The Current | Vol. 31 Issue 12

The Student-Run Newspaper of Nova Southeastern University October 27, 2020 | Vol. 31, Issue 12 | nsucurrent.nova.edu PRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER On Tuesday, Oct. 20 at 2 p.m., NSU Public Safety tested the NSU Alert Emergency Notification System (ENS) throughout all university campuses. This test is conducted at least once a year to ensure that all ENS equipment is functioning properly and to improve the alert system. The test was a collaboration between Public Safety, the Office of Innovation and Information Technology (OIIT) and University Relations to activate additional messaging to the street corner signs and banner messages on NSU websites. “For this test, we had 45 Public Safety personnel that were deployed throughout campus as observers, stationed at different locations, to let us know how well the message was received from that location. We had Public Safety broadcasters test their vehicle public address systems. We also used administration at all the regional campuses and other campus collaborators for feedback on the success of the test. It was a group effort, and collectively, well over 50 people provided feedback to this test which was reported as highly satisfactory,” said James Lambe, associate director of communications and technology. This test was particularly challenging for Public Safety due to the logistics of performing this emergency alert test with COVID-19 procedures in place and weather and noise pollution. This required a debriefing to be presented in an auditorium prior to the test, and said protocols were used while checking out locations on campus. “We have to test in real-world conditions. We can’t stop the planes flying over campus or stop the grounds crew from working. We would prefer that all operations continue as normal so that we could test the system with the normally expected noise pollution in the area. The testing is meant to see if you can still hear the system despite these interferences. There were some outdoor systems that were identified as not performing at 100% and all the others were performing as expected,” said Kevin Ligouri, acting emergency manager of campus. To read the full verision of NSU alert test highlits future goals and improves funtionality , visit www.nsucurrent.nova.edu . NSU Alert test highlights future goals and improves functionality P. 9 A cat is a man’s best friend Finding fitness: Running from your fears Seven nights of Tim Burton films Gill Out: Change Doughnuts P. 11 P. 7 P. 4 Sports Opinions Features Arts & Entertainment By: Christina McLaughlin Co-Editor-in-Chief Homecoming is still on, and here’s what you can look out for Despite many events canceled or rescheduled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Homecoming Week at NSU is still on, albeit with a couple of new events and changes to keep the community safe. This year, Homecoming Week, Nov. 2-8, will feature a combination of online events and in-person celebrations, which will allow members of the NSU community to participate despite their location. The following are the events scheduled for Homecoming Week, with in-person events following COVID-19 safety precautions and social distancing guidelines. While some events have not announced a date or time yet, more information can be found on the Office of Campus Life’s Instagram, @ nsucampuslife. Nov. 2 On Monday, Homecoming Week launches with a breakfast kickoff to wake the Sharks up by handing out free individually wrapped breakfast meals for students walking through the University Center, starting at 7:30 a.m. Afterward, there will be giveaways in the U.C. spine from noon to 1 p.m. where attendees can win NSU swag, homecoming t-shirts and other goodies. To finish off the first night of Homecoming Week, there will be the Bleed Shark Blue prep rally in Rick Case Arena, featuring a DJ battle, an introduction of Homecoming royalty and the reveal of the newest design of NSU’s mascot, Razor. Nov. 3 To show support in the upcoming election and encourage students to vote, the day will start off with the Office of Residential Life and Housing shuttling residential students to the voting site. Then, at night, in collaboration with the Office of Student Leadership and Civic Engagement and the Student Government Association, an election event in the Flight Deck backyard will be held from 5-7 p.m. The event will include free food from Shark Cage businesses, radio giveaways and a drawing for numerous prizes including a 32-inch television and an Amazon Echo. Nov. 4 Hosted by the Veterans Resource Center, members of the NSU community can drop by Flight Deck for the NSU for Veterans event, where students can meet NSU veterans and fill out a letter to be sent to troops serving our country. Additionally, this event will be held in a virtual format as well, where anyone interested in writing a letter can go to the website tinyurl.com/ NSUforVeterans and fill out a card to be sent. At night, there will also be open mic night in collaboration with Shark Talent, where students can win $300. Nov. 5 To showcase some greek life pride, the Miss Phi Beta Sigma Pageant will take place both in-person and online. The crowning of the winner will take place in person, but anyone interested in watching the pageant can join one of the two viewing parties in either Mako Hall or Flight Deck. Nov. 6 The day will start off with a special Homecoming edition of Shark Pride Friday in the U.C spine from 12-1 p.m., where students have a chance to win a variety of giveaways. Then, at night, the Homecoming Bash will be held, featuring food trucks and other activities. The Office of Campus Life and Student Engagement is looking to make that event as safe as possible by holding the event in the library quad with more details to come. Nov. 7 A brand new event for Homecoming, the Office of Residential Life and Housing will hold a drive-in movie night, featuring the film “Shark Tale” in one of the residential lots. Nov. 8 To finish off the week, Razor’s Reef and Shark Dining will hold a cooking class for students to make a special brunch to cap off their week. Additionally, Homecoming Week will feature a variety of events for NSU alumni. Another change for this year is that the Office of Campus Life and Student Engagement is collaboratingwith NSU’s Alumni Association to include Alumni Week as a part of Homecoming. The Alumni Association will host events, such as the Virtual Trivia and Scavenger Night on Nov. 5 at 6 p.m. and other exclusive invite-only events to recognize distinguished alumni. Gerard Wheeler, the director of campus life and student engagement, says that, due to recent events with COVID-19 and the ever-changing nature of the virus, the current schedule is not entirely finalized and is subject to change. Anyone who wants to stay updated with all the events happening throughout Homecoming Week is encouraged to follow the Office of Campus Life and Student Engagement on Instagram @ nsucampuslife. By: Rick Esner News Editor PRINTED WITH PERMISSION BY F. SHABAN Stormy night approaching the emergency blue light