Volume XLV, Issue 21: Feb. 28, 2014

the

volume xlv, issue 22 friday, 3/21/2014

Observer University of Chicago White 45.12%

Hispanic 8.62%

Asian/ Pacific Islander

International 9.82%

Multiracial 3.71%

Multiracial 4%

Black

4.49%

Native American 0.17%

Hispanic 16.3%

International 9.9%

18.04%

Hispanic 5%

Case Western Reserve University

Unknown 6%

Asian/ Pacific Islander

Multiracial 5.1%

Native American 0%

Pacific Islander 0%

White 36.9%

Asian/ Pacific Islander

18%

Unknown 5.2%

Hispanic 5.5%

Multiracial 5.5%

White 55.5%

University of Rochester

Asian 11.2%

Non-resident Alien White 55.8%

Native American 0.3% Black 4.7%

Unknown 2.2%

Pacific Islander 0.4%

International 9%

White 53%

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

18%

Black 5%

International 13.2%

Black 5.3%

10.4%

Native American 0.2%

Native American 1.2%

John Hopkins University

Asian 20.6% Black 6.5%

The Story of

Unknown 4.7%

Diversity see pg. 6 Heather Hargrow/Observer

Spartan softball swings for the fences; wins first UAA championship David Hoffman Staff Reporter It was a glorious week for the Case Western softball team at the University Athletic Association Championship, as the team captured a share of its first championship in the tournament since 1999. The team finished the tournament with a 5-3 record, earning a three way split for the championship with Emory University and Washington University in St. Louis. For the season, the Spartans now sit at 10-6 overall.

The team caught fire to begin the tournament, winning the first four games. Unsurprisingly, the winning streak coincided with a dominant stretch by the pitching staff which surrendered two runs in the team’s first three games. A 3-0 shutout of Rochester University in the third game highlighted the Spartans’ masterful pitching. Pitcher Annie Wennerberg stood out during the hot streak, securing victories in each of the team’s first three games and surrendering a mere two runs in 15 innings over that span.

The Spartans’ most thrilling victory of the tournament, however, came in a rather high scoring affair against Emory. It was the fourth game for the Spartans, who looked to preserve their perfect record to that point in tournament play. However, Emory, which entered the tournament as the four time defending champion, appeared poised to deny the Spartans a fourth consecutive victory, building up a 5-0 lead when the Spartans came up to bat in the bottom of the fifth inning. The team began a rally almost immediately; outfielder

Ashley Parello launched a two run home run with no outs in the inning, followed by another two run blast off the bat of second baseman Molly O’Brien. In the blink of an eye, the Spartans had cut the deficit to a single run. An inning later Parello stepped up to the plate once again with a runner on base and launched her second home run of the day to complete the Spartans’ rally, putting them in front 6-5. Closer Rebecca Taylor came on in the seventh and retired all three batters she faced to close out Em-

to Softball | 21

USG Elections to occur March 27-28. For a look at the candidates and issues, see pages 2-4 and online at observer.case.edu.

News

A&E

Opinion

Sports

pg. 7 More workout options

pg. 11 Women’s art exhibition

pg.17 Mitchell is no saint

pg. 22 March Madness: Brackets abound

news USG Election Guide Guide compiled from the letters of intent submitted as of press time.

Jacob Ma Year: Second Major: Biology; Chemistry Hometown: Chicago, IL Other campus positions outside of USG: President, Culinary Club; Treasurer, Beta Theta Pi What’s your biggest goal for USG in 20142015 Academic Year?: I want to increase USG’s presence on campus, making sure that the student body is aware of what we do and what we are capable of doing. This will help to increase student feedback as well as improve the quality of our initiatives.

Prior USG experience/initiatives undertaken: Spring 2013: Member at-large and member of ad hoc COMPASS committee; Fall 2013: Student Life committee member; CAS representative; Speaker of Arts and Sciences caucus; FSCUE Academic Standing Subcommittee student representative; Student Life initiatives: Author of the Greenie prediction and feedback systems; Grab-it/bag-it feedback; limited card access; Spring 2014: Secretary; Student Life committee member; FSCUE Academic Standing Subcommittee student representative.

Student Life initiatives: limited card access.

What is the biggest issue you see your position having to face? How do you specifically plan on tackling it?: I think that the biggest challenge that my position faces is making sure that representatives stay active and remain passionate about the work that they do. Oftentimes, representatives can become discouraged when they encounter delays or difficulties in their initiatives. I plan on being extremely proactive, scheduling frequent meetings with administrators to stay informed and having one-on-one meetings with the representatives to know exactly where the issues lie and how we can work together to fix them. Furthermore, I want to make committee times fun, so that representatives look forward to going to the meetings, connecting with their fellow committee members and sharing about their initiatives. The committee has great potential to make significant impacts on campus and I will do my best to make the most of my time in USG this next year.

What is your plan for making such services more reliable?: As a member of the Student Life committee who has worked on some of these initiatives, I recognize the immediate need to address these issues. With regards to Grab-it feedback, I want to work with Bon Appetit not only to improve the number of options available to students, particularly vegetarians, but also the quality of the food served. I would highly encourage students to submit feedback on the food through simple comment cards next to Grab-it/Bag-it. With regards to the Greenie prediction system, I want to work with VP Jamieson to establish a reliable feedback system so that students can anonymously submit their comments about their trips, including timeliness of the shuttles and driver behaviors. My plans for the prediction system are more complicated and more difficult to implement. I have already gotten into contact with RTA about what type of system that it uses, just to get some more information about other possible options other than NextBus. This initiative has been a longstanding issue that has far-reaching consequences across campus and must be addressed immediately. My immediate goal is to set up a meeting with VP Jamieson and work out a proposal and timeline for the expected completion of this initiative.

Public universities in Ohio were asked to go totally smoke-free. Even though CWRU is private institution, would you support such a ban? How do you believe the issue should be addressed?: Even though I personally would favor a smoke-free environment, I feel that we must first poll the student body about its opinion on the subject. It should also be made clear the reasoning behind instituting a policy like this. I disagree with implementing a ban solely on the basis that other institutions do so; however, if there are potential health benefits, I would be more inclined to support it. An extremely detailed policy about what, why, and how it can be implemented must be established so the students can stay informed; however, as previously mentioned, the first key goal is to see if students are even in favor of a smoke-free environment.

VP of Student Life

For continued coverage including representative candidate profiles, see observer.case.edu

Mary Kate Macedonia Year: Second Major: Biomedical engineering Hometown: Bethesda, MD Other campus positions outside of USG: Photography for School Newspaper “The Observer”; Filming and Directing for “Ignite Television” at Case Western Reserve University; Member of Society for Women Engineers (SWE) What’s your biggest goal for USG in 2014-2015 Academic Year?: I would love to pass some of our larger initiatives that are in the works right now and may not be finished by next year, as well as improve student access to information as to the future plans both in terms of housing and academics.

Prior USG experience/initiatives undertaken: Worked on bike and pedestrian safety involving a number of smaller initiatives including changes in signage, changing bike paths, communicating with other organizations to coordinate change and planning to educate the student body on safety. FSCUE Student Life Committee member: worked on a number of resolutions for FSCUE, advocating for students through the vantage point of faculty and staff as well as students as to what is going on at the university.

What is the biggest issue you see your position having to face? How do you specifically plan on tackling it?: I want our committee to be effective.

I would approach this from a number of different angles.

First and foremost would be to empower student life committee members to not only handle initiatives and meet deadlines, but also have the freedom to bring their own ideas to the table and enact meaningful change to benefit the campus as a whole. The other is to assert the authority that we have as students to really become a strong voice for not only positive change in the form of initiatives, but also to vocalize student concerns.

What is your plan for making such services more reliable?: Fundamentally student “gripes” are legitimate concerns that should be taken up by

the school and changed.

As student life VP I am in the unique position to advocate for student concerns.

Bottom line is that I want administration to respect our concerns more both as a committee and also as a platform for students to be heard. The problems you list pose a safety concern to students. There should be no reason to put these issues on the back burner and not address them. These are concerns that I want to work closely with administration as well as the police department and Bon Appetit and stress the concerns about safety and student welfare. Resolutions are in the works and I would push to have them completed as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Public universities in Ohio were asked to go totally smoke-free. Even though CWRU is private institution, would you support such a ban? How do you believe the issue should be addressed?: According to preliminary data it looks like most of campus wants to go smoke free. I have talked to many people in my constituency about it and they seem to agree that they would like a smoke free campus. I think that as an urban school it would be difficult to put such a policy in place and have it be effective but that there are certainly many reasons to go smoke free. If it could be done well then I would definitely support such a policy. My main concern is not what looks good on paper but what will ultimately effect the entire student body, as well as faculty and staff in their daily lives. Students want to live healthy lives, unencumbered by unpleasant and hazardous second hand smoke, so a policy that accomplishes this is a policy I would support.

Krishna Mahadevan Year: Second Major: Political science, economics Hometown: Cincinnati, OH Other campus positions outside of USG: Observer member of Constitution Day Committee, President of RHA Carlton Road Community Council, Member of National Residence Hall Honorary, member of Phi Alpha Delta (pre-law society), Civic Engagement Scholar.

What’s your biggest goal for USG in 20142015 Academic Year?: My biggest for USG in the 2014-2015 year is to involve students in the feedback process and development of university procedures.

This includes food options in the new university center, any new buildings, academic policies and other student services. I would also like to push for a smoke free campus.

What is the biggest issue you see your position having to face? How do you specifically plan on tackling it?: The biggest issue facing my position is addressing the scopes of certain issues.

Some issues will take much more time and dedication to overcome, more than what my term would allow.

The biggest issue is attempting to leave lasting legacy that will encourage the organization to continue moving forward. I plan on tackling this by staying true to the belief that USG is here to represent the students and to make their undergraduate experience the best

that it can be. This means not giving up on a venture, even if it is not successful at first. Above all every proposal pursued in USG must be in the best interests of the students. I plan on being a representative of the students, and ensuring that the undergraduate experience of current and future students will be the best that it can be.

What is your plan for making such services more reliable?: I hope to make these services more reliable by providing ample resources to these services. Grab-it has often requested that they need a kitchen space in order to fully accommodate students.

I will work with administration to try and push for the installation of an appropriate facility for grab-it and bag-it. As for greenies, I would like to work with the new VP of IT to institute an online report system where students can report how on time greenies are.

Using this will pressure greenie drivers to be more on time. In addition I hope to work with greenie drivers to see what is making greenies late, and to work with administration to fix those issues.

Public universities in Ohio were asked to go totally smoke-free. Even though CWRU is private institution, would you support such a ban? How do you believe the issue should be addressed?: I fully support instituting a ban on smoking at Case Western Reserve University. We are located right next to a smoke free hospital that is ranked #18 in the nation. We are acclaimed for our medical and nursing programs, but still have a problem with smoking. I would urge CWRU to ban smoking, and to enforce it with heavy fines. These fines can be used for funding towards any other university procedures.

news

observer.case.edu

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VP of Finance Chippy Kennedy

Ali Mahmoud

Year: Second Major: Computer science Hometown: Scituate, MA Other campus positions outside of USG: Varsity Cross Country and Track and Field Athlete; Chinese Students and Scholars Association Member; Cleveland Public School Connection Group Member What’s your biggest goal for USG in 2014-2015 Academic Year?: If elected, my biggest goal for the upcoming school year would be to expand USG’s presence on campus by increasing our day-to-day responsibilities and advocating efforts for students. I want to offer more support for student organizations and a stronger voice for all students.

Prior USG experience/initiatives undertaken: One year as Engineering Representative on Finance Committee; One semester as Finance Committee Treasurer. Initiatives include streamlinging the USG student organization mass funding process, debate and guideline creation for student organization recognition, engineering school Fall 2013 student advising event organizing.

What is the biggest issue you see your position having to face? How do you specifically plan on tackling it?: Student Groups are underfunded and not recognized as a predominant voice on campus; My Solution is to streamline the funding process for student groups and increase the non-financial resources available for student organizations and work as an advocate within student affairs and with the other USG organization.

Only 32 percent of student group funding requests were filled due to money constraints. How do you plan on addressing this issue? Do you have any ideas to rework the funding process? I plan to be an stronger advocate for student groups when it comes to working with administration and the SEC. I plan to work hard to bring more money to student groups.

USG drastically overestimated the financial rollover it had from last year, so there were less available funds this fall for student groups then projected. How do you ensure that this doesn’t happen again?: In the example of USG’s current VP of Finance, I will use dynamic rolling funding reclaim and keep a tight watch on our finance across the board so rollover will never be a surprise. I will also ensure USG’s internal expense continue to be as low as possible.

Year: Third Major: Biology Hometown: Cleveland, OH Other campus positions outside of USG: Delta Tau Delta Fraternity; CCEL; Muslim Student Organization (MSA); Middle Eastern Cultural Association (MECA) - Diversity Chair; Horizons What’s your biggest goal for USG in 2014-2015 Academic Year?: Increase communication between student organizations and USG. Prior USG experience/initiatives undertaken: Two years on student life committee; one year on finance committee.

What is the biggest issue you see your position having to face? How do you specifically plan on tackling it?: Increased demand for funding and work with SEC to allocate more money towards student groups.

Only 32 percent of student group funding requests were filled due to money constraints. How do you plan on addressing this issue? Do you have any ideas to rework the funding process? I plan on working with groups that have had many successful events and figure out how they are able to budget for their events efficiently in order to share this information with the many organizations that need it. I plan on working with the SEC in hopes to increase the allocations available for student groups. I want to see more student groups hosting events on campus without worrying about money constraints.

USG drastically overestimated the financial rollover it had from last year, so there were less available funds this fall for student groups then projected. How do you ensure that this doesn’t happen again?: I will not rely on estimations as much as the previous vice presidents have. I will track all of the finances more closely to ensure that I am only working with actual numbers.

Chief Judicial Officer

President

Kerrick Woyshner

Taylor Gladys

Year: First Major: Biochemistry Hometown: Hamburg, NY Other campus positions outside of USG: Brother of Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity and Saturday Tutor for Cleveland Youths What’s your biggest goal for USG in 20142015 Academic Year?: I want the Student Body to know who to turn to if they have problems. I want to present them with the resources that will direct them to the necessary administrators, faculty, staff, and even executive board members who will work with the Student Body to ensure that their time at CWRU is problem-free.

Prior USG experience/initiatives undertaken: Finance Committee Liason (2013-2014) What is the biggest issue you see your position having to face?

How do you specifically plan on tackling it?: The biggest problem the position of Chief Judicial Officer faces is being too mild, humble, quiet and lazy. Personally, I think asking the student body to comment on a few short lines of the USG bylaws and constitution helps burst that bubble of laziness, especially when the commenting can be implemented and inserted into the USG constitution and by-laws.

Are there any internal USG policies you will work to change? I will work to develop membership development for older members, holding them accountable for doing their jobs and positions to the best of their abilities.

Adam Younger Year: Fourth Major: Political science, public policy minor Hometown: Scarsdale, NY Other campus positions outside of USG: President, CWRU Undergraduate Chapter of Phi Alpha Delta; International Pre-Law and Law Fraternity; Associate Justice, Interfraternity Congress Judicial Board (Greek Life at CWRU); Recruitment Chair, University Conduct Board; Student Representative, Community Standards Board; Orientation Leader, Summer 2013 What’s your biggest goal for USG in 2014-2015 Academic Year?: As a candidate for Chief Judicial Officer, my most important initiative would be to keep the Executive Committee and Assembly Members accountable to our Constitution, Bylaws, and students they serve, ensuring that every individual has the opportunity to voice their concerns in an appropriate channel, while promoting a culture of integrity, efficiency, and trust among the entire Undergraduate Student Government body.

Prior USG experience/initiatives undertaken: Chief Judicial Officer (2012-2013) What is the biggest issue you see your position having to face?

How do you specifically plan on tackling it?: Candidate chose not to respond to this question Are there any internal USG policies you will work to change? Did not provide an answer

Year: Third Major: Biochemistry Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA Other campus positions outside of USG: Vice President of Orthodox Christian Fellowship, Orientation Leader (3 years), Tour Guide, Biochemistry Research What’s your biggest goal for USG in 2014-2015 Academic Year?: I am committed to seeing USG increase accessibility and transparency to students, develop better communication and collaboration skills when dealing with administration, and establish a culture of organizational follow through. I would like to improve USG so that it can more effectively foster positive change in our campus community.

Prior USG experience/initiatives undertaken: Vice President of Student Life (2013-2014), Chief Judicial Officer (20122013), Freshman Representative (2011-2012).

Initiatives include working on gathering student input on the repurposing of Thwing and student input into the Tinkham Veale University Center, working with Student Life Committee members on the Tobacco Free Policy, improving the feedback and prediction systems for the Greenies, collecting student feedback on University Health Services, accountability within USG and restructuring of the funding bylaws, regaining student access to a newspaper readership program that was cut, working on an intergovernmental committee that advocated for the improvement of the university’s athletic facilities.

What is the biggest issue you see your position having to face? How do you specifically plan on tackling it?: While I may not know what specific issues the office of President will have to face next year, I think the toughest part of this position will be to try to balance being a representative of all students on campus. We are a diverse community with different values and opinions and I think it may be difficult to synthesize all of these opinions into one student voice.

However, it is a challenge I look forward to.

I will do everything possible to be accessible to students and to be firm with administration when conveying these student opinions.

Whether that is coming to a consensus on the Tobacco Free Policy or navigating the campus

culture change that will occur with the opening of the Tinkham Veale University Center, I know that student satisfaction determines the success of the University, and I will ensure that the administrators I work with will know that as well.

Only 32 percent of student group funding requests were filled due to money constraints. How do you plan on addressing this issue? Do you have any ideas to rework the funding process? Now that the new funding bylaws have been in place for a year, the time has come to re-evaluate them. In terms of funding more requests, the current President of USG along with the VP of Finance have already requested to increase the USG allocation of the Student Activities Fee by $20,000, all of which would go directly to funding our groups. Additionally, we could examine the utilization of the automatic allocation and whether or not groups find it useful. Furthermore, I would also like to increase group support. This would involve education about other resources that are available to students, such as cosponsorships for large events or campus resources that may be more cost effective.

Finally, I would look into creating a simple post-event evaluation process that could help USG confirm that the allocated funds were used in ways that most benefited students.

Ultimately, I would like to see such an impactful decision be made in collaboration with the future Vice President of Finance and the groups that the funding serves.

What role does USG play in the campus community? Moving forward, where specifically should USG focus its efforts? Within the Case Western campus community, I think USG plays the pivotal role of being the student body’s most significant advocate. Whether that entails amplifying the student voice to administration or empowering the rest of campus to hold events that better the community, USG is here to realize that.

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news

2/28/14

VP of Academic Affairs Nishant Uppal Year: First Major: Biomedical engineering Hometown: Jeffersonville, IN Other campus positions outside of USG: Phi Delta Epsilon; Undergraduate Indian Students Association; Civic Center for Engagement and Learning Scholars Program What’s your biggest goal for USG in 2014-2015 Academic Year?: My goal for USG is to develop an internal mechanism through which the caucus system, including speakers, secretaries and representatives, is more deeply connected to the Executive Committee and to the General Assembly as a whole.

Prior USG experience/initiatives undertaken: First-Year Representative for Storrs; Speaker of the First-Year Caucus; Member of the Academic Affairs Committee. Initiatives include work-life balance, freshman resource awareness.

What is the biggest issue you see your position having to face? How do you specifically plan on tackling it?: The most difficult problem that faces the Vice President of Academic Affairs is ensuring that every member of the Academic Affairs Committee feels invested in improving the academic success of undergraduate students. To cultivate this personal investment, I plan to continue the initiative system that is currently in place and restructure meetings to provide USG representatives on the Academic Affairs Committee with more support to allow them to accomplish their initiatives.

What are your views on the role of the SAGES program in a CWRU education? What challenges does the program face with growing class sizes? The SAGES program was developed to

improve students’ written and oral communication skills. Today, it also functions as an opportunity for students to explore a subject outside of their major in depth. In order to provide the personal instruction necessary to foster these communication skills, SAGES classes were designed to be relatively small in size. However, with the number of students growing faster than the number of professors, SAGES courses may need to increase their classroom capacity. By doing so, less personal instruction might be available for each student, perhaps leading to difficulties in developing students’ communication skills.

What role should MediaVision play in learning?

Would you like to see a more widespread use of it? MediaVision is a supplemental learning tool for students. Currently, it has two major purposes: The first is that it allows students who attend class to review material presented in lecture; the second is that it affords students who were unable to attend class the opportunity to learn the material that was presented in lecture. However, MediaVision is currently provided only for large lecturebased courses. In this regard, I would like to see the use of MediaVision extended to Student Instructor sessions and classes that have more than 50 students. By extending MediaVision as such, students would have even more opportunities to enhance their learning, and succeed academically.

Arjun Gopinath Year: First Major: Biology, medical anthropology Hometown: Bangalore, Inda Other campus positions outside of USG: Vice President - Taft House, RHA; Brother, Delta Chi Fraternity; Peer Tutor for CHEM 105 and 106, ESS What’s your biggest goal for USG in 20142015 Academic Year?: I would like to refine the SAGES program and ease graduation requirements for undergraduate students.

Prior USG experience/initiatives undertaken: College of Arts and Sciences Representative, Student Life Committee member. Initiatives include usage of space in the commons areas, reserving rooms on campus for general purposes and reformatting the SAGES program, reformatting the SAGES program, voluntary replacement of PHED courses with participation in the new Fitness Plan slated to be introduced next fall in conjunction with 121 Fitness.

What is the biggest issue you see your position having to face? How do you specifically plan on tackling it?: There could be potential friction between the Office of Undergraduate Studies and USG regarding easing graduation requirements. Ultimately both groups are working for the overall development and welfare of the Undergraduate Student Body, therefore arriving at a consensus with the concerned officials by fairly and justly representing the interests of fellow students would be my top priority.

What are your views on the role of the SAGES program in a CWRU education? What challenges does the program face with growing class sizes? The SAGES program plays an integral role in developing and refining the writing and presentation

skills of undergraduate students at CWRU. Such skills are highly valued in the fast-paced workplace and appreciated by graduate/professional schools and future employers alike. With growing class sizes, there will be a need to increase the number of SAGES fellows which would place a strain on the SAGES department. This could be offset by transferring the SAGES responsibilities solely to the departments themselves where SAGES courses could be treated as Departmental Seminars and be treated as major requirements. A model similar to the Department Seminar model followed in the School of Engineering could be implemented.

What role should MediaVision play in learning?

Would you like to see a more widespread use of it? MediaVision reinforces the learning that takes place in the classroom. It allows for students with illnesses and other circumstances to catch up with classwork despite their absence. However, an unfortunate situation of it being a replacement for classroom participation has turned up.

This has reduced the efficiency of the initiative and hence should be restricted to large-lecture classes primarily frequented by freshmen to help smooth the transition between high school and college. After that, it should be left to the professor to decide whether MediaVision access should be given to the students or not, as it can be put to bad use which in the long run is detrimental to both the professor and the students.

See observer.case.edu for full coverage: Meaghan Fenelon: VP of IT

Andrew Torres: VP of PR

Year: Third Major: Computer science Hometown: Naperville, IL What’s your biggest goal for USG in 20142015 Academic Year?: My biggest goal for USG next year is to increase the impact of non-USG members in initiatives, both by increasing non-USG attendance at committee meetings or caucus meetings and by reaching out more for student opinions.

Year: Second Major: Political science Hometown: Duarte, CA What’s your biggest goal for USG in 20142015 Academic Year?: USG is most effective when it reaches as many undergraduates as possible.

My vision is one of an easily accessible USG where it is clear to any undergraduate that if they have a problem they can come to USG and, through the Public Relations committee, witness the progression towards a solution.

Xiaoyu Li Year: Second Major: Biomedical engineering Hometown: Peoria, IL Other campus positions outside of USG: Director of Community Service - Case for Sight; Horizons mentor; Alpha Chi Omega What’s your biggest goal for USG in 2014-2015 Academic Year?: In the 2014-2015 Academic Year, my biggest goal for USG internally is to develop representatives who are comfortable and capable of pursuing independent initiatives, as the General Assembly is the powerhouse of USG. Within Academic Affairs specifically, my aim is to improve the overall transparency of the university’s academic policies.

Prior USG experience/initiatives undertaken: VP of Academic Affairs (2013-2014), First Year Representative (20122013), student representative on Academic Standing subcommittee of Faculty Senate. Initiatives include faculty senate student representative reporting system, accessibility of grades, transparency of academic policies, length of drop/add period, senior residency requirement, improvements to biology laboratory courses.

What is the biggest issue you see your position having to face? How do you specifically plan on tackling it?: The biggest issue that I see for the position of VP of Academic Affairs would be to change the atmosphere of the committee.

Traditionally, initiatives that Academic Affairs take on are seen as more long-term and slow-moving. I plan to combat this passiveness by also focusing on smaller changes that are “band-aids” for the problem, along with the overarching goal.

What are your views on the role of the SAGES program in a CWRU education? What challenges does the program face with growing class sizes? SAGES was established as a way to emphasize the importance of communication in a CWRU education, and I think that it provides the invaluable experience of being in a discussion-based seminar class, especially during your first or second year when most of your classes have an overwhelming number of students. I do, however, wish that the purpose of SAGES was better communicated to both professors and students, so that both parties would know what they are responsible for and what they should be getting out of their experience. With the growing class sizes, the program needs to ensure that there are enough classes offered in each of the three SAGES thematic groups so that the class sizes can remain small while allowing ample choice for students to pursue their interests. Consequently, with an increasing number of classes comes the issue of consistency between the classes, which is an issue that Academic Affairs has been working on this past year.

What role should MediaVision play in learning? Would you like to see a more widespread use of it? MediaVision is a very convenient resource for learning, especially to review material after a particularly confusing or fast-paced lecture. Although some students choose to skip class because MediaVision is offered, I think that is a personal choice and should not affect the availability of the service. I would love to see more widespread use of it.

How to Vote: As much as there is a lot of information out there about who to vote for, everyone still needs to know how to vote. Luckily, it’s simple. You can vote in the election in two different ways. The first is by going to http:// usg.case.edu/vote/, logging in and casting your vote.

Additionally, if you’d like to vote in person, there will be multiple “polling areas,” which will have easily accessible computer stations for students to cast their votes. Keep in mind that certain locations will be open at certain times. Here is the list of all the “polling areas” for the upcoming election.

• Nord Atrium (day) • Hovorka Atrium (day) • PBL First Floor (day) • Thwing Atrium (day) • Leutner Dining Hall (night) • Fribley Dining Hall (night)

Date of voting: March 27 8:00 a.m.- March 28 11:59 p.m.

March 26, 7:30pm: Candidates Debate Co-Hosted by The Observer (Location: The Spot)

news

observer.case.edu

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Potholes versus autos Gabrielle Buffington Staff Reporter Earlier this month was the car-lover’s favorite time of year: the Cleveland Auto Show. The show gave people the opportunity to marvel at over 1,000 concept and exotic vehicles that could be ready to sell this year or the next.

In addition to celebrity visits and a prize worth $2,000, there was a CarA-Day Giveaway and “Ride-N-Drive,” which gave people an opportunity to drive a couple of the cars around the International Exposition Center.

Anyone would jump at the opportunity to drive a car from the Auto Show around town, but would anyone make it past Cleveland’s potholes?

This time of year may bring warmer temperatures as it melts all the snow, but it leaves behind potholes that are as wide as your torso and deep enough to mine for diamonds.

A lot of craters have been spotted around campus, especially on Ford Drive and East 115 Street. Some of

the latter were repaired before our last snowstorm, but the former street is still in pieces. Literally.

These huge holes cause many diversions in traffic, such as abrupt braking and swift dodging. These evasive maneuvers may work, but they are dangerous for oncoming drivers headed in your direction.

If you decide to charge full speed ahead towards a pothole, be ready to shell out some cash. You can cause hundreds of dollars of damage to your car and you will most likely be held liable.

According to News Channel 3 WKYC reports, last year 74 percent of pothole damage claims filed to the city of Cleveland were rejected, and the remaining 26 percent were paid an average of $48 in restitution.

So remember: if you don’t want a dent in your wheels, your wallet or your attitude, remember to drive carefully until the roads are smooth again. You can also report a pothole to the city’s Department of Law Moral Claims Division by calling (216) 664-2510.

On the beat:

Jeepers Creepers There is a saying that crime never sleeps, and this applies here at Case Western Reserve University. Even though the vast majority of students were gone for spring break festivities at places around the globe, ranging from Mexico to their parent’s basement, we had several incidents of laptop theft here at CWRU. At least one of these incidents was probably committed by what we in law enforcement call an “office creeper.”

This highly scientific term refers to people who enter crowded, high-traffic buildings like hospitals, hotels or universities and look for things to steal, often focusing on items like laptops, cell phones, purses and other easily grabbed items. They will blend in with their often crowded surroundings and look for unattended or unwatched items they can pounce on. They will sometimes enter into offices or empty rooms to look around, and if challenged as to why they are in a particular space they will usually have a quick cover story about looking for a particular person or office.

There are a couple of things you can do to defend against office creepers.

The first is to keep an eye on your stuff, and find a place to secure it when you

can’t. Don’t leave items lying around unattended in public access areas. Don’t leave valuables in unlocked rooms, even if they are stored in a drawer or desk.

Also, be aware that the University Circle area is a prime habitat for creepers due to the large number of institutions here, and there are a number of people who make a living of sorts by stealing from the population here.

Office creepers can come in all shapes and sizes, but in general, if you think you have encountered someone who might be up to no good, don’t confront them directly—call the CWRU police department as soon as you can and we will come assist. If a person is lost, we will get them where they need to go; if not, we will see what happens next—remember that university property is private property and no one has a right to be here if they don’t have business here. So let’s look out for one another—and the creepers.

On the Beat is a weekly safety column written by Sergeant Jeffrey Daberko & Officer Mark (The Crossing Guard) Chavis of CWRU PD. Send feedback to this or other columns at policecolumn@case.edu.

Police Blotter: CWRU Police Blotter March 1, 2014, to March 16, 2014 March 6— Felony theft— Four laptops taken from classrooms, Millis Building

March 11— Petty theft— Cash taken from wallet, Kent Hale Smith March 12— Petty theft— Computer taken from office, Nursing School On the Beat can be contacted at policecolumn@case.edu.

6

news

3/21/14

Telling the story of diversity Mark Patteson Staff Reporter To Dr. Marilyn Mobley, vice president for inclusion, diversity and equal opportunity, diversity is intimately connected to stories.

“In what stories are we talking about ‘the other’?” Mobley asked. “And how are we helping us do it better? We are about creating opportunities for that learning. It is an exciting time to learn how to do it better.”

A self-described lifelong learner, Mobley still prefaces statements with “When I grow up” because she constantly grows her mind through reading, stories and dialogue. She says it’s her way of “referring to lifelong learning for cultivating the life of the mind.”

Mobley’s reflections on the recently released 2014 Case Western Reserve University’s annual “Advancing Diversity” report and the Office of Inclusion, Diversity and Equal Opportunity’s (OIDEO) future plans show her emphasis on stories and continual learning on diversity.

Mobley is especially pleased with the Power of Diversity Lecture Series,

OIDEO’s signature program. The series brings in CWRU’s own faculty along with nationally known speakers. Last year’s series included the Smithsonian’s Johnnetta Cole and ABC’s John Quiñones, to discuss different aspects of diversity.

To Mobley, bringing in nationally recognized speakers widens the scope of the discussion regarding diversity issues. She said “It is a way of raising the bar and raising the level of dialogue. It’s not just a CWRU issue.”

Despite the attempts to raise the profile of diversity issues with nationally known speakers, OIDEO has also led several initiatives to bring the dialogue closer to CWRU. The Campus Diversity Town Hall gave the campus community an opportunity to engage with university leaders about the university’s diversity goals.

This year also saw the addition of the Viewpoint Forum to the Power of Diversity Lecture Series which featured two local speakers to address differences in perspectives and ideas on diversity issues.

“There is a tendency to see diversity only in terms of race or gender but it also comes with thinking,” Mobley said,

2011

referring to the forum’s focus on ideas.

“We need to acknowledge that diversity is both about groups that have historically experienced discrimination and that diversity comes in all forms.”

Looking to the future, Mobley is eager to start a 52 Stories Project which will feature one story about a diversity issue close to CWRU for every week in the year. The idea for the project sparked after Mobley heard a story about how Charles F. Thwing, president of Western Reserve University from 1890 to 1921, was an early supporter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Searching for similarly powerful, but often overlooked short stories, Mobley said she “envision[s] a crew of people, including students, deputized to find stories with all different types of diversity represented.”

Though still in the planning phase, Mobley could also see the stories presented with short videos or multimedia, perhaps even compiling them into a book As part of the effort to engage students, Mobley hopes that the new Sustained Dialogue initiative, based on collaboration be-

2012

International: 7% Black: 5% Asian/Pacific Islander: 17% Hispanic: 3% Mulitracial: 2% White: 54% Unkown/Other: 12%

tween her office, Student Affairs, the Office of Multicultural Affairs and First Year Experience, will produce some important learning opportunities for the entire campus by creating groups to regularly discuss diversity issues.

To Mobley, some of these issues are intangible.

“I’ve been doing diversity since I started teaching literature,” she said. “It involves the intersections of race, gender, and class. Beyond the numbers is climate and the caliber of social life. It can’t be tidy. The human experience is complex and complicated.

“The problems are not just blatant; there is also the issue of unconscious bias; things people do inadvertently. It is important to teach about this at every level. The more we can expose and unpack this, the better our communities and our society will be. We have a unique opportunity to help educate people to be more culturally aware global citizens. There are conversations we still haven’t had yet. Sometimes we just haven’t heard each others’ stories.”

2013

International: 8% Black: 5% Asian/Pacific Islander: 18% Hispanic: 5% Mulitracial: 3% White: 54% Unkown/Other: 8%

International: 9% Black: 5% Asian/Pacific Islander: 18% Hispanic: 5% Mulitracial: 4% White: 53% Unkown/Other: 6%

How the diversity of CWRU’s enrollment has changed over the past three years. Statistics taken from the Office of Inclusion, Diversity and Equal Opportunity.

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news

observer.case.edu

Students win awards in Japanese Speech Contest

Courtesy Margaret Fitzgerald Case Western Reserve University was represented quite well at Japan-America Society of Central Ohio (JASCO)’s Japanese Speech Contest earlier this month.

First place was awarded to Peng Sun (right) for her speech called, “The Tenderness of Japanese.” Third place was given to Adam Church (middle) for his speech “The Importance of Studying Abroad in Modern Times. Another student, Vivian Chen (left), was awarded the Judges Special Prize by the Consul-General of Japan in Detroit for her speech, “A Lesson from Kendo.”

Altogether, these students took onethird of the prizes.

For the full story see at observer.case.edu.

7

A Case of Grades Stats show median assigned grade has remained unchanged in recent years, no sign of grade inflation Tara Tran Staff Reporter Across the Case Western Reserve University campus, there is a general feeling of difficulty from the student body. Low exam averages, students bombarding Kelvin Smith Library and stress are nothing new.

In recent months, several universities took a closer look at their grading credentials after reports surfaced that several prestigious universities had median grades in the A-range.

In an article by The Crimson, Harvard College’s daily newspaper, the school’s dean of undergraduate education reported that the median grade at Harvard was an A-, and that an A is the most frequently awarded mark.

The paper also reported that the Harvard faculty and administration are currently undergoing a movement in an effort to take a serious look at their grade inflation problem.

On the other end of the spectrum, Princeton University is also undergoing procedures to change its grading policy. Since the Fall of 2014, Princeton’s grading standard is that A’s should not account for more than 35 percent of the grades in their undergraduate courses.

The Office of the Dean of the College reports that as of October 2013, Princeton’s President Eisgruber has called upon a new faculty committee to review the effectiveness and parameters of its grading policies.

So some universities look like they are inflating their grades while others are trying to

Editor’s Choice

CWRU to expand student fitness options

Courtesy Donald L. Feke GPA by decile (where students rank in class) of May graduates for the past five years. make sure that doesn’t happen. Where does CWRU fit into the picture?

In short, according to the Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education Donald L. Feke, the median grade point average at CWRU, at least for seniors graduating with a bachelors degree, hasn’t changed much over the past five years, sitting somewhere between an A and B. According to data Feke provided, the median GPA for CWRU seniors graduating with a bachelors degree in 2013 was a 3.483; 2012’s was 3.496; 2011, 3.484; 2010, 3.480; and 2009, 3.534. He says it’s crucial to look at the median, not the average GPA, since a minimum 2.00 is needed to remain in good academic standing.

It’s important to note that these stats are just for seniors. Feke says that the aver-

age GPA for all students is a 3.31, and that GPA’s tend to rise as students progress towards their degrees.

Feke is interested in examining how the median GPA changes over the next few years with “academic credentials of the classes being recruited to CWRU” on the rise.

“One might expect that the GPA will likewise go up,” Feke said.

Dean of Undergraduate Studies Jeffrey Wolcowitz noted that no one has raised the issue of our grading standard since he’s been here, which was over seven years ago.

“What’s important to me is that the community be comfortable with the grading standards being applied,” Wolcowitz said. “Our grades have been remarkably consistent over the past several years, and grading standards have not come up as a matter of concern.”

BUSINESS AT RENSSELAER

121 Fitness set to take over management of select campus workout facilities Julia Bianco Staff Reporter Starting next fall, students at Case Western Reserve University are going to have many more opportunities to get fit.

CWRU’s new fitness expansion program will include expanded hours for the Veale Center, as well as upgrades on its equipment and the completion of the new Wyant Athletic and Wellness Center on the north side of campus. The university will also develop a closer relationship with 121 Fitness, which is located on Adelbert Road, near the Adelbert Gymnasium.

The new extended hours will begin in the fall of 2014. Both the Veale Center and 121 Fitness will extend their Monday through Friday hours by five hours, now opening at 5:30 a.m. and closing at 1:30 a.m. Weekends are set to have longer hours as well, with both workout centers set to remain open from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. However, times of operation are subject to change according to the level of use.

The Wyant Center will operate on these same new hours when it opens in October of 2014.

There will also be significant upgrades made to the equipment in Veale, particularly in the cardio and weight rooms.

In addition, 121 Fitness will take over the management of those rooms, as well as the Donnell Pool and will provide the

same services for the Wyant Center when it opens, a job that includes providing the staff, performing maintenance checks and cleaning the equipment. The athletics department will remain in charge of physical education, intramurals, club sports, varsity sports and recreation.

“It’s going to provide a more well-rounded approach to fitness,” said Bryn Mota, director of 121 Fitness. “Because we’ll be running those spaces, the athletics department will have more time to focus on recreation and athletics.”

121 Fitness is also going to be providing university community members with the opportunity to use the gym’s personal trainers at the Veale Center and the Wyant Center for an additional fee. They will also be offering group-training classes in activities such as TRX and kettlebell in Classroom 104, Veale’s multipurpose aerobics room.

121 Fitness will also be offering discounted rates to graduate students, as well as waiving their initiation fee. This new fee of $29 per month will be included in tuition for graduate and professional students starting in the fall of 2014, but there will be an opt-out option on SIS that is available until the end of the drop/add period on Sept. 5.

“I think that on both sides, on our side and on the athletics department’s side, everyone is very excited about this opportunity to expand,” added Mota.

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fun

8 | fun page

Making Hashbrowns

by Kevin Yong

Crossword Puzzle 46. Praise vociferously 50. Means 52. Flavor 54. Ribonucleic acid 55. Notion 56. Belonging to the past 58. The bulk 59. Less friendly 60. Not straight 61. If not 62. Russian emperors 63. Poems Down 1. Impale 2. Sea eagles 3. Jazz ostinatos 4. An uncle 5. Stick on 6. Lift 7. Maguey 8. In a stirring manner 9. Autonomic nervous system 10. Distributed equally 11. Leeches 12. Charity

There are at least fourteen ways this could go badly (seventeen if that fork is a dangerous crossbreed).

By xkcd

COM ICS

Clock Tower

Across 1. Arid 5. A kind of macaw 10. Unwanted email 14. Dainty 15. Claw 16. Fit 17. Contagious 19. Not legs 20. Hemp 21. Relieves 22. Garbage 23. Gist 25. Wall climbers 27. Greatest possible 28. Unceasing 31. Fixes 34. Irate 35. Foot digit 36. Historical periods 37. In a cold manner 38. In order to prevent 39. N N N N 40. Grimy 41. Snouts 42. Waste 44. Be unwell 45. Smidgens

3/21/14

13. Netting 18. 100 to a dollar 22. Small 24. Terminates 26. Extremely 28. Pieces 29. Schnozzola 30. Obtains 31. A fitting reward (archaic) 32. Sea eagle 33. Spitefulness 34. The study of sounds 37. Greek letter 38. Take it easy 40. Seats oneself 41. More pleasant 43. Spin 44. They play roles 46. Daisylike bloom 47. Cambered 48. Absurd 49. Milkshakes 50. 10 cent coin 51. False god 53. Largest continent 56. Best seller 57. Nigerian tribesman

observer.case.edu

Philosofish

fun page | 9 Kate Hart Ray Krajci

Horoscopes

Tell me about your Dungeons and Dragons character.

I play a half-elf bard named Varis.

I really appreciate the versatility of having both skills and magic.

Aries

Take this week in stride: it will seem challenging, but keeping your nose to the grindstone will be far more rewarding in the end.

Bardic knowledge is also really useful, if you‛re clever.

Taurus

Considering the amount of relaxation you had over spring break, you should be more jazzed about the end of the semester than you are. Head held high, you’ll pull through.

Excellent. Now, what is your favorite pokemon and why?

Well, if I had to pick just one, it would be magneton.

Gemini

It is time to move past some misconceptions you’ve formed of your peers. Let bygones be bygones and try to forge friendships beyond enemy lines.

Free electricity? Yep. Magnetic hovering? Oh yeah.

Magneton is the coolest.

Cancer

Great. Last question.

What would you sacrifice to bring back Firefly?

The situation in Crimea is not as interesting as your biology homework is. Although it’s important to be mindful of world events, still remember your immediate obligations.

An arm, probably.

Now if we were talking about the Aussie sci-fi series Farscape my firstborn, no question.

Leo

to be continued...

PhilosofishComics@gmail.com

xkcd

Scantron

Your love life is crumbling beneath your feet and there’s no direct reason why. However, you are young and you will be able to find what is best for you after suffering through a few disappointing experiences.

Virgo

Sleep will be hard to come by, but support will not.

Turn to your friends for some motivational reinforcement.

Libra

You could be a bit more timely in your communications with others. Find a way to fit in the necessary conversations.

Scorpio

Also, after all the warnings about filling in the bubbles completely, I spent like 30 seconds on each one.

Your new spring break tan will stay with you for a while through the Cleveland fauxspring. But try not to rub your awesome time in others’ faces.

Not everyone could get away.

absorb alert animal base beard blood boast breakfast class color deport evacuation fearful flight forecast ground hatch hurricane

kennel kinds local motel rode scoot soar spore stare stove strum tone tower turn vapid water weight wrist

Wordsearch

Sagittarius

Your roommate and you are going through some growing pains, trying to figure out the hectic situation that is housing for next year. Remember you still have to live with this person through finals.

Capricorn

Work, eat, sleep, work, eat, sleep, work, eat, drink, no sleep.

Aquarius

You may be on top of the world, but your head must stay out of the clouds. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself in more than one pickle after forgetting an important obligation.

Pisces

Continuing to blunder around like a blubbering idiot will do you no good in gaining respect from your peers. Reconsider your life choices and make a statement about yourself that garners what you deserve.

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arts & entertainment

00

CWRU student takes center stage Sophomore heading to England to compete in Irish Dancing World Championship Kushagra Gupta Staff Reporter

Courtesy Ellen Kuerbitz Sophomore biology major Ellen Kuerbitz will be traveling with her team to the World Irish Dancing Championships in London, England next month.

In her spare time, Ellen Kuerbitz reads, coaches a high school cross country team and Irish dances. The latter will send her to the World Irish Dancing Competition in London, England this April with her dance troupe.

Kuerbitz was five when she began dancing. Since then, she has been industriously following her passion, succeeding in local, regional, national and international competitions. In high school, she even joined cross country and track. Her schedule was rigorous, but she kept practicing and has performed solo and in groups multiple times across the United States. As the youngest child in the family, she saw her siblings leave home for college.

When it came down to choose one herself, she realized that she wanted to leave home but preferred to stay in Cleveland.

“I knew that I wanted to keep dancing in college and didn’t want to switch to a different dance school,” she says. “I wanted to stay with the teacher I was already with.”

Sticking with her passion has paid off, as this is the third time she will be going to a world competition. Previously, she has gone to one in the United States and Ireland. Last time she was at a world competition, she had plenty of opportunities to explore. This time, however, she’s planning on leaving only a small amount of time for sightseeing, as she doesn’t want to miss too many classes. Kuerbitz also visited London when she was a lot younger.

In competitions, dancers can perform in teams or do solos. In the upcoming one, Kuerbitz will be performing in a team.

When comparing the two, she says, “They’re pretty different. Since I was in college, I’ve mostly focused on solos.”

When the opportunity arose to dance with this team, Kuerbitz had to let her individual pursuits step aside.

While the style for Irish dancing is the same for the most part, there are different dances and several different types of music. Dancers can wear soft or hard shoes.

She explains, “Soft shoes are light.

There’s a lot of movement and jumping. For the hard shoes, there is a lot of movement and jumping, but the focus is rhythm and sound.”

Although she has gone to the international competition twice before, she still keeps a rigorous practice schedule. She spends between eight and 10 hours each week practicing, and she picks up the pace to incorporate practice into her everyday routine before a big competition.

Her dancing school is about 15 minutes from campus, and she uses her car to go back and forth.

This time commitment actually makes many people stop dancing after they graduate high school; Kuerbitz was one of the few that chose to continue. However, the number of people dancing drops even more after graduating from college.

She imagines that the time commitment will end up taking a toll on her after college. Kuerbitz hopes to keep up with her passion by becoming a dance instructor, as the World Irish Dance Association certifies these teachers.

Even now, keeping up with work is tough. As a biology major, she had two exams the second day of classes after spring break.

“But”, she laughs, “I do it in between.

I do it on the weekends, when I’m not dancing.”

Editor’s Choice

Art exhibit celebrates Women’s History Month Maria Fazal Staff Reporter This month, women took Cleveland’s art scene by storm, with the seventh annual “From WOMAN” exhibition. Lakeland Community College has presented these exhibitions in honor of Women’s History Month every year since 2008.

Organizer and curator Mary Urbas explains that the exhibitions are “by women, of women and about women.” Urbas was originally inspired by the New York Citybased Guerilla Girls, an anonymous group of female artists dedicated to combating sexism and racism in the art world.

The Guerilla Girls’ sarcastic manifesto about female artist advantages particularly affected Urbas. She says, “Throughout history, women artists have not been as well promoted and/or represented as their male counterparts.

She continues: “I am a woman gallery di-

rector, who curates exhibitions. I wanted to take advantage of my situation and promote the work of my talented artist friends.”

Through hard work and shatterproof determination, Urbas achieved her goal. Initially, her exhibitions featured artwork solely from local and regional female artists, but throughout the years, the show exploded in popularity. Astoundingly, it now features female artists from all over the country. The past seven years saw over 100 artists and thousands of pieces.

This year, Urbas decided to reinvent the show through a colossal city-wide collaboration. She united with several of her colleagues to feature “From WOMAN” artwork in over a dozen galleries and studios across Northeast Ohio. Put simply, Urbas says there is “power in numbers.”

The month-long exhibitions will showcase works from 38 female artists, and opening receptions will take place at different times

throughout the month. One of the receptions will land at Case Western Reserve University’s Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, which showcases the work of Melinda Placko and Bernadette Glorioso.

“We created collaborative art specifically for this exhibition titled ‘Birds of Summer.’ With a bold color palette and lots of movement, the piece mixes drawing and painting and is an ambitious fourteen feet long,” says Placko. “It hangs alongside a large number of individual paintings, collage and mixed media work.”

Several of the women artists featured in this exhibition juggle busy schedules. They are not only artists—they are also wage earners and mothers. Their work is testimony to feminine power and a great representation of Women’s History Month.

These women not only challenge their busy routines, but also transcend their skills by mingling with new art mediums. Local

artist and former partner of WallEye Gallery Linda Ayala is a graphite aficionado, yet this year, she will be exhibiting a completely different talent: puppet building.

Furthermore, this exhibition offers a unique opportunity to blossoming female artists to burst into the art scene. The youngest artist featured is 15-year-old Nikki Belkin, who will exhibit one-of-a-kind embroidered sculptural shoes.

Despite their impressive achievements, the women involved in this exhibition are fully aware of how fortunate they are. As local artist Angela Oster remarks, “I think it’s important to remember that it wasn’t so long ago that women were starved of education and denied any place in history except as mothers and wives.”

Urbas prevents the death of such a powerful tradition. She hopes to only add to the

to Exhibition | 13

12

a&e

3/21/14

Pass the suds…

…from the Church Brew Works Fermenters rest in the altar of a restored Roman Catholic church at the Church Brew Works in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Michael Suglio Staff Reporter While many Case Western students took trips to tropical areas for spring break, I traveled to the exotic Pittsburgh, Pa. Here stood one of the most original breweries I have ever experienced, The Church Brew Works.

In 1996, the former St. John the Baptist Church was converted to this award-winning brewpub. The church was abandoned for several years when owner Sean Casey pitched his idea for a brewery to the church, which was happy to see the space used as long as it still maintained the church’s integrity.

Maximizing on the large space churches have to offer (perfect for breweries), the Church Brew Works was the first brewery of its kind. The church has seen continued renovations and improvements since opening, and in 2012, the Church Brew Works won the Large Brewpub of the Year Award.

I pulled up to the large gothic church. One cannot help but to be awed upon entering this cathedral of beer, with old church pews lining the dining room. A long, wooden bar snaked across the side and surrounded the six brew kettles, lurking beneath an old church organ at the top of the balcony.

The altar has been replaced with a large

brewing system, golden and shiny like the Ark of the Covenant, and stained glass windows of various saints peer down at the brew kettles.

The food was diverse and affordable. My craving for exotic food was quenched when I ordered the Wild Boar Cassoulet, a French dish containing white beans, vegetables, whole grain mustard and, of course, wild boar.

The boar was spicy, tangy and resembled pulled pork. The mustard brought just enough additional spice to really liven up the dish, but the real gem was the pile of crispy, red sundried tomato chips.

The brewery had seven beers on tap, which included several rotating beers and the two

Courtesy nbog.us

standbys, The Celestial Gold and the Pious Monk Dunkel. The Celestial Gold had a bright golden color that was simple, smooth and had a strong malt taste. The Pious Monk was a great dark lager with a roasted taste to it.

Next up: the four seasonal beers. The Imperial Irish Red Ale was a refreshing, flavorful red ale. Despite beer’s dehydrating nature, my thirst was quenched after drinking it. The Cornelius Ale was a darker ale than the Irish Red and still had a decent taste of hops despite its dark appearance.

The Renegade Black IPA was even darker

to Suds | 13

d by women, of women & about women

March 2-28, 2014

Mary Urbas observer.case.edu

m h n on n dge

CWRU students to make betting on video games possible

s, yers r man

Brian Sherman Staff Reporter In the era of smartphones and tablets, mobile gaming is becoming increasingly widespread, and the campus of Case Western Reserve University is no exception.

Whether between classes, in line at GrabIt or waiting for a greenie, a large percent of the campus can be found playing games on a mobile device. An increasing number of these games offer competitive modes between players or high score lists, which usually are “just for fun” and provide no reward to players that perform well.

VsMe Gaming, a competitive mobile gaming platform created by CWRU students Sagar Rambhia and Ari Lewis, hopes to change that. VsMe Gaming allows players to compete with friends and other players across the world, wagering money to see who the better player is, with the app taking a small commission on each wager.

The app launched on March 1 with a two

week competitive tournament of “Snake.”

The tournament was a success, with over 11,000 games played by over 250 users and from 70 countries. The grand prize was one bitcoin, worth approximately $650, which went to a student at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

“The idea for the company came last year,” said co-founder Rambhia. “We saw a bunch of people playing games and decided to make something for friends to compete against each other and win big.”

With assistance from past and present CWRU students Kelvin Wong, Ian Liu, admitted prospective student Matthew Bentley and Cleveland State University alum Don Pawlowski, as well as advice from CWRU alum Stan Garber and CWRU professor Scott Shane, Rambhia and Lewis were able to develop their app and have a successful preliminary launch. Moving forward with their success, the team plans to integrate Bitcoin and PayPal wagers into their app.

from Suds | 12 Beth Nash, artist of the above painting, will be featured in the Lakeland Commuthan the previous beers and had an even more nity College exhibition “From WOMAN.” The Gallery@MSASS is one of many hoppy taste, but again, the hops were not overparticipating spaces and is displaying pieces from Melinda Plask and Bernabearing.

The most balanced beer in terms of Beth Nash dette Glorioso. hops and color was the Thunderhop IPA, an exceptional IPA that had just the right level of from Exhibition | 11 lege. It begins with Women of Achievement hops. Like the Celestial Gold, the beer was a awards at 2 p.m. and is shortly followed by bright yellow color that shined when held up number of venues in the coming years and is an artists’ reception from 3:30 – 5 p.m. Infor- to the stained glass windows. at work on the 2018 exhibition schedule. mation about various openingCeremony: receptions and The Church Brew Works also has a conAnnual Women of Achievement Awards The big day for the galleries can be foundPerforming on the Lakeland Comstantly rotating stout, aptly named the RotatSunday, March 23,exhibitions 2 p.m. • this Dr.year Wayne L. Rodehorst Arts Center is on March 23 atby Lakeland Community Col-• All munity College Sponsored the Women’s Center events are website.

FREE & OPEN to the publicing Stout. The brewmasters constantly change the recipe for their stout, which was currently

dark and heavy, yet with a pleasant aftertaste.

It was a nice change from all the ales I had been drinking.

As I enjoyed my lunch, I continued to soak in the atmosphere. I noticed that each handle was a different color and at the top was a bright yellow sun. Hand-woven flags slung around the church, reminiscent of Amasa Stone Chapel.

In all, if you do not mind driving out to Pittsburgh, The Church Brew Works is a different kind of brewery experience at a very affordable cost.

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Courtesy Lakeland Community College

ARTIST RECEPTION: Sunday, March 23, 2014, 3:30 - 5 p.m.

GALLERY HOURS: Mon.- Fri. 9 a.m.- 9 p.m.; Sat. & Sun. 9 a.m.- 5 p.m.

The Gallery at Lakeland in the D-Building, First Floor All Gallery exhibitions are free and open to the public.

at

View virtual images of this exhibition and previous ones at www.lakelandcc.edu/gallery Group Gallery tours are available by appointment.

Please contact Mary Urbas, Fine Arts Gallery coordinator for more information, 440.525.7029.

summer schedule online now MAkE YOUR SUMMER plANS

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of study

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SUMMER SESSION 2014. Plan on graduating in four years?

A third of Case Western Reserve students who finish in four years take summer courses. It’s a great way to get ahead or lighten your course load, graduate on time (or even early), and save money.

MAY TERM MAY 12-30

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a&e

3/21/14

The Observer’s Playlist of the Week

Anne Nickoloff Staff Reporter “The Lords of Summer” —Metallica Metallica’s new single, performed recently in Columbia, brings some of the band’s classic style through this band’s lengthy metal song.

James Hetfield’s lyrics are just as biting and intense as ever.

“Team” —Lorde You can never get enough of Lorde. She’s hovering at number six in Billboard’s top 100 with this song, displaying Lorde’s slurry vocals and clapping, sharp beats.

“Heartbreaker” —Cherub Next week, on Wednesday, March 26, Cherub’s swinging by the House of Blues Cleveland on its “Ones to Watch” tour. And the tour name is an accurate description of what this band’s got to offer.

This distinct song’s chill techno base is layered with almost 80’s-feeling lyrics. Groovy.

“I Wanna” —Matt & Kim Like this song’s title, I wanna Springfest to be here already.

Okay, that’s pretty cheesy.

But seriously, the concert is barely a month away, and Matt & Kim is going to rock it.

This upbeat song’s going to keep me and everyone in my immediate vicinity excited for the countdown.

“Going to the Ceremony”— Kid Cudi Fun fact: Kid Cudi, AKA Scott Mescudi, grew up in Cleveland.

The more you know. He’s pretty cool for blending genres beyond just rap or hip hop, and collaborating with a lot of lesser-known musicians. This song is an excellent example of his music mixing pot.

think: study abroad

FALL SEMESTER & ACADEMIC YEAR PROGRAMS DEADLINE

March 1 Courtesy Krina Adhikari

Case Kismat Fusion Dance Team places 2nd at national competition

Case Kismat Fusion Dance Team earned second place and the Audience Choice Award at Aa Dekhen Zara 2014 dance competition. Held at the University of WisconsinMadison, the team competed against other teams from University of Florida, Ohio State, Northwestern and Washington University in St. Louis. This is the group’s first victory at this level of competition and second year in existence.

SUMMER PROGRAM DEADLINE

April 1

Fall and Year Long Consider a long-term program during the summer, fall semester, or academic year.

CWRU study abroad programs are available in more than 30 countries!

All majors are eligible.

Just come to the Office for International Affairs in Tomlinson 143 or email us at studyabroad@case.edu to set up an appointment with your study abroad advisor, and we’ll get you started on your journey abroad. Join us

www.case.edu/studyabroad for more information

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observer.case.edu

Spend some of your alone time playing “Thomas Was Alone.”

Josie Krome Staff Reporter Sometimes the simpler the premise of a game, the more vast and expansive it can be made for the player. This is the case for the 2012 indie puzzle game “Thomas Was Alone.” The foundation of the game is about as simple as it gets; you play as a block and the aim is to go through the ‘door.’ The game is simple and minimalistic but it rises above the sum of its parts.

You begin as an orange rectangular block, called Thomas. The controls are very simple in that you just use arrow buttons to move and jump, with no worries of fall damage. Anytime you die, your character is reset at the start of the level or at your latest checkpoint. Not long after learning the ropes of the game, you’re introduced to new blocks, all with different skill sets. For example, Chris is a short block that can’t jump very high, but can fit into smaller spaces.

Claire is large square block which can float in the water that every other block will sink in. Each skillset is necessary to move through the level and you must switch between blocks in order to get through their respective doors.

What makes this game truly unique is the personification of the blocks by the narrator. The narration is voiced by Danny Wallace, who you may know as the voice of Shaun Hastings from Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed franchise. Wallace won a “Performance” category British Academy Video

Game Award for his role, where the game itself was nominated for the “Story” category. You may wonder how a game based completely on rectangular blocks could be nominated for having the best story, and that’s what really draws you into the world of “Thomas Was Alone.”

The narration is humorous and distinctive in that it gives each block a developed personality, features and thoughts. Relationships and motivations develop between these characters. The narration is reminiscent of another indie game, “The Stanley Parable.” Every level may have two or three portions of dialogue triggered by reaching a certain point. The snippets are always so entertaining that I stop mid-level just so that I don’t miss any part. It can get annoying if you move on too quickly or die in the same spot multiple times, the dialogue may get skipped or continuously repeated.

“Thomas Was Alone” is selling on Steam for $9.99 but you may find it in Steam sales or Humble Bundles for cheaper like I did.

It includes over 10 playable characters, 100 levels and 35 achievements that are not that difficult to obtain. The story is engaging and helped along with the narration of a personal favorite voice actor. It is definitely a light and funny game that is for any type of gamer and will not take up a large amount of space on your computer. “Thomas Was Alone” is good for your five to 10 minute study break increments, or to immerse yourself in for an hour. I would recommend it and give it an 8/10.

“The Wind Rises” takes flight as Miyazaki’s latest film Teddy Eisenberg Contributing Reporter “The wind is rising… we must try to live!” These words by the French poet Paul Valéry set the stage for Hayao Miyazaki’s latest masterpiece, “The Wind Rises.”

A fictionalized account of real historical events, “The Wind Rises” follows the life of Jiro Horikoshi, the inventor of one of Japan’s deadliest World War II fighters. Jiro dreams of flying from a young age and is visited in his dreams by Giovanni Battista Caproni, an Italian aeronautical engineer who bears a strong resemblance to Howard Hughes. Both share the same passion for the beauty of airplanes and Caproni inspires Jiro to become an engineer like himself. After attending university, Jiro becomes a prodigy who begins work with an airplane manufacturer contracted by the Japanese military.

“The Wind Rises” takes place in an economically backward 1930s Japan on the brink of war. Much more political than his other works, the film sparked criticism from both the right and left in Japan, who questioned Miyazaki’s motives in glorify-

ing “killing machines.”

Even so, Miyazaki’s Jiro is a sympathetic character, striving to realize his dreams in an imperfect world that would see his planes used for death and destruction. Although free of any of the strange creatures that inhabit “Spirited Away” or “Howl’s Moving Castle,” “The Wind Rises” has its share of dark themes. Caproni asks Jiro: “Do you prefer a world with pyramids, or with no pyramids?” The conflict that arises from twisting things of beauty, Caproni explains, does not make them any less beautiful. This is the main struggle that Miyazaki addresses.

As in any of his other films, Miyazaki’s animation is masterful. Each frame is a bright and vivid watercolor painting that leaps off the screen. This is especially true of the rural Japanese countryside of Jiro’s childhood.

The film has been released in the United States in both a dubbed English version and in Japanese with English subtitles. Joseph Gordon-Levitt voices Jiro in the English dubbed version of the film.

“The Wind Rises” also features the vocal talents of Emily Blunt, Darren Criss and Elijah Wood.

16

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3/21/14

opinion Editorial

Think beyond the obvious

Becoming a better community member through alternative spring break When asked about how they spent their spring break, a typical Case Western Reserve University student would probably say that they went home. Many would be likely to mention that they used the week-long lull to catch up on their classes with all the domestic comforts of home-cooked meals, mid-afternoon naps and a cable TV subscription. But, in a refreshing change of pace, many CWRU students chose to spend their break by getting engaged in unconventional experiences: Last week, a number of students traveled all over the country (and in one case, outside the country) to take part in relief efforts and community improvement projects.

This, of course, refers to the alternative spring break programs organized through different entities affiliated with the university. These programs are designed to offer students an opportunity to engage in service, learning more about community building and non-profit organizations. Most importantly, they are not just a fun way to spend a break, but they also are a vital part of a comprehensive and fulfilling college experience.

The importance of alternative spring break programs is multi-faceted.

First of all, they give students a break from all the academics-related stress that seems to be so prominent on this campus. CWRU students can easily get bogged down with homework, projects and job searching and forget about one of the most important purposes of going to college in the first place: learning about themselves and their surroundings. By spending four years buried under a pile of books, graduating students put themselves at a disadvantage as they venture out into the real world with a bachelor’s degree but no experience in being successful employee, friend and a community member.

The academic part of college is obviously essential, but the art of succeeding in the so-called real world lies in momentarily letting go of pure academics.

Alternative breaks allow students to do just that. They give students the opportunity to focus on what really is important. And there are no worries about paper deadlines or bad grades to distract them from the process. By making connections with the members of a community, CWRU students can set themselves up to make a global impact and spend time with others who plan to do the same.

Secondly, alternative breaks also give students an opportunity of hands-on learning. It is one thing to study anything from engineering to sociology from textbooks, but experiencing them in practice gives the sort of insight that cannot be obtained from a classroom. More importantly, it allows students to understand how their studies relate to the world outside CWRU. As students and members of CWRU community, we should strongly embrace the opportunity that the alternative spring break hosts provide us.

Of course, spring break is now over, but when you plan your next break, consider going alternative. Breaks do not always have to involve catching up with work or worrying about midterm grades. They can actually become lifechanging experiences.

Editor’s Note University’s handling of dean’s departure is a disgrace I would venture to guess most students don’t read the university’s official enewsletter, The Daily, with the frequency its editors intend. Published as often as its name suggests, The Daily provides an outlet for the Office of University Marketing and Communications to publish positive news about the institution, as well as offer a forum for members of the university community to promote their programs and events.

While most students set their inbox to automatically file it away, The Daily is widely read by staff and faculty members. It’s an invaluable tool and a cornerstone of internal communication at Case Western Reserve University. But this is where my praise of the campus e-newsletter ends.

Because if you were sitting next to me in the Jolly Scholar on March 4 at 11:10 am.—the moment when The Daily hit my inbox—you would have witnessed me choke on a forkful of chicken salad when I read this line about Lawrence Mitchell, former dean of the law school: “Mitchell’s decision to step down to support the best interests of the [law] school is the most recent of a series of examples that demonstrate his dedication to the institution, which Mitchell will continue to support as a faculty member and scholar at the school.”

Apparently, the Office of University Marketing and Communications and I have very different ideas of what it means to be dedicated to Case Western Reserve. By their logic, supporting the university is best done by dragging it into an expansive puddle of shame, allegedly harassing women and retaliating against those who voice their dissent. (Mine involves writing this editor’s note.)

The Daily attributes Mitchell’s resignation to an effort to “minimize distractions relating to a lawsuit filed against him and the university alleging retaliation against a member of the school’s faculty.” Is that really what the administration considers sexual harassment to be—a distraction?

In the eleven-paragraph article, the four most lengthy segments are dedicated to “gains achieved during Dean Mitchell’s leadership,” such as “forging educational partnerships with nearly two dozen schools around the globe” and “enhanc[ing] the diversity of the student body,” If Mitchell was to ever pen his autobiography—I hear he has time now—The Daily’s article could be its forward.

Oh, and let’s not forget all he did for women. According to The Daily, he should be saluted for “launching the Women’s Law and Leadership Institute…”

(I’m sure that will be the first thing for which School of Law women will remember him.)

I am a fervent supporter of due process; I believe in the legal system and that an individual is innocent until proven guilty. But I believe with equal conviction that it’s a two-way street. One of the School of Law’s most respected faculty members, Raymond Ku, filed the lawsuit. And numerous parties have gone on the record with statements that reinforce his claims against the dean.

The article published by The Daily on March 4 is an embarrassment to the university’s name and should be removed from the public view. As an editor, it is beyond me why the institution didn’t limit that post to a short announcement about the dean’s resignation—nothing more, nothing less. Instead the university placed itself on the wrong side of the fence.

Rather than stay neutral or indifferent, Case Western Reserve steered clear of the high road and, as The Daily article exemplifies, aligned itself with Mitchell.

I wonder what shows of support they’ll display next?

Perhaps Campus Planning and Facilities Management will install loudspeakers on the facade of Adelbert Hall? That way, the entire Case Quad can link arms and join the administration in a boisterous rendition of Tammy Wynette’s “Stand

by Your Man.” But like their words, I’m sure their tune will fall entirely flat— and on increasingly deaf ears.

Tyler Hoffman —EXECUTIVE EDITOR & PUBLISHER

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.

The Observer is a proud member of the CWRU Media Board.

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 Euclid Avenue, Suite A09, Cleveland, OH 44106. Letters need to include the writer’s full name, address, and telephone number. Anonymous letters will not be published. Letters from organizations must contain the name of an individual for contact purposes. Writings may be edited for clarity and brevity, 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 returned to the sender. Letters must be received by 5 p.m. on Tuesdays.

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established in 1969 by the undergradute students of case western reserve university executive editor & publisher TYLER HOFFMAN director of design MEREDITH DYKEHOUSE director of web & multimedia KYLE PATTERSON director of print KATHLEEN WIESER director of business operations BENCE TAMAS advertising & marketing manager COLE MORRIS account manager JAMES VELETTE digital publicity & communications manager VINCENZO VOLPE news editor MIKE MCKENNA a&e editor KATY WITKOWSKI news layout HEATHER HARGROW opinion editor NOORA SOMERSALO a&e layout AMBER ALBERGOTTIE sports editor JP O’HAGAN sports layout EDWIN LO multimedia editor ARIANNA WAGE opinion layout CHRISTINA CHENG copy editors ANNE NICKOLOFF, JENIECE MONTELLANO distributors SAGE SCHAFF advisor BERNIE JIM

18 opinion

3/21/14

A tale of two universities The senior inquisition Sheehan Hannan A long, long time ago, in a galaxy close to here, there were two universities. One was largely a technical school.

Its students were educated in engineering and hard sciences. In an age that valued liberal arts education over science, they were the upstarts, creating and experimenting with new technologies and theories. Across the street, another university educated their students in the humanities, attempting to breed holistic problem solvers instead of specialized tinkerers.

I am, of course, referring to the two schools that form the backbone of our campus—Western Reserve University and Case Institute of Technology.

Though the two have long since merged, Case Western Reserve University still feels like a city divided. As the gap between the humanities and hard science became largely restricted to games of freshman one-upmanship, a new chasm emerged—between the business end of our university and its educational roots.

In my four years here, I have frequently run up against this very problem. Like any private college of our size, CWRU’s corporate side is intricate, designed to project a very specific outward view of our university to prospective students, the public and the almighty donors— research based, exclusive, prestigious, diverse but safely economically homogeneous. By all accounts academically challenging, but a solid upper middle class choice. It’s the very image that brought me here hook, line and sinker, without so much as a campus visit, that’s fueling the construction boom and left us with an $8.4 million operating surplus last year, according to the 2012-2013 annual report. It’s a bold vision of a school striding confidently into the future, embodied in our hilariously nonsensical and unabashedly aspirational slogan: “Think Beyond the Possible.”

On the other hand is the messy work of academia, the kind that students, faculty and staff are supposed to be here to do. It’s maddeningly difficult, massively rewarding and a bit more difficult to market than research grants and massive open online courses, or MOOC, enrollment numbers. As the Office of Planning and Institutional Research is wont to point out, there are myriad ways to measure how happy we students are.

Hell, they even measure our chow intake: 4,534.29 pounds of produce from the University farm straight to our gullets last school year. But because of the zeal the university’s leadership displays in its move into the future, the real job of our beloved university, student-based educating, has been left behind.

In all their fervor for the future, on leading and aspiring, the corporatist side has forgotten about the students they set out to serve. Sure, the USG president has regular meetings with university leadership. Despite an unnecessary scuffle, The Observer can get their hands on already

publicized applicant diversity statistics.

But even as they get better at engaging with the student body, our leaders slide toward business over academics.

Gripping white-knuckled at the wheel, they’re leaving students in the passenger seat, letting us come along for the ride as they drive the agenda.

By way of example, take the most prominent addition to our campus—the beautifully designed Tinkham Veale University Center. Doesn’t have the same ring as the one syllable “Thwing” does it? Well, in addition to being quite a mouthful, the University Center’s name is a symptom of the larger problem, one based on emphasizing the University brand over its student purpose.

Let’s take a quick trip on Euclid Ave toward downtown. When you pass Cleveland State University, do you notice anything? It’s right there, plastered across a wavy-fronted building plopped by the roadside: Cleveland State University Student Center.

It’s easy to wave off the difference as a semantic one. But language matters.

It’s how we understand our surroundings and each other, what our entire social lives are built on. More importantly, language choices demonstrate priorities.

As such, if students will be the primary users and beneficiaries of the University Center, doesn’t that make it a student center? Even more importantly, if the stated purpose of our university is the education of students, shouldn’t the students be at its nucleus? What does it say about our leaders’ priorities when they have neglected to use the very word the university concept is based around in their marquee building project?

But the University Center is just a small example. Moving CWRU into the future is obviously important, and programs like Blackstone Launchpad, Think[box] and constantly churning research are to be applauded. But in pushing CWRU forward, the university’s corporate side has neglected to meet students where we are. Our role in directing the university that has so shaped the course of our lives is a tertiary one at best. Our input is sought on the minutiae, not the strategy. We are treated as cudgels to be wielded in the form of recruitment statistics and daily newsletter publicity bites, not stakeholders that have the ability and drive to shape our university’s present and future, from curricula to campus development to community engagement.

We chose to be here. We have invested our hard-earned dollars not only in our personal futures, but the future of this institution. We want to make it better, to have a role in truly deciding its direction.

Student leaders are already waiting in the wings to make it so. They need only be given the opportunity to close the gap.

Sheehan Hannan is a senior English major. He was formerly the director of print for The Observer and the chairman of Media Board. His writing has also appeared in Cleveland Magazine and Inside Business Magazine. opout. In some things, they can be equal.

Correction The Observer would like to apologize for publishing a puzzle in our last issue that included an offensive term as one of the solutions. We make every effort to ensure that all content printed in our newspaper is reflective of the accepting and open-minded nature of the Case Western Reserve University campus and its students. In the future we will be taking steps to confirm that the content that we publish from third parties conforms to our standards of language and ethics.

Courtesy case.edu

My conversation with President Barbara R. Snyder The meaning of Spartan life Jacob Martin This past Monday, March 17, I attended a personal meeting with Case Western Reserve University President Barbara R. Snyder.

In mid-October, I walked into Office 216 on the second floor of Adelbert Hall and requested a meeting with President Snyder after being encouraged to do so by the Office of Student Affairs. After six months of being bounced around between various communications officials, my request was granted and I met with the president and Vice President for Marketing and Communications and Senior Adviser to the President Chris Sheridan.

Before I proceed with how the meeting went, before we even began talking President Snyder made it extremely clear that she has had her own office hours on Monday afternoons for any CWRU student, faculty, staff, or even greater-Cleveland community member who wishes to speak to her about anything for the past seven years. Immediately, I was confused.

Everyone I’ve spoken with before this meeting—from administrators to professors—had no idea President Snyder had designated office hours. The typical response I would get would be about past president Agnar Pytte’s infamous weekly hours where his door was literally open to any individual who wanted to talk.

Following her lead, I discovered there is a student meeting request swatch on her office’s website. However, I was still confused. If there was such an option, why was I not informed at the time of my request? Why didn’t members of other administrative divisions know about this student option? Why was I led to believe that this meeting was an impossibility?

Throughout this entire year, I’ve been working closely with the Office of Student Affairs, taking meetings with other administrators, consulting professors and listening to student feedback about our campus community. I’ve been offering suggestions, seeking answers and trying to help build a greater sense of community at CWRU. All of my work led me to President Snyder, the woman who oversees all of the constituents I had spoken with.

It seemed to me that there are three major threads of a campus community as seen by the president: first, individual

responsibility; second, focus on the future; third, outside partnerships. But the emphasis was evidently that the presence of a strong community was on student shoulders.

“Community is something we create together, something we all engage in together. It belongs to alumni, students, faculty, staff, and future members,” she said.

“Everyone has to own it. It’s not just my community, it’s our community.”

She continued, “We all need to ask ourselves, ‘What can I do individually to make the community better?’ We are all stakeholders.” She then cited my writing in this weekly space and our crossing guard, Officer Mark Chavis. “[Officer Mark] chooses to be engaged with our community. It’s up to each of us to build community.”

“We need to hear from [students] on how they want to foster connectivity and belonging. We are, of course, open to suggestions, but we can’t do it alone,” she said of the administration. “I see students all the time; I like the connection between students. But it’s a skewed sample of students who I see.”

Despite such a heavy focus on individualism, she did mention our university footprint on Cleveland. “We take service to neighborhoods seriously. We share borders with East Cleveland and Cleveland Heights, as well as our larger University Circle home. We have obligations to these groups with partnerships, especially in University Circle.”

I went to President Snyder to learn and I did just that. There is no doubt she cares about CWRU and all of its parts and people. She wants what’s best for everyone that calls this university and its surrounding areas home. Her vision of community is ours, “Nobody wants to be at a place where their voice doesn’t matter, and I think we can do it better.”

Barbara R. Snyder was very pleasant.

It’s clear she is an intelligent businesswoman and views the university as such, but she was humble and down to earth, and her office mirrored that. She seemed happy to meet with me and spoke freely, often without prompt. Essentially, the meeting was a good opening discussion to what I hope will be an ongoing dialogue between the president and me. Yet in the future, I also hope to go a bit deeper.

Jacob Martin is the senior opinion editor. He thanks President Barbara R. Snyder for her time this week.

opinion 19

observer.case.edu

No time for patience The elephant in the room Andrew Breland As students were settling in for midterms, hopeful for a change in weather during spring break, a piece of news broke across the university that, while not creating much buzz on campus, stirred an already rampant conversation across the internet and throughout academia.

On March 1, 2014, Lawrence Mitchell, Dean of the Case Western School of Law, resigned.

For those unfamiliar with the scandal surrounding Mitchell, the story is one replete with drama, fodder for a good Hollywood screenplay if there ever was one. In late October 2013, law professor Raymond Ku filed a suit against the former dean, naming Case Western Reserve University as a co-defendant. Ku, a tenured professor and former associate dean, alleged that Mitchell committed sexual harassment against law school faculty and staff. Mitchell is accused of touching female staff members inappropriately, propositioning students for sexual intercourse, and making disparaging comments about women including that one student was “wasn’t good for anything but keeping the bed warm.”

When Ku tried to report the inappropriate conduct, the suit alleges, administrators were nonresponsive. Ku later alleges that he suffered retaliation from Mitchell for trying to report the conduct, includ-

ing loss of his deanship and directorship of the Center for Law, Technology and the Arts. The lawsuit also states that reports to the University Provost and Vice President of Diversity, William Baeslack and Marilyn Mobley, respectively, went unanswered and uninvestigated. Later additions to the lawsuit allege that a staff member in Mitchell’s office was assigned to watch Ku and was given a raise for actions taken against Ku. But the story hardly stops there. The lawsuit also describes a pattern of such behavior for Mitchell. Ku argues that before Mitchell became dean here, he was accused of sexual harassment and misconduct at George Washington University, where he previously taught. Additional allegations about Mitchell’s behavior arose at a talk downtown where fliers were passed out including the aforementioned quote.

That was in January 2012. Mitchell was brought to CWRU in 2011. The lawsuit was filed in October 2013.

Since receiving and responding to the lawsuit, the law school’s response has been relaxed. They stand behind Dean Mitchell and trust that the justice system will absolve him of any accusations. However, the university’s confidence means little when all it portrays is a façade.

It is because of that, then, that Mitchell resigned earlier this month. He remains a tenured law professor, but will no longer hold the deanship, even if he is found not liable in court. In his message to students as he left the office he bemoaned that

these events had distracted from the law school’s mission. The university, standing behind Mitchell, states that “the decision to step down” supports “the best interests of the school.”

On March 4, the university publicized Mitchell’s resignation, delivering a stirring biography in The Daily. Minimizing, or omitting, references to the accusations against Mitchell, the university delivered magnificent propaganda, which was insulting to me and others I know who are familiar with the pending case. The article has since been updated, but that the university believes it can propagandize to avoid discussing uncomfortable subjects is complete nonsense. While it is true that we should all allow the courts to determine truth and fault in this case, painting over the facts with broad strokes of unallowable optimism is an awful recourse of action.

And people wonder why no one reads The Daily.

The argument goes farther than that, though. Upon the revelation of the allegations against Mitchell, the university’s response was slow and indicative of waffling administration. Upon the exposure of more bad press, the waffling continued.

Today, the university still appears confused about the course of action it should take in regard to the court case. That hurts the school and the potential for greatness in the future.

As the university administration fails to respond appropriately to the allegations against them, potential students

google “Case Western law school” and find at least three references to the lawsuit on the first page of results. Each of these articles, published by the Cleveland Plain Dealer, details the allegations and presents the university’s response— a response which pales in comparison to the accusations. This will most likely begin to affect the school’s enrollment.

As a student set on attending law school, I have all but ruled out Case Western School of Law entirely, not based on test scores or GPA, but on the university’s response to this situation. I would rather attend a less prestigious law school than suffer under what appears to be a nonresponsive, blinded administration.

From the beginning, the response should have been strong—either in defense of the former dean or recognizing the claims. Instead, the university’s continued insistence on patience and their emphasis on the “good deeds” of the embattled dean leave students confused and struggling to rationalize why the school is hurting. From my perspective – sure, there’s loyalty to friends, coworkers, and your chosen administration, but if something, anything, happened remotely close to the way described in this lawsuit, then something terrible has happened at the Case Western Reserve School of Law. Andrew Breland is a double major in political science and English, vice president of the Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity and former chair of the Case Western Reserve Constitution Day Committee.

For graduating seniors…

Un-sCWRU your lifestyle Theresa Smetona With spring break over, nothing except for a few paltry exams and capstone projects stand in the way of us grabbing our diplomas and gleefully tossing our black caps into the air. For the procrastinators who, um, have not yet begun their capstone projects, some long all-nighters are also in store, but for the most part, the next six weeks are a time for joyful anticipation and the disregarding of homework assignments.

But interestingly, a prolonged and pathetic moan can be heard among many graduating seniors: “Spring break is over, we’re graduating in less than two months.

Is this real life? I wish I could go back to freshman year.” The depressing and weighty certainty that life will change drastically for the worse after graduation confuses me. I’m tired of seeing “#denial” all over my twitter feed, and I won’t even begin to discuss the obnoxious vocalization of the hashtag that takes place in way too many conversations.

So, why does the idea of our rapidly

approaching graduation and subsequent life in the “real world” pose such a problem for so many of us?

Okay fine, maybe you won’t be able to wear the pair of sweatpants that, despite having been repeatedly washed, are noticeably stained, and because they’ve been repeatedly washed, they are a good two inches too short and abruptly end above your ankle. But is a wardrobe adjustment really that distressing? You’re young and attractive, wear form-fitting and flashy clothes while you can. Take advantage of the money you’ll be making with that future job and buy yourself some new outfits.

Oh, oops, you don’t have a job lined up after graduation and are worried that you will be broke and living in your parent’s basement for the next 15 years, crushed by disappointed hopes and the desire to return to your college days. While being forever jobless and friendless seems like a rather bleak forecast, realistically speaking, it is also an inaccurate one. You don’t have to have your entire life neatly scheduled out, complete with a detailed career trajectory, two kids and a white picket fence. Consider the fact that you hold a

the

diploma from a prestigious university, have conquered grueling midterms while withstanding months of bitter cold and intense zombie attacks, and have loads of talent and gumption. Relax and loosen the frantic grip on your future that you learned from overzealous premeds and pretentious automatons.

You really just don’t want to abandon your campus routine and the life you have established here? That’s a valid concern; being pushed out of your comfort zone can be scary. But from what I hear, babies don’t want to be born either, yet after a period of screaming, they adjust beautifully to life on earth. Give your future a chance. The possibilities are endless! It is often pointed out that going to college is beneficial on a personal and social level because you can recreate yourself and take advantage of a fresh start at a new place where nobody knows or dislikes you yet. The same applies to post-grad life. The next time that you catch yourself lamenting that you will miss all of your old friends so much, remember that new friends and experiences are waiting just around the corner. In addition, leaving CWRU does not mean you will be forced into an inescapable void in

Observer

which communication is impossible. Judging from the experiences of other alumni, you will maintain contact with the people who are truly important to you.

The four years you spend in college don’t have to be the best in your life.

Think about how much wiser and better looking and more interesting you’ve become over your college career. Compare current you to the freshman year version.

Do you really want to regress into a less evolved and more awkward human? Fast forward five years. You could be in the midst of creating your own start-up business or presenting your research at an international conference on global health in a room filled with nicely pressed suits and intriguing accents. Embrace your adulthood. Celebrate your accomplishments.

Savor your remaining time here and step across the stage in Veale Athletic Center with confidence... but don’t trip, because that would be embarrassing.

Theresa Smetona is a senior majoring in Spanish and English. In her free time, she likes to drink coffee and consider the possible benefits of her future unemployment.

f cwruobserver @CWRUObserver observer.case.edu

20 opinion

3/21/14

South Africa needs Mia Hamm From CLE to Cape Town Heather O’Keeffe I, like many American girls, began playing soccer at a very young age. From U-6 to U-18 I was always playing soccer—for my high school, a club team or just for fun in the backyard. And when I wasn’t playing soccer it was some other sport—basketball, tennis, anything. I consider myself to be quite sporty, but I would say that most American girls at some point in their childhood or adolescence played a sport. Whether that be t-ball in the park or AAU basketball, young girls throughout America have a plethora of opportunities to play an organized sport.

In South Africa, that is not the case at all. This didn’t overly surprise me, as I’ve traveled to other countries where girls just don’t play sports, but still— if I was raised in South Africa, I would go insane. Thankfully, great women like Billie Jean King and Mia Hamm fought for a place for females in sports and for respect as athletes. These women have always been my heroes and, from what I have so far experienced in Cape Town, Alex Morgan and Maya Moore need to take a trip to South Africa.

Playing soccer in South Africa is so fun. The country is soccer crazy, and whenever I take my soccer ball out in public, I make friends really easily.

I have played beach soccer with locals twice. One of the times was with young boys who didn’t care that I was a female. The other time was with males aged 13 to 26 and they were shocked when I asked to play with them. Who was this foreign girl who wanted to play soccer? Some of the guys were overly nice in passing me the ball and I felt it was a big deal any time I successfully played the ball. One guy even asked me if I played professionally. I scoffed; I haven’t played on a team in a couple years and I’ve never remotely been near a professional level.

But it could be possible that if I played for a club in South Africa, I could play on a professional team. No wonder you never hear of South Africa at the Women’s World Cup: they’ve never qualified and only made one Olympic competition.

Through experiences playing for the University of Cape Town (UCT) women’s soccer team, I’ve been able to learn the most about soccer in South Africa.

The first day of trials I was pretty nervous, but then we began to play and my nerves disappeared. While I was nowhere near the form I would like to be in, I could at least pass on target, let alone pass with both feet. The level of play was really astonishing. For many girls the enthusiasm was there and they were keen to play, but the fundamentals were seriously lacking: balls ricocheted off feet at awkward angles, the goalkeeper didn’t know you could catch the ball.

About 60 girls tried out for two teams, compare this to over 300 guys for three teams! Of the 25 girls who made the first team, one is Swedish, four are

Norwegian and eight are American. Us foreigners bring a really strong level of play to the team: Three Americans play DIII back home and one Norwegian used to play at a junior national level. In fact, I reckon the starting 11 could all be study abroad students.

The South Africans on the first team are also good players, but not in nearly the quantity one would expect at a school of 26,000 students. UCT is the size of a state school back in the U.S., so if UCT was in America the team would be 25 exceptionally talented girls who train several hours, six days a week. Practices here are less intense than high school soccer. We practice twice a week, and once the season begins, we will have games twice a week.

We’ve already played two friendlies against a professional team in Cape Town. We beat them pretty handedly.

The other teams had good footwork but little structure: They could make a move, but then made a bad pass. Our coach’s goal is for us to go up a division to the top women’s division, which would then mean UCT was at a professional level.

Back home I’ve complained that the men’s team had nicer jerseys than the girls, but here the disparity is even greater. The men’s UCT team practices every day and flies around the country to play other universities. The women’s team never flies; they only play locally.

That’s so different from CWRU and other universities back home, where both teams travel all the time and have crazy practice schedules.

In the U.S., walking onto any university team is a big deal, much less at a school of 26,000. Hopefully as South Africa continues to develop women’s sports, it will become a societal norm.

Maybe in the next few years a superb female South African athlete will emerge and take hold of the nation, like Mia Hamm did in the 1990s, showing that not only can girls play, but they can play pretty damn well.

Sports are a huge form of empowerment and expression. I cannot imagine the person I would be if my parents didn’t sign me up for soccer, yet here hundreds of thousands of young girls will never play a pickup game of street soccer or represent their school while sprinting down the field.

There is a trend in aiding developing nations to invest in women and girls, to provide them with microloans and ensure they get an education. Getting girls involved in sports should be a valued part of this investment. Maybe one day the guys on the beach will think I’m an average player, and UCT women’s team will be cutthroat competitive and will feed into a globally respected national team program.

Heather O’Keeffe is a second year biomedical engineering and sports medicine student attending the University of Cape Town for one year. She longs for international access to Spotify and is in love with the awesome USD to South African Rand exchange rate.

Have an opinion on this week’s editorial?

SLJC notable student leader: Natalie Feng Lin commitments have played a role in my personal and professional development by allowing me to see the bigger picture and ultimately make a difference.

SLJC awards Month of March The Student Leadership Journey Council (SLJC) is proud to recognize another notable student leader on Case Western Reserve University’s campus: Natalie Feng Lin. Natalie is an international student from Taiwan and a fourthyear marketing management major with minors in both English and French.

Natalie currently holds positions as the president of the University Program Board (UPB), co-chair of the Student Executive Council (SEC), marketing cochair of the Springfest 2014 Committee, vice president of Net Impact; is a member of Phi Mu fraternity, Alpha Kappa Psi, Student Turning Point Society, Lambda Eta Mu and Sustained Dialogue Campus Network. Something interesting about her—she believes in Junot Diaz’s quote, “You can’t regret the life you didn’t lead.”

Q: Which outreach activities or programs have made the greatest impact on you?

A: Being on UPB and SEC is so rewarding because I’ve learned a lot about myself and this campus, and I’ve been lucky enough to work with some of the most creative and intelligent leaders in the student body. However, each of my

Q: How have your leaderships skills impacted the organizations you are involved in?

A: As a leader, I like to build bridges and empower students. I try to work towards leaving the campus a better place than I found it; therefore, through each of the organizations I’ve been a part of, I strive to make it the best it can be by connecting with and motivating others to take on that mission with me.

Q: What inspires you to be an involved leader on campus?

A: College is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I want to be able to experience it as fully as possible. One of the ways to do that is by being involved on campus; that way, I am well-informed and can find what I’m passionate about.

It has also allowed me to meet others that broaden my perspective and inspire me to do better and to do more. And really, that’s what it comes down to: the people.

Student Leadership Journey Council is a group dedicated to creating a community among student organizations and student leaders. We work with the Office of Student Activities and Leadership to provide resources, support and recognition so that our community will grow.

State Your Case How should the administration improve the tuition forum?

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Use social media to provide students with Social media information about the event.

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Let us know.

The tuition forum is not in need of any No need improvements.

observer.case.edu from NFL | 23 Quarterbacks, Louisville/University of Central Florida Bridgewater and Bortles are two different quarterbacks with distinct pros and cons. While Bridgewater brings more polish, Bortles brings size. These two quarterbacks are both products of the newly founded American Conference, and questions can be raised about the level of competition. We saw Bridgewater tear apart a talented Florida team in the Sugar Bowl his sophomore year, but then not really stand out that much his junior year at Louisville. Bortles, on the other hand, has been solid, but didn’t look so good in UCF’s Fiesta Bowl victory over Baylor.

While Bortles has drawn Roethlisberger comparisons, they seem quite premature.

He does not look that fluid on the field, but he does have the valuable size that NFL teams look for. At the combine, Bortles had a mechanical release and his deep ball was poor to average at best. Neither of these traits are great when you attribute them to a player in consideration for the Top Five of the draft.

the

sports | 21 If Bridgewater was an inch or two taller and 30 pounds heavier, he would likely be the consensus number one pick, but in this draft, all quarterbacks have their own question marks. At the end of the day, Bridgewater is probably the better fit in Cleveland, as the Browns learned with Brandon Weeden that size and arm strength mean nothing if there is no accuracy. However, look for the Texans and Bill O’Brien’s old school mentality to gravitate towards Bridgewater, who is likely the frontrunner to go number one overall at this point, even with Clowney’s impressive combine.

There is no telling what the Browns will do, but given the names listed above, quarterback is clearly the biggest priority. If they believe they have their guy in this draft, look for them to use their flexibility in picks to move up and acquire the player. This team is talented enough to compete for a playoff spot next year; it just lacks the quarterback play to get them there. Regardless of what the Browns do in the draft, expect an even more significant talent upgrade of the roster this offseason as they still have a ton of salary cap space. That is a scary thought for all the other teams in the AFC North.

@CWRUObserver The Observer observer.case.edu

Observer

from Tennis | 24 tans as they fell 5-2. The second match of the day got the team back to their winning ways as the Case men took all three doubles matches as well as five of the six singles in straight sets.

The team started their second day of doubleheader play against Penn State Erie, The Behrend College. The morning matches featured the team’s less-featured players, who proved to be more than ready to compete, losing only two games the entire day. The topranked players faced off against Wittenberg University and brought in another 9-0 sweep, not dropping a set all day.

Play on day three was postponed due to weather before things were able to get started with a 2-1 victory over Bridgewater College in doubles play. Unfortunately, the men were unable to finish out the day as weather ended three matches before they were able to be

from Softball | 1 Unfortunately, the perfect record would not last. In their fifth game of the tournament the Spartans committed two crucial errors in the field and squandered an early 8-1 lead against Brandeis University. Ultimately, the team fell by a final score of 12-11 in 10 innings despite a second straight two home run game by Parello. The sixth game saw them fall just short against Wash U, putting their title hopes in doubt. Just as the Spartans appeared to be in trouble it was Wennerburg to the rescue as she pitched them to victory over Rochester, going the distance while giving up just one run. The victory ensured

completed. However, the Spartans were determined to be the winners with three victories over the Bridgewater team. Klawitter and Fojtasek both were 2-0 on the day.

The trip of the season was a success in terms of the final record as well as team development. “The first road trip of the season is the first opportunity to get to know each other and really bond as a team. Home meets aren’t the best for team building….but on the road you’re in a van together for hours then staying overnight at a hotel. It was a good chance to get closer as a team,” said Wojtkowski.

The trip also helps the team refocus on the new practices and expectations that come with switching to outdoor courts. The Spartans will look to capitalize on their increased familiarity as they head to Emory University in Georgia on March 28. The team will once again be taking their vans on the road with their eyes on raising their win total and No. 8 ranking outdoors. the team at least a share of the UAA championship. The Spartans had an opportunity to clinch sole possession of first place in the championship with a victory over Emory in their final game, but suffered a walk off loss after rallying from a 4-1 deficit. Regardless, the Spartans were UAA champions for the first time in 15 years and nobody could take that away from them.

The newly minted champions will be back in action on Friday at Geneva College in Pennsylvania for a doubleheader. On Sunday the Spartans will be back in town for their home opener, a doubleheader against Trine University. Until then, they can party like it’s 1999!

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22 | sports

3/21/14

Editor’s Choice

Break out your brackets, March Madness is here had their fair share of growing pains throughout their season as they graduated all their starters from last year and meanwhile faced the toughest schedule in the nation. But some of their struggles have allowed them to unlock the potential of young superstars Andrew Wiggins, Perry Ellis and potential number one pick Joel Embiid. With their young threats and junior guard Naadir Tharpe guiding the way, the Jayhawks beat Georgetown, Duke and Iowa during the regular season and will look to do more of the same during the tournament.

Possible Upsets: Florida (1), Syracuse (3), VCU (5) West: No. 1 Arizona―As much as we’d like to go against the grain and not choose Arizona to come out of the West, it is

Stephen Wong Staff Reporter With the end of March comes NCAA basketball’s most exciting and anxiety filled time of year, March Madness.

The NCAA men’s basketball tournament pits the top 64 teams in the country against each other as they try to establish dominance, all of them trying to be the one to cut down the nets at the end of it all.

Whether you are entering a bracket pool with a bunch of your friends or looking to cash in on Warren Buffett’s $1 Billion Bracket challenge, we’ll give you our top picks from each region to help you fill your pockets and get some bragging rights.

South: No. 2 Kansas―The Jayhawks have 2nd Round: March 20-21 1

Florida

16 Albany 8

Colorado

9

Pittsburgh

5

VCU

12 SF Austin 4

3rd Round: March 22-23

UCLA

Regional Semifinals March 27-28

Orlando March 22

3

Syracuse

Regional Semifinals March 27-28 Regional Finals March 29-30

National Semifinals April 5

National Semifinals April 5

San Diego March 23

SOUTH

3rd Round: March 22-23

San Diego March 23

Spokane March 22

Anaheim March 27 & 29

Buffalo March 22

San Antonio March 23

9

George Wash.

5

Cincinnati

Milwaukee March 22

National Championship April 7

Michigan State

Wichita St. 1 Cal. Poly 16

Raleigh March 23

St. Louis March 23

St. Louis 5 NC State 12

EAST

North Carolina

Iowa State

Orlando March 22

Spokane March 22

New York March 28 & 30

11 Providence 3

UMass 6

Indianapolis March 28 & 30

Tennessee 11 Raleigh March 23

San Antonio March 23

Texas 7

UConn

Villanova

Duke 3 Mercer 14

10 Saint Joseph’s 2

Louisville 4 Manhattan 13

MIDWEST

14 NC Central 7

Kentucky 8 Kansas St. 9

13 Delaware 6

Wisconsin 2 American 15

12 Harvard 4

Creighton 3

BYU 10 St. Louis March 23

16 Coastal Carolina Memphis

Nebraska 11

Oregon 7

Virginia

8

San Diego St. 4

La. Lafayette 14

15 Eastern Kentucky 1

N. Dakota St. 12

Baylor 6

New Mexico

Kansas

Gonzaga 8

New Mexico St. 13

10 Stanford 2

Weber St. 16

Oklahoma 5

14 W. Michigan 7

2nd Round: March 20-21 Arizona 1

WEST

Memphis March 27 & 29

Ohio State

11 Dayton

2014 NCAA Tournament Bracket

of its three games leading up to its winning of the American Athletic Conference championship.

Possible Upsets: Wichita St. (1), Duke (3), Michigan (2) East: No. 4 Michigan State―The Spartans played in arguably the best conference in all of college basketball and left the regular season with a Big Ten championship in hand as well as wins over Michigan, Wisconsin and OSU. With a high powered offense that features Keith Appling as its orchestrator, Gary Harris raining threes and Adreian Payne doing a little bit of everything, the Spartans will have no trouble on the offensive end of the floor and will try to use it to run their opponents out of the gym.

Possible Upsets: Iowa St. (3), Virginia (1)

Oklahoma St. 9

13 Tulsa 6

Regional Finals March 29-30

incredibly hard to pick against the Wildcats. Arizona went 30-4 with a strength of schedule ranked fourth in the country.

They pair a stifling defense with an offense that does just enough with four double-digit figure scorers.

Possible Upsets: Wisconsin (2), Oklahoma St. (9) Midwest: No. 4 Louisville―The defending champs are back and they are not so pleased with their seeding. Louisville sports a 29-5 record coming into the tournament with nine wins in their last 10 games and big wins during the season against UConn, Cincinnati and SMU. The Cardinals will have one of the nation’s best players, with Russ Smith driving their offense and a defense that did not allow more than 65 points in any

Arizona St. 10 Buffalo March 22

Milwaukee March 22

15 Milwaukee

Michigan 2 Wofford 15

Weintraub wins, outdoors begin Skyler Phillips Staff Reporter Last weekend was the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field championship, and Case Western Reserve University had one team member proudly represent the Spartans on the campus of Nebraska Wesleyan University. This officially marks the halfway point of the season.

The competitor that we sent to the meet was senior and team captain Henry Weintraub. Weintraub’s main events are the weight throw, which he participated in on the afternoon of Friday, March 12, and the hammer throw.

Weintraub, beyond this competition, has a host of other merits to his name, including a number of broken school records (many of them his own), five

UAA championships, being a UAA Athlete of the month seven times and being named University Athletic Association Indoor Men’s Most Outstanding Field Events performer earlier this month. He was also All-American in last year’s hammer throw, meaning he placed in the top eight spots. This year, his throw went a distance of 58 feet and one inch, which took 12th place in the

competition.

The indoor championship marks not only the halfway point of the season, but the arrival of the outdoor season, which begins officially March 21-22 at this weekend’s Virginia Military Institute/Washington & Lee Invitational.

Indoors has all been in preparation for outdoors, so now the season will really begin to take off.

observer.case.edu

sports | 23

Evaluating the Browns’ prospects for 2014 NFL Draft Arun Murugesan Contributing Reporter It feels like every year in Cleveland we say this is going to be the biggest draft for the Browns, but this year that statement rings truer than in past years. The Browns have stockpiled picks in this draft, and more importantly, picks in the value rounds of the draft (seven picks in the first four rounds). Ray Farmer now has the great responsibility of leading the Browns back to relevance after Jimmy Haslam’s dismissal of Joe Banner and Mike Lombardi. We do not truly know what Farmer’s approach to the draft is, so it’s hard to speculate this early what he plans on doing, whether that be trading up, staying put or trading down. What can be looked at is the talent pool and how certain players may fit the Browns if they do indeed stay at pick number four.

Johnny Manziel: Quarterback, Texas A&M University Arguably the most controversial player in this year’s draft, he presents a rare skillset to NFL teams, but at the same time comes with some baggage off the field.

Some scouts rave he’s the next Brett Favre while others say he will have a career similar to Doug Flutie. What is clear is that he is a very special player who almost singlehandedly led Texas A&M University to a win over Duke in the Chick-fil-A Bowl when his teammates looked unmotivated and unhappy to be there. In addition, he gave Alabama’s defense nightmares in his

two seasons and torched their future NFL talent consistently, even when they had another year to prepare for him. His infectious winning mentality would be greatly embraced in Cleveland, and his swagger is something we haven’t seen at the QB position in a very long time. Size will be his greatest question mark, but if he can stay on the field there is no telling where his talent could take him. Regardless of what opposing players or the media thought of him, his own teammates embraced him, and that is the true sign of a great leader and a potential franchise quarterback.

Sammy Watkins: Wide Receiver, Clemson University This would a luxury pick, but one that would arguably give the Browns the best set of weapons on offense in the NFL. Pairing Watkins with Josh Gordon and Jordan Cameron would give defenses nightmares: The size and speed would result in mismatches all over the field, and this trio could make just about any quarterback look at least competent. If the Browns do indeed make this pick they would likely be saying that they don’t see any of the quarterbacks in this draft as a franchise guy. In many scouts’ eyes, Watkins is the best wide receiver prospect to come out since A.J. Green and Julio Jones; this would not at all be a wasted pick, but it would likely ensure that the Browns would have the best onetwo wide receiver punch in the NFL for at least the next decade.

Teddy Bridgewater/Blake Bortles:

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to NFL | 21

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24 | sports

3/21/14

sports

Spartans bring UAA Championship back home Baseball captures second title in two years JP O’Hagan Sports Editor The Spartan baseball team is on a mission, and by every indication they are prepared to achieve their ultimate goal: compete for the national championship.

The Spartans took the first big step toward that goal over the past two weeks, bringing home their second University Athletics Association Championship in two years. In addition to celebrating their championship, the Spartans stand at 11-3, are ranked 23rd in the nation and have had their third player named to the Division III National Team of the Week.

“Our guys work incredibly hard,” said head coach Matt Englander. “It was great to win the UAA, we were able to sweep our rival, Emory, and we are happy about that.”

Prior to the Spartans’ championship drive, the team split their two game series the weekend before spring break, beating Denison 12-7 before being handed their first loss by nationally ranked Marietta, dropping the close game 3-2. Any concern that the loss would rattle the team was put to rest as the Spartans entered the UAA Tournament. “It was frustrating to drop to Marietta, just some key mistakes,” said Englander. “We tell our guys that ‘there is no such thing as momentum;’ we let things go, we don’t dwell on the good or bad. Getting the hit once before won’t help them this time up.”

The Spartans embraced this lesson as they started their championship drive, heading down to Florida. The Spartans won five straight to start off the tournament. The first three games the Spartans managed to pull off narrow one run victories, beating Brandeis 9-8, Emory 4-3 and Rochester 6-5 through Tuesday’s play. The Spartans were able to thrive under the pressure of the tournament.

All three of those games were come-frombehind wins, a special feat for the Spartans.

The team’s strength and conditioning came into play. “Our play doesn’t change much when challenged,” said Englander. “We rely on our work ethic; it isn’t always about how far you can hit the ball or how far you can throw it. We focus on one way to play—it’s about toughness.”

After three days of close calls and comefrom-behind wins, the Spartans exploded offensively for 29 runs, while shutting down their opponents, a rematch against Brandeis

Courtesy Case Sports Information Spartan pitcher Rob Winemiller fires home during UAA Championship Tournament in Florida and the first game against Washington University in St. Louis. In the opening game, the Spartans knocked in 16 runs, and forced an early finish as Brandeis only managed six runs and the varsity mercy run rule cut the game short after eight innings. Connor Faix picked up his first win of the season, helped immensely by the Spartan offensive onslaught to start the second inning when they scored six.

Jake Shields picked up the win in the following game of the double header, pitching five and a third innings giving up six. The Spartan bats more than compensated knocking in 13 runs on 15 hits, to stroll into an easy 13-8 victory over Washington.

Despite the 5-0-tournament start, the Spartans dropped their next two games, losing their rematches 3-2 against Rochester and 4-3 against Washington University. After such an explosion earlier, almost any other team would have had concerns of fatigue.

The Spartans, however, have been prepared for the trials that the tournament presents. By rotating in different players, an advantage allowed to the Spartans by a deeply talented bench, the team was able to keep from faltering in the Florida heat. “Our guys are in great shape, they work incredibly hard and we have known that this coming up. We prepare all year for this tournament,” said Englander.

“We see the season as a marathon full of sprints and we are prepared for it.”

The Spartans rebounded on Saturday handily beating Emory 9-6. The defense and offense worked perfectly in tandem, with Rob Winemiller picking up his first win of the season, and Daniel Sondag picked up his fourth save. The Spartans played smart and simple baseball, not managing any extra base hits, but playing smart ball in order to put up nine runs on 15 hits.

Andrew Gronski, the Spartans’ big hitting

third baseman, led the team over the duration of the week. Gronski is the third Spartan to be given such a high honor this season, following teammates Noah Sherman (first base) and Jordan Swisher (catcher). Over the week Gronski batted an amazing .567 (17 of 30), knocked in 11 RBIs and was only a double away from hitting his second cycle this season on Wednesday in the 16-6 Spartan victory over Brandeis. A .369 career hitter, Gronski is having an amazing start to the season, currently hitting .569 with four homers and 23 RBIs. “Gronski is playing like the best player in the nation right now,” said Englander, “but a lot of guys have stepped up to get us here.”

Due to the wet and cold conditions still hovering around Cleveland, the Spartans will play the previously expected home opener away this weekend, playing at opponent Ohio Wesleyan in a four game series at Littick Field in Delaware, OH.

Tennis thrives in coastal sun Katie Wieser Director of Print The Case Western Reserve University tennis teams put the focus on team building over their spring break trips spanning from South Carolina to California during the week of the academic hiatus. The men’s team spent four days in Hilton Head, S.C. while the women’s team headed to southern California for a three-day, three match event. The men ended the week with five wins and a loss on the outdoor courts, while the ladies dropped two to nationally-ranked opponents and won one match during their trip.

The No. 26 women’s team was looking to gain more experience versus top-ranked competition. They started their week against Bowdoin College, who currently hold the No. 7 rank nationally. The Spartans opened strong with a 2-1 record after the doubles portion of play. The teams of Sara Zargham and Mar-

ianne Bonanno and Surya Khadilkar and Sarah Berchuck beat out their opponents with scores of 8-6. However, the Spartans were no match for the singles play of the tennis powerhouse, falling 1-5 on the day.

The second day brought some relief to the Spartan team as they won over University Athletics Association opponent University of Rochester. The doubles teams, once again, helped the team get things going with a threematch sweep of the opposition. The ladies also took five of six singles matches. However, the women were unable to find success in the final day of play as they fell to No. 5 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.

The team of Khadilkar/ Berchuck finished their successful weekend with another victory. They were joined in the winners’ circle with the team of Taylor Sweeney and Michelle Djohan. Unfortunately, the team was felled by singles play once more, dropping five of six matches.

Coach Kirsten Gambrell was disappointed with the overall record following the trip, but felt encouraged with the level of doubles play and the valuable team experiences gleaned during the course of the three matches. “Getting two road trips will really prepare us for later in the season,” said Gambrell. “I’m really hoping that we’ll be able to push through and beat the teams that are ranked closer to us.” The ladies will get their chance playing against the No. 20 team and another top-ten team in Virginia at the end of March.

Gambrell was also encouraged by the teamwork shown over the trip. “Over this spring break trip, our team chemistry really raised a notch. We were close before but I feel like the team really gelled.”

The men’s team started their trip with the goal of team camaraderie in mind. Coach Todd Wojtkowski was looking to gain experience playing outdoors before beginning to face off against regional and conference op-

ponents starting next week.

The team played a grueling schedule of six matches in four days starting against Tiffin University on Sunday, March 9 . The Tiffin team is a Division II school, but gave the Spartans no challenge as they swept the competition 9-0. Five of the players won both their singles and doubles matches including Christopher Krimbill, John Healey, Derek Reinbold, Will Drougas and James Fojtasek.

The men went on in day two to face off against Division I opponent George Mason and fellow Division III team Ohio Wesleyan.

The team started out strong in doubles play versus George Mason. The teams of Krimbill/Eric Klawitter and Healey/Drougas both won their doubles matches, earning the team the doubles point for the competition. Krimbill won his fourth straight match in singles, but that was the only bright spot for the Spar-

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