T&C Print Edition Week 9

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tan cardinal otterbein college

thursday, nov. 12, 2009

vol. 91, issue 9

Reduce, Reuse, Cycle

www.otterbein360.com

How to woo your date in 10 cheap ways Text lingo unacceptable for the classroom Football on its last leg for Senior Day

opinion

Txt me when U can talk &

Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

Abbreviated language is fine for texting, but now it has become common in other areas When you write a paper like you are sending a text, then there’s a problem. When there is a noticeable decrease in interpersonal communication skills among our youth, there is a problem.

However, we have acquired JASON such a depenWAGNER dency upon our mobile devices that it seems doubtful that our habits will improve in the years to come.

Have you ever gone somewhere and forgotten your cell phone? What kind of feeling did it give you? If you’re like me or most of the people that I know, it’s not a good one.

It’s a feeling of “What if I miss something important?” or “But I don’t want so-and-so to think that I’m ignoring their texts.”

We depend on our cell phones for a lot of our communication throughout the day. The cell phone has really become an amazing device. Many of them now come equipped with access to e-mail and nearly any application imaginable.

But has our beloved piece of technology become an obstacle to standard communication, and has it impacted our ability to communicate effectively during more formal occasions?

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PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY GREG BEERS AND SOPHIA GARCIA

LOLBERRY:

I think it has, and I know I’m not alone. Assistant professor Melissa Lusher of the department of theatre and dance said, “Today’s generation is the most technologically savvy of any generation we’ve ever seen, but perhaps because of this, they have less interpersonal communication skills.”

In a class with assistant professor Leesa Kern of the sociology department last year, she reminded us to write papers in the way they are supposed to be written. She said that the previous quarter she had two students

Fallon Forbush Rae Reed Andrew Henderson Peter Behr Aaron Angel

Editor-in-Chief News Editor Assistant News Editor Opinion Editor

Arts & Entertainment Editor Sports Editor

Patricia Begazo Randi Honkonen Greg Beers Sophia Garcia Britany Byers

The T&C staff would love to hear from you. Write a Letter to the Editor and tell us what you’re thinking. Letters to the editor are letters responding to a writer or an article published in the Tan & Cardinal.

t&c |www.otterbein360.com

Copy Editor Copy Editor Photography Editor

Assistant Photography Editor

Jeana Harrington

that sent in assignments with no punctuation or capitalization of letters. I’m totally shocked by this.

As we get older, the age that children receive their first cell phone is getting lower. ChildWise, a market research firm out of the UK, found in 2005 that one in four children under the age of eight years old had a mobile phone.

Furthermore, 89 percent of 11-12 year olds had a mobile phone. So around the age that children are learning how to spell larger words, they are also

assistant editors

t&c editorial staff

Jessica Miller

page 2 |

Modern cell phones allow us to do more than communicate.

Emmy Beach Mike Cirelli Sarah Douglas Lindsey Hobbs Elizabeth Livingston Evan Tackett Breanna Watzka Nick Wood

contributing staff

Gina Bericchia Hannah DeMilta Johnson Denen Kristy Farren Elizabeth Luther Dom Porretta Laina Thompson Jason Wagner Austin Walsh

learning how to abbreviate those words in text messages.

I propose an increased curriculum on proper use of language for academic and business purposes in childhood education.

With technology increasing at such a rapid rate, we cannot expect the source of the problem to go away. Educating children on how to properly communicate is absolutely necessary.

As we start our own families in the near future, we need to stress the importance of faceto-face interaction. Sure, texting and e-mails are convenient, but they don’t achieve the bond that can be reached through interacting in person. Everything from human relationships to international diplomacy can best be achieved through live communication.

Let us all be competent communicators and prevent the upcoming generations from becoming products of technology instead of participants in human relationships. We can’t stop the technology, and we can’t stop ourselves from using it, but we can certainly educate and inform so that the relationships we cherish aren’t lost in a text message…lol. t&c JASON WAGNER IS A SENIOR

SPEECH COMMUNICATION MAJOR AND IS A STAFF WRITER FOR THE

t&c.

contact

For advertising information, contact Jeana Harrington at (614) 823-1159 or e-mail at tanandcardinaladvertising@yahoo.com.

Web Editor Business Manager

Please keep your letter to 300 words or less. It is at the discretion of the Tan & Cardinal staff as to whether or not the letter will be published. Letters attacking an individual will not be accepted.

Letters must include the author’s first and last name, signature, phone number, address and affiliation to Otterbein College.

Letters must be submitted by the Monday before the issue is published.

Sincerely, Leah Shamblin junior, public relations & speech communication major

policies

(614) 823-1159 tanandcardinal@yahoo.com Tan & Cardinal Otterbein College Westerville, OH 43081

advertising

I am writing in regard to your Weekly Humorscopes ‘Go Greek Edition.’ I was appalled to find this Greekbased article poking fun at each chapter.

I think it is absolutely horrible that an Otterbein organization would make fun of another. While some of the humorscopes were witty, most were rude and not even true.

I also found it inappropriate that this article ran during Go Greek Week. The Otterbein Greek community is trying to educate freshmen and other potential new members about Greek Life.

By writing these humorscopes, freshmen might get the wrong idea and develop prejudices against Greek life.

Even if people are thinking these things, there is no need to write them.

We should let students make their own decision about every organization instead of putting ideas into their head.

I found this entire article completely inappropriate at a time when Otterbein College is attempting to unite under a new president and switching to semesters.

As a college we should be supporting each other, not writing rumors or gossip.

The views expressed on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the faculty and administration of Otterbein College.

Opinions expressed in signed columns are those of the writer and not of the newspaper staff. Positions in unsigned editorials represent a consensus of the editorial staff.

The first copy of the Tan & Cardinal is free to the public. Each additional copy is $0.50, and payment can be made at the office at 33 Collegeview, Westerville, OH 43081.

Offenders will be prosecuted.

BIKE OR HIKE: Otterbein pedals its way to an eco-friendly campus, now including a bikesharing program.

COVER PHOTO BY SOPHIA GARCIA

thursday, nov. 12, 2009 | vol. 91, issue 9

news

Local bike shop donates ‘green’ rides

The new Otterbike Share Program will allow campus to rent bikes to further Otterbein’s sustainability efforts

BY KRISTY FARREN Staff Writer

The sustainability committee will offer green transportation for students.

As part of Otterbein’s efforts toward a more sustainable campus, the school will soon be providing bicycles for the use of students and faculty through the Otterbike Sharing Program.

According to Mary Kerr, member of the sustainability committee, people who wish to borrow an Otterbike must fill out a waiver at the Courtright Memorial Library and pay a onetime yearly fee of $10.

From then on, renters only need to show their Cardinal Cards to check out a bike. Students will be able to rent for a period of three days.

According to Kerr, the Otterbikes will all be donated from the Westerville Bike Shop located on Main Street. “Anyone can donate to the fund, and they can donate used bikes if they want to,” Kerr said. “The owner of the shop will look it over and see what needs to be done as far as maintenance. The owner there has been just so generous.”

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Kerr, who tends to travel and commute on bike, predicts that the program will “definitely expand” if students choose to utilize it.

“With the trail system in Westerville, it is just as easy to ride up to Giant Eagle and buy your groceries. You can really get around better on trails. I do it all the time,” Kerr said. “I think that this program will really encourage students and help show more awareness of sustainability on campus.”

According to Heidi Ballard, co-chair of the Standing Committee on Environmental Sustainability, the Otterbike Sharing Program is the new addition to Otterbein’s sustainability focus.

This week, the sustainability committee had students and faculty take a survey to help support and plan collegewide sustainability initiatives.

The survey results will be presented by the environmental sociology students on Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 11 a.m. in the Philomathean Room, in Towers Hall.

“We’ve created an audit that helps determine what areas to

strengthen,” Ballard said. “Then we make up a priority list of what needs to happen.” Ballard also said that the survey will determine where Otterbein is, and the committee will be able to look at a number of indicators of sustainability and inform students where they need to place emphasis on campus.

According to Ballard, Otterbein took steps toward sustainability in 2008 by joining the American Association for Sustainability in Higher Education, which created a commitment for the college to continue the sustainability process. Ballard would like sustainability to be more incorporated on campus.

One way is through courses offered at Otterbein.

“This (sustainability) is imperative for higher education,” Ballard said. “Higher education is where future leaders are made.

Plugging sustainability into curriculum would increase the number of programs and awareness within our school.”

This past March, the Otterbein Board of Trustees voted to adopt a Policy of Sustainability for the college.

Since then, “we were nominated for an Emerald Award, which is sponsored by SWACO (Solid Waste Authority of Ohio),” Kerr said. “They award an organization who has really worked hard toward recycling and reducing waste. Although we weren’t selected, it was our first nomination, and so that was very exciting.”

According to Kerr, Otterbein was nominated for programs such as the college’s paper tracking program, PaperCut, as well as the trayless cafeteria. Otterbein also completed the Science

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Building, which has two new greenhouses attached to it for research and teaching.

“I think all the efforts that the college is going through to become more sustainable are great,” junior psychology major Travis Ell said. “Before coming to college, sustainability was something that I never cared or even thought about, but within the last few years all of the new initiatives that the college has put in place have really helped me to see how important being sustainable is.” t&c

Editor’s Note

We at the Tan & Cardinal send our condolences to the friends and family of student Zachary Gilbert, who died unexpectedly Friday, Nov. 6. Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society or the Capital Area Humane Society.

Correction: Last week’s “Humorscopes Go Greek Edition” were inaccurately attributed to Nick Wood. The correct byline should have read by “various Otterbein students.”

For other exclusive stories and photos, visit us on the Web at www.otterbein360.com.

OC SECURITY REPORT

According to the WPD and the Otterbein Security Log, the following has been reported from Nov. 6 through Nov. 10.

1. 11/6 During a walk-through 4. 11/7 A student reported of Garst Hall, an officer smelled a missing or stolen purse at Eta Phi Mu fraternity house at 10:30 burning marijuana. At 2:15 p.m. a.m., two students were charged through the Westerville Mayor’s 5. 11/8 Anti-gay vandalism Court with possession of drug was reported at 12:30 a.m. at 25 paraphernalia. One was also charged with drug abuse for hav- W. Home St. ing 2.45 g of marijuana.

6. 11/8 At 12:30 a.m., a student was charged through the 2. 11/6 Attempted idenWesterville Mayor’s Court for tity fraud was reported at 11:52 underage consumption, disora.m. at the Business Office. An unknown suspect(s) attempted to derly conduct and obstructing official business at the Eta Phi change direct deposit informaMu fraternity house. tion of an Otterbein employee.

3. 11/7 Harassment and assault were reported between a student and a non-student at Clements Hall at 4 a.m.

7. 11/10 A criminal trespass warning was issued to a nonOtterbein-affiliated male subject at the Campus Center. t&c

thursday, nov. 12, 2009 | vol. 91, issue 9

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7 3

CAMPUS MAP

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2

6 4

COURTESY OF OTTERBEIN COLLEGE

INFORMATION COMPILED BY RAE REED

www.otterbein360.com |

t&c | page 3

arts & entertainment

Dates that don’t break the bank & Ten date ideas that are both romantic and spontaneous while also being economical

BY LAINA THOMPSON Staff Writer

The current state of the economy seems to be a worry on everyone’s mind now. It has affected just about everything: what we eat, where we go, what kind of car we drive, how much we spend on electronics and clothes, and what we do for dates.

People are hard up for cash, especially with the holidays right around the corner, and sometimes it can affect their relationships. Here are 10 cheap date ideas to keep the romance alive, or maybe even create new ones.

1. Invite a few other mutual friend couples and have a game night. Once you and your date are deep in competition of Mad Gab or Dirty Minds, your mind will change. Just ask every couple in attendance to bring a favorite game and some munchies.

2. For a nice romantic evening, go star gazing. All you need is a blanket, and if you wish, a bottle of wine. (Sparkling grape juice for those underage.) The beautiful sight will make for a romantic atmosphere and an enchanting date.

3. Head to the nearest mall, and go window shopping. Going to the mall doesn’t necessarily mean you have to buy anything. With the holidays right around

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the corner, what’s nicer than a leisurely stroll through a cheery-decorated mall?

This also provides a great opportunity to develop some Christmas present ideas for your sweetie if you find yourself stumped.

4. Have a movie night using movies you own. Everyone has their favorite movies, and everyone has that list of great movies they haven’t seen yet. Take this opportunity to share your movie collections with each other by watching shared favorites or a movie you adore that your date hasn’t seen yet.

5. Spend the afternoon at the local flea market or an antique store. You’ll have fun sorting though the piles of junk to find some interesting treasure. A date like this is great for a couple who have just started dating. All the random items you can find are sure to spark some stories and get the conversation ball rolling.

6. Play video games together. Compete against each other and watch the competitive sparks and the trash talk fly.

Just try not to get too mad. Or, you can see how well you both work together and play a co-op mode, which many adventure-based games offer.

7. Work out together. Everyone can benefit from a little exercise, and having someone right there motivating you can

make all the difference. Go on a long walk, play some sports or hit the gym.

Either way, you’ll have fun together and feel better afterward.

8. Go roller or ice skating. What’s better than holding hands, talking and skating around the rink? It can especially be fun if one of you has never gone before. Teaching your date how to skate can provide some fun and a lot of laughs.

9. Spend a cold winter day at Barnes and Noble. You’ll have a great time as you browse books together, pointing out your favorites and those that you hope to read.

After a stroll around the book store, each grab a book and head for some chairs by the window. Relaxing together and reading will feel nice with the cold weather looming outside. If the store has a coffee shop inside, consider taking your books in to read while you enjoy a cup of joe.

10. Weather permitting, bundle up and go play in the snow together. Everyone needs to feel like a kid every now and then. Snowball fights, sledding and making snow angels are just some of the fun activities you can do. In the evening, bundle up and take a nice walk through the town or a nearby neighborhood. The snow and holiday decorations will make for a romantic trip. When all is done, head inside for a cup of hot cocoa. t&c

Say What?

WHAT IS THE

MOST ORIGINAL DATE YOU’VE BEEN ON? “I went to a Renaissance play and dinner in Tennessee. People were fighting on the tables; it was really neat.”

— Kristian Parks sophomore allied health physical therapy

“A guy took me to a restaurant in the Short North and made his own dessert menu.

The last line said ‘Be my girlfriend,’ priceless.’”

— Emily Schertel sophomore psychology

What’s your flavor?

“I decided to surprise my girlfriend. I made lunch for us, and we went to a park and watched the sunset from Mt. Pleasant.”

Name: Garey Berry Grade: senior Major: computer science Hometown: Euclid, Ohio

— Jonathan Qualls junior art

What’s your flavor?: Pop Rocks

“I took a girl whitewater kayaking, and we went to dinner.”

Pet peeve: dishonesty Interesting fact: my mom just got back from her 5th tour in Iraq

Favorite sport: track Best concert you’ve been to: Jay-Z Favorite candy: Gummy Bears

PHOTO AND INFORMATION COMPILED BY SHANNON SNODGRASS

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t&c | www.otterbein360.com

PHOTOS AND INFORMATION COMPILED BY SOPHIA GARCIA

—Ryan Roberts sophomore athletic training

vol. 91, issue 9 | thursday, nov. 12, 2009

arts & entertainment

Delightful beer for frightful, cold weather Winter is the time for trying beers that are sure to turn your nose red for the holidays

BY JOHNSON DENEN Staff Writer

When the weather drops to nearly freezing this winter, you’re going to need a good beer to keep you warm. This year’s seasonal efforts by craft brewers and major beer companies offer something for every beer enthusiast.

The best of the seasonal beers is brewed here in Ohio.

The Great Lakes Brewing Company’s Christmas Ale contains a tasty blend of cinnamon and ginger. Its sweet smell of honey and spice is rich in every drop.

It’s perfect with any meal, but I’d suggest drinking it on Christmas Day with your holiday feast.

Another fantastic winter beer is made by the Columbus Brewing Company. Their Winter Warmer is blended to warm up those dreary winter nights.

The Winter Warmer uses a special malt to give it a roasted taste, and the beer is blended with caramel to mask the burnt aftertaste usually associated with malts. For festivity, the ale is given hints of cinnamon and ginger as well.

In the end, the Winter

Warmer is brewed to perfection.

It won’t be for everyone, though.

The high alcohol content or the roasted malt may turn some people away, but I’d give it a chance if you’re looking for a warming drink on a cold night.

Major beer companies make winter beers too. Sam Adams makes a wide variety of winter beers: Cranberry Lambic, Holiday Porter, Winter Lager and Old Fezziwig Ale. While all are great in their own ways, the best is the Old Fezziwig Ale. This beer is unique because it’s practically a dessert. Old

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Fezziwig hits your tongue with tastes of chocolate, cinnamon, ginger, toffee and orange.

While this may sound like an odd combination in a beer, it actually tastes amazing. The assortment of flavors makes the ale special. It’s both warming and sweet. However, Old Fezziwig is a strong beer. It has a high volume of alcohol, and the roasted malt flavor is noticeable.

For a casual beer drinker, it may be too much.

The winter season is a perfect time to experiment with beer brands, flavors and styles. t&c

Otterbein Student Special 14”Large One Topping Pizza

$6.95

Must present student ID. Limit 4 per person.

Thursday What’s on WOBN? 6 p.m. Emmy Becomes Eclectic “All the best in everything Indie”

7 p.m. Garage Talk Radio 10 p.m. Sexx & Y

“The sexiest show on radio”

11 p.m. Double D’s

“The perkiest show on radio”

Monday What’s on WOBN? 8 p.m. Manic Mondays

“Gossip and music for your mundane Monday”

thursday, nov. 12, 2009 | vol. 91, issue 9

10 E. Main St. Uptown Westerville 614-895-1212 Open until 1 a.m.

Friday and Saturday.

Open for lunch 10:30 a.m.

Monday - Friday.

NOW HIRING INSIDE & DRIVERS

Table in the Corner Café goes ‘Bananas’

BY GINA BERICCHIA AND HANNAH DEMILTA Columnists

Columbus is home to great local eateries, and it is worth going out of your way for a unique experience.

One restaurant worth going off the beaten path for is Banana Bean Café. The appeal to the restaurant is that it’s likely you’ve never been anywhere like it.

Their menu is a mixture of tastes from the Florida Keys, Cuba, Jamaica and the Caribbean (what they call “Floribbean Cuisine”).

Like their food, the décor has a bit of an identity crisis, but it works. The white tablecloth dining room has a semi-formal feel, while the bar side of the restaurant is more casual.

A lion fountain, bright, tropical wall colors and decorations from the islands make the café feel far from Columbus.

Their soup of the day was a delicious sweet corn and lobster bisque. We also liked their mini hamburgers (they also offer mini crab burgers).

We recommend the fish burrito, which comes with grilled orange cilantro shrimp or beer batter cod with avocado mash, mango-habañero ketchup, Mexican crema, shaved lettuce, red onion, scallions and manchego cheese, all wrapped in a fire-grilled tortilla.

The menu is moderately priced and worth the cash if you appreciate spicy seafood.

Service was friendly, but not fast, adding to the laid-back vacation feel of the restaurant.

Banana Bean Café is located at 340 Greenlawn Ave. in Columbus. Their hours are Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. and Sundays 9 a.m.-3 p.m. t&c

www.otterbein360.com |

t&c |page 5

recess

Joke of the week

joke used from thevoiceofreason.com

Answer: Hillary Clinton

A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel and were standing in the lobby discussing their recent tournament victories. After about an hour, the manager came out of the office and asked them to disperse.

“But why?” they asked as they moved off. “Because,” he said, “I can’t stand chess nuts boasting in an open foyer.”

Can you name this caricature?

Residence Life Award Winners Residence Life would like to announce the winners of this quarter’s Resident Assistant Advisory Board Awards. Winners were nominated by their fellow staff members.

Nominations were voted on by Residence Life professional staff members. Awards were given out at the End of the Quarter Celebration.

Best New RA

Dana McDermott Resident Assistant Clements Hall

Best Returning RA

Drea Blaine

Assistant Hall Director 25 W. Home St.

Best Staff of the Quarter

The Triad Staff

Allison DeVelvis, Hall Director Sammie Bickerdt, Scott Hall Tony DeGenaro, Garst Hall Brent Ford, Engle Hall Dustin Gadd, Engle Hall Chelsea Mathias, Scott Hall La’Rez Wilson, Garst Hall

Most Improved RA

Mychael Ihnat Resident Assistant Davis Complex

Best Program of the Quarter

Hanby Hall

“Step Into Africa” AIDS/HIV Education Program

If you are interested in becoming a resident assistant next year, contact Jeff Akers at jakers@otterbein.edu for information. page 6 |

t&c | www.otterbein360.com

thursday, nov. 12, 2009 | vol. 91, issue 9

sports

Cross Country looks to send runners to Nationals After a mediocre finish in the OACs, Otterbein looks to send runners to nationals for first time since 2007

BY AUSTIN WALSH Staff Writer

FINAL LEG:

Andie PHOTO BY GREG BEERS Pautsch placed 6th at the OAC Championships Oct. 31.

While the track teams are starting to begin their voluntary offseason workouts, the men’s and women’s cross country teams still have at least one more race on their schedules before the seasons end. Saturday, the teams will travel to Rose-Hulman for the Great Lakes Regional where the Cardinals aim to bounce back after less-than-stellar races at the conference meet.

“It was pretty disappointing,” head coach John Lintz said.

“Going in, I thought the women had a chance to take second, and I thought the men could

have done a whole lot better.”

What might not look bad on paper, fourth place finishes for both teams, did not sit well with the runners. To ensure that the teams would be focused for the upcoming meet, the runners chose not to look in the past.

“We left that race at Wilmington,” senior Mike Jacoby said. “When we got back, we were ready to go for Regionals.”

Jacoby added that no one has even mentioned the conference meet this past week. In a sport largely driven by mental toughness, Lintz wanted to make sure the results from the OACs didn’t carry over. “If you dwell on a race, it’s going to hinder your training and ultimately the races,” he said.

“You don’t want to dwell on the good or the bad.”

“This is a different race,” Jacoby said. “This is the one we’ve been training to peak at; we’ve had good workouts all year to prepare for this race.”

Jacoby is one of three seniors to be running for the men’s team.

“It’s a given they’re all going to be running for the seniors,” Lintz said. “The three seniors on the men’s side have done everything we’ve asked for.

They have worked their tails off. On the women’s side, this could be the last race for Nikki Reese who, when you look at what she has done here, will go down as one of Otterbein’s best runners.”

Lintz thinks both Reese and junior Andie Pautsch can

Tourney exit doesn’t deter campaign

advance to Nationals if they run how they are capable of, but the mindsets are about erasing doubts people may have about the Cardinals.

“We want to show the schools that we can run a lot better than we ran at the OAC,” Reese said. “We want to show them what Otterbein cross country is all about.”

Both teams would like to finish in the top five in the region to have a chance to move on to NCAA Nationals, which would take place at BaldwinWallace next Saturday.

With that being said, the Cardinals are not looking ahead.

“As a team we have one more shot to come together,” Reese said. “We want to finish this season with a bang.” t&c

Finishing with the best record in school history, volleyball looks forward to 2010 season

BY ELIZABETH LUTHER Staff Writer

This past weekend, Otterbein volleyball ended their best season yet. It was the first time in Otterbein’s history that the volleyball team made it to the semifinals of the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) volleyball tournament. Otterbein was seeded fourth as they made their 13th appearance in the OAC tournament.

Otterbein played their first game of the tournament against their rival, Capital. The game took place at Otterbein’s Rike Center on Nov. 3. It was one of the largest crowds of the season for the Cardinals with almost 800 attendees. Otterbein fans participated in a red-out, led by members of the cross country team who painted themselves red. It was a close win for Otterbein after five games resulted in 25-10, 25-18, 23-25,

19-25 and 15-10.

The match took nearly two hours to complete.

Freshman Michelle Gernert and sophomore Alicia Chafins were the team’s leaders in kills, with 12 each. Freshman Lydia Wynkoop achieved five aces for Otterbein.

Chafins also completed 20 digs to guide the team toward an Otterbein victory.

Otterbein advanced to play in the semifinals against Heidelberg Nov. 6. The match was away in Tiffin, Ohio. Junior Rayna Coleman led Otterbein in kills with 14, and sophomore Lindsey Russell led in digs with 21.

The match ended in a win for Heidelberg, leaving Otterbein with a record of 24-9 for the year.

There were several team leaders who led Otterbein to a winning season. Ally Nagle accomplished 375 kills for her freshman year. Russell completed 780 digs, and Chafins had 44 aces for the season.

Seniors Marinda Roderick and Leah Yoder were a success in their last season with Otterbein. Roderick finished leading the team with 612 sets.

Yoder led Otterbein with 94 blocks on the year. t&c

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thursday, nov. 12, 2009 | vol. 91, issue 9

TOP OF THE CLASS:

PHOTO BY GREG BEERS

Ally Nagle’s .392 hit percentage earned her OAC Freshman of the Year honors.

The Otterbean Café

Hours of service: Monday-Thursday: 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Friday: 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. p

o er or p ed wat l t t o b nd a

a

Coupon is good through Wednesday, Nov. 18 www.otterbein360.com |

t&c |page 7

sports

FINAL STRETCH:

The Cardinals will pay homage to 22 seniors on the football team along with seniors who participate in band, cheerleading and dance team Saturday.

PHOTO BY GREG BEERS

Cardinals’ playoff hopes ride on Senior Day game

Plagued by injuries and two straight losses, Otterbein still has a chance to make the playoffs with a win

BY DOM PORRETTA Staff Writer

Despite nationally-ranked contests with Ohio Northern, Capital and Mount Union, Otterbein’s game with John Carroll Saturday will undoubtedly be the biggest for the Cardinals.

That sentence above may sound like a broken record, but Otterbein (7-2, 6-2 Ohio Athletic Conference) is now in a must-win scenario to make the playoffs.

The Cards lost their chance at the league’s automatic-bid when they lost 58-7 to host and top-ranked Mount Union (9-0, 8-0) last weekend in what served as the league championship

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game. The Purple Raiders have now won 18 straight league crowns. The Cards must battle it out with other teams who failed to clinch a league championship for one of the 32 tournament spots.

Fellow OAC member Ohio Northern is back in the hunt after beating Capital, who is still making a case for a bid since all three losses have been to nationally-ranked opponents. A loss to the visiting Blue Streaks (3-6, 3-5) Saturday would almost certainly mean the Cardinals would not make a return trip to postseason football, after making it to the playoffs for the first time in school history last season.

“For us to have a chance to

t&c |www.otterbein360.com

get into the playoffs, we have to beat John Carroll,” head coach Joe Loth said. “It doesn’t guarantee anything, but it gives us a chance to get into the playoffs.”

A win would mean a secondplace tie between the Cardinals and Ohio Northern, who also has two losses in the conference, assuming the Polar Bears win Saturday.

Against Mount Union, quarterback Austin Schlosser returned to action despite being injured in the loss to Marietta two weeks ago. He did not start, but came in on the second series.

The Cardinals squandered several scoring opportunities against Mount Union, including two interceptions within the

Purple Raider 10-yard line and a fumble on a kick return that would have taken them into Purple Raider territory.

Schlosser and the Cardinals were intercepted three times and lost three fumbles. The quarterback completed 14 of 26 passes with one touchdown. “It’s just disappointing,” Loth said.

“They really beat us up front.

And it’s harder to compete when you’re losing the battle up front.”

The Purple Raiders scored on their first six possessions, taking a 41-0 halftime lead. “The biggest thing is we just have to refocus,” Loth said. “If you lose a game like this to Mount Union, you just have to refocus.

Don’t let Mount Union beat

you twice…Don’t let that game affect your game against John Carroll. We’re really going to analyze it, then move on and get ready for John Carroll.”

Saturday is set to be Senior Day at Memorial Stadium.

Despite being hit hard by the injury bug, four of the five players injured against Marietta played against Mount.

Loth said, “Senior Day is a special day for the football program in that it’s a little nostalgic, it’s a little bit sad at times, because people reminisce about what they got from playing football at Otterbein and what it means to them…the goal of Senior Day is always to have your seniors go out on a winning note.” t&c

thursday, nov. 12, 2009 | vol. 91, issue 9