INSIDE
SMU victorious over McNeese State
Unpaid internships spark debate
PAGE 2
Soccer could revitalize Qatar
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How real are reality shows?
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PAGE 5
WEDNESDAY
December 4, 2013
Wednesday High 81, Low 46 Thursday High 46, Low 30
VOLUME 99 ISSUE 43 FIRST COPY FREE, ADDITIONAL COPIES 50 CENTS
Bowles, Simpson discuss budget
Athletics
Natalie Yezbick Contributing Writer nyezbick@smu.edu Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson sat down together to unravel the nation’s fiscal situation for The Omni Hotels Tate Lecture Tuesday night. Bowles, a Democrat, formed multiple financial firms before serving as the administrator of The U.S. Small Business Administration, deputy chief of staff, and chief of staff under President Bill Clinton. Simpson, a lawyer and Republican, served in the Wyoming House of Representatives, in the U.S. Senate, and on the bipartisan Iraq Study Group. Bowles and Simpson joined together in 2010 to co-chair the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, and they later co-founded the Campaign to Fix the Debt. They headed up the Simpson-Bowles Commission, which drafted a budget plan that was rejected by the Obama administration. When Bowles met with the president in a private meeting Obama said he would be “savaged by the left” if he passed it, according to Bowles. The president also said that Republicans would walk away from the budget plan if it had his support, a point that Simpson agreed with. According to the paie, the country’s economic situation
Courtesy of SMU Athletics
The first game in the renovated Moody stadium will be Jan. 4 2014.
New Moody student ticket plan requires advance pick-up ANNA CLARKSON / The Daily Campus
Erskine Bowles speaks while Sen. Alan Simpson listens during Tuesday’s Tate Lecture.
is just as dire as when the commission was formed. Bowles blames his generation for “this fiscal mess.” “We not only don’t have a long range plan, we don’t have a budget,” Bowles said, calling the country’s “month-to-month budget” as “crazy.” Bowles highlighted examples of government spending with less than desirable results and said that America can no longer operate on this “standard set of extraordinary measures.”
The sequester particularly irked Bowles, who called it “stupid” at least four times. He said the cuts were “across the board” and mainly in discretionary spending, instead of in the growing entitlement programs as he believed they should have been. Bowles said the best case scenario in the post-sequester fiscal climate was to make smarter cuts in military spending and to create a “few fees that republicans won’t call tax increases.” America spends the most
out of any nation on defense; this country spends more than the next 17 biggest spending countries combined, according to Bowles. When Simpson audited the government on its defense contractors, he was told that there were between 1 million and 10 million contractors and that the “cost is inauditible.” There are currently 64 Department of Defense schools, and the price per student is more
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EVENT
ELLEN SMITH / The Daily Campus
The University Christmas Tree lit up in front of Dallas Hall during Monday night’s 36th annual Celebration of Lights.
Continuing the tradition
Student Foundation hosts 36th annual Celebration of Lights BRie Strickland Contributing Writer bsstrickla@smu.edu This Monday the university celebrated its 36th annual Celebration of Lights. From humble beginnings, the event has become a staple of the SMU and Dallas communities. Thirty-six years ago, Student Foundation founding President Mike Miller had a vision for Celebration of
Lights. He raised enough money to purchase 5,000 Christmas lights and a new tradition was born. The program has grown over the years, and at the conclusion of Monday night’s event, nearly 138,000 white lights twinkled across Dallas Hall Lawn. Beginning at 7 p.m., the program brought out current students, alumni and Dallas-area families who hoisted small children above their shoulders for a glimpse
of the Christmas enchantment. Student Foundation provided song lyrics, candles, Tiff ’s Treats and hot chocolate for all attendees. Student Foundation President Antonea Bastian welcomed the student body as Jack Murphy introduced the first group of performers. The Southern Gentlemen crooned carols and Ryan Cole, a 2013 alumnus, made a special appearance to sing “Hark the Herald Angels Sing.” As
the seasonal tunes set the mood, attendees began lighting each other’s candles. Soon enough the darkness of night was illuminated by hundreds of individual candles and President R. Gerald Turner was vividly narrating “The Christmas Story.” Shannon Conboy, a sophomore vocal performance major, sang “Silent Night.” Halfway
LIGHTS page 3
Mustang Mall
Katy Roden Editor-in-Chief kroden@smu.edu SMU Athletics announced a new system for complimentary student tickets for the men’s basketball games beginning Jan. 4 in the newly-renovated Moody Coliseum. Students are now required to pick up the free tickets in advance of the games. Seven student sections take up almost half of the lower arena of Moody and one section in the upper deck. “In exchange for this premium placement, and in anticipation of increased demand, SMU students will now be required to pick up their complimentary game tickets in advance,” an email from the SMU Athletics Department read. “This helps to ensure that the seats will be filled on gameday in support of our student-athletes and a national television audience.” The tickets will be available in four distribution block dates, with tickets to three upcoming games. Distribution of 725 complimentary student tickets will start Monday at 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. The pick-up window is at the Mustang Ticket Office at the north end of Gerald T. Ford Stadium. If tickets are still available after the Monday distribution, it will continue Tuesday and Wednesday until all tickets have been distributed. The issued tickets will be assigned a section — 100, 108, 109, 110, 114, 115 or 214A — and those sections are firstcome, first-served. Section 112 will be reserved for “The Mob,” a student fan group that any
student can join for $49. Students who claim tickets during distribution should use them or give them to a fellow student with a valid student ID to use because all tickets are associated with the individual’s SMU ID. If the ticket goes unused, the student with the associated ID will not be able to pick up tickets in the next distribution block. Those who do not utilize tickets they pick up will be notified by SMU email. For the University of Louisville game March 5, the system will give priority to those students who have attended all previous games. Students can bring one extra valid SMU ID to pick up one additional ticket at the window. All SMU students who pay the general student fee — all fulltime undergraduates and some full-time graduate students — are eligible for complimentary student tickets. “We are very excited to have so many students surrounding the court,” said Brad Sutton, Senior Associate A.D. for Public Relations and Marketing. “It should give us a true home court advantage and create a tremendous game atmosphere.” The introduction of this new student ticket plan follows another change to come with the reopening of Moody — the sale of beer and wine in the venue. While the sale of alcohol was one of 79 recommendations by the President’s Task Force on Athletics Marketing, Attendance and Community Outreach, Sutton said the new student ticket plan was not related to the task force.
Student ticket plan Q&A
Information provided by SMU Athletics Q: Can I guarantee that I will have a seat at all men’s basketball home games? A: Tickets are not guaranteed. Seven-hundred and twenty-five tickets will be reserved for students to pick up on the designated pick-up dates. The best way to obtain a ticket to a game is to show up as early as possible on the Mondays listed above as ticket pick-up dates. Q: Do students get assigned seats? A: No, students will be assigned to a particular section (Sections 100, 108, 109, 110, 112, 114, 115, & 214A). Seating within each section is first-come, first-served (general admission). Section 112 is reserved for members of “The Mob.”
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Visit vendors featured in the 2013 Gift Guide online at smudailycampus.com/gift-guide
Join us in the Hughes-Trigg Commons today!
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STYLE
WEDNESDAY n DECEMBER 4, 2013 FE ATURE
Unpaid internships cause stir in fashion journalism world bROOKE H. Reagan Style Editor breagan@smu.edu “The job a million girls would kill for” is getting harder to achieve. Conde Nast Publications, which owns GQ Magazine, Vogue and Vanity Fair among 23 other magazines, announced Oct. 23 that it will terminate its internship program as of January 2014. The program ends amid a lawsuit initiated by Matthew Leib, a former two-time intern at The New Yorker, and Lauren Ballinger, a former intern at W Magazine. Leib and Ballinger allege their stipends from Conde Nast amounted to less than $1 an hour during their unpaid internships. Conde Nast has not released a public statement, but many in the industry say experience is payment enough. As rumors swirl regarding whether Hearst Corporation, another top publication company, will follow Conde Nast’s lead, the ethics and legality behind unpaid internships is becoming a controversial topic. Unpaid internships must adhere to the following guidelines set forth by the U.S. Department of Labor: “1. The internship, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to training, which would be given in an educational environment.
2. The internship experience is for the benefit of the intern. 3. The intern does not displace regular employees, but works under close supervision of existing staff. 4. The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern; and on occasion its operations may actually be impeded. 5. The intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the internship. 6. The employer and the intern understand that the intern is not entitled to wages for the time spent in the internship.” Leib and Ballinger filed a classaction suit against Conde Nast in June claiming the company violated those rules. Leib said The New Yorker paid him $300 for one summer and $500 for the next summer for reviewing and proofreading articles and assisting with the online cartoon database from 10 a.m to 5:30 p.m. three days a week. Ballinger said W Magazine paid her $12 a day when she worked either 12 hours a day in the accessories department or 10 hours a day in the fine jewelry department. Ballinger also received one credit hour toward her degree at the American University of Paris. In an interview with The New York Times, Ballinger compared
WEDNESDAY December 4
her internship experience to “The Devil Wears Prada,” except unlike Anne Hathaway’s character in the movie, “we don’t get any makeover in the end.” “Our goal isn’t to end internship programs. Our goal is to… make sure they’re legal, either by paying minimum wage or making sure they meet the criteria the Department of Labor has spelled out,” said Rachel Bien, Leib and Ballinger’s lead attorney at Outten & Golden LLP, in a statement. When Leib and Ballinger initially filed suit, Conde Nast responded by altering its internship program to enforce limited hours, a stipend and the guarantee that interns only participated in relevant duties. However, Conde Nast quickly did away with the program all together. Bien has quite a busy year ahead of herself as Leib and Ballinger are not her only clients involved in the movement for paid internships in the publishing world. Hearst is also in hot water as Diana Wang, a former intern at Harper’s Bazaar, filed a suit in February 2012 claiming she worked almost 55 hours a week in the accessories department answering phones, organizing expense reports, running errands and managing other interns with no compensation. Another 3,000 former interns joined her case,
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
December 5
December 6
Meadows Theatre Performance, “The Seven” by Will Power, Greer Garson Theatre, Owen Arts Center, 8 p.m.
Tri Delta Cookies and Castles, HTSC Commons, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
SATURDAY
All-University Worship, Perkins Chapel, 11 a.m. Meadows Symphony Orchestra with Guest Cellist Christopher Adkins, Caruth Auditorium, Owen Arts Center, 8 p.m.
SUNDAY
MONDAY
December 7
December 8
December 9
SMU Football vs. University of Central Florida, Ford Stadium, 11 a.m.
Meadows Theatre Performance, “The Seven” by Will Power, Greer Garson Theatre, Owen Arts Center, 2 p.m.
Complimentary Men’s Basketball Student Ticket Pick-up, Mustang Ticket Office, Ford Stadium, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Featured in the Gift Guide online at smudailycampus.com/gift-guide
Courtesy of fanpop.com
Anna Wintour is editor-in-chief of American Vogue, which terminated its 2014 internship program.
which is now in the appeal process. Wang is also suing Fenton-Fallon, a jewelry company, for not receiving adequate payment for that previous internship. “Rather than doing the right thing and paying their entry-level workers a fair wage, they’re killing jobs that help move young workers and graduates into professional jobs. They’ve been caught behaving badly, so they’re having a tantrum. Today, Conde Nast threw their toys out of the pram,” Mikey Franklin, the founder
NOVEMBER 27 Time Reported: 6:04 PM. Time Occurred: 6:04 PM. Date Occurred: 11/27/2013. Fire Alarm. Moore Hall. Smoke from food spilling over in an oven caused the fire alarm system to activate at this location. Closed.
NOVEMBER 28 Time Reported: 3:39 AM. Time Occurred: 3:39 AM. Date Occurred: 11/28/2013. Public
of the Fair Pay Campaign, told BuzzFeed Politics. David Carr, a New York Times reporter, also advocates for paid internships. “These internships are by their very nature discriminatory,” Carr wrote. “Only a certain kind of young person can afford to spend a summer working for no pay. According to sources at the major publishers, more than one in five of these plum spots typically go to people who are connected one way or another… Paid internships, properly conceived and administered, could bring a diversity of region, class and race to an industry where the elevators are full of people who look alike, talk alike and think alike.” Many former Conde Nast interns believe what they earned in experience and networking far outweighs any monetary value. It has been suggested that one can’t put a price on learning from Vogue Creative Director Grace Coddington. For example, Stephanie Cain, a former intern at Brides magazine, compared her internship to auditing a class. She told The New York Times, “You don’t expect to be paid for auditing a class.” Cain also mentioned that she got her current job as an editor for an e-commerce site through connections made at her Brides internship. The argument has also been
made that not only do the interns benefit from the programs, the companies do as well. Erin Cunningham, a former intern at Teen Vogue and current fashion reporter for The Daily Beast, wrote, “A lack of interns could definitely slow down the operations of the fast-paced magazine environment. Interns are utilized for a variety of vital — although menial and time-consuming tasks — including sample handling and trafficking, assisting with market appointments and assisting on photo shoots.” Other interns in support of the programs they completed insist that it is wrong and manipulative to sue after the fact, especially when one knew what he or she was getting into in the first place. Dylan Byers, a former intern at The New Yorker and current media reporter for Politico, called such actions “disingenuous” in an article in The New York Times. Helena, a former intern at Oprah Magazine who did not publish her last name, wrote an article in xoJane.com in which she alludes that those behind the lawsuits simply don’t have an attitude for hard work. “When they see how the sausage is made, some people can’t keep eating it, especially when they’re paying a premium,” Helena wrote. “But for the hungry ones, though, it doesn’t matter.”
Intoxication. 2900 Potomac Ave. A non-affiliated individual was cited, arrested and booked into the University Park Jail for being intoxicated in public. Closed.
11/21/2013. Duty on Striking an Unattended Vehicle. A student reported failure to leave identifying information at the scene of an accident. Inactive.
DECEMBER 1 Time Reported: 2:00 AM. Time Occurred: 2:00 AM. Date Occurred: 12/01/2013. Driving Under the Influence by a Minor. Off Campus - 2700 Daniel Ave. A non-affiliated individual was cited and released for underage drinking and driving. Closed. Time Reported: 12:40 PM. Time Occurred: 7:00 PM. Date Occurred:
Time Reported: 2:24 PM. Time Occurred: 3:50 PM to 12:00 PM. Date Occurred: 11/27/2013 to 12/01/2013. Theft. Lambda Chi Alpha House. A student reported a theft at this location. Open. Time Reported: 6:49 PM. Time Occurred: 6:49 PM. Date Occurred: 12/01/2013. Fire Alarm. SMU Service House. The fire alarm system malfunctioned at this location. Closed.
WEDNESDAY n DECEMBER 4, 2013 Philanthropy
Feeling the love of the holiday season, smiling students delivered presents to the SMU Angel Tree Monday during the Celebration of Lights in front of Dallas Hall. The Salvation Army started the Angel Tree program to allow people an opportunity to share with less fortunate children and senior citizens. The SMU Student Foundation decided this was a great way for students, teachers and parents to give back to the community. “We wanted to give SMU students the opportunity to directly share the spirit of Christmas with the less
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than $50,000, according to Simpson, who contrasted this statistic with the fact that some soldiers in Afghanistan don’t receive hot meals. “Ladies and gentlemen, that is bull****... I hate to be so precise,” he said. As far as cutting foreign aid as some suggest, Simpson noted that it wouldn’t make a difference as foreign aid makes up only .0036 percent of the federal budget. Two-thirds of the American budget are the bigticket items like healthcare and other government programs, according to Simpson. These things won’t be fixed until legislators “have skin in the game,” he said. The duo wants to get rid of all backdoor spending when it comes to taxes — no loopholes, no deductions. “That’s tough talk,” Simpson said. “It’s gonna be very painful.”
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At Celebration of Lights, students give back through Angel Tree Michael Murphy Contributing Writer mmurphy@smu.edu
NEWS
fortunate,” said Kat Thompson, the student involvement chair of the Campus Events Committee. There were over 60 children available for sponsorship through the program. People who decided to donate were assigned a specific child and given their wish list, along with clothing and shoe sizes. Student Foundation recommended no less than $20 be spent per child, as to make the child’s Christmas very special. The program ran for three weeks, during which people had time to go out and shop for their assigned children. Presents were dropped off Monday and placed on the Angel Tree sled. David Lee, Student Foundation’s Director of Finance, explained the
importance of this charity. “These might be the only presents these children get for Christmas. Without this program, these children might not have felt the love of the holiday season,” he said. “This is a great way to feel the spirit of unity on SMU campus and, in the process, make someone’s wish come true,” said Jhoanna Garcia, carrying an armful of presents and accompanied by one of her Sigma Lambda Gamma sorority sisters, had this to say as she dropped of her gifts at the Angel Tree last night. SMU senior Jenny Smith agreed. “It’s such a good opportunity to give back. Being at SMU for four years, you realize how fortunate you are,” she said.
Bowles suggested using 96 percent of all tax money to reduce income tax rates, and 4 percent to reduce the deficit, unlike the Ryan budget that puts all money towards reducing income tax rates. “We don’t want to throw granny over the cliff. We are granny,” Bowles said of Social Security. He and Simpson proposed that the retirement age in 40 years is raised by only one year and is raised again by a single year in 65 years. When AARP complained about this and said it would be confusing to seniors, Simpson said he responded with, “They have 40 years; they can figure it out.” He recalled that back in his college years when he “thought beer was food,” 15 people payed in for one person in social security. He said the ratio today is 3 to 1. Simpson recommended that people respond to those not wanting to give up their “precious
medicare” or “precious Social Security” by saying that those programs are a, “Terminological inexactitude, you lying son of a b****,” using the phrase meaning a lie coined by Sir Winston Churchill. Both said that sweeping changes are possible by making a conscious choice about who the public elects. If a member is considering succumbing to pressure by lobbying groups like the AARP or Americans for Tax Reform and “your country needs a patriot instead of a panderer, you shouldn’t be in Congress,” Simpson said. If things aren’t fixed in the future, Bowles said, “We’ll be the first generation to leave this country worse off than we found it... That’s gotta be unacceptable to every one of you.” Visit the pair’s website at www. fixthedebt.org and find out more about how to change the way government handles spending at www.thecankicksback.org.
Q: How early can I get into Moody Coliseum to get my seat? A: On gamedays, the student entrance, located at the southwest corner of Moody Coliseum between Moody and the Dedman Rec Center, will open 90 minutes prior to tip-off. Students will then be able to select an available seat within the section designated on his/her ticket. Q: Can I go to a ticket window and pick up a complimentary ticket on gameday? A: No. If the game is not sold out on gameday, tickets will be available for students to purchase at half price. Q: Will I be penalized for picking up a ticket and not using it? A:Yes. The tickets will be scanned upon entry and recorded. If a complimentary ticket goes unused, the student who claimed the ticket will not be eligible to pick up tickets in the next block. Please note that the ticket you pick up will still be associated with your SMU ID, so only allocate the ticket to a fellow student you know will use the ticket. If it goes unused, you will not be able to pick up tickets in the next distribution block. Q: What should I do with my ticket if I have picked one up and can no longer attend the game? A: If you cannot attend a game for which you have claimed a ticket, you are encouraged to pass the ticket along to an SMU student with a valid ID for use. Tickets may also be returned to the ticket office for redistribution prior to gameday. If the ticket office is able to reallocate the ticket, the student will retain their ticket privileges. Q: When I pick up tickets, do I have to take tickets for all games in that distribution block? A: No.You may select tickets to one, two or all three games in each distribution block. Q: How many complimentary tickets am I able to pick up? A: Students are able to pick up one (1) ticket with a valid SMU Student ID. Any student may bring a second valid SMU Student ID to pick up one (1) additional ticket for a total of two (2) tickets. Q: Can I sell my complimentary ticket? A: No. Tickets are transferable only to other SMU students with a valid ID. If any complimentary tickets are found to be sold, ticket privileges linked to that SMU ID may be revoked. Q: Does this policy impact women’s basketball tickets? A: Only the UConn women’s game Feb. 25 will require advance ticket pick-up. Those tickets will be distributed Feb. 10 along with the Houston and UCF men’s game tickets. For all other women’s basketball games, students may simply show his/her ID at the gate on gameday for entry.
LIGHTS Continued from page 1
through the middle of the chorus, Conboy’s voice was drowned out by the “oohs” and “aahs” coming from the crowd. In a single moment, the trees lining the lawn, the columns of Dallas Hall and a massive Christmas tree in the center of the lawn were twinkling against the Dallas night sky. Sarah Digiovanni, a first-year student from Huntington Beach, Cali. recounted the sense of school spirit she felt this year. “Celebration of Lights has definitely been one of my favorite events I’ve been to on campus. I’ve never seen the student body so united and it really made feel like SMU was one big family. It made me so proud to say that I’m a Mustang. Needless to say, I will be attending that event every year,” Digiovanni said.
ELLEN SMITH / The Daily Campus
The Belle Tones and Southern Gentlemen perform in front of Dallas Hall.
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OPINION
WEDNESDAY WEDNESDAY n n DECEMBER JANUARY 18, 4, 2012 2013
To respond to any pieces on our opinion page, tweet us at @thedailycampus with the hashtag #hilltoptweets. sports
Drowning Dallas in December matthew costa Associate Sports Editor mcosta@smu.edu Here we go again with this media noise. Here comes the Dallas we are all forced to hate. Here comes another final stretch of ineptitude and failure that will be replayed for months. How could the Cowboys possibly succeed with such a lateseason train wreck? I mean, have you seen Tony Romo’s record in December? It’s probably the worst thing since Mark Sanchez’s. Okay, that last bit might be a tad rough even for America’s team, but can we please stop this nonsense? Romo is, for the most part, not the issue, he’s never been the issue, and quite frankly I find it hard to believe he will ever be the issue as to why the Dallas Cowboys won’t reach the promise land of the Super Bowl. Now that’s not to say the former Pro Bowl quarterback hasn’t had his share of HUGE gaffs later in the season when the team needed him the most –— I’m looking at you, Washington, New York, Pittsburgh — but just think of how awful the Cowboys record would be in December without him. In the time that Romo’s been starting at quarterback for Dallas, he’s produced 11 wins to 15 losses. On the surface, that’s simply not going to cut it. This is the time that high-profile players make high-caliber plays, and the only ones most media outlets, specifically the ones with fourletter acronyms, seem to only dig up the ones Romo didn’t make. Well how about a little truth serum for you Romo haters? Any idea how many 1,000-yard running backs Romo’s played with since becoming a full-time starter in the league? Try zero. Marion the Barbarian wasn’t exactly at his healthiest around the Holidays, Felix Jones was about as useful around here as a
snowplow, and DeMarco Murray can’t seem to keep his ankles appropriately attached to the rest of his legs. Now Murray does have the opportunity to become the first member on that dubious list to rush for at least 1,000 yard since Julius Jones did it nearly a decade ago, but the point stands that Romo has lacked any real offensive help in his career. What about the other side of the ball? When was the last time the Cowboys defense stepped up to the plate and made a few more plays when the thermometers start to drop around the country? The only time the Dallas score stoppers have heavily contributed to Romo’s cause was when they helped the team reach the second round of the playoffs in 2009. Almost every other year, that group has been just as big of a contributor to the losing ways in Big D as anyone else. Finally, the statistics for Romo do him justice, but it seems like that’s another area that is lightly glossed over in the media. Although the standard passer rating for quarterbacks in the NFL doesn’t take many of factors into account, it is still a decent gauge for throwing success. Romo is the league’s second best passer to only Aaron Rodgers with a 106.3 rating since 2009. Romo is also one of the best quarterbacks at protecting the football, throwing only seven interceptions in that same time frame. Dallas will have to overcome much in order to get back to the playoffs for the first time in four seasons, but the problems of the Cowboys are so much more than on their quarterback. Even though Romo hasn’t been perfect with the money on the line, it’s time everyone else in Dallas cashed in.
Economics
Soccer can tackle Qatar’s labor problem jared tidenberg Contributing Writer jtidenberg@smu.edu Recent news reports have revealed a plethora of issues regarding abuse of migrant workers in Qatar, ranging from more than 60 hour workweeks, dangerous working conditions and poor, unsanitary living conditions including lack of potable water. With the 2022 FIFA World Cup construction under way in Qatar, there has been a huge surge of migrant workers employed in the country, adding to the already giant population of migrant workers representing the highest ratio of migrants to citizens of any country in the world, as well as an increase in awareness of the issue. These workers have been employed to build structures including stadiums and a new metro system, for the soccer tournament, a worldwide event watched by viewers from all corners of the globe. The workers, many from Southeast Asia, often have their passports confiscated when entering the country, restricting their movement, and many have reported “slave-like” working conditions,
earning less than $4,000 per year and being forced to work 12-15 hour days in sweltering temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Reports published in the past few months claim many workers have died from heart attacks, likely a result of heat exhaustion. Some workers claim that bed bugs are common within labor camps, and that it is not unusual for 10 beds to be crammed into a very small room. Most labor force abuse boils down to the Kalafa system, a very restrictive sponsorship system which requires employer approval for a worker to change jobs, leave the country, and prohibits many types of lobbying for workers’ rights. Under the system, it is not unusual for a worker to pay high “recruitment fees” to be brought to the country, often forcing them to work without compensation to pay off debt. Qatari officials have promised labor reform, and some laws have been passed, but many of the laws are hardly, if at all, enforced. For instance, minimum wage laws, legal limits on working hours and the right to form unions have been passed, but are usually ignored by employers and not enforced by the
limited Qatari labor organization. So with the current state of migrant workers in Qatar, is there a place for FIFA in pushing for reform in the country? Yes. FIFA has a responsibility to make sure labor reform occurs. The 2022 World Cup will be an integral part of the economy of Qatar over the next nine years and beyond, but the lives of workers from all over Southeast Asia must not be sacrificed to produce an even faster growing economy in this oil-rich Gulf country. FIFA must work together with the Qatari government and labor organization to push for reform, or to even abolish, the Kalafa system, allowing for free movement of the migrant workers, giving them the ability to travel home to visit their families. It is not unusual for a worker to not see their family for two years. Reform needs to take place to allow for more time off. With any reform that takes place, FIFA needs to ensure that the appropriate mechanisms are in place to allow for new laws to actually be enforced. No matter what laws are passed and what labor reforms are enacted, history will repeat itself if the framework of the current system is not changed.
FIFA, as an outside organization, must push for the government to follow through with its actions, and when it fails to do so, reprimand it. FIFA must also be fully aware of all working conditions and treatment of workers as well as living conditions for migrants and must place representatives within Qatar to monitor the situation. They must work diligently with Qatari officials on these issues and inform them of their concerns as well as continually update and inform the public. With the help of FIFA and the recent spotlight on working conditions in Qatar, many of these issues can be rectified. FIFA has the option to leave Qatar and move the games elsewhere, but this will have consequences not only on the Qatari economy, but also on all of the migrant workers livelihoods that rely on the jobs created by the World Cup. Therefore, FIFA must use all of its available means and influence the Qatari government to change the lives of these workers, improve their way of life and in turn, help provide for their families back home. Tidenberg is a senior majoring in real estate finance and human rights.
cartoon
Costa is a senior majoring in journalism.
quote worthy Courtesy of MCT Campus
“I think he’s just quite jealous that I managed to get away from a screaming child.” —Prince Harry, on his brother William’s thoughts on his trip to the South Pole “I don’t know why they call it morning sickness, that’s my big joke right now. It’s like all day and all night.” —Singer Kelly Clarkson on her pregnancy “I am proud to be a normal size girl and I want to encourage everyone to be confident at any size.” —Country Singer Miranda Lambert, responding to rumors about her weight loss “We’re not going back.” —President Barack Obama, standing by the Affordable Care Act despite the complaints
middle east
Beyond the Shakespearean love caroline dillard Contributing Writer cdillard@smu.edu In the past couple weeks, the story of a young Saudi woman and Yemeni man who tried to escape the confines of traditional culture and parental authority for love captured the world. Al-Niran al-Niran, a 22-yearold Saudi woman, met Tahar Mohammed Tahar, a Yemeni citizen, when she brought in her phone to be fixed at the shop where he worked in Saudi Arabia. The pair quickly fell in love but ran into difficulty when al-Niran’s parents refused Tahar’s marriage proposal. When alNiran’ father set up an arranged marriage to ensure his daughter would not marry the Yemeni, she illegally fled across the Saudi border to elope with Tahar. Yemeni forces, however, arrested al-Niran for illegal entry, jailed her and threatened deportation, catapulting the young lovers’ story into public
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awareness. The media branded their story a modern Arab Romeo and Juliet. Protestors gathered in Sanaa shouting “We are all AlNiran” and “Love before borders and citizenship.” A Facebook group supporting Al-Niran and Tahar’s plight garnered around 11,000 “likes.” Finally last Tuesday, Yemeni authorities released Al-Niran and gave her three months to seek help from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Many reports of al-Niran and Tahar’s Shakespearean love story focused on the threat AlNiran faced in the event of her deportation from Yemen. AlNiran cited potential violence from her family in Saudi Arabia in her plea for asylum. The traditional — even oppressive — role of women in Saudi Arabia is no secret, especially after the tensions created by a campaign to end the driving ban on women over the past month. Under such conditions it is understandable why Al-Niran believes she cannot
return to her home country after her defiant flight. What is not clear, however, is if al-Niran will be any better off in Yemen. The youth who took to the street in the Arab Spring seem to suggest that significant social and attitude shifts have occurred in the Gulf nation. The reality for women, however, is still bleak. Yemen is hardly the safe haven for brave, young women like alNiran that many accounts of her story seem to depict. Much like their Saudi counterparts, Yemeni women face legal barriers to the full recognition of their human rights. Women have lesser status in Yemeni family, property, and inheritance law. There is no legal recognition of spousal rape. Men convicted of honor killings are often given lenient sentences. No minimum legal age for marriage exists, and a 2009 study found that a quarter of all girls were married before age 15. Al-Niran may have escaped oppressive Saudi customs and laws, but she did not escape the underlying
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norms that define women as lesser people in many Middle Eastern countries. Maybe al-Niran’s story gained such attention because an evolving Arab world wants to fight for the rights of young men and a young women to marry without the constraints of traditional norms or patriarchy. Maybe al-Niran and Tahar are just pawns in a struggle between Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Or maybe they received attention because the story of a young woman who is courageous enough to assert her rights despite the legal implications or potential familial violence is still the exception, not an evolving norm, in these Arab countries. As the story of al-Niran and Tahar spreads and becomes romanticized, do not forget that al-Niran’s freedom from her father’s stern control does not necessarily mean she is free. Dillard is a senior majoring in economics.
Entire contents © 2013 The Daily Campus. thedailycampus@gmail.com • http://www.smudailycampus.com SMU Box 456, Dallas, TX 75275 • 214-768-4555 • Fax: 214-768-8787 Daily Campus Policies The Daily Campus is a public forum, Southern Methodist University’s independent student voice since 1915 and an entirely student-run publication. Letters To The Editor are welcomed and encouraged.All letters should concentrate on issues, be free of personal attacks, not exceed 250 words in length and must be signed by the author(s). Anonymous letters will not be published and The Daily Campus reserves the right to edit letters for accuracy, length and style. Letters should be submitted to thedailycampus@gmail.com. Guest columns are accepted and printed at the editor’s discretion upon submission to thedailycampus@gmail.com. Guest columns should not exceed 500-600 words and the author will be identified by name and photograph. Corrections. The Daily Campus is committed to serving our readers with accurate coverage and analysis. Readers are encouraged to bring errors to The Daily Campus editors’ attention by emailing Editorial Adviser Jay Miller at jamiller@smu.edu.
SPORTS
WEDNESDAY n DECEMBER 4, 2013 Football
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Basketball
Five UCF players to watch Billy Embody Sports Writer wembody@smu.edu Running back Storm Johnson The junior running back brings a nice balance to the University of Central Florida offense with his versatility, he has 1,200 all-purpose yards on the year with 14 total touchdowns. Johnson averages over five yards per carry and, with him being a solid threat out of the backfield, allows the UCF offense to keep opposing defenses on its toes. SMU’s defensive front seven will have to play sound fundamentally and make tackles at the line of scrimmage to keep Johnson from breaking out against the SMU defense.
Wide receiver Rannell Hall The 6-1, 200 pound Hall has been relatively quiet the last two games, but has made his mark in the return game, returning four kicks against the University of South Florida for 177 yards, good for 44.25 yards per return. The junior receiver averages close to 15 yards per catch and while he hasn’t scored a touchdown since week four, his versatility is something that SMU has to watch for. Hall’s kickoff return ability can be where he is most dangerous since SMU’s special teams have struggled for most of the year.
Linebacker Terrance Plummer Terrance Plummer is the leader on defense at linebacker for the Golden Knights with 90 tackles, two sacks, eight tackles for loss and two forced fumbles on the season. At 6-1, 235 pounds, Plummer
Courtesy of AP
SMU’s Nic Moore (11) shoots a basket during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Fayetteville, Ark., Monday. Courtesy of AP
University of Central Florida quarterback Blake Bortles (5) is pressured by University of South Florida defensive lineman Aaron Lynch (19) during the first half of an NCAA college football game on Friday in Orlando, Fla.
does move well as a bigger linebacker with two interceptions and six pass breakups. If Plummer can cover SMU’s slot receivers well, it could be a long day for SMU if the outside receivers don’t produce like in the University of Houston loss.
Defensive back Clayton Geathers
Garrett Gilbert will have to account for at all times. The 6-2, 210 pound defensive back is physically imposing and is good in run support as well, but with nine pass breakups, his coverage skills are above average for a big safety. Geathers is extremely versatile and will need to be accounted for in the blocking schemes due to his 4.5 tackles for loss as well.
UCF’s second leading tackler on the team with 81 tackles as well as a great player in coverage, Geathers is someone that Neal Burcham or
Quarterback Blake Bortles Even though Bortles is coming
off an average performance by his standards, he is one of the best and most efficient quarterbacks around and will be tough for SMU to stop. Bortles has thrown for over 3,000 yards on the season and has a passer rating just above 167 on the year so the SMU secondary will have to be at its best. The UCF offense spreads the ball around well too so watch for Bortles to try to get in a rhythm early and set the tone early. If SMU has a shot at the upset, the defense will need to knock Bortles off his game early and force some turnovers.
Volleyball
Acker named Conference Setter of the Year Demetrio Teniente Sports Editor dteniente@smu.edu
On Tuesday sophomore Avery Acker was named Setter of the Year in the American Athletic Conference, and was one of five Mustangs to earn all-conference honors. Joining her on the first team
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was junior outside hitter Caroline Young and first-year middle blocker Janelle Giordano. Earning second team honors were Cailin Bula and Abbey Bybel. Acker became the sixth player in SMU history to record 1,000 assists. Averaging 11.2 assists per set, Acker amassed 1,199 total. In conference matches, Acker led the league with an average of 11.56
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per set and recorded 728 total (in AAC action). The junior also had 264 digs and a team-high 12 double-doubles. Acker tallied 50 assists or more five times this season. Young earned her third allconference award, earning firstteam honors last season after being named to the Conference USA All-Freshman team in 2011.
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She was second in conference matches with 3.51 kills per set, and was eighth in the league with a .318 attack percentage. Young recorded at least 10 kills 23 times (including 14 of 18 conference matches), four doubledoubles, and finished with 167 digs and 73 blocks. Young also received Conference Player of the Week four times this season, a league-high.
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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: 12/02/13
Mustangs wrangle Cowboys, 88-59 Billy Embody Sports Writer wembody@smu.edu SMU’s men’s basketball team improved to 7-2 on the season with their 88-59 demolition of 2-6 McNeese State University Monday night at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas. The team continued its dominance in the paint, outscoring McNeese State 3414, outrebounding them 42-25. SMU has now outrebounded their opposition in eight of its nine games so far. That type of dominance put SMU second in The American Athletic Conference in rebounding margin at +8.9 per game and leaves them at 25th in the nation. Nic Moore continued to be dominant for the Mustangs, going a perfect five-for-five from beyond the arc, finishing with 15 points. What Head Coach Larry Brown noted in his press conference as more impressive was Moore’s
ability to defend in the game. SMU held its seventh opponent of the season to under 40 percent from the field and that was an accomplishment since the McNeese Cowboys were averaging 23 three-point attempts coming into the game, but finished just 10-for-34 from three-point land. With 13 different Mustangs scoring Monday, it helped SMU improve to 5-0 at the Curtis Culwell Center on the year. The Cowboys were led by Ledrick Eackles, who scored 21 points. SMU now heads up to Chicago to face the University of Illinois at Chicago at 7 p.m. tonight in what should be a nice homecoming for SMU players Nic Moore, Crandall Head, Ben Moore and Sterling Brown. Nic Moore has been stellar at point guard for SMU this season and Ben Moore and Brown have been nice surprises coming off the bench for the Mustangs while Head has played limited minutes thus far this season.
Crossword Across 1 Caesar's love 5 Signal to an on-call doctor 9 Omits 14 Chowhound's request 15 Sharif who played Zhivago 16 World Court site, with "The" 17 Shepard in space 18 Plate ump's purview 20 Brand for heartburn 22 Providence-toBoston dir. 23 Scraps for Rover 24 Unit of work 25 Soda for dieters 28 French season 30 Thin pancake 31 Violinist's gift 34 Move very slowly 36 Suffers from 37 In recent times 39 Mechanic, at times 41 "That works!" 42 4-Down collector 43 Boy king 44 Made a hue turn? 45 Suffix for records 46 Oater group bent on justice 48 Nile biter 49 Blush wine, for short 51 Short market lines? 54 Piedmont wine region 57 Erie Canal mule 58 __ Pipeline, Oahu surfing attraction 60 "She's Not There" rock group 63 "Ripostes" poet Pound 64 Overnight refuge 65 Theater part 66 Choir part 67 Blow some dough 68 __ collar 69 Stonewall's soldiers Down 1 Shock 2 Large grinder 3 Citrus shavings 4 Payment to 42-Across 5 "Thick and Rich" chocolate syrup 6 Rescue pro 7 Ones on the payroll
8 Freddie __ Jr. of "Scooby-Doo" films 9 Ship reference 10 Musical buzzer 11 Composer Stravinsky 12 Fourth-down play 13 Dates 19 Property border warning 21 The Red Sox' Jon Lester, e.g. 26 1980s Chrysler product 27 Altered mtge. 29 Social cupfuls 31 This crossword, literally for some, phonetically for all 32 "Please don't yell __" 33 Oboe, e.g. 34 Eye rudely 35 They're found in lodes 36 Reason for a medal 38 Classic Fords 40 Last year's frosh 41 1956 Mideast dispute area 43 J. Alfred Prufrock creator
47 Straw-strewn shelter 48 Santa __ winds 49 Shrivel 50 "A Doll's House" playwright 52 Medicare section 53 Informal byes 54 Dollar dispensers, for short
55 Hit a Target? 56 Head of Paris? 59 Close by 61 Getting on in years 62 Big one on the set, perhaps
Solution: 12/02/2013
ARTS
63
WEDNESDAY n DECEMBER 4, 2013 fe ature
Reality shows target Dallas for mass production How much is actually real? Former contestants reveal thier experiences kamilah todd Contributing Writer ktodd@smu.edu Reality shows have formed around the city of Dallas for the scenery, the actors, the plot, and the theme. Ben Scott, former “The Bachelorette” contestant was ABC’s most recent project, as a heartthrob who schemes and is defeated. However, the final product that is America’s weekly entertainment is not completely or even partially the true story. Audiences see what they want them to see. At first, it’s hard to make eye contact with Scott as he nervously fidgets with his phone, hesitant to release his guard. Shy and compassionate, it is hard to believe how different Scott appears in the flesh compared to his on-screen bad boy role on “The Bachelorette.” “It’s all about ratings,” Scott said. “They tell you after it’s over; this is a TV show.” Audiences all over the nation gather around their television sets, even throwing parties, celebrating the weekly ABC TV series “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette,” all waiting to see a true romance develop before their eyes. Fans root for their favorites and criticize those in their frontrunner’s way. Studios target Dallas as a resource of recruitment and filming for the wildly popular reality TV industry. Dallas’ stereotypical residents, all attractive, wealthy, charming and oozing with the “We are better than the rest of the country” mentality, create the perfect stars and scenery for multiple storylines. Shows like “Big Rich Texas,” “Most Eligible Dallas,” and
“Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team” all use Dallas and the type of person or star the city breeds. “It is a vibrant, growing area full of big Texas personalities and strong Southern opinions,” CMT Producer Natalie Woods said. “If you want good TV, step into a DFW event full of Dallas socialites and you won’t be bored.” Almost every year, Dallas is thrilled to have at least one representative of the city on reality TV. However, this year Dallas’ Scott brought a lot of fame to his hometown, but not the normal loving attention the city is used to. Labeled as the bad boy from the first episode, “It was only trouble from then on,” Scott said. He, along with his friends, watched “the story play out” and how his exit would be portrayed to America. “It’s almost like they pick their characters, and they already have your time on the show planned out in front of you,” Scott said. “They know exactly who you’re going to be in the show, if you’re going to be the bad guy, if you’re going to be the sweet guy. It’s all in the storyline.” Scott’s unique entrance on to the show, with his 3-year-old son, Brody, by his side, first produced a quick adoration for the young father. However, that quickly changed when fellow contestants and fans reimagined the image of the devoted, doting father into a devious man capable of doing anything for season nine’s bachelorette Dez’s, or even more so, America’s affection and attention. “People are going to make their assumptions of you regardless of how you act,” Scott said. “They decided to show me in a
certain light.” The roasting continued when Brody’s mother became a point of interest. Did she give permission for the child’s introduction to national television? Why’d they break up? What kind of father is Scott? “She got some pretty nasty emails and Facebook messages,” Scott said. “She even got offered money for my phone number, up to $1,000.” It appeared Scott’s honest act of revealing one of the most important people in his life made him vulnerable to a multitude of questions, far more than ever imagined. The same way the show is able to provide the audience with a character to hate, it can also bring light to a character that America can easily fall in love with. A true America’s sweetheart, Melissa Rycroft is one of the most famous contestants to win the hearts of the entire country on season 13 of “The Bachelor,” which, according to Rycroft, was the most invasive reality TV show she has ever done. Fans cheered for her, applauded when she won, and cried when the engagement was called off, leaving Rycroft heartbroken. “You just gotta be yourself,” Rycroft simply advised. “The point of going on a reality show, at least for me, was to not get fame and all that. You just need to be yourself and represent who you are.” Participants know filming is a major part of the game when they decide to sign up for the hopelessly romantic reality TV show, giving full permission to the studio to air their best and worst moments. While fame may not be the intentional, desired goal of the contestants, it’s hard to believe finding a true and lasting love was
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ever a realistic expectation. Both Rycroft and Scott were forced to deal with certain obstacles that decided their fate, the largest being the isolation from the outside world and the effect of mass desire produced from that exile. Cell phones were prohibited. Any form of Internet was prohibited. They were cut off from family and friends and everything that lie outside the lavish walls of their “frat house,” as Scott described, while the studio dangled the treat that is the bachelor or bachelorette to “starving dogs.” “If every once in a while they throw you a bone, you’re going to fight over that bone,” Scott said. From the cattiness of the women to the overload of testosterone with the men, it was only a matter of time before the tension caused an explosion of drama, providing producers with plenty of material to fill the provided time slot. “We’ve seen anticipation, excitement, happiness, anger, arrogance and devastation,” Woods said. “Emotion is exactly what we want to get, and fortunately, viewers will get to see all types of emotions during this series as we have captured it all.” As a result of this rare exposure, contestants’ camera time yields particular fortunes. Rycroft’s charismatic and engaging personality landed her a spot on “Dancing with the Stars” and eventually her own show “Melissa and Tye,” starring her family in an everyday life scenario. However, the series ended after the first season when Rycroft discovered her priorities had drastically changed. “Once I became a mother, not much of anything else really mattered to me, especially not this career,” Rycroft said reflecting
Courtesy of Huffingtonpost.com
Ben Scott competed on season nine of ABC’s reality show, “The Bachelorette.”
on her initial stumble into the business. Scott returned to the DFW Metroplex and experienced many new opportunities that directly came from his reality TV stardom, but none as unique or life changing as that of Rycroft. It all depends on how the show decides to portray you or better said, your character. “The people that matter to me, my family and friends, they didn’t change their opinions of me at all,” Scott said. The popularity of this “fleeting industry,” according to Rycroft, has one sole purpose: to capture engaging people in their most dramatic of moments. “We have people from all walks of life with truly interesting
unique characters,” said Andrew Conway, key assistant camera man for “Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team.” “TV viewers are fascinated with people they don’t often come in contact with.” Closing in on the Lone Star state, the city of Dallas in particular is populated with the kind of people America can easily connect with, according to Scott, the kind of people studio ratings prove to love, to hate, or at least to be entertaining. In some ways, it’s a huge compliment. “It’s a way to represent and I’m proud of Dallas; I’m proud of what everybody has done from it,” said Rycroft, “Keep the reality stars coming!”
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