Volume XLVI, Issue 5 September 19, 2014

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Case Western Reserve University volume xlvi, issue 5 friday, 9/19/2014

Observer Fall Concert lineup to be shuffled Enio Chinca Contributing Reporter It seems the fall blues start early, following news that the Fall Concert performers Neon Trees will not, after all, be coming to Case Western Reserve University. Following last year’s popular concert with headliner Passion Pit, Neon Trees had the stage set for another great Fall Concert. Unfortunately, according to the Neon Trees Facebook page, the band’s bassist Branden Campbell recently underwent open heart surgery. While Neon Trees won’t be canceling the entire tour, the group will be canceling their trip to Cleveland. Thankfully, according to University Program Board representative Erika Brentar, the Fall Concert isn’t canceled along with the disappointing news, even though there is currently no information about who the new performer may be. Brentar assures that whoever they bring will still “put on a fantastic performance.” Students will not be given the opportunity to vote on who the new musical performer will be, unlike the first selection. However, Brentar ensures that the headliner will be chosen from the original list of potential performers, including MIA, Sleigh Bells and Hoodie Allen. The concert will still be held on Nov. 1 in Veale Gymnasium, like in previous years. When asked about planning and timing issues, Brentar said, “I can confidently say that we still have plenty of time to plan the 2014 Fall Concert, and the cancellation of our headliner is only a minor setback. The entire University Program Board is working on making sure this year’s concert is one of the best yet, so we hope the entire campus is as excited as we are.”

Neon Trees D E L E C N A C

Meredith Dykehouse/Observer

Marijuana debate hits CWRU How does the CWRU community vote on the marijuana debate? It should be legalized for medical purposes. It should be legalized for medical AND recreational purposes. It should NOT be legalized. I am neutral on the marijuana topic. Data from 606 total votes from poll on observer.case.edu Meredith Dykehouse/Observer

Anastazia Vanisko Staff Reporter The DEA classifies marijuana as a Schedule I drug with high potential for abuse and no medical value. Urban Dictionary classifies it as “God’s gift to mankind.” The arguments for and against the legalization of marijuana, one of the most popular recreational illegal drugs, have been the focus of media attention for years now, but, last week the debate was brought onto Case Western Reserve University’s campus. On Sept. 12, in the CWRU School of Law’s moot court room, visiting professors from all over the United States discussed the multi-faceted issue, focusing on how federal and state law are at odds on the case. William Baude, a law professor at the University of Chicago, argued against marijuana legalization, using the results of the Supreme Court case Gonzales v. Raich to show that mari-

juana legalization would violate federal law by affecting interstate commerce. Baude argued that the recent legalization of recreational marijuana in Colorado and Washington thus has no executive enforcement. Although there are memoranda that residents of these states must follow to prevent breaking federal law, Baude argues that these can be changed easily, leading to a lack of stability in marijuana policy. Julie Hill, a professor of law at the University of Alabama, said that another problem with marijuana legalization is the tense relationship between marijuana dispensaries and banks. Dispensaries in Colorado and Washington have difficulty convincing banks to accept their accounts. Some banks operate under federal rather than state laws, which means that they cannot accept these accounts. For others, the risk of accepting them is just too high.

to Marijuana | 3

News

A&E

Opinion

Sports

pg. 2 EMS practices mass casualty drill

pg. 10 Jack White wows

pg. 15 Respect: What it means to me

pg. 18 Browns full of surprises


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Simulated tornado strikes Tinkham Veale University Center

Case EMS practices rescue techniques during mass casualty incident drill Mark Patteson Staff Reporter

Rohan Ramkhumar/Observer CWRU Emergency Medical Service, along with other area first responders, help students with simulated injuries during the annual mass casualty incident drill.

“We’ve got four severe injuries over here!” “She’s got a broken bone.” “Which leg is fractured?” “Miss, stay right over here.” “Sir, can you get up and walk?” “I can’t breathe.” “I think she can’t breathe.” “James, who’s under that blanket?” Early on Sept. 13, the Tinkham Veale University Center turned into a simulated tornado disaster zone. A few dozen volunteers, in various states of mock anguish, lay sprawled around the food court area and outside under debris in the water soaked Frieberger Field. As the rain picked up, the Case Western Reserve University Emergency Medical Service launched its annual mass casualty incident drill. “It was modeled like an actual emergency,” said Tejas Joshi, a sophomore EMS volunteer who organized the drill with fellow EMT Jeff Rabinowitz. “Getting this practice is the best way to know what to do in a mass casualty incident.” The rain, while uncomfortable, provided an added layer of realism to a drill designed to simulate a severe weather event. The Case EMS pulled volunteers out from under fallen branches and collapsed tents, lifted them onto stretchers and brought them inside for additional triage. To make the drill feel realistic, the volunteer victims wore makeup to simulate injuries. They also received a card that listed

their ailments, which ranged from a minor allergic reaction to a broken leg to a serious back injury to PTSD. It not treated fast enough, some of the volunteers would “die”. With 40 volunteers and only five Case EMS responders, along with representatives from the Cleveland and Cleveland Heights Fire Departments and the University Police, not every victim “survived”. But, realistically, in an actual mass casualty incident with limited resources and time, some people may die. In the name of realism, a CFD firefighter even roped me, an uninvolved observer, into the situation, tasking me with helping two EMS members move ‘dead’ volunteers underneath white blankets from the red flag, signalling serious injuries, to the ominous black flag several yards away. “In a real situation, if you are uninvolved and observing, you are going to help,” the firefighter said. For the Case EMS, the drill provides a valuable opportunity to work on the intense level organization that is required in a mass casualty situation. “The biggest challenge is communication,” said Joshi. “The drill is definitely good practice.” The Case EMS is entirely volunteer and student-run. According to Joshi, the organization has grown a lot over the past few years, even recently acquiring a second ambulance. “We are growing and always looking for new members,” said Joshi. With events like the mass casualty drill, Joshi hopes that EMS will have the skills to deal with the unthinkable.

CWRU alumnus brings new cultural festival to University Circle Alexander Wheaton Contributing Reporter The Cleveland One World Festival took over the Cultural Gardens of Rockefeller Park last weekend for a day of free authentic ethnic food and drink, as well as musical, theatrical and artistic entertainment. The festival expands on the garden’s One World Day, which has been held at the gardens for the past 66 years. It was founded and directed by Case Western Reserve University School of Law 1979 graduate James Levin. Levin has a long history in the city of Cleveland. After graduating from CWRU, he founded the Cleveland Public Theater in 1982. He then founded the Gordon Square Arts District, a project that he said “used arts as an economic engine to invigorate and renovate neighborhoods.” This is a theme that runs throughout Levin’s career. Since its inception, the Cleveland Public Theater has grown to five buildings and has grown from being a volunteer organization with an annual budget of $5,000 to being a million-dollar, nationally recognized theater that has brought life

back to the west side of Cleveland. Levin also started the Ingenuity Festival in downtown Cleveland, which showcases mergings of technology and art. Ian Charnas, manager of think[box], presented the now famous Tesla Orchestra at the festival in 2009. Work on this year’s One World Festival began in 2012, when Levin resigned from Ingenuity to work on other projects. He wanted to organize an event that would help unify Cleveland’s 110-plus distinct ethnic groups. Much like his other projects, Levin designed the One World Festival to be an economic trigger for the Glenville neighborhood, inspiring business activity in the area through the park. Each country had a different garden, filled with sellers, restaurants and stages. The 15 stages hosted performances from a number of different groups, but each performance was located in another country’s garden. Even if you stayed in one place, said Levin, the entire world might pass before your eyes. “Many of the ethnic communities in Cleveland are very insular,” said Levin. “But this festival helps to break down those barriers and invite people to explore the

Andrew Hodowanec/Observer A woman performs at the One World Festival, which was held at Rockefeller Gardens on Sept. 13 and 14. things that make us different.” Levin also said that CWRU’s Senior Director Over 100 organizations were involved in of Local Government and Community Relathe festival, including Oberlin College, Cleve- tions Latisha James was also instrumental in land State University and a number of local bringing the festival together. museums. CWRU students and faculty perLevin said that he is looking forward to meated almost every aspect of the event, with further coordinating with CWRU as he cona diverse array of student organizations, from siders plans for a 2015 and 2016 festival, the the International Club to the CWRU Juggling latter of which would take place on the garClub, helping to bring the festival to fruition. den’s 100th anniversary.


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from Marijuana | 1 This risk includes a risk to their reputation. As Brannon Denning, a professor of law at Samford University, argues, banks don’t want to be associated with stoners, who he said are stereotyped as “unproductive” people who frequently “eat pizza.” There is also a risk that the dispensaries won’t abide by the law, selling to buyers who are under the legally required 21 years of age. Steven Davenport

of Carnegie Mellon University said that, while youth access is a problem, there are ways to avoid it. Since most youth would buy from older friends, a marketing campaign aimed at preventing adults from selling marijuana would help to reduce risk. Despite these problems, though, support for legalized marijuana is still growing. Angela Hawken, a public policy professor at Pepperdine University School of Public Policy, said that favorable public opinion for the cause has been increasing, especially for medical marijuana use.

However, Hawken stressed that decisions should not be made on public opinion alone, and the international reaction must also be taken into account. The United States is a signatory on an International Narcotics Control Board treaty that says it won’t allow marijuana usage except for medical and scientific purposes. Colorado and Washington’s new laws disregard the treaty, and, although there have been no consequences yet, it is a possibility, as Uruguay, another signatory on the treaty, was penalized when they legalized marijuana.

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Although arguments for both sides of the issue were presented at the panels, no solid conclusion on the issue was reached. In Ohio, two bills have been proposed by Representative Bob Hagan that aim at lessening restrictions on marijuana. HB 153 would legalize medical marijuana, and allow patients’ caregivers to grow the drug. HJR 6 would decriminalize marijuana and make it legal for adults over 21 years of age to use recreationally. Both bills have been sent to hearing committees, but neither has advanced past that stage.

CWRU researchers discuss Ebola epidemic Adithi Iyengar Staff Reporter In December of 2013, a young girl in Guinea became the first reported case of the Zaire strain of the Ebola virus, a disease causing high fever, internal bleeding and, in many cases, death. The disease has since spread throughout West Africa, killing thousands and resulting in a global discussion about the dangers of infectious disease. On Sept. 10, CWRU hosted a talk on the outbreak, discussing efforts to treat and prevent the spread of the disease. “Ebola is one of the most virulent pathogens known to humans,” said Dr. Christopher L. King, professor of International Health, Medicine and Pathology. Ebola is spread through f luids, including saliva and blood, but it is not airborne. Once the virus enters the body, it invades a cell, taking over its functions by replacing the RNA. The cell then multiplies, spreading the virus throughout the body. The incubation period for the virus is between two and 21 days. In a typical

case, patients start to experience headaches, fatigue, fever and muscle soreness around day seven to nine, and high fever and vomiting of blood around day 10. On day 11, the virus starts to cause brain damage and bleeding from other bodily orifices. On day 12, patients experience loss of consciousness, seizures and death. Originally, there was a 90 percent death rate from the disease, but, with today’s treatment methods, which include providing electrolytes and fluids, the death rate has decreased to 50 percent. As the population increases and areas become more densely populated, it becomes easier for disease to spread, said Dr. James M. Kazura, professor of International Health, Medicine and Pathology. He said that increased ease of transportation also contributes. To come up with strategies that can prevent the spreading of the virus, researchers are studying other viral outbreaks, like the SARS coronavirus. Public health measures such as promoting good hygiene and quarantining and treating the sick have had some success, but they are not entirely able to stop the spread.

One of the hardest parts of containing the disease is getting the whole community to work together. Since infected individuals can still be contagious for three to four days after death, communities have to change burial rituals in order to prevent the spread of the infection, something that many cultures and religions do not approve of. Another issue is the lack of resources in dealing with the outbreak. As the infected population increased by about 500 new cases a week, hospitals needed more beds and treatment facilities immediately. The quick spread has led to a shortage of supplies and staff. This shortage has been aggravated by healthcare worker strikes in Liberia and Sierra Leone. With more than 240 workers infected and 120 deaths, many don’t want to take the risk of contracting the virus. With the staff spread so thin, treatment for other health care issues has fallen to the wayside, leading to even more problems in affected countries. Although Ebola is extremely dangerous, it does spread less quickly than most viral diseases like measles, for

which around 15 to 20 people are infected per patient. In contrast, an average of 1.5 people are infected for each Ebola patient. However, the Zaire strain is stronger than any strain that researchers have seen before, and while new drugs and vaccines are in development, nothing has been found that really works. Even if a successful treatment was found, it’s extremely difficult to bring to low-income neighborhoods due to poverty, inadequate medical infrastructure and lack of proper nutrition. The outbreak also has political consequences, with political unrest and instability increasing in highly infected areas. Sierra Leone, the Ivory Coast and Senegal have all closed their borders to prevent movement in and out in an attempt to curb the outbreak. The three speakers, Kazura, King and Dr. Ronald Blanton, professor of International Health and Epidemiology and Biostatistics, stressed that for prevention measures to work, there has to be cooperation from infected and uninfected people, as well as increased resources for prevention and treatment.

President Snyder speaks about upcoming plans for CWRU at USG meeting Adithi Iyengar Staff Reporter University President Barbara Snyder spoke at the Sept. 16 USG meeting about upcoming plans to expand student opportunities at Case Western Reserve University. As announced at the OK Go concert on Aug. 24, Snyder reiterated that CWRU has surpassed its fundraising campaign goal two years early by raising over $1 billion, and the goal has now been raised to $1.5 billion. The goal is

to raise as much money as possible for student scholarships, since it is getting increasingly difficult for some people to afford tuition. Snyder also said that the university is in the middle of a major master space planning effort, bringing consultants to campus to meet with various student groups and discuss preliminary findings. There will be two open forums hosted on Sept. 30 where students can voice their opinions on the issue. Snyder also gave updates on the Milton and Tamar Maltz Performing Arts

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Center, a new building that is taking over part of the space previously occupied by the Temple-Tifereth Israel. She said that they are working on tearing down part of the existing building and adding a proscenium theater along with a black box theater. The university is also considering building a connecting walkway between the Tinkham Veale University Center and the Performing Arts Center. They hosted a design competition, and Snyder said that the design will be revealed soon. Another update was on the plan to

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create a new health science campus. The new campus will be a collaboration between the School of Medicine, School of Dental Medicine, the Nursing School and the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. “We hear all the time how health care has to be provided in teams and by professionals, and there can’t be a hierarchy like there used to be,” said Snyder. “We’ve decided instead of educating the students separately like everybody does, we can do a lot better by preparing them to work in teams from day one on campus.”

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A Case analysis Explaining CWRU’s single spot drop in college rankings

Aneeka Ayyar Contributing Reporter With a record 21,500 applications this year there must be something about Case Western Reserve University that draws high school seniors. For some, it’s Officer Mark’s friendly wave on visitation day or our perpetually underrated sports teams, but for most it’s the academic rigor. CWRU’s strong academics are often reflected in national college rankings. Last year, CWRU came in at number 37 on the U.S. News National University Rankings, but this year it dropped one spot, tying with the University of California, Davis for 38th place. The report, released on Sept. 9, analyzed statistics from the applicants for the class of 2017. The criteria for U.S. News rankings are based on six specific categories: retention, faculty services, student selectivity, financial resources, graduate rate performance and alumni giving rate. Despite the drop in ranking, CWRU actually improved in almost all of the categories compared to last year. Faculty resources went up due to a number of improvements around campus, and the university gained points in student selectivity as well. Only 38 percent of applicants were accepted this year, a drastic drop from the 52 percent admission rate of last year.

U.S. News collects data through the college, students and high school guidance counselors. They also consider letters from guidance counselors discussing impressions of certain colleges that their students expressed. CWRU also improved in guidance department recommendations this year. So why the drop in ranking? The only area where CWRU slipped this year was in graduation rate, with only 80 percent of CWRU students graduating in four years. “The funny thing is that the area we lost points in is a lagging indicator,” said Robert McCullough, director of Undergraduate Admissions. “Graduate rate is affected by the class of 2013.” McCullough said that First Year Experience and admissions have been working together to recruit more students. “Our attendance at open houses, off-campus events and even at college fairs has definitely increased,” he said. “More students are interested in us and that’s great.” Admissions isn’t concerned with the change in rankings though. Although they are useful for students to determine which schools to apply to, McCullough said that a small drop shouldn’t deter motivated students away from applying to CWRU. “Honestly, there are so many positive factors about CWRU,” he said. “Rankings give a reputation, but I think we are healthy with where we are now.”

MedWish International among organizations at CCEL Community Service Fair

PetFix Wellness Day provides free health services to over 375 animals Aquene Kimmel Contributing Reporter Poochino, a Shih Tzu Poodle mix, travelled in a suitcase on two trains and a bus to get to PetFix Canine and Feline Wellness Day. The Sept. 14 event gave his owner, Julie York, the chance to provide him with free health services, including microchips, vaccinations and health check-ups that York, and many other low-income pet owners, would not have been able to afford otherwise. The biannual event provided health services to 363 pets like Poochino, all with the help of 175 volunteers. Case Western Reserve University brought twenty of the volunteers to the event, thanks to the work of Debbie Jacobson, director of International Education Programs at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences. PetFix is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending “pet overpopulation” in the Cleveland area by making

spay and neuter surgeries affordable and accessible. Aside from Canine and Feline Wellness Days, PetFix’s other services include a mobile veterinary clinic and a spay and neuter clinic. “I wish it was my full-time job,” said Amy Kidd, a volunteer at the event who has been working with PetFix since 2011. Another volunteer, Officer Carl Hartman of the Cleveland Police Department, said he started working with PetFix after he was part of a team that rescued 27 pitbulls from a dogfighting ring in 2011. Hartman said that attendants care about their pets, which is why they bring them. Jacobson’s involvement with PetFix began a year ago when she learned about the organization from a former student. This is the first time that CWRU has worked with PetFix, but Jacobson hopes that CWRU will be able to provide more volunteers for the organization in the future.

come check out the Student Sustainability Council and the University Farm’s

Farm Harvest Festival at the University Farm

Saturday September 20th 1 p.m. - 6 p.m. buses leave Thwing every 30 minutes starting at 12:30 p.m.

for more info: bit.ly/fhf2014

Harsha Chandupatla/Observer Students sign up for service opportunities at CCEL’s annual Community Service Fair.

Sruthi Meka Contributing Reporter MedWish International held one of the almost 100 tables at this year’s Center for Civic Engagement and Learning Community Service Fair, a Sept. 12 event that brought local community service organizations, student-led volunteer groups and representatives from regional nonprofits. MedWish International is a Cleveland-based non-profit organization that repurposes medical supplies and sends them to regions of the world with subpar healthcare standards. David Cicerchi said that the mission of MedWish is to “help relieve suffering and save lives all over the world.” MedWish has several ongoing programs that require volunteer support. The main project involves sorting donated medical supplies and putting them into inventory, where they wait until a need arises. MedWish’s aid programs send nearly $100,000 of supplies to conflict regions

and refugee camps around the world. In the past year, MedWish has sent more than 52 shipments of medical supplies overseas. Volunteers come from “all walks of life,” said Cicerchi. High school students, retirees and students from Case Western Reserve University are all involved. “[CWRU] is the largest single organizer of students we have,” Cicerchi said. “In the CWRU community, MedWish is well-understood.” MedWish recently granted CCEL the Global Leader Award, which they give to groups with the largest number of hours volunteering with the organization. Other campus organizations that have volunteered with MedWish include fraternities like Phi Delta Epsilon and student organizations like Shadowing Case by Case. “More and more students are interested in improving lots of things around the world,” said Cicerchi. “Health care is one of them. Students are becoming more and more globally conscious.”

free fresh food with Case ID

Frisbee

Hike Hayride S’mores Sponsors:

Eat Mitchell’s Corn hole

GSS Alumni Association Human Resources Office of International Affairs Food is free for alumni, faculty, staff, students, and children under 12. Others will be asked to pay $5 to eat.


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Jennifer Sparrow hired as new Director of Online and Innovative Learning Garretson Oester Contributing Reporter The first item that jumps out in Jennifer Sparrow’s corner office in Crawford Hall is the bright blue desk chair; the second, a gargoyle book-end she got after she finished college. It has traveled with her from Boston to Florida to Virginia, and now, to Cleveland. Sparrow, an Ohio native, was recently hired to fill the new position of director of online and innovative learning. In this role, she merges two of her previous jobs: online learning from Virginia Tech and innovative learning from Florida Gulf Coast University in what she calls “the best of both jobs.” Innovation is an integral part of Sparrow’s work, one that she defines with quotes gathered from colleagues at a conference,

scrawled on a worn piece of Sheraton Hotel notepaper: “Risk, fail, fear, iterate.” “Experimentation, unafraid of failure.” “From two sticks—fire.” “Change, fail, disrupt, succeed.” Sparrow’s primary role in her new job is to coordinate developments in promising new technologies. For instance, she is tasked with managing the roll out of Case Western Reserve University’s new online masters programs. One program, with the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, is close to completion, while the five new programs through the Case School of Engineering are still under development. Sparrow’s role in the project centers on communication—facilitating contracts, faculty, technology, and stakeholders.

“My typical day can be anything,” Sparrow said. On this particular day, Sept. 9, Sparrow began by reading technology news and reviewing research and development advancements. “The big news today was the Apple announcement,” she said. “The smartwatch, its price, network capabilities. Could it be used in classrooms, for instance, for student responses?” She then moved on to working with her online learning teams, and talking to a professor about further developing blended learning in his class. Next, she reviewed the Massive Open Online Courses in development and met with a professor to talk about fundraising and planning for his course.

“The question is how to translate brick and mortar services, counseling and so forth, to ensure that students not in Ohio or not even in North America have a positive experience [with the MOOC],” she said. Although her days vary, Sparrow said that the one element that always stays constant is working to ensure the best experience for students. It’s not an easy task to accomplish. Whenever she needs inspiration, Sparrow looks to her museum of old tech: a Polaroid camera, the first iPod, a Wi-Fi card, her collection of records and on old telephone from her Virginia Tech days. Ultimately, Sparrow hopes that, in five years, through her work and the work of others, higher education will learn to be “ever cognizant of what good learning is.”

Hartman Foundation donates $300,000 to expand engineering co-op program Gabrielle Buffington Staff Reporter The Hartman Foundation is donating $300,000 towards the Case School of Engineering’s co-op program. David Hartman, who founded Hartman Foundation Inc. after receiving his B.S. in chemical engineering from the

Case Institute of Technology in 1958, previously donated $300,000 to the co-op program in 2011. Hartman viewed the donation as a way to encourage students to expand their horizons, and their resumes, by seeking employment in the engineering field before graduation. This is a belief that his son, Douglas, the current president of the

Hartman Foundation, also holds. Co-ops provide students with six to eight months of real world experience, giving them a leg up on other students when it comes to getting a job after graduation. Douglas plans on visiting the campus and interacting with students involved in the co-op program. He will also meet

with company officials to talk about hiring students through the co-op program in hopes of helping the program expand. “The Hartman Foundation looks forward to working directly with the Case School of Engineering to see that my father’s dream of 100 percent participation in co-oping is realized,” said Douglas in a statement to The Daily.


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On the beat: Ray Rice and CWRU By now, many people have seen the video of NFL player Ray Rice beating his fiancee in an elevator. The incident sparked a national conversation on the issues of relationships and domestic violence. But could something like that ever happen at Case Western Reserve University? Students come to CWRU for a variety of reasons, ranging from getting an education to learning to solve the world’s problems to getting a job that will let them to finally eat at a restaurant that doesn’t accept meal swipes. Outside of academics, however, the social aspect is also an integral

part of the university experience. Meeting new people from different backgrounds is one of the best parts of college. Some of these people will be study partners, while others you may get into a more intimate relationship with. The key thing to remember is that any relationship that involves violence is not a healthy relationship. You don’t have to get wrapped up in the legal definition of what is or isn’t domestic violence (something that differs from state to state), but remember that, if someone hits you, it is illegal and you need to seek help. Leave legal clarification to us.

CWRU Police Blotter Sept. 9 to Sept. 16

While this may be obvious to many people, there have been cases at this university where students that may have been victims of domestic or relationship violence gave blank stares and said that they never thought of contacting the police. While physical violence in a relationship is clearly crossing the line, verbal and psychological abuse can also be illegal, depending on the circumstances. It is definitely not a sign of a healthy relationship. If you are involved in a physically, verbally or psychologically abusive relationship, or know someone who is, you need to tell some-

one—the police, an RA, coach, professor, whoever can get the help that is needed. While we may not have elevator footage of domestic violence, it has happened here in the past and it will again, if we as a community let it. Let’s look out for each other and prevent domestic violence. On the Beat is a weekly safety column written by Sergeant Jeffrey Daberko & 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.

Sept. 12: Petty theft—Items taken from backpack, Thwing Center. Sept. 13: Underage drinking—Denny’s Diner, hospital transport.

Sept. 9: Robbery—Cell phone snatched from student by bicyclist. Sept. 13: Underage drinking—Lot 56, no hospital transport. Phone recovered, security alert issued, Murray Hill Road/ Glenwood Road. Sept. 14: Underage drinking—Pierce House, hospital transport. Sept. 10: Felony theft—Wallet taken from backpack, south Sept. 14: Drug Possession—Marijuana, Howe House. academic quad. Sept. 16: Arson—Poster board set on fire in lobby, Staley House.

Greek life hopes to Holden Arboretum merges with the Cleveland prevent hazing with Botanical Gardens Respect Week Tara Tran Staff Reporter On Sept. 10, the Holden Arboretum and the Cleveland Botanical Gardens formally announced that they will be merging together, becoming the 13th largest public garden in the United States. With the support of charitable foundations and individual donations, the $5.6 million integration, which has been in the works since June, is finally becoming a reality. The Holden Arboretum, located in Kirtland, Ohio, is an outdoor living mu-

Stephanie Kim/Observer The Greek Life Office hosted Respect Week tables around campus.

Miriam Ridge Contributing Reporter The Greek Life Office sponsored the second Respect Week, an event inspired by National Hazing Prevention Week that aims to stop hazing by raising respect. “[Respect Week] helps people think broader on how they can respect by focusing on each part of their lives,” said Jamie Linn, coordinator for Greek Residential Programs and Culture of Care. The event, which goes from Sept. 15-18, focuses on a number of different

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themes, including Respect Your Relationships, Respect Yourself, Respect Your Culture and Respect Your Values. Each day, a table was set up which included a visual display, such as a whiteboard or post-it notes, on how students can respect these different parts of themselves. These displays were in various buildings around campus, and were hosted by different Greek chapters each day. “It is a really great week that shows the ability to make an impact on the community, not just the Greek community, but the CWRU community as a whole,” said Linn.

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seum featuring 3,600 acres of plant life. The Arboretum attracts over 90,000 annual visitors with its wide collection of diverse trees from around the world, over 20 miles of hiking trails and beautifully themed gardens. The Cleveland Botanical Garden, which Case Western Reserve University students have free access to, has been facing financial troubles for the past six years, which this merger will eliminate. Both organizations hope that this merger will create an enhanced visitor experience and improve both gardens.

Kids Against Hunger co-sponsors documentary screening with Film Society Aneeka Ayyar Contributing Reporter On Sept. 4, Kids Against Hunger (KAH) partnered with the Film Society to give students a Strosacker screening of the 2012 documentary “A Place at the Table,” directed by Kristi Jacobson and Lori Silverbush. With free admission for all, and free popcorn and soda handed out to the first 75 attendees, students settled in to watch the emotionally moving film. “A Place at the Table” is a documentary about hunger in the USA. The film shows the food insecurities that poor Americans face each day, showing that, for low-income families, unhealthy food choices such as McDonald’s provide a cheaper alternative to purchasing fruits and vegetables, contributing to the obesity epidemic.

“The movie blew me away,” said junior Kiran Bandi, president of KAH. “I wanted others to feel what I did.” KAH hopes that the film screening will help increase the club’s membership and advertise their upcoming events, which include general body meetings and packaging meals for hungry families. “The purpose of the event was to spread awareness for the club and the issues it helps to resolve,” said sophomore Elizabeth Caceci, co-director of the Film Society. According to Bandi, the food packaging events are their most popular, with almost 200 people participating. “Last year, we packed 37,112 meals—a new record,” she said. In total, the club has served over 100,000 with their packaged meals, and they hope to package at least 500,000 meals in the next three years.


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fun page | 7

COMICS Ivory Tower

by Kevin Yong

‘Am I taking care of you? I have a thesis to write!’ ‘My parents are at their house; you visited last–’ ‘No, no, explain like you’re five.’ by xkcd

Crossword Puzzle Across 1. Pond gunk 5. Quietens 10. Trail 14. Piece of glass 15. S-shaped moldings 16. Balm ingredient 17. Unable to read 19. The original matter (cosmology) 20. 56 in Roman numerals 21. Sporting venue 22. Gangsters 23. An informal term for money 25. Constructed 27. Half of a pair 28. Diaphanous 31. Grownup 34. Throats (archaic) 35. French for “Summer” 36. A division of a hospital 37. Unexpired 38. A Freudian stage 39. Eastern newtv 40. A pinnacle of ice 41. A short simple song 42. Adhering

44. Disencumber 45. Large long-necked wading bird 46. A young hare 50. Characteristic 52. Utilize again 54. Genus of macaws 55. Hearing organs 56. Belonging to the past 58. 17 in Roman numerals 59. Not outer 60. Distribute 61. Popular hot beverages 62. Excrete 63. Not amateurs Down 1. Overflow 2. Give birth 3. Dim 4. Japanese apricot 5. Compel 6. Concur 7. Low-fat 8. Relating to metabolism 9. South southeast 10. Bribe 11. Portion

12. Pigeon-___ 13. Skirt lines 18. Razz 22. Snake sound 24. Informed 26. Utilized 28. Internment camp 29. French for “State” 30. Depend 31. Amazes 32. Wacky 33. Hives 34. Earning 37. Blood vessel 38. Assistant 40. Three-handed card game 41. Frogman 43. An unstable situation 44. Vacation destination 46. Chordophones 47. Formula 1 driver 48. Muse of love poetry 49. Stories 50. Words 51. Rant 53. Feudal worker 56. Hasten 57. Evil spirit


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Horoscopes Aries

Case Wireless is not going to be good to you this week. Consider switching to Case Guest.

Taurus

Napping through class is a vicious cycle. Stop now, grab a coffee, and….zzzzzzz.

Gemini

Sometimes you should just take some advice from Taylor Swift. Haters getting you down? Shake it off!

Cancer

Take the wise words of Men Without Hats to heart. “If your friends don’t dance and if they don’t dance, well, they’re no friends of mine.” Who needs a friend who won’t dance with you, anyway?

Leo

xkcd

Kindle

Watch out for surprises at the corner of Euclid and Adelbert.

Virgo

Sleep is important. Don’t forget about it because it won’t forget about you.

Libra

So you made it through your tests this week? Just wait until round two. Prepare now or not. It’s up to you.

Scorpio

I’m happy with my Kindle 2 so far, but if they cut off the free Wikipedia browsing, I plan to show up drunk on Jeff Bezos’s lawn and refuse to leave.

You are probably going to regret not doing that reading.

Sagittarius

Be an example for what you want in the world. plant pope range roots salmon seem sense shot stir stretch strip tear today together toilet tooth vehicle video viewer water wealth

Wordsearch

ante better brief bring close enter excess factory fell glee impact impossible influence issue lame leave lies meteor more paper picture

Capricorn

The quarter moon is here so it’s time to say no. Treat yo self to some real food.

Aquarius

Don’t be as cheesy as Sagittarius. You’re not that special.

Pisces

Watch GSN, it’ll be a good time, trust me.


observer.case.edu

fun page | 9

Crossword Puzzle Across 1. Four-wheeled toy cart 6. Kittens’ cries 10. Angers 14. Give off 15. Double-reed woodwind 16. Dribble 17. Permit 18. Forsaken 19. Monster 20. Acts as an agent 22. Letters, etc. 23. Hubs 24. Shoelace hole 26. Competent 30. Cashew or almond 31. Drunkard 32. Diving bird 33. Away from the wind 35. Exhorted 39. Spartan 41. Streaked 43. Precipitous 44. Bristle 46. Hint 47. Regulation (abbrev.)

49. 19 in Roman numerals 50. Skidded 51. Spiffy 54. Send forth 56. Food thickener 57. Irregular 63. Wise men 64. Brag 65. Found around a painting 66. Nights before 67. French for “Head” 68. Evanesces 69. Arid 70. Poems 71. Tilt Down 1. Don 2. Spindle 3. Mouthful 4. Smell 5. Handrail post 6. Particles 7. Hard rubber 8. Herbaceous plant 9. Detects 10. Muscle-building exercises

11. Kingly 12. Creepy 13. Hardy wheat 21. Submarine detector 25. Not mine 26. “What a shame!” 27. Match 28. Fail to win 29. Kirk’s starship 34. Guesses 36. Effrontery 37. Decorative case 38. Accomplishment 40. Type of sword 42. Cabs 45. Kill 48. Cave 51. Gentlewomen 52. American aloe 53. Beeper 55. Spats 58. College girl 59. By mouth 60. Nil 61. Ends a prayer 62. In order to prevent


arts & entertainment Jack White proves musical talent at Cleveland show

Teddy Eisenberg Staff Reporter

Some months ago, “Rolling Stone” magazine ran a headline describing Jack White as rock and roll’s own Willy Wonka. From the vast variety of music styles and guitar wizardry that White displayed during his show at Jacobs Pavilion on Sept. 15, not even that description does him justice. Under a stage bathed entirely in blue light, Jack White and his band of five treated a nearly sold-out Cleveland crowd to two hours of music from the Dead Weather, the White Stripes and White’s own solo material. A thundering rendition of the instrumental “High Ball Stepper” threatened to bring the house down from the very start of the show. “Lazaretto” and “Hotel Yorba” followed, until White suddenly stopped the band and said, “Sorry, that’s all the time we have,” before launching into an untitled jam that incorporated a dizzying blend of surf guitar, garage rock and roots music. Jack White’s quick stage banter was a highlight of the night’s festivities. “Forget looking for authenticity,” White said, “I myself once walked into a Wal-Mart store!”

Courtesy David James Swanson/davidswanson.com Jack White produced a captivating performance at his show at Nautica Pavilion, where his stage was completely washed in a blue light

If authenticity was lacking in performance, the spontaneity of the setlist and originally of the song arrangements made up for that in spades. After nearly every song, White turned individually to each of his band members to whisper the title of whatever was up next, which could end up either being a piano-led romper of the White Stripes classic “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground” or a blistering medley of “Sixteen Saltines” and Beck’s “Devil’s Haircut.” After a 15 song set, White and company left before returning for a seven song encore that lasted for nearly 40 minutes, including “Hello Operator,” “Ball and Biscuit” and “Catch Hell Blues.” Ending the evening with a crowd-sung version of “Seven Nation Army,” Jack White’s spellbinding ability to create and emote was clear as the frenzied crowd chanted the song’s melody. Seeing Jack White perform live is like seeing a profession athlete play at the top of his game. There is a resounding joy that comes from watching a true artist work his magic, and the Cleveland audience certainly felt that Monday night.

CHALK FESTIVAL For the 25th year in a row, the Cleveland Art Museum brought professional artists and community members alike for a weekend of chalk art, covering the sidewalks in front of the building. With live music to accompany the artistic process, the festival started in the morning of Sept. 13 and ended on Sept. 14.

Anne Nickoloff and Mike McKenna/Observer


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observer.case.edu

The flavor of punk

Grog Shop sees SKATERS and The Orwells in one night

Anne Nickoloff/Observer The Orwells put on a strange and slightly uncomfortable show at the Grog Shop last week, but the crowd still loved it.

Anne Nickoloff Arts & Entertainment Editor After seeing The Orwells and SKATERS, two bands identified as punk rock, perform at the Grog Shop on Sept. 9, the genre of “punk” will never again feel decisive. SKATERS, who belted out powerful songs with tons of excitement to a crowd that was four times bigger than their last Grog Shop experience, was solid. People danced to “I Wanna Dance (But I Don’t Know How),” and they actually knew how. A cover of Violent Femmes’ “Kiss Off ” was met with a sing-along crowd. In short: SKATERS’ show was a success. But I’m less comfortable saying the same about The Orwells. More specifically, I’m less comfort-

There were some high points; during “Who Needs You,” one of The Orwells’ most recognizable songs, the moshing audience in front of the stage yanked on Cuomo’s hair while he sang away. The Orwell’s cover of FIDLAR’s “Cheap Beer” was met with over 20 pumping fists. And, admittedly, it was impressive when Cuomo climbed across the room, scaling across a ceiling rafter like monkey bars while the crowd lifted the lower half of his body. But there were low points. This includes the moment they walked onstage, throwing handfuls of ice at the crowd (which the crowd felt very comfortable throwing right back). Or when Cuomo f lat-out stopped singing and the guitarist had to take over vocal duties towards the end of a couple songs. While some of the crowd loved The Orwells’ performance and unruly nature, I felt like it was over the top. I get

the idea of skuzzy snot rock or f lipping off the bourgeoisie (their name is, after all, “The Orwells”), but why does that mean being drunk the moment you take the stage? Why does that mean sacrificing the performance for the sake of being a punk? The Orwells have been scrutinized in the past for acting in similarly childish ways onstage. No one wants to be the un-cool, old-sounding guy who tells them to shape up, but at the same time, their music suffers at the cost of a super-punk performance. Even so, the new-age punks in the front row (and most of the crowd, for that matter) had a ball. So, who’s to say what’s more important? I’ll stick with more musical shows. Still, at the end of the day, I could say that The Orwells were definitely something I’d never seen before... and probably won’t see again.

able saying the same about Mario Cuomo, the lead singer of The Orwells. To be clear, the band itself rocked it. They engaged the crowd, played their music and clawed back to the good ol’ youth-revolt nature of punk rock. It was fresh and exciting...until Cuomo started yelping, growling, chuckling and making barf noises into the microphone, when he was supposed to be singing lyrics. Cuomo took the whole “stick it to the man” thing to the next level—after whipping a bag of bread at various members of the audience and yelling out “There you go, you Midwest pieces of trash,” he just stared blankly into the corner of the room, seeming to be caught in some drugged-out trance state. This was, of course, after several slugs of beer.

Conversation Series 2014-2015 Exploring Equity and Resilience in Childhood

Sexual Orientation and Parenting: Research and Policy Issues Charlotte Patterson, PhD With respondents:

Professor of Psychology Director, Women, Gender & Sexuality Program University of Virginia

Phyllis Harris

Executive Director Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Community Center of Greater Cleveland

Amy Przeworski, PhD

11454 Uptown Ave Cleveland, Ohio 44106 (216) 229-9920

$5 wraps for the month of September expires: Sept. 30

Assistant Professor CWRU Department of Psychological Sciences

Tuesday, September 23, 2014 4:30-6:00 PM Wolstein Research Building Auditorium 2103 Cornell Road

Registration recommended at http://schubert.case.edu/events/patterson-2014/ Dr. Patterson will discuss recent research on lesbian and gay parents and their children. The social and political contexts surrounding LGBT families in the United States will also be explored, as well as future directions for research and policy initiatives. Community and university partners:

11454 Uptown Ave Cleveland, Ohio 44106 (216) 229-9920

University Counseling Services, CWRU


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CWRU THOUGHTS “Thank God for Jokes” Mike Birbiglia kills in new stand-up tour Julia Bianco News Editor

Maria Fazal/Observer Maria Fazal Staff Reporter 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 do you think is the biggest change from high school to college?

Q: What is something you’ve learned since starting college?

A: I went to a boarding school, so the dorm life isn’t really all that different. It’s just a lot more free. You have to manage your own time. People aren’t going to look after you, and you’re on your own schedule.

A: You need to manage your time really well. Plan ahead, so you can space out free time and study time and socializing time and do-nothing time and take-care-of-yourself time.

The title of Mike Birbiglia’s new 100 city stand-up tour is undeniably accurate: “Thank God for Jokes.” Thank God indeed, as Birbiglia’s one hour set was packed full of laughs, keeping the recent audience of his Palace Theater show in stitches. I will admit that, going into the night, I was worried that Birbiglia’s opener, Josh Rabinowitz, might steal the show. Rabinowitz is fairly new to the stand-up scene (his most recognizable credit is an appearance on season 1 of Comedy Central’s “Adam Devine’s House Party”), but with his self-deprecating humor and well-designed delivery, it’s unlikely that he’ll stay unknown for long. Rabinowitz’s 20-minute set delivered a variety of jokes, most of which landed well with the fairly receptive audience. His delivery is reminiscent of a young John Mulaney (well, younger—Rabinowitz is 26, while Mulaney is only 32), a well-structured but still fluid comic’s comic whose jokes are original but still fare well with the majority of audiences. The audience seemed to be clamoring for more after Rabinowitz finished his set, but as soon as Birbiglia came onstage, they exploded with applause. Birbiglia is well-known in the stand-up world, with his past hour tours, including “Sleepwalk with Me” and “My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend” (both available on Netflix), doing well with audiences and critics alike. Expectations are high for this tour. Birbiglia opened up with a funny bit about the theater, making fun of one of the chairs in the front row that appeared to leave no leg room at all. He interacted well with the audience, responding to a lot of shouted fan comments. However, this bit went on a minute or

so too long, something that happens fairly frequently throughout the set. This, though, is probably my only complaint about Birbiglia’s hour, which effortlessly brought together stories about being raised Christian, getting arrested for having a suspended license and accidentally cursing when opening for the Muppets in a way that made it feel as though he was having a conversation at a party instead of performing in front of hundreds of people. Although Birbiglia’s comedy lies mostly in storytelling, he still managed to work in short phrases and one-liners that work both within and without context. “I hate when people say fashionably late,” started one joke. “That’s like saying stylishly racist.” Birbiglia’s comedy is fairly schlubby, and he doesn’t shy away from mocking himself. “I was going to yoga class, which is why I look excellent, and feel excellent,” he said, to much laughter from the audience. “I yearn for the day that doesn’t get a laugh,” he added. Birbiglia’s life seems to be full of stories that are ripe for comedy, although he is quick to admit that finding comedy in a situation takes time and hard work. He is a comic focused on the process, and he brings it up throughout his set. It works well for someone so established in his career, bringing something new to the mix that die-hard fans of stand-up rarely hear, but are curious to know. All in all, Birbiglia’s “Thank God for Jokes” tour is a solid outing for the comedian, and it demonstrates his ability to grow up. Although he still revels in a man-boyish adolescence, his comedy seems older now, and his experience of more than 14 years in the industry shows.

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Playlist of the Week: Sept. 12, 2014 Teddy Eisenberg Staff Reporter

“Pressure” — My Brightest Diamond

The drum roll that begins “Pressure” is reminiscent of the opening of a marching band halftime show and should serve as a warning to listeners: This is a difficult song. Difficult doesn’t mean inaccessible, however, as the fusion of Shara Worden’ classically trained vocals with all sorts of rarified woodwinds, horns and chugging beats makes for a remarkably catchy pop song. “Pressure” is the first track off of My Brightest Diamond’s latest album, “This Is My Hand,” released Sept. 16 on Asthmatic Kitty Records.

“Let Me Down Easy” — Paolo Nutini Remember the Paolo Nutini of “New Shoes” fame? Well, this singer’s whisky-toned voice has grown a lot in eight years, evolving into a mature sounding retro-soul croon that harkens back to the golden years of Motown. “Let Me Down Easy” finds Paolo Nutini channeling the charisma of Marvin Gaye as he duets with a vocal sample, courtesy of Bettye LaVette. This tune is just one of the many inspired performances off of Nutini’s latest record, “Caustic Love,” released on Sept. 16. Fans of modern R&B music are encouraged not to miss this stellar release.

“You’ve Got A Lot On Your Mind” — Sloan It has often been said that the Bea-

tles’ “White Album” is actually four solo albums crammed into one double-LP. With their latest album, “Commonwealth,” the Canadian power-pop band Sloan has actually managed to one-up that Beatles claim, recording an album on which each band member writes all the songs on an entire record side. “You’ve Got A Lot On Your Mind” is penned by rhythm guitarist Jay Ferguson. The song strengthens the Beatles comparisons with its similarities to the Fab Four’s pioneering style to create one of the year’s many memorable pop hooks.

“Black Lemon” — Generationals “Black Lemon” is a catchy, summery pop song built around buoyant synth lines, clubby-beats, a bopping bass and the nasally vocals of Ted Joyner and Grant Widmer. Hailing from New Orleans, this duo’s fourth album, “Alix,” fits nicely into the niche carved by contemporary acts like MGMT, Phoenix, Fun. and Passion Pit to further define the sound of indie-pop in the new millennium. ’80s-influenced electro-pop doesn’t get much better than this.

“Red Eyes” — The War On Drugs Summoning the patron saints of FM radio rock, The War On Drugs bring the weary lamentations of Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen into the present with a sleek and atmospheric soundtrack for soul-searching. “Red Eyes” is just one of the many, many highlights on the groups’ gorgeous latest outing, “Lost in the Dream.” The War On Drugs will be in Cleveland today, Sept. 19, performing as part of the House of Blues Downtown Festival. Tickets are $25 and the show begins at 8 p.m.

Retro Pick of the Week: “Watch That Man”— David Bowie

“Aladdin Sane” is the first album David Bowie wrote as a bona fide rock star, riding high on the success of the spacy concept album “Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.” Taking his head down from the stars, Bowie penned “Watch That Man” as the album’s opening track: a brisk guitar rocker accented by jazzy piano flourishes that moves with the detached cool of a New York hipster. Of the many musical styles Bowie has tackled over his fifty-year career, he undoubtedly wears this shade of glam and glitter the best. “Aladdin Sane” is an essential entry into the landscape of ’70s rock. 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 stereogum.com, josephvinaixa.com, pitchfork.com, hiphopn-more.com & soundstation.dk

Shakespeare in the Park Ellie Rambo Staff Reporter An outdoor production involving shipwrecks and cross-dressing is the perfect way to end a summer of theater. For many Cleveland residents, The Cleveland Shakespeare Festival’s production of “Twelfth Night” filled this role last weekend as part of the Cleveland One World Festival’s events programming. To play all the necessary characters in this abridged production, the five person cast doubled up on roles and made costume changes just off-stage, behind a tree. The actors played many of the characters with exaggerated personalities, which helped set each role apart. Local actress and CWRU alum Hillary Wheelock played both the countess Olivia and Sir Andrew Aguecheek, one of her foolish suitors. “It can be really hard finding what to switch to for a different character,” Wheelock said. “For Sir Andrew I started with the weird voice and went from there. The walk came later.” Some of the absurd characters seemed like caricatures—Sir Andrew had a lispy Brooklyn accent and a crooked baseball cap—but the exaggeration added to the comedy. Even some of the more serious characters had quirky accessories,

like the curly mustache the shipwrecked Viola wore for her male disguise. In this case especially, the basic costumes helped the audience keep track of the humorous characters, as Viola’s mustache did not do the greatest job of disguising her “true” identity from the audience. The shortened play also helped with clarity, as many secondary characters and long monologues were cut. Although this did remove much of the play’s context and serious themes, it did leave the narrative intact and made the action easy to follow. “We strive to make things as accessible as possible,” said Wheelock. “We want to be a first introduction to Shakespeare that makes people say: ‘I want to come back.’” The focus on accessibility also extends to cost. “Being able to come see a free show in the park is unusual,” said Wheelock. “I would say this is some of the most accessible theater in the nation. We’re a low budget theater that brings it as best as we can.” The Cleveland Shakespeare Festival will return next summer with productions of Timon of Athens and the Merchant of Venice. Auditions are open to the public and will begin in March.

“Engaging the Future” at Cleveland Play House Alex Clarke Contributing Reporter Cleveland Play House (CPH), a Cleveland theatre company, was one of the 10 organizations involved with the “Engaging the future” project that The Cleveland Foundation started three years ago. The mission of “Engaging the future” is audience development; or, in this case, attracting younger audiences to feed the performing arts in the years to come. The Cleveland Foundation just gave CPH a $350,000 grant as the last part of the project. The project was “three years of learning, experimenting” and “innovation,” said Kathleen Cerveny, director of Institutional Learning and Arts Initiatives at The Cleveland Foundation. They set out with a mission to keep the arts sustainable in a society where people can easily get entertainment elsewhere. The project created a series of activities that brought art organizations together to plan the future of the arts and what other art organizations did in other cities. The Cleveland Foundation then gave them a little bit of money ($15,000) to start them off, encouraging them to try new things. The motivation behind the project was to help art organizations think creatively and attract the next generation of audiences. Kathleen said that the normal audiences for the arts are “aging and moving away to Arizona or

Florida.” Additionally, the focus on the arts has gone down in schools and the worry is that as the audience ages, and eventually moves on, the arts will not be able to survive with such a loss of attendance. “We’ve provided funds for [the development of ] new ideas, not only [in their] own internal culture, but also in order to be responsive to the audience,” said Kathleen. The changes that CPH has made internally is the breakdown of the different departments. They worked on mixing up the work and combining different sections. CPH also used the grant money to create an app, which is an educational game to attract kids to theater. The grant money was given in two parts. One part of the money is for working capital, or money used to keep the organizations af loat, and the second is for risk, or innovation, capital, which is money used to try new approaches. Kathleen said that they also taught the organizations what happened when they took risks, and how to work with trial and error. The 10 organizations have to match $200,000 over the next three to five years to create a permanent fund that The Cleveland Foundation hopes will continue innovation toward the everchanging future of the arts.


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“Shovel Knight” A NES game for the modern age Brian Sherman Staff Reporter Many video game creation projects can be found on the crowdfunding website Kickstarter these days, and many of those titles are full of nostalgia for previous video game titles or older eras of gaming altogether. The recently released “Shovel Knight” for PC, Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo WiiU was built around the latter category, with the developer, Yacht Club Games, proudly declaring that “with Shovel Knight, we are developing a nextgen 8-bit game” on their project page. Unlike most other retro-styled titles on Kickstarter, however, Yacht Club Games delivers on their promise, crafting a game that easily holds up in both today’s market and in the ‘80s. The visuals are entirely sprite animations and pixel art backgrounds, evoking nostalgia for older titles in the history of video games. The colors, however, are vibrant compared to most older games, making the visuals nostalgic for older gamers while still welcoming to newer gamers. Topping this all off is a beautiful chiptune soundtrack composed by Jake Kaufman

and Manami Matsumae, better known as the composers of the soundtracks for “DuckTales: Remastered” and the original “Mega Man,” respectively. The visuals and sound design aren’t the only parts of the game influenced by the 8- and 16-bit era; much of “Shovel Knight’s” design is a nod to older games. The story of the game is simplistic, much like game stories from the early days of gaming. Players will play as the titular Shovel Knight, in search of his adventuring partner Shield Knight, who has been lost after venturing into the Tower of Fate. Shovel Knight must go on a journey across the land, vanquishing the corrupt knights of the Order of No Quarter. Shovel Knight’s movement and attacks feel like older 2D titles in the “Castlevania” series, with a simple melee attack and several unlockable magic attacks, as well as having a similar variety of enemies and finding secrets (including health-restoring chicken meat) in the walls. The platforming in the levels evokes feelings of “Mario Bros.” or “Mega Man.” The most used mechanic is an aerial down thrusting attack that can be used to bounce off of enemies,

much like in “Zelda II” or “DuckTales.” Also, like in “Zelda II,” there are some light RPG elements, such as upgrades for health and magic levels, weapons and armor. Finally, each stage plays out like in “Mega Man,” with a unique theme to each level and a boss at the end. Like in “Mega Man” and other older games, these bosses are difficult and lots of practice is required to learn the patterns of the boss’s attacks to find the right moment to strike. These classic elements are combined in a game that makes use of a modern retrospective on gaming. Unlike most games from the ‘80s, “Shovel Knight” has infinite lives and a rather forgiving checkpoint system. When the titular character falls, instead of restarting the level or losing a life, he leaves behind bags of money that can be recollected once he respawns at a checkpoint. More daring players can even choose to destroy these checkpoints for an extra sum of gold. The controls are tight and responsive too, making the game tough but fair, so that it never feels like the game is cheating you when you die. In short, the game

takes the best parts of older NES titles while leaving behind the more aggravating parts. The level design is intricate and thought-out as well. Thanks to the short iteration cycles of the checkpoint system, the player is able to take time to figure out each puzzle and the right way to proceed, and return to the puzzle in very little time if they fail. Each puzzle is a challenge that doesn’t harshly punish the player for failing. Notably, the Propeller Knight stage, which is almost entirely a vertical ascent, is designed such that missing a jump and falling down to a previous screen can be easily recovered without even losing a life. Regardless if you were a gamer back in the days of the 8- or 16-bit consoles or if you started gaming more recently, “Shovel Knight” is worth a play. Older gamers can appreciate the nostalgic aesthetic, but ultimately the solid mechanics and challenging but fair gameplay seal Shovel Knight’s place in gaming history. This game is much more than a celebration of gaming history; rather, it shows us just how far gaming has come, and how any game can succeed as long as it keeps to the fundamentals.

MOCA presents dark, psychedelic adventure

Courtesy Chris Auerbach-Brown/MOCA Media Program Manager Kasumi’s films are composed of clips of public domain films and original film, mish-mashed into a plot about the main character.

Maria Fazal Staff Reporter The Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland presented an exhibition unlike any other on Sept. 17 and 18. The artwork in question was a cinematic assemblage by the globally renowned artist Kasumi, who has been referred to as a pacesetter in the mediums of film, video, sound and more. Kasumi churns out cinematic pieces with a style and voice that are virtually unheard of. Oscar-nominated director and producer Fredric Golding has described her work by saying, “There is no standard by which to judge, no language to compare, nothing but what is in front of me. The purest act of expression that I have seen in a long time…an absolute control of the medium. She sees what others cannot.”

MOCA displayed her most recent work, “The Perpetual Series,” and also “Shockwaves,” an 82-minute film that begins on the road to love and happiness and takes a dramatically crooked turn into madness and destruction. The film “Shockwaves” has two main characters, a man and his wife. The audience is fundamentally immersed in the man’s psyche, which turns out to be a nightmarish abyss filled with memories of abuse at the hands of his father and a need to satiate his desire for vengeance. To everyone’s disdain, the man begins to fulfill a sort of prophecy, having inherited his father’s penchant for abuse. The victim assumes the role of perpetrator. It has often been said that there is a certain

madness in repetition, and Kasumi has made that the icing on this maniacal journey into one man’s undoing. Art critic and writer Lara Casselman exclaims, “‘Shockwaves’ is not a comfortable space or a sweet dream. It is a ghostly purgatory where old bits of film exist forever in decontextualized pieces. It is watching an adult’s movie as a child: an unsettling, at times incomprehensible, and magnetizing experience. It is an associative drug and a method to self-study visual understanding.” A particularly interesting element of the assemblage is that it is composed of over 25,000 short film clips that include original footage and footage from public domain movies, which creates a sort of disjointed patchwork effect that meshes itself well

with the exploration and introspection of the main character. The other clips originate from sources such as 1950s B movies, TV commercials and industrial films. These components are meant to be representative of the violence of American society since the ‘60s. The film correlates its violent themes with the familiar violence seen in society at large. Interestingly, knowing the background or context of the older clips is not needed. “Shockwaves” utilizes clips from throwaway movies, ironically restoring and renewing past fiascos in a method that is much more constructive than the one used by the film’s antihero. Yet another of the film’s unique facets is its unusual presentation. Unlike established cinema, “Shockwaves” emphasizes aspects of people’s lives that usually lie on the periphery. Correlations between time and space as well as traditionally ignored relationships between thoughts and images are brought to the film’s forefront. In fact, the film’s website describes it as follows: “‘Shockwaves’ explores, in addition to the fundamental conventions embedded in imagery, contemporary insights into the formation of memory—the ways our expectations shape our memories, and the ways our memories shape our expectations.” It appears Kasumi has, fundamentally, manipulated flaws to make the film more human. Whereas most movies offer the audience an omnipotent perspective, “Shockwaves” ensnares the viewers and leaves them utterly helpless, placed in the midst of the protagonist’s mental collapse or, as the website describes it, “a hallucinogenic carnival ride of self-destruction [through] alternate realities, shifting times and multiple dimensions.” Those in the art community agree that Kasumi’s work is not to be missed. MOCA’s Media Program Manager Christopher Auerbach-Brown describes it as “something people have never seen before and won’t likely see again. Kasumi’s work is beautiful, hypnotic and technically brilliant.”


opinion The meaning of Spartan life

Editor’s note

More than a buzzword What respect should mean to us

This past week, you may have noticed the positive vibes rolling out from the Greek houses. As you may have heard or witnessed, the Greek Life Office has been trying to ease the chill of our first sweaterworthy week of the semester by hosting their second annual Respect Week. Although the week is winding down and September is moving on, I think we could all benefit from a refresher on what respect means to our community and how important it is to keep it in mind as we head into our first round of tests and other academic nonsense this week. As students, we’re constantly asked to be respectful. Be respectful towards your classmates. Respect the integrity of an assignment. Show respect for your space and the value of your property. It all gets a little monotonous. It’s one of those buzzwords you hear all day when people can’t think of something specific you’re doing wrong. But, from personal experience, I’ve learned that this word carries a meaning that goes far beyond just treating people nicely and not checking Facebook while you’re in lecture. I’m sure I’m not alone in my complete hatred of group work. It’s the worst. It takes ten times longer to do anything and it seems to only be half as good as it would be if I just did it myself. But the worst part of group work is that the success or failure of a group project really just hinges on whether or not you and your peers can apply respect in more than just superficial terms. When someone’s late to the group meeting, it’s so frustrating because it means they don’t respect your time as much as they do their own. When someone just waits for someone else to make decisions and follows their lead, it means they don’t respect their worth within the group. And those are traits that are incredibly dangerous to possess once we enter this nebulous space we call “the real world.” When we leave the bubble Case Western Reserve University has helped create for us, I think we will all realize that respect is an unquantifiable trait that we will be judged by again and again. It’s hard to return an email to a co-worker if they haven’t responded to your last three messages. It’s impossible to think a person’s opinions have value when you say they’re stupid and probably wrong before they even get a chance to be considered. We need

to learn to respect the time and opinions of ourselves and others before it’s too late to change. Another way we can imply this concept is by thinking about the respect we all need to have of each other’s views and experiences. CWRU is a campus with an incredibly diverse student body, each with a distinct path that brought them here to the geeky heart of Cleveland. So maybe the person who sits in the front row of your calculus class asks a question every two seconds on stuff that you learned your sophomore year of high school. As annoying as it may be, if you give them a hard time, you are in the wrong. We are all here for a reason, and their ignorance in the field of partial derivatives probably means that they’re even more impressive in other areas. The best part about going to college is getting the chance to meet people who are so incredibly different than you or the people you grew up with. I’ll bet a lot of us never really knew someone who just moved to the U.S. or a kid our age who has already started their own business or invented a new product. I’ve got to say, I’ve never met people as talented, interesting and super-genius smart as those I’ve met in the past year on campus. I’ve learned so much from hanging out with people who have a real passion for what they do and what they’ve learned so far. I think we could all benefit from talking less and listening more. Respect the fact that everyone here has something they could teach you. Is respect as a word overused? Yes. But is it a value that we’ve all incorporated fully into our daily lives? Definitely not. I would love to see more respect for others and ourselves here at CWRU, and I hope you’ll all join me in trying to keep the positive vibes going all semester long.

—Katie Wieser Executive Editor & Publisher

Gloria Steinem: (no longer) the face of the women’s movement Guest Commentary Laura Hurst She settled down onto the couch of the Flora Stone Mather Center for Women with comfortable ease, removing a pair of characteristic round sunglasses. She wore all black, accented with metallic accessories. Gloria Steinem’s presence was compelling but calming. She orchestrated the small discussion group gathered around her with an encouraging energy. The people surrounding Steinem were part of an intimate Q&A group before her lecture to almost 2,000 people later that evening in Severance Hall. The group was about thirty people. I was struck, though maybe not surprised, by its imbalance. Graduate students overwhelmed the small handful of about five undergraduates. Women dominated the audience save the four men present (one being the hired photographer). While I sat in the Women’s Center, then later in Severance Hall, one recurring phrase encircled my thoughts: preaching to the choir. Gloria Steinem indisputably has left her mark on American history. She debuted as one of the crusaders of second

wave feminism and continues to fight against patriarchy, inequality and ignorance at the age of 80. To me, the name Gloria Steinem has long been synonymous with the terms women’s movement or feminism, but that’s because I’m part of the “choir.” When I told most of my peers that I saw Steinem, I received the reply of “Who’s that?” more often than I would have guessed, although I should have taken the sparse undergraduate presence at the pre-lecture event to be an indicator. I was disappointed by the lack of students who were in attendance. I’d like to attribute the lack of numbers to the steep $65 ticket price and lack of opportunities to obtain free tickets only until the day of the event (some tickets were given out in certain classes the afternoon before her lecture). Regardless, both audiences seemed to already be advocates of the women’s movement familiar with dissecting issues like white privilege and heteronormativity. This audience was the “choir” I am talking about—the choir might not benefit from Steinem’s lecture as much as those who have never pondered such issues. Those people were unaware she was visiting campus or quite easily unaware of who she is.

Steinem is a true revolutionary unrecognized by many students of our generation. The reactions from my parents when I told them about her visit were far more enthusiastic than those of my peers. Perhaps it is simply because she has passed the torch on to younger activists. If I asked a student to name a famous feminist today, I have a feeling Beyoncé would be a resounding answer. And for legitimate reason; however, her work is far different, far less politically significant (although not less necessary) than that of Gloria Steinem’s, or perhaps Malala Yousafzai, the younger and more recent Palestinian activist. I am left wondering: is this a generational rift or simple ignorance when it comes to being familiar with activist culture? Is it true that we become complacent and unaware? I am determined not to think so. Our role is foremost as students. And while our studies are important, we should also see ourselves as students of this world, engaged, interested and motivated to act. Laura Hurst is a senior student studying Environmental Studies and International Studies.

Letter to the Editor To the Editor: In addition to promoting news across campus, The Observer functions as a public forum for dialogue on relevant events, ideas and opinions. I have a weekly opinion column in that paper titled “The meaning of Spartan life.” I’m taking a week off from writing in my column to ask the entire CWRU community, where are letters to the editor? A total of fifteen of letters to the editor have appeared in print from September 2013 until now. A majority of them were submitted at the same time in response to a pair of articles which assaulted the Greek community, a few were not from students and one was from me. But 15 letters is barely one a week for a semester, let alone the whole year period the number reflects. I want to know why there are so few. Students: Are you all just apathetic and over-obsessed with homework? Do you possess any opinions unrelated to the trivial, mundane events of your own life? Do you have any awareness of what is happening in the world, in America, on campus? Do you have anything to say about anything? The blatant absence of letters to the editor yields two logical responses: 1. You don’t read The Observer. 2. The answer to my first question is yes; to the latter three, no. Perhaps there should be a number three to account for a hybrid answer of these two conclusions, but I still don’t understand why Case Western Reserve University students rarely write letters to the editor. The problem I have is that I know you have something to say about everything. The stuff I hear come out of students’ mouths while walking behind them, sitting near them or actually conversing with them is the epitome of opinionated speech. Interestingly enough, it often has to do with campus-related issues, like how annoying SAGES is and how much of a rip-off the meal plan is. Without interaction through open discussion about the ideas pressing to our campus members, our collective community suffers. Voice your opinion on SAGES or Bon Appetit. Engage with an opinion columnist’s viewpoint in the next week’s issue. Write a response condemning everything I’ve written here. Demonstrate your passion and submit a letter to the editor to observer@case.edu. Jacob Martin Class of ‘15

Got an opinion? We want to hear it. Send us Letters to the Editor at observer.case.edu


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9/19/14

The perpetual Game of Thrones The elephant in the room Andrew Breland It’s a familiar sight for freshmen this week. About this time every semester, the first-year students realize they cannot do everything for which they signed up. This could mean that a few of the 12 email lists they joined will be disappearing. It could be that they drop a class out of their 18-credit hour schedule. Or it could be dropping another commitment, like volunteering or Sunday church services. For a lot of first year college students, this week clearly laid out for them the difference between high school and college. However, this is not a piece about the sage advice a senior can give the cohorts of freshmen that now roam the sidewalks and hallways of Case Western Reserve University. Honestly, I am not sure I am the person most fit to give that advice anyway. In some ways, I never encountered the realization that I couldn’t do everything. To this day, I am an active member of at least six groups, more depending on your meaning of “active member.” Instead, I want you to consider student groups in general. If you run one of these, consider your own. If you’re merely a part of one or more, use those. The groups I am a part of all have one thing in common though. They are, or at least claim to be, student-run. This

is an important distinction, and one that deserves a little bit of defining. Studentrun organizations, not necessarily only those funded by the Undergraduate Student Government, are exactly what their name suggests, run by students. These organizations give future leaders of society a way to test their skills and methods before breaking them out down the road in a board room or conference hall. Alternatively, there is the role of the advisor. It seems almost counterintuitive for a student-run organization to also have a non-student leader, even in an advisory role. But time and time again, advisors become the necessary evil of the organization. They prevent students from running amok with power and making decisions that will negatively and permanently affect their brand. But these two systems are always in conflict. Some organizations on this campus refuse to take the advice or require the consent of an advisor. They are strictly and vehemently “student-run.” Others rely on an advisor too much. Instead of student ideas and practices ruling the day, the group is an extension of the advisor—hardly student-run at all. I cannot make a value judgment on how all student organizations should be run based on these definitions though. Consider the consequences of either. Let’s look at an organization every reader will know, The Observer itself. Ostensibly, the paper is student-run. The editorial board is comprised of

students. The advisor only exists at the bottom of the masthead. And this is probably how it should be. The paper prides itself on being a voice for and about students, any heavier advisory role would be a dangerous encroachment on that mission. On the other hand, consider, what if, next week the editorial board dictates to me how and about what I should be writing. Most people, especially most writers, would find this to be a wildly outof-line demand. In that case, I would be happy that the paper has a faculty advisor, simply as a resource for me to engage with when the students are being unreasonable. Remember the “protect your brand” function. Let’s take another example. Most of the student services offices now based in the Tinkham Veale center (the Center for Civic Engagement and Learning, the LGBT Center, the Flora Stone Mather Center for Women, etc.) have some sort of student executive board. The students provide an integral perspective on what the office does or the issues and events it pursues. Since the offices are otherwise staffed by full-time non-students, this fresh perspective is necessary for them to stay relevant. However, this student perspective is rightfully tempered through the staff. If the student executive board of any of these organizations made a decision that was unpopular or wrong, the staff is there to step in and right the ship. In the end, the students

are making decisions that affect far more than themselves. The staff is necessary to advise and correct things that might go wrong. Unlike the other example, the nonstudent advisors here are absolutely needed and should be involved at every step of the decision making process. This is not a model that works for everything, though. Most organizations cannot survive on the orders and demands of an advisor. I cannot in these pages bring myself to make a value judgment on which end of the spectrum an organization should fall. That statement though is precisely why. It’s not as if organizations can choose one option or the other. It’s a spectrum of involvement and governance. How an organization is run is entirely up to that organization, and maybe an overzealous advisor or two. It’s your own personal Game of Thrones. This week, it’s important the organizations examine where exactly they fall, and what they want to change about that. Make the changes that will put you in a better position for the months and years to come. That could mean adapting an old rule or writing new ones, reinvigorating an old advisor, or recruiting from the outside. Organizations, you have your new members, now fix the old ones. Andrew Breland is the Observer’s senior opinion columnist. Contact him at awb69@case.edu.

Let’s talk about sex Sophomore slump Stephen Kolison What I am about to talk about can be said using horrible euphemisms like “bump uglies,” “knock boots,” “boink” and even “buttering the biscuit,” or it can be discussed truthfully for what it really is: sex. Sex is an odd topic to discuss because it can be many different things to many different people. If it were not funny to some people, then we wouldn’t have a plethora of sex jokes to make. If it were not a delicate subject, then we wouldn’t have sex ed and I wouldn’t have 50 people cringing as they read this. The first semester of freshman year made it seem like we were thirstier than ever. Some of us immediately latched onto people we had just met. We would have been better off running away with a Nigerian prince because we did not know what we were getting ourselves into. Imagine being a kid who had never even thought about sex and getting pushed into an environment where all your new friends are getting busy while you just sit in your common room, sexiled. Now

try amplifying that feeling to sophomore or even senior year. College is confusing enough; first you had to worry about orgo and now you have to worry about orgasms. It’s confusing because the outliers are left with way more questions than answers. As a sophomore, I can say that a full year on campus is more than enough time to answer those questions and observe the Case Western Reserve University sex culture. I think it should be acknowledged that sex in and of itself is awkward for everyone. We go to a small enough school where you will see that random hookup and flinch as you walk past them. Some of us have had that crush on someone who turns out to be gay while some of us have had that crush on someone who turns out to be straight. We’ve all seen the socially awkward kids pairing off and supposedly doing the deed while the more socially active kids are like, “Why the hell am I still single?” There also seem to be two very different opinions about the sex culture on campus: Either people are so emotionally insecure they’d rather hook up or that everyone here is already in a committed relationship.

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. For advertising information, contact The Observer at (216) 368-2914 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.

In this case I don’t think it is an either/ or argument. Obviously a lot of people enjoy hooking up; we are young adults who are simply wired to want to have sex. Some of us may prefer casual sex because we do not have the time to be involved in a relationship. If CWRU students are always busy by reputation, balancing other responsibilities with a boyfriend or girlfriend who needs attention may be impossible. Sometimes, even if someone were available to be in a relationship, hookups are better for them because they don’t like the feeling of being smothered. On the exact opposite side, you have the people who are so invested in their relationship, that they already have a down payment on their minivan. More permanent relations offer a security blanket and intimacy. Our CWRU couples may find that only hooking up can feel empty, or that sex is a connection between two people and not just letting off steam. A good university is meant to be a microcosm of the real world. Outside of our own bubble, there are people hooking up, some not having sex and some who are extremely relationship-oriented. That sounds an awful

lot like CWRU. We notice what is going on here only because we are cramped together in one setting and forced to interact, but once we get out into the world, we might find that no one is really going to notice our sex lives unless we make them transparent. So yes, when you speak about college, maybe the topic of sex will be discussed. But frankly, these years are meant to be the time when we explore our sexuality without shame. Whatever is going on at CWRU sexually, it isn’t black and white. Sex may not be a have or have not situation but maybe it’s on a spectrum. On this spectrum you can find people who are having sex recreationally to only having it as an extension of their relationship. You may find people not having it at all. Male or female, hooking up or not, as long as you’re doing it in a safe and healthy manner, all the power to you. Stephen Kolison is a sophomore psychology major and pre-unemployment student. He is a jack of all trades and master of none in training, a member of IMPROVment and knits while watching Downton Abbey. He hopes to be a talk show host.

the observer

established in 1969 by the undergradute students of case western reserve university executive editor & publisher KATHLEEN WIESER director of design MEREDITH DYKEHOUSE director of web & multimedia MARY KATE MACEDONIA director of print MIKE MCKENNA director of business operations TAYLOR MORAN advertising & marketing manager COLE MORRIS account manager JAMES VELETTE digital publicity & communications manager JESSICA YANG news editor JULIA BIANCO a&e editor ANNE NICKOLOFF opinion editor JACOB MARTIN sports editor JP O’HAGAN multimedia editor HARSHA CHANDUPATLA web editor JOE SATTERFIELD news layout CHRISTINA CHENG a&e layout VICTOR LOPEZ copy editors JENIECE MONTELLANO, ELLIE RAMBO sports layout ROBERT BROWN opinion layout AQUENE KIMMEL advisor BERNIE JIM


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17

Spartan men and women cross country earn 5th and 4th Place at Calvin College Knight meet Alan Ma Contributing Reporter Case Western Reserve University’s varsity cross country squads placed fourth out of 25 teams in the women’s 5K race and fifth out of 21 teams in the men’s 8K race at the annual Knight Invite at Calvin College last Saturday. Spartan men ended with 135 points, behind Aquinas College’s 124, University of Saint Francis’s 109 and Calvin College’s 27. Spartan men, for the first time in recent history, were led by a freshman. Sam Merriman from Middlesex, Vt., who finished in 18th place (26:05.2), was followed by junior Timothy Travitz (Salisbury, Md.), the most experienced member of the team, and junior captain Tony Spalding (South Bend, Ind.) who finished in 25th (26:13.6) and 28th (26:19.5) place respectively. Senior Kristen Ruckstuhl (Mentor, Ohio), team captain and all-region hon-

oree, led the Lady Spartans in 13th place (18:58.4), jumping 11 spots from last year’s Knight Invitational, where she placed 24th. She was followed by sophomore Olivia Zabrodsky (Jamestown, N.Y.) in 24th place with a time of 19:11.9 and junior Kelsey Aamoth (Solon, Ohio) in 25th with a time of 19:12.2. The Spartans’ scores were rounded out by sophomores Galen Caldwell (Seattle, Wash., 31st) and Lou Takahashi (Columbus, Ohio, 48th) in the men’s competition. Freshman Danielle Kulpins (Brookfield, Wis., 35th) and junior Dana Jeter (Eden Prairie, Minn., 52nd) rounded out the women’s competition. The women’s cross country squad is currently ranked nationally at 34 in Division III play. Both teams’ next official run will be at the All-Ohio Intercollegiate Championship on Oct. 3, at Cedarville University, and will be running the annual Alumni Run on Sept. 27.

Return of the Spartans Case Western men’s tennis looks for another successful season Aaron Shang Contributing Reporter The Carlton Courts at Case Western Reserve University have come back to life this fall, as the men’s tennis team gears up for another season in the University Athletic Association. After a highly successful season last year—one that saw the Spartans earn a No. 10 national ranking as well as fourth place at the UAA Championships—the current squad seems poised to make another deep run. Led by head coach Todd Wojtkowski, the Case men enter into the fall season with both experience and fresh talent. Returning veterans include all four All-UAA selections from the spring: juniors Christopher Krimbill and Louis Stuerke, senior Will Drougas and sophomore James Fojtasek. Krimbill, who was also an ITA All-American in the spring season, defeated numerous top-ranked opponents in match play and posted a combined 46-8 record. Meanwhile, Drougas enters his senior season with 62 career singles victories; second on CWRU’s all-time list. Whereas Krimbill figures to anchor the No.1 singles position once again, Drougas’ closing campaign should be one for the records. Doubles partners Fojtasek and Stuerke look to build off of both stellar

individual performances in addition to their All-UAA doubles pairing. As for new talent, a promising freshman class seems more than capable of making up for the five seniors that graduated this past summer. In addition to their achievements on the court, the men’s tennis program also recently conducted a community tennis clinic for CWRU’s foreign professors, researchers and instructors. The team used the opportunity to share experiences, stories and wisdom with CWRU’s international scholars. In the greater Cleveland and Cuyahoga area, Spartan tennis players have also been involved in both tennis and tutoring programs for secondary schools as well as the annual “Rally for the Cure” charity event. The Spartans have several tournaments on the fall schedule. The team is confirmed to be competing in the Purdue Invitational (Sept. 19-20), OC Invite (Sept. 20-21) and the USTA/ITA Regional Championships (Sept. 26-28). These competitions will officially kick off the new tennis year, and prepare both players and fans for UAA competition next spring. While the official squad for the 2014-15 season has not yet been publicly revealed, it would be difficult to imagine this team as anything but deep, talented and full of promise.


18

sports

9/19/14

Soccer’s streak snapped

Zach Broujos throws in the ball during a game last season. A loss to John Carroll ended the team’s current win streak.

Wade Hopper Contributing Reporter The Case Western Reserve University men’s soccer team split their games this week, defeating Capital University 2-1 on Saturday, but suffered a tough 3-2 loss three days later to local rival John Carroll University, ending a four game win streak. The Spartans took the lead in the 29th minute when junior forward Matthew Zembas outraced two Capital defenders to meet a pass from junior midfielder Chris Cvecko. Zembas, less than 10 feet away from the net,

drove it in to end the scoreless tie. Cvecko powered the offense for the majority of the game, adding a goal of his own later on at the 40-minute mark on a penalty kick after being fouled in the box. “Zembas, Cvecko, and [sophomore forward] Josh Prosser were especially dangerous in the attack for us,” said head coach Brandon Bianco after the weekend match. The Spartans dominated for the first 45 minutes, but allowed Capital to score their lone goal on a corner kick midway through the second half. The point allowed was freshman goalkeeper Calvin Boyle’s first of the year. Case found the tables turned when they

traveled to John Carroll University. Down 2-0 after two early goals, the Spartans regrouped at halftime and came out strong to start the second half. Freshman midfielder Michael Balog put the Spartans on the board in the 52nd minute with a goal from 18 yards out, assisted by Prosser. Five minutes later Balog was at it again, scoring the equalizer to tie the match at 2-2. The goals were his third and fourth of the season, making him the current team leader in that category. John Carroll scored off a set piece header in the 83rd minute. It was the final goal of the game for either team.

Charlotte Palmer/Observer The Spartans now own a 4-2-1 record. With conference play approaching, the time to iron out flaws is now. “We will continue to work to improve on our ability to finish teams off. We’ve had opportunities to score decisive goals and haven’t been sharp enough to finish the plays,” explains Bianco. “Thankfully, we’re creating really good chances. The goals will come.” The Spartans will see action again on Saturday, Sept. 20 when they travel to Ada, Ohio to take on Ohio Northern University. Their next home stand will come a week after that at 7 p.m. when they take on Wilmington College of Ohio.

Spartans take aim at 2-0 start JP O’Hagan Sports Editor The Spartans will march into Latrobe, Pa. tomorrow afternoon looking for their second straight win. The Spartans will be facing off against Saint Vincent College on Saturday for their second game of the season. Following the bye week, Case Western is ready to get back on the field and we at The Observer are looking to up our prediction skills from last week. First off, the Spartans have a great history of performing well after a bye week. The football team has won seven straight games following the bye and there is no reason this week should be any different. The Observer is predicting a 2-0 start for

the Spartans, with the win marking the 200th victory in program history. The Spartans have a lot of reasons to be optimistic about the game. The Spartans looked great against arch rival Carnegie Mellon two weeks ago when they dropped 30 points offensively and the defense held back the Tartans to a zero on the scoreboard. The offense will look to keep rolling as Billy Beecher, the Spartans’ signal caller, looks to follow his career-record performance against CMU with another strong outing. Beecher’s top targets included tight end Zech Medved and wide receiver Ethan Albers who will look to add to their week one stats. Beecher’s 301 passing yards place him as the highest yards for a Case Western QB since 2010 and earned him the honor of UAA offensive player of the week.

The running game may take second fiddle this game as Saint Vincent has only managed a meager one sack in their two games this season so pressure on Beecher should not be very high, allowing the Spartan quarterback time to find the best options. Defensively, the Spartans will be lead by linebacker Everett Dishong who was named UAA defensive player of the week for his play against CMU. Dishong recorded 13 tackles just edging out fellow linebacker, KJ Pederson who added 12 of his own. Compared to the high-powered offense of the Spartans, St. Vincent has been rather subdued over the past two weeks. The Bearcats have averaged 12.0 points, 85.0 yards rushing, 104.0 yards passing and 189.0 total yards per game. The biggest threat to another Spartan

victory will be the Bearcats sophomore running back Shavonta Craft, who has rushed for a team-high 90 yards on 22 carries. The Bearcats aerial attack has been split between two different quarterbacks and as a result, their strongest weapons are on the ground. In addition to just raw stats, Case Western has history on their side. The Spartans have won the past five games they have played in the state of Pennsylvania. This run goes all the way back to 2007. Furthermore, the Spartans have only lost five of their last 35 games away from DiSanto Field. With this in mind, The Observer is ready to call the matchup on Saturday in favor of our favorite Greek warriors. We expect the Spartans to return to campus with a 26-12 win over the Bearcats. Spears and armor obviously beat out teeth and claws.

Editor’s Choice

Not your same old Browns

Joey Arko Contributing Reporter Trailing 24-23 with 2:46 left on the clock, Brian Hoyer and the Cleveland Browns offense took the field. After squandering a lead that saw the Browns dominate defensively in the early stages of the game, the team now had to rely on the offense to create some magic and avoid losing a 10th straight home opener. Browns fans everywhere were surely running every possible scenario through their minds on how their team would manage to lose this game. Perhaps some were even convinced the game was already over. It’s Cleveland. We’re used to these things. Term: “Same old Browns.” Definition: Always finding a way to blow the game.

Not so fast. Hoyer had other plans, and the 2014 edition of the Cleveland Browns showed they have some fight in them. Starting from their own four-yard line and having all three timeouts at their disposal, the Browns marched 85 yards down the field and punctuated the drive with a game-winning 29-yard field goal by Billy Cundiff with :03 seconds remaining in the game. On the drive, Hoyer completed eight of his 11 attempts en route to 78 yards through the air. Channeling his inner “Kardiac-Kid,” the hometown quarterback delivered in the clutch. This is a trait a Cleveland QB hasn’t demonstrated for a very long time. To put things in perspective, it has been 10 years since the Cleveland Browns won

their home opener. For only the second time since the team returned in 1999, the Cleveland Browns won their home opener. For the first time since Brian Hoyer graduated high school in 2004, the Cleveland Browns actually won their home opener. That’s right, the last time the Browns actually won a home opening game was when their current starting QB was graduating high school. That last win came Sept. 12, 2004, when Butch Davis patrolled the sidelines as head coach and Jeff Garcia was at the helm of the offense. “Goodies” by Ciara ft. Petey Pablo was the number one song on the Billboard top 100. It’s also the same year “Yeah” by Usher and “Hey Ya” by Outkast came out and monopolized the airwaves.

Talk about a throwback. During this 10-year drought, the Browns have deployed nine different starting quarterbacks (including Hoyer) to start the season. They’ve also rolled out seven different head coaches. That’s a ton of inconsistency, especially for a professional franchise. If anything can be said about this year’s team from the first two games, it’s that they have offered the fans of Cleveland hope— hope for a competitive team, and hope for the potential of stability at the most important positions for the franchise to find success. An early analysis would indicate that Cleveland fans are in for a fun season. Here’s to hoping these aren’t the “same old Browns.”


sports

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19

Women’s soccer undefeated at home

Forward Mahya Krouse strikes ball in Wednesday’s win (Left). Marley Parprost runs down pass against Baldwin Wallace (Right).

Taylor Fletcher Contributing Reporter On Sunday afternoon, Case Western Reserve University women’s soccer team drew against a strong Centre College team 1-1. Centre is typically a tough regional opponent and the Spartans were able to scrape out a tie against a strong program which they have lost to the past two years. Neither team could find a rhythm in their passing early on in the game. Much of the play was in the midfield as both teams looked to have control of the center of the field and therefore help to dictate the flow of the game. And while the Spartans did not have strong possession in the midfield, they were able to find some tempo in their play which allowed them to create some chances early in the match. A great pass in the 23rd minute into for-

the

ward Jessie Sabers’ feet allowed her to run at and then skip by her defender. Sabers in turn whipped a great cross to midfielder Alexa Williams, whose glancing header just went over the ball. Williams also had a great chance in the first half, which was unluckily tipped by the keeper and then cleared off the goal line. The match would remain scoreless into the break. The Colonels were the ones to strike first. Centre’s Katie Upton was able to redirect a pass from Anne Mitchell in the 59th minute for the match’s first goal. The goal was mainly against the run of play as the Spartans came out shooting in the second half. Forward Caitlyn McGillis had a blistering shot shortly out of halftime from 30 yards out, which hit the crossbar. McGillis was able to tie it up in the 83rd minute. After a long range shot from mid-

fielder Amy Lindberg again hit off the crossbar, this time the ball landed in front of the waiting McGillis to easily slot home. The Spartans were able to hold on through regulation and the two overtime periods to secure the tie. The result moved their record to 3-1-1 early in the season. The Spartans outshot the Colonels 10-6, though only half of the shots were on goal for the Spartans. Senior goalkeeper Abbey Smith helped to anchor the Spartan defense. She made five saves on the day and had superb showing in net. The Spartans followed up the tie with a strong 1-0 win against crosstown rival Baldwin Wallace on Wednesday night to move to a 4-1-1 record. The Spartans had great control in the game and kept the ball in the Yellow Jacket half for most of the game.

Chenghao Peng/Observer

The Spartans rattled off 19 shots compared to the six managed by the Yellow Jackets. However the Baldwin Wallace defense held strong and their keeper played spectacularly keeping 10 Spartan shots out of the net. Despite the Spartan heavy possession levels, the game remained scoreless until Sabers received a bounding pass from Lauren Wichman in the top of the box and redirected the pass into the back of the net for her 10th career game winning goal. Smith worked another shutout with four saves on the night to lead the Spartan defense which was only contested in a minimum of strong runs from Baldwin Wallace into the backfield. The Spartans will return to the pitch when they head on the road to battle Ohio Northern University, kickoff is at 5 p.m. on Saturday.


arts & sports entertainment Spartan volleyball battles through week

Kayla Pafaff in perfect position for the kill in a volleyball match against John Carroll University last Wednesday.

JP O’Hagan Sports Editor It has been a week of ups and downs for the Case Western Volleyball team. The team split their two games at the John Carroll Invitational tournament over the weekend before sweeping John Carroll Univesirty at home in Horsburgh Gymnasium Wednesday night. The Spartans started the week on a high note when they pulled off a strong 3-1 victory over Kenyon College in the John Carroll Invitational last Friday night. The Spartans were led offensively by outside hitter Katie

Best and setter Robyn Marks. Marks recorded a double-double with a stellar 18 assists and 11 digs. Best posted a career record of 12 kills in the match with a 0.370 hitting percentage. Her nine digs left her just one short of a double-double of her own. The Spartans won the first two sets of the match by scores of 25-22 and 25-19. Kenyon stole away the third game as the held off defeat with a 25-22 win in the third match. Case pounded Kenyon in the final set to handily win the match with a 25-8 fourth set. Hitters Danielle Witri and Marian Barton also added eight and seven kills of their own and Jessica Justice added 14 sets. Defensively, Kristen Mitchell added 15 digs. The second game of the weekend saw

the Spartans fall to Mount Saint Joseph to go one and one in the tournament. The Spartans won the opening set, 25-8, but the lions won three of the final four by scores of, 2521, 25-17, 17-25 and 15-12. Mitchell notched a career best 24 digs in the loss. While middle hitters Kayla Pfaff and Haley Kauffman led the attack with 13 and 12 kills each. Justice and Marks set the game with Justice putting up 19 assists and Marks adding 15 of her own. However, it was Barton who stood out and was named to the all-tournament team with 16 kills on a 0.333 hitting percentage and nine digs for the weekend. The Spartans capped off the week with a sweep of cross town rival John Carroll Uni-

Ishaan Taylor/Observer versity at home on Wednesday night. The win brings the Spartans to 8-4 as they head into a well-deserved weekend off. Best hit 0.467 with eight kills and added a team-high 15 digs to lead the Spartans yet again. Pfaff hit a whopping 0.500 with eight kills of her own. The Spartans won their sets in a spectacular 25-23, 25-22 and 25-22. Despite the sweep the match was intense from the start as both teams rattled off long runs and battled for leads. The loss is only John Carroll’s second of the season and the win will surely be a highlight in the Spartans season. The Spartans are back in action on Wednesday, Sept. 24 against cross-town rival Baldwin Wallace University at 7 p.m. in Berea.

Women’s tennis serves up strong start Kevin Wang Contributing Reporter The women’s tennis team had a successful opening of this fall season at the Oberlin College Invitational. This tournament spanned the course of Sept. 12-14 at the Don Hunsinger Tennis Courts in Oberlin College, where the Spartans faced off against teams from schools around the state and nearby states. For singles play, five members of the team went undefeated. Captain Marianne Bonanno, who was recently nominated as

the University Athletic Association Women’s Tennis Player of the Week, defeated Ohio Wesleyan’s Adrienne D’Alewyn 6-2, 6-1, Oberlin’s Grace Porter 6-4, 6-7, 1-0 and Denison’s Heather Abzug 6-0, 6-2. Surya Khadilkar won all of her matches in straight sets, defeating Denison’s Maddie Boster 6-0, 6-2, Ohio Wesleyan’s Adrienne D’Alewyn, 6-0, 6-1, and Ohio Northern University’s Taryn Stromback 6-3, 6-2. In addition, Bonanno and Khadilkar paired to form a doubles team and were undefeated, winning three matches against Denison University, Ohio Northern University and Oberlin College.

Nithya Kanagasegar and Sara Zargham were both undefeated, going 2-0 in singles, while also pairing as an undefeated doubles team, winning matches against teams from Denison University and Ohio Wesleyan University. Kanagasegar won her three matches over Otterbein’s Sammi Kruger, 6-2, 6-1, Ohio Northern’s Meghan Letizia 6-2, 6-1 and Ohio Wesleyan’s Adrienne D’Alewyn, 6-1, 6-0. Zargham won matches against Denison’s Meg Chiumento, 6-3, 6-0, Otterbein’s Sammi Kruger, 6-1, 6-4 and Denison’s Emily Holloway, 6-0, 4-6, 11-9. Michelle Djohan also went undefeated in singles play, winning over Oberlin’s

Mayada Audeh, 6-1, 6-2 and Denison’s Maddie Boster, 6-0, 6-2. In addition to her undefeated singles play, Djohan also paired with Sarah Berchuck and won two doubles matches against Oberlin College and Ohio Northern University. Overall, the Spartans went 37-8 at the Oberlin College Invitational. They will continue their season at the USTA/ITA Central Region Championship in Kalamazoo, Mich. on Sept. 19-21 and then travel to Middlebury, Vt. to play at the Middlebury Invite on Oct. 4-5. Their first home game will be against Oberlin College at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 11.


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