WHY WAIT TILL THURSDAY? READ MYTJNOW.COM.
Need cultural event credit? Make sure you get there on time. See News, page 4
Need tech help? A Winthrop club can help. See H & S, page 6
THURSDAY February 24, 2011
Multicultural Student Life educates children about Black History Month. See Culture, page 9
WINTHROP UNIVERSITY
NEWS
Issue 19
NEWS
Margaret Nance residents vote to change visitation
JOURNEY FROM WAR TO WINTHROP
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Just because the war is over for us doesn’t mean the war is over in our own lives. Michael Widrich Veteran
KAITLYN SCHALLHORN schallhornk@mytjnow.com
Thanks to its all-female residents, Margaret Nance’s visitation policy is now selfregulated on Saturdays. Cynthia Cassens, director of Residence Life, said the entire process of changing the visitation policy was student led. Several Margaret Nance residents approached their hall council in the fall 2010 semester and worked with each other, their residential learning coordinator (RLC) and Cassens herself to draft proposals. Residents of Margaret Nance approved the propos-
See NANCE page 2 NEWS
DegreeWorks problems smooth out Michael Widrich holds up a picture of himself volunteering at an orphanage during his first deployment to South Korea in 2004. He was later deployed to Iraq where he lost friend Jeremy Stacey, 20, in a Humvee explo dsion. The tattoo on Widrich’s arm is in honor of Stacey. Photos by Kathleen Brown • brownk@mytjnow.com
JOSHUA JOHNSON Special to The Johnsonian
DegreeWorks, the electronic degree checklist, has experienced a notable amount of technical hangups since its inception. Students have noticed. Senior general communication disorders major Winni Baxter said DegreeWorks initially gave her a checklist summary that displayed two fewer hours than she had actually completed. However, Baxter said she has been proactive in keep-
Student Marine veteran reaches out to returning soldiers JONATHAN MCFADDEN mcfaddenj@mytjnow.com
All Michael Widrich needed eight years ago was a cot, three hot meals a day and a shower. At 18, Widrich knew he wanted to help people and stand independently as his own man. At 21, he stood in a marketplace in the Shula neighborhood of Baghdad, Iraq, when a suicide vest attached to a mentally
handicapped child went off, causing an explosion that killed 22 people. Now, at 25, the corporal leads Winthrop’s first student veteran’s association and, along with other veterans on campus, hopes to bring awareness to vets and nonvets alike about the new battles he and his comrades are now facing. As a two-time veteran who’s completed a year-long tour in Iraq from 2006-2007 and was stationed in the de-militarized zone of South Korea, Widrich wants Winthrop to
take a proactive stand for veterans. “If the school were to take an extra effort to make sure veterans were being taken care of properly, we would be able to live life like a traditional student,” Widrich said. “We’d have time to study every night, we’d have time to take more than 12 hours of class (a semester).” Widrich, junior psychology major, said he’s disabled mentally and physically, af-
See VETERANS page 3
See DEGREE page 2 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
BIG MONEY: Jewelry majors spend big bucks on silver, copper, brass for projects ALISON ANGEL angela@mytjnow.com
Being a college student requires making sacrifices. But being a jewelry/ metals design major involves sacrifice from your wallet. Ashley Herron, senior jewelry design major, said while she has never figured out the exact amount of money she spends per semester on materials, she estimates it to be between $400 and $500. Herron has work appearing in the upcoming “Reminisce: An Exhibition of Nostalgic Narra-
Katielynn Gadow, a jewelry/metals major, works on a project. Materials for jewelry majors can cost up to $500 a semester. Photo by Stephanie Eaton • eatons@ mytjnow.com
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with. Currently, sterling silver, which is used most, sells for roughly $30 an ounce. Herron said materials can get expensive, especially if you choose to work with silver, which many of her recent pieces call for. “Throughout my college career, the cost of silver has skyrocketed,” Herron said. “I strayed away from it as an underclassmen because of its cost at the time, but I wish I had invested my money then. Each piece that does involve silver, I have to carefully plan for. If I mess up
tives” exhibit in the Lewandowski Gallery. She is one of three Winthrop students whose art was accepted into this exhibition. The competition features metal and jewelry work from college students on a national level. Most of the chosen entries come from the U.S., and one piece is by a student from New Zealand. Each jewelry or metal piece takes hours to complete. The materials used can range from copper, plastic, brass or silver, which can sometimes be an expensive material to work
CAMPUS NEWS OPINION CULTURE
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a piece, I’ve essentially wasted $100 or more.” She uses alternative materials, such as recycled materials, plastic and wood, in order to avoid using silver. Kaylyth Harris, senior jewelry design major, is helping plan the exhibit with her jewelry class. Harris said while being a jewelry/metals major can be expensive at times depending on the materials you choose to use in your pieces, other ways exist for majors to still attain their vision. “Sometimes you don’t
See JEWELRY page 7
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
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HEALTH & SCIENCE
6
SPORTS
7-8 9 10-11
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THURSDAY February 24, 2011
CLAIRE BYUN News Editor byunc@mytjnow.com JONATHAN MCFADDEN Assistant News Editor mcfaddenj@mytjnow.com
Margaret Nance changes visitation policy: residents to self-regulate male visitors VISIT • from front als. The policy, which can be found online under the department of residence life’s
website, states that the proposal needed to have “a simple majority vote with at least 66% of the building residents voting” in order to be passed. Students went through the process and
Many students, such as Josh Billingsley, junior, spend warm, breezy days on the porch of Margaret Nance. Now men can travel into the residence hall past midnight on weekends, staying the night. Photo by Kathleen Brown • brownk@ mytjnow.com
did what they needed to do, Cassens said. “[Students} thought of the possible problems and figured out how to handle them. So far it’s working out great.” The new visitation policy was implemented the last weekend in January, and so far there have been no problems, Cassens said. Roommates are required to fill out agreement forms. If just one roommate does not want a male to spend the night, then one will not be allowed in the room. Katie Sardelli, Resident Learning Coordinator for Margaret Nance, said it has been a surprisingly smooth process. There have been no complaints to her from students or parents about the change in the visitation policy. The change has not impacted resident assistants either, Sardelli said. They have to do their regular visitation duties and make sure guests are not violating the policy. Males are issued guest cards for overnight. Marie Williams, freshman interior design major, is a much happier resident of Margaret Nance now that the new visitation policy is in place. “I didn’t like the idea that I came to college to be told I could only see certain people at certain times,” Williams said. “It was like having a curfew again.”
While Williams was not one of the female students who started the whole process, she actively knew what was going on in the hall council meetings throughout the entire time. She was even confident in the outcome of the proposal. “I knew what was going to happen because the entire building wanted it to be passed,” Williams said. Williams has already used the new policy. “Nothing went wrong, and no one even cared,” she said. She and her roommate have both filled out the agreement, but have also made up their own rules. They do not allow guys to be in the room if they are both there. Although the change in Margaret Nance is running smoothly so far, it is currently only a pilot. The change is not official and has not yet been finalized. At the end of the semester, staff will evaluate and determine if the new visitation policy is worth keeping. The evaluation will include looking at the violations from the semester. However, Cassens does not foresee many problems with this new policy. “It’s no different than any other resident hall,” Cassens said. “Saturday night here [Margaret Nance] is just like Saturday night in Wofford.”
After problems, DegreeWorks should be on right track DEGREE • from front ing up with her personal progress since she’s been a student at Winthrop. “The best way to keep track is to get a printed, unofficial copy of your transcript from Wingspan and to use your department’s manual degree checklist. I also constantly go to my adviser,” she said. DegreeWorks became available for students at the onset of Fall 2010. Each student’s course load is divided into subcategories, which include general education, major, minor, hours above 299, and cultural event requirements. There is also the option of converting all of this information to a PDF document.
Jackie Brockington, assistant registrar for records and registration, stressed that students should use all of the auditing resources available to them. No stranger to course auditing from either perspective, Brockington completed his undergraduate and graduate level studies at Winthrop, graduating in 2003 and 2008, respectively. “As a student, there were two things I always kept with me, my catalog and my degree checklist,” he said. Brockington explained that DegreeWorks is a supplement to all available resources. This gives the student a more tangible electronic audit than its predecessor, OnCourse, which allowed only
Student election info sessions All students are able to run for Winthrop’s new democratic government, but first there are some preliminary steps. Sydney Evans, Council of Student Leaders (CSL) chair, sent out an email Tuesday afternoon informing all students of the requirements. Three informational sessions are offered, and a student must attend one to apply, Evans said. The meetings will be: Monday, Feb. 28 8p.m. Tuesday, March 1 11a.m. Thursday, March 3 11a.m. Each session will be held in DIGS 114, which is the glass meeting room beside the movie theater. Any student interested in either seat
must have a 2.75 cummulative GPA, 12 Winthrop credit hours, and must not be on disciplinary probation, according to the email. The meetings will cover the responsibilities of the President and VicePresident, rules of campaigning, and the timeline of elections, according to the email. “This means that you, as a student, will have a voice in saying who advocates on your behalf to Faculty/Staff, the Administration, the Board of Trustees, and in the allocating of $28,000 to clubs and organizations through the Student Allocations Committee,” Evans said. This is the first student-wide election for Winthrop in 10 years, since previous presidents could only be appointed if they had served on CSL.
advisers to see a student’s progress and steer them toward applying for graduation. Since students are encouraged to apply for graduation two semesters before their anticipated graduation date, Brockington has yet to see a case in which a student has directly linked issues with incomplete graduation requirements to DegreeWorks. As for the outages that have been experienced, Brockington explained that they are not unexpected. In order to place new patches, or upgrades, on the software, DegreeWorks is temporarily shut down while these changes are being made. DegreeWorks is linked to each student’s Wingspan account so, as information is fed to Wingspan, the change is almost automatically made in DegreeWorks. However, the visibility of a change in a student’s information depends on when the academic department personnel enters it into the student information system. The preliminary feedback coming into the office has been positive. Many of the users enjoy its aesthetic pleasure. Brett Wilson, sophomore middle level
education major, can see benefit in both print and online records. “DegreeWorks is an innovative tool in its testing stages, and I believe people need to realize we haven’t had this program for a year,” Wilson said. “People should never rely solely on technology to keep up with their status; you should always keep up with a manual, printed checklist.” Though new to Winthrop, DegreeWorks is not unique to this campus. It has been used by several schools nationally as well as within the state by the College of Charleston. Brockington said the formation of a records and registration student advisory board is in the making and applications will be available soon. The board will give feedback on all things relating to the records and registration office, Brockington said. Brockington welcomes questions, comments and concerns about the software. He prefers to be contacted via email at brockingtonj@winthrop.edu, with “DegreeWorks,” in the subject line.
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THURSDAY February 24, 2011 classes, cultural events and studying with many responsibilities. Many of the veterans in Widrich’s organization work full-time jobs in addition to being full-time students. They must take care of their families and pay their bills. “…There are a lot more time constraints,” Widrich said. That’s why Widrich wants veterans to receive one cultural event credit for every month they were deployed. “I’ve been to nine other countries before,” Widrich said. “I’ve seen the world firsthand and I’ve seen other economies and how other people get by. The only way to truly experience a culture is to be submerged into it.”
Widrich holds a flag embroidered with the words “Operation Iraqi Freedom- May 2004 to May 2006.” Photo by Kathleen Brown • brownk@ mytjnow.com
VETERANS • from front ter being caught in a roadside bomb and taking hits of shrapnel. “It was really horrible,” Widrich said. For a long time, Widrich preferred not to tell people—including his family—the atrocities he witnessed and endured while in Iraq. “I don’t want to put people off,” he said. Since returning to civilian life, Widrich said he’s noticed many people adopting the bystander effect; that is, standing by and allowing injustices to occur. To Widrich, it’s the choice between action and inaction that distinguishes civilians from veterans. “I have no problem standing up for the weak, the tired, the innocent.” It’s also a willingness to fight for true freedom. “When you’re sitting in a classroom and people ask what does freedom mean to you and somebody just [says], ‘being able to go shopping at night;’ those aren’t the things that truly matter,” Widrich said. “Being free is having clean water to drink; having a roof over your head.” Widrich is embarking on a mission to make sure other veterans receive the morale boost they need to keep going, despite the hardships they face when they come home. “Just because the war is over for us,doesn’t mean the war is over in our own lives,” Wildrich said. There are approximately 190 veterans receiving V.A. benefits on campus, said Jeannie Mackey, the university’s coordinator for veteran affairs. As a combat soldier, Widrich worked his way up through the ranks of an M1 Tanker driver, to loader as a private and finally, to a gunner as a corporal.
Back to life, back to reality
Though he was honorably discharged in 2008, Widrich is still fighting his own personal war. He suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. Driving at night is uncomfortable for him. “Every time I was in a roadside bomb, it happened at night.” Sometimes, when he sees a pothole, his mind will flash back to his time in Iraq where insurgents would place improvised explosive devices (IED’s) under manhole covers to blow up the whole road. When he remembers, instinct can sometimes take the wheel. “At night, if I’m not thinking, I can see a pothole and suddenly subconsciously snap back into that state of mind and swerve to miss that pothole,” Widrich said. He doesn’t like fireworks or sudden noises. He’s been in firefights and still remembers the sound and feel of bullets zooming past his head. He works seven hours a day, 30 hours a week at Compact Power Services, goes to school and then goes home to study, clean or pay bills. Sometimes, he has to muster enough energy just to cook dinner. On his right arm is a tattoo displaying the name of one of his closest friends in the service, Jeremy Stacey. Stacey died in a Humvee explosion in Baghdad. He was 20. It’s a heavy burden Widrich carries, but he said he’s willing if it brings awareness to the cause. Considered nontraditional students, Widrich and others like him have seen the world and all it has to offer. He also knows how hard it is to balance
Despite the horrors at night and discomfort in crowded places, Widrich is willing to communicate the truth. More soldiers are coming home than ever before due to advances in medicine, Widrich said. “Twenty years ago, 30 years ago, I wouldn’t have lived through some of my injuries,” he said. “We’re just substituting a battlefield for a different one.” Coming home isn’t easy, nor is it idyllic. In an unpromising economy, employment is rare. Widrich said the financial coverage veterans receive isn’t enough to help them assimilate back to normal life very smoothly. Returning to school doesn’t make the burdens lighter. There are no resources that help veterans get into the classes they need, receive leniency with teachers, make sure each veteran has a meal or make sure they are able to pay for their textbooks. “I know people who aren’t buying books because their kid’s sick; they need to get them medication,” Widrich said. Widrich receives the Post 9/11 GI Bill, which gives him $500 a year for books. It’s not enough. “I think the school should take some responsibility and help these people,” Widrich said. Being a disabled veteran, Widrich knows firsthand how hard it is to try assimilating to civilian and college life. Even with the GI Bill and veteran programs through the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, just becoming a student is difficult. “We have to go through veteran affairs, then we have to go to the V.A. coordinator at the school; we have to have our schedules approved,” Widrich said. By the time the student veterans re-
ceive any type of financial assistance, they’ve gone through the wringer. Veterans receive the same treatment as other students, Mackey said. Originally from Florida, Widrich packed up all his belongings and moved to Rock Hill to attend Winthrop because he said he wanted an education at a great school. At first, it wasn’t easy. “I felt really alone,” Widrich said. He said he felt he had no one to reach out to him; no one who went through the same things he had. “There are a lot of times when I get extremely depressed,” he said. “I feel like I’m alone sometimes.” “My most important goal is to make sure that no veteran ever feels alone,” Widrich said. As the organization’s president, Widrich also aims to help change the stigma against veterans. “…The military’s gotten a bad rap, especially after Vietnam, being called ‘baby killers’ and ‘rapists,’” Widrich said. Not all soldiers want to hurt people like those responsible for torturing several Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib in 2005, Widrich said.
Organization proposals Other proposals Widrich hopes to make are for the university to fly the American flag at half-mast during President’s Day and Veterans Day and to hold a flag ceremony on major holidays. Though he feels veterans are an alienated population on campus, he doesn’t fault the university. “The school has just never had the concern brought to them,” Widrich said. His goal is to change that. The organization will keep veterans active, make sure they have food to eat and ensure them transportation. Even if the organization’s goals don’t manifest while he is a student, Widrich hopes their actions now will help veterans in the future. “People think of soldiers as strong; they think of them as solid and unbreakable,” Widrich said. “But a soldier bleeds just like everybody else, a soldier has the same fears and same problems; the only thing that stands different is that we have the flag on our shoulders. We have to stand for the United States.” Like disabled students, veterans need better support, Widrich said. They need extra time on tests and extra time with teachers. “Sometimes, we need people to stand for us, because we’re too tired to stand on our own.”
Department of Residence Life
IMPORTANT ROOM SELECTION INFORMATION Eaglesnest Online Room Selection: (Lee Wicker, Margaret Nance, Richardson, Roddey, Thomson, and Wofford) Monday, February 21, 2011: Receive an e-mail with Room Selection log-in information.
Thursday, February 24, 2011: Eaglesnest Online Room Selection Begins.
Go to www.winthrop.edu/reslife and click on the Eaglesnest logo for specific dates, times, and details.
Follow Us on Facebook and Twitter! facebook.com/WUResidenceLife twitter.com/wuresidencelife
Division of Student Life . Winthrop University
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THURSDAY February 24, 2011
Cultural event scanner responsibilities encompass time, patience, rules at WU By Shatesha Scales
Rules are rules, and even one minute is too late. “If there’s a line it’s one thing, but if there’s no one there and you come in late, oh well,” Hayward said. Junior English major Danielle Broodie is a rookie and, like Young, just started the job this semester. Still, she echoed the same simple advice as the veterans: be on time. In Broodie’s opinion, coming in late is just rude. “If you’re late it’s the same thing as leaving early. You have to stay for the entire program,” Broodie said.
scaless@mytjnow.com
At 8:01 p.m., mass communication major Norie Young turned off her I.D. scanner and let out a sigh of relief. Her first night as a cultural event scanner went smoothly. At least until three students arrived late expecting to get their IDs scanned. Unfortunately, Young had to turn them down. One accepted her defeat humbly, the other pleaded desperately and the last one stomped away in anger. These three different emotions are what Young and other cultural event scanners must deal with every time they pick up their scanners. “We would love to give everyone credit and we understand why you’re upset, but it’s not our fault,” Young said. It’s a job and, like any other job, there are rules to follow.
They’re too
The rules By now, students know that Winthrop requires them to have 18 cultural event credits in order to graduate. For seniors especially, those two beeps of a scanner can determine whether or not they will walk across the stage at the end of the semester, and as many cultural event scanners witness, when seniors are denied this credit, tensions may run high. But the rules are simple. Students must arrive to the event on time and get their card scanned both before and after the event. The scanners are instructed to arrive at the event 30 minutes before it starts. Once it begins—the performer walks on stage or the lecturer begins to speak—the scanners are supposed to turn off their
devices and may only turn them back on at the end. Senior theater major Eric Gaston, the student responsible for the scanners’ scheduling, said any scanning in between that time period is documented, which is why they are unable to scan late students. “The scanners are time stamped, and we can tell if they are scanned after the event starts because of that,” Gaston said. However, just ask the scanners and they can attest that, while the rules are straight-forward, a number of students don’t think it’s so easy. Some students, particularly first-semester freshmen, are unaware of the pro-
NEWS BRIEF
Members of Pi Kappa Phi, Epsilon Eta chapter will put pedal to the metal all through the night on Tuesday, March 1. The fraternity will host a scaffold sit on Scholars Walk starting at noon and ending noon on March 2. A banner will be available for students to sign, pledging to end the use of the word “retarded.” The Spread the Word to End the Word campaign is part of Push America, an organization that helps raise money and awareness for persons with disabilities.
students,
When students follow the rules, the scanners agree that they enjoy their jobs. Young said, now that Graphic by Shatesha Scales • scaless@mytjnow.com she’s one of them, she tocol. realizes that cultural event Young agrees and said when she was scanners sometimes take a lot of flack. a freshman she was only aware that stuBut, at the end of the day, they’re just dents needed 18 cultural event credits. students. “I did not know that we needed to scan “We would love nothing [but] to scan our IDs,” Young said. everybody and give everybody credit beSenior psychology major Lashera Hay- cause some of us are in the same boat,” ward enjoys her job as a cultural event Young said. scanner but said it can get a little tiresome However, bending the rules for just when students don’t know the rules. one student can cost them their job and “It’s frustrating because people really they’re just not willing to take that chance. don’t understand that you have to scan “We’re really nice people but we can’t your ID before the event starts,” Hayward break the rules because you’re just a said. minute late,” Hayward said. “Just be on The biggest problem most scanners run time.” into is students who attend the event late.
POLICE BLOTTER Possession/receiving stolen goods (2/19/11) At 12:33 a.m., the bait bike located at the bicycle rack between the DiGiorgio Center and the West Center was taken, activating the GPS locater on the bike, according to the report. The reporting officer was able to locate the suspect riding the bicycle at the corner of Wilson St. and Black St. in front of the post office. The officer stopped the suspect and confirmed that the bicycle the suspect was riding was indeed the bait bike from the DiGiorgio Center, the report said. The suspect was then taken into custody and transported to Rock Hill City Jail. The suspect is being charged with possession/ receiving stolen goods. The suspect was also placed on trespass notice for Winthrop property, according to the report. Leaving the scene of accident (2/20/11) At 12:55 a.m., the reporting officer observed a black ford pick-up driving in a reckless manner, police said. The officer stopped him just past Charlotte Ave, according to the police report. Police approached the driver and requested a driver’s license and registration. The driver appeared intoxicated and smelled of alcohol. Police noticed damage to the vehicle’s left rear including a broken taillight. Police asked the driver what he had hit, and the driver stated he had hit something earlier in the day at Walmart. Police asked the driver where he was coming from and he replied Crazy Horse on Cherry Road, the report said. Another officer was sent to the parking lot of the Crazy Horse to investigate. He said he had located a vehicle struck by the driver’s vehicle along with the pieces of the driver’s vehicle still on the scene. The reporting officer dealing with the driver ran a check of his driver’s license and was informed by dispatch that the driver has an order of protection against him with violent tendencies. Police arrested the driver for driving under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident. The driver was transported to the Rock Hill City Jail. The driver underwent field sobriety tests at the jail, but the driver refused to comply with police and would not complete any sobriety exercises. The driver also re-
fused to submit to a breath test. The driver was very uncooperative and vulgar during the entire process. The driver was booked in on DUI and leaving the scene of an accident, police said. Possession of beer under 21 (2/20/11) At 9:58 p.m., police reported to a Richardson Hall residence hall for a possible drug law violation, the report stated. Police met with the RA who stated he could smell the odor of marijuana coming from a room as he walked by. The RA then knocked on the door, with no response. The RA then keyed into the room to find the occupants present. This all occurred prior to police arriving at the room, according to the report. Police then met with the occupants in the room and asked them if they had been smoking marijuana. Both students said they had, the report said. The reporting officer asked student A, resident of that room, if he could search the room. He consented. While searching the room, police located a clear plastic bag with 0.2 grams of marijuana in it. After locating the marijuana, student B quickly stated the marijuana was his and that he brought it from his room. The officer also located dozens of open beers and alcoholic energy drink containers all over the room. The majority of the containers still contained small amounts of alcohol. Police also located in the refrigerator an unopened can of beer and a half full can of beer, the report said. Student A said the beer was his and not his roommate’s, who was not present at the time of the search. Police then escorted student B up to his room and searched that room as well, with student B’s permission. Police only located a small amount of shake (loose marijuana) on the desk. Student A is charged with possession of beer under 21 and student B is charged with VDL (violation drug law) possession of marijuana, according to the police report. Both students are being referred to the Winthrop Judicial system.
Compiled by Monica Kreber
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Letter to the Editor It has been interesting to follow some of the latest Johnsonian opinion articles that work to point out potential flaws in the Winthrop administration and its decisions. The more recent mention of reserved space for the office of the president (2/9 & 2/17) has been a fascinating opinion piece to follow. Is a specific parking space important enough to write about and take a public stand on? This says a lot to me. In fact, it increases my own school spirit. It seems some of the bigger and more public concerns regarding the university are about parking equity. It’s nice to know that a focus on one parking space is a noticeable and opinion worthy issue instead of comments on academics and the core of our university experience. As students, we are here to learn and live out that true “Live, Learn, Lead” motto. I don’t understand the concern from the Johnsonian staff in needing ‘sufficient justification’ regarding space for two vehicles to be parked in the area reserved for the president’s office. I am curious: what motivates the questioning and need for justification? Especially in an area that officially is for visitors only (yet, many students park there and get upset when they find tickets on their cars) this double-wide division of parking space doesn’t negatively impact the overall operation of the university. And, having ample space for Dr. and Mrs. DiGiorgio or their guests at any hour of the day seems fully appropriate for the organization’s top official. After following articles the past two weeks, I still don’t understand
the problem The Johnsonian staff saw in the first place. Evan Russo Graduate Student, MBA Program
Letters to the editor from students, faculty, staff or community members are accepted by The Johnsonian. Please send letters to Editor-in-chief Anna Douglas at douglasa@mytjnow.com. You may also leave comments on our website, www.mytjnow.com.
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...having ample space for Dr. and Mrs. DiGiorgio or their guests at any hour of the day seems fully appropriate for the organization’s top official.
THURSDAY February 24, 2011
CONNOR DE BRULER Opinion Editor debrulerc@mytjnow.com
Editor cools off, muses on the wonders of teaching Teaching and learning greatest, honest pleasures life has can be therapeutic. The to offer. sharing of knowledge, as I It seems to me that the bedrock have come to find, is one of 19th and 20th century diploof the most powerful social macy was the sharing of informatools. tion between nations. Of course, I often see Hispanic congovernments spend more time struction workers on sidehiding info then they do sharing it, Connor de Bruler presumably. walks and building fronts Opinion editor when I take walks. Most of Many of my columns are structhese young men are looked tured as follows: I tell you someat with prejudice in today’s thing. I give you more background. financial climate for many complicated I make my case, then I tell you to go reasons. They don’t have an easy time do something. I’ve asked you to stop here having to deal with adversity. talking to your parents. I’ve asked you When I ask them questions about the to cross-dress. I’ve asked you to realize Spanish language, however, they are alhow beautiful life is. I’ve even asked you ways delighted to give me an impromptu to think about shooting heroin. lesson. I have yet to receive “false inforThis time, I’m not asking you to do mation” from them. They have never anything. tried to trick me and substitute a curse I just want to muse on the signififor a noun or friendly phrase. Trust me, cance of teaching and learning within I’ve verified the Spanish I’ve learned the social structures of our world. We all on construction sites. They truly enjoy go to this college and spend a lot of time teaching me. learning here, but we can all be teachers, I can only imagine that they get a lot too. of flack for having limited English skills. I think in order to be a well-rounded I can only imagine what it’s like to read human being you have to assume the poover-zealous white people’s bumper sition of being an educator and a student stickers saying things like, “Welcome to simultaneously. This principle lends America. We speak English. Learn it or itself to our academic surroundings and leave.” our lives in general. It’s also a good idea When I ask them to teach me Spanish to humble ourselves and say once a day, words, it’s almost as though I’m making “Gee, I sure don’t know everything” even a concession on behalf of my country. if you are a well-regarded, widely-pubI also love teaching people things. lished professor. My friends have grown accustomed to This column might not be as cerebral my frequently unprovoked outbursts of as others I’ve written, and you might fairly useless, banal or otherwise unhave found yourself mumbling under wanted information. your breath, “Duh, I knew that.” It naturally boosts people’s ego to Well, guess what? become a temporary professor, espeI didn’t. I didn’t give any of this a cially when the information is wanted or shred of thought until now, and it’s needed by the recipient. It allows us to beautiful. It’s absolutely beautiful befeel useful. Feeling useful is one of the cause I just learned something.
Student takes bite out of online politics It’s no secret to destroy America.” anyone that the I know the bottomInternet is the last feeders that make up our place to find intelcountry’s racial supremaligent political discists and political agitacourse, and it was tors aren’t the brightest stupid of me to ever bulbs in the lamp, but I assume otherwise. didn’t expect to see their Jared Epps It’s so jarring to sheer numbers and influGuest columnist see the staggering ence over the Internet. amount of misinThe worst of the bunch formation and conare sites where you can fused bigotry floating around find some brilliant thinker’s the Internet. Sometimes, I can’t thesis on why Islam is an evil even tell if people are being religion and why it should be serious or not. corrected by the light and truth I can imagine an appropriate of Christianity, a religion that response. can apparently do no wrong. “But Mr. Epps, you bitter Aside from the fact that the misanthropic jerk,” someone blogger’s revolutionary idea might say. “People don’t act makes as much sense as putting like themselves on the Intertwo and two together to get five, net because it’s easy to remain the worst part of this was seeanonymous.” ing the hundreds of crackpots I say the opportunity to agreeing with him, along with remain anonymous lets people the man who begged his deity show how ugly they really are. to eradicate Islam, and the Political bloggers really know random person writing a barely how to put on a show, especially legible anecdote about his epic, when something politically lifelong struggle against Jewish relevant happens. It used to and black people. be funny to see some of these For the special people who people demand that our Presican’t figure out how to properly dent be forced to show his birth regurgitate the rhetoric of their certificate, but it’s almost surpolitical overlords, Youtube real to still see people demandchannels offer a simple venue ing this years after his election. for relevant social ideas. These aren’t isolated inciI’ve seen deep and profound dents. There are still people messages such as: “god why do slamming on their keyboards mexicins come over hear we over “Barack Hussein Obama’s need 2 shoot them on barders,” evil African-socialist plot to and “rush limbalt and glen beck
Illustration by Courtney Niskala•niskalac@mytjnow.com are true american heros speaking the truth so obamacare and muslims wont take over.” Common sense tells me to just laugh at these people and move on, but these confused and misguided knuckle-draggers are the ones that scream the loudest about nothing and
Editor ANNA DOUGLAS
Arts & entertainment editor JESSICA PICKENS
Ad designer SAMANTHA FURTICK
Managing editor TIFFANY BARKLEY
Assistant arts & entertainment editor ALISON ANGEL
Photographers KATHLEEN BROWN STEPHANIE EATON
Sports editor JEFF BRODEUR
Multimedia editors SHATESHA SCALES KAYLEE NICHOLS
News editor CLAIRE BYUN Assistant news editor JONATHAN MCFADDEN Opinion editor CONNOR DE BRULER Culture editor ALEXIS AUSTIN Health & science editor AMANDA PHIPPS
Assistant sports editor DAVID THACKHAM Graphic Designer COURTNEY NISKALA Copy editors BRITTANY GUILFOYLE BRANTLEY MCCANTS
Webmaster DEVANG JOSHI Advertising manager SARAH MACDONALD Faculty adviser LARRY TIMBS
form silly organizations like the Tea Party. They also cause enough of a ruckus to influence the politicians who have an influence over the lives of the general populace, so I can’t just write them off as completely irrelevant psychopaths. Some people might ask why
I’m even complaining about internet politics. Good question; I’d say for the same reasons that some illiterate, misinformed trailer park residents might complain about Socialism and “death panels.”
About The Johnsonian The Johnsonian is the weekly student newspaper of Winthrop University. It is published during fall and spring semesters with the exception of university holidays and exam periods. CONTACT INFORMATION Our offices are located in suite 104 in the DiGiorgio Campus Center. Phone: (803) 323-3419 E-mail: editors@mytjnow.com Online: mytjnow.com LETTER POLICY Letters and feedback can be sent to editors@mytjnow.com or by mail at The Johnsonian, 104
Campus Center, Rock Hill, S.C., 29733. Comments submitted online at www.mytjnow.com may be printed as letters and may be shortened for space and edited for clarity. Please include your name, major and year if you are a student; your name and title if you are a professor; or your name and profession if you are a member of
the community. Letters, cartoons and columns reflect the opinions of the authors and are not necessarily the opinions of The Johnsonian staff. CORRECTIONS Contact us if you find an error in an issue of the newspaper. We will correct it in the next issue.
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THURSDAY February 24, 2011
ALEXIS AUSTIN Culture Editor austina@mytjnow.com
WU welcomes new year with festivities
Asian Lunar New Year on campus Above: Colorful dragons from the 2011 Asian Lunar New Year Celebration. The event also had student performers, a fashion show and Asian food. Right: A student from the Martial Arts Club performs ancient martial arts.
Photos by Claire VanOstenbridge vanostenbridgec@mytjnow.com
Program educates kids on Black History By Alexis Austin austina@mytjnow.com
For some, February is a time to reflect on what life was like during segregation. “I wouldn’t like it if I couldn’t eat at my favorite restaurant because I was white,” nine-year-old Jennifer said after watching a reenactment of the Friendship Nine. Jennifer, along with other children from the Rock Hill community,attended the Journey Through Black History program this past Saturday. Sponsored by Multicultural Student Life and the Center for Civic and Career Engagement, the event was held in the DiGiorgio Campus Center. The program replaced the annual King Day for Kids this year. Due to inclement weather in January, many Rock Hill schools had school on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, forcing the event to be rescheduled for February. “Since the event was postponed, we had to change our focus and the name of the event,” Director of Multicultural Student Life Dante Pelzer said. “We changed some things so that it would focus on black history month instead of just Martin Luther King, Jr.” Children witnessed different scenes in history acted out by members of Skin Deep and Boyz II Men. Along with the Friendship Nine scene, there were also scenes focusing on the Harlem Renaissance, Jackie Robinson, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Barack Obama. Student organizations such as S.O.A.R., Alpha Kappa Alpha, AmeriCorps and Alpha Kappa Psi also participated in the event by having crafts for the children to do. Sigma Gamma Rho sorority hosted the “I have a dream” craft where kids were able to write down their dreams and
inspirations on a footprint and paste it on a path. “It’s nice to see all races get together and participate in Black History Month,” senior business administration and health care management major Shay McPhail said. McPhail, a member of Sigma Gamma Rho, has worked with the program for two years. Jaron Reeves, a counselor at York Place, brought a group of kids to the event. Throughout the month of February, the group home hosts several events such as plays and a luncheon to engage kids in Black History Month. This is his second year bringing kids to the event. “There are a lot of black people who don’t get recognized for what they’ve done,” Reeves said. “All kids should have access to black history.” The main focus of the program was to educate the community and children on black history, Pelzer said. “It’s everyone’s responsibility to educate our children,” he said. “Winthrop is doing its part in educating the children in our community.” Not only did Jennifer enjoy the crafts, but she said she was able to learn something. “I liked watching and learning what we needed to know about black history,” she said. “I also liked making the magnets and my bag.”
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All kids should have access to black history. Jaron Reeves
York Place Counselor
Street Talk English you didn’t learn from your professors International students, you probably didn’t learn these phrases in your English classes. Here are a few that might make your conversations more interesting. Test your friends and see if they can correctly define them.
Smarty-pants: someone who is smart or often makes sarcastic remarks. Example: Students in the class nicknamed her Smarty-pants because she always knows the answer to the teacher’s questions. Shotgun: the front passenger seat of a vehicle. Example: My friends argue about who will ride shotgun when I drive. Compiled by Alexis Austin
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THURSDAY February 24, 2011
JESSICA PICKENS Arts & Entertainment Editor pickensj@myjnow.com ALISON ANGEL Asst. Arts & Entertainment Editor angela@mytjnow.com
Go to sleep: Experiment hypnotizes students
By Jessica Pickens pickensj@mytjnow.com
You are feeling very relaxed, breathing deeply and thinking of something pleasant. This is how senior broadcast major Zade Patterson puts his friends to sleep. No, he isn’t tucking them in to bed for the night, but hypnotizing them. Patterson has been interested in hypnotism for the past four years. “Freshman year, I had psyc 101 with Dr. Nelson,” he said. “I had to write a paper on hypnotism and became interested.” After seeing hypnotist Tom Deluca, a DSU tradition DSU, Patterson also became interested in the prospects of mixing hypnotism and comedy with his brother, Ted.
“I love comedy and I thought it would be great to do the two together,” he said. “Ted and I do comedy skits and use our random imagination for hypZade Patterson hypnotizes freshman Joseph Fry and sophomore Rob Carroll. Fry and Carroll were notism.” told to say “booglie booglie” and wave their arms every time Winthrop was said. Photo by StephaHypnotizing friends started nie Eaton • eatons@mytjnow.com as a hobby for Patterson, but books in another, dance like of hypnosis, but Patterson said Patterson uses what is called has recently gotten attention ballerinas, sing in barber shop no one has attacked him for induction to put his friends to with fraternitities and sororitiquartets and forget their names. practicing it. sleep. ties for party entertainment. “No one has outright called “When I was told to forget “It’s a step ladder to relax,” Freshman theatre tech major me a fake,” he said, “but many my name, I knew my name, but Patterson said. “It’s not really Joseph Fry readily volunteers to people think it’s questionable.” sleep, but more like a glaze. You something was telling me, ‘You be hypnotized. To listen to Patterson’s comeknow it, but you aren’t allowed are conscious of your surround“It feels really nice,” he said. dic hypnotism, listen in to his to tell,’” Carroll said. ings.” “I volunteer because it’s calmSophomore theatre education Fry said he also heard someWINR radio show on Saturdays ing.” major Rob Carroll has also been thing in his brain telling him from 10 p.m. to 12 a.m. on winFry has been hypnotized twice hypnotized twice. not to tell his name. rfm.com or channel 20 or 99 if - the first time on Patterson’s “I remember everything you live on campus. “I think my biggest feeling radio show on WINR. that happens,” Carroll said. “It Maybe you can even be his during the hypnotism was when “I was told it doesn’t work almost feels like I’m doing it all next volunteer. Zade said we had balloons in and I wasn’t sure if it would,” consciously.” one hand,” Fry said. “It felt like Fry said. “If you tell yourself it Patterson commands his remy hand went up by itself.” won’t work, it won’t, because it’s laxed friends to feel the weight Several people are skeptical the power of the mind.” of balloons in one hand and
Breaking banks for jewelry
Katielynn Gadow, jewelry/metals major, works on a metal piece. Jewelry/ metal design majors not only put hours, but also of money into pieces. Photo by Stephanie Eaton • eatons@mytjnow
JEWELRY • from front want to lose your vision for a project just because material costs are high,” Harris said. “A lot of times, I look at what I have and can reuse before I buy more materials and change my designs based on what I may have lying around my bench.” Harris doesn’t have work appearing in this exhibition, but she said helping plan the event has been incredibly beneficial. “Having this opportunity has given us an experience that will help us succeed in the art industry,” Harris said. “Having the knowledge behind what it takes to create and put together an exhibition is vital information as artist. It will definitely be an experience that I will look back on and be glad that it was a part of my curriculum.” Jewelry/metals students started planning the exhibit in fall 2010. They took charge of the whole event, from picking the show’s theme, the categories and documenting the entries. “We had to basically figure out how to create and assemble an exhibition ourselves with help from our professor, Courtney Starrett,” Harris said. “She wanted to give us the opportunity to learn how to execute every small detail it takes to put together an exhibition, and it has been a huge learning curve for me
as well as my classmates.” Starrett, the professor in charge of the project, said the exhibit features 30 different pieces, which the class will install in the Lewandowski Gallery. Starrett said students planned everything from picking the juror, artist Bob Ebendorf, to collecting entries. “They’ve had to learn everything about organizing an exhibition. It’s been very much their project,” Starrett said. “Now, submitting their work to an exhibition, they’ll have a little bit of understanding of what’s going on on the other side.” The exhibition will be displayed in the Lewandowski Galleries in McBride Hall from March 7 to 25.
WANT TO GO? What: Undergraduate Intercollegiate Jewelry and Metals Exhibition Where: Lewandowski Student Gallery in McLaurin When: Monday, March 7, to Friday, March 25
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THURSDAY February 24, 2011
Winthrop As a Movie During fall 2009 and spring 2010, the Arts and Entertainment section featured Winthrop faculty and staff and their celebrity look-a-likes. Now it’s back. The Johnsonian uses the family networking website, MyHeritage.com, to generate the look-a-likes.
Skin Deep Week
This week, the celebrity comparison is the operations manager of political science, Lane Lovegrove. According to the Johnsonian staff, Lovegrove looks like Alan Ruck of “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” fame. Photo by Stephanie Eaton • eatons@mytjnow.com
Theatre group addresses body image, stereotypes Students perform in the Skin Deep play about different social issues, such as eating disorders. This week was Skin Deep week, and Skin Deep had a bake Lane Lovegrove
Send your celebrity look-a-like ideas to pickensj@mytjnow.com.
Alan Ruck
sale and an open Mic
Night to raise aware-
image and peer pres-
ness.
sure.
Skin Deep is a com-
The Skin Deep com-
munity service and
munity play will be
theatre group that
performed at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 24, in Withers’ Plowden Auditorium.
performs plays that address topics such as stereotypes, body
On-Campus Movies: Saturday, Feb. 26 Tangled: Disney puts a twist on the classic tale of Rapunzel, starring Mandy Moore as the voice of the long-haired lass.
9
THURSDAY February 24, 2011
AMANDA PHIPPS Health & Science Editor phippsa@mytjnow.com
February offers new opportunity to iPhone users With Verizon now producing the iPhone4, some people may choose to weigh the benefits and downfalls of each carrier of the Smartphone By Amanda Phipps phippsa@mytjnow.com
Graphic by Courtney Niskala • niskalac@mytjnow.com
Now people can choose which carrier they want without giving up their Smartphone. As of Feb. 10, Verizon offers its customers the iPhone4, previously offered only by AT&T, according to the Verizon website. Both phones offer the 16 GB iPhone4 for $200 with a two-year contract, according to the carriers’ websites. The new Verizon iPhone4 may not con-
vince some people to switch carriers, senior sociology major Sarah Scott said. Scott said she is not likely to switch from AT&T to Verizon. She said she uses her phone to play games such as “Angry Birds.” “I like AT&T most of the time, even though sometimes I lose service,” she said. “I know a lot of people who love AT&T.” Scott said she thinks more people will get the iPhone now. “I use my iPhone all the time,” she said.
Department program offers students new connections By Amanda Phipps phippsa@mytjnow.com
Students have the chance to hear about work and educational opportunities after college and make connections at weekly biology seminars. The seminar program is a requirement for biology majors, who have to take biol 491 and 492, said James Johnston, chair of the biology department. However, anybody who wants to come and hear from professionals in the field is welcome, he said. The speakers come to Win-
throp voluntarily and are usually known to someone in the department; some come to recruit students into graduate programs, Johnston said. “It depends on our luck in attracting speakers,” he said. “This is a common practice at most colleges.” Johnston said most schools offer departmental seminars for graduate students. “The fact that we do this for undergraduate students makes us unique,” he said. Seminars usually occur every week depending on if there is a speaker available, Johnston
said. Last Wednesday, Christian Graves, 2008 Winthrop graduate, spoke about his research experience at Winthrop and his current job as a research fellow at National Institutes of Health (NIH). Graves did undergraduate research with associate professor of biology Laura Glasscock, he said. “It is important to make connections,” he said. Graves is now working on projects at NIH and will finish his fellowship in the spring of 2012, according to an e-mail the
biology department sent to students. The next seminar will be held next Wednesday, Johnston said. Students have the opportunity to present their own research during a seminar as well, he said. Though the class is a requirement, some students who aren’t enrolled also attend to hear from the speakers, senior biology major Kennon Smith said. “The class gives the impression of what presenting your research is like,” he said. The seminar is important to broaden students’ minds as well, junior biology major Kea Tucker
said. “It opens your eyes to different perspectives and views,” she said. “You never know what people are interested in.” Johnston said the biology department wants to look into getting fewer, more qualified speakers for the seminars. “We want to reinvigorate the seminar and make students want to come,” he said. “We want to expose our students to the stateof-the-art, cutting-edge science that is happening right now.”
Human, animal co-dependence inspires editor to change diet
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Sheep need us to shave their wool, or else it continues to grow to a point where the animals are simply rolling balls of screaming fluff. After a year of never eating anything that contained products from animals, one student realized something that changed his outlook completely I stopped being a vegan. The decision was not easy. I once argued in favor of veganism for quite some time. My switch to the vegetarian lifestyle started after the realization that the human race has domesticated farm animals to the point of mutual dependency. They need us, and we definitely need them. Sheep need us to shave their wool, or else it continues to grow to a point where the animals are simply rolling balls of screaming fluff. We couldn’t release them into the wild. Sheep are just one example. I realized after a trip to a goat farm that taking care of beautiful animals, drinking their milk or eating their cheese is no more of a crime than nursing from one’s mother during infancy. There were tears in my
Connor DeBruler Opinion editor
eyes at the end of that day. Baby formula be damned! I still cannot see myself able to justify killing animals for food in our current industrial infrastructure. Not only are hundreds of acres of forest cut down to allow them to graze, but raising them in the condition in which commercial beef is kept can only be described as evil. I believe in the late philosopher Jeremy Bentham, who said animal suffering is just as evil as human suffering.
Don’t eat meat. I don’t condemn “hardcore” vegans now. I still think veganism is a perfectly healthy and normal dietary choice; it just isn’t for me. Cheese wasn’t so hard to give up; it was chocolate that did me in. I’m still playing it safe and making sure I’m not eating too many milk-based products, particularly pizza, which I haven’t eaten in more than a year. I’m also steering clear of things such as ice cream. The soy-milk-based ice cream is much more light in favor, and I have become so used to it the normal brands seem to offend my taste buds. They’re too heavy. I urge everyone to live life as they see fit and not deny themselves too much, but not revel in excess either.
Graphic by Alex Miles • Special to The Johnsonian
10 SPORTS BRIEFS Baseball team leaves San Diego with a 1-2 record
THURSDAY February 24, 2011
JEFF BRODEUR Sports Editor brodeurj@mytjnow.com DAVID THACKHAM Assistant Sports Editor thackhamd@mytjnow.com
Eagles fail to complete comeback
The Winthrop baseball team opened the 2010-2011 season in San Diego as they faced San Diego and San Diego State. They won their opening day game against San Diego State, 14-9. Unfortunately, they were unable to find their offense in the final two games of the road trip, losing 5-7 against no. 28 San Diego, and 1-6 in the rematch against San Diego State. The Eagles are now back in Rock Hill as part of a 16game home stretch that will last until March 13. Campbell University to join Big South in 2011 The Big South website announced Campbell University will once again become a part of the conference that it departed from in 1994. The school, from Buies Creek, N.C., has been competing in the Atlantic Sun Conference since leaving the Big South and sponsors 20 sports at the Division I level. The school will be making the move to the Big South in 2011. Simms named Big South men’s indoor track Athlete of the week Senior hurdler Keary Simms received the weekly award following his recent performance in the Appalachian State Invitational in Boone, N.C. His time of 7.45 seconds in the 55 meter hurdles last week was the second best of his career led and was the best among all Winthrop competitors. Women’s tennis barely holds on to win against Tulane The Winthrop women’s tennis team was able to squeak out a 4-3 victory over Tulane this past weekend. The no. 65-ranked Eagles took two of the three doubles matches and three singles matches to pull out the win. Winthrop improves to 7-6 on the season, while Tulane drops to 2-6. The Eagles will return to action on Feb. 24 to take on the South Carolina Gamecocks. WU softball unable to win in extra innings The Lady Eagles committed two costly errors in extra innings that contributed to the 2-1 loss to Marshall over the weekend. A mishandled throw by Winthrop in the final inning allowed Marshall to score what proved to be the game- winning run. The loss drops the Eagles to a 3-7 record on the season and increases the team’s winless streak to five games. After a month on the road, the team will make their long awaited home debut on March 2 when they host the South Carolina Gamecocks. Winthrop basketball celebrates senior night On Saturday night at 7p.m., the Winthrop men’s basketball team will honor Charles Corbin and Justin Burton at senior night during a matchup against the VMI Keydets.
The Eagles rallied back from a 20 point deficit in the first half to force the game into overtime, but they were unable to walk away with a win. Photo by Stephanie Eaton • eatons@mytjnow.com By David Thackham
thackhamd@mytjnow. com
On a day where a host of ESPN Sears Bracketbuster basketball games turned to losses for other Big South teams, the Winthrop Eagles couldn’t help but follow suit. Winthrop fought back from a deep hole in the first half to force overtime, but could not overcome the clinical free throw shooting of the Ohio Bobcats. They also missed several opportunities on the offensive end to lose 77-74 and drop to 12-15 on the season this Saturday evening at the Winthrop Coliseum. Hung over from a demoralizing loss against rival Coastal Carolina and a double overtime fall against High Point, Winthrop looked doomed from the start as the Ohio Bobcats jumped out to a 26-6 lead in the first 10 minutes. Most of the damage came from forward Tommy Freeman, who drained seven of Ohio’s nine 3-pointers, tying a Bobcat record of most by a player in one game. Although Ohio was in last place in their East Division of the Mid Atlantic Conference, the Bobcats were able to please the strong contingent of Bobcat fans who made the trip to Rock Hill by also holding Winthrop to 20 percent shooting in the opening 8:31. The early pressure got to the Eagles on the offensive end as they turned the ball over eight times in the first half, compared to Ohio’s three turnovers. Eagles coach Randy Peele said he was unsure why Winthrop had such a late start to the game. “It’s been something we’ve been talking about for a long time,” Peele said. “A game could be lost or won at any time, but we dug our-
selves a big hole in the first half.” However, the early deficit energized the Eagles squad, which chipped away at Ohio’s lead behind junior guard Reggie Middleton. The Augusta, Ga. native initiated a big shift in momentum with 7:42 left in the period after he snatched a rebound from Bobcat T.J. Hall, stormed up the court and beat two Ohio defenders for a layup. “The way they responded by being down, [Winthrop] showed unbelievable fight,” Ohio coach John Groce said. In the last seven minutes of play, Winthrop went on a 15-2 tear, silencing the boisterous fans in green and white and cutting the lead to 30-25. Ohio’s Devaugh Washington, the game’s co-leading scorer with 21 points, summed up the first half as “disappointing.” “Coach [John Groce] wanted us to keep our foot on the pedal,” he said, “but we didn’t really accomplish that.” The second half provided much of the same for the Eagles as Middleton continued his lead from the front. The forward clocked nine out of Winthrop’s 13 shots within four minutes. He would finish the game 6-9 from the floor with 19 points and 3 rebounds. Sophomore Gideon Gamble gave the Eagles a lifeline with 9:57 left in regulation with a 3-pointer to cut the Bobcat lead to three for the first time since the fourth minute of play. The defense stood firm as well, keeping Ohio scoreless in the last 10 possessions of the second half. The half ended with an unbroken stretch of seven Winthrop points, with Middleton finally tying the game at 64 with 54.1 seconds on the clock
with a wide-open layup in the paint. Andre Jones tried to give the Eagles their first lead of the game, but botched what should have been a simple 3-pointer in the final seconds, to lead to overtime. The x-factor for the Bobcats in overtime was D.J. Cooper, who was held scoreless for all 40 minutes of regulation. He knocked in an early layup to extend the Ohio lead, forc-
ing the Eagles to foul often for more possessions. But Cooper was too clinical from the stripe, making four free throws and a pair of jumpers in the lane to close out any hope Winthrop had of pulling out the win at home. “Winthrop did a good job covering D.J. in regulation,” Groce said. “They were very physical.” D.J made some big plays for us in overtime,” said Groce.
“He stepped up and made some great plays at the right time.” Peele was upset at the outcome, but wanted to press forward. “I’m upset we lost, but we have to go to our next game now. I want [the players] to stand firm because the tougher it is, the tougher you have to be,” he said. The loss drops the Eagles to .444 on the season, with crucial
matchups against 2nd ranked Big South contender Liberty and 6th ranked VMI that will determine whether Winthrop can host a Big South first round match. Should they lose their season-ending games, Winthrop will most likely have to face a daunting rematch against the Flames in Lynchburg, Va.
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THURSDAY February 24, 2011
Former WU goalie flirts with pro soccer contract
By David Thackham
thackhamd@mytjnow.com
Three years after graduating from Winthrop University, goalkeeper Patrick Mitrovich hopes to finally be recognized for his work. The prolific stopper is nearing the official signing to play for the USL’s (United Soccer League) Charlotte Eagles. A stalwart in defense for the Eagles men’s soccer from 2005-2008, Mitrovich is pleased to get his start in professional soccer. “I’m feeling pretty good; confident about it,” Mitrovich said. “I want to break into the starting lineup and work my way into the first eleven and hopefully build from there.” The signing is not without a massive effort by the 23-year-old. After his three-time Conference Best performances between 2006-2008, the goalkeeper spent time as a triallist at five separate USL squads, including Charlotte. In 2010, Mitrovich jetted to Germany to play for International Soccer Star FC, a renowned travel soccer team that plays worldwide. All things considered, the current
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SPORTS
assistant men’s coach is unafraid of keeping fit. “I’ve stayed in shape, running a lot with the team and such, so I’ll be fine,” Mitrovich said. In his senior season with the Eagles, Mitrovich played nearly every minute of the year, recording 86 saves in 22 games with a .782 save percentage to help the Eagles to a Big South Conference championship win over rival Coastal Carolina. Mitrovich expects the signing to occur either Wednesday or Thursday.
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I’m feeling pretty good; confident about it. Patrick Mitrovich Goalkeeper
Men’s basketball locker rooms waiting for makeover By Jeff Brodeur brodeurj@mytjnow.com
While the men’s basketball team’s season hasn’t been as pretty as we had all hoped for, their locker rooms are soon to be looking better than ever. Just one year after the women’s locker rooms at the Winthrop Coliseum were renovated, the men’s are currently in the process of being redone “as funding becomes available,” according to Athletic Director Tom Hickman. The renovations will consist of removing a wall to create one large room rather than the current setup of two smaller rooms. Additionally, new lockers and carpeting will be installed, along with wall graphics and a fresh coat of paint on all the walls and the ceiling. “It is really a pretty simple update,” Hickman said. Aside from the visual appeal the renova-
tions provide, the athletic department sees these improvements to the 29-year-old coliseum as a crucial factor in staying competitive. “The locker rooms are important in the recruiting process for studentathletes just as facilities such as Carroll Hall, Owens Hall, West Center and DiGiorgio Campus Center are important for general overall student body recruitment,” Hickman
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The locker rooms are important in the recruiting process.
said. While the total cost of the renovations is not available yet, there’s no need for students to start their complaining about how their money is being spent on facilities they are most likely never going to see. According to Hickman, Winthrop has a “donor” who has generously offered to help with the funds necessary for these upgrades to happen,” Hickman said. The remodeling project has not been given a timetable as to when they will be completed.
Tom Hickman
Athletic Director
WU in Final Four? Butler did it
Smaller schools are starting to make a splash in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament By Steven Bowers Special to The Johnsonian
The Butler Bulldogs came within one shot of winning the NCAA Men’s National Championship last season. Did you know Butler has 2,000 students less than Winthrop? The Duke University Blue Devils defeated Butler to win the national title. Did you know that this college basketball powerhouse out of the mighty ACC plays in an arena with no air conditioning (that they use) that only seats about 2,500 more people than the Winthrop Coliseum? Not to mention that Duke has some of the highest academic standards in the country and many of their sports suffer as a result. Do you remember just three years ago when a small Southern Conference school named Davidson College just up the road and across the state line from Winthrop came within one shot of defeating eventual national champion Kansas and going to the Final Four? Davidson has about 5,000 less undergraduates than Winthrop. You may remember the player that led Davidson that season was Steph Curry who played his high school ball in
Charlotte. Curry was a top candidate for NBA Rookie of the Year last season. Did you know that his brother Seth played his first year of college ball in the ‘08-’09 season at Liberty University, which is in the very same Big South Conference as Winthrop? He has since transferred to Duke and stands a very good chance of playing in the Final Four this year. I have long held the notion that while of course we want to go to the Big Dance, it would not be such a bad thing for a school like Winthrop to go to the NIT. The team that wins the regular season in a mid-major league like the Big South gets an automatic bid to the NIT if they do not win their conference tournament. This is where Winthrop relegated rival Coastal Carolina to last year after defeating them in their high school gym they call an “Arena” in the tournament championship. A school similar to Winthrop is usually one-and-done in the NCAA Tournament, the Eagles’ magical win over Notre Dame in ‘07 notwithstanding. The NIT would give a smaller school better odds at winning, an opportunity for a home game or two and the revenue that comes with that, more exposure for the university
and team, and a chance to go play in New York’s Madison Square Garden. While all of this is true, I’ve changed my stance a bit. Why not dream big? Call me crazy, and you probably are by now, but why can’t Winthrop do what Butler, Davidson, or even Duke have done? I know these are all private schools with more money and resources perhaps than Winthrop, but you don’t need the same amount of money or players to succeed as you would in a sport like football, for example. The similarities are there too. Butler and Davidson are both small schools in hoops-crazy areas of the country. Butler played the Final Four about six miles from its campus. They didn’t even miss class the day of the championship. That would be roughly the equivalent of Winthrop, or Davidson for that matter, playing the Final Four in Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte. Can you imagine? I can. I may be dreaming, but indulge me for a minute. What if Steph Curry had come to Winthrop instead of Davidson? He would have been on the ‘07 team that al-
ready beat Notre Dame wihthout him and the ‘08 team that also won the Big South and went to the Big Dance the same year he almost led Davidson to the Final Four. What if Curry had come to Winthrop? Winthrop is a regular in the Big Dance, unlike Liberty, so maybe he would not have been looking to transfer out after one year like he did at Liberty. Could you imagine his shooting on Winthrop’s team(since shooting has been our weakness the last couple of years), as good as Winthrop typically plays defense? This area is a hotbed for basketball talent. Some great players have come out of the Charlotte area. You are only one great player away from catching lightning in a bottle. My point is that greatness is not that far away. We should not be afraid to dream big. With the tradition and excellence Winthrop already has in basketball, why should we put a ceiling on our expectations and capabilities? Butler did it; why can’t we? Why not us? Why not Winthrop?
UPCOMING EVENTS
Softball Mar. 2 vs. South Carolina at 5p.m.
Men’s basketball Feb. 24 vs. Liberty at 7p.m. Feb. 26 vs. VMI at 7p.m. Women’s basketball Feb. 26 vs. High Point at 4:30p.m. Feb. 28 vs. UNC Asheville at 7p.m. Baseball Feb. 26-27 Johnny Gill Memorial (HOME)
Men’s tennis Feb. 26 vs. Liberty at 2p.m. Women’s tennis Feb. 24 @ South Carolina at 2p.m. Feb. 26 vs. Liberty at 10a.m. Track and field Feb. 24-25 Big South Championships (Clemson University)
THURSDAY February 24, 2011
THE JOHNSONIAN
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