A Buddhist monk’s words, spoken to him decades ago, never left him. Instead, they fueled his passion and life work: educating and striving for human rights.
Father Roy Bourgeois, a retired naval officer who received a purple heart during the Vietnam War, still remembers the phrase verbatim: “Our greatest enemy in life is ignorance. And the answer is wisdom, love and non-violence. It’s our only hope.”
Bourgeois now travels the nation to conquer ignorance among Americans.
He visited UNF Feb. 18 to speak about a controversial military training school located 290 miles …

A campus religious center is scheduled to be built in the surrounding woods at UNF, and up to four religious centers could be built on campus as part of UNF’s 10-year Master Plan.
The Hidden Lake Project includes a proposed campus sanctuary that would be built on the southeast portion of campus, UNF President John Delaney said. It would be available for a number of different, non-denominational purposes such as receptions, small music concerts, student and alumni weddings and for individual meditation.
Vice President of Administration and Finance Shari Shuman said the …

Feb. 9 – Information (Building 45) – Eight black, white and blue photo prints were taken from a wall in the entrance hallway to the Print Lab. Students had displayed the photos, which had no monetary value.

Feb. 12 – Criminal Mischief (Housing mailboxes) – Goose eggs were thrown against the rear side of the Housing mailbox. Investigation revealed that at the same time, more eggs were thrown on Building Y.
A UPD officer checked whether the Canada geese belong to the endangered species, and he verified they are not endangered …

2009 student body Presidential Election makes university history
For the first time in Student Government history, the current presidential ticket is running uncontested, and the Red party will continue to hold office with Student Body President John Barnes and Vice President Mike Saathoff if they each earn one vote.
Jessica Davis, Elections, Selections and Appointments Committee chair said three presidential tickets — Sen. Joe Husky and Sen. Brandon Eady, James Jones and Nick Hendrick, Zach Thomas and Jaqueline Simard — filed declarations of intent on time but failed to meet the Feb. …

Maria de Lourdes Castillero, a UNF international student, performs the dance “El Puento” during the
International Dinner Feb. 20 at the University Center. Castillero won first place in the international
student photograph contest for the category “The World I Visited.” As part of the event, other UNF
students performed rituals from their cultures and enjoyed international cuisine.

UNF hosted an economic panel Feb. 19 concerning the state of the U.S. economy and how President Barack Obama’s policies will affect the markets.
The panel, “Our Economic Challenges: What Can the New President Do?,” consisted of three UNF professors and was sponsored by the UNF American Democracy Project. There was no consensus on how to fix the economy among the panelists, yet all agreed the future outlook for the economy was bleak.
Paul Mason, chairman of the economics and geography department; Dr. David Jaffee, assistant vice president for undergraduate studies and …

Each semester, UNF invites several people from the community and around the nation to speak in the Distinguished Voices lecture series.
There are four speakers lined up for the Spring 2009 semester, including Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute.
For those interested in attending, here are some quick facts.
Who
Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute, who was nominated in May 2007 by former President George W. Bush to serve
as the deputy national security adviser for Iraq and Afghanistan. His position oversaw the war in both countries.
What
Lute will be speaking on “The outlook for success in Iraq and …

SG ‘revamps’ students with free concert
Student Government is sponsoring the 2009 REVAMP Christian Music Concert series at 7 p.m. Feb. 26 and Feb. 27 in the UNF Arena.
The concert will include performances by The Afters, Seventh Day Slumber, 10th Ave. North, KJ52 and more. For more information on artists or the event, contact SG in Building 14, room 2605.
Grad school hosts annual expo on degree programs
The Graduate School will host its annual Graduate School Expo from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. March 2 at Alumni Square in the breezeway …

The Higher Education Committee of the Florida Senate approved Gov. Charlie Crist’s plan Feb. 18, which gives each state university the ability to raise tuition up to 15 percent per year.
The plan will allow the six remaining state universities that are not already on the differential tuition program, including UNF, to control the tuition price.
“It gives the local universities more authority to set tuition, which allows them to take into account their market,” UNF President John Delaney said. “Because of budget cuts, there is simply a need for increased revenue, …

AROUND THE STATE
Jacksonville port hit by cuts, decreases cargo shipments
Current national economic conditions are affecting Jacksonville’s port, decreasing the number of cargo shipments and causing a sharp drop in automobile transit.
The port reported steady growth throughout 2008, but beginning in January, the number of automobiles shipped through the port dropped by 39 percent.
Cargo transported by container freights also dropped 8 percent.
JaxPort isn’t the only port suffering from economic conditions.
The port in Savannah, Ga., had year-over-year decreases in cargo for the fourth quarter of 2008, reversing what had been a steady …