Observer
Students move into Noyes and Fayette Houses despite ongoing construction NEWS
Téa Tamburo News Editor
On Aug. 21-25, second-year students could officially move into their housing assignments in the newly constructed Mary Chilton Noyes and John Sykes Fayette Houses in the South Residential Village. While students’ rooms are complete, both Noyes and Fayette’s exteriors and common spaces are still under construction through September, according to an email from the Office of University Housing.
“The residential areas will be over 90% complete, with minor finishing touches remaining,” Vern Rogers, executive director of University Housing, said regarding the buildings’ statuses. “The multipurpose room, health clinic and staff offices will open shortly after.”
Each room has an HVAC cooling system and in-room thermostat along with a bed, desk, chair, drawers and a wardrobe from New England Woodcraft. Each floor features a laundry room with three washers and dryers, study rooms and a kitchen. The majority of Noyes and Fayette rooms are doubles that share bathrooms with their floors. Differing from that of first-year housing, each bathroom contains a toilet and a shower with the sink outside. Floors are co-ed, and bathrooms do not have gender specifications.
Fayette resident Courtenay McCartan feels the bathroom layout is not the most efficient.
“Someone’s always showering. The floor is just always wet, but it’s okay and otherwise it’s really nice,” she said. “You can tell the appliances are new, you can tell the furniture is new.”
Juliana Garza, a Fayette resident, highlighted the benefit of having air conditioning but felt there’s less privacy in Fayette compared to first-year housing.
“I definitely enjoy that there’s air conditioning this year. That’s a huge plus, but it feels much less private than it did last year,” Garza said. “There’s just windows everywhere. I feel like everyone can see everything, especially like the bathrooms don’t have any sort of door, and they’re all co-ed.”
Elizabeth Odife, a Fayette resident, also mentioned her frustration over the bathroom setup.
“I feel like [the university] rushed these buildings so much that now, unfortunately, their priorities are all over the place,” she said. “My biggest complaint, honestly, is the communal bathrooms. Because while I’m fine with co-ed, I get jump-scared seeing a man there, no offense. My biggest issue is the fact that there’s like an inch of space between the curtain and the floor, so that leads to water going everywhere.”
Continue reading on page 2
Chester Avenue Rite Aid to close at the end of September
CWRU students left with limited pharmacy locations
Zachary Treseler News Editor
On Aug. 12, the pharmacy chain Rite Aid announced that it was closing its Chester Avenue location, located near Case Western Reserve University’s Health Education Campus, at the end of September. The location’s closing, while otherwise a small inconvenience for gathering prescription medication, reclasses a much larger problem affecting CWRU students—the lack of convenient stores.
A Rite Aid spokesperson said, “Prescriptions will be seamlessly transferred to Walgreens to ensure no disruption of service. We are fully committed to helping our customers make the transition to their new pharmacy, and we will operate our normal pharmacy operations up to and including our last day of business at these stores to ensure continuity of care so that our customers can refill any coming-due prescriptions.”
As a result of the planned closure, many items currently there are on clearance. Fourth-year student Hannah Shindler said, “I got $70 worth of stuff for only $40.”
The closure of Chester Avenue’s Rite Aid follows a trend of the Rite Aid corporation closing all of its Ohio-based locations following its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, which requires the company to restructure in order to maintain a semblance of operations.
The corporation originally declared bankruptcy in October 2023 and secured a Chapter 11 restructuring bankruptcy deal on June 28. On July 30, the corporation announced that it was closing its Chester Avenue location. As of August, only four locations remain in the state.
Despite the controversies surrounding its corporate business, many students are fond of its University Circle location. “I love Rite Aid,” one fourth-year student said.
With the closing of this Rite Aid
SRV
location, many students feel that they will have fewer options for where they can buy healthcare products. In terms of pharmacies, there are two locations close by: the CVS on Euclid Avenue and the Walgreens past Coventry Village. These are both roughly two miles away from campus. The nearest walkable location that has such facilities available is the Meijer on East 105th, which has personal care and healthcare aisles that sell many of the basic items.
Another nearby pharmacy, a CVS in Shaker Square, is also closing. Ify Chidi, a third-year student, noted that this location is giving away everything, even the cork boards used in the store.
In the meantime, Rite Aid has already transitioned its prescriptions
to the Walgreens nearby. University Health and Counseling Services (UHCS) also maintains a website of nearby places to collect prescription medication.
One fourth-year student remarked that the closing of the two nearby pharmacies “is like Dave’s all over again.” This is a reference to the closing of the Dave’s Market Cedar-Fairmount location in fall of 2022. The closings of pharmacies and grocery stores greatly distort what many city leaders are promising: that Cleveland can become a 15-minute city, or a city where day-to-day necessities can be filled with a 15-minute walk, bike ride, or transit trip. The change to this 15-minute city comes from a variety of changes made on the municipal level, from transportation de-
mand legislation to a revitalized zoning code that was originally written in the 1920s.
While the impact on students filling prescription medication will be minimal, it means many essential services, such as procuring over-thecounter medication or getting vaccines, will become more challenging.
“The decision to close a store is not one we take lightly. We carefully consider various factors in our decision-making, including our overall business strategy. While we have had to make difficult business decisions over the past several months to improve our business and optimize our retail footprint, we are committed to becoming financially and operationally healthy,” Rite Aid ended its statement.
construction from page 1
Some students, including McCartan and Odife, had single rooms as first-years and now have a roommate.
Noyes resident Srinithi Chandrasekaran also echoed the lack of privacy but highlighted the full kitchens on each floor.
She said, “This kitchen is really nice. We used it the other day, and it was so nice to cook and have an actual home-cooked meal.”
While Noyes and Fayette have been in consideration since 2015, construction began in July 2021, with the halls expected to open by August 2024. In total, the halls will provide 600 additional beds to accommodate Case Western Reserve University’s rising enrollment rates.
Some students who were participating in summer transition housing were living in Fayette prior to the university’s Aug. 17-20 early arrival dates. Students with summer transition housing and a fall assignment in Noyes were assigned a temporary
space in Fayette due to a delay in receiving Noyes’ temporary occupancy permit. All residents were able to move into both Noyes and Fayette in time for the start of fall semester.
Makaila Burnham, a Noyes resident, said she moved into Fayette as part of summer transition housing.
“[The university wasn’t] very clear because I wasn’t sure how long I was staying in Fayette,” she said. “Now my room is right over the construction, so I hear that all the time in the mornings, so that it’s a little bit frustrating, but, I mean, they send out some updates through emails, but I think they could do more and be more communicative with us.”
While not participating in summer transition housing, Fayette resident Angelica Reyes heard about Noyes residents living in Fayette during the transition period, which raised some concerns.
“I think it was just like, really unsure whether [the buildings] were ac-
tually going to open on time because I had friends here early, and they were telling me one of the buildings isn’t even accessible yet,” Reyes said. “Then I was like, ‘well, if they need to stay for longer, then where do we go if we are in Fayette.’”
University Housing is now sending Noyes and Fayette residents a weekly email with details about the ongoing construction.
Construction workers are scheduled to be on-site from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. until construction is completed. The area between Fribley Commons, Noyes’ multipurpose room and Murray Hill Road will be closed until the health clinic and multipurpose room are completed.
“I guess I didn’t fully expect them to be ready on time,” Garza said. “I’m glad they at least got all the bedrooms and the bathrooms ready on time, but yeah, just it didn’t feel like we were getting like that many updates, so it was concerning for a while. But I guess it’s
worked out for the most part.”
While these are the most significant aspects of the current construction, canopy roof installation, bike room finishing and other exterior projects will be happening the week of Aug. 26, according to the weekly Noyes and Fayette resident email. Starting Aug. 27, contractors and a member of the University Housing staff will be installing permanent window shades in some students’ rooms, starting with Fayette’s sixth floor and working top to bottom through both houses.
Even with the continuing construction in select areas of SRV, Rogers highlighted the university and University Housing’s excitement about opening the new resident halls.
“We believe students will love the new buildings and features,” Rogers said. “As with any new building, there might be a few surprises, but our teams will be ready to address any issues.”
The Chester Avenue Rite Aid is set to close next month, inconveniencing many CWRU students who frequented the store for its pharmacy and general healthcare services. Clay Preusch/The Observer
Sabrina Carpenter’s “Short n’ Sweet” is flirty, funny and an all-around good time
Kate Gordon Life Editor
Contrary to popular belief, pintsized blonde bombshell Sabrina Carpenter did not just materialize into existence this summer alongside her hit single, “Espresso.” In fact, the former child star has been releasing music for over ten years, with all but her most recent two albums produced by the Disney-adjacent Hollywood Records. So although “Short n’ Sweet” is technically Carpenter’s sixth studio album, it feels a lot more like her second.
Now free of her childhood contract, Carpenter has taken the opportunity to make an adult record and run with it as far as it will take her.
“Short n’ Sweet” is one of the most overtly sexual mainstream pop albums released in recent history, if not all time. Carpenter does enjoy more than her fair share of innuendos, but she’s also not afraid to say exactly how she’s feeling—exemplified in “Juno” with the line “I’m so fucking horny.”
But despite the album’s explicitness, it never feels perverse, crass or even cringey, as Carpenter keeps everything she says tongue-in-cheek. Her lyricism has a lightness and ease that naturally repels any awkwardness, inciting flirtatiousness and a desire to keep listening to her music instead.
This often flippant tone of Carpenter’s is a nice segue into her album’s second greatest charm–its humor. Normally people don’t look for comedy when they listen to music, but “Short n’ Sweet” indicates that maybe we should change that assumption. Most people are probably familiar with the lyric “I beg you, don’t embarrass me, motherfucker” from her second single “Please Please Please” as it went semi-viral earlier this summer,
but Carpenter makes her fair share of jokes over the course of the album. Some other favorites of mine include “How’s the weather in your mother’s basement?” from “Needless to Say” and “This boy doesn’t even know/The difference between ‘there,’ ‘their’ and ‘they are!’” from “Slim Pickins.” Carpenter’s onstage persona has always been quite funny—exemplified by her famous “Nonsense” outros—and I’m glad that she’s finally bringing her humor into the recording studio too.
In terms of the album’s sound, it too is largely an upgrade from the pop album standard. Many of the songs off “Short n’ Sweet” have quite a retro feel to them, particularly referencing the ’70s and ’80s. Slate describes “Espresso” with “1980s roller-rink groove,” and Variety equates “Please Please Please” to “Dolly Partonmeets-ABBA,” both of which I think are true, albeit exaggerated descriptors. And like her quasi-mentor Taylor Swift, whom Carpenter opened for on the Latin American leg of the Eras Tour, Carpenter experiments with a more country sound on parts of the album. This is seen particularly in “Slim Pickins” but also crops up in “Coincidence,” “Dumb & Poetic” and “Please Please Please.” Country music seems like it would be an odd choice for such an on-trend, pop-forward singer, but Carpenter’s soulful voice actually takes on a twang quite nicely. However, it has to be said that while much of the album has this great vintage, folksy vibe, some of it is pretty uninspired. I am personally not the biggest fan of “Espresso,” which sounds like it was crafted specifically to play on repeat at defunct shopping malls across the country. “Taste,” in spite of the flashy music video it’s accompanied with, is destined to become yet another H&M anthem. (Of the poppier songs off “Short n’ Sweet,”
Courtesy of Island Record
I think “Please Please Please” and “Good Graces” are the clear standouts.) And as for Carpenter’s slower, more emotional numbers like “Don’t Smile” and “Lie to Girls,” they’re pretty weak, both lyrically and sonically. I understand that these songs are intended to counteract the sometimes syrupy sweetness of the rest of the album, but let’s be honest, they’re a slog to get through, and we’d probably all be happier if they weren’t there.
All criticism aside, I think “Short n’ Sweet” is a pretty good album and a fun listen. In the arena of summer pop releases, Carpenter managed to more than hold her own against the likes of Charli xcx, Billie Eilish and Chappell Roan, all of whom but the latter are seasoned pop icons. And like Roan, it’s safe to say that Carpenter’s not just going to be an opener anymore–it’s clear that from here on out, she’s a star in her own right.
8/31/24 1:30-2:30 PM THWING 201
The tracks in Sabrina Carpenter’s latest studio album, “Short n’ Sweet,” seem to challenge her former Disney Channel persona, shedding a new light on her adult pop presence.
What CWRU construction project are you?
Aquarius
South Residential Village
Pisces
Sidewalk behind Thwing Center
Aries
Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building
Taurus Mather Quad
Gemini
New humanities building
Cancer
Nursing Research Building
Leo Olin Building
Virgo Wade Commons
Libra
Laundry machines
Scorpio
Carlton Commons
Sagittarius
Mobile Order app
Capricorn
Robbins Building
September Word Search
Football Aster September Sunflower Heat Wave Fall Cider Apples Acorn Yellow Red Sweater Orange Leaves Sapphrie Labor Day
Tyler Vu/The Observer
Ode to Boredom
Dhruv
Kethan Srinivasan
Everything is Embarassing
Sky Ferreira
Lucas Yang
Unsweetend Lemonade
Amelie Farren
Zachary Treseler
B2b
Charli XCX
Hannah Johnson
Back Against the Wall Cage The Elephant
Auden Koetters
Crush Ethel Cain
Shejuti Wahed
Boom Boom Back Hinds, Beck
Kate Gordon
Lost in Space Foster the People Clay Preusch
Jigsaw Falling into Place Radiohead
Ella Lasky
Mice on Venus C418
Elie Aoun
Compilation of out-of-pocket things heard across campus
"Ooo they have six for six tacos. That's my poverty meal!"
"Shlurping a glizzie."
"Hello quizbowlers!"
"All of the power is in the professor."
"Rice purity score? 40..."
"I have low standards."
Opinion
One crisis at at time, please: How consumerism is ruining our ability to care
Salsabeel Salem Staff Writer
Starting a new school year can be stressful no matter what year you’re in, but for a first-year, in particular, it can be a lot to process. It’s likely you’re excited to meet new people, go to classes and join clubs, but that excitement may come with the side effect of feeling rushed to find the people you click with the most. Last Sunday, the Student Activities Fair (SAF) was held outside of the Tinkham Veale University Center. You may have visited the fair looking for new clubs to join and people to connect with, but with over 300 clubs to visit, students everywhere and a band playing in the background, it’s possible you felt inundated by information. The important thing to know is that you are not alone in this experience. Maybe you weren’t able to connect with as many people as you intended, but you still have loads of time to find the people that you mesh with best.
The first step is to make an intentional effort to spend time with new people. During high school, you may have grown used to seeing your friends in class everyday. You were bound by 8 a.m. homeroom or 1 p.m. geometry—not to mention a lunch hall where everyone ate together at long communal tables. In college, though, you may find that maintaining friendships takes a bit more effort. That is where intentionality comes in. You may have met someone that you could see yourself connecting with during orientation. It may be a good idea to reach out to them if you have their number. Suggest that you try out a restaurant on Euclid Avenue together or watch a show in someone’s dorm.
In terms of finding organizations you may be interested in, CampusGroups is a great resource. On the app, you will find suggested club events, community posts and groups that you are currently a part of. If you were unable to keep up with the rapidfire elevator pitches during SAF, take to CampusGroups to discover what you missed. It may be tempting to join tons of clubs at first—after all, there are hundreds—but you should figure out which ones interest you the most. That may mean going to the first
meeting, emailing a representative or just talking to students in the organization. Once you’ve figured out which suits you the most, choose a handful, ideally about two to three, that you want to devote your free time to. The Observer would be a great pick to add to your list!
On the other hand, partaking in a club may worry you due to its time commitment, which could pull you away from your academics. If you have these reservations, you should explore at least one club that may interest you. Case Western Reserve University is a tough school, so it is good if you have an outside commitment that forces you away from your studies every once in a while. You don’t want to become too stressed out your first year.
Next, you must be willing to give people a chance. Perhaps you’re used to connecting with your friends based on a shared culture or hobby, but sometimes the people who understand you the most may not tick off the typical boxes of what you look for in a friend. Most of the first questions people ask each other when meeting on a college campus revolve around what you’re studying and where you’re from, but it’s possible for someone with a completely different area of study who’s from the other side of the world to have something in common with you. By limiting yourself to only having friends with the same classes and academic interests, you miss out on one of the key components of college: self-discovery and education through discussion with others. Talk to the friends of your friends. By only sticking with the first people you met while coming onto campus, you’re doing yourself a disservice. You should not restrict yourself from meeting more people just because you’ve found whom you’re comfortable with. Every day brings the opportunity to connect, and although the quality of your friends is much more important than the quantity, it is still worthwhile to get to know whom your friends are close with. Who knows? You may even become more than mutuals.
Most importantly, you must be patient. Relationships change and strengthen over time. Once you come to accept that, your school year will become a lot more enjoyable.
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
Téa Tamburo News Editor
Zachary Treseler News Editor
Kate Gordon Life Editor
Hannah Johnson Opinion Editor
Darcy Chew Sports Editor
Sahar Kapasi Copy Editor
Ella Lasky Copy Editor
Isabella Lopez Copy Editor
Angelina Minaya Copy Editor
DIGITAL MEDIA
Joce Ortiz Director of Digital Media
Aambar Agarwal Social Media Manager
Shejuti Wahed Social Media Content Creator & Video Editor
Kethan Srinivasan Social Media Content Creator
Clay Preusch Photo Editor
Noah Henriques Web Editor
DESIGN
Auden Koetters Director of Design
Anjali Bhuthpur Layout Designer
Elizabeth McHugh Layout Designer
Tyler Vu Layout Designer
Bowen Zhang Graphic Designer
Lucas Yang Graphic Designer
BUSINESS
Kamilla 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.
Bowen Zhang/The Observer
Focus on the offers not the party: How to choose the right candidate
Catherine Choi Staff Writer
As a high school senior during COVID-19, I was old enough to participate in the 2020 presidential election. As much as I was excited to be able to exert my right and power as an American citizen, I was also worried that choosing the wrong candidate could bring about the nation’s downfall. I was surprised to realize that making the right choice was more of a learning-intensive process than I had originally thought. The terms that are used in the political setting were not used in the ways that I assumed, and I was swayed by different things that others would tell me. Eventually, I realized that I did not agree or disagree with everything both parties claimed. The unusual state of the pandemic brought up new political questions and shifted areas of priority. Choosing the right president is easier said than done and goes beyond whether the candidate is a Democrat or a Republican.
The primary step to voting wisely is to know the exact meanings of key political terms. Liberal politics prioritize protecting and enhanc-
ing the freedom of individuals. Liberals believe that the government should take an active role in protecting its people from poverty and illness and providing safety and protection even if it sets restrictions on the individual’s freedom. Conservatism, on the other hand, emphasizes that the government’s responsibility is to serve, not to dominate, while following the preestablished rules of society rather than creating new ones. Conservatives believe in a small government where they merely provide defense and safety while leaving everything else to the public. Left-wingers are hostile to the interests of traditional elites and favor the interests of the working class, with the extreme forms being socialism and communism. Right-wingers support authority, tradition and property, holding on to conservative views with the extreme form being fascism. Libertarians desire the expansion of individual autonomy and political freedom, emphasizing the principles of equality before the law and protection of civil rights. Authoritarianism refers to a blind compliance to authority and the suppression of freedom of thought and action. Knowing the exact
meanings and beliefs that accompany each political ideology helps us come to a general understanding of what each candidate has to offer.
Next you must understand the process of the election. In the beginning, candidates from both parties participate in a televised debate where they defend their claims and refute those of others. After that, primaries and caucuses are held for candidates to travel the country to eventually get selected by their political party. The national convention is held to make a final decision on the nominee and to select a vice presidential nominee. After that, people in every state vote for one presidential and vice presidential candidate and the electors at the Electoral College cast one vote following the general election. The candidate who gets more than half wins. Knowing the structure of the presidential election helps us understand how each candidate is selected, what to expect and how to get the necessary information.
You should have a clear understanding of your political standing and what you expect from governmental authorities. Every person’s values and priorities are differ-
ent based on one’s circumstances, and we may not always agree with the party we support. With this in mind, it is crucial that one has the ability to escape the frame of political parties and personal biases based on how they are portrayed by the media and focus instead on what policies and commitments each individual candidate makes about the various areas—defense, education, healthcare, taxes and others—that are important to you. Rather than passively following what others think or have taught you, you must focus on your own circumstances and needs and use your judgment to establish what you agree and disagree with from each candidate. Utilizing resources such as The Political Compass can help you see where each candidate stands. How far each candidate is from your own values can help determine which issues and policies you prioritize and who can best help you in the long run. You would be surprised to see how close president Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump actually are on the spectrum in 2020.
Continue reading on page 7
How to choose the right candidate from page 6
Gather the appropriate resourc-
es. Throughout the election year, presidential candidates make numerous media appearances as a part of their campaign to present what they can offer to the country. However, not all the content should influence you. Not everything that is delivered through the media is correct. In fact, some media outlets intend to leave negative impressions of their opponents by rumormongering, guilt by association, catchwords and name-calling. One must avoid making the mistake of letting the political party or external
EDITORIAL
factors, such as their personal life, determine whether a candidate is appropriate for the job. When doing your research, be wary of where you get your information, whether the source is biased and whether the information given is relevant to the topic. One must do research on the candidate’s past experience, accomplishments and failures to evaluate whether the candidate has the ability to handle the responsibility that accompanies the role. Consider the candidate’s ability and personal values.
You should focus on the message
Don’t panic if the
and not the messenger. Research has proven that external factors such as appearance play a huge role in determining one’s voting preferences, and we do not have control of this tendency. Also, there are multiple rhetorical and nonverbal devices such as tone, word choices, attire, posture, speaker-audience interaction and demeanor that are incorporated into a candidate’s media appearance so they can appeal more to the audience and garner more public attention. Focusing too much on factors outside of the political agenda can lead to misper-
ceptions and misunderstandings of whom you intend to give the power to rule the nation. To avoid this situation, focus on the word-for-word content in the speech and message and what they mean to you rather than getting swayed by the emotional appeals. After all the researching and evaluating is done, only the most important step is left: casting the vote. As Plato said, “One of the penalties of refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.” However, it is important to do it the right way.
Student Activities Fair didn’t
go according to plan
Starting a new school year can be stressful no matter what year you’re in, but for a first-year, in particular, it can be a lot to process. It’s likely you’re excited to meet new people, go to classes and join clubs, but that excitement may come with the side effect of feeling rushed to find the people you click with the most. Last Sunday, the Student Activities Fair (SAF) was held outside of the Tinkham Veale University Center. You may have visited the fair looking for new clubs to join and people to connect with, but with over 300 clubs to visit, students everywhere and a band playing in the background, it’s possible you felt inundated by information. The important thing to know is that you are not alone in this experience. Maybe you weren’t able to connect with as many people as you intended, but you still have loads of time to find the people that you mesh with best.
The first step is to make an intentional effort to spend time with new people. During high school, you may have grown used to seeing
your friends in class everyday. You were bound by 8 a.m. homeroom or 1 p.m. geometry—not to mention a lunch hall where everyone ate together at long communal tables. In college, though, you may find that maintaining friendships takes a bit more effort. That is where intentionality comes in. You may have met someone that you could see yourself connecting with during orientation. It may be a good idea to reach out to them if you have their number. Suggest that you try out a restaurant on Euclid Avenue together or watch a show in someone’s dorm.
In terms of finding organizations you may be interested in, CampusGroups is a great resource. On the app, you will find suggested club events, community posts and groups that you are currently a part of. If you were unable to keep up with the rapid-fire elevator pitches during SAF, take to CampusGroups to discover what you missed. It may be tempting to join tons of clubs at first—after all, there are hundreds—but you should figure out which ones interest you the most. That may mean going to the first
meeting, emailing a representative or just talking to students in the organization. Once you’ve figured out which suits you the most, choose a handful, ideally about two to three, that you want to devote your free time to. The Observer would be a great pick to add to your list!
On the other hand, partaking in a club may worry you due to its time commitment, which could pull you away from your academics. If you have these reservations, you should explore at least one club that may interest you. Case Western Reserve University is a tough school, so it is good if you have an outside commitment that forces you away from your studies every once in a while. You don’t want to become too stressed out your first year.
Next, you must be willing to give people a chance. Perhaps you’re used to connecting with your friends based on a shared culture or hobby, but sometimes the people who understand you the most may not tick off the typical boxes of what you look for in a friend. Most of the first questions people ask each other when meeting on a college campus revolve around what you’re
studying and where you’re from, but it’s possible for someone with a completely different area of study who’s from the other side of the world to have something in common with you. By limiting yourself to only having friends with the same classes and academic interests, you miss out on one of the key components of college: self-discovery and education through discussion with others. Talk to the friends of your friends. By only sticking with the first people you met while coming onto campus, you’re doing yourself a disservice. You should not restrict yourself from meeting more people just because you’ve found whom you’re comfortable with. Every day brings the opportunity to connect, and although the quality of your friends is much more important than the quantity, it is still worthwhile to get to know whom your friends are close with. Who knows? You may even become more than mutuals.
Most importantly, you must be patient. Relationships change and strengthen over time. Once you come to accept that, your school year will become a lot more enjoyable.
Editorial Board
Lucas Yang/The Observer
Women’s soccer season preview: New season, new coach
Darcy Chew Sports Editor
The 2024 season welcomes a lot of new changes for the Case Western Reserve University women’s soccer team.
On May 15, it was announced that Alyssa Johnson would be the seventh head coach in program history. Johnson had previously been the head coach at Bethany College, where she recently finished her fifth season with the team. On July 22, Johnson announced that Ross Minick would join the coaching staff as assistant coach.
Former head coach Abby Richter was named head coach in 2022. During Richter’s first season with the team, she led them to have one of CWRU’s most successful seasons amongst all sports teams as they finished as runner ups in the 2022 NCAA tournament. They also broke numerous program records, including most wins and most consecutive wins.
Although the 2023 season did not follow up with the same success, the Spartans hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA Division III tournament on
this is a lot more of a newer team. The senior class is very small. Our junior class is pretty big. But I would say that this team is definitely a younger team, and I think we have a quicker playing style this year. A lot of like, young, quick players, but I think we’re gonna try and corporate that with our old style of play and with the kind of play that our new coach wants us playing. I think we’re going to try and play more attack minded this season, which I think could work well for us,” Koutures said.
Alongside their new coaches, 10 first-year players join the squad.
In front of the net, first-year goalkeepers Ellie Palaian and Pia Sachdev join graduate student Maggie Storti who enters her fifth season with the team. Storti is currently the program’s record holder in both career wins and shutouts.
Aiding in defense, first-years Kinzly Gootman and Peyton Kyle will compete for time on the backline. Experienced players returning to the backline include fourth-year Katie Rishel and second-year Kat Tsarouhas, who both started in all 18 games last season.
ington University in Saint Louis, No. 6-ranked University of Rochester, No. 10-ranked New York University and No. 19-ranked Carnegie Mellon University. However, that does not deter the team.
“Every game is kind of like a rivalry game, and it’s super fun because, first of all, our conference is great. We get to travel all over and play games from all over, which is super fun. And then just being able to constantly be competing. I mean, any game can go any way. And so the constant challenge, I think, is really fun and something that we all enjoy as super competitive people,” Sassower said.
Sassower also commented on what she believes is the team’s strength and what will aid them in the upcoming season.
“I think that we all are genuinely so close off the field. I think that that definitely translates to a lot of our success on the field. We all live together, are always with each other, and so I think that having that connection to then transfer onto the field makes us as successful as we have,” Sassower said.
DiSanto Field and made their fourth straight NCAA Division III tournament appearance. In the tournament, they beat Grove City College 5-1 but fell to John Carroll University in the second round 0-1. They finished the season with an overall record of 12-2-4 and a 3-1-3 record in conference play.
The team began working with Johnson this summer as she took the time to meet each of the players. Third-year forward/midfielder Alexis Sassower commented on her experience with Johnson.
“I think that she totally understands us as people and players. We had a lot of conversations over the summer with the coaches to get to know them before the season, and I’m excited to see where it goes with them,” Sassower said.
Sassower also further elaborated on working with the new coaches and how the team has been adapting.
“They’ve been very receptive to working with our previous successes and the things that worked and building off of that. So it’s been nice to kind of continue with what we know works and not have to totally shift everything,” Sassower added.
Beyond the changes with the coaches, fourth-year forward Carolyn Koutures also mentioned how the team dynamic differs from the 2023 season.
“Last season we had a lot of fifth years and a lot of older talent. I think
First-year forward Taylor Brackett and first-year forward/midfielder Aly Schellhouse will add depth to the top of the pitch, joining Koutures, Sassower, and third-year forwards Maggie Farra, Ceci Dapino and Molly Shamah.
The center welcomes four first-year midfielders: Ashley Liang, Avery Bradley, Vivian Nohra and Abby Welker. They will join third-year UAA Second Team honorees Jamie Goldfarb and Mackenzie Mueller in the midfield.
The team’s schedule is packed with intense competition. Excluding No. 16-ranked CWRU, the UAA Conference contains No. 2-ranked Wash-
This past weekend, the squad played two scrimmages where they were able to put their practice to the test before the season officially begins.
“We ended up tying both of them, but I think we played really well. I feel like our preseason was a little shorter this year, so it was good to have those scrimmages in order to kind of see where we were at, and then we can continue to learn from those and build off it going into the game Friday,” Koutures said.
The Spartans officially begin the season in a home game against Kenyon College at 7:30 p.m. this Friday, Aug. 30.
Second-year defender Kaylee Bannack aims for another successful season after helping the Spartans record two shutouts last season. Darcy Chew/The Observer
From left to right: First-year Abby Welker plays alongside veterans second-year Maya Healy, third-year Alexis Sassower, second-year Kaylee Bannack, second-year Marina Morris and third-year Jamie Goldfarb. CWRU welcomes nine other first-year players to the team. Darcy Chew/The Observer
Veteran graduate student Maggie Farra (left) and second-year Kaylee Bannack (right) look to make the team’s fifth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Division III tournament this season.
Darcy Chew/The Observer
Football
CWRU at Waynesburg (9/7)