Mar. 5 2008 | The Reflector by reflectoruindy

University of Indianapolis

Post-season play UIndy women’s basketball advances Page 4

Art interpretations New art exhibit opens in CDFAC Page 7

THE

reflector .uindy. edu

Reflector

Vol . 86/ Issue 9

March 5, 2008

Tuition rises, again Tuition and room and board rise 3.72 percent By Adrian Kendrick Feature Editor

Fangfang Li/The Reflector

David Hiller, Los Angeles Times publisher, president and chief executive officer was the guest lecturer of the Jerry and Carol Israel Lecture on Public Policy on Feb. 21 in Ransburg Auditorium. Hiller spoke on the future of news media.

L.A. Times CEO speaks as part of annual Israel Lecture By Marcus Whalbring Entertainment Editor

Publisher, president and chief executive of the Los Angeles Times, David Hiller, was the guest speaker for the second annual Jerry and Carol Israel Lecture on Public Policy in Ransburg Auditorium Feb. 21. Hiller spoke to University of Indianapolis students and faculty about the business of news media and the importance of news in society. According to President Beverley Pitts, the Israel lecture series was started in honor of former President Jerry Israel, who retired in 2005, and his wife Carol. The goal of the series is to inform students about national issues and public policy. “I want students to be interested in what’s happening around them and be politically involved,” Pitts said. “I’m really hoping our students support this.” Before Hiller started at the Los Angeles Times in October 2006, he was the president and publisher of the Chicago Tribune. Before that, he worked in a law firm after receiving his bachelor’s and law degrees from Harvard University. Hiller’s lecture covered various aspects of the news media. He began by discussing new forms of media

and how they have affected America’s citizens, specifically the Internet and the increasing dependence that many have placed on it. “It’s nice to see us all sitting together rather than sitting at our computers,” Hiller said. Hiller mentioned that the growth of technology has affected the news media in positive ways. He said there’s more news being covered than there was in the past because of the number of radio and television stations, publications and the Internet. Hiller also discussed other positive signs in the success of the news media. One was that the present interest in news among adults is at about 50 percent. But Hiller also said that the news business faces challenges as well. “If we’re going to be successful and prosperous, we have to make more headway in the state of education,” Hiller said. “We can’t be successful in the news if we’re not well educated.” Aside from the responsibility of educators and parents, Hiller mentioned that the Los Angeles Times was involved in “Reading by 9,” program that aids parents and teachers in getting students reading at grade-level by the age of nine, according to the L.A. Times Web site (latimes.com). “When I was growing up, we had newspapers and magazines, and it was important to read them and know what was going on,” Hiller said. The lecture then transitioned to the

changing relationship between news media and its consumers and a quote by Arthur Miller that’s engraved in the Chicago Tribune tower: “A good newspaper, I suppose, is a nation talking to itself.” Hiller connected this quote to all forms of media and said that consumers and advertisers are influencing the news more than editors. He said editors used to think, “It’s not a news story unless we say it is.” And now that technology has grown and given consumers more options, consumers are looking for a news source they can trust. “As we look at the new media, we have to realize that what we do and how we connect means more than what medium we use,” Hiller said. Hiller said that news media can maintain the trust of their consumers in two ways: they have to make sure that no opinion flows into the news story, and they have to be more open to consumers. In other words, they must explain the internal workings and decisions to the consumers. Hiller ended the lecture by explaining that students who study media will be a large part of keeping the business going. Israel said he was pleased with the lecture. “I think Mr. Hiller put it well that there are not enough opportunities to sit down and actually reflect on these issues,” Israel said. “It’s important that the University has an opportunity like this for students.”

The University of Indianapolis Administration and Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees has decided to raise tuition and room and board rates for the 2008-09 school year. Tuition will be $20,320 and room and board will be $7,790, with the 19 mealplan option, which is a total of $28,110 for the year. This is an increase of 3.72 percent from last year’s rates. Last year, tuition was $19,540 with a room and board cost of $7,560 with the 19 meal-plan option. “The Administration and the Board of Trustees really made an attempt to keep the tuition and room and board as minimal as we could,” said Mark Weigand, vice president of enrollment and student affairs. According to UIndy President Beverley Pitts, a number of factors influenced the tuition increase. Those factors included the predicted 15 percent higher electric bill, a $220,000 increase for computer software licenses and a three percent increase for Polk Food Service’s food. Another expense involved faculty pay raises. According to Pitts, the university

wants to make sure faculty have adequate pay increases. Also, the university made set increases needed to meet the budget. Pitts said that the increase is essentially the smallest increase that the university could do. “We have to pay the utility bills,” Weigand said. “We can’t turn the heat off. Those kinds of things we have no control over, and those [expenses] went up faster than we would have liked to see.” According to Weigand, even though the university would prefer not to increase tuition, the increase was lower than most private schools in Indiana. For example, total cost at Wabash College is $35,550. Butler University costs $35,541, University of Evansville costs $35,572, and University of Notre Dame costs $49,030. “The increase has put us in good shape compared to the other private universities,” Weigand said. “If you look over the past 10 years, we have done a better job of maintaining cost than some of the other private universities. We hope with the moderate increase likely being lower than our competition, this may actually be a positive for the Admission recruitment efforts.” According to Director of Financial Aid Linda Handy, an extensive amount of financial aid is being provided to students to help them with the cost of tuition.

See TUITION Page 3

CPB hosts sibs & kids weekend By Kim O’Brien Staff Writer The University of Indianapolis Campus Program Board hosted the annual Sibs and Kids Weekend Feb. 22-24. The event is designed to connect college students with their families. “It’s really a way to bring older students and younger kids together to catch up and talk in a place that’s not home,” said CPB Welcome Events Chair Heather Larsen. “They get to see what it’s like to be on campus, the buildings and what college is like in general.” According to Larsen, younger siblings are usually involved, but nieces and nephews have been included as well. This year 100 students preregistered. This year’s $20 registration fee included entrance to the Late Nite event on Friday, a UIndy basketball game against University of Wisconsin-Parkside and a show by mentalist and hypnotist Michael C. Anthony. The events throughout the weekend were free to UIndy students with their student IDs. Friday’s Late Nite theme was “When You Were Young,” and it featured many different activities and games for both students and their visitors. These included an obstacle course, a Velcro wall, inflatable toys, human bowling, a cake walk, giant Twister, musical chairs, spin-art, a sno-cone maker and live animals to pet and

See KIDS Page 3

Trustees approve new dorm By Meisha Baker Business Manager

The University of Indianapolis Board of Trustees approved a $10 million bond issue to build a new residence hall on the UIndy campus during a February board meeting. According to University Treasurer and Vice President of Business and Finance Mike Braughton, private colleges and universities get their capital from a tax-exempt bond issue that allows the universities to borrow the money at a lower rate, as opposed to going directly to a bank. The board’s approval will allow the construction of a new residence hall on campus to accommodate the need for more oncampus housing. “There have been talks [of a new dorm] for the past few years,” said Dean of Students Kory Vitangeli. “We’ve known that there has been a demand for students to live on campus.” The university’s on-campus hous-

ing is currently at maximum capacity. Approximately 85 students have been living in the lounges and basements of the residence halls this school year. With the university’s rapid growth, more expansion is needed to keep students on campus. The new residence hall will especially focus on a particular class of students. “We knew we needed to do something, and it seemed like the demand was certainly there for upper-class students,” Vitangeli said. “We really want to focus this residence hall on upper-class students and keeping more of them on campus.” The new residence hall will feature several components based on response from student focus groups. “There will be mostly single rooms with shared baths. Kind of [a mix] between the apartments and the dorms,” said University President Beverley Pitts. In addition to more individual space, the focus groups said that students also want a chance to get to know their fel-

low students. The new hall may also focus on allowing students to get that chance. “We’ll probably build more community space in the building and less community space in the room, but we are still not 100 percent sure,” Vitangeli said. At this point, there is no exact location as to where the residence hall will be placed on campus. “We have several options that we’re looking at,” Braughton said. “There are a couple of places on the south and north side of Hanna Avenue. We’re just presently trying to study all of those options and make a decision.” As the university begins to move forward in the process and receive materials from the project architects, the Residence Life Office will continue working on getting students’ opinions involved. The university plans to break ground for the new residence hall by the summer of 2008 and complete the project by fall of 2009.

Alicia Tuszynski/The Reflector

Kelsey Wardrop, cousin of University of Indianapolis junior Kim Wardrop, holds a snake during Campus Program Board’s Sibs and Kids Weekend Feb. 22-24.

OPINION

THE REFLECTOR PAGE 2

MARCH 5, 2008

A woman’s view on the media’s perfect body By Cecilia Perdomo STAFF WRITER

The media and their ideals have influences on a person’s perception of their body. Over the years, the media have become more liberal and open about topics that used to be ignored. Today, the media display thin women who are “picture-perfect” and flawless. However, the way the media portray women is distorted because real women do not look like that. According to an article from the 2007 issue of Psychology of Women Quarterly, the media’s constant practice of featuring women who are thin, attractive and perfect by way of digital manipulation or airbrushing sets up standards of attractiveness for women that are impossible to realize. Women with curves and an average body feel pressured because it is not what the media define as beautiful. For example, Britney Spears has always been in shape and then she had two kids. Once she had the kids, her body revealed her curves and her assets. For a woman who just had two kids, I think that she’s in pretty decent shape. However, the media did not see it that way. “Britney used to be fit and healthy and weigh about 118 pounds,” said

Edward Jackowski, M.D., author of “Escape Your Shape.” “ Now she weighs about 160 pounds and has a triple chin, a big belly and excess fat all over her body.” E! Online also wrote, “The bulging belly she was ﬂaunting was so not hot.” The media’s ideals basically say that if you do not look like this, you might be pretty, but you are not beautiful or sexy.

Women with curves and an average body feel pressured... In a poll I conducted by handing out surveys to 25 participants from Craven’s Hall, 99 percent of the women said they saw a correlation between the media and eating disorders. Fifty percent said it affected their body selfconsciousness. These percentages, though unscientiﬁc, help show that the media ideal has a great inﬂuence on women. These deceitful images could be one cause for the rise of eating disorders in the U.S. over the past ten years. It is ironic that the media display women who are thin as the ideal when the U.S. is one of the countries with the highest obesity rate. A study published in the 2007 issue

of the Journal of Abnormal Psychology said that persistent media exposure to social messages about the necessity of a slender body lead people, psychologically, to the ideal of being thin. They found that this situation led to eating disorder symptoms. As most Americans are aware, two of the most common eating disorders are anorexia and bulimia. To parry media misconceptions, the beauty product company, Dove, started a campaign called “The Campaign for Real Beauty.” According to the Dove Web site, www.campaignforrealbeauty.com, the mission of the campaign is “to make women feel more beautiful every day by challenging today’s stereotypical view of beauty and inspiring women to take great care of themselves.” I am extremely excited that Dove started this campaign. The campaign will be the voice of real women everywhere. To learn about or join the campaign, visit its Web site. The media may say what is beautiful, but people need to realize that there is no perfect woman or man. People the media put in front of the camera are not ﬂawless; the media just know how to hide it well with airbrushing and Photoshop. Everyone is beautiful in his or her own way, and I for one, will no longer let the media affect my self image and self esteem.

Palm Beach Post /MCT

Our presidential candidates: Anything’s better than current Bush administration

Since and before Super Tuesday, the presidential primaries have provided no shortage of content for sportscasters and major TV news syndicates. It is impressive how the two genres have combined in appearance. I often wonder at Keith Olbermann, who took his anchor’s position from ESPN to MSNBC. Anymore there are too many similarities to scoff at. Considering that President Bush’s approval ratings hover at the one-third mark, the primaries should capture our attention. Now that the field of candidates attracting convention delegates has narrowed to a slim number of hopefuls, media analysis has gone deeper, likely hoping to further stake claims such as CNN’s “Best Political Team on Television.” The Reflector acknowledges its mistakes. Each issue, we will print corrections on the Opinion Page. If you catch a mistake, please contact us at criscine@uindy.edu. On page 3 of the Feb. 20 issue, the caption under the Chinese new year article reads “Weijun Shao.” It should read “Junjun Yang.” On page 5 of the Feb. 20 issue, the track article names Michelle Smith in the list of potential track and field national qualifiers. The name should be omitted. It should read “Nichelle Curtis.” On page 4 of the Feb. 6 issue, the men’s basketball headline reads “Men’s basketball ranked among top 10 in nation.” It should read “Men’s basketball ranked among top 10 in region.” On page 4 of the Feb. 6 issue, the men’s basketball article reads Kentucky Wesleyan in “Highland Heights, KY.” It should read “Owensboro, KY.” On page 9 of the Feb. 6 issue, the women’s basketball article read “they were ranked 24 in the conference.” It should read “they were ranked 24 in the nation.”

Save for those brief moments last week when millions were watching the Academy Awards, many who have an interest in where America goes next year are paying close attention to the primaries. We do this for good reason. Pundits have called this Nov. 4 a historic election. They’re right. In recent history, never have so many decisive (moreover, divisive) issues been presented to the American public, all riding on results from the polls. Americans are ﬁghting a causeless war with no end in sight, costing American and Iraqi lives. The U.S. economy appears to have the consistency of sand, while congressional leaders want to poke it with a stick. The Bill of Rights has been chopped up to look like a piece of origami, and America’s dependence on foreign oil has never been more exposed. Our actions (or lack thereof) abroad have emboldened our enemies and disappointed our friends. If I continue, I’ll have to spit on

my keyboard. The point is that our country needs new direction. That our presidential candidates have been forced to realize this is a pleasant surprise, but not one that wipes away the skeptical look from the 66 percent of Americans who disapprove of the current debacle of an administration.

The Bill of Rights has been chopped up to look like a piece of origami... The historic nature plays into the candidates as well. Finally, and in the same year, potential party nominees include a woman and an African American. Historic, indeed. Between them and the remaining Republican candidates, the media blitz makes my eyes want to glaze. The parade of remaining candidates had remained relatively dirt free, until John McCain came under ﬁre for an

inappropriate relationship with a lobbyist eight years ago. Eight years ago. The immediate response from Sen. McCain’s campaign ofﬁce didn’t hit far from the truth, calling the New York Times article a “smear campaign.” Even the conciliatory Sen. Hillary Clinton took an angry tone with Sen. Barack Obama about recent accusations of inappropriate campaigning in Ohio, which held primary competition just yesterday, March 4. In this inevitable mess of a situation is Obama, promising a different campaign. If and when that premise doesn’t deliver so accurately as his message describes, it may not be his fault that everything doesn’t come up roses. But he may take the fall for it. Neither of the other two front-running candidates in this race have offered so distinct a vision as Obama’s, but in a way that secures them from having to provide too much, if and when they come to ofﬁce. This is not

to detract from any of the issues that their candidacies ride upon. However, Obama has the most to prove in this campaign for a variety of reasons. As the least-experienced senator among the three, he appeals most to a youth audience that is very dissatisﬁed with the lack of results coming from Washington in recent years. Yet as an Obama supporter, I cannot help but respond to the legitimate concern that Obama does not have the “necessary experience.” I return at this point to an argument that was raised four years ago, which was on the minds of many. Anything is better than what we have now. As sorry an argument as it is to consider, America needs seemingly drastic change. Our current administration is illequipped to provide it, and a change in the congressional majority failed to produce the changes many Americans were hoping for. We’re still waiting.

Rare steak is not so “rare” with the marketing of cloned cattle By Nicki Crisci OPINION EDITOR Just when I thought that society couldn’t become more engrossed in genetic scientific studies and DNA replication, it pushed itself over the edge with the emergence of the cloning of beef cattle. While cloning is by far not an old idea (recall Dolly the sheep), it is now being used for purposes such as those you might find in a sci-fi, futuristic society: cloning animals for nationwide consumption. Before, it was sad enough to learn that in order to create our veal, a calf is enclosed in a dark room, unable to move or develop muscle. This is done just so that we could have so-called better, tender meat. Now science has subjected us to the cloning of cows, pigs and goats so that we have more milk and meat on the market. We are molding animals to our eating purposes in a cruder way than in-vitro fertilization in order to increase food production. According to a Feb. 17 article in Time magazine written by Tiffany Sharples, cloning “enables the livestock industry to do in a fraction of the time what breeders have been doing throughout history, narrowing the gene

THE

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The Reflector is a student publication, and the opinions contained herein are not necessarily those of the University of Indianapolis. The Reflector is dedicated to providing news to the university community in a fair and accurate manner. Letters to the editor, suggestions, corrections, story ideas and other correspondence should be addressed to The Reflector, Esch Hall, Room 333, or sent via electronic mail to reflector@uindy.edu.

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By Andrew Gouty ONLINE EDITOR

pool to its most desirable genes.” In this sense, cloning is like we have become gods—producing life for our own purposes, picking and choosing traits we ﬁnd desirable and most proﬁtable. At the same time, who is to say if the traits that are chosen are safe for the public to consume? Picking and choosing which animals are good to clone could mean a less diverse cattle population and an eventual decline in the meat industry. It’s possible that the cattle chosen to clone could, later down the line, be susceptible to some disease. If the animals were natural, able

to adapt through non-genetically enhanced birth, it could have built up immunity. But having the same animal, photocopied in a sense, can mean the dying out of the population if it’s exposed to something that wasn’t accounted for at the time of birth, like environmental or dietary considerations. Another problem with this situation is the possibility that maybe something health-related could happen to the people who consume the meat. Picture, for instance, a super genetically superior cow. It has been enhanced to be fatter and has stronger capacity to produce milk. But because

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of these changes to its DNA, it could be unsafe to eat and the population could unknowingly face a widespread epidemic. While these are worst-case scenarios, messing with the basic genetics and natural creation of things can lead to some bad consequences. Thankfully the cloned meats and milk are not out in the stores yet. But they will be on the store shelves in a Wal-mart near you in a few months. And, these products will not be labeled, giving no indication whether the meat is natural or cloned. According to the same Time article, the FDA doesn’t make companies add labels telling consumers the difference unless a “food-safety issue” is involved. The FDA, having already deemed the meat safe, has no problem selling it. Underlying the main issue is the consciousness of the consumers. Will people want to buy these products knowing what was done to obtain them? I’m not sure of the answer, but I don’t want to have to turn vegetarian anytime soon. I can’t go to PETA either because I still like meat. The most I can do is feel a general sadness for the cattle. So before these meats ﬁnd their way into the market, I’ll take my steak welldone, and not genetically enhanced.

Editor-in-Chief......................Abby Adragna Managing Editor....................Dan Friend News Editor...........................Sami Shelton Sports Editor..........................Staci Reafsnyder Photo Editor...........................Carolyn Harless Opinion Editor.......................Nicki Crisci Feature Editor........................Adrian Kendrick Entertainment Editor............Marcus Whalbring Online Editor.........................Andrew Gouty Business Manager.................Meisha Baker Distribution Manager............Crystal Abrell Adviser..................................Jeanne Criswell

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Kim O’Brien Andy Burba Manny Casillas Katie Gainey

Sarah Haefner Blake Hall Fangfang Li Cecilia Perdomo

Kim Puckett Peter Reddington JP Sinclair Alicia Tuszynski

NEWS

March 5, 2008

The Reflector Page 3

TUITION

from Page 1

UIndy raises tuition for the 2008-09 school year

Alicia Tuszynski/The Reflector

University of Indianapolis students and their siblings participate in Campus Program Board’s Sibs and Kids Weekend Feb. 22-24 in Ruth Lilly Fitness Center. Activities included an inflatable obstacle course, live animals and free Build-A-Bears at the men’s and women’s basketball games.

KIDS

from Page 1

CPB invites siblings to campus hold. Students also had the opportunity to receive a free Build-A-Bear. The first 400 registered received a voucher to participate in building their bears during the basketball games on Saturday. Some participants also were able to go to the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis on Saturday morning. Larsen said 66 people purchased tickets at a discounted rate of $6.

“That’s not something we do every year,” she said. “Those tickets are normally $13.50, and we thought it was a good idea to give people more options.” According to both Larsen and Interim Student Activities Coordinator Amanda Mueller, the Sibs and Kids Weekend usually has included a Friday Late Nite activity, Saturday afternoon men’s and women’s basketball games and some sort of entertainment on Saturday evening. Mueller said it’s a little difficult to determine when the weekend officially began. “We know it happened in February of 2003,” she said. “In the year of 2002 it was planned, but cancelled.”

Mueller said the weekend has always coincided with a basketball game. “At one point it was planned with Pack the House Night and the Alumni Chili Cook-Off, but Athletics decided to move that into January when no one’s really here,” Mueller said. Mueller said that CPB wanted to keep the February date to give themselves time to plan the event and send invitations to families over the winter break. According to Mueller, the event also serves as a way for students’ siblings to plan ahead. “It gets the younger kids involved and thinking about college,” she said. “Maybe even UIndy.”

QUICK LOOK FAFSA applications due March 10 The Office of Financial Aid is reminding students that the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is due by March 10 in order to qualify for State of Indiana grants. The FAFSA can be filed electronically at www.fafsa.ed.gov. University of Indianapolis financial aid applications also are due March 10 by the end of the business day to the Financial Aid Office located in Esch Hall 141.

UIndy International Division to hold dinner The University of Indianapolis International Division is hosting the 2008 International Dinner on tonight in Schwitzer Student Center. The dinner will celebrate Maslenitsa, the end of the Russian winter, with music, dancing, singing and traditional food. Tickets can be purchased in advance in Schwitzer Center 211. Adult tickets are $13 in advance/$15 at the door, and children 6-12 are $6 in advance/$8 at the door. Children five and younger are free. L/P credit is available.

Senior Springboard Retreat registration The University of Indianapolis Ecumenical and Interfaith Programs Office is accepting registration for the Senior Springboard Retreat until March 7. Students will leave March 28 from UIndy for Bradford Woods and Manor House in Mooresville, Ind. Cost is $25 for the retreat. For more information, contact Cindy Tyree at ctyree@uindy.edu, or visit the EIP Office in Schwitzer Student Center 203.

“We have a large number of firstgeneration students, which puts a strain on the university to provide aid because they are in need. We have a wide range of students on campus, from very lowincome families to very high-income families,” Handy said. “That need [for financial aid] will not go away. And as tuition goes up, that need will become greater.” According to Handy, the university is looking at ways to raise money and shift things to help students with financial need. “We have this year gone back and re-examined the amounts the university is giving on the merit scholarships and made increases for the new class coming in,” Handy said. “We’re also in the process of looking at and evaluating the unmet need of our students. That’s more of the problem than how much aid we are providing—what need we cannot meet with existing funds.” The state awards have been going up modestly each year, Handy said. This year the Pell Grant was increased to a $4,731 maximum, a $421 increase, for students who qualify for financial aid. According to Pitts, students can be more mindful of how they use campus resources and help a little in lowering the university’s expenses. “Certainly every time we save money that’s money we can use somewhere else,” Pitts said. “Shutting off the lights cannot solve the problem, but every little bit helps. Just being more careful

of how we use our resources, such as paper, helps. Every single resource at this university needs to be paid for, and tuition is how [it’s paid for].” According to Weigand, Indianapolis Student Government President Kevin Dunleavy is working with ISG on a “Going Green” proposal. The students recognize that it is in their best interest to conserve as much electricity as possible and to find ways to conserve heat and other sources of energy, said Weigand. “That could have an impact on keeping our expenses more stable. So not only does it benefit our environment, but green proposals can also benefit us economically,” Weigand said. “We will work with the ISG leadership and see what proposals they make, and I believe that ISG is already hard at work on this.” Pitts said that she wanted to assure students that the Schwitzer expansion project had absolutely nothing to do with the tuition increase. “The money to pay for the Schwitzer building is going to be bonded, which means we are going to borrow the money to pay back over 30 years. It has no impact on the operating budget of the university,” Pitts said. “It does not come out of tuition, and I think that [it] is important for students to know that.” Weigand said he wanted students to know that the university is aware of the adjustments students may have to make because of the tuition increase. “We know paying for college is a major investment,” Weigand said. “We are really committed to working with students on an individual basis, if need be, to make college as affordable as possible.”

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Wealthy universities set precedent by offering generous financial aid awards Chicago Tribune MCT Campus

Harvard University recently acknowledged what many parents, who get sticker shock every time the tuition bill arrives, already know. Private colleges and even some public universities are so expensive that even the affluent upper middle class is struggling to pay the bills. Harvard and others have been gradually throttling back on what they expect many parents to pay. Harvard is already picking up the tab for families earning less than $60,000. Recently Harvard announced that it will significantly expand financial aid to students from families earning as much as $180,000 a year. Costs will be limited to about 10 percent of income, meaning that students from those families would pay a maximum of $18,000. That’s a large discount from the full annual cost of more than $45,000. Now Yale has followed suit, declaring that it would increase the amount of money it spent from its endowment, expanding financial aid to low- and middleincome students and to students from families earning as much as $200,000 a year. Other schools, such as the University of Pennsylvania and Swarthmore, are scrambling to eliminate loans from their aid packages and replace them with grants, which will help middle and upper-middle income families. “People were voting with their feet,” Harvard’s Dean of Admissions William Fitzsimmons said. “It was pretty clear that we were missing out on some pretty exciting students.” According to Yale President Richard C. Levin, the reason for the recent generosity is congressional pressure. Lawmakers have been threatening to force schools to spend at least 5 percent of their endowment funds every year, as private foundations are required to do. In January, the Senate Finance Committee

ratcheted up the pressure, demanding detailed information from the nation’s wealthiest colleges on tuition hikes, financial aid and how they managed their endowments. Whatever the motives, it’s hard to argue with moves to ease the financial pressure on parents of students at Harvard, Yale and elsewhere. Many other universities around the country are now hearing a theme from parents: Where’s ours? “I don’t doubt that when families talk to the aid office, they’re going to say, hey, Harvard thinks we need this much,” said Ted O’Neill, dean of admissions at the University of Chicago. “And you say less. How do you justify that? And our response would be, they’re rewarding students beyond what they need. But boy, a lot of people are going to be angry and lot of people will be disappointed.” Calculating what’s fair and what is gouging in the world of college aid is not a task for the faint-hearted. It all comes down to the calculation of “need.” Schools look at a family’s income and assets and decide whether they need financial aid. Typically, families earning six-figure incomes don’t qualify. In a recent visit to the Chicago Tribune editorial board, Education Secretary Margaret Spellings commended Harvard for its move. But she followed with a far more important point. “We have to get many, many more particularly poor and minority kids, not only in and out of high school but in and out of college.” she said. “How are we going to make college affordable, accessible, attainable and high quality for the vast majority of Americans?” She was talking not about those who feel the pinch of private college tuition, real as that may be. But of all those parents and students who struggle with much lower tuition bills from smaller universities. © 2007, Chicago Tribune. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services

SPORTS

The Reflector Page 4

Men’s and women’s tennis teams to compete in Florida By Dan Friend Managing Editor

Women’s basketball earns a bid in post-season tournament By Peter Reddington Staff Writer

After finishing the first half of the season, the University of Indianapolis men’s and women’s tennis teams will travel to Florida to compete in dual matches during Spring Break. The women’s tennis team traveled to the north side of Indianapolis on Friday, Feb. 29 to play Butler University in an 8-1 loss. Senior Ashley Liles won the singles match that improved her overall record to 6-3, contributing the only win for UIndy. Although the women’s team has only posted a 2-4 record so far this season, the team is currently ranked 38th among the nation’s Division II schools. The pair of wins came from matches dating back to the fall season, when the UIndy women’s team knocked off the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams of the West Virginia Athletic Conference in early September. Senior Jeannie Hartley said the team’s five seniors have helped the younger players on the team prepare for tougher competition. She also said that the time spent competing in Florida will help the team prepare for the second half of the season. “We can come out of these matches [in Florida] with a sense for what we need to work on in practice,” Hartley said. “But the match against Wayne State will be extremely important for the rest of the season.” The competition against NCAA Great Lakes Regional foe Wayne State University on March 10 will have an impact on regional and national rankings. The ‘Hounds’ men’s tennis squad dropped its season record to 0-6 after an 8-1 loss at 38th-ranked Ferris State University Feb. 24. The doubles duo of senior Jan Stastny and junior J.D. Greenlee combined for the ‘Hounds’ only point of the competition. The UIndy men’s team suffered a 6-3 loss against Grand Valley State University on Feb. 23. Stastny and Greenlee put the first point on the board for the ‘Hounds, defeating Patrick Troy and Renato Tomashiro of GVSU 8-3. Both of the ‘Hounds players would go on to win in singles play. Sophomore Kyle Prow forced the second set of his singles match to the seventh point, but lost 7-5 to Alex Switzer. Stastny and Greenlee are currently ranked sixth in doubles play in the NCAA Great Lakes Region. According to Stastny, the tough non-conference schedule and the team’s small roster, with just six players including two freshman and two sophomores, has added to the challenges of the season. “We’ve had a tough schedule. We played three of the top five teams in the region and some Division I schools,” Stastny said. “Add with a lot of new faces, we’ve had our work cut out for us.” But interim head coach John Venter said that the elevated competition at the beginning of the season will transfer over into the second half of the season, when the men’s team faces conference match ups and the GLVC tournament. “We tend to play tougher teams in the beginning of the season, and that will help us at the end,” Venter said. Both the men’s and women’s teams resume play in Florida on March 9. The women’s team will face Tampa University, and the men’s team will face Bentley University.

March 5, 2008

Indianapolis women’s basketball team earned a half-game lead in the East Division of the conference and officially clinched a spot in the GLVC Tournament quarter finals on March 4. The Greyhounds shot 66 percent against St. Joseph’s, their best since a 70 percent effort against University of Missouri-St. Louis in 2003. Senior forward Karla Mast recorded her elusive first double-double of the season, scoring 22 points and hauling in 10 rebounds. Head coach LeAnn Freeland said she was also impressed with the efforts of some of the younger players. “Katie Lyons has shown she can be a scorer,” Freeland said. “She showed great post pressure as well. [Isabell]

Rhenwrick played great off the dribble, and [Deanna] Thomson was solid as always.” The Greyhounds started off the four-game streak in Nicoson Hall with a 71-66 win on Feb. 22 over Lewis University. Sophomore guard The University of Indianapolis Jessica Canary led all scorers with women’s basketball team (12-6, 13-6 18 points, going 3-4 from beyond the GLVC) hosted Kentucky Wesleyan arc. The game was back and forth College (13-13, 7-11) on Feb. 28 at all night, with both teams scoring in Nicoson Hall. spurts. In the first half, UIndy went The ‘Hounds took a 75-61 win on a 15-4 run before allowing Lewis over Kentucky Wesleyan College. to go on a 14-2 run of its own. In the Senior forward Deanna Thomson second half the Greyhounds scored was the top scorer of the night with 19 of the first 24 points of the half, 21 points. but allowed Lewis to stay in the By defeating St. Joseph’s College game with 18 turnovers. Lewis went 93-47 on Feb. 26, the University of on another run to tie the game with three minutes left but couldn’t get any closer. UIndy suffered a loss to University of Wisconsin-Parkside 62-57 after holding a 21-point advantage with 10 minutes to play on Feb. 22. Parkside went on a 33-7 run in the final quarter of the game, with significant help from the Greyhounds’ stone-cold shooting, a measly 3-20 with 11 missed treys. “We’re a unit. At the end of that game we stopped playing as a unit,” Freeland said. “We played as individuals and didn’t play together, and that’s why we lost.” Freshman guard Hillary Wenning said the team needs to keep its focus. “We seem to let up when we are up with 10 or 15 minutes. We seem to be content,” freshman guard Hillary Wenning said. “Every position doesn’t become as important as it should be, and that Carolyn Harless/ The Reflector can’t happen if we expect to win.” Results for the GLVC Tournament quarterfinals on March Freshman Samantha Meissel jumps up for a shot during the 4 were not available as of The game against University of Wisconsin-Parkside on Feb. 22. Reflector press time.

Greyhound baseball opens season with winning record By Crystal Abrell Distribution Manager

Carolyn Harless/ The Reflector

Junior first baseman Matt Murphy dives for the ball as it is hit to him during practice.

After last year’s upset in the conference tournament, the ‘Hounds have kicked off their season with an impressive 5-2-0 record. Senior pitcher Scott Zielaskiewicz feels very confident about this year’s team. “We have all the tools necessary to win us a national championship. We have a knowledgeable coaching staff, individual talent in every aspect, teamwork and the passion for the game,” Zielaskiewicz said. The ‘Hounds traveled to Oakland City, Ind., to face Oakland City University on March 1. In game one, UIndy defeated Okland City 16-5. Game two resulted an 8-1 lead for the ‘Hounds before darkness fell and the game was suspended. UIndy faced Henderson State University at Clyde Barry Field Feb. 23 and split a double-header. In game one, the team bounced back to a 10-9 vic-

tory. Highlighting the game were senior shortstop Dalan Dugger and sophomore outfielder Erik Rieker, who scored two runs in their first runs batted in (RBI), adding four later in the third. Freshman infielder and pitcher Chris Saroff scored a two RBI double, and junior outfielder Justin Russell followed with a two-run single. According to Russell, the team’s chemistry has been the strongest it has been in years. “Everyone on the team understands what they have to do to help the team win,” Russell said. “We have many individuals on the team who are capable of stepping in at any time to do a job.” Freshman starting pitcher Cory Rupert gave up four runs in the bottom of the third. Senior pitcher Mike McFadden pitched two scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth. In game two on Feb. 23, the Greyhounds began the game with a two-run lead in the first inning. They would loose the lead later and never regain it. The final score was 6-2. In game three, the ‘Hounds fell 9-5 after the fifth inning. UIndy came back to score four runs in the sixth inning.

Junior center fielder Ben Sondgeroth scored an RBI double that resulted in the game winner. Sophomore second basemen Aryn Ross scored his first home run for the season in game three. Freshman infielder and pitcher Chris Saroff pitched in the last three innings, helping the ‘Hounds take a win. On Feb. 14, the ‘Hounds were scheduled to play Hillsdale. The game was rescheduled for April 22 due to weather. The frozen fields were not playable conditions for the doubleheader. The Greyhounds played West Georgia University on Feb. 10, bringing home a 14-11 win, giving head coach Gary Vaught 600 career wins. According to Vaught, many people played a part in helping him achieve the 600 career wins. “When you reach milestones in your career, it’s always nice, but those things don’t happen unless you have many components,” Vaught said. “You need good players and assistant coaches, and I have always been blessed with both.

they feel performed the best,” said head coach Gary Kinkead. At the 2008 GLIAC championships, Arestis performed in a total of six relays, three of which his team won. He also managed to capture wins in three personal events—the 50, 100 and 200 freestyle races—and even managed to break the record for the 200 freestyle that had held for the last 20 years. Arestis said he was excited to win the Swimmer of the Year award and even considers it to be one of his proudest moments, but he continues to think of his team. “Everyone was excited at practice because we wanted to win conference. We knew we had a good chance, but we were disqualified from two events and lost points,” Arestis said. “Now my goal is to win first place at nationals.” Arestis also believes that many of his accomplishments this season are direct derivates of his experience in the Olympics. He attended the Olympics in 2000 at the age of 17 and then again in 2004. “I think my experience from the

Olympics and all the big events I participated in, like the World and European Championships, not only helped me this season, but it helped me all of these years to understand what I have to do and keep working to be better every year,” Arestis said. Admitting that he was too young for the Olympics in Sydney to fully understand what was necessary for him to compete well, Arestis returned to the Olympic games in Athens in September of 2004 more mature and with the full intention of winning. He broke records for his country in the 100-meter freestyle with a 51.1 and 200-meter freestyle with a 1.54. “It was a great experience, living in the Olympic Village for 20 days with so many people with different cultures and languages,” Arestis said. “You learn many things, and I think that’s the most important thing about the Olympics—bringing people from different countries together.”

See BASE Page 9

Two-time olympiad Alex Arestis awarded for his 2007-08 season accomplishments By Sarah Haefner Staff Writer

Rather than building off the momentum of a close game or having the ability to depend on one’s teammates, a swimmer is alone in the water—able to focus singularly on the task at hand and the effort he or she needs to put forth to win a race. This particular aspect of the sport is what appeals most to junior Alex Arestis. “I love swimming because it’s an individual sport, and you always compete with yourself,” Arestis said. The sport appears to have a particular liking for Arestis as well. The Larnaka, Cyprus, native has won numerous awards for his remarkable ability and talent in the water, including collegeswimming.com’s Male Swimmer of the Week for Jan. 7. Arestis’ most recent honor was being named the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Swimmer of the Year. “The award is given to the most valuable swimmer of the meet and who

See ARESTIS Page 9

SPORTS

March 5, 2008

The Reflector Page 5

Track and field competes in GLVC championships Former Indiana University

head basketball coach Sampson takes heat from all over By Bud Withers The Seattle Times (MCT)

Alicia Tuszynski/ The Reflector

Senior Andrea Cook practices hurdles in preparation for the GLVC Championships that were held on March 1. The University of Indianapolis men’s and women’s track and field teams traveled to Crawfordsville, Ind., to compete in the GLVC championships March 1. Senior Anthony Flournoy was named GLVC Indoor Track and Field Male Athlete of the Year. Flournoy took first place in the 200-meter dash, fourth in the 400-meter dash and fifth in the 55-meter dash. Among top finishers for the men’s

team were sophomore Skyler Mattox, who placed third in the 200-meter hurdles and fourth in the long jump, and senior Elliott Cohee who was runner-up in the 55-meter hurdles. Among top finishers on the women’s team were junior Nichelle Curtis who took second in the 55-meter dash and sophomore Courtney Kuzmicz who took second in the shotput. Overall, the men finished second and the women finished third.

You comb the newspaper files, looking for some whiff of a clue to Kelvin Sampson’s crimes against common sense. You find guideposts, but nothing that bangs you over the head like the alleged NCAA violations that seem certain to cost Sampson his job at Indiana. He is accused of breaking phone restrictions stemming from his Oklahoma violations, and of lying to NCAA investigators. “When you hire a sleaze,” wrote Indianapolis Star columnist Bob Kravitz with brutal candor, “you get covered in the sleaze.” “Sampson appears to have been profoundly arrogant, profoundly ignorant or a little bit of both,” wrote Doug Gottlieb of ESPN. com. Mind if we add massively stupid? Maybe Sampson was better suited to working for underdog programs Montana Tech, where he started as a head coach, and Washington State, his next job _ than he was a purebred outfit like Indiana. He once told me about working in tobacco warehouses as a kid in his native North Carolina; hot, grubby work that gave him an appreciation for hardscrabble life. Later, he recalled fondly the daunting drive west in an old beater with his wife Karen to Butte, Mont., where they shared a skimpy, run-down apartment. From a 7-20 start there, he took Montana Tech to three straight

22-win seasons, making long, long bus trips including one to Alberta where the door came loose and had to be duct-taped and held in place on the ride home. He worked wonders at Washington State after starting there at the age of 31 in 1987, taking the Cougars to the NCAA tournament in 1994. There was this: Early in his tenure at WSU, the school reprimanded one of Sampson’s assistants for watching a recruit shoot baskets. And with it, this haunting quote from Sampson: “We’ve done everything that should be done. We’re not going to stoop to cheating.” When he successfully recruited one of the players who began turning around the WSU program, junior college guard Terrance Lewis, Sampson told The Times, “People want to know how we got these kids. Hard work, old-fashioned hard work. We called Terrance Lewis 900 times and wrote him 2,000 letters.” Unfortunately, the rules now don’t allow for 900 calls to a recruit. In 1991, NCAA rules began limiting them to one a week. Maybe Sampson, a tireless worker, somehow justified his indiscretions with his passion. He was a surprise hire at Indiana two years ago, when the Hoosiers couldn’t seem to find the right fit. His arrival created a firestorm in that he and his Oklahoma staff were found to have made 577 impermissible phone calls, stirring concern that he might run amok at Indiana, a place that hangs five national title banners and a reputation for doing it cleanly. Sampson had been a member of the board of directors of the National Association of Basketball Coaches. When he got whacked for the Oklahoma violations, the NABC reprimanded him and put his membership on probation for three years. Ted Kitchel can say, “I told you so.” Upon the Sampson hire, the Indy Star

quoted the ex-Hoosiers forward as saying, “I wouldn’t have hired Sampson to coach my fifth-grade girls team.” Somebody else was prescient. Kravitz wrote the other day that Mike Davis, the Bob Knight successor who departed in 2006, told him “Sampson would have IU in hot water within three years.” So he’s ahead of schedule. He’s been on the job only 23 months. That could end Friday, when an Indiana investigative panel is due to rule on his status. To be sure, excessive phone calls don’t constitute the most grievous NCAA offense in history. So the most numbing aspect of the violations is his stunning lack of recognition of the risk/reward equation. If there’s a prohibition in the bloated NCAA manual for serial idiocy, Sampson is toast. A guy surrounded by a recruiting base of 40 million in Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio apparently risked it all for what might have been a negligible edge. He was probably on the way to the Naismith Hall of Fame. At 52, he has 498 victories, and he and Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski are the only coaches to have 20 wins in each of the past 11 seasons. As a key victory over Purdue wound down the other night, the Indiana crowd serenaded the Boilermakers with the familiar old Steam song: “ hey, hey, hey, goodbye.” The TV camera panned in on Sampson. You couldn’t miss the symbolism. (c) 2008, The Seattle Times. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

THE REFLECTOR PAGE 6

UIndy alums celebrate ďŹ nding soulmates on campus By JP Sinclair STAFF WRITER

A student usually goes to college to get a degree and graduate. But then something unexpected happens. He or she falls in love. An event called Graduates of the Heart celebrated just that on Saturday, Feb. 24 at the University of Indianapolis. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are a lot of bonds for the couples here [at the event] and the university, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a chance for them to come back and remember their love for one another and their alma mater,â&#x20AC;? said Monica Woods, director of alumni relations. According to Woods, more than 1,200 alumni of UIndy have found love while they achieved their degrees. The alumni have 1,334 collective years of marriage among them. Graduates of the Heart started in 2001 when Woods looked at the alumni database and found a large number of alumni who were married, more than at most colleges. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It seemed natural to do something during Valentineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day to bring the couples back to campus,â&#x20AC;? Woods said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The theatre department [was having] dinner theatre [the same night], and we asked if they would accommodate us, and they obliged.â&#x20AC;? The theatre department was running the dinner theatre production â&#x20AC;&#x153;Red Herring.â&#x20AC;? Alumni arrived, received their tickets and had the opportunity to have their pictures taken in front of a backdrop provided by the theatre. Next, they were able to go inside the theatre, where special tables were provided for them. Each table had a box of chocolates for each person and a photo frame for each couple to frame their picture. Before the play started, Brian Martin, class of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;88 and president of the alumni association, welcomed all the alumni and recognized their return to campus for the event. Most of the couples started dating while they were in school, and most got engaged close to graduation or right after college. The youngest couple, Travis and Amanda Owens, enjoyed being able to come back and celebrate their love at the event. They met in August of 1999 as freshmen and dated through college. They became engaged in 2003 when Travis graduated and moved off-campus, and Amanda went home to ďŹ nish her doctorate. This was their second year participating in the event. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s special to me to come back and celebrate [this] event while coming back to ďŹ nish my graduate degree,â&#x20AC;? Travis said. Brian and Lisa Ross also shared their love at the event. They met on campus at an event in their residence hall. The fall of Lisaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s senior year was a year after Brian graduated, and then they became engaged.

See SOULMATES Page 8

FEATURE

MARCH 5, 2008

Inch-by-inch UIndy students change an African community

Freed American slaves founded Liberia in 1822. From 1989 to 2003, a brutal civil war ravaged the country and since then, Liberians have By Samantha Shelton been working to rebuild the NEWS EDITOR countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s infrastructure. After returning to UIndy, A simple conversation can change Fischer and McBride came up many lives. The idea for Inches Interwith the idea to sell bracelets national, an organization founded by to provide Liberian children University of Indianapolis visual comwith scholarships to attend munication design students Lydia Fisschool. cher, a junior, and Lyndsay McBride, According to the Inches a sophomore, came together through International Web site (www. a small conversation between the two inchesinternational.org), $75 while they were walking to class. The can send a Liberian child to organization was formed to provide school for a year. African children with scholarships to â&#x20AC;&#x153;We came up with the idea attend school. to sell bracelets that look like Fischer and McBride got the idea CONTRIBUTED BY LYNDSAY MCBRIDE AND LYDIA FISCHER school supplies,â&#x20AC;? McBride for the organization after spending said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s something so â&#x20AC;&#x153;We didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know what a huge impact we would make on the three weeks in Liberia building a simple but has such a huge schoolhouse in the small village of community,â&#x20AC;? Fischer said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was so easy to change so many lives.â&#x20AC;? effect on that community.â&#x20AC;? Kpain as part of a Spring Term serviceThe metal bracelets are learning trip in May 2007. tive students. If a student receiving the designed to look like a ruler and feature owned building on Shelby St. to keep â&#x20AC;&#x153;We kind of knew what we were magazine ďŹ lls out and returns the card the supplies. the Inches logo and tag line â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;Śby in for [when going on the trip], but to receive more information on UIndy, â&#x20AC;&#x153;This organization wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t easy in inches.â&#x20AC;? we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know what a huge impact he or she will also receive an Inches the beginning,â&#x20AC;? said Charles Guthrie, The bracelets come in nine different we would make on the community,â&#x20AC;? bracelet. associate professor of history and pocolors and are sold for $5 each. Fischer said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was so easy to change Inches is planning other events in litical science and Inchesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; faculty adviSince Oct. 2007, Inches has sold so many lives.â&#x20AC;? the future, such as a beneďŹ t concert for sor. â&#x20AC;&#x153;These two [Fischer and McBride] 500 bracelets and sent 25 Liberian Liberian children. are doing great things. Nobody knows children to â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is basically a practical aphow these things will turn out, but they school. plication of what weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re learning in [Fischer and McBride] already touched Besides school,â&#x20AC;? McBride said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve done a button.â&#x20AC;? the bracelet everything, from designs to presentaFischer and McBride had the opproject, tions.â&#x20AC;? portunity to speak about Inches at a Inches also Guthrie said that Inches will apply is collecting sociology conference earlier this year for non-proďŹ t status with the IRS this sets of K-12 in Las Vegas, Nev. year, because of the success of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;We met a lot of people and built textbooks program. great relationships,â&#x20AC;? Fischer said. from â&#x20AC;&#x153;Remarkable work shows what â&#x20AC;&#x153;Those contacts will help makes Inches area high is possible when imaginations are bigger by donating money and by ofschools and turned loose and commitment is fering their support.â&#x20AC;? medical strong,â&#x20AC;? Guthrie said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Lives have been The two students also will be supplies changed.â&#x20AC;? starting a program with a Fort Wayne to send to Both Fischer and McBride said they elementary school in April. Liberia. would love to travel back to Africa on Students will sell the bracelets as UIndy has another service learning trip. part of a fund raising activity. CONTRIBUTED BY LYNDSAY MCBRIDE AND LYDIA FISCHER allowed â&#x20AC;&#x153;I want to go back sometime in my Inches also will be featured in a Inches to Lyndsay McBride (left) and Lydia Fischer founded life,â&#x20AC;? McBride said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hopefully, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be university magazine published by the borrow the Admissions OfďŹ ce and sent to prospec- for Inches.â&#x20AC;? Inches International after spending time in Liberia. university-

Students are able to help children that are less fortunate

Alums elected into the UIndy Athletic Hall of Fame By Kim Puckett STAFF WRITER

Breaking the University of Indianapolis three-mile record, holding the cross country team record for four years and winning the Indianapolis 500 Festival Marathon ďŹ ve times qualiďŹ ed 1973 graduate Gary Romesser for the UIndy Athletic Hall of Fame. Thirty-ďŹ ve years after graduating from what was then Indiana Central College, Romesser was recognized for his accomplishments on and off the course in the Jan. 26 induction ceremony. In his acceptance speech, Romesser cited his coaches from high school and college, Tom Hathaway, Bill Bright, Bill Bless and Gerry England, as contributors to his success. In 1973, Romesser received the Cross Country Kelso Reid Mental Attitude Award, as the co-captain of his team, and placed ďŹ rst in the AllCollegiate Conference the same year. He also was named the most valuable runner of the cross country team in 1970, 1971 and 1972. Romesserâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s college career was not without challenges. He was placed on academic probation for the second semester of his sophomore year and lost his scholarship. He got a full-time job and went to class at night, worked to get his grades up and continued to stay in running condition. He said his teammates inďŹ&#x201A;uenced him positively during his struggle. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My teammates stayed close to me, encouraging me and checking up on my

youth dream of so many. This international competition was like my long-ago dream to be an Olympian,â&#x20AC;? Romesser said. Today, Romesser works for the Indiana Department of Environmental Management as a ďŹ eld inspector, where CONTRIBUTED BY GARY ROMESSER he has been UIndy alum, Gary Romesser qualiďŹ ed for UIndy Athletic Hall employed of Fame. He hopes one day to join the Peace Corps. for 20 years. He also coaches Indianapolis Mini Marathon, progress. They were always there for a middle school and high school teams run and for encouragement when I got and develops individual performance down,â&#x20AC;? Romesser said. training programs. At the age of 50, Romesser particiâ&#x20AC;&#x153;As I grew out of my experiences pated in The World Veteran Games in and opportunities at ICC, I have tried Brisbane, Australia, his ďŹ rst internato guide others through my passion, tional competition. knowledge, experience and maturity,â&#x20AC;? Running against one of his roleRomesser said. models, Rod Dixon from New ZeaIn the future, Romesser hopes to land, Romesser received two gold and write a book, develop a running camp two silver medals at the competition. and maybe join the Peace Corps. Most Romesser said the experience was his of all, he said he wants to spend time â&#x20AC;&#x153;ultimate dream realized.â&#x20AC;? with his family, which includes his two â&#x20AC;&#x153;When I was at ICC (Indiana sons Adam and Nick and his ďŹ ve-yearCentral College), I remember going to old grandson Channing. Coach Brightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ofďŹ ce and telling him Matt Donovan, associate director of I wanted to be in the Olympicsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the

athletics, said many athletes view induction into the UIndy Athletic Hall of Fame as a â&#x20AC;&#x153;culmination of great years spent recognized by the institution.â&#x20AC;? He also said Romesser was a worthy candidate for the hall of fame. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He was a tremendous athlete when he was here and had a great career after he graduated,â&#x20AC;? Donovan said. The hall of fame has inducted 79 individuals and 12 teams since its establishment in 1986. According to Donovan, the UIndy Hall of Fame Committee meets four times per year to recommend candidates for induction. Material on each nominee is presented to the committee, and then the members vote to determine who will be inducted. â&#x20AC;&#x153;First, the candidate must be in good standing with the university and have completed a degree. Secondly, he or she must have success in athletics. Third, the candidate must have success outside the university,â&#x20AC;? Donovan said. The committee decided Romesser met all of these criteria, after being nominated by his coach, Tom Hathaway. Romesser said he wants to continue to represent the university as a member of the University of Indianapolis Athletic Hall of Fame. Also inducted into the UIndy Athletic Hall of Fame on Jan. 26 (according to the UIndy Web site) were Hank Easter, 1961; Bill Tutterow, 1986; Paul Velez, 1956 and the 1992-93 Girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Swim Team.

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March 5, 2008

ENTERTAINMENT

The Reflector Page 7

Mystery story served in Dinner Theatre ‘08 Nicki Crisci Opinion Editor

A triple helping of mystery, spies and love problems was served up in the University of Indianapolis’ dinner theatre production of “Red Herring,” which took place in the Schwitzer Student Center Feb. 22-24, Feb. 29 and Mar. 1. The voice over of a narrator in the beginning of the play, along with the fade outs and old-time spy music, set the stage for the night. With a cast consisting of Chelsea Anderson, Andrew Gouty, Chelsey Wood, Alex Oberheide, Lucas Souder and Stephanie Kucsera, the play’s amount of talent was endless. The play focuses on the lives of six people each with his or her own secrets to hide. Accurately called “Red Herring” because a red herring is something that is misleading, it didn’t lack thickening, interwoven plots and was packed with sporadic scene changes to match them. To make a long story short, a couple, Anderson and Gouty, investigate a murder and try to identity a murderer and a Soviet spy. They assume that the dead man is the spy, but Anderson is not so sure. They go on to find clues and interview another couple, Kucsera and Souder, about the dead man who was a tenant at Kucsera’s apartment. The twist is that the dead man was Kucsera’s real husband and the murderer Anderson and Gouty are seeking. However, she is playing off her lover, the spy Souder, as her husband so that she is not apprehended for the murder of her husband. Meanwhile, a newly engaged woman (Wood) has to deal with the fact that her fiancée (Oberheide) is a soviet spy who has the plans for a fusion bomb, and she has to help him deliver a package to Souder. In the end, Anderson does some digging into the evidence and can identify the dead man for two reasons: He went by many names and his last used name was one of the murderers, and the other reason was that the corpse

Alex Oberheide plays Woody, Chelsea Anderson plays Maggie Pelletier, Stephanie Kucsera (right) plays Mrs. Kravitz and Lucas Souder plays the corpse in a beginning scene of the production of “Red Herring.” mention his great “sign language”—his makes the character, which is very difwas her dead husband. She grabs a stomping and flailing around went perferent from his main character James shoe from evidence and tries it out on Appel, come to life in a hysterical way. fectly with the dumbfoundedness of the the dead man, and the shoe doesn’t fit, The other roles Oberheide took on were character. He brought in some gentle giving new meaning to the phrase “if moments, however, in his conversaa photographer, Woody, with a James the shoe fits.” He is not the spy they tions with Anderson about finding love. Cagney accent and a bartender who are looking for. Anderson arrives just His other role as Herbert, the was wise to his patrons. in time to stop Gouty from arresting subservient husband of the dressmaker As for Oberheide’s role of James the caught Wood, Oberheide, Kucsera Mrs. Van Nostrand (Kuscera), also Appel, a Soviet spy working in and Souder and tells of her findings. gained some laughs with his running America and engaged to the daughShe pleads to let them go, and Gouty about at her whim and getting his ter of Joseph McCarthy (a perfectly releases the couples. They then initiate an impromptu Quaker wedding and the twisted problem), he pulled off the role spineless self beaten up. UIndy theatre also welcomed a effortlessly. Everything in his acting play ends on a high note. Although all new face to the stage in senior Andrew was natural and believable. He showed of this sounds confusing, it was pulled Gouty. His main role of Frank Keller great character development as a spy off quite effortlessly by the actors. was believable. His detective demeanor who wants to let off the fusion bomb Most of the actors took on multiple was on par, and his acting style could and as one who literally sees the light roles in this fast-paced drama that and just wants to settle down and marry throw you back into the days of the old showcased their acting abilities. They spy thrillers. He was able to bring out Lynn McCarthy. were able to portray memorable and the dramatic, funny and angry emotions Souder also took on multiple parts, funny characters that had the audience but the most memorable was his talent- that his character shows throughout the laughing. ed portrayal of Andrei Borchevsky. His play. For instance, when Oberheide takes As for the women of the play, their Russian accent was perfect and added on the role of the doctor (Harry), his to the comedic aspect of the play, not to performances were flawless. Anderson, mannerisms coupled with his accent

who took on the role of Maggie Pelletier, was able to focus on the character and delve into her personality. Her emotions were apparent in her conversations and mannerisms; she was quite believable as a female detective, diving into her work to forget past mistakes and regrets. Wood, who played Lynn McCarthy, truly was an interesting character. She was a bubbly, bumbling character at whom you couldn’t help rolling your eyes. The naivety and personality of the character, coupled with Wood’s acting, was reminiscent of a young Lucille Ball. At any moment, I expected her to bust out a “but, Ricky, I want to be in the show.” This resemblance, however, worked for the character and brought out the innocent, comedic and mischievous nature of the play. Speaking of mischief, who could forget the skills of Kucsera who played Mrs. Kravitz. Her accent was perfect as she portrayed the ever-thinking wife of the dead spy and lover to Borchevsky (Souder). She was able to move the plot along with her ideas and the orders she gave to the men. In the same way, her character of the dressmaker, Mrs. Van Nostrand, was also memorable for her busybody ways and demanding demeanor toward her husband. Overall, the characters’ relationships of the characters were not forced. There was a definite connection in the air. Gouty and Anderson’s relationship threw me back to scenes of “Casablanca” with their somewhat unyielding attitude and eventual tenderness. Oberheide and Wood reminded me of a newlywed couple, whereas Souder and Kucsera reminded me of those old stubborn couples. The whole cast meshed well. All-in-all, “Red Herring” was a success for the theatre department and possibly the best performance of the season. Everything down to the blocking and lighting worked cohesively and the audience was very responsive and alert. You can’t go wrong with a play that has spies, murder, fusion bombs and prop guns. “Red Herring” certainly was a good catch.

According to the UIndy Arts Web site, this is the third time the university has hosted the exhibition, which was created by figurative painter and Associate Professor of Art and Design Jim Viewegh. “I thought it would be interesting to do an exhibition that would explore the different ways artists interpret the same thing,” Viewegh said. “We were trying to make it a biannual event, but I was on sabbatical last year.” Faculty in the Department of Art and Design juried the exhibition, which was open to artists in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Illinois. “What you see in there [the gallery] is only a fraction of what was sent in. We look at the pieces and decide which ones we think are the most successful and most interesting pieces and

One piece that may draw visitors is “At home she received a premium education,” by Amy Eaton. The sculpture features a young girl in a reclined position staring at a television with a sucker in her mouth and a remote in her hand. The largest two-dimensional piece is “Karyatid,” an oil-on-canvas painting by Katherine Sullivan that features an elegant blue figure against a striking red background. “We hope that [those who visit the gallery] can appreciate the diversity of what’s out there in the art world,” Viewegh said. “And by doing a singlethemed exhibition—just around the human figure—you can really see that [diversity].” The exhibition is open every weekday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. through March 14, and admission is free.

Photo Contributed by Jim Ream

New art exhibit showcases three and two dimensions Abby Adragna Editor-In-Chief

The juried exhibition Interpretations of the Figure is now open at

the University of Indianapolis in the Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center Art Gallery. The exhibition includes six three-dimensional works and 21 twodimensional pieces that all center on the human figure.

Carolyn Harless/The Reflector

“At home she received a premium education,” was one piece shown.

Student band performs original songs in Esch Emmanuel Casillas Staff Writer

Normally the Esch Hall studio theatre is either empty for various theatre classes or filled to the brim with set pieces for an upcoming production. But on Saturday, Feb. 16, a show of a different sort took over the studio theatre, engulfing it in crunching riffs and quirky melodies. The studio was filled with instruments, amps, cameras and a flag above the drum set. “It’s the flag of Kyrgyzstan. We just happen to like it,” said singer Jason Adams. That random sense of humor was perhaps the impetus of what was to come next. It was the performance of local Indianapolis band The Highway, a performance entitled “U of I – The Basement”, that rocked the studio with a solid set list of originals. The group (singer Jason Adams, guitarist Vincent Brown, bassist Dominik Cole and drummer Jon Potter) has played a number of shows in local places like Birdy’s and various clubs. Things started off with a launch into “Sunday Drivin’,” which begins sweet and mellow. Some latecomers even lamented that they missed their favorite song. “Sunday Drivin’” is a song that definitely grows with each performance, particularly Adams’ Tom Verlaine-style vocals. Into the second number, “Aliens from Planet Earth,” a punk-ish tune struts stop-start riffs and loud-quiet vocals from Adams that recalled bands such as The Pixies. One of the great pleasures of seeing The Highway, or even just listening to them, is the consistent inconsistency one hears. No two songs sound alike. Their music speaks of a wide range of tastes and influences. Just go from

“Aliens” to “Sir James,” a song that sparked some sounds of joy when announced and in which Adams drifts into a Kinks-like storytelling spiel before escalating into an all-out rock assault. “All of our fans have a real strong connection with that one,” Brown said. There seems to be no form of good old-fashioned rock and roll that these Indy boys won’t touch. “We like to be spontaneous in our song writing. We have no set structured sound or song. We like it all. We have a variety of influences,” Brown mused. Showboating was at a minimum, but the night was not without its solos. Guitarist Brown ripped into a jam-band tangent that left a good impression on the audience. The band was tight and focused. The band ended the night with the boogie-swing “Happiness” before closing officially with “Shine.” All-in-all it was a good night to be in a band. The crowd warmed up to every song, even shouting out a few requests. “I think we were all into it. Right after the first song, we knew. Once the crowd was getting into it, and we were getting into it, like they say, you feed off the energy of the crowd, and they feed off our energy too,” Potter said. Brown said the show was an experience that he would remember for a long time. “For me it was the first time I felt comfortable. I just felt amazing. Every time I go onstage, and I play music, I’m having fun. But I’m also thinking about what I’m doing and what people are looking at, and I was able to just let loose tonight. There was a great energy going on tonight,” Brown said. The band looks forward to a bright future, possibly playing Ransburg Auditorium next, as well as possible charity shows. They will perform next at Greenwood High School on March 16.

then ask the artists to send those in,” Viewegh said. “The juried exhibition is a way that artists can exhibit their work by having it qualified, in a way, because not everyone just gets in. That doesn’t necessarily mean the pieces that didn’t get in were not successful pieces. It’s just that those of us who judged the exhibition judged these to be the most successful.” The gallery showcases a wide variety of mediums and styles by 24 different artists. The three-dimensional pieces make use of bronze, mixed media, ceramic, kiln-formed glass and quartz crystal, while the two-dimensional works employ mediums such as charcoal conte, graphite on paper, oil on panel, oil on canvas, mixed media on paper, acrylic on canvas, digital print and colored pencil.

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“Supermarket Dancing” ~ Nicki Crisci, opinion editor “Stewart vs Colbert vs Conan” ~ Marcus Whalbring, entertainment editor

More surprises at the Oscars Marcus Whalbring Entertainment Editor Daniel Day Lewis won best actor, “Once” got best original song and “Juno” took home best original screenplay. When the Oscars finally premier near the end of February, there are a few moments, like these, that make us say, “Well duh!” But every year they manage to shock use somehow. Whether they give a lot of attention to one particular film, don’t give credit where credit is due or we just learn something new about them, the academy still manages to make us trip over our teeth when our chins drop to the floor. 7. Miley Cyrus. As if it wasn’t enough that they invited her to the Oscars. They actually let her present one of the nominees for best original song. She’s a pretty talented girl for her age, and she is clearly gaining popularity with kids around the world, but I’m not sure she belonged in this venue. Other than a three-dimensional film debut based on her television show, she has nothing to do with movies. So what was she doing there? 6. “Ratatouille.” A lot of people have told me how much they liked “Persepolis,” and it was getting really good reviews, not to mention Oscar buzz. So I was surprised to see that “Ratatouille” won for best animated full-length. I liked “Ratatouille” a lot, and it deserves all the recognition it gets. I just didn’t think it was going to take home the statue. 5. Michael Bay is a member? Even though the writers are back, the awards show had a small, boring segment about how the nominees and winners are chosen. It even featured some commentary by a few members of the Academy. I was appalled to see that Michael Bay was among those few. If I ever want to talk to someone about how to make a good film, I’m not talking to Bay. He knows how to make a successful film at the box office, but I’m not sure he knows a lot beyond visual effects. Even “South Park” said so. 4. “The Golden Compass.” As I said, Michael Bay knows about visual effects. So I figured “Transformers” would take the category. However, the Academy gave it to “The Golden Compass,” a film that did little more than stir up controversy among the Christian audience. “Transformers” kept me from blinking for two hours while I was in the theater, and I have no idea how they made so many little parts come together to make the giant robots. On the other hand, I may have a biased opinion. I am a member of the generation that was raised on the cartoon. 3. “The Bourne Ultimatum.” I haven’t seen this film yet, but I have seen the other two, and they were both awesome. I’m sure this one is too, but the other two films didn’t get any recognition for sound effects, sound mixing or film editing, and this one did. I would say the sound and editing seem to be about the same as the other two, so why is Jason Bourne getting recognition this year? By the way, that’s three Oscars for “Ultimatum.” That’s two more than “Atonement,” but more on that later. 2. Cate Blanchett loses in the supporting actress category. I really expected her take this one home. It’s not often that a girl plays a man with such believability. And she captured Bob Dylan in a way that was just beyond incredible. And she lost to Tilda Swinton for “Michael Clayton.” I did not see that one coming at all. 1. “Atonement” gets robbed. It got best original score, and that’s all—just one Oscar. People were saying it was the best film of the year, but it lost to “No Country for Old Men,” a great film. But was it really better? The Academy really seems to have a thing for movies that feature people getting their brains blown out. I guess they’re trying to “atone” for the fact that they gave 11 Oscars to a bad film over 10 years ago. Well, guess what. We’ve forgiven you, okay? You can go back to liking romances again.

The Reflector Page 8

FEATURE/ENTERTAINMENT

March 5, 2008

Gondry revives VHS in new Film Gospel singer receives Sage Award at UIndy

Emmanuel Casillas Staff Writer

No doubt about it, French director Michel Gondry is a visionary. We all saw proof of that early in his career, from his innovative music videos for the likes of Bjork and The White Stripes to his award-winning commercials for The Gap and Smirnoff vodka. So the fact that he can spring the first Hollywood surprise of the year is a no-brainer. His poignant masterpiece "Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind" is still one of the best cinematic breaths of fresh air in recent years, and even his other works ("Dave Chappelle's Block Party" and "Science of Sleep") resonate as original and sublime. His latest effort, "Be Kind Rewind," boasts some refreshing insights into modern pop culture and delights as a whimsical quirk-fest, even if it stumbles a bit along the way. For one, many are criticizing Gondry for using a subject as obsolete as analog VHS. This is the new age of quality DVD transfers and iPods, but Gondry is digging into deeper territory here, essentially attempting to take stock of the humanity that we have lost in the name of progress. But, like Charlie Chaplin in "Modern Times", Gondry is giving this to us in the form of a comedy. First we get Mr. Fletcher (the wonderful Danny Glover) who owns a VHS-only shop in working-class Passaic, N.J., and claims it was once the home of jazz legend Fats Waller. Waller's music and photos serve as

SOULMATES

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This was their fourth year attending the event. “I think it’s pretty cool to come back and see how campus has changed and how some things are the same. Or to look at the students and see how we [alums] used to be,” Brian said. The oldest couple of the event celebrated more than 65 years together. So the next time a single student goes to a campus-sponsored event, he or she should look up and around, because a future soulmate may be right on campus. Maybe one day they too will be able to commemorate their love at Graduates of the Heart.

Cecilia Perdomo Staff Writer

footnotes throughout the movie. Fletcher attempts to use this claim to keep the store from closing. When Fletcher leaves town to attend a commemoration of Waller, he leaves his assistant Mike (Mos Def) in charge. The catch: Mike must make sure his nutty friend Jerry (Jack Black) never gets near the store. Of course Mike doesn't prevent that, and Jerry, who thinks that the local power plant is trying to destroy his brain, causes a massive electricity accident which demagnetizes all the tapes in the shop. It seems like things are over for the boys until regular customer Miss Falewicz (Mia Farrow) wishes to rent "Ghostbusters,” and the light bulb goes off: the boys will take a video camera and create short, homemade versions of the movies, using themselves and any local talent. It's from that scheme that we get

the best aspects of the movie as the boys have a ball re-enacting the likes of “Robocop,” “2001: A Space Odyssey,” “King Kong” and “Driving Miss Daisy,” bringing about the kind of cinematic eye-candy Gondry is known for, with a little help from cinematographer Ellen Kuras. These scenes, however, are frustratingly short, and there are too few. Much of the movie gets taken up by Mos Def and Jack Black's facial reactions. Still, Gondry's striving counts for something in this world of Teflon Hollywood, as he seeks to show us a community coming together to create something fresh in their dehumanized world. Gondry's vision doesn't quite flesh out beyond a mockery of YouTube, but what he does turn up can sure get people thinking, and that counts for something.

Gospel and R & B singer Jearlyn Steele was an honored guest at the fourth annual “Gathering of the African-American Sages” and the “Gospel Extravaganza 2008” concert hosted by UIndy’s Ecumenical and Interfaith Programs. Steele, an Indiana native, is a performer, speaker, radio talk show host and entertainment reporter. “The Gathering of the African American Sages” took place in Ransburg Auditorium and included a talk and performance by Steele. Steele is the fourth person to receive the Sage Award. According to Associate Director of Career Services Lela Mixon, the Sage Award is given to a person who has had an impact on African-American culture. “I know that the Sage Award is given to someone they believe is a wise person,” Steele said. “It is such an honor.” The “Gospel Extravaganza” was held in the Ruth Lilly Performance Hall in the Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center on Saturday, Feb. 23. The celebration started with a Gospel choir clinic from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the concert from 7:30 to 9 p.m. According to Mixon, 54 people attended the clinic, and it was about different groups including the UIndy

Emmanuel Casillas Staff Writer

a student amounts to roughly $17, 265, and more than half of new students receive scholarships that can cover part or all of their tuition expenses. “We have a lot of students who are on financial aid. We’ve had a tradition of admitting students who represent a broad range of income groups, and a good number of first-generation students, so that creates the need, because financial aid resources are modest,” Handy said. According to Handy, financial aid at the university does not differ much from any other school, except when it comes to the university’s private institution status. “We’re a moderately private institution. But by being a private institution, we don’t get state subsidies. So the cost of education is by the students and also by donations and endowments,” Handy said.

According to Associate Director of Financial Aid Heidi Carl, UIndy gives away quite a bit of its own money. On the UIndy Web site, a checklist informs students about the steps to attain financial aid. The site also lists possible scholarships and awards, departmental and otherwise. First, students must file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid at www.fafsa.ed.gov. The deadline for submission is March 10. It’s a federal form, and paper copies were not printed this year but can be printed online. The form is completed electronically. Then students must fill out the UIndy financial aid application, available in the Financial Aid Office and on the UIndy Web site. It can be submitted either in person or via fax. Once the university receives the

Handout/MCT

Jack Black, Danny Glover and Mos Def in “Be Kind Rewind.”

choir, which was able to perform with Steele and her brother. The “Extravaganza” featured Steele and her brother Billy Steele from the Grammy Award winning ensemble, The Sounds of Blackness. “I work with a lot of great musicians and public speakers. [It is different] when I work with my family,” Steele said. “We are good individually, but we are best when we work together.” The two events were part of the Black History Month celebration. Steele expressed how important it is to remember the struggles. “It is something that we should be living and learning everyday,” Steele said. “It is also about the relationship between the white and black brothers and sisters that stood together during slavery and the Civil War.” Steele has traveled around the world and recorded with several artists including Prince and George Clinton. However, Steele said professional singing was not in her plans when she was growing up. “I went to college, and I had no idea I was going to sing professionally,” Steele said. “It wasn’t in my plans; it was in God’s plans.” Steele said she has had a great connection with UIndy and may be back. “If I am invited back, I would love to come,” Steele said.

Financial aid is vital to furthering college career

February was proclaimed Financial Aid Awareness Month all over the state of Indiana in an effort to keep students from forgetting to take the necessary steps toward securing financial aid. “Financial Aid Awareness Month is a statewide endeavor. It’s [about] getting the information to the student, getting their attention and helping them to understand the importance of what they’re doing and the importance of a deadline. It’s really what Financial Aid Awareness Month is all about,” said Linda Handy, director of financial aid. At UIndy, at least 88 percent of the student body receives some sort of financial assistance, whether through scholarships, grants, loans or part-time work. According to the UIndy Web site, the average package of financial aid for

FAFSA, students will be notified of any additional documents or information that is needed. “We will package you for financial aid, and we will send you a financial aid award letter. And on there, we’ll estimate for you charges based on what you tell us your enrollment status is, or your housing or meal plan…it’s to give you an estimate of what your cost is going to look like,” Carl said. If no information is needed, a financial aid award letter is created and sent to the student as early as March. Later in the summer, a billing statement is sent to students informing them of any necessary payments. The UIndy Web site has all the necessary information and complete listings of scholarships and awards, but students who prefer a more hands-on approach can go to the Financial Aid Office in Esch Hall, Room 141.

SPORTS

March 5, 2008

The Reflector Page 9

Greyhound softball spring season starts with a hard schedule and losses to top-ranked teams By Abby Adragna Editor-in-Chief

The Greyhound women’s softball team has traveled south the past three weekends to open the season with weekend-long tournament play. The ‘Hounds have had a rough start, winning only two of 12 games as of The Reflector press time. “We just need to get outside,” head coach Melissa Frost-Fisher said. “That’s the main thing that’s killing us right now—just the weather and the snow.” The team traveled to North Carolina Feb. 29 to take in five games at Catawba College. The ‘Hounds got off to a strong start Friday afternoon as they defeated Indiana University of Pennsylvania 9-2. Junior pitcher Amanda Wendlinger led the team, allowing only three hits in the contest. The ‘Hounds fell 4-3 later that night in a close game against East Stroudsburg University. The women had a day of close competition Saturday, falling 4-3 to Catawba College and 6-3 to Shippensburg University. The ‘Hounds led Catawba University 3-1 at the bottom of the fifth inning, but they allowed the Indians to scrape across the winning runs in the final three innings. Freshman infielder Jamie Keltz

and sophomore catcher and outfielder Jessica Breeden led the team against Shippensburg University as the only ‘Hounds to record hits in the game. Results of the March 2 game versus Limestone College were not available as of The Reflector press time. The ‘Hounds traveled to the University of Alabama-Hunstville the weekend of Feb. 22 and played only four of six scheduled games because of rain cancellations. On Feb. 23, the team fell to No. 16 North Georgia College and State University and the University of West Alabama, with scores of 9-4 and 10-9, respectively. The following day, the team fell 4-2 to No. 20 Wayne State University and 6-1 to No. 23 Georgia College and State University. Junior shortstop Jenny Swanson drove in all four UIndy runs against North Georgia and was 3-for-4 at bat. The ‘Hounds led West Alabama 9-6 at the bottom of the seventh inning, but the Tigers came back to capture the win. Junior starting first baseman Sara Agnew had a home run in the game, while freshman infielder Cathryn Sampson hit a grand slam. “We really came out swinging the bat,” Frost-Fisher said. “We are really happy with the amount of runs that we’re scoring. Obviously we’re giving up quite a few runs, but from the first tournament to the second tournament, we’ve made improvements on that.” UIndy fought hard against Wayne State, pulling ahead 2-1 at the top of

the seventh with a double by Breeden. However, the Warriors sealed the win with a walk-off, three-run homer at the bottom of the inning. Junior catcher and outfielder Lindsey Gustine had two hits against Georgia and drove in UIndy’s single run in the game. The Greyhounds traveled to Tunica, Miss., for their season-opening tournament hosted by Delta State University Feb. 15-17. On the first day of play, the team fell 15-0 to No. 14 AlabamaHuntsville but came back that night to outscore University of ArkansasMonticello 13-10. UIndy dropped both games the following day, falling 7-1 to Delta State and 11-7 to Henderson State University. The third day of play was washed out because of rain. “Our record definitely doesn’t show how good we are,” Gustine said. “We’ve played a lot of ranked teams, which isn’t an excuse because we should have beaten them, but our competition is a lot stronger than past teams have had.” Sophomore pitcher Megan Russell hit two homeruns against ArkansasMonticello, while Swanson and senior Lindsay Maraldo each smashed one as well to add to UIndy’s 13 runs. During day two of the tournament, freshman pitcher Meagan Gutierrez had the ‘Hounds’ only RBI against Delta State. Junior outfielder Maggie Swanson blasted a grand slam against Henderson State to bring in four of the

team’s seven scored runs. According to Frost-Fisher, playing in weekend-long tournaments early in the season helps the team get ready for conference play, which typically begins in the middle of March. “Pretty much anything before Spring Break is a long tournament,” she said. “It’s basically a time for you to get out, do some experimenting, play a lot of kids and try to find the right combination.” The ‘Hounds were picked ninth in the 2008 Great Lakes Valley Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, which was announced Jan. 29. According to Gustine, the ninth-place ranking is not where the team deserves to be, and the women will work this season to prove the ranking wrong. “It’s just fuel for the fire with us,” Frost-Fisher said. “We’re a whole different team than we were last year. We [only] have two or three returners in the same position as last year; so you’re seeing, on average, six or seven different faces a game.” The ‘Hounds will next travel to Orlando, Fla., and take in 11 games during Spring Break. “Those 11 games are crucial,” Frost-Fisher said. “It (a week-long tournament) tells a lot about your team; it tells a lot about the depth of your team. It’s an opportunity for us to definitely get things going in the right direction.”

the playoffs. The ‘Hounds began the game on an 11-2 run and held the lead at 10 halfway through the first half. By halftime, UIndy’s lead was cut to just five, and the score was 36-31. The visiting Puma’s came out of the half and tied the score 52-52 midway through the second half. The ‘Hounds pushed the lead back to 10, and St. Joe never got closer than two. The final score was 72-70. The team had a good all-around effort, with four Greyhounds in double-digit scoring. Senior forward Justin Barnard led all with 20. Senior guard Myron Jackson had a good game, scoring seven points with a game-high nine rebounds and five assists. When the University of WisconsinParkside (14-11, 7-10 GLVC) came to Nicoson Hall on Feb. 23. The team played the role of spoiler in the ‘Hounds hope for playoff contention. The final score was 77-72 UWP. This game officially made UIndy’s push for a playoff berth impossible, with four of the visiting Rangers in double figures. “It’s tough starting 6-0 then going 2-9. This team had high hopes to make the NCAA tournament, and then we just tried making the GLVC tourna-

ment. We don’t have anything to show for it,” said Ludlow. UIndy jumped out to a quick lead of 7-2 before UWP came back. The score went back and forth through the first half. The score at half was 37-35 in favor of the Rangers. Parkside stretched its lead in the second half to a game-high seven, and the ‘Hounds never got closer than three the rest of the way. Brock led all scorers with 19 points. The ‘Hounds were in action Feb. 21 against Lewis University at Nicoson Hall. That game saw the team score a school record 18 three-point baskets over two halves and three overtimes. The game also saw Justin Barnard grabbing his 500th rebound. “[This] shows that he [Justin Barnard] has put in a lot of hard work and dedication to his university,” said assistant coach Fred Andrews. “(grabbing 500 rebounds) takes someone who is very talented or someone that is here for three or four years, and helps the team a lot.” Regulation saw trading baskets to etch the score at 77 all. Junior guard Brandon Dagans of the visiting Flyers

scored four points in the final minute of regulation and scored 22 more in the overtime periods. In the third overtime, junior guard Tyke Cockerham came off the bench and provided the scoring spark for the ‘Hounds and helped stretch the lead to seven with 18 seconds left. The final score was 113-109 which helped keep the Greyhounds’ playoff hopes alive. “We were a team that was competing for a conference championship. We lost on Saturday, but we weren’t just playing out. We were competing for [an] NCAA berth and that showed a lot [of] heart and gut from our guys,” Andrews said. Next season, junior forward Tristan Rodgers, a player who came into his own in the second half of the season, will be a player to watch bust out as a dominant scorer. “He [Rodgers] has come a long way in the last four months. He has shown consistency and leadership this year,” Andrews said. “He is one of the top guys in the conference as far as athleticism. He needs to work on his ball handling and shooting, but he could be one of the best players in the league.”

Basketball finishes season with loss to Kentucky Wesleyan By JP Sinclair Staff Writer

Going into the final four at home, the University of Indianapolis men’s basketball team (14-13, 8-11 GLVC) was doing its best to make the playoffs of the Great Lakes Valley Conference East Division. If the Greyhounds played in the west division, their record would be good enough for third place and the playoffs. The ‘Hounds returned to Nicoson Hall Feb. 28 to host Kentucky Wesleyan College. Kentucky Wesleyan was the first to score for the night and kept up the effort, defeating UIndy 87-74. Senior guard DeAndre Brock was the top scorer with 27 points. “Waking up the day after our last game knowing I am not going to have a next season or game or practice is going to be difficult,” senior forward Reed Ludlow said. Visiting Saint Joseph’s College (16-10, 12-6 GLVC) came to Indianapolis on Feb. 26. With St. Joe already ensuring playoff berth, this game did not hold much more than morale for

BASE

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Baseball games postponed due to field conditions It also takes backing from your AD and the school. Once again, I have been very lucky in those areas as well.” The Hounds’ next game is against Missouri Southern University, March 10. “This team really seems to have a very strong chemistry. We all get a long very well,” Paul said. “I feel like that aspect right there makes a very good team because we have talent and chemistry. We are all working towards a common goal and so far it seems we are not out to play for ourselves, but for the good of the team.” Results for the March 2 game against Oakland City University were not available as of The Reflector press time.

ARESTIS

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Arestis prepares for national competition As an athlete, Arestis continues to improve, and his coaches and peers concur. “Alex gets better and stronger every year. Last year he was third in the 200 freestyles, and this year he broke records,” Kinkead said. “He had some problems last year that taught him what was needed of him to improve.” Arestis has also been able to maintain a good stance in academics as well. His major is sports management, and he is eligible to graduate at the end of this year. From there he may begin work on his masters degree. “Academics are important to me because swimming will be done really soon and academics will give me a better future,” Arestis said. Furthermore, his hobbies include basketball and movies and he misses the warm weather and beaches back home. “Alex is a pretty cool guy. He’s a hard worker, and it’s always good to swim with him in practice because he always challenges you,” said teammate Keegan Hoey. “He’s very reserved, fun to be around with and he’s a great guy.”

The Reflector acknowledges its mistakes. Each issue, we will print corrections on the Opinion Page. If we omit anything, please contact us at reflector@uindy.edu.

TWICE OVER

The Reflector Page 10

March 5, 2008

Potential consolidation would merge township fire departments State legislation could lead to closure of fire stations, including Indianapolis Fire Department Station 26 at Hanna Avenue and Shelby Avenue By Dan Friend & Marcus Whalbring Managing Editor & Entertainment Editor

Indiana state legislators are currently discussing a bill that proposes the consolidation of fire stations in Marion County’s townships, which could potentially result in the closing of Indianapolis Fire Department Station 26 at the corner of Hanna Avenue and Shelby Avenue. Consolidation of Indianapolis public safety services, such as the police and fire departments, has been an issue of discussion since 1969, when University of Indianapolis alumnus and then-Mayor Richard Lugar proposed Unigov. The plan consolidated many units of local government, according to the City of Indianapolis official Web site at www.indygov.com. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department was established on Jan. 1, 2007, as a result of Mayor Bart Peterson’s Indianapolis Works plan, which merged the Marion County and City of Indianapolis police forces. Senate Bill 280—introduced by Sen. James Merritt, R-Carmel—proposes that Marion County’s township fire departments merge with the Indianapolis Fire Department. SB 280 passed through the Indiana senate by a 38-10 vote on Jan. 29. Although the legislation met resistance in the House of Representatives, fire department consolidation is still under debate. House Ways and Means Chairman Bill Crawford, D-Indianapolis, refused to give SB 280 a hearing on Feb. 13. However, Merritt attached the language for the proposed merger to House Bill 1105, a bill concerning public employee pensions, when it was heard by the Senate. HB 1105 passed through the Senate by a 22-18 vote on Feb. 19. As of The Reflector press time, HB 1105 is awaiting a final vote in the House of Representatives to decide on Merritt’s and other amendments. Currently, six of the nine townships in the county operate fire departments independent from IFD. According to President of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Professional Firefighters Union Mike Reeves, combining the township fire depart-

ments into a singular department would make the fire service in Marion County more efficient. “There were nine major fire departments [in Marion County]. We think we can do that with one,” Reeves said. “We can do things better as a countywide fire department than as the township fire departments that we have.” According to Reeves, the International Association of Fire Fighters conducted a computer-based study to evaluate the effects of fire department consolidation—which Reeves said was “involved in closing fire stations”—in Marion County in 2005. “Using those studies, we said, what would happen if we pulled a station out?” Reeves said. “How fast could we get a crew to the scene without township boundary lines?” After removing Station 26 and three other fire stations from Marion County, the “Geographic Information Study” calculated IFD response times to emergencies at different points in Marion County. The Reflector did not receive a copy of the study, but according to Reeves, the study improved the average response time by 10 percent. If IFD Station 26 were to close, the closest fire station to the University of Indianapolis would be Perry Township Fire Station 661, located one mile south of station 26 at the corner of Thompson and Madison. Perry Township Trustee Gary Coons said that consolidation was an option that would be more efficient and save money for taxpayers. “Our [Perry Township] budget is so thin that it’s hard for us to even maintain fire trucks,” Coons said. In order to save money for Perry Township’s budget, Coons said that most of the money would have to be cut from personnel within the fire stations, along with costs that come with personnel such as benefits and health insurance. Coons said that no one would lose his or her job because personnel could be cut in other places. “We have five open positions that I have to hire [for] that have been budgeted for five years,” Coons said. “And those may have to be cut.” According to Coons, if Perry Township consolidates, personnel can be cut as people retire from positions that are not refilled. Coons said that in a large

department, such as a consolidated Marion County IFD, 20-30 people could retire within a couple of months. Washington and Warren townships merged with IFD in 2007. Elected officials from each township voted in favor of consolidation, which was then approved by the Indianapolis City-County Council. Since that time, one station in each township has been closed following the consolidation. “We’re hearing so much about property tax issues,” Reeves said. “We need to do a better job of providing fire protection at a lower cost—a lower cost or less people.” While many officials support the bill, some are not willing to accept it just yet. Chairman of the Perry Township Board of Trustees Michael Kalschuer said that the Perry board was willing to vote in favor of consolidation unanimously if three criteria were met: property taxes could not increase, a better or equal level of service would have to be maintained; and the jobs of firemen could not be eliminated. “The problem is [that] we haven’t seen any information come down the pike that supports [the three criteria],” Kalschuer said. He said that he is not willing to vote either way because it would be premature without information to support the idea. Consolidation was first proposed to the Perry Township Board of Trustees last summer. “They did not approach us with pros and cons,” Kalschuer said. “They just wanted us to look into it.” When Indianapolis Works was introduced by then Mayor Bart Peterson in 2005, the Indiana Senate hired Reedy & Peters, LLC, a Greenwood accounting firm, to evaluate the perceived savings of fire department consolidation, which was totaled at $20,775,993. They discovered that certain variables were not being taken into account. For example, according to Jeff Peters of Reedy & Peters, when two companies merge—such as the Marion County township fire departments and IFD— the gap in lower salaries usually is raised. “Typically, that’s how it works,” Peters said. “People get sucked up to a higher pay level, which costs money.” According to Reedy & Peters’ 2005 analysis, the average IFD employee

(Left) Six Marion county township fire departments have not merged with IFD. The IFD district is colored tan on this map.

Map Contributed by Metropolitan Indianapolis Firefighters Union President Mike Reeves

(Above) Station 26 at Hanna Avenue and Shelby Avenue was one of four stations removed during a computer-based test to evaluate consolidated IFD response times. made $57,396, and the average employee for township fire departments made $49,743. At that time, there were 939 employees in the township fire departments and EMS. If the fire stations had consolidated then and those employees were brought up to the IFD salary, an extra $7,186,167 would have been added to the budget. The analysis also said “significant data was omitted from the Works proposal thereby under-stating IFD and ambulance costs and over-stating potential savings.” In the end, Reedy & Peters’ analysis only showed a total savings of $1,318,413 through fire department consolidation.

Regardless of the passage of any consolidation legislation, Dr. David Wantz, director of community relations at UIndy, said that the university has no concern about the level of protection the campus will receive. According to Wantz and UIndy campus police reports from 2007, both IFD Station 26 and Perry Township Station 661 fire fighters have been the first respondents to campus emergencies. “I don’t believe that there is a life safety or property protection issue for the university if Station 26 closes and the assets move a mile away,” Wantz said.