DAILY HELMSMAN Friday 10.25.13
The
For information on the men’s golf team, see page 4
Vol. 81 No. 035
Independent Student Newspaper of the University of Memphis
A Different Path has its Ups and 3 Downs
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SGA talks tuition tethers Who is Lea
By Freddy Hodges
news@dailyhelmsman.com
The Student Government Association recently submitted a tuition cap proposal to administrators at the University of Memphis. Realizing the problem of student debt and looking to increase retention rates, the organization sent a proposal to the University president, vice president, president of Business and Finance and
provost to place a cap on tuition rates for five years. The cap would keep students’ tuition from increasing annually. “Right now, tuition’s $8,200 (per year). So, a person who started this year, for the next five years will pay — because we want them to graduate in five — $8,200,” SGA President Ricky Kirby said. “Now, once we get here (the sixth year) they would have to pay whatever tuition is at this point.” Currently, tuition rates rise at a rate of
factors including SGA’s proposal, and they’re looking into several alternatives to tuition hikes, according to David Zettergren, vice president of Business and Finance. “We will continue to get feedback from students. So, any ideas that the SGA, or really anyone, has, we’re really happy to hear that,” Zettergren said. If implemented next fall, all currently
six percent annually. If the trend continues, students who pay $8,200 today will be paying about $11,000 five years from now, according to the proposal. “If that’s not an incentive to graduate, then I don’t know what is,” Kirby said. If accepted, the proposal would only apply to new students who enroll after it has been enacted. The University will pass a proposal on to the Tennessee Board of Regents after considering a number of
see SGA on page 2
Arts, food and music to entertain on South Main
PHOTO COURTESY OF KELLEY MORICE
RiverArtsFest is celebrating its seventh year Saturday in the South Main Historic District. Painters, glass blowers, musicians and more will fill the district.
By Griff Moran
Special to The Daily Helmsman Nationally renowned artwork, delicious food and live music will shape the festive scene of the annual RiverArtsFest this weekend. The festival, which is in its seventh year, will be held outdoors in the South Main Historic District from Friday to Sunday and will feature more than 180 artists displaying
their artwork and mingling with the crowd. Nearly 85,000 people attended the festival last year, and just as many are expected to flock to South Main this weekend, according to Bonnie Thorton. “RiverArtsFest is an outside, urban street festival, and South Main — with its cool, edgy vibe — is the place to be,” Thorton, director of the RiverArtsFest artist market, said. This year’s kickoff for the event coincides with Trolley Night, a
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.
monthly tour through the South Main Historic District. “Trolley Night provides a unique opportunity to enhance our Friday night kick-off party by lighting up the north end with an exclusive artist market, street performers and music,” Thornton said. The festival began in 1984 as “Arts in the Park.” For years, the Memphis Brooks Museum sponsored the event in nearby Overton Park, but by 2007, the event changed its name
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to RiverArtsFest and moved to the South Main neighborhood. The entire festival has grown exponentially since its first event, so now the committee has set high standards in selecting artists to participate. As a result, the festival features more than just local artists. “We do have several local artists who participate in our festival, but the majority of our artists
see RIVERFEST on page 3 Tiger Babble Campus Life
2 Sports 3
Fisher?
By Joey Kachel
news@dailyhelmsman.com It’s a story told on a hundred college campuses. Job-seeking students get desperate for work — any work — in a tough economy. Then they get an email from someone by the name of Lea Fisher. It’s a job offer! And what a job it is. “If you can spare 3 to 17 hours a week, possess some basic experience working on a computer and have an internet access, you can actually start earning extra money,” the email states. Showing interest in the offer by replying to the email leads to a follow-up from Ms. Fisher, telling the interested party to go to a website that leads, eventually, to an outfit called paidstudentsurveys.com. There, Michael Stevens, a third year student at University of California at Los Angeles, spins a tale of how he earned $45 in just minutes, and thousands of dollars every month just by taking surveys. All they want from the job seeker is a one-time fee of $40. The fee buys a list of companies offering surveys for people to take. All the while, the website is selling the idea that their survey lists can’t be found anywhere else, that this is a “dream job” where companies will pay people to shop and eat and blog and basically do nothing and still get paid hundreds of dollars a month. However, people can get this list for free just by searching for “paid surveys” on the internet, without having to drop $40 on a survey website. The surveys themselves are legitimate. Market research companies have been using surveys for years in order to figure out what people like, and with the advent of the Internet, it’s
see SCAM on page 3 4
2 • Friday, October 25, 2013
The
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enrolled and incoming students will pay that same cost until their sixth year of enrollment. The new policy wouldn’t apply to students who enrolled previous years. “The goal is to keep tuition as low as we possibly can, of course, without sacrificing the value that we consider the University of Memphis,” Zettergren said. According to Kirby, tuition keeps increasing, because state funding is decreasing. “State funding continues to decrease, because our retention rate is so low,” Kirby said. “We’re finding that students are leaving because of the tuition hikes.” In the fall of 2012, the one-year retention rate for the University was almost 77 percent, according to the Office of Institutional Research. As long as state funding keeps going
Volume 81 Number 35
Editor-in-Chief Lisa Elaine Babb Managing Editor L. Taylor Smith Design Editors Faith Roane Hannah Verret Sports Editor Meagan Nichols General Manager Candy Justice Advertising Manager Bob Willis Administrative Sales Sharon Whitaker Advertising Production John Stevenson Advertising Sales Robyn Nickell Christopher Darling Contact Information news@dailyhelmsman.com Advertising: (901) 6 78-2191 Newsroom: (901) 678-2193 The University of Memphis The Daily Helmsman 113 Meeman Journalism Building Memphis, TN 38152
down, tuition will continue going up. The SGA’s proposal seeks to cap the cost of tuition so that student retention might rise. Numbers are already being crunched as far as the financial impact of any proposal, according to Zettergren, and before the administration leaves for winter break, mid-November in particular, he hopes they will have formulated a concrete proposal to send to the president’s counsel. “That would give us about two weeks, after we (the president’s counsel’s) have comments, to go back and make changes based on their comments to submit to the board in January,” Zettergren said. January is the deadline for the administration to get approval for tuition items from the Tennessee Board of Regents.
This week is SAC’s TIGER BABBLE Open Your Eyes Week. thoughts that give you paws Solutions on page 4
“Apparently Richardson Towers only has two temperature settings: Antarctica for the summer, and Hell for winter.” @pcvrmlln1898 “Easier parking? Empty classrooms? Unstocked vending machines? Yes, the mid-semester perks and blues are upon us.” @jennifer_rorie “...group of guys playing Pokemon in the subway lobby of ACB.... is this real life? people still do that?.... college people?!” @mpmcivor
DOMINO’S PIZZA Across 1 __ shirt 7 Catholic pilgrimage destination 15 Written to last 16 Member of DC Comics’ Legion of Super-Heroes 17 Coliseum team, once 18 March Madness event 19 What busy people are on? 20 WBA decisions 21 Dos’ followers 22 Special screening 26 Trauma sufferer’s goal 27 Yellowstone grazer 31 Comic who wrote jokes for Kennedy 33 Start of a response to a brainteaser 34 Language “jai alai” comes from 35 Latin 101 word 36 Jersey Shore resort 38 Nautilus letters 39 Show deference 41 7 and 11: Abbr. 42 Stuffing material 43 Mullah’s faith 44 Regular guest on “The O’Reilly Factor” 46 Where funnels are often seen 50 Spot at the bridge table 53 Slick 54 Its capital is Valletta 55 Big name in racing 58 “Turn Me Loose” singer, 1959 59 Cut across 60 Double-edged 61 1980 hit with the line “I longed to speak but did not dare” 62 Just Down 1 Softens 2 Pioneer Day celebrant 3 Hunter with a distinctive cry 4 1963-’64 painter of the Paris Opera ceiling
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“Wanna get into Wilder today? gonna need you to climb a ladder, slide onto a trampoline and do a back flip into this ball pit.” @ JoshuaS7 “THERES NOT A STOP SIGN OVER THE FREAKING RAILROAD TRACKS ON SOUTHERN YOU GUYS” @SamanthaEsgro
Tell us what gives you paws.
Send us your thoughts on Twitter @dailyhelmsman or #tigerbabble. Or post on our Facebook Wall at facebook.com/dailyhelmsman.
5 1937 title gangster Pépé 6 Life support syst.? 7 Collective feeling of oppression 8 Recess 9 East German secret police 10 Portfolio element 11 Fail to keep up 12 Structural beam 13 Canine order 14 Some votes 20 Ranking suit 23 “Bah!” 24 Selling point? 25 Ill. neighbor 28 It may precede a cold front 29 Kick out 30 Emulate bees 31 “The Storyteller” storyteller
32 Book by a prophet 34 Low man 36 Interrogación word 37 Hardly chipper 40 Use a shuttle 42 Over-explain 44 Rat 45 City on the Volga 47 Basic teaching techniques 48 Net biz 49 ‘50s TV adventurer __ Derringer 50 Way 51 Dictator’s phrase 52 Modern info holders 56 BP checkers 57 That, in Tijuana 58 Bit of fiction
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.
The University of Memphis
Friday, October 25, 2013 • 3
Riverfest Page 1
travel from all over the country, and we actually have one artist who comes to us all the way from Israel,” Thornton said. Every year, RiverArtsFest selects a local artist’s painting for the event’s poster. This year’s poster features a painting by Annabelle Meacham. Many of her works explore surrealism and often feature wildlife. For the poster, Meacham painted a goldfinch flying over a riverbank with a flower from a dogwood tree in its beak. “Birds personify some of the best characteristics of our human persona: curiosity and seemingly boundless energy,” Meacham said. Throughout the weekend, artists will demonstrate their techniques in various areas such as glass blowing, watercolor painting and papermaking at the Artists in Motion stations. Participants will be able to create
their own art at another tent, the Hands on Art station. The festival also features live music from 25 acts including the Bluff City Backsliders, Ghost Town Blues Band and Will Graves & Soul. The music will add a pleasant backdrop to the festival, and it supports the festival’s mission to include more than just visual arts. As a nonprofit organization, RiverArtsFest funds programs that reach local art students. With the help of presenting sponsor Raymond James, Art in the Schools enlists professional artists to teach more than 1,000 students in local public schools. Friday’s festivities run from 6 to 9 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free on Friday, and $5 on Saturday and Sunday.
Saving LiveS
One Pint at a time Donate at the Lambda Chi Alpha campus-wide blood drive.
WedneSday, OctOber 30 and
thurSday, OctOber 31 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Rose Theatre Lobby Contact: Domenic Martini jmartini@memphis.edu
Donate blood and receive a Halloween T-shirt!
Campus Life
A different path has its ups and downs By Robbie Porter
news@dailyhelmsman.com For most students, their entire lives up to this point have been mapped out and squeezed into a mold: Go to school, graduate and repeat. This process goes on from elementary school to college until there’s no more schooling left, and then it’s time to jump into a career. From one program to the next, students are quickly pushed along until, finally, they are staring their college graduation in the face. Living by this program-after-program system they have followed their whole lives, it just makes sense that they jump right into a career or job. After all, that’s what they went to school for. Some chose a different path. Gray Matthews, a communications professor at the University of Memphis, chose to break this mold after his sophomore year in college. After being in the university setting for two years, he still didn’t know exactly what he wanted to do, so he decided to travel. He saved up money working as a server at Ruby Tuesdays, took time to come up with a plan, sold his Volkswagen Bug and went to Europe. “Any chance that allows you to get out of a certain condition and pushes you into another makes you human,” Matthews
said. After three months abroad, Matthews came back home, because one of his family members was dealing with heart complications. After returning from his trip, he saw his schooling and his life differently. “It really was a journey,” Matthews said. “You come back, and it’s a different place because now you have something to compare it to.” While breaks can be beneficial, it is important that students stay mindful of their time away from school or work, because potential employers could see extended breaks as an excuse for a student’s failure to find a job, according to Clay Woemmel, the associate director for Career Services at the University of Memphis. “I think the whole thing with taking a break is making it connect with what you want to do with your career,” Woemmel said. “I think you have to articulate how you can make your break from school applicable to your education and how you can make that time valuable.” One of the biggest barriers keeping students from getting away from their education and traveling is this misconception that it would be irresponsible, according to Matthews. He argued that not only is it responsible, but it’s one of the
best things a student can do. Matthews referenced Matsuo Bashō, a Japanese poet who is widely regarded as one of the greatest writers of haiku. Most of Bashō’s works came from his travels after he left his home, turning down the opportunity to possibly become a samurai. Many students have this same feeling of obligation to their responsibilities in college because a break from this pattern of schooling and work can be frowned on. This is not a new phenomenon. Like Bashō, there have been many significant figures throughout history such as Henry David Thoreau and Gautama Buddha who decided to get away from their normal lifestyle for a period of time, and both were heavily criticized for it. The most common argument critics had was that these people were being selfish and wasting the time and talents that had been allotted to them. Thoreau’s escape from civilization, however, led to one of his most famous books, “Walden.” Buddha’s break from his life ultimately led to the birth of a new religion. Despite the criticism they faced, both left a notable impact on the world, and they did so without being lazy or unproductive. They simply decided to take a different approach.
Scam
Page 1
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become easier than ever for them to put together focus groups and gather demographic data. Making money off surveys isn’t simple or very effective, however. The survey taker has to fit both the demographic the company offering the survey is trying to reach and be invited to take the survey in the first place. After that, payment isn’t always guaranteed — some survey takers are entered into sweepstakes or offered samples. One survey website, SurveyU. com, offers students the chance to earn a bit of extra cash or gift cards for online retailers by taking surveys without having to buy a subscription and without selling the student’s personal information. After taking them, students get points they can redeem for rewards like gift cards or cash. But it’s not a lot of money — one survey nets 150 points or a $5 payment through
PayPal. Most marketing companies, as an industry standard, will not sell information to other marketing companies without the consent of the person giving out the information. Third-party sites, like paidstudentsurveys. com, are under no such rules, so people signing up for surveys through them get buried in spam from other companies. Clay Woemmel, associate director of Career Services at the University of Memphis, said if a survey site sounds too good to be true, it probably is. “The number one thing is buyer beware,” Woemmel said. Woemmel recommends that people approach these and other offers with a healthy amount of skepticism. They should be especially watchful of companies that ask for money up front or advertise anything that seems seems unrealistic like earning $5,000
a month by taking surveys or earning all-expenses-paid trips for answering a few questions. In the event someone falls for the scam, the major worry becomes identity theft. “If they have willingly provided their information, then their options might be limited,” Woemmel said. He recommends that people keep tabs on their credit ratings. If they feel they might be a victim of identity theft, they should contact their credit card companies, get their cards changed and contact their banks to change account numbers. Sometimes these emails come from Lea Fisher. Sometimes they come from Zoe Roth or Sarah Jones or one of a dozen other names. No matter whom they come from, what they all have in common is that they are a scam.
4 • Friday, October 25, 2013
Sports at a glance Men’s Golf
Event: Bridgestone Golf Collegiate Date: Saturday and Sunday Location: Greensboro, N.C. Time: All Day
Riffle
Event: Memphis vs. North Carolina State Date: Saturday Location: Lexington, KY Time: All Day Event: Memphis vs. Kentucky Date: Sunday Location: Lexington, KY Time: All Day
Men’s Soccer
Event: Memphis vs. Louisville Date: Saturday Location: Mike Rose Soccer Complex, Memphis, Tenn. Time: 7 p.m.
Women’s Soccer
Event: Memphis vs. Connecticut Date: Sunday Location: Mike Rose Soccer Complex, Memphis, Tenn. Time: 1 p.m.
Men’s Tennis
Event: USTA Future-Pensacola Futures Championship Date: Sunday and Thursday Location: Pensacola, Fla. Time: TBA
Volleyball
Event: Memphis vs. USF Date: Friday Location: Tampa, Fla. Time: 8p.m. (ET) Event: Memphis vs. UCF Date: Sunday Location: Orlando, Fla. Time: 2 p.m. (ET)
Men’s golf tees off in weekend tournament
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By Meagan Nichols
sports@dailyhelmsman.com The Tigers last stepped on the fairway two weeks ago at the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate in Jonesborough, Tenn. Memphis ended the three-day tournament tied for fifth out of 14 schools after moving up a one spot during the final round of play to secure the position. Freshman Lars Van Meijel was the top Memphis finisher tying for eighth place individually with scores of 69, 73 and 68 after the three rounds of play. Sophomore Thomas Perrot was slightly behind Van Meijel tying for the No. 14 slot. The Tiger shot a 213 total, only three shots off Van Meijel’s 210. Senior Will Pearson was third out of the five Memphis players. Pearson’s 74, 74 and 69 were good enough for a tie in the No. 30 position. Head Memphis men’s golf coach, Grant Robbins, said he thought the team played decently at the Bank of Tennessee event but waited too long to move up the board. “We played really well the last round, but we were too far back to make a run,” Robbins said. Robbins said with about another 14 teams scheduled to compete at the Bridgestone tournament this weekend, it should prove another good test for the Tigers. “It should be another strong field,” he said. “I know Virginia Tech will be there, and they are ranked about 10 or 1l in the country. There should be several teams ranked in the top 30. It should be another great opportunity for us. With only two more tournaments lined up on the fall cal-
PHOTO BY JOE MURPHY | SPECIAL TO THE DAILY HELMSMAN
University of Memphis sophomore Thomas Perrot, a Conference USA All-Freshman honoree during his first season, is in North Carolina this weekend to compete in the Bridgestone Golf Collegiate with his fellow Tigers. endar, Robbins said things have gone well and several of the young players have really stepped up throughout the competitions.
DAILY HELMSMAN
The Tigers are slated to tee off Saturday and wrap up play on Sunday. “We need to make sure we do
2X2
a good job staying in the present and focusing on each shot and getting the most out of each round,” Robbins said.
Make sure that little bird in our ear is you. Send us your thoughts @dailyhelmsman.25 FRIDAY, OCTOBER
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