April, 2003

John Iannone, ed.,
Graduate Assistant

Kat Dilley, Storyboard,
Resident Assistant

It's April -
Time For Final Exams!

Inside this Issue

The Human Cost
Summer Job Information
National Poetry Month
How Buyback Works
Test Taking Strategies
Move Out Information
Operation: Ride Home Happy

Click to Jump to an Article

The Human Cost...

Opinion - By Darren Evans, Building 16 RA

It is times like these that I am reminded how stupid I really am. I came to this realization while watching my fourteenth consecutive hour of “OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM” on TV (on all five hundred cable news networks that have popped us since the last war with Iraq), and saw how war happy we all are. And somewhere between General Tommy’s “Targets of Opportunity”, and the release of Clint Black’s new song "I Raq And Roll" (which by the way is a complete piece of crap), I became conscious that thousands of people were (and still are) dying.

I am no tree-hugging hippie, and being a veteran of the US Navy, I am very much in support of this war. However, I am opposed to how desensitized we have all become to this war. We sit on our couches and the war comes to us via our “embedded” reporters. We watch in awe, as our precision weapons hit their targets with horrifying accuracy, and never take the time to think of the lives we have just witnessed come to an end. With TV we can relieve ourselves the burden of observing the terror and death just by turning on “The Bachelor” or flipping the channel to a basketball game.

I implore us, as members of our communities and as citizens of the world, to take some time and think of all of the civilians and soldiers (both American and Iraqi) who are giving their lives to this war. We must not get caught up in the marketing and stupidity of war. All of us are obligated to burn the images of devastation and carnage in to our minds, so we can end this cycle of fear, death, and stupidity.

Darren Evans

Let us know what you think. Click the "Contact Us" link to your left and title your email: "The Human Cost."

Summer time in Orlando is one of the best opportunities to get a job that you will enjoy! Mindy shows you how to seek out the perfect summer job to get some cash and have a little fun while you're working!

Summer Job Info

Mindy Moore - Building 19 RA

It’s a gorgeous day outside! You are sitting in the sun with your shades on, scoping out the area, watching friends and families have fun in the pool, relaxing…well not exactly…you’re working! Summer time in Orlando is one of the best opportunities to get a job that you will enjoy! With summer camps and programs getting ready for an influx of children and tourists there are numerous lifeguard, swim instructor and camp counselor positions that are opening. Before you run out and receive lifeguard or swim instructor certification, do some job hunting! Some summer employment will pay for you to get certified once you are hired, which will spare your wallet: some certifications can cost you a couple hundred dollars.

So, maybe working for a summer camp or summer program isn’t for you. You might consider taking advantage of the job opportunities at Disney. For seasonal employment at Disney’s theme parks you can call the Disney Job Line at (407) 828-1000, and for Disney Cruise Line positions you can call (407) 566-SHIP. There are also a number of seasonal positions that open up in the shops of the Downtown Disney Area. However, there is no job line that you can call for these positions; their preferred method of contact is for you to physically go down to the individual shops and fill out an application. While we’re on the subject, why not call Universal Studios Theme Park, Sea World, MGM, or any of the attractions on International Drive?

The University of Central Florida’s Career Resource Center also has services that can assist you in finding a job or internship that is associated with your major. You can become part of UCF’s Gold Connection by stopping by the Career Resource Center and registering for this free service for students. The Gold Connection is an online student/employer database that provides students the opportunity to apply for internships and/or jobs, as well as connect with employers locally and nationally. For more information you can go to www.crc.ucf.edu. Multicultural Student Services in AD 145 can also provide you with a list of jobs that are available.

Still not satisfied with what you’ve found? Then some helpful websites such as www.orlandohelpwanted.com, www.flipdog.com, and www.monster.com can help you find a job that suits you. Another useful website is www.jobsearchmatrix.com which is a site that provides numerous links to assist you with whatever you may need, from creating a resume to landing your preferred job. If you are looking for an unconventional summer job and don’t want to stay in the Orlando area, www.coolworks.com/florida.asp has national and state park jobs, ranch jobs, jobs on water, and many other atypical but interesting job opportunities around the state.

Finally, you can always pickup the classified ads of the Orlando Sentinel or UCF’s Future. HAPPY (job) HUNTING!

National Poetry Month

RA Submissions

April is National Poetry Month!

April flowers not only bring May showers, but also an entire month dedicated to the beautiful art of poetry! Following is a sample of the talent we have on our RA Staff:

My Ansisters – Afi Pittman

These women…
Who understood that brilliance is not always standard

And I wonder how many of them knew that change was in the wind;
That bitterness can produce the ultimate sweet;
That things must sometimes get so bad to get better;
And that sometimes you have to go through heaven to get to hell
I wonder how many of them saw the sign in the sky?

I think maybe they were on a mission of infiltration—to
sow seeds that would one day bear harvests of opportunity
They knew the power of re-invention; re-definition; re-possession; re-claiming; remembrance; reverence; and resilience

They understood the power of hope and faith,
but never limited their time to just days;
What I wouldn’t give just to see one of those faces,
marked by a wisdom and pride
that no amount of disgrace could ever hide

They knew their mission would complete through generation

But it’s not even about revenge…
It’s about justice;
Sweet poetic justice

Disillusionment of the Louvre’s – Sarah Kernan

The pictures bounded by frames
Along the many walls
Consist of only black and white.
There is no color,
No forest of many greens,
No golden sunsets,
No sky of beautiful blues;
There are no expressions
There is no hidden meaning
There is no feeling, no life.
And yet, an old man
Resting on a wooden cane
Pictures before him a masterpiece
With descriptive colors
That has captured an expression,
Perhaps a thought,
Of a lovely woman
That is to captivate the eyes
And thoughts of people
For years to come.

Essence – Kat Dilley

Suddenly from my dream I am awakened
To the startling realities of life.

In my slumber, I had revisited my youth,
And watched myself, crayon in hand,
Draw a picture:
The essence of simplicity.

My life in primary colors was depicted on the canvas.
A woman, me, with eyes, nose and smile,
Affixed permanently to my circular face.
Stick legs and arms adorned my body;
A triangular dress cloaked my nakedness

I clutched in one hand the hand of a man,
As plainly drawn as I,
And in my other arm I cradled a baby.
A dog on our right, and a cat on our left
Completed the picture of ideality
At least for a toddler.

I stared, transfixed by the basic shapes comprising my life of dream.
And wished real life was as comprehensible
As the crayon scribbles of a child.

How Buyback Works (Parts 1 & 2)

John Iannone - Editor

Having worked at one of the local college bookstores, I know that buyback is a confusing and often frustrating concept to many college students. One of the most common complaints to hear is: “I bought this book for x dollars and they only gave me a DOLLAR!” I am going to show you how this thing works (at all the major college bookstores), so you can understand, and I’m going to give you a few pointers on getting the best value for your books!

First of all, we have to understand a few terms: retail buyback, wholesale buyback, and the dollar books.

Retail buyback refers to books which have been bought and are then sold on that store’s shelves. Wholesale books are books which that particular bookstore does not need, but which an independent national wholesaler will purchase from them for redistribution to a different store. The dollar books are donated to local libraries or thrown in the dumpster, because nobody wants them. So if you get a dollar for your book, this is pure pity.

So, how do they figure out which books they need for retail and wholesale? The list of books for the store comes from only one place: your professors. They tell the bookstore which book they’ll be teaching from next semester, and that book goes on the retail buyback list. The wholesale list comes from the national wholesaler based on the demand from bookstores around the country. Often, a book will be needed at the local bookstore, and be on the wholesaler’s list. In this case, they fill the retail requirement first (we’ll get to why in a minute), then they fill the wholesale requirement. Obviously, a book that is not on either one of these lists will be a dollar book.

Now let’s follow the money: bookstores like retail books (these are the ones you get the most money for) and here’s why: they buy it from you for half of its value (more if it was new when you bought it), then sell it for its full value. Figure out the profit on that one! This is actually the ONLY buyback they make money on. Wholesale books get you about 25% of the book’s value, but the price the store pays you IS the price they get for it from the wholesaler—so the store doesn’t make any money on these. Then, if they do buy any books for a dollar, these obviously COST them money.

New Books (Beginning of Part 2)

Remember that bookstores make money on retail buyback, break even on wholesale, and lose money on the dollar books? Who have we not mentioned yet? The publisher!

Publishers of text books hate the buyback process because the only time they get any money is when a book sells new, for the first time. Conversely, bookstores make a very small margin on new textbook sales. In fact, bookstores often lose money on new textbook sales because the margin they make is not enough to cover the overhead expenses of selling them. (There's no profit!) This is why:

1. College bookstores have started carrying so much merchandise and non-text (called trade) books; and
2. BOOKSTORES ACTUALLY WANT TO BUY YOUR BOOKS FOR RETAIL!

So what is the publisher's answer to buyback? NEW EDITIONS! Publishers put out new editions as often as they can in order to keep the money coming in their direction. They're banking on the fact that when professors know a new edition has come out, that the professor will switch to it and request that your local bookstore begins carrying that one. If the bookstore cannot sell a used book, they cannot buy it from you!

So, let's recap:

• If a used book is going to be required by professors next semester, and the bookstore has not yet filled up its inventory (how many they can sell next semester), this book will be bought at retail pricing (you get 50%, and the bookstore can make a profit).
  
• If a used book is either not going to be required next semester, or if the bookstore's needed inventory is filled, and the book is on the national wholesaler's list, this book will be bought at wholesale (you get about 25%, and the bookstore gets nothing).
  
• If a used book is either not going to be required next semester, or the bookstore's required inventory is filled, and the book is not on the national wholesaler's list, this book will either not be bought, or the book will be bought for a dollar (and the bookstore loses money).

Getting the best value for your books.

Finally, we'll look at using the traditional buyback process, and some new services that are being created outside of the bookstore industry, for ways that you can increase the money you get back for your books!

First, within the traditional buyback process:

• Get to the bookstore as close to finals week as possible! (Either before, during, or after.) Remember that the bookstore's and the wholesaler's inventory dictate HOW MANY of each book they can buy. Once the inventories of both are full, you're left with a dollar.
  
• Who has the ultimate power in the buyback process? Your professor! The professors' adoption list dictates WHAT the bookstore can and cannot buy at retail. Talk to your professors before the MIDDLE of the semester (that's when the adoption list is created), and ask what book they plan on using next semester. If they say they're switching to a new edition, ask why. There may be a legitimate reason, if something significant changed, but there also may not. In this case you may be able to convince them to stay with the current one. (It will save them the trouble of rewriting their course materials as well!)
  
• You can also turn to the major retailer's websites - many offer a book buyback program which is independent of your local bookstore's inventory.

Second, turning to outside services: there are book-swap companies turning up online which act as brokers to connect people selling a book with the people who need that book. If you list your books with these services, or with online auction sites, and the book sells - you get 100% of that money, but nothing dictates what that price will be.

Remember that to buy a book online, your buyer will have to be willing to pay not only your price, but also shipping, so you'll have to offer them a good discount in relation to the price at which their local bookstore sells the used book (usually around 75% of the new value). Nonetheless, if your local bookstore cannot buy the book, or if you can get more than 50% of the value, you're making out well in the deal! To find such services, look for advertisements in the area or search online at your favorite search engine.

The buyback process may seem hard to understand, but it's really quite easy if you grasp this fact: retail buyback is the best thing for you and for the bookstore, as compared to all the other options (new, wholesale, and dollar). Between the local bookstore, retailer websites, auction websites, and dedicated book-swap services, we're sure you'll be able to shop around and find the best value for your used books - money which you can then use for NEXT SEMESTER'S BOOKS!

Test Taking Strategies

Darren Evans - Building 16 RA

Test talking strategies – Darren Evans

Well Spring Break has broke, all those big projects are safely in the hands of our professors, and it rains everyday at 4:30 pm sharp. This can only mean
one thing - FINALS are coming!!!

Hey, this is Darren Evans, and I want to share a little info about test taking that I have amassed throughout my tenure here at UCF. I know finals are a great source of pain and suffering for all of us, but I have learned some tricks that may ease the blow of any overwhelming examination. I know that some of these tips may seem stupid or even childish, but sometimes stupid and childish is all we have to work with.

1. Get plenty of sleep. I know this is a hard one (especially when it is two for one up at Applebee's and that kick-ass girl/guy wants to hang out), but showing up to a test half-asleep leads to stupid mistakes that will cost you points.
   
2. Don’t get hammered the night before. This should not pertain to those residents that are below the drinking age, but I'll make the statement anyway (for all those who live in a little place I like to call reality). Taking a test with a hangover is probably one of the most agonizingly stupid things I have ever subjected myself to, and I have done some very stupid things in my 25 years.
   
3. Eat a good meal before the test. It is hard to concentrate on your exam when your belly is making that grumbling sound. Besides, the people around you might hear your stomach growling and think you are farting.
   
4. Use a brand new pencil/pen. I know this is going to sound dumb, but if you use a new pencil or pen and tell yourself that the pen/pencil has never written you a wrong answer, you just may psych yourself into doing better.
   
5. Stretch out. This is another strategy that may sound odd, but trust me it works. When you stretch you loosen up all the muscles that may have tensed up due to your stressing out about the exam. Stretching also allows for better circulation, and this increases the amount of blood getting to your brain.
   
6. Wear comfortable clothes. This is a given. Don’t show up in clothes that are going to make you feel uncomfortable and take your mind off your test. Who can write an essay about the Gettysburg Address while trying to secede their undies from their butt?
   
7. Drink a soda or eat some candy right before the test. Use the sugar high to your advantage and kick that tests butt.
   
8. Study. If you must, try actually reading the material. Don’t get me wrong I need to know who is going to be the next American Idol as much as the next guy, but I have NEVER been asked that on a final (yet).

Move-Out Information

Afi Pittman - Building 20 RA

It’s hard to believe the school year is basically over, but it is. Some of you will be returning and facing yet another academic year at UCF. But for some others, this is the end of the road. And now that you’re almost there, you need to take care of a few things before moving on!

1. First things first: mailing addresses. Make sure you change your mailing addresses on all of your bills, credit cards, mailing lists, magazines, etc. This way, you continue to receive all of your mail with no problems. Change the addresses before the monthly dispatch of the first month that you will no longer be living here. In other words, if you leave in August, change the address before the July cycle is over. To catch the things you forget, you can also go to the local post office (the nearest one is on Econlockhatchee and Colonial Drive S.R. 50) and request an address change form. Filing this form will ‘bounce’ your mail from your old address to your new address.
   
2. What to do with things you no longer use: clothes, appliances, food, etc. Don’t just leave them for other people to clean up. I know you were taught better than that. Instead, find an organization (or friend) that will take your items as donations.
   
3. Storage. If you are leaving but plan to return, you may benefit from using local storage. If you aren’t sure where to find a storage unit, you can check online for white and yellow pages with listings of available businesses.
   
4. Check with your RA about a month in advance of your move-out date to get information regarding move-out procedures. This will give your RA time to find the necessary information and make the process easier for you.

If you plan ahead, and get things taken care of in advance, your move-out should go smoothly. If you’re moving out for good, we wish you good luck and we’re glad you chose Pegasus Landing as your home for the past year. If you’re coming back (or staying for the summer) we look forward to seeing you next year!

Operation: Ride Home Happy

How many of you Phase II’ers ride the shuttle? And how many of you people get off the bus at the first stop and walk through the grass and the front of Phase I to get to your building? I’m with you, guys. I refuse to sit on that shuttle anymore than the first stop, mainly because I hate the speed bumps, but also because I can walk in less time than it takes to make the loop around the other two phases.

So, the United Resident Student Association and the Phase 2 RA’s havecome up with a solution: A new bus route! Next year, we would like to initiate “Operation: Ride Home Happy,” but we need your help to make it happen!

Instead of having one shuttle route, we will have two. NO ONE will have to walk more than a building’s length. Be on the look out for information that will be handed to you on and around the shuttle over the next couple of weeks. The pamphlets will show the new routes, and have details as to how you can help implement them. We will also have a petition which we will bring to Coach USA to show them the support for this plan – this is where you come in. When you see the petition, sign it! If we get enough support, you may get a new bus route which will make your commute to school more enjoyable!