The All State

» By ANTHONY IRIZARRY – airizarry1@my.apsu.edu

At some point in our lives, whether it was early in our youth or late in adulthood, we’ve all dreamt of either becoming something great, or achieving a noteworthy feat. It didn’t matter what it was, but what did matter was that it was something we loved to do and wanted to excel at.

However, as time dragged its overbearing weight throughout our lives, we’ve all been pulled away from those desires through the pressure of a widespread, industrialist mindset that no longer applauds the individual, the drive to pursue one’s unique happiness.

Nelson Mandela once wrote, “There is no passion to be found playing small — in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”

For Nick James, lead singer of the band Throwing Gravity, following his dream was a no-brainer. “Music was pretty much in the blood. Mostly everyone in my family played some kind of instrument,” James said, who started writing songs at the age of 14.

It was a passion for music which ultimately brought together all of the members of this Nashville band, which include: Tom Dupree (drums), Sam Hindmarsh (Bass/Vocals), James (Guitar/vocals), Chris Scott (Piano/Keyboard/Programming) and Jesse Triplett (guitar).

Throwing Gravity, which started its musical pursuit three years ago, is a “modern rock band with alternative elements,” James said. Others in the industry have drawn a comparison to “3 Doors Down” and “Breaking Benjamin.”

The band has recently released their first album titled, “It’s Not the End.” The entire process of creating the album took three months of sacrifice.

According to James, the hardest part of creating this album was the adversity they had faced years ago, mainly on account of a misdealing with Universal. “We had already made another album, but we were dropped by the label, and they stayed with our record,” he said.

“Starting over was definitely the biggest challenge,” James said.

Dupree, wasn’t shy about picking favorites in terms of the album’s singles. “‘Circles,’ the opening track, is my favorite because it has a very aggressive drum solo.”

Dupree followed up by picking “The Inside” as another favorite single.

The two band members expressed enthusiasm with regards to the upcoming show at The Warehouse in Clarksville, which will be taking place on Tuesday, Feb. 17.
According to James, the performance will start between 9 and 10 p.m. and cost $5 per person. TAS

» By CONOR SCRUTON – cscruton@my.apsu.edu

I decided to travel slightly off the beaten path for this week’s column. Taking an All State coworker’s recommendation, I headed to No Egrets Tattoo Studios Saturday, Jan. 28, for a free art show.

No Egrets is a tattoo shop many students are familiar with, located only a couple blocks from APSU at 1128 College St. It’s worth looking into for anyone wanting a tattoo, but that story will have to wait for another column; this week, I was just checking out some art.

The art show featured over 15 artists from the Clarksville and Nashville areas displaying and selling their original works. January’s show featured a superhero theme, so there was an abundance of colorful comic book characters decorating hand-painted canvases.

One of the cooler aspects of the show was the fact most of the artists were there in person.

They were not hard to find, as I ran into several simply standing by their displays. It was definitely nice to talk to the artists about their work in person, as it adds a certain amount of depth to interpreting the art.

Ricky Cavaness, one of the displayed artists I talked to, described his show as “kind of focused on a low-brow community.”

While there were plenty of pieces on sale for high prices, some of the bigger works going for hundreds of dollars, I’d recommend this show to anyone looking to buy original art.

If you look through some of the smaller paintings, it’s not hard at all to find art for $20 or less.

While the art show was the main event, there was always plenty to keep guests occupied. Some of the highlights included a superhero costume contest with an art giveaway for the winner, $5 professional photos and live music.

The show’s curator, Joe Melanson, said he started the show to give “forgotten” artists recognition, since many had been turned away by professional galleries. Melanson has been behind the No Egrets art show for the past year, running five shows so far.

The next art show is a “diorama show” scheduled for April 28, featuring mostly sculpture and shadowbox art.

Whether you want a tattoo or just want to see someone else’s art, you might want to stop by No Egrets this semester. TAS

» By CONOR SCRUTON – cscruton@my.apsu.edu

Across the nation, one would be hard pressed to find a college student that practices proper nutrition. APSU, though, has recently begun a campus-wide fight to feed its students in need.

The Interfraternity and Panhellenic Councils of APSU are sponsoring a joint food drive from Monday, Jan. 30 to Thursday, Feb. 2. To maximize the number of donations, the councils have created a competition for all campus organizations, with separate “Student Organization” and “All Greek” divisions. The organizations that donate the most nonperishable food items will be awarded a certificate and a monetary donation to the philanthropy of their choice.

Collection of the food items will take place at the “Canned Food Drive” table in the MUC Lobby from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Cans and other food items to be donated should be clearly labeled with the organization’s name. At the end of each day, the number of donations will be tallied, and the organization rankings will be available at the MUC drop-off table.

For any organization wishing to earn extra points, some particularly needed items include cereal, granola bars, canned fruit, baby food/diapers and bottled water.

With many student organizations already highly devoted to philanthropy, IFC Vice President Levi Shearon said the drive is “a great way to promote Greek life on campus and help our community become a better place.”

The IFC/Panhellenic food drive is one of many drives around campus benefitting the new “Save Our Students” Food Pantry. Opening on Wednesday, Feb. 1, the pantry is located in the Student Life and Leadership Office (MUC 211) and is the first of its kind in Tennessee.

“We are looking to take a holistic approach to fighting hunger by taking a look at what is causing continued food insecurities for our students on an individual level,” said Alexandra Howard Wills, assistant director for Service and Civic Engagement.

Wills went on to say the pantry is for all students — even those earning scholarships — who can’t necessarily live paycheck to paycheck.

In addition to student donations, the S.O.S. Food Pantry has spoken with Urban Ministries and Nashville’s Second Harvest food bank about receiving “overflow donations.”

The food pantry grand opening will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 1, with regular hours to be posted soon. For more information on participating in the food drive, contact Levi Shearon at the APSU Interfraternity Council. TAS

» By JENELLE GREWELL – jgrewell@my.apsu.edu

The Foy Fitness and Recreation center celebrated its five-year anniversary on Monday, Jan. 30, with cake and ice cream.

“First and foremost, wow, has it been five years already?” said David Davenport, director of the Foy. “We’ve accomplished so much in five years with yet so much more to accomplish as a department.”

According to a special edition of The All State, the Foy opened in Spring 2007 and replaced the Armory built in 1942 during World War II.

The old Armory housed APSU’s ROTC program.

After the demolition of the Armory began in May 2005, the ROTC program moved to the Memorial Health Building.

The site that used to house the ROTC program now houses a building that offers fitness programs.

“The Foy has added to the component of health and wellness to the APSU community,” Davenport said. He said the Foy has allowed opportunities not only for a healthy mind and body but for socialization, as well.

When the Foy center opened, one of the stories in the edition of TAS was the story of the rock-climbing wall, which is still in use today at the Foy Center.

One of the things that has changed since the opening of the Foy has been the café. According to the special edition of TAS, the café that is now Blondie’s used to be a juice and smoothie bar that offered healthy options. In 2009, the café was renovated into a Blondie’s.

“The growth of the facility and this program has been tremendous. There have been so many opportunities I don’t think the students realize how much is available to them within the Foy and with University Recreation,” Davenport said.

Danveport said the Foy will continue to grow with opportunities and for the APSU community. TAS

» By ANTHONY IRIZARRY – airizarry1@my.apsu.edu

In today’s current economic winter, it is a nationwide challenge for people of all demographics to acquire employment. A widening income gap, the surging struggle to make ends meet and the mismanagement of funds have resulted in growing tensions around our country.

Consequently, the aforementioned issues have spurred numerous protests and also set the primary backdrop of discussion for this year’s political race.

On account of this, APSU has taken it upon itself to continue to provide opportunities for both students and alumni through their involvement in this year’s Career and Teacher Recruitment Fairs held in the Nashville Area Career Fairs taking place on Tuesday, Feb. 14, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Nashville Area Career Fairs Consortium is comprised of a mix of several colleges, universities, employers and the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce whose goal is to improve the recruitment process for students, alumni, employers and graduate schools through the promotion of employment opportunity.

The registration deadline for this event is Wednesday, Feb. 1.

Janet Velazquez, assistant director of Career, Services elaborated on the event. “There are over 65 schools,” she said. “Some of these schools include Alabama, Florida, Texas, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and of course, Tennessee.”

Velazquez also mentioned the Peace Corps will be involved in the fair, remarking it as “interesting”.

There will be over 106 companies involved in the fair, which is open to juniors, seniors and alumni, although there have also been rare occurrences where freshmen and sophomore participate. Last year, over 500 students attended the Teacher Recruitment Fair.

According to nashvillefairs.org, in order for institutions to be part of a consortium, they must offer Bachelor’s degrees and above, be within a 100-mile radius of Nashville, accredited by a regionally recognized accrediting association; are nonproprietary; have an established career services office with professional staff involved in career services functions and designated to serve on the Consortium.

Each institution requesting membership must submit a request and be approved no later than August 2012 to participate in the career fairs.

APSU has participated in this event for several years, according to Velazquez. “Networking is the most important thing, even if students aren’t offered an opportunity on the spot, it is still a great opportunity for them to meet the companies. With that said, there are still many students who have gotten jobs with good companies through these fairs,” Velazquez said.

For everyone — including college students — scrambling for jobs in today’s financial crisis, the career fair provides a great opportunity for not only the attainment of a stable job, but the growth of one’s social network. TAS

» By BRIAN BIGELOW – bbigelow@my.apsu.edu

Ever wanted to jump into a pool of near freezing water with 200 other people for a good cause? Then maybe you were at the Polar Plunge.

The brainchild of Kelly Kler, a former APSU graduate assistant, the Polar Plunge has become a campus tradition, even prompting President Timothy Hall to participate each year by jumping into the frigid waters of the Foy outdoor pool in a full suit.

“I’ve participated every year,” Hall said. “I figure I’ll be old the moment I stop.”

“After the first second, nothing runs through your body at all. The first second is a little bit of a shock and then you’re good,” said Jeff Carnagey, one of the participants and the first person in the pool.

“Originally, I had wanted to tag it on to do some sort of … community service or some sort of special event to either help the community or help individuals in need … to get people involved in some sort of community service event,” Kler said. “I just always hoped that it would be a tradition … and that it would continue year after year and people would just continually get excited and get involved in it.”

The annual event, which was held on Friday, Jan. 20, was sponsored by University Recreation and functioned as a fundraiser for the new S.O.S Food Pantry on campus. Participants who brought in two or more canned goods to the event received a free T-shirt.

“We had such a big outcome, we wanted to try to do some good with it … so with the opening of the food pantry on campus we thought it would tie in perfectly and [was] a great way to help support another organization … on campus,” said Jason Wills, coordinator at the Foy Fitness and Recreation Center.

In its third year, the Polar Plunge attracted an unprecedented 211 people, up from about 190 last year and approximately 160 its first year. However, talks are in progress to explore the possibility of transforming the Foy’s outdoor pool into an indoor pool, meaning the Polar Plunge tradition may be in jeopardy.

“It is a conversation, not a plan,” said David Davenport, director of the Foy Fitness and Recreation Center, of the talks. “We’re just exploring options.”

Despite the talks of converting the pool to indoors, there are plans to continue the Polar Plunge tradition, according to Wills. TAS