Volume XLVI, Issue 21 February 27, 2015

the

Case Western Reserve University volume xlvi, issue 21 friday, 2/27/2015

Observer

Down the hatch

Jolly Scholar to deliver to the quad during peak hours

Ki Oh/Observer Jolly Scholar staff will be bringing food to the quad starting March 16.

Sruthi Meka Staff Reporter Harsha Chandupatla/Observer Above: a student attempts the salad eating portion of UPB’s Gluttony Gauntlet. Below: students try several other food challenges.

Students fight for first at Gluttony Gauntlet

Soon there will be a new set of wheels on campus.

Matt Vann, the owner of the Jolly Scholar, plans to use large, insulated pushcarts to deliver food orders to the main quad in between classes starting March 16.

According to Vann, the delivery orders will be accepted exclusively through Tapingo. There will be an additional service fee of 50 cents tacked on to meal plan orders.

Vann plans to set up a pick-up area for the food deliveries near Grab It! in the Sears Building. He hopes to accommodate individual students’ schedules by overseeing two separate delivery times each day of the week.

On the Monday, Wednesday and Friday class schedules, orders will be accepted until 10:45 a.m. for the 11:15-11:30 a.m. delivery period and until 11:45 a.m. for the 12:15-12:30 p.m. delivery period.

On the Tuesday and Thursday class schedules, Tapingo orders will be accepted until 10:45 a.m. for the 11:15-11:30 a.m. delivery period and until 12:10 p.m. for the 12:40-1 p.m. delivery period.

There will also be a new menu for the delivery service, which will not include food typically found on the Jolly Scholar’s regular menu.

In addition to a few meal plan selections, there will be other quick lunchtime-appropriate options priced around $5. Soup, breadsticks, pizza, salads, burritos, milkshakes and other beverages will be made available for order.

“I think it’ll be successful,” Vann said.

He hopes students will show enough interest in Tapingo deliveries for the service to continue and become a popular option during the day.

Ever wanted to gain about 5 pounds in a half hour?

Me neither.

But this is what many contestants did during the Melt Challenge portion of the University Programming Board-sponsored 6th annual Gluttony Gauntlet at Case Western Reserve University. Participants had half an hour to eat as much of a huge grilled cheese sandwich as they could. The sandwich, made from local restaurant Melt Bar and Grilled, lurked in a baked tin which had been evenly filled with fries and coleslaw.

The second portion of the event was a relay made up of three-person teams. First leg was salad (it was great to see some healthy options), second was two Jolly Scholar burgers and the last leg was a quart of ice cream. These contestants were competing for the prize of Visa gift cards, and maybe just to have a free dinner.

After getting second place last year, the Delta Chi relay team was back with their eyes on first. Their training: just eating a lot

daily. Junior Josh Osborne, the salad eater on this team, suffered an injury in last year’s competition.

“I bit my finger,” he said. “There was a bruise on one side and like a dent on the other.”

The Fiji team, about 10 guys sitting together at a table, took first place last year.

Their captain junior Jonathan Fuentecilla explained Fiji’s training process. There were practice runs starting a week prior, team dinners up until two days before the event, some salad eating sessions and fasting the day of event with drinking only warm water.

“Drinking cold water shrinks your stomach,” he said.

This may sound intense, but it was needed to see who was the best of the best; six students didn’t even make the team.

The tables were on tarps with buckets next to each seat, and EMTs were on standby. Every year there are a few people who can’t handle all the gluttony and throw up, this year being no exception. Intense training might be necessary.

There’s a lot of advice on how to eat a crazy amount of food, which was explained by

the emcee of the event junior Bill Tomaszewski. During the challenges he called out some “protips” such as….

“Pour water on the food and drink it like a soup” “Eat with your hands and feet to increase efficiency” “Run in place while eating to burn calories, but shuffle your feet cause you can’t get up” “Watch ‘Family Guy’ while eating.”

(A contestant actually brought his laptop and was watching “Family Guy” during the competition).

Despite the likely sickness which followed for most of the participants, the event winners brought home one of CWRU’s most esteemed prizes: biggest foodie.

Here are the winners of Gluttony Gauntlet: Melt Challenge: First place Sam Hong, second place Russell Henninger, third place William Driscol Relay: First place Fiji All Stars (Jon Fuenticilla, John Stockman, Kevin Wang), second place Delta Chitty (Hyung Chul Kim, Kevin Smith, Josh Osborne), third place ZBT (Anjay Khurana, Nate Lundie, Adam Holets)

News

A&E

Opinion

Sports

pg. 2 Dining hall options limited

pg. 11 Brite Winter lights up

pg. 7 Housing lacks student focus

pg. 21 Batter up: season previews

Alex Clarke Staff Reporter

news Restrictive restrictions

A closer look at dietary limitations in CWRU’s dining halls

Aneeka Ayyar Staff Reporter With students paying a minimum of $5,200 each year for a meal plan, it’s crucial that they get something they enjoy eating.

According to Bon Appétit, CWRU’s food management company, approximately seven percent of the Case Western Reserve University student body deals with some kind of dietary restriction or food allergy, not including vegetarians and vegans. These students pay the same price as everyone else, but they often face limited selections when they’re trying to find something to eat.

Incoming freshmen fill out a survey during orientation that asks if they have any dietary restrictions or allergies. At this point, if the student says yes, they are “flagged” and Dayna Einheit, residential dietitian, adds them to a list. She checks up with these students at the end of each semester to make sure that they are being taken care of effectively. This year there are 166 freshmen with medical dietary restrictions.

“We know you pay a lot of money for the meal plan, and we want everyone to be able to enjoy the food,” Einheit said.

Bon Appétit also plans to implement a new food station at Fribley Commons called “The Oasis” that will be free of gluten and the top eight allergens. Over spring break, the station, now used to serve stirfry and pasta, will be heavy-duty cleaned by an outside company. None of the food made there will be stored in the kitchen, to eliminate risk for contamination.

It will be piloted for two and a half weeks on weekdays for lunch and dinner. If successful it will be open for breakfast, lunch and

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dinner next year and will possibly be available at Leutner Commons as well.

“The goal is for the food to be exceptional so that students don’t realize they’re eating gluten-free food,” Einheit said.

Current options for students with celiac disease include a small section of the dining hall with a few foods. Both Fribley and Leutner’s “made without gluten” section is located near the cereal station, with Fribley also having a small cooler with a few gluten-free products. Leutner’s gluten-free selection often mimics the home table entrée.

Students with celiac disease often feel left out eating a separately cooked meal, as they want to just eat with their friends. Others feel perfectly comfortable with going to their section to get food.

“I don’t see it as a problem,” said senior David Aghassi, regarding his gluten intolerance. “I see it as how I have to live.”

The Oasis aims to bridge this gap by offering students a safe place with gluten-free food that is not so secluded.

According to Vincent Gaikens, executive chef, there is also a designated cook to make the gluten-free foods in a separate location in the kitchen.

In addition to the gluten-free options, students with dietary restrictions can also request ingredients from the head chef, such as vegetables to cook in their dorms. If they are worried about cross-contamination in the kitchen, the chef is willing to give students a few ingredients to cook with.

Furthermore if students report their allergies to the Office of Disability Resources, they could even be eligible to have microwaves and refrigerators in their rooms.

As for vegetarians and vegans, Leutner and Fribley workers try to do as much as they

The more food restrictions you have, the less choices you have

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ingredients to know the contents of their food.

“They don’t put labels on some of the foods, and sometimes they even mislabel them, especially the desserts,” freshman Sharon Chen, who has a nut allergy, said.

Although Bon Appétit does label vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free on their website and on the signs in the dining halls, they do not label foods that contain lactose.

“There have been times where I ate copious amounts of something, didn’t realize there was heavy cream or something and got very sick,” said Iyengar.

Bon Appétit says that, while they try to label everything, it is sometimes difficult with large amounts of food.

“We try to use clue words in our food labels,” said Einheit. “We can’t label everything, but the goal is to have [students] ask questions.”

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Total Vegetarian Vegan Glutenoptions free

Currently some gluten-free options are available in separate fridges for students.

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Harsha Chandupatla/Observer

Over the course of a normal week, students had 197 food options in the dining halls, according to the menus listed on the Bon Appétit website. Items served several times a week were counted each time they were served. Illustrated below is the number of options students with dining restrictions had that same week. If you’re looking for gluten-free and vegan dishes, good luck. You would only have 11 options over the course of that week.

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can to accommodate them. The cooks use separate green utensils, change their gloves and use different cutting boards for meat.

At Bag It! and Grab It!, students with dietary restrictions can work out a special plan with Einheit. Most students go to these locations on specific days in the week. With a set schedule, the chefs can prepare and send a meal to the location on those days, and the student can simply grab his or her meal.

Students with other dietary restrictions, including lactose intolerance or religious restrictions, can also ask a chef for a custom-made meal. Even when the chefs are unsure of how to accommodate a student, they often find themselves learning more about a condition. Students are always encouraged to request meals.

“Our motto is never say no, always say yes,” Gaikens said.

However, even with these options, many students still have complaints about the way that their dietary restrictions have been handled.

Adithi Iyengar, a junior who is a vegetarian and lactose intolerant, says that she does not remember ever having any communication with the residential dietician, and she was never made aware of her options as far as requesting special food.

“While I understand Bon Appétit is trying really hard to cater to all the different dietary restrictions, they don’t have many choices for people that have multiple dietary restrictions like me,” she said. “I’m stuck eating the same things again and again in small quantities. I don’t think it’s worth the money that I’m paying for to go into the dining hall.”

Students also complained about the lack of labels on the foods in Leutner and Fribley.

These labels are crucial for those allergic to

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Lactose Vegetarian Gluten-free Vegetarian Vegan & & lactose & lactose & gluten- glutenfree* free free *Bon Appétit does not label lactose free food. free free

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news

observer.case.edu

Gender inclusive housing options will be available for next year Julia Bianco News Editor

being loudest about it, but thats just because I’m the one with words for it.”

Perrin’s friend, sophomore Duck Rhee, was inspired by their experiencGender-inclusive housing (GIH) op- es and wanted to push forward with the tions will be available for all students movement. starting next semester. Although the “I do not believe that effective social specifics are still being worked out, the change comes from only discourse, just current proposal will likely involve GIH talking about these issues and slowly f loors on both sides of campus, where going through the bureaucratic prostudents of all years will live together. cess,” said Rhee. “I’m a true believThe Residence Hall Association had er in direct approaches and consensus approaches, because it is the most efficient and successful method.”

“It got to a point where it Rhee, who works at the was truly a safety issue Center for International Affairs, was able to get an apfor the individuals who pointment with deputy proneeded GIH.” vost Lynn Singer through the help of executive assistant -Duck Rhee Sharon Burke.

He spoke to Singer about how to move forward, presenting Perpreviously been working on a GIH inirin’s Google Form as an example of the tiative, with the hope to release a survey student support for the initiathis month and have it implemented by tive.

Singer agreed that this was 2016. However, when next year’s houssomething that was imperative ing application came out with no GIH options in sight, students decided to to push for. make a push to move up that timeline.

“It got to a point where it was m. c. Perrin, a junior theater major truly a safety issue for the indiand transgender student, was extremely viduals who needed GIH,” said upset by the fact that there were no GIH Rhee. options available, and posted to Face“Some people might see GIH book encouraging everyone else who as really a political issue, a pofelt that the option should be available liticized issue, but I would enimmediately to write their opinions on courage Case Western to really a Google Form. think of this as a community “I am trans and I have lived here for issue and how we stand in solthree years and I’m very vocal about the idarity,” he added. “This is not terrible experiences I’ve had so far,” about the individual; it’s about said Perrin, who received 159 respons- the public image of Case Western and es, from people on and off-campus, to how we hold ourselves to the standard the Google Form. “This was definite- of being LGBT friendly and really acly a cooperative effort. It was literally tualizing that reality.” hundreds of people working together.

Since the meeting, Singer has been I happened to be the person who was working with Vice President of Student

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Affairs Lou Stark, LGBT Center direc- while still prioritizing it for people who tor Liz Roccoforte and Associate Vice need it.

President for Student Affairs Sue NickOne of the key features that Perrin is el-Schindelwolf. Details of the propos- pushing for is education. al aren’t finalized yet, but they will be “Making sure that everyone there before incoming freshman start applying for housing.

“Having safe housing The LGBT Center is also is life or death for our currently working on forming a committee who will help to people.

Framing it work on the proposal and upin that way lets you dating it based on student feedsee what’s actually back once GIH begins.

“I’m really impressed with important.” the community support that has -m.c. Perrin been garnered from m.c.’s petition,” said AmariYah Israel, department coordinator for the LGBT is being educated on how to keep the Center and the Office of Multicultural space safe is the most important thing Affairs. “I read through many of the re- for making it truly gender inclusive,” sponses and students from other cam- Perrin said. puses, and leaders in the trans commuResidential assistants and staff who nity were saying that this is something work on GIH f loors would have to go that Case really needs to do.” through a special training, like a modiUnder the current proposal, students fied Safe Zone workshop.

Perrin wants the f loors to be mixed between the grades “This is not about the so that gender non-conforming freshmen will be able to talk to individual, its about the upperclassmen about the transipublic image of Case tion into college life.

Western and how we hold “If I had had other trans people telling me that these are the ourselves to the standard ways that you navigate the sysof being LGBT friendly tems at this school, find safety, survive here, that would have and really actualizing that been really helpful,” Perrin said. reality.”

Perrin is also pushing for special programming for GIH floors, -Duck Rhee while still ensuring that freshman, in particular, wouldn’t be who want to live in GIH would have to left out of the first-year experience or othmark that on their housing application. er traditional programming.

They can also mark whether or not “Having safe housing is life or death they would be willing to live in non- for our people,” said Perrin. “Framing it GIH housing, if necessary. This way in that way lets you see what’s actually the space can also be filled with allies, important.”

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Greek Life program highlights bystander intervention techniques to help prevent sexual misconduct Adithi Iyengar Copy Editor Following a number of allegations of sexual misconduct against fraternity men and last semester’s suggestion that fraternities cancel all social events involving alcohol, discussion about how Case Western Reserve University deals with sexual misconduct has come to the forefront.

In an effort to help address this issue, while also tackling the topic of substance abuse, Greek Life hosted an in-depth bystander intervention program called “Be a Catalyst.”

“Getting involved can be very hard in certain situations,” said Ashley Hartman of Recovery Resources, a local behavioral healthcare group. “There are many factors that play into it.”

The seminar provided different ways in which individuals can intervene and help prevent their peers from making mistakes.

The seminar stressed that, even if it is not someone the bystander knows well, it is important to keep vigilant to

help the CWRU community better as a whole.

“The key bystander reminders are to take a second, check in and ask ‘What if it were to be someone you loved?’” said Hartman.

The first step in being a bystander is recognizing when there is an issue. For situations of sexual violence or misconduct, this is usually when an individual targets a victim, approaches them and initially f lirts with them in a friendly way. If the perpetrator is rejected, they will try harder, trying to instill guilt in their victim for not reciprocating their interest. They can also intimidate their victim and isolate them from other friends.

“This may seem to start out as all innocent, but make sure you watch out when a person is pressured to do things they are not comfortable with, especially when alcohol is involved,” said Colleen Fitzgibbons, also of Recovery Resources.

The forum also brought up that alcohol consumption is common in many cases of sexual misconduct in college

campuses. Because alcohol is so ingrained in campus culture, it is hard for people to tell that it can be a substance abuse disorder. Nearly four out of five students drink on college campuses, and half the college students who drink consume alcohol through binge drinking.

Many of the obvious signs of substance abuse of any sort include extreme weight loss or weight gain in a short amount of time, loss of social interest and absence in classes for many weeks. These signs can also be used for telling whether a peer suffers from other mental disorders, such as depression or anxiety.

“Even being there for someone can help them greatly and lead them to get the help they need,” said Fitzgibbons.

Getting involved with any of these issues can be quite difficult. People abstain from involvement for many reasons. If it is a risk to their own health, people are less likely to get involved. If there is a large group of people, responsibility is diffused and relinquished and people are less likely to act. People can

also hesitate to act for fear of embarrassing themselves or doing something that brings attention to them.

“There are three ways in which you can address a problem,” said Fitzgibbons. “They can be used in many situations at different times or at the same time: direct, distract or delegate.”

If there is an issue involving mental health, substance abuse or sexual misconduct, one can direct—meaning directly address—the issue by confronting those in the situation.

A person can also distract, or try to get people away from a situation, by driving their attention to something else.

“For example if a friend has already taken too many shots and is asking for another one, you can distract them to another topic or give them a shot of soda or something,” said Hartman.

To delegate is to get help from other people.

“This is useful in situations where you don’t want to be the only one involved, and you need help to intervene,” said Hartman.

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news

Campus insider

UMB chair talks moving forward, becoming more cohesive Miriam Ridge Staff Reporter This week we sat down with Nabeel Mallick, the chair of University Media Board (UMB). For those of you who don’t know, Media Board provides forums of expression and delivers information through a variety of media forms to Case Western Reserve University students. The board acts as an umbrella organization in monitoring and reviewing the activities of its member organizations, which include The Athenian, Case Reserve Review, CWRU Film Society, Discussions, Ignite Television, Retrospect, The Observer and WRUW. UMB is fundamentally different from other groups in that its purpose is to oversee other organization’s media. While UMB serves as an advocate for many groups and movements, it is not an arbiter.

Improving quality Mallick says UMB is looking to move away from being the “lite, watered down version of other organizations, primarily by getting to know other organizations and their staff and making sure the people in media know their own and other people’s organizations really well.” UMB is aiming to be more cohesive in that manner.

Mallick noted The Observer’s recent recognition, winning eight awards at the Associate Collegiate Press’ Best of the Midwest Competition, and stated that UMB’s purpose is to make sure that each group has the chance to achieve the best level of quality they can try for, and for those who are already high achieving, making sure they can expand upon that.

Summer initiatives In the past, the two-semester system has proven to be restrictive in the digital age. The ease of interaction through the Internet, despite the summer off, has UMB pushing for higher quantity and quality of summer issues like The Athenian and Discussions.

Crossing media UMB aims to encourage more crossovers in personnel between the types of media. The objective is to broaden the experience, cultivate the skills of members and benefit the board with members who have a wider range of skills and understanding when it comes to the media forms.

Auxiliary committee UMB has been working on presenting media as a whole to campus though the Auxiliary Committee.

“In the past, when a media organization wanted to interact with the rest of campus, they would do it on their own,” said Mallick. “The Auxiliary Committee would be a way for all of media to interact with campus aside from the individual contributions of the groups.”

2/27/15

CWRU faces gender discrimination lawsuit Former nursing school director seeking one million dollars in damages; provost implicated

Mike McKenna Director of Print Case Western Reserve University finds itself in the midst of legal trouble yet again, this time facing allegations of gender, age and disability discrimination.

But this time, the requested damages are public. And the desired payment isn’t cheap: $1 million.

Christopher Manacci, a 52-year-old male with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, filed the lawsuit against CWRU late last month. Manacci served as the the director of the Advanced Practice Flight Nurse Program in the Frances Payne School of Nursing since 2003, and he has been working at CWRU since 2001. Manacci’s filed court documents note that he was crucial in creating the program and emphasized that during his tenure, the flight program was the beneficiary of more than $4.7 million donations.

According to the suit, Mary Kerr, dean of the nursing school, removed Manacci as the director of the Flight Program in May of last year and terminated his position as a faculty member last June. In both cases, Manacci claims, he was replaced with a younger and less-qualified female employee.

The suit alleges that on multiple occasions,

Kerr and Dr. Chris Winkelman, another female professor, harassed and intimidated Manacci by increasing his teaching and administrative responsibilities, reducing his pay, unnecessarily interviewing past students under a “coercive atmosphere” and forcing Manacci to go through additional training.

Despite agreeing and attending the training, Manacci says he was still fired.

Kerr and Winkelman are listed as co-defendants with CWRU on the lawsuit.

Also of note in the suit: Manacci alleges that he sent a confidential email to Provost Bud Baeslack, CWRU’s chief academic officer, from his personal email address, describing the aforementioned issues he had faced with Winkelman and Kerr and concerns with his annual performance review performed by Dr. Carol Savrin.

The email was sent at 3:43 p.m. on May 13. The filed court documents do not specifically attribute this email to Manacci being asked to resign, but did note that “on or about” a day later, on May 14, Kerr, without offering any reason, asked Manacci to step down as director of the flight program. He refused.

Thomas L. Colaluca, Manacci’s legal counsel, confirmed that Baeslack never responded to Manacci regarding his concerns. He also said that his client was never

contacted or made aware of any investigation following up on what he reported.

“The university does not comment on pending litigation,” said a university spokesperson when asked about the lawsuit.

Baeslack was also accused of improperly handling an employee’s reported concerns in a 2013 lawsuit in which CWRU School of Law Professor Raymond Ku sued former School of Law Dean Lawrence Mitchell and the university for retaliation in response to reporting sexual harassment by Mitchell.

Court documents from that case alleged Ku met with Baeslack, who, instead of handling the issue, told him to take up the issue himself with Mitchell, his immediate supervisor. That course of action is against university policy.

Mitchell resigned from his dean position in March but still remains on the School of Law faculty. He will return as a professor in August.

That lawsuit settled out of court last July.

Terms of the settlement remain undisclosed, although Ku’s new position as the director of the law school’s newly created Center for Cyberspace Law and Policy is believed to part of the settlement. Additionally, it is believed CWRU purchased Mitchell’s Cleveland Heights home for nearly $600,000 in preparation for the settlement.

Department of Religious Studies asks if CWRU is too secular Nardine Taleb Staff Reporter The Department of Religious Studies held a thought-provoking forum about secularism and its place on campus on Feb. 24, 2015. Secularism, in the context of Case Western Reserve University’s campus, is the institution’s separation from any religion.

Professors Joy Bostic, William Deal, Jonathan Tan, Timothy Beal, Deepak Sarma, Peter Haas and Justine Howe held an open discussion about how students feel about the extent of our school’s secularism. Is CWRU too secular? If so, what can we do about it? If CWRU is secular, what about the traces of the Christian religion on our campus, the scripture passages engraved on our school buildings?

Timothy Beal, professor of Biblical Studies, commented on the campus’ history and its ties with Christianity.

“This school, like other private institutions in the United States, is sort of haunted by its religious background,” he said. CWRU merged with the Mather College for Women and Adelbert College for Men, both religious schools with their own chapels. Taking into account the university’s religious background, does that change the way we look at CWRU? In connection to Beal’s comment, Deepak Sharma, professor of South Asian religions, voiced his thoughts over whether CWRU is secular at all. The weekend, for example, is a Christian tradition.

“What would Case look like if we took out the Christian privileging in terms of the calendar?” he said. “When would we be teaching? When would we get time

Andrew Hodowanec/Observer The Amasa Stone Chapel, which was built by the Flora Stone Mather College for Women before the founding of CWRU, is one of the religious buildings on campus. off? What would this world look like?”

The professors and students discussed both sides of the argument, now having considered the historical background of the university.

“Should the university take more of a role,” asked Justine Howe, professor of Islamic Studies. “Or should it step back?”

One student brought up the role of chaplains, members of a religious institution, that could be present on campus to represent every religion and guide students. What if, they all asked, there was one religion that dominated? What about

the religions that are in the minority?

How would all students be represented?

Jonathan Tan, professor of Catholic studies, sparked a discussion on having all students, of all majors, learn about all religions. He brought up the point that historically, religion always had a place in knowledge.

“Theology is the queen of science and pursuit of knowledge,” he said.

The discussion is still ongoing, and the forum left an open-ended question: If CWRU is a platform for bettering ourselves, should it be responsible for our religious practices as well?

news

observer.case.edu

Spotlight on research

Viruses and the science of smell Kushagra Gupta Staff Reporter Junior Kavya Pai isn’t your typical neuroscientist. Her concern isn’t just with neurons; it’s with a mix of two unlikely candidates: viruses and smell.

Over the summer, Pai studied the islands of Calleja (IC) in mice, an area in the brain which is typically involved with smell. What she found, though, was surprising: the amygdala, the emotional center of the brain, was also inexplicably involved.

Pai used viral vectors, which can inject a chemical into specific cells. She used this viral vector to stain the islands of IC, using a green f luorescent molecule.

She expected only the IC to light up.

But, surprisingly the amygdala did as well.

The lab believes that the green f luorescent protein may have moved from within the IC to the amygdala. This suggests a physical connection between the two structures and that the amygdala may somehow be involved with smell. Since the amygdala is known for its involvement in emotional reactions, memory and decision-making, the lab is unsure how it could be involved with smell processing.

When she started her research, Pai first had to learn how to perform surgery on mice. Like other researchers, she was faced with a dilemma as the coordinates of the IC were different on each mouse’s brain. To ensure accuracy, researchers use a calibrator each time with reference to other brain structures. “[The IC] span a certain length in the brain,” she explained. “As you long as you target that length, you will get them.

Pai attempted to the lower the IC’s visibility by delivering a molecule called Caspase but was unable to complete this process. This would have allowed the lab to see how the other parts of the cortex were affected by the IC. To move further, she had to find a way

We boil down what happened in Cleveland this week.

Kasich makes State of the State Address

Freda Li/Observer Junior Kavya Pai is using viruses to research the connection of smell and the amygdala, an area of the brain typically associated with emotion. to see the effects which the IC have on other portions of the brain.

She sought to accomplish this by “turning off ” portions of the IC. She still had to use a viral vector.

Now, however, she is trying to insert a small channel into the IC cells’ membrane. A normal cell membrane won’t let ions through. The small ion channel, however, lets ions into the neurons, inhibiting their ability to fire.

More importantly, the specific ion channel Pai inserted only activates in the presence of light. Pai explained that she could now effectively prevent a neuron from firing simply by pointing light at it.

She plans to measure the firing of other parts of the brain, after turning the IC off. This also serves as a test run for investigating Pai’s summer discov-

ery, the mystery of the amygdala’s involvement. She hopes to investigate the brain structure by inserting ion channels and focusing light into the amygdala, while measuring the activation in the IC. This will allow her to see how inhibiting the amygdala would affect the IC. This may seem complicated, and Pai agrees, but she also enjoys it.

To Pai the most interesting part of smell is in the cerebral cortex, the top of the brain that processes information.

She points to the lab’s questions about why and how the brain allows conscious attention of only certain smells.

The lab’s interest was sparked due to the fact that the IC are known to shrink over time.

“It’s difficult to test,” she said. “It’s a complex process. I like the challenge.”

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Gov. John Kasich delivered his fifth State of the State Address on Feb. 24, a speech modeled after the president’s annual State of the Union Address. In his talk, he focused on the economy; however, many watching were focusing on his potential as a 2016 Republican presidential candidate.

Kasich’s economic proposals include reducing income taxes by 23 percent over the next two years and drastically reducing income taxes for small businesses. He plans to shift the burden off income taxes and onto consumption taxes instead.

“I think we should lean less on income taxes, which punish the economic growth that we all seek, and lean more on consumption taxes,” he said.

Other things he touched on included his plan to redistribute school funding so that it is more equitable and his goal to reform the state’s welfare system through job creation and more efficient methods of job training and placement.

“We want to get people back on their feet,” he said. “We have a common sense approach.

We’re not going to train you for underwater basket weaving. We’re going to train you for a job that exists in your community.”

Kasich has been coy about whether or not he plans on running for president in 2016, but many pundits think that he may be setting himself up for the gig. This speech, which outlines some pretty big plans for the rest of his time as governor, could help put him in a position to be a frontrunner in the Republican primary.

Local Fox 8 anchor uses racial slur on air

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Cleveland catch-up Julia Bianco News Editor

It actually is one of the worst winters ever 10

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Cleveland has been setting a lot of records recently, but not the good kind. The city has had six record low temperatures in the past ten days, resulting in a delayed opening and a full school closure. Hopefully the rest of the winter will bring better weather since 2015 has been off to a bitter start.

Kristi Capel, co-anchor of Fox 8 News in the Morning on WJW, used the word “jigaboo,” a racial slur that has been used since the early 1900s, twice in her Monday morning broadcast while describing Lady Gaga’s Oscars performance.

“It’s hard to really hear her voice with all the jigaboo music—whatever you want to call it—jigaboo,” she said, contrasting Gaga’s typical style with her toned down tribute to “The Sound of Music.”

According to Capel’s Twitter, she “had no idea it was a word or what it meant.” She tweeted multiple times throughout the day, apologizing to those she had offended.

“Kristy apologized on the air shortly after making the remark,” Fox 8 news director Andy Fishman told The New York Daily News. “She did not know what the word meant but that is no excuse for using it. We have spoken with her and are confident nothing like this will happen again.”

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Studying fairness

Survey available to graduate students asks for more transparency about stipends in various departments John Brogan Staff Reporter A new graduate student task force is aiming to provide more oversight and transparency for the oft-overlooked part of Case Western Reserve University.

Currently CWRU keeps no record of the stipends individual departments and programs pay to graduate students. The Graduate Student Stipend task force, founded by Steffany Homolka, is trying to change this.

The survey, launched at the beginning of February and available until Feb. 28, asks about students’ stipend-related finances, tuition waivers and travel funds.

According to GSS member Michael Bane, the survey should take around 10 minutes to complete. It is completely anonymous, though students who complete the survey can enter to win one of three $50 Amazon gift cards.

“Many graduate students at CWRU earn below or near the poverty line, forcing them to take on second jobs or take out expensive loans,” said Bane. “We hope our survey is a first step toward identifying and addressing their plight.”

The task force believes that transparency within departments about graduate student stipends will put the university in a position to give students the resources they need to be successful in their time at CWRU. Stipends are important not only for attracting new potential graduate students, but helps current students conduct research and teach undergraduates at a high level.

“It’s embarrassing how low some pro-

grams’ stipends are and the fact that students cannot live off of these stipends, and yet we are often barred from obtaining outside employment,” said Homolka. “It might take away from our ability to contribute to the university.”

The task force intends to publish the anonymous data collected from the survey, although the mode of publication has not been determined yet.

Currently it is impossible to compare graduate education at CWRU with peer institutions when there is a lack of data regarding graduate pay.

According to Bane, many students are expressing confusion and dissatisfaction over their stipends but have no data available to ask even simple questions to go about reform.

Homolka says that CWRU’s secrecy precludes students from being able to ask questions or institute reform.

“The data will help identify gross disparities in stipends within departments, schools and colleges,” said Bane. “Some programs in the College of Arts and Sciences, for instance, pay their doctoral students half as much as other programs do.”

CWRU’s administration has been supportive of the task force’s endeavor and has been willing to work with them.

Ultimately the task force intends to put forth a resolution to the university. The details of the resolution will depend on the survey, but the task force believes it will likely demand the university affirm its commitment to transparency, competitiveness and fairness in graduate stipends.

On the beat

Issues of consent

The topic of sexual assault is not a pleasant one, but it is important, especially on a college campus. Recently, this issue has received an enormous amount of media attention, ranging from focusing on specific cases at specific campuses to discussing how to best address the problem nationally. President Barack Obama has given a speech on the topic and has noted the fact he has two daughters who will soon be entering college.

Case Western Reserve University has been affected by these conversations as well. The university recently redid its sexual assault policy. The numbers of sexual assaults received by the university, whether through the police or another campus department like the Office of Student Affairs, has gone up in recent years. This may be a case of increased reporting of something that was always happening.

Universities nationwide are increasingly pressured by the government (through laws like the Clery Act & Title IX) and public opinion (sometimes driven by the news media) to do more regarding sexual assault prevention, education and investigation.

There has already been some pushback against this swing of the pendulum, with some universities being sued by parties who were accused or expelled after allegations of sexual assault. Some of these people claim they were not given due pro-

cess, or that the process is biased against the accused and against men. They also claim that universities shouldn’t be trying to assume the role of the justice system in deciding guilt or innocence or investigating serious crimes.

Here at CWRU, if you want make a report of sexual assault, you can call the CWRU Police Department or the police with jurisdiction over where the incident occurred.

Filing a police report does not necessarily mean moving forward with prosecution, but it will trigger an investigation.

Incidents can also be reported to the Office of Student Conduct or Student Affairs, which will also start an investigation into reported incidents. Confidential or privileged reports can be made to licensed counselors or doctors at the University Counseling Center or University Health Services, or by calling outside confidential resources like the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center.

There are lots of resources in this area, so use them if you need them. Let’s look out for each other.

On the Beat is a weekly safety column written by Sergeant Jeffrey Daberko and Officer Mark (The Crossing Guard) Chavis of CWRU PD. We welcome questions, suggestions and gripes/groans/moans/ complaints about campus life at policecolumn@case.edu.

CWRU Police Blotter Feb. 19 to Feb. 25

Feb. 19: Drug offense—marijuana, North Residential Village, House 4.

Feb. 19: Drug offense—marijuana, North Residential Village, House 3.

Feb. 20: Felony theft—wallet and contents taken, Haydn Hall.

Feb. 22: Criminal damage—glass on vending machine smashed, North Residential Village House 2.

opinion Editorial

Housing strategies lack student focus Housing for the 2015-2016 school year is something that most students have been thinking about in recent weeks. Greek students have been getting emails about chapter housing, and those upperclassmen whose financial situations allow have been looking into off-campus rates. Pretty much every other student who isn’t picking out the perfect shoes to wear with a graduation robe has started to consider the recently released housing application.

This consideration has been a long way from stress-free. Student complaints abound, and rightly so. When this housing season began, the university’s approach was hardly student-centered, as it upped prices across the board and cut the relatively affordable options. In addition to these financial obstacles, the university has also delayed the release of official price lists, any solid plans for gender inclusion and floor plans for the new upperclassmen building being built. Though since the tumultuous beginning the situation has been somewhat improved, our housing woes are far from over.

One major complaint on the mind of any student who has had to look at their bank bal-

ance in recent days was the pricing for next year’s housing. On the tables sent out to students via email, there were no “affordable” options left for upperclassmen: The Triangle’s rates had been raised to be comparable with those of The Village, and the Property Management apartments were removed from the list of options entirely.

On the bright side, the rate schedule on Case Western Reserve University Housing’s website features, as of this issue’s layout, a large red disclaimer box announcing, “The 2015-2016 room and board rates are preliminary until approved by the Board of Trustees.”

While this may seem like the bright side of a can of black paint, it is actually a positive.

Undergraduate Student Government (USG) President Taylor Gladys brought up student housing concerns in a presentation to the Board of Trustees last week. Following that, and not to mention student uproar and hard work by the Residence Hall Association (RHA), the board decided to postpone its final vote on housing rates in order to work back in 61 spots in the Property Management apartments—reinstating the most affordable option.

Another positive change came from junior m. c. Perrin’s persistent lobbying. They gathered support for a gender-inclusive housing (GIH) option on Facebook and through a Google form, and within less than a week, Deputy Provost Lynn Singer released a statement that the university will offer GIH for next year’s fall semester.

As a counterpoint to all of this good news, though, Residence Life still has not released floor plans or even room dimensions for the new building being constructed next year. Students are expected to be choosing rooms and filling out their housing applications, theoretically including applications to live in the new hall. Not only has Residence Life still not released this information; they have also ignored requests for comment on it.

So much for educated choices and serving students.

In addition to the quiet surrounding the new residence hall, there is still the disquieting fact that CWRU financially penalizes students who move off campus. Under the current financial aid policy, CWRU will reduce students’ need-based aid by up to $11,820 per year for letting their rent and grocery money

go into the surrounding community rather than CWRU itself.

While this policy will remain in place at least for the coming semester, it will be one of the focuses, along with pricing strategy and the lottery system, of a USG/RHA task force being put together by Vice President of Student Affairs Lou Stark. There is, then, at least some hope for a more just system in future.

Housing remains far from perfect, and most students will still begin next year paying a few thousand dollars over the prices that this year led CWRU to a top ranking as Ohio’s most expensive college residential program. That students have begun proactively voicing their concerns is a positive change, and Residence Life seems to be moving in a more studentfocused direction.

However, it is important to not get mired in a few positives and let these color your glasses entirely rose.These changes are still late, and really beg the question, who are university officials tied to housing serving? Why did it take student outrage for conversations to start happening?

Same people, same problem, richer group High ground Chandler Holcomb As many of you know, cultural groups on campus have proposed a split from Undergraduate Student Government (USG) into their own Student Executive Council (SEC) board. The split would create the Undergraduate Diversity Collective (UDC), which would take over the student activities funding for cultural groups to ensure that diversity will remain a goal and that each group is treated equitably. The university administration supports this move, because it is a politically expedient way for them to claim they addressed tolerance issues while incurring little cost. But in reality all this split would accomplish would be to create richer clubs for the same people.

This push comes in the wake of racist Yik Yaks directed toward a group of students protesting racially charged police brutality. If you want to know how I think these Yik Yaks should be treated, I point you to my article “The Social Animal,” but suffice it to say that they reflect the deplorable racist views of a very small number of the students here at Case Western Reserve University. They most certainly should not be viewed as a reflection on the entire or even a sizable portion of the nonAfrican American student body. Yet I have heard this incident cited time and time again

to justify the creation of the Undergraduate Diversity Collective (UDC) to combat this intolerance. Is this the appropriate response?

So far, USG has admitted that they do not have a “good grasp” on the needs of diversity groups, and thus the groups are not receiving the funding they need to be successful. In response USG is reworking the budget in order to allocate more funds to an array of student groups, which is fair. Funding is a major portion of what USG does, and they should be able to come to an arrangement. That arrangement should not be dependent on the creation of the UDC. Let me deconstruct the rationale behind this break away as it was presented in last week’s article, titled “Break Away.” First critics contend that funding for cultural groups will not always be correctly prioritized by USG and that the creation of the UDC will rectify this. The benefits of this reallocation as outlined by UDC advocates are not proportional, “Right now there is the issue that if one group is represented more on campus, they get more funding. It is important to equalize the playing field.”

This makes little sense. We all pay the same share into the student activities fund, so events that entice more students to go should receive funding correspondingly. If the Undergraduate Indian Student Association (uISA), for example, is not receiving the money it needs to

The Observer is the weekly undergraduate student newspaper of Case Western Reserve University. Established in 1969, The Observer exists to report news affecting and/or involving students and to provide an editorial forum for the university community. Unsigned editorials are the majority opinion of the senior editorial staff. However, Opinion columns reflect 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 observerads@case.edu.

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

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR should be e-mailed to observer@case.edu or submitted on our website at observer.case.edu. Letters can be mailed to 10900 Euclid Avenue, Suite A09, Cleveland, OH 44106. For policy and guidelines related to the submission of Letters to the Editor, refer to observer.case.edu/submit-a-letter.

properly cover one or more particular cultural groups here at CWRU, that should be rectified. But it should not get a bigger slice of the pie simply because it is a cultural group. I, for one, want to know exactly where the money would come from, because otherwise students who are not part of a particular group or following its events are at a loss.

Second, are cultural clubs at a disadvantage here at CWRU relative to other student groups? A study in the online political science journal, The Forum, found that 72 percent of faculty working for universities and colleges in the U.S. are liberal, with approximately 15 percent identifying as conservative. More elite schools skew the number even more to around 87 percent. CWRU is no exception. Cultural advocates, you are among friends here.

CWRU makes diversity a priority, dedicating an office for inclusion, diversity and equal opportunity that is responsible for programs like diversity awareness training and the Power of Diversity lecture series. Students are encouraged to get involved in any way they see fit. Please do not insult CWRU and the student body by lumping them in with spiteful Yakkers by saying diversity is not a goal or will not always be a goal. The UDC does not need to exist to ensure this.

That being said, it would be incorrect to say that racism does not exist on campus because of this liberal slant or that the diversity

programs here at CWRU are perfect. But it is also incorrect to suggest that more funding for diversity groups will combat ignorance that slips between the gaps. Why? Well, let’s assume that the people who sent those Yaks have deep-seated racial animus toward black people and thus are actual barriers to the acceptance of black students here at CWRU. Funding a diversity organization to hold more events will not change that. Those events won’t even cross the racists’ radar. If a potluck dinner discussion or guest speaker could solve racism, then it would not still be the problem it is today. Advertisements and events will go largely unnoticed by those not affiliated with the group.

It is in this way that more funding for diversity programs only profits the groups themselves and others who already embrace diversity. What exactly makes the bump in cash so special to these groups? How big a difference will it really make? You are just paying for an additional event or two for the same people who already participate in the organization.

Chandler Holcomb is a junior at Case Western Reserve University.

See the continuation of this article at obserserver.case.edu for solutions to the problems noted here.

the observer

established in 1969 by the undergraduate students of case western reserve university executive editor & publisher KATHLEEN WIESER director of design MEREDITH DYKEHOUSE director of print MIKE MCKENNA director of web & multimedia JESSICA YANG director of business operations TAYLOR MORAN advertising & marketing manager COLE MORRIS account manager MARCUS GUTIERREZ news editor JULIA BIANCO a&e editor ANNE NICKOLOFF opinion editor AQUENE KIMMEL sports editor JP O’HAGAN advisor BERNIE JIM multimedia editor HARSHA CHANDUPATLA news layout CHRISTINA CHENG web editor JOE SATTERFIELD a&e layout ROBERT BROWN copy editors MARIA FAZAL sports layout AMANDA LI ADITHI IYENGAR opinion layout BETH MAGID

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When we’re too afraid to fight back The elephant in the room

Andrew Breland Our university does a lot wrong.

Everyone who has read any number of my columns in this space knows that this is my normal mentality. Generally, the mistakes are defensible. They are, at worst, reversible. This week though, it may have gotten worse.

Earlier this week, The Daily informed the campus community—students, professors and staff—that the University Division of Student Affairs was launching a “Bias Reporting System.” The general idea is that students and others on campus can now file a simple online form to report instances of “hate, bias or discrimination,” which they perceive in their daily interactions with other students, faculty, staff or others. The idea is a noble cause—similar, in theory, to the way the campus deals with allegations of sexual misconduct. However in that comparison is also the problem.

Much like the horror stories, the country has heard about universities mangling the investigation of sexual misconduct allegations. (Everyone remembers the Duke lacrosse case.) The university’s effort to “build a campus where every-

one feels welcome” is an idealistic pipe dream that threatens to quell campus discussion in favor of ensuring a cushy, feel-good environment.

Vice President of Student Affairs Lou Stark has claimed that the system will not be “a judge, jury and executioner type thing.” The Office of Student Affairs will try to understand the issues in detail and respond to trends. The office will, they have guaranteed, respond to every report. Herein lies the problem, though. It is obviously a mistake to believe that the university will respond to these problems by simply disciplining the person alleged to “discriminate.”

That would clearly provoke controversy. However, it is far more likely that the university will overzealously attempt to come after instances of “discrimination,” as if they feel they have a moral duty to protect their students from things they do not want to hear.

Let’s be clear about one thing. It is not true to say that discrimination does not exist. Discrimination exists in all parts of society and will exist once we have all left the university and have entered into the workforce. However, that is also the reality of the situation. Case Western Reserve University prides itself on preparing students for the “real

world.” They want to ensure that students that graduate from this university become successful in their chosen career or life path. Part of that duty, though, is to ensure that students are aware of the problems in modern society and have a way to respond to them. Largely, in corporate United States, there is no “Bias Reporting System” to run to. There is no one who is simply going to make the problem go away.

This is all part of a larger problem in society. Lenore Skenazy, America’s “Worst Mom” and the author of “Free Range Kids”, comments that schools teach students overreact to problems.

In reality they should teach students to “be tough, be sensible” and to react to things in a more mature way than simply dismissing the other side, because society beyond school is that way. If the university wants to prepare students for the working world, this is the mentality they need to take.

However, there’s a further issue. The announcement and parading out of this new system threatens our community and quality of debate. Instead of having the opportunity to explain oneself in the face of criticism, it is now increasingly likely that instance of perceived, and only perceived, microaggression

will become issues of “discrimination.”

The threat of university punishment for an offhand comment, or for teaching a certain way, or for referencing an alternative “non-PC” viewpoint, will silence that mentality entirely. It is a chilling effect on speech of the worst kind. The threat of punishment will silence those afraid of punishment.

Again, let’s be clear. No one has a right to not be offended. No one has a right to not hear things they don’t agree with. The university should, at least, understand this. Its solution, though, to a very real problem is one which blinds students to the mature ways of correcting behavior. Speaking back, pointing out the flaws in someone’s argument or viewpoint, is the correct way of dealing with these issues, not running off to some administrator because you are too afraid to deal with real problems yourself. Then again that seems to be how the school wants students to behave.

Andrew Breland is a weekly opinion columnist for The Observer. He entirely expects to be reported for instances of “hate, bias and discrimination” because of this article. Contact him at awb69@ case.edu

Sisters, teammates, friends Current adventure: Case

Heather O’Keeffe Unless you live under a rock, you’re probably aware that the first two weekends of the semester were overwhelmed by sorority recruitment. For a lot of young women who go through recruitment, myself included when I was a recruit, joining a sorority is an opportunity to belong to something larger than yourself and to enjoy the bonds of sisterhood.

Except the terms “sister” and “sisterhood” really irk me. I only have one sibling, and he is a boy. So while I will always have a brother, I have never had and never will (barring a surprising, near impossibly change of heart from my parents) have a sister. My cultural linguistic conventions reserve the terms brother and sister to those with whom I share a parent—or in a rare case, a close friend who is so familiar he or she is essentially an extension of the nuclear family. However “like a” precedes brother/sister.

When going through recruitment, I was

often confused when someone referred to her sister: “Greek or biological?” I was constantly wondering to myself. Since joining a sorority, I have still been uncomfortable with the term and use it with reluctance.

So what if I don’t say sister? I still love and appreciate the many amazing women within my chapter. They have filled a void left open since high school, the void once filled by my teammates.

In high school, I was a three-sport athlete and always at practice, which meant I was always with my teammates. We endured suicides, weightlifting, early Saturday morning workouts, stern speeches from coaches and tough losses. However we were also able to grow as athletes and human beings through rewarding practices and hard-fought wins. All of this was done together, day after day, season after season.

Looking back my favorite part of high school was having the privilege to spend at least two hours every day after school doing something I love with people I loved. Many of my teammates were also my best friends;

the woes of playing time and shared soreness strengthened our relationship beyond the court, field or pitch.

In my eyes, “sisters” are essentially teammates. Exchange Saturday morning practices for Sunday night chapters, and the same scenario develops. While recruitment workshops may seem trivial or mundane, just as a practice might, the end goal is rewarding and brings positive outcomes (new members, yeah!).

Through the trivial, mundane, mandatory, rewarding, exciting and fantastic moments, friendships are organically formed. Small talk will never hasten the friendship evolution as quickly as squats or lining up in alpha order.

I have always loved being on a team: supporting others and working together for a common cause. The common cause is no longer measured by the win-loss column but now through money raised for a philanthropy or points in Pytte Cup. Helping the women of my sorority with their homework or organizing formal is analogous to helping old teammates with their homework (some things

never change) or working on their serve.

Whether I prefer the term “teammate” or “sister,” the underlying common denominator is “friend.” You don’t need to be on a sports team or involved in Greek Life to surround yourself with a group of people that will support you just as you support them. Being a good teammate means motivating, encouraging and challenging one another to become better. A true friend will help motivate you to study through finals, challenge you to take a healthy risk and encourage you along the way.

Call it what you want: friend, teammate, sister, brother, amigo, homie, etc. Everyone needs healthy relationships tied together by a greater, common cause. Whether it be on the playing field, a Greek event, the struggle that is CWRU or good ol’ life, everyone could always use another friend.

Heather O’Keeffe is a junior majoring in biomedical engineering and minoring in sports medicine. She is just here so she doesn’t get fined.

The excitement of registering for classes My commuter life

Abby Assmus It’s my favorite time of the semester again. No, I’m not referring to Spring Break, although that is only a week away.

I am talking about registration for the next semester. Even though class registration for the fall semester starts on April 6, some departments have classes posted already. Every semester I have been at Case Western Reserve University, I have been excited to go on Student Information Systems (SIS) to see that classes for the next semester were posted and began adding all of the ones that I wanted to take to my shopping cart. This semester, since I am graduating in May, I do not get to shop for classes. Seeing other people look into classes has been the first sign in what seems like a long winter that May is rapidly approaching and that I will soon have to face life out of college.

Registering for classes was always exciting because of the thought of looking into new and interesting classes. By this time of the semester, the workload of my

current classes would get tiresome and I would look ahead to see what classes I could take the next semester in order to make my schedule better than it was at the time. Now that I am graduating and do not need to register for classes again, I miss planning my future semesters and the feeling of security it gave me.

Instead of looking through classes in almost every subject to see if there is anything that was really interesting, I am job searching and worrying about what exactly I will be doing this fall.

I would like to encourage people to browse through the classes that are currently posted, just to see all the different options available. Although it might still be a little early, it doesn’t hurt to spend some time looking at what is posted so far on SIS. It can be a daunting task, especially early on in your undergraduate career when you have to make sure you are taking SAGES classes and breadth requirements. However I think that it is important to get started early so you do have time to decide what you want to take and have time to ponder over all the classes in your shopping cart.

It makes registration less hectic when it does finally arrive, especially if you are trying to get into a particular lab or a popular SAGES class.

There are a lot of interesting classes out there. Many people complain about the SAGES program, but I enjoyed my SAGES classes, because I found ones that had interesting topics. I also was motivated to do the reading and writing for them.

Even for people in science disciplines where the schedule is very structured, if you have an opening, I would encourage you to look into taking a humanities class, because there are some really interesting ones offered. Plus when else are you going to have the chance to take a class about Jane Austen or Russian Politics?

As I look back on my undergraduate career, I am thankful that I had the opportunity to take so many diverse classes, from one about popular books in history to one on Children’s Literature, wherein my final research paper involved watching different adaptations of the Wizard of Oz. I am also happy that I got the chance to take some classes outside of my disciplines just for fun, like psychology

and economics, so I could take advantage of my time while still in college to learn about these topics, when I might not have time to do so after I graduate. One of the things that I know I will miss the most about my undergraduate career is planning out my schedule and picking the classes that I knew I would be excited about the following semester.

Abby Assmus is a senior and wishes she could still procrastinate on her work for the current semester by looking ahead to classes for the next semester.

Online exclusive See observer.case.edu for “L3 should ketchup with student needs” by Ari Lewis and Gabriel Murcia.

opinion

observer.case.edu

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Letter to the editor On the topic of gender-inclusive housing

To the editor, Male or female? The question seems innocent enough, not to mention it’s a crucial prerequisite to determine housing for students. However, it makes a dangerous assumption: that every student fits into one of the predefined categories, which is not always the case.

How are those without a binary-gendered identity supposed to answer? Perhaps include a third option that simply states “neither” or “I choose not to identify?”

Such an option would provide some relief in theory, but further action must be taken to fully ensure the safety of students who don’t identify as a binary gender. Such students feel rather unsafe about their living conditions, in some cases being outed against their will to those around them. The current state of affairs is untenable for those affected, and a solution to this dilemma is urgent in regards to their well-being.

Fortunately a defined solution already exists, at least to an extent, and we needn’t look far to find an example. Our neighbor, Kent State University, is just one of 159 universities throughout the country that has incorporated gender-inclusive housing

(GIH) into its on-campus options. We wouldn’t even need to build any new dorms to accommodate non-gendered students; a simple rearranging of some of the existing dorms would be sufficient given the size of the overall student body. No two schools offer the exact same accommodations. However a theme of community is present in just about every instance, with some schools going so far as to promote it as part of the experience.

This community-based model offers several benefits to LGBTQA students to ensure their campus experience is a positive one. The premise is to set aside an appropriate number of dorms which are reserved for students who don’t identify as one of the binary genders. By setting aside dorms for the students, the university provides them with a safe space to share and form their identities.

As the name suggests, the model encourages community building and togetherness among participants. This closeness allows the students to fight challenges and overcome obstacles together.

When you stop to consider how many students in this situation feel alone in their journey, the importance of building and maintaining camaraderie becomes magnified.

Additionally the model would allow for some of the non-gendered students to easily request a single room in the designated space, bypassing the current need for those students to organize a group in order to form a genderinclusive suite.

All too often, such groups fail to work out anyway, leaving the students involved in an awkward scenario that has a high probability of ending up with unsafe living conditions.

The model stands out as an excellent template for potential solutions, and with enough effort on Case Western Reserve University’s part, it could easily enact a similar solution.

Currently the Residence Hall Association (RHA) has plans to enact an initiative incorporating GIH on campus beginning this upcoming fall semester. However, the specifics of the initiative are not yet set in stone. Undergraduate student Duck Rhee has proposed an initiative that closely follows the model in place at Kent State, designating a floor or area in each residence hall as genderinclusive. Students, including incoming freshmen, would be able to opt for GIH on their housing applications. Although anyone would be able to live in the designated spaces, priority would be given to those who prefer, or otherwise need, GIH. Such an arrangement

would ensure that all LGBTQA students receive a comfortable safe space without being forced to out themselves against their will, enhancing both their experiences at CWRU and the quality of their lives. Simply put it’s a win-win scenario for all involved.

For too long, non-gendered students have been subjected to gender assumptions and, as a result, less than ideal living conditions.

These dilemmas have threatened to inhibit their development at a crucial juncture in their lives. With an ideal solution currently in existence, these dilemmas are also unnecessary. Will it create a perfect living environment for every student on campus?

Of course not, as such a quest would prove impossible. However, the implementation of a solution would go a long way towards improving the lives of many students who currently dread the situations they face.

The students are speaking, and it’s up to the university they attend and pay tuition to, to listen.

David Hoffman Senior

Gender-inclusive housing: necessary, overdue Pup peeves

Zak Khan I can’t go downstairs like this. It’s a brown t-shirt and black leggings, but they won’t like it and I’ll have to put up with shitty comments and stares and god I hope no one lays a hand on me and…

Welcome to a taste of gender policing. If you’re like me and don’t really fall into the gender binary’s boxes, choices as simple as what to wear to breakfast and where to sleep are suddenly riddled with variables, known and unknown.

Case Western Reserve University is currently constructing dorms for an influx of students. Apparently in their planning for those students, they never stopped to consider that students would be like me and

not really be safe nor feel comfortable in a “boys” dorm or a “girls” dorm. The currently policy is to use the coed suite option, but this still reinforces the gender binary assumption. And not to mention it’s not always possible to fill a suite with trusted people. Instead of the onus of safe housing falling on CWRU’s shoulders, it has done what is usually does and sends students scampering for options on their own.

Gender-inclusive housing (GIH) is a necessary component of being a safe space for trans, non-binary, non-conforming, gender variant and other students that do not fit the binary Western assumption of gender. CWRU loudly proclaims its LGBTQ+ equality rankings, but the lack of real housing options is the glaring hole CWRU doesn’t want to fill.

Housing claims it’s sending out a sur-

vey asking students what its next steps should be in GIH. A survey doesn’t put a roof over anyone’s head, nor does it solve the problem. GIH examples exist from universities across the nation. This column cannot give such options proper overview; see David Hoffman’s letter to the editor for just such an analysis. CWRU Housing, however, seems to want its students to do all the research for them.

This is especially cruel given the massive academic load students already face in their education. The wishy-washy promise of sending out a survey or promising coed suites does nothing to ensure the safety and housing of students that need answers now.

Additionally there is something off about asking cis students for their opinions on trans-safe spaces. To ask privileged people their opinions on underprivi-

leged people can seem like legislating morality and acceptability, which smacks of respectability politics. While cis allies are important, they are not the group to focus on, nor the group facing serious questions.

A place to live safely and as one’s true self is a basic need. If CWRU is not willing to fill this need then it must seriously reconsider positioning itself as any sort of LGBTQ+ safe space. Students scrambling for options and fighting systems of power at every turn just for a place to rest their heads is not an acceptable situation.

Note: Deputy Provost Lynn Singer has released new statements regarding GIH as we go to print; stay tuned for updates.

Zak Khan doesn’t even go here anymore, but they have a lot of feelings and angry barking.

Eating disorders impact lives, not just one week Guest column As we know, this week is Eating Disorders Awareness Week. For some people, it is just a time where they see a few posts shared on Facebook concerning the topic, like it if it seems interesting and continue on with their lives. For others this week is all too real and puts a perspective on their own experiences with eating disorders. I am one of those people.

It all started when I was a freshman in high school, and for the first time in my life, I was able to lose weight and get to a healthy level.

Before that I was always overweight, and my mother would constantly make remarks of disapproval, saying how I should control my eating habits and how being overweight was bad for my health.

It was no surprise when my weight loss finally led her to stop making those comments and even allowed some compliments towards me. I realized that I became good at controlling what I ate. I would perfectly portion all my meals: fruits, grains and vegetables. I was proud of myself for having this ability to resist temptation.

Of course in hindsight, I was not resisting temptation at all. I became obsessed with food.

I would constantly bake goods, give them to everyone else and never take some for myself.

I began marathoning shows on the food network, imagining myself eating the delicious recipes concocted, while at the same time, dreading the calories that were in every meal.

My sophomore year of high school, I started getting very dizzy. I would feel nauseous even when I hadn’t eaten anything that day. In a routine physical, my pediatrician looked at my weight with disapproval.

“You’re too thin. You need to eat more.

You’re dizzy and nauseous because your blood sugar is too low.”

My friends at school were also continuously telling me I should eat more. They would constantly look at the food I packed and say, “Is that all you’re eating today?”

People would tell me that it was good that I was eating so much and that I looked better already. However things turned for the worse when my obsession led me to overeat at every meal. In one year, I went from being 20 pounds underweight to being 20 pounds overweight. The cycle didn’t end there either.

Even in beginning of college, my weight fluctuated constantly.

With the rapid weight gain, I developed acid reflux, a protein deficiency and a myriad of other health problems. It did not help that at some points, I felt so full that I would sometimes throw up.

Things started to change when I began educating myself on abnormal eating patterns.

Anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder were only a few of the abnormal eating patterns I learned of. I became more attuned to how my peers viewed food and weight.

I looked more closely at different media outlets and how they viewed weight, diet and exercise. These were shows like “The Big-

gest Loser” or People Magazine’s “New Year, New You” tag, where they show pictures of before and after extreme weight loss over the year.

These never talked much about health in general. They would talk more about fitness and looking good. For them it was all about the physical shape of the human. They failed to talk about the ridiculous and dangerous measures some people take to get to their goal weight in a short period of time.

This may sound extremely cliché, but it is true. In my experience, it is not about the end result to get to a better state of health; it is about the journey. My constant fasting and obsession with portions as well as my out-ofcontrol eating were not made better by changing the number on the scale.

They were made better by will power and wiring my own brain to look at food differently. Instead of counting calories, I count protein instead. I focus on getting food groups and do not portion out each meal like I used to. I even began exercising an appropriate amount.

While I always have that predisposition to obsess over what I eat, how much I eat or even thinking about food, I make sure to keep it under control. Shows like the “The Biggest Loser” never talk about how much more energetic you feel after a good workout. As a matter of fact, many of the contestants are overworked, become exhausted and even end up with permanent joint damage.

My realization did not come from my weight number. It came from how I felt physi-

cally. Some days I am hungrier, but I let myself eat more. Some days I don’t eat much, but I make sure I get the appropriate amount of nutrition that my body needs.

As a whole, we need to focus on one of the most important things in life that we take for granted so often, but when lost we yearn it more than anything else. This is health. Each individual has their own needs for food quantity and portion of nutrients. What helped me most was to stop listening to people saying, “You’re too thin. You need to eat more,” or “You’re too fat. Cut down your portions.”

In no way am I saying that these statements can never hold true, but I am saying that it is so much more than that. If we want to fix our eating issues, we should approach it in a different way. We should not only look at them as merely physical, but also psychological. It takes will power to change habits that merely doing a fasting session or eating copious amounts at one time will not do.

My advice is to focus on a journey to better health. Listen to professionals that give you the appropriate diet you should follow.

Don’t let stories of “inspiration” about how one woman lost weight by only eating grapefruit affect what you do. Do what makes you feel physically better, energetic and more alert for school, and don’t worry so much about the number on the scale.

This article was written by a junior who chooses to remain unnamed.

arts & entertainment CWRU student to compete in Mrs. Ohio Maria Fazal Copy Editor

Courtesy Laura Godínez A CWRU junior is, for the first time, eligible to run for the Mrs. Ohio pageant, and will be donating money from her platform to The Gathering Place.

Case Western Reserve University is known for a lot of things: tough academics, abundant geekiness, a diverse campus and generally “thinking beyond the possible.” However the university often fondly referred to as a “nerd school” can now be known for producing something else: beauty queens.

CWRU junior pre-medical student Laura Godínez will be representing the University Circle area at the annual Mrs. Ohio International Pageant. The 21-yearold just meets the age qualification for the pageant, which is open to married women ages 21-56.

Godínez, who is a Spanish major and fluent speaker, met her husband, Gustavo, in Mexico while on vacation in 2012. They married in July 2014 and live close to campus in Little Italy.

This will be Godínez’s first pageant, although she does have experience in modeling for Faces International, for which she began modeling in August 2013.

“I feel like I’m trying really hard not to fall,” Godínez recalled from some of the bridal shows. “I’m always a little nervous I’ll be the person who falls over

or loses a shoe.”

Godínez said the best part of the shows is wearing the expensive dresses and getting her hair and makeup done.

She explained she never feels nervous, however, as the makeup and clothing serve as a sort of shield when she gets on stage.

Godínez certainly has the grace-demanding aspects of the pageant covered.

Two of the three sections of the competition (which account for 50 percent of the score) are the fitness wear and evening gown portions. For the latter portion, Godínez will be escorted by her husband.

The last portion of the pageant (which accounts for half of the score) consists of interviews with five judges, five minutes per judge.

However, the most impactful aspect of the pageant is the platform, which is a cause or issue for which the contestant will spend the year campaigning if she wins.

Godínez’s platform involves The Gathering Place, which is a Cleveland-based organization that provides various services to those affected by cancer. Its two locations offer hope and support to not only cancer patients, but also to survivors, friends, families and anyone whose life has been affected by the illness.

Some of the programs The Gathering Place offers include art classes, cooking classes, therapeutic massage, yoga, educational resources, a wig salon, counseling services and support groups. All of these are offered free of charge.

Godínez expressed her desire to help the organization reach out to cancer patients and families. “The Gathering Place has touched the lives of thousands of people who have had cancer themselves or helped a loved one cope with cancer,” she said. “It’s a place where everyone can come together and share hope and support.”

To raise money for The Gathering Place, Godínez will be selling 6 oz. chocolate bars for $3 a piece. The chocolate is from the local Cleveland candy stores, Malley’s Chocolates. Godínez selected the aforementioned chocolatiers, because they give 50 percent of the profits to The Gathering Place.

Godínez will be walking around campus selling the candy.

“Everyone loves chocolate,” she exclaimed.

The Mrs. Ohio International Pageant will be held at the Abbey Theater in Dublin, Ohio on April 11, 2015. The winner will represent Ohio in the Mrs. International Pageant.

Out with the old, in with the new Nintendo’s latest console includes innovative features Brian Sherman Staff Reporter For all the great games it produces, Nintendo’s creativity in console naming hasn’t been quite as strong these past few years. After the confusing title for the Wii U and the even more confusing Nintendo 2DS, Nintendo’s newest console is named the New Nintendo 3DS. No, not a new 3DS console, a new New 3DS console.

Wait.

What doesn’t help is that the console looks pretty similar to its non-New counterpart. All the buttons (except the volume slider and the start and select buttons) are in the same place as the (old) 3DS XL, and the sizes of the consoles and their screens are about the same.

The only noticeable differences at first glance are that the face buttons (the x, y, z and a buttons on the right hand side) are multicolored, much like a Super Nintendo controller, and there’s a small gray button above the face buttons. The price of the new console is even the same as the 3DS XL, from about a year ago.

However, the New 3DS really is, well, new. The major alterations aren’t immediately apparent (most are under the hood), but there are a number of beneficial tweaks to the system that justify releasing an upgraded version of an existing handheld.

The extra “button” above the face buttons is actually one of the new features: an extra analog stick. Well, though

it’s referred to as a “C stick,” it’s more of a little nub that responds to pressure.

While playing “The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D”, it worked wonderfully for controlling the camera, and its placement above the face buttons actually felt a lot more natural than expected.

Alongside the C-stick, there are two extra shoulder buttons, ZR and ZL buttons, allowing the console to have built-in compatibility with an old 3DS that has the Circle Pad Pro attachment.

The stereoscopic 3-D feature on the original 3DS model had one major flaw: The 3-D effect only worked when you were at a certain angle from the screen.

The New 3DS now has face-tracking 3-D, so the system can be viewed at any angle in 3-D. This feature is smooth and quite effective at tracking your face. It even works on 3DS games released before the New 3DS, as it is a feature of the hardware itself. Fans everywhere will have a reason to turn the 3-D slider back on again.

Another internal feature is the buffedup CPU and memory. Original 3DS models had a dual-core processor, while New 3DS models have a quad-core processor (with the same core model). Additionally, the system’s internal RAM has doubled from 128 to 256 megabytes, and its graphics processing unit has doubled in speed from 133 to 266 megahertz. The result of these upgrades allow for certain games, such as the upcoming “Xenoblade Chronicles 3D,” to work exclusively on the New 3DS. Additionally, certain non-exclusive games

have improvements on the New 3DS compared to the original 3DS, such as significantly decreased loading times in “Super Smash Brothers for Nintendo 3DS.” The last and perhaps most anticipated internal feature is the addition of nearfield communication (NFC). Though an NFC adapter for the original 3DS is in development, the New 3DS has this feature built-in, ready for Nintendo’s insanely popular amiibo figurines, which are small figures used to unlock special features in games. Most notably, “Super Smash Brothers for Nintendo 3DS” uses this feature exactly like its Wii U counterpart, and can even use an amiibo’s existing Wii U fighter data.

However, the console does have its downsides. Notably, it does not come with a power adapter in the box. Though any charger in the Nintendo 3DS or Nintendo DSi family is compatible with the New 3DS, new users will find themselves needing to purchase an additional component for their console.

Additionally, the New 3DS uses Micro SD cards for external memory, and unlike the easily-accessible SD cards of the original 3DS, a screwdriver is required to access the card slot. Though you won’t need to access the memory card that often, the need for a screwdriver to access the memory card can be quite the annoyance.

The New 3DS is very much about iterating on what has gone before rather than promising a full-scale revolution.

At the same time, as far as Nintendo

hardware refreshes go, it’s one of the most drastic, easily on par with the paradigm shift that was the Game Boy Advance SP, which famously introduced a backlit screen and a rechargeable battery to Nintendo fans for the first time ever.

The processor bump makes the home menu much faster and allows for better games in the future, with the unfortunate caveat that existing 3DS owners aren’t invited to the party. The head-tracking improves the system’s stereoscopic 3-D effect remarkably, while the addition of a second analog stick offers the kind of control that really should have been present in the console when it first launched.

While the new features may not entirely justify upgrading for those who already own a Nintendo 3DS, 3DS XL or 2DS, the New Nintendo 3DS XL is certainly the best console to buy for those wishing to own a 3DS. Ultimately, though, the New 3DS is worth owning for the same reason the Wii U and the original 3DS are: It has excellent backwards compatibility, a large back catalogue of Virtual Console titles and most importantly, a massive software library spearheaded by Nintendo, one of the largest exclusive publishers of video games in the world.

System: New Nintendo 3DS XL Developer: Nintendo Release Date: Feb. 13, 2015 Rating:

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Snow on the ground, bands on the stage Ohio City comes to life for Brite Winter

Anne Nickoloff, Arts & Entertainment Editor Teddy Eisenberg, Staff Reporter Temperatures dropped into the single digits on Saturday, Feb. 21. Slush mounded on the sides of the roads and sidewalks, as thousands of Clevelanders gathered in Ohio City for Brite Winter.

(However it wasn’t as cold as last year.)

Brite Winter is a challenge to the very essence of the phrase “music festival.” Looking at fests like Lollapalooza, Warped Tour or even Wade Oval Wednesdays, it’s easy to envision mosh pits and tank tops and knock-off Ray Bans.

At Brite Winter, visitors instead don their thickest parkas and grab a cup of hot cocoa before huddling together at the next concert.

The fest is small, tiny even, by national standards, but for Ohio City, Brite Winter is one of Cleveland’s largest and most unique cultural experiences. It celebrates the one thing most people dread: winter.

Yes, Cleveland has some pretty bad lake effect, but it doesn’t stop the performers or the audience from showing up.

That persistence and genuineness is at the heart of what Brite Winter is all about.

A wintertime music festival does come with its drawbacks. Running between stages becomes impossible without snowshoes or skates. Standing near a fire pit’s edge becomes a well-earned position. And port-o-potties are already one of the worst things, but in freezing temperatures?

Probably better to hold it.

This was just the reality of the situation; it wasn’t anything you could really plan around. Brite Winter did the best it could with what it had, and it churned out an event with plenty of volunteer help, food trucks and great bands, of course.

When The Commonwealth performed their short set on an outdoor stage, they were dreadfully out of tune, but luckily their instruments warmed up towards the end of the show and finally reached a point of being in-tune.

The Modern Electric saw a crowd

Temi Omilabu Staff Reporter

packed into a large area in front of one of the main stages. People squeezed together and cheered when Garrett Komyati introduced the band’s song “David Bowie (Save Us All).” Later, Komyati launched into an acoustic and electric guitar duo of The Modern Electric’s newest song “When All Else Fails.”

Ottawa’s indoor set offered a chance to warm up, watch local artists work on a large mural and enjoy freshly-brewed beer at the Great Lakes Brewery’s indoor stage. Singer Dale DeLong kicked a purple duct-taped shoe in the air while singing a cover of Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind?”

Headliner Maps & Atlases was wrapping up their set as Ottawa was in the middle of their own. Their last song, “Solid Ground,” showcased singer Dave Davison’s nasally vocals and the band’s eccentric mix of indie noises.

This year’s festival was partly run off a Kickstarter fund, and contributors sported their signature Brite Winter hats and scarves at the event. Overall, it exceeded its $7,000 goal by $370, with the majority of its money being raised within just a few days of the event.

It didn’t cost too much to put on the event because it didn’t need the extra flair.

Brite Winter is a uniquely Cleveland festival, and it has continued to expand every year, without getting out of control.

Last year, they had a few games, but this year, activities included the Great Wall of Light, soccer ball skeeball and an interactive car exhibit. Last year the streets swarmed with people at every crosswalk, but this year better management kept the crowds in the right places. Last year directions between stages seemed vague, but this year directional signs helped Clevelanders all the way from the RTA Red Line stop at each consecutive show.

Last year Brite Winter was bright. But this year it was brighter.

Anne Nickoloff/Observer Brite Winter, a outdoor music festival, captured a series of local musicians who braved Cleveland’s cold for a night of performances.

March Spot Night previews

March 5: Panama Wedding One of the most anticipated Spot Nights of the year is soon approaching. Panama Wedding is a four-person synthpop group from New York City with a fun, collegehipster sound. This band is quickly break-

ing out of the “underground” scene, as its songs continue to climb up the alternative charts. Panama Wedding were set to perform at Spot Night on Oct. 23 of last year, but cancelled last minute, so their return to campus is highly anticipated (especially in the wake of their most famous single “All Of The People” continuing to grow in popularity). “All Of The People” currently sits

at #38 on the U.S. Alternative Billboard Chart. Panama Wedding’s music is impressive, relatable and sure to captivate the Case Western Reserve University campus while providing the perfect midterms study break.

March 19: Bronze Radio Return Bronze Radio Return is a sextet originating from Hartford, Conn. This New England based group grew up listening to

a variety of types of music, and as a result, the band often pays homage to these various influences in its music. Their sound has been described as a happy mix of a variety of tastes. Their famous single “Further On” recently brought them acclaim and has over half a million views on YouTube. These six singers are sure to provide for an enjoyable night at The Spot.

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CWRU Thoughts

Going back to musical origins with the 2015 Choral Showcase Invitational Tiffany Cheung Staff Reporter

Stephanie Kim/Observer

Maria Fazal Copy Editor The Case Western Reserve University community is known for thinking beyond the possible. Each week, this column aims to capture a slice of campus life.

Q: What made you decide to work here?

A: I’ve never worked in a coffee shop before. It’s something new, and I just wanted to try something new and be around people. And I’m 20 so this lets me be around people my age.

Q: What’s your favorite part of your job?

A: My favorite part is communicating and seeing new people, seeing new personalities and seeing cultural per-

spectives. When I started working here, it was summertime, and different people came in. It was hot, and everybody was happy.

Q: Do you plan on working here a while, or do you have different plans for the future?

A: This is cool, but I want to be a psychologist. I’m not in school right now—I took a semester off—but I’m going to go back next semester. I took a semester off, because I moved, and I don’t have a car, so it was hard to get to school. I got a job and am going to save up some money to get a car. I was studying psychology and business. I like talking with people, hearing their problems and helping them. I’m a people person.

It was quiet, and suddenly voices rang out in the Church of the Covenant. The conductor led the opening act, the Rocky River High School’s Treble Ensemble, with ease.

The audience, filled with parents of the high school students and Case Western Reserve University students, clapped and cheered as the high school’s talented Treble Ensemble, an all girl’s group, and Chorale, a mixed group, sang. It is the Choral Showcase Invitational Concert on Feb. 20, and the night had just begun.

Next, CWRU’s own Men’s Glee Club performed. This group is actually the oldest student organization on campus, founded in 1897 at the Case Institute of Technology. They performed their iconic song “Case Men’s Glee,” which made the audience laugh and smile. Another audience favorite was “Star Wars.” Case Men’s Glee managed to have fun and be entertaining throughout the song and even had audience members trying to hold back their laughter.

Following that group, the mixed group called University Singers sang beautiful authentic songs. University Singers is an open (coed) chorus that can be taken as a class or for zero credits as an extracurricular. The group is laid back since it requires no audition and no previous singing skill; all singers need to do in order to join is somewhat match a pitch.

One song that the lively group sang, “Follow the Drinking Gourd,” was an iconic song supposedly sung originally by an Underground Railroad operative to give instructions to the escaping slaves. In the song, the drinking gourd actually signifies the big dipper (or the north).

Next up was Dhamakapella, an a cap-

pella group known for their medley of popular pop songs and popular Bollywood songs. They showed their talents and unique style of a cappella through “Thousand Miles,” “Chandelier” and “Set Fire to the Rain.” The group’s brilliant medley of the two diverse cultures filled the church with something different but enjoyable for all ages to hear.

Probably one of the more popular groups of the showcase was Case Concert Choir. The large group was able to sing beautifully, in sync and bring audience members onto their feet. At the end of their two songs, “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” and “In a Railroad Station,” audience members leapt to their feet and clapped loudly for the wonderfully talented singers.

Lastly, Dr. Matthew Garrett told the audience that they were in for a treat. Suddenly, all the choral groups and ensembles got onto the stage and began to sing. With everyone together, and almost spilling off the stage, audience members were reminded of the diversity that was prevalent throughout the showcase. They were brought back to their origins by the folksy American music heard from every inch of the church; it was truly sensational. With the last note that the Combined Choral Showcase Ensemble sang, the audience members held their applause for around 30 seconds, before they began to clap and cheer for the awe-filled performance they had just witnessed.

The smiles on the faces of everyone leaving the church showed that the audience enjoyed themselves that night.

Overall, the showcases attracted people of all ages—young and old—to fill the beautiful church.

“The event went smoothly, given all the groups,” noted CWRU’s Music Department’s Concert & Events team member, Jack Boatman.

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The style of working out Janet Lanman Staff Reporter

SATurdAy, MArCh 7, 2015 SEvErANCE hALL Enjoy inspirational music by iconic American composers!

The Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra is joined by Carl Topilow’s swinging clarinet on Glenn Miller standards, tenor Vinson Cole singing selections from Aaron Copland’s Old American Songs and Chad Hoopes performing Samuel Barber’s violin concerto. WMJI’s Mark Nolan makes a special appearance.

TICKETS ON SALE NOW! Concert-only Tickets: $20 adult | Under 18 free clevelandorchestra.com or 216.231.1111 SPONSORS: Mal & Barbara Mixon, Ray & Roseanne Park, BakerHostetler, and the Mixon Foundation

This week, I visited Wyant Athletic Center for more than just a quick sweat session. I approached unsuspecting students to ask about their gym attire and its impact on a fulfilling workout. Regardless of clothing choices, students agreed their choices were dictated by comfort more than anything else.

Students throughout the gym wore slight variations of the same outfit, with leggings, shorts and athletic pants paired with casual t-shirts. Most students were in the zone, focused on their workout, a drastic difference from my home gym where people almost seem to be there to socialize and look fit, rather than actually exercise.

Student Mackenzie White said her style was comfortable and tailored to her needs that day. She emphasized the importance of her high quality Nike leggings to ensure she wasn’t accidentally showing everything off while performing squats.

Student Kristin Garr echoed similar sentiments, wearing moisture-wicking fabrics that allowed her to move with ease. Garr also noted that bright colors can be a motivator, and although this can be a somewhat silly tactic, it is what works for her.

Student Will Spallino wore similar nofrills gear as the women I interviewed, clothing meant to stay out of his way dur-

ing exercise. He went on to say he completely focuses on himself at the gym, tuning out all other distractions. Spallino said his training affects his performance and confidence, not his outfit. Alex KellerBiehl donned casual soccer gear for his weight-lifting session. Paired with a casual winter hat, he explained CWRU students are much less judgmental about gym attire than other gyms.

Issy Haney sarcastically described her gym gear as stylish, noting that she typically wears whatever is clean and has worn all day. This includes her cow socks she wore the previous day, but this doesn’t affect her confidence. Despite possible judgment from others, Haney noted that she feels ahead of the pack, just for coming to the gym. Her confidence derives from her good health more than anything else.

Students exercising at Wyant mean business. They don’t dress to impress anyone, but rather in the way that will best benefit their workout routine. In the busy life of a Case Western Reserve University student, a trip to the gym is meant to be a trip for exercise alone. While in other places the gym may serve as a gathering spot or a place to keep up appearances, you can bet that if CWRU students are taking time out of their schedule to go to the gym, they are doing so with the intention of working hard and getting their money’s worth.

summer.case.edu

Carpe Summer

Course load got you feeling like you’re swimming upstream?

Do more than just tread water this summer—turn the tide with Summer Session!

Taking summer classes can help you work ahead or reduce your course load, graduate on time (or early), or improve your performance in a previously completed class.

And the cost? Well that’s another kettle of fish altogether.

Tuition for courses numbered 1-399 is just 50 percent of the regular rate, so you’ll save money, too.

With 107 courses in 32 fields—including 25 new offerings and eight study abroad courses—Summer Session offers the same high-quality CWRU education with smaller classes and significant savings.

Stop feeling like a fish out of water—carpe summer by making your plans now. Registration starts March 30, but browse the preview schedule at summer.case.edu.

May Term: May 11–29 8 Week Session: June 1–July 27 5 Week Session: June 1–July 2 4 Week Session (1): June 1–26 6 Week Session: June 15 – July 27 4 Week Session (2): July 6–31

Summer Session 2015

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Cultural creations at CMA New Senufo exhibit brings in African art Maria Fazal Copy Editor The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) has recently unveiled its newest exhibition, “Senufo: Art and Identity in West Africa.” The much-anticipated display features artworks from the countries of Côte d’Ivoire, Mali and Burkina Faso.

The display, which is held in the Kelvin and Eleanor Smith Foundation Exhibition Hall, has resulted in a complete transformation of the room. The exhibition hall is deconstructed with each new exhibition—the walls literally come down and are built back from the ground up.

The hall’s new look is fitting for the African exhibition. The bold, dark and mysterious colors from the previous showcase have been replaced with rich, earthy colors. The layout is now much more straightforward and open, conveying a simple but powerful tour through this unique branch of African culture.

The Senufo label is one that has been met with controversy and confusion, according to Susan Elizabeth Gagliardi, an assistant professor of art history at Emory University.

“The Senufo label informs and is shaped by the experiences of people who identify or are identified as Senufo,” explained Gagliardi. “However, the term ‘Senufo’ does not on its own suffice to define or explain people or arts.”

Nevertheless, for the sake of clarity and convenience, the artistic world has long used the Senufo label to categorize

century artists—is said to have derived much of his inspiration from Senufo works.

The CMA exhibition, which features over 150 works from private and public collections throughout the world, includes works that exemplify some of the best qualities from the region.

Some of the stunners include a mother and child figure, depicting a woman with an anteater-like face, tubular breasts and a sharply pointed stomach breastfeeding an infant.

Several of the other human figures also seem to possess animal-like features, ranging from crocodilian to avian. Their bodies are strangely distorted and marred, but the beauty is still very much there, in the delicate features and Courtesy CMA painstaking carving.

Sculptures such as this one, which depicts a The show’s real shockmother breastfeeding a child, will be included in er, however, is a massive CMA’s newest exhibit. helmet-mask adorned with the distinctive geometric, exaggerated dozens of animal horns and a sneering artwork by the Gur-speaking people of crocodile’s mouth. To the untrained eye, the aforementioned countries. the piece appears to be an outtake from Senufo artwork is characterized by Frankenstein’s lab, but CMA Curator of an almost cubic quality. In fact, Pablo African Art Constantine Petridis knows Picasso—along with several other 20th the real story.

“Nothing is chosen randomly,” Petridis explained. “There is a very specific meaning associated with these kinds of additions, and it also points to the accumulation of power over time. It’s more than just a sculpture. It’s an object that grows over time and accumulates inherent energy and power that can be used for a purpose that reaches beyond.”

Farther back, at the end of the exhibition hall, are several metal horned helmets, weathered with rust and wear. The helmets look like they’d be more at home in the frigid seas of Scandinavia rather than the arid African lands. Interestingly, Viking helmets were not actually horned.

Perhaps these West African warriors were the real menaces.

Like with the terrifying helmet-mask, the horns symbolize power, and power is indeed shown in some of the more elaborate, headache-inducing headgear.

“Many of these objects transcend cultural boundaries, cultural frames and have much more to do with personal agency and personal ambitions,” said Petridis.

Despite any initial impressions, it seems most can find something with which to relate at this vastly varied exhibition.

Event: “Senufo: Art and Identity in West Africa Exhibition” Location: CMA Dates: Feb. 22-May 31 Price: $4 - $8

Students Invited to Attend Open Forum to discuss Phase II of CWRU’s Plan for Internationalization Open Forum:

The Center for International Affairs invites the campus community to review and discuss the current draft of Phase II of the Plan for Internationalization at an allcampus open forum.

We look forward to the discussion and hearing your thoughts.

Mon. March 2, 2015 3:30 to 5:00pm Tinkham Veale University Center Room 134 (Senior Classroom)

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Double juggle Juggling Spectacular coming to Thwing for two nights only Chrismaly Vidal Contributing Reporter To celebrate their 10th Annual Juggling Spectacular Show, Juggling Club is pulling out all the stops: knives, unicycles and exercise balls are set to be on display this weekend.

Founded in 2003, Case Western Reserve University’s own Juggling Club will be hosting its event in the Thwing Ballroom from 7:30-9 p.m. this weekend.

This show will consist of solo acts and group pairings, and will experiment with any type of juggling you could possibly think of (but not fire).

Garrett Borawski, a freshman economics major, assures that students can expect balls, clubs, rings, diablos and knives. Kyle Smolinski, a freshman mechanical engineering major, included that passing on unicycles will occur as well.

Borawski and Smolinski, like their fellow club members, will perform in several acts throughout the show, with both men specializing in the three ball routine. Smolinski will also be part of the big ball routine, where multiple jugglers juggle several big, inflatable exercise balls. This show will include juggling with music and even a blacklight.

Senior biomedical engineering ma-

jor Jonathan Duff explained that what started as a 20-minute show back in 2006 eventually grew to two hours his freshman year, but due to the the time running too long, it was condensed to what he thinks is “pure awesomeness.”

“We do less jokes,” said Duff.

“There’ll be some humor—no jokes— but some humor.”

Impressive portions of the show include a group of 10 people passing 30 clubs in the air and members passing 10 clubs to one another.

Duff added, “There’ll also be some Chinese yo-yo, and some contact juggling, which is when you take a certain sphere and manipulate it; it’ll blow your mind.”

Jonathan also disclosed that there will be someone on a five-foot unicycle, known as a giraffe unicycle, on one foot.

Duff put the awe-inspiring show into perspective, when he described past audience reactions. “Usually you just sit there with your mouth open for 10 minutes,” he said.

Event: Juggling Spectacular Date: Feb. 27-28 Location: Thwing Ballroom Price: Free

Important stories told in weekend show “The Vagina Monologues” performed at CWRU Gabrielle Buffington Contributing Reporter Members of the Case Western Reserve University community and the CWRU School of Medicine performed a local production of “The Vagina Monologues” last week to raise money and awareness for women who have an important story to tell.

The play’s creator, Eve Ensler, has grown into an activist and TED speaker and is also a performer and award-winning playwright. She created the One Billion Rising campaign in 2012, which is aimed at raising awareness of genderbased violence and is held every year from Feb. 1-April 30.

Each year introduces a new goal for organizers, and more people join the movement while Ensler continues to write plays. Her current production, “O.P.C.,” is receiving great reviews, just like the ever-running “Vagina Monologues.”

Although Ensler created the play in 1996, it is still a relevant topic of discussion today. Part of One Billion Rising’s success lies in the play being directed in various cities and countries for everyone to see. CWRU students, faculty and community members from the School of Medicine were eager to continue the tradition last Friday, and they took the stage at 7 p.m.

Once the curtains closed in the Millis Schmitt Auditorium, the audience had gained a comical and valid perspective on what it means to have a vagina, and the play garnered some awesome ticket sales. There was only a $10 charge per person, but the actors earned $2,500 for their beneficiary: the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center (CRCC).

Ensler is adamant on educating society on the fact that one in three women worldwide will be beaten or raped in her lifetime, and since every production of the “Monologues” must donate its proceeds to an organization that is working

Once the curtains closed in the Millis Schmitt Auditorium, the audience had gained a comical and valid perspective on what it means to have a vagina, and the play garnered some awesome ticket sales. to support women and change this gruesome fact, donating to the CRCC will be a step in the right direction.

If you missed the production, visit Ensler’s website for other listings and opportunities to change the world one story at a time.

Kat Edmonson on tour Singer talks new album, “The Big Picture”

Sierra Blanton Staff Reporter Traveling through the cold, Kat Edmonson is bringing her warm music to many stops on her The Big Picture 2015 Tour. This past Saturday, Feb. 21, she stopped by the Touch Supper Club here in Cleveland. Though I was unable to attend the show, I was able to speak with Edmonson about her childhood inspirations, genre labels and excitement about the tour.

“The Big Picture” is her third album, which was released Sept. 30 of last year, and it has caught a lot of attention. It entered several Billboard charts, including taking the number one spot in the Heatseekers Album Chart and number two in the Total Jazz Chart. Edmonson’s album and voice have also been well received by many music critics and magazines.

She toured the album last fall, and now she is taking it on tour again this February and March and is excited for it.

“I enjoy connecting with my band,” Edmonson said. “It’s a unique relationship between band members, something you only get when you’re playing in a band, and I am looking forward to it. It’s an opportunity for me.”

And in response to her fans and her music appreciation, she said, “I’m delighted. When you feel something and want to express it, it is always a wonder-

ful feeling to receive affirmation from others.”

Edmonson grew up in Texas, and she said she has been writing songs ever since she was a little girl. Once she finished a song, she would write another.

“This was an exercise that I was motivated to partake in,” she said. “I think I would do this anyway like I did before, when I was a child, because it is a way that helps me understand myself better.”

“I hear a melody or a lyric that matches what I am feeling, and I just allow it to unfold into a song and try to get out of its way,” said Edmonson.

This has led her reflective music to have its own unique sound with songs

“I’m delighted. When you feel something and want to express it, it is always a wonderful feeling to receive affirmation from others.” like “Rainy Day Woman.” Many reviews have tried to describe her sound, and from the charts, it seems to fit into jazz well.

However, Edmonson replied, “Genre-wise I identify it as vintage pop.

I just came up with my own genre, [and] vintage pop just means music that is reminiscent of popular music from past decades.”

What’s a DUFF? Teen comedy movie surprisingly enjoyable Katie Laird Contributing Reporter The theater is rather quiet when the movie first begins to roll, as no one’s sure what to expect. However, soon af-

Laughter erupts multiple times throughout the movie, some viewers experiencing teary eyes during a particularly sad scene and some people even cringing and hiding their faces behind their hands in second-hand embarrassment. ter it starts, two girls towards the front giggle at the scene on the big screen and seconds later, it is echoed by everyone.

In fact there are several reactions during the 101 minutes “The DUFF” plays.

Laughter erupts multiple times throughout the movie, some viewers experiencing teary eyes during a particularly sad scene and some people even cringing and hiding their faces behind their hands in second-hand embarrassment.

“The DUFF,” based off the novel of the same name by Kody Keplinger, premiered Feb. 20 and, combined with positive critical response and a top five opening in its first weekend, promises an entertaining film perfect for a night away from studying and homework.

The movie follows the classic storyline of an outcast trying to fit in with the help of the attractive, popular mentor, but

with a modern twist. Mae Whitman, from “Arrested Development,” plays Bianca, the quirky companion to her gorgeous, well-known BFFs. Her senior year of high school is turned upside-down when her popular quarterback neighbor Wes (Robbie Amell) informs her that she is the “Duff,” or “Designated Ugly Fat Friend” of her friend group. Mortified Bianca asks him to help her rid herself of the unwanted Duff image, and along the way, she discovers true friendship, love and the importance of embracing your true identity.

Through incorporation of real-life teenage issues and plenty of social media references, “The DUFF” is both relatable and comedic enough to entertain your average college student, while still providing an easy-to-understand message about loving yourself for who you are without worrying about what others think.

Once the ending credits roll, the audience claps and cheers before leaving the theater in a wave of excited chatter.

“The writing was excellent,” one woman says to her friend as they leave.

Meanwhile across the lobby, a bubbly teenage girl slings an arm across her own friend’s shoulder and exclaims, “Dude, that was hilarious. I’m so glad we came.”

But, decide for yourself. Will you be seeing “The DUFF” this weekend?

Film: The DUFF Starring: Mae Whitman Release date: Feb. 20, 2015 Rating:

16

a&e

2/27/14

Playlist of the Week Teddy Eisenberg Staff Reporter

“Helm & Anchor”—Seafair Fusing the beauty of chamber strings with the grit of garage rock, Seafair are one of Cleveland’s best and brightest talents. “Helm & Anchor” is a musical rollercoaster that capitalizes on every ounce of the group’s diverse musical talent. Spinning the gorgeous vocals of Chayla Hope with strings and a galloping riff, this tune is a transfixing medley of tempos. Seafair will perform at the Happy Dog at the Euclid Tavern with Worship This! and Ledges on Feb. 27. Tickets are $8 and doors open at 8 p.m.

“Guilt Tripping”—FrnkIero and the Cellabration Stomach pains have always plagued My Chemical Romance’s Frank Iero, but in 2012 they became drastically worse. Choosing to pit his musical creativity against his illness, Iero set up a basement studio to record his new album, “Stomachaches,” a record born purely from physical frustration.

“Guilt Tripping” is one of the album’s most compelling tracks, blending the spontaneous charm of a homemade record with the finesse of an alt-rock veteran. Iero will appear at the Grog Shop on Feb. 27 in support of “Stomachaches.” Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and tickets are $15.

“Pay Attention”—Colleen Green Colleen Green is back with her latest offering, “I Want To Grow Up,” available Feb. 24 on Hardly Art Records. “Pay Attention” is the first single off that album, providing a sweet brand of introspective punk pop with the help of band members from JEFF the Brotherhood and Diarrhea Planet. “I can’t hold a conversation,” sings Green. As long as she can craft pop ditties like this tune, she won’t ever need to.

“Go Out”—Blur It’s tempting to label the return of Blur after more than a decade as the return of Britpop, but the sad truth is that bands like Blur are unlikely to dominate the mainstream with Oasis as they once did. Whatever the case may be, it is a treat to hear Damon Albarn and company back in the game. The group’s new single, “Go Out,” is as captivating a piece of syncopated guitar rock as one is likely to hear this year. Look for it on “The Magic Whip,” due out April 27.

COC throws a Snowball Winter event fun, but problematic

Tiffany Cheung Staff Reporter Students in elegant dresses or fancy suits began to shuffle into a line for the buses. The crowd was bustling and excited to party like it was 1920 at the Class Officer Collective’s (COC) Snowball 2015, despite the frigid below-zero temperatures.

For those who were able to get on the first wave of buses, the bus ride on the memorable cheese-colored buses was bumpy but quick. Upon arriving at the Marriott Downtown, students were greeted by their COC officers giving away black felted top hats, long strings of pearl necklaces and black and white flapper feather headbands, and by waiters carrying trays of delicious hors d’oeuvres. There was an array of fruits, vegetable dip, egg rolls, dumplings, the famous donut bar and more to choose from.

“We made sure to have a lot of vegetarian options to cater to all our guests” said COC officer, Sapna Sundar.

However, for those who were not able to get on the first wave of buses, the event did not start off as smoothly. Even though students were lined up in the Thwing Atrium at around 9:30 p.m., some had to wait over 90 minutes to get on a bus. Then, upon the late arrival these students were not greeted with the same abundant amounts of delicious foods. Instead, they were greeted with radishes.

Sundar was aware of the food shortage and explained that there was a shortage last year as well.

“COC will try to have more food for next year,” she said.

One of the most popular attractions during the event was the photo booth. Students were able to take pictures in the iconic booth using the goofy props and objects provided. The booth was open until the end of the event. It even got busy to the point that the photo booth wouldn’t print the pictures quickly enough for the line.

Additionally, students were able to enjoy the bar for age-appropriate drinks.

Even students who were not 21 and over could order fancy nonalcoholic drinks such as Shirley Temples.

It would not be a party without dancing; the Marriott was able to provide a fairly large dance floor for the students to show off their moves and to let loose. There was a good atmosphere, and even when people began to leave, they would come back when they heard a song they wanted to dance to.

“I noticed the dancefloor was clearing out,” said sophomore Mio Xu. “Then, ‘Blank Space’ by Taylor Swift came on, and everyone came back to dance.”

Although the speakers blew out at about the midpoint of the event, the problem was quickly fixed within five or 10 minutes.

Shruti Shah, another COC officer, believes the problem will be fixed next year.

“COC will better manage the speakers next year so it won’t happen again,” said Shah.

The two COC officers, Sundar and Shah, suggested that they will have a more in-depth sound check in the beginning of the event next year.

After the event, COC sent out a feedback form to everyone who attended the event.

On the feedback form, students can even give their suggestions for Snowball 2016’s theme. The feedback form will be available until next Wednesday, March 4.

Seeing all the people who showed up, Sundar said that the event was successful overall. COC sold all 600 tickets to the event, which shows that their attendance increased from last year.

Shah said, “I was particularly impressed that so many students were excited about the theme and came dressed up for it.”

Additionally, a more diverse crowd showed up to this year’s event than any previous event (and any other COC event).

“Since there is enough demand, the event will be even bigger next year,” Sundar said.

“EarthEE”—THEESatisfaction In their second proper LP for Sub Pop Records, Stasia Irons and Catherine Harris-White present a compelling entry into the modern R&B, hip-hop and emerging Afro-futurist canons. “EarthEE” is not an immediately gratifying listen, but the all-around sonic richness of this track is undeniable. “EarthEE” is available Feb. 24.

Retro Pick of the Week: “Night Flight”—Led Zeppelin On Feb. 24, Led Zeppelin’s “Physical Graffiti” turns 40: a milestone birthday for one of rock’s most sprawling, ambitious and perhaps still underappreciated albums. Every element of Zeppelin’s mammoth influence is present in full force on songs like “Night Flight,” a tune that showcases the softer side of these heavy metal pioneers. Albums like “Physical Graffiti” are the reason rock music has survived for over four decades and the reason that listeners will continue to find Led Zeppelin compelling forever.

Find all these tracks online with our weekly Spotify playlist at observer.case.edu Teddy Eisenberg is a third-year programmer at WRUW-FM 91.1 Cleveland. He hosts The ’59 Sound, an exploration of rock music, every Thursday morning from 8-10 a.m.. and co-hosts the variety talk show Max and Teddy in the Morning at Night (Sometimes) on Mondays from 5-6 p.m. The crackle of vinyl warms him on cold Cleveland nights.

All photos courtesy seafairtheband.bandcamp.com, youtube.com, stereogum.com, consequenceofsound.net, and inel.wordpress.com

Snowball attendees enjoyed a night in downtown Cleveland.

Ki Oh/Observer

fun

observer.case.edu

fun page | 17

C OM IC S If at least one person has a nightmare about being swarmed by hundreds of mouse-sized dromaeosaurids, my work will have been done. By xkcd

If you can manage to choose u and v such that u = v = x, then the answer is just (1/2) x^2, which is easy to remember. Oh, and add a ‘+C’ or you’ll get yelled at. By xkcd ‘DISPATCHING DRONE TO TARGET COORDINATES.’ ‘Wait, crap, wrong botton. Oh jeez.’ By xkcd

Crossword Puzzle Across 1. Absent Without Leave 5. Seaweed 10. A Freudian stage 14. Opera star 15. Equipment 16. Soft drink 17. Matchless 19. Two-toed sloth 20. Many millennia 21. Compacted 22. Refereed 23. Futile 25. Cite 27. Big wine holder 28. Scientific agriculture 31. Caps 34. Assumed name 35. Enemy 36. Decorative case 37. Throats (archaic) 38. Falafel bread 39. Indian bread 40. Cars 41. Not earlier 42. Large venomous ray 44. Bird call 45. French for “Sister”

46. Masculine 50. A Musketeer 52. Australian “bear” 54. Born as 55. Marsh plant 56. Likeness 58. Nobleman 59. Take by force 60. By mouth 61. Backside 62. Fruity-smelling compound 63. Writing implements Down 1. French farewell 2. Drunkards 3. Sheeplike 4. Flee 5. Certify 6. Advances (money) 7. Lots 8. Anagram of “Galleries” 9. East southeast 10. Insight 11. Not commercially motivated 12. Wings

13. Praise 18. Notions 22. Flying saucers 24. 57 in Roman numerals 26. Historical periods 28. A mixture of metals 29. Bit of dust 30. 365 days 31. Knows 32. French for “State” 33. They inflict penalties 34. Policies of national self-sufficiency 37. Mentor 38. Chess piece 40. How old we are 41. Hawaiian veranda 43. Noggin 44. Some who phones 46. Corn 47. Accustom 48. 4-door car 49. Scoundrels 50. District 51. Rip 53. Leave out 56. South southeast 57. Not bottom

18 | fun page

2/27/15

Horoscopes Aries

(Apr. 19 - May 13) So tired of all the cold air!

Jeez!

Taurus

(May 14 - Jun. 19) Don’t tar us for saying so, but we think you probably should have started studying for midterms already.

Gemini

(Jun. 20 - Jul. 20) Look over your schedule again, you might be forgetting something.

Cancer

(Jul. 21 - Aug. 9) What’s your favorite thing to drink in February?

KOOL-Aid. Get it? Because it’s cold.

Leo

(Aug. 10 - Sep. 15) You like Harper Lee? Oh. I heard she’s coming out with a new book.

Virgo

Nutcase

(Sep. 16 - Oct. 30) If your name is Nate, have a good time hiberNATing for a few more weeks. If your name isn’t Nate, keep doing you.

Libra

(Oct. 31 - Nov. 22) The worst is over!

Scorpio

(Nov. 23 - Nov. 29) The worst is totally not over.

Ophiuchus

(Nov. 30 - Dec. 17) Embark on a journey of self discovery.

Sagittarius

(Dec. 18 - Jan. 18) Indulge yourself with an extra nap or two.

Capricorn

month other permit pound power review soon staff storm taken tart television through today vile while window winter year

Wordsearch

after clerk close coroner custom enable farms floor foes hostage inquest internal interview junction kneel knife look manage meow

(Jan. 19 - Feb. 15) You can look forward to wearing capri pants in just a few weeks!

Aquarius

(Feb. 16 - Mar. 11) Remember to eat your three square meals a day.

Pisces

(Mar. 12 - Apr. 18) Pie sees you choosing ice cream. How dare you.

sports

observer.case.edu

The Jolly Scholar jolly.scholar @JollyScholar 216.368.0090 mpv3@case.edu MTW RF Sat. Sun.

11a – 12a 11a – 2a 12p – 2a 12p – 12a

Call the Jolly Scholar for your next party. Any budget, any size, we will make it happen.

Tapingo Deliveries to the Quad!

Our new delivery system starts March 16, after spring break.

More details are on the Jolly Scholar Facebook page.

Trivia Night

Thurs

Karaoke Comedy & Grad Night Happy Hour

Fri

40’s & Fridays

Emory Washington Chicago New York U. Case Western Reserve Rochester Carnegie Mellon Brandeis

Chicago Washington New York U. Rochester Brandeis Emory Carnegie Mellon Case Western Reserve

Emory Washington Rochester Chicago Case Western Reserve Carnegie Mellon Brandeis New York U.

Losses

Percent

Wins

Losses

Percent

9 8 8 7 6 6 4 4

4 5 5 6 7 7 9 9

0.692 0.615 0.615 0.538 0.462 0.462 0.308 0.308

19 19 16 16 15 10 13 9

5 5 8 8 9 14 11 15

0.792 0.792 0.667 0.667 0.625 0.417 0.542 0.375

All

Wins

Losses

Percent

Wins

Losses

Percent

12 11 9 6 5 4 3 2

1 2 4 7 8 9 10 11

0.923 0.846 0.692 0.462 0.385 0.308 0.231 0.154

18 22 20 14 13 12 12 8

6 2 4 10 11 12 12 16

0.750 0.917 0.833 0.583 0.542 0.500 0.500 0.333

All

Wins

Losses

Percent

Wins

Losses

Percent

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

4 4 3 5 4 5 2 0

1 1 1 2 3 4 3 0

0.800 0.800 0.750 0.714 0.571 0.556 0.400 0.000

Conference

Washington Carnegie Mellon Case Western Reserve Emory Chicago Rochester Brandeis New York U.

All

Wins

Losses

Percent

Wins

Losses

Percent

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

2 5 4 4 4 1 1 0

0 1 1 1 2 1 3 0

1.000 0.833 0.800 0.800 0.667 0.500 0.250 0.000

Conference

Baseball Washington Emory New York U. Brandeis Case Western Reserve Chicago Rochester New York U.

All

Wins

Losses

Percent

Wins

Losses

Percent

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

5 1 1 2 0 0 0 0

2 1 2 4 0 0 0 0

0.714 0.500 0.333 0.333 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

Conference

Softball Emory Brandeis Washington Case Western Reserve Chicago New York U. Rochester New York U.

All

Wins

Losses

Percent

Wins

Losses

Percent

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

4 2 2 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0

1.000 1.000 0.500 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

Saturday 2/28 Home vs. Carnegie Mellon 5:00 PM

Women's Basketball

Home vs. Carnegie Mellon 3:00 PM

Sun All You Can Eat Wings & Football

Friday 2/27

Men's Basketball

Track & Field

Charity Late Night

Wins

Conference

Men’s Tennis

Swimming & Diving

Sat

All

Conference

Women’s Basketball

Varsity Sport

Calendar Wed

Conference

Men’s Basketball

Calendar

Wednesday is Comedy Night!

Tues

Sports Standings

Women’s Tennis

Catering!

19

NCAA Division III Regional @ Chicago IL

NCAA Division III Regional @ Chicago IL UAA Indoor Championship @ Chicago 10:00 AM

UAA Indoor Championship @ Chicago 10:00 AM NCAA Mideast Regional @ Mechanicsburg Pa 9:00 AM

Wrestling Women’s Tennis

Home vs. Rochester 3:00 PM

Men’s Tennis

Home vs. Allegheny 11:30 AM and vs.

Rochester 4:30 PM

Softball

Sunday 2/29

@ Rhodes 12:00 PM & 2:00 PM

@ Rhodes 10:00 AM & 12:00 PM

20

sports

2/27/15

Lacrosse club opener this weekend Noah Staton Contributing Reporter

Andrew Hodowanec/Observer A Spartan swimmer makes his way to the wall in a meet earlier in the season. The Spartans sent part of their squad to the Midwest Invitational meet in Chicago.

Swimming and diving finishes strong in Midwest Invitational JP. O’Hagan Sports Editor The Spartan swimming and diving squads sent parts of their squads to the Midwest Invitational at the University of Chicago last weekend, Friday, Feb. 21 and Saturday, Feb. 22. The Spartans squad emerged victorious in their seven-team meet while the women placed fifth out of eight squads.

A pair of first place finishes lifted the men’s team to victory. The Spartans big win came in a first/second sweep in the 400-yard freestyle relay. The “B” team for the Spartans touched the wall in 3:26.91 for first. The team was made up of sophomore Joe Jensen and a trio of freshmen, Evan Rose, Stefan Roeseler and Justin Lee. They narrowly beat out the Spartan “A” team who swam the race in 3:28.88.

The women’s team was led by freshman Ellie Wilson, who swam a speedy 1:05.11 for the Spartans in the 100-yard breaststroke, the only first place finish

for the women. Wilson also finished second in the 200-yard breaststroke.

This week also brought the high honors for the Case Western Reserve University’s men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams, as both were given the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholastic All-America Team Honor. The award goes to squads with success in both the classroom and in the pool.

The women’s team recorded a gradepoint average of 3.44 this year and has set school records in the 100-yard breaststroke and the 200 IM. The men’s team has earned a grade-point average of 3.43 and excelled this season, breaking nine school records in the 100 freestyle, 500 freestyle, 1,000 freestyle, 400 IM, 200 freestyle, 1650 freestyle, 100 butterfly, 200 backstroke and 800 freestyle relay.

The Spartans are now looking ahead to the NCAA Division III National Championship, which is set for March 18-21 in Shenandoah, Texas.

Midwest Invitational Women

Men Place

School

Points

Place

School

Points

1

CWRU

511

1

Milwaukee (UWM)

586.5

2

Washington (WU)

398

2

Chicago (UC)

393

3

Chicago (UC)

371

3

Washington (WU)

344.5

4

Milwaukee (UWM)

360

4

Olivet Nazarene (ONU)

240

5

CWRU

215

6

Rochester (RU)

68

5

Olivet Nazarene (ONU)

206

6

Lake Forest (LFC)

29

7

Lewis (LU)

67

7

Lewis (LU)

20

8

Lake Forest (LFC)

11

Men’s Swimming Events

Women’s Swimming Events

Event

Winning Time

Winner

School

Event

Winning Time

Winner

School

200 Yd. Medley Relay

1:30.10

Team A

WU

200 Yd. Medley Relay

1:39.23

Team A

UWM

1650 Yd. Freestyle

16:02.35

A. Ellison

WU

1650 Yd. Freestyle

18:10.38

A. Duke

UWM

800 Yd. Freestyle Relay

7:53.72

Team A

CWRU

800 Yd. Freestyle Relay

8:44.23

Team A

ONU

100 Yd. Freestyle

47.82

S. Fallon

WU

100 Yd. Freestyle

52.27

C. Savage

WU

200 Yd. Freestyle

1:42.59

S. Fallon

WU

200 Yd. Freestyle

1:58.40

M. LaMere

UWM

100 Yd. Butteryfly

49.99

N. Firebaugh

UWM

100 Yd. Butteryfly

57.67

M. Law

UC

200 Yd. Butteryfly

1:51.79

K. Ku

UC

200 Yd. Butteryfly

2:04.68

R. Millett

WU

100 Yd. Backstroke

51.22

K. Kuker

UWM

100 Yd. Backstroke

57.61

K. Anderson

WU

200 Yd. Backstroke

1:59.86

P. teDuits

UWM

200 Yd. Backstroke

2:06.40

M. Law

UC

100 Yd. Breaststroke

55.72

C. Turkatte

UC

100 Yd. Breaststroke

1:04.91

E. Wilson

CWRU

200 Yd. Breaststroke

2:02.87

J. Chokran

UWM

200 Yd. Breaststroke

2:19.30

M. Clasby

LU

500 Yd. Freestyle

4:37.46

A. Ellison

WU

500 Yd. Freestyle

5:18.54

K. Theis

UWM

200 Yd. IM

1:54.61

J. Chokran

UWM

200 Yd. IM

2:08.78

S. Cameron

LU

200 Yd. IM Relay

1:33.69

Team A

UWM

200 Yd. IM Relay

1:45.91

Team A

WU

400 Yd. IM

4:10.38

C. Daniels

ONU

400 Yd. IM

4:29.03

M. Wall

UC

400 Yd. IM Relay

3:28.03

Team A

UWM

400 Yd. IM Relay

4:06.78

Team A

UWM

200 Freestyle Relay

1:30.10

Team A

WU

200 Freestyle Relay

1:39.23

Team A

UWM

400 Freestyle Relay

3:26.91

Team B

CWRU

400 Freestyle Relay

3:44.20

Team A

WU

Another exciting season starts this Saturday, Feb. 28 for the Case club lacrosse team. The men’s team will be playing the University of Akron Zips on the Zip’s turf, looking to redeem their 0-1 loss to Akron last year.

Last year was the Spartans inaugural season, going 3-3 with a mix of landslide victories and close defeats. This year both the men’s squad and the women’s squad are looking at a longer and tougher schedule in hopes of proving themselves in the Midwest D II region.

Being a fledgling program, the team

has been plagued with a lack of commitment. Many of the players came from high schools where lacrosse was a much more prominent sport and are having trouble adjusting to the rather lax practice schedule.

Freshman Nick Punzo expressed his concern about the team’s moral.

“Guys just aren’t showing up to practice,” he said, “We don’t even have a full squad to practice most nights.”

Despite the large concern of simply getting a team together, the team is buckling down in the end. The last two practices have seen strong attendance, and the team is looking promising. We’ll see how they pull it together this weekend.

Courtesy Case Lacrosse Club The CWRU lacrosse club kicks off their sophomore season this weekend against the University of Akron Zips.

This summer, earn 10 credits while you gain valuable work experience as an intern.

Complete coursework that is relevant to your future career—and apply that knowledge directly in practice.

• Arts & Culture • Business & Management • Communication • Graphic & Web Design • International Studies • Politics, Public Policy & Law • Psychology Research & Practice • Public Health & Social Policy

BOSTON UNIVERSITY SUMMER STUDY INTERNSHIP PROGRAM may 18–august 14, 2015

Learn more.

617-353-0556 bu.edu/summer/internship

Pub: Observer

Run Date: 2/27/15

Size: 5x6

Color: b/w

sports

observer.case.edu

Season preview

21

Season preview

Swinging for glory Nothing “soft” about it Baseball aim for return to NCAA tournament this season JP. O’Hagan Sports Editor

Softball looks to compete at highest level JP. O’Hagan Sports Editor

Arianna Wage/Observer Last year’s team cheers on their teammates from the dugout at Nobby’s Ballpark.

The 2015 Spartans begin their season in Florida with the UAA tournament next week.

Last Seasons Record: 34-12 Top Rival: Marietta Newcomers: 9

Last Season UAA Standing: 6-2, UAA Co-Champions Returning Seniors: 8

Captains: 4; Rob Winemiller, Andrew Gronski, Jordan Swisher, Kerrigan Cain Pre-Season Ranking: 15th in NCAA D3 Season kickoff: Washington University at UAA Championship in Sanford Florida, Sunday March 8th Expected Home Opener: Wed., March 25th vs. Otterbein University Weather related schedule changes last season: 6 Head Coach: Matt Englander (9th season) Team Accolades: 15th in the D3Baseball.com Preseason Top 25, 2014 Mideast Region Coach of the Year, Broke CWRU win record, Runner-up at the NCAA Mideast Regional, Two Capital One Academic All-Americans.

Player Accolades: Jordan Swisher: All-UAA First Team, ABCA/Rawlings AllMideast Region Second Team, D3Baseball.com All-Mideast Region Third Team.

Kerrigan Cain: D3Baseball.com All-Mideast Region Third-teamer,Second-team All-UAA selection, UAA Championship and NCAA MIdeast Regional All-Tournament Teams. Andrew Gronski: Mideast Region Player of the Year, UAA Co-Player of the Year, Championship Tournament MVP. Rob Winemiller: Drafted by MLB Toronto Blue Jays.Will Meador: NCAA Mideast Regional All-Tournament Team.

Englander on team: “They are all great kids. They chose their captains, and those four are great players both on the field and off. There is a great sense of leadership, and they will help the whole team be better. They will keep their teammates accountable.”

Englander on goals: “The goals as always come from the players, and this year they decided that they want to go back to the NCAA tournament and compete for the National Championship. Of course we also want to win the UAA tournament as well.”

Englander on newcomers: “We have a lot of great experienced players, but there will be plenty of time for the newcomers to come to prove they deserve their playing time. I can see many of them making an impact this season.”

Englander on weather: “The weather is always a challenge, but we have a great team here that prepares the field and schedules games for us. They make the field ready, and we do what we need to be play at our highest level despite the cold or rain. It doesn’t matter if it’s a really nice day; we have to go out there and play just as good as the day before.

It is just part of the challenges of the

season in general.”

Englander on starting most of the season on the road: “It is a long season, and to be successful, the travel is something we have to balance. However there is something gratifying of making those trips to Virginia and Florida. We spend time with each other, and it helps the guys as a team.”

Englander on Winemiller: “I did talk to Rob [Winemiller] a lot about his decision after the draft. He and I think he did the right thing. It is an honor to be drafted, but it was never the goal. He wanted to come back and chase a national championship with this team and finish his degree. That’s what he is doing.”

Englander on rival Marietta: “We take every game seriously. However they are a really good team that we play.

They knocked us out of the tournament last year, and we want to play for the National Championship, so there is a good chance we will see them in the tournament again.”

Courtesy Case Sports Information Last year’s Spartan softball team poses after a victory. The 2015 team kicks off their season this weekend in Memphis against Rhodes.

Last season record: 25-15 Top rival: Trine Newcomers: 8

Last season UAA Standing: 5-3, UAA Tri-Champions Returning seniors: 5

Season kickoff: Doubleheaders at Rhodes (Memphis) Saturday Feb. 28th Expected home opener: Sat., March 21 vs. Geneva College Weather related schedule changes last season: 5 Head coach: Josie Henry (5th Season)

Team Accolades: Second in NCAA Central Region, Five All-UAA honorees, Three NFCA All-Central Region selections, First Capital One Academic All-American in program history, UAA Softball Coaching Staff of the Year.

Player Accolades: Molly O’Brien (2B): two-time NFCA All-Central Region selection, Two-year member of the All-UAA First Team Ashley Parello: UAA Championship Tournament MVP Gena Roberts: Two-time All UAA selection Gena Roberts Annie Wennerberg : All-UAA Second Team, CWRU’s Nancy Gray Rookie of the Year.

Henry on team: “This senior group is at the front of the strongest, healthiest, most mature and talented group I think we have ever had. All five seniors are really great leaders and will be great at moving the team in the right direction.”

Henry on goals: “Our goals this year are to play up to our strength of schedule. This is a big part of being able to go to our goal of the NCAA tournament, and right now we are looking to collect that experience needed to do that with the group of girls we have.”

Henry on newcomers: “We had a really great senior class last year, so there are freshmen who will be competing to replace those positions. We will have a lot of them splitting time, especially behind the plate and at third, but also pitching and in the outfield. This is a really great freshman class.”

Henry on weather: “It is definitely rough. During the season, I probably have five different weather apps on my phone to see if we are going to play.

Even when the weather is bad, we do have a great grounds crew that can get the field ready for us in time and a great sports staff for getting games resched-

uled. We just have to be flexible. There are times we are all set to go and then the call comes in, and I have to send the girls back to class; sometimes that even means to a test they weren’t planning on taking then. ” Henry on being on the road: “It is a challenge for the girls to make sure they stay organized. The juniors and seniors know the drill by now, but it can be hard on the freshmen sometimes. Being on the road can be great at times too, though we get the opportunity to play even when it’s cold here.”

Henry on pitcher depth: “We have a pitcher at every level. It is really nice to have a freshmen, sophomore, junior and senior pitcher. They all have different strengths and should be a really strong pitching staff.”

Henry on rival Trine: “They are the game that we look forward to every year. We actually played them indoors last year, which was a challenge because you have to look out for the ceiling.

They actually beat Emory, another rival, in the Super Regional last year and kept them from going to the World Series level—they are a good team.”

22

sports

2/27/15

Arko’s Cleveland Corner

LeBron James: Assist King LBJ holds record for most assists by forward in NBA history Joey Arko Staff Reporter On Tuesday night, LeBron James accomplished yet another historic feat, breaking Scottie Pippen’s record for most assists ever recorded by an NBA forward. James surpassed Pippen’s total of 6,135 assists in the second quarter against Detroit on a pass that led to a Kevin Love 3-pointer, giving James 6,136 career assists.

What’s even more impressive is that James managed to exceed the Hall of Famer’s total in 288 less contests, doing so in 890 regular-season games as compared to Pippen’s 1,178. Throughout James’s 12-year career, he has averaged 6.9 assists per game, while Pippen averaged 5.2 in his 17-year career.

James’s latest achievement comes on the heels of recently passing Allen Iverson for No. 22 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list last Sunday (and he also passed Charles Barkley for No. 23 alltime earlier in the season, as well).

It’s safe to say while James is in the midst of a milestone campaign, being

crowned the assist king is the most special: “It means way more than what I did passing Allen Iverson on Sunday. I’ve always took a lot of pride and I get more of a rush seeing my teammates succeed more than myself. And that’s what an assist is all about,” James told ESPN. .

Cavaliers head coach David Blatt echoed James’ enthusiasm.

“That’s a fabulous achievement if you ask me,” Blatt spoke in awe in an ESPN report. “He just turned 30. He’s only 30 years old and to set a record like that speaks volumes to the kind of player he is. And to his level of greatness and his ability to make others around him great.

That’s so impressive.”

Although he has donned the No. 23 for the majority of his career, James has said that he actually modeled his game after Pippen while growing up and that he always had an amazing appreciation for the way Pippen played the “point forward” position. Like everyone else who was a fan of the NBA at the time, James of course loved Michael Jordan, but felt that he could never be the type of player Jordan was.

“Obviously I looked up to Michael Jordan, that’s someone that gave me a lot of inspiration, but as a kid I never thought I could get to that point,” James said in an ESPN report. “You know, Jordan just felt so surreal.”

Pippen at his peak was comparable to the player that James is now, filling up the stat sheet in a variety of ways on the offensive end while also clamping down an opponent’s best player on the defensive side of the ball. However LeBron has steadily been carving out his own legacy as a unique player in a category of his own. While Pippen’s game may have shared some similarities to James’s, he never reached the level James is at now.

“The assist thing is obviously probably one of the greatest achievements I’ve had in my career,” James said in the same report. “Obviously, winning a championship also, for sure.”

As James continues his campaign of accomplishments this season, hopefully he and his teammates can add a third championship to the list of milestone achievements by season’s end.

Battle for hardwood supremacy Intramural Basketball mid-season round up David Hoffman Staff Reporter As the month of February comes to a rapid conclusion, the intramural basketball action on campus is heating up at an equally rapid pace. The regular season is approaching its midpoint in all leagues, with the teams beginning to gear up for the playoffs. What exactly has happened over the weekend? Let’s recap the games: In the Co-Rec Self Officiated League, Fiji/APhi defeated Prashant’s Backup Dancers by virtue of a forfeit. Delt/ Phi Mu trounced Beta/TriSigma 41-17.

MBA Jam prevailed over Pi Kapp/Pi Phi in a 60-42 slugfest, while ZetaTheta scored a victory after a forfeit by APO Volunteers(Dark Blue). Dental Dynasty emerged victorious against Delta Sig/ DG to the tune of 35-30. Willard defeated Macroballs 34-28, and Paid in Full outlasted Phi Delt and Friends 54-49.

The Fraternity B No Refs League tipped off with Zeta Beta Tau B defeating Phi Delt F in a lopsided affair 6314. SigEp C defeated Phi Kappa Theta, while Delta Chi prevailed against SigEp B. Finally, Phi Delt C defeated Phi Delt B 26-19.

In the Fraternity No Refs League,

Zeta Psi nearly doubled up Phi Kappa Psi by a 47-24 score. ZBT Dark Horse eked out a 31-27 victory over delta upsilon, while Fiji won a thriller against Delta Sigma Phi 39-38. Sigma Chi emerged victorious over Delt A to the tune of a 35-34 final. SigEp A mauled Pi Kappa Phi 55-21. Finally, SigEp A defeated Delt A 43-41.

In the Open Paid Officials League, The Smash Bros (Purple) defeated Hung Jurors 33-26. You Know Why We’re Here easily took care of business against The Retractors 75-25, while The Stripes scored an easy victory over The Sports Fiesta by a 90-40 final. THE All Night Samplers survived against Rich-What?

45-43. Monstars prevailed over The Wolfpugs 59-37. I Get Buckets eked out a 52-49 win over Veteran Presence, while Tune Squad rolled to a 46-30 triumph against Dirty Dental Dump. Flint Tropics prevailed in a barn burner against Team Guenther, winning 38-37. BeGreat.com defeated A.R.C. CREW 67-46.

Last but not least, we turn our attention to the Open Self-Officiated League.

The team Basketball Team defeated Bearsley and the Boys 40-34. Hemoglobin Trotters rolled over $ad boyz 54-37.

Took ur Gma to Applebee’s eked out a 51-49 victory over Ball is Life. K540 defeated Norton Hears a Who 34-21,

while M4evah prevailed over TiP TOE WiNG JAWWDiNZ(Purple) 42-26. Vinculum Juris scored a 37-28 win over Last Minute. Tippit Tipsy Turtles easily handled Swim and Dive to the tune of a 46-25 score. CIM defeated ChemE Grad by virtue of forfeit. #TeamGetSwole triumphed against No Casualties 53-32. House4 won a 41-40 thriller over Half-Court Hook Shots, while Basketball Team defeated MSA 37-25.

Bearsley and the Boys prevailed over Eastern Reserves(Green) 38-30. Runnin’ Gunners(Black) scored a 35-25 victory over ChemE Grad. CIM easily won against $ad boyz 57-34. BME SunDevils triumphed against Dream Runner in a 43-42 thriller, while Hemoglobin Trotters defeated Last Minute. Vinculum Juris managed to triple up Money Team 57-19. Took ur Gma to Applebee’s prevailed over Half-Court Hook Shots 3824. K540 handled business against The Business Fraternity by a 46-22 score.

Norton Hears a Who defeated Swim and Dive 46-36, while TiP TOE WiNG JAWWDiNZ (Purple) prevailed over No Casualties 29-23. Basketball Team scored a 33-19 victory against Tippit Tipsy Turtles. Finally, #TeamGetSwole defeated Bearsley and the Boys 33-24.

Be sure to check back next issue as the action continues on the hardwood.

Wrestling hosts meet named after famous CWRU professor JP. O’Hagan Sports Editor Simon Ostrach has been acknowledged by NASA and had his experiments carried into space. Ostrach is a distinguished professor emeritus here at Case Western Reserve University, he has made many ground-breaking contributions to engineering paving the way for dozens of advancements.

However this weekend Ostrach was honored not for his research but for his wrestling.

Ostrach was an outstanding college wrestler and spent 25 years as a top NCAA wrestling official, and this weekend the Spartans hosted a meet, named in his honor.

The Spartans closed out their home schedule, as they hosted the Si Ostrach Meet in Horsburgh Gymnasium this weekend, taking on visiting Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and Thiel College. The meet was slated to include Muskingum University but they were unable to make it, due to winter weather travel issues, making the annual meet a triteam rather than the customary four.

The Spartans, despite hosting, dropped both of their matchups and fell to 6-10 on the season. The Spartans had a promising start to the season, standing at 6-6 prior to the University Athletic Association Championship, which is a huge improvement over the past few years, as the CWRU squad is a few years removed from an entirely winless season. Despite the early season success, the two losses this weekend drop the Spartans firmly below the .500 mark on the season, but with promise heading forward.

The meet kicked off with a well-fought duel between Thiel and RIT, with a string of forfeits from the RIT squad at the low weight classes boosting them to a 32-18 win.

RIT then faced off against CWRU and despite an exhibition win for Cito Balsells at the 197-weight class, the Spartans were unable to win where it counted, with their own points coming off RIT forfeits.

The Spartans rebounded from the beating in their matchup against Thiel, winning three of the matchups for points. Connor Gordon kicked off the Spartans with a 6-0 decision at the 149-weight class. Nick Lees added a victory at 165, and Nate Lewis pinned his opponent at the 285 weight. However Thiel still managed to beat the Spartans 34-14 to win the duel and the meet.

The Spartans return to the mat for the final of the regular season on Sunday, March 1 at the NCAA Mideast Regional in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Action kicks off at 9 a.m.

Wrestling Wrestling Wt. Winner Wt. Class Winner Class 125 M. Moy 125 M. Moy 133 N. Lee 133 N. Lee 141 T. Alexander 141 T. Alexander 149 B. Mayville 149 B. Mayville 157 E. Vershay 157 E. Vershay 165 N. Greenquist 165 N. Greenquist 174 T. Cain 174 T. Cain 184 N. Fisk 184 N. Fisk 197 J. Swearingen 197 J. Swearingen 285 S. Weinger 285 S. Weinger Exb. C. Balsells Exb. 197 C. Balsells 197

CWRU CWRU RIT RIT

School School CWRU CWRU CWRU CWRU CWRU CWRU RIT RIT RIT RIT RIT RIT RIT RIT RIT RIT RIT RIT RIT RIT CWRU CWRU

Over Over

18 18 33 33 School School

C. Gordon C. Gordon

CWRU CWRU

N. Tommas N. Tommas N. Lees N. Lees

CWRU CWRU CWRU CWRU

R. Berg R. Berg N. Lewis N. Lewis N. Fisk N. Fisk

CWRU CWRU CWRU CWRU RIT RIT

CWRU CWRU Thiel Thiel Wt. Wt. Class Class 125 125 133 133 141 141 149 149 157 157 165 165 174 174 184 184 197 197 285 285 Exb. Exb. 197 197 Exb. Exb. 197 197 Exb. Exb. 133 133

By By Forfeit Forfeit Forfeit Forfeit Forfeit Forfeit Fall 2:09 Fall 2:09 Forfeit Forfeit TF 18-2 TF3:54 18-2 3:54 Maj 9-1 Maj 9-1 Forfeit Forfeit SV1 7-5 SV1 7-5 Dec 4-2 Dec 4-2 Fall 2:11 Fall 2:11

14 14 34 34 Winner Winner

School School

Over Over

School School

By By

V. Vahaly V. Vahaly L. Waters L. Waters N. Sutton N. Sutton C. Gordon C. Gordon G. Graziosi G. Graziosi C. Nuss C. Nuss N. Lees N. Lees M. Crivelli M. Crivelli J. Roosa J. Roosa N. Lewis N. Lewis C. Balsells C. Balsells

TC TC TC TC TC TC CWRU CWRU TC TC TC TC CWRU CWRU TC TC TC TC CWRU CWRU CWRU CWRU

M. Moy M. Moy N. Lee N. Lee T. Alexander T. Alexander N. Hart N. Hart

CWRU CWRU CWRU CWRU CWRU CWRU TC TC

N. Tommas N. Tommas J. Smith J. Smith

CWRU CWRU TC TC

R. Berg R. Berg Eli Swain Eli Swain Z. Throne Z. Throne

CWRU CWRU TC TC TC TC

TF 18-3 TF7:00 18-3 7:00 Maj 15-4 Maj 15-4 Fall 1:34 Fall 1:34 Dec 6-0 Dec 6-0 Forfeit Forfeit Fall 2:11 Fall 2:11 Dec 5-4 Dec 5-4 Forfeit Forfeit Fall 6:19 Fall 6:19 Fall 2:13 Fall 2:13 Dec 8-4 Dec 8-4

C. Ellis C. Ellis

TC TC

A. Bloomer A. Bloomer

CWRU CWRU

Maj 11-2 Maj 11-2

N. Lee N. Lee

CWRU CWRU

D. Green D. Green

TC TC

Fall 6:21 Fall 6:21

23

sports

observer.case.edu

Outside looking in Spartans drop two crucial games at home, likely miss chance at NCAA tournament JP. O’Hagan Sports Editor After a recorded setting start to the season, the Spartans have sputtered down the stretch. As each team came out ready to play their best basketball, the Spartans, who a few weeks ago saw themselves targets atop the highly competitive University Athletic Association (UAA), have fallen from their position as kings of the hill.

The highly anticipated annual throwback weekend was not beneficial to the Spartans, who dropped both games on the weekend, first against nationallyranked Emory University and then in an overtime thriller against Rochester University.

When the Western Reserve Red Cats took to the floor on Friday night and Adelbert Gymnasium shook, there was a sense of history flowing through the building. The same happened with when the Case Institute of Technology Rough Riders were in the building. Although these teams really haven’t competed since the federation in 1969, the homage to the school’s history made the weekend all the more special. However the Case Western Reserve University team, which wore the throwback jerseys, was unable to beat their modern day rivals.

The Spartans dropped the weekend opener against no. 18 Emory 71-65.

Senior Dane McLoughlin matched the leading Emory scorer with 20 points on an impressive five of eight from beyond the arc. Senior Connor Edel and freshman Eric Black place followed behind with eight and seven points each. Both Edel and Black also pulled down seven rebounds each.

The Spartans fell behind early, as the Eagles built a 16-8 lead in the opening minutes. Before, the Spartans picked up speed to rattle off and uncontested seven straight. Emory jumped to substantial leads followed by Spartan rallies twice more in the half before the Spartans finally tied the game at 30 a piece with 2:50 left before the buzzer. Heading into the locker room, the Spartans found themselves down 36-32.

The Spartans remained close throughout the second half. A dunk by Black to pull within a bucket with 12:54 left in the game got the CWRU crowd going.

The Spartans rode that momentum to keep the game close and jumped out in

front on a McLoughlin triple at the 6:59 mark to grab their first lead, 56-54.

The Spartans ran out of steam, however, as the Eagles expertly played the clock and rattled off a string of free throws to seal away the game.

The Spartans returned to the floor on Sunday to take on Rochester and keep their playoff hopes alive. Matt Clark scored a career-high 24 points, but his brilliant performance was not enough to save the Spartan’s UAA standing. Clark hit 14 of those points in the final 1:11 of regulation, as he nearly singlehandedly forced overtime and a chance for a Spartan victory. Furthermore Clark hit a career best 13 of 14 from the free-throw line.

Black and Edel followed up their Friday night performances with a few Sportscenter worthy plays and a 19-point 10 rebound double-double from Black with nine points and nine board for Edle, narrowly missing his own double-double.

The Spartans got off to an unusually slow start in the game, hitting just two of their first 17 shots overall. The slow start saw the Spartans down by 15 with just over 2:30 in the first half and down 31-18 when the buzzer mercifully sent the teams into the locker rooms.

The Yellow Jackets continued the onslaught to start the second, as they jumped to a 19-point lead. Finally the Spartans opened up a scoring barrage, as they hit their first from beyond the arc to jumpstart a 14-0 run. With under seven minutes to play, the Spartans hit two free throws to finally reclaim a lead at 43-41.

Rochester rattled off eight in a row after a series of traded leads and seemed rooted in position to win the game in regulation. This is when Clark turned on the gas and rattled off a string of shots to keep the Spartans alive. With .04 seconds left on the clock, Clark was fouled in the act of shooting, forcing the game into overtime as he hit the clutch free throws.

Granted a stay of execution, the Spartans were unable to capitalize and took the loss as time expired on the additional period.

The Spartans look to finish the season with a victory over arch-rival Carnegie Mellon University on Saturday. Tip off is at 5 p.m. as CWRU hosts the Tartans in Horsburgh Gymnasium.

Andrew Hodowanec/Observer Matt Clark, the Spartans’ hero in regulation against Rochester, dribbles the ball up the court against Emory. Clark and his teammates wore Western Reserve Red Cat uniforms agianst Emory for Throwback Weekend.

Men’s Basketball

CWRU

78

Rochester

82

CWRU

Rochester

#

Player

PTS

AST

REB

BLK

TO

MIN

#

Player

PTS

AST

REB

BLK

TO

MIN

42

B. Klements

2

0

4

0

0

16

44

D. Peretz

2

0

8

0

2

21

44

D. McLoughlin

8

0

7

1

1

41

33

T. Sankes

14

2

7

2

1

25

50

C. Edel

9

0

9

0

3

20

5

K. Sheehy

7

0

3

0

0

35

2

J. Holman

0

5

1

0

1

34

10

M. Montague

21

2

6

1

3

38

10

J. Person

8

2

6

0

2

34

11

S. Borst-Smith

15

1

5

0

2

32

5

J. Dean

3

2

1

0

1

11

11

M. Clark

24

1

3

0

2

21

3

T. Seidman

6

1

3

1

0

24

15

D. Black

5

0

2

0

1

14

21

E. Black

19

0

10

0

2

30

24

S. Boyd

0

0

0

1

0

4

Team Totals

78

10

43

2

13

31

A. Hoey

0

0

1

0

0

8

35

Z. Ayers

11

1

4

1

1

22

6

1

7

0

1

20

82

8

44

5

10

40

J. Seltzer Team Totals

Harsha Chandupatla/Observer Spartan big man Brian Klements drives the lane against Rochester. Klements and the Spartans wore CIT Rough Rider Uniforms for Throwback weekend in the loss.

sports Skid stopped Women’s basketball rallies to put one in the win column

JP. O’Hagan Sports Editor Hard work and persistence pays off. The Spartans, after dropping handfuls of close games as part of their nine-game losing skid, finally broke through by defeating Rochester in the capping game of this year’s Throwback Weekend.

The weekend started in heartbreak for the Spartans, however, as they narrowly missed defeating visiting Emory University, dropping the matchup 61-60. The Spartans were led by junior Laura Mummey, who put up a season high 21 points to lead the Spartans’ offensive push. Joining Mummey atop the Spartan stat sheet, freshman Kara Hageman and senior Brooke Orcutt added 16 and eight points, respectfully. Hageman’s 16 came on a careerbest performance, sinking six of her eight shots from the floor. Orcutt filled out her stat sheet with 11 rebounds and seven assists.

The Spartans had seen themselves down early. The team found themselves behind the visiting Eagles 19-8 with just over nine minutes left in the first half. They fought back, refusing to go away, but slipped back into a double-digit deficit before heading into the

locker room down 31-20.

The Spartans came out of the locker room on a tear and rattled off an 11-2 run to find themselves down a single bucket with 15:06 remaining. That margin slipped back down to eight over the next five minutes of play, however, before the Spartans responded with a run of their own to tie the game at 48 apiece.

The two teams battled down the stretch and despite the Spartans finishing the game with six of the seven final points, found themselves short by a sole point as time expired, another loss and the fourth by one point since the beginning of University Athletics Association play. Sunday however would see the team finally turn it around.

Orcutt led the Spartans as they faced off against Rochester and put 19 up on the board, and narrowly missed a double-double while pulling nine down off the glass and setting up her fellow Spartans six times Sunday afternoon, as the team placed one in the win column, after overtime play.

Four different Spartans put up double digit points. In addition to Orcutt, senior Berit Eppard posted her third double-double of the year by putting up a career-high 18 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Sophomore Jessica

Harsha Chandupatla/Observer Kara Hageman dribbles the ball past a Rochester defender this weekend. The Spartans broke their nine game losing skid with a victory over the Yellowjackets.

McCoy hit a season high 17 for the second time this year and Hageman again found herself filling out the stat sheet with 14 points off the bench.

The Spartans found themselves ahead at the half after a hard fought first 20 minutes and entered the locker room up by a bucket, 3331. The Spartans repeated Friday night’s early success in the second, putting up the first six points to lead by a game high of eight points.

However Rochester fought back to eventually tie the game at 42.

Four different lead changes followed until the Yellow Jackets jumped up to a 62-55 lead with under five minutes to play. Refusing to let another one slip through their fingers, the Spartans forced a 64-64 tie with 1:20 left in the

game. However with 42 seconds left, Rochester found themselves ahead and underestimated the Case Western Reserve University defense as the Spartans forced a turnover, and after a foul, McCoy found herself at the line with 5.9 seconds left on the clock and sunk both from the charity stripe to send the game into overtime.

At the end of overtime, highlighted by a bucket off a strong drive into the paint for Eppard, the Spartans walked out of the building with an impressive and well-deserved 79-72 win.

The Spartans will hope to keep up the winning as they finish the season Saturday, Feb. 28 against rival Carnegie Mellon University.

Tip-off is at 3 p.m. at Horsburgh Gymnasium.

Women’s Basketball

CWRU

79

Rochester

72

CWRU #

Player L. Mummey

12

Andrew Hodowanec/Observer Brooke Orcutt is swarmed by Emory defenders in the opening game of Throwback weekend. Orcutt and the Spartans wore Mather College uniforms for the weekend.

Freshman pulling weight Noah Staton Contributing Reporter This past weekend, the Case Western Reserve University Spartan Track and Field team showed their true colors, with the men and women placing first and second at the Greater Cleveland College Championship, respectively. This weekend was the last meet before the much anticipated University Athletic Association (UAA) Indoor Championship, where CWRU is looking with high hopes of landing on the podium on Saturday.

Last weekend showcased an everimproving freshman class of athletes that are hungry for gold. Freshman Natalie Gawlik rose to an impressive 1.47 meters to tie for first in the women’s high jump, and first year Nick Knorz make a photo finish to triumph over John Carroll University by less than a second in the men’s one mile run.

The Spartan freshmen men accounted for 50 of the 164 points in their victory, and the freshmen women contributed 40.5 of the 121 points earned for second.

This weekend all eyes are going to be back on the men’s 4x200 and 4x400 teams.

Having set a new school record and then going back to break it the next weeks, the 4x200 team has been consistently turning heads. It’s led by senior Josh Malone and junior Jonathan Freeman, along with sophomore Nathaniel Wahner and freshman Andrew Ibibo.

While CWRU’s track stars had a much deserved break this past weekend, we can’t help but be excited to see how they’ll perform this weekend.

Along with the impressive display of athletic ability from our Spartan freshman, the future of CWRU’s track and field team looks brighter and brighter each day.

PTS

Rochester

AST

4

REB

2

4

BLK 0

TO

MIN

1

27

#

Player

PTS

AST

REB

BLK

TO

MIN

33

B. Landolfi

3

0

3

1

0

30

42

A. Leslie

25

2

14

0

3

36

13

A. Zywicki

20

0

3

1

2

32

31

L. Deming

4

0

1

0

2

12

K. Hurley

4

0

4

1

2

26

35

B. Eppard

18

4

10

1

1

38

22

J. McCoy

17

1

4

1

1

33

24

A. Germer

2

1

2

0

1

31

35

41

B. Orcutt

19

6

9

1

2

41

4

E. Lewis

0

0

1

0

1

2

5

S. Kaminsky

10

1

1

0

2

27

12

M. Kronenwetter

2

1

5

0

2

14

24

T. Guerrieri

4

0

11

0

1

30

0

1

1

0

2

16

72

5

44

3

17

2

K. Hageman

14

0

3

1

3

29

20

E. Reynolds

2

0

1

0

0

9

43

R. Beaty

3

0

0

0

1

17

Team Totals

79

14

33

4

10

34

K. Kibling Team Totals

Greater Cleveland Meet Men Women Place

School

Points

Place

School

1

CWRU

164

1

Oberlin (OC)

169

2

CWRU

121

2

John Carroll (JCU)

140.5

3

Oberlin (OC)

137

4

Baldwin Wallace (BW)

105.5

Men’s Track Events Winning Time

Event

Points

3

Baldwin Wallace (BW)

89

4

Ursuline (UC)

63.5

5

John Carroll (JCU)

61.5

Women’s Track Events

Winner

School

Event

Winning Time

Winner

School

55 Meter Hurdles

7.73

N. Williams

JCU

55 Meter Hurdles

7.97

B. Indurain

UC

55 Meter Dash

6.55

B. Beidleman

BW

1 Mile Run

5:33.47

C. Smith

JCU

1 Mile Run

4:35.88

N. Knorz

CWRU

500 Meter Run

1:20.00

L. Drafts-Johnson

OC

500 Meter Run

49.39

M. Hydzik

JCU

1000 Meter Run

3:06.60

H. Turner

JCU

800 Meter Run

2:04.33

K. Tribbble

OC

200 Meter Dash

28.41

R. Holowecky

BW

1000 Meter Run

2:36.19

E. Hansen

JCU

400 Meter Dash

1:02.89

M. Braun

CWRU OC

200 Meter Dash

23.28

I. Baker

BW

5000 Meter Run

20:27.09

C. Diehl

5000 Meter Run

16:18.11

M. Girbino

CWRU

3000 Meter Run

9:55.48

C. Lyons

OC

3000 Meter Run

8:54.17

R. Moreton

OC

4X200 Meter Relay

1:54.68

Team A

OC

Men’s Field Events

Women’s Field Events

Event

Winning Distance

Winner

School

Event

Winning Distance

Winner

School

High Jump

1.96m

G. Heil

CWRU

High Jump

1.42m

N. Gawlik

CWRU

Long Jump

6.68m

A. North

JCU

Long Jump

5.57m

B. Indurain

UC

Shot Put

14.92m

T. Burdorff

BW

Shot Put

13.68m

K. Gallavan

BW

Weight Throw

17.44m

T. Burdorff

BW

Weight Throw

17.03m

K. Gallavan

BW

Triple Jump

12.31m

H. Chrispin

JCU

Triple Jump

10.59m

L. Drafts-Johnson

OC

Pole Vault

4.55m

B. Eddy

BW

Pole Vault

3.35m

C. Saccucci

CWRU