MINARET UNIVERSITY OF TAMPA’S NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1933
THE Vo l u m e
80
Number
7
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October
10,
2013
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theminaretonline.com
USF Incidents Trigger Concerns About Campus Emergency Procedures By JESSE LONG News Writer
Danielle Natalie, a student at the University of South Florida, was walking to class when she received a text alert about a suspect with a gun on campus. “I was on my way to a chemistry exam, which was across the street from the shooting, and it had not been canceled,” said Natalie, a USF Biology major with a minor in psychology. According to Fox 13 News, it started on Sept. 20 just after 1:30 p.m. when a man, possibly carrying a gun, was reported jumping a fence between the Shriner’s Hospital and Moffitt Cancer Center. It was about 10 to 20 minutes after this, that Natalie received the text alert. “I think that it was as effective as it could be, although it’d be awesome if we had some sort of warning that’s visible while walking around campus, for the people that don’t have cell phones to warn them or who aren’t signed up for the text service,” Natalie said. This wasn’t the first time that Natalie received a text concerning an issue on campus. A few weeks ago there were
incidents of rape that happened on the USF campus, and she was alerted of each of them. Another safety precaution put in place at USF is the Blue Light Alarm System. There are areas where students can pick up the phone and immediately call security. “There are blue lights all over campus within maybe 50 feet of each other, so if I ever ran into trouble I could use my phone or one of those,” Natalie said. On the UT campus there are many programs that have been installed to protect students and provide them a safe learning environment. UT security has been an ongoing concern among students due to the fact that the campus is right by downtown Tampa. GraceMarie Schian, a freshman and undecided major at UT, feels that the openness of the campus to the public is a big concern. “Many of the buildings on campus are easily accessible to outsiders,” Schian said. “Also, for the buildings that do require a scan in, people could See SECURITY Page 4
Casey Budd/The Minaret Campus Safety is working to keep UT safe from potential emergency situations in light of recent USF incidents.
ROTC Cadets’ Training Affected by Government Shutdown By KHADIJAH KHAN News Writer
As the U.S. entered the second week of the government shut down, a solid solution still hasn’t been found. As time goes on, there are more and more people, including students, being affected. At UT, the shutdown has started to take a toll on R.O.T.C. [Reserve Officer Training Corps] program. The government shut down on Oct. 1 for the first time in nearly two decades when the House of Representatives and the Senate couldn’t come to a consensus on the government budget. This shutdown caused several landmarks, monuments and museums along with the nation’s 400 national parks to be shut down.
I.R.S tax refunds have also been suspended, and new home loans from the federal government housing administration have stopped processing. Almost all of NASA has been shut down, and the E.P.A has also lost about 94 percent of their workforce according to The New York Times, The Washington Post and several other news outlets. “The Government shutdown has had some minor effects on our program,” said Kevin Kelly, professor of military science. “Luckily it does not impact our academic process at all. All classes are being conducted as usual with no impact to the Cadets or students. We have had to cancel
University of Tampa ROTC/Facebook
University of Tampa ROTC cadets prepare to perform troop leading procedures in a lab.
In Other News...
3 Student Voting for Party in the Park Revamped 7 Google Glass: A View Through HighTech Lenses
one field Training Exercise due to no funds authorized.” Some students were upset because this was the first time a training exercise had been cancelled in years. “As a member of the ROTC for three years, we have never canceled any training until this past week,” said senior and sports management major Russell Wagner. “We have spent the last six weeks training vigorously for our field training exercise but due to the government shutdown, we were unable to come up with the necessary funds that the training required.” Two R.O.T.C employees, the supply technician and the human resources liaison, haven’t been able to work. The rest of the R.O.T.C program is made up of army active duty soldiers. “Our civilian employees who deal with our equipment supply and human resources haven’t been able to work since the government shutdown,” Wagner said. “Some cadets’ pay will be pushed back now until our civilian employees can return to the office.” Some students, though not in R.O.T.C, had very strong opinions on the government shutdown and were less than impressed with the way the government has handled this situation.
“When I heard about the government shutdown, I was disappointed that the people we elect to be our leaders could not come to a mutual agreement. I think it makes our government look weak. That’s just my take on it,” said Tyler Barrett, UT sophomore and Government and World Affairs major. While the R.O.T.C. program has faced minor struggles, so have members concerned with graduation. Some seniors are scared of how this will affect them after graduation if the shutdown continues. “If we were in a government shutdown after I graduate and commission in the U.S. army, it would definitely affect my development as a leader,” Wagner said. “Funds would be scarce and getting the proper training that a second lieutenant needs could possibly be hindered.” According to Kelly, R.O.T.C has gotten word that the two civilian employees who were furloughed this past week have officially been called back to work. “As of now there should be little impact except our ability to train,” Kelly said. “Once the government is back up and running we will be able to reschedule these events and get our cadets back on track.” Khadijah Khan can be reached at khadijah.khan@spartans.ut.edu
9 Pachyderm’s Wings as Big as Their Name
13 Remote Control Killing: Recent Drone Strike Raises Ethical
11 Congress, Grow Up. End Government Shut Down Now.
20 It’s in the Game: EA Sports Lawsuit
News..................................2 Diversions.........................6 A+E....................................7 Opinion............................ 11
Sports..............................16
M
OCTOBER 10 2013 | THE MINARET
MINARET
2
NEWS + FEATURES
Internships Counting Toward Majors: Creating New Incentives for UT Students
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Jessica Keesee
jessica.keesee@theminaretonline.com
MANAGING EDITOR Mia Glatter
mia.glatter@theminaretonline.com
ASSOCIATE EDITOR Natalie Hicks
natalie.hicks@theminaretonline.com
NEWS + FEATURES Lauren Richey, Editor
lauren.richey@theminaretonline.com
Katherine Lavacca, Asst. Editor
katherine.lavacca@theminaretonline.com
ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT Justine Parks, Editor
justine.parks@theminaretonline.com
Jordan Walsh, Asst. Editor
jordan.walsh@theminaretonline.com
OPINION
Paola Crespo, Editor
Paola.Crespo@theminaretonline.com
Annabella Palopoli, Editor
annabella.palopoli@theminaretonline.com
Richard Whitaker, Asst. Editor
richard.whitaker@theminaretonline.com
SPORTS
Jordan Llanes, Editor
jordan.llanes@theminaretonline.com
Griffin Guinta, Asst. Editor
griffin.guinta@theminaretonline.com
ONLINE
Vanessa Righeimer, Web and Social Media Director
vanessa.righeimer@theminaretonline.com
PHOTOGRAPHY Casey Budd, Editor
casey.budd@theminaretonline.com
ADVERTISING
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ADVISER
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PHOTOGRAPHERS Leah Beilhart
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Students can learn about career opportunites attend internship fairs that are offered by Careeer Services throughout the months of October and November. By RACHEL BARANOWSKI News Writer
The University of Tampa has been discussing different incentives for students to register for internships in the future. Ideas consist of internships counting for credit towards all majors, and possibly having internships as a requirement for graduation, according to a UT faculty official. “For the fall 2012, and spring and summer 2013 [terms] there were 477 students enrolled in internships for UT,” said Ali Dunn, Assistant Director of Internships and Career Services. “If internships counted toward all students majors, I think there would be an increase in registered internships through UT,” Dunn said. There is also discussion among the department of government and world affairs on whether or not students who register for internships through UT should have them count toward their major. “There is a probability that internships will count toward the GWA major for fall of 2014,” said Robert Kerstein, internship coordinator for the GWA major. However, the department does not feel as if a pass/fail grading system should count toward a person’s major. “The GWA is rethinking this, because of other departments who allow internships to count for their majors,” Kerstein said. “This proposition would need to be
Lafayette College/Flickr
A student talks with a potential employer at a career fair to gain more information about the company.
discussed among the different faculty committees in order for it to pass. These committees vary between departments: the curricular committee, provost and then to the president, who will make a change to the curriculum,” Dunn said. “The discussion will be decided by the department of GWA by the end of fall 2013 semester,” Kerstein said. As of right now, internships for GWA majors count for credit toward a general elective. “If I were to pay in credits for my internship through the school, I would be more likely to do so if my internship
GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Rebecca Barton Wendy French
STAFF WRITERS Britney Cox Khadijah Khan Rachel Baranowski
COLUMNISTS
Jake Koniszewski Avery Twible
MORE INFORMATION THE MINARET is a weekly student-run publication at the University of Tampa. Letters to the Editor may be sent to editor@theminaretonline.com. To reach THE MINARET call 813.257.3636. Your first two copies of THE MINARET are free. Each additional copy is $1.00 davidciani/Flickr
Many students who participate in internships find themselves gaining real world experience and knowledge.
counted toward my major,” said Angenae Wilson-Gay, UT junior and GWA major. UT’s cost per credit outside of the internship program is $510, according to the UT website. “I have already completed my general electives; I do not want to pay thousands of dollars to the school so I can have another general elective,” Wilson-Gay said. Students registering for an internship between two and four credits will be paying the university $1,020 to $2,040. “I believe if internships would count towards the majors for students there would be a large increase in students enrolling in internships here,” Dunn said. Companies and graduate schools are looking for candidates who also have real-world internship experience in today’s world, according to the UT website. “Internships are crucial in the eyes of employers,” Dunn said. UT’s internship program, Hire UT, continually offers internship and job fairs each month; there are nearly 30 scheduled for the month of October alone. “Internships help students stand out to employers,” Kerstein said. In today’s challenging job market, internships are a must, provides UT’s website. UT students and professors agree: internships counting toward majors would be a great incentive for students to enroll in the many internship options provided here at UT. Rachel Baranowski can be reached at rachel.baranowski@spartans.ut.edu
NEWS + FEATURES
THE MINARET | OCTOBER 10 2013
3
Student Voting for Party in the Park Revamped
Student Productions/Facebook
Students enjoy 3OH!3’s performance at last year’s Party in the Park even though it was moved to the gym because of bad weather. By NATALIE HICKS Associate Editor
Brian Cicero, the new music chair of Student Production’s Concert Board, wants to transform Party in the Park by letting the student body have more input. “I don’t want people getting mad because we didn’t pick the artist they wanted,” said Cicero, a senior business marketing major.
For the past three years, Kristen Mathe ran the show behind the spring concert at UT. Mathe graduated last spring and ushered in Cicero, who was a member of the board for the 2012-13 academic year, to take her place as the music chair for Student Productions. “I absolutely loved being music chair and spent three years developing and improving the concert,” Mathe said. “It was definitely hard handing over
the reins after dedicating so much to the concert.” Mathe said she cannot wait to see how future chairs likes Cicero will continue to improve the annual Party in the Park. Cicero plans on following Mathe’s blueprints for organizing concert events. However, he wants to be more straightforward with students so they do not get misled. “I revamped the survey,” Cicero said.
“In the past, they picked artists that didn’t fit in the budget.” Previously, the Blackboard survey that allows students to pick which artists they would like to see perform at the spring concert listed specific musician names. Students might have seen their favorite artist listed and assumed they would perform. This year, Cicero changed the survey to a more general format. “To eliminate the confusion on how we choose the artist, I chose to just put genres [on the survey],” Cicero said. “It’ll also be a complete surprise to them.” Also, The Party in the Park budget was increased, so Cicero hopes to switch up the types of musical acts that visit UT. “It’s been pretty much hip-hop for the past three years,” Cicero said. Slightly Stoopid was expected to play in 2011, but the show cancelled due to rain. In 2012, B.o.B. performed for the spring concert, and 3OH!3 performed last year. Connor Cox, a sophomore international business major, also hopes Student Productions will bring in some different and unexpected musicians. “I would like more alternative and indie rock, but I think more of club and electronica music would appeal more to UT students,” Cox said. Cicero seeks to please students like Cox, and he is excited to see which genres of music he and the rest of the Concert Board will be able to bring to UT. Natalie hicks can be reached at natalie.hicks@theminaretonline.
From the Sept. 30 to Oct. 6 reports
GIVE IT BACK On Oct. 3, unknown person(s) removed a 4-wheeled hand cart from The Minaret delivery cart without the owners permission. If the Boot Fits On Oct. 3, A vehicle immobilization device was placed on a student’s car for failure to adhere to university parking regulations. #totsannoying On Oct. 4, students reported being texted by another student uninvited.
This week’s varsity games: Volleyball Friday, Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. Men’s Soccer Saturday, Oct. 17 at 7:30 p.m. Stickin’ To the Man On Oct. 4, a student was noncompliant when asked to extinguish his cigarette and refused to surrender Spartan Identification upon request.
Midnight Madness is Monday, Oct. 14 from 11 p.m.-1 a.m. Come out for free food, a fashion show, and Tampa’s Got Talent! There will be a dunk contest and an obstacle course as well!
Stick to the Microwaveable Stuff On Oct. 4, cooking smoke set off the fire alarm in ResCom.
The 3rd annual Battle of the Bras is Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. in the Vaughn Courtyard Come help support the Moffit Breast Cancer Research Center!
Reports compiled by Katherine Lavacca
4 OCTOBER 10 2013 | THE MINARET
NEWS + FEATURES
UT security procedures help keep students safe SECURITY from Page 1
easily walk in right behind someone.” Like the Blue Light Alarm System on the USF campus, there are many such stations throughout the UT campus as well, that include 911 emergency call boxes to aid students in case of an emergency. Within the UT’s Annual Security and Fire Safety Report for 2013, are the procedures and steps taken in the instance of a similar emergency to USF’s. The report was compiled by UT Director of Safety, Kevin Howell, as well as other members of the UT Campus Safety team. According to this report, UT must have confirmation of an emergency, a determination of the affected population, and the establishment of incident details, which will initiate the overall notification system. During this process of confirmation, Emergency Action Plans will begin and can result in a campus-wide evacuation. UT emergency notifications include
SMART emergency text messages, text to voice classroom messages, global email web alerts, all types of social
“Maintaining relationships with area agencies such as the Tampa Police Dpt., Sheriff’s Dpt. and the Tampa Fire Dpt. is an important part to preparedness.” - Linda Devine
media updates, and many others. Schian has only received one of the recent text alert tests that the school has been performing through the Spartan Mobile Alert System, while other students have received more. However, there are certain measures that do make Schian feel secure on campus. Schian also views the laser team as a key asset to students who are walking around at night on campus and don’t feel safe. She also approves of the
addition of the new call box that has recently been installed next to West Parking Garage. On an open university like Tampa it requires an in detail knowledge of the physical environment of the campus, according to Dr. Linda Devine, the Vice President for Operations and Planning here at UT. “At UT, we have a Campus Safety Committee that meets three times a year; an Emergency Communications Group that meets every other week; a Night Operations Group that meets three times a year,” said Devine. “I would also say that developing and maintaining relationships with area agencies, such as the Tampa Police Department, Sheriff ’s Office, and the Tampa Fire Department, is an important part to preparedness,” Devine continued. According to the 2013 report, there have been 10 illegal weapon referrals and arrests in the past three years, here at UT. UT’s Students of Concern program is also in place if there is a need to
“identify students in our community who appear to be troubled or troubling and to intervene before the student reaches a crisis level,” according to the Campus Safety and Security Brochure. Despite wthe recent incidents at USF, Natalie isn’t overly concerned about her safety on campus. “Campus security are all over campus and even at night there are usually students walking around,” Natalie said. “I’ve walked by myself at night and felt safe on most of [campus], except for the occasional path that doesn’t have as much light.” Students agree that security is a big concern on many college campuses, and it is important that each student feel safe and secure, especially on an open campus like the University of Tampa. “Security should be the number one priority at the University of Tampa,” said Robin Manarik, a freshman and undecided major at UT. Jesse Long can be reached at jesse.long@spartans.ut.edu
What does the rock monument behind Plant Hall represent?
The monument is an “Anti-Gravity Rock” and although it has never been to space or in any sort of anti-gravity situation, its history at UT is still worth looking into. Roger Babson founded Babson College in Massachusetts and Webber College in Babson Park, Florida. He was an entrepreneur, businessman, economist, writer and philanthropist. He founded the Gravity Research Foundation, which was an organization that researched and attempted to discover a way to create gravitational shielding which, according to bibliotecapleyades.net, is “a material which would intercept gravitational fields, creating a field-free region.” The organization is currently out of commission but they still live on
in an annual contest, which gives scholarships to essays written about gravity related topics. The monuments were placed at several universities, paid for by Babson in the ‘60s to spread word about the foundation. UT’s “AntiGravity Rock” lies between the science wing of Plant Hall and Sykes and has the inscription,“It is to remind students of the blessings forthcoming when science determines what gravity is, how it works, and how it may be controlled.” Want a question answered by UT FYI? Send your question about anything UT or Tampa related to ut.minaret@gmail.com MathewTownsend./Wikimedia Commons
The Anti-Gravity Rock was donated to UT and several other universities in the 60s by Roger Babson.
NEWS + FEATURES
THE MINARET | OCTOBER 10 2013
Master It Boost your career credentials with a graduate degree from UT! • MBA (seven concentrations) • M.S. in Accounting • M.S. in Finance • M.S. in Marketing • Certificates in Nonprofit Management, Accounting and Business Administration
• New! M.S. in Exercise and Nutrition Science • M.S. in Nursing • M.S. in Instructional Design and Technology • M.A. in Teaching • Master of Education • MFA in Creative Writing
U.S. News & World Report ranks UT as a top-tier school for master’s degrees in the South. The Sykes College of Business has been named one of the best business schools in the world by The Princeton Review for the last six years, and its MBA program was rated #1 in the Bay area by the Tampa Bay Business Journal. The Sykes College of Business is accredited by AACSB International, an honor shared by only 6 percent of business schools worldwide.
All programs accepting applications now. Request more information at www.ut.edu/gradinfo or call (813) 258-7409.
Join our community online!
5
6 OCTOBER 10 2013 | THE MINARET
Diversions
Sudoku
The Weekend Update Panhellenic Theme Week Snap and Tag, Chalk Walk October 11
Vaughn Courtyard 4 p.m.
Volleyball vs. Lynn October 11
Martinez Athletics Center 7 p.m.
Free with UT Id
Girl Rising Documentary October 11
Reeves Theater 8 p.m. Free
Volleyball vs. Nova Southeastern October 12
Martinez Athletics Center PrintableSudokuPuzzles.net
Picture
WEEK of the
Photo by Casey Budd/The Minaret Girls’ volleyball team remains undefeated for the 2013 - 2014 season.
4 p.m.
Free with UT Id
Soccer vs. Lynn October 12
Pepin Stadium
Women’s at 5 p.m. Men’s at 7:30 p.m. Free with UT Id
Anthony Jeselnik October 12
David A. Straz Center for the Performing Arts 8 p.m.
$27.50
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Philadelphia Eagles October 13
Raymond James Stadium 1 p.m.
Tickets start at $30
Midnight Madness October 14
Martinez Athletics Center 11 p.m. Free
Common: The Greatness in You Video Broadcast Speech October 15
Plant Hall Grand Salon 7 p.m. Free
Arts + Entertainment
THE MINARET | OCTOBER 10 2013
7
Google Glass: A View Through High-Tech Lenses By ANTHONY PETTENON
Arts + Entertainment Contributor
Google Inc. announced they would release Google Glass as a beta product last winter, and individuals would be able to participate in a Google Glass explorers program if they applied within a specified timeframe. I have always been passionate about new technology, so I applied. I submitted a response saying if I had a Glass “I would look for adventures, find new friends, discover the undiscovered, travel destinations, help others & share my findings.” I love to learn new things and find other ways to do something. With Glass, I was hoping that it would make my new adventures even more thrilling, and when I found out I would get to be a beta participant, I was ecstatic. I would describe Google Glass as a lightweight, durable, water-resistant and wearable device that you can slip on like a pair of eyeglasses. Unlike reading glasses, there are no lenses on the Google glass. Wearing Glass is almost as if it is a second pair of skin. You can’t even feel that it is on your face, and it does not distract you from walking or doing your daily activities. You are able to look through a rectangular prism that displays a screen in front of your eyes. You can easily take pictures, record videos, send text messages and use GPS/navigation, Google search, YouTube and more. This is all possible with the command
“O.K. Glass,” and it’s hands-free. Another way to use Glass is on the right side of the bone-conductor. Here, you are able to swipe through your timeline of all of the things you did that day or week. You can view all your pictures/videos, YouTube searches and more just with a swipe of your finger. A few months after I applied, Google notified me that I was selected to join 8,000 other people across the U.S. (including 200 developers) to take part in the Google Glass Explorers program. They sent me an invitation via Twitter to purchase them and select a color. I chose the Cotton color, which is basically just white. The other color options are Charcoal, Tangerine, Shale and Sky. I also had to choose a location and time to pick up my Google Glass, my options being Los Angeles or New York City. I chose New York City, the Chelsea Market location, to pick them up since it was closer to Chicago, which is where I’m from. I flew to New York over summer break and had a personalized fitting with a Glass Guide. A Glass Guide is a Google employee that assists Explorers with getting acquainted with the explorer program and the Glass features and functionality. They showed me how to use Glass with all of its amazing, unique features it is capable of doing. They helped me set up my iOS iPhone device with Glass so I would be able to Bluetooth and tether connect with Glass so all the data from
my iPhone would transfer to my Glass. After that, they made me set up a Google+ account so I would be able to share all of my findings and adventures with my friends, family and followers on the Web. Google+ is a social media website where you can share pictures/videos and status updates, video chat, read blogs and more. They took me around the Google headquarters to show me how to take pictures and videos with Glass, and I got to take a lot of cool pictures looking down at New York City. After the photography fun, they showed me how to make a phone call with Glass. I was amazed with its full calling functionality. I really felt like I was some sort of futuristic robot. It was an awesome experience. After my session was up with the Google Glass guides, my family and I walked the streets of New York City taking pictures and videos and effortlessly posting them to my Google+ profile and other media websites like Facebook and Twitter. My family, friends and followers were all highly intrigued with this new Google product and wanted to learn more about it too. There is also a website that is exclusive to the 8,000 Explorer members for sharing information with other members. It is a place where I can introduce myself to others. As you build up your ranking, other members can give kudos or feedback
to what an Explorer posts. Kudos are usually given when new solutions are offered, when you resolve a problem, for creative ideas or helping other members solve problems with their Glasses. I currently have 14 kudos with the online Glass discussion site. The discussion topics and categories include troubleshooting ideas, developer updates, journals, and, in this forum, you can discuss with other members your likes, dislikes, suggestions for improvement, new features and what daily life is like while wearing the Glass. In only four months since I first put on the Glass, Google has introduced a number of new updates. Some of the latest updates that I like most include fully integrated YouTube videos, handsfree GPS navigation, the vignette feature, the ability to add the Google Glass screen to a photograph taken by Glass, fully integrated Internet browsing and sound search, which is a way Google Glass is able to listen to a song and tell you what the title is. I am interested in learning the differences between how Google Glass works with an iPhone versus the Android (Google OS) to understand its full capabilities. I use both phones when trying new updates. I am hopeful that when Glass becomes available to the public that all the features are equally available regardless of the phone type. Anthony Pettenon can be reached at anthony.pettenon@spartans.ut.edu
Photos courtesy of Anthony Pettenon
Google Glass, still in beta testing, allows users to engage in different functions including weather updates, video browsing and music listening in a completely new and innovative fashion.
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OCTOBER 10 2013 | THE MINARET
ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
UT Student Reflects Spirit of Africa in Clothing Line
By AMANEE CABBAGESTALK Arts + Entertainment Writer
At only 21 years old, UT sophomore and international business and marketing major Marveen Ngatchou began the clothing brand Sanja with his cousin, Manine Tandia, 20. They had the idea to start the brand when they went back home to Cameroon in Africa. Shortly after their visit to Cameroon, Ngatchou and Tandi began brainstorming about the logistics and how to sell and advertise their product. “My marketing classes at UT definitely helped with this process,” Ngatchou said. The shirts represent the spirit of Africa. The name “Sanja” means fabric and derives from a language in Cameroon. The brand offers several styles of drawings and symbols of culture and African identity. Ngatchou and Tandi are both of African descent. “The purpose of the brand is to express the values of freedom, originality and innovation that thrive on the African continent,” Ngatchou said. “We started this brand to introduce Wax, an iconic fabric of African culture, to European fashion. We really want to expand the African vision. Sanjastartedasasmallfamily-runcompany in France and it is constantly emerging. “When we first began the business, a tailor in France made about 20 shirts. We used the money that we made from those shirts to produce more,” Ngatchou said. “Coming from Zimbabwe, the Tshirts give you a modern sense of fashion within Africa and an upcoming market,” said Keith Shaba,
Photos courtesy of Marveen Ngatchou
Marveen Ngatchou and Manine Tandia created the Sanja clothing line inspired by African identity.
sophomore and international business and entrepreneurship major at UT, who recently purchased a shirt from the line. “I really like my shirt. I’m looking forward to other products and designs that they will come up with.” So far, the line includes men’s T-
shirts, but they are planning to expand to other products and women’s wear. “The T-shirts are really cute and stylish. I can’t wait for them to come out with a women’s line,” said Shanice Carter, sophomore and journalism major at UT. “I’m really proud of
Marveen for being so successful at such a young age. He’s only 21 and he can say that he has his own clothing line. What an accomplishment!” The design of the shirts comes from the idea of mixing patterns of Tshirts that people wear in different countries in Africa with plain cotton Tshirts. The shirts are available in either black or white with a bold, colorful design on the sleeves and front pocket. I love the fact that they aren’t just something that everyone can buy at the mall,” said Carter. “They’re fresh and unique.” Ngatchou has always been interested in fashion. “I definitely want to do something in the fashion world after I graduate from UT, among other things,” Ngatchou said with a smile. Ngatchou and Tandia are determined to make their clothing brand more prominent in tha fashion world, and are currently trying to make their clothing available in South Africa and the United States. “One day, we may even want to open our own store,” Ngatchou said. “I’m thinking of bringing Sanja to UT, but I need more support.” He and a few of his friends can often be seen around the UT campus wearing the original T-shirts. “It feels great having my own clothing line, but I know I still have a long way to go,” Ngatchou said. “I’m going to work as hard as I can to make it even bigger.” Sanja T-shirts are available for purchase online for $15 at Sanjashop.com. Amanee Cabbagestalk can be reached at amanee.cabbagestalk@ spartans.ut.edu
Miley’s Movement Detailed in New Documentary
By BRIANNA KWASNIK Arts + Entertainment Writer
She’s still the same person. It’s not a transition, but a movement; an evolution into the person she knows she was born to be. Miley Cyrus will stop at nothing to fulfill her vision. In the one-hour documentary aired on MTV Wednesday night, Cyrus describes her movement: Bigger than a record, it’s about something that represents taking over the world. She wants to be on the same page with all of her fans, assembled like an army. Smilers that twerk together, stay together. Now that she’s broken free of Hannah Montana, she finally has control over her image. She warns that you won’t be seeing her face on anything that isn’t “dope.” That’s not part of the movement or her master plan. She doesn’t wish to throw shame on anything that she did as a kid. Cyrus acknowledges
that the younger generation looks up to her as a role model. For some, she may have even been their first concert or CD purchase, just as our generation looked up to Britney Spears. Now, what about the haircut? Cyrus was working in Philly, perfecting her album; a time she described as “the best of her life.” She was living in a small apartment, living like a real human. She could clean up her dog’s poop, go for a walk and get lunch without being stopped for a picture or harassed by paparazzi. Caught up in the positive change, she decided to take it a step further. She wanted to see change, develop a new attitude. Cyrus hopped on a plane to New York to see her stylist, cut off all her hair and bleached it blonde. Despite the negative feedback, Cyrus is loving the person that she has become. She said the new look allows her
Miley Cyrus - The Movement/Facebook
Miley Cyrus explained in depth her transformation from child actress to edgy pop star in the documentary.
“to be the bad b*tch” she really is. Throughout the documentary, we see Cyrus’ hard work and determination working toward releasing her first album in two years, Bangerz. She wants to shock people, evoke a “what was that” reaction from every song on the record, and collaborates with artists such as Britney Spears, Big Sean and French Montana. She only wants “one b-” on her record, she said, “and that’s Britney, b-.” Having put her record as the first priority in her life, she worries about the outcome. If the album doesn’t become a success, she would have sacrificed a lot for nothing. As she looks at it, “If you’re not first, you’re last.” Noticeably absent from the documentary are her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, and ex-fiancé, Liam Hemsworth. However, she did mention how her father blossomed her love for music. They used to record songs on cassette tapes, and she has not stopped since. The program also emphasizes Cyrus’ bond with her mother, Tish. Her mother is a constant presence in her life because she says that Cyrus was forced to grow up so quickly. She sold her childhood to the entertainment industry and was never able to lead a normal life. She grew up in a sort of entertainment boot camp. “I feel like she, Miley, is a different person in real life than how she is portrayed in the music videos,” freshman International Studies major, Michelle Konik said. After an estimated 10.1 million people tuned in to watch the 2013 VMA’s, the media went into a frenzy. “Miley Cyrus Twerks, Gives Robin Thicke Some Tongue” and “Miley Cyrus child ruining VMA performance”
Miley Cyrus/Facebook
Cyrus makes waves by taking control of her image.
are just few of the many headlines appearing after her controversial performance. How does Cyrus deal with the negative publicity? With laughter. “You’re always going to make people talk, you might as well make them talk two weeks, rather than two seconds,” Cyrus said in the documentary. That she did. The documentary ends with various media clips covering the performance. More than two weeks after the VMAs, people still want to know what people close to the star thought of her performance, about her twerking and why she always feels the need to stick her tongue out. To Cyrus, the performance was not raunchy. She thinks people take what she does too seriously. Plus, she said, if she wanted to put on a raunchy sex show, she wouldn’t have chosen to dress like a bear. Brianna Kwasnik can be reached at brianna.kwasnik@spartans.ut.edu
ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
THE MINARET | OCTOBER 10 2013
Pachyderm’s Wings as Big as Their Namesake By MADISON IRWIN
Arts + Entertainment Writer
You can never go wrong with chicken wings. Some people prefer them to be mild and sweet, while others like them blazingly hot. In my opinion, what makes a wing good is determined by three factors: flavor, wetness and, of course, spiciness. Pachyderm Wing Company nailed all of them and with no bones to spare. When it comes to wing cravings, I usually opt for Hooters or Buffalo Wild Wings, but I decided to try something different; and I’m sure glad I did. Pachyderm Wing Company, which just opened last May, is a sports bar and restaurant that’s known for its chicken wings or, as they like to call them, Elephant wings. Pachyderm is another word for a large, thickskinned mammal, such as the elephant. One of the owners, William Morris, used to work in the circus and trained elephants, which played a big part on choosing the restaurant’s name. The other owners include Michael Dunn and Adam Smith (a UT alum). “We didn’t want to own a normal bar,” Dunn said. “I love wings, but one of my pet peeves is when they don’t have enough meat in them. So, we came up with the concept ‘big food’ and made them a bit bigger and meatier, which also tied in with the whole elephant theme.” Pachyderm’s logo is an elephant with wings on its back. In fact, they’re even going to have a real elephant in the parking lot for their grand opening on Friday, Oct. 11. Pachyderm is located on 1118 W. Kennedy Blvd., which made it convenient for me to just walk there, especially since I don’t have a car. The place looks small on the outside, but I was pleasantly surprised at how spacious it was inside. As soon as I walked in, I was greeted by the friendly staff. You can choose between three different seating options: the first floor, upstairs and the outside patio. The first floor looks like your typical bar with two big-screen TVs and a jukebox. The upstairs is much quieter but a bit bigger than the first level. It looks more like an actual restaurant. The walls were decorated with trees and the color scheme was darker, giving
Arts + Entertainment Writer
Brie Larson has one of those faces you know you’ve seen before. That’s because she manages to appear in plenty of popular films and television series, yet her name seems to escape everyone. Soon, she will finally get her lead role in the comedy drama Relanxious, which is currently in pre-production. For now, she will continue to be a supporting actress with parts in the Oscar-rumored The Spectacular Now and Don Jon. Larson got her start at an early age, attending the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco as the youngest student ever at just six years old. She starred in two Disney movies, Right on Track and Sleepover, as well as 20 episodes in the television series Raising Dad all before graduating middle school. Eventually, she sought out more
Fall Productions Preview Thoroughly Modern Millie Nov. 21 - 23 at 8 p.m. and Nov. 24 at 2 p.m. Falk Theater
Casey Budd/The Minaret
Pachyderm offers outstanding taste in thier signature wings in addition to great deals for UT students.
it a more sophisticated feel. I decided to sit in the outside patio, which was huge and nicely decorated with string lights as well as a small fountain. The only downside is that the parking lot is pretty small, which I could imagine might be a problem for customers. What Pachyderm lacks in parking, it offers in excellent deals such as half-off wings on Thursdays and late night happy hours on Fridays. Plus, every single dish on the menu is prepared to order, using 100% fresh ingredients. They even make their own bleu cheese and bacon. The menu is pretty extensive but my server was very nice and was able to help me out. Prices here are reasonable. When it comes to the Elephant wings, you can order as many or as little as you like starting at $6 for six wings. There’s even an option of buying 192 wings for $150. There are nine sauces available to choose from. Spicy Garlic and Asian Elephant Ka-Pow are two of their most popular. Their hottest one is the Angry Elephant in HEAT. If you add an extra dollar to your wing order, you get a platter, which includes tusk fries. Pachyderm offers some unique appetizers as well such as the Pulled Pork Won Tons and Pachyderm Chicken Rolls. There’s also a variety of other entrées to choose from like salads and burgers. For dessert, you can get the Elephant Ear, which is a deep-fried, gingerbread dough topped with ice cream, cinnamon glaze and homemade
cinnamon ginger whipped cream. For my meal, I decided to go with the Spicy Garlic six-wing platter. I would’ve preferred onion rings instead of fries, but, unfortunately, they didn’t have any on the menu. However, I did enjoy the fries. They were freshly cut and well-seasoned with pepper. They were pretty big and not super greasy. Next up were the wings. I was nervous to try them at first because my favorite wings are Buffalo Wild Wing’s Spicy Garlic, and I wanted to keep an open mind. Yet, after the first bite, I was in elephant heaven. They were very wet and moist, with a natural garlic flavor that isn’t too overpowering. It has a different taste than the ones from BWW but definitely not in a bad way. They were a bit smokier and meatier, which is what made it delicious. As far as spiciness goes, it was equivalent to that of BWW, which is the perfect amount of heat for me. They were just spicy enough to let me savor the flavor without having to take a swig of water after every bite. Lastly, I can’t leave out the homemade bleu cheese dressing, which was the best I’ve ever tasted. It was super creamy and paired well with the garlic wings. I still can’t say that I like Pachyderm better than Buffalo Wild Wings, but this place is definitely a great alternative. I found out that they also deliver, which made me very excited. I know what my roommates and I will be ordering next time we get sick of the caf. Madison Irwin can be reached at madison.irwin@spartans.ut.edu
dominant roles, such as Beatrice in the book-based film Hoot, leading up to her features in Just Peck, Tanner Hall, Greenberg and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. However, her character, Kate, a teenager whose mother struggles with multiple personality disorder on the Showtime series United States of Tara, revealed Larson’s true acting ability. From 2011 to 2012, Larson starred in the films Rampart, Treatment and 21 Jump Street. Later this year, Larson will star in the musical romance Basmati Blues, as well as the short Bitter Orange, where she plays a secretary caught up in the criminal underworld during Prohibition-era Los Angeles. In Relanxious, Larson stars as Chelsea, a woman who suffers from anxiety attacks who falls for a housebound man, played by Jason Sudeikis. Sammi Brennan can be reached at samantha.brennan@spartans.ut.edu
Larson, famous from 21 Jump Street, stars in Don Jon.
Actress on the Rise: Brie Larson
By SAMMI BRENNAN
9
Brie Larson/Facebook
According to Ally Hanskutt, this musical production will be sure to “wow” you. She said, “Thoroughly Modern Millie is a fun show filled with dancing, humor, and it has an interesting plot with several twists. We have put in so much effort over the course of our rehearsal process. This isn’t just some amateur production. We are all young, talented professionals who have a passion for what we do and it shows in our performance, which makes watching it even more enjoyable. Audiences should expect to laugh a lot, considering this show is nonstop humor. If you’re not humming the songs, dancing, and smiling by the time you walk out the door, then you weren’t really paying attention.”
Temptation
Oct. 10 - Oct. 12 at 8 p.m. and Oct. 13 at 2 p.m. Falk Theater Brandon Zimmerman, an active performer, said, “The students participating in this production have worked incredibly hard to provide a professional-quality theatrical experience.” In his opinion, anything UT students put their time and energy into is worth coming to. I certainly agree. Zimmerman states that, “Guests should expect an artistic and entertaining evening filled with dark, dramatic humor. Temptation is filled with unexpected twists and turns, guaranteed to keep audiences guessing.”
Dance Happening Oct. 23 - Oct 26 at 8 p.m. Falk Theater
Paige Shallcross assures that Dance Happening is a great event that brings so many people together. The dancer said, “Last semester was my first semester participating in Dance Happening and the experience was just amazing! I think what makes it special is that anyone can audition and be in it whether you have been dancing your whole life or it is your first time stepping into a dance studio. Personally, I love that students here at UT choreograph all of the dance pieces performed during this event. Not only does it give students the opportunity to perform, but also show what they can do when it comes to other aspects of dancing, such as choreographing. This semester’s Dance Happening is something you definitely don’t want to miss because there are going to be some really incredible dance pieces. The choreographers and dancers have been working so hard to make this performance the best!”
10 OCTOBER 10 2013 | THE MINARET
ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
Lorde Creates Lush, Emotional Full-Length Debut
By JACKIE BRAJE
Arts + Entertainment Writer
If electro-pop music were its own galaxy, Lorde would be a meteorite. Ella Yelich-O’Connor, 16-year-old singer-songwriter from New Zealand, has ascended into the music industry with frightening speed this year with her debut album Pure Heroine, released Sept. 27. After her hit song “Royals” was released in March 2013, Lorde has been crusading through the U.S. Billboard charts. In August 2013 she claimed the throne as the first female solo act to top the Billboard Alternative Songs chart since 1996, according to Billboard. Though rising in stardom at the precocious age of 16, this artist makes it quite clear that she is not interested in the lavish and lusty celebrity lifestyle. She makes it so clear, in fact, that the words “boring” and “bored” are both used within the first 15 seconds of the opening track, “Tennis Court.” The song opens with a metallic-sounding beat and her sultry, low growl of a voice akin to Fiona Apple and Lana Del Rey. Her intense maturity is revealed again in the following track, “400 Lux.” Confessional lyrics are preluded by what could almost be the sounding of a fire alarm. It’s as if she’s saying, “Warning: this song gets deep.” She dabbles into some ambiguity with lyrics like, “You drape your wrist over the steering wheel/Moses can drive from here,” but the real harkening chord is struck with the lyric, “We’re hollow like the bottles that we drain.” Her lyricism gives an aura
of being wise far beyond her years. Cutting confessions aren’t used sparingly in this album. Songs like “Ribs” and “Buzzcut Season” could act as anthems for the bored, angsty suburban teenager. “Ribs” is an ecstatic yet bleeding crescendo with the continuous chorus, “The drink you spilled all over me, Lover’s spit left on repeat, my mom and dad let me stay home, it drives you crazy, getting old.” But besides her lyricism, she seems to have also mastered a rich, electric texture in her music. There’s a distinct marriage of liquid digital melodies and solid beats in each song, especially in “Team,” which was also released as a single before the debut of Pure Heroine. It’s soft pop with a punch. It’s one of those weird chocolate bars you can find at Whole Foods that have an explosion of a chili powder aftertaste. Her voice sounds softer than her usual forceful grunt, but the hard continuous clap is what really gets your shoulders moving. Though she’s cultivated an entirely unique sound to her music, the central theme of her sound gets a bit tedious and repetitive mid-album. You can notice a slowing of pace once you reach the song “Glory and Gore,” and it continues to drag out with the next two tracks “Still Sane” and “White Teeth Teens.” These are by no means poorly executed songs. They just leave you thinking, “Okay, Ella, we get it. The angst is real.” However, “Royals,” the magnum opus of Pure Heroine, makes up for any sin committed in her music (if such a thing exists). This track earned her widespread acclaim when first released, and understandably so. It’s
Lorde/Facebook
Lorde, known for hit single “Royals,” offers up a unique sounding confessional of a debut album.
anti-pop in the sense that she deviates from the holy trinity of pop star luxuries: “Cristal, Maybach, diamonds on your time piece.” She highlights the absurdities of Hollywood and vows not to succumb to it with lyrics like, “We don’t care, we aren’t caught up your love affair.” It’s as catchy as the Bubonic Plague, but in the best way possible. Pure Heroine is a culmination of queen bees, class clowns and empty bottles. It’s reminiscent of youthful loneliness and skipping fifth period to
smoke cigarettes behind the bleachers. Lorde is the voice for a generation that continues to grow ahead of its time. Jackie Braje can be reached at jacquelyn.braje@spartans.ut.edu
4.5 out of 5 stars
Panic! at the Disco Misses the Mark With Repetitve Dance Snoozer By SELENE SANFELICE Arts + Entertainment Writer
Panic! At the Disco fans are usually eager to discuss the band’s reputation for their in depth, detailed lyrics and strong, passionate vocals, but lately it seems that there’s not much to talk about. Panic’s latest album, Too Weird To Live, Too Rare to Die! was
released this week on Oct. 8. The first two tracks, “This is Gospel” and “Miss Jackson,” were released early as singles previous to the full album release. Those who actually purchased the tracks have saved themselves time and money, as they are the only songs actually worth noting on the album. Saying that the songs are notable is actually a bit of an overstatement.
Panic! at the Disco/Facebook
Panic! at the Disco’s latest set, defined by boring dance hooks and repetitve lyricism, leaves much to be desired.
Upon the first few listens, “Gospel” and “Miss Jackson” seem catchy, but like the album’s other eight tracks, they quickly become annoying and repetitive. Panic’s lead singer, Brendon Urie, is known for his outstanding voice, but in Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die!, it has been heavily and unnecessarily covered up in auto-tune and synth. Panic! seems to be diverting from their punk/ alternative reputation and appears to be shooting for a more pop/dance vibe. Although some of the beats on Too Weird are appealing, the repetitiveness of the lyrics makes the songs seem one dimensional and empty. “Vegas Lights” and “Casual Affair” have attentiongrabbing audio samples and catchy beats to start the songs off, but as soon as Urie starts singing the beat becomes repetitive and soon the lyrics do as well. A catchy intro isn’t enough to keep people listening if the lyrics aren’t going to take the song anywhere. Urie’s singing on the tracks is also unusually monotone for the range he has displayed in previous albums like A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out. This is exemplified strongest in Too Weird’s fifth track, “Girl That You Love.” Not only are the vocals boring, but most of the song is just Urie repeating the words, “girl that you love” over and over. The only song on the album that tells a story is “Girls/Girls/Boys,” which could be interpreted as the trials of a boy stuck in a love triangle with a girl who also likes girls. Too Weird’s other songs minimally establish a point with the lyrics, then Urie just repeats a phrase over the same beat. In the fifth track, “Nicotine,”
Urie repeats, “yeah you’re worse than nicotine… nicotine” for the majority of the song, seemingly sucking the life out of it and the rest of the album. Some of Panic’s dedicated fans have jumped to the defense of the band, claiming that the album is only receiving poor reviews because of the change in sound. The band’s first album, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, was a massive hit in the Emo/ Pop Punk world when it premiered in 2005. For their second album, Pretty. Odd., Panic! went with lyrics that were less dark and attempted a more upbeat sound. This was taken poorly by reviewers and listeners in the Pop Punk world, but Pretty. Odd. still held up as a good album thanks to Panic! At the Disco’s great lyrics and vocals. Panic’s reputation as a great band isn’t because of a set genre and sound they follow. In fact, each of their previous albums has had a completely different sound from the last. The reason Panic! has been successful is because of the quality of their lyrics and Urie’s vocal abilities. Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die! is an eager attempt at upbeat dance pop but lacks most of the ingredients that Panic! has deemed necessary for a decent album. Selene SanFelice can be reached at selene.sanfelice@spartans.ut.edu.
2 out of 5 stars
THE MINARET I OCTOBER 10 2013
Opinion
11
Congress, Grow Up. End Government Shutdown Now By LAUREN RICHEY News Editor
As the effects of the government shutdown creep into American homes, many can’t help but wonder how this happened and what the government is doing to fix it. The beginning of the new fiscal year passed on Oct. 1 with Congress yet again unable to settle their differences. The Republican majority within the House of Representatives wishes to move things forward for government spending but at the cost of Obama’s Affordable Care Act. The Democratic-run Senate is shooting down every proposal that comes their way. This stalemate is not only a demonstration of the ineffectiveness of our current elected government but has resulted in the cost of American jobs. One of Congress’s most important jobs is to fix the spending budget for the government, and if they fail, then much of the government comes to a halt. If there isn’t any money being distributed, then the U.S. cannot continue to fund certain federal programs, such as national park facilities, services within the FDA and much of NASA. Yet there are programs that will not be affected, such as Medicaid and Medicare, the military and social security. According to CNN, the shutdown has resulted in the furlough of 800,000 “nonessential” government employees. However, we must keep in mind that this is out of the 1.3 million employees that the government has deemed “essential.” Before the shutdown, the Office of Management and Budget ordered managers at all federal agencies to conduct reviews to see which of these categories their employees fell into, according to Washington Post. There are many key government functions that carry on during a shutdown, including anything related to national security, public safety or programs written into permanent law, like Social Security, reported Washington Post. All other federal workers not in these categories will be furloughed. Both the Senate and the House of Representatives are still being paid and will not be receiving any pay deductions during the shutdown. Here is the first issue with this whole ordeal: Congress is still getting paid. If America is going to elect people to decide a spending budget, then these people should have to feel the aftereffects of their decisions. Congress
needs accountability. American citizens are being affected by forces that are out of their control, while the people in charge are not held accountable and are not being penalized. However, according to huffingtonpost.com, there are about 100 lawmakers from both the House and the Senate donating their checks to charities. This is a nice gesture, but they’re not really helping to solve the current situation. The health care act isn’t directly tied to funding the government, but it’s being used as a bargaining chip by Congress, according to CNN. The Republicans in the House are continually coming up with proposals that tag on additions detrimental to the health care act, and the Senate is not having it. The Democratic Senate continually overrules every House proposal that contains either less funding or delays placed upon the healthcare act, no exceptions. It seems like Congress is trying to deal with a law more than three years old, rather than figuring out appropriate spending bills. What does the health care act have to do with government spending, and why is it coming back up now? About a month before the shutdown occurred, the Obama administration “delayed until 2015 a significant consumer protection in the law that limits how much people may have to spend on their own health care,” according to The New York Times. The out-of-pocket costs
were not supposed to reach above $6,350 for an individual, but the prices ended up being much steeper than expected. Not only that, but Obama granted large insurance companies a one-year grace period “allowing them to set higher limits, or no limit at all on some costs, in 2014.” This was the fuel that Republicans used to initiate their own agenda against these large costs. Many Americans are trying to lay blame on one side or the other. In reality, both the Senate and the House are acting like children. The House may have started this whole thing by inappropriately involving the health care act, but it’s not like the Senate is doing anything to fix it. At least the House is trying to come up with different proposals to find a compromise, while the Senate just sit in their chairs and pout. In fact, on the fifth day of the shutdown, it was the House’s proposal to pass a bill “that would eventually reimburse furloughed federal workers for lost pay,” according to the Chicago Tribune. The Senate has not even scheduled a voting session for the proposal. The same proposal would also postpone the demand for individuals to purchase health insurance for one year, “mirroring the delay the administration granted to employers.” The House is trying to give the same deal Obama had granted insurance companies on healthcare costs, so naturally the Senate has to think about it.
When the shutdown had first begun, the House recognized the stalemate that was about to ensue, and passed a proposal to go to a conference committee concerning the government-funding bill. According to the U.S. Senate website, a congressional conference committee is a temporary panel consisting of both House and Senate representatives, for the purpose of reconciling differences in legislation. According to Business Insider, it was “a move that Democrats immediately rejected as a cynical political ploy.” The first attempt to negotiate was blatantly shot down as another conniving political tactic. No wonder Congress is at a deadlock. With the end of the shutdown nowhere in sight, it seems that America is fed up with the Democratic and Republican political agendas. Around the country, Republicans and Democrats alike agree that this shutdown should not continue. According to a poll by CBS News Online, 72 percent of Americans disapprove of shutting down the federal government over differences on the Affordable Care Act. The simple fact is that within Congress, everyone is to blame. It all comes down to whoever is willing to come to a compromise, or whoever is willing to give in. At this point it doesn’t appear like either of these will happen any time soon. Lauren Richey can be reached at lauren. richey@theminaretonline.com
whitehouse/ Facebook
The government shutdown has resulted in the furlough of 800,000 “non-essential” government employees, and yet Congress is still getting paid.
UN Climate Change Report: 95% Certain Humans Cause Global Warming By RAWAN ELZAYAT Opinion Writer
According to NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), on Sept. 27, 2013 a U.N. panel released the first part of its six-year updateonthestateofclimatechange.Thereportby the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states that there is 95 percent certainty that humans have caused most of the warming of the planet’s surface that has occurred since the 1950s, in contrast to 90 percent certainty that was included in the previous assessment in 2007. Among the report’s key findings is that today carbon dioxide is at an “unprecedented” level not seen for at least the last 800,000 years. Another key finding is that sea level is set to continue to rise at a faster rate than over the past 40 years and waters are expected to rise by between 26 cm (10 inches) at the low end and 82 cm (30 inches) at the high end. Also, there is high confidence that over the last two decades the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have been melting, causing glaciers to recede in most parts of the world, and Arctic sea ice has continued to shrink in terms of extent. We should have seen this coming, considering all the “save earth” campaigns and speeches we have been witnessing for years that discussed how serious global warming is and how its consequences will profoundly affect earth in the next few decades.
This information included in the recent assessment report is not exactly surprising to us since we have been aware of the climate change issue and its consequences for years. In 2004 Al Gore gave a speech called “The Climate Emergency” 2004 to increase awareness of the climate situation and its impact on earth. In this speech, he denoted the impacts, evidence and leading causes of climate change. He also predicted that the arctic ice cap may be entirely gone within 50 years, which is now also supported by the recent IPCC report. He viewed the phenomenon of global warming and other different phenomena as disappearance of the ocean fisheries, the destruction of the rain forests, the stratospheric ozone depletion problem and the extinction crisis as symptoms of collision between our civilization and the earth. Gore also considered the three leading causes of the new relationship between humankind and earth to be population growth, technology and our way of thinking. I agree with Gore since we, humans, represent the creatures affect earth most. Unfortunately, however, we choose to affect it negatively by misusing its resources. We later realize the consequences of such actions, climate change being the most obvious of them. Despite the assessment reports and all the facts that relate climate change to human influence on earth, some people are still skeptical
and believe that climate change is a natural phenomenon rather than a man-made one. “I think that the latest IPCC report has truly sunk to level of hilarious incoherence,” Dr. Richard Lindzen,Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Meteorology, told Climate Depot (a global warming skeptic news site), referring to the assessment report. “They are proclaiming increased confidence in their models as the discrepancies between their models and observations increase.” On the other hand, Dr. Daniel R. Huber, Ph.D. Biology Associate Professor at UT, agrees that humans are responsible for climate change and explains why some scientists are skeptical about it. “Many of those who disagree with climate change claim that the climate has changed in the past, with periods of both global warming and global cooling,” Huber said. “This is certainly true. However, what makes the current situation different is the rate at which the climate is changing. Over geological time, great magnitudes of climate change have occurred over time periods usually spanning tens of thousands of years. The time period since the industrial revolution has seen comparable magnitudes of climate change over a few hundred years, not tens of thousands of years.” Furthermore, this report is not considered a breakthrough in science since so far it is not much different than the previous assessment
report. People are already aware of climate change and probably will not show noticeable reaction to the new findings of the report. “While I think it is important to continually update and revise the predictions of climate change, I do not think that this report will cause a much more profound change then the previous report,” Huber said. “The previous report really opened people’s eyes to the problems that are occurring, and ushered in a cultural change in the U.S. where it became both trendy and economically beneficial to be sustainable. The current report will likely reinforce this cultural change, but there does not seem to be a big enough difference between the findings of the two reports to suggest that it will have a profoundly different effect than the first report.” Coincidentally, the release of the report was shortly after the recent government shutdown. People are now too caught up with the government shutdown to pay attention to a report about the climate change. Basically, the assessment report did not give much new information as I expected, and it did not change my view on climate change, which I believe is caused by humans. It is great to achieve higher certainty about the issue of climate change and its causes, but at least, to me, it did not change much. . Rawan Elzayat can be reached at Rawan. Elzayat@spartans.ut.edu
12 OCTOBER 10 2013 | THE MINARET
OPINION
Sodexo Inconsistent in Labeling Dishes with Allergens
By NATALIE HICKS Associate Editor
Sodexo, the food service provider at UT, labels dishes as vegetarian and vegan on dining.ut.edu, but labeling dishes for people with gluten allergies needs to be treated in the same respect. Two years ago, Sodexo had information sheets available next to each buffet section listing the ingredients and number of calories in each platter, but they decided to stop doing that last year. “We found that in the past when we put the signs out... the server might put out the wrong information or we’d run out of a dish and replace it with something else,” said Amy Truong, resident district manager of Dining Services. “The signage wouldn’t have the right information.” This makes sense because it could misinform students and it’s a waste of paper. Also, all the information is available online. If students are curious to know what types of food the cafeteria will be serving that day, they can always check online before they go. It’s especially crucial for students who are vegetarian or vegan because the weekly menu has symbols next to vegetarian (V) and vegan-friendly (VG) dishes. It’s an easy way to quickly identify what they’ll be able to eat that day in the cafeteria. As someone who has recently become a vegetarian, I haven’t had too difficult of a time finding food to eat at UT’s cafeteria. They often serve rice, beans and roasted vegetables at the Balanced Way station,
which caters toward vegetarian and vegan students. Not to mention, Sodexo recently added pita bread with a number of hummus and dip options opposite the salad station. However, it’s trickier to simply check the online menu before going to the cafeteria for students who have food allergies, especially for those who are gluten-free. “Sometimes they put certain sauces on their meats, and it can be hard to tell,” said sophomore exercise science major Drew Pesale. Pesale has been glutenfree for five years after he discovered his body had an intolerance to gluten. “It slows my digestion, keeping me from absorbing nutrients,” Pesale said. Also, if people with celiac disease consume foods that contain gluten, they could potentially damage their intestinal tracts. People with severe wheat allergies could face more fatal consequences such as going into anaphylactic shock or even death. Other allergies are given more attention. The cafeteria hardly uses nuts in any of their food except for the desserts, and they have a sign they put out next to desserts that contain nuts to warn those with nut allergies. “If something has nuts in it, it’s prepared separately,” said Sharon Pruginic, project manager of Dining Services. “Most of the desserts that have nuts in them will have the nuts on top so you can specifically see them, and they’ll never be hidden inside.” This is extremely helpful for students with nut allergies, but students who are gluten-free have a tougher time knowing
what is and what is not safe to eat. If Sodexo labeled dishes with a “GF” for gluten-free on their website as they do their vegetarian and vegan meals, there would be a lot less confusion. It’s a small but simple change. However, people have different definitions of what is considered “gluten-free.” As long as the chefs who prepare the food have a solid understanding of what gluten-free means and thoroughly inform the staff members who serve the food, there shouldn’t be a problem. All Sodexo employees need to be savvy about the ingredients they use in their food, as well as fully understand what it means to be vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free. Otherwise, students with specific food limitations need to ask the servers if they seem unsure about what’s in the food. If the servers do not know, they can ask the chef or bring him or her out to directly talk to the student. “People say they’re embarrassed to ask [what’s in the food] because it holds up the line, and that’s actually true,” Pesale said. “It usually takes three to five minutes.” Truong and Pruginic at Dining Services agree that this can be an embarrassing situation, but they encourage students to always ask if they are unsure about any dish. “The student can ask the line server, and if the line server doesn’t really know specifically what’s in it, they call the chef out,” Truong said. “If there’s something that doesn’t work, then we want to know so we can put it back. Our goal is just to make sure that
everybody gets the accurate information.” It’s a difficult situation, because students with food allergies need to address their dietary needs and be cautious of what they eat, but it’s also Sodexo’s responsibility to make the process a little easier for these students. Both Sodexo and the students hold certain responsibilities to keep themselves safe. I doubt a student like Pesale would want to end up in the hospital and I doubt Sodexo would want a potential lawsuit. Dining Services should label dishes as gluten-free or warn students which platters contain gluten just as they do with the desserts that contain nuts. Gluten allergies have become increasingly more common within the last 50 years, according to a CBS article written in July 2012. Joseph Murray, a gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic, found that “about 1.8 million Americans [have] celiac disease, but about 1.4 million people with the condition may not be aware they even have it.” Gluten allergies are more common than they used to be, and they need to be addressed with importance and clarity. I am usually satisfied with the food offered at the cafeteria and find an array of vegetarian options on a daily basis, which I greatly appreciate. I hope that students with food allergies and other limitations can find the same satisfaction without feeling unsure about ingredients or embarrassed to ask questions. Natalie Hicks can be reached at natalie. hicks@theminaretonline.com
Americans Confused: Affordable Care Act? Great! Obamacare? No Way! By AVERY TWIBLE Opinion Columnist
Since its conception, the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” (ACA) has stirred up a lot of controversy within the U.S. government as well as with the American people. Soon after its creation it was dubbed with the nickname “Obamacare,” and from then on it has received a lot of negative criticism from many Americans, much of which seems to stem from confusion about what it actually is. It appears to be a common misconception that Obamacare and ACA are two different things, and it may be possible that its association with the president’s name turns people off to it without even knowing what it is. With ACA coming into effect October first, people need to know what it entails. The ACA is a law that was created with the purpose of providing the American people with universal health care. It was created in the hope that unfortunate illnesses or injuries wouldn’t create bills that would loom over a person for the rest of their life. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the ACA ends pre-existing condition exclusions for children, makes it possible for people under 26 to be covered under their parent’s health care, guarantees your right to quickly appeal any health insurance company decision, enforces same premium rates for any sex and covers preventative care at no extra cost. “The idea behind the still-controversial law is to get as many people access to affordable health insurance, expand the benefits they receive, and hopefully increase their overall health while reducing the growth of health care costs nationally,” according to CNBC. It could cost an individual around a thousand dollars a year for the mandated insurance but would greatly decrease hospital bills down the line. The ACA technically just kicked in this month on the first of October and January first of 2014 everyone is supposed to be covered by some sort of health care, whether it be by the government, an employer or their parent’s insurance. A recent CNBC poll asked 812 Americans their opinion on the law. They asked half of
the poll takers if they support Obamacare, and half if they support ACA. Forty-six percent opposed Obamacare, and 37 percent opposed ACA; 29 percent supported ACA when only 22 supported Obamacare. The poll represents the general public’s feelings towards the law, but the two produced different results; the only problem with this is that the two terms represent the exact same thing. I think this supports what has been said about people’s distaste for “Obamacare” for the last three years since it began: it is all in the name. It seems people throughout the general population are not aware that “Obamacare” is a nickname for the ACA. Jimmy Kimmel exhibited this by doing random interviews on Hollywood boulevard, asking people general knowledge questions pertaining to what Obamacare was, then what the ACA was, and then asking them their opinions on both. All of the people shown in the clip from Jimmy Kimmel Live had varying opinions based on the thought that they were separate things. Of course the funniest interviews were put on the air in the segment called “Six of One” from Kimmel’s YouTube page. “Which plan do you support: Obamacare or the Affordable Care Act?” the interviewer asks. “Affordable Care Act… I just think that there are a lot of holes in [Obamacare] and it needs to be revamped,” one woman responded. This seems like a comical happening except it’s increasingly becoming more common that people make judgments without truly understanding the situation. The same CNBC poll previously mentioned also found that 30 percent of respondents admitted to not knowing what ACA was, but only 12 percent admitted to not knowing what Obamacare was. It’s a health care mandate that will require everyone who is not somehow insured to buy health care from the government. You can decide to opt out of buying the mandatory health care and it will cost you around $95 a year, or 1 percent of your income, whichever is more. After the first year it will increase yearly until it will cost you about 695, or 2.5 percent of your income, according to CBS online. An article on Yahoo! news discusses the
Barack Obama/Facebook
Studies show that many Americans think Obamacare and the Affordable Care Act are different things.
Kimmel skit: “Another point made with one of the interviewees reflects the findings of a recent NPR (a non-profit multimedia organization) report, which shows that many individuals who say they are opposed to Obamacare actually support many of the law’s provisions when they are explained individually and without the baggage of being attached to President Obama.” I think it is a shame that we live in a time where people feel comfortable not knowing about something as huge as universal health care, something that will affect nearly every person in the country. CNBC reports that the cost of ACA will vary based on factors such as your age, where you live, whether you smoke or not, and how individual insurers have priced their premiums in your particular exchange. This means if you pay more in insurance costs yearly, the cost you would have to pay in medical bills if something happened decreases and vice versa. Overall, since cost and coverage depends on many different factors it is easy to see where Americans have gotten confused in the multitude of rules. The Kaiser Family Foundation with the help of NPR has created a calculator to help you
find out an estimate of what ACA will cost you personally and will inform you on whether or not you qualify for subsidized insurance coverage or Medicaid. From what I do know, ACA is supposed to make it easier for everyone to have health care. You never know what is going to happen in life, whether it is an accident or a predisposition to hereditary diseases. The premium costs might be more expensive than anyone would want to pay right now, but that seems better than medical bills for the next 20 years because of some unfortunate ladder accident. Also, if someone chooses to opt out and pay the fees which could end up costing $695 or more if their income is higher, why not just pay the amount and end up having health insurance rather than paying to opt out which would probably be close to the amount they would have paid for the insurance in the first place? Americans need to become more aware of what ACA actually is, what they’ll be paying for or paying to opt out of and how it will benefit them before January first rolls around and everyone is caught off guard. Avery Twible can be reached at avery. twible@spartans.ut.edu
THE MINARET | OCTOBER 10 2013
OPINION
13
Violent Contagion Theory to Blame in New York Road Rage By VANESSA RIGHEIMER Opinion Columnist
Almost every driver has dealt with some form of road rage during their daily commute whether it’s being excessively honked at, verbally assaulted or having your car lightly tapped. Sometimes driving to work or school can turn into a war. Last week, an incident in New York showed how quickly this type of road rage can escalate. Alexian Lien and his wife, Rosalyn, were out on a Sunday drive with their two-year-old daughter to celebrate their first anniversary when a mob of motorcyclists began to crowd around their car in Upper Manhattan while they were driving down the Henry Hudson Parkway. Why the incident started in the first place is still unclear, but one of the motorcyclists, Kevin Bresloff, wore a helmet cam recorder and caught the the incident on tape. Since then, the footage has gone viral on YouTube. The video begins by showing the motorcyclists taunting Lien with one of the bikers abruptly slamming on his brakes in front of Lien’s car, causing him
to accidentally bump the motorcyclist’s tire. Once this happens, the entire gang of bikers come to a complete halt and surround Lien. Some begin to bash Lien’s car with their helmets and slash at his tire. In fear, Lien drives away from them and ends up hitting a biker along the way who is now in critical condition. This angers the bikers more, and they begin to chase Lien’s SUV on their bikes, surround him again, knock out his windows and drag him out of his car in front of his wife and children to beat him up. A bystander who is now playing a key witness, Sergio Consuegra, stepped in and was able to break up the fight and send the motorcyclists off. Using eyewitnesses and video footage, police were able to bring three suspects into custody. Christopher Cruz, the biker who cut in front of Lien’s SUV, has been charged with menacing, reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of a child. Reginald Chance, seen bashing Lien’s window open in the video, is charged with a number of felonies including gang assault in the first degree and assault. The last suspect taken into custody, Robert
greenguitarmon/Youtube
A gang of bikers attacked an SUV during an incident of road rage. One biker filmed the events as shown above.
Sims, who allegedly stomped on the face of Alexian Lien, was charged with gang assault, assault in the first degree and criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree. Law enforcement is still investigating other possible suspects. While the bikers may argue that Lien’s decision to plow through the group was in vengeance, I believe he did what he had to do to in order to protect his family. The biker who was hurt in the brawl, Edwin “Jay” Mieses, will most likely come out of the hospital paralyzed, according to his family. Mieses’s wife, Dayana Meija, described the severity of his injuries in an interview with ABC news. “His spine is crushed. All the ribs on this side [motioning to her left side] are broken. He’s a survivor but he’s paralyzed from the waist down,” Meija said. Mieses’s mother, Yolanda Santiago, claims Mieses is the real victim in this story. “He’s never going to be the same Jay he was,” Santiago said. “Why hasn’t the driver been charged with reckless endangerment? He endangered his own child.” While this life altering injury to Mieses is extremely tragic, the video can clearly show that the right people are in custody. Lien was provoked and threatened, and he was just trying to escape and protect his family. None of this would have happened in the first place if the bikers had just left him alone. After taking into account the mass number of bikers involved, it could be said that collective behavior played a role in the actions they took that afternoon. French psychologist Gustave Le Bon uses the contagion theory to explain collective behavior in which, “crowds exert a hypnotic influence over their members. Shielded by their anonymity, large numbers of people abandon personal responsibility and surrender to the contagious emotions of the crowd.” I’ve seen this type of behavior at many events that involve large crowds such as music festivals and sporting events. A few years ago, when I was exiting the
venue of Lollapalooza in Chicago on the last night of the festival, a crowd of people stormed the streets of the city, paying no regard to pedestrian laws. I have to admit I joined in because it honestly just felt really cool to own the streets that mostly cars populate every other day of the year. The crowd began to sing Coldplay songs since that was the last headliner of the weekend. Would I or any other individual have done that had we been acting alone? Probably not. And this would most likely be the case for the gang of motorcyclists. They felt a false sense of empowerment as they banned together on the parkway. Mitch Nostrand, a senior at UT who has owned a motorcycle for over a year, agrees with the idea that the bikers’ actions were influenced by collective behavior. “I believe the incident would not have been caused by two or three riders riding alone,” Nostrand said. “The mass number of riders seemed to make them believe they truly ‘owned the road’ and that no one else could even be on it. I personally would never act the way the riders were behaving. They were driving too closely to the other vehicle on the road putting themselves and the other driver in danger.” As an automobilist, I sometimes have gotten annoyed by the bikers who zoom past the side of my car making illegal use of the lanes. However, for the most part, I’ve always found motorcyclists to be considerate of the cars around them. This incident shouldn’t build fear in automobilists in regards to bikers, but an example should be made out of the bikers who acted irrationally and illegally in this incident. Laws put into place regarding motorcycle rallies should be enforced more, and in order for justice to be served for Lien and Mieses, it’s imperative that police officials punish the bikers who brought on this conflict and brought the lives of the Lien family and Edwin Mieses into danger. Vanessa Righeimer can be reached at vanessa.righeimer@spartans.ut.edu
Remote Control Killing: Recent Drone Strike Raises Ethical Concerns By RICHARD J WHITAKER Opinion Asst. Editor
In recent months, the U.S. has been in the limelight of the international community for controversial reasons its citizens are probably not thrilled about. Most notable among these reasons are airstrikes, more accurately stated as the possibility of an airstrike in Syria and the reality of the one that just occurred in Afghanistan. On Oct. 4, the U.S. used drones to eliminate Al Qaeda militants in an area close to Jalalabad City, the capital of the eastern province of Nangarhar, according to presstv.ir. Afghani President Hamid Karzai claims that five civilians were killed overall; of these five, three were brothers aged 10, 14 and 16, according to Reuters. The U.S. asserts that all air strikes, especially drone strikes, are only aimed at verified militants--never civilians. The U.N. initially supported this statement but has now begun an investigation into the strikes. Civilian casualties are on the rise in Afghanistan, according to Reuters, which begs the question: are U.S. Forces giving proper consideration to the native Afghan population during the targeting and proportionality analysis that accompanies every targeting decision? The answer is not an easy one; soldiers are trained how to react when civilians are on the battlefield or, in the case of air strikes, in the area targeted. Yet civilians are still being killed. In order to
stop this, U.S. Forces must continue to stress the importance of limiting civilian collateral damage, which involves loss of life, injury and property damage. Unfortunately, trying to reduce collateral damage is never easy. In fact, this is one of the reasons why drones are used, because they provide the opportunity to observe the target and the utilization of precise munitions, which are both key features in the reduction of collateral damage. Drone strikes are a touchy subject even here in the States where you don’t see them flying around fully armed as can be seen in Afghanistan. It is hard to imagine the fear one of these unmanned aircrafts might evoke in the mind of an Afghan boy who has grown up witnessing the power and danger associated with its image. Furthermore, the Afghani president, a man many previously considered a U.S. puppetleader due to the heavy U.S. support given to him throughout his presidency and particularly during his 2001 election, has condemned the drone air strikes in his country calling for the U.S. to halt drone activity. The continuation of nighttime drone attacks has led to stress in the relationship between our respective leaders. This is important to note as President Barack Obama has been attempting to iron out the details on an agreement to keep a number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan past the initial U.S. withdrawal date.
A drone attack is a scary proposition, no doubt. It is ruthless, cold and quick, the only human control element derived from an operator sitting comfortably in a seat far away from the conflict. It’s maybe not the safest weapon system, but it clearly complies with international law, The Hague Regulations and Geneva Conventions. It also provides more safety and accuracy than many of the alternative methods of warfare. It eliminates the risk of death to one of our own pilots and eliminates a large portion of the human error associated with having an on-scene pilot, who would likely be under fire and subject to tremendous stress, pulling the trigger. Drones elicit fear-- there is no doubt about this. They are recognizable and built for two purposes: espionage and destruction. I say this in a good way; they serve their purpose well, providing priceless information with no risk to human life. Likewise, the media is presenting us with a truly sad story of three brothers being killed by a U.S. drone, which is an atrocity, don’t get me wrong, but at times I believe the media fails to report the thousands of successful drone specific air strikes. The media generally portrays the drones as non-discriminating, killing machines that frequently make errors in regard to who they kill, but this is far from accurate. The modern drone is a superb example of the precise use
of technology to limit unnecessary death and destruction during warfare, which is all about death and destruction. When drones kill the wrong human beings it is generally because of a failure in intelligence, not a failure of the drone itself. The drone will only attack what it is told to attack after all. Drones have revolutionized combat, effectively improving the efficiency of U.S. capabilities tenfold. The U.S. military has reduced this method of warfare to an absolute science, but is this method ethical? Sending an unmanned destructive machine on a mission where the decision to kill is made from a great distance away is absolutely legal, but is it morally correct? There is an element of honor or morality associated with being close to the people you plan to kill during warfare. Many experts suggest, and maybe rightfully so, that the current conventions of warfare, the Geneva Conventions and Protocols and the Hague Regulations fail to properly incorporate our collective morality. Simultaneously, if we comply with these regimes we have also acquitted ourselves of any possible moral violation. The future holds a myriad of uncertainties regarding the usage of drones and other unmanned sources of destruction, but until they are made illegal--if they ever are-- they are a necessary tool. Richard J Whitaker can be reached at richard.whitaker@ theminaretonline.com
14 OCTOBER 10 2013 | THE MINARET
OPINION
Concert Promoter AEG Live Ruled Not Guilty for Michael Jackson’s Death By JAKE KONIZEWSKI Opinion Columnist
Say what you want about Michael Jackson, but he has left a lingering legacy after his death in 2009 by drug overdose. While his music will live on, a legal chapter in the Jackson family history has closed. USA Today reports that Wednesday Oct. 2, a jury ruled “in favor of concert promoter AEG Live, finding it was not liable in the death of singer Michael Jackson.” USA Today added, “Katherine Jackson, Michael Jackson’s mother, brought the case against AEG Live LLC, the giant concert promoter that was producing the singer’s comeback concerts, arguing that the promoter was negligent in hiring the physician who administered the drug that killed him.” I admit that I cannot fully disagree with the court’s verdict. However, they employed the man who is responsible for Jackson’s death. Conrad Murray, the physician who gave Jackson an overdose of the drug propofol, an anesthetic, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2011. There’s no way AEG could have known Murray would cause Jackson’s death, but such an event does not paint AEG in a favorable light. Yes, AEG Live did not physically give Jackson the drugs he overdosed on. Still, according to USA Today, “the jury ruled that AEG did hire Murray but also ruled that Murray was not unfit or incompetent to perform the job he was hired to do.” According to The Guardian, Murray “is due to be released in October after serving a two-year jail sentence. While Murray was ruled competent, he royally screwed up. Since AEG Live hired Murray, I feel AEG Live is at least partially responsible. If a company hires someone to perform a task and that person causes damages by doing the job improperly, the people who hired that person are not coming out
of the situation with clean hands. The people hired by a company represent that company. Even though Murray isn’t an employee of AEG Live, AEG Live gave him the responsibility to look over Jackson’s health. By failing to do so, AEG Live has blood on their hands. I think Murray was there not to treat Jackson, but to serve as a “yes” man, someone only there to do what Jackson said instead of actually trying to heal Jackson. According to The Guardian, Brian Panish, a lawyer for the Jackson family, “said a $150,000-a-month contract to care for Jackson was a lifeline to help Murray out of his financial troubles, which included being $50,000 in debt.” If I was $50,000 in debt and a wealthy celebrity offered to pay to give him medication that should not have been provided for someone not in a hospital, I would be tempted. Panish summed it up well in The Guardian, saying, “Do people do things they shouldn’t do for money? People do it every day.” While I see how Murray would be tempted, improperly prescribing the dosage of the drug he was paid to administer ended Jackson’s life. Then again, Jackson was an adult who should have been able to make his own decisions. If he thought Murray could provide him the treatment he needed, then that was his decision. The Guardian reports that Marvin Putnam, a lawyer for AEG Live, said Jackson insisted on having Murray treat him despite objections from AEG Live. “It was his money and he certainly wasn’t going to take no for an answer,” Putnam said . I would imagine that when you work for a celebrity, especially one as powerful and influential as Michael Jackson, you do not get to say “no” very easily. You are there to serve a celebrity’s every whim, which may possibly include some crazy or potentially illegal requests.
On the other hand, performing was Jackson’s life. He was planning a comeback tour under AEG Live, a comeback he needed after the 2005 court case accusing Jackson of sexually abusing an underage boy. This tour had the potential to repair Jackson’s image. Also, even though Jackson had performed hundreds of concerts in the past, I would not be surprised if he felt stressed. Performing numerous concerts in front of millions could stress out even the biggest stars. My fear is that AEG may have seen Jackson as a means to make money rather than a human being. According to USA Today, “Panish contended that AEG executives including CEO Randy Phillips and co-CEO Paul Gongaware disdained Jackson and pointed to an
email in which the AEG attorney referred to Jackson as ‘the freak.’” People have a tendency to put celebrities on a pedestal to either gape at how amazing they are or tear them down. After a while, it is hard to remember that under the money and the fame, these celebrities are human. Even the most adored and detested celebrities are humans, humans that occupy the same space on earth and breathe the same air. Jackson was a flawed individual, but he was human. Murray is to blame for Jackson’s death since it was his job to treat Jackson, not cause an overdose. While AEG Live did not kill Jackson, they still do not look good since they hired the man who ended up ending Jackson’s life. Jake Konizewski can be reached at john.konizewski@spartans.ut.edu
munchturkey/Photobucket
Although AEG hired the doctor who gave Jackson the wrong dosage, they are not completely at fault.
THE MINARET | OCTOBER 10 2013
OPINION
15
Offensive Bin Laden Costume Pulled from Stores ByJESSICA FORTE Opinion Writer
This Halloween, a controversial costume hit the shelves: an Osama Bin Laden outfit. The costume was listed on Amazon.com as “Fun World Adult Men’s Osama Bin Laden Middle East Costume Turban + Beard.” Walmart listed the outfit as “Turban Beard Adult Instant Halloween Costume.” In a sideby-side image on the huffingtonpost. com, both Bin Laden himself and the costume have a white turban, long grey beard and a camouflage outfit. However, anyone with a deep desire to dress up as the notorious man behind the 9/11 attacks may be out of luck. The costume was pulled from all Walmart stores on Friday, Oct. 4 after receiving multiple letters of complaint from the Sikh community, according to huffingtonpost.com. One of the letters explained that “negative stereotypes
about turbans and beards have led to violence and discrimination against Sikhs and other minorities.” Having a costume that includes a turban and beard would only further Sikhs’ problems, even if the outfit is meant to be presented in a humorous light. Rajdeep Singh of the Sikh Coalition added, “If you lost a loved one during the 9/11 attacks or during our nation’s war against Al Qaeda or if someone attacked your father in a hate crime because he wears a turban, I doubt this costume would make you comfortable. A Walmart spokesman told huffingtonpost.com that they would be immediately removing the costume from their store as well as online. Msn.com reports that it has also been removed from Amazon.com, Sears and many other retailers. It was an excellent decision for retailers to remove the costume. I can’t imagine what it would be like to be
livenews/Youtube
The Sikh community pressured the costume’s removal from stores to prevent discrimination against Sikhs.
a friend or relative of someone who died in the 9/11 attacks and open the front door on Halloween night to find someone dressed like the person who organized the plan that killed your loved ones. Other versions of the Bin Laden costume have appeared in the years after 9/11. In 2011, Totallycostumes.com released an item listed as the “Missile Head Osama Bin Laden Mask.” The latex overhead mask showed a terrified and bloody Bin Laden with a U.S. missile through his head. The same year, BBC News reported that there was public outcry after a store in Strabane, Ireland put a Bin Laden Costume on display. Connor Clohery, a member of UT’s Young Libertarians, believes that it was wrong for the costume to be removed. “I could see where it would be offensive, but it really is humorous,” said the sophomore government and world affairs major. “Lots of other offensive costumes are sold. If people are that offended, they won’t buy it. Taking it away is restricting what people can and cannot do.” While it may seem like banning the costume is taking away the rights of U.S. citizens, sometimes actions just need to be taken. If there is something causing distress to a large group of people, it should be resolved. Since the Sikhs were so bothered by the costume, the only resolution would be to pull it from shelves. It makes perfect sense why the Sikh community would want to take action. According to The Daily Beast, “A recent rise in Sikh hate crimes in the U.S. has sent shockwaves through the Sikh community.” In a study released last month, according to huffingtonpost. com, Stanford University concluded that a good portion of America doesn’t quite understand the Sikh religion. Their research showed that “70 percent of Americans mistake all turbanwearers for Muslims.” Since 9/11, there have been over 300 incidences
of hate crimes against Sikhs in the U.S., one of the most tragic being the shooting of a gurdwara (a Sikh temple) in Oak Creek, Wis. in 2012, according to huffingtonpost.com. The gunman opened fire and killed six people then was shot dead by police. In a country founded by religious freedom, it’s a tragedy that the Sikh community has faced such hatred. Hopefully, our country will be able to develop a better understanding of the Sikhs and we can end the discrimination against them. “If there is that much hate crime against the Sikhs, I feel like it would be dangerous to be the person wearing the costume,” said Kelly Cuppett, a junior double majoring in math and music. However, Cuppett also disagrees with the removal of the costume from retailers. “Because of the free market economy, people can wear whatever they want,” Cuppett said. While we do have freedom of expression, the Bin Laden outfit is just inappropriate. Even if someone wanted to wear the costume for comedic purposes, if something is offensive to a certain group of people, it shouldn’t be worn because it is hurtful to others. As a child, Halloween was my favorite holiday. What could be better than dressing up, running from house to house and getting free candy? My costumes were mainly ghosts, witches and vampires. But never did I think of dressing up as a world-renown terrorist, nor would I want to as an adult. Halloween costumes should be left simple and fun. The Osama Bin Laden outfit is offensive in multiple ways not only to the victims of 9/11 but to the many Sikhs who have been discriminated against. While it appears that the costume was designed to be humorous, there is nothing funny about the 300 Sikh hate crimes or nearly 3,000 innocent people who were killed in the 9/11 attacks. Jessica Forte can be reached at jessica.forte@spartans.ut.edu
LGBT community. Putin’s vaguely worded legislation is stripping of the rights to self-expression and pushing homosexuals into repression one bill passage at a time. Jammeh’s approach is sensationalist and violent, which endangers not only rights but also lives. Just one day previous to Jammeh’s address to the U.N., the U.S., France, Argentina, Japan, Brazil and other countries addressed these kinds of issues at the General Assembly
and they should be implemented on a global scale. The countries involved in the LGBT Core Group listed above have agreed to combat the violence faced by homosexuals, and “encourage the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to continue its efforts to increase understanding of the human rights challenges facing LGBT people, advocate for legal and policy measures to meet these challenges and assist the United Nations human rights mechanisms in this regard,” as quoted from their address. The right to a relationship between two consenting adults should not be infringed upon due to sexual orientation, and those who do seek same-sex relationships should not be discriminated against or subjected to violence and hate crimes. “In too many places around the world, LGBT persons are still punished for simply exercising their fundamental rights and freedoms,” said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in a meeting for the LGBT Core Group at the United Nations. Basic human rights are for everyone, and nobody, person or government, has the right to take them away from a group of individuals based on a characteristic they cannot control such as race, gender or sexual orientation. Samantha Bloom. can be reached at samantha.bloom@spartans.ut.edu
UN Asked to Repeal International LGBT-Oppressive Laws By SAMANTHA BLOOM Opinion Columnist
According to a 2011 U.N. study, more than 76 countries criminalize sexual relations between consenting same-sex adults. In many more, gays are discriminated against and targeted as victims of hate-crimes. Russia is the most well-known current example, due to the amount of press President Vladimir Putin’s war on homosexuals has been receiving since June, when Putin signed a series of bills that condemned homosexuality. From forbidding the distribution of “homosexual propaganda” to allowing police officers to arrest any tourist or foreign national suspected of being gay or pro-gay, these kinds of antigay laws have attracted international attention, says thenation.com. While Russian anti-homosexual laws are a giant step backwards in the fight for equality and fundamental human rights, President Putin maintains that “in the Russian Federation––so that it is clear to everybody––there is no infringement on the rights of sexual minorities. These people… enjoy all the same rights and freedoms as everyone else,” reports reuters.com. While I disagree that Russia’s policies are not discriminatory, at least Putin has made an attempt to hide his distaste for homosexuality on the global stage.
O n t h e o t h e r h a n d , G a m b i a ’s President Yahya Jammeh, in his address to the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 27, spoke out about his belief that “those who promote homosexuality want to put an end to human existence.” Jammeh, a Muslim, called homosexuality “very evil, antihuman as well as anti-Allah” and denied that being gay should be considered a human right, according to reuters. com. Yahya Jammeh’s homophobia
[
Both Putin and Jammeh’s positions are disturbing and each is a threat to the fundamental human rights of the LGBT community.
takes a much more direct, outward and terrifyingly extreme route in comparison. J a m m e h ’s d i s c r i m i n a t i o n o f homosexuals is not exactly breaking news. In 2008, he promised to enact antihomosexual laws and would “cut off the head” of any gay person discovered in his country. Jammeh also more or less ordering homosexuals to flee the country within 24 hours, according to ilga.org. Same-sex acts are a felony in Gambia, punishable by up to 14 years in jail. Both Putin and Jammeh’s positions are disturbing, and each is a threat to the fundamental human rights of the
]
meeting, asking members of the U.N. to repeal discriminatory laws against the LGBT community. They also urged countries to “improve responses to hatemotivated violence, and ensure adequate and appropriate legal protection from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity,” reports huffingtonpost.com. This calling upon of countries to begin making changes in the way they treat discrimination and violence toward the LGBT community isn’t a hard-and-fast requirement made by the U.N., but it is a step forward. These things should be implemented,
16 THE MINARET | OCTOBER 10 2013
Sports
Jessica Wagner Primed for Breakout Season
By PAIGE SHALLCROSS Sports Writer
With the 2013 season in full swing, the volleyball team is putting up a strong front. One player in particular that has been someone to watch is sophomore middle blocker Jessica Wagner. She has been tearing up the court and is definitely a player on the rise. With this year being her second season on the team, she is really excited and definitely feels more prepared for what this season has to offer.“I think this year I
feel more prepared because its just being used to the program and actually knowing what is happening and going on,” Wagner said. “Last year the transition from club volleyball to college volleyball was so much faster (than I anticipated) and this year I already knew what to expect.” Even though the transition from last season to this season was much smoother, Wagner also learned what she had to do during the offseason to help her improve as a player. “Two summers ago, before freshman year, I didn’t know what really to expect
Casey Budd/The Minaret
Sophomore middle blocker Jessica Wagner (15) leaps in the air to spike a ball that was set to her.
so just staying in regular shape, running doing small stuff like pushups, situps, squats and stuff like that is key,” Wagner said. “This year I was able to gear my stuff more toward volleyball like being able to explode faster, have a faster reaction times, be laterally faster. I am much more prepared this year. I’m used to the setters and I just feel stronger with everything that happens on and off of the court.” Not only has the offseason and preseason been successful for Wagner, but she also thinks the structure of the program this year and the relationship of the team has been helping her develop as a stronger player. “My favorite part about this season is our relaxed practices. I mean it’s not as crazy as last year but we still have Photo courtesy of UT Athletics the same drive,” Wagner explained. Jessica Wagner is in her second year on the team. “Everybody has the same goal. We only lost a few seniors last year so “Playing Concordia early in the season you just know everybody and you feel has showed us where we need to be and more comfortable so you can trust that we weren’t there yet,” Wagner said. each other better on and off the court “We have so many more transfers and which helps so much.” new players coming into the program and With so many positive backings this we’re running a 6-2, so we are much more season, Wager has set many goals for offensive. We have better blocks and this herself that she knows will help her grow should help us prepare much better for the even more as a player. rest of the season.” “Personal goals would be to go up With the prospective season looking higher in blocks per set, become a more good, Wagner is just working hard and offensive player for the team that way I doing what she can to improve as a player. can open it up for the outsides and right Not only does she have the support of her sides when the middles are drawing coaches but also from her teammates and with me,” Wagner said. that is something that she feels really “Another personal goal is to just motivates her as a player on the court. be more active on the court so that “My favorite thing about playing everybody hears me. I am not a quiet volleyball here at Tampa is my team,” person to begin with so that one should Wagner said. not be very hard at all.” We have a total 18 people on the One thing that the team is focusing on team, so that’s 17 friends I already have. as a whole and that Wagner would like You never feel like you’re alone because to accomplish is to return to the National you have so many friends here and we all Championship game again. To do that, the support each other in everything. We’re team is using the games they are playing now like one big family and I love that.” to see what parts of their game they need to Paige Shallcross can be reached at work on to get to that championship game. paige.shallcross@spartans.ut.edu
Hockey Team Off to an Ice Melting Start By JORDAN LLANES Sports Editor
Despite not being an official university sport, the UT Ice Hockey club team is creating a buzz around campus like it is one. After a 5-2 start, the team is looking to make even more noise as the season goes into next February. The Spartans have already defeated the University of Miami’s club team as well as USF’s and Florida Atlantic’s club squads and are looking for wins against other top colleges
later on in the season such as Florida State (Nov. 8-9 at home), Georgia Tech (at home on Nov. 17 and at Tech on Jan. 31 of next year) and the University of Florida (at UF on Nov. 22 and at home on Nov. 24). The team is off to its best start yet, including the capture of its first overtime victory and victory against crosstown rival USF on Sept. 25. “The guys were unbelievably emotional after the win on the ice and in the locker room,” said head coach Stephen Kucera after the USF
Photo courtesy of UT Club Ice Hockey/Facebook
The UT Ice Hockey Team has been ready to play all season, toppling opponents like USF and FAU.
victory. “Between the two fluke goals that we gave up and then having a legitimate goal called out for a face off in our zone tested the nerves and perseverance of our guys. They kept their composure though and pulled out their first ever win against USF and also a first ever OT win.” A victory against USF is another stepping stone for what is slowly becoming a banner season for the Spartans. Led by junior captain Matthew Fenby, junior defenseman Joseph Massaro and junior goaltender Greg Lemrow, this underclassmandominated team is setting the tone for not only the rest of the season, but for the seasons that will follow. Setting a winning tradition now will go a long way for future prospects who come to our school to play hockey. Next up for the squad is the SEC’s Auburn University, who will arguably be the biggest opponent that the Spartans have faced to date. Traveling to an SEC arena will probably be the hardest trip this young team will make this season (besides to UF next month), so the squad must be ready. But if the team’s hot start is an indication of things to come, look for a lot of offensive firepower to be on display up in Alabama. Jordan Llanes can be reached at jordan.llanes@theminaretonline.com
Upcoming Games 10/11 at Auburn 11/8 vs. Florida St. 11/15 vs. FGCU 11/18 at Florida 12/6 at UCF
OCTOBER 10 2013 | THE MINARET
17
Photos courtesy of Tom Kolbc
LEFT: Senior Captain Mike Zwijacz bursts past opponents from Nova Southestern and FIU. RIGHT: Courtney Ragan and the women’s team have been dominating early on.
Ragan, Zwijacz Fuel Cross Country Team
By JOSIAH KACHELMEYER
Sports Writer
Through three races, the University of Tampa’s cross-country team has gotten off to an impressive start. Between having a strong group of upperclassmen and promising recruits, both the men’s and women’s squads went into 2013 with high hopes, and early on those hopes have come to fruition. The women, led by Courtney Ragan, Claudia Cancello and Chantalle Blundell, have already placed first in two of the first three meets. The men, led by Mike Zwijacz and Geremy DeWitt, haven’t disappointed either thus far, with top-five finishes in each race. Ragan, a junior pre pharmacy major from Sugar Hill, Ga., has been a key ingredient in the Spartans early season recipe for success. She started off the season hot by leading the Spartans with a fifth-place finish at the USF Open with a 5k time
of 17:32.79. The very next week, at the UF Mountain Dew Invitational in Gainesville, she led the Spartans by placing 25th overall in the 6k race with a time of 22:24.55. When asked why she thinks she, as well as the team as a whole, has ran so well this season, Ragan simply pointed to the dedication of each and every runner. “I think having a dedicated team is what’s most important for success, and we definitely have that this season,” Ragan said. “Everyone pushes each other to do better, but we are also each other’s support system. The fact that we have both these dynamics is really what makes us strong and able to be successful.” Also impressing so far for the women has been Blundell, a sophomore management major from Brush Prairie, Wash. She finished eighth at the USF open with a time of 17:41.13, 36th at the Mountain Dew Invitational and led
all of Tampa’s women by finishing fifth at the UT Pre-Regional at Dover Trails with an impressive 5k time of 18:58.80. Blundell thinks she, as well as the rest of the team, has just scratched the surface so far. “If we keep working as a team with our intensity and stay healthy I believe our team can continue improving and do even better rest of the season,” she said. Team captain Mike Zwijacz, a senior sports management major from Valrico, Fla., has been the leader of the men’s team early on. He led the men in backto-back weeks by finishing 15th overall at the USF Open and eighth overall at the Mountain Dew Invitational. He believes leading by example has been the reason his group has also started the year so well, and why they will be able to keep it up down the stretch as they approach the Sunshine State Conference Championships in late October. “That’s what being the senior captain is about: setting an example,”
Zwijacz said. He continued by stressing the importance of having a team member up front during races in order to motivate the others. “Hopefully I can be that guy, and hopefully the others will push everyone else to the front as well down the stretch.” Following the Louisville Invitational and the FSU Invite, UT cross-country will attempt to continue their strong running in the SSC Championship, and then the UThosted 2013 NCAA South Regional at Dover Trails. For the nationally ranked women (No. 19), the sights are set on the NCAA Championships held in Spokane, Wash., in mid-November. Zwijacz has been keeping a close eye on the women and thinks they are capable of strong races at the championships. He said, “If the weather holds up in Spokane this year they’re going to be looking towards a top-15 spot.” Josiah Kachelmeyer can be reached at josiah.kachelmeyer@spartans.ut.edu
UT a Hot Destination for Transfer Athletes By MICHELLE SPEAKER
Sports Writer
Every year students are transferring to UT, and some of those transfer students are athletes. The positives must outweigh any other deciding factor for these students to leave the place they initially chose. Yona Lobulu, a transfer from Gothenburg, Sweden, definitely feels as though he made the right choice. Lobulu is a sophomore on the men’s soccer team.“The high level of play in the soccer team combined with the good education you get (is the best part),” Lobulu said. “Since my school was a lot smaller I find the size of the campus as one of the positives as well.” Starting this year from the bench, Lobulu feels more motivated to work harder everyday to make the most out of his opportunity. “My last school was a small NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) school, the level is completely different in the soccer team, and I feel that you have to work hard day in and out here, compared to then my last school. It's more serious and we have more to play for here,” Lobulu said. Although there are positive and negative aspects to any college campus,
Casey Budd/The Minaret
Ellen Nurmi (LEFT) and Krissi Tow (RIGHT) are new transfers to the women’s basketball team.
students express their views openly about what they would like to see improve. A second semester freshman transfer student, Chris Clarke, came from Sydney, Australia. Clarke is on the golf team, and although he thinks the campus is beautiful, some of the aspects of UT make him rethink transferring to somewhere else depending how his golf prospers. “There is not a whole lot to do around the college, I feel there is a lack of school spirit,
the gym is much too small given the volume of students, the array of fines the school can penalize you for is ridiculous, and most importantly, every other sport has a designated area for practice except for the golf team—a few practice nets or chipping green couldn't hurt the schools expenditures, could it?,” Clarke said. However, Clarke very much enjoys the diversity of the students and the choice to come to UT was the right
choice to initiate his college career. Overall, the good must be overpowering the negative features of the university because the education the students are getting is just as important as being on a team. Runar Borgen, a sophomore transfer student on the swim team from Bodø, Norway, is appreciative of the opportunity he was given. “I got offered a scholarship and I have a really good friend who went here,” Borgen said. “He improved with his swimming and told me I should start here because it’s a good environment with a very good swim program.” The diverse range in students makes this university unique with over 18 percent of students coming from outside of the U.S. from over 130 countries. The experience to be learning inside and outside of the classroom draws students to UT. The Spartan teams have won 13 NCAA II national championships: six in baseball, three in men’s soccer, two in golf, one in women’s volleyball and one in women’s soccer. As Borgen puts it, “If you have the opportunity to transfer to UT, do it, you will not regret it.” Michelle Speaker can be reached at michelle.speaker@spartans.ut.edu
18 OCTOBER 10 2013 | THE MINARET
SPORTS
Pro Sports
NFL Aiming to Change Postseason Rules
LEFT: Bloooo13/Photobucket, RIGHT:Football Schedule/Flickr
LEFT: Roger Goodell will only enact changes if team owners vote in favor of them. RIGHT: Drew Brees and the Saints were victims of losing to a sub-.500 playoff team in 2010. By PHIL NOVOTNY Sports Writer
There have been recent developments around the National Football League that the league is considering expanding the playoff field from 12 to 14 teams. There have been discussions in the past advocating for an 18-game regular season but this plan never surfaced. This new scheduling model would include three preseason games instead of four and a 16-game regular season, which the league already has. According to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, these changes would likely not go in effect in 2014. The only way that it could go into effect is if the National Football League can secure a certain number of votes from team owners. Also, the league would have to come up with a new preseason formula, get new sponsorship agreements and a few stadiums would need to settle lease agreements with their partners. This new schedule would have a positive and a negative side to them.
The league claims that the lost revenue from the missing preseason game will be made up for by the expanded postseason. It could lead to additional television revenue and more teams would get the chance to play for the Lombardi trophy. Since more teams would be playing for the Super Bowl, this will mean more excitement from NFL fans in general. The negative would be that this shortened preseason can hurt the development of young players and that it would be harder for coaches to determine which player will make the roster. Personally, coaches need that extra preseason game because the fourth week of the preseason usually determines which backups deserve to make the roster. The NFL’s competition committee believes that there needs to be a minimum of three preseason games to help the development of rookie players. Moreover, that fourth game of the preseason means everything to those rookies who are trying
PICK ‘EM Writers Predict Weekly Matchups Week 6
SCORE CHECK National Sports News
Nathan Greg Michelle Phil Marcus Kevin Connor Jack Jordan
vs.
Griff Josiah
Tom Brady’s streak of 52 consecutive games with at least a passing touchdown ended against the Bengals this past Sunday. Having Gronk and Amendola back this week hould help Brady rekindle his offense. -Griffin Guinta, Asst. Sports Editor
to make a living by playing pro sports. If they are cut after week four of the preseason, those players who suited up for a “meaningless game” may never play in an NFL game ever again. This is not a popular view but NFL fans need to see that NFL players are not having it easy. Don’t get me wrong, I love the NFL playoffs and it is my favorite time of the winter, but the development of young players should be more of a priority than making the NFL postseason longer than it already is. Anyway, notable players like Victor Cruz and Geno Smith have needed the preseason to develop. In 2010, Victor Cruz was first recognized when he had monster game against the New York Jets in Week one of the preseason on Monday Night Football. After that game, he started to establish himself as an elite wide receiver in the National Football League. Also, the New York Jets did not know who their
Greg Griff Phil Jack Kevin Connor Jordan
vs.
Marcus Michelle
After a forgettable start to the 2013 season, the Dodgers have been steamrolling opponents left and right and look as if they’re ready to win it all. The Dodgers defeated the Braves 3-1 in the NL Divsion Series. -Connor Anthony, Sports Writer
quarterback would be until week four of the preseason this year when they announced that Smith would be the starter. In addition to limiting the development of young players, if you add two playoff teams then there will be teams that do not deserve to play in the postseason that will get in. During the 2010 season, the Seattle Seahawks had a 7-9 record and they won the NFC West. In the postseason, the Seahawks defeated the New Orleans Saints in the wild card round of the playoffs. My fear is that 7-9 or 88 that make the playoffs and advance deeper into the playoffs will take away spots that do not belong to them in the first place. In 2010, the NFC West was weak but I feel that there will be more of these types of situations with the new scheduling system. This process is still in the preliminary stages but for the sake of the NFL and its players, I hope this scheduling system does not become reality. Phil Novotny can be reached at philip.novotny@spartans.ut.edu
Greg Phil Kevin Connor
vs.
Jordan Griff Marcus Michelle Jack
The Lightning started the season with a loss against the last year’s Stanley Cup losers, Boston, and a win against the defending champion Blackhawks. Consistency will be the key for this young Lightning team. -Jordan Llanes, Sports Editor
SPORTS
THE MINARET | OCTOBER 10 2013
19
Baseball Playoffs, College Football and A-Rod’s Lawsuit
LEFT: PetePajor/Flickr, CENTER: FuLinHyu/Flickr, RIGHT: Keith Allison/Flickr
LEFT: Pedro Alvarez and the Pirates are hoping to make their first World Series since 1979. CENTER: A.J. McCarron and the Crimson Tide look virtually unbeatable. RIGHT: Alex Rodriguez is suing Major League Baseball and Yankees team doctors in an effort to revoke his 211 game suspension from baseball. He argues malpractice occured by team doctors. By GRIFFIN GUINTA Asst. Sports Editor
Editor’s Note: This article was written before several of the playoff games that occured this week. There’s no better time to be a fan of professional sports than right now. In fact, I’m not sure I have enough fingers on my hand to count how many crucial events are occurring in the sports world at the moment. Leading off, we have four exciting playoff battles taking place in Major League Baseball. In the American League Divisional Series, The Red Sox are on the verge of wiping out a once promising Tampa Bay Rays squad, while the Tigers hold a 2-1 advantage over the A’s. In essence, the ALDS is a showdown between powerhouse, bigspending teams (Detroit & Boston) and money-conscious, small market teams (Tampa Bay & Oakland). Though the MLB would love teams like Boston to make the World Series for monetary reasons, I’m gunning for one of the little guys to make a run at it. Baseball has changed exponentially today and having a ridiculously huge payroll isn’t necessarily the key to success. Over in the National League Playoffs, the divisional series are a bit more even. Pittsburgh, playoff contenders for the first time since 1992, are aiming to ride the hot bats of Andrew McCutchen and Starling Marte to their first World Series since 1979. In order to do that, though, they’ll have to power past the St. Louis Cardinals’ arms factory
of Adam Wainwright, Lance Lynn and Shelby Miller. The Cardinals are certainly battle tested, now appearing in their third straight postseason. The Atlanta Braves desperately fought to reverse their string of bad luck in the playoffs but again came up short against the Dodgers. This team has what I like to call “the Atlanta Curse.” For the past few seasons, Atlanta’s major sports teams have been exceptionally consistent in any situation except for the playoffs. For example, the Falcons have dominated in the regular season since 2008, the Hawks always manage to win games regardless of who is on the roster, and the Braves have been contenders for as long as I can remember. However, when it comes down to the postseason, it seems like these Atlanta teams are bound to choke. The Falcons have gone 1-4 the last four years in the playoffs, and it’s a miracle if the Braves or Hawks ever make it past the first round. In lesser known baseball news, Alex Rodriguez is suing the Yankees medical staff and Major League Baseball, which incenses me to say the least. According to the New York Daily News, Rodriguez is claiming that “Bud Selig and other MLB officials engaged in unethical and even criminal behavior against the Yankees star to ‘gloss over’ their past inaction and tacit approval of performance-enhancing drugs in baseball. The court papers claim MLB officials targeted Rodriguez to secure
Selig’s legacy as the ‘savior’ of the national pastime.” What a load of garbage. Though Bud Selig isn’t the greatest commissioner in the world, he’s certainly not one to be solely invested in his own personal legacy. Selig is an old-fashioned, dutiful servant of the game and has devoted much of his tenure as MLB commissioner to cleaning up the game. Besides, A-Rod was found guilty of taking an illegal substance and cheating the game—he even acknowledged that he was “young” and “stupid” when he did it. It seems whenever people don’t get there way in this country they instantly sue to compensate for it. Alex Rodriguez, please quit before you weaken your legacy any further. With all the activity happening in baseball right now, it’s easy to overlook what’s been happening on the gridiron. In fact, I had to stop and remind myself this weekend that football still existed. Several of the powerhouses dominated in college football this weekend, evidenced by Florida State’s 63-0 walloping of Maryland and Oregon’s 57-16 drubbing of Colorado. Nonetheless, there were some close calls, including Georgia narrowly escaping Tennessee with a 34-31 victory and Stanford barely beating Washington, despite a magnificent effort from Washington QB Keith Price (350 passing yards and two passing touchdowns). My biggest question at the moment is: Can
anyone take down Alabama? Undefeated thus far, the Crimson Tide look primed to make a run for their third straight National Title. Their only real obstacle is a game against the always tough LSU. Unless anyone thinks Chattanooga is going to stop them. Our favorite winless NFL team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, did not play this week, meaning that you’ll be spared of our ramblings on how dysfunctional the Bucs are this year. In all seriousness, I think this bye week is good for the Bucs. They have a winnable game next week against the Eagles next week that could really spark some momentum going forth. Any doubts of Mike Glennon being the de facto starter have now been squashed, as the Bucs released embattled QB Josh Freeman this past week. While releasing Freeman is a gutsy move, it needed to be done. The internal tensions between head coach Greg Schiano and Freeman continued to escalate to the point of no repair. Best of luck in Minnesota, Josh. Perhaps you can help alleviate Minnesota’s constant passing woes. I’m glad my fellow editor Jordan Llanes gave me the chance to write during this riveting weekend of sports. For those of you that missed his commentary, rest assured––he’ll be back to give his take next week. Until next time, enjoy this wild and crazy October in the sports world. Griffin Guinta can be reached at guinta@theminaretonline.com
“I thought they swung the bats, better, they pitched better. At some point you have to admit that, turn the page and go to the next day.” -Rays 3B Evan Longoria in response to Boston’s Game 2 ALDS Victory.
“People will have something to say. Is what it is. I’m in (Houston) now. This city has my back and we are going to ride together.” -Rockets Center Dwight Howard responding to criticism.
“We knew the formula coming into this game was to remain patient, to run the football effectively, to be very efficient in the passing game and to take care of the football.” -Saints QB Drew Brees after a 28-16 win against the Chicago Bears on Sunday.
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Lawsuit Against EA Sports Leads to Cancellation of NCAA Related Video Games By CONNOR ANTHONY Sports Writer
EA Sports is one of the branches for video game developer Electronic Arts, which is one of the largest video game developers in the world. Some notable titles from EA Sports include the NHL, NCAA Football, FIFA and Madden NFL series. All of these are well selling and are often highly praised for their realism and gameplay. All of these franchises, besides NCAA Football, are licensed under their league’s licensing agreement. For example, with Madden NFL, EA Sports can include all 32 NFL teams, their stadiums, their logos and all the players in the NFL. EA Sports is allowed to use real-life players in the game because they compensate the players for the being allowed to use their image in the game. The problem with college athletes is that unlike professional athletes, they are not allowed to get paid. Since they are not allowed to get paid, their names are not allowed to be used in any NCAA video games. EA Sports has to get around this by simply just putting the number and position on the back of the jerseys and players selected. If the player was playing with Texas A&M, Johnny Manziel is known in the game as QB No. 2. This has worked ever since the first NCAA Football game was released, but it won’t be happening anymore. Between 200,000 and 300,000 former college athletic players filed lawsuits
against EA Sports for their likeness being used without being compensated. Imagine if in Madden, instead of Peyton Manning, you had QB No. 18 on the Broncos. Even though it is not his name, you know that it is Peyton Manning. The players who have brought the lawsuit toward EA preached this very message. And it looks like these players are going to benefit from EA’s blunder. The lawsuit, which also attacks the Collegiate Licensing Company, is expected to run about $40 million. Although EA is a multibillion-dollar company, anytime you have to spend that much money to settle a lawsuit, it does not sit well. With this lawsuit all but settled, EA could have continued to make college football video games by dropping “NCAA” from the title. However, multiple universities didn’t want to become affiliated with the game, and the SEC, Pac-12 and Big Ten conferences wanted no part with the series. So what does that mean for college football video games? Next year EA will not be making NCAA Football 15. This creates an opportunity for competitors who want to try to tap into this untapped market. NCAA Football was selling about two million copies a year, which made it one of their lowest selling sports game. Despite that fact, that’s still two million copies they could be making money off. There are two challenges facing any company wanting to take advantage of the now non-existent college football video game market. The first being, do they want to run the risk of getting
into the water EA got into, which means having to pay out former players for using their likeness? However, the more important question is what are they going to do with current players? The latter is the bigger question. The biggest debate in college athletics right now is: should student athletes be getting paid to play? This argument can go both ways, but is a very ugly one. On one hand, these kids aren’t getting paid a dime to play for a big-time program, yet are helping the program make hundreds of millions a year in revenue.
But on the other hand, this could turn into a nightmare, where it turns into an all-out bidding war. If a number of schools want a blue-chip prospect, it would come down to who has the most money to spend. There have been colleges that paid players under the table to come play for their school. As one ex-college athlete said during an ESPN 30 for 30 film, “You show me a major program, I’ll show you major recruiting violations.” Connor Anthony can be reached at connor.anthony@spartans.ut.edu
tlnelax/Photobucket
EA Sports won’t be making a college football game in 2014 after their most recent lawsuit.
Heisman Watch: Manziel Still on Top, Mariota Close Behind By NATHAN KROHN Sports Writer
Trying to predict the Heisman winner in October is like trying to play darts with your eyes closed. You might get a few on the board but you’re probably not going to hit it in the bull’s eye. However, like most other premature prediction articles, we’ll give it a shot, and come December, hope to say I told you so. Last year, Johnny Manziel became the first freshman ever to win the award and with it came an unprecedented amount of celebrity and scrutiny. Manziel was a national star at 18 years old. He was flying out to hang with Drake and sitting courtside in Miami during the Heat’s title run. Like most young people thrown in to stardom, Manziel had difficulty learning how to handle it. He was constantly criticized during the offseason for his behavior and unapologetic attitude, which finally boiled over with him being kicked out of the Manning Passing Academy in July. Despite his tumultuous offseason, Manziel has come out this season and quickly reminded us why he was the first freshman ever to win the Heisman trophy last year, throwing for nearly 1500 yards and accounting for 17 total touchdowns through the first five weeks of the season. This is including a monster game where he put up 464 yards and five touchdowns against the great Nick Saban run Alabama defense. However, Las Vegas currently has Manziel second in odds for winning
LEFT: amtaylor78/Photobucket, RIGHT: Neon Tommy/Flickr
Johnny Manziel (LEFT) leads Oregon’s Marcus Mariota (RIGHT) in most statistical categories.
the Heisman at 5/1 behind Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota at 9/2. Mariota has thrown for fewer yards and touchdowns than Manziel, which is surprising when you consider that Oregon hasn’t scored under 55 points in a game this year. Manziel leads Mariota in nearly every statistical category except interceptions, which could lead some to believe that Mariota holds the advantage over Manziel for reasons outside of football. Then again, Oregon has outscored their opponents 239 to 43 through the first four weeks, allowing for Mariota to watch several fourth quarters from the Ducks sideline. Oregon and Mariota won’t face a real challenge until Oct. 12 when they face Top 25 ranked Washington, who has a possible
Heisman sleeper of their own in running back Bishop Sankey. Sankey is the true definition of a workhorse. The Huskies tailback has 607 yards on 104 carries and 6 total touchdowns through the first four weeks, including 40 carries against Arizona. Sankey, a junior from Spokane, Washington has accounted for at least 160 yards in three of four games this year, including a 208-yard performance on the road against Illinois. He chipped in 77 yards on 4 carries before being lifted in a 56-0 blowout against Idaho State. Barring injury, Sankey’s aggressive running style and number of carries per game could very well give him the numbers needed to be a Heisman finalist.
“If you don’t control your emotions, your emotions will control your acts, and that’s not good.” -Mariano Rivera
Another finalist hopeful at the beginning of the year was tenacious defensive end Jadeveon Clowney of South Carolina. After being named an All-American and receiving the Hendricks Award as the best defensive end in the country, Clowney admitted prior to the season that he planned on being a Heisman finalist this year. Most known for his jarring hit on Michigan’s Vincent Smith in last season’s Outback Bowl, Clowney is unequivocally one of the most exciting defensive players college football has seen in a while. However, bone spurs in his right foot have greatly slowed him thus far, turning him into a shell of the player he was a year ago. Adding insult to injury, Clowney has been plagued with bruised ribs that caused him to miss a game against Kentucky. In absence of a miracle, Clowney will likely not be making the trip to New York in December. Quarterbacks Tajh Boyd of Clemson, Teddy Bridgewater of Louisville and Aaron Murray of Georgia round out the top five candidates in the minds of oddsmakers in Las Vegas. It’s always possible a relatively under the radar player strings together a run of great performances in the second half of the season, and rides the momentum to the Heisman trophy. But don’t be surprised if Johnny Manziel is standing there, accepting the trophy in December as the first back-to-back winner since Archie Griffin in 1974-75. Nathan Krohn can be reached at nathan.krohn@spartans.ut.edu