The Spectrum- December 2011

The Great Debate series, an annual end of termpresentation from two sections of the BIOL 475, BioEthics class was held November 10th, 2011. It wasthe third installment. Associate Professors Dr.Raveenia Roberts-Hanna and Dr. Kenya Ward arethe engineers of the symposium that seeks to givestudents the opportunity to apply the rhetoric andphilosophies of varying schools of ethics to contem-porary moral dilemmas.

The topical issue tackled this year was that ofthe lawfulness of a Bahamian Sex Offenders Reg-istry as well as the social implications of having onein place. This subject was deemed appropriate as therecent horrific murder and mutilation of MarcoArcher this year that was allegedly committed by 36-year-old Kofhe Edwardo Goodman, also known asElvardo Ferguson, who had been detained for similar

crimes before. Roberts-Hanna’s class argued for the establish-

ment of the registry while Ward’s class had the daunt-ing task of contending against any such formation.Although the Professors provided guidance to thestudents, the pupils from the individual classes wereleft to construct their arguments and defend them in

As the semester ends and students prepare to closethe chapter called Fall Semester 2011, students nowscurry to register for priority courses before the coursesclose. Students without scholarships must find themoney within seven days.

Many students believe the price they pay for coursesat the College of the Bahamas (COB) is too much.Some wish that COB lower its prices to make it easierfor individuals to fit education into their budget.Although this is a legitimate frustration, it can beargued that the tuition at COB has been decreasing forthe past 10 years relative to other goods.

Over the years, the cost of living in The Bahamashas increased. Households must spend more moneyto buy the same amount of goods and this affectseveryone’s budget. The College isn’t immune to thisreality. It has seen the cost of electricity, the wages paidto faculty and staff, and the cost of materials equipmentand utensils increase. Ordinarily, this would warrant aincrease in prices i.e. tuition; however, COB’s tuitioncost is left unchanged. When adjusted for inflation, thisis seen as a price cut.

❚ by Lynden McIntoshContributing Writer

THE REAL PRICE OF ATTENDING COB

Has tuition reallyincreased?

December marked the 50th Anniversary of thepassing of notable academic Caribbean born FrantzFanon. Many of his works like Wretched of the Earthand Black Skin, White Mask have been influentialin shaping the thinking of intellectuals throughoutthe Caribbean and African populations to the pointof becoming required college texts in some schools.So significant was the life and writings of Fanon thatthis year he was the subject of the first CriticalCaribbean Symposium Series.

The series is brainchild of English lecturerCraig Smith and French lecturer Keithley Woolwardin collaboration with the School of English and theSchool of Communication and Creative Arts, withthe hope of making the entire event a tri-annualevent.

What these Professors feel makes Fanon timelyand applicable to the College community and region,as a whole is his take on issues of colonialism, iden-tity and race. To date this is the only academic forumplanned in the region to commemorate the life and

Semester Highlights! See what you missed beforeChristmas 2011, or just relivehappy memories!

WHAT’S THATSMELL?!INSIDE:Page 3

Bench Wars!Page 6

❚ by Stephen Hanna

Features Editor

THE FIRST CRITICALCARIBBEAN

SYMPOSIUM SERIESnSEE Page 8

SUNDAY Ferguson presents the pros of having asex offenders’ registry. COB/Stephen Hanna

nSEE Page 8


Features Editor

SEX OFFENDERS’ REGISTRY: THE GREAT

DEBATE

nSEE Page 8

DR. Ian Strachan speaking at the Symposium onDecember 2nd, 2011.

Ask the CaribPage 5

“Immortals”Page 4

Page 7

Edward J. Russell III

Master Pages_Master Pages 12/9/11 3:45 AM Page 1

2 uEDItORIAlS tHE SpECtRUM

L e T Te r sT O T H E E D I T O R

Letters to the Editor are encouraged. Pleasetype and send to The Spectrum, College of The Ba-hamas , c/o Student Publications Board, S-3 ArtBlock, Oakes Field Campus, or email [email protected].

Length should not exceed 350 words. All lettersmust be signed and include contact informationfor verification, such as exact COB registrationname.

The Spectrum has the right to withhold any sub-mission from publication and will not considermore than two letters from the same individual onone topic. The Spectrum reserves the right to editall letters and submissions for content, clarity andlength.

DEC-JAN CALENDAR

sGraduation applications

Deadline for Spring 2012 is January 31, Summer 2012- May 31. Late forms may bedeferred to the following semester.

scourse chanGe to coM 106

CO M 106 (Introduction to Communica-tion) is now COM 107 (Introduction toHuman Communication)This can be used as a General Educationcourse for Humanities. Two sections arebeing offered in Spring 2012. See IQ Webfor more information.

One of the last interviews that Schin Nguyen gavebefore he was sent to prison as a political prisoner bythe oppressive German Polynesian Regime, wasconducted by Sarah Betters, who was long consideredto be the favorite of Nguyen's three wives, but recentdocuments have surfaced questioning the validity oftheir marriage.

Schin Nguyen: Lol I think I've created thisconstant mental image of you sleeping like a catcurled up on the bed smiling (at first I thought it absurdto think people smile when they sleep but...you do) Irealized it flawed because cats are an illiterate lot, Idon't think I ever met a cat fond of a book, ever! Alsowhile you are really, really attractive and usually agirl's evilness directly co-relates to their attractiveness,you aren't evil at all...not like cats!

Sarah Betters: (Lol) ...and how often do youspeak with cats, that you can make such searingaccusations?

Schin Nguyen: All the time, they are a talkativerace but quite self involved. They don't want to talkabout anything except how nimble and clean theyare...oh and tuna, they love to talk about how theyinvented tuna, when in truth they only"commissioned" tuna; it was the Japanese whoinvented tuna.

Sarah Betters: ...aren't cats from Egypt?Schin Nguyen:Yes--yes cats are from Egypt...but

"tuna" is from Japan. The cats, after enslaving theNorthern end of the African continent, marched overto Asia and did the same...that's why the Asian peoplelook like that, (points to eyes) they're giving theirformer cat over lords a wicked glare

Sarah Betters:I want to laugh but it seems racist...Schin Nguyen: It is but that's okay because the cat

race doesn't deserve the mercy of humanity.Sarah Betters: (pauses and gives Schin Nguyen a

perplexed stare) What exactly did cats do to you?Schin Nguyen: (takes a deep breathe then looks

deeply into Sarah's eyes) A cat killed my brother.

When I was about 7 years old my father owned asmall family styled diner that specialized in KosherVietnamese/Jamaican dishes when Tabby was 12...Idon't know if you're old enough to remember him?

Sarah Betters: Yes the super hero cat with his ownline of designer ascots...I just look young and cute,we’re the same age! (Glares)

Schin Nguyen: (not repentant) ...well this "superhero" comes to our resturant and my older brother washis waiter and he hands the cat a menu the cat angrilythrows the menu at him and screams "I need a picturemenu! Cats can't read". The angry cat storms out.

Sarah Betters:So....how does that?Schin Nguyen:A year later my brother died in his

sleep from congenital heart failure....Sarah Betters:I thought you were an only child?Schin Nguyen: (pauses) Yes...well

technically...you know what! You don't see meholding your perfect cheek bones and arresting smileagainst you!

Sarah Betters:(silence)Schin Nguyen:Marry me?Sarah Betters: (gets up with her bag) This

interview is over sir!

The Secret Lives of Cats❚ by S.A. Hanna

Feature Editor

Managing Editor

Ava TurnquestProduction Manager

Jasper HaewardFeatures Editor

Stephen HannaAdvertising/PR

Luval Culmer

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tel: (242) 302-4483;

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monthly during the fall and

spring semesters.

vDear Students of COB,As the production manager, I'd like to thank you

for reading The Spectrum. This job is kinda hard tobalance with school, but the reason I do this is you.Yes, that's right: you. You, the students, are the onlyreason that we exist. In essence, we only exist to serveyou. Over the past few weeks, I have been hearingfrom several people that The Spectrum doesn't careabout the students, and only produces issues simplyto produce them. As brand new staff with brand newtraining and a passion for and in-depth knowledge ofnews and media we have a brand new mission: toturn out a paper that not only is fair and factual, but

one that involves you individually. Each student has needs and desires that need to be

met at the College. Quite frankly, aren't we also thereason that the College exists? We need to get ourmessage out there. Lots of people outside of the col-lege campus read this newspaper. For that reason, mymission is to make the layout of this paper so profes-sional that people have to look twice to make surethat this is: a) a Bahamian paper and; b) laid out by acollege student. Whether or not I win awards is irrel-evant. My boss, the managing editor, her passion isto see this school be its best and the administrationand students kept accountable to one another throughour generation of 100% factual and fair information–that's our job as media professionals.

So, it's up to you whether or not you let us do ourjob. If we call you for an interview, please come. It'sreally important. We want to help you. If you have apiece of vital information that you think would makea good story, slip it under the door of S3, or just visitus. We check our email every day. As we make theeffort to move online, we would like for you to helpus, as well. You're worth the night-owl hours in frontof the computer.

If you're also passionate about this whole mediathing, and want to join us in our mission, don't sweatyour writing skills, and just tell us. We can fit youwhere you need to be.

Please don't leave us hangin'. We look forward tohearing from you.

Oh, and by the way; Merry Christmas!

❚ by Jasper HaewardProduction Manager

This rainbow is for you!

The College community has lost two of itsdedicated staff members this semester.Brendalee Bonimy (Office of Communications)and Predencia Basden-Delancy (PhysicalPlant). Ms. Bonimy had been with the Collegesince 1994, and Ms. Basden-Delancy since1979. The Spectrum would like to offercondolences to the families of these wonderfulladies and to the general College community.

News we never want to hear...


For years, students, faculty and staff havecomplained about a foul odour emanating from theS and F blocks of The College of The Bahamas. Thesource of the odor is a sewerage problem that hasplagued COB for more than 12 years. Despite valiantefforts by the physical plant and the Department ofWater and Sewerage to eradicate the problem, itseems to be a losing battle for all. Mr. Curry,Assistant Director of maintenance for the physicalplant department explained that COB was built nearthe Big Pond subdivision so the College feels theimpact of environmental problems that plague Big

Pond. This includes flooding and overflowingsewerage.

“There used to be a very big problem directly infront of the sewerage plant for some time before therewere problems near the F-Block,” Curry said.

He explained that physical plant maintains thesewerage in certain parts of the campus, like the B-Block area, and he is not certain if the F-Blocksewage system is complete.

“The management over that area seems to beabove my pay grade,” Curry said.

College of The Bahamas’ consultant, MelanieRoach oversees the operation of the sewerage nearthe F Block and had very little to say about theproblem.

“All queries should be addressed to the VP ofFinance who has responsibility for the College'sPhysical Infrastructure,” Roach said.

Curry claims that he has no knowledge about themaintenance of the sewerage near the F-Block or thefoul odour it gives off. He said that every time there’sa problem around the B-Block the physical plantdepartment works jointly with Water and Sewage tofind a solution.

“They still have the F-Block fenced in. It seemsas if it’s finished,” Curry said, but he couldn’t give adefinitive answer. He pointed out that the smell ofurine is strongly noticeable near the F-Block and attwo man holes near the library. Deodorizingchemicals were recently used to minimize the odorand disinfect the area.

The sewage from the T-Block, B-Block and thelibrary is pumped from these areas to the new lift stationby the F-Block. Curry feels that if the F Block’s liftstation is not completed, this may be the cause of thefoul odor. Meanwhile, faculty, staff and studentscontinue to inhale the stench.

The College of The Bahamas took center stagein Parliament on Monday when a bill wasintroduced to amend The College of TheBahamas act. The bill’s aim was to determine andrestrict the time frame of which members of theCollege council could serve on the council. Inaddition, security issues at COB were discussedduring the meeting.

Speaking before the House, the Minister ofEducation, the Honorable Desmond Bannister,explained that the bill was designed to helpensure the efficient operation of the College.

“This new provision sets a definite outer timelimit of a maximum of six years of service for acouncil member, thereby ensuring that thevalidity of the acts performed during their timeof service to our country cannot be questioned byreason only of the length of their tenure in office,"he said.

Of course, the College council is responsiblefor the educational policy and administration ofthe College; it consists of the College’s president,two public officers, a student, a faculty member,the president of the Alumni Association and five

persons representing other relevant sectors of theeconomy.

As an amendment to The College of theBahamas Act Ch. 48, the bill stipulated that “amember of the Council, other that the president,shall be appointed or re-appointed for a miniumof two years provided that such member shall notserve for more than the maximum period of sixyears or more than three consecutive terms.”

In addition to the amendment of The Collegeof the Bahamas act, security issues at the Collegewere raised by the Honorable Fred Mitchell, whois the member of parliament for Fox Hill.

Mr. Mitchell said that though there were manypressing issues related to the functioning of COB,the one, most pressing issue on the minds ofstudents was the issue of crime.

His statements came in wake of a wave ofcriminal activities at the College which has leftstudents concerned about their safety. To this theMP said that the government should assist COBin upgrading its security capabilities.

“We all know that crime knows no bounds andwherever there is an opportunity, criminals willexploit areas of vulnerability. There is indeed aneed to improve the security for COB," he said.

tHE S- and F-Block walkway where the stench ismost heavily detected.

❚ by Shaquille Sands

Beat Reporter

Courtesy BahamasLocal.com

COB TAKES CENTER STAGE IN PARLIAMENT

WHAT REEKS?!

COB/Jasper Haeward

The College of The Bahamas wishes to advise ofits heightened security measures as a result of arobbery, which took place at the Oakes Field Campusduring the evening of Tuesday, 15th November,2011.

At approximately 6:54 p.m., COB SecurityDepartment received a report that a group ofapproximately four young men were on campus andhad aggressively approached several COB studentsresulting in an altercation and subsequent theft of astudent's laptop.

The suspects fled on foot. Campus security andofficers of the Royal Bahamas Police Force quicklygave chase and apprehended one of the suspects.There were no injuries as a result of this incident.

Additional measures have been taken to increasesecurity at the Oakes Field Campus including:

Ensuring all campus lighting is fully operational;Increase evening and nighttime patrols by officers

of The Royal Bahamas Police Force around thecampus;

Stationing of additional COB security officers in

Students are encouraged to follow the outlined procedures to help ensure security on campus.

❚ Office of Communications

Security Advisory

CAMPUS SAFETY REPORT

COB/ Stephen Hanna

HONORABlE Desmond Bannister speaks at the College April 15th, 2010.

NEWSu3tHE SpECtRUMvOlUME IIuDEC 2011

❚ by Rashad Rolle

Contributing Writer

nSEE Page 8


Finally another epic gore fest of Greek mythology;here to - since the classic that shall not be named(300) - satisfy your thirst for brutality.

Immortals is an epic action/fantasy movie that willgive an adrenaline rush to those starving for carnageon the silver screen. Theseus, a mortal chosen by thegod Zeus must lead the battle against the cold-blooded King Hyperion who wishes to destroy hu-manity with a weapon left earthbound by the“Immortals”.

With attention to detail and intense battles, someof the coolest fight choreography of this year, Im-

mortals is a visual masterpiece. But not much else.The film is a huge marketing campaign, and perhapsthe overwhelming theme of “a film by the peoplewho brought you 300” did more damage than good.We were given the same graphic violence we loved,but it wasn’t married with a great story with memo-rable quotes and sequences. The story wasn’t horri-

ble; it felt irrelevant.Apart from a barren tale, Immortals lacks charac-

ter progression. You meet the hero already trainedand skilled for battle, which leaves little room forstruggle and growth in the role. Yes you want him tosucceed, but you aren’t pressed with emotions atscenes meant to cause a lone tear run down your face.

The score tried to bring some emotion to the film,but it was not enough.

On a much brighter note, writers Charley and VlasParlapanides are very effective in incorporating vastmythological references. Don’t worry, even if youare not a fan of Greek mythology, the plot doesn’tmake you suffer for it.

The film’s use of gore is the best aspect of themovie and it is astounding. Visually, every swing ofa sword is complimented by a beautiful splash ofblood. The effects in the fight scenes are unlike anyI have ever seen before, a simultaneous mix of fastpaced combat with slow motion effects. The vio-lence, the impact of the hits, had me shouting - liter-ally - with excitement in the theater. Don't worry Iwasn't the only one.

I admit the movie does rank as a bit more intensethan 300, but you cannot trade intensity for memo-rability.

All that being said, Immortals is good manly awe-some movie stuff. I give it 7 stars. Check this one outand join the battle to save humanity.

❚ by Nathan Rolle

Spectrum Columnist

Comics

Bring your comics to S3 or send them to

[email protected]

4uCOlUMNS tHE SpECtRUM

❚ by Renbert Mortimer

Contributing Artist

Super Awesome

Movie Stuff!

Along the Western Bay Street of Nassau, citizensand tourists of all race and color gather in groups andsolos on the well known Junkanoo Beach. Parasail-ers and jet skiers decorate the turquoise oceanic scenealoof on their own agendas of what they call fun.Tourists, namely the alien Caucasians - the whitepeople, all parade with their usual ‘touristy’ slowpaced march. Not a care in the world. The pale blueand black patrol officer making his daily stroll; everyso often catching a glance at some exotic Latinabooty passing his way heading to the Nassau Palmor Senior Frogs. He’s armed and ready for battle,fully equipped to handle any wayward seagull ordelinquent sand crab. Parents walking their childrenalong the sandy shore, underweight little boys throw-ing sand balls at each other and middle aged momsin one piece bathing suits. This is the usual day atJunkanoo beach. Everyone goes about their ownbusiness wrapped in blissful serenity and clothed incarefree harmony. Or so it would seem.

Sitting far away from the swash of the tides, thebreaking waves coming onshore and the collectionof tourists and Bahamians enjoying a good beach

day, was a man virtually unnoticed, virtually… in-visible. While everyone else was enjoying the clichébeach day, he sat far away, staring into that horizonthinking, pondering and completely lost in the innersanctum of his thoughts. His faded eyes staring intothe clouds told a story alltheir own. The blue liningalong the circumference ofhis iris showed more thanfading vision but years’worth of experience; threescore and eleven years to beexact. While the world con-tinued moving, 71 year oldGarthlan Bullard sat still ina gaze of deep reflection.No one else knew whatBullard was battling in hismind and his body. No oneelse on Junkanoo beachknew anything past theirown concerns. He hadprostate cancer. He was dying while everyone elsewas ‘living’. He wasn’t thinking about bills or BECor some other arbitrary burden of the Nassau life. Hewas busy getting away from all of that. He wasthinking about how he could enjoy the life he has.“Really, I just like to come out here and just think

that’s all. Just to be by myself and relax and try toforget about some things.” His posture, the tone ofhis voice and the genuineness of his smile exudes asense of optimism and inner peace. “I had prostatecancer for some years now and by the grace of God

I’m still here”, Bullardsaid with a hardysmirk on his face. Atthat moment, I real-ized the type of man Iwas speaking with.This was no manfallen victim to life’sbarrage of lemons.This was a man who,through years of ex-perience, learned toaccept the things hesimply cannot change.“There’s nothing I cando about it now butaccept it.”

Garthlan Bullard, citizen of Englerston Nassauand born and raised in Andros showed strong re-silient character. He had offered me enough of histrust to indulge in a conversation with me and evendisclosed information about the cancer inside himthat he was battling. Yet I still wanted more. I was

not yet satisfied. I wasn’t satisfied because I stillknew that there was something I wanted to know butdidn’t. I hadn’t gotten out of him the weight I sawon his face before he even knew I existed in the sameworld as his. I saw in his eyes a deeper story that hewasn’t telling me; something troubling that he’s soobviously use to hiding he did so without the slightestfault in his demeanor. About an hour later I askedthe question that would obliterate that informalfaçade. “Are you married?” There was about a fivesecond silence. That’s equivalent to about fiveminute minutes in a journalist’s world. He replied,“My wife died last year. We were married for over50 years and she left me last year.” That was it. Thefacial expression he had when he made that state-ment matched the one I saw about four meters awaybefore my first “hello”. “She died of a heart attack;it came out of nowhere”, he said in a more signifi-cantly solemn tone. We sat there for minutes, treesblowing, the homeless “jonesas” lying in hibernationseveral feet away and the seagull patrol officer hus-tling a dollar for his daily shots when he gets off duty.It bothered him and it was clear.

“She hated taking all that medication. I think itwas driving her crazy”, he continued. The worldkept spinning, the people around kept living whilehe reclined back on a log under a palm tree andwatched it all happen. u

❚ by Kriston Saunders

Contributing Writer

Inner Peace

COB/Jasper Haeward


Dear Carib,I enjoyed reading your responses to stu-

dents’ concerns in the last newspaper. Youwere honest and funny; that is why I feelconfident you can help me with my situa-tion.

I am an older student studying for myBA. I was pleasantly surprised when Iwalked into one of my classes this semes-ter and saw that the professor was an oldflame from a very exciting relationshipyears ago. The professor and I maintainedour professionalism throughout the se-mester but I can tell from the glances andgood grades that feelings are still there.We are both married with families but thechemistry is building and I find myselfthinking about my professor A LOT!! Lastweek my professor handed an assignmentback to me and released my hand veryslowly. I just know we are both thinkingthe same thing!!!

I plan to ask my professor out for drinksand dessert before the semester ends andI want to know if COB has a policy thatrestricts students from seeing professors.

-Tempted to Touch

Dear Tempted to Touch,

This is a quite interesting situation wehave going on here. To quickly answer yourquestion there are no laws against a studentdating a lecturer. However, I’m sure thereis a restriction from a lecturer dating theirstudent. When you think about it, its justnot right. Your situation is a bit special. I seeyou said that both of you are married.Come on now. Let’s try and be good hus-bands and wives here. The semester is overnow so theres nothing you can do about theclass. But what I do suggest is that you bothbe mature about it and let those flames dieout in the wind. Drinks and dessert? Notfor old flames with spouses and families.And as for registering and accidentally hav-ing your professor again, please check atthe bottom of the course on iqweb and seewho your lecturer would be so you can pre-vent all as you would call it ‘pleasant’ sur-prises. Let’s behave Tempted to Touch.

Hey Carib: is it me or is COB becoming a breed-ing ground for homosexuals? I see dudesmeeting in empty classes having ‘private mo-

ments’ in the stairwells and meeting under a certaintree at the other end of the campus. You know whatI’m talking about. And if that’s not bad enough, everysemester for the past year and a half I had a gay lec-turer. They just seem to be multiplying. You knowhow uncomfortable it is sitting in a class for 14 weeksand the lecturer looking at you with hungry eyes?What wise words do you have about this, Carib?-The Slippery Crab

Send your questions to:[email protected]

u5tHE SpECtRUM

Dear Carib,This computer thing is really upsetting

now. Everytime I need to use a computer orprinter in the library and especially in the Alab its ‘out of order’. Come on man. What amI paying these fees for if the tools are hardlyavailable? I mean a few of them upstairs inthe library are really annoying and its as ifthe people don’t wanna fix them. The ma-jority of the computers in the A lab don’twork and the darn screens are just sitting onthe desk. What should I do?–Mad Bio-Chem major

Dear Carib,The library is really cold. I don’t like being

outside in the hot sun and then coming insideto the freezing AC. This can cause you to getsick very easily. And if they had more sensethey would know that if they turned down upthe temperature just a degree or two theycould save a couple hundred dollars in elec-tricity a year. Do something Carib! It’s too coldto concentrate in there.-Freezing Freshman

Dear Freshman,

Are you serious? Clearly you froze yourbrain or something. Do you see the amountof students as well as electronic equipmentin there? I think the temperature is fine, andI only wear a piece of loin cloth so you know.I don’t think its fair for students to be com-plaining about how cold the library is. I thinkyou would prefer it being too cold ratherthan hot. If you’re hot, you’re gonna havemore people sweating and getting mustyand then what would you do sitting in anonion smelling library? I suggest you carrya nice sweater or jacket in the library to staywarm.

Dear Slippery Crab,

Where do I start? I understand whereyou’re coming from. My tribe is really con-servative and this is what I grew up on. Butyou see, the world is changing. There are alot of habits and lifestyles that we are all justgoing to have to accept. Whether it a reli-gion, sexuality or political preference I’velearned that we must accept people forwhatever decision they make. If you wantto travel the world you’re going to have to

be open to just about anything. Howeverthat doesn’t mean you must do what yousee everyone doing. People live the one lifeGod gave them just like you and I do eventhough we don’t choose to go down thatparticular road as they. So if the increase inhomosexual activity bothers you try yourbest to ignore it. It’s the grown up thing todo. And as far as your lecturers try and getinto another section of your course. If im-possible then you gatta do what you gattado, Crab.

Dear Bio-Chem major,I was wondering when someone would

ask this. When I went to type myCannibalism 090 term paper, I noticed thesame computer that wasn’t working for theentire semester was still not working. This,for me, is unacceptable. The worst part isthat around finals’ time you can’t findavailable computers. So: let’s go to COBUSfirst of all seeing that they are therepresenting the student body. If thatdoesn’t work, there is no reason why youshouldn’t publicly express yourdisapproval of the situation. But whateveryou do be respectful and cordial. No onewill hear you out if you’re out there makinga fool of yourself.

The Student Nurses Association would like to extend a heartfelt ‘thank you’ to the College ofthe Bahamas for sponsoring our attendance ofthe 35th Annual Nurses Conference 2011, on

November 4th at the British Colonial Hilton,under the theme Nurses Driving Access Quality

& Health in The Bahamas.

Center left: Mrs. l. Rahming; president of the Student Nurses AssociationCenter Right: Mrs. p. Munnings; president of the Nurses Association of the Commonwealth of

the Bahamas

Thank you!


Arunning dispute on campus this semester has been theexclusive plot run, and what some consider zealously guarded,by the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. The exclusive nature of

two benches along the concrete thoroughfare to the T-Block has beena source of contention for some, who feel that there should be no rulesprohibiting their use. The benches are cordoned off with rope and off-limits to non-members. Below, two students give their reasons forsupporting the fraternity plot.

BENCH WARS!

COB/ Simmba French

BATTLE OF THE BENCHES: this is the Sigma-reserved space adjacent to the mentionedwalkway.

❚ by Simmba French & Ava Turnquest

Spectrum Reporter; Managing Editor

ENGLISH IN THE PARK: theSchool of English annualcelebration of literature,both oral and written washeld at the COB bandshell. the event featuredthe talents of College ofthe Bahamas students insuch activities as SpokenWord/Rapping, Open Mic,Jeopardy, Dramatizationsand even a Spelling Bee.

The School of English Studies had a busy semes-ter. It hosted “English in the Park”, the annual An-natol Rodgers Memorial Lecture Series andintroduced two new minors.

COB students were treated to a day of festivitiessponsored by the School of English Studies. Englishmajors entertained COB and high school studentswith their creative works, followed by a sumptuouslunch and engaging games, all hosted by the depart-ment.

“English in the Park” is a recruitment initiative.Dr. Francis, BA Coordinator said that the School ofEnglish Studies has experienced a marginal increaseof ten additional English majors to the thirty currentlyenrolled since last semester.

The Anatol Rodgers Memorial Lecture Series fea-tured Ms. Oonya Kempadoo, author of Buxton Spiceand Tide Running. Kempadoo engaged the audi-ence with a stimulating discussion of “Creativity andthe Web of Interconnection. ” She is working on anonline novel and wishes to recruit student writers andartists to contribute to the production of the websiteand novel.

COB students now have two additional Englishminor options, Bahamian Literature and Film andDrama studies. Students with an interest in produc-tion and acting may inquire at the School’s office inthe A Block.

The department welcomed new faculty Dr. AidenMckenzie and returning faculty Dr. Randall Pinder,who recently completed a Ph.D. in rhetoric and com-position. New Chair, Mrs. Heleane Mcphee said thatshe is especially proud of what the school has accom-plished and looks forward to future programmes andprojects.

What’s Poppin’ in theSchool of English?

❚ by Shaquille Sands

Spectrum Reporter

Classifieds$10 for Students

$15 for Non-COB AffiliationsCall us: (242) 302-4483

[email protected] Page 2 for Campus Locations

The spectrum wants you!

As we plan for more issues eachmonth, we’re looking to expand ourteam! Come in to the student officeor our advisor’s office, and we’ll beglad to help you out. Our meetingsare Thursdays 2 to 4pm in CHMI

147.

6uFEAtURES tHE SpECtRUM

We have been a part of this campus officially from Spring of 2004 andthe plot has been located the same area from 2008 when all the clubswere allotted on the yard. There is a huge significance that the plotplays, even though many may not understand, but simply put we

worked for it, we maintain it, it represents us and in turn our prestigiousorganization. The reason we had the rule implemented at the beginningof the semester that only Sigmas are allowed on the plot was to reduce

the amount of vandalize and blatant disrespect from students.

-Ramon Pearson

Fraternity member andFourth-Year CIS Networking major

“

”

It’s fine with me. I don’t have a problem with it. These guys paidfor it. They got permission. In the States you cannot walk all overthe fraternities’ or sororities’ plot…it’s against the rules. Respect it.They (C.O.B) have the Delta’s plot but they are not here. If they

were, I guarantee you would not be able to come on their plot. Youhave the AKAs coming on board and you will not be able to walkon their plot either. These people pay to be a member. We need torespect these people plot. I plan on joining the AKA next semester

since that is the only sorority that will be on campus.-Keshia Moss

Third-Year Bio-Chem major

“

”

LEFTtOp: Students fromC.C. Sweeting, C.I.

Gibson, C.R. Walker,Doris Johnson andAquinas College

attended English in thepark.

MID: Winner of OpenMic Winnae Hunt (COB)

with Ms. ShaniquaHiggs

BOttOM: Winner ofJeopardy - valene Rolle(Aquinas College) withDr. Chanti Seymour.

RIGHTtOp: Winner of SpellingBee - Randysha Hannaof C.R. Walker Senior

HighBOttOM: Surprise Gift- Ashantae Gardiner ofC.C. Sweeting with Dr.

Helean Mcphee.(courtesy Office ofCommunication

cob.edu.bs)


The area is called Big Pond for a reason,the obvious one being that there is a bigpond in the area, but seeing that a pond is

a small lake, it should probably be called AverageLake. Ignoring the misnomer, that geographicalfeature may have little significance to the averageCollege of the Bahamas student. It does howeverhave a profound impact on their lives when ever itrains at the Oakes Field compound.

The College's main campus is located in a place,that like much of the low lying areas of New Prov-idence, is prone to flooding. This is mostly becausethe water table on this island, is particularly high.In many places it doesn't take further than 100ft of

drilling to hit water, hence the proliferation ofbackyard wells in the capital.

If you've lived in, or driven through an arealike Pinewood Gardens after a 20 minute showerthen you've seen the effects that a little water canhave on property with exceptional table perform-ance*. The combination of low, flat land with ahigh water table means that after several inchesof rain the area usually becomes saturated withwater.

This leads to the standard evening news reportof middle class residents crying that this type offlooding is the result of inadequate drainage andthat the proper authorities should create a betterdrainage system, this is of course easier said thandone.

Digging only leads to more water and in truththe issue is a result of persons in search of inex-pensive property filling in areas that were naturaldrains (i.e. swamps, mangroves and ponds in thecase of COB). The only solution is fill in with ex-pensive curry and to buy giant umbrellas for olderbuildings.

FEAtURESu7tHE SpECtRUM

Fall 2011: SEMESTER HIGHLIGHTS

School can be rough sometimes, ever feltlike you need a hug? Hopefully you won'thave to wait a year, for the International FreeHug Day to get one. Students of the Collegeparticipated in November, offering "FreeHugs" to anyone that wanted one.

FREE HUGS!Nov. 10th

For several years thePhotojournalism class hasput on an end-of-term photoexhibition displaying thework of students, and thisterm was no different.Upstairs in Chapter Onebookstore was covered withthe various frames ofcapturing snapshotsof Bahamian life.

WRITERS OFLIGHT: “MYLENS, OURSTORY”Nov. 24th

Four COB students completedtheir pledges that day and becamethe newest members to join thePhi Beta Sigma fraternity. A largecrowd gathered on the basketballcourt to watch as the once-pledgeswere initiated. Blue cardboardbirds were posted on various struc-tures around the campus in adver-tisement of the ceremony.

SIGMA PLEDGEINITIATIONNov. 17th

COB/ Jasper Haeward

COB/ Stephen Hanna

Quzshan JohnsonQuzshan Johnson


Features Editor

COB/ Jasper Haeward

The GreatCOB Flood


death of the Martinique born scholar.Both lecturers feel that the Symposiumwould help to supplement deficiencies inthe academic engagement within the in-stitution as well as wider community pre-senting the opportunity for there to bestudent participation and faculty discus-sion on important topics. As COB pushestowards the goal of becoming a Univer-sity it becomes more pressing for the in-

stitution to reach certain criteria, Wool-ward suggests that "part of the academicmandate of Universities is not only thedissemination of knowledge but also thecreation of knowledge part of what thesymposium does is allow the College toshow as an institution is able to dissemi-nate and create (knowledge) throughthese dialogues".

Recognizing this is a way to bringattention to the work of the College,

Smith added that the symposium was alsoa chance to highlight the contributions thatthe region has made internationally. TheEnglish lecturer holds that the forum asreminder that "there is critical thought thatcomes out of the Caribbean; theCaribbean culture isn't just Carnival andJunkanoo and Reggae music but we havepeople who think critically about who weare as people and how history defineswho we are today"

front of an audience of their peers as wellspecial guests leader of the DemocraticNational Alliance, Branville McCartneyand fellow DNA party member RodneyMoncur, who has often been outspokenin addressing issues of social justice.

Moncur, while personally had not arrivedto a decision of where he stood on theissue on whose rights were greater, thatof the potential victim or the potentialcriminal, but acknowledged that theforum gave opportunity for an importanttopic to be discussed.

When adjusted with inflation figuresfrom the Central Bank of The Bahamas,the cost of attending The College of TheBahamas has decreased by 21% betweenthe years 2000 and 2010. As the cost ofoperating the College has increased, it wasabsorbed by the College as it kept the costper credit untouched. In other 4-year

public colleges in the United States ofAmerica, the cost of tuition adjusted withinflation figures from the U.S. CensusBureau has increased by approximately13%.

If this rate of increase occurred at theCollege of the Bahamas, tuition would be$144 and $216 per lower and upper levelcredit, respectively. (But that’s just $113and 170 dollars adjusted for inflation.)

Due to the economic slump manypersons still find paying for college achallenge. COB has a policy that “noeligible student (as defined by this

[Financial Aid] policy) will be preventedfrom commencing or continuing his orher studies at the College for financialreasons alone”. Many students haveexpressed disappointment with theprocess of receiving financial aid.Nonetheless, if persons have difficultiesmeeting their tuition payments, theyshould apply to the college for financialassistance.

At its present cost, COB’s tuition is stilllower than many private primary andsecondary and high schools in TheBahamas.

SEX OFFENDERS’ REGISTRY: THE GREAT DEBATE

nTOP Story

10uNEWS tHE SpECtRUM

THE REAL PRICEOF ATTENDING

COB

nFROM Page 1

THE FIRST CRITICAL CARIBBEAN SYMPOSIUM SERIES

nFROM Page 1

HEARING THEM OUT: Hon. Branville McCartney, Ras’Deniro

Thompson and the judges listen as presenters bring points in

the third annual Great Debate by BIOL475.




COB/ Stephen Hanna

the vicinity of Independence Park and atthe Tucker Road entrance to the Culinary& Hospitality Management Institute(CHMI); and,

Effective today, the Poinciana Driveentrance gate to the Portia Smith Buildingwill be closed to inbound traffic at 6 p.m.,with a security officer present to allow thesafe flow of existing traffic.

As the holiday season approaches, TheCollege encourages students, staff andfaculty on all campuses to remain vigilantand adhere to the following safetymeasures:

Always walk in groups if possible andespecially at night;

Park near a security booth while oncampus late at night;

Ask a security officer to escort you toyour vehicle if parked in a deserted area atnight;

Ensure that your personal and valuableitems are properly secured in yourvehicles;

Minimize the amount of cash that youcarry;

Always lock your car and secure yourkeys; and,

If you see a suspicious lookingindividual, contact the SecurityDepartment immediately at 302-4566/397-2647/325-5551

FANON FANS: These are photos of other experts that

were present at the first ever Critical Caribbean

Symposium held on December 2, 2011. Edward J. Russell III

CAMPUS SAFETYREPORT

nFROM Page 3

A CORRECTION FROM THEOCT/NOV ISSUE

It was previously stated in theOct./Nov. issue of The Spectrum in anarticle entitled “COLLEGE STEPS UPMOULD FIGHT” that, the brown mouldthat accounts for 90% of the mould foundin the structures on campus is harmful.

This is not the case. The black mould,that occurs as 10% of the mould oncampus is harmful. We apologize for anyinconvenience or panic caused by thismisstatement.



tHE SpECtRUM10uSpORtS

“Toot,” the whistle blows and we start. The first drillsets up like this: two people stand at opposite ends about10 metres from each other, and a person in the middle runsto the person at the end, hitting the ball with the part of thebody the coach tells us to use. The drills go from insteps tolaces to thighs to chest and thighs then finally to head. “Wehave to be technically better as a team if we want to win,”coach keeps reminding us.

The drills end and we get some water. “Oh my gosh, Iso blow bey,” Ellie says. Looking at Ellie – whosefavourite TV character is Cartman from South Park – youmight think he’s too overweight to play soccer. But he’s agreat player, just not as fit as his teammates.

Coach says: “Guys we have to study hard and do goodin the classrooms.”

A prayer is said and Kris shouts: “One, two, three,” andthe team backs him up with, “Caribs.” Kris is a freshmanwho probably has the worse temper on the team. When heis calm, though, he’s a real asset.

It is Monday, November 7. I arrive at 10 and look formy teammates at the hangout spot by the red bench underthe tree by the mini-band shell on the strip. As I walk thereI look up to see Keith and Sudge with some girls I don’tknow. I asked Sudge about the trip. Though I know thescore lines of both games I want to get his point of view.

The Freeport game score was 2-2 with Kristoff and Richiescoring, and the last game was 4-2 with us losing, butKristoff and Junior scored 1 each.

“Bey, I played like shit, mudda **** I een kno,” he says.“I think I was just scared, bey, I never play so scared, but Idid make some good save and the goals they scored on mewere dinky goals.” Sudge is a freshman from TempleChristian High School and coached by one of the bestgoalkeepers in The Bahamas, Corie Frazier. Sudge is ahardworking fella who never gives up, hence his jump tothe second string goalkeeper. His mother is a Bahamianeducator and his father from Guyana, like me. Sudgeleaves for his 10 o’clock English class and I remind himnot to forget to register for the Spring semester. I ask Keith;“Why you ain’t text me back yesterday?”

“I got so much text after the game I ain’t even knowthat u text me, my bad bey,” he answers. Keith is a veteranon the team and goes to the gym a lot. He is red skinned,

sports a Mohawk and is a diehard Los Angeles Lakers fan.I hate the Lakers so me and Keith are always at it. He says,“I ain’t ga lie right, we miss you in Freeport dog. If youwere there I sure we could have won them games becausewe lost mainly because of bad goalkeeping.”

“We are scoring goals now and that’s a great thingbecause before we could not find the back of the net,” I tellhim.

“That’s true, but Mick and Sudge let some dinkygoals score on them.” We talk for a couple more minutesthen I ask him where our teammates are, and he saysmaybe in the library. I find them there on the first floor ina corner. Perry is doing math problems. He keeps lament-ing that he wishes Audi was here to help him. Perry is afreshman from Temple Christian High School like Sudge,and a hard worker. Math is not Perry’s strongest subject,while Audi is the team’s Math whiz. Audi is studying forhis BA in Mathematics and was named male student-ath-lete last year. A few girls from the soccer team are also here.This is the thing about the male and female soccer team atCOB: they have a strong connection. It all started whenboth teams trained together but got stronger when we wenton a soccer trip to Miami to play against universities there.

It is Wednesday November 9, the first day of practicesince the Freeport trip. It’s 6am and also the first practicesince the clocks went back. I start things off with a wordof prayer in the usual huddle. It’s bright outside, whichwe’re not accustomed to. “Well guys I’m going to slowdown the number of practices to Wednesday and Fridayonly until after exams,” coach says in his housekeepingbrief. Half the team are there and begin to jog for 15 min-utes. Then we stretch for a couple of minutes. Usually, we

would have conditioning on Tuesday but now with thechange in practice days coach decides to mix it up, startingoff with a passing and movement drill. By now more ofthe guys have arrived.

Neko yells: “Wake up bey Chaved, you doing crap!”Chaved grunts and shakes his head as if he wants to say

something but his mind is still sleeping. Neko is in his thirdyear at college and is a returning player. His hair is lockedand he has a very skinny frame but he plays like someonemuch bigger. He has a phrase he loves to use – SkinnyN*ggas and Upperclassmen run dis.” It’s a feud betweenthe upperclassmen and lowerclassmen especially the fresh-men, but it’s a friendly one. It usually happens during prac-tices that the upperclassmen treat the freshmen withoutrespect. Chaved is a Jamaican and a freshman fromKingsway School. Chaved, Juan and I are the only inter-national players on the team.

It is Wednesday November 9, the first day of practicesince the Freeport trip. It’s 6am and also the first practicesince the clocks went back. I start things off with a wordof prayer in the usual huddle. It’s bright outside, whichwe’re not accustomed to. “Well guys I’m going to slowdown the number of practices to Wednesday and Fridayonly until after exams,” coach says in his housekeepingbrief. Half the team are there and begin to jog for 15 min-utes. Then we stretch for a couple of minutes. Usually, we

would have conditioning on Tuesday but now with thechange in practice days coach decides to mix it up, startingoff with a passing and movement drill. By now more ofthe guys have arrived.

Neko yells: “Wake up bey Chaved, you doing crap!”The drill continues for 15 minutes with us lining up in

three and passing the ball to the guy in the middle thendrop off. The guys do the drill sloppy and coach intervenes.“Ma mayne, ma mayne, yall doing sh*t, messing up thedrills,” he says walking in our direction.

We look at each other muttering, “Can’t this man seewe tired?” We try to do the drills better and succeed forfive more minutes as Chaved wakes up. It is time for awater break.

Audi asks: “Who got the agua guys?” I fling him mybottle. During the water break our captain, Alex, tells usthat we need to work harder because the league is fast ap-proaching. The league is set to start on the 15th but noschedule is out yet. There is talk around the football com-munity that the league will not start on time, or that maybethere won’t be a league this year. Coach calls us in to tellus our next drill is the 12 by 20. It’s a conditioning drill.Cones are placed diagonally in a line with about 40 yardsbetween the first and last cone. 12 by 20 simply meansthat we have to run from the first cone to the next 12 timesin 20 seconds then jog down back to the first cone. We startthe first time with ease but as we progress, Ellie is the firstone to sit out and Kristoff screams, “Arghhhhhh come onguys push it, all the way!” With five more remaining, guysnow depend on their heart to finish it off. I look at coachhoping he will say it’s time for people with 8 o’ clock classto leave. On the last one coach says: “Now think it’s the90th minute of the game and the game is tied, how badyou want to win it - let’s see.” Ellie gets up for the last one,the whistle is blown and every man musters all his strengthto run this last one. Coach has a huge smile on his face,happy with the way the team work together to finish. Weget another water break and then it’s time for me and theothers to leave for class.

It is November 13, 9am, and both the men’s andwomen’s soccer teams are in Holy Cross Anglican Church,Ashley and coach’s home church. It is on Soldier RoadEast and sits on a very large property. There’s a big field

which is used for fairs and fun days, as well as a hall thatleads to the church building itself. The smell of the incensewelcomes you, followed by the ushers. It’s hazy inside asif there’s a weed party going on. Members of the congre-gation sit at the left side, right side or in front of the pulpit.Half of both teams are in church. The Kiwanis Club ofMontague is here also and makes a donation to the youthsof the church.

Coach is caught off guard as the assistant priest asks

him to speak. He fumbles for words. “Well um, um, Iknow you haven’t seen me for weeks.” Rashad, sitting atthe back, stifles giggles because the female players are urg-ing coach to sing. Rashad always gets a roll-on-the-floorlaugh out of hearing about coach’s singing and dancingcareer. Coach ignores the requests and doesn’t sing.

Father Adderley steps up to the podium and begins todeliver the sermon, speaking of the lust of the eyes regard-ing worldly things. Things such as money, car and house.He talks about all three major political parties but tempersthe rhetoric. The sermon ends with him admonishing thecongregation not to dwell on worldly things. Afterwardsthere is some reading then singing of hymns. Communionis now up and not everyone from the team is Anglican.Coach, Rashad and Mick are the only ones who go up tocollect communion.

It is November 23. After beating the University of WestIndies 4-1on Sunday, we hit the grass again for anotherpractice session at 6am. It is 2 days before the last day ofclass and it’s evident that the end of semester workload istaking its toll. Mick, Valdere and I have final projects due,Juan and Sudge have a final exam at 10, and the list goeson.

We start out practice by jogging for 10 minutes beforestretching and then get into a drill. It’s a conditioning drill.We do several 40-yard dashes before taking a water break.By this time more guys have come and we begin anotherdrill. We play a small sided game. Me, Alex, Chaved, Audi,Perry, Juan and Scottie are the bibs while Alex, Neko,Keith, Sudge, Junior and Rashad are the whites. The bibsteam string together some passes but miss the goal. Thewhites counter-attack and get the first goal of the gamefrom Neko. The bibs continue to attack and pressure thewhite team defensively until Perry sees the open goal andscores. At 7.30, practice breaks up as people go to classand to prepare for exams.

It is confirmed that the league will start on Sunday, No-vember 27, at 2pm with COB playing against BahaJuniors.Everyone is happy. The bond that the trips to Miami andFreeport created will last forever. We will continue to getbetter as the season progresses. We assure coach that we’llbring out our secret weapon at the game on Sunday. Thatweapon is team chemistry. u

Shadowingthe CaribsnFROM Page 12

DEDICATION, STAMINA: The Caribs’ soccer team train hard in early morning

practice.COB/Simmba French

PERSONALITY: Clearly, our men’s soccer

team is a group of unique guys.COB/Simmba French


tHE SpECtRUM SpORtSu11

sportshighlights

Our Caribs played with dedicationand passion this semester, throughinjuries and against difficult teams.Here are a few snapshots fromintramural Carib and Lady Caribbasketball games in Fall 2011.

INTRAMURALBASKETBALL

Here are more snapshots fromthe Lady Caribs game from PG12.

INTRAMURALVOLLEYBALL


THE Lady Caribs defeated the Lady Titansin three of four sets at the Donald W. DavisGym.

The victory has revived hopes that the team canperform in the upcoming New Providence WomenVolleyball Association league playoffs, assistantcoach Cora Hepburn said.

The Lady Caribs got off to a slow start but even-tually leveled the score at 16. The game was tiedagain at 22 before the Lady Caribs won the final 3points to walk away with the first set victory. Thestarter team included Krystal Delancy, DiandraSands, Kenisha Thompson, Jacintha Clark, Franch-eska McBride and Kristen Butler.

Simone Duncombe and Aikia Rose got their startin the tougher second set as the Lady Titans came outthe gate with a 0-3 lead. Trailing behind by only threepoints for most of the set, the Lady Caribs perseveredbut lost the set 21-25.

The third set saw some good spikes from Franch-eska McBride and team captain Kenisha Thompson.With the Lady Caribs back to the original startingline-up, the team took an early lead and never lookedback. After defeating the Lady Titans 25-21, the LadyCaribs needed to win set four to win the game toavoid playing a tie breaker set five.

The Lady Caribs dominated the fourth set with no

changes to the starting line-up. They won the matchwith the score line at 25-20.

Ms Hepburn said: “I am not too excited about thewin because the team needs to cut down on their mis-takes. This was an important game for them to winbecause hopefully they can still make the playoffs.”

Wandalee Burrows, co-captain of the team, said:“The game was slow because we took a long time toget into the game.

“We just want to stick to the basics and take it onestep at a time,” Burrows, a Physical Education major,added.

Kenisha Thompson was the top scorer with 23points. Other scorers include: Jacintha Clark, eightpoints; Francheska McBride, seven points; KrystalDelancy, four points; Kristen Butler, three points; andDiandra Sands, Simone Duncombe, Wandalee Bur-rows and Aikia Rose rounded out the scoring withone point each.

The Lady Caribs also beat out the Cougars in afollowing match. The team won three out of 4 setswith Kenisha Thompson totaling 14 points.

The team roster includes: Krystal Delancy, Ken-isha Thompson, Francheska Mc Bride, DiandraSands, Jacintha Clarke, Wandalee Burrows, KristenButler, Coline Reckley, Simone Duncombe, AikiaRose, Phylicia Huyler, Rachel Riley, Jan Turnquest,Marissa Tucker and Chelsea Thompson.

Lady Caribs SpikeTitans❚ by Simmba French

Sports Editor

FRESHMAN Duane Beneby, a Chemistrymajor, hopes one day to become an athletictrainer.

Beneby or “Benbo”, as called by his teammates, playsfor the Caribs Men Soccer team while he earns his asso-ciates degree. A week after his return from the Carib’s soc-cer team trip in Miami, he left for University of Tampa assoccer recruit for 2012 fall season.

The youngest son of Dwight and Karen Beneby, theRight Back player has been competing in the sport for thepast 13 years. He is also competitive in track and softball.

The experienced 17-year-old was the youngest playeron the national soccer team when they faced off againstTurks and Caicos this summer.. He also played for BearsFC, reigning champions of the Bahamas Football Asso-ciation (BFA) league. Beneby was awarded Best YouthAward, and helped the team secure both the league andthe knock out cup in 2010 and 2011. He also representedthe Bahamas U-15 national soccer team as co-captain.

Beneby was selected to the national Academy from2005 to 2009 and in 2009 he was the National Academy’sU-16 MVP. In 2001, he was the Bahamas Youth Football

League Team MV1. Benby won bronze and silver medalsat Bahamas Association of Independent SecondarySchool (B.A.I.S.S) track meets.

In addition to athletics, Beneby is also veryscholastic as an Honor student at his alma mater, JordanPrince William High School. Beneby was an honoree inThe Bahamas Outstanding Students Foundation 2011 andHead Boy 2011. He placed third in the Lads to LeadersConvention Speech Competition in 2009 and 2011. Hishobbies include handy work, socializing, watchingmovies and listening to music.

Duane Beneby:Athelete

Extraordinaire

BENEBY holding the trophy won by the Bears in theUnder 17 Championships in BYFl 2011.

COB/Simmba French

❚ by Simmba French

Sports Editor

12utHE SpECtRUM

LADY CARIBS VOLLEYBALL TEAM:

(not in order) Krystal Delancy, Kenisha

Thompson, Francheska Mc Bride,

Diandra Sands, Jacintha Clarke,

Wandalee Burrows, Kristen Butler,

Coline Reckley, Simone Duncombe,

Aikia Rose, Phylicia Huyler, Rachel

Riley, Jan Turnquest, Marissa Tucker

and Chelsea Thompson.

LADY CARIBS VS. LADY TITANS:

RIGHT: The girls’ warmup before the

game against the Lady Titans.

COB/Simmba French

COB/Simmba French

There are always new faces on the men’s soccer teameach semester at the College of The Bahamas. This se-mester there are 19 players. I’m the goalkeeper. ValdereMurphy, the youngest player, controls the left side of thedefense. On his opposite side, Duane “Benbo”, anotherfreshman, brings a winning attitude to the team. In the mid-dle of the defense are returning players and gym rats, KeithMoss and Stephan “Steph” Brown. In the centre midfieldpositions are Dineko “Neko” Bethel and Alex Thompson.The right and left wing are occupied by Rashad “Shad”Adderley and Perez “Perry” Brooks respectively. Round-ing out the starting 11 are forwards Philip “Richie” Robertsand Kristoff “Kris” Wood. On the bench are Chaved“Gangsta” Harvey, Junior Joassin, Elvens “Ellie” Omilus,Juan Villalobos, Christian “Sudge” Sarjudas, Audison“Audi” Beaubrun, Mick Massar, Torcassio “Scottie”Bethel.

It is Sunday, October 30, a week before the team travelsto Grand Bahama to play two friendly games againstFreeport. Sundays are scrimmage day. This afternoon weare playing United FC , a club team in the local league.I’m not going on the trip to Freeport so won’t be in thegame. Mick will play in my position. The game starts withUnited applying offensive pressure. Soon, a goal is scoredagainst Mick because he uses the wrong technique to saveit. COB regroups and Kristoff puts a goal in the back ofthe net, bringing the score to 1-1. Minutes later, Valdereshouts: “I got him!” Mick comes out of his goal to makea desperate but failed attempt and the score is now 1-2 infavor of United.

“What you doing?” Keith shouts, breathing heavily.“I thought I had him,”, Mick responds in an almost

timid voice. “My bad,” he says, then hangs his head andgets back in goal.

“Toot toot toooooooooooot!” Coach Vandyke Bethelblows the whistle for half time.

The guys walk off the field panting. Coach looks at meand says: “Warm up you on,” and I’m in shock, because I

thought only the players going to Freeport would play.The second half starts and we come out aggressively.

“Get him, get him, get him,” Steph shouts to Benbo. Stephcovers him and contains the attack. The rain had fallen ear-lier and puddles dot the field. On attack our plays on theleft side slow down or stop because of the puddle by the18-yard box. We soon pick up our pace and start to attackfrom the right. Rashad and Benbo now got to work hardas they create a great opportunity for a goal. Juan hits theball with the outside of his foot and puts it out of the reachof the United goalkeeper tying up the score at 2-2. I shout:“More! More! All day all night baby!”

As we expect, United put on a display of shots to thegoal but they don’t succeed. “Not in flickin’ here,” I shout,receiving a mixture of high and low fives about the caliberof the saves I have made. Perry shoots a long shot fromoutside the 18-yard box that rebounds off the keeper andinto the path of Junior who scores the third goal. COB en-sure United receive no more chances on goal and the scoreline reads 3-2.

It is Tuesday November 2, four days before the trip toFreeport. Practice begins at 6am. Instead of practicing onthe field, futsal is the order of the morning, which is similarto football with the exception of the hardcourt surface anda smaller but heavier ball. Practice starts with a 15-minutejog to get our blood flowing as it’s a cool day. The timegoes fast and the coach screams: “Stretch!” We stretch ourcalves first. Today Benbo is in the middle of the circle.

“One,” he says.“Two,” the rest of the team answers.“Three, I can’t hear y’all bey,” Benbo retorts.“Four,” the team resounds, and the sequence continues

until the count reaches 15. We do flamingos, groinstretches, hamstring stretches and finally arm stretches.

Coach interjects. “All right, stretch whatever you haveto stretch, we’re going to work on some technical stuff.”We get a ball to share between three persons in preparationfor our drills, and begin by working on our touches.

❚ by Simmba French

Sports Editor

Shadowing the Caribs

nSEE Page 11


Documents

The Spectrum- December 2011