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Observer Shreyas Banerjee Executive Editor The population of Case Western Reserve University is growing due to President Eric Kaler’s push to increase enrollment over the next few years. With these plans, the need for new housing for students has become more urgent, in light of the recent housing saga, in which CWRU announced that the administration would no longer be able to guarantee housing for all undergraduate students, only to reverse course after massive student backlash. To accommodate the growing student population, CWRU will build two new residence halls in the South Residential Village (SRV) that together will house 600 additional students. Continued on pg. 3
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The new additions to the South Residential Village promise to increase the student capacity at CWRU, but also to modernize the facilities of the university. Courtesy of CWRU
Shreyas Banerjee Executive Editor On April 15-16, Case Western Reserve University students elected their peers to represent them in the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) for the upcoming 2022-2023 academic year. At the top of the ballot was third-year biology student Ananya Hari, who ran unopposed to be the next USG president, having previously served as the USG Vice President of Student Life, the Food Subcommittee Chair and the Feedback Subcommittee Chair. In her letter of intent to run for the position, Hari highlighted her co-authorship of the USG “Resolution for Housing being guaranteed for all CWRU undergraduates” that led the CWRU administration to reverse course on their housing policy change, her work in improving transportation systems on campus and her role in bringing the Physical Resource Center to life. But if you ask her about her favorite initiatives she’s been a part of at USG, she provides a different answer. “One initiative I really liked that
I did is we did our lighting tours … And it was very overwhelming because as a freshman; I didn’t know what the heck I was doing. And so I organized this group of people to kind of take a walk around campus
Shreyas Banerjee Executive Editor Quotes have been lightly edited for clarity. Upon listening to President Eric W. Kaler’s schedule, one can’t help but be struck by just how many aspects of Case Western Reserve University—and beyond—that he has to interact with on a daily basis. His meetings range the entire campus as he bounces between conversations with the deans of the university, the Board of Trustees, the provost, various vice presidents, financial consultants, Cleveland community leaders and students. A former chemical engineer, then president of the University of Minnesota, Kaler became president of CWRU in July 2021 following long-time President
Barbara Snyder’s departure in 2020 and President Scott Cowen’s interim administration toward the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. He has certainly made his mark on the university since then. Coming to CWRU, he outlined a five-point agenda: enhancing community safety, increasing involvement in the Cleveland community, expanding research, driving dollars to our academics on the business end and increasing the size and diversity of the student population. The last point has been especially contentious across campus with the increase in enrollment leading to policy changes, such as housing no longer being guaranteed for upperclassmen—a decision that was
or [where] there isn’t enough lighting as a safety issue,” Hari said. “And out of that, I think we changed over 200 lights on campus. And [CWRU] likes to do this thing where they have aesthetic lighting, [but] it just doesn’t help so we changed that into LED lights.” More of Hari’s favorite USG initiatives include adding the water botas the forthcoming “Night Link”—a GreenLink shuttle that will run at night so students won’t have to rely on Safe Rides all the time. She also notes the importance of USG’s continuing work to make sure that the meal plan is accommodating of foodinsecure students, as well as those who aren’t able to use their meal swipes during a week but still want to save them for the future—such as
students who are observing Ramadan. As for the future of USG, Hari’s goal is to review the organization’s internal structure and to ensure that operations run smoothly. While her plans may seem simplistic, they are crucial for the continued functioning of USG and all the clubs that fall under its purview. “My main thing is: next year going in, I want to redo a lot of our bylaws, and put more checks and balances into our [vice presidents]… especially VP of Finance after this year. I just want to put some checks and balances—not take away power, but [ensure] any grand decisions that are being made go through [General Assembly] and go through [the USG Executive Committee].” While Hari did not explicitly men-
semester due to mistracking and underutilization of funds and creating a misguided plan to create an endowment using $250,000 worth of student funds that USG never spent. This effort ultimately had to be shut down by the AC and the CWRU Of-
her to look at USG’s bylaws, especially surrounding the VP of Finance, much can be inferred. Over the past year, USG’s Finance Committee has struggled, failing their SEC Allocations Committee (AC) audit last
was happening while USG remained stringent with funding guidelines for their clubs, leading to various student organizations being underfunded despite USG’s vast amounts of cash on hand. To this effect, the newly elected USG VP of Finance, second-year biology student Basil Yaseen, has promised to overhaul the current system of funding for USG clubs. “I’m trying to revamp the entire system basically. I think that what we have going on right now—and I know that a lot of clubs agree—[is that] USG is a little too stingy,” Yaseen said. “I want to create a system that clubs can get as much money as we can give them and use that money however they need for that club.” Continued on pg. 2
reversed following massive student backlash. Questions still remain about where President Kaler’s plans will take CWRU and what his driving vision for the university entails. To seek clarification and promote a greater sense of understanding, The Observer approached President Kaler’s office requesting an interview and was finally offered one with the academic year soon to come to a close. During our conversation, we learned important details about his outlook on the university, as well as his perspectives on concrete matters such as new campus facilities, tuition increases and the expansion of the student body. Sitting in his office in Adelbert Hall, Kaler seems well aware that
his initial career path as a chemical engineer doesn’t usually lead to the position of university president. “[University] presidents used to be, maybe 40 years ago, law professors or humanists of some stripe. And over time, the disciplines of the presidents have shifted to more quantitative ones, more science, more engineering—which I think reflects an interesting shift in higher education and in the view of the value to society of a liberal education,” Kaler said. Now, as costs increase for universities and as they become increasingly essential in modern society, Kaler asserts that presidents with strong quantitative sense are required. Continued on pg. 2
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news Hari continued from pg. 1 Yaseen further explained that he felt as if USG’s current funding guidelines are too strict, “In some clubs, even though they need $20,000, we give them like $50 [or] $500, just because that’s all we can give them [according to] the guidelines.” Yaseen also promised to work more closely with the AC to ensure that ized yet as to how to ensure clubs get the funding they need, but Yaseen and Hari indicated that they have developed a framework together that they hope to implement next semester. Another major motivation for Hari to run for USG president was the increasing tuition rates at CWRU, with a 5% increase expected for returning students next year. A major part of her platform when running for president was advocating for a “grandfather clause” for tuition, which would cap tuition for returning students at the rate that they paid “I came here expecting a certain amount of money. And then three years later I’m paying $10,000 more, and I’m like, ‘What is going on?’” Hari said. “I came to [CWRU] with a four-year plan on how much money I plan on spending here. And now you can’t—[in] my junior year—tell me I need to spend ansensitive to students, especially [those] in need. I’ve had friends that can no longer afford [CWRU] and had to transfer out. I just don’t like that happening.” Though Hari acknowledges that CWRU covers all need-based costs
pushes back on the notion that this works for all students. “That’s assuming everyone’s parents [are] able to pay everything that That’s assuming parents are actually helping pay for the child’s tuition, and students are not taking loans … I’m an international student, I don’t get needHari said. “That’s the same thing with housing. I had students that were sophomores that went into sophomore housing, and they got displaced because they didn’t have enough sophomore housing, and they’re in [Stephanie Tubbs Jones Residence Hall] or The Village … but then you have to pay another $2,000 or something, but it wasn’t even their choice.” With regards to housing, Hari has made her thoughts clear on the administration’s plan to expand the student population when she co-authored the aforementioned Housing Resolution and will continue to advocate against continued expansion as USG president. “I’m not here to make myself an enemy of President Kaler or anything. But I will probably very strongly insist everything else on campus—before we start expanding our student body,” Hari continued. “It is ridiculous in some aspects [where], for example, mental health resources [are] barely able to cover students now, and now we have even more coming.” In the end, Hari did express gratitude that USG is able to act as a voice of the student body to CWRU administration and that administration is usually recep-
Newly elected USG president Ananya Hari (pictured) and new VP of Finance Basil Yaseen discuss their objectives for USG in the upcoming academic year. Courtesy of Ananya Hari tive to student concerns, but emphasized that more can be done: “The fact that USG can do what it does is wack because in other schools, that just doesn’t happen. Most universities don’t care, but at the same time,
Kaler continued from pg. 1
I understand how that works. But also, although people don’t generally credit engineers with having a deep interest rooted in the humanities, I took a lot of
humanities classes as a student; I read widely. And I’m very interested in that part of our culture, that part of our creative expression, and I really do think that universities are the cradles of civilization in the sense that we carry new ideas forward and bring them to the good of our society.” Now having been the president of
being like, ‘Oh, students don’t like that.’ Right?”
only unlock our true potential by getting outside of our comfort zone as a university. “I think [CWRU is] an institution that has come out of many years of budgetary tightness—that has a little bit of a culture of scarcity. People are worried they don’t have enough resources to do what they need to do … But now we’re emerging into a situation in which our budget is as strong as I think it’s maybe ever been, certainly in the past 20 years. [My] job is to help people lift their heads a little bit … We have this tagline, right, ‘Think beyond the possible.’ We really need to think beyond what we’ve been doing.” Kaler points to changes in the general education requirements and the requisite shift from the SAGES program as a way to allow students and faculty to edly referred to the investments CWRU has been making to ensure it remains a leader in research, in part by actually creating a research agenda and shifting -
President Eric Kaler sits down with The Observer to discuss his philosophy on higher education, and to address the practical concerns students have about the actions of CWRU administration. Courtesy of CWRU “I think an engineering background is a really good background for a higher [education] leader. Because I do have the quantitative side: I understand the
since [USG] does exist, I wish [CWRU] would listen [and] ask us for opinions
CWRU for almost a year, Kaler seems especially focused on the need to change CWRU’s culture—a notion he has mentioned in previous conversations with The Observer as well. Whether that be that are admitted here or just changing the mindset that has taken hold across campus, Kaler seems to believe we can
“I think the key hire that you will see is the Senior Vice President for Research—we’ve never had a Senior Vice President for Research. We’ve never had a person whose job it is to wake up every morning, thinking ‘How do I move the research agenda of Case Western Reserve forward,’ so that’s going to be a big effort. It’s one that I think faculty should be very excited about, because … what we’re going to give them is a set of tools that will enable them to be more effective, [be] more productive and get more out of their work in the research space.” When speaking about faculty roles in research versus teaching, Kaler quickly shut down any such dichotomy: “We research and teach. The best research informs your teaching, and
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observer.case.edu the best teaching informs your research. It has been in my experience an absolute seamless spiral of virtue to build these two things together.” Along with research, Kaler seems concerned with raising the prestige of the university, putting a concerted effort into raising the university’s media propeople’ if The New York Times needs a quote on climate change or ethics of AI … We need to purposefully and proudly build that kind of reputation.” All of this still raises the question of what Kaler’s ideas actually mean for undergraduate students currently enrolled at CWRU. Part of President Kaler’s plan to boost CWRU’s standing is expanding the campus population, though the rationale for this has not been clearly expressed to the student body until now. “First off, let’s frame growth, because sometimes I get some pushback, which is overwrought. I’m talking about going from roughly 5,800 students to roughly 6,300 students over a four-year period. This is not overloading the boat; it’s a very modest growth. And it does cause some physical dislocations that we’re working on. We need some more lab space. We need to improve utilization in the classrooms, and we need to make some improvements. We’re absolutely committed to doing that; the deans are working hard.” Though Kaler acknowledges that there will be “pinch points here and there,” he still seems committed to growing the campus population. “The reasons to grow a little bit are, one, is that by and large, we do have the capacity. And so in any business, if you think this is a business—which in some space? … Number two, if you look at our applicants, and you look at the 1,000 people we admit at the end of the admission cycle, and you look at the next 1,000 people that we don’t admit, there’s not a lot of difference between those people. So I’m convinced, and our admissions people are convinced, that we can grow a little bit with no diminishment in the
quality of the student. And that actually delivers on the promise that we make to society, which is to provide a Case Western Reserve quality education to students who are going to succeed in getting it and will … go forward in the world and do great things. I don’t want to get too moralistic about it, but we have almost an obligation to provide an opportunity if we have room for those students to come. Third reason is that a larger student body is more vibrant. ent kinds of people. So you get a little different mix. You might meet a person that you wouldn’t otherwise meet. It also enables us to offer a larger number of classes and a broader array of classes, because we have students who will take them. So that creates a more vibrant, intellectually diverse and active campus, which I think is a good thing. So when you add all of those up, it seems like, to me, something we ought to do.” To accommodate the larger student population, Kaler points to the upcoming additions to the South Residential Village which will house 600 more students, though these dorms will not be open until fall 2024. Kaler also wants the
2021, but said that overall, CWRU’s tuition was “the midpoint of our peers … It’s a high-quality education, and you should pay the price similar to what our peers that give you a high-quality education are paying.” Kaler noted that the administration was working with the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) to ensure that “there’s no dollar spent on management or oversight unnecessarily, because that’s $1 that should be spent on the academic side of the house.” He added, “we are adding budget and staff [in the Student Life area], partly to handle the modestly increasing number of stu-
Village to be renovated eventually. Plans are also in place to redevelop part of the Case Quad, with a new science and engineering building in the works that Kaler
5% increase and new students [having] higher tuition, and that’ll move through with them … I don’t know if you would call it ‘uncling,’ maybe not ‘grandfathering.’ The real challenge with grandfathering is that it’s very hard to know what the economic situation is gonna look like four years from now. We could tion, which, unfortunately, could happen. And you wind up with, if you do the math, a 75% difference between the grandfathered tuition and the un-grandfathered tuition. And that gets to be a fairness issue to me; that doesn’t feel right to me. So I’m not a fan of grandfathering. I am a fan of as low of an increase as we possibly can [sic].” With a college education becoming more essential than ever to get a job in the modern workforce, tuition raises are
years. Additionally, the Undergraduate Diversity Collaborative (UDC) is trying to work with the university to build an “Identity Center” building on the Quad to create spaces for minority groups. One of the other biggest concerns of the student body continues to be the increasing tuition. Returning students are expected to pay 5% more in the 2022-2023 academic year than they did this year, and the tuition for incoming students will increase from $54,020 to $61,040—an increase of over 10%. President Kaler ascribed the 5% increase consumer price index climbed 7% in
had to take during COVID.” There has been increased discussion surrounding a grandfather clause in tuition, where CWRU could still increase tuition prices each year, but the increase would only affect the incoming class, allowing current students to maintain a budget and know exactly how much they will pay to attend CWRU upon admission. Incoming USG president Ananya Hari endorses the idea, as has The Observer in the past. When pressed on the topic, President Kaler responded: “We did do that in the sense of con-
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real concerns; more students than ever are going to college. To this end, Presias a whole and its role in shaping students, both by preparing them not only to navigate a competitive workforce but also to be educated citizens of society. “I think that somebody who gets a STEM degree, while they perhaps have a set of skills that lets them go get a job straight away [after college], they’re educated people. They’ve taken the general education courses, and if they’re here, they probably minored in two or three other things. They are educated, rounded people who can take part in the democratic process, etc. … So I’m a huge fan of a broad education, but I’m engineering. That’s okay.” Kaler emphasized the importance of a CWRU education in preparing people for the cutthroat nature of commerce and the job market. To this end, he name-dropped Thomas Friedman’s due to the increased interconnectedness of global business, causing us to work harder in order to keep pace with others in different countries. “The most essential element of a successful society is education. The road to success is paved with education—always has been, always will be. So every bit of effort that a society can put forward to educate its population is effort very well spent; it should be the number one priority of any government [to] educate its population. And that spans everything. K-12 education in many parts of this country is a disaster. So now you’re saddling these young people with a tyranny of low expectations. They’re not able to compete in the global workforce competition, which is ‘the’ competition … And yet we somehow think it’s okay to let these young people not have tools for success. And then if you are able to go to college, that does give you the set of skills that you need to compete for world-class jobs. It is necessary.”
Residence halls continued from pg. 1 The residence halls, which have been nicknamed “Murray” and “Hill” for the time being, will be at the intersection of Murray Hill Road and Adelbert Road, adjoining the newly renovated Fribley Commons. The two new buildings, along with a green space in between, will be constructed on top of current Parking Lot 5. This will eliminate 174 parking spaces but the university has stated that they are conducting studies on alleviating parking pressure in the neighborhood. The planning stages for the residence halls are nearly complete and the university has begun presenting their designs to the Little Italy community and the city of Cleveland for approval. Construction will likely begin in August 2022 and wrap up by July 2024, with the residence halls being ready for movein by the fall 2024 semester. The dorms were originally planned to be constructed in 2020, with the current plan being relatively unchanged from that time, but were put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting shutdowns and supply chain issues. However, the renovations of Fribley Commons went ahead regardless due to contractual obligations, with that renovation being completed in summer 2021. Original costs for the new dorms were estimated to be around $80 million, but due to inof building material costs, that number has increased to a current estimated total of $110 million. The architects, William Rawn Associates, are not based in the Cleveland area but were chosen from a shortlist college campuses including Duke University and Harvard University.
“[William Rawn] has an elegant style and they’re very inclusive in their process, which we liked about them. That was one of the things that resonated well; they were very engaging, and they listened,” Interim Vice President for Campus Planning and Facilities Management Christopher Panichi said. us and design the building for us.” The buildings’ facade is mostly a blend of brick, granite and glass, in a modern re-interpretation of Little Italy’s current aesthetic, especially with Murray Hill Road itself being made of brick. The residence halls will be four either apartments for residential assistants (RAs) or dorm rooms. The rooms themselves will be “corridor style,” consisting of mostly doubles, although there will be a few singles also available. “We want students to get out of their rooms,” Panichi said, when asked about the decision to use a “corridor style” versus the “suite style” of dorms that currently dominate SRV—where six individual bedrooms are put together into a single suite. Panichi also noted that four different furniture manufacturers are currently being brought in to test different styles, with student groups touring the model setups for their impressions. Other features include communal lounges. As with the rest of the SRV, the residence halls are to be used by second-year students, though plans could change depending on proportions of campus population. Along with housing, the residence halls also include a large, glass-enclosed multipurpose room, with a 100-student ca-
A render of the residence halls from Murray Hill Road. Courtesy of CWRU pacity, though it can also be split. “We met with students and what they said is that they wanted a space is attained when a construction project on the Southside where they can go, and also have large meetings,” Panichi rounding carbon, energy, water, waste, said. “With this you’ll be able to do transportation, materials, health and that.” indoor environmental quality. Panichi Part of the plans for the SRV expan- also noted that the university’s experision also include a large green space ences during the COVID-19 pandemic in between the two buildings, which have allowed them to consider the role will include a “gathering grove” that of fresh air more in designing buildincludes spaces for hammocks and ings, and that they would also be inwill be lit by string lights, a “reading stalling bipolar ionization units that - kill bacteria. ted with aesthetically pleasing benches Though Panichi theorized that the - new residence halls could be more laxation outdoors, and a large “play expensive than current offerings and lawn” for outdoor recreation. The uni- that this range of prices would allow versity plans to plant a variety of can- students to pick from the various resiopy trees, evergreens, understory trees, dence halls in SRV according to their shrubs and groundcovers all around the budget, he could not say for certain area to create a verdant space. how the process would change. According to the university, housing fees Planning was collaborating with the and the selection process are still in discussion. extending to the architecture of the These new buildings remain years dorms themselves to the materials away from completion but will be an used. The buildings will be Leadership important stepping stone for CWRU as in Energy and Environmental Design the university continues to expand and modernize.
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CWRU’s Dhamakapella sings their way into second place at the All American Awaaz burgh weather all while still high [on] the adrenaline was unforgettable.” Through the weekend of April 16, Dhamakapella competed against eight other teams at A3; the culmination of their year-long efforts. Raag from Rutgers University, Basmati Beats from Rice University and UW Awaaz from University of Washington were just a few of the rival teams they had to faceoff against. “The competition was as hectic as you could imagine,” said Ekambaram. “There was lots of confusion, schedule changes, and tension in order to make everything fall in place... I’m glad I only had to go through this for two days.” The competition was simple: each team performed in front of both a live audience and panel of judges, with the victor taking home the grand prize and the title of “National Champion of South-Asian A Cappella.” When the
CWRU’s acclaimed a capella group, Dhamakapella, crushed their competition season this year, obtaining seven Courtesy of Dhamakapella Noah Henriques Staff Writer 17 years. They have garnered over was held at the University of Pittsburgh. Shivangi Nanda Copy Editor 1,360 subscribers on their YouTube After a streak of stunning perfor- channel and have won 21 national titles the road to A3. First-year Vikram Ekambaram demances, Dhamakapella closed out their and 27 individual awards at competicompetitive season with a second-place tions across the United States. This year scribed this victory as a moment worth win at the All American Awaaz (A3) this alone, they’ve secured seven individual remembering: “My favorite memory of the season would be the walk back to past weekend. A South-Asian a cappella group, Dhamakapella was founded by Case Western Reserve University stu- recent achievement was at A3—the Steel City Sapna. Aside from this win at dents Mayank Prasad, Raksha Soore championship event for South-Asian a A3, no win of ours felt as deserved as that one. Carrying the giant plastic trocappella groups in the college circuit. co-ed South Asian a cappella group in To even compete at this level, Dha- phy, scrambling around to pick up its pieces as it fell apart, and making our the country, the group has grown from three to a 16-person team over the past Sapna, a preliminary competition that way to the van through the chilly Pitts-
perform, Ekambaram described the experience as being completely calm. After all their rehearsals, where they perfected every aspect of their performance, they knew that they had given it their all, and it showed. At the biggest South-Asian a cappella competition in the nation, Dhamakapella secured second place. But all good things must come to an end. With the season over, six senior members are now preparing for graduation this May and are passing the torch down to their successors. Ekambram says this transition “feels really bittersweet … Getting second place at a national level is the … result of all our efforts, talents and improvements throughout the year … [but] … this victory will be the last for our seniors.” While disheartening, the group remains hopeful that this change in leadership will allow new talent to step up to take Dhamakapella to even greater heights.
Nina Turner, Gary Chambers and Philip Agnew come to Grace Johnson News Editor Walking into Tinkham Veale University Center Ballroom A, hopes and excitement to hear from a woman running for the House of Representatives for the OH-11 District on a platform of cannabis legalization, prison and healthcare reform and refusing to accept donations from PACs were high. Joining Ohio Sen. Nina Turner were US Senate candidate Gary Chambers and political activist Philip Agnew. All three presented a different perspective on the headlining topics of marijuana, the prison system, the healthcare system, the Green New Deal and more, offering important background on their own experiences within these systems and their dedication toward tearing down some of these potentially harmful systems within our United States political and social spheres. Putting on this important panel was the Case Western Reserve University student organization CWRU Students for Nina, who had advertised the event on their Instagram page, @cwrustudentsforninaturner. The organizers did a tremendous job bringing together these inspiring individuals and offering the CWRU student body and community members the chance to talk about their experiences and hopes and dreams for the country and her future. Following the program, I had the opportunity to speak with Nina Turner and Agnew about their experiences in life, in politics and on the campaign trail. When asked about how she got involved in politics, Turner responded
Louisiana candidate for US Senate Gary Chambers, OH-11 congressional candidate Nina Turner and activist Philip Agnew (left to right) spoke on a panel at the Tinkham Veale University Center on weed legalization and the justice system reform, as well as a variety of other topics releveant to the upcoming midterm elections. Courtesy of mobilize.us simply, “politics found me.” She explained her immersion and activism in politics as an undergraduate student at Cleveland’s Cuyahoga Community College and Cleveland State University. “A group of friends and I started an organization called ‘Students for Positive Action’ because we just saw the decay in the city and wanted to be helpful. And even though we didn’t have a lot of money, we knew that in many ways we were privileged…we wanted to help people make their lives better.” She has taken this mentality into her current campaign trail after losing in a close race during this last election cycle, but she has not let this stop her. Rather, she has taken this challenge head-on and has remained hopeful and
excited about the future of Cleveland, and the United States as a whole as a voice for the Progressive movement within the Democratic Party. This sector of the Democratic Party involves provisions toward expanding education at the preschool level, helping current undergraduate students with loan forgiveness and creating a free public education option for those seeking post-secondary education. As college students who experience the burden of loans, these policies are inacknowledges the urgency of this matter. She said, “we’ve got to get elected leaders who know that the investments that we make in our young people early on are paying so many dividends, both
for them as individuals, [and] us collectively as a community…,” emphasizing that doing this allows young people to live out their “greatest greatness” and achieve new heights. This idea of living and learning outside the classroom is one that Agnew also touched on: “So I was a business student [in undergrad], but I was also super involved in student government. I wound up being a student body president my junior year.” This led him to co-found the organization Dream Defenders following the murder of Trayvon Martin. “We did a big march…to where Trayvon was murdered, and out of that came Dream Defenders. So we all did this big thing together, it was really powerful… so we said maybe we should start an organization,” said Agnew. When asked what college students can do to engage in activism and help foster change in the world, Agnew replied, “this is a primary time in your life; your only responsibility is to go to class and to connect with other people who want to better themselves and hopefully better the world.” He went on to say that students have the numbers and the potential to enact change in many aspects of student life, such as relieving student debt. So, regardless of our political leanings, it is important that we use our voices as college students to vote and make our voice heard. Go out and vote in the Ohio primary elections on May 3 (if you’re registered) and help make a difference within our community.
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Crank up the air-conditioning and the music Playlist of the week 4/22/22 TJ Disabato Staff Writer After taking a break from writing for The Observer for most of the semester, I -
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“Vacation” – The Go-Go’s
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“Hot Stuff” – Donna Summer The end of the school year is just around the corner, and “My Old School” by Steely Dan is one of the many perfect songs that belong on your summer playlist. Courtesy of sessiondays.com sionate short-term romances. Again,
“Rock Lobster” – The B-52’s
“My Old School” – Steely Dan
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“Everybody Wants to Rule the World” – Tears for Fears Other than his Y chromosome, this
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“In the Sun” – Blondie
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“Yes Sir, I Can Boogie” – Baccara
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should know Shivangi Nanda Copy Editor
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Start early and create a game plan!
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help you break it down into manageable pieces. Courtesy of LoFiGirl
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Elie Stenson Staff Writer become the setting for an exhibition
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The CMA’s new exhibit, “Currents and Constellations: Black Art in Focus,” highlights Black artistic production, including Sanford Biggers’ “Cumulo” (above), which alludes to enslaved people using quilts with embroidered instructions to get to freedom. Courtesy of clevelandart.org
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estd. 1969
Aquarius
Tarun’s LOLs
Horoscope
Weekly Tarot
The Signs as Certain Famous Celebrities
Read by Mulan Ma
Bill Maher
The Chariot (Reversed) Work on your foundation before you march on forward.
Pisces Taurus
Seth Rogen
Libra Scorpio
??? by Mulan Ma
The Star (Upright) Inspiration is in the air! Channel it and amazing things will happen.
Three of Swords (Reversed) A string of dramatic events will shape you for better or worse. It’s your choice.
Woody Harrelson
Four of Wands (Upright) Your Don’t just reminisce of the good old days. Keep making new memories to look back upon.
Snoop Dogg
Queen of Cups (Reversed) Independence is your key to happiness.
Frances McDormand Dave Chappelle Willie Nelson
The Magician (Upright) Don’t be afraid to venture forth in your what you want.
Judgement (Upright)
The Devil (Reversed) will have to look beneath the surface to into normalcy.
Capricorn
Warped Tour Planet Afropunk Live Boston Calling The Roots Picnic Governors Ball Park Life Glastonbury Rolling Loud
Sagittarius
Coachella Springfest Lollapalooza Woo Hah Pitchfork Music Hangout Music Bonnaroo Woodstock
Virgo
Leo
Cancer Gemini
Word Search
Elon Musk
Aries
.
Whoopi Goldberg
Ice Cube
Cameron Diaz
Death (Upright) time has come for you to move on from your grief.
Strength (Upright) Know where to apply your force and you will get what you want.
The Lovers (Upright) There is someone in your life right now that makes you feel like you’ve waited for them your whole life. Hold on to them.
Queen of Swords (Reversed)
Wiz Khalifa
and you should be the one deciding anyone else.
fun Sudoku
Hard
Medium
Crossword ACROSS 1 Get in the game? 5 Home of the comics heroes Asterix and Obelix 9 Month with a so-called “hunter’s 12 “Let’s Make ___” 13 Actor Edward James ___ 15 “It’s cold in here!” 16 What might be rolled for a strike 18 Put (down) 19 ___ no good (misbehaving) 20 Bud ... or bait 21 23 Verse in a poem 25 What a clock might strike 27 [A spider!] 28 naval intelligence 30 Is on the same page
65 66 Place to leave 67 Disney heroine whose name means “ocean” 68 69 Many a big charit event 70 “Bird by Bird” writer Lamott DOWN 1 Took home a “furever
10 Suddenly stopped 2 Fresh spin on a familiar concept 3 Prey-catching claw 4 Inventor Whitney 5 Painter Vincent van ___ 6 Lady Gaga’s “The Fame” or “Artpop” 7 or bitter 8 Response to a funny text (that usually isn’t literally true) 9 Beholden (to)
computer 11 Secret meetings 12 Mistreat 14 Sort of language generally found in Urban Dictionary 17 Final Four org. 22 Desert illusion 24 Rigatoni relative 26 Surrealist Salvador 29 Manhattan neighborhood containing some of
N.Y.U. 32 Thrashes about 34 Org. that provides 35 Name on Woody’s shoe in “Toy Story” 38 Overcast 39 Wall Street inits. since 40 Like some couples 41 Atone for 44 Mekong Valley resident 45 Wedding guest’s part-
31 Dexterous 33 Milky gem 36 Put two and two 37 What might strike during a storm 40 Mermaid’s home 42 Place for a fork ... or a jackknife? 43 Cry of pain 46 Popular Nissan model 48 “For sure!” 50 Ctrl-___-Del 52 Who might go on strike 55 Plush fabric 57 Religious believer of a sort 58 Rod between wheels 60 Site for buying and selling crafts 61 Letters on a Forever stamp 62 What might strike you while solving this puzzle
46 Only mortal Gorgon in Greek myth 47 Recurring theme 49 Penultimate word in a fairy tale 51 casually 53 G.P.A. booster 54 Kick out 56 Divulge 59 Pre-euro currency 63 Christmastime concoction 64 Doctors’ org.
opinion
friday, april 18, 22, 2022 2022 friday, february volume LIII, issue volume LIII, issue 27 20 estd. estd. 1969 1969
EDITORIAL
Editorial: It’s time for CWRU students to vote Editorial Board As the semester comes to an end and
Thanks for a great semester from The Observer Editorial Board!
the observer The Observer is the weekly undergraduate student newspaper of Case Western Reserve University. Established in 1969,
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
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR should be e-mailed to observer@
news editor GRACE JOHNSON life editor CHRISTIE LANFEAR opinion editor KARUNA LAKHIANI
related to the submission of Letters to the Editor, refer to
sports editor PUNEET BANSAL social media editor SOPHIA POPKIN photo editor CHRIS HEERMANN
The Observer is a proud member of CWRU’s University
web editor COLLIN WONG copy editors RITIKA DEVARAKONDA, JULIA FENG-BAHNS & SHIVANGI NANDA layout designer TARUN SEPURI business managers NIKKI D’COSTA, PHUONG NGUYEN
observer.case.edu
Editor’s Note: A toast to our graduating Shreyas Banerjee Executive Editor
Feng-Bahns: I did right by my past self Julia Feng-Bahns Copy Editor
Allen: Goodbye Observer Hannah Allen Director of Digital Media
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12 opinion
Reyna: Last column and moving forward Christian Reyna Staff Writer
Kinstler: Shine on forever, Case Western Reserve Ethan Kinstler Staff Writer
4/22/22
observer.case.edu
Heermann: Scrapbook thoughts Photo Editor
Spartans vs. Yellowjackets
Photo 2: Kevin Love
Photo 3: Presidential Debate
Photo 4: All-Ohio 2022
opinion 13
14 opinion
4/22/22
Reif: My years with the paper people Jordan Reif Staff Writer
Radwan: Op-ed writing has been a pleasure Aziz Radwan Staff Writer
Now through May 15! *Excludes alcohol and prepared foods. Must present valid CWRU, CIM, or CIA ID to cashier.
opinion 15
observer.case.edu
from ourselves Alex Covert Contributing Writer
Think Summer 2022
Think Summer and plan for success! Course Registration opens soon! •
March 21 for graduate students
•
March 28 for undergraduate students
•
April 4 for visiting and non-degree students
Tuition for courses numbered 100-399 is half the price of fall and spring semesters. Over 100 courses available. 2022 Summer Session: May session:
May 9–May 27
8-week session:
June 6–August 1*
5-week session:
June 6–July 11*
4-week session (1): June 6–July 1 6-week session:
June 20–August 1*
4-week session (2): July 12–August 8 *No class on Monday, May 30 or Monday, July 4
summer.case.edu
friday, april 22, 2022 volume LIII, issue 27 estd. 1969
sports
Shreyas Banerjee/The Observer Gaurav Hardikar Staff Writer On April 15, Cleveland’s rebranded MLB team welcomed fans to Progres2022 season.
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The CWRU Film Society Presents The 47th Annual
Science Fiction Marathon STROSACKER AUDITORIUM Friday, April 22, 2022 8:00 p.m. 11:10 p.m. Saturday, April 23, 2022 12:45 a.m. 3:00 a.m. 5:05 a.m. 7:20 a.m. 9:50 a.m. 11:35 a.m. 2:10 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 6:20 p.m. 8:30 p.m. 10:15 p.m. Sunday, April 24, 2022 12:10 a.m.
Dune (2021, PG-13, DCP) War of the Worlds (1953, G, 35mm) Surprise 1 (????, NR, Digital) The Lawnmower Man (1992, R, 35mm) Lifeforce (1985, R, Digital) Space Battleship Yamato (1977, G, Digital) The Iron Giant (1999, PG, 35mm) Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (2005, PG-13, DCP) Surprise 2 (????, PG, ????) Der Golem (The Golem) (1920, NR, Digital) Howard the Duck (1986, PG, 70mm) Muppets from Space (1999, G, 35mm) Moon Zero Two (1969, G, Digital) Pacific Rim (2013, PG-13, 35mm)
For more details, please check