The Observer, Volume LI, Issue 5, 9/20/19

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friday, september 20, 2019 volume LI, issue 5

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Annual Farm Harvest Festival is a smash Maryam Iqbal Staff Reporter

CWRU students, faculty and their family members made flower crowns and visited the petting zoo at the Farm Harvest Festival. Courtesy of CWRU Facebook This Saturday saw the 7th annual Farm Harvest Festival taking place at Case Western Reserve University’s spacious farm. Organized by the Student Sustainability Council (SSC), it was an opportunity for students, faculty, staff and other community members to have fun off campus in the great weather, and learn about sustainability on a personal and universitywide level.

The annual festival featured free hayrides, a petting zoo, flower crown

making, beeswax lip balm making, farm tour guided hikes, a tall grass maze, grape tasting and more. Food options included local benefactors like Mitchell’s Ice Cream, and even crickets for the more daring attendees. Though there was a large turnout, everyone found an activity they could enjoy—whether it was a cornhole tournament, pumpkin raffle or watching CWRU student performers on stage.

The SSC’s plan for the event seems to have been successful. Second-year

Aman Shankardass mentioned that his favourite part of the festival was the petting zoo.

The animals were absolute characters and put smiles on stressed students’ faces. With a turnout that included a variety of CWRU members, the farm festival helps the community become more cohesive overall and get off of a campus that may become stifling to explore CWRU’s farm. Aman mentioned he loved the beauty of the farm showing the first signs of the

coming fall season, and that it was a welcome breath of fresh air.

When talking to the Vice President of the SSC, Hannah Shernisky, it was mentioned that the committee was a bit apprehensive about attendance with the storm on Friday. Fortunately, more than 1,000 people showed up, even though the electricity had been knocked out over large parts of Cleveland.

The SSC usually starts preparations months in advance, and always tries to get other student groups involved in order to get a diverse group of people in attendance.

The SSC has tried to incorporate an educational component in most of their organized activities, such as the make-your-own lip balm activity, in which they try to showcase the benefits of a more sustainable product when compared to mainstream massproduced products. Another favorite is the guiding hike, where community members can explore more than 400 acres of the farm. Hannah mentioned the CWRU farm was a big selling point as it usually flies under the radar for students. For Hannah, what makes the festival worth it is that it becomes a good memory and experience for everyone involved.

As an ad hoc committee of Undergraduate Student Government, SSC tries hard to get the community more excited about their sustainability goals and implementing sustainable principles in their day-to-day life. SSC’s other big event is RecycleMania, a month long initiative to educate the CWRU community about proper recycling techniques, culminating in a carnival with free food and games to bring people together in the spring semester.

Owl Fest 2019 brings rave culture to CWRU Lewis Nelken Contributing Reporter Monitors sat like gargoyles, obliterating the airwaves on both sides of the raised stage, throne to the curators of the colossal sound. A flurry of chromatic lights speckled the walls like comets, creating a cosmic atmosphere that blasted off the stellar performances.

The vibrations at Owl Fest on Sept. 14 were contagious—nobody was spared from the epidemic of action on the dancefloor. It is hard to imagine that this mosh of over one-hundred bodies, wall-to-wall, was an empty early-century carriage house just a few hours earlier.

Despite the Case Western Reserve University Police Department security arriving an hour and a half late, and imperceptibly minor technical difficulties backstage, everyone jammed into the Outpost Saturday night enjoyed a wonderful soundscape provided free of charge by Phi Gamma Delta fraternity (Fiji). This is the third annual Owl Fest, Fiji’s first concert of the year in-

tended “for the community” that they use to infuse rave culture into the Case Western Reserve University bubble.

Every year, Fiji works to encourage a healthy mode of celebration and attract students to the other two philanthropic events that complete their yearly cycle of concerts—Howl Fest in the fall and Islander Fest in the spring, which raise money, through admission, to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) in memorial of Hugh Marshall, a Fiji alumnus who was diagnosed with late stage pancreatic cancer.

The brothers, who were on their fifth iteration of a Fiji-fest, were in charge of operating the event. Some of the equipment was even handmade with Fiji labor. Jigsaw wielding thirdyear student Johnathan Sequeira constructed the stage. Evan Davies and Matt Hartmann conceived and constructed a home-made subwoofer, a hidden part of their sound force that sat subtly in the corner.

“It’s just simple electronics,” sai d Hartmann, who would later transform into his DJ persona Dr. H. He explained that during the summer months, the venue for the show, dubbed the Outpost, serves as a storage space for the fraternity.

They had about a week to move in the stage, the speakers, the lights and all of the cords.

“We have to get all of that out of here first, then we do rush events, then we can setup,” said Hartmann. “But it’s pretty easy with four people.”

The only elements not provided

by Fiji were a light set loaned by the CWRU Footlighters to add to those already operated by third-year student Jared Jacknow, who doubles as drummer for the fully-Fiji band Sticky, lead by singer and fourthyear student Nick “Sticky-Nicky” Charles. After a bit of sound-testing, Hartmann set the stage for excitement with a double-kickflip.

Last-minute prep included mov-

ing the skateboard off the dancefloor.

At 10 p.m., people started pouring in. The first set was the debut of Dr. H. He featured bass music, a style of electronica that builds harmonic and melodic elements from a foundation of heavy bass lines, hence the need for a custom subwoofer colossus. He drew in the crowd with decibels that dominated the airwaves a block away in every direction. Forty-five minutes in, the room was overflowing. Inside, waves of heads bounced to the music and chanted “AY, AY, AY!” Exhausted from fist-pumping, a few filed out to cool off in the open air while DJ Denvver set up, swapping in her own digital turn-tables. The crowd waited anxiously, whooping and hollering. Denvver, the alter-ego of third-year student Devon Garrett, got her start as a disk jockey after she attended the first Owl Fest in 2017 and thought, “Wow, I can do that.”

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news Electric scooters come to campus Anna Giubileo Staff Reporter Swarms of Birds and Limes have descended onto Case Western Reserve University’s campus in recent weeks.

At the beginning of the school year, Cleveland announced they would be partnering with several companies to provide dockless electric scooters, including Bird, Lime, Spin and VeoRide.

The city launched a six month pilot program with the companies in late August as part of an effort to create “helpful transportation option[s] … since about a quarter of Clevelanders don’t have access to a personal vehicle,” explained the Cleveland City Planning Commission’s website. One of the areas in which this pilot program is launching is University Circle—and therefore the campus of CWRU. CWRU itself does not have an explicit agreement with the scooter companies.

However, Stephanie Corbett, director of the Office of Energy and Sustainability, explained that the university wants to “engage directly with the scooter companies regarding how best to manage the scooters and also maintain safety on and near campus.” Regarding rider safety, Corbett advises that “as when riding on a bike, students should wear helmets, obey traffic laws and signals and ride defensively.”

However, it appears few students have issues with safety regarding the scooters.

“I’ve gotten hit by a bike but not a scooter,” shared Joannah Yeh, a second-year accounting major. “Scooters are better than bikes. They haven’t done anything to me personally.”

When asking students’ opinions on the addition of scooters to campus, most are neutral or detachedly positive. Margaret

Zimmer, a second-year accounting major, has never ridden the scooters herself, but thinks they are an overall beneficial for the student population.

“They’re cool. It’s a fun idea, and will really help students go from Northside to Southside.”

One possible area of concern that keeps students from using the scooters is the pricing. Users pay $1 to unlock the scooters, and about $0.15 every minute it is in use.

“If you wanna use it that badly you’re gonna have to pay the price. It’s like Uber,” stated Zimmer, “For someone who doesn’t want to buy their own scooter to get around, it’s nice to have a little scoot.”

Rachel Loewy, a third-year nursing student who has used the scooters before, thinks the pricing is fair: “definitely

cheaper than buying an Uber and good in a hurry.”

She has plans to use the scooters as a method of transportation to the new health education campus if she’s ever in a bind, but also has some concerns.

“I generally like them, but it scares me that I can’t use them on the sidewalk, because being on the road on one of those things is scary.”

The University continues to stress safe operating procedures of the scooters as they assess the impact on the campus community. Students can buy helmets at Thwing Center for $12 or at a discount after one ride on the scooter. Additionally, the Office of Energy and Sustainability is planning further demonstrations, safety workshops and giveaways in the coming weeks for students.

Share your voice wants to know your favorite memory of Cleveland Veronica Madell Contributing Reporter “I hope people see this as the beginning of the momentum,” said Annamarie Morino, a second-year MBA student at the Weatherhead School of Management, of CLE Rising, an organization she has been working to support. CLE Rising is a movement to have a diverse group of people set measurable goals for Clevland’s economic future.

CLE Rising will be hosting a summit Oct. 29-31 at the Public Auditorium and Conference Center in downtown Cleveland for 1,000 community participants to hear the voices of the community. This summit will use the Appreciative Inquiry (AI) process to identify and solve issues relevant to the entire Cleveland community.

AI is a process that was developed at Case Western Reserve University in the 1980s by Dr. David Cooperrider and Dr.

Ronald Fry. This process attempts to improve an organization by focusing on its strengths and building from there. It has been used by large corporations such as Apple, and government agencies such as the United States Navy. For the first time, this problem-solving process is being used on a city.

This process challenges participants to think about the positive aspects of Cleveland and what the city is doing well. Everyone starts with answering a simple question, “What is your favorite memory in Cleveland?” From there, the responses are used to guide the discussion.

It is easy to slip into a negative mindset, but, as Morino points out, “There are always going to be a lot of problems, there are always going to be a lot of struggles, and we focused on them for a very long time, and we are still not where we

want to be.” The AI method of problemsolving hopes to steer people in a different, new direction by starting with the positive aspects of the community.

Cleveland wants its students to be part of this effort to shape the city’s future. In order to do this, CLE Rising is holding pre-sessions across the Cleveland area.

These sessions are called Share Your Voice, and the feedback gathered from them will be used directly in the summit.

Students do not need to attend the summit to be part of Share Your Voice.

One of these sessions will be held here at CWRU on Sept. 25 from 4-5:30 p.m. in the Wade Commons Red Cat room.

This session will be for students of any age in any department, from undergraduates to graduates to post-doctorates, but is not open to faculty.

Share Your Voice will center around

HISTORICAL ARTICLE: FROM THE KSL DIGITAL ARCHIVES

the same one question, “What is your favorite memory in Cleveland?” Working in self-selected small groups, with pizza and post-it notes, students will identify commonalities in their answers, and reflect on how this relates to their dreams for the city. Students from all areas of the country and globe are encouraged to attend to share their perspectives and memories of the city. Every person in the city, resident or not, is an important piece of the puzzle.

If students cannot attend the summit or the Share Your Voice session, they can still make their voice heard. They can answer the provided question on the CLE Rising Summit website or request a paper form. As Morino says, “Not only will you make your mark on Cleveland, but you’ll see how much Cleveland really needs you.”

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Asian Mid-Autumn Festival features various cultural clubs Nihal Manjila Staff Reporter Various cultural clubs from Case Western Reserve University came together to host the annual Asian MidAutumn Festival this past Friday in Thwing Center. The Festival served as a gathering of students, clubs and other organizations, with food catered from various Asian restaurants around Cleveland for the event.

Many cultural clubs on campus were present at the festival, including the Vietnamese Student Association and the Asian American Alliance among others. Departments from the university were also present, such as the Office of Multicultural Affairs.

Among the established organizations represented at the Mid-Autumn Festival was the Taiwanese American Student Association (TASA), an organization that seeks to raise awareness about Taiwanese culture.

“We want to get students interested in Taiwanese culture through events,” said Justin Tseng, a secondyear biomedical engineering major and TASA vice president of internal relations. Tseng described how the festival gave TASA an opportunity to help raise awareness about the

organization and grow its membership.

“The main focus is interpersonal connections,” said Tseng when asked about the purpose of the organization. Members have the opportunity to grow their knowledge and appreciation of Taiwanese culture alongside friends and companions.

The Mid-Autumn Festival was also an opportunity for new groups and organizations to become more well-known on campus and to recruit new members. One such group was Third Culture Kids (TCK), a group for students who grew up in a different culture from that of their parents, or don’t feel included in either the culture they are from or the one they grew up in.

“I had culture shock from going to school in the U.S. after living in Tunisia,” said Rachel Bernardi, a second-year nursing major and member of TCK. She said that in her first semester of college, she wanted to forget she wasn’t from America. Bernardi described the purpose of the group as providing a chance to form connections with other students at CWRU with similar experiences.

Catch the football team playing on DiSanto Field most Saturdays throughout the fall. Courtesy of CWRU Athletics First-year nursing major Tia Li said that her favorite part of the festival was the diversity of dishes and the chance to taste different cultures’ food. She recalled memories of home when she ate Asian food with her friends.

Overall, the Asian Mid-Autumn Festival is a great opportunity for established organizations to keep growing, for new clubs to become known around campus and for students to become more involved at CWRU.

CWRU School of Medicine Students run for SpartanTHON faculty wins prestigious award 5K for UH Rainbow Babies Nihal Manjila Staff Reporter Dr. Heather Broihier, a professor in the Department of Neurosciences, recently won the Landis Award for Outstanding Mentorship from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), an organization in the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The Landis Award is given to a recipient for, as the name suggests, exemplary mentorship of students and lab members. The award also comes with a $100,000 grant to continue mentoring students and performing lab work.

When asked about what inspired her interest in neuroscience, Broihier explained that she was a developmental biologist by training, and that the development of the neurological system was particularly fascinating. This interest is reflected in the primary focus of her lab’s studies: synapse formation and pruning.

Broihier explained that her passion for mentorship and teaching began as a result of her own medical research training.

She was inspired by the mentorship she received as a student, and wanted to give that same experience to the next generation of scientists. In particular, she enjoys the process of seeing students come in green and inexperienced, and progressively grow as researchers and scientists.

Student outcome is also a factor in receiving the Landis Award. Broihier has had students from her lab go on to study and work in top labs and schools across the country, from local institutions such as the Cleveland Clinic to top-tier universities like Stanford and Vanderbilt.

This success is due in part to excellent mentorship and meaningful preparation for performing research.

“I want them to get their Ph.D., but I really want them to be able to do what they want,” said Broihier when asked

Jordan Reif Staff Reporter about her goals for the graduate students she mentors in her lab. She expressed that the main goal she has for her students is for them to learn and be able to pursue their own paths, whether it be continued lab work, research or even non-scientific jobs that utilize skills gained from research.

The process of earning the Landis Award is a long one. Broihier detailed the steps. Students first had to nominate her for the award. After being nominated, a full application had to be sent to NINDS. She had to include her CV, graduate student outcomes and letters from students and faculty for review.

Winning the Landis Award is an impressive personal accomplishment, but it also reflects on CWRU as well. The award represents a culture of cooperation and mentorship in the department and school as a whole.

“Mentorship for graduate students is taken seriously here,” said Broihier. This emphasis on mentorship applies to undergraduate students as well.

“The atmosphere is a very friendly one,” said Suga Saravanan, a secondyear undergraduate neuroscience major in Dr. Broihier’s lab. “Everyone is willing to teach others and be helpful.”

Broihier’s mentorship goes beyond lab techniques, and extends to academic advice as well. She meets with all the students in her lab, not just graduate students.

“Dr. Broihier has helped me figure out what I would like to do academically,” said Saravanan. “In the short time I’ve known her, she’s inspired me.”

Broihier plans to continue her mentorship of students, and create new projects in her lab with the funding accompanying the award.

Last Saturday, two twin brothers ran through a hand-painted sign marking the 2019 SpartanTHON FT(5) K Run, and were immediately doused with colored powder by volunteers.

The twins, Ben and Owen Kader, were born prematurely and suffered from severe respiratory, brai n and circulatory disorders. While receiving treatment at University Hospital’s Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, the boys’ family met the Case Western Reserve University’s chapter of THON—SpartanTHON. The first THON was organized at Penn State University in 1973 as part of efforts to help the patients of their local children’s hospital. The main fundraising event the organization holds is a 46hour dance marathon to spread awareness about pediatric cancer research and provide support for affected children and families. Or, using their terminology, all of their work is “FTK”—for the kids. Chapters of THON have since spread to high school and university campuses across the United States.

CWRU’s chapter was started ten years ago, and has since raised over $450,000 for the hospital. This year, they hope to break half a million dollars in donations at their 12-hour dance marathon, to be held in Tinkham Veale Ballroom on February 15, 2020.

SpartanTHON also holds other, smaller events, fundraisers and opportunities to emotionally support Miracle kids and familie s throughout the year.

One such event is the FT(5)K Color Run. “People come out to not only run, but support the kids at UH, [as] any money fundraised today goes to them,” said fourth-year Mary Gentile, the ex-

ternal director for the SpartanTHON steering committee. The funds are used to provide services or goods that are not covered by insurance, and therefore not available to most of the patients.

From IV caps to therapy dogs and “red wagons”—a wagon full of toys for the kids to play with—all are extra things meant to “brighten a child’s day,” said Gentile, while describing how dreadful it can be to sit in a hospital bed all day.

Gentile, who has been involved with the club since her first year, said she “didn’t realize how much it would help her grow as a person.” Citing the common experience of many college students (and people in general), who get caught up in their own lives, Gentile said SpartanTHON “is something where you can give back to a community that really needs it. [It is] part of a cause that is bigger than myself.”

Two first-year students, Megan Griffith and Shvetali Thatte, were among the 150 runners in attendance at the 5K. Although both disclosed that they normally don’t run, they really enjoyed the event. Griffith thought it was important for students to support the organization. “I’m glad that they do things like this on campus,” Thatte added.

The mother of the Miracle twins, Sarah Kader, speaking to all of the runners after the event, was appreciative of the support they received from SpartanTHON through Rainbow Babies. “I don’t think we would have been able to get the services that we got at Rainbow without the funding from groups like this one,” Kader said. She conveyed her appreciation for the fact that her sons are now healthy, happy and able to run in the 5K.

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Ken Ken Easy

Horoscopes Hard

Horoscopes as best places to nap on campus Aries In the University Media Board Office (Join The Observer!)

Medium

Taurus In the basement of the Bingham Building Gemini In the lobby of Guilford House

Sudoku Easy

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Cancer During class Leo On the grass when it’s warm outside Virgo In the stacks on the third floor of Kelvin Smith Library Libra In a hammock

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Scorpio In the second floor of the Wyant Athletic and Wellness Center Sagittarius In the Tinkham Veale University Center Capricorn In the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Center Aquarius In the Flora Stone Mather Center for Women

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Pisces In the upper levels of Thwing Center

arts & entertainment A colloquium on dub poetry Masha Goykhberg Contributing Reporter We’re seeing it everywhere: an emphasis on diversity in media.

Whether it be TV shows, movies or books, there’s a big push to focus on people outside of cis, straight white men. But how can you show diversity in poetry? Although one may think that there’s no room for a range of identities inside a single poem, Janet Neigh’s colloquium on dub poetry eloquently explains how a poem can be more than a statement of personal politics, but a political movement in and of itself.

Dub is a niche genre of poetry, concentrated and created in Jamaica in the 1970s as a direct response to the beginning of the post-colonial era. At the time, African-Carribean people had no unified culture, and the effects of colorism and racism still gripped the country.

Dub poetry attempted to create FROM OWL | 1 Her career exploded with performances at numerous Greek-life events, including Alpha Phi’s Festival Phiver just earlier that day, and she has been a mainstay at Fiji’s events ever since.

“I live the Hannah Montana life,” said Denvver. “Engineer by day, DJ by night.”

Denvver picked up right where Dr. H left off. The intensity only increased as the night drove on. Wicked dubstep in the first half led to infectious house music that put the event into overdrive.

The crowd could not help themselves— groups dancing on stage had to be shooed off constantly. Nothing could be done to stop first-year student Matt Stevens from crowd surfing. Denvver herself leapt atop a bass amplifier for an exuberant climax. Denvver credited her fans, saying, “That was probably one of the most hyped crowds I had ever played for.”

The laser-shooting electronica spaceship had landed, and the listeners were welcomed back to Earth with a performance from the band that originated in

that unified culture while also pointing out the daily injustices that black people faced. Neigh referred to it as the voices of the silenced by the silenced, not misery born by their oppressors.

It was a time of great social upheaval, and this style of poetry became a way of expressing frustrations. In fact, Neigh herself noted that the Jamaican poet Kai Miller believed dub to have died in the ’70s as well, saying that it was inherently tied to the radical socialist movement in Jamaica at the time.

With an incredibly lyrical sound, there’s no surprise it’s called “dub” poetry. It came from people dubbing improvised lyrics over reggae music, and sounds like a mixture of slam poetry, a song and a call to action.

Because of the importance of the

sound to the meaning of the poem, Neigh mentioned that certain people say that you cannot grasp the essence of it unless you hear an audio recording of it, or even saw it read out loud in person.

To combat this, printed dub poetry relies heavily on unconventional spellings to convey lyrical sounds.

For example, the poetry anthology from which Neigh drew her examples was named “Mi C-YaaN beLieVe iT” (created by poet Michael Smith) after a poem within it. Rather than being in book form, it was a vinyl album of poetry read aloud.

“Mi C-YaaN beLieVe iT” is, as Neigh put it, a call to “not become numb and complacent to the injustices around you.” The poem itself forces the reader or listener to hear uncomfortable stories of the treatment of black people in Jamaica as

Smith himself saw.

The excerpt that Neigh showed during the colloquium told the story of a light-skinned woman making a black man clean up dog poop while calling him “boy.” This poetry means to challenge both the ignorance, willful or otherwise, of those in power, and the complacency of the oppressed who don’t fight back.

In such a STEM-heavy campus like Case Western Reserve University, a lot of people could ask: why should I go to an hour-long lecture on something I know nothing about?

Janet Neigh answers that question in her colloquium. Writing and poetry never express something meaningless. They challenge you to look into yourself and at the world around you, forcing you to think about people other than yourself. So next time, expand your horizons.

the brick house just across the gravel parking lot.

Sticky, frontlined by Charles with second-year student Mac Craffey and third-year student Conor Clark on guitar, was supported by third-year bassist Matt Pukansky and Jacknow. The band has come a long way since their formation this past year. They rehearse threeto-four times a week and record on the weekends.

The group hopes to release an original work in the coming months. For their set, they planned a mixture of home-grown songs with covers that would pique the interest of new listeners. Their rendition of “Pumped Up Kicks” was highly stylized with each of the musician’s unique tendencies, representing their diverse musical backgrounds.

Owl Fest offered a community-oriented rave atmosphere that showcased the overlooked musical talent of CWRU students. Fiji welcomes applications from new DJs interested in future shows.

“It’s not just a party,” said Hartmann.

“It’s an event.”

Fiji’s Owl Fest’s live music included several CWRU artists, and drew many students last Saturday night. Chris Heermann/The Observer

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Ric Ocasek, lead singer-songwriter in new wave band The Cars, dies at the age of 75 Matt Hooke Executive Editor Ric Ocasek, the frontman of The Cars, died at the age of 75 on Sept.

15. The Cars was a pioneering band that proved integral in pushing new wave into the mainstream.

Ocasek moved to Cleveland at the age of 16 and graduated from Maple Heights High School in 1963. Ocasek met The Car’s co-founder bassist/singer and Lakewood native Benjamin Orr, and they formed a duo that performed around Ohio before they moved to Boston. In Boston, The Cars were created with guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson.

Ocasek was older than most of his peers in the new wave scene, something reflected in how older music genres influenced his songwriting.

The Cars were a mix of ’50s rockabilly and stark synth-based modernism, creating a fire and ice combination that set them for a string of hits in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

The band’s self-titled 1978 debut album is a classic of pop music, with three Billboard hot 100 hits, “Just What I Needed” (U.S. 27), “My Best

Friend’s Girl” (U.S. 35) and “Good Times Roll” (U.S. 41). Ocasek wrote every song on the album and sang five of them.

Each of the nine tracks on the album could have easily been singles in their own right, and many of them, such as “You’re All I’ve Got Tonight,” found a second life on classic rock radio. The Cars established themselves with effortlessly catchy melodies, a sense of humor and fun, with a bit of experimentation mixed in.

“My Best Friend’s Girl,” with its handclaps, high school love story and twangy guitar banjo rolls from Easton, feels like bubblegum pop straight from a drive-in movie with a chrome paint job. The dark sauntering “Moving in Stereo,” a mostly instrumental piece that features the band stretching out a simple motif as far it can go for something that sounds more like a Brian Eno album cut than a hit by one of their new wave peers like Duran Duran.

Though the heights of their debut would be hard for any band to top, The Cars succeeded with several

follow-ups. The band played with their sound often, the single “Touch and Go,” with verses built around a haunting looping keyboard before Easton’s staccato guitar brings the pop sheen needed for the song to work as more than just a failed experiment.

Ocasek’s lyrics were inspired by modernist free-wheeling poets like e e cummings. Though sometimes referred to as a poet, he told a Boston Globe journalist that he preferred to be called a “stenographer of the masses.”

“I don’t know what I’m going to write about before I do it,” said Ocasek to the Globe. “I look for different things, but I just like to leave things in poetic suspension.”

The band took advantage of the MTV era with several pioneering music videos. “You Might Think,” released in 1984, was one of the first to use computer graphics.

“You Might Think” features Ocasek appearing in a variety of surreal places, as a fly at one point, and climbing the Empire State Building at another, in an attempt to gain the

attention of a girl. The song won the first MTV Video of the Year award and became the first music video to be a part of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

Outside of his work with The Cars, Ocasek was an important producer for many indie rock and punk artists. He worked with Washington D.C. punk legends Bad Brains, known for incorporating elements of reggae into their sound, on the album “Rock for Light.” He produced the multi-platinum albums, “The Blue Album” and “The Green Album,” for ’90s alt-rock hitmakers Weezer.

“From the Bad Brains to Romeo Void to Weezer and many others, Ocasek produced many talented artists very early on their careers,” said Nada Surf singer Matthew Caws in an National Public Radio piece about Ocasek. “I think he had a particular knack for making young artists comfortable; he had a gentle and accepting manner, and may have stopped many young singers and players from overthinking, just like he helped me.”

A Colorful Weekend in Cleveland Aimee Wiencek Contributing Reporter This past weekend, students, kids, adults and artists alike let their creativity shine on the walkways of the Fine Arts Garden as a part of the Cleveland Museum of Art’s annual Chalk Festival.

From intricate to simple, some with jaw-dropping designs, the original creations lined the sidewalks.

With a mix of portraits, landscapes, quotes and geometric patterns, there was so much variation in the brightly colored artwork that it was hard to love just one.

Starting in 1990, the Chalk Festival has continued to be a huge hit within the Cleveland community. According to the art museum’s website, the festival is “a modern expression of a Renaissance tradition from 16thcentury Italy in which beggars copied paintings of the Madonna by Raphael and his contemporaries, using chalk on the plazas outside cathedrals.”

The amazing designs done by the Cleveland community are certainly a nod to this early tradition.

Every year during two days in September, anyone can come to the art museum to either chalk their own design or simply admire the work of others.

The art museum is located centrally for the event, due to its close prox-

imity to the Case Western Reserve University campus, Cleveland Institute of Art and Cleveland Institute of Music. It is also easily accessible to families in the area.

The Chalk Festival not only promotes the importance of art in our community, but also the act of using our minds creatively for enjoyment.

For $10, participants receive a small square of walkway and a 12-color box set of chalk, or, for $20, a large square with a 24-color box set.

“The Chalk Festival was a super fun event that was able to bring people of all different ages and artistic skill levels together. I loved seeing all of the different works and what they meant to people. I’ll definitely be coming back next year,” secondyear student Kayla Reece said.

Personally, my time at the festival was enjoyable and inspiring. Not only did I have the opportunity to chalk my own square, but I was also able to see the talent of those around me.

The excitement on little kids’ faces tugged at the heartstrings, and the smiles of all those around me made the event even more rewarding. Despite that this was only my first year in attendance, I can guarantee that it will be something I attend again next year.

One sidewalk square at the Chalk Festival created by the Spartan Cheerleaders to promote school spirit. Courtesy of The Observer Archives

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At the Chalk Festival, a young boy chalks his own square amidst famous portraits and colorful designs. Courtesy of The Observer Archives

A collection of colorful chalk designs line the sidewalks surrounding the Cleveland Art Museum. Courtesy of The Observer Archives

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MOCA opens new fall exhibits

I think I like the Lumineers again Ern Tan Contributing Reporter

Matt Hooke Executive Editor On Friday, Sept. 13, the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (MOCA) celebrated the opening of two new exhibitions, Liu Wei’s “Invisible Cities” and Byron Kim’s “The Sunday Paintings.”

Both works explored what it means to be in a place, but in wildly different ways, that made for a great contrast. Wei’s work uses a mix of household objects and construction materials to make us rethink both the furniture and architecture around us.

Kim takes the opposite approach, instead of a grand narrative like Wei, his work focuses on the small personal story of his own life.

For 18 years, Kim has painted the morning sky every Sunday and included a small diary entry. He now has over 1,000 paintings. Kim plans to continue the series until he can’t paint anymore. The longevity and quality of the work is a testament to a disciplined ritual approach to art that offers an alternative to the romantic idea of art as sudden inspiration.

Curator Courtenay Finn faced a difficult task when choosing which paintings to display at MOCA. She had pictures of half the paintings, but only had access to the text of the other half. Finn decided on choosing paintings from every year since MOCA opened in 2012, and hanging them up in chronological order.

Forty-nine of his paintings are on display at MOCA, starting with the painting from the day before MOCA opened its current location in Uptown to the public.

“Feeling kind of shitty today,” reads the first line of the day’s entry.

The diary entries are what make “The Sunday Paintings” effective. He is writing about everyday problems, the anxiety of his daughter going to college, being lonely when traveling without his wife and trying to limit his phone use. Kim is street-level philosophy at its finest, no knowledge of metaphysics required.

Kim himself found many of the selected works to be quite melancholy.

“When I got here, the room was empty, and the paintings were up,” said Kim. “I was the only person in the room, so I decided to read them

and it was really depressing.”

“I don’t find it depressing,” responded Finn. “I find it really hopeful and very real. They feel like a life lived.”

What adds levity to the exhibit is how many of his entries are touching, honest portrayals of his daily thoughts and activities. You get an idea of what matters most to Kim, his family, based on how often his paintings talk about them.

“Today after 30 years together,” reads one painting dated Aug. 26, 2016, “Lisa and I are going to shop for rings and then take a long meandering walk through Brooklyn, [New York].”

Kim’s paintings are all done on a 14x14 canvas, the largest size that can fit in a carry-on bag. Kim avoids painting at dawn or dusk since he wants to focus on the pure blue sky with puffs of white clouds, instead of the goldens and reds that occur when the sun is near the horizon.

“I related so much to him,” said fourth-year student Brian Pang. “He was so down-to-earth and he made me realize that it takes repetition and critique to create better works of art.”

Wei’s “Invisible Cities” excelled in contrasting forms, mixing sculptures with paintings to create the feeling of buildings over the sky.

One work, “Microcosm,” with its plates of spiraling steel curling around several colored blobs, is reminiscent of the architecture of the Peter B. Lewis Building.

Wei will come to Cleveland on Oct. 11 to discuss “Invisible Cities.”

Though it would have made sense for them to speak about their art on the same day, it felt fitting to have each talk about their art separately, because their artistic visions are so different in scope. Where Wei asks us to reconsider the skyscrapers and the mountains of stuff we surround ourselves with, Kim asks us to think about the sky above our heads and the people by our side.

“These are the works I can rely on,” said Kim. “I can do them in the way I hope to do everything, just for the love of doing it.”

The Lumineers’ first album in 2012 was the album I never knew I needed. “Ho Hey,” the song that made them big, had the perfect amount of pleasing melodies, interesting lyrics and a belt-your-lungsout chorus that compelled everyone on my middle school bus to sing along. Each song on “The Lumineers” has been my favorite song at one point or another, and I still listen to the album to this day.

My love for their first album is what made their second album so disappointing. To me, “Cleopatra” seemed like a copout, a reaction to the insane amount of fame they received for their first album.

What I loved about the Lumineers, “Cleopatra” took and magnified to such extremes that it made the album unlistenable. Naturally, I was reluctant to try out their latest album “III,” released on Sept. 13.

So as I pressed play on the first song, “Donna,” I braced myself for 40 minutes of straight noise. Instead, I was met with a piano melody. The way it seemed to fall from one note to another, guiding me towards some dreamy place in the back of my mind, reminded me of the Impressionist works of Debussy—I know nothing about music, but Debussy is the one and only composer I know anything about—and I was immediately hooked.

The piano melody was pretty but melancholic, and as the lyrics came out, bitterness took over the sound.

“Donna” is a song about a reluctant mother and a dysfunctional family, and the music video pushes the emotions that catalyze the song as you follow a mother who clearly does not want to be there.

The album follows the family as this woman struggles to cope with the life that she’s fallen into, affecting everyone in her life. We hear

three distinct parts of their lives, and each part has a distinct flavor to it.

Part one, which follows the reluctant mother, starts with the slow, simple piano melodies that characterize the bitterness she feels, and builds up to a louder, faster-paced sound that is more like that of the Lumineers’ second album, representing her escape from the life she hated.

The next parts are more ambiguous with what they represent, although part two clearly follows the results of her actions. “It Wasn’t Easy To Be Happy For You,” the first song of this part, has a more pop sound and is the climax of the album, with its easy going guitar strumming that gave me “Hey Jude” vibes. Part two contains the most energetic songs of the album, taking the characteristic Lumineers sound and turning them into potential pop hits.

Part three is where the Lumineers depart most from their folk sound; “My Cell” has some blues influences, and “Salt And The Sea” utilizes an electric keyboard as opposed to the piano used in the first part, lending to a more somber sound. Part three also includes a sort of interlude, “April,” which consists of only instrumentals. Overall, I wasn’t a huge fan of part three.

The album does include a fourth part, which contains “bonus tracks,” which I assume are songs that didn’t fit with their album’s narrative. I wasn’t blown away with any of the album; if anything, I was disappointed from the very first song.

There was nothing much to complain about regarding any single piece, but none of the pieces really stood out in the first place. Overall, though, “III” is a solid album, especially if you’re missing the original Lumineers sound that made them so great.

SAGES and the CWRU Writing Program Congratulate the Following Students on their Outstanding SAGES Writing Portfolios: Victoria Bakaturski Calvin Boyle Monica Chavan Kevin Coe Marin Exler Benjamin Fletcher Anna Goff Boris Granda Nandita Gupta Brian Johnson Jan Kalinski Jeffrey Lee

Michael Menart Gavin Wu Natasha Oldford Michelle Park Kyle Parker Maya Rao Oliver Ruhl Jordin Sirody Elizabeth Spila Mihika Thapliyal Catherine Tsuei Evan Vesper Larry Wang

This award recognizes some of the best writing from those SAGES Portfolios submitted in the academic year 2018-2019. All portfolios were reviewed by a committee of faculty from across the university in May 2019. For more information about submitting your SAGES Portfolio, see http://sages.case.edu/2015/01/13/how-to-submit-asages-writing-portfolio/ To work on your own writing, please schedule an appointment with the Writing Resource Center (WRC) at https://writingcenter. case.edu/.

Visitors viewing part of Liu Wei’s “Invisible Cities” exhibit at MOCA. Matt Hooke/The Observer

Please note: if you completed your second University Seminar last Spring or Summer, or prior to that, the deadline for submitting the Portfolio is November 1, 2019. Questions? Contact SAGESPortfolio@case.edu.

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opinion

4/19/19

opinion

EDITORIAL

Case Western Reserve University’s campus identity question Editorial Board Stepping onto campus, it’s evident that Case Western Reserve University has an issue with identity.

The campus itself is split into the Mather and the engineering Quads, bracketed on either side by the much more modern Peter B. Lewis Building and the Veale Convocation, Recreation and Athletic Center buildings and cut across by the Tinkham Veale University Center, which many have termed as resembling an airport terminal. Just by looking at the buildings, CWRU struggles to define what kind of university it wants to be.

Entering university, a SAGES professor once started a class by asking his students if they were a group of Ivy League rejects. Many students can name times in class where professors try to bring up other prestigious institutions, tacking on CWRU at the end of these lists as though the university has something to prove by being on these lists. However, what the CWRU community must come to terms with is that we may never be at the top of the rankings for the top universities in the nation, but that does not have to be a marker of the success of CWRU. Initially several different universities, CWRU is an amalgamation of five older colleges, and carries part of each identity with it today. CW-

RU’s emphasis on medical education and engineering has often relegated students in the College of Arts and Sciences, which has far more majors, but significantly fewer students than the Case School of Engineering and the Francis Bolton Payne School of Nursing, to the side. At the same time, the introduction of the Baker Nord Center for the Humanities and other humanities efforts seem to signal a new focus on the humanities at CWRU. The university too often feels unfocused in its efforts, and struggles to find ways for students to connect across disciplines.

As childish as the sentiment may be, CWRU must lose its obligation to be the best as compared to other universities and instead focus its efforts into finding a cohesive identity and creating an environment to foster that mission. As of now, the university administration seems more preoccupied with reshuffling administrators by creating new offices and dissolving others that results in no significant change for students.

If there is one word to describe CWRU, it may very well be “generic.” This university tries to be too many things at once for a campus of only 5,000 undergraduate students, and must settle on a set of values and traits that bind the student body together instead.

However, this incohesive identity does not only harm students, but also the faculty the university employs.

Students have often highlighted that CWRU has a plethora of impressive professors, who have been recognized by institutions from Forbes to the Pulitzer. The university tends to swing on a pendulum with how often they highlight professors as opposed to how well they treat their faculty.

Ultimately, a university’s priori-

ties lie in its students and its professors; this should be a place of education and discussion that centers around a campus identity that makes students proud to be alums of this university. As of now, without a strong sense of purpose and an administration that shuffles its administrators around like cards, students ultimately rely on their own merit to propel themselves forward in their academic careers.

Thwing Center’s unusual building composition highlights CWRU’s lack of identity. The Observer Archives

Taekman: Crime at CWRU Sarah Taekman Staff Columnist Ask any student on campus. I can guarantee that they can name off at least one notable Case Western Reserve University security alert they received in the past.

Ones that come immediately to mind include the robbery of the Huntington Bank in Uptown in broad daylight in Nov. 2016, the head-lamp wearing cat burglar in Apr. 2017 and the stolen personal pizza in Nov. 2017. Most of these reports featured incidents ranging from petty theft to potentially dangerous situations oncampus, with more serious incidents occurring off-campus as well.

We also remember the times that we were not alerted to campus threats. The 2017 “Facebook Killer” (also known as Steve Stephens, who shot a man on Facebook Live) was not identified as a threat to campus while the man was at large. Rumors were rampant, with students refusing to leave buildings and spreading information via social media. Students did not receive information on the situation from the school itself until hours later. Here, early criticisms of the alert system heavily emphasized the promptness of the security alerts.

Although drastic changes in campus security can be attributed to more recent and serious incidents, it has been a work in progress for multiple years so far.

Some of the earliest increased safety measures within the last four years were enacted in Nov. 2016.

Increased police patrolling, more frequent shuttle services and longer hours, and encouragement to download the CWRU Shield and Rave safety applications—these efforts were renewed throughout the academic year and into the next one.

Still, most of these changes barely registered with the campus population.

However, the most notable revamping of campus security followed the shooting of a CWRU undergraduate student in Nov. 2018.

The effects were near immediate: a press conference held by President Barbara Snyder to discuss campus safety, increased security around campus, more Safe Rides and, of course, more notifications from the campus safety alert system, Rave.

These safety alerts also changed in tone. The era of “this event occurred off campus” was over, and replaced by frequent orders to shelter in place until further notice. A wider breadth of incidents were reported, from assault, to theft, to gunshots, to traffic—CWRU students received information on any and all relevant incidents.

And now, in 2019, we receive CWRU alerts frequently enough to make knee-jerk memes about them.

But even under the jokes, there is still a new sense of concern. The uptick in security alerts has left students, parents and faculty alike feeling confused as to how safe University Circle is.

Cleveland has seldom claimed to be a “safe” city; rated to be safer than only two percent of other U.S. cities, Cleveland’s reputation precedes it. However, CWRU campus is perceived to be a relatively safe pocket of the city. Tour guides will tell you that they feel safe walking around on campus, CWRU police presence is high and late night shuttles and Safe Rides are all options for students heading home later in the day.

And yet, the frequency of security alerts during the past year has been enough to coerce my dad to jokingly suggest that I not come back this year because “the crime rate is getting so high on campus.”

This raises the question: is there actually more crime in University Circle these days, and are the crimes getting more serious? Or does it just seem that way now that we hear about it?

Looking at the CWRU Police Department’s annual security reports, the crime rate on campus has held relatively stable for the past few years. With 20 crimes in 2015, 27 in 2016 and 13 in 2017, most incidents involve burglary. In 2016 there were

six robberies, whereas 2015 and 2017 had one and two respectively.

Although the compiled data from 2018 and 2019 is not yet available, many of the archived crime logs following the shooting incident are more of the same, and at similar frequencies: underage drinking, petty theft and an armed incident here and there. While the frequency of CWRU alerts has drastically risen, the seriousness of crimes has not encountered such an increase.

Crime has always existed in University Circle—we just did not hear about it as much. Now that we do hear about it, we are on edge constantly.

So, the answer to the question of crime is that there is no definitive answer. Crime around CWRU has, in past years, been a scenario in which ignorance is bliss. However, with heightened crime reporting as requested in the wake of recent, more serious incidents, we are getting a clear look at the reality of crime in the city.

We now get the level of security alerting we should have been receiving from the start, but it must be said that it has its consequences on our consciousnesses.

Sarah Taekman is a fourth-year pre-medical student studying origins sciences. She is so, so old.

opinion 9

observer.case.edu

Sabhnani: Why you should expect more from Leutner Nivriti Sabhnani Contributing Columnist “Freshman 15.” These are often the two scariest words a first-year student can hear from anyone besides “You’ve failed.” This phenomenon is one that has been popularized throughout universities in the United States as a rite of passage most freshmen go through during their first year. Even as an international student, I was aware of this phrase, and vehemently denied the claims of any family or friends who said that I’d return home 15 pounds heavier during the winter break. However, I soon discovered that besides the low nutritional value of food, I needed to worry about the way religion impacted the way I could eat.

In my short time here at Case Western Reserve University, I’ve eaten at most places that are within walking distance of the North Residential Village (NRV) or the quad, including the standard dining hall for NRV, Leutner Commons.

This dining hall is home to a wide va-

riety of substandard food, available for a meal swipe worth $17.95. However, what offends me is not the lack of taste, but rather the absence of consideration for individuals with dietary restrictions specific to their religion. Although the meal plan for students eating halal and kosher exists, that doesn’t prevent the staff from using the same utensils used to stir-fry beef, chicken, pork and tofu.

This impacts all individuals who are Hindu or Muslim or live by other religiously constrained diets and cannot eat foods that have contacted certain ingredients. Some might say there is a simple solution to this problem, which is to simply ask for your food to be cooked in a different pan. While this is an option, students are often afraid of speaking up in order to avoid annoying the staff. While there is an immense pressure associated with cooking for a large group of people with different specifications, I do believe that a solid

organizational framework for staff and students can aid in increasing the efficacy and ethics of the food preparation and serving process.

Feeling too afraid or intimidated to request food that students pay a significant amount of money for should not deter students from practicing their religions. To help bridge the gap between culinary staff and students on campus, the Diversity 360 and cultural sensitivity training modules should extend beyond Discover Week to other staff members at CWRU. These trainings will help bridge the gap between students and faculty in terms of cultural and religious understanding, and they will foster a stronger community on campus.

Although students should understand that running the dining halls for over 5,000 students across campus is no small feat, students should also have the space to live by the rules of their

respective religions. Food service on campus is a major part of this, especially at Leutner, which services over 1,300 first-year students still adjusting to life away from home, where they should not have to sacrifice religious beliefs and practices for the sake of others’ convenience.

Is the only barrier between us and acceptance one utensil away? The answer is that it is never this simple. This policy change must be accompanied by social change on campus to better accommodate religious students, which must be adopted across campus, or it might as well have not been enacted at all. We should all expect more from our campus in protecting our basic rights to religion, rather than prioritizing efficiency in auxiliary services.

Nivriti Sabhnani is a biomedical engineering major with an intense passion for pop tarts and organized checklists.

The duology of Catholicism Emily Young Development Editor Accusations of sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic church are not new. The problem was not committed by a few “lone wolves” or even a recent development in our nation.

I remember a few years ago when I first heard of the allegations levied against the Church, of which I was a member of since my baptism at two weeks old. Of course, I was horrified and in a state of disbelief. But a small part of me wasn’t surprised that such evil could exist in my world, even in a place that strives to be virtuous like the Catholic church. The church has always been good to me, but I have come to expect stories of pain and terrible deeds in my life.

Sexual abuse scandals have plagued the church for decades, but they are only just beginning to be addressed by the nation. Thanks to a new set of laws passed in the state of New York, scores of new lawsuits have been filed

against the Roman Catholic Church and the Boy Scouts of America, among other organizations.

Just this week, The New York Times did a piece on Bishop Richard J. Malone, head of the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo—a particularly large group of Catholics. Malone kept a written record of priests accused of sexual abuse and did nothing. As of Wednesday night, Malone still had not resigned despite calls for his removal by the priests and parishes of the Dioceses.

Malone is not unique. His story serves as a stark reminder of the profound pain members of the Church have inflicted on its members. There are members of the clergy who took advantage of students left in their charge, altar boys whose first experience of activism in the Church was abuse at the hands of its leaders and adults still traumatized today by too-

familiar touches that turned into inappropriate sexual relations.

There exists a split in my mind.

Half of my mind knows that my Church, the center of my faith, has been hiding these horrors allowing them to happen for decades.

But the other half can’t help but remember a community that has always treated me kindly and welcomed with open arms.

I remember receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation as a second grader and feeling a profound relief that came from admitting my darkest sins and being told that I am forgiven. That feeling was the same every time I went back. I was met without judgment and reminded that I am not bad, only human.

I remember my friends becoming altar servers and hiking up their white robes as they climbed up and down the altar. I had to hide a smile

every time when they started fidgeting in front of the congregation while holding up the liturgical books for the priest to read from.

I remember the time I got sick at a Church event and sitting with the deacon while I waited for my parents to pick me up. He gave me a coat to wear to combat my fever and sat with me for 30 minutes, trying to keep my spirits up.

My memories don’t erase all the evil that has been festering within the Catholic church. But they help to remind me that not everyone is evil.

The actions of others, no matter how terrible, do not define me or my religion. But that evil has hurt too many people, and it cannot be ignored any longer. The Catholic church is facing a long road to recovery. They need to earn the trust of their parishioners and the public before they can be the force for good that I remember them to be.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Why you ask? Attorney General William Barr purposely limited the scope of the inquiry with the approval of Senate Republicans on the Senate Judiciary committee and surely, the White House. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell said as much in ramming through Kavanaugh’s confirmation.

If these allegations are true, and at this point and due to the AG Barr, conspirator of silence, perhaps the Republicans have now succeeded in placing the second sexual predator

on SCOTUS.

Thank you, Matt. Enjoyed reading it. I have a Google Alert on anything about Ecuador, and your article showed up. I have dual citizenship, Ecuador, USA. I voted in Quito in the March elections.

Dear Editor: According to the New York Times, Deborah Ramirez and Max Stier, as well as perhaps some 20 plus others, came forward to describe Kavanaugh sexual acts and peculiarities.

None were interviewed by the FBI. Only Christine Ford was allowed to testify at Brett Kavanaugh’s Senate confirmation hearing for becoming a justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

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 at (216) 302-4442 or e-mail observer-ads@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 and Instagram @cwruobserver.

Gerald Maxey Farmington Hills, Michigan

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Regards,

In response to Editor’s Note: My Hispanic heritage Matt Hooke, Executive Editor September 13, 2019

Pedro Levy Pelham, Massachusetts (where the Shays’ Rebellion started)

the observer

established in 1969 by the undergraduate students of case western reserve university executive editor & publisher MATT HOOKE directors of print WON HEE KIM & NATHAN LESCH directors of design RYAN YOO director of web & multimedia JACKSON RUDOFF director of business operations SARAH PARR layout designer LESLIE SERN social media editor DALLAN GOLDBLATT web editor PRESTON WILLIS photo editor CHRIS HEERMANN advertising manager JUSTIN HU accounts manager SHIVANI GOVANI marketing manager BRADLEY SCHNEIDER

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10

sports

9/20/19

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Men’s tennis make their mark

Claire Keanna

Medha Nayak Sports Editor

Niko Kamlet Staff Reporter Claire Keanna is a second-year runner on Case Western Reserve University’s cross country team.

While she did not see the course too often her first year, she looks to build with a strong sophomore campaign while supporting the entire team. Outside of running, Keanna has a passion for biology and is currently working towards a degree in it.

With the little free time she has, Keanna loves to spend time in nature.

What is your favorite part of being on the cross country team? Why? Definitely the people. I came from a really close-knit high school team and I was really hoping to find that at CWRU. It’s gone beyond my expectations; the men’s and women’s teams are really just one big group, and it feels like you’re part of a family. They’ve been great resources in terms of classes and just transitioning to going to school far from home. I haven’t been able to race much over the past year due to injury, but the team has been super supportive through everything.

Where did you get your passion for running? Any good stories?

Initially, I didn’t want to run (my mom had to push me out of the car at my first high school practice), but over time I grew to love it. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve appreciated more and more just being able to go for a run and clear out my thoughts and spend time outside. Probably my favorite running story was from my senior year of high school, when one of my classmates passed away suddenly, 48 hours before our conference meet. Despite grief, my teammates and I were able to push through and nearly win the meet. It reminded me of the power of running and community, and it remains in my mind as one of my most special running-related moments.

Do you have any meets that you remember being particularly special? Why? Experiencing the dual (our annual indoor meet against Carnegie Mellon) last year was super special. Everyone’s super hyped up and supporting each other. I think men’s triple jump was the last event happening and everyone on the team, who was done with their events and could’ve easily gone home, stuck around and cheered. It really showed me the camaraderie between the different event groups, despite them not practicing together much.

Read the full article at observer.case.edu

This weekend, the men’s tennis team opened their season at the Villanova Invitational. The tournament lasted three days, from Sept. 13-15, and took place in Pennsylvania. This is the first time that the Spartans have competed in this tournament. The Invitational featured a number of Division I tennis teams.

The tournament had two 16-team draws and featured doubles matches. After a doubles match, each of the players played a singles match. The team that won at least two matches would advance to the next round. The Spartans’ competitors for this season are fourth-year Sam Concannon; third-year players Matthew Chen, Earl Hsieh and Aris Jhaveri; second-year players Aaron Umen and Max Vicario; and first-years James Hopper and Diego Maza.

At the tournament this weekend, Hopper was recognized as the UAA Athlete of the Week for all of men’s tennis for his outstanding performance last weekend. He won every match he played with teammate Chen. At his first college game, Hopper won an impressive record of 4-0 in both his singles and doubles matches. He faced Division I tennis competitors and won the championships with Chen.

Concannon and Umen placed seventh in the primary draw and Jhaveri and Hsieh received fifth place in the second flight. Vicario and Maza got ninth place in the second flight. Case Western Reserve University’s men’s ended the tournament with a record of 11-5 doubles play and 22-9 in singles play.

In the 2018-2019 season, the men’s tennis team was ranked number 12 against all NCAA Division III teams. They ended the season with a strong record of 21-9. Additionally, the men’s tennis team ended the season ranked fifth in the Central division. Last year’s singles players, Chen and Umen also received numerous accolades individually.

Chen was ranked 30th against all singles players in Division III and ninth amongst all singles players in the central division, while Umen ended the season ranked number 25 amongst players of the central region.

CWRU’s men’s tennis team also had two teams

of doubles players to be ranked on the ITA’s final Central Region rankings. The team of then thirdyear Anthony Kanam and second-year Jonathan Powell were ranked 10th, while the team of Chen and then third-year Zach Hennessy received 14th place.

For their singles play, Chen and Umen received All-UAA First Team honors for their play at first and second singles. Powell also earned an AllUAA Second Team honors for his fourth/fifth/ sixth singles, and first-year Chaitanya Aduru received an honorable mention for his fifth/sixth singles. The doubles team of Chan and Hennessy earned an All-UAA Second Team honors for their second doubles play, and the team of Aduru and Umen received an honorable mention for their third doubles play.

The Spartans, as a team, received the All-Academic Team Award and ITA’s Regional Community Service Award for their community outreach and service efforts.

The 2019 team is coached by Head Coach Todd Wojtkowski. Since his time serving as the head coach, he has made a significant impact on the team making the Spartans one of the best teams in the Athletic Division III conference. Wojtkowski was selected as Head Coach on Aug. 25, 2008.

For the first five years, he coached both the men’s and women’s tennis teams. At the time he started, both teams were unranked. Within a short time, Wojtkowski made the teams some of the best in the division once he established new playing techniques and strategies. Under his leadership, the Spartans have qualified for the championships three times.

CWRU’s men’s tennis team will be playing next this weekend at Rocket Invitational in Toledo, Ohio and the Oberlin Invitational in Oberlin, Ohio.

VARSITY MEN’S TENNIS Rocket Invitational September 20 - 22, 2019 at University of Toledo

Women’s tennis perseveres Medha Nayak Sports Editor This weekend, the women’s tennis team faced very tough competition at the Kenyon Invitational at Kenyon College. The Spartans played topranked Division III teams in Gambier, Ohio. The women’s tennis team finished with a doubles record of 6-3 and a singles score of 19-13.

Third-year Trisha Sundaram was the leading player at the invitation, earning a score of 2-1 in singles play and coming in second in bracket A. Sundaram made it to the semifinals but lost to Carnegie Mellon University in the finals.

Third-year Madeleine Paolucci received third place in Flight A. Third-year Mira Amin and firstyear Shreya Ramani each scored 2-1 in Flight C bracket as they won their opening rounds. They dropped the next round, but ended up winning their final rounds of the tournament.

First-year Nina Hoog and second-year Nidhi Jha lost their opening matches in the Flight D bracket, but they both earned wins in the next two rounds and received a score of 2-1 in singles play.

For doubles play, Sundaram and third-year Nicole Cardwell won first place in Bracket B. Their record was 8-2 in the opening round and an 8-3 in the final round. Paolucci and first-year Savannah Bright won the close matches with scores of 8-6 and 8-7 in Flight A. Second-year Shreyaa Mukund and Hoog won with a score of 8-3 on a match before losing 8-4 in Flight D. The women’s tennis team will be back playing this Thursday, Sept. 19 through Saturday, Sept.

21. The Spartans will be playing in Kalamazoo, Michigan for the ITA Central Region Fall Championships.

VARSITY WOMEN’S TENNIS ITA Central Region Championships September 19 - 21, 2019 at Kamalamazoo College

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Volleyball looks to reverse course, prepare for UAA action Andrew Ford Staff Reporter It was a tough week for the Case Western Reserve University women’s volleyball team.

In their last five contests, the Spartans lost four, one against University of Mount Union and three at the DoubleTree Invitational at Carnegie Mellon University.

The match against Mount Union was one of the team’s most competitive this season. The Purple Raiders took two of the first three sets, putting the Spartans’ backs against the wall, but CWRU squeaked out a 25-23 victory to send the game to a winner-take-all fifth set.

Unfortunately, Mount Union proved to be barely too much, winning the set 16-14.

Third-year middle hitter Katie Kaminski had a spectacular game, finishing with 17 kills on 35 attempts and only one error. Fourthyear setter Faith Ellis contributed 25 assists.

CWRU spent Sept. 13 and 14 in Pittsburgh for the Carnegie Mellon Invitational. They opened the weekend against Susquehanna University, losing the next three sets after winning the first 26-24. The Spartans’ serve receive struggled in this match, much like it had earlier in

the season, with 11 serve-receive errors. Fourth-year middle hitter Haley Sims led the team with 11 kills, while fourth-year outside hitter Karley King and first-year right side hitter Gianna Lambert each had ten.

The story was much of the same in the match against the University of Scranton.

CWRU won the first two sets, but just couldn’t hold the momentum and lost in five sets. Kaminski had a team-high 13 kills, and fourth-year outside hitter Brianna Lemon had 11 kills and nine digs. Third-year libero Anna Jaskoviak added 23 digs.

On the second day of matches, CWRU lost to the 13th-ranked Hope College in four sets. Yet again, serve-receive recorded 11 errors.

Third-year defensive specialist Jana Giaquinto finished with 11 digs.

Sims had 13 kills.

The Spartans finally got in the win column with the final game of the weekend. They beat Washington & Jefferson College 25-10, 25-8 and 25-18. Ellis led the team with 16 assists. Offensively, the team had a solid .323 kill percentage, and on defense CWRU had no serve-receive errors.

After the weekend, Head Coach

Karen Farrell believes that the team should work on improving their consistency, “I think we continue to play very well in spurts but have trouble maintaining consistency throughout the entire match. We give up points in runs by compounding unforced errors and find ourselves in a hole trying desperately to dig back into sets,” said Farrell.

The Spartans will begin the UAA

action this weekend on Sept. 21 and 22 at Brandeis University.

VARSITY WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL UAA Round Robin #1 September 21 - 22, 2019 at Brandeis University

Volleyball eaked out a 25-23 victory against Mount Union on Sept.

11. Courtesy of CWRU Athletics

Women’s soccer continues scorching hot start David Chang Staff Reporter The Case Western Reserve University women’s soccer team remained undefeated this weekend, improving their record to 6-0-0. The Spartans had another shutout at home, beating Albion College 4-0, and then traveling to Michigan and coming out on top against Adrian College 3-2 in overtime. The team’s strong start has them ranked 22nd by United Soccer Coaches.

Not a minute into the game, second-year Anika Washburn took a

shot, but it was saved. The Spartans continued to be aggressive, taking another two shots and a header but were all too wide. At the 22nd minute, fourth-year Kimberly Chen took a corner kick from the right and weaved the ball to a trailing secondyear defender Lizzie White for the header. White got the first step of the defender marking her and ran towards goal, directing the ball into the top left corner of the goal out of the keeper’s reach.

CWRU women’s soccer has started the season 6-0-0. Courtesy of CWRU Athletics

Chen leads the team this season so far with four assists. With two minutes remaining in the second half, Albion played with a sense of urgency to even the score, relentlessly going after the ball. The opposing defense forced the Spartans to rapidly move the ball around, which eventually found first-year Aniya Hartzler deftly stutter-stepping, faking a pass and stringing the ball to first-year Maia Sethi running past a defender and shooting it right in front of the keeper for her first career goal.

Washburn took a free-kick after an Albion foul, curving the ball from the 20-yard line right into the opposing goalie’s hands. Since the ball was so slippery, the ball fumbled out and second-year Christina Hickinson chipped it into the goal while avoiding the diving keeper’s face. Hickinson and Anika celebrated the 3-0 lead with their signature handshake and a small dab. To add the cherry on top, first-year Merry Meyer found Hickinson in front of the goalbox, who slightly boxed out her defender to receive the pass, then created separation for the close shot at goal. Hickinson iced the game 4-0 with 10 minutes remaining.

Against Adrian, the Spartans drew first blood when Meyer connected with second-year Kat Rebele for the header off a corner kick for Rebele’s first collegiate goal. Adrian fired back and tried to even the score, attempting 10 shots and four corners in

the first half, but fourth-year keeper Lauren Unterborn anchored the defense well.

In the second half, Adrian evened the score 2-2, breaking the Spartans’ five-game shutout streak. In the last three minutes, a foul by Adrian gave the Spartans a free kick. Washburn weaved the ball to Hickinson but the ball barely chipped the top of the post. In overtime, the Spartans had possession of the ball from kickoff, with Hartzler playing ring around the rosie with two defenders before passing it to second-year midfielder Taylor Bova, who stringed it to Hickinson at the center of the box.

Hickinson went for the shot but was deflected by the opposing keeper.

Chen came speeding in from the left side and drove the ball for the win before the goalie could get up and block it. The reserve players ran on the court as the team celebrated with a large group hug. Chen was also honored as the Spartan Club Athlete of the Week for her performance.

CWRU will look to continue to extend their winning streak against Ohio Northern University on Friday, Sept. 20 at DiSanto Field.

VARSITY WOMEN’S SOCCER September 21 - 22, 2019 vs. Ohio Northern

sports Men’s cross country demonstrates depth while at Allegheny Chris Heermann Photo Editor Coming off an outstanding thirdplace finish at the Calvin Invitational, the Case Western Reserve University Men’s cross country team traveled to Allegheny College for the Allegheny Cross Country Classic last weekend, and registered another third-place finish. This is especially impressive considering the top eight performers at Calvin did not compete in this week’s race, and instead competed in the Varsity race at Allegheny.

The squad was led by second-year all-star performer Rahul Mikkilineni.

Mikkilineni placed 20th overall, with a time of 22:27. Close behind Mikkilineni was third-year runner Daniel Grasing with a time of 22:30, finishing 23rd. Finishing two places behind Grasing was second-year Ben Browngardt, running a 22:41 for the fourmile course. Rounding out the scorers for the Spartan men were first-years Jacob Conard and Will Dehmler with times of 23:00 and 23:14 and secondyear runners Maxwell Griesheimer and Bryden Moxley earning times of 23:03 and 23:34 respectively.

The overall spread for the men’s team was an incredible 36 seconds.

This spread demonstrates the amount of skill the men’s roster has this year.

To travel to an invitational and place so high without the usual scorers with a 1-5 spread of nearly 30 seconds is

an impressive feat.

The latest regional and national rankings have been released for the 2019-2020 season, with the Spartan runners falling from third to fourth after placing behind John Carroll University at the Calvin Invitational.

John Carroll jumped two spots, moving from fifth to third, while Trine College successfully moved into the top five after defeating DePauw University at Calvin. DePauw moved from fourth to sixth, proof of how competitive the Great Lakes Region is.

Last year, the men’s team placed fourth in the region, but still secured an at-large bid to compete in the national meet. This proved to be justified when the Spartans finished a historic 21st at the NCAA National meet in Winneconne, WI. It would be best for the Spartans to play it safe and try their hardest to finish top three in the region and get the automatic team qualification to Nationals.

While the Spartans have the ability to compete with powerhouses such as Calvin and Otterbein (first and second in the region) in the championship season, it is crucial to solidify their position early on so if the need arises, CWRU is set for an at-large bid based on their performance throughout the season. For the national rankings,

CWRU men’s dropped a staggering 10 places, from 19th to 29th. This may balance out after the All-Ohio race, where the Spartans have a chance to go head to head with the Cardinals and other highly ranked teams, but it is disheartening.

The teams will be off next weekend, before taking part in the AllOhio Championships in Cedarville,

OH on Saturday, Sept. 28.

VARSITY MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY All-Ohio Championships September 28, 2019 at Cedarville University

Men’s cross country finished third at this year’s Calvin Invitational.

Courtesy of CWRU Athletics

Women’s cross country rises in rankings Chris Heermann Photo Editor Women’s cross country had another stellar week, finishing third at the Allegheny Cross Country Classic in Meadville,

Pennsylvania. The Allegheny squad consisted mostly of runners who did not compete at last week’s Calvin Invitational,

Women’s cross country rose from ninth to fourth in the Great Lakes Regional rankings. Courtesy of CWRU Athletics

where the women’s team finished an impressive fifth among strong competition.

Finishing first for the Spartan women was third-year Cara Giannuzzi, who placed 23rd overall with a time of 20:06 for the three-mile course. Close behind was second-year Julia Kocherzat, with a time of 20:21. Next to finish was firstyear runner Cassidy Hill, who placed 28th with a 20:29. Two spots behind Hill was third-year Madison Vargo, with a time of 20:34. Another two spots behind Vargo was second-year Maddy Nacci, finishing in 20:39.

The Great Lakes Regional preseason rankings did not favor the women Spartans, placing them at a surprising ninth out of 10 ranked teams. This week’s rankings, however, placed the women’s team as fourth in the region. This was well deserved after the Spartans placed high in both the Calvin Invitational and this past week’s Allegheny Cross Country Classic.

Oberlin College and Baldwin Wallace University switched places, but they still remain first and second respectively. Third is still retained by Hope College. Otterbein University dropped from fourth to sixth, and it will be interesting to see how the

Spartans line up against the Cardinals at the All-Ohio Championships next week.

This jump in rankings brings the spotlight upon the Spartans, who now may be running with targets on their backs from the likes of John Carroll University, who remained fifth regionally, or Kenyon College, who went from unranked to seventh.

What was even more shocking than the regional jump was that the women went from being unranked to suddenly being ranked the 27th team in the nation. This is a remarkable achievement, and the reaction of other teams to the new big dog in the region should be interesting to watch throughout the season.

The teams will be off next weekend before taking part in the All-Ohio Championships in Cedarville, Ohio on Saturday, Sept. 28.

VARSITY WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY All-Ohio Championships September 28, 2019 at Cedarville University