March 4

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dailynebraskan.com

tuesday, march 4, 2014 volume 114, issue 109

Inside Coverage

Getting Spring break satisfaction safety tips Senior gymnast looks to end career perfectly

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UNLPD to offer travel advice at Tuesday meeting

Twist Off

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Local bluegrass band The Bottle Tops want their fans dancing, a la crowds of the 1960s.

They’re playing at The Pla Mor ballroom this weekend. photo by craig zimmerman

special slices

Ford Foundation grants $200K for minority coverage the state to publish stories about minority groups that would othHeartland Project erwise go unnoticed.

“What we hope to accomplish to encourage with the Heartland Project is to Nebraska media show that there’s some value covpeople of color, gays and outlets to better cover ering lesbians even in the heartland of diverse communities America,” Calvan said.

Calvan will be living in Nebraska for the next 10 months and working with various news Jason Shaneyfelt organizations to produce stories dn centered around minority communities. Calvan said many news The University of Nebraska-Linmedia companies are receptive to coln’s College of Journalism and the idea of increasing the diverMass Communications aims to sity of their coverage but don’t boost Nebraska’s dihave the staff to cover versity coverage in the minority communities. media through its most “Oftentimes the recent grant award: the coverage that (the miHeartland Project. nority communities) The Heartland do get is very superProject, funded by a ficial,” Calvan said. $200,000 Ford Foun“It’s often because of dation grant, is a colsome Asian American laboration between festival, Latino food the college, the Asian or African American American Journalists heritage month. Our Association and the success is going to be National Lesbian and measured in our abilcalvan Gay Journalists Assoity to partner with the ciation. community, with local “This is a unique grant be- news media, with national mecause it’s really rare for organizadia and generate hard-hitting and tions like this to come together for deep stories. It’s not going to be one common purpose,” said Gary these cursory type of reports on Kebbel, a journalism professor parades.” who worked with the Ford FounA lot of the effort of the Heartdation to bring the Heartland land Project and journalism colProject to UNL’s journalism college will also go toward getting lege. “We need somebody who is Nebraska more national recognia self-starter, is independent, has tion in its diversity coverage and good journalism experience and getting these stories placed in who is comfortable being embedmore national outlets. Calvan said ded at a college and working with this can be done if news organistudents and faculty.” zations are willing to tackle much The Heartland Project selected more serious stories in minority Bobby Caina Calvan, who recentcommunities. These stories will ly was a national political writer predominantly be centered on for the Boston Globe, to work with news organizations across heartland: see page 3

Subway Pizza Express is replacing Sbarro in the Nebraska Union and will have a soft opening on Wednesday.

Subway Pizza Express opens in Nebraska Union offering students creative options s t o r y

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he new Subway Pizza Express will open for business starting Wednesday in the Nebraska Union food court.

The establishment, which is one of the first of its kind in the country, is replacing Sbarro, which provided pizza and Italian at the union for almost 10 years.

Nebraska Unions Director Charlie Francis said this week’s opening is a soft launch, intended to measure the re-

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sponse.

“The grand opening will happen next week,” he said.

During that week, Subway Pizza Express will randomly give away a hundred pizzas to customers as they go through the line.

The Subway Pizza Express is not the only new fast food option students will have this year. Auntie Anne’s, known for its pretzels, is scheduled to open by midApril.

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Francis said Barton Development, the company that currently manages Subway and will manage both new restaurants in the union, will send staff to be trained in Pennsylvania, where Auntie Anne’s headquarters is located.

On the Subway Pizza Express prices, Francis said students will find them reasonable.

Marissa Curtiss, a junior economics and English major and Nebraska Unions board president, said the concept under

pizza: see page 2

UNL falls behind Big Ten schools in RecycleMania challenge UNL currently ranks 2nd to last of all Big Ten schools in RecycleMania, 134 of 247 overall Melissa Allen DN With less than a month left in the national RecycleMania competition, the University of NebraskaLincoln currently ranks second to last of all Big Ten Conference schools participating.

For eight weeks, Feb. 3 through March 29, UNL competes in the national RecycleMania competition where 461 schools representing 49 states and Canadian provinces compete for the top spot in recycling.

Of all the schools in the competition division, UNL ranks 134 out of 247 schools with a 27.31 percent recycling rate. UNL joined RecycleMania in 2010, ending with a rank of 181 national, with 21.83 percent recycling rate.

“We’ve always ranked particularly low, so we’re focusing on the overall awareness of the program.

It’s a long term goal,” said Kristy

Cullan, a member of the Environ- effort to raise awareness on recycling, said Patricia Nguyen, a mental Sustainability Committee at UNL and a sophomore business sophomore management major and administration major. “We’re just recruitment coordinator for Sustain trying to raise awareness over time UNL. Sustain UNL is a student orso students will partake in it more ganization promoting environmenin the future. We’re trying to get tal awareness. In past years, the organization has been the primary people to recognize it first.” coordinator of UNL’s RecycleMaThis year, ASUN Environmennia activities. tal Sustainability Committee is tak“I think most people know how ing charge of UNL’s participation to recycle, and what you can and in the competition. can’t do with recycling,” Nguyen The Residence Hall Association voted last week to allow the com- said, who is also a member of ASUN Environmental Sustainabilmittee to present each residence hall floor with recycling bins with ity Committee. “We’re just trying to up the motivation to help from UNL Redo it.” cycling.

We’re On Feb. 12, Later this week, the committee disresidence direcalways played recycling tors will email their trash bins residence assistants ranked particularly and around the sideto inform that the low, so we’re walks in front of recycle bins will be focusing on the the greenspace to available on a firstcome-first-serve ba- overall awareness spread awareness on recycling. At its sis. Each floor will of the program.” booth in front of compete against the the union, the each other to decocommittee gave free rate and paint the kristy cullan stainless steel water bins. During the secasun environmental bottles with pamond week of April, sustainability committee phlets inside with the bins will be disinformational about played in front of the Nebraska Union greenspace, RecycleMania provided by UNL Recycling to students. In order for and students can vote for their favorite recycling bin. The floor that students to receive the water bottle wins will receive a party.

This year, there is an increased

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dailynebraskan.com

tuesday, march 4, 2014

DN CALENDAR

MAR.

4

UNLPD to host spring break safety meeting

ON CAMPUS what:

Excel-Fast & Fabulous Charts when: 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. where: Architecture Hall, room 107

what: What is your Ideal Study Environment? when: 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. where: Love Library South, room 110

what: Entomology Lecture: “Thrips Management in Greenhouses” by Jenny Freed, entomology graduate student when: 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. where: Entomology Hall, room 202

what: “What Are You?: A Dialogue on Mixed Race” when: 7 p.m. where: Jackie Gaughan Multicultural Center, Unity Room

IN LINCOLN what: Karaoke with Beaver when: 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. where: Duggan’s Pub, 440 S. 11th St.

what:

Fat Tuesday with the Waffleman when: 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. where: First Lutheran Church, 1551 S. 70th St.

what: Mardi Gras Fat Tuesday Party with DFunk when: 8 p.m. where: Cappy’s Hotspot Bar and Grill, 5560 S. 48th St.

what: Blet and The Spanish Harlems when: 9 p.m. where: Vega, 350 Canopy St.

if you go

With students traveling for spring break, officers hope to prepare students for possible dangers

what:

Spring Break Safety Meeting when: Noon to 1 p.m. where: Nebraska Union Pewter Room

McCartney Martin DN Spring break is quickly approaching, which for many students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln means a week filled with limitless fun hundreds or even thousands of miles away from campus.

This is why Aaron Pembleton, an education and personnel officer of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Police Department, will provide spring break safety tips on Tuesday at noon in the Nebraska Union’s Pewter Room.

“We have a large population of students who travel on spring break,” Pembleton said. “We think they should be able to have a spring break and come back to Nebraska without too many bumps from their vacation.”

Topics such as travel safety, personal safety and ways to prepare for spring break will be addressed in the 30-minute presentation.

One tourist hot spot students to travel to during spring break is Panama City Beach, Fla., where more than 250,000 students around the world go to enjoy the

file photo by jake crandall | dn

UNLPD says students should enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program before traveling for spring break. STEP lets users receive travel warnings, alerts and other country-related details. beach, resorts and nightlife, according to TravelersToday.com.

And this year the Panama City Beach Police Department and the Bay County Sheriff’s Office plan to increase its law enforcement presence within city limits in an effort to maintain safety for all of the tourists they expect to encounter during spring break, ac-

cording to The News Herald.

Koan Nissen, an education and personnel officer, said that when traveling, it’s important to be aware of criminal activity happening in the countries students are traveling to. He said criminals in those areas are aware that their countries are often hot spots for vacationing American tourists.

Nissen said he recommends that students also enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, or STEP, which is provided through the United States Department of State. STEP is a free service to U.S. citizens who are traveling to a foreign country. According to the STEP website, STEP allows travelers to enter informa-

tion about their upcoming trip abroad so that the Department of State can better assist during an emergency. Through this service, travelers can subscribe to receive travel warnings, travel alerts and other information pertaining to a particular country.

Before leaving for spring break, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that students traveling abroad receive the vaccines necessary to travel to their destinations as well as research any health concerns that may be found in those countries. The University Health Center offers several vaccinations specifically for certain travel destinations.

In order to have a safe and fun spring break, Pembleton and Nissen said using common sense goes a long way.

“Travel with a group, know your limits, especially when it comes to alcohol, and pay attention to your surroundings,” Pembleton said. news@ dailynebraskan.com

UNL renews thespian festival contract for 5 years Jacob Elliott DN

will be able to perform in their own plays in front of other.

“The impact is great for these kids throughout the country, who may be The University of Nebraskan-Lincoln Theatre Department renewed its con- from small, small towns that have never seen a professional production tract with the Educational Theatre before, much less know that anyone Association to keep the International else in the world is interested in theThespian Festival at UNL through ater,” said Paul Steger, director of the 2019.

Johnny Carson school. “Then they get The annual weeklong festival, which is coming up on its 20th year, a chance to come here and get a chance to perform in workshops and work brings high school theater students with professionals, but the impact on from all across the world to Lincoln to showcase their work, to meet like- those students is phenomenal.”

While on campus, students can minded individuals and to learn new stay at the residence halls and eat at skills from the workshops and classes. the dining halls.

“For the Johnny The Lied Center Carson School, we for Performing Arts really appreciate It’s really partners along with the opportunity to fun to see UNL and ETA probe able to showvides venues and case what we have how many lives helps organize serhere and it’s a great vices and events. The recruitment op- we touch with ETA has been workportunity,” said this festival with ing with both the Julie Hagemeier, Lied Center and UNL general manager of bringing in the to help adjust renovathe Johnny Carson finest artists.” tions and schedules School of Theatre to allow more stuand Film. “We have dents to attend the 3,000 theater-orientbill stephan ed students on our lied center executive director festival – a benefit to both students of doorstep, which is the fine arts and to certainly something Lincoln itself. In a 2009 study by the you couldn’t create on our own.”

Nebraska Division of Travel and TourAccording to a UNL news reism, the annual economic impact of lease, the festival includes more than 100 classes and workshops that teach the festival generates approximately $560,000 for businesses in Lincoln. stage makeup, stage combat, play“It’s really fun to see how many writing and set building. Students lives we touch with this festival with

shelby wolfe | dn

Spenser Stokes and Trey Martinez, theatre majors at the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film, rehearse for the premiere of the play, “Really, Really,” directed by Laura Lippman on Monday night. bringing in the finest artists,” said Bill Stephan, executive director of the Lied Center. “It’s a huge impact education-

recycle: from 1 they had to answer questions about recycling.

UNL Recycling has also made banners and posters to raise awareness on Recycle Mania. They are also promoting it through Facebook and Twitter.

“Recycling is one of the easiest ways that students can help the environment,” said UNL Recycle Coordinators Phil Luebbert, Neil Tabor and Prabhakar Shrestha in a letter. “Recycling reduces the need to extract raw materials from the Earth, conserves natural resources, saves energy and reduces the amount of waste sent to the landfill. All of these things help reduce pollution and mitigate global warming.”

Luebbert and Tabor are graduate students in community and regional planning, and Shrestha is a graduate student in natural resource sciences.

“We’re trying to make it fun with an interactive approach,” Nguyen said. “Last year we just had a booth, which was kind of a harder approach, so we’re trying to be more aggressive this year.”

RecycleMania gives schools a chance to compete in something other than sports, Cullan said.

ally, the reach is all over the nation. It’s really a great opportunity to showcase such talent.”

This year’s festival will be June 23-28. news@ dailynebraskan.com

pizza: from 1

file photo by cara wilwerding | dn

UNL is competing in RecycleMania, which is a national recycling challenge between 461 schools in the US and Canada.

“All these other campuses care about their environment,” she said. “This is something students can get involved in. The other schools are really paying attention to recycling, and I think it shows them that we can compete in something besides just sports.”

Nguyen agreed.

“It’s something we really want to get up, because it’s something that other schools are taking initiative in and are proud of doing as well,” Nguyen said.

“We want to do it for the pride of the school as well as to reduce waste.” news@ dailynebraskan.com

Express.” which the fast food restaurant will operate. Students will be able to Most interviewed students choose their own toppings. seemed indifferent to the new piz“I think the biggest difference za place at the union but said they between Sbarro and Pizza Express will check it out once it opens. is going to be how involved the Justin Jackson, a senior marstudents are in making their own keting major, eats at the union two pizzas,” she said. “Each pizza is to three days a week. While he created by that individual and is said he would like a larger variety specifically what they are looking of choices, he feels the union food for. Instead of just court has a good selooking around and lection.

Students finding something “Overall, it’s are able to that looks good, pretty good,” Jackstudents are able to design what they son said. “It’s nice design what they that you can use are in the mood for are in the mood your NCard. I like each time.” that a lot. And you for each time.”

She also said beknow, it’s quick.” cause of the variety The most recent marissa curtiss of toppings, stufood chain restauunions board president dents will have an rant to open at the opportunity to get union is Subway, creative in designing their meals. which opened a year and a half “The toppings aren’t just ago. limited to what we traditionally Finally, Curtiss said she and think of having as a pizza – there the board are looking forward to is a range of toppings that can checking out the new place once be combined for unexpected but it opens. delicious pizzas,” Curtiss said.

“The Union Board members “Any student who has enjoyed are excited for the opening and Mini-Pizza Monday at CPN or the can’t wait to try it out,” she said.

NEWS@ East Corner Deli pizzas is going DAILYNEBRASKAN.COM to enjoy the experience at Pizza

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tuesday, march 4, 2014

UHC sees fewer influenza cases than Lancaster County Health center staff believe number of flu shots administered helped decrease campus cases Madison Wurtele DN February was a typical month for the University Health Center.

“We’ve got a sprinkling of nausea and vomiting, some strep throats. We are not seeing much influenza, but we have seen a few cases of mono,” Director of Nursing Nancy Orsborn said.

Orsborn said the health center is seeing similar things to what the entire county is seeing, except for the lower number of influenza cases. She said she

hopes the number of flu shots the university gave out helped to rid the campus of the virus.

If students experience nausea and vomiting, they should stay in bed and drink lots of fluids, Orsborn said. If symptoms persist for more than 24 to 48 hours she recommends visiting the health center. She also recommends that students refrain from attending school or work if they have a fever to prevent the spread of diseases.

“We’ve had several positive strep throats this month, and general upper respiratory stuff we usually see this time of year,” said Sharon Pilus, a registered nurse at the health center.

Symptoms for these include: a sore throat, cough and congestion.

There were also cases of gastrointestinal virus’ that can cause nausea and vomiting. Symptoms usually last a couple of days.

“Hand washing is the No. 1

I think people are going to slow down next month, and people are going to start getting better.” nancy orsborn uhc director of nursing

prevention,” Pilus said.

She also recommends that students get seven to eight hours of sleep, eat nutritious meals and exercise.

On the other hand, there have been numerous reports of norovirus outbreaks throughout Nebraska in long-term care facilities the past few weeks and potentially communities as well.

Norovirus symptoms are stomach pains, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Norovirus can often be mistaken for the stomach flu, though, the norovirus spreads much more quickly and can be

transmitted in several ways, including direct contact or using the same bathroom and sharing food or drinks with someone who has the virus. The health center has not reported a norovirus outbreak.

Orsborn said she predicts that the health center will see a decline in illnesses next month.

“I think people are going to slow down next month, and people are going to start getting better,” she said. news@ dailynebraskan.com

big ten briefs Wisconsin grad student uncovers ritual artifacts in Turkey

After six years of digging in Turkey, at the site of the ancient city of Sardis, a graduate student at the University of WisconsinMadison unearthed ritual offerings – a pot with a lid, a coin, sharp metal tools and an egg.

The artifacts were found below the first floor of a room from the first century. The building is believed to have been destroyed by an earthquake in A.D. 17.

Approximately 100 years ago, Princeton University archaeologists found similar artifacts near the site.

The coin is significant because Sardis is where coinage was invented in the Western world. Made of a silver and gold alloy, the coin appears to depict a portrait of Nero on one side.

The dig was overseen by a UW-Madison professor of art history.

Minnesota researcher develop injection procedure for tumors

Researchers at the University of Minnesota– Twin Cities have developed a new diagnostic testing procedure for noncommunicable diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease.

The procedure consists of an injection, followed by a urine test, similar to those found in a home pregnancy kit. Because tumors and clots contain elevated levels of certain enzymes, biomarkers can detect irregular levels that indicate disease.

Researchers hope the new method will allow for early detection for patients living in resource-limited areas, where hi-tech detection devices may not be available.

Minnesota set goal to have 50 percent of students study abroad The University of Minnesota–Twin Cities has pledged to join an initiative that hopes to double the number of American students who study abroad.

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In joining Generation Study Abroad, the university has recommitted to it’s goal of having 50 percent of its students study outside of the U.S. by 2019.

Thirty-two percent of the university’s graduates studied abroad. Nationally, only one in 10 graduates traveled internationally for schooling.

More than 150 institutions in 41 states are a part of Generation Study Abroad, which is supported by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Ohio State study shows household wealth still down 14 percent

Economists at The Ohio State University found that household wealth is still approximately 14 percent below pre-recession data from 2006. Middle-aged people – those between 35 and 54 years old – saw a 27 percent decrease in income since the 2006 peak.

The Federal Reserve released information last June reporting that household wealth was at the highest it’s been since records began in 1945. But according to the Ohio State team, that data didn’t adjust for inflation or population growth and included wealth held by nonprofits, not just households.

The new study showed that though it’s 2 percent higher than 2012, the mean real net worth of American households is $334,840, 14 percent lower than eight years ago.

Researchers said the data indicates that the nation hasn’t recovered from the recession, despite conflicting reports and studies.

Michigan study: Pictures prompt scent memories

Looking at a picture may prompt scent memory, according to researchers at the University of Michigan.

That information may change food advertising, for the imagined smell may trigger an increased desire for the food. Advertising might start considering what researchers are calling “smellizing.”

One of the tests included showing photos of a chocolate cookie to subjects. Those who saw the picture and were prompted to smell the cookie salivated more heavily than those who weren’t prompted.

—Compiled by Mara Klecker, news@ dailynebraskan.com

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campus briefs Arts and Sciences selects 4 professors for teaching, research accomplishments

University of Nebraska-Lincoln professor of mathematics Petronela Radu has been recognized by the Arts and Sciences College with the Hazel R. McClymont award. The award, which honors outstanding teachers and carries a $6,000 stipend, will be formally presented at the college’s celebration of excellence on April 13.

Other arts and sciences faculty who will be honored with an Outstanding Research and Creative Activity honor include Kwame Dawes, chancellor’s professor of English, and Glenna Luschei, editor of the Prairie Schooner and author of several award winning books of poetry, David DiLillo, professor of psychology who has been published more than 80 times for his work on interpersonal trauma, and Patrick Dussault, professor of chemistry whose recent work has produced more convenient and safer uses of Ozone. This award recognizes arts and sciences faculty who have made extraordinary accomplishments in the past.

lied center to host soweto gospel choir, april verch band

The Lied Center for Performing Arts has invited educators and students, pre-K through 12th grade, to experience cultural music performed by The Soweto Gospel Choir and The April Verch Band. The Lied Center is selling matinee tickets for $4 each for the Soweto choir at 1 p.m. on March 26 and The April Verch Band at 10:30 a.m. on April 16. The Soweto Gospel Choir will be traveling from its native South Africa. The Grammy-winning group will perform a blend of African gospel, spiritual, reggae and American popular music. The April Verch Band will offer audiences complex fiddle riffs while also preforming elaborate dance steps. Its music is inspired by the music of Quebecois to the Appalachians, from Ottawa Valley to Brazilian, from Celtic to Jazz and folk to bluegrass. Part of the Lied Centers mission is education and these performances expand the cultural understanding of children of all ages. The shows will also allow teachers to connect class curriculum with real-world experiences.

UNL QUILT MUSEUM announces new executive director

The University Nebraska-Lincoln International Quilt Study Center and Museum has announced that Leslie Levy will be its new executive director. Levy is currently the executive director of the Willa Cather Foundation, an international non-profit that promotes Cather’s legacy through education and preservation of the arts. Levy will begin acting as the museum’s director on July 1 when the interim director Alice Kinsler completes her term. The museum began searching for a new director after Patricia Crews stepped down to become a full-time UNL faculty member in August 2003.

Levy will be leading the museum through its multimillion dollar, 13,200-square-foot expansion of the current facility that will double the museum’s exhibition and storage space. Levy is a UNL alumna with a Bachelor of Arts degree in international affairs and a juris doctorate from University of Nebraska College of Law.

Pawnee City businessman files for regent seat

There is a new contestant to the District 5 seat on the University of Nebraska Board of Regents. From Pawnee City, Neb., Executive Travel CEO Steve Glenn filed as a candidate for the regents seat Monday. In a press release, Glenn said his priorities as a regent would include recruiting the best and brightest high school students in Nebraska to attend the NU system, making sure students receive a world-class education, encouraging entrepreneurship, addressing online education, being a strong advocate for agriculture and small business and leveraging the resources of the NU system to assist rural Nebraska businesses, communities and their families to grow and prosper. Glenn received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Business Administration in 1979. Glenn was also an offensive lineman for the Huskers under former coach Tom Osborne. Glenn will face former Regent Robert Prokop of Wilber and incumbent Rob Schafer for the seat, which represents 17 counties in southeast Nebraska.

center for great plains studies to host drought symposium

The Daily Nebraskan is hiring editors for all sections for the 2014-2015 school year. We are hiring editors for:

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All positions are paid. Applications are due March 11 at 5 p.m. Pick one up at the Daily Nebraskan office in the basement of the Nebraska Union.

The Center for Great Plains Studies will host its drought symposium this April. It will be the 40th annual interdisciplinary symposium and is titled “Drought in the Life, Cultures, and Landscapes of the Great Plains.” More than 40 speakers representing various disciplines and organizations will share their knowledge and perspectives on the drought that has continued for the past three years in the Great Plains. Some of these speakers include Ian Frazier, a writer for the New Yorker, Harvard economist Richard Hornbeck, scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Climatic Data Center. Some of the topics that will be discussed during the symposium include the drought’s impact on agriculture and livestock, the history of the Dust Bowl, drought in literature in art and impacts on human health. news@ dailynebraskan.com

heartland: from 1 topics such as domestic violence, immigration, economic recovery and health care.

“Hopefully the way I approach this is that there’s going to be a sense of place to these stories.

It will be stamped with Nebraska all over it,” Calvan said.

Both Kebbel and Calvan are confident in the Heartland Project’s potential to not only boost

Nebraska’s diversity coverage but to also inspire other Midwestern states to employ similar projects.

“One of the goals of this is to repeat this in another state,” Kebbel said. “We will see how this all works, and then if it works well, we will be applying for a grant to repeat this in another state.” news@ dailynebraskan.com

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OPINION

tuesday, march 4, 2014 dailynebraskan.com

d n e d i to r i a l b oa r d m e m b e r s HAILEY KONNATH

DANIEL WHEATON

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

PROJECTS editor

RUTH BOETTNER

CONOR DUNN

opinion editor

news assignment EDITOR

AMY KENYON

ZACH TEGLER

assistant opinion editor

sports EDITOR

JACY MARMADUKE

KATIE NELSON

MANAGING EDITOR

assistant arts EDITOR

our view

Tips for students on surviving winter sickness Winter will end … eventually. At some point we’ll leave behind the months of stuffy noses, hacking coughs and every plague that sweeps through student housing. Until the windchill hits positive digits and until the last tissue is laid to rest, though, we still have to battle the last round of winter woes. Whether you fall victim or watch sympathetically, here are some sickness survival tips: 1. Sleep. College kids love sleep in the middle of their afternoon class but aren’t so great at hitting those eight hours of recommended nightly sleep. Don’t watch one more episode of “House of Cards.” Don’t explore the not-so-hidden caverns of the Internet.

Don’t stare blankly at the textbook page you honestly aren’t going to read. Know when to call it quits and try to find a normal sleep schedule.

2. Drink lots of fluids. Fluids meaning water, juice and hot tea, not PBR. Bring a refillable bottle or mug to class. Beer and coffee may make you feel mentally better. But the alcohol and caffeine aren’t helping your immune system.

3. Eat vitamin-rich foods. Wendy’s fries and a Frosty may sound comforting, but your body needs real fuel to fight the phlegm-fueled war raging within you. Soups, broths, oranges, anything rich in vitamins. Beg your roommates to run to the store or infect the supermarket yourself.

4. Balance time and responsibilities. As much as you may want to ignore the world, it will be waiting for you on the other side.

Don’t fall too far behind on homework. But don’t force yourself through extra activities when all you need is quiet time to recover.

5. Know when to get help. Call your mom. Go to the University Health Center. Advances of modern society go beyond the latest iPhone model. Take advantage of years of medical research to reduce the length of your suffering.

opinion@ dailynebraskan.com

editorial policy The editorial above contains the opinion of the fall 2013 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.

letters to the editor policy The Daily Nebraskan welcomes brief letters to the editor and guest columns but does not guarantee their publication. The Daily Nebraskan retains the right to edit or reject any material submitted. Submitted material becomes property of the Daily Nebraskan and cannot be returned or removed from online archives. Anonymous submissions will not be published. Those who submit letters must identify themselves by name, year in school, major, and/or group affiliation, if any. Email material to opinion@ dailynebraskan.com or mail to: Daily Nebraskan, 20 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St. Lincoln, NE 68588-0448.

mike rendowski | dn

Halls need more floor representation

S

enate Bill 24: Residence Hall Association Restructure would put a cap on how much money a hall can have at the end of the semester. Essentially, to try to promote the usage of funds, RHA would cap the amount of money left to residence halls at $3 per student. This amount will take thousands of dollars out of my beloved Abel’s coffers and pour it right back into RHA. And what will RHA do with this money?

Well, redistribute it to other halls. And possibly other organizations or RSOs. RHA has a huge surplus, so it will basically get to act as a middle man with these funds.

This is an issue I fear many in the residence halls haven’t heard about. The regular lack of representation at Abel Government speaks to a larger problem: Students don’t know how their money is being spent. This bill shouldn’t slip by without notice; it will affect everyone living in dorms next year.

The bill would also force residence halls to petition to keep the extra money, which would then get voted on. Harper-Schramm-Smith Residence Association isn’t having it, and neither is Abel. HSS suggested a larger cap of $10, which would decrease each year thereafter.

Abel Hall Government on Monday toyed with completely eliminating the idea of funds distribution, although this possibility isn’t likely.

Each floor in Abel is allotted $200 per semester. Resident assistants are increasingly pushed to provide more programs and activities, all with the same budget. But this is a lo-

Kayla simon cal issue, not one for RHA’s consideration. If residence halls are ending up with these large rollover funds, it’s an internal problem. We should be putting our surplus into programming for the actual residents who provided the funds, not into a bigger organization that cannot meaningfully address individual residence halls.

The members of RHA proposing this bill simply cannot accurately represent campus on the whole. There isn’t even an Abel representative on the executive board. HSS, which comprises 21 percent of students on campus, has eight representatives, but only one on the actual board.

While I understand upperclassmen lead this board, both the president and vice president live in The Village and The Courtyards, entities as far removed from dorm life as it gets while still living on campus.

The one voice of reason, Pound Sen. Justin Kyser, suggested not touching the rollover funds but decreasing student fees in the fall.

This seems like a compromise that would solve the problem, would lessen the financial burden on students and would keep funds out of the hands of RHA. If this bill did pass, it would just have the unfortunate effect of wasteful spending to try to keep it within the building. As much as I enjoyed the Abel Contraceptive Carnival, putting more money into it wouldn’t change the fact that it’s an awkward event. Putting more prizes or food into play won’t change attendance numbers, which is what we should actually be shooting for in programming. The more student representatives who show up, the less likely executive boards and RHA will dominate the meetings.

More floor representation would increase student awareness of residence hall issues, diversify opinions in actual discussion and provide more feedback on what type of programs the student body desires. Direction of cash flow is directly influenced by whoever decides to show up to the meeting and whether or not they take it seriously.

It’s this simple: If residence hall government has no student support, it will have to continue to make decisions that aren’t in the best interest of the student body. It’s a privilege to be able to decide where your money would be best spent. I’d suggest you use it.

Kayla Simon is a sophomore Communication Studies and Political Science major. You can reach her at opinion@ dailynebraskan.com.

Citizens United decision deters election participation

Think it through before becoming vegetarian

C

I

ampaign finance is the fancy way of discussing the money involved in politics, specifically, political campaigns. A Supreme Court decision known as Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission states that, “corporations and unions have the same political speech rights as individuals under the First Amendment.” Many individuals feel as though this allows candidates to buddy up to corporations and Super PACs – a political action committee that can contribute an unlimited amount of money to national, state or local political parties and to other political action committees. Some people feel this discourages voting, and citizens sometimes feel their votes don’t count.

I know my vote counts. It’s not going to decide the fate of a presidential election such as in the movie “Swing Vote,” but my vote goes into a large pile to which I know I contributed. I’m not as confident with my political contributions, however. If I donated the maximum amount in any given election cycle for an individual, it pales in comparison to that of a Super PAC. The overturn of Citizens United could help incentivize voting in the American electorate that has decreased in recent election cycles. If members of Congress and presidential candidates are only talking to organizations or PACs, this potentially deters voting.

We want people to vote. But the most effective way to become involved in elections is to put your faith and political views in a few wealthy organizations. This, I cannot do.

The average cost of winning a seat in the House of Representatives is $1.1 million and the U.S. Senate is $10.5 million, according to Maplight – a nonprofit organization that tracks money in political campaigns.

The average Joe cannot raise millions of dollars to run for a Congressional seat. This makes running for public office beyond challenging. It makes citizens feel Congress is perpetually occupied by people who already possess or have the ability to raise millions of dollars.

Congress shouldn’t be occupied only by people who play ball with large corporations and wealthy donors. In this game, they’ll have friends they made on the campaign trail. They will use these friends to win reelection, and winning reelection is of the utmost importance to nearly every elected official.

Mark Batt

On the opposite side, Tom Osborne had name recognition and funds to win election on his own when he represented Nebraska’s third district in the House of Representatives for three terms. Osborne has since spoken about campaign finance, large contributions and Super PAC donations. In an Omaha World-Herald article, Osborne discussed his colleagues who quickly raised money for the next campaign as soon as they took their seats on Capitol Hill. “This consumes a large amount of their time that could be better spent in the legislative process and serving constituents,” Osborne said during a Friday conference call. Osborne has frequently criticized the campaign finance system and members focused on campaigning rather than serving people’s interests.

As a member of the House of Representatives, you spend nearly $1 million to win a two-year term. After you are elected, the next primary is less than a year and a half away. Therefore, members are constantly campaigning and bartering for money and votes. If the campaign finance system were reformed by limiting the amount of contributions from Super PACs, then citizens could play the vital role in their government, as originally intended.

The largest contribution one can give to our nation is to become an informed citizen – whether that is reading legislation, understanding the basics of our government or watching the C-Span. One of the most important things you can do as a voter is make an informed decision, not give your money away. Political campaign donations are important, but not as important as understanding the government and the role of government officials.

Mark Batt is a junior political science major. Reach him at opinion@ dailynebraskan.com

’m writing in response to several objections to vegetarianism, one of which was printed in the DN last week. First, my relevant expertise: I have been a vegetarian since 2011 and have followed a vegan diet since June. I was brought up in a typical Nebraskan family, and my decision to abstain from eating meat was an independent choice.

During the years, I have encountered some sneering, but in general, my family and friends have been quite supportive.

Experiments with vegetarianism that assume some kind of radical physical change can be achieved in a few weeks frustrate me. If experimenters feel radically better after 14 days, the logic goes, then vegetarianism is worthwhile. If not, it’s back to the carving table, the butcher ’s shop, the dining hall burger grill, etc.

This standard is beyond unrealistic. Major physical changes in the human body simply don’t happen in two weeks. I blame these inflated expectations on fad diets. I blame the myths that you can loose 20 pounds in a week by cutting out carbs, cleanse your digestive system by consuming only juice for three days or start drinking tea on Monday morning and feel relaxed and rejuvenated by Wednesday night. I blame the societal concept that being healthier should require making one simple choice and otherwise continuing business as usual.

Still, expecting a drastic difference in such a short period of time betrays a lack of knowledge about vegetarianism and often leads to incorrect conclusions.

Vegetarianism, when done correctly, is healthier than the standard American meatfilled diet. Many of the benefits apply to longterm health. Like, really long-term. According to the Harvard Medical School Health Watch, vegetarians have a lower risk for heart disease and cancer and are much less likely to develop Type II diabetes. It’s unreasonable to expect one to notice the risk level for heart attacks dropping over a span of days. Still, these changes definitely seem worthwhile.

Potential vegetarians may also be concerned

benjamin cuRttright

about iron deficiency. I know the argument: Vegetarians miss out on the easier-to-absorb heme iron in meat and therefore become anemic.

That’s factually false. Multiple studies show that vegetarians don’t have a higher incidence of iron deficiency than the general population .

Many vegetarian and vegan foods, such as soybeans, chickpeas and tofu contain as much or more iron than a comparable amount of meat.

Dark greens, such as spinach and kale, also have high levels of iron. Yes, a poorly thought-out vegetarian diet can leave one missing out on important nutrients, but that’s true of any poorly thought-out diet.

Most failed vegetarian experiments are just that: a poorly thought-out diet. One cannot simply overload on cheese and carbs and then blame the result on vegetarianism.

In a column last December, my colleague Oliver Tonkin wrote at length about the moral value of a vegan diet. As such, I have not repeated his arguments here. On the issue of healthiness, I will say that three years of vegetarianism has had no negative impact on me and has helped me maintain a proper body weight through college. Such as with any healthy diet, vegetarianism can be done rightly or wrongly. It requires thought. So, if you’re planning on trying vegetarianism, think it through.

Benjamin Curttright is a junior English major. Reach him for comment at opinion@ dailynebraskan.com.

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tuesday, march 4, 2014 dailynebraskan.com @dnartsdesk

aRTS & LIFE

The Bottle Tops – Mike Semrad, Andrew James Semrad, Mike McCracken, Kerry Semrad and Mark Wolberg – practice on Tuesday in Semrad’s kitchen.

just twist

M

ike Semrad, frontman for The Bottle Tops, wants to see more people moving and grooving at shows.

Semrad said that’s the goal for the Lincoln-based bluegrass band: to get people on their feet the same way bands did in decades past.

Semrad grew up hearing stories from his father, Mike “Pinky” Semrad Sr., who performed on American Bandstand in the ’60s and would perform to huge Nebraskan crowds in his heyday.

“When my dad tells me those stories, I get choked up because the music scene isn’t that way anymore,” Semrad said. “You can really go to a rock show and feel a super weird sense of uncomfortability. Back then, it was different. You knew you were going to go to this show and dance and have a great time. Can

you imagine going to a show in the ’50s and just have everyone bob their head and not dance? I mean how weird would that be? It’s been my goal to kind of recreate that vibe.”

Semrad, who is also a founder of Sower Records, said there was a rich history within his band and others on the label.

“A lot of the bands on Sower, their bands played music as well, and they were inspired by a generation before them,” Semrad said. “They all came from this bluegrass and roots scene that was here the generation before us.”

When the roots band took the Duffy’s stage for Lincoln Exposed, a massive crowd gathered to cheer it on, including a group of fans by the stage, dancing and thrashing their way through the set.

The Bottle Tops want to bring retro dance feel back to shows story by Gabriella Martinez-Garro photos by Craig Zimmerman

On the band’s stage was Nashville-native and pedal steel player Mike McCracken, vocalist and Semrad’s wife of eight years, Kerry, bluegrass drummer Nate Morris, upright bassist Mark Wolberg and a whole lot of beer.

Fate took a key role in casting the members of the band.

With Mike and Kerry already in place, they began their search to find the band’s members.

They found McCraken after seeing an ad on Craigslist explaining his desire to join a local band after relocating from Nashville.

Wolberg initially became familiar with The Bottle Tops after recording its self-titled debut album.

After recording the band, Semrad said Wolberg expressed interest in playing with the two on the re-

cord and later in live shows.

Semrad met Morris at fellow musician and Sower Records co-founder, Gunter Voelker’s mom’s house.

“That night we started chumming it up, and it was really cool,” Semrad said. “He said to me, ‘I wasn’t actually gonna come’ but for some reason he just came over to practice. Then he thought it was perfect. It just kind of happened because we played because we love to. I think that mentality is cool because you gravitate towards the right people when you have that mentality.”

With the band in place, The Bottle Tops performed in Lincoln and surrounding cities, including Lincoln Exposed.

“It was very serendipitous how it all worked

bottle tops: see page 7

Madsen’s celebrates 50 years of fun 64-year-old owner Tom Madsen offers billiards players, bowlers personal experience courtesy photo

Libations bar is hosting Mardi Gras-themed festivities throughout the week.

Martini bar Libations will feature week-long Mardi Gras celebration Staff Report DN Transport yourself to Bourbon Street this Mardi Gras.

The martini bar Libations at 11th and M streets will conclude its weeklong Mardi Gras celebration with a finale Tuesday night.

Harlan Musil, owner of Libations, said this year’s event will feature New Orleans-style food and decorations.

The bar will feature drink specials including discounts on regular-priced drinks for those dressed in Mardi Gras attire, such as beads and masks. There will also be themed drinks including Mardi Gras shots, hurricanes and beer on tap.

Musil will also be cooking and serving homemade jambalaya and cornbread until the bar runs out.

“I’m told it’s the best around,” Musil said.

In addition to the bar area, Libations will also open up L2, the joint dance and reception area where it will have more decorations and Mardi Gras music.

The bar typically hosts special events for holidays, and Musil said Mardi Gras is one of the bar’s biggest events. Libations has hosted Mardi Gras events since its opening seven years ago.

In addition to its Mardi Gras-

themed beverages, the bar will also serve its signature martini drinks.

Musil said the bar has about 150 different martini flavors including 31 signature flavors.

“We do our martinis different than anyone else in Lincoln,” Musil said.

Musil said the bar will also host events this weekend to celebrate the bar’s seven year anniversary. Memorabilia will be sold in addition to free items, drink discounts and hors d’oeuvres.

To prepare for the festivities, Musil said he often stays after work to decorate and will finish everything before the bar’s early opening Tuesday.

Musil said the dark interior of Libations works especially well for the Fat Tuesday decorations.

“It’s all dark wood, and it looks very much like that old style,” Musil said. “It fits well with the Mardi Gras style and theme. We can add decorations to it, and it just pops. If you been in Libations, it makes sense.”

Musil, who said he has spent between eight to 10 hours decorating for the weeklong event, said he hopes people in Lincoln will make it out to Libations’ Mardi Gras finale.

“Hopefully we have a good crowd for Fat Tuesday,” Musil said.

Libations will open early at 6 p.m.

Tuesday. arts@ dailynebraskan.com

Staff Report DN On a brisk October night last fall, in a dimly lit room, to the sound of bowling pins colliding and the smack of a cue ball against a rainbow of billiards balls, a celebration was taking place. It might appear at first glance as though owner Tom Madsen is enjoying his retirement.

“I’m 64 years old, but I’ll never retire, just like my dad.” Madsen said. “My dad was working here until he was 81.”

Located on 4700 Dudley Street, just off of 48th and Holdrege, Madsen’s Bowling and Billiards celebrated its 50th anniversary late last year, serving blue collar customers since the ’60s.

“90 percent of my customers work 9-5,” Madsen said. “Bowling and Billiards are blue collar sports.

Rarely do you see the president of a company or a CEO or a doctor or a lawyer bring his bowling ball in here to bowl. It doesn’t happen. It just doesn’t happen.”

Tom Madsen was 14 when his father, Earl Madsen, decided to sell all the furniture in their furniture store. The senior Madsen opted to reopen the family business as a billiards hall, and thus Madsen’s Bowling and Billiards was born. Initially specializing in billiards, bowling and pinball, Madsen’s has seen some makeovers.

“Pinball was real hot in the ’60’s and ’70’s, real hot.” Madsen said.

“We used to have 20 or 30 pinball machines in here.”

While the pinball machines are gone, along with the indoor mini-golf course and dance floor, Madsen’s has adapted and flourished. Madsen’s currently has six bowling lanes with an adjoining game room, countless pool tables (both 7- and 9-foot tables) and a bar and lounge attached.

Madsen’s offers casual com-

AMBER BAESLER | DN

Junior management major Qin Lin and other students cheer for each other at Madsen’s Bowling and Billiards on Saturday night.

petitors and billiards masters alike a venue in which to compete. Madsen’s has a variety of billiards leagues such as a “Bar” league as well as junior leagues, all of which vary in competitiveness. The objective of these leagues is to get better by playing more experienced billiards players.

“I’ve been playing pool every day for pretty much 50 years, and I’m pretty good,” Madsen said.

“But you got to understand that if you aren’t playing better players, you aren’t learning nothing, buddy.”

Madsen’s offers several different bowling leagues, and it doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not. Madsen understands that most people don’t strive to play against the absolute best bowlers Lincoln has to offer. The average citizen is looking for something fun with a slight edge

of competitiveness.

Madsen claims that the various bowling alleys in Lincoln share no animosity toward one another.

“Hollywood Bowl and Parkway Lanes are nice enough to send people down to our lanes when they’re full,” Madsen said.

“My leagues are fun, and when players want to go to sanctioned leagues, they will go back to those guys.”

Madsen’s has stayed in business with relatively little advertising. It produced its first television ad just recently, Madsen said the most powerful form of advertising is through word of mouth.

Customers can even buy a pool stick from Madsen’s if they feel so inclined. Any repairs needed will be taken care of by Madsen himself, and customers will receive a free T-shirt that says, “Buy it from Madsen’s,

where you never get the shaft!”

Except for getting drafted into the war, Madsen has worked at Madsen’s since the day it opened. He plans to see it out to the end of his days and acknowledges that constant upgrades are needed. Madsen has been eying the land behind the current location, possibly to bring back a mini-golf course.

Madsen said that about half of his customers are regulars and that people really do love having a personal relationship with the owner.

That makes his job easier and twice as fun. One thing is for sure: Madsen’s and Madsen himself, won’t be going anywhere any time soon.

“I always tell ‘em that when I die, I want ‘em to bury me under lane number six.” arts@ dailynebraskan.com

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dailynebraskan.com

tuesday, march 4, 2014

Original ‘RoboCop’ outshines remake with complex character Sean Stewart DN

talking head. Michael Keaton plays the head of Omnicorp but doesn’t quite hit the sinister note the role needs until After four hours of robot carnage, I close to the film’s end. His character doesn’t seem overly villainous until can safely say this is one of my favorite RoboCop needs a final bad guy to story assignments. Usually either the remake or the original towers above shoot. The original film portrayed the the other. Rarely is there any real ques- Omnicorp executives plotting against tion about which is better. After watch- each other – sometimes violently. This ing both, the two “RoboCop” movies side plot nicely set them up as cutthroats in a more logical progression. actually left me pretty divided. Like, need a pro and con list divided. So Jay Baruchel gets the award for best “what are you even doing in this movwithout any more blabbering, let’s get ie?” performance. this showdown under way.

Michael K. Williams plays MurPaul VerHoeven, notable for other phy’s partner in a role that’s disapscience fiction films such as “Total Repointing because of the deviation from call” and “Starship Troopers,” directed the original “RoboCop” – a story the original. In the original film, Nancy Allen played Anne Lewis, Murphy’s about a police officer named Alex Murphy who is revived robotically partner. She contributed one of the after he is killed by a criminal. VerHo- film’s best performances. Some of the others are very obviously in an ’80’s even’s direction and the screenplay

by Edward Neumeier and Michael action flick. More importantly, though, Lewis was a strong and interesting Miner are perhaps a little uneven, but their unorthodoxies are ultimately the female character in a predominately strength of the film. They make sure to masculine film. The remake is very noticeably devoid of embed fictional meinteresting women. dia throughout, be The original any Abbie Cornish plays it news segments, Murphy’s sad wife. Jen“RoboCop” suggestive television programs or is a more complex nifer Ehle plays another Omnicorp executive even commercials and mostly just looks for futuristic cars. character and at her phone during All of these are ultimately the the movie. The remake smoothly integrated had a chance to feature into the narrative stronger film.” a female action star in a and serve to succinema landscape void cessfully provide a of any non-Katniss action heroines. setting. VerHeoeven, Neumeier and The action itself is exciting in both Miner want to ensure you recognize films. Overall, the remake’s fighting this isn’t your daddy’s Detroit. scenes are more polished and thrillBrazilian director José Padilha ing, both as a result of CGI and a Rohelms the remake with an adapted boCop that actually runs (seriously, he script from Joshua Zetumer. It’s obvionly walked in the original.) One gun ous they take cues from their source battle, though, in the original far outmaterial stylistically, again incorporating news segments; overall, it has a shines those in the remake. Murphy shoots up a cocaine factory. Bullets very different feel. It’s a much smoother film. Smoother, though, is some- fly, and villains fall and get thrown times not better. “RoboCop” (2014) is through windows – all while cocaine just a little too formulaic – its pacing fills the air like a thick fog.

The scene is pulsing and fresh. In a is more perfectly orchestrated. While similar scene in the remake, filmmakthe original was gritty and off-key, the ers attempted to intensify it by removremake is reminiscent of every flashy, vaguely science fiction movie of the ing the drugs, adding some sandbags and killing the lights. The night vision last five years. combat that ensues feels stale comThe “RoboCop” remake boasts a pared to the novelty of the original startlingly talented supporting cast.

Gary Oldman plays the scientist re- fight. An update that was very, very needed, however, was giving Robosponsible for creating and maintaining Cop a motorcycle. He looks almost RoboCop. Oldman is the best perforridiculous as a hulking robot driving mance in the film, bringing a mucharound in a squad car in the original needed nuance. Samuel L. Jackson is entertainingly explosive (yes, he says film.

There are significant differences his favorite word) as a slanted news

michael johnson | DN between the settings of the two films.

The Detroit presented in the original is a borderline warzone. Cop killers and thugs run rampant, tearing the city apart. The police force is essentially a military. Each officer is outfitted with riot armor for everyday patrols (though oddly he only has a pistol.)

The police union is planning on striking as a result of the carnage and the ill management by the private company, Omnicorp, who has been contracted to run the police department. The setting of the remake seems shockingly cur-

rent by contrast. Phones and cars and vaguely futuristic, but by all other appearances it is just Detroit in five or 10 years. The police force is a normal police force; the biggest problem facing it seems to be corruption. While there was need for reinforcements in the original, the remake made it appear there wasn’t any urgent need for a RoboCop. The desperate circumstances of the original film are left behind, and the result is a veritable superhero with no extraordinary need for one.

This is where the remake’s themes

deviate fairly drastically from the original’s. Though the creation of RoboCop in the original was financial, it was also practical. The remake eliminates the practical need for a robotic police enforcer and meditates on the dangers of making war a business enterprise.

The remake’s opening 10 minutes are undoubtedly its strongest and most thematic. Jackson portrays a clearly pandering talking head doing a segment on the use of robotic policing contracted by Omnicorp in other countries. The scene is a scathing nod to the United States’ modern foreign policy. It’s especially disturbing considering the reality of drone warfare.

Robots march through the streets of Tehran, inspecting fearful citizens for threats.

All of the danger, though, is felt in the cold stare of the robots’ red visors. Jackson’s anchor praises how effectively the machines have pacified the people. We’re never given context for the militant control of the country.

The film points out how familiar this kind of ill-explained imperialism is to us. We don’t need explanation. Before launching a suicide attack on the robots, the leader of a small group of men says their goal isn’t to kill anyone, “Only to die on camera.” But of course, if the foreign enforcers weren’t there, neither would the cameras.

Notice that RoboCop himself is nowhere in what I called the strongest and most thematic scene. The themes in the remake seem to be there despite the title character instead of because of him. In fact, the film’s scientist played

by Oldman is by far a more interesting character than the titular hero. The scientist’s struggles and compromises with ethics throughout the film lend a complexity the protagonist never does.

In the remake, Murphy’s wife must sign a release to allow the procedure to revive him. In the original film, though, he is bound by contract. His family is not informed, let alone given a choice. From his origin RoboCop is much more a victim in the 1982 version. He is essentially eliminated of his humanity. In the scene in the doctors revive him they tell the overseeing executive they were able to save one of his arms. The executive’s response: “Lose the arm.” They amputate his arm for no more reason than that a metal one is tougher. Perhaps the most significant difference from the remake in the original, though, is that the doc-

tors also wipe his memory. In fact it’s not even clear they leave his brain at all. When he removes his helmet, there is only a face with machinery behind.

Left with his memory in the remake, Murphy maintains all of his human relationships, feelings – all of his self. His manufacturers manipulate his brain, but he is still the man he died as. In fact, the Murphy of the remake is able to overcome the programming in his head. The Murphy of the original is a slave to his fate. In the original, RoboCop is essentially just a shadow or an echo of the man who was killed. He is resurrected, but robbed of his life.

The 1987 version becomes an assessment into just what it means to be human, especially in an increasingly artificial modern age. In one particularly stirring scene the title character, beaten and battered, unscrews his helmet and speaks with Lewis face to face. After asking about his family he says, “I can feel them, but I can’t remember them.”

The struggles of the remake’s protagonist are essentially outward, battling against criminals, crooked police and corrupt executives to save himself. While the original RoboCop did all of these things as well, his primary struggle is internal, striving recognize the ghosts in the machinery – the man he used to be.

The remake’s RoboCop makes it through the movie with his wife, son and partner all with him. The original RoboCop is a much more tragic figure.

His wife moved away with their son to move on, thinking him dead. His partner’s fate is left somewhat ambiguous but it seems implied she is another victim of crime. RoboCop is able to rebuild some notion of who he once was but – by the end of the film it’s clear – can never be again.

In the end, I have to choose the original “RoboCop.” Both films are exhilarating, smarter and more socially aware than the average action film.

Rather than just essentially making the same film with flashier special effects, the filmmakers of the “RoboCop” remake wisely put a modern spin on the themes of the original. In the process, though, they oversimplified the protagonist, forcing him to fit into the generic superhero-type character that has dominated the blockbuster of late.

The original “RoboCop” is a more complex character and ultimately the stronger film. arts@ dailynebraskan.com

‘Kids’ explores honest story of shallow teens, sex Jack Forey

Jack Forey DN Many of us knew somebody similar to Telly or Casper while we were growing up.

We had those friends who were always talking about sex. From the moment they woke up to the last thought they had at night, they were thinking about sex. That’s Telly and Casper’s life. That’s all they’ve got.

If you were to take that away, they’d have nothing.

“Kids” was directed by Larry Clark and released in 1995 to some controversy. Some critics were appalled at the sexual imagery in the film. Its opening scene depicts Telly (Leo Fitzpatrick) deflowering a young girl, who could be as young as 14. It’s a disturbing scene, but

that’s the point. Look at the way Telly makes eye contact with her, tells her she wants this, gives her a speech we can tell is carefully rehearsed. We will hear the same speech again later.

Telly finishes, then meets his friend Casper (Justin Pierce) outside. They have an extended conversation about the girl Telly just de-virginized. Their conversation is vulgar, but written and acted with rhythm and honesty. Casper says to Telly, “The way I see it, it’s like getting fame, know what I’m sayin’?

Let’s say if you were to die tomorrow; 50 years from now, those girls are gonna remember you. They’re gonna be tellin’ their grandkids about that shit. Oh, that Telly! He sure was good in the sack!’”

These are two shallow, selfish people who don’t understand the consequences of their actions. But they’re also naïve kids bonding over a shared obsession. The film wants us not to judge, but to observe. The film has a message to share, but it isn’t for everybody who watches it.

The fact is that people like this exist, and giving them their time up on

the screen doesn’t necessarily glorify them. Nor does it condemn them.

We follow Telly, Casper and some other characters through 24 hours of life in early ’90s New York.

After their extended conversation at the beginning of the film, Telly and Casper go to Paul’s place out of boredom. The apartment is a mess of empty beer bottles, roaches, discarded cigarette butts and graffiti on the wall. A homemade skate video is playing on TV. Telly asks Paul how many people are living there now.

“I don’t know, eight or nine, maybe.

And we still can’t pay the rent. Maybe if we had a faggot here, we’d pay the rent. Wanna do a whippet?” Of course Casper does. He takes a balloon filled with nitrous and huffs it.

Telly says, “You’re gonna be a vegetable when you’re older, kid.”

“Fuck off,” Casper replies, laughing through blue lips.

A guy from the other room tells Telly that Jenny (Chloe Sevigny) is on the phone. He doesn’t remember her.

The guy hangs up the phone, and the scene switches to a room full of girls.

Jenny is mad at Telly. She was one of his virgins. Her and her friends dis-

alone, without even her friends cuss him, all their first times, good and bad experiences with guys, in to help her. She wanders through general all the ways which they love trashed apartments and drug-fueled or are frustrated with sex. Their con- nightclubs, always one step behind Telly. Meanwhile, Telly and Casper versation parallels the guys’ converare going about their time as they sation. We find that there are some always have, cultivating a buzz and misconceptions on both sides. searching for someThis is where thing to do. Telly sets many viewers dishis sights on yet anconnect from the ‘Kids,’ an other virgin, the unfilm. Some might important, suspecting Darcy. He see the conversation calls her “a vision of as gratuitous, even brilliant and often perfection.” exploitative.

Reshocking film, The film ends ally, these girls and the morning after guys are having a keeps it real.” the party. Jenny conversation teens never made it to have every single day. If the conversation were toned Telly. Everybody is passed out on down or filtered through any sort of the floor. While nobody is looking, story device, it would be false, and it Casper makes a very bad decision. wouldn’t connect with its intended He doesn’t realize he is hurting himaudience, an audience that very self more than anyone else, and his actions are only possible because much needs this film.

Jenny goes to get tested for nobody cares enough to intervene.

“Kids” is a film about what happens HIV with her friend Ruby (Rosario Dawson). She tests positive. She is when people stop caring. In this case, shocked. “But I only had sex with that would be the parents.

“Kids” needs to be seen and Telly,” she says. She spends the rest talked about. Larry Clark uses a of the movie trying to find Telly. muted color palette and graceful Jenny walks alone through the city,

Remake of ‘RoboCop’ lacks unique flair Miles Rothlisberger DN This year’s remake of the classic 1987 science fiction-action flick, “RoboCop,” creatively titled “RoboCop,” definitely has expectations.

A remake holds especially lofty expectations when the original was considered so classic that the city of Detroit, the setting of the movie, has begun creating a statue of the iconic, mechanical RoboCop. Not only that, but also many fans of the original and its over-the-top violence and satirical elements will likely think negatively and expect a disgrace to the original, let alone another mediocre action movie.

This is a shame indeed, considering that the newest “RoboCop” definitely holds its own and is better than most movies or remakes. However, it still falls short of greatness.

The 2014 “RoboCop” still tells the tale of Alex Murphy, a family man and Detroit policeman who was killed and revived as a new, innovative law enforcement cyborg to punch crime right in the teeth. Along the way, Murphy is manipulated physically as he shifts from a metal human to simply a law enforcement tool and vice versa. For a story that involves robots and cops, this movie stands as pretty decent. Murphy is an interesting, albeit sometimes cliché, protagonist who possesses both a believable human relationship with his family and a drive for justice and law that becomes disturbingly enhanced as he becomes RoboCop. It is this conflict between emotion and coldness, along with the overall more personal tone of the movie, that makes watching Murphy’s journey in the movie an en-

APP OF THE WEEK

‘RoboCop’ definitely holds its own and is better than most movies or remakes. However, it still falls short of greatness.”

tertaining one.

Also, the scientific logistics that explain how and why a robotic human such as RoboCop works the way he works is an excellent bit that adds to the movie’s grasp in realism. Oftentimes, certain science fiction movies that really should explain the “science” behind the “fiction” never do, and the outlandish little stories and settings carry on without justification. The fact that “RoboCop,” a film that sort of explains itself in its title, still takes the time to reveal the physiology of a robotic human gives the movie a stronger edge over other sci-fi action titles.

Finally, the visuals in the movie are, to say the least, gorgeous to behold. From the holographic monitors at the hands of scientists and businessmen to the sheen look of RoboCop himself, the special effects hit home that the world has changed and taken a fancy to technology. Still, that doesn’t mean the visuals are only a beauty when nothing exciting happens on screen, for the intense shootings and explosions are well-executed and entertaining if nothing else. RoboCop definitely shows how effing awesome he can be with his computer-fast reflexes and aiming in multiple moments throughout the movie Even with some noticeable strength, though, the movie still falters significantly. It truly does try to make a more elaborate mov-

ie with more human interaction than most action flicks and more explanation than some science fiction flicks. But, in the end, “RoboCop” of 2014 still cannot break any molds. It takes itself too seriously to make any real statement about modern-day Detroit just as a satire or a dark comedy can. It also focuses too much on action to really concentrate on any unique science fiction elements other than plain, old robots. Lastly, the action, while entertaining, never reaches any level of absurdity, gratuity or creativity that would make the movie unique. Even intimidating machines, shooting guns and launching a missile or two just cannot cut it anymore.

One minor note as well would involve the actual well-being of futuristic Detroit. While in the movie, Samuel L. Jackson (who plays a completely biased yet charismatic television host) proclaims that the United States needs robotic law enforcement.

Yet, even in Detroit, a place where RoboCop is placed and expected to clean up the scum-filled city, one never gets the impression that Detroit nor the country are crimeridden.Sure, there are criminals and a couple illegal enterprises in the movie, yet even these are weakly portrayed and never exemplify how hellish exactly American society is. This, consequentially, hurts the credibility and interest in Detroit or the Unit-

tracking shots to tell Korine’s story in a uniquely visual way. The final moments of the film are a series of grainy images set to ethereal music.

Each of these images has poetic significance for me, personally. The one that always stands out in my mind is the passing shot of a man standing in a park, alone, his arms outstretched and seemingly hugging the air. He is, in a way, embracing emptiness.

“Kids” gives a voice to the voiceless. They don’t have too much to say – they just like to get high and have sex, mostly. What I think is important is the possibility that these same kids will see this film and find themselves somewhere in it. This movie acknowledges that being a shiftless waster can be fun, but doesn’t flinch when depicting the negative consequences.

This is a movie that meets its audience on its own terms, without judgment, bringing the difficult truth. “Kids,” an important, brilliant and often shocking film, keeps it real.

Jack Forey keeps it real, too. Find out how real at arts@ dailynebraskan.com

Threes!

“ROBOCOP” STARRING

Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton

DIRECTED BY

José Padilha

ed States itself. While the movie focuses more on the personal journey of RoboCop, the overall setting could have also received more attention.

The 2014 “RoboCop” pulls off bionic precision and effectiveness in its slight attentions to detail and glimmering visuals. However, it also has an imperfect human side that features a lack of any unique flair. In spite of all that, the movie still holds itself sturdy as an adequate film. arts@ dailynebraskan.com

Drew Preston DN The market for iOS puzzle games is crowded. Really crowded.

Developers who want to make a puzzle game have to strike a balance between familiarity and creativity. Sirvo, the developer of “Threes!,” managed to strike this balance.

“Threes!” plays a lot like other iOS puzzle games; the player moves objects across a grid according to the rules. In this app, the premise is that you add numbered tiles together. You can combine ones with twos, and any number three or greater can only be added to itself. Movement across the grid is done by moving things against the grid’s

walls. The objective is simple: earn the highest score when your grid is full and without any possible moves. One does this by combining bigger and bigger tiles. If you manage to combine two 96 tiles, you’re on the right track.

“Threes!” is an entertaining puzzle game with a light, fun art direction and a brilliant tutorial/introduction.

The app looks and plays great, although some of the transitions between games and menu organization are a bit of a draw back from the otherwise solid gameplay. If you’re looking for a great iPhone puzzle game to kill some time with and don’t already have five ready to go on your phone, look no farther than “Threes!” arts@ dailynebraskan.com

dailynebraskan.com

7

tuesday, march 4, 2014

bottle tops: from 5 laborate on a song’s sound. out,” Semrad said.

“It’s like I’ll bring a skeleton to Semrad said the band worked on the party, and everyone starts adding its debut album for around six months guts and skin,” Semand finished with 11 rad said, “That’s kind songs on the record. of a morbid way to “The one I’m Are you going to the look at it, but that’s the most fond of, we best metaphor really.” actually recorded on Bottle Tops show To celebrate its my front porch, and this weekend? Tell debut album, The it’s called ‘White us about your plans Bottle Tops will host Clay,’” Semrad said. @DNartsdesk a record release party Semrad is the on March 8 at The Pla primary songwriter Mor Ballroom. on the album and “It’s a super nostalgic place, and said he typically brings lyrics to the band and together the members col- it kind of takes me back to visualizing

what my dad told me about his first rock ‘n roll experience,” Semrad said.

In keeping with the theme and vibe of the group’s retro dance wishes, the event will be a 50s-style formal, complete with photo opportunities, under the sea decorations and a crowned king and queen of the dance.

The Bottle Tops, Mezcal Brothers and Billy Bacon will perform at the event with pre-sale tickets on sale for $7 and tickets on sale at the door for $10. arts@ dailynebraskan.com

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Crossword ACROSS

38

1 Prefix

with distant 5 Ticks off 11 Good deal 14 Be in a pet 15 Meriadoc the Magnificent, for one 16 Gardner of Hollywood 17 Star of 11-/40-Down 19 Ski application 20 “___ Lips Are Sealed” (1981 Go-Go’s hit) 21 Last of a loaf 22 It helps hold glasses 24 Serta rival 26 Director of 11-/40-Down 31 Take on 33 Armand of “Private Benjamin” 34 Niña, Pinta and Santa Maria 37 Surgery souvenir

41 43 44 46

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Pavement caution Gather, with difficulty Last bit LP player “The Hunger Games” participants Adolescents’ support group It might be off the wall Setting of 11-/40-Down Woody Allen title character Louisville’s Muhammad ___ Center Sicilian city Place to play the ponies, for short “The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away” speaker Award for 11-/40-Down “32 Flavors” singer DiFranco Alter, in a way

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE D A S H E R

A R I A N A

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Edited by Will Shortz 1

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partner 2 Tech support may have long ones 3 Extremists 4 Presidential nickname 5 It has a silent tongue 6 Carried 7 African virus 8 Blood-typing system 9 Bucks, on a scoreboard 10 Mounts 11 With 40-Down, film that opened on 12/16/1962 12 Lab eggs 13 Overburden 18 Near and dear, say 23 Pitiful interjection 25 Candy heart word 27 Garage employee 28 Dispensed 29 ___ all-time high 30 Square figure 32 Spurn 35 Hot spot 36 Sea eagle 38 Creator of Eliza Doolittle 39 “___ & Stitch” (Disney film) 40 See 11-Down 42 Antidepressant brand

8

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Puzzle by PETER A. COLLINS

45 47 49 51 52 53

“___ be O.K.” Drag into court Like some mushrooms It has buttons on the left Petrol measures Ninth-century Anglo-Saxon king

55

56 60 62 63

Apply another layer of asphalt to Suggestions Small complaints Flashy twopoint basket Derivative with respect to “x” in f(x) = x + 10

65

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66

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67

Boy king of antiquity

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8

dailynebraskan.com

tuesday, march 4, 2014

men’s basketball Big ten homeroom 1. Michigan (21-7 Overall, 13-3 Big Ten)

5. Nebraska (17-11, 9-7)

The Wolverines put themselves in the driver’s seat for the Big Ten regular-season title after winning both of their games last week against Purdue and Minnesota.

The two wins weren’t the prettiest, but they definitely took a lot of weight off of Michigan’s shoulders with two games to go. The player who has done it all for them is sophomore Nik Stauskas, who averaged 18 points and 3.5 assists in the two wins last week, giving him a solid case for Big Ten Player of the Year.

2. Wisconsin (24-5, 11-5)

The Huskers are tasked with two tough games to finish out the season. First is a road game against Indiana and then a home matchup against red hot Wisconsin. Two wins will not automatically put Nebraska in the NCAA Tournament. Tim Miles’ team will have to play well in the Big Ten Tournament to squeak into the Big Dance. While the Huskers are 2-8 on the road this season, they are 1-2 in neutral-site games, from when they competed in the Charleston Classic. Wins at a neutral site against solid Big Ten programs will help Nebraska more.

6. Ohio State (22-8, 9-8)

The win streak for Wisconsin is now up to seven games. Only one of those games was determined by one possession, and that was a 60-58 win against Michigan State. In a part of the season when not every team has been able to win, the Badgers have been able to shush the underdogs and have come out on top on a consistent basis. It’s not likely that they will tie Michigan for the top spot in the league, but the No. 2 slot is nothing to be disappointed about.

Heading into last week, the Buckeyes had won six of their last seven games and were looking like they were going to be in a good position for the Big Ten Tournament. Then they had to play two road games in a row, losing to both Penn State and Indiana. The loss against Penn State marked the first complete sweep that the Nittany Lions had against the Buckeyes in 16 years. They will attempt to bounce back against Michigan State on Sunday.

3. Michigan State (22-7, 11-5)

7. Indiana (17-12, 7-9)

The Spartans remain toward the top of the conference based solely on the fact that Iowa and Ohio State also slipped up last week against the lower Big Ten squads. Coincidentally, Michigan State faces the Hawkeyes and Buckeyes in its last two games of the season. Sophomore Gary Harris, who is tied for the most points per game in the conference with 17.9 points per game, is going to lead the scoring brigade in the decisive matchups.

4. Iowa (20-9, 9-7)

The No. 24 ranked team in the country is still holding onto a spot in the polls, and they are still holding onto a decent position in the Big Ten Tournament.

Although the Hawkeyes lost to Indiana and barely held on to beat Purdue, senior guard Roy Devyn Marble provided a presence on the floor in the meetings. Marble averaged 21.6 points, 5.3 assists and 2.3 steals per game in the past three games for Iowa.

Two wins in a row is impressive enough for the Hoosiers, but to do it against ranked teams is a big reason why Nebraska and Michigan shouldn’t overlook them in the next week. Yogi Ferrell, who averages 17.3 points per game, was able to score on the floor for Indiana in the two wins. The Hoosiers still have two high-profile games left on the schedule.

8. Minnesota (18-12, 7-10)

February wasn’t the best month for the Gophers. They went 3-5 during the month, and if the losses keep on coming, then they can let go of their NCAA Tournament hopes. It did help that they scored 95 points against Iowa last week, the most that the Hawkeyes have given up this season. Out of all the NCAA hopefuls, the Gophers have the best shot to get into the tournament with one final home game against last-place Penn State.

Senior’s consistency sets example

9. Illinois (17-12, 6-10)

Out of all the Big Ten teams, the Fighting Illini have been playing the best on the defensive side of the ball. Illinois has allowed fewer than 50 points in the last four games, resulting in three wins against top-tier Big Ten schools Michigan State, Nebraska and Minnesota. The win against Michigan State marked the Spartans’ fourth home loss of the season, the first time in 17 years that has happened and just the third time under coach Tom Izzo.

10. Penn State (14-15, 4-10)

The Nittany Lions did split the past two games, but they had one of the most successful weeks for a Big Ten school.

Penn State not only completed a season sweep against Ohio State but the team also competed down to the wire against Wisconsin, the hottest team in the conference right now. The team is still able to be an above-.500 team with the last two games come on the road against Northwestern and Minnesota.

11. Purdue (15-14, 5-11)

The Boilermakers had two players injured and were still able to compete against Michigan and Iowa in their losses to the ranked teams, showing the depth of the Big Ten Conference. The overtime loss against Michigan was one of the most entertaining conference matchups last week, as it took a last-second bank shot from Glenn Robinson III to avoid an upset from the Boilermakers. Purdue can still give No. 9 Wisconsin some trouble in an attempt to stay above .500.

12. Northwestern (12-17, 5-11)

Holding the longest losing streak in the Big Ten right now are the Wildcats, losing past six games. The most recent loss was a sloppy one at Pinnacle Bank Arena against Nebraska, which was also the team that started Northwestern’s losing streak.

Both teams turned the ball over many times, combining for 19 total in the game. The Huskers converted more on their opportunities, and that’s why the Wildcats continue to lose in Big Ten play.

—Compiled by Josh Kelly sports@dailynebraskan.com

women’s gymnastics brief

Bailey Spiers DN As the men’s gymnastics season winds down, the Huskers will have to say goodbye to another class of gymnasts. The 2013-14 senior class is stacked with outstanding gymnasts who come from all over the country.

One of these gymnasts is senior Eric Schryver.

Schryver, from Richardson, Texas, has been a huge part of the program in the past four years.

His list of awards and accolades is long, but his crowing achievement is a third-place finish on the pommel horse in the Big Ten Finals his sophomore year. Schryver also achieved First-Team NCAA Academic All-American honors in 2013 and is on track to repeat this year.

Schryver’s coaches stressed one word in particular to describe the athlete: consistent.

“The thing that stands out to me most about him is his consistency. Even on a bad day, you wouldn’t know it,” Nebraska coach Chuck Chmelka said.

As the Huskers prepare for the Big Ten and NCAA championships, Chmelka has big goals for his senior.

“I’m hoping he’s going to be a two-time All-American for us at the NCAA Championships in April,” Chmelka said. “I’m hoping he’s a Big Ten finalist on one, two or three of the events that he’s going to do.”

Schryver said training at the World Olympic Gymnastics Academy prepared him well for collegiate gymnastics.

“I’d say it’s one of the top gyms in the country, so they hold us to a very high standard,” he said.

“A lot of guys struggle when they come into college because the work load doubles, but working out with those high-level athletes every day helped prepare me.”

Awards don’t come without the hard work. That’s why Schryver is

file photo by stacie hecker | dn

Senior gymnast Emily Wong won her third Big Ten Gymnast of the Week award of the season after winning every event against Oregon State and Arizona State.

Wong collects another weekly award

file photo by stacie hecker | dn

Senior Eric Schryver competes on the parallel bars against Air Force on Jan. 25. Schryver has two titles on the parallel bars in his career, compared with nine titles on pommel horse. continuously striving to make himself a better gymnast.

“I train pommel horse, parallel bars and high bar,” Schryver said.

“Pommel horse is typically my best event, so I’ve been working to tweak my routines on that one. It’s a love-hate relationship with that thing.”

Schryver has had a lot of proud moments in his time as a Husker, but there’s one that beats them all.

“Taking home bronze at the Big Ten Championships my sophomore year on pommel horse,” he said. “It was our first year in the conference, and we kind of struggled day one as a team, and so it was nice to go out there on the second day and get

third on pommel horse, which was a big deal for me because I had surgery just the last summer and then came back and finished third in less than a year.”

Schryver was a team captain his sophomore and junior seasons and continues to lead the team even though he doesn’t hold the captain title this year.

“I’m going to go out there and lead by example and show the other guys what I think they should do by doing it myself,” Schryver said.

The gymnast already has his post-college plans figured out.

“I’ve already been accepted to medical school for next year,” Schryver said. “I’m going back

to Texas, and I’m going to pursue that, which means I’m going to retire, hang it up after NCAAs and start medical school in the fall.”

When Schryver’s final event at Nebraska passes, his coach will need to replace his consistency.

“What makes me so proud is that he makes the other guys on the team better,” Chmelka said. “He’s a great teammate and a great role model for the guys. The thing I’ll miss most about Eric is his leadership and his work ethic. He’s just never lazy no matter how bad he feels. He makes the most out of the day.” sports@ dailynebraskan.com

tant is that they complement each other ’s game well, and that’s what we try to do,” Dalmagro said.

Nebraska’s pairings have remained the same for seven duals in a row following the Huskers’ 1-3 start to the season.

“It’s good when you just stick with a partner,” Zeppernick said.

“Sometimes it’s beneficial to make changes, but I think right now the combinations are good.

“It just needs a little bit of time.”

Dalmagro said that even early on in the season, when Nebraska lost the doubles point in three straight duals, the teams were close to winning. After the Huskers lost the doubles point en route to a defeat Friday against Drake, they had one major adjustment to make in doubles, and that adjustment was personified on Sunday by Zeppernick and Zgierska.

“Bella and I, we have to try to be more aggressive, and that’s what we didn’t do at the begin-

ning,” Zeppernick said Sunday.

“But during the match we just started to be more and more aggressive and believing in ourselves, even after the loss on Friday.”

The Nebraska doubles teams get into trouble when they become passive, Dalmagro said.

“Today was a good example of bouncing back,” he said. “They were more aggressive. They were more confident on their shots.” sports@ dailynebraskan.com

tennis: from 10 Andersson and Sulz said they just needed to play more matches together to improve, and the fact that they are both freshmen does not affect them.

“I don’t think we really think about it,” Sulz said. “I just think we have good chemistry on and off the court.”

Chemistry is important for a doubles team, but the Nebraska coaching staff focuses more on style when choosing the pairings.

“Sometimes what is impor-

Nebraska senior gymnast Emily Wong was named the Big Ten Gymnast of the Week for the fifth time of her career on Monday.

Wong won the all-around for the seventh time in eight meets this season; NU junior Jessie DeZiel, last week’s gymnast of the week, beat out Wong for the all-around title at the Masters Classic on Feb. 23.

But against Oregon State and Arizona State on Saturday in Corvallis, Ore., Wong won every event. She scored 9.925 on vault, a career-best 9.925 on beam, 9.900 on bars and 9.900 on floor exercise for an allaround score of 39.650.

sports@dailynebraskan.com

women’s gymnastics: from 10 For example, her sophomore year, when she was the all-around champion against Utah in a meet Nebraska wasn’t supposed to win. She hit all her routines, and she knew she nailed every one of them.

“I don’t even remember what my scores were,” Schleppenbach said. “But I always just go back to that meet and think, ‘OK, I was really confident, and if I could do it then, I can do it now.’”

That mindset is what helps her with her confidence now, Schleppenbach said.

And now that she’s a senior, she can see the cycle starting over in the freshman.

“Sometimes I look at the freshman and think, ‘That’s exactly how I looked,’” Schleppenbach said. “Everything is so new. College is so new, and you’re scared.”

She remembers coming to practice and being overwhelmed with how much they were expected to get done in such a short period of time.

“Freshman year is just a different ball game,” Schleppenbach said.

So she just wants to help them out, Schleppenbach said. And Kendig said that’s exactly what she does.

“She leads by example,” Kendig said. “She’s a good student and a good athlete. She’s just a good leader, and in some ways, she’s the total package.”

It’s bittersweet for Schleppenbach to see her time coming to an end, but it makes her appreciate it all the more. She’ll miss being on the closest team she’s ever been on and seeing her best friend, Emily Wong, in practice every day.

But she’s ready for the next step. And even though it’ll be emotional, she’s ready for senior night on Saturday.

“Everything leading up to this has been perfect,” Schleppenbach said.

And she’s confident senior night will be, too. sports@ dailynebraskan.com

dailynebraskan.com

tuesday, march 4, 2014

9

Unranked NU could surprise at Big Ten Championships austin pistulka Anything can happen in Madison.

The Big Ten Championships are this week and all eyes in college wrestling are on Wisconsin’s capital.

That’s because the Big Ten Conference gets an incredible 25.5 percent of the automatic bids into the NCAA Wrestling Championships.

That means that there are 74 spots open for Big Ten wrestlers to get into the Big Dance.

Odds are Nebraska is going to get quite a few guys qualifying for nationals, but who is going to be a surprise in this year’s Big Ten tournament?

Everyone knows wrestlers such as senior Ed Ruth of Penn State and junior Robert Kokesh will qualify and probably place in the top two or three, but it’s my job to tell you who I think will make a big surprise come Friday and Saturday.

At 125 pounds there will be seven automatic bids. So get seventh place or better in the Big Ten, and you go to the NCAAs. No. 1 seed is junior Nico Megaludis of Penn State. Megaludis is 23-2 on the year.

With his two losses coming against No. 1 Nahshon Garrett of Cornell, it appears that he will run away with the Big Ten title.

The wrestler who could cause an upset or two is Michigan freshman Conor Youtsey. Youtsey is 16-9 on the year and is the No. 5 seed.

Youtsey has shown that he can hang with the big boys with two close losses to defending NCAA champion Jesse Delgado of Illinois. He has an aggressive style of wrestling that will help him out. I think he will finish in third place.

The 133-pound bracket dark horse is none other than Nebraska senior Shawn Nagel. Nagel has had up-and-down seasons his entire career, but he knows how to win a match. Nagel has had victories against ranked opponents, includ-

file photo by spencer myrlie | dn

Nebraska senior 133-pounder Shawn Nagel enters the Big Ten Championships as the No. 9 seed, but he looks to qualify for the NCAA Championships for the first time. Six of his 13 victories this season came by way of pin. ing a pin against No. 4 seed Cashe Quiroga of Purdue. Even though he has not always come out on top, all of his matches are close. He has only given up one major decision to a ranked opponent this season. I see Nagel finishing fourth, well above the eighth-place finish needed to go to nationals.

The 141-pound weight class will be dominated by former NCAA champion Logan Stieber from Ohio State and Penn State’s undefeated

freshman Zain Retherford. No surprises for this weight class.

The 149-pound weight class will be led by Nebraska junior Jake Sueflohn and Minnesota junior Nick Dardanes. The two have not wrestled each other this year and their records are almost identical.

Sueflohn is 27-3 and Dardanes is 28-2. Both men have losses to No. 1 Drake Houdashelt. I think Sueflohn will end up on top of the medal stand when all is said and done be-

cause of his grinding style of wrestling.

The 157-pound weight class may be the most competitive bracket in the Big Ten. Bursting on to the scene is Wisconsin freshman Isaac Jordan, and behind him is a good company of wrestlers. From Nebraska junior James Green to Indiana junior Taylor Walsh, everyone has a chance at the top spot.

One man who is not being talked about is freshman Brian Murphy

of Michigan. Murphy has a shot to shock the division and compete for a Big Ten Championship. Murphy is No. 13 in the country and has a win over No. 6 Dylan Ness of Minnesota and close losses to Iowa’s Derek St. John and Green. Murphy is sitting in the eighth seed and could make a move to the top.

The 165-pound Cinderella story candidate is Nebraska sophomore Austin Wilson. Wilson is currently in the eighth seed, but he is very

dangerous. Wilson’s favorite move, the twister, could be the difference because he can pin someone no matter what the score is. With an up and down season this year, Wilson could turn it all around in Madison.

The 174-pound division is not the most competitive bracket. Nebraska’s Kokesh and Penn State’s Matt Brown will probably be the top two, followed by Iowa’s Mike Evans and Minnesota’s Logan Storley.

After that, the competition drops off. None of the 5-8 seeds have wins against the top four seeds. Upsets will be at a minimum here.

The 184-pound bracket wrestler to watch is Ohio State sophomore Kenny Courts. Courts has been solidly in the top 10 all year until recent losses have slipped him to No. 11. Courts has only five losses on the year and could pull a couple of upsets early to get him into the finals.

At 197 pounds, five top-20 wrestlers will be showcased. One wrestler who is not ranked but will affect the tournament is Nebraska senior Caleb Kolb. Kolb is 0-4 against ranked opponents this season, but he lost by two or fewer points to each of them. He is the 10 seed and is looking to make it to the NCAA Championships for a second time.

The heavyweight bracket will take nine individuals to nationals, and on the bubble is Nebraska freshman Collin Jensen. Jensen could surprise people in this tournament.

He is only 1-6 against ranked opponents, and there are eight ranked wrestlers in the weight class. Jensen only needs to finish better than three unranked wrestlers to go to nationals. Jensen has wins over all three of those men and could pull an upset if he gets momentum.

With that all said, it should be noted that almost the entire Big Ten is going to go to nationals. It is not too much of a surprise that some of the sixth seeds are ranked in the top-10 and could challenge for the title.

Austin Pistulka is a freshman journalism major. You can reach him at sports@ dailynebraskan.com

basketball: from 10 sports briefs

And he was right, by the way. We gave him the ball and got out of his way, and he hit a big bucket and he was like, ‘Keep giving it to me.’”

Baseball game rescheduled

Nebraska’s home baseball game against Kansas State, scheduled for 1:35 p.m.

Tuesday, was rescheduled for April 9 at 5 p.m. because of poor field conditions and cold weather.

Anyone with a ticket to Tuesday’s game may use the ticket for the April 9 game or for general admission to any other home game this season. Nebraska’s next game is scheduled for Friday, when they open a weekend series against St. John’s at Hawks Field.

file photo by jake crandall | dn

Nebraska coach Connie Yori, who is 237-141 in 12 seasons with the Huskers, was named the conference coach of the year for the fourth time of her career.

tim miles

head basketball coach

ster his emotions, suck it up and just player better.

This is where Shields comes in.

Nobody was playing well on offense Saturday until late in the game when Shields begged Miles to give him the ball. He then sparked a 13-5 run at that point, giving Nebraska just enough momentum to win the game.

“And he was right, by the way,” Miles said after Saturday’s victory. “We gave him the ball and got out of his way, and he hit a big bucket and he was like, ‘Keep giving it to me.’

“He was going to carry us.

There was just no doubt. There was that look in his eye.”

That’s the kind of leadership Nebraska needs to pull off two wins this week.

And the stats don’t lie. When Shields scores in double figures, the Huskers are 7-2 in conference play. When he doesn’t, they are 2-5.

Petteway has had some incredible games this season and should be considered for first team AllBig Ten. But the backbone of this Nebraska offense is Shields.

When he is driving into the lane and getting to the free throw line, shooters such as Petteway, Walter Pitchford and Ray Gallegos

file photo by jake crandall | dn

Sophomore forward Shavon Shields scored a team-high 17 points against Northwestern on Saturday. The Huskers are 7-2 in league play when he scores in double-digits. get even more open looks. That’s when you see Nebraska scoring 80 points in a game.

So if Nebraska finds itself playing in the NCAA Tournament in a couple of weeks, you’ll know one thing is for sure.

Shields has that look in his eye.

Andrew Ward is a senior broadcasting major. You can reach him at sports@ dailynebraskan.com.

NU rakes in women’s basketball awards

Nebraska coach Connie Yori was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year on Monday, and senior forward Jordan Hooper was named Player of the Year, headlining Nebraska’s list of postseason award winners.

All five of Nebraska’s starters, including Hooper, earned honors.

Hooper became the fourth Husker to earn the conference player of the year award and the first since Nebraska joined the Big Ten. She nearly averaged a double-double this season, scoring 20.1 points and grabbing 9.3 rebounds per game.

Hooper also became 1 of 5 players in Big Ten history to surpass 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds.

Sophomore guard Rachel Theriot joined Hooper, a unanimous selection, on the first-team all-Big Ten squad. Theriot averaged 13.9 points and 6.5 assists per game – second in the conference. She leads the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio and needs 13 more assists to break the single-season school record for assists, held by Lindsey Moore and Meggan Yedsena.

Junior forward Emily Cady and junior forward Tear’a Laudermill were named second-team all-Big Ten performers. Cady led the Huskers, shooting .509 from the field and averaging 13 points and 9.3 rebounds a game. Laudermill averaged 11.3 points per game and netted 50 3-pointers, behind only Hooper for Nebraska. Laudermill led the Huskers with 30 steals on the year.

Junior forward Hailie Sample made the Big Ten’s all-defensive team. Sample had 19 steals and 13 blocks while averaging 6 points a game.

Yori was named coach of the year by the Big Ten coaches for the second year in a row. The honor is Yori’s fourth conference coach of the year award, including the 2010 Big 12 Coach of the Year award and the 2002 Missouri Valley Coach of the Year award for Creighton.

The Huskers (22-6, 12-4) enter the Big Ten Tournament, which begins Thursday, as the No. 3 seed.

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Pitcher hits way to Big Ten honor

Nebraska senior pitcher Tatum Edwards, who has been named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week four times in her career, was named Big Ten Player of the Week for the first time for combined efforts in the circle and at the plate.

Edwards went 1-1 pitching for the Huskers during the weekend, with a win at Oklahoma State and a complete-game loss at Oklahoma. Against the Cowgirls, Edwards allowed 1 earned run while striking out 10.

She also went 6 for 12 batting, including a home run, a double and 7 RBI in four games. sports@dailynebraskan.com

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satisfaction as final home meet approaches, senior Lincoln native gains confidence through performance, not scores

Nebraska senior Jamie Schleppenbach, a specialist for the Huskers on beam and floor this season, won the all-around title only once in her college career. Schleppenbach will compete in her final home meet on Saturday against Arkansas.

s t o r y b y v a n e ss a d a v e s | f i l e p h o t o b y m o r g a n s p i e h s

I

f she had to narrow it down to one thing, it would be confidence.

There are a lot of ways senior Jamie Schleppenbach has grown during her time on the Nebraska women’s gymnastics team, but the confidence her teammates and coaches have instilled in her is what makes her who she is today, she said.

Schleppenbach got hooked on gymnastics after going to a birthday party at a gym when she was 3 years old. She came home and did cartwheels all over the house, and her parents told her she needed a way to get all that energy out of her system.

She tried other sports – softball, soccer, basketball and volleyball – but none of them fit quite like gymnastics.

“Gymnastics challenged me every day in the gym,” Schleppenbach said. “I’m still learning

new things, even now, and I’m in my last year. supportive teammates and coaches who pushed her to better herself on a daily basis made her That’s the thing I really liked about it.” more confident – not just in gymSchleppenbach grew up in nastics but socially and academiLincoln and always knew she Everything cally as well. wanted to go to Nebraska.

“I’ve learned how to work Coach Dan Kendig said leading up hard and how to see that hard her knowledge of Nebraska to this has been work pay off,” Schleppenbach gymnastics is what made her said. stand out. perfect.”

But for her, that doesn’t mean “The program is a team she grew up with and wanted jamie schleppenbach scrutinizing her scores after meets every week. to be a part of,” Kendig said. senior gymnast “I never really know what my “And now she is. More than scores are,” Schleppenbach said. that, now that she’s in the “For me, scores are cool, and getting awards is home stretch of her career here.”

And she’s grown so much during in that cool, but I think the internal satisfaction is better. So I remember the performances where I feel time, Schleppenbach said.

Her freshman year, she lacked confidence. like I did the best, and I don’t even know if those But Schleppenbach said being surrounded by were my best scores.”

women’s gymnastics: see page 8

men’s basketball

Shields must be catalyst for NU’s tourney hopes andrew ward

This is it.

Two games left in the regular season and Nebraska still remains on the NCAA Tournament bubble.

Not bad for a team that finished 1518 a year ago and hasn’t made the Big Dance since 1998.

It’s been a fun run for Tim Miles and company, but this final stretch is absolutely brutal.

Why? Nebraska plays Indiana on Wednesday in Bloomington, Ind., where the Hoosiers tallied back-toback wins against top-25 opponents this past week. Then Wisconsin comes to Lincoln riding what will likely be an eight-game win streak.

Add the fact that the Huskers are averaging 51.5 points the past two games, and this week is crucial for Nebraska’s NCAA tourney chances.

Win both, and the Huskers are in. Lose both, and hello, NIT.

The key to Nebraska’s success is offense, more specifically Shavon Shields.

Don’t get me wrong, the Huskers’ defense is phenomenal and has kept them in a lot of games this season. Nebraska has held its last seven opponents to less than 40 percent shooting.

But lets be honest, when Shields plays well offensively, the team plays well.

Just take a look at what happened against Northwestern on Saturday.

Wildcat defenders hounded Nebraska’s leading scorer, Terran Petteway. He couldn’t get any good looks at the hoop and finished with just 10 points on an inefficient 3-of12 shooting.

It’s not just the poor shooting, though; it’s the body language.

I saw Petteway drop his head on a number of occasions Saturday and during Wednesday night’s loss at Illinois. It’s hard to trust a guy to make a shot down the stretch when you can see his frustration.

Petteway is a passionate player, and I won’t fault him for that. But when this team struggles on offense, it needs a player who can hol-

basketball: see page 9

Doubles duos improve with time Zach Tegler DN At last, Lisa Andersson and Hannah Sulz had two match points, serving up 40-15. The Nebraska freshmen had fended a number of game points in the previous game as their Colorado State opponents had fought off a few match points to make the score 7-4 Huskers.

On Nebraska’s first match point of the game, an Andersson serve forced a return right to her partner at the net. Sulz slammed an overhead volley home, and the Huskers claimed the match at No. 3 doubles.

About five minutes later, at No. 1 doubles, Nebraska sophomore Maggy Lehmicke and freshman Mary Hanna put their match to rest.

They had lost a service game with a chance to end the match. On match point, Lehmicke hit a hard return, and the left-handed Hanna placed a backhand volley in the gap.

The No. 2 match did not finish, and for the fourth time in six duals, the Huskers won 2 of 3 doubles matches to claim the doubles point and open up a 1-0 lead on their opponent.

Since opening the season 1-3, the Huskers have won 5 of 6 duals; in four of those wins, Nebraska claimed the doubles point.

In all of their losses this season, the Huskers dropped the doubles point.

“It’s really important,” senior No. 2 doubles player Maike Zeppernick said. “When you go on singles and you know you have to just win three matches to win, it’s a huge difference. It puts pressure on them to win more matches.”

file photo by stacie hecker | dn

Maike Zeppernick, the only senior on the Huskers’ roster, is 6-3 at No. 2 doubles this season alongside junior Izabella Zgierska. Nebraska has won the doubles point in 4 of 6 duals.

On Sunday, Nebraska won matches at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles to clinch the first point of the dual before quickly winning the three singles matches necessary to make the score 4-0 and put victory out of reach for Colorado State with only three singles matches remaining.

“Just to mentally have that one point,” Sulz said. “Your energy.

You’re fired up to win the point.”

The current Nebraska doubles

teams have played nearly every dual this spring. The No. 1 team of Lehmicke and Hanna and the No. 2 pairing of Zeppernick and junior Izabella Zgierska are 6-3 this season. The all-freshmen duo of Andersson and Sulz at No. 3 is 3-4.

“At doubles one, we have two kids that hit the ball hard and flat, so they try to impose their game by power,” Nebraska assistant German Dalmagro said. “I think our

No. 2 doubles, they’re a little more finesse. And then at doubles three, we have more of a combination of power and a little more finesse. A little more positioning on the court.

Different types of players, but I think they complement each other well. Right now, those three combinations are the best where they are.”

tennis: see page 8