The Burr Spring 2012 Issue 2

THE

SPRING 2012 ISSUE 2

WAITING

FOR THE ONE THROW A KILLER PARTY

ROBERT WOOD: THE MAN BEHIND THE GRUFF

HAVE FUN UNDER 21

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CONTENTS

THE BURR SPRING 2012 ISSUE 2

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Masthead From the Editor Fine-Tune Flaunt Fit Feature Faith Food Fun Last Shot

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Dead Beats You won’t admit your love for these tunes.

Ideal Idols Stereotypical singers try to make it big.

Local Looks Get a glam Hollywood look from local shops.

Showy Seniors Gaze over these gowns designed by a KSU senior.

Walking in the Wild Take a hike with Kent State’s Adventure Club.

Diet Debate When the consequences outweigh the loss.

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24 28

Cover illustration by Thomas Song

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32 52 32 36 42 44

Something New Abstinence isn’t just something old.

FU-Bob A look into the life of a Kent State legend.

Arab Spring Staying faithful to social justice.

Bewitched Spells and cards instead of prayers.

46 Spirited Talk Local church channels the dead.

52 A La Carte Murder is on the menu tonight.

56 Better Beer Step up your game when choosing a brew.

60 Underage Activities Alcohol-free plans for fun.

62 1980s Night This roller rink will rock your weekend.

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THE

231 Franklin Hall Kent State University Kent, Ohio 44242 burr.ksu@gmail.com 330-672-2947 TheBurr.com

RABAB AL-SHARIF Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor JENNIFER SHORE Assistant Editors LEIGHANN MCGIVERN,

RACHEL JONES Art Director KELLY LIPOVICH Photo Editor THOMAS SONG Web Editor REBECCA REIS

ART

Assistant Designers MATT CLANEY,

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ALYSSA DEGEORGE, CATHERINE ZEDELL, LEAH PERRINO, ANASTASIA KAZMINYKH, BRYAN HAAG, RACHAEL CHILLCOTT

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Copy Desk Chief KELLY TUNNEY Copy Editors AUBREY SMITH, ZACK BAER, WHITNEY GIBSON,

RACHEL CAMPBELL

PROMOTIONS

Promotions Team Leader MORGAN WRIGHT Promotions Team REBECCA CAMPBELL, MEGAN CONFER

ADVERTISING

Advertising Manager TAMI BONGIORNI Advertising Sales TOM GRASSO Advertising Designer DKS COMPOSITION DEPARTMENT

BUSINESS

Business Manager LORI CANTOR Production Manager CHRIS SHARRON Adviser JACQUELINE MARINO The Burr is an independent publication at Kent State University created for and by students. It publishes twice each semester.

This magazine was made possible with the support of Campus Progress, a project of the Center for American Progress, online at CampusProgress.org.

Visit CampusProgress.org! Our sponsor’s website offers hard-hitting journalism, analysis and multimedia on issues of the greatest concern to young people.

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FROM THE EDITOR WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE IN? Is it staying abstinent until you find “the one?”

Or maybe you’ve devoted your energy to protesting and fighting social injustice like so many all over the world. Perhaps you look to spells or spirits for answers.

This issue is all about faith. Whether you put yours in a higher being, an important cause or a night out with friends, there’s something in it for you.

Take an adventure with a group of thrillseeking students or weigh the consequences of fad diets. Throw a “killer” murder mystery party for all of your friends or brush up on your beer drinking. If you aren’t 21, don’t worry because we’ve got you covered with 12 ways to party without any alcohol.

If you are looking to get a little more serious, you can check out our cover story about three students who have chosen to say “no” until they say “I do.”

Meet a local icon, artist Robert Wood, who most people knew of but few people really knew.

No matter what you put your faith in, I hope you believe strongly in something, because everyone needs to have a little faith in something.

RABAB AL-SHARIF editor-in-chief

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fine-tune

Cleveland Concerts Whether you’re into small bars or big crowds, you’re bound to find some tunes to groove along to this summer. For a list of summer concerts in the area check out concertboom.com/cleveland/2012.

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15 SONGS YOU WON’T ADMIT YOU LOVE

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6. “Barbie Girl” by Aqua

7. “Wannabe” by Spice Girls

Admit it. We all wish we looked like Barbie. While that might not be reality for most of us, we can still picture ourselves living in a Barbie dream house with a hunky plastic man by our side when we hear this song. It’s obvious why this song made the list. “It’s fantastic!”

The Spice Girls are the ultimate symbol of girl power, and this song brings us back to the prime of our childhoods. Whether you wanted to be Baby, Ginger, Sporty, Scary or Posh, this song was the anthem of ‘90s sleepover parties, and we know it still makes you wanna “ziggazig-ah!”

8. “Baby” by Justin Bieber

9. “Blue (Da Ba Dee)” by Eiffel 65

What is it about a pre-pubescent boy from Canada that has the power to drive millions of teenage girls — and their mothers — wild? Even the gods can’t explain it, but we all secretly wish the Biebs was our “baby.”

For a brief period of time in the ‘90s you couldn’t go anywhere without hearing this song. We don’t think anyone ever figured out what it was about, but we’re still hypnotized by the Italian pop trio’s nonsensical lyrics, even if we still like to change them to “if I was green, I would die.”

words JUSTINE STUMP

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1. “The Sign” by Ace of Base

10. “Ice Ice Baby” by Vanilla Ice 11.“Sexy and I Know It” by LMFAO Admit it. We’re all a little vain, and this song is perfect to help us get our “wiggle, wiggle, wiggle” on. Who else but LMFAO could walk into a restaurant with “no shoes, no shirt” and still get service?

3.

Before Slim Shady became the face of white rappers, there was Vanilla Ice. Yes, we know he supposedly stole his hook from Queen’s “Under Pressure,” but imagine what he would have come up with on his own. You may say you hate this song, but somehow know all the words.

12.

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e all have those songs in our music library that we can only hope don’t come on shuffle when our friends are around. Whether you blast them in the privacy of your dorm room If you’ve never belted out that you “saw the sign,” or when you’re driving alone in the car, don’t despite not knowing what the hell “the sign” is, then listen in shame. Some songs just make you you’re truly missing out. happy, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

2.

“Do You Know? (The Ping Pong Song)” by Enrique Iglesias

“Love You Like A Love Song” by Selena Gomez & the Scene

There’s nothing like a Latino crooner with a name like Enrique Iglesias to make the girls — and guys — go wild, especially with the addition of a ping-pong match at the beginning. He made us dance back in 2001, and he’s been our “Hero” ever since.

Leave it to a Disney Channel star to write a love song about love songs. The future Mrs. Bieber has somehow managed to capture our hearts with her overly repetitive song, and we just keep hitting repeat-peat-peat-peat-peat.

4.

5. “Hey Ya!” by Outkast

“...Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears

From a shaved head to her white-trash marriage to Kevin Federline, we love to hate the princess of pop, and it all started here. With her pigtails, short pleated skirt and knotted dress shirt, boys would never be able to look at Catholic schoolgirls the same again.

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“Don’t try to fight the feeling,” you just gotta “shake it like a Polaroid picture” when you hear this song.

We have to admit we miss Andre 3000 and his zany wardrobe choices. Whatever happened to them, anyway?

“Hollaback Girl” by Gwen Stefani

“Party in the U.S.A.” by Miley Cyrus

Any song that entertains and teaches you to spell at the same time is a win win in our book. We still don’t really know what a “hollaback girl” is or even why Gwen Stefani is so obsessed with Harajuku girls, but this song is still “B-A-N-A-N-A-S!”

It’s the ultimate anthem about being an American. Oh, you thought that was “The Star Spangled Banner?” EH! Wrong. “So put your hands up” ‘cause we’re not going to let the fact that Hannah Montana sang this song stop us from liking it.

It’s a tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme: a classic love story between a skater boy and a ballerina that rivals even the greatest Nicholas Sparks novels. Eat your hearts out Noah and Allie.

While we weren’t entirely sure that the Hanson brothers were actually boys, that didn’t stop us from fighting with our friends over who was Zach’s true soul mate. This is one song that you don’t have to worry about forgetting the lyrics to plus what’s not to like?

14. “Sk8er Boi” by Avril Lavigne 15. “MMMBop” by Hanson

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Dewyze

IDOL STEREOTYPES

Each season of American Idol opens the door to new faces and personalities, but there are always a few contestants who fall into the stereotypes we’ve seen over and over again.

words ALYSSA DEGEORGE

Hung

Lambert

James 12 THE BURR SPRING 2012

THE SUCKY ONE

These contestants don’t make it to Hollywood, but they do get on TV. They sing obnoxiously off-key, jumble the words and overdo the long notes. If we’re lucky, we’ll even get to see some outrageous dance moves. Although it’s hard to believe any of these people actually think they can sing, they are oh-so entertaining. You have to give them credit for being fearless with the judges laughing in their faces.

Sometimes that confidence can pay off. The most famously bad American Idol contestant, William Hung, has released two albums and appeared on talk shows since his audition in 2004.

WILLIAM HUNG - Season 3 STEVEN “RED” THOEN - Season 6 GENERAL LARRY PLATT [Pants on the Ground] - Season 9

fine-tune THE YOUNG ONE

American Idol allows contestants to be between the ages of 15 and 28, so there are always those prodigal, young contestants who wow the audience every time they sing. How can that big sound be coming from someone with such an unassuming stature?

They’re adorably innocent and hard to say, “No,” to because of their unnaturally professional poise for someone so young.

Everyone on the show loves their personalities, and these contestants’ helicopter families are there for support every time they perform. Watch out, Justin Beiber.

SANJAYA MALAKAR - Season 6 DAVID ARCHULETA - Season 7 ALLISON IRAHETA - Season 8

THE PRETTY ONE

These Idols aren’t always fantastic singers, per se, but they have the look down. The judges can’t help flirting with them and making suggestive comments. But who wouldn’t? These contestants work the stage and have an aura around them that makes us want to keep them in the running. The 13-year-old girls voting extends the stay of these contestants because to these fans, “the pretty one” encapsulates what an American Idol should be. They’ll be able to comfortably rely on their seductive smile for a while, but eventually that won’t be enough.

Regardless, there is no shortage of shock the night they are voted off.

THE AVERAGE JOE

These contestants are waitresses, hamburger flippers or construction workers. They are everyone’s best friend, and the judges insist it’s unbelievable they haven’t made it big yet. Their coworkers and friends had to force them to audition. The hardworking nature of “the average joe” helps them grow significantly and push to do better each week.

These contestants are humble and genuinely thankful for the opportunity to perform. They represent the epitome of the American Dream.

BUCKY COVINGTON – Season 5 LEE DEWYZE - Season 9 CASEY ABRAMS - Season 10

THE TOO HIP ONE

These Idols are artists misunderstood. They are edgy and extremely talented, reaching the over-the-top world of Lady Gaga and Katy Perry. They often miss out on votes that are cast for “the pretty one” or “the average joe.”

The judges give them a standing ovation and encourage them to show off their ability to sing a wide range of musical styles. For these contestants, talent and natural ability to perform on stage set them above what we would expect from an amateur. We all know “the too hip one” is going to get a record deal whether we vote for them or not.

ADAM LAMBERT - Season 8 SIOBHAN MAGNUS - Season 9 JAMES DURBIN - Season 10

THE SOB STORY

Then they get you. Somehow while watching the search for the next big pop star, the tables turn and you’re on the verge of tears. These contestants have been through so much. Despite a rough childhood, a terrible accident or a recent death, singing is something that’s always helped them make it through. But at this point, we don’t really care if they can sing. They deserves a chance to have their dreams come true.

Plus, we couldn’t stand to see the adorable grandma who’s rooting for them get her heart broken.

At this point, we don’t really care if they can sing.

They deserve a chance to have their dreams come true.”

KELLIE PICKLER - Season 5 CRYSTAL BOWERSOX - Season 9 CHRIS MEDINA - Season 10

HALEY SCARNATO - Season 6 CASEY JAMES - Season 9 JULIE ZORRILLA - Season 10 Bowersox

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flaunt Looking Local photos THOMAS SONG

Everything you need for a glamorous look is right around the corner. To prove it, all the elements for this shoot were supplied locally.

The clothes are from Zelio NOTO, a small shop tucked away next to Musica in Akron.

The jewelry is from Michelle Pajak-Reynolds, a KSU alumna, who recently showed her jewelry at Mercedes­-Benz Fashion Week in New York.

The hairstylist, Danielle Victory, is the owner of Enzo’s Salon in North Royalton.

Finally, the location is none other than the historic Akron Civic Theater.

Location: Akron Civic Theater Clothing: Zelio NOTO Jewelry: Michelle Pajak-Reynolds Hair and makeup: DJ Victory SPRING 2012 ISSUE 2 15

flaunt

flaunt

Lumiere Dress $25 Snake Silver Belt $15 “Crystalline” necklace, pearls, sterling silver, glass beads, $450

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Pink Martini Aphrodite Dress $65 “Fallen Trees Bracelets” [set of four] 24k gold leaf, wood, $95 each

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flaunt

Senior Showcase Each year, fashion students create original designs in hopes of being chosen for the Fashion School’s annual fashion show. This collection of wedding gowns is just one that will be featured on the runway April 21. photos THOMAS SONG

Ione Fuzzell Fashion Design Major, 22 The concept for Fuzzell’s collection is based on the idea of a traditional wedding gown being a symbol of virginity. Because most brides are not traditional when they get married, in the sense that they’re usually not virgins, she wanted to create a new take on the wedding dress.

Inspired by the ethereal whimsy of Vera Wang wedding dresses, she decided to add subtle color that is camouflaged when the dress is static. She did this by adding applications, laser cut as not to waste any fabric, over the hints of color. “When you walk they kind of flutter away to create this element of color,” she said.

She worked on designing, experimenting and finally sewing the collection for more than a year, but her hard work paid off when her collection was chosen for the fashion show.

“The process is long and strenuous,” she said. “But it’s definitely worth it.”

Hair and makeup: DJ Victory 18 THE BURR SPRING 2012

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fit

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Healthy Competition Think you can pump more iron than anyone at KSU? Well here’s your chance to prove it.

The Kent State Recreation and Wellness Center is holding a bench press competition from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 21 in the Multipurpose Gym. Beat your opponents pound-for-pound and win a prize.

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Members of the Kent State Recreation and Wellness Center’s Adventure Center endure brisk weather and steep hills in Chapin Forest.

In tennis shoes, hiking boots, snow boots, Timberland-style work boots and moccasins, a group of Kent State students makes a circle in the pavilion, hoping to get some warmth from the fireplace nearby. The variety of shoes is telling of the personalities wearing them. It’s an unexpected assortment about to embark on a hike together on a chilly day in Kirtland, Ohio’s Chapin Forest.

The leader sums up the attitude well: “We’re a family today, whether we ever see each other again or not.”

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The culture of adventure words ALYSSA DEGEORGE photos CHELSIE CORSO

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he hike is Plan B to a cross-country skiing day trip on a snowless Saturday in February. Ten Kent State students and two student leaders drive an hour north in a van provided by the Adventure Center to explore these trails, which are part of the Lake Metroparks. The day starts off with a short walk around the ski center and an icebreaker activity to learn names. As the group of college students tosses around soft red and green balls that they may not have seen since kindergarten, the smiles on their faces show that each of them is starting to loosen up. Josh Rasmussen, a graduate student in communication studies and one of the trip leaders, has also taught teambuilding classes for professionals. He said that in addition to providing introductions, this activity teaches communication skills that may be helpful as they climb over rocks or pass overhanging tree branches. Everyone needs to care for one another like family today in the woods.

The calm of the middle of the forest does create a subtle bond among the group. They chat as they follow the leaders over fallen trees and trickling streams. After all, they have one thing in common: everyone here chose to spend his or her day getting out of Kent and escaping into nature.

Kent State runs rock climbing, backpacking, skiing, snowboarding, archery and kayaking programs through the Student Recreation and Wellness Center’s Adventure Center.

Students and community members of all skill levels challenge themselves at lessons, trips and open sessions geared around these individual, but group-oriented, controlled-risk activities.

For many, it’s about trying something new, while for others it’s a devotion to testing their limits. The Adventure Center’s core group of regulars is made up of problem-solvers, thrill-seekers and nature-lovers.

Students who participate with the Adventure Center get the chance to do things that most people never do, said Rudy Armocida, senior health and physical education major and Adventure Center employee.

On a Sunday evening Armocida enjoys a couple extra hours of weekend relaxation with the Kayak Club. The natatorium of the Rec is humid and warm and the echoes of splashing water mix with music coming through the speakers and the smell of chlorine. Half of the pool is open for Armocida and others to

paddle around in whitewater kayaks provided by the Adventure Center. People passing by look on in confusion and curiosity at the members of the kayak club upside down and underwater with the bottom of their boats floating on the surface. A swift move of the paddle rolls the boat around, allowing Armocida to splash up from his submerged state. He makes it look effortless, but it’s not. They’re preparing for the cold, rushing waters of rivers that will inevitably flip their boats. Dan Dzurec, the kayak club president, explained that it could take an hour to recover a boat once it’s flipped. Knowing how to roll in the kayak provides a much more efficient solution to overcoming the rough water.

The kayakers practice different “play boating” moves and pause to talk with each other in between. The atmosphere is relaxed and Dzurec likes to keep it that way so that people can work on what they want to learn. Armocida uses his paddle and the weight of his body to push the kayak into a position that seems to imitate falling from a waterfall— the back of the boat high in the air and the front diving underwater. The boat becomes an extension of his body. Although it takes commitment, learning these skills in the warmth of the indoor pool can make the experience on the whitewater river much more enjoyable.

Making a Stride Meg Petroski, a graduate student, got involved with the Adventure Center after climbing at the wall and backpacking and kayaking on the spring break trip to Georgia. Since then, she has spent a lot of her time bouldering (a type of climbing closer to the ground and without a rope) at the climbing wall, kayaking in the Cuyahoga and expanding her leadership skills at a team-building clinic. She likes the way these sports challenge her both mentally and physically.

“I think it builds a lot of character,” she said. “You find yourself a lot. You understand your limits and you get to know what you can accomplish, what you can’t and what you have the potential to do. It really shows you that you’re a lot stronger than you think you are. You have a lot more talent than you think you do.”

Eric Saul, freshman aeronautical systems engineering major, likes the adrenaline rush.

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fit

fit The climbing wall and rental center

We’re 50 percent adventure seeking, 25 percent friendliness and another 25 percent crazy.”

“It gets into your blood,” he said. “It’s really an addiction.”

On a free climbing Friday night at the wall, Wilder Iglesias, a graduate student and Adventure Center employee, ties a purple climbing rope to his harness using a figure-eight knot that will ensure his safety on the 35-foot wall. Saul is hooked in to the other side of the rope, prepared to belay; but right now he’s giving pointers to another climber bouldering to the side.

Iglesias starts up the wall. As he reaches an area of difficulty, he extends his body as far as he can — both arms straight above his head and his legs spread wide with his body pressed close to the wall. “Nice!” Kimihiko Konno, an exchange student from Japan, yells enthusiastically from the mat below. But on the next move Iglesias lets out a cry of frustration and falls to the ground — safely supported by the rope. “Yeah, you have to use your body like this,” Konno said as he turns his hips to the side.

“Every route you’re climbing is like a puzzle and you have to solve that route for you because you have to adjust it for your body,” Iglesias said later as he sits Indian-style on the ground watching other climbers push and pull up the wall.

This highlights the individual aspect of the sport, but Iglesias never climbs alone. Someone else needs to be there to belay and to provide a perspective from the ground that can help him make safe decisions.

“The fun part about going with someone else is that people think differently,” Iglesias said. If someone has a different idea of how to climb the route, he or she can make suggestions and they can solve the puzzle together.

Beth Avram, senior geology major, said climbing with other people provides encouragement.

“You’re out there for yourself, but everybody’s there to support you,” she said. “When somebody makes a move that you think is impossible, then all of a sudden it’s not impossible anymore. There’s constant movement of the sport.”

Graduate student Mike McFall said it’s about having someone to share the joy any of the Adventure Center activities offer. A great day of paddling is even better when someone else can appreciate it with you.

Making friends With a shared passion for the sports that allow outdoor exploration, it’s easy to meet new people. In the first ten minutes of the hike in Chapin Forest, Masahiro Yamada, freshman exchange student from Japan, talks with a couple of the American students in the group. He said it’s usually hard to meet American students, but the seclusion of the forest and comfort of the group atmosphere made it easy to talk to people he wouldn’t normally approach. By the time the group reaches the destination of the overlook, the leaders are sharing stories of their experiences in other outdoor activities while some students wonder at the 26 THE BURR SPRING 2012

creation of the houses, hills and lakes in the scene below the cliff.

Everyone moves together to pose for a photo.

Konno first tried rock climbing just because he had never had the chance to do so before. He found the sport more interesting than any of the other activities he had tried and appreciated the friendliness of the group.

“When I came here, my climbing was terrible, but it was so interesting. Even if you climb the same wall, your moves can be different,” Konno said.

He also found that it was a good place to practice speaking the language. Konno wasn’t confident in his ability to converse in English when he first showed up.

“Nobody could understand what I said. This was the best place for me to study English,” Konno said. “There are many good people here.”

Making a family Most agree that there’s a culture to the core group of regulars who participate. Armocida describes them as “50 percent adventure seeking, 25 percent friendliness and another 25 percent crazy.” As they splash their kayaks around in the pool or trade tips at the climbing wall, the focus seen in their faces and the excitement in their demeanor show they belong where they are. They’re doing what they love and glad to have others around to share that with them.

For Petroski, the culture of the group is a large part of what she loves about adventuring. They’re willing to try anything, go out of their way to take care of each other and have a sustainable mindset.

“It’s the fraternity-sorority life without the fraternitysorority life,” she said. “Everybody takes care of everybody. If my car wouldn’t start, somebody’s down the road willing and able to help.”

Petroski said she’s even willing to trust the people she meets on trips right away. When Petroski climbs, she’s putting her life in the hands of the person on the ground holding the rope, whether she’s known them for five years or for five minutes.

“They embody the adventure sports,” Petroski said. “I get along with almost everyone, but they’re the only people I really want to spend time with. It’s a select group of people that really care. Most of us just want to graduate, win the lottery and adventure all day long.”

An incident at a fundraising event hosted by the New River Alliance of Climbers in May 2010 corroborated Iglesias’s affinity for other climbers. Iglesias and his girlfriend went to Fayetteville, W. Va. for the three-day event and planned to stay the following week of spring break. On the last day of the New River Rendezvous, Iglesias parked his car behind a dirt pile and walked to the climbing rocks. He later found out that

The climbing wall and rental center serve as the home base for the Adventure Center operations. The 35-foot climbing wall offers a chance for you to test your limits.

If you have experience climbing, take the Safety and Skills Test for unlimited free access to the wall. If you’d like to learn more about climbing, an Introduction to Climbing Clinic costs $15 and will teach you the skills you need to know to pass the Safety and Skills Test.

The rental center offers a wide variety of supplies including new tents and backpacks, bikes, kayaks, canoes and most camping equipment including cookware and sleeping bags. The rental prices are fairly cheap and equipment can be checked out for a day, weekend or week. The supplies can be checked out at the office next to the climbing wall.

Students wait to participate in a rock climbing competition at the Kent State Student Recreation and Wellness Center.

a guidebook had deemed this area unsafe to park due to the blocked view from the highway and a poor, rural neighborhood nearby. When Iglesias returned to his car, the passenger-side window was broken and all of the supplies and equipment they had packed for the week were gone — even the dirty laundry.

But the cops were already there thanks to a fellow climber who had seen what happened and taken initiative. The trip wasn’t ruined. A group of climbers who heard about the robbery shared their food and lent their equipment for the next week.

Although he was stuck wearing a short-sleeve blue, red and tan paisley button up shirt that he bought from Goodwill, Iglesias was still able to enjoy the week of climbing with his girlfriend and their new friends.

Whether on a cliffside, river or hilltop, these sports are about playing with nature and pushing the limits of your mind and body. But there’s something more to the group at the Adventure Center: the trust that develops when the encouragement of a friend pushes you to take the risk necessary to accomplish something you thought impossible. B

Adventure trips and instructional clinics

Hours:

Costs:

Open Monday through Thursday from 4 to 10 p.m.

Monday through Thursday: $4 to climb with the assistance of a staff member

Open Friday from 4 to 8 p.m.

Free on Friday Climbing shoes for rent: $2 Chalk bags for rent: 50 cents

TLC team building courses The Adventure Center runs a team building and leadership challenge class at least once a week. Through ropes courses and other activities, these classes help to enhance communication and build leadership in groups from the university, corporations and other schools. A reservation is required.

Crooked River Adventures canoe and kayak rentals From April to October, students and community members rent canoes and kayaks from the Adventure Center’s satellite facility in Tannery Park. In the two years that Crooked River Adventures has been opened, they’ve put over 5,000 people on the Cuyahoga River.

The Adventure Center offers day trips, weekend trips and a weeklong spring break trip to escape the monotonous life of classes or to just try something new. The price of these trips varies based on the activity. Equipment is provided in the cost and most trips are open to people with little or no experience.

Costs:

The instructional clinics include training in boat education, teambuilding, rock climbing and white water kayaking. They offer a valuable opportunity to learn from knowledgeable instructors or to get certified.

Reservations are required during the week.

The kayak club runs pool sessions for students to learn and practice the essential skills for whitewater kayaking in a safe, informal atmosphere.

Pool sessions: Fridays from 7 to 9 p.m.

Sundays from 6 to 8 p.m.

Kayaks to rent: $15 to $25 Canoes to rent: $20 to $40 Tubes: $5 per hour.

More information is available at www.kent.edu/crookedriver or by calling 330-541-7467.

Flashfleet bike sharing program The Flashfleet bike-sharing program is active from mid-March to mid-November. Sixty-two bikes are available at seven locations around campus for students to borrow for free with their flash card. Helmets and bike locks are also available.

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FAD DIETS: ARE THEY WORTH IT?

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This allows about 2,000 calories per day and is split into three phases. It focuses on low carbohydrate intake. The benefits are that it is a low-carb diet, and the foods are unprocessed. The problem is it’s high in saturated fat and contains artificial sweeteners. It’s also hard to find time to prepare the meals.

SPECIAL K DIET:

$

This two-week plan allows about 1,600 calories per day. This diet focuses on Special K cereal and Special K bars. The benefits are that it lowers cholesterol, improves memory and balances the intake of vitamins and minerals. But it’s boring and people gain weight after the two weeks are over.

Pounds

$$$

SOUTH BEACH DIET:

15 10 5

$$$ SOUTH BEACH

This diet is split into four phases of controlled carbs. It allows about 1,500 calories per day. The only benefit is that is gives quick results. The downside is that it’s a high fat diet.

ATKINS

FLAT BELLY

SPECIAL K

COOKIE

CAYENNE PEPPER

*Even though some of these amounts are guaranteed, results may vary.

$$ $

This allows 1,600 calories per day and is split into two phases. This diet focuses on a four-week plan that focuses on monounsaturated fatty acids. The only benefit is that it’s a quick fix.

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This 10-day cleanse focuses only on a drink made of water, organic lemon juice, organic Grade B maple syrup and cayenne pepper.

The benefits are that it eliminates toxins, cleans the kidneys and digestive system, purifies glands and cells and eliminates waste. The consequences are starvation and lack of sufficient nutrients.

ESTIMATED AMOUNT OF WEIGHT LOSS

words COURTNEY KERRIGAN

FLAT BELLY DIET:

$$

CAYENNE PEPPER DIET:

This meal replacement plan allows only 1,000 calories per day. The benefits are that it restricts calories and promotes portion control. However, it doesn’t teach healthy eating habits, it lacks fruits and vegetables and people gain weight after the diet is over.

Diets like the Special K Diet, the Cookie Diet and the Flat Belly Diet are just a few that basically encourage starvation and promote their own products. The South Beach Diet and Atkins Diet stick to phases of portion control, or starvation, and last for several weeks or months. These diets may be a quick fix to lose extra pounds, but according to Mayo Clinic, the consequences outweigh the weight loss.

ATKINS DIET:

$$

COOKIE DIET:

= fewer than 1,600 calories/day

$

= under $25

= 2,000 calories/day

= 1,600 – 1,999 calories/day

$$

= $26 – $30

$$$

= over $30

SPRING 2012 ISSUE 2 29

feature AD

Wedding Bells Sixty years ago, the median age of marriage was 20 years old. Today, that number is closer to 26, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

photo MCT CAMPUS SPRING 2012 ISSUE 2 31

WAITING FOR ‘I DO’ THREE KENT STATE STUDENTS REVEAL HOW THEY REMAIN ABSTINENT DESPITE COLLEGE PRESSURES words and photos LEIGHANN MCGIVERN

It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God. 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5

W

hen she was 17 years old, Lynsey Simonette fell in love. He was her best friend, her everything. He never pressured her to do it, and it was something she had wanted, too. It felt right because it was with him.

But as with many high school relationships, time brought changes. He went off to college while she was still in high school. He was starting a new life, and the distance took a toll on their relationship. By the time she was ready to go to college, they decided to call it quits.

But she was still in love. He had moved on, met someone else in college, and she thought that she should do the same.

She wanted to feel the way she did when she was with him, and she thought sex was the answer.

“I felt that I had to use sex as a way to feel loved after the first one ended,” she said. “I was trying to equate having sex with love, which is not true, and that’s how I would try to find love or purpose in a relationship.”

By the end of her freshman year, Simonette realized her coping mechanisms were not working. She began to talk to her friends about saving herself for marriage, but she wasn’t quite ready to make that commitment. She fell into an unhealthy relationship with a guy who was using her for sex. In October, she finally worked up the strength to end it. “Becoming closer to God,” she said, is what ultimately changed her mind.

Simonette’s choice to save herself for marriage is still a new one, she admits, and it’s not the first time she’s tried it. But this time, she said, it’s a promise.

Lynsey Simonette made the decision to wait to have sex until she’s married. Simonette is not a virgin, but finding God helped her choose abstinence.

32 THE BURR SPRING 2012

Simonette will be the first person to tell you she’s not one of those “born-again virgins.” Having sex is similar to annulling a marriage, she said matter-of-factly. “You can’t say that it didn’t happen.”

Tediously sketching out her latest design masterpiece — a colorful array of fruits and fruitcakes — Simonette, a visual communication design major, seems more than content to be an open book.

She isn’t what you’d expect from a religious college student:

If it weren’t for the cold weather, she’d be happy to roam the dorm hallways in Soffe shorts and a sports bra or beater, sporting her signature loose ponytail, which sits dependably off to the side of her head as she works.

Even though Simonette said taking sex out of the equation relieves a lot of pressure and complications in her life, the choice doesn’t come without its temptations. She realizes her decision is not an easy one, especially since she doesn’t have the excuse of virginity on her side. She knows not every guy she likes will understand her decision or be willing to wait for her, but she’s determined to hold her ground.

“I think that I probably will be really up-front about [my beliefs] in the first place,” she said. “I don’t want to deal with a guy who’s going to put that pressure on me or make me do something that I don’t want to.”

She makes the finishing touches to the deep red cherry on her page and smiles, “I know that when I am married, it will be worth it.”

It is Tuesday night in Prentice Hall, and a motley group of students are helping themselves to a table of snacks in the first floor lounge. Several clusters of people are gathered throughout the room, sitting on desks and exchanging hugs and laughs. If it weren’t for the obvious discrepancies in their appearances, you might think this was some sort of family reunion, and the Identity Project has become a family away from home for people like Simonette, who has begun to leaf through her Bible, turning to the chapters of discussion for that evening.

Her black leather Bible’s dog-eared corners and frayed pages are a testament to how much it’s been read. Simonette has drawn her own notes in the margins, and black underlines mark her favorite passages on each page, most of which she can recite for memory.

The room begins to quiet down as a middle-aged woman with blond hair makes her way to the front of the lounge, introducing herself as Darlene. She starts to assign Bible verses to people in the room, and hands shoot up in the air, enthuSPRING 2012 ISSUE 2 33

siastically volunteering to read them aloud. Tonight, they are covering Hebrews 9.

The Identity Project isn’t a typical Bible study, and most of its interpretations seem quite liberal, especially when it comes to what is and is not permissible as sin — its website aptly said the group is for “people who are not into church.” Despite its rather unconventional interpretation of the Bible and its teachings, Simonette said the group advocates abstinence but respects whatever decisions its members make.

While she said the group did encourage her to abstain from sex until marriage, it wasn’t the only reason she decided to make that choice for herself.

“I saw the damage that it was doing to me and the people that I was having sex with,” she said. “That was the reason for my decision.”

The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy recently determined 88 percent of unmarried Christians ages 18 to 29 have had sex, despite the general push for abstinence in most Christian denominations.

Dianne Kerr, who teaches a course on human sexuality, said fewer people are likely to remain abstinent when people are getting married much later in life than in the past.

“The problem is many people aren’t marrying now until they’re in their mid to late 20s, and it is not realistic for most people to wait to have sex until then,” she said. “In my grandmother’s day, you were called an ‘old maid’ if you weren’t married by 18.”

As the marriage age has increased, so too, Kerr said, has women’s sexual freedom. She said the introduction of the birth control pill in the 1960s has allowed women to have pre-marital sex without worrying about getting pregnant.

“I believe women should have choices about what they want to do with their own bodies,” she said. “Whether they want to have sex or wait is up to them.”

While Kerr said she isn’t one to push her beliefs on anyone else, she follows a “try before you buy” philosophy when it comes to pre-marital sex.

“What if you marry someone and you are entirely sexually incompatible?” she asks. “At least couples should talk about this before marriage if they want to wait until they are married to have sex.”

Hannah Iovine, another member of the Identity Project, said she isn’t worried about being sexually incompatible with the man she marries, despite being told by friends that she’s “missing out.”

“Some of my friends have tried to explain to me why I need to start getting experience,” she said. “I’ve also been told that I’ll be taking a risk by choosing to marry someone who I don’t know I’m sexually compatible with.”

Iovine said the idea of not knowing what to expect on her wedding night brings an added excitement to waiting.

“I’m not entirely sure what it’ll be like,” she wonders aloud. “I expect there will be a much greater amount of commitment and acceptance between my husband and I than if we were only dating. I’m guessing it will be some combination of awkward and wonderful. I can’t wait! But I will.”

From a young age, Iovine was taught and understood that sex was meant only for married couples, and it’s something she still believes as fully as her faith. She is currently in a committed relationship with another member of the Identity Project who shares her views on pre-marital sex.

“It helps that I’m focused less on ‘keeping the promise’ and more on building deep, meaningful relationships with my other friends along with my boyfriend,” she said. “My relationship with my boyfriend isn’t based on sex.”

Realizing she’s started to pigeonhole herself as a typical Christian college girl, she’s quick to remark that she’s “more of a Jesus freak than a religious church girl.”

Despite being raised in a traditional Baptist church, Iovine finds the rules associated with Christianity to be unnecessary to her beliefs and doesn’t like the negative connotations that come with being tied to a certain religion.

She doesn’t attend the same church as her parents anymore and has decided that being part of the Identity Project is the right fit for her.

“I get to learn a lot while also building relationships with a really unique and fun group of people,” she said.

Iovine tends to surround herself with like-minded people, she said, not because she doesn’t accept other people’s views, but simply because they are who she gravitates toward.

“Some of my other friends who choose not to abstain from sex in their relationships are skeptical yet respectful of my decision,” she said. “Others have expressed admiration. Overall, my friends are pretty respectful. After all, my abstinence doesn’t affect their personal lives.”

Despite the influences of outside opinions, Iovine said she hasn’t wavered in her decision to remain abstinent.

“I understand that people choose to live different lifestyles, whether I agree with them or not, and I don’t try to hold people to certain standards,” she said. “It helps me to have some physical boundaries defined from the start. Talking about these with my boyfriend and my other close friends helps keep us accountable, so some temptation is prevented. When things seem to be heading too far, I stop because I remember what I really want for our relationship. It helps a lot that my boyfriend is also on the same page.”

“The Roman Catholic Church’s position is well known, even by non-Catholics: Sex outside of marriage is not permissible,” said Mary Lynn Delfino, pastoral associate for campus ministry at the Newman Center. “Each of us, by virtue of our baptism, is called to live a life of chastity, and sexual acts committed outside of marriage violate the commitment to chastity that all men and women are called to. Catholics believe that sex is a beautiful thing and should be reserved for marriage, for it not only signifies the union of man and woman but also the union with God that is consecrated in the sacrament of matrimony.”

She cites several Bible passages to back up her words: Galatians 5:19-21, Colossians 3:5-9, Ephesians 5:3-5, the first of which reads, “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred,

What if you marry someone and you are entirely sexually incompatible?“

34 THE BURR SPRING 2012

Lynsey Simonette has scribbled notes on the pages of her Bible, deciphering the text and marking off her favorite passages.

discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” “I believe the Catholic Church’s wisdom regarding the beauty of sex and relationships has value in our society today because it reflects the inherent dignity of human persons, something which is greatly needed in a culture that increasingly objectifies bodies as something to be used,” she said.

Despite Delfino’s traditional views on sex outside of marriage, she understands that being abstinent isn’t as easy as listening to what was written in the Bible.

“To be sexual is to be human,” she said. “I would encourage those who choose to remain abstinent to work on having healthy friendships with people of their own gender and the opposite gender. Get involved in organizations that reflect the values you want to espouse.”

Josh Lozar, a friend of Simonette and fellow VCD major, said he hasn’t necessarily found an organization that fits exactly who he is as a Christian man, and sometimes it’s hard for other guys to understand his position on pre-marital sex.

“I consider myself straightedge, and I’m pretty proud of it,” he said about his commitment never to drink, smoke or do drugs. “I’ll still go to parties every now and then, but I’ll bring my own drinks or my friends will buy me some pop. If it comes down to it, I really don’t mind drinking water.”

Lozar, who sports Indie band tees and plaid flannels, plays the drums and almost always has a camera around his neck.

He is inherently more mild mannered then Simonette, but he’s perfectly willing to speak on behalf of his decision to remain abstinent — a decision he made when he was just 16 years old.

“I was raised in a Catholic household. I went to Catholic schools my entire life also,” he said. “I had no complaints; I actually liked being around religion.”

Even though he has a strong background in religion, Lozar said he didn’t make his choice based solely on his religious beliefs.

“It felt like the right decision for me, mainly because of religious reasons at the time, but over time I decided it was best for me,” he said. “I would also say my mom influenced my

decision a lot. She would talk about waiting, and I agreed with what she said.”

Unlike Simonette and Iovine, Lozar isn’t involved in any sort of campus ministry because he wants to focus on his schoolwork. In his free time, he tries to go to two or three concerts each month. As the music in the venues pulses through the speakers and into his ears, he said he begins to “escape.”

At these concerts, his religion doesn’t define him. At these concerts, “it’s easy.”

Lozar has found that being a Christian man in college can be more difficult than being a Christian woman in college.

Lozar has been the brunt of many jokes for his decision not drink, party or have sex, although he said it’s never gotten too out of hand.

“The trick is to just not let it get to you,” he said. “It happens, and I just have to stand my ground and tell people I stick to what I say.”

Even though he’s not ashamed of his beliefs, he doesn’t like to flaunt them by wearing any type of purity ring as a symbol of his abstinence. These, he feels, are “a way of saying, ‘I think that I’m better than somebody.’”

“I mean, if somebody is proud of their decision and they want to wear one, by all means, do it,” he said. “It’s just not something I would do.”

As far as dating, Lozar admits he doesn’t have much experience, but the girls he does date tend to respect his beliefs, even if they don’t share them. He said he has yet to be put into a compromising position where his morals could potentially be tested.

“The main thing I remember is that I made a decision, and I want to stick to it,” Lozar said. “I’d like to say I’d be able to stick with my decision and get myself out of the situation. It all depends. But yeah, I think I would be able to resist.”

Lozar realizes he’s not in the majority when it comes to the way he views pre-marital sex and other normal frivolities of college life, but he’s also the last one to judge anyone else for their decisions.

“I don’t look down on anyone,” he said. “Anybody can live life the way they want to as long as I get to live life the way I want to.” B SPRING 2012 ISSUE 2 35

Who was

Robert Wood?

Everyone knew who FU-Bob was, but few knew Robert Wood. He was the man who walked the streets of Kent and could be seen at any lecture or art event campus. He was infamous for an eccentric personality and bad behavior, yet somehow the community still embraced him. words RABAB AL-SHARIF photos THOMAS SONG

He preferred Robert

A digital print of a Photoshop portrait of Robert E. Wood by Jerome Bragg was donated to Wood’s archive. It can be seen at the FJKluth Art Gallery downtown.

A sleek mahogany frame that sat on the altar of the Kent Unitarian Universalist Church neatly contained a still moment of a man of whom few framed photographs existed. A whimsically twisted metal easel delicately displayed the modern frame.

The photograph behind the clean glass showed an untidy man with a wild, gray beard and long, uncombed hair. Gold wire glasses sit on his forehead revealing warm eyes encased in crows’ feet. The man in the photograph with the disorderly appearance was Robert Wood, a familiar face in Kent.

Robert was known around the city of Kent for many things; his cumbersome gray beard, his flipping the bird to motorists and his miles of walking. But behind the wild appearance and offensive behavior, was an intellectual artist with an expert memory and giving heart. Most Kent residents knew of Robert Wood, but few really got to know the man behind the gruff exterior.

Many knew him as Bob, and even more knew him as FU-Bob, but as his older brother Gary noted, he preferred to be called Robert. His father’s name was also Robert, but his mother had always called his father Bob and had he had always been Robert.

Next to the framed photograph sat two khaki fishing caps, worn from years of protecting his head from the elements as he trekked miles across Kent. A fragrant bouquet of colorful flowers rounded out the small display on the altar of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Kent, a shrine to remember the life of Wood who died at age 68 of a heart attack.

The small sanctuary rapidly filled up despite an unexpected snowstorm in an unseasonably warm Ohio winter. Almost 200 people came to pay their respects. Many silently awaited the service, some whispered and smiled recalling memories of Wood and children spoke to their parents in what they thought were whispers.

Guests wearing everything from dirty jeans to freshly pressed suits are ushered into the sanctuary by Christie Anderson, a manager at Kent Social Services, a place Robert frequented. “There’s a coat rack around the corner,” she repeated

over and over again with a polite smile. “There’s a guestbook if you’d like to sign it.”

Anderson, like many, first noticed Robert quietly sketching. It was 12 years earlier in the same church into which she invited his friends to celebrate his life. It wasn’t unusual to find him sketching or even painting during a church sermon, and not only at the Universalist Unitarian church. But Anderson was new to Kent, and the few times she had been to the church she had never noticed the unkempt man quietly drawing in the back.

It may have been because she normally sat in the front, but for this summer service all of the pews had been pushed aside to create room for dancing. The topic of the sermon was celebrating peace through different religious traditions, and the church-goers were invited to participate in a dance of universal peace.

While the 30 to 40 other people attending the service that day held hands in a circle and danced, Anderson opted to take a seat at the back of the church and watched. She wasn’t used to doing this kind of thing at church, and she didn’t really know anyone yet.

It was while everyone else danced to the music that she noticed a man furiously sketching in the back. He was only other person sitting in a pew. She found it strange that in the midst of a worship service he chose to sketch those around him, but it appeared that this didn’t seem abnormal to anyone but her.

None of the other members even seemed to take notice of the peculiar man.

After that, she noticed him walking all over town and soon realized that he was a regular at the church services, and eventually she spoke to him while he was selling his artwork at the church’s coffee hour.

Anderson bought a painting of a farmer in a field being followed by ducks from him. When she asked him about the painting, he said it was a peasant in Vietnam. She asked him if he had served in Vietnam and he hadn’t, but it was obvious to her that he read a lot about it because he opened up and told her all of the details of peasant life in Vietnam that had inspired SPRING 2012 ISSUE 2 37

One of Robert’s works, Figure Chiseling, was shown at a memorial gallery downtown at the FJKluth Gallery. A local art historian is working to catalogue his work.

the work.

“It made me realize at that point that there was just a whole lot more behind the man than met the eye,” she said.

Hell no, I’m a tourist Before he moved to Kent in the early 60s, Wood lived in a small town of about 10,000 just outside of Youngstown called Struthers. He grew up in the “Steel Valley,” where the lives of almost all of its residents were dominated by steel. His father worked for the Sharon Steel Corporation in semi-skilled job.

He oversaw the steel tempering process in the soaking pits at its Lowellville works about 10 miles from their home.

Robert and his older brother Gary, who is an associate professor of English at Towson University in Maryland, loved and respected their father for his dedication to the family in doing such a dangerous and inconvenient job, but they hoped to find lives outside of steel-making. Most of their friends intended to follow in their fathers into similar steel jobs, which while highly dangerous, paid better than most industrial jobs, but the Wood brothers had some family heroes who had risen beyond the mills. Their uncle was a University of Michigan lawyer who was associate editor of “The Lawyers Reference Service,” the largest law book producer in the country, their grandfather was an official with the Youngstown Transit Company and their great grandfather was the chief engineer for Andrew Carnegie’s National Tube Corporation in McKeesport, Pa. In addition, they had a cousin who was a commercial illustrator working in Cleveland.

“Our mom saw his work as not only safer and cleaner than mill work but also much more intellectual,” Gary said. “Early on, mom urged Robert to try his hand at drawing.”

Wood began to take art lessons whenever he could, and it wasn’t long before his interest in art surpassed the type of work his cousin had been doing. He visited the Butler Institute of American Art with his family, and reveled in the works.

Throughout his school years, Wood was an exceptional 38 THE BURR SPRING 2012

student, graduating from high school as salutatorian.

It wasn’t until the end of middle school that Wood started to develop a tic that eventually became associated with the compulsion to say something at the same time, usually the word “god.”

“As time went on the frequency of these episodes increased,” his brother said. “Naturally, they seemed odd to our family and to his friends, but they were not very offensive, so they were generally ignored.”

His parents took him to the family doctor, but the assured them that Robert would “outgrow” the behavior. His family did notice one thing about the tic and vocalization: it became louder and more frequent when he was under stress.

As graduation from high school approached, Wood became deeply interested in attending the Cleveland Institute of Art. As a private school, it was very expensive and his family had fallen on difficult economic times.

In 1959 the United Steel Workers of America and the steel industry took part in the longest strike on record. When the lockout ended, it left the industry badly shaken. As imports poured into the country and mills started cutting costs, Wood’s father was laid off, but because of his seniority, the USWA was able to save a job for him, one very far below what he had been doing.

With the distressing economic environment of the failing steel industry in Youngstown as a backdrop, Wood started at Kent State instead of the Cleveland Institute of Art. The financial insecurity mixed with the social and political disruptions of the Vietnam War took a toll on everyone, especially Wood. It was at this time, his brother recalls, that his tic and involuntary vocalizations become pronounced.

No longer did he say the word “god.” His gesturing was now accompanied by profanity or obscenity. His parents were baffled by his behavior, but they tried to support him completely.

“When you don’t understand something you have the urge to say to someone, ‘You don’t have to do that stop it,’” Gary said. “But that of course doesn’t help anything.”

Gary who had been taking courses in clinical psychology at the time thought his behavior looked like a classic obsessive compulsive disorder, particularly Tourette’s syndrome, but Wood always maintained that he did not have Tourette’s.

It was during their college years that Gary lost track of the progression of Wood’s tics. They didn’t get to see one another as often, but during the summer of Gary’s last year of college, the two would go to the Sky High Drive-In near their home to or three times a week. The movies weren’t very good, but they would sit in their car smoking Kool Cigarettes while talking about philosophy and religion. That was the closest time in their relationship.

Gary said he thought Wood’s choice to live in Kent was a very good one despite some trouble with the authorities over his obscene gesturing at first.

“The community there is highly intelligent and they were able after a time to understand that this wasn’t a threat in any way, but a personal peculiarity,” he said.

During his eulogy, a longtime friend, Bob Batian, a business owner of Access Techniques in Kent, said that anyone who has lived in Kent for at least 15 years is considered a “townie.”

Batian once asked Wood if he considered himself a townie.

“He looked at me, cocked his head and said, ‘Hell no, I’m a tourist,’” Batian said.

An authentic life At the memorial, Anderson talked about Wood being so intriguing because he defied everyone’s expectations. It would be easy to look at his unkempt appearance and write him off, she said, but that person would be missing out on a kind, intellectual man.

“He didn’t strive to be different due to ego or rebellion,” Anderson said. “He was simply an unassuming man living an authentic life.”

When she found out that she would be speaking at the memorial, Anderson asked the patrons at Kent Social Services to anonymously write down memories of Robert.

One patron who had known him for 25 years wrote about his love for music and movies and his ability as an artist, adding at the end evidence of his generosity.

“He gave me bags of his own food to feed a hungry family,” the individual wrote.

Social Services has a program where regulars can choose groceries from a pantry, and after hearing of this family’s dire need, he decided to give his groceries.

Along with his colorful personality, Robert leaves behind a prolific collection of artwork that he spent a lifetime creating. Some of those pieces are in the possession of local gallery owner and longtime friend of Robert, John Kluth. Kluth, who knew Robert for more than 10 years, met him at Kinko’s, where Robert was using the copy machines to create artwork by layering images and copying them over and over again.

For years, Robert lived in an apartment above Kluth’s art gallery and used the phone and computer in the gallery.

Kluth, who also in charge of organizing art exhibits in the sanctuary of the Unitarian church, asked Robert if he was interested in having some of his work featured in an exhibit. “No my art contains genital mutilation,” Robert said. “It’s very subtle, you can hardly see it.” Kluth recalled the moment laughing, still

The portrait of Robert displayed at his memorial. Photo taken by local photographer James Vaughan.

surprised at the unexpected response. “He said it not because it was true; he said it because he wanted to put me off,” Kluth chuckled. “He was testing me.”

Shortly after Robert’s death, a few people came into Kluth’s gallery asking to purchase Robert’s artwork, pieces that Kluth was never able to sell while he was alive. Robert was never able to support himself as an artist, and depended on government checks and community programs to get by. Kluth made the decision to hold on to the pieces Robert’s work that he has control over until their significance is determined. “We really haven’t established what constitutes valuable pieces in his collection,” he said. “His collection has to be looked at to determine what the significant pieces are.”

Wood wanted people to accept him as he was and not as they might like him to be, his brother said. He wasn’t willing to give up his identity for superficial acceptance.

“My brother was particularly determined that people would accept him as he is, as he was not as he might appear,” he said.

“When you’re forced to give up your identity, it’s not really acceptance anyhow.”

When Gary was called in to identify his brother’s body, the medical examiner allowed him a moment alone with his brother. At that moment, a memory of secluded picnic site in Youngstown’s Mill Creek Park came to his mind.

He was 5 and Robert was 3, and they were playing near a creek when a photographer from the Youngstown Vindicator showed up. The photographer asked them to go into the water, Gary a little further to make it look as though he were inviting Robert in, but Gary had seen a particularly large crayfish in the water and stayed near the edge instead. Robert either didn’t see the crayfish or didn’t care because he bravely trudged into the deeper water. Still, the caption on the photo that ran in the newspaper read: “Gary five shows Robert three how to wade in the water.”

“That wasn’t the case at all,” Gary said. “In many respects he showed me the way.” B SPRING 2012 ISSUE 2 39

faith

Generation Protest

With things like the Occupy movement, PETA and justice for Trayvon Martin filling the news, we want to know your thoughts on protesting. Have you? Would you? Will you?

Tweet @TheBurrMagazine.

photo MCT CAMPUS SPRING 2012 ISSUE 2 41

faith Americans don’t seem to care about their faith.”

Arab Spring Students reflect on conflicts at home words EMILY FULLERTON photos CHELSIE CORSO

M

artyr: Mohab Aly Hassan Age 19 Died in Shobra Police station on Jan 31 by Gunshot ..., Student #Egypt #Jan25 The newsfeed that ushered the Arab Spring into Egypt still updates almost constantly more than a year after its creation.

Organizing a massive protest in the cities of Egypt, #Jan25 brought thousands of Egyptians to the streets demanding the rights and freedoms of a free people.

“Down, down Hosni Mubarak,” they chant as they march.

Rocks and tear gas are thrown; protestors stumble away bleeding; others are carried away to safety by their comrades in dissent. Every single moment of Egypt’s battle for freedom is captured on film, in a tweet or in the images of thousands gathered in Cairo’s Liberation Square, united in full fury against the Mubarak regime.

Now, #Jan25 reads with the names of the dead — martyrs to the revolution and the continued cries of the people for onward progress. The proud people of Egypt are the heart of the Revolution, but the Internet, at last, gave them a voice.

“They shut down our Internet,” Alfred Shaker said. “They 42 THE BURR SPRING 2012

thought it would calm things down.”

A Kuwaiti born Egyptian, Alfred Shaker is a freshmen computer science major. Like the rest of us, he watched the events of January 2011 unfold on television and through the accounts of his friends and family still living in Egypt.

The Internet shutdown days after the protests on January 25, 2011 led to even larger demonstrations, bringing more Egyptians to the streets every day. By February, President Hosni Mubarak could no longer deny the demands from the citizens of the country he had ruled for three decades and ceded power.

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) would retain power until elections could be held.

The Battle for Egypt was just beginning.

***

“A lot of people in Egypt are close minded about other faiths,” Shaker said. A member of the Coptic Christian Orthodox Church, he and his family are a minority group in the largely Muslim nation. Copts have become increasingly more vulnerable to attack in Post Revolution Egypt. Church

bombings and attacks on communities leave dozens dead and increasing bitterness between two already divided groups.

All IDs list the religion of the person. People will refuse to associate and work with others not of their faith.

These deep sectarian divisions and fears of Islamism have resulted in church bombings, clashes at the ongoing protests and riots at a soccer match in February left 73 dead. Mistrust is rampant in Egypt.

“Obviously there was the whole bombing in Alexandria — January 1, 2011,” he said. Each time he recounts a name or date he does so slowly and deliberately. Even he is sometimes confused on all the details as he tries to keep up on the unfolding events on the other side of the world.

Two Saints’ Church, a Coptic Church in Alexandria was the target of a suicide bombing even before Mubarak’s resignation, but it was the beginning of the often deadly escalating violence against Egypt’s Coptic Christians.

“There was blood all over the walls, high up,” he described.

He was not in attendance the night of attack, but the church is just a 10-minute walk from his house. “The explosion outside killed only like 21 people instead of the 2000-plus it should have killed.”

“Each time there are sectarian clashes in Egypt, SCAF has been actively involved in manipulating the situation to that end,” said Joshua Stacher, assistant professor of political science at Kent State University and the author of forthcoming book, Adaptable Autocrats (Stanford University Press, 2012). Stacher also stresses SCAF is militaristic body that is not concerned about democratic rights, but its own ruling and economic interests.

Now that parliamentary elections have been held, Muslim

Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party has emerged with a clear majority of the seats. Many believe that this is the beginning of a new Islamist era in Egypt — a dangerous one for the Copts, Shaker fears — but Stacher dismisses this as an overblown concern.

Still, there is no denying the political situation of Egypt.

***

“I still have people ask if I go to school on a camel’s back,” Shaker tells me. “And I joke and say, “Don’t you?”

A metalhead — Shaker sports T-shirts emblazoned with the emblems of Metallica and Pantera — ­ he is constantly confronted with Americans’ weird ideas about the Middle East.

Camel jokes aside, his peers are genuinely surprised that in Kuwait and Egypt the people enjoy the same modern luxuries of computers, Xboxes and Lil Wayne as they do in America.

Many still think the Middle East is just huts and desert.

Aya AbuSalamah, a psychology major from Saudi Arabia, said if anything, social media has helped Americans see that the Middle East is not all desert.

“A lot say, ‘You’re just like Americans and act like one,’” she said. “We’re human, we have all kind of personality in Saudi Arabia. We have the same stores, same places, same restaurants.

I wish they knew more about this.”

The lack of faith is really the only difference between Egyptians and Americans, Shaker said.

“Americans don’t seem to care about their faith,” he tries to explain. Americans cannot really understand that a country could be torn apart by the perceived differences in their beliefs.

“I hate all the crazy people you have here,” he adds, referring to those who scream out at passers-by that they are going to hell.

That, for Shaker, is not what Christianity is about.

But it isn’t the place he misses; it’s his family.

“When I went back to Kuwait it was like I hadn’t seen them in years,” he said. But at least he knows they are safe. His family living in Alexandria, the site of the Two Saints’ Church bombing, are still at the mercy of the anger of the people, angry with fellow Egyptians and angry with the powers at be.

Shaker and Stacher are in a consensus that the biggest challenge against Egypt is political. Elections for a new president are scheduled for May of this year. It will be the first time in over thirty years that Hosni Mubarak is not assured to win.

The damage of 30 years of corrupt rule, Shaker tells me, will not be done away, no matter how many protests are held or how badly a democracy is wanted. But, despite being born and raised in Kuwait, he considers Egypt to be his true country and from the revolts, violence and uncertainty of the past year will be worth it. Egypt will emerge from the Revolution triumphant and free.

“Unity,” he said definitely, “is increasing.” B

Opposite: Aya Abusaomah Left: Alfred Shaker SPRING 2012 ISSUE 2 43

MODERN magic Raised Christian, Elizabeth Zaniewski now practices spells in place of prayers... words JUSTINE STUMP photo ROBERT SUSTERSIC

The reading of Tarot cards falls under the category “divination.”

Although some psychics claim to read the future with them, the cards are actually meant to help a person see a situation from a different perspective, using empathic skills, or the ability to see into a person’s life through that person’s energy.

W

hen Elizabeth Zaniewski was 14 years old she was preparing for a rite of passage in the Catholic community. The ritual of confirmation would validate her faith in front of the congregation for the first time as an adult.

Her teachers told her to really think about religion and to take it seriously. So she did, and she decided she couldn’t go through with the ceremony.

“I couldn’t justifiably say that I believed,” Zaniewski said. “I thought it would be disrespectful to Catholicism to go through the ritual and say ‘I believe this’ when in fact I didn’t.”

Her decision; however, didn’t go over well with her parents. Her mother thought she was just being lazy. “But it was a little deeper than that,” Zaniewski said. She felt it would be a lie.

Zaniewski has pagan-based beliefs, to put it simply: she’s a witch.

Zaniewski said her mother still considers her a fallen Catholic and is unaware of her daughter’s new set of beliefs.

Zaniewski said she is worried about telling her parents the truth because it might upset her mother.

When she was four years old, Zaniewski’s twin sister died in a car accident. After that, her mother turned to religion and her father turned away from it. Religion is a sensitive subject in her family, but Zaniewski wants to be able to talk with her parents about her views.

“I hope that one day I get to that point, and tell my parents,” Zaniewski said, gazing down as she twists a blue and green crocheted blanket in her hands.

She is sitting cross-legged in front of a white bookcase. The shelves are crammed with an eclectic mix of titles such as “Moon Magic,” “The Occult: A History” and on the top shelf: “the Bible.”

Wearing gray sweatpants and a worn maroon shirt with her long blonde hair swept off to one side, her face is fresh, interrupted only by the silver on her glasses.

“It’s kind of a spiritual belief,” Zaniewski said. “When you think about witchcraft, even at the basest definition, is the practice of magic.”

Zaniewski explains that she doesn’t consider herself a Wiccan. Not all witches are Wiccan the same way not all Christians are Catholic. She draws from many different witchcraft practices to

faith make up her own unique religion.

She thinks of magic as the transference of energy. When she performs a spell, she thinks about what she wants to achieve and sends a “mental nudge” in that direction.

“Tonight I have some French homework to do,” Zaniewski said as she clears off the wooden coffee table.

“I’m going to perform a spell to achieve a calm atmosphere so I can focus,” she said as she placed a large chunk of purple amethyst on the table.

Next, she carefully places an antique

On the surface, how can you tell what somebody’s beliefs are?” brass candle holder next to the amethyst and pulls out a slim black candle.

She explains that black is almost as purifying as white because it absorbs the negativity. She takes some oil out of a small vial and methodically rubs it onto the candle. As she coats it, she focuses on what she wants to achieve.

She then places the candle in its holder and strikes a match. She holds the flame to the wick for a moment before it catches, and the room fills with the scent of clove.

“Now I let the candle burn all the way down,” Zaniewski said. “Some magic can be as simple as that.”

Patrick Harmon, a friend of Zaniewski, doesn’t identify himself as Wiccan either. But he does believe in magic.

Recently, he and Zaniewski preformed a healing ritual for their friend who had a heart attack.

They made an alter out of candles, healing herbs and personal items that reminded them of their friend [like his favorite green game piece], and focused their energy on helping him heal.

“It’s not that different than when someone prays for a friend in the hospital,” Harmon said.

Zaniewski said Hollywood hardly

ever gets its depictions of witches right, but she is “tickled by it” all the same. She even admitted that one of her favorite movies is “The Craft.”

She usually shares her beliefs with only a select circle of friends and doesn’t actively bring it up in conversations.

“On the surface, how can you tell what somebody’s beliefs are?” Zaniewski asked. “Unless they’re outwardly wearing a symbol, which I did today,” she said with a smile, pointing at a silver pentagram pendant threaded around her neck with black cord.

“Half the time I don’t wear any kind of jewelry or anything that would mark me as a witch.”

She is most strongly influenced by folk magic. She also likes nature and plants, and studies the ways indigenous people used plants for medicine.

“This fits into how I want to live my life,” Zaniewski said.

But her lifestyle isn’t that different from most. She said she still lives her life by what could be defined as Christian morals. She was raised to treat others the way she wants to be treated and to know the difference between right and wrong.

Zaniewski said she is open to learning about other religions, and even though she doesn’t practice Catholicism anymore she will still attend the occasional mass with her family. She said she thinks the Catholic Mass is a beautiful ritual to witness.

“I’ll talk to anyone about religion,” Zaniewski said as she absentmindedly unbraids her waist-length blond hair. “I don’t mind, I have rather spirited discussions with some of my friends about religion. At the end of the day I try to be respectful of everyone’s beliefs, whether or not I believe them myself, I think everyone is entitled to their own way of thinking. As long as you are not actively forcing that on somebody else, I have no problem with it.”

She said tolerance matters more than anything else. She just asks people except the fact that she is the way she is.

Recently, her father, who she suspects has guessed at her beliefs, told her that he didn’t care what she believed in as long as she had a strong set of morals.

“Life’s about figuring yourself out,” Zaniewski said. “I’ll listen to anybody’s viewpoint and if they can change my mind, more power to them.” B SPRING 2012 ISSUE 2 45

The outside of the First Spiritualist church of Kent.

faith Some might say it’s a sign of character, but really it’s more likely that the white paint has lost a long standoff with Northeast Ohio weather. The siding ages the 152-year-old house, too — now we lean toward the resilience of aluminum over the aesthetic of wood. It’s the type of house where you beg for the walls to be able to speak, and in this case, they just might.

Y

ou would pass it if you didn’t know you were looking for it, and even still if you did. The parking lot is more or less the result of too many years of people driving on the lawn. Two things give a clue to what goes on inside: In the window next to the front door, a sign reads “First Spiritualist Church of Kent” and an 8.5 inch by 11 inch sheet of paper taped to the door lists the services for the month.

From the street, the character seems to be the house itself, but the true spirit lies within.

Inside, it is perpetually Easter. Pastel yellow, blue, pink, purple and green cover the walls of the two rooms that make up the church. About 35 chairs fill what was probably once a family room, facing a small stage with a lectern painted in the same palette. There are metal folding chairs and lawn chairs of various colors and designs, and in almost all of them sit Spiritualist Hymnals.

Faded red books with broken bindings and yellowed pages.

Some have taped spines to delay further wear, and others throw their pages to the floor like pesky subscription cards of consumer magazines.

Inside you might find a hand written dedication, written in a careful, cursive hand: “In loving memory of our cousin, Patty Gasaway, by Barbara Sue, Bobby and Barry Gasaway. November 6, 1960.”

We are not a cult

Channeling the Dead A local Spiritualist church expresses its belief in God by communicating with spirits words NICOLE AIKENS photos BRIAN SMITH

A certificate hanging in the house said in March 1957 the State of Ohio approved the establishment of the First Spiritualist Church of Kent, and the U.S. Government has recognized spiritualism as a religion since the late 1800s.

“We are not a cult, although there is a lot of people that will call us that because they don’t understand,” said The Rev. Edna Heacock of the First Spiritualist Church of Kent.

Nine principles form the foundation for Spiritualism, and Heacock said everything in the religion adds up to one concept.

“We’re not hell and damnation. We’re all about love,” she said.

“If I had to say what Spiritualism is, I would start out with that word — love.” The church is run on the notion that people are responsible for their own thoughts and actions — anything opposite of love will bring negativity into a person’s life.

Spiritualism began in the hands of three children in Hydesville, N.Y., in 1848. The Fox Sisters communicated with the entity, Mr. Splitfoot, through taps and raps, and the religion was born. Forty years later, Margaret Fox denounced Spiritualism saying, "I am here tonight as one of the founders of Spiritualism, to denounce it as an absolute falsehood from beginning to end, as the flimsiest of superstitions, the most wicked blasphemy known to the world.” But the religion lives on.

For more than 100 years, people have flocked to Lily Dale, N.Y., for the Lily Dale Assembly Spiritualist summer camp.

Like children being shipped off to church camp to talk to God,

thousands of people cumulate to talk to the dead.

Lily Dale Assembly touts being the world’s largest center for Spiritual development. The camp offers visitors with daily Spiritualist services, which is included in the $10 per person per day gate fee. There’s a meditation service in the morning in the Healing Temple, which throughout the rest of the year is the home of the Lily Dale Spiritualist Church. There’s a message service at the Forest Temple, an outdoor sanctuary with rows of wooden park benches and a large white stage.

By no means is Spiritualism the most practiced religion in the United States, but places like the Lily Dale Assembly show its popularity. People long for the ability to communicate with loved ones who have passed or left the earthly plane, and they can find that at the First Spiritualist Church of Kent.

What are you doing with your mind?

The Rev. Edna Heacock was in her 30s and flirting with a mental breakdown. She wasn’t sure how she would find her answers for what she needed to do, but looking back now, it is just as clear to her today as it was all those years ago.

“I opened up the evening paper, and there was just this wee little ad,” she said. “It was the only thing in the paper I read, and it said, ‘What are you doing with your mind?’”

The ad gave the name of a place and an address, and Heacock said that was her lifesaver. “It was so little, I doubt that there was very many people that read that ad, but I hit it,” she said. “I got it when I needed it.”

Heacock learned she was a medium, and she began to think about life in the way of the Spiritualist principles. Now, she leads the congregation at the church in Kent. On Sundays at 1 p.m., she leads the group in the Prayer for Spiritual Healing: “I ask the Great Unseen Healing Force To Remove All Obstructions From My Mind and Body And to Restore Me to Perfect Health I ask This in All Sincerity and Honesty And I Will Do My Part.

I ask This Great Unseen Healing Force To Help Both Present and Absent Ones Who Are in Need of Help And to Restore Them to Perfect Health I Put My Trust In the Love and Power of God.”

We affirm that communication with the so-called dead is a fact The Rev. John Kittle is not The Rev. John Kittle. Not in spirit anyway. For this lecture, he is one of his spirit guides, communicating through Kittle’s voice to talk to the congregation.

But it isn’t Kittle’s voice. Something is different. He’s older now, SPRING 2012 ISSUE 2 47

faith

faith “After that, he committed to doing his meditation,” Standard said. “On school projects when he had to write, he would have dialogue with Jesus and Buddah, and the stuff that he wrote for his classroom presentation, you couldn’t believe that [a 9 year old] wrote what he wrote.”

Let your inner sight see this rainbow Augustine made a deliberate choice with the paint color.

Originating from Hindu texts, there are the seven chakras, and each has a corresponding color.

The blue on the wall behind the podium is for the throat chakra. He painted that wall to promote God’s will and ideas and so the lecturers would be able to voice those beliefs. The pink on most of the trim is for the heart chakra, and it gives the quality of love, which is the substance of the Spiritualist church.

The chakras are part of Heacock’s Sunday service, too. After she asks the congregation to close their eyes, she tells them, “Let your inner sight see this rainbow,” reminding them of the chakras. “As you concentrate on that rainbow, receive the healing for yourself. Let your senses be open to what will be shared with you today.”

Right: Reverend Edna Heacock gives a flower to a church member. Below: The congregation sings songs from hymnals in its weekly services. Opposite: Reverend John Kittle prays over a parishioner at the healing service.

and there are hints of an accent that you can’t completely place.

Maybe it’s Irish.

Mediumship is one of the main principles of Spiritualism — the other part is Spiritual healing of mind, body and soul, Heacock said. It is one of the ways to reinforce the beliefs of the church. “Through this mediumship is one of the ways that we can very easily let people know that come to our services that life is continuous — that we can always be in touch with our loved ones who have passed away,” Heacock said.

With his eyes closed, Kittle gives the day’s lecture. It is called “trance lecture” when the medium allows the spirit to address the congregation through him. Today, the spirit talks about everything from music [“If it is not harmonious to your ears, don’t listen to it.”] to politics and the green movement [“Use the things that you need in a more knowledgeable way.”] He also pleads to the congregation to live life to the fullest they can.

That’s the same kind of notion Heacock alluded to in an offhanded comment as she greeted the parishioners before the service. She said, “If you think small, you get small. If you want a car, don’t just ask for a car or a new car — ask for a Cadillac.”

The Declaration of Principles is the guidelines on which the church is run. Nine ideas make up the belief system for the church, and from that, Spiritualism is upheld. Before every service, the members of the First Spiritualist Church of Kent, lead by Heacock, read those nine principles: 1. We believe in Infinite Intelligence.

2. We believe that the phenomena of Nature, both physical and spiritual, are the expression of Infinite Intelligence.

3. We affirm that a correct understanding of such expression and living in accordance therewith constitute true religion.

4. We affirm that the existence and personal identity of the individual continue after the change called death.

5. We affirm that communication with the so-called dead is a fact, scientifically proven by the phenomena of Spiritualism.

6. We believe that the highest morality is contained in the Golden Rule, “Whatsoever ye would that others should do unto you, do ye also unto them.”

48 THE BURR SPRING 2012

Stop dilly-dallying around

7. We affirm the moral responsibility of individuals, and that we make our own happiness or unhappiness as we obey or disobey Nature’s physical and spiritual laws.

8. We affirm that the doorway to reformation is never closed against any soul, here or hereafter.

9. We affirm that the Precepts of Prophecy and Healing are Divine attributes proven through Mediumship.

Mother Mary was around me all the time Augustine Standard scared his mother as a child. He knew the Bible so well at such a young age that it actually frightened her. But he had some help.

“As a child, I would see Jesus and Mother Mary,” he said.

“Mother Mary was around me all the time, so that is when I would be having dialogue.”

He is one of the healers in the church. For 20 minutes before the Sunday service, after Heacock leads the prayer, Standard stands at the front of the room, and anyone who feels the need for healing can come to him.

It is not the evangelist type of healing you skip over when you’re channel surfing. He stands quietly until he is approached, then he closes his eyes and rubs his hands together then places them over the shoulders or head of the person

seated in the chair, as if he’s warming his hands at a fire.

“Any thought that is opposite of love brings a condition into the body,” Standard said. “I have the gift to see their different bodies and to see where their condition came in from.”

As he performs the healings, he sometimes leans in to whisper some words that would be inaudible even if the Kadoish, which Standard said is the best music for spiritual healing, wasn’t being played from a CD player at the front of the room.

The person he is healing sits eyes closed with his or her palms to the ceiling.

“They are the one who is the master of their ship,” Standard said. “I will just assist them to have some comfort, but they can permanently rid it themselves.”

For Standard, life is about deliberate choices. He won’t even buy a gift without first thinking it through and asking spirit for the exact reason it is the right gift. Kent was a deliberate choice, too.

Pope Gregory I sent St. Augustine to Kent, England, to convert the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity in the 6th century.

“That’s why I came to Kent State, and that’s why I’m here at the church here in Kent,” Standard said. “I have where a spirit manifested a drawing of me as St. Augustine, and you can see the features in me today.”

Standard encourages his children to talk to spirits — to stay connected. When his son was 9 years old, he came to his dad to ask him to help him find something he had lost, and Standard told him to go across the room and ask Jesus.

“Have you heard someone say your name and nobody’s around?” Heacock asked. This is a phenomenon Spiritualists believe in called Independent Voice.

These types of events are what the church is there to help people understand, Heacock said. Often times, she will be sitting at home, and she will hear someone say, “Edna.” No one is there. If she asks, it is usually her mom, dad or husband, all in spirit. These same types of events are spelled out in the Bible, Heacock said, but many people don’t acknowledge it. The members of the First Spiritualist Church of Kent have experienced it.

Before Christmas, Kittle and Standard were at the church because someone donated a stove and left it outside. They were debating about which door to bring it through, and they both heard a voice say, “Stop dilly-dallying around, and get the stove in here.”

“It was loud,” Kittle said. “I mean, that’s the first time I have ever experienced that myself.”

I’ll leave that with you The members of the First Spiritualist Church of Kent don’t sing every time they get together for the message service on the third Saturday of every month, but this Saturday Heacock had a spirit tell her, “I think you oughta sing a little bit tonight.”

There is an organ at the front of the room, but she leads the group of 10 people in an a cappella version of “The Great Oversoul,” straight from those tattered red hymnals.

The Rev. Elaine Dian, Kittle and Heacock all give messages. They talk about trips, money and bring up some specific names. As they speak, some people choose to write down their messages while others take mental note of their communication with spirits. No matter what the message is or who gives it, they all end the same: “I’ll leave that with you.” B SPRING 2012 ISSUE 2 49

PB&J a New Way The whole wheat bread and fiber-filled fruit make this version of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich more filling and less sugary than the classic. The cinnamon gives a kick of flavor without adding an ounce of fat.

You won’t even remember jelly exists.

food

1 Start with two slices of whole wheat bread

2 Add two TBSP of peanut butter 3 Cover with thin apple slices

with 1/4 TSP 4 Sprinkle ground cinnamon

5 Assemble and enjoy!

SPRING 2012 ISSUE 2 51

food food

Murder a la carte Follow these easy instructions, and your next dinner party is sure to be killer. words RACHEL JONES photos DEVIN CASPER

A

fter gossiping with your neighbor at a friend’s party, you take a break to sip a burgundy cocktail. But when your lips touch the crystal glass, you notice everyone is staring at you and shifting their eyes at one another. Whispers scatter across the people you thought were your friends. Tension has replaced the laughter in the air.

Suddenly, the lights go out and an ear-piercing scream emerges. The lights come back on, and you realize somebody has been killed. If nobody entered the room in that matter of seconds, which one of your friends killed someone from your group?

Don’t dial 9-1-1 just yet. This is just a murder mystery party.

For those first-timers out there, this is a theme party where all of the party guests portray previously assigned characters. You still eat and drink like you would at any other dinner party. But before the night ends, one of you will be killed by someone else at the party — not in real life! — it’s up to the surviving guests to solve the mystery.

52 THE BURR SPRING 2012

food

food Ravioli to Fry for 16 oz package of frozen ravioli, thawed 2 eggs, beaten 2 tablespoons milk Salt and pepper to taste 2 cups bread crumbs Vegetable oil for frying 26 or 28 oz of marinara sauce, warmed Mix eggs, milk, salt and pepper in a bowl. Coat one ravioli in the egg mixture. Cover one ravioli in the bread crumbs. Repeat until all of the raviolis are breaded. Fry four to six raviolis in ½ inch of oil on medium heat.

Let them dry on paper towels before serving. Serve with marinara dipping sauce.

You have to let your guests know they are involved in the plot before they hit your doorstep. We’ve created a storyline and characters for you to use. It’s made for four guys and four ladies. Here’s what the invitation will look like: Front: Come to my murder mystery party. It’ll be a scream!

Inside: Here’s the skinny: In the town of Burrville, Ohio, there are two families running the bootlegging industry: the Angelilos and the Montecellos. Jimmy Angelilo uses his bootlegged booze to supply the Burrville Speakeasy. He stops in when he’s not busy spoiling his girl Marie DiPietro. His sister, Theresa, serves the drinks with her best friend Rosa Lombardi. Brothers Peter and Pauly Montecello deliver their illegal alcohol to customers’ houses. Peter is going steady with Anna DiPietro, who just happens to be Marie’s sister. This is causing tension in the DiPietro family as well. Pauly enjoys going stag but plays cards a lot with his best pal Sammy Beppa. Sammy is sweet on Rosa.

Things are a little tense, so the Angelilos are throwing a party to cool the jets. Since everyone is connected somehow, they are all invited.

After that, tell the person which character he or she will play.

As the host, you get to pick your own character. Since the Angelilos are hosting the party, if you are a woman, you will play Theresa. If you are a man, you will play Jimmy. Pass out the other characters to your guests, providing only this information about the character they will play:

• Jimmy Angelilo, 25 – bootlegger and owner of the Burrville Speakeasy • Theresa Angelilo, 23 – waitress at the Burrville Speakeasy • Rosa Lombardi, 24 – waitress at the Burrville Speakeasy • Peter Montecello, 25 – runs bootleg delivery service • Pauly Montecello, 24 – runs bootleg delivery service • Sammy Beppa, 24 – drives cars for a bootleg ring • Anna DiPietro, 23 – maid • Marie DiPietro, 25 – nanny Dressed to the Nines Remind your guests that the party is set in the 1920s. Ladies, think lace dresses and big jewelry. Fellas, dig up some dress clothes and strap on some suspenders. We found all of these costumes pictured at thrift stores and in our models’ closets.

Getting the Party Started Once the guests arrive, remind them they must stay in character. It’s no fun when someone brings up a past exam or Jersey Shore drama when it’s supposed to be the 1920s. You have to stay in character. Pick up a quirky personality and have fun with it.

Nibbles and Sips You can’t solve a mystery on an empty stomach, so offer your guests these simple finger foods. Death isn’t the only thing on the menu tonight.

Blood Cocktail 1 oz grenadine ¼ cup rum ½ cup cranberry juice 3 ice cubes Pour all of the ingredients in a mixer and shake well. For a “mocktail” version, replace the rum with grape juice. Makes about two drinks.

Stabbed-in-the-back-Kabobs 2 chicken breasts 1 green bell pepper 1 carton of cherry tomatoes 1 bag of cheese cubes wooden skewers Cook bite-sized chunks of chicken in a pan on medium high until golden brown. Scoop the seeds out of the green bell pepper and slice it into one-inch squares. Sautee the peppers and tomatoes in a pan on medium heat until slightly brown. Assemble the kabobs by stacking a piece of chicken, a piece of pepper, a tomato then a cheese cube. Repeat the pattern twice for a lot of short kabobs or repeat three times for a few long kabobs.

54 THE BURR SPRING 2012

Getting the Party Started After a while, it’s time to remind guests why they came: to solve a murder mystery. Each guest will receive an envelope with his or her name on it. Everyone will then read their first envelopes aloud to remind everyone of the characters’ connections. The host plays along, too.

Envelope One: • My name is Jimmy Angelilo, and I’m 25 years old. I run a bootlegging ring that supplies the Burrville Speakeasy. My sister, Theresa, works there with me. My girlfriend’s name is Marie DiPietro.

• My name is Theresa Angelilo, and I’m 23. I’m a waitress at the Burrville Speakeasy where my brother, Jimmy, supplies the booze. My best friend, Rosa Lombardi, works there, too.

• My name is Rosa Lombardi, and I’m 24. I’m a waitress at the Burrville Speakeasy with my best friend Theresa Angelilo. My boyfriend is Sammy Beppa.

• My name is Peter Montecello, and I’m 25. I’m a bootlegger with my brother, Pauly, and we deliver booze to our customers’ houses. My girlfriend is Anna DiPietro.

• My name is Pauly Montecello, and I’m 24. I’m a bootlegger with my brother, Peter, and I help deliver the booze. I am single, but my best friend is my neighbor, Sammy Beppa.

• My name is Sammy Beppa, and I’m 24. I drive the cars for the bootlegging ring. My best friend is Pauly Montecello, and my girlfriend is Rosa Lombardi.

• My name is Anna DiPietro, and I’m 23. I am a maid, and my boyfriend is Peter Montecello.

• My name is Marie DiPietro, and I’m 25. I am a nanny, and my boyfriend is Jimmy Angelilo.

Once guests start to make the connections, the conversation and cocktails can keep flowing. After a while, guests will receive a second envelope. These are not to be read aloud because they contain a juicy clue that will thicken the plot. Also, one character will find out he or she is a victim and one will find out he or she is a killer. The victim and killer identities are up to the host, but this is what each envelope will say:

Murder You Wrote As the host, you get to choose who gets killed and who the killer is. You have a ton of options:

Kill Shot With the secrets spilled, it’s time for the murder to occur. Tell your guests that you want to turn off the lights for a second and that you hope everyone is there when you get back. Once it’s dark, the victim should scream and fall to the floor.

Now, the mystery solving can finally begin. Give guests enough time to gossip about the new secrets and make their guesses.

The victim can play along, too.

Everyone can announce their prediction and reasoning before you reveal the truth. You can award small prizes for those who guess it right, but a night of fun is a suitable reward as well. Your friends will definitely be raving about this party for years…if they make it out alive, that is.

Victim Jimmy Angelilo Theresa Angelilo Rosa Lombardi Peter Montecello Pauly Montecello Sammy Beppa Anna DiPietro Marie DiPietro

Killer Peter, Pauly, Marie, Sammy Pauly, Peter, Rosa Marie, Sammy Jimmy, Theresa, Pauly Theresa, Jimmy Rosa, Pauly Peter, Marie Jimmy, Anna

Envelope Two: • Jimmy, you kissed Rosa at the Burrville Speakeasy one night.

• Rosa, Jimmy tried to put the moves on you, but you ran away.

Now he’s angry with you.

• Pauly, you saw Theresa leave Sammy’s house late one night.

• Theresa, Pauly tried to put the moves on you, but you ran away. Now, he’s angry with you.

• Peter, you have been giving away free booze too often and are going broke.

• Sammy, you work for the Angelilos, even though your best friend is a Montecello.

• Anna, you have been stealing Peter’s money.

• Marie, you have been bragging about Jimmy’s bootlegging in public, and now the cops are on to him.

Don’t forget to add in who the killer and victim are!

SPRING 2012 ISSUE 2 55

your

Top American Brews

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[ BEER

HOW DOES

food

Bud Light

Budweiser

Miller Lite

Coors Light

Corona Extra

RAISE THE BAR ON

STACK UP?

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words RABAB AL-SHARIF

tips

Here ‘s how to get the best flavor out of your brew

1 2

Don’t chill your glass. If your beer is below 40 degrees, you aren’t getting the full flavor. Fifty degrees is ideal for a ful-flavored brew.

Whenever possible, pour your beer into a glass. You want to see the color and smell the beer to enhance its flavor.

56 THE BURR SPRING 2012

You spend your weekends guzzling Miller, Coors, Bud and maybe even Natty. Sure, they may be refreshing — sort of — and you could probably get a nice buzz if you drink enough, but if you are only drinking these mainstream brands, you are missing out. Before you crack open your next brewski, drop the red Solo Cup and pick up these tips.

SO YOU

TH NK

These are the most popular beers in the United States, but it doesn’t mean they are the best quality. Don Russell, writer of the beer column, Joe Sixpack, for the Philadelphia Daily News said that all of these beers are all similar in flavor.

Mainstream light bodied lagers only fulfill about five percent of the taste profile potential for beer, Russell said.

YOU DON’T

3 4 5

LIKE Pouring is an art. Tilt the glass and pour down the side then straighten to let the beer splash into the center creating a fine, creamy head.

BEER? If you don’t like Big Macs, it doesn’t mean you don’t like food.”

Swirling and sniffing isn’t just for wine lovers. Swirling the beer releases aromatic hints and awakens carbonation.

Keep track. When you find a beer you like, find out who made it and what style it is.

YOUR BEER DRINKING

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If you don’t like beer, chances are you just haven’t tried a beer you like yet. “If you don’t like Big Macs, it doesn’t mean you don’t like food,” Russell said. The next time you hit the bars, try something new. Not sure where to start? Here are some suggestions: IPAs are hoppy and often have herbal and citric characteristics.

TRY: Great Lakes Commodore Perry IPA

A pilsner is a snappy and hoppy pale lager. This is the perfect beer to refresh with after a long day at work.

TRY: Barley’s Lame Duck Imperial Pilsner

BITTER CRISP

Double Bachs are dark, have a full-bodied flavor and a high level of alcohol. Darker versions are sweet and often have slight chocolate or roasted characters.

SWEET

Imperial Stouts tend to be very full-bodied with rich, roasted flavors. They have high alcohol content and can be infused with coffee or chocolate. Most have higher hop levels and more enduring sweetness. These pair well with food and desserts

STRONG/ FILLING

Barleywine is very much a beer, despite its name. It is strong and intense with a lively and fruity flavor that can be sweet or bittersweet. Beware — because a brew this complex can be a challenge.

WINE STRENGTH

TRY: Troegs Troegenator Double Bock

TRY: Thirsty Dog Siberian Night

TRY: Dogfish Head Olde School Barleywine

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fun AT LEAST THESE 3D MOVIES MAKE ME FEEL DRUNK...

Movie nights are the old standby. Get a group together, go out to Applebee’s then go catch that Vin Diesel or Nicolas Cage movie you’ve been dying to see. If all your friends are out partying, drag your significant other with you and make it a date night.

THIS ISN’T YOUR GRANDMA’S DRIVE-IN MOVIE

If you wanna mix it up a little, try a drive-in movie theater! Midway Twin Drive-In Theater is about three miles from campus. Food passes are $5, and there are concession stands so you can satisfy your munchies. Just make sure you have an FM radio [and really, who doesn’t?] or it’ll be the silent movies for you.

ALL OF MY FRIENDS ARE COMPETITIVE ASSHOLES

words REBECCA REIS “Hey, congrats on getting that internship! Let’s go out and get a drink to celebrate! I hear Water Street Tavern is having a great drink special. Oh, you’re not 21 yet, are you?”

Chances are if you’re under 21, you’ve heard something similar to this. Being in college means that many of your friends will be turning the golden age soon, and if you’re the baby of your group it can get frustrating to be unable to get plastered in a bar with your crew. Sure, you could take your chances and try to get a fake, but let’s be honest, there are plenty of legal ways to have fun.

This is by no means a comprehensive list. There are tons of ways to spend your free time without trying to jump into the bar scene prematurely. So until the powers that be declare you legal to drink, enjoy some of these alternatives to Thirsty Thursday.

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You know what they say: “Game night is lame night” [nobody actually said this, I just made it up.] But I’ve found that inviting my most competitive friends over my house for popcorn and Disney Scene-It has resulted in the best inside jokes for alienating my other friends later. If you want to go really classic, try Pictionary. I know, it sounds lame, but Pictionary is great for those bloodthirsty fights between your art school friend and your friend who wouldn’t recognize a walrus if it was drawn on a sheet of paper and shoved in his face by a teammate. Trust me on this one: All of your friends want to beat you at something, so why not make a party out of it?

I ONCE WANTED TO DRINK UNDERAGE LIKE YOU, BUT I TOOK AN ARROW TO THE KNEE

WONDER WOMAN, BATMAN AND CAPTAIN OBVIOUS DON’T WALK INTO A BAR...

We’re human beings. We like to eat together. We’re also college students.

We like to eat a lot. But your college dining menu doesn’t have to consist of ramen and food from the Hub [unless that’s what you’re into.] Try organizing a potluck among your friends and have everyone claim appetizers, entrees and desserts. Use a Facebook event to coordinate dishes so that no one brings the same thing.

Another way to beat down the stress of college is by blowing up the enemy. By enemy I meant the ones in video games.

[I won’t take responsibility for anyone who attacks their neighbors after reading this.] You could invite your buddies over for a competition or take on this mission solo. Either way, pull the futon close to the screen, grab your Cheetos and controllers and enjoy the sultry sounds of your rocket launcher destroying those pesky alien foes.

Throw a theme party! Popular themes include luaus and ugly sweater parties, but don’t be afraid to think outside of the box. Try hosting a Pajama-rama, a Mustache Bash or a Superhero Shindig.

Liven up the party with some “mocktails” [see left] and require your guests to dress in theme. Anyone who doesn’t want to dress up doesn’t deserve your awesome party experience. *CHECK OUT PAGE 52 FOR ANOTHER THEME PARTY IDEA!

WHY STRIKE OUT AT THE BARS WHEN YOU CAN STRIKE ON THE LANES?

LET’S HAVE A NERF BRAWL INSTEAD OF A BAR BRAWL

RAISE YOUR GLASSES TO NON-ALCOHOLIC SUBSTITUTES!

Ever have those nights when you and your friends are craving the taste of peach schnapps? If you’re under 21, you shouldn’t know what that tastes like.

But if you’ve always wanted to, try making a Safe Sex on the Beach or a Fuzzless Navel. These witty “mocktails” are just a few of hundreds of non-alcoholic drinks you can find on the Internet. Once you find a recipe you like, invite your friends over for a cocktail party that won’t end in vomit and hangovers.

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON

Fact: Discovery Channel told me that Ancient Egyptians probably invented bowling. That’s just one of many reasons why bowling is awesome. Admit it, it’s been way too long since you last laced up those smelly clown shoes and practiced your hook. There are two bowling alleys within 10 miles of Kent State — AMF Twin Star Lanes and Kent Lanes — and there is even a bowling alley in Eastway, so you really don’t have an excuse not to go. Even if you’re not great at bowling, getting gutter balls is better than winding up in the gutter.

College is stressful, but those under 21 can’t depend on a bar stool to pick them up when they get down. But just because you’re underage doesn’t mean you should be over stressed. Take a relaxation day.

Ladies, take a day to pamper yourself, either by yourself or with your best gal pals, with a spa day. Roll out the pedicures and chocolate ice cream and put in a movie starring Ryan Gosling. This day is all about you.

Ever have one of those days when you want to shoot your best friend in the face? A Nerf gun war can provide an outlet for your underage anger. Have your friends pick their favorite weapons and meet in an open space — the more hiding places the better. Foam projectiles are relatively harmless, so load up some extra ammo and practice your snazzy James Bond roll. It’s time for battle.

PLEASE STOP DRUNK TEXTING ME, I’M GETTING IN TOUCH WITH NATURE

Ah, nothing like the great outdoors to help you forget about all the brewskis you could’ve chugged tonight! There are some great campgrounds around Portage County, and you can rent equipment from the Rec center. If you don’t want to subject yourself to the forces of nature for an entire night, try just a hike or a picnic in Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Let the fresh air clear the searing jealousy you feel for your friends at the bar.

WE DIDN’T BUY A ZOO, WE JUST WENT TO SOMEONE ELSE’S LIKE NORMAL PEOPLE

Serious question: When’s the last time you saw a red panda, an African lion and a penguin that wasn’t a picture on Tumblr? Regardless of your answer, it’s been too long. You should get a car load of your friends and go to the Akron Zoo right away. The Akron Zoo also has Komodo dragons, snakes and other icky things, in case you detest cuteness. Since the zoo considers November through April the “winter season,” now is the best time to go. Admission for non-members is $6, and parking is just $2. You can also bring your own food into the park. Starting to run out of excuses to avoid a zoo trip with your pals? Good.

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LET’S STUFF OUR FACES AND FORGET WE’RE UNDERAGE

College is stressful, but those under 21 can’t depend on a bar stool to pick them up when they get down.”

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IT WAS ACCEPTABLE IN THE ‘80S

When you walk into Rocky’s roller rink you are teleported to 1978, when the rink was first opened. The wear and tear of the rink adds personality and flare to the dated atmosphere.

Rocky’s, the largest rink in Northeast Ohio, is fun for all ages and events. Whether you are celebrating a birthday or just want to take a few laps as you reminisce of your old middle school skating parties, the rink is sure to bring back fond memories and create some new ones too.

words and photos CHELSIE CORSO

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LAST SHOT PAIGE OSBORNE

I RECENTLY HAD THE PRIVILEGE TO GO TO HAITI with an organization called Raincatchers.

This organization leads groups of volunteers into the mountains of southeast Haiti to build simple, sustainable rainwater collection systems called Raincatchers. Throughout my weeks’ stay I wrote daily in a journal.

This journal excerpt is about a sweet boy named Llama I met and adored from day one: After getting back from hiking and hooking up Raincatchers, I saw one of the boys named Llama in the same clothes and some of the dirtiest shoes I had ever seen for the third day in a row. I decided to give him a pair of my Nike shoes, a Kent T-shirt and shorts that I had brought from home. He was so incredibly happy to put on what he thought were brand new shoes. I’ve never seen a smile quite as big as his. After he got the shoes on he ran home immediately with his clothes in hand, knowing that if he didn’t another child would take them from him. Giving is priceless. The next morning Llama came running up to show me the outfit I had given him. He said “Paige” and pointed to my shirt on his back. Llama was now what he called “fresh.” He looked incredibly handsome and finally clean. It was a day that I will never forget.

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