10.25.12

DAILY HELMSMAN Thursday 10.25.12

The

Vol. 80 No. 034

Album Review

3

“Paychecks for Patriots”

5

Soccer

7

Ducks march for alumnus

Independent Student Newspaper of the University of Memphis

www.dailyhelmsman.com

By Michelle Corbet

For information on the upcoming volleyball game, see page 8

Fall Book Sale this weekend

By Lisa Babb

news@dailyhelmsman.com “Friends of the Library” will host their annual Fall Book Sale this weekend at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library. The sale will take place from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Thousands of gently used books will be for sale, all for $2 or less.

“There will be a huge selection of books,” Antonio Quinn, manager of Second Editions Bookstore, said.

Second Editions Bookstore, located adjacent to the main lobby of the library, is operated by “Friends of the Library.”

In addition to books, also for sale will be records, CDs, DVDs and videocassettes. About 15,000 items will be available for purchase.

This event has been well attended in the past.

“There is usually a big crowd,” said Beverly Jackson, marketing staff assistant for the library, located at 3030 Poplar Ave. All proceeds from the event will benefit programs, projects and materials for the Memphis Public Library and Information Center.

“Friends of the Library” is a nonprofit, volunteer organization that raises funds to support the Memphis public library system through its semiannual book sales, the Second Editions Bookstore and online sales via Amazon. The organization also collects book donations to help fill the shelves of the library. n

news@dailyhelmsman.com

Anthony Petrina addresses the crowd with a welcoming voice that carries across the lobby and into the rafters of the balcony, proudly announcing the history of his hotel to the dozens of spectators gathered to see the evening march of the world-famous Peabody ducks.

As he approaches the fountain, five North American Mallards begin quacking excitedly and swimming in circles. Petrina stands erect and confident with the signature Peabody duck cane, crafted of wood with a brass duck silhouette placed atop.

In a theatrical, yet casual and simplistic way, he tells the history of The Peabody ducks, using his hands, cane and a bit of footwork to do so. Dressed in his red coat and gold tassels, he mesmerizes the crowd with the ageold story of how the ducks came to

see DUCKS on page 4

phoTo CourTesy of The peABoDy MeMphis

Dozens of people gather in the lobby of The Peabody Memphis each day at 5 p.m. to watch the world-famous Peabody ducks march down the red carpet and get on the elevator to retire to their Duck Palace on The Peabody rooftop for the evening.

Passion Pit returns to rock Memphis

sCreenshoT

Passion Pit’s lead singer Michael Angelakos sings “Carried Away” live on Saturday Night Live on Oct. 13.

By Samuel Prager

news@dailyhelmsman.com For those down to boogey with the Boogey Man or fist pump with the pumpkins, Minglewood Hall is the place to be this weekend.

In addition to the return of Passion Pit, an electro-pop band that formed in 2007, the Midtown venue will host Sinister, a night of gothic industrial music and belly

The Daily Helmsman is a “designated public forum.” Students have authority to make all content decisions without censorship or advance approval. The Daily Helmsman is pleased to make a maximum of 10 copies of each issue available to a reader for free.

Additional copies are $1. Partial printing and distribution costs are provided by an allocation from the Student Activity Fee.

dancing.

Passion Pit, which recently made an appearance on “Saturday Night Live” playing “Take a Walk” and “Carried Away,” two tracks from their new album “Gossamer,” is set to perform Saturday at 8 p.m.

“I think it’s pretty cool that Passion Pit is coming to Memphis,” said Christopher Peyton, freshman political science and philosophy major. “We

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index

don’t get a bunch of really big bands very often. They’re kind of new and growing fast. Their music is really relaxing. It’s not too boring, but not really loud and in your face either.”

With two-thirds of the venue’s 1,500 tickets already sold, Minglewood Hall box office manager Leia Walsh said she expects a sold-out crowd.

“We expect a massive crowd and a great party atmosphere,” said Brent Logan, marketing manager at Minglewood Hall.

“All different types of people of all ages with all sorts of friends are expected to show up with all different kinds of costumes.”

The band is made up of frontman Michael Angelakos, the lead vocalist and keyboardist; Ian Hultquist, guitarist and keyboardist; Xander Singh, who plays synth and does samples; bassist Jeff Apruzzese and Nate Donmoyer, the drummer — all of whom, minus Angelakos, attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Mass.

Tiger Babble Opinion Tigers’ Tales

2 Local 3 National 5 Sports

“It’s a different musical scene than what Memphis is used to.

It isn’t rock ‘n’ roll. It will be something completely different for the younger students of [the University of Memphis] to check out on Saturday,” Peyton said.

Minglewood Hall, home to Oasis Hookah Lounge, Inked Tattoo Shop and a variety of other shops and studios, is hosting Sinister on Saturday in the venue’s extension, the 1884 Lounge.

“It’ll be a great show and a good time, with plenty of Halloween festivities,” Walsh said.

Sinister will feature the rhythmic beats, thumping sounds and dancing talents of DJ Plastic Citizen, Metropolis Records’ DJ Tempest, DJ Totenkopf and Ava Sanctum, a dark tribalfusion belly dance troupe from Memphis.

“If people want to dress up, they are more than welcome to.

The more the merrier. If people feel like getting down that way, more power to them,” Logan said. n

5 6 7

2 • Thursday, October 25, 2012

The

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Daily Helmsman

TIGER BABBLE

Volume 80 Number 34

thoughts that give you paws

Editor-in-Chief Chelsea Boozer

“Reading the Tiger Tales section makes me want to die.” @TheDebbieRamone

Managing Editor Christopher Whitten

“This teacher just called Florida ‘Tennessee...’ I think it’s time to leave.” @marleyreneeee

Design Editor Amanda Mitchell Sports Editor Bryan Heater

“A cancelled class is a great way 2 start off the morning.” @B3ll3Songstress

General Manager Candy Justice

“Instead of bagging leaves- U of M should put them all in one big pile outside the UC so I can play in them.” @shelbybounds

Advertising Manager Bob Willis Administrative Sales Sharon Whitaker Advertising Production Hailey Uhler

“Am I the only person on the planet who finds it hilarious when I notice a person’s new partner looks just like their old one?” @nasmith29

Advertising Sales Robyn Nickell Christopher Darling Brittney Block

“‘I’m a grad student, I’m thirty years old, and I made $600 last year.’ -Bart Simpson. Story of my life.” @RedChick_Staci

Contact Information news@dailyhelmsman.com

“Fire alarms going off in mynders.”

Advertising: (901) 6 78-2191 Newsroom: (901) 678-2193 The University of Memphis The Daily Helmsman 210 Meeman Journalism Building Memphis, TN 38152

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Across 1 Kool Moe Dee’s genre 4 Response to a drought ending 10 Spot that many avoid 14 Words of attribution 15 Inspiration for jambalaya 16 Jaunty greeting 17 *Components of 39-Across 20 Yao-like 21 Gummy 22 *Components of 39-Across 28 Lightsaber wielders 29 Get ready for a drive 30 Elem. school staple 33 Some emoticons 37 Barbera d’__: Italian wine 38 Sushi topper 39 Symbolic sum of 17-, 22- and 50-Across 41 Key for getting out of a jam 42 Humble reply to praise 44 Visit 45 __ Cabos, Mexico 46 Chowderhead 48 Gaseous: Pref.

50 *Components of 39-Across 56 Signal to try to score 57 They’re often bruised 59 Classic manual, with “The,” and what the starred answers’ components are vis-à-vis 39-Across 64 Greg’s love on “House” 65 Hard pieces 66 Flicks 67 Pup without papers 68 Writer de Beauvoir 69 Miss Pym’s creator Down 1 Lake floater 2 Burka wearer’s deity 3 Comedian Shore 4 CPA’s busy time 5 Mai __ 6 “Dancing with the Stars” judge 7 Bayer painkiller

@michaelchando

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Send us your thoughts on Twitter @dailyhelmsman or #tigerbabble. Or post on our Facebook Wall at facebook.com/dailyhelmsman.

S u d o k u

Complete the grid so that each row, column and 3-by3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit 1 to 9.

Solutions on page 5 8 Knocked off 9 Tibia neighbors 10 “Why, I never!”

11 “Fast Five” star 12 Sushi tuna 13 One of a toon septet 18 Cutlass maker 19 Many a St. Andrews golfer 23 Jazz lick 24 Others, abroad 25 Spirit 26 Bats 27 Books that require a commitment 30 Tops 31 It might make you forget your lines 32 Ex-Laker silhouetted in the NBA logo 34 Detective’s pronoun 35 Go after, puppy-style 36 Serious

40 “Eli’s Coming” songwriter 43 Support for a downward-facing dog 47 Campbell of “Wild Things” 49 “Is this what __ for ...?”

51 Tampico tots 52 Gangster Frank 53 Briefly 54 Abu Simbel’s land 55 “Honest!”

58 Steamy 59 Sunblock of a sort 60 Sch. with a Riverhead campus 61 Prefix with meter 62 Marshland 63 Lubbock-to-Laredo dir.

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The University of Memphis

Thursday, October 25, 2012 • 3

Album Review

Taylor Swift’s “Red” garners three stars

By Randall Roberts Los Angeles Times

A platinum artist many times over, singer Taylor Swift at 22 seems to be on top of the world. She’s dating a Kennedy, earning millions and has touched the lives of generations with her delicate lyrical sensibility and songs of love. She’s a near-constant hot topic on the Internet whose existence is more closely watched than just about anyone’s on the planet. And on “Red,” she’s easing into this role.

“Red” is Swift’s fourth album since her breakout debut in 2006, and it’s the most consistently surprising of the lot — even if it reveals an artist whose success has most definitely gone to her head. Completely aware of the scope of her fame, Swift is more often the teacher than the student in her new songs, and in this role she’s offering lessons on the importance of musical versatility while continuing her laser-beam focus on the emotional workings of her heart.

This versatility is the album’s most

striking characteristic. Beginning with the aspirational rock song “State of Grace,” which sounds like a U2 cover circa “The Joshua Tree,” and moving through dance pop of the Max Martinproduced “I Knew You Were Trouble” to the soft-rock gem “The Lucky One,” Swift seems to have crossed some sort of emotional threshold.

Absent are the tentative questions of a young woman trying to process life and love through song, and in their place are the assured words and music of a star who feels like she has learned a lot about life and wants to share her knowledge. It’s no accident that she name-drops Pablo Neruda in the first sentence of an introductory “Prologue” in the record’s liner notes.

This two-paragraph essay sets the tone for the sentiments to come. “This album is about the other kinds of love that I’ve recently fallen in and out of,” Swift writes. “Love that was treacherous, sad, beautiful and tragic. But most of all, this record is about love that was red.”

“Red” is a big record that reaches for Importance and occasionally touches it, filled with well-constructed pop songs Taylor-made for bedroom duets.

If “Everything Has Changed,” a powerful collaboration with British singer Ed Sheeran, or the mandolin-driven romance “Treacherous,” were automobiles, they’d be parked in an Audi or BMW showroom — sleek, solid and built for comfort. There are no bumps on “Red.” Only clean, perfectly rendered American popular music.

But to toss one of Swift’s better similes back at her, the pop fodder on “Red” at its worst feels “like driving a new Maserati down a dead end street.”

Much of the record’s expansion is in sound rather than structure _ even if half of “Red” will still work perfectly well on commercial country radio playlists. Whether it’s the harder rock of “State of Grace” or the Hallmark-ready treacle of “I Almost Do,” at times Swift feels like a mere cypher for the music that surrounds her. To mix metaphors, she occasionally resembles a flawless

MCT

Taylor Swift with her awards at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif., on Feb. 12. mannequin upon which any number of fashions look fabulous.

In this context, to call Swift’s sonic expansion a brave move is to credit her with accomplishing something more artistically significant than simply shifting toward the center of her demographic. By setting rural music alongside more “urban” sounds of

the moment, Swift is arguably just responding to a pop world in which country singles might please her base, but certainly doesn’t expand it.

But that’s the cynic’s view, and Swift on “Red” has little time for cynicism.

Rather, she’s striving for something much more grand and accomplished. n

“If not us, who? If not now, when?”

Jarvis Tyner, Civil Rights Leader & Executive

Vice-Chair of the Communist Party USA, addresses this question in his lecture:

Interested in pursuing a career in Dentistry?

Join

The Pre-Dental Society

“We Who Believe in Freedom Cannot Rest: The Great Challenge of the 2012 Election.”

TONIGHT, Oct. 25 @ 7 p.m.

Mitchell Hall Auditorium Free pizza & drinks provided

Third Meeting of Fall

Friday, Oct. 26 12:45 p.m.

UC Poplar Room (308)

Guest Speaker from UT College of Dentistry

Presented by The Marxist Student Union, in cooperation with the Graduate Association of African American History and the NAACP For more information, visit: marxiststudentunion.blogspot.com or email: marxiststudentunion@gmail.com

Questions?

Contact Cheryl Bird cabird@memphis.edu (623) 910-7736

the isaC playlist experience up next... monday, oct. 29

stacey lannert 6:30 p.m. | UC bluff room

tuesday, oct. 30 enough and discussion 7 p.m. | student plaza

tomorrow SAC cinema: cabin in the woods 2 & 7 p.m. | UC theatre

4 • Thursday, October 25, 2012

www.dailyhelmsman.com

JOURNALISM

Recruitment Fair

Tuesday, October 30 Noon - 2 p.m.

Meeman Journalism Bldg. Lobby

U of M

Get the scoop on the journalism program from faculty members & students

COSTUME CONTEST Grand Prizes: 2 Kindle Fires (valued at $160 each)

phoTo By ChrisTinA holloWAy | sTAff

In his role as Duckmaster, Anthony Petrina serves as the public face of The Peabody Memphis, giving media interviews, leading history tours, keeping up his own duckmaster blog, speaking at events and taking the ducks to local schools. He graduated from the University of Memphis in 2010.

uuDucks Continued from page 1 be in the fountain. Like a magician he smoothly slides across the floor, pointing the cane like a wand to illustrate the ducks’ journey down the red carpet, up the elevator and into their room.

At age 26, Anthony Petrina is only the fifth duckmaster in The Peabody Memphis’ more than 70-year tradition.

While he’s got the duck march down to a tee now, things didn’t always go so smoothly in the beginning. His first experience with the ducks “went rather poorly,” he said.

“My very first duck march I completely choked. I’m in there and all these people are looking at me. They’re tweeting about it, and I said, ‘Welcome to The Peabody’ and — choked,” he said.

“Despite all the prep work I’d done, I realized this was actually a pretty tough job.”

After almost a year of performing his speech, it’s just another part of his day now. He even manages to throw a few jokes in, such as duck not being offered on the menu of Chez Philippe, a restaurant inside the hotel, making it possibly the only French restaurant in the world that doesn’t serve the famous delicacy.

Petrina received his bachelor’s degree in business administration in 2010 from the Kemmons Wilson School of Hospitality and Resort Management at the University of Memphis. He started out as a waiter at The Peabody’s Capriccio Grill and was soon promoted to management.

“I got promoted only after four months of waiting tables because of my degree at U of M,” Petrina said. “Because of those connections and the piece of paper hanging on my wall, they got me to move up really quick. I caught their eye when they were looking for somebody to actually represent the hotel and all its values to the public.”

When Petrina is not with the ducks, he serves as the hotel’s historian and ambassador, giving history tours, greeting guests and speaking to media during his 40-hour workweek.

Carol Silkes, assistant professor for the Kemmons Wilson School and Petrina’s former mentor, said Petrina was a great ambassador for the U of M and the hospitality program, and now he has a larger role of representing the

city of Memphis.

“Honestly, Anthony was born for that position, whether he knew it or not,” she said. “He really does embody the spirit of the first duckmaster and takes his job seriously. We can’t ask for a better spokesperson.”

In Petrina’s one year as duckmaster, he has met guitarist Peter Frampton; actor George Hamilton; David Bryan, keyboardist for Bon Jovi; Vanderbilt University’s head coach James Franklin; and Elmo, Bert and Ernie from Sesame Street Live when they served as honorary duckmasters.

The duckmaster tradition originated in 1941 with Edward Pembroke.

Pembroke came to the hotel as a bellman in 1940 after a series of odd jobs, including time spent with The Ringling Brothers Circus as an animal trainer.

When he saw hotel staff bringing the ducks down and placing them in the fountain each morning he knew he could do better, so he offered to train them to do what is now known as The Peabody Duck March. Pembroke was the longest serving duckmaster in the history of the hotel, performing two duck marches at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. each day for 50 years before retiring in 1991.

The first ducks appeared in 1933, when then-Peabody General Manager Frank Schutt and a friend put their three English call ducks — live decoys commonly used for hunting at the time — in the fountain after the men had a little too much Jack Daniel’s. The ducks were left there overnight and when the men woke up the next day, a crowd had gathered around. The hotel lobby has had ducks ever since, Petrina said.

A common misconception is that the most important trait of a duckmaster is to have experience working with animals, but The Peabody Memphis’ Director of Public Relations Kelly Earnest said that’s not necessarily true.

“We are really looking for someone who has the right personality,” she said. “A Peabody duckmaster should be outgoing, cool under pressure, dignified, eager to please, warm and love talking to our guests all day, every day about The Peabody ducks. In all of those respects, Anthony is the perfect duckmaster.”

Earnest said it also helps that Petrina has a theater background in high school because there is a lot of showmanship involved in the daily duck march.

Petrina is responsible for anything related to the ducks, including care, training, travel arrangements and appearances. To prepare for his role, he studied under the duckmaster at The Peabody Little Rock to learn about duck care and feeding, and under The Peabody Orlando’s duckmaster to learn about training. He works with two groups of ducks — always consisting of one drake and four hens — that he calls “the veterans” and “the new guys.”

Each group lives in the hotel for three months before retiring from their duck march responsibilities to live out the rest of their lives as wild ducks.

During their time at the hotel, Petrina doesn’t handle them, lie out trails of feed or name them.

“That way they never become domesticated,” he said. “We don’t want to deprive any duck of being a wild duck. We want to bring them here, spoil them rotten, then send them home to Dad.” When the ducks first arrive, Petrina marches them back and forth from the Duck Palace on the rooftop to the elevators “to get them into the habit of being The Peabody Ducks,” he said.

He keeps his fingers crossed on the first day the ducks are introduced downstairs, as it is the first time they see the crowds of people, the red carpet and the fountain.

Why the ducks remain in the fountain from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on their own is a mystery to Petrina and other employees.

“We don’t know,” he said when asked why the ducks don’t wander beyond the edge of the fountain’s rim. “We think it’s because they prefer the company of other ducks rather than being in the lobby with us.”

While duckmaster is “the coolest job in Memphis,” Petrina said, he plans to move up in the field of hospitality and resort management.

“My 10- to 15-year goal has always been to be the general manager of a four-star hotel or resort, and so while this is a very interesting segue this probably isn’t the end game,” he said. “I plan on doing some of everything.”

But before he leaves, Petrina has one more trick up his sleeves — duckmaster weddings. Although The Peabody hasn’t had its first duckmaster wedding yet, Petrina said the program is in the works. n

Contest theme: Dress as your favorite newsmaker of 2012.

Free food.

NO BONES ABOUT IT BLOOD DONORS SAVE LIVES

Donate at the campuswide blood drive Sponsored by Lambda Chi Alpha

Tuesday, Oct. 30 & Wednesday, Oct. 31 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Rose Theatre Lobby Contact: Dixon Williams (901) 619-3717 jwllms31@memphis.edu

Donate blood and receive a “No Bones About It” t-shirt!

For more info call 1-888-LIFEBLOOD or visit www.lifeblood.org.

The University of Memphis

Thursday, October 25, 2012 • 5

Tigers’ Ta es “I would go sky diving.”

Marieme Sambe, Finance sophomore

“I would spend time with my family, go for a walk or something.”

Maria Rodriguez, Undecided freshman

“Lunch date with President Obama!”

Ericka Hughes, English senior

What is the last thing you would do before you die if you could do anything?

By Natalie Cole

“I’d travel around the world.”

Alicia Bachus, Education senior

“I would hold my wife and our child.”

Jesus Moreno, English non-major

Bird is the word. Follow us! Local

Veterans job fair today

#tigerbabble @DailyHelmsman @HelmsmanSports

CArolyn Cole | los AnGeles TiMes

Air Force veteran Matthew Pizzo, 29, left the military after serving in Iraq to go to college and law school. He has not been able to find a job in New York, where he is originally from.

Solutions

By Lisa Babb

news@dailyhelmsman.com The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development has teamed up with several major employers to host job fairs for veterans across the state. The “Paychecks for Patriots” hiring fairs will take place at 13 Tennessee career centers today.

The “Paychecks for Patriots” hiring fair in Memphis is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 1295 Poplar Ave. “We have veteran-friendly employers who have shown a high interest in putting servicemen and women to work after their tour of duty,” said Veterans Employment Representative and retired Air Force Lt. Col. Wayne Fuller.

Local employers will accept résumés, take applications and refer veterans to online applications. Computer workstations will allow veterans to complete applications online and search for jobs.

“Tennessee employers understand the value veterans bring to the

work place,” Bob Ravener, Dollar General’s executive vice president and chief people officer, said. “Through ‘Paychecks for Patriots,’ we’re seeking to resolve the challenges of unemployment our veterans [face] by equipping Tennessee’s military community with the resources to better understand the job opportunities available.”

Dollar General, Estes, Hospital Corporation of America, Nike Inc., Titan Transfer Inc., FedEx Corporation, FedEx Ground, AutoZone, Aflac, Corrections Corporation of America and Dynamic Security Inc. each have job openings that need to be filled.

“In my opinion, this is important because these servicemen and women have dedicated their lives in service to protect this country, and we have a responsibility to help them transition back into the civilian society,” Fuller said.

The initiative also includes a proclamation signed by Gov. Bill Haslam announcing today as Paychecks for Patriots Day. n

6 • Thursday, October 25, 2012

www.dailyhelmsman.com

National

United States sues Bank of America

By Ely Portillo

The Charlotte Observer CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Federal prosecutors in Manhattan sued Bank of America Corp. on Wednesday, alleging the bank defrauded government-sponsored mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac out of $1 billion.

The lawsuit is the latest chapter in the Charlotte bank’s long-running legal woes, which have pummeled the bank’s earnings and stock price.

Bank of America has already lost billions of dollars in write-downs and legal settlements related to lending practices at Countrywide, which Bank of America acquired during the financial crisis, and the acquisition of Merrill Lynch.

New York-based U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said Wednesday that Countrywide generated thousands of fraudulent home loans through a process known as the “Hustle,” which involved processing home loans at high speed and without quality checkpoints.

And the lawsuit contends that the “Hustle,” or HSSL — which stood for “High Speed Swim Lane” — continued after Bank of America completed the Countrywide acquisition.

The loans were sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and later defaulted at a far higher rate than normal, causing more than $1 billion in losses and numerous foreclosures, the U.S. attorney’s office said in a statement. Both Fannie and Freddie were bailed out by taxpayers in 2008 at a cost of billions of dollars.

“The fraudulent conduct alleged in today’s complaint was spectacularly brazen in scope,” Bharara wrote. “Countrywide and Bank of America made disastrously bad loans and stuck taxpayers with the bill.” Prosecutors also accuse Bank of America of failing to repurchase bad loans.

Bank spokesman Larry Grayson issued a strong denial of the government’s charges.

“Bank of America has stepped up and acted responsibly to resolve legacy mortgage matters. The claim that we have failed to repurchase loans from Fannie Mae is simply false,” said Grayson, in a prepared statement. “At some point, Bank of America can’t be expected to compensate every entity that claims losses that actually were caused by the economic downturn.”

While the government is seeking $1 billion worth of damages, the issue of defective loans sold to other financial institutions could be much larger. Bank of America has been locked in disputes with firms that buy up mortgages over whether the bank should be forced to buy back soured loans. So-called repurchase demands now total about $25.5 billion outstanding.

Last week, the bank reported it lost $33 million for shareholders in the third quarter, down from a $5.9 billion profit in the same quarter

last year.

The lawsuit comes two weeks after the same U.S. attorney filed a similar lawsuit against Wells Fargo, claiming “reckless” lending standards on Federal Housing Administration-insured loans.

St. John’s University professor Anthony Sabino said that made the lawsuit against Bank of America “expected.”

“The federal government is ‘rounding up the usual suspects’ and blaming them where it can,” he said in a statement. “Whether the government is right or wrong is yet to be seen — probably some of both.”

Bank of America’s stock price fell slightly Wednesday, down 0.5 percent to $9.31 a share.

Bharara said Wednesday’s case against Bank of America is the first civil fraud suit brought by the Justice Department concerning mortgage loans later sold to Fannie and Freddie.

The “Hustle” program began under Countrywide in 2007 and continued after Bank of America bought the tottering lender in 2008, Bharara said. “After the merger, the Hustle continued unabated through 2009,” Bharara said in a statement.

“Countrywide and Bank of America systematically removed every check in favor of its own balance — they cast aside underwriters, eliminated quality controls, incentivized unqualified personnel to cut corners and concealed the resulting defects,” Bharara said.

“These toxic products were then sold to the government sponsored enterprises as good loans.”

Countrywide, a major subprime lender, initiated the “Hustle” in August 2007 to make up for lost revenue after the subprime market started melting down in 2007, the lawsuit said. The “Hustle” involved lowering lending standards and

removing quality checks in order to generate loans more quickly, according to the lawsuit.

“According to internal Countrywide documents, the aim of the ‘Hustle’ ... was to have loans ‘move forward, never backward,’” the lawsuit said. “Countrywide eliminated every significant checkpoint on loan quality and compensated its employees solely based on the volume of loans originated, leading to rampant instances of fraud.”

To speed up loan origination, Countrywide removed underwriter review even from high-risk loans, and assigned underwriting jobs to “loan processors who were previously considered unqualified even to answer borrower questions,” the lawsuit said. Countrywide also eliminated its “compliance specialist” positions, which had been responsible for independent loan checks, and eliminated mandatory underwriting checklists.

At the same time, Countrywide indicated to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that it had strengthened its underwriting standards, the lawsuit alleges.

Up to 40 percent of the resulting loans in some months turned out to have material defects, which the lawsuit says was 10 times the industry rate. For stated income loans, a type of subprime loan in which borrowers didn’t have to provide any proof of income, the rate of materially defective loans rose to 70 percent in January 2008.

Countrywide also deliberately ignored internal warnings that the program was generating a high level of bad loans, and suppressed loan quality reviews, according to the lawsuit. The company went so far as to offer employees a bonus for rebutting Countrywide’s own quality control department’s findings of

defective loans, the lawsuit alleges.

The pressure and incentives to originate loans as rapidly as possible led to unchecked fraud, prosecutors said. They cite several specific examples of loans which were sold to Freddie and Fannie as investment-quality, but were later discovered to have serious problems.

In an August 2007 home loan in Birmingham, Ala., the loan file said the borrower earned $10,000 per month as a “self-employed real estate investor,” with no verification of his business. In the same month in Miami, Countrywide made a loan to a person whose loan file said the borrower was a sales representative for an airline earning $15,500 per month. The borrower was actually a temporary agency

employee who made $2,666 per month.

The borrowers defaulted within months of closing.

Wednesday’s case is the latest in a series of government actions seeking fines and other penalties from housing lenders in the wake of the financial crisis.

The government has brought five other civil fraud lawsuits against lenders, accusing them of reckless mortgage lending. In February, the U.S. settled with Citigroup for $158.3 million and Flagstar Bank for $132.8 million. The government settled with Deutsche Bank and its subsidiary MortgageIT for $202.3 million in May. A suit against Allied Home Mortgage Corp. is ongoing, as is the suit against Wells Fargo. n

Interested in government & politics?

Looking for a way to change them?

Learn how to participate as a delegate in

The Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature (TISL) Informational Meeting Friday, Oct. 26 @ 3 p.m.

UC Senate Chamber (Room 261) Questions? Contact Dan Buchanan at: dan.buchanan@hotmail.com

SAC CINEMA | FRIDAY, OCT. 26 | 2 + 7 P.M. | UC THEATRE

free admission, popcorn & drinks

The University of Memphis

Thursday, October 25, 2012 • 7

Sports

Women’s soccer team eyes regular season finale

By Bryan Heater

bheater@dailyhelmsman.com After the usual fast start to the Conference USA schedule, the University of Memphis women’s soccer team has struggled in the past five games, compiling a 0-4-1 record. Tonight, the Tigers will have a chance to end the regular season on a good note with a win against the AlabamaBirmingham squad.

The Tigers are 10-7 in regular season finales. The all-time series between the two conference foes is tied 9-9-1, but Memphis has dominated the series recently, winning five of the last six games and eight of the last 10. The Tigers last fell to the Blazers in 2009, when they lost 2-1 in overtime.

UAB (2-16-0, 1-9-0 C-USA) has had a season to forget. The Blazers are averaging one goal a

game while allowing opponents to score 2.61 gpg. For the season, the Blazers have been out-scored 21-6 in the first half and 26-12 in the second for a total deficit of 47 goals to 18.

Johanna Liney, who has scored six goals through 18 games, heads the UAB offense.

He also ranks first on the team in assists with three and in points with 15. Paige Hanks is second on the team, scoring four goals and dishing out two assists for 10 points.

Junior midfielder-forward Christabel Oduro, who has netted 11 goals in the 2012 campaign to go along with eight assists for 30 points, leads the Tigers. The offense averages 2.24 gpg and 16.3 shots per game compared to the Blazers’ 10.8. The Memphis offense has struggled as of late, scoring a program low four goals in October. The team had 22

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anD

goals in October 2001.

Defensively, the Blazers play Courtnie Northern in the net.

Northern has made 82 saves and allowed 44 goals in 18 starts for a 2.69 goals-against average. In the goal for Memphis is freshman Christa Strickland.

Strickland has started 14 games in her first season, saving 52 balls and allowing 20 goals for a 1.42 gaa.

Entering the final game of the 2012 season, head coach Brooks Monaghan has taken the program to new heights since his arrival in 2000. For his career, Monaghan has compiled a 15693-16 record. Since 2004, his record with the Tigers is 115-4111 and 94-28-8 since 2009.

Tonight’s game will help determine seeding for the C-USA Tournament. The match is set to kickoff at 7 p.m. in Birmingham, Ala. n

B l u n i g h t m at e S

Greek B edtime StorieS

Courtesy of Memphis Athletics Communications

Sophomore forward-midfielder Kylie Davis looks to pass the ball earlier this season against Oklahoma State. She and the Tigers close out the regular season tonight at University of Alabama at Birmingham.

TODAY...

TOMORROW...

“Rich and Famous”

“Dreams and Nightmares”

Hawkins named finalist for award

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By Bryan Heater

Resumé Building with Career Services 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. | UC Ballroom A Community Service 3:30-5:30 p.m. | Girl’s & Boy’s Club U of M got Talent w/AAET & Black Scholars 7-10 p.m. | UC Theatre

Blu Fam Come 1st Yardshow 12:14 p.m. | Rose Theatre

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Senior University of Memphis volleyball player Altrese Hawkins became the second player in program history on Sunday to record 1,700 kills in a career. She was named a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award.

Hawkins is the first Tiger volleyball player to be named a final-

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ist for the award and the third student-athlete from Memphis to be named a finalist in the last two years, joining former women’s soccer player Lizzy Simonin and former women’s basketball player Brittany Carter.

Hawkins was chosen as a candidate in September, but the list of contenders was trimmed to 10 over the weekend.

Eligibility for the award requires the student-athlete to be an NCAA Division I senior and excel in the community, classroom and on the court, all while displaying good character.

Hawkins ranks first for the Tigers in kills this season with 364. Her 3.79 kills per set is good for fifth in Conference USA, and her 253 digs is second on the team. She also tops the Tigers’ roster in points with 404.0 and points per set with 4.21.

Hawkins is triple majoring in biology, chemistry and psychology, along with a minor in Spanish.

She has maintained a 3.50 grade point average and has been named to the Dean’s List five times.

Head coach April Jauregui encourages Tiger fans to vote for Hawkins at seniorCLASSaward. com. The site does not limit the amount of times a person can vote. n

8 • Thursday, October 25, 2012

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Tigers volleyball team looks to keep winning streak alive

By Jaclyn Redmon

sports@dailyhelmsman.com The University of Memphis women’s volleyball team is looking to take down the Tulsa Golden Hurricane this Thursday to extend its winning streak to three games.

The Tigers [9-16, 4-6 Conference USA] have struggled with the Golden Hurricane for years, not tallying a win since 2006. Head coach April Jauregui recalls that win as one of the best games she has ever been a part of.

“It was unbelievable,” she said.

“That year we played for the conference championship.”

Tulsa has won back-to-back C-USA championships and is looking for a third.

“They are the top place team for a reason,” Jauregui said. “We have to play extremely well. We take that as a challenge.”

The Golden Hurricane [16-8, 9-1] will roll into Memphis leading C-USA in three categories. Their offense is averaging 14.7 kills per game with 13.6 assists per game.

“Tulsa is a phenomenal team.

They have the best player in the conference and one of the best players in the NCAA. They have done a good job building around her,” Jauregui said of defending C-USA Player of the Year Tyler Henderson.

“There is a reason why they are that good.”

The Golden Hurricane is ranked sixth in the country in kills with senior outside hitter Henderson leading the team with an average of 5.24 kills per game.

“We [have] to stop other people,” Jauregui said. “Their best player, Tyler, you don’t really stop her. She’s going to get her kills … It’s trying to slow everybody else down that is going to be the game plan for tomorrow night.”

Tulsa’s defense is also leading in digs with 17.8 per game, ranking them ninth in the country.

“They are ranked nationally offensively, but they are also very high defensively,” Jauregui said. “That’s kind of a two-headed sword. They put balls away but then, because they are so strong offensively, when they get those digs it’s hard to transition and make a solid play out of it.”

Jauregui says the Tigers are doing a good job blocking, but the team needs to serve well to keep control of the game.

Middle blockers Katie Meyer and Lauren Hawkins are leading the Tigers with a combined 148 blocks on the season.

The Tigers enter Thursday’s match with strong offensive num-

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bers, averaging 12.5 kills per game and 11.5 assists per game. Seniors Altrese Hawkins and Marija Jovanovic are setting the offensive tone, averaging more than three kills per set each.

“It’s going to be our big players like Altrese that have to play well if we stand any chance of winning,” Jauregui said. “We have to match what they are doing with our stride.”

The conference matchup is important for the Tigers in terms of the season and the conference tournament.

“We know this game is a fun match to go into and it’s really the rest of the schedule from there that we have to win,” Jauregui said.

The Tigers take on the Golden Hurricane tonight at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse. The match is set for 7 p.m. n

phoTo By lAnCe Murphey | speCiAl To The DAily helMsMAn

Senior Altrese Hawkins goes for the kill in a game this year.

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