September 21, 2011

The Mace & Crown

WEDNESDAY | 09.21.11 MACEANDCROWN.COM | Vol. 53, Issue 3

FORMER FACE OF ODU TENNIS DUE IN COURT

PHOTOS FROM GOOGLE.COM

DJ Mehdi dies at 34 see B1

ODU Football 45-42 vs. Hampton see C1

Poverty Rises see A2

Learning Commons: Now Open By: Christian Ernst Staff Writer

After months of construction, the newest addition to the Perry Library, the Learning Commons, is now open for students to use.

The Learning Commons is the newly renovated first floor of Perry Library, one of the three libraries on campus. It is targeted as a space for students to incorporate every aspect of learning, featuring many technologies and programs students may not otherwise be able to harness.

The space has several rooms, available for meeting student peer groups, tutoring sessions, student organization meetings, or any other need students may have. Certain rooms are designed to increase the capability of students to use specific technologies, including a presentation room and a multimedia innovation lab.

The Learning Commons is also now home of Writing Tutorial Services, which had formerly been located on the first floor of the Batten Arts and Letters Building. Math and science tutoring is also located in the Learning Commons.

The innovations of the Learning Commons go beyond the new space, however. The space is set up for students to be able to work in whatever way they feel comfortable. All the seating and desks are set to be modular and movable. “The space needs to be flexible to meet a variety of student learning styles,” said Kathryn W. Boone, the Learning Commons operations manager.

Boone said that the library is now fully equipped to work towards helping the evolving learning community.

“Student learning today is about understanding and creative problem solving, and is much more interactive,” said Boone. “Student learning doesn’t end when you leave the classroom, so all spaces need to be considered learning spaces. Students are very adaptable and because they are

connected at all times, learning can take place anywhere.”

In addition to the new learning spaces, the addition also brings an Einstein Bros. Bagel to the library, so that students can find something to eat while working. The store is not yet open, but is planned to be soon.

New services are also available to match the interactivity of the space. Projectors, cameras and computers will all soon be available for students to use in the spaces in the library, as well as being able to check them out of the library.

Their availability can be checked on the Learning Commons website. IPads are also available for rental through the library.

The computers located throughout the floor space of the learning commons also allow students access to programs and information they might need for certain projects and classes. Many of the computers are armed with high-end photograph and video editing tools, design programs, and even GIS technology.

“Academic libraries are transitioning from a place that provides information to a place that supports and facilitates learning,” said Boone. “With higher education goals focusing on active and collaborative learning, critical thinking, and information literacy, libraries are well positioned to expand their traditional role and increase their involvement in the campus community.”

The staff also has adapted to help expand the ability for students to use the space.

“Staff members need to be customer service oriented and knowledgeable, services need to be available when students need them,” said Boone. “Students expect technological processes that provide convenient, any-time, any-place replies to their questions.”

By: David Bakhshaee and Matthew McCracken News and Sports Editors

The driving force behind ODU’s Men’s and Woman’s tennis for nearly two decades, former head coach Darryl W. Cummings, is due in court next week in connection with a $1 million lawsuit that reveals the details of a tumultuous private life that was playing out during the last two tennis seasons. The woman he is suing filed a $5.35 million countersuit. The jury trial she demanded is set to begin on Sept. 28.

Cummings filed suit against Deborah A. Addison, the woman he claimed was “romantically involved” with his wife and said, “her pursuit and eventual conquest of Julie Cummings went beyond all possible standards of decency.”

In response to Cummings’ complaint, Addison countersued seeking $5.35 million in damages from Cummings. His actions, the lawsuit claims, brought about her termination at both the Norfolk Yacht and Country Club and Norfolk Academy.

Addison’s complaint states, “Cummings sent e-mails impersonating Addison between January 2010 and November 2010,” that made “disparaging statements to the management of the Norfolk Academy,” and hinted “Addison was a sexual predator.”

Addison also said Cummings used, “remote electronic surveillance means,” to record her interaction and communication with Julie Cummings.

In the press releases announcing Cummings’ resignation last year, ODU athletic director Wood Selig said, “Cummings will be stepping down to focus on developing Cape Henry Racquet Club in Virginia Beach.” Cummings and his wife were business partners. Cummings’ lawsuit claims that he was forced to resign as ODU tennis coach after his wife relinquished her role as managing partner in the business.

Although Cummings’ resignation statements on Aug. 20, 2010 applauded his wife’s contributions to the success of ODU’s tennis program, Cummings has since filed for divorce.

Cummings, ODU’s Men’s and Women’s Tennis head coach from the 19931994 season until the 2010-2011 season, has led Monarch Tennis since his college graduation. Cummings graduated from Old Dominion University in 1992. During his time as a student, Cummings was awarded the 1985 Virginia State’s Singles Champion title.

Cummings was also a major part in helping the Monarch’s tennis program win countless awards. He was the only coach ever in the CAA to be recognized for both Men’s and Women’s CAA Coach of the Year award. He has been the recipient of this award on six different occasions.

“Darryl is ODU tennis”, said Dominic Manilla, ODU women’s tennis head coach. “I think he left a very admirable legacy at Old Dominion. There are a lot of coaches at big time schools who haven’t done nearly as much as Darryl did at Old Dominion.”

In a telephone interview with the Mace & Crown, Cummings declined to comment on the upcoming trial. However, when asked about Addison’s allegations, Cummings concluded, “sometimes you go through life and sometimes a little conflict comes up.”

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A2 | MACE & CROWN | Wednesday 9.21.2011

Mace & Crown staff Diane Dougherty Editor in Chief ddoug009@odu.edu Jessica Starr Copy Editor jstar018@odu.edu David Bakhshaee News Editor dbakh001@odu.edu Alyssa Narvell Arts & Entertainment Editor anarv001@odu.edu Matthew McCracken Sports Editor mmccr007@odu.edu Drew Marmo Advertising Director dmarmo@coastx.com Rachel Chasin Photography Editor rchas001@odu.edu Kyle White Senior Design & Web Director kwhit091@odu.edu Megan Jefferson Design Assistant & Webmaster mjeff018@odu.edu Kathryn Mason Distribution Manager Jake Ullrich Sports Assistant Ari Gould Photography Assistant Staff Writers: Alexander Rose Martin Tucker RJay Molina Robbie Ciara Derek Page Justin Brown Steve Knauer Ethan Shaw Lauren Grant Elizabeth Bowry Heather Habermehl Amanda David

Jessica Piland Paul Minto Nour Kheireddine Shawn Minor Angel Dodson Daniel Felarca Brian Jerry Brielle Boucher William Channel Timothy Fulghum Ben Decowski Janah Stokes

Staff Photographers: Crystal Spick Lauren Makely Rushura Jones General Information: The Mace & Crown is a newspaper published by and written for the students of Old Dominion once a week throughout each semester and once in the summer.

Originally founded in 1930 as the The High Hat, the paper became the Mace & Crown in 1961. The Mace & Crown is a primarily selfsupporting newspaper,maintaining journalistic independance from the university.

All views expressed in this collegiate paper are those of the author, not of the University, Mace & Crown, or the editors.

Contact Information: Phone: 757-683-3452 Fax: 757-683-3459 Advertising: 757-683-4773

SGA Address Hello Monarchs, I hope everyone is settling in well this semester. Following the Community Conversations event held last week, there was a consensus among the students and residents on the need to work collaboratively to improve our neighboring communities. As a result, SGA is launching a service program that ties into the White House Interfaith and Community Service Challenge we are a part of.

The kick-off event is set for Oct. 3 at 3p.m. in Webb Center. Recently, Student Government participated in the Norfolk Safety Consortium, where we acquired valuable information on how to improve the safety of our community. Director of Student Life for SGA, Collin Rodino attended the event and will be circulating the information throughout campus; he can be reached at crodino@odu.edu.

There are many concerns about parking on and around our campus, and we are fighting to address all concerns. An open forum was held

by Parking and Transportation to address pressing issues associated with parking and there will be many more opportunities for us as students to speak up. The event was very successful and we plan to continue the dialogue with that department.

Finally, as a result of a much smaller contingency pool, SGA has implemented some changes to our financial bylaws, in hopes of distributing funds more evenly and fairly among student organizations.

These changes include a longer budget review season and an earlier deadline to submit. These changes I hope will alleviate many of student organizational concerns and allow for a more calculated and objective approach to the budget process.

On the topic of budgets, Governor McDonnell is currently preparing his state budget, I urge all students to write to him and demand a larger share of the budget. Currently, ODU ranks last among state institutions in state funding. Our university deserves better and as always we will be lobbying on your behalf but we need your help! Please feel free to contact me with any questions, concerns, or ideas at lferreir@odu. edu or visit our website at www. odusga.com All the best, Luis Ferreira Student Body President

Poverty on ODU Psychology Professor Edits Book on the Rise Traffic Safety By: Erin Robertson Contributing Writer

On Tuesday, Sept. 13 the United States Census Bureau released statistics that have done everything but lift Americans’ morale. The 2010 Census revealed that our nation’s poverty rate rose to 15.1 percent last year. This is the highest poverty rate we have seen since 1993.

It is estimated that 46.2 million, or one in every six are living in poverty. A number that extreme has not been seen since 1993, however the poverty rate is still 7.3 percent lower than in 1959, the year in which the government first started tracking the poverty rate. Other statistics showed that the age group with the highest poverty rate increase are children 18 years and younger, while the adults aged 6064 had the lowest increase in poverty. When people were grouped by race, Blacks and Hispanics were found to have the highest poverty rate.

According to the Census Bureau, “If a family’s total income is less than the family’s threshold, then that family and every individual in it is considered in poverty.”

The numbers are overwhelming and beg the question: how does this affect you? When one ODU student was asked how the growing poverty rate has affected her and others, she replied, “It has caused such a stressful environment where the majority of people can’t relax and just enjoy their life. When they go on vacations or buy their books at school, they’re more focused on the amount of money it costs and how they’ll afford it rather than enjoying what life has to offer.”

In contrast, when asked how poverty has affected him, another student stated that, “It hasn’t really affected me. I don’t see other people who have been affected more often than I used to.”

Local statistics verify both students’ statements. Virginia had the ninth lowest poverty rate according to the Census.

Over the last 10 years, poverty has increased in both Virginia and the City of Norfolk. The poverty level for Virginia is lower than that of the national average at 10.6 percent while Norfolk has an astonishing poverty rate of 18.4 percent.

This is supported by the fact that the average household income in Norfolk is only $41,161 whereas the average for the state of Virginia is $59,372. The City of Norfolk assumes poverty rates will also be negatively impacted by the recent natural disaster Hurricane Irene.

When looking at the devastating number of people living in poverty, there is hope for the future when comparing today’s situation to past trends. 2010 marked the end of a recession. At the end of the last six recessions the poverty rate increased for a period of one to two years. The Census Bureau makes this comparison, sighting the fact that it is possible we have reached the peak of poverty. With the two year post-recession mark just around the corner, there is hope for a decrease in poverty.

By: Amanda David Staff Writer Bryan Porter, Old Dominion University associate professor of psychology, edited the “Handbook of Traffic Psychology” which was recently published by Academic Press. The book explores key areas of research in traffic psychology including theory, application, methodology, variables that affect traffic, problems with driver behavior, and countermeasures to reduce the risk of these variables and behaviors.

“This is a major work in traffic psychology and was badly needed,” Porter said in a statement to ODU. Not only does the text provide insight into the field, it also instructs readers how to orchestrate traffic research and analyze the data.

“This book’s diversity is key,” Porter said. “Traffic psychology pulls from psychology, engineering, political science, medicine and many other disciplines – most of which had a representative in this book.”

The handbook is impressively diverse. Overall, about 50 authors contributed to the work coming from 12 countries and five continents. Porter was the sole author of one of the chapters and co-author of another. ODU has a significant presence in this book with five additional authors being current or former ODU students. These students include Kelli Will, Krystall Dunaway, Cynthia Sabo, Kristie Johnson, and Jennifer May. “It allowed me to interact with some of the best researchers from around the world – the ones who created this field and made it strong,” Porter said.

“It was a growing experience for me as a professional.”

The handbook is Porter’s first book and it took him three years to complete the publication. “It’s a great experience for me to share with my students so that they learn from what I did well and from what I did not,” Porter said, “there are lots of mistakes I

made along the way.”

The publication is not meant for day-at-the-beach reading. “The book is intended to help guide students who want to know about the discipline, its methods, and its questions,” Porter said. “Any ODU student interested in how psychology is applied to a realworld problem such as traffic safety will value this work.”

The field of traffic psychology is still young. “Students interested in getting involved in this field will learn about its directions, limits, and needs for future work,” Porter said, “which can lend ideas for student research projects, honors theses, and/or plans for pursuit of such research questions after graduation.”

Much of the research done to complete the book involved student research assistants. “ODU students can play a large role in how this research, or other research, is done here at ODU,” Porter said. “It is critical that students seek out opportunities to work with professors. I welcome interested students to seek me out to discuss how they can get involved.”

Old Dominion is home to an active traffic psychology program and other faculty members on campus are also pursuing traffic research topics. For more information please contact Dr. Bryan Porter at bporter@odu.edu.

“We are a young field, but one that is growing,” Porter said, “so the involvement of young scholars is paramount to our creativity and growth.”

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Mentors Making a Difference:

How the Monarch to Monarch Program Enhances the First Year Experience By: Morgan Malone Contributing Writer

As an incoming first year student, freshman or transfer, arriving on campus and assimilating into a whole new environment can be refreshing, exciting, stressful, or overwhelming. Upon move in and the start of a new life on campus, chances are you will not know many people, nor have an idea of how you would like to spend the next four years. You may be undecided as to how to navigate your fears educationally or socially. This is where the Center for Service and Civic Engagement’s (CSCE) program Monarch to Monarch comes in.

Monarch to Monarch is a mentorship program, established in the fall of 2009, geared to help freshman and transfer students and is used to provide first year students with guidance and insight into the campus.

As stated by CSCE programming assistant, Shaniece Sanford, “I would recommend this program for all first year students because a lot of students may not realize they need as much guidance as they do. Mentors are necessary because when beginning a new lifestyle, you need someone who is aware of the opportunities that the university could provide to you.” The program is essential to the adaptation of incoming students and can really transform your four years here at Old Dominion University.

To get involved in this program, all a student has to do is go to the University Center, commonly referred to as the U-Center, in Webb across from the Card Center. When walking into the CSCE office, ask to speak to a programming assistant, and apply to be set up with a mentor. Mentors are recruited every spring semester and are acquired based on need on a rolling basis.

When asked of programming assistant Amber Thichangthong what is looked for in a mentor, she replied that, “Mentors are looked at to be well

rounded in school socially and have strong academics.”

Thichangthong is also the program coordinator for Monarch to Monarch. With so many applications to be a mentor or mentee, the program is scaled down to 30 or 40 mentors and about 70 mentees. Each mentor has one or two mentees. After being matched up with a mentor, first year students are invited to participate and then a social is held to make sure everyone is a good match. As of now, the program is on a first come first served basis but CSCE hopes to grow the program in the next five years to make it a campus wide program.

After becoming a mentor and being paired with a mentee, it is then up to the mentee and mentor to build a relationship. “Some people build long lasting friendships that go on past your undergraduate career and some people decide to go their separate ways after the social. The individuals make the experience,” said Sanford.

The applicant is then assigned to be someone’s mentor for one academic year and from then on the student can reapply for the following year so long as a student status is maintained. No matter what type of student, whether it be a commuter, part time or full time student, the experience to be a mentor is waiting.

Overall, the program is meant to enhance the incoming year for first year students and to help build first year students socially and educationally to be the most well rounded and focused individuals that they can be.

There will come a time when everyone needs guidance. What better way to receive that guidance than by calling up your mentor? The Monarch to Monarch program has proven to be most resourceful in the development of ODU students and has big plans for the future. When spring semester comes, check in with them and see if you qualify to be a mentor. After all, everyone has something meaningful to offer.

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Hope of Freedom for U.S. Hikers By: Janah Stokes Staff Writer Two years ago on July 31, 2009, three U.S. citizens were detained by Iranian officials. According to BBC News, “they hiked across a poorly-demarcated border by mistake.”

The hikers were accused of illegally crossing the Iraqi border into Iran and also for being spies. The three hikers were sent to Iran’s Ervin Prison in Tehran, which is known for allegations of torture. CNN reported the names of the three hikers who are also friends, Shane Bauer, Josh Fattal and Sarah Shourd. Bauer and Shourd are in their late twenties and were living in the Syrian capital of Damascus for about a year. Bauer was a freelance journalist and Shourd studied Arabic and taught English. Fattal, also in his late twenties, was an environmentalist who came to visit Bauer and Shourd.

According to CNN, the three University of CaliforniaBerkeley graduates planned their hiking trip a good distance from battles ranging in various areas in Iraq. Not far into their journey, Iranian officials imprisoned them. The families of the hikers were going to keep a low profile but the situation changed once Iran began to neglect them with information about their love ones.

The following March, the families spoke out on behalf of the hikers and claimed that they crossed the border by accident as it was unmarked. In May 2010, CNN spent time with the mothers of the hikers and reported on their attitudes of pure anguish toward the entire circumstance.

“These are our children and there’s nothing quite as anguishing as thinking about your kids in prison in a country so far away and being unable to help them,” said Nora Shourd. Later that summer in July 2010, the mothers traveled to Tehran, the capital of Iran, to see their children.

They found that the three hikers had been treated well.

During that same month, Hillary Clinton spoke out about the imprisonment of the hikers and declared their freedom.

In mid-September 2010, Sarah Shourd was freed because of medical conditions on a $500,000 bond, however she was still subject to spying charges. After her release, Shourd wrote that she loves the Middle East and respects Muslim culture and openly blamed the poor relationship between the U.S. and Iran for her lock up.

Claimed by CNN’s Ashley Fantz, Sarah Shourd met with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad while he was in N.Y. and told him that she has no animosity towards him or the government. She also made a personal plea for him to free her friends.

July 2011 marked two years for the imprisonment of Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal. Within the two years of their detainment, the men have only been able to make three phone calls to their families. In August 2011, the two were sentenced to eight years in prison for illegally going into Iran and spying.

On Sept. 13, 2011, President Ahmadinejad told NBC’s “Today” that the two men will be released on humanitarian grounds soon. President Ahmadinejad also said that he hopes the move will “solve problems.” With the men still on trial, their family still must raise millions for bail.

The question that raised the most concern to some Old Dominion students is, were the hikers really spies?

Keshaun Pearson who is a Senior IT Network Engineering & Business major, was very avid about the situation. When asked the question, “do you think they were really spies or just honestly hiking, he replied, “I don’t think they were spies. The Iranian President is very paranoid and speculative about everything. If they were spies they would have been freed by unknown forces.” He also expressed the consequences of what would happen if Iran reneged on their promise to release the U.S citizens.

“If they don’t release them they face possible U.N. action, U.S. social media propaganda about the lack of consideration, and proper protocol.”

Another student who was interviewed wasn’t that in tune about the freedom of the hikers but still conveyed her feelings. Amber Parker, who is a junior and English major at ODU, feels that it was probably an honest mistake on behalf of the hikers.

“If it was the other way around, America would have done the same thing. If Iran releases them, America needs to release some of their prisoners for Iran,” said Parker.

The official release date of the hikers has not been determined. On Sept. 12, President Ahmadinejad said in a statement that the two prisoners would be released in a “few days as a unilateral humanitarian gesture,” however Iran’s judiciary seems to think otherwise.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei immediately rebuked the statement made by President Ahmadinejad possibly showing a current power struggle within Iran’s political system.

“The release on bail of the two U.S. citizens convicted of espionage was not imminent,” state media reported. U.S. officials expect them to be released soon like some Iranian officials promise.

Science in the News: Studies in Flesh By: Chelsea Hoenes Contributing Writer Streptococcus pyrogenes, a group A bacteria, is often included as part of a human’s natural skin flora. However, in immune compromised patients, particularly the elderly or infants, it has been characterized as flesh-eating bacteria. Alexis Kordis, a graduate student here at Old Dominion University, is studying the mechanisms by which these bacteria cause such destructive effects to tissues.

“The bacteria are passed from mother to child during birth,” Ms. Kordis explains. The mother, however, may be entirely unaware of the presence of the microbe.

The bacteria produce exotoxins, or toxins secreted that cause damage to host tissues, that cause strep-throatlike symptoms and rashes akin to

those of scarlet fever. Many people with normal, strong immune systems are asymptomatic. As a beta-hemolytic species, it exhibits the potential to destroy not only red blood cells, but also the white blood cells responsible for our immune system.

Necrotizing fasciitis, an infection which rapidly degrades skin, muscle, and deep tissue is rare, but often fatal. Symptoms may include painful inflammation, dehydration, an extreme drop in blood pressure, and/or flu-like symptoms. It is an extremely fast-moving contagion, progressing to terminal stages within a few days, and Ms. Kordis is examining the regulation of certain genes which cause this behavior in the bacteria, as not all of these bacteria are so detrimental to human tissues. By studying a specific enzyme, hyaluronate lyase, which furthers the spread of the bac-

teria throughout the host, she hopes to better understand the behavior of these rogue bacteria.

Before antibiotics were readily available, streptococcus pyrogenes was the causative agent in high mortality rates, but treatment is now available in the form of antibiotic cocktails given intravenously, the removal of the dead tissue, and skin grafts. It must, however, be given very quickly or a patient may go into shock and be too weak to fight off the infection. As the body lapses into toxic shock, organ failure may result, and adequate treatment of the infection becomes less likely.

Though no sure prevention against these ubiquitous bacteria can be made, keeping wounds clean can minimize the risk of infection. Additionally, taking measures to avoid the spread of strep throat can also decrease the chance of spreading the disease.

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What’s Inside

C O N TA G I O N R E V I E W

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LEBRON JAMES IN HIS OWN WORDS

see B2 see B3

arts entertainment

R.I.P

By Alexander Rose Staff Writer

Mehdi Favéris-Essadi, known throughout the world as DJ Mehdi, passed away after an accident at his home last Tuesday. Mehdi, a hip-hop turned electro music producer, never really broke out into the mainstream spotlight, yet his reach throughout the music scene cannot be overlooked.

Growing up in Paris, Mehdi began disc jockeying at many underground hiphop nightspots and quickly garnished recognition from those around him.

With his unique taste in music and combining electronic sound aspects not often found in the hip-hop genre at the time, Mehdi has been credited as being one of the key players in bridging the gap between the two.

Collaborating with acts such as Daft

DJ MEHDI 1977-2011

Punk, Cassius, and even Chromeo, Mehdi’s unique production style can be heard across music dating back over 15 years. Before his passing, Mehdi was recently involved in a project with fellow producer, Riton, under the name Carte Blanche. The aim of this group was to recreate some of the sounds from the early days of house and techno music. Having been fortunate enough to see Carte Blanche perform several times over the past few months, it would be safe to say that the project was more than successful.

After hearing of his death early Tuesday morning, social media networks were flooded with the rumors. It was not until his passing was confirmed, that it became apparrent the extent to which Mehdi had blessed those around him. One thing that seemed to frequently come up when reflecting

on his past was his smile. Mehdi had a smile that seemed to infect everyone around him. You could not be around this guy and not smile. He loved life and wanted you to as well. Musicians ranging from DJ Premier, to the Chemical Brothers, A-Trak, Chromeo, Boys Noize, Diplo, and everyone in between expressed their condolences to Mehdi’s family and friends who were at his house at the time of passing.

As a personal favorite producer of mine for several years, I had the privilege of finally meeting him at an electronic music festival taking place in N.Y. this past Labor Day weekend.

Upon congratulating him on such a unique and revamped performance from the last time I saw him, he smiled and seemed very appreciative that I had mentioned this. Later that

INTERNATIONAL CAFÉ

CUBA

By Caitlin Whitaker Contributing Writer

Last Thursday marked the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month as Old Dominion University introduced a series of events filled with speakers, performers, food, and cultural learning between the months of September and October to help showcase the wonderful diversity of its campus.

The theme for this year is “Mantener la promesa: unidad, fuerza, liderazgo,” which means, “Keeping the Promise: Unity, Strength, Leadership,” translated in English. Each event throughout the month promises to reflect this message as it celebrates the Hispanic and Latino cultures as well as connect students of different nationalities.

As Lesa Clark, OIR assistant dean, states herself, “The Office of Intercultural Relations is committed to creating an inclusive campus culture that educates and celebrates our diverse student body, staff and faculty.”

The event, International Café: Cuba, kicked it off for Hispanic Heritage Month as the Intercultural Center (2114 Webb Center) was turned into a place where both international and American students, faculty, and staff were welcomed to talk, meet new people, and share their cultural experiences. The café hours were from 12:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. When guests first walked in, they were graced by the sound of authentic Cuban music awaiting them at the door. Students and staff gathered to talk amongst each other in the seated chairs. Refreshments were provided, as well.

A line formed for the delicious catered food by ODU’s own Einstein Bros. Einstein’s assembled a large assortment of delicacies; ater, vanilla

and dark roast coffee, assorted bagels and cream cheeses, fruits and vegetables such as strawberries, kiwis, pineapples, cucumbers, carrots, peppers and squash, and a variety of sandwiches, consisting of lettuces, meats, and cheeses, and even veggie sandwiches. What a selection!

Once every guest returned to their seats with snacks in hand, OIR graduate assistant, Bea Cornett, introduced herself and the purpose of this year’s first international café. As she stood beside a slideshow in front of the crowd of seated guests, she described her experience of visiting Havana, Cuba with Norfolk State University and guided us through pictures of how it was like to live in Cuba.

The event was filled with rich, historical facts that many may agree would have never known otherwise. An interesting fact she had pointed was that there are only two John Lennon statues in the world, and one of them sits in Havana, Cuba. Also interesting is that Cuba’s transportation almost entirely consists of cars dated from the 1950’s and earlier because of the Cuba embargo since the Castro revolution. It pays more to ride a newer car or taxi than it does to ride or drive in these dated, luxury items. As Bea stated, she would have paid more to ride an older car because it is unusual to see towns filled with antique rides rather than the latest, imported cars.

Throughout the semester, The Office of Intercultural Relations plans to hold future International Café events similar to this one with new, different themes such as Persia, Japanese, and Sudan. For more information on the events throughout Hispanic Heritage Month 2011 or future OIR events, contact oir@odu.edu or (757) 683-4406. Or visit their website, http://studentaffairs.odu.edu/oir.

evening, I found myself at an after party where Mehdi was present. He acknowledged me and we had some casual small talk. A few hours later, as I was walking to catch a train, I passed him outside talking and made eye contact with him. We shared a friendly head nod and I departed into the heart of the city. This was the last memory I had from meeting one of my musical idols who passed away not two weeks later. Granted, I did not know him on

a first name basis, I was fortunate to have been able to share the little time I did with him. His character and outlook on life was uncommon and when he stepped behind the turntables, everyone seemed to stop what they were doing and appreciate the gift of music that he was able to share on any given night, in any part of the world.

THOR

ON DVD

MARVEL’S EPIC CAN NOW BE YOURS

By R Jay Molina Staff Writer Director Kenneth Branagh’s take on Marvel’s “Thor” was well-received both critically and financially when it was released in theaters at the beginning of the summer season. The film starred a relatively newcomer, Chris Hemsworth, in the titular role. He was joined by a fantastic cast which included Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, and Anthony Hopkins. The film was compared by Marvel fans to 2008’s “Iron Man” in that it provided audiences with a great start to an epic fun-filled summer. Branagh spared no expense in successfully delivering a fish out of water story that also brought his usual Shakespearean style of family feuds and grand scale to the big screen.

For those unfamiliar with the film, “Thor” tells Marvel’s story of the mighty god of thunder from Norse mythology. Thor is an arrogant young god who disobeys his father Odin, played by an aged yet powerful Hopkins, by breaking a thin truce between his people and the Frost Giants. Odin then strips Thor of his powers and banishes him to Earth to learn a lesson. Meanwhile, Thor’s brother Loki, played to near perfection by Tom Hiddleston, learns a star

CONTINUED THOR ON B2

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CONTINUED THOR FROM B1 tling truth about himself and aims to upset the balance between all of the realms that Odin watches over. As ridiculous as the plot sounds and considering that it is based on a comic book retelling of an old mythology, “Thor” is done and presented in a way that acknowledges those facts and embraces them in a fitting way for regular movie-going audiences. Hemsworth plays Thor very well as he treads carefully along the middle line between being too corny or too serious.

Fans can enjoy the film on DVD, Bluray, and Blu-ray 3-D. The DVD version of the film is packed with standard features such as an audio commentary with Branagh, a behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming ensemble superhero film, “The Avengers,” and four deleted scenes. The Blu-ray pack includes a digital copy of the movie, a DVD, and of course the Blu-ray. The Blu-ray features more deleted scenes (which are actually really good as they set up more of Thor’s world before he is banished to Earth) and more behindthe-scenes features that take you close to the making of the film. The feature about “The Avengers” is included as well. The Blu-ray 3-D pack includes all of the above with the addition of the movie in 3-D, for those few who actually own a 3-D television.

The DVD is packed with enough to satisfy the average movie person.

Marvel is usually cheap when it comes to their DVD releases, at least for their latest films. But the added commentary by Branagh is what makes it perfect. Blu-ray owners will undoubtedly get their money’s worth. There are enough features and deleted scenes to keep the viewer busy from watching the actual movie. The Blu-ray 3-D combo should probably be skipped however. The film was post-converted in 3-D, which means it won’t have the real depth that true 3-D films offer. And the scenes that feature the most 3-D are dimly lit, which means that trying to watch the film in a living room with those big glasses might be an eyesore. But all in all, the regular Blu-ray pack and the standard DVD are worth the full price.

Hauntingly Infectious STEVEN SODERBERGH’S “CONTAGION”

By R Jay Molina Staff Writer

“We can scare people with a plastic shark but not a virus with a warning sign at the bottom of a television screen” says Kate Winslet’s character in Steven Soderbergh’s latest film “Contagion,”. People looking for a film like “28 Days Later” should leave the theater and continue living in that fantasy. “Contagion” gives viewers a very real look at how an epidemic works and affects everyone within a matter of days.

The film features an ensemble cast including Matt Damon, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, Lawrence Fishburne, and Gwyneth Paltrow. It follows their journey at different levels of status over the course of many months after the exposure of a deadly virus.

Jude Law plays a conspiracy theorist. He uses his power through the blogosphere to warn people about the virus. Matt Damon is the everyman who tries to survive with his daughter in their suburban home after the death of his wife. Lawrence Fishburne assumes the role of a doctor working for the Center for Disease Control (CDC), while Kate Winslet plays his field agent tasked with evaluating the circumstances of the virus

in the United States and aiding in the relief effort. Marion Cotillard tries to determine what caused the virus as she plays a doctor for the World Health Organization.

“Contagion” plays out as a slick, realistic, and intense drama. But it also serves as a horror film, just not the kind most audiences are used to.

When the word “horror” is thrown around to describe a film, there’s a natural tendency to link that with a slasher film or a stylized thriller.

“Contagion” is neither of those things, but it can be described as a horror film because its message and portrayal of disease is so realistically given that one cannot help but think of how easily something like this can happen at any moment in our life. Scenes with Damon’s character ask, “what would you do? how would you survive? who could you trust?” while scenes with Cotillard’s character ask “who’s to blame?”

Soderbergh answers the latter so easily and ironically that audiences might go “well, of course,” but someone with awareness and good sense will see it as a precaution, one that does not hurt to be reminded of every now and again. Situations like this are indeed very real. Think of the 2009 flu pandemic. There were thousands of deaths reported all over the world from the disease and public awareness rose quickly at the time, but has since faded.

“Contagion” serves as a reminder to be aware of diseases and not take anything for granted.

Soderbergh also manages to weave other social commentaries into the film by delving into the blogosphere.

As one character suggests to Law’s character, “blogging is not writing. It’s just graffiti with punctuation.”

Moments like this are placed in small parts throughout the film and should get the viewer thinking about just how quickly globalization affects everyone, either positively or negatively. The film deserves a full price viewing. See it now!

“Our Idiot

Brother” Review

A LOOK OF PAUL RUDD’S NEW MOVIE

By Lauren Grant Staff Writer Paul Rudd’s latest onscreen venture “Our Idiot Brother” was pleasantly surprising, as far as the plot goes. I thought I pretty much knew everything there was to know about the movie from the preview, quirky, screw-up brother gets released from jail and has to turn to his family for help to get back on his feet. They help, albeit reluctantly, and he inadvertently wrongs each of his siblings somehow. Fortunately, I was counting my chickens before they hatched.

This movie was, on the surface, a comedy but it turned into a sort of “dramady” somewhere along the way.

First, let me just say that I completely recommend this movie if, and only if you are in the dramatic-comedy type of mood. It’s funny, in that sort of depressing way that makes you stop and think

“wait, why am I laughing about this?” It has a great cast including, Zooey Deschanel, Elizabeth Banks, Rashida Jones and Emily Mortimer. Paul Rudd plays Ned, brother of Natalie (Deschanel), Miranda (Banks), and Liz (Mortimer). He’s your typical allaround nice guy, which, at times works to his disadvantage, who is trying to regain his life in society after a four month stint in jail.

After he comes home to find that his girlfriend has replaced him and simultaneously given him the boot, he turns to his parents and siblings, who put him up until he can support himself again.

Through a series of events that are of absolutely no fault of Ned’s, his three sisters are forced to clean up the mess that they make of their own lives. They, in turn, blame all of their woes on Ned, who is an easy target anyways, and he becomes their undeserving scapegoat. Paul

Rudd, who we don’t usually see in very many serious roles, pulls out a pretty decent emotional performance towards the end of the movie, which is a welcome change from his usual characters.

His issues with his sisters take the movie into a more dramatic arena, which caught me off guard, in a good way and forced me to label this movie as something more than your standard comedy.

All things considered, I’d have to give this movie a six out of ten. It’s the kind of movie you only see once or twice, but it’s moderately enjoyable. It keeps you entertained for an hour and a half, but there’s nothing terribly special about it. I recommend seeing it on a slow Tuesday night when there isn’t really anything on TV. Unless you are a die-hard Paul Rudd fan, in which case I’d strongly suggest you see it.

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B3 | MACE & CROWN | Wednesday 9.21.2011

“LeBron James In His Own Words” AN UNOFFICIAL QUOTE BOOK

By Sarah Nadeau Contributing Writer

Considering the possibility that LeBron James is the most hated player in the NBA, only a genuine James fan would have the desire to read a book filled with his own words. While the introduction attempts to come from an objective point of view, the selection of quotes seems to come from a “Team LeBron” perspective.

All of the quotations are positive, articulate, and sensible for the most part, especially for an athlete who skipped a college education to play in the pros. If one weren’t aware of the details of James’ time in the NBA, this book would paint a very positive picture of him. Unfortunately for any other reader who happens to be a basketball fan, this book simply adds insult to injury of the events that have unfolded within the past year and a half of James’ career.

This book was completed before the 2010-2011 NBA season was finished, so starting it off with a quote about accepting responsibility in which James vows “I’m not going to continue to fail late in games” sets somewhat of an uneasy tone for the entire book. Anyone who watched this years NBA Finals series between the Miami Heat, the team James plays for, and the Dallas Mavericks would have difficulty to honestly claim that he upheld this promise during the last two games of that series.

Another dagger of contradiction came from his quote regarding the subject of the fourth quarter during games. James states, “I just live for the fourth quarter. When the games are close, that’s when

I like to do work. We were just able to take the life out of them.” Considering these words with his performance in the Finals earlier this year, it becomes a matter of actions speaking louder than words, which also serves as the final thought of the reader after finishing this book.

The book also provides an illustration of three different phases of James’ character since he came into the spotlight of professional sports. The first phase is during his time as a national high school phenomenon through his early career in the NBA. This is the LeBron James that basketball fans fell in love with. He was a basketball prodigy who was also humble, put the entire city of Cleveland on his back and vowed to be excellent and bring glory to the Cavalier franchise, and the quotations from this time period reflect that.

Then we reach the second phase of his career in which he reached the rank of the NBA Elite. The quotes from around 2005 through 2009 you see a subtle change of more confidence and maturity. This was the era in which worked extremely hard and proved that he was arguably the best player in the NBA. It was a time in which most people still loved him, but also began to become more critical of his performance on the court.

And then we reach the current phase of James’ career: the villain of the NBA. The quotes from 2010 to present day seem provide less hope and promise than those which came before. Perhaps because he is aware of the vows that he made to his former team

and wasn’t able to deliver, no matter how you try to rationalize or justify it.

The book ends appropriately with a quotation about work ethic from the first two “phases” of James’ career and leaves one to wonder if James will exceed or fall short of in the near future. Despite everything, it was an extremely interesting read, which any fan of LeBron James fan can appreciate and enjoy.

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What’s Inside

INSIDE THE MINDS OF THE MEN’S & WOMEN’S TENNIS COACHES see C2 N B A L O C K O U T U P D AT E A N D M L B M V P R A C E see C4 Wednesday 9.21.2011 | MACE & CROWN | C1

sports

VICTORIA JOHNSON PROFILE

see C3

Hear Them

Roar

RESILIENT MONARCHS MAKE HAMPTON PIRATES WALK THE PLANK

By Ben Decowski Senior Writer The Old Dominion Monarchs (3-0) defeated the Hampton University Pirates (2-1) 45-42 on Saturday night at Foreman Field. The win was the eighth straight for the Monarchs, the longest current streak in the Football Championship Subdivision. “This is probably the biggest challenge that we’ve had,” said ODU Head Coach Bobby Wilder.

Rain was falling during the opening kickoff and the weather seemed to affect both offenses early on. Neither team reached the red zone in the first quarter which can largely be attributed to the inefficiency by both teams on third down.

The Monarchs were 2 of 5 on third down and the Pirates were 0 for 3.

The second quarter is when things started to get interesting. On Hampton’s first drive of the quarter, senior Pirate quarterback David Legree hit senior running back Dyrri McCain for a 46yard gain that brought the team to the eight-yard line. Three plays later, sophomore running back Antwon Chisholm ran the ball into the end zone for the Pirate touchdown and the 7-0 lead.

The Monarchs responded on the next drive with a 42-yard field goal by redshirted sophomore Jarod Brown. On the ensuing kickoff, redshirted freshman Jorrian Washington returned the kick to the 43-yard line for the Pirates. The Hampton offense then marched down the field on the back of David Legree, who finished the drive off with a flashy 15-yard touchdown run to bring the score to 14-3. “There was a lot of frustration on our side,” said coach Wilder of their early troubles on defense.

With the game seemingly slipping away from the Monarchs, the team needed a spark. That’s when sophomore running back Colby Goodwyn

ignited for a 35-yard kick return to the 49-yardline. One play later, it was redshirted freshman running back Angus Harper’s turn to flash his speed as he ripped off a 39-yard touchdown dash to bring the score to 14-10. “It’s always nice to have a good running game,” said redshirted senior quarterback Thomas DeMarco, “Sometimes they carry out my fake and I’ll hear the crowd and look over and there’s a touchdown.”

The Monarch defense forced a three-and-out on the Pirates next possession and got the ball back with 4:50 to go in the half. Thomas DeMarco started out the drive by hitting redshirted freshmen wide receiver Antonio Vaughan three times for a total of 31 yards to bring the Monarchs to the 50-yard-line. Next, DeMarco hit redshirt freshmen wide receiver Larry Pinkard for a 16yard gain. DeMarco then handed the ball off to Goodwyn three times to get the Monarchs down to the 11-yard line. After a three yard run by DeMarco, Goodwyn finished off the drive with a seven yard touchdown run to give the Monarchs a 17-14 lead at the half.

The story of the half for the Monarchs was the running game. Goodwyn had 14 carries for 73 yards and Harper had six carries for 60 yards. On the other side of the field, it was Legree who stole the show for the Pirates. Legree completed 11 of 15 passes for 128 yards and ran for 42 yards and a touchdown. It was clear that stopping Legree was going to be the key to winning the game for the Monarchs. “Number 8 over there is a hell of an athlete,” said redshirted senior defensive tackle Ronnie Cameron of Legree.

ODU came out hot in the second half as Goodwyn returned the opening kickoff to midfield.

On the first play of the drive, Harper ran for nine yards to the Hampton 41. At the end of the play senior safety James Butts drew a personal foul penalty for Hampton which moved ODU up 15

yards to the Hampton 26-yard line. Two plays later Harper ran the ball in for his second touchdown of the day, giving the Monarchs a 24-14 lead.

Both offenses stalled in the following drives.

Hampton managed to pick up a pair of field goals after some mild success to bring the score to 2420. Then Angus Harper fumbled the ball at the 44-yard line and Hampton’s junior defensive lineman Jeremy Jermin picked the ball up and ran it 42 yards for the go ahead touchdown that brought the score to 27-24.

At the start of the fourth quarter, Hampton had the ball and the lead. The Monarch defense then forced a fourth down at the Hampton 38-yard line and forced the Pirates to send on the punting unit. That’s when freshman linebacker James Faircloth made his mark bursting through the Pirates offensive line and blocking the punt. Larry Pinkard picked up the ball and ran into the end zone for the touchdown and the lead at 31-27.

The Pirates responded on the very next series.

David Legree marched his offense down the field eluding tacklers left and right as he picked up 33 yards passing and ten yards rushing. Jorrian Washington capped off the drive with a 9-yard run for the touchdown that reclaimed the lead for the Pirates at 34-31 with just over 10 minutes left in the game. “We got punched in the mouth really,” said ODU senior defensive tackle Edmon McClam.

On the next drive, Thomas DeMarco got to show off his skill set. DeMarco led the Monarchs down the field picking up 21 yards rushing and 26 yards passing. 16 of those rushing yards came on the final play of the drive as the play broke down and DeMarco scrambled into the end zone for the go ahead touchdown that brought the score to 38-34. “I thought DeMarco played real well again,” said coach Wilder.

After the kick, the Pirates took over at their own 40-yard line. On the first play of the drive, Legree hit redshirted senior wide receiver Isiah Thomas over the middle who was chased down

by ODU’s McClam who forced a fumble. Monarch sophomore safety Paul Morant picked up the fumble and gave the ball back to ODU. The Monarchs failed to get points out of the turnover going three-and-out. ODU punted the ball back to the Pirates who started their drive at their own 17-yard line. On the next play, McClam broke through the line and sacked Legree and forced a fumble into the welcoming hands of ODU’s Ronnie Cameron. The Monarchs took advantage of the second turnover and scored a touchdown two plays later on a 7-yard run by DeMarco to bring the score to 45-34.

The Pirates made one last valiant push to come back and scored on an 11-yard touchdown pass from Legree to senior wide receiver Reginald Hicks. They went for the two-point conversion and got it to bring the score to 45-42. The Pirates failed to recover the ensuing onside kick and the Monarchs ran out the clock.

The win brought the Monarchs to 3-0 and dropped the Pirates to 2-1. “I am as excited with this win that I am with any that we’ve had so far in our 25 game history,” said coach Wilder, “I told the guys in the locker room, very proud of the fact that they came back and battled back in this win.”

It was an important game for the Monarchs to make the Pirates walk the plank and send them home with a loss. ODU has its toughest matchup yet next week against a tough Colonial Athletic Association rival in Delaware and will need all the wins they can get early on.

ATTENTION STUDENTS!

HAVE YOUR PARENTS THOUGHT ABOUT BECOMING A TEACHER?

Do you know someone who thought about becoming a teacher, but never seriously considered it because they didn’t complete a traditional teacher prep program while in college? The Virginia Department of Education Alternative Teacher Licensure Program at Old Dominion University is looking for special people who have a bachelor’s degree in any area plus five years of full-time work experience. This career opportunity is for individuals who didn’t go the traditional route, but who have valuable life experience, career achievement, and the academic background that may qualify them to teach in Virginia’s schools.

If you know someone who is interested in this accelerated teacher certification program, remind them to call the Old Dominion University Career Switcher Program at 757-683-4686 or visit: www.odu.edu/careerswitcher

Teaching – they have thought about it…… NOW IS THE TIME TO DO IT! DID YOU KNOW Old Dominion University offers non-credit continuing education on-line and

face-to-face courses for youth and adults? Add to your learning by enrolling in a continuing education program! The courses are affordable, convenient and some classes start as low as $199.00. The Darden College of Education’s Programs for Continued Learning office offers courses in: Test Preparation, Graphic and Multimedia Design, Foreign Languages, creating your personal brand, marketing and event planning, personal and professional development courses, teacher recertification and much more. Begin your adventure today and learn something new!

Call the DCOE Programs for Continued Learning office at 757-683-4686 or visit: http://education.odu.edu/pcl

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C2 | MACE & CROWN | Wednesday 9.21.2011

New Faces, Same Reputation Goodbye Atlanta, Hello Norfolk ALIJOSA PIRIC TAKES OVER AS OLD DOMINION’S HEAD COACH FOR MEN’S TENNIS B S G y

tephen

owen

Contributing Writer

You could say he was born for this job. This past week, the Mace and Crown was able to sit down with Alijosa Piric, the recently hired Old Dominion Men’s Tennis head coach, who has spent his life learning, playing, and now coaching the game of tennis. Piric began playing tennis at a young age. “I started playing tennis when I was six years old, have been playing ever since, and I love it”, said Piric.

Born in Bosnia, Piric competed in many European junior tournaments, including the European Team Championships. A move to America had Piric playing at Mills Godwin High School in Richmond, Virginia where he excelled greatly on the court; eventually winning a Virginia High School State Championship in both singles and doubles tennis.

After graduating Piric attended the University of Richmond where he played at No.1 in singles and doubles and rose to the position of team captain. When Piric saw that the coaching job at Old Dominion was vacant he said that his “eyes light up at the opportunity to return home.”

A former Georgia Tech assistant coach, Piric felt that making a move from assistant to head coach, from Tech to Old Dominion, was,” a great opportunity to come in and build this program to a nationally dominant, powerhouse team,” adding that, “Old Dominion offers all the necessary components to do so.” Piric also said that his time at Tech greatly helped his transition into a head coaching job.

“I was fortunate enough to work with a coach at Tech who so made me part of the coaching process that I felt like the move from being an assistant to being a coach was much easier than it could have been, I came in here doing what I had always done.”

When it comes to actually coaching his players, Piric tries to focus on each player’s individual talents. “Each player has a different personality and not everybody can be treated the same. There are no

two athletes alike and each player needs to be treated differently. As a coaching staff we identify how to coach each individual player in order to maximize his potential.”

Piric likes to tell his players to look up to tennis greats such as Rafael Nadal. When asked why Nadal, Piric replied, “I love the way he plays the game. His heart, mental tenacity, attitude and fighting spirit are things that all athletes, not just tennis players, should look up to and learn from.”

Despite the fact that it is his first year as a head coach, Piric is not shy about the goals he has set for himself and his program this year.

“The great thing about being an athlete and a coach is that each day is spent trying to get better; you build yourself each and every day and see where the chips may fall. But in a more tangible sense, our goal is to become CAA champions and it is one I believe our guys can achieve.”

It is without doubt that Alijosa Piric is a perfect fit in the Monarch family. His will to succeed and demanding the best from his team are traits that will most certainly lead the tennis team to victory.

Look forward to a season filled with success from our men’s tennis Monarchs.

A Thrilla In Manilla?

By Brian Jerry Staff Writer

FORMER ODU TENNIS GREAT HOPES TO BRING SUCCESS TO HIS OLD STOMPING GROUNDS

After 19 consecutive years of leading the Old Dominion University Lady Monarchs on the tennis court, Darryl Cummings stepped down as ODU Women’s Tennis head coach after the completion of the 2010-11 season to focus on the development of the Cape Henry Racquet Club in Virginia Beach, serving as majority owner.

As a direct result, ODU Athletic Director Wood Selig announced on Wednesday, Sept. 6, the hiring of graduate and Monarchs men’s tennis player Dominic Manilla as its new head coach (after serving a brief stint as assistant coach). Spending the 2010-11 campaign serving under the helm of the same title at John McEnroe Tennis Academy in New York, Manilla served under the tutelage of ATP Tennis great John McEnroe, as well as former ATP players (now academy director and assistant academy director, respectively) Gilad Bloom and Fritz Buehning.

Posting an 18-15 record in his tenure in the blue and white, he led the Monarchs to the 2007 NCAA Tournament, defeated Virginia Tech in the first round and finished the year ranked 31 in the nation. Standing on the opposite side of the court, Manilla now vows to bring the same success to his team as leader of his alma mater.

Having played for coach Cummings during his tenure as a Monarch, the ODU alum admits to being a little taken back by his new position and a few things he’s learned from him.

“It’s a little surreal I guess. It’s a different posi-

tion but it’s neat to be a head coach at your alma mater for sure,” Manilla said, “I learned a lot of things from Darryl. I played for him for four years then I worked for him for four years and all that time, we’ve remained good friends. I learned a lot from Darryl in terms of how he deals with a regional school and how you get it on a national map, coaching ideas and philosophies, an infinite amount of knowledge from Darryl.”

On having the task of coaching under John McEnroe at his tennis academy in New York to making the transition of coaching back here at ODU: “When I was at the McEnroe, the whole idea is to create professional players. So I was working with a lot of really, really talented kids. And for a lack of a better word, they’re almost hybrids. It’s a little different mentality. When you’re there, you work for the players and when you’re here, they play for you,” Manilla said.

Being the head of the Old Dominion Men’s Tennis program, Manilla spoke on the transition from a Tennis Academy Assistant to a collegiate head coach. “I think it’s an easier transition to come back into college then it is to leave. It was a little different when I went up there, but obviously you learn a ton from McEnroe, Gilid and Fritz. We were told that we were the best coaching staff in the world, so it was a pleasure to be apart of that. It was tough to leave but coming back to Old Dominion was kind of a no-brainer.”

Prior to his arrival, the Monarchs finished the

2010-11 season with an 11-12 record, losing in the quarterfinals of the CAA Tournament to UNC-Wilmington. Coach Manilla explained what it will take under his guidance and leadership to improve on that mark and essentially get back to the conference tournament, going even further down the line: “Coming in here, you want to have short term goals and long term goals. Obviously our goal is to win the conference tournament. We can’t come in here thinking I’m going to win it in one year. I don’t know how realistic that is given the situation we’re in,” Manilla said, “We need to continue to work to develop what we have because we do have a good amount of talent on the team right now. We need to use that.”

Some of that talent includes his returning two juniors Diana Ivanova (37-22 Career Singles Record, 32-25 Career Doubles Record) and Juliana Pires, who picked up a pair of wins in the in the William & Mary Invitational in Williamsburg, VA. Manilla is relying more on them this season to guide the other sophomores on the roster.

“I think every team and organization relies on players or people with more tenure to guide and show the way. So, Diana and Juliana have been doing an excellent job of that,” Manilla said.

The team is put through training drills and conditioning fitness workouts during practice with the help of Manilla’s staff, assistance coaches Tony Neykova and John Hill, Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coordinator Yaw Baidoo, and

Athletic Trainer Erin Ludwig.

“We’ve been doing some technique work. We mix it all in there. You’ll see us out there with a bunch of cones and feeding balls. We’re going crazy with the drills” Manilla said.

ODU’s Women’s Tennis schedule ordinarily consists of several preliminary tournaments to start the year in addition to the W&M Invitational: Cape Henry Collegiate in Virginia Beach, VA; Virginia Invitation in Charlottesville, VA; Hampton Roads Collegiate in Newport News, VA; ITA Regional in Norfolk, VA; and the Hokie Fall Invitational in Blacksburg. Taking these tournaments one step at a time, coach is using these games as preparation while keeping an eye on the conference schedule in the spring.

“That’s what it is (preparation). Our players need to be more match tough. We’re trying to get them more match play. That’s the idea of the spring. Tennis is an individual sport. It’s a lot like golf, you’ve got to play the sport. You can’t just do drills and train,” Manilla said.

The team’s focus on these tournaments and schedule ahead will be met with long term goals and expectations. Manilla is sure of what it will take for the Lady Monarchs to capture the CAA conference crown.

“It’s going to take heavy recruiting on our end, hard work here on the home front developing what we have. We definitely have the staff to do it. If we all do what we need to do, I think it will happen relatively soon,” Manilla said.

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Wednesday 9.21.2011 | MACE & CROWN | C3

The Upper 90° Mens Soccer Looks to the CAA Championship and Beyond INSIDE ACCESS WITH HEAD COACH ALAN DAWSON

By Jake Ullrich Assistant Sports Editor Seven out of 11. That’s how many starters returned to the Monarchs’ starting team from last year. The year that the team went 10-7-2 and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The sky could be the roof for this team.

The returners are headlined by juniors Chris Harmon, Jordan LeBlanc and sophomore Gideon Asante, the top three point-getters for last season.

But the team isn’t pure offense, all four of the starters in the back return, Alex DeJohn, Tommy Webb, Jason Gaylord and Ryan Oakes.

“We’d like to be the team who hosts the CAA [Championships],” Coach Dawson said.

“That’s first and foremost for us, and we gotta do that one step at a time. Its not gonna be easy. Ultimately, if you want to walk around here and feel like you’re a champion, then you gotta win something.”

The midfield four of LeBlanc, Harmon, Asante and Alex Vaughn are all flexible enough that they can fill into all different roles of the field. It presents an amoebaesque attack that can greatly confuse defenses. Harmon could pop up in the deep midfield to pick up a ball or in the six-yard box finishing a cross. It’s a midfield coach Dawson accredits to the team’s chemistry.

“That didn’t happen overnight,” coach Dawson said.

“That took all of last season and the spring to get that group of players to interchange. You’ll see Chris Harmon up high, you’ll see Chris Harmon out left, you’ll see Chris Harmon in a number of different places. As you would Gideon [Asante] and Vaughnie [Alex Vaughn] “It’s very interchangeable and we like it that way. That is a unit that has taken us a while till they are comfortable with that.”

The flexibility is allowed because of the stellar play of LeBlanc. Dawson calls LeBlanc the teams “most efficient player” because of his ability to endlessly control the game.

He sits in front of the defense and is constantly creating the space to allow the attackers to create.

“His ability to create a space for himself and help other players out and make the right decision with the ball is excellent,” Coach Dawson said. “Jordan’s the heartbeat. He’s the guy that can set the tone.”

The team’s one major overhaul was in the goalkeeping position. For the past four years, goalkeeper was a locked-in position with Evan Newton. Newton finished his career at

ODU last year and was drafted by the Houston Dynamo.

Redshirt junior Michael Roura and redshirt sophomore Sean Stowe were both on the roster last year, but coach Dawson decided to bring in French goalkeeper Victor Francoz to battle for the starting job.

“We thought ‘if we’re gonna go get a keeper lets get an experienced one, somebody with some time under his belt,” coach Dawson said.

Coach Dawson brought in Francoz from Lindenwood University. Lindenwood was unable to play in the postseason this year and that is something Francoz wanted to do.

Coach Dawson called it a perfect fit and is delighted with how Francoz has played so far this season.

“His presence is excellent. He’s getting more and more comfortable communicating with the defenders. He’s made some key saves for us already. The biggest thing is with him is he is excellent with his feet. He is quick as a cat off his line. We think he’s pretty good.”

Francoz is relieved to have such a sound back four in front of him to protect him. Centerbacks DeJohn and Oakes are able to dominate forwards while wingbacks Webb and Gaylord are able to provide excellent width on the attack.

“The two centerbacks if we could hold those two guys and hold Jordan we have a triangle in there that’s pretty strong,” coach Dawson said.

“We do have guys that like to get forward, particularly Tommy [Webb].

He likes to be involved in the game.”

A second change to the team was the appointing of a new captain. The Monarchs lost two captains last year and this season looked no further than Harmon when choosing a replacement. It was a decision Dawson already sees the benefit of.

“Chris is a natural leader,” coach Dawson said. “He’s one of those kids. He’s easy to follow, easy to like. He’s got a tremendous personality. He was a natural.”

It will be Harmon’s job to guide the incoming freshmen that have already been making an impact on the field. Freshmen Skylar Hagan and Hungarian Ivan Militar have both played significant time for the Monarchs. Militar scored his first goal in the STIHL Classic and Hagan has looked very positive on the field.

“Skylar [Hagan] has arrived,” coach Dawson said. “He’s a player that can keep the ball. I think we’re only scratching the surface with him. I’m gonna be asking him to do more.

I think he can score some goals, be more offensive for us.

He’s already a very good defender.”

The team has a future beyond just this season, they only lose one starter this year. But coach Dawson admits this season has potential to be a very good one for the Monarchs. They have the skill and ability to make a very good run late into the season.

Don’t be surprised to see this team making some impressive headlines come tournament time.

If you want to walk around here and feel like you’re a champion, then you gotta win something.

No Middle Gear for Victoria Johnson JOHNSON READY TO TURN SEASON AROUND

By Greg Arnold Staff Writer Even a knee surgery just before the season has not been able to stop Senior Victoria Johnson from playing every game so far for the Old Dominion University Women’s soccer team.

Head Coach Joe Pereira has had to hold her back in the field to make sure she gets back to top form, but it is almost time for her to become the scorer she has been her entire career at ODU. Starting as a true freshman, Johnson was named to the All-CAA Rookie team. She managed to score nine goals and seven assists. Her 25 points was the second best offensive rookie season in school history. In 2009, she was second on the team in points and led the team in points last season. Over these three seasons she averaged over 41 shots per season, but so far, with over a third of the season already completed, she has only taken one shot and has not gotten a point yet.

“The knee’s good, hurts every so often,” Johnson said, keeping a positive attitude about the situation. When asked if she was ready to get back into the game, she looked bewildered. To her she was always in the game, she did not let a knee surgery slow her down.

That was the job of coach Pereira.

“The reason she has been in the back,” he said, “is to give her a better opportunity to slowly recover and get back into the swing of things.” Her surgery was just before the preseason started and she was told it would be four to

six weeks before she could get back to soccer. She was back within two and a half weeks and ready for the first game.

All that matters to her is getting her team back on course. So far their record is 2-4-1 and conference play is quickly approaching. Johnson said of her team, “The team unity is 100 percent better, I think we’re meshing well and we’re having each other’s back.

As far as the record, I think we are learning from our mistakes.” While talking about the teams struggles, her injury did not come up as an excuse once. Her love for the game has not allowed her to look for excuses, just to play the best she can.

She has been playing soccer, as she put it, “Since out the womb.” Her father still holds a high school soccer record in Kingston, Jamaica. There he played as a goalkeeper, but was moved to forward when he played for ODU. Her sister, Julian, played at Virginia Tech and was on the ACC All-Freshman team. “At a very young age we had a ball at our feet,” she said with a smile.

Now, at 21 years old, she is tenth in scoring in ODU history, and her senior year has just begun. But stats like these only mean one thing to her, a better chance of winning. “If I’m doing good, then my team is doing good.”

Johnson is ready to help her team do well as they begin to play against CAA competition.

On Friday they play George Mason at 7:00 p.m., and on Sunday they play Towson at 1:00 p.m., both games will be at ODU.

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C4 | MACE & CROWN | Wednesday 9.21.2011

ODU’s Verlander Could Be MVP FORMER ODU STUDENT IN RUNNING FOR AL MVP AND CY YOUNG

By Greg Arnold Staff Writer

With the Major League Baseball season coming to an end, the talk for this year’s Most Valuable Player has an interesting twist. In the American League, one of the favorites is former Old Dominion student and now ace pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, Justin Verlander. A starting pitcher has not won MVP since 1986. Also in the race are Adrian Gonzalez from the Boston Red Sox and Curtis Granderson from the New York Yankees.

The Red Sox are holding as tight as they can to their wildcard playoff spot, and Gonzalez has been a big part of that. As of this writing, he leads the league with a .338 batting average and is tied for first with 111 RBIs. He is also batting .405 with runners on base, which is third in the league.

Granderson is having a great season as well, tied for the league lead with 111 RBIs and is second with 39 home runs. The Yankees are on the edge of locking up a playoff spot and have

been as much of a surprise as the Yankees can be. They have been leading their division for much of the season when the Red Sox were heavily favored in the beginning of the league year.

Although these two have played great so far this year, there has been plenty of good hitting this season.

Teams like the Red Sox, the Yankees, and the Texas Rangers have been hitting the ball well. The Red Sox have six players batting over .290, the Rangers have five. The Rangers have five players with over 20 home runs and 80 RBIs, the Yankees have four.

It is hard to say the two players mentioned the most outside of Verlander for MVP have raised that much above the rest of the pack.

Verlander, however, has had an epic season this year. He leads the entire American League in wins, ERA, and strikeouts. These three stats are considered the essentials for the pitching Triple Crown. He also leads in innings pitched, walks and hits per inning (WHIP) and opposing batting

average. He has led his Tigers to a double-digit game lead over the Chicago White Sox. One of the biggest arguments against picking a pitcher for MVP is that a pitcher does not affect enough games to be the most valuable person on the diamond. Going through the Yankees schedule this year, if Granderson’s runs and the runs he batted in were removed the Yankees would have either lost or tied in 23 games they won. The Red Sox would have only 20 games in

DOWN

Take The Rims

By Jordan Jones Contributing Writer

Coming off one of the best seasons in the league’s history, the 2011-12 NBA is waiting in jeopardy of being cancelled completely. The NBA has not had a work stoppage since 1998. In that case, the season was reduced from 82 games to 50 games. As far as progress on the labor talks are concerned, there isn’t much to be optimistic about.

Recently, the players and owners met on Sept. 14 in Las Vegas to make progress, but to no avail. The major contention points of the disagreement are the issue of having a “hard” cap and the division of revenue. Some may wonder, what exactly is a “hard” cap. In short, it is a salary cap which cannot be exceeded for any reason.

The NBA currently operates under a soft cap, with which teams are able to maneuver and take on more salary using player and trade exceptions. It allows teams to exceed the limit if they’re willing to pay a luxury tax on their franchise. This is a problem because it favors the bigger market and richer basketball teams. They are able to spend more money than smaller market teams, therefore, from a competitive aspect, this is not in the best interest of the league.

The players are mostly in favor of a hard cap.

As far as the division of revenue issue is concerned, the owners want the players to take a major pay cut.

Under the now expired collective bargaining agreement, the players were guaranteed 57 percent of all

which the results would have changed if the same synopsis was done for Gonzalez. Verlander has 23 wins on his own so far this year, and one game in which his Tigers won after he was removed from it.

Verlander has also helped his team by pitching late into games allowing the bullpen to rest and be ready for their next game. He has pitched eight or nine innings 13 times this year. Of those 13 times, the Tigers won seven times, and five times the starter in that

game only went seven innings or less.

While playing for ODU, Verlander became the all-time strikeout leader in ODU, the CAA and Virginia Division I history. Although many are blindly saying that a pitcher cannot win the MVP, it is clear he has as much affect on the Tigers this season as any position player. He is a clear win for the American League CY Young award, and should be the best choice for the MVP award.

AN UPDATE ON THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION LOCKOUT revenue. To appease the owners, the players offered to lower that figure to 54.3 percent. However, the owners want that number lowered to somewhere in the 40s. As any fan can imagine, the players refused to make that steep of a drop, resulting in a lockout.

So what do NBA fans have to look forward to in the upcoming weeks? Training camp is scheduled to start in less than three weeks, and with opening night scheduled to start on Nov. 1, the prospects look grim. Referring once again to the 1998 work stoppage, training camp was postponed, and it resulted in a reduced 50-game season. With the owners complaining that they lost $300 million last season, they aren’t likely to budge on their desire to overhaul the financial system in the NBA. Derrick Fisher, point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers and president of the player’s association said, “I think coming out of today, obviously because of the calendar, we can’t come out of here feeling as though training camps and the season is going to start on time at this point.” Not much to look forward to.

Union director Billy Hunter adds his take on the situation. “The owners are not inclined at this stage to move off the position where they’ve anchored themselves.” Not pleasant prospects to say the least.

Commissioner David Stern has

set a deadline for Sept. 28, after which, if no deal has been made, training camps will not happen and the chances of the season starting on Nov. 1 would be slim to none. Coming off of the spectacular season which all basketball fans witnessed, this is a crushing blow to even the most casual of NBA supporters.

Players have already begun to look for work overseas, some already resigned to the fact that there will be a work stoppage. Players such as J.R. Smith and Wilson Chandler have already signed one year contracts to play in Chinese leagues. We will see what happens in the coming weeks, but as of now, prepare to be without basketball for the upcoming year.

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opinions

D1 | MACE & CROWN | Wednesday 9.21.2011

Red Bull Really Does Give You Wings…

And Parachutes.

By: Diane Dougherty Editor-in-Chief

I’m not what you would call a morning person in the slightest. I hardly ever see daylight before 10 a.m. and even that becomes a challenge for me at times. There aren’t many things that can pull me out of bed in the morning, however, if given the opportunity of a lifetime and the only thing standing in my way is an alarm clock going off at 8 a.m., overlooking the loss of a few hours of sleep isn’t going to be hard to do.

Earlier in the week I received a phone call from Red Bull representatives Jaci Alberts and Alexander Rose, telling me that they wanted to take a staff member from the ODU student newspaper skydiving. Not only was this exactly what I had planned to spend my birthday money on doing anyways but I would also be skydiving with a member of the elite “Red Bull Airforce” team and it was free. Any person with half a brain would jump on this opportunity, so I did.

Thursday my alarm goes off bright and early at 8 a.m. and I’m jumping out of bed before I can even hit the dismiss button. I’m overcome with a mixture of nervousness and utter exhilaration. In two hours I would be jumping out of a plane at Skydive West Point, voluntarily. I had lost my mind.

The dive itself was the most intense thing I’ve ever done.

I have never felt so elated yet at peace in my life. During the plane ride I was completely calm. The only thing on my mind was how much longer I had to be cooped up in that tiny plane. My knees had locked, my toes had gone completely numb and I was just ready to take the plunge.

It wasn’t until Eric Babcock, the videographer, grabbed the latch and threw the plane door open that I started to realize that this was actually happening and we were 10,700 feet up in the air.

The dive was more than I could have imagined. We freefell for 38 seconds at 124 miles per hour and went from zero to 124 miles per hour in ten seconds. 38 seconds might sound short but it feels like a lifetime. The rest of the dive gave me the ability to take in my surroundings. Seeing everything from a birds eye view while having the opportunity to control the chute is the closest thing I’ve felt to flying and I envied the people who get to do this everyday.

Mario Ripa, the skydiver I jumped tandem with, couldn’t have been better. He was patient when I asked him the same questions repeatedly just so I could make sure I didn’t kill us both on the way down. I also had the pleasure of getting to know and jumping with Luke Aikins, a member of the “Red Bull Airforce” team. After the dive we were able to look at the video footage he took and get an exclusive interview with him about his skydiving career.

Aikins grew up on an airport and his grandpa started a skydiving center so when he was young he started off learning to pack people’s parachutes at the drop zone. He had his first solo dive at 16 and hasn’t stopped since. “My favorite part of a jump is probably the first step off. I love seeing jumpers’ reactions when they first step out of the plane, especially if it’s their first time. They think they know what to expect but it’s indescribable. That keeps the jumps refreshing so how could I ever get bored? I mean I’m jumping out of a plane,” said Aikins.

Using Deadly Force

Norfolk Police kill two within weeks

By: Rebecca Osborne Contributing Writer

Officers serving in the Norfolk Police Department have shot and fatally wounded two individuals within the past month. These incidents were only weeks apart and both involved officers defending themselves against motor vehicles, used by the decedents, as weapons.

In the city of Norfolk on Aug. 20, 2011, Marquize Martin was shot and killed as he tried to run down a police officer with a vehicle he had stolen moments before. Also in Norfolk, Kenneth Lorenzo was killed on Sept. 6, 2011, after breaking into a car. Once an officer arrived on the scene, Lorenzo reversed his vehicle in an attempt to hit the officer. Lorenzo’s vehicle did hit the officer’s vehicle, at which point the officer fired in self-defense.

After every police shooting there is the inevitable questioning of the use of force and whether or not it was justified. After the Sept. 6 incident, an anonymous bystander stated that people were being killed for no reason.

In both of the aforementioned incidents, suspects were using vehicles in an attempt to injure police officers, who were on scene only because the suspects had just committed crimes.

Police officers do not respond to calls with the intent of

firing their weapons. Police officers attend rigorous training that educates and equips them with the tools they need to bring suspects into custody as peacefully as possible. Officers are taught tactical skills to deal with everyone from violent offenders, such as rapists and murderers, to petty thieves and the mentally ill.

A police officer would much rather be on the street than behind a desk, fielding phone calls, while their shooting is investigated. They only resort to the use of force when a situation puts their lives in danger or endangers the lives of surrounding citizens.

Those against use of force and justified shootings have probably never been in a situation where they have felt their lives were in danger. They don’t know what it feels like to have a vehicle speeding towards them, or a gun pointed at them and only seconds to decide how they are going to survive. Police officers are here to protect and serve and are, unfortunately, sometimes faced with split-second decisions regarding their safety.

Situations involving officers using deadly force create passionate arguments and viewpoints on whether or not police officers have the right to protect themselves while working to protect the citizenry. This is when the cause and effect rule occurs. If a person doesn’t try to kill a police officer he will not be forced to defend himself.

Release the Cracken Student-Athletes Deserve A Stipend?

Matthew McCracken Sports Editor The question that has been asked for years, do student-athletes deserve to get paid? The argument goes back and forth between many individuals. Obviously, the caliber of play that some athletes such as Reggie Bush at USC and Vince Young at Texas portrayed deserved some type of reward. But then the killer question comes up, how are they student-athletes if we are paying them to play?

Jay Williams, an ESPN analyst and former Duke guard, argued on Sports Center that student-athletes deserve to receive stipends. He even brought statistics into it saying that his jersey went for $2.3 million of revenue during his tenure at Duke. And how much of that money did he see? Goose eggs.

Then you have individuals like Louisville’s Head Basketball Coach Rick Pitino getting an annual salary of $7.5 million. This number is higher than most professional basketball players and coaches. Why does Pitino deserve to get paid for the success of these young kids on the hardwood, gridiron, or diamond? A question that many ask and few can answer without getting heated about the conversation.

Some Mo-Jo Schmo argued against Jay Williams’ Pitino question with one of the worst responses I’ve ever heard.

“Well. . . you can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube.” Are you kidding me? That’s worse than Saul’s (James Franco’s character from Pineapple Express) statement of “Pandora can’t go back into the box, he only comes out.”

Now, I understand where Jay Williams is coming from. Seeing all that money made off of your name is hard to bear. But players are forgetting the simple fact that they are receiving a scholarship, which at big schools can go up to about $40,000 a year, to get a free education while playing the sport you love. Growing up, these kids probably got money from their parents or coaches during the travels to get discovered. They spent countless hours of practice just to be looked at by these big universities.

Well, now you are discovered. Now you are the face of your respective university. You are a superstar. What else do you need? I know due to your prospective sports, you don’t have enough time to get a part-time job. I know the coaches ask a lot of you. But

this is what you asked for when you picked up a ball at the age of two and were a natural. This is what you asked for after you played up in higher age groups because of your pure talent.

This is what you asked for after lifting all those weights, and running before the sun came up.

These guys from University of Miami and Ohio State accepting money from boosters are as asinine as can be.

Driving around in an Escalade when you are a broke college athlete is not the best way to conceal your illegal actions.

To college athletes like Jay Williams and others who argue that they deserve money, answer one question for me: If you get the big bucks, will the guy behind you on the depth chart pocket the same amount of cash? I think not. So how is that fair? That guy works just as hard as you do at practice, if not harder. He sacrifices just as much time as you do, yet, he probably doesn’t even have a scholarship. His hunger to get a free education is what drives him to succeed. Instead, your arrogance takes away from your pure talent that few are blessed with.

Then you’ll say to me, “Whatever Matt, what if I get injured?” And I’ll gladly answer without even blinking, “you are still getting an education at a respected university.” I’m not the smartest guy alive, but if you get hurt your junior year at a university after giving your all to the program, I put my pay check they don’t take your scholarship away from you. So stop complaining, players.

Jay Williams, I have the utmost respect for you, but I think you were arguing just for the sake of argument.

I pray for the day we can debate this topic face-to-face. I’ve already written questions out to stump you including, if scholarship players get a stipend, do academic scholars get a stipend as well? Or how much more money will a sixth man at Duke get over a superstar ball player at Northern Illinois?

Just play the game you love and be rewarded with the success that comes from your commitment. You’ll get the big bucks one day, as an athlete or not.

I’m not going to say money can’t buy happiness, because we all know that is bologna. But, the amount of money one earns does not define the value of that individual. Play for the love, not for the paper.

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D2 | MACE & CROWN | Wednesday 9.21.2011

Nom Nom’s in Norfolk The Ten Top gets a 10 out of 10 By: Derek Page Staff Writer Tucked back next to the coin laundry on Shirley Avenue and Colley is a place where magic happens. It is a place where flavor is forged and hunger is hindered. The Ten Top takes taste to new heights with creative tenacity that will make your idea of satisfaction an enigma. It’s places like The Ten Top that keeps my spirit and wallet light.

The Ten Top has been serving the Norfolk area with a welcoming heart for 15 years. It got its name from its first location, where the popular hookah lounge Nazef currently operates, in that it only had one table with 10 chairs surrounding it. The original owner, Peter Pitman, sold the business to his sister Allise for a dollar, whom after 10 years sold the business to current owner, Don Lester, where he operates the establishment at its current address. The quaint hole-in-the-wall accommodates roughly 20 people in the eclectic dining area. Pictures hanging all over the walls show places to see and travel to, and just above the exit are photos of the means of getting there. A large icebox from the 1800s sits next to a “Dr. Who” pinball machine against aluminum siding you commonly see in a diner, and old Coca Cola and Morton Salt advertisements line the wall under the counter where you place your order. Wooden hands, palms facing up, hold a stack of napkins on the tables, which themselves are accompanied by a variety of different styles of chairs. Above the order counter, against a teal wall, is a section of chalkboard painted wall that displays the daily specials.

My favorite thing about The Ten Top is that everything is no less than fresh. Chefs Rick and Heather Fraley, as well as Lester, pride themselves on preparing nothing but the best for their customers.

Everything this business buys and sells is from independent businesses. The Ten Top gets their produce and meats from the Waterside Fish and Produce located right here in Norfolk, assuring that everything is fresh.

The menu delivers an extensive and diverse number of options.

With a typical café style menu, The Ten Top offers numerous soups, salads, sandwiches and wraps, as well as flat bread pizzas and pasta options. Everything is also very well priced. Ever think you could have lamb for lunch for under eight bucks? The Ten Top serves up a Greek lamb hoagie for $7.49 with tender, juicy chunks, not thin slices, of lamb, fresh spinach, cheese and their version of tzatziki sauce on a toasted French roll. This was my first meal at the restaurant and it was love at first bite.

Another of my favorites is the chicken-apple chutney and walnut wrap for $6.95. A generous portion of chicken, Rick says is anywhere from six to eight ounces depending on whose hand is grabbing for it, is placed on a bed of fresh green romaine lettuce and

shredded carrots, topped with the sweet and tangy apple chutney, then polished with bits of walnut, and finally, mozzarella cheese, all contained in a wheat wrap. This is the definition of amazing.

All the flavors are distinct from one another yet come together in a sweet and savory harmony resulting in one glorious experience.

It’s as if the apples were plucked from the Tree of Knowledge itself. Of course making sacrament to a sandwich is nothing to joke about, which is why I’m seriously considering starting a movement for victual righteousness in the near future. Ok, not really, but I really want to embed into your head how enticing this wrap is.

Now, I’m going to go ahead and assume that everyone has had a chicken salad sandwich before. Now, I’m going to go ahead and tell you that that sandwich was poop compared to the chicken salad sandwich at The Ten Top. Don’t be offended. I’m sure whatever it was you managed to concoct with the scattered contents of your refrigerator was suitable in your battle to subdue hunger, but I’m here to tell you the war is over and The Ten Top has been dubbed the victor. The “simple chicken salad” for $6.95, as labeled on the menu, combines whole chunks of chicken breast fresh off the birds bones, crisp celery, sweet basil, scallions, tomato and leaf lettuce, all mixed in mayo, light spices, and served on a loaf of French bread. This is a sandwich you can’t just wolf down in a matter of seconds. The chunks of 100 percent trim chicken breast force you to actually chew each bite and savor each morsel of the succulent mixture.

For all you veg-heads out there, I tried something just for you.

The tomato basil and mozzarella sandwich is served on a crusty French baguette with big slices of fresh, juicy tomatoes and a zesty basil vinaigrette dressing all smothered with mozzarella cheese that has been melted over in the oven. It’s like God and a pizza had a baby. Everything about that sandwich screams delicious.

As for sides, you’ve never had potato salad so incredible that wasn’t made here. My opinion of it is ineffable. Words cannot describe my affection for this classic side dish, but just to give you an idea, The Ten Top dishes out an estimated 150 pounds of the stuff! It has just the right blend of sauce mix and leaves big chunks of the potato still intact. The coleslaw is great too. It’s the classic stringed green and red cabbage with carrots, blended with a light dressing and spices. It’s not sloppy and overloaded with sauce. It has texture and flavor that is impeccable. Pasta salad is also available, which I have yet to try because I can’t stop eating the potato salad, and if you’re health conscious, orange slices are available as a side as well.

There isn’t a single bad thing I can say about The Ten Top. It’s places like these that make me upset that most communities would rather spend their money at chain restaurants that deal with ma-

jor food distributors like Sysco and don’t serve nearly the kind of quality, fresh food that The Ten Top does. Bottom line is, The Ten Top cares about its customers and the product they deliver, much like almost every small, local, independent business you walk into.

Jeff Mussleman, a senior at ODU, describes The Ten Top as “a delightful hole in the wall which delivers an enticing array of foods and fresh side items that will leave you knowing you are going to return again and again. [The Ten Top] features a cozy setting, tasteful background music and décor, efficient staff and a nice selection of specialty items. Visit today and you will leave wondering why you hadn’t yet chanced upon The Ten Top.”

to trust the kids. After their performance Monday night against Tottenham, all fans should trust the kids.

Ferguson selected the second youngest squad he’s ever fielded, average age 23, and the players rewarded him with a display for the ages. A lively night at Old Trafford, one respected by the fans and players alike. Suddenly the big named midfielders that had to come for United to compete were being forgotten. A new regime had arrived and it seems Fergie just may have set up another dynasty for domestic domination.

Danny Welbeck headlined the eventful night, finishing brilliantly with his head for the first goal before even more brilliantly setting up Anderson for the second. A gorgeous back-heel left the defenders confused and Anderson had the simplest of finishes.

The old man Wayne Rooney finished off the show with his first goal at Old Trafford for the season, cleverly saluting the fans with his new head of hair.

Welbeck represents the pride of Manchester United. A Manchester boy, Welbeck has been in the Academy since he was eight years old. After scoring the first goal, the delight in Welbeck showed to me he is at the right club. He sprinted to the fans and immediately kissed the badge.

The game was so much more than just a three points for the Reds.

It showed again that Alex Ferguson is the greatest manager of all time. He has gone from era to era, seamlessly moving players in and out at the right time. Never selling too early, never panicking and making obscure moves.

The team rewarded Fergie with his faith. They put on a show

of gorgeous free-flowing soccer. The top four of Nani, Young, Rooney and Welbeck are all so flexible and adaptive. They can all adjust to different positions and represent a freedom that defenders simply won’t be able to figure out.

The central midfield has been the most promising of all aspects of the new look United. Michael Carrick seems to always be caught up in games, rarely dictating the play like he did two years ago.

Fletcher may never be 100 percent fit again and Giggs has another year on his belt.

Step up Tom Cleverely. Step up Anderson.

The players, 22 and 23 respectively, bring an immeasurable amount of energy to the central of the pitch and both so eloquently switch their styles of play to adapt to the others. Many times, Cleverely will go galloping forward on a surging run, only to have Anderson casually slide into a space behind him to protect from the counter. Both players represent box-to-box midfielders and the amount of ground they are able to cover gives defenders nightmares.

Its absolutely devastating Cleverely was hurt against Bolton.

However, there is no doubt in my mind he will return better than before.

But the night must be given to Fergie. He has never fallen over to the press or pundits critiquing him for everything he does. He embodies the United spirit, the never say die attitude that all the players have. He trusts his youth in the biggest of stages.

And he may have just created another dream team for years to come.

If you want a great meal at a great price served up by people who care about their products and what you think of them, get your butt to The Ten Top.

Pull up J By: Jake Ullrich Sports Assistant When Danny Welbeck, Tom Cleverley and Ashley Young were substituted in the eightieth minute versus Tottenham a month ago, there wasn’t a United fan in the stadium seated. To be honest, there shouldn’t have been a United fan anywhere in the world not giving the three youngsters, the three newcomers to the first squad, arguably the top three players so far this season, a rousing standing ovation.

Only three months ago on the fateful night in London, when an “old, tired, worn out” United were outclassed by a sublime Barcelona, people were calling for the collapse of the empire in Manchester. They were losing their keeper, the ever-present Paul Scholes and were aging another year. Carrick had been caught on the carousel yet another year, and it seemed Darren Fletcher had fallen off the earth.

It was all going down for United and certainly they would be not only the second best team in England next year, but also the second best team in Manchester.

Fans begged Fergie to splash on a central midfielder, someone with a big name. A Sneijder or Modric had to come. Instead Fergie purchased two players below the age of 20 and one at 26. He then brought back two players from loan, both under 23.

He promised the fans not to worry about the transfer market, he trusted the youngsters and the academy and the fans should too.

After a positive preseason and Charity Shield, a lot of fans began

sundr y

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HTC INSPIRE™ 4G 4G speeds delivered by HSPA+ with enhanced backhaul. Available in limited areas.

Availability increasing with ongoing backhaul deployment. Requires 4G device. Learn more at att.com/network.

VISIT AN AT&T STORE AND ASK ABOUT DISCOUNTS FOR STUDENTS AND FACULTY. Purchase of Unlimited Messaging plan required. Available with select plans. International long distance calls and International roaming calls not included. Calls to directory assistance, voicemail, pay-per-use, call routing, and forwarding numbers not included. Other restrictions and conditions apply. See att.com/anymobile or store for details. Monthly discount: Service discount applies only to the monthly service charge of qualified plans and not to any other charges. Available only to qualified students and employees of colleges/universities with a qualified business agreement. Other service discount qualification requirements may apply. Restrictions, other terms, and conditions apply. See store for details. Limited-time offer. Subject to wireless customer agrmt. Credit approval req’d. Activ. fee $36/line. Coverage & svcs, including mobile broadband, not avail. everywhere. Geographic, usage & other conditions & restrictions (that may result in svc. termination) apply. Taxes & other chrgs apply. Prices & equip. vary by mkt & may not be avail. from ind. retailers. See store or visit att.com for details and coverage map. Early Termination Fee (ETF): None if cancelled during first 30 days, but a $35 restocking fee may apply; after 30 days, ETF up to $325, depending on device (details att.com/equipmentETF). Subject to change. Agents may impose add’l fees. Regulatory Cost Recovery Charge up to $1.25/mo. is chrg’d to help defray costs of complying with gov’t obligations & chrgs on AT&T & is not a tax or gov’t req’d chrg. Offer Details: HTC Status price with 2-year wireless svc agreement on voice & minimum $15/mo. data plan required is $49.99. HTC Inspire 4G price with 2-year wireless svc agreement on voice & minimum $15/mo. data plan required is $99.99. Sales tax calculated based on price of unactivated equipment. Smartphone Data Plan Requirement: Min. $15/mo. DataPlus (200MB) plan required; $15 automatically chrg’d for each additional 200MB provided if initial 200MB is exceeded. All data, including overages, must be used in the billing period in which it is provided or be forfeited. For more details on data plans, go to att.com/dataplans. Screen images simulated. Facebook is a trademark of Facebook, Inc. ©2011 HTC Corp., Inc. All rights reserved. The HTC logo, HTC Inspire 4G, HTC Status, and any other trademarks used herein are trademarks owned by HTC Corporation and used under license. ©2011 AT&T Intellectual Property. Service provided by AT&T Mobility. All rights reserved. AT&T and the AT&T logo are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.