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NEBRASKA FALLs TO MICHIGAN 62-46

GRUMPY GOURMET

Huskers fail to return from first-half deficit against No. 22 Wolverines PAGE 10 More photos online at www.facebook.com/dailynebraskan

Local sandwich shop finds niche with outspoken characters, excellent food PAGE 6

thursday, february 9, 2012

volume 111, issue 098

DAILY NEBRASKAN

game plan dailynebraskan.com

story by demetria stephens | art by lauren vuchetich Advisers, faculty test run new Blackboard feature MyPLAN; system to debut for students on Feb. 27 He said professors should also be able to put office hours on the calendar.

Watts said students, faculty and advisers will each see different features when they click on the MyPLAN tab on Blackboard.

Professors can use red flags, a tool for notifying advisers when a student is at risk of getting a bad grade.Watts said advisers can meet with students and the red flag is then cleared.These red flags are only visible to professors and advisers, but students are notihe University of fied by their instructors.

Nebraska-Lincoln However, Roof said, if a student is launching a new has missed two classes and the class’ advising tool on Blacklimit is four absences, a red flag could board. prompt an email sent to the student MyPLAN — My Personal to remind them they are close to the Learning and Advising Network absence limit.

— will be available beginning Feb. Red flags are “strictly academic, 27. not for discipline,” Watts said, MyPLAN will show students how and a proactive way to reach they are connected to advisers out to students. and professors, “so they can weave But so far, the flag through the big UNL system,” said t o o l is only being tested, Vanessa Roof, senior researcher in R o o f said. the office of the chancellor.

The William H. MyPLAN appears as a new tab on T h o m p s o n Blackboard, so no new account or Learning Commupassword is required, said Amy Good- nity is doing a seven-day burn, associate vice chancellor in survey using MyPLAN this week.

Academic Affairs and an English pro- Based on feedback from the survey, fessor.

MyPLAN could be changed before The new feature has been available it’s available for students, he said. for advisers since Jan. 3, and 105 adStarfish Retention Solutions, Myvisers have made profiles, according PLAN’s developer, is willing to make to an email sent out to professors last changes based on feedback, Watts week from Heath Tuttle from the of- said. fice of information services. ProfesRoof and Goodburn said reactions sors got access to MyPLAN on Jan. 30. are positive so far.

MyPLAN will have an online calenStudents will be in “success netdar showing sign-up times an adviser works” that show a student who their is available, said William Watts, assis- advisers and professors are. This featant dean for Advising Services. ture can help students become more “Advisers don’t have to use online aware of UNL’s services, Goodburn scheduling, but they can,” he said. said.

T

Watts said when he started working at UNL in the fall of 2007, advisers just used paper files.

If an adviser and a student both have a piece of paper with classes to enroll in,Watts said, they might write notes on the papers and someone would have to scan them. One goal with MyPLAN is removing the process of scanning, he said.

Watts said students with double majors or students who change majors could have two advisers and get conflicting advice. He said three separate “homegrown” advising systems were created in the last few years by the

Division of Gener- a l Studies, College of Business Administration and the College of Arts & Sciences. With MyPLAN, students can change majors and their files will be available online for their new advisers. Notes that advisers make on MyPLAN will be accessible across colleges and departments, he said.

The sixth training session on MyPLAN for teachers and advisers is Friday, Goodburn said.

The MyPLAN team includes: Goodburn; Nancy Mitchell, director of Undergraduate Education; Tuttle; Roof; Steven Booton, associate director of

TECHNOLOGY

Tabbed features for students:

Housing hosts info sessions, plans hall checks Frannie SProuls Daily Nebraskan

Students and student staff filtered into the Presidential Dining Suite in Selleck Dining Hall, picking up information packets from the table. No students chose to sit in the front row and students sat quietly, waiting for the meeting to begin.

University of NebraskaLincoln Housing hosted an informal information meeting for UNL students about the bedbug situation on campus. Four Housing administrators were present at the meeting: Housing Director Sue Gildersleeve, Residence Life Associate Director Keith Zaborowski, Facilities Associate Director Glen Schumann and Housing Associate Director Brian Shanks.

About 25 students and student staff attended Wednesday night.

“I think it went OK,” Gildersleeve said. “I was hoping for a better turnout, but it’s tough.”

After about 25 minutes of the administrators providing current information of where the bedbugs were and how treatments worked, Gildersleeve opened the floor to questions the students had.

Most questions centered around where students would stay if their rooms were undergoing the heat

·Students · can see their teachers and advisers office room numbers and contact information. ·“Success · Network” shows advisers and teachers, including profiles. ·Appointments · can be made with an adviser via an online calendar, with dates and times open and a “sign up” link. ·Search · bar connects students to UNL’s academic, advising and support services (e.g. college advising centers, the Writing Center, the Math Resource Center, the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities, Career Services). ·Search · for keywords like “pre-med” or “English” to find people to contact. ·A · student’s profile automatically uses his or her NCard picture. ·Advising · notes and reminders are sent to a student’s email, phone or Facebook, depending on what he or she chooses. ·Major · and course history as students change majors, GPA and whether the student is in good academic standing are all displayed.

bedbugs: see page 3

MYPLAN: SEE PAGE 3

Keen to lead E. coli research project Frannie Sprouls Daily Nebraskan

Just a month after Jim Keen submitted a proposal to receive a $25 million grant to research strains of E. coli in beef, his own niece was infected with the dangerous infection.

His niece, who contracted the bacteria at a Kentucky petting zoo in October 2010, nearly died.

“She was babysitting a toddler and went to a petting zoo,” Keen said. “(The toddler) didn’t get it, but she did.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture presented the $25 million grant to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln on Jan. 23. The project won’t focus on E. coli cases in petting zoos, though. It will be looking at the entire beef chain, Keen said, from the live animals to processing to distribution.

“The petting zoo would be a spin-off,” Keen said. “If you can find things that can get rid of E. coli in a feedlot, we could use that same technology and apply it at a petting zoo. With E. coli, it’s not just the animal, but the animal’s environment.”

keyes page 4

Keen, a UNL veterinary scientist based at the Great Plains Veterinary Educational Center near Clay Center, Neb., leads the project, but said he doesn’t know why he was chosen to lead 48 researchers and scientists.

“We actually run it as a group of five people, like a former South American dictatorship,” Keen said with a laugh.

“So we really make decisions as a group ‘cause it’s a lot of people.”

The five leaders include Keen; Rod Moxley, a UNL veterinary and biomedical sciences professor; Harsha Thippareddi, a UNL associate food science and technology professor; Randy Phebus, a Kansas State University professor of animal sciences and industry; and John Luchansky from the USDA. They refer to themselves as the “junta.”

“It means a group of people with similar intent ... a common goal,” Thippareddi said in a phone interview.

Thiappareddi said the group began with himself, Keen and Moxley, but they saw the need to bring in people who could

RESEARCH

provide more expertise.

“We started filling in who we needed ... what expertise we didn’t have ... filled in those gaps with collaborators,” he said.

A lot of good things can come out of the five-year project, Keen said, but he’s worried about the management side of the project more than the science side. He said he has never worked on a project this big before.

“What scientists tend to want to do, what professors want to do, is do what they like to do,” Keen said. “In this case, we’re on a very specific mission. So my main job is to keep people on mission.”

Thippareddi voiced the same concern. But both are looking forward to working on the project.

“We have a really good group of people,” Keen said.

“With just the five of us in the junta, we probably have 80 to 90 years of experience ... (we)

performing arts page 5

tweet @ your valentine

courtesy photo

Jim Keen, a UNL veterinary scientist, will lead 48 researchers and scientists in E. Coli research. UNL won a $25 million grant for the project on Jan. 23. we have the skill set, the peo- father the victim’s advocate on ple to execute it.” one of the project’s advisory Keen said he found a way to boards. franniesprouls@ involve his niece’s infection in dailynebraskan.com the research. He appointed her

women’s basketball page 10

A moo-ving experience

Getting some exposure

Streaking Huskers

calving season consumes time, warms the heart

spring musical event offers variety of local acts

The NU women’s basketball aims for fifth straight win

@dailyneb | facebook.com/dailynebraskan

Give your valentine the public shout-out he or she deserves. On Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, the Daily Nebraskan will publish reader-submitted valentines of 140 characters or less. For a $1 donation (we want to limit this to students who really care about their special someone, at least enough to say they spent the fraction of the cost of a card), your words will appear both in print and online. Proclaim your continued love from the pages of the school paper or let that certain match-class crush know how you feel. Embarrass your friends or spread some platonic love. Submissions are due by Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. Head over to www.dailynebraskan. com for details.

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Thursday, February 9, 2012

Daily Nebraskan

ASUN passes 4 bills, adds to election ballot elias youngquist daily nebraskan

The election ballot continues to get longer as the Association of Students of the University of Nebraska adds questions for informative purposes. Six lines of new items were slipped in on the ballot for the elections to take place in March.

Of the five bills looked at during the ASUN meeting on Feb. 8 in the Nebraska Union, Government Bill No. 18: Government Liason Committee Directive in Support of LB 859, was shelved for the second week in a row due to a lack of information. The four other bills were passed after some discussion and amendments to their wording.

The meeting began with Housing Director Sue Gildersleeve presenting an overview of the bedbug situation and what Housing is doing to exterminate the insects. According to Gildersleeve, the plan was to work through every building on campus, but, until this week, there were not enough dogs or heat treatment equipment in Lincoln. University Housing has recently signed a contract with a company in order to get the equipment necessary to treat the buildings.

Sen. LJ McElravy, a human sciences graduate student,

asked during the question period what precautions offcampus students should be taking against the bedbugs.

“That’s a pretty broad question to be asking,” said Gildersleeve, adding that she only works with Housing.

“They tend to like backpacks, so don’t stack them together.

But there’s just no bulletproof way of preventing them.”

Gildersleeve added that frequent washing of clothes and linens was also recommended to prevent the insects from spreading.

The first bill to be passed was Senate Bill No. 6: Communication with Student Body, a bill that places a question on the upcoming ballot asking if students want a monthly newsletter emailed to them regarding ASUN activities. A few senators worried it would make the ballot too long but eventually came to the conclusion one more question couldn’t hurt.

“I’m no survey expert, but I do a lot of them at work,” said External Vice President Matt Hilgenkamp, a senior accounting major. “People are getting on this to vote for things that interest them, so an additional question won’t hurt.”

The second bill to be passed, Senate Bill No. 7: ASUN General Election Student Fee Questions, was a

basic bill approving questions regarding the student fees given to ASUN, University Programming Council’s Speakers Program and the Lied Center Discounts Program Arts for All. The questions ask for student opinions on $11.64 to be given to ASUN, $4.38 to be given to UPC Speakers Program and $3.06 to be given to the Lied Center Discounts Program and Arts for All. Those numbers can then be used for future fee allocations.

The last question to go on the ballot is from Senate Bill No. 8: Constitutional Amendment: Removing Gender Inequality from the Constitution. Since 1993, the ASUN constitution has used the terms “he” and “his” when referring to senators.

“The limits of our language are the limits of our world,” said Field McDonald, a freshman international studies major. “As you see, there are a plethora of female senators.

My proposed amendment would change this by placing a s/ in front of ‘he’ and change “his” to ‘his/her.”

Though the bill failed in ASUN in the past, it passed this time and the change will be put up for student vote in another question on the ballot.

The final bill approved was Senate Bill No. 9: Technology

ASUN

ASUN MEETING bills

Fees, which approves the fee proposal of the student technology fee for the 20122013 fiscal year. The $7.35 per credit hour will go to paying for technology like Blackboard, as well as technology budgets for individual departments.

“These are the fees that go to colleges for info services,” said ASUN President Lane Carr, a senior English and history major.

According to Carr, the revised student rights and responsibilities will be brought forward soon as he continues to work on the document with Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Juan Franco. According to Carr, the group has been looking at other universities’ plans, as well as meeting with many departments with student workers to establish a code of conduct regarding student workers.

“We want to make a consistent set of guidelines for student workers to follow,” Carr said. “While there’s some communication, there’s also some miscommunication as well.” eliasyoungquist@ dailynebraskan.com

decision

Senate Bill No. 6: ASUN Communication with Student Body Bill asks students via ballot if they want a monthly email regarding ASUN activities.

Bill passed

Senate Bill No. 7: ASUN General Election Student Fee Questions Bill asks students via ballot about student approval of student fees being collected to support ASUN, UPC Speakers Program and the Lied Center Discounts Program and Arts for All.

Bill passed

Senate Bill No. 8: Constitutional Amendment: Removing Gender Inequality from the Constitution Bill puts the removal of gender-specific wording in the ASUN constitution to a student vote.

Bill passed

Senate Bill No 9: Technology Fee Bill approves the technology fee of $7.35 per credit hour, up to 15 credit hours, for the 2012-2013 fiscal year.

Bill passed

Colleges admit to fudging data to improve rankings Daniel Wheaton Daily NEbraskan

A number of universities have admitted to cherry picking information in national rankings surveys according to a Feb. 1 article in The New York Times.

Iona College admitted that employees have lied for years about test scores, graduation rates, freshmen retention, the student-faculty ratio, acceptance rates and alumni giving, the article said.

The rankings of U.S. News & World Report hold considerable weight and temptation for fudging information is high, said Mary Werner, the associate director of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Office of Institutional Research and Planning.

The university communicates with U.S. News & World Report via Werner’s office. Every year, IRP fills out a 92-page form assessing a number of factors pertaining to the rankings. U.S. News & World Report asks about everything ranging from location of the campus to how much alumni give to the schools, she said.

IRP compiles the information for UNL. Sometimes data is needed from specific departments as well, Werner explained.

“We have records of about 10 years back, and we ask questions if the numbers seem askew,” she said.

Unlike the case of Iona College in New York, Werner said UNL doesn’t feel the need to adjust information in the poll. UNL has a considerable amount of instate support, she said.

Samantha Luft, a freshman animal science major,

lauren vuchetich | daily nebraskan

ian tredway | daily nebraskan

said that she read the rankings, but made her decision based on “mainly other reasons.” Luft said cost was a major deciding factor.

While Iona College currently has enrollment numbers lower than 4,000, UNL’s enrollment is about 25,000.

U.S. News & World Report states that UNL is the sixth most popular university in the nation. This is because students who tend to apply to UNL end up studying here, she said. Werner believes the “Husker culture” plays into its popularity, as the majority of undergraduates are Nebraskans. “(The U.S. News & World Report survey) is more of a formality,” Werner said.

UNL is ranked No. 101 in the national university rankings, but UNL doesn’t put too much weight on the data, she said.

Joshua Ungar, a freshman general studies major, said he noticed UNL’s rankings “weren’t that great.” Ungar said he cared more about

his gymnastics career.

“I wanted to be part of a great team,” he said.

Merideth Burtzos, a freshman mechanical engineering major, said she agrees with this sentiment.

“If rankings were really important to me, I wouldn’t be here,” Burtzos said. “If I had cared about rankings instead of cost, then I’d be going to the University of Illinois right now.”

The rankings themselves are somewhat arbitrary, Werner said. The actual score is weighted by a variety of factors — 22 percent of the score is determined by college presidents’ opinions of other schools. U.S. News & World Report also changes the survey itself regularly, making it less of a concrete measurement, Werner said.

Some colleges use the rankings as a recruitment tool, but UNL doesn’t, she said.

DANIELWHEATON@ DAILYNEBRASKAN.COM

Political beliefs based on biology, study says Lindsey Berning Daily Nebraskan

Characterizing conservatives as realistic and liberals as idealistic may seem like mere stereotypes, but a new study at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln found these stereotypes may hold some truth.

“We found that there is physiologically a basis for these stereotypes,” said Kevin Brian Smith, a political science professor at UNL. Smith, along with John Hibbing, a political science professor, and Michael Dodd, an assistant professor of psychology, conducted a study to see how conservatives and liberals would react differently to positive and negative images.

The study consisted of two parts: one physical and one psychological. For the first part, 50 adults were randomly selected in the Lincoln area, Hibbing said. They were seated in front of a computer screen and hooked up to a series of

sensors measuring electrodermal activity — or how much the nervous system has become emotionally aroused.

These same types of machines are used in lie detector tests.

Next, the participants were shown a series of negative, positive and neutral images.

Some of the images shown included a sunset, a spider, an open wound and political figures.

The responses measured by the machine showed liberal participants had a higher psychological response to positive images and conservative participants had a higher response to negative images.

In the second part of the study, about 100 undergraduate students from UNL were also seated in front of computer screens. This time, the participants were hooked up to eyetracking equipment, Smith said.

The students were shown a collage of positive and negative images. The equipment measured how long the participant

looked at each image.

They found that liberals looked at positive images for a longer amount of time and conservatives looked at negative images longer.

This means that liberals and conservatives may disagree on so many things partially because of differences in their biological makeup. Genes influence your brain and cognitive patterns, how you experience and view the world and what you like and dislike, Smith said.

This resembles how conservatives tend to be more wary of perceived threats, like illegal immigration, and want a decrease in government with fewer taxes, while liberals are more accepting of the government’s help in issues such as welfare and health care, according to the study’s Feb. 1 news release.

“It’s amazing the extent to which they perceive the world differently,” Hibbing said. lindseyberning@ dailynebraskan.com

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thursday, february 9, 2012

Daily Nebraskan

UNL swaps out staff email system heather haskins daily nebraskan

The University of NebraskaLincoln’s faculty and staff are making a leap into the clouds.

Soon, the IBM Lotus Notes email system will be replaced with Microsoft Office 365, a “cloud-based” system.

“Cloud-based” environments use internet-accessed networks provided by third parties (in this case, Microsoft) instead of local servers. The switch will save UNL about $500,000 each year. The university currently spends about $1 million annually to use Lotus Notes, which has been used by the university for 14 years.

An information technology task force for UNL made the decision to switch to Microsoft 365.

“Microsoft offered a superior web-based interface and enhanced capabilities, and that their business models put more emphasis on the needs of higher education than Lotus Notes,” according to the University of Nebraska Board of Regents website.

Mark Askren, chief information officer for UNL Information Services, spoke about the transition.

“This is part of our move to provide better IT services for less costs,” he said. “The old system was largely no longer used at major research universities. Microsoft and Google had better web interfaces.”

Ultimately, Microsoft was chosen over Google due to

a “more competitive pricing structure,” he said.

Askren said with the new system, costs will be cut by redirecting people who were originally paid to help run local servers. “(There a r e )

The new email system will offer 25 gigabytes of storage space per person, a vast improvement over Lotus Notes, which only had one gigabyte of storage per person. The system also allows users to personalize their

servers storing the d a t a here, b u t stephanie goodman | daily nebraskan with the new Microsoft solution it email names and includes a will be in the clouds so that the user-friendly calendar. UNL time it takes to manage those faculty and staff have the will be provided by Microsoft,” choice of either creating a new account or migrating old calhe said.

Even though Microsoft will endars and messages to the run the servers, UNL will still new system.

Chancellors, vice chancelhave a support staff to help with troubleshooting and co- lors and their support staff were the first to upgrade to ordinating.

Microsoft 365 at the beginning of second semester. As of Feb. 1, more than 400 out of 6,000 accounts had been upgraded.

The upgrades will take place over campus units as opposed to individual employees.

Alan Moeller, the assistant vice chancellor for the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources’ Finance and Personnel Office, refers to himself as a guinea pig because he was among the first to receive the new program.

“My personal experience (with the program) has been very positive,” he said. Moeller said he prefers Microsoft 365 for its compatibility with other programs, such as Apple products.

When asked about the old system, he said it was slow and the system was often down.

The university is expected to completely transition to the new system by the end of June.

The University of Nebraska at Omaha, University of Nebraska at Kearney and University of Nebraska Central Administration will also be installing Microsoft 365. The universities are working on a team to train staff and faculty members how to use the new programs. The University of Nebraska Medical Center is not migrating to the new system because of concerns about security.

myplan: from 1 Registration and Records; and Watts.

“In the medical field, you can have a practitioner, cardiologist and cancer doctor,” Watts said.

“You want your doctors to talk.

You want your dean and biology adviser to talk.”

Since the medical industry began using technology to communicate, Watts said people are getting better care.

MyPLAN, too, should give students better service, he said.

DEMETRIASTEPHENS@ DAILYNEBRASKAN.COM

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LANI KAI BEACHFRONT RESORT

bedbugs: from 1 treatment and what to do with laundry. Depending on the time of day, students might not have to stay in another room for the night, Zaborowski said.

“We’ll put you in a different accommodation for the night, either on your floor in an empty room or in the same building,” he said.

Students could also be placed in lounges, Gildersleeve added.

Both told students if they were staying with a friend instead of staying where Housing decided, the bedbugs could travel to the friends’ rooms. Another student in the audience asked if it was okay to stay in the room where the bedbugs were instead of moving rooms.

“If you’re able to stay in the room and sleep at night, I don’t think any of us would think that’s a problem,” Gildersleeve said. “We would ask you not to go next door to friends.”

Students also voiced their concerns about doing laundry and what they should do if they go home.

Gildersleeve said she had more calls from mothers than students when it came to doing laundry and traveling home for the weekend.

Schumann said the best thing to do is to put the clothes in the dryer because the dryer can reach to at least 120 degrees even on the lowest setting.

As for backpacks, Zaborowski, Gildersleeve and Schumann said they didn’t see why students couldn’t put their backpacks in the dryer, as long as the backpacks could withstand the heat of the dryer.

After the meeting, Alexis Pawoll, a freshman merchandising major, said Housing answered all of the questions she had.

“I think they’re doing as much as they can,” Pawoll said. “They’re very open to answering all of the questions.”

In the provided handout, Housing listed a schedule of which residence halls will be getting the dog checks first. Most of the floors of Abel Hall have been swept by Spots, and, this week, Housing contracted another dog, Ricky,

3

from Minneapolis. The dogs will begin working together starting Feb. 13.

Housing will be visiting the last couple floors of Abel and beginning a sweep of Sandoz Hall starting Feb. 13 and all the halls will be visited by March 1. The schedule provided is a tentative one, Gildersleeve said.

“The thing we’ve learned

is the best-laid plans of mice and men go oft awry,” Gildersleeve said. “And we know that whatever we do, it will change a little bit.”

The next information sessions will be Thursday at 6 p.m. in Mari’s Lounge in Sandoz or 8:30 p.m. in the conference room, Harper Dining Conference Room B, and Feb. 15 in Cather/

tentative schedule Tentative Schedule: Feb. 13 - Abel, Sandoz Feb. 14 - Sandoz, Selleck Feb. 15 - Selleck Feb. 16 - Harper Feb. 17 - Harper, Schramm Feb. 20 - Schramm, Smith Feb. 21 - Smith, Village Feb. 22 - Village Feb. 23 - Piper, Raymond, Love Feb. 24 - Heppner, Pound Feb. 27 - Pound, Cather Feb. 28 - Cather, Courtyards Feb. 29 - Courtyards, Knoll March 1 - Knoll, Kauffmann Additional halls yet to have checks scheduled: Burr, Fedde, Love, Memorial, Husker

Pound/Neihardt Dining at 9 p.m.

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Opinion DAILY NEBRASKAN

page 4

thursday, february 9, 2012

DAILY NEBRASKAN editorial board members IAN SACKS editor-in-chief CHANCE SOLEM-PFEIFER arts & entertainment editor opinion editor HAILEY KONNATH RHIANNON ROOT ZACH SMITH

assistant opinion editor

news assignment editor

our view

lauren vuchetich | daily nebraskan

MyPLAN shows promising ideas, flawed logic Finding a way to help students “weave through the big UNL system” as Vanessa Roof, a senior researcher in the office of the chancellor, put in on of today’s stories, is a noble idea. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is a large institution and can be difficult to navigate when it comes to the relationships between students, professor and advisers.

This is the aim of the a forthcoming Blackboard advising tool called MyPLAN. MyPLAN will appear as a tab on Blackboard and is meant to make advisers more accessible to students via several features including: online calendars so students can sign up for meetings, a “red flag” system so professors can notify advisers regarding poorly performing students and a student “Success Network” that will display all relevant professors’ and advisors’ contact information.

The goal is a good one, but there are some fundamental flaws in the branches of the program.

The online calendar to help students recognize an adviser’s availability and sign up for appointments is a good idea, but what today’s article made plain is that advisers won’t have to use the MyPLAN system on a mandatory basis. This seemingly defeats the purpose of installing the calendar in the first place. As was the case with professors posting grades on Blackboard, encouragement isn’t enough. To truly streamline the way in which university employees and students interact, using the online calendar should be mandatory.

The “red flag” system too has potential benefits, but falls short in these early launch phases of appearing truly effective. According to the article, “red flag” notices will be sent by professors to advisors if a student is performing poorly in a class or nearing or at the absence limit for the course. On a basic level, these alerts are being sent to the wrong person. It would be both advantageous for students and convenient for professors to simply send out a general notice to under-performing students, signaling that they should sit down and conference. Sending the notice to advisers who will in turn contact students (despite the high probability that they’re not personally familiar with the students or professors) is missing an opportunity to make communication easy on professors and more transparent for students who may not be aware they’re falling behind.

For the adviser, these alerts will be an unnecessary burden that may not even make it to students.

Opinion @dailynebraskan.com

editorial policy The editorial above contains the opinion of the spring 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.

neil orians | daily nebraskan

Syrian havoc should be noted Nearly one year has passed since the uprisings began steamrolling through Arab countries. As one dictator falls after the other, great excitement echoed halfway around the world.

Policy experts, scholars and students have been re-examining and re-engaging in Middle Eastern affairs.

The ongoing crackdown in Syria dragged on mass media coverage lately.

Hundreds of people have been killed.

“I rule with the will of the people. If I give up power, I will do so with the will of the people too,” said Syria’s embattled president, Bashar Al-Assad, in his last speech, asserting his stronghold grip on the country.

But, what if a large portion of your population took to the streets, protesting against your irresponsible and criminal behavior?

Would that make any difference to your regime? Would the mass killings render you aware that you are no longer considered an eligible leader in their eyes? Or would their voices find an echo in your ears?

“We cannot relent in the battle against terrorism,” President Assad said. “We strike with an iron fist against terrorists who have been brainwashed.”

I won’t buy the conspiracy argument when a dictator tyrannizes and massacres his own people while throwing guilt on foreign hands on plotting domestic crisis.

I won’t buy that!

The recent crackdown in Syria demonstrates the abominable face of tyranny as parallels have been drawn between the massacre of Hama 30 years ago and Homs four days ago. “History never repeats itself, but it rhymes,” as Mark Twain put it. Yet on Feb. 3, 1982, the Syrian government declared war on its own citizens, and for the following 29 days the city of Hama was bombed from the air and the ground.

Major parts of Hama were demolished.

An estimated 20,000 people were killed by the scorched earth policy conducted

by Bashar’s father, Hafedh Al-Assad, and his uncle, Rifa’at Al-Assad.

Rifta’at Al-Assad, who massacred his own people, now enjoys a life of remarkable extravagance in London while being protected by British government.

One would question, once again, the double standard measures of certain powers when it comes to their claims of civilians’ safety.

No one showed grief or reckoned the

beligh ben taleb thousands of people who were murdered 30 years ago in Hama. Maybe because they were members and families of the Muslim brotherhood who in the eyes of some of the international community didn’t deserve to live?

The story isn’t black and white. Yet the crackdown was abhorrent. Now, it did what it did and thought it’s over.

Under different narratives, the last few days marked bloodshed in the history of the Assad family. On Feb. 3, 2012, while Hama is exacting its revenge on the Assads, more than 300 people were killed in the city of Homs by police forces.

Hundreds of people have been massacred daily. Many others will spend the rest of their lives entrenched in agony and deep grief because of what they lost. Yet when the Syrian president or his supporters were asked about these people, they would spout the same claim that these are “mercenaries,” “terrorists,” working on dismantling the unity of Syria.

“We cannot relent in the battle against terrorism,” Syria’s embattled president said. “We strike with an iron fist against terrorists who have been brainwashed.”

The diversity of social groups in Syria is another threat that jeopardizes the country. Nearly two-thirds of the people are Arabic-speaking Sunni Muslims, while Druzes, Alawis, Kurds, Circassians, Turkmens, Christians and Jews make the remaining one-third.

Despite the diversity, there are a set of shared values binding them into one Syria, marked by strong internal loyalty and solidarity to the country.

These ugly faces of sectarian conflicts within Syrian society were brought back to light recently by media reports on the uprising. They no longer constitute a unitary social force because of the strongly felt differences among various regions across the country.

Bashar Al-Assad continues to use the same token of religious division and, like other Arab dictators who were recently ousted , represents himself as the sole

redeemer of Syrian unity.

The precarious situation sets the stage for Syria to become a political battleground between numerous paternalistic powers.

When one looks at countries like Russia, China, Brazil, South Africa and India that vetoed the UN Resolution against the Syrian government, one could infer that a new phase a la Cold War sentiment has emerged.

One thing worth recording, Syria has neither oil nor any other natural resources that could feed the imperial greedy stomach. Yet, countries like China and Russia didn’t veto the UN Resolution for the sake of endorsing Bashar Al-Assad’s atrocities nor for the sake of grieving on the Syrian people.

Rather, one simple motif, designing a new multi-polar world order, with new emerging economic and military powers such as Brazil, South Africa and India.

Moscow and Beijing’s veto on the UNArab Resolution on Syria is a wakeup call, reminding us of the US veto rejecting the recognition of a Palestinian State last September. Each power works within the borders of its interests. That’s perfectly legitimate. But, when imperial powers turn a blind eye on the horrible atrocities of dictators’ killing machines, civilians pay the cost.

The Syrian regime will make a big mistake if they consider the veto on the UN Security Council resolution a leeway to keep cracking down innocent people and massacre hundreds like what happened in the city of Homs recently on Feb. 3.

On Feb. 7, the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said, “The president of Syria assured us he was ‘completely committed to the task of stopping violence, regardless of where it may come from.’”

The situation could be worse when one hears Arizona Sen. John McCain and other lawmakers calling on Tuesday for the U.S. to consider arming the Syrian opposition. Anyone who knows the region knows that such proposal will spiral the whole region out into a quagmire.

No matter how grudging the Syrian regime, the will of the people, particularly after losing more than 6,000 people killed, won’t be deterred by a veto at the UN Council. It merely remains a matter of time.

Beligh Ben Taleb is a graduate student in history and a former Fulbright scholar from Tunisia. Reach him at belighbentaleb@ dailynebraskan.com.

Calving season struggles prove worth effort

A

s the snowstorm blew across the Midwest last weekend, students may have celebrated. Nebraska residents hunkered down with a cart full of groceries and cranked up the heaters.

And farmers and ranchers with livestock prepared for the worst.

They brought food and clean water to their animals before the wintery conditions worsened.

When you have snow on the ground, many things must be done and chores will more than likely take double or triple the usual time.

The snow must be cleared from alleys and roads, usually with the help of tractors with snow plow blades. Feed bunks that the cattle eat from need to be emptied so new feed can be poured in onto a “clean plate.” My two younger sisters and I have mastered this job.

Our cattle depend on us to take care of them, especially during weather like this.

Snowstorms and calving season seem to go hand-in-hand.

A storm like we experienced this weekend can potentially cripple a herd, especially for groups that are calving at the time. Producers try to have some sort of protection for cows in winter conditions. A windbreak or barn will do wonders in a snowstorm, and some people, like my family, put out round bales of straw or cornstalks for bedding in fields.

The first hours of a calf’s life are critical. Frequent observation of cows about to calve, especially first calf heifers is very important.

Even though most cows can have a calf unassisted, it’s possible she’ll need some assistance from the producer or even the veterinarian. One thing about this is, it can happen at any time of the day or night. Cows don’t wait for you to have their baby. They don’t wait for the weather to be just right, and they definitely don’t care if you were fast asleep in your warm, comfortable bed.

melissa keyes Most cattle producers experience a severe lack of sleep during their calving season. Many, like my dad, get up at all hours of the night to check on cows and calves in, quite frankly, crappy weather.

As everybody knows, Nebraska isn’t known for its balmy temperatures and 365-day sunshine. It’s known for blinding snow, pelting rain and sub-zero wind chills.

These are surprisingly, not prime conditions to have a calf. That’s where the producer comes in.

These farmers and ranchers will surely be moving a little slower each morning. With that aside, I don’t think I’ll find a single one that

won’t tell you it was worth it to see a cow licking her wet, newborn calf. Being able to see this happen time after time, calf after calf, is a beautiful and moving experience.

After a bit, when the cow and the calf have had the chance to bond and the newborn is up on its feet, the producer will usually come through and give it some vaccinations and some sort of identification.

These are common practices and the immunizations are vital to prevent diseases that a young calf is more apt to contract in its first, fragile days of life. These vaccinations are followed up as the calf grows to continue to prevent diseases and keep the cattle healthy.

The identification could be an ear tag that has a series of information on it. A number specific to that calf and information about its dam (mother) and sire (father, or bull that sired the calf) are examples of information that could be on an ear tag. All of this information, plus more, will go into some sort

of recording system used by the producer.

My personal favorite part of this time is the next weeks of the calf’s life. This is when they learn just about everything they’ll ever need to know. They run and jump and play with the other calves and it is the cutest thing you will ever see in your life.

This is probably what I miss most about home while I’m in Lincoln for school. I like to think I can still “help” by calling my dad every day around noon to ask, “Have any calves today? Bulls or heifers? Did Bonnie have her calf yet?” (Bonnie’s my pride and joy.)

Some people might think, “Why would you pick a profession where you have to brave conditions like this? You’re crazy.” I, and any other livestock producer, can tell you that it is so worth it.

melissa keyes is a junior agricultural journalism major. she blogs at borninabarn-melissa.blogspot.com, and can be reached at melissakeyes@ dailynebraskan.com.

performingarts DAILY NEBRASKAN

OPTIMUM thursday, february 9, 2012

dailynebraskan.com

pagE 5

EXPOSURE

Matthew Masin | Daily Nebraskan

Jake Gardner of Professor Plum sings to a small crowd at the bourbon theater on the first night of Lincoln Exposed.

Plum was the second act of five that preformed on the opening night of the music festival. Lincoln Exposed runs Feb. 8 through Feb. 11 with shows at the Bourbon Theatre, Duffy’s Tavern and the Zoo Bar.

morgan spiehs | daily nebraskan

Left: Friends of the band Dr. John Walker, Mary Herres and Joe Mara, converse during the band’s performance Wednesday night at the zoo bar.

MORgan spiehs | daily nebraskan

A member of Dr. John Walker, Dave Morris, plays his upright bass during his band’s performace Wednesday night at the Zoo Bar.

Matthew Masin | Daily nebraskan

Top: Sputnik Kaputnik adjusts his delay pedal and loops his vocals while singing at the Bourbon Theatre Wednesday night. The band got the crowd dancing and brought the audience closer to the stage with their antics.

morgan spiehs | daily nebraskan

James Reilly sings lead vocals and plays guitar for his band, Pharmacy Spirits, at Duffy’s Tavern.

Folk duo Neal & Leandra hits Lied Center stage joe wade daily nebraskan

Music is the voice that calls to us while we are sleeping. It sets our mood and inspires us to new heights and directions. For some, it’s the simple story of how boy meets girl and love ensues.

But for others, the passion instilled by the music that moves us, sets the stage for everything that follows.

Folk musicians Neal & Leandra, who will perform at the Lied Center for Performing Arts at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, are one such story.

“I was attracted to the immediacy of folk music,” said Neal Hagberg, of Neal & Leandra. “It has gotten a rather bad name by some over the years, but at its core, it is driven by a sense of what is timeless, not just what is popular.”

Neal first met Leandra Peak in 1980 at a Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn., at a performance

of “Godspell,” in which Peak was a cast member. Hagberg approached Peak after the play and asked her to sing with him at a folk festival on the north shore of Lake Superior.

“I did not write much of our material then,” Hagberg said. “We were both drawn to folk icon Bill Staines’ music and learned a bunch of his songs for this gig. Then we found out he was the headliner of the festival.

So they had Bill Staines on the main stage singing Bill Staines’ songs and us on a stage, within hearing distance, singing Bill Staines’ songs. It was surreal and hilarious.”

Since then, Neal & Leandra have devoted themselves to writing original material.

“I started writing like a fiend from then on and we have released 14 CDs of original material, so we never have to get caught in that situation again,” he said.

Hagburg and Peak married

if you go LAFTA presents Neal & Leandra when: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. where: Lied Center for Performing Arts how much: $17 adult, $10 student in 1989 and have been touring full time as a duo ever since. They have played all over the United States from folk festivals to special performances at tiny coffee houses in places like San Luis Obispo, Calif., to Carnegie Hall.

“We have played large concert auditoriums and empty coffeehouses,” Hagberg said. “We’ve played national radio in one town and couldn’t get on the national radio show in our own backyard; been adored and I’m sure ridiculed.”

Despite the success,

courtesy photo

adoration and everything else that comes with working in the music industry, Hagberg holds true to the

passion he has for the music.

“The older I get, the more my aspirations are to stand

in front of an audience, play

FOLK: see page 6

upcoming events New Songwriters Night with James Burke when: Tonight at 6 p.m. where: Crescent Moon Coffee House, 140 N. 8 St. how much: Free

National Theatre Live: “Travelling Light” when: Tonight at 9 p.m. where: Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center how much: $23 (public), $16 (students)

Lincoln Exposed

when: Wednesday through Saturday at 8 p.m. where: Bourbon Theatre (1415 O St.), Duffy’s Tavern

(1412 O St.), Zoo Bar (136 N. 14th St.) $6 per night, $20 four-day pass

how much:

6

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Daily Nebraskan

ian treadway | daily nebraskan

Date auction expected to be well-received brandon perchal Daniel Holtmeyer | Daily Nebraskan

Norm Kusinski, owner and operator of M&N Sandwich Shop stands near his restaurant’s front counter with one of his speciality sandwiches, the Italian beef and pastrami with mozzarella.

Sandwich shop delights Lincoln jack sampson daily nebraskan

Nestled between a couple smoke shops on the northeast corner of 27th and Randolph streets, M&N Sandwich Shop has solidified itself as a local hidden treasure. In Lincoln’s oversaturated market for sandwich shops, M&N’s Chicagostyle sandwiches are criminally overlooked.

After making my way down a snow-covered back alley, I pulled into M&N’s parking lot with an empty stomach, eager to get my hands on one of owner Norm Kusinski’s highlytouted sandwiches.

Inside, I saw Norm behind the counter sporting a thick mustache and a black baseball cap. He could easily blend in with “da bears” fan club from SNL’s classic Chris Farley skit.

One look at Norm and I knew he was qualified to handle my Chicago-style sandwich.

I refrained from bringing up Ditka and ordered the Italian beef and pastrami ($6.85), complete with provolone cheese, onions and hot peppers on a Gonnella roll. Don’t expect Norm to coddle you when he takes your order.

“He’ll let it be known if he disagrees with your order,” said Jeff Wees, a semi-regular customer of M&N Sandwich Shop.

“Not that he’ll scream at you, but you can definitely draw some comparisons between him and the Soup Nazi.”

If you enjoy overly eccentric waiters covered in tacky pins, this may not be the place for you.

When I sat down to wait for my sandwich, I began to take in my surroundings. Surprisingly, I couldn’t find any flat screen TVs or trendy interior decorations or $5 sub promotions. M&N is not your typical sub shop.

The decor is fairly barren and reminded me of the familyowned hoagie shops from my childhood in New Jersey. One wall is covered with promotional posters for local bands and upcoming shows. In the

opposite corner, a small TV running FOX News sits on top of a wooden stand and an oldschool menu is hangs on the wall, looking like something out of a ‘90s deli.

This kind of simplicity and haphazard decor is exactly what gives M&N Sandwich its appeal. No one ever walked inside of Pickleman’s or Jimmy John’s expecting the best sandwich they’ve ever had. Not to say I don’t enjoy the downtown sub shops from time to time — I do — but M&N’s simplicity gives off an aura of authenticity that can only be found outside the realm of corporate establishments.

After what seemed like no time at all, Norm personally delivered my gargantuan sandwich filled to the brim with its delicious contents and topped with melted cheese. I grabbed the Gonnella bun, soaked in savory au jus and took my first bite. The explosion of flavor from the Italian beef and pastrami floored me.

The first-class meats make Planet Sub’s look like spam and bologna. Appropriately seasoned with a savory kick, I would venture to say that you can’t find better quality from any other sandwich in Lincoln.

The heaping amount of cheese sufficiently covers the top of the sandwich and blends well with the loads of Italian beef and pastrami. After a few bites, my teeth crunched into the hot peppers, which add incredible texture to the sandwich with a kick to be appreciated by the most daring of spicy food connoisseurs.

I finished my meal and slowly came down from cloud nine.

With my newfound enthusiasm for M&N sandwiches, I had a chat with Norm to learn more about this diamond in the rough.

“I’m from Chicago,” he said. “I used to visit Lincoln all the time and I would eat the sandwiches here. I figured, well, I think it needs a good restaurant. That was back in ’93 when there wasn’t so many restaurants like

Daniel Holtmeyer | Daily Nebraskan

A speciality sandwich of M&N Sandwich Shop, the Italian beef and pastrami with mozzarella. there is now.”

M&N SANDWICH M&N has seen its share of changes since opening in 1993.

SHOP At one point, it served as a 728 S 27th St. venue for local bands on week$5-10 entree nights. The shows provided an outlet for University of Nebraska-Lincoln underclassmen and members of AA to experience Grade live music without the influence different ballgame.” of alcohol.

Do yourself a favor and get “I was good friends with out to M&N Sandwich Shop the owner of the Zoo Bar and to experience one of the best we had a lot of blues bands,” Kusinski said. “A lot of young sandwiches in Lincoln and musicians, like Kris Lager, got don’t be fooled by the mundane appearance — this place their start here.”

Much has changed since has more personality than all M&N’s days as a house of blues. the corporate sub shops comThe smoking ban killed the at- bined. jacksampson@ tendance, putting an end to the dailynebraskan.com concerts and now the promotional posters are the only relics of the shop’s musical history.

With the struggling economy and the overabundance of sandwich shops in Lincoln, Norm has taken a hit. the songs with everything I “I’m just trying to stay alive have and not be attached to now,” Kusinski said. “It’s a how people receive them,”

A

A week away from Valentine’s Day, flowers are selling out, heart-shaped chocolates and stuffed animals are disappearing from store shelves and students are being auctioned off to go on dates.

Neihardt Residence Hall is holding its annual date auction tonight to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The auction, as it has in past years, takes the form of a four-hour talent show with five-minute segments for groups and individuals to showcase their varied abilities. After each performance, the audience bids on the entertainer.

“It’s not human slavery — that’s not what we’re going for,” joked Taylor Dailey, a junior family consumer sciences and education major at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, noting that charity and fun are the ultimate concerns.

“We’re not actually auctioning off people here.”

Dailey participated in the date auction last year and is well-versed on how Thursday night’s talent show will look. Local businesses donate prizes, such as gift cards or restaurant vouchers, which are bid on after each talent act is finished, even though the bids tend to coincide with the act that’s just been performed.The donations usually come from friends and floor members. Last year for Dailey’s talent, she performed a sock puppet skit with a group of girls on her floor who she was newly acquainted with.

“We decided to call a floor meeting to talk about the date auction and what we were going to do,” Dailey said. “We ended up doing a sock puppet skit out of the movie ‘Mulan’ to the song ‘I’ll Make a Man Out of You.’”

if you go Neihardt Date Auction when: Tonight, 8 p.m. where: Neihardt Residence Halll how much: Free After the group performed their skit, they were purchased for $220, but didn’t go on a date with the purchaser. This is generally the case, though that same female floor bid on their male floor counterparts to great effect.

“We went out on a date breakfast with them,” Dailey said. “I am actually now dating a guy from that group. It was perfect timing to say the least.”

This year Dailey is a resident assistant in Neihardt and called a floor meeting earlier in the year to spark interest in the auction, as well as plan out a talent.

“She showed us videos of last year’s performances,” said Samantha Burtwistle, a freshman English and physics major, who is participating in the auction this year. “We’re doing a dance to ‘It’s Raining Men’ and ‘Single Ladies.’ We have part of the choreography done, but we’re going to practice tomorrow to learn the rest.”

Dailey emphasized, however, that there is usually myriad of talents on display at the auction, far more than just singing and dancing.

“I’ve been to talent shows before and I was impressed with the quality of the acts at this one,” Dailey said. “At the end (of the date auction last year), there was a full jazz band that performed and some members even dressed up like the Blues Brothers. It’s better than the average talent show.” brandonperchal@ Daileynebraskan.com

FOLK: from 5

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he said.

Saturday’s show is being presented in conjunction with a workshop the same afternoon for Cornhusker Place Detox, where Hagberg will use music and song lyrics to help enable those individuals in the detox program to initiate a dialogue about their situation.

“Neal & Leandra are high quality performers,” said Charles Wooldridge, the president of the Lincoln Association for Traditional

ASK ME ABOUT

ASUN

Arts (LAFTA), which is members and $10 for stuhosting the show. “Their dents with an ID. joewade@ harmony-rich music can be dailynebraskan.com described as romantically themed and having a sense of humor based on real life events.”

This folk duo is critically acclaimed by a wide variety of publications including The Washington Post and Boston Globe. As al- Mondays.................... ways, be there early to re39 c wings serve your seat.

Tuesdays....................

Tickets can be purchased $2.95 pizza & Poker at Lafta.net via Paypal or 7&10pm at the door. Prices are $17 Wednesdays ............... for adults, $1 for children 50 c tacos under 12, $13 for LAFTA

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Daily Nebraskan

Thursday, february 9, 2012

7

Modernized show pleases Lied audience A FINER ART

Katie Nelson daily nebraskan

JON AUGUSTINE | DAILY NEBRASKAN

Lincoln resident Richard West digs into an entree at African Restaurant on Feb. 1. The restaurant at 313 North 27th Street has been open since June 2010 and serves traditional Ethiopian food.

Ethiopian eatery introduces variety SAmantha Kabourek daily nebraskan

Though diners of our city probably wouldn’t expect differently, Lincoln has very few Ethiopian eateries.

One in particular stands out.

African Restaurant is located at 313 N. 27th St. It opened in June 2010 and serves authentic Ethiopian dishes. The food ranges from kay wat (lean, chopped beef slowly simmered with berbere and a combination of seasoning) to dulet (a mix of liver, lamb and beef).

It’s a visible, but seldom visited establishment and manager Mulugbta Ruei said roughly 15 customers come in each day.

For those who have gone, it’s a cultural experience.

“It does give you the feel for the culture through the food they serve,” said Alec Jones, a junior European studies and Russian major at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Ruei was a physical education major at Iowa State University before the restaurant existed. He decided to open an Ethiopian eatery after his mother mentioned that there were very few authentic African restaurants in Lincoln.

“Omaha has a huge variety of places to eat but here in Lincoln, not many people know about African food,” Ruei said.

“We want to start out small because, now, a lot of people know about African food and once more people know about Ethiopian food we want to expand.”

When I visited the website for this restaurant, I could tell it was a small place. But size doesn’t matter in this case — with most of African

Jon augustine | daily nebraskan

African Restaurant serves their entrees with injera, a traditional bread used in place of utensils to “scoop up” the rest of the meal.

Restaurant’s appeal residing in its quaint, “mom and pop” feel. However, there were a few things I would change to enhance the appearance of the diner, such as taking out the fence and green carpet in the front. The inside was fine and featured various Africanthemed pieces of art.

I was the only customer in the restaurant at the time I went to eat, and though this was mildly unsettling, I had the feeling that the focus on me as the single patron would result in some good eats.

My meal consisted of a large plate full of red and yellow rice with yellow potatoes, mixed vegetables — green beans, carrots and cabbage — and

topped with cooked lentils. A glass of ginger tea complimented my meal.

I was very impressed with the flavor and texture of the dining experience. The ginger tea had a slightly spicy but sweet taste and went down smoothly — a great drink for a cold day. The actual food was flavorful. The lentils had a bit of a kick, which was a nice contrast to the blander flavor of the rice. Normally, I do not like anything spicy, but my meal was mild enough that I was not forced to chug a bucket of water afterward.

My only criticism is the temperature of the food itself, which suffered from being tepid and lukewarm.

AFRICAN RESTAURANT 313 N. 27th St. $10-15

Grade

B+

When time came to leave and box up the two-thirds of my meal I could not finish, I was surprised when my total was less than $10. Though this eatery could make a few minor improvements, I believe that, in time, it has the ability to introduce more of the general population to traditional Ethiopian foods. samanthakabourek@ dailynebraskan.com

Before: When writing questions for my preview for the Brooklyn Rundfunk Orkestrata’s performance at the Lied Center for the Performing Arts tonight, part of my preparation was listening to some of the music they have produced. For those of you who didn’t read the article, the Brooklyn Rundfunk Orkestrata, also known as BRO (which was a bit of a red flag in my mind), is a group currently on a national tour promoting their album of, for a lack of a better term, a revamped “Sound of Music” score.

Picture this: Mother Superior’s solo, “Climb Every Mountain,” is no longer the classical, lifechanging piece that encouraged Maria to marry Captain Von Trapp. Instead, writer Peter Kiesewalter has changed it into a piece he likens to tracks off a Mary J. Blige album and complete with a music video predominately filmed in a subway car and in front of graffiti-ridden walls, I might believe he’s achieved his goal. I mean, we’re talking a mash up of “Do Re Mi” and the Jackson 5’s “ABC.” As a girl who was never allowed to listen to Britney Spears, the Backstreet Boys or N*Sync as a child (something for which I’ve actually been grateful to my mother), I instead grew up listening to Julie Andrews’ resilient voice breach levels of the treble clef no voice should breach. I grew up watching the classic love story between a nun and an exnaval captain. You better believe I knew each and every one of those songs; I knew who sang them and in turn, how they were supposed to sing them.

I know “The Sound of Music.”

So when I find myself listening to a cover of “The Lonely Goatherd” that sounds strangely similar to Led Zeppelin’s work, I’m not thrilled. I’m about as thrilled about this as John Boehner is about the mandate that contraceptives should be included in the health care initiative. I mean, I grew up listening to this music and, in my opinion, Kiesewalter hasn’t even put a new spin on it. Instead, he’s created a collection of mash-ups.

So I’ve decided to take a different approach to this column. I just booked my tickets to BRO’s performance tonight at the Lied Center, which I will attend this evening and tell you all about.

Sometimes perceptions can be skewed on YouTube and with that in mind, I hope that I will be proven wrong tonight.

However, as I stand right now, I do not think musical music ever sounds good when covered, remixed or mashed. I am not saying that people shouldn’t try to reimagine the old, but from what I have heard so far, this is not something that I want to listen to, nor do I think it will draw in other fans of musicals. However, the argument has been made that these new arrangements will draw in those who were not banned

from mainstream pop during their developmental years. I suppose that’s why I’m about to put myself through this. I’ll see you on the other side.

After: I walk into the Lied Center, immediately notice that one of my favorite venues in the city of Lincoln is looking rather abandoned this evening and I am instantaneously worried. Bill Stephan, the executive director of the Lied warns me that I “might want to dance during the show,” and I brace myself. The Brooklyn Rundfunk Orkestrata walks onto the stage, taking their respective places behind a drum set, microphones, guitars and synthesizers, and the show begins. Flat. The vocals are not blending together and the sound system is quiet. The performers are jumping or dancing around the stage, which is bad, because they dance like me (I was once asked not to return to dance lessons). The lead male vocalist sounds and is acting like a long-lost member of one of the various 90s pop boy bands, and when he throws his Oakleys on, he looks like Stitch from “Lilo and Stitch.”

But something good finally does happen: The song ends.

Unfortunately, the next selection doesn’t seem to be too promising.

I’m not sure what I expected, but I can safely say I set my expectations far too high. Kiesewalter mentioned to the audience that the group was not trying to parody the score from “The Sound of Music,” but I’m only able to sit, fuming in my corner of the theater. For the next hour, I find myself listening to “reimagined” selection after selection and to my horror and absolute dismay, I begin to find myself laughing with them. And tapping my toe. And enjoying the show. By the time they played the opening chords to their mashup of “Do Re Mi” and the Jackson 5’s “ABC,” I was on board.

Please don’t mistake that comment for, “I was sold.”

However, I have to give BRO credit. They were entertaining — plain and simple. They are not the next Mozart or Beethoven or Rodgers and Hammerstien, for that matter, but they weren’t bad. Everyone on stage was dancing and laughing and, although the audience wasn’t also dancing in the aisles, they were clearly enjoying themselves — a standing ovation at the end of the show proved that. At one point, the performers even looked a little silly, which is something refreshing to see in professional artists.

I stand by my original comments about the recordings on YouTube, but I cannot deny that this group clearly knows how to put on a show. As a huge fan of the original “Sound of Music,” I was impressed. I do not own their CD, but I respect their work. They may have even been able to bring a few new fans into the world of Broadway music.

Never underestimate the power of a Jackson 5 cover. katienelson@ dailynebraksan.com

8

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Daily Nebraskan

men’s tennis

michigan: from 10

Sock steps into his own court Grant Muessel Daily Nebraskan

Eric Sock strained his serving shoulder trying to curl extra weight in front of Ana Ivanavic in the U.S. Open gym in New York, where he went to watch his brother Jack play in the US Open.

“Do you know who (Ivanavic) is?” he whispered as his cheeks turned red. “She’s really hot. I tried to lift a little more than I could.”

At the time, Sock’s Nebraska tennis team was in the offseason. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln junior had left his post near the bottom of the Huskers’ singles lineup, where he compiled a 6-9 singles record over the past two seasons, to watch his brother play Andy Roddick in the second round of the US Open. Since then, the 21-year-old has moved up to play No. 5 singles for NU. He celebrated his 21st birthday with his teammates at the Brass Rail in downtown Lincoln on Sept. 22, 2011. Two days later, Jack turned 19.

“I just view us as brothers,” Eric said. “I do see myself as hopefully a role model to him, but I see us more as brothers and friends.”

It began one mild afternoon when Jack found some tennis racquets in the garage. The boys’ parents put them in tennis lessons before they had a chance to completely cover the garage door with dings.

In the years before high school, Eric competed with himself. Not having Jack’s natural gift wasn’t the only battle in his youth.

“You probably wouldn’t

recognize me if you saw pictures of me back then,” Eric said. “I was like the Pillsbury Doughboy.”

While Eric struggled to get into competitive shape, 10-year-old Jack caught the attention of a man named Mike Wolf during a tournament in Kansas City, Kan. Wolf talked the boys’ parents into moving to Kansas City from their native Lincoln and enrolling them in his tennis academy. Wolf saw something special in Jack.

He told the Sock parents he could work with Jack’s natural tennis abilities.

The family flew south for the academy, and Eric and Jack never stopped competing — be it tennis, basketball, golf or table tennis. On the court, table or course, the line blurred between “little” and “big” brother.

Eric was too busy practicing to be concerned with titles such as these. With a two-year difference between them, the boys got after each other on the tennis court, golf course and basketball court, but they were farthest apart when they stood nine feet away from each other playing table tennis.

“We might have thrown some paddles,” Eric said.

“A paddle might have gotten broken or a ball might have gotten broken because someone lost.”

But a broken paddle or ball was a far cry from the brothers’ usual final result — tips for improvement and encouragement. Egos stayed in the gym bag with the Gatorade or in the car after the golf spikes were donned.

There was no “older” when your kid brother beat

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said. “They didn’t give us a lot of opportunities in there. We did try and spread the court out a little bit and get into the lane first.”

But the offensive effort was just too limited to overcome. The Huskers’ 15 first-half points were tied for the worst home effort since 1973.

They had just seven assists compared to 14 turnovers and mustered only two fast break points.

Bo Spencer was the only Husker in double figures with 13 points.

Nebraska handled Michigan’s top scorers, Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr., holding them to a combined 18 points. But Zack Novak, Stu Douglass and Matt Vogrich combined to

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make eight 3-pointers, submarining NU’s strong defense inside.

But Sadler insisted on focusing on the positives during his postgame press conference. He acknowledged that the offense isn’t going to cut it.

But the defense? That he can live with.

“I was disappointed that we lost the basketball game, but I’m so proud of our guys,” Sadler said.

“I thought they played as hard as you can play. To not make shots, anyone who has played basketball understands how difficult it can be to maybe quit competing on the defensive end. But I thought our guys competed for 40 minutes on that end.”

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in the US Open, advancing to the second round and nearly defeating Andy Roddick. Aumueller brags about beating Jack in a pickup match during Jack’s last visit to Lincoln.

Sitting in his living room, which doubles as a dining room, Eric tells how Jack bought an extra cell phone in New York to have for professional use, a small price to pay when he’s travelling on the ATP Pro Tour adding to his $295,000 in career winnings — all of which he earned before that 19th birthday.

When Eric runs out of things to say about his brother and Menghia runs out of magazines her sister has graced the cover of, the three leave to meet some teammates at HuHot Mongolian Grill. Eric never cedes Catrinel being a bigger deal than his little brother.

He understands people might assume him to be a jealous person. But it’s hard for Eric to be jealous of someone he’s so close to — to be jealous of his own blood. If anything, having Jack Sock as a brother is a blessing for Eric.

“It was great to be able to have someone to go practice with or to hit with, also to learn from. I actually learned a lot watching him, being around him. If it weren’t for him then I probably wouldn’t be where I’m at today. I’m thankful to have him as a brother and I’m glad I could also take part in the journey that he kind of helped us get started with.”

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The event that could have destroyed a sibling rivalry strengthened the relationship of the Sock brothers.

High school tennis rules in Kansas keep siblings from facing each other in early rounds of the tournament, but Eric reached the final m a t c h where he w o u l d face his l i t t l e brother for the state title. sock The naturally talented younger brother took home the trophy.

These days, while Jack circles the globe on the professional tennis tour, the collegian Eric sits in his three-bedroom apartment with Husker teammate and roommate, senior Christopher Aumueller and friend, senior Lorena Menghia, who is a member of the NU track and field team. Eighties rock plays on the two-speaker stereo as Eric watches Aumueller play FIFA Soccer on their Xbox 360.

“Do you know my sister?”

Menghia says, referring to international supermodel Catrinel Menghia. You know, the stunning brunette in black you saw during the Super Bowl playing seductively with some poor sap’s latte foam in the Fiat commercial.

“Do you know my brother Jack?” Sock counters. “He’s famous.”

Aumueller and Eric regale stories of Jack’s recent run

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Page 8 o

Daily Nebraskan

Thursday, february 9, 2012

9

NU kicks off 2012 season at Kajikawa Classic Nedu Izu

Huskies, and on Friday they will take on No. 8 Arizona.

Revelle said her team is A new year for the Nebraska excited to take on the two softball team means a new Pac-12 schools. conference, new ballparks, “We have two teams right new rivalries but most im- out of the shoot that have portantly, a new ball club. both won national chamIn addition to bringing pionships,” she said. “Our back seven position starters, goal is to always schedule the Huskers have added two tough with thoughts of posttalented freshmen, Jordan season in mind. Both are Bettiol and Mattie Fowler, to perennial top-10 programs fill in at third base and cen- and we’re ready for the terfield. challenge.”

Throughout fall play, the Revelle named senior two freshmen contributed to pitcher Ashley Hagemann as the team’s offense, ending the starter for the team’s first the season with .545 (Bet- two games. tiol) and .370 (Fowler) averThe coach said she’s lookages. ing forward to seeing the The two acquisitions are improvements made by her just a few of the reasons pitcher in the offseason. why the 2012 Cornhusker “It all starts in the circle,” offense will look more powthe coach erful than last said.

“I season in its first “I’m glad they’re don’t think year in the Big we’ve ever on my team so Ten Conference, had a pitchI don’t have to according to er that’s coach Rhonda pitch against worked Revelle. as hard to them during the “They have a prepare season.” real understandherself for ing of who they Ashley HagemaN this moare in our ofNU SOFTBALL PITCHER ment.” fense,” she said.

In the “We have a cousummer, ple sixth and seventh hitters Hagemann worked with a that can be our third and sports psychiatrist to work fourth hitters. We also have on the physical and mental a number nine hitter (Bet- part of her game. The Elktiol) who will be our future horn native said she also lead-off hitter. worked on mastering her “There’s the biggest dif- pitches. ference. We have true depth “I want to be able to and they understand what throw any of my pitches in they need to do to be their any count,” Hagemann said. best hitter.”

“I felt really confident with For the second straight my curve, rise and screw, season Nebraska will kick- so I really wanted to get my off their season in the Ka- drop ball and changeup to jikawa Classic when they those confident levels. travel to Tempe, Ariz., to “I want to be able to throw compete against Washing- them any time coach calls ton University in their 2012 me to in any count against opener. any batter in any game.”

Unlike last season, Prior to her starts, Hagethough, NU’s first two oppo- mann warms up with catchnents will be ranked ahead er Kirby Wright, who the of them. pitcher said she likes to Thursday, the team will work with a lot. face off against the No. 12 “She’s a great person to Daily Nebraskan

start my day off and go into a game with,” Hagemann said. “She’s an awesome person.”

When asked what she thought about her offense at Monday’s softball press conference, the senior said she’s happy to be on the same team as them.

“I don’t like pitching against them,” Hagemann said with a laugh. “I’m glad they’re on my team so I don’t have to pitch against them during the season.”

During the 2011 season, the Huskers had at least four hitters end the season with batting averages over .300, including catcher Taylor Edwards who begins this season on the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year watch list.

Although Hagemann usually likes to be alone in the dugout when she starts, she said she loves to celebrate with the offense whenever they score.

“I have to give them that credit because they’re scoring runs for me,” she said.

“So I always go out and give them high fives.”

Nebraska begins its first season in the Big Ten after leaving the Big 12, that finished second in the ESPN conference power rankings in 2011.

Although their current conference finished fifth at the end of last season in the power rankings, the Huskers are encouraged and ready to start a new reputation in the Big Ten, according to Revelle.

“I’ve said all along softball is softball,” she said. “The Big 12 is coming off one of its best years in history, but we’re fortunate to be in the Big Ten. Michigan’s won a national championship, Northwestern’s played in the championship series, so there are some teams who have national recognition.

“The teams that have been in the bottom have had

file photo by morgan spiehs | daily nebraskan

Senior pitcher Ashley Hagemann looks to lead the Huskers’ pitching staff this season. She finished last season with a 31-13 record and 1.75 ERA with 344 strikeouts. coaching changes in the last couple years and are already seeing great strides.”

Though NU ended last year without a championship, it’s no question that their chemistry is what has created a positive outlook on this season, according to Revelle.

“I really believe one of the strengths of this team is the chemistry,” the coach said.

“I feel like we’re strong all the way around and I believe this will be our most potent offense.”

Hagemann agreed and said that’s what will carry them to their ultimate plan.

“Our goal is to be at the College World Series competing with the top teams in the nation,” Hagemann said. “I feel that’s very possible for us. I think anything less than that would be a letdown.” neduizu@ dailynebraskan.com

men’s golf

Huskers prepare for Big Ten Match Play Lanny Holstein Daily Nebraskan

Mild winter weather has the Husker men’s golf team smiling as their season gets set to begin this weekend with the Big Ten Match Play Tournament.

The wave of abnormally high temperatures before the latest snowstorm allowed the Huskers to get outside and do some things in preparation that they normally wouldn’t have been able to do this time of year.

Head coach Bill Spangler said the team is much farther ahead in its preparation because of it.

“With the decent weather, we have been doing a lot of

playing and practicing outdoors, and we have been able to have guys qualify for the spring,” he said.

Spangler identified the short game as the area that has received the greatest benefit from the team’s time outdoors.

“Getting guys used to the actual grass has been a bonus,” he said. “The feel shots and the touch shots on the green are usually the last to come back after a break.”

Senior golfer Scott Willman echoed that thought.

“Chipping and putting are a total feel thing, and you lose that when you don’t play in the winter. I am always scared at the first tournament because I haven’t

been able to get those shots in,” he said. “It’s an advantage for us this year playing against some northern schools t h a t haven’t had the weather that we have had.”

T h e Huskers are hopwillman ing that the mild weather of this year’s offseason will be enough to propel them to new heights in their new conference.

“We won one tournament

in the fall,” Spangler said.

“I’d like to think that we can put ourselves in position to win one or two more in the spring.”

According to Spangler, the formula for successfully winning a few more tournaments and turning in a more successful spring season than fall season would be to get a bit more production from the team as a whole.

“We were inconsistent in the fall, and we are expecting to be a little more competitive in some tournaments in the spring,” he said. “It’s a stroke or two per guy that can make a huge difference in the tournaments that we play in. Everyone has to work a little

harder to be competitive this season.”

The Huskers will get their first chance to prove themselves on Friday in Bradenton, Fla. The unique format of this upcoming tournament has Willman particularly excited to get things rolling.

“I’m really looking forward to this match play tournament,” he said. “You don’t get to play in these very often, and I have some friends on other Big Ten teams that all say this is their favorite tournament.”

The Big Ten Network will carry the tournament live on its flagship station over the weekend. This will be the first time under Spangler,

and likely ever, that the Huskers have played in a televised tournament. The head coach said he is excited.

“College golf hasn’t gotten a lot of exposure,” he said.

“It’s good to see that the Big Ten Network covers all sports, and that is a bonus of playing Big Ten golf. It’s really neat for the guys.”

The Nebraska weather hasn’t been much of a problem for the Huskers throughout the offseason.

With the team’s tournament this weekend being held in Florida, it shouldn’t be much of a problem there either.

lannyholstein@ dailynebraskan.com

men’s bball: from 10 of the smaller lineup we’re going to have to play for the rest of the year probably.”

However, Ubel, the 6-foot10 forward, would take the podium after Sadler talked for 31 minutes. Ubel managed nine rebounds, six points and was 3 for 5 from the field.

“You have to have different options to go down there,” Sadler said. “Toney (McCray) and Brandon together aren’t so much guys to score. You have to get it down there to get it back out, and more importantly teams are going to switch like they all switch.

We have to do a much better job of throwing the basketball, going back to the backside and going down to the low post.”

And even though Sadler reiterated his opinion that his squad can’t play without a post presence, after doing so this week in practice and after Sunday’s loss to the Gophers, Ubel is unfazed.

He understands what Sadler wants him to do with

or without Diaz on the Devaney Center floor.

“I know my role on the team,” Ubel said. “It’s to get rebounds; it’s to provide energy to the team and encourage everybody else. If the ball comes into me one-onone, it’s my job to try and make a move, and if I’m not comfortable, it’s my job to try and kick it out. That’s my role on the team and I’ve accepted that from day one.”

And that role will be to fill the void left by Diaz.

The Puerto Rican managed eight blocks in his seven Big Ten games alongside 5.7 points and 3.6 rebounds per game over that stretch all while playing just 23 minutes in each contest due to his foot injury.

And Sadler argues that it’s even harder to replace a guy like Diaz when he’s trying to install a new offense that’s likely to confuse his players.

“I’m not going to sit here and defend that offense,” Sadler said. “But it’ll get better. As our guys can tell you,

we spent the last two days working on opening the floor up. But you’re not going to put something in two days, and that’s basically what you’re looking at.

“You’ve got to give your guys some confidence in knowing what they’re doing.”

However, his players do have confidence in what they’re doing, according to Ubel.

He stressed that the offense was in fact familiar, and the Huskers hadn’t changed their strategy on the attacking end since the start of the season.

“It’s no different; we’ve been practicing all these offenses from day one,” Ubel said. “Our basic two-game (offense) ... we’ve been practicing all these offenses since day one. We’ve been implementing it in different games from day one.”

But even though Sadler and company might be struggling down the stretch with everything from

bethany schmidt | daily nebraskan

Senior Brandon Richardson attempts to fight around a screen in NU’s 62-46 loss to Michigan. Richardson scored seven points in the game, making three of his five shots. offense — NU is averaging 61.5 points per game, the lowest in the Big Ten — to communication, Ubel isn’t giving up on his coach.

“(Coach Sadler) is doing everything he can,” Ubel said. “He’s putting in the work; he’s putting in the game plans. I mean he can’t

control if we’re shooting the ball well or not. So it’s absolutely not his fault.”

robbykorth@ dailynebraskan.com

Sports DAILY NEBRASKAN

dailynebraskan.com

thursday, february 9, 2012

NO

story by dan hoppen photo by jon augustine

offense

page 10

Nebraska’s offensive woes continue as they drop their third straight Big Ten game.

The Huskers struggled to a 15-point first half in Wednesday’s 62-46 loss to Michigan.

Nebraska just couldn’t get its timing right Wednesday night against Michigan.They shut down Michigan in the first half, but stumbled to a record-tying low 15 points.

The offense picked up after halftime, but the Wolverines connected on more than 75 percent of their shots in the second half to beat NU 62-46.

Coach Doc Sadler was quick to defend his team’s defensive effort, which held Michigan to five points under its season average.

But the offense? He’s knows that’s not going to fly.

“I think our offense was that bad,” Sadler said.“I don’t think it was just one of those games. I think we missed some easy shots, too.You still held a team way under their average. We can’t guard any better than we guarded.”

The Huskers trailed the entire game after Michigan started hot, hitting three 3-pointers in the opening minutes and jumping out to a 9-2 lead.

But NU’s defense tightened and after enduring two scoreless stretches of more than three minutes, Brandon Richardson came alive, scoring seven straight points and pulling the Huskers within one with seven and a half minutes left.

Michigan closed the half on a 9-4 run, then opened up the second in similar fashion on a 13-4 charge.

Although the Huskers shot 56.5 percent in the second half, they couldn’t get within sniffing distance of the Wolverines due to Michigan’s 76.2 second-half shooting percentage.

Sadler knew the shooting percentage.

A reporter reminded him of it in the

postgame press conference. But he stuck by his words, praising the Huskers’ defense.

Brandon Ubel concurred, saying that NU never lost heart, despite what the scoreboard said.

“We were excited and playing hard, keeping it packed in,” he said.“We knew our assignments, but they just hit a lot of shots. I thought we played hard throughout the whole game.”

“How many 35-second violations did they get? Our guys played hard,” Sadler said. “I’m proud of them. I’m proud of them for their effort. When you’re not making shots, it’s difficult.”

Even Michigan coach John Beilein was quick to credit the NU defense, although his team shot 52 percent for the game.

“Don’t discredit their defense,” Beilein

michigan: see page 8

No. 13 NU aims to win fifth straight there’s a lot of season left.

“I know we have to come Daily Nebraskan back and we have to work,” The common question asks sophomore Jordan Hooper whether it is better to be said. “We still have a long way lucky or good. The Nebraska to go.” women’s basketball team has The Wolverines come to submitted a new answer: It’s Lincoln with a 17-7 overall best to be both. record, and are 6-5 in conferThe Huskers hope to extend ence play. With the Wolvertheir winning streak to five ines on the NCAA Tournagames Thursday night when ment bubble, a win on the they take on road against NeMichigan at braska would be To a certain the Bob Devhuge for coach degree, you make aney Sports Kevin Borseth’s Center. It will your own luck, program. be the first Michigan but it doesn’t hurt game NU could prove to to be lucky. has played be a difficult Connie Yori matchup for Nesince a thrillNU HEAD COACH ing triplebraska, which overtime win Yori acknowlat then No. edged when she 15 Purdue — a win that has called UM “the complete oppropelled NU into the middle posite of us.” The Wolverines of a four-way fight for the Big commit very few turnovers Ten regular season title. and play a grinding game that Yet, when coach Connie leads to few shot attempts.

Yori took questions from the Consequently, Michigan is media Wednesday, she didn’t second in the Big Ten defendeny her Husker team has sively. Michigan has probhad a little help from lady lems scoring and reboundluck. ing — two of Nebraska’s best “We’re lucky. We are lucky strengths — ranking 10th with a capital L,” she said. “To and 12th in the conference in a certain degree, you make points per game and rebound your own luck, but it doesn’t margin respectively. hurt to be lucky.”

Most of Michigan’s troubles Lucky or not, the Huskers come inside, where their are now the hunted the rest frontcourt has a difficult time of the season. NU is now establishing themselves in the ranked No. 13 in the country paint, leading in part to their and, barring a complete col- -6.5 rebound margin in conferlapse, seems to be a lock for ence games. That could signal the NCAA Tournament. another strong game coming With fan interest soaring for Hooper. Her 20 points and because of the Huskers’ suc- 9.4 rebounds per game have cess, the team expects a rau- attracted some eyes. Hooper cous environment Thursday was one of eight players addnight. NU could be excused ed to the watch list for the for gloating about their recent Wade Trophy, the national success. That doesn’t seem to player of the year award. be the case, however. While “It’s really cool to be honthe players are pleased with ored with some of the kids beating Purdue, they know that are on the list,” Hooper

Sean Whalen

bethany schmidt | daily nebraskan

Bo Spencer attempts to block a shot in Wednesday’s loss to Michigan. Spencer led Nebraska with 13 points.

Without Diaz, low-post play dooms Huskers Robby Korth Daily Nebraskan

During Nebraska men’s basketball postgame press conference following a 62-46 defeat at the hands of No. 22 Michigan NU forward Brandon Ubel sported a team shirt that read “Impossible is Nothing.”

And with a guarantee that NU will finish below .500 in Big Ten play following the loss to the Wolverines, NU will have to do what is near the impossible to make something happen in postseason play.

Despite the 16-point loss to MU, Ubel and company are optimistic that with some hustle and a little luck the Huskers can make the impossible into a reality.

“The attitude right now is obviously (that) it’s disappointing that we’re losing,”

Ubel said. “But if we can get hot and make a few shots and have a couple balls bounce the right way at the right time, we’ve still got a shot.”

The Huskers are going to have to go down the stretch without the assistance of big man Jorge Brian Diaz. The center’s foot injury is all too serious and Nebraska coach Doc Sadler alluded to his injury as a big reason for Nebraska’s struggles as of late, and his absence as a key component to home losses to Minnesota and Michigan.

“When you don’t have a low-post presence (you can’t win games),” Sadler said. “And we haven’t had enough time yet to switch some things up with only two days of preparation to try and take advantage

men’s bball: see page 9

file photo by morgan spiehs | daily nebraskan

Sophomore Jordan Hooper leads the Huskers in scoring this year and was added to the Wade Trophy watch list. said. “If I win, I win and if I don’t, I don’t. It doesn’t really define our season or my personal goals or anything.

It’s really cool to be honored though.”

The Huskers had their bye over the weekend and will head into the game with fresh legs. According to Yori, the team had been having fatigue issues over the previous few games. The Huskers have also had a lot more time to prep for the game than Michigan, who lost at Michigan State on Sunday.

The bye did have a negative effect, though, as it cost the Huskers first place in the

standings. Purdue defeated Illinois while NU was inactive and moved a half-game ahead at 9-2 within the conference.

Still, if NU wins its last four home games and takes out Minnesota and Michigan State on the road — a tall order — it will be the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, regardless of what Purdue does.

Not that Yori cares.

“I didn’t know that; I don’t care to know that,” she said.

“I’m not worried about those other games (right now). All I care about is Michigan right now.”

seanwhalen@ dailynebraskan.com