UNF will soon be the home to Sigma Lambda Beta, the first multicultural fraternity in the university’s history.

It is the largest multicultural fraternity of its kind in the nation with more than 120 entities. The fraternity is expected to be on campus by the end of this academic year, said Luis Montanez, alumni adviser for the fraternity.

Montanez, a former brother from Florida State University, will oversee its completion. Last fall, he approached Greek Life Adviser Tyler Young about expanding after noticing the fraternity’s absence
at UNF.

A new wave of freshmen enter the ranks at UNF every fall, their experience in high school quickly washed away in the wake of financial aid, registration and college coursework.

In many cases, the 12 years of grade school education is in preparation for a college career, but recent studies show many students have no idea what is expected of them when entering college.

Diploma to Nowhere, the report released this year by Strong American Schools made a shocking statement.

According to SAS, 70 percent of all eighth grade students are not proficient in reading, and most will never catch up.

If bailing out Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, IndyMac and Bear Sterns did not provide enough liquidity into the banking system, why is the Federal Reserve bailing out AIG to the tune of $85 billion and laying out plans to infuse “hundreds of billions of dollars,” according to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson at a press conference Sept. 19?

The government’s unprecedented, unconstitutional and inefficient intervention has not worked, yet the politicians and the political operatives continue to tell the American public to hang on – it will only take a few more hundred billion dollars.

Twenty years have passed since the collapse of the Soviet Union, and during that time, the United States has enjoyed the spotlight of being on top of the world stage.

But this could change.

The United States might soon be replaced and outshined by a new actor on stage. However, it is not China or India. Instead, it is a familiar actor with a familiar face – Russia.

Being a Floridian for nearly 20 years, I have grown accustom to the over-dramatization each hurricane season by the local news and have become desensitized to the straight-faced talking heads as the “apocalypse” draws ever so near.

During the years, I have continued this practice, and the coverage of Hurricane Ike was no exception. Nostalgia set in as the alarmists haven’t let me down yet.

In the days leading up to Hurricane Ike’s arrival, we were shown images from meteorological professionals “predicting” where the storm would hit.

Dear Editor,
Last week’s issue of the Spinnaker featured a front-page picture of a group of UNF College Republicans who were shirtless, covered in paint and hooting and hollering at a political rally for presidential candidate John McCain.

Note that in the photograph no one else in the vicinity donned such ridiculous attire, or lack thereof.

Some students take a year off from school to backpack through Europe, others spend a year sailing around the world’s oceans, but Rezhyan Akrayi did none of these. She went to Iraq.

Akrayi, a senior international business major, left Jacksonville in July 2006 and stayed in Iraq until June 2007. There she worked at a local school teaching English, translating for professors and reconnecting with family she had long been separated from.

“I learned a lot about myself and more about the region,” Akrayi said.

The Black Kids put on a dancing-good-time for a sold-out show at Freebird Live Sept. 19; the homecoming performance entertained a mixture of family, old friends, and new fans.

“It was hot and sweaty but oh so good,” UNF alumnus Gemi Butler said.

Keyboardist Ali Youngblood agreed.

Diario Vivir, translated in English as “daily life,” is not your everyday local band.

Formed in 2001, the band breaks away from the ordinary by playing Latin rock, a genre growing in popularity in the U.S. in recent years, primarily due to a demographic shift in which the Latin population has grown dramatically.

The paintings currently on display in the University Gallery can be viewed as more than simple human figures and stuffed animals.

They are all considered to be surrogates, said Jason Godeke, the artist of the paintings.

Surrogates, which are the theme of Godeke’s work, are people (sometimes stuffed animals in Godeke’s paintings) who are appointed to act for another.