VOLUME 106 ISSUE 108 WWW.ALLIGATOR.ORG FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2012

Today

We Inform. You Decide.Not officially associated with the University of Florida Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida

Darts and LaurelsThe Editorial Board looks back on this week, pg 6. Sorority member says expression of opinion not ‘unsisterly’Read her guest column, pg 7.

UF fi nalist in Twitter competitionWinners will be announced March 26, pg. 4.

Florida’s women’s basketball team picked up its 18th win of the

season Thursday to boost its NCAA

Tournament resume. See story, page 14.

81/51FORECAST 2OPINIONS 6CLASSIFIEDS 9

CROSSWORD 13SPORTS 14

Aundre Larrow/ Alligator Staff

Talking PointsStudents for Democratic Society representative Skye Schmelzer, 19, speaks with Jamal Sowell, executive assistant to President Machen about fair wag-es for RTS bus drivers. Schmelzer’s key point was for drivers to no longer have forced overtime. Read the story on page 4.

STUDENT LIFE

MAUREEN MARIANO Alligator Contributing Writer

Like other college students facing midterms,

Santa Fe junior Laura Putlek has a project and pa-per due this week, two exams and two lab practi-cals.

While there’s no cure for her stress overload, Putlek, 21, focuses with the help of an amphet-amine called Adderall, which treats attention defi -cit hyperactivity disorder.

But unlike many students who abuse the drug as a study aid, Putlek has a prescription for it.

Although Adderall has become a popular recre-ational drug for college students, there are healthi-er ways to cope with exam stress, said E. Maureen Miller, coordinator for alcohol and other drug pre-vention at GatorWell Health Promotion Services.

This includes having a planner to keep track of assignments, getting enough sleep, exercising, eating healthy food and knowing the syllabus to prevent cramming, she said.

“It’s the basic things, but I know a lot of times it’s easy to forget when students are caught up on having so much to do,” she said. “Planning can help when they get to that point.”

If students have no choice but to cram during crunch time, Miller suggests following this rule: For every 50 minutes spent studying or writing, take a 10-minute break.

These habits can’t be replaced by any drug. “[Students] go on to graduate school, get a job

and still there will be those things they have to deal with,” she said. “That’s why it’s really important to develop these healthy coping strategies now in-stead of relying on something like this.”

Adderall no substitute for good study habits, experts say

� TWO WERE ARRESTED IN THE MURPHREE PARKING LOT.

TYLER JETTAlligator Staff Writer

Ahmad Salam doesn’t know exactly what sparked violence in the Murphree parking lot Thursday morning, but he has a guess.

Two students were assaulted by four men shortly after 2 a.m.

The attackers were arrested on a charge of disorderly conduct. The instigator was

familiar: alcohol.Salam and his friend, Vishal Singh, were

waiting to be picked up in the parking lot after spending the night at Grog House Bar and Grill.

Four strangers ap-proached, one yelling at Salam and Singh for no apparent reason. Then the strangers attacked.

Erick J. Medina, 21; Frederick V. Me-dina, 22; Winston M. Frye Aranda, 22; and Michael L. Frye Aranda, 23, were charged

Campus fi ght leads to arrests

KELSEY MEANYAlligator Contributing Writer

A former intern at Harper’s Bazaar fi led a class-action lawsuit in regard to her unpaid work from August to December 2011.

The New York Times reported that the for-mer intern, Xuedan Wang, said the women’s magazine violated federal and state wage laws by not paying her. Wang, 28, worked full-time for the company during her internship.

Adrienne Wells, assistant director for ex-periential education at UF’s Career Resource Center, said she recommends that companies offering internships follow wage and hour guidelines when hiring students.

“If there is an immediate benefi t to the company, then they should pay their interns,” she said.

An immediate benefi t is one the company could profi t from, Wells said.

For example, if students intern at a mar-

keting company and work with clients, then they should be paid for their work because the company could eventually profi t from the cli-ent’s business.

“As far as internships go, you are not sup-posed to derive benefi t from having your in-terns there,” said Michelle Bedoya-Barnett, partner at the Jacksonville labor and employ-ment law fi rm Alexander Degance Barnett. “If you are deriving benefi t, you have to be pay-ing them. It is not free labor.”

She said a major red fl ag in the case of the Harper’s intern would be if the intern worked extensive hours. That would indicate that the intern had become indispensable.

“If you have a supervisor or are getting credit for the internship, there is a lot more le-

Lawsuit sparks discussion of legality of unpaid internshipsFormer Harper’s Bazaar intern sues for payment

SEE FIGHT, PAGE 8

SEE INTERN, PAGE 8

“As far as internships go, you are not supposed to derive benefi t from

having your interns there.”Michelle Bedoya-Barnett

partner at the Jacksonville labor and employment law fi rm

Winston Frye Aranda