Sports, B1
Arts & Life, B4
Rockets beat Kent to claim sole possesion of first place
Porn: UT Students and the questionable art form
Independent Collegian IC The
www.IndependentCollegian.com 91st year Issue 34
Monday, January 31, 2011
Serving the University of Toledo since 1919
Retention up, enrollment down By Randiah Green News Editor
Graphic by Nick Kneer / IC
Enrollment at the University of Toledo dropped from 21,594 in the Spring 2010 semester to 21,108 in the Spring 2011 semester. While enrollment is down, 3,107 of 3,550 direct-from-high school students returned from the fall semester for an 87.3 percent retention rate.
Almost 90 percent of freshmen who came to the University of Toledo last fall have returned for the spring 2011 semester. This Spring Semester, 3,107 of the 3,550 directfrom-high school students who came to UT in the fall returned to take classes, an 87.3 percent retention rate. Larry Burns, vice president for student affairs and interim vice president of equity and diversity, credits the high retention rate to UT’s three-step plan. The first step was recruiting large numbers of students with initiatives such as the Blue and Gold Scholarship program. The second step was to only recruit the “most prepared” students and the last phase is to increase the number of prepared students admitted to UT.
UT is in the second phase of the plan. In the fall 2010 semester, 300 students who were considered to be underprepared were deferred and encouraged to go to a community college for a semester and transfer to UT the following semester. “The idea is the most prepared students have a better chance at coming back and doing well, and as we have seen, that has been the case,” Burns said. “We’re pleased with the progress we are making with our freshmen class that are returning That is up 87.3 percent from direct from high school freshmen and that compares to 80 percent last year. Though the number of freshmen students retained has increased this semester, very few of the 300 deferred students re-applied to UT. — Enrollment, Page A2
‘The Other Wes Moore’ author speaks at Toledo By Vincent J. Curkov IC Staff Writer
Wes Moore was studying abroad in West Africa when his mother called to tell him the Bronx was papered with wanted posters that had his name on them.
The police were looking for four men including ‘The Other Wes Moore’ who robbed a jewelry store and killed an off-duty police officer who had been moonlighting as a security guard for the store. Moore, a 10-year army
Photo courtesy of Random House Publishing Group
veteran, author, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity member and youth advocate visited UT Saturday to speak at the Aspiring Minority Youth Conference sponsored by UT Joint Committee and Toledo Office of EXCELLence. The theme of the conference this year was “Success or Failure: the Consequence of Choice.” Moore grew up in the Bronx in the early 1980’s during the introduction of crackcocaine. According to Moore, he has seen a decrease in deaths; last year New York had about 400 murders compared to about 2,500 in 1980. “[I grew up] seeing the family fabric begin to tear away,” he said. Moore describes himself as a child as a class clown and by the age of nine, he was picking and choosing which days of school to attend. He was arrested for vandalism when he has a kid, but he got off easy. “I was given a second chance, one I frankly didn’t take advantage of,” Moore said. He describes his mother as a constant source of tough love. She often threatened to ship him off to military school when he would act out. “My mother always said ‘I
Wes Moore is a 10-year army veteran, a youth advocate, an author and a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity.
“ Junior Intl. Business and Marketing
The University of Toledo has installed three electric car charging stations around its campuses, including this charger on the Scott Park Campus of Energy and Innovation in Parking Lot 22.
Car chargers installed By Vincent J. Curkov IC Staff Writer
Three electric car charging stations have been installed at various locations on the University of Toledo’s campuses. One charger is located on the Scott Park Campus of Energy and Innovation in Parking Lot 22, another on is on the main campus in the service parking lot behind Carter Field, and the last is located by the facilities building on the Health Science Campus.
But UT is not giving students fuel for their electric cars for free. According to Chuck Lehnert, special assistant to the president and interim director for the Scott Park Campus of Energy and Innovation, the chargers are only for UT’s service vehicles. Currently UT only has one electric vehicle, but this will inevitably expand, according to Lehnert. “The chargers are easy enough to use,” Lehnert said. “They work very similarly to
gas pumps.” These chargers adhere to the automotive industry’s current standards for electric cars. It works with things like the Chevy Volt and other electric [vehicles,]” Lehnert said. In a press release from UT sent out last week, Lehnert said the chargers were installed in anticipation of members of the UT community purchasing electric vehicles such as the Chevy Volt. “The University of Toledo — Chargers, Page A2
How do you feel about pornography?
“
I think its disgusting and I think it puts the female gender(s) down.
Tatjana Grubesic
— Veteran, Page A2
Nick Kneer / IC
”
“
It’s alright, if you are into that.
Matt Lazette
Fresh. Bioengineering
”
Antonio Olvera Fresh. Psychology
I’m practicing abstinence. To the people that are doing it that don’t have relationships, I pray that you get a relationship.
”
“
“
Ben Harrison Soph. Chemical Engineering
It’s degrading to women. It’s a waste of peoples time and money and just bad for society.
”
Check out our story on pornography on page B4 and our editorial on page A4.
I would be very offended if my boyfriend watched pornography.
Lauren Bliwas
Senior Marketing
”
A2 Campus Briefly
UT Jazz Department
The UT Jazz Ensemble will perform an evening of jazz at 7:30 p.m. tonight at Crystal’s Lounge at the Ramada on Secor Road. Tickets are $3 for students and seniors and $5 for the general public. For more information, contact Angela Riddel at 419-530-2452.
Office of Multicultural Student Services
The OMSS will host the kick-off event for the 2011 Black History Month tomorrow from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Student Union Building Ingman Room. The keynote speaker will be Director of EXCELlence and Toledo EXCEL Programs. Luncheon will be served. For more information, contact James Jackson at 419-530-2261.
Campus Activities and Programming
The
Independent Collegian
Chargers From Page A1 continues to be on the forefront of emerging alternative energy technology demonstrated by the wind turbine and solar panels at Scott Park, the research underway in our laboratories and our partnerships with businesses in this area,” Lehnert said in the press release. “In anticipation of members of our university community buying the Chevy Volt and future electric vehicles, we wanted to have this technology available. I’m proud to say we are on the cutting edge of doing so.” The charging stations on campus are the result of collaboration between Juice Technology, LLC and the General Electric Company. GE’s smart meters were combined with Juice Technology’s Plug Smart engine so the vehicles charge during low-demand periods when electricity is cheaper. This lowers the cost of
recharging them. The charging stations were built by GE but are not to be confused with GE’s new WattStation, which debuted back in July. These chargers resemble normal gas pumps and are designed for commercial use. The WattStation is GE’s new charging station designed for consumer use and functions more like a gas pump where the vehicle begins to charge immediately. Lehnert said the car chargers are just one of UT’s new and upcoming “green” projects, mentioning an additional wind turbine that is planned for installation sometime this year. “More details on the new wind turbine [will come] in March,” he said. According to the press release, UT is “among the early adopters of the technology by installing them on campus” after Juice Technologies and GE released the charging stations last year.
UT CAP will host a “polar run” Wednesday from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. beginning at the Student Recreation Center. Wear your bathing suits and a glow stick for the short run through the main campus and then warm up in the hot tub or sauna. For more information, contact Amanda Taylor at 419-530-7221.
Jason Mack / IC
Pink Crew Survivor Esther Fabian, Associate Vice President for Branding and Creative Services at UT, hugs a cheerleader at Saturday’s “Rockets for the Cure” game while being honored for surviving breast cancer. Fabian was one of several UT administrators who donated money to spend the day as a member of the Blue Crew. See page B1 for the game story.
CAP will also host an after hour session Friday starting at 11 p.m. at the Student Recreation Center. Partcipate in late night events at the REC Center, ride a mechanical bull, attack the Velcro wall and join a sports team. For more information, contact Amanda Taylor at 419-530-7221.
Veteran From Page A1
Catharine S. Eberly Center for Women
The ECW will host a brownbag seminar Thursday from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Tucker Hall Room 0180. Director of Rocket Wellness Vicki Riddick will present on happy, healthy hearts. For more information, contact Cheryl Skolmowski at 419-530-8570.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Nick Kneer / IC
The WattStation is a charging station designed by GE that begins to charge immediately and is inteneded for consumer use.
did not give birth to you because I needed another friend,’” Moore said. When he was 12, his mother sent him to Wayne, Pa. for military school; in the first four days he tried to escape four times. He points to the first year he spent in military school as the major turning point in his life. Moore said his mother did not force him to return to military school but he did on his own. Later, he signed up for the army right out of high school and did two tours of duty in Afghanistan. Following his service in the military, Moore attended Johns Hopkins University and became a Rhodes Scholar. The four men who robbed the jewelry store were eventually caught and are all doing life sentences without parole, but this incident continued to trouble Moore, so he decided to write to ’The Other Wes Moore.’
“Why was his fate sealed there is a higher likelihood long before Feb. 7, 2000?” the person will end up More said. there. If the letter he got back Moore has written a book would have been written in about his experiences with crayon he would have felt the other Wes Moore titled content, said Moore, but it “The Other Wes Moore: One was not. He described it as Name, Two Fates.” “one of the most articulate Moore asked his imprisletters I have ever read.” oned friend what was one One letter turned in to thing he should tell people two and two in his book. into three; The response My mother al- was to “tell now Moore has known ways said ‘I did people, parthe other Wes ticularly Moore for not give birth to you young peonearly seven because I needed an- ple, that [life] years. is not a other friend. “I asked game,”. Wes, ‘Do you Toledo EXthink we are Wes Moore CEL, the proproducts of Author and gram sponour environ- Army veteran. s o r i n g ment?’ He Moore’s presaid ‘no, I sentation, is think we are products of our a scholarship incentive proexpectations,’” Moore said. gram that focuses on stuMoore said if a person is dents that are underrepreexpected to do great things, sented in universities and then there is a greater attempts to prepare them chance to succeed; howev- for college. They offer many er, if that same person is services in tutoring, finanexpected to go to jail at cial aid, and campus visits some point in their life, then to high school students.
“
”
Enrollment From Page A1
students, so we’ve already made up for most of those students,” Burns said. “I In an interview with the think this is because we Independent Collegian in were better prepared to December, Kevin Kucera deal with them. MapWorks told the IC he never antici- and Rocket2Rocket Mentorpated seeing a lot of those ing really helped with the Blue and students reG o l d turn for this We were down scholars.” semester. Despite the about 400 stuKucera said he anticipatdents in fall 2009, high retention rates for ed only 30 of and the 300 stu- now we are only down Blue dents would about 80 students, so Gold Scholreapply. we’ve already made ars and freshmen stuStudents in up for most of those dents, UT’s the Blue and students here. total enrollGold Scholment has dears program creased this have also in- Larry Burns year by 2.3 creased their Vice president for percent. retention rate student affairs and The total to around 92 interim vice president of equity and enrollment at percent. A c c o r d i n g diversity. UT this to Burns, Blue and Gold spring is 21,108 students Scholars had a retention compared to 21,594 sturate of around 80 percent dents in the spring 2010 last year, the first year the semester. program was in effect. UT’s full time equivalency “We were down about 400 also dropped to 17,798 stustudents in fall 2009, now dents. The FTE count for we are only down about 80 the spring 2010 semester
“
”
was at 18,583. FTE is calculated using a student’s number of credit hours being taken and dividing the number by 15. FTE is used in determining state subsidies. UT is not only working to increase retention for freshmen students. Burns said UT recently hired a retention specialist to look at retention for other groups of students as well. “We’ll be looking at increasing retention for older adult students, transfer students and part-time students among others,” he said. Burns said his department is also working towards increasing the areas to which the out of state tuition is waived for students which he thinks will help efforts to increase enrollment. “We are looking to expand the offer to the Metro Detroit area since we recruit a lot of students from that area,” he said. “Currently we only offer the in-state tuition fee for Monroe County, Michigan.”
Want to write for the IC? Apply now! E-mail us at Editor@IndependentCollegian.com or call us at 419-534-2438.
this
space
is
for
available
419-534-2438
rent.
A3
The
Independent Collegian
Monday, January 31, 2011
Classifieds
Extended
Forecast
Phone in your order to Rachel Rabb at 419-534-2438. Fax in your order to 419-534-2884. E-mail in your order to Classifieds@IndependentCollegian.com. Deadlines
All ads and ad material must be received by Thursday at 3 p.m. for Monday’s issue, and Monday at 3 p.m. for Thursday’s issue. The Independent Collegian reserves the right to pull any advertisement that misses this deadline.
Error responsibility
Read your ad on the first day of publication. We accept responsibility only for the first incorrect insertion. If you cannot find your ad on the first day it is running, call us immediately. Adjustments will be limited to the cost of the first insertion.
All Classified ads must be prepaid with a credit card or a check. You can stop by our office during regular business hours or mail us your ad and payment. All display advertising must be prepaid until sufficient credit has been established.
Help Wanted
For Rent
For Sale
BARTENDERS WANTED! Make up to $300/day. No experience necessary. Training available. 800-965-6520 ext. 224
-1 bedroom available in a new, spacious 3 bedroom 3 bathroom apartment -$496/month plus water and electric -Female only -Lease until August 8th -Across from Rocket Hall -330-663-6372
2921 Barrington: $154,900 – Orchard. Next to UT!
Part-time nanny/babysitter needed. Must drive and be available Wednesday, Thursday and some Friday at various times. Please call 419-2502504.
For Rent For Rent 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, & 7 Bedroom Homes, 2&3 Baths, all appliances including washer & dryer, security systems, free lawn care, plenty of parking, less than 1/2 mile from campus, some within walking distance. Call Rick at 419283-8507! www.universityproperties.net
One, Two, Three, and Four Bedroom houses for rent very close to campus. All appliances; Furnished. Call Chris 419-867-1100. 1-Bed apartment with-in walking distance to campus. Off-street parking. Stove and refrigerator included. Laundry facilities on-site. Very clean. Available immediately. $325 plus utilities. Call Chris 419-867-1100.
For Sale West Toledo Homes for Sale: 3417 Downing: $49,900 – 2 blocks from UT!
NBC24.com
Payment policy
Monday
Old
4807 Douglas: $89,900 – Commercial Building near UT! Call Aaron Wozniak at Pathway Real Estate for more info!
High
High
High
22
Tuesday Wednesday Thursday
Low
20
23 Low 27 21
High Low
-3
12
Low
-5
Weather courtesy of Chief Meteorologist Norm Van Ness at NBC24.com
write much?
Sudoku
The
Independent Collegian 419-534-2438
Solution
Instructions
Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit 1 to 9.
For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit Sudoku.org.uk.
© 2011 Michael Mepham. Distributed by Tribune Media Services. All rights reserved.
Forum
A4
Monday, January 31, 2011
Elizabeth Majoy Business Manager
Jason Mack Editor in Chief Ethan Keating Forum Editor
- in our opinion -
Neither right nor wrong ride; for the pregnant or faint of heart, it could be fatal. In most cases, the time spent rocketing through the air is simply a fun way to spend a weekend or summer day with friends. Now consider the minority of the population that seem to be predisposed toward risky behavior. For these individuals, the thrilling rush of the roller coaster is more than entertainment — it’s a safer and more morally-appealing alternative to driving a car too fast, drinking or consuming drugs heavily, starting fights, etc. The control of firearms in this country provides another revealing parallel. While beliefs on gun ownership vary widely and can cause heated debate, two ideas seem to hold true for most. It seems to be generally agreed that while some members of society should be armed — military, police, etc. — the majority need not be. A police officer has frequent and direct opportunities, as well as professional imperative, to use his deadly weapon for morally good ends. The average citizen does not, and would probably never use a firearm if they had one. The angry, unstable and violent rhetoric-inspired activist, however, can use the same easily-obtained weapons to commit the most horrible of acts. As with most human behaviors, creation or viewing of pornography is not inherently wrong, nor is it automatically virtuous. Moral evaluation must be accompanied by an understanding of the fact that no two of us inhabit the same body or possess the same memories, proclivities and desires. Not every porn viewer is an addict shrinking away from real affection, nor is every director a greedy, sexist pig who mistreats his actors — many involved in the system exist quite happily at no personal loss. Any attempt to reduce the infinite diversity of human behavior to a single, universal moral ruling fails in both fact and logical form.
As with any complex and far-reaching social issue, a morally absolutist approach to pornography prematurely ends constructive discussion and leaves many in an unwarranted position of guilt. Just because use of porn can be shown to cause significant and persistent problems for many individuals and couples does not mean that a certain moral ruling can be applied in every instance.With hundreds of churches across the United States as well as celebrities planning to participate in Porn Sunday on Feb. 6, a national day of anti-porn discussion, some reminders about behavioral and moral diversity seem to be in order. A spectrum of behaviors can be drawn to demonstrate the wide variance of porn use. From the willpower-defunct, fullblown addict who can’t make it through three hours without satisfying his or her craving, to the sexually-frustrated couple who produce a home porn once, in curiosity, after years of failing to please each other, a diverse panoply of specific intentions, methods and results stems from the existence and use of porn. The mainstream, multi-billion dollar porn industry does contribute to a number of significant evils. The tendency toward dysfunctional relationships and divorce is surely strengthened in some individuals by viewing porn. Most pornographic material promotes misogyny and adultery, without any context to balance the situation or establish redeeming value. The usual process of producing pornography has the tendency to devalue the humanity of the individuals involved, sometimes destroying their self-esteem and sucking them into a lifelong abyss. However, none of these facts support the idea that pornography is wrong by its own merits. Many Americans love a good roller coaster ride, but some will never even enter an amusement park. For some, a roller coaster is simply too terrifying to
Rivalries exist to inspire pride in one’s home and sport, not baselessly bash others “Dear Bowling Green State University, it must suck to suck. Disrespectfully, The University of Toledo Student Government.” While I expect that no UT students were consulted before SG President Matt Rubin made this Facebook post in their name, even more disturbing is his reaction to being called out for it. While Rubin apologized for his post, his statement regarding people being “more sensitive to this kind of stuff” reveals that he has completely missed the point. This isn’t an issue because “insensitive” language was used, but because our highest elected student representative, who is well-compensated to represent us and our interests, made a tasteless and childish remark with the university’s reputation attached. The difference between encouraging a healthy rivalry and making pointless insults is a matter of respect, maturity and intent. While it may be acceptable for a young child to express support
for his or her team by telling the opponent that they “suck,” we hold adults, especially an elected student representative of a respected university, to a much higher standard. What is a rivalry? Do we maintain these artificial animosities just to encourage personal dislike and disrespect toward our opponent and their fans? The purpose was to inspire pride in the supporters and members of both teams, as well as enthusiasm for the sport itself. When we can’t celebrate our team’s victory without first telling the other team they “suck,” rivalry devolves into schoolyard name-calling and loses all of its potential value. The comment itself was extremely unbecoming of a public official, but in itself not hugely noteworthy. It isn’t important if anyone on either side was offended by the specific language used. What matters are the personal qualities and cultural attitudes regarding competition revealed here.
The
Independent Collegian Staff Editorial
News Editor
Randiah Green
Features Editor
Vincent D. Scebbi
Arts and Life Editor Assistant Art and Life Editor Sports Editor Assistant Sports Editor
DC Guastella LaShae Naszradi Zach Davis Joe Mehling
Business
Assistant Business Manager & Classifieds Manager Rachel Rabb Sales Manager Kevin Smyth Accounting Coordinator Andrew Wettle Ad Designer Adrielle Henry
Contact us
The Independent Collegian 2132 Middlesex Drive Toledo, OH 43606
Fax 419-534-2884 Phone 419-5342438 E-mail Editor@Inde pendentCollegian.com
Director of Photography Assistant Director of Photography Copy Chief Copy Editors Web Master
Nick Kneer Kevin Sohnly Feliza Casano Matt Gunn LaShae Naszradi Farzana Danish
This is a publication of the Collegian Media Foundation. Copyright 2011, Collegian Media Foundation
The Independent Collegian encourages your letters and welcomes the chance to publish as many as possible. Letters must be typed and include the author’s full name, rank, college and telephone number. E-mailed letters must include the same information, and can be sent to Forum@ IndependentColle gian.com. Letters may be no longer than 500 words.
The IC reserves the right to condense letters; none will be returned. When referring to a previously published letter, article or column, please make sure to include the date it appeared. Letters to the editor are due Monday at 5 p.m. for Thursday’s edition and Thursday at noon for Monday’s edition.
The editorials contained on this page represent the opinions of the student editors or the column’s listed author and not those of the Collegian Media Foundation.
- in Your opinion A question of ‘newsworthy’ After the IC’s article concerning Matt Rubin’s Facebook post, I found it beyond necessary to make sure aware that everyone at the Independent Collegian was aware of a very important vocabulary word. The word is newsworthy. And for those of you that are unaware of this adjective, Dictionary.com defines it as “of sufficient interest to the public or a special
audience to warrant press attention or coverage.” I don’t find Mr. Rubin encouraging an old rivalry to be newsworthy. Part of a leader’s job is to rally their troops, and this was all Mr. Rubin was doing. Running that story may have had something to do with an uncharacteristically thin paper, probably as a result of a slow news week, or a lazy staff with an affection for social media. Either way, seeing as this is the IC and not the OC, if I want any ‘Facebook drama’
I prefer to find it on my Facebook newsfeed, and not gracing the pages of what is suppose to be a NEWS source. Perhaps the Independent Collegian actually does find this story to be newsworthy. In that case, I would like to point out that same day Mr. Rubin had Chipotle for lunch, and I would really enjoy a follow up story on that. Sincerely, Beth Mellinger
Airing of grievances I was already having somewhat of a bad week. waking up Tuesday morning to an illness and proceeding to spend the rest of the week r e c o v e ring, when I saw something absolutely horrible. It was so vile and disturbing that on top of the Anthony week I Russo was already having, this could have pushed me over the edge into potential mental breakdown. On top of the other thousands of things that bug and bother me on a daily basis for no seemingly good reason, this was what spurred me to write this column. What did I see? A commercial for a movie called “Big Mama’s House 3.” It’s almost downright embarrassing to write those three words and number in my column. I know there was some sort of subtitle to it, but I’m too ashamed to even look it up or reproduce it in print. I can’t figure out what I’m more disturbed by: the fact that this movie is being made, or the fact that the producers must somehow believe there are enough people willing to watch it to make any money. Like I said, there are probably thousands of things that annoy me or bug me for no good reason, and “Big Mama’s House 3” is just the tip of the iceberg. Even just in movie titles you have “Home Alone 3,” “Caddyshack 2,” and now “Mean Girls 2.” Just let those sink in for a second. How could seeing even a commercial for any of these “fine films” not make you question the state of humanity? Moving on to other topics, there are numerous things I encounter working as a bus driver that particularly make me want to just drive straight into the Ottawa River. These are magnified when I’m driving around campus in circles for four hours so people don’t have to bear the very difficult task of walking for 5 to 10 minutes when you’d rather be at home resting so your fever and massive headache don’t get worse. Here’s a brief rundown: First off, let’s test the logical-thinking capabilities of
the average UT bus-riding student. A quick question: the average Loop bus is well over 30 feet in length. The average bus pull-off is maybe 75 feet in length. But a bus doesn’t magically slide sideways into the pull-off, it is still moving forward as it pulls off. Also, note that on a bus, the door is at the front. Knowing all of this, and using your intellect — you are a college student after all — where should you stand at the pull-off? A: At the very beginning of the pull-off (i.e. the first point a bus would pass pulling into the stop) B: In the middle of the pull-off C: At the end of the pull-off The correct answer is C, though I suppose B isn’t a terrible answer. However,
“
I end up walking around in socks without protection and I step in the wet slush garbage that everyone else tracked in because they don’t have the decency to at least ask about the ‘shoes off’ policy of the dwelling.
”
many of the people I see stand at point A. How could you not figure out that in order to fit in the pull-off, the bus’ door would so obviously pass you by 30 or 40 feet? Does the ACT or SAT not measure certain aptitudes, or are UT’s standards just that low? I don’t mean to be so critical, and it’s often hard to be sarcastic in print, but… Here’s another fun one from work. I try to be nice to people. Even on days where I might be stressed or bored to death, or sick — I try to be pleasant. It’s like the opposite of my column — though I try to be affable here. And a lot of people are pleasant right back to me. But what I don’t understand is the maybe 30 to 40 percent of the population that either stares at me or walks right past me when I say “hi” or “hello” to them. I’m not nice because I want them to be nice back, but is an acknowledgement that I’m alive and
driving you to a place that you could have just as easily walked to in five minutes too much to ask for? Maybe I’m just scary. People in general are just becoming more and more rude. Take the “shoes off” rule if you will. I’ve encountered this is my own apartment as well as my girlfriend’s. I grew up in a home where we took our shoes off. It makes sense. Shoes are worn outside and they get dirty. I feel it should be second nature to take them off in a place where somebody lives. Think about it. What do we walk through, especially in winter? Snow, dirt, salt, mud, bird and dog feces, gum? Does that belong indoors in a place where I walk around in my socks or barefooted? No. So I take my shoes off when I go into someone’s house. Or at least I ask. Is asking too much of an effort? Even then, when I’m nice enough to remove my shoes, I get the short stick. I end up walking around in socks without protection and I step in the wet slush garbage that everyone else tracked in because they don’t have the decency to at least ask about the “shoes off” policy of the dwelling. After reading this column, you’re probably thinking one of two things: Either you’re in 80 to 90 percent agreement with me, or you think I’m the world’s most judgmental person. Either way, I’m fine with that. Everyone has little things that bother them, from people cracking their knuckles to country music. Your job this week is to tell me what bothers you and don’t simply write “This Column.” Either go on the IC Facebook page or e-mail me at collegianmailbag.yahoo.com. Because we all know how well the monthly mailbag idea worked! Hint: it didn’t. If you have some good rants, I’ll publish them. Promise. At any rate, I hope you all have a better week than I did. And in case you’re wondering, I’ve been watching a lot of “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” I’m like a cross between Larry David and Peter Klaven from “I Love You, Man.” Just less Jewish, I suppose. —Anthony Russo is an IC columnist and a senior majoring in economics.
A5
The
Independent Collegian
Monday, January 31, 2011
Focus on future potential, not past mistakes
After a State of the Union speech that inspired a resounding yawn across the nation, and with an uprising in Egypt capturing the attention of the media, it’s difficult to imagine President Obama’s second State of the Union address as anything more than another installment of a ceremonial tradition that will quickly be forgotten. However, we might soon consider one aspect of the address as the official turning point in Obama’s first term as president. We finally heard a nondefensive narrative. For the majority of his first two years in office, Obama has been defending individual initiatives based on existing conditions. We heard over and over again that the forces driving policy initiatives were the disastrous effects of Bushera policies. No matter how accurate the narrative may have been, it was ultimately defensive. And a defensive narrative cannot avoid sound-
ing like blame. Predictably, each time stimulus spending was defended as necessary due to deregulation or other irresponsible economic and domestic policy enacted by the previous administration it was summarily dismissed as more of the same “Blame it on Bush” tactics. But the idea that investment in clean energy, education, health care and infrastructure can be justified only by the negligence of previous administrations was equally offensive to supporters. While it’s true that Obama inherited a situation more difficult than most presidents have had to deal with, the case was already made by his presidential campaign. The challenges we faced in 2008 were well known; two long and expensive wars, rising unemployment, banking and auto industries on the brink of collapse, crumbling infrastructure, rising deficits and significant weaknesses in our
education system were common campaign issues. Once Obama entered office, the majority of the American public was already convinced as to who was to blame for each, and who was not. The constant references
“
reaction to the Obama administration’s accomplishments thus far. From financial reform to health care reform, individual components of each piece of legislation have been exceedingly popular while the laws as a
Obama has let go of the idea that constructive public policy must be dictated by failures of the past, and has embraced the idea that it can be justified in the interest of future prosperity.
to the systematic deregulation of banks and an economy hemorrhaging 750,000 jobs per month under the Bush administration was an accurate framing of the situation, but ultimately a doomed narrative. This faulty and ineffective narrative is at least partially to blame for the odd public
”
whole have failed to gain public support. As of Tuesday, Obama has let go of the idea that constructive public policy must be dictated by failures of the past, and has embraced the idea that constructive public policy can be justified in the interest of future prosperity. By basing the address on
America’s long term competitiveness, Obama switched from a defensive narrative to one in which investment in education is important not simply because our education system is broken, but because we need to constantly improve our schools to ensure that each generation is prepared to carry our ideas further than the last. Our infrastructure is worth investing in not simply because past administrations have allowed us to fall behind, but because broadband internet access and high speed rail are crucial to the economic sustainability of communities. We have a strong interest in reducing our dependency on fossil fuels not simply because previous administrations have ignored the threat of global warming, but because it is our best chance at thriving as a world leader in the 21st century. In a not-so-predictable turn of events, Obama and the
Democrats have opened the year by owning the issue of jobs. Each of Obama’s stated goals for the next two years involve job growth. House Republicans, after spending the past two years trying to control the issue of jobs and declaring their November victory as a unanimous public endorsement of their job-growth initiatives, have begun their stint as a majority by focusing on spending, health care reform and abortion. Ironically, Obama and the Democrats are turning their attention toward the issues that will decide our future, while the GOP is determined to fight Obama on territory he has already left behind. —Jason Copsey is an IC columnist and a junior majoring in political science and public relations.
Domino democracies The momentous and unprecedented events in Egypt signify something greater than the unrest that seems to characterize the Middle East, especially lately. A new, truly democratic movement against an oppressive dictator is taking shape before our eyes in a nation that is Butheina one of the Hamdah U n i t e d States’ allies in the Middle East. Regardless of the good or bad that may come of it, we are undoubtedly privileged to witness it. Of course, Tunisia served as the catalyst of these crucial developments in the region as they ousted their president of 23 years, Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, through protests against poor conditions such as unemployment, food inflation and government corruption. Following the example of the Tunisians, the Egyptian people are currently revolting against the oppressive dictatorship of non-democratically elected Hosni Mubarak who has been ruling for over 30 years. The people demanded he step down and an interim government take his place until free elections can be held. The latest developments on this uprising include thousands taking to the streets in Cairo and other major cities, beginning on Tuesday of last week, to protest the unbridled poverty, unemployment, corruption and oppressive rule under Mubarak. In response, the government blocked social networking sites including Twitter and Facebook as well as phone services in an attempt to curb the methods of organizing and rallying the people. They also sent out riot police to arrest, kill and seriously injure hundreds in violent
clashes. The death toll continues to rise and the military has been called in to take over. Much weight falls upon whether the army will take the side of the people or Mubarak. Meanwhile, Mubarak dismissed his cabinet while refusing to step down himself, asserting he will announce a new government change. The situation in Egypt has grown increasingly chaotic as thousands have broken out of prison and gangs of looters have ransacked homes, shops and the Egyptian museum, destroying mummies and treasures. The Egyptian people have taken to providing
“
There is great uncertainty in Egyptian affairs ... as the air of revolution emits throughout the Middle East and provokes tension among the Arab people.
”
their own security to fend these looters off. Most of these looters are reported to be policemen, which further exposes the sheer corruption of the system. Egypt is a key player in the Middle East, being the most populous country in the region as well as an ally of the United States, and the second highest recipient of foreign aid. Whatever government transition they make will impact their relations with other nations in the Middle East as well as the West. Moreover, the demonstrations have been and could continue to inspire protests in other Middle Eastern countries such as Yemen and Jordan, another ally. The uprising also manifests economic implications including a jump
in oil prices. There is great uncertainty in Egyptian affairs, with seemingly no end in sight as the air of revolution emits throughout the Middle East and provokes tension among the Arab people. It is important that we Americans closely follow the developments in Egypt and voice our support for their democratic efforts. This is truly a people’s revolution and we are not to blur it by dismissing these protests as unfounded acts of violence. So the Obama administration and the West on the whole have no right to declare a position regarding Egypt. Historically, our government does not have a consistent record of supporting democratic movements, having backed both dictators of Tunisia and Egypt, Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq war, and the royal regime of the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi during the Iranian Revolution. The Egyptian people, hopefully with the support of their military, have the willpower and resilience to prevail. This does not necessitate the aid of other global powers. For this reason, the abrupt occurrences in Tunisia and Egypt — and hopefully more countries under autocratic rule in the Middle East — demonstrate that nothing can or should stop the people, especially if they are willing to sacrifice for a new era. I paraphrase from Victor Hugo’s quote in saying, “Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come.” If the people’s time has come, let it be. We must support the Egyptians in their endeavors to cast out the source of their hardships and the injustice plaguing their nation. —Butheina Hamdah is an IC columnist and a sophomore majoring in political science.
Televised revolution The Egyptian people are mad as hell and they’re not going to take it anymore. After thirty years of oppression a Tunisian revolution has sparked the flames of democracy throughout the Middle East and it’s not showing any signs of letting up soon. Today is day six of protests and the Egyptian struggle for freedom from tyranny is being broadcast for the world to see. Allies like Saudi Arabia prove their totalitarian stance and threaten the growth of democracy in their region by enhancing the interest, control and position of the Mubarak regime in Egypt, which is strongly opposed by the majority of the Egyptian people. As an American, I would hope that our president and Secretary of State will come out in strong condemnation of Mubarak’s continued attempt to retain power in Egypt against the will of the Egyptian people. It’s been a bit unsettling to see, after listening to the Sunday talk circuit, that many politicians are extraordinarily reluctant to recognize this revolution and revocation of the Mubarak regime as an
obvious reality. As Americans, we are supposed to support democracy — period. There should be no negotiation or hesitation to support protestors on the ground and call for the immediate resignation and exile of Mubarak and his entire regime, in-
“
The Egyptian people have spoken and we cannot ignore their cries for freedom because we are uncertain of the government that may replace the regime.
”
cluding his newly appointed vice president and prime minister. It is not only politically and historically hypocritical but it’s damaging our credibility in a region in need of support from a country that was founded on the same ideals. While I understand the strategic sensitivity of
Egypt, it is extraordinarily important for the Obama administration to be on the right side of history if we are expecting a positive outcome because there is indeed only one positive outcome. The Egyptian people have spoken and we cannot ignore their cries for freedom because we are uncertain of the government that may replace the regime. That is the decision of the Egyptian people, not ours. There is never a reason to deny people freedom for personal comforts or regional stability or certainty; freedom is a human right, not a bargaining tool for political cooperation. Perhaps it is time to reanalyze our moral stance in this nation and ask ourselves why we aren’t being more influential in Mubarak’s immediate resignation. While we are at it, let’s rediscover our core values before we use them as a platform for international expectation. —Nicole Doan is an IC columnist and a senior majoring in individualized studies.
Write Much? We're looking for photographers, copy editors and writers for all sections
Want to know more? E-mail editor@independentcollegian.com for information on how to write for the IC.
A6
The
Independent Collegian
Monday, January 31, 2011
“
I’m just disappointed with some guys ... They are not playing well and not playing hard right now. They need to pick it up. Tod Kowalczyk UT Head Coach
Section B
”
Sports
Page
Monday, January 31, 2011
www.IndependentCollegian.com
1
Zach Davis – Editor
Rockets beat Kent State to claim sole possesion of first By Nate Pentecost IC Staff Writer
Jason Mack / IC
Sophomore forward Lecretia Smith fights for a loose ball in a 66-53 victory over Kent State on Saturday at Savage Arena. Smith was 3 of 5 from the field and finished with seven points and two steals as the Rockets claimed first place in the MAC.
Humes had 13 points, with nine rebounds and seven The Rockets avoided a re- steals, while sophomore cenpeat of last year’s letdown ter Leslie Schaefer scored 10 against Kent State following points. KSU fought itself their upset over BG back into the game in with a 66-53 victory the second half, shootover KSU on Saturday ing nearly 57 percent in Savage Arena. (13 of 23) from the Toledo topped BG field and going on a 66-65 last Wednesday 9-2 run that cut the and now owns sole lead to 48-35 with possesion of first 12:03 remaining. place in the Mid“We knew after the A m e r i c a n first half that they Conference. Goodall weren’t just going to “I made the seniors lay down, that at some stand up in the locker room before the game started point they were going to try to and talk about how bad the make a run,” Goodall said. The Golden Flashes made a bus ride home from Kent State felt last year,” UT head last push for the win with less coach Tricia Cullop said. than four minutes to play, cut“That was very difficult be- ting the lead to nine at 57-48, but Toledo made all cause we want peosix of their free ple to understand throws down the that we’re not a one stretch to help ingame team. If we sure the victory. The want to accomplish our goals we have to Toledo 66 win is the eighth show up every Kent State 53 straight for the Rockets at Savage night.” Arena. The Golden Flash“Coming into our house is es (15-5, 6-2 MAC) jumped out to a quick start, making four just a hard thing to do,” UT of their first eight shots to senior guard Jessica Williams take a 9-4 lead just over four said. “We put pride in that. We minutes in, before Toledo (15- work really hard.” In the second half, sopho6, 7-1) went on a 27-10 tear to end the half at 39-19. The more forward Yolanda Richardson left the game Rockets allowed only after being hit the seven points the final face. Richardson end13:38 of the period. ed the game with six Junior guard Naapoints and two ma Shafir scored 16 blocks. points, while senior “She took a good forward Melissa elbow to the nose/ Goodall added 11 forehead region,” points and a teamCullop said. “Unfortuhigh seven rebounds nately, that’s the casuto lead a Rocket effort that included sevShafir alty of playing the post. I’m hoping she en players scoring at is okay.” least five points each. Toledo will travel to Akron The Golden Flashes were led by senior Taisja Jones (9-11, 2-6) to face the Zips on who tied for a game-high 16 Wednesday at 7 p.m. in James points. Senior guard Jamilah A. Rhodes Arena.
Toledo’s road struggles continue at Kent State By Zach Davis Sports Editor
File photo by Jason Mack / IC
First-year head coach Tod Kowalczyk and the Rockets have now lost an NCAA-worst 42 straight road games.
Toledo extended the nation’s longest road losing streak to 42 games yesterday with a 72-55 loss to Kent State. The Rockets have lost all 10 of their road games this season by an average of 19.6 points per contest. “The first 10 minutes was obviously the story of the game,” said UT head coach Tod Kowalczyk, whose team fell behind 10-2 early. “Offensively we executed and got the ball where we wanted to but we had a lot of shots blocked and that took us away from our aggressiveness and rhythm. For us when we are not getting fouled and scoring around the bucket we are not very good offensively.” The biggest discrepancy was at the foul line where Toledo only had eight attempts (4 of 8) on the game, their lowest total on the season. The Golden Flashes reached the line 34 times (21 of 34), the most against UT this year. “We fouled them in transition,” Kowalczyk said. “I thought they came down and we got caught out of position a couple times and they drove and got to the rim and we fouled them. We were in foul trouble all night and they weren’t. When Malcolm [Griffin] is in foul trouble we really struggle to score.” — Struggles, Page B2
Jason Mack / IC
Raising Money for Chairty Following UT’s victory over Kent State on Saturday, Toledo auctioned off memorabilia for the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Toledo head coach Tricia Cullop tweeted she expects the donations to exceed last year’s totals of $10,000. Junior guard Naama Shafir’s (Above) jersey sold for $3,400 while senior forward Melissa Goodall’s jersey sold for $2,200.
B2
The
Independent Collegian
Monday, January 31, 2011
Side Lines Rockets win both home contests, 7-0 After taking the first two home contests of the 2011 season this weekend against Case Western and Kenyon, the Rockets have pushed their record to 3-1. Toledo took both victories by the score of 7-0. “First I want to congratulate the seniors for leading the way by putting together a perfect record on their home opening weekend,” said UT head Coach Al Wermer. “Case was a nice start-up match. It allowed us to rest a couple players and we played well. Kenyon really brought it. It was a nice challenge all the way down the line, and doubles especially was extremely competitive. We felt good and we’re just trying to get better, that’s why we scheduled a lot of matches, to work on our game, and today was a good step.” Highlights of the weekend included UT freshman Mircea Dimofte earning his first collegiate doubles win after teaming with sophomore Bryant Dudzik to defeat Case Western’s tandem of Eric Klawitter and Trent Searfross. Senior Aleksandar Elezovic swept his matches over the weekend to remain undefeated on the season.
W. Tennis loses on the road at UIC, 5-2
File photo Jason Mack/ IC
Freshman forward Reese Holliday played all 40 minutes and scored a team-high 12 points in the 72-55 loss at Kent State.
Struggles From Page B1
had 10 points and a team-best playing well. He is shooting nine rebounds while senior 13 percent in league play so forward Anthony Wright had it’s hard to play him. Hayden Humes has not been playing Griffin had his 20 point eight. Kent State forward Justin well so it’s hard to play him. scoring streak snapped after fouling out with just eight Green had a game-high 20 We have some guys that are struggling. They are not playpoints (3 of 5) and four as- points and 10 rebounds. Toledo utilized a different ing well and not playing hard sists in 20 minutes. The sophomore guard had never rotation than typically seen right now. They need to pick scored 20 in his career before against the Flashes. Fresh- it up.” man walk-on Zack LeaYesterday’s loss doing it in the last hy started just his sec- against Kent State four games, averond game in will have aging nearly 26 the last 14 been the points in that span. contests in second of “I thought Malplace of jut h r e e colm played well nior Jay Shunstraight besides the foul nar, who had Kent State 72 games Toletrouble,” Kowalcstarted the has zyk said. “He 55 do Toledo last 11 games. p l a y e d played within himFreshman against a self. He didn’t Humes forward Hayden Humes MAC East Division force any shots or had a season-low 10 co-leader. The Rockany issues and did a good job distributing the minutes and was held score- ets lost 70-64 last Tuesday ball. He didn’t get enough less and without a rebound. against Bowling Green and shots but it certainly wasn’t Senior Justin Anyijong re- are scheduled to play at Bufceived the bulk of his min- falo on Wednesday. Of all the for a lack of effort.” Freshman forward Reese utes, registering nine points teams they’ve played, KowalcHolliday had a team-high 12 and five rebounds in 21 min- zyk sees the Flashes as the most talented MAC squad, inpoints with six rebounds utes off the bench. “I’m just disappointed with cluding BG and West Division playing all 40 minutes for the second time in three games. some guys,” Kowalczyk said. leaders Ball State and WestFreshman center Delino Dear “Right now Jay has not been ern Michigan.
“I’d say Kent State is the best team I’ve seen,” Kowalczyk said. “They are just deeper and more athletic than Ball State. Guards win in this league and they have a three guard lineup that is very, very good.” The Flashes 10-2 run put Toledo in an early hole that they were unable to climb out of. The Rockets trailed by double-digits throughout most of the half as KSU led 39-24 at the break. The second half wasn’t much better for UT. Kent State scored the first six points to stretch the lead to 21 and held a Shunnar 25 point lead with 13 minutes remaining. Toledo chipped away late cutting the lead to 13 on three occasions but could not get any closer as the Flashes cruised to a 72-55 victory. The Rockets will look to avoid a 43-game road losing streak at Buffalo (13-6, 5-2) on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
File photo by Zach Davis / IC
Senior Bowl Former Toledo center Kevin Kowalski (Top row, right) took part in the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. this weekend.
The University of Toledo women’s tennis team traveled to the defending Horizon League Champion University of Illinois-Chicago Saturday and was defeated by a score of 5-2. “We had chances to win this match but didn’t capitalize,” said Head Coach Tracy Mauntler. “I am proud of the effort and I truly feel we took a few steps forward today. We
this
just need to work on our consistency.” The Rockets were swept by UIC in doubles action but did manage victories in singles action after senior Ashley Frey defeated Teona Tsertsvadze, 6-1, 7-6 (4). Freshman Amanda Border was also victorious 7-6 (5), 6-5 (default), as she defeated Ilinca Cristescu after Cristescu left the match early. The Rockets will return to the court Friday, Feb. 4th when they travel to Pittsburgh, Pa. to take on Duquesne.
Toledo beats BG, falls at Miami (OH) The University of Toledo swimming and diving team had to settle for a split of two weekend contests. On Friday, the Rockets defeated Bowling Green 180-95 on Senior Night then traveled to Oxford on Saturday to battle Miami (OH) in a losing effort, 163.5-136.5. “Today was a competitive meet with a lot of exciting races,” said head coach Liz Hinkleman after Saturday’s loss to Miami. “We didn’t perform in a few events that were key, and it changed the outcome of the meet.” The Rockets did win 8-of-16 events Saturday against the RedHawks. Sophomore Carly Harter took all three of her individual events against Miami as she posted times of 52.01 in the 100 Free, 1:50.61 in the 200 Free and 2:04.78 in the 200 IM. Junior Laura Lindsay took multiple victories on Saturday after she took first place finishes in both the 100 Breaststroke in 1:02.50 and the 200 Breaststroke in 2:15.68. “In three weeks we will have the chance to race them [Miami] again,” said Harter. “And we are definitely looking forward to it.” The Rockets return to the pool on Feb. 4 when they travel to Akron to take on the Zips.
space
available
for
419-534-2438
is
rent.
Graphic by Nick Kneer/IC
Porn From Page B4 “Number two is curiosity.” Ball also believes that various forms of pornography can be considered an art form. “It’s kind of like a movie,” he said. “And film is a form of art.” Questions of pornography’s artistic value were famously debated in the 1964 Supreme Court case Jacobellis v. Ohio in which Justice Potter Stewart famously said, when asked how to distinguish smut from art, “I know it when I see it.” For Barnes, the distinction is easy to make. “Pornography doesn’t have a plot,” she said. “It can be art in a different situation, but it is “not healthy for anyone to use as a sense of their sexuality.” Objectifying women is not specific to porn: the portrayal of women is similar to the portrayal of women in the
B3
The
Independent Collegian
Monday, January 31, 2011
media and fashion industries, only more explicitly. “Women, of course, develop impossible standards of beauty and perfection. Men are affected by that too,” said Barnes. She added that pornography creates “a certain standard” for sex in the eyes of some viewers. Confusion over standards such as this are carried from personal life into the academic field as well. Bilgi University in Istanbul, one of Turkey’s most prestigious institutions, was recently in an uproar over a similar issue: the questionability of pornography as art form. According to BBC News, the film department at the university has been closed due to disagreements between what would be considered traditional Turkish values and some of the experimental arts and lifestyles practiced in Istanbul. This outraged reaction
stemmed from film student Deniz Ozgun’s dissertation project: a pornographic film starring a student. His intent was to “reveal how synthetic the sexual scenes in it were.” After an interview with Ozgun appeared in a Turkish magazine, parents immediately began to question the credibility of projects undertaken at the university. The backlash was so severe that Ozgun and the former student who starred in the film have gone into hiding. While Bilgi is wellknown for being one of the most liberal institutions in Turkey, there is still a striking difference between the people’s view of pornography there as opposed to the U.S. In Istanbul, adult content may only be in the experimental stage, but in the U.S., the internetbased porn industry is thriving with 40 million Americans as regular visitors of x-rated sites. People may not want to admit that they view it, or speak on the specifics of their fetishes, but the numbers don’t lie. Twelve percent of all websites on the internet are pornographic. This means approximately 24,644,172 sites entirely dedicated to bare flesh and erotica. The online action is so popular in fact, that every second about 28,258 internet users are viewing pornography. An anonymous junior majoring in art education found this risqué online accessibility to be a concern. “Because [porn] is much more readily available to the general public, it’s more acceptable in a way,” she said. “People might think that just because you can Google it and get it on the computer, it’s okay.” In addition, she added that porn can be degrading to women and tends to create a view of sex that doesn’t fit with reality. “Men get an unrealistic view of what to expect,” she said. Although much of the stigma surrounding porn is negative, it certainly still has its advocates, as well as
indifferences. Austin Barth, a junior majoring in computer science engineering tech, said, “I don’t find anything wrong with it.” Even if the benefits of porn might seem few and far between, “couples could use it to spice things up,” he said. Victoria Delly, a junior majoring in political science, also feels that pornography is acceptable. “I’d rather someone watch it instead of cheating,” she said. However, the expense of watching porn may outweigh the benefits. Addiction and broken relationships are only two documented problems associated with pornography, as well as the ever-present question of degradation. Discussing topics such as porn, if nothing else, opens up the table to new evidence and ideas about its negative consequences or positive influences. Most importantly, an open mind about these two arguments is necessary to fully understand pornography’s total impact on a community.
Ottawas From Page B4 she is a really good person and that he likes her for her,” he said. Marky, on the other hand, is described as completely different from Joey. “He seems to think that he’s the leader of the Ottawas,” Howell said. “Marky is this really big super-tool, and he likes to think that girls are in love with him, but they’re really not, and he’s a bit of a show-off.” While the Mercutio role is easy to see in Howell’s performance of Marky, the role equivalent to Shakespeare’s Benvolio is female, but still highlights the differences between Joey, a romantic, and the grounded Benita. “She knows her way’s the right way, so she fights for her way all the time,” said Katie Nelson, who fills Ben’s role. “She’s kind of like the mom in a way, but more so the voice of reason.” Howell agrees that Ben’s role is very different from that of any other character in the show. “Ben is kind of like Marky’s
Rite From Page B4 Lambs” makes “Rite” an easy fit. Other members of the cast will be more familiar to the American moviegoer as well, including such names as Toby Jones (“Frost/Nixon”) and Rutger Hauer (“Batman Begins,” “Blade Runner”) among others. The director is the Swedish-born Jan Mikael Håfström, who previously directed the 2007 film “1408” and the 2005 film “Derailed.” In Rite, Kovak is a man struggling with his wavering faith, and Father Lucas is destined to show the young student the true realities of faith in an unorthodox and mindblowing manner. This “faith check” of Father Lucas’ description includes inviting his apprentice, Kovak, to experience exorcisms first-hand. Hearing the screams of the men and women through the walls as the Devil is purged from their bodies, Kovak is intrigued by the prospect of
mother,” he said. “She likes to boss him around, she doesn’t like him doing all the things that he does – like getting into fights – and Marky usually chooses to ignore her constant battering.” The fourth character, Ashleigh, does not have a direct equivalent in the Shakespeare play, but presents another element of the friendship bond among the Ottawa House characters. “He’s very – I wouldn’t say clumsy, but he gets hurt a lot,” said Dale Balister, who plays Ashleigh in the show. “He takes it like a trooper, though. He should have a concussion by now, but he doesn’t.” In the scene the cast filmed on Saturday, Joey comes back to his suite at Ottawa to tell his friends Marky and Ben about his date with Sonia, but accidentally hits Ashleigh, causing chaos as Ben starts to panic over her boyfriend’s physical state. Though the scene is about Joey, Ashleigh’s performance and the resulting confusion is a show-stealer. “It might not exactly be his fault because his girlfriend,
performing exorcisms. Throughout the entire exorcism experience, Kovak is challenged to explain not only the unexplainable, but also come to terms with his own faith. The film’s few negative aspects don’t completely distort the viewing experience. Håfström could have chosen a better lead character than the previously-unknown O’Donoghue. He also should have included more scenes explaining the unorthodox plot. The horror element was distorted a bit as well – little is done to suspend the disbelief in the incredible; namely, the exorcisms. O’Donoghue’s performance wasn’t the pinnacle of the film, and luckily Hopkins was able to save it. And though the exorcisms weren’t explained, the individual scenes were scary and entertaining enough to capture attention. For those fans of religious themed horror, the Rite is an excellent choice to see in theatres. Ben, is always slamming his head into things,” Howell said. “He just always seems to be in the wrong spot at the wrong time.” This was the first Ottawa filming of the semester. “Filming’s gone pretty good,” Nelson said. “I mean, I’ve been a little stressed, but I think that’s just going to happen.” She added that she thought the other members of the cast were very friendly and easy to work with. “There’s no cliques,” Balister said. “Everybody gets along. Everyone sings karaoke at practice.” By the time the group wrapped for the day, the four actors had spent over 9 hours together. Despite the long hours, though, Howell said that it wasn’t so bad after all. “Filming is definitely worth it, though,” he said. “I definitely love the people – I love every single cast member, they’re all so cool – so that makes filming a lot better. I couldn’t imagine spending 10 hours with people that I didn’t absolutely love.”
Write Much? Call 419-534-2438 for information on how to write for the IC.
Photographer? Have a photo featured in the Toledo Photo Corner. Send it to dcguastella@independentcollegian.com
“It’s very difficult to fail at pornography” — Michael Chabon
Section
B
www.IndependentCollegian.com
Arts and Life Monday, January 31, 2011
Page
4
DC Guastella– Editor
UT Students and the questionable art form By Weslie Detwiler IC Staff Writer
The subject of pornography may not be dinner conversation, but some students at UT were willing to share their views on the subject. The amount of ease with which people speak of pornography is often as varied as their opinions on the subject. To some, porn is seen as a casual matter of conversation amongst friends. To others, it is just as easily seen as a taboo topic, not to be discussed openly –likely attributed to the clandestine nature with which most view pornography. Many college students, whether or not they watch porn, aren’t largely concerned with its effects on the overall population. In fact, while the majority of students questioned weren’t necessarily opposed to porn, yet they weren’t exactly advocates. Those not against the existence of porn had varied views on whether or not it nets society any benefits. Chris Dykyj, a sophomore majoring in athletic training, isn’t opposed to pornography, but also said that there “really aren’t any benefits” to viewing porn outside of entertainment. “It’s bad, but not the end of the world,” he said. Dykyj also said that porn could be destructive in a relationship and called it “really degrading to both men and women.” Sharon Barnes, professor of women’s studies, agrees that pornography is often demeaning to all of the parties involved. One of her main concerns revolves around the concept that consuming pornography enforces male dominance. “Men get a pleasure response from the depiction of women in objectifying and dehumanizing positions,” Barnes said. Although there is not any extensive research done linking violence to x-rated content, Barnes believes it “creates a cultural atmosphere where sexual assault is more tolerated.” Perhaps worse still, most pornography normalizes violence by portraying women as enjoying the experience, said Barnes. However, hardcore and graphic pornography, particularly websites devoted to the aggressive genres such as bondage and S&M aren’t solely degrading to women. Many sites are devoted to the smaller percentage of women viewers. Even still, there are others that purport to use pornography to portray women’s sexuality in positive perspective. Among these are a number of female pornography directors, who identify themselves as creators of “feminist pornography.” Directors include Swedish-born Erika Lust and Ohio native Madison Young. The industry, however, typically targets males. Two out of every three viewers of porn are men, and the content is mainly focused on pleasing this demographic. While Barnes worries that masturbating to internet porn may lead men to mistreat the women in their lives, she also believes that men directly suffer from chronic consumption. “It’s abusive to the men who [watch] it,” said Barnes. “It’s belittling and berating men who can’t stop using it.” Despite the many negative connotations linked to porn, plenty of students find little wrong with the erotica experience. Christian Ball, a freshman majoring in pharmacy, said that he is “not against porn at all.” When it comes to the major intrigue of porn, “number one is arousal,” said Ball. — Porn, Page B3 Graphic by DC Guastella & Kevin Sohnly / IC
The ‘Rite’ Film By David Harris For the IC
“The Rite,” which was released in theatres this past Friday, is a fictional movie set at the Vatican in Rome based on Matt Baglio’s book “The Rite: The Making of a Modern Exorcist.” Baglio was heavily involved with the production and filming of the movie. Despite being a
fictional film, many of the exorcisms and other events portrayed in the movie allege to be accurate depictions of actual exorcisms which took place in the Vatican. Viewers will find “The Rite” interesting and shocking at the same time. The movie co-stars Irish-born actor Colin O’Donoghue as one of the lead characters and seminary student Michael Kovak.
O’Donoghue is perhaps best known for his guest starring role in a 2009 episode of HBO’s “The Tudors.” A more familiar face appears in the movie as well: legendary Oscar-winner Anthony Hopkins co-starring as Father Lucas. Hopkins’ memorable performance in “The Silence of the — Rite, Page B3
Egon Endrenyi/Courtesy New Line Cinema/MCT
“Rite” star Anthony Hopkins performing an exorcism.
At home with the Ottawas
Filming continues for “West Bancroft Side Story’
By Feliza Casano Copy Chief
Five scenes, four actors, three hours, two genders, one building. All this was a reality Saturday night for actors in “West Bancroft Side Story.” The scenes filmed are among the first in the show to display the four main characters of the show’s Ottawa gang together. “West Bancroft Side Story” is a parody of William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” depicting a love story between
two young lovers – Joey and Sonia – from rival dorms: Ottawa House and the Quad, respectively. Joey, the Romeo-like male lead, lives at Ottawa House with three of his friends: Marky, Ashleigh and Ben. The dynamic of the four Ottawa House characters is supposed to mimic the chemistry of the House of Montague characters in Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” but the actors’ performances highlight more modern dynamics of friendship.
“Marky and Joey are best friends,” said Gage Howell of his and Nick Kneer’s characters, similar to Mercutio and Romeo of Shakespeare’s play. “We’re roommates, so we always like to kick it, just Marky and Joey.” Howell described Joey as “the normal guy of the Ottawas.” “He has a good head on his shoulders because he’s not always fighting with the Quads, and he knows that even though Sonia is a Quad that — Ottawas, Page B3
Nick Kneer / IC
Joey (Nick Kneer, top center) celebrates his date after knocking out Ashleigh (Dale Balister, lower center) as Marky (Gage Howell, left) and Ben (Katie Nelson, right) panic.