Happy Fourth of July! Celebrate Safe and Sound on America’s Birthday
The Fourth of July is one of America’s biggest holidays. For many, the nation’s birthday means fireworks, parades and concerts, and outdoor picnics and barbecues.
While the sights and sounds are a whole lot of fun on Independence Day weekend, it also means more Americans will hit the road to connect with family and friends to celebrate our nation’s freedom. Have a blast on the Fourth of July but don’t ruin the holiday weekend for you or someone else. Be safe!
Consider that AAA reports almost 40 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles by car to Fourth of July holiday destinations, beginning Wednesday, July 3 through Sunday, July 7. Because of the added traffic, more fatalities in motor vehicle crashes will occur during the Independence Day holiday period than on any other day of the year including New Year’s Eve. Just as alarming, one in every four of those motor vehicle accidents will result from texting and driving.
The good news is Florida has a new law on the books designed to heighten roadway safety just in time for the Fourth of July. The ban on texting while driving went into effect on July 1, 2019. Robert Voss, a faculty member at Broward College’s Institute of Public Safety, said the new law is long overdue.
“Motorists are driving a weapon,” said Voss, who instructs police cadets on vehicle operations and first-aid in preparation for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement State Officer Certification exam. “When motorists are texting and driving and not paying attention to the road, that weapon becomes deadly.”
Don’t Text and Drive – Understanding the New Law
Police now have the authority to pull over those motorists who are texting while driving. Previously, police officers and troopers in Florida could only cite drivers for texting if they were pulled over for another infraction.
“Let the call or text wait,” said Voss, who spent some 30 years with the Sunrise Police Department before joining the Broward College faculty. “Keep the cell phone down and out of sight. It just takes two seconds to look at a phone to put you, your family, and another motorist and pedestrian in danger. Wait 30 seconds and pull the car over to the side of the road and then do whatever has to be done.”
Kevin Butler, a captain with the Broward County Sheriff’s Office out of Weston, said the texting ban does not apply to a driver who is using a navigation device or whose vehicle is stationary. So, it’s safe for you to put in these directions to get to your barbeque.
“It will be difficult to enforce, but there are exceptions to the rule,” said Butler, who earned an associate degree in Criminal Justice at Broward College and has spent the past 39 years in law enforcement. “Use a hands-free device. Use Bluetooth technology. If you have to text, you can do a voice text.”
Although a younger generation of millennials made up of many college students who use their cell phones to talk, text, and scroll through social media while behind the wheel of a motor vehicle is considered the biggest offenders, Voss said everyone should use caution.
While the new law is already in place, officers will be issuing warning citations until January 1, 2020.
Happy Fourth of July! Remember, as you celebrate, safety first.
Although Broward College will be closed on Thursday, July, 4 for Independence Day, campus safety can be reached at 954-201-HELP (4357).
Broward College Graduate Proud to be ‘People’s Mayor’
The possibilities were not lost on Justin Flippen when he first started taking classes at Broward College. He had just entered a dual enrollment program that enabled him at 17 years old to begin college coursework on North Campus while he continued to study toward a diploma a few miles down the Florida Turnpike at Coconut Creek High School.
“I’ll never forget sitting in the Honors College and reading about how Parris Glendening, the governor of Maryland, had graduated from Broward College,” said Flippen. “I thought to myself, ‘I may never become a governor or anyone important, but a community college can be a great place to get the tools that I need to succeed.”
A Classroom Challenge Spurs Interest in Representational Politics
Flippen is yet to run for governor, but residents of Wilton Manors believe that he can be just as important. In record numbers last year, they elected the Broward College graduate to serve as their mayor. The vote punctuated a journey into politics for Flippen that traces back to his days at Broward College, when he was challenged by professor Lemuel Molovinsky to defend positions on American History in front of his classmates.
“As someone who knew he wanted to get involved in politics, I was afraid of speaking in a public setting,” said Flippen, who left Broward College with an associate degree and a 4.0 grade-point average. “But, I had the encouragement of some amazing instructors and speech courses that would prove helpful in my journey.”
Now, Flippen builds on his history as he argues on behalf of the 12,000-plus constituents in Wilton Manors, a cozy island community in Broward County that claims to be the “second-gayest city in America.”
“I am very proud of my city, very proud of my community,” said Flippen, whose mayoral victory made Wilton Manors the first municipality in Florida to elect an all-LGBTQ City Commission. “We are a model city that is all-inclusive. It’s one of our greatest strengths. Most of our residents are not LGBT, but no matter who you are or what color under the rainbow you identify with, you are respected.”
Embracing Identity
Flippen said during his time at Broward College; he wrestled with his sexuality. He found the support to confront his challenges, for the most part, among off-campus gay and lesbian organizations.
“I wasn’t going to be ashamed of who I was,” said Flippen, who, after graduating summa cum laude from Florida Atlantic University, went on to earn a law degree at the University of Florida. “I realized I could be a person grounded in deep and abiding faith. And being gay was a much of a non-sequitur as my eye color.”
In and around Wilton Manors, Flippen is known as the “people’s mayor.” It’s a label he is proud to wear. At his full-time role with the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau, Flippen is a short walk from where the original Willis B. Holcombe Center once housed Broward College district offices and classroom space. The building, currently under renovation, is a reminder of his days as a Broward College student when he was making, if only, mental note of becoming governor. Now that idea doesn’t seem so far-fetched.
Said Flippen, who plans to run for reelection next year, “One never knows.”
Academically focused high school students determined to get a head start on college coursework while, studying toward their diploma are eligible for a dual enrollment program at Broward College. Learn how to save time, money, and earn college credits.
Minority Male Initiative Uncorks Potential in Broward College Student
Before he boarded the bus each morning for Broward College, Woodllyson Acluche stood before a mirror to get himself ready for class. Hidden beneath his bushy beard and unruly hair was ambition that he is fortunate his instructors could see.
“I was a scary-looking individual,” said Acluche. “It took someone from the outside to see the potential that I had to invest their time and ensure that I become a success.”
That someone was professor Kaya Hamer-Small, who encouraged Acluche one day after class to join the Minority Male Initiative, a Broward College strategy that provides underserved students with the support they need to complete their college goals. When he accepted the invitation, Acluche had no idea of the resources including mentorships, networking and leadership and like-skills training that were available to enhance his Broward College experience.
How was he to know? After all, didn’t find out about opportunities to attend Broward College until he was 21 years old. Up until then, he had little time for education. He was working mornings as a salesperson at Macy’s. His afternoons were spent grilling chicken at Pollo Tropical and the evenings involved stocking shelves at Target. Long on hard work and determination, Acluche always fell short on guidance and direction.
‘Work or Leave the House’
Born in the United States, Acluche moved to Haiti when he was 10 years old to live with his aunt, and younger sister and brother. He returned to Florida seven years later to move in with his father.
“Everyone can be a father, but not everyone can be a dad,” said Acluche. “That mental and moral support, that love and compassion that you need, I didn’t have. It was either you work or leave the house.”
Acluche chose work, which meant dropping out of Miramar High School before he could complete the 11th grade. After juggling three jobs and at the recommendation of his pastor, he joined Miami Job Corps, completed his GED and pursued a trade. Those plans took an about face when an advisor convinced Acluche that a degree would be better suited to his career aspirations. He then enrolled in the Criminal Justice program and earned his associate degree in May.
Change in Attitude
Now, he looks back at the circumstances that had shaped his life and credits the peer and faculty mentors he encountered in the Minority Male Initiative and the interpersonal skills he developed for his attitude adjustment.
“I realized I didn’t have to go through college alone,” said Acluche, who is studying toward a bachelor’s degree in Supervision and Management at Broward College. “It was a tremendous help to know I had a tangible place to lean on. I made lifelong friends. And I learned about all resources at Broward College that are helping me to become the man I never thought I could be.”
That man, now 26 and growing, has become a mentor himself, doubling as a peer academic leader with the Minority Male Initiative. Acluche spreads a message of hope to local high school and middle school students who, like him, want to make their mark, but don’t know where to turn.
“Yes, you are handsome,” Acluche now reminds himself confidently in front of the mirror each morning before hopping in his car to Broward College. “And you are going to conquer this.”
The Minority Male Initiative is making a difference in the lives of Broward College Students who face unique obstacles toward completing academic and career goals. See what faculty mentors and peer support can mean for you.