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PAC Comedy
Comedy special in TUC is a big hit
AP Ranking
Students react to UC’s top-10 ranking
THE NEWS RECORD / UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI MONDAY, APR. 3, 2017
NEWSRECORD.ORG
Student
opinion on
personal finances PATRICK LAPRADE | CONTRIBUTOR OPINION
In the life of a university student, student debt simmers like a rolling thunderstorm. It taunts you as you watch the tumultuous clouds roll in, knowing that hell will certainly be unleashed. There’s not much to be done in terms of the ghastly destruction that will wreak havoc on bills, loans and whatever else this capitalist hellscape wants to amend my education to fit their monetary yearnings. An issue that arises out of such financial strife is the question of whether or not students are even prepared to handle such burdens. In that case, should universities prepare their students by requiring them to take financial literacy courses? Delving into this issue, it forces me to reflect on the course I was required to take in high school, which is the most comparable to a financial literacy course. I garnered nothing from the course. While the idea of financial literacy courses sounds ideal, there is scant evidence that proves that financial literacy courses improve one’s financial decisions. Financial offerings shift as time drones on, thus making it hard for regulators to keep up, especially educators. If such a course was implemented and required, the signal these institutions send to their students is that academic success is equivalent to financial success. It must also be considered that government policies involving health care, employment and benefits have a vastly greater impact on the personal financial acumen of individuals, rather than individual spending. There is an underlying level of irony residing behind financial inquiry classes. The financial industry profits when consumers make poor financial decisions, yet they all support personal finance classes, leading the suspicion that they create this false sense of confidence. Considering the industry encourages classes that try to cheat the very industry that created them, it seems that they just want a consumer for their product. It is claimed that personal finance could be analogous to driver’s education, but learning to drive didn’t really begin in that classroom – it began once you got behind the wheel. Rather than encourage college students to take financial literacy courses, subsidize prenatal and pediatric health care in order to develop the analytical and decision-making skills that are required of financial literacy. Invest for a better future instead of trying to mitigate the problem through what the industry wants you to do. Learn consumer self-defense and help yourself instead of them.
AARON DORSTEN | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Eddie Vaughn, a Master’s student in women’s, gender, and sexuality studies, speaks at a transgender rights rally outside of TUC on March 31, 2017.
AARON DORSTEN | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Protestors hold signs in support of transgender rights on Friday, March 31, 2017.
Students gather against violence
Protesters express their concern over violence against transgender individuals JUSTIN REUTTER | NEWS EDITOR
A crowd gathered outside TUC Friday to protest a rise in violence against transgender individuals under the current administration. Friday marked Transgender Day of Visibility, an annual holiday that occurs on March 31. The rally was held by the University of Cincinnati Socialist Students organization to recognize that it is impossible to destroy transphobia, misogyny, racism and other systems of oppression separately. Edward Vaughn, a master’s student in women’s, gender and sexuality studies, quotes writer Audre Lorde, who said we do not have single-issue struggles because we are not single-issue people and do not live in single-issue lives. Capitalism plays a role in affecting the trans community, along with sexism, racism and ableism, said Vaughn. It is harder for trans individuals to be hired and hold down a job due to
prejudice, forcing trans women of color into survival sex work. “Survival sex work, not just sex work on itself, which there is nothing wrong with,” said Vaughn. “I’m talking about sex work so that trans women of color can eat, can pay their rent, so that they can afford what they need to be able to transition safely.” The university has failed to protect transgender students since the Trump administration rescinded Obama-era guidelines concerning treatment of transgender students, according to Levi Davidson, a first-year women’s, gender and sexuality studies student. “In the many weeks since the Trump administration and Department of Education removed Title IX protection from transgender students, UC has not said a word,” said Davidson. “Title IX, the Office of Equity and Inclusion, our new president – none of them have spoken a word to ensure that they will continue to
protect us or that they even see us. “They have left us feeling scared and unprotected, and that is a failure on their part. As a transgender student, I am asking Title IX and UC to do more and to promise to protect transgender students and all students from sexual harassment and violence.” Since the start of 2017, nine transgender individuals have been murdered. Transgender youth with multiple marginalized identities experience some of the highest levels of adversity in their daily lives, due to the intersectionality of transphobia, racism and ableism, said LGBTQ Director Amy Schlag in a workshop on combating trans violence later that night. More than 90 percent of transgender fatal violence victims in 2016 were people of color, and three quarters were African American. Transgender individuals also experience interpersonal violence at a much higher rate than
cisgender individuals, according to a presentation from the LGBTQ Center. It is generally estimated that transgender women face about four times the risk of becoming homicide victims than the general population of all women. Transgender women were three times more likely to report experiencing sexual violence than survivors who did not identify as transgender women. In addition, it is much harder for LGBTQ+ people to access intimate partner violence (IPV) resources. In a 2010 study by the National Coalition of Anti Violence Programs (NCAVP) and the National Center for Victims of Crime that surveyed 648 domestic violence agencies, sexual assault centers, prosecutors’ offices, law enforcement agencies and child victim services, 94 percent of respondents said they were not serving LGBTQ+ survivors of IPV and sexual violence.
A guide to Opening Day DAVID WYSONG | SPORTS EDITOR
CHRIS LEE | ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH | TNS
Cincinnati Reds’ Adam Duvall hits a three-run home run in the fifth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday, Sept. 26, 2016, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Mo. It was his second home run of the game.
PROVIDED FILE ART.
AARON DORSTEN | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Supporters of transgender rights gather in protest outside of TUC, Friday March 31, 2017.
Opening Day logo. MLB 2017
Today is the best day of the year in Cincinnati: Opening Day. Baseball is huge in the Queen City, especially for the first ever MLB team, the Cincinnati Reds. From festivals to parades, there are plenty of ways to celebrate the big day around town. “Opening Day in Cincinnati is so special because baseball has been such a long-standing tradition here. We always open the season at home. The parade, the tailgating and the atmosphere makes it something special,” said third-year construction management student Ryan Burch. If you want to plan your day, you have come to the right place. Here is your guide to celebrating Opening Day.
Pre-game
There is a lot to do before the game, with the earliest festivities begining at 6 a.m. My favorite is the Reds Community Fund Charity Block Party, which takes place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. They have food and beverages available for purchase and live music plays, making it a lively atmosphere. The block party sits right in front of Great American Ballpark, setting the scene for the big game.
Third-year criminal justice student Jacob Sowry has made it a tradition to go to the festival, and there’s one aspect of it he enjoys over the others. “There are a ton of people, and you can meet so many people if you want to. The social aspect is, no doubt, the best aspect of it,” Sowry said. Another place to get some drinks before the game is the Moerlein Lager House. “Moerlein is definitely the place to be because of this free concert,” said Moerlein waitress Theresa Hajjar. Local recording artists the Tillers will be performing on the lawn under the Opening Day Party Tent at Moerlein. They will open their doors at 10 a.m. and will have plenty of craft and guest beers on tap. If you’re not looking for a place to drink before the game, but you still want to celebrate, check out the Findlay Market Opening Day Parade. Cincinnati’s version of the Thanksgiving Day Parade begins at Findlay Market on Race Street, going down the street until turning on Fifth Street and ending at the Taft Theater. The parade lasts from noon to 2 p.m., and this year’s grand marshal will be Cincinnati legend Sean Casey.
Game time
If you’re looking for somewhere to go around campus to watch the game, then Murphy’s Pub is one of the best options. They will have drink specials that include $4 20-ounce Budweiser drafts and $2.50 domestic bottles. Additionally, they will have free hot dogs and popcorn. “It’s everything the avid Reds fan has always deserved,” said bartender Dylan Speeg. “The only downside is that you don’t get to fight traffic and pay enormous prices to park.” Third-year social work student Drew Jennings said he always enjoys himself when going to Murphy’s. “The free hot dogs and popcorn while you’re drinking, you just can’t beat that,” Jennings said. “I like to always be doing something while I drink, so they have a few pool tables and a bunch of dart boards for something to do while you’re watching the game.” The Reds will take on the Philadelphia Phillies at 4:10 p.m., and while there are not high expectations for Cincinnati this season, some fans think they will be better than expected. “I think the Reds will exceed expectations with their play this year. Granted their expectations aren’t too high, but I think they will finish closer to .500,” Jennings said.
FREE
2 / LIFE & ARTS Awareness for Abilities week informs students MONDAY, APR. 3, 2017
ERIN COUCH | STAFF REPORTER
The University of Cincinnati hosted the Awareness for Abilities Week last week, which shed light on the oftenoverlooked topic of students with disabilities at UC and what the university does to accommodate them. As the name of the event implies, the overarching goal was not to harp on the negative aspects of disabilities, but rather to inform students of the abilities of which their classmates are capable, sometimes through accommodations provided by university programs. The three-day event — which took place Wednesday, Thursday and Friday — took a keen interest in highlighting mental health as a disability by offering free showings of films depicting
mental illness, as well as hosting tabling sessions from mental health advocate associations on campus. One such association was the Mental Health Ambassadors, a student group that serves as a connection between the student body and the Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). In regards to the stigma that comes hand in hand with mental illness, mental health ambassador member and first-year biology student Madison White said when psychological disorders are left untreated, students may not reach their fullest potential. “Mental health affects a student’s ability to put full effort into getting what they want because there are constant thoughts of possible failure and regret
following the pursuit,” White said. “Mental health is everywhere, and every student on campus is capable of having some form or degree of a mental illness.” With CAPS implementing a limit of 10 individual counseling sessions per year for students, White said there is still room for improvement for accommodations offered by UC. “I believe that student’s should be given more because maybe 10 is not enough for someone,” she said. “Personally, I like routine, so if CAPS became part of my routine, I would not want my time there limited.” The Disability Services Office (DSO) at UC not only offers accommodations for students with mental illness, but also aids students with other
disabilities to further a sense of inclusion for students. Disabilities addressed by DSO include, but are not limited to, distraction disorders, mobility issues, visual impairments and hearing impairments. With the goal of inclusion in mind, DSO’s impact grew rapidly during the 2015-2017 school year, especially with communication services. According to the Division of Student Affairs 2016 impact report, there was a 40 percent increase in providing sign language and transcription services, which led to 21 unique students being helped through these services throughout the year. There was also a 20 percent increase of ASL/ English interpreting and transcription services. Matthew Sauer, DSO’s accommodation
coordinator, said that with the recent growth in DSO’s impact and events like the Awareness for Abilities Week, more students would become aware of their classmates’ disabilities, which is important for the UC community. “All of us in our lifespan will experience disability,” Sauer said. “What we’re striving for is acceptance
and a move toward universal design so there is no need to talk about whether this person has a disability or not, but, instead, what are the abilities that they bring to the table?” Some common DSO accommodations include extended time on tests, interface with faculty about excused medical absences
JUSTIN REUTTER | NEWS EDITOR
UC Mental Health ambassadors, Madison White and Zara Ahmed, hold a tabling in TUC on March 30, 2017 for Disabilities Awareness Week.
Med building design released LAUREN STYCZYNSKI | STAFF REPORTER
PROVIDED
‘S-Town’ pushes limits of journalism IAN LEBLANC | CONTRIBUTOR
Where art, journalism and humanity meet, you’ll find “S-Town.” “S-Town” is an investigative podcast at bare bones, but, in whole, it is so much more. It pushes the boundaries of what journalism should be with grace, style and determination. National Public Radio’s (NPR) renowned podcast “This American Life” teams up with its other project, “Serial,” to deliver the story of the year. Host Brian Reed’s first episode soliloquy sends you down the rabbit hole. “A witness mark could be a small dent, a hole that once held a screw… They’re clues to what was in the clockmaker’s mind when he first created the thing. I’m told fixing an old clock can be maddening. You’re constantly wondering if you’ve just spent hours going down a path that will, likely, take you nowhere… So, at every moment along the way, you have to decide if you’re wasting your time or not. Anyway, I only learned about all this because, years ago, an antique clock restorer contacted me and asked me to help him solve a murder,” he said. “S-Town” starts with an alienated, genius horologist stuck in rural Alabama who contacts National Public Radio about a corrupt police force failing to investigate a local murder of a high schooler by the richest family in town. Once Brian Reed and his microphone travel to Bibb County to investigate, things get even more interesting. Certain ethical questions are raised because this is a true story. Without spoiling, Brian Reed finds
himself deeply intertwined in the lives of his subjects – not just as a reporter, but also as a piece on the chessboard. He serves as friends to some, an enemy to others and as an evidence-bank to all. Not only does “S-Town” become deeply intimate, it does so with questionable consent. Luke Weaver, a second-year industrial design student, feels uneasy about listening to radio like this. “You guys are solving this real crime, but I’m digesting it like a sitcom. I’m just watching it, it’s fulfilling a very weird role of what journalism should be,” he said. He adds that, despite his reservations, he is “definitely going to listen to the whole thing” because of its intrigue and value. “S-Town” contains as many layers of compelling story as it does ethical dilemmas. Is it okay to investigate the intimate life of a dead man and broadcast it for all to hear? What is the role of the press to investigate crimes the police ought to be investigating? Pat Carr, another secondyear industrial design student, said the reporting in “S-Town” is “like Andrew Marr,” the British investigative journalist who has been both criticized and praised for his informational probing. “S-Town” captures humanity in a way few artistic ventures or journals have before it. The crux is whether the listener deems the intimate pursuit of knowledge in “S-Town” a worthwhile, respectful pursuit. It’s hard to describe the gamut of issues, ethical and narrative, that “S-Town” offers without spoiling the broadcast. It can be found on almost any podcast app and on stownpodcast.org. Give it a listen and decide for yourself.
University of Cincinnati Health released the design of its latest project, a $60.5 million building that will be at the corner of Eden Avenue and Martin Luther King Drive. While ground will not officially break on the brand-new UC Gardner Neuroscience Institute (UCNI) until May 2017, the wheels are turning to get going on the care that will take place inside of the building. The neuroscience institute serves as a “large umbrella for a number of centers that focus on neurological and psychiatric disease and treat patients in a clinical setting,” said Dr. Joseph Broderick, M.D., who serves as the director of the UCNI. While the UCNI is not new to UC Health and there is a current institute for neuroscience and neurological disorders, the new building is currently gaining lots of traction for some of the latest technologies that will be arriving in the building. “We are working hard on making a back, neck and spine center to, hopefully, be incorporated in the new building. Currently, the imaging isn’t convenient on the medical campus, especially for brain scans. Sometimes these patients have to travel to the other side of the medical campus for scans, or even a mile away to get their scans done. We would love to provide that service here in one building to make it easily accessible for patients,” said Broderick. The new building is exciting for patients, as the goal with the new building was to make it as patientcentered as possible, said Broderick. “We really tried to listen to the patients and what they wanted. We are making it more beneficial for the patients, keeping in mind that traveling 50 feet can be very difficult for some of our patients, and that some of ours are in wheelchairs. We worked
with Perkins + Will, the architects, to try to design every aspect of the building with the patients at the center of the focus,” he said. When asked what this means for UC and UC Health, Broderick said, “PRIDE is a common acronym we use, where the ‘p’ stands for patientcentered care. The new institute means that UC continues to be innovative leaders in the world of medicine. We have the latest, best, newest problems, and we are a wonderful academic center to be pushing to solve the problems. It is our goal and my personal goal to never be satisfied with the status quo and really pushing the boundaries to make the world a better place for the patients we see each and every day.” Current medical students and residents will be rotating in and through the neuroscience institute, but the only set way undergraduates might be able to experience and get to know the new facility would be through shadowing. The institute will contain the neurobiology labs and pathology labs for diagnostic purposes, but will not include a lot of research, which tends to occur down the street in the CARE/Crawley building. Set to open in 2019, Broderick and the team are designing the patient exam rooms this week.
Hamilton County last week became the latest to ask to intervene in Duke Energy’s plan to build a natural gas pipeline through more than a dozen communities. The pipeline is proposed to be at least four feet underground, 20 inches in diameter and 13 miles long. It would cost between $86 million to $110 million, and the company claims it is necessary to meet demands for natural gas. It would stretch from Lebanon to the Norwood areas to improve reliability of natural gas to customers. The total construction time of the pipeline is currently estimated to be 12 to 16 months. Some of the areas that would be within 1,000 feet of the pipeline, which is the recommended distance to be safe from a “blast zone,” are Amberley Village, Blue Ash, Columbia Township, Deep Park, Fairfax, Madeira, Montgomery, Norwood, Roselawn,
Sharonville, Silverton and Sycamore Township, as well as the Madisonville, Bond Hill and Pleasant Ridge neighborhoods. Along with Hamilton County, Blue Ash, Madeira, Neighbors Opposing Pipeline Extension (NOPE) and Cincinnati’s Pleasant Ridge Community Council are all planning to intervene. Dr. James O’Reilly, PhD in environmental health and retired UC professor, said that the project would impact students. “Students who live in the immediate vicinity of the pipeline in 2019 and beyond would be potentially impacted. Construction in 2018 will remove many of the green features of their areas and will probably block driveways and streets during the several months of construction,” he said. One concern over the project is public health, and how this could affect those in high-density areas. If the pipeline does get put in, “one should expect a warning sign against any digging,” said O’Reilly. If the pipeline were to be put in,
home improvement projects like putting in a pool could be a risk to the community, said O’Reilly. “A rented backhoe operated by an untrained worker, especially one unable to read the warning sign, is the most likely risk. New driveway, patio or pool construction, or any kind of earth-moving work such as a property improvement, will be the root of the incident. Once the incident occurs and the pipe is breached, there will be about 753,000-cubic feet of highly flammable gas released in a short period, as the 2.5-mile pipe (distance between shut off valves) empties its methane into the air,” said O’Rielly. A property at a lower level than its surroundings could also pose a risk. O’Rielly sites the Jewish Hospital in the Kenwood area. “The heavy concentration of gas would make it less likely that the vented gas will simply dissipate and blow away. The gas would simply sit there, awaiting a spark. When a massive volume of methane gas close to the surface is exiting the
University of Cincinnati 45221-0135 Newsroom 509 Swift Hall 513-556-5912 chief.newsrecord@gmail. com Advertising 510 Swift Hall 513-556-5902 newsrecordbiz@ gmail.com The News Record is the editorially independent student-run news organization of the University of Cincinnati. It serves UC students, staff, faculty, alumni and the Cincinnati community with award-winning news and information on a variety of media platforms. The free newspaper is published on Mondays and Thursdays and is distributed to more than 80 locations on and near UC campuses. TNR’s website, www.newsrecord. org, is updated as news breaks and offers video, audio and interactive features. TNR’s app and podcasts are available for download on mobile devices. FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA Facebook TheNewsRecord Twitter @NewsRecord_UC Instagram TheNewsRecord SoundCloud The-News-Record-1 STAFF Editor-In-Chief Jeff O’Rear
COURTESY OF UC HEALTH
What Duke Energy’s pipeline means for Cincinnati LAUREN STYCZYNSKI | STAFF REPORTER
Founded 1880
3-foot-deep pipeline, the spark/ ignition source consumes the oxygen in the area and has an immediate heat density effect on humans, cars and homes,” said O’Rielly. Hamilton County does have an incredible emergency management team, but it currently does not have the capability to respond to all the burns, injuries, fires and deaths that would be caused by a pipeline breach, said O’reilly. He also said Kasich will never go against the pipeline project. “The Kasich administration feels this will affect their final 22 months in office. Kasich will never again run for office (term limits and a poor national showing) so this is his parting gift to his supporters,” he said. O’Reilly suggests that students host Duke Energy speakers and NOPE citizen opponents in a series of public sessions in TUC, and students could write letters to the Ohio Power Sitting Board.
Managing Editor Lauren Moretto News Editors Justin Reutter Parker Malatesta Chief Reporter Emily Stolz Life & Arts Editor Isabella Jansen Opinion Editor Karly Williams Sports Editor David Wysong Copy Editor Cheyenne Krieger Photo Editor Shae Combs Chief Photographer Jean Pleitez Online Editor Stephanie Smith Designer Gabrielle Stichweh Broadcast Reporter Emily Wilhelm Videographer Michelle Fisk
NEWS / 3 Live on Short Vine Musical Festival on April 14th MONDAY, APR. 3, 2017
ISABELLA JANSEN | ARTS & LIFE EDITOR
It is no big secret that the Clifton community is home to many talented local musicians and bands, and there is no individual who is a resident of this great community who can speak of Clifton without talking about its impressive restaurant selection. On April 14 the University of Cincinnati’s Bearcast Media will bring these two important attractions together in the third annual Live on Short Vine Musical Festival. For one epic night from 5 p.m. to 11:59 p.m., popular UC hangouts – Hang Over Easy, Taste of Belgium Clifton, Mio’s Pizza and Ladder 19 – will double as a concert venue. Morgan Masminster, a third-year information systems and marketing student, is one of the many
UC students anticipating this event. “My friends and I are super excited for the music festival,” said Masminster. “It is awesome that it is a free event we can go to with great music.” Between these four locations, there will be 25 different bands performing throughout the night. “Since it is all on the same street, it is easy to see the many bands they have,” said Masminster. Mio’s Pizza, a UCthemed bar and home of the Bearcat bong, will be starting the night at 5:15 p.m. with Physco and closing with The Interns at 11:15 p.m., with many talented bands in between. Located diagonally from Mio’s Pizza, Ladder 19 will be kicking the event off with Mockery at 5 p.m. and ending the night a little earlier than the other
locations with Lie Lack at 8 p.m. Blue Chairs, Spooky Dreamland and Death Before Disco will also perform at this popular Clifton bar and restaurant. Second-year radiologic technology student Kelsey Kurzhals lived in offcampus housing for a year and a half in the Short Vine area, and she is a big fan of Mio’s and Ladder 19. “Those are literally my two favorite places to go to, and I am happy to see Short Vine getting all of this attention through this event,” said Kurzhals, “I love this side of campus, and I cannot wait for this event.” Hang Over Easy, a location equally as popular as Mio’s and Ladder 19, will open the night’s events with Nile + The Hymn at 5 p.m. and finish strong with Dark Colour at 11 p.m., and five other bands will perform in between the
opening and closing acts. The fourth and final location of Live on Short Vine is Taste of Belgium, beginning the night with Circle It at 5:30 p.m. and ending the night with Northbound at 11:30 p.m. Each location provides participants of the music festival with good food, endless drinks, live music and a great alternative to your typical, overdone Friday night. To make this event even more appealing, your attendance provides support to local talents and Clifton restaurants that all UC students have come to love. This past Friday, Taste of Belgium provided delicious, and, more importantly, free waffles, to members of Bearcast Media. They were handed out to students on campus to promote the upcoming event.
If you love music, need an excuse to indulge in alcoholic beverages (in the event you’re of age) and food after a long school week, or have a craving
for waffles, then do not miss the Live on Short Vine Music Festival. It is the perfect ending to a not-soperfect spring semester.
PROVIDED
PAC comedy show is big hit JEN HAM | STAFF REPORTER
PHOTO PROVIDED BY CCM
Pianopalooza; Mikael Daramaine.
CCM hosts Bearcat Piano Festival NOELLE ZIELINSKI | STAFF REPORTER
The University of Cincinnati’s CollegeConservatory of Music hosted schools such as Shandong University of China and the University of Michigan to perform in separate piano concerts this past weekend. This annual event is called the Bearcat Piano Festival. “It includes master classes with world-renowned pianists, performances by student pianists from other schools, recitals given by guest artists and performances given by CCM students,” said Gregory Hartman, firstyear Master of Music student in piano performance. Additionally, CCM held two of these masterclasses with acclaimed pianists John Perry and Paul Schenly. Pianists are selected to perform for the piano department, but the performances are also open to the rest of the school and the public. Second-year Doctor of Musical Arts student in piano performance Yaoyue Huang said, “The masterclass with John Perry was very enthusiastic and energetic. He expects students to adapt quickly and show immediate change in their playing.” During her time in the DMA program at CCM, Huang studied with Professor Soyeon Kate Lee and in Perry’s master class. She performed Mozart’s Piano Sonata in C Minor, K. 457. Perry was trained in the German Viennese style, giving him helpful insight on Germanic musicians such as Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms and Schubert Huang. Hartman also said that these master classes are “sort of like a public lesson, and it’s a great way to benefit from the teaching expertise of these artists.” The weekend also included nine
students from Shandong University of China performing pieces composed by Chinese musicians. These students were accompanied by their professor, Wei Yuan. These pieces were new and refreshing, as they combined both Chinese and Western styles of music. The students represented their university well as they showcased their hard work and talent through a series of 11 pieces. Students from the University of Michigan also performed in a recital on Saturday night. This concert featured 14 pieces, some of which had several complex movements within them. On Sunday, CCM students took the stage with the Piano-PowLooza concert. This concert featured some of CCM’s awardwinning piano students and alumni. These pianists demonstrated their talents on three separate pianos. Scott Sherman, a second-year master’s student in piano performance, performed with Huang a piece entitled “Sonata for Two Pianos,” composed by Paul Hindemith. “We chose to work on this piece because of the extreme complexity and the virtuosic demand that it requires,” Sherman said. “It deserved to be played and is relatively unknown.” Like Huang, Sherman also attributes much of his success to his professors Soyeon Kate Lee and Sandra Rivers. The annual Bearcat Piano Festival, according to second-year DMA student Adam Mayon, is “not only a great opportunity, but sheds light on the immense talent that Cincinnati has to offer. On the other hand, the festival reaches out to the general public by encouraging people to be a part of such an incredible and engaging music and arts community on a local, national and international level.”
A line rivaling that of preordered text book retrieval day weaves through Tangeman University Center’s fourth floor, stemming from the Great Hall. The Wednesday air is already saturated with giddiness from the familiar hump day hype, but to add to this is the anticipation of elevating the tapering endof-semester morale through one man and 120 minutes of occult life hacks, epically un-epic quests and troll voice lessons. University of Cincinnati’s Program and Activities Council hosted comedian Brent Morin this past Wednesday. “I’ve never heard of him before, but a couple of my fraternity brothers are in PAC, and they told me to come because it’s a free show,” said Adam Simha, third-year criminal justice student. Elizabeth Beiter, a secondyear Miami biomedical engineering student and soon to be UC transfer student, said, “I’ve seen his stuff on Netflix, but [Alex Woodward] actually told me Morin was coming.” Woodward, Beiter’s boyfriend, is a fourth-year real estate student at UC. “I saw the sign advertised in the middle of Main
Street, so I took a picture of it and sent it to her, like, should I be excited about this?”Woodward said. Gaging by the couple’s position at the very front of the line, they seem to have decided, yes, Brent Morin is something to get excited about. Morin opens the show by comically sharing the struggle every UC student has experienced, toggling between campus Clifton and real Clifton. “I couldn’t stop cracking up. He was really good with the college students by kind of cursing, but not making the whole joke just him cursing,” said Emma Lowe, third-year chemical engineering student. “This guy was funny in the more practical sense. He really connected with the students.” Morin felt the connection too. “I felt like the UC crowd were really good listeners,” he said. And Morin is right. Throughout the entirety of those 120 minutes, every single audience member genuinely laughed at least once, soberly or otherwise. The bits Morin prepared were crazily relatable, ranging from lovingly imitating his gay younger brother to confessing how un-adult like he still is to
being ratted out by snap stories. Morin’s comedy routine had a little something for everyone. His show broke down into little vignettes, making up a broader vignette that played off of the diverse spectrum of comedy, invoking Tom and Jerry-esque humorous violence, cringe-worthy accounts of puberty and he even debuted his budding theatrical talents in a quirky love ballad sung between himself and himself as a troll. “I thought he was hilarious. I’m probably going to go watch some of his stuff on Netflix later,” Simha said. For students who missed the show, they can find his special “I’m Brent Morin” on Netflix or YouTube. “He’s probably my favorite comedian UC’s hosted so far. He was really good,” said Lowe.
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VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR A RESEARCH STUDY
Are You Feeling Sad or Down? Do You Have a Parent With Bipolar Disorder? If you said “YES” to both questions, you may qualify for a research study at the University of Cincinnati Researchers at the Department of Psychiatry of the University of Cincinnati are conducting a research study looking at the effects of a dietary supplement (N-acetyl-cysteine) on mood symptoms and brain functioning in adolescents and young adults at familial risk for bipolar disorder. The purpose of this study is to investigate if taking this dietary supplement helps to improve mood in adolescents and young adults who are at familial risk for bipolar disorder and are feeling depressed. Participation includes doing two MRI scans. The MRI scans will help to investigate the effects of this dietary supplement in the brain. Participants need to be between 15 and 24 years old and be available for study visits over 8 weeks. Parents need to be available for one interview to confirm the diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Participants may receive up to $200 in compensation for their transportation and/or time for study visits. All study visits, tests, and procedures will be provided at no cost to participants. For more information Contact Max Tallman at maxwell.tallman@uc.edu or (513) 558-4102
UC 54-16a
4 / SPORTS Mo Egger celebrates a decade on Cincinnati’s airwaves MONDAY, APR. 3, 2017
RUSSELL HAUSFELD | SENIOR REPORTER
PROVIDED
Due to a rain delay and 13 long innings, Mo Egger got only three minutes of air time on his very first talk-radio broadcast with Cincinnati’s 700WLW — “The Big One.” Within those three minutes, he had time to announce about three things: The score of the Reds’ victory that evening (“I think the Reds won the game, let’s say 3-2”), a sponsor mention and who the Reds would play the following day. “I came on and I said, ‘This is Mo Egger. This is the “Extra Innings Show” — Rockies, 3. Reds, 2.’ I announced the wrong team,” Egger said. That was back in 2007. Regardless of the gaff, the boys at “The Big One” let him stick around. As he comes up on
nearly a decade in talk radio, Egger, 39, still hosts broadcasts for 700WLW. To his list of responsibilities, he’s added a show on ESPN1530 and works with the University of Cincinnati’s football and basketball broadcasts. He sometimes drops in on classes at UC and Xavier to tell aspiring journalism students about his career – one in which he is the last of a great many. When Michael Perry was a sports editor at the Cincinnati Enquirer, he wrote about Egger for a series the paper was running on the 12 or 13 sports talk-radio personalities in the local market. He called Cincinnati a haven for sports broadcasting. “Literally, right after we wrote that, over the next five years they started either getting out of it
themselves or being moved out of it because they couldn’t all survive,” Perry said. “There’s only a couple still standing.” Around these parts, the remaining two fulltime sports broadcasters are Egger and Lance McAllister, both of whom recognized early on the importance, as professional personalities, of connecting with their listeners outside of the traditional radio broadcasts — through blogging and social media. Egger runs a personal blog for ESPN1530, where he posts sports-related content and promos for events he will be attending. He is also an active Twitter user, where he fleshes himself out a little more than he can on the radio. He posts sports stuff, of course, but he also posts delicious looking pictures of wings from Braxton Brewery tons
(and tons and tons) of pictures of cute animals during the broadcast of the presidential debates. Egger said when he uses Twitter, it’s usually just to have some fun and share things he thinks are cool. Despite the apparent extinction of the full-time sports talk show host, Egger presses on with a smile on his face — grateful for the opportunity that his loyal fans have provided him. This has basically been his life’s dream. He chose the University of Dayton, where he earned his undergraduate degree, specifically because they’d let him on the campus radio his freshman year. And he’s been doing it ever since. So, here’s to a man living his dream, and may his next decade in talk radio be as fun as the first.
Students react to UC Bearcats’ top 10 ranking JASON SZELEST | STAFF REPORTER
The University of Cincinnati men’s basketball program was rated No. 10 in the nation by the Associated Press in a list of the best basketball programs of all-time. While the Bearcats have been to just one Sweet 16 since 2001, their history of two national championships and six Final Four appearances were enough to warrant status among basketball blue-bloods such as Kentucky and North Carolina. For some fans, this ranking came as no surprise, as they believe the history of UC basketball is in-line with the other great programs. “When you look at what we accomplished when Oscar Robertson and Bob Huggins were there, we deserve to be looked at as one of the nation’s best,” said first-year UC student Dylan Johnson. “How many other schools can boast that they won back-to-back national championships? We have had periods where we were not at the top, but so has every other program. For the most part, I feel like UC is consistently in the top-25 every year, and not many programs can say that.”
Third-year student Branden Herman shared the sentiment that back-toback championships alone warranted the status of UC in the top 10. “We were the best team in the nation two years in a row and finished in second the year after that,” Herman said. “Other than UCLA when they had John Wooden, I can’t think of any other teams who went to the national championship three straight years. We have had a lot of good seasons since then as well, but, honestly, that by itself is enough for any program to be considered in the top-10.” Others were a bit surprised at the notion that a mid-major school, regardless of the success that they have enjoyed, would be recognized as one of the nation’s dominant programs. “When you look at how the NCAA looks down on us, I am shocked at the fact that we were ranked No. 10 of all-time programs,” said third-year student Dylan Hart. “I mean, look at this year. We lost four games all season, and we got a six-seed in the NCAA Tournament because the NCAA thought our competition was trash. They never give any credit
to teams that are not in the ACC or Big 12, so I can’t believe they actually recognized us this time.” First-year student Joe Friedel was also surprised that a mid-major program was given this kind of recognition. “When you look at a lot of the non-power five conference teams that have had success in the past, they never get any credit,” Friedel said. “Even when teams like Gonzaga or Wichita State have historic seasons where they lose one game the entire year, everybody always says they are overrated because they did not play anybody. UC only had one brief experience with what the NCAA considers top-notch competition when they played in the Big East, so to be considered a topprogram despite that is really impressive.” A lot of what went into the rankings were the programs’ success in the AP top-25 polls. Cincinnati has appeared in over 35 percent of all AP polls and has been ranked No. 1 45 times. The nine teams ranked above UC were Kentucky, North Carolina, Duke, UCLA, Kansas, Indiana, Louisville, Arizona and Syracuse.
ROBERT WILLETT | RALEIGH NEWS & OBSERVER | TNS
North Carolina’s Joel Berry II (2) reacts after sinking a 3-point basket during the second half against Clemson on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2017, at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, S.C. UNC won in overtime, 89-86.
Who is going to be the NCAA national champion? DAVID WYSONG | SPORTS EDITOR JASON SZELEST | STAFF REPORTER CLAUDE THOMPSON | STAFF REPORTER OPINION
The NCAA men’s basketball national championship game is set, with the two teams going head to head today at 9:20 p.m. Gonzaga, who only has one loss on the season, will be making their first ever appearance. North Carolina, who features a 32-7 overall record, will be in their second consecutive national title game. As the matchup will feature a battle of oneseeds, our sports experts David, Jason and Claude made their picks for the winner.
David: North Carolina
JEAN PLEITEZ | CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
UC Bearcats celebrate an undefeated home season, Thursday, March 2, 2017 at Fifth Third Arena.
There’s something about being there before and having past experiences at your disposal. The North Carolina Tar Heels lost the 2016 national championship game in heartbreaking fashion, losing on a buzzerbeater to Villanova. This season has been their revenge tour. The Tar Heels have made it to the game after close wins over Kentucky and Oregon, and they have done it behind multiple weapons. While Justin Jackson, the team’s leading scorer, has been a constant in every tournament game, North Carolina has seen stellar performances from Kennedy Meeks, Joel Berry and even role player Luke Maye – who made the game-winning shot against Kentucky. Gonzaga is a great defensive team, and I mean really great, as they rank in the top10 in multiple defensive categories. But North Carolina’s offense is way too lethal, topping the nation in total points scored this season, and the Zag’s will not be able to keep up. Additionally, UNC has had a tougher road to the game, proving that they’re battle-tested. The Tar Heels have beaten a No. 4 seed, a No. 3 seed and a No. 2 seed on their way to the championship. The highest seed Gonzaga has beaten is just a No. 4 seed. The Tar Heels will be this season’s national champions.
Jason: North Carolina
This one is simple. Gonzaga had never even been to a Final Four before this year. This will be the 11th national title game for North Carolina. On experience alone, any gambling man would bet on the school that has been there and knows what it takes to get the job done on the nation’s biggest stage. Let us throw history aside for a second, and even though many of the current Tar Heels played on last year’s team that made it to the national championship, all that matters now is this year. The Tar Heels are far more proven. Gonzaga coasted to a 37-1 record playing teams in a very weak West Coast Conference. They also got extremely lucky in the tournament drawings, never playing a team rated higher than No. 4 seed West Virginia. Carolina, on the other hand, spent their season battling it out with the likes of Louisville and Duke, then had to knock off Kentucky and Oregon in the tournament. The Tar Heels are a far-more battle tested team, while Gonzaga is simply here by mere luck of the draw. They will have to play a real team on Monday, and the results will not be pretty.
Claude: Gonzaga
The National Championship looms, and it isn’t exactly the Carolina border war I was hoping for. Instead, we have a contest between two one-seeds. Only one can be the champion, and it’s clear who that will be: Gonzaga will defeat North Carolina. The Bulldogs have been challenged every step of the way. They’ve been criticized for playing in a weak conference, and they’ve been doubted since the Round of 32, yet here they are. I strongly believe they’re driven by the desire to legitimize their performance and to solidify and vindicate the respect they’ve been given by the media. They have an opportunity to defeat one of the true blue bloods of college basketball and prove they’re the best team in the nation, and I believe whole-heartedly that they’ll rise to the challenge.