The News Record 02.13.14

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THE NEWS RECORD THE UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI’S INDEPENDENT, STUDENT-RUN NEWS ORGANIZATION / THURSDAY, FEB. 13, 2014

COLD STREAK SUPPORTING STEM WALKING DEAD SNAPPED

DOCUMENTARY HIGHLIGHTS STORIES OF FORMER SLAVES

UNCHAINED

STUDENT GOVERNMENT BACKS OHIO BILL PROMOTING STEM

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Mayor announces parking plan, rates near campus could increase If adopted, proposal could raise meter hours of operation, rates in neighborhoods surrounding UC MELANIE TITANIC SCHEFFT STAFF REPORTER

MELANIE TITANIC SCHEFFT STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER UC student Adam Winget said he’s concerned that possible increases in meter rates and operation hours could handicap students attending night classes.

UC passing fewer education students in Ohio

A new proposal to make the city’s parking system financially sustainable could cause parking meter rates and hours to increase around the University of Cincinnati.

“What this is about is modernizing the parking system, number one, and as John [Cranley] has said, maintaining local control,” said David Mann, city councilman.

Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley announced the proposal during a press conference at city hall Wednesday. If passed as is, the plan would increase parking meter rates from 50 cents to 75 cents.

In addition to hourly rate increases, the operating hours for meters could be extended from the current 6 p.m. shutoff to 9 p.m.

If approved, the new proposal would eliminate the need to for the city to sign on to a 2013 agreement with Xerox Corp., a private contracting company that operates 30 parking systems across the country.

Under the former deal, which was quickly shot down after the 2012 November elections, Xerox would have paid $130 million to the city to own the parking meters within city limits and surrounding Cincinnati suburbs — including those streets surrounding campus — for 30 years.

Cranley said the money received would be quickly depleted over the next two years after being used to pay for projects the former administration decided upon.

“We have rejected that philosophy because, number one, we need the meter’s income and ticket money to balance our budget and pay for our plans to increase cops and fire fighters on the street,” Cranley said. “Number two, the council and the public will keep control of the meters, the rates and the hours of enforcement.”

The proposal also includes hiring additional meter readers; maintaining current downtown parking meter and garage rates; upgrading meters and building a new garage at Broadway and Seventh streets.

While the plan has the support of some council members, other council members and citizens have expressed concern over possible meter rate and operation increases.

“Just within the [past] two weeks I had to pay two parking tickets because of parking restrictions on certain hours,” said Adam Winget, a third-year sports administration student at UC. “I’d rather see the restricted hours happen between 4 [p.m.] and 6 p.m. or have no restricted hours at all.”

Council members Charlie Winburn, Christopher Smitherman, Kevin Flynn and David Mann support Cranley’s plan, but several other council members seem unsure. Cranley needs a fifth vote to pass the plan, which is scheduled to head to council’s Neighborhoods SEE PARKING PG 2

COMBATTING FIRE

JACOB SCOTT CONTRIBUTOR

Fewer students are receiving education degrees at the University of Cincinnati compared to other similar-sized universities in Ohio, according to a recent report.

“Our college does not produce as many teachers as other universities,” said Regina Sapona, senior associate dean for academic affairs.

The data is part of an annual report released by the Ohio Board of Regents, the body that oversees Ohio’s public, higher education institutions. The report, known as the Educator Preparation Program Performance Report, compiles the passage rate for the state’s teacher licensure test at 51 different institutions, as well as the number of students taking the test.

“Basically, these reports are meant to show how well our colleges and universities are preparing tomorrow’s teachers,” said Jeff Robinson, communications director for the Ohio Board of Regents. “They can be beneficial to students and parents, who, if the student is choosing to be an education major, can see what schools have the best curriculum for preparing teachers.”

The passing rate at UC is on par with similar Ohio universities such as Ohio University, Kent State University and Ohio State University, which all fall between 93 and 96 percent. UC sits comfortably at 95 percent.

“We are a good school of education,” said Sam Stringfield, professor and director in the School of Education. “We are utterly competitive with other universities. We take the urban mission quite seriously. If you can teach in an urban school you can teach.”

The differentiating characteristic in the reports is the number of students taking the test. UC tested 256 prospective teachers in 2012 while Kent state tested 347 students, OU tested 410 students and OSU peaked at more than 600 students.

Sapona said the School of Education at UC is more selective than other universities.

“We only admit, on a competitive basis, [and only] 75 early childhood education students,” Sapona said.

While early childhood education is only one area of teaching expertise, 75 test takers account for a little less than 30 percent of all education majors at UC. “Ohio overproduces early childhood education teachers,” Sapona said. “Ohio desperately needs math and science teachers so we want as many math and SEE REPORT PG 2

MADISON SCHMIDT CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER Cincinnati Fire Chief Richard Braun (center) said the current plan would drastically reduce the amount of fire units unable to respond because of inadequate staffing levels. The plan announced by Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley (right) at City Hall Monday calls for maintaining the city’s current funding for overtime in the department.

City addresses fire department staffing woes; UC to continue education efforts RYAN HOFFMAN NEWS EDITOR

As the City of Cincinnati works to achieve necessary staffing levels in its fire department, officials at the University of Cincinnati aren’t slowing down efforts to further educate the community on fire safety.

“Fire engines only respond to fires,” said Daniel Cummins, assistant dean of student life and director of student affairs. “Our goal is to make sure there’s no fires for the city to respond to. We appreciate what the city has done, but we will continue to educate.”

Fire safety came to the forefront at UC after a deadly house fire on Digby Avenue Jan. 1, 2013. UC students Chad Kohls, 21, and Ellen Garner, 20, died from smoke inhalation days after the fire.

When the call of the fire came in, several of the nearest firehouses were browned out, although CFD determined the brownouts had “no adverse effects” in the department’s ability to respond to the fire, which started from a space heater.

Since then, Cummins has led efforts to educate students on how to avoid fires.

Those included hosting educational events on campus, as well distributing smoke detectors and safety literature in the neighborhoods surrounding main campus.

While UC is focused on educating students, Cincinnati officials are addressing the brownouts. In a plan announced Monday, Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley said the city is laying out the groundwork to seriously reduce brownouts.

On average, five firehouses per day are unable to respond, said Jennifer Spieser, CFD public information officer.

“It’s a very serious situation,” said Richard Braun, Cincinnati fire chief. “What brownouts do is make it more dangerous for our citizens and more dangerous for our firefighters.”

The city’s plan would reduce that number to two or zero brownouts per day by maintaining the city’s current funding of $2.5 million for overtime in the department, in addition to a new recruit class of 41 firefighters that graduated Friday.

“The good news is that Friday’s graduation means we’re closer to the goal of being able to meet the service levels required to prevent brownouts on a regular

basis,” Cranley said. “However, that’s not good enough for us and that’s not good enough for the current council.”

Cranley said the only solution to brownouts is to have more firefighters.

Current staffing after the Friday recruit class graduation is approximately 817. The city recently applied for a federal grant for a new recruit class to take staffing to the optimal level of 841.

Kevin Flynn, city councilman and part-time professor in the UC College of Law, said public safety is priority number one, and that starts with making sure the firehouses are adequately staffed.

“If you don’t have enough people to staff your fire trucks, you don’t have enough people to do the inspections,” Flynn said.

Flynn is meeting with President Santa Ono in the next several weeks to discuss ways in which UC and city council can partner to better protect students.

Student government collaborated with city council over the summer to create a landlord accreditation site that allows landlords to voluntarily have CFD inspect their property and put it in a database accessible to the public.

The website has not generated the response that student government had SEE FIRE PG 2

No new contract in first round of mediation between UC, AAUP Faculty union, university to resume mediation Saturday; both hope to resolve contract impasse RYAN HOFFMAN NEWS EDITOR

Mediated negotiations between the University of Cincinnati and its largest teaching union are scheduled to continue Saturday, after two long days of negotiation failed to yield a written, contractual agreement.

Contract negotiations between the UC chapter of the Association of American University Professors and UC started in March 2013. Since then, the two groups have made some agreements on non-monetary issues, but talks stalled when the discussion shifted to faculty healthcare, investments in faculty development and salary increases.

“The administration’s plans do dramatically increase what faculty will contribute for their health care, in some cases even tripling what our contribution is, which would frankly wipe out any salary gains at all, whatever they gave us,” said Greg Loving, UC AAUP president, in a previous interview.

The university maintains both sides have to make tough

choices and that both sides — at the end of the day — want what’s best for the university.

Since negotiations are ongoing, neither side can legally comment on the discussions.

With the current contract expiring at the end of June, both groups realize there’s a growing urgency.

Mediation was originally scheduled for Feb. 10 and 11, but with Monday’s talks running four-and-a-half hours longer than intended, the university asked AAUP representatives to return Saturday for further mediation.

This is not the first time talks between the two groups have stalled. In 2002, negotiations on the health-care portion of the contract went down to the wire, with an agreement coming just hours before the deadline. In 1993, faculty members went on strike over frustration with contract negotiations.

Roughly 100 AAUP members packed the alumni center in December during a UC Board of Trustees meeting.

Faculty members held signs with messages such as “Put students’ education first.” Union members said they plan to show up in stronger numbers for Tuesday’s meeting if an SEE AAUP PG 2

CHIEF.NEWSRECORD@GMAIL.COM / 513.556.5908

FILE ART UC and its AAUP chapter are scheduled to continue mediated negotiations Saturday, after the two failed to reach an agreement earlier this week.

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THURSDAY, FEB. 13, 2014 / NEWSRECORD.ORG

SG voices support for state bill promoting STEM fields Legislation would give tax credits to Ohio graduates with STEM degrees BECKY BUTTS ONLINE EDITOR

MADISON SCHMIDT CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER Joe Blizzard (right) and Jaclyn Hyde (center) listen to arguments for and against Ohio House Bill 405 Wednesday.

The University of Cincinnati Undergraduate Student Government voted Wednesday to support a state bill encouraging graduates with degrees in science, technology, engineering or mathematics to work in Ohio.

Ohio House Bill 405 aims to increase the number of STEM workers in Ohio by providing them with an income tax credit.

If the bill passes, students with four-year STEM degrees would be eligible for a credit of up to $20,000 to be received over 10 years. Students with a graduate STEM degree would be eligible for a credit of up to $30,000 over 10 years.

The bill was introduced to the Ohio House of Representatives Jan. 21 and has bi-partisan support.

Nine dead as ‘paralyzing’ storm engulfs South Storm wreaks havoc from Texas to Carolinas; widespread power outages MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS

DURHAM, N.C. — Much of the South found itself in the nastiness of a winter storm Wednesday, with needle-like freezing rain, growing piles of snow and biting temperatures that turned roads into a slippery mess, cut off power to hundreds of thousands of people and grounded thousands of flights.

The storm, which spread from Texas to the Carolinas, was described in nearapocalyptic terms by the National Weather Service, which labeled the weather “an event of historical proportions.”

The service went on to use terms such as “catastrophic,”“crippling” and “paralyzing” in describing the potential hazards.

By afternoon, much of the Deep South was caked in a dangerous armor of glistening ice and snow.

At least nine highway deaths were reported and more than 350,000 customers were without electricity in Georgia, South Carolina and Louisiana — and the outages were expected to grow.

Some customers could be in the dark for days despite feverish efforts to bring the region’s power back on line.

In North Carolina, sections of five major interstate highways were gridlocked and motorists were abandoning their cars — scenes that appeared to repeat the traffic debacle that gripped Atlanta two weeks ago when thousands of vehicles were left on snow-slick roads.

As the situation worsened into the evening, officials warned drivers to stay with their cars or the vehicles would be towed at their expense. Authorities said

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hoped for, said Joe Blizzard, student body president, in a previous interview.

Blizzard said he wasn’t up to date on the city’s proposal to end blackouts, but any initiative to improve safety is positive for the university.

Council is scheduled to take up the plan next week.

In the meantime, Cummins is planning more events to educate students on the importance of fire safety.

“Having the resources to respond is great, but knowing how to prevent it is our responsibility,” Cummins said. “So we will continue out efforts to educate students.”

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Committee Feb. 24. Mann, who chairs the committee, is encouraging the public to attend the meeting and share its thoughts.

Cranley is confident that council will pass the plan.

“The new proposal should become effective in a couple of months after all the legal work is completed to officially close down that unfortunate chapter from last year,” he said.

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science teachers as possible. It’s not a question of ‘Why do we have 256 and another university has 600?’ We choose.”

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agreement isn’t reached by then.

Both groups said they are hopeful an agreement will be reached before the contract expires this summer.

509 and 610 Swift Hall University of Cincinnati 45221-0185

abandoned vehicles were blocking snow plows and emergency crews, and people trying to walk home were at risk of being hit by cars sliding off icy roads.

Traffic cameras showed vehicles backed up for miles, with cars stacked on roadsides and people stomping through the snow.

The Twitter feed for the state transportation department was crammed with warnings of gridlock from Interstate 26 in the west to Interstates 95, 85, 40 and 77 in central and eastern North Carolina.

Schools and many businesses were closed, but commuters leaving work at midday to beat the storm clogged roads leading out of Charlotte and Raleigh.

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory had warned his fellow Tar Heels to stay at home. “Don’t put your stupid hat on” and challenge icy highways, the Republican said Tuesday night.

He anticipated “one of the toughest storms we’re going to see in our history.”

Up to 10 inches of snow was predicted for the western mountains of North Carolina, 7 inches for Charlotte and 2 to 4 inches for Raleigh.

The North Carolina State Highway Patrol was inundated by calls for help from motorists trapped on jammed highways, marooned after cars slid into ditches or got stuck on the roadside after rear-end collisions. “We have bumper-to-bumper traffic in some places and gridlock in others,” 1st Sgt. Jeff Gordon of the highway patrol said.

“We’re telling people, please, if you’re inside, stay there. Don’t go out on the roadways,” Gordon said. “Just have a look at some of the traffic cameras.”

In South Carolina, GOP Gov. Nikki Haley asked President Barack Obama to declare the state a federal disaster area. “The numbers and conditions look like it’s going

to be worse than the storm of 2004,” Haley told reporters, referring to a storm that knocked out power for 250,000 people and coated power lines with three-quarters of an inch of ice. The storm is far from spent.

It headed northward throughout the day, and was expected to bring from 6 inches to more than a foot of snow Thursday as it moves through Washington, D.C., the New York metropolitan area and into New England by the end of the week.

Still, the miserable weather was a chance for Good Samaritans to do their deeds. One such do-gooder was Roberto, said Glenda Keenan, who was rescued by the stranger.

“He was so sweet — he was determined to deliver this old lady from the side of the road to her lair,” Keenan, who is 60-something, said after Roberto had braved icy roads to drive her home. She did not get his full name.

Keenan said she was on her way home from a vinegar and olive oil store she owns when she was forced to stop her Ford Focus in clogged traffic. She couldn’t get the car moving again on the ice-slicked road, even after two people tried to push her.

The car was eventually pushed safely to the side of the road, and Keenan decided to walk the two to three miles home — leaving in her trunk the groceries she had just bought to get her through the storm.

Then Roberto pulled up in a sedan and insisted that she ride home with him.

Roberto was worried about his wife, who was enduring her own icy adventure on her drive home, but he drove past his own neighborhood and delivered Keenan to her front door.

“I get so demoralized by the horrible things going on in the world, so it was touching to see a complete stranger so concerned about helping someone in trouble,” she said.

SG will show its support of Bill 405 by writing and sending a letter to the state urging its passing.

The few senators who opposed SG’s plan to support the bill said STEM areas of study already receive more attention than others.

“I think STEM is an important field to go into,” said Aaron Sykes, at-large senator and mechanical engineering student. “It’s important that we encourage students to get involved in high school.”

Sykes later said the government sometimes puts too much emphasis on STEM fields. Tribunal senator and College-Conservatory of Music student Cody Quattlebaum agrees STEM students shouldn’t get the tax credits if students in other areas of study aren’t getting them too.

“There should be an equal and opposite bill to help balance it out,” Quattlebaum said. “Something to encourage the arts as well.”

Obama’s executive order raises wages for federal contract workers TRIBUNE WASHINGTON BUREAU

WASHINGTON — After promising for weeks to do so, President Barack Obama on Wednesday signed an executive order raising the minimum wage for federal contractors — but only after wagging his finger at Congress for failing to “give America a raise” by hiking the overall minimum.

Surrounded at the White House by people who work for an hourly wage, Obama delivered remarks aimed largely at members of Congress who have ignored his call to raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $10.10.

Sinkhole swallows classic Corvettes at Kentucky museum LOS ANGELES TIMES

A massive sinkhole in western Kentucky opened up early Wednesday morning below the National Corvette Museum, swallowing eight rare and historic Chevrolet Corvettes that were on display to the public.

No one was hurt in the incident, which was recorded by motion sensors at the museum in Bowling Green.

Six of the cars had been donated to the museum by enthusiasts, while two were on long-term loan from GM.

Italian-US Mafia drug trafficking ring busted Two-year operation leads to 24 arrests in group with ties to cartels MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS

ROME — The FBI and Italian police said they had broken up a global heroin and cocaine trafficking ring Tuesday after stumbling upon a fledgling alliance between a Calabrian Mafia group and associates of New York’s notorious Gambino crime family.

Twenty-four arrests were made in Italy and the United States after a two-year operation that relied on both wiretaps and an American undercover agent named by investigators as “Jimmy,” who is said to have infiltrated the Gambinos and fooled Italians into believing he was a heroin dealer.

Seventeen of the arrests were made in Italy and seven in the United States. Those arrested in the U.S. were arraigned before a federal magistrate in Brooklyn, N.Y. The men, some of them suspected of being members of the Gambino and Bonanno “families,” were listed as using various street aliases such as “Lello,”“Freddy” and “Charlie Pepsi.”

The coordinated sting halted the planned shipment of more than a ton of cocaine from Latin America to Italy in liquid form, smuggled with help from Mexican cartels in coconut and pineapple cans, law enforcement officials said.

They put the street value at $1 billion.

Speaking at a news conference in Rome, U.S. and Italian officials said the mob alliance was also planning to smuggle heroin into the United States, encouraged by the revival of the drug, which now is cheaper than cocaine.

Its resurgence was highlighted early this

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month when Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead in his New York City apartment, apparently from a heroin overdose.

The reported transatlantic team-up rekindled ties between American and Italian organized crime syndicates, which date to the “Pizza Connection” trafficking of drugs by U.S. mob groups and Sicily’s infamous Mafia families in the 1970s and ‘80s.

Three decades on, the Gambino associates forged ties with the rising ‘Ndrangheta crime group in Calabria, in the toe of Italy, which has supplanted the Sicilians in the international drug trade.

The group is a trusted partner of South American cartels and is renowned for its tightknit blood ties.

“The international trafficking of drugs is almost monopolized now by the ‘Ndrangheta,” Italian anti-Mafia investigator Raffaele Grassi said Tuesday.

In New York, U.S. Attorney Loretta E. Lynch called the ‘Ndrangheta “an exceptionally dangerous, sophisticated, and insidious criminal organization with tentacles stretching from Italy to countries around the world.”

Officials said the Mafia alliance was forged at a meeting in Brooklyn. “What we see here is an attempt by the ‘Ndrangheta to gain a foothold in the New York area.

We stand ready to prevent the ‘Ndrangheta from gaining that foothold,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Marshall Miller. George Venizelos, the FBI’s assistant director in the New York City field office, said U.S. agents became involved after picking up signs that ‘Ndrangheta members in Italy were working with the Gambino operation in the United States.

“Little did they know there was an ongoing collaboration between the FBI and

the Italian National Police to investigate and identify their scheme,” he said.

Gennaro Semeraro, chief of police of Reggio Calabria, said the ‘Ndrangheta had initially been suspicious of “Jimmy,” the American undercover agent who made trips to Calabria, “but he worked well and eventually he entered into their confidence.”

The traffickers planned to use the port of Gioia Tauro in Calabria, which is also a staging post for chemical weapons being shipped from Syria for destruction.

The 15-count U.S. grand jury indictment alleged that some of the defendants had worked with Mexican drug cartels in Guyana, in South America, in the cocaine smuggling operation.

There also were allegations, from undercover FBI officials wearing secret recording wires, that three of the defendants sold more than a kilogram of heroin to one agent, and that a sawed-off shotgun and silencer were sold to another agent at a meeting at the Royal Crown Bakery in Brooklyn.

In addition, in conversations picked up on Italian wiretaps, the FBI said, defendant Raffaele “Lello”Valente of Brooklyn bragged about assembling a crew of “wellarmed men” in New York whose “base of operations was as secure as Ft. Knox.”

Valente also allegedly talked about his religious devotion to St. Michael the Archangel — in Christian theology, Satan’s foe in heaven — as his “patron saint.” And he is accused of telling fellow Italian defendant Andrea Memmolo to wear “a special ring as a sign of pride and mutual recognition” between the two crime outfits in the two countries. If convicted, the seven defendants in New York could be sentenced to 10 years to life in prison with no parole.

Kara Driscoll | Editor-in-Chief

Jake Grieco | Arts Editor

Katie Griffith | Managing Editor

Becky Butts | Digital Editor

Ryan Hoffman | News Editor

Madison Schmidt | Chief Photographer

Alexis O’Brien | News Editor

Bryan Shupe | Chief Reporter

Phil Didion | Photo Editor

Heather Obringer | Lead Designer

Josh Miller | Sports Editor

Kate Davis | Designer

Emily Begley | College Life Editor

Amy Rogers | Business Manager

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3 / COLLEGE LIFE Poignant documentary envisions rejuvenated future

THURSDAY, FEB. 13, 2014 / NEWSRECORD.ORG

Black History Month event screens film exploring history of African-American enslavement PALOMA IANES CONTRIBUTOR

Brutal beatings, blood thirsty hounds and incredible acts of bravery were just some enthralling aspects of true stories told through iconic voices throughout the documentary, “Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives.”

The film was screened Tuesday at the AfricanAmerican Cultural & Resource Center, presented as part of a series of Black History Month events hosted by the University of Cincinnati. The events were created to respect and honor African-American history and culture.

“For Americans to understand each other, we have to build a shared empathy,” said Kenneth L. Ghee, an Africana Studies professor. “We want [African-American

history] to be told and connect it to what’s going on today.”

“Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives,” directed by Thomas Lennon and Ed Bell, explores the history of African-American enslavement while including personal accounts from actual victims of slavery.

Black actors narrate scripts derived directly from interviews held with former slaves in the 1930s as part of the Federal Writers’ Project.

The cast of narrators includes Oprah Winfrey, Samuel L. Jackson, Angela Bassett and Ossie Davis.

Short reenactment clips and photographs of the former slaves support the readings, painting a vivid picture for the film’s viewers.

The chilling personal accounts are intimate and, coupled with the talent of the narrating actors, cause viewers to feel as if they are experiencing the situation firsthand.

A spoken timeline placed between the stories voiced

by Whoopi Goldberg serves as a backdrop, giving personal accounts a historical context.

Hearing words directly spoken by an individual who has survived something as horrific as slavery is never easy, but Terry Kershaw, Africana Studies department head and professor, said it is necessary to face these truths as a society.

“We have to look at what happened to us and say this is who we are and this is how we overcame these tragedies,” Kershaw said. “The truth is sometimes hard to take, but to me, that’s the only way we can build a strong future.”

The film was a reminder of two important goals during Black History Month: educating about the past and pushing for a unified future.

“We see a lot more idealism in your generation,” Ghee said. “The hope of today’s generation will be fueled by knowledge of the past.”

Novel achieves vivid portrayal of South Africa AMONA REFAEI STAFF REPORTER

War, tragedy and apartheid raged in 1990s South Africa, a tumultuous time difficult to capture in words.

By masterfully portraying setting, character and dialogue, J.M. Coetzee was able to convey the topic in a compelling, emotional manner.

Although Coetzee’s “Disgrace” initially appears to detail the life and downfall of the book’s protagonist, the novel transforms into a statement about the condition of South Africa itself. Engaging language and strange, unexpected scenes make it nearly impossible for readers to unbury themselves from its pages.

The title alone is enough to entice readers to crack the spine. The concept of disgrace can take on an endless variety of scenarios, creating a mystery begging to be pursued.

The novel opens with David Lurie, a literature professor living in Cape Town who is described as being twice-divorced with no interest in entering a third marriage.

Surprisingly, everything readers need to know about the novel’s central character is presented in the first few chapters.

“For a man of his age, 52, divorced, he has, to his mind, solved the problem of sex rather well,” the first sentence declares, successfully summing up Lurie in a single line.

The professor’s schedule revolves around meeting with a prostitute named Soraya every Thursday.

However, after Soraya stops meeting him, Lurie is driven to instead pursue one of his students, Melanie. He struggles

“Engaging language and strange, unexpected scenes make it nearly impossible for readers to unbury themselves from its pages.” with balancing desire and a situation he realizes is morally and ethically wrong.

Not long after the affair begins, Lurie’s secret is exposed to his university, setting his initial disgrace into motion.

Lurie’s story truly begins, however, when he leaves Cape Town to visit his daughter Lucy, who lives on a farm in the eastern Cape. Coetzee’s work vividly portrays the chaos within South Africa following the overthrow of apartheid.

“Disgrace” is packed with philosophical gems that read as if they were pulled directly from a poem, such as,“When all else fails, philosophize.”Another section of the novel reads,“I don’t think we are ready to die, any of us, not without being escorted.”

Coetzee plays off the idea of disgrace repeatedly throughout this novel, with almost every character experiencing the feeling on some level.

The award-winning novel was adapted into a film in 2009, featuring actor John Malkovich as Lurie.

The movie brings the book’s characters to life, exploring the issues touched on throughout “Disgrace” in a new, particularly vivid light.

PHIL DIDION PHOTO EDITOR

DAAP students Ailish Masterson and Julie Burget wear white gloves while handling wedding dresses to be put on display at the Cincinnati Museum Center.

Museum Center fashions newest exhibit Galleries illustrate lives of Princess Diana, local women through original possessions ELIZABETH DEPOMPEI STAFF REPORTER

Valentine’s Day in Cincinnati will have a little more glam and history than usual thanks to an upcoming Cincinnati Museum Center exhibit featuring the fashion and philanthropy of Princess Diana.

“Diana, A Celebration” opens at the museum Friday and has toured the country since 2003. Cincinnati will be the last stop before the royal wedding gown returns to England for preservation along with more than 25 designer dresses.

“The dresses are always what draws a lot of people in,” said Cody Hefner, museum media relations manager.“To see her wedding dress is really a giddy and exciting feeling. We want people to feel that way.”

The exhibition also showcases 150 personal objects including rare home movies and two diamond tiaras.

Hefner said people might be surprised to learn about the charitable woman behind the dresses.

“It’s not just Diana, the princess,” Hefner said.“It’s Diana and what she did with her life, and that was to draw a lot of attention to social issues and charitable causes.”

One outfit on display is a pair of khakis and a denim shirt, and with it is a ballistic vest. Diana wore the outfit while she was in Angola raising awareness for active

land mines that were maiming and killing children.

“She was one of the major figures in the world, and here she is in one of the most dangerous places,” Hefner said.“That [outfit] is tucked in amongst the Chanel and Versace dresses that she was famously seen wearing.”

The exhibit ends with a companion gallery featuring Cincinnati’s own historic women.

“Daughters of the Queen City” will showcase five wedding dresses from local figures like Louise Nippert.

Two students from the University of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning worked with David Conzett, the museum’s curator of history object collections, to put the wedding dresses on display.

The dresses are from the museum’s own collection and are dated from 1853 to 1947.

“Most of the dresses are from different decades,” said Julie Burget, a fourth-year fashion design and product development student.“There was this dress from the ’30s that I could tell was a Great Depression era dress because it was much simpler.”

Burget had to wear white gloves to handle the dresses.

“I honestly never held or handled anything that old or that expensive,” Burget said.

The gallery will also feature local women’s philanthropic work.

“What the Diana exhibition has done is completely redefined what a princess

is,” Hefner said.“So you walk through ‘Daughters of the Queen City’ and see that there were women in Cincinnati that did very much the same thing, that used their status in society not to go to lavish balls and do all these extravagant things, but to draw attention to social issues.”

Hefner said the museum wanted to make the gallery an interactive experience.

A stamp wall will allow patrons to leave their mark on the gallery and publicly pledge their support to the Queen City.

Patrons will even be able to dress like a princess by taking “selfies” against a mirror with a crown painted on it.

Thursday, the UC students working with the dresses will get a sneak peak of the exhibit and their contributions. .

Burget, who spent the past semester in Paris at an embroidery school, learned a lot from the experience.

“It’s something really unique that I get to do and hopefully it’s something that I get to do again,” she said.

Although the exhibition’s opening date is pure coincidence, Hefner said it would make for a great Valentine’s Day date for both men and women.

“Everyone thinks it’s just for girls, and guys are just going to say, ‘Oh, it’s just a wedding dress,’ but it’s really powerful to see,” he said.

The exhibit opens at the Cincinnati Museum Center at noon Friday and runs through Aug. 17 with extended hours and timed entry.

Sorority secures funds to benefit local charities Students serve time collecting donations as part of Phi Mu’s Miracle Week EMILY BEGLEY COLLEGE LIFE EDITOR

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John Malkovich plays David Lurie in the 2009 film adaptation of “Disgrace.” The film, based on J.M. novel of the same name, brings the author’s characters to life.

Hands clutching paper cups shot out of a man-made jail cell on campus Wednesday.

Dozens of volunteer inmates huddled together in an effort to raise money for local charities.

Members of the new University of Cincinnati sorority Phi Mu organized the Jail-N-Bail as part of the group’s Miracle Week, which aims to collect funds for Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Cincinnati Dance Marathon.

“It’s a fun way to raise money for our national philanthropy,” said Demi York, a second-year communications and marketing student and member of the Campus Activities Council. “This has been turning a lot of heads.”

The sorority constructed the small, gray jail cell on MainStreet, allowing any interested student, faculty or staff member to become a volunteer inmate.

Student body president Joe Blizzard and the Bearcat mascot were two of many recognizable faces inside the cell throughout the day; each inmate was asked to receive $25 in donations to meet bail.

York and Ashlyn Duty, first-year nursing student and Phi Mu treasurer, estimate the event raised more than

LAUREN KRAMER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Students volunteer to collect donations within Phi Mu’s jail cell as part of the new UC sorority’s Miracle Week.

$1,000 to benefit their chosen charities, although an exact figure has not yet been calculated.

Nathen Morris, third-year international affairs and psychology student, was one of more than 100 passersby to become involved in the event throughout the day.

Intrigued by the notion of contributing to charity, Morris picked up a cup and joined in with a group of fellow inmates.

Although Jail-N-Bail is the largest event Phi Mu planned as a part of Miracle Week, several additional activities —

including a giant beach ball signed by students Monday for a $1 donation — have also helped the sorority meet their philanthropic goals.

York noted a particularly memorable moment from the week, a personal message scrawled on the beach ball crediting a young girl’s recovery to philanthropic initiatives like Miracle Week.

“That’s the real reason we do that,”York said.

4 / ARTS

THURSDAY, FEB. 13, 2014 / NEWSRECORD.ORG

Modern Baseball not home run AILISH MASTERSON STAFF REPORTER

In 2011, four guys with a passion for music got together to form a band called Modern Baseball.

They started out in Maryland completely unknown, playing small gigs, making YouTube videos and posting their music to Facebook.

Despite the small fan base, Modern Baseball never gave up and went on a small tour in July 2012 with the band Marietta and continued performing throughout the summer.

Fast forward to today, Modern Baseball has more than 25,000 likes on Facebook and recently released the second full album, “You’re Gonna Miss It All.” While they are still a somewhat unknown band, the fans that love them only have good things to say about this new release.

The sound is similar to their first album. Are they a punk band? Rock?

Alternative? It’s honestly hard to tell, as Modern Baseball has a bit of everything mixed into their sound. This makes them very unique, as does the voice of their lead singer.

His voice is slightly nasally and high with some rasp to it, which can become annoying.

“You’re Gonna Miss It All” opens with the track “Fine, Great,” which is an interesting choice considering it showcases vocals that aren’t very strong.

The next song, “Broken Cash Machine” isn’t much better and is about seeing faults in a relationship after a breakup.

The album pretty much continues along that same path; iffy vocals with strange, random lyrics and interesting guitar and drumbeats, which are the saving grace.

The real shock came toward the end of the album about half way through the song “Your Graduation” when some new vocals are added into the mix. If this is the first listen, most will probably jump out of their chair when they hear the angry, soft-core screamo vocals come through the speakers.

The song takes such an unexpected turn with that verse and nothing like it appears anywhere else on the album.

All of “You’re Gonna Miss It All” sort of gives off the “I’m angry and alternative and different, but I can be sentimental if you want” vibe that is reminiscent of the days when everyone wanted to be a “scene kid.”

The album isn’t all bad though. The last two songs slow things down and are a refreshing change of pace.

It’s difficult to get past the vocals that are so mediocre that it’s surprising Modern Baseball got signed to a label at all.

The lyrics are pretty rough and make it difficult to get into the album and relate to it.

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‘Walking’ nearly wastes premiere

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AMC slacking on only series it has left worth watching JOSHUA MILLER SPORTS EDITOR

As the mid-season premiere of “The Walking Dead” begins Michonne, again the lone wolf but still the baddest woman in town, stalks around the outskirts of the prison walls, samurai-ing some and rolling her eyes at others.

She is forced to return to her old tactic of dragging around a pair of de-fanged, declawed, somehow no longer blood thirsty walkers as her own personal zombiedeterrents.

As she walks away from the prison, zombie dogs in hand, Hersehel’s head, an hour or so removed from his body at the hands of the also now deceased Governor, is zombie-fied.

As Michonne puts Herschel’s upper oneeighth out of its misery, it becomes very clear what the writers are going for: All of the progress of seasons one through three is gone, burned to hell right along with Woodbury and the Prison. But it’s worse than before, because now they’ve all had and lost hope. In a zombie apocalypse, the saying that it’s better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all is, well, utter bulls@#t. Hope in a hopeless world can be the most damning thing of all.

After the intro, we’re re-introduced to Rick, who looks like the late Arturo Gatti after 12 rounds with Mickey Ward, and Carl, whose teen angst has reached levels rivaled only by that of Myspace.

In the immediacy of this sequence we’re reminded of two very distinct facts of life. The first being that, even for a child, Chandler Riggs is just a poor actor, so much that his career may never recover from his performance on this show. And then the second hard fact of life: Thou shalt not go to sleep when thou hath a stage five concussion. And because Rick’s concussion rivals that of Gatti’s post-Ward fight, but is also accompanied by what appears to be a slew of broken ribs and several infected lacerations, he’s now in a coma and needs medical attention in a myriad of forms.

After the writers made us suffer through 10 minutes of Carl’s “I’m a big boy and I don’t need anyone,” shtick, they finally had him come out and say it.

When he is fresh off of a threezombie kill streak, in which he very nearly perished, big-boy Carl found the confidence within himself to lambast his unconscious father for his shortcoming.

What a man.

“I’d be fine if you died.”

Those were the final words of Carl’s tirade — right before he wandered off and almost got himself eaten again.

It’s shocking that an episode so awaited by the masses to be so excruciatingly underwhelming. Never has an episode — of any show — spent so much of its

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precious airtime beating a dead horse with such longevity and over-arching heavy handedness.

Viewers can justly feel they’ve been robbed of an episode, after spending an hour learning nothing that they didn’t already know: Carl is a teenage punk living in a world where teenagers don’t have time to take full advantage of the “rebellion” stage.

We knew that before the episode any teenager that was forced to execute his mother mere seconds after she gave birth to his younger sister is an adult, just as Rick said at the end of the episode, “You’re a man. I’m sorry.”

Perhaps it wouldn’t feel like such a robbery if Riggs could carry a scene on his own, in the way that David Morrissey (the Governor) could or the way that Danai Gurira (Michonne) briefly did in this episode, but he can’t. This show has succeeded despite his lacking’s and, in an episode where he’s the main character, it simply cannot.

Rick and Carl have their issues, they’re father and son and that’s how it works.

Fans of the show have seen that, they know it, and while their relationship will be of great importance to the remainder of the show and the eventual passing of the torch, an entire episode that naturally ends with Carl realizing just how much he still needs his father, was a waste.

In this predictable and played-out episode of life lessons for Carl, the only brief flashes of importance are the cutaways to Michonne, who at one point expanded her small clan of walker decoys into an intricate herd, which she inevitably slaughtered in a moment of Rick-esque mental breakdown.

As always, Gurira was brilliant in her cold, near lifeless portrayal of Michonne.

If not for the insight viewers gained of her character and the reuniting of Michonne with Rick and Carl, “The Walking Dead’s” mid-season return would have been an utter waste of an hour.

‘The Lego Movie’ well put together storytelling With long list of big-name actors featured, stop motion film successful MONROE TROMBLY STAFF REPORTER

“The Lego Movie” shouldn’t be written off as a simple kid’s movie or a massive toy commercial; its ingenuity of set design to create a realistic world based on actual Lego sets and the cleverness of plot and dialogue is remarkable and refreshing.

From the writers and directors of such films as “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs,” and “21 Jump Street,” comes this triumph of stop-motion animation.

Phil Lord and Chris Miller have expertly crafted “The Lego Movie,” which appeals to both adults and kids alike, presenting a refreshing take on familiar themes and stories that appear almost in a ubiquitous fashion concerning film today.

Chris Pratt is the voice of Emmett Brickowski, an average rule-abiding citizen that plays everything by the book.

Rulebook, that is.

He is the epitome of an average Joe, but an average Joe that is a denizen of a media-fueled corporatocracy, ruled

by President Business (Will Ferrell), the president of the one and only Brickville

Company, Octan Corporation.

Everything from Emmett’s favorite song, “Everything is Awesome,” to how he interacts with people on a daily basis is controlled by rules set by Octan and it’s subsidiaries.

The population is continually watched at all times and subtle threats of death are dropped if a citizen should stop participating in “Taco Tuesday.”

The familiar plotline of the “Chosen One” provides structure of “The Lego Movie,” and Emmett later discovers he is the one to be called, “The Special.”

Throughout the quest of the movie he is guided by a girl he meets named Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks), a wizard named Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman) and Batman, voiced by a hilarious Will Arnett.

Liam Neeson hit his stride in his best role yet, voicing Emmett’s main pursuant, Bad Cop/Good Cop. The sheer talent that goes into parodying almost every established Hollywood plotline or archetype is remarkable in the sense that it doesn’t come off as slander, but more like adult satire through the lens of a toy world.

The dialogue is filled with popculture references, modern idioms and contemporary sayings that heighten the humor, which is thoroughly entertaining

because the characters don’t seem to follow any sort of design or order except their own.

Even though the individual Lego characters are parodies on their own real-life prototypes, they don’t seem to be restricted to hollow, rigid archetypal personalities.

Freeman as the wizard, for instance, a usually wise and patient mentor invoking the Dumbledore type, but at times he gets hilariously infuriated at Emmett’s slowness to learn, calling his ideas “the worst.”

As with many animation films, there is a tendency to stretch the plot and computer-generated world to unrealistic and impractical bounds, since the constraints of the real world are nonexistent. But “The Lego Movie” remains relatable, timely, and grounded for the entirety of the film, even with the chaotic world that Lord and Miller have so expertly created.

Each set and scene is built with each and every Lego piece that would be needed to create the setting in real life, and no Computer Generated Images were used to supplant or fix a constraint of the Legos. For instance, the fire used during explosions and car chases of the film are the actual little pieces of plastic that look like flames.

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There are 3,863, 484 unique Lego pieces and 183 Lego figurines used in this good-hearted production.

Thanks to stop-motion animation, the limits of technology seem endless, and hopefully “The Lego Movie” demonstrates that animation can still yield the best results when creativity, ingenuity and talented imagination are employed effectively.

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6 / SPORTS It’s time for UC UC set for conference championships to start worrying THURSDAY, FEB. 13, 2014 / NEWSRECORD.ORG

about Cronin

JOSHUA MILLER SPORTS EDITOR

In the past eight years, there have been only two consistencies in the University of Cincinnati Department of Athletics: head basketball coach Mick Cronin and an all-around inability to retain the services of football coaches and athletic directors.

Cronin — in the midst of his eighth and, so far, most successful season at UC — is on his third athletic director, his fourth football coach and his third university president.

Mark Dantonio led Michigan State to a Rose Bowl Victory in January, seven years after leaving UC for the job. Brian Kelly took Notre Dame to the national championship game in 2013. Butch Jones just signed the fifth best recruiting class in the country at Tennessee.

Although no one seems to miss him and they certainly wouldn’t tell you if they did, Mike Thomas is at Illinois making Big Ten money. Whit Babcock, who in less than two years grew to be a beloved figure among the UC fan base, is the most recent to leave.

Considering the absurd turnover rate, it’s amazing that UC has maintained such levels of success (with the exception of 2010-11, Jones’ first year). But the Babcock departure hurts more because of the upward trajectory he had the department embarking on.

Since Cronin inherited the remnants of what I’ve come to describe as the Bob Huggins versus Nancy Zimpher/Andy Kennedy versus Mike Thomas debacle of 2005-06, UC has been the coaching and administrator carousel of the country: the last stepping stone between success and success coupled with bigger contracts and more resources.

Through the past decade of in-and-out football coaches, UC has had the luxury of worrying less about Cronin departing, partially because his first four years at UC were buried deep within the process of rebuilding and mostly because he’s a UC alumnus that’s displayed great loyalty.

If there was a point at which UC should start to worry, it is now — both because of his increasing success and because of the fan base’s continuingly heightened displeasure with being left again and again.

The last time UC basketball was this good this late in the season, a young fellow by the name of Kenyon Martin was dominating the college basketball world in a Bearcat jersey. It’s been almost 15 years.

This is compounded by the fact that, for the first time, Cronin has been more outspoken about his need for backing, both from the administration and from the fan base. It hasn’t been angry by any means, but an underlying frustration is generally assumed and is most certainly merited.

Although he could surely get more money, and please believe that any major program (and I believe UC is a major program, but history shows that it’s not in terms of dollars and cents) in need of a coach at the end of this season will be more than interested in his services, I don’t believe that money is the issue.

The issue at hand, which he’s referenced, is the atrocity that is Fifth Third Arena. It was outdated roughly 15 minutes after it was completed in the early 1990s.

How much farther can Cronin take this program while trying to recruit to Fifth Third Arena?

The bulk of Cronin’s success at UC has been built on defense. And while high profile recruits are not necessarily the key to maintaining defensive veracity for the Bearcats, a lack of scoring talent is a clear problem at times.

UC currently ranks 36th on 247sports. com’s 2014 basketball recruiting rankings. There is an overarching theme for the 35 teams in front of UC, and it isn’t winning or a higher profile coach — it’s better, newer arenas.

With Nippert Stadium currently under renovation through 2015, I realize this isn’t an issue that can be addressed immediately, but there needs to be an immediate sense of reactiveness taken by UC. If Cronin does leave, the chances of UC finding someone else who can do so much with so little, from the standpoint of both talent and resources, are slim to none.

I truly believe that Cronin wants more than anything to coach UC for the rest of his days. It’s more or less all he ever wanted. But every man has his price, and for him that price wouldn’t be money, but the simple opportunity to succeed at a higher level.

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE Check out newsrecord.org for a photo gallery of the University of Cincinnati women’s basketball team’s 65-49 victory against the Memphis Tigers.

University of Cincinnati swimming coach Monty Hopkins instructs his team during practice at the Keating Aquatics Center.

Inaugural American Athletic Conference meet awaits UC swimmers MADISON SCHMIDT CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

As the 2013-14 season comes to an end, the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams at the University of Cincinnati are training for their first conference meet within the American Athletic Conference.

But to simply go through the motions and train in the water does not cut it for Monty Hopkins, the men and women’s head coach who holds his swimmers to a high standard of personal excellence.

“Tapering begins the first day of practice,” Hopkins said.

Starting in August, each day spent in the pool leads to the final test during conference. Now, with one week remaining before hopping on the bus to Louisville, Ky. for the Feb. 19-22 competition, swimmers visibly taper back mileage in the water to focus on the smaller details of the race.

As a total body sport, swimmers pay close attention to body positioning and entrance into the water in addition to weight lifting, dry-land exercises and

swimming training.

Coaches and swimmers need to keep in mind drag, buoyancy and propulsion in order to gain maximum speed without displacing water. The combination of reducing drag while simultaneously increasing buoyancy and propulsion makes for a competent swimmer.

UC’s athletes try to achieve just that by swimming against their human instincts.

“Distressed swimmers fight the water, which isn’t going to work,” Hopkins said.

“What we’re doing, we’re not fish-like, but trying to become to be fish-like, so we’re just trying to keep from drowning with style.”

In order to further aid these components in high competition meets, UC swimmers wear the most advanced gear they can. Skintight, high-tech suits that mimic sleek sharkskin and enhance perfect body position for a fatigued swimmer throughout the race.

“The suits squeeze the body into a sleeker, tighter shape,” Hopkins said.

“They actually harden your body, whereas if [the athlete] is soft [they] have a lot more ripples. So the suits compress the bodies in and create in humans a more seal-like form.”

MADISON SCHMIDT CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

The short life span of the suits becomes the only downfall when purchasing the $250 - $450 investments from Speedo and TYR Sport. Inc. “You want to make the person as fast as they can be without the polish that a suit or cap gives you,” Hopkins said. “But ultimately, if you’re not competing with the best equipment, the people that have the best equipment will win.”

Once they put on the suits and goggles, UC has a number of swimmers expected to rise above during conference, including fourth-year swimmer Joe Scherpenberg and firstyear swimmer Jackie Keire.

“Joe’s a big-meet swimmer,” Hopkins said. “He’ll look like he’s forgotten how to swim, then three weeks later when he rests and comes to a meet, it’s just jaw dropping at how well he swims.”

In January, the American Athletic Conference presented an award to Keire for the league-best Female Swimmer of the Week Award. “[Conference] can’t just be another meet,” Hopkins said. “The suits add in, and of course the physical taper and the emphasis on a team — if these things come together the right way, then you have a great meet.”

Legaux, Washington granted extra year Fallen UC quarterback to return after gruesome knee injury THE NEWS RECORD

After suffering one of the most gruesome injuries in recent college football history, University of Cincinnati quarterback Munchie Legaux is coming back for one more season.

Legaux, along with junior receiver Shaq Washington, received an eligibility extension waiver from the American Athletic Conference office, the league announced Wednesday.

Legaux was injured during UC’s 45-17 loss to Illinois Sept. 7, 2013, when he

was hit simultaneously by two Illinois defenders and his left leg severely hyperextended at the knee. Several muscles were damaged in what UC team doctor Angelo Colosimo described as “The worst knee injury I’ve seen in 25 years,” in a previous interview with The News Record.

In 31 career games, Legaux has thrown for 2,847 yards, completing 205-of-396 with 20 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.

He has averaged 5.5 yards per rush, adding seven touchdowns and 627 yards on the ground.

Legaux led UC to a 42-7 victory against Purdue in the first week of the season, his only completed game of the year.

Although Legaux’s return is a boost to

UC’s depth at quarterback, most expect highly touted Notre Dame transfer Gunner Kiel to assume the starting position next season.

Washington’s return could indeed prove to be far more important for the program in the long term, as he emerged as former UC quarterback Brendon Kay’s favorite target last season.

He hauled in 83 receptions during the 2013 season — fifth most in school history — amassing 783 yards.

Washington, a former high school quarterback, also proved to be a viable weapon as the leader of UC’s wildcat package in the Belk Bowl.

Washington is now eligible for the next two seasons.

Randolph leads Bearcats past Memphis Senior forward’s career night helps UC snap four game losing skid CHARLES GROVE STAFF REPORTER

With her ninth double-double of the season, University of Cincinnati senior Jeanise Randoph led the Bearcats (1014, 3-10) to their third American Athletic Conference win of the season, a 65-49 victory against the Memphis Tigers Wednesday night.

Lovett scored 23 points, tying a career high, to go along with 11 rebounds. Lovett dominated the second half, scoring 19 of her 23 points in the second stanza to ensure the Bearcats snap out of their previous fourgame losing streak.

However, Randolph was quick to praise her teammates for her career night.

“My teammates were looking for me more,” Randolph said.“They were looking for me to get open and they saw good positions for me to get open and catch the ball and get to the basket. It was more of a team effort.”

Freshman Bianca Quisenberry had a strong performance, scoring in double figures with 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting.

“Our mentality was our biggest focus,” Quisenberry said.“The past couple days practicing, our focus was just getting back to focusing on us and doing what we had to do to win — executing offensively and defensively and part of that is being focused.”

Quisenberry, who UC head coach Jamelle Elliott said is her only true point guard on the team at the moment, at times looked experienced beyond her years.

“I’m getting more comfortable,”Quisenberry said.“The point guard spot just takes experience so me having the opportunity to start with some of our point guards being out just helps me get that experience and getting able to lead my team and help and contribute where I can is a big key.”

Sophomore Ariel Hearn was the main scoring option for the Tigers (11-14, 4-9),

LAUREN KREMER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

UC’s Aleysha Lovett drives into the paint during the Bearcats’ 65-49 victory against the Memphis Tigers Wednesday.

notching 18 points. Memphis has now dropped four straight games.

The win gave UC its first since Jan. 25, when the Bearcats defeated Central Florida 47-37.

Elliott said her team’s all-around defensive effort made all the difference against the Tigers.

“We held a team that’s used to scoring over 60 points a game at least 10 points under their average,” Elliott said.“We did a lot of switching and stayed primarily with our man to man because that’s what been successful for us.”

UC pounded Memphis in the paint 30-22, which helped the Bearcats shoot 45.3 percent for the game. Elliott said with Memphis running a four-guard system going inside was a priority.

The Memphis offense struggled against a smothering UC defense that held the Tigers to 28.3 percent from the floor, also holding Memphis scoreless for more than

five minutes during the closing stages of the first half. The Bearcats have now won 9-of-10 games this season when leading at the half.

“We just came out being aggressive,” Randolph said.“We wanted to start off the second half how we as we did the first half.

Just playing the defense we normally play, being aggressive and staying focused.”

Randolph said practice the past couple days has helped the team figure each other out and play more efficiently, after struggling in the four games since senior Dayeesha Hollins’s season-ending knee injury.

Next up for the Bearcats is a road test at Temple (12-11, 6-6) Feb. 15 at 1 p.m. The Owls beat UC at Fifth Third Arena earlier this season, 58-47.

“They’re a guard oriented team but more importantly they’re a pressing team,” Elliott said.“Our primary focus on Saturday is going to be to make sure we take care of their pressure.