The Minaret 2/27/2014

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February 27, 2014

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Medical Marijuana Debate Heats Up For the State of Florida

By KHADIJAH KHAN News Writer

The medical marijuana debate has gone on for several years and continues to be a large controversy. While many see its benefits, others think that it causes more harm than good.

Medical marijuana has become legal in 21 states including California, Colorado and New Jersey, according to norml.org/states. The University of Tampa hosted a debate Monday night that was open to the public, which discussed the legalization of medical marijuana being added to the November 2014 ballot.

About 1,000 students, faculty and members of the Tampa community filled the stands and additional chairs in the Martinez Athletic Center.

Several local media stations like Fox 13 News and Bay News 9 flocked to UT to cover the debate, and at the end of the night some spectators were even forced to leave the debate for being rowdy.

Local attorney John Morgan and Allen St. Pierre, executive director

In Other News...

Alex Jackson/The Minaret

Keith Cate, WFLA News Channel 8 anchor, moderated the medical marijuana debate.

of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), argued for legalization while Dr.

Eric Voth, chairman of the Institute on Global Drug Policy, and Kevin Sabet, the director of the Drug Policy

Students Getting Hitched

7 The College Dropout: A Cookbook

Release Essential Punk Record

11 UPenn Suicide

Sheds Light on Mental Illnesses in Colleges

12 Woman Buys All

of PacSun Store’s ‘Pornographic’ Shirts

16 Women’s

Basketball Gears Up For SSC Tournament

News................................. 2 Diversions........................ 6 A+E................................... 7 Opinion........................... 11

Sports............................. 16

See WEED Page 4

Paul Badro Memorial Honors His Untimely Death

3 Marriage at UT:

9 The Hotelier

Institute at the University of Florida, argued against.

Sabet and Voth voiced their thoughts about the regulation of the drug, who would be allowed to have access to it and whether smoking marijuana should be considered medicine.

“Legalization is the end game and marijuana lobby is driving that.

They’re targeting youth and doing the same thing that the tobacco companies did to my generation,” Voth said.

“They’ve brought you a Trojan horse… don’t let them tell you it’s about medicine.”

Morgan wanted to include the ability to have home grown marijuana and have it prescribed by a psychologist, but both weren’t included. But psychiatrists with an M.D. are allowed to.

“I don’t trust the FDA. I don’t trust the government. I trust an organic plant. There haven’t been any deaths because of the use of marijuana,” Morgan said.

Mark Sugden/The Minaret Paul Badro was killed in a tragic motorcycle accident. Friends and family came to his memorial at Sykes Chapel.

By MARK SUGDEN News Writer

Family and friends of Paul Badro gathered in the UT Chapel Tuesday morning to celebrate his life.

Badro, a UT senior marketing major, died on Feb. 16 in a fatal motorcycle accident. Relatives and friends traveled from Bahrain, where Badro lived, to attend the memorial.

Dean of Students Stephanie Russell-Krebs started by thanking the Badro family for sending Paul to UT because he was an active member of the community.

“He was the person you wanted working on a group project, he was the person you wanted living in your hall,” Russell-Krebs said. “Every single memory and story that I am hearing is all about Paul being such a connector for our community.”

She also challenged students to “take Paul with you” through everyday life.

“Take him with you when you notice that beautiful car outside. Stop and look at it and wonder what type of engine it is,” said RussellKrebs, noting Badro’s love for cars. “Take him

with you when you haven’t called your mom and dad in a while. Call them and take him with you.”

Badro’s friends talked about the times they shared living in McKay Hall freshman year with him. They mentioned how friendly he was to everyone, not just to close friends.

“Paul taught me so many things about myself, other cultures, and a place I never even heard of,” said a friend who lived in the McKay community with him. The friend, who did not want to be named, then read a poem entitled “Goodbye My Dearest Friend.”

“The thing about Paul, everyone’s going to tell you he was a great man or a happy guy who brought so many things to people’s lives, but the best word is wise,” said Neill Lashkajani, a UT alumni, who knew Paul from when they lived on the same floor in McKay. “The little things didn’t upset him. He was an inspiration.”

Many people commented on the transformation he made, becoming more fit during his time here and about how he started going to the gym to workout.

George DaPonte, director of International

Admissions at UT, shared some of Badro’s admission essay, which was about his family, and called reading it one of the most “difficult but beautiful things I can do for you.”

Badro started his essay off by saying, “I love my father.”

Badro’s father sent out a message to the students about the dangers of fast driving: “Don’t break the hearts of your parents. Please.”

After the ceremony, visitors watched a video compiled and made by Badro’s friends who could not be at the ceremony describing memories they had with him and sent condolences to the family.

Many of his friends in the video commented on the transformation they saw while Badro was at UT and said how they missed him.

After the video, visitors were welcomed to throw a white rose into the Hillsborough River near McKay, one of Badro’s favorite places on campus, in memorial of him.

At the end of the ceremony, RussellKrebs described how even though Badro was supposed to graduate in May, he wanted to delay his graduation.

“He would have been graduating in a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing. While he can’t physically be with us on graduation day we know he’ll be with us in spirit,” RussellKrebs said. On behalf of the University of Tampa community, it is with great honor that we notify everyone that the University of Tampa has rewarded Paul Phillip Badro a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing in his memoriam based on the recommendation of the department of marketing and the dean of the Sykes College of Business.”

Russell-Krebs invited the family to come to the commencement ceremony and for his father to accept the degree on his behalf.

Mark Sugden can be reached at mark. sugden@spartans.ut.edu

M

FEBRUARY 27 2014 | THE MINARET

MINARET

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COLUMNISTS

NEWS + FEATURES

Kickstarter Website Helps UT Entrepreneur

By DANIELLE CARPENTER News Writer

Kickstarter.com has become a popular website for UT students looking to fund their creative ideas.

This site has gained recent popularity because it is a “crowdfunding platform,” and serves as a “meeting place for entrepreneurs and investors,” according to The New York Times.

Senior marketing major, Dima Shemberev agreed with this claim. It’s an “option to generate capital for your venture” without needing to have any money upfront.

Kickstarter has a solid marketing platform, according to Shemberev, which makes it desirable to a “specific segment of the market.”

The Kickstarter process is simple. First, the creator makes a Kickstarter page, showcasing his or her idea or product. The creator must set a goal for the amount of money to be raised and the deadline the money must be raised by. That’s when the page becomes open to the public.

Then people called “backers” can pledge money towards the project––no matter if it’s $1 or $50,000. In exchange for the support, creators must give something to the backer.

Shirts, wallets, and personalized “thank you” notes are some of the most popular items offered, according to Kickstarter.

At the end of the deadline, a project is either considered successful or unsuccessful depending on if the creator raised enough money to meet his or her goal.

UT graduate George Hamilton is currently funding his own project, Hollywood Hamilton Clothing, through Kickstarter.

Hamilton, who considers himself an entrepreneur, chose Kickstarter because he thought it would help “take [his] company in the next direction and at a faster pace.”

Hamilton first heard about Kickstarter

Photo from Kickstarter.com

George Hamilton’s Kickstarter page is funded by 24 backers, which is still increasing.

through Entrepreneur Magazine and decided to research the company.

When it comes to creating successful projects, Kickstarter considers itself an elite.

Kickstarter claims to have helped 56,000 creative projects become successful since its launch in 2009. Kickstarter records show that over 5.6 million people have pledged $980 million to fund individual projects on this platform.

One of Kickstarter’s most successful projects was “The Veronica Mars Movie Project.” Its creator, Rob Thomas, originally set his goal at $2 million in order to create a movie based on the hit television show. By the end of the deadline, Thomas raised over $5 million through the support of 91,585 backers. Currently, this project is the third highest-funded project in Kickstarter history.

Some of the best things about Kickstarter stem from its usefulness to small companies, said Hamilton. “People have the chance to look at your products and the attitude the company is portraying and make critiques,” Hamilton continued.

In the same sense, Hamilton likes that the site gives his products the opportunity to “showcase themselves” to those who view his page. This way, according to Hamilton, young entrepreneurs and smaller companies can be taken more seriously by potential customers and businesses.

However, Kickstarter is not a riskfree platform.

If a project is unsuccessful, the creator will not receive any of the funds earned–– even if “you raise $1 less than your project goal,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton thinks that having an unsuccessful Kickstarter project “hurts more” than having a project with no money pledged because “you know your product had caught the attention of a particular market segment but it just wasn’t strong enough.”

Currently, Hollywood Hamilton Clothing is 68 percent funded, with eight days left to fund the project.

Danielle Carpenter can be reached at danielle.carpenter@spartans.ut.edu

Balance UT Hosts Stress Less Week

By CHANCE SMITH News Writer

UT hosted its first ever Stress Less Week last week in order for students to have the opportunity to take their minds off of their workload and find new ways to relax. The various events—which started on Monday and ended on Thursday—took place at various locations around campus and were open for any students to get involved in.

“This is the first year that Stress Less Week took place and we had a super turnout,” said junior performing arts major Erica Natal, the Student Coordinator of Balance UT. “It was great to see so many students getting involved and enjoying these events.”

Natal and Balance UT were in charge of putting the events for the week together with the help of Marissa Potente, the president of the FOODS organization, and Chelsea Ptak, the president of the Better Together Interfaith Group.

The week started off with a Qi Gong yoga demonstration by Steven Geisz in the Chapel Main Hall on Monday at noon. Qi Gong is a form of yoga that emulates the natural movements of nature in the Asian martial arts tradition, and it is demonstrated by slow, fluid movements that are meant to strengthen the body and mind “I’ve done yoga a few times, but never

Keaton Trevena/The Minaret

UT Balance hosts first ever Stress Less Week with activities like sunset yoga that took place last Thursday.

something exactly like Qi Jong,” said sophomore public relations major Kim Sharison. “I had a terrible day Sunday and just thought it would be a good way to blow off some steam. After the class, I just really wasn’t worried about anything.

I’d definitely do it again.”

The Qi Gong yoga and guided meditation were only the start of the events for Stress Less

Samantha Bloom Avery Twible

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Your first two copies of THE MINARET are free. Each additional copy is $1.00 Keaton Trevena/The Minaret Students gather on the last day of Stress Less Week to do yoga at sunset with a professional guest instructor.

Week. Tuesday featured an essential oils yoga session which showed how the use of scents such as eucalyptus and sandalwood can help strengthen your senses for a better workout.

Wednesday featured a yoga DJ in the Vaughn Courtyard who mixed yoga songs to create a serene and energetic vibe for students to practice yoga.

Thursday started off with a sunset yoga session at 6 a.m. in Plant Park and ended with a pillow talk demonstration in the chapel at 10 p.m. The pillow talk meeting, which wrapped up the first ever Stress Less Week, talked about the effects that stress has on a person’s sleeping and eating habits.

“My favorite part about the week was seeing all the students de-stress,” said Natal.

“I would definitely like to continue this event yearly because everyone constantly battles with stress. Especially college students.”

Chance Smith can be reached at chance. smith@spartans.ut.edu

NEWS + FEATURES

THE MINARET | FEBRUARY 27 2014

3

Marriage at UT: Students Marrying Young

Photo courtesy of Cara Spoto

Cara Spoto walks down the steps of Plant Hall with her husband for the first time as husband and wife.

By KIRBY JAY News Writer

“My husband is my travel companion, my study buddy, my rock, my number one supporter and motivator,” said Eliza Turrill, a senior English and writing major who said “I do” last March. “I can’t imagine being without him through all of these transitions in my life.”

Turrill met her husband, Alireza Bahramirad, who graduated from UT in 2012, during her freshman year in Residence Hall Council, and they have been together ever since. He is currently finishing his master’s degree in Chicago and Turrill said the distance has only made them stronger.

Though many have confronted Turrill with negative comments that college students have not reached the maturity level to have a conventionally successful marriage, Turrill thinks otherwise. “A lot of people don’t believe that you can ‘find yourself’ alongside your partner,” Turrill said. “A marriage is between two people and no one else. I try my

best not to take in any negative comments about ‘being too young.’”

Ryan Chacon, a 22-year-old in the graduate business program, also got married last summer and describes being a young married couple as “so much fun.”

“I wanted to get married because I knew I loved her, and our relationship had stood the test of time and distance and hardship,” Chacon said.

“It’s awesome and totally worth it.”

Chacon is a full time grad student, working 40 hours a week as a graduate assistant. “Life is crazy and it’s hard to balance, but it’s super fun,” Chacon said. “We are very happy and enjoy being married and are so happy we waited for each other.”

Chacon and his wife, Andrea, met in St. Louis during the summer of 2010 before he started college. They dated long distance for two years while he attended Florida State University. Andrea moved from St. Louis to Tallahassee while Chacon finished his final semester of college and they got married the following summer.

As a traditional man, Chacon asked

Andrea’s parents before proposing, who gladly gave their blessing.

Chacon often undergoes judgement because of his young age but stands by his decision. “People think its pretty weird when I tell them this stuff,” Chacon said. “They think they are young and there’s so much more to life. They are respectful though, and you can tell they want something similar.”

While these newly wed college students are seen around UT, it also happens to be a beautiful wedding venue, attracting many alumni back to have their special day at UT. “We still get friends and family telling us how beautiful our wedding was,” said Cara Spoto, a UT alumna who works in business services as the Spartan Card coordinator at UT. “Our out of town guests stayed at the Sheraton and everything was conveniently located or within walking distance.”

Since both Spoto and her husband Sean Spoto are UT alumni, it seemed only natural to hold their wedding at UT. The ceremony was held at the Plant Hall East Verandah directly on top of the stairs in front of the front fountain, where the rails were draped in fern garland and two ferns made up the alter.

“I think that UT is a great place to have a wedding because there is so much history.

Each room in Plant Hall, whether it’s the Grand Salon, the Music Room or Fletcher Lounge, has its own unique beauty and character,” Spoto said. “Even the Vaughn ninth floor offers an unbeatable view of Downtown Tampa.”

Spoto’s 120 guests enjoyed a cocktail hour off to the side of the verandah, and the reception was later held in the Music Room of Plant Hall with all of the windows open. White tablecloths were on each table that were scattered throughout the inside and outside, and guests enjoyed a plate of chicken chardonnay. They later danced on the Music Room stage, set up as a dance floor.

Spoto was eligible for the employee rental rate and was only charged one rental fee for the two places she utilized.

There was still a reservation fee for both rooms and a cleanup fee for facilities.

She did not receive any type of discount for being an Alumna.

Marcia Romero, also a UT alumna, held her wedding reception on the ninth floor of Vaughn in December of 2005. “I had my sweet sixteen at UT, my high school pictures taken at UT, I got my bachelor’s at UT so it just seemed natural to have my wedding at UT,” Romero said.

After looking around at various locations, Romero toured the ninth floor of Vaughn and fell in love with the large, open windows and the city views. “Since our reception was going to be around sunset, the views were spectacular,” Romero said. Romero also had about 120 guests at her reception.

Impressed by the fluency of the planning, cooperation with Sodexo and the beautiful settings, both Romero and Spoto highly recommend others to have future weddings at UT. “It was a great experience and made great pictures,” Romero said.

Kirby Jay can be reached at kirby.jay@ spartans.ut.edu.

Photos courtesy of Cara Spoto Spoto dances in the Grand Salon with her husband.

From the Feb. 17 to Feb. 23 Reports

Just Blind Sighted Ya’ On Feb. 17, a student reported that his vehicle struck a pole as he was turning. Minor damages and no injuries occurred.

SLOW DOWN On Feb. 19, a student’s vehicle struck a parked vehicle causing it to further strike another parked vehicle. Minor damages and no injuries were reported.

Why Can’t UT Students Drive?

On Feb. 19, a student backed into a staff member’s car causing minor damage.

Slightly Responsible Drunks On Feb. 21, two students were referred to student conduct after failing to pay for a cab fare and being under the influence of alcohol under legal age.

Phi Alpha Delta is having a LSAT seminar on March 3.

The Greek Variety show is at 6 p.m. at Falk Theater on Friday.

Plant Hall Ghost Bulks Up On Feb. 19, a fire alarm was activated in the fitness facility. However, there was no cause found for the activation.

Want to apply for a grad school workshop?

Go to Riverside room 102 on March at 5 p.m.

Student government event, “Spring Into Action” begins March 5.

March 3 is International Badge Day. Panhellenic will be holding a brunch at 9 a.m. Location TBA.

Reports compiled by Katherine Lavacca

The Office of Career Services Elevator Speech Competition is Feb. 28 in Riverside room 116 at 4:30 p.m.

Sodexo “Secret Shopper” interest meeting on March 5 at 12 p.m at Panache.

4 FEBRUARY 27 2014 | THE MINARET

Medical marijuana debate hosted at UT From WEED Page 1

Throughout the debate, both sides veered from the point and made attacks on each other whether or not it was about the position they were on or an opponent’s personal background.

Many of those who attended the debate were incredibly passionate as many wore “Vote to Toke” shirts or “Support Medical Marijuana.” While those who opposed the issue wore shirts that said “No to Grow” and weren’t afraid to argue with those who were for the argument.

“I think it’s silly,” said Patrick Rooney, a member of the Tampa community and former UT student.

“It’s still a discussion at the medical level. If it works for people why not? The government should have much less say over what medical professionals can and can’t prescribe, especially when it’s involving an incredibly benign psychoactive plant.”

But while those who supported the cause spoke their mind, those who opposed it weren’t scared to voice their opinions as well.

“The way the bill is written will give practically anyone access to the drug. If the bill was written differently and more safeguards were added so only people who really need it can get it, then I would side with it. People who really need it would fit in the category of cancer patients or glaucoma patients and maybe some other horrific diseases,” said Andrew Buckley, a freshman business and management major.

Martinez was filled with screaming and overly passionate fans, some of whom were dragged out and escorted off campus premises, one of the things that was most memorable for the students who attended the debate.

“Well, I think [the student] should have been asked to leave,” said Donald Raab, a senior and exercise science major. “Unfortunately, he was acting a bit more aggressive directly towards the debaters even after the time expired. I feel the situation could have escalated if security didn’t step in.”

Khadijah Khan can be reached at khadijah.khan@theminaretonline. com

NEWS + FEATURES

Weekly News Update

By IRENE SIDEDE News Writer

Worldwide

Former U.S. Army soldier Steven Dale Green of Midland, Texas was reported dead on Feb. 18. The death was concluded to be a suicide as he was found hanging in his cell at the United States Penitentiary in Tucson, Ariz.

In March 2006, 28-year-old Green was convicted for the rape and murder of 14-year-old Abeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabi and the murder of her father, mother and 6-year-old sister during his deployment in Mahmudiya, Iraq.

“He was sentenced to life in prison without

National

Facebook dropped $19 billion on Feb. 19 to buy the app WhatsApp. Its a cross-platform messaging app which allows you to exchange messages without having to pay for SMS.The amount is said to be 19 times more than what was paid for Instagram in 2012. Since then, the photo app’s number of active users has more than doubled, even with the carefully crafted introduction of ads, which some people feared would junk up Instagram’s user experience.

CNN reported that most people in the U.S. had never even heard of WhatsApp. “WhatsApp will continue to operate independently within Facebook,” CEO Mark

LOCAL Florida engineer Joshua Hakken will

Alex Jacksons/The Minaret

John Morgan and Allen St. Pierre participated in the marijuana debate where they argued for legalization.

be undergoing treatment for mental illness after he was declared legally insane on Feb. 19. Hakken is on trial and is accused of abducting his two young sons with the help of his wife, sailing with them to Cuba.

“Florida law defines insanity as having a mental infirmity, disease or defect so severe that it left the defendant incapable of knowing the consequences of his actions or that it was wrong,” according to The Huffington Post.

Authorities say Joshua and Sharyn

the possibility of parole after a federal jury in Kentucky could not decide whether he should be executed,” according to The Huffington Post. During the trial, prosecutors portrayed Green, who was 19 years old at the time, as the ringleader of a gang of five soldiers who plotted to invade the home of the family of four to rape the girl.

“Three of the four other soldiers pleaded guilty in the attack and the fourth was convicted, all in military courts-martial. They received sentences ranging from five to 100 years,” according to Reuters.

Zuckerberg said, according to Reuters. “The product roadmap will remain unchanged and the team is going to stay in Mountain View,” the suburban California city where it’s based.

Zuckerberg also said that Messenger, Facebook’s chat app, and WhatsApp will remain separate. WhatsApp has 450 million active users worldwide and is reportedly adding millions more each month on a path Zuckerberg and others believe will soon have it hitting the one billion mark.

Hakken abducted their two sons, ages two and four, and fled to Cuba after losing parental rights. The Hakkens sailed to Cuba where they were apprehended by U.S. authorities and sent back to Tampa.

The grandparents now have custody of the children. They were deeply grateful to the authorities, the media and the public for helping to bring the boys home.

NEWS + FEATURES

THE MINARET | FEBRUARY 27 2014

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What artists have previously performed at Party in the Park?

As you’re reading this, you may already know the artist who will be performing for Party in the Park 2014, however, at the time of printing we don’t yet know. In order to compensate for the lack of confirmed performer, YAY! I love that artist! and also BOO, I wanted someone else! There, all the bases are covered. Let’s take a walk down Plant Park memory lane and look at the previous Party in the Park performers.

The very first Party in the Park was headlined by Yellowcard––of Ocean Ave fame––held in Spring 2008. The opening act was a UT junior JJ Paolino.

Earlier in the day, Student Productions held a pre-party in Vaughn courtyard featuring a mechanical bull, spray painting stations, log roll races and a bungee run.

The second Party in the Park had

attendees in a Cupid’s Chokehold with headliners Gym Class Heroes.

GCH beat out the other options such as Secondhand Serenade, OK GO and Metro Station that SP was choosing from.

The spring 2010 Party in the Park artist got students Slightly Stoopid, and Tijuana Flats and complimentary Redbull products kept students sustained and awake for the concert.

A UT student band, 20/20 Boulevard, were the winners of a battle of the bands competition and got to open for Slightly Stoopid.

A current graduating senior, granted they’ve been here for all four years, can recount the Party in the Park concerts from 2011 and on to anyone who is curious.

Want a question answered by UT FYI? Send your question about anything UT or

Courtesy of The Minaret

Travie McCoy and Gym Class Heroes played their hits for screaming students at the 2009 Party in the Park.

14 Minaret TB OH Ad.qxp_Layout 1 2/20/14 10:06 AM Page 2

Cooley Law School

Open House Tampa Bay | Thurs., April 3 | 6-7:30 p.m.

Student and area alumni Q&A panel • Optional campus tour Information about academic programs, scholarships and financial aid Informal discussion with campus deans and professors Register to attend at cooley.edu or register at the door.

Can’t attend?

Cooley Law School, Tampa Bay Campus

View a Webinar ICG.0214.008.AD

Schedule a Visit|Tour

Attend an Info Session Visit cooley.edu

6 FEBRUARY 27 2014 | THE MINARET

Diversions

Sudoku

The Weekend Update Thank-A-Thon

February 28 PEACE Office 2:30 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Free

Baseball vs. Saginaw Valley State February 28 Sam Bailey Baseball Field 3 p.m. - 6 p.m.

Free with UT ID

Softball vs. Saint Leo

February 28 Naimoli Family Softball Stadium 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Free with UT ID

Greek Variety Show February 28 Falk Theater 6 p.m.

Free PrintableSudokuPuzzles.net

Picture

WEEK of the

Photo by Michelle Speaker/The Minaret UT students perform at the Spring Dance Concert.

Student Productions Movie Night Argo February 28 Reeves Theater 8 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Free

Softball vs. Saint Leo

March 1 Naimoli Family Softball Stadium 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Free with UT ID

Baseball vs. Saginaw Valley State March 1 Sam Bailey Baseball Field 3 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Free with UT ID

Men’s Lacrosse vs. Notre Dame de Namur March 1 Naimoli and Young Family Tennis Complex 3 p.m. - 6 p.m.

Free with UT ID

Tennis vs. Chesnut Hill

March 1 Naimoli and Young Family Tennis Complex 3 p.m. - 6 p.m.

Free with UT ID

Arts + Entertainment

THE MINARET | FEBRUARY 27 2014

7

The College Dropout: A Cookbook

By SELENE SANFELICE Arts + Entertainment Writer

Sometimes, the thought of eating every meal in the cafeteria makes us all want to drop out, not to mention that community kitchens can be grimy.

Inspired by one chef’s recent attempt at creating a gourmet menu based on Radiohead’s acclaimed album Kid A, we’ve put together some simple recipes that can be made right in your dorm room to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Kanye West’s debut album, The College Dropout. Thank Yeezus.

“Spaceship” Pizza

This healthy, easy-to-make pizza is the perfect late night snack after working the graveyard shift. No need to spend money on frozen processed pizza bites or wait for a greasy delivery.

“The New Workout Plan”-cakes

Ingredients: • • • •

2 whole wheat English muffins ½ a cup of tomato sauce ⅔ of a cup of shredded cheese 1 small bag of pepperoni slices (optional). Feel free to use any meats or veggies you have handy as toppings.

Instructions:

1. If you have a toaster handy, lightly toast the English muffins. If not, no problem. Skip to the next step.

2. Spread sauce on to the muffins with a spoon.

3. Cover with cheese and add toppings.

4. Microwave for 2 minutes.

Tip: A great place to snag toppings is the salad bar in the caf.

You can find the recipe at: hercampus.com

“Jesus Walks” Western Omelet

“We Don’t Care” Cake-in-a-Cup

In this song, West raps, “We gonna keep bakin’ to the day we get cake.” With this easy recipe, today can be that day, and you’ll have enough ingredients for many more.

Ingredients: • • • • •

1 box angel food cake mix 1 box of any other cake mix flavor (should be the same brand as the angel food cake mix).

Water 1 jar of any flavored frosting (optional) Chopped strawberries (optional)

Instructions:

1. Mix both boxes of cake mix in a large Tupperware, zip lock bag or any other handy container. Keep this sealed up tight, and you’ll be making cake in a mug all semester long!

2. Add 1/3 of a cup of mix to a mug.

3. Stir in 3 tablespoons of water.

4. Microwave for 30 seconds when using a tall mug. For a wider mug, microwave for 60 seconds.

5. Let cool for about 1 minute and top with frosting and/or strawberries.

You can find the recipe at: industriousjustice.com

No need to stand in the never-ending cafeteria omelet line. Give Tony a break and make breakfast right in your room.

Ingredients:

1 tsp butter 2 eggs 2 tsps sour cream (No sour cream? No worries. Milk or cream cheese will work just fine.)

• 2 tbs shredded cheddar cheese • 1 spoonful chopped green peppers* • 1 spoonful chopped red peppers* • Salt and pepper to taste (here’s a way to use the spare spice packets from the caf utensil packs) *If you have no peppers on hand or simply don’t feel like chopping, a few spoonfuls of Pico de 6Gallo or fresh salsa can be substituted.

1. Melt butter in a mug or a microwavesafe bowl (or spray with cooking spray).

2. Add the eggs, sour cream, cheese and peppers, then mix together.

3. Microwave on high for 45 seconds.

If eggs do not appear cooked, stir and cook in 30-second increments until they appear done. Sprinkle cheese and pepper to finish.

Tip: If you know you won’t feel like mixing and measuring in the morning, try preparing the ingredients in a mug the night before and keeping them in the fridge. Be sure to cover with saran wrap at night and stir in the morning.

You can find the recipe at: tipsaholic.com

Ingredients: • • • • • • • •

1 tsp butter 4 tbs flour ¼ tsp baking powder 1 egg 2 tbs milk 1 tbs oil Pinch of salt 3 tbs maple syrup

Instructions:

1. Melt butter in a mug or spray with cooking spray.

2. Combine ingredients in a separate bowl and mix.

3. Pour the mixture in the greased mug and microwave for 90 seconds.

4. Top with butter, maple syrup, fruit or any other topping of your choice.

You can find the recipe at: stageinlyon.blogspot.com

“All Falls Down” Fudge

• • •

Instructions:

Be sure to pop this in the microwave before you pop in the Kanye West “Get Right for the Summer” workout tape. This recipe may not get you a rapper or an NBA player, but soon all you’ll really need in your life is maple syrup.

No idea what you’re doing in college?

That major you picked don’t make no money?

When it all falls down you know who’s there for you? Fudge.

Ingredients: • • •

“Family Business” French toast

You might not be home to have your mom make you French toast anymore, but you can still enjoy it right from your dorm room. Cook this up while you look back on all your family business.

Ingredients:

2 slices of bread (any type of bread that you have laying around will do, even if it’s stale).

• 1 tsp butter • 1 egg • 3 tbs milk • Cinnamon (to taste) • 1 drop vanilla extract (optional)

Instructions: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Tear the bread apart or cut it into cubes, whatever it takes to get it into the mug.

Melt the butter in a mug and add bread cubes.

In a separate, bowl mix the egg, milk, cinnamon and vanilla.

Pour the mixture onto the bread cubes and press it down with a fork.

Microwave for 1 minute. If it doesn’t appear done, keep microwaving in 10-second increments.

6. Top with maple syrup and enjoy for the family that can’t be with you.

You can find the recipe at: prudentbaby.com

12 Oreos (crushed into small pieces) 3 cups white chocolate chips 1 can condensed milk

Instructions:

1. Line a baking pan with parchment paper (greased tin foil can be substituted). Baking pans can be rented from most RA desks in buildings with community kitchens.

2. Mix the chocolate and condensed milk in a microwave safe bowl.

3. Microwave for 30 seconds and stir until chocolate is melted. Repeat this until chocolate is completely smooth and melted.

4. Spread half the crushed Oreos on the parchment paper pan and pour the chocolate on top.

5. Sprinkle the other half of the Oreos on top of the chocolate and press them down into the fudge.

6. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours and cut into squares.

You can find the recipe at: chefrecip.es

8 FEBRUARY 27 2014 | THE MINARET

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

Do It Yourself: Make Galaxy T-Shirts in Your Dormroom

By KAELA BERNARDINO AND BRIANNA KWASNIK Arts + Entertainment Writers

What You Need:

Trying to be “fashion forward” isn’t the easiest thing to do on a college student’s budget. It’s hard to walk through a mall, flip through a magazine or even watch TV without seeing something we want. Now, with spring break only a couple weeks away, the ache of our empty pockets only hurts that much more. However, students can actually recreate the same expensive fashions at less than half the cost. With some easy step-by-step directions, household items and inexpensive tools, it’s easy to take inspiration and turn it into a piece of wearable art. To put our theory to the test, we searched Pinterest and found amazing how-tos and decided to try our hand at making Galaxy shirts. These are going for prices of up to $50 on Etsy and are perfect for any sci-fi nerds looking for something awesome to wear that they can make themselves. It’s important to note that this same method we used on T-shirts and tank tops can also be used on jackets, dresses, leggings and jeans. They look pretty fantastic.

Cost: Shirt: $5-$8 Paint: $.74 Paint Pallet: $.99 Paint Brushes: $2 Bleach: $2 Spray Bottle: $1 Newspaper: Free Sponges: $3

Bleach

Total Cost: $15 Total Time: 2 hours preparing and treating shirt (1.5 hours painting) STEP ONE:

Set down a protective layer like newspaper or plastic wrap onto a flat surface. We did this on the floor of a dorm room.

Spray Bottles

STEP TWO:

Take the spray bottle and fill it up halfway with water and halfway with bleach.

STEP THREE:

Dark Shirt or Tank

Spray the shirt. When spraying, try and create both concentrated areas and lightly sprinkled areas. After you’ve sprayed a few times, wait a couple minutes for the bleach spots to start showing so you know where to spray next. Just keep in mind that you don’t want to bleach the entire shirt. Less is more when you get to adding the paint.

STEP FOUR:

Let the shirt dry for about an hour.

STEP FIVE:

Rinse the shirt in cold water.

STEP SIX:

Let the shirt dry again. Hang dry, or if the tag instructs, toss in the dryer.

Fabric or Acrylic Paint

Sponges and Brushes • Water • Bowls/Pallets Photos Top to Bottom: Mr_Mo_74/Photobucket, Dale_Asher/Photobucket, marlonc_photo/ Photobucket, eastcoastdirect/Photobucket, Kaela Bernardino/The Minaret

STEP SEVEN:

Start with purple paint (mix red and blue if you don’t have purple already).

All the paint should be watered down.

It’s hard to say when it’s the right consistency because different levels will have different effects. We added a teaspoon of water at a time until we thought it looked right and adhered to the shirt the way we wanted it to. Take a sponge and get some paint on it.

Then dab the paint along the edges of the bleach spots. Painting these shirts isn’t a precise art. We focused on the large bleach spots first. Then, when the paint became low and watery, we would dab around the rest of the shirt, often slightly darkening sprinkled bleach spots. This effect creates a ghostly quality that really adds to the “galaxy” effect. Leave any leftover paint in the pallet. You’ll be going back and forth between colors.

STEP EIGHT:

Move on to the blue, but sponge

Kaela Bernardino/The Minaret

along the edges of the purple paint.

Overlapping is fine. You don’t want it to look so literal like rings of a tree trunk. Galaxies have a very wispy, ghostly quality.

STEP NINE:

Use a warm color like red or pink around the inside edges of the bleach spots if they came out a warm hue. It they came out grey, start by using very watered down white paint around the middle and work your way to the edge.

Then introduce pink, orange, yellow or red. After whichever method you start with, blend the inner colors out into the purple and blue. With any leftover warm colors, mimic the same ghostly quality by, for example, dabbing your sponge in with a watered down orange color and then in the blue or purple.

STEP TEN:

Blend the paints gently together with either a wide-thin-fanned paintbrush or with a toothbrush. We also used wet sponges with leftover paint on them to create layers of colors and then we did the same thing again after adding stars. This creates depth.

A piece of damp paper towel works as well.

STEP ELEVEN:

Now, onto the stars. The directions we used said to use a pencil to create little white stars, but our first attempt proved that being too careful didn’t really work. So, with a tooth brush or

paint brush, we gently dabbed them in white paint and flung little speckles at our shirts. That creates really authentic looking star clusters. I also dabbed a bit in white and again in teal, then flung paint. Like in the last step, you can take watered down sponges with leftover paint on them and dab over the white speckles to add depth.

STEP TWELVE:

If you’re looking at your shirt and you’re thinking that the shirt needs some more color here or there, maybe a ring like Saturn around one of your paint quasars or other final touches, just add them. If you look at one spot and think it’d look better as a shooting star, then make it so. It can be whatever you want your galaxy to look like.

STEP THIRTEEN:

Let it dry for about an hour. There will more than likely be some bleach spots that soaked through to the back of the shirt. If you feel so inclined, you can repeat the above steps and paint the back after the front has dried.

STEP FOURTEEN:

Wear it! When washing the shirt, do so inside out just like you would any other graphic T-shirt.

Kaela Bernardino can be reached at kaela.bernardino@spartans.ut.edu Brianna Kwasnik can be reached at brianna.kwasnik@spartans.ut.edu

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

THE MINARET | FEBRUARY 27 2014

9

The Hotelier Release Essential Punk Record

By JORDAN WALSH

Asst. Arts + Entertainment Editor

Occasionally, I fall in love with an album because of the way it resonates with the music I grew up listening to. Maybe it reminds me of when I was younger and knew not a single thing about what I wanted to someday become and how punk music had a fundamental impact on my changing perspective and maturation.

But it’s been forever since I’ve heard a record that reminds me that I’m still growing up. The Massachusetts punk band The Hotelier, formerly known as The Hotel Year, has created that kind of record.

Home, Like Noplace Is There is a heavy, heartbreaking masterwork. It’s everything emotional punk bands should strive to create in this day and age. From the album’s opening cut, the tense, slow-build “An Introduction To The Album,” The Hotelier’s near-romantic retelling of tragedy and loss in the face of an uncertain future just becomes more and more pronounced and affective; so much so that the final acoustic outro of “Dendron” is a plea for the listener to dive back in and further examine and extract meaning from Home’s nine tracks.

As much as this first track lays down the groundwork for an amazing punk album, it serves mostly as a promise from The Hotelier to the listener. “An Introduction To The Album” pulls back the curtains on the damaged and imperfect set upon which the album takes place and acquaints its audience with its likewise flawed and struggling characters. By the track’s end, these characters are already unraveling, and their true problems and difficulties in their world are revealed and lamented by Christian Holden’s imperfect, yet expressive voice: “And the pills that you gave didn’t do anything/I just slept for years on end.” The track foreshadows the album’s scope as a whole, building from a quieter piano line into a larger pop-punk ballad before finally exploding into a pummeling punk downpour.

Home, Like Noplace Is There keeps and exceeds the promise made by its opening track

and The Hotelier consistently one-ups itself with each passing number. “The Scope of All of This Rebuilding” is a more straightforward poppunk song, catchy and engaging enough to perk the ears of any listener not yet enthralled. This second track deals with the often-romanticized right of passage—leaving home. These characters grapple with the task of making their own worthwhile lives outside of their former homes and appear to be just minutes away from throwing in the towel already: “You cut our ropes/Left the umbilical/And now I carry around/This weight of broken hope.”

Further down the line, “Your Deep Rest” reveals itself to be the most up-front of the album’s nine tracks, as the narrator deals with the suicide of a close friend. The song appears to be upbeat at its outset, but this musical tone is counterbalanced by the clear subject of focus: “I called in sick from your funeral/The sight of your body made me feel uncomfortable.” This song highlights one of the more important aspects of Home, Like Noplace Is There. The album, if it’s listened to carefully, is unsettling to sit through.

It creates an intense and near-involuntary emotional response. At two or three points during “Your Deep Rest” alone, as the music gets a little quieter and Holden’s voice a little bit clearer, the reality of these stories becomes overwhelming.

This is what sets The Hotelier apart from other bands of its kind, this sense of rawness in nearly every aspect of its work. More than that, though, Home is important because it addresses topics often avoided or glossed over in today’s musical scene. The chaotic, heavy “Life In Drag” pays direct attention to issues of gender identity and how our society harmfully deals with it; “Among The Wildflowers” tells a story of mental disease and self-image in the context of family history; “Housebroken” questions true freedom. These are weighty topics presented in an extremely personal light, and they are often grounded by hints of easily relatable generalities and details: “I searched for a way out/Don’t we all?”

All of these vignettes are unified in the finality

Photo Courtesy of Bandcamp

Massachusetts punk band The Hotelier have created a cathartic and important masterpiece in Home.

of “Dendron,” which rises and falls in waves of brash and enveloping rock arrangements, just as Holden’s vocal performance admits varying levels of emphasis, lending special poignancy to a line as simple as “man, I’m sorry every day.” Home, Like Noplace Is There ends in an apologetic and shivering reflection of friends lost, homes broken and societies fundamentally damaging—at last delivering the final, and possibly most emotional and cathartic lines, of The Hotelier’s grand performance: “Engraved in the stone/By request and recurse of friends dead is/’Tell me again that it’s all in my head.’”

Home, Like Noplace Is There, if the world is a just place, will make waves. This is the kind of album that makes young music-lovers pick

up a guitar or a microphone, the kind of album that turns a casual listener into a lifelong fan.

Home reflects the lowest, most hopeless points in the lives of young adults—but it leaves the possibility of change and growth wide open. The Hotelier have set the bar for 2014, not only for punk music or music in general, but for everyone on a personal level. And I think that’s the highest compliment a record can get from me.

Jordan Walsh can be reached at jordan. walsh@theminaretonline.com

5 out of 5 stars

College-Friendly Dining at Doormét

By MADISON IRWIN

Arts + Entertainment Writer

If you’re sick of the food on campus, are a picky eater but look for quality or you’re just too lazy to leave your Netflix and bed, then Doormét is the perfect option for you. Doormét takes food delivery to a whole new level. This place allows you to enjoy a high-quality meal without the hassle of leaving your dorm or house. Doormét really blew me away with its delectable food, and I guarantee that it will do the same to anyone else who tries it.

Doormét, located on 1155 S. Dale Mabry Highway, offers a wide variety of food options, from American to Italian fare.They flaunt their unique concept, which is gourmet food available in a variety of ways such as delivery, takeout or dine-in. The Koch brothers, Hans and Jake, are the owners, operators and proud Tampa natives.

At their respective colleges (Hans went to Duke University and Jake went to Vanderbilt), neither of them were impressed with the student dining options, so they both became huge fans of takeout and delivery dinner services.

“After college, as young adults and still without the time to cook for ourselves, we determined that the combination of high quality food coupled with the convenience of delivery did not yet exist,” they both said. “In searching for this, we knew that we were not alone, and thus Doormét was born. Doormét is a combination of the words ‘gourmet’ and ‘door,’ as in ‘gourmet to your door.’”

However, it’s also a gourmet café that offers dine-in service. Doormét has been voted the “Best in the Biz” from the Tampa Bay Business Journal, along with awards for best gourmet pizza. Although the menu isn’t extensive, it

Madison Irwin/ The Minaret

Doormét’s 10-inch Quattro pizza ($10.95) and premium wings ($7.95) make for a perfect study-break meal.

has something for everyone. The menu offers gourmet soups, salads, sandwiches, pastas and hand-tossed pizzas. Besides the pastas being on the pricier side ($15), prices are pretty decent, with meals ranging from $7 to $11. They offer new specials every month as well. Doormét is also vegetarian and food allergy friendly, serving a wide selection of vegetarian items, such as their variety of vegetarian pizzas, and even glutenfree pizza crust. But for those without dietary restrictions, their most popular dishes include the signature Doormét burger, Chicken Giacomo and a non-traditional take on the Caprese salad.

Upon arriving at Doormét and taking a look at the café, I noticed the classiness of its exterior.

The colors were very neutral, consisting of browns and blacks, giving it a suave look. Once I stepped inside, I was pleasantly surprised to find it to be casual yet pristine. The vibe was nothing like I would expect, due to Doormét being known mainly for its delivery. The place gives off a casual feel without looking cheap. It was pretty happening for a Wednesday night, which is certainly a good sign.

The staff was super friendly and helped me with choosing what to order. I decided with the 10-inch Quattro pizza for $10.95 and the premium wings for $7.95. The pizza had four different types of cheese on it (mozzarella, parmesan, goat cheese and gorgonzola) as

well as spinach, tomatoes, pesto and balsamic drizzle. The crust was thin and perfectly crisp, and the four cheeses blended together made for a unique but delicious flavor (especially with the gorgonzola). The veggies tasted fresh and the hint of balsamic really tied the pizza together nicely.

The premium wings were just as delightful.

They’re slathered in Doormét’s house-made apricot sriracha sauce and come with a creamy gorgonzola dressing for dipping.

The wings have a subtle sweetness from the apricot and a mild spiciness from the sriracha which balances out really well. They were filled with a lot of meat, which is always a plus in my book. The gorgonzola dressing was a nice change from ranch and bleu cheese. It tasted similar to bleu cheese, but it wasn’t as pungent.

Overall, the meal was definitely enjoyable and I would like to try Doormét’s delivery service one of these days. I recommend that you cancel your Domino’s order next time you get delivery and try Doormét, which will be celebrating its fifth anniversary in April.

“Typically when people think of delivery, it’s always one dimensional with respect to the style of cuisine,” said both of the Koch brothers in agreement. “But with us, the pizza people can have pizza, the salad people can have salad, the burger guy gets his burger and so on. With Doormét, everybody gets what they want, so everybody’s happy!”

Madison Irwin can be reached at madison. irwin@spartans.ut.edu

4 out of 5 stars

10 FEBRUARY 27 2014 | THE MINARET

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

Ticket Inflation Proves Problematic for Fans

By SONNY BILLOTTE

Arts + Entertainment Writer

These days, standing in line at the box office to purchase concert tickets is almost unheard of. When you find out your favorite artist is coming to an arena near you, your immediate reaction is most likely to get online and search for the best deal on tickets.

However, if it’s been more than maybe two hours since the tickets were made available for purchase online, “the best deal” is probably going to be at least double the face value, depending on the artist’s popularity. A huge percentage of concert tickets are bought by scalpers within the first couple of hours and then resold for up to 10 times the original amount.

Not only are ticket scalping companies themselves purchasing these tickets for resale, but many of them are using computer programs or “bots” that request up to 200,000 tickets a day.

They have been used to buy up to 60 percent of the total tickets available for high-demand shows, according to The New York Times.

Zach Brehne, a senior entrepreneurship major, ran into issues buying tickets to a Dave Matthews Band concert this summer due to the short amount of time it took for scalpers to get a hold of them.

“I went online a few hours after the tickets were released, and pretty much all the face value tickets were gone and people were selling them for way more than the original price,” Brehne said. “I ended up getting a lawn ticket which is the furthest away from the stage and

joditbobo/Flickr

A Hawaii resolution aims to provide a solution to the problem of rampant online ticket scalping and inflation.

doesn’t even provide seating, yet I still had to pay over $100. It’s ridiculous how much they can jack up the prices and get away with it.”

In an attempt to stop scalpers from purchasing so many tickets and selling them at such high prices, some artists and original ticket selling companies are using what is called a restrictive paperless ticket. This kind of ticket can only be used by the person who purchased it. The only way to get it is to go to the venue, show the credit card used to buy the ticket and a photo ID to confirm your identity. Once purchased, these tickets cannot be sold or given to anyone else. While the process may be inconvenient for people who had

tickets given to them or paid for by someone else, it guarantees that fans are getting tickets at face value.

“I bought a paperless ticket when I went to a Rihanna concert last year,” said Fedra Cortines, a senior marketing major. “I can see how it would be annoying if the person who purchased the ticket wasn’t the person attending the concert because they are required to be present, but in my case it worked out fine and my ticket was much cheaper than people I knew who didn’t get the paperless one. I think the amount of money you can save outweighs the inconvenience.”

In Honolulu, Hawaii, local fans in Bruno Mars’ home state lined up at

the box office to purchase tickets for his Moonshine Jungle tour. However, because the tickets sold out online in just two hours, only 6 percent of those fans were able to get tickets. Not only did so few people actually get tickets, but scalpers are now reselling them online for $446 (over four times the box office price).

In response, Hawaiian Senate President Donna Mercado Kim has introduced The Bruno Mars Act. This resolution proposes that the first 48 hours of ticket sales be during that time, according to an article from Forbes.com.

“I think if the Bruno Mars Act were to be passed, saying that only the box office can sell the tickets for the first 48 hours could definitely help curve the price of tickets, making it much more affordable since they would be selling them at nearly the same price,” said Tadhg Kavanagh, a senior criminology major. “It would be much fairer to the consumers than having to buy them for so much more than they’re worth.”

But is the idea of The Bruno Mars Act a realistic one? Will enough people be willing to physically go to the box offices to buy their tickets, or will the convenience of online purchasing prevail? It’s too soon to say whether or not this act is to be taken seriously enough to produce change restricted to box office purchases only, meaning no tickets would be available online Sonny Billotte can be reached at sonny.billotte@spartans.ut.edu

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THE MINARET | FEBRUARY 27 2014

Opinion

11

UPenn Suicide Sheds Light on Mental Illnesses in Colleges

By VANESSA RIGHEIMER Opinion Columnist

A college education goes beyond earning a diploma. The life lessons you gain from the people you meet and relationships you form ultimately surpasses what you might learn in the classroom. These valuable experiences are what makes going away to college so attractive to students ready to break away from home. However, recent events have started to shed light on a darker and more sinister part of college: the issue of mental illness amongst college students.

At the end of January, the Associated Press reported the suicide of a University of Pennsylvania student who was a member of the track team.

While over 1,000 students commit suicide on college campuses each year, according to the American College Health Association, this particular story gained national headlines, most likely because the victim was a successful student athlete and not someone anyone ever expected to end their life. Madison Holleran could have been the poster child for a perfect college student. She was active on campus, excelling in both the classroom and varsity athletics.

Holleran finished her first semester with a 3.5 GPA and came into UPenn running the fastest 800 meter time in New Jersey, according to the Daily Beast.

With such a bright future ahead, we are left to shake our heads and ask why she chose to end her life. It’s puzzling to see an individual with so much going for them to fall victim to the perils of their own depression. But Holleran was not alone in successful student athletes suffering from depression. Nine months ago, Paige Aiello, a tennis player and a student from the College of New Jersey who had been weeks shy from graduation, decided to take her own life, according to Philly.com. The New York Times reported in 2005 the tragedy of Owen Thomas, a member of the UPenn

football team who hung himself weeks after being named team captain. With students who seem to appear fine on the outside, the question is raised whether the pressures of performing well in athletics and/or academics correlates with these tragic events. And, if so, perhaps more therapists should be at hand on campuses in addition to the readily available physical trainers or student advisers.

Holleran’s story hit close to home

[

if my arm hurts, I’m going to get ice.

But if I feel like I’m under-performing or feeling down about myself, I’ll just continue to blame myself because I don’t think society views mental illness as an actual illness, and we see it as something that you can snap out of.”

Hickey also spoke on the stigma often placed on mental illness, commenting, “It’s not something you’d want to amplify, because who’s going

]

Although many schools do offer counseling, it seems that they are simply failing in the treatment of depression and other mental illnesses amongst students.

for me as a college track athlete myself. News reports will tell you she left a note and gifts to her family, but they cannot tell you why she did it.

Her father did disclose that she was unhappy due to the stress and pressure that comes with balancing academics and athletics and that she wanted to transfer, according to The New York Times.

As student athletes, we are given scholarships, team gear and the chance to travel to compete. We usually have a staff of individuals that care for us from head coaches to physical therapists to strength and conditioning coaches. All of this is at our disposal to increase our performance and keep us physically healthy. But while there are ice baths to relax sore muscles and bandages to wrap sprained ankles, the aid given to athletes starts to drop off at mental health. If Madison had a trained professional to talk to about the issues she was facing, maybe her life could have been saved.

Bridget Hickey, a junior majoring in marine science-biology and member of the varsity crew team, gave her thoughts on the matter: “After practice,

to want a mentally unstable athlete on the court? Or in your boat? There’s this pressure to always be able to balance both classes and practices, but if you’re feeling down, you don’t really want to show that.”

The same goes for students who are not involved in athletics. The pressures of attending high performance institutions has proven to be an issue with the high number of suicides that take place on college campuses. For example, in 2012, Cornell University had to install nets over several bridges due to having three students jump to their deaths that academic year, according to The New York Times.

Although many schools do offer counseling (UT offers counseling at the Dickey Health and Wellness Center), it seems that a lot of schools are simply failing in the treatment of depression and other mental illnesses amongst their students. NewsWeek published the testimony of a Princeton student who was kicked out of student housing after a suicide attempt. The university claimed he had missed too many classes during his time at the hospital. The student believed this was prejudice because had

he contracted a viral disease or broken a leg, there would have been more leniency. It’s appalling to hear that even one of the top universities in our nation hasn’t a clue on how to address and care for students with mental illnesses.

The Jed Foundation is looking to change this problem and provide more mental health programs for universities, according to University Herald. The Jed Foundation was formed 12 years ago by Donna and Phil Satow after they lost their son to suicide. Jed is focused on providing universities with programs that are aimed to prevent suicide among their students. Some universities are starting to join or use similar programs.

Drexel University President John A. Fry created a task force last year after two student suicides, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. He spoke with the Inquirer on the tragedy of Madison Holleran and said, “This whole issue is a tragedy on our campus and on many campuses. I wanted to make sure we were doing everything that we could.”

College comes with many pressures and feelings of isolation when a student is away from home. For the most part, it is normal, but at times it could lead to something more serious.

Depression is not just a phase that can easily go away and students should take advantage of counselors on campus like those at our own health center.

The first step in treating students is to talk about suicide and depression and make the issue known on campus.

If it’s swept under the rug, then a stigma is placed on it, which may make it impossible or uncomfortable for students to talk about it with their peers or seek help from mental health professionals. If you’re feeling depressed or suicidal, don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Vanessa Righeimer can be reached at vanessa.righeimer@spartans.ut.edu

Graphic by Wendy French/The Minaret

12 FEBRUARY 27 2014 | THE MINARET

OPINION

Woman Buys All of PacSun Store’s ‘Pornographic’ Shirts

By JAKE KONISZEWSKI Opinion Columnist

I like porn. I’m just a fan and definitely not an expert, but I know it when I see it. For example, there are a plethora of videos on the Internet that perfectly fit my ideology of pornography, but everyone has a different definition of what they think is pornographic.

On Feb. 15, Judy Cox of Orem, Utah was shopping at University Mall with her teenaged son when she saw some PacSun T-shirts on display. Several of them depicted scantilyclad women, which offended Cox. Unable to bear having the “pornographic” shirts on display, Cox bought all of the shirts she deemed inappropriate, including those in the front window.

She bought 19 shirts for a total of $567 but plans to return them at the end of PacSun’s 60-day return policy, according to Heraldextra. com.

After I heard about the story, I went to PacSun’s website to see what kind of “pornographic” shirts it had for sale. Heraldextra. com reported the shirts were from the store’s “Visual” line. Most of the shirts in that line contain photos of women in underwear.

According to ABC News, mall manager Rob Kallas said, “This is a store that caters to junior high and high school age kids. Some of the poses were provocative and were inappropriate for a store catering to young people.” However, PacSun has every right to sell those shirts, and with these sexy shirts, it’s pretty clear they aren’t catering to children.

One of the issues here is the definition of pornography. Cox seems to think that a woman wearing underwear and posing in a certain way suggests pornography. While some people may find these images sexually stimulating, it did not meet my personal definition of pornography.

When I think of pornography, I imagine

one or more sets of genitalia on display being stimulated in a fashion designed to induce orgasm. Nothing like that was present on any of the shirts. This is why it is so difficult to decide if the shirts are inappropriate: one person’s pornography is another person’s average visual.

There is also the issue of context. Most of the pictures had as much nudity as you would find at a swimming pool or beach.

Cox’s definition of inappropriateness seems to include a certain amount of nudity and how someone is posed.

According to Yahoo News, Cox said, “The bottom of one woman is completely uncovered and it’s a very provocative pose that she’s in.” There were a couple of shirts that fit her description, though the poses were not very explicit.

Some of the poses were not even provocative, one depicting a model playfully holding up a camera and another depicting a model standing against a wall, playing with her hair absentmindedly. Again, it comes down to personal opinion on what may not be appropriate to be displayed in public.

According to Yahoo News, Cox did not take offense to the depictions of scantily clad women in Victoria’s Secret at the mall and said, “It’s a lingerie store (sic) you’re not going in and purchasing a shirt with a pornographic image on the shirt. People are buying lingerie.”

While that may be true, I could not help but think Cox came off a bit hypocritical. While Victoria’s Secret isn’t selling shirts with halfnaked women on them, the ads for the store still display the same types of images Cox is against.

I assume her argument is more about young kids coming into possession of such “pornography.” Her efforts are most likely in vain, as our media is centered around provocative images.

Cox then contacted Women for Decency and One Million Moms, organizations which aim to stop the spreading of material they deem inappropriate, according to Heraldextra.com.

Instead of doing that, I wish she and other anti-pornography parents could simply sit down with their children and talk with them about how to deal with such “inappropriate material” instead of trying to shield them from anything that they deem indecent.

Keeping children completely in the dark

from any pornography would do more harm than good to the cause of these parents, because eventually, children will become curious and may start to look for themselves.

The bottom line is that no one has the same definition of pornography. Maybe PacSun can sell the shirts in the back of the store, near the counter or even online if it has to, but it has every right to sell these shirts.

Jake Koniszewski can be reached at john. koniszewski@spartans.ut.edu

Van Styles/Facebook

Some of the images that offended Cox included partial nudity, as shown above, with a woman’s exposed bottom.

Denmark Bans Inhumane Kosher and Halal Slaughter Practices

By AVERY TWIBLE Opinion Columnist

Denmark made a potentially monumental change in how it treats animals this week when they passed a new law banning all kosher and halal animal slaughter practices.

The law was announced last week and took effect on Feb. 17, which immediately stirred up some opposition from religious groups, according to The Guardian.

“Animal welfare takes precedence over religion,” said Danish Agriculture and Food Minister Dan Jørgensen, agreeing with me that times have changed and selfish slaughter practices should too.

Traditional kosher slaughter, or shechita, is done by a person called a shochet who has received a special education in slaughtering practice. They kill the animal with a quick, deep slitting of the throat with a sharp knife. Ideally, the animal becomes unconscious so as to avoid unnecessary suffering, according to PETA. The Independent reported that Jewish leaders called the new law anti-Semitic.

The non-profit group Danish Halal has called it “a clear interference in religious freedom” and has started a petition against the ban. All of this religious uproar is happening despite the fact that a true shechita hasn’t occurred in Denmark in at least a decade, reported The Jewish Daily Forward, and that “the Danish Jewish community, which numbers about 6,000, imports its kosher meat.”

Slaughterhouses usually stun animals with a bolt gun before killing them, reported The Huffington Post, but to be considered kosher under Jewish law, or halal under Islamic law, the animal must be conscious when they are killed. The process is supposed to occur with a sharp knife, rendering the animal unconscious quickly, which is important to aid in the

complete draining of blood from the body, a necessary requirement of kosher foods.

According to The Huffington Post, the petition by the Danish Halal said, “[Halal slaughter] is a procedure that is done under the guise of animal welfare, despite the fact that many scientific studies show that the animal suffers less [via a] properly performed slaughter than when it gets a blow to the head with a nail gun.”

The Jewish Daily Forward reported that in 1998, Danish Jews agreed to accept meat labeled kosher that was from animals killed by a non-invasive bolt gun to the head in order to render them unconscious before being slaughtered.

This is technically not in accordance with traditional kosher slaughter because the animal is not conscious when they die but was accepted because the brain was not penetrated by the bolt gun, allowing all bodily organs to remain pure. This new slaughter law prevents something that keralapilgrimcenters/Flickr Danish Jews have agreed willingly not to To be considered kosher or halal under Jewish or Islamic law, the animal must be conscious when they do anyway, but of course, that does not are killed. stop people from causing an uproar and accusing Denmark of anti-Semitism. on factory farms, animals are crammed by and store animals in facilities that see them Animals should not be ours to abuse the thousands into filthy and windowless as literal “pieces of meat,” as opposed to at will. I don’t know at what point in sheds, wire cages, crates and other conscious beings deserving of a life other history it became a characteristic of human confinement systems. The only diet that than misery and to become our dinner, is nature to be completely accepting of the is open to all religions and truly respects another matter. I agree with what PETA “beating, boiling, and dismembering [of] animal rights is a vegan one.” said to The Huffington Post in that “no animals alive that is common-place in Everything is relative. Everything can religion needs to slaughter animals for food today’s slaughter houses,” according to be seen from different perspectives and can and banning certain slaughter methods in animal-rights-action.com, but it needs be justified or unjustified based upon beliefs which cows and other animals have their to stop. Passing this law is a step in the and opinions. But the fact that we breed, throats slit while still sensate is a step in right direction, but every country needs to raise and torture animals for the entirety the right direction.” Denmark is setting a make changes to at least treat the animals of their short life spans just to slaughter good example for other countries in facing they are responsible for kindly, if not just them later, no matter how “humanely” or the reality that animals are not ours to decently. “inhumanely,” is incomprehensible to me. condemn to miserable lives and torturous PETA commented to The Huffington Hunting something in nature, killing it deaths just for the sake of a meal.

Post about the law and said, “The rest of with your bare hands and using it to feed Avery Twible can be reached at avery. the world shouldn’t feel superior, though: your family is one thing; to mass breed twible@spartans.ut.edu

THE MINARET | FEBRUARY 27 2014

OPINION

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14 FEBRUARY 27 2014 | THE MINARET

By HANNAH WEBSTER

OPINION

What Does Your Major Say About Your Sex Life?

bit of an opposite trend. Apparently they never go to class.

The study also reported one science student’s answer to be “whenever the lab is unoccupied.” I would like to give that person a high five.

Beyond the numbers, the question I have is this: Do these trends really have anything to do with the majors? With surveys like this, it’s hard to be sure, and all we really can do is speculate. But thinking about the people I know in my major (those whose sexual activity I know something about, anyway), there is a high amount of variability.

Looking at some of the trends, I could suggest reasoning behind them. The theology majors, yes, probably a little predictable due to chastity and related ideologies, but many of the others seem haphazard with no real reason that immediately comes to mind.

As a science major, the amount of free time I have for extracurricular activities (wink) can definitely take a hit when the semester really kicks into gear. At its worst, I find myself in a shocking state where sleep seems to be the most

appealing way to spend time in a bed.

Senior and musical theatre major Matthew Duhamel agreed.

“I think it depends on the workload for your major,” Duhamel said. “If you’re, like, a nursing major then you have less of a social life. But other majors with less work let you go out more and increase your chances of getting laid.”

Thinking about my friends in majors that are thought to be more demanding, I can’t deny that this trend seems to be apparent. They work more, go out less and generally seem less likely to fall into the hook-up culture that our generation is known for. And then I look at my friends in something like the art department who seem to constantly be getting action and consider the idea of an “artist’s temperament.”

Of course this isn’t true for every single person; the same behaviors can be seen on both sides.

But without really realizing it, these sexual stereotypes by major have been in my mind for a while.

“I believe that more physical people who participate in some athletic activity would be

more open to a sex life that was more frequent,” said Ashley Caraway, a junior dance major. “So it’s a possibility that those with a major such as dance, sports therapy, etc. would be more comfortable with a frequent sex life.”

Another thing to think about is the people who are usually involved in each department.

After all, those are the ones that you’ll be spending the most time with, whether you like it or not. At UT, this is especially true due to our small class sizes.

By the time you start your upper level courses, you know pretty much everyone who will be there before you even step foot in the room. Some majors tend to have more males than females and vice-versa, and that would likely have an effect on your chances of meeting someone.

“In some majors, not only is there more time to socialize, there’s also more of an emphasis not only on one’s socializing skills but also on their image,” said Nolan Padilla, a senior biology major. “In some majors there just simply isn’t time for frivolous activity.”

After reading the statistics about engineering majors, I called a friend from home who graduated with that degree to tell him what I found. He was entirely unsurprised and said, “It’s hard to go fishing when there isn’t any water,” referring to the lack of females in his program.

Perhaps there is something to this. It will probably never be answered with true accuracy, but one thing that I would like to comment on is that none of these studies involve an evaluation of quality. So, which major is having the best sex? Quality over quantity, I always say. I’ll keep my eyes out for that survey.

Hannah Webster can be reached at hannah. webster@spartans.ut.edu

the archaeologists into the Pyramid, according to the Egyptian news site Ahram Online.

Only authorized archaeologists and Egyptologists are legally allowed into such compartments. Goerlitz and Erdmann are not even archaeologists; rather, they describe themselves as “hobbyists” and were not supposed to be allowed into the pyramids. Not only have Goerlitz and Erdmann stolen artifacts and historic items, but they even flaunted their disgraceful acts by posting photographs and videos of them vandalizing the archaeological sites, according to Fox News.

What makes matters worse is that the motive behind their trip was to prove their ridiculous conspiracy theory. Goerlitz and Erdmann think that king Khufu’s cartouche that identifies him as the creator of the Great Pyramid of Giza is fake and that the cartouche was only made for king Khufu to take credit for the pyramids that were already built thousands

of years before by the people of the legendary city of Atlantis. Consequently, they were trying to test the pigments on the cartouche to prove that the cartouche is not as old as the pyramids themselves, according to Fox News.

Honestly, I can’t decide which is more ridiculous: Goerlitz and Erdmann’s theory or the theory that the pyramids were built by aliens (proposed by ancient alien theorists). There are countless fallacies in Goerlitz and Erdmann’s theory, the most important one is that the city of Atlantis never existed. Atlantis was first discussed by Plato in dialogues in fictional stories and fables, according to Fox News. Few, if any, scientists think Atlantis actually existed, according to National Geographic.

In his book Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology, Ken Feder, an archaeologist and professor of anthropology at Central Connecticut State University, proved that the ancient Egyptians did build the pyramids. He also mentioned that the pyramids include incised dates and phrases such as, “We did this with pride in the name of our great King Khnum-Khuf” (another name for king Khufu), proving that the Great Pyramid does belong to King Khufu.

As an Egyptian, reading about Goerlitz and Erdmann’s vandalism infuriated me not only because their theory is absolutely ridiculous but because they had no right to use these historic items or even enter the pyramids. Regardless of how ludicrous their theory is, nothing is wrong with trying to test it or prove it.

However, vandalizing and stealing such historic artifacts from the oldest and only wonder that is still standing among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World is not the way to do it. What infuriated me more was the fact that Egyptian people allowed Goerlitz and Erdmann to enter the pyramids and vandalize them. As long as we, Egyptians, don’t respect

our own history and legacy, no one else will respect them.

Nagham Kheder, a freshman government and world affairs major who is also Egyptian, said, “I think the Egyptians that aided the archaeologists should be punished severely for betraying their responsibilities to protect the artifacts. The archaeologists also had no right to access restricted artifacts. This should be portrayed as a warning to other archaeologists and Egyptologist to respect the artifacts that are kept within Egypt.”

This is not even the first time an incident like this has occurred. Tour-agency owners, including one of the men recently arrested in connection with this case, are often willing to bend or break the rules if it means satisfying foreigners, according to Fox News.

For example, according to CNN, in March 2013, Russian photographer Vadim Makhorov and a group of his friends decided to climb the great pyramid of Giza despite the rules and regulations prohibiting it. They took photos from the top of the pyramid. However, they later apologized for their actions: “We didn’t want to insult anyone. We were just following the dream,” said Vadim Makhorov in an email to CNN. Such actions show nothing but disrespect to the ancient Egyptian civilization, and they must come to an end. More rules should be enforced to ensure that similar incidents do not occur again. For example, such artifacts should have security systems like those of museums such as burglar alarms and laser security systems.

Moreover, we need to finally rest our case that no matter how many different conspiracy theories people come up with, the ancient Egyptians are the real and only creators of the pyramids of Giza.

Rawan Elzayat can be reached at rawan. elzayat@spartans.ut.edu

Opinion Columnist

Spending the last few years in the biology department has clued me into an abundance of stereotypes involved with my major: super nerdy, always smells like formaldehyde, lives in the library, etc. What I was not expecting is that my major supposedly reveals information about my sex life.

A British website called StudentBeans.com conducted a survey amongst college students asking them to report how many people they had slept with since starting school and what their majors were. Economics came in first place for most sex with an average of 4.88 partners, followed by social work and counseling majors with 4.7. The poor environmental science majors came in dead last (right behind the theology majors) with an average of 1.71.

A University of California Berkeley study took this a step further and asked its students how often they have sex, with categories ranging from “I have never had sex” to “three or four times a week” to “Every day. Without fail.” I’m afraid I’ll have to be skeptical of anyone who answered with the latter.

Even the designers of the Berkeley study admit it’s likely that some students were dishonest with their answers, according to The Daily Clog, but the results are intriguing nonetheless.

I also have a feeling that the surveyors weren’t expecting to have it picked up by Nature, so marginal errors were likely no big deal.

In this study, engineering students were found to have the highest number of “I have never had sex” responses, with a little over half of the students surveyed responding this way.

Science students weren’t far behind with a little less than half answering the same thing. Those interdisciplinary studies students, however––a

studentbeans.com/Facebook

Pyramids of Giza Vandalized by Amateur ‘Archaeologists’

By RAWAN ELZAYAT Opinion Writer

Once again, we are faced with the dilemma of who the real creators of the pyramids of Giza are. Recently, doubts have been raised, questioning whether the ancient Egyptians built the pyramids.

Two German amateur archaeologists, Dominique Goerlitz and Stefan Erdmann, vandalized the Great Pyramid of Giza and stole several items in April 2013. The items include samples of King Khufu’s cartouche (identifying inscription) from a small compartment above his burial chamber in the Great Pyramid of Giza.

Goerlitz and Erdmann stole these items in an attempt to prove their theory that the pyramids were built by people from the legendary city of Atlantis rather than by the ancient Egyptians.

Egypt’s ministry of antiquities imposed penalties on Goerlitz and Erdmann as well as six Egyptians, including guards and inspectors from the Egyptian Antiquities Ministry for allowing

the pyramids of Egypt/Facebook

Goerlitz and Erdmann believe the Great Pyramid was built by people from the legendary city of Atlantis.

THE MINARET | FEBRUARY 27 2014

OPINION

15

Worst Olympics Ever? Sochi Falls Short

By CAITLIN MALONE Opinion Writer

Before I came to the University of Tampa, I was not only a student but an athlete, specifically competing in cheerleading and softball. My favorite part about being out on the field for a game or on the mat for a competition was not even playing the game or performing but looking out in the stands and seeing my family there cheering me on. Now I’m no Olympic athlete, but I wouldn’t think twice about competing in the Olympics without my family by my side.

A number of athletes in the 2014 Sochi Olympics felt it best to tell their families to stay away due to the unsatisfying conditions and questionable security in Sochi, Russia, according to Fox News. Out of all those once-in-a-lifetime moments you could possibly have, watching your child compete in the Olympics has got to be up there. Because Sochi was unprepared, these families missed out.

An overwhelming amount of criticism flooded social media concerning conditions in Sochi, such as mismanagement, unfinished hotel rooms for athletes and guests, contaminated water, discrimination against LGBT athletes, the weather and the threat of terrorism, according to TIME. Robert Tuchman, president of the New York-based Goviva travel firm, was quoted in Businessweek saying, “This is definitely, from a travel perspective, a low point in terms of the Winter Olympics that I’ve seen in the 20-plus years I’ve been doing it.”

That is not a good sign considering Sochi is not a hotspot for tourists, according to Businessweek. Hosting the Olympics was a great opportunity for Russia to show people what is great about Sochi and why they should choose to travel there, but it was unable to meet expectations.

It’s a bit concerning that all these problems still exist despite the fact that Russia has spent a record $51 billion on these Winter Olympics so far. The price tag for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics was only $7 billion, according to GQ. The article also reported that the amount of money that has been spent for this year’s Olympics is more than every other Winter Olympics combined since 1924, which is about

$48 billion, according to playthegame.org.

When athletes and journalists arrived, the hotels were not even fully finished. GQ revealed some of the pictures that have been tweeted by journalists of dirty rooms, brown water and ongoing construction.

Sports columnist for the LA Times Helene Elliott tweeted a picture of a pink vase with the caption, “I have this in my room…but still no light bulbs in the lamps, no TV, no hair dryer.”

And the most disturbing tweet of all had to have been from reporter Matt Gutman of ABC when he shared a photo of a packet of honey with a bee stuck inside.

Fifty billion dollars spent and they can’t put hairdryers in the room or keep bees out of the honey packets? Come on, Sochi. I know you could have done better than that. After all, the most famous saying about this Russian city is, “If I could read the cards, I would live in Sochi,” according to wikitravel.org.

Recently Sochi has become very successful and is known for its many attractions involving nature, sports, history and beaches. Sounds to me like the cards were in its favor.

Most of the money has been spent bringing in man-made snow to keep the courses in good condition for the athletes, according to The New York Times. Temperatures soared high into the 60s most days forcing events and practices to be rescheduled.

Now, I understand that the weather is not something that can be controlled, but according to Slate, Sochi is known for having a subtropical climate, which means the winters are mild.

The fact that IOC (International Olympic Committee) chose to hold the Winter Olympics in a city where snow is very uncommon is a little concerning considering it affected most of the events and arguably some of the athletes’ performances.

Also in question was the discrimination against LGBT athletes. Athletes were feeling the pressure of Russia’s new law that prohibits the “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations among minors,” according to the Washington Post. But most athletes, including Americans, chose to speak out in a positive way despite the discrimination.

sochi 2014/Facebook

Don’t let the pretty fireworks fool you. Back at the hotel, you’ll be greeted with brown water and a dirty room.

Figure skater Johnny Weir told The Washington Post, “As far as people being upset with me for being here, I want everybody to know that I’m proud being here and I’m proud to be representing gay America in my own small way.”

Most of the gay athletes are in strong disagreement with the law but do not wish to protest in order to represent their country in the best way they can. I commend them for being the bigger person when it came to a situation filled with such adversity, and I am proud to stand behind athletes from all countries that choose to speak out in a positive way about the discrimination against LGBT athletes. They couldn’t have chosen a better way to represent their country.

I also commend the athletes for even going to Sochi in the first place while threats of terrorism loomed over them along with the pressure of competing in what could possibly be the most important sporting event of their lives. Vladimir Putin oddly chose the city that sits the closest to a region filled with rebels and terrorists who hate him.

He also denied President Barack Obama’s offer to help with security in Sochi, according to

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Junior criminology major Jordyn Queipo was also disappointed with this year’s Olympics.

“I think it was really sad that this Winter Olympics had so many issues, and I think it really took away from the athletes and their accomplishments,” she said. “Personally, I feel it was a mistake to choose Sochi for this Winter Olympics and the athletes and their families certainly suffered the most from it.”

I agree with Queipo here. There were too many unnecessary issues that prevented the Olympics from running smoothly.

There is always a lot on the line when choosing where the Olympics will be held and if the country that gets chosen can step up and put on a show better than the previous host country.

So far, Sochi has only overtaken past Winter Olympics with the amount of money the country has spent.

Let’s be honest, when it comes to the Russian Government’s performance as host of the 2014 Winter Olympics compared to other countries, Sochi definitely doesn’t deserve to make it on the podium.

Caitlin Malone can be reached at caitlin. malone@spartans.ut.edu

16 THE MINARET | FEBRUARY 27 2014

Sports

Women’s Basketball Gears Up For SSC Tournament

By TESS SHEETS Sports Writer

Plowing through their season with 11 straight victories so far, the women’s basketball team can’t be anything but optimistic about its upcoming SSC tournament, which begins on March 5. If there is one thing that can be learned from its season thus far, it is that there is nothing more important than good sportsmanship towards your team.

The key to the team’s recent success and hopefully to its further success in the tournament is not the strength and skill set of one individual player but rather the collective proficiency of the team as a whole.

“The depth of our team has really shined through,” said Assistant Coach Kaitlyn Mitryk. “We have a lot of girls that contribute to our success. There’s not just one star. Everyone basically averages the same amount of points. It’s easy for opposing teams to stop one kid, but it’s much harder to stop an entire team.”

In the team’s most recent match against Eckerd College on Feb. 19, defense proved to be the force to be reckoned with.

“The game against Eckerd was one of the best defensive games we’ve played all season,” said senior point guard Shamika Williams. “We held them to only 11 points at halftime.”

Alternatively, the match against Rollins College on Feb. 5 showcased the team’s impressive offense.

“Personally, I always want to make more assists to try and make my teammates better,” Williams said. “Rollins at Rollins’ [arena] was a great game for us. We came out and smacked

them in the mouth right from the start.”

Maintaining a great relationship on and off the court is imperative for creating a successful team. In order to do this, the players participate in team bonding activities whenever they get the chance.

“We sing together, we dance together, we eat together,” said junior center Aisha Rodney said. “We have a few top secret rituals that we do before every game, too.

And on the court, we feed off one another.

If one of us is doing well, we all do well.”

That is the name of the game for the Spartans: teamwork. One great player does not make a team, and it certainly doesn’t win games.

“Our players do a really good job of playing together and sacrificing for the greater good of the team,” Mitryk said.

“We do have a lot of individual stars, but they don’t play as individuals; everyone contributes.”

As far as the SSC tournament goes, both the players and coaches are expecting nothing but success.

“With the depth that we have on this team, it’s going to be hard for other teams to stop our top five players,” Williams said. “Even our bench is a huge part of our success.”

The only concern for the tournament is the amount of endurance that comes with playing back to back games.

“We expect to be very competitive,” Mitryk said. “Playing back to back games is a concern because it’s exhausting, but we’ve been peaking at the right time so hopefully that shines through in our games.”

Tess Sheets can be reached at tess. sheets@spartans.ut.edu

Photo courtesy of Tom Kolbe

The Lady Spartans have had plenty to smile about as of late, winning 11 straight games.

Women’s Track Team Begins Journey to Nationals

By LAYLA SOUCHET Sports Writer

With their first track meet at EmbryRiddle, a future conference foe, under its belt, the UT women’s track team is looking ahead and already planning for nationals.

“Our goal is to get a couple of girls to nationals, which will be hosted in Michigan this year,” Coach Jarrett Slaven said.

One of the women he believes will qualify is sophomore management major Chantalle Blundell. Slaven anticipates Blundell will qualify in the 3000-meter steeplechase. “I will also run the 5k and a few 1500m races,” Blundell said.

However, before teammates can think about nationals in May, they have 10 more meets, invitationals and relays

Photo Courtesy of Tom Kolbe

Senior Kelly Hagan is looking to close out her successful UT career on a high note.

to ready themselves. Three of the meets, two at the University of South Florida and one at Florida State University, are primarily against Division 1 schools.

“In track, we run against all D1 schools,” Slaven said. “We’re one of the very few Division 2 schools to have a track on campus, which is wonderful.

We’re very fortunate. In track, in Division 1, we actually had a number of girls, especially the distance girls, that would compete with them and beat them on occasion. The sprinters did well, as expected. When we go to USF, we’re running against all D1 programs, with the exception of us and a few other D2 schools that go there.”

At the meets, UT competes in all events except for field events.

“Our track does not have field facilities and that’s quite expensive to put in those facilities. But we’re happy with what we have and we do have hurdles which we added two years ago. So we have all sprint events, all distance events and now we have hurdles,” Slaven said.

Thankfully, Slaven and his team didn’t face any hurdles in adding this new event.

“We had a couple of runners that came to me and said, ‘I used to be a hurdler. I’d like to run the hurdles.’ So, we kind of added that because it’s a running event and we thought, why not? It helps us score points if we have a hurdler that can be in the mix,” Slaven said.

As for adding a new school to our conference, Slaven said it’s a good

thing. “They have excellent runners on both the men’s and women’s side.

Which, we always look for good competitive schools. So that’s going to be interesting.”

With a team consisting of athletes with a wide range of ages and events, the team is hopeful for a few wins and a chance at nationals.

“We have a lot of young and talented athletes and our seniors are looking really strong so this season should be a good one,” Blundell said. “Hopefully some school records will be broken and some runners qualify for nationals.”

Layla Souchet can be reached at layla.souchet@spartans.ut.edu

Track Team Upcoming Dates USF Meet March 14-15 FSU Relays March 20-21 UNF Invitational March 28-29 Embry-Riddle Invite April 4-5 UT Invite April 12

FEBRUARY 27 2014 | THE MINARET

17

Freshman Monnery Brings Edge to Golf Team

By DYLAN MARGOLIN Sports Writer

Men’s golf Coach Rick Christie, who used to coach 12-Time PGA tour winner Wayne Levi, leads the UT golf team. With two NCAA championships coming in 1987 and 1988, the 2013-2014 team is trying to follow the footsteps of its predecessors.

The squad has gotten off to a “disappointing” start according to freshman Will Monnery. Although disappointed, the New Zealander has high hopes for the team.

“I feel like we are a very young team and that we are only going to get better from here,” Monnery said.

Photo courtesy of Tampa Spartans

Will Monnery and the men’s golf team are working towards an SSC Championship.

When asked about if the golf team has helped him grow as a player, Monnery said, “Being around Coach Christie is great. He coached 1990 PGA tour player of the year Wayne Levi and it is great to have someone who knows what it takes and can get you there, as long as you have the right work ethic and ability. Also getting the tournament experience is a very positive thing too. Each tournament I seem to learn new things.”

When asked about his goals, Monnery said, “My goals that I have are more long term as this is only my second semester. This semester though, I would like to see myself and the team make a positive move in the right direction and posting some more consistent results.”

In golf, consistency is very important and having the ability to turn bad shots into round saving chances is what keeps the momentum alive.

The team as a whole has a 17th, 16th, 13th, 3rd and 2nd place finish.

Consistency will be key to keep the team moving in this direction.

Later this season, the team will travel to Palm Bay to compete in the Florida Tech Invitational on March 16-17.

Then on March 31-April 1, the team will go to Miami to play the Barry Invitational, which was an event it placed 14th in last year. That gears the team up for the final three major events of the season: the SSC Championship on April 13-15, then the NCAA Super Regional.

Both the SSC and NCAA are played at Lake Jovita Country Club in Dade City. The team then gets a few weeks off before the NCAA Championship May 14-17. If they clinch a berth in the tournament, the team will travel all the way to Conover, N.C. But it all begins

at Lake Jovita next month. Hopefully a season full of disappointments can lead to a spring full of positives for this young Spartan squad.

Dylan Margolin can be reached at dylan.margonlin@spartans.ut.edu

BIO BLAST

Will Monnery Hometown:Wellington, New Zealand Year: Freshman Major: International Business Though only a freshman, Will Monnery brings a bevy of experience with him. The New Zealander has experience with the Royal Wellington Senior Men’s Golf Team and competed in the 2012 Bob Charles Tour.

Perseverance Key for Men’s Track Team This Year

By GRANT PAWLAK Sports Writer

The University of Tampa men’s track team will kick its season off with a meet facing against Emberly-Ridgeon Feb. 21-22.

Later in March, the team goes up against University of South Florida in two back to back meets in Tampa. In March, the Spartans go for the gold at the Florida State University and Raleigh Relays before ending with the University of North Florida Invite toward the end of the month.

With four meets in April, the month starts off with the Florida Relays and another match at Emberly-Ridge. The UT invite begins on April 12 at 5 p.m. with the Tom Jones Meet ending out the month of April.

The Georgia Tech Invitational and the NCAA National Championships end out the season in May. Head Coach Jarrett Slaven has high hopes for the men’s team this season.

“Doing well in the NCAA Championships is always a goal of ours,” Slaven said.

With last season’s excellent performance, including multiple personal records broken and feats accomplished, the Spartans have a lot to look forward to this year and a lot to live up to.

“We hope to start strong this year, and remain steady throughout the season,” Slaven said.

With a host of returning runners, including seniors Tyrone Clayton

and Michael Zwijacz, the Spartans stand ready for the next season. But with eight incoming freshmen, the team may get a dose of some fresh talent this season as they compete for the National Championships. Lars Benner, Jessie Boria, Matt Hoffman and Brendan McGonalge are just a few of the newcomers.

The Spartans have a busy season ahead of them as the number of their meets this year has practically doubled since last season.

With the new addition of the Emberly Riddle meets and the UNF Invite, the Spartans have a packed schedule this year.

Whether the new competition will present a challenge to the Spartans remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure is that March will be a brutal month for the Spartans as they have five two-day meets packed into the third month of the year, with not much of a let up in April.

Many things still remain to be seen as the Spartans prepare for the big season. Will they be able to hold up to last year’s standards?

Will the new freshman give them the extra edge they need to overcome the new competition?

With the sudden growth in the men’s track team, will the sport get the attention it deserves? Only one thing is certain, this will be one of the biggest seasons for men’s track in Spartan history.

Grant Pawlak can be reached at grant.pawlak@spartans.ut.edu

Photo courtesy of Tom Kolbe

Mike Zwijacz is ready to finish his senior year with a successful last season of track.

18 FEBRUARY 27 2014 | THE MINARET

SPORTS

Pro Sports

Heartwarming Stories Inspire Sports Fans Across the Globe

By PHIL NOVOTNY Sports Writer

It is just a game. These are words that sports fans dread to hear. When people ask sports fans why they get so invested into something they cannot control, it is sometimes hard to answer that question.

Lately, there have been some stories in the sports world that can shed some light on this issue and that give sports fans a reason to keep on watching and following their respective franchises.

Philadelphia 76ers sign Kevin Grow:

The Philadelphia 76ers are at the bottom of the Eastern Conference this season and their fans have not had much to cheer about, but the signing of Kevin Grow made more than just 76ers fans smile.

Grow is a high school senior with down syndrome who lives in the Philadelphia area. Grow scored 14 points and scored three 3-pointers and a buzzer beater over the final two varsity games of the season after Bensalem High School coaches decided to put the team’s manager of four years into the

dabruins07/Flickr Derrick Coleman, a UCLA graduate, hasn’t let his hearing disability stop him on the field.

game. After this performance, the 76ers decided to give Grow a ceremonial two-day contract.

As a part of this contract, Kevin Grow participated in pregame festivities and took part in the team shoot around with his favorite player, Evan Turner. In addition, Grow got his own jersey with the number 33 on it, and he was showcased in the high five tunnel when the players took the court for the game and stood with his team during the national anthem.

Seattle Seahawks Fullback Derrick Coleman’s Journey: Fullback Derrick Coleman has been the more popular inspirational story that has caught national attention. Coleman has battled a hearing impediment since the age of three, but he has overcome it with the help of hearing aids and the ability to read others’ lips.

Coleman has faced insurmountable odds but he has beaten them by making the Seattle Seahawks roster after being an undrafted free agent second-year player.

Coleman is the first ever legally deaf player to be a part of an NFL offense and has succeeded by in becoming a Super Bowl champion after the Seahawks 438 win over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVII last month 43-8. Currently, his story is being shared as part of Duracell’s #TrustYourPower campaign.

Remember Nick Pasquale: Nick Pasquale was a redshirt freshman wide receiver at UCLA but he was known

for being inspirational and feisty by his teammates. On Sept. 7, 2013 a motorist killed Pasquale after walking home from a party in San Clemente, Calif. He was a player who was not on a scholarship and only played one play his entire career as a Bruin.

He was considered as UCLA’s version of “Rudy” and was known as “Pac-Man” in the locker room. He grew up a big UCLA fan and always dreamed of playing for the university’s football team.

Also, he did have a football player’s build because he was 5 foot 7 and 170 pounds. In UCLA’s next game against Nebraska, quarterback Brett Hundley wrote “R.I.P #36” to pay homage to the team’s fallen teammate.

The Bruins were trailing the Cornhuskers 21-3 in the second quarter until they outscored Nebraska 38-0 in the final 31 minutes to defeat the Cornhuskers 41-21. Hundley later said, “ I felt like we needed to get his win for him and we had to honor him. We realized this game is bigger than us now.” This victory will be one the school will never forget.

These stories remind sports fans that what happens off the field can have more value than what happens on it. They not only give people faith in humanity but also perspective on life. In the end, it gives another example of how a sporting event can mean a lot more than that to more than just the sports fanatic.

Phil Novotny can be reached at philip. novotny@spartans.ut.edu.

Top Prospects Aiming to Make an Impact in Big Leagues

By JAMES BELLUSCIO Sports Writer

Now that spring training is upon us, all eyes are on the flock of young talent coming into the MLB. The Nationals’ Bryce Harper, the Angels’ Mike Trout and the Orioles’ Manny Machado have taken the league by storm with their dazzling play.

But the MLB’s youth movement is much deeper than that. It makes sense these young players are a focal point of the exhibition season because a prospect gives a team hope.

Baseball is at a difficult point. Being trenched in the thick of the steroid era and living in the fast pace world we live in affects the amount of fans going and watching games. What used to be America’s pastime is now behind the NFL and NBA in ratings. So, how can that be improved?

Youth.

The new players have electrified fans and have added a new aspect to the game that we have not seen since the early ‘90s. It’s not only about hitting bombs; it’s about playing allaround baseball. Being able to make the leaping catch, beat out a grounder to short and driving in a run in a crucial moment is more important for a team and that is what the young talent has provided.

Here are the top five prospects entering the 2014 season. Remember these names because they are extremely special players.

5. Dylan Bundy, RHP, Baltimore Orioles Dylan Bundy would be higher up on

the list if he was not coming off Tommy John surgery. Some scouts have him the best pitching prospect in the league.

He can pump out a 95 mph fastball consistently and has a natural cut on his ball that is nearly untouchable. The No. 4 pick in the 2011 draft, Bundy has said that he’s targeting June 28, exactly one year to the day he went under the knife, to pitch in games again. That likely puts him out of the running for an MLB job this year, but look out for him in the years to come.

4. Jonathan Gray, RHP, Colorado Rockies Jonathan Gray was the No. 3 pick in last year’s draft. The 22-year-old pitcher had three years of experience at the University of Oklahoma, putting him well ahead of the typical pitcher entering his first full season in professional baseball.

He’s got one of the best arms in the minors, with a fastball that can touch 100 and a power slider that at times looks like the one Mets ace Matt Harvey throws. Gray is a workhorse at 6 foot 4, 255 pounds and commands the heater better than expected.

3. Nick Castellanos, 3B, Detroit Tigers With Prince Fielder out of Detroit and Miguel Cabrera moving to first base, Castellanos is a few solid spring training games away from being an everyday player. He is a special hitter, owning some of the best plate coverage and bat control you will see from a young player. Similar to Machado, he has great bat control and raw power. It will take a couple years to produce the

power to get it over the fence because he is more of a line drive hitter, but his pop coming off his bat puts him in line to be a future 30 plus homerun player.

2. Austin Hedges, C, San Diego Padres Austin Hedges is the most defensive ready player in the minors. He has been compared to Baltimore catcher Matt Wieters behind the plate.

He can control the game and manage his pitcher, which is a rare trait for a young player. He probably will never hit for more than 20 home runs but he will hit for a very high average, which is

another rare quality for a young catcher.

1. Xander Bogaerts, SS, Boston Red Sox Rarely a player can come on a team in the middle of a playoff race and make an instant impact. Bogaerts became a sensation by putting together quality at-bats against Detroit and St. Louis last October. Once he is inserted in the everyday lineup this season, he will be a star.

His potential is endless, and he could become the face of the World Series Champion Boston Red Sox. James Belluscio can be reached at james.belluscio@spartans.ut.edu

Paul Hasdall/Flickr

Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts is widely considered the best young prospect in the game.

SPORTS

THE MINARET | FEBRUARY 27 2014

19

‘Championship or Bust’ Has Never Been More Accurate

By NATHAN KROHN Sports Writer

In today’s sports world, it seems all too common to perceive anything less than a title, championship or gold medal as a disappointment. But when did we alter our thought of success from the effort put in to simply wanting the hardware to show for it?

After the Baltimore Ravens defeated the New England Patriots in the 2013 AFC Championship game, I witnessed one Patriots fan say, “Well that season was a complete waste of time.” His friend to his right nodded in agreement and shrugged his shoulders as if to say “why do I even watch?”

This, of course, was the lowest of moments for these two fans. However, their attitude speaks volumes to what seems to be a growing trend in sports.

These two fans expected their team to win the Super Bowl, and when that expectation failed to reach fruition, they looked not at how much their team had succeeded but how badly it had failed.

Meanwhile, in Buffalo, Bills fans would drop to their knees at the hint of a playoff game as their team hasn’t tasted a playoff appearance since before Y2K. It’s simply the attitude that comes with the territory. Fans turn numb to the winning while becoming more negatively sensitized to the losing.

After LeBron James’ “decision” in 2010, the Miami Heat stormed through the playoffs, winning the Eastern Conference Championship before the Dallas Mavericks ended their season in Game Six of the NBA Finals.

Fans and analysts laughed at the onto him and other athletes. It seems We wanted to cheer for Rose when Heat for failing to win the NBA title. as sports fans we jump on the train of he was great, but now that it’s over we Much of the animosity towards the success and cheer wholeheartedly on just want to poke fun.

Heat was directed towards the “Big the way to the top. But when it falls we White didn’t guarantee he would Three” and the celebration they threw jump off and laugh at the wreckage. threepeat, and he didn’t say he was the in which James stated they would win Derrick Rose was one of the best best snowboarder in the world. multiple championships during his players in the NBA with a MVP Nevertheless, we call him a failure tenure with the team. award at age 23 and years of fantastic for not achieving our expected levels of However, the idea that the 2011 basketball ahead of him. But now, after greatness, and in the meantime we seem to Heat team was a failure for not winning numerous injuries, his failure to stay be missing out on his Olympic success. the NBA title is foolish. Furthermore, healthy is reaching Grant Hill status as Nathan Krohn can be reached at the fact that Heat fans, so frustrated a punch line for disappointment. nathan.krohn@spartans.ut.edu with the thought of not winning consecutive titles in 2013, walked out of the arena when Game Six against the Spurs seemed out of reach furthers the conviction that there is something wrong with expectations.

Flash forward to this year and this same team is widely considered one of the most dominant of its era. However, if they fail to repeat as champions this season, as expected, they will again be considered as a failure and their legacy will be called into question.

The epitome of this “championship or failure” perspective reached full strength at the Sochi Olympic Games when snowboarder Shaun White failed to win a gold medal in the men’s halfpipe.

White was the two-time defending halfpipe champion but failed to medal in his quest for a threepeat, much to the dismay of fans.

An article on CBS Sports entitled, “Shaun White Fails to Medal,” began with the first sentence reading, “So much for history.”

White’s so called “failure” to Flynn Wynn/Flickr win three consecutive Olympic gold medals are an unfair burden to put For teams like the Miami Heat, seasons without a championship are considered a failure.

Collins Makes History by Joining Nets, US Hockey Falters at Olympics

By JORDAN LLANES Sports Editor

The past week has been crazy in the sports world. The Sochi Olympics ended Sunday with a gold medal for the Canadian hockey team, while the U.S. hockey team finished a disappointing fourth. Jason Collins became the first openly gay active NBA player when he took the court for the Brooklyn Nets during their 108-102 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Hollywood on the same day. Meanwhile, the machine that is the NFL roared along with the annual Scouting Combine, which ended Monday. Let’s take a closer look at the three stories that dominated sports headlines in the past week.

joshuak8/Flickr

By joining the Nets, Jason Collins (RIGHT) is now the first openly gay NBA player.

U.S. and Canada Mirror Opposites: Friday afternoon, a longtime and heated rivalry was resumed: the U.S. vs Canada Olympic men’s hockey with a gold medal game birth on the line. This was being hailed as the greatest matchup of the entire tournament.

Tensions boiled underneath the surface as the Americans wanted to avenge their gold medal game loss to the Canadians in the 2010 Vancouver Games, while Canada wanted to show that they were once again worthy of a gold medal in the game they created.

However, a victory for the Americans was not in the cards.

Canada won the game 1-0, but that doesn’t reflect how the game was played.

It was only that close because American goalie Jonathan Quick kept it that way.

However, the rest of the team did not hold up its end. The offense could not score on Canadian goalie Carey Price despite numerous opportunities, and the defense frequently gave on ground on the larger rink.

It also appeared like the U.S. simply didn’t want the medal as much as Canada. That lack of conviction and air of disappointment after the loss to our neighbors up north led to an absolute beatdown at the hands of Finland, who won the bronze medal game 5-0.

Finnish goalie Tukka Rask, who has dominated the NHL the past few years with the Boston Bruins, shut out the American offense while veteran winger Teemu Selanne contributed two goals in his final Olympic game.

Sunday, Canada went on the capture yet another gold medal in their 30 victory over Sweden. Price had 24 saves while captain Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews and Chris Kunitz all scored for the Canadians. The team simply wanted the gold medal more, and it showed. They grinded out almost all of their wins using a timely offense, great goaltending and physical defense.

Come 2018, the U.S. has to be up to speed with our neighbors in order to compete for the gold. Our hockey future depends on it.

Jason Collins Returns: Sunday was a busy day sports wise. This continued with the debut of Jason Collins, who returned to the NBA with the Brooklyn Nets when they took on the Los Angeles Lakers.

Collins, who became the first active openly gay player in NBA history when he came out last year, received a standing ovation from the crowd when he entered midway through the second quarter.

Now Collins just wants to focus on basketball and get more than just a 10-day deal from the Nets. The veteran center had a steal, two rebounds and five fouls in 10 minutes of play. Even though he was scoreless, Collins didn’t really mind.

“I don’t care about scoring,” Collins said to Sports Illustrated. “I care about helping my teammates get open and making their job[s] easier.”

As long as he plays his game, Collins should be able to slowly cancel

out the noise that comes along with becoming the first openly gay player and just contribute to a playoff team.

NFL Scouting Combine Storylines: The three-way competition between quarterbacks Johnny Manziel, Teddy Bridgewater and Blake Bortles hasn’t really changed.

The draft’s top signal callers still have their pros and cons, but they haven’t distanced themselves from each other in their bids to go first overall to the Texans in two months.

Bridgewater didn’t participate in any of the Combine’s physical drills, while Manziel didn’t throw. Bortles was the only one who did all the drills the Combine had to offer, including passing. The UCF product impressed in that aspect, throwing the ball with both accuracy and strength.

Meanwhile, Jadeveon Clowney’s Combine has been an eventful one.

After a disappointing bench press showing in which he lifted 225 pounds only 21 times, Clowney had a great 40-yard dash time, posting unofficial times of 4.46 and 4.47 seconds. That might not have gotten him the top overall pick, but it likely cemented his status as a top five pick.

That’s it for this week from behind the sports desk. Within the next few weeks, we have March Madness, baseball season resuming, the NHL returning and sports at UT still going strong. Stay tuned.

Jordan Llanes can be reached at jordan.llanes@theminaretonline.com

MINARET

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What Soccer Means to Me

An International Student’s Perspective Keith Allison/Flickr

Soccer is a ritual for fans across the globe. Every day, thousands of eager fans congregate in stadiums such as this one to cheer on their respective soccer teams and clubs.

By RICHARD DUH Sports Writer

I remember watching the World Cup in 2006 with my family, and during an enthralling game between Germany and Costa Rica (which ended 4-2 to Germany), I saw one poster from the crowd saying “Soccer is a Religion.”

To me it is much more than that.

Soccer is a way of life. Soccer is what makes the end of the day worth waiting for. Soccer is the reason for a complete escape from what could otherwise be a torrid lifestyle. Picture this: You come home from your school or work and you wonder what to do. You then see a boy of let’s say 7 to 10 years old.

He looks depressed. You then go up to him, with a ball in hand and ask him if he wants to play a friendly game of soccer.

Imagine the full change of social expression at the request of a soccer match. His eyes will light up, his dimples will start protruding, his smile will span the width of his face, all

culminating with a resounding “yes.”

The best part is that it doesn’t matter if this boy loses 7-0 or by some other embarrassing score line.

Soccer has the power to build friendships, strengthen ties, and on top of all that it is a genuine social activity that anyone can enjoy, even the disabled. During the 1998 World Cup in France, there was a group stage game between Iran and the U.S. During this time, there was some political tension between the two countries. However, the scene after the match was heartwarming. The players of both teams embraced and exchanged jerseys, showing no signs of tension between countries during the process.

Iran won the match 2-1.

For me, the appeal of watching soccer comes from the drama associated with most matches and the sheer intensity. Back in 2005, there was a UEFA Champions League final match between Liverpool of England and AC Milan of Italy. This match would forever be remembered as one

of the greatest matches ever seen in the Champions League. Prior to the match, analysts speculated that AC Milan were the favorites to win, and that seemed to be the general consensus between fans as well.

In the first half, the game seemed to be going to the form guide with AC Milan racing into a 3-0 lead with Liverpool seemingly dead and buried. It was a superb display of skill, pace, trickery and clinical finishing from Milan.

It seemed it was near impossible that Liverpool would be able to come back from this let alone win the match.

I remember watching the game with my dad and he told me Liverpool would win. I looked at him with eyes of derision and laughed that off. My mom did likewise, claiming that he was quite insane.

However, Liverpool produced a sterling comeback of impressive determination and willpower to send the game to extra time (overtime) as the game was level at 3-3. I could not believe what I had just seen. A team

that was torn apart in the first half and seemingly all but defeated had taken the game to extra time. I looked at my dad as if he was supernatural.

He remained silent. Extra time of that game was a disappointing affair with no team scoring, but Liverpool won the overtime shootout.

After the game, many connoisseurs, analysts and coaches were waxing lyrical at the then manager of Liverpool, Rafael Benitez, for his tactical expertise at steering Liverpool to the trophy from a losing position. I, however, think otherwise because this sort of thing happens all the time.

No matter what perspective you look at soccer, whether you look at it from a personal level where you can brighten up someone’s day and build friendships or watch it for the drama and excitement achieved from these games, it is clear to see why soccer is the most popular sport and why it means so much to me.

Richard Duh can be reached at richard.duh@spartans.ut.edu

of the Dutch success lied in their absolute domination in the sport of speed skating, where the orange-clad “Flying Dutchmen” skated their way to 23 medals (8 gold,7 silver,8 bronze). The Dutch speedskaters alone would have placed fifth in the official medal count ahead of Germany and Switzerland. The nation of Belarus also placed well with only 24 participants in the events but a total five gold medals before the curtain closed in Sochi.

Single Sport Dominance Becomes Staple for Nations Just as the Dutch fully dominated the sport of speed skating, many other nations seemed to perform in full excellence in a single sport.

For instance, the Germans looked like Olympic medal count contenders after owning the luge competitions (4 gold,1 silver,0 bronze) but fell off after the event ended. The same can be said for the U.S., who swept the competition in slopestyle events, including an unheard of clean sweep in the men’s ski slopestyle event with winners in the gold, silver and bronze podium spots. The Norwegians piled on the medals in the cross country (five, two, four) and biathlon (three, one, two) events, which helped them claim the third place spot on the medal count.

Even the Canadians seemed to have a niche, as they excelled in team sports. The maple leaved maniacs grabbed gold in both genders of hockey and curling.

Men’s Hockey Leaves Russia in Tears and Finland in Cheers The entire purpose of these Olympics being in Russia was for the Russian men’s hockey team to return to their former glory as a hockey power. Putin was confident, the nation was eagerly waiting and the Russian players were dying to get on the ice. But the metaphorical

monstrous bear that is Russia seemed to be in hibernation mode. NHL leading scorer Alex Ovechkin was colder than the ice itself and couldn’t get anything going. A controversial loss to the U.S. after a disallowed goal deflated Russia, and the host nation was cast out of medal contention in a defeat at the hands of Finland.

Speaking of the Fins, they had a rather stellar Olympic hockey run by quietly gaining a bye and downing the aforementioned Russians and then winning the bronze medal over a defeated U.S. squad with a 5-0 score. The Americans, on the other hand, proved they were not able to take that extra step and lost to the Canadians for the second straight Olympics before taking the nonexistent fourth place medal.

The Usual Stars for the U.S. Fade Away Going into the Olympics, American hopes laid in the hands of familiar faces such as Shaun White, Lindsey Vonn and even Lolo Jones. But Vonn got injured, White dropped out of a few events to perfect his halfpipe (which he would lose in regardless) and Jones finished outside of the podium, albeit as a member of the third-string U.S. bobsled team.

Even the American speedskaters came up short as Shani Davis and female Floridian phenom Brittany Bowe failed to place.

Americans could find solace in new names such as Sage Kotsenburg, who won gold in the first event of the Games in slopestyle snowboarding.

Figure skating pair Meryl Davis and Charlie White were able to snag gold over Canadian rivals Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. 27-yearold Erin Hamlin became the first American of either gender to win a medal in luge, preventing a German sweep in the event. The U.S. found success in alpine skiing with veteran Ted Ligety winning gold in the giant slalom, while 18-year-

old sweetheart Mikaela Shiffrin slalomed her way into our hearts.

Familiar Controversy Plagues Figure Skating For decades, the sport of figure skating has been marred in rumors and skepticism of biased judging. But things reached a new point when Russian teen Adelina Sotnikova somehow beat South Korean defending champion YuNa “Queen” Kim. Kim performed in a more artistic and fluid manner than Sotnikova but, according to the released scorecard, Kim scored significantly lower in the technical categories.

While most suspicions turned to Olympic judge Yuri Balkov, who has been proven of collusion in the sport back in the ‘98 Olympics, the attention shifted when judge Alla Shekhovtsova was found out to be the wife of Valentin Pissev, general director of the Russian figure skating federation.

The Internet has been flaring with complaints as pictures soon surfaced of Shekhovtsova hugging Sotnikova immediately after the medal was around her neck. South Korea’s Olympic Committee has filed an official complaint and Kim has gained global support after her final Olympics.

The Sochi Games showed us that Russia is still as proud as ever about its sports programs and even showed it can poke fun at itself by imitating its Olympic Ring mishap from the Opening Ceremony, purposefully doing the same thing in the Closing Ceremony. But as we say goodbye to Sochi, we look forward to the summer Olympics in Rio in two years and then back to the ice at the next venue of Pyeongchang in South Korea.

Marcus Mitchell can be reached at marcus. mitchell@spartans.ut.edu

Sochi: A Winter Tale of Controversy and Congratulation

By MARCUS MITCHELL Sports Writer

For the past two weeks, Sochi has transformed from a tropical hotspot for tourists into a bustling venue which has welcomed the world’s most renowned and talented athletes. Nearly 3,000 participants from 88 different nations have spent the last fortnight sliding, skating and skiing their way in hopes to achieve Olympic medals and the national pride as world champions of their sport.

Luckily for Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Olympic Games went off without a hitch with little to no violent acts on participating athletes or spectators, with the exception of a stray dog or two. But in all seriousness, respect needs to be delivered to the Russian security forces for keeping Sochi safe despite facing serious threats of violence from extremist groups.

All in all, it was a much better Olympics than most give credit with dramatic scenarios and hyper-competitive sport. Many interesting storylines took shape over the course of 14 days with classic tales of drama, intensity and disappointment.

Netherlands Comes Out as True Olympic Winning Team Sure, the medal count finished with Russia on top with a total of 33 medals, but they also had the most participating athletes with 232.

The same can be said about the second place U.S. who snagged 28 medals with 230 athletes.

With those many athletes competing for medals, Russia and the U.S. were nearly guaranteed to place in the top five of the medal count.

But the unsung true winners of the medal count are the Dutch. The Netherlands had only 41 athletes yet collected a staggering total of 24 medals. Russia only collected nine more medals with 192 more athletes. The secret