Nov. 21, 2006 | The Reflector

VOLUME 85, ISSUE 5

“EDUCATION FOR SERVICE”

NOVEMBER 21, 2006

INSIDE

THE

INSIDE

REFLECTOR Photo by Megan Komlanc

‘Hounds tip off season with a win. See Page 5.

MIDTERM ELECTIONS

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UNIVERSITY OF INDI HA N NA AVENUE I NDI

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Contributed by Cynthia McCready

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UIndy’s tropical partnership. See Page 6.

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HANNA AVENUE

Renovation of Hanna Avenue postponed until September 2007 Amanda Zimmer Staff Writer

Graphic by Megan Komlanc

Democrats gain control after elections Stephanie Little Staff Writer On midterm elections, Nov. 7, the Democratic Party gained control of both the Indiana House and the U.S. House of Representatives. They also gained control of the U.S. Senate.

History and Political Science Assistant Professor Ted Frantz welcomes the election results.

“I’m always intrigued by change and transition and what that means,” he said. “It also brings renewed interest to the whole process.”

According to History and Political Science Professor Stephen Graham, the overriding issue in the election was about approval or disapproval of President George W. Bush’s leadership as well as of Congress.

“Opposition to the war and opposition to Bush’s leadership really explains the Democratic tide,” Graham said.

Frantz and Graham agree that Bush’s low 40 percent approval rating affected Indiana’s local elections. The majority of Indiana representatives elected into Congress were Democrats.

According to Graham, Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels will have to do a lot of negotiating and compromising because he will be working with at least one legislative chamber of a different party. Frantz does not think that this will be a problem for the governor.

“My sense of Gov. Daniels is that he’s not really a career politician,” Frantz said. “In some ways, he would have less problems working across the aisle than even President Bush because I don’t think he’s as ideologically driven.

Everything that [Daniels] has done, he has approached it as the business man that he is.”

Graham believes that Daniels will still have to be cautious.

“His ambitions have to be tempered by political reality, since he has people still upset about daylight savings and the lease of the toll road,” Graham said.

Graham also said that, like Daniels, Bush will have to negotiate and compromise with the Democrats. He will no longer be able to depend on his own party to get his bills passed.

Now that the U.S. Midterm Elections are over, political focus will move to the 2008 Presidential Elections.

“Both parties are already looking to 2008, so you’re going to see more caution,” Frantz said. “They can bring a different attitude—a different perspective—to the governing process.”

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The reconstruction of Hanna Avenue, scheduled to begin this year, has been postponed until the late summer and fall of 2007.

An article in the Nov. 22, 2005, issue of The Reflector reported that the project would start sometime in 2006, but it has not yet begun.

“The wheels of government move very slowly,” said David Wantz, associate vice president for community relations.

According to Ken Piepenbrink, director of the Physical Plant, the reason for the postponement is all the preparation and negotiation that goes along with city/state projects.

The project was approved by the city in 1998, but the development is not yet complete.

“We’ve [the university] been very involved with the city in the planning,” Piepenbrink said. “We’re in the final drawing stage right now.”

Wantz said that city engineers are working to put the project together while the State Department of Transportation is reviewing and approving the plan. He said the project was never supposed to start until the spring of 2007.

According to Wantz, one of the reasons the project has not started yet is because of the curves in Hanna Avenue. The city wants to make Hanna Avenue straight, so they had to purchase property along the sides of the road from other people and companies. The city had to go through the process of appraising the land, making an offer to the different owners and then working until an agreement was reached.

According to Piepenbrink, the project’s design has not changed at all. The plan is to keep the four lanes of traffic and have a 16-foot

Photo by Carolyn Harless

UIndy has been working with the City of Indianapolis to finalize plans to make Hanna Avenue safer and more attractive by March 2009. median down the middle to keep pedestrians safer as they cross the street. A stoplight will be installed in front of Nicoson Hall, and more streetlights will be added. Also, shrubbery will be placed between the sidewalks and street so that pedestrians will not be walking next to the traffic.

According to Piepenbrink, most of these changes are being made to improve the safety of Hanna Avenue for pedestrians, but the street also is being landscaped to make it more attractive.

Piepenbrink said that engineers and architects are currently working to make sure the sewer system and drainage on Hanna Avenue will not be affected by the design.

“The bid letting date is set for the summer of 2007,” Wantz said. “So that means shovels won’t go into the ground until Septem-

ber.”

Wantz said the project will last approximately 18 months, and the plan is to finish 150 feet each day. The project will go from East Street to Carson Street and will be divided into three sections. Wantz said that even the construction workers won’t know where they are starting until they see the blueprints.

Wantz and Piepenbrink agree that the university and the City of Indianapolis have been working hard to get the project started as soon as possible.

“You probably won’t see anything on Hanna Avenue [on campus] until the fall of 2007,” Piepenbrink said.

According to Wantz, if everything goes as planned, Hanna Avenue will be completely renovated by March 2009.

Four Colts players visit UIndy campus On Tuesday, Nov. 7, four players from the Indianapolis Colts teamed up with the University of Indianapolis Chapter of College Mentors for Kids, Inc. As part of the organization’s Higher Education and Career Track, the Colts players participated in hands-on activities with students from Indianapolis Public School 64 and their university student mentors, or “Big Buddies.” The activities included learning about chemical reactions, answering the College Question of the Week and reading the Book of the Week.

Pictured at left is Colts rookie Antoine Bethea helping students from IPS 64 with a chemistry experiment using dry ice.

Photo by Megan Komlanc

SERVICE PROJECT

CPB, SWA sponsor ‘Holiday Hug’ service project Abby Adragna News Editor

Photo by Megan Komlanc

Build-A-Bear Chief Workshop Manager Thaddeus Bennett helps senior Laura Davies stuff a bear on Nov. 18 as part of the ‘Holiday Hug’ service project.

The Campus Program Board (CPB) and the University of Indianapolis Social Work Association (SWA) are sponsoring a service program called “Holiday Hug.” The program aims to bring cheer to underprivileged youth by giving them stuffed bears.

The first part of the program took place at the Build-A-Bear workshop at the Greenwood Park Mall on Nov. 18. Students from CPB, SWA, Circle K and the Student Alumni Association traveled to Build-A-Bear on Saturday morning to make 190 bears. According to SWA President Sandy Nelson, the store opened an hour early for the event.

“They [Build-A-Bear employees] have been really cooperative,” said Campus Program Board Service Chair Lyndsay Davies. “They were really excited about it, and they gave us a discount because this was a service project.“ The delivery of the bears will be an all-day event on Tuesday, Nov. 28.

According to Davies, CPB and SWA decided to wait until after Thanksgiving to deliver the bears so that the event can coincide with Christmas.

UIndy students will deliver the bears to four separate locations. Some of the bears will go to the Julian Center, a shelter for battered women and children. Students also will deliver bears to the Marion County Children’s Guardian Home, the South District IPD “Bears on Patrol” and T.O.U.G.H. Davies said that T.O.U.G.H. is an after-school program for inner-city students, and it is the only place where UIndy students will get to interact with the children and actually hand them the bears.

“The T.O.U.G.H. program really doesn’t get outside help,” Davies said. “[The coordinator] is really excited about it. She said that they’ve never had anything like this before.”

Nelson hopes that university students who are not a part of CPB or SWA will still want to be involved in this event.

“It’s for a good cause,” she said.

“It’s warming knowing that you can contribute [to a cause like this].”

PAGE 2 THE REFLECTOR

OPINION

NOVEMBER 21, 2006

■ A VOTER’S VIEW

Republicans can no longer pretend they don’t understand Andrew Gouty Staff Writer

Congratulations, Indiana, you’ve just made some political history.

Now you, along with everyone else, from big oil to pineapple farmers in Hawaii, are wondering just what the Democrats are going to do with their newfound control of both congressional houses.

For those readers unaware of the continuing brouhaha from two weeks ago, Republicans were swept from office in both the U.S. House and Senate. There were even three Republican representatives from Indiana ousted.

This means Indiana is considered a “Blue State” in the House.

How did this happen? If the RepubliPerhaps it was a party policy decidcans are asking that question in earnest, edly against any kind of homosexual something is definitely wrong. I’ll tell union that resembles marriage. Never you how the recent situation came about: mind that marriage has its roots in revoters under 30 raced to the polls en ligion, and we still haven’t thrown out masse and said (all 61 percent of them the First Amendment, entirely. who did vote), Or was it “Republicans, the suggestion And that has me wondering: Is that Ameriget out!” that what the Republicans want cans should The better —a scared population? question that round up and people should be deport 11 asking is, “Why million illegal did I choose to immigrants? vote out those An adminclowns?” istrative policy in Germany about 70 Maybe the answer lies with all the years ago rang something similar. It military men and women dying by the may seem crazy that I should compare dozens in Iraq, where generals have Hitler’s strategies to those of the Reexpressed frustration time and again publicans. It should sound crazy; sadly, over no clear plan for U.S. troops in that it’s just frightening. country.

And that has me wondering: Is that

what the Republicans want –a scared population? When the Republican National Committee ran television ads with a ticking clock sounding against images of terrorists Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri threatening American lives, I can only guess at the goal of that advertising: To scare voters into choosing Republican candidates.

Whatever the reason, 61 percent of young voters decided that Democrats could do a better job deciding on the issues which ail the United States of America. [Or they decided that anyone except a Republican could do a better job. Take your pick.]

I’ll not tell you the answer to “What next?” because it is not for me to decide. What I ask of all voters is to pick up and use your mantle of civic responsibility that you may have left just outside the voting booth.

At the very least, look back in two years at the same people you just helped elect. Count the number of things done right in their name, compared to the number of things done wrong. Do the same with respect to the President. Count the number of things his administration has done right in your eyes. Count them with your fingers.

My point is this: don’t trust me or anyone else when they tell you that one party is inherently better than the other.

Now that you’ve read to the bottom of this article, get on your computer and find five more people talking about the same topics. Decide what is right without me, without Bill O’Reilly, without Jon Stewart and without Karl Rove. I didn’t say you can’t laugh at them. I hear Karl is downright hilarious when you put a microphone in front of him.

■ PROFESSORS AND RELIGION

■ FROM THE ARCHIVE

Praying for an ‘A’

Dear ReaderDuring the 2006-2007 school year The Reflector will publish a series of archived editorials. We hope these editorials will serve as a reminder of how things change over time—and how they stay the same.

The following is an editorial published Oct. 10, 1970 discussing the growth in U.S. population and the need for resources to accommodate that growth. In 1970, the world population was half of what it is now—6 billion.

Jeffrey Weiss The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS (MCT)—College professors aren’t all godless heathens, but they are more secular than the general population, according to a new study.

And the more elite the institution, the more secular the professors are likely to be.

The study was conducted by two sociologists, Neil Gross of Harvard University and Solon Simmons of George Mason University. They contacted 1,471 professors at religious and secular colleges and asked about politics and faith.

The purpose of their report, released on the Internet, was to assess the observation by many religious conservatives that America’s universities are “a haven largely freed from religious perspectives.”

Among the notable results: Almost a third answered “none” when asked their religion— more than twice the percentage found in the general population.

Science professors were the least religious. Accounting professors were the most religious.

More than half the professors at places other than so-called “elite” universities said they absolutely believed in God. About a third of the professors at elite schools took that position. (The study used the U.S. News and World Report ranking to define elite institutions.)

About 30 percent of community college professors considered intelligent design a serious scientific alternative.

Fewer than 6 percent of professors at elite universities took that position.

In a much larger survey, released by the University of California at Los Angeles, earlier this year, more than 80 percent of professors said they were “spiritual.”

The studies indicate that spirituality affects how professors teach and interact with the world, said Jennifer A. Lindholm, the UCLA project director.

Her study concluded that the more spiritual professors were more likely to use cooperative learning techniques in the classroom; to use their scholarship to address community needs; and to encourage students to perform community service.

—— PROFESSIONS OF FAITH Key findings on religion among U.S. college professors: 10.0 percent don’t believe in God. 13.4 percent don’t know if there’s a God and don’t believe there is a way to find out.

19.6 percent believe in “a Higher Power of some kind,” but not a personal God. 16.9 percent believe in God, but have doubts.

35.7 percent know God exists and have no doubt about it.

SOURCE: Neil Gross, Harvard University, and Solon Simmons, George Mason University. © 2006, The Dallas Morning News.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

■ CARTOON

Cartoon by Emily Scott

THE

REFLECTOR University of Indianapolis 1400 East Hanna Avenue Indianapolis, IN 46227 reflector@uindy.edu 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.

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Editor-in-Chief......................Katy Yeiser Managing Editor....................Shelly Grimes News Editor...........................Abby Adragna Sports Editor..........................Katy Yeiser Sports Editor..........................Shelly Grimes Photo Editor...........................Megan Komlanc Opinion Editor.......................Kim Hopper Feature Editor........................Ruth Shirley Entertainment Editor............Elyse Kaiser Online Editor.........................Ben Reed Business Manager.................Emily Scott Distribution Manager............Alison Hernandez Adviser..................................Jeanne Criswell Meisha Baker Megan Coombs Dan Friend Kayla Goodman Jessica Gould

Andrew Gouty Carolyn Harless Adrian Kendrick Stephanie Little Michelle Miller

Thomas Rastall Samantha Shelton Amanda Zimmer

NEWS

NOVEMBER 21, 2006

THE REFLECTOR PAGE 3

■ COLLEGE TUITION

GOP losses may aid college students’ finances Matt Krupnick Contra Costa Times

Washington (MCT) —The congressional shake-up that took place during the United States Midterm Elections on Nov. 7 could be good for the pocketbooks of college students and their families.

College leaders and others predicted that Democrats taking over the House of Representatives would try to reverse recent cuts in federal financial aid, increasing funding for needy students and lowering tax burdens on their families.

Federal grants have stagnated in recent years, leading students to go into debt to cover rapidly rising education costs.

“Inflation has occurred, and grants have not kept pace,” said Robert Shireman, a former White House adviser who directs the Berkeley-based Project on Student Debt. “We’ve been seeing students take out much more expensive private loans.”

The most likely Democrat to take over leadership of the House Education and the Workforce Committee is Rep. George Miller of Martinez, who has sharply criticized the committee’s Republican leadership for the aid cuts.

■ QUICK LOOK BATTLE OF THE BANDS 2007 The University of Indianapolis will hold its inaugural Battle of the Bands competition at the beginning of 2007. Any type of band can enter the contest, but at least half of the members must be full-time high school or college students.

Audition registration forms are due Jan. 1. Live two-song auditions will be held on Jan. 13, 14 and 21. A $25 entry fee is due at the audition.

Six finalists will be selected by a panel of industry professionals, and those bands will perform a concert on Feb. 17 in Ransburg Auditorium.

One of the six finalists will be chosen as the top performing group and receive a grand prize of a professional recording package from Big Walnut Studios.

For more information about this event and to get registration forms, visit arts.uindy.edu or contact Will Pfaffenberger, Battle of the Bands coordinator, at arts@uindy.edu.

MCT

New Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi addressed the media after the Democrats met to choose their new leaders on Nov. 16 at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. Miller, the ranking Democrat on the committee, said he would seek the chairmanship.

The incoming House speaker, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, and other Democrats frequently mentioned college costs as a top priority during the campaign. And a federal commission recently called for dramatic increases in Pell Grants for the neediest students.

“It seemed to me that the tuition issue was covered an awful lot during the campaign,” said Patrick Callan, presi-

dent of the San Jose-based National Center for Public Policy in Higher Education. “The issue of college affordability is rising to the surface.”

But legislators have been far from unanimous on the best way to solve student debt problems. In addition to lower interest rates and higher grants, some lawmakers have pushed for tax credits that would help families pay for college. (c) 2006, Contra Costa Times. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

■ CHINESE LESSONS

Members of the Chinese Student Union volunteer their time each Friday to teach Chinese conversation lessons in the basement of the Schwitzer Student Center. The lessons are held from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The most recent lesson was held on Nov. 18.

From left: freshman Ashley Fowler, junior Qiong Hu. Photo by Megan Komlanc

Indianapolis Events Indiana Pacers vs. Milwaukee Bucks Conseco Fieldhouse Nov. 21 Tickets start at $10 www.nba.com/pacers _____________________________ Circle of Lights Monument Circle Nov. 24 to Jan. 7 FREE This magical experience features 4,784 lights and 52 garland strands on the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in downtown Indianapolis, creating the 242-foot Christmas tree display. The magic continues with toy soldiers and peppermint sticks encircling the monument and many more lights to enjoy. Live holiday entertainment begins at 6 p.m. with the ceremonial lighting at approximately 7:50 p.m. _____________________________ “Will Boys Be Boys?: Questioning Adolescent Masculinity in Contemporary Art” Indianapolis Museum of Art Currently running - Jan. 14, 2007 FREE with student I.D. www.ima-art.org Obsession with youth dominates the media and the entertainment industries and is making a niche in recent contemporary art. “Will Boys Be Boys?” examines the nature of adolescent masculinity in art from the past five years. The exhibition brings together recent paintings, photographs, sculptures, installations and video works by 20 artists who investigate this pop culture phenomenon. “Will Boys Be Boys?” is the first museum exhibition to survey masculine adolescence in contemporary art. _____________________________ Indiana Goes to the Movies Indiana State Museum Currently running - Feb. 11, 2007 Admission: $7 www.indianamuseum.com Whether involving Hoosier artists, directors, subjects or locales, many of the most significant movies in American cinematic history have Indiana ties. From Red Skelton, James Dean and Steve McQueen to Vivica Fox and Greg Kinnear, Indiana performers have made key contributions to American film.

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“A Christmas Carol” Indiana Repertory Theatre Various dates through Dec. 24 Tickets: $24 with student I.D. www.indianarep.com/ Join the IRT and Ebenezer Scrooge in the Tenth Anniversary Celebration of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” Friends and family alike will delight in this sparkling story of love and redemption brought about

by Jacob Marley, three ghosts of Christmas, and a little boy named Tiny Tim. It is a must-see holiday tradition.

For more information on these and other events, visit www.indy.org.

MODERN LANGUAGE PLACEMENT TESTS The Department of Modern Languages will offer placement tests in Spanish, French and German on Jan. 16, 17 and 18. The tests will take place from 4 p.m to 5:15 p.m., and the locations will be announced at a later date.

Modern language instructors have placed sign-in sheets on their office doors. Students interested in taking the placement tests must sign up at least one day prior to the date of the test.

■ STUDENT ACTIVITY FEE

ISG approves increase of SAF from $50 to $75 Adrian Kendrick Staff Writer The Student Activity Fee at the University of Indianapolis increased this year from the $50 fee implemented in 2005 to a new $75 fee.

Isaac Hughes, treasurer of Indianapolis Student Government, proposed the SAF increase last year. ISG approved his proposal and then put it to a vote by the students on campus.

“The SAF [was] raised an extra $25 because the student organizations were running out of money, and they were not having enough money to fund events,” Hughes said.

The SAF funds ISG, Campus Program Board and other Registered Student Organizations, which provide programming, activities and services that help build the university community.

The SAF also goes toward intramural sports, the Schwitzer Student Center account for upkeep and development and the multicultural line.

“With the [$25] increase, the university can now put on bigger shows on a bigger scale that the students can be a part of,” Hughes said.

According to ISG President Susan Decker Martin, there are over 40 student organizations on campus, so there are more than enough activities in which students can get involved.

Decker also believes that the fee is relatively low.

“We are actually behind other universities with the cost of the SAF,” she said. “We are one of the cheapest universities.”

Hughes believes the $25 increase is worth it.

“The students have the activity fee so they can be entertained and have some fun,” he said.

SPORTS

NOVEMBER 21, 2006

THE REFLECTOR PAGE 4

■ MEN’S SWIMMING

‘Hounds lose dual meets; top swimmer out for season Andrew Gouty Staff Writer

Physiologists have concluded that running a marathon can be compared to swimming five to six miles, according to Gary Kinkead, head swimming coach.

Greyhound swimmers regularly accomplish that feat during a practice session.

That work ethic has opened the Greyhound swimming season with mixed results. The ‘Hounds recorded defeats in two head-to-head meets against Ashland and defending conference champion Wayne State. Despite the losses, junior Hanno Ahonen, senior Jeremy Lindauer and freshman Yaman Oguz each walked away from the Ashland meet with first place finishes.

“I would like to have won more meets, but we’re off to a good start,” Kinkead said. Kinkead is in his 13th year as head coach of the Greyhound swim teams.

The Greyhounds had better team results in their first meet of the season at Purdue University. The men’s team took second and beat Division I opponents Butler University, Ball State University and IUPUI. Sophomore Marios Panagi highlighted the meet, winning the 50-yard freestyle. Panagi is out for the season, having sustained a serious shoulder injury during practice after the season opener.

“If there is a positive side to this situation, it

will be an education in patience [for Panagi],” Kinkead said.

Panagi was unable to swim in the Wayne State meet, but still was there for the team. His remaining good shoulder was raised often, waving on his teammates in the water.

“It’s the visual that helps…it relieves you from the pain. You can’t hear much of anything while you’re in the water,” Panagi said.

Panagi is only one of 21 male swimmers, among others shouting with arms raised, encouraging those in the water.

“It really is an individual sport, but with a high team orientation. They really feed on each other’s energy,” Kinkead said.

Like other UIndy organizations, the men’s swim team has an international base that stretches from North America to Cyprus, Estonia and Turkey. That mix demands team chemistry, Kinkead said, who has coached swim teams for more than 25 years.

Swimmers are even encouraged by captains to fill out surveys about the team, asking how things could improve. The team is even involved in the recruitment of new members, often commenting to Kinkead about how a potential swimmer might fit into the established team atmosphere.

“Lots of people want better team atmosphere, but how do you go about it?” Kinkead said.

For now, a few dozen waving arms and shouting voices are the visible outlets for the Greyhound approach to team chemistry.

The ‘Hounds next meet is the Ashland Invite Dec. 1.

Photo by Megan Komlanc

Junior Ben Freeman swims the breaststroke leg of the 200 individual medley on Nov. 11 at the Wayne State duals. He finished fifth in the event with a time of 2:12.74.

■ WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

‘Hounds win opener, split two games at GLIAC/GLVC challenge Abby Adragna News Editor The University of Indianapolis women’s basketball team opened its 2006-2007 season with a 2-1 record.

The ‘Hounds garnered a victory and a defeat at the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference/ Great Lakes Valley Conference Challenge in Ashland, Ohio on Nov. 17 and 18.

The ‘Hounds fell to Ashland University 59-67 on the first day of the

Photo by Meisha Baker

Senior Amanda Norris goes up for two against Findlay.

challenge.

UIndy led the game for several minutes after hitting 4-of-5 three-point shots early in the first half. However, 12 turnovers by the ‘Hounds helped Ashland take the lead 33-30 by halftime.

The ‘Hounds regained the lead at the beginning of the second half, but a seven-point run by Ashland put the ‘Hounds behind for the remainder of the game.

Seniors Mandy Geryak and Amanda Norris led the team in scoring with 15 points each.

Senior Deanna Thomson also aided in the win with 10 points and a teamhigh seven boards.

Day two of the challenge saw a stronger Greyhound team defeat Gannon University 81-74.

This was the ‘Hounds highest-scoring game since last season’s GLIAC/ GLVC Challenge.

The team also recorded its highest field goal percentage since Feb. 17, 2005. The ‘Hounds were 56.5 percent from the field and nearly 92 percent from the free-throw line.

Norris led the team with 14 points

and four boards. Sophomore Isabell Rhenwrick also played strong with nine points and a game-high three steals.

The ‘Hounds opened the regular season at home with a 68-58 win over Findlay on Nov. 15.

The game started slow with neither team scoring in the first two minutes.

However, the ‘Hounds bounced back to take the lead 35-21 by the end of the first half, and they held on to the lead for the rest of the game.

Thomson led the game in scoring with 18 points and six rebounds. Norris recorded 13 points and a game-high seven boards, while freshman Katie Dewey had four points and four assists.

According to Head Coach Teri Moren, the ‘Hounds were not sure how strong Findlay would be this year.

“They’re a relatively young team with a new coaching staff,” she said.

“It’s a game we’ve typically played year to year, but, for the first time in several years, we [weren’t] sure what to expect with the new staff.”

The ‘Hounds are now gearing up for three straight conference games against Missouri-St. Louis, Missouri-Rolla and Kentucky Wesleyan on Nov. 30, Dec. 2

and Dec. 7, respectively.

Moren said that she expects Missouri-St. Louis to play a strong game because the team will be on its home court.

She is not sure what to expect from Missouri-Rolla because this is only the team’s second year in the conference. However, she expects Kentucky Wesleyan to be tough.

“They (Kentucky Wesleyan) have tremendous shooters and a very good low post player, so they’re going to present a challenge for us,” Moren said.

“But it will be nice after being on the road back-to-back to come home and play in front of our own crowd.”

Thomson said the team will look to the returners, which include five seniors, as well as the seven newcomers to bring the team success and a better record than last year’s 11-16 record.

“We definitely want to prove something this year,” she said. “We had a rough season last year, and we have a lot of people who don’t think we can do anything this year. [They think] we’re going to be rebuilding, but we’re going to prove to the conference and a lot of people that we are for real.”

■ NBA BALL

Why didn’t NBA players complain earlier about the new ball?

Mitch Lawrence New York Daily News

NEW YORK (MCT)- At last year’s NBA All-Star Game in Houston, LeBron James won his first MVP as the East defeated the West, 122-120. But as it turns out, those weren’t even the biggest stories of the night.

Unbeknownst to the millions watching on television, the 18,650 fans at the Toyota Center or even the 24 AllStars themselves, the NBA turned the game into a prime-time blind research study. Nobody was told, but the game was played with the new microfiber composite ball that has replaced the old leather ball.

Afterward, not a single player registered a complaint.

“We all liked it, when we didn’t hear anything about it,” said Dan Touhey, vice president of marketing for Spalding Sports Worldwide, Inc., makers of the new ball. “There was no negative reaction at that time.”

But there since has been plenty from some of those same All-Stars.

Tim Duncan and James have trashed it, with James saying that he can’t get used to the feel of the synthetic spheroid. Shaquille O’Neal, who made three of his five free throws that night in Houston, which amounts to a higher percentage than he made with the old ball in any of the past three seasons, says it’s no better than the kind of basketballs that are sold in toy stores.

Jason Kidd blames his ongoing case of dry and badly chafed hands on the new ball. Allen Iverson and Dwyane Wade have palmed it, and panned it.

Yet, the league insists that the triedand-true leather ball, used for 36 years, has been put away for good.

“We used the All-Star Game to conduct a test, and it performed very well,” said Stu Jackson, the league’s executive VP of basketball operations. “That was a key component in approving the ball.”

Among the game’s better-known players, San Antonio’s Tony Parker has come out in favor of the new ball, albeit with a lukewarm endorsement.

“I don’t know how to explain it,” he said. “I just like the feel of it.”

The ball has the same circumference (29.5 inches) and same diameter (9.4 inches) as the old ball, but, for some, that’s where the comparisons end.

“It’s almost like you have to relearn how to make your plays because this ball sticks to your hand, whereas the old ball slid in your hand nicely and it had a nice little touch off the floor and the backboard,” said ballhandling wizard Steve Nash, the two-time reigning MVP. “This ball just grips the floor and grips the backboard so you have to change your game. You make moves in traffic, and the ball gets stuck in parts of your hands and your wrist where normally it slides and you get it back the way you want it. Now, even if it’s in your hand, it sticks, and you can’t get rid of it sometimes. It’s a really difficult ball to play with.”

Although the season is only two weeks old, making for a small sample,

statistics don’t exactly bear Nash out.

Going into Tuesday night’s games, scoring is up 2.4 points per game, with the league average at 98.3 compared to 95.9 at this time last season. As for shooting, the new ball hasn’t had an adverse impact, with the league average at 45.6 percent compared to 44.6 percent last season after two weeks.

Jump ball, right? Well, not exactly.

Even after draining seven of 10 three-pointers against the Knicks at the Garden on Monday night, Cleveland’s Damon Jones still has reservations about the new ball.

“It’s really different than the old ball,” he said. “The leather ball was more consistent, night in and night out. But, hopefully, everybody will get adjusted to it, and we’ll continue to put a great product on the floor.”

If any league is ultra-conscious of its image, it’s the NBA, which hardly wants to see scoring and shooting statistics take a nose dive. So it’s no surprise that the decision to change balls was not reached overnight. Five years after coming up with what it feels is a more durable product, Spalding, maker of the NBA’s ball since 1982, approached the league in 1997 about going to microfiber. Besides saying the new material would provide superior grip and control, it sold the league on the fact that moisture would evaporate more quickly, and, contrary to what Jones has found, it would perform the same from night to night.

Looking to keep up with the times but also to study the new material, the NBA went to microfiber in the WNBA in 1998 and has been using it in its de-

velopmental league since its inception three years ago. Then last winter, on the morning of a Knicks home game, the league had Steve Kerr, Reggie Miller and Mark Jackson secretly take the Garden court and test the ball. It did very well, in their collective opinion.

After the ball drew no complaints in the All-Star Game, Spalding sent several of them to every team to use in practice.

This past offseason, players received balls for practice, in anticipation of the first change in the NBA game ball since 1970.

“It’s ironic that Shaq has complained,” said one Eastern Conference executive. “He probably took three shots with it over the summer.”

But the backlash from others who train more seriously than O’Neal in the offseason has not been surprising.

“We know the players are very superstitious, in general, as almost all top athletes are,” said Adam Silver, the NBA’s new deputy commissioner. “So it doesn’t surprise us that any change would bring a certain amount of controversy. But we’re confident that it’s the best ball on the market. We’ve sat with every player who’s had a criticism. We’ve talked through the issues with them. We’ve tested it and retested it. We’re happy with the performance of the ball so far.”

One area in which there’s been no change: The suggested retail price of the new ball is the same as the old leather one. It’s selling for $99.99. (c) 2006, New York Daily News.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

El Nuevo Herald/MCT

The Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade passes the new microfiber composite ball.

Several NBA All-Stars have criticized the ball’s grip and the way it bounces on the floor and against the back board.

The Bottom Line Wrestling

Football

Lynne Ross

The ‘Hounds won their first match of the season against Cornell College, 23-18, in the Northwestern Duals on Nov. 12. The ‘Hounds also lost to Division I opponents Northwestern (23-18) and Wisconsin (43-0) in the duals that day. Individual winners from the Northwestern match were senior Mike Jackson and juniors Mike Horton and Charlie Pingleton. Results for the Missouri Open on Nov. 19 were not available as of The Reflector press time.

Juniors Craig Jenkins, tailback, and Jimmy Fleshman, defensive lineman, were named to the All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference First Team. The ‘Hounds also had three named to the All-GLIAC second team and six named to the All-GLIAC honorable mention team. The ‘Hounds’ season ended Nov. 11 at home against Northwood, 23-0.

UIndy senior captain Lynne Ross was named to the AVCA Division II All-Region Honorable Mention Team. Ross also was named to the Daktronics AllRegion Second Team and the Great Lakes Valley Conference Second Team. She led the ‘Hounds to a 24-10 record and the semifinals of the GLVC tournament. She tallied 379 kills and 151 blocks in her final season. Ross was a part of 100 wins and seven GLVC tournament victories as a ‘Hound.

SPORTS

NOVEMBER 21, 2006

THE REFLECTOR PAGE 5

■ WOMEN’S SWIMMING

Several women swimmers qualify for nationals in opening meets Megan Coombs Staff Writer

Though the season opened only a few weeks ago, several members of the women’s swim team have set records and qualified for the Division II national meet.

The ‘Hounds set four pool records at the Wabash Invitational Nov. 17-18, where the team finished second.

Junior Valerie Crosby, who was named Division II Female Swimmer of the Week for the week of Nov. 14, broke the pool record in the 100-yard butterfly.

She took more than a second off the record she set two years ago to finish with a time of 58.46, earning a B-cut for nationals for the performance and winning the event.

Senior Alison Smith won the 200yard freestyle, 200-yard backstroke and the 100-yard backstroke, earning a new pool record in the latter with a time of 1:00.08.

Senior Niki Stevens also dominated her events, earning a pool record in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:09.70) and winning the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:30.18.

Sophomore Katie Murray broke her own pool record in the 200-yard indi-

vidual medley relay, setting a new record time of 2:13.79 and breaking her previous record.

Junior Ellie Miller won the 500-yard freestyle race and received a B-cut for her 17:33.99 time in the 1650 freestyle.

The ‘Hounds 200yard medley relay team of junior Amanda Herd, sophomore Casey Owen Stevens and Crosby also recorded a first place finish with a time of 1:52.00.

The ‘Hounds lost to Wayne State 124-113 at the Nov. 11 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Crosby qualified for NCAA nationals, makPhoto by Kayla Goodman ing the first NCAA A-cut of the season by winning Niki Stevens does the butterfly in the 200-yard medley relay at the the 100-yard butterfly Nov. 11 meet against Wayne State. Stevens finished fourth with a with a time of 56.76.

Several other ‘Hounds time of 2:19.82. also earned B-cuts for any divers this season. It was still a the nationals, including (first place in both events) and Murray great meet for the women,” Smith said. sophomore Isabela Tafur in the 100in the 200-yard medley with a time of Wayne State has three divers, which yard freestyle with a time of 52.66 (first 2:11:89. bumped their score to 32-0 before the place), Smith in the 100-yard back“We definitely out-swam Wayne meet began. stroke and 200-yard freestyle events State, but unfortunately we don’t have

The ‘Hounds won their first home meet against Ashland University on Nov. 4, 157-123.

Six swimmers earned B-cuts.

“We performed very well against Ashland. They have a much better team this year, but we held our own against them,” Smith said.

Smith earned two B-cuts at the meet, one in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 59.45 and the other in 200-yard backstroke with a time of 2:08:04.

Miller placed first in both the 500- and 1,000-yard freestyle with times of 5:10:33 and 10:37:62, respectively.

Murray finished second in the 400-yard individual medley with a time of 4:37:05 and won the 200yard butterfly in 2:11:30, earning two B-cuts for the day. Crosby swam the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 58.20 and also qualified for a B-cut. Tafur and senior Holly Spohr each earned a B-cut in the 50-yard freestyle.

The ‘Hounds are now preparing for the Ashland Invite Dec. 1-3. The swimmers are hoping for national time cuts and believe Ashland will be a great meet to demonstrate their swimming ability.

“We should have some really good times and get national cuts as well,” Spohr said.

■ MEN’S BASKETBALL

Brock’s last-second shot wins game, starts season 1-0 Alison Hernandez Distribution Manager

The University of Indianapolis men’s basketball team hopes to improve last year’s 4-23 record.

The team opened the season at home Nov. 15. The ‘Hounds defeated Brescia (Ky.) after junior guard DeAndre Brock hit a buzzer-beating jumper to win the game 56-54.

The ‘Hounds’ season record now stands at 1-0, although their pre-season exhibition games brought two losses.

The ‘Hounds played IU in an exhibition on Nov. 10, falling 83-46. The ‘Hounds matched the Hoosiers bucket-for-bucket early. Brock shot a three pointer that tied the game 12-12 but the Hoosiers came back with a dozen straight points.

The ‘Hounds hit back-to-back baskets to end the half behind, 38-24. UIndy outshot Indiana in the first half, by hitting 11 of 24 field goals while IU hit 11 for 25.

The ‘Hounds suffered a 94-63 exhibition loss against Wright State on Nov. 2. Freshman forward James Thompkins led the ‘Hounds with 18 points and six rebounds. The ‘Hounds were only three out of 17 from the three-point line in the first half and 14 out of 35 overall.

The ‘Hounds only return one senior this year, guard Scott Strahm. They have five juniors, six sophomores and four freshmen.

“The faces of our team have changed a lot. We are a lot more athletic and willing to push the ball,” said junior forward Reed Ludlow.

The ‘Hounds return to action Nov. 21 at home against Hillsdale.

Junior DeAndre Brock hits the game-winning shot to win against Brescia on Nov. 15. The ‘Hounds led the game 3626 at the half, but Brescia fought back by scoring the first eight points of the second half.

The shot sealed the ‘Hounds 5654 victory. Brock finished with a game-high 19 points.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Check out the next issue of The Reflector, on stands W e d n e s d a y, Dec. 13, to find out where former ‘Hounds play professionally.

Photo by Megan Komlanc

Captain’s Corner Wrestling’s Jackson eyes national championship Tom Rastall Staff Writer

His sophomore year he came in third at nationals. His junior year he came in second. This year, Mike Jackson is the team-leader of the promising 2006 University of Indianapolis wrestling team. Not only is he a captain of the seventh preseason ranked Division II team in the nation, but the intensity he brings when he wrestles affects the other players.

“If you’re going to lay there, I’m going to beat you,” he said.

Last year his accomplishments on the mat earned him the title of UIndy’s Male Athlete of the Year.

“The feeling doesn’t set in until you think about it,” he said.

He heard that he received the honor over the summer, but it wasn’t until he came back to school that he started receiving recognition.

“People would come up to me and say congratulations on the award, and it felt good,” Jackson said.

Now he looks to this year.

“I want to push harder than everyone in the room,” he said.

He feels that being a nationally top-ranked team will force the team to “get it in gear” and “work even harder” in order to achieve the success that is expected of them.

“This year I plan to focus on every match,” he said.

Though Jackson’s UIndy career has had been successful, this year he plans to achieve his ultimate goal—national champion.

Senior Mike Jackson, top, a two-time AllAmerican, hopes to become the Division II national champion this year. Jackson finished second during the 20052006 season with a 22-9 record.

He was named UIndy’s Male Athlete of the Year.

Photo contributed by UIndy Athletics

FEATURE

NOVEMBER 21, 2006

THE REFLECTOR PAGE 6

■ INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIP

UIndy offers education in the heart of the Mayan ruins Shelly Grimes Managing Editor

A

n orange grove, mango trees and Mayan ruins in the middle of the jungle may not seem like scenery from the typical college campus, but that is the setting for Galen University in Belize, one of several international universities with which the University of Indianapolis has an affiliation.

Galen, located in the city of San Ignacio, opened its doors in September 2003 to 14 students. According to Nancy Adamson, vice-president and provost of Galen who was on campus

Photo contributed by John Langdon

Mayan ruins cover Belize and are on the campus.

Oct. 23-25, the idea for this university started when a group of people realized the need for a private university in Belize, an English-speaking country with a population of about a quarter of a million people—half of whom are under the age of 18.

“We wanted a private university in Belize that had an international outlook,” Adamson said. “We knew that Belize was a developing country, and students there don’t really have the opportunity to travel. We thought that we could give them the opportunity to stay at home and meet the world, and give international students an opportunity to come somewhere they can really get involved. In some programs, international students sort of move around in groups together and never get to know anyone else. But at Galen, both groups get to know each other. The goal is to push each other to view new cultures.”

Adamson moved from her native Canada to Belize to pursue the opportunity.

Galen now boasts 140 students and has graduated its first class in September of this year.

UIndy became affiliated with Galen in the summer of 2005, and Galen now offers seven UIndy degrees.

“Galen and UIndy entered this affiliation because of the existing relationship [UIndy had] with Cyprus. Some of the same founders [of the Cyprus campus] were founders of Galen, but it’s a different agreement in Cyprus,” Adamson said. “The affiliation agreement is essentially that we are a campus of UIndy in Belize. When you

Photo contributed by John Langdon

Galen University in Belize is a partner campus of UIndy. A tropical rain forest and ancient Mayan ruins surround the campus. graduate, you will get two diplomas, one from UIndy and one from Galen, and you can get a transcript from either place.”

Because of the affiliation, students at Galen take the same core courses as students at the UIndy main campus.

“Our affiliation is that they use our name, degree and syllabuses,” said Dr. John Langdon, associate dean of the college of arts and sciences. “We have oversight on what classes they teach and who teaches them.”

However, the core courses have one main difference: students at Galen are

■ VISITING ARTIST

DeHaan displays wartime watercolors Elyse Kaiser Entertainment Editor After spending 11 months in Iraq, Bill Smock, a 1971 graduate of the University of Indianapolis, is exhibiting his art in the Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center Gallery.

In February 2005, Smock was deployed to Iraq with the E Target Acquisition Battery (TAB) 139th Field Artillery Indiana Army National Guard.

“When I was in college, I had a draft number,” Smock said. “As soon as I was finished with college, I thought I would be going to Vietnam. By chance, I ended up in the Indiana Guard, and I’ve been there for 35 years.”

Smock began teaching elementary art in Decatur Township at the same time joined the Indiana National Guard, where he reached the rank of lieutenant colonel. Smock reached his retirement date in April 2004 and resigned his commission and became a warrant officer in order to remain in the Guard.

“I’d looked at being deployed before I retire. I don’t have many years left,” Smock said. “I’d trained all those years to go to war and never did, so when I had the opportunity to go as E TAB 139th Artillery, I was looking forward to it.”

As chief warrant officer, Smock operated the Q 36 radar at night from Forward Operation Base (FOB) Marez outside Mosul, Iraq. “[The radar] is like a microwave.

It goes out 24 kilometers. It’ll pick up mortars, rockets and artillery, and it’ll compute where the round came from and where it’ll land within that three to five seconds,” Smock said. “So it’s important to know where the bad guys are shooting from. It keeps the FOB from getting hit from mortars. Now, we’d still get hit, but without the radar, we’d get hit more.”

During the day, when Smock wasn’t operating the radar, he spent his time painting outside around the base, both real life and from photos other soldiers had taken outside the base’s perimeter.

“As radar soldiers, we didn’t go outside the wire. The paintings from the base I sat outside and painted. Other pictures came from soldiers that would take pictures outside the wire and show me on their digital cameras,” Smock said.

Dee Schaad, chair of the Department of Art and Design, coordinates

also required to take a course called Introduction to Sustainable Development, a course which explores how to improve Belize’s developing economy without ruining its native wildlife.

“Belize is a beautiful country, and you can see what is lost when you cut down forests and pollute the environment,” Adamson said.

Senior Cynthia McCready, an anthropology and archeology major, was the first UIndy student to study abroad at Galen. McCready studied at Galen from January through May, and then returned for a summer session that lasted June through August.

“I’d never been outside the U.S. before. Being down there gave me a different perspective,” McCready said.

“I really wanted to study anthropology and archaeology. I wanted to experience living in another culture. It was easy to do that through Galen.”

Galen’s developing campus consists of only three classrooms, a computer

lab, a reception hall area, offices, a conference room, a kitchen, a small library and a student center— all of which are air-conditioned, which according to Adamson is a “treat when the temperature is 95 degrees and the humidity is at 100 percent.”

Since there are no residence halls, McCready stayed at a nearby resort from January to May. “We had a driver that came and took us to school every morning. The school was about 20 minutes away from the resort,” McCready said. “The disadvantage was that there was only one computer at the resort, and the tourists were usually using it. The school was a 30-minute bus ride to campus, and the buildings closed around 5 p.m., so it was difficult to get to the computers. If I had a laptop it would have been better.”

Belize continued on Page 8

■ VETERAN’S DAY

UIndy veterans served in an array of eras, posts Dan Friend Staff Writer

Photo by Megan Komlanc

(From left) Ashley and Molly Cooper, Bill Smock’s art students, listen as Smock explains his painting. all the art exhibitions in the Christel DeHaan Art Gallery.

“We ask people for a proposal, and then we ask to see examples of their work,” Schaad said. “We try to select shows that might be of general interest, but we also consider ours to be a teaching gallery. A lot of the shows we have in the gallery are appropriate for our art students to see. For instance, we might have a printmaking show because we think it’s good for the students taking printmaking to see that exhibition. We think of that as a teaching tool.”

Smock approached Schaad about his art in 2005, while he was still in Iraq.

“Bill Smock contacted us and we looked at it and said, ‘this is a natural.’

We immediately decided that exhibiting the work he did in Iraq was a good thing to do,” Schaad said. “It seemed like an appropriate thing. He goes to Iraq, he’s a soldier, he spends a year there. He does all kinds of paintings

of Iraq while he’s there, and he comes back. He loves this school. He’s got all this artwork. I mean it’s a no-brainer.”

The paintings exhibited in the gallery portrays many aspects of military life. They include paintings of different buildings within the base, a painting of old monastery ruins, various military missions and places the soldiers worked, ate and spent free time.

“There’s a long tradition of combat artists, and he’s a part of that tradition,” Schaad said. “In World War II, there were all kinds of soldiers whose job it was to do paintings of the war. Now, he was unofficial, but he’s part of that long line of combat artists. You’ll notice that all the works he has [in the gallery] are small, about the same size. That’s largely due to the fact that you have to carry all your stuff around. You’re worried about a lot more than art materials when someone’s shooting at you.”

The exhibition runs through Dec. 8.

A print of “Sniper and Spotter, 1-24 IN Reg 1st Bde 25th ID, Mosul, Iraq,” a watercolor by Bill Smock, is displayed in Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center Gallery. Smock sent the original painting to President Bush and his family.

Image provided by Bill Smock

On Nov. 11, the nation honored its veterans with parades and festivities.

The University of Indianapolis educates and employs a number of United States Armed Forces veterans, with individual military service ranging from World War II to present day.

According to UIndy student Jeffery Andrysiak, senior airmen, United States Air Force, his service in the Air Force has enabled him to see many places across the nation and in the world, including England, Saudi Arabia and Germany. Andrysiak joined in May 1999 for the college tuition benefits after graduating from Ben Davis High School, but he benefited from the experience on a personal level as well.

However, not all his experiences were pleasant.

“England was great. I met my wife there. But with anywhere [U.S. military personnel] are stationed, the civilians that live near the base are going to be somewhat hostile towards our military.

Occasionally, the two parties will butt heads,” Andrysiak said.

The observance of Veteran’s Day is important to all members of the U.S. Armed Forces, including those who have not served overseas yet, according to Army ROTC cadet and UIndy nursing student Katie Robinault. She participates in the ROTC program through IUPUI and is pursuing her nursing degree at UIndy. Upon graduation, she will be promoted to 2nd Lt. A family history of military service contributes to Robinault’s desire to

serve in the Army.

“My father served in Vietnam, and my grandfather was in the Korean conflict,” Robinault said. “Our soldiers who serve need to be recognized. We usually have a special dinner for them on Veteran’s Day.” Not all veterans of the armed forces were volunteers. UIndy employs a number of veterans who were drafted to serve during times of national conflict.

“I was drafted into the Army in 1966 when I was 19 years old during the Vietnam war,” said Mike Braughton, vice president of Business and Finance.

Braughton is not the only member of his family to serve. His father was a member of the 82nd Airborne Division during World War II and was one of the paratroopers involved in the D-Day attacks at Normandy.

Braughton served initially as a clerk typist and then helped to form an Army postal unit, which functioned to provide mail services while stationed in Fort Polk, La. Although his service was mandatory, he said his service in the military was an excellent experience for him.

“It was the best thing that ever happened to me. I was 19 and didn’t know what the rest of my life would entail,” Braughton said. “It gave me time to grow up. Every citizen has an obligation to this country to do something, and I think military service is a wonderful way to fulfill that obligation.”

Veterans continued on Page 8

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PAGE 7 THE REFLECTOR

ENTERTAINMENT

■ ‘PLAYING WITH FIRE’

■ DOCUMENTARY REVIEW

Exclusive KFed interview—sort of Katy Yeiser Editor-in-Chief

Kevin Federline cannot rap. We all know that by now.

In fact, we probably knew that before his album, “Playing With Fire,” came out.

It has been thoroughly documented that this guy has no talent, intellect or ambition, but does have an unexplainable swagger of undeserved self-assurance.

So instead of writing a review about how this album is offensively bad, I went straight to the source— KFed himself.

(Editor’s note: The following conversation never occurred. Unfortunately, KFed did not return my calls, more than likely because I did not call him. So instead, all of his answers are actual lyrics from “Playing With Fire.” They are all, of course, taken out of context.)

KY: Kevin, please introduce yourself.

KFED: Kevin Federline—I come tight with every rhyme… I’m looney.

All these model chicks wanna do me.

KY: Okay, that’s your personal opinion, but…

KFED: [interrupting] I got my name spreadin’ faster than crack.

KY: Okay, Kevin, we get it… so what inspired you to make this album?

KFED: I got tired of the drugs so I switched to rap.

KY: Well speaking of drugs, you talk a lot about weed in your album.

KFED: I fell in love with the herb just like my wife. Pants to me knees;

NOVEMBER 21, 2006

lungs full of trees. I got 50 mill I can say whatever I want.

KY: So can the media. How have you responded to the bad reviews of your album?

KFED: Still the media treats me unjustly.

KY: Unjustly? You think the reviews are unjust?

KFED: Tabloids tried to screw me.

Magazines try to chew me.

KY: How so?

KFED: They listen.

KY: Tell me one thing people might not know about you.

KFED: Benjamin Franklin is a good friend of mine.

KY: Franklin? That’s impressive.

KFED: You know K Fed’s wit it.

KY: I do.

KFED: And that’s just a fact.

KY: Here is something some people say is fact: You are only famous because of Britney Spears.

KFED: Don’t hate ‘cuz I’m a superstar and I married a superstar.

KY: Right. I know. I’m a hater. But now that Spears has filed for divorce, do you think people will still think you’re famous?

KFED: Nobody does, I’m forgetting I’m famous.

KY: Interesting. So where do you go from here, then?

KFED: … I march through the valley of the shadow of death.

KY: That’s a little dramatic, Kevin.

KFED: This marijuana got me heavily sedated.

KY: Oh, well that explains it…

Finally, any advice for those up-andcoming rappers?

KFED: Don’t buy my shit. (all responses from KFed are © 2006 Federline Records Inc.)

Convicts use theatre as educational tool Elyse Kaiser Entertainment Editor

Every year at Luthur Luckett Correctional Center outside Louisville, Ky., inmates perform in a Shakespearean drama troupe, Shakespeare Behind Bars.

On Nov. 6, Curt Tofteland, creator and director of the Shakespeare Behind Bars program, was on campus to present the film “Shakespeare Behind Bars,” and answer questions about the film and the program.

The 93-minute film premiered as one of 16 documentaries in the 2005 Sundance festival. It went on to win 10 awards at 35 different film festivals around the country.

Figuring out just how to explain or describe this film is difficult. Usually, in stories about criminals, the focus is on their inhumanity, how these people are so different from you and me. People are comfortable with these stories because they allow viewers to distance themselves from criminals in a self-righteous way that comes from the viewers’ belief that they would never be capable of such crimes.

The documentary follows the drama troupe as they cast, rehearse and perform Shakespeare’s “The Tempest.”

The inmates cast themselves in roles and rehearse both their own time and with Tofteland—who facilitates.

During the beginning of the film, as I was introduced to each of the men participating in the play, I couldn’t help wondering what they had done to put themselves where they are now.

However, as the play goes on and you find out what a few men have done, knowing matters less and less.

■ NIGHT OF BLISS

rehearsals. While the viewer never Sammie, who at the time had been finds out why Leonard is in solitary in the group the longest, plays the part (and it’s not really important anyway), of Trinculo—a jester on the ship that he does sit down for a short interview. wrecks on Prospero’s island. Sammie Leonard talks about shame, redempis easily one of the most likable people tion and why getting out in the film. He helps on parole someday is so the others with their important to him. lines continuously “Being freely given and offers encourthe choice [to do good or agement. He also bad]—I can redeem myself supervises 120 so that I won’t be rememinmates in a combered for the very worst puter lab. Sammie thing I have done,” he said. is up for a parole “But that someone will hearing near the end remember the totality of my of the play season. life.”

Throughout the The film shows these whole film, people men as humans, as people. talk about the play The scariest and most touchas if it’s Sammie’s ing thing about the stories of last, about how these men is how much they much they’ll miss Photo by Alison Hernandez are like you and me. These him and how good men are men; they are citihe’s been in the Curt Tofteland zens. In the eyes of society, group. He even has speaks about the mistakes they’ve made a $100,000 job of“Shakespeare in their lives may be bigger fer waiting for him than the mistakes in yours when he gets out.

Behind Bars.” or mine, but the qualities Fairly early on that make us human—the in the film, Sammie talks about his life. He was sexually need for forgiveness, regret, grief, passion—reside in them too. abused most of his life. It started at During the question-and-answer school when he was six. Both of his session, Tofteland was asked if he ever parents were alcoholics and called him found working with murderers difficult. a “punk” when he came home with his “It’s not my job to forgive them,” clothes torn and covered in blood.

Tofteland said. “I’m not a victim. But I When he was 26, Sammie got into still have to forgive them if I’m going a fight with his girlfriend and ended to work with them. At first I thought it up strangling her. When he tells the was important to know what they had story, the pain and regret is evident in done because then I could help them. I his face. was naïve. Knowledge was revealed at As one might expect, putting a relevant time.” together a play over nine months in The knowledge that Tofteland refers a prison can create problems. People to is glimpsed through this movie. could get transferred, put in solitary or Throughout the film, I grew to care released on parole. about these characters, these discarded Leonard, who plays Antonio, is men of society. placed in solitary a few months into

■ 7 LIST

New campus event provides inspiration Editors shanghai 7 List old-fashioned pirate style in the presentation. He wanted to show American students the difference between themselves and their fellow African students. Being an African student himself, Unogu can see the immediate differences and privileges allowed for Americans. He wanted to open UIndy students’ eyes.

“The goal, again, was to make UIndy students appreciative of what they have,” Unogu said. “[They should]

performance chair, created an innovative advertising campaign that included the use of Facebook.com. Through this effort, a large buzz was created about the concert.

On the evening of the event, Nov. 7, the dream became reality. More than Students gathered in Schwitzer 70 students attended the event. Peiman Student Center on Nov. 7 for “Night of Vahdati, a UIndy student from Iran, Bliss”—an evening of live inspirational opened the evening by playing the dulmusic and discussion. cimer (a traditional Iranian instrument).

Uche Unogu, Walker played computer information some songs from of systems major, the man her new album. behind the event, wanted Unogu, with the a night during which help of senior Kevin University of IndianapoGood, gave a presenlis students could take tation showing how an hour or two from UIndy students stack their studying to relax up against the rest of and enjoy inspirational the world. Accordmusic. He wanted them ing to Unogu, we are to be able to learn somein the top 3 percent thing about themselves of the world when it that they did not know, comes to income. something that would “We also showed keep them inspired. pictures from Africa,” In order to do this, Unogu said. “I narUnogu needed a musirated my personal excian who would be a perience and culture benefit the program by shock highlighting providing inspiration how each student’s through their music. tuition was the lifeUnogu immediately time earnings of an Photo by Andrew Gouty average Nigerian for thought of Betsy Walker, a prolific Indianapolisthree generations.”

Betsy Walker was the featured artist for the night. raised, California-born After the dance Her band was mad up of Ryan Burwell on drums, vocalist, for providing team and Walker music for the event.

Steve Byroad on bass and Stephen Scharbrough wrapped up the event, Walker just recently there was a sense of on guitar. signed a major recording success. deal. Before this accom“I feel the show plishment, she had been promoting her extend these blessings to others.” exceeded the expectations,” Unogu music at campuses and churches nation With the help of CPB, the UIndy said. “We are currently looking at wide. Walker was delighted to do the dance team and Onyxcel (the company maybe doing a ‘Night of Bliss’ next show. that Unogu works for), the program year using a different artist and a differUnogu wanted to include a message came together. Isaac Hughes, CPB live ent theme.”

Kim Hopper Opinion Editor

Katy Yeiser, Shelly Grimes and Tony Puckett Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor and Guest Writer (Editor-in-Chief Katy Yeiser, Managing Editor Shelly Grimes and contributing writer Tony Puckett have kidnapped Entertainment Editor Elyse Kaiser’s “7 List” for this issue. Don’t worry; we’ll give it back to her for the Dec. 13 issue.)

The midterm elections brought endless situations to ridicule. From John Kerry’s botched joke to Baron Hill’s and Mike Sodrel’s constant bickering, the elections were a journalist’s dream. Now that the elections are over, we’re having a midterm hangover, and the only cure is to reminisce about a series of campaign advertisements that stood above the rest: Carl Brizzi v.

Melina Kennedy in the Indianapolis prosecutor’s race. Here are the top seven things we will miss about Carl Brizzi’s campaign ads.

7. We’ll miss Brizzi’s sports coat flowing in the cool night breeze. His dark coat seemed to be as black as his crime-fighting soul.

6. Carl Brizzi just sounds like the name of a prosecutor from one of ‘The Godfather” movies. Listen to it. Let it sink in. Seriously, we halfway expected him either to wake up next to a horse’s head or do a guest run on “The Sopranos.” We’ll miss that image.

5. We’ll miss the accusations that Melina Kennedy is incompetent.

Brizzi’s campaigns implied that Kennedy, if elected, would walk around the city passing out guns to 12-year-olds and giving greasy, smarmy criminals a get-out-of-jail-free card.

4. Speaking of greasy criminals, we’ll miss them, too, in Brizzi’s commercials. More than anything, we’ll miss their stunning resemblance to Christopher Lloyd’s character in “Dennis the Menace.”

3. You knew you were watching a Carl Brizzi campaign ad when smoke began to fill your television screen. Now that the elections are two weeks old, go out and buy a smoke screen for that November Carl Brizzi nostalgia.

2. Carl Brizzi threw everyone a curve ball when he stepped out of his black sports coat and out from behind the smoke to shoot a commercial in his quaint Midwestern kitchen with his “Rent-a-Family.” We’ll miss his attempt to seem normal.

1. The staple of a Carl Brizzi campaign ad was his emergence out of a dark alley. The dark alley represented several things: 1.) Melina Kennedy was about to go down 2.) Criminals were about to go down (but only if Brizzi was reelected) and 3.) Hoosiers were about to watch the most entertaining 30 seconds November had to offer.

■ EXPOSE FILM FESTIVAL

Amnesty Int’l sponsors film festival Jessica Gould Staff Writer

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Nov. 10 and 11 marked the first Amnesty International Expose on Campus Film Festival. The group presented eight films to the University of Indianapolis student body to help bring focus to problems students might have ignored otherwise.

Amnesty International has more than 1.8 million followers worldwide.

The organization remains separate from ties with specific governments, political groups and religions—their purpose is to fight for the human rights as stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Last year, Amnesty International established a branch on the University of Indianapolis campus.

Sophomore Heini Seo, member of Amnesty International, feels strongly about the need for such a group on campus.

“The most important reason we need it is so we can keep students more

socially aware of things other than our domestic problems. The more socially aware we are, the more accepting we are of the fact that the United States is not culturally homogenous,” Seo said.

“Understanding and embracing this truth allows us to function better in the workforce as well as social beings.”

One of the ways Amnesty International UIndy brought student attention to global issues was the recent on campus film festival.

“Films are one of the most powerful art mediums that exist. We thought something like this could unify the campus—films [that] people enjoy,” said Jessica Justice, president of Amnesty. “Sometimes people don’t like to hear lectures and it’s easier to [accept] as a third person.”

All of the films shown were documentaries and included “9/11 Press for Truth,” “The New Patriots (School of Americas),” “The Oil Factor” and “Resistencia: Hip-Hop in Colombia.”

The films explored a range of topics that hold global importance such as the oil crisis and the School of Americas and were obtained from Amnesty

International. Amnesty has purchased the copyright to hundreds of films, so the campus branch of Amnesty did not have to pay extra to view the films.

With hundreds of movies to choose from, Amnesty UIndy chose films that addressed the environment, the MidEast/Islam and Latin America. The final decision was made through a vote

by Amnesty members.

The Amnesty International Expose on Campus Film Festival did not receive record attendance, but the 48 who did attend gained awareness of some of the global issues Amnesty International fights to bring attention to.

“It was very effective for the fist big event that Amnesty has done on campus,” Justice said. “Overall it was an effective event for bringing the subject of human rights to campus.”

Also this academic year, Amnesty plans to hold a non-violent video games night shortly before finals and an event paying tribute to Women’s Rights Day on March 8.

Amnesty International meets on Thursdays at 8 p.m. in the basement of the Schwitzer Student Center.

NOVEMBER 21, 2006

ENTERTAINMENT/FEATURE

■ FAST FOOD NATION

Richard Linklater tackles film adaptation ‘Fast Food Nation’ Steven Rea The Philadelphia Inquirer

If Morgan Spurlock’s “Super Size Me” prompted a few folks to turn away from the Golden Arches and consider healthier dietary options, “Fast Food Nation”—Richard Linklater’s adaptation of Eric Schlosser’s 2001 nonfiction bestseller—should send meat-eaters to the veggie aisles in droves.

A rambling but potent ensemble piece, “Fast Food Nation” takes the central theme of Schlosser’s book (fast food = bad for your health, bad for society) and lays it down in a multi-story fictional format.

Set mostly in a western Anytown that Linklater calls Cody, Colo., the film deals not only with the seemingly regulation-free meat packing trade, but also with issues of illegal immigration, and the exploitation of undocumented workers, the young and the economically oppressed by food industry giants.

Greg Kinnear, bringing the same earnest, white-collar persona to the table that he showed in the oddball buddy pic “The Matador,” plays Don Henderson, a marketing exec for the big burger chain Mickeys (any similarity to Mickey D’s is purely, um, coincidental).

Dispatched to Cody to investigate reports that cow manure has turned up in the company’s beef patties,

Henderson takes a tour of the giant slaughterhouse that supplies the chain.

But Don’s shown only the wellscrubbed side of this operation—not the fetid yards where livestock is pumped with chemicals, not the assembly-line butchering where sinew, bone and organs are ground together, not the packing rooms where female workers sneaked in from Mexico must endure sexual harassment, or lose their jobs.

Bobby Cannavale is the predatory plant manager, who picks the prettiest of the workers for his cocaine-fueled liaisons. For a time, he favors the newly hired Coco (Ana Claudia Talancon), whom Linklater has already followed—along with her sister Sylvia (Catalina Sandino Moreno, of “Maria Full of Grace”), Sylvia’s boyfriend, and a huddled group of Mexicans. Their midnight border crossing and stealth trip (via truck, via minivan) to Cody ends in a crowded motel room, where they sprawl on the bed and floor awaiting jobs—and their chance to pursue the American Dream.

Kris Kristofferson and Bruce Willis deliver engaging cameos: the former as an old-school cattle rancher whose livelihood is threatened by the meat packing conglomerate down the road; the latter as a cynical Mickeys middleman, who tells Kinnear’s Don that a little fecal matter in the meat is just par for the course. Why worry?

Linklater, who has made movies both intensely intimate (“Before Sunrise,” “Before Sunset”) and enjoyably commercial (“School of Rock” and the remake of “Bad News Bears”), also

Photo courtesy of MCT

Kinnear gets direction from Linklater on a scene in “Fast Food Nation.” tracks a band of amusingly inept college radicals (including singer Avril Lavigne) as they plot to free the cows. And Ashley Johnson is wonderfully effective as a high school senior and Mickeys part-timer drawn into the college conspiracy—and who gets a few words of antiestablishmentarian advice from her cool uncle (Ethan Hawke).

“Fast Food Nation” picks up, and drops off, various members of its cast, sometimes without a satisfying resolution. But its final scenes, inside a real working meat packing plant, on the killing floor, are brutally to the point.

Linklater to the audience: Eat this, if you dare. (c) 2006, The Philadelphia Inquirer. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

THE REFLECTOR PAGE 8

Belize

continued from p. 6

When McCready returned for her summer term, she stayed in a house in a poor neighborhood.

“It was interesting to be living with the people instead of being cut off from them [as I was at the resort],” she said.

While at Galen, McCready got the opportunity to study the Mayan culture firsthand. Mayan ruins surround the campus and a Mayan archeological site is even located on the campus, according to Langdon.

“It’s good to see what you’re actually studying,” McCready said. “When you talk about the Mayan architecture in class, you can go out and see what they’re talking about.”

McCready also took courses in tourism, Ecology of Tropical Rainforests and Social Issues in a Developing Country, which McCready said she got more out of simply because she was in Belize while studying those topics.

McCready said one of the biggest shocks was adjusting to life in a developing nation.

“I’d never been to a developing country. In Belize City, you see all these villages in the middle of nowhere.

There’s a northern highway and a western highway, but not much is paved,” she said. “There’s not much available to you. The stuff that is imported from the U.S. is expensive, and the price is pretty much doubled from what you’d buy it for here, even American food. There wasn’t much available to me, and it wasn’t like I could just go to Wal-Mart and buy something if I needed it.”

According to Adamson, much of Belize lives in what would be considered below the poverty level in the United States. Because of this economic problem, Galen offers “in-state” tuition for Belize citizens. Ninety per-

cent of Galen’s students are Belizean.

The rate for one credit hour at Galen is $240 U.S., but Belizeans pay tuition in Belizean dollars. Two Belize dollars equals one U.S. dollar, meaning Belize citizens pay $120 U.S. per credit hour. “[The poverty] scares some people at first. The response is often, ‘I feel sorry for these people.’ But that makes Belizeans mad,” Adamson said. “They have a beautiful climate and a sense of family and community, and to them, not having big houses or cars is not the same as being poor.”

Adamson said that before Galen opened its doors, Belize’s higher education options were limited to a staterun university or one of nine junior colleges. Galen had to work from the ground up to establish itself, build the campus and recruit students.

“We put an ad in Belize newspapers and held an open house, but it wasn’t at Galen because Galen didn’t exist yet,” Adamson said. “When I looked at [the first graduating class], the stress, the hassle and the worry vanished. I am amazed they trusted us when we didn’t even exist.”

Adamson also said that starting a new university presented several interesting challenges logistically.

“Right before the doors opened, I was writing university policy and I suddenly thought, ‘Who’s going to pick up the garbage?!’” Adamson said.

“It’s an amazing experience to start a university. I never dreamed I could start a university. You can make all the changes you always wanted to make when you were at other institutions.”

For now, those changes seem to be working as the institution grows.

“The Belize campus is focused on being useful,” Langdon said. “There is a strong focus on service [to the Belizean people].”

UIndy students interested in studying abroad at Galen can learn more by visiting Galen’s Web site, http://www. galen.edu.bz or by contacting the UIndy International Division.

■ CASINO ROYALE

New Bond crowned a ‘worthy successor’ Carrie Rickey The Philadelphia Inquirer

You who carped that the 007 films had devolved into a catalog of fresh gadgets and stale puns, eat crow.

You who said that the Austin Powers superspy spoofs made James Bond irrelevant, behave.

And you who thought that the “Bourne Identity” was a nervier political thriller than any recent Bond, understand that “Casino Royale” is the kickiest of reboots.

Most significant, you who thought Hugh Jackman or Clive Owen would be a hotter, sleeker, faster 007 than Daniel Craig (and I was rooting hard for Hugh), listen up: James Blond may be the definitive James Bond.

With his radioactive blue eyes and sprinter’s sinew, Craig (you saw him in “Munich” and “Road to Perdition”) can beat any other double-O in a staredown or running game.

Good thing he possesses such stamina, because at 140 minutes, “Casino Royale” is a marathon. There’s a great 100-minute film inside Martin Campbell’s prolonged movie based on the Ian Fleming novel that started it all.

My advice: Use the protracted poker match at midpoint as an opportunity to visit the concession stand and catch up on your e-mail.

When Sean Connery slipped into Bond’s mod serge suit in “Dr. No” (1962), 007 defined a new kind of masculinity—hard, fast and hunky.

Much as I enjoyed elements of the subsequent Bonds—Roger Moore’s

Photos courtesy of MCT

Left: Daniel Craig, left, and Jeffrey Wright star in “Casino Royale.”

Above: Craig takes his shot as the new James Bond.

winks, Timothy Dalton’s broodings, Pierce Brosnan’s suits—none of them possessed the distinctive mix of macho, menace and magnetism that Craig so effortlessly displays.

Like Connery—but in different proportions—Craig is earthy and erotic, holding himself like a smoking gun.

Unlike the no-sweat actor who created 007, Craig reconstructs Bond as inscrutable and vulnerable, a secret agent just as likely to wear an untucked shirt as a bespoke suit, one who sweats stuff big and small.

His eyes are diamond-hard, but his heart is soft when it comes to brunette stunner Vesper Lynd (Eva Green, from “The Dreamers” and “Kingdom of Heaven”). Craig is not your father’s James Bond, but he is almost certainly your daughter’s.

Lynd is a treasury officer who finances Bond in a high-stakes poker match in which the mission is to

bankrupt Le Chiffre (Danish heartthrob Mads Mikkelsen, whose character literally weeps blood from his left eye), financier to international terrorists. Le Chiffre owns the film’s most quotable line: “I don’t believe in God, but in a reasonable rate of return.”

In a grainy, black-and-white prologue, we see 007 earn his license to kill. Then the image bleeds to color into a retro-kitsch credits sequence that uses playing-card suits as an overture of the themes to come: Spades are bullets emanating from a stylized Glock, hearts are tears falling from a throbbing chest.

Director Campbell (“Vertical Limit,” “Goldeneye”) front-loads the action sequences and they are literally breathtaking, as Bond runs from Mbale, Uganda, to Madagascar to Miami to Montenegro and other far-flung places beginning with M. (Speaking of that letter, Judi Dench reprises her role as

Bond’s boss lady, and their chemistry is palpable.)

Without gadgetry or gags, Campbell masterfully choreographs these sequences.

The scene where Bond chases a suicide bomber up a steel-framed construction site and down cranes effectively says, Take that, Spider-Man! Take that, Bourne! Too bad the film loses this momentum in its final act.

When Timothy Dalton was crowned Bond in the 1980s, he noted diplomatically that half the world thought Connery the best Bond ever and the other half preferred Moore. My guess is that those two camps will agree that Craig is a worthy successor to both.

Veterans

continued from p. 6 Ruth Lilly Fitness Center front desk attendant Harry Powell, also served during Vietnam. He said the military enabled him to see and learn many things he otherwise would never have the opportunity to witness and learn.

While serving on active duty during the Vietnam conflict as a member of the United States Navy, Powell was stationed aboard the USS Chicago. The USS Chicago, a guided missile cruiser, was located off of the western coast of Northern Vietnam in the Gulf of Tonkin.

Powell, who joined the Navy to further his education in the trade of welding, traveled extensively during his service. After active duty, he continued to serve in the Navy reserves for 16 years. Aside from being deployed in Vietnam, he also served in Japan, the Philippines, Hong Kong and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

“Service in the military equals, if not exceeds, a college education because of the vast opportunity to see things different from [the United States of America],” Powell said. “The observance of Veteran’s Day makes me proud to have served my country. We have the right to observe any religion we want or to go to any school we want. It reminds me that what I have done helped to preserve people’s freedoms.”

(c) 2006, The Philadelphia Inquirer. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

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Check out The Reflector, plus photo slides and more, online @ http:// reflector. uindy.edu

PAGE 9 THE REFLECTOR

TWICE OVER

NOVEMBER 21, 2006

■ COLLEGE DEMOGRAPHICS

Parent students further education for themselves, children Ruth Shirley Feature Editor Little league soccer and girl scouts aren’t part of most students’ schedules. But for students with children, these types of activities are part of the weekly grind that they must balance with a career and school.

One single-mother graduate wrote to Dr. Pat Jefferson, “Most of us function on four to five hours of sleep at night because we have to do our homework after everyone else is in bed.”

April Dahncke, 24, is a married student half way through her degree in the SAL accelerated program. She is a also a SAL administrative assistant and parent of 15-month-old Curt. “There’s so much information “[I] spend time you need to get through with [Curt] and my schooling that you have to be by reading disciplined,” textbooks to she said.

“You don’t him. He doesn’t have room know if it’s Dr. for a break.”

Nation- Seuss or cultural ally, over anthropology.”

5 million parents were -April Dahncke, SAL enrolled in post-secondary school in 2004, according to the National Center for Educational Statistics. The NCFS results also showed that 27 percent of all undergraduates have kids—23 percent of all students at public colleges, and 12 percent of all students at private colleges.

According to Jefferson, dean of the UIndy School for Adult Leaning, nearly all the students of SAL are parents. Since the accelerated program is intense and mostly completed outside the classroom, students’ time is severely divided between their education, family and career, as most of the students also work full-time.

Balancing responsibilities In a recent survey of SAL students, the average highest-rated obstacle in completing a degree was balancing family, career and school.

But the students find creative ways to manage.

Dahncke meshes family time and studying. “[I] spend time with [Curt] and my schooling by reading textbooks to him,” she said. “He needs to hear things out loud and I need to read. He doesn’t know if it’s Dr. Seuss or cultural anthropology.”

To balance all of one’s responsibilities successfully, Katie Arritt, 46, a single mom and junior organized leadership major in the SAL accelerated program, said, a student parent needs a good support system. “[I have] a lot of support from home [and] co-workers, who said they feel like signing up to come back to school,” she said.

Arritt said she occasionally feels guilty for being away from her 14-yearold son, Dustin. “My son and I have a very good, strong relationship, and he knows I’m doing this to better everything.”

Jefferson said professors help by being reasonably accommodating to parents’ needs.

“I just have a lot of respect for people who are overcoming a whole lot of obstacles to try to get an education,” she said. “You can have compassion with someone, and I don’t think being compassionate to somebody’s circum-

stances means that the program lacks integrity.”

Education with a purpose Parents pursue degrees for a variety of reasons. Dahncke returned primarily self-betterment, but also for her family.

“I always knew I was going to come back,” she said. “Since I married my husband, its pretty much been not an option to quit. With the liberal studies degree, I have an opportunity to pick up a second major, which I very well may do in psychology, which would definitely help me with [Curt] and my husband. I would definitely take any classes that I thought would benefit me as a mother.”

Arritt, who took classes at UIndy thirty years ago, said she returned for both herself and her son.

“It’s an accomplishment to me and kind of an incentive for my son to realize how important education is,” she said. “It gives me a sense of accomplishment, to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, the goal that I wanted a long time ago and never achieved.

Andrew Fritz, 21, a student at Ivy Tech, part-time server and father of 21-month-old Carter, took his first year and half of school at UIndy under a full-tuition football scholarship. He planned to take a year off after Carter was born to “save up money work full-time, get my priorities straight.

Take things seriously and raise a family,” he said.

By quitting school and football, he hoped to spend more time with his son.

“And now, which is kind of ironic, I actually see him less after I quit,” he said.

Fritz returned to school at Ivy Tech after one semester off. He has arranged

April Dahncke, a student and mother, works as an administrative assistant in the School for Adult Learning. A photo of her 15-month old son, Curt, sits on her desk.

Numbers to Know * his school schedule for next summer and next school year in order to be able to work full-time and work out an arrangement with Carter’s mother to see his son more often.

Affecting the next generation Like Fritz, Dahncke and Arritt see the benefit their education has on their children.

Arritt said her son plans on going to school and he is, through her experiences, “realizing how important it is to do it at a younger age, when you don’t have a family and other obligations to worry about on top of going to school,” she said.

Though she has to be apart from her son a lot, Dahncke said she knows that not being educated is a disservice to her

Photo by Michelle Miller son, too.

“It was easier in a way when my son was six weeks old than it is now because now he’s his own person, he’s developing a personality. There’s lots of things that I feel like I might be missing,” Dahncke said. “It’s OK to do something for yourself. [If not], you’re going to be taking something away from your child whether you realize it or not.”

Jefferson said she looks up to parent students.

“I have always defined admirability as something that I hope I could do but I’m not entirely sure I could,” she said. “If I were working full time and I had children, I’m not entirely sure that I could also go to school and make A’s, or go to school and pass.”

Mother of five returns to school to juggle kids, homework, job my age or younger even sometimes a ber thinking one day in the cafeteria, Ruth Shirley question about a certain class. Once I ‘There has to be something better than Feature Editor this.’ Unless you have a college degree, learned that, that helped.

[College] can even be disappointing you’re not going to get anything satisTracie Smith, 37, is a full-time at times because there might be special fying out there. traditional student at UIndy. She is a circumstances in your family that When I first said I was going to go junior double-majoring in English and prevent you from doing as well as you back to school, [my family] just kind psychology, a mother of five—ages want to in your school work. Someof rolled their eyes like, ‘Yeah right. ranging from fifth to twelfth grade, We’ll see how a part-time campus employee and also long this lasts.’ is involved with activities such as “Sometimes it’s hard for me to find a [Then] they being president of the English honor’s started seeing society. She said balancing all her place that I fit in because I’m not educated commitments is a struggle, but worth it. I was pulling enough to hob-knob with the professors ... in good grades, Here are her reflections on her college and I’m not young enough to play and get and then they career: got impressed.

I was very frustrated in having noinvolved with the students.”

Freshman end jobs. I’ve been in customer service, year was parta cashier, head-cashier, food service.

-Tracie Smith, junior time. Then my I even worked in food service in the sophomore year, I went times I feel guilty because I really, full time, because I wanted to get all the honors and everything that all the really enjoy school, and there’s so many things that I would like to do, full-time kids get. and it’s not that my family hampers I love [college]. I don’t know me from doing that, it’s just that I why I didn’t do this when I was 18 have more of a responsibility there. because I see I would have been I feel like my first obligation is my so much more involved and had so family. much more fun.

There’s so much getting thrown I feel sometimes uncomfortable at my brain, if I do not get it written in some classes because I know that down, I will not remember. My school I’m as old as the professor. Someagenda is my life it’s not only school, times it’s hard for me to find a place it’s which kids have what going on. that I fit in because I’m not educated I save my work for the weekend enough to hob-knob with the profesas much as possible. Monday through sors, because I’m a student, and I’m Thursday, I’m helping them with what not young enough to play and get they need, whether it be homework or involved with the students. signing this or going here or going to When I have a class that has a lot Photo submitted by Tracie Smith of 18- or 19-year-olds, it’s very hard their sports.

By the time the semester is over, I’m for me not to be mothering. on my deathbed. I’m fried out. But you I had to learn to ask questions. cafeterias in my kids’ schools. I rememhave to take it all into consideration Tracie Smith, full-time student Because of my age, it’s easy for me and know that in the end you will be to think that I know a lot. I had to and mother of five, poses remind myself that I don’t know this, doing something better for yourself and your family. with her family. and it’s OK to ask somebody that’s

5 million parents are currently enrolled in formal post-secondary degree programs

27% of all undergraduates are parents

34% of all graduate students are parents

65% of student parents are moms

35% of student parents are dads

29 average age of single parent students

36 average age of married parent students

*The above statistics represent national trends.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics

Taken from the phrase, “Give it a once over,” the Twice Over section attempts to tackle broader issues of local, state, or national concern that directly, or indirectly, affect the University of Indianapolis community. Send feedback to reflector@uindy.edu

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