Volume XLV, Issue 2: Aug. 30, 2013

the

volume xlv, issue 2 friday, 8/30/2013

Observer From CWRU to the

Capitol

professor named chief economist

pg. 3

CWRU ranks among Top 25 LGBT-friendly campuses Siberski, a student program assistant at the LGBT Center.

In addition, each university needs to score at least 4.5 stars or higher in the following eight general factors: LGBT Policy Inclusion, Support and Institutional Commitment, Academic Life, Student Life, Housing, Campus Safety, Counseling and Health and Recruitment and Retention Efforts.

“We are proud and honored to have been recognized for all of the hard work, at all levels, that has contributed to this high ranking. While there is always important work to be done, we are thrilled that others now know what we know— CWRU values diversity and is a great

place for LGBT students,” said LGBT Center Director Liz Roccoforte.

In order for a university to participate in Campus Pride’s index, they must “come out” and claim the label within the index itself. The index grew for the seventh consecutive year, bringing the 2011 total of 290 to almost 400 colleges.

Campus Pride says there are still many, many other colleges and universities that must “come out” as well to improve the campus environment for their students.

Campus Pride also hopes the questionnaire used to gauge the LGBT friendliness serves as a tool that universities and colleges may use to make their campuses safer all across the country.

Campus Pride, an organization known for helping colleges and universities become safer for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students, recently created their annual list of “Top 25 LGBT-Friendly Colleges and Universities” in the United States. Case Western Reserve made the list, along with universities such as Ithaca College, Princeton University, Rutgers University, The Ohio State University and University of Michigan.

The organization listed the 25 universities alphabetically instead of giving

rankings. The data collected to create the list was based off the Campus Pride Index, which allows LGBT individuals to assess their campus by answering over 50 questions spanning various catagories.

In order to make the final list, each campus achieved five stars overall in the index, as well as five stars in sexual orientation and gender identity for a LGBT-friendly campus.

“At CWRU, LGBT individuals are not just tolerated—they are celebrated. Support for the community here on campus is overwhelming and is displayed at all levels, from the students all the way up to President Snyder,” said junior Mike

News

A&E

Opinion

Sports

pg. 3 The power of introverts

pg. 10 The hidden cove of Coventry

pg. 12 CWRU housing in crisis?

pg. 16 Soccer opens on road

Tanvi Parmar Special Assignments Reporter

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news

news

CWRU applicants up 25 percent since last year Suneil Kamath Civic Engagement Reporter The number of high school students applying to attend Case Western Reserve University has exponentially increased over the past few years. In 2003, CWRU only received 4,680 applications. Ten years later, the university received over 18,000 applications, which represents an approximate increase of 285 percent. Even compared to 2012, the number of applicants for 2013 surged 25 percent. CWRU’s Director of Undergraduate Admissions Robert McCullough believes the increase in applicants can be attributed to the outstanding work the university is doing as a whole.

“While the university is doing a lot of good work to identify potential students and encourage them to apply to CWRU, the real reason why more students are applying is that this is a terrific university that is getting better every day,” McCullough said. “CWRU has a lot of the things that students are looking for: strong academic programs, mid-sized, in a city with a diverse and vibrant student population. When families come visit, they can see progress that we’re building on a strong foundation with things like the Uptown Development and the Tinkham Veale University Center.”

While the number of people applying to a school is an important trend to observe, the yield rate, or the rate of people who choose to enroll at the school, is also an important measure to gauge how students view the school. Compared to similar schools such as Carnegie Mellon, with a yield rate of approximately 30 percent, and the University of Chicago at approximately 50 percent, CWRU’s yield rate is relatively low. Over the past six years, it

By the Numbers In 2003, CWRU received 4,680 applicants. But in 2013, that total increased by 285 percent to

18,000.

However, only 17 percent of individuals accepted to CWRU attend.

In comparison, approximately

30 percent of accepted students attend Carnegie Mellon, and 50 percent of accepted students attend the University of Chicago. averaged around 17 percent.

McCullough suggested that CWRU’s yield rate is lower than its peers since CWRU does not have an early decision program, in which applicants are required to attend if they are offered admission.

McCullough also noted that CWRU’s applicant pool in recent years has been changing rather dramatically and that it has been harder to predict what the yield will be.

When asked if admissions would like to see CWRU’s applications increase by 25 percent again this year, McCullough said, “To be honest, we were a little taken by surprise that our applications grew by 25 percent last year. To be clear, this was a happy surprise. Our goal is to make sure we’re reaching out and connecting with students for whom CWRU would be a good fit.”

Fribley dining hours extended, now open until midnight Brian Sherman Campus Events Reporter Students living in the north side residential colleges have become accustomed to convenient accommodations for late night dining, with both the L3 Grill and Denny’s All Nighter to satisfy nocturnal hunger pangs. South side residents, on the other hand, have not been as lucky in the past, with the only close meal-swipe accepting dining option, Fribley Dining Hall, open only until 9:00 p.m.

However, this year, Fribley has undergone a significant change. In addition to refurbishing its patio, Fribley has extended its operating hours and now provides students with dining options from 9:00 until midnight from Sunday through Thursday, with the exception of holidays such as Labor Day. The change, prompted by requests from the Resident Hall Association Food Committee at the end of last year, hopes to provide a more convenient option for late night eating to the residents of South Side.

“The change was primarily made due to the large number of students living on south side who are still required to be on the meal plan,” explained Beth Nochomovitz, Director of Auxiliary Services, referring to the large number of students in the Class of 2016.

“Because they had options like L3 and Denny’s last year, we hoped to provide them with a late night dining option as well,” she said.

Nochomovitz also mentioned that

the change was made to reduce “crunch times,” periods which see a large number of students going out to eat, by providing increased access to the dining halls.

Though the extended hours only began this week, the program has seen a significant number of students utilizing the late night option, with approximately 50 students per night.

Because of the extended hours, Bon Appétit, the dining halls’ management company, has had to hire an additional shift of employees and has had to move a few employees from daytime shifts to nighttime shifts. According to Jim O’Brien, Resident District Manager of Bon Appétit, the additional hours should not impact the cost of the meal plans.

“This is a fun program, it extends our availability and it opens us up to a different segment of the student population,” O’Brien said. “It really should only become a problem if no one uses it.”

The late night dining options are somewhat reduced, though. At the end of the night, Fribley will scale down what stations are open, with only the grill, pizza, fries and a reduced salad bar available.

However, based on demand, other stations can be opened or closed if necessary. Bon Appétit is open to full expansion of the dining services, if they hear enough input from the students. “[The RHA Food Committee] prompted this change and we will continue to listen to them and are always open to feedback from the students,” said Nochomovitz.

CWRU School of Law makes curriculum revisions Faced with declining job prospects, changes will emphasize writing, real work job-experience Julia Bianco Staff Reporter As law schools across the country face declining admission and graduates are finding it increasingly difficult to find jobs, the Case Western Reserve University’s School of Law has decided to make sweeping changes to its curriculum, which will take effect at the start of the 2014 school year.

The goal of the new curriculum is to provide students with real-life experience to make it so that they are client-ready when they graduate. In addition to the typical law school courses on contracts, property, civil procedure and torts, students will be required to write more frequently.

Students will also be required to take leadership courses taught at the Weatherhead School of Management.

Students will begin working with clients during their first semester, and will spend at least one semester during their third year of school in an internship or clinical position to give them real-world experience before going into the workforce.

The School of Law will also begin offering free summer classes to students so that they can participate in internship programs during fall or spring semesters.

Lawrence Mitchell, dean of the School of Law, is enthusiastic about the changes.

“We have long been a leader in experiential education, but the changes

in the legal profession over the last 10 years have told us that we weren’t doing enough,” he said.

“Our students not only needed more skills, but they needed to be better educated in core competencies that they weren’t getting from their classroom education. In order to respond to the demands of employers for students who are client-ready—who possess excellent legal education, writing skills, teamwork, and leadership, we decided that it was time to do more for our students,” said Mitchell.

Mitchell, as well as a committee of other faculty and administrators, started developing the new curriculum in May. Mitchell talked to more than 70 law firm hiring partners, chief executive officers and other employers about the qualities that they looked for in potential employees.

The new curriculum was passed by the law school faculty with a vote of 35 for, three against and one abstention.

“We are putting our students in front of clients as soon as they get here. We are integrating a list of skills training so there will be a comprehensive infusion of theory and practice,” Mitchell said. “We are requiring a semester of full time work, and no other law school in the country that I’m aware of does that.”

The School of Law decided to make the change as they, and law schools around the country, faced fewer applicants and declining starting salaries for their graduates.

Courtesy Arianna Wage A student studies in the Judge Ben C. Green Law Library. The CWRU school of law will be making sweeping changes to its curriculum next school year to better prepare its graduates for an increasingly competitive job market.

According to the National Association for Law Placement, just under 85 percent of law school graduates found jobs within nine months of graduating, down from 92 percent in 2009. Graduates also saw an annual median salary of $61,245, as compared to $72,000 in 2008. According to figures by US News and World Report, the

average debt for a recent law school graduate is nearly $100,000.

The Law School Admissions council, the organization that administers the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT), says that about 66,500 individuals applied to law schools in 2012, down nearly 25 percent since 2010.

news 3

observer.case.edu

Editor’s choice

Author Susan Cain speaks at convocation about the power of introverts Tanvi Parmar Special Assignments Reporter Suneil Kamath Civic Engagement Reporter Mahatma Gandhi, Eleanor Roosevelt and Warren Buffet have at least two things in common. Not only are they individuals who have positively revolutionized society, but they are also introverts.

On Aug. 28, Susan Cain, author of the university’s common reading book “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking,” spoke about introverts and the need for their talents in society at Fall Convocation in Severance Hall.

A Princeton graduate and Harvard Law School educated author, Susan Cain has represented huge clients, such as General Electric, during her seven years practicing corporate law. As time passed, however, Cain realized she was not being true to herself because, as an introvert, she spent her time doing extroverted work. Consequently, she decided to become a writer, her true passion, and research more about personalities.

The result was her “New York Times” bestselling book. In Quiet, Cain discusses the importance of having introverts contribute their talents to society since they make up one-third to one-half of every workplace and classroom.

Cain has noted that introverts can be overlooked because society rewards those who are social and outgoing. In her book, she describes how businesses will often promote energetic, bubbly individuals over their quieter counterparts.

In her convocation address, Cain focused on three important aspects: create, lead and connect.

When talking about ‘Create’, Cain argued that schools and businesses often utilize ‘groupthink,’ or the idea that creative ideas come when many people collaborate together; however, evidence suggests that creative ideas usually come from solitude and deep thinking. Cain gave an example of J.K. Rowling, who thought about the idea for Harry Potter on a train in privacy and then spent a few more years developing the idea.

Courtesy Arianna Wage Susan Cain, author of this year’s common reading book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, makes the keynote address at this years convocation. She emphasized different ways to better work with introverts.

In discussing ‘Lead,’ Cain noted a scientific study that observed the chief executive officers of the most innovative and profitable companies. The two characteristics they noted were that the CEOs of all these companies were extremely dedicated and passionate about their work, and that they were all very thoughtful, meek and appreciated less stimulation.

In ‘Connect,’ Cain gave suggestions and tips to both introverts and extroverts on how they can become happier and work better together. For introverts, Cain said it is okay to eat alone sometimes and have time to yourself to process ideas.

And for extroverts, she suggested giving introverts time to think, and not being offended if introverts were sometimes quiet towards them.

In her speech, Cain did not discount extroverts.

“We need the talents of the bold and the gregarious,” said Cain.

Cain’s book and talk impacted several CWRU students.

Sophomore Leah Castelaz said, “As an extrovert, I was really interested in Cain’s speech. It gave me great insight, and will definitely change how I work with other individuals and introverts.”

Undergraduate Student Government President Dan Gallo also enjoyed the speech.

“Being an introvert myself, I never really thought about some of the ideas she mentioned, but when she did I could easily relate,” Gallo said.

Convocation at Case Western Reserve University is a formal ceremony that kick-starts every new academic year. At this year’s event, in addition to Cain’s talk, University President Barbara Snyder recognized Stanton L. Gerson M.D., Maxwell J. Mehlman J.D. and Dr. Robert F. Savinell as Distinguished University Professors for their impressive work and contributions to campus. Gallo and Board of Trustee chairman Chuck Fowler also gave remarks about the progress CWRU has made in the past few years.

Courtesy Arianna Wage University President Barbara Synder speaks to a crowd during Convocation at Severance Hall.

Professor named chief economist for US department of commerce Mike McKenna News Editor When the White House called Susan Helper, she knew the offer was not one she could easily refuse.

The message, which happened a year and a half ago, contained an offer for the Case Western Reserve University economics professor to serve as a senior economist at the Council of Economic Advisers, an agency within the president’s office. She served in that role for a year, and was appointed this summer to serve as Chief Economist for the the United States Commerce Department.

Helper says that she didn’t apply for the first position, but was recruited out of the blue.

“I don’t actually know how it specifically happened,” Helper said “It’s a somewhat mysterious process. Every year they are looking for people to come and spend time to work on policies. They’re looking for people who have expertise in an area that is going to be impor-

tant and are willing to be team players.”

Helper’s expertise comes in manufacturing policy and the impacts of collaborative relationships in business. Before receiving her first government appointment, the Harvard University educated professor co-authored a Brookings Institution paper about the effects of “reshoring”: bringing manufacturing jobs back to the United States.

In her position in Washington, D.C., Helper oversees 15 economists in the Department of Commerce who conduct research to help advise economic policy. Her group has already written reports discussing employment trends in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology fields, and examining the high monthly wages American manufacturing jobs offer newly hired employees despite having to compete with countries with lower labor costs.

Helper says that she has loved the opportunity to combine theory and policy, and that working in Cleveland helped prepare her for the position.

“Cleveland is a wonderful laboratory for understanding how the economy works and how things can work better,” Helper said.

“Cleveland is big enough to be important on a national scale but small enough you can know people.”

She says that highlights of her experience in Washington have included attending an inaugural ball last year, and working with true public servants: individuals with “low pay who don’t get the publicity that they deserve.”

“There are books that come out about politics and the back-biting and that goes on, but there is also a core of very hard working people that want to do the right thing,” Helper said.

However, Helper did note that lobbyists do fit the stereotype.

Helper says that the biggest change from academia has been the increased influence that has come at the cost of more limited freedom.

“One of the greatest things about being a faculty member is that you can say what

you think, but one of the downsides is that you’re just one person,” Helper said. “Being part of a bigger team and working together for an is a different thing and you have a lot more power, but you’re somewhat more limited, you can’t run off and work on your own.

While she is not serving as an official CWRU adviser during her time working at the capitol, Helper did emphasize the numerous “underrecognized” opportunities for young people in Washington. She says that students should consider Washington, D.C., when looking for internships or for recent graduates hunting for jobs.

“A lot of young people in Washington come to have influence very quickly,” Helper noted.

Helper is currently signed to a one year contract, but she says that it could be renewed for additional years. However, it is her plan to return to Cleveland and CWRU eventually. She still maintains her appointment at CWRU, and her house in Cleveland.

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news

Outside the Circle Tara Tran Contributing Reporter

Katy Witkowski Arts & Entertainment Editor

CWRU finishes fourth in top college ranking

Washington Monthly names CWRU among top schools Miley Cyrus stirs controversy in her VMA act that best contribute to the nation’s future At this year’s Video Music Awards, Miley Cyrus performed her nominated song, ‘We Can’t Stop’ with an appearance from Robin Thicke and his hit song, ‘Blurred Lines’. Many deemed this performance, which consisted of: straddling of giant teddy bears, ‘twerking’, indecent touching, lots of appearances of her tongue, and some hitting over other’s gluteus maximus, inappropriate.

Others are arguing that Cyrus was just being herself and expressing her music

through different means. Those against the performance say that it was inappropriate for the younger audience watching the awards. Others would argue that those in the younger age bracket should not even be watching the VMAs in the first place.

Cyrus’ performance registered 306,100 tweets per minute: more than the Super Bowl last year. The day of the performance, Google generated over 10 million searches for Miley Cyrus. In comparison, Syria only generated around 100,000 searches.

Apple to trade old iPhones for credit towards new iPhones Numerous reports are claiming that Apple will offer trade-ins of old iPhones to apply credit for the purchase of new iPhones. MacRumors, a blog focused on Apple news, says that company employees are undergoing training for this kickstart program.

If this program were to be implemented, it is speculated that it would initiate around September 10th, which is many believes is

the date of the release of the new iPhone.

A mail-in-rebate program similar to this exists already, but the accessibility and convenience of exchange in person makes it much more appealing.

It is believed that Apple is partnering up with Brightstar in an attempt to be more ‘green’. The old iPhones that are being traded in would be refurbished and resold throughout the world.

Mike McKenna News Editor Jumping three places from last year, for the first time in the ranking’s eight year history, Case Western Reserve University finished in the top five for The Washington Monthly’s annual ranking of the colleges that best act in the public interest.

However, in larger publications, such as Forbes and US News and World Report, which have circulation rates about 90 and 120 times greater than Washington Monthly, CWRU has received lower scores, finishing 89th in Forbes, and 37th in US News and World Report’s rankings of top colleges.

The magazine says that the ranking was created to support institutions which bring in research dollars, support low-income students, and leave graduates with less debt, and as an answer to other metrics which praise “colleges for closing their doors to all but an elite few.” The rankings judge

higher education institutions on three main categories: social mobility (support for low income individuals), research, and service.

CWRU scored especially high marks in service category, finishing sixth in percentage of federal work-study funds spent on service, 13th in the proportion of graduates who join the Peace Corps, 12th in community service participation and hours volunteered, and third in the service staff, courses, and financial aid support rank.

“We’re really honored by the award and feel like it is a great recognition for the university’s commitment to the community and the diversity of the types of service,” Director of Center for Civil Engagement and Learning Betsy Banks said.

Only University of California-San Diego, University of California-Riverside, and Texas A&M University-College Station were above CWRU in the overall rankings. CWRU finished ahead up University of California-Berkeley at fifth and Stanford University in sixth place.

More than 1,300 people lost in Syria as a result of chemical weapons The global community is currently discussing actions to be taken in regards to the use of chemical weapons on innocent civilians in Damascus, the capital and second largest city of Syria. The usage of chemical weapons is strictly banned according to the Geneva Protocol in response to the occurrences in World War I. Many countries are currently awaiting the results from a UN inspection, which is investigating the details regarding the

chemicals, but some U.S. officials are pressing for military action and may not wait for these outcomes. Secretary of State John Kerry states that the pictures and information released so far "should shock the conscience of the world."

The United States, Great Britain, France and Israel are all suggesting a military response against the Syrian regime. Germany stated that it would follow suit if the UN inspection confirms the chemical allegations.

Cleveland frowns again: Browns’ owner’s company caught in another lawsuit After the Federal Bureau of Investigations raided Pilot Flying J headquarters in Knoxville, Tenn. in April, Cleveland Browns’ owner Jimmy Haslam’s company faces a scandalous number of lawsuits claiming that it withheld fuel rebates to trucking companies for years, and potentially owes the various truckers millions of dollars.

Now over 20 truckers are calling for rightful reimbursement after falling victim to the fraud scheme. According to one of Haslam’s spokesmen, a small group of employees have taken responsibility for the crime, and thus far seven

have pleaded guilty.

Haslam is said to not have any knowledge of the fraud. However, the FBI’s 120-page affidavit states that Haslam and company president Mark Hazelwood were apart of sales meetings in which the same rebate program was discussed. According to the lawsuit filed by NKC Transportation of Kansas City, the Brown’s owner’s company even kept spreadsheets outlining the amount owed to customers and the amount actually paid. Much like the football team, the owner’s family business doesn’t quite perform on par.

On the Beat On the Beat is a weekly safety column written by Sergeant Jeffrey Daberko and Officer Mark (The Crossing Guard) Chavis of CWRU PD. We welcome questions, suggestions and gripes/groans/moans/ complaints about campus life at policecolumn@case.edu.

The CWRU Police Department would like to say welcome back to all our returning students and faculty - the staff never really leaves, we just hibernate - and special welcome to the class of 2017. Welcome to Cleveland, welcome to CWRU. Now get ready for your first quiz, it’s coming sooner than you think!

September is a busy month for everyone. The first six weeks of college are often

police blotter termed the “Red Zone “as college students are most likely to become victims of crime during this time. Here are some tips as you settle in to life in Spartanland.

First things first-the number to the CWRU PD dispatch center is 216-3683333. This number is answered 24/7. Put it in your cell phone and use it whenever necessary; call us if you need immediate help, a police report, want to report suspicious activity or anything else you might need. Recommendations on the best pizza in town are extra.

Wherever you came from originally, you are now in University Circle, a busy urban area with heavy vehicle traffic. As a pedestrian pay attention to your surroundings and follow traffic signals &

signs. Don’t do the Case shuffle: electronics stuffed in ears, eyes fixed firmly on toes, oblivious to the zombie horde coming up behind you. Be aware of your surroundings.

If you are a cyclist, follow the rules of the road if you are on the street and use bike lanes on campus when you can. Be aware pedestrians on campus walkways often can’t hear you coming up from behind them at Mach 3, so use a little common sense and courtesy. We’ll have more on bikes in future columns.

When moving around the Circle late at night use the shuttle bus system, the Safe Ride vans (saferide@case.edu or 216-3683000 to get to the automated dispatch system), or walk with friends.

8/19/13 to 8/26/13 8/19- Petty theft- Pipes taken from construction site, Mandel Center.

8/20- Bicycle theft- Two juveniles arrested on stolen bikes, Euclid/ Mayfield Road.

8/23- Bicycle theft- Bike taken from rack/cable, lock cut, Lot 55.

8/24- Criminal trespass- Suspicious male observed near residence hall by students, male fled at the approach of CWRU security officer. Area of Howe House.

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Crossword Puzzle Across 1. Fur 5. Slack-jawed 10. A style of design 14. Diva’s solo 15. Work animals 16. Distinctive flair 17. Transfer 19. Joke 20. Charged particle 21. Donnybrook 22. Small lizard 23. Speech 25. Plot of land 27. Barely manage 28. Realization 31. Wild Asian dog 34. Explosion 35. Half of a pair 36. Nobleman 37. Give a speech 38. Ancient Peruvian 39. Offer 40. Illegal activity 41. Something of value 42. 3-wheeler 44. Website address 45. Twangy, as a voice

46. Smiled contemptuously 50. Begin 52. Classical Greek 54. French for “Friend” 55. Sea eagle 56. Dwelling 58. Agreeable 59. Positive pole 60. Initial wager 61. One who accomplishes 62. Horse 63. End ___ Down 1. Terrace 2. Mistake 3. Tropical vine 4. Buff 5. Current amount 6. Arroyo 7. Wings 8. Pass into or through 9. Eastern Standard Time 10. Demoralize 11. Votes 12. Keg 13. Savvy about

18. A cloud of fine particles 22. Pace 24. Express in words 26. Ploy 28. Blaze 29. A single time 30. Tidy 31. Money owed 32. Found on most heads 33. Regulation 34. Bright 37. Killer whale 38. Small island 40. Vesicle 41. Betel palm 43. Profession 44. Together 46. Malicious 47. Showers 48. Overact 49. Restaurant 50. Transmit 51. Threesome 53. Double-reed woodwind 56. Possesses 57. Letter after sigma

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Kate Hart Ray Krajci

Now this is not the end.

It is not even the beginning of the end.

actor apprentice barter block brand coach custom defame drama east false fatal force

front hound instruct level libel local novice place profession pupil rank reef retail

rolls sage shadow shuttle slide tale trace track tramp tumble usage wagon wren

But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.

-Winston Churchill

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arts & entertainment

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Run The Jewels

Jason Walsh Music Critic Artist: Run The Jewels Album: Run The Jewels Rating: 4 / 5 The times, they are a-confusin’ when it comes to the rap world. Way back in 2011, it seemed like Kanye West and Jay-Z were establishing some hip hop hegemony. Kanye had just released the magnum opus that is “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,” and the two of them came together on “Watch The Throne” to claim themselves as the kings of hip hop.

Since then, though, things have changed significantly. Kanye released “Yeezus” this summer, an album some critics have called “anti-pop,” others have called “experimental” or “minimalist,” and most have called great - seemingly just because they don’t know what else to say about it.

Meanwhile, Hov has descended into full on art-collecting-rap with “Magna Carta Holy Grail,” an album that could not be less relatable.

With Kanye and Jay-Z both stepping sideways (if not down) this summer, there’s nobody clearly at the top of the hip hop world. That set the stage for Kendrick Lamar’s guest appearance on Big Sean’s “Control,” in which he calls

out a dozen of his contemporaries by name, challenges hip hop to renew its old emphasis on lyricism and competition and then proceeds to call himself the King of New York (he’s originally from Compton).

Rappers, rap journalists and fans obligatorily responded by freaking out on the Internet.

Although “Run The Jewels,” the new collaboration from El-P and Killer Mike, came out earlier in the summer than “Control,” it feels like a direct response.

The two have worked together before, most notably on Killer Mike’s 2012 effort “R.A.P. Music” (El-P produced the whole thing) and El-P’s 2012 album “Cancer 4 Cure” (Killer Mike dropping guest verses).

El and Mike clearly have a lot of chemistry and enjoy recording together; “Run The Jewels” sounds like 30 minutes of each one trying to outdo the other on the mic. “Run The Jewels” is pretty much nothing but Mike and El going for each others throats and for the throats of the rap world at large, something they have both been doing since the 90s.

The tone is set on the first and title track. El gives us “I don’t wanna sound unkind but the sounds I make are the sounds of the hounds that are howlin’ / under your bed I’m here growling, same time under the blanket you’re cowering.”

Then, without missing a single beat, Mike

jumps in with “Cowering like cowards cowering on concrete showers in Rikers Island.” There are more internal rhymes than you can count on this thing.

Next track “Banana Clipper” embodies the entire album’s aesthetic. For three solid minutes, El and Mike trade verses without so much as a chorus, hook or even a few beats in between. El issues a challenge to the competition: “You wanna hang? Bring your throat / I got stools and a rope.” Mike attempts to cram more syllables in his verse than El did. And repeat.

Fourth track “DDFH” changes topics a little bit; instead of wack MCs, Mike rails against power hungry cops. We get some of the political Killer Mike that was in full effect on “R.A.P. Music,” and El’s verse is also pointed and political.

Up next is “Sea Legs,” though, and we’re right back into the ring. Taking aim at the top, Mike spits out “there will be no respect for thrones” before going on to claim “I stand on towers like Eiffel, I rifle all your idols” and threaten to make lesser rappers “perish in Paris.”

Halfway through the album, we get a little bit of a breather with “Job Well Done,” where Mike and El basically claim to have caused the rap apocalypse. One of the few songs with an actual chorus, they bring in a guest artist to sing “So I think we’ve burned our bridges, but it’s difficult to tell / I’ve been walking through the ashes saying didn’t we do well?’”

And then El drops what I think is probably some of the most creative bragging ever put to wax, including “monks won’t immolate themselves until the record hits the shelves,” “yetis walk right out the woods to cop it without thinking about it,” “the bass makes a whale off the coast scream ‘Y’all gotta stop!” and “emperors that hear the tunes admit that they are nudists.”

The rest of the album finishes up in more or less the same way. “No Come Down” takes a quick break from braggadocio for some sex-and-drug-experiences rap, “Get It” finds Killer Mike threatening that “Mike’ll fuck a rapper’s life up like Mo’Nique did to Precious,” “Twin Hype Back” has a guest appearance from Prince Paul which feels like a little bit of a misstep

and things slow down for the finale of “A Christmas Fucking Miracle” where Mike and El remember the past and complain about the present of the music industry.

The greatest strength of this record should be clear just from the format of this review: it is endlessly quotable, incredibly lyrical, overflowing with unbelievably technical rapping and hypercompetitive, both between Mike and El and the rest of the rap world.

In some ways, this is also its downfall.

Like no other rap album in recent memory (not including El and Mike’s solo work), “Run The Jewels” requires active listening.

If you’re not sitting down and reading the lyric sheet (which, unsurprisingly, comes as a PDF when you get the album), “Run The Jewels” is not really any fun.

There are no catchy hooks or choruses, the beats are standard El-P fare but don’t compel you to dance or anything and both of them rap so quickly that you have no hope of keeping up. On ‘36” Chain,’ maybe the best song on the album, Mike spits out 250 words in the first 80 seconds. There’s so much internal rhyming, repetition, dense references and more that you’ll be lost if you’re not reading along. Five-plus times of listening and reading, I still find myself pausing, rewinding and rereading to be able to know what’s happening.

As a statement of competition, “Run The Jewels” is also a mixed success. I’m pretty comfortable with saying Killer Mike and El-P are both better lyricists and maybe even rappers than the vast majority of mainstream artists. If those were the only two criteria by which we judged hip hop, they should be Kanye and Jay-Z. But after listening to “Run The Jewels,” you realize why it could never work. They constantly position themselves as underappreciated, outsiders and underdogs. If they ever got the success they probably deserve, who could they rail against?

If you want the lyrical, competitive and technically impressive rap Kendrick seems to think we all do, then you can’t find anything better than “Run The Jewels.”

Sit down, read along and be blown away.

However, if you want something fun to put on at a party, you’re better off with Kanye and Kendrick for now.

Courtesy ytimg.com and wpmedia.blogs.theprovince.com

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Courtesy walesonline.co.uk Vintage Trouble took the Grog Shop’s stage by storm last Saturday, Aug. 24. The emotion-packed, two hour concert evoked significant audience participation.

A vintage feel, no trouble here Anne Nickoloff Music Reporter “Thank you for participating,” yelled sweaty singer Ty Tylers, a smile halfconcealed by his microphone.

Audience members yelled back, thrusting their hands (most of which held beer cans) into the thick concert air.

All those uprised fists and alcohol were the ultimate thumbs up to the music, signalling that the band did what it was supposed to do.

Vintage Trouble rushed into “Blues Hand Me Down” and walked off the stage for what could have been the end of the show.

However, at 11:45 p.m., the night was still young at the Grog Shop.

Instantly, the crowd erupted with applause. Some were dancing to the song that had just ended. Some were discussing the show with complete strangers. Some were fist-pumping the air, still running off of adrenaline from the preceding hour. But none of them were ready to leave.

The members of Vintage Trouble filed back onto the stage as quickly as they had left it, taking on two more songs before ending the exciting night.

It was easy to forget the opening act’s issues after experiencing Vintage Trouble’s comfortable stage presence.

When I arrived at the Grog Shop, DJ Charles McGaw had his equipment set up in the middle of the stage and seemed

good to go. Usually bar concerts will start anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes after their scheduled starting time, so as McGaw fiddled with his equipment and downed a couple of drinks, I had no worries.

The next half hour passed, and I thought maybe he would start playing.

But no dice.

Music was playing in the background, but it just seemed like a playlist. I’m fairly certain he was not performing, maybe because some technical difficulties got in his way, and the Grog Shop put together some music in the meantime.

Ninety minutes passed before there was any news of a performance, and it never seemed to bother the beer-clinking crowd.

Personally, I was starting to get antsy, so to kill time, I walked around the Grog Shop to get an idea of what Vintage Trouble’s fans, appropriately dubbed “Troublemakers,” were like. While I stood in a back hall to take note of the sticker-plastered walls, a 30-something chick approached me and asked where the bathroom was, telling me, “I gotta put these on!” while proudly displaying a bunched-up pair of Vintage Trouble panties in her left hand.

Though the Grog Shop is a smaller venue, it was packed for the show. People were lucky if they found seats while they waited, especially if it was by the bar.

I waited near the back of the venue, but knew when the band had taken the stage by the crowd’s response. Four well-dressed men decked out in 50’s style wardrobe

prepared to play, and their assortment of neckties, hats and drab suits amazingly brought a new feel to the Grog Shop; a vintage feel.

The audience lost its mind as they pushed off the show with “Pelvis Pusher.”

Tyler engaged the crowd with his offthe-wall dancing, and as he spun around on the stage with more confidence than I could ever muster, it felt like he was dancing with each and every one of us.

Soon, everyone sang right along with the repetitive phrase, “One, two, three, push your pelvis with me.”

Tyler chatted with the crowd, telling stories about the band’s rise to fame, the need for love in a cruel world, the story of his parents meeting and even a few humorous anecdotes about accidentally mixing up the words “Cleveland” and “Columbus” at a venue days before.

Instead of just standing there singing, Tyler whipped the microphone stand into the air several times, flinging it above his head while he screeched out the highest of notes. His knack for ridiculous dancing had him jumping up and down, spinning in circles, and waving his hands high in the air.

It was a Renaissance of 50’s fast dance. Later, he walked through the crowd with his microphone and jumped up on top of the bar to get through the last song of the night.

At one point, he had the entire audience lower themselves down to the floor, and I felt like a college student in

that scene from Animal House where everyone dances to “Shout” by Otis Day and The Knights… …except for the fact that my friend and I were the only two college students there; the rest of the audience were mostly well past their thirties, some well past retirement too.

Regardless of age, everyone was moving to the music. There was plenty of fun dancing, and also a few chances to slow dance.

Each member of Vintage Trouble put all their emotions into performing their songs. Guitarist Nalle Colt squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his teeth, pulling physical expressions out of his long guitar solos. His playing was modest, unlike a lot of modern anthem solos, and based off of audience whoops and claps, inspiring to everyone there. I caught bassist Rick Dill singing along with his parts as he stretched over the bass guitar, practically pulling each note out of the instrument with every movement.

The band put on a great show not by playing a few ditties, but by truly involving the audience. Very rarely have I experienced such a connection with live music—each performer bravely shared themselves through their instruments, letting everyone understand the emotion that went into each song. Whether it was bouncy, depressing or sexy, Vintage Trouble understood what it meant to have musical variety and executed it into something almost indescribable.

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Simon Pegg’s return to the big screen:

‘The World’s End’

Lily Korte Film Critic

At long last, the Cornetto Trilogy is complete! If those words mean nothing to you, maybe these words will: the creative team behind “Shaun of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz” have finally made another movie. The trio of films—jokingly named after a brand of ice cream that makes recurring cameo appearances throughout the trilogy—are the work of writer/director Edgar Wright and writer Simon Pegg. They began work on “Shaun of the Dead,” the first film in the trilogy, shortly after the end of the television show “Spaced,” which they had both worked on previously. “Shaun of the Dead” featured a lot of the same actors from “Spaced,” most notably Nick Frost, and also featured Wright’s signature exaggerated-directorial style, as visually distinct in its big-screen incarnation as it had been on television. “Hot Fuzz” followed in 2007, and both it and its predecessor were critical and commercial successes in their native Britain, as well as in North America. After the successes of the earlier films, the continued absence of a new film from Wright and Pegg had been frustrating for fans, but will

“The World’s End” give them much to celebrate after the agonizing wait?

The main plot concerns a bunch of middle-aged men, reuniting for the first time in years to attempt a massive pub crawl in their hometown that they were unable to complete in their youth.

Dubbed “The Golden Mile”, the feat consists of having a pint at each of twelve specific bars within a night, finishing, appropriately enough, at one entitled “The World’s End”. Drug-addled manchild Gary King (Simon Pegg) is the primary organizer of the event, but early into the evening it becomes evident that pub crawls are not quite the same when the participants are all pushing 40 years old; Gary’s friends are now largely married, employed, middle-class yuppie types. If they have all changed by becoming more traditional and boring as they aged, King has annoyed the rest of them by refusing to change at all, still as immature and impulsive as ever. Even his appearance hasn’t changed: black trenchcoat, Sisters of Mercy shirt, unkempt long hair dyed black. The tension between Gary and Andy (Nick Frost) is particularly severe, for reasons that become clear later on in the movie. Not only have Gary’s friends all changed, but even the pubs themselves have changed, becoming more sanitized and identical than they

were twenty years ago when the group of friends first attempted The Golden Mile.

Were the film merely a darkly comedic rumination on the effect of the passage of time on people and their relationships with one another, it would be interesting enough, but halfway in, the plot adds another bizarre element into the mix that massively changes the rest of the film. It’s unclear how much of a spoiler it would be to say any more about it than that, but if you are familiar with the previous two films in the trilogy, then you should have some idea of what to expect as far as plot twists go.

Actually, the previous films provide much of the template for what to expect from “The World’s End” in general. As well as having the same writers, same director and different combinations of the same group of actors, the films revolve around broadly similar themes, feature the same combination of humor, action sequences and explorations of human relationships, use popular music very effectively in their scores and use a lot of the same visual devices—for example, the dramatic close-ups of mundane events or objects are used as hilariously here as in the earlier films. In many ways, “The World’s End” feels like a more mature development of a lot of themes from the earlier movies. There is a lot more

linking them than the cameo appearances of different flavors of Cornetto ice cream.

Because they are all so similar in feeling, despite being about completely different subjects, anybody who liked “Shaun of the Dead” or “Hot Fuzz” would also like this movie, whereas if you hated both of those movies, you probably wouldn’t like this one either.

To anyone unfamiliar with the films, it would probably help to know they are not “typical” comedies in most ways. They usually start off ordinarily enough before the humor takes a backseat to extended action sequences, which might bore those who aren’t into fight choreography or cartoonishly gory violence. Alternately, the more earnest moments might strike others as cheesy or overwrought. (In all fairness though, these are not necessarily easy things to comfortably wedge together into a single film, and most that attempt it are nowhere near as successful as Wright and Pegg are.) It does no harm to see “The World’s End” without having seen its predecessors because despite the stylistic similarities between them, all three films function perfectly well on their own. Some overzealous internet fan has probably already written a thesis-length statement on all the uniting features of the trilogy, but that doesn’t make them any less enjoyable as individual films.

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Editor’s Choice

The hidden cove of Coventry Anne Nickoloff Music Reporter The Grog Shop might not look like much from the exterior.

Located around the corner of Coventry Road, a little ways after the Mongolian Barbeque and Phoenix Coffee stores, the tan stone front of the venue does not exactly scream, “music” or “bands” or really even “concert venue.” The only indicator that Grog Shop is a place to see live music is its poster-coated front window, each sheet advertising a date and band for an upcoming performance occurring within the building.

The outside might be a little vague, but once one steps inside the hidden cove of Coventry, there is no confusion over what the building is for.

When I visit Grog Shop, I always notice one of two things. Usually I’ll first be captivated by the amount of stickers

and posters taped everywhere on the walls of the building, creating many different layers of color and music information. It is kind of beautiful in a weird punk-rock sort of way.

But sometimes, I notice something else first; a kind of smelly smell.

Yeah, sometimes the place smells pretty rank. It usually goes away after the vents have been running for a while, but it is also not strange for it to linger for the next couple of hours. I can never really be sure if someone just ripped one before I conveniently walked in, or if something is potentially wrong with the building’s ventilation.

Granted, it is a place where lots of sweaty people stand around and dance to music. You could never expect it to smell like roses. However, based off the much cleaner, but just a little bit musty smell I’ve experienced at my last few Grog Shop visits, the problem seems to be fixed.

Maybe Grog Shop ramped up the

airflow through the giant vent that hangs directly above the audience standing area. At the Vintage Trouble concert last Saturday, it got so chilly that I had to put on a sweater. It was a nice change from the humid heat that builds up in most small venues.

Case Western Reserve University student Andrew Freedman enjoys the Grog Shop’s scene too. “The people who run it always play great music on the speakers while we are waiting for the next performance and there is just an incredible amount of cool posters and stuff covering all the walls,” he said. “It’s also a smaller venue compared to some other venues of similar prominence so when bands come there, you can easily get personal with them.”

That said, Grog Shop is small even for a small venue. An area to the left of the stage reserved for band merchandise and a hallway in the back for the restrooms are the only two areas of the venue not being used as a bar, stage or standing area.

Grog Shop is the closest concert venue from CWRU, and greenies regularly loop down Coventry Road to pick up concertgoers from the latest show. Some upcoming concerts include Robert DeLong on Sept. 3, Best Coast on Sept.

14 and Yo La Tengo on Sept. 15. They also put on non-musical events like the Lyrical Rhythms: Poetry and Soul Open Mic Night (Sept. 10).

Concerts usually range anywhere between free and 25 dollars.

The cheap factor and the closeness of the stage to the audience are two of the most appealing things about Grog Shop.

“The Grog Shop is extremely intimate,” said student Julian Potter. “You are so close to the artists and your fellow concertgoers that the experience of that concert will resonate with you for quite a while.”

CWRU student Jay Zhang agrees.

“If you get there early enough, you can be within spitting distance of whoever’s performing!” she said.

Courtesy cleveland.com

Courtesy Sheehan Hannan / Observer

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Coventry SID betters neighborhood but shopping experience still attracts students Katy Witkowski Arts & Entertainment Editor Coventry has long been an attractive destination that’s just a step away from campus: although a trek from North Residential Village, it is a frequent for south side residents and the greater Cleveland community. Either a 40-minute walk from NRV, a 30-minute Greenie ride or 20-minute walk from SRV, this Special Improvement District (SID) is right in Case Western Reserve University’s backyard.

The street’s storefronts range in both age and specialty and offer passersby most necessities. For example, Heights Hardware has called Coventry Road home for 102-years, whereas Pho & Rice restaurant recently opened shop just a short distance away.

The diverse shopping experience, however, is not the only thing that attracts Clevelanders to choose local businesses over larger convenience stores. The recently completed SID project placed new ornamental benches and iron-wrought

planters along the street, new sidewalks and curbs and better streetlights to create a more inviting and safe neighborhood.

AJ Grubbs, CWRU alumnus who has lived in Cleveland for six years and now lives behind one of the storefronts, noticed the improvements. He said that the new additions to the traditionally eclectic street add more character and more functionality for visitors.

“Some of the iron-wrought sculptures often serve as bicycle racks,” according to Curtis Obert, also recent CWRU alumnus.

Artist Brinsley Tyrrell designed them, making them serve both a purpose in creating a secure and eye-catching neighborhood.

“Because of the SID designation in 1996, we’re able to promote [our neighborhood] in ways other neighborhoods can’t,” said Steve Presser, owner of Big Fun Toy Store. He and his store have seen the street change since the toy store arrived in 1990.

New and old Clevelanders are welcome to visit the neighborhood for delicious food and drinks at reasonable prices, great live music almost any night

Courtesy Sheehan Hannan / Observer These wrought iron sculptures line the sidewalks of Coventry Road, home to many busineses and students. of the week and famous happy hours. The Winking Lizard located at 1852 Coventry Road offers the World Tour, which strives to offer the “best and most varied beer selection in the nation,” according to the restaurant’s website (www.winkinglizard.

Hours

Sunday

Mon/Tues/Wed: 11am – midnight Thurs/Fri: 11am – 2am Sat: noon – 2am Sun: noon – midnight

NFL All You Can Eat Wings

Saturday

Tuesday Trivia Night Visit us in Thwing

Wednesday Indie Movies and Shorts

com). After tasting 50 of the most soughtafter beers, patrons receive a Winking Lizard wall clock. After 100 diverse beers, you will be sized for a special World Tour jacket (fitted for both men and women).

Need I say more?

Thursday

Graduate/Senior Happy Hour & Late Night Karaoke

Jolly Late Night: Largest party on campus

Friday

Jolly Late Night

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opinion

Editorial

Growing pains: Is a housing crisis looming?

The number of students in incoming classes has significantly increased in the past two years, and if Case Western Reserve University keeps its current national ranking or moves up a notch or two, it should be safe to assume that there is no going back to class sizes similar to those of current junior and senior classes. There is no doubt that the growing popularity of CWRU is welcomed with open arms by everyone. But along with it come a number of other issues that could prove problematic, the most pressing being housing.

What’s worrying is that as of now, CWRU doesn’t seem to have an official, finalized strategy for accommodating its students in all of the campus residence halls. And yet, first- and second-year students are required to live in the north and south residential villages and upperclassmen are often tied to living on campus through their financial aid packages. In fact, the university encourages on-campus living as it is thought to improve the students’ overall performance.

So far, the university only has plans to move people around in order to provide housing for all the students who have to or want to live on campus. One of the plans involves emptying Taplin house of its current occupants, students of Cleveland Institute of Art. These students will be moved to a new residential building that is currently under construction. With the CIA students moved elsewhere, CWRU hopes to fit all first-year students in the North Residential Village, return Clarke house back to second-year students, and release House 1 in the Village back to the use of upperclassmen. But this is exactly where the problem lies: these are all hopes. It only implies that CWRU has made an interim decision. Instead, there should be a plan that would secure housing for CWRU students for more than just one academic year at a time. If the university continues growing at a similar rate, it could possibly face a housing crisis in the next five to 10 years unless it

creates a sustainable housing strategy for the long term.

The university could also improve its means to communicate its plans to the students. As of now, all students receive a housing newsletter in the fall which explains the housing options for the following academic year. This is the only way one can stay updated on the housing situation, as far as a regular CWRU student is concerned, and despite the best efforts of the Residence Hall Association to keep students informed. In addition, a yearly newsletter is only enough to inform students about the housing arrangement for one year. It does not communicate whether the university is actually on its way to stabilize the housing situation. It’s not fair to keep students in the dark and inform them only at the last minute whether they will be able to live in the residence hall of their choice the following year or not.

Whether it’s building new residence halls or loosening the policies, whether stated or unofficial, that tie upperclassmen’s financial aid packages to on-campus housing, or removing the requirement to live on campus for first and second-year students, there should be a definite plan in the works that would resolve the looming housing problem in the long run. The fact that CWRU can only “hope” to move students around every year is indeed an issue. CWRU cannot continue encouraging on-campus living (and requiring it for first- and secondyear students) and simultaneously expect that it can accommodate class sizes of over 1,000 students in the residence halls and university-owned apartments. More importantly, the university officials cannot simply wait, fingers crossed, to see whether there will be enough space for future generations. There needs to be a definite plan, and it needs to be clearly communicated to students. We all want our university to grow, but let’s make sure that the future generations will also have a roof over their heads.

The editorial opinion takes a stand on a select campus issue that The Observer’s board of directors, the executive committee of the editorial board, considers relevant and consequently should be brought to the attention of the Case Western Reserve University community. The board consists of the executive editor and publisher, director of design, director of web and multimedia, director of print, director of business and marketing, and opinion editor. A member of the board meets with students, staff, faculty or any other persons who the board considers to be a subject matter expert. The board will then decide what stance to take on the issue, or if there are disagreements among the members, communicate them in the editorial. The meetings with interviewees occur off the record; no person will be directly quoted or referred to by their name. The editorial opinion does not in any way influence the work of the editors, reporters and staff of The Observer, nor does it represent the opinions of those interviewed for it.

Editor’s Note Building up our rankings, resting on our laurels The first week of classes brought with it an accolade a day for Case Western Reserve University, allowing the school to cross several items off of its bucket list.

Get recognized as one of the Top-25 LGBT Friendly Colleges and Universities? Check. Enter “Washington Monthly’s” top 5 list of schools that contribute to our future? Also check. Provide a satisfactory experience to students on their first week of classes? Awkward turtle.

The distinctions Case Western Reserve received this past week should not come as a surprise. The university’s strong commitment to the LGBT community can be seen through the prime real estate the LGBT Center occupies in Thwing West, as well as the thoughtful programming and educational opportunities spearheaded by LGBT Center Director Liz Roccoforte.

Meanwhile, the Center for Civic Engagement and Learning, an office within the Division of Student Affairs, played a critical role in helping the university secure the No. 3 spot in “Washington Monthly’s” sub-ranking of institutional commitment to service.

Because of these awards, Case Western Reserve enjoyed a solid week in the limelight, with “The Plain Dealer,” WKYC-TV and WEWS-TV all touting the distinctions. However, the time has come for school administrators to stop drafting acceptance speeches and return to the business of the school and its students, much of which would not earn a national award in its current state.

I wonder if our ranking in “Washington Monthly” would slip if the editors had visited an overfilled campus lecture hall? Or if they stood in the lengthy dinner line that congregates outside of Leutner Commons?

What if they tried drafting a research paper, only to find the library’s insufficient budget did not afford them the resources they needed?

The university continues to garner acknowledgements because of the values it honors; however, it continues to draw criticism because of the students it undervalues.

From outstanding faculty instructors to world-class research opportunities, the list of Case Western Reserve’s positive attributes is certainly full. But campus leaders should not forget that most students don’t just learn here; they live, work, congregate and relax here, as well. And these are the areas where more work is needed.

This academic year, I urge the university’s administration to push the student experience past its usual boundaries. Vice presidents who rarely venture outside of Adelbert Hall should try interacting with students and take the time to not only hear—but comprehend—the issues that are important to them.

In addition, the administration must become more transparent about the plans it is creating to combat the challenges we are facing. The phrase “something is in the works” has been heard too often and left unconnected to tangible progress. I’m sure the institution’s leadership would find students to be more interested than they think, and I’ll personally guarantee them column inches anytime they wish to explain a new initiative or outline the challenges to a complex problem.

The waiting begins.

Tyler Hoffman —EXECUTIVE EDITOR

the observer 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 10900 established in 1968 by the undergradute students of case western reserve university Euclid Avenue, Suite A09, Cleveland, OH 44106. Letters need to include the executive editor & publisher TYLER HOFFMAN writer’s full name, address, and telephone number. Anonymous letters will director of design MEREDITH DYKEHOUSE not be published. Letters from organizations must contain the name of an director of web & multimedia KYLE PATTERSON individual for contact purposes. Writings may be edited for clarity and brevity, director of print SHEEHAN HANNAN and while The Observer makes an attempt to print all correspondence; space and date of publication are not guaranteed. Letters over 600 words may be director of business & marketing GREGORY BOKAR account manager ERIC HAUFLER returned to the sender. Letters must be received by 5 p.m. on Tuesdays.

The Observer is the weekly undergraduate student newspaper of Case Western Reserve University. Established in 1969, The Observer exists to report news affecting and/or involving students and to provide an editorial forum for the university community. Unsigned editorials are the majority opinion of the senior editorial staff. For advertising information, contact The Observer at (216) 368-2914 or e-mail observerads@case.edu.

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What do you have in common with Ariel Castro?

Ellen Kubit Staff Columnist Last May, three high-profile Cleveland kidnapping cases fiercely resurfaced. Michelle Knight, Gina DeJesus and Amanda Berry, announced missing between 2002 and 2004, were found as prisoners in the home of Ariel Castro. Their rescue story— a combination of relentless courage from Amanda Berry and an organic display of heroism on behalf of a neighbor—still leaves chills down my spine as I remember the days their kidnappings crippled the innocence of this whole city. The Castro story has occupied international and national attention as well as the attention of the local communities. On Aug. 1, Castro was sentenced to life in prison without parole plus 1,000 years, Aug. 7 his house was destroyed and now every new day brings another opportunity of healing for the survivors and the city.

There is truly no easy way to write or speak about this horrific case but there is so much we can learn and already have.

Next month, the Cleveland City Council Public Safety Committee will meet to dis-

cuss some of the changes the police need to make to improve how they handle sexual violence cases. A topic that has been among talks since the Anthony Sowell case of 2009 is the elimination of policing mini-stations in Cleveland and the creation of a centralized unit. Many insist that the consolidation of the city’s police is responsible for the disappearance of the healthy relationships between communities and police. Some argue that trust, honesty and communication between neighborhoods and their regular police are vital to assuring better safety, especially when dealing with sexual violence cases. The chair of the committee, Councilman Kevin Conwell, is reported hypothesizing that a better connection between the police and Castro’s neighborhood could have helped lead to the three women’s discovery earlier. We can only hope that these talks among the city council members and Cleveland residents continue, and that they lead to positive changes. But perhaps the most we can learn resides in testimony of Ariel Castro.

The man is a monster. Period. His testimony, which was supposed to be an apology, demonstrated a very scary understanding of sexual violence. The

scariest part is that the flawed logic he used to try and justify his egregious actions is similar to the flawed logic we hear everyday from people of respected positions. According to Ariel Castro, all his problems stemmed from his sex addiction. He stated that his sex addiction also developed into a porn addiction. He stated that none of his three victims were virgins when he initially kidnapped them.

He stated he was driven by sex.

Kidnapping, raping and torturing three women are not sexual acts, but rather crimes of violent power. There is a difference. Sex involves consent, and consent is mutual. Rape is not concerned with consent and uses sex as means to reach a goal based on dominance and violence.

Employing the incorrect understanding that a rapist committed a crime against his victim out of sexual arousal and not out of the desire to overpower implies that he was somehow sexually attracted to the victim. This inaccurate assumption shifts blame from the offender to the victim: what about the victim provoked the offender? As soon as we start asking that type of question, we start sharing things in common with Ariel Castro.

I urge you take a closer look at Castro’s case and at yourself. Does his understanding of sexual violence reflect your own?

Do you believe sexual violence is really about sex? Do you believe the status of a woman’s virginity should determine whether or not she should be kidnapped, raped and tortured? Do you believe placing the blame on victims is relevant, or helpful, or not psychotic?

There is, of course, a very large difference between having a fundamental misunderstanding of sexual violence motives and its effects and actually committing the repulsive actions Ariel Castro did to those three women. The opinions in this column do not accuse anyone of being the next Ariel Castro. The opinions in this column merely bring attention to some of the unnoticed and damaging similarities Castro’s logic has with many mainstream positions that our society accepts everyday. Those of you that may need to reevaluate your perception of ual violence are not monsters, at least not in my eyes. But I beg of you—dig deeper. Fight against those Castro qualities that we seem to tolerate when they are not masked behind the actions of evil.

Redefining the Spartan look Theresa Smetona Staff columnist It is an undeniable fact that during the first week of classes, our campus is significantly more attractive than at any other time of year. Granted, this may have something to do with the fact that summer tans are still lingering, students still have time to shower and the effects of those late-night pizza runs remain to be seen. But the sharp decline in the presentable portion of the student population is mainly a question of effort.

There seems to be an unwritten rule that if you start the year off by wearing a few decent outfits and looking at yourself in the mirror before you leave for class you have paid your dues and can give up on grooming for the rest of the semester. Innumerable people have confided to me that they plan to look “good” for the first few classes so that later on in the semester, when they’ve evolved into a dirty Michelin-man approximation, their peers will remember that an actual human exists under all the grease and shapelessness. When did this type of thinking become so popular?

An even more disturbing trend that has been manifesting itself with increasing persistence is the association of personal upkeep with vapidity. Putting an effort into your appearance and clothing has acquired an almost shameful stigma – the underlying assumption being that if you have time to worry about what you will wear you clearly have nothing more important to occupy yourself with.

This is an inaccurate assumption. Coming to class in a flattering outfit does not make you a shallow moron who cannot solve an integral or who has never heard of thermodynamics. Rather, it makes you one step closer to being the functional adult that we all aspire to be upon leaving this campus. Similarly, ugly, unwashed clothes do not affirm your intelligence. They only stand as a testament to poor personal care and an alarming lack of self-awareness.

The excuse that “I just don’t have time to look good” is completely invalid. There is nothing as easy as slipping a dress over your head. Putting on a clean shirt takes no longer than putting on a dirty shirt. Wearing real, big-boy pants instead of sweatpants requires fastening a zipper and a button, and potentially

the

clasping a belt. If you can’t afford the two to five seconds these actions will fill, I’m at a loss. If your hair is long enough to be put in a ponytail, brushing it regularly will save you the future hassle of having to pull globs of matted hair from your shower drain. On second thought, this advice only applies to those who actually shower, so the previous sentence may be completely irrelevant.

If you account for the time needed to respond to the numerous compliments you will receive upon leaving your room, looking good takes no longer than looking like a disaster. So just do it.

A few reminders to help get you started (these really shouldn’t be mentioned, but the fact that I have seen flagrant violations of the below in just a few days of being here unfortunately makes the following a necessity).

1) The periodic table of elements, the 2012 Video-gaming Olympics, and zombies have no business being emblazoned across the front of your t-shirt.

2) Sweatpants should not be worn outside your room.

3) The only thing worse than sweatpants in public is sweatpants and high-

Observer

heels in public.

4) High heels, however, are better than bare feet. Be aware of your environment and please wear shoes when walking to-and-from class—sanitation issues are just the beginning of my concerns.

5) Bandanas are not, and never will be, flattering.

6) Tie-dye is not an acceptable pattern. Simultaneously sporting more than one tie-dyed article of clothing is simply heinous.

7) If you are better-dressed when going to the gym than when attending class, you need to take a second to reevaluate some of your choices.

8) You should never be mistaken for a character from a Star Wars movie.

9) It all starts with good posture.

Familiarize yourself with your backbone and stop mimicking a sack of potatoes.

If you completely disagree with all of the above guidelines, then my advice is this: show some gumption in doing so.

Have confidence—it’s often the only difference between a completely unfortunate and a spectacularly interesting individual.

@CWRUObserver

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14 | sports from Soccer | 16 way and that the guys hold themselves and each other accountable.”

The Spartans’ roster consists of a large number of young players, which Bianco sees as an advantage. “We’re young, but I think we’re hungry. So what we want to do as a program is just continue to develop and get better,” he said.

In particular, Junior Captain Jay Dar-

8/30/13 by’s leadership role is important, said Bianco. Darby, a goalkeeper, played in five matches with three starts in the goal last year, was named a UAA All-Academic and posted a 1-2 record with 10 saves in 237:38 minutes of action. He was also a part of the 2011 NCAA tournament in 2011 as a freshman.

Also in leadership positions on the defensive line are juniors Taylor Fletcher and Bairdy Hansen. “Both have played a lot of

soccer since they’ve been on campus and both are very good players and both are just steady, solid leaders,” said Bianco.

In the midfield, the Spartan talent is of a younger variety, featuring sophomores Dean Balabanov and Chris Cvecko. “Both are just very good soccer players, read the game well and they control the game from there,” said Bianco.

On the forward line, Bianco expects one of the team’s only two seniors, Marco

The men’s soccer team, 2012 team pictured above, will seek to best their 0-7 in-conference record last year.

Courtesy Case Sports Information Head Women’s Soccer Coach Tiffany Crooks, pictured center, emphasizes process in shaping her team.

from Transylvania | 16 is also returning this year. She played in all 18 matches during the 2012 season, racking up 17 starts while leading the team with 16 points on a team-best seven goals and two assists. She also scored three game winning goals and was named UAA Offensive Player of the Week for the week of Sept. 4.

The roster also features 13 freshmen, who are eager to get in on the action. “They’re a really great group. Their mentality is they want to learn, they want to grow every day and they’re really enjoying the experience. I couldn’t be happier,” said Crooks.

Crooks is aiming her team to make appearances in the postseason, get into the top three or win the conference. But more important, she said, is incessant improvement. “Those are always going to be our goals, the tangible goals, but to me the only way to achieve those is to, day by day, figure out what your best is and raise the bar,” she said.

The Spartans’ first game is against Transylvania University tonight. Their first home game is on Friday, Sept. 6 against Heidelberg.

Patrie, to take an active leadership role. A veteran of the 2011 Spartan team, Patrie is returning to campus after a year spent elsewhere. “He’s a guy that has been great on the field and in the locker room with the guys and has been a great leader there,” said Bianco.

The Spartans will play their first home game against Franklin University on Sept.

21. Conference play begins with a game against Brandies on Oct. 5.

Courtesy Case Sports Information

observer.case.edu

sports | 15

Courtesy Case Sports Information

The men’s and women’s cross country teams will compete in the 13th Annual Bill Sudeck Classic this Saturday.

Cross country teams prepare for Bill Sudeck Classic Sheehan Hannan Director of Print With the Bill Sudeck classic looming close over the horizon, the men’s Spartans cross country team is preparing to enter competition. The Classic, happening this coming Saturday, will be hosted by both the men’s and women’s Spartans cross country teams. The men’s team will be led by four returning runners, all with NCAA tournament experience under their belts.

The men’s cross country team consists of 38 runners, 23 of whom are returning from last year. “We are excited to return so many runners that have experienced success at the highest level,” Head Coach Kathy Lanese told Case Sports Information in an interview. “Our young men had clear-cut goals last season, and it was their incredible determination and teamwork that got them to nationals. Many from this year’s team were a key part of that journey, and I am expecting them to carry that momentum throughout the fall.”

The 2012 team managed to win an AllOhio Championship and finished fifth in the UAA, their highest place finish in five years. This year, they will attempt to best their previous successes.

Returning from the 2012 squad, now as captains, are seniors David Dixon and Wyatt Hoch. Dixon, a mechanical engineering major, competed in all seven varsity races during the 2012 season, and placed 137th in the nation at the NCAA Championship Meet with a time of 25:55.90. In 2011, he

Courtesy Case Sports Information The men’s cross country team, pictured above, consists of 38 runners. finished 14th at the Bill Sudeck Classic and 69th at the UAA Championship Meet with an 8k time of 28:20:04. He was also clinched UAA All-Academic Honors in both 2011 and 2012. Hoch, a biochemistry major, placed 16th in the 2012 Bill Sudeck Classic, with a 6k time of 21:05.90. He also finished 68th at the 2012 UAA Championship meet, with a time of 27:11.30. In 2011, he placed 73rd at the UAA Championship Meet, finishing with an 8k course time of 28:58.67.

The team consists of 16 sophomores, 15 freshmen, a single junior, and seven

seniors. “The experience and the talent is definitely there for this team to pick up where it left off last season,” said Lanese.

“With that said, there is still plenty of room for growth, and it will be exciting to watch different student-athletes step up into bigger roles this fall.”

The women’s Spartans cross country team, also with a pair of All-Great Lakes Region performers, has six of last year’s seven runners returning. “Our goals each season are aimed towards nationals,” said Lanese, who also coaches the women’s team, in an interview with Case Sports In-

formation. “With the amount of experience and depth we have on this roster, we are excited about where we can be at the end of the fall.”

The women’s roster consists of 20 runners, only three of whom are seniors, so leadership is concentrated within the younger ranks. Sophomores Kelsey Aamoth and Lydia Greene will lead the team. Aamoth was named the Nancy Gray Rookie of the Year during the 2012 season, and competed in all six varsity races.

She posted a time of 22:49.30 at the 2012 UAA Championship meet, finishing 13th.

During her first race as a Spartan, the 2012 Bill Sudeck Classic, she finished first in the 4k with a time of 15:28.80. Greene finished 22nd in the All-Ohio Championship with a 5k time of 19:07.38, and placed 14th in the UAA Championship Meet with a 6k time of 22:50.1.

“Kelsey turned in some of the very best times for a freshman, both in cross country and track distance events, since I have coached here,” said Lanese. “Not only did she succeed athletically, but she maintained a 4.0 GPA in biomedical engineering. But, with all of that success, she continues to work as hard as anyone, and I am excited to see what she will accomplish in her second year.”

Both the Spartans women’s and men’s cross country team will open the season with the 13th Annual Bill Sudeck Invitational, and have an intensive schedule, including the All-Ohio Championship on Nov. 2 and the NCAA Great Lakes Regional on Nov. 16.

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8/30/13

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Courtesy Case Sports Information

The 2012 women’s soccer team, pictured above, went 8-6-4.

Courtesy Case Sports Information

The 2012 men’s soccer team , pictured above, went 3-14-1.

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Women’s soccer to open against Transylvania

Men’s soccer team opens on the road Sheehan Hannan Director of Print

Sheehan Hannan Director of Print The Spartan women’s soccer team will play back-to-back road games this Friday and Saturday. Along with that challenge, the team has scheduled five of their first seven games on the road. The team, lead

by Head Coach Tiffany Crooks, does not seem phased.

The strenuous road schedule may actually be an advantage, said Crooks, as it enables her student-athletes to really focus on their competition. “I think sometimes it’s easier to get on the road as Case students, because you guys have a chance then to be away from campus and really focus on what you’re doing as opposed to having so many things going on and coming from a hectic school day, then trying to focus on a competition,” she said.

Even more important, however, is the team building that comes from spending long hours in cramped spaces. “Rather than seeing it as a limitation or as a challenge, I view it more as an opportunity for the group to come together, for us to get a little more cohesive, for us to develop some resiliency early in the season,” said Crooks.

Team chemistry has already been forming during preseason practices, said Crooks. “Preseason can get a little bit grueling and a little bit old pretty quickly, and this group makes it fun. Every time we get

out there, it’s an opportunity to learn and grow and re-establish what our best is,” she said.

Last year’s Spartan squad went 8-6-4 overall, with a 2-4-1 record in the UAA and a particularly impressive 6-2-2 on the road. Crooks attributes their middling record during 2012 conference play to unfortunate injuries. “Last year we had a ton of really bad luck that you couldn’t have planned. We had a lot of injuries to really really key players, so I think we made the best out of a really tough situation last year,” she said.

Additionally, the team’s 2012 conference performance difficulties were compounded by the difficulty of the league.

“And we play in the best conference in the country. The four teams that made it to the national tournament, they all appeared in the elite eight and one made it to the national championship game, so it’s a pretty good conference,” said Crooks.

Leading the charge into the new season will be seniors Leah Levey and Rachel Bourque, at forward/midfield and midfield, respectively. Both started all 18 games of the 2012 season on the forward line before assuming their current positions.

Junior Jessie Sabers, the leading scorer,

to Transylvania | 14

This Friday and Saturday, the Spartans men’s soccer team will open their season with a pair of road games played against Sawenee University and Washington and Lee University. The Denison Invitational, named after host school Denison University, marks the debut of 16 players, along with 12 returning faces.

Despite the strain of playing backto-back games on the road, Head Coach Brandon Bianco says his team is up for the challenge, both physically and mentally.

“There’s obviously the physical challenge of trying to play two ninety-minute games within really less than 24 hours,” said Bianco. “And then the challenge of making sure that our group is prepared for two different opponents in less than 24 hours.”

The Spartan men’s soccer team seeks to build on their 3-14-1 record last year.

They went 0-7 in conference play. In the 2011 season, the team went 15-5 overall with a 5-2 record in conference play and advanced to the NCAA tournament. This year, the team will try to rectify the disparity between those two seasons.

Said Bianco, “It’s funny because two years ago we won the league, and last year we had a little bit of trouble, but we’re going to be a team that’s going to be a force in the conference this year. “ Opening the season against national

teams early in their season, like those at the Denison Invitational in Granville, Ohio, will give the squad a chance to get a feel for the league and themselves. “Everything ramps up and lead into the conference portion, which is the most important part, but hopefully the games before that time prepare us for our conference,” said Bianco.

From his perspective, Bianco says his team’s strategy is based on dominating during key moments of the game. “As we talk as a program, we want to be good in all four moments of the game, which are the attack, defending and the transitions into attacking and defending. I think if we focus on those four moments from now until our first conference game, by the time those games come around, we’ll be pretty good.”

Even more important, however, is the development of his program’s culture.

“Our development is on the field, but I’m more concerned with our development as a program, and hopefully developing an identity and a culture in the program. And so when you watch us play, you leave knowing that these guys want to keep the ball and they want to play fast and they want to score back, and all that good stuff,” said Bianco. “ But more than that, I hope that we’re doing it the right

to Soccer | 14