Observer The Case Western Reserve
Friday, January 17, 2025 Volume LVI, Issue 15
CWRU’s new logo reaches the Euclid and Adelbert sign, students react with disdain and mockery
Elie Aoun Director of Print
On Jan. 10, students who returned early from winter break were greeted by a stark change to an iconic part of campus: At the Euclid Avenue and Adelbert Road intersection, a blue sign with Case Western Reserve University’s new logo had been placed on top of the previous stone logo.
The background of the new sign consists of “CWRU Blue,” a shade of blue that is brighter than the old
LIFE
logo’s dark blue letters. The metal letters of the old logo at the Euclid Avenue and Adelbert Road intersection—which were placed on top of the flat stone wall to create a 3D effect—were removed from the stone before a thick blue sign bearing the new logo was installed with a crane. The new logo is printed with white letters on a CWRU Blue background, taking away from the old 3D appearance.
Since CWRU changed its logo in June 2023, the university has updated many physical items to reflect
its new look, from sports uniforms to campus merchandise. The old logo had been in place since 2007, and last summer’s redesign was aimed at making CWRU “much harder to miss,” according to a video published by the university promoting the change.
Student reactions to the new sign have been largely negative, though there have been a few positive comments. One student said that “it looks pretty good” and “really sets us apart.” Another student said, “I feel like it’s pretty nice,” while still admit-
ting to liking the old one a bit more because “it was more authentic.”
“It looks better during the night time [than] during the day,” one student said, adding that “the blue is kind of ugly, [a] very stark contrast to all of the tan and gray I see around me.”
One student said, “I don’t like it, and it was cuter before, and it’s just not aesthetically pleasing anymore, and it’s just not cute.”
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A checklist for success this spring semester
Shivangi Nanda Executive Editor
Gusty winds and frigid temperatures mark the start of the spring semester. Once again, students flood Case Quad, navigating new and challenging coursework and trauma bonding with their peers. Despite the enthusiasm that a new semester should bring, the end of winter break can dampen our spirits, making it difficult to return to the routine of college life. To get out of that postbreak slump, I compiled a list of tips that can help you achieve success this year.
Getting on top of your schoolwork
Arguably, the most demanding aspect of a new semester is the classes. Between getting used to a new schedule, unfamiliar classmates and each professor’s unique teaching style, it can feel almost impossible to manage new coursework. However, this period does not need to be so dreadful. Use the first two weeks of the semester to explore different subjects, meet professors and get a feel for the class environment. This is the perfect time to drop any classes that don’t align with your interests and find ones that better meet your long-term goals. When it comes to doing well in the classroom, it can be easy to procrastinate when you have a fresh slate, but
staying on top of your work from the beginning is key. Rather than letting assignments pile up, get a head start by reading ahead, completing small assignments as soon as possible and regularly reviewing your class materials. When you’re organized from day one, you’ll avoid the stress of lastminute cramming.
Creating a balanced schedule
When creating your schedule for the semester, try to squeeze in some time for fun. The life of a Case Western Reserve University student is undeniably stressful, so balance intense study sessions with relaxing nights with friends. Explore Cleveland, attend campus events or simply stay in for a movie and popcorn night. Succeeding academically is crucial to long-term success, but doing so should not take precedence over everything else in your life. College is about more than just studying; it’s about growing as a person, building connections and finding your passions. Whether you’re interested in sports, music, politics or volunteer work, getting involved in extracurricular activities can provide a healthy balance to your academic life and introduce you to a community of likeminded individuals.
Prioritizing your health and wellbeing
Especially as the days get colder,
it can be easy to sacrifice your physical and mental health for more hours spent inside studying. While it can be easy to think of health as secondary to your success as a student, it plays an important role in your overall ability to thrive. Regular physical activity in the form of walking, a gym session or PE class can instill routine while also improving your mood and energy. If a trip to the Wyant Athletic and Wellness Center or the Veale Recreation Center seems far out of reach, settle for walks around campus or a quick at-home workout. Whatever you can do to get your body moving is a step in the right direction. In addition to exercise, maintaining a mostly healthy
diet can ensure you feel fueled and energized throughout the day. This is difficult when you are limited to dining hall options or food spots on Euclid Avenue, but making healthier choices with your meals—such as swapping soda with water and adding more fresh fruit into your diet— can make all the difference. And last but not least, prioritize sleep. Many of us sacrifice sleep in favor of studying or socializing, but getting seven to nine hours of sleep each night is vital to ensuring your mind and body are well-rested for the day ahead.
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Lucas Yang/The
The new sign (right) in front of the Allen Memorial Medical Library, replacing CWRU’s old logo (left) with the new one, has been met with mostly negative feedback, with students calling it “ugly” and “disgusting.” Courtesy of The Daily and Moses Fleischman/The Observer
New logo from page 1
A few reactions were visceral. “I think it looks disgusting. I don’t really love it,” one student said. Another stated, “I hate this sign. The old sign was so much better. It looks like it has history; it had the date [of the university’s founding] on the old sign.”
A few students agreed that CWRU needs to “bring back the stone.” A different student said, “When I first saw a photo, I thought it was edited.”
“Every time my mom comes to visit me in Cleveland, she always makes me take a picture in front of that sign, but I know she’s not gonna want to take a picture anymore,” one student joked.
The old stone sign was created between 2012 and 2014. Before that, there was a patch of flowers around the quarter circle where the sign stood. In the late 2000s, the spot held a sign for UH Cleveland Medical Center.
Signs on Euclid Avenue have proven to be rife with controversy. In 1973, six years after the Case Institute of Technology merged with Western Reserve University, CWRU erected a sign proclaiming the entrance to “Case Institute of Technology of Case Western Reserve University” on Euclid Avenue. This prompted an incensed article from The Observer calling the move “nothing but appalling” and something that “negates the whole spirit of federation.” The article claimed that alumni had a large role to play in the sign’s creation, and, in the spirit of the 1970s, it called for a direct form of protest against the sign: “But maybe people could just wander by and stick some leaflets or things on the top of the sign, eliminating the Case portion. It would be a symbolic gesture, but one that might register in the hearts of the people at fault.”
Additional reporting contributed by Executive Editor Shivangi Nanda.
Cleveland Museum of Natural History reopens doors after expensive renovation
Zachary Tressler News Editor
At the end of the fall semester, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, located on Wade Oval in University Circle, reopened its doors to the general public on Dec. 13. The museum, which has been under renovation since 2021, gradually reopened new spaces to the public, first in 2022 and then in 2023. Now, students and community members can enjoy a worldclass institution transformed by the $150 million renovation.
Previously, many iconic fossils and other natural history attractions were removed from view in 2022 due to the renovations. At that time, a new kids’ area and planetarium opened, which coincided with Andy Warhol’s Endangered Species series. Yet, with the reopening of the Visitor Hall in 2023 and now the rest of the museum in December 2024, the museum has returned to be enjoyed by the public.
The main collection and exhibits of the museum are sorted into two wings: the Larry Sears and Sally Zlotnick Sears Dynamic Earth Wing and the Evolving Life Wing. The former focuses on exploring the history of Earth and various natural phenomena that take place on the planet. This includes specific exhibits tailored to earthquakes, stardust and the effects of urbanization on local ecosystems. The
gallery also contains large glass windows that overlook Wade Oval and the Cleveland Museum of Art.
Attached to this gallery are a variety of smaller interactive exhibits. Microscope stations are set up around the museum, and staff members are positioned with artifacts of fossils and animals.
The Evolving Life Wing has large taxidermy animals and fossils on display. Many of the biomes are flanked with interactive exhibits, from audible stories to electronic screens that react based on the viewer’s movements. This part of the museum also contains exhibits focusing on creatures from Northeast Ohio and human evolution, with interactive exhibits that focused on the creation of Homo sapiens.
The choice to show the museum’s collection in two large, interdisciplinary galleries, instead of displays based on timeline or discipline, is different from the museum’s organization before the renovation.
In a press release, the museum’s CEO and President Sonia Winner said that the renovation “aims to achieve one unified vision: to promote healthy humans, a healthy planet, and a better future for all.” Winner said, “By placing visitors at the center of the story of our planet, we’re inspiring all to foster a deeper understanding of science and a connection to nature.”
Local political leaders welcomed the new move. Representative Max
Miller, a Republican from a neighboring congressional district, said that the reopening “will launch a new era for the Museum which will share science and the wonders of discovery with generations to come.” Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne said during an opening ceremony that “The museum welcomes in … You feel like you belong here. Hats off to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History!”
The museum opened during the second week of December to members through a ticketed event before opening to the public on Dec. 13. To celebrate the opening, the museum and the Cleveland Monsters hockey team hosted a special “Fossil Faceoff” game against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
According to the website for the Division of Student Affairs, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History is part of the Case Western Reserve University Free Access Program, which guarantees CWRU students one free ticket a week from each of the listed cultural institutions. Students must bring their student ID and purchase their tickets onsite, the museum told The Observer. They also noted that free admission only applies to general admission and that the Planetarium and 3D films are an additional $7 charge per person. Even without a purchased ticket, visitors will still be able to access the main atrium, which opened in 2023. This includes favorites such as “Balto,” “Happy” and “Lucy.”
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History sits on Wade Oval, just past the Peter B. Lewis Building and the North Residential Village. CWRU students can enjoy the museum once a week for free. Moses Fleischman/The Observer
“Rosie” showcases Rosé’s vocal talent but lacks broader personal narrative
Téa Tamburo News Editor
With her debut solo album “rosie” released in December 2024, BLACKPINK member Rosé unveils a more personal side of herself, contrasting the meticulously polished world typically associated with K-Pop groups. “rosie” follows the years of Rosé’s success as part of BLACKPINK, the globally known K-Pop group she shares with Lisa, Jennie and Jisoo. Although “rosie” is the artist’s first solo album, she’s no stranger to working alone—Rosé had already debuted solo with the 2021 singles “On the Ground” and “Gone.” Furthermore, prior to the launch of “rosie,” she collaborated with Bruno Mars on the single “APT” in October 2024, which spent nine weeks on the Billboard Global 200 chart. Whether she can fully separate herself from her old group remains to be seen.
“I cannot wait for you to listen to this little journal of mine. Rosie is the name I allow my friends and family to call me. With this album, I hope you all feel that much closer to me,” Rosé shared in an Instagram post announcing the album release. Across the album’s 12 tracks which Rosé co-wrote, Rosé seeks to offer fans a deeper look into her personal world—something that wasn’t possible with her previous group releases. However, the effort feels somewhat limited, as the album leans heavily on breakup themes, leaving listeners wishing to explore other facets of her personality.
The album begins with “number one girl,” a ballad exploring themes of loneliness, insecurity and vulnerability. In an interview with Apple Music 1, Rosé revealed that she wrote the song after encountering
online hate comments following an event she attended. The track begins with the lines, “Tell me that I’m special, tell me I look pretty / Tell me I’m a little angel, sweetheart of your city / Say what I’m dying to hear.” These words not only set the tone for the song but also establish an emotional foundation for the album as a whole.
The album’s theme then transitions to focus on the aftermath of a breakup, reflecting Rosé’s emotional journey. In “toxic till the end,” Rosé captures the turbulence of an onagain, off-again relationship and also her role in the toxicity. In “3am” she admits, “I just saw a red flag / Gonna pretend I didn’t see that.” While these tracks are lyrically rich
and thematically compelling, the album’s heavy reliance on breakup narratives feels somewhat unbalanced for an album aimed to be a personal exploration of her identity. This focus leaves listeners also wishing for a broader glimpse into Rosé’s multifaceted experiences beyond heartbreak.
On a brighter note, “APT” offers a refreshing contrast to the album’s more emotionally-charged numbers. Inspired by the popular Korean drinking game of the same name, this lighthearted and upbeat track showcases Rosé’s playful side, although lyrically it isn’t as strong as other tracks. Its lively energy contradicts the somber tones of songs like “stay a little longer” and “call it the end.” A New Zealand-born Korean singer, Rosé chose to record all the songs on the album in English, broadening its accessibility and appeal. Yet, as evident with “APT,” she weaves in aspects of her Korean culture. More depth would have been added to the album to see this cultural integration carried through more consistently across other tracks on the album, further highlighting the multifaceted nature of her artistry.
Rosé debuted as a member of BLACKPINK when the agency YG Entertainment launched the group in 2016. The 2020 Netflix film “BLACKPINK: Light Up the Sky” follows Rosé, Lisa, Jennie and Jisoo’s several-year-long training to become K-Pop stars. Now, after nearly a decade of success with BLACKPINK, Rosé has the opportunity to carve out her own personal sound, free from the constraints of a group or an agency. While “rosie” showcases her vocal and lyrical strength, it ultimately leaves listeners yearning for a deeper, more intimate exploration of her personal journey.
“Nosferatu”: Chilling, but perhaps not for 21st-century moviegoer
Lucas Yang Graphic Designer
Warning: spoilers ahead.
From “Beauty and the Beast” to “King Kong” to the original 1922 “Nosferatu,” movies—and horror movies especially—have never been averse to connecting the beautiful female victim to a horrifying male monster. Both archetypes are marked as deviant and dangerous within normative patriarchal society because of their ability to create visual spectacle. This is why the most iconic slasher movie deaths are those of young women. It’s the climactic peak of the movie’s visual tension, and it’s the same reason that only a final girl can overcome and destroy the monster. Robert Eggers’ 2024 “Nosferatu” remake carries the burden of this legacy.
Set in 1800s Germany, “Nosferatu” follows Ellen Hutter (Lily-Rose Depp), a young woman plagued by frightening visions of death. Her new husband Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult), a real estate salesman,
is forced to travel to Transylvania to entice the grotesque vampire Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård) to a purchase. Orlok eventually finds his way to the Hutters’ German town, where chaos and disease begin to wreak havoc upon its inhabitants. We then learn that Ellen has a mysterious, supernatural pact with Orlok that violently demands to be fulfilled.
There’s a lot of good things hap-
pening here. Depp’s performance is really good, mostly because she’s not afraid to get ugly—the contortion of her demonic possessions and intense outbursts of emotion have real attack behind them. Hoult is a worthy successor to Gustav von Wangenheim, the original Thomas, and his early sequences in Orlok’s castle that flit in and out of consciousness are the movie’s eeriest and most ef-
fective. The way the camera filters leech out almost all colors from the image allows Eggers to mimic the dreamlike depth of black-and-white film, without sacrificing the ability to slap you in the face with gorgeously saturated reds and oranges. Not every cylinder is firing, however. Aaron Taylor-Johnson tries for patriarch-ship magnate, but his accent and demeanor feel comically put on. The increased significance of Willem Dafoe’s occult doctor character nagged at me, too—he’s an archetypal father and mentor figure, always ready to vomit up arcane knowledge or guide our main characters to their next act. It’s a strange choice that grounds the remake’s narrative, when in the original we’re just as completely disconcerted and lost as the characters. This results in a pivotal moment of reassurance to Ellen that fundamentally undercuts her final act, a moment totally absent in the original. In the 1922 “Nosferatu,” no father doctor is coming to save us.
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Rosé’s debut album “rosie” explores Rosé’s personal struggles through various pop styles. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200. Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Company
Lily-Rose Depp stars as Ellen Hutter in “Nosferatu.”The horror film grossed $136.1 million worldwide. Courtesy of Universal Pictures
“Nosferatu” from page 3
So how does the movie update the beauty and the beast archetype for a contemporary audience? Orlok is overtly a representation of Ellen’s repressed sexuality. She refers to Orlok as her “shame,” her “melancholy.” His presence causes her to enter spontaneous fits somewhere between a seizure and an orgasm. “I am appetite,” Orlok says. But what the movie has to say about that representation is quite confusing. Is Orlok a vengeful manifestation of female sexuality chained and policed by conservative society, come to raze it down? “You could never please me as he does,” Ellen growls to Thomas. She refers to him as a “lover.” But what’s with Orlok’s demand that Ellen “submit”? What’s with his constant threats to murder everyone she loves? Why does think-
“Abbott
ing of him cause Ellen to wake up in the middle of the night screaming and crying tears of black sludge? There’s a clear layer of abuse subtext applied to Orlok’s haunting of Ellen—he is, after all, her “shame.”
The climax of the movie is Ellen accepting Orlok’s pact and consummating their bond, uniting their bodies on the screen for the first time. It’s a visually stunning moment, but one that betrays both an inability to substantially improve on the original movie and a clumsy, mean-spirited resolution to its abuse subtext. If you take Orlok as a manifestation of female sexuality, then the movie simply regurgitates the same archaic conclusion as every other sexually conservative piece of art created in the last two thousand years: In order for soci-
ety to continue, we have to destroy the sexually deviant woman. Ellen is narratively and literally punished for her abject sexual desire. In 1922, the act of portraying that desire as potentially powerful itself might’ve been novel, even if that portrayal had to end in its destruction. But in 2024, this is pretty lukewarm. Can we still find no way to depict female sexuality other than as a disgusting and diseased monster that signals the downfall of civilization? On the other hand, if you look at the new subtext, you get a pretty cruel ending where Ellen has to “submit” to the embodiment of her sexual trauma. In both cases, Ellen must die in order to redeem society. There is no resolution to either of these themes that does not end with her culpability and her punishment. The movie
fails on both fronts.
The horror of both “Nosferatu” iterations is the expulsion of something taboo; Depp’s Ellen keeps professing to us that she has a “darkness” inside of her. But in a post-internet, post-sexual revolution age, where everyone is constantly able to post about their deepest and most humiliating thoughts and urges to a literal global audience at all times, this return to 19th-century sexual politics becomes not just dated, but painfully trite. I’ve seen tweets that are more scandalous and intimately revealing than anything that happens in this movie. In the end, the reheated leftovers of what might’ve been transgressive a century ago is painfully regressive in 2024. Let’s put the Count where he belongs— six feet deep in the dirt.
Elementary” x “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”: A
Kate Gordon Life Editor
Crossover episodes are a sitcom classic, so it wasn’t a total surprise to see the announced collaboration between “Abbott Elementary” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” Plot-wise, at least, it’s a pretty natural pairing—both shows are set in Philadelphia—but for anyone familiar with the two shows’ comedic styles, you’d understand that combining the two casts is not going to be easy.
“Abbott Elementary” is a classic workplace sitcom currently airing its fourth season. It’s upbeat, lighthearted and tonally very similar to “Parks and Recreation” and “Brook-
strange combination that works
lyn 99.” “Always Sunny,” on the other hand, has 16 seasons under its belt and no easy match for its dark, irreverent sense of humor. The cast of “Abbott Elementary” are dedicated civil servants whose worst moments include underestimating students or misjudging their parents, and always rectify their mistakes by the end of the episode. Then we have the “Always Sunny” gang, who are canonically stalkers, arsonists and murderers. They shouldn’t even be allowed within 50 feet of an elementary school. For all of the characters to be able to share the screen, either the gang would have to seriously clean up their act, or the teachers would have to take a turn for the worse.
Since the “Abbott” cast was hosting,
the former scenario ended up playing out. Charlie (Charlie Day), Mac (Rob McElhenney), Dennis (Glenn Howerton), Frank (Danny Devito) and Sweet Dee (Kaitlin Olson) show up at Abbott Elementary to offer their services as volunteers, which the short-staffed teachers are all too happy to accept. Dennis quickly notices the film crew from the show’s mockumentary format and decides to stay behind the camera as he knows “quite a lot about filming and consent,” although in reality Howerton had only half a day to film as he was shooting another series at the same time. The “Abbott” and “Always Sunny” characters quickly pair off, with Dee and Janine (Quinta Brunson), Mac and Ava (Janelle James), Charlie and Ja-
Checklist for success from page 1
Seeking help when you need it
Successful college students are those who can recognize when they need to ask for help. Despite a hustle culture that tends to value self-struggle, there is no shame in seeking advice and support when you feel overwhelmed. If you’re struggling with a particular class, don’t hesitate to reach out to a professor or teaching assistant for further instruction. If you are overworked, talk to your advisor about dropping a class or other commitment. Even in the toughest weeks of the semester, it is important to prioritize yourself both emotionally and physically. That is why it is
important to build a network of trusted friends, professors and advisors who can provide you a sense of reassurance and motivation when life is not going your way.
“Comparison is the thief of joy”
The single best piece of advice I could give you for the semester and all those to follow is this: Recognize and appreciate your personal journey. At a place like CWRU, where each person you meet seems brighter than the next, it can be easy to be consumed by “comparison culture.” I’ve felt this pressure, constantly comparing my wins and
losses to those of my peers. As tempting as this can be, it will only create feelings of inadequacy and hamper your self-esteem. It took me a long time to realize that my journey, however imperfect, is the only one that I should be fixated on. The best way to grow is to honor your unique path—paying attention to how small improvements in your academic performance, health and social sphere are evidence of your success as a student, friend and human being. So this semester, I encourage you to reflect on your journey, regardless of how it compares to those of your peers. Then, consider what changes you can make to get closer to the best, most fulfilled version
cob (Chris Perfetti) and Frank and Gregory (Tyler James Williams) all sharing classrooms/offices/gardens as appropriate.
While it was nowhere close to being the funniest episode of “Abbott” or “Always Sunny,” the two casts managed to create a single solid, satisfying episode. Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter) and the gang have what Ava calls a “Caucasian cultural exchange” over their love of the Eagles, Dee tries to steal Janine’s boyfriend and Frank and Gregory argue over the best way to solve a raccoon infestation. The episode’s best plotline, however, is far and away Charlie learning how to read. Charlie’s illiteracy is a running gag in “Always Sunny,” and watching Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph) and Melissa finally teach him was equally funny and heartwarming. I’m not confident that the “Always Sunny” writers’ room will let Charlie maintain his progress, but it was nice to see him (somewhat) triumph nonetheless.
With another confirmed crossover in season 17 of “Always Sunny” giving viewers the gang’s perspective of their week volunteering, I’m excited to see a darker spin on the same story—and especially what on earth Dennis was up to at Abbott. I’m a little nervous for the havoc they’ll inevitably wreck on the school’s unsuspecting teachers and students, but if the ending of the “Abbott” episode is any indication, everything should turn out okay in the end … at least for the Abbott crew. I don’t think anyone will really mind if the “Always Sunny” gang suffers a little more for the audience’s sake.
of yourself. Along the way, continue to congratulate and celebrate your peers’ accomplishments, but try not to let their achievements diminish the validity of your own.
This list is only a starting point when it comes to navigating this new semester. There is no perfect formula for success, so it is important to take things one step at a time. Treat each day as a new one, and don’t let past setbacks dictate your future. The semester will inevitably bring with it highs and lows, but remember these tribulations are fleeting—one day they will just be fond memories of your time at CWRU.
The collaboration between two very different sitcoms, “Abbott Elementary” and “Always Sunny,” turned out to be surprisingly funny and well-received among viewers. Courtesy of ABC
Ethel Cain premieres new ambient sound in latest album
Kennedy Wolf Staff Writer
This past Wednesday, Jan. 8, singer/ songwriter Ethel Cain released her fourth studio album, “Perverts.” The newest album from Cain quickly became an online sensation, with much contention as to how it compared to the singer’s previous studio albums. The main reason for this debate emerges from the ambient, droning sounds that accompany most of “Perverts.” It is certainly different compared to Cain’s other work, which relies heavily on lyrical storytelling. Her prior album, released in 2022 and titled “Preacher’s Daughter,” was a concept album focusing on the abduction and murder of “Ethel Cain,” which is actually the artist’s stage name. Cain is simply a character that Hayden Anhedönia has constructed over the past several years and performs as.
Many fans and listeners of Cain were quick to point out the stark difference between “Preacher’s Daughter” and “Perverts,” mostly citing the lack of lyrics in the latter. Frequent critiques of “Perverts” were that the songs featured sounded like “15 minutes of white noise” or “ASMR,” which highlights the sheer length of many of the tracks as well. The longest, titled “Pulldrone,” comes in at a whopping 15 minutes and 14 seconds long. Similarly, most other tracks average between eight to 12 minutes. But these critiques ignore that there is certainly explicit lyrical storytelling present in “Perverts.” While lyrics do not appear as frequently as they did in the tracks on “Preacher’s Daughter,” they still serve as the foundation that many of the songs are built upon. These include “Amber Waves,” “Vacillator” and “Onanist.” Also, it
should be mentioned that Cain herself stated in multiple posts on her Instagram that “Perverts” was going to be a much more ambient-sounding album and contrast to “Preacher’s Daughter.” Cain was explicitly truthful about the differences in this project from its original announcement back in September. Others noted that while “Preacher’s Daughter” was so explicitly a concept album focusing on the life and death of Ethel Cain, “Perverts” did not seem to follow the same linear fashion of storytelling. These critiques ignore the fact that “Perverts” largely established the setting of Ethel Cain’s story, originally presented in “Preacher’s Daughter.”
Much of the ambient sounds used on the tracks in “Perverts” come from radio static, windmills, box fans, sounds of cars passing by on a highway, transformer boxes on power lines and so on. This was stated by Cain via a post on her Instagram on Jan. 8, in which she cites her inspiration coming from these noises. All of these sounds fit into the Southern Gothic and religious imagery that Ethel Cain’s story is constructed around. Cain herself has also stated that the conception of this album began after she visited an old, abandoned power plant in Pennsylvania. She further stated that she would continually visit the old power plant while working on the upcoming album. The entirety of “Perverts” is constructed in a centralized place/setting that fits well into the lore Cain has constructed over the past several years of her working as an artist.
An opposing group of Cain fans have claimed (mostly online) that the release of “Perverts” serves as a method to “weed out” the fake fans of Cain who only appreciate her more mainstream tracks such as “American teenager” or “Crush.” While I, as an occasionally
spiteful, longtime fan of Cain do mildly delight in the idea of a superficial fan listening to “Perverts” in horror, I do not believe this was Cains’ intention at all. I believe the catalyst for Cain to create “Perverts” was simply a deep-seated desire to create art. As a musician Cain has historically challenged herself to grow and create new sounds with each passing album. This is evident in the instrumental differences between Cain’s earlier albums and EPs such as “Inbred” and “Carpet Bed.”
Simply put, “Perverts” as an album does indeed sound different from “Preacher’s Daughter” and earlier Cain works. This is primarily due to the fact that Cain has historically challenged herself as an artist and grown as a musician. While “Perverts” may not be for everyone, it is still an exemplary example of Cain’s genius musical and storytelling abilities. Personally, I will be wandering through the nearest cemetery streaming “Perverts” sometime in the near future.
Ethel Cain’s new album “Perverts” has become an online sensation, showcasing the artist’s songwriting and musical talents. Courtesy of Daughters of Cain
Top 10 ways to know you're back at CWRU
10. You're reading the Top 10 List for entertainment.
9. Late nights, wild parties, beautiful people everywhere and fun ... all come to an end.
8. Your knees and heart collapse afore the awesome beauty of Cleveland.
7. You realize your heart and knees are weak because of the Leutner Commons "beef" and local smoke stacks.
6. As opposed to a mild antaacid, you now mainly use chalk to advertise for your crappy club.
5. You are visually assulted by the one person you want to see the least every day. Multiple times a day.
4. Having some people over to watch a movie just for the Wi-Fi not to work.
3. Walking on Euclid just so the Euclid preacher will yell at you because you're lonely and want someone to talk to.
2. Another ugly *ss logo appears on the side of a building.
1. On the off-chance you have a tightknit group of friends, you get to see them again!
Make 5 words out of the
is your IFC/PHC recruitment fate?
a part of
You lose all your friends. Don't meet the GPA requirement.
You remember you hate it
Overheard CWRU
Compilation of out-of-pocket things heard across campus
Q: "Why do women get more UTIs than men?"
A: "Because they put things in..."
"I'm going to pull a Kaler and plead the Fifth."
"Robloxian."
"Ball meat."
By: Auden Koetters
What We've Been Listening To
BOILED PEANUTS Doechii
Kethan Srinivasan
Good Will Hunting Black Country, New Road
Clay Preusch
Waking Up In Vegas
Katy Perry
Lucas Yang
Olympus blondshell
Elizabeth McHugh
Feel s Like We Only Go Backwards
Tame Impala
Auden Koetters
Stop This Train
John Mayar
Tyler Vu
In the Night
Childish Gambino
Anjali Bhuthpur
bodysnatchers radiohead
Kate Gordon
Fanning the flames on a bigger issue: Federal actions to assist victims in natural disasters is not enough
Aleksandra Majewski Staff Writer
The California wildfires are struggling to be contained. Celebrities like Kim Kardashian are hiring fire squads to protect their beloved, multi-million dollar homes while the rest of the Pacific Palisades face homelessness as homes are burnt to a crisp. The causes of these fires are still under investigation, detailed by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Out of the three fires burning in Los Angeles, the Palisades have suffered the most damage, with only 19% of the fire being contained. Justice has yet to be served for the thousands of families who were displaced, and many people are asking one question: What will recovery look like?
Plans of federal action in the past have demonstrated a disturbing reality. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), approximately 375,000 North Carolina households sought federal disaster assistance as a result of Hurricane Helene striking in late September, 2024. Yet, many Asheville survivors continue to rot in the ruins of their hometown— some living in tents, sheds or automobiles. More than 5,600 households are living in federally funded hotels and motel rooms as of now. And though it has been months since the disaster, by the looks of it, it seems like it all happened yesterday.
The Palisades’ situation doesn’t seem any different. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass cut the city’s fire department funding by roughly $17.6 million in the 2024-2025
budget plan. Although such a disaster couldn’t have been predicted, a wildfire of this magnitude wouldn’t easily be contained regardless of budget cuts. However, the cut raises questions about what impact it could’ve had in efforts to extinguish the flames.
LA is home to celebrities and a large homeless population, and the economic disparity between its residents could not be more apparent in light of the disaster. Kim Kardashian used 232,000 gallons more than her share of water to protect her $60 million mansion, after explicitly being warned to cut back on water usage in the dire times. She, along with celebrities like Kevin Hart, have been fined for their excessive use of water. While in stark contrast, homeless people have nowhere to go and face health risks from prolonged smoke exposure. Other residents of the Palisades have lost their only homes to this fire.
Members of the public have mixed feelings about the actions the elite have chosen to take. Some believe that it is warranted as they have the money available to do so, while others believe that the actions are utterly selfish and inexcusable as hundreds of thousands of people are victims to the same fires. The average LA resident does not own 10 other homes across the globe to retreat to in times like these, unlike most celebrities. But, at the end of the day, the elite are victims too. The true fault lies in the federal government and state officials, who are behind the decision-making that has led the Palisades and North Carolina into their respective tragedies.
Too much freedom is dangerous
Catherine Choi Staff Writer
As we get older, our lives become more complex. As toddlers, our primary setting is our home, and the people we deal with are limited to family and siblings who care about us, wish us the best and are forgiving and generous. The consequences of misbehavior are also limited, such as getting yelled at by our parents. As we start attending school, the people that we deal with expand to our friends, fellow students and teachers, who are typically not as understanding and generous as our family. We pick up new rules about how to be a good student, and the consequences of misbehavior become more severe—with suspension or failure to graduate on time. As an adult, our environment further expands to include our neighbors, workplace, higher education institutions and government, and we have to deal with people from different backgrounds and cultures. Consequences for our actions also become graver, expand-
ing to include termination, fines and jail sentences. In order to keep the systems and structures running smoothly, rules and discipline are necessary and should be upheld by everyone in society.
Discipline is needed to alter misbehavior. Although individual freedom should be respected, it should not come at the cost of others’ comfort. By imposing strict rules and disciplining misbehavior, it becomes easier to encourage those who are misbehaving to change their actions. For example, if a student is disturbing their peers and teachers by behaving in a hostile manner, it harms everyone around them. In this case, it is necessary for parents and teachers to step in to provide guidance and discipline to the student. It is very unlikely that the student would automatically grow out of their bad behavior without realizing that what they are doing is wrong and they will have to pay a hefty price for breaking the rules. On the contrary, if the parents and teachers decide to cater to the child’s wishes, it is likely that many people, including the child, will be
harmed by people who are not as enduring, generous and forgiving.
Discipline is needed for maintaining order. Having rules that are rarely obeyed can lead to detrimental results. For example, in the military, it is crucial that all soldiers have an understanding of how to do their job, follow strict rules and respect the authority of their superiors during time of combat. If misconduct and poor performance is indulged, it would be difficult for superiors to establish order and conduct military assignments as planned. The same applies to the workplace. Although many are strong advocates of the idea that “as long as the work is done, when you do it and how you do it does not matter,” it is important that the workplace has its own set of rules that need to be followed. Being too generous with mistakes and creating a loose and unprofessional environment could weaken the authority and power of the leader. Only by creating a professional environment can everyone be protected and efficient.
Although it is not healthy to think about the future too much, we need
to have insight and a generalized plan on how to prepare for it. And to do this efficiently, discipline is necessary. For instance, in order to maintain job stability, we must fight our urge to be lazy and selfish by being punctual, contributing to our company’s goals, being a good colleague and focusing on the tasks given to us. In order to do so, we must voluntarily sacrifice instant gratification that will bring detrimental effects in the long run. Additionally, when saving money we must establish a rule on consumption by holding back the urge to make unnecessary and lavish purchases and saving a certain portion of our income.
The rules that we follow may seem irrational, and we may struggle to understand the underlying intentions. However, strict rules are what makes it possible for us to have a successful life, protect those around us, prevent conflicts and get things done. For this reason, superiors must ensure set rules are followed and discipline those who do not respect their authority, within reason.
Auden Koetters/The Observer
LTTE: Protests—now and then
Paul Kerson Founder
To The Case Western Reserve University Observer:
I write as one of your five founders. The CWRU Observer was founded in the late Jon Poole’s room in Cutler House in the spring of 1969 by Jon, Doug Smock, Blake Lange, Larry Levner and myself. We had all been given draft cards, subject to being called into the Vietnam War, then raging at fever pitch.
I received my draft card from a clerk in Adelbert Main Building on my 18th birthday a few months before that fateful meeting. This gave rise to allnight discussions in Clarke Tower as to whether or not it was worse to kill someone who had no ability to travel across the Pacific Ocean to threaten oneself or one’s neighbors, or whether it was better to die so as not to kill for no good reason.
We were all editors of the Reserve Tribune, the Western Reserve College newspaper, except for Blake, who was the editor of the Case Tech, the Case college newspaper. As Case and Western Reserve had federated two years before, in 1967, we decided we should merge the student newspapers. The faculty and administration were largely in support of this idea.
We also decided that we would take a leadership role in the national antiwar movement by writing about it all the time. I was the last sports editor of the Reserve Tribune and the first news editor of The Observer.
We supported the University Undergraduate Student Government (UUSG) in bringing the national Student Mobilization Committee (SMC) conference to CWRU in February 1970. Student delegates from every major university in the country came to CWRU to determine how we were going to convince the federal government to stop a wrong-headed war that was of no benefit to the United States citizenry. We devoted a whole issue of The Observer to this national conference.
In the middle of this three-day gathering of the nation’s leading university students, I coordinated all our CWRU Observer news reporters from The Observer office in Thwing Hall. I kept track of each one on a large blackboard with white chalk. I sent one reporter to each “teach-in” and seminar on how to end the war. These were held in classrooms all around CWRU, with the convention itself held in the Adelbert Gymnasium. I was 19 years old at the time.
As I was doing this in February 1970, in walked John Kifner, the Revolutions Reporter for the New York Times, unannounced. I had no idea he was coming. I was born and raised in New York City, and my fourth grade public school teacher, Mrs. Gertrude Weiner, taught us that an educated person reads The New York Times every day. And so I have, 63 years and counting. On that day in 1970, I had been reading it daily for 10 years, so I knew exactly who John Kifner was and how remarkable it was that he showed up in the CWRU Observer office in Cleveland, 500 miles from New York City.
He asked me, point blank, “What is this anti-war movement all about?” I knew immediately that this was a historic opportunity, so I told him everything you see written above. In November 1969, we traveled to Washington for the great national march to end the war. I wrote the story of it in the backseat of Larry Levner’s white Ford Sedan on the way back to Cleveland in the middle of the night. It
appeared on the front page of the Nov. 18, 1969, issue. This was widely acclaimed at CWRU as the best account of this largest demonstration in American history, far better than the mainstream newspapers of the time.
Fifty-five years later, I still have this front page Observer story of Nov. 18, 1969, framed and hanging on the wall of my study together with the draft card given to me by a CWRU clerk in Adelbert Main on my 18th birthday.
We largely succeeded. The draft ended. No American citizen has been forced, against his will, to fight in Iraq, Afghanistan, Ukraine or the Middle East. We have a volunteer army now. The Vietnam War ended, at a terrible cost—3 million Vietnamese were killed, and 58,250 American soldiers my age never lived to write the story of how we ended it through massive peaceful protest, First Amendment writings and civil disobedience.
To understand how all this fits in today’s issues, one must take the CWRU courses in Western Civilization and 20th Century American History, as I did at the time. There one learns that December 7, 1941, was the beginning of a new era in world history. The United States was bombed by Japan in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, at the same time our shipping lanes were attacked by Nazi German U-boats stationed off the coast of North Carolina and Long Island, New York.
The Pentagon was brand new in 1942. A national consensus developed then that the United States would always maintain a military large enough to fight off invaders in both the Pacific and the Atlantic at the same time. That meant we had to have the biggest, best military in the world. And so we do, up to and including today.
But how shall that unprecedented military might be used and when? That is a question facing every generation since 1942. After the atomic bomb was dropped on Japan in 1945, the concept of limited war was developed. Atomic weapons are so powerful that they can wipe out the entire world population. Thus a new era came about—war with less than all the military power a nation owns.
Commencing in October 2023, the Houthis of Yemen have continually attacked commercial ships from many different nations carrying cargo of all sorts in the Red Sea, a major international trade route. The Houthis are backed by the Government of Iran and its wholly owned bank, Bank Melli, which has a branch in New York.
Since the end of World War II, the United States Navy has patrolled the sea lanes of the world, reflecting our 1942 consensus that we should be impervious to attack from the Atlantic and the Pacific at the same time. The United States Navy, with assistance from its allies, has been engaged in a limited war with the Houthis, all during the past two years.
On April 13, 2024, the Government of Iran extensively bombed the State of Israel, a country with a population that is 25% Palestinian Christians and Muslims. Iran dropped 170 armed drones, 30 cruise missiles and 120 ballistic missiles on the State of Israel that day, trying to accomplish Holocaust II. They tried this stunt again on October 1, 2024, with between 180 to 200 ballistic missiles.
Recall that the more primitive Nazis tried this in 1934 to 1945 by erecting death camps all over Europe and trying to kill all the Jewish people of Europe one at a time. They boasted six million kills, including Jews, Gypsies, gay people and political dissidents. All Jews were victims, but not all victims were Jews. The world agreed that the remaining Jewish people of Europe
were thus entitled to a state of their own in their ancestral homeland, then the British colony of Palestine, now the State of Israel, since 1948.
On April 13, 2024, and again on October 1, 2024, Israel’s Palestinian Christians and Muslims were saved together with Israel’s Jewish population by the Iron Dome, an anti-missile system manufactured in Arizona, Alabama and Israel and largely funded by the Pentagon.
The people of Gaza have been governed by a terrorist organization called Hamas for the past 18 years. The Government of Iran continues to fund Hamas, and to deprive the people of Gaza of the right to elect their own government that does not attack its neighbors.
Defacing CWRU property is not at all the kind of protest we staged in 1969-1970. Everyone interested in stopping Iran from disrupting the world’s shipping lanes should be picketing the Bank Melli of Iran’s offices in New York all the time every day
and the Government of Iran’s embassies and consulates in New York and Washington all the time every day until Iran backs off.
The goal of these massive protests must be first to get them to stop trying to destroy international shipping in the Red Sea as the Nazis tried to do in the Atlantic in 1942, and second to allow the people of Gaza to choose their own government, not one that engages in warfare with its neighbors on behalf of a government in Tehran that has sworn to adopt the Nazi policies of destroying the civilian population of Palestinian Christians and Muslims and Israeli Jews through heavy bombing.
In 1969-1970, when chaos ruled Washington, the CWRU Observer and UUSG had a hand in running the country. Can you have a hand today in refocusing vigorous protest where it belongs—against the government and Central Bank of Iran? Can you unite the pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli communities in this effort?
If we did it 55 years ago, so can you.
The Case Western Reserve Observer
Established in 1969 by the undergraduate students of Case Western Reserve University Shivangi Nanda Executive Editor & Publisher
Elie Aoun Director of Print
Vani Subramony News Editor
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Zachary Treseler News Editor
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Hannah Johnson Opinion Editor
Darcy Chew Sports Editor
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Katherine Riley Copy Editor
DESIGN
Auden Koetters Director of Design
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DIGITAL MEDIA
Joce Ortiz Director of Digital Media
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BUSINESS
Kamila Sattler Sanchez Director of Business Operations
The Observer is the weekly undergraduate student newspaper of Case Western Reserve University. Established in 1969, The Observer reports news affecting students and provides an editorial forum for the university community. Unsigned editorials are typically written by the opinion editor but reflect the majority opinion of the senior editorial staff. Opinion columns are the views of their writers and not necessarily of The Observer staff. For advertising information, contact The Observer via e-mail at observer@case. edu.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR should be e-mailed to observer@case.edu or submitted on our website at observer.case.edu. Letters can be mailed to Thwing Center 11111 Euclid Avenue, Suite 01, Cleveland, Ohio 44106. For policy and guidelines related to the submission of Letters to the Editor, refer to observer.case.edu/submit-a-letter.
The Observer is a proud member of CWRU’s University Media Board. Follow The Observer on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and Instagram @cwruobserver.
We must do more to foster LGBTQIA+ inclusion in the face of a rising tide of hatred
Wesley Miller Contributing Writer
In a move widely denounced by civil rights groups, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed S.B. 104 on Nov. 27, 2024. Going into effect on Feb. 25, the bill requires transgender students, faculty and staff to use bathrooms that align with their assigned sex at birth and bans genderneutral multi-stall bathrooms. In a statement, Jocelyn Rosnick, the policy director for the ACLU of Ohio, described the bill as “a cruel invasion of students’ rights to privacy … If allowed to go into effect, SB 104 will create unsafe environments for trans and gender non-conforming individuals of all ages.”
I can attest to the feeling of fear and discouragement that many LGBTQIA+ people are feeling right now. In the wake of the passage of this bill, the outcome of the 2024 election—in which the validity of trans identities was a wedge issue— the forthcoming Supreme Court decision in United States v. Skrmetti, which challenges the legality of bans on gender-affirming care for minors, the recent rejection of the Biden administration’s extension of Title IX protections for sexual orientation and gender identity in the District Court of the Eastern District of Kentucky and more broadly, the normalization of President-elect Donald Trump’s politics, it’s easy to feel suffocated by the weight of the backlash to how much queer and trans people have gained in the last decade. The university has to do more to combat that feeling, and doing so will help not only queer and trans people but all members of our community.
Trump’s first presidency was often treated as an aberration. His lies were fact-checked on X and Facebook and the specific politics of resentment he personified were not embraced—or even tolerated—by most companies and institutions with a great deal of public visibility. This is especially true when it comes to conservative stances on LGBTQIA+ rights. Trump’s first administration reversed a lot of the gains made during former President Barack Obama’s incumbency, revoking protections from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, banning trans people from the military and more. At the same time, though, LGBTQIA+ Americans enjoyed a period of much greater visibility and were not the target of public ire as they have been more recently. When the North Carolina legislature passed a statewide bathroom bill in March 2016, the public and institutional outcry—including boycotts by the NCAA, Deutsche Bank, Adidas, PayPal and Lionsgate—was so great that it was repealed by March 2017.
One could not expect such an outcry today. Since 2020, Republicancontrolled state legislatures have been passing increasingly severe anti-trans laws, including bathroom bills, restrictions and bans on gender-affirming care, “don’t say gay/ trans” bills and more. As of writing, 15 states have laws restricting bathroom usage by transgender individuals, 24 states ban all genderaffirming care for minors and 21 states have some form of “don’t say gay/trans” bill on the books. All of those figures include Ohio, which
has a ban on all gender-affirming care for minors, bans trans women and girls from playing in K-12 and college-level sports, requires educators to out LGBTQIA+ students to their parents and will soon have an active bathroom bill.
Since Trump’s reelection, the rising tide of LGBTQIA+ rights also appears to be reversing in the private sector. Meta recently axed its DEI programs, killed Facebook’s and Instagram’s fact-checking programs—which were criticized for alleged bias by the right—and revised their speech policies to be more lenient towards hate speech. Notably, the new speech guidelines contain a carveout that specifically allows users to share “allegations of mental illness or abnormality when based on gender or sexual orientation, given political and religious discourse about transgenderism and homosexuality.”
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in an Instagram post that this would make the guidelines more in line with the “mainstream discourse” on the issue of gender. Additionally, X, owned by Elon Musk, who will co-head Trump’s so-called “Department of Government Efficiency,” changed its policies in 2023 to allow hate speech against trans people and classified “cisgender” as a slur. Elite institutions and business leaders have been kowtowing to Trump since his reelection, which New York Times columnist Ezra Klein argues is a signal that they are willing to abide by the “new rules” of Trump’s politics. Trump posted “EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE MY FRIEND!!!” on his social media platform Truth Social after a recent dinner with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. One of the more concerning outcomes we might anticipate during the upcoming administration is the embrace of Trumpism in the Csuite of major corporations, which could pose dangerous downstream effects on the cultural legitimacy of LGBTQIA+ individuals.
One of the missions of Case Western Reserve University is to foster inclusiveness and diversity, so it needs to be part of the resistance to this realignment. Amid a rising tide of hate, the university must do more to foster an environment of inclusivity and transparency regarding LGBTQIA+ rights. We are located in Ohio, a state that is likely to become an even more fraught environment for LGBTQIA+ people in the coming years. A failure by the administration to do so would place the vibrant queer culture we have on campus at risk. This would hurt not only the queer community but every member of the larger university community. More broadly, CWRU must take a stronger stance against Trumpism, especially where it threatens fundamental ethical principles that CWRU purports to adhere to.
So far, I am not optimistic about the strength of the administration’s response. At the Nov. 19, 2024 USG General Assembly and in a later email on Dec. 3, 2024, CWRU President Eric Kaler indicated that in response to S.B. 104, the university would, “of course, abide by the law.” This was followed by the guarantee that the university is “collaborating with campus partners—from our facilities teams to our LGBT Center and more—to ensure all members of our community, especially those who are transgender, feel safe, com-
fortable and supported.” While it’s nice for President Kaler to express that sentiment, his words must be followed up with answers to pressing questions and substantive action to protect and strengthen LGBTQIA+ life at CWRU.
Here are a few open questions I have: what, if any, university policies will change? Will there be any efforts to expand single-stall gender-neutral bathrooms? What will happen to first-year gender-inclusive housing? According to a comment from the University, “University Housing and Residential Life staff have identified measures that both comply with the law… and [allow] students to continue to live in Gender Inclusive Housing.”
While the LGBT Center is a fantastic resource and I encourage students to take advantage of its programs and student groups, President Kaler cannot simply point to its existence as a panacea for the queer community on campus. When asked for comment on the university’s response to the bill, LGBT Center Director Avery Ware replied the center is “working with our facilities colleagues to update the university’s single-stall bathroom map “for accuracy and accessibility.” Of course, this is a necessary step. But it cannot be the only one we take.
First, we need more transparency. President Kaler’s email was imprecise and contained very little concrete information. These are uncertain times, and some certainty—even some clarity—would be welcome. Next, we need a smarter response. Thus far, the university will be complying with both the letter and spirit of the law—which intends to other trans people—by simply changing some signs and saying the university is going to follow the law. Making a small number of sin-
Courtesy of portseattle.org
gle-stall gender-neutral bathrooms the only option for trans people represents segregation of cisgender and transgender people; moreover, there just aren’t enough of them for that to work well. I’m nonbinary and often find myself walking all over campus to use the bathroom. More gender-neutral bathrooms are necessary to make it easier for everyone, not just trans and nonbinary people, to use the bathroom. We might consider alternative solutions, like converting bathrooms to all-gender with fully private stalls, which might allow each stall to be categorized as its own single-toilet restroom. I also advocate for an assurance that the university will not attempt to enforce this law.
More broadly, though, the administration’s new Freedom of Expression Policy, general disposition towards campus activism and harsh punitive actions in the past year have created an environment where public political statements and dissent are increasingly difficult and dangerous. Rolling back that policy would go a long way in creating a more vibrant campus culture that fosters diversity, human rights and open communication.
We must demand more from our leadership. Let me be clear: trans rights are human rights. This does not just mean that trans people are human, ergo they have rights. It means that the right to transition is the same as the rights to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” enshrined in our Declaration of Independence. It is the right to be oneself; it is the right to exist. A failure to meet the needs of our students in an area as basic as the right to self-definition and self-actualization would be a profound failure of leadership on behalf of Kaler’s administration.
Why being a morning person will make your life easier
Editorial Board
For many of us college students, the world feels like it was built for morning people. The sun rises earlier around this time of year, signaling the start of a new day, classes typically start before 11 a.m. and many of our professors hold their office hours bright and early with smiles on their faces. For those of us who hate waking up early in the morning, this can be a pain. We continually drag ourselves out of the bed to classes after a short and restless night of sleep following an afternoon filled with studying. Often, we find ourselves getting stuck in the cycle of going to bed late in order to get work done. There doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day to get everything done, and so we end up waking up just as exhausted as we were the night before.
But the new year is a time for change, and as we head into 2025, perhaps we can finally become the morning people we’ve always wanted to be. A morning person’s “brain is most alert in the morning, and [they’re] generally very good at harnessing this energy and
focus to get tasks, work and chores done.” Many factors contribute to whether someone is a morning person or a night owl. Among these are light cues, temperature, age, gender, routine and genetic makeup. A study of Italian university students found that the students who identified as morning people were more likely to have higher grades on exams, which were typically taken in the morning, than those who identified as evening people or neither a morning or evening person. While genetic makeup does have some say in how easy it is to get you to transition to a consistent earlier wake up time, it is not impossible for our mornings to become easier with time. Patience is a requirement to forming healthy habits. This means that going to bed early one night won’t be enough to entirely change your way of living. Many people are guilty of giving up their morning person journey after seeing no apparent benefits of it after only a couple nights of early sleep. This, however, can be helped with a routine.
As a generation highly dependent on technology, we must make an intentional effort to pull away from
the dopamine rush of our screens before bed. This can be tough after finishing up an assignment and simply wanting to crawl into bed and watch TikToks, but the excitement of your screen paired with the high artificial light is sure to be interfering with your quality of sleep. Instead, you can try to wind down with an alternative form of media, such as music, an audiobook or a physical book. Even an e-reader, such as a Kindle, has less interference than a phone or laptop screen due to its smart E-ink display. It can also be beneficial to have something to look forward to upon immediately waking up, which can provide an incentive to waking up earlier. Some examples of this could be a morning cup of coffee or tea, a crossword puzzle or a creative activity such as writing or painting. Because light is important to retaining the cycle of our circadian rhythm, getting outside into the sunlight can be very helpful in waking you up in the morning. You’d be surprised by how much being outside or in light can immediately boost your mood. During this time of year, it can be especially gloomy and cold—a reason why many of us
may be struggling more than usual to get our day started—but getting outside in the light will make it that much easier for us to go to sleep that night. At the end of the day, we can’t change the entire education system to suit our own personal needs and desires, especially because our society is made up of all kinds of people with different circadian rhythms and routine preferences. All the individuals in a community will never be totally satisfied with their academic schedule, and it is almost guaranteed that you will end up having to take an 8 a.m. class at some point in your college career. The best thing that we can do is try our best to set ourselves up for success with extra effort in this environment. Right now, many of us may feel like we are operating on borrowed time, slotting in time to do nice things for ourselves in between the many academic and extracurricular activities that we’ve already committed ourselves to do. However, by making sure to use our time wisely, we can help our body become more used to the idea of getting up well-rested to start and end our days well.
Campus transportation must be improved
Planning to take the GreenLink shuttle from Fribley Commons to the Peter B. Lewis Building (PBL), I stood under the shuttle pick-up sign, as I do every day to go to class. It was around 5 p.m., windy with a feels-like of 18 degrees Fahren heit. As mapped on the GreenLink’s route, the shuttle drove up the hill to loop around Fribley before return ing to my stop. However, instead of following its usual route, the shuttle took an unannounced break behind Fribley before driving toward Little Italy—the opposite direction from its designated stop. When I boarded the shuttle 30 minutes later, my gloved hands were deep red, throb bing and shivering from waiting in the cold.
It’s Case Western Reserve University’s responsibility to en sure its students have access to reliable campus transportation. Not only is exposure to extremely cold temperatures dangerous, unpunctual transportation may cause even the best-planned students to be late to class.
The university contracts Allied Universal to provide 24 shuttles which run on different days and times. Students can view the sta tus of these shuttles in the CWRU Spartan Ride app. While this might sound like a lot of shuttles to cover the 267-acre main campus, the majority of undergraduate students have classes on and at the Case Quad, the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Mather Quad and PBL. The
current routes in these locations are the GreenLink, NightLink, KSL Express, Nursing, AM Commuter and PM Commuter—three of which are night/evening-only. With the majority of undergraduate classes in specific locations, students require punctual shuttles to frequent these locations and also have the capacity
around 5 p.m. in Cleveland. However, until 6 p.m., most students’ only options are waiting for a shuttle or walking across campus. Students are left weighing their two options: wait outside for the shuttle that might arrive well after expected or walk outside for about 20 minutes. In the bitter cold or heavy snow, neither feels
book in the Spartan Ride app from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. The average wait time for a Safe Ride is 12.24 minutes. During the daytime, this service is only available to community members with approved accommodations. During winter, sunset occurs
bined with wind chill, is proven to be dangerous, with feels-like temperatures of 13 degrees Fahrenheit being likely to lead to frostbite if outside for over 30 minutes. In 2024, the coldest month was January with an average low of 24 degrees Fahrenheit and a
high of 35 degrees Fahrenheit. While the university technically operates 24 shuttle routes and runs two shuttles per route during “peak times,” their reliability remains questionable. Despite timing our commutes using the university-provided app, shuttles frequently fail to arrive as scheduled, often causing students to be late to class. This inconsistency poses serious risks to both students’ physical safety and their academic
With the opening of the new South Residential Village housing in August 2024, along with the ongoing construction of the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building and other developments, the university must reassess the state of its transportation system and implement necessary improvements. Safe Ride should operate from sundown, based on daylight levels rather than a fixed clock time. Additional shuttles are needed on high-traffic routes, and they must be held accountable for adhering to their stops and schedules. Furthermore, Spartan Ride should provide greater transparency, including notifications in advance of when a shuttle is going on break, so students are not left waiting unknowingly. Simply having campus transportation isn’t enough if the community it serves cannot count on it.
Téa Tamburo News Editor
Jana Ashour/The Observer
Sports
Men’s basketball upsets Carnegie Mellon 89-67 in first UAA game
Darcy Chew Sports Editor
After a disappointing winter break, where the Case Western Reserve University men’s basketball team lost both of their games in the E.M. “Mose” Hole/Wooster Kiwanis Classic, they returned on Jan. 11 to Horsburgh Gymnasium to upset No. 24-ranked Carnegie Mellon University 89-67 in their first UAA game of the 2024-2025 season. With the win, the Spartans improved 5-7 overall and 1-0 in conference play.
The game began strong with fourth-year captain and guard Sam Trunley notching the first points on the scoreboard with a 3-pointer. This set the pace for the Spartans as they would not relinquish the lead for the entirety of the game. The Tartans later tied the score for their first and only time in the game at 3-3 before the Spartans pulled ahead with three consecutive shots from graduate student forward Andy Barba. The greatest lead of the first half for the Spartans came 10 minutes into the game as Trunley registered a jumper, placing CWRU up 24-12. Carnegie Mellon tried to make a comeback with a 12-4 run. However, they came up short behind the Spartans, and CWRU eventually led 39-33 going into halftime.
During the second half, the Spartans continued dominating on the court, with Barba, Trunley and fourth-year captain and forward Umar Rashid all converting 3-point shots in the first few minutes after
the break. The Spartans led by as many as 27 following 5 consecutive points from second-year guard Drey Fox and a layup by Rashid with 3:40 left.
With their significant lead, many players were able to see time off the bench.
“[My favorite moment of the game was] getting to clear the bench and allowing the younger guys a chance to play. I remember
being in their shoes and dying to get in at the end of a game, so it felt cool to make that happen for them,” Trunley said.
The final points of the game came from a layup by first-year guard Eli Teslovich, who came off the bench for the third time this season.
Trunley credits the team’s preparation and subsequent victory to Head Coach Todd McGuinness. “Coach McGuinness brought a new
level of intensity to practice this week and the guys responded well,” he said.
Overall, the team shot 36-76 (47.4%) from the field with 12-35 (34.3%) from beyond the arc. The Spartans also led the Tartans with 26 points from turnovers compared to Carnegie Mellon’s 7. Individually, Trunley led the squad with 28 points, followed by first-year guard Matthew Ellis with a career-high of 15 points and Rashid and Barba both with 13 points. Rashid also received his sixth double-double of the season with 13 rebounds in addition to his 13 points.
With his significant contributions to the game, Trunley was selected to D3hoops.com’s Team of the Week and was also named UAA Athlete of the Week. This was the second and third time, respectively, Trunley earned these honors this season. He is also the first player in program history to have a career total of three D3hoops.com honors as well as be able to achieve two honors in a season.
“[The win] feels great but it’s only great if it is the start of more winning,” Trunley commented as he reiterates the hopes for the games to come.
This Friday, Jan. 17, the Spartans will travel to St. Louis to face No. 11-ranked University of Washington St. Louis, who also experienced an upset after the University of Chicago bested them 71-66 while the Bears were recovering from a bout of food poisoning. The following Sunday, the squad will be in Chicago facing UChicago to continue conference play.
Scores and Upcoming Games
Women’s Basketball
CWRU vs Denison (12/7) - L 60-69
CWRU vs Pitt-Greensburg (12/19) - W 10852
CWRU at Gratz Park Private Wealth Holiday Tournament
CWRU at Transylvania (12/29) - W 67-53
CWRU vs Concordia (12/30) - L 54-80
CWRU vs Carnegie Mellon (1/11) - L 63-69
CWRU at Marietta (1/13) - L 67-73 OT
CWRU at WashU (1/17)
CWRU at UChicago (11/19)
Swimming and Diving
CWRU vs SUNY Geneseo (1/18, 1 p.m., Veale Natatorium)
Men’s Basketball
CWRU vs Wooster (12/7) - L 76-83
CWRU vs Hiram (12/11) - W 102-76
CWRU vs Denison (12/14) - L 72-80
CWRU at E.M. “Mose” Hole/Wooster Kiwanis Classic
CWRU vs Babson (12/29) - L 59-73
CWRU vs Pitt-Bradford (12/30) - L 97-102
CWRU vs Carnegie Mellon (1/11) - W 89-67
CWRU at WashU (1/17)
CWRU at UChicago (11/19)
Wrestling
CWRU at RIT Invitational (12/7) - 4th of 14 teams (116.0 points)
CWRU at 2025 UAA Wrestling Challenge
CWRU vs Millikin (1/4) - L 3-37
CWRU vs Augsburg (1/4) - L 3-45
CWRU vs Aurora (1/4) - L 16-33
CWRU at 2025 Claude Sharer Duals
CWRU vs Otterbein (1/11) - W 35-11
CWRU vs Manchester (1/11) - L 14-34
CWRU vs St. John Fisher (1/11) - L 10-33
CWRU vs Saint Vincent (1/18, 1 a.m., Horsburgh Gymnasium)
CWRU at Purple Raider Open (1/19)
Cross Country
CWRU vs Spartan Alumni Meet (12/7) - No team scoring
First-year guard Matthew Ellis scored a career-high 15 points in the Spartans’ game against CMU this past Saturday. Courtesy of Tim Phillis/CWRU Athletics