cff, 8.22.11

Meet the StaffGet to know the peoplebehind UCF’s studentnewspaper— SEE STAFF, A2

Former UCF star Jermaine Taylortalks NBA lockout — SEE Sports, B1

Lockout lifeFREE • Published Mondays and Thursdays www.CentralFloridaFuture.com • Monday, August 22, 2011

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RETRIBUTION SHOULD BE FAST AND FURIOUS — SEE B10

Around Campus WeatherLocal & StateSportsOpinion ClassifiedsSudokuCrossword

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EVENINGT-STORMS

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UCFNEWS to 44636.

LOCAL & STATE, A2

AROUND CAMPUS, A2

TROPICAL STORMIRENE STRENGTHENINGIN CARIBBEAN Tropical Storm Irene is dumpingheavy rain on the northernLeeward Islands and the system isexpected to strengthen as it headstoward Puerto Rico,the NationalHurricane Center said Sunday.Most forecasts have the stormhitting southern Florida by the endof the week.

MADTV COMEDIANANJELAH JOHNSONTO PERFORM AT UCFAll-star stand up and sketchcomedian Anjelah Johnson will beperforming at the UCF Arena onMonday,Aug.22.The show startsat 7 p.m.and admission is freewith a student ID.

JUVENILE DEFENDANTSHELP SENIORS TACKLETECHNOLOGY Florida juvenile offenders arepartnering up with seniors toteach them computer skillsthrough a teen court program.

With the economy in aslump, students are search-ing for more ways to pinchpennies. A new website ishelping reduce students’biggest cost next to tuition:textbooks.

Jonathan Simkin, a Har-vey Mudd graduate, is so

familiar with the frustra-tions students face search-ing for textbooks at reason-able costs that he decidedto make a change.

Now the CEO ofSwoopThat.com, Simkinhas given students a way tosearch for the best priceson popular college itemssuch as calculators, iPodsand, of course, textbooks.

Utilizing course-searchtechnology, his websiteprovides up-to-date andaccurate price compar-isons for any textbook stu-dents may be required to

PLEASE SEE SWOOP ON A17

VANESSA HORNEDOContributing Writer

In the midst of federal budgetcuts, the Pell grant survives, leav-ing UCF students the opportunityto catch a breath.

“If my Pell grant was cut, then Iwouldn’t be having a senior year,”said Alicia Bock, a health and infor-mation management major.

She has received partial Pellgrants for most of her collegecareer, but this year unemploy-ment left her relying on the grantto finish her degree.

More than nine million studentsreceive Pell grants of up to $5,550per year, according to the U.S.

Over the next few years,incoming UCF students will havea variety of new degree programsto choose from — 22 to be exact.

UCF’s Board of Trusteesapproved the implementation ofmore programs during its meet-ings last semester as part of theNew Program Development Planfor 2010-11 through 2013-14.

Since July 2010, UCF hasinstalled professional sciencemaster’s degree programs in con-servation biology and engineer-ing management, master’s degreeprograms in urban and regionalplanning and research adminis-tration, a research doctoraldegree program in security stud-ies, a bachelor’s degree programin Latin American studies and adoctoral degree program in den-tal medicine professional.

Faculty members and severalgroups within the university, inresponse to students’ concernsfor more specialized majors and abetter selection of master’s

degree programs, carefully chosethese new degree programs; butthe colleges in which the pro-grams are to be implemented, areresponsible for most of the work.

“A lot goes into creating a newdegree program, including peo-ple’s time and money, but the endresult will be worth it for theUCF community as a whole,”Tony Waldrop, UCF provost andexecutive vice president, said.

FFiinnddiinngg ffaaccuullttyy,, ppaayyiinngg ffoorrpprrooggrraammss aanndd eexxppeecctteedd eennrroollll--mmeenntt

In some cases, UCF mayalready have faculty memberswith the right expertise to teachthe programs, but if not, the col-leges are responsible for hiringnew faculty. If that is the case,there is a national search whereads are put in journals thatsearching faculty members mayread. From there, a committeescreens for applicants and invitesthem to a seminar that is open tofaculty and students to provide

input for the department chair.Finally, the dean of the collegeultimately makes the decision tohire a new faculty member.

Aside from the work that goesinto creating these programs, italso costs money. The most

Things donot bodewell forthe Pell

UCF prepares to add 22 newprograms despite previous cuts

Budget cuts furthershrink student grants

How do you buyyour textbooks?:www.UCFNews.com

AMETHYST ROTHContributing Writer

Universities and collegesthroughout the country offer anastronomical array of majors forstudents to study, and whilewhat’s offered varies from schoolto school, there’s one commonal-ity that cannot be debated – engi-neering majors will make themost money.

According to a study byGeorgetown University’s Centeron Education and the Workforce,petroleum engineers have thehighest median income at$120,000; counseling psychology

Engineering isthe top degreeEarns highest median income

Website provides best textbook prices

PLEASE SEE GRADUATE ON A5

PLEASE SEE ENGINEERING ON A14

SAVANNAH STEGALLContributing Writer

CFF ARCHIVE

A new website, SwoopThat.com, is giving students a way to search for the bestprices on popular college items such as calculators and textbooks.

Students can ‘swoop’ deals

CFF ARCHIVE

In this 2009 photo, students and faculty rally outside the Student Union when the cardiopulmonary sciences and radiologic sciences programs were cut.

KAITLYN TEABOSenior Staff Writer

CFF ARCHIVE

New programs surprised students left withoutmajors after the 2009 program cuts were made.

PLEASE SEE FORMER ON A11

New degrees to roll out

To comment onthis story visit:www.UCFNews.com

Should engineershave highest pay?:www.UCFNews.com

www.CentralFloridaFuture.comA2 Aug. 22, 2011 •

Tropical Storm Irenestrengthening in Caribbean

MIAMI — TropicalStorm Irene is dumpingheavy rain on the northernLeeward Islands and thesystem is expected tostrengthen as it headstoward Puerto Rico, theNational Hurricane Cen-ter said Sunday. Most fore-casts have the storm hit-ting southern Florida bythe end of the week.

Irene could become ahurricane today, though itspower was predicted tofluctuate over the next sev-eral days as it moves overthe Dominican Republicanand possibly Cuba.

2 cars crash into Fla.home in road rage fight

ORLANDO — Abizarre road rage incidentsent two vehicles crashinginto a central Florida home.

Orange County sheriff'sdeputies said Tina Reeseand Schtvonne Whitakerwere driving in separatecars Friday when theybegan arguing. Whitakerallegedly rammed Reese’srear bumper and bothdrivers lost control andcrashed into a home. Thedrivers were not injured.

Juvenile defendants helpseniors tackle technology

JACKSONVILLE —Florida juvenile offendersare partnering up withseniors to teach themcomputer skills through ateen court program.

The program offersteenage defendants in thediversion program sen-tences that include thingslike jail tours, essays andcommunity service.

LOCAL& STATE

Keep local with headlines you may have missed

— ASSOCIATED PRESS

August 22, 2011Vol 43, Issue 53 • 32 Pages

One free copy of the Central Florida Futurepermitted per issue. If available, additionalcopies may be purchased from our office withprior approval for $1 each. Newspaper theftis a crime. Violators may be subject to civiland criminal prosecution and/orUniversity discipline.

The Central Florida Future is the independent, student-written newspaper at the University of Central Florida.Opinions in the Future are those of the individualcolumnist and not necessarily those of the editorial staffor the University administration. All content is propertyof the Central Florida Future and may not be reprinted inpart or in whole without permission from the publisher.

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News EditorsMichael Clinton & Lindsay Holmes

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Sports EditorErika Esola

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Senior Staff WritersLaura Newberry, Kaitlyn Teabo

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Senior Staff Photographer Rebecca Strang

Staff Photographers Alex Schierholtz, Amy Simpson,

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LOCAL WEATHER

EVENING

T-STORMS

High: 93º

Today: Partly sunny. Scatteredafternoon showers andthunderstorms. Southeastwinds around 5 mph. Tonight: Partly cloudy.SEwinds 5 to 10 mph.

Tuesday:Scat T-Storms

High: 91º

Low: 76º

Wednesday:Scat T-Storms

High: 87º

Low: 77º

Thursday:Scat T-Storms

High: 88º

Low: 77º

Friday:T-Showers

High: 85º

Low: 78º

TODAY IN DETAILToday

Low: 76º

CAB Comedy presents: standup comic Anjelah Johnson

All-star comedianAnjelah Johnson will beperforming at the UCFarena on Monday, Aug. 22.Johnson is best known forroles on MadTV. Theshow starts at 7 p.m. andadmission is free with astudent ID.

CAB Cinema presents: ThorCAB will be hosting a

screening of the movieThor on Tuesday, Aug. 23at Knights Plaza at theUCF Arena. The moviewill begin at 9 p.m. Admis-sion is free and attendeeswill receive free popcornand free cotton candy.

Welcome Expo to be held forfirst year students

The Office of First YearAdvising & Explorationwill be holding its annualWelcome Expo for firstyear students in the Stu-dent Union on Wednes-day, Aug. 24 from 10 a.m. to2 p.m.

Students will be able tomeet organizations andoutside vendors from theUCF community, as wellas win prizes.

AROUND CAMPUS

News and notices forthe UCF community

Name: Katie KusturaPosition: Editor-in-ChiefAge: 23Major : JournalismBest part of working at the CentralFlorida Future: Being able to do what Ilove with great people.What I love about UCF : The diversity and

sense of community.

Name: Michael ClintonPosition: News EditorAge: 22Major: JournalismBest part of working at the CentralFlorida Future: Having the chance to leavemy mark on an already great publication.What I love about UCF : Meeting new

people everyday.

Name: Lindsay HolmesPosition: News EditorAge: 21Major: JournalismBest part of working at the CentralFlorida Future: Being at a publication thatconstantly forces me to step outside the box.What I love about UCF : The sense of

camraderie among the student body.

Name: Adrienne CutwayPosition: Online EditorAge: 20Major: JournalismBest part of working at the CentralFlorida Future: Being so connected withthe campus community.What I love about UCF : I love that UCF

offers something for everyone.

Name: Andy CeballosPosition: Opinions EditorAge: 29Major: JournalismBest part of working at the CentralFlorida Future: The opportunity toconsistently learn and grow. Every weekbrings different issues and topics for us to

cover and write about.What I love about UCF :

Name: Erika EsolaPosition: Sports EditorAge: 22Major: JournalismBest part of working at the CentralFlorida Future: Two words: Ray Bush.What I love about UCF : The campus andfootball game days.

Name: Tim FreedPosition: Variety EditorAge: 21Major: JournalismBest part of working at the CentralFlorida Future: Meeting interesting peopleand finding great stories.What I love about UCF : How active the

school is, on and off campus.

Name: Kati e DeesPosition: Photo EditorAge: 23Major: JournalismBest part of working at the CentralFlorida Future: Getting to work as aphotojournalist alongside a talented team ofreporters who are also my close friends.

What I love about UCF : I love the sense of community andschool spirit even though the university is so large.

Name: Abigail DonaldsonPosition: Copy EditorAge: 21Major: EnglishBest part of working at the CentralFlorida Future: The staff is awesome. Copyediting also fulfills my eternal quest forgrammatical correctness.

What I love about UCF: The professors I have had who reallyinvested in my academic growth.

Name: Jessica GillespiePosition: Copy EditorAge: 21Major: JournalismBest part of working at the CentralFlorida Future: Covering the second-largest student body in the country.What I love about UCF: The people and

the opportunities.

Name: Kaitlyn TeaboPosition: Senior Staff WriterAge: 21Major: JournalismBest part of working at the CentralFlorida Future: Being able to tell people’sstories to the UCF community.What I love about UCF: The great staff of

journalism professors who have taught me to be a betterjournalist.

Name: Laura NewberryPosition: Senior Staff WriterAge: 20Major: JournalismBest part of working at the Central Florida Future: Getting writing experience while givingback to the UCF community.What I love about UCF: There are endless opportunities to meet new people and try new things.

Name: Rebecca StrangPosition: Senior Staff PhotographerAge: 21Major: Journalism, Studio ArtBest part of working at the CentralFlorida Future: Even more of an excuse toalways have my camera with me.What I love about UCF: My small college

departments make me feel like more than just a number.

The staff of the Central Florida Future for Fall 2011Meet the Staff

www.CentralFloridaFuture.com• Aug. 22, 2011 A3


The Florida Legislature hasupdated the policy for excesscredit hours by increasing thesurcharge from 50 percent ofthe standard tuition rate to 100percent.

UCF, along with other Flori-da universities and colleges,will have to adapt to this changeand enforce it on anyone whowill enroll in college for the firsttime in the fall.

The definition of what anexcess credit hour is has beenrephrased, as well. Previously,any hours beyond 120 percentof what a student needs for hisor her bachelor’s degree wouldbe considered excess.

With these new alterations,the percentage dropped to 115. Ifa degree program required astudent to take 120 credit hours,they cannot exceed 138 credithours.

For 2011-12, a credit hour is$103.32, totaling $309.32 for athree-credit-hour course.Therefore, an additional coursebeyond what a student needswill amount to $618.64.

Hiten Patel, an incomingfreshman, said this amendedprinciple makes him angry withthe school.

“That makes me not want totake extra classes now,” Patelsaid. “I already knew they werecharging a hell of a lot to makeus go here. But now, they arejust adding money to it fornothing.”

Patel has declared his majorin corporate law but said in theevent he were to transition, ortake additional classes outsideof his major, he is concernedbecause his two scholarshipsare not enough to cover histuition as is.

But Chad Binette, UCFspokesman, said for studentsnot to worry because the uni-versity still allows enough free-dom to anyone who is interest-ed in taking elective coursesoutside of their majors. Eachstudent can utilize this freedomby up to six additional classes

on top of their regular degreeprogram courses.

“We anticipate that the vastmajority of our students willnot be impacted by the excesscredit hour fees mandated bythe Legislature,” he said.

These changes will mostlikely only be a consequence tothose who change majors later,or transfer from a state collegewith no declared major, headded, but the faculty and staffhelp make it easier for studentsto choose their major to preventthem from having to face anyinconvenience.

“We encourage students tochoose a major before the endof their sophomore year,”Binette said. “Students who areunsure of a major can seekassistance from their advisers,faculty members and careercounselors. They also canattend workshops and majorsfairs offered on campus.”

But these modifications willnot apply to every major pro-gram or course; there are a fewexceptions, including intern-ship credits, International Bac-calaureate credits andAdvanced Placement credits.

Students taking dual enroll-ment courses will not face sur-plus charges. Neither will stu-dents who are active-dutymilitary personnel nor thosewho are taking ROTC classes.

Regardless of these changes,Binette said students shouldstill be able to encounter thecollege life at UCF that theydesire.

Florida’s public universitieswere placed 48th for the mosteconomical in the country,regarding the cost of tuition andfees.

“Our dedicated staff and fac-ulty members will continue towork hard to help studentschoose a major early duringtheir academic careers, and weare developing a new onlinesystem to help students tracktheir credit hours,” Binette said.

“Students need to know thatthey will continue to enjoy animportant aspect of their col-lege experience: the freedom to

take several classes outside oftheir majors and explore sub-jects that interest them, withouthaving to pay any additional

fees.”For additional assistance in

choosing a major, visithttp://dk.sdes.ucf.edu/choose.

NIKKI NAMDARContributing Writer

Students now face excess credit surcharge

KATIE DEES / CENTRAL FLORIDA FUTURE

The Florida Legislature has updated the surcharge for excess credit hours from 50 percent of the standard tuition rate to 100 percent.

To comment onthis story visit:www.UCFNews.com


Department of Education.That number was going todrop this year, but Democ-rats pushed for Pell grantsto not be cut, and they suc-ceeded. However, theirsuccess came with a cost.

Cutting graduate-schoolsubsidies for 10 yearsallowed the Pell grants tocontinue for two moreyears, 2013-2014.

Republicans argue thatthe Pell grant gives collegesand universities a reason todrive up tuition costs,while experts like MarkKantrowitz, founder offastweb.com and finaid.org,say that cutting funding oneducation when fees andtuitions are higher thenever before is unwise.

According to the UCFCommon Data Set made bythe Office of InstitutionalResearch, approximately$60.7 million of need-basedgrants were awarded thisyear. That is more than an80 percent increase since2009-2010’s aid year of$33.5 million in need-basedgrants. A considerable por-tion of this money was dueto Pell grants.

Students at UCF havemixed feelings about thePell grants.

“I work full time andwouldn’t be able to pay forschool without help fromthe grant,” said CharlesTaylor, a junior electricalengineering major. “But Ialso think that people needto maintain a good GPA toget funding. Sometimespeople expect it withoutexpecting to work for it.”

Amaris Rodriguez, afirst-year graduate studentin social work, alsoexpressed that the Pellgrant is most importantbecause it helps students toget started on their careers.After graduating and get-ting a job somewhere, stu-dents can begin pay their

own schooling and worktheir way through gradschool.

“I got the Pell grant forthe first two years of myschooling and the moneywent to pay off my car,because I didn’t really needit,” said Melanie Pullen, asenior elementary educa-tion major. “Now that Iactually do need it, I can’tget it.”

After high school, moststudents are still living athome and have the time togo get another job. If theyreally want to go to college,let them work for it, Pullensaid.

After 2014, the Pell grantis expected to have a 15 per-cent budget cut. Thiswould be the fifth budgetcut that the grant hasreceived since 1980. Thecut will cause more thanone million students to loseeligibility for the grant.

The Pell grant is based

on the both discretionaryand mandatory funding.Discretionary funding issubject to annual reviewand can be cut more easily,and mandatory funding is

already appropriated bypermanent legislation.

Jasmin Cofie, a juniorsports exercise sciencemajor and a communitycollege transfer, has seen

an increase in tuition.“I’ve needed the grant in

the past, and I still need it,”she said. “I’ve seen a differ-ence in funding over thelast two years. I’ll just have

to see what happens next. Ihope the Pell grant stays,because it will help a lot ofstudents continue theireducation.”

Graduate subsidies cut to save Pell for two yearsFROM A1

AMETHYST ROTH / CENTRAL FLORIDA FUTURE

In the midst of federal budget cuts, the Pell grant survived. More than nine million students receive Pell grants of up to $5,550 per year, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

BUTCH DILL / ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Pell grant helps students start their careers after graduating when they can work their way through grad school.


UCF has been on thereceiving end of many odd-ball Princeton Review col-lege rankings, but the latestis no joke. UCF was rankedNo. 4 in the category “Stu-dents who study least,” andwas higher on the list thanother Florida colleges likeFSU, UF and USF.

“Maybe our studentswho pack the library everyday didn’t have time to fillout the Princeton Reviewsurvey,” said UCFspokesman Chad Binette.

Binette said that UCFoffers many resources toenforce strong studyhabits, listing the StudentAcademic Resource Cen-ter as a main provider ofthese services.

SARC offers workshopsand one-on-one tutoringsessions for students look-ing to establish betterstudy habits. One of theirmain workshops is a fresh-men-centered programknown as the Game PlanSeminar. The $10 work-shop reinforces studyhabits along with practicalcollege skills, such as effec-tive note-taking, time man-agement tips and textbookreading skills, said SARCcoordinator Natasha Ford.

“I think a big part ofstudying is organizationand doing that prep workso when you get to thatstudying time, it’s not sostressful,” Ford said. “Wewant to bridge that gap forstudents; this isn’t some-thing that students auto-matically know how to do.”

Ford also said thatSARC would be branchingout onto regional campus-es with more workshopsand be hosting a learningfair this fall where studentscan interact with academicorganizations.

In addition to SARC’srecent renovation, whichincluded more white boardspace and a fresh coat ofpaint, the center antici-pates new furniture andnew technology to makethe center more appealingand efficient.

Senior Alana Persaud, amicro & molecular biologymajor, said that she is notsurprised by UCF’s Prince-ton Review ranking. Shedoes not discredit theteachers, but she hasencountered a lazy workethic in her peers.

“If students can seewhat their future mightlook like, they may be moremotivated to get there andstudy harder,” Persaudsaid.

She is at the higher endof the studying spectrum,

logging 40-50 hours in theaverage school week. Shecredits her family as themain motivators behindher academic success.

As an idea to spark bet-ter studying habits, Per-saud thinks that if morecareer-centered work-shops were offered oncampus, students may beinspired to spend moretime hitting the books.

During her freshmanyear, Persaud attendedboth Student Instructionsessions and SARC work-shops. As classes got moreinvolved, she stoppedattending, but she did findthe information extremelyhelpful and the attendeesmore focused on thecourse subject.

Cassidy Harpster, arecent UCF graduate, isnot surprised by the rank-ing either. While he admitsUCF has a party scene, hesays he knew plenty of stu-dents that could balance afull social life and fullcourse load.

While attending UCF,the political science majorstudied collectively around20 hours a semester. Hesaid that he did not feel theneed to study on a regularbasis.

“If the classes had beenmore difficult and sometopics more interesting, Iwould have studied more,”Harpster said. “Some class-

es are very dull and dry,usually because of the pro-fessor and not the material,and it does not inspiresomeone to study much.”

While Harpster admit-ted that he would have notchanged his study habitsdrastically while attendingUCF, he said that morestudy-related events at theStudent Union would havemotivated him more.

As the fall semesterbegins, SARC anticipates abusy season.

Whether a studentspends 50 hours a week or20 hours a semester withtheir notes, attendingtutoring sessions or work-shops could be the formulafor a fail-proof semesterand the key to getting UCFoff of one of the PrincetonReview’s dreaded lists.

HANNAH MOBAREKEHContributing Writer

UCF ranked No. 4 for ‘students who study least’

CFF ARCHIVE

UCF was ranked No. 4 in the Princeton Review college rankings category “Students who study least,” and was higher on the list than other Florida colleges like FSU, UF and USF.

CFF ARCHIVE

UCF spokesman Chad Binette said UCF offers resources to encourage good study habits, listing SARC as the main provider.

‘If the classes hadbeen moredifficult andsome topics moreinteresting, Iwould havestudied more.’

— CASSIDY HARPSTERRECENT UCF GRADUATE


After becoming the firstfemale to receive a Ph.D. inindustrial engineering from UCF24 years ago, Lucy Morse foundherself in the spotlight again.

Morse received the BernardR. Sarchet Award from the Amer-ican Society for EngineeringEducation during its most recentinternational meeting for hercontribution to a field wherewomen are still a rarity.

Females pursuing engineeringdegrees at UCF can probablyrelate.

According to final fall 2010headcount data from UCF’sOffice of Institutional Research,1,063 women, undergraduatesand graduates, were enrolled inthe College of Engineering andComputer Science; the numberof men enrolled accounted formore than five times that at 5,920.Those 1,063 women representabout 15 percent of that collegeand less than 2 percent of thetotal student body of UCF.

In an effort to bring morewomen into the engineeringgraduate program, Morse initiat-ed and administered UCF’sWomen’s Reentry Program, agraduate level program aimed atbringing more women into theengineering graduate program atUCF, from 1982 to 1989.

“It was the first critical massof women coming into UCF,”Morse said.

Despite her efforts, the fieldremains male-dominated.

A report by the U.S. Com-merce Department’s Economicsand Statistics Administrationattributes lack of role models,family obligations and genderstereotypes as the reasons whyfewer women choose jobs in sci-ence, technology, engineeringand math.

Morse agrees.“There were two of us in the

whole program," Morse said ofher time as a student at UCF. "Iwas the only female in severalclasses.”

When Morse wanted anotherwoman to talk to, she would

spend time with the secretariesbecause they were some of thefew females in the entire depart-ment.

“Even at UCF, there are gen-der stereotypes," Morse said."Women are not treated verynicely. There’s a bias.”

According to Morse, the factthat an interview with her wastaking place 30 years after enter-ing the program shows how littlethings had changed.

“People still treat me as anoddity,” Morse said.

Even though the field remainsmale-dominated, Morse still hasgreat things to say about engi-neering.

“It is really enjoyable,” saidMorse, who has worked on allseven continents, includingAntarctica, where she helpedevaluate America’s footprint onthe frozen South.

Some of her other projectsinclude working with CapitolHill police in Washington D.C. toestimate needed security detailsand a case study of Epcot when itfirst opened.

Morse has also co-authored atextbook, “Managing Engineer-ing and Technology,” in whichshe changed many of the refer-ences to women that she foundderogatory. Her co-author,Daniel Babcock, who authoredthe first two editions, was “verypleased” with the results.

Morse urges women interest-ed in the field to take the mathcourses first.

“A lot of people think it’s scarybecause they don’t know," Morsesaid. "It’s like driving a car; thefirst time is scary.”

She said with practice, though,it gets easier, and you may findthat you like it.

Lindy Wolfe, a project engi-neer at Inwood Consulting Engi-neers in Oviedo and 2003 civilengineering graduate from UCF,finds the field exciting, especiallywhen she gets to see her designsgo from paper to an actual, phys-ical site.

Wolfe said that, at her compa-ny, there are many project man-agers who are women.

“Definitely go for it if you’re

interested at all. It may seemtough at first, but don’t let it holdyou back if you think you may bea minority,” Wolfe said.

Morse said women have aunique viewpoint to contributeto engineering, which is an

important reason to bring morewomen into the field. She saidwomen can do all the same jobsthat men can, but emphasizedthat in this field, “you have to bethe best.”

Morse said that women are

needed in this rapidly changingfield.

“The women students arereally the top students in thewhole spectrum,” Morse said.“It’s dynamic. I feel like you canmake a difference.”

SARAH ASLAMContributing Writer

Female engineering alum stands out, again

REBECCA STRANG / CENTRAL FLORIDA FUTURE

Lucy Morse, the first female to earn an industrial engineering Ph.D from UCF 24 years ago, recently received the Bernard R. Sarchet Award.


expensive is the securitystudies program, whichcosts $500,000 each aca-demic year. Each year,the new programs willcost $600,000, plus anadditional $100,000 forthe urban and regionalplanning program in thefifth year of its develop-ment.

“These new programswill cost UCF money, butmore importantly UCFwill gain students andwill continue to growacademically,” Waldropsaid.

However, the LatinAmerican studies andresearch administrationprograms are estimatedto not cost UCF a dime.

The expected enroll-ment for the Latin Amer-ican Studies program iseight students in its firstyear in 2011 with 35 stu-dents in its fifth year. Forthe urban and regionalplanning program, theexpected enrollment was30 students in its firstyear in 2010, growing to60 students in its fifthyear. The expectedenrollment for theresearch administrationprogram is 30 students inits first year in 2011 with60 students by its fifthyear. For the conserva-tion biology program,the expected enrollmentis 10 students in its firstyear in 2010 and 20 stu-dents each year afterthat. The expectedenrollment for the secu-rity studies program isfive students in 2013 with20 students in its fifthyear.

SScchhoollaassttiicc ssuurrpprriisseessAlthough the new

programs will attractnew students, some areleft surprised at the deci-sion to establish 22 newdegree programs, as it isa costly move.

“The decision on howto fund these programswas made absolutely cor-rectly by not using stim-ulus money, but by themoney allotted by thestate, and [it] will be anexcellent addition to theuniversity,” Waldropsaid.

Regardless of wherethe money comes from,some feel the BOTshould not be spendingmoney on new programswhen it cut four pro-grams in 2009 to savemoney.

Susan Gosnell, wasthe radiologic programdirector at UCF in 2009when the cardiopul-monary sciences andradiologic sciences fromthe College of Health andPublic Affairs programwas cut; she said she puther heart and soul intothe program and washurt when she heardabout the new degreeprograms being imple-mented at UCF.

“It was a difficultblow. I wasn’t informed

of my program’s cut until10 minutes before it wentpublic,” Gosnell said.“And now it is a slap inthe face. I feel like theylied to us when they saidmy program’s cut wasdue to budgeting rea-sons. It did not save themthat much money closingit down and now they arespending a lot for thesenew programs.”

Since leaving UCF,Gosnell has found acareer as a radiologic andimaging sciences profes-sor at Valencia Commu-nity College and is happywith her new job, but shewill never get back whatshe put into UCF’s radio-logic program.

Despite being thank-ful to have found anotherjob, Gosnell is not theonly faculty member tohave lost a job and havemixed feelings aboutUCF’s intentions.

Philip Craiger, anengineering technologyprofessor at UCF whenthe College of Engineer-ing and Computer Sci-ence’s engineering tech-nology program was cutin 2009, questions whyhis program was cut inthe first place.

“It was a surprise, andI was a little disillusionedbecause my understand-ing was that the cut wasdue to budget con-straints. But if they arehiring new professorsand adding more pro-grams, I don’t see wherethe budget savings are,”Craiger said.

Although Craiger wasfirst surprised at the pro-gram’s cut, he is not look-ing back. Craiger enjoyshis new job as an engi-neering technology pro-fessor at Daytona State

College and is keeping him-self busy with his programand his students.

The decision to imple-ment new programs hasalso surprised studentswho were left without amajor when the 2009 cutswere made.

Christopher Scholar hadjust started his engineeringtechnology major at UCFwhen the engineering tech-nology from the College ofEngineering and ComputerScience program was cutand received no advisingabout what it is he shoulddo.

“I wish they would havedone more to help me findsome other major insteadof just basically telling me Ihave to transfer somewhere

else to continue doing whatI want to do,” Scholar said.“I have to believe it is just abusiness move, a way forthem to get more moneysomehow.”

Scholar left UCF forDSC to continue his majorand is happy with the move,even though it may haveseemed stressful at thetime.

While Scholar and manyother students were left tochange majors or transferschools, plans for addingthe new degree programsmay have already beenunderway.

“It takes a long time tostart and finish somethinglike this and it is certainlypossible it was being talkedabout before 2009 whenother cuts were made,”

Waldrop said.Ron Eaglin, the chair of

engineering technologyfrom the College of Engi-neering and Computer Sci-ence program in 2009, wasnot happy to hear UCF wasplanning on creating newjobs after he had lost hiswithout warning.

“The process by whichmy program was cut wasnot transparent and shouldnot have been done the wayit was, but bad decisions aremade every day,” Eaglinsaid. “I just wish them luckcreating all of these newprograms, as I know it isfinancially exhaustive, andbudgeting was the reasonfor my program being cut.”

Eaglin is currently theassistant vice president ofthe College of Technology

at DSC and loves his career.Despite reactions to the

2009 program cuts and theaddition of new programs,Waldrop believes the newprograms will be extremelyviable to the university andwill attract more thanenough students to justifythe cost.

“Money plays a factor,but is not the predominantfactor in the immenseamount of benefits thesenew programs offer,” Wal-drop said. “All of these pro-grams are academicallysound and attract manystudents who will be able touse these programs to suc-cessfully move into themarketplace and that is allwe can set out to do, set ourstudents up for a successfulfuture.”

Former UCF professor: ‘it is a slap in the face’FROM A1

CFF ARCHIVE

Despite reactions to the 2009 program cuts (rally show above),Tony Waldrop, UCF provost and executive vice president, believes the new programs will be extremely viable to the university.


Move in to dorm, pickup ID, register for classes,buy books. Grocery shop-ping isn’t necessarily a toppriority for new collegestudents as the back-to-school rush is in full swing.

Luckily, the WaterfordLakes Super Target provid-ed transportation to andfrom the store for its thirdannual after-hours shop-ping event to kick off the2011 “Welcome Week” fornew freshmen.

Students enjoyed liveentertainment and con-tests while picking up last-minute supplies beforeclasses start.

“We want students torealize that it’s all aboutthem,” said Ben Stofferahn,executive team leader ofthe Waterford Lakes Tar-get.

From 10:30 p.m. until12:30 a.m., buses shuttledstudents from four differ-ent dorm locations oncampus: Libra and Apollo;Academic Village; theArena and the Towers; andLake Claire. The buses ranevery 20 minutes through-out the night to take stu-dents between UCF andTarget.

Once they arrived, stu-dents were greeted withfree samples of new prod-ucts from Target sponsorssuch as Mars, Wrigley, Vit-aminwater and Kraft. Atpast after-hours events,sponsors have introducedsamples of brand-newproducts to students. Inaddition to the providedentertainment, Bullseye,the Target mascot, was inattendance along withKnightro and the UCFcheerleaders.

“I didn’t know what toexpect, but this is way cool-er than I thought it wouldbe,” freshman economicsmajor Kelly Jeffries said.

Jeffries attended with hersuitemates, who came todo some food shopping fortheir Apollo dorm.

The event was first cre-ated in 2008 when Targetbegan to notice a largenumber of UCF studentsbecoming frequent shop-pers during the back-to-school season. Last year,about 8,000 studentsattended.

“All of us at Target knowthat starting college is anexciting time,” Stofferahnsaid. “So we wanted stu-dents to have an opportu-nity to celebrate.”

After first hearing aboutthe event, Mitch Weiss, afreshman business admin-istration major, decided itsounded interestingenough to attend with hisroommate and friends.

“After all, who doesn’tlike the free stuff?” Weisssaid.

Last year, students com-peted in a shopping spreeto collect a list of itemsfound in the Target storewithin a certain amount oftime. Items could includeanything from school sup-plies to a flat screen TV. Ifthey won the competition,they were able to keep allthe items they had gath-ered. At this year’s event,students participated inseveral text-to-win con-tests throughout thecourse of the night. Prizesincluded $50 Target giftcards, a year’s supply ofCoca-Cola, a flat-screenTV and even a mini-fridge.

“This has always been awonderful, after-hour, sub-stance-free event for stu-dents,” Jeff Novak, directorof Housing Operations andResidence Life, said. Novakworked with Target tosponsor the event. “On aSaturday night, it’s a greatalternative to partying.”

Although the event istargeted towards freshmenas a “Welcome Week”

activity, all students wereable to attend. Senior psy-chology major AshleyJones stopped by to dosome apartment shoppingand didn’t realize how pop-ular the event was going to

be.“On a Saturday night I

decided this would be anopportunity to run intosome friends,” she said.

Senior theatre majorSamantha Liguori first

attended the event as asophomore after hearingabout it from a friend.

“I loved the live musicbecause it felt like I wasattending a private party inTarget,” Liguori said.

Liguori’s favorite partwas being handed a freegift bag of goodies as soonas she walked in the door.

“All the free giveawaysand entertainment wereawesome,” she said.

JENNIFER PRITCHARDContributing Writer

Annual after-hours event is right on Target

PHOTOS BY JENNIFER PRITCHARD / CENTRAL FLORIDA FUTURE

Students enjoy live entertainment and contests during Waterford Lakes Super Target’s third annual after-hours shopping event.


majors can expect the low-est median income at$29,000.

“I do not think anyonewould go through theseengineering courses with-out expecting a large salaryat the end of the road,” saidThomas Quinn, a mechan-ical engineering major andengineer-in-training atSiemens. “If they can han-dle all of the math andphysics courses, I wouldrecommend the major, butI would not recommend itto everyone.”

Dr. Johannes Vrana,Senior NDE for Siemens,thinks it is a great idea tohave students studyingengineering in college.

“It gives a great back-ground for a great varietyof interesting jobs in theindustry,” Vrana said.“However, to study engi-neering, somebody shouldhave quite some interest init and have a good back-ground in mathematics.”

In the fall 2010 semester,UCF had an enrollment of56,337 students. The Col-lege of Engineering andComputer Science had atotal of 5,674 undergradu-ate students enrolled, mak-ing it the fourth-highestenrolled college in theschool, according to theUCF Office of InstitutionalResearch.

Freshman BlaireScheller said she had somedifficulties choosing amajor when the time came,and according to the Officeof Institutional Research,she had 91 bachelor’sdegree programs to pickfrom.

“I was moderately clue-less when applying toUCF,” Scheller said. “How-ever, I think that in theback of my head, I wantedto declare engineering allalong.”

Scheller said most ofher friends were alreadystudying engineering orwere planning on it, so shehad some exposure andsome general knowledgeof what the courses wouldbe like.

“Engineering is notknown for being easy,”Scheller said. “So even if atsome point you are seekinga job that does not involveengineering, having thatdegree shows you are acompetent, hard-workingindividual.”

Mechanical engineering

major Will Richardsshared similar sentiments.

“Engineering is no joke;you have to take it serious-ly,” Richards said. “Everyclass I take I feel like I amlearning something newthat I have not learnedbefore.”

The difficulty of engi-neering classes couldpotentially be attributed towhy the major didn’t rankin the Office of Institution-al Research’s list of the top15 bachelor degrees con-ferred as of July 2011.

According to the list, aBachelor of Science in psy-chology ranked No. 1,while a Bachelor of Arts inEnglish ranked No. 15.

According to the 2011-2012 PayScale CollegeSalary Report, the top sixundergraduate collegedegrees by salary were inthe field of engineering.Out of the 120 degrees list-ed, 13 of them were in thefield of engineering withthe lowest starting mediansalary of $51,700 belongingto environmental engi-neers. Out of the 13 engi-neering degrees listed,UCF offers seven of them,according to UCF’s web-site.

Quinn knows that earn-ing one of those engineer-ing degrees is proof toemployers of a strong workethic and an array of abili-ties.

“You cannot just skatethrough engineering,”Quinn said. “Engineersmake some of the largestmost powerful things onthe planet from buildingsto bombs. Do you wantsomeone who has a hardtime in math building thehotel you are sleeping in?”

Engineering not one of UCF’s top 15 majors for 2011FROM A1

CFF ARCHIVE

UCF students get experience as interns at Power Grid Engineering. Petroleum engineers have the highest median income at $120,000, according to a Georgetown University study.

‘Engineering isno joke, you haveto take itseriously. Everyclass I take I feellike I am learningsomething newthat I have notlearned before.’

— WILL RICHARDSMECHANICAL ENGINEERING MAJOR


MONTPELIER, Vt. — Afree-trade agreementbetween the United Statesand other countries aroundthe Pacific Ocean might notseem like an obvious topicof discussion inside Ver-mont’s Statehouse.

But in Montpelier andother state capitals, there’sgrowing concern that suchagreements could under-mine states’ authority in ahost of areas, including reg-ulation of important localindustries, negotiations overhealth care costs and controlover public utilities likewater supplies.

Those watching theinterplay of state laws andthe provisions of interna-tional trade agreementsacknowledge that some oftheir worries are specula-tive. Actual legal challenges,in which governments orcorporations have broughtcomplaints about govern-ment regulation to tribunalsset up to resolve disputesunder the trade deals, havebeen small in number.

But Vermont and otherstates should be vigilant,said Robin Lunge, a formerstaffer with the VermontCommission on Interna-tional Trade and State Sov-ereignty who now directshealth reform efforts forGov. Peter Shumlin.

“If it’s not importanttoday, it could be vitallyimportant tomorrow,” shesaid. “If you don’t pay atten-tion today, you won’t knowuntil you run into trouble.”

The system of negotiat-ing international tradeagreements makes it toughfor state officials to monitoror affect the terms of thedeals, said a report last yearby the state of Maine . Itfocused on the possibleeffects of international tradeprovisions on the state’sefforts to regulate ground-

water withdrawals for bot-tled water. In Maine, the bot-tled water industry includesPoland Spring, one of thenation’s top-selling brands.

“The negotiating processlacks transparency and pre-cludes states from anymeaningful participation inthe negotiations eventhough the agreements havesignificant potential impacton state regulatory authori-ty,” the report said.

In Vermont, Lunge wasthe main author of a letterShumlin sent in June toPresident Barack Obamatrying to raise an alarmabout the Trans-PacificPartnership, a free-tradeagreement being negotiatedamong the United Statesand eight other nations:Australia, Brunei, Chile,Malaysia, New Zealand,Peru, Singapore, and Viet-nam.

Shumlin said the agree-ment and a previous pactwith Korea could bring legalchallenges to negotiationswith drug companies overdiscounts, which save Ver-mont and other states mil-lions of dollars a year intheir Medicaid and otherpublic health programs.

Shumlin echoed com-ments made last Septemberin a letter from five statelawmakers from Maine,New Hampshire and Ver-mont that warned against“the continuation of an ill-conceived agenda to usetrade policy to restrict for-eign and domestic medicinepricing programs.”

The agreements haverequired other countries toscale back their discountprograms, but technical pro-visions have preserved dis-counts obtained by U.S.states’ Medicaid programs.

The governor wrote thatthose discounts, as well asthose obtained by federallysubsidized health clinicsand teaching hospitals likeBurlington’s Fletcher Allen

Health Care, soon couldcome under attack as well.

Restricting other coun-tries’ ability to negotiate forbetter drug prices “couldallow our trading partners tochallenge cost controls”used in the U.S., Shumlin’sletter said.

“These programs servevulnerable populations inthe U.S., and trade policyshould not put them at risk.”

Shumlin is raising an

alarm needlessly, saidMark Grayson,spokesman for the Phar-maceutical Research andManufacturers of Ameri-ca. Free-trade agreementsare struck betweennational governments anddo not impose require-ments on states, he said,adding that a footnote inthe Korea pact specificallysays it won’t affect stateMedicaid programs.

“Nothing in a tradeagreement can conflictwith U.S. law,” Graysonsaid.

But the trade agree-ments could open anavenue for drug compa-nies to try to appeal a statedecision to exclude a drugfrom a list of preferreddrugs, said Sean Flynn, aprofessor at AmericanUniversity’s law schoolwho follows trade issues.The expense of defendingagainst such appealscould weaken states’ abili-ty to negotiate lower

prices significantly, hesaid.

Similar concerns havebeen voiced about tradeagreements as they affectthe ability of states andmunicipalities to regulatetheir water supplies andwho should have access tothem. A study commis-sioned by Maine in 2009concluded that it wasuncertain whether legalchallenges could bemounted under interna-tional trade agreements toa law in that state regulat-ing water withdrawals forcommercial uses.

“There are water issuesaround the world regard-ing trade and trade agree-ments,” said MichaelO’Grady, a lawyer with theVermont Legislature’sresearch staff and counselto the state trade commis-sion. “There is the poten-tial in any regulatory fieldfor a corporation fromanother country to bringan investment claim

against the United States.”Corporations also can

use international tradeagreements to underminefederal law, said RobertStumberg, a GeorgetownUniversity law professorwho studies trade issues.Four of the five largestU.S. tobacco companiessued this past week tooverturn new Food andDrug Administrationrequirements that ciga-rette packages carry labelsshowing graphic imagesof smoking’s ill healtheffects. At the same time,Philip Morris Internation-al is challenging a similarSingapore law before aninternational trade tribu-nal.

If the companies losetheir case in U.S. courts,“the argument that PMI isusing against Singaporecould be turned rightaround and used againstthe FDA’s implementationof its authority,” Stumbergsaid.

Some see trade deals as threat to states’ powersDAVE GRAMAssociated Press


purchase this fall.“Our algorithms help students

find the cheapest places to buy alltheir books collectively, ratherthan one at a time,” Simkin said ofhis website.

Students input their collegename and course code and thesite searches its databank of sup-ported retailers to find the bestdeal at the time.

“Freshman year, I was so con-cerned with spending that I madesure to search all stores for thebest price on my books. As a jun-ior, I just don’t have the time todevote to that kind of a search, soI stick with Amazon.com for mytextbooks,” art history major Jes-sica Ortega said.

Ortega mentioned she hadnever heard of a site likeSwoopThat and that she woulddefinitely use it in the futurebecause it seems like a greatresource to save time and money.

This was Simkin’s exact idea –he wanted to provide a way formultiple textbooks to beresearched at once. Most sitessuch as Chegg and eBay onlyallow students to search for onebook at a time to place in yourshopping cart. SwoopThat letsstudents input their entire courseschedule and gives a personal-ized shopping list along with the

least expensive place to purchasethem.

Junior Ashley McKenna saidshe had recently heard about thistechnology from a friend andimmediately tested it out. It tookonly two minutes for McKennato log on and find out that shecould save $184.47 on her text-books by purchasing them onlineversus simply buying them fromthe UCF Barnes & Noble book-store.

“My major [biology] is knownfor having the most expensivetextbooks because the content isalways changing and used booksaren’t always available,” she said.“This site is going to save me somuch money.”

In McKenna’s case, the bookswere cheaper elsewhere, butSwoopThat strongly supportscollege bookstores and includestheir prices in the comparisonwhenever possible.

Jade Roth, a Barnes & Noblecollege bookstore representative,believes this type of price searchengine can greatly benefit UCFstudents.

“In the past, this type of tech-nology wasn’t needed becausethere weren’t many choices forstudents,” Roth said. “Bookstoreshave evolved in the last 24months to include used books,rentals, digital copies and pack-age deals so that students have a

greater chance of finding afford-able books.”

With classes starting, it isimportant to know what optionsyou have, Roth advises studentsto wait until their first couple ofclasses before making a decisionon buying textbooks.

“Sometimes it is better to waitand see how the book will beused before you decide on buy-ing it new, used or just renting it,”she said. “Students in higher-level courses often times want tokeep their textbooks as part of alifelong learning library and inthat case, buying books brandnew at the college bookstore isyour best bet.”

This is where Simkin’s web-site can swoop in and save theday. Whether buying books newor used, searching for the bestprice is key.

And with classes already start-ing this week, students don’t havemuch time to spend searching forcomparisons.

SwoopThat.com guaranteesthat students will be able to findand purchase textbooks in 10minutes or less, while saving upto 75 percent on costs. Shippingand handling is often included inthe price, and books usually arereceived by mail within oneweek.

Just in time for the real workto begin in classes this fall.

SwoopThat.com helps find cheap textbooksFROM A1

CFF ARCHIVE

SwoopThat.com strongly supports college bookstores and includes their prices in the comparisonwhenever possible.


sack away to the cadet inthe van — that was whenit really hit me that itwas over for me,” hewrote in his journal.

Mendoza said it wasalso hard on his fellowcadets, who are now sec-ond lieutenants.

“For all of us, it wasreally tough because wesaw his enthusiasm towant more, but it’s out-side of our control,” hesaid.

The office of Rep.Henry A. Waxman, D-Calif., said the congress-man plans to meetNolan in the fall to con-tinue to work on hisbehalf. Nolan wantsWaxman to sponsor abill allowing deaf peopleinto the armed forces.

Nolan has sent aninquiry to the Army andis waiting for a replyexplaining why he couldnot be commissioned.Waxman’s office saidtheir inquiry to theArmy got an “unfavor-able” response but thecongressman is stillinterested in seeingwhat he can do.

“I am looking forwardto meeting Keith Nolanduring his upcomingvisit to Washington,”Waxman said in a state-ment sent to The Asso-ciated Press. “He is anexceptional young man,and he has raised a com-pelling issue that Ibelieve is worth examin-ing.”

In the meantime,Nolan has been spread-ing the word to drum upsupport for his cause,speaking at universitiesand other public events.

More than 2,000 peo-ple have responded insupport of his Facebookpage, “Commission

Cadet Nolan Now,”which features a pictureof Nolan holding foldedcamys and a pair ofArmy boots as if he werejoining.

Nolan traveled in2010 to Israel where hemet with 10 deaf militaryservice members to doc-ument how they func-tion in their jobs. Thesoldiers he met workedin everything from intel-ligence to dog training.

Deaf people are notdrafted like otherIsraelis but can volun-teer to serve and aredeployed in noncombatpositions, the Israeli mil-itary spokesman’s officesaid. Many people withdisabilities volunteer asmilitary service plays acentral role in Israeliculture and is consid-ered a rite of passage.

“Many were shockedto hear America doesnot accept disabled peo-ple in its military,” Nolansaid.

Deaf people onceserved in the U.S. mili-tary too. During theAmerican Civil War,more than a dozen deafsoldiers were in thearmed forces.

History gives Nolanhope.

“I in no way want todegrade our military onthe basis of disability orequality rights,” he said.“But, with the supportthat I have receivedfrom both civilians andmilitary personnel aswell as what I havelearned from myresearch, I am con-vinced that there is anoncombat position thatI can do in the militarywithout harming ourarmed forces’ effective-ness and readiness.”

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.— Keith Nolan spent adecade applying repeated-ly to the Army’s ReserveOfficers Training Corps’program before the deafman’s tenacity paid off anda commander finally lethim audit the classes.

Nolan became a topperformer in the ROTCprogram’s Bravo Companyat California State Univer-sity at Northridge, and hisinstructors were soimpressed they let himwear a uniform. He wasdistraught when he turnedit back in and said goodbyeto the other cadets in May.He could advance no fur-ther under the military’scurrent policy thatrequires cadets pass ahearing test to be commis-sioned by the Army.

It was a stingingmoment that burned in thesoul of the bespectacled29-year-old teacher, who isdetermined to break thatbarrier and achieve hislifetime dream of workingin military intelligence.

“All I really want to dois join the Army,” saidNolan, a confident, clean-cut man with a boyish facewho signed to an inter-preter in an interview atthe university’s ROTCoffice. He was flanked byposters with inspirationalmessages urging people tojoin. “I want to do my duty,serve my country andexperience that cama-raderie, and I can’t, owedto the fact that I’m deaf.”

Soldiers with disabili-ties have been returning toactive duty in increasingnumbers due largely to thefact that medical advancestoday are ensuring morepeople survive serious warinjuries. All branches ofthe U.S. armed forces overthe past decade have start-ed offering the opportuni-

ty for seriously woundedor disabled service mem-bers to remain on activeduty by finding them jobsthey can perform.

Today about 300 seri-ously wounded servicemembers — some ofwhom have been blindedby blasts, lost their limbsor have severe headinjuries — work in a vari-ety of Army positions, andtheir work has been vital,especially in aiding otherrecovering troops, saidErich Langer, a spokesmanwith the Army’s WarriorTransition Command inAlexandria, Va.

Some have evenreturned to war zones.

“These cases help folkswith disabilities across theboard by opening moredoors,” he said.

Nolan said their pres-ence shows there is a placein the military for disabledpeople. He sees the mili-tary’s changing attitude asa window of opportunitythat he hopes to pry openfurther so any deaf person— not just wounded com-bat troops — could be eli-gible to serve.

Nolan, who was borndeaf to deaf parents, haswanted to join the Armyever since he learned ofthe experiences of hisgrandfather and greatuncles who fought inWWII.

His father, Kevin Nolan,successfully won a citycouncil seat against a 20-year incumbent in North-hampton, Mass., andtaught his son to defy theodds.

“My wife and I werevery emotional about this,”Kevin Nolan said ofNolan’s ROTC participa-tion, in a phone interviewassisted by an interpreter.“We’re proud.”

Capt. Sid Mendoza, atraining supervisor of theprogram at Northridge,said he had no idea Nolan

was deaf when he saw hisapplication online.

Once he met Nolan,Mendoza said he wantedto see if there was a way togive him military experi-ence because he was sointerested in the armedforces.

“At the beginning weweren’t sure how it wasgoing to work,” Mendozasaid.

But with the help of adeaf interpreter, Nolanexcelled, Mendoza said.He showed up at 5 a.m.exercises even though hewas not required to anddespite initially strainingto see the interpreter inthe darkness, he immedi-

ately was able to follow thecommands, and earned aperfect score in his mili-tary sciences class.

Mendoza said helearned sign language forthe word “motivation”because Nolan’s inter-preters used it so muchwhen relaying to Nolanwhat people were sayingabout him.

“He definitely was oneof our top performers,”Mendoza said.

Nolan said he wascrushed when the courseended and he had to stepaside as the other cadetswere commissioned by theArmy.

“When I gave my ruck-

JAE C. HONG / ASSOCIATED PRESS

Keith Nolan uses sign language to talk to his interpreter, Rita Alexander, at Cal State Northridge in Los Angeles. Nolan tried countless times to get into an ROTCprogram only to be rejected because he is deaf. His tenacity paid off finally last year when he was allowed to take Army classes as a civilian.

Deaf man battling to join Army after ROTCJULIE WATSON

Associated Press

cff, 8.22.11

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