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C O L L E G E O F D U PAG E S T U D E N T N E W S PA P E R / / 3 1 A U G U S T 2 0 1 6 / / V O L U M E 5 0 – I S S U E 0 1
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trust. clarity. synergy. Ann Rondeau’s plans for the College p5
NEWS
The restructuring of SLC p3
FEATURES
No Man’s Sky holds an existential crisis for us all p19
SPORTS
Champion Chaparral’s conquest over Iowa Central p22
COURIER
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Lucas Koprowski OPINION EDITOR Miranda Shelton
INDEX NEWS
FEATURES
3 Hope College interns 14 Shut up and play end summer research Overwatch
NEWS EDITOR Bridget Kingston FEATURES EDITOR Caroline Broderick PHOTO EDITOR Bethany Berg GRAPHICS EDITOR Joseph Molino
SPORTS
FOCUS
5 Q+A Rondeau’s Call to Action for Campus Wide Engagement
21 My Favorite American at #RIO2016t
SPORTS EDITOR Quinten Hayley REPORTER Vandy Manyeh NEWSROOM 630-942-2683 ADVISER Jim Fuller fullerj103@cod.edu ADVERTISING Christina Payton paytonc359@cod.edu
The Courier is published every Wednesday when classes are in session during the fall and spring semester, except for the first and last Wednesday of each semester and the week of spring break as a public forum with content chosen by student editors. One copy free, additional copies available upon request. The Courier does not knowingly accept advertisement that discriminate on the basis of sex, creed, religion, color, handicapped status, veteran or sexual orientation, nor does it knowingly print ads that violate any local, state or federal laws. Deliver all correspondence to SSC 1220 between regular office hours or mail to the Courier, College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn, IL. 60137.
ON THE COVER
Joseph Molino’s artistic representation of Ann Rondeau, COD’s new president.
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NEWS Restructuring of SLC to promote accurate student representation Bridget Kingston · News Editor
In an effort to add more informed votes to their board, the Student Leadership Council will appoint eight student repre-
sentatives to their council this September. The representatives will become an integral part of the SLC team by gathering
student opinion specific to their academic division before the board votes on the issues at hand. Each pair of representatives will become the specialized voice for one of the four academic divisions, including Business and Technology, Health and Sciences, Learning Resources and Liberal Arts. “We wanted our votes to be more defined and
accurate,” Student Leadership Council President Kiley Pooler explains. “We usually have the same people coming to the meetings, and they represent only one opinion. So the special job of these representatives is to find out the opinions of people within their division.” The SLC decided to shuffle up their structure because of an overly complicated voting process that lacked representation. “We looked at the other community colleges in the state and found that none of them did their voting the way we did,” Pooler said. By adding the student rep-
resentatives, the council’s new structure reflects that of the majority of community colleges in Illinois. Over the summer, the SLC board revised and edited their operating documents, making minor tweaks throughout. Included in this revision was the creation of the civic engagement officer. The position, held by COD student Emily Owens, will help with voter registration on campus as well as keeping the SLC up to date with voter legislation throughout Illinois. Owens will work with Pooler on staying informed with anything that
may affect higher learning throughout the state. Students wishing to apply for one of the eight representative positions can complete the online application by visiting: https:// cod.collegiatelink.net/ organization/slc/news/ Details/92821. Applications are due Friday, Sept. 2. Applicants will present a brief speech during the SLC meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 6 in addition to answering questions from the board. The council will then review the candidates and choose the eight representatives they wish to move forward with.
the students, together, presented a poster about their research and their results in a symposium for summer researchers.” COD’s new president, Ann Rondeau, wants students to take advantage of internship and research opportunities available to them like this one. In her assertion, students aren’t fully taking advantage of these opportunities all because they do not know enough about opportunities available to them. “There are internships and opportunities here for every kind on student.” said Rondeau. “COD students should largely think higher and more about themselves than they do. Because there are grants, scholarships, and intern-
ships that students aren’t taking advantage of.” COD offers internship opportunities as part of a core requirement for students enrolled in degree programs. Career Services also offers a variety of resources to help students with resume review, updated internship opportunities via College Central, and partners with organizations and firms around DuPage County by hosting recruitment drives nearly every week on campus. These are just few of the many ways students at COD can enhance their involvement with campus related activities.
Hope College interns end summer research Vandy Manyeh· Reporter
Feeding one group of rats regular rat chow and the other mashed up bits of potato chips and peanut butter, is how College of DuPage Michael Giurini and Gareth Chavez spent their summers. Giurini of Naperville, and Chavez of Darien concluded this summer-long chemistry research internship at Hope College in Michigan. At Hope College, Giurini and Chavez worked on a project called “The effects of junk food on the biochemistry of the prefrontal cortex in the rat brain.” In science terms, they tracked the amounts of dopamine and norepinephrine triggered by the junk food. The chemicals are neurotransmitters in the brain. Dopamine has
been linked to drug addiction, and norepinephrine has a stimulating effect on blood pressure. Their analysis involved tracking the amounts of these chemicals, High Pressure Liquid Chromatogram (HPLC) and electrochemistry. This internship opportunity was made possible through the Resource for Excellence Grant program, a grant intended to contribute to the improvement of instruction. The COD Foundation sponsors the program. They were selected based on their strong academic standing and excellent laboratory skills exhibited during their chemistry classes. After a selection process that started with the nomination of five
students, three received the opportunity to apply to a maximum of four research opportunities at Hope College. Hope College later reached an agreement with Roby William, assistant professor of Chemistry, who secured the grant from the COD Foundation to select two COD students. “This experience gave me practical time in the lab and insight into research experience,” said Giurini. “What I learned was that a researcher has to be very precise and document everything, which I expected. The other thing I learned, which I did not expect, was just how slow the research process was. Because we had to be so rigorous with our documentation of ev-
ery step, we had to move at a snail’s pace and make sure that every conclusion we came to was correct.” As a result of this experience, Giurini and Chavez became expert HPLC technicians. Giurini is now considering research and development as a career path. “The students really enjoyed the actual lab work, and they learned a lot about the differences between what is done in a college class laboratory, versus what happens in a research lab,” said William. “Hope College provided them with lots of opportunity to socialize and interact with about 75 students who were all doing summer internships. At the end of the 10 weeks
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NOTIFICATION OF STUDENTS’ RIGHTS UNDER THE FAMILY EDUCATIONAL RIGHTS AND PRIVACY ACT (FERPA) The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords eligible students certain rights with respect to their education records. (An “eligible student” under FERPA is a student who is 18 years of age or older or who attends a postsecondary institution.) These rights include: 1.
The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days after the day College of DuPage Office of Student Records receives a request for access. A student should submit to the Office of Student Records written requests that identify the record(s) the student wishes to inspect. The College will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected.
2.
The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights under FERPA. A student who wishes to ask College of DuPage to amend a record should write to the Office of Student Records, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. If College of DuPage decides not to amend the record as requested, the College will notify the student in writing of the decision and advise the student of his or her right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the student when notified of the right to a hearing.
3.
The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information or PII (not “Directory Information”) contained in the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. One exception which permits disclosure without consent is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the College in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff); a person serving on the board of trustees; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee. A school official may also include a volunteer or contractor outside of College of DuPage who performs an institutional service or function for which the school would otherwise use its own employees and who is under the direct control of the school with respect to the use and maintenance of PII from education records, such as an attorney, auditor or collection agent or a student volunteering to assist another school official in performing his or her tasks. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibilities for College of DuPage.
4.
The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by College of DuPage to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is:
LEARN BY DOING
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Put your education into action and connect with local community partners. Discover volunteer opportunities that give you the hands-on edge to prepare for your future.
Family Policy Compliance Office U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20202-4605
NOTICE OF PUBLIC STUDENT INFORMATION
SERVICE LEARNING AND VOLUNTEER FAIR
Wednesday, Sept. 79 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Student Services Center (SSC), Atrium QUESTIONS? Career Services, (630) 942-2230 www.cod.edu/servicelearning
Disclosure of Directory Information The items listed below are designated as “Directory Information” and may be released for any purpose at the discretion of the College. Under provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, you have the right to withhold the disclosure of the “Directory Information” listed below. Please consider very carefully the consequences of any decision by you to withhold “Directory Information.” Should you decide to inform the College not to release any “Directory Information,” any future requests for such information from non-College persons or organizations will be refused. The College will honor your request to withhold “Directory Information” listed below, but cannot assume responsibility to contact you for subsequent permission to release it. Regardless of the effect upon you, the College assumes no liability for honoring your instructions that such information be withheld. Directory Information consists of the following: Name, community, college-issued email address, previous education institution(s) attended, major field of study, enrollment status, terms and dates of attendance, awards, honors and degrees earned, past and present participation in officially recognized sports and activities, height and weight of student athletes. If you wish to withhold this information, complete the “Student Request to Prevent Disclosure of Directory Information” form and submit it by the fourth week of the term to the office of the Director of Enrollment Services and Registrar, SSC 2207J. Forms are available in the Office of Student Records, SRC 2150, and the above office. If the form is not received in the office of the Director of Enrollment Services and Registrar by the fourth week of the term, it is assumed that the above information may be disclosed.
ADM-16-22435(8/16)
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Q+A Rondeau’s Call to Action for Campus Wide Engagement p6 Who is the real Ann Rondeau? p8
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FOCUS Q&A: Rondeau’s call to action for campus wide engagement Bridget Kingston · News Editor
“ I’m not a genius. But together, we can be a collective genius.”
College of DuPage President Ann Rondeau recently sat down with the Courier to share her thoughts on the upcoming fall semester. Trust and accountability, lack of student engagement and a hope for heightened involvement throughout the college were all topics of discussion. Courier: If there was one idea you could perpetuate to the student body, what would it be? Ann Rondeau: I would’ve answered that question a bit differently two weeks ago than I will today. I sincerely do not believe that students here know enough about their opportunities within COD and after COD. There are internships and
opportunities here for everything from STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) students to art students. So what I would say is that COD students should think much higher and greater about themselves than they do. There are grants, internships and scholarships that students here just aren’t taking advantage of. This issue has come up a number of times. Dr. Tom Carter (professor of physics) and I had this conversation and in his case, he sees it with his STEM students. There are opportunities out there for summer internships and he’s having a hard time getting COD students to sign up. So two weeks ago I’m not entirely sure about
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what I would have said to that, but right now I want COD students to become everything that can be and to do everything that they can at the value and price of doing it here. And they’re just not doing it enough. Get informed about what your opportunities are and go for it. Go for it! C: How do you plan on keeping in touch with the student body? AR: Well, talking with the Courier is one way. Walking around every morning is another. Going to events is another. Reading and answering emails is another. Leaders need to make themselves accessible. The challenge for a senior leader is
getting pulled in multiple directions. Because there are faculty you need to be paying attention to, staff, everybody else. So I try to optimize my ability to effectively communicate. So here is where I’m asking you to help me. Where is it I can be that most helps me to understand student needs? Because I can’t be everywhere. Help me to help you. C: Obviously you’ve only been here for a couple months, but what is your assessment so far on the level of student engagement on campus? It’s one thing to get in touch with the student body, but it’s another to get in touch with a student body that’s actually plugged into the college and can give you
some useful feedback. AR: There are two types of student leaders. There’s the leaders who students vote for as their ambassadors and that is a formal student leader. He/she will communicate with me because that’s what the students have selected them for. Then there are student leaders in the culture. They don’t have a formal office, but they’re leading. They’re leading everyday. The challenge that we have here, is that being a non-residential school makes it really difficult to understand the student body because of the transient nature. Not bad, just different. You can’t judge it the same way as if these students were with each other all
the time, everyday. The cultural leader in this kind of environment is much harder to tap and pin point. Plus, the student body here is just so diverse. So I’m still figuring out how to take a stance on how the cultural leaders become known. I will tell you this, I absolutely do believe that there is not enough student engagement. I am echoing what I’ve heard from student leaders. I’m telling you what they have told me, and I am able to see it through their eyes now. They want more student engagement and investment. I right now can tell you the names of about 20 students that I see everyday, because they’re always around trying to promote that
FOCUS
“I absolutely do believe that there is not enough student engagement.” idea. Some of them are the cultural leaders; others are formal. But it’s the student leaders that need to come to me and ask, ‘Can you help me, what is your advice, what is your thought on this?” and I absolutely will. At the end of the day, it’s the students that lead their own culture. This is your culture, your place. You’ve got to understand what you want it to be and then help me to help you make it that way. But to answer your question, student engagement is not at the level that it could be, should be and probably needs to be. C: On top of tackling the accreditation probation, what other accomplishments are you hoping to see this semester? AR: A really big one is trust and establishing a trust culture. Leaders set the tone for what kind of culture is established. You want to set up a trust culture where everyone feels free to innovate, create and make mistakes. A given aspect of innovating new things is that you’re going to make mistakes. I make them. I’ve made them here, a couple times, many times. So you want to have a trusting nature where people can enjoy each other, have fun, make some mistakes and then say, ‘You know what, we need to now
learn from this.’ Trust is vital for any outcome and we can get there a couple of ways. One of them is to respect our obligations to each other. I owe you; you owe me. I’m not going to do your work, but I’m going to do my part that then makes your part easier. So number one is our obligation to each other, and the next is accountability. There is absolute liberty in holding each other accountable because that is how an honest dialogue is established. You’re going to tell me; I’m going to tell you. There’s honesty, integrity and clarity in something like that. It’s real. It’s also not about banging somebody over the head for no reason.There’s ways that are compassionate,
fair, just, intelligent and informed, which will begin to knit the fabric of trust. Now you can’t hold people accountable if you’re not transparent. If I keep you in the dark, then I absolutely cannot hold you accountable. How can you be accountable for something you knew
nothing about? I’ve told the faculty about this, I’ve told the administration about this, I’m very consistent in this point of view. Transparency feeds accountability, and they both feed trust. None of this is easy. Trust is very fragile because it can be broken in a second. It takes so much of ourselves
to give trust that when it isn’t returned, it just feels bad. So, by the end of the semester, I want faculty, administration and students to be trusting each other a bit more. I want them to trust me a bit more, and I want to be trustworthy and accountable for what I screw up. Now I say by the end of the semester, but this is a lifelong, continuous endeavor. You don’t start and stop on these things, it is a lifelong practice that is woven into our moral fabric. Implementing this is the kind of thing that a leader needs to do because then everyone begins to create, lead and innovate. I’m not a genius, but together we are a collective genius. C: Do you feel like you’re having to deal with a trust deficit of sorts? You’re new and would maybe expect to start from zero. But given everything the college has gone through, do you feel like you’re having to over-
come a trust deficit? AR: First of all, for me personally, I am at zero because nobody knows me. From a personal point of a view, I am zero until I become something in everyone’s eyes. From an institutional point of view, there probably is a trust deficit. But I understand that actually. I understand scrutiny and scepticism. None of this was a big surprise. I’ve done this before. I don’t get personally offended. What I owe you, is to work with it. So, I guess you could say that there may be a trust deficit, but I am very cautious about saying that. A lot of people around here do a lot of work depending upon each other. There is a fabric here of students, staff and administration who are just doing the right thing everyday. You don’t do that alone. I’m quite sure that there wasn’t a trust deficit on the human level here at all. In every building and every department here there are people relying on each other. So there is not a trust deficit overall; this is not a place without trust. I think that there was a sense of disappointment, rather. Every day work was being done very, very well. We have faculty who are completely committed to their students. So a trust deficit may have been present at a certain level within a certain layer, but I am very careful using that word, because it was by no means the whole culture.
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FOCUS
Who is the real Rondeau? Caroline Broderick · Features Editor
In many ways, Ann Rondeu’s life began when her father’s ended. Coming from a “small, intact family,” Rondeau grew up with her sister, who now resides in Wisconsin, her mother and her father. When Rondeau was in high school, her father passed away at the age of 43. Since then, her mother has remarried. “My sister was diligent. She studied. She was in honors society and had straight A’s,” said Rondeau. “She was the disciplined student. I was the free-spirited student in our family. My first draft was my last draft.” Though different from her sister, her free spirit was supported strongly by her parents and was allowed to grow in any direction she liked. “My mother and father and my mother and [step-dad] were people who respected us as two young women and did everything they could to support us.” The intact family did not always experience blissful glee and joy together. On and off illness struck the family, but Rondeau’s resilience shined through. “Some illness in the family over my lifetime. Not by me, but others in my family.
But you work with that, you grow from that, you learn about resilience from that.” As she grew older, Rondeau attended Eisenhower College, a small liberal arts school, which she described as “experimental and fabulous.” Different from typical schools at the time, the college had a cross-disciplinary curriculum that enabled Rondeau and her peers to gain a well-rounded education.
“After that, I couldn’t find a job,” said Rondeau. “My sister was on a full scholarship for the Navy to become a Navy nurse. She suggested I think about the Navy. I said, ‘Well, I don’t know.’ Then one day I took a trip over to the Air Force recruiter and took their test and I just bombed it.” “The next day, I went and took the Navy test and aced it. Got the highest score for a woman
in the state of New York. I thought, ‘Hey, maybe I’m getting closer.’ Then the recruiter had my mother’s maiden name and I thought, ‘Hey! Maybe I’m getting closer.’ They offered me commission. I got the chance to lead and do great things in the Navy. I grew and had a good Navy career. The Navy sent me to Georgetown for my Master’s, then I went to Northern Illinois University myself.
I made flag, made one star, then made two, then was a three-star longer than usual.” After school, Rondeau’s step-father died and she took the responsibility of caring for her mother. The idea and value of their intact family never died. “We merged households,” said Rondeau. “She was terrific, just wonderful. I miss her a lot. She was cognitively brilliant up until the day she died. She
was diagnosed with cancer in her spinal cord and died 12 weeks after that.” Her story then catches up with her and brings her to College of DuPage. Initially, Rondeau had little knowledge of the college. She found herself a little hesitant after researching, but decided to forge ahead regardless. “I said, ‘I don’t know about this,’” said Rondeau. “So I called a mentor of mine, a retired four-star who has known me for a long, long time. He said, ‘Ann, you’ve done this five times.’ I have relieved people five times before this. He said, ‘You’ve done this, this is what you do. This is God’s calling for you.’” From that discussion, Rondeau embraced her abilities and agreed to be considered for the position as COD’s next president. “And now we’re here today. I like to kayak. I like to go to baseball games. I like to hike. I hate to run, which was a problem in the Navy. I like being around young folks. I am intellectually curious. I’m a liberal arts major in my heart but spent a lot of time with STEM. I love music of all kinds. I like the fusion stuff. I like to travel a bit.”
“My sister was diligent. She studied. She was in honors society and had straight A’s,” said Rondeau. “She was the disciplined student. I was the free-spirited student in our family. My first draft was my last draft.” 8 // codcourier.org // 31 August 2016
WRITERS WANTED The Courier is looking for
Freelance Writers for the Fall 2016 semester. Email editor@cod.edu with inquiries.
Nothing runs on empty. Especially one in seven Americans who struggle with hunger. Join the Feeding America nationwide network of food banks to help end hunger. Act now at HungerActionMonth.org.
31 August 2016 // codcourier.org // 9
FOCUS
EDITORIAL
School Year Resolutions College of Dupage has been through hell and high water the past few years, but things seem to be looking up. In order to truly move forward though, there needs to be action. We at the Courier believe these are the first steps. We’ve written many times about what we expect from Ann Rondeau, the new president here at COD, and through the past few months we’ve already seen these changes start to take shape. That being said, it’s time for the rest of the administration to catch up. One of the very first things we ever asked Rondeau for was transparency, and she's been quick to give us just that. Administration, however, seems to still be in a mentality reminiscent of our former President Robert Breuder’s era. They've yet to share their collective goals for COD in the coming years, and have instead hid behind Rondeau’s goals claiming them as their own. While it is important that they seem united, and we at the Courier truly hope they are, we’d like to see more people expressing the messages they claim to believe. A perfect example of this is their lack of effort to make the COD student body aware of our goal to win the Aspen Award of Community College Excellence. The Aspen
Award is the highest honor a Community College can receive, and it would be a huge deal for COD if we were to win. The college has been striving towards this achievement for years, yet most students around campus have no idea it exists. It's the job of the administration to inform us and get us involved and excited in the possibility of winning such an esteemed award. A united front has never been the strong suit of certain members of the administration, i.e. the Board of Trustees. They continue to remain divided and stubborn, never hearing each other out in meetings, and rarely coming to a consensus on anything. This does no good for our school.
EDITORIAL BOARD OPINION EDITOR MIRANDA SHELTON EDITOR-IN-CHIEF LUCAS KOPROWSKI PHOTO EDITOR BETHANY BERG GRAPHICS EDITOR JOSEPH MOLINO FEATURES EDITOR CAROLINE BRODERICK SPORTS EDITOR QUINTEN HAYLEY
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We at the Courier have expressed time and time again what we expect from the board, and much like frustrated parents, we’re just waiting to see if they ever listen. However, not all of our school’s problems are the fault of the administration. There are things the faculty and student body can do to better everyone's COD experience as a whole. Some of these things are very simple fixes. Firstly, faculty, help us students out. This can be as simple as posting your syllabus to Blackboard before school starts. While you may think that none of us check it, trust us at the Courier when we say we do. It's helpful as a student if you are able
to plan your semester ahead of time, and most importantly, know if you are going to need to drop a class while there are still other classes available. Furthermore, stop putting textbooks, notebooks, and supplemental “required” books on the syllabus if you aren't 100 percent certain you are going to use it in the course. Many people chose community college as a more affordable option compared to a four-year, and it leaves a bad taste in your mouth when you have to rake out $1,500 a semester on books you end up never using. That being said, students also have some major responsibility in making a school run smoothly. We need to stop
being lazy and ignorant, and actually make an effort to join the school community. Get involved with a club or get a job on campus. Go to a backto-school event or an on-campus sports game. Stop complaining about how bored you are. Do something about it. You want to remember your college experience as a good time with friends and fun, and not getting involved will only hurt yourself in the long run. We students also need to look out for one another! Take advantage of an opportunity to help out your fellow students at the food pantry opening up here on campus. They are always looking for volunteers, and it’s a great way to get to know people
around campus, not to mention do good for your community. Don’t feel like taking the time out of your life to go do something in person? Well there are ways to help out from the comfort of your own home. It’s no secret we students depend on each other for advice, whether it's about professors, supplies, or the best lunch spot. So why not help out your peers, and yourself, by using sites like ratemyprofessor.com. While it’s super helpful to go on the site and take a look at what people say about your professors, you need to have people go on and rate them in order for that to be possible! Be one of those students, and help out your fellow peers. It’s also important to complete the surveys on classes administration sends out to you at the end of the semester. They use the information gathered there to help in the decision to renew contracts of professors, so if you really loved a class they will listen. Don’t think just because it’s optional it doesn’t matter. It’s no secret that we at the Courier expect a lot from this school. It’s because we believe in it and want to hold it accountable for what we believe it can achieve. We’ll be waiting for you all to prove us right.
Views expressed in The Courier represent opinions of majority of editorial board. The Courier encourages all students, faculty, staff, administrators and community members to voice their opinions on all the topics concerning them both in and out of school. We encourage readers to submit a “Letter to the Editor” voicing their opinions on topics discussed in the editorial. See page 12 for more details on submitting a letter.
FOCUS
PHOTO POLL: Miranda Shelton · Opinion Editor // Bethany Berg · Photo Editor
This past week, we showed students and faculty a picture of College of DuPage’s new president, Ann Rondeau, and asked if they knew who she was. Here are their responses:
Nathan Koonce - Year 2
Riya Randhawa - Year 1
Cassandra Testyon - Year 1
Couldn’t tell you.
I don’t know who that is. Somebody of high ranks in the military.
Peter Kanetis - Philosophy and Religion Professor
Not sure.
Our president Rondeau.
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31 August 2016 // codcourier.org // 11
OPINION
OPINION
When the torch blows out Miranda Shelton · Opinion Editor
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR:
Lucas Koprowski · Editor-in-Chief
Why am I still here? I promised myself the first week of my freshman year I wouldn’t be one of those losers who sticks around for a third year at a community college, yet here I am. Whether it ’s because I realized it ’s OK to take another year to find out what you truly want to do, or it ’s because I’ve accepted becoming a loser, I’ve found College of DuPage to be a dysfunctional home I’m not ready to part with yet. Over my past two years here at COD, I’ve experienced many things that I otherwise wouldn’t have at a four-year institution. I took 3 hours of public transportation daily to get to and from COD for the first three months of my first semester when it would have only taken 45 minutes to an hour to do the same trip by car. I also helped create a secular club here on campus, but left at the end of the semester due to visionary differences. Most importantly however, I was forced to overcome my awkward shyness by writing
for the Courier, which in turn forced me to talk to complete strangers. Since starting with the Courier, I’ve had to change the way I react to social situations in order to surpass my former isolationist attitude towards life. As the photography editor, I was allowed to stay quiet by standing in the corner of a room and take photos for everyone’s articles. When I started my second year, I moved from my photography position over to sports writing. I would write about the games and what ’s happening in and around the sports atmosphere at COD. The stands were bleak at best, being half filled with families of the athletes as well as super fans of COD athletics. Nonetheless, I had to push myself further to be active on the sidelines, as well as communicate with coaches and their star athletes to produce adequate work. What really dislodged my introversion was becoming the paper’s news editor, where I talked to COD adminis-
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tration and tried my best to keep composure. I remember coming out of some of the more important interviews I did earlier into that position with jitters and cold sweat beating down my forehead from anxiety. After probably a month or two of this, I slowly overcame this and realized everyone is just human. It seems pretty obvious now, but in the moments before an interview it was far from my philosophy. I also learned what failure truly meant after these past two years at COD. No, it wasn’t because I was at a community college. I haven’t always had a good work ethic, but I always shot high and hoped for the best without putting enough effort into my craft. That ’s why it took me three times to interview for the Editor-in-Chief position for the paper before I got the job, as well the reason why I only
have a 2.6 GPA. I’m not proud of my laziness, but I am proud of the lessons my failure provided. I’ve found out how to work efficiently after being sick of falling short of my goals for three semesters in a row, and I’ve taught myself how to manage life to arrive at the end of a goal successfully. I’ve lost 30 pounds this past summer, and I’m going to use the same work ethic to achieve straight A’s.
If there’s one thing you take away from this memoir of my college experience, it ’s that
COD has shaped me into the person I am today. The tools provided to me by this institution taught me how to overcome my bashfulness, redesign my work ethic, and make life-changing friendships along the way. To answer the question I first posed, I’m still at COD because I need to give back to the community, which has done so much for me.
Rio De Janeiro is in trouble. An already struggling city was chosen to host the Olympics, and after years of preparation it ’s over in the blink of an eye. What ’s left? Decay, disgust and the soon death of an economy. This isn’t a big surprise. Time and time again the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has chosen venues that simply cannot withstand the economic pressure hosting the Olympics can cause. They see it as a good thing, one that creates jobs and blesses poor countries with these state of the art sports facilities. They don’t seem to
care about what happens when the torch finally goes out. Take the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics as an example. According to CBS World News, they invested $2 billion for a month-long event, and now the buildings that once contained world record holders and gold medalists are now run down and filled with vermin. The 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics left the once beautiful ski jump track to be a refuge for homeless people, and during the Siege of Sarajevo, an execution site as well. Now there aren’t all horror stories. Barce-
lona took a beautiful piece of art used to assist with the television signals during the Olympics and turned it into a local landmark, while still using it to broadcast signals through the area. London is still using a lot of the sports arenas, especially the soccer stadium which is now the home field of West Ham. In places like Rome, Moscow, and Los Angeles, the Olympic villages were turned into housing, although with a closer look you notice that they aren’t in great shape either. There is one thing these places have in common. They had an economy which,
during the time of their Olympic games, they could afford to invest billions of dollars, and afterwards invest more to make it something suitable to the public to use. Rio does not have this kind of money. Not only that, but the country is on edge. The majority of the citizens live below the poverty line, and they are angry. People who had spent their lives there, whose families had been there for generations were being relocated to build these billion dollar spaces. Now that the Olympics have come and gone, there is a literal wall between the lower and upper classes. It was built
to hide the worst of the Rio slums from the Olympic tourists and rare few who are able to live in such a wealthy area, and in turn became a metaphor for the distancing between the two classes. The county is in trouble, and it is due to the IOC’s lack of critical thinking. Rio should not have been considered for its own sake.
for the 2022 winter Olympics. The country has suffered from the economic loss from their last winter games, and it certainly leaves room for concern about the aftermath of the upcoming one. It also poses the question: Is the committee aware of the toll the Olympics causes on such a country? And if so, do they care?
While the IOC has done damage that in some countries is irreversible, it must take measures to ensure it doesn’t happen again. This isn’t happening anytime in the near future, which is made clear by the IOC choosing China
The IOC must take a hard look at its acceptance policies. It must stress to the countries entering the bidding just what the price of the Olympics can be. The committee must be realistic with the world.
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OPINION
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Happy 50th Birthday, College of DuPage! Yes, you read correctly. Your College will turn 50 years old this year and you are part of history. All year long, we will celebrate. So, as the summer hit reminds us, “party like we on vacation!” Oops! Sorry. What I meant to write was pay attention to your faculty, do well in your studies and get that certificate or degree. Seriously! To our new students, thank you for choosing College of DuPage, we’re glad you’re here with us! I believe you will soon see why we are a pathway to a great education and an even brighter future. Let
me assure you, our faculty members have high expectations for each of you! By working together with your professors, counselors, program advisors and Student Affairs departments, we are confident you will exceed those expectations. To our returning students, it is good seeing you again. We are glad to have those who call College of DuPage home, back for another term. We have high expectations for our returning students, too. We expect you to show the way; take leadership roles; and if you are so inclined, mentor other students you see
2016-2017 SEASON
who might be open to some friendly assistance. We are all in this together. Our primary motivation is for our students to leave College of DuPage with a credential or degree in hand. Recently, I read that college students today do not respond well to the word, “help.” Today, the word is “assistance.” So, I ask that you seek “assistance” whenever you believe it necessary. College of DuPage faculty and staff are committed to your success, so when you need “assistance,” one of us is available. Other places offering “assistance” are the Learning Commons,
Library, computer labs, and Campus Central. Your education will also occur outside the classroom. We are committed to producing civic-minded individuals who will leave College of DuPage and, throughout their lives, work to improve society. With over 90 student clubs and organizations, the Office of Student Life will provide you the opportunity to develop the sort of leadership skills needed to be successful. We have cultural and ethnic clubs; we have social clubs; we have academic and pre-professional clubs; we have faith-based clubs; we have
literary and performing arts clubs; we have political and advocacy clubs; we have service-based clubs. Missed one? Contact Student Life and form a new club! On the College of DuPage campus, you will find two state-of-theart facilities not found at many other places. The Chaparral Fitness Center provides a full array of equipment and classes to help you stay healthy, as well as a competitive indoor pool – and it is free to full-time students! Just bring your COD ID and current class schedule to the Fitness Center to get started. The MAC offers
students access to the arts through free Music Fridays, a free international film series, excellent artists and performances at a 50% discount with a student ID, and free MAC chats to engage students in art forms on a deeper level. Lastly, make friends and enjoy all College of DuPage has to offer. It is YOUR College of DuPage. Best wishes on a successful and enjoyable year! Stop by and tell me how the term is going! -Earl E. Dowling Vice President Student Affairs
Special Offer to COD Students: 30 tickets for every show at the MAC available at 50% NATIONAL THEATRE LIVE Broadcast live, from the London stage to the MAC’s big screen!
AtTheMAC.org
ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS • THE AUDIENCE VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE • FRANKENSTEIN HAMLET (ENCORE) • WAR HORSE
Stephen Schwartz and Friends SATURDAY, OCT. 1, 6p
FRIDAY, OCT. 7, 8p
The Piano Men:
A Tribute to Elton John & Billy Joel FRIDAY, OCT. 14, 7:30p
630.942.4000 McAninch Arts Center 425 Fawell Blvd, Glen Ellyn
/AtTheMAC /AtTheMAC /AtTheMAC
A Christmas Carol NOV. 25 - 27
Second City
Dysfunctional Holiday Revue Mike Super 2.OH! FRIDAY, DEC. 10, 6 & 9p SATURDAY, MAR. 4, 7:30P
Black Violin
SATURDAY, MAR.11, 7:30p
*Limited availability. 30 student tickets reserved for each show. One ticket per student. Must present valid student I.D. First come, first served.
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F E AT U R E S
To celebrate Chaparral Days and College of DuPage’s 50th anniversary, the college hosted Mucca Puzza, a vibrant marching band, as a free public event at the MAC on Aug. 30. The band marched across COD before arriving at the Belushi Performance Hall for their main act. Chaparral Days is an annual two week celebration which happens at the beginning of each new Fall semester. On Aug. 31, the Student Life Fair will showcase the college’s student club and organization atmosphere through tabling in the SSC Atrium from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.. On Sept. 1, Student Life is hosting a Lip Sync Battle in the Student Life Lounge, SSC 1200, from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.. Lastly, on Sept. 2, students are invited to decorate cookies in SSC 1217 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
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F E AT U R E S
Making COD Worthwhile Caroline Broderick · Features Editor
For each fall semester, students apply to become a New Student Orientation (NSO) Leader. These leaders turn in resumes, answer questions and obtain multiple recommendations to be chosen to assist first year College of DuPage students into getting a hang of college. By being chosen, these leaders prove they have a stable understanding of their campus and what it has to offer. When so many students are unsure of all the opportunities COD holds, they come in to show them. We asked some NSO Leaders their number one piece of advice to any new student:
Achieve More. Together. • 80 undergraduate majors • Adult accelerated degree completion programs • Counselors on-site to make the transfer process easy
“I would say my number one advice is to get involved and find the free food/merch, because where there’s free stuff, there are events. Clubs and organizations on campus are usually promoting their club in which you can get in touch. Being involved on campus is a sure way to create friendships and network with other people. Also, becoming friends with your professors is a great way to always have help on hand and for those recommendation letters when you transfer!” –Koshie Mills
Our most popular transfer majors include computer science, criminal/ social justice, education, nursing, healthcare leadership, business and aviation.
Learn more about our on-site undergraduate programs: • 3+1 Computer Science degree • 3+1 Criminal/Social Justice degree • Enhanced 2+2 Teacher Education degrees (Early Childhood Education with Endorsements in Special Education and ESL, Elementary, Special, and Combined Elementary/ Special Education)
“My biggest piece of advice for the new class would be to get involved! Getting involved is the best way to meet some of the best people here at COD. From music to clubs to sports, there’s something for everyone on campus. When you get involved, you enjoy and appreciate your time at COD so much more!” –Gabbi Gruver
Scheduled On-Site
3+1 Advising Session
Dates and Room Locations: cod.edu/academics/transfer_programs/ 3plus1_advising_sessions.aspx
(815) 836-5250 • admission@lewisu.edu
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“Honestly, your experience as a student at COD depends on no one else but yourself. It’s truly what you make of it. Join clubs, go to events and take a part in something out of your comfort zone. I loved being a NSO leader, and I would say doing that was out of my comfort zone. Learning to take a leadership role was also something out of my comfort zone but being able to experience that has left me with no regrets!” –Safia Khan
F E AT U R E S
Game:
“Overwatch”
GAME REVIEW:
Price:
Shut up and buy Overwatch
$59.99
Quinten Hayley · Sports Editor
System:
PS4 / Xbox One/ PC
Hollywood has made millions making movies about superheroes killing one another, so it shouldn’t be a surprise to see the concept seep into other markets. This is the premise of Overwatch, one of the best damn games to come out in the last decade. The reason for its reverence isn’t the games’ genre, or it’s developer (Blizzard), or the fact they completely jacked the concept from Valve’s classic title Team Fortress. But, rather, its credibility manifests from the fact that the people who created it took into account what makes a game great, and this achieved the ultimate ideal: nearly endless replayability. Overwatch is a first person shooter. Instead of customizing an avatar’s appearance, such
as in the Call of Duty or Battlefield series, you’re given the choice between 22 different heroes, all with different guns, abilities and utility. Some characters specialize in damage, some in healing, some in tanking, and some in utility. You have a gnome who makes turrets and armor, a grim reaper with twin shotguns who can teleport, a cyber punk with twin plasma pistols and the ability to bend time, a DJ with dreadlocks that heals with sound, and 18 others just as unique and dynamic. The maps are perfectly crafted for their particular game mode, of which there are three: move the payload, capture the point, and king of the hill. It’s very likely they will add others in the future, including capture the flag. Games last no
more than 15 minutes, and every match feels undecided until the very last moments. In Overwatch, instead of having long, linear maps, they’re layered horizontally. Certain heroes will only be able to reach certain heights, depending on their utility and play style. You can switch characters at any juncture, allowing you to react to team-based strategies with your own team-based strategies, instantaneously. This component is also featured in Battlefield, but the maps are much too large to coordinate any real sort of strategy, and Call of Duty maps are too small with randomized spawn points, which ensures chaos and makes the experience unmanageable. The primary goal in Overwatch is never
kills but team-based objectives. So working together and communicating is the only real staple in being successful. The game is insanely balanced. Each hero can feel game-breakingly overpowered or unbearably brittle in the right/wrong hands. The skill ceilings are seeming inconceivable while the skill caps stay nonexistent. The game is light hearted in its aesthetics, lamenting very cartoony graphics, but mechanical in its purpose, creating a game with one of the biggest potentials for engaging virtual competition never before previously seen. They really thought it all through, and coupled with a whole fleet of new characters, maps, skins, and other content to release, Overwatch
will stay relevant for the years to come. Blizzard took a big risk when they decided to start a new franchise, especially in a genre where they had no previous experience. Despite this, it has clearly paid off, and has resulted in one of the most enthusing lines of code I’ve ever had the pleasure of consuming. I’ll be enjoying Overwatch in the few wee hours of relaxation I experience, and you should too.
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F E AT U R E S
Game:
GAME REVIEW:
“No Man’s Sky”
No Man’s Sky: lonely, disappointing, and utterly beautiful
Price:
$59.99
System:
Bethany Berg · Photo Editor
PS4 / PC
When looking up No Man’s Sky before its release in early August, most results were overwhelmingly positive. This game was going to make history and bank, if the record-breaking almost 300,000 pre-orders in the U.S. had anything to say about it. But when looking up No Man’s Sky today, you’ll see articles reporting gaming platforms offering refunds, angry Reddit threads, and reviews that call it more of a demo than an actual game. What caused this? Unfulfilled promises. The list of missing features for the game included multiplayer capabilities, a more prominent and fulfilling plotline, and faction options. Some of the few that caused backlash and distrust when found to be missing from gameplay. Now, it’s the only thing most can focus on. Fans waited three years for a game that looked to be amazing inside and out, and then it didn’t live up to the hype. I went into No Man’s Sky half excited, half already expecting
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18 // codcourier.org // 31 August 2016
@CODCourier
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to be disappointed. What I found, though, was more than I could’ve ever thought to expect. This game is beautiful. From the lush landscapes, to the diverse creatures, you’ve seen the pictures. I am talking about that, but there’s so much more to it as well. Beauty in understanding only bits and pieces of languages, of traversing caves and marshlands and oceans, to finding relics and monoliths of ancient civilizations, No Man’s Sky is amazing. Playing it, I feel like an adventurer, space explorer, chosen to reach the farthest ends of the universe, become a diplomat among alien civilizations, and come to terms with how small I am, compared to the planets, nebulas, or asteroids that I visit and pass by. As amazing as I may put it, I should also mention how meticulous it gets. It’s practically an endless runner: you mine for ores to build other materials, to sell for other materials and units, to buy better tools to mine ores, and ships to
travel the stars in to find more ores. In mechanics, that’s the whole game. But games aren’t only their mechanics, as featured above. As a game, No Man’s Sky has potential. It is already a breath-taking experience. Adding features like multiplayer, extra details in planet differences, to enhancing combat, to integrating complex alien species, would make this experience much more appreciated and enjoyed by the majority of players that aren’t too happy at the moment. No Man’s Sky shows us there is so much out there, so much more than us on our tiny blue marble of a planet. It tells us that we are not alone, no matter how lonely we may feel. It’s a game that hurtles you into hyper drive, launches you into the endlessness of space, and tells you to explore and appreciate the emptiness.
COD Courier Student Newspaper
F E AT U R E S
No Man’s Sky holds an existential crisis for us all Bethany Berg · Photo Editor
Fifty years ago, our parents had Pong, the two-dimensional simulated ping pong arcade game that provided a relaxing and yet challenging experience. Today, we have No Man’s Sky – a three-dimensional, procedurally-generated endless cosmos that’s relaxing, beautiful, challenging and playable from our living room couches. The comparison between now and half a century ago is nothing short of breathtaking and awe-inspiring. Our development, as humankind, is documented in textbooks, museums and shows on the History Channel. Our timeline is shown in linear format, because we enjoy seeing how far we’ve come. The small development team of Hello Games created a game that would, effectively, create itself. They estimate there are about 18 quintillion – that’s 18 zeros – planets to explore and discover in No Man’s Sky. Most they haven’t even seen or worked on physically. Instead, formulas, algorithms, processing programs and more have all gone into making this simulation of a whole other universe that’s easily comparable to our own. Many reviews of No Man’s Sky have called it “boring,” and “without a point.” But that seems
to almost be the literal point of the game - that it doesn’t have one. You explore, you gather resources to build and trade with others and do your best to survive. The whole dynamic of this video game sounds very similar to hunter-gatherer times of our own human history – except thousands, if not millions of years into the future. This is where the existential crisis comes in: when we are able to create a simulation of an endless cosmos, with lush, realistic details and physics like our own, should we then question or worry if we are then a product of a simulation as well? If us, right now in 2016, can create a three-dimensional universe with just computers in a small office building, imagine what future generations can do with theorized planet-sized computers. If I had to take a guess, I’d say they’d be able to create a realistic, lifelike, three dimensional simulation that looks a lot like our own universe. Call our “creators” a higher state of society, or gods, but simulation theory is one actively discussed in philosophy communities around the globe, now inclusive with the popular No Man’s Sky. This introduces an
ordeal of technoethics and technomoralism. Whether it’s ethically or morally correct to create different favored universes where big decisions and mistakes don’t matter in the long term, because simulations can be restarted. Where to the simulated, those same decisions can be utterly catastrophic. It’s an issue that we have to discuss now and discuss in the future, to see changes in who we become and what we create compared against those facts. I don’t know what the future will bring. I don’t know if we’re actually living in a simulation right now. But what I do know is that this introduction into more realistic, life-like games, is only scratching the surface of what’s to come. The viral hit of virtual reality is just another checkmark on the laundry list of immersing ourselves totally into games. I believe that just like anything else, there will be a few hiccups along the way – everything that No Man’s Sky didn’t include – but when we get there and we improve, the end result will blow our potentially-simulated minds.
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MUSIC Alexander By: i said yes Genre: Alternative Similar to: Oh Wonder, The Franklin Electric
We’re always talking music at the Courier, so we’ve decided to share our favorites with you. Check back each week for what we’ve been playing on repeat. You can find the whole collection on our Courier Spotify, linked at www.codcourier.org. Western Playland By: Holy Wave Genre: Psychedelic Rockww Similar to: Morgan Delt, Gap Dream I’ve always had a special place in my heart for the loopy, psychedelic sounds that spur from the brains of these underground no-name bands. I have no idea why; maybe they bring out my inner hippie that gets repressed through the humdrum of everyday routine. Nevertheless, I have been completely obsessed with Freaks of Nurture, the latest album by Holy Wave. Although it’s been out since March, this complex garage-psych album will continue to be sprinkled throughout many of my playlists to come. Dreamy, wispy vocals are layered with funky reverb and catchy guitar riffs in the highlight track, “Western Playland.” It’s enough to put even the most unshakable pessimist in a good mood. Get ready to let your hair hang loose and set your inner wild child free, this music is trippy as hell. – Bridget
The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades is Out to Get Us By: Sufjan Stevens Genre: Alternative Rock Similar to: Neutral Milk Hotel, Fleet Foxes
I’ve listened to this song so many times that I only need to hear the first note of it to have a severe emotional reaction. Sufjan Stevens is an artist famous for having simplistically beautiful songs, and of all of them, this one takes the cake. It’s a song that brings back a certain reminiscence of a childhood day at the beach, not to mention the curiosity and slightly taboo feeling of having a crush when you’re a kid. It touches your heart and punches you in the gut at the same time, and quite honestly I can’t get enough of it. -Andie
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I’m probably not the only one who’s said so far that these first few weeks of school coming back are downright stressful. I’m used to sleeping in, waking up with the sun higher up in the sky, and sleeping for more than five hours a night. Coming back, it’s easy to get caught up in everything as we try to get our school schedules back on track, and “Alexander” helped give some peace back into my daily grind. With its upbeat and slightly melancholic tones, it will lull you into relaxation as you fall in love with its poetic imagery. In times of panic, listen, and remember to breathe. -Beth
Pink+White By: Frank Ocean Genre: RnB Similar to: Kanye West, The Weeknd
Everybody and their mother actually bought music from iTunes last week when beloved artist, Frank Ocean finally released another album after a four-year hiatus. The world was not disappointed, and neither was I. From the first second to the last, the album shines with its exciting production and unexpected choices. “Blonde” stands out amongst the rest, providing a fresh and hip spin on the rap currently blasting through radios. “Pink + White” takes you on an audio adventure from the get-go. Ocean begins the track with a powerful beat and drops it down into his smooth vocals. Half-way through, Ocean takes the listener on a whole different journey, which makes you feel like you’re floating in the pink and white clouds he sings about, by mixing in an acoustic guitar with his beats. Totally unexpected, totally awesome. -Caroline
Talking to Myself By: Watsky Genre: Rap Similar to: Grieves, Hoodie Allen
It’s been a few years since the young Californian rapper Watsky released a new album. I wasn’t very fond his previous album, “All You Can Do,” but after taking a break from producing music to write a book, his style reverted back to his roots developed from the album before his last, “Cardboard Castles.” “Talking to Myself ” speaks to the insecurities inside us all, and it is a great song to blast before starting classes. He was a huge part in shaping my view of hip hop when I was younger, and this song shows he still hasn’t lost his touch. –Lucas
SPORTS Champion Chaparral’s Conquest Over Iowa Central Quinten Hayley · Sports Editor
The Chaparral’s Men’s football team ascertained a win over central Iowa on Saturday here at the Glen Ellyn campus. Although the first quarter was strenuous (they played the kind of football akin to watching my alcoholic family try to play two hand touch in the front yard at a reunion), the clock ended in the fourth quarter with a score of 20-13, establishing the team’s first win of the 2016-2017 fall season. Our early field goal in the first quarter filled me with hope for a better semester, one in which I would get to write about a new caliber of athlete. A semester in which I didn’t feel like a harbinger of doom for our sports programs. These whimsical notions seem to hang on a tight-
rope for a duration of the game. It was a shaky start. The first quarter was littered with errors, including the fumble of a snap by number two quarterback Evan Scales (pictured), a five-yard punt return accosted out of bounds by number eightynine Jason Newton, an interception produced by our aforementioned quarterback, and the injury of offensive line number 70 Chris Moran, who later walked off his injuries on his own accord. These blunders all happened within minutes, and
was incredibly demoralizing to the team and fans, who although clapped at Moran’s resilience, probably felt the same sort anxiety I was feeling. These series of unfortunate events must have lit
a fire in the bellies of the Chaparrals, as they went on to score seventeen more points over the next three quarters. This included a rush touchdown by running back number thirty-five Jordan Brown in
the second, a clandestine 95 yard interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter by defensive back number thirty six Myles Plummer, and dead shot field goals and extra points courtesy of kicker number seventeen Casey Bednarski in all three. As of right now, Bednarski is the No. 1 kicker in our division, as he has a 100 percent field goal percentage. Iowa Central went on to score two field goals and one touchdown, but it wasn’t be enough to combat the new found
veracity of the Chaparrals. As the game concluded, I realized my worries in the first quarter were preemptive. The Chaps went from playing like my worthless family to genuine athletes over the course of minutes. This win has established a great precedent for this new semester and the Chaparrals. A win is most significant when it is hard earned, and the Chaps fought for almost three hours, sustaining injuries and embarrassments in the blaze of summer. My cynicism had me convinced they were doomed and they proved me wrong. When the game finally concluded, the team hooted and hollered as if they had just won the super bowl. It was humbling.
Ibtihaj Muhammad: My Favorite American at #RIO2016 Vandy Manyeh · Reporter
Ibtihaj Muhammad won a bronze medal, but the fact that she became the first American Olympian to compete wearing a hijab, thereby breaking a major barrier, is the simple reason why she was my
favorite American at Rio 2016. Muslim women are required to wear the hijab, a veil that covers the head when they are in the presence of adult males outside their immediate family. This religious requirement runs contrary to jersey regulations prescribed by major sporting federations, a rule that has prevented thousands of Muslim American women from engaging in sports. She also became the first female Muslim American to win an Olympic medal. This is the same reason why Oscar Pistorius, a South African athlete with amputated legs who competed in non-disabled sprint events, was my fa-
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vorite athlete who competed at London 2012. Muhammad stood up among many athletes and proved America’s tolerance and diversity. The promotion of peace and unity, regardless of a person’s religion or race, has been the purpose of the Olympic Games since its first modern event in 1896. She emphatically showed how anything is possible with perseverance and she inspired many Muslim athletes who won’t play sports due to harsh laws that prohibit the use of hijabs. I am in no way trying to play down on the great individual performances by Kerry Walsh, Allyson Felix, Katie Ledecky,
Simone Biles and Michael Phelps, or the excellent display by the women’s basketball team. Every athlete who represented the United States in Rio merits my commendation. However, when an athlete endures extra hurdles to make it onto the Olympics stage, that kind of perseverance is what being at the Olympics is all about. Islam is unarguably controversial in U.S. politics and news, with Muhammad herself answering questions and trying to dispel the disgusting stereotypes about her religion. Playing in Rio has definitely inspired thousands of young female Muslim athletes that they
can do whatever their passion is, including sports. Here are the hypotheticals: Imagine female Muslim athletes being accepted without any hurdles because of their religious values, like the way we celebrate Muhammad Ali and Kareem Abdul Jabbar. Choosing to ignore their muslim faith would help our world see many great Muslim athletes. In 2014, the Qatari women’s basketball team withdrew from the Asian games in South Korea after a decision disallowing them to wear a hijab during matches. In 2011, the Iranian women’s soccer team withdrew from an Olympics qualifying
match because they wore a hijab. Special uniforms were designed for the Afghan women’s soccer team this year. These hurdles are senseless in our world, and laws set by sporting federations intensifying this kind of blind segregation must be repealed. Last week during the College of DuPage’s female soccer team loss to Oakton Community College, I spotted a player from Oakton wearing a hijab, long track pants, and a long sleeved shirt. I am glad the NJCAA officials present allowed her to play. It is now time to get rid of these barriers as it relates to sports.
SPORTS
UFC 202: Still bored Quinten Hayley · Sports Editor
The foundation in which the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is impressed upon is becoming brittle, much like the fighters’ progressively softening noggins. The juvenile marketing tactics employed by Dana White and his constituents on the board of directors, are an insult to the general public’s intelligence and will only prove to be detrimental to mixed martial art’s place in mainstream society. Connor McGregor is the prime example of the industry’s insolence in its garnering of viewership. One doesn’t need a master’s degree to realize the UFC’s net profit is contingent on the viewer’s motivation to watch the fight, which entails paying a whopping $60 pay-per-view charge for a bout, which may only last minutes, (possibly seconds). This is why people generally, including myself, wait until the next day to watch the 5 second knockout gif on Reddit for free. What the board did in order to combat this phenomenon is to mold McGregor into an anti-hero. Earlier this year, Connor took to social media to express his discontent with Dana White and the UFC, despite making millions due to their existence.
What this amounted to was a virtual temper tantrum, complaining about how the organization was making far more money off of his fights than he was. He fooled millions, including myself, into thinking it was authentic, and Dana White was adamant that McGregor’s time in the limelight was done, and that he had taken their graciousness for granted, and that he would learn the error of his ways. After a pariah of ambig-
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uous social media posts, facilitated conflicts with fellow fighter Nate Diaz, and press conferences for no other reason than to make people want to have an opinion, the board so graciously allowed McGregor to fight. The whole fight is drawn all the way out, and what we’re left with is the unsatisfactory, boring victory via points, by an overgrown man-child whose only purpose is to assault other man-children for smarter ones in suites.
Sure, the UFC made $60 million for this snooze fest, but Mayweather put me to sleep last year and walked away with $300 million, and he didn’t need to have a fake temper tantrum in order to have it happen. All he had to do was be great. Anti-heroes are popular because there is an infinite amount of perspectives to choose from. Is he the egotistical asshole who is biting the hand that feeds? Is he the underdog with a chip on his
shoulder, against all odds, him against the world? The truth is, neither. And he’s not anything in-between. He’s not even on the gradient. He’s aware of the gradient, and they want you to keep guessing, to keep sharing your worthless opinion. This is why the UFC isn’t as great as it could be: it isn’t as authentic as it pretends to be. It tricks its audience into buying into the connotation. The odds aren’t insurmountable; the
primordial fulfillment we experience while watching these men pummel one another is limited because of these senseless stipulations. Imagine an MMA fight where the winner was to receive $300 million. Where they didn’t have to cause a public nuisance just to garner low bearing fruit. Imagine if all it was about was the fight. The two men entering that octagon would enter with the adrenaline needed to kill 10 men. When it becomes so abundantly clear they’ll say anything for viewership, you have to question their integrity as a whole. Not that it even matters, as the UFC itself was quietly sold to entertainment empire WME-IMG for $4 billion, after the success of UFC 202. Do you really think it was all an accident that all of those altercations, transgressions, and conflicts occurred, caught your attention, established the success for the event itself, and brokered the deal for the federation? Do you think the board of directors or Dana White would find themselves in such an ideal position if their star McGregor had lost his rematch to Diaz? Food for thought.
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