DC 03/07/14

INSIDE

Mustangs fall to Louisville at home

Coffee spots for studying

PAGE 2

Texas primary election fall-out

PAGE 4

Spring break events guide

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PAGE 5

friday

march 7, 2014 FRIday High 66, Low 39 SATURday High 55, Low 36

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Briefs

World

Debate team advances to nationals SMU Debate team advanced to nationals after placing second at the MidAmerica Conference held at the University of Central Oklahoma Feb. 28-March 2.

First-year students Viral Kotecha, computer science major and business pre major Mattew Nelson argued on the topic of U.S. presidential authority regarding war powers.

The duo, directed by associate communication professor Dr. Ben Voth, won three of four debates.

The team managed to beat nationally higher ranked teams No. 58 University of Houston, No. 37 University of Central Oklahoma, and No. 11 University of Texas.

They fell to No. 1 Kansas City Community College, who won first place at MAC. The team will defend SMU Debate Team’s 2013 first place title in Kansas City, MO March 15-17.

Meadows ensemble wins Aspen fellowship Brazen Brass 5, Meadows’ Ensemble-in-Residence, won the 2014 Aspen Music Festival Summer Fellowship.

The group, lead by senior tuba Brandon Wright, trombonist DJ Taylor, horn player Kristen Shularick, trumpeter Dylan Smith and trumpeter David Sterrett, was selected after auditioning for the American Brass Quintet (ABQ).

The quintet will play and study with ABQ along with giving it’s own recitals.

Brazen Brass five members will perform individually with several orchestras in Aspen.

The musical festival will run from June 26 through Aug. 17.

Last year Brazen Brass 5 placed second at the Aspen festival.

Lyle school to offer new masters program Bobby B. Lyle School of Engineering will begin offering a master’s degree in data center systems engineering fall 2014.

The program is directed toward preparing professionals for leadership roles in data center engineering.

Applicants are required to have a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science, quantitative sciences or mathematics and at least two years of college level math.

Lyle will be the first school in the United States to offer the multi-disciplinary program.

Courtesy of AP

President Barack Obama speaks about the situation in Ukraine Thursday.

Obama: West won’t let Kremlin Program council unifies carve up Ukraine Courtesy of Facecbook

The members of SMU Program Council pose for a photo.

disparate student groups Ashley Almquist Contributing Writer aaalmquist@smu.edu SMU is filled with students separated by the walls of academic buildings, Greek houses or sports stadiums. Program Council, an SMU organization, aims to break down those walls with signature events that have become staples on campus.

“At the beginning of the school year, we set several goals for ourselves to reach by the end of the school year, and one of them was to impact as much of the campus as possible,” said Geenah Krisht, president of Program Council.

Originally from Little Rock, Ark., Krisht is a junior at SMU and double majors in journalism and film and media arts. She joined Program Council in the fall of her freshman year and has watched the organization become what she said is a dominant presence on campus.

The organization’s goal, according to its page on the SMU website, is to “unify and celebrate the community found in the SMU student body through fun, innovative and educational programming that enhances the awareness of self, of others and of the entire university community.”

The council plans events intended to reach a wide variety of students and bring them together.

Krisht said she believes that Program Council events have become popular because of changes the program has made within the last two years such as

branding and advertising.

Program Council advertises its events using traditional posters, but also via social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

This spreads information about events to students who are not on campus as much as those who live in the dorms. This year Program Council plans to incorporate social media into Sing Song, its next big event.

Sing Song will be held in McFarlin Auditorium on April 11 and is a competition among campus groups and organizations in which they make 12-minute theatrical pieces that include singing and dancing. Charlie Weber, an SMU accounting major and Sing Song chairman, said photos of each group will be posted on Facebook and their number of “likes” will be factored into their scores for the competition.

“This year’s theme is ‘Pop Icons,’ and it is going to be a Sing Song like no one has seen before,” Weber said.

The council has also tried other ways to raise event awareness through advertisements.

In the fall, members used bright, flying airplanes along with the traditional posters and stake signs around campus to advertise the organization’s concert featuring musical artist B.o.B. “It’s a win-win; we gain more reach for our brand and events and students now know more about what is going on campus,” said Kelsey Cordutsky, an SMU double major in creative

advertising and marketing as well as Program Council’s Advertising and Marketing Chairman.

The members of the organization have created a brand out of Program Council as well with its own logo. The council has also branded its events, such as Block Party on the Boulevard, a party and concert celebrating back to school; After-Thanksgiving Dinner, a catered event to celebrate Thanksgiving with SMU students; and Park ‘N Party, a party with food and games held in Binkley Parking Garage.

Krisht said Program Council partners with other organizations to broaden its audience for events and to cater to the SMU student population in the most effective way. Last semester, it teamed up with the Student Filmmakers Association for a Halloween movie on Late Lawn to appeal to film students.

This semester, Program Council put on Moody Madness. This one-time event was geared toward basketball fans and increasing school spirit in the general SMU student body. Ruthie’s Food Truck was stationed outside Moody Coliseum, where students could eat and play various games.

In the future, the council would like to strengthen its relationship with different campus organizations to create events that impact a wider range of students at SMU. “I know Program Council’s presence is only becoming stronger, and I have no doubt that it will keep growing,” Krisht said.

Associated PRess President Barack Obama ordered the West’s first sanctions in response to Russia’s military takeover of Crimea on Thursday, declaring his determination not to let the Kremlin carve up Ukraine.

He asserted that a hastily scheduled referendum on Crimea seceding and becoming part of Russia would violate international law.

European leaders announced their own measures but split over how forcefully to follow America’s lead.

Obama threatened further steps if Russia persists.

After announcing his sanctions at midday, Obama emphasized his resolve in a personal telephone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin later Thursday, the White House said. In a one-hour discussion, Obama affirmed his contention that Russia’s actions violate Ukraine’s sovereignty.

The U.S. president told Putin there was still a way to resolve the dispute diplomatically, the White House said — with Russian forces moving back to their base in Crimea, the governments of Ukraine and Russia holding direct talks and international monitors arriving.

The U.S. is also calling on Russia to recognize the legitimacy of Ukrainian plans for elections in May, not the Crimean referendum a week from Sunday.

In all, signs still pointed to a continuing diplomatic battle

over Ukraine and what could prove a broader fault line in Europe’s post-Cold War order.

While East and West no longer threaten nuclear war and have vastly expanded commercial ties, Russia is determined to dominate the future of the former Soviet republics along its borders.

Washington, its NATO partners and others across the continent are striving to pull these nations out of Moscow’s orbit.

Underscoring his position, Obama issued an executive action slapping new visa restrictions on Russian and other opponents of Ukraine’s government in Kiev and authorizing wider financial penalties against those involved in the military intervention or in stealing state assets. None of the measures appeared aimed at the Russian president personally.

“Today the world can see that the United States is united with our allies and partners in upholding international law and pursuing a just outcome that advances global security and the future that the Ukrainian people deserve,” Obama said at the White House. “That’s what we’re going to continue to do in the days to come until we have seen a resolution to this crisis.”

Obama hailed U.S. cooperation with the European Union, which imposed its own sanctions on Russia on Thursday. In an emergency meeting in Brussels, EU leaders decided to suspend

OBAMA page 3

Student Life

Conversation buddies program teaches what classrooms can’t Hayley Morrison Contributing Writer hrmorrison@smu.edu Language classes can teach vocabulary and grammar, but only immersion in a culture gives a student a true understanding of a language, something students in the Intensive English Program know very well.

“These are students who are here just learning English. It’s

four hours a day, five days a week and they need a lot more help,” Evans said.

And help comes in the form of the Conversation Buddy Program, a part of the larger English as a Second Language program, developed by John Wheeler.

“The program was first run in January 2000. The idea for the program came from requests from out ESL [English as a Second Language] students who wanted

to get informal conversational practice outside of the classroom with a native speaker of English,” John Wheeler, Director of the ESL program said.

The program has helped many of SMU’s IEP students, including Ryan Basudan and Muhannad Alsaif, students from Saudi Arabia.

“SMU gave me a conversation buddy,” Alsaif said. He also said he learned “…a lot of things. My

language abilities have developed because of her.”

And that’s the goal of the program, to help ESL and IEP students practice conversational English speaking and listening skills.

“I was afraid to speak with any American when I came to Dallas, however when I met with the conversation buddy for the first time she taught me some new vocabulary and grammar,”

Basudan said.

Basudan and his partner met several times a week to talk.

“I met her twice or three times in a week and I sat with her for 45 minutes or an hour,” Basudan said.

But it isn’t only the IEP students’ English that benefits according to Wheeler.

“Oftentimes a friendship

BUDDIES page 3

2

FOOD

FRIDAY n MARCH 7, 2014 LOCAL

Where to enjoy Dallas’ outdoor bars CHandler helms Contributing Writer chelms@smu.edu Opening less than six months ago, Truck Yard has already become a must-do on students’ agendas.

The Dallas community has responded well to the outdoor bar concept and it now serves thousands of people every Saturday and Sunday.

Competition however, has raised a few questions about the best outdoor bar and SMU students seem torn about which is their favorite: Truck Yard, Katy Trail Ice House or The Rustic.

Each bar has earned numerous awards since their openings. All of them are trendy, outdoors, pet-friendly and self acclaimed “beer gardens.” Each bar will also allow people under 21 to enter in the afternoons. So how are you supposed to choose your Saturday afternoon hangout?

Let’s break down the differences.

Katy Trail Ice House was the first to open of the three, starting the outdoor bar craze. It is filled with picnic tables, and outdoor heaters and misters, so guests can handle the outdoors during any Texas weather. Looking out on the Katy Trail running route is a perfect location, but limited

FRIDAY March 7

Opera Free For All: The Singing Violin by Simon Sargon, Bob Hope Theatre Lobby, 1 p.m.

MONDAY March 10

Spring Break

Courtesy of Art House Dallas

Union offers large tables, meeting rooms and cozy corners with couches.

Coffee houses that create study appeal ELLEN SMITH / The Daily Campus

The Truck Yard has a permanent dining area and rotates food trucks each day, as well as an adult tree house.

parking has been an issue.

“Katy Trail hosts an older crowd and does not feel as casual as the other two,” said sophomore Chip Maloney. It is a popular lunch and after work hangout for downtown businessmen and women to unwind.

“Everyone seems to be making the transition away from Katy Trail. I like The Rustic because, although it’s a similar concept, it’s more spacious and modernized,” SMU sophomore Jessica Jan said.

The Rustic opened in 2013 and is known for its live country music. The décor is urban chic, playing off of its “rustic” theme. The bar is on the corner of Lemmon Avenue and North Central Expressway.

SATURDAY March 8

Spring Break

TUESDAY March 11

Spring Break

The outdoor area consists of picnic tables and a grassy hill for seating up to 300 people. Inside booths are packed near the kitchen and can hold another 250 people. There is a full menu of local drinks and familystyle food, including calf testicles.

Customers, however, have criticized the service for long waits.

It was built and opened by country singer Pat Green, Kyle Noonan and Josh Sepkowitz, who developed Bowl & Barrel and Mutts Cantina.

“I’m torn between The Rustic and Truck Yard,” sophomore Tim Hettinger said. “The Rustic hosts a family-oriented setting and they utilize the live music better than Truck Yard. However, I think Truck Yard has a younger crowd without the strollers. It’s a nice place for

SUNDAY March 9

Spring Break

WEDNESDAY March 12

Spring Break

‘Young Dallas’ to relax on the weekends,” says Hettinger.

Truck Yard offers a daily rotation of food trucks, three bars, live music, tree house seating and a visual playground of recycled and re-purposed items: truck beds as picnic tables, tires as walls and old kegs as bar stools. The 15,000-squarefoot location sits in the heart of Lower Greenville, close to Trader Joes.

The food trucks are also provided with electricity from Truck Yard so they do not use the gassmelling generators so close to the customers’ tables.

Truck yard is a favorite of SMU sophomore Chip Maloney because “it has a homey backyard feel, like you’re relaxing by the fire having a couple of drinks.”

Maloney said. “It’s the most casual of the three.”

Sophomore Betsy Schwarze also prefers Truck Yard because of “the scenery and the country music.

There is definitely a mix of Dallas there, [it’s] not just SMU students.”

Next time you are looking for weekend activities, consider one of these popular options and see which one you prefer.

Genevieve Edgell Food Editor gedgell@smu.edu With midterms flooding student schedules, many find themselves sipping on numerous cups of coffee to keep up with all the work.

Here are some of SMU student’s favorite go-to coffee shops for keeping up with the books off-campus.

Union Coffee, located on 5622 Dyer St. just behind the Shelby apartments, has become a popular spot for the SMU crowd since its opening last year.

The nonprofit coffee house gives customers a bright and comfortable space to get work done. Along with tables and chairs, Union has couches, floor pillows, private meeting rooms and small hidden reading rooms.

While enjoying Union’s coffee and study environment, students should be glad to know part of all coffee sales are donated to helping Dallas school children read and a percentage of Union’s total profits are split between three causes the nonprofit chooses each year.

Mudsmith, located on lower Greenville, is another popular study spot.

SMU graduate student Elena Gittleman said Mudsmith is her favorite off-

campus study place. “[There are] lots of outlets and they serve both coffee and alcohol,” she said. “There’s lots of good ‘people watching.’”

With tables for studying on one end and a bar on the other, Mudsmith offers its own unique atmosphere.

Another great study place is the Black Forest Cafe, located inside Half Price Books which has two locations near SMU: one off Northwest Highway and another on Preston.

SMU senior Ali Aenehzodaee said he enjoys hitting the books in the Black Forest Cafe.

“It’s very quiet and your surrounded by books so it feels very academic,” Aenehzodaee said. “You can take a break and browse.”

Black Forest Cafe offers more than just coffee with a full menu to satisfy study-induced hunger pains.

And of course, a list of coffee shops with study appeal wouldn’t be complete without Starbucks.

SMU junior Gopika Shah said her favorite Starbucks is the one next to the SMU Barnes and Noble bookstore.

This Starbucks on Mockingbird Lane is “not too loud and offers a lot of light” compared to other locations, Shah said.

For those late nights when studying keeps students up past closing time, Jimmy Johns on Hillcrest Avenue is open until 3 a.m. with free wifi.

FRIDAY n MARCH 7, 2014 Politics

NEWS

3

Anticipating 2016, potential candidates run to right at CPAC Associated PRess Republicans vying for the GOP presidential nomination in 2016 auditioned Thursday before some of the nation’s most ardent conservative leaders, calling for the party to unite behind a clear agenda and draw contrasts with Democrats.

The contestants ranged from Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a tea party champion, to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a favorite of the GOP establishment.

“If you want to lose elections, stand for nothing,” said Cruz, who referred as examples to the unsuccessful presidential bids of Bob Dole, John McCain and Mitt Romney. “When you don’t stand and draw a clear distinction, when you don’t stand for principle, Democrats celebrate.”

The annual Conservative Political Action Conference offered an early tryout of sorts for a half-dozen Republican officials eager to win over the GOP’s most passionate voters. At stake this year is the Senate majority, currently held by senators in President Barack Obama’s party.

But for all, the midterm elections could serve as a springboard for the next presidential contest.

Republicans have much to mend before 2016, starting with a stark ideological divide between the party’s establishment and the super-conservatives who rose to power in the tea party-fueled

BUDDIES Continued from page 1

may develop, offering the ESL student personal support beyond language practice,” Wheeler said.

Besides teaching them grammar and vocabulary, the

OBAMA Continued from page 1

talks with Putin’s government on a wide-ranging economic agreement and on granting Russian citizens visa-free travel within the 28-nation bloc — a long-standing Russian objective.

Yet at the same time, Europe’s presidents and prime ministers were divided on more drastic steps such as freezing assets and issuing travel bans on Russian officials.

European hesitancy reflected the reality that targeting influential Russian businessmen or major Russian companies would also harm Europe’s economic interests. Russian investors hold assets worth billions in European banks, particularly in Britain and Cyprus, and major exporters such as Germany and the Netherlands have far more at stake than the United States in Russia’s consumer economy.

Many other European countries depend on Russia for oil and gas supplies.

Russian troops have seized control of much of Crimea, where ethnic Russians are the majority. Moscow doesn’t recognize the Ukrainian government that came to power after protesters ousted the country’s pro-Russian president last month. Putin and other officials have cited strategic interests as well as the protection of ethnic Russians in making the case for intervention. Russia leases a major navy base there.

The Western debate over how strongly to penalize Russia is important given that neither the U.S. nor Europe is advocating the use of force.

The U.S. military has stepped up joint aviation training with Polish forces and American participation in NATO’s airpolicing mission in its Baltic countries. But the Pentagon, like its NATO partners, has strictly ruled out military options.

In the latest threatening move Thursday, Crimean lawmakers voted 78-0 to schedule a referendum on March 16 on whether the region should secede from Ukraine and join Russia.

Obama said such a vote

Courtesy of AP

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R) speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, D.C.

2010 elections that delivered a Republican House majority.

Fiscal crises, compromises and a war of words have separated the factions from the top down despite widespread agreement that Obama’s signature health care law should be overturned.

More than two years out from the election to succeed Obama, there’s no clear front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination.

But Republicans interested in the job are filing across the CPAC stage at a hotel complex just down the Potomac River from Washington — bashing the media,

criticizing Obama and making a case for being the candidate who can win the White House.

“Most people are realizing that it’s cool to be selecting the most conservative in the race, but there’s an additional caveat that needs to be added, and that’s who can win in the general election,” said American Conservative Union Chairman Al Cardenas.

For Christie, the event was the first major step back into the national spotlight and a chance to revive his image from a political retribution scandal in which his aides ordered the closing of

American students also give information about culture and slang to the IEP students.

“One of the best I things I learned from her is American culture, specially how I should talk to girls,” Alsaid said about his partner. “For example, she told me I cannot ask girl their age.”

Alsaif ’s conversation partner,

Rachel Marek, a music student at SMU, also talks about what’s happening in Dallas with him.

“If anything happens in Dallas that I do not know about, I will just ask her,” Alsaif said.

“For example…I heard people in Dallas talk about John [F.] Kennedy. She [Marek] explained

would “violate the Ukrainian constitution and violate international law.” Because Ukraine is a member of the United Nations, any action that is unconstitutional in Ukraine would be considered illegitimate in international law.

But the West supported Kosovo’s independence six years ago, which included no consent by Serbia’s government and occurred despite Russian objections, Obama might have been trying to differentiate Ukraine’s situation by arguing that borders shouldn’t be “redrawn over the heads of democratic leaders.”

The U.S. sanctions push has prompted a rare case of broad agreement among the Obama administration and most Democratic and Republican lawmakers.

The House of Representatives voted 385-23 on Thursday in favor of the first U.S. aid bill for Ukraine’s fledgling government, following on an Obama administration promise of $1 billion in loan guarantees.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee unanimously approved a separate resolution condemning Russia’s takeover of Ukraine’s Crimea and urging visa, financial and trade sanctions. Senators are at work on a larger bill putting together all elements of a U.S. response and hope to introduce the legislation next week.

The EU offered $15 billion in aid to help Ukraine’s cash-depleted economy on Wednesday, still far short of the $35 billion that Ukraine’s government says it needs in bailout loans through next year. The U.S., EU and others are trying to work out a package with the International Monetary Fund.

Showing greater caution than Obama on sanctions, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said European penalties against Russia depend “on how the diplomatic process progresses.”

EU President Herman Van Rompuy said travel bans, asset freezes and the cancellation of an EU-Russia summit could still come. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk acknowledged “no enthusiasm” in Europe for economic sanctions.

Western leaders fear Russia is becoming entrenched in Crimea and could turn its focus to Ukraine’s industrial heart in the east, where Russian speakers similarly are a majority. Central and Eastern European countries that lived for decades under the Soviet Union’s domination are especially sensitive to the threat. Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite warned, “After Ukraine will be Moldova, and after Moldova will be different countries.”

For the U.S. and its allies, the specter of Georgia’s 2008 schism looms large. After a nine-day war between Russia and Georgia’s then pro-Western government, the Kremlin supported two regions in breaking away from Georgia.

Most of the world doesn’t recognize their independence, but Russia protects their autonomy. Then, as now, the U.S. and EU reaction was limited in scope and included no military moves. In the United States, Obama initiated a “reset” of ties with Russia less than a year later.

With Ukraine at risk of a similar fate, the U.S. has suspended talks on an investment treaty with Russia. NATO has halted military cooperation with Russia and has decided to review all aspects of the relationship with Moscow. The U.S. and European countries have halted preparations for a planned June summit in Russia’s Black Sea resort of Sochi.

But so far Putin hasn’t budged. His government claims that Viktor Yanukovych, the ousted president, remains the leader of Ukraine. The pro-Russian Yanukovych fled to a location near Moscow for protection.

Also Thursday, Secretary of State John Kerry met again with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov. Kerry stressed a need for a direct Russian-Ukrainian dialogue and the importance of allowing international monitors into Crimea and eastern Ukraine. Diplomatic progress appeared elusive.

Speaking to reporters later, Kerry emphasized that Ukraine must remain whole.

“Crimea is part of Ukraine,” Kerry said. “Crimea is Ukraine.”

lanes near New Jersey’s George Washington Bridge. Federal authorities also are investigating allegations that two members of Christie’s Cabinet threatened to withhold storm recovery funds from heavily flooded Hoboken if the city’s mayor didn’t approve a favored redevelopment project.

Before the conservative crowd, the Republican governor ignored his administration’s recent troubles and showed flashes of the fighting spirit that has defined his political career. Christie won a standing ovation after a 15-minute speech in which he declared: “We have to stop letting the media define who we are and what we stand for.”

He later called on party leaders and tea party leaders alike to “start talking about what we’re for and not what we’re against.”

The conservative conference comes less than a year after the Republican National Committee released a comprehensive plan to broaden the GOP’s appeal after a disappointing 2012 election season.

Most of the speakers touched upon existing divisions within the GOP that threaten to derail their party’s plans. They offered varied perspectives on foreign policy, social issues and political strategy, but each insisted that the Republican Party’s future is bright.

The GOP’s 2012 vice presidential nominee, House

Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, downplayed intraparty divisions as “creative tension” and urged conservative activists to “give each other the benefit of the doubt” in the debate over the party’s future.

“We, your representatives, we have to earn this benefit of the doubt,” Ryan said. “We have to offer a vision. We have to explain where we want to take the country and how we’re going to get there.”

And as Obama and European leaders try to address Russian military aggression in Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula, Republicans faulted the president’s leadership around the globe.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., pointing to global hot spots such as North Korea, Iran and Ukraine, said Obama thought he could shape global events “through the sheer force of his personality” and by giving speeches around the world.

“We cannot ignore that the flawed foreign policy of the last few years has brought us to this stage,” Rubio said, adding that the U.S. was the one nation that could “stand up to the spread of totalitarianism... The United Nations cannot do this.”

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal charged that the Democratic president is waging an “assault on the American dream” by redefining success as dependence upon government. He faulted Obama for not doing enough

to help improve the nation’s educational system and highlighted GOP efforts to give parents new choices.

The three-day conference runs through Saturday, when conference organizers will announce the results of their annual symbolic presidential straw poll. Several high-profile Republicans have yet to take the stage.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who won last year’s straw poll, was addressing activists on Friday, along with former presidential candidates such as ex-Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

Meanwhile, Republican divisions were also on display on Capitol Hill, where Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., knocked prospective GOP presidential candidates — Paul and Cruz among them — who supported a bill to strip military commanders of the authority to prosecute rapes and other serious crimes.

“You want to be commander in chief ? You told me a lot today about who you are as commander in chief,” Graham said of his GOP colleagues. “You were willing to fire every commander in the military for reasons I don’t quite understand. So we will have a good conversation as to whether or not you understand how the military actually works.”

to me everything about the assassination of John [F.] Kennedy in Dallas.”

Marek also enjoyed the program and the chance to make a new friendship.

“I loved meeting and getting to know Moh [Muhannad]. He is probably one of the nicest and most generous people I have met on this campus,” Marek said.

Marek also said she is impressed with how much he has learned in less than a year.

“He is curious about learning as much as he can while in the US. He is hard working and determined,” Marek said.

All in all, Marek believes she made a good choice volunteering for the program.

“I know that I have made a good friend in Moh and I’m so glad that I volunteered to be a part of this program,” Marek said.

The program has become an important part of the ESL program and, according

to Wheeler, the whole SMU community.

“More than simply a ‘linguistic match-making service,’ I believe the program promotes understanding and tolerance people of other cultures,” Wheeler said.

Basudan is also glad to have the Conversation Buddy Program.

“The Conversation Buddy Program is a new experience for me, but a beautiful and nice experience,” Basudan said.

4

OPINION

FRIDAY n MARCH 7, 2014

midterms

politics

Democrats keep safe distance from Obama

katelyn hall Contributing Writer khall@smu.edu The beginning of March means one thing for college students: midterms. But as SMU students head to Fondren to study for their chemistry labs and history seminars, the United States Congress heads into midterms of their own.

It’s midterm election season, which means Republicans and Democrats are grappling over 36 Senate seats and all 435 seats in the House. Right now, the Democrats control the Senate, with 53 seats; Republicans had 45 seats and two are held by independents.

But Republicans have a majority in the House, boasting 232 seats to the Democrats’ 199 seats.

It’s a split Congress now. But that could change this coming November. The Republicans are expected to maintain their hold on the House. In the wake of the Affordable Care Act and growing disapproval of Obama, Democrat incumbents in the Senate could lose to Republicans this fall.

There are 21 Democratic Senate seats up for reelection this term. Of those, the party fears it could lose seven: South Dakota, West Virginia, Montana, Arkansas, Louisiana, Alaska and North Carolina.

While midterm elections do not get the same attention presidential elections, their results will play a critical role in the dynamics of the chambers and will affect the presidential race in 2016.

Obama tried to explain the importance of the midterm elections to party members at the Democratic Governors Association Dinner,

according to a recent story by ABC News.

Obama says the party and nation often don’t pay as much attention to midterm elections as presidential races because they aren’t “sexy,” but claims this year’s battles could be just as important as the 2016 presidential election.

As we go into the midterms there are two important things to consider.

First, Obama’s performance does have an impact on midterm elections. And second, if Democrats hope to win in contested races, they should steer clear of association with Obama’s policies.

An article in the New York Times argues that the popularity of the President will be an issue in the highly contested races.

An analysis by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report calls this effect the “Obama Factor.”

Obama’s disapproval ratings have surpassed 50 percent in 10 out of the 21 races in which a Democratic Senate seat is up for reelection. The rating is even worse in the open Democratic seat states, West Virginia, South Dakota and Montana. In those three states, the disapproval rating is over 55 percent.

Because of this, the Cook Report argues Democrats should stray away from Obama’s messages for the highest chance of success.

Many Democratic incumbents in states where Romney won in 2012 are distancing themselves from Obama. Kay Hagan of North Carolina avoided being seen with Obama during his last visit to her state, according to an article by The Guardian. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana publicly spoke out against the administration, according to the same article.

It seems that as Democrats are running for re-election, many of them are actually running as far away from the White House as possible.

Hall is a senior majoring in journalism.

Courtesy of AP

Texas Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, makes a point as she speaks to supporters at her campaign headquarters, Tuesday, March 4, 2014, in Fort Worth, Texas.

Texas toss-up for governor

zain haidar Contributing Writer zhaidar@smu.edu Texas Senator Wendy Davis and Attorney General Greg Abbott weren’t pulling rabbits out of hats Tuesday night with their respective primary wins in the race to replace Governor Rick Perry.

As Fox News Politics reports, the two candidates “cruised” to their wins, easily brushing off political unknowns to do what we’ve all expected to happen for months now.

Since the pair announced their intentions to run for the

governor’s office, it’s been Davis vs. Abbott in the local political press - a no holds barred beatdown between the old guard who want to keep the Perry train running after 14 years and Democrats looking for an Ann Richards style revival. Davis’ and Abbott’s opponents got little to no play — have you heard of Lisa Fritsch, Miriam Martinez, Larry Kilgore or Reynaldo Madrigal? I didn’t use a name generator to pump out those unknowns — they’re victims of powerhouse press play Davis and Abbott have gotten as the presumptive (now definite) nominees for their parties.

But it’s time to stop looking backwards. Davis and Abbott certainly aren’t — the candidates have been pushing their agendas without taking a break. As Wayne Slater discusses in his Dallas Morning News column, the pair barely took time to rest on their laurels before revving up the engines and redefining

their stump speeches to focus on minority issues.

Davis, who emerged to a kind of national folk stardom with her filibuster last year against abortion restrictions, holds obvious appeal for women (you know, being one) and the Democratic ticket leans in favor of social issues — enticing minority voters and the poor.

Abbott, however, has been less overt with his appeal to the same demographics. It wasn’t entirely helpful to Abbott’s broad-base appeal to campaign with Ted Nugent, as Slater points out. In fact that scandal allowed Davis to boost her fundraising, although her cash on hand still pales in comparison to her GOP opponent’s coffers.

Now Abbott is trying to reach across the aisle, put down the Nugent negativity, and appeal to Hispanic voters and women. This, of course, is after years of GOP rhetoric blasting immigration security

issues and flubbing abortion rights. Abbott, though, really only needs to maintain his base (“white men, suburban women, and enough Hispanic support” as Slater says) to win, while Davis needs to scoop up a heavy amount of women and minority votes to have a real shot at Perry’s position.

To do that, Davis might have to moderate her positions to siphon off undecideds and wavering Abbott voters. Davis already started roughing around the edges with her support of a limited late-term abortion ban that took her from the far left closer to the middle of the pond.

We could have our first female governor in over 20 years, or we could have a governor that appeals to GOP faithfuls.

The closer we come to November, the messier the fight.

Haidar is a junior majoring in journalism.

cartoon

firing line

For primaries, style over policy Winning the Texas Republican primary is tantamount to election in most parts of the state, and this has lead to some truly disappointing news this time around.

Don Huffines, of “My brother is a car dealer” fame, has narrowly beaten long-time incumbent State Senator John Carona. His campaign was ugly, won primarily through redefining what it means to be a conservative in the first place.

Gone are the days when a politician’s conservatism was measured by the policies they supported. Conservatism to Huffines (and many other candidates who made a name for themselves this election season), is more a rhetorical style than it is a list of policies to support.

Huffines defined himself as a conservative primarily by saying that because he was louder and more obnoxious in supporting right-wing ideals than his opponent he was the more conservative candidate in the race.

Ironically, conservatism is antithetical to radical right-wingedness. To be conservative, in the classical sense, is to be opposed to radical change in any political direction, left or right. Conservatives prefer to move the Overton window, rather than tear it out of the wall and throw it across the room.

So Corona now joins a long list of deposed politicians deemed, ultimately, too conservative in their support of right-wing ideas. Radicalism has taken over to such an extent that it has co-opted the definition of that to which it was once diametrically opposed.

And so once respectable politicians are now reduced to yelling in campaign ads that they’ll “oppose the Obama agenda,” as if saying no constitutes a political platform. To see reform-minded politicians reduced to meaningless platitudes and talking points is profoundly disturbing. Policy is all that matters once a candidate starts governing. But voters would rather hear complaints that an opponent once said something nice to a Democrat than hear a candidate’s position on entitlement reform, so now candidates like Katrina Pierson can give Pete Sessions a run for his money.

This dynamic may create good campaigners, but it wreaks havoc on the quality of a legislative body.

Courtesy of MCT Campus

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SPORTS

FRIDAY n MARCH 7, 2014 Men’s Basketball

5

The key to SMU’s Louisville too much for Mustangs success according to Evan Kavanagh Demetrio Teniente Led by guard Russ Sports Editor Smith’s six three-pointers, the dtenienter@smu.edu Cardinals connected on an

Natalie Konstant Contributing Writer nkonstant@smu.edu The SMU men’s basketball team has been the cause for much excitement for mustang nation.

Under the leadership of recently appointed head coach Larry Brown, the men’s basketball team is 15-1 at home and 23-7 in the American Athletic Conference.

So with the 2013-2014 season marking the first time SMU has been in ranked in the AP Poll in over 30 years, what is the source of such success? Larry Brown?

Players? The newly improved Moody Coliseum?

The answer may come from someone who has been working behind the scenes and has witnessed as SMU’s basketball program strove to make a name for itself.

As team manager of SMU men’s basketball, Evan Kavanagh is in charge of setting up for practices and games, working out players after practice, prepping home and visitor locker rooms and many other everyday tasks to keep the program running smoothly.

A double major in sports management and economic, Kavanagh pursued the position as team manager with the hope of gaining a valuable experience and making good relationships. After writing a letter to the SMU athletic department, Kavanagh joined the team in the fall of 2012.

Born and raised in Greenwich, Conn., Kavanagh played on his high school’s varsity basketball team.

“We were the Greenwich High

Cardinals and I played left wing,” he said.

Having loved basketball ever since he was a kid, Kavanagh can still be found occasionally shooting hoops in Dedman gym.

When asked who is favorite team to root for is, Kavanagh replied, “The New York Knicks… besides SMU, of course.”

But Evan has done more then just cheer on the Mustangs. Not only does he assist both Coach Brown and the players, but also, spends around four hours a day attending team practice, in addition to the eight hour long game days.

Both of which Kavanagh enjoys and calls a fun time.

“It’s very exciting to be a part of SMU’s first athletic program to have this much national praise and success since the 80s,” Evan said.

So are the long hours of practice the reason for SMU’s No. 23 ranking?

Kavanagh thinks it’s a combination of, “hard work, a lack of selfishness, and superior talent.” Additionally, Evan notes that hall of famer, Larry Brown, is inspirational.

“He’s a great coach and an even better guy. I feel very lucky to have had this opportunity,” Kavanagh said.

As for the future, Kavanagh does not think he will go into coaching immediately after college, but hopes to use what he has learned about leadership in future pursuits. With that being said, he definitely plans on coaching later on in his life and, will use what he has learned from everyone in the program when that time comes.

For more SMU sports news be sure to follow @SMUSportsDesk @SMUSamuelSnow @BillyEmbody and @Demo36

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When facing an opponent like No. 11 Louisville, a team needs to come out aggressive from the beginning.

They have to play at a higher intensity than the Cardinals, and they have to sustain for forty minutes.

On Wednesday night, No. 18 SMU, came out aggressive early on.

They played with more intensity than their opponent, but they could not sustain it long enough and fell to No.11 Louisville 84-71.

“You can see why they are a championship team,” SMU head coach Larry Brown said.

“They started off poorly and I think we might have played at an unbelievably high level early, but we weren’t prepared they way they were and that’s on me.”

In the second half Chris Jones hit a tying three-pointer then stole an inbounds pass, made a lay up while being fouled, and made the free throw for a 40-37 lead.

Louisville never trailed again.

Once SMU was behind, Louisville’s game plan was to shoot threes and send the Mustangs to the line.

“In the first half we could kind of weather it a little bit because we got off to a lead,” Brown said. “I don’t think we showed any poise at all. I don’t think we showed any poise when they went after us.”

Playing against highcaliber programs is something relatively new to the Mustangs; Wednesday’s contest was the first home game at Moody that matched ranked teams in Moody since 1985.

SMU had already defeated three top-25 teams at home this season, but the American Athletic Conference leading and defending national champion Louisville got the better of them.

“I saw some ugly stuff out there,” Brown said. “The way we acted — forget how we played — just the way we acted.

You know, letting calls and what they thought should have been a call, maybe a teammate missing an assignment. You get over that but I don’t think we were focusing on the things we needed to do.”

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impressive 56.5 percent from three-point range. Smith made three of his three-pointers in a 72 second span.

“We got it down 55-54 and I thought maybe we can get back on track, but Russ Smith was phenomenal,” Brown said.

“I thought some of his shots were pretty well defended, but you gotta give it to him, he was remarkable.”

Smith dominated the second period with 22 of his 26 points coming in the second half.

Smith added six rebounds, and five assists to go with his point total.

Jones finished with 21 points, while Harrell had 19 and Luke Hancock 15 to go with Smith’s ‘lights-out ‘performance.

The Mustangs managed to jump out in front of Louisville 14-5 early in the first half and held a double digit lead for most of the way.

Despite leading by as much as 14, Louisville took advantage of SMU turnovers and quickly got back into the game to only trail by two entering halftime.

The Mustangs committed nine turnovers during the Cardinals run to close out the second half and finished the game with 23 total turnovers.

“It was a lack of mental toughness on our part,” SMU guard Nick Russell said.

“That’s something that we know how we are supposed to beat it. It’s simple, it was just a lack of communication. They did nothing special, it’s just all on us.”

Russell led the Mustangs and finished the night with 18 points, six rebounds and five assists.

Nic Moore, playing with an injured ankle, was sidelined for most of the second half as he picked up his fourth foul early in the final frame.

As a result he only managed to score five points for the night.

“Ninety-nine percent of people [with a bad ankle] wouldn’t have played tonight,” Brown said. “I admire the heck the heck out of the fact that he gave it a try.”

SMU will conclude the 2013-14 regular season with its first of two trips to Memphis

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Complete the grid so that every row, column, and 3x3 box contains the digits 1-9. There is no guessing or math involved, just use logic to solve.

Solution: 3/05/14

Ryan Miller/the Daily Campus

Louisville guard Russ Smith (No. 2) scored 22 of his 26 total points in the second half of Wednesday’s 84-71 win over the SMU Mustangs

in a week. The Mustangs will take on No. 20 Memphis on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN2. SMU will then head back to Memphis for the American Athletic Conference

Championships.

The Mustangs will have a bye into the quarterfinals, and will play their first game of the tournament on March 13.

Crossword Across 1 Small amount 4 WWII MIA location 11 NFL captains 14 __ Jima 15 High-class tobacco products 16 Samovar 17 GPS finding 18 Good chap 19 Nonpro sports org.

20 Plot 22 Providing with a transcript, possibly 24 __-tzu 25 Climbing aids 29 Arm support 31 Viral chorus?

32 Turkic Russian 33 Histrionic display 37 Roast, in a Baja dish 38 Stuck 39 __ mining 40 "Argo" actor 43 NBA coach Thomas 44 Historic town in Lazio 45 Santa __ winds 46 Innocuous sorts 50 Way to find out what you know 52 3-D graph part 53 "It's just __ thought ..."

54 "South Pacific" song 60 Highway or city stat 61 "Illmatic" rap star 62 Mythical symbol of purity 63 Fitting 64 Room with hoops 65 What this grid's big symbol is, Across and Down 66 Albany is its cap.

Down 1 Dump 2 Man __

3 Autocratic approach 4 Book with shots 5 Poison __ 6 Morgantown's st.

7 Low island 8 Afr. country 9 If said again, group in a 1950s African uprising 10 Studying on a couch?

11 Draw back with alarm 12 Stock mark 13 Curls up 21 Books about Toronto and Ottawa, say 23 Country abutting Nicaragua 25 Put away 26 Not down: Abbr.

27 FDR loan org.

28 Papa John's rival 29 GDR spy group 30 Holds up 34 Annoy 35 __ bono: "Who stands to gain?" in law 36 B&O stop 40 Org. for Nadal and Djokovic 41 Lucy of "Kill Bill" 42 Colorado NHL club, to fans 47 Band guitarist, in slang 48 Lacking stability 49 Army squad NCOs 50 Sharp tooth 51 Words from Watson 55 Buy from Sajak 56 Paris lily 57 Suffix with tact

58 __ polloi 59 Valiant's son

Solution 03/05/2014

36

ARTS

FRIDAY n MARCH 7, 2014 student life

guide

Design student creates ‘crazy’ Music, movies, TV: Spring

break events to entertain all

Ally van deuren Contributing Writer avandeuren@smu.edu Every thread, hue and button of Hunter Dowell’s designs has a deeper meaning.

A first-year graduate design student in SMU’s Meadows School of the Arts theatre department, Dowell specializes in costume design.

Dowell is currently working on the designs for ‘Middletown’ by Will Eno, a play that will be produced in the Margo Jones Theatre in April as part of the theatre department’s Rep series.

“The show deals with life, birth and death,” Dowell said. “But what do we do between life and death?”

Dowell explains that as a designer, he is expected to meet several times with the lighting designer, the set designer and the director of the production.

“We decided that these people are a modern take on archetypes and stereotypes,” Dowell said.

“Some things are ‘50s inspired and vintage-inspired and there’s a very childlike quality to this very real world.”

How is this team of designers going to translate this to the stage?

Dowell says that the leads of the production will have a basic uniform, but will be given accessories to transform them from scene to scene.

“There’s this uniformity to everybody, but they have these accessories and different patterns to set them apart. These accessories are all vivid colors, like a tin box of Crayola Crayon colors,” Dowell said.

“Take a box of crayons and vintage silhouettes – mix those together and you get something crazy.

Something crazy, perhaps, and also, the world of the play.

“These costumes are quirky and outlandish, but there is also a statement there behind them,” Dowell said. “She is not just wearing a ridiculous hat because she is wearing a ridiculous hat; there is a deeper meaning into it. This character may have gotten this hat

Courtesy of Ally Van Deuren.

Hunter Dowell works on costumes for ‘Middletown’ coming up in April.

from her grandmother and is wearing it everywhere.”

Dowell said that his personal aesthetic does not differ much from that of ‘Middletown.’

“My aesthetic is very quirky and vintage-inspired and I love patterns and primary colors,” Dowell said. “I do what the show calls for and then I try to mix my look onto the show as much as possible without taking away from the show itself.”

How did Dowell get started in design?

Dowell was born in Joplin, Missouri, a small town of about 50,000 people in Southeast Missouri.

He received a full ride to study acting in the theatre program at Missouri Southern State University (MSSU), where he participated primarily in children’s theatre and musicals.

“It wasn’t until my sophomore year of my college career that I took a gamble and designed costumes for a student-directed show,” Dowell said.

“I just kind of had an affinity for it, a knack for drawing and creating these characters on the page.”

Dowell believes his background in acting feeds his work as a designer.

“As a young designer, I like to design the shows as if I am going to wear them,” Dowell said. “If I wouldn’t wear them, the actor

wouldn’t wear them.”

He said that he had a teacher at Missouri Southern State University that pushed him and told him that he needed to try designing.

The play he designed ended up being Dead Man’s Cell Phone

by Sarah Ruhl, now one of his favorite shows of all time.

After graduating from MSSU in 2013, he went to the University/Resident Theatre Association (URTA) in Chicago and interviewed with several schools. This is when he was introduced to the representatives from SMU. “I interviewed with a couple of places and I thought SMU was great,” Dowell said. “I really loved Claudia [Stephens] and Giva [Taylor], and the people seemed really nice here.”

While Dowell has an emphasis in costume design; the three-year graduate program at SMU is a degree in stage design.

“It’s great because you are not just focusing on one area,” Dowell said. “You have all these kinds of opportunities and you aren’t just stuck in your emphasis, which is good. You don’t want to be so tunnel minded that you don’t know everything else.”

Courtesy of AP

Bands unload to prepare for this year’s SXSW. The music festival begins March 7 and runs through March 16.

jordan moore A&E Editor mooreja@smu.edu While many students will hit the beach, working on their tans and enjoying a cocktail in the evening, some students will be looking for something to do over spring break.

There are plenty of music and film events over spring break that can offer a getaway through sound or visual distraction if nothing else.

As many may know, South by Southwest (SXSW) is a popular spring break event that takes place in Austin, Texas. While the event may not be right around the corner from the SMU campus, at least crossing the border doesn’t have to be on the agenda. SXSW allows students to get away without having to travel too far if they’re in Texas already. Lucky for SMU students, it’s just a few hours away by car.

This year’s SXSW features a lineup of over 2,100 bands and artists, including Coldplay, Imagine Dragons, Lady Gaga, 50 Cent and

more. Check out the SXSW website to check out every day and their individual lineups March 7-16.

For students sticking closer to campus, there are plenty of shows happening right in Dallas that are even easier to attend (and much cheaper) than SXSW. South By So What is a closer music event than Austin’s SXSW for those who want a similar vibe.

The three-day event will take place at Quiktrip Park in Grand Prairie and runs March 14-16 ­­–– a perfect way to spend the last few days of spring break and be close to SMU. There are over 100 bands that are set to perform, which can all be viewed on the event’s website. Ticket prices vary based on single-day tickets and three-day passes. It is also the event’s 10th anniversary.

Sad Robot, an L.A. indie rock trio, will be in Dallas for a show at The Prophet Bar on March 16.

Sad Robot features the smooth, echoing voice of the female lead that is something along the lines of a rock version of Christina Perri. The show starts at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are $10 online and $12 at the door.

If these events aren’t quite enough, or perhaps there is a hungover craving for more music, check out the Brooklyn-born alternative trio, Little Daylight.

With infusions of techno, pop and dance sounds, Little Daylight mimics Passion Pit and the like.

Little Daylight will be at the House of Blues on March 17, the Monday immediately following spring break.

Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 the day of the show.

For a movie night out, “Need for Speed” premieres March 14.

For a TV night in, there are plenty of shows premiering over break that can entertain. ABC’s ‘Once Upon a Time’ returns with its midseason premiere March 9.

ABC’s ‘The Bachelor’ finale airs March 10.

The ‘Veronica Mars’ showturned-film premieres in theaters March 14.

There is plenty for all to stay entertained with this spring break.

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HOW MUCH DOES IT COST & WHEN IS TUITION DUE? MayTerm offers a reduced tuition rate of $1,154/credit hour ($3,462 for a 3-hour course) and no extra fees are assessed (except NYC course). Payment is due by Friday, May 2.

ADV 5301 // Alice Kendrick Advertising Industry in New York City Extra fees & travel costs apply (May 15-24) Instructor permission by April 7 ANTH 2301 // Faith Nibbs Introduction to Cultural Anthropology ANTH 3312 // Michael Callaghan Meso-American Archaeology ARHS 1306 // Adam Herring Introduction to Architecture CHEM 1301 // Michael Lattman Chemistry for Liberal Arts CHEM 1303 // Brian Zoltowski General Chemistry I CHEM 1304 // David Son General Chemistry II COMM 5301 // Owen Lynch Communication & Social Justice COMM 5304 // Nina Flournoy Fashion Media & Public Relations

HOW DO I ENROLL & WHEN? Meet with your advisor to select your MayTerm course and up to 2 alternates. Then visit the MayTerm website for instructions on submitting the online application form as soon as possible for best consideration. Initial deadline is Thursday, April 17. After Easter, you will be granted course permission to officially enroll through Access.SMU. ARE THERE SCHOLARSHIPS? DOES FINANCIAL AID APPLY? Most SMU merit scholarships are available in pro-rated amounts. Those receiving NeedBased Grant or Opportunity Awards may be eligible for $150/credit hour. Federal and State funds may also be available for those enrolling in 6 or more hours over the course of the summer. Contact your financial aid advisor for details.

DISC 1313 // Lori Ann Stephens Identity Crisis: Youth in America

PLSC 4320 // Pamela Corley American Government & Politics: Law & Film

ENGL 1365 // Bruce Levy Literature of Minorities

PLSC 4340 // Hiroki Takeuchi Game Theory for Political Science

HIST 2337 // Alexis McCrossen History of Sports in the U.S.

PRW 1101 // Donna Gober Personal Responsibility & Wellness (one credit hour)

MATH 1309 // Judy Newell Calculus for Business & Social Science ME/CEE 2310 // Wei Tong Statics

PSYC 1300 // Michael Lindsey Introduction to Psychology PSYC 4381 // Chris Logan Positive Psychology

MNO 3310 // Pam Van Dyke Management Concepts (for non-business majors & business minors)

SOCI/ANTH 3301 // Carolyn Smith-Morris Health, Healing & Ethics

MUHI 3340 // Kim Corbet Jazz: Tradition & Transformation

SOCI 4399 // Alicia Schortgen Nonprofits at Work in the Community

PHIL 1305 // Matthew Lockard Introduction to Philosophy

SPAN 3355 // Susana Adoboe Spanish Conversation

PHIL 1317 // Ken Daley Business Ethics

STAT/CSE 4340/ EMIS 3340 // Cornelius Potgieter Statistics for Engineers

SUBMIT YOUR ONLINE APPLICATION AT SMU.EDU/MAYTERM BY THURSDAY, APRIL 17