The Observer, Volume LIII, Issue 26, 4/15/22

From “Imagatorium” to IMPROVment: student performing arts shine

Muth.

Muth’s project—titled “Silver Soul”—is meant to be about the importance of forming connections and allowing people to become their most authentic selves. Muth stated, “[because] this was a personal project for me, the creative process consisted of a lot of self reflection on past experiences and improvisation to come up with the movement and vision of the piece.”

What was so fascinating, as a viewer of this showcase, was the complexity of the choreography, despite coming from the mind of an undergraduate student. Had I not been aware that Muth was a student, I would have believed her to be a professional choreographer. When asked about her experience, Muth said this was her first time “creating an original work and choreographing for a group.” She further said that, “while the creative process was a challenge, I feel that I have grown so much as an artist.”

Symphony Orchestra with pieces from Bach, Beethoven and Mozart.

The Camerata is an all-string instrument ensemble; at CWRU it is made up of students, faculty and community members, making it a highly inclusive experience—the only requirement is auditioning with one’s instrument. The repertoire performed in the ensemble is “drawn from a variety of smaller chamber genres that include pieces from the baroque, classical, romantic, and contemporary periods.”

While many regard Case Western Reserve University as a STEM school given its strong engineering, pre-medical and research programs, there is also a rich culture of arts and performance. As the semester winds down, there have been a number of student performances on campus in recent weeks, most prominently in the dance and orchestra sectors of CWRU.

As with any major at CWRU, the dance major requires the completion of a capstone project in order to graduate. However, this capstone is a little bit different than a typical research capstone project.

Students who have excelled in certain aspects of the major are given the

opportunity to use their creativity and choreograph a dance that is showcased at the annual “Imagatorium” production alongside graduate students’ work. There is still a required final paper—it’s still a capstone—and those who do not participate in the production part of the capstone project are still required to write about their research in dance.

Recently, student efforts were put on display at the 2022 “Imagatorium” production; one undergraduate fourthyear and three graduate students had the opportunity to choreograph and choose dancers from all years to participate in the event.

This year’s showcase included choreography from graduate students Haiyan Chen, El-drick Aboagye and Shadrach Arthur, as well as fourth-year Jamie

It also supports the notion that CWRU students are given so many opportunities for hands-on, experiential learning; Muth was tasked with a role often only given to professionals. However, she did seem to enjoy the process. “My favorite part about the process was getting to work with my friends in the dance department and watch them interpret my choreography as their own,” Muth said. “It was so beautiful to watch and even more beautiful to witness watching them onstage.”

Beyond “Imagatorium,” however, student performance also shines in orchestral ensembles. The Camerata Chamber Orchestra has had the opportunity to perform in a number of concerts at the Maltz Performing Arts Center. Most recently, they showcased their last performance of the semester alongside the Case/University Circle

First-year political science student Hannah Bolender plays the violin in the Camerata and has been a lifelong violinist. “After two years of the pandemic, it was really great to play in person with a full orchestra again. The whole rehearsal and performance cycle is something I’ve done for almost my whole life so I’m really grateful that I have an opportunity to continue with it here at [CWRU] in a way that still allows me to pursue other academic and career endeavors.”

When discussing this concert in particular, Bolender stated, “the concert itself was unique to me—I normally play in Camerata, which is a smaller chamber orchestra, but for the final concert of the semester we played alongside the Symphony Orchestra which I really enjoyed.”

Student performance goes beyond just the music and dance world here at CWRU. Weekly Saturday night performances by improvisation group, IMPROVment, theater productions and others are all normal parts of student life here (or, if you’d like to create your own group, you are free to do that as well).

The performing arts are a beautiful way to express so many things, and our students are taking full advantage of that here at CWRU.

Homeless Stand Down’s 31st anniversary calls upon student volunteers

Homeless Stand Down (HSD), a northeast Ohio-based program geared toward helping veterans and homeless with needs, celebrated its 31st anniversary this year. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it was unclear whether the program would return to its original in-person status. Thankfully the program received the greenlight, and has since been recruiting volunteers and urging the community to donate. The HSD event will take place on April 23 at FirstEnergy Stadium in downtown Cleveland, where 1,500 guests dealing with homelessness will receive amenities and be connected to various social programs.

HSD provides essential goods and services to individuals who may not have access to them otherwise. The program started with simple donations, such as shoes and spare clothing. But from 2014 to 2020, “[the event had o] n-site service providers… [they were] offering cancer screenings, mammogram check ups, housing and legal aid and much more. Guests of the event were able to [choose] either a new winter coat or pair of boots along with hygiene items, hats, gloves, scarves, socks, underwear and other essential items.”

Given the sheer amount of resource donations, volunteers are vital in keeping the program running. Specifically, volunteers can help with setup, cleanup and the distribution of meals along with much more; there are 18 different roles that volunteers help out with to keep operations running. But for this year’s event, only a few volunteer spots are still available for those who want to help out—there has been a lot of support from the community. For those who still want to help but

are unable to volunteer, there are still ways to support the initiative. Individuals can make set donations, ranging from $25 for a pair of boots to $5,000 dollars for 1,000 bagged lunches. The option also exists to donate whatever amount you would like towards the event. There are also collection drive establishments across the community that accept hygiene, clothing and care items.

HSD presents a great opportunity to not only engage in the community,

but also make a tangible impact in the lives of the homeless community here in northeast Ohio. With a wide range of items and important services being provided, it’s a valuable resource that has, and will continue to support many individuals in need.

For those interested, the full list of opportunities, volunteer and donations, can be found at https://volunteerconnect.bvuvolunteers.org/homelessstanddown.

Grace Johnson News Editor

Fourth-year dance student Jamie Muth performed in the center of her choreographed piece, “Silver Soul.” Luke Koski

Noah Henriques Staff Writer

Students have the opportunity to volunteer at Homeless Stand Down, an event that endeavours to treat Cleveland’s homeless population in a humane manner by offering them various resources. Courtesy of HSD

Students organize upcoming blood drive to alleviate national blood shortage

The United States is experiencing the worst blood shortage in over a decade due to the COVID-19 pandemic and reduced blood donations. Since blood can’t be synthetically produced—nor can it be stored indefinitely—medical professionals can only rely on continuous blood donations to manage their supply. This shortage began to develop in March 2020 with a drop of approximately 10% overall blood donations; a number that has continued to decline. This decrease in available blood has the potential to endanger the lives of patients across the country who need life-saving blood transfusions.

The shortage became so severe that in April 2020 the federal government loosened an FDA rule barring homosexual men from donating blood. This FDA rule was instituted at the beginning of the American AIDS epidemic and was influenced by anti-homosexual sentiment that attributed HIV/AIDS to being sexually active as a homosexual individual. The FDA stated that this change was made on the basis of scientific advances regarding HIV/AIDS since

the epidemic began. Donated blood is vital to the healthcare system as it can be used to treat patients in hospitals that have suffered blood loss, will undergo surgery, have a blood disorder or any number of other medical conditions that require plasma, red blood cells or platelets. In early January 2022, the American Red Cross reported that up to a quarter of the blood product requests from certain medical centers could not be fulfilled due to a lack of available blood. This means that patients at some medical centers may not be able to receive the life-saving blood they need, and physicians will need to make decisions about how best to utilize the blood they do have.

In order to be safely transfused into patients, donated blood must undergo a number of different testing procedures and be separated into its components—plasma, red blood cells and platelets. Each of these blood components is then tested, processed and stored before being sent to hospitals and other medical centers.

Presents: The 47th Annual Science Fiction Marathon

April 22-24 starting at 8:00 p.m. on Friday

Friday, April 22, 2022

Dune (2021)

War of the Worlds (1953)A

Saturday, April 23, 2022

Surprise 1 (????, NR, Digital)

The Lawnmower Man (1992) A

Lifeforce (1985)

Space Battleship Yamato (1977)

The Iron Giant (1999) A

Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (2005)

Surprise 2 (????, PG, TBA)

Der Golem (The Golem) (1920)

Howard the Duck (1986, 70mm) A

Muppets from Space (1999)A

Moon Zero Two (1969)

Sunday, April 24, 2022

Pacific Rim (2013) A

A A indicates the movie will be shown on film (35mm unless otherwise indicated)

Pre-sales in TVUC (4/18-20) and Nord (4/21-22) $25 for CWRU Affiliate. $30 for General Public Strosacker Auditorium, CWRU Campus Quad

More info at: films.cwru.edu/sfmarathon47

The American Red Cross provides a major portion—approximately 40%—of the United States’ blood to hospitals and other health centers. Therefore, the decrease in American Red Cross-associated blood drives has a significant impact on the national blood supply. There are many smaller organizations that collect blood donations and provide it to hospitals and other health centers, but many such organizations have been absorbed by the larger organizations.

It is thought that social distancing and other measures designed to reduce physical proximity between people and the spread of COVID-19 likely reduced the number of blood drives, thereby contributing to the blood shortage.

Additionally, blood drive organizers and attendees have been resisting donating blood for fear of COVID-19 at a blood drive. As COVID-19 policies are being lifted across the United States and people are beginning to feel more comfortable attending blood drives after having been vaccinated, there will hopefully be a rise

in blood donations.

Case Western Reserve University, like other universities across the United States, hosts blood drives in conjunction with the American Red Cross to collect blood donations from students, faculty and staff. These efforts are incredibly important as the number of blood drives held at universities and high schools has dropped by approximately 62% since the beginning of the pandemic.

Delta Epsilon Mu, the pre-health professional fraternity, hosted a blood drive on Feb. 15-16 in conjunction with the Center for Civic Engagement and Learning (CCEL) and Thwing Center. Phi Delta Epsilon, the pre-medical professional fraternity, followed suit and will also host a blood drive on April 1819 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Thwing Center Ballroom in conjunction with CCEL, Thwing Center and CWRU Emergency Medical Service.

Please consider offering some time toward helping this important mission. Your blood donation will save lives and improve the quality of life of many.

CWRU Film Society

Friday, April 15, 2022

7:00 p.m., 9:00 p.m., 11:00 p.m.

The Suicide Squad (2021)

Rated R (132 min.)

Director: James Gunn

With Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena

What a difference a “the” makes! Supervillains

Harley Quinn, Bloodsport, Peacemaker and a collection of nutty cons at Belle Reve prison join the super-secret, super-shady Task Force X as they are dropped off at the remote, enemyinfused island of Corto Maltese to find the evil scientist in charge of the mysterious Project Starfish. Can the expendable Suicide Squad stop the new menace that could mean the end of the world as we know it?

Saturday, April 16, 2022

7:00 p.m., 9:00 p.m.

Police Story (1985)

Rated PG-13 (100 min.)

Directors: Jackie Chan, Chi-Hwa Chen

With Jackie Chan, Maggie Chung, Brigitte Lin Kevin Chan is a Hong Kong cop who scores his first big hit by virtually single-handedly capturing and arresting a big druglord. Of course, the druglord isn’t too happy about this, and frames Kevin with the murder of another cop, who happened to be on the take. Kevin has to clear his name, while keeping himself from getting killed or arrested and while keeping his girlfriend from leaving him.

Free Admission this Weekend

Strosacker Auditorium, CWRU Campus Quad

Free Parking: Lot 44 at Adelbert Rd and Murray Hill

FILMS.CWRU.EDU

Nihal Manjila Staff Writer

Jimmy O. Yang kills it as UPB’s Spring Comedian

Stand-up comedy is a tricky art form. It requires bravery, practice, hard work and, most importantly, a good sense of humor. Even if you tick all those boxes, different audiences appreciate different jokes, so the ability to read the room is crucial. You also have to tell relevant jokes that push lines yet aren’t offensive either. You can’t truly appreciate the difficulty that comics face until you see them live.

I had never been to a real stand-up show before this one, but I have to say that this year’s UPB’s Spring Comedian show, held at Severance Hall this past Friday, April 8, made a heck of a first impression.

The show was opened by Case Western Reserve University fourth-year student Nate Nagvajara. Opening a show with an audience waiting for Jimmy O. Yang, the headliner of the show, is a daunting task. However, this Spartan faced the challenge head-on and triumphed. Despite only being on stage for 10 minutes, he made quite the impression, packing in a wide variety of funny bits. He cracked jokes about CWRU, his classics major and his parents’ disapproval of his life plan. He even educated the audience about the classics major, a surprisingly funny topic considering how esoteric it is. Nagvajara proved to be incredibly relatable and did a fantastic job warming up the audience—perhaps he could consider a career in stand-up if his current course of study doesn’t work out.

Next up was special guest Peet

Guercio. As a personal fan myself, I was thrilled to see his name on the program—and considering his over 200 million views over multiple platforms, I’m sure I wasn’t the only one. He started with some jokes about the repeated mispronunciation of his last name, a rather plain topic that he somehow transformed into something comedic. Probably the funniest part of his time on stage, however, was his mention of Craigslist and the rather basic—to say the least—nature of their website design. The creator of this extremely successful platform graduated from CWRU back in 1975, so these jokes struck a chord with us Spartans in the best of ways. Guercio’s impersonation of the website designers’ thought process had the crowd holding their sides with laughter. He also derived comedy from the common experience of misinterpreting stories, telling the crowd about a friend’s lack of storytelling skills. The correct version of the story was a simple one: date night gone right. But the way his friend decided to tell it was comically disastrous and would definitely have landed him in a police interview room. We have all been a victim of storytelling gone wrong—a source of relatability that reinforced the anecdote’s humorous effect.

Both Nagvajara and Guercio were fantastic, but everyone knew that the best was being saved for last: Jimmy O. Yang.

Yang is renowned for his successful acting career—featuring in “Crazy

Rich Asians,” “Patriots Day,” “Space Force,” “Love Hard,” “Silicon Valley” and “Life of the Party”—as well as his widespread acclaim in the world of stand-up comedy. He even has a comedy special that was released on Amazon Prime Video in 2020. His part in the show was worthy of his reputation and featured some amazing jokes and knee-slapping stories. My favorite was his skit about having “loser friends.” He talked about how successful friends never have time to hang out, so having lots of “loser friends” is essential. This seamlessly segued into a hilarious true story about his couch-surfing “loser” friend. After manifesting a big lottery win, the friend in question actually ended up winning a large sum of money on a game show, temporarily falling into the successful category—a turning of tables that upset Yang. Even his friend’s catchphrase was funny: “That’s how the government f**** you.” At one point, he quipped about the height difference between himself and his girlfriend, as Yang is 5’6”. The focal point was her love of heels; he explained how she always says, “but heels make my a** look good.” His clapback was hilarious: “Yeah, well now it’s at my eye level.” This one killed the crowd. Before attending the show, I would easily have said that Yang was my favorite comedian. His performance cemented that choice, and I am confident that others in the crowd would say the same.

As you can imagine, the entirety of Severance Hall was filled with laughter

•

for the full two hours of the show. This in itself is a testament to the quality of the comedians who performed. All three of the featured comedians had their own unique style, and it was certainly a masterclass in the art of stand-up comedy. The experience inspired me to attend more stand-up comedy events in the future, and I am so grateful to UPB and CWRU for exposing me to a whole new world of entertainment.

•

•

The talents of Jimmy O. Yang, Nate Nagvajara and Peet Guercio (left to right) made UPB’s Spring Comedian event a success. Nate Nagvajara

Christie Lanfear Life Editor

fun

Tarun’s LOLs

Horoscope

The signs as Famous Mob Shows

Lilyhammer

Weekly Tarot

Read by Mulan Ma

The Empress (Reversed)

You’re trying too hard to make other people happy and you’re not thinking about yourself.

The Deuce

Narcos

April $howerz

by Mulan Ma

Queen of Cups (Reversed)

You are not ready for a relationship right now as the candidates do not have you in their best interest.

Seven of Swords (Upright)

Things may not be looking up right now, but with the right friends and attitude, you will come out of it accomplished.

Peaky Blinders

9 of Wands (Reversed)

Your personal troubles may have conflicted with your relationships with your friends and family.

Boardwalk Empire

The Sopranos

9 of Cups (Upright)

This is a good week, with good times and memories all around.

The Hanged Man (Upright)

You’ll have to break a few eggs to make an omelet but some sacrifices are worth the cost.

Ace of Coins (Reversed)

Breaking Bad

Mayans M.C.

A new goal or journey may bring you grief along its fruition.

4 of Coins (Reversed)

An obsession with material goods or superficial things will lead to a stagnant stage in your life where nothing can grow.

Mob City

2 of Swords (Reversed)

Do not continue hanging around fake friends or shaky relationships, cut it off as soon as you can.

Sons of Anarchy

The Tower (Reversed)

Even dealing with misfortune or dramatic events has its upsides: try to look at the bright side in any situation.

Knight of Swords (Reversed)

Gangs of London

Don’t let other people fight your battles.

Godfather of Harlem

The Fool (Upright)

The future is uncertain but your current way of going about life should not bring you any anxiety for it.

Editorial: The importance of student elections

Every year, The Observer typically moderates the debate between all the various candidates running for elected positions in our Undergraduate Student Government (USG). Through this venue, we see all the passionate people running to represent the student body at Case Western Reserve University and are able to learn more about each candidate, allowing us to compare their different plans, styles and ideologies. However, this year’s debates were canceled due to a lack of interest from candidates, and USG failing to organize the event in a timely manner. This speaks to how apathetic we are towards student elections despite the essential impact that USG has on all of our student experiences.

Many CWRU students never vote in student elections resulting in low turnouts every year. The lack of engagement on campus that is omnipresent throughout the year becomes even more pointed during this pivotal time. Elections should be exciting. It’s an event where different students give us different visions of CWRU’s future, theoretically inspiring us, enraging us or generally just moving us to vote in a certain direction. Unfortunately, this is rarely the case at CWRU. Campaigning mainly occurs through Instagram posts instead of in-person; although, it’s hard to fully blame the candidates, since the student body is indifferent.

Let’s not forget that USG is important to the student body. At its best, it can advocate for students to CWRU administration on issues we care about, create projects that deliver value to the student body and promote thriving student life. Actions such as the creation of the Student Activities Fee COVID-19 Emergency Fund (SAF-CEF) at the beginning of the pandemic, the advocacy to reduce student workloads and the efforts to expand dining and housing services have all been extremely essential for students, whether or not we know it. From reducing Plum Market grocery prices to asking the university to expand shuttle and Safe Ride availability, USG’s work is critical, even if it goes unnoticed by most. Unfortunately, when students don’t pay attention to our elected representatives, mismanagement can occur.

A major responsibility for USG is funding all the clubs it sponsors, with USG mass funding theoretically covering most of the clubs’ major operational expenses. Unfortunately, the funding process is needlessly complicated and prolonged. Many clubs do not receive the funding they need and are forced to resort to other funding sources—whether it be the SEC Allocations Committee (AC) or paying out of pocket for events. However, this is not because of limited USG funds. On the contrary, USG is currently sitting on around $250,000

worth of funds in its account that they have been unable or unwilling to spend. Each semester they continue to receive more funding through our student tuition dollars, yet they seem to be doing little to use those funds to bring value to the student body.

Accordingly, USG essentially failed their audit from the AC last semester due to mistracking and underutilization of funds and is on track to do so again this semester. A half-baked plan to create an endowment using student funds is currently under discussion at USG despite the ways it would withhold even more funds from the student body. This shouldn’t be happening and is a result of students we put in these positions. Who we elect to our elected positions matter and can positively or negatively impact the student experience at CWRU, as we have seen over the past few years.

It’s unfortunate, then, that so few students are running for election in USG. Only one student each is running to be the Vice President of Finance, the Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion, the Chief Judicial Officer and the USG president, respectively. With many of these major candidates being essentially shoo-ins for their position, and the others never being given the chance to debate each other, it is impossible to know how their ideas compare to others and thus difficult to ascertain whether or not candidates are truly the best ones

for their position. This shouldn’t be how democracy works. Yet the state of campus disengagement is to the level that even the most important and influential elected position in the student body is being uncontested. This isn’t to say that any of the candidates are unqualified or that they’ll do a bad job; to the contrary we are very glad that they have the passion to run at all when so few students seem to be actively engaged in this process. It’s just a shame, especially after a year where we had four candidates running for USG president just a year ago.

As a result of this current situation and the lack of choice for many of these positions and the lack of debates, The Observer will not be doing our traditional endorsements. Instead we simply encourage all students to read up on all the candidates, make an informed decision and actually vote. While student politics may seem unimportant to your academic career, it can have direct impacts on your student experience. These elections will determine the funding for the clubs you are a part of, the building of new student spaces for you to study in, the amount of events we will have around campus and much more. Your voice is important and can shape CWRU’s future.

Voting can be done at vote.case.edu between April 15-16.

The Observer is the weekly undergraduate student newspaper of Case Western Reserve University. Established in 1969, The Observer reports news affecting students and provides an editorial forum for the university community. Unsigned editorials are typically written by the opinion editor but refle ct the majority opinion of the senior editorial staff. Opinion columns are the views of their writers and not necessarily of The Observer staff. For advertising information, contact The Observer at (216) 302-4442 or e-mail observer-ads@case.edu.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR should be e-mailed to observer@ case.edu or submitted on our website at observer.case.edu. Letters can be mailed to Thwing Center 11111 Euclid Avenue, Suite 01, Cleveland, Ohio 44106. For policy and guidelines related to the submission of Letters to the Editor, refer to observer.case.edu/submit-a-letter.

The Observer is a proud member of CWRU’s University Media Board. Follow The Observer on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @cwruobserver.

executive editor & publisher SHREYAS BANERJEE director of print SARA KHORSHIDI director of digital media HANNAH ALLEN director of design VINAYAK MATHUR development editor BEAU BILINOVICH engagement editor MULAN MA news editor GRACE JOHNSON life editor CHRISTIE LANFEAR opinion editor KARUNA LAKHIANI sports editor PUNEET BANSAL social media editor SOPHIA POPKIN photo editor CHRIS HEERMANN web editor COLLIN WONG copy editors RITIKA DEVARAKONDA, JULIA FENG-BAHNS & SHIVANGI NANDA layout designer TARUN SEPURI business managers NIKKI D’COSTA, PHUONG NGUYEN

Editorial Board

EDITORIAL

the observer

established in 1969 by the undergraduate students of case western reserve university

Bilinovich: How CWRU falls short, even as a top university

Beau Bilinovich Deveopment Editor

The past few weeks have been stressful for many students at Case Western Reserve University. Between dealing with uncertainty over housing options, struggling with registration for classes, and contending with continually fluctuating COVID policies on campus, the CWRU community is understandably frustrated with the administration. When you factor in the recent increase in COVID-19 cases on campus following the recent drop of the mask mandate, there seems to be no break in sight.

All of these issues point to a serious lack of foresight and effective planning on the part of the administration.

Let’s not mislead ourselves here: CWRU is a very good university. Its website boasts impressive rankings: No. 1 in Ohio, No. 42 in the United States, and even No. 68 globally. In addition, the university’s collaboration with top-ranked hospitals allows students involved in health disciplines an excellent education.

But despite these outstanding statistics, our administration, in particular, suffers from grave flaws.

The housing debacle at the start of the semester provided a window into the executive departments of the university, laying bare the inefficiencies which plague their operations. Instead of considering every option the university had in front of them, they decided to worry the student population, preemptively declaring that housing would not be guaranteed. For students in tough financial situations, this move cast doubt on their living plans for subsequent semesters.

Luckily, after organized efforts by the student population and a show of support by the Undergraduate Student Government, the administration changed its decisions and was able to find housing for all upperclassmen. But the week of confusion and anger that the administration put CWRU students under is evidence that the administration’s problems are of their own doing.

As the myriad of emails from university officials at the time explained, an increase in enrollment for underclassmen was expected. Yet, despite having access to this knowledge, the university decided not to share it until they made a ludicrous decision that briefly jeopardized housing plans for upperclassmen. In the end, students suffered as a result of poor, ineffective planning.

CWRU’s enormous flaws extend far beyond just housing, though. The class registration system is another area where it falls short.

Trying to enroll in the many courses students need to take to graduate is a nightmare, especially for students involved in majors where it’s difficult to secure spots for classes. This results in some students to be shafted, forcing them to scurry and find courses that they can take, if there are any left.

Granted, there is room for nuance. Not every individual’s situation is exactly the same, and not everyone pursues the same educational path. Thus, it’s hard to pinpoint where the problem lies or who is to blame, but a collective annoyance with the class registration system should at least warrant a look into what the university can improve.

Reif: Liberate the regalia

Jordan Reif Staff Writer

Graduation is one month away. While that fills some people with excitement and others with dread, for everyone, it means preparation. Families and friends are making arrangements to attend graduation ceremonies, while students are completing interviews to nail down jobs and higher education. Two weeks ago, all graduates—Bachelor, Master or Doctorate degree—were invited to attend the Grad Fair. Case Western Reserve University advertised it as the “official ‘one stop shop’” for all graduation information, services and products. I’ll admit, I enjoyed the free CWRU thermos as much as the next person, but I quickly felt frustration over being required to purchase our single-use cap and gown if we wanted to walk in graduation.

Oak Hall Cap & Gown provides all CWRU regalia for graduating students. At the CWRU Barnes & Noble bookstore, Oak Hall charged undergraduate students $60.98 for their cap and gown and an additional $12.98 for the tassel for a total of $73.96. Oak Hall charged Master’s students (including people in the Integrated Graduate Studies program) $64.98 for their cap, gown and tassel, and an additional $41.50 for their hood, coming to a total of $106.48. Neither of these totals include the extra $7-10 for tax.

To put into perspective, this regalia requires seven-eight hours of working for students with on-campus minimum wage jobs. One or two shifts of wages are entirely wiped out to cover the cost of regalia required for all students who want to walk in graduation.

For my purpose, I will focus on Bachelor and Master graduates. While the cost of Doctoral regalia is also outrageous— totaling near $1,000—there is a reduced rental option; these gowns, hoods and tams are often worn yearly in future academic positions.

Meanwhile, students never wear their Bachelor and Master gowns again. Well, outside that homemade ceremony you

have for your great aunt who couldn’t attend. We are paying eight hours of work for a single-use product. There seems to be a simple alternative.

At comparable universities, regalia is sold for around $60 for Bachelor gowns and $100 for Master’s. This begs the question, why is there no rental option for all regalia? Or, better yet, a single-day use program?

A rental service would help reduce the cost by at least 60% to make the regalia more affordable while still offering a purchase option for those who want a gown for memory; students could still purchase caps if they want to decorate the mortarboard. CWRU or Oak Hall could provide this service.

Alternatively, CWRU could purchase approximately 2,000 gowns for graduating students. Following commencement rehearsal (the day prior to commencement), students would be directed to different areas based on their college and last name to pick up a cap, gown and tassel. Each gown, cap and tassel would have an assigned number, recorded with the student’s name and Case ID. Students could have the option to return the gown following the ceremony or in a few days afterwards. If students fail to return their regalia, they could be charged the cost of the item(s).

These alternatives save students money and would be much more sustainable. The CWRU Commencement site proudly states that the Oak Hall regalia are “made using innovative GreenWeaver fabric made from 100% recycled plastic bottles. This eco-friendly choice reinforces the university’s commitment to sustainability.” Recycling does not excuse people and corporations from trying to reduce unnecessary consumption and waste in the first place. Forcing all students to purchase regalia that will never be worn again is inherently wasteful, especially when there are feasible alternatives.

One aspect of class registration that is most definitely a problem is the registration website itself. Having hundreds or even thousands of students log on to SIS at the same time early in the morning is an ineffective method of enrollment. Every time, without fail, the website freezes due to the enormous amount of traffic in such a short period. Some students then have to wait only to find out that they couldn’t get into their required classes, while others are simply lucky enough to have clicked the enroll button at the right moment. This will only become more of a problem as we increase our enrollment here.

The fact that a top research university is unable to find a way to make this process more streamlined and less prone to technical failures is a glaring show of the administration’s lack of planning.

One final area that shows the university administration’s ineffectiveness is its COVID-19 policies.

For most of the pandemic, CWRU has surprisingly done a decent job of enforcing regulations and ensuring that the campus community is vaccinated. Official university data show that about 96% of the entire community—students, faculty and staff—are fully vaccinated. These high rates are something to celebrate, especially when the rest of Cuyahoga County is only 65% vaccinated, and Ohio sits at an abysmally low rate of 58%.

Despite these accomplishments in curbing the pandemic, CWRU has still found a way to make mistakes. The decision on March 16 to drop the mask

mandate in most places on campus in conjunction with making testing optional for most students has led to issues that we now are facing.

As we’ve seen over the past week, the positivity rate on campus has been steadily increasing and is now at 8.6%—a total of 187 cases. This is worsened by the fact that isolation housing is now full, forcing the university to have students self-isolate in their rooms.

The decision to loosen mask restrictions by itself was not dangerous, but loosening testing policies as well has hampered the university’s ability to track where COVID is spreading, hampering prevention efforts. In the end, the students suffer from the university’s poor planning and organization.

As I mentioned already, CWRU is undoubtedly a good school. It has wonderful educational opportunities led by professors committed to their fields of study. The university offers many exciting and transformative opportunities and many great organizations to join, such as The Observer.

However, the administration should not get stuck in this trap of excellence—we must not have the mindset that an institution such as CWRU can do no wrong because it’s simply too good. Even top universities fall short, and CWRU is no exception.

The university prides itself on its motto: “Think beyond the possible.” For the sake of both the administration and the students, we need to think within the reasonable.

SALE | $4.89

REG | $5.99

Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Assorted, 1 pint

SALE | $3.79

REG | $4.99

Atoria’s Family Bakery Assorted

SALE | $2.89

REG | $3.89

Boulder Canyon Chips varies

SALE | $3.29

REG | $4.39

Nut Thin Crackers

Assorted, 4.25oz

Jain: Why you should finish this semester strong

Priyanka Jain Staff Writer

I know we all fall into the trap of not finishing what we started. After months of endless work, you are most likely unmotivated, exhausted and too bone-weary to run this last stretch to the semester’s finish line. And with summer break lurking in the corner, you are probably eager to free yourself from the confines of your stuffy dorm room and the overwhelming amount of assignments. While you might be fixated on the light at the end of the tunnel, remember that you do not want to trip on these last few steps.

No matter how you started the semester, what matters from this grueling, three-month academic journey is how you choose to finish it. You can either submit to the current summer fever or steel yourself for a couple more weeks to finish this semester with a bang.

I urge you to take some deep breaths, muster up your energy and finish strong this semester. To finish strong means you acknowledge the mental and physical anguish that you endured for the past months; you love yourself enough to want to give yourself the best ending to a long journey, and you can walk away feeling reassured that you tried your best no matter the outcome.

As such, to boost your morale and increase your chances of having a smooth last few weeks, I have compiled a list of advice that could hopefully aid you in preparing for your last round of exams and papers.

Prepare early (which is earlier than you might think)

I know we are all guilty of occasionally procrastinating, especially when overwhelmed with the bevy of comprehensive exams and lengthy essays due in the near future. But the best thing you can do for yourself is to start early. No, this doesn’t mean work a week ahead, but rather, two or three weeks ahead of due dates if possible—especially if you have both finals and longer assignments. If you can write your essays early, it can free up space to effectively prepare for those tedious and grueling exams. So, save yourself the future stress and regret and prepare now.

Create a daily and weekly schedule (and be realistic with yourself)

Often, we fall behind or procrastinate on assignments because we do not set personal goals of when we should complete them, especially when the deadline is far. But with finals approaching, this

habit of pushing every assignment to the last minute can snowball into tackling a mammoth amount of work all at once, which we definitely don’t want due to the amount of stress this causes. Thus, it is crucial that you finish some assignments earlier to free up space for other ones. This can be achieved through setting goals and being strict with completing tasks and work each day and throughout the week. Most importantly, be honest with your work pace so you don’t end up beating yourself up for not attaining your goals.

Give yourself time to unwind and treat yourself

I know that preparing for finals and writing all those lengthy papers can be overwhelming and outright exhausting. Therefore, it’s important when starting your assignments early to carve out blocks of free time. You cannot be fully productive without recharging and unwinding from time to time—whether that is going for a run, calling up a friend or reading an immersive book, make sure to give yourself a break periodically.

Once you reach the end, pat yourself on the back (regardless of the outcome)

Once finals end and you have handed in your last physics exam or typed in the last word of your 20-page research paper, you should pat yourself on the back. Regardless of how you did, or whether or not you got a good grade, you should appreciate yourself for pushing through these last few weeks. Furthermore, I wanted to acknowledge that there are times when we may not perform how we like, even if we did everything we possibly could, working day and night. But that does not mean that the hard work was worthless; instead, we learn the honest lesson that not all hard work pays off. In this uncertain world, the amount of work we invest in something is the only factor we can control, not necessarily the outcome. So, don’t berate yourself for not knowing how to do a dubious problem on a calculus exam or not knowing a minor topic on a biology final because we could not have predicted that beforehand.

To sign off, I hope these tips will increase your chances of ending this academic year with deserving triumph. Don’t succumb to your summer fantasies yet, and give yourself the best ending possible so you can finish with a victorious smile.

Jain: A quick guide to maintaining physical health in college

Nikitha Jain Staff Writer

We are often so absorbed with the burdensome schedules and heavy workloads of college life that the first thing we forfeit tends to be our physical well-being. We lose sight of what’s actually important. Maintaining our physical well-being is not only vital for our general health, as it helps to protect against illnesses and ailments, but staying healthy also positively impacts our academic performance. Being physically fit and well-nourished improves cognitive skills including concentration and attention. It also affects one’s learning ability by enhancing memory and speeding up information processing. Additionally, preserving proper physical health results in less fatigue and greater energy, helping us to keep up with the tiresome demands of our daily lives. As college students, we already have so many responsibilities to bear, so you are probably wondering, “how can I possibly shoulder another one?” However, it is important to realize that this is all a part of the process of becoming an adult. And as adults, no matter how many tasks one has to fulfill, physical health should never be sacrificed. To this end, I have listed some simple practices for maintaining proper

physical health that you can easily weave into your busy student life.

Completing a quick workout

Exercise. It is one of the most obvious yet neglected practices for maintaining good physical health. Many people do not exercise because they find it boring and monotonous or are unable to find time in their busy schedules for it. However, there are many forms of exercise. Exercising isn’t just jumping jacks, pushups or squats; it can involve more enjoyable activities, such as playing sports with friends, riding a bike or walking to class. Furthermore, a workout does not need to be an hour long. It can be as short as 15 to 30 minutes a couple of times a week, which is far easier to fit into your daily schedule. Additionally, it doesn’t hurt to wake up a little earlier in the day or to stay up a little later in the night in order to squeeze in a quick workout. Personally, I enjoy doing some stretches or a yoga workout to wind down after a taxing day.

Adopting healthy eating habits

Maintaining good eating habits and consuming nutritious food is another widely known way to maintain proper

physical health, yet most of us do it incorrectly or not at all. Due to our packed schedules, we tend to skip meals or develop intermittent and disordered eating habits. These practices can hurt our body and brain function without realizing it, making it beneficial to instead adopt healthy eating practices. Such practices include eating breakfast daily, trying to eat at regular time intervals, keeping healthy snacks on hand, staying hydrated and avoiding excess caffeine and alcohol. Also, whenever possible, try to swap junk food for wholesome foods like vegetables, fruits, healthy fats (i.e., avocado, nuts, nut butters, seeds, fish, olives, olive oil) and lean proteins (i.e., chicken, turkey, fish, tofu, beans, cottage cheese, lean cuts of pork and beef).

Getting a good amount of sleep

While it is recommended to get at least eight hours of sleep, most of us fail to meet this requirement due to our college lives, with many students likely getting between five and seven hours—or sometimes even less—of sleep instead. However, sleep is fundamental to our wellbeing and the functioning of our body and mind; it rejuvenates us, allowing us to

Vetter: The case for workplace democracy

Milo Vetter Staff Writer

I think I speak for most of us when I say that work sucks. That might seem like a weird or even childish thing to complain about—possibly similar to complaining that the sun’s too bright or that your feet are tired after walking a while. “Sure, work sucks,” you might say, “but somebody’s gotta do it, right?” Well, let me illustrate my point with one of my favorite quotes ever, from a 1985 essay by Bob Black called “The Abolition of Work.”

In it, he writes, “The official line is that we all have rights and live in a democracy. Other unfortunates who aren’t free like we are have to live in police states. These victims obey orders or else, no matter how arbitrary … Informers report regularly to the authorities. All this is supposed to be a very bad thing. And so it is, although it is nothing but a description of the modern workplace.”

When applied to any workplace, Black’s reasoning shows us simple ways in which being an employee is similar to being a member of an authoritarian state. For simplicity’s sake, I’ll use Amazon— a company whose services we’re all

familiar with—as an example. You’ve probably heard stories about the working conditions at Amazon fulfillment centers. The workers there are treated like robots, forced to walk as much as 20 miles in a workday. In addition, the schedule of a fulfillment center worker is so tight that many of them wear adult diapers just to avoid wasting time going to the bathroom. In short, they spend their workdays doing backbreaking work with no control over or recourse against the company they make profits for.

You may say that workers do have recourse—they can quit and find a new job with better pay and better conditions. And that is one major distinction between authoritarian governments and private companies. However, the ability to change jobs rarely offers people a true leg up. There may not be better alternative workplaces nearby, and many people who live paycheck to paycheck cannot afford a gap in employment while looking for better work. The cold reality is that many workers are stuck with their bosses, who have complete control over their employees. A business’ corporate ladder is shaped not like an egalitarian

society but rather a totalitarian one.

But what if the structure of a business could be different? What if workers had democratic control over their workplaces? That idea may seem absurd, but should people continue to have no say in a place where they work over 40 hours a week? Well, the good news is that workplace democracy has been tried before and is not as outlandish as it seems. Worker cooperatives are an excellent example of workplace democracy in action. At a co-op, workers can elect their leaders, which gives them a direct voice in the structure of their firm as well as ownership of a part of the business— which is typically owned exclusively by higher-ups.

Worker co-ops have been attacked with the principle of the “free-rider problem”—the idea that if every worker is guaranteed a piece of the pie, they will slack off and not work nearly as hard as they would if their performance were monitored and subject to discipline as in a traditional firm. However, the evidence shows that this phenomenon does not tend to manifest in worker co-ops— although there is regrettably little evi-

be more alert and focused when we are awake—this can only strengthen our academic performance.

Practicing self-care

As some may already know, physical and mental health are interrelated. And so, having poor mental health can pose negative consequences on our physical health. In order to maintain good physical health, it is key to maintain good mental health. You can do this by taking some time to relax and destress at the end of the day. For instance, engage in something you enjoy, like reading a book, watching Netflix, drawing, journaling or some other activity. You can also practice activities such as meditating, taking a warm shower or practicing yoga—this can help to calm down both your body and mind.

The key to managing multiple obligations is being sensible with your time. As such, all the techniques I’ve mentioned should take little time, and you can easily incorporate them into your daily schedules. While there are many more techniques for fostering good physical health, I hope these basic strategies motivate you to take more care of yourself and your wellbeing.

dence either affirming or denying it. This criticism also ignores that the free-rider problem very much exists in traditional companies, just on the part of the administrators and higher-ups in the company. Powerful individuals within a company not held accountable by a democratic process are absolutely guilty of the freerider problem.

The way forward is for companies to be given monetary incentives to become worker co-ops. Moreover, there should be more research into the effectiveness of co-ops; the little evidence that exists about the success of worker co-ops shows that co-ops are either on par or slightly more efficient than traditional firms.

In the meantime, unions should be expanded and supported. Amazon workers in New York right now are celebrating the unionization of the Amazon Staten Island warehouse, which will set a good example for the rest of Amazon’s workplaces throughout the nation. It is imperative that we support unions and worker cooperatives as we work toward making workers’ well-being our top priority.

CWRU baseball puts on hitting clinic to win 3 straight and climb above .500

Gaurav Hardikar Staff Writer

The Case Western Reserve University baseball team is heating up at just the right time as they triumphed against Baldwin Wallace University, John Carroll University and Adrian College last week.

Despite the shaky start to the season, CWRU found its confidence with four straight wins over Emory University to close out March. However, the Spartans still sat at an unimpressive 12-13 record heading into the home game against the 17-3 Baldwin Wallace Yellow Jackets and were in desperate need of a mid-season push. Fortunately, they got just what they needed at the plate.

Baldwin Wallace - April 7

Graduate student pitcher Evan Faxon took the mound for CWRU as Baldwin Wallace stepped up to bat in the first inning. Though Faxon gave up a base hit, he shut down the other three hitters he faced, striking out the last one. The Spartans came up empty in the bottom of the first, but after Faxon fanned two more in the top of the second while continuing to keep the Yellow Jackets from scoring, the CWRU hitters got it going in the bottom of the second. Third-year left fielder Kevin Mackenzie advanced third-year first baseman Nick Talarico and graduate student designated hitter Tre Armstrong with a savvy bunt and Talarico scored off a sacrifice fly from fourth-year right fielder Cole Jarrett. Third-year second baseman Trey Haley hit an RBI single to drive Armstrong in and give the Spartans a 2-0 lead. Baldwin Wallace retaliated in the third and took a 4-2 lead while allowing no runs for CWRU.

The Spartans refused to back down in the fourth. Faxon struck out all three batters he faced before letting the offense take charge. Armstrong and Mackenzie singled before Jarrett walked, loading up the bases for Haley. A 2-RBI single from Haley tied the game up with no outs before Jarrett scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch. Third-year catcher Jack Anderson singled to put two more runs on the board, and CWRU closed out the fourth inning up 7-4.

Faxon kept the Yellow Jackets off base in the fifth, and the Spartans built onto their lead by tacking on another run with a Jarrett single that scored Mackenzie, who walked and stole second base. Aside from the barrage in the third inning, Faxon had

done a steady job keeping Baldwin Wallace quiet, but his fatigue was beginning to show. In the sixth inning, he gave up a single, walked a batter and hit another, but still managed to keep the Yellow Jackets from scoring. In the bottom of the sixth, Anderson singled and eventually scored on a throwing error while first-year center fielder Nick Harms reached on a fielder’s choice and later scored on an Armstrong single.

Down 10-4 and facing a new pitcher, Baldwin Wallace tried to catch up in the seventh, but only managed to string together a run which was effectively meaningless thanks to the Spartans’ 2-run scoring effort in the bottom of the inning. Haley was hit by a pitch and graduate student shortstop Jacob Lott walked. Both runners scored on a single from secondyear third baseman Zack Carinci. The visitors put up a run in the eighth and another in the ninth while the Spartans’ bats fell silent, but it was CWRU that ultimately walked away with the 12-7 victory. Faxon improved to an impressive 5-0 on the season with the win.

John Carroll - April 9

Fresh off the high-scoring bout with the Yellow Jackets, the Spartans hosted John Carroll University and handed the struggling 9-10 Blue Streaks a blowout. Though John Carroll quickly scored a run in the first, their offense fizzled out the rest of the way at the hands of fourth-year pitcher Nick Denove. Denove struck out the side in the top of the second before Haley doubled and scored off an Anderson single to tie the game at 1. Denove shut the Blue Streaks down in the third as

well and chaos ensued when the Spartans stepped up to bat. Talarico singled, Armstrong walked and Mackenzie rewarded them with a strategic bunt yet again. Talarico scored on a wild pitch while Jarrett and Haley loaded the bases with walks. A throwing error got Anderson on base and allowed Armstrong and Jarrett to score. A Carinci single followed, scoring Anderson and Haley to give CWRU a 5-1 lead after three innings.

Though Armstrong singled in the fourth, neither team scored. The fifth inning saw another scoring storm from the Spartans. Haley walked, Lott struck out but reached first on a wild pitch and Anderson singled. With the bases loaded, Harms hit a single to drive in Haley and Lott, while Talarico brought Anderson and Harms home with a 2-RBI single of his own. Down 10-1, John Carroll had lost hope, as Denove struck out two more in the top of the sixth. Third-year right fielder Flynn Lenahan doubled, advanced to third on a Jarrett single and scored the final run of the game on a wild pitch.

Denove struck out another two in the seventh before being pulled in the eighth. The game wound down quietly and CWRU secured another big home victory. Denove pitched a marvelous 7 innings to earn his first win of the season after giving up only 1 run and striking out 10 batters.

Adrian - April 11

Finally, the Monday road game against the Adrian College Bulldogs had arrived. Originally scheduled to be played on March 22, the game saw the 11-8 Bulldogs host the rolling Spartans in Michigan. Second-year pitcher Reece Marley

got the start for CWRU and had a nice buffer to work with in the bottom of the first, as the Spartans piled on 3 runs in the top of the inning. After Anderson singled and Harms walked, Talarico crushed a 3-run home run.

Meanwhile, the Bulldogs got three athletes on base but were held scoreless in the first. The Spartans offense kept things going in the top of the second, as Haley singled and scored on a Lott double. Carinci drove Lott in with a single to lift the Spartans up 5-0. Marley continued to silence the Adrian hitters to close out the second. Talarico reached first on a throwing error and scored on a single from Armstrong before Marley struck out the side in the bottom of the third to keep CWRU up 6-0. Though both teams were quiet in the fourth, the Bulldogs finally began to trade blows in the fifth. After Harms tripled and was driven in by Armstrong, the Bulldogs were able to put up a run of their own to keep the deficit at 6. From there on it was smooth sailing, as neither team scored in the final 4 innings. Lott’s single in the sixth was the last of the day for the Spartans, who eventually won 7-1 to earn their third straight victory in five days while Marley picked up his fourth win of the season.

Following the win, the Spartans’ record improved to 15-13. Though they only outhit their opponents by 6 across the three games, the difference in scoring efficiency proved to be the key. The Spartans scored 30 runs off 33 hits over the three games, while Baldwin Wallace, John Carroll and Adrian combined for just 9 runs off 27 hits.

Denove was honored as the UAA Pitcher of the Week after earning his first win of the season against John Carroll. He allowed only one run on six hits and struck out a career-high 10 batters.

As the end of the season approaches, CWRU baseball has some big games coming up. This weekend, the Spartans host New York University in a four-game conference series to defend their firstplace 6-2 UAA record. CWRU will stay at home the following weekend for yet another four-game conference series, this time against Washington University in St. Louis. With the recent spark the Spartans have had, one can only hope that their success carries the team to the end of the season.

Cavaliers end regular season securing spot in Play-In Tournament

Ishan Kulkarni Staff Writer

In a season of ups and downs, the Cleveland Cavaliers ended the regular season on a high note. With their current standing they have a chance to do something the team has not done since LeBron James left town: make the playoffs.

After a strong start to the season bolstered by an unconventional roster, with irregular rotations that often saw three seven-foot players on the court at the same time, the team hit a slump after the All-Star break. Injuries to key players played a big role in this slump. Ricky Rubio, Rajon Rondo, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, who might just be this season’s Rookie of the Year, were all injured at various points in the last couple months. The team fell from No. 3 in the Eastern Conference, with a 35-23 record at the All-Star break, to No. 8 after going

9-15 to close out the season.

Coming into April, nothing was certain for the Cavs, with only a five-game difference between the No. 5 and No. 9 seed in the Eastern Conference. With the new NBA playoff structure, only the top six teams in each conference were guaranteed a spot in the playoffs. The No. 7 and No. 8 seeded teams would participate in the Play-In Tournament.

Things became even more complicated as Evan Mobley suffered an ankle injury in late March, which sidelined him for an extended period. The team had a challenging schedule in April with games against championship-caliber teams, including the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets.

The Cavs won their first game of

April against the New York Knicks behind Darius Garland’s 24 points and 13 assists. This win put the team in the No. 7 seed with a three-game lead in the rankings over the Brooklyn Nets and a onegame lead over the Atlanta Hawks.

The team then hit a wall, going on a three-game losing streak against the Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando Magic and Brooklyn Nets. The Brooklyn game was especially damaging as the loss caused the Nets to equal the Cavs’ record. However, the Nets edged ahead to No. 7 in the standings since they held the tiebreaker over Cleveland.

The Cavaliers needed to win their last game of the season, which was against the third-ranked Milwaukee Bucks, in order to clinch their spot in the PlayIn. Fortunately for the Cavs, the Bucks

rested their regular starters—their seeding for the playoffs was set and the game was meaningless for them. The Cavaliers won 133-115 off strong performances from Kevin Love, who scored 32 points off the bench, and Lauri Markkanen, who added 23 points and 7 rebounds. With this victory, the team maintained their hold on the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, holding off the Atlanta Hawks in the rankings.

Now the team has a solid shot at the playoffs by participating in the Play-In tournament. The Cavs faced the No. 7 seeded Nets on April 12 and lost 115108. Now they must face the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, April 15 in Cleveland, with everything on the line for the final playoff spot.

Third-year first baseman Nick Talarico hit and scored in all three games, including a 3-run home run against Adrian College. Courtesy of CWRU Athletics