High Fashion You Can Afford

Sorry boys, this one is for the ladies.

Sarah Jessica Parker – known best as Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw – is adding clothing designer to her resume. The 42-year-old Golden Globe and Emmy-winning actress and producer is launching her very own fashion line called Bitten.

Why should you care? Every item in the collection – from dresses and jeans to belts and an array of jewelry – retails for $19.98 or less. The Bitten collection offers nearly 1,000 apparel and accessory pieces designed for women of all ages and sizes.


The new fall line will be released August 1 and 2 at all Steve & Barry’s locations. The closest one to you is opening August 1 in North Miami.

Parker’s mantra for the line, as listed on the site is “Fashion is not a luxury. It’s a right,” describes the collection to a tee. All the items in the collection are designed as quality, affordable clothing for young women. This is the clothing line I’ve always dreamed about.

Oh, and if you were wondering, there are shoes too! Parker, like her Sex and the City character, is an out-of-the closet shoe addict. While the shoes in this collection (offering sizes 5 to 11) will not be Manolo Blahnik, they are definitely stylish.

Parker, who’s been considered one of the most stylish celebrities by much of Hollywood, is partnering with discount clothing chain Steve & Barry’s to put out this line. The new fall collection will be released August 1 and 2 at all Steve & Barry’s locations.

"High quality, luxurious clothes do not need to cost as much as we've been led to think,” Parker said in a statement about the new line. "Women should be able to wear great clothes and not lie in bed at night feeling guilty about how much money they've spent."

Parker’s manifesto, as listed on the Bitten web site, says “It is every woman’s inalienable right to have a pulled-together stylish, confident wardrobe with money left over to live.”

I say, amen to that sister!

The Bitten collection is available exclusively at Steve & Barry’s. While it’s not offered yet, Steve & Barry’s says it’s working on bringing online shopping to customers across the country. So check the Bitten site for updates. Unfortunately the closest store right now is in North Miami at the Mall at 163rd (1381, N.E. 163rd Street).


I don't know about you, but I still drive to the Sawgrass Mills outlet mall in Miami every once in a while – sometimes it’s worth it to travel for affordable fashion. Make a day of it with the girls and go “Get Bitten.”

Addicted to Facebook

I was at a party last week when a friend snapped a picture and immediately said it was going on her MySpace. Another friend snapped one more and said it's going on Facebook. I laughed at them both, thinking how ridiculous they sounded, and then realized that I'm also totally addicted to Facebook.

I tried to remember what we did with our photos (and our time) before we had social networks like MySpace and Facebook. As soon as I walk in the door I'm at my computer checking my e-mail and my Facebook. But I'm not the only one addicted to the online social network craze. There are 9,800 students, faculty and alumni currently listed as part of FAU’s Facebook network and 2,600 on FAU’s MySpace group.

But as college students, which one is better - MySpace or Facebook? For me, it’s Facebook. In fact, I think the 7,000 more students who have an account with Facebook, and not MySpace, would agree.

Facebook, which was originally created for only college students, is more practical for what us college kids want to use it for. Although it is not as pretty as my custom-designed MySpace profile, Facebook is way more user-friendly.

So, why is Facebook better?

Less creepy people and kids
From stalkers to strippers and salesmen, there are some weird people on MySpace. Whether they are promoting themselves, trying to hook up with you or selling you something, you have to watch your back on MySpace. On Facebook, you don’t really have to worry about talking to a 14-year-old wannabe pron star, getting asked out by a stranger or buying junk. People on Facebook usually belong to a school or geographic network and use their real (full) name. And if someone is promoting them self, it is because they are in a band. While Facebook recently allowed anyone to join, it's members are still mainly college students and high school kids. The Facebook creep factor is definitely less than MySpace.

Better photo albums
Unlike MySpace where you can just write captions, Facebook photo albums let you actually tag your friends in the photos you upload. That way any photo of you shows up on your profile and vise versa with your friends. You can also upload a bunch of photos at one time and have as many photos and photo albums as your heart desires. Plus, it is all really user-friendly and the uploading is pretty fast.

Fun applications
Facebook recently released Facebook Platform, a new program which allows developers to create fun new applications to add to your profile. From the “Where I’ve Been Map” to daily horoscopes and my personal fav, the new Graffiti drawing application, there are more than 1,000 applications for you to choose from. You can even add Dane Cook and Grey’s Anatomy quotes to your profile. But the best (and Facebook's "most used") applications are Top friends (much like MySpace), Free Gifts, and Moods (which you can update all day long).

Easier to find friends
Because everyone on the site belongs to a network – either your school or geographic region – it is much easier to find people. You can search by name, e-mail, school or city. It’s a great way to keep in touch with your high school buddies and make new friends with the people you have class with. Facebook is also a great place to promote an event or a party with a virtual invitation. Another easy way to meet people is through Facebook groups. There are tons of groups open for you to join or you can just create a new one. Whether they are just for the FAU network (there’s currently 180 FAU groups), like "Rock the Owl 2007," or global groups (any network can join), like "Channel 4 News W/ Ron Burgundy," there is something for everyone.


The University Press has a MySpace page and a Facebook group. (You have to have a Facebook account to see in). Check ‘em out and add us as a friend.

FAU in History

I was looking through someone’s MySpace page the other day (yeah, I still use MySpace) and noticed a friend’s profile had the saying, “You don't know who you are until you know where you came from.”

I have a secret obsession for quotes and this one particularly interested me. I started thinking about it and tried to apply the thought-provoking theory to everything I do. Then I thought about school, and realized I didn’t know FAU’s history. So, I did some research and found out the facts.

Before it was turned into a state university, the grounds where the FAU Boca campus now stands were used as an Army airbase in the 1940s. The base was the only radar training facility in the United States at the time and was used to aide the Allied victory in World War II. Underground tunnels used for storage and shelter in the 40’s are still under our feet today. Keep that in mind next time you’re looking for a quiet place to study on campus.


The Boca Raton campus as an airbase in the 1940s.

Photos courtesy of FAU - Part of the Photo Gallary from FAU's 40th Aniversary web site.

In 1961, Florida Atlantic University was established by the Florida State Legislature as the fifth university in the state system. FAU officially opened its doors in 1964 to a student body of 867, offering only upper-division and graduate-level work – the first university in the country to do so. According to FAU’s Web site, the higher-ups at the time believed freshman and sophomores would be “served by the community college system.” It wasn’t until 1984 that FAU admitted its first freshman class.

The coolest fact I found was that U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson came to FAU to dedicate the university on October 25, 1964. Even cooler, you can listen to the 43-year-old speech on FAU’s site. It is a tad bit corny and there is a lot of clapping, but Johnson’s probably the most important person to ever speak at FAU. Click here to listen.



President Johnson, (center) Secret Service agent Rufus Youngblood (left) and FAU President Kenneth Williams (right) walk to the outdoor stage, where Johnson dedicated the university in 1964.

The commencement ceremony for FAU’s first graduating class was held on April 24, 1965, at a nearby church. At the time, there was no building on campus that could accommodate the 30-member graduating class. These days, there aren’t many classes with fewer than 30 students – we’ve come a long way.


FAU's first graduating class in April, 1965.

Probably more interesting than Johnson’s speech is the fact that the first Miami Dolphins cheerleaders were FAU students. In fact, the Dolphins’ first training site in the late 1960s was FAU.


The first Miami Dolphins cheerleaders were FAU students in the late 1960s.

Curious how we became the Owls? In 1971, the Boca campus became a burrowing owl sanctuary. FAU adopted the bird as the university mascot and our sports teams were tagged the Owls.


An FAU intramural softball team in the 1970s. Notice the dog in the picture? The owl was probably too cranky to pose.

FAU began to expand the campus in 1971 with the opening of a Fort Lauderdale campus, and then joined forces with Broward Community College in Davie in 1990. FAU bought part of Barry University in 1996, and established the Treasure Coast campus. SeaTech, FAU's state-of-the-art ocean engineering research center, opened in 1999, as well as the John D. MacArthur campus (and Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College) in Jupiter.


FAU's SeaTech campus, which opened in 1999, is funded by the Office of Naval Research and home to the university's nationally known Department of Ocean Engineering.

If you want more, FAU even has an entry on Wikipedia – but take the info on the site with a grain of salt: it is, in fact, an online encyclopedia where anyone can write just about anything.

Safe From Extinction

The American bald eagle, USA’s national symbol, was removed from the endangered species list last week. While the bird’s fight for survival might not interest you, the fact that something good was in the news for a change really spiked my interest. It may not directly affect you that the spiky-haired bird has finally reproduced enough to stay alive, but I did vow to keep you informed and I’d also like to keep you in the know.

Although it may not make the list of your favorite animals, the bald eagle is a symbol of American freedom, spirit and patriotism since it was selected by our Founding Fathers in the late 1700’s.

The American icon has been fighting for survival for more than four decades and was officially listed as endangered in 1967 by the Federal Endangered Species Act. The Department of Interior and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decided last Thursday that the birds are no longer in danger of extinction. They are, however, still a protected species and it is illegal to harm one.

According to an Associated Press story that ran in the Palm Beach Post, there are nearly 10,000 bald eagles in the United States today, compared to a documented 417 in 1963 when the bird was on the verge of extinction.

According to www.eagles.org, the bald eagle was declared the national emblem of the United States by the Second Continental Congress in 1782. Ben Franklin wanted the wild turkey to be the national bird. Thankfully, he didn’t exactly get his way - Thanksgiving would never be the same.

You can also visit the site for a birds-eye view with its Eagle Nest Cam and listen to the voice of an eagle.

FAU By the Numbers

As I was sipping my grande peaches and cream icy something-or-other at Starbucks last week, I overheard some people discussing statistics they had heard about FAU. They mentioned how diverse our campuses - especially the age differences between students. The three also debated whether there were more guys than gals in school. I realized that their quandaries were actually pretty interesting and I decided to find some answers.

I was curious how FAU really stacked up. So, I did some research and I found out some interesting tidbits about FAU that I’d like to share. Yes folks, sometimes eavesdropping is beneficial for everyone.

I started my search with the FAU Fact Book, courtesy of the Office of Institutional Effectiveness & Analysis – known best as the IEA.

What stuck me first from the Fact Book was the housing stats. I’ve heard FAU is a big commuter campus, but I was surprised to find out 92 percent of enrolled students in fall 2006 were living in off-campus housing. I hope that the eight percent living on campus had some good parties.

Thinking about switching your major? The top three majors by enrollment last fall were Elementary Education, Management and Accounting - all with more than 1,000 enrolled. Nursing and Psychology round out the top five - both with just over 800 enrolled.

According to the 2006 Fact Book headcount enrollment, there were 15,629 female students enrolled and 10,208 males. Sorry guys, but the girls win this one. It’s slightly ironic that not too long ago women weren’t even allowed in school – way to go ladies!

Are you from out of town? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. The top three states for enrollment after Florida are New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts. More than 23,000 Florida residents were enrolled in FAU last fall followed by New York with almost 300.

A recent press release this month said FAU ranks among the top 50 four-year universities in the nation producing undergraduate degrees for minorities. The article also states that of FAU’s 26,000 students, 58 percent are Caucasian, 17 percent African-American, 16 percent Hispanic, four percent International and five percent Asian.

And the age-old question, how old is the average student? As of last fall, it was 18 years old for a first-time-in-college student, 25 for the average undergrad (a decrease from 29 last year) and 34 for a graduate student.

If you didn't know...now you know.

There are plenty more stats where these came from. For more info, visit the IEA Fact Book for yourself.

FAU's New Innovation

This is a question I recieved as an anonymous comment on my blog a few weeks ago. You asked, I answered.

"What restaurants/retail do they plan to include in the Innovation Village? Are they going to send out a mass email asking for ideas? I was especially wondering if there would be a barbecue place, a pizza place, a bowling alley, and an arcade?"

For those of you who haven't heard about Innovation Village, it is part of FAU's Master Plan to make the Boca campus more like a traditional university. Although the plans have yet to be finalized, a Board of Trustees' meeting last November said that the structure of the Village should include student residential housing, retail space, a venue for athletics and events and even more parking! But don't hold your breath… we probably won't see a new parking garage for quite some time.

As it stands now, the plans for Innovation Village are shaky. I contacted the director of athletics, the university architect and the general counsel – all of which have yet to call me back. While Innovation Village is now a part of FAU’s master plan for the Boca campus, finalized plans for what will be included, as well as dates for when construction will begin, have yet to be determined.

Also in the works is a university football stadium (yes, folks, on campus). The new stadium, built in phases, will also be a part of Innovation Village. At the November meeting, the administration said the overall goal is to make the Boca campus a more "traditional campus," offering a more "traditional college experience."

While it is not set yet what will be included in the "retail space," the administration is considering using schools like University of Central Florida, Florida State University and University of Florida as models. These schools all offer clothing stores and restaurants, cleaners, hair salon, copy center, Internet cafe and coffee shop.

Although not part of the Innovation Village plan, construction of the new dorms – recently named Glades Park Towers – are set for a substantial opening on July 12. Director of Housing Jill Eckardt says the new dorms are a 600-bed facility with a floor plan identical to Heritage Park Towers.

Eckardt says the only difference with this residence hall is that it's "only for new students or freshman." The first floor of the hall will also include an Outakes convenience store, classroom, conference room and computer lab. This new dorm is going to be so cool, Eckardt says it's already booked full for next fall.

Stay turned for more information about FAU construction and the progress of Innovation Village.

“Contaminated” recycling leads to more trash

If you've ever thrown something away on campus, you had to make a big decision before dumping your trash. In fact, with four bins to choose from – regular trash, paper, glass and comingled (plastic, aluminum, etc.) – this was not an easy task. Granted, the decision of which bin to throw your junk in should only take, um, less than five seconds, we here at FAU apparently have trouble managing to put the right things in the right containers.

You might not think the one banana peel you threw in the paper bin is going to make a big difference, but according to FAU’s Physical Plant, you just contaminated the entire bin. Evan Cross, the assistant director for the plant, says the problem with FAU's recycling isn’t FAU not doing their jobs but the students and faculty “not putting their trash in the appropriate containers.” Cross says that when food and any other “trash substances” are mixed with the recyclables, the recyclables become contaminated and get thrown in the trash.

So if you’re one of those people who say they’ve seen FAU custodial staff throwing the recycling in the trash, keep in mind, it’s not their fault – it’s actually ours.

See the problem is, we’re either too lazy to care or too stupid to notice where we’re tossing our coffee cup and empty pizza box, not realizing we’re hurting the environment in the process. Because when you throw your pizza box in the bin labeled “plastic,” you just contaminated the entire bin and it can no longer be recycled.

If you are one these people – an apathetic recycler – don’t give up hope, there is still time for you to change. So next time you go to throw your soda can and candy bar wrapper away, take a moment and think about which bin you will toss them in. (The can should go in plastic/aluminum and the wrapper in the trash). Remember, one banana peel in the paper recyclables can ruin it all for the rest of us.

Be kind, please recycle. Or at least just pay attention when you throw away your trash.