Los Schumacher, had a lot on his plate, from beginning of his term as freshman class president to impending brain surgery.
This current semester the stakes may not include his life, but he has no desire to sit back and take it easy. [Read more →]
BY MINDY PIERCE &
JESSICA PALL
Lions’ Pride Sports Editors
Filing for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) can determine whether a student will receive financial aid or not from their respective college or federal loans like the Stafford, Parent PLUS, Pell Grant, and opportunity for work study. Once determined, the offered loans and work study money provides sufficient help for students collecting funds for tuition.
While some students are aware of the importance of filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), many do not know that to be considered for financial aid such as federal loans, it is imperative to fill out the FAFSA forms every year, and preferably as early as possible to due to its’ first come, first served basis. There are limited funds for each university on their financial aid allowance. [Read more →]
BY CHERALYN BARRINGTON
Lions’ Pride Assistant Layout Editor
Courtesy of Perezhilton.com
Official movie poster for Avatar.
James Cameron’s movie masterpiece has received much more than praise following its December release.
The gorgeously constructed 3-D film Avatar that portrays life on the alternative world of Pandora, has stirred controversy in many directions. The film is centered on ex-marine Jake Sully, a paraplegic that telepathically connects to an artificial blue 9-foot body modeling the Na’vi people who inhabit Pandora. The Na’vi are generally peaceful creatures that live like savages but are slightly more intelligent. They rely on nature for their needs and worship a type of “Mother Nature” referred to as Eywa. [Read more →]
In 2005, McGwire refused to answer questions about steroids and PED’s in front of congress along with other accused steroid users. Though his admittance was in no way surprising, it did shed light on when and how he used drugs and the reasons for doing so.
McGwire claims he used performance enhancing drugs to rehabilitate his body from injury, but he admits to continuing to use steroids after he was healthy. He claims that during his most successful seasons in the mid-nineties he only used steroids for four week periods, including in 1994 after the All-star break because he was “breaking down”. McGwire also claims that his homerun hitting ability comes directly from God and that steroids could in no way improve his hand-eye coordination. [Read more →]
Veronika Ospina-Kammerer, SWK faculty on right, speaks with patient visitng with a therapy dog and therapy dog volunteer
Twice a year, the Saint Leo community comes together to lend a helping hand. Community Service day not only promotes the Benedictine values of Saint Leo, but is also allows students, faculty, and staff to give back to a community that could always use a helping hand and personally grow.
This semester, Saint Leo performed community service day in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Saint Leo was only one of many universities, communities, and organizations to honor the day through service. Martin Luther King Jr. dedicated his life to securing not only equal rights for all, but to make the United States something everyone could be proud of: “We have an opportunity to make a better nation,” Dr. King said. [Read more →]
Since the shocking 7.0 earthquake hit the country of Haiti, pictures of the aftermath try to describe to the world how this catastrophe has inflicted so much pain and hardship on the inhabitants of the small island. A metropolis that was once filled with towering buildings, hillside neighborhoods, and a vibrant city life now show the results of a very sad devastation. When news of the earthquake broke out across the United States, the reaction was not only one of surprise and shock, but an immediate call to help. While organizations and help aids were beginning to form for the island, Haitians across the US felt another urgency; to contact, find, and help the suffering family and friends that were directly affected by the disaster.
On the Saint Leo campus, Haitian students felt exactly the same. Fear and anxiety had increased for the first few hours, even days, after the quake. The lack of communication to and from Haiti proved to be the main catalyst for these worries and thankfully, these connections improved for the students. Esther,20, and Andree,19, Garnier were both relieved to hear that their mother, little brother, and cousins were alive. Even though they were not in Haiti when the earthquake occurred, the sisters felt the fear and emotion behind their mother‘s voice when she opened up to the girls about what happened.
“She spoke about how the house suddenly moved and cracks appeared on the walls. She took my little brother and ran outside,” Esther said.
Despite this, the house sustained no other damages but received tragic news as the day wore on. The family is grieving the loss of two great aunts that died when their house collapsed. Numerous friends from high school also did not survive; all between the ages of 20-22. The girls find hope in the arrival of their mother and little brother on Saturday morning to the United States.
Unlike the Garnier sisters, who had found out information about the earthquake relatively quickly, other Haitian students did not.
Everlie Vassor, 20, was in shock to receive a call from her boyfriend at midnight who told her what had happened. Everlie had been busy that whole day and was not accepting calls or answering back text messages, something she wishes that she had not done. “I regret not picking up, I truly do,” she said. “ I was in so much shock and I feel so guilty.”
At first, she did not hear from her father, stepmother, and stepbrother-who all live in Port-au-Prince-and she initially thought that her dad was dead. She received confirmation from her family there later on that everyone was fine and that no significant damage was done to their property. Now that Everlie knows that her family is safe, she is trying to help others out by finding out if theirs are. When her family tells her that someone that they are close to is missing, she immediately hits the web and calls anyone she can in Haiti.
“My family calls me a good luck charm because my phone is the only one that has been getting through to Haiti without any problems”, she said. “I honestly feel that it was not luck, but my faith in God that helped the most. I never realized how much faith I really have. I used the chapel 24/7. Prayer is the key.”
Ralph Alphonse, 19, also shared the same sentiments. He received word about his father‘s side of the family as soon as he contacted him, finding out that they were alright. Since that one time, they have not received any other form of communication but hopes are high. Ralph iterated over and over how he is quite worried about how his dad is doing towards the situation because all of his family is in Port-au-Prince. Mr. Jean Alphonse, Ralph‘s father, moved to Florida from Haiti in 1988 and since has kept close ties to his family, which the majority live in Port-au-Prince.
While others around campus were receiving and awaiting calls, Jean-David Lafortuna, 22, was in class when his friend texted him. He could not read it till after class but he remarked that a flurry of different emotions eclipsed one after the other as he read and re-read the message over and over. “I was surprised, upset, depressed, and confused all at the same time”, he remembers.
Apart from watching the news for the rest of the day for information, his family called and confirmed that no one was hurt, but many houses were damaged and even collapsed. Jean-David is a part of HEP (The Haitian Education Project) on campus and has been collecting funds for the relief effort to help. He recognizes the support from many students around campus as well as the abundant people worldwide.
“Haiti has not met a lot of success and progress in its history, and to see the United States and all other nations helping us out is a true blessing”, Jean-David said.
Saint Leo University has been working through University Ministry, HEP, and other on-campus relief efforts to do their part in assisting to this tragedy. Prayers and support go out across this campus to the Haitian and any other students that were affected by distressing event. This conglomeration of unity and support for Haiti is only just the beginning as the days unfold. However small or distraught, the backbone of Haiti are its strong-willed and determined people who all seem to share the same optimism that Haiti will do its best to survive through this.
BY JESSICA PALL &
MINDY PIERCE
Lions’ Pride Sports Editors
Courtesy of mirror.co.uk
Many homes were destroyed like this one, leaving the people with nothing left.
The New Year began with new hopes and resolutions, until an earthquake hitting Haiti produced overwhelming destruction, sorrow and confusion.
At 4:53 pm on Tuesday, January 13th , a 7.0 magnitude earthquake, the worst to hit the country in 200 years, ravaged the Caribbean country of Haiti. With a population of 7 million, the Haitian Red Cross estimated on Thursday, January 14th, that 45,000-50,000 people had died and 3 million more were hurt or left homeless.
It was a bitter cold night in New York City. The wind whipped at the people’s faces that stood patiently in line to retrieve their ticket for the preview performance of “A View from the Bridge.” The historic Cort Theater is the home of Arthur Miller’s classic tale, starring Liev Schreiber and Scarlett Johansson. These two bright stars light up the stage in director Gregory Mosher’s return to Broadway.
The set was simple yet beautifully done. A dark brick alleyway opens up to reveal the apartment of Eddie and his wife Beatrice who are played by Schrelber and Jessica Hecht. Scarlett Johansson plays their brunette orphaned niece, Catherine, who is growing into a young lady right before their eyes. [Read more →]
As the clock ticks down before ringing in the New Year, people all around the world anxiously await the upcoming year. Some may be focused on the stigma that how you spend your new years eve is a foreshadow for the upcoming year. Some may be sharing that magical midnight kiss, and some might be eager for the New Year and a new start. The New Year brings ideals of the ‘new you’. This simple change from on day to another has created a motivating force for people all around the world for all kinds of desires. Perhaps this year you want to go further in your career, find the perfect match, or drop those ten holiday pounds. For these desires we have our own personal New Year’s Resolutions.
The celebration of New Year’s derives from the Roman King Janus. He was known for his ability to look back on the past and look forward to the future. The Romans celebrated the New Year by seeking forgiveness and giving gifts. This holiday comes very close to the celebration of Christmas, but there are other traditions in the new year that make it different. For example, in America it is tradition to eat black eyed peas and in Spain to eat twelve grapes at midnight. The New Year has moved about a lot since its beginning but never the less it is a time for new beginnings. [Read more →]
A Christian concert held every year that has grown to be to one of music’s largest annual tours.
It was held on January 17, 2010 at the St. Pete Times Forum. In past years, Winter Jam was held at the USF sun dome but was relocated to the larger location after having to turn people away at the door due to the large number of attendance.
This year featured artist such as Revive, Newsong, Third Day, Tenth Avenue North, Sidewalk Prophets, Fireflight, Newsboys, Robert Pierre, and guest speaker Tony Nolan. [Read more →]
BY CHERALYN BARRINGTON
Lions’ Pride Assistant Layout Editor
With a busy schedule, life can often seem like a juggling act; here are ten ways to simplify things this years.
1)Clean or Organize Personal Space
The saying goes, “cluttered room, cluttered mind.” One thing that often helps people find peace of mind is to de-clutter personal living space by organizing. Finding a new place for something or organizing an existing space can be very therapeutic. The brain finds it easier to look at things that are orderly so this can help clear the mind. Also, by having specific places for everything, items will be misplaced less often, which creates less stress, and saves time that may have been spent looking for them. [Read more →]
On January 13 before a crowd of more than 500 spectators at the Saint Leo’s Marion-Bowman Center, the Saint Leo men’s basketball team upset the Florida Southern Moccasins 91-79. The Moccasins entered the game ranked No. 2 in the nation in NCAA D-II basketball. Solid rebounding by the Lions, paired with poor shooting by the Moccasins, created perfect opportunity for Saint Leo to take lead.
Senior Josue Vazquez got the scoring started with an easy layup from an offensive rebound. Florida Southern came back down the court and hit a 3-pointer but on the next possession for the Lions, a baseline drive finished with a dunk by Jordan Prais set the tone early for what would prove to be an exciting 40 minutes of basketball.
An 11-1 run by the Lions, accentuated with a 3-pointer by Vazquez, had Saint Leo in the driver’s seat for a while. With the score 18-10 in favor of the Lions, Florida Southern ran off six straight points to cut the Saint Leo lead to two points. With about 10 minutes left in the first half, Terry Jenkins of the Moccasins finished a layup to tie the score at 23. [Read more →]
BY JESSICA PALL &
MINDY PIERCE
Lions’ Pride Sports Editors
Courtesy of Liz Casey
Group hard at work.
Imagine if you could give a dying wish to a child who had a death threatening illness. What would you do to help make that true? “Give Kids The World Village” is a foundation home stationed in Kissimmee, FL that grants children their life’s last wish.
On January 17th, nearly 40 student athletes from Saint Leo University traveled to Kissimmee, Florida to give a day of community service towards the “Give Kids The World Village” foundation. The day of service was put on by the Sunshine State Conference (SCC) Experience and Leadership Ignites Teamwork and Excellence (E.L.I.T.E.), where approximately 100 student-athletes from participating schools were in attendance. This is the first year Saint Leo athletes have volunteered, although the SCC has been involved for three years. [Read more →]
BY JESSICA PALL &
MINDY PIERCE
Lions’ Pride Sports Editors
Erin Lucas and Erin Hotchkiss are the two graduating female seniors from Lions’ swimming program. Both have been competitively swimming for a majority of their life with Lucas at 15 years and Hotchkiss at 13. [Read more →]
The controversy surrounding the Vatican’s more than unpleasing view of the hit movie Avatar is more than unpleasing to me.
Vatican officials, in both their newspaper and radio stations, have been voicing their disapproval of the film because they claim that the movie portrays a civilization which worships nature instead of a god. [Read more →]
Dear students, faculty, parents, and all other Facebook users. Yes, I said parents too. Thank you for making the world that is Facebook, pathetic.
Facebook is a social networking empire with billions of people logging on every day. Countless hours are spent facilitating pseudo conversations that could be taking place in the real world, during real time. But instead of delighting in an actual conversation, here we are snickering behind a computer screen. I say “we” because I am guilty of spending way too much time on Facebook as well. I virtual stalk people just like the rest of the world. [Read more →]
Aerial view of the people from the Veteran’s day ceremony waiting for the dove release.
President John F. Kennedy once said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” True to that testament, the United States holds a record number of more than 23 million veterans and those in active duty services (as of the year 2008) who have selflessly answered that call to duty.
On Wednesday, November 11, 2009, Saint Leo University held a particularly beautiful poignant ceremony to honor the veterans, those who once wore the uniforms and those who wear them to this day. The Voices of Christ, Saint Leo University’s choir, sang songs like God Bless America, the National Anthem, and The Star Spangled Banner successfully rousing that old Americana pride within the crowd.
Each semester around the time that finals commence and students begin to submerge themselves under what seems to be a never ending pile of work, the Saint Leo cafeteria offers a unique sort of study break.
Midnight Breakfast offers students a chance to escape from the work and get a quick yet nutritious meal in before returning back to the books, and helps give the student body a little fuel for the night. [Read more →]
College students have busy schedules and often leave things to the last minute, including what to wear to winter formal.
As the semester unwinds, students are busy studying for exams and putting presentations together for their final grades. This time is so busy that it can cause people to forget to find an outfit to wear to Saint Leo’s Winter Formal, which takes place on December 4 at the A La Carte Event Pavilion. Fear not, overwhelmed student, for there are quick and easy fixes. [Read more →]
The holiday known to many as Christmas has existed in some form or another for 4,000 years.
The Christmas that much of America celebrates now has origins stemming from many different groups of people including the Mesopotamians, the Persians, Scandinavians, and ancient Greeks. Christmas celebrations were meant to welcome back the sun, bringing new crop growth. The Christ Child’s exact day of birth has never been known, and in 137 AD the bishop of Rome decided to use December 25 as a day to celebrate Christ’s birthday and have a solemn feast. Later on, Julius I, another bishop of Rome, chose to call December 25 Christmas (Holidays on the Net, 2009).
A popular Christmas tradition is that of Santa Claus. Children in America see Santa as a jolly, hefty man dressed in red who brings toys to the good on Christmas Eve. This tradition has a few origins, one of which was formed when Nicolas, a well-liked Turkish Bishop passed away. The anniversary of his death was called “Saint Nicolas Day.” It was celebrated on December 6th, and good children woke to find gifts from this saint; bad children received nothing. A similar figure was established in Holland, and called Sinterklaas (History.com, 2008). [Read more →]
On November 8, Saint Leo University hosted the Fall 2009 Student Government Union Leadership Conference. Check-in was from 11-12 Sunday morning. Due to a certain circumstances, the day’s schedule had to be reconfigured, but everyone handled the inconvenience wonderfully with little to no trouble.
The Student Government Union Leadership Conference is a chance for members from all of the different campus organizations to come together and learn more information about leadership and community. Every year a special key-note speaker is invited to give a speech for the conference.
This year there was an extra treat added to the conference. Everyone present was required to participate in a workshop. There were five interesting workshops to choose from. [Read more →]
Jordan and two other study abroad students on a night on a Halloween cruise on the Sydney Harbor.
When originally planning to study abroad, July to December seemed like such a long time to be away, but now that I have a mere few weeks left, I cannot believe how fast it went. After classes ended in the beginning of November, the days have raced by. Between studying for exams, traveling, and soaking up the sun, my time here is dwindling down.
October ended quickly after the excitement of Halloween. I didn’t expect to celebrate Hallows Eve here, but it seems the Aussie’s have caught on. The idea of “dressing up” is fun, and even “down under,” there are so many places to celebrate. [Read more →]
Kasia Dolinska, director of the String Ensemble and instructor for private instruction in violin and viola, held the first strings studio recital for students registered for private lessons. Private instruction in strings, guitar, brass, and voice are offered every semester through the Department of English, Fine Arts, and Humanities.
Paris is a treat for the eyes, the mouth, and the soul.
The trip I took with Saint Leo over Thanksgiving break to Paris, France, was an experience I could never forget. In Paris I saw the most beautiful cathedrals, architecture, and artwork I could ever have dreamt about. The pastries are plentiful and delicious, particularly the strawberry tarts. Throughout my trip I visited Notre Dame, Pere La Chaise Cemetery, The Louvre, The Palace of Versailles, The Eiffel Tower, and The Orsay Museum. The good experiences were coupled with some bad, but overall I learned many valuable lessons about a different culture. [Read more →]
Singing, dancing, laughter and cheers filled the audience as they watched Saint Leo University’s Drama Ministry performance of the Broadway musical “Guys and Dolls.” The production was shown for three days in the Marmion Center where family, friends, and students came to support and enjoy a fabulous show.
Guys and Dolls, directed by Melissa Hollis and choreographed by Adam Wethington, showcased a fantastic cast, which featured two freshmen for the lead roles, Nicole Natoli, who played Sarah Brown, and Rob Mraz, who played Nathan Detroit. The show also included returning actress Senior Anna Robinson, who played the role of Adelaide. And, newcomer to the university, Junior Augustin Jeremy Valdes, played the role of Sky Masterson. [Read more →]
2009 has marked the emergence of some high profile super groups, but no band compares to Them Crooked Vultures. Them Crooked Vultures is made up of Queens of the Stone Age singer/guitarist Josh Homme, Nirvana drummer/Foo Fighters leader Dave Grohl, and Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones (with additional support from Queens of the Stone Age guitarist Alain Johannes).
Their self-titled debut album premiered on November 17 accompanied by a surprise show in Los Angeles. Leading up to the release of their album, many wondered if they could provide a great new rock album or if they would be like other super groups, and be less than super. But, Them Crooked Vultures proves they are more than a super group; they are a real band without distractions and performing their music is their primary concern.
The album in itself is a rock masterpiece, featuring songs that could have fit in, in many different decades. The album starts off with Nobody Loves Me and Neither Do I, which features a magnificent drum intro by Grohl and a guitar riff reminiscent of Led Zeppelin’s early days. The next songs are the album’s two singles New Fang and Mind Eraser No Chaser. Both of these hard rocking tunes are dominated by Josh Homme’s awesome vocals and distorted guitar.
