The Observer, Volume L, Issue 07, 10/5/18

the

Case Western Reserve University volume L, issue 7 friday, 10/5/2018

Observer Men’s soccer shuts out No. 7 Kenyon David Chang Staff Reporter Climate change seems to have struck the Spartans, as the Case Western Reserve University men’s soccer team has had a blistering hot season.

The team tied in their first University Athletic Association match-up against Brandeis University after defeating No. 7 Kenyon College 3-0 at home this past week, bringing their record to an outstanding 8-1-0.

Continuing their six game winning streak, the Spartans opened play against Kenyon in a rare moment on the defensive side. Kenyon attempted two shots off a corner kick in the first few minutes, but first-year goalkeeper Charlie Fink managed to scoop the first shot and the Spartans’ defense blocked the sec-

ond. The Spartans took their turn attacking off a corner kick, with third-year midfielder Zachary Senft on the left finding fourth-year defenseman Christian Lytle for the header.

Lytle accommodated to the short pass by running up, heading the ball downwards to the right and catching Kenyon’s defense off guard and converting the first goal of the game. Third-year midfielder Marques Manta helped block the vision of the opposing keeper, as the keeper assumed the ball would head left, the same direction that Lytle was running toward.

In the next twenty minutes, both teams had good opportunities at the net. Senft came close with a shot at the goal line, but the opposing keeper managed to predict the straight shot and dropped low for the save. The Spartans scored later in the game on a fastbreak, with the ball going to third-year midfielder

Wednesday, Sept. 26

Saturday, Sept. 29

No. 16 CWRU No. 7 Kenyon

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No. 16 CWRU

Brandeis

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Daniel Brenner/Observer First-year goalkeeper Charlie Fink has been crucial to the Spartans’ success this season. The 6’3” goalie has started all 11 games and has only allowed seven goals. He has four shutouts on the year as well.

Garrett Winter on the right. Taking his time, Winter slowed down the pace, sending a controlled pass to fourth-year forward Alex Besl. The defenders, still trying to keep up, did not expect such a long backwards pass to the trailing Besl. Besl managed to get the ball over a defender and took a long shot, whizzing past the overextended keeper, lengthening the lead 2-0.

In the second half, the Spartans set up two corner kick situations but did not score in both opportunities, with the opposing keeper saving one shot. The Spartans slowed down the pace of the game, moving the ball around closer and closer to the ten yard line. Senft

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CWRU reacts to Kavanaugh hearings Sophia Yakumithis News Editor With Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s eligibility for a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court of the United States at stake, his highly impassioned testimony before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary last week sparked

national debate as to whether or not the judge’s alleged sexual misconduct is reason to impede his nomination.

Christine Blasey Ford, Ph.D., is one of three women accusing her former high school classmate of sexual assault. In an emotional and compelling testimony, Ford recounted a situation which occurred in the early ‘80s when the two were in high school. She de-

scribed “uproarious laughter” from Kavanaugh during the alleged assault and said she was “100 percent sure” he committed the attack.

“I denied the allegation immediately, categorically and unequivocally,” said Kavanaugh within the first few moments of his testimony, which set the stage for the rest of the charged deposition. The District of Columbia Circuit Court Judge went on to discuss various inves-

tigations which were carried out after the allegations first arose after his July nomination and said he feels that “there’s been a frenzy on the left” to block his confirmation process. arose after his July nomination, and said he feels that “there’s been a frenzy on the left” to block his confirmation process.

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Smallpools, Misterwives rock Veale for UPB’s Fall Concert see pg. 8 Henry Bendon/Observer CWRU students enjoyed the Fall Concert on Saturday, Sept. 29, featuring Smallpools and Misterwives.

News

A&E

Opinion

Sports

pg. 2 Professor acts once again

pg. 6 Blume, Handler visit campus

pg. 11 Kavanaugh nomination

pg. 15 Football preps for W&J

news Editor’s Choice

From the stage to the lecture hall

Professor of law Charlie Korsmo broke a 20-year acting hiatus to star in a film last year Justin Hu Staff Reporter “I have always enjoyed learning a new job and getting to have new experiences.”

It’s a simple and common sentiment, but with these words, Charles Korsmo perfectly characterizes himself. Now a professor of law at Case Western Reserve University, Korsmo has had a distinguished career spanning a number of fields. He started as one of Hollywood’s child stars, then went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as an undergraduate student to study physics, received a law degree from Yale Law School and worked on the Homeland Security Committee.

Korsmo was born in Fargo, North Dakota. He later moved to Minneapolis, the city which would eventually kickstart his acting career. “[Minneapolis] was an advertising hub of a sort, so it had a bit of an infrastructure for talent agencies, making commercials, stuff like that,” recalls Korsmo.

Still, it was not until a family vacation to Los Angeles when he was 8 years old that he developed an interest in film.

He and his family were in the studio audience of the sitcom “Punky Brewster,” and as he watched the show unfold, a young Korsmo thought to himself, “Boy, this looks like something anyone could do. They pay these people for this?”

When Korsmo returned to Minneapolis, he and his family searched for talent agencies in the Yellow Pages, interviewed with a couple, and he subsequently secured roles in a few commercials. Although he was more than a thousand miles away from Hollywood, his location actually ended up being a boon and helped him land a part in his first movie.

“When a movie was looking for kids [who] were non-Hollywood kids to star in it, Minneapolis was one of the cities they would go to,” said Korsmo, “so I attended

an open audition, a cattle call audition for a movie called ‘Men Don’t Leave.’”

“Men Don’t Leave” was the catalyst of Korsmo’s acting career, earning him attention from Hollywood talent agencies and springboarding him into five other movie roles within the next two years. One of these roles included working alongside names like Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman and Julia Roberts in the classic Peter Pan movie “Hook,” immortalizing Korsmo in movie history.

Despite his success, Korsmo decided to walk away from acting after filming “Hook,” which finished when he was 13. A number of factors attributed to his leave from acting; working nonstop for three to four years caused him to burn out, and he had few friends his age.

But more importantly, upon seeing his brothers going through school, Korsmo felt stuck in acting. He became tired of watching everyone else around move forward with their lives while he felt he was staying in one place.

“You only get one shot to go into high school and to have that experience,” he said. “So I quit at that point to just go straight through high school for four years.”

However, he would later return to acting, but this time, as a student at MIT. Although he intended to quit acting to go through high school uninterrupted, his relationship between working in film and attending school wasn’t always a negative one. In fact, Korsmo feels that one of the positive aspects of acting was having a brief interlude from school.

“A lot of my [experience with acting was because] I hated school when I was in junior high and I wanted to get out of it,” said Korsmo. “I went to MIT and studied physics, and I’d say that was an intense experience. After I’d been there for a year, I was thinking I wouldn’t mind getting out of school again if something came up.”

Korsmo decided to retain an agent and submitted audition tapes, made in

his dorm room, which eventually got him the role of William Lichter in the 90’s teen comedy “Can’t Hardly Wait.”

The film is exactly what one would expect from a 90’s teen comedy: its main character, Preston, wants to profess his love to the most popular girl in the school, Amanda, who coincidentally has just broken up with the school jock. As for Korsmo, he portrays a nerdy character whose goal is to exact revenge on said jock after years of bullying. “[‘Can’t Hardly Wait’] killed my career stone dead,” laughed Korsmo.

Despite majoring in physics as an undergraduate student with the intention of working a science or engineering job, Korsmo got a position at the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which would eventually lead him to his current job as a law professor. Then again, this unpredictability is not surprising given Korsmo’s, who chose to study physics on a whim, history. It was a field he said he had no prior experience with, and he chose to study it because it was a subject a person couldn’t self-study, and in that sense, he felt he would be getting the most value from college.

“Frankly, there’s never been a 10year plan or anything like that,” he said.

“I wouldn’t have been able to predict all the twists and turns my career’s taken.”

What followed Korsmo’s graduation was a job with a congressional committee, and then, in 2002, a position on the Homeland Security Committee. Since his work revolved around legal policy, he decided to attend law school and spent a few years in New York working at a major law firm until he heard from a friend of his who was a law professor.

“A friend of mine who had the same legal career path had become a professor a couple of years earlier, and really loved [the idea of following a similar path]. I saw his lifestyle, and he set me up with an opportunity to be a visiting professor for two years,” said Korsmo.

“I thought, well, let’s give this a shot.

Now, ten years later, I’m still [a law professor]. This is the first time in my life

I’ve done the same thing for more than a few years at a time.”

While he has always enjoyed trying different opportunities and gaining fresh experiences, Korsmo bore the burden of switching fields so frequently; the steep learning curve of a new job, the need to prove oneself in a differing field and, of course, the stress. So, while not changing jobs is something that Korsmo did not have much familiarity with before working as a professor of law, he has enjoyed the opportunity to relax a little.

“As I get older, I’m enjoying having settled into the position I’m in,” he said.

“I have to have kids at this point. I have a six-year-old and an eight-year-old. It’s nice to have the kind of stability of being in one place now.”

Just last year, Korsmo broke his 20year hiatus from film to work on the movie “Chained for Life.” The film was directed by a childhood friend of his, Aaron Schimberg, who has produced several independent films. Schimberg called Korsmo, telling him that he had Korsmo in mind when he initially wrote the script and encouraged him to jump back in the acting game. Originally, Korsmo intended on saying no, but the director persisted.

“You could do it in only a week, I think you would have fun with it,” Schimberg told him.

That was enough to convince Korsmo, who figured out the scheduling and worked on the project during the summer. “[‘Chained for Life’] was a lot of fun to do,” he said. “I sort of forgot how much I enjoyed doing that kind of thing.”

Beyond teaching law courses, Korsmo has been busy with corporate law, focusing on mergers and acquisitions. If history holds true, it may be another decade—or two or three—before he goes in front of the camera again, but be on the lookout.

“If any independent Brooklyn filmmakers want to give me a call, have a part they can film in two days,” he said, “I’m happy to do it.”

New biomechanics exhibit debuts at Cleveland Museum of Natural History Nathan Lesch Staff Reporter On Sept. 29, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History (CMNH) unveiled a new special exhibit entitled, “Built to Survive: Biomechanics.” Located in the museum’s Kahn Hall, a cavernous gallery situated left of the main entrance, the exhibit will last until April 28, 2019.

Although biomechanics is defined as “the mechanics of biological and especially muscular activity (as in locomotion or exercise)” by the MerriamWebster Dictionary, CMNH explores

biomechanics more broadly by breaking the exhibit into six color-coded sections, each focusing on a different locomotive or structural component of organisms.

Built to Survive: Biomechanics is not your typical, dusty history exhibit; the darkened hall has a distinctly modern flair inspired by hands-on learning.

The exhibit utilizes diagrams, interactive programs and videos to make biomechanics accessible to every museum guest.

Visitors enter a purple-tinged section which focuses on the unique materials and shapes created and found in organisms. Even before leaving the purple

section, the rhythmic thump-thump of a heartbeat becomes overpowering. The second section teaches visitors about different ways species transport oxygen to their cells. Next, nestled prominently in this section is an interactive body heat detector which represents the process of heating and cooling. Sections on jaw mechanisms and locomotion fill out the far wall of the exhibit. Lastly, visitors are confronted with a cordoned off circle surrounding a chair and two paddles— the centerpiece of wing section. One at a time, the museum invites visitors to sit in the chair, pump the paddle up and down, and learn about wing shape.

Sabrina Carbonell, a Cleveland native, brought her granddaughter to visit soon after the exhibit was unveiled. Although Carbonell was familiar with the CMNH, she had not visited recently, forgetting just how valuable the museum is.

“I really like the exhibit and love the museum,” said Carbonell.

Carbonell also highlighted the importance of CMNH’s attempts to make information accessible to children, adding, “[CMNH] teaches [kids] about the [Cleveland] area and beyond.”

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Student club promotes positivity with Motivational Monday Maryam Iqbal Staff Reporter Last Monday morning, hundreds of students walking through the Tinkham Veale University Center may have crossed paths with a table full of buttons. Organized like a mini pop-up stall, passers-by were given the opportunity to make DIY buttons out of various stickers and colored paper in about as little time as it would take to place and pickup an order at Melt U. During a portion of the week notorious for low energy levels, the button making process motivated students and brought smiles to their faces.

The pop-up booth was sponsored by Acts of Random Kindness (ARK), a Case Western Reserve University student organization founded by a group of students who wanted to promote a culture of kindness around campus about six years ago. Due to its strong leadership, ARK was awarded the “Outstanding New Student Organization of the Year” upon its foundation in the 201213 academic year.

“Motivational Monday,” a custom which the pop-up booth was representative of, is meant to provide random kindness and to make people smile by giving out free custom made buttons. The rotating staff provided stickers, motivational quotes and pins so that all who passed the booth were equipped to make customized buttons.

As ARK President and third-year student Nicole Baumgartner stated, “Although there are national organiza-

tions that have similar goals, ARK is a club started by CWRU students for the CWRU community. Since its foundation, we have strived to find new ways, big and small, to spread kindness across campus.”

Typically, ARK has around five events per semester. At the end of each term, the general body votes for which events will take place during the following semester.

This fall, the group will reprise some of its most popular events, including the Throwback Picnic and World Kindness Day, as well as some new ones, like the Finals Cafe.

The group’s Sept. 14 kickoff event, the Throwback Picnic, featured ARK on the quad passing out classic childhood favorite foods. From walking tacos, a bag of chips filled with taco toppings, to Gushers and Capri Suns, the options certainly did not disappoint hungry students. According to Baumgartner, this event has always been a club favourite because, “one gets to see how excited people get when we offer them snacks they have not had in years. Students and staff always tell us how we have brightened their days and how appreciative they are of this event.”

This is the second year ARK has held Motivational Monday. Both years, the event was purposefully staged around midterms. The first round of exams is a particularly stressful time for CWRU students, and by allowing people to grab a button—or to design one’s own—that can be placed onto backpacks or sweatshirts, makes people smile and offers a quick mental break. After all, ARK’s mission centers around relaxing by em-

bracing creativity. If you ask anyone in the group, there is no such thing as a small act of kindness.

Although distributing DIY buttons may seem like a small act of kindness, ARK believes large acts are hardly necessary to brighten someone’s day.

Feedback from students who passed the table in Tink was largely positive too.

Maria Hill, a visitor to the booth, shared her thoughts on the gesture of kindness.

“I was walking past the table towards class when I saw this parade of stickers,” she said. “I was in a really grumpy, Monday mood, but I got a cat button and it made me feel better and more optimistic about the day.”

ARK has six executive body members who bring their own perspective as to what it means to show kindness to others, leading to more creative and team-orientated events. Their weekly Tuesday meetings in the Thwing Center are even open to the general public, so every voice is included in all their decisions.

As Baumgartner explained, “We want

[the public’s] ideas on what events we should do and when because we want to be in tune with what would best benefit the campus. The beauty of ARK is that each member can contribute as much as they are able, and because of that, we have an organization where everyone can share their opinions and integrate their ideas into what we do.”

ARK is looking forward to hosting more events this semester, including the biggest event of the year, World Kindness Day, coming up on Nov. 16. The organization has invited clubs across CWRU to find their own unique ways of spreading kindness on World Kindness Day. ARK will pass out donuts on the Binary Walkway as students walk to class.

Various clubs that will collaborate with ARK for the event are the Undergraduate Student Government, the University Program Board and the National Alliance on Mental Illness. This event will occur throughout campus so that all students can participate and benefit from this event.

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Jurassic Park!

October 12

The Original film!

Pre-film extravaganza with free food, fossils, talk by Dinosaur Paleontologist of CMNH! Games, prizes and more! Fun begins at 5, first screening at 7. In Strosacker Celebrate Homecoming and enjoy a bag of popcorn in Strosacker Auditorium with this Spielburg classic about dinosaurs, ethics, and life finding a way. Hosted by the CWRU Film Society, which has been spooling 35mm film at CWRU for over four decades, and sponsored by the Evolutionary Biology Major, Origins Major, and undergarduate Origins Club! Rated PG-13. For more information, see films.case.edu.

Join Us!

Origins.case.edu/club

Origins Club member Jeb, on location in Mongolia

Origins Club is a diverse group of students interested in evolution, cosmology, astronomy and other origins topics, especially Origins Science majors. Many of us work closely with faculty in a variety of areas from lab science to field biology and paleontology. Some of us have traveled to do fieldwork in the deserts of Mongolia, the jungles of South America, and the remote outback of Turkana, Africa. You can too.

Origins Booth at the major/minor Choices Fair! Free Tshirts! Fri 10/5 Also, Happy Dog talk 10/10, 7pm; Club mtg Oct 11 in ROCK 221, 7pm

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10/5/18

Habitat for Humanity builds houses, character Nihal Manjila Contributing Reporter This year, Case Western Reserve University’s own Habitat for Humanity chapter will be expanding more than ever before.

With the upscaling of its first-year representative program and the addition of an international trip, the current academic year is looking to be Habitat’s best yet.

As an international organization, Habitat for Humanity constructs and renovates housing for those in need of permanent homes. Habitat for Humanity has four guiding pillars: direct service, fundraising, advocating and educating. The mission of Habitat is holistic because it helps both volunteers and families receiving aid.

CWRU is home to its own chapter of Habitat for Humanity. The organization works in conjunction with the Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity chapter to provide housing for local families and improve the community. An executive board of seasoned members coordinates the efforts of students to make an impact on the city and make meaningful change and experiences.

Habitat also hosts several events through-

KAVANAUGH rom pg. 1 Some claim that Kavanaugh’s display of character during his hearing could put the Supreme Court’s legitimacy in danger should he be confirmed, including third-year political science major and College Democrats at CWRU President Leo Thuman.

“When I heard Judge Kavanaugh’s testimony, I did not believe he was as measured as he should be and that was somewhat indicative of a concerningly non-judicial temperament,” said Thuman. “I definitely believe he lied about some ridiculous things that he didn’t need to lie about, and that, in some ways, called a lot of his testimony into question.”

Lisa Nielson, Ph.D., Director of the Flora Stone Mather Center for Women, agreed with Thuman, citing her primary concern as “Kavanaugh’s inability to control his rage.

Although a decidedly emotional and fraught situation,” she said, “my expectation for a Supreme Court justice is control in the face of conflict. He seemed to have lost control, didn’t ask for time to regroup, repeatedly interrupted the panel and did not answer questions directly.”

David Rodriguez, president of Case College Republicans, however, offered an alternative perspective on the potential nominee’s testimony, describing Kavanaugh’s opening remarks as “passionate.”

“Throughout the hearing, he strongly defended his character, his treatment of women and his record as a judge,” he said. “As the afternoon wore on, I grew more confident that he was not the type of person [who would commit sexual assault]. Until more evidence is brought forward, I strongly support his nomination to the Supreme Court as a judge [who] abides by the constitution.”

Following the heated Sept. 27 hearing, Republican Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona played a key role in initiating an FBI investigation into Ford’s allegations against Kavanaugh. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the Senate will vote on his nomination this week, regardless of what the FBI probe finds and whenever it comes. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina added that if the process fails, President Donald Trump should attempt to nominate him again.

out the year in collaboration with other student groups on campus, among them its annual Super Nachos event in partnership with the Sigma Nu Fraternity to raise awareness about substandard housing and fundraise for the Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity.

This year, Super Nachos raised $1,600 for the Greater Cleveland chapter, according to CWRU Habitat for Humanity Vice President and third-year student Rayanna Stevenson.

Habitat held its annual kick-off meeting on Sept. 4, and featured a meet and greet with the executive board for new and returning members. The programming for the year was then announced: plans include weeklyto-biweekly weekend builds in the Greater Cleveland area and an international build in Trinidad and Tobago during winter break.

Every Saturday, around eight students from Habitat gather outside the Tinkham Veale University Center (TVUC) and are transported to a building site in the area to work on construction and renovation for most of their day. The sign-ups for these builds get filled up very quickly, with 50 to 60 students signing up for the weekend builds so far this year.

Habitat also offers a program for firstyear representatives to shadow members of the executive board and learn how the club

is run, ensuring the smooth transition of leadership from year to year. The number of first-year representatives this year increased significantly due to an increased interest in the club.

“Just a few years ago, we only had maybe three or four students apply to become student representatives,” fifth-year student Adam Erlichman, CWRU Habitat for Humanity President, said. “We accepted all of them. This year, we had six students get selected, and we had to turn down several worthy candidates.”

This year, a new addition to CWRU Habitat is a direct mentorship program.

Each representative is paired up with a member of the executive board who handles their interest.

Erlichman spoke about the relatively long history of Habitat for Humanity at CWRU. As a volunteer who visited families affected by Hurricane Katrina, the president can certainly attest to the continued mission of the club.

“There are still messages between executive board members from years past,” said Erlichman. “The club may reach as far back as the ‘90s.”

Former students have shared stories with him on their experiences with the organiza-

tion, all of whom value the memories made while helping other people. He said, “We do other small events for families too, like making house address signs for families that received new housing and helping customize their homes to really make it feel like their home.”

Outside of build events and fundraising, the group also holds social events around campus to further the mission of volunteering and education that Habitat for Humanity embodies. The annual Doors event, where other student groups can pay to decorate a donated door and advertise their organization, is a highlight. The proceeds will then go towards Habitat for Humanity’s funding for builds and materials.

A new event this year is Haunted Housing. The event will include pumpkin carving, candy and a trick-or-treat game with Habitat for Humanity trivia, advancing the educational pillar of the organization.

Habitat is only growing from here. The CWRU Habitat for Humanity chapter will be hosting a regional conference for other chapters to attend from around the Midwest at TVUC this coming April. With all the new events and programs, there’s no denying that Habitat for Humanity will be making its mark this academic year.

Kavanaugh would be Trump’s second Supreme Court appointment since taking office as the Republican presidential candidate. Given the current ideological division of the nation’s top court, which is evenly split between liberal and conservative justices, Kavanaugh’s confirmation would shift the bench to a concrete right.

Leaving partisan divides out of the conversation is inherently not possible at this point, an issue which Rodriguez believes is impacting the nomination process. He explained that certain conditions, including the manner of Ford’s questioning, are crossing the parameters of party lines, making both Ford and Kavanaugh “victims of this stressful hearing, [which] could have been avoided if brought up earlier in what seemed to be used for political gains.”

“Democrats, during [Ford’s] hearing, used their time to express how brave she was to come forward, why they believed her and why Kavanaugh shouldn’t be on the Supreme Court,” added Rodriguez. “During Kavanaugh’s hearing, both [parties] fought hard for their side. For Republicans, I found Graham’s remarks on the entire hearing especially powerful.”

Regardless of party divisions, each testimony has brought the spotlight on a much greater issue: public attitude towards sexual misconduct. Following the hearing, many felt that Kavanaugh’s testimony was accusatory towards Ford and that he undermined her narrative with his heated response.

“I think it is so disgusting and disheartening that we force survivors to be strong and poised when they should be grieving,” said second-year student Jasmine Cuenca, who felt empowered by Ford’s testimony and described her demeanor as “poised and strong.”

“She has nothing to gain by [speaking publicly], but I think doing so makes her a true patriot,” said Cuenca.

Nielson believes that public response to each testimony spoke to a greater discussion on sexual violence and that a deficiency in our sexual education system fails to effectively put such information on the table.

“I’ve spoken with many students at CWRU over the years, and they rarely have such education in school,” said Nielson.

“They arrive uncertain about alcohol tolerances, what consent means and how to ne-

gotiate healthy relationships, whether they are intimate or not. As a result, we force our young people to make it up as they go along. That sex is stigmatized still, people don’t know how to talk about it or address violence.”

Cuenca expressed disappointment with the campus community’s lack of responsiveness to the subject matter of last week’s testimonies. With hopes to educate students living in campus housing, Cuenca, a resident assistant, made her monthly bulletin board topic “consent.” The board is displayed in the hallway of her floor and is intended to educate her residents on a different subject each month.

“I would have liked to see more support from the university in terms of offering support and sharing resources with students,” she said. “I do think it is imperative that [CWRU] offer solidarity to students.”

She continued, “We are a CWRU community, which means faculty and staff must be understanding of this past week’s events and cognizant of how students are handling these circumstances. As a campus community, we need to look out for each other.”

Nielson emphasized the societal and cultural implications of the hearings on the topics of sexual violence and assault, calling the question of Kavanaugh’s confirmation one of “moral will.”

She said, “The backlash to how young men are being portrayed has horrified men, too. Just as we have seen several women questioned about their experiences, we are seeing all young men lumped into a deviant, ‘boys will be boys’ category. Perhaps the bigger conversation is that if Kavanaugh is confirmed, after all of this, what message does it send to the nation?”

According to Rodriguez, the issue in question was not the nature of Kavanaugh’s response to Ford, but the truthfulness of her accusations against him. In his testimony, Kavanaugh repeatedly denied her claims, citing high school friends who spoke out against him yet could not recall who Kavanaugh was nor this specific incident.

“I believe anyone wrongly accused of sexual assault with uncorroborated facts to back it up would react in this way,” said Rodriguez. “His reputation and family have been wrongly hurt since Ford’s allegations

have been leaked.”

He cited other observations which led him to hold this opinion: “As a very hard working student, with a strong religious faith life, he acted in ways that most high school [or] college kids do. He was not afraid to say that he did drink but never got to the point that he every blacked out or made bad decisions. By being truthful in how he was back then, along with signed testimony from many women he knew from school, he provided much more evidence that he was not the culprit of this sexual assault allegation.”

Rodriguez said that “unless the FBI investigation reveals new information,” he does not feel that the tone of the hearing should prevent Kavanaugh’s confirmation.

“While I don’t want to dismiss these very serious sexual assault allegations,” he said, “I don’t think there is enough evidence to prove that Kavanaugh did this to [Ford] and deny him a seat on the Supreme Court.”

Rodriguez think the allegations must be looked at more in depth, and the “tense partisan nature of the hearings” has blurred the lines of public opinion. Thuman also felt the tense nature of the hearings complicates public response.

“A lot of [young people] seem to be, regardless of who they are more inclined to believe, sick of the theatricality and lack of professionalism exhibited in these hearings,” he said. “I commonly hear objections to the Republican dismissal of [Ford’s] accusations as chauvinistic and tone-deaf, which I agree with wholeheartedly. I hear many express a view that some questions asked of [Kavanaugh] concern minute details of his social life with no direct connection to serious allegations against him, and I agree on some level with this.”

He thinks the issue will, nonetheless, result in Kavanaugh’s confirmation.

“I think he’ll probably be confirmed after the miserably short one week [FBI] investigation ends. Having someone as conservative on the court as Kavanaugh is crucial for the Republicans to maintain a future say in government over the next 40 plus years, considering demographic shifts projected to be unfavorable to them,” said Thuman. “It’s a life or death battle for their party in the long run.”

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Can you find all these words related to articles in this issue?

SYMPOSIUM HORROR SMALLPOOLS MISTERWIVES MOTIVATION WALKING KORSMO KAVANAUGH TRADE CREDIT CULTURE SOCCER WESTMINSTER PLAYOFF OCTOBER BAND

Sagittarius

Writing poetry

Capricorn

Eating almonds

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Enjoying nature

Pisces

Baking brownies for all your stressed friends

arts & entertainment Editor’s Choice

Best selling authors Judy Blume, Daniel Handler meet at Maltz to discuss their craft

Yvonne Pan Staff Reporter

Two giants of children’s literature, Judy Blume and Daniel Handler, the latter who uses the pseudonym Lemony Snicket, met at Maltz Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, Sept. 26.

The two came to Cleveland as part of the William N. Skirball Writers Center Stage Series. Their conversation was the highlight of the series’ 15th season, their sixth season since partnering with Case Western Reserve University.

With over 25 books that have been translated into 32 languages and sold over 85 million copies, Blume is one of the most beloved authors of the 20th century. Blume is considered a pioneer in discussing universal but often taboo themes. Her honesty is celebrated in the book, “Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume,” a collection of experiences of two dozen writers.

Best known for writing “A Series of Unfortunate Events,” Handler has an equally prolific career. “A Series of Unfortunate Events” has sold more than 65 million copies and his books have been translated into 41 languages.

The conversation between Blume and Handler flowed smoothly, despite a thirty-year age difference and their vastly different literary themes. Handler is known for the darker themes in his works. In “A Series of Unfortunate Events,” the three child protagonists witness murders and corruption, and they suffer betrayal and tragedy after the death of their parents.

On the other hand, many of Blume’s stories are family-friendly, featuring the mischievous Fudge Hatcher and his shenanigans, including swallowing his older brother’s turtle or calling his kindergarten teacher “Rat Face.”

Still, Blume’s unwavering devotion in discussing taboo topics like menstruation and bullying have caused some of her books to be banned. The two authors discuss censorship and Handler admits he is often told that his books are dark and quips, “they’re not as dark

Chris Heerman/Observer Judy Blume and Daniel Handler at the Milton and Tamar Maltz Performing Arts Center as [Blume’s book] ‘Blubber’.”

“Blubber” is a story about a girl, Linda who is bullied for her weight. However, when her perpetrators turn on Jill, a girl who eventually stands up for Linda, Linda plays along and terrorizers her, actively switching from victim to tormenter.

Blume reasons that “Blubber” appears on banned book lists because she never stated explicitly that bullying is wrong, though her words speak for themselves. “‘Blubber’ should be banned because Judy Blume has not solved human cruelty,” Handler sarcastically said.

Blume talked about Books & Books at the Studios of Key West, the bookstore she cofounded with Mitchell Kaplan, and her husband, George Cooper.

She revealed that five bookstores in Key West had disappeared and despite Kaplan’s wishes of opening another bookstore, there was not enough funding until The Studios of

Key West, a nonprofit organization, agreed to provide cheap rent in a prime location.

Blume’s enthusiasm for the bookstore is evident. “When I’m working at the store, I don’t have to write,” she said. Still, she does get frustrated at times, recounting the times when customers walk in single-mindedly looking for a title and leave without exploring.

“I don’t have a lot of spiritual beliefs, but if you go into a bookstore without buying anything, you are sinning,” Handler said.

Handler’s clever tongue, though evident in his writing, is even more pronounced in person, providing a comedic effect with relatable content. He talked about his own experience growing up with Blume’s books and his lack of sex education.

“One day in middle school, all the girls were called out of class at about noon, while the boys did long division,” said Handler.

He explained that the boys found the girls most willingly to talk and perused the diction-

ary immediately after, searching for a connection between girls, periods and a lunar (menstrual) cycle.

“Maybe no one will know what sex is if we take the book off the shelf,” said Handler jokingly. Handler himself experimented with this topic in his most recent book “All the Dirty Parts,” which was published in May of last year. The coming-of-age novel details the sex life of a high school boy, Cole, who experiments with girls, boys, pornography and desire.

The pair also discussed the writing process.

Blume calls herself a “spontaneous writer” and recalls dinners with her family, comparing notes on how their days went. As her children recounted the events at school, she would talk about her characters.

“Guess what Sally [J. Freedman] did today,” Blume would exclaim at the dinner table.

Keithley Symposium presents the story behind selected pieces at the Cleveland Museum of Art Morgan McCommon Contributing Reporter On Sept. 28, The Cleveland Museum of ArOn Sept. 28, the Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) hosted The Keithley Symposium: “Life as an Object: The Thinker as a Prism.”

The symposium consisted of three panels of scholars, artists, conservators, and curators as well as a series of concurrent gallery workshops. Case Western Reserve University faculty members held workshops on various works and subjects throughout the museum.

Climo Assistant Professor of Art History Erin Benay and CMA Conservator of Paintings Dean Yoder held a workshop on “The Crucifixion of Saint Andrew” by Caravaggio.

They spoke about the life of the painting and how it has experienced multiple lives since its creation. The painting began as an altarpiece

in Naples before being shipped to Spain to be used as an easel painting in an aristocratic collection and subsequently finding a resting place in Cleveland.

At one point, the painting was mistakenly believed to depict a different saint, so art historians did not suspect that Caravaggio was the artist. When they later discovered the painting depicted Saint Andrew, art historians realized it was a Caravaggio painting.

During the workshop, the speakers mentioned that an infrared x-ray revealed that Caravaggio would etch little incisions into the ground layer of his paintings to use as an under-drawing. Caravaggio liked to say that he never did any drawings beforehand, and none of his drawings remain in existence. Art historians have no clear understanding of his process, but it is evident from these incisions that he drew the composition directly on the canvas after he painted the ground layer.

With the discovery of the Back-Vega rendition, a debate began over the piece’s authenticity. Most experts generally agree that Caravaggio did not paint the Back-Vega because there is no etching underneath the painting. Additionally, if Caravaggio painted another version, he probably would have made revisions; the Back-Vega copy is too perfect to be a second version done

by Caravaggio.

Benay and Andrea Rager, Jesse Hauk Shera Assistant Professor of Art History and Director of Undergraduate Studies, held a workshop on William Morris, a British designer, poet and socialist. His textiles are currently on view in the exhibition entitled “William Morris: Designing an Earthly Paradise.”

Rager spoke about a tapestry entitled “Kennet,” which is named after a section of the River Thames in England. She discussed William Morris’s love of indigo and the floral pattern within the tapestry, explaining that

he depicted all sorts of flowers and vegetation that specifically grew near water.

The tapestry is meant to symbolize an appreciation of nature due to the oppressiveness of the factories during the Industrial Revolution.

Morris made the tapestry using the process known as block-printing. This is done by completely dying the fabric dark indigo, using a bleach pen to create a white pattern, and then layering color over the white. Morris used natural dyes to create this tapestry, in contrast to the chemical dyes used by other artists of his time.

Overall, the workshops were captivating and eye-opening. There are many great works in CMA, and it is sometimes easy for people to overlook them. Rager and Benay did a wonderful job of giving engaging presentations and allowing audience members to gain insight on the history of these pieces.

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observer.case.edu

Artist Spotlight

CWRU student group 4upz set to release full length project with more to come

Chris Heerman/Observer 4upz performing at the Jolly Scholar

Matt Hooke Arts and Entertainment Editor Oct. 9 marks two important events for fourth-year student Arik Stewart.

It marks his birthday and the release of “Son of October,” the first official project from his eight member art collective 4upz.

“It’s a musical project focusing on some of my expression and some of my story,” said Stewart.

4upz began in middle school as a You-

Tube comedy troupe that Stewart started with several friends. Most middle school YouTube comedy troupes are over before they start, doomed to end up as reminders of adolescent dreams of stardom. Stewart left comedy and began working on art and music projects with friends, and they kept the 4upz name.

The group, a mix of dancers, musicians and visual artists, has performed at many university events. They opened for Amine at the first UPBeats of the semester and have previously opened for

blackbear at the Jolly Scholar. They have also performed at Springfest and Arts After Dark.

Stewart’s hip-hop music is generally very positive, often celebrating the people he holds dear. Whether it’s his girlfriend or little sister, he celebrates them with a great vitality and life.

“In a music genre that often tears down women, I want to be the opposite and provide more uplifting tones,” said Stewart.

For live performances, the group incorporates a mix of pre-choreographed dance

moves and improvised dances. Two of the dancers, Jamal Gibson and Victor Little, are students at the Cleveland Institute of Art. An Arts After Dark performance at Harkness Chapel three years ago was their first live performance with Stewart. Little is an original member of the group from Stewart’s YouTube days who brought Gibson into the fold during Stewart’s first year.

According to Little, the group uses a dance style called animation. Animation interprets words and sounds of music with body movements.

“With his [Stewart’s] style, it’s not too hard to get into the music and show the music with our bodies,” said Gibson.

The trio commented that choreographing dance routines can be difficult since they often do not know how much room they have to work with on stage or how bad weather may affect the performance.

Stewart said that the 2017 SpringFest was one of their most memorable performances. Harsh rain soaked the stage, which forced 4upz to completely change their dance routine with less than twenty minutes to spare.

Stewart said opening for Amine is the highlight of the group’s live shows so far.

“It was just a good feeling. People were more interactive, people were singing some of the lyrics which surprised me. It was a good time,” said Stewart.

When not writing songs, Stewart studies computer science and is involved with Case Western Reserve University’s Black Student Union, which he co-founded.“I try to keep it natural. When I’ve actually sat down and said I’m going to write a song it’s never worked,” said Stewart when asked about his songwriting process.

“Son of October” will be available on major streaming sites on Oct. 9. The group plans to create several animated and live action music videos to promote “Son of October” later in the year.

Ingenuity Fest showcases the innovative spirit of Cleveland Matt Hooke Arts and Entertainment Editor The IngenuityFest, an annual three-day celebration of some of the Cleveland’s most creative minds, offered a view of the city’s future while surrounded by remnants of its industrial past.

Ingenuity Cleveland and other partners of the Hamilton Collaborative worked together to create the festival. The Hamilton Collaborative is a group of eight businesses that share their headquarters and collaborate on various projects. The two organizations are headquartered at a 330,000 square-foot facility that used to be a factory in the St. Clair Superior neighborhood. Ingenuity Cleveland acts as a facilitator for artisans and innovators at the site by providing resources and networking opportunities year-round in their ingenuity lab.

The festival itself was located at an old metal recycling plant, the warehouses that once housed great machines now home to companies seeking to build something beautiful out of the ashes.

One of the companies in the collabora-

tive and its subsidiary, Rust Belt Riders and Lettuce Tree Farms, respectively, work to create a greener Cleveland from the scraps others leave behind. Rust Belt picks up food scraps from local restaurants and businesses, including Case Western Reserve University, and creates nutrient-rich compost. According to a representative, the company picks up over 100,000 pounds of food waste a month.

Lettuce Tree is an urban farming operation that uses both aquaponics and soil based systems to grow microgreens. Rust Belt helps the operation by letting Lettuce Tree use their space. According to cofounder Marc Behar, the company focuses on giving people the ability to produce their own food by building portable farms in shipping containers. These containers can be placed in the parking lots of restaurants or other food producers.

“People feel better when they make their own stuff. A lot of this generation right now doesn’t really trust where their food is coming from or how old it is.

Anything shipped from California can be anywhere from three to eight months old before it gets into your hand,” said Behar.

“Having the ability to pick something fresh right from your own container and then put it right on your plate gives people peace of mind.”

Lettuce Tree Farms focuses on positive impact agriculture. Co-founder Jeff Thaler claimed that most farming has adverse environmental effects. Farm equipment pollutes the air and chemical fertilizers pollute waterways and kill soil microbes.

Thaler hopes to help reverse these negative processes by producing soil through composting, and cleaning air and water before using on their farm.

Skidmark Garage is another company in the Hamilton Collaborative with a unique vision. Stepping into the motorcycle garage was like stepping into a time machine, 50s music played as passers-by admired the dozens of motorcycles on display. The DIY cooperative has members pay $125 a month to use the facility and its equipment. Member Carl Walker said he feels that there is a great sense of community and that members help each other with bike repairs and customization. Many members build their own motorcycles from the ground up.

“Motorcycles break a lot more than cars, so being able to do your own maintenance and not having to pay a mechanic just to change a tire [is important],” said Walker about Skidmark. “Cause it’s stupid to pay a guy $140 for something you can do for free.”

Moving from the old-fashioned environment of Skidmark to the fairy tale aesthetic of the festival’s art exhibitions was a shocking experience. The art section ranged from steampunk-inspired elephants to a walkway resembling a fantasy forest complete with an artificial stream running underneath a wooden bridge. In another room, vendors sold their wares, often utilizing areas in the old warehouse. One photographer sold photos near a generator, the machinery offering a backdrop for his pictures.

The festival also had several stages around the grounds where visitors could catch performances by bands, dance troupes and other performing artists.

“It’s a place to find a diamond in the rough,” said Behar. “There’s a lot of great people here showcasing a lot of different stuff. It’s cool to see everyone come together.”

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Playlist of the Week Enjoy the arts this weekend

Tracy Wang Staff Reporter

There are only 88 keys on a piano, but a keyboard tells countless numbers of romantic stories—a short yet unforgettable summer love in an Italian town, a boy’s forever commitment to the love of films, a taboo relationship between a man and a robot, a genius couple struggling with their marriage and a zombie woman passionate about love and music.

“Une barque sur l’ocean” from “Miroirs” – Andre Laplante

“Miroirs” is a piano suite by Maurice Ravel dedicated to five French avant-garde artists. The third movement, “Une barque sur l’ocean,” honors painter Paul Sordes, a member of Les Apaches, a Parisian art group. This beautifully composed movement is played when the protagonists of the movie “Call Me by Your Name,” Oliver and Elio, finally have a chance to talk to each other alone under the cream-colored Italian sky.

“Cinema Paradiso” – Ennio Morricone

In remembrance of the history of cinema, the story of “Cinema Paradiso” takes place in a small Sicilian village where a young Salvatore Di Vita’s love for movies sprouts out like flowers. Ennio Morricone returned to a simplistic structure of composition for this piece. The song features Chris Botti, one of the best trumpeters in the United States, and the cellist Yo-Yo Ma. The collaboration of these three legends delivers an unprecedented sense of nostalgia within three minutes.

“Photograph” – Arcade Fire

In the Spike Jonze movie “Her,” Theodore, a man who lives on writing letters for others, falls in love with Samantha, an AI system with a female voice. Sitting at the beach on a gloomy day, Theodore asks Samantha what she is doing. She says she is writing a new piano piece and shares it with Theodore. Samantha explains the meaning of the piece: “I was thinking we don’t really have any photographs of us…I thought this song could be a photograph… [it] captures us and this moment of our lives together.” At that moment, the song fills up the cracks in the listeners’ hearts.

“A Game of Croquet” – Johann Johannsson

“The Theory of Everything” tells the story of renowned physicist Stephen Hawking.

When diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a debilitating neuron condition, Hawking shows his girlfriend Jane his deteriorating condition by demonstrating his inability to hit and pick up a croquet ball. “A Game of Croquet” begins when Stephen hits the ball for the first time. Jane is angry at his self-pity but encourages him by picking up the ball. Despite her anger, Jane knows she will stay with Hawking no matter what.

“The Piano Duet”– Danny Elfman

A lot of problematic Victorian-era phenomena is explored in the animated film “The Corpse Bride,” including unfair social hierarchies and unhappy marriages.

Victor’s father, a rich merchant, wants to raise their family’s status by marrying his son to the daughter of a poor aristocrat.

Emily, the corpse bride, was murdered by her fiance. When Emily refuses to talk to Victor, “The Piano Duet” becomes the way that Victor and Emily communicate with each other. The fierce tension between these two characters is finally resolved by the magical power of music.

Find all these tracks online with our weekly Spotify playlist at observer.case.edu All photos courtesy pluspremiers.us, genius.com, directlyrics.com, and wikipedia.com

Mary McPheeters Copy Editor Friday, Oct. 5 What: “Reckless” When: 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, 3:00 p.m. on Sunday Where: Eldred Theater Notes: If you missed “Reckless” last weekend, you have another chance to catch the show this weekend. The show is a tale of self-discovery for a housewife who finds her husband has put out a hit on her life. Tickets are available on the theater department website and at the door for $5 with a student ID.

What: 2nd Annual East Bank Bacon Festival When: noon-10 p.m.

Where: Flats East Bank Notes: This festival, put on by the Flats East Bank and the Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland, celebrates bacon, beer and live music. The event is free and open to the public, and all proceeds will go to the Hunger Network to help their mission to fight hunger in Cuyahoga County. A schedule for live entertainment can be found on the event’s Facebook page.

What: Delta Gamma’s Anchor Splash When: 8-11 p.m.

Where: Veale Natatorium Notes: This annual event pits teams against each other in aquatic events like a raft relay and synchronized swimming. Tickets are $5 each. All proceeds from the event benefit Service for Sight and the Cleveland Sight Center.

What: Taters for Tdap When: 7-10 p.m.

Where: Happy Dog at the Euclid Tavern Notes: The CWRU Student-Run Health Clinic and Graduate Student Council are putting on this fundraiser to provide tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis (Tdap) vaccinations for patients at the clinic.

The event will feature live music and a silent auction. Student tickets are $10 each. One ticket is worth a hot dog and tater tots with toppings.

Saturday, Oct. 6 What: Free First Saturday at MOCA When: 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Where: Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland Notes: Experience the exhibitions and enjoy family-friendly workshops and activities for free, along with dropin adult tours. The Open Art Studio, which provides guidance for artists of all ages, will be open from noon-3 p.m..

Sunday, Oct. 7 What: International Cleveland Community Day 2018 When: 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

Where: Ames Family Atrium at The Cleveland Museum of Art Notes: Celebrate Cleveland’s multiethnic communities by enjoying traditional music and dances, cultural displays and in-gallery experiences from over 50 ethnic groups. The event is free and open to all.

Misterwives plays Veale for UPBeats fall concert Aura Rossy Accounts Manager As the lights in the Veale Convocation, Recreation and Athletic Center faded out on Saturday, Sept. 29 in anticipation of Misterwives, it became impossible to see over the heads in the crowd. Smoke drifted out from behind a UPBeats sign on stage and gave way to Misterwives as they took in the cheers from the crowd.

The band, attuned to the energy from the crowd, performed a variety of their most popular songs from “Coloring Outside the Lines” to “Reflections” and “Our Own House.”

Addressing the crowd, Misterwives noted their favorite part of performing in small venues such as Veale is the intimacy, because it brings people together.

Third-year student Hunter Greene looked forward to the concert, a change of pace from UPBeat’s previous fall concerts, which featured rap artists such as Waka Flocka Flame, Lil Dicky and A$AP Ferg.

“I loved that the music encouraged more dancing, and I would like to see a similar theme in fall concerts to come but maybe pulling from other genres of music that they haven’t had here before,” Greene said.

Student-led band R.I.P. Rueben and indie rock band Smallpools opened for the New York City based group.

R.I.P. Reuben, who opened a UPBeats concert for the first time after playing Springfest for the past two years, had the opportunity to meet Mis-

terwives and Smallpools and benefited from the connection.

“It was really great to meet them all,” R.I.P. Reuben guitarist and third-year student Michael Tucci said. “Misterwives even asked us to connect with them for tips on how to improve.”

“Pachelbel’s Canon” blasted from the speakers as Smallpools began their performance. After a charged instrumental introduction, the band thanked the crowd for the opportunity to perform that evening. The group opened for Misterwives a year ago and this performance served as a reunion for them.

As Smallpools drew the crowd in for their performance, they broke out a killer whale inflatable for their song “Killer Whales.” Popular with the crowd, the inflatable continued to make its way around the field house as students sang and danced throughout the duration of the song “Dreaming.”

Misterwives also engaged with the crowd. One of the guitarists from Misterwives took a finger hand from a student in the crowd, then proceeded to play the guitar after wearing it on his finger.

Misterwives closed the performance with a drumming session between three of the band members. This drew great energy from the crowd and left students in a great mood before the band thanked the crowd and said their goodbyes.

Smiles could be seen on people’s faces all over the gymnasium as groups of students broke down to dance to a track by Drake that played as the venue emptied out.

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observer.case.edu

Poetry for People Who Hate Poetry Dave Lucas

This the second monthly column by full-time Case Western Reserve University lecturer and Ohio Poet Laureate Dave Lucas. The column will appear in other publications.

This is a love story.

This is the story that led me here, writing to you about how and why I fell in love with poetry, and what I think you can find there, too.

No story ever gets love—or life— quite right. We become who and what we become through the uncanny confluence of opportunity and habit, tactic and accident. How easily in hindsight chance and dumb luck and sometimes dumber choices come to look like fate.

How grateful I am, then, for the chances and choices of my sophomore year at John Carroll University. I had dabbled in poetry, as many teenagers do, writing poems about being misunderstood that were themselves impossible to understand. I had wondered if poetry might hold something I seemed to need—meaning, maybe, or beauty or wisdom.

But there, in George Bilgere’s workshop, I began to suspect that poetry might be not merely an interest for me but also a calling.

That spring too I fell in love—the romantic kind, complicated and hopeless— for the first time. She was older, brilliant and beautiful, and (to my astonishment) she was interested in me, of all people.

You know this story already, or a version of it. You know how it goes.

Over the phone I read her the poems I was learning to love. We drove to the February lakeshore and kissed among the shags of ice. Suddenly all the songs on the radio were about us.

I was nineteen that year, for just a year: still young enough to find profundity in the pop music that had shepherded me through adolescence and only beginning to appreciate the language poetry offered, a language almost sufficient to all that I felt.

The first poem we read that semester was Rainer Maria Rilke’s “Archaic Torso of Apollo,” translated from the original German by Stephen Mitchell.

The poem offers us images of the headless, limbless sculpture of its title but also of how the ruined figure of the god of light and poetry might have appeared in its former glory.

The poem does not distinguish between what is or is not there; in its language—“his legendary head / with eyes like ripening fruit”—even the absent can be present. And, as Bilgere urged us to note, we are not only seeing the sculpture, but being seen: “for here there is no place / that does not see you.

You must change your life.”

I did not understand, but I knew the poem was speaking to me. I did not know that countless poets, countless people, had read and felt that same challenge before: You must change your life.

I knew only enough—at least enough— to listen.

You must change your life. Change my life how? Change it to what? What

does this strange, urgent demand have to do with a damaged sculpture of Apollo? What does it have to do with me?

I did not know then. Nearly twenty years later, I still do not know. But I keep asking the questions.

After the relationship failed—of course it failed: I did become a poet, after all—I found I needed poetry all the more. I needed words that had never been said; I needed as much to hear them as to say them.

I needed someone to say what I felt in words I could not muster for myself. So when I heard Leonard Cohen sing I’ve seen your flag on the marble arch And love is not a victory march It’s a cold and it’s a broken hallelujah I understood, and I knew I was understood, too. I was seeing and being seen from all places.

The semester ended and I went home for the summer. In my old room, posters of Dan Marino and Tupac Shakur, photographs from my senior prom looked on instead of an archaic torso. I was shocked to find that the person to whom these things, these effects, belonged had disappeared into someone else. You must change your life.

A month earlier she sat listening at my own poetry reading. She met my parents. She gave me a copy of “The Unbearable Lightness of Being.” Now it was summer and she did not call; all summer long she kept not calling.

I went to the beach. I bummed cigarettes, snuck beers and waxed philosophical. I flirted with old flames, resented them for not knowing the person I had become with her, resented them for not being her. I listened to sad songs, wrote sad, bad poems and read everything I could, except “The Unbearable Lightness of Being.”

And there was poetry—my sanctuary, and the stone in my shoe. Suddenly I couldn’t remember a time before it or imagine a life without it.

Like Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” I was both broken and grateful. Like Rilke’s Apollo, there was a new, strange wholeness in what was broken. Or maybe it was simpler than that, something beyond the reach of a clever phrase and all the years between.

A life is not a story. It’s too chaotic, messy and unresolved. We form order from that chaos: I say “form” because our English words for both poetry and fiction derive from different Classical forms of “to make,” the Greek poesis and the Latin fingere, “to form or contrive.”

I did not know this then, but while I read and wrote and loved and grieved, I was forming a life. I wish I had understood that she was forming one just the same, a life as real and broken and precious as mine.

We make language out of sounds and marks, we make stories of our lives in order to understand them and to be understood. We seek the essential moments that seem bridges between there and here, wherever we may be.

You probably know all this already, your own version of it. You may remember the moment when you found yourself saying hallelujah for all the broken shards that even the luckiest life is made of. Or maybe the moment is still to come, when someone stops you cold to say you must change your life. Which, whatever the story, is where the story

Courtesy of Pexel.com begins again.

Dave Lucas is the author of “Weather”, which received the 2012 Ohioana Book Award for Poetry. Named by Rita Dove as one of thirteen “young poets to watch,” he has also received a Discov-

ery/The Nation Prize and a Cleveland Arts Prize. In 2018 he was named the second Poet Laureate of the State of Ohio. A co-founder of Brews + Prose at Market Garden Brewery and Cleveland Book Week, he lives in Cleveland, where he was born and raised.

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opinion 11

observer.case.edu

opinion Editorial

Kavanaugh: a board divided For weeks, Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing has dominated the news. During the process, Christine Blasey Ford came forward with an accusation of sexual assault that occurred while the two were in high school. It immediately shifted the tone of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary’s debate and soon pervaded opinion columns, law journals and classroom discussions nationwide.

Just ahead of the full Senate vote to confirm Kavanaugh, opinions on the subject remain divided. But these disagreements are not purely partisan, as conversation within the Editorial Board revealed. Due to these split conclusions, this week’s editorial will feature the rationales of the two positions that emerged.

Ford was sufficiently credible Proof requires an investigation How credible is an account of an incident that occurred nearly 30 years ago? As Christine Blasey Ford demonstrated with her testimony, very much so.

Since her allegations first entered the mainstream, Ford has been facing counter accusations of opportunism, partisanship and a general lack of believability. When she spoke before the Senate Judiciary Committee, her critics honed in on details she couldn’t recall, specifically pointing out her inability to remember exactly where she was or how she got there. They posited that for Kavanaugh’s assault to be deeply traumatic, or have even occurred, everything should be as clear now as it was then.

Not only is this expectation unreasonable, but it’s also plainly disingenuous.

It is fair to expect someone to back up major accusations, especially considering the timing in this case. But Ford did provide as much evidence as she could to defend her claims, including notes from a therapy session that took place years before Kavanaugh’s nomination. Not to mention, she subjected herself to a Committee hearing that was nationally televised, incurring scrutiny beyond the scope of the Senate representatives. It is difficult to disclose past trauma in private settings, yet Ford was able to do so while keeping herself collected.

In these ways, she greatly bolstered her own believability while also setting the stage for Kavanaugh’s testimony.

It was at this point, when Kavanaugh finally had an opportunity to directly respond in the context of his hearing, that the balance of credibility tipped in Ford’s favor. Kavanaugh’s defense, for the most part, amounted to a

tantrum where he loudly claimed a liberal conspiracy theory to undermine his family and career. He referred to the entire process as a “national disgrace” and cut off several senators’ questions.

All the while, he appeared to be in denial about his past drinking, an area that has been a cause for concern since his high school and college days first entered the conversation.

Regardless of the doubt this casts over his ability to be a Supreme Court Justice, it made one fact clear: Kavanaugh is not trustworthy. And yet, Ford has continued to be vilified as a partisan hack seeking to block a nomination.

The entire situation reveals the reality of “she said/he said” scenarios in the United States. In a number of contexts— on this campus for example—allegations of sexual assault will go unreported or be restricted to a circle of the victim’s confidants. This is because even if they know they can credibly support the claim, they will face insurmountable doubt minimizing their trauma in favor of the perpetrator’s life.

It’s the reason why the #MeToo movement exists in the first place, and it’s the reason why we choose to believe Ford rather than Kavanaugh. Not because we’re simply liberals who hate conservatives, feminists who hate all men or just sycophants of the mainstream media.

We’ve seen these types of incidents occur in our own lives and may have in the past chosen to take either no side or action.

The precedent needs to be set that credible allegations of sexual assault against men can outweigh their belligerent appeals to emotion. Especially, when that precedent affects not just high-stakes political job interviews but communities and campuses across the country as well.

At its core, Kavanaugh’s hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee was meant to evaluate his professional qualifications for a seat on the Supreme Court. Ford’s allegations certainly diverted the process from this goal.

Her accusations shifted the conversation from Kavanaugh’s extensive judicial record. Not only did he attend Yale Law School, one of the most prestigious law schools in the nation, he served on the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals, one of the most important circuit courts in the entire nation. Throughout his career, he has proven that he possesses the legal expertise and experience needed in order to serve on the United States’ highest court.

But for the most part, this aspect of his life has not been the center of discussion. Rather than thoroughly covering his decisions, legal principles or political beliefs, the nation has focused in on whether Judge Kavanaugh committed an act of sexual assault.

To be fair, a position on the Supreme Court is not isolated to personal legal principles and separated from moral considerations. Personal ethics factor into legal decision-making, especially when it comes to intricate cases such as Roe v. Wade. The problem with the way Kavanaugh has been evaluated, however, is that those who oppose him have taken questioning of his morals as proof of his immorality. It has bled into how people believe he will draw his legal opinions, throwing gas on the fire the accusations had already ignited.

In addition, this series of events has not just upended Kavanaugh’s hearing; it’s affected his entire life and how he is generally perceived.

These repercussions have arisen

without any concrete evidence to support the accusations against him.

Whether or not you consider Ford’s testimony to be credible, she couldn’t describe a number of critical details surrounding the incident, including where it even occurred. There is simply not enough corroboration or substantial evidence at this time to support her allegations.

Serious accusations should be taken seriously, which means there also needs to be thorough investigation.

But if an extensive probe does not provide any clarity in the form of hard, undeniable evidence, the case and its foundational claims must be dismissed.

Accepting accusations of sexual assault without any fair investigation is not a precedent that the United States, or Case Western Reserve University for that matter, can adopt.

The Kavanaugh-Ford situation echoes the problems with Title IX accusations that have surfaced in recent years.

Due process mandates the adequate examination of any and all claims of a transgression, including the context for when the claim was reported.

Many have pointed to the apparent opportunism of Ford’s allegation.

While the timing for the claim is not definitive evidence against it, this factor should certainly be considered when investigating it.

Kavanaugh has demonstrated substantial legal prowess, and until a few weeks ago, strong moral character.

It is why he received the nomination in the first place, as well as being unanimously rated as “well-qualified” by the American Bar Association.

Further delaying his confirmation sends a dangerous message for how we handle similar cases in the future.

Evidently, not all factors could be agreed upon. However, after extensive discussion, a majority opinion was reached by the Editorial Board. We decided to support the notion of Ford’s credibility and hopefully push back against the precedent her critics are attempting to sustain.

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12 opinion

10/5/18

Musk is a visionary, albeit a flawed one Peter for You Peter Wilson

Every day, it seems like Elon Musk is in the news again.

One day, Tesla’s stock—of which he is the Chief Executive Officer—soars as they meet their expected production targets or SpaceX launches another privately funded rocket into space.

The next, Tesla’s stock crashes due to the apparent lack of leadership of the company. Musk has had a hand in a variety of companies and still does today. He was one of the original minds behind creating PayPal, and began the completely electric car company Tesla.

His interests are far reaching and his variety of companies reflect that.

For years, I have been fascinated with Musk and his companies. His ideals have inspired me to rethink the current state of society and try to think of new ways to change it. His personal beliefs have turned me away from him, though, as many arguments have been started on whether or not he actually lives up to the grand ideals of his companies or if he is more interested in adding to his already immense wealth.

One thing in common with all of his companies, though, is that all are focused on the ground-breaking, newest technology of the day. For example, The Boring Company was created to dig and create massive tunnel systems under larger cities to make traffic and commuting easier, and SpaceX was created with the intent of colonizing new planets and discovering new worlds.

Many people believe Musk is a visionary, the Edison of our time, but many others see him as a business hack.

He has made several poor decisions with his companies, such as smoking marijuana live on a podcast a few weeks ago while discussing Tesla. Musk is uncontrollable when it comes to Twitter and seems to tweet whatever comes to mind.

In the last week, Musk’s tweets have gotten him in trouble with the Secruities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Musk tweeted that he was debating taking Tesla, a publicly traded company, private, and that funding

Courtesy of Joe Rogan Elon Musk smokes marijuana in a 2018 interview. His controversial behavior has cast doubt over his abilities to lead future-focused companies. was secured for this business decision.

Following the tweet, Tesla’s stock rose several percentage points. It later came out that this tweet was a lie, as funding was not entirely secured for the venture. The SEC charged Musk with fraud, which cost him and Tesla $20 million each. Were these the tweets of an envisioned, forward thinker or a stressed businessman?

Musk has also been very outspoken against unionization in his companies, and has also been known to accept all the credit his companies earn, even when his employees should be given some

credit. These tendencies have drawn the criticism that he is out of touch with his employees and the common man.

Granted, his companies have vision.

Tesla was supposed to bring totally electric cars into the mainstream to cut down on carbon emissions and help with other environmental concerns. SpaceX has reinvigorated the interest in space travel and has even recently announced its first private citizen chosen to be a passenger. Due to these ideals his companies have been founded on, Musk has gained the reputation of being a real-life Tony Stark.

Whether a genius or self-centered

billionaire, Musk remains a mystery.

I have never been able to definitively make up my mind about the man, but I do believe this: his companies have changed the society we live in, in a way I believe to be better. However, the man himself is flawed. His beliefs may not be totally certain, but I believe he has changed the world.

Peter Wilson is a second-year biomedical engineering student on the biomaterials track. He works in the Gustafson Lab and can be found on Twitter at @wpieltseorn.

What’s more important, required credit hours or required classes?

Asking the Real Questions Jason Richards This past year’s Commission on the Undergraduate Experience (CUE) report had multiple recommendations for supportive change, specifically in Case Western Reserve University’s academic system. Most notably, the report suggested adopting a “universitywide general education requirement” that entails a 120 required credit-hour cap for all undergraduates.

Given the large difference in credithour requirements across all disciplines, this recommendation has been the source of debate for quite some time.

All Case School of Engineering majors have a minimum requirement of 128133 credit hours and all College of Arts and Sciences majors have between 120133.

Because the number of credit hours required within each college varies so much, getting every degree down to 120 credit hours will be difficult. I

understand the need for reducing course load, but if a reduction in stress caused by course overload is what the university is aiming for, the number of credit hours required is not the only thing we should be looking at.

In addition to credit hours, the required classes themselves should be a point of focus. Grouping majors into too broad of a category leads to required classes that are more beneficial to some majors over others. Smaller groupings and more specific requirements would have a better effect on the student’s individual course of study.

The university should require less general education courses and more major-specific courses. This does not mean necessarily decreasing the cap on credit hours but instead prioritizing the importance of classes with respect to more closely-related majors.

A general education requirement credit hour cap will lead us in this direction, but without taking a look at the classes themselves, we’re simply taking away opportunities for each

student’s individual academic track.

With the needs for specific degrees constantly changing in a technologically evolving world, the classes and requirements of these degrees need to be reviewed frequently for practicality.

Curriculum should keep up with the changing wants from employers and research opportunities. The world is changing—and as a university, we should be too.

This is obviously the perspective of a computer science major. I’m on track to be a computer scientist and I had to—by requirement—take a class not specific to my major. Similarly, candidates for civil engineering are required to take a class on circuits, but computer scientists are not. I’m under the same category as a mechanical or materials engineer for the general education requirement. I understand the need for a well-rounded education but why not round it off with relevant subjects?

Supplementary classes should give us as students what we need to put us ahead of other candidates for jobs.

Every computer scientist is going to have experience in an algorithms or data structures class but not all of them will have strong communication or collaboration skills that come with a class that brings them to the table.

Looking at a job description, you’ll usually see two categories: requirements and “pluses,” or additional skills that make you more attractive to the employer. Major-specific classes should allow a student to meet the requirement side of things, while general education classes should make those extra skills more attainable.

A 120 credit hour cap on the general education requirement will bring a lower course load for that flexibility in each student’s studies, but the prioritization of the courses that make up those 120 credit hours should be equally—if not more—important.

Jason Richards is a second-year computer science major.

opinion 13

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The importance of skilled trades Case Embraced Christian Reyna Science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and getting more students to attend college have been the biggest pushes in education recently. Former President Barack Obama’s 2009 campaign “Educate to Innovate” was started to improve America’s STEM education as well as to increase participation, diversity and investment in these fields. As a result, 25,000 additional engineers are graduating every year and over $1 billion has been invested from the private sector to improve STEM education.

President Donald Trump continued this trend by providing more funding. Not only is the government pushing for more STEM majors, but high schools are pushing for everyone to go to college in general.

This push is great in many ways for the United States. However, skilled trades have

been harmed as a result.

A skilled trade is a job that requires specific training mostly acquired at a community college, trade school or even at some high schools. A tradesman receives a certification in their designated trade, including, but not limited to, such skills as welding, carpentry or plumbing. They usually require hard manual labor, and tradesmen are either selfemployed or employed by a company.

Because of the STEM and university push, there is a shortage of tradesmen and a very high demand. There is a projected 11 percent growth from 2016 to 2026 in construction occupations and 16 percent growth for plumbers according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Although they may be “dirty” jobs and frowned upon by some, they are good alternatives to a university degree.

The U.S. Department of Education reported that tradesmen are more likely to get a job than people with academic credentials.

Skilled trades are less expensive than going to college and take up less time. High

schools make it seem like going to college is your only option to succeed in life, but that is not the case. Many students attend college without a general plan on what they want to do. They are just in college because of expectations from their high school and society.

Consequently, according to the National Student Clearinghouse, 30 percent of high school graduates do not have a degree within six years of going to a public fouryear university. This is an alarmingly high number. Had these students been exposed to the demand for skilled trades and taught that college is not the only option, they could have good-paying jobs already without the mountain of student debt.

Some states have taken note of this and are now pushing students to take up the skilled trades. In 2015, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder proposed funding to expand technical college programs. Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam launched the Go Build Tennessee program to get more workers in

the construction industry and improve its image. Similar efforts are seen in California, Alabama and Texas.

High schools all around the country should expose students to skilled trades. College is not for everyone, and it is harmful to make it appear as the only option for students. The skilled trades are in demand and very few students are pursuing them. If more high schools teach that the skilled trades are a viable option with a good pay, then those jobs will blossom and our economy can grow as well as reduce the amount of unhappy students.

The same way we encouraged students to go to college or to pursue STEM degrees, we should also encourage students to take up a skilled trade.

Christian Reyna is a first-year biomedical engineering major who is also planning on obtaining a Spanish minor. He absolutely loves dogs and probably procrastinated in writing this article.

“Indelible in the Hippocampus” Publicized Confab

Josiah Smith The Senate Committee on the Judiciary hearing last Thursday featuring Christine Blasey Ford and Brett Kavanaugh was nothing short of absolutely agonizing.

In all honesty, I was skeptical of what more could come from hearing Ford and Kavanaugh speak. It seemed that everyone, including our senators, had already consolidated their opinions regarding the accusation.

With Democrats persistent about the need for an FBI investigation and Republicans seemingly assured that they’d vote “yes” regardless, I wondered why we as a nation were willing to put these two vulnerable people in the most scathing spotlight in the country or possibly, given the magnitude of the outcome, the world.

Because this is not a criminal investigation, it seems that the stakes are rather artificial. If boiled down to its simplest function, this is a job interview.

There’s no guarantee that Ford will choose to follow through with charges. In Maryland—my home state—there are no statutes of limitations that would prohibit formal charges. Of course, I realize that

I must say that my doubts were severely tamed after hearing Ford describe her trauma. there are fewer things more important than appointing a Supreme Court Justice.

But the prospect that Kavanaugh’s options are becoming a Justice or not becoming one… well, that just seems too candid—too perfect—for a man who now has amounted four separate accusations.

I must say that my doubts were severely tamed after hearing Ford describe her trauma. It was because of her testimony, she had a conviction that was so convincingly authentic. Truly, it is something I will never forget. When Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., asked her to recount the most traumatic part of the assault, she responded with a statement that was powerful to say the least.

“Indelible in the hippocampus”—she takes a brief pause—“is the laughter, the

uproarious laughter between the two, and their having fun at my expense.”

Rarely, do everyday people get the chance to brief a body within the Senate regarding their personal struggles or traumatic experiences. And Ford’s testimony seemed, somehow, even beyond that. This was an excruciating and terrible scene to watch. Although cherishing how open and public the hearing was, it felt incredibly invasive and, for me at least, unethical to even watch.

All of this cumulates into one pivotal question: who’s lying? Essentially, this would be much easier to answer if we could identify who is telling the truth.

Regarding false accusations of rape, it is agreed that around between two and ten percent of reported instances turn

out to be false. Ford’s accusation isn’t, of course, that Kavanaugh raped her, so this statistic is not entirely applicable.

However, I think it says something about to what degree accusations are believed. And looking at Ford’s chances of being believed—well, they began extremely slim. Since she first brought her accusation forward, things have only gotten worse and excruciatingly more personal. It is hard for me to imagine that a person would levy such serious accusations while the stakes are possibly too high to even fathom. People have done much worse things for far less and the loss of Ford’s credibility would only scratch the surface for consequences she and her family would have to pay.

In all, it seems extremely disingenuous to not believe Ford. Nothing is worth losing your credibility, having to move out of your home and receiving death threats on a daily basis. Even if she is completely correct about everything she has said, people will always conjure up something disgusting to say about the choice to come forward. If anything, this whole case has revealed an ugly side of American ideals and the limitless consequences of rage and misunderstanding.

Josiah Smith is a fourth-year English and business management double major.

Cultural exchange as a means of connection, not misunderstanding Zhusclues Caroline Zhu Even though we have this conversation every so often about cultural appropriation, it seems to end the same way each time: stay in your lane and be respectful of other people’s culture. It’s an easy lesson and a good rule of thumb, so why does so much cultural exchange today feel so hollow?

In theory, sharing culture is a natural way of connecting different people and places. In practice, cultures tend to get boiled down to major holidays and popular dishes. Taking my own culture as an example, Chinese food and the Chinese New Year seem to be the most significant contributors to the perception of Chinese culture. This extends to other minorities as well, particularly those with large immigrant presences in America, such as the Latino community.

Still, this seems to be a natural extension of being a nation of immigrants—it is unrealistic to expect everyone to understand the nuances of every culture. In the United

States, this simplification of a culture is meant to educate us about different ways of life, a noble cause that breaks down in practice. Breaking down a culture into bitesized pieces is not necessarily a bad thing, especially when introducing it to someone who isn’t part of the community. However, in America, we often reduce cultures to the “main points” by making them more palatable to American taste.

Mainstream holidays from foreign sources like Cinco de Mayo are often explained using American holidays as the basis for comparison and no longer reflect what the original holiday was meant to mean. While Cinco de Mayo is often referred to as “Mexican Independence Day,” using the American Independence Day as a benchmark, the actual Mexican Independence Day falls on Sept. 16. The association is also false, as it is actually a significantly smaller holiday in Mexico that marks the Mexican victory at the Battle of Puebla.

These misconceptions are not always harmful, but they do tend to spread misinformation about holidays and cultures

in general. When other countries’ cultures arrive in the U.S. from immigrant influence or otherwise, they often go through a long game of telephone in becoming more widespread; by the end of it, holidays and food are almost unrecognizable and virtually unrelated to the source material.

This simplification is often used in an effort to popularize the holidays to teach others about different cultures and how people around the world celebrate but doesn’t always reach its mark in the right way. Certain holidays may gain significant popularity, but the values and the spirit behind them have completely changed, often ignoring the history behind the cultural event in favor of using them as excuses to celebrate.

While it is not a bad thing to celebrate a holiday for the sake of celebrating (Christmas is an excellent example of this), holidays tend to carry more weight in other cultures than they do in America.

The main disconnect between respectfully celebrating a culture and oversimplifying it lies in the fact that cultural exchange today is almost entirely based in the sharing of holidays and

food, often without consideration for or acknowledgment of the more negative aspects of culture, such as struggle or conflict. Too often now do we reduce the understanding of a different culture to understanding the holidays and food, and sometimes the language. Understanding different cultures also requires at least an acknowledgment of the history and an attempt to genuinely connect without prior expectations or condescension.

Although cultural appropriation is the most visible example of problematic treatment of other people, cultural dilution and misperception are significant issues we need to confront as well. Cultural exchange without respect and intent ultimately just turns into a long game of telephone with players who didn’t understand the original culture and only fosters misunderstanding where there should be connection.

Caroline Zhu is a first-year computer science major with an interest in economics.

She spends her time reading good literature and watching trashy movies or belting out ‘80s power anthems.

14

sports

10/5/18

Predicting the MLB opening round playoff matchups Andrew Ford Sports Editor October has rolled around again, which means the MLB playoffs are beginning once again. As of press time, the Colorado Rockies have already defeated the Chicago Cubs in the National League Wild Card game, 2-1 in 13 innings, and the New York Yankees beat the Oakland Athletics 7-2 in the American League Wild Card game. As a whole, the race for the championship is wide open, with no clear favorites in either league.

The NL pennant race will be very competitive, but for the wrong reason: none of the teams reached 100 wins in the regular season; for comparison, three teams in the AL finished with at least 100 wins.

The NL features four decent teams vying for the right to play in the Fall Classic.

After winning their Wild Card game, the Rockies will face the Milwaukee Brewers in a matchup of relatively new playoff teams. For the Rockies, their pitchers exceeded expectations this year, as Kyle Freeland came out of nowhere to become one of the best pitchers in baseball. The Brewers, on the other hand, were led by their hitting, finishing with the fourth-most home runs with 218. Expect the Brewers to win this series in four games due to their outstanding hitting.

The Rockies lack the necessary pitching depth to overcome the bats of the Brewers

led by MVP-candidate Christian Yelich, who almost won the Triple Crown.

The Atlanta Braves shocked the world this year to win the NL East. They face the Los Angeles Dodgers, a perennial playoff contender who lost in seven games to the Houston Astros in the World Series last year. Even though the Dodgers have had many past October disappointments, expect them to squeak by the Braves in five games. The Braves’ youth will not be able to overcome the talent of the Dodgers.

The Boston Red Sox finished the regular season with the best record in the MLB at 108-54. They face the Yankees, who finished with 100 wins. This will be the most competitive matchup in the Divisional Round, as these two teams were two of the best hitting and pitching teams in MLB. It will also feature many of the biggest stars in the league, with Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton leading the Yankees and Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez pacing the Red Sox. This will be another upset, with the Yankees taking down their arch-rival in an instant classic finishing in four games.

The final matchup of the round features the Cleveland Indians against the Astros. I don’t see this being a very competitive series, as the Astros had the best ERA in the league and a top ten scoring offense. Expect a three-game sweep from the reigning world champions.

CWRU 2018-19 • ELDRED THEATER SERIES

Athlete Spotlight

Second-year swimmer finds his poker face Nicholas Kamlet Staff Reporter Jonathan Liu is a second-year swimmer who swims the breast and butterfly strokes.

He loves swimming for the friendships he has formed through the sport and the time management it requires, which keeps him more organized. Although he was an avid video game player in high school, he has found a new hobby since he began at Case Western Reserve University. His favorite quote is a well-known meme that carries more significance to him than it may for other people.

Q: What is your favorite part(s) of being on the swimming team? Why? Also, where did you get your passion for swimming? Any good stories?

A: I enjoy being on the swim team because it builds strong bonds between swimmers. Competitive swimming is an extremely rigorous sport, and all the long hours and early morning practices forge a special connection between everyone who gets through.

I’ve made many friends from swimming, all of whom share the same competitive spirit and determination to achieve their goals.

Also, swimming is a great full-body exercise and is something I wish to continue throughout my life. Many people think that committing to a varsity sports team is too much of a time commitment. However, if anything, swimming team makes me more efficient. During the offseason, I often find myself just wasting many hours mindlessly watching YouTube videos, constantly distracting myself while studying and playing games for too long. Daily swimming practices force me to manage my time more wisely.

Last but certainly not least, swimming allows me to eat so much food. Food is good.

Q: What are your favorite free time activities? Why? A: In high school, I spent many hours playing various video games, arguably too much. Once I got to college, I decided that I should quit video games and [pursue] more meaningful hobbies. I found a new interest at Casino Night in August 2017 when I lost all my starting money in poker pretty quickly.

[As] a competitive guy, I never wanted that to happen again, so I started playing online for play money and learning the various

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had possession of the ball and attracted the attention of two defenders. He found secondyear defender Nathan Ekberg for the cross, who had slipped behind the opposing defender marking him, for the goal. The Spartans handed Kenyon their first loss of the season.

Ekberg led the Spartans with three shots, with Lytle and Senft having two each.

Playing in their first UAA conference game, the Spartans took on another formidable opponent. Brandeis qualified for the NCAA Division III semifinals last season. Both teams shared an aggressive style of play; most of the first half composed of the two teams trading shots. Manta had an excellent header off a fastbreak, but opposing second-year goalie Greg Irwin caught the ball. Irwin managed to save two more shots by the Spartans in the first half. Both offenses’ had shots that were too high or wide, with the Spartans leading shots taken 8-2, with three being on goal.

After a scoreless first half, both teams were itching to draw first blood. But Irwin, the Judges’ defensive anchor, saved two shots by Winter. The Judges then took their turn of exerting

Courtesy of CWRU Athletics Second-year swimmer Jonathan Liu has developed a love for poker since coming to campus. He has also taught himself how to play piano in his free time. strategies in poker. I joined [the] poker club and met some new friends. The club is fairly small, so our goal is to popularize poker club at CWRU by hosting events and teaching the intricacies of poker. After about a year of playing for play money, I started playing for real money online and have been able to make a profit.

My other major free time activity is that I “play” piano. I put that in quotes because I never really had lessons, and I am very slow at reading sheet music; when I find a song that I really like, I look up a Synthesia (where the notes from above fall onto the piano) and tediously memorize the song using muscle memory. Though this method is extremely time consuming, I now know how to play some nice songs and am happy I learned them.

Q: What is your favorite quote or what inspires you?

A: “What are you waiting for? Just...Do It!” from Shia Labeouf In a way, I am inspired by fear. Not fear of failure, but fear of regret. I never want to finish something and have doubts about whether I could have done better. I like to commit full effort in anything I do so that regardless of the result, I can feel satisfied knowing that I did everything in my power to succeed. pressure on the Spartan defense with two close shots. Brandeis had an 11-5 advantage in shots taken in the second half, and the Spartans were able to prevent any goals in regulation.

In overtime, Fink stood out with a diving save at the 98th minute and had two saves in double overtime. Totaling five saves in a nearly two hour game, Fink earned the University Athletic Association Defensive Athlete of the Week, boasting a save average of 0.824 and goals against average 0.61.

Third-year midfielder Brian Woo praised Fink’s standout defense in the past two games. “[Fink] has gotten more comfortable in goal,” he said. “He has improved on his communication, being more direct and his reaction has become faster.”

For their impressive performance this season thus far, CWRU has cracked the top 25 in the United Soccer Coaches poll at No. 21. In the D3soccer.com poll the Spartans rank No. 16.

The Spartans beat Hiram College at home 3-1 and will take on New York University in their first home UAA match on Saturday, Oct. 6. However, the rest of the UAA schedule will be challenging and will pit the Spartans against four highly ranked teams.

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Football remains undefeated Riley Simko Staff Reporter The Case Western Reserve University football team beat the Westminster College Titans 35-14 on Saturday, Sept. 29.

Both teams made 70 offensive plays each throughout the game, but the Spartan plays gained 150 percent more yards per play than the Titans.

The Spartans hit the field hard, stunning the Titans with a quick touchdown a minute into the first quarter by third-year running back Sam Jenkins off a pass from first-year quarterback Drew Saxton. Saxton threw for 330 passing yards against Westminster.

The Titans pushed back in the second quarter and racked up two back-to-back touchdowns, putting the score at 7-14. Fourth-year quarterback Shamon Walker made a successful pass to fellow fourth-year wide receiver Jaevon Hardy. Walker scored the second touchdown off a one yard run with about three and one-half left on the clock.

The Spartans sprang back in those three remaining minutes, tying up the score at 1414. Saxton passed to fourth-year wide receiver Justin Phan to tie up the score right before the end of the half.

Westminster got possession in the last minutes of the second quarter, but Cameron Brown, a fourth-year defensive lineman, sacked Titan quarterback Walker right before halftime. This was Brown’s third solo sack of this season, and the only Spartan sack of the game.

The CWRU team rallied in the third quarter to force a three-and-out from the Titans. The Saxton-Phan duo made good on the chance,

seizing the lead by scoring a touchdown for the Spartans, putting the score at 21-14.

Westminster fell even further behind as Colt Morgan, a second-year wide receiver, put the Spartan score at 28-14.

But the Spartans didn’t stop there. Thirdyear safety Patrick Crossey intercepted a Titan pass and returned it 55 yards, giving CWRU possession of the ball at the Westminster 44 yard line.

With under two minutes left in the game, second-year running back Zach Hall rushed 18 yards for a touchdown, which put the score at 35-14.

Westminster gained possession and had the chance to score in the last minute of the game, but second-year inside linebacker Michael Amadio made his first collegiate interception, securing the ball for the Spartans at the end of the fourth quarter. The Spartans held onto the ball for the remainder of the game and let the clock expire.

So far this season, the Spartans remain undefeated with a 4-0 overall record and a 3-0 record in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC).

This week, they’ll be on the road again for their first real test of the season, playing Washington and Jefferson College on Saturday, Oct. 6 at 1 p.m. Washington and Jefferson has a 4-0 record in the PAC, a 5-0 record overall, and is ranked No. 12 among Division III teams by D3football.com.

This matchup is highly anticipated across the nation as this game will likely determine who earns the automatic bid from the PAC to the DIII football playoffs. CWRU and W&J were co-champions of the conference, but the automatic bid went to the latter due to a tiebreaker. CWRU earned an at-large bid.

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Tale of the Tape CWRU 514 (11th) 187 (66th) 327 (13th) 275 (33rd) 71 (24th) 204 (121st) 54% (9th)

Team Stats (DIII Rank)

W&J

Total Yards Rushing Yards Passing Yards Total Yards Allowed Rushing Yards Allowed Passing Yards Allowed 3rd Down Conversion %

510 (12th) 185 (69th) 325 (15th) 325 (83rd) 91 (46th) 234 (173rd) 43.3% (64th)

CWRU quarterback Drew Saxton: 70.5% completion percentage, 11th best in DIII; 1,183 yard, 22nd in DIII; 14

PLAYERS TO WATCH

W&J Second-year receiver Andrew Wolf: 12 touchdowns, 1st in DIII; 849 yards, 2nd in DIII

15

sports Women’s soccer opens UAA season with road loss to No. 12 Brandeis Sanjay Annigeri Staff Reporter The Case Western Reserve University women’s soccer team opened up their University Athletic Association (UAA) season with one thing in mind: revenge.

The team had suffered a conference season-opening loss to Brandeis University last year. However, they were unable to avenge themselves, as the No. 12 team in the country defeated the Spartans on the road, 2-0, on Saturday, Sept. 29.

The Judges opened up the match with a quick score in the 17th minute, as

fourth-year midfielder Becca Buchman corralled a deflected pass and sent the ball into the back of the net.

The Spartans tried to respond, with five players attempting a shot. None of them were able to get their shots on target.

Brandeis added an insurance goal in the 76th minute, as third-year midfielder Katie Hayes tapped in a deflected corner kick by first-year midfielder Lauren Mastandrea.

The CWRU offense was cold the entire game. The team had five shots, with none of them on goal. On the other hand, the Brandeis offense had 23 shots with

12 on goal.

“Brandeis is one of the most organized defensive teams we’ve played this year,” Head Coach Tiffany Crooks said. “They are athletic and get numbers behind the ball. They are hard to break down in the run of play.”

Even with the offensive woes, the Spartans played tough defense to limit the damage from the barrage by Brandeis.

Metz had a career-high 10 saves. “[Metz] has had a great year so far, and she’s continually improving. It was her first UAA game, so she’ll only be getting better as the UAA season progresses,” Crooks said.

The Spartans ended the week with two losses, bringing their overall record to 5-4 and their UAA record to 0-1.

Following a 3-0 home win against Allegheny College on Tuesday, Oct. 2, the team will look to continue their five-game homestand with a conference matchup against New York University this Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

“We’re looking to work on a few points of weakness from the weekend and hit the restart button right away. We have so many opportunities to improve and to grow,” Crooks said. “That’s what excites me the most about this group. We aren’t to our best soccer yet.”

Facing the giants Volleyball falls to two UAA powerhouses Andrew Ford Sports Editor

The first two conference games were as tough as a team could get.

The Case Western Reserve University volleyball team had to open University Athletic Association (UAA) play against No. 8 Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) and No. 14 University of Chicago but won against weaker conference foe Brandeis University.

The Spartans began conference play on Saturday, Sept. 29 with two games and followed up with one more game on Sunday. The first of two round robins was held in Massachusetts on Brandeis’ campus.

Even though her team lost two matches to two very talented teams, Head Coach Karen Farrell said, “We’re competing well against good teams, but we’re just not able to score enough to finish sets.”

CWRU faced WashU in their first match of the weekend, losing in three sets, 19-25, 19-25 and 28-30. In the first set, the Spartans had a 17-16 lead, but WashU stormed back on a 9-2 run to close out the game. WashU led more consistently in the second set. CWRU had the score tied at seven, but the Bears pulled away the rest of the game.

The Spartans had many chances to win the final set, leading 23-20. After the game was tied at 24, CWRU took one point leads at 25-24, 26-25 and 28-27, but they could not finish the set.

First-year outside hitter Lauren Carmon led the team offensively with 11 kills and an outstanding .429 kill percentage. Third-year outside hitter Karley King finished with 10 kills of her own. Third-year middle hitter Haley Sims had five block assists, but her defensive effort at the net wasn’t enough

to slow down the potent WashU attack.

In their second match against Chicago, both teams were a little more sloppy, combining for 36 errors in the match. But once again the Spartans fell in straight sets. King led the attacks this time around with 11 kills. Second-year libero Anna Jaskoviak recorded 18 digs in the loss.

The weekend finished on a high note as CWRU defeated Brandeis in four sets, 25-21, 20-25, 25-16 and 25-8. The Spartans got off to a slow start, though, falling behind 5-11. However, they stormed back for seven straight points to take a 12-11 lead and never looked back. They stumbled in the second set but routed Brandeis the rest of the way after that.

Third-year setter Faith Ellis set up her teammates en route to 31 assists in the match. King had her best game of the season after finishing with 20 kills on an efficient .513 kill percentage. The defense of the Spartans was likewise fantastic, holding Brandeis to a mere .109 team kill percentage.

“We were very consistent in all four sets,” Farrell said. “Which is really what we need to do to consistently to win matches.”

After a win against Thiel College on Wednesday, Oct. 3, the team is off this weekend but will return to UAA action Oct. 13 and 14. Their record thus far in the season stands at 13-8, seven wins away from their season goal of 20 wins with eight regular season matches left. Four of those games will be against tough UAA foes.

Needless to say, the Spartans won’t be handed any wins. Luckily, by all indicators, the Spartans haven’t reached their full potential yet. Farrell and her team will aim to use the weekend off to gain momentum heading into the final stretch of the season.

Daniel Brenner/Observer First-year outside hitter Lauren Carmon has filled the role of injured third-year outside hitter Brianna Lemon. Even though she didn’t get much playing time early in the season, she has stepped up against tough competition.

Saturday, Sept. 29

Saturday, Sept. 29

WashU

CWRU

Chicago

CWRU

3

0

3

0

Sunday, Sept. 30

Wednesday, Oct. 3

Brandeis

CWRU

Thiel

CWRU

1

3

0

3