How much is too much to pay for college? One student almost paid $30,000 to take a single class. Last spring, Kiger watched the classes she needed to graduate start to slip away from her on Seanet, the website that students use to register for classes. The class she needed, Advanced Fiction, was filling up fast. “If I hadn’t gotten into the advanced class in the fall, I’d be here an extra semester,” said Kiger, “I watched the whole time. It was nerve-racking.”

The campus preserve will be undergoing renovations in the coming weeks. It was created to allow students the opportunity to study the ecology. But in recent years, the preserve has become overgrown and been neglected.

A UNCW student stood on the tips of her sneakers to place a bright, multicolored lei on the broad shoulders of a tall black man in a black Fuzzy Peach t-shirt. Moments before, he had crossed the finish line in the Walk to End Violence Against Women and Girls, held in Hugh McRae Park in Wilmington, N.C., not far from UNCW campus, on Sunday, April 22.

Facing a tough job market and a daunting unemployment rate, student veterans are working even harder to improve their marketability and increase their civilian workplace experience. Jeremy Barringer, a former Marine and diesel mechanic for Camp Johnson,  is stepping out of the mechanics uniform and into a business suit.

Friday, April 20 was “Cover the Night,” an international day of action announced by the non-profit group, Invisible Children. Supporters were urged to hang flyers, make shirts and paint murals, anything to spread the word about Joseph Kony, a war criminal wanted by the International Criminal Court for the abduction of thousands of African children for use as soldiers or sex slaves.

Among the throngs of tourists that flooded downtown Wilmington the second week of April for the annual Azalea Festival, a cultural celebration of the flowers native to North Carolina, there were also locals. Musicians, business-owners, performers, students and even protesters flocked to the waterfront, and the festival was met with both praise and disappointment. 

The Face Age Program allows a unique faculty collaboration that will hopefully affect the lives of students, parents, and future health care providers by creating a conversation about aging and the perception of faces. 

Students, teachers and program organizers alike share their excitement and concerns regarding the month-long events planned to coincide with Chancellor Gary Miller's installation ceremony, which will grant him the official powers of the office of Chancellor at UNCW. 

A brush fire that started the afternoon of April 16 in a patch of woods between Independence Blvd. and George Anderson Drive Wilmington, N.C. sparked a citywide response online. Although the fire was widely reported on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook, most Wilmington residents only need look at the sky. 

And then there were three. Rick Santorum has dropped out of the presidential race, leaving Newt Gingrich in second place for the Republican nomination, followed by Ron Paul in third, but they are both far behind the frontrunner, Mitt Romney, in both delegates and funding.

Every semester English students gather at Randall Library to display their hard work at the English in Action (EIA) showcase. Projects and papers are put on display to show the world that students can do something with an English major. This semester’s showcase will be Friday, April 27, from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. 

Following wins in all three primaries last Tuesday, the former Governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney, has all but clinched the Republican Party nomination for president. The large lead has earned Romney recent endorsements from several high-profile Republicans.

Following several other universities in the state, UNCW’s Student Government Association (SGA) is proposing a resolution against Amendment One. The amendment is being voted on by North Carolina residents May 8.

Gingrich’s speech, while opening with an address to students, quickly rehashed his campaign platforms. His main areas of focus were his lean six sigma management model, rising gas prices, and proposing an energy independent America

Rising senior Keith Fraser, and rising junior Adam Webb are UNCW's recently elected Student Body President and Vice President, respectively, for the 2012-13 academic year. The pair advertised across campus and rallied UNCW students as a joint team on the election ticket.

Colleges, and college students, focus a lot on statistics regarding the employment percentage of different majors and different schools. It’s become a frantic sort of comparison in the current economic climate, causing students in certain majors (like mine) to question whether they even want to pursue their academic interests.

Choosing a major in college is probably one of the most important decisions we have to make while attending a university. What major we choose can determine our career path for the rest of our lives, so it’s important to choose one that we feel confident that will help us land a good job and, more importantly, make us happy. 

A group of UNCW students ventures into the red light district of Paris to see the Moulin Rouge, a famously erotic production over a century old. One student finds that she, like millions of viewers in the past, is just another part of the show.

You’re going to hell. This is the message of Ross Jackson, alternatively known as Brother Ross or Saint Ross, who has been preaching on NC campuses extensively since his conversion to Christianity in 2006. Last week Jackson caused quite a stir on our own campus by drawing, and condemning, an amphitheater full of UNCW students.

Obama’s decision on March 16 to make sure religiously based organizations still covered students and employees was met with a fierce opposition from ultra-conservatives. In case you haven’t turned on any news channel in the past couple of weeks, that opposition was met with a lot of aggression from various women’s rights groups.

As soon as you read the title, it’s likely you rolled your eyes. That’s pretty typical of the attitude Americans take toward Iran. Iranians have that same attitude. The idea behind the attitude is that America and Iran are polar opposites. We are enemies with a mutual agreement to always think the worst of the other.

Substance abuse by celebrities has unfortunately become a commonly acknowledged topic within the past few years. With the death of famous entertainers such as Michael Jackson, Heath Ledger, Amy Winehouse, and now the magnificent Whitney Houston, there is a heavy demand accumulating for the legalization of drugs in our country.

Celebrity substance abuse has indeed become a common topic over the past few years, with the deaths of stars such as Michael Jackson and Heath Ledger, and most recently Whitney Houston. As a result, many individuals have come out on both sides to either support the legalization of drugs or stricter government regulations.

I was on the campus of Duke University a couple of weeks ago with a few other students from "The Dub." We witnessed the huge cluster of tents, known as Krzyzewskiville, filled with students lined up weeks in advance for UNC vs Duke basketball tickets. We were awed by the dedication of the students staying in those tents despite the freezing rain that was coming down that day.

"The wall he leaned against was crowded with an illiterate testament to the barrenness of the heart. There loneliness scribbled a lewd invitation; desire chalked out a vulgar sketch; frustrate tenderness turned cruel with mockery; ungiven love became a feverish obscenity." That's an excerpt from John Clellon Holmes' Go about bathroom graffiti discovered by the main character.

As the 2012 elections continue to grow closer and closer each day, it is apparent that the gay marriage issue will have a significant impact on elections at both the local and national level. Over the past few months, several states, including Washington, Maryland, and New Jersey, have passed bills legalizing same-sex marriage. 

It's that time of year. Ads on the side of my browser are telling me that my (nonexistent) wife would love flowers from ProFlowers. The checkout section of Walmart is a sickening combination of pink and red, and also displaying teddy bears larger than their shopping carts.

For most of our lives we are told that here in the United States we live in a democracy, but this is not really true. The United States of America, although known for being a shinning beacon of democracy is in actuality a representative republic. 

Recently, the European Union backed the US sanctions on the nation. As things stand now, according to the US Treasury website, there is a complete ban on the sale of commercial aircraft, all aircraft material, any petroleum trade, any bank/financial institution interaction, and any purchase or sale worth more than 100 USD.

"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." This text is known as the Tenth Amendment of the United States Constitution, and it is the one most commonly overlooked by our federal government.

Unless you’ve been frozen in ice for the past seventy years like Captain America, you have surely seen, or at least heard of, “Marvel’s The Avengers.” According to BoxOffice.com, the cinematic blockbuster took in $775.4 million worldwide as of May 10, less than a week after the film’s release. 

“Iron Man 3,” which will begin filming in Wilmington this summer, held an open casting call for extras Saturday, Apr. 21 at Independence Mall. The casting call was held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and many UNCW students jumped at the chance of being on the big screen or just making some extra money this summer.

If you like good music and beer, Fairly Fly is the up-and-coming local band to see. Officially, the band formed recently, but individually, the members have been playing the Wilmington music circuit for a few years now and have sporadically been playing together. However, now they’ve joined forces and are ready to take on the local music scene with an awesome energy all their own.

Neon Trees newest album, “Picture Show,” has been receiving mixed reviews from critics and fans, alike. If you liked Neon Trees before this album was released, you’re bound to like this too. But, for those of you who weren’t Neon Trees fans to begin with, their sophomore album doe nothing new to change your mind.

After classic romance movies like “A Walk to Remember” and “The Notebook,” who would have thought a Nicholas Sparks book-to-movie adaptation could leave so much to be desired? Well, it’s happened with Friday’s release of “The Lucky One.”

Edith Pearlman and John Rybicki, two of Lookout’s four authors, read on April 15 to an audience of eager listeners who may or may not have been expecting to be in the company of “Two of the best writer’s in the country,” said Ben Georde, Lookout Books co-founder.

Let’s all give a warm farewell to Magic Bullets. Their EP, “Much Ado About,” is the last album they’ll make as a band and is their way of saying so long to their fans and stepping out of the music scene. After seven years of being Magic Bullets, the band cheerily says goodbye.

M. Ward’s seventh studio album, “A Wasteland Companion,” has a number of various musical companions such as Zooey Deschanel, Louis Armstrong and Steve Shelley. From covers to featured guests, “A Wasteland Companion” is not a lonely album, and also isn’t entirely a wasteland.

After four years since the Toronto-based band, Great Lake Swimmers’ latest album, “New Wild Everywhere,” comes as a long-awaited disappointment. The album is not totally inadequate, but on the whole, the folk rock work of lead man Tony Dekker and his band mates does not deliver like previous albums.

 “One Tree Hill” has been a driving force in Wilmington’s film industry for the past decade, and the legacy finally came to an end as the series finale aired Wednesday, Apr. 4 with a two-hour event on The CW. 

 “One Tree Hill” has been a driving force in Wilmington’s film industry for the past decade, and the legacy finally came to an end as the series finale aired Wednesday, Apr. 4 with a two-hour event on The CW. 

The new indie/pop/folk band, Of Monsters and Men, claim that they are “here to stay,” on their song “King and Lionheart” and with the brilliant work they’ve done on their first studio album, any listener will be inclined to agree with such a bold statement. The Icelandic band’s sound on their album “My Head Is an Animal” is similar to that of the Arcade Fire, with fun, catchy and upbeat melodies and vocals that vary from song to song (depending on who takes the lead-singing reigns) but are always impeccable.

Imagine waking up to find yourself being lifted through a hole in the ground with people staring down at you. When you arrive, you see that you are in a group of unfamiliar faces and you are being told to “get up.". Fear takes over and you have a fuzzy feeling in your head that something isn’t right. After being told about your new home and the people in it, it finally hits you: you can’t remember anything but your name.

Even while the economy has caused people to pull back on spending the local Wilmington resale store, the Shop of Seagate, continues to entice people to shop. 

After two consecutive weeks at the top of the box office charts, and grossing 250 million dollars to date, “The Hunger Games” is all anyone can talk about. 

Ah, the life of a sports writer. What better to do on a Thursday night in college than watch the NFL Draft? I’m always astonished how an event so boring gets so much attention. Watching this makes me almost want to study for exams. Here’s a little insight into my Thursday night.

Some people write sappy, farewell stories as their last articles. That ain’t me. Or at least that wasn’t the plan. Two years ago, I was somehow handed the reins of The Seahawk sports section for reasons I’m still unsure of. Former editor-in-chief Jim Dallke gets my thanks for that. But, it wasn’t easy. The near daily release of sports articles that you’ve grown accustomed to hasn’t always been the norm.

Imagine the thrill on a little boy’s face as he can’t wait to release breaking sports news to his father. Imagine the thrill of calling a college basketball game for the first time. If you are Mike Vaccaro, these are not imaginations; they are a dreamlike reality. 

When Bryce Harper made his debut for the Washington Nationals, he brought a pretty thick cloud of controversy with him. His flashy nature forced many baseball purists to look at Harper with the upmost disdain. But just a week into his career, Harper has already put his mark on the Nationals 2012 resurgence.

The vacancy left by Cynthia Cooper-Dyke as the UNCW women’s head basketball coach did not take long to fill, as the university announced this past Thursday that Adell Harris has been appointed as the 10^th head coach in program history.

The vacancy left by Cynthia Cooper-Dyke as the UNCW women’s head basketball coach did not take long to fill, as the university announced this past Thursday that Adell Harris has been appointed as the 10^th head coach in program history.

Cementing their mark as the most dominant collegiate surf club on the east coast, the UNC Wilmington surf team won its fourth consecutive NSSA East Coast Championship title over April 14-15 in New Smyrna Beach, Fla., widely believed to be one of the best surf spots on the eastern shoreline.

Grey Alphin has always had an interest in sports. Growing up in the Roanoke, Va. area, Alphin was a successful baseball player throughout high school, earning a scholarship to play at Radford University where he was on the team for a year and a half. This background in sports is what brought Alphin to Wilmington, leading him to his current occupation.

Jimmy and Jenny Garrity, both coaches in the UNC Wilmington Athletics Department, have been married for 17 years. When sitting down to talk about anything, even as basic as the way that the two met, competition ensues. “Well, we were both involved in athletics over at NC State and she kept dropping by my office,” said Jimmy Garrity, interim head women’s basketball coach.

UNC Wilmington’s Cynthia Cooper-Dyke has resigned as head coach of the women’s basketball team Tuesday morning. Cooper-Dyke has led the Seahawks to two consecutive WNIT appearances since taking over the position in 2010. 

In a game full of solid defense and fine pitching from both squads, the UNC Wilmington baseball team dropped its weekend series finale to Hofstra University on Sunday, 4-2. Following the Seahawks 2-1 win over the Pride on Saturday, Sunday’s game again featured the two CAA teams struggling to find their footing at the plate and failing to put runs on the board.

There was no shortage of luck for the UNC Wilmington baseball team on Friday the 13th, as the Seahawks easily handled Hofstra University, 10-3. It was a matchup of the two best teams in the CAA, and UNCW came ready to play.

UNCW Commentary

Normally, public letters are written to an entire athletic program or administration. Whether or not they have actual influence can be debated, but it’s believed that a letter should be sent to the highest level. This is for Keith Rendleman.

The UNC Wilmington baseball team is one of the school’s most successful sports programs. The squad can be counted on to compete with the best of the CAA every year and has annually finished as one of the top teams in the conference. Expectations for this year are no different, as the Seahawks are currently first in the conference standings a little past the midway point of the season.

The UNC Wilmington baseball team pulled off a thrilling, extra-inning victory over Coastal Carolina, Tuesday night by the score of 5-4. Down by two runs in the eighth inning, the Seahawks got an RBI single from first baseman Hunter Ridge (2-4, RBI), and then leftfielder Thomas Pope (2-4, 2 RBI) drove in the tying run on a sacrifice fly.