AUG22

dn the

dailynebraskan.com

WEDNESDAY, august 22, 2012 volume 112, issue 004

Inside Coverage

Degrees pay bigger bills

Omaha struts its stuff

Study: College worth cost despite jobless

Art disciplines converge in fashion week

2

5

Brain games

Pictured in a photo illustration, Blake Lawrence is a former Nebraska football player. In 2009, the Husker starting linebacker ended his football career after receiving his fourth concussion in 16 months. Lawrence shares his story about the frustration and devastation concussions can cause an athlete, especially without the proper knowledge.

built to last

A construction crew works on the new Alpha Gamma Rho house on Tuesday. The house will be on Holdredge Street and Idlywild Drive.

Alpha Gamma Rho anticipates future housing mandates story Elias Youngquist | photo by Matt Masin | art by Chris Rodes N 33rd ST

S

E Campus Loop E Campus Loop

Holdrege St

Holdrege St

Holdrege St

there for the next 100 years.”

To fix parking issues, Alpha Gamma Rho purchased five nearby properties but later sold two back to Valentino’s.

In order to respect the neighborhood’s wishes, the parking lot will be slightly sunken down and hidden by a dirt hill and landscaping.

The entire process has been 15 years in the making according to Wehrbein, though it wasn’t until the last four years that fundrais-

Cristina Woodworth DN It’s not Jim O’Hanlon’s goal to be the dean for every college at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. But in his 46-year career, O’Hanlon has held the top spot at four colleges — most recently interim dean at the College of Journalism and Mass Communications.

O’Hanlon, appointed interim dean in June after then-dean Gary Kebbel resigned, has also been the temporary dean at the College of Engineering and College of Architecture and dean of the College of Education and Human Services.

“This is probably my last one,” he said.

Despite the different teaching and research areas at each college, O’Hanlon said one thing has remained constant — meetings.

“The one certainty is that there will always be meetings, lots of meetings,” said O’Hanlon, who is also a professor in the College of Education and Human Sciences at UNL. An interim dean is chosen by the vice chancellor who oversees the particular college or academic unit, according to UNL Vice Chancellor Ellen Weissinger. Weissinger said O’Hanlon is the only person at UNL who has served as dean of so many colleges.

Although O’Hanlon has no background in journalism or mass communications, Weissinger said his selection as interim dean was logical because of a mix of timing and O’Hanlon’s administrative experience.

For 22 years O’Hanlon was a dean at the College of Education and Human Sciences. Then, in 2005 and 2006 O’Hanlon headed the campus-wide re-accreditation effort, which, gave him an even wider knowledge of the

ing became a serious thing.

“It’s almost all being funded through alumni associations,” Anderjaska said.

Alumni have taken a major role in nearly every facet of the new house.

Heartland Builders Company out of Columbus, Neb., is doing the construction.

“It’s actually one of our alum-

construction: see page 2

@dailyneb | facebook.com/dailynebraskan

jim o’hanlon 1966

Joined UNL faculty

1982-2003

Dean of College of Education and Human Sciences

2005-2006

Led UNL re-accreditation effort

September 2007

Named interim executive director of the Nebraska Alumni Association

January 2009

Named interim director of the Charles W. Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction

April 2010

Named interim dean of College of Engineering

August 2011

Named interim dean of the College of Architecture

July 2012

Named interim dean of the College of Journalism and Mass Communication entire campus, Weissinger said.

In 2007, he served as interim executive director of UNL’s Alumni Association and, later, interim director of the Charles W.

o’hanlon: see page 2

Anti-discrimation law vote postponed

dan holtmeyer dn

Idylwild Dr

derjaska said. “It’ll be completely concrete and steel. We probably could’ve built it five years ago if we just wanted to do it with wood.”

A shaft for an elevator and a commercial-grade kitchen are also being added in case future mandates or codes change.

“We’re making a commitment here, and we figure on being here for a long time,” Wehrbein said.

“We’ve been on campus since 1916, so we’re planning on being

O’Hanlon gears for fourth interim dean position

Councilman says fairness amendment needs ‘more informed discussion’

N 37th ST

Idylwild Dr

N 33rd ST

ince 1957, the Alpha Gamma Rho house stood at the corner of Idylwild Drive and Holdrege Street. Now it’s a cement pit in the ground.

After 10 years in the making, the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity is building a new, 22,000-squarefoot, three-story house for $5 million. The house will be finished by 2013, in time for up to 66 members to move in.

“It’s about one-third bigger, because we’re adding a third story,” said Roger Wehrbein, chairman of the Kappa chapter of Alpha Gamma Rho. According to Wehrbein, because the house was 55 years old, it lacked conveniences such as parking, air conditioning, heating and an indoor sprinkler system.

The latter is the largest reason the new house is being built.

“It would’ve cost $3.5 million to renovate and put in the sprinkler system, and this new house will be about $5 million,” said Will Anderjaska, the Alpha Gamma Rho Noble Ruler and a junior animal science major.

According to Anderjaska, after a fire at a fraternity house at Nebraska Wesleyan University in 2006 killed a student, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln mandated that all Greek houses install sprinkler systems by 2017.

“We decided, might as well do it right and make something that lasts rather than have an old structure with new stuff in it,” Anderjaska said.

In order to look toward future mandates, the building committee of Alpha Gamma Rho has decided to include multiple precautionary measures.

“The building committee isn’t wanting to cut any corners,” An-

12

It’s official: Lincoln residents won’t be able to vote for or against the Lincoln City Council’s controversial anti-discrimination ordinance in November.

Without that vote, for now it will remain legal to fire, evict or kick someone out of a restaurant or other public place for his or her perceived identity as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.

Last May, the City Council passed an ordinance to change that, making discrimination in housing, public accommodations and employment based on sexual orientation a punishable offense by a 5-0 vote. But a successful signature petition from opponents, citing religious freedom, forced the council

to bring the issue to a public ballot.

As of this week, city officials have confirmed, the council has not done so in time for the “fairness amendment” to appear on the Election Day ticket.

Mayor Chris Beutler, who had long supported the ordinance, and ordinance sponsor Councilman Carl Eskridge made the decision together to suspend the vote, spokeswoman Diane Gonzolas said Monday.

The mayor has not released an official comment, but in a phone interview Tuesday, Eskridge said the delay was meant to give Lincoln voters more time to consider and talk about the proposal.

“Nobody’s backed away,” Eskridge said, adding his belief that the issue was one of human rights.

“We’re just wanting a more informed discussion.”

He pointed to this election year’s political maelstrom, where same-sex marriage remains a potent partisan flashpoint. As both sides of the marriage issue dig in their heels

discrimination: see page 3

2

dailynebraskan.com

wednesday, august 22, 2012

o’hanlon: from 1

cops briefs Non-student receives DUI

You have to look at things that can be completed within a year’s time while you are serving as a dean.”

At 2:18 a.m. on Friday, UNL Police said they pulled over a Chevy Tahoe speeding along 17th Street between R and Vine streets. The driver, Antonio Taylor, a 26-year-old resident of Davey, Neb., submitted to field sobriety tests and took a breathalyzer test. He had a blood alcohol content of 0.207, police said. Taylor was charged with driving under the influence.

Marijuana found in Abel Hall

JIm O’Hanlon interim cojmc dean

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction.

In April 2010, Weissinger said she needed an interim dean for the College of Engineering on short notice. O’Hanlon seemed like the perfect choice, she said.

One year later, the College of Architecture had an unexpected need for an interim dean. Weissinger again chose O’Hanlon because of the collaborative ties between architecture and engineering, she said.

“Just as that assignment was ending, we needed an interim dean in Journalism and Mass Communications, and Jim was willing to accept another assignment,” Weissinger said.

At the CoJMC, O’Hanlon said the faculty and staff have been a great resource.

“It’s the interaction with the faculty that basically provides me with a crash course in journalism,” he said. “They’re really good teachers.”

Weissinger said it’s more important for interim deans to be confident leaders and planners rather than have lots of experience in their colleges’ fields.

“The most important thing is to have an interim dean who can make the college’s transition successful for the faculty, staff, students and stakeholders,” she said.

Community service officers say they noticed the smell of marijuana while patrolling the 12th floor of Abel Hall early Sunday morning. After the officer knocked on the door, University of Nebraska-Lincoln student Joe Robinson, a freshman psychology major, answered the door and admitted to smoking marijuana in his room, police said. He surrendered 4.7 grams of marijuana to the officer and was cited with drug possession and possessing drug paraphernalia.

MIP on Antelope Valley Parkway

bethany schmidt | dn

Jim O’Hanlon, interim dean of the College of Journalism and Mass Communications, stands outside his office in Andersen Hall on Tuesday. Last year, O’Hanlon was a temporary dean at the College of Architecture.

O’Hanlon said interim deans usually hold their positions for about a year, until a permanent replacement is hired. He said the temporariness of the job means focusing more on short-term projects.

“You have to look at things that can be completed within a year’s time while you are serving as dean,” said O’Hanlon.

For the journalism college specifically, O’Hanlon said he is looking at updating the advising system and updating equipment and class curriculum in the coming year.

“The faculty and I are already

identifying some of the things we need to be doing,” he said. “(Journalism) is a rapidly changing environment, and things are constantly going to need to be updated.”

He also said being an interim dean means having to scramble to catch up on certain topics.

“When you come into an area, you have a great information deficit,” he said. “You have so much to learn in such a short time. By the time you get done, you’re maybe ready to start.”

O’Hanlon added he has appreciated the uniqueness of each col-

lege where he has been dean.

“Each college is different and has its own culture and way of doing things,” he said.

Weissinger said O’Hanlon is a person who can adapt well to variety and changing environments.

“Jim is the best at helping groups work positively together toward a better future,” she said.

“That is a rare and valuable gift that he brings to every organization he is a part of.” news@ dailynebraskan.com

At 1:01 a.m. Monday morning, officers patrolling the area north of Smith Hall approached a student who appeared to be smoking marijuana. Officers said they found Christian Gaillard, a 20-year-old junior psychology major, who was smoking a cigarette and appeared to be intoxicated. He had a BAC of 0.124, officers said. Gaillard was cited for minor in possession.

Rash of bike thefts across campus

Police say four bikes have been reported stolen on campus in the past week. In three of the cases, the bikes were locked using combination locks. Sgt. Jeffrey Hohlen of UNL Police said students should invest in stronger locks. The bikes have been valued at roughly $300 each, police said, and officers have no leads at this time.

—Compiled by Daniel Wheaton news@dailynebraskan.com

Study shows grads still have advantage Despite the national recession, a college degree still aids those entering the workforce Carl Mejstrik DN With high unemployment comes speculation that a college degree may not be worth its cost. But a recent study from Georgetown University suggests otherwise.

In the Aug. 15 study, “The College Advantage,” researchers suggest a college degree still pays, even with the time and money required to get them.

Of the jobs lost since December 2007, nearly half have been recovered, the study said. Individuals with at least a bachelor ’s

degree have accounted for 2.2 million of these recovered jobs.

And although jobs are slowly recovering in fields where degrees are not required, workers with a college degree have a starting median earning wage 30 percent higher than someone with only a high school education, the study found.

Sam Allgood, professor of economics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, said because the U.S. has moved toward a non-manufacturing economy, education has remained an important asset.

“Things are hard for everybody, but it’s more difficult for the less educated,” Allgood said. “Majors that require a specific skill set are in higher demand because employers look for potential employees with the most amount of training.”

But while having a degree

may improve chances of a better future career, nothing is guaranteed.

Eric Thompson, associate professor of economics at the UNL and director of the Bureau of Business Research, said, “These numbers are medians.

Some people may make much more or much less than that number.”

In fact, 7 percent of college graduates are still unemployed and 14 percent are employed in jobs below their skill level, the study said.

But individuals with nothing more than a high school education have a 24 percent unemployment rate.

Thompson said he agrees with what the study asserts, but he understands why some individuals may not wish to obtain a post-secondary education.

“Education is an investment,

median pay of graduates by major “The College Advantage” ranks the fields that make the highest median earnings with at least a bachelor’s degree.

Top median earnings annually: Engineering - $75,000 Computer sciences - $70,000 Business - $60,000

Lowest median earnings annually: Humanities and life sciences - $47,000 Art - $44,000 Education and psychology - $42,000

so there he said, succeed. amount

are elements of risk,” “Not all investments There’s a significant of money in tuition,

and cost of living on top of the time given up to study.” news@ dailynebraskan.com

UNL researcher wins national support for aiding teens “On the Way Home” program gets grant to help teenagers with special needs Staff Report A University of Nebraska-Lincoln associate research professor received a $3.5 million grant for working with teenagers with special needs and their families.

Alexandra Trout, a special education researcher who works in the UNL Center for Child and Family Well Being, was awarded the funds from the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute for Education Sciences for her program, “On the Way Home,” according to an Aug. 9 press release.

The program aims to help educators assist special-needs teens, many who come from out-of-home care. A number of these teens have behavioral issues or learning disabilities.

“Children who transition from out-of-home care back to the home tend to fall apart because few services are available to support them,” Trout said in the press release.

UNL and Boys Town National Research Hospital are partnering in clinical research. Cedars Home for Children Foundation in Lincoln, Christian Heritage, NOVA Treatment Community in Omaha,

courtesy photo

UNL special education researcher Alexandra Trout poses with Boys Town researchers. Trout received a $3.5 million grant to help special-needs teens.

Omaha Home for Boys and OMNI Behavioral Health in Lincoln are also participating.

A Boys Town family consultant will work with the teen shortly be-

fore the teen leaves care and will continue to work with him or her for one year.

“We are excited to continue this important work helping children

return home to their families and schools from out-of-home care,” said Patrick Tyler, clinical director for Boys Town, in the press release.

“The children, families and schools

have confirmed for us the value of supporting these youth through this oftentimes difficult transition.”

The program has steps or “interventions.”

“Check-and-Connect” is designed to help students stay in school, while “Common Sense Parenting” helps with parenting and offers homework support, the release said.

The study’s preliminary findings suggest that at the end of a 12-month intervention, more than 91 percent of teens remained in their home or community placement after “On the Way Home” intervened, as opposed to 65 percent of teens who did not go through the program.

With the program, 89 percent of students were more likely to either still be in school or have graduated. This is true for less than 52 percent of students not receiving support, according to the study.

There more than 500 Nebraska teens in out-of–home care and nearly half a million in out-ofhome care nationally.

“We’ve already received calls from across the country from agencies wanting to adopt this program,” Trout said in the press release. “Agencies are hungry for it. They have such an emotional attachment to these kids. They don’t want to see them go home and fall apart. That is heartbreak for service providers.”

News@ dailynebraskan.com

construction: from 1

It’s been a great experience, getting 60 of their guys moving out of our house.”

Austin Peterson

alpha gamma nu member

ni, so it helps to have someone with a vested interest heading it up,” Anderjaska said.

Though Heartland Builders Company builds churches and schools, it also focuses on agricultural buildings, a fitting company for an agricultural fraternity like Alpha Gamma Rho. Unfortunately, one alumni contribution will not be at the new house — the large hanging limestone sign was torn down and broken in an act of vandalism on the evening of Aug. 15.

“Another group roped a chain around it and yanked it down,” Anderjaska said. “You’d like to think that everybody had the respect to be proud of us for being successful and getting a new house, but it’s just too bad.”

Until August 2013, the 60 members displaced from their home will be staying with Alpha Gamma Nu, a once-large fraternity that has since shrunk to eight members in a 70-person house.

“It’s been a great experience, getting 60 of their guys moving into our house,” said Austin Peterson, a senior mechanized systems management major. “I’m a senior, and I’ve never moved into a full house.”

According to Anderjaska, the temporary move has been mutually beneficial. Some of the rooms hadn’t been occupied in years and needed painting and cleaning. The new residents are also able assist Alpha Gamma Nu in paying the rent and utilities.

“We’re not a national chapter, so we’re our own national headquarters,” Peterson said. “It’s something we’re working on with the alumni, trying to get back on our feet.”

Despite not having a house, most members will agree it’s the people, not the building, that make the fraternity. Wehrbein, one of the first members to move into the old house in 1957, remembers the old house but still values the people more.

“Like most people, you remember the good times and college years,” Wehrbein said. “I always really appreciated being able to sit in our living room and look out over East Campus. And with this new house, we’ll be able to do that again.” news@ dailynebraskan.com

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wednesday, august 22, 2012

3

discrimination: from 1 and controversies flare up over politicians and restaurant chains, Lincoln’s own ordinance became “a very partisan issue,” Eskridge said.

Eskridge also pointed to the report of a vicious hate-crime during the summer here in Lincoln, when a woman claimed men broke into her home and carved epithets into her skin. The ensuing community reaction inflamed the issue further, Eskridge said. That woman plead not guilty Tuesday after being charged with lying to police about the attack.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the three other NU campuses don’t base employment or housing decisions on sexual orientation as a matter of policy, and Lincoln’s city government has a similar rule already in place that applies to city employees only.

Lincoln is, however, the only Big Ten Conference city without this protection, Eskridge said. Omaha remains the only city in Nebraska to adopt such an ordinance after its City Council approved one earlier this year.

Several UNL students said Eskridge was right in thinking the city needed more time — none of nine students interviewed knew that firing or evicting a gay person was legal to begin with, and none were happy it would stay that way.

“That pisses me off,” said Chelsea Thomas, a junior psychology major who lives in Lincoln. “I think homophobia is the civil rights issue of our generation.”

For Dongwen Wang, a senior accounting and finance major, the fairness amendment was a commonsense change.

“Everyone should have the same opportunities in the work place,” she said.

Franecia Moore, a junior architecture major, agreed. Leaving the law as is, she said, directly harms the gay community.

“You’re taking away their rights as a person to be able to provide for themselves,” she said. “I personally think that’s unconstitutional.”

The ordinance’s opponents have also used the Bill of Rights to support their position. The key, opponents say, is that the ordinance protects behavior, not characteristics, making the LGBT community different from other minorities.

“Human sexuality has always been a moral issue, not a minority issue,” said Al Riskowski, executive director of the Lincoln-based Nebraska Family Council, which helped lead the successful petition against the bill.

If sexual behavior becomes protected, then religious rights lose out, Riskowski said.

“So if you have a Christian businessman and he has strong religious ties, there may be behaviors ... that his church says are immoral,” Riskowski said. “This ordinance would protect that behavior.”

The Nebraska Family Council strongly condemns violence or hatred, Riskowski said, and would support legislation for more protection from

such crimes.

Despite the vote’s suspension, the ordinance can still be brought to a later public vote, Lincoln’s city attorney Rod Confer said.

“The referendum procedures in the city charter don’t have any deadlines,” Confer said in a phone interview, and the issue can come up to a vote in any future primary, general or special election.

Lincoln’s next primary is in April, Eskridge said. He said he didn’t know when the issue would come up again but said he still believes Lincoln needs to make sexual orientation and gender identity protected classes, like religion, race and gender already are.

Discrimination is a reality here in town, he said, referring to public testimony and conversations with Lincoln residents. He thinks the amendment stands a good chance of passing after given time to stew, though Riskowski said his organization would continue to oppose it.

“Lincoln is a positive and progressive city,” Eskridge said. “I do believe there’s a lot of strength in the community.”

The UNL students’ predictions were more mixed.

“I think that’s a pretty close tossup,” said Thomas, the junior psychology major. “It’s going to take time.” news@ dailynebraskan.com

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opinion

4

WEDNESDAY, august 22, 2012 dailynebraskan.com @Dailynebopinion

dn ed i t o r i a l b o a r d m e m b e r s ANDREW DICKINSON editor-in-chief

RYAN DUGGAN opinion editor RHIANNON ROOT assistant opinion editor HAILEY KONNATH ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR JACY MARMADUKE NEWS ASSIGNMENT EDITOR

KATIE NELSON A&E ASSISTANT EDITOR ROBBY KORTH SPORTS EDITOR BEA HUFF ART DIRECTOR KEVIN MOSER WEB CHIEF

our view

Support of LGBTQ victims applauded On July 22, former Husker women’s basketball player Charlie Rogers was the alleged victim of a hate crime. Rogers reported that three men broke into her house, bound her with zip ties, carved anti-gay slurs into her skin, vandalized her house and tried to set it on fire.

The news galvanized hundreds of supporters the same day in both Lincoln and Omaha to hold vigils and donate money to support Rogers, who remained anonymous at the time.

From the first reports of the incident, there were several doubters of Rogers’ story, causing her to reveal her identity in an interview with KETV on July 27, where she appeared visibly shaken and spoke about how doubting victims of hate crimes only further alienates them.

Yesterday, the Lincoln Police Department arrested Rogers under charges of providing false information to police, but she was released on a personal recognizance bond after a brief court appearance. The warrant was issued based on forensic evidence collected from the scene that contradicted Rogers’ account of events as well as inconsistencies in her four separate police interviews during the past month.

If it turns out that Rogers’ accusations are false, this creates a very problematic situation for actual victims of hate crimes. False accusations of such an extreme incident could create a space in which doubters of hate crimes feel more justified in denying the credibility of hate crime victims. In a time when conservative politicians are attempting to downplay the horror of violent crimes such as rape, this kind of incident could end up just adding fuel to the victim-blaming fire.

According to the Associated Press, Rogers posted a Facebook status on July 18 stating, “So maybe I am too idealistic, but I believe way deep inside me that we can make things better for everyone. I will be a catalyst. I will do what it takes. I will. Watch me.” These statements only add to the confusion and doubt surrounding Rogers’ account.

But the real focus should be on the reaction of the local communities. Despite whether Rogers’ story is fabricated, the fact of the matter is that the communities of Omaha and Lincoln responded to her accusations in an overwhelmingly positive and supportive way.

A candlelight vigil was held outside of the state Capitol Building in Lincoln the same day as the reported incident, at a time when Rogers was still keeping her identity concealed. Additional rallies were held in Omaha and Lincoln during the following weeks. Various local businesses contributed to a fund to pay for Rogers’ hospital bills, including Heartland Tattoo which donated more than $600 earned by doing “NOH8” tattoos for supporters of Rogers.

In a state that is popularly considered extremely conservative and anti-LGBTQ, it is incredibly encouraging to see such immediate and tremendously positive support for an anti-gay hate crime victim.

What is even more encouraging is that most of those supporters didn’t know who Rogers was until several weeks after the fact.

The Daily Nebraskan would like to commend and thank those who came out to support tolerance and diversity, no matter what the cause of that support may have been. To see so many people take a stand against hate and discrimination, without even knowing the name of the victim, gives us hope for the future of gay rights and civil rights in Nebraska.

opinion@dailynebraskan.com

editorial policy The editorial above contains the opinion of the fall 2012 Daily Nebraskan Editorial Board. It does not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, its student body or the University of Nebraska Board of Regents. A column is solely the opinion of its author; a cartoon is solely the opinion of its artist. The Board of Regents acts as publisher of the Daily Nebraskan; policy is set by the Daily Nebraskan Editorial Board.

The UNL Publications Board, established by the regents, supervises the production of the paper. According to policy set by the regents, responsibility for the editorial content of the newspaper lies solely in the hands of Daily Nebraskan employees.

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LAUREN VUCHETICH | DN

Stores falsely advertise ‘identity’

T

he move to college demands sound advice from guardians and advisers as well as important decisions considered and carried out by the new students.

The move to college also demands stuff. Yep, lots of stuff is needed to fill new dorm rooms and apartments. As the numerous advertisements indicate, it’s impossible to have a truly successful college experience without the newest and fanciest bright pink toaster and other accessories.

While the new furniture and accessories can be used to complement the student’s individuality and personal choices, the massive display of products marketed toward college students takes away any deeper meaning and degrades it into piles of stuff students are “supposed” to have.

I was recently interested to see that in the Sunday advertisements, every store appeared to have its own specially marked section of “college essentials.” In reading through several lists of supplies, I began to wonder just how large my dorm room was supposed to be. After the chairs, lamps, pillows, artwork, bookshelves, futons, food, coffee pots, laptops, TVs, games, movies, accessories, printers, cables, webcams and clothes, I wasn’t sure exactly where I was supposed to sleep.

College should be a time for students to enter the world of “adulthood” and self-realized decisions. A part of this is found in furnishing perhaps their first living space outside the comfort of their parents’ protection. Though adults are faced with countless advertisements and purchasing decisions in the “real world,” students have not yet learned to be intelligent consumers. Instead of helping students transition into the adult world, college advertisements target and bombard them while they are unprepared and overwhelmed.

The overflow of advice and advertisements make it difficult for students to understand what they actually need to bring to the dorms.

Advertisements set a tone of insufficiency simply by labeling their endless lists as “essential.” Target’s online back-to-college center features a “sale on college stuff,” a dorm designer

AMY KENYON tool and an extensive checklist of “must have stuff.”

In part I find it amusing that they embrace their own products as “stuff,” but not “tools” or even “supplies.” This is because they cannot fit many of the items into a single category of usefulness. However, for new students, these lists may inspire never-ending questions. If they do not buy that pink toaster, will they have difficulty making friends? If the floor rug does not match their comforter, will they have difficulty studying? If they do not have the right computer, will they be successful in class? These questions may seem ridiculous, but this is the tone set by the advertisements.

Students should instead consider more practical issues such as supplies for semester projects, little knickknacks to remind them of home, equipment for residence-hall shenanigans and clothing for the unpredictable Nebraska weather.

Certainly some supplies are necessary, and students want to make their living spaces comfortable and personalized with the right additions.

However, I believe that decorations mean more if they come from the individual and not from a catalogue. I would rather spend a year looking at things I made or things given to me as gifts than at a pink toaster identical to my neighbor’s. Advertisements scream of individuality and “making it yours,” but they mass produce and market the same supplies to a wide range of students.

While it’s certainly not the end of the world to have “twinsy toasters,” it takes away meaning to

the individual student.

Current students have witnessed the continuously rising cost of college and have bemoaned the deepening pit of student debt. With these warnings, why would students want to spend even more of their money just to furnish their rooms in the newest and most “stylish” ways?

According to advertisements, everything has to be purchased together to be cool and coordinated. Each store has their own special style to help students “stand out.” Certainly, having a personal style and color scheme is nice, but students would stand out more if they brought together multiple pieces to make an individual collection rather than purchasing a neat, impersonal package from a store.

Practically speaking, there simply isn’t space for everything on the lists. For many students, college is the first time he or she will be limited to a single, rather small, shared bedroom. They can’t spread their possessions across their parents’ entire houses without a trip home, and they have to consider leaving space in their dorms for their roommates to sleep and move around — if nothing else. Yet, students are expected to fit more stuff into smaller rooms. With these demands added to the preexistent academic stress, the transition into a new school year can be terrifying as well as exciting.

The move to college demands that a student begins to take responsibility for his or her own life. Students have the opportunity to decide what their experience will be and how this will affect their future lives. They can choose what advice to take and how it will affect their decisions, but the life and choices are ultimately their own.

Therefore, students should use this time to define and to express themselves without worrying about whether their dorm room will realize the perfection of a catalogue. Simply put, college should be about the making it right for the individual and not purchasing mountains of “stuff.”

Amy Kenyon is a sophomore English/Theatre Secondary Ed. major.

Contact her at opinion@ dailynebraskan.com

Social media is valuable for fun, communication

L

et’s face it. We are in a social-media age. Anything and almost everything can be found on the Internet.

The Internet isn’t only a tool for academic research; it has become a part of our day-to-day lives because of social media. We use it to catch up with old friends, to let people know what we are doing at any given moment and we can even post pictures for the world to see. Because of these things, I find social media to be very beneficial.

With technology such as smartphones and laptops, sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are right at our fingertips, just waiting to be used.

I use social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter not only to keep up with celebrity gossip, but to keep in touch with distant friends. I probably wouldn’t have kept in touch with those friends if social media sites such as Facebook didn’t exist.

Because in all honesty, how many of us actually make phone calls? Admittedly, I use my cellphone more for texting friends than for calling, even if someone lives miles away. I bet you would be more likely to friend request someone and Facebook message them rather than make a longdistance telephone call.

Social media sites allow us to communicate with the rest of the world. Think about it for a minute. How many of you heard about the Kony 2012 movement?

Videos and movements like this thrive on social media. Social media enables us to be informed on issues happening halfway across the world and makes us aware of organizations such as Invisible Children and other non-profits.

And it’s not just with global movements that social media has this everexpanding reach. If you have known a friend or family member who has studied abroad, I bet they kept a blog, posted pictures on Facebook or tweeted about where they were in the world. This immediacy would not be possible if social-media sites didn’t exist. Yes, there was a way to keep travel journals and take photos before the social-media age, but how many of us would have been able to read about our friends’ adventures overseas?

They probably wouldn’t be able to share their written travel journal with everyone, and that is why social media sites are so useful and beneficial. These sites allow everyone across the country to read about these experiences, learn travel tips and get ideas of where to go when they visit another country. The accessibility of

VICTORIA HARTZOG the Internet and social media sites allows users to share their experiences and give advice to peers anytime and anywhere.

Social media is a way to not only communicate, but to creatively express ourselves. We can blog about anything that we want. The possibilities are endless. On YouTube, there are millions of how-to videos, travel diaries, informative videos and many other random videos, such as Keyboard Cat. Social media is a creative outlet that entertains us and lets us be who we are in a variety of different ways.

It has also become a means of communicating back and forth between groups. I bet if you belong to a club or study group you have some kind of blog or Facebook

page that you communicate through. With all this technology at our fingertips, it’s a wonder how people survived before the age of technology. Even in the recent Olympics, social media played a huge role. There was a Twitter account specifically for the London Games which kept updates on the events and medals that happened throughout each day. This was a significant leap from media coverage in past Olympics. Even though some people complained about knowing results before they aired on television, I still believe it was a positive improvement. I usually had to work when the events I wanted to watch were on the television, so looking at the tweets was a hassle-free way for me to enjoy the Olympics.

Change is seen not only in the Olympics, but in other television programs, sporting events and other forms of entertainment.

Twitter is available to judges of reality shows such as “The Voice” and “American Idol,” where the judges can tweet their reactions during the broadcasting of the show.

This makes the viewers feel like they are an even bigger part of these programs.

Athletes can tweet before, after or during games as a way to communicate with their fans and make them feel like they are a part of the experience. We can even “follow”

our favorite celebrities to see what they are up to in their own lives. It makes them seem more like us by the fact that you can “tweet” to them and be “retweeted” at.

Social media has revolutionized not only entertainment but our own personal lives. Try to picture what life would be like without Facebook or Twitter. If we gave up these social media sites, I don’t think we’d be able to survive. I admit that I have attempted to give up using Facebook for at least one day. What happens about halfway through the day? I feel the urge to check it, to see what my friends are up to. It’s like caffeine withdraw, for some reason one just cannot live without social media.

So the next time you update your status, tweet, blog or pin on Pinterest, think about how many people — not just locally or country-wide — globally you are reaching, influencing and entertaining just by one click of a mouse. It is truly fascinating how much influence social media has and by that one click you are communicating with the world. So don’t avoid social media, embrace it!

Victoria Hartzog is a Junior English Major. Reach her at opinion@dailynebraskan.com and follow her on Twitter @VictoriaHartzog

5

a&E

wednesday, august 22, 2012 dailynebraskan.com @dnartsdesk

Make it work

Omaha Fashion Week excites local businesses, spectators story by ingrid holmquist | photo by anna reed

A model for FORTRESS, by designer Ellene McClay, shows off the flowing skirt in the collection on Tuesday night at Omaha Fashion Week. The events run through Saturday, capped by a Best of the Week show at 8 p.m.

M

idwest fashionistas, are you ready for this?

Omaha Fashion Week will commence on Aug. 20 and last through Aug. 25.

The shows include sporting children’s wear, avant-garde apparel, bridal and swimwear, evening wear, day wear and a finale, which will include the producers’ favorite looks from the week.

The event aims to attract many types of artists: designers, models, fashion enthusiasts and photographers.

Like many productions in the cloth-

ing industry, Omaha Fashion Week is typically hectic, said photographer, Dillon Gitano.

“I function well in high-stress environments and can focus clearly on what needs to happen in my surroundings to get the photo I like,” Gitano said.

Gitano’s excitement for Omaha Fashion Week rises mostly out of the opportunities to take a beautiful picture.

“I love the highlight, the emphasis and drama that works best with the model and location to create a sublime image,” Gitano said.

With a passion for photography, it’s hard to imagine that Gitano’s early relationship with photography was one of disdain.

“I hated photography when I was first around it,” Gitano said. “I suppose I had always acknowledged that pictures had aesthetic merit, but it became personally relevant to me over time.

And now that I’m involved, it’s different. I have to voice my own opinions and create my own images from what I feel.”

Not only does a photographer cre-

ate emotional images, but the job also requires some stealth — at least in Gitano’s case.

“You kind of have to be a ninja to get what you want,” Gitano said. “Last year I made friends with people in the apartment building where (Omaha) Fashion Week was to take place just so they could get me in and I could sneak around.”

Because the many different types of artists must come together to form one

fashion: see page 7

Ultimate frisbee brings peace With final year, ‘Office’ nears merciful finish UNL student coaches for peace, unity at frisbee summer camp in Israel kelsey Haugen dn Julie Sadofsky loves ultimate frisbee, whether she’s playing on a University of Nebraska-Lincoln team or just tossing a disc around with friends.

During the summer, Sadofsky coached at a camp in Acco, Israel, called Ultimate Peace, where she learned how to ease conflict among Middle Eastern kids through the sport to which she’s devoted.

“Ultimate Peace has a goal to take separate groups and bring them together as a family using ultimate frisbee as a tool,” said Sadofsky, a junior communication and international studies major at UNL. While searching online for a summer ultimate frisbee camp, Sadofsky discovered Ultimate Peace.

She and her sister applied through Birthright, a worldwide organization that sends young Jewish adults to Israel.

“When I got the application, I realized I had three weeks to fundraise for the camp,” Sadofsky said.

“Everyone was really supportive and helpful, so I got the money I needed, and I’m so thankful for that.”

During her two months in Israel, Sadofsky was an ultimate frisbee coach, helping with practices and games in Israel and Palestine.

“Some of these kids have been playing longer than I have, and it was amazing to see,” Sadofsky said. “The most well-known people in the ultimate frisbee world came to this camp, so I got to learn as a coach and help the kids get better.”

In the face of complex conflicts involving territory, history, religion and different ethnic groups, Ultimate Peace aims to help the participating children and teens put the issues aside through some competitive, but friendly games of frisbee.

“It’s more of the parents’ and

anna reed | dn

Junior communication and international studies major, Julie Sadofsky coached at the Ultimate Peace frisbee camp in Israel this summer. Sadofsky hopes to work at the camp in Colombia in 2012. grandparents’ war, not the kids’, but the conflicts among the areas aren’t brought up during camp,” Sadofsky said. “The camp works to create peace among people within the teams and it was really amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

Still, the realities of the region can be harsh.

“We have to prepare these kids for what is to come in order to help them make peace in their society among groups in the Middle East,” Sadofsky said.

Overall, Sadofsky’s experience in Israel was a positive one, despite a few slip-ups in communication. Though she said she knows enough Hebrew to get by,

Sadofsky learned quickly that she had to be mindful of what she was saying.

“I went to work with a community in Palestine and I said something in Hebrew and then was told it was something I shouldn’t say,” she recalled. “I don’t know it as a conversational language, but I hope to learn it over time.”

Although she is passionate about playing ultimate frisbee, Sadofsky’s favorite part of Ultimate Peace was the people she taught and learned from.

“I hadn’t been to Israel before, and I just loved the people because they are very hospitable and genuine,” Sadofsky said. “It’s like they have a different mentality; they’re very community-focused and I love that.”

Just as she enjoyed working with the Ultimate Peace staff, the other coaches were glad to have Sadofsky as part of the crew. Josh Seamon, one of the team coaches and the director of Ultimate and Coaching during the second week of camp, worked with Sadofsky.

She was an assistant coach to Seamon on team White Noise, which consisted of 12 girls ages 12 to 17.

“Her energy and enthusiasm was infectious; it helped drive the team,” Seamon said. “I love how she can be a goof, but also be observant and serious when necessary.”

Seamon also enjoyed seeing the example Sadofsky set for the kids on the Ultimate Peace teams.

“She’s perpetually positive and a great role model for the girls on our team and all the other kids at camp, as well,” Seamon said.

Since Sadofsky was a coach at the camp, she didn’t play much ultimate frisbee with the kids, but she enjoyed scrimmaging with other coaches at night. She plans to keep working with the organization.

“I love to travel, so I’m going to visit other places, but I would love to go back to Israel,” Sadofsky said. “I’m also hoping to go to Colombia for the world games with Ultimate Peace in August of 2013.” arts@ dailynebraskan.com

Chris heady I was a damn cute kid when I was young.

No, really. You should see how cute I was. I had long eyelashes that made old ladies’ knees weak in grocery store lines. When I wore yellow, my pale blue eyes popped like bubble wrap, and I’d elicit an exasperated “aww” everywhere I went. A simple whimper of my laugh could put a fluffy teddy bear to shame.

But as I grew up I became a little less appealing to the eye. Yeah, I’ll admit it, I’m not quite the looker I used to be. Looking back now, I obviously wish I could have stayed the cute little button I was, but times change and people change.

I bring this up because yesterday afternoon, Greg Daniels, the creator of the US iteration of “The Office,” announced that the upcoming ninth season of the longrunning comedy will be its last.

It was a mildly sad day for “Office” fans, but as one myself, let me tell you why it really isn’t the end of the world.

You see, in the beginning, “The Office” was as funny and entertaining as I was cute when I was 3. The uncomfortable silences Michael (Steve Carell) gave us with thentemp Ryan (B.J. Novak) were so captivating and intriguing that it felt like watching a car crash: We couldn’t look away.

“The Office” gave us a new genre of comedy that changed TV laughs for good and never looked back.

Their “mockumentary” style gave us a closer look into character’s thoughts and feelings and showed us how to enjoy a TV comedy without a laugh track to tell us what is and isn’t funny.

For me, the show was something to enjoy each and every time I turned it on. I giggled at every ridiculous thing Dwight (Rainn Wilson) said, quivered when Michael opened his mouth and wanted to punch Andy (Ed Helms) in the face when he came on screen.

But “The Office” was more than just a goofy comedy. It had a deeper level.

I cried when Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam (Jenna Fischer) ditched their church wedding to get married on a boat on Niagara Falls. I reflected on what I hoped my future wife would be like.

When Michael showed up to Pam’s art show when no one else would, I posed deep questions to myself about how I wanted to be viewed as a friend. It seemed like each episode was something that could keep me engaged with its humor and emotional elements. I became addicted to the show.

But now as it comes to a close with only one more season, I couldn’t be happier it’s wrapping up.

These nine seasons have been like watching a child grow up to be a cute, bubbly kid and then turn out to be a snotty, little brat who rips your house to shreds and spills honey all over your furniture.

As much as I’ve enjoyed the early episodes, the writing of the past few seasons has become sloppy and the overall quality of the show has diminished.

The turning point was when Michael left the show for good. After that, the end was imminent.

“Office” fans around the globe began complaining all over the Internet about how the show took a

office: see page 6

6

dailynebraskan.com

wednesday, august 22, 2012

People-watcher dissects freshmen, student stereotypes

office: from 5 turn for the bad and the complaints never ceased. The show tried different bosses with Will Ferrell and James Spader, but both flopped.

Ratings fell and the morale of “Office” fans went with them, myself included.

I’ve stopped trying to watch the new episodes and keep up, simply because I can’t take watching a show that was so brilliant at the beginning become something so mediocre. A show that started with original content, with its nerve-wrecking awkward pauses, ended with copping out for cheap Jim Carrey cameos.

And with that, just as my family should try and remember how cute I was as a child to cope with how unappealing I look now, we must all remember the best days of “The Office” to cope with its slow decline.

Let’s all remember the good ol’ days when a watermark on a shipment of paper caused DunderMifflin to go into panic and disarray. Or the not-so-effervescent romance between Michael and Jan and the train wreck that their relationship brought, like their infa-

A STUDY IN SCARLET

tyler keown I have stared at you before.

I have watched your lips move and tried to discern what you were talking about. I have noted the weird way you put on your backpack, the way you lift it high above your head, then shoot your arms straight out, letting it fall upon your shoulders. Did your parents teach you that way?

I may be watching you as you read this. It’s just a thing I do; I stare at people and make assumptions about them. Call it a curse, call it a blessing; it’s just me using my eyes for all they’re worth.

Things I see impact my emotions. Sometimes they cause happiness and laughter. Sometimes they cause distress and probably more laughter. So that’s what this space is for: to take my reactions to the things I see, mainly around the campus and share them with you.

School’s back. It’s here, taking the peaceful wanderlust feelings of summer and cutting them at the throat, putting thousands of us back in Lincoln.

Unfortunate, yes, but it also gives me more things to stare at, so at least one of us benefits.

Just kidding. We all benefit when I write a column.

The most noticeable people on campus are the freshmen, with their eyes like moons. We are all unique, of course, but it’s pretty easy to group them into a few distinct clusters.

The first is the absolutely amazed group: the kids who are just amazed at college. The buildings are so tall! The professor just said a swear word! The people in front of the union are allowed to just yell at us!

I think this group is larger at UNL and other Midwestern schools, mainly because a good portion of new students are coming from small-town America.

For those who grew up in the city lights of Lincoln and Omaha, UNL isn’t that much of a change.

As someone who grew up in Ord, Neb. (population: corn), allow

me to describe what it was like to come here. It was like being kidnapped as a young child, forced to sleep in a small chest every night after a dinner of boiled water, but never getting upset about it, because how could I know better? But then my kidnapper had a change of heart and allowed me to be released back to my original family, where I learned what a bed is and became bitter as I learned that the past 18 years of my life had been wasted.

And also, there are more fast food choices.

The kids experiencing this now have my congratulations.

The second pool is the group of kids that are dealing with the same emotions, but act like it isn’t affecting them. Like so many sea turtles breaking from their shells and heading toward the water, these students follow the crowd, wearing identical shirts from their houses, trying to avoid predators and minor in possession charges as they flail their turtle legs and run forward.

The third group is the kids that aren’t going to fool others for very long. Like how with the lights off, one can not determine whether it is the sound of a pool ball hitting another or just a man cracking his knuckles, these kids will deceive you, likely without knowing it.

Oh, they’re quirky and interesting.

I should add them to my circle of friends. Wow, this guy likes “Doctor Who” a fair amount. Oh my, he just pulled a shirt out of his backpack and blew his nose into it during class. By September, these kids will break off and become regulars at the Friday night Magic the Gathering meetings and whatever else is hot in the Neihardt circles these days.

Of course, there are many other types of kids roaming campus, but they’ll have to wait until a later date to be undeservingly stereotyped.

It’s just that school is here, and I’m excited. Someone needs to look up from their phone and look at what’s going on around us. I’m pretty sure I’m that guy.

Tyler keown is a sophomore broadcast journalism major. reach him at Arts@ dailynebraskan.com.

O.M.G. I’m a Student Leader

when :

lauren blunk dn Sarah Polley is a silver-screen veteran.

She has acted and directed in several independent films, but Polley’s most recent addition to the cinema is her second full feature as a director, “Take This Waltz.”

Polley’s film puts the audience in the center of a fragile marriage, but neither spouse knows their relationship is headed toward trouble.

Margot, played by Michelle Williams (“My Week with Marilyn”), is a 28-year-old writer looking for an adventure that goes beyond the confines of her bottled-up world shared with Lou (Seth Rogen).

Margot meets her soulmate, Daniel, played by Luke Kirby, at a state park, and he coincidentally lives three houses down from her.

Margot and Daniel toe the line between friendship and connecting on a deeper level. There are moments when the strain between Margot’s marriage and Daniel becomes unbearable. Margot is caught between the man she has loved for years and the man she feels she should have married.

Polley reveals each aspect of an intimate relationship — the physical, the emotional and the psychological — through a series of different characters and situations. Lou and Margot exchange their love for

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Individual store savings vary by location. See store for details.

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courtesy photo

Greg Daniels, the creator of the US version of “The Office,” announced Tuesday the ninth season of the show will be its last. mous dinner party.

Though it will be sad to see “The Office” say farewell, it’s long overdue. I hope the writers and producers can put a large bow on this revolutionary comedy and al-

low “The Office” the send-off it deserves.

Chris Heady is a freshmAn journalism major. reach him at ARts@ dailynebraskan.com.

Film a waltz worth taking

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campus events

each other by describing the horrific things they would do to one another.

Polley’s film stresses love is just as much a mental state as it is a physical one.

Does this film tell us marriage is a complete waste of time then?

Possibly.

But Polley is emphasizing that love varies and changes even when you think you’ve found the one.

Some relationships may last longer than others, but each relationship has a meaning behind it.

“Take This Waltz” has a title that signifies the short-lived romances that eventually shape who we are.

The film has endearing and offputting scenes, but those are the moments that surround a relationship.

Rogen puts up a decent performance next to the Oscar-nominated Williams. Rogen’s attempt at goofy drama falls flat and frankly isn’t enough to make you forget he’s the off-the-wall stoner from “Pineapple Express” and “Knocked Up.” His performance pales in comparison to Williams’, who steals the audience’s heart.

Luke Kirby, though, keeps you on your toes as a sly and lovable home-wrecker. It’s a tug-of-war film, and each character brings his or her own persuasion to the roles.

Polley’s directorial debut was “Away From Her,” which was praised for its portrayal of love between an aging couple and the

Tap Dancing Without Shoes

when :

p.m.

Thursday, 6

where :

Nebraska Union Ballroom how much : Free

Jackie Gaughan Multicultural Center Open House

When: Friday, 3 p.m. where : Jackie Gaughan Multicultural Center how much : Free

B

Take This Waltz STARRING

Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, Luke Kirby

DIRECTED BY

Sarah Polley

Chemistry Colloquium

when :

Friday, 3:30 Hamilton Hall, Room 112 how much : Free where :

Jennifer Steinkamp: Installations

when :

Alzheimer’s that tears them apart.

Polley’s sophomore film takes a dive into another realm that can divide a loving couple and brings up more questions about relationships.

If you’re willing to see a marriage pushed to its boundaries by passion, then take the waltz with Polley. arts@ dailynebraskan.com

p.m.

Tuesday, 5:30

where :

Sheldon Museum of Art how much : Free compiled by shelby fleig

dailynebraskan.com

wednesday, august 22, 2012

sheldon museum of art currently at the sheldon museum of art “Five Decades of Collecting” Showing from: Aug. 3 through May 5 To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Sheldon and the 125th anniversary of the Sheldon Art Association and the University Art Collection, the museum is featuring “Five Decades of Collecting,” an exhibition highlighting important pieces collected by the Sheldon since 1960. This exhibit displays works that have not been on display recently, as well as a newly acquired piece, “Invocation,” by Lee Krasner.

“A Legacy of Giving: The Anna & Frank Hall Collection” Showing from: June 8 through Sept. 16 This exhibit contains many of the original pieces housed in the Sheldon. Donated by Anna and Frank Hall, two of the most influential collectors in the early Nebraska arts scene, “A Legacy of Giving” showcases the exquisite etchings, oil paintings and sculptures collected by the Hall’s during their international and domestic travels, which were donated to the university after their deaths. Frank and Anna also set up the Hall Charitable Trust which has funded more than one-fourth of new acquisitions since its establishment.

“Turning Inside Out: Video Art by Joan Jonas, Nam June Paik and Jennifer Steinkamp”

$

ARTISTIC YOGA

Showing from: June 1 through Sept. 9 This video exhibit features the work of three influential videographers offering subversive views of television in the 1970s. Joan Jonas offers a video dealing with the feminine form and repetitive rhythms, while Jennifer Steinkamp’s computer-generated videos of flowers present a visually enriching experience. Nam June Paik’s video presents a synthesis of international television and altered video and sound.

GIMME 5: Sheldon Gimme 5: Reasons to Visit the Sheldon

1.

2.

It’s free!

With more than 12,000 pieces in the permanent, rotating collection and more than a dozen exhibitions a year, the Sheldon always has something new for you to see.

3.

If you’re looking for a nice place to study outdoors, the sculpture garden is a quiet, peaceful place to sit.

4.

The galleries are great places to sit and write or just think.

5.

The Sheldon hosts everything from lectures and cultural programs to yoga and book clubs. compiled by rachel staats | art by chris rhodes

7

fashion: from 5 attraction, they often learn to appreciate other modes of art. And, of course, during this event, they are all united for one central purpose: fashion.

“The idea of fashion is creation,” said Aly Osterbuhr, an Omaha Fashion Week model and sophomore business administration major at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. “I think it’s a cool concept that the designers get to see an image in their head turned in to a tangible piece of clothing because of their own hard work.”

Fashion, like any art form, stirs many different opinions and thoughts from person to person.

Gitano said fashion serves a

form and function in society.

“The form in that fabric and seam are brothered in an immaculate garment without embellishment or boast,” Gitano said.

“Everything coordinates and looks better collectively than the individual patterns. And by function in reference to the social segregation it facilitates.

There’s no real reason designer wear costs what it does, only to allow the houses control over who wears their accessories.

People just like to be exclusive.”

In Osterbuhr ’s case, she’s anticipating the performing aspect of modeling.

“As strange as it is, walking on the runway gives me an adren-

aline rush,” she said. “It is also fun to temporarily embody a different image.”

Being a returning model, Osterbuhr routinely notices how Omaha Fashion Week improves each year.

“OFW is constantly making growth facilitating adjustments,” Osterbuhr said. “I think in years to come it will continue to progress toward the caliber of other larger fashion weeks.”

The six-night celebration of local fashion is bound to be a draw for those in the design, retail, salon and photography communities.

“I enjoy seeing the drive and obsession brought out in every-

if you go: Best of Week Show

where:

Outdoors between 9th & Jones when: Saturday, 8 p.m. how much : $30-$120

one,” Gitano said. “Some people get really fired up, and it’s obvious they’ve spent months of sewing and stitching to get those blisters.” arts@ dailynebraskan.com

Adventure in the Sunken Gardens

jourdyn kaarre Pantless, alone and watching reruns of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” in the Selleck Quadrangle, I decided I could not live with myself if this vicious cycle continued into my junior year of college.

The $1 Redbox DVDs from the skeevy Walgreens on 27th and Vine streets would no longer suffice as entertainment. From now on, I am going to explore as I was intended to.

For the next semester, Meg Griffin and I will seek adventure in Lincoln and its surrounding areas. As an out-of-state student, finding entertainment in a foreign land can be challenging, especially when you spend nights alone in your bed (that may or may not be infested with bed bugs).

That is where Meg, the Lincoln-native, comes in. Meg will only use an alias for fear of public humiliation. Maybe someday when she really pisses me off or leaves me at a park, her true identity will be compromised.

In honor of my inaugural piece, I chose to visit the most enchanting, romantic and whimsical place in Lincoln: the Sunken Gardens. In case you give any sort of a rat’s ass about its history, it was developed in 1930, features 30,000 annual plants and this year ’s theme is “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” according to the Lincoln Parks & Recreation website. I did not get that vibe.

I saw a lot of colors and petals.

Per usual, anywhere you go in life is a pit stop before your final destination of Dairy Queen.

After confusion and two U-turns, we finally found a Dairy Queen where we stuffed two large blizzards into two small cups. And again, after confusion, rolling through stop signs and barging through closed streets, we made it to the Sunken Gardens. Thank you, Meg, for your knowledge of

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streets.

Upon losing my Sunken Gardens virginity, I marveled at the spectacular sights. Along a pebbled path riddled with plants, stood a tall, dark, European man with a shirt that read “too good for drugs.” I head-butted him, Chad Ochocinco style.

Actually that did not happen, but I did turn to Meg in hopes she would agree the man’s shirt was freakin’ awesome. Instead, she gazed up from her iPhone and said lifelessly, “The last thing I Googled was, ‘get the hell out of dodge.’”

Then I head-butted her. That actually happened.

For those looking for a serene place to gather their thoughts or taking the first, sensitive step toward getting laid on the first date, the Sunken Gardens is the place to be. I took pictures of flowers to get me through the desolate

months of winter. Additionally, the reds, greens, oranges, purples and pinks of the foliage gave way to rad Instagram photos.

Among those flowers are two ponds and a waterfall. I resisted the urge to climb up the tiered falls because I strive to set an outstanding example for anyone who watches me, so I only held Meg’s head under water for two minutes.

Each spring, volunteers plant the gardens that include the Healing Garden, Perennial Garden and Annual Garden. The Healing Garden, centered around a statue of a naked woman, seemed effective for a woman who sat peacefully on bench with her fourlegged friend. She looked healed.

Looking upon the gardens, it is hard to not be overwhelmed.

Ivy, hydrangeas, marigolds and trees are balanced to form an organized chaos, which I found re-

latable to my own life.

Finally, I no longer need to drive down 27th Street longing to scratch my itch to visit the most spectacular garden I have laid my beady, brown eyes on.

Because I already knew my excitement for the gardens would fizzle out within minutes of my arrival, this trip taught me only one thing: Meg does not have the slightest clue how to navigate the city where she was born and raised.

Leaving the Gardens, Meg let me in on a (probably) little known secret of the oasis.

“If you leave the Sunken Gardens without being assaulted, it’s seven years of bad luck.”

OK. Jourdyn Kaarre is a junior journalism major. reach her at arts@ dailynebraskan.com.

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wednesday, august 22, 2012

dailynebraskan.com

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wednesday, august 22, 2012

football practice notes Fall camp in full swing Husker coach Bo Pelini was upbeat after practice on Tuesday. The coach said he liked the work his team got in during the past two days and praised the level of competition in drills.

“We’ve had two good days of practice,” he said. “It’s been mostly good on good, and we’ve got a lot of work done the last couple days.”

Pelini would not go into detail about the team’s schedule heading into the season, but he did say that the team has refrained from any specific preparation for its first opponent, Southern Miss.

Position battles heat up At this point, the coach is still looking for a few players to separate themselves in positional battles.

“Right now, we are still in camp

mode,” he said.

Cornerback Josh Mitchell is “in the mix” for playing time this season in the secondary, according to Pelini.

The coach praised Mitchell’s work ethic through fall camp.

The Huskers return cornerbacks Andrew Green and Ciante Evans, both starters a season ago, and safeties Daimion Stafford, PJ Smith and Courtney Osborne, all with starting experience in the secondary. Mitchell will also have to battle junior college transfer Mohammed Siesay for playing time this season.

Young players impress in camp Defensive linemen Avery Moss and Aaron Curry and running back Imani Cross would not be redshirted if the season started today, Pelini said on Tuesday, but for other players, the redshirt decision will come a few weeks into the season.

Fullback Andy Janovich is also in the conversation at his position,

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Email me the price and stadium robgill@huskeralum.com

Housing

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4 BR, 2 BA, 5234 Leighton, $875 All C/A, Parking. Call Bonnie: 402-488-5446

Duplexes For Rent Great duplex close to city and east campus! 4 bedrooms, 2 bath, attached 2 car garage. Includes all appliances. Pantry, double closets, whirlpool tub in lower level bath. Ready TODAY! $1400 per month. 1344 North 25th Street. Contact h2riggle@cox.net.

Apts. For Rent

4 blocks from Memorial Stadium Now leasing for the 12-13 school year!

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3 Female UNL students looking for one female UNL student over age 21 for a house located in the area of 11th and Van Dorn. Easy access to campus from either 13th or 10th St. Rent is $335/mo + utilities/internet/cable (total cost split between all roommates) with lease from August 2012-August 2013.Possible roommate must be serious about academics. For more information, please contact Brooke at either 402-679-3067 or brookeh815@gmail.com.

Looking for 1-2 responsible females to share house colse to East Campus, 43rd & Y streets.

One year lease. Available immediately. $250/month +utilities. Contact Anna at afo_2010@hotmail.com

Apts. For Rent 1821 C Street

Roomy 1 br. apt. in historic dist. Avail. Aug. 15th. Heat and water pd. Lease, dep., N/S, N/P Call or text 402-499-9434 for appt.

Jobs Help Wanted Banhwich Cafe is hosting a job fair Wednesday August 22nd, 2012 between 8am-7pm.

Banhwich Cafe serves Vietnamese Sandwiches (banh mi), Frozen Yogurt, Coffee and Fresh Fruit Smoothies (bubble tea). Our menu also includes flavors inspired by Japanese, Korean, and Chinese Cuisines. All applicants will be interviewed at the job fair and any qualified applicants will be hired immediately. We are looking for all positions; Full-time and Part-time. We are looking for fun, high energy but also professional members to add to our team. If you have any questions please email us and visit our facebook page @www.facebook.com/banhwichcafe Carlos O’Kelly’s is now hiring servers, hosts and cooks for nights/weekends. Apply at 4455 N. 27th St. or 3130 Pine Lake Rd.

CNA/Nursing Students

Are you looking for extra income? Do you need flexibility with your work schedule? We currently have openings for home health aids on evenings and weekends. Student nurses who have completed nursing fundamentals are welcome to apply. We offer excellent pay and flexible scheduling. Call or stop by to apply. EOE. FirstCare Home Health 3901 Normal Blvd., Suite 102. 402-435-1122.

Roommates 1 roommate needed for school year perferably until lease ending in May, rent is on the low side. Location close to both campuses, 1541 Whittier. Contact j_haddy09@hotmail.com if interested.

Former cornerback Ciante Evans made the switch to nickel back this offseason. Coaches needed someone to play that crucial spot in the defense, and when they asked Evans if he would do it, the junior jumped at the chance.

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LPS is seeking Coaches and Officials for Middle School Flag Football & Volleyball. If interested, please contact Adam Bonesteel at abonest@lps.org.

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Highest per run compensation in Lincoln. Apply at any Domino’s.

Apts. For Rent

Roommate ads are FREE in print and online.

E-mail yours to dn@unl.edu and include your name, address and phone number.

Two male UNL students looking for roommate in 3 bedroom, 2 bath house to stay with us till at least the end of December, ASAP. About a 6 to 9 minute bike ride to campus. Clean and quiet with cable and high speed Internet. Fully furnished except for the vacant bedroom. Off street parking. Washer/dryer. Full kitchen.

Weight set. Rent is $265 per month. With utilities, it’s around $400 per person per month.

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Shift runners needed, apply at Domino’s pizza.

Flexible hours, will work around your class schedule.

Needed Servers/Servers Assistants/Line Cooks/ and Dishwashers. Located at 6540 O S t .

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SmokinJs.com needs a campus sales representative. Resume -Jay@SmokinJs.com East Lincoln Christian Church is looking for a Contemporary Worship Leader. Person must display a deep love for God, passion for worship, and be well versed in the contemporary/modern Christian music genre.

Ability to play the acoustic guitar and/or piano is preferred. Compensation depends on skill level, experience and availability. Please contact Pastor Jayme Harvey at revjaymeharvey@gmail.com or call 402-486-4673.

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Now hiring for nights and weekends. Apply at Mum’s Liquor. 2202 O Street.

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Part-time positions available loading and unloading trucks. Two shifts are available. Hours for the morning shift are Tuesday-Saturday from 5:00am-7:30am and wages start at $9.00/hour. Hours for the evening shift are Monday-Friday 6:00pm-8:30pm and wages start at $8.50/hour. Both shifts have incremental raises after 30 days and $1,500 tuition assistance after 60 days. Paid holidays and vacations after 6 months. Apply in person at 6330 McCormick Dr.

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Student Gov’t

PT sales assistant-Rixstine Recognition is looking for an energetic person to help in our sales department. Business classes or experience in the sales industry is helpful but not required. Could lead to full time. Work day hours and some Saturday mornings. Apply in person at 2350 O Street, Lincoln NE 68510

Harvest help wanted. Experience necessary and CDL preferred. Contact Mark 402-665-2523 or 402-429-2967.

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NU Student Government Senate Meeting

Seeking athletic men and women.

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City Campus Union

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Information and Agenda available at ASUN office, 136 Nebraska Union.

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Every row, column and 3x3 box should contain the numbers 1 thru 9 with no repeats across or down.

Looking for Keno Writer, Cocktail Waitress, Bartender, and Doorman. Apply in person.

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Looking for roommate for 2 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment at 54th and Adams. Close to east campus and Weslyan. Rent is $280 a month plus electricity and internet/cable. Call or text Lis at 402-321-3260

Room for rent in fully furnished, two bathroom, house. Free laundry facilities. $395 utilities/internet included. Call or text Erin 402.601.0190

said. “It has to start young.”

Lawrence’s story illustrates the serious nature of concussions and exemplifies the inspiration behind the Big Ten and Ivy League’s recent partnership on concussion research. Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany believes that the partnership has the money and the athletes necessary for this venture.

“Under it are great research institutions, and under it you’ve got 17,00018,000 athletes,” Delany said. “We thought it was natural to take on the initiative.”

Lawrence agrees.

“In 2009, there wasn’t as much material out there to educate people on the impact of concussions,” Lawrence said. “The more and more that is done to research it and that the media talks about it, the more people it will protect in the future.” sports@ dailynebraskan.com

career was cut short. He said it was a tough decision, but it was something he had to do.

“The most difficult part was not being able to finish what I started with my teammates,” he said. “I think that coming to Nebraska, I always had the vision of running out on Senior Day with my teammates and having that game where I would know for sure that it would be my last game ever. The way it ended suddenly had no buildup for that final moment as a Husker. That was tough.”

Now, Lawrence is a successful business man. He and former Nebraska kicker Adi Kunalic teamed up to form social media marketing company Hurrdat, and are enjoying the profits and the work.

Although Lawrence seems to have made out positively, he knows that things may not have turned out so well for him had he suffered another injury.

He is never short on advice for athletes and those who run into head injuries.

“If we start by educating the youth on the impact of concussions, then we can protect more and more people,” he

PHONE INTERVIEWERS in Lincoln

Looking for a roommate to share a house. Totally furnished. Minimal storage space. $500 a month plus half utilities. Location at East Ridge area. Contact Ron at 402-560-9554.

My name is Brittany Weber and I am looking for 2 roommates to live with me at 4206 Knox St. This is a 3 bedroom/1 bath house located in a quiet neighborhood. The house is just off of 41st and Adams, and is within biking distance of east campus. Rent is 310 a person + utilities. The house has had new windows installed which helps with the cost of utilities. If anyone is interested please contact me at (308)-380-6405

Learning new assignments and responsibilities took up most of the defensive back’s time this offseason, but picking up the material has been a breeze compared to learning the corner position a season ago.

“I’ve had a whole offseason to get mentally prepared for it and to take down notes and get prepared on the field for my role this season,” he said. “I think I’m far ahead of where I was at this time last year.

My mindset is different than it was at any time last year.”

Last year, Evans had trouble picking up some of the concepts utilized by the Husker defense.

Much of the time he was on the field last season Evans was confused by his assignment.

“A majority of the time, to be honest with you,” he said. “I was just putting too much stress on myself trying to play and be the best at it so fast, so I put a lot on myself. Now I’m able to compete and perform.” compiled by lanny holstein

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Pelini said. The walk-on from Gretna will surely play on special teams this year, and is battling Cross and C.J. Zimmerer for playing time on offense.

“He’s not in the top two, but he’s done a good job picking up the offense and will continue to battle,” Pelini said.

The coach is in no hurry to pull the plug on a redshirt year for most of the young players. He wants the positional competition to continue as long as he can stretch it.

“There’s a lot of guys in the mix,” Pelini said. “Kind of how it plays out will be a long way to go.”

9

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dailynebraskan.com

football equipment

Anti-concussion equipment improves, still imperfect staff report dn Before the football game between Navy and Army in 1893, Navy player Joseph Mason Reeves was advised by a doctor not to participate.

Another kick to the head could be fatal, the physician warned.

But Reeves was determined not to watch the game from the bench, so he hired a local shoe-

and you can get

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maker to fashion a leather hat for him to wear during the contest.

And thus, according to legend at least, the first football helmet was invented.

More than a century later, helmets are not used only in football, but in other collision sports such as lacrosse and hockey. And even though the rudimentary headgear of the late 1800s has developed into the hard-shelled plastic helmets used today, modern head protection’s ability to

prevent concussions is still questionable.

First, let’s get one thing straight: helmets (not only those of the football variety, but also hockey and lacrosse o n e s among others) do a great job of preventing most head injuries.

Helmets were designed to keep the number of skull fractures at bay, and, in that regard, they have performed well. But helmets cannot keep the brain from shaking, rotating or twisting underneath the skull, and that is the cause of concussions.

Studies have shown, how-

ian tredway | dn ever, that the facemasks of hockey helmets can reduce the severity of concussions, and studies

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at Virginia Tech University show that some football helmets are better at preventing concussionlike symptoms than others.

Overall, though, football helmets cannot keep concussions from happening, particularly at the speed with which the game is played. According to the 2010 National Football League Concussion Report, of a total 167 concussions sustained in the 2010 regular season, just more than half (84) happened to the fastest players on the field: receivers, running backs and defensive backs.

Another piece of equipment aimed at reducing head injuries is the rubber mouth guard.

The main way mouth guards are meant to protect from concussions is absorbing contact to the jaw and preventing the force of the contact from reaching the brain.

However, there still is no evidence suggesting that mouth guards perform this duty well.

Lastly, headgear for the noncollision sport of soccer is a con-

troversial piece of equipment.

Studies are still being done on the padded headbands, which the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) first allowed in 2003. No concrete results have been settled on, and for now the effectiveness of soccer headgear is still unknown.

Head injuries, including concussions, have been prevalent in contact sports since the advent of those sports. And although helmets, mouth guards and headbands are meant to reduce such injuries (and often do), concussions present an entirely different monster. Because concussions are unique injuries caused by violent motion of the brain, more research and development will be needed before any device can cut the number of concussions down to zero.

As it stands right now, there exists only one piece of equipment that can prevent concussions with 100 percent effectiveness: the bench. sports@ dailynebraskan.com

ivy league: from 12

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when the partnership receives little money. Molfese said funds are scarce for the collaboration’s use, causing the laboratories to rely on research grants.

However, research grants require publications on the research, which are scarce now in the Ivy League and Big Ten, according to Molfese.

He hopes within the next four to five months, the group will have some results to get the money it needs, Molfese said.

Right now though, Molfese said he has the complete support of the Nebraska Athletic Department.

“I think (the partnership) is great for the university and great for the football program,” football offensive

coordinator Tim Beck said.

The program to make sports safer from concussions is now in place.

Molfese said he expects more progress in solving the concussion plague over the next two years than the last 100 years.

So far, Molfese loves the start of the Ivy League-Big Ten partnership, he said.

“The neat thing about research is you plan the experiment and you conduct it,” Molfese said. “Then you actually get to analyze it, and a lot of times you are the first human alive that gets to see the results of that research. That’s pretty exciting.” sports@ dailynebraskan.com

dailynebraskan.com

wednesday, august 22, 2012

11

Parents should be Concussion tests impact youth sports cautious, not fearful dangers of concussions

Chris Peters DN

letes not allowed to return to play until they receive written permission from a doctor and a parent or guardian.

Concussion testing is starting to While concussion awareness become commonplace in Lincoln, is now a part of Nebraska law, it thanks in large part to Lincoln Orwas far from absent from Lincoln thopedic Center and BryanLGH schools. Many programs have beHospital. gun using concussion tests or proThe pair have partnered toviding their athletes with anti-congether to increase the amount of cussion helmets. help and awareness given to conLyle Ziems, the football coach at cussions in Lincoln athletics. The movement, started by Lincoln Lincoln Lutheran, provides his team Orthopedic more than a decade with Riddell helmets, which offer anti-concussion equipment in the $500 ago, aims to put athletic trainers at numerous high schools and youth range, all the way down to the $150 sports events in the hope of pre- range. He said the concussion craze venting and aiding in sports inju- has resulted in most schools opting ries, with an emphasis on concus- to purchase anti-concussion helmets, most commonly in sions. the under-$200 range, “We provide where Lincoln LutherIt’s like them the concusan’s choice, Riddell sion baseline testbeing in a Speed, lies. ing,” said athletic “There’s a little trainer Corey war zone, and Courtney. “Each every time a bullet bit of a circus with the helmet thing,” Ziems athlete takes a said. “They’re all cerc o m p u t e r i z e d shot is heard, tified. We don’t need test to achieve they’re looking all the bells and the a baseline, and whistles … we don’t once we’ve sus- down to see if need to spend $500 on pected them of they’re shot.” a helmet. Schools are a concussion, going to buy that $175 they’re tested.”

Lyle Ziems helmet.”

This summer, lincoln lutheran fb coach But when it comes new legislation to concussion testing, came into effect things are still starting for Nebraska schools, mandating to come together. Awareness pamthat all youth sports organizations provide coaches, athletes and par- phlets and helmets are going out to ents with concussion-awareness in- athletes, but tests are less univerformation. The Concussion Aware- sal. Ziems said the new legislation ness Act also requires coaches to should get the rest of the state on the remove athletes from play when- same page.

“Everybody, as far as I know, is ever there is a “reasonable suspifollowing similar, if not the same, cion of concussion,” with the ath-

youth sports concussion issues • 1.3 million athletes participate in high school football • 3.5 million athletes participate in youth football leagues • In 2000, 5.6% of high school football players suffered at least one concussion per year • Between 1997 to 2007, emergency room visits related to concussions for children age 8-13 doubled • In the same time span, the number of visits rose by more than 200 percent in older teenagers Source: USA Today and American Academy of Pediatrics

protocol,” Ziems said. “Now with the legislation in place, it’s even more so.”

The most common test used in Lincoln is the ImPACT (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing). Courtney was the first trainer to bring the ImPACT test to Lincoln, when he began administering it for the Lincoln Stars in 2001. Though the test has been in existence since the early 1990s, it wasn’t until recently that schools became more proactive toward concussion prevention and identification.

“The technology has advanced in such a way that we can now realize the importance of second-impact syndrome,” Courtney said. “You don’t see the repetitive concussions (as much anymore).”

Before the season begins, student-athletes take a 20-minute computerized test, the ImPACT, to establish a baseline. Then, if the athlete develops concussion-like symp-

toms, the athlete sits out until they are symptom-free for 48 hours, then the student retakes the test, with the results compared to the pre-season version.

The test uses questions from six categories: attention span, working memory, sustained and selective attention time, response variability, non-verbal problem solving and reaction time. If the student passes the test, they begin a five-day process, with exercise elevated daily until they resume full speed on day five.

If concussion symptoms show, the athlete begins the process again from the start.

“Kids are afraid to get a concussion nowadays,” Ziems said.

“They’re flat afraid.

“It’s like being in a war zone, and every time a bullet shot is heard, they’re looking down to see if they’re shot.” sports@ dailynebraskan.com

Lincoln Lutheran leads concussion trend Chris Peters DN Concussion prevention is becoming a huge part of youth athletics, but for Lincoln Lutheran, it’s been a part of the plan for more than a decade.

It began approximately 12 years ago, when Lincoln Orthopedic Center ’s Doug Tewes approached Lincoln Lutheran with an idea.

Tewes and Lincoln Orthopedic had a plan. They hoped to integrate their athletic trainers into youth teams, starting with understaffed private schools and spreading to other youth sports organizations.

“Most schools provide their own trainers, and these smaller schools never really had one,” said Corey Courtney, a trainer for Lincoln Orthopedic. “We would have offered it to more schools, but at the time we didn’t have the funding or the man power.”

So they started small, at first with just Lincoln Lutheran, the Lincoln Stars and a handful of other small projects.

“Dr. Doug Tewes has been a longtime advocate for Lincoln Lutheran; there was an in there,” said Lyle Ziems, Lincoln Lutheran’s football coach. “LOC is very community-sensitive to begin with.”

Ziems’ team responded positively to the new plan of action with the Lincoln Orthopedic trainers. His team now regularly hosts a basketball tournament to raise money for new anti-concussion helmets. The students who raise enough money to buy their own helmet are allowed to keep the helmet as a trophy when they graduate.

“There are a few boys that get

courtesy pretty excited to have a helmet on their mantle after their playing days are done,” Ziems said.

“We can’t claim a lot of originality there. There have been schools in recent years, that, because of the cost of helmets, have offered kids the opportunity to buy a helmet.”

“It’s just like new technology in general, some families wanted to get into that brand new model. We just made the opportunity available.”

Ziems said his team has been running concussion tests for years, before adopting the now-widespread ImPACT model brought to town by Courtney.

“I think Lincoln Lutheran had an athlete that suffered a concussion and wasn’t allowed to play his senior season, and I think that drew a lot of attention to it,” Courtney said. “Every year, coaches and players are being more aware and accepting of what a concussion is.”

After years of experimenting with trainers at Lincoln Lutheran and the Lincoln Stars,

Lincoln Orthopedic expanded its program, eventually teaming with BryanLGH Hospital. The pair now serves a wide range of teams, including eight area high schools, the Lincoln Saltdogs baseball team and Nebraska Wesleyan University.

Adding to the expansion of the program, Nebraska just passed an act of legislation, active this summer, that requires youth sports organizations to provide coaches, players and parents with concussion awareness information.

For Ziems, who already had that program in place, the new law actually means a loss for Lincoln Lutheran, which now has to share some anti-concussion helmets with the rest of the city.

“With the new legislation in place, we did lose a bit of those helmets from our inventory,” Ziems said. “This fall, we are doing a fundraiser to help supplement that.”

The partnership between Lincoln Orthopedic and Lincoln Lutheran was a unique one at its

complex: from 12 The primary focus of the lab is currently on concussion research, but the athletic department hopes more kinds of studies can be conducted there in the future. On Aug. 23, UNL will host an event to the public to not only present the goals of the lab, but also get input on what they would like to see in the future for this lab.

The focus of the studies right now for Nebraska is on athletes, but the possibilities of discovery have far greater impacts.

“Of the approximately 1.7 million concussions that occur each year, very few are actually sportsrelated, so these studies have the implications to go way beyond sports,” Molfese said.

“We want to ask people what their vision is and where we can have the greatest impact,” Rigoni said. “We want to solicit help from all over the university so that we can make the East Stadium Labs as best as they can be.” sports@ dailynebraskan.com

other sports: from 12 ferences between sports,” Rigoni said.

One of the top sports outside of football in which the athletes are atrisk for concussions is women’s soccer.

And one of the biggest mysteries surrounding women’s soccer is why they have more concussions than male soccer players. Of the concussions seen in all sports, women’s soccer makes up 21.5 percent of them, while men’s soccer only makes up 14.5 percent.

Many theories have been thrown out there, such as girls having weaker necks than boys, or possible structural differences in the brain, according to Molfese.

Molfese has already started working with the Nebraska women’s soccer team in his concussion studies by tracking their performance coming into the studies.

“We are testing their brain recordings using an EEG along with their balance and will then track their performance from there,” Molfese said.

In order to further prevent concussions in sports like soccer, prevention headgear equipment has been introduced to the game, although many players choose not to use it, and still aren’t sure of its effectiveness.

“Cushion blows will likely lead to fewer head injuries, although there is no data for it currently,” Molfese said.

While concussions in sports like soccer aren’t as common, the concerns for helping protect athletes are still

PERCENTAGE OF CONCUSSIONS PER SPORT Baseball Softball 2.6% Wrestling 1.5% 4.4% Women’s Basketball 9.5%

Football 40.5%

Men’s Basketball 2.8% Volleyball 1.9%

Men’s Soccer 15.4% Woman’s Soccer 21.5% strong, and researchers at Nebraska hope that these concerns can carry across to a variety of sports and situations.

“Any time you have two hard ob-

jects hitting each other and your skulls can come together you can have severe brain damage,” Molfese said. sports@ dailynebraskan.com

time. But now that it is more than a decade old, its effects are starting to show.

“The whole attitude at Lincoln Lutheran has been much more accepting,” Courtney said.

“You see, inevitably, athletes not miss as many games.”

Ziems said the battle is far from done, however. While the partnership with Lincoln Orthopedic has been great for the city, Ziems said a lot of reform still needs to happen at the middle school and youth level. The work is never done.

“I don’t want kids to be adversely affected the rest of their life,” Ziems said. sports@ dailynebraskan.com

Robby Korth Concussions.

In sports media it’s a dirty word.

For parents, they’re the reason to keep kids from playing contact sports. To trainers, they’re an injury only time can heal.

To athletes they’re a reality.

More than 300,000 concussions occur annually as a result of sports, according to the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Pittsburgh.

And thanks to SportsCenter specials and New Yorker pieces, we know a lot more about them and how they affect athletes into a much later age.

But before every parent in the nation pulls their kid out of sports and sticks them in a plastic bubble, let’s all just keep in mind that sports still serve a valuable purpose in a kid’s development.

There are risks to anything a child does, but keeping active is important and no reason to stop playing football or any other sport for that matter.

And as the obesity rate for Nebraska stays high, with 28 percent of Nebraskans severely overweight, it’s not a good idea to pull kids out of sports.

Sure, it’s true that multiple concussions can lead to problems later in life. But the injuries are easier to detect than ever and through plenty of rest an athlete can get back onto whatever field or court with little side effects.

We just need to be more careful.

Annaliese Osborn worked as a first responder for Injury Prevention and Care (IPC) under Campus Recreation. And during her time with IPC she saw a multitude of concussions in several sports.

“The worst one I ever saw was actually from an ultimate frisbee game in

the Cook Pavilion,” said Osborn, now a medical student at UNMC. “These two guys just ran into each other, and they both had concussions. One of them was lying on the ground in a pool of blood because of a tiny cut on his head.”

But a little blood isn’t the worst type of head injury. It’s actually the concussion that comes back again and again.

Osborn got to meet one of those while she was working during an intramural rugby game.

A man playing rugby came off the field with concussion-like symptoms while Osborn was working. After some questioning, she figured out it was his fourth concussion. Something that’s rare on the intramural field, she said.

Osborn informed him that he really shouldn’t play rugby anymore that day or any other, because physicians usually advise patients not to play contact sports after two or three concussions.

“But this guy wanted to go back in and play more,” she said. “I had to convince him to stay out of the game.

I had to contact people on his rugby team and ask them to make sure that he didn’t go back. It can get so dangerous after you have multiple concussions.”

Athletes need to stay off the field after concussions.

There aren’t any magical cures. In fact, if somebody suspects he or she has a concussion, he or she shouldn’t even take a pain reliever, Osborn said.

“If you have a horrible pounding headache, you need to be able to realize that,” she said. “You don’t want to mask it by taking Tylenol or something.”

You can’t go to physical therapy to reduce swelling of the brain.

Our athletes need to know this and they need to be careful. So rather than not allowing children to play contact sports or living in fear of a little brush up on the field or court, let’s play on.

But also, know when to stop.

Robby Korth is a junior journalism major. Reach him at sports@ dailynebraskan.com

sports

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dailynebraskan.com

monday, august 18, 2012 wednesday, august 22, 2012 dailynebraskan.com @dnsports

Big Ten, Ivy League join heads at new NU facility Memorial Stadium East Stadium will be headquarters for concussion study Andrew Ward DN

Dr. Dennis Molfese was a busy man.

He was a psychology professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for starters. To go along with that gig, he was the university’s director at the Center for Brain, Biology and Behavior Research and the Developmental Neuroscience Laboratory.

Molfese’s days were full of meetings, classes and conference calls.

He’s still involved in all of those things, but now he’s even busier.

On June 19, the Big Ten Conference and Ivy League announced a

partnership to join their efforts in concussion research. Molfese is the partnership’s director.

“What we’re trying to do is connect a conference-wide research project on concussions across sports, not just football,” Molfese said. “The idea is to do assessments on people before the season, not when they get injured during the season.”

The partnership began to form about 18 months ago when researchers across the Big Ten met in Chicago, according to Molfese. That meeting featured representatives from about 40 laboratories around the Big Ten. The research collaboration eventually became associated with the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC), which is the Big Ten’s academic arm.

About the same time, the Ivy League took interest in concussion research as well. After a couple years,

MAJOR CONCUSSIONS IN BIG TEN 25 20 15 10 5 0

20 FOOTBALL

5-6 SOCCER

it decided to look toward the Big Ten. “The Ivy League had great concerns about concussions about the same time we started collaborating,” Molfese said. “As they heard about the Big Ten’s organization, it con-

5-6 FIELD HOCKEY

3-4 BASKETBALL

tacted the Big Ten saying it would like to be apart of the conference’s initiative.”

The partnership has resulted in combining 21 schools and their concussion research. Those 21 schools

Cut short Lanny Holstein DN

F

ormer Husker linebacker Blake Lawrence knows the feeling of getting up from a hit and seeing stars.

During his short career at Nebraska from 2007 to 2009, the Shawnee Mission, Kan., product delivered his share of jarring hits, but it was a few shots sent his way that ended up cutting his football career short.

Over his two years at Nebraska, Lawrence had four concussions.

Looking back on the 16-month period in which he suffered all four blows to his head, Lawrence describes his concussions as traumatic.

“After my concussions I really struggled to remember what I was doing or why I was there. I would forget people’s names, faces and plays,” he said. “You know, as a football player, one important thing is to remember what you have to do on each play. My brain just wouldn’t let me function and allow me to remember those things.”

Lawrence’s head injuries took a toll on him off the field as well.

“I also had a heightened emotional state,” he said. “With certain things, I would legitimately just start crying. I didn’t know what was going on, and so I really just couldn’t control myself at all.”

The first time Lawrence experienced a concussion, he thought nothing of it. He thought he merely had his “bell rung.” No big deal. No reason to panic. He got back up from the collision and tried to play on.

“I had that bright light kind of look,” he said. “My eyes hazed over, and when I came back I didn’t know I was concussed.

I tried to act normal, but then other people had to tell me that I was acting weird. So

NFL players commenting on having multiple concussions and that might lead to early onset of Alzheimer-like symptoms,” Molfese said. “That’s a big deal if it does. We’ll hopefully get some information that eliminates that.”

The frustrating part of finding that information is the widespread amount of research, according to Molfese. He’s working with the UNL library’s database expertise to help develop a system for the program.

So far, the collaboration is rather chaotic, he said.

“Right now it’s not very coordinated,” Molfese said. “Hopefully, in the next four to five months we will have some schools that are doing kind of the same thing and begin pooling our data.”

It’s hard to pool data together

ivy league: see page 10

courtesy photo

NU’s stadium expansion adds a concussion research complex.

my teammates would say, ‘Blake, there’s something wrong with you. You need to get out of here, get off the field.’

You don’t really know when you are concussed.”

As the concussions piled up for Lawrence, he noticed some things getting worse.

He would find himself trying harder than ever to rememWyn wiley | dn ber things. And Blake Lawrence, a former NU linebacker, poses for a photo on with each hit Tuesday. Lawrence’s football career was cut short by concussions. to the head his chances of getsuffer another concussion, I would have to ting a concussion rose. leave the game of football forever,” LawThe escalating effects of his concus- rence said. “So I created an ultimatum to sions had Lawrence’s attention, but it was make sure that I could protect my longCoach Bo Pelini that made the seriousness term goals.” of the situation clear to him.

Not long after that, a fourth concus“I had no idea how serious a concus- sion hit Lawrence during a practice. He sion was until coach Bo Pelini sat me down couldn’t believe it. and explained it,” he said. “He sat me “I sat there for an hour of practice on a down after my third concussion and told knee, and I was thinking to myself, ‘Should me that I had to start thinking seriously I tell someone that I feel weird?’ Eventualabout whether I wanted to play football ly, I had to tell the trainers that I’d suffered again. I didn’t know what he meant. I a concussion, and at that point my career didn’t know about the long-term impact was over,” he said. concussions can have on an athlete’s life.”

After playing roughly half of the colAt that point, the linebacker decided to lege snaps he had envisioned, Lawrence’s make a decision for his future.

“I decided at that point that if I were to lawrence: see page 9

Concussions problematic outside football Brain injury issue extends beyond gridiron to soccer, other contact sports

it for the rest of the half. Then it was halftime, and when I went back in I was just kind of out of it. I didn’t know what the score was or what direction we were going.”

Even though Denney continued playing throughout his injury, the effects that he felt from his concussion angela hensel could have been damaging to any dn athlete.

It may seem that the effects of a Stories in the news for concussions concussion should be similar for all within sports mostly deal with footsports, but the research is still needed ball. The public often hears of profesto prove so, which is what researchers sional football players dealing with at Nebraska are hoping to do. depression later in life or having to “A concussion in football, in thehang up their helmets after too many ory, is the exact same as a concussion concussions. in a sport like soccer. Studying one But even off the football field, consport should carry over to another,” cussions remain prevalent in sports said Brandon Rigoni, NU’s assistant across the board, and a wide variety strength coach and a former football of athletes are dealing player. with similar situations.

With the conI was just While concuscussion research sions in football are the kind of out being conducted at most widespread of UNL with professor any sport, concussions of it. I didn’t know Dennis Molfese’s are seen as a problem what the score Center for Brain, Biin any sort of contact ology and Behavior, sport. The hits in foot- was or what researchers hope ball may come more ofdirection we were that they will have ten, but the concussions the resources to now in other sports can be going.” look at the effects of just as dangerous. concussions in other Brandon Denney Former high school sports. former h.s. soccer player soccer player Brandon “We need a Denney has experimassive database enced just that. The from which to draw conclusions so we former Norfolk High School soccer can try to generalize as much as possiplayer felt a hard hit to the head as he ble and then start to figure out any difhit the ground following a slide tackle during a game in 2007. other sports: see page 11 “I came back up, and I played on

have more than 17,500 athletes competing each year.

Molfese is hoping to look at many of those athletes’ brains before they get concussions, he said.

“Mostly people study concussions after the fact,” Molfese said.

“But here at the Big Ten and Ivy League, we study people prior to the concussion so we can actually know what they looked like before the concussion.

“We look at how the brain changes, and then we can chart their brain’s recovery and see if they get back to phase one.”

Molfese is excited about researching a wider population than he’s used to, he said. Often researchers don’t get to look at multiple concussions from so many people, but that is something this partnership offers.

“This has a lot to do with the

file photo by andrew dickinson | dn

Soccer player Jordan Jackson heads a ball in an Aug. 2011 game against North Carolina. Soccer is the No. 2 sport in concussions.

NU professor leads cuttingedge research Angela hensel dn In the short span of a few months, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has become one of the leading universities in a topic that seems to be taking the athletic world by storm. As the effects of concussions in sports become of greater concern to athletes, researchers are looking to provide some answers.

In March, the University of Nebraska Board of Regents approved a $5 million grant to build two labs in the expansion of Memorial Stadium. One of these labs will work with UNL professor Dennis Molfese in his Center for Brain, Biology and Behavior to help study concussions in student athletes. It will be located in the south half of the East Stadium addition, while the north half will be home to the Nebraska Athletic Performance Lab. “Everyone is concerned about head injury in athletics. This obviously is a hot-topic area,” Chairman Jim McClurg said. “It’s an excellent proposal with a lot of prospects for success. There were donors that were supporting it, and it’s just the right thing to be doing.”

While the construction of the two labs is not projected to be finished until early summer 2013, the research has already begun.

Molfese started conducting studies with the women’s soccer team and 40 Nebraska football players. The goal is to record their performances before having a concussion and then find the effects that result from having one.

The feature piece of equipment in this facility will be a functional MRI (fMRI) machine, which tracks blood flow to different areas of a brain.

By using an fMRI, researchers will be able to see what areas of the brain are active when an athlete performs a certain function, based on the amount of blood flow they see in the brain. An area with high activity would correspond with high blood flow.

Researchers will look at the brain to see if an area of the brain went from having high levels of blood flow to low levels of blood flow following a concussion.

With the new fMRI machine and the number of athletes involved in these studies, possibly one of the greatest advantages will be that researchers can follow athletes from the moment they begin their athletic careers at Nebraska.

“We can do screening of the athletic programs over the years and see the impacts of concussions from the MRIs,” McClurg said. “We can track how their brain changes from the time that they enter the program to the time that they leave it.”

Along with the grant from the Board of Regents to build the two labs, a $1.2 million grant from the Nebraska Research Initiative will help fund the cost of the fMRI machine and some of Molfese’s other research equipment.

The new East Stadium labs will feature 48 rooms for re-

Brain trauma • Approximately 1.7 million traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are reported each year.

• Each year, U.S. emergency departments treat an estimated 173,285 sports-related traumatic brain injuries among children and adolescents.

• Over the last decade, these visits have increased by 60%.

• TBIs represent approximately 9% of all injuries in sports.

Source: Centers for Disease Control searching, a high-density EEG, near-infrared technology that can show light penetration through the skull, a couple of large labs for computers, along with other state-of-the-art facilities and equipment.

According to Molfese, a concussion causes a stretching of the brain, which can compress neurons and disrupts connections between different areas of the brain. While scientists understand what happens in the brain during a concussion, they know very little about what can happen afterwards.

With these studies on concussions, the athletic department is working closely with the researchers so they can start to bring a sense of certainty to its athletes.

“We want to be able to diagnose concussions as effectively as possible,” said Brandon Rigoni, NU’s assistant strength coach and former football player.

With the majority of concussions occurring without a loss of consciousness, it can be hard to figure out right away if an athlete has had a concussion.

While the first goal for the athletic department is to diagnose concussions properly, they hope to move beyond that in the future.

“After we are certain that someone has sustained a concussion, we want to know when they can return to play,” Rigoni said.

While many athletes focus on returning to the field quickly, many fail to consider the longterm effects, such as changes in emotion, processing and language, among others.

“The ultimate goal is to be able to protect players from sustaining concussions,” Rigoni said.

“If we can understand the mechanism, will it potentially help recovery? What are the long-term effects of concussions?”

complex: see page 11