T&C Fall 2011 Week 12

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otterbein university wednesday, nov. 16, 2011 vol. 93, issue 12 www.otterbein360.com

Class times could ‘American Idol’ coach Promising men’s be cut for new to watch ‘Carnival!’ and hoops team to begin school year 2 lend expertise 7 play this weekend 10 lay-up

Last year, the men’s basketball team finished 13-13, but Coach Reynolds said his team has a whole new dynamic this year that comes from experience.

photo by kristen davis

High hopes

4

news

Tan & Cardinal

HIV

FAST STATS

The percentage of people in Franklin County aged 15-24 with HIV in 2009

The number of people who died in 2008 due to AIDS

5% 2008

1,998

The number of men and women in Franklin County living with HIV in 2009

Otterbein Celebrates World AIDS Day Schedule of Events: HIV Testing Provided by Ohio AIDS Coalition • Thursday, Nov. 17 • 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• Campus Center

AIDS Memorial Quilt Unfolding Ceremony

• Tuesday, Nov. 29 • 10-11:45 a.m.

• Courtright Memorial Library

Race for Awareness

• Saturday, Dec. 3 • Check-in begins 11:15 a.m.

• Race begins 12 p.m.

• Otterbein Outdoor Track

World AIDS Day Candlelight Vigil

• Thursday, Dec. 1 • 7 p.m.

• Courtright Memorial Library

3 v. 3 Basketball Tournament

wednesday, nov. 16, 2011

FYI on HIV: Still a threat Students collaborate with the Ohio AIDS Coalition to fight misconceptions and show that the disease is ever-present today

BY PAOLA CASALE Staff Writer

The number 2008 not only represents a year, but also a statistic as the number of AIDSrelated deaths that occurred in Franklin County during that time.

Otterbein will be celebrating World AIDS Day Dec. 1 with a series of events that begins with an HIV testing event by the Ohio AIDS Coalition Thursday, Nov. 17.

The purpose of the events surrounding World AIDS Day is to promote awareness regarding HIV and AIDS. “There are 33 million people in the world that have HIV right now,” Otterbein biochemistry professor Wendy Johnston, who teaches a Senior Year Experience class called The Face of Aids, said. “The conversation regarding HIV and AIDS has gone away in our country because we have the medication that can manage it, but not everyone who has HIV has access to that medication.”

A segment of a quilt representing thousands of people who have lost loved ones to HIV and AIDS will be brought to Otterbein and unveiled Tuesday, Nov. 29, at the Courtright Memorial Library.

“There are currently 91,000 names represented on the quilt.

We are fortunate to bring 10 of the 12-by-12 pieces of the quilt

to Otterbein for World AIDS Day,” Annie Garrett, a senior enrolled in the course, said. “I hope the quilt will inform more students about HIV and AIDS and truly show them how many people are affected by this virus.”

“Your biggest concern (regarding sex) should not be pregnancy, but should be AIDS, HIV and STDs,” Bill Tiedemann, the program administrator at the Ohio Department of Health, said.

According to Johnston, people are afraid to talk about AIDS or don’t think it can’t happen to them.

“They think it’s a gay disease or an African disease or a drug user’s disease, and the truth is anyone can get it,” Johnston said.

Students in the SYE class were introduced to guest speakers who are HIV positive.

“After having guest speakers in class who are HIV positive, I became quickly aware of how easily anyone can get the virus,” Garrett said.

Johnston said, “We know exactly how HIV is spread through blood and sex, yet the demographics of people who have HIV in this country are under the age of 25. We know how to stop it, yet young people are still getting infected every six seconds.”

Tiedemann said that teens and young adults should treat their sexual health with as much respect as their physical health.

“We need to be able to communicate our needs to our sexual partners as we would communicate our needs to our doctor around our physical sex,” Tiedemann said. “We need to be as healthy in our sexual life as we are in our physical life; it’s about protecting ourselves and our futures.”

Statistics show that the most common age group of people living with HIV, AIDS and STDs are between 15 and 24. The Ohio Department of Health came out with a study in 2010 that revealed that 38,517 cases were reported of chlamydia in that age group, 10,846 cases were reported of gonorrhea and 420 cases reported of syphilis.

Sophomore international studies major Kiersten Curtis said that Otterbein does a good job offering information regarding AIDS, HIV and STDs to students. “I don’t think there are a lot of programs, but I know that I have access to info if I want or need it,” Curtis said.

The Health Center is available as a resource for students with issues regarding sexual health. “I haven’t had any students come to me asking for condoms, but we do have them here,” Lee Ann Bowers, administrator and registered nurse at the Health Center, said.

“They expire in January though so until then they can take as many as they need.”

t&c

• Friday, Dec. 2 • 6:30-9:30 p.m.

• Clements Recreation Center

Performance and Talk Back: Angels in America • Tuesday, Dec. 6 • 8 p.m.

• Campus Center Theatre

GraphiC by Josh adkins and inForMation FroM the ohio departMent oF health

stitChinG toGether:

elvert barnes/FliCkr

The AIDS Memorial Quilt displays over 91,000 names and weighs more than 54 tons, according to the NAMES Project Foundation. More than 18 million people have visited the quilt.

opinion 8 Candidate’s grace impresses student

wednesday, nov. 16, 2011

Tan & Cardinal

Republican Rick Perry joins in on jokes regarding his nationally televised brain fart

In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past week, Texas Gov. Rick Perry made a mistake on Nov. 9 during the Republican debate in Michigan that could have been detrimental to his campaign for the 2012 presidential HOLLY election.

TAKACH After naming the first two government agencies he would cut, education and commerce, Perry then struggled to remember the third. He floundered for awhile before the CNBC moderator, John Harwood, asked once again for the third agency. “The third agency of government I would do away with — the education, um, the commerce and, let’s see. I can’t … the third one. I can’t. Sorry.

Oops,” Perry said.

Essentially, the blunder was a painful two minutes of pure awkwardness as he scrambled to remember the third agency that he would cut should he become president. This moment was highlighted and mocked in latenight talk shows and satirized on “Saturday Night Live.”

But the grace with which Perry embraced his gaffe has made me admire him, and, quite honestly, I now love the guy.

Never have I thought that I would be persuaded to like a politician solely based on his charisma.

In fact, I spent all of the 2008 presidential election getting ticked off at people who supported now-President Barack Obama because of his personality. To me, politics should always take precedence.

So why is it that I now hold a tender place in my heart for Perry? As an openly tree-hugging liberal from Portland, Ore., I never thought I’d find myself supporting a Republican candidate.

Even so, I still disagree with the platform of the Republican

Party, which definitely includes Rick Perry.

Perry is pro-life, and I am pro-choice. He wants to end lifetime appointments to the Supreme Court, and I find them vital to the judicial system. And while he has made successful efforts in favor of concealed weapons laws, I’d rather not get shot while fighting over the last box of strawberry Pop-Tarts in Kroger.

However, the way that Perry has come back from this blunder truly makes me respect him as a politician. Not only has he accepted his slip-up, but he openly makes fun of himself.

One day after the incident, he was on “Late Night With David Letterman” reading the top 10 Rick Perry excuses, my personal favorite being No. 6: “Hey, listen.

You try concentrating with Mitt Romney smiling at you. That is one handsome dude.”

His willingness to stand up on a national network and joke about his situation will definitely build his reputation as a charismatic politician and help keep his ratings from falling.

In addition to his appearance on late-night television, he also jested about his slip-up during the next Republican debate on Nov. 12 in South Carolina.

This time the debate mediator, Scott Pelley, asked him a question specific to the program that Perry had forgotten only three days prior.

After the agency was stated, Perry jumped in, saying, “Glad you remembered it.”

To which Pelley responded, “I’ve had some time to think about it.”

Perry quickly followed up with, “Me too.”

It’s rare that I laugh at the Republican debates for something other than the politics, and I truly admire Perry for standing up and laughing with us. t&c HOLLY TAKACH IS A SOPHOMORE POLITICAL SCIENCE MAJOR AND A CONTRIBUTING WRITER FOR THE

t&c.

steve rhodes/FliCkr

hunG out to dry:

The positives and negatives pertaining to the abortion rights of women and their fetuses once again came into question when Mississippi put the “personhood” amendment on its November ballot.

Senior sides with votes against failed anti-abortion amendment

Mississippi didn’t pass the potential law, but it may come to Ohio Mississippi had a new amendment up for vote last week that was referred to as the “personhood” amendment.

The amendment was an anti-abortion law that declared that from the moment of fertilization, a fetus is a person. Voters in JULIA Mississippi have ROBIDEAU since voted no on the ballot that challenged the decisions made in the 1973 Roe v. Wade case.

“The personhood amendment that Mississippi (faced) is absolutely toxic,” said senior psychology and women, gender and sexuality studies major Abigail Santorine, the president of VOX (Voices of Planned Parenthood).

“It shows no respect for women, their bodies and their choices.

Extreme legislation like this only puts women at risk.”

While I have a few internal questions about abortion being right or wrong, I will say this: Are you kidding? No, seriously, I don’t see how this can be seen as a good thing, and the reason we

should care is because there are rumors that Ohio is next to vote on the ballot.

It is natural for pregnancy to occur, and yes, I do agree that you shouldn’t have sex if you’re unprotected and don’t want a baby. But rape occurs, and birth control fails. Then what?

Are we willing to have even more 16-year-old mothers in this country? What if you come to find out that your baby will be in extreme pain constantly and will never know a life besides that of being tube-fed and wearing diapers until tragically passing at the age of 18? Would you want to put someone through a life like that? I’m not sure I could.

What if the mother is unfit?

And by unfit I mean what if the pregnancy was putting her health in jeopardy? I wouldn’t be able to live knowing that I would never get to meet the person growing inside me, because I will most likely not make it through or even up to labor.

Then there is the famous question of rape. While I agree it isn’t the baby’s or mother’s fault and that adoption is a great op-

tion, is it fair for us to decide for her that she has to go through a pregnancy with a constant reminder of what happened to her?

This law would also make it difficult for women to get their hands on birth control and the morning-after pill.

“This amendment goes beyond abortion and makes hormonal birth control and in vitro fertilization illegal as well,” Santorine said. “Hormonal birth control has uses beyond merely helping women avoid getting pregnant; it helps prevent the pain of ovarian cysts and other reproductive issues.”

All in all, I think this law is impractical if not unrealistic. I may not like abortion, but it happens, and a woman’s right to her body is her own. I also don’t like war — but it happens.

We can’t control everything, and no matter where you stand on the issue of abortion, the personhood amendment is way out of line. t&c JULIA ROBIDEAU IS A SENIOR JOURNALISM MAJOR AND A STAFF WRITER FOR THE t&c.

opinion 9 Seniors say goodbye Opinion editor thanks T&C for her sanity

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www.otterbein360.com

vol. 93, issue 12

After two years on the paper, senior heads toward “real life” with memories, friends and a trusty AP Stylebook

I think it would be safe to say that the Tan & Cardinal saved my life.

That doesn’t mean that I was ready to off myself and the newspaper swooped down like some giant LEAH eagle of justice DRISCOLL a la Lord of the Rings and showed me the light, but it definitely saved me from the typical early-20s apathy.

You know, I’d be driving along and thinking about all the homework I didn’t want to do and be like, “Well. Driving off this cliff isn’t really an option because then who would make my pages? There’d be a mad panic.

God, I can’t do that.”

It’s given me … OK, this is just dripping with cheese, but it’s given me a purpose — a reason to not lie in bed and have a laugh with the ceiling about my lack of motivation to greet the day.

Late nights spent arguing over comma placement, brainstorming pun-tastic headline verbs and laughing over rude emails helped me realize something: I’m not just wasting my time here. In the daily grind, the routine that drags through each week, it’s easy to panic that the one corner you’ve boxed yourself into by senior year isn’t actually what’s going to make you happy.

But editing makes me happy.

Giving feedback and helping writers makes me happy. And jeez, more than anything, writing makes me happy. The Tan & Cardinal not only saved my life, but my sanity, too. And isn’t that

funny? Most of the time I might like to argue that it’s robbed me of my sanity, but I don’t really think that’s true.

It’s not just the work. I’m not a robot; at least I don’t think so.

If I am, I’m the least functional and reliable robot ever. Anyway, it’s not just the work, it’s the atmosphere of this paper and all those involved in production that keep me from laughing manically as I swerve off a cliff, too.

Do you like reading other people’s inside jokes? No? Then skip on over to another article, because here we go.

Alyssa, my roomie, my love, my life, my shining star, the apple of my eye, the Amy to my Rory, the Gwain to my Lancelot, the Hansel to my Zoolander: Thanks for making me look awesome in comparison to your terrible opinions.

Political activist’s defensive claims stir up controversy

Josh, I don’t want to be rude, but I was told there was going to be bacon. #cornucopia And I just put a hashtag in a newspaper; someone confiscate my First Amendment rights.

Hail to the editor-in-chief: Lindsey, thanks for fielding all my production night whining and delirious laughter over the state of my pages. Best resident ever.

Mike, too, for that matter. I value your opinion perhaps more than you know.

Steve, I forgot that thing I was supposed to remember.

Jordan, thanks for always stealing my headline fonts, jerk. Kaity, you’ve got a great future in hand modeling. Kristen ASapp, I don’t even know how many headshots you patiently cut out for me.

Anna, what am I doing?

And of course, Dr. Warren.

Thanks for letting us do our

thing, and now is probably the time to tell you that I’m not actually mute — I’m just awkward.

And Swags, you’ve been a great addition to our team/family thing, and I’m sorry you had to put on your serious face and give me the same lecture twice. Oops.

Oh, I’m a huge mess. I want to get intoxicated (responsibly and off the clock, of course) and tell you all how beautiful you are, inside and out. The T&C is the first job I’ve ever liked, and leaving just plain sucks. You’re the reason for the teardrops on my keyboard.

Holly and Sabrina, you’ve got this. But if you don’t publish a picture of Joe Biden eating ice cream, you’ll have failed me completely. Get on that. t&c LEAH DRISCOLL IS A SENIOR JOURNALISM MAJOR AND THE OPINION EDITOR FOR THE t&c.

Student challenges Coulter’s views linking race and political party You must know it’s nearing campaign time, because we already have allegations of racism slung across the Internet.

In the case of Ann Coulter, a “high-tech lynch mob” might arrive outside her house in ALYSSA response to COOKher comments ALEXANDER on Fox News’ “The Sean Hannity Show,” where she said that “our blacks are so much better than their blacks.”

Coulter has been making her rounds on national political shows, defending AfricanAmerican presidential candidate Herman Cain. Cain, who has been under fire for allegations of sexual harassment, is getting a bit of controversy for being a conservative black candidate.

I don’t doubt that Herman Cain gets flack for being an

African-American conservative.

The black community has a bad reputation for alienating anyone who doesn’t fit in, and being conservative doesn’t fit in with the ideal black candidate.

Now, I’m technically not “their blacks,” because I identify as liberal but not democrat.

However, that does not stop me from wondering what is wrong with this woman. I’m familiar with the all-too-popular foot-in-mouth syndrome that a lot of public figures have. I even chocked it up to a mistake.

There’s no way anyone could be that racist by saying something as asinine as “our blacks are so much better than their blacks.”

Then I saw Ann Coulter post on her blog the same argument, but now featuring more racism.

Most of her points were already mentioned in Hannity’s show, but she added other points like Herman Cain is twice as black as Obama. “They can’t stand that a black man — much blacker than Obama and a real American

black — is this right-winger,” Coulter said in an interview with Fox Business.

According to Coulter, you have to have a grandparent or great-grandparent who was a slave for African Americans to identify with you. I’m not really sensitive to these types of things, but how is this not racist?

After the backlash from Coulter’s appearance on Hannity’s show, she appeared on Joy Behar’s CNN show defending her statement, and by defense I mean she said, “Ours are more impressive.”

I have a problem believing Coulter in her campaign against accusations of racism toward Republicans. And her disclaimer about only disliking Obama because of his policies and not his skin color seems entirely disingenuous when she accuses him of not being black enough. Even though I’ve decided to not touch the main issue with the use of “our blacks,” when I know she means our party’s black people, I

on the deFense:

GaGe skidMore/FliCkr

After claiming the superiority of African-American conservatives to African-American liberals on Fox News, Coulter stood behind her views on Headline News and her personal blog.

can’t overlook the sheer stupidity of the comments, and I don’t find her stubbornness endearing in the slightest.

“The only racism you hear in America these days is against conservative blacks,” Coulter said on Joy Behar’s show.

Well, Ann, you’re wrong, even figuratively. I applaud you for defending Herman Cain, but until

you can do that without insulting an entire race, just don’t. Us American blacks will solve our problems ourselves. As us real American blacks say, don’t embarrass me in front of all these white people. t&c ALYSSA COOK-ALEXANDER IS A

SENIOR PUBLIC RELATIONS MAJOR AND A CONTRIBUTING WRITER FOR THE t&c.

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sports

Tan & Cardinal

wednesday, nov. 16, 2011

Variety and depth will propel Cards

Men’s basketball, positioned to finish third in the OAC, will depend on experience

BY DOM PORRETTA Staff Writer

A revered term in collegiate athletics is floating around this year’s Otterbein men’s basketball team — experience.

Head coach Dick Reynolds and the Cardinals enter the season Friday night ranked third in the Ohio Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches’ Poll, spurred by the return of the core of a squad that finished last season 13-13 overall and 9-9 in the OAC, complemented by the addition of a few talented newcomers.

“We’re more experienced than we’ve been,” Reynolds said.

“Guys have been in the program for three years and going into the fourth year now, and that experience means a lot.”

Reynolds recognized that this year’s group has a different dynamic than years past.

“I think the leadership, the senior class and the quality of people that you have in your program is extremely important,” Reynolds said. “We went through a couple years when we didn’t have what we needed within the program …

Right now the quality of people and talent we have in our program is exemplified by last year finishing (13-13), and increasing our competition level is an indication that they’re looking forward to it. That leadership, that stability, that talent is what you need to get us back to where we’re accustomed to being.”

Senior center Chris Davis said, “(The experience) is huge because we can pick up practicing from where we left off last year instead of starting from ground zero.”

Backcourt

pullinG up:

Senior Captain Chris Davis perfects his jump shot during practice.

photo by kristen davis

With the departure of would-be sophomore Matt McCollister, who started 12 games last season, and sophomore C.J. Julian’s switch to shooting guard, there will be a new face running the offense at point guard.

Though Reynolds hasn’t set a starting

five yet, senior Mark Louks is expected to get the initial nod, but junior Jason Davis, a transfer from Walsh who had to sit-out last year, will also be competing for time.

“Right now, point guard is still up in the air,” Reynolds said. “Mark Louks came back last year in the middle of the year and did some positive things for us ...

Jason Davis hasn’t played for a couple of years, because he sat last year as a transfer from Walsh, so it’s going to take him awhile to get back into organized (play).”

Three-year starter and senior Brice Rausch, who averaged 13.5 points per game and earned honorable mention All -OAC last season, is expected to man the shooting guard/wing position with Julian working in as well. Julian averaged 7.2 points last year and led the team in assists.

Reynolds added that Julian is able to be more active from a shooting guard position.

While Reynolds mentioned the quickness on the perimeter as a strength, he is concerned with this team’s 3-point ability.

The Cards graduated arguably their best 3-point shooter in Nathan Edick.

Some of the team’s youth could see significant minutes in the backcourt with the contributions of freshmen RaNeal Ewing and Andy Yazrombek. Ewing has been working in at shooting guard while Yazrombek has been at point guard.

“We think both of those two young men can play,” Reynolds said, who also mentioned guard Michael Walker as being part of that class. “It’s difficult to say who’s going to come out and be a frontline player with them, but they do show talent.”

Frontcourt There’s no doubt the front court has experience as the Cards return three key starters from last year in Davis, junior forward Zach Bakenhaster and sophomore small forward Max VanMeter.

Davis, a two-year starter, earned firstteam All-OAC and first-team All-Mideast Region honors last year, as he averaged 18.6 points and 10.9 rebounds. Bakenhaster supplemented Davis, averaging 8.2 points and 6 rebounds.

VanMeter started right away for the Cards during his freshman campaign and averaged 10.5 points in the process.

Senior center Steve Isaac is also expected to work in down low.

“We’re going to be more of a run-andgun kind of team compared to the bringit-up, halfcourt-halfcourt (setup), conservative type of offense from last year,” Davis said. “We’re going to try to space out Neal, Brice and Max and let them run,

but then if a team does get back and stop us, we’re going to go and pound it inside in the halfcourt offense.”

Reynolds said a team strength includes being physically strong down low, but also mentioned the ability to move the ball and apply better pressure as being strengths to this year’s group.

OAC, no joke There’s no doubt about this year’s conference — Marietta is the team to beat. Not only were the Pioneers tabbed the No. 1 team in the coaches’ poll, but they were recently ranked second in the Sporting News’ Division III Top 10 and sixth in the D3hoops.com’s Preseason Top 25.

The Pioneers received 81 points to land at the top of the coaches’ poll, but John Carroll was a close second, receiving 69 points while the Cardinals gained 59 points to place third.

“You get picked some place, it obviously doesn’t mean you’re going to finish there or by any stretch of the imagination win it, but it does show that the people in the conference do respect the people we have,” the coach said. “So consequently now it’s up to them to live up to that expectation and to go further.”

Rounding out the preseason poll were Capital, Heidelberg, Ohio Northern, Baldwin-Wallace, Wilmington, Mount Union and Muskingum, respectively.

“We really do actually believe that we’re going to win the conference. We believe that we have a good enough team,” Davis said.

The OAC also has its share of individual stars as three players were named to D3hoops.com’s Preseason All-American Teams. Marietta’s senior guard Trevor Halter earned second-team status while his teammate, senior center Kevin Knab, earned fourth-team honors. Wilmington’s senior forward Tyler White was also named to the fourth team.

40 years for Reynolds The players are not the only ones with experience, as Reynolds enters his 40th season at the helm of the Cardinals with 644 career victories, which ranks him first among OAC coaches for all-time victories.

Reynolds’ marquee season came 10 years ago when he led the 2001-2002 Cardinals to a 30-3 season and a national championship.

“Since ’72 when I got here, there have been a lot of good athletes that make you a good coach,” Reynolds said. “You learn

vol. 93, issue 12 coaching very early. That’s a big factor, but it’s been enjoyable. Right now I don’t really look at the years. I still like what I’m doing as long we get kids that want to graduate and kids that want to play hard and kids that have talent. It’s enjoyable.”

Davis said, “From talking to (Reynolds) as much as I do, as much as he wants to win, his No. 1 aspect of coaching for 40 years is to make sure you succeed in life. Which is kind of unique because usually you meet a coach and the goal is to win and get that championship on your legacy, but he’s already comfortable enough in his legacy to do what he wants, which is to build good people that can be successful in society.”

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Early season schedule The Cards are scheduled to play at two tournaments before opening OAC play.

After facing Westminster Friday night at 8 p.m., the team will square off with Thiel Saturday at 2 p.m.

Otterbein will then travel to Pittsburgh Thanksgiving weekend to take part in the Radisson Carnegie Mellon Invitational Nov. 26-27. The Cardinals will play the hosts Saturday and either Ithaca or Lebanon Valley Sunday in a championship or consolation.

The team will open OAC play at Mount Union Dec. 3, followed by a trip to Ohio Northern Dec. 7 before finally playing its home opener against Marietta Dec. 10.

t&c

sports

www.otterbein360.com

11

By the numbers

85

Percent of last year’s scorers returning for the 2011-2012 season

14

Games Davis led the team in scoring in 2010-2011

6

Losses by 6 points or less last year

16.96

Average turnovers per game last year, compared to opponents’ 13.19

2-5

Start to last year’s season

7-3

Record in last year’s final 10 regular season games

1

The number of DIII national championships the Cardinals won (2001-2002)

11

Returning players from last year’s season 2010-2011

&OAC star players Trevor Halter, senior guard (Marietta)

Halter, a three-year starter, averaged 15.1 points last season on his way to earning the OAC Mike Gregory Award, which is given to the league’s most outstanding player. He also landed on D3hoops.com’s Preseason All-American second team.

Kevin Knab, senior center (Marietta)

The 6-by-6 post player dropped 14.8 points and grabbed 6.1 rebounds per game last season, earning him first-team All-OAC honors and D3hoops.com named him a fourth-team Preseason AllAmerican.

Tyler White, senior forward (Wilmington)

The versatile wing player averaged 18.3 points last season, earning him second-team All-OAC and fourth-team Preaseason AllAmerican by D3hoops.com. White dropped 23 and 25 points on the Cards last year, respectively.

Scott Schnelle, senior center (Ohio Northern)

The 6-foot-9 center averaged 14.9 points and grabbed 7.8 rebounds, which earned him first-team All-OAC honors last year.

For the shot:

photo by kristen davis

Sophomore C.J. Julian takes a shot during practice. Julian spent time as point guard last season, but will be spending time this year as a shooting guard.

sports 12 Mustache gives the Home OAC Games players the upper hand (and even an upper lip)

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Tan & Cardinal

wednesday, nov. 16, 2011

Saturday, Dec. 10, vs. Marietta, 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 4, vs. Capital, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 7, vs. Muskingum, 7:30 p.m.

Basketball players sporting facial hair to create unity

BY DOM PORRETTA Staff Writer

Uptown Shops

It may be “Movember,” a play on the month of November, which many men use as an excuse to grow a mustache criticism-free, but that’s not why you’ll notice a handful of Cardinal basketball players with an upper lip warmer.

Mark Louks, Steve Isaac, C.J. Julian and junior center John Finnegan are all rocking military mustaches — as it’s the only sort of facial hair allowed of members of the team — to create team unity.

“It’s just something different that not everyone does, I guess,” Louks said. “It’s just like a trait. I had it last year and then some of us were talking that we should all grow it out for this first tournament, and then Steve and I started talking that maybe we should just grow out the whole year.”

However, not the entire team joined in.

“Some people can’t grow mustaches; they don’t even have to shave, so I feel bad for them. Then some just don’t want to grow it because they don’t like how it looks, I don’t know,” Louks said.

Jason Davis, who is without a mustache, said his teammates that grew them are very comfortable in their appearance.

“The ones that don’t, like us, probably don’t have girlfriends and I would like to get one,” said Davis. “The majority of the team just thought it was too ugly to continue.”

Louks added that despite the appearance, the mustaches have added a comedic effect at practice as guys joke about how “ridiculous” some look.

This look is not new to the college basketball world or even the professional sports world for that matter.

The Movember concept has grown over time and across all sports.

The NFL, MLB, NHL, MLS and the UFC all have contributing “Mo Bro’s,” according to Movember Foundation, an organization dedicated to raising awareness of men’s health issues such as prostate cancer and other male cancers.

The Otterbein men’s basketball team may not have thought about men’s health awareness when growing, but with the NCAA Tournament as a hope, the Cards’ season could carry into March, meaning not only will the team have a chance to grow, but so will their mustaches. t&c FOR A FULL MEN’S BASKETBALL PREVIEW, REFER TO PAGES 10 AND 11.

MarCDSsdsddd

Wednesday, Jan. 11, vs. Heidelberg, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 21, vs. Mount Union, 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 25, vs. Ohio Northern, 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 1, vs. Baldwin-Wallace, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 4, vs. John Carroll, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 18, vs. Wilmington, 7:30 p.m.

Important Dates Saturday, Dec. 10, vs. Marietta, 7:30 p.m.

The last time the Pioneers were in Westerville, they escaped with a last-second victory.

Look for acclaimed guard Trevor Halter and company to bring national attention to the Cardinals’ home opener.

Wednesday, Jan. 4, vs. Capital, 7:30 p.m.

The crosstown Crusaders ended the Cards’ season in ugly fashion during last year’s OAC Tournament. The Cards get their first chance at revenge in what is always a marquee game no matter the standings.

Saturday, Feb. 4, vs. John Carroll, 7:30 p.m.

Last season’s conference runners-up had their hands full with Otterbein last season. The Cards topped then 25th-ranked John Carroll at home, 85-83, before falling on the road 99-96 in overtime.

Marvel Mini Booths

As local small merchants, we were looking for places to display our products but they were always too expensive. We thought that if we could join efforts with other small merchants, we would be able to display our marvelous products and keep our great prices. We would like to invite the wonderful Otterbein and Westerville Community to come to Marvel Mini Booths. You’ll be very pleased with all our products and prices and we’ll be delighted with your visit, supporting the newest member of your community. We are within walking distance in Uptown Westerville at 43 E. College Ave.