Volume XLVI, Issue 8 October 10, 2014

Case Western Reserve University volume xlvi, issue 8 friday, 10/10/2014

the

Observer

CWRU has become

Zombieland Caution!

Zombies at Play: Pg. 3 Meredith Dykehouse/Observer

Not your typical Saturday night Showcase brings art to nighttime hours If you’re like me, and you can appreciate the vocal talent you don’t have when you hear it, Arts After Dark is the perfect event for you.

Arts After Dark is an annual showcase for singers, dancers, musicians, comedians and dramatists that takes place

at Harkness Chapel. The event hosted by the Music Undergraduate Student Involvement Committee (M.U.S.I.C) and will take place on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 9 p.m.until Sunday, Oct. 19 at 2 a.m. Basically, it’s a recital on steroids.

Case Western Reserve University is full of talented students, why not come and support them? M.U.S.I.C president Shannon Smith believes the show is a

good opportunity for student artists to perform for their peers.

“The individual students and organizations performing on stage dedicate their time to music, comedy and theater in addition to their other studies,” Smith said. “Arts After Dark lets us see all of their hard work.”

CWRU is a place full of students with varied passions and our student body is

far from typical. So, come out to Arts After Dark to discover the talents of the students all around you.

Moreover, the evening definitely will not be monotonous—you can expect a variety of types of music ranging from classical to jazz to rock, and performances from solo artists as well

News

A&E

Opinion

Sports

pg. 5 The Woz comes to CWRU

pg. 12 Twin comedians coming to CLE

pg. 17 No merit for scholarships?

pg. 23 Olympic smiles

Temi Omilabu Staff Reporter

to Showcase | 15

news Taking food slowly Senior Alexander Razavi invited to attend international food conference Sruthi Meka Staff Reporter

Freda Li/Observer Senior Alexander Razavi works with the Slow Food movement to ensure everyone has access to clean, healthy food.

Case Western Reserve University offers a unique approach to cuisine. Walk into the dining hall on any given day, and you will see that locally grown foods take center stage on Bon Appetit’s menu. Senior Alexander Razavi hopes to enhance this approach by educating more people about the bridge between food production and consumption.

Razavi, the founder of the Slow Food chapter at CWRU, will attend an international conference in Turin, Italy from Oct. 23 to 27 as a delegate of Slow Food USA. At the conference, he will join delegates from more than 400 other Slow Food chapters to meet food producers, activists, and advocates from the global community who are as passionate as he is about improving the food system.

“Slow Food as an entity is really about making people aware about how our relationship with food goes beyond simply eating,” said Razavi. “There’s a cultural relationship, there’s social, environmental relationships that are very important.”

According to their website, the underlying goal of Slow Food is to ensure that everyone has access to “good, clean and fair food.”

Razavi believes that Bon Appetit does a decent job of serving the objective of Slow Food, but he also thinks that just providing food to the university isn’t enough.

“We’d like to extend this conversation so when students leave Case after their four years here, they become citizens that embody this ideal image for protecting biodiversity, protecting practices that are not destroying our earth,” he said.

Razavi founded CWRU’s Slow Food chapter in January of 2013 after taking a SAGES course called the Future of Food.

“I had always been interested in food, and very curious from the nutritional point of view my whole life,” he said. “By having a Slow Food chapter at Case, we’re taking our university to a global network.”

The Slow Food movement is present in over 150 countries, and is a global initiative to make healthy local foods more prevalent and accessible.

“There’s this paradox,” said Razavi. “You have a lot of people who are eating a lot, and we have a problem with obesity, but we also have a lot of people who don’t have access [to food]. And then at the same time, we’re having trouble finding ways to grow food that is sustainable and that can meet our needs.”

Razavi believes that Cleveland has a unique food culture that encourages the consumption of local foods.

“Using cities like Cleveland as a platform or a model of change for the food system is ideal,” said Razavi. “Integrating Slow Food ideals not only in the Case dining halls, but also the surrounding community can be a platform for national policy change.”

After graduating from CWRU, Razavi plans to attend medical school, combining science, medicine and public health to shape his career.

“You really can’t talk about food without talking about the environment, and you can’t talk about health without talking about food,” said Razavi. He added that his main goal as a physician would be to bring food initiatives to the forefront.

“It’s not necessarily telling your patients how to eat, what to eat everyday from a nutritional aspect,” said Razavi. “What we also need to instill in them are these concepts. Let them know that local food is available for them to buy. It’s not that we don’t have enough local, organic food to feed people, it’s that not enough of it is being purchased.”

Ohio’s early voting period shortened Aneeka Ayyar Staff Reporter Democrats and Republicans are clashing over a recent Supreme Court of Ohio ruling which shortened the early voting period for this year’s midterm election by seven days.

In the past, voters have always had the opportunity to go to the polls more than a month prior to the early Nov. election. This gave voters who were unable to make it to the polls on Election Day the chance to vote ahead of time. In addition, during the “golden week” from Sept. 30 to Oct. 7, voters could both register and vote in one visit at the polls.

However, with the recent 5-4 ruling, the period has been shortened and early voting will now begin on Oct. 7.

The early voting period is crucial for elections because it gives voters who have jobs that prevent them from making it to the polls on Election Day a chance to vote.

According to NBC News, early voters were the ones who caused Obama to win Ohio, with Mitt Romney winning more votes on the actual Election Day. Based on data from the last few elections, early voters in Ohio tend to favor

the democratic candidate. According to the Supreme Court of Ohio, the primary reason for shortening the early voting period was to reduce the money and resources used to facilitate early voting. Still, the new ruling has sparked controversy among the state’s Democrats and Republicans.

“They are just trying to make it more difficult for Democrats to vote,” said Matthew Keri, treasurer for the Case Democrats.

Keri believes that the shorter voting period will reduce the number of votes from poor, inner city workers who cannot vote during the day. According to Keri, the five judges who voted for shortening the early voting period are much more conservative, and the other four are liberal.

On the other hand, Case College Republican’s president Jennifer Meyer thinks that the decision was justified. She noted the importance of the decision, emphasizing that Ohio is a swing state.

“If you really care about voting, you will make the time to vote,” she said.

Meyer explained that there are still other ways to vote, such as using an absentee ballot. She also mentioned that the change shouldn’t have too much of an effect on Case Western Reserve University

Harsha Chandupatla/Observer Democrats and Republicans are debating over the length of the early voting period in Ohio, which the Supreme Court shortened by one week. students.

“At least from talking to my friends, most Case students don’t even vote,” she said. She reiterated that students who are truly concerned about voting will make the time to go to the polls.

Keri disagrees. With the removal of the golden week, voters will lose the opportunity to register and vote at the same time, which he believes will result in fewer student voters.

“As college students, it was a lot easier to just go there, register, and vote all in one go,” he said. “Now you would have to go twice.”

Both sides agree that students should make the effort to get to the polls, even with the shortened voting period.

“The most important thing is that everyone votes,” said Keri. “These are important elections and I encourage all to go out and vote.”

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From front

A day in the life of the zombie horde

Students participate in the biannual Humans vs. Zombies game

Stephanie Kim/Observer Students take nerf gun and sock grenade combat to the streets of Case Western Reserve University.

Mark Patteson News Editor The zombie horde assembled at dusk.

The group made a strange sight. On one end, there were the veterans: calling out for scouts, organizing squads, discussing horde tactics, and giving some last-minute advice to the new players. Many had safety pins attached to their green headbands, a status symbol that counted brains like a world war fighter ace might count downed planes under his cockpit.

On the other end were the newbies or more casual players. They danced and played kazoos and joked, clearly more concerned with having a good time than formulating sterling horde tactics. The group was made up of eight zombies, veterans and casuals alike.

They’re all part of the Big Games Club’s biannual Humans vs. Zombies game, a ten day long competitive game of extreme tag played across campus. Zombies try to tag humans, who fend them off with Nerf guns and socks.

The zombies jogged along quiet streets with hushed voices and heads down to avoid being spotted by a human. The veterans led the way, new players keeping close

behind. Suddenly the leader stopped and asked the group to hold back. She spotted a few humans down the road. Upon closer inspection it turned out that the group had run into another zombie squad. False alarm, but the dusk was just turning to night and one had to squint to separate friend from foe.

The group combined with the new squad, bringing the numbers up to 14, and continued on its way. Eventually, one player received a message from the Grave Mind, a tailor-made mobile message app that allowed the zombies to communicate across campus. According to the Grave Mind, a large number of humans were holed up at the Tinkham Veale University Center. It asked for more zombies to assemble nearby in order to launch mass attack.

But the path was blocked. A single human stood at the end of the path that led to Tinkham Veale University Center (TVUC).

Though outnumbered 14 to one, buildings on either side created a choke point that only four zombies could cross. With so little room to maneuver, it would be difficult for the group to swarm him. The human wouldn’t budge, and even issued a challenge by slowly walking towards the zombie group. Equipped with multiple Nerf blasters, the human had at least 20 darts at

his disposal. He meant business.

If he was a good, fast shot, a squad veteran warned, he could conceivably take everyone out. The group decided to split up: half would charge right ahead and the other half would double back and attack from behind. When the flanking group made it to the TVUC, no one, human or zombie, was there.

Back down to eight zombies, the squad headed for TVUC. At least two dozen humans had assembled outside the Koch entrance of the building. They carried Nerf pistols, revolvers, blasters, rifles, virtual machine guns; altogether, an arsenal of Styrofoam anarchy. Human scouts, hidden around the building’s eccentric geometry had already spotted the group of zombies, calling out the location to the human camp.

The squad’s sole remaining veteran (the others had disappeared in the alley way) prepared the newer players for a suicidal charge. Though every zombie in the group would surely tag out, there was a good chance that they could take one or two humans with them, he explained.

“If you are not tagged out, you are doing something wrong” he said.

The zombies let out their battle cry: “What do we want? Brains!”

They charged. The zombies never really stood a chance. They ran hopelessly through a hail of Nerf darts, the humans shouting, “You’re tagged, you’re tagged” whenever they scored a hit. No success, the zombies hadn’t secured the brain a single human.

The rest of the night continued in much same way. The zombies led small, disorganized charges and failed to tag any humans.

Conflicting messages from the Grave Mind only added to the confusion as amorphous zombie squads broke apart and recombined to pursue independent objectives. As the mission drew to a close, the humans became bold, leaving the safety of their firing line at TVUC to lead their own charges against scattered zombie squads. Idiomatically, the hunters became the hunted.

A little after eight o’clock, the mission ended. The zombies lost, though the eight-zombie squad scored a few lucky tags in a last ditch charge. In the mission debriefing, discussions of tactics and grand strategies abounded: if the squads were larger, if the squads were smaller, if there were more scouts… most seemed to agree on a decisive human victory. But the game was not over. Better luck next time, zombie horde.

USG opening new store on Tapingo Sruthi Meka Staff Reporter The Undergraduate Student Government will be opening a new store on Tapingo for student organizations to use to help facilitate and maximize sales.

Tapingo is a popular mobile application that allows students to place orders for on-campus restaurants, including the L3 Grill and Denny’s All-Nighter. With

USG’s new store, students will also be able to purchase tickets for student events using the application.

Student organizations will be able to add items to the USG store through an online OrgSync application, which is currently under development. The items will then be available for sale through the USG store for a specified amount of time. The USG finance committee will report the sales to the specific student organization

using an itemized breakdown. “[The Tapingo store] is in no way replacing the current USG CaseCash machines,” said Chippy Kennedy, USG Vice President of Finance. Kennedy added that CaseCash machines will still be available for rent through Auxiliary Services, and that USG recently purchased two additional machines.

“I see a future of USG’s Tapingo system running side by side with the CaseCash rentals,” said Kennedy.

Student organizations that wish to sell items through the Tapingo store will work with USG and will be made aware of peritem costs they will be charged. Additional or overhead costs will not apply to organizations that choose not to participate in the new system.

“There is no overhead cost to USG’s internal or external budget,” said Kennedy.

USG is partnering with Student Affairs IT Operations to run the new store.

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University officials consider changing scholarship GPA requirement Anastazia Vanisko Staff Reporter College is stressful. Anxiety from work and classes plagues students, and it can be made even worse when students are faced with the potential of losing their scholarship if their GPA drops too low. With this in mind, Case Western Reserve University is currently reviewing its scholarship retention requirements, and there is chance that the minimum GPA requirement will be dropped.

Current scholarship retention criteria requires students to maintain good disciplinary and academic standing with the university. To be in good academic standing, students must have a minimum 2.0 GPA and be enrolled in at least 12 credit hours. These criteria apply to University, Bolton, and Michel-

son-Morley scholarships only. Other scholarships may have different minimum GPA requirements.

The last review of this criteria was in 2011, lowering the GPA requirement from 3.0 to 2.0 and allowing students to regain their scholarship after one semester if they lost it.

During this year’s review, the Academic Standing subcommittee of the Faculty Senate Committee on Undergraduate Education (FSCUE) is considering both allowing students to take a year off and still retain their scholarships, and removing the GPA requirement.

If the policy does move forward, it first has to be more fully developed by the Academic Standing subcommittee, as well as the Admissions and Aid subcommittees of FSCUE. After being approved by FSCUE, it will be presented to the Faculty Senate, who will give the final decision

on the potential policy change.

When looking at retention requirements, the reviewers ask themselves if the current requirements ref lect what is best for students. The Academic Standing subcommittee often reviews student appeals for exception to the retention rules, leading them to question whether or not the rules as they stand are still effective for students.

Dean Jeffrey Wolcowitz said the committee is looking to see if current GPA requirements are “creating an appropriate incentive or inappropriate stress.”

“We’re always asking the question, what works best at Case Western Reserve University,” he said.

To get a sense of the student body’s opinion, the Academic Affairs committee of USG is also being given a chance to critique the proposal. Since it is still

in development, the committee does not have an official stance at this time.

Some of the questions that the committee are still waiting to be answered are the percentage of students who will be affected by the policy change, and what would replace the GPA requirement.

The committee is also worried because it can be difficult to ask for the opinions of the students who will be the most affected. Xiaoyu Li, the USG vice president of Academic Affairs, said that it’s “sticky” to single people out who are struggling both academically and financially to get their thoughts on the subject.

Li said that students are welcome to sit in on the Academic Affairs meetings in the USG Office to voice their opinions. From there, USG representatives will pass on the students’ feelings and concerns on the policy.

Obituary

Weatherhead remembers Rongrong Yang Garretson Oester Contributing Reporter Courtesy of Roderick Ingram Rongrong “Daniel” Yang died of unknown causes on Sept. 24.

Weatherhead School of Management MBA student Rongrong “Daniel” Yang died on Sept. 24. Yang would have celebrated his 33rd birthday next month.

Yang, better known to fellow stu-

dents as Daniel, was a first-year MBA student from the Jiangsu province in China. He hoped to become an expert in supply chain management.

As of press time, officials still have not determined the cause of death, but police found no evidence of foul play.

Yang was remembered by fellow stu-

dents at a memorial service in the Peter B. Lewis building on Oct. 2. “[Yang] always had a smile, was prepared with the analysis and was willing to take on the prevailing opinion in our discussions,” Weatherhead professor J.B. Silvers told The Daily. “He will be missed.”

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Editor’s Choice

The Apple doesn’t fall far from the CLE

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak talks to students, visits think[box] John Brogan Contributing Reporter Case Western Reserve University students greeted Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak with thunderous applause as he got situated for an hour-long question and answer session at the Tinkham Veale University Center on Oct. 4. The session was moderated by Jeffrey Duerk, dean of the Case School of Engineering.

Wozniak, best known for jump-starting the multinational Apple Inc. alongside Steve Jobs, is credited with designing the Apple II computer, first introduced in 1977.

The Apple II is considered a revolutionary design in the history of personal computers.

Provost William “Bud” Baeslack introduced Wozniak and also spoke briefly about think[box], which provides a space for students, faculty, alumni and community members to tinker and invent projects using the professional equipment and 3D printers provided. Baeslack said that Wozniak was a man who could relate to the motivations behind think[box].

Wozniak said that his passion for computers and gadgets has been present his entire life.

Wozniak cited Siri, the iPhone voice recognition software, as an example of one

of the biggest accomplishments in computer technology in the past decade. He said that the software was an example of “doing things in a human way and having the computer respond.” Siri’s ability to personalize computer software and make it easy to use is an example of this consistent driving force for the future of computer design.

Wozniak is a creative person. He warned against restricting innovation based on the status quo or culture of an establishment. He stressed the importance of free thinking, regardless of the setting. He also suggested that students not limit themselves, giving the example of not only reading engineering books, but writing new books themselves.

Before the Q&A session, Wozniak took a tour of think[box] and met with a number of groups, including CWRU students, Cleveland Institute of Art students, and alumni, all of whom had used the lab to turn their ideas into tangible creations.

The groups’ inventions had a wide range of applications, from fashion to biomedical design. CWRU sophomores Zach Lerner and Vincent Cozza invented a 3-D printed competition grade-yoyo. Lerner event got to showcase some of his yo-yoing skills for Wozniak. “think[box] was one of the major factors for me in choosing to attend Case,” said Cozza.

Another group, biomedical engineering

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak spoke to students about embracing creativity.

PhD graduates Daniel Tan and Nathan Makowski, are currently working on helping amputee patients control their prosthetic limbs.

“We were both around when think[box] was just getting started, and helped design how the center should be,” said Tan. “I have found it to be an incredible program.”

Wozniak reminded all of the students

that there should always be a fun component in their designs.

To thank Wozniak for making the trip here, think[box] presented him with a 3-D printed blue wrench with the word “WOZ” written in bold on the side. Wozniak also added his signature to the side of the center’s printing circuit board router.

Correction: A previous article incorrectly stated that 121 Fitness’ zumba classes in The Spot ran from 7 to 8 p.m. on Mondays. The correct time is 6 to 7 p.m.

The Observer apologizes for the error.

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Cleveland Clinic begins construction of new cancer institute building Maria Fazal Staff Reporter The Cleveland Clinic is building a new $276 million cancer facility, which will feature state of the art equipment and technology for treating and researching cancer.

The Cleveland Clinic is ranked as the best hospital in Ohio and one of the top hospitals in the United States. It is regarded as being one of the best at fourteen specialties, including cardiology and cardiac surgery, neurology and neurosurgery, urology and oncology (cancer).

Undeniably, the major portion of this prowess is due to the hospital’s outstanding staff. However, the Cleveland Clinic’s impressive technological proficiency cannot be overlooked. In fact, Newsweek went as far as to refer to the Cleveland Clinic as “a hospital trying to be a Toyota factory.”

Never one to fall behind technologically or in any respect, the Clinic’s new building will put them on the forefront of cancer treatment, while also helping them to be one of a dozen or so hospitals in the United States that can provide detailed data on cancer patient outcomes.

“Cancer patients are uniformly scared,” Dr. Brian J. Bolwell, the Clinic’s Taussig Cancer Institute Chairman, said. “We have to provide many different ways to help patients and their families deal with medical aspect of their disease but also the psychological aspect. Having a central location to do both—provide multidisciplinary care and support services—is very, very important.”

This concern with the patients’ well being carried through into the building’s design. The window-clad building will be illuminated with plenty of natural light to provide a serene ambiance.

Cleveland Clinic CEO Dr. Toby Cosgrove assures the building “will be a place of light, confidence and hope,” and that it “will be the ideal outpatient cancer treatment facility for our time.”

The massive 377,000-square-foot facility will be seven stories tall and contain 126 exam rooms, 98 semi-private chemo infusion rooms, a spiritual support center and expanded patient services, including social workers, wig boutiques, art therapy, massages, makeup application, manicures and pedicures and prosthetic services.

Additionally, the building will also house academics, research and Phase I clinical trials to further cancer treatment methods and study. Furthermore, one of the most important goals for the new building is to emphasize multidisciplinary care.

The institute was designed by Boston architecture firm William Rawn Asso-

ciates, an award-winning firm whose previous works have included prominent buildings such as the Cambridge Public Library and the Seiji Ozawa Hall.

The building’s funding comes from a $2 billion fundraising campaign from earlier this summer. Remarkably, the campaign has already raised $600 million and is expected to finish in 2021, four years after the projected date of completion for the new cancer institute.

Last week, on Sept. 29, dignitaries including Bolwell, Cosgrove, Mayor Frank Jackson and U.S. Senator Rob Portman armed themselves with shovels to ceremoniously break ground for the new Cancer Institute.

Hopes were high that day and not just for the building. In fact, Portman joked that he wishes for the building to be pulled down in 20 years when cancer is eradicated.

Poo at CWRU

Sophomore Andrew Mitchell addresses bathroom quality issues Alexander Wheaton Staff Reporter For years, Case Western Reserve University students have had to guess at which bathrooms on campus are acceptable for them to use. But with sophomore Andrew Mitchell’s new website, Poo @ CWRU, the guessing game is over.

The website grabs bathroom goers’

GPS locations in real time and displays the ratings of nearby bathrooms. Ratings are based on cleanliness, location, WiFi, writing, traffic, and toilet paper.

Students who want to contribute to the project can log in using CWRU’s single sign-on service, where they can add restrooms, write reviews, and rate bathrooms.

Since the website’s inception last month, it has attracted much attention,

and now boasts student-posted ratings and reviews for almost every restroom on campus.

Like most great ideas, Mitchell’s inspiration for the project came from comments scrawled on a bathroom wall. In the men’s bathroom on the second floor of Sears, students scrawled ratings for the bathroom’s cell phone reception, WiFi strength, setting and cleanliness on the wall in Sharpie. Mitchell decided to take

this idea and digitize it, making it available for all of the bathrooms on campus.

Mitchell said that users should consider using the mobile version of the website, which lets them check ratings “whenever they need to go, on the go.”

Mitchell said that it would be difficult to expand the project beyond the boundaries of CWRU’s campus, but he did say that similar projects could flourish on other college campuses.

Michelson and Morley makes menu modifications

Ishaan Taylor/Observer TVUC’s new Michelson and Morley restaurant now offers a Happy Hour menu and a menu specialized around Cleveland Orchestra performances.

Miriam Ridge Staff Reporter The new Michelson and Morley restaurant, located in the Tinkham Veale University Center, is about to see a menu shakeup.

The restaurant recently introduced a prix fixe menu, which will be available

after mid-afternoon performances and before evening performances by the Cleveland Orchestra at Severance Hall.

The menu, consisting primarily of local produce, provides the diner’s choice of snack, small plate, entree, chef’s choice dessert and beverage for $33.

“Changes to the menu will occur period-

ically according to seasonality,” said head chef Tony Smoody. The first change will occur near the end of October.

The restaurant aims to keep at least 50 percent of its produce local, which is a challenge during the colder season.

Moving deeper into the fall, dishes will shift accordingly.

“We’re going for more comfort food-y, cold weather dishes,” said Smoody.

The restaurant also introduced a Happy Hour menu, including specialty priced beers, wines, signature cocktails, snacks and more from 3 to 6 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays and 5 to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

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Hong Kong protests hit CWRU Student demonstrations abroad impact campus community

Courtesy of Sam Shangguan Protests over democracy in Hong Kong started in August and are just now showing signs of dwindling.

Aquene Kimmel Opinions Editor When Sam Shangguan, a sophomore history major from Shenzhen, China, opens her computer, she is immediately faced with photos and posts by her friends protesting in Hong Kong. Many other Chinese students share this experience at Case Western Reserve University, as they watch protests fill the streets of Hong Kong from thousands of miles away.

Students and other dissatisfied citizens began participating in mass protests over voting policy in Hong Kong in September, but they are now showing signs of dwindling. The protests began in reaction to a policy that said that, although there will be an open election for the position of Chief Executive in 2017,

the candidates for the position will be chosen by an exclusive 1,200 member Executive Committee.

In August, the National People’s Congress in Beijing announced the adoption of this new voting procedure for the 2017 elections. While this policy would make the 2017 election Hong Kong’s first “democratic” elections, with universal suffrage, protesters believe that democracy means choosing their own candidates, not just voting from a pre-selected pool.

Prior to that impetus, though, the situation was still not fully tranquil.

“It has been building up for a while, I think,” said Frank Wu, president of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association.

According to Paul Schroeder, an assistant professor of political science who teaches a course on political change in

China, these protests are bigger than the 1989 student protests in Tiananmen, which were violently stamped out by the Chinese government. “[The mainland Chinese government] has numerous controls over people that would prevent this exact thing from happening on the mainland,” said Schroeder. “If this were the mainland, then there would have been a crackdown.”

The more peaceful conclusion to these protests is due in part to the idea of “one country, two systems.” Hong Kong, which was a British colony until 1997, is now a part of China, but has retained its own governance.

Despite the nations’ political separation and China’s infamous “Great Firewall,” mainland Chinese residents are well-informed of the protests in Hong Kong. Tourists visiting Hong Kong from

China have observed the largely peaceful protests, and protesters have been posting articles and photos to Chinese social media sites.

“I think China is now much more open than ever before,” said Shangguan. “I think most people who pay at least some attention to politics would know about [the protests].”

Both Shangguan and Wu believe that negotiations directly with the government, not the protests themselves, will likely be the driving force behind change in Hong Kong.

“The protesting itself is what people always hear from this issue,” said Wu. “People should be cooperating with each other instead of just saying, ‘yeah, there is a protest in Hong Kong.’ People are omitting the potential for cooperation between Hong Kong and mainland China.”

CWRU electrical supervisor retires after 47 years of service Gabrielle Buffington Staff Reporter Forty-seven years ago, Dale Nenadal started work at the Case Institute of Technology and Western Reserve University as an electrical assistant. On Sept. 30, Nenadal retired after a long career of working in CWRU’s electrical services.

Nenadal was just 19 years old when he started work here. During his tenure, he has become an expert in CWRU’s electrical grid, an expertise that will be missed by many.

“This guy is the only guy that knows the electrical grid inside and out on

this campus,” said Nicholas Perry, the IT Network Administrator for Campus Planning and Facilities Management and one of Nenadal’s mentees. “You can’t replace that.”

Perry, who has been working at the university for seven years, said that Nenadal helped him navigate his way around the campus’ complicated electrical systems.

“There’s technology here that I helped put in place in regards to locations of certain things in every building, but it’s still not going to be anything near what that guy knows,” said Perry. “[He knows] where every little electrical panel is located. He’s a walking encyclopedia of every building here.”

Perry also noted how dedicated Nenadal was to his work.

“When the weather was really bad and there were storms, snow or hail, he would be there at 4, 5, or 6 o’clock in the morning, or overnight, because he was the one that knew the most about every building,” said Perry.

Nenadal has persevered through city-wide blackouts, vice presidential debates, and a number of other energy guzzling events that he supervised the campus through, most of which went off without a hitch.

It takes a lot of patience to be able to keep the university’s electrical systems under control, and Perry said that that is one of the many things that Nenadal

taught him that he will hold on to.

“I’ve never seen the guy get mad,” said Perry. “He’s a man of few words.

There’s no politics involved with Dale…

He just taught me to be myself and be real, and I’ve taken that to heart.”

Another thing Perry will remember is Nenadal’s reluctance to touch people.

“I’m a touchy-feely person,” said Perry. “I’ll put my arm around someone while saying hey.”

“Dale hated that,” said Perry, laughing. “So I would never touch him, and he would never touch me.”

Perry said that everyone would miss Nenadal on the electrical staff.

“He’s like a dad to me,” said Perry.

“I’m really gonna miss that guy.”

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Homecoming Calendar Saturday, Oct. 11 Homecoming Kickoff Tailgate: Time: 12:30pm Location: NRV Stadium “Throwback” some food to kick off homecoming 2014! Enjoy a free nacho bar for everyone to enjoy in between the men and women’s soccer game.

Celebrate CWRU ‘People and Traditions throughout the Ages’ by decorating with old uniforms and posters. UPB will be giving away commemorative t-shirts to undergraduate students.

Monday, Oct. 13 Tuesday, Oct. 14 Wednesday, Oct. 15 Powder Puff Football Game: Time: 8pm Location: NRV Stadium – Disanto Field A friendly flag-football competition between the junior and senior women.

Thwing Tuesdays: Time: 12–1pm Location: Thwing Ballroom Undergraduate students are invited to enjoy assorted foods from places like Dave’s Cosmic Subs, Mac N’ Cheez, Buffalo Wild Wings and more! Decorate banners for the Homecoming game and decorate your own Spartan lunchbox!

On the beat

As last Saturday’s Arctic blast reminded us, we are officially in autumn now.

Hopefully we have a few more weeks of warm weather before the heavy stuff really kicks in, which means a few more weeks of summer activities like smelling flowers, sitting outside and bicycling. Unfortunately, the bad guys are also taking advantage of the weather, and the campus has recently experienced a rash of bike thefts.

Most of the thefts have occurred on bike racks to bicycles that were either unlocked or secured with a cable locks. Cable locks are certainly preferable to nothing at

Pushball Competition: Time: 7pm Location: Frieberger Field First- and second-year students will compete against each other in push ball, a Case School of Applied Science tradition from the early 1900’s, where they try to push a giant ball into each other’s end zones.

Thursday, Oct. 16 Trivia Night: Time: 6:30pm Location: Thwing Atrium Student Organizations will be competing in a trivia contest!

Blue Block Party: Time: 7–9pm Location: Toby’s Plaza (Uptown) Join the campus community in celebrating Homecoming on Toby’s Plaza for food, music, entertainment and more.

Spot Night: Time: 9pm Location: The Spot Come join us for some wonderful CWRU student openers and our headliner, Oh Honey!, an Indie Rock/ Pop band.

Friday, Oct. 17

Saturday, Oct. 18

CWRU Showcase of Stars: Time: 7:30–9:30pm Location: Tinkham Veale University Center Ballroom Join the students in celebrating the terrific talent on CWRU’s campus. From juggling to a Capella to traditional Indian dance, the CWRU Showcase of Stars is sure to be a breathtaking snapshot of what this campus has to offer outside the classroom.

Stephanie Tubbs Jones Homecoming 5K Race & 1-Mile Fun Run: Time: 7:30am registration, 8:30 race start Location: Village Starbucks Homecoming Parade: Time: 10:30am Location: NRV Spartan Tailgate: Time: 11am–1pm Location: Leutner You won’t want to miss this festive tailgate party right before the football game!

Homecoming Football Game: Time: 1:30pm Location: NRV Stadium Cheer on our Spartans as they face the Geneva Golden Tornadoes.

Bike theft all, but not by much. They can be defeated in seconds using garden shears or bolt cutters, which are the tools of the trade for a bike thief.

The Case Western Reserve University’s Security and Police Department (CWRU PD) urges anyone bringing a bike to campus to use a U-lock, such as the kind we give out to first year students during orientation. Several companies make them.

They all share a steel U-shape that is much harder to cut through than a cable lock. If you are going to invest in a decent bike, invest in a decent lock as well.

GE is in the business of powering big things… your career could be one of them.

Come learn how GE’s prestigious leadership programs and internship/co-op assignments can do big things for the globe…and your career.

Kickstart your career in an environment where ideas become infrastructures, and where individual talents combine to build, power, cure and move the world. Find out how at ge.com/university.

GE offers a great work environment, professional development, challenging careers, and competitive compensation. GE is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by law.

Come visit us on September 17, 2014 at Case Quad (Rain site Hovorka Atrium) for the GE Day on the Quad from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Bring a resume and join the GE recruiting team for food and prizes.

All majors, intern/co-op, full-time.

There are hundreds of bikes on this campus, so we could use your help keeping an eye on them. If you see someone hanging around a bike rack, pulling on bikes to see if they are secured or possibly in the act of cutting a lock, please call the CWRU PD at 216-368-3333 as soon as possible.

Bike thieves we have caught in the past range from young juveniles to a male in his 50s whom we have arrested at least seven times for bike theft over the past few years. Bicycles, especially unsecured ones, are also sometimes taken from bike

rooms in residence halls that people are able to tailgate into, so always lock your bike, even in a bike room.

Let’s enjoy the last few weeks of good weather, and let’s look out for each other—and our bikes.

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.

CWRU Police Blotter Oct. 1 to Oct. 7 Oct. 1: Bicycle theft—cable lock cut/bike taken from rack, Fribley Commons.

Oct. 2: Bicycle theft—cable lock cut/bike taken from rack, Kelvin Smith Library.

Oct. 3: Bicycle theft—cable lock cut/bike taken from rack, Staley House.

Oct. 4: Criminal damagebrick thrown through car window, E. 118th St. Oct. 5: Assault- student slightly injured in dispute with another student, North Residential Village #3A.

On the Beat can be contacted at policecolumn@case.edu.

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fun page | 9

COM IC S Ivory Tower

by Kevin Yong

We need a special holiday to honor the countless kind souls with unsecured networks named ‘linksys.’ By xkcd

Crossword Puzzle Across 1. Box 5. Vexations 10. Jail (British) 14. Back of the neck 15. 3-banded armadillo 16. Jittery 17. Untenanted 19. Stubborn beast 20. What we sleep on 21. Watchful 22. Units of distance 23. Lithesome 25. Not back 27. Arrive (abbrev.)

28. Insurgent 31. Task 34. Gown fabric 35. 3 in Roman numerals 36. Delicate 37. Tarnish 38. Barely managed 39. Altitude (abbrev.)

40. Roam 41. Overweight 42. Depluming 44. Tavern 45. Layers

46. A communication 50. Grain storage buildings 52. Corrupt 54. Precious stone 55. Poems 56. A language of India 58. Distribute 59. Communion table 60. Leave out 61. Where the sun rises 62. Untidy 63. Desserts Down 1. Spurns 2. Discussion group 3. Any animal with no feet 4. Record (abbrev.)

5. Trucker 6. Not lower 7. Reasonable 8. In a fidgety manner 9. Unhappy 10. Third sign of the zodiac 11. Like a grown up 12. Leer at 13. Caustics

18. Close-knit group 22. Not less 24. Not 26. Depend 28. Internment camp 29. Untruths 30. Assistant 31. Applaud 32. Corridor 33. Like triplets, except 8 34. Gate 37. Anagram of “Ties” 38. Wanes 40. Slaloms 41. Kicks out 43. Wardrobe 44. A state of extreme poverty 46. King with a golden touch 47. A long-legged bird 48. Wish granter 49. Gives forth 50. A few 51. Bright thought 53. Picnic insects 56. An unskilled actor 57. Not bottom

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10/10/14

Horoscopes Aries

Today is a good day to treat yourself with some ice cream.

Taurus

Ever been interested in writing? You should apply at The Observer!

Gemini

Get inspired by all the CWRU squirrels fattening up for winter.

The extra layers of fat will help keep you warm while you wait for the next Greenie.

Cancer

The Quidditch Tournament is this weekend. Go or you will be carried there.

Wingardium Leviosa!

Leo

Are you coughing or feeling sick? Time to stock up on vitamin C for this campus’ sake.

Virgo

xkcd

Seat Selection

Make sure to pick up your phone this week.

It might be your next employer.

Libra

Those of you with birthdays this week will all have fabulous birthdays. Those of you without will discover a new flavor of gum.

Scorpio

Don’t click on the wing.

A change of your favorite color is in your future.

Sagittarius

Just go to bed now.

Capricorn

illusion learn limit other otter point press rant repose sand shine state sweet talent traumatic treat trial university women

Wordsearch

about against among beet capon career child chocolate class corrupt crave damsel death dolt draft fall force fraud gentle grape

If you’ve recently had the urge to barricade your dorm hallway, go see “Les Miserables” instead, for your R.A.’s sake.

Aquarius

Midterms are coming up.

Stay off YikYak and you might actually get some work done.

Pisces

Don’t drunk Tinder. Not even once.

arts & entertainment Laci Green helps define the

best sex ever

Anastazia Vanisko Staff Reporter Talking about sex can be uncomfortable. But for Laci Green, a sex education activist and YouTube star, talking about sex is just what she does.

Green spoke to students at the Tinkham Veale University Center on Oct. 7. “Best Sex

Laci Green gave her talk titled “Best Sex Ever!” last week, to a crowd of CWRU community members.

Ever!” aimed to educate people about their bodies and their sexualities in order to make sex safer and more pleasurable for everyone.

Green pointed out that, from an early age, many Americans are taught that their bodies are dirty and something to be ashamed of.

She said that she herself struggled with this when she was younger, but hopefully, more knowledge will help people learn otherwise.

Sex education in public high schools is only required in 22 states. Although there have been recent improvements in the comprehensiveness of this education, there is still opposition that says that this education endorses or promotes sexual activity.

Thirty-three states also require that schools provide HIV/AIDS education, which is another topic that Green brought up.

When Green asked the audience what came to mind when they saw the word STD (sexually transmitted disease) on screen, one said, “horrified,” while another said, “itchy.”

When one student said “uncomfortable,” Green expanded on that, saying that many people feel embarrassed, worried or scared when talking about these diseases.

Green pointed out that the Center for Disease Control shows that millions of people have sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and STDs. “The reality is that STIs are normal,”

Both photos Harsha Chandupatla/Observer said Green. “They are actually normal.

Just like every germy, bacteria-y, virus-y thing we give to each other.”

Green said that people need to know how to be safe and prevent STIs, and how to get treated if they do get one. She pointed out that people who think they may have an STI should see a doctor and communicate with potential sexual partners.

Green also talked about the issue of consent. She asked the audience to read notecards that demonstrated clear and enthusiastic consent.

“That feels so good,” one student yelled.

“Do you want me to keep going?” asked another.

On the flipside, Green pointed out that if anything is unclear, all action needs to be stopped until clear consent is given. Green said that communication is one of the most important parts of any sexual relationship.

Using all of her advice—knowledge of your body, self-love, safety, communication and respect between partners—Green says that you can have the best sex ever (but no guarantee).

History in the making Cleveland Natural History Museum begins renovations

Alex Clarke Contributing Reporter You might be seeing a lot more natural history in the future.

Announced in December 2012, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History declared plans to expand and renovate the pre-existing building.

Glenda Bogar, associate director of communications said that the new project is still in the planning and fundraising stage; in March of this year they hired a project design team, including a team of architects.

This team will be undergoing a series of intense workshops to plan with the space they have, and space where they can expand.

Also under consideration are collections currently in storage and ways of incorporating those, although the collections are unfortunately not shared with the public yet.

The goal for the project is to be completed in 2020, when the museum will be a hundred years old. By then, most current Case Western Reserve University students will be off and graduated...hopefully.

The museum will stay open during the renovation, and while we won’t have a backstage pass to the construction (for obvious safety reasons) the museum wants visitors to know its plans, once they are defined. There will also be workshops for the visitors, asking what they would like to see.

As far as where exactly everything is going, a lot of details are still under wraps. Different sections of the museum had information involving their respective locations.

Timmy Kuo/Observer The Natural History Museum will be seeing big changes by 2020, including changes to individual exhibits like “Lucy.”

Sue Divito, who works at the gift shop, is excited about the renovation because of the increased traffic to the store. “[The renovation] promises to put us in a position to be seen,” Divito said.

The wildlife exhibit will be on the oth-

er side of the store, which Sue thinks will make the gift shop a focal point.

A worker in admissions, Olivia Quinn, knew that the main entrance was going to be moved during construction. She thinks that the renovation is exciting.

“The museum is going to be refreshed,” she said. “It has looked like this for a long time.”

Stay tuned, as the museum will be releasing the master design plan in December of this year.

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Comedic duo The Lucas Bros. heading to Cleveland on Oct. 13 Julia Bianco News Editor Keith and Kenny Lucas have mastered speaking in harmony. In their five years performing stand-up comedy together under the name The Lucas Bros., the identical twin brothers have become experts in the delicate art of playing off of each other, using the rare instance of having two comics on stage to navigate the rough waters of the comedy scene.

“You have someone to share the laughter with and you also have someone to share the burden with you,” said Keith. “It’s more like teamwork than anything else. You feel like a lot of the pressure is not on you.”

Both brothers are used to pressure. Five years ago, while attending separate law schools, the two started to perform stand-up comedy on their own. They quickly realized that they were better off together, and both dropped out of school to start performing their act in and around Brooklyn, NY. “Law is soulless and lacks creativity,” said Kenny. “With comedy we’re actually doing something we love. It went from having no passion for what we were doing to having a ton of passion.”

Passion has gotten the brothers far in the business, in just a short time. Their stand-up has appeared on Comedy Central’s “Adam Devine’s House Party,” NBC’s “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” and HBO’s “Funny

as Hell.” They also have their own show on FOX’s Animation Domination Hi-Def, called “Lucas Bros. Moving Co.,” and they appeared as the Yang Twins in this summer’s big blockbuster “22 Jump Street.”

“It was incredible,” said Keith of the experience. “You’re working with Channing [Tatum] and Jonah [Hill], and they’re heavyweights. It was a privilege to see them working. They took it to the next level every scene.

It encouraged us to work a little harder and take our act to the next level.”

The Lucas Bros.’ fast-moving career is showing no signs of slowing down. The two are going to be a part of TruTV’s “Friends of the People,” premiering in October. The new sketch show also features comedians Kevin Barnett, Jennifer Bartels, Jermaine Fowler, Lil Rel Howery and Josh Rabinowitz.

“It’s a really eclectic group of people,” said Keith. “I think we all bring a different perspective to comedy, which makes the sketches more effective.”

They are also bringing their stand-up to Cleveland as a part of their Purple Urkle Tour, which combines sketches and animation with their traditional act to make something different than your typical stand-up show.

“I can promise you that it’s going to be the greatest hour and half of your life,” said Kenny. “Well, I can’t promise that, but it’ll be good.”

The Lucas Bros. will be performing at the Cleveland Improv on Oct. 13.

Artsy, drama-filled “The Judge” hits theaters today, Oct. 10 Anne Nickoloff Arts & Entertainment Editor “The Judge,” featuring the likes of Robert Downey Jr., Billy Bob Thornton and Robert Duvall, premieres today, Oct. 10.

The story follows big-city lawyer Henry Palmer (Downey Jr.) as he returns home for his mother’s funeral.

Tensions are already built around his relationship with his father (Duvall), and when a case of murder is pointed at Judge Joe Palmer, the son must work to defend the father in a tough court.

Director, producer and story planner David Dobkin is mostly known for past comedies like “Wedding Crashers” and “Shanghai Knights,” but creating “The Judge” was a new and gratifying experience for him. “[‘The Judge’ was] by a long shot the best experience I’ve had as a filmmaker,” said Dobkin.

While “The Judge” is a more serious topic, it returns to Dobkin’s original goals as a filmmaker. Fresh out of New York University, Dobkin hoped to work on more serious films like “Taxi Driver” and “Apocalypse Now” but found success in comedy.

“The Judge” proved to be a chance to get back to the type of filmmaking Dobkin loves, but it was also an opportunity to use his personal experiences in a fictional movie.

“You always try to put a little bit of yourself into a movie,” said Dobkin.

After experiencing the death of his mother, Dobkin immediately sketched the story of a family, which eventually became the foundation for “The Judge.”

The family tension between father and son is a prominent theme in Dob-

kin’s latest film, but so is love and loss.

With such undying themes, Dobkin thinks the film reads more like a “great American novel.”

To reflect this aspect of the film, Dobkin had the opportunity to film “The Judge” with actual film, instead of digital. “We were making a version of a movie that harkened back to older movies, and they had a more classic feel,” said Dobkin. “Luckily for me, I had a cinematographer who has won two Academy Awards, and when we said he was shooting film, no one put up a fight.”

Cinematographer Janusz Kamiński, who has worked on films like “War of the Worlds,” “War Horse” and “Lincoln,” is known for his artistic use of light. Dobkin shared his praise of Kamiński.

“It felt like every day you were going to the set with Caravaggio,” said Dobkin.

However, though “The Judge” brings in artistic form elements along with a slightly depressing plot, Dobkin still brings entertainment to the film with light humor and quirky characters. “I don’t believe in people coming into the movies for two hours and not having a good time,” he said.

While the film performed well at various showings, according to Dobkin, it isn’t a complete success. As of press time, “The Judge” leveled off at a 44 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, based off of 39 reviews.

But, don’t judge too quickly; this film brings in famous actors to make a movie that isn’t created much in modern Hollywood. Check it out for yourself: “The Judge” is currently showing at local theater Severance Regal Cinemas.

Playlist of the Week Teddy Eisenberg Staff Reporter

“We Come from the Same Place” — Allo Darlin’ With fall just beginning to rear its head, the earnest and organic sounds of Allo Darlin’ are a deeply comforting soundtrack to the change of seasons.

“We Come from the Same Place” is a simple and perfectly baked slice of indie pop pie, serving as the title track of this London-based quartet’s third album, out on Fortuna Pop and Slumberland Records October 7.

“Electric” — Bass Drum Of Death

“Electric” is the first track off of Bass Drum Of Death’s “Rip This,” an unrelenting rollercoaster ride of fuzzed-out, delirious garage rock. Heavier in tone and sporting a thicker guitar sound than the duo’s previous recordings, this tune grabs the listener by the ears with a lethargic swagger and yes, lots of bass drum. Look for “Rip This” starting on October 7, released on Innovative Leisure records, but be careful once you find it.

“From Eden” — Hozier Hozier is proof that a soulful voice and the brooding mystic of James Dean can get you pretty far in life. “From Eden” puts both of these qualities to good use, conjuring an atmosphere of detached cool, smoky guitars and shuffling percussion that impresses. Available globally on October 7, Hozier’s eponymous debut casts a spell that is satisfying, but as with all great performers, leaves the listening still wanting more. Here’s to hoping that there is more coming, and soon, from the commanding pipes of one of music’s best new talents.

“Easy Money” — Johnny Marr Johnny Marr took an interesting path to a solo after the breakup of The Smiths in the late ‘80s.

Serving for first as a studio musician for artists like The Talking Heads and Modest Mouse, and then starting the alternative dance duo Electronic in the 1990s, Marr didn’t release his first solo recording until 2013’s “The Messenger.” Now, just one year later, “Easy Money” is first single off of the guitarist’s newest record, “Playland,” melding the dance beats of Electronic with glistening lines of guitar. Marr wants nothing more than to play guitar in a bona fide rock and roll band, and it shows on “Playland.”

“Retro [ROUGH]” — Childish Gambino “I need a new urban soul!” cries Andrew Kuhar, voice desperate for recognition in the murky fog of this track’s production. Released on Cleveland’s own Cellar Door Records, “Urban Soul” is The Commonwealth’s latest album; a record hell-bent on proving that Cleveland still rocks. The trio will be performing live at the Beachland Ballroom and Tavern’s free concert “On The Road Again,” a celebrating of the completed road construction in the Waterloo Arts District. Doors open at 7 PM, and The Commonwealth are on at midnight.

“Pieces”— Dinosaur Jr.

Dinosaur Jr. is one of the most distinctive and influential alternative bands of the ‘80s and ‘90s, operating on the dual formula of monumental levels of pure rock and roll noise and the piecing whine of frontman J Mascis’ lead guitar. “Pieces” is a tune that displays this recipe at it’s best, complete with a mind melting solo beginning at the 2:01 mark. J Mascis is currently in the midst of a tour supporting his new solo album, “Tied to a Star,” and will be stopping at the Grog Shop on October 14. Tickets are $15 and the show starts at 8:30 pm.

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 wonderingsound.com, ktsw899.wordpress.com, junodownload.com, consequenceofsound.net & secondhandsongs.com

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New trends to warm up to before the polar vortex hits Allison Duchin Staff Reporter Have no fear that the polar vortex is almost here, because so are the newest trends for this coming late fall-winter fashions.

To help with the approaching frosty weather, many trends are embracing layering techniques, especially with different kinds of material. Pairing an oversized cardigan with a light lace camisole underneath uses this technique and keeps you warm. Key accents to look for on oversized cardigans are metalware, like zipper pockets or emphasized buttons.

If this doesn’t keep you warm enough (which is probable, given Cleveland’s harsh winters), get a shorter cut sweater and pair that over a longer cut chiffon or more sheer blouse. The heavy and light weight combinations give the outfit an interesting look while maintaining its ultimate purpose: your warmth.

Another material that works great for layering and matches easily with leather trims and accents are flannel shirts. This popular, softer version of a button-down blouse looks great when paired with a clean, simple shirt underneath, leathertreated leggings (don’t worry, they don’t have to be real to get the look of leather) and topped with a soft circle scarf, hat or snood. This comfy-casual but chic look can be made over numerous different ways with different prints, but will al-

Timothy Kuo/Observer ways look polished.

An area many people forget they can layer is their legs. The emphasis on high patterned socks that can stick out above knee high or over the knee boots continues from last year. This look of layering your legs with jeans or leggings with socks, or socks over tights when wearing a skirt can allow for the maximum

amount of versatility of transitional season clothing, which is composed of skirts and dresses.

Due to the versatility of the layered look, it was the most popular of the new trends this year when surveyed.

If the layered look isn’t for you, don’t fret—there are still plenty of trending styles that lean away from multiple layer

looks. One of these trends is the oversized sweater tunic or dress with a large cowl neckline. The statement neckline is a nice standout detail that can easily be paired with tights and high boots or just a pair of jeans or leggings. This look optimizes both comfort and style that is acceptable for numerous occasions.

A different trend that is being noticed this season is a shift from typically dark shades to lighter pastel colors, which are usually symbolic of spring trends.

Although charcoal grey, olive, red and camel brown are colors that are typically present in winter seasons, this season softer shades have grown in popularity.

Some of these shades include blush, pale blues and cream tones instead of white.

In order to incorporate these colors to be more wintery, I suggest looking for tweed styled garments in these colors, or simply pairing these colors with darker bolder accessories. These accessories can be inclusive to chain jewelry or jewelry with sharp, clean edges for details, or once again nearly any kind of leather detail. H&M marries these contrasting elements of dark and light together in much of their new collection, one piece being a blush blazer with leather lapel treatments.

So while it may still feel like summer with the frequent temperatures in the 70’s and 80’s, don’t be fooled; cold weather is around the corner—but hopefully not in the negatives just yet.

CWRU faculty, staff and students recieve a special $100 rate at globalforumbawb.com - Register Now!

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2014

OCTOBER 15-17

PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS, OCTOBER 14

Leading global thinkers are gathering at CWRU to shape the future of business. Join them.

2.5 6 30+ CONTENT-FILLED DAYS

CONTINENTS OF BUSINESS LEADERS

WORKSHOPS & MINI-DESIGN SUMMITS

The Unconference Come experience the future of business—where breakthrough innovations are shaping a world in which companies prosper, people thrive and nature flourishes. Be inspired and reinvigorated in a oneof-a-kind “Unconference” designed for senior management. Build actionable plans, gain practical insights and form relationships that will provide the foundation for your business to flourish and prosper.

Flourish & Prosper brings together a distinguished and accomplished group of speakers and presenters representing a diverse and fascinating mix of industries, areas of expertise and experience.

FEATURED SPEAKERS INCLUDE: JANE NELSON,

Director, Corporate Social Responsibility, Harvard University

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Former President of Finland, Nobel Peace Prize Winner

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NAVEEN JAIN,

Entrepreneur and Philanthropist

JODI BERG,

President and CEO, Vitamix

AND MANY MORE VISIT GLOBALFORUMBAWB.COM/SPEAKERS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR PRESENTERS

Register today at globalforumbawb.com. For more information email info@globalforumbawb.com.

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CWRU THOUGHTS 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 would you say is a flaw that has helped you throughout life?

A: I’m not one of the most social people, but it gives me something to strive to achieve and something to work for.

I did public speaking, debate in high

Stephanie Kim/ Observer

school and things like that that forced me to be put out of my comfort zone.

When I’m put out of my comfort zone, I actually feel more comfortable.

IMPROVment brings “fetch” back in latest show Enio Chinca Staff Reporter Case Western Reserve University’s Improv troupe, Improvment, hosted and performed the show “Fetch Improv” on Saturday in the Eldred Black Box. The show featured five performers: Katy Hennen, Josh McElroy, Joe Fennimore, Stephen Kolison and Brad Odhner. The show ran from Oct. 10-11.

One of the first and most popular improv games was called translator. It features two of the performers acting in a scene, while two others added their own speech. This created an amusing mix of conflicting personalities and intentions.

This game went all over the place, from nail painting to eerie cult rituals. This game showed the group’s knowledge and understanding of each other’s styles.

“You’re a man now” said one actor, suggesting a new character for the other performers to keep the scene flowing.

Following up was the common Improv game where a scene is performed in 60 seconds. Then, another group of people perform it in half the time, and this goes on until the scene is done in one second. Calling on audience ideas, the group created a humorous scene in a Care Bear execution facility.

“Paint me, Jack” cried Stephen, pushing the scene and characters in a new direction.

The group’s talent shined in the next game. It involved Joe narrating a story while the other four acted the story he told.

The audience was again called upon, and

this time decided on a story about a shark tamer on a quest for honey. The group used a good mix of compelling storytelling to deliver easily the funniest sketch of the night. One problem I noticed, however, was that certain performers began calling upon the same character for each sketch, taking away from the humor of the scene.

Even at the end of the show, the group infused youthful energy into their scenes. The group also showed off their impressive skills when they were able to perform multiple bits of their scene both forwards and backwards.

However, the group’s flaws showed a bit in some of the later scenes. Occasionally, they made their scenes overly unrealistic, which dulled some of the magic that made their more believable scenes shine.

The end of the show featured audience participation. The participants controlled the bodies of performers, ending the night with some goofy and lighthearted movement which had the whole crowd laughing.

After the show, students seemed to enjoy the overall show. “The improvisateurs proved to be extremely humorous, and the scenes were deliciously entertaining like pizza from Mama Santa’s,” said Theone Alex, a former theater major. “The actors’ creativity was on the same page, painting each scene with different hues. However, repetition in character and theme sometimes plagued the performance.”

Overall, the show was good fun, and the actors were in sync with each other.

The scene is set for the group to keep improving the entire year.

Graduate with a DEGREE, not college debt Serve part-time in the Guard, and you’ll be eligible for several financial benefits to help pay for school.

The Ohio National Guard scholarship program pays up to 100% tuition at State-supported colleges and the average cost of State colleges at private institutions.

Full-time school. Part-time service. And a future without loads of debt.

Q: What do you feel has been your greatest achievement?

A: I spent 100+ hours helping sick children in a hospital. It inspired me to help more people. I had a lot of fun helping the little kids, and I’d like to do more of that in the future. There

was one kid that was really sick—I worked with him for 3 weeks—and he went from not being able to get up to running around in circles. I was really happy to see that.

Contact Michael Healey at (216) 704-9326 or michael.r.healey.mil@mail.mil Programs and Benefits Subject to Change

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Small theater, big show Great Lakes Theater puts on “Les Miserables”

Despite its small cast, the Great Lakes Theater Company was able to put on a realistic version of “Les Miserables.”

Ellie Rambo Staff Reporter A man embraces religion after years in prison, a young couple falls in love in

the midst of violence and revolution simmers just below the surface in “Les Miserables” at Great Lakes Theater. Love triangles and barricades arise on the Hanna Theater stage this fall, and this

is a production that Clevelanders won’t want to miss.

“Les Miserables” is an ambitious musical for a company of this size. Since there are fewer than 25 actors in the cast, many of them play double roles. Still, they manage—during the large group scenes the Hanna Theater’s stage is filled.

The casting and slightly condensed story make this a fast-paced production, and characters sweep on and off the stage as scenes fly by. This streamlines the complicated narrative, but also reduces the time spent on some important scenes.

The audience doesn’t get the necessary time to process the misfortunes that befall factory-worker-turned-prostitute Fantine, so although Jodi Dominick portrays her misery well, her struggles don’t hit as hard as they could. This version also leaves out little Eponine, the daughter of a corrupt innkeeper and his wife.

Although this choice is practical and will not confuse audience members familiar with the story, it might add another barrier to understanding for the unfamiliar when she enters the story as an adult.

Overall, these changes add to the quality of the production. The complex story is carried by a wonderful cast, with Stephan Mitchell Brown acting as a linchpin in his role as Jean Valjean, the reformed convict. Brown brings out both the good and bad within Valjean, and in

Courtesy Roger Mastroianni

this production the saintly Valjean is a little more human as a result. Brown also has the strong voice necessary to make his songs not only impressive, but emotionally resonant.

The lighting in this production gives the relatively small stage the epic quality it needs for this show. The use of lighting is especially impressive for “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables,” when the dead file onto the backlit stage with hollow eyes and glowing candles. The lighting and scenic designers show their strengths through minimalism as well as on the barricade.

As always, it’s great to watch returning actors in these productions. Tom Ford, who plays the innkeeper Thenardier, seems to reference his role last year in “Sweeney Todd” with a flick of his knife and a knowing look at the audience. Almost the entire cast doubles as the cast for “The Merry Wives of Windsor” on alternating weekends, so if you’d like to watch Jean Valjean make popcorn and Cosette hula dance, make sure to pick up tickets for that production as well.

Whether you’ve seen the movie adaption or not, know the entire score or can’t tell a Javert from a Gavroche, this production has something for any audience member. In its take on this blockbuster musical, Great Lakes Theater has proven both its daring and its ability.

from Showcase | Front page as ensembles. Also, popular campus organizations like Solstice, Case in Point, Speakeasy, Case Men’s Glee Club and Case Footlighters will be there to provide further entertainment. It is sure to be a night of varied performances.

Additionally, don’t shy away from this event if you’re not very familiar with or knowledgeable about the arts.

Smith thinks the event is enjoyable for any type of student.

“You do not have to know a lot about music or the arts to be able to appreciate what happens at Arts After Dark. The

energy and enthusiasm of the performers speaks for itself and will leave you amazed, inspired, and even crying from laughter,” said Smith.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to miss this. And if I haven’t convinced you enough yet, I have two words for you: free Chipotle.

Location: Harkness Chapel Price: Free Time: Oct. 18, 9 p.m. - Oct. 19, 2 a.m.

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New season of

“Legend of Korra” gets off to mysterious start

Social Media from your perspective

Film shows problems of virtual world Winston Eng Staff Reporter

Brian Sherman Staff Reporter “Legend of Korra,” the sequel series to the original “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” is back. After “Legend of Korra: Book Three” ended a couple of months ago, “Legend of Korra: Book Four, confirmed by the show’s creators to be the last season, premiered last Friday on Nickelodeon’s website.

I’ll warn you now; this review contains spoilers. But with only the first episode under its belt, the new season isn’t giving away too much right now.

Taking place three years after the events of Book Three, this episode marks the first time in either “The Last Airbender” or “Legend of Korra” that there’s been a timeskip. The season premiere episode, “After All These Years,” jumps right into action after the threeyear skip, showing what all the main characters are up to, as well as their various changes in appearance, but only mentioning a few events that occurred during the timeskip. Because of the time needed for each character’s background, this episode is highly expositional, with only one action sequence to show off the skills of the potential villain of the season.

A majority of the episode is devoted to Kuvira, voiced by Zelda Williams, who had a minor role as the captain of the guard in the metallic city of Zaofu in the last season. Despite having only a few lines, she still had an awkward moment in the last episodes where the camera stayed on her for just a bit too long, which seemed odd at the time, but retrospectively, it served to highlight her character for this season. Now she’s back, in a much larger role, and appears older and drastically different than her appearance in the last season.

This time around, Kuvira is known as the “Great Uniter” and now has the command of her own personal army. Her army’s allegiance isn’t known yet (it’s mentioned that they aren’t affiliated with Zaofu), though its goal appears to be reuniting the Earth Kingdom, state by state, to rebuild in the wake of the turmoil caused by the Earth Queen’s assassination in Book Three. The villain’s motives this time around seem to be unclear.

While Kuvira is doing something inherently noble, not everyone seems to trust her. When she attempts to diplomatically annex another state in this episode, she’s met with opposition from the state’s governor, who claims she’s only after the valuable minerals in his land. In addition, Opal, one of the members of the newly refounded Air Nation, doesn’t trust Kuvira and disapproves of Bolin, her Earthbending boyfriend, joining Kuvira’s ranks, despite Bolin protesting that he’s doing it to help people.

Courtesy Reddit

While the airbenders are doing what they can to protect the Earth Kingdom people from bandits, even their new flying suits can’t help the fact that they are spread thin. Opal and Kai both arrive to help some Earth Kingdom citizens, but some wellequipped bandits stop them from bringing in food to the starving people. This forces the governor, his people starving, penniless and their lives threatened by bandits, to give in and swear his loyalty to Kuvira.

When he does, she is only shown helping his people by giving them supplies, yet the governor still eyes her with distrust even as he says the words “I pledge my loyalty to you, Great Uniter.”

Despite her questionably altruistic support of the Earth Kingdom stated under her protection, Kuvira is shown to be cold, ruthless and quite skilled as well. When a gang of bandits stops her army’s train, she takes them down one by one, bending metal projectiles to incapacitate and bind the bandits and magnetizes them to the tracks. She then offers them a choice: join her or be run over by her train.

There are definitely big questions hanging over this season already in regard to Kuvira. Why has her personality changed and what are her goals? Whom does she support? Why is she leading the fight against the bandits and not considered a threat?

Of course, there’s an even bigger question that has been speculated since the end of Book Three: what happened to Korra? After being broken down so badly at the end of last season, fans were dying to know if and how she would recover and where was she going next, with her duties as the Avatar being somewhat taken over by the new airbenders.

Rather than getting any explanation in the episode, we learn that she has been missing for some time and tricking people into thinking she was either in Republic City or the Southern Water Tribe. It’s revealed at the very end of the episode that Korra has been in hiding, participating in underground earthbending fights under a different identity, shrugging off claims that she looks like the Avatar.

There are a lot of answers to be had, but other than seeing Korra at the end of the episode, there just wasn’t a lot going on after all these years in “After All These Years”.

Viewers caught up with some old characters and learned what state the world is in, so hopefully the next episode will deliver some memorable moments for the final season of Legend of Korra. Even with a slow start, this could be the season that brings the biggest change to the world of Avatar.

Few actions define our character as well as our ability to connect with others. In this day and age, when the internet has integrated into our lives, often we find ourselves seeking solace in the murky depths of social media rather than the expected face-to-face interaction. “Noah,” which debuted at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival, brings to light the issues underlying digital culture through its bittersweet tale shot directly on a computer screen.

Starring a young couple, Amy and Noah, this 17-minute short focuses initially on their relationship and how a potential misunderstanding in the virtual world can speak volumes in real life.

There is no doubt that “Noah” hits close to home, often in a way that makes it somewhat uncomfortable to watch; it’s an honest commentary that often reminds us of how members of our generation, the Millennials, interact.

Individually we consider it normal, yet when processed outside of our minds, it

invokes an obvious cringiness and somewhat creepy nature. The all-too-familiar keyboard and mouse click sounds are present, and the resulting actions on screen invoke a poignant and all-too-real slice of life, sparsely served with facepalming chuckles from time to time.

“Noah” isn’t a commentary chiding those with a presence on social media nor is it an advocate for a lifestyle free from needing to maintain a balance between the real and virtual worlds. Instead, it fiddles with the idea that social media can be both beneficial and detrimental. Like the teenager it portrays, the short is indecisive and unsure about the lessons it wants to get across.

Perhaps Noah is an attempt to address the issue of feeling isolated in a world supposedly more connected than ever before. Maybe it is a notable acknowledgement of how we approach our presence both off line and online as well as the seamless link between the two.

Regardless, watching Noah may give you that incentive to stop multitasking, sign off Facebook and re-evaluate what it means to be socially connected.

opinion Editorial

Scholarship issue merits our attention When you ask many current students why they chose to attend Case Western Reserve University, one of the most common responses is a sheepish look and an admission that “they gave me the most money.” Some of that money comes from school or federal financial aid, but CWRU also provides substantial merit scholarships.

Up until now, those scholarships always came with a stipulation: You can only keep the scholarship as long as you keep proving your merit.

As reported in this week’s News section, the Faculty Senate Committee on Undergraduate Education (FSCUE) is considering changing the requirements for keeping a merit scholarship. Currently, students must maintain a GPA of at least 2.0 with at least 12 credit hours per semester to maintain their scholarships, and they are allowed only one single-semester leave of absence (though they can petition to keep their scholarships despite not meeting these criteria). In the change currently being considered, the university would drop the grade requirement and allow students to take a one-year leave from the university while still maintaining their University, Bolton and Michelson-Morley scholarships. Other university scholarships have their own terms set by individual whose endowment created them.

Previous to this possible change, the committee made drastic alterations to the policy for those matriculating in CWRU in and after Aug. 2011. The amendment lowed the required GPA from a 3.0 to 2.0 and added a clause that students may regain their scholarships automatically after a semester if they return to good academic standing.

As a whole, The Observer staff overwhelmingly agrees that this was an excellent change. Rather than punishing students who choose to use their university-recognized merit to pursue academically challenging programs, as a minimum 3.0 GPA (B-average) requirement arguably did, the current policy provides a more reasonable baseline.

The addition that students may regain their scholarships after a semester is likewise beneficial. Students’ circumstances (family, health, personal or otherwise) can change frequently and dramatically over the course of their college educations, so whatever was holding their grades back last semester may be a thing of the future. The Observer applauds CWRU for making a change that supports the needs of the students.

Consensus on the changes currently under discussion has been a more difficult for The Observer staff to reach.

On one hand, students who have put in enough hard work through high school to

be awarded one of these scholarships should, in theory, not need a threat of imminent bankruptcy hanging over them to keep working hard. Also, these GPA requirements end up applying primarily to freshmen and sophomores who have simply not yet managed to catch up to the college workload or students of any grade who are suffering from health issues and are thus not able to keep their grades up.

However, after much debate, and consideration that a 2.0 GPA is only a C-average, The Observer’s editorial board does not feel that a change to the current policy’s GPA requirement is needed. We are pleased with the changes that were made in the 2011 revision and would welcome the opportunity for students to take a year off without forfeiting their scholarship. However, we feel that maintaining a 2.0 (C-average) is not something that most students would consider to be particularly challenging. If this requirement is taken away entirely, merit scholarships through all four (or, with allowances for a leave of absence, more) years could be left dependent on how generously a student’s high school curved grades or how little competition an individual had when running for club presidencies their junior year. There would be little “merit” in these merit scholarships.

Another thing to consider when determining the fairness of the 2.0 GPA requirement is that students whose scholarships are revoked under this policy have the ability to appeal that decision. Thus, if they had been demonstrably putting forth their best effort despite any obstacles but not been able to reach a 2.0 GPA, their scholarship would have the chance to be re-granted. Given this, a minimum 2.0 requirement seems overwhelmingly reasonable considering a minimum semester GPA of 2.0 is also needed for a student to stay off of academic probation.

If a large number of students are frequently dropping below a 2.0 GPA and the university feels it is necessary to review this policy, then perhaps the real problems go deeper.

Maintaining a 2.0 should be completely manageable for the vast majority of students, especially those on merit scholarships. If it is not, then blurring the numbers for keeping merit scholarships is more of a Band-Aid than a solution. Are classes too difficult? Are core requirements unreasonable? Are the five hours of free tutoring stratifying struggling students’ grades by economic class? These are the questions that the university should be considering rather than gathering into subcommittees to dither over GPA requirements, however well-intentioned the committees’ proposed changes may be.

Unpaid humanities internships are unfair Guest columnist Laura Hurst Many college students accept unpaid internships as inevitable and necessary steps to advancing in the workforce hierarchy.

Despite the fact that students are willing to work for free, obtaining one can be difficult. Getting into a competitive internship is one thing, but affording the internship is unfortunately another, especially when not every student has parents or a school willing to generously dish out a few grand to cover rent, food and transportation expenses for a summer.

However, this predicament falls much heavier on all the political science, English, sociology and cognitive science majors looking for work in research, non-profit or policy work. As a double humanities major, I can attest to the struggle. Three out of my four college internships have been unpaid.

I have yet to hear of a banking, consulting or engineering internship that does not pay.

The unpaid internship has received

scrutiny and criticism—and rightly so. It is understandable that an independent literary magazine cannot afford to shave already precious dollars from a measly budget to pay a temporary summer intern. However, it is rather impossible to believe that prominent organizations like the United Nations, VICE or Environment America cannot scrape together a minimum-wage stipend for summer work.

The prestigious name on a student’s resume is compensation enough, right? Not quite. There lies an underlying message behind the lack of paid internships for causes of justice, equality or societal betterment.

Humanitarian and social justice organizations are sending a contradictory message: Work in social welfare, environmental stewardship or the arts is not valuable.

But the fault lies not with the organizations trying to improve these issues, but with our society at large. Our culture values virtually everything in monetary capital and deems social, artistic or environmental causes as more philanthropic than necessary.

Non-profit organizations often rely on donations to stay afloat—in money or in the donated time of 20-somethings in pursuit of a bachelor’s degree. It remains an unfortunate reality. Also limiting is the trend that these internship or entry-level positions of social justice or the arts are increasingly filled by students who can have their parents fund them. Many positions are located in hub cities where the cost of living is high. Even splitting a work week between being a waiter or waitress and an editorial intern in San Francisco would be nearly impossible unless you were living at the local YMCA and eating canned beans each night.

What message does that send? Only the rich can save the world? Only the rich are smart enough to solve such issues as poverty, climate change and economic inequality? The irony is that the rich are often the ones contributing to such issues.

Unpaid internships are essentially volunteering, although hirers would never refer to them as so on any job description or webpage. And a working position is not the

same as volunteering. It is wrong to see the humanities, journalism or the arts as “hobbies” or as second tier to finance or engineering or medicine. The social sciences and humanities define society and the human experience. They are integral and intertwined with all other fields. Engineers, computer programmers, financiers and all their paid interns help create the practical infrastructure to support society. Social workers, writers and teachers shape the human beings that are society.

Not compensating interns doing field research, writing or reporting is dismissive of those fields. It reflects our cultural neglect to celebrate and compensate the worth of things like social, human and artistic capital. People like journalists, musicians and ecologists all understand the world in creative, empathetic ways that are indispensable in order for us to be in tune and engaged with the world around us.

Laura Hurst is a senior student grateful that she gets paid more to write articles for The Observer than for a semester as an intern.

Embrace the well-written female character Guest columnist Winston Eng There is absolutely no reason why we should be rooting for strong female characters in our cinema today.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m not saying that those who identify as female should not be written and acted out to be creatively complex, mixing bags of resilience, courage and vulnerability. However, given how far we’ve progressed from the image of the female being glass-ankled and overtly sexualized, it’s ridiculous how Hollywood has attempted to appease our demands for more equal gender representation on screen by providing us with what they believe to be strong female characters, but in reality are way too much

brawn and beauty over brains.

We do not need female equivalents of Jean-Claude Van Damme, Arnold Schwarzenegger or other Hulk-strength hunks. Instead, we should be rooting for the female characters that shape the story by balancing their wits, kick-assery and charm, individuals whose decisions can make a difference and whose surrounding cast actually care about what they say and do. It will be her tested will and response to all emotional and physical obstacles regardless of significance that will give us a reason to grip the armrests of our seats and silently root for her to carry on.

Granted, she won’t be a superhero by any means; at times, she will be weak, she will struggle to stay afloat in an environment that is unfamiliar, and she will let forth the waterworks and ask for assistance when necessary.

So what? There are numerous male characters in cinema who already have their personalities and actions written to express these imperfect psyches and exposed vulnerabilities, and often, they receive reserved judgement in a way that very few females have been able to call equal. If she is flawed, show us why she is flawed, and tell us why such development relates back to the plot at hand. A protagonist regardless of gender should always be way more than the presented strengths and weaknesses, so stop continuing to constrain the female identity to that which limits their possibilities and give them the well-written complexities they deserve.

I root for “The Hunger Games’” Katniss Everdeen because she has to deal with the struggle of maintaining a facade of incorruptible resolve in order to carry out a burden she

never wanted. I praise “Frozen’s” Elsa because her story teaches us that true love can come from sibling love too and that my life does not need to be fulfilled by a radiant, ballsy female coming to rescue me from my castle.

We need more stories in which gender can add more to a role rather than define it. We need well-written, plot-driving characters to show that despite inherent differences, males and females can both contribute just as equally complex and awe-inspiring performances in their individual ways. Females do not always need to come out on top, but I would like to see them try. Forget the strong female character and embrace the well-written one.

Winston Eng is a junior biomedical engineering student who writes weekly film reviews for The Observer’s Arts & Entertainment section.

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Diversity (or something like it) part II The meaning of Spartan life Jacob Martin Last week, “a black kid who grew up in the suburbs of Wisconsin” talked about the issue of racism on campus. That selfproclaimed “black kid” was sophomore Stephen Kolison, a fellow columnist and personal friend of mine.

I hate race. I hate race as a concept, and I hate even more how humanity has bastardized it to perpetuate disparity between people. But I cannot deny its existence; to do so would be naïve. So let’s air out the room a bit.

I’m a white kid from the suburbs of Ohio with a Middle Eastern heritage. I’m not “colorblind”; I see race. To not see skin color would be a gross injustice to the other party. Let me clarify. In order to not strip an individual of his heritage and distinct identity, one must consider skin color and ethnicity.

How one experiences the world is predicated upon physical appearance, so it would also be ignorant to neglect the power of race. However, I do believe that race has nothing to do with individuality outside the system of perpetuated ignorance we call society.

Because a person was born with dark skin, something wholly out of his control, why should he be deemed inferior? Is he different? Depending on your perspective,

perhaps he is. But is he inferior or subhuman? Absolutely not.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines race as “the fact or condition of belonging to a particular people or ethnical stock; the qualities, etc. resulting from this.” It defines black as “having an extremely dark skin; strictly applied to Negroes and other darkskinned races.”

Now that we’ve established some definitions, let’s do a little logic. If a person is considered black, then it is established that he is of a dark-skinned race. If he is of a darkskinned race, then he belongs to a particular ethnic people with certain qualities.

The underlying assumption here is that a member of said “black race” is a human being.

Now I ask, what makes a black human being different from a non-black human being?

I’d love to know what the inherent difference between a homo sapiens with black skin and a homo sapiens with white skin is.

Someone, anyone, please tell me. If you do you’ll shatter everything I believe about human beings and likely end up winning a Nobel Prize for defying the laws of genetics and revolutionizing scientific nomenclature.

Actually, science offers a wonderful explanation for blackness. The principle of natural selection in evolutionary biology would suggest that darkened skin pigmentation is an adaptation to control

ultraviolet radiation from the sun. But wait, there’s more. There exists a direct correlation between geographic exposure to these harmful rays and skin pigmentation.

For example, African-American is a term that has been used to describe black Americans because many can trace ancestry lines to Africa. Most interestingly, the continent is home to the world’s largest hot desert and numerous jungle climates, and the equator runs right through it. I’ll leave it to the reader to draw conclusions from here.

The qualities which result from a racial condition are simply that: qualities. In practice, race has only as much power as we give it. The unfortunate reality is that the philosophical concept of the “other” is a strong factor in human behavior because man struggles in the face of difference. Difference and otherness cause disorder and discontent. In our attempt to reorder our worlds, we learn judgment.

But we are presumably not the masses here at Case Western Reserve University.

We are, presumably, in pursuit of something higher—an education—only we don’t check human nature at the classroom door, and judgment seeps in. Judgment is where we screw it all up. Judgment is the flaw that leads to prejudice and racism, and, regretfully, racism is alive and active on campus.

I too am human and therefore subject to the imperfection of judgment. However, I

judge a person based on what’s between the ears and behind the eyes, not how big the ears or what color the eyes. In this respect, I don’t see skin color because the experiences and qualities that stem from race flower as personality and character.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. died trying to instill this sentiment in America. I can still hear his unwavering voice from recordings: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

With widespread race issues as recent as the unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, still plaguing us, Dr. King’s words should mean so much more on a college campus where freedom and safety to speak and act out ought to be givens.

We should stand for change, not in front of it.

I never thought I’d have to write about race here in my column. Over the past few weeks, that day has come and our community is marred. It is a sad day at Case Western Reserve University, and we are all to blame.

Senior Jacob Martin is one of The Observer’s weekly opinion columnists. “Some Negroes lie, some are immoral, some Negro men are not be trusted around women—black and white. But this is a truth that applies to the human race and to no particular race of men.” —Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

None dare call it indoctrination The elephant in the room Andrew Breland In 2008, the University of Delaware installed a “mandatory education plan” that taught students the “right” way to think about issues of race, sexuality, sustainability, gender and collectivism. The university asked students to explain when they experienced their sexual awakening. They told students how to think on issues of gender and race.

They attacked the “privileged” on the grounds that they were born into privilege. They were not, in any way, entitled to anything.

The school mandated that all freshman students undergo this sort of re-education campaign. They argued that responsible citizenship mandates that the educated populace has the “right” views on issues central to public debate.

Who, though, is supposed to decide what the “right” views are? It is uncontested that the right view at Hillsdale College is different than the right view at Oberlin College. This is the reason that colleges are not entrusted, or even allowed, to mandate this sort of groupthink or re-education policy. Students, like all Americans, are entitled to freedom of conscience.

This freedom derives itself from the First Amendment. There, the Constitution asserts that all Americans have the right to freedom of speech. While it explicitly only precludes government from limiting one’s speech, this freedom has become so ingrained in culture that freedom of speech implicitly applies to all organizations across the United States.

But the ability to openly disagree requires the right to believe different things. This is

the freedom of conscience. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) lists this as one of the most fundamental rights for students. In their “Guide to First Year Orientation and Thought Reform,” the organization asserts that “Students entering colleges and universities deserve a rich intellectual environment where they find themselves into freewheeling debates, with many, many different voices, on a wide range of important topics.” This assertion is central to the mission of university operations.

Unfortunately, it seems that Case Western Reserve University has again lost its way on these issues.

Last week, The Observer published three separate articles on race and race problems on the CWRU campus. The commentary moved past the beneficial suggestions that often comes from the pro-diversity crowd.

In one of these articles, Shannon Lundeen, director of the Flora Stone Mather Center for Women, said, “I think that we need to be working towards having policies that are in place that mandate cultural sensitivity training, diversity and inclusion training, unconscious bias training for the whole campus community.”

This was the single most terrifying comment made this year on the campus.

What Ms. Lundeen suggests is our own version of the Delaware thought reform classes that were the subject of nationwide uproar in 2008, and FIRE’s comments on that case remain applicable to CWRU’s current situation.

Adam Kissel, former Director of the FIRE’s Individual Rights Defense Program wrote in a letter to the University of Delaware, “It is unworthy of a great university or any

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) 302-4442 or e-mail observerads@case.edu.

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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.

liberal arts education to begin with certainty about a wide variety of topics and then to embark on a program designed to pressure students to adopt them. Such re-education programs not only violate the Constitution and the canons of academic freedom, but they also are fundamentally at odds with the principles of a free society. Those who are so confident in their own ideology should let their ideas be tested and debated in the unique ‘marketplace of ideas’ that a university offers, not empowered to declare truth with the imprimatur of the faculty.”

The sentiment of this comment is eerily applicable to our own situation. With calls for mandatory re-education programs—a more extreme person might call it brainwashing or indoctrination—universities have a responsibility not to give in to the “politicallycorrect” thought reformers, but instead they must double down on their commitments to academic freedom and free expression.

Of course there are unpopular beliefs.

Over the last few weeks, race relations has been a topic of near constant discussion on the campus. The African American Society organized a large forum on race last week that resulted in many new comments about race and toleration. However, even before these events and the forum, someone shouting racial slurs on the quad would have been ostracized.

The appropriate reaction to views you disagree with is shouting back, louder. Former President of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Nadine Strossen stresses that this “counter speech” is the only method of responding to speech one disagrees with.

Perhaps an example of this counter speech is necessary so that everyone understands.

Following the race relations forum, The Observer quoted African American Society President Destinee Henton as saying, “As CWRU Afro Am exec, we are committed to non-complacency this year.”

That is a value statement. Whether or not someone supports the task of social activism and education, you cannot blame Henton for her views. However, in response to her, I allege that her statement, while evoking a powerful image of populist uprisings like the Occupy Wall Street Movement or the recent pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, also brings to mind images of 1960s violence. It evokes quotes like, “They call me ‘a teacher, a fomenter of violence.’ I would say point blank, ‘That is a lie. I’m not for wanton violence, I’m for justice” (a line from the “Autobiography of Malcolm X”).

Henton’s statement compares the status of race on our campus to the injustice perpetrated on African Americans in the 1960s. This sort of thing is a disservice to the crusaders who did so much 50 years ago. While the current system isn’t perfect, we cannot compare two societies that have so little in common. I have more commentary on the issue, but hopefully you get the point.

It is not the responsibility of the school to tell people what they should believe or how they should think about issues like race. It is merely their job to provide forums for the expression of those beliefs.

It seems, though, that as CWRU engages further in discussions of race, the ability to be contrarian is quickly escaping.

Senior Andrew Breland is one of The Observer’s weekly opinion columnists. Contact him at awb69@case.edu.

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Letters to the editor Dear Observer Staff, As a member of the Class Officer Collective (COC), I realize there are some people on campus who are still unaware of what exactly our organization does. Many people associate COC with the class-specific programs we hold, or the large campus traditions like Hudson Relays that we coordinate.

While these class events and traditions constitute a vital part of our mission, we feel that we have an opportunity to extend this vision and have a larger impact on the campus as a whole. In the past, we have strived to fulfill two specific parts of our mission statement—“recognize and celebrate our classmates” and “enhance school spirit and pride”—and it is in these areas that we feel we can effect the most change at Case Western Reserve University.

I only bring up the discussions we have held within our organization because I believe they can serve as a jumping off point for a larger, campuswide conversation about how we can improve a sense of community among CWRU students. However, I do not want the main focus of this letter to be on COC, because we are just one of almost 200 other student groups on campus. Although our mission statements may differ, all organizations can play a role in reaching these two goals.

This Saturday Oct. 11, marks the beginning of Homecoming Week on CWRU’s campus, and with it the start of a competition among the classes. At various events throughout the week, we will be calculating attendance by class, and the class that has the highest percentage of participation at the end of the week will be rewarded with a celebration open

to all members of that class. While this is a competition, it is not meant to inspire any feelings of hostility among students.

Instead, it is intended to make our classmates more cognizant of the different opportunities available to them throughout the week and provide added incentive to take advantage of these events. Ultimately, we hope that by inspiring increased attendance we will only make the campus community stronger and show support for the numerous student organizations participating throughout the week.

Yet the events occurring during Homecoming Week are just a small representation of the programs held year-round by our dozens of student groups. COC, and the rest of the organizations represented on this year’s Homecoming committee, have chosen to put so much emphasis on the upcoming week’s events because we firmly believe it can act as a catalyst to inspire an outpouring of CWRU spirit and pride.

It’s common knowledge that we attend an impressive university—CWRU is a highly ranked research institution, one that is lucky enough to be home to some of the most intelligent and creative students from around the world. However, our reasons for pride extend far beyond our academic achievements, which is an idea that can get lost amidst the chaos of organic chemistry tests and physics lab reports.

In addition to their scholarly accomplishments, the vast majority of students on this campus are also involved in leadership organizations, Greek chapters, performance groups, cultural clubs and sports teams. We dedicate hours every week to these groups not just for our own personal gain, but because we are passionate about them and feel that we are providing valu-

able resources and giving back to the CWRU community.

Oftentimes it is easy to perceive the programs put on by these organizations, from ethnic dinners to basketball games, as distractions from our academic priorities. Instead, we should view these events as opportunities to support our friends, our Greek brothers and sisters, our Orientation Leaders and the people we sit next to in class every day. While one interpretation of having school spirit is being proud of the institution as a whole, I believe it is much more important, and more tangible, to view spirit in the context of caring about the people who attend CWRU. Only when we begin to realize and appreciate the impact we all have on this campus can a better sense of school pride be created.

College is not just about the grades we receive—it is also about the lasting connections we make with our peers.

As a member of COC, I know that we want to play a role in facilitating these relationships and ideally developing our CWRU pride in the process. Yet this is not an aspiration that we can achieve on our own—we need the participation of all students in order for this goal to be realized. Homecoming Week is just the beginning of what is hopefully a much larger progression toward building a sense of community on campus, and I am confident that this development will only make our years at CWRU more fun, engaging and memorable.

Rachel Sosnowchik President of the Class of 2016 for the Class Officer Collective

mester. Above is the allocation breakdown for Fall 2014.

To oversee everything, the vice president of Student Affairs or the associThe Student Executive Council (SEC) ate vice president of Student Affairs would like to respond to the Opinion attends every meeting. This setup proarticle “An Unknown Problem of Stagvides a successful system of checks and gering Proportions” from the Oct. 3 isbalances. sue. First off, we would like to thank To address the point of transparenyou. We appreciate all of the discussion cy, the council determined at Meeting points you presented, and we are happy A (the first meeting) to make it a prito see that students care enough about ority this semester. As it can be found their undergraduate organizations to on our meeting agendas, we have made take a hard look at how they are being it an expectation: we not only expect governed and funded. member boards and bodies to be transAs campus leaders, it is important to parent with each other, but we expect us that you have a positive undergraduall boards and bodies to be transparent ate experience and that your student orwith the undergraduate population. It ganizations are representing you to the is also written in our constitution that best of their ability. We also appreciate Meeting E be an open forum to publicly you bringing to light the fact that our discuss campus issues. Hiswebsite is not up to date. torically, these forums have We have taken steps to asOrganization/event Percent of SEC budget been poorly attended, so it is sure that this is no longer a goal of the current council an issue. Like many organiUPB 31.81% to increase visibility by creatzations on campus, we are USG 27.98% ing an open forum style to not transitioning into the use of only inform the student popuOrgSync and are working to UMB 17.42% lation about SEC, but also get clarify the roles of our inCOC 6.77% student feedback. ternet presence. Currently, As mentioned before, you our OrgSync portal is being Greek Life 5.92% can find our meeting times, populated and our website is Senior Week 4.45% agendas, minutes and governactive and up to date. ing documents on our webWe would like to take Springfest 3.70% site. We encourage everyone this opportunity to address TSO 1.95% to go check it out and be on the issues brought up in last the lookout for fliers and inweek’s article. To begin, we formation on our open forum. would first like to explain who we are and what we do. The SEC programs, events, and organizations that The Student Executive Council is strivmission as outlined in the Grant of Pow- benefit the entire undergraduate popula- ing to thoughtfully use its funds and liser states: the Student Executive Council tion. Essentially, the money is being dis- ten to the undergraduate student voice. was established to provide a forum of tributed by the students for the students. If you have any questions, comments To the point of the money, every de- or concerns, please direct them to the communication between member organizations, assist member organizations cision made concerning the allocations current co-chairs, Amanda Herring and in the coordination of activities and pro- must be approved by a majority of the Taylor Gladys, at sec-chair@case.edu. grams and promotion of cooperation, voting members. Each semester, both We encourage you attend our next meetgovern the allocation of the Student Ac- the previous semester’s finances and ing on Thursday Oct. 23 at 9:00 p.m. in tivities Fee (SAF) revenue to the mem- the current semester’s projected budgets the Cleveland Room. ber organizations, and when requested, are presented and reviewed by all of the review conflicts between member orga- boards. The allocation percentages are Thank you, nizations and make recommendations also reviewed and voted upon each se- The Student Executive Council Dear Observer Staff and CWRU Community,

for resolution.

As described in last week’s article, we are comprised of the presidents and treasurers of University Program Board, Undergraduate Student Government, University Media Board, Class Officer Collective, Interfraternity Congress, and Panhellenic Council; the president of Residence Hall Association; a nonvoting secretary; and our two advisors, the vice president of Student Affairs and the associate vice president of Student Affairs. Each board member of the council is elected to their position by their respective representative bodies. Additionally, individuals selected to head the off-the-top bodies (Senior Week, Springfest, Thwing Study Over) sit on the council. These board and body members in turn allocate the funds of the SAF to

To the editor, In response to Jacob Martin’s column from the Sept. 19, 2014 issue, It’s Humans Versus Zombies season again. Jacob Martin lamented that Case Western Reserve University students get worked up about only Greek Life. Well you can add HvZ, too. But this letter is concerned with why CWRU students seem not to care about community issues, not Nerf dart pollution.

I had a heated debate over public transportation versus cars, CWRU’s building campaign and CWRU students’ cultures with a friend this week.

Despite the fact that we had vastly different opinions on these issues, we both based our observations on real world observations, facts and experience gained from being in and around Cleveland. It was truly a conversation that could only happen here, with two people passionately arguing their particular views on niche subjects.

The previous letter argued CWRU students seem to only care about their own niche interests and not about larger issues affecting their whole community.

My friend brought up an interesting point: CWRU kids hardly care enough to drag themselves to eat, why should we expect them to? CWRU is, gratefully, not a party school, and it is true students do spend an awful amount of time studying indoors to begin with.

But once the studying ends, they often take up Call of Duty or marathon television. I’m not much of a gamer anymore, as I can’t sit through more than three episodes of much, but I used to. CWRU taught me not only how to study, but also how to interact with the community around me. It did mean I had to drop the controller and set out on Euclid Avenue, then beyond, but it happened. That’s how I gathered the facts and observations to have that initial debate, and that’s what CWRU should encourage more of.

I was lucky, however, because I had professors who encouraged me to explore beyond academics and the walls of my dorm. In some ways, CWRU already does this, with Greek groups requiring volunteering and other efforts.

But these lack something. Not everyone is Greek, and not everyone goes to those volunteer fairs. The fact is, CWRU is a school that draws its students from pools of shut-ins to begin with. We give them a good academic base, but hardly a social base. Cleveland was founded on ideals of civic engagement and social responsibility. If we can teach students quantum mechanics and the details of English literature, we can do the same for civic engagement.

Cities are unique human experiences where people interact with friends and strangers in the bump and shove of life. Perhaps SAGES classes, already required, should walk students down the streets of Cleveland sometimes and point out potential sources of social and civic engagement. Or, CWRU’s tours could actually leave campus to show people the city they will educate themselves in. That is, spend time treating engagement like academics.

We don’t have to give up our campus feel, but we can integrate ourselves better into the community. It’s already evident CWRU kids won’t do it purely on their own, and a university like CWRU should educate us all in being productive citizens, ready to engage the world around us, but still ready to play with darts.

Zak Kahn Class of 2014

20

sports

10/10/14

The Jolly Scholar jolly.scholar @JollyScholar 216.368.0090

mpv3@case.edu

MTW RF Sat. Sun.

11a - 12a 11a - 2a 12p - 2a 12p - 12a

Keep an eye out for our Halloween event October 31: Palm readers, DJs, & drink specials, oh my! 5pm to close.

Sports Standings Men’s Soccer

Conference Wins

Losses

Ties

Percent

Wins

Losses

Ties

Percent

Brandeis

1

0

0

1.000

10

0

0

1.000

Emory

1

0

0

1.000

11

0

1

0.917

New York U.

1

0

0

1.000

9

1

0

0.900

Carnegie Mellon

0

0

1

0.000

6

3

1

0.600

Chicago

0

0

1

0.000

6

4

1

0.545

Washington

0

1

0

0.000

5

3

1

0.556

Rochester

0

1

0

0.000

5

3

2

0.500

Case Western Reserve

0

1

0

0.000

6

4

1

0.545

Women’s Soccer

Wins

Losses

Ties

Percent

Wins

Losses

Ties

Percent

Carnegie Mellon

1

0

0

1.000

9

0

0

1.000

Brandeis

1

0

0

1.000

10

1

1

0.833

Conference

Coupon: Free Milkshake for Monday Bingo!

1

0

0

1.000

7

3

0

0.700

Washington

0

0

1

0.000

9

0

2

0.818

Emory

0

0

1

0.000

6

0

3

0.667

Chicago

0

1

0

0.000

9

2

0

0.818

Case Western Reserve

0

1

0

0.000

6

2

2

0.600

Rochester

0

1

0

0.000

4

4

3

0.364

Volleyball

Conference

All

Wins

Losses

Percent

Wins

Losses

Percent

Emory

3

0

1.000

21

2

0.913

Chicago

3

0

1.000

18

7

0.720

Washington

2

1

0.667

20

3

0.870

Carnegie Mellon

2

1

0.667

13

4

0.765

New York U.

1

2

0.333

15

8

0.652

Case Western Reserve

1

2

0.333

11

7

0.611

Rochester

0

3

0.000

9

12

0.429

Brandeis

0

4

0.000

5

14

0.263

Conference

All

Wins

Losses

Percent

Wins

Losses

Percent

Case Western Reserve

1

0

1.000

2

2

0.500

Chicago

0

0

4

0

1.000

1

4

0.200

2

2

0.500

Washington

0

0

Carnegie Mellon

0

1

Football (PAC)

0.000

Conference

All

Wins

Losses

Percent

Wins

Losses

Percent

Bethany

3

0

1.000

4

1

0.800

Washington & Jefferson

2

0

1.000

4

0

1.000

Waynesburg

2

1

0.667

4

1

0.800

Thomas More

2

1

0.667

3

2

0.600

St. Vincent

2

1

0.667

2

3

0.400

Carnegie Mellon

2

2

0.500

2

2

0.500

Case Western Reserve

2

2

0.500

2

2

0.500

Thiel

1

2

0.333

2

3

0.400

Geneva

0

2

0.000

1

3

0.250

Grove City

0

2

0.000

0

4

0.000

Westminster

0

3

0.000

0

5

0.000

Weekly Calendar Varsity Sport

Friday

Football

Saturday

Sunday

@ Waynesburg 1:30 PM

Volleyball Men's Soccer

Home vs. New York U. 11:00 AM

Women's Soccer

Valid 1 day only.

Expires: 10/14

All

New York U.

Football (UAA)

Catering with the Scholar: We accomodate any and all budgets. Stop in to ask for details. We’ll make your event even Jollier.

All

Home vs. New York U. 1:30 PM

Cross Country Women's Tennis

Varsity Sport

Oberlin Home 11:00 AM

Monday

Football Volleyball Men's Soccer Women's Soccer Cross Country Women's Tennis

Home vs.

Hiram 7:00 PM

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

sports

observer.case.edu

Cross Country just misses podium Case men and women both race to fourth place at All-Ohio Championship Alan Ma Contributing Reporter Case Western Reserve University’s 25th ranked Lady Spartans and the men’s Spartans both placed fourth at the annual All-Ohio Intercollegiate Championship 6K and 8K at Cedarville University last Friday.

The men’s squad was led by junior and team captain Tony Spalding who finished ninth among all runners with a time of 26:07.36. Spalding had placed 28th (third among Case runners) in September’s Knight Invite at Calvin College. Spalding was followed by freshman Sam Merriman, who led the Spartans at the Knight Invite, and junior Timothy Travitz. The two finished 13th (26:12.46) and 24th (26:26.65) respectively. Junior Ben Davis and sophomore Lou Takahashi rounded out the team’s score with 27th (26:33.05) and 31st (26:40.94) place finishes. Of the aforementioned, four had placed in the top five at the Knight Invite.

The currently unranked men’s Spartans were just one point behind the third place Oberlin, scoring 104 compared to Oberlin’s 103, and only five points behind the no. 34 nationally ranked University of Mount Union.

The first Lady Spartan to cross the finish line was junior Kelsey Aamoth in 10th (23:06.06) among all DIII runners. Aamoth had placed 2nd among all Case runners at the Knight Invite 5K. Senior captain Kristen Ruckstuhl completed the course in 23:25:31 for a 19th place finish, followed by sophomore Olivia Zabrodsky in 23rd (23:34:27), junior Lydia Greene in 25th (23:41.62) and freshman Danielle Kulpins in 29th place (23:45.00).

Of the five women counted for scoring, four had been counted for scoring at the Knight Invite.

The 25th ranked Women’s Spartans finished fourth with 106 points, one point behind Ohio Wesleyan University.

Seventh-ranked University of Mount Union and fifth-ranked Oberlin College finished in first and second respectively.

21

So close

Men’s soccer narrowly misses two wins, ends up with loss and tie JP. O’Hagan Sports Editor The Case Western Reserve soccer team was mere minutes from subduing the fourth best team in the nation last Saturday.

The Spartans battled the Brandeis Judges in the kickoff of the University Athletic Association conference play of the year for two halves and two minutes short of two full extra times before falling in the heartbreaker. A penalty kick with less than two minutes left in the second overtime of the day gave the nationally ranked Judges a 1-0 win last Sunday.

With the win, the Judges remain perfect on the year at 10-0 and retain their stellar standing.

In a game where the offense was obviously lacking, the defense on both sides of the pitch was incredible. Freshman goalkeeper Calvin Boyle put together perhaps his greatest outing so far this season despite the loss, as he kept a career high seven shots from sailing between the posts. The Spartan defense held back the brunt of the high-powered Brandeis attack, though the nationally ranked squad managed to rattle off 20 shots on the night, nine of which were on target, compared to the finesse of the Spartans who had nine shots with five on goal.

However, it is was the last shot that mattered—a lose-lose situation for the Spartans when a penalty set up the Judges for a penalty kick at the 108-minute mark, to capture the win for the Judges.

The Spartans followed up the effort with a 2-2 draw against crosstown rival Oberlin College on Wednesday night. The Spartans now stand at 6-4-2 on the season.

In the match against Oberlin, the Spartans and the Yeomen battled for another double overtime thriller. However while the game against Brandeis was a goal drought, the Wednesday night match was a high stakes shootout, ending in a 2-2 tie.

The two teams combined for 55 shot attempts with Oberlin, edging out the Spartans 30-25 in shots. Junior Chris Cvecko and sophomore Joshua Prosser both scored in the second half. Cvecko scored in the 69th minute off a penalty kick to start the scoring. Prosser’s goal retook the lead after the Yeomen scored, but Oberlin clawed back before regulation ended.

Boyle again anchored the defense, blowing his saves record from the Brandeis game away, saving 18 shots Wednesday night. The two teams traded runs in the two overtimes but neither were able to scratch out a win.

The Spartans will return to action Saturday in their second UAA game of the season as they take on New York University at home. The match is the opening game of a soccer doubleheader at DiSanto Field with the women’s squad also taking on New York in the second match. The games will start the homecoming celebration and a tailgate will take place in between matches. The men will kick off at 11 a.m.

2014 Choices Fair: Exploring Academic & Experiential Opportunities Events for October and November Department

Event

Time

Location

Art Education/ Art Studio

Art Studio Faculty Show

10/1 -17

9:00am-4:30pm

Art Studio Gallery

N. Ohio Illustrators Society Exhibit Major Info Session Open

10/24

5:00-8:00 p.m.

Art Studio Gallery

10/27

4:30-5:30 p.m.

Mather House 100

House/Panel Discussion Pumpkin Karving

11/7

12:30-2:00 p.m.

10/31

1:30 p.m.

Bellflower Lounge & Euclid Room at Thwing West 552 Sears

Orientation/Infor mation Session Biology Gala

11/5

5:00 p.m.

SOM Wood Bldg. Room W428

11/7

Hovorka Atrium

Meet the Faculty Pizza Lunch

1-2 weeks After Choices Fair 10/16

12:30 – 1:45 p.m.

12:30-1:30 p.m.

10:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

Hovorka Atrium

Art History

Astronomy Biochemistry Biology / Systems Biology Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Chemistry

Childhood Studies

Classics

Dance

Economics Environmental Studies

Coffee and Bagels with Chemists Meet the Advisors: Food Provided

Date

AW Smith Lobby

10/23

11:45 a.m.

Rainbow Babies Auditorium

11/18

11:15 a.m.

115 Mandel Center

World Literature Pizza Lunch

10/20

Noon- 1:00 p.m.

Mather House 100 or 408

Classics Reunion: Majors & Minors

10/17

Noon

Mather House 100

Dance Concert Company Warmup Meet the Faculty Lunch Open Classroom Visits: Dr. Peter McCall

10/30

5:30 p.m.

Mather Dance Center, Studio 1

10/31

12:30-2:00 p.m.

PBL 04

10/15

5:00-7:00 p.m.

AW Smith 104

Dr. Jessica Green

10/13 & 10/15

3:00-4:15 p.m.

Mather Memorial 225

Dr. Gerald Matisoff Department Lunch: Qdoba Mexican Grill International Studies Breakfast

10/14 & 10/16 10/14

2:45-4:00 p.m.

11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

Mather House 100

10/30

9:00-10:00 a.m.

Mather House 100

International Studies Dessert Student/ Faculty Mixer Information Session

10/30

4:00-5:00 p.m.

Mather House 100

11/7

10:00-11:30 a.m.

5:30 p.m.

243 Tomlinson Hall

11/12

Open House: Lunch & Deonstrations

10/24

12:30-1:45 p.m.

White 306

Kent Hale Smith 123

History

International Studies

Judaic Studies Mandel Sch. of Applied Social Sciences Materials Science and Engineering

Mandel Center 105

Modern Languages and Literature Nutrition

International Tea

TBD

10/31

Physics

Department Open House Evening Social

10/23

Sign up w/ Dept. Rep at Choices Fair 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

8:00-9:00 p.m.

Political Science

Info Session

10/29

1:30-3:00 p.m.

The Coffee House at University Circle Mather House 100

Pre-Health

Election Watch FY Panel Discussion

11/4 10/31

7:00 p.m.- ?

12:30-1:45 p.m.

Mather House 100 DeGrace 312

Pre-Law

Islamic Law Info Session

11/7

12:30-1:45 p.m.

Sears 356

Religious Studies

Student/ Faculty Mixer

11/7

10:00-11:30 a.m.

243 Tomlinson Hall

Sociology

Open House

10/29

4:00-5:30 p.m.

Mather Memorial 201

SOURCE

Finding Research Opportunities

10/31

8:30 a.m.

Sears 480

11/7 10/9

4:00 p.m.

5:00-7:00 p.m.

Sears 480 Guilford Lounge 1st fl

10/31

12:30-2:00 p.m.

Peter B. Lewis Building

Fridays

12:00-2:00 p.m.

Veale Student Center

Time

Location

Spanish

Welcome Reception

Weatherhead School of Management

Weatherhead Open HouseCostumes Optional Works in Progress Series

Women’s & Gender Studies

SOM WG 48

Student Organization

Event

American Medical Student Association American Society of Civil Engineers Atlantis

General Meeting

10/16 & 10/30

7:00 p.m.

Clapp 108

Field Trip to MWH Classics Games Night Certification Rocket Launch

10/24

12:30-1:30 p.m.

MWH Cleveland Office

10/16

6:00 p.m.

TBD

11/1

TBD

TBD

Visit to the Cleveland Zoo Food Day

Wkend TBD

TBD

TBD

10/21

6:00-9:00 p.m.

Thwing Auditorium

Bimonthly Case Study Discussion Trip to Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank Internship/ Economist Panel

Every other Wed. 10/30

7:00 p.m.

TBD

3:00 p.m.

Downtown Cleveland

11/6

5:00 p.m.

PBL 258

Case Rocket Team Pre-Vet Medical Association Student Dietetic Association Undergraduate Bioethics Society Weatherhead Economics Society

Date

More departmental sessions will be added. All Undergraduate Students are welcome to attend. You may also contact the Academic Representative of the Department for more information. For the most complete and up-to-date list of events and information sessions, as well as Academic Representative contact information, visit http://case.edu/ugstudies/students/first-year.html

22

sports

10/10/14

High Level Face-off Women’s tennis faces off against nationally ranked competition Kevin Wang Contributing Reporter The women’s tennis team traveled to the Middlebury Invitational tournament this past weekend, where they competed against top teams in the nation. This tournament, which was held Oct. 3-5, was hosted by Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vt. The participating teams were among the best in the division: the host team, Middlebury, ranked 10th in the country last year prior to the NCAA Championship Tournament.

Other invitees to compete in the tournament were the United States Military Academy and Williams College. Williams College ranked third place in the nation last year.

The Spartans played the United States Military Academy in both singles and doubles matches on Friday. In the singles competition, Nina Cepeda was able to defeat the United States Military Academy’s Aly Hall in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4. Nina Cepeda also teamed with Maya Hamaker to defeat the Army’s Aly Hall and Molly Prin 8-6 in the doubles competition.

Up and down week proves Spartan’s mettle Women’s soccer rebounds from streak-breaking loss with win Taylor Fletcher Staff Reporter In the past three games, the Case Western Reserve University women’s soccer team experience typifies what draws so many people to competition and sport. CWRU was able to start with a 1-0 win on Thursday in their final home non-conference game against Kenyon.

However, their seven-game unbeaten streak ended with a 1-0 loss against conference opponent Brandeis this past Sunday. The Spartans came out of the loss with renewed focus and were able to find a win their final non-conference game of the season with a 2-0 decision against Wooster on Tuesday night.

The Spartans started off the three game swing with a strong Thursday night performance against Kenyon, finding the goal early against the opposing Ladies defense.

In the third minute, freshman midfielder Madeleine Harris received a pass, pulled a nifty move around a defender and placed a beautiful shot to the upper left corner. It was Harris’ first career goal and held up as the difference in the match.

The Spartans held a 15-5 advantage in shots. Kenyon College only managed one shot, which senior goalkeeper Abbey Smith easily saved, and never seriously threatened for the entirety of the game. Smith and the defense were stout and Smith earned her sixth shutout of the season.

The Spartans then took their unbeaten streak on the road against conference power Brandeis for the conference opener. The Spartans were unable to find a rhythm against the high-pressure oriented Judges and gave up the uncharacteristically early goal off a corner kick. The top scorer for the season from Brandeis was able to wriggle free from her marker to head the ball into the upper right corner right over the head of a CWRU defender.

The Judges’ early goal enabled them to keep

possession and make the Spartans chase the ball for the rest of the match.

The goal was the first goal Smith had allowed since the game against Centre College on Sept. 14.

Brandeis held a 12-4 shot advantage and attempted nine corners on the match.

On this past Tuesday night, the women’s team was able to get back on track in the final non-conference slate of the year. The Spartans were again led by freshman Harris who tallied three points in the game. Harris scored in the 25th minute after some miscommunication in the Wooster defense deflected a shot right to the wide open Harris. She settled the ball and calmly placed it into the inside right post.

Harris was instrumental in the second goal of the game as well. In the 78th minute, Harris found sophomore midfielder Amy Lindberg in the middle of the field, who rocketed a shot into the upper left corner to finish off the Fighting Scots of Wooster. The Spartans held an 11-7 shot advantage on the match and each team attempted four corner kicks.

Smith and the defense were able to put the previous match game behind them and worked together to produce yet another stellar shutout performance, which brought the season’s total up to seven on the year. The team’s record now is 7-2-2 and are now only one win away from matching 2013 season’s win total.

The CWRU women’s soccer team is back in action this Saturday Oct. 11 at 1:30 p.m. for the first home conference game of the season against New York University.

In the latest NSCAA regional ranking, the Spartans are ranked third in the Great Lakes region while the NYU Violets are ranked fifth in the East Region.

The team will be looking for student support for this important weekend match, which will be the team’s annual Kicks for a Cause program, as well as the team’s 30-year anniversary celebration.

On Saturday, the Spartans played well against Middlebury, sweeping the host team in doubles by winning all three of their matches and winning five out of nine matches in total.

In the doubles matches, Nina Cepeda paired with Sara Zargham to defeat Shannon Gibbs and Katie Paradies 8-2. Marianne Bonanno partnered with Michelle Djohan to defeat Jennifer Sundstrom and Kaysee Orozco 8-5. Finally, Surya Khadilkar and Nithya Kanagasegar partnered to complete the sweep against Middlebury by

defeating Lily Bondy and Alexandra Fields 8-3. In the singles tournament against Middlebury, Michelle Djohan defeated Jennifer Sundstrom in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3 and Nithya Kanagasegar defeated Kaysee Orozco, 6-2, 3-6, 11-9.

The Spartans were unable to win a match over Williams College, a team that has many players returning from its third in the nation rank last year. The Spartans will conclude their fall season here at home with a duel against Oberlin College on Oct. 11 at 11 a.m. at the Carlton Road tennis courts.

Cleveland’s Superheros?

The Browns’ offensive line may be the best protection in the NFL Joey Arko Staff Reporter Mike Pettine came to the Browns with a vision of establishing an identity: a tough-nosed, bruising squad that would seek to overpower its opponents. As a former defensive coordinator, many assumed it would be the Browns defense that would establish such a personality under Pettine’s guidance. Four games into the season, however, that hasn’t been the case. In fact, it has been the unit that was seen as a potential weakness headed into this year—the offensive line.

And they haven’t just been good, or even great. They currently are performing at a level that places them among the NFL’s elite. Maybe even the best.

Rewind to just one season ago, and the Browns ranked 23rd in the NFL in yards per rushing attempt, and also allowed the third-most sacks on the quarterback in the entire league. Browns quarterbacks could frequently be seen slowly getting up on their feet with their jerseys plastered with mud and grass stains after being slammed to the ground by unguarded defenders. The verdict amongst fans and NFL personnel alike was that no quarterback could succeed playing behind the “Swiss Cheese” offensive line of the Browns.

Flash-forward to this season, and things have drastically changed.

Offensive Coordinator Kyle Shanahan has instilled a new zone-blocking scheme that seems to be paying huge dividends. Statistically speaking, through four games the offensive line is night and day from last year. They have only given

up five sacks, which is good for third-best in the league. They’ve been keeping Brian Hoyer upright and giving him the time he needs to survey the field and find the open receiver. And that 23rd ranked rushing attack last year? It’s been replaced with the fourth-best attack this season, as the Browns running backs have been rumbling down the field for an average of 143 yards per game. The difference this year is that they actually have holes to run through, caused by the bullying of defenders by the offensive line.

Deeper statistics only back up the notion that Browns o-line may be the best in the biz.

According to Kevin Jones of ClevelandBrowns.com, the Browns have allowed on average 31 less quarterback pressures than the league’s median number (15 through five games as opposed to the median of 46). On top of that, only two starting QB’s have sustained fewer hits than Hoyer so far: Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints and Peyton Manning of the Denver Broncos. Both of those QB’s are known to play behind elite offensive lines.

This isn’t just a fluke. These guys are the identity of the Cleveland Browns.

Anchored by Pro Bowlers Joe Thomas and Alex Mack, and reinforced by the rookie Joel Bitonio (currently ranked as the fourth-best guard in the entire NFL) the Browns o-line isn’t just protecting their team from their opponents—they’re overwhelming them.

Even though the season is still young, these guys have been playing on superhero-like levels so far. Moving forward, the Browns finally have an identity they can hang their hats on.

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Editor’s Choice

Veale Center transformed into Olympic Village Case hosts Special Olympics for local youth with special needs

Courtesy Liz Rossborough Left: Athletes, Special Olympics organizers and volunteers gather for group picture after successful event. Right: Athletes pose for a photo between events.

Adithi Iyengar Staff Reporter On Oct. 3, Spartans for Special Olympics hosted their first Special Olympics at the Veale Center. Case Western Reserve University student volunteers paired up with kids with special needs from the greater Cleveland Area, where they spent a day playing games and doing activities. The event brought about 100 students from nine different schools.

Events included rotating soccer games where kids played against different teams from different schools, and a carnival

with student activity groups where kids got their faces painted or saw performances from student groups on campus such as the CWRU Juggling Club.

“Special Olympics is national and its goal is to bring fun, Field-day type events to children with special needs,” said Special Olympics Treasurer Daniel Ryave. “The goal is for them to get to celebrate despite their differences and show that they can be athletes just like everyone else.”

The event began with an opening ceremony with speaker Dennis Rupert, the associate vice president of Student Af-

fairs. After a fun day of games and lunch, during the closing ceremony university President Barbara Snyder gave a speech.

“It’s so nice to get to see how the college and the organization can impact a bunch of kids. Most of these kids don’t ever get an opportunity like this. Even though a lot of them have great programs in their schools, funding for things like that are so low these days that these big events that take up money and a lot of time are the first ones to get cut,” said Ryave.

The kids were having lots of fun, engaging with their peers, making new friends and even befriending the student volunteers.

“Volunteering is really fun. The kids are really excited to be here because it is really gratifying,” said Liz Rossborough, a member of Spartans for Special Olympics. “We’re really happy that the community was so eager to jump in and do this.”

The community greatly enjoyed it and is eager to have this event done again next year.

“The people are really nice here, and I really want to come back. I’m going to apply here for college,” said one student from Ben Franklin School, an elementary and middle school on the south side of Cleveland.

Spartans struggle in UAA play Volleyball goes 1-2 in first conference round robin tournament JP. O’Hagan Sports Editor The University Athletic Association does volleyball conference play through two sets of Round Robin Tournaments.

The first tournament for the 2014 season took place this weekend as the Spartans matched up against tournament host Emory University, archrival Carnegie Mellon and Rochester University over the weekend.

Following this first round of conference play the Spartans stand at 1-2 in conference play and 11-7 on the season.

The team has looked dominant at times this season and despite dropping two games this weekend, still held their own against the top level competition that is the UAA. The Case Western Reserve Univer-

sity volleyball team opened the tournament against host Emory. Emory is ranked third nationally and the Golden Eagles played like it. The Spartans were unable to steal away a single set of the match and were swept by the hosts.

The Spartans kept the matches close, falling by scores of 25-20, 25-19 and 25-16 in the three matches.

Junior outside hitter Katie Best lead the team with seven kills, followed by Haley Kauffman with five.

Sophomore Lauren Gurd led the team in assists, helping out 12 times, and in digs with eight.

The Spartans looked to rebound against Carnegie Mellon later in the day, but fell in four sets. The Tartans won the match after taking the first, second and fourth sets by scores of 2519, 25-12 and 25-13. The Spartans stole the third set by a score of 25-21.

Best posted her first career double-

double in the loss with 16 digs and 10 kills. Sophomore right hitter Marian Barton had 14 kills. Junior outside hitter Carolyn Bogart added 17 digs, Gurd and freshmen Jessica Justice split setting duties with 19 and 18 assists respectfully.

The Spartan squad finished off the weekend sweeping the University of Rochester Sunday morning in the final game of the Round Robin. Case Western swept the match by scores of 25-15, 25-22 and 25-18.

Danielle Witri lead the Spartans in the attack with 11 kills, tying a career best. Justice and Gurd again split the setting and notched an addition 17 and 14 assists respectfully. Sophomore libero Julie Colaianni posted 15 digs.

The Spartans split the burden of the weekend through multiple players and showed their ability as a team against some of the top volleyball squads in the country.

The second and final UAA Round Robin is set for the following weekend in Chicago on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 18-19, where the Spartans will battle against their remaining UAA rivals.

This second round will pit the Spartans against two more top 25 nationally ranked opponents, as Washington University at St. Louis and the next hosts, the University of Chicago are ranked eighth and 25th in the nation respectfully.

In addition, the Spartans will battle against New York University and Brandeis and will look to climb the difficult UAA ladder.

However, before that test next weekend the Spartans will get the chance to rest this weekend and will play their final home match of the season in Horsburgh Gymnasium on Wednesday evening, Oct. 14 at 7 p.m., against Hiram College.

arts & sports entertainment

Spartans slip in October cold

Andrew Hodowanec/Observer Adam Hochman rushes for big gain against Thiel. However, the Spartans dropped their matchup this week against Bethany to fall to 2-2.

JP. O’Hagan Sports Editor The Spartans fell to Bethany College under the lights at DiSanto Field last Saturday.

Case Western dropped the match-up with the Bison by a score of 25-14, a disappointing loss after marching downfield to put seven on the board on the first possession of the game.

We at The Observer predicted a 24-21 win for the Bison and with the 25-14 final we are racking up another correct prediction as the Spartans were poised to score that extra touchdown late in the game before imploding following a botched punt return. This places the Observer’s record at 2-2 on the predicting the score and 3-1 on picking the winner.

The Spartans lost the opening toss, but the high winds made the Bison defer and Case received the opening kick off.

The Spartans capitalized on a big return and marched down field with a six play, 48-yard drive that they capped with senior quarterback Billy Beecher connecting with

sophomore wide receiver Brendan Lynch for a nine-yard touchdown pass.

Bethany responded five possessions later as they tied up the game with 3:28 left in the first quarter. The Spartans were unable to do anything on their next possession and the Bison capitalized adding another six points to the board nine plays later as time expired on the quarter. Bethany’s extra point attempt failed so the score sat at 13-7 throughout the second quarter as neither team made it into the end zone.

The second half started off slow as the two teams traded drives, unable to put themselves into scoring position. Unfortunately, it was a Spartan fumble that Bethany was able to recover, which put Bethany firmly in the driver’s seat from the 5:44 mark of the third quarter on. The Spartans were able to stop Bethany’s subsequent drive following the fumble, stopping the Bison at the 19 on a fourth and one attempt.

The Spartans were unable to get a first down however and punted away deep in their own territory. The Bethany offense

Andrew Hodowanec/Observer Manny Sicre dives forward after great run in game against Thiel College.

marched the ball back 63 yards and into the end zone when their quarterback Vales, who was also a running threat to the Spartans, connected with running back Blinn for a 23-yard touchdown. The Bison missed the point after attempt and left the score at 19-7 at the end of the third quarter.

The Spartans refused to lay down and opened the fourth quarter scoring with a 94yard drive. Beecher capped the drive with his second touchdown pass of the day to Lynch, pulling the Spartans with in five.

However, another Spartan fumble, this one off a punt, ruined the rally as the Bisons took advantage and scored another touchdown, again missing the extra point to put away the Spartans.

The Spartans managed only 41 yards on the ground and only 249 yards on the game.

Bethany compiled an even 400 yards. Five Spartans had double-digit tackles with linebacker Everett Dishong bringing down 13 Bison, including two sacks.

Despite the loss, Beecher looked good when he was able to take time in the pocket and connected with 16 of his 33 attempts for 208 yards. Lynch’s two touchdowns were boosted with 80 yards and earned him the UAA Offensive player of the week honor.

The Spartans will be hard pressed to return to above 0.500 on the season as they head out on the road to take on Waynesburg University for the first time in school history.

The biggest threat for the Yellow Jackets will be their pairing of senior wide receivers Bernie Thompson and Andrew English.

Thompson has hauled in an impressive 35 passes for 461 yards and four touchdowns on the season. English has added 303 yards on 27 catches, finding himself in the end zone another three times for Waynesburg.

To further help the Waynesburg receiver, they have an experienced signal caller, senior quarterback Carter Hill, throwing to them. Hill has completed 96 of his 181 pass attempts, throwing for 1,320 yards and

Andrew Hodowanec/Observer Adam Hochman celebrates his 35-yard touchdown against Thiel College back on Sept. 27th.

14 touchdowns, which also shows that the Yellow Jackets have more receiving threats than Thompson and English.

With all the offensive firepower that the Yellow Jackets have leaves the Spartans at an offensive disadvantage and with a defensive challenge. With all this in mind, we at The Observer are forced to predict a second straight loss for the Spartans in a 35-17 win for Waynesburg. Here is hoping The Observer’s prediction record and not the Spartans stand at 2-3 after Saturday’s match-up at Waynesburg. Kick-off will be at 1:30 p.m.