Daily Helmsman The
Will the Tigers Bounce Back?
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 Vol. 79 No. 40
Independent Student Newspaper of The University of Memphis
Bye week gives UM football team muchneeded time to recharge for UAB matchup see page 8 www.dailyhelmsman.com
Lady Tigers make it five in a row Memphis women’s soccer survives double-overtime match against UTEP for fifth consecutive C-USA championship
Not even William Shakespeare could have written a drama like this. A week after finishing the regular season undefeated, the No. 4-ranked University of Memphis women’s soccer team took home their fifth straight Conference-USA tournament title, defeating the University of Texas-El Paso Miners in double-overtime Sunday, 2-1. But before that victory, The Lady Tigers made quick work of the East Carolina Pirates on Friday with a 3-0 trouncing. Seniors Lizzy Hildebrandt and Lizzy Simonin, along with sophomore Rasheeda Ansari, scored goals for the Lady Tigers. “They have evolved tremendously,” said head coach Brooks Monaghan. “It has been an honor to watch them not only evolve as players, but also as people. I can’t say enough about the character of this team.” Sunday’s match against the Miners proved to be a much stiffer test. Sophomore midfielder-forward Christabel Oduro, who was later named the tournament’s offensive MVP, put the Lady Tigers on the board first after racing down the field to the left side of the box. After gathering the pass from Hildebrandt, Oduro fired the shot into the back of the net for a 1-0 advantage and her team-leading 12th goal of the season. “It’s a great feeling,” Oduro said. “I really can’t even put it into words.”
see
Soccer, page 8
by David C. Minkin
BY BRYAN HEATER Sports Reporter
Freshman midfielder Kelley Gravlin corrals a pass during the C-USA women’s soccer championship on Sunday.
Shaving heads, saving children ‘Shavedown’ fundraiser, sponsored by Up ‘til Dawn, aims to raise more than $1,000 by putting participants’ locks on the chopping block BY ERICA HORTON News Reporter Volunteers at The University of Memphis are willing to take it all off for charity this month for the second annual Up ‘til Dawn Shavedown, where the participant who collects the most donations will have their head shaved in front members of the campus community. The Shavedown fundraising campaign kicked off Monday in The University Center, where Up ‘til Dawn volunteers set up tables that featured 20 jars with the faces of volunteers who are willing to be shaved for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The volunteer whose jar collects the most money will have their head shaved in the lobby of the Michael D. Rose Theater Nov. 21 at 1 p.m. Meanwhile, Up ‘til Dawn will collect donations in The UC lobby from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rico Doss, morale captain for Up ‘til Dawn, said that when the fundraiser started last year, there were only 12 participants, but they raised $400. This year, the Up ‘til Dawn crew
wants to raise $1,000. Doss said the idea came about while talking to other Up ‘til Dawn members about ways to raise money for St. Jude. “When you think about cancer patients, you think about how they go through chemotherapy, and the first thing they lose is their hair,” he said. “To do something like shave your head for the patients of St. Jude speaks to your character. It shows true grit and a true merit of your character.” Doss said recruiting people to be shaved was tough, but he admires every one of this year’s participants for being selfless enough to participate. Keilin Wells, a freshman and one of 20 men volunteering to be shaved, said he donated blood platelets to St. Jude once and that the Shavedown is another way for him to give back to the community. When he found out about the event, Wells had already missed the deadline and said he begged to participate. “I think there are a lot of hypocrites in the world,” he said. “People
say they want to help and want to improve the world, but few act on it.” He said that he would look like Dr. Evil from “Austin Powers” if he shaved his head, but that the cause is worth it. “I was in the military at one point, and I had to shave my head then,” he said. “I’m confident enough to know that I’m doing this for a higher purpose and not just my personal looks.” When Alexis Tate, freshman psychology major and table volunteer, heard about the Up ‘til Dawn Shavedown, she said she thought it was a joke. “I really didn’t understand what he meant by ‘shave down,’” she said. “I thought maybe it meant people could donate their hair.” After Doss explained, Tate said she thought it was a good idea and that the event could get a lot of attention. Students, she said, would want to see their peers get their heads shaved. “I’ve seen people do it on TV before, but I’ve never seen it in person,” she said. “I think students will take this as a good experience.”
Students urged to be cautious of cellphone thieves BY ERICA HORTON News Reporter University of Memphis Police Services has advised students, faculty and staff to be on the lookout for a possible con where two men are reportedly stealing cell phones just off campus. Six phones were stolen in the past seven weeks after unidentified men asked to borrow phones from victims, then drove away with them, according to Bruce Harber, director of police services. Harber said all of the stolen items are smart phones—four IPhones, one LG and one Samsung. Suspects were seen in six different cars on six different occasions including a blue, fourdoor compact car; a blue, older vehicle; a silver or yellow Honda or Toyota; a green, four-door 1990s Buick or Mercury; a dark, boxed vehicle; a light green Lincoln Towncar. “Someone will pull up to (victims) in a car or walk by a parked car and say ‘Can I borrow your phone? My phone is dead. I need to call someone in the dorms,’ and just leave with the phone,” Harber said. Anyone with information can call Police Services at 678-4357 or Memphis Police at 545-2677.