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Section B
DAILY KENT STATER
Thursday, March 18, 2010 • The independent student newspaper of Kent State University • Weather: Mostly sunny HI 62, LO 41
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THE CENTENNIAL SERIES
Kent moves ahead after May 4, 1970 100 YEARS
LOOKING BACK
School rebuilds after national-scale event
Regina Garcia Cano Daily Kent Stater
Kristine Gill
Daily Kent Stater Bill Armstrong had a talented staff working for him as Daily Kent Stater editor in May of 1970. “We had three future Pulitzer Prize winners working for us on that staff,” he said. One of those students, John Filo, would capture the photo of a runaway girl screaming over the body of a fallen student. It was a photo that defined the event and the decade. The Stater only printed issues Tuesday through Friday then. It was on Thursday, April 30, that U.S. President Richard Nixon announced the invasion of Cambodia. Students protested Friday, wreaking havoc that night in downtown Kent and prompting the governor to announce a state of emergency. The National Guard was called in, the ROTC building had burned to the ground and guardsmen used bayonets and tear gas on students Sunday. Armstrong and his staff considered producing a special edition of the paper that Monday warning students not to attend a previously scheduled rally at noon on May 4, but decided against it. “I often wonder with some guilt, if we could have prevented something,” Armstrong said. “The little pang is there.” They could have. Or it might have done nothing. “We’ll never know the answer to that,” Armstrong said. His staff never reported on the events. When the campus was shut down hours after the shootings, students were sent home. The bulk of Armstrong’s staff left and he didn’t have enough press passes from the National Guardsmen for his writers to stay and produce a paper. In the meantime, students would have learned of the events through word of mouth or incomplete news reports. Larry Pasquale was a freshman marketing major in 1970. He had been studying in his dorm when the shootings took place, but was too far away to hear gun shots. He first learned what happened from his roommate. “Monday, I was in my dorm around midday, and one of my roommates came in and had some blood on him,” Pasquale said. “He
Press coverage of the first anniversary of the May 4th shootings. had held one of the people who was shot. He helped one of the wounded people. He was pretty hysterical. I didn’t know people were actually killed.” Dale Barber, a graduate student pursuing his master’s in education and administration, heard word
of the shootings on the radio on his way back from job interviews in Michigan. He’d been reading Detroit newspapers as the events of the weekend unfolded, but was not prepared to find the campus had been shut down. See CENTENNIAL, Page A3
Photos courtesy of Kent State Archives
On June 14, 1970, 1,200 students graduated from Kent State during a spring ceremony. At least four students were not among those gathered to congratulate friends. Allison Krause, Jeffrey Miller, William Schroeder and Sandra Scheuer were victims of an infamous event for Kent State.
Nicole Stempak
Daily Kent Stater Students who want to stand up and be counted can make it official on the 2010 census. Population data from the census will be used to determine funding for public services including roads, police forces and hospitals. More than 120 million census forms are arriving in mailboxes
The Kent Police Department continues to investigate an alleged assault at the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity house involving three Kent State students. Freshman exploratory major Jordan T. Hall, 19, of Shaker Heights was arrested and charged with two counts of felonious assault, both second-degree felonies, for allegedly assaulting two other Kent State students early Friday morning. Hall “did knowingly cause or attempt to cause physical harm” to Max E. Druiz and Ryan A. Pilz “by means of a deadly weapon or dangerous ordnance,” according to court records. Druiz is a freshman biotechnology major, and Pilz is a junior theater studies major, according to the university student directory. The incident occurred at 1:56 a.m. at 216 E. Main St. Druiz’s Facebook status at 4:14 p.m. Friday stated “(Expletive) shanked (sic) me in the lung.”
Monday at 5:15 p.m. Druiz wrote he was at Akron City Hospital. He was not listed as a patient as of yesterday at 8 p.m. Kent Fire Department confirmed Pilz was not transported to a hospital. Scott Wilson, president of Phi Sigma Kappa, was not available for comment despite attempts to reach him. Teniell Trolian, assistant director for Greek affairs, was not available to comment by printing time. Hall posted a bond of $25,000. By court order Hall was forbidden from contacting the alleged victims. He will have a preliminary hearing in Judge Kevin Poland’s courtroom at the Kent branch of the Portage County Municipal Court on March 19.
Contact public affairs reporter Regina Garcia Cano at rgarcia1@kent.edu. React to this story and more at KentWired.com
Each year on May 4, students gather for a silent vigil to honor those killed and wounded. They light small candles in paper cups near the Liberty Bell then walk single file in a loop around campus. The only sound is that of shoes against gravel or pavement under foot. The only reason to stop walking is to relight a friend’s candle.
A student stands in silhouette next to the posts marking the location where Jeffrey Miller was shot.
The group gathers in the Prentice parking lot at the end of the walk. Prayers are said and participants look over those parking spaces that have been blocked off for the four students who were killed. Short pillars lit from inside outline each space in the memorial, blocking them from cars. They emit a soft glow in the darkened lot that is enough, when combined with the candles, to illuminate the somber faces of those gathered to remember four students.
Census wants college students to be counted Data used for funding, cities fear miscounting
Three students allegedly involved in Friday’s assault
across the nation this week. This 10-question form, required by the Constitution, attempts to count everyone living in America. Census population data helps determine the states’ seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. It also helps allocate more than $400 billion a year in federal aid to states, including how much money is awarded to Kent State, which is then disbursed to students through student aid. Population affects federal funding for every type of public service from hospitals to senior centers to roads, said Aundrey Somerville, 2010 census partnership specialist for Portage, Summit and Wayne counties.
Somerville said it’s important that everyone be counted, including college students. Students need to fill out the census in order for the city and university to receive the most funding possible. “That is so the areas where you reside receive the public dollars allocated to that area,” she said. Somerville said residents and nonresidents will be counted where their household is on April 1 — Census Day. “Even if you’re not a citizen of the United States, you still stop at a stop sign,” Somerville said of international students. “You still use the roads to roll down the streets on a
bike or car. “You still take advantage of all the services that are affected by population.” Somerville said college students are classically undercounted, in part because of the transient nature of student population. College students move more frequently than in-state residents who have mortgage payments, she said. Filling out a census form is a way to leave a legacy at Kent State because the government uses census data to determine how much to award universities. See CENSUS, Page A3
MATTHEW GRCIC | DAILY KENT STATER
Senior forward Anthony Simpson dunks a basket for two of his 13 points in the game. Simpson and the Golden Flashes beat the Golden Hurricane 75-74.
KSU triumphs in Battle of Goldens First postseason win for Flashes since 2002 Cody Erbacher
Daily Kent Stater Kent State and Tulsa traded leads for the final 11 minutes and 42 seconds until a missed last-second shot gave the Flashes a 75-74 victory in the first round of the National Invitational Tournament yesterday at the M.A.C. Center. The victory broke an eightseason slump without a postseason win, and in a season where last-second shots have helped and hurt Kent State, yesterday’s miss by Tulsa senior guard Ben Uzoh couldn’t have come at a better time.
“It felt great,” senior guard Tyree Evans said about the win. “We’re a family. We had to put our foot down tonight so we could stay together a little bit longer.” The Flashes took a one-point lead with 20.8 seconds left in the game following a layup by junior guard Rodriquez Sherman. The Golden Hurricane took their final timeout with 14.3 remaining. Out of the team huddle, the game was left in the hands of Uzoh. Uzoh met the strong presence of Kent State’s defense. The Flashes smothered him as he tried to find an opening. Uzoh was forced to heave up a last-second shot from the baseline that hit off the rim, sending Kent State to the next round of the NIT. This was the Flashes’ first postseason win since the 2002 Elite Eight run. See BASKETBALL, Page A3
Page A2 | Thursday, March 18, 2010
Daily Kent Stater
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
DAILY KENT STATER 240 Franklin Hall Kent State University Kent, Ohio 44242 NewSroom 330.672.2584 Editor Doug Gulasy dgulasy@kent.edu Managing editor Christina Stavale cstavale@kent.edu
TODAY’S EVENTS
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Have an event you want to see here? Send it to ahollow1@kent.edu by Thursday the week before.
Recognizing Disruptive Behaviors When: 10 a.m. Where: Student Center Room 310C
n
n Ceramics sale
When: 10 a.m. Where: Student Center
n Rockin’ Around the Rotunda
When: 5:30 p.m. Where: Rosie’s and Tri-Towers Rotunda
n Rock the Runway
When: 8 p.m. Where: Student Center ballroom
News
n Battle of the Bands
News team leader
Regina Garcia Cano
When: 9 p.m. Where: Rathskeller
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n Comedy night
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When: 9 p.m. Where: Rathskeller
Campus editors
More than 300 films in this year’s International Film Festival Brittany Schmigel
Daily Kent Stater Cleveland has the Cavs, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Flats, the Cuyahoga River fire and several others. It also has something people may not know about — the Cleveland International Film Festival. This year, the 34th Cleveland International Film Festival runs today through March 28 at the Tower City Cinemas with more than 300 films to see. “This year we have over 150 feature films and over 100 short films” said Bill Guentzler, artistic director for the Cleveland International Film Festival. Guentzler added that the films are from 84 countries, most of which he hand picked himself.
“My job is that I get to travel to other film festivals,” Guentzler said. He travels as far as Canada, the Czech Republic, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, London and Amsterdam. “I find most of the international films, that’s what I’m looking for when I go to other festivals,” Guenztler said. Out of all the festivals he’s been to, Guentzler said that he likes the Vancouver International Film Festival best. “You’re in Vancouver, which is a beautiful city, and the best thing about it is I’m able to see about seven films a day,” Guentzler said. “That helps me do my job because I can see a lot of films and try and get them for Cleveland.” The Cleveland International Film Festival also has an entry process where filmmakers can send in their films for a
committee to view. The committee then rates the films and Guentzler watches the highest-rated ones to decide which will be shown in the festival. One of the films Guentzler recommends seeing is “Marwencol,” a documentary about a man whose head injury causes him to create a small village of dolls in his backyard. “He creates his own little world and he takes pictures of it and he’s discovered by an art gallery in New York,” Guentzler said. “So it’s a documentary that argues is it art or is it insanity? Where’s the line? It’s pretty amazing.” Guentzler said that while other film festivals are industry based and have buyers, producers and directors, the Cleveland International Film Festival is audience based.
“The best thing is that we’re in one place, at Tower City Cinemas, and so when you have a thousand people coming into the movies and a thousand people coming out of the movie, it’s great energy.” The 34th Cleveland International Film Festival runs today through March 28 at Tower City Cinemas. Student tickets purchased the day of the show are $10. Summaries and schedules for each film can be found at the Cleveland International Film Festival Web site, www.clevelandfilm.org. Contact off-campus entertainment reporter Brittany Schmigel at bschmige@kent.edu. React to this story and more at
KentWired.com
Art show exposes student work to future employers Kyle Nelson
Daily Kent Stater The student annual art exhibition at Kent State’s School of Art Building gives art students a chance to display their work in a gallery setting, an opportunity many schools do not give its students. The event is a prejudged art show, meaning that one person judges the submitted entries and decides on whether or not they are shown in the gallery. Anderson Turner, director of galleries at Kent State’s School of Art, said that there were more than 100 individual entries for the show, with only around 50 chosen. This year ’s juror was Liz Maugans, managing director of Zygote Press in Cleveland. “It depends on the juror,” Turner said. “Liz is a printmaker, so she’s probably harder on the printmakers than anyone else. Every year it’s differ-
ent. It may be that the juror didn’t like the work or didn’t think it was good enough to be included.” Maugan’s juror statement stated, “experimentation, tinkering and prodding an idea physically were activities that were necessary ingredients that influenced my inclusions.” The show gives students an opportunity to show off their work to potential employers. “I do see galleries and people scouting for talent,” Turner said. “We don’t have a formal situation like other departments, but there are people coming in looking for fresh ideas. It’s a great resume line for students.” Along with the notoriety of having their work shown, students also have an opportunity to win prizes, including gift certificates from All Media Art Supply Company. “We give out a best in show award for both graduate and undergraduate stu-
dents,” Turner said. “We also give out a couple extra ones, including a Director’s Award, which is funded by the director, a Lucas Award from a professor named Craig Lucas and an at-large award which is funded by All Media.” Kris Willis, senior fine arts major and Director ’s Award winner, submitted his works with hesitation, but it proved to be beneficial. “I didn’t really expect to get anything in,” Willis said. “Professors always push for students to get things in the show. I put stuff in just to see what happened. This was the first show that I’ve put work in so it’s kind of exciting to get both of them accepted.” Alex Gabor, junior art education major, has not been in the exhibit yet but can see the benefits. “I think it draws attention to you,” Gabor said. “It can’t hurt, but I’m not going to say it will help you get a job any easier than someone who is just better. You
still have to be better than all the rest.” And it is in this program where students are encouraged to be the best. “One of the greatest things about studio art, especially at Kent State, is that you’re taught to think conceptually,” Turner said. “One of the most challenging, intimidating things about being an artist is that you bare your soul when making the work and then sit and criticize it with 15 to 20 of your closest friends. I’m very proud of kids who participate, whether they get in our not.” The art show runs through March 24 and is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday at the School of Art Gallery in the Art Building. Contact College of the Arts reporter Kyle Nelson at knelson2@kent.edu React to this story and more at
KentWired.com
Anthony Holloway ahollow1@kent.edu Kristyn Soltis
Erin Perkins eperkin2@kent.edu SPORTS
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CORRECTIONS
The Daily Kent Stater recognizes the responsibility to correct errors that occur in the newspaper. When errors occur in the newspaper, corrections will appear in this space as promptly as possible.
Daily Kent Stater From Page A1
CENSUS Census wants college students to be counted “Census population data affects how university tuition, grant and loan programs are allocated,” she said. “Freddie Mac, Sallie Mae and Pell Grants are funded by or underwritten by the federal government.” A profile based on a sample of the 2000 Census found the city of Kent had 4,569 residents from age 15 to 19 years old and 7,351 residents from age 20 to 24 years old. That’s about 43 percent of the entire city’s nearly 28,000 total population. According to Research, Planning and Institutional Effectiveness, 21,921 undergraduate and graduate students were enrolled at the Kent State main campus fall 2000. Fall 2009 undergraduate and graduate enrollment at the Kent State main campus was 25,127. Residence Services is working with Census Bureau representatives to make sure the roughly 6,000 on-campus students are counted, said Daniel Shonk, coordinator of assignments and mar-
From Page A1
BASKETBALL KSU triumphs in Battle of Goldens “We trapped him … he took a tough shot on the baseline,” Kent State coach Geno Ford said. “It was a highly contested shot.” Exiting the first half down seven points, the Flashes were forced to step up, and they did just that. After extending Tulsa’s lead to eight points with the help of a dunk from junior guard Justin Hurtt, Kent State senior guard Chris Singletary scored four points straight, cutting the lead to 38-34 with 17:18 remaining. Singletary led Kent State scoring with 16 points and seven rebounds. Senior forward Frank Henry-Ala followed Singletary’s points with a steal and in the Flashes’ ensuing possession, sophomore forward Justin Greene brought the game within two points with a bucket. Tulsa put a glitch in the Flashes’ surge by going on a 7-3 run, taking the score to 45-39, but the Kent State offense cut into that lead once again
Thursday, March 18, 2010 | Page A3 keting for Residence Services. Shonk wrote in an e-mail that staff will use building rosters to track who has returned the forms. Census field workers will not be going door to door in the residence halls to gather information. Shonk said he and the Census Bureau representatives were still deciding the deadline for completing the forms. The last question on the 2010 census asks if the person sometimes lives or stays somewhere else. One of the options is in college housing, which is what parents will choose for their children away at school. Census data is protected by law for 72 years. Answers are confidential and only used for statistical purposes. Unlawful data disclosure is punishable by law with a maximum $250,000 fine and five years in prison. “We don’t share our information with the INS, the IRS or any other outside organization,” Somerville said. Gary Locke, community development director for the city of Kent, said the city often uses census data in grant or aid funding applications, but the city can’t even get
and trailed 47-46 with 13:34 left. About a minute later, the Golden Hurricane took another six-point lead, but back-to-back 3-pointers by Sherman and freshman guard Randal Holt tied the game 52-52. With less than nine minutes left, Evans showed some life, which had been missing in some of the past games. He scored eight straight points to give Kent State a 62-58 lead with 8:06 remaining in the game. Evans finished with 10 points. “Tyree was great,” Ford said. “He got us going. We were in trouble when he got hot. The first three he made when it touched every part of the rim and went in he kind of smiled and relaxed, and I think it got everybody on our team going.” Tulsa cut back into the Flashes’ lead and the game remained within a four-point difference for either team until the buzzer. Tulsa senior center Jerome Jordan and junior guard Justin Hurtt controlled a majority of the first half, in which Tulsa took a 35-28 lead. Jordan, a 7-foot post player, challenged Greene and
the exact number in each house. It’s impossible. “The census doesn’t impact the amount of funding, but it describes community characteristics such as unemployment and economic conditions, which have an impact on competition with other communities for grants,” he said, citing the Community Development Department’s Block Grant that Housing and Urban Development uses to determine funding. The census began in 1790 and is taken every 10 years. This year’s census is the shortest in history. The “long form” no longer exists; it has been converted to an ongoing sample survey throughout the decade called the American Community Survey. Households in areas with high concentrations of Spanish-speaking residents will receive a bilingual form. The Census Bureau expects the U.S. population will be around 309 million. Contact public affairs reporter Nicole Stempak at nstempak@kent.edu. React to this story and more at
KentWired.com Kent State’s big men for most of the night. The duo scored 28 points in the first half as Tulsa shot nearly 47 percent from the field. Jordan recorded 14 points and Hurtt totaled 10 in the first 20 minutes of play, while the team’s next highest scorer had four points. Each player finished with a double-double. Jordan recorded 23 points and 12 rebounds, while Hurtt recorded 22 points and 10 rebounds. The Flashes trailed most of the first half and never took more than a three-point lead. Holt and Greene led the Flashes in the first stanza with eight points each. Holt hit the Flashes’ only first half 3-pointer as the team struggled from behind the arc, shooting 1-for-10. Six Flashes scored in double figures for the second time this season. Kent State will next play the winner of the Illinois-Stony Brook game, which was not finished by press time. Contact sports reporter Cody Erbacher at cerbache@kentedu. React to this story and more at
KentWired.com
From Page A1
CENTENNIAL Kent moves ahead after May 4, 1970 “I stopped at a road block south of campus, and a patrolman walked up to my car with a shotgun,” Barber said. “I drove a police blue car with Michigan’s license plates, which were tan with white letters and I had a suit on. I told him where I was going. He said, ‘Put your four-way flashers on and drive like you know what you’re doing.’ I found myself near campus looking up a guardsmen’s barrel. He said, ‘Sir, the campus is closed.’ And I said ‘OK.’” Phillip Shriver, author of “The Years of Youth: Kent State University 1910-1960,” was president of Miami University at the time. “In a matter of hours after the shootings, there were Greeks marching on campus in protest,” he said. “There were signs calling for a strike and to close the university. There were seven fires on campus that night, one under the auditorium stage, which had a wooden interior and a brick exterior. They put it out before the building burned down. “ Students went home for the remaining two weeks of the semester at Kent State; Miami closed for 10 days. It was the first in a string of college closings across the nation. Students were protesting at hundreds of other campuses, and colleges closed up for the semester fearing a repeat. Nearly 800 colleges closed that spring. Sandy Halem, president of the Kent Historical Society, had been in town for only nine months when the shootings took place. She said it rocked the community whose residents feared similar attacks from rowdy students and outsiders now attracted to campus. “The whole 1960s were disruptive to this community,” Halem said. “There were huge numbers of students at Kent State now, and they didn’t look, act, sound, speak like people in the 1950s. That was quite different and the community (of Kent) was still the same community.” Conflicting news reports exacerbated those fears. Armstrong said the Record-Courier printed a front-page story that said two guardsmen and two students were killed. Readers were receiving incomplete reports from news outlets everywhere in the
first few days after the shootings. Alan Canfora was a student on campus that year. He was shot through his right wrist by a guardsman, making him one of the 12 KSU students wounded that day. “The National Guard, Gov. Rhodes and Nixon vigorously blamed the victims,” Canfora said. “That caused the American people to be confused. They’d heard that students were about to overrun the guard. Many people were confused at first. It took quite a long time to convince people those were falsehoods and there were investigations that began to dispel those myths.” Faculty at Kent State met soon after the shootings to decide how they would finish coursework and earn grades. Laura Davis was a freshman English major at the time. She received a packet in the mail with instructions for her final assignments. “As far as I can recall, it went remarkably smoothly,” she said. “I don’t remember having any questions about what I was supposed to be doing.” But those were just some logistics. The bigger issue for the university was to restore a sense of safety for students and to repair its reputation. “May 4 gave us a reputation of a place where the guns were fired and students were killed,” said William Hildebrand, author of “A Most Noble Enterprise: The Story of Kent State University 1910-2010.” “That’s a tremendous blow to the reputation of the school and any institution. There was at least a decade of campus turmoil until 1980 with protests and legal disputes afterward.” Kent State President Robert White was faced with the damage from May 4. He was president from 1963-71. “There’s no doubt that he was extremely dismayed by what happened on campus. It tore him up,” Hildebrand said. “And it increased his tendency to keep the campus closed up and to itself. That had a suffocating effect, I think.” It would be Brage Golding who would take over and rebuild after White left. The school finished the semester and looked to the next. Enrollment would decline in the fall as the massacre began to become synonymous with the school’s name. “Students came back in big numbers,” Hildebrand said. “But
there was a failure to draw a freshman class and that was associated with the effect of the shootings.” Students were also affected. “Students felt profoundly displaced,” Hildebrand said. “Many of them felt estranged from their parents. Did they lose faith? Some of them undoubtedly did, but most of them didn’t.” When Barber applied for a doctorate program at Michigan State University, he was turned down. “The woman at the admissions office literally threw the packet of papers in her hands at me,” Barber said. “She said, ‘We don’t need people like you here.’ To this day, I can’t stand Michigan State.” Barber’s father finally took down a KSU bumper sticker on his truck to avoid the bottle throwing and harassment he’d experienced that first summer. But Barber said he was impressed by how quickly Kent State reacted. “The university pulled together like nothing I’ve ever seen in my life,” he said. When he returned to campus that spring to finish up some things as a graduate assistant, security was still tight, but orderly. “Having that happen my freshman year was a little traumatic,” Pasquale said. “Sophomore year, I just kind of forgot about it pretty quickly.” The world has not. And that may be a good thing. Davis took over teaching a course about May 4 at the university for the past 10 years. She said students take the class each semester hoping to educate themselves on what has become an integral part of their school’s history and of American history. “This story is still relevant to the experience of people who live in a democracy today,” Davis said. “And relevant to what the role of dissent is in a democratic society especially during a time of war.” Contact enterprise reporter Kristine Gill at kgill2@kent.edu. React to this story and more at KentWired.com
OPINION
Page A4 | Thursday, March 18, 2010
The Opinion Page is an outlet for our community’s varied opinions. Submit letters to: Letters to the Editor Daily Kent Stater 240 Franklin Hall/ KSU Kent, Ohio 44242 ■ stater@kent.edu Subject: Letters to the Editor ■ Fax: (330) 672-5064 ■ Be sure to include your phone number. ■
Daily Kent Stater
ABOUT THE OPINION PAGE The Stater hopes to encourage lively debate about the issues of the day on the Opinion Page. Opinions on this page are the authors’ and not necessarily endorsed by the Stater or its editors. Readers are encouraged to participate through letters to the editor and guest columns. Submissions become property of the Stater and may be edited for mechanics, Associated Press style and length without notice. Letters should not exceed 350 words and guest columns should not exceed 550 words.
DKS EDITORIAL BOARD Doug Gulasy Editor Christina Stavale Managing editor Sarah Steimer Forum editor
Thomas Gallick City editor Caitlin Sirse Photo editor Sara Scanes Multimedia editor
FAMOUS QUOTE “Democracy don’t rule the world, You’d better get that in your head; This world is ruled by violence, But I guess that’s better left unsaid.” — Bob Dylan
our
VIEW
SUMMARY: The cost of room and board is rising faster than inflation. But tuition is rising as well. Why is Kent State expecting students to shell out so much when so many are making the same profits — if not less — than in the past?
A too-high cost of living
You could almost expect the fact that the university was going to raise the cost of room and board. Let’s be honest. It’s been years since they haven’t raised the price. But that doesn’t matter. Even though we did expect it, and we understand the cost of living is constantly increasing, it’s nice to have a surprise once in a while — a surprise that would give students comfort that the university is on their side during the recession. The fact is, students have been faced with this semester after semester. And this year there is no longer a freeze on tuition, so it’s even more of a burden for students to pay more. We can understand a university needing more money when there is a tuition freeze, but when there aren’t even enough rooms to allow that all students will have a standard two-person dorm (some wind up rooming with more than one — some even end up in a lounge or with resident assistants), it doesn’t
seem to make sense. Even though these rooms where students are tripled or quadrupled are offered at a discounted price, they’re still not what most students would call cheap. The university cannot guarantee students will be getting their money’s worth. It’s difficult enough to pay for tuition alone, but when the costs keep piling up — and increasing year to year — it makes it even more difficult. If the university plans to continue raising the room and board rate each year, it might be worth revisiting the policy that does not allow freshmen and sophomores to live in offcampus housing. Not only do many of these options offer a better deal for students, the prices aren’t necessarily rising at the same rate as room and board. Students should be given the option to shop around for the best price. The same goes for meal plan prices. One of the most common complaints among students living on campus is that the food costs much more than food they could buy any-
where else — and now it’s rising another 4.85 percent. Again, if prices are going to continue to rise, students should be able to exercise all their options. If there was a tuition freeze this upcoming school year, we might understand the university asking for more money for room and board. But students (and their guardians) are not earning any more money than they were last year — and they are especially not expected to earn more money now. Kent State has continually stated its desire to keep students on campus. Raising room and board rates from year to year, while there are clearly cheaper options available, doesn’t seem to be the right way to go about doing this.
The above editorial is the consensus opinion of the Daily Kent Stater editorial board whose members are listed to the left. React to this story and more at KentWired.com
DON WRIGHT’S VIEW
DID YOU KNOW? On this day in 1852, in New York City, Henry Wells and William G. Fargo joined with several other investors to launch their namesake business. — History.com
Forget Doug: Kids’ TV today whomps Growing up, I wasn’t allowed to watch Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network or the Disney Channel. My parents envisioned that their first child would be free of the world of “crap TV” (as my Dad so gracefully put it), with all its crude humor and lack of moral reinforcement. But my parents’ ban on cable TV extended only to the weekdays. On Saturdays, my mother and a more-than-skeptical father let me, my sister and my brother race downstairs at 7 a.m. to start munching our way through a buffet of four glorious hours of delicious Saturday-morning television. We watched ABC religiously, which aired classics like “Pepper Ann” (much too cool for seventh grade), “Recess,” “The Weekenders,” “Lizzie McGuire” (which made me fall madly in love with Hilary Duff) and at 11 a.m., “Even Stevens,” the show that gave Shia LaBeouf his start. Occasionally, when “The Weekenders” was on rerun (it always seemed to be), we would flip to Nickelodeon for some scintillating “Doug,” “Hey Arnold!” or “Rugrats.” These shows represented normal childhood — addressing topics like that awkward first contact with the opposite sex, how to deal with bullies, sibling rivalries and how to handle money responsibly. Take “Doug.” This show centered around one normal guy: Yep, Doug, who imagined himself as a superhero in underpants, and yearned for a girl named Patty Mayonnaise. It was a show about nothing, yet it remains a classic today to the point that it has 1.6 million fans on Facebook and every year at Halloween someone dresses as Quail Man. Meanwhile, the shows about 12-year-old “iCarly,” a Nickelodeon show that, according to Nielson, is one of the mostwatched shows in America, is about three 14-year-old kids who each day put on a Web television show in one of the main characters’ bedrooms, which is equipped with a massive television screen, laptop computers and a high-quality video camera. Another popular show is “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody” on the Disney Channel, about a pair of adventuresome twin boys, about 10 years old, who live with their mom in a penthouse suite in a swanky New York City hotel. “Zoey 101,” an enormously successful Nickelodeon show that only recently ended, details the
Christopher Hook life of friends at a wealthy boarding school in Los Angeles. They all have laptops and cell phones and wear fashionable clothing — and money is never discussed as a hindrance. Others, like “Cory in the House,” “Drake and Josh” and “The Wizards of Waverly Place” are much the same. Kids’ television shows today are full of characters who, in short, have everything. Then they try, like kids’ shows do, to impart lessons about morals and responsibility, lessons that only ring disingenuous and hollow. There is no running dialogue about fiscal responsibility, about working for what you want. These shows try to come off as normal depictions of everyday life. But when characters have everything they want, and especially given our current economic situation, it’s almost disgusting to watch. I remember one episode of “Recess” when the gang finds a $100 bill on the ground and spends the entire rest of the show thinking about what to do with it. Vince imagines himself opening a basketball league in space, and TJ wants to buy a jetpack. Others want to go to the moon. They have no idea how little $100 is. But that’s why kids’ shows are so great. It’s that the characters act like, well, kids: innocent, imaginative and amazed at the potential of a day with friends. They inspired us, the viewers. They enlightened us. I worry that the shows of today are not encouraging imagination and discovery, but that they are instilling a false sense of reality in the kids of my brother’s generation. And, in the immortal words of TJ, that totally whomps. Christopher Hook is a junior international relations and French major and a columnist for the Daily Kent Stater. Contact him at chook@kent.edu. React to this story and more at
KentWired.com
‘Mississippi Goddam’ During senior year of high school, American students look forward to only two events: the final day before graduation and senior prom. Formal dances have had a longstanding tradition in this country for being an integral part of the teenage experience. It is a right of passage that is coveted by the social hierarchy of high school students, the ultimate coming-of-age moment in the American teenage life. Everyone wants a date, needs to rent a limo and is willing to spend extravagantly on dresses, tuxedos and overnights at hotels to make prom a night they will never forget. So you could imagine what it would feel like to prepare for all the thrills and frills of senior prom, only to find out it has been canceled because you are a lesbian and you want to wear a tuxedo and bring your girlfriend to the dance. Last week a Mississippi school board canceled a senior prom after 18-year-old Constance McMillen asked her girlfriend to the dance. The school board sent out memos banning same-sex couples from attending the dance, claiming that it is inappropriate and amoral. Along with the memo, officials made a public statement that said they would not host the prom because of “distractions to the educational process caused by recent events.” Upon reading this news, I was astounded. The levels of homophobia and discrimination against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in Mississippi are so high the education institutions are willing
Thisanjali Gangoda to cancel an entire high school’s senior prom as a form of retaliation against the “corrupt” lesbian ways of one student. Beyond being childish and unreasonable, the Mississippi school board acted in the most archaic way of dealing with their so-called social reform agenda. Did they think that by canceling this high school’s prom that McMillen and all other lesbian or gay teenagers would see the wrongs in their sexual orientation and subsequently change their ways? What did they think they would accomplish aside from proving to the world how incredibly intolerant and desperate they are in forcing their moral righteousness on others? School is an environment where students are encouraged to learn, experience and grow to be a productive and aware citizen. When an educational institution like the school board in Mississippi takes action against a student because of his or her sexual orientation, it only galvanizes the still contentious issue of separation of church and state. Americans are becoming more and more comfortable with politicians and religious authority blurring the lines and dictating who is allowed to have certain rights.
Individuals who are part of the LGBT community have rights. Though they are not entirely accounted for in the United States yet, it does not mean that we are giving up the fight. For McMillen, the American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi has taken her case to the U.S. District Court in Oxford to challenge the ban on same-sex couples attending the prom. When students heard of the news of their prom being canceled, they turned the blame onto McMillen, telling her, “Thanks for ruining my senior year,” only to compound the homophobia and intolerance that is rampant in this country. It is time to turn that closeminded view onto the power structures of the United States government and demand social change through legislation that is appropriate for the 21st century, not 1809. For McMillen and many others, the battle for equal rights continues. As a nation, we must build a better relationship between with the LGBT community by acknowledging that they are people who deserve the same liberties as any other American. But until then, the words of the brilliant Nina Simone linger on in my mind; “Mississippi, Goddam.” Thisanjali Gangoda is a senior political science major and columnist for the Daily Kent Stater. Contact her at tgangoda@kent.edu. React to this story and more at KentWired.com
their
VIEW
America needs national debate on nuclear power
President Barack Obama’s interest in nuclear power has kicked off a new national debate on the industry, and it’s about time. The last U.S. nuclear power plant to be built came on line decades ago, and advances in technology since then make some earlier objections obsolete. But two familiar issues remain: the overall cost of nuclear generation and the safe, longterm storage of waste. Obama and Congress need to resolve these challenges before making nuclear power a major part of a national energy policy designed to reduce the risk of climate change. Even now, the United States produces more electricity from nuclear power plants than any other nation in the world. But the total output of the 104 reactors amounts to only 20 percent of the nation’s electrical needs. Many European countries have been more aggressive in pursuing nuclear power, including France, which has 58 plants generating 76 percent of its power. Worldwide, there are just over 400 plants producing 15 percent of the world’s energy. Obama has backed away slightly from his campaign promise to “find ways to safely harness nuclear power.” But nuclear power
remains very much on the table. Some members of Congress advocate building up to an additional 100 nuclear power plants. Construction costs are one barrier. It’s interesting that Republicans are nuclear power’s greatest proponents, given that federal loan guarantees of $10 billion to $17 billion per plant would have to be part of any deal. Obama is cautious about promising a huge investment, given the deficit, until more questions are resolved. The time it takes to build a plant adds to the challenge, since the makeup of Congress can shift significantly every two years, perhaps threatening support for plants already under construction. The other major stumbling block is radioactive waste. The 1986 Chernobyl disaster remains the only accident in commercial nuclear power involving fatalities. The development of smaller, simpler plants envisioned now should reduce the security concerns associated with the monster plants built 30 years ago. But the nagging problem of what to do with the waste remains. Nevada’s Yucca Mountain had been identified as a national repository for nuclear waste,
but Obama has taken that off the table. Spent radioactive fuel rods now are stored at or near nuclear plants across the country, sometimes closer to water supplies than anyone would like. Each plant generates about 20 metric tons of radioactive waste every year. The cleanup of leaking tanks with radioactive contaminants at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in the state of Washington — situated precariously near the Columbia River — is estimated to cost a minimum of $77 billion and perhaps as much as $100 billion. The United States has to develop alternative energy sources that will reduce reliance on Middle East oil and cut carbon emissions. Nuclear power needs to be back on the table — but a solution to waste storage must be found before new construction begins, and the revival of the industry must be proven cost effective. The above editorial was originally published March 16 by the San Jose Mercury News. Content was made available by MCTCampus. React to this story and more at KentWired.com
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Thursday, March 18, 2010 | Page A5
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Pregnancy Center of Kent. Here to Help (330) 839-9919 Mike’s Place Monday nights 32 cent wings - $2 margaritas Mike’s Place Tuesday nights $2.50 gyros - $2 Long Islands - Bar only The Best Damn BBQ Sandwich In Kent! $1.00 OFF/Every Thursday/$5.00 Franklin Square Deli-Downtown NOW OPEN Mon.-Sat. 10-9 / Sun. 11-7 Tomorrow- FRIDAY- Franklin Square Deli $4.00 Bagel Sandwiches... No Coupons! 9 to Choose from, All Great! Franklin Square Deli NOW OPEN Mon.-Sat. 10-9 / Sun. 11-7 When it’s Gone, It’s Gone! Thursday Louisiana BBQ Pork Sandwich Today... $1.00 Off! Franklin Square Deli NOW OPEN Mon.-Sat. 10-9 / Sun. 11-7 THE PLACE IS RAY’S American Sign Language (ASL) Academic Challenge Tonight! Micheal Schwartz Center 177. Doors open 6:45pm. Free admission, free food, and a chance to win prizes. See you there!
Bartenders needed - no experience required. Earn $20-60/hour. Call us at 740-205-6432. NIGHT CLUB NOW HIRING ALL POSITIONS ARENA Sports & Entertainment Complex (Formerly Mustang Salliz) 1543 Streetsboro Plaza Drive 44241 Apply in Person Mon, Tues & Wed 4pm to 8pm Facebook@KentArena.com
The Kent State University Police Department is currently disposing of evidentiary and found property. Persons who can properly identify any items as theirs may claim it by personally appearing at the Kent State University Police Department, Stockdale Safety Building, Kent, Ohio, Monday through Friday, 9-4p.m. The property will be held until March 22, 2010 4 p.m. Property not claimed during this time will be disposed pursuant to the provisions set forth in the Ohio Revised Code.
horoscope
Buyer Beware! We make every effort to screen for fraudulent advertising, however, we cannot guarantee the veracity of the advertisers and their messages in this section. It is important for consumers to respond to any advertisement with the utmost caution.
Today’s birthday (3/18/10) Diversity is the key to your success this year. You learn how to harness your will to achieve financial gain, creative expression and successful dealings in romantic or other relationships. Emotions work on a less conscious level to inspire you.
NOW LEASING FOR FALL 5,4,2,1 bedroom Houses. Efficiency. Good Location Near KSU. Call (330) 554-8353
Now Hiring at Five Guys! We’ll be holding a Job Fair on... Thurs, March 18th through Sat, March 20th from 9am to 6pm 623 E. Main St. Kent
Ladies’ Night at Empire every Thursday 6:30-9 pm Free Henna Body Art Empire 135 E. Main St. Kent www.empirekent.com
Field Jacket found on campus - contact Peggy 330-672-5822.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Today is an 8. If practice makes perfect, then you just hit the big time. The careful application of force prevents breakage.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Today is a 6. Spend most of your time listening today. You want to press your advantage, but you’ll get better results by hanging back. Be patient.
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) Today is a 7. Recognize diversity by using each person’s unique talents, even if they don’t seem to apply right now. You’ll use them later.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Today is an 8. Everything rests on your own need to be creative. Make time every day to stick your fingers into the clay. Process is more important than product.
Gemini (May 21-June 21) Today is an 8. Possibilities open up in the work environment. The challenge is to make hay while the sun shines, then play later. Cancer (June 22-July 22) Today is a 7. You have lots of ideas today. Your partner can make them become reality. Offer lavish praise when the job’s done.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) Today is a 7. You feel transformation just around the corner. Are you ready? Check with the powers that be. Then, let it run full steam ahead.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) Today is a 7. Spend time refining your communication skills. You could start a bold new project. Get your ideas down on paper.
Now accepting applications for summer and fall! Studios, 1&2 bedrooms still available-Hurry In! 330-678-0746 **Summer and Fall Specials** Furnished/unfurnished studios, 1&2 bedrooms, Call now 330-678-0123
NO WATER BILL! NO GAS BILL! 4&5 Bedroom duplex available for fall starting at $330/mo! Each side has 2 bath, W/D. Dishwasher, deck, garage, etc. Close to campus and on bus route. Last one I have available! Call Sweeney (740)317-7294. Remodeled, University Town Home, 5 BR, W/D, Dishwasher, 2.5 Baths, $275 per room, Will go fast, 330-8084045 Stow: 2 & 3 bed townhomes with one car garage. Pets welcome, 10 min from KSU. Prices $665-$850 call (330)686-2269.
Landscape workers needed, morning and early afternoon hours, $8/hour, 330-622-1103. Help needed during spring break also.
Club Energy needs cocktail waitress 19 and over for Saturday night. Apply 289 Darrow Road Route 91 or call (330) 733-6863 after 3PM. Minutes from KSU
Taurus (April 20-May 20) Today is a 6. By taking several different approaches, you and your associate arrive at the same place at the same time. Ignore the man behind the green curtain.
Now leasing for fall. 2br apt $699750 a month includes gas, water and trash. Many great amenities. Hurry in now, before you get locked out. (330) 673-8887
Now Leasing for Summer and Fall. 2 BR Apts. Heat, Trash & Water pd. Pool, Pets welcome, $665-$725. Close to KSU 330-673-5364
Club Energy dance music bar needs bartenders: 21 and over. Part-time. No experience. Apply 289 Darrow Rd. Route 91. Or call (330) 733-6833 after 3 PM. Minutes from KSU.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Today is a 5. Each time you ask for creative input, you reframe your practical desires. Group logic provides greater opportunity to get your message out.
Spacious 2&3 bdrm apts @ Holly Park. Gas heat paid Sign up now for fall and receive $100 off first 6 months based on a twelve-month lease. (330) 678-0823
Landscape design/construction company in Hudson seeking fulltime laborers. $8/hour. Call 330-6504337.
Sales assistant needed Friday & Saturday 10-7p, Sunday 12-6pm. Near Chapel Hill Mall. Tasks: Sales, Cash register use, greet customers, general organization and cleaning. $8.50/hour. Send resume to resume@roseguardian.com
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) Today is a 7. Depend on your own insights now. If co-workers become inflexible, employ skillful leadership techniques to change their minds.
LUXURY 4-BEDROOM UNITS large, clean, all appliances + FREE washer/dryer. (330) 714-0819
Drivers: Great Benefits/ Hometime! Avg. 2300mi/week! .32-.41CPM CDL-A, 1 yr Exp.; No Touch. 888-560-9644 www.whiteline-express.com
Summer Camp Counselor for children w/disabilities. Must have strong work ethic and be interested in making a difference in the life of a child. $10 - $15.25 hr., 35 hr/wk, summer only. 5 sites in Summit County, Ohio. Must enjoy outdoor activities. Visit www.akroncyo.org to download an application from the Careers link. EOE
To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging.
Whitehall East Townhomes - 4 or 5 bedroom leases, with 3 bathrooms, great rent options with all inclusive plans. Some newly rennovated, all units washer/dryer and dishwaher included. Call or text today 330-9904019. www.whitehall-east.com
Enjoy spacious 4&5 bedrooms duplexes with 2 full baths. Great condition, great location, A/C, W/D, dishwasher, deck, garage. $350/ bedroom includes all utilities. 330808-4045 GREAT PRICES! GREAT PROPERTIES! 3, 4 & 5 bdrm properties starting at $1000/mo. Call Rich at 330-807-6090
Hudson’s Restaurant Now Hiring Exp. Line cooks, Servers, Hostesses & Dishwashers. Apply at 80 N. Main St., Hudson.
By Nancy Black and Stephanie Clement
Aries (March 21-April 19) Today is a 6. Today’s challenge is to work with, not against, your partner. Yes, your ideas are brilliant. But you need agreement to make them work.
All real estate advertised herin is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin, or intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination.” State and local laws forbid discrimination based on factors in addition to those protected under federal law. We will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate that is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis. If you feel you have been wrongfully denied housing or discriminated against, call the FHAA at 330-253-2450 for more information. KENT/BRIMFIELD. Newer 3 & 4 Bdrm duplexes. 1 car garage. $900-$1100 per month. 330-338-5841 or 330329-1118 kentarearentals.com Kent - 1,2&3 bedroom. $500, $590 and $750. 330-677-5577 Spacious 3 bedroom, 2 bath duplex. LR and Family Room, W/D, A/C, $960/ mo, Available July (330)630-9285. Kent near downtown and campus 2 bedroom apartment, all utilities paid except electric, $350/bedroom + security deposit. (330)676-9440
Rent Kent- efficiencies for fall, starting at $250/month includes ALL UTILITIES 330-678-3047 or BuckeyeParksMgmt. com STUDENT RENTALS FOR THE ‘10’11 YEAR Are you looking for a 1 or 2 bedroom apartment, a studio, a duplex, a house, or a student rooming house with 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8 bedrooms? Our staff is ready to help you with all your housing needs. Check out the list of available rentals on our website www.jkohlre.com click on Rental Management, Student Rentals, or you can stop in or call our office. Jack Kohl Realty EHO 237 East Main Street Kent, OH 44240 Phone: 330-677-4722 Fax: 330-6774730
University Townhomes 5 bedroom, 2.5 bath, washer, dryer, dishwasher, and microwave included. 1 year leases available. Call 330-501-9239 for more information.
Kent- 2 bedroom for fall, starting at $250/room some include some utilities 330-678-3047 or BuckeyeParksMgmt.com
House for Rent, 6 Bedrooms, Across from campus, On-site parking, $350 per room plus utilities. 330-2210460.
Oak Haven Condo! Very close to campus! (S. Lincoln St.) Now renting for Fall. 2 bedroom,1.5 baths Assigned parking, water, trash & heat paid! $735/month + electric. Accepting Visa/MC (330) 554-1245
Rooms for Fall 1 block from campus. $350/mo includes ALL utilities, cable and internet. Non-smoking house. Chris Myers (330) 678-6984 March Special: 1 or 2 bedroom. Move in by St. Patrick’s day and receive rest of March rent free. (330) 678-0972
Spacious 3 bedroom, 2 bath duplex. LR and Family Room, W/D, A/C, $960/ mo, Available July (330)630-9285.
Kent/Brimfield: Large 3 bedroom townhouse. 1.5 baths. All appliances. Central air. Washer/Dryer hookup. $795 plus utilities. 330-607-0429 Stoneridge Townhouse Apts
Now Leasing for Fall a beautifully newly redecorated 3 bedroom, 1.5 bath duplex. $275/person, (330)6876122.
Private 1 Bedroom Apartment, Close to Campus & Downtown. $500 www. rentkent.com (812) 655-0777
Apartments for Rent: 3 bedroom apartment Half of a home. Living Room, kitchen,bath. No pets. One bedroom available now $330/ month. 330-673-8505 1 bedroom apartment in a house. Kitchen, living room, bath. Separate entrance. No pets. One year lease. Available in August. 330-673-8505
$100.00 Reward fill units by 3/31/10. 2BD 1BTH TOWNHOME. LAUNDRY, CARPORT. INTRODUCTORY OFFER 1ST 3 MONTHS $495.00. WWW. JLCASTO.COM CALL 688-7040.
2 Bedrooms, 1-1/2 Baths. Close to Campus. $660/month. No Pets, go to www.lincolnwoodrentals.com or call 330-835-7737. Available For Fall Huge 4 or 5 bedroom units in great condition. Deck/patio, garage, large yard, washer/dryer hook up. $300/ bed includes water and trash. (330) 612-4057 1, 2, & 3 bedroom apartments, close to campus. Joe (330) 310-1494 Duplexes available for June and August. East Summit, across from campus. 3 bedrooms, Washer/Dryer. $345/person plus utilities. 216-4076703 Now Leasing for Fall. Kent 4 bedroom house. 330-626-5910 2 Bedroom Duplex close to downtown & 2 Bedroom Condo close to campus, both available August (330) 678-7901 3 Bedroom Newly Remodeled House, close to campus, 2 of 3 must be related (330) 678-7901
University Townhomes 5 bedroom 2.5 bath. $265/month tahaysmanagement.com, 330-612-0767 Great campus condo. 3 bedroom, 1.5 bath. Available August. Call Dr. Miller at (330) 618-7764 2 bedroom 1.5 bath apartment $585/ month + deposit & electric.Heat, water and trash included (330) 312-0066 or (330) 968-4930 Kent: Premium Victorian Apts, downtown, energy efficient, stylish! www.kentsuites.com (330) 6780925 3 bedroom, 3 bath, 2 car garage, condo-styled duplex, on two acres, $1100/mo. 330-221-4533 For Fall: 3 bedroom apartments $400/month per room, security deposit required. Heat included, laundry room. No pets. Across from KSU. (330) 554-3024 For Fall: 3 bedroom apartments $400/month per room, security deposit required. Heat included, laundry room. No pets. Across from KSU. (330) 554-3024 Kent- 3&4 bdrm townhouses for fall, $375/room includes gas & trash 330678-3047 or BuckeyeParksMgmt. com
Kent/Brimfield: Large 3 bedroom townhouse. 1.5 baths. All appliances. Central air. Washer/Dryer hookup. $795 plus utilities. 330-607-0429 Stoneridge Townhouse Apts
6bedroom house, close to campus, $1560/month. Additional apartment in basement for $300 more. 330-2980321
Available now. Nice 2 bedroom apartment. Close to downtown. Mature tenants, non-smoking, no pets. $650 + utilities. 330-688-1187.
Now leasing for Fall: a beautiful newly redecorated 2 bedroom duplex, large yard, near park, $300/ student, 330-687-6122 Fall- 3 bedroom apt. near downtown $900 + gas & electric 330-678-3557
KENT- STUDIO SUBLEASE Available May 1. $485/mo. ALL utilities included. Very Clean! Close to Campus. 440-339-9841
Page A6 | Thursday, March 18, 2010
Daily Kent Stater
Irish Car Bombs and Leprechauns Bo Gemmell and Josh Johnston Daily Kent Stater
5:20 a.m., The Brewhouse Pub — Three senior biochemistry majors braved freezing temperatures before sunrise outside the Brewhouse Pub yesterday morning. Alex Hill, Danielle Spatholt and Cheryl McCullough stood first at 5:20 a.m. “We came for the drink specials and the free stuff for being part of the first 300,” Hill said. When asked what they’d be drinking that morning, the three shouted “Irish Car Bombs!” in unison.
5:50 a.m., The Robin Hood — Two students stand outside of The Robin Hood, waiting for the
KentWired.com Read the rest of these stories online. bar to open. “Usually (I) go to bed right now,” says Mike Sandy, freshman psychology major. “I’ve got to at least keep standing at noon, because I’m getting a tattoo at noon. I’m getting a shamrock on my side. Most of my tattoos have something to do with Ireland; most of my family is from there.” A group of six women clad in green walk down the middle of Lincoln Street and turn toward downtown. “I love cultural holidays,” says Mike, who’s “like 95 percent Irish.” “I think sometimes they bring out the best or the worst in you … today probably the worst.”
The sights around Kent on St. Patrick’s Day MATTHEW GRCIC | DAILY KENT STATER
Left, Kyle Vagnier, sophomore visual communications and design major, skates the staircase outside of Lake Hall on St. Patricks Day. Vagnier’s plans for the night were to enjoy the weather and be with his friends. SAM VERBULECZ | DAILY KENT STATER
Top, the Water Street Tavern throbs with avid partiers on St. Patrick’s Day. DANA BEVERIDGE | DAILY KENT STATER
Above, Brian Bower slices two corned beef sandwiches for customers at Cajun Dave’s restaurant during lunchtime yesterday. Top right, bartender Sarah Ferrato pours a green beer at Ray’s Place yesterday afternoon. BRITTANY ANKROM | DAILY KENT STATER
Right, senior accounting major Sean Brady stands outside the Zephyr Pub yesterday morning around 10.
ARTS. LIFE. LEISURE.
3/18/10
Trails to happiness HAPPY TRAILS FARM OFFERS A SANCTUARY FOR RECOVERING ANIMALS
A
Pamela Crimbchin |Daily Kent Stater
strong metal gate acts as the entrance to Happy Trail Farm Animal Sanctuary. It lets people pass but protects the animals inside from escaping into a world that has hurt them. Happy Trails takes farm animals that have been seized by the government, helps them recover and finds them homes for adoption.
PHOTOS BY TESSA BARGAINNIER | DAILY KENT STATER
Lady Godiva: the brown donkey I
Pumbaa: the shy pig P
iggerington Estates” reads the small sign above the brown barn to the right of the main gate. Ilona walks to a small gate into the Estates. A bag of ginger snaps in hand, she stops at the sight of a small, black potbelly pig, standing at the end of a path of a February snow. The unplowed snow is level with his back. “Are you stuck in the snow?” she asks Pumbaa, stomping down a path to let him through. The small pig backs away warily. Pumbaa was found running loose in Mt. Vernon last August. When he first arrived at Happy Trails, no one could touch him at all. The volunteers worked with Pumbaa by giving treats and positive reinforcements to reassure him that they were not there to harm him. He chooses not to take Ilona’s path. Instead he backs up, turns around and follows his original path, popping out just behind Ilona. “Oh here, you had a way out, didn’t you,” she says, holding a ginger snap for him to take. Pumbaa inches slowly to Ilona’s hand, stretching his short, fuzzy neck just far enough to snag a ginger snap. Then he quickly retreats two steps back. She wipes the fresh slobber left by Pumbaa’s mouth and nose off her hands and walks away.
“
Odessa: the little goat with spunk A
small, playful white goat chases sheep and goats twice her size around the 5-by-3 foot hay wheel. She runs to the animals, head ready to ram. Then she veers off course, looking back only to taunt them into a chase. Little Odessa was not this playful when she first arrived at Happy Trails Farm. When rescued from an undercover investigation into a livestock facility in Medina County, she had pneumonia, worms and pink eye so bad that one of her eyes had to be removed. After surgery for her eye, volunteers and local veterinarians nursed Odessa back to health. Odessa is now part of Happy Trails pet therapy program. She visits schools, retirement homes, churches and events in the area, where volunteers tell people her story and she steals some hugs and kisses. However, today Odessa is not looking to snuggle. She is looking for fun and excitement as she tries — but fails — to jump on top of the large hay wheel.
For more information about how to volunteer at Happy Trail Farm Animal Sanctuary or how to adopt an animal, go to KentWired.com.
nside the big red barn on Happy Trails Farm, two rescued barn cats, Tiger Lilly and Lola, hop down a ladder from their warm and hay-bail protected crate in the upper part of the barn. Lola pauses, staring at Lady Godiva, a donkey with a thick, curly brown coat, who is standing leisurely next to the ladder in the aisle way. Lady Godiva, like most donkeys, has an attitude. Her beautiful, full brown forelock covers most of her face, hiding what could be considered a glare. Volunteer Ilona Urban hands her a ginger snap, Lady Godiva takes it and promptly spits it on the floor. “Fine, well be that way,” she jokes.
Lady Godiva was found abandoned on the side of a mountain with a buffalo, four goats and a mini horse. Lady Godiva was underweight when coming to the farm and needed to be given food and supplements. A few weeks ago, Lady Godiva had her teeth floated. That’s when a dentist files the animal’s teeth to be smooth and contoured, which Lady Godiva did not approve of. Lady Godiva follows Ilona to the end of the aisle before deciding to head back to the ladder. Seeing Tiger Lilly at the base, she pins her ears back and swiftly steps toward the cat, chasing her up the ladder. Happy Trails is talking to a couple potential homes. Ilona has high hopes that Lady Godiva will be adopted soon.
Mac: the gentle giant A
large black Clydesdale with a kind, white face moves slowly towards Ilona and her bag of ginger snaps. His name is Mac. His large hoofs making craters in the already plowed snow. “When we rescued him, he was 700 pounds underweight,” she says, patting his large neck. Mac’s owner had left him in the care of a woman in Ohio. The woman claimed to be taking care of the animals, but instead Mac, along with 11 other horses, three hens, three guinea fowl and a calf, were neglected, according to Happy Trails founder Annette Fisher. Ilona walks away toward the farm’s large red barn, with Mac pivoting to follow. His large legs move leisurely with his face close to the middle of Ilona’s back. “He just kind of follows everybody around like a pup,” she says. Since coming to the farm, Mac has gained 300 pounds. The volunteers of Happy Trails started him on hay and supplements based on veterinarian recommendations. When he started to gain some weight, they added grains. Mac, who only shuffled when first coming to the farm, now spends his days cantering in the pasture with Tony and Houston, two other horses on the Happy Trails farm.
The Rooster Hut: a very loud place W
hat was originally built as a barn for rescued cock-fighting roosters now holds roosters, three guinea fowls and 35 rabbits. Four volunteers are stripping the roosters’ cages. They wrestle with the screeching birds, from cage to cage. Each rooster is given its own cage so they don’t fight with each other. The task of removing old hay and adding new is made more difficult by the addition of rabbit cages along the walls and in the aisles. Many of the rabbits have since found adoption and foster homes. The farm does not generally take rabbits, but because of the large quantity, they made an exception to their rule of farm animals only. The three guinea fowls taunt the roosters and rabbits by walking along the tops of cages and in the rafters of the barn. “It’s very loud in here,” a young women shouts from inside a rooster’s cage. “It always is,” Ilona replies. Choosing to leave the chaotic barn, Ilona walks next to a long metal fence. Pinned to the fence is a laminated picture of a large potbelly pig, Oliver. She stops to brush the fresh snow from the sign and sighs. “Annette came out on a Friday and he was fine,” Ilona said. “When she’d found him Saturday morning, he’d died.” Ilona said the farm does not know why the 1,000-plus pound pig died. It could have been a stroke or a heart attack. The animals that die on the premises are buried in the woods on the far left corner of the farm. Ilona said a Native American blessed the area. Each grave is marked with a wooden stake so the animals can be put to rest with dignity.
Page B2 | Thursday, March 18, 2010
Daily Kent Stater Show of the week: The Stat Sheet Every Monday from 6 to 8 p.m. join DJ Eddie and his sports team while they talk sports on the official sports talk show of Kent State.
March
For a full list of monthly specials, visit KentWired.com.
MONTHLY SPECIALS
Ray’s Place: Draft of the month: Miller Lite — $2.50 pint, $2.95 tall. Special feature Captain Morgan lime bite spiced rum in a pint of either Miller Lite, Bud or Bud Lite— $3.95. Sex on the Beach shot — $2.95. Cherry bomb — $2.95. Chilled Shark Water shots — $3. Long Island Ice Tea — $3.50. Spiced rum and coke — $2.95. Tropical rum and coke — $2.95. Amaretto Sour — $2.95. The Loft: Miller Lite—$7 pitcher. $1.50 mug. Labatt Blue pitchers—$8. Cherry and grape bombs—$2.50, Jameson, Apple Pie shots, SoCo and lime—$3. Incredible Hulks—$3.50 Mugs: Irish buck- $4.50. Pabst Blue Ribbon— $2 cans. Miller Lite Draft—$2 16oz, $3 24oz. All bombs—$2.75. BW3s: Beer of the month: Miller— $3 tall. Happy hour is from 3 to 7 p.m. with talls priced as pints and $2 house liquors. Thursdays: margaritas — $2. Fridays: bombs and cosmopolitans — $3. Franklin Square Deli: Monday— Bagel Dog. Tuesday — Enzo. Wednesday — Napoli. Thursday — Louisiana BBQ Pork. Friday — The Whales Tails. Saturday— A1 Ham & Cheese Pita. Water Street Tavern: Happy hour is from open until 9 p.m. with $2 drinks. Bud Light— $7 pitchers. Jack Daniels drinks— $3.25. Sauza tequila shots and Cherry Pie shots— $3; Daily specials: Tuesday— Ladies Night with $1 flavored vodka drink, Miller Lite Mugs and rum drinks. Thursday—Bud Select bottles, $1. Long Island Iced Teas, $2. Cajun Dave’s: Monday— 8-slice, one topping pizza, $6.50. Wednesday— Buttermilk-Fried Chicken dinner, $9. Thursday—Pasta dinner, $4. Friday—Sam, Adams-battered Fish Fry dinner, $7.50.
Events, guests and giveaways Today: 10 p.m. to midnight, Tegan and Sara tickets will be given away on The Feel Good Revolution. Tomorrow: noon to 2 p.m., Tegan and Sara tickets will be given away on Fangirl Fridays. Saturday, March 20: noon to 2 p.m., Eddie Doldrum will be on The Rubber City Rockhouse. Monday, March 22: 10 p.m. to midnight, Tegan and Sara tickets will be given away on Musical Mayhem. Wednesday, March 24: 8 to 10 p.m., Cody Hays and Nick Grdina will be on D.I.T. Radio and Tegan and Sara tickets will be given away.
To view a full schedule and listen to all of Black Squirrel Radio’s shows visit blacksquirrelradio.com
Dominick’s: Bud light— $2 pints. Pabst Blue Ribbon— $2 pints. Cherry and Grape Bombs— $2.50. Conway Irish ale— $4 pints.
Rockers hit the stage to ‘fight the power’ Locals hit up heavy metal karaoke at The Hi-Fi Nicole Hennessy
Daily Kent Stater A framed Van Halen album cover depicting a baby angel smoking a cigarette hangs on the wall behind the bar while music pumps through the room and Sammy Hagar asks the same question he’s been asking since 1986: “Why can’t this be love?” Two microphones sit on and near the stage as customers slug down Pabst Blue Ribbons and 10-cent wings in preparation for heavy metal karaoke — a weekly ritual at Lakewood’s “The Hi-Fi.” Billy Morris, an ‘80s hair metal refugee, has been putting this on “for about five years every Wednesday,” he says. “All the freaks come out.” The studded fedoras and leather jackets, Iron Maiden patches and bat necklaces begin to pile in the bar around 10:30 p.m. “Someone spit in my beer,” one
customer tells the bartender quite calmly as he waits for a new one. The black walls and ceilings, seemingly unnatural without clouds of smoke clinging to them, boast photos of Mötley Crüe, Cinderella and White Lion; the sidewalk slowly fills up with the shunned smokers. A man walks through the door with a snare drum and continues coming and going until the whole set is on the stage. “This is the only bar where metal heads feel appreciated and good,” says Will Linares, a regular. “A lot of people look at us like we’re burnouts.” A native of El Salvador, Linares came to America in search of freedom of expression and religion (or, rather, a lack of one). “A person can come here (to The Hi-Fi) and feel welcome,” he says. On the stage, Morris, tunes his guitar. “Oh yeah, all right,” he says into the microphone, sound checking it. “Oh yeah.” The lyrics to Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” lay beer-soaked on a table and the half-filled bar waits for the band to finish setting up.
“Welcome to heavy metal karaoke,” Morris says, announcing Ed Stevens on bass, Eric Matthews on the drums, Whisky Steve in the kitchen and Big Will (Linares), who walks up on stage. “Okay you cocksuckers, who’s ready to rock?” Linares asks the crowd as he begins moving to the music, microphone in hand. “We’re not gonna fuckin’ take it!” he proclaims before Morris suddenly stops playing. “Reverend Dave, give him a shot of 151,” Morris says as Linares stands there, waiting to sing in placid anticipation. “While you’re back there, give him a squirt of tequila,” Morris adds, “and Jager.” Pouring the concoction down his throat, it mind-numbingly burns its way into his stomach. “Tell ‘em you’re not gonna take it,” Morris says. “Hit it!” Twisted Sister ’s proclamation falls out of Linares’ mouth in melody. His head thrashes around to the music and his body flails. When the song ends, he exits the stage smiling, as if waking from a maniac slumber. “Who hasn’t sung yet that wants to sing?” Morris asks.
PHOTO SUBMITTED BY NICOLE HENNESSY | DAILY KENT STATER
“Fart man!” someone yells from the bar. “Get up here, Fart Man.” And a gray-haired and bearded man walks onto the stage. “Ahhhh!” he screams into the microphone. “Ready to rock ‘n roll?” Reading lyrics off of a piece of paper, he speaks with the slight inclination of music in his voice. “Turn it down you say, well all
I got to say to you is time again I say, “No! No! No, No, No, No, No!” Reverend Dave, donning a studded leather jacket and an ‘80s hairdo with sideburns running down his face, takes the stage after the last “I wanna rock” leaves Fart Man’s vocal chords. A different limb of his body moves drastically, freezing in still frame, each time a note hits.
“There I was completely wasting, out of work and down. All inside it’s so frustrating as I drift from town to town,” he sings. “Breaking the law, breaking the law…”
Contact features reporter Nicole Hennessy at nhenness@kent.edu.
React to this story and more at
KentWired.com
Chatroulette.com: The Wild West returns to the Web Laura Payne has been working out and eating healthier for the last six weeks as part of Biggest Loser Kent Edition. Weight (as of March 12): 187 lbs Goal weight: 160 lbs Workout: Payne said she found it difficult to work out as much as she wanted to because of her busy schedule. Payne said she enjoys exercising in classes rather than alone on a piece of equipment. Because of this, Payne is trying new Group X classes at the Student Recreation and Wellness Center. She is still confident she will reach her goals and is happy with the progress she has made. Diet: In the last installment, Payne and her nutritionist decided to reduce her caloric intake from 1,800 calories to 1,700 calories a day. Her diet focuses on lean
KentWired.com
Go online to see a photo of Laura. protein and high fiber foods. Payne has found that 1,700 calories is more than enough to keep her full most days. If you focus on eating quality food, it is easier to be satisfied on fewer calories, Payne has learned. Payne’s weight has plateaued at about 187 lbs in the last two weeks, which she says is most likely because her body has adapted to her work out and eating plan. — Kelley Stoklosa
Ryan Sheridan Columnist
At one point in the late 1990s, it seemed as if everyone was on America Online (AOL). It was, after all, the globe’s largest Internet provider with 30 million users worldwide at its peak. For those in their early teens, it provided a first experience in online chatting. Although AOL chats have fallen to social media giants Facebook and MySpace in recent years, a new site called Chatroulette, which launched last November, has brought back anonymous chatting – only this time it’s face to face, using a webcam instead of a keyboard.
Russian roots Andrey Ternovskiy, a 17-yearold high school student from Russia, created Chatroulette. “I was looking for a site like this, one that would let me chat randomly on webcams,” he told the New York Times, “and I couldn’t find it, so I thought I would try to build it.” It took three days for Ternovskiy to build Chatroulette, and users quickly followed. The site now boasts a user base of 35,000 people at any given time, according to CNN. Unlike Facebook, which pries for one s most personal information, Chatroulette is completely anon-
ymous. It doesn’t even require a username or password. All you need is a webcam and an open mind. You should also prepare yourself: People on the Internet are still as weird as they were during the days of our AOL chats.
Not for children Recent media reports have condemned Chatroulette as not being appropriate for children. Like most things on the Internet, it’s not. The site’s terms of service state you have to be at least 16 years old to use it, but it doesn’t require birth date verification, so essentially anyone can use it. While rouletting, you’re almost guaranteed to see naked men and women dancing or performing less desirable acts. But once you get past the amateur strip shows with the simple click of the “Next” button, Chatroulette becomes its own unique beast, giving you glimpses into the rest of the world.
Why use it Since Chatroulette has such a wide reaching global user base, it’s like hanging out with foreign exchange students from the comfort of your own home. One girl I chatted with from Japan told me about the weather in Tokyo. I discussed music with a guy from Brazil and politics with a girl from Montana. Unfortunately, these types of conversations are few and far between. Most users treat Chatroulette like an impromptu dating service, where the person who sees the most skin wins. Chatroulette does provide a direct line for bands to take
You could be here
advantage of the site’s virtual stage. Tahiti 80, a French indie pop quartet who has toured the world, treated random users to a live performance on Monday night. I logged on to see it, but because Chatroulette doesn’t have designated chat rooms, I was sadly unable to find it. If investors keep knocking on Ternovskiy’s door, I predict Chatroulette may add additional features, and I hope designated chats will be one of them.
Judging a book by its cover Chatroulette is similar to a live version of hotornot.com. The person on the other end scopes you out and before you can even type “Hello,” they may have “Nexted” you within seconds. I found this out the hard way. After an hour ’s use of Chatroulette, I was “Nexted” by three
out of every five people I tried to talk to. However, my girlfriend – a pretty 20-something with a welcoming smile – was only “Nexted” six times after brief conversations with 32 people. Five months after its inception, it has yet to be determined whether Chatroulette will go the way of the now criminally unhip Friendster or enter our favorite bookmarks alongside YouTube. It has the potential to grow into an international entertainment hub, but its teenage creator seems content with its current model.
Contact features correspondent Ryan Sheridan at rsherid1@kent.edu.
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Daily Kent Stater
Thursday, March 18, 2010 | Page B3
Lefton: From his assistant’s perspective Allison Smith
Daily Kent Stater Debra Drake loves her job. “It’s never boring,” she said. “There’s always something going on. I get to meet a lot of people, too.” Debra is the assistant to President Lester Lefton. She helps Lefton do everything from organize his schedule to help him dress for graduation. “Every aspect of Dr. Lefton’s life at Kent State, I help to make sure it flows,” she said. While her daughter was attending Kent State, Debra decided she would try to get a job at the university. She didn’t get the job until her daughter’s last semester. Before Debra came to Kent State, she had never worked in higher education. She is a published author and motivational speaker, has worked mostly in the business and finance field as an assistant to the president of Akron Metropolitan Housing and is a homebuilder. Debra said she was actually putting down the foundation for a new home when she got the call about her new job at Kent State. She was hired in the Office of Diversity in 2005 and from there worked as assistant to Charlene Reed, who is the secretary to the Board of Trustees. Debra said she loved working with the board because it gave her a lot of interaction with people and students. “I’m a people person,” Debra said. “I’m very customer service driven. Everyone is my customer; students, co-workers, even the president.” When Linda Herman, the previous assistant to Lefton and Carol Cartwright, retired after 18 years at Kent State, Debra wasn’t sure whether she should apply for the job or not. “It wasn’t a position that I initially wanted, because I loved working with the board,” she said. “I really wanted to make sure that somebody was there that would do a good job, though. Besides Linda, I was the person who knew the most about it, so I decided to go for it.” Debra became the president’s assistant in June 2009. She said she
HANNAH POTES | DAILY KENT STATER
Debra Drake, a Kent State alumna and President Lefton’s assistant, is a friendly and entertaining person. “We entertain everybody from kings to custodians,” Drake said. “There’s always something going on. It’s exciting. I get to meet all kinds of people.” was worried the job would essentially “chain me to my desk,” but she ended up being able to interact with a lot of people. She says everyone who comes up to the second floor on the library is valued, and she hopes they walk away feeling great about themselves. “We entertain everybody from kings to custodians, and everyone, I think, leaves feeling like a king,” she said. “We’re very hospitable. You know, we say ‘Can we get you a cup of coffee? Or some water? Is there anything you need?’” Debra said she’s always had jobs that have to have some level of confidentiality. Of course, being the assistant to the president of Kent
State, she knows a secret or two. “I sometimes know things that I don’t know I know,” she said. “Sometimes I realize after the fact, ‘Oh that was that important?’” When Debra first got to Kent State, she had only completed her associate degree in business from the University of Akron. Her boss in the Office of Diversity told her he couldn’t encourage students to get their degrees without urging her to get her own. “He was like, ‘I’m determined to help you see this through,’ and I said, ‘OK.’” she said. “At one point, I was working full time, and I was taking 18 credit hours.” When she moved to the presi-
dent’s office, she was determined to get her degree. She thought she’d take her time, though. “I thought, ‘Oh, I don’t have to get A’s all the time,’” she said. “But the president was like ‘Oh, I’m going to have to see your grades.’ And I’m like, ‘what?’ But it really kept me on track because I had to show the president my grades.” Debra graduated in 2008, a semester before her daughter graduated from the accelerated nursing program. “At graduation, I wanted to be the last one to walk across the stage because I figured I was the last one to finish,” she said. “I figured everyone had done the four-year plan and I had done the 26-year plan.” So Debra was the final one to cross and Lefton hugged her and all of the deans came down to congratulate her. “I really never thought that I would do it because sometimes you get this far in life and in your career, and it’s like, ‘What difference does it make?’” she said. “But it was a sense of accomplishment.” Debra said she thinks people don’t often see the side of Lefton that she does. She said if she could say anything to students, she would ask they attempt to see how he tries to make himself available and accessible to everybody. “Sometimes people will see him walking across campus, and they say, ‘Well, he didn’t speak to me,’” she said. “He’s probably rehearsing the speech he’s about to give, or he’s trying to remember items that he’s going to tell me about so I can get the correspondents.” Debra said she wants people to remember that Lefton is a man. He’s a dad, he’s a grandfather and that he has feelings. “I’d like to see people remember that and respect that,” she said. “Again, I understand the position of his office, but he’s still a person.” Contact features reporter Allison Smith at asmith75@kent.edu. React to this story and more at KentWired.com
Local rap artist Stalley ‘does it big’ Cassandra Adams
Daily Kent Stater His laugh makes the rap artist instantly accessible — even over the phone and nearly 430 miles away. Stalley is known for the music video “Do it Big” along with the Cool Kids and Ski Beatz, which was recently featured on MTV. But to his friends and family he is Kyle Myricks. Originally from Massillon, Stalley said a music career was what he was meant for, even though he didn’t always know it. “It’s always something I dreamed about doing, but growing up I was more into sports,” Stalley said. When a foot injury left him unable to pursue a basketball scholarship at University of Michigan, Stalley quit both school and sports and moved back home. While home, Stalley began focusing intensely on his music career and decided to move to New York City. When his friend who had opened a studio in New York City begged Stalley to come in and record, he refused at first. Eventually Stalley relented and free-styled
at the studio — receiving positive reactions. “That’s when I really began putting my head down to it,” Stalley said. Stalley did a six-track with his friend and got his big break when they took it into a store that rapper Mos Def came into. Once Mos Def heard the tracks, he immediately assured Stalley of a future in the music business, causing a domino effect. “That when I started doing shows in Montreal, London, Paris, local New York and Brooklyn. I was writing music a lot at that time,” Stalley said. The big transition to New York City was one he explores in his music. Stalley said his first album was more of a free style, allowing himself to “zone out.” The second album, “The Autobiography,” is more “in depth and focused on a concept.” Stalley credits his success to the guys from the neighborhood who watched out for him, making sure he stayed out of trouble and followed his passions. “A lot of my inspiration from my music comes from them,” Stalley said. Stalley offered his own advice
photo submitted
to aspiring artists. “The advice I would give ‘em is be yourselves as an artist,” he said. “Some rap, sing, draw — you’re an artist. Whatever your vision is, don’t be scared. Say and do what you feel. Be yourselves and you’ll be successful, being happy with yourself is the important part.” For Stalley, living New York City’s fast-paced lifestyle has its pros and cons. “It can be fun or stressful,”
Stalley said. While Stalley doesn’t plan on moving back to Ohio anytime soon, he did hint at a possible performance at Kent State if the opportunity arose. Contact features correspondent Cassandra Adams at cadams35@kent.edu. React to this story and more at KentWired.com
Students bring international flair to residence halls Kelley Stoklosa
Daily Kent Stater Bo Zhao and Jelena Hotic don’t have much in common. But Zhao, a freshman financial mathematics major from China, and Hotic, a junior political science major who moved to the United States from Serbia at age 6, have plenty to talk about when they meet for lunch each week. The unlikely pair were introduced through Koonce International Mentorship a few months ago and have since become great friends. Koonce International Mentorship was created by Resident Hall Director Eron Memaj in an effort to help international students become more familiar with American culture and for domestic students to learn about the many different cultures of their classmates. Memaj experienced the challenges of an international student when he came from Albania to the United States. “It’s not easy with no family, no culture, you can’t communicate well, and on top of all of that, study,” he said. The group pairs a domestic student with an international
student to meet at least once a week. During their meetings, pairs exchange stories about their respective cultures, help each other with problems and international students have the opportunity to practice their English-speaking skills. Koonce International Mentorship also hosts group activities several times a month. Activities are meant to educate and entertain members and have either an international or American focus. Events include international movie nights, dinners at Ray’s in downtown Kent and sporting events. In the fall, Koonce International Mentorship participated in the Homecoming parade. Many international students had never experienced the uniquely American celebration. The group was very proud to have won best float in the residence hall category. The group tries to take advantage of any potential learning opportunity to help international students become better adjusted. Simple things like using Facebook can help with English and keeping in touch with mentors. “I post weekly events on our Facebook page so everyone can invite their friends. It’s been a
good tool,” said Chrissy Francisco, director of public relations. Memaj and Carrie Circosta, president of Koonce International Mentorship, see how international and domestic students have grown through the program since it’s start in Fall 2009. Circosta finds it incredibly rewarding to help students break down barriers, she said. Ali Kapucu, junior computer technology major, recalled how overwhelmed he was during a volleyball game shortly after arriving from Turkey. Kapucu had very little experience speaking English and was worried about how people would respond to him. Memaj and Circosta encouraged Kapucu to join Koonce International Mentorship and Kent Interhall Council, which he said has helped make him more comfortable in his new environment. Kapucu now holds leadership roles in both groups and is making new friends all the time. Despite it’s name, Koonce International Mentorship is open to students on and off campus. The group wanted a name that would “relate ourselves after people doing good things,” Memaj said. Koonce International Men-
torship felt appropriate because Koonce Hall is the only building on campus named after a student, Judy Koonce, who died saving a life. Memaj finds inspiration from the picture of Judy Koonce hanging outside his office in Koonce Hall. Recently, the group has hosted Turkey and Chinese nights, which has helped draw in more students. The nights, which focused on Turkish and Chinese culture through food, entertainment and history, drew 250 people. There are more than 57 members in the group. Circosta said they are happy to see so many students signing up to be either a mentor or mentee. Koonce International Mentorship would never turn someone away, Memaj added. “We are inclusive of everyone. We are all international here,” Memaj said. Contact features correspondent Kelley Stoklosa at kstoklos@kent.edu. React to this story and more at KentWired.com
Cassandra Adams | Daily Kent Stater
English Studies professor Kevin Floyd engages his class in a discussion about the play “Dutchman” by Amiri Baraka.
English studies professor brings literature to life Cassandra Adams
Daily Kent Stater With his arms crossed over a polo shirt while casually leaning back in his desk and smirking, Kevin Floyd looks more like one of his students than a professor. Swiftly scanning the circular chair setup he requested earlier, Floyd clears his throat and cuts his students’ chatter, indicating he’s ready to begin discussion. “So, I’m obviously curious of your initial thoughts of the play,” Floyd says in a slight southern drawl. This ignites a 75-minute discussion on controversial subjects of sex, race, gender, insanity and society. A ping-pong match of questions and answers fuel student involvement, as hands shoot up simultaneously. Floyd manages to sustain the conversation and student attention with eye contact, humor and sarcasm. “He’s putting up with her racial slurs because he wants to get laid?” Floyd asks, leaning in and wringing hands around an imaginary ball. “Is that what’s going on?” Floyd said he chooses literary works to discuss, like the play “Dutchman” by Amiri Baraka, because they are challenging and “don’t settle down.” Students who have taken Floyd’s classes know he isn’t afraid to step on toes. “I want to challenge students to think outside of the box and have thoughts they never occurred to have,” Floyd said. “There’s pressure on the university to apply knowledge and often can turn into just means to an end, humanities seem to be the last to resist and that knowledge is the end itself,” he said. Floyd grew up in Denton, Texas and pursued his undergraduate degree from North Texas University, but had no clue what he wanted to do. “I majored in business, it was the Reagan 80s and everyone wanted to make money,” Floyd said. But after taking some finance courses, Floyd realized it wasn’t for him. “I quickly decided if I have to do this the rest of my life, I’ll shoot myself,” Floyd said. Floyd said he took courses with “an amazing literary professor” for three consecutive semesters and knew he wanted to get his Ph.D. in English and teach at the college level. After receiving a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa in English in 1998, Kent State offered him a job.
Favorite quote: “Literature raises q u e s t i o n s , d o e s n ’t answer them” n Favorite show: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart n Favorite Authors: William Faulkner, Philip K. Dick nFavorite Band: Guided by Voices, “Any of your readers who know them are cool,” Floyd said. nHobby: Work n Interesting fact people don’t know: “My apartment’s a mess.” n D o you talk about religion or politics? Politics — “It’s unavoidable.” n
Using an unconventional approach and trademark phrases such as “Look at the text,” “We can talk about this” and “Flesh that out for me,” Floyd has definitely left an impression on his students. “I loved his class,” said Sebastian Milardo, junior Soviet studies major. “He values everyone’s opinions. There’s no right answer — including his. He understands his might not be the same as ours.” “I thought he was knowledgeable, and I liked his class,” sophomore English major Kara Bindus said. “My literature classes this semester definitely show he’s more knowledgeable than other professors. And he covers different forms,” “His classes were always interesting and he did a great job of making the material interesting to the class (at least to me),” junior English major Cody Hays said. “I think he’s probably my favorite professor I’ve taken at KSU. His classes are not a walk in the park, and that’s great because at least we know we’re getting our money’s worth. He’s a fantastic educator.” Students said they enjoyed Floyd’s class for the simple fact that he listened to their opinions. “You got heard,” Milardo said. Contact features correspondent Cassandra Adams at cadams35@ kent.edu. React to this story and more at KentWired.com
Page B4 | Thursday, March 18, 2010
Daily Kent Stater
Aviatik’s ‘Reconstruction/Deconstruction’ Band’s CD release party Friday at Outpost Nicole Hennessy
Daily Kent Stater “Check it out man,” said Kevin Gerity, Aviatik’s guitar player, as he pulled a CD out of a cardboard box. Depicted on its black and red cover, a pilot stares out over the skyline of a city and “Reconstruction/ Deconstruction” lurks near the bottom where a gravestone juts out of the ground. “It’s a concept album about a failed revolution in a 20th-century totalitarian regime,” said Michael Watson, lead singer, keyboardist and guitarist. The figurative government of the album, which the band insisted has nothing to do with America’s present government, was the result of an unsuccessful revolution, which led to corruption. In Watson’s basement-turnedstudio, the framed album hangs on the wall in the tracking room
above a progress board on which everything is checked off, implying completeness. The two-disk set contains intricate, layered electric and acoustic pieces. When the two fuse together in the same song, the result is what Watson refers to as “bizarre hybrids.” Visible from the tracking room is the cramped, gray space where the band plays. A piece of duct tape stuck to Gerity’s gold, glittery guitar reads, “Thanks Les!” He tunes it, attentively strumming each chord. Michael Hausknecht taps cymbals and drums in almost melody and Alex Herman strums his bass just once. A sticker on Hausknecht’s drum set asks, “What is an Aviatik?” Aviatiks, which are fighter planes from World War I, “were so crappy they would fall apart in midair,” Watson said as he explained how it relates to the theme of an “upward struggle against insurmountable odds” and “dehumanization.” The band said they are not trying
Submitted by band
to be political. It’s “politics as a metaphor,” Herman said of the album’s concept, “for human interaction.” Watson interjected. “Ready?” Watson asks the rest of the band as they finish tuning their instruments. “Once I had friends,” he begins to
sing, his voice interweaving with the music. “That’s over now.” Aviatik will be premiering their new CD at 8 p.m. tomorrow at The Outpost. Tickets are $5 for individuals 21 and older and $7 for those under 21. Contact features reporter Nicole Hennessy at nhenness@kent.edu
Style Eye on Kent Remah Doleh Fashion has become increasingly important in our society. Despite the downward economy, more young fashion designers are emerging as people are becoming more aware of the importance of fashion. These young designers are getting more support than ever. Designers such as Richard Chai, Bensoni and Rag & Bone are examples of the up-and-coming designers who are getting the critics’ thumbs-up. Their designs are avant-garde and innovative; they produce a fresh taste in the market and bring something new to our closets. Young designers are the most influential talents in the fashion industry. They create clothes we actually want to wear and not some over-the-top, crazy piece that we could never imagine putting on. These young designers know style isn’t just clothes that are thrown together, but yet a symbol of our personality, which express who we are. They’re designs are different. Who says looking different is a bad thing?
It’s called originality. Billal Assad, or Buddy B as his friends call him, is a junior business administration major and the Style Eye of the week. Mixing patterns is very risky and hard to pull off. Assad, with ease, mixed his red plaid shirt with his gray and white plaid skinny tie, both working in perfect harmony. I admire his willingness to be unconventional with his style. His individuality and character shine through his clothes. Define style. Looking good and being comfortable at the same time. Style is you, meaning, it should define who you are and no one else. Do you have any style icons? Definitely, Kid Cudi and Kanye West. I believe they’re trendsetters. How do you keep you style original? I mix my flavor with present trends without following the hype. I like standing out and playing with colors and patterns. So then you try to stand out of the crowd? Most definitely! I like turning heads, that’s when you know your style is unique and different. Explain what you are wearing. I’m wearing my gray Nike Air Yeezy with a pair of 511 blue Levi
Photo by Remah Doleh
jeans. I’m also wearing a red plaid shirt paired with my gray and white plaid skinny tie. I also like to accessorize with my black cutless gloves, my Louis Vuitton coin
pouch and my black Yankees hat.
Contact Style Eye columnist Remah Doleh at rdoleh@kent.edu.