Volume XLVII, Issue 16, 1/22/2015

the

Case Western Reserve University volume xlvii, issue 16 friday, 1/22/2016

Observer Hillel Center opens after year of construction

CWRUpons USG initiative to provide student discounts

Aquene Kimmel News Editor

Aquene Kimmel News Editor

The large building with many windows had sat nearly vacant on Euclid for almost nine years, while Hillel had been in an old facility directly behind it, where they bemoaned the shortage of natural light. Two years ago, Hillel ended their search for a new location with a simple solution: move forward one space.

The existing building on Euclid was remodeled starting last November to become the new Albert & Norma Geller Hillel Student Center, and it officially opened on January 11 for the first day of classes.

The building includes three classrooms, meeting and event spaces, a lounge space with couches and televi-

SeekingArrangement founder Brandon Wade’s website greets you with the stark quote “Love is a concept invented by poor people,” next to a picture of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology grad, smiling coyly.

SeekingArrangement, one of Wade’s four dating sites, matches “sugar babies,” typically young women, with “sugar daddies” or “mommas” who help support them financially through a monthly allowance in exchange for their company. Wade describes the site as a place where “beautiful, successful people fuel mutually beneficial relationships.”

The site, which boasts over five million active members in 139 countries, has seen increasing use by college students in recent years, with 1.9 million college students registered. Nearby Kent State is home to 998 of these students, and, according to the site, Case Western Reserve University has 69 registered students, with 11 new signups in 2015.

“A couple years ago, we noticed that a lot of the sugar babies on the site were college students,” said Brook Urick, the site’s spokesperson. “It was a trend we attributed to rising tuition costs. It’s almost impossible to afford an education, and after graduation students are stuck with low income jobs, trying to pay off their loans.”

“A lot of girls see this as a way to finance their future,” she continued. “If you

can find a guy to provide the lifestyle you want, help you with school, mentor you, be kind of a rich boyfriend, you can graduate debt free and have connections after graduation.”

Sarah (whose name has been changed to protect her identity), a fourth-year student majoring in biology, signed up for SeekingArrangement on a whim with a friend in March 2014.

“I got a lot of messages, but I’m really selective and particular,” she said. “I like building connections with people. I’m not seeing people just to get something out of me knowing them.”

Sarah was on the site for almost a year before meeting with anyone. She says that she has met with two men off of the site; one who she only met with once, and one who she started a relationship with.

“We started dating at first, just like a normal relationship, except that the way we met was interesting,” said Sarah, whose sugar daddy lives a couple of hours away but comes to Cleveland frequently for work. “We ended up just seeing each other quite often when he would come to town. Then I went to visit him, and we started travelling together, doing fun things, getting closer.”

The average sugar daddy or momma

on the site is 45 years old, while the average sugar baby is 26. The majority of the sugar babies on the site are female. Sugar babies receive an average of around $3,000 per month, not including gifts, although the site allows babies to list anywhere between $1,000 and $20,000 per month that they expect to receive. One-third of the sugar daddies on the site are married.

Around 36 percent of the average sugar baby’s allowance is spent on tuition, while 23 percent goes to rent, 20 percent to textbooks, nine percent to transportation, five percent to clothing and seven percent to other things.

However, Urick says that the benefits of using the site are not just financial. In addition to their allowance, sugar babies also have the opportunity to network and be mentored by their sugar daddies or mommas, giving them more access to the business world.

“A lot of guys and girls are stuck in specific dating pools, especially in college,” she said. “You don’t meet someone who is career oriented and established in the first year of college, whereas sugar moms and dads are already successful.”

Students currently receive free or discounted tickets to several Cleveland and University Circle institutions, such as local museums. A new Undergraduate Student Government (USG) initiative headed by Student Life Committee member Keshara Senanayake aims to create student-specific discounts for businesses, too.

While considering this initiative, called CWRUpons, Senanayake sent out a Google survey to Case Western Reserve University students. Ninety-four percent of the 334 respondents said that they believed students should receive discounts at local businesses. USG has also passed a resolution in favor of the initiative.

As a member of the USG student life committee, Senanayake tries to answer the question: “How can we better the lives of our constituency?” Each member has their own initiative, something they work towards improving about life on CWRU’s campus.

Senanayake, however, also wanted this initiative to encompass more than just the CWRU community. Towards that end, he met with Susan Bengtson, president of the Student Government Association at the Cleveland Institute of Music, and Hien Nguyen, president of Student Leadership Council at the Cleveland Institute of Art. He also worked with the Graduate Student Council at CWRU. “I think the initiative is a positive step towards having a more integrated campus community,” said Bengtson.

She was excited about the initiative when Senanayake first contacted her about it during the 2015 fall semester, and she has heard positive feedback from other CIM students as well. As most CIM students rent their own apartments and don’t eat at dining halls, they will benefit greatly from discounts at local restaurants.

Currently, Senanayake is working with eight University Circle restaurants, including Inchin’s Bamboo Garden, though he hopes to expand the program further and has been in communication with University Circle Inc. This semester, he will be meeting with representatives from many University Circle businesses to propose this system of discounts.

Eventually, Senanayake says, he would like to see the program include not just stores and restaurants, but also services like yoga and haircuts.

to SUGARBABIES | 4

to DISCOUNTS | 3

News

A&E

Opinion

Sports

pg. 5 Tobacco-free policy input

pg. 14 Mens bball looks to rebound

The new space pictured from inside (above). It is located on Euclid Avenue. sions, and Kantina, a kosher restaurant.

Hillel Executive Director Jared Isaacson says that Hillel this to be a “welcoming and thriving” space for students, the University Circle community and the greater Cleveland community.

“We want to create a welcoming environment for the Jewish Community,” said Isaacson.

Andrew Hodowanec/Observer

College students increasingly becoming “sugar babies” to help alleviate student debt Julia Bianco Director of Web & Multimedia

pg. 2

“I got a lot of messages, but I’m really selective and particular. I like building connections with people. I’m not seeing people just to get something out of me knowing them.”

- “Sarah,” a fourth-year biology major

pg. 9 CWRU remembers Sci-fi fest brings nerdy guests Don Harris

news Editor’s Choice

CWRU remembers undergraduate student Don Harris

Nardine Taleb, Staff Reporter Aquene Kimmel, News Editor Donald “Don” Kincheloe Harris was 24 when he died on Jan. 2, 2016.

Originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Harris started at Case Western Reserve University in 2010. He was majoring in biochemistry and biology, on his way to becoming a doctor. He died of an ongoing illness.

In Albuquerque, Harris attended Manzano High School, where he earned the excellent grades in math and science that helped bring him to CWRU. He was also involved in band, chorus and the academic decathlon and was recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation for his high scores and accomplishments.

In 2010, Harris graduated from high school and started attending CWRU. He posted a life event on Facebook: “Started Working at Case Western Reserve University.” The position? “Lab Rat.” In 2011, Harris began working on research in a lab in the CWRU School of Medicine. In 2012, he added a job at the Allen Memorial Medical Library.

Chris Dolwick, Harris’ supervisor at the medical library, felt that Harris really knew how quickly life could pass by, but that “the process,”—the hard work, the persistence, the passion—“is worth it.”

Harris’s hard work paid off in a strong understanding of biochemistry and chemistry and a score in the 97th percentile on the MCAT. In his SAGES class, Harris’s immer-

sion in science would come out when he contributed to class discussions with his scientific take on things.

Outside of class and work, Harris was a member of the medical fraternity Phi Delta Epsilon and the social fraternity Zeta Beta Tau (ZBT). Even when he was physically not up to it, he was always there for his friends and his fraternity brothers.

When two members of ZBT, including Harris’s friend Lucas Marcelli, died in a plane crash last year, Harris was deeply saddened, and he never forgot his friend.

“Don was the kind of person who, if you asked him for help, would help you,” said Dolwick.

In addition to passion for his studies and his friends, Harris also had a great passion for music.

He owned vinyl records, high quality speakers, and turntables. He loved new artists, classical jazz, punk music, rock music— and he had good taste, said Professor Bernard Jim, full-time lecturer in the Department of History and SAGES professor.

Jim is known for playing music at the beginning of his classes. While taking his SAGES class, Harris recognized Jim’s love for music, and the two got into the habit of discussing upcoming artists, music genres and bands.

“Don and I connected over music,” said Jim. In lieu of flowers, Harris’s family has requested that donations be sent to CWRU to support the programs of which Harris was a part.

CWRU School of Law creates human trafficking law clinic Anastazia Vanisko Copy Editor Case Western Reserve University School of Law recently received $131,169 to create a human trafficking law clinic.

The money came from the Crime Victims’ Fund, which was established by the Victims of Crime Act and provides a base amount of $500,000 to each state. In Ohio, the Attorney General’s Office distributes this money to Crime Victims Assistance Grant applicants who will support victim assistance and/or compensation programs.

The focus of the human trafficking law clinic will be on providing advocacy and educating people on the issue of human trafficking. Students in the law school will be involved in the representation of human trafficking victims when they face criminal charges related to their victimization and will work with the courts to identify victims of human trafficking. Although they will not be involved in the prosecution of any human traffickers, students will also help victims who act as witnesses in such trials by providing information and support. The educational component will involve preparing educational materials for the community.

All of this will be done with the oversight of Co-Directors and Professors Maureen Kenny and Judith P. Lipton, and students who become involved will be focusing on criminal law.

Though this is not yet a course in which

students can enroll, third-year law student Sarah Stula managed to become involved this semester. Her passion for the issue of human trafficking was one of the reasons she chose to attend law school, and during her first year Kenny was one of her professors.

The two stayed in touch, and Stula contacted her when she heard about the clinic.

“I knew I wanted to be involved,” said Stula.

Stula has already been assigned to a case and anticipates that her work in the coming semester will help prevent victims from going to jail for crimes related to their victimization, such as drug use and prostitution.

According to Kenny, the clinic will find most of the victims it will represent after they have been charged with such crimes. The clinic will be called when there is a suspicion that the accused is actually a victim of human trafficking. In cases involving juveniles—which is not uncommon since runaways and children in foster care or juvenile detention centers are the prime targets for human traffickers—the clinic would represent the parents.

“We haven’t had anyone come off the street,” Kenny said in regard to survivors possibly reaching out to the clinic.

Kenny has been interested in the issue of human trafficking for the past 10 years. In the last three she has been more avidly researching the law, and has been pushing to make the issue a part of the law school curriculum. “[This is] definitely a dream come true for me,” she said.

Students can now use three meal swipes per week outside dining halls

Andrew Hodowanec/Observer Students now have more choices on where they can use some meal swipes.

Julia Bianco Director of Web & Multimedia Meal swipe options are expanding, with students now able to use three of their meal swipes per week at locations besides Fribley Marché and Leutner Commons.

Students were previously allowed to use two of their meal swipes per week at locations in the Tinkham Veale University Center and Denny’s All Nighter. One of those two swipes could be used at The Jolly Scholar. Starting in the fall semester, students were also allowed to use one swipe per week at Tomlinson Marketplace on the quad, including at the Subway sandwich shop.

Now students can use their three out-ofdining-hall meal swipes per week at any of the locations in TVUC, Denny’s All Nighter and Tomlinson. One of the three can still be used at The Jolly Scholar. There are still limits to the times at which students can use their meal swipes at each location, which are available on the Dining Services’ section of Case Western Reserve University’s website.

Director of Auxiliary Services Beth Nochomovitz, along with Bon Appétit Resident District Manager Jim O’Brien, Vice President for Campus Services Dick Jamieson and administrators from student affairs, met with representatives from the Residence Hall

Association and Undergraduate Student Government meal plan committee at the beginning of the fall semester to discuss possible changes to the meal plan. Based on student input, they found that there was some confusion around the ways in which meal swipes can be used. Because of this, they decided to create a streamlined meal plan system, including Tomlinson swipes with the other out-of-dining-hall options.

“We work with Bon Appétit as our partners, and they have been very supportive in doing this and trying to respond to student requests,” said Nochomovitz.

Nochomovitz says that there are currently no plans to expand to above three out-of-dining-hall meal swipes per week or to allow meal swipes at any of the locations in Uptown, which would not be financially feasible because they are not owned by Bon Appétit. However, she did say that there is a chance of meal swipe specials at the new Dunkin’ Donuts.

“For next year, we are pretty much focused on maintaining the portability of swipes,” said Nochomovitz.

She also added that new additions to the meal plan, including limited dining hall hours during fall break and Thanksgiving break, which were both tested this year, will be continued into next year.

New space created to launch businesses out of think[box] Christopher Gittings Staff Reporter LaunchNet isn’t just launching companies this semester. It’s also launching a new collaborative space.

Assorted guests, community members and Case Western Reserve University President Barbara R. Snyder came together on Friday to celebrate the grand opening of NEOLaunchNet on the Wyant Collaboration Floor of the Richey Mixon Building, which also houses the renamed and revamped Larry Sears and Sally Zlotnick Sears think[box].

The ceremony also served as an opportunity to showcase undergraduate students who have turned their ideas into businesses with the help of LaunchNet, as well as to emphasize Case Western Reserve University’s growing standing as an entrepreneurial hub.

Felipe Gomez del Campo, a fourth-year undergraduate who started a business with the help of LaunchNet, gave a short speech about his research on injecting plasma into jet engines to improve their fuel efficiency.

He took a moment in his speech to reflect on his undergraduate experience.

“I think what’s really special about Case, is that I had all the resources to take an idea and to develop it,” said Gomez del Campo.

“With all these resources, there really needs to be something to tie them together, and I think that is what LaunchNet has been so incredible in doing.”

LaunchNet, formerly known as LaunchPad, now has offices in Thwing Center and the Richey Mixon Building and has provided assistance to over 20 student-led startups which have in turn raised a collective total of over 2.5 million dollars in funding. The Richey Mixon Building LaunchNet space has room for collaboration between students and businesses, as well as space for formal gatherings and events such as this opening ceremony.

LaunchNet shares the Wyant Collaboration Floor with Design for America, another collaboration-oriented organization which connects engineers with the real-work problems and opportunities. Design for America member and third-year student Connor Swingle was especially excited about the potential for the new space.

“It’s important for us to help create a community of collaboration at Case. It’s a super important part of our process, so we’re really glad to be here” said Swingle.

Bob Sopko, director of Blackstone LaunchPad, thinks that LaunchNet will serve as an important counterpart to think[box] in this new space. “think[box] makes, but LaunchNet sells” said Sopko. “We’re the people who help students figure out if there is something to their idea. If there’s not [a marketable idea], they can go ahead and play around with it some more. If there is, we can help them get there [to a business].”

news

observer.case.edu from DISCOUNTS | 1 While Senanayake sees a blanket 10 percent discount for all CWRU, CIM and CIA students at local businesses as the ideal end product of this initiative, there are some obstacles that must be overcome first. Many stores have their own stipulations. For example, some are only willing to offer the discount for payments in cash, and some only want to offer the discount during non-peak hours.

In Senanayake’s Google survey, 50.3 percent of students reported that they would mind having to pay cash in order to receive a discount, and 87.7 percent said that discounts that only apply during certain hours would not be a problem.

Senanayake emphasized that he wants to work with businesses and reach agreements that can benefit students but also remain profitable for the businesses. His focus is on “dialogue, collaboration.”

“We have an opportunity here,” said Senanayake. “It’s like a two-way street.

For them to grow and for us to grow at the same time.”

One way in which Senanayake hopes that businesses can benefit from this program is through feedback. From his meetings with local businesses, he feels that they would welcome more direct feedback from students, and he would like this initiative to serve as an avenue for that. This would let businesses cater more to the college community, like The Jolly Scholar does with its special deals and theme nights, said Senanayake.

Through helping restaurants and

stores in the area to better embrace students, Senanayake also hopes that students might embrace a larger range of local venues.

“Sometimes as students we get fixated on certain stores, like my friends who just go to Chipotle, and I think University Circle has a lot to offer,” said Senanayake. “How can we convince students to branch out, explore the Circle and what it fully has to offer?”

To market this initiative, Senanayake plans to create decals for the windows of participating stores and f liers with logos for all three of the University Circle colleges.

As for when this will begin, it may be as soon as this semester.

“We can roll it out immediately, like starting next week, but I want to make sure when we launch that it has to have enough traction, have enough stores, have enough variety,” said Senanayake.

Toward that end, he aims to have three to four stores definitely participating by late February or early March and to grow that to eight to 12 stores by Fall 2016.

Beyond the University Circle establishments conveniently lined up along Euclid, Senanayake would also like to see this program expand further out, into Little Italy and perhaps the greater Cleveland area. Bengtson would also like it to reach as far as Coventry, where many CWRU and CIM students rent apartments or go to eat and shop on weekends.

Through exploring Cleveland with the added incentive of a discount, Senanayake would like to see students “get more from [their] college experience.”

3

On the beat

Cabin Fever

As a lifetime Clevelander there are a lot of things I like about my city, and I always encourage my out-of-town friends to visit and see for themselves—except in January. January in Cleveland is usually a month of frozen ponds, darkness by dinnertime and cold winds that seem to penetrate any coat. It is also living in fear of being coughed on by a bacteria/virus factory of a stranger or friend.

So while depression is something that can strike anyone anytime, it can bite harder in winter for the reasons listed above. There have been a number of things written in The Observer and elsewhere this year, but this is such an important topic that it bears repeating.

Depression can affect anyone, but the university age population can be especially vulnerable for a variety of reasons: away from home and living on your own for the first time, pressure to perform academically, relationship or substance abuse issues and so on. College years are often described as the best years of your life (and they may be—no mortgage yet, knees don’t hurt when you get out of bed in the morning, etc.) but that doesn’t mean they don’t have significant pressures of their own.

That’s the bad news. The good news is you may never again be in a place where there is more support readily available to help face those challenges. It starts with friends and roommates or classmates, moves on to resident assistants, coaches, professors and maybe even campus police officers on occasion. If these aren’t enough there is a dedicated counseling center in the Sears building (216-368-5872 for an appointment) that can link you up with a trained and confidential counselor. The key is to talk to someone—depression isn’t usually one of those things that goes away if you ignore it long enough.

So grab a cup of coffee, put your hood up and take advantage of these resources if you need them. Winter will pass and the sun will return, I promise.

Let’s look out for each other.

On the Beat is a weekly safety column written by Sergeant Jeffrey Daberko of CWRU PD. He welcomes questions, suggestions and gripes/groans/moans/complaints about campus life at policecolumn@case.edu.

We’re hiring We’re looking for writers for every section. For more information, e-mail

observer@case.edu

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news

1/21/16

Spotlight on research

Student aims to eliminate residual AIDS virus Sruthi Meka Staff Reporter For fourth-year biology student Sophia Zweig, a fascination with all things infectious is what led her to pursue involvement in research at the Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) at Case Western Reserve University.

The CFAR was founded in 1994 as a center to promote research on HIV, pathogenesis and virology in addition to clinical trials and trainings. The CFAR at CWRU also maintains a longstanding partnership with Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda.

Zweig became involved with the CFAR during her first year at CWRU in a laboratory led by Principal Investigator Michael Lederman, co-director of the CFAR at CWRU. During the summer following her third year, Zweig became involved in a research project analyzing the maintenance of HIV reservoirs in immune cells. HIV reservoirs are groups of resting CD4 cells that are infected with HIV and continue to survive in spite of antiretroviral therapy.

“What we’re trying to do is determine which population of immune cells harbors the HIV reservoir,” said Zweig. “If you could eliminate cells that always bring back the virus, you could probably effectively cure HIV [and] you could eliminate the virus for sure.”

According to Zweig, current treatments for HIV reduce the levels of the virus in the blood below the level that is detectable by an assay, which means the virus will still be circulating in the blood.

“We’re comparing proliferating and non-proliferating CD4 T-cells to determine which type has the HIV reservoir,” said Zweig. “There’s some evidence that the proliferating cells maintain the reservoir, but there’s also evidence that they’re not capable of it.”

For three months, Zweig collected over 30 blood samples from HIV-infected patients who received antiretroviral therapy. Then, Zweig helped to create cell cultures, use cytokines to induce propagation of the cells, stimulate the cells to produce HIV and compare them to a group of cells that was not stimulated to proliferate.

The initial analysis involved comparing levels of the virus present in the proliferating and non-proliferating cells using a real-time polymerase chain reaction. The presence of HIV RNA was then quantified into raw data for further analysis.

“We [expected] to see the highest level of virus released from cells without antiretroviral therapy because their levels aren’t being kept down,” said Zweig. “Instead of seeing a difference between the proliferating and non-proliferating cells that were on antiretroviral therapy, they were at similar levels. That was very surprising.”

The final results, according to Zweig, necessitate further inquiry. In the future, the research team would like to replicate the experiment and use a larger sample size to better understand the initial results in addition to using a cancer cell line instead of cytokines to propagate the infected cells.

Although Zweig will be graduating this May, she hopes to continue working in the public health sector and maintain exposure to her interest in infectious disease.

from SUGAR BABIES | 1 For Sarah, money for tuition was not a motivating factor in her decision to use the site.

“I used it in a different way than most people,” she said. “I went on it because I wanted someone who was comfortable with their life. The relationship I got into, it’s not because he just gave me money. After we knew each other for a few months, it was just like any other relationship where you get someone who gives you a present or something like that because they appreciate you.”

“I was not drawn in because of the money, but because they are people who are comfortable, who know what they want, who have a comfortable lifestyle,” she continued.

“They have their life planned out, and that makes things easier.”

In order to provide more of an incentive for college students using the site, all college students who sign up are given a free premium membership, which Urick says should help them find better matches. Profiles are checked manually by SeekingArrangement’s customer service representatives before they are posted on the website. Members are also able to select who is able to see which parts of their profile, and all data is encrypted to provide security and discretion for members.

The site allows people to search for matching sugar babies or daddies and mommas using physical characteristics like height and hair color, as well as location, like any other dating site. Users also create profiles that specify what they are looking for in the relationship, both financially and emotionally, and what they are willing to exchange with their partner.

“Whenever I first talked to someone, I explained to them what I was looking for,” said Sarah. “That way, it’s all on the table. The number one mistake people make is not being clear with their intentions. It’s important to lay that out. One thing I really liked about the site was that people were very blunt about what they were looking for.”

SeekingArrangement has attracted a lot of controversy since its inception. Google Executive Forrest Hayes was found dead on his yacht in November of 2013, with later investigation revealing that he died from a heroin injection administered by a woman who he met via the site. Another blow came when one of the women involved in former New York Representative Anthony Weiner’s sexting scandal said that they had met via the site.

Aside from these higher profile cases,

Cleveland catch-up Anne Nickoloff Director of Print Cleveland’s millennial population multiplies According to a new study by the Cleveland Foundation, the millennial population in Cleveland, and in its surrounding suburbs, has increased substantially during the ‘fifth migration,’ also known as the re-urbanization of metro areas that has happened nationally.

The migration of millennials has occurred since 2008, and due to increased growth between 2011 and 2013, Cleveland became tied with Seattle and Miami for the eighth in the nation for increased college-age millennials.

Between 2000 and 2012, there was a 76 percent increase of 25-34 year old residents in downtown Cleveland.

Millennial growth started during the Great Recession and continued into post-recession. Cheaper cost of living seems to be a large factor in attracting younger people to rust belt cities.

Cleveland chef wins round on show “Guy’s Grocery Games”

Clarissa Cuevas/Observer the site is also regularly the subject of accusations of prostitution and exploitation of women. However both Urick and Sarah deny that the site resembles anything close to the sex trade.

“Prostitution is sex for money,” said Urick. “Sugar babies are not being paid for sex. Often times there is no sex going on here. It varies like relationships vary.

Some women are in platonic relationships.

Some progress into whatever is involved, but nothing is expected on either end except for honesty. Sugar babies are being gifted for a relationship, and the relationship is on their terms.”

Urick estimates that about 10 percent of users on the site end up in long-term relationships, like Sarah, or even marriages, a fact that she attributes to the honesty that the site encourages.

“This is a relationship as old as time,” said Urick. “In Disney movies, it’s a fairytale sold to young women about Prince Charming who comes and sweeps you off your feet.

It’s not so wrong to want that. Women are realizing they can ask for that in relationships and men are willing to offer that.”

Urick said that she got involved with the site after experiencing a very “sugar-y” relationship while in college. She was living in Los Angeles while dating a wealthier man who lived in Miami. He would fly her there, drive her around and buy her clothes. Although they ended up breaking up, she heard

of the site from a friend and took a job there.

“If there are dollar signs involved, people are quick to jump to conclusions,” said Urick. “I’m okay with that, since it means more people are finding out about the site and the lifestyle. It’s important to realize that not everyone’s opinions on this are valid.”

“The relationships are not transactional,” she continued. “They’re actual relationships, whether or not the public wants to see it that way.”

Sarah also thinks that she has benefited a lot from her experience with the site, and would recommend that other students who are interested consider using the service.

“I think the hardest part was the way that people viewed him,” said Sarah, who has told her family and some of her friends about the relationship. “I think they thought at first that he was just looking for a younger woman and didn’t have good intentions, but he honestly did. The only reason why there’s such negative feedback about the website, or these types of relationships or arrangements is because of a lack of knowledge or a stereotype.”

“Really, everyone who has seen my situation has viewed it as being really positive, and has been really supportive of it,” she continued. “I think it’s good for me, especially in college, because you are under so much stress and having someone who supports you not just financially but has been through the same things, it really helps.”

Eric Williams, the chef-owner of Momocho Mod Mex and El Carnicero, made it through another run of Guy Fieri’s show “Guy’s Grocery Games: Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives Tournament,” and walked away with $16,000 for charity. Williams will have the opportunity to compete on the show’s finale on Jan. 31.

Before competing on the show, Williams said in an interview with Cleveland.com: “Hopefully I can make Cleveland proud and bring home a winner.”

Here’s to hoping Williams will take a trip to flavortown in the next round of the competition.

Exercise meets alcohol on Cleveland’s new BrewBoat Similar to the pedal pubs which tour city streets around the world, Cleveland’s new BrewBoat will float on Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River, as customers regulate the speed by pedaling.

The large boats can accommodate 14 passengers and two boat staffers. BrewBoat Cle was created as an inventive attraction in Cleveland tourism. Though the activity is BYOB, every rider is permitted to bring 36 ounces of beer or 18 ounces of wine with them.

“We expect demand to be very high, especially during special events like the Cleveland National Air Show, Republican Convention, IngenuityFest, the Fourth of July fireworks and even Browns games,” said Coffey in an interview with Cleveland Scene Magazine.

Large snowstorm to miss Cleveland After receiving a large layer of snow, Cleveland will finally get a break from the severe weather. As of press time, a large winter storm is projected to miss the city, but is expected to drop more than a foot of snow on cities like Baltimore and Washington D.C. over the weekend.

In the meantime, let’s wish the forecast doesn’t change.

opinion Students were not truly heard during tobacco-free policy debate

Editor’s Note

Editor’s note Mike McKenna, Executive Editor In a Letter to the Editor last week, Vice President of Student Affairs Lou Stark strongly criticized our coverage of the Faculty Senate’s vote to make the campus tobacco-free. Our front page article from the Dec. 4 issue titled “Faculty Senate approves campus-wide tobacco ban without student input” outlined the issue at hand and voiced concerns students had with the Faculty Senate passing legislation to go tobacco free.

At the time, legislation was passed, but the policy has since required a revote because Faculty Senate didn’t meet quorum.

Since it’s our duty to our readers to admit our mistakes, here’s what we should have done better on our end. Note that I took a hard look at the article after receiving Stark’s letter to the editor, and these following points do not all necessarily reflect what Stark criticized us for.

1) The Dec. 4. article said that the “tobacco ban proposal was initially introduced by President Barbara R. Snyder in 2014. A campus-wide poll was conducted

by USG at that time, indicating that 52 percent of students were in favor of a tobacco ban.”

This was not accurate, a mistake for which I and the entire Observer staff apologizes. The planning actually began as Stark noted in 2011. A poll of the student body regarding the topic took place that year.

Then, no polling of the student body took place until April 2014. The correct information was presented in the Jan. 15 article

(“Tobacco-free policy to be reconsidered following invalid vote, student reaction”).

If you want the most holistic view on the topic, I highly recommend reading our Dec. 4 and Jan. 15 pieces one after the other. Both can be found on our website.

2) Additionally, we could have done a better job explaining the intersection between USG input, Faculty Senate and CWRU administration decisions. We left 400 words on the cutting desk already (one of the challenges we face on a weekly basis is to describe the bureaucracy of CWRU just enough for our readers to understand, but not so much that the piece becomes bogged down with extraneous information). On our production night we thought the article was clear enough, but do understand Stark’s concerns in hindsight. The best way to describe the process is that CWRU administration worked to draft the proposal, and then sought CWRU Faculty Senate approval. (But they did not look for approval from students; we’ll get to that later.) Our article chose to focus on the Faculty Senate (not CWRU administration) voting for approval without listening to student input.

3) Last, in the story’s opening sentence, we should have noted that student input was taken in formulating the policy. The article on our website has been updated to reflect this change. We apologize for the error. It was absolutely correct when we said student input was not taken when the policy was voted on, however, and the article’s headline was not inaccurate or misleading. While mistakes were made, facts were not “ignored” as Stark states. With

The letter distracts from policy change criticized by members of the Undergraduate Student Government and Graduate Student Council.

If our Dec. 4. article was misleading, than Stark’s letter to the editor was as well. Stark’s letter portrays the creation of the potential tobacco-free policy as filled with student input through the entire process. the information we had at the time, we presented the campus with an overarching view on this complicated topic.

Again, we apologize for the errors. We owe it to the campus community to learn from those mistakes and provide even better coverage of this topic going forward.

There was no intention to mislead, but rather, there were some problems with the clarity of the already dense piece.

However let’s not allow this to distract from the real problem at hand. While students may have been included to an extent in drafting the policy, the administration’s original plan was to not include them in actually voting on the specific policy.

If our Dec. 4. article was misleading, than Stark’s letter to the editor was as well.

Stark’s letter portrays the creation of the potential tobacco-free policy as filled with student input through the entire process.

The letter distracts from policy change criticized by members of the Undergraduate Student Government and Graduate Student Council, the groups which the administration was supposed to be working with to consider a tobacco-free policy.

Stark’s letter did not note that students were not included in terms of approving the policy when it really mattered: that is, after the final policy was drafted. This is noted in the Dec. 4 article, and highlighted in comments from USG representatives in the Jan. 15 piece.

It is true that in April 2014, undergraduate students voted in a non-binding ballot regarding going tobacco free. And it is also true that over half of the ballots cast support going tobacco free.

However students were told that what they were voting on was a non-binding ballot. Additionally, students were not given specifics on how a tobacco-free policy would work. When it comes to voting, there is a major difference between an extremely general idea like “tobacco-free,” and the specific plan to create a tobacco-free campus.

The poll was a great move to get feedback, but should have not been sufficient enough feedback to pass a policy that hadn’t even been completely drafted yet.

USG President Chippy Kennedy summarized the concern well in our Jan. 15 article.

“President Snyder thinks that the poll in spring 2014 already shows student support to the new policy,” Kennedy noted. “Representing the USG, I would say that, first of all, the poll was not about the policy, but about whether or not we should go tobacco free. Second, it might be fairer to have students look at the policy themselves. So President Snyder and I initially disagreed on the sufficiency of the 2014 poll.”

Not only has USG expressed concerns with how the tobacco-free policy has been handled, but the former vice president of the Graduate Student Senate Ray Horton criticized the handling of the tobacco-free policy in a letter to the editor published online on Dec. 9. He says that the committee drafting the tobacco-free policy “failed to seriously address concerns our assembly had raised several months prior.”

Despite the administration’s slant, students, including ones whose organizations worked on the policy, do not feel heard on this topic.

I hope that changes.

Editorial comic

The Observer is the weekly undergraduate student newspaper of Case Western Reserve University. Established in 1969, The Observer exists to report news affecting students and to provide an editorial forum for the university community. Unsigned editorials are typically written by the Opinion Editor but reflect the majority opinion of the senior editorial staff. However, Opinion columns are the views of their writers and not necessarily of The Observer staff.

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established in 1969 by the undergraduate students of case western reserve university executive editor & publisher MIKE MCKENNA director of print ANNE NICKOLOFF director of web & multimedia JULIA BIANCO director of business operations TAYLOR MORAN advertising & marketing manager JACK WEBB news designer CHRISTINA CHENG a&e designer MATTHEW ZYLE opinion designer ALEXANDRA GOLDBERG sports designer AMANDA LI graphic designer CLARISSA CUEVAS pr manager ASHLEY CHAN video editor SAI SUPRIYA VUDA social media editor JENIECE MONTELLANO photo editor LIZZY KALIKASINGH

news editor AQUENE KIMMEL a&e editor ELLIE RAMBO opinion editor KUSHAGRA GUPTA sports editor JP. O’HAGAN web editor JOE SATTERFIELD copy editors ADITHI IYENGAR ANASTAZIA VANISKO advisor BERNIE JIM

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It’s time to salute my bucket list Current Adventure: Case Heather O’Keeffe As a second semester senior my attention, focus, motivation and feelings are all over the place. One minute I’m diligently studying to reach my cumulative GPA goal I set as a wee freshman and the next I’m shoving textbooks aside to edit my resumé. I’m simultaneously wishing I could fast forward to graduation and leave “The Mistake on the Lake” behind, while hoping time would slow down and my college social life could continue on forever.

Among studying, preparing for the future and never wasting a moment with my dear CWRU friends, one thing is for sure: I need to make the most of each precious moment of my final semester.

Like Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson, I have gone ahead and created a bucket list.

While most of us look at our weather apps and whine “Why Cleveland?

Whyyyy?,” we actually think Cleveland

has several redeeming, dare I say cool, qualities. So, before I leave the 216 behind I want to be super Cleveland-y and get one last fix of Cuyahoga. Because I love sports, I want to take a photo underneath the massive Lebron mural outside The Q before encouraging Kyrie to hustle like Delly. And when my Snapchat filter shows temperatures above freezing (aka April in Cleveland), I want to eat corn dogs while I pretend to enjoy baseball at an Indians’ game.

After enjoying the finest sports Cleveland has to offer, I want to climb to new heights. Literally. There’s an observation deck on the 42nd story of Terminal Tower that offers superb views of our metropolis. Let’s be honest, how cool would it be to walk up to a stranger on the observation deck, point to the sun glinting on the roof of PBL, and say “Look, I go to school there!”?

Since I’m no longer on the meal plan, I have to scrounge for myself (a.k.a microwave Lean Cuisine). I want to take advantage of happy hours, daily specials and all the great restaurants in

Cleveland. All, of course, in the presence of the amazing people I have enjoyed CWRU with. While nourishing ourselves at not-Leutner, we can savor Nostalgia Champagne and sip OMG The Future Is Coming Help liquor (as 21-year-olds, obviously, because we’re fourth-year students). From Feb. 19 to 28, awesome eateries throughout Cleveland are participating in Restaurant Week, where they offer fancy set menus at a reduced price (#CollegeBudgetFriendly). You can bet your bottom dollar I will be taking full advantage of this week-long gastronomic gala.

To relax after time spent at sports games, observatories and stuffing my face at different restaurants, it’s always nice to watch a movie. But watching Netflix in a cocoon of blankets on my own doesn’t quite make the “every moment is precious” cut. Therefore, with some of my best buddies, closest pals and an HDMI cable, I want to post up in a comfy lecture hall, un-mute the projector, scoop into a gallon of Mitchell’s and have an Amanda Bynes (pre mug

Don’t degrade other women: Motormouth Menon Arundhati Menon Last semester, as I was in the middle of the last of my studying marathon study sessions for finals, I began to contemplate the meaning and use of life in the common room of a friend’s residence hall.

I was going over review sheets and previous tests with a friend who lived on the floor, when a girl who presumably also lived there walked out of one of the rooms and sat on the sofa across from us. She looked rather suspiciously

at the two of us, and after an entire minute of being civil, demanded to know if we even lived in the building. My friend awkwardly informed the girl that she did, but instead of just walking away, the newcomer chose to accuse me of not living there.

The situation escalated as you would expect. When I managed to stop myself from slapping her, and told her that she should have spoken to me, instead of confronting me, she claimed that she had tried several times and that I had ignored her. This was the first time I had ever seen her.

One of my classes this semester, that

shot) movie marathon.

Sure, I love to jest about being sCWRUed in the Mistake on the Lake, but I know once I toss my cap in the air, I will begin to miss our campus and yes, even Cleveland. Therefore, from now until May 15, I’m going to churn through assignments concisely and cram for tests more effectively than a clown car coordinator to make more time for my bucket list. I’ve worked my tail off the past seven semesters, now it’s time to reprioritize and maximize all forms of enjoyment over the next 16 weeks.

Heather O’Keeffe is a fourth-year student studying biomedical engineering and minoring in sports medicine.

She bought herself a 6-foot map of South America and Nicki Minaj perfume over winter break.

Heather O’Keeffe is a fourth-year student studying biomedical engineering and minoring in sports medicine.

She bought herself a 6-foot map of South America and Nicki Minaj perfume over winter break.

There is no sense in reducing each other

would slightly stem from gender studies, started off with a discussion of the several “lovely” adjectives that people seem to use to accuse women of promiscuity—in much harsher words. I don’t exactly write it off when men use these words, but it especially astounds me when women choose to call other women by these names—when they’ve probably been likewise addressed in the past.

I’ve always found it difficult to understand this place of extreme insecurity that behavior like this stems from.

I’ve always believed that women should help other women not because of their

gender, but out of humanity.

In light of this issue, YouTube sensation IISuperwomanII created a movement she refers to as #GirlLove where she encourages girls to send love to other girls that they admire, respect and who inspire them. At this point in the 21st century, when women’s issues in social and professional capacities are being given more importance, girls helping each other out is more crucial than ever.

Arundhati Menon is a first-year majoring in computer science and economics.

Service with a smile, but only if you earn it Tips for an optimal visit to CWRU housing offices

Guest column Aquene Kimmel Wade Commons and Fribley Commons can be mysterious places. (What’s going on behind those shelves of packages? Murder? Probably.)

Before I started working as a Customer Service Assistant (CSA) in the offices, I definitely had no idea how they worked. And looking back, I was often super rude in my ignorance. Having now been on both sides of the desk/phone/ nrvareaoffice@case.edu, I have some tips for students who want to be nice to their friendly local CSAs. 1. Don’t come in to check for a package. If you’ve gotten an email from the mail carrier or Amazon, that means that either the package is in a truck somewhere in Cleveland or it’s in our office.

If it is in our office, though, that doesn’t mean it’s ready to be picked up. For liability reasons and because you would not be happy if your packages were always getting taken by other people before you can get there to pick them up, we have to log every package (enter it into the HARLD computer program

and print a label). If you need to know whether a package is logged for you, just check housing.case.edu. Chances are you have a phone with internet, so if you just check on your phone then you don’t have to wait in line and we can just focus on getting all those packages logged.

2. While we’re on the subject of packages, please take the time to address them correctly. We need your full name as it appears in HARLD and your building and room number in order to verify that the package is yours. If you provide less information, it’s much more likely that we won’t be able to identify the package as yours, and it might even get returned to sender. As a bonus, you should also consider including your Case ID (abc123) after your name; for common names especially, this helps us log your packages quickly and without extra sleuthing.

3. Remember phone etiquette. First, don’t come up to the desk while you’re on your phone. Most of you have the good sense not to do this, but for the rest of you: please stop, it’s rude. Second, if you call the offices, please still be nice.

I understand that most people who call

Wade or Fribley do so while very frustrated, but if you approach the situation calmly and just explain simply what the problem is, we’ll be much more able to help you quickly and efficiently.

4. Respect the CSAs’ space. One simple way that you can do this is by asking before you borrow something. If you need a pen or some scissors from behind the desk, ask the CSA if you may take one. This is our office space, and we’re being held responsible for keeping everything in it in it, so please just run it by us first. Just as important but much more frequently disregarded, is that you need to wait until we’re ready to swipe. When you swipe your card, you pull up a new window in HARLD, right over whatever we were busy working on. If the CSA doesn’t immediately ask you how they can help you (which they usually will), then you can politely get their attention with an “excuse me” or just wait a minute. I promise we will be with you shortly.

5. Don’t expect us to bend the rules for you. Yes, I know that you’re not actually trying to steal your friend’s package when you bring in their ID to pick it up. I also understand that you meant no

harm when you lugged in that tub full of Dum Dums to be individually logged as special packages for every CWRU undergrad. And those people asking to be let into your room with the dolly of boxes probably are your parents. However we have to enforce these rules universally. We can’t make exceptions, no matter how much we believe you.

While these are pretty Wade/Fribleyspecific, they also apply to any situation where you’re interacting with someone who is being paid to help you. In all sorts of retail situations, and any time you have to talk to customer service at a company, you’re basically dealing with me. And I am a person. So please don’t be mean or rude.

Customer service workers don’t make the rules, and we don’t decide how shortstaffed we should be on any given day. It can be hard to judge when you’ve crossed the line with a customer service worker, because at many companies (luckily not so much at CWRU) they’re not allowed to defend themselves or tell you off when you’re behaving unacceptably.

So just be nice.

Aquene Kimmel is a second-year English major.

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observer.case.edu

Ensure that Martin Luther King, Jr.’s vision, legacy endure Case Western Reserve United Josh Lehrer Our country has a race problem; that is ever so clear in these tumultuous times. But what can we do to influence meaningful change? That is much harder to answer. In the spirit of celebrating the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. and his accomplishments, it is important to realize how relevant his message is and what our generation can do to address the racial strife occurring in the United States.

His resounding impact on the very fabric of America, and the people he galvanized to spur meaningful change, is what made him a great leader. But he created the patchwork; it is on us to stitch together and mend the wounds that have for far too long torn us apart.

While legal racial discrimination and segregation has been disavowed, our nation ails with persistent issues associated with systematic disparities. This has become apparent more recently to the general public with the media’s atten-

tion towards police brutality cases and the like. While utterly disappointed in the handling of the Tamir Rice case on the part of the governmental structures, I am so proud of my fellow Clevelanders for protesting peacefully and harmoniously; this is especially true for the members of our Case Western Reserve University community who partook. I hope that we can start at the local level, here and elsewhere, to build the framework for a new time of transformation.

This change I speak of must start here, and right now, within our CWRU community. Just down our streets and less than a few miles away, there are rampant inequalities that occur and continue to occur. We have the privilege— yes, that’s right—to attend an amazing place of higher education. We must use this very fact and our devotion to academic scholarship to address these inequalities in creative and compassionate ways. We all have something to offer and I know we all have a voice. Start simple and build: choose a cause that you care about, strive to read one to two articles pertaining to current events, try

My New Year’s resolution: become more politically aware Thoughtful Consideration Abby Assmus January is well under way, and most people are either doing well on their New Year’s resolutions or have already given them up, if they made any at all.

Instead of doing the cliched, eat healthy or exercise more goals, one resolution that everyone should consider is to pay attention to politics.

It’s finally 2016, and it’s a presidential election year. As an informed college student, it is important to pay attention to the candidates and to vote in the upcoming primary elections, as well as the presidential election in November.

Despite your political affiliations or opinions on the different candidates, everyone can agree that the debates and the election coverage so far has been dizzying.

It can be discouraging to pay attention, and easy to think that your vote doesn’t matter when you don’t necessarily agree with any candidate. However, if you look closely, you might find that you have more things in common with one than you realized. Instead of just paying attention to the media coverage of what candidates say and how they interpret their actions, look into their politics and their campaigns.

Being a college student is difficult, with many school and extracurricular obligations. However it is time to start paying attention, because this is one of the biggest elections of the year and most influential ways to be an involved citizen and adult.

It is hard to tune into every televised debate, and keep track of exactly how many people are still in the running going into the primaries.

But, even reading a summary of the debate or tuning in for a little bit, of each political party, will help make an informed decision.

Now is the time to register to vote, or make sure you know the process of getting an absentee ballot.

Although the primaries are in March and that can seem far away, soon enough they will fly by and it will be Spring break and then the week before the actual election day.

While it is still the beginning of the semester, it should be easier to look into voting and registering. Additionally now is the time to start thinking about the elections, and who you want for our next President.

One of the easiest ways to be politically involved is through voting, not just filling out a ballot, but making an informed decision. Franklin D. Roosevelt said: “Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education.”

As college students getting a higher education, we should all take the responsibility to be informed about candidates and cast an informed vote that is not based on biased media reporting.

So personally, my New Year’s resolution is to pay closer attention to the elections, especially since the republican national convention is rapidly approaching right in our city, July 18-21.

The Ohio primary election is already on March 15, with many other states before this date or soon after.

One website that can help sort out all of the different candidates and their views is votesmart.org. Voting is not a difficult task, but finding out the information about the candidates can be. It is necessary, though, if we want to have a say in our government and responsibility as an adult and educated citizen.

Abby is a graduate student and hopes that everyone is finding ways to stay warm.

to attend a sponsored event advertised around campus once a month, register to vote in the very important elections coming up and make a goal to participate in community service a few times this semester.

I’ve noticed a small, profoundly vibrant amount of activists seeking this very change on and off-campus. But I want to see more involvement, greater participation levels and more students taking full advantage of the amazing programs run by all of the great centers and offices at our university; a large concentration of these fall under the Division of Student Affairs. I see so many strong and powerful agents of progress on campus, but I know for sure that they would love for others to join in. For, in the words of King, “We cannot walk alone. And as we walk we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back.”

As I graduate and leave CWRU this year, I will remember what these wonderful peers—as well as the offices and staff who empower them, especially the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the Flo-

ra Stone Mather Center for Women, the LGBT Center, and the Center for Civic Engagement and Learning—have taught me. I will carry with me the toolbox I have developed to be an advocate for the oppressed and am committing to an impassioned life of seeking to better our world.

Will you do the same? I challenge you follow in the footsteps of King when he said, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

Let’s unite and dedicate ourselves to continue, and eventually recognize, King’s dream.

A graduating fourth-year student, Josh Lehrer has decided to do City Year next year to continue the pursuit of social justice. He had an inspiring and powerful experience at the PULSE Retreat last weekend.

Calm heads make diplomacy work towards peace The Salt Pile Danny Miles In 2015 the United States and other nations struck a nuclear deal with Iran.

The deal was one of the most discussed political events of the year: Some view it as a major achievement of diplomacy in our modern age of bombs and threats by others as a submission to the demands of aggressive Iranian leaders.

The agreement mandated that international sanctions on Iran would be lifted, in return for a 98 percent reduction of its stores of low-enriched uranium and for reducing its number of operating centrifuges—which are used to process that uranium—by two-thirds.

It is believed that this greatly reduces Iran’s potential for nuclear weaponry. If they decided to violate this agreement and rush a nuclear weapon, it could take up to a year, compared to the couple of months it would have taken before the logistic reductions. In effect, this agreement killed most of Iran’s nuclear program, without a drop of blood shed, to the chagrin of war hawks across the U.S. This year Iran seems to be making good on this deal, much to the shock of naysayers (and Republican presidential candidates) everywhere. On Jan. 16th, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported that Iran has made serious progress on deconstructing its nuclear systems. Over 8.5 tons of uranium have been moved to Russia, the country permanently decommissioned a nuclear reactor in Arak and disabled over 12,000 centrifuges. In all respects, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has readily complied with the deal. Furthermore he is actively working to improve Iranian domestic affairs, as well as foreign relations. Although the nation remains hostile toward Israel, the situation in the

Middle East is slowly healing.

This is a historical moment in the diplomatic relationship between two countries who have been hostile toward each other since the hostage crisis in the late 1970s, and it could not have occurred without the tireless efforts of our leaders, including President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry. They should be commended; level heads prevailed in discussions, even with our very own Congress seeking to undermine the deal at every turn.

Many conservatives, including those in Congress, believe that these negotiations will fall through. Some suggest directly bombing Iranian nuclear facilities; others say that tightening sanctions will force Iran to concede to unreasonable deals, such as a complete and total destruction of their nuclear systems.

The commonality between these lines of thought is aggression. The Republican approach to a tense situation is aggression; swords will succeed where words have failed.

I’m not saying that this isn’t a valid approach at times. There have been many occasions throughout history where only war could solve problems, but we should not resort to violence when we’re not forced to.

The fact of the matter is that the deal has been successful. In but a few months, it led to a drastic reduction in Iran’s nuclear potential, and the world is safer for it. Perhaps this event can serve as a reminder to a country bristling at the mere perception of hostility: Diplomacy has kept this world going round many times over in the past, and it’s not about to stop working now. When calmer heads prevail, everyone wins.

Danny Miles is a second-year student.

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arts & entertainment Editor’s Choice

Sci-Fi and community

Annual Film Society marathon connects fans

Alex Tomazic Contributing Reporter

The movie industry has always had a fascination with science fiction, tracing its roots back to the late 1920s with “Metropolis” (1927) and “Frankenstein” (1931). But relatively recent films, like “Star Wars,” “Jurassic Park” and “The Matrix” hooked many modern viewers and catapulted the genre into the stratosphere.

For their 41st year, the Case Western Reserve University Film Society celebrated this legacy with a Science Fiction Marathon last weekend. The two-day marathon celebrated everything from cult favorites to some of the biggest films in recent years.

The Marathon traces its roots back to 1976, when the Film Society was only three years old. Liz Caceci, who has been the director of the Film Society for two years, said earlier directors came up with the idea of showing 30 hours of sci-fi movies. “It was so much bigger than they even anticipated,” said Caceci.

It’s astonishing that some people are willing to sit through two days of robots, blobs and Vulcans. But Caceci insists that it isn’t just the movies that draw people in: It’s the atmosphere. Not only have some fans come to every marathon since its conception, but these attendees have formed friendships with the people they see year after year. “It’s a little film reunion party,” said Caceci.

Viewers come from across the nation to convene at Strosacker Auditorium out of love for the other people who attend.

While science fiction films have been around since the invention of the motion picture, we live in a very exciting time for the genre. Some of the largest grossing

Sarah Kim and Ellie Rambo/Observer Strosacker Auditorium was decorated with movie posters and playful “rules” for the Sci-Fi Marathon. films in 2015 were science fiction movies— “Terminator Genisys,” “Mad Max: Fury Road,” “The Martian,” “Jurassic World” and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” have brought in almost $5 billion combined. It’s worth noting that these new sci-fi movies are far from the B-movie the genre was known for in the mid-20th Century. “Mad Max: Fury Road” is nominated for 10 Academy Awards alone, which include Best Director and Best Motion Picture.

Despite the popularity of the genre and a few well-received original science fiction films (e.g. “Interstellar”), it seems as though we are caught in a rut of reboots and sequels. Marvel has no shortage of material to pump into the mainstream and it looks like Disney will be releasing a new

“Star Wars” film every year for the next century.

Audiences clearly can’t get enough science fiction. So why do viewers line up year after year to see the next sci-fi flick?

“There is a gee-whiz factor, how ideally suited the genre is to showcasing the latest special effects.” said Associate Professor of Film Robert Spadoni.

Caceci thinks that sci-fi movies appeal to audiences by rooting themselves in reality.

“A lot of good sci-fi movies have that realistic aspect,” said Caceci. She added that the audience loves to identify with the characters in the story and form that connection.

Even if you aren’t a fan of science fiction movies, the CWRU Science Fiction Marathon is an experience in itself. There

is only one place in Cleveland where you can watch Starship Troopers at 12:30 a.m. with people laying around the auditorium in sleeping bags. The event feels like a homecoming of some sort, a collection of people connected by friendship and cinema.

Interestingly, the Boston Sci-Fi Festival boasts that they are the “oldest genre fest in America.” They are celebrating their 41st festival in February. The CWRU Film Society celebrated its 41st marathon this January, so take that information as you will.

The CWRU Film Society shows no signs of slowing down after the Sci-Fi Marathon. They plan to show “Jurassic World” on March 3 and the original Indiana Jones trilogy on April 8, as well as other movies throughout the semester.

Brick + Mortar build exciting return to weekly Spot Nights Anne Nickoloff Director of Print

With the beginning of the spring semester came the beginning of weekly University Program Board’s Spot Night.

On Friday, Jan. 15, indie rock band Brick + Mortar headlined the late night concert, preceded by opener TriHearn.

The entire show rolled off at 10 p.m. and TriHearn played their set, which consisted of a blend of folk. Led by Case Western Reserve University alum, the trio has just wrapped up a mini Northeast Ohio tour.

Unfortunately I was not able to arrive in time for TriHearn’s performance, and entered the Spot just as the three musicians were exiting the stage.

During the quick intermission, students crowded at the bar, ordering free baskets of wings and $2 draft beers. The Spot filled with a decently sized crowd near the stage, with some smaller groups scattered around tables in the back of the room.

Soon, the two members of Brick + Mortar started their set at 11 p.m.

It took a while for the musicians and the audience to warm up; when singer Brandon Asraf declared his pro-marijuana legalization views, he was met with weak applause. For the first half of the set, the front row of the audience stood three feet

The Tank Room/Facebook Despite some awkward moments, Brick + Mortar headlined an energetic show at the first Spot Night of the semester. away from the stage, seemingly hesitant of the energy in front of them.

Then, everyone got a little more comfortable. Asraf snagged a hat off of a dancing guy in the front row for one song, then returned it during the final notes. He had a singalong with the audience for “Train,” where students shouted back the lines “for you” over and

over. When the duo played their most famous hit, “Locked in a Cage,” the audience bobbed around, finally loosened up enough to dance.

Although Asraf moved around the stage more, drummer John Tacon showed off his chops with a few excited, fast-paced drum solos and intense rhythms for all of the songs.

The two musicians weren’t super communi-

cative with each other, but were connected through the band’s punky rhythms.

Towards the end of their show, the overhead lights began flashing for no apparent reason. Asraf asked a few times why the lights were flashing, and if they indicated that the band should be wrapping up. No answer.

They kept playing, and the lights kept flashing. Soon, they went back out and the band carried on.

Despite the awkward moment, Brick + Mortar kept the show moving and ended on a strong note: A highlight of the show happened when, towards the end, Asraf entered the crowd with his microphone and worked his way around the students before returning to the stage. This created the most audience engagement all night, as students waved their arms and worked towards him during the song.

Weekly Spot Nights are a beloved tradition in the arts and entertainment scene at CWRU. UPB’s return to a weekly event will continue to engage music-loving students with up-and-coming bands, especially at an intimate venue like The Spot.

This Friday, Jan. 22, UPB’s Spot Night will feature basement-punk rock band Screaming Females with opening punk rock band Surf Deer. The event will return to its earlier 9 p.m. start time, as opposed to last week’s lateness.

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Playlist of the Week Sarah Lisk Contributing Reporter

Lucius - “Madness”

Case Western Reserve University upperclassmen may remember Lucius from their 2013 appearance at the Spot. On the second single off their sophomore album “Good Grief,” the group’s dynamic lead singers reveal their earnest emotion through bold, artistic lyrics. For fans of the group’s highly praised first album, “Wildewoman,” the quiet intensity of “Madness” will not disappoint. Those searching for a more upbeat tune can jam to “Born Again Teen,” the album’s first single. Lucius will play at Cleveland’s Beachland Ballroom on March 25.

Panic! at the Disco “Don’t Threaten Me with a Good Time”

This week’s playlist would not be complete without at least one song from Panic! at the Disco’s new album, “Death of a Bachelor.” Driven by pounding piano chords and singer Brendon Urie’s enthusiasm, the song is reminiscent of Panic! at the Disco’s previous album despite Urie’s conspicuously absent bandmates. While perhaps not poised to dominate pregame playlists like the more poppy “Victorious,” the dark tune may just become a surprise party banger.

Experimental, romantic music clash at Cleveland Orchestra concert Ellie Rambo Arts & Entertainment Editor The Severance Hall stage was crowded with musicians last week as the orchestra prepared to perform Shostakovich’s Fourth Symphony. The seats were also filled—it was clear that the program appealed to many people, and a special price for student tickets was also a draw.

“I enjoy Shostakovitch and the Fourth Symphony and I wanted to hear it performed by the Cleveland Orchestra,” said fourth-year student Hyerin Kwak. “And I went because tickets were five dollars.”

The night started with “let me tell you,” a new piece by Hans Abrahamsen. The monodrama, in this case an operatic piece performed by a soloist, is based on poetry inspired by lines the character Ophelia speaks in “Hamlet.” “Let me tell you how it is,” the soloist, Barbara Hannigan sang. “For you are the one who made me more than I was, you are the one that loosed this music.”

Although the orchestral score for this piece was compelling and the talented Hannigan performed well, the song cycle

seemed to drag near the middle. Her vocals blended well with the orchestra, but each cycle didn’t bring enough change to keep the full attention of the listener.

“I didn’t like the style of the first piece as much [as the Shostakovitch],” said Kwak.

“It just wasn’t my cup of tea.”

This was the experimental piece’s United States premiere, and the following Sunday the Cleveland Orchestra performed the song cycle at Carnegie Hall.

After an intermission, more musicians joined the group onstage. The Fourth Symphony was written as Shostakovich was struggling with Stalinist oppression, and he withdrew the piece before its first performance under pressure from the regime. This intensity comes through in the music, with its cymbal crashes and thundering timpani.

“It’s just a great epic piece,” said Kwak.

The noise in the hall a few seconds after the finale almost reached the level of the timpani, as almost the entire audience got to its feet in a standing ovation. The performance was an obvious success, and audience members could be heard discussing as they left the hall.

We’re hiring: Kanye West - “Real Friends”

Yeezy is back and as introspective as ever. In “Real Friends,” West, along with Ty Dolla $ign, lament the price of fame. Over a melodic beat, the producerturned-artist describes his frustration in being used for his #cash and #connections in his signature matter-of-fact style. Keep your ears open for Kanye’s latest—he’ll be dropping new music every Friday.

Alessia Cara - “I’m Yours”

Who hasn’t heard Alessia Cara’s sleepy single “Here”? In “I’m Yours,” featured alongside “Here” on the singersongwriter’s debut album “Know-ItAll,” Cara worries about falling in love again in the unexpectedly buoyant tune.

Lucky fans of the R&B singer will see the 19-year-old live at her now sold-out Rock and Roll Hall of Fame show this Thursday, Jan. 28.

fun. - “Barlights”

Before fun.’s music made an appearance at high school proms everywhere, the bandmates were on the fringe of pop music, flexing their indie muscles through eclectic dance-y jams like “Barlights.” The song, from fun.’s 2009 album “Aim and Ignite,” reminds listeners to step back and relax, an important piece of advice for CWRU students heading into the spring semester.

Find all these tracks online with our weekly Spotify playlist at observer.case.edu.

All photos courtesy of consequenceofsound.net, pitchfork.com, & amazon.com.

Have a knack for design? Have business experience?

We have open staff positions. Visit observer.case.edu/job-opportunities/

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Cleveland Theater Calendar Ellie Rambo Arts & Entertainment Editor “No Exit”—Jan. 22-23 8 pm Eldred Black Box (Player’s Theater Group), Free Player’s Theater Group is ready to welcome students back to campus with this existentialist play by Jean-Paul Sartre. In this play, the afterlife is imagined as a room where three characters are locked together for eternity. If the beginning of the new semester has you thinking that “Hell is other people,” this is the show for you.

“Frankenstein’s Wake”—Until Jan. 30, Cleveland Public Theatre, $12-20 Everyone knows Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” or at least thinks they do. But you don’t know the classic novel like this—in this one-woman production, actress and co-creator Holly Holsinger performs as both the scientist and his famous creation, among other characters. Themes like the meaning of being human and an individual’s relationship with society come to the surface in this restaging of a Cleveland original piece.

Take our advice, and don’t feed the plant. But do see this creepy and quirky musical at the Cleveland Play House, which will run until early February.

This popular show has been nominated for numerous awards and made into a movie with Steve Martin. Expect unrequited love, a bloodthirsty plant and a Motown score.

“Detroit ‘67”—Feb. Karamu House, $15-37

5-28,

Unrest boils beneath the surface of this play, set during the Detroit race riots of 1967. Weaving together a turbulent part of the city’s history and its vibrant musical legacy, the production sets a family conflict against the background of a city in chaos.

“If/Then”—Feb. 9-21, Playhouse Square, $10-100 This musical follows two versions of a woman’s life after she moves to New York City for a fresh start. Although this performance will not star Idina Menzel, who originated the main role, it will still appeal to fans of her earlier work.

Watch as characters’ choices reverberate throughout each other’s lives in this show about love, friendship and new beginnings.

“Little Shop of Horrors”— Until Feb. 7, Cleveland Play “Two Gentlemen of Verona”— House (CPH), $20-90 Feb. 10-20, CWRU/CPH, $20

Courtesy Cleveland Public Theater Holly Holsinger performs every role in “Frankenstein’s Wake,” showing this month at Cleveland Public Theater.

A heroine disguised as a boy, comic servants and a love triangle: This early Shakespeare comedy has all the elements that the Bard would later become famous for. In this play, performed by

Case Western Reserve University/CPH MFA students, a disobedient dog named Crab also makes an appearance. Ideal for a date in February, not only because the main character’s name is Valentine.

SyFy’s “The Magicians” isn’t new, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t good Julia Bianco Director of Web & Multimedia

For everyone who was upset they didn’t get a Hogwarts letter when they turned 11 or find out they were secretly a magical creature at age 18, SyFy has got the show for you. The network’s newest offering, “The Magicians,” based on Lev Grossman’s novel of the same name, ages the “Harry Potter” series up a bit, showing the mystical and not-so-mystical adventures of students at Brakebills College for Magical Pedagogy, which is basically a graduate school for wizards.

Like any SyFy series, “The Magicians” is visually stunning. There’s a house of cards made by accidental telekinesis. People float while having sex. A glass ball is transformed into a tiny, moving glass dog, all in front of our very eyes.

But, also like any SyFy series, the show is overproduced, the writing is only average and the acting is overdone. None of the elements introduced in the pilot feel original in any way. The series borrows liberally from the vast library of TV tropes, with an awkward and nerdy but deceptively cute protagonist (Jason Ralph), a surprisingly attractive high-strung overachiever (Olivia Taylor Dudley) and a plot hinting at a mysterious big bad with an even more mysterious connection to our main man.

However conventionality isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and “The Magicians” does hit many enjoyable notes during the premiere. Although Ralph’s Quentin Coldwater (ridiculous name, I know) isn’t instantly

Courtesy IMDb “The Magicians” has beautiful special effects but lacks originality. likeable, his unwitting curiosity and awkward charm show that he has the potential to evolve into a strong lead.

Similarly, while the setup of mega-villain The Beast (Anthony Marble) was stereotypical and vague, his reveal at the end of the first

episode was legitimately scary, aided by the help of some more stunning visual elements and ending with a cliffhanger that will be sure to bring viewers back for more.

More interesting than anything happening at Brakebills, though, is the storyline

involving Quentin’s childhood friend, Julia (Stella Maeve), who, upon being rejected from the school, gets involved in the magical underground. While this is also an element that we’ve seen before, it feels less overdone, and it should be interesting to see how the two will play together and affect Quentin and Julia’s relationship.

Where the series goes after the pilot will determine whether it becomes an average sci-fi offering or the next big fad. All of the makings of something great were there, and the flaws aren’t too egregious; much of the clunky writing will likely be ironed out after the exposition-heavy pilot phase is over, and the acting should hopefully improve as the actors become more comfortable in their roles.

If the series decides to move quietly into the world of procedurals that don’t deal with their big bad until the last episode, it likely won’t last past the first season. But if it is able to make these improvements and live up to the epicness that the setup of The Beast so repeatedly promised, then SyFy has a hit on its hands.

The pilot of “The Magicians” airs on Jan. 25, 2016 on SyFy, but it is currently available to stream online at SyFy.com.

Show: “The Magicians” Creators: Sera Gamble and John McNamara Air Date: Mondays at at 9 p.m. starting Jan. 25 Rating:

fun

observer.case.edu

fun page | 7

Horoscopes Aquarius This week, you will eat a donut, then turn into a donut. Look at you, a donut.

Pisces The best time to wear a striped sweater is all the time. But really, isn’t it time to throw away anything that isn’t striped? Fashion.

Aries One day you’ll think about how big the universe is and then you’ll feel smart or something.

Taurus Buy yourself a donut, because you deserve it. But before you eat it make sure to check that it’s not an Aquarius in disguise.

Gemini Drop that eighth class. Really, you’ll thank yourself later.

Sudoku

Cancer Consider this—when you look at a color, other people might see a different color than you. Isn’t that insane? Wow. Leo Sometimes it’s okay to feel emotions. Embrace the breakdown as you work on your first big paper of the semester.

Virgo If you dream it, you can achieve it. If you nightmare it, I guess you can achieve that too, so be careful.

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

Backstroke Clinic Collaborative Discount Diplomacy Election Future Gender Marathon Meaningful Policy Quarterback Relationships

Want to see the return of crosswords? We’ll bring them back with your help.

Email observer@case.edu if you’re interested in making them for The Observer.

Libra If you’re going to eat yogurt every day for breakfast, you should really start buying some blueberries too!

Scorpio Grow your hair (all of it) long to help you stay warm this winter!

Ophiuchus If you were a mode of transportation, you’d be the Health Line. Haha, you nerd.

Capricorn Have you ever really seen your hands?

Sagittarius Don’t be afraid to pull the covers over your head and hibernate until April.

sports

observer.case.edu

13

Point/Counterpoint

To stay or go?

Debating the Ram’s move to LA and its impact on small market teams Welcome back to Point/Counterpoint, the back and forth sports bar style debate column. This week we are taking on the NFL Rams’ move from St. Louis to Los Angeles this past week and discussing how it affects other teams like Cleveland that are in smaller markets. This transcript has been lightly edited.

Billy Heyen (Staff Reporter): Although there had been speculation for a while of a Rams move, it came as a shock to me as it rolled across the ticker. Being part of the generation where the Rams were always in St. Louis, it will be unusual to see them in a different locale.

Sadly, when it comes to sports, a lot of it is business and motivated by money. I think the main focus for cities that want to keep their team has to come down to commitment from ownership and the fans. If the owners want to keep a team in a city and the fans keep going to the games, that support should be enough.

Obviously if the financial numbers don’t line up at the end of the year there could be problems, but that should be the basic focus.

JP. O’Hagan (Sports Editor): This week an entire fan base’s biggest fear came true: Their beloved team left them for “greener pastures.” However this was not about the finances not lining up.

This was about greed on behalf of management, actually following through on the threats made by small market teams

year after year. “We can always go somewhere else if … “ It is a sickening ploy that punishes fans for things beyond their control.

Billy: I do believe you are right to an extent. Men that are mega-millionaires are often the greedy type. If the suits believe they will do better personally in a different market, they will move on if they are not sensitive to the fan base.

However, like I already said, I think the best a fan base can do is be passionate and support the team. Surely there will be times when that is simply not enough, but what else can they do? It isn’t as simple as just helping to pay to keep the team in an area; most fans don’t have that kind of money. Their support is the best they can give, and they have to count on the ownership group to remain loyal.

JP: Well something I will point out about the Rams move is that, according to Forbes, the base argument was flawed.

St. Louis was in fact able to support all three teams, unlike what was argued. On top of that, the NFL is the only league in the country where most of its revenue comes from national deals and not local broadcasts. Therefore the Rams gained little revenue by moving. Moving beyond a change we can do nothing about, though, how can we count on ownership to remain loyal? It seems as though small markets have two options. They can either pay through the nose for new

stadiums, or get screwed when the team leaves.

Billy: If—and it’s a big if—the NFL wants to keep teams in markets that love their teams, there needs to be an effort made to bring in ownership groups who show a loyalty to their locale. I remember when Ralph Wilson passed away, the Buffalo Bills went up for sale. Bon Jovi was a big pursuer of the team; he wanted to move them to Toronto. There was a big pushback from the community, and a wealthy local, Terry Pegula, purchased the team. The owners had recognized moving out of Buffalo may not have been the best move and were very encouraged once Pegula entered the equation. Local ownership groups will not be perfect, but they can eliminate most of the risk of relocation.

JP: That’s a good point and I do appreciate owner groups like that. However what happens in the case of someone like Steve Ballmer beating out similar local ownership groups for the Clippers? I would say there need to be ways for cities and fan bases to ensure that teams remain in town. The Browns left Cleveland in 1996 for crying out loud. These teams often get millions of dollars from fans in the form of tax dollars for new stadiums.

There should be ways for these payments to carry the burden of ensuring teams will stay in the cities that support them.

Billy: I do think that potential stadium deals should be longer. Once investments are made by a community, they should be locked in for a while. However, at least in certain situations, moving is somewhat necessary. You have to try to create a system that is as fair to the fans as it is to the players. There is no cut and dry way to do this. The major sports leagues are popular enough that moving from one big city to another should not affect a team too much financially, but teams also consider what places may be destinations for free agents. Some cities are more desirable than others. There just needs to be a balanced system, and I think only allowing owners to vote on movement isn’t enough. Maybe you could have an independent evaluation, or votes of players and staff.

JP: I like that idea of other evaluations. Seems as though we have a solid conclusion. I understand that movement is necessary but I don’t believe that the Rams move, or the possible Chargers/Raiders move is necessary. I guess we do have a conclusion though. Final thoughts?

Billy: I don’t think they are necessary, but I think the draw of LA was too strong for these teams. Hopefully now that LA is occupied, teams with loyal fans bases can stay put for a while.

Should Browns move on from Johnny Football?

Cleveland likely to cut once highly touted quarterback Billy Heyen Staff Reporter There are 32 teams in the NFL. With every team starting a quarterback each and every week, that’s 32 starting quarterbacks in the best football league on the planet. In a perfect world, the 32 starting quarterbacks in the NFL would be the 32 best quarterbacks in the world.

I am here to say that Johnny Manziel is one of the best 32 quarterbacks in the world, and the Browns would be silly to get rid of him.

The Browns have started some futile names at quarterback over the last couple of decades. Tim Couch, Brian Hoyer, Seneca Wallace, Brady Quinn, Austin Davis, Thad Lewis... The man that entered this year as the starter, Josh McCown, is no Pro Bowler either. McCown was a backup for most of his career for a reason: You might be able to go 8-8 with him, but he will not be taking you to the Promised Land of Playing a Meaningful Football Game in February. That is something that Manziel, in the right situation, can do.

This is a complicated idea. Johnny Football causes a lot of off-the-field hubbub, and that is no good for anyone.

However the goal of an NFL team is to win football games, and the Cleveland Browns are not exactly setting the world on fire in that department lately. Manziel went 2-4 as a starter this year, but showed his potential throughout the season to make plays few other quarterbacks can make. You don’t win the Heisman Trophy as a freshman by accident.

The Browns have a couple of options as it comes to their quarterback situation in the next couple of years. The first is to get rid of Johnny, rid yourself of all the off-the-field exploits that can drive a front office crazy. They would then probably bring in a more stereotypical pocket passer who if they are lucky finds himself at the back end of the top 32.

They would run a standard offense with their team that is lacking a whole lot of weapons offensively, and probably continue to lose games. While many Browns fans have become desensitized to losing, there are many that still want to win.

The best chance the Cleveland Browns have to win games in the next year or two is to go all-in on Johnny Football. Let Johnny be Johnny. Bring in an offensive coordinator who is willing to design his whole offense around Manziel’s strengths.

Make sure you have a backup that can do some of the things Johnny can, in case he gets hurt. And then let Johnny Football play freely in this scheme that was created just for him. His skillset is unique; anyone will agree with that. You wouldn’t put Ozzie Smith at first base when he is the greatest fielding shortstop of all time, just as you wouldn’t make Johnny Manziel run an offense designed for Josh McCown while Manziel is one of the most creative quarterbacks in recent memory.

The team’s best chance at winning is to let Johnny Football make something out of nothing, scrambling his way to victories.

I know, as most people reading this know, that the Browns will probably choose the first option. They will probably let Johnny Manziel go, letting him seek employment elsewhere. It could even happen before this piece is printed.

The riskier choice is certainly keeping Manziel; you’re going all in on a player who could be a PR disaster, could get injured easily, or could set your team back five years because you went all in for him.

However the thing that Johnny Football brings to the table more than anyone else who could play quarterback for the Browns next year is the chance at a ring.

The chance isn’t great. There are many quarterbacks who are more proven at winning than Manziel. But those guys aren’t coming to Cleveland anytime soon.

New coaches will come in and want to make their mark … Let’s be honest, whoever comes in will be gone in a few years without winning games. The best chance to win is already under contract for the brown and orange, and his name is Johnny Manziel. Sometimes you have to shoot for the stars with the risk of falling very hard, and this is one of those times.

The Browns should have Johnny Football under center (well, in shotgun) come Week 1, 2016.

14

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1/22/16

Editor’s Choice

Spartans skid against UAA talent Men’s basketball struggles at home

Women’s basketball heads out searching for success Spartans drop three straight

16

sports

Sports Standings Conference

Men’s Basketball

Andrew Hodowanec / Observer Jake Lavis drives past a Washington University at St. Louis defender this 4/24/15 past weekend.

This is a good indicator of why the Spartans Jacob Rayyan gave up 28 second chance points in the contest compared to just 18 for the Maroons.

Staff Reporter The team stayed in the game in the first The Case Western Reserve University half by shooting 11-20 from the three point All men’s basketball team suffered a tough line and led 54-51 at halftime. The first half s Losses Percent week, losing both conference games against featured 10 different lead changes as the 2 Washington 0.857 University in St. Louis and teams battled evenly back and forth. Near 1 University 0.923 of Chicago. The losses were the the beginning of the second half, however, 4 first in 0.714 the University Athletic Association U Chicago began to show why they had 5 (UAA) 0.643 for the team this season as they fell won 10 straight games coming in. in the conference.

The Maroons took a lead with about 10 6 to 1-20.571 In 0.571 the first game Friday against Wash U, minutes to go and, right when the Spartans 6 looked to be mounting a comeback, Chicago 7 the team 0.500lost 96-80. The story of the night abysmal shooting by the Spartans. pushed the lead to 17 with just under seven 7 was the 0.500 The team shot 39.5 percent for the game minutes left, effectively sealing the game as Allwhile the Bears shot an impressive 52.7 the Spartans would never cut the lead down percent.

This game was a fight throughout to single digits again. Holman registered 10 ns Losses Percent half, with the Spartans repeatedly assists in the game and is now just two shy 3 1 the first 0.929 the Bears’ lead to a single digit be- of tying the all time record for the program.

2 2 cutting 0.857 Bears would push back and force a Third-year student Javier Alvarez led 3 1 fore the 0.929 digit lead. the Spartans in scoring with 20 points. The 3 1 double 0.929 Fourth-year student and guard Jimmy Maroons have now won 11 straight and 5 0.643 Holman added five assists to go along with are in sole possession of first place in the 6 0.571 18 points and is now just 12 assists shy of UAA with a 3-0 record. When asked about 5 0.643 the program’s record in a career. Fourth- the loss and the huge rebounding margin, 9 0.357 year student Matt Clark once again had a Spartan head coach Sean McDonnell said, productive game, scoring 16 points and tal- “We’ve been doing a great job on the offenlying four assists, four rebounds and five sive glass and need that aggressive mindset steals. With 17:59 to play, the team had cut to transfer to defensive rebounding as well.”

Sunday the lead1/24 down to six thanks to a jumper from The Spartans posted a -1 in the offensive reAway @ Emory, Clark.

It wouldn’t lead to much, however, bounding category.

12:00 as thePM Bears went on an 8-0 run to grow The Spartans had a tough week, but have Away Emory, the@lead to 14 and they never looked back. the opportunity to bounce back with games 2:00 PM The Spartans were never able to cut the lead against the University of Rochester and hern down to single digits again.

Emory University next week. Both games In the team’s second game against U are on the road. McDonnell, when asked et @ Chicago, their play didn’t get significantly about his team’s performance and expectaM better. The Spartans lost to the Maroons tions noted, “Our guys are resilient and will ce 112-100. The key stat of the game was the give a great effort in our upcoming games.” rebounding advantage by the Maroons, Let’s hope the Spartans can get some victowhich led the game in rebounding 53-37. ries this weekend.

ings

ar

Men’s Basketball CWRU Chicago CWRU Player # Player PTS AST REB BLK TO MIN # 4 N. Brooks 15 D. Black 17 1 2 1 2 29 21 E. Black 12 0 9 1 2 27 10 W. Perez 24 S. Boyd 1 1 3 1 0 23 32 A. Voss 2 J. Holman 16 10 1 0 1 35 11 T. Howard 11 M. Clark 12 4 2 0 1 36 24 J. Smith 5 J. Alvarez 20 0 2 0 4 24 2 C. Barthel 10 C. Zucker 16 2 7 0 0 18 3 S. Herlihy 44 J. Lavis 4 2 3 0 0 12 5 N. Karras 55 TJ Duckett 2 0 3 0 0 6 14 J. Fenlon Team 100 20 32 3 10 33 E. Robinson Totals

61 85

Losses

Percent

Wins

Losses

Percent

Chicago

3

0

1.000

12

2

0.857

New York U.

2

1

0.667

12

1

0.923

Washington

2

1

0.667

10

4

0.714

Emory

2

1

0.667

9

5

0.643

Case Western Reserve

1

2

0.333

8

6

0.571

Rochester

1

2

0.333

8

6

0.571

Brandeis

1

2

0.333

7

7

0.500

Carnegie Mellon

0

3

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7

7

0.500

Conference

Women’s Basketball

All

Wins

Losses

Percent

Wins

Losses

Percent

Rochester

3

0

1.000

13

1

0.929

Washington

3

0

1.000

12

Chicago

1

2

0.333

9

5

0.643

1

2

Stephanie 2 0.857Kim / Observer Jessica McCoy keeps the from defender Carngie Me0.lon 2 ball away 1 0.667 a University 13 1 of Chicago 0.929 this past New York weekend.

U. 2 1 0.667 13 1 0.929

Billy Heyen Brandeis EmoryReporter Staff

nine-point 0.571 loss of 67-58, with the9 Spartans again playing hard but 0 3 0.000 5 0.643 not having quite Case Western Reserve 0 3 0.000 5 9 enough.

0.357 The Case Western Reserve University Chicago got a strong contribution from women’s basketball team played host their bench, including 29 of their points. to two University Athletic Association The difference in this game was better games this Team past weekend. shooting with the turnover Varsity FridayThe 1/22 Spartans Saturday 1/23 by Chicago, Sunday 1/24 fell in both games, sinking toRoch0-3 against and rebounding battles being relatively Away @ Away @ Emory, Men’s Basketball 12:00 PM conference opponents.ester 8:00 PM equal between the squads.

Hageman had @ Roches- was a Away @ Emory, The first game of Away the weekend another strong game and was able to Women’s Basketball 2:00 PM ter 6:00 PM night game on Friday against the number equal her career rebounding high with 14 Swimming and DivAway @ Ohio Northern 11 team in boards.

The CWRU scoring was led by ing the country, Washington Uni- 1:00 PM versity in St. Louis. The Bears were Si able McCoy, Ostrach Tri Meetwho @ dropped 14 points, and firstWrestling Home,year 10:00student AM to head home with a victory, but that canHillary Hellmann with 12.

Away @ Defiance not Track be attributed to a lack of effort from A big second quarter for the ladies and Field Invitational the Spartans in a 64-55 defeat. from Chicago made the difference, as they The Spartans shot at a higher percent- outscored the Spartans 21-9. age from the field, 38.5 percent to 32.9 The second loss of the weekend percent for Wash U, but were on the brings the Spartans to a 5-9 record on wrong side of the turnover battle, turn- the year, including an 0-3 record in Uniing the ball over 24 times to Wash U’s 12. versity Athletic Association contests.

Second-year student Kara Hageman was The Spartans will play their next four able to lead the Spartans with 16 points, games on the road, all in conference.

CWRU and third-year student Jessica McCoy fol- The trip starts next weekend, as the la# Player PTS AST REB BLK lowed her lead, dropping another 15. dies travel up to the 15 University D. Black 17of Roch1 2 1 E. Black 12 0 That 9 1 However a 21-5 edge in points scored ester to play the 21Yellow Jackets.

24 22.

S. Boyd 1 1 3 1 off turnovers by Wash U was more than game is Friday, Jan. 2 J. Holman 16 10 1 0 enough to make up for their poor shootAs this young team continues to go 11 M. Clark 12 4 2 0 ing from the field. This game brought through conference5 play, expect them to J. Alvarez 20 0 2 0 the Spartans to 5-8 on the year, including shore up their game.

Turnovers 10 C. Zucker 16are 2often 7 0 losses in their first two conference games. the mark of a young team, 44 J. Lavisand4 so 2expe3 0 Sunday afternoon brought the second rience in conference play will 2only0 help 55 TJ Duckett 3 0 Team of two games over the weekend for the them out in terms of controlling 100the 20ball.

32 3 Totals Spartans, as the University of Chicago The ladies return to the court at 6 p.m., came to campus. This game ended in an looking to turn things around.

almost 8identical6 0.333

Calendar

100 112 Chicago PTS AST REB BLK TO MIN 17 0 13 1 1 23 12 0 6 0 3 30 7 3 7 0 2 26

Women’s Basketball CWRU Carnegie Mellon

#

Player

14 26 11 4 0

2 6 1 2 0

2 7 4 1 2

0 1 0 0 0

2 4 1 0 1

24 26 18 16 2

43 L. Mummey 11 E. Young 22 J. McCoy 23 A. Roth

8

0

1

0

2

4

0

2

1

1

2

0

0

0

0

2

44 B. Crawford 7 0 Team 112 14 Totals

0

0

0

12

45

3

17

42 J. Jackson

All

Wins

2

CWRU PTS AST REB BLK TO MIN

K. Hageman 13

0

2

1

2

22

5 3 11 9

2 2 1 1

3 1 3 2

0 1 1 0

2 2 0 0

37 38 31 30

11

12 A. Amburgey 6

0

2

0

1

15

6

24 H. Hellmann 14 Team Totals 61

0 7

3 17

0 3

1 10

31

61 85

Carnegie Mellon # 2 11 22 23 24 4 5 14 20 42

Player

PTS AST REB BLK TO MIN

B. Nordstrom 11 C. Moore S. Anderson E. Nye J. Kockenmeister M. Dunbar K. Anderson K. Williams O. Obi R. West Team Totals

0

4

0

1

17

11 4 9 3

0 2 0 0

3 2 4 2

0 0 0 0

1 2 2 1

28 23 21 11

10 8 0 7 4 85

1 4 0 1 1 9

2 3 0 11 4 35

1 0 0 1 5 7

3 1 2 0 4 17

27 19 4 23 27

Me CW Ch

TO 2 2 0 1 1 4 0 0 0 10

sports

observer.case.edu 16

sports

4/24/15

Sports Standings Conference

Men’s Basketball Chicago

All

Wins

Losses

Percent

Wins

Losses

Percent

3

0

1.000

12

2

0.857

New York U.

2

1

0.667

12

1

0.923

Washington

2

1

0.667

10

4

0.714

Emory

2

1

0.667

9

5

0.643

Case Western Reserve

1

2

0.333

8

6

0.571

Rochester

1

2

0.333

8

6

0.571

Brandeis

1

2

0.333

7

7

0.500

Carnegie Mellon

0

3

0.000

7

7

0.500

Conference

Women’s Basketball

All

Wins

Losses

Percent

Wins

Losses

Percent

Rochester

3

0

1.000

13

1

0.929

Washington

3

0

1.000

12

2

0.857

Carngie Me0.lon

2

1

0.667

13

1

0.929

New York U.

2

1

0.667

13

1

0.929

Chicago

1

2

0.333

9

5

0.643

Brandeis

1

2

0.333

8

6

0.571

Emory

0

3

0.000

9

5

0.643

Case Western Reserve

0

3

0.000

5

9

0.357

Calendar

Varsity Team

Friday 1/22

Men’s Basketball

Away @ Rochester 8:00 PM

Saturday 1/23

Away @ Emory, 12:00 PM

Women’s Basketball

Away @ Rochester 6:00 PM

Away @ Emory, 2:00 PM

Swimming and Diving

Away @ Ohio Northern 1:00 PM

Wrestling

Si Ostrach Tri Meet @ Home, 10:00 AM

Track and Field

Away @ Defiance Invitational

Wellness on the Go STRESS MANAGEMENT RELAXATION TECHNIQUES MEDITATION TRAINING TAKE A 45 MINUTE BREAK FROM ANXIETY, STRESS, AND EXPECTATIONS Tuesdays and Thursdays 4:30 p.m., 220 Sears Library Building

Sunday 1/24

NO APPOINTMENT NEEDED Want more info? Call 216.368.5872

UCS IS A DIVISION OF THE UNIVERSITY HEALTH & COUNSELING SERVICES

summer.case.edu

Men’s Basketball CWRU Chicago

Carpe Summer

CWRU Player PTS AST REB BLK TO MIN # 4 N. Brooks 17 1 2 1 2 29 12 0 9 1 2 27 10 W. Perez 1 1 3 1 0 23 32 A. Voss 16 10 1 0 1 35 11 T. Howard 12 4 2 0 1 36 24 J. Smith 20 0 2 0 4 24 2 C. Barthel 16 2 7 0 0 18 3 S. Herlihy 44 J. Lavis 4 2 3 0 0 12 5 N. Karras 55 TJ Duckett 2 0 3 0 0 6 14 J. Fenlon Team 100 20 32 3 10 33 E. Robinson Totals # 15 21 24 2 11 5 10

Player D. Black E. Black S. Boyd J. Holman M. Clark J. Alvarez C. Zucker

100 112

Chicago PTS AST REB BLK TO MIN 17 0 13 1 1 23 12 0 6 0 3 30 7 3 7 0 2 26 14 26 11 4 0

2 6 1 2 0

2 7 4 1 2

0 1 0 0 0

2 4 1 0 1

24 26 18 16 2

8

0

1

0

2

11

4

0

2

1

1

6

2

0

0

0

0

2

44 B. Crawford 7 0 Team 112 14 Totals

0

0

0

12

45

3

17

Feel like you’re swimming against the tide? Thinking about a way to lighten your course load? 38% of students who graduate in four years attend summer session. Maybe it’s time for YOU to ride the Summer Session wave!

42 J. Jackson

Summer Session 2016 Women’s Basketball CWRU Carnegie Mellon

61 85

Taking summer classes can help you work ahead or reduce your course load, graduate on time, or improve your performance in a previously complete class. # 2

CWRU And the Well that’s another Player PTScost?

AST REB BLK TO MIN #

Carnegie Mellon

kettle of fish altogether. Tuition for courses Player PTS AST REB BLK TO MIN numbered 1-399 is just 50% of the regular rate, so you’ll4 save money, too.

K. Hageman 13 0 2 1 2 22 2 B. Nordstrom 11 0 0 1 17

43 L. Mummey 5 2 3 0 2 37 11 C.new Moore 11 0and3 study 0 1 28 courses, With more than 901 courses including offerings abroad 11 E. Young 3 2 1 2 38 22 S. Anderson 4 2 2 0 2 23 Summer 22 J. McCoy 11 Session 1 3 allows 1 0 you 31 to focus on completing core requirements or electives 23 E. Nye 9 0 4 0 2 21 23 A. Roth 1 2 0 shorter 0 30 and less during 9a term that’s stressful than school year.

Kocken3 0 the2 rest 0 of 1the11 24 J.meister 12 A. Amburgey 6 0 2 0 1 15 And summer courses offer the same 4 M.high-quality Dunbar 10 CWRU 1 2 education 1 3 27with smaller classes and significant savings.

24 H. Hellmann 14 0 3 0 1 31 5 K. Anderson 8 4 3 0 1 19 Team Totals 61 to7 feel 17like 3 a fish 10 out of water— carpe summer by making your plans now.

No need 14 K. Williams 0 0 0 0 2 4 O. Obi 1 to 11 your 1 mailbox!

0 23 Look for your Summer Preview20 brochure coming7 soon Learn more at summer.case.edu.

42 R. West 4 1 4 5 4 27 Team Totals 85 9 35 7 17

May term: May 9 – May 27 8 Week Session: June 6 – August 1 | 5 week Session: June 6 – July 8 | 4 week Session (1): June 6 – July 1 | 6 Week Session: June 20 – August 1 | 4 Week Session (2): July 11 – August 5

15

sports Swimming and diving carries dominance into second half Veijay Raj Staff Reporter The men and women’s swimming and diving teams started off the second season with a bang, defeating Allegheny handily.

Impressed by the team’s victory, Coach Doug Milliken said, “It was a total team effort. The team is incredibly tired and broken down from hard training.” Both teams have lost only once in 10 meets throughout the season and dropped Allegheny’s teams to 4-6 and 2-8.

The women’s team earned first place in 10 events, which led the team to a large 181-114 victory at Allegheny.

First-year student Suhan Mestha continued her strong rookie season, winning three individual events. Mestha finished the 200-yard backstroke in 2:10, the 50yard freestyle in under 25 seconds and the 200-yard individual medley in 2:15.

She also joined first-year student Alli Drohosky, fourth-year student Rebecca Pakradooni and second-year student Jennifer Eurich to break 1:55 to win first place in the 200-yard medley relay team.

Along with a good effort on the first

place relay team, Pakradooni annihilated competition individually, winning the 200yard freestyle in 2:04 and 100-yard butterfly in 1:01.52. The long list of first place finishes also included first-year student Alexa Simoneau, second-year student Inez Moore, first-year student Bhavya Kumaran and first-year student Lauren Homack.

The men also claimed many first place finishes. They almost tripled Allegheny’s score, winning 193-69 and taking both relay races. Second-year students Aaron Pang and John Kilbane along with fourth-year students Alex David and Elliott Kerbel won the 200-yard medley relay. David and Kerbel also competed in the 200-yard freestyle relay with fourthyear student Aaron Tam and second-year student Oliver Hudgins to finish with a first place time of 1:30.09.

In individual events, second-year student Logan Smith gained two first place finishes with his 4:53 500-yard freestyle and 1:58 finish in the 200-yard butterfly.

Other first place finishers included thirdyear student Andrew Henning, first-year student Brody Schmidt, second-year student Drew Hamilton and second-year stu-

Season preview

Off to the races

Andrew Hodowanec / Observer The Spartans returned to the pool with wins for both the men’s and women’s squads. dent Ondrej Maxian.

The men and women pushed their win streaks to eight. Regarding the impressive run, Milliken said, “I think we can finish the dual portion of our season on a very successful note. The meet this weekend

with Ohio Northern and Hillsdale won’t be easy, but I am confident we can do well and finish the season off strong.” The men and women’s team head to Ohio Northern University to face off against Hillsdale College and the hosting Polar Bears.

Wrestling heads home Spartans looking to succeed at Si Ostrach Tri Meet this weekend

CWRU track and field teams return to competition

Courtesy Observer Archives The Spartans will host their only home meet of the season this weekend.

Andrew Hodowanec / Observer Spartan jumper Jared Brucker celebrates after making his leap. The Spartans return to action this weekend.

Top Finishes Women Last Season: 1st of 5, 2nd of 5, 2nd of 10, 3rd of 7 Top Finishes Men Last Season: 1st of 4, 2nd of 5, 3rd of 9, 4th of 12 Top Rival: Carnegie Mellon University

Newcomers: 15 women, 9 men Last Season UAA Standing: 4th of 7 (men), 4th of 7 (women) Returning Seniors: 17 women, 15 men

Season Kickoff: Away at Defiance Invitational, January 23 Home Meet: 9th Annual Battle for the Obelisk vs. CMU January 30 Head Coach: Eric Schmuhl, fourth season Team Accolades Men: All-Academic U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Division III Scholar Athlete Team, CWRU Program Records in 4x200 m relay and 4x400 m relay Women: All-Academic U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Division III Scholar Athlete Team, seven All-UAA honors Player Accolades: Taylor O’Neil, CWRU program record in 800m; Kelsey Aamoth, UAA Athlete of the Week twice; Sam Reusser, UAA Athlete of the Week; Mark Kulinski, UAA Athlete of the Week twice, CWRU program record in pole vault; Josh Malone, CWRU program record 60m and 200m.

-compiled by Shounak Bose, Staff Reporter

JP. O’Hagan Sports Editor The Spartans finished in the middle of the pack in the first tournament back for the Case Western Reserve University wrestling squad.

The Spartans rode the success of four wrestlers to their eighth place finish in the Will Abele Invitational.

The tournament was won by University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, who finished with 149.0 points. Washington & Jefferson came in second place with 103.5 points and host Ursinus finished with 84.5 in third.

The Spartans were led by fourth-year student Nick Lees who finished fourth in the tournament at his 174 lbs. weight class. Lees started with a pin against his opponent from Valley Forge Military Academy and College and then won the decision (8-5) against Wisconsin-Eau Claire’s Matthew Laugen in the semifinals. Lees posted 6.5 of the Spartans’ points on the day.

CWRU also had a strong fourth place finish from first-year student Gavin Dersh-Fisher who competed in the 197-lb class. He posted

back-to-back wins over two Wisconsin-Eau Claire wrestlers both by decisions, the first 2-1 and the second by a whooping 14-0. DershFisher added 4.5 points to the Spartans’ tally.

The Spartans also posted victories in the 157-lb weight class where the CWRU squad put forward second-year student Connor Gordon and first-year student Anthony Vetturini.

Gordon notched his first two victories by decision, beating Wisconsin-Eau Claire’s Tyler Henke 12-4 and then the host’s Zachary Dellicompagni by a 9-6 margin. Vetturini’s three points game in a 17-12 against his MarylandBaltimore County opponent and then a 10-2 win over Mount Saint Vincent wrestler Vincent Lombardo.

Rounding out the Spartan victories was first year student Luke DiMuzio and thirdyear student Matt Moy who had technical fall victories.

The Spartans will return home next Saturday, Jan. 23, for the Si Ostrach Tri Meet, the team’s only home meet of the season. The CWRU squad will be hosting Washington & Jefferson College and Muskingum University.

The action kicks off at 10 a.m. in Horsburgh Gymnasium.