Major Uncertainty Students should take the time to explore different departments before they declare their majors. Read more about declaring your major on pages 6 & 7
FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012
Indiana’s Oldest College Newspaper
Excise returns to Greencastle
East College camera rumor found false
By TYLER BENWARE news@thedepauw.com
By ALEX PAUL news@thedepauw.com
A rumor that new cameras have been installed in the tower to prevent students from breaking in, has been found false. The university hasn’t installed any new cameras around East College, and Angie Nally, Director of Public Safety can’t figure out why the rumor started. “The camera has been up for years,” said Nally. A construction crew “I highly discourage any attempt working on the sidewalk outside of East Colto get to the bell tower.” lege facing the Union Building led to a rumor among students that the – Angie Nally, Director of Public Safety university placed new cameras around East College. These cameras were thought to stop students from climbing up to the East College bell tower. The construction crew was trimming back bushes around the building. Nally warned about the dangers of climbing to the top; students need to take caution before attempting to reach the top of the bell tower. She said it is “exceptionally dangerous.” Aside from personal injury, Nally said that climbing up to the bell tower is considered unauthorized entry. If caught the violator could face charges of criminal mischief on top of the unauthorized entry through DePauw and the state. Senior Polly Haight said climbing up the bell tower hadn’t crossed her mind until the rumor started that a camera was in place to stop her. “I think a lot of other hallmarks on campus are sought after, like Boulder Runs,” Haight said.
East College | continued on page 2
VOL. 161, ISSUE 4
No new cameras have been installed in or around East College, according to Angie Nally, Director of Public Safety. STEPHANIE AANENSON / THE DEPAUW
DePauw students, among other college students across Indiana, will have to continue to tread carefully as law enforcement continues to take more measures to prevent alcohol violations. The Indiana State Excise Police, which uses officers in plain clothes and frequents college campuses around the states, were in Greencastle last weekend, although no citations were issued to DePauw students. Excise police are undercover officers who monitor areas where they suspect illicit activity, such as the underage consumption of alcohol and/or the illegal purchase of alcohol by or for minors. They are allowed to enter private property where there is an event which appears to be open to the public. However, they do not have the right to enter if denied. Though, they may reenter buildings or properties if they have proof that intoxicated minors have recently left the premise. Angie Nally, director of Public Safety clarified that the ISEP is a division of the state police, which is completely separate from DePauw
Excise | continued on page 4
Freshman hospitalization trend decreases page 5 Students face consequences for dealing page 3
the depauw | campus news
PAGE 2
FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012
Student government back in session
Discuss white paper goals at opening semester Senate meeting www.thedepauw.com
By ZOE GRABOW news@thedepauw.com
FIRDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012 VOL. 161, ISSUE 4 Editor-in-Chief Managing Editors Chief Copy Editors News Editors Asst. News Editor Asst. Copy Editor Features Editor Deputy Features Editor Opinion Editor Sports Editor Photo Editor Multimedia Editor Multimedia staff Community Editor Page Design
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The Student Senate met for its first time this year on Sunday in the Student Union Building to discuss white papers and proposals for the 2012-2013 academic year. The meeting was chaired by Executive Vice President Mark Fadel. In the meeting, Fadel stressed the importance of going to events and being generally present on campus so senators can accurately fulfill their roles as spokespeople for the students of DePauw. “This year, we’re aimed at having Student Government maintain a higher presence in the students’ lives, making sure they know we’re a source of information and aid for student organizations and giving them a space for voicing complaints or concerns,” Fadel said. “We’re also trying to promote a culture on campus that is conducive for all students.” For its first order of business, senate members discussed participation in the Student Concerns Committee, Academic Affairs Committee and Faculty Committee. Student Concerns and Academic Affairs were both added this year.
THE DEPAUW: (USPS 150-120) is a tabloid published most Tuesdays and Fridays of the school year by the DePauw University Board of Control of Student Publications. The DePauw is delivered free of charge around campus. Paid circulation is limited to mailed copies of the newspaper.
The DePauw Pulliam Center for Contemporary Media 609 S. Locust St., Greencastle, IN 46135 Editor-in-Chief: 765-658-5973 | editor@thedepauw.com Subscriptions: business@thedepauw.com Advertising: advertising@thedepauw.com It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood.
– Mark Fadel, Vice President of DePauw Student Government
ideas to make lasting improvements to DePauw’s campus environment. These are referred to as white papers. Student senators work on achieving the goals highlighted in white papers during the course of the school year. Potential white papers for 2013 include issues such as Experiential Practicum, Kaplan Exam Prep Courses, Sustainability, Co-curricular Inventory the and Campus Climate. The Experiential Practicum would allow students to intern at local offices for credit. In addition to community intern opportunities, the
Haight said she had heard that climbing was dangerous and would encourage students not to attempt to climb. “I don’t even know how to get up there,” Haight
TigerTweets
THE BUSINESS: The DePauw reserves the right to edit, alter or reject any advertising. No specific positions in the newspaper are sold, but every effort will be made to accommodate advertisers. For the Tuesday edition, advertising copy must be in the hands of The DePauw by 5 p.m. the preceding Sunday; for the Friday edition, the copy deadline is 5 p.m. Wednesday.
students would attend weekly classes to discuss business in the community with other student interns. Ivy Tech Community College, the Mayor’s Office, Putnam County Hospital and DePauw’s Finance Office were all suggested as good intern locations. Kaplan Exam Prep Courses suggests bringing in a Kaplan repre-
“We’re aimed at having Student Government maintain a higher presence in the students’ lives, making sure they know we’re a source of information and aid for student organizations.”
East College | continued from page 1
Tweets compiled by Kelly Killpack
THE HISTORY: In its 161st year, The DePauw is Indiana’s oldest college newspaper, founded in 1852 under the name Asbury Notes. The DePauw is an independent, not-for-profit organization and is fully staffed by students.
Following that, the Senate voted unanimously to become involved in the 175th Anniversary and Monon Tshirts event, during which students will compete to have their design displayed on the 175th Anniversary T-shirt. Every year, student government produces a new list of proposals and
sentative to teach classes at DePauw and allowing students to take these classes for a subsidized fee. Ideally, the university would pay for these classes. This would provide students with experience and prepare them further for graduate school. It would also make prep courses less expensive and timely. Sustainability has been described as an investigatory project. Its objective is to find out how DePauw’s facility management handles water and let the local community know how DePauw is practicing green methods. Wa-
said. “Being a science major I’m restricted to Julian.” Nally said in the last four years no DePauw student has been caught entering or exiting the bell tower. One senior successfully climbed to the top of the bell tower during his sophomore year with two other friends, none of whom got caught. “It was the end of that year, and we were talking about how great [climbing to the top] was,” he said. “We just sat there and talked.”
tering methods found their way into everyday conversations following this year’s drought. The Co-curricular Inventory white paper is in favor of adding students’ activities to their transcripts so professors can view students’ extracurriculars and see what students are involved in. Campus Climate would maintain discussions about diversity and specific events on campus. Its goal is to spark further conversation and keep current discussions going through the academic year in an open and free manner. These options were detailed in full in the meeting. Senators then opted which potential white papers to work on for the year. The Senate discussed upcoming officer elections, as well. Student government President Sara Scully asked senators to go out among students and encourage them to become involved in government. “Facebook and Twitter only reach some of the students,” Scully said. “That’s why it’s important to actually go out and talk to them.” On Sept. 6 and 7, students can vote for five first-year senators, five Allocation Board members and a vice president of Student Life.
The hardest part about climbing to the top was cutting the pad lock on the door leading from the hall into the tower, which he said he did not do. “All the stairs and ladder are in place,” he said. “Students are known to break down the door.” He thought making the dangerous trip to the top was a safe event and many would enjoy it. “[The bell tower] has the most beautiful view of campus,” he said. “It definetly is on a lot of bucket lists for students.”
D3TV @D3TVDePauw “Great turnout for our interest meeting! If you want to get involved stop by out studio in the PCCM!”
DePauw Athletics @DePauwAthletics
DePauw Student Gov
DePauw Women’s Swim Team
“DePauw football helps Special Olympics Indiana: http://www.depauw.edu/ athletics/news #teamdepauw”
“Looking for something to get involved? Try one of the many committees we have on campus!”
“Listening to @DePauwFH Coach Preston on @WGRERadio! #teamdepauw”
4:59 PM - 27 Aug 2012
3:16 PM - 28 Aug 2012
9:01 PM - 29 Aug 2012
7:47 PM - 29 Aug 2012
President Casey @President Casey “Come find me...RT @ benalright: @DePauwU issues parking tickets 1st week of school. Seriously? Give us a chance to settle in @President Casey” 9:00 PM - 29 Aug 2012
the depauw | campus news
FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012
PAGE 3
Students charged with dealing, possession of over 1 pound of marijuana
30g
OR LESS
A Misdemeanor OR LESS & PRIOR CONVICTION
Class D Felony OR LESS IN A PUBLIC PLACE
Class D Felony
OR MORE THAN
Class D Felony
30g
Three roommates who were charged on multiple counts of possession or dealing of marijuana Aug. 19 face possible suspension, jail time and thousands of dollars in fines. Charges differ for each student according to the amount of marijuana, paraphernali and controlled substances in their possession at the time Public Safety searched their duplex at 109 W. Hannah St. around noon Sunday, Aug. 19. Two of the roommates were charged with possession of more than 30 grams of, and dealing in, marijuana — which are both Class D Felonies in Indiana, each count meriting up to three years jail time and $10,000 in fines. One student was allegedly in possession of 453 g — almost one pound — of marijuana. Another student allegedly possessed 78.9 g along with dried mushrooms (suspected to be Psilocybin according an incident report). The third roommate was charged
TYPICAL SANCTIONS FOR DIFFERENT LEVELS OF DRUG USE Suspension | Use of possession of drugs that may cause significant harm, are in large quantities or are accompanied by paraphernalia indicating ability or intent to distribute. Repeated use and/or possession of controlled substances or narcotics.
Deferred Suspension | Repeated marijuana possession and/or use. Higher amounts of marijuana possession and/ or use. Significant illegal drug violations.
Probation | First time use or low level possession of marijuana. Being in a room where controlled substances or narcotics are used or accessible.
SOURCE: DEPAUW UNIVERSITY STUDENT HANDBOOK
Friday will be hot and sunny, but you can swap sunglasses for raincoats this weekend as the dregs of Hurricane Isaac travel inland, creating a 60% chance of thunderstorms. Weather courtesy of www.weatherchannel.com
FRIDAY
WEATHER REPORT
SATURDAY
greencastle HIGH: 90° F
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in marijuana and possession of a controlled substance (dried mushrooms), all Class D felonies. He was also charged with possession of paraphernalia. Colin Graham, a senior, was charged with possession of paraphernalia. The three will also go through DePauw’s Community Standards Board, which determines disciplinary action for school rule violations and is completely separate from the legal process. “Traditionally, dealing [marijuana] is dealt with more severe punishments,” said Dean of Student Life Cindy Babington, generally speaking about Community Standard consequences for using or dealing marijuana. “That usually means suspension.” She noted that suspensions don’t happen very often and neither do cases of dealing marijuana. Similar to their legal charges, consequences within Community Standards will depend on past offenses and whether responsibility is taken for the charges. Meggan Johnston, director of Community Standards, will ultimately make a final decision on sanctions against the three. She said that she wasn’t able to speak about specific student cases. Discovery of crime: police report According to an incident report filed by Public Safety Officer Matt Demmings, burnt popcorn caused fire alarms to ring at the 109 W. Hannah apartments, Unit 4 around 11:25 a.m. Demmings and Greencastle Fire Department personnel investigated rooms within the complex to check why the fire alarm continued to sound and found fire detectors that were covered with tape or plastic bags in the second floor unit. They also noted glass smoking pipes with burnt residue, a glass jar with apparent marijuana joints and a
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marijuana grinder in rooms which had been left open. Demmings in turn asked Chen, Mann and Graham to grant him and Public Safety Officer Doug Cox permission to search the rooms without asking a judge for a warrant, explaining to all three their rights. The incident report said that officers found 78.9 g of marijuana, four bongs, six glass pipes, $460 in cash, a bag containing dried mushrooms, a huffing contraption and many other bags, jars and containers with plant residue in Chen’s room as the student watched from the hallway. Upon search of Mann’s room, the incident report notes that Demmings did not search two bags on the floor. One of them was floral print, and Mann said they were his girlfriend’s, therefore he could not give consent for her possessions to be searched. Demmings did not search the two bags — but when he pulled a black luggage bag from a storage space above Mann’s closet, Mann exclaimed, “That’s my girlfriend’s,” according to the report. As Demmings wrote in the report, he didn’t believe Mann and chose to search the bag. It contained two glass jars with 56.6 g of marijuana apiece, along with 12 plastic bags of 28 g of marijuana each. The report indicates Mann’s room also contained six glass pipes, a bong, marijuana joints, a small digital scale and $460 in cash, among other paraphernalia and containers. Chen would not comment, and Mann and Graham could not be reached by press time. All three students haven’t seen punitive action from the university yet, said Babington.
MONDAY
The following penalties apply to persons in possession of marijuana. This information was gathered from http:// www.clarkprosecutor.org/.
news@thedepauw.com
with possession of paraphernalia, a Class A misdemeanor meriting up to one year in jail and $5,000 in fines. All three will have an initial hearing in October and begin litigation that could take anywhere from four to six months, said Putnam County Prosecutor Tim Bookwalter. But the outcome will largely depend on whether or not the three have previous drug-related violations on their record and whether they enter a guilty plea, said Putnam County Deputy Prosecutor Jim Ensly, who will prosecute the case. “There’s a good chance a lot of this sentence will be suspended and they will be put on probation,” Ensly said. “Mistakes can be made, but a lot needs to be taken into consideration when deciding what kinds of punishment fit.” The two charged with felonies will likely be offered alternative misdemeanor sentences, giving them a chance to eventually downgrade the potential felonies on their record to misdemeanors. This would probably come with years of probation, community service and drug rehabilitation classes. However, there’s also the possibility their multiple counts of Class D felonies are ‘stacked,’ creating potential for longer jail time and higher fines. Usually, the similar counts are litigated together, meaning they don’t add up the maximum jail time and fines with multiple counts, Ensly said. Justin Mann, a senior, was charged with knowingly possessing marijuana in pure or adulterated form in amounts greater than 30 g, dealing marijuana greater than 30 g and less than 10 pounds, both Class D felonies. He also was charged with possession of paraphernalia, a Class A misdemeanor. Alexander “Xander” Chen, a senior, was charged with knowingly possessing marijuana in pure or adulterated amounts greater than 30 g, dealing
SUNDAY
POSSESSION PENALTIES IN INDIANA
By CHASE G. HALL
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the depauw | campus news
PAGE 4
CAMPUSCRIME August 28 • Theft of book • Pending | Time: 5:39 p.m. | Place: Union Building • Nature Park after hours rule violation • Subject located / Left premises | Time: 8:39 p.m. | Place: Nature Park • Noise – loud music • Officer checked building / checked okay | Time: 11:22 p.m. | Place: Strasma Hall • Mischief to sign • Forwarded to Facilities Management | Time: 11:40 p.m. | Place: Longden Hall
August 29 • Alcohol violation • Released to custody of friend / forwarded to Community Standards Committee | Time: 2:30 a.m. | Place: Bishop Roberts Hall
August 30 • Noise – loud music • Made contact with House Representation / verbal warning issued | Time: 12:00 a.m. | Place: Delta Tau Delta Fraternity
FOR THE RECORD In the Aug. 24 issue, within the article, “A new Tiger on campus,” the name of the Indianapolis-based branding and marketing production company, Sport Graphics, was misspelled. In the Aug. 28 issue, within the article, “Heavy rain causes flooding in the basements around campus,” Professor Emily Doak was misquoted. She actually said: "The flooding is quite frustrating. The same backed up plumbing flooded the basement last year as well, and there have been concerns about mold that moved people out of the basement in the last couple years yet some of us remain there." In the Aug. 28 issue, the photo caption that went along with the article, “Offense stumbles in Saturday scrimmage,” lists DePauw with a losing score. However, there was no score taken, as it was not a game, but a pre-season scrimmage. In the Aug. 28 issue, in the photo caption that went along with the article, “Putting shots on goal a struggle in final team tune-up,” RoseHulman Institute of Technology is misidentified.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012
Aurora massacre hits home in Greencastle By ANNA GATDULA investigate@thedepauw.com
A little more than a month has passed since the suburb of Aurora, Colo., dealt with a disaster in its community. Former Ph.D student at the University of Colorado, James Holmes, allegedly killed 12 people and physically injured 58 more during a packed midnight premiere of “The Dark Knight Rises,” the newest Batman movie. This act of violence affected more than those injured that night. It also hurt countless family members, friends and, as President Barack Obama stated in his press release following the shooting, “the American family.” While the act of violence was shocking, America has a long-standing history of extreme gun violence. For example, America witnessed one of the worst shootings at Virginia Polytechnic and State University in 2007. Seung-Hui Cho, a senior English major at Virginia Tech, shot and killed 32 people and injured 17 more. The Virginia Tech massacre, as it is known today, is the deadliest incident of a shooting spree on a college campus. In addition, the Columbine shootings of 1999 – which took 13 lives and injured 21 – was located just miles from the Aurora movie theatre. “Violent crime reached an all time high in the early 1990s and has been decreasing ever since,” said Associate Professor of Sociology and Anthropology Rebecca Bordt. “The violent crime rate today is roughly the same as it was in 1979.” Although DePauw University is over 1,000 miles away from Aurora, there are members of the DePauw community who were heavily affected by the tragedy. First-year Maureen Bailey is one of them. She is a native of Fort Collins, Colo., located about an hour from Aurora. “You can contribute in so many ways because it’s our community even if we don’t live there,” Bailey said. “Every restaurant had a tab you could check where you could donate. You always had an opportunity to give. It’s so cool to see the community support.” Through a community service project, Bailey
also made a trip to Denver to provide meals and baked goods for families in hospitals. “Being from [Colorado] you see the turmoil in our state, but you see a massive uproar of unity and caring for each other which was really cool,” said Bailey of her volunteer experience. “Colorado had some time to bond.” Sophomore Grant Brown, another Colorado native, was also impacted by the movie theater shootings. Brown watched the midnight premiere at a movie theater merely 10 minutes away. “During the movie, I got a bunch of texts about a shooting,” Brown said. “I thought it was a driveby. I got 30 texts from my fraternity brothers asking if I was okay. It wasn’t until I got home when I heard the extent of it.” A couple days following the incident, Brown received word that the father of his best friend — Weston Cowden, a student at the Merchant Marine Academy — was one of the 12 victims in the theater. It took almost two days for Grant and the Cowden family to receive an official statement because Gordon Cowden’s body had to be kept at the scene of the crime until the police could release that information. “For me it was more about being supportive,” said Brown of the aftermath. “There’s not a whole lot you can do but to be there to listen. [Weston] had a lot of anger and a lot of questions.” Brown attended the memorial service with the Cowden family where a memorial fund was created. The Gordon Cowden Children’s Fund helps pay for the college education of the two youngest daughters who were with their father at the midnight premiere. Brown’s fraternity brothers and their families have already donated to the fund, which can be accessed online. “It’s the thought that counts,” Brown said. “It is a tragedy and one of the worst shootings. It really hurts that it hit that close to me, and people I knew were so deeply impacted. There have been a lot of shootings lately, and any support and good wishes to the families helps.” In the month following the Colorado shooting, there were already two instances of gun violence
at Texas A&M University and the Empire State Building. In addition, Monday’s news from Baltimore, Md., detailed another high school shooting at Perry Hall High School. Its only victim, a 17-year-old male, has been taken to Maryland Trauma Shock Center in critical condition. However, although it seems that violent acts are prevalent, it is important to keep these incidents in perspective. “These events are always disturbing, but it's important to keep in mind that they are very rare occurrences,” Professor Bordt said. “Mass killings make up less than one percent of homicides in this country and that statistic has remained fairly stable over the past 30 years or so. It's highly unlikely that we will ever be a victim of this kind of mass shooting.” The importance of community support — even from across the country — is one of the best ways to cope with acts of violence. There aren’t concrete ways to stop or predict mass violence. But despite the bad, it is important to remember the community that continues to rally behind the good, and provides a good way to cope. “It's always difficult to say what motivated the perpetrator in these kinds of events,” Bordt said. “The media certainly didn't cause this tragedy, but the way the media responds to a tragedy like this often leads to the sensationalism of violent crime and feeds into the general public's fear of crime. We end up fearing the wrong things. Instead of being afraid of being gunned down in a movie theatre, we should be asking ourselves about the people we know and are related to. We are much more likely to be harmed by people we know than by strangers.
If you are interested in donating to the Gordon Cowden Children’s Fund, visit: http://www.gordoncowdenchildrensfund.
Excise | at the Kork & Keg for about a year, his manager saw age drinking at each county’s respective university continued from page 1 Excise Police appear in the store last weekend, in- (DePauw University, Indiana University, and Purdue Public Safety. “There’s little interaction between us,” Nally said. “Often we aren’t even notified. Occasionally if they are on campus they’ll make it clear to us that they are present.” That was the case this past weekend, when a The DePauw reporter was notified of the presence of Excise officers by clerks at Kork & Keg Liquors. According to Houston Cherry, who has worked
cluding four visits in one day. Cherry, 22, could only recall one instance where he had personally dealt with Excise. Cherry explained that last winter an officer ticketed a 21-yearold who had purchased alcohol for a group of minors. It is not just minors who are being targeted. Store clerks are also at risk of being fined or arrested if they do not follow state I.D. laws and other tactics to prevent underage alcohol consumption. Excise has been operating in Putnam, Monroe and Delaware counties to handle the issue of under-
University). Nally said that to her knowledge, no Excise officers have made an appearance on DePauw’s campus this semester. ISEP currently operates through a grant which is extended until this December. The grant has also been extended to cover all six congressional districts of the state in order to account for more underage communities.
the depauw | campus news
FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012
PAGE 5
Alcohol-related hospital trips decrease for freshman Misuse of booze among upperclassmen still concerns administration By MEDJINE NZEYIMANA news@thedepauw.com
On Aug. 18, over 600 freshmen marched up the steps of the Green Center for Performing Arts for the convocation ceremony. And starting that night, Public Safety began their patrol on campus. Angela Nally, director of Public Safety, reports that zero students have visited the hospital for alcohol related incidents thus far in the semester. That is similar to the 2009-10 school year, when no first year students were hospitalized in the first two weeks of the school year, Nally said. Last year, The DePauw reported that the class of 2015 had four Putnam County Hospital visits in their first week on campus. Though no first year students have been sent to the hospital, alcohol violations have been issued. Resident Assistant Stephanie Wethington feels there have been more alcohol violations than in previous years. “I think the number of alcohol violations is worse than last year because there have been larger groups of freshmen caught compared to individual freshmen,” said Wethington, a returning RA for Lucy Rowland Hall. “It’s alarming because it’s only been the first official weekend.” The anticipation and nature of the major party weekends, such as
the Monon Bell game in November and Little 5 in April still bring major concerns to the administration. “The total amount of alcohol transports is about half first-year students and half upperclassmen,” Nally said. “We still have upperclassmen going to hospital for alcohol poisoning, which is alarming.” Nally and Public Safety have analyzed data fron past years to figure out when the most-frequent hospital runs occur. “In the past five years, the highest number of hospital transports is in September, followed by October and April,” she said. However, Nally is unclear as to why these months are the most prominent. “Lots of variables go into this data,” she said. “September, October and April are the most heavily programmed months for student organizations and their activities. These organizations are eager to promote their programs. Lots of registered parties occur sometime in September and October.” Freshmen are allowed on fraternity property September 22. “The official date has been moved up compared last year,” she said. “I think that might lead to more hospital visits this semester.” The misuse of hard alcohol, especially among freshmen, has been a recurring issue on this campus. “Freshmen want to get intoxicated as fast as they can,” Wethington said. “They think they can hide [hard alcohol] better than beer, but it smells stronger.”
RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVE
Sophomore Mary Ardery donates blood at the Red Cross blood drive at Gobin this past Wednesday. PAUL FESENMEIER / THE DEPAUW
Nally voices her concern about the misuse of hard alcohol on DePauw’s campus as well. “There’s not a ban on hard alcohol, but the way we're using hard alcohol is very scary,” Nally said. “All the hospital transports in the past three years have been a result of hard alcohol.” She also noted that other issues, such as vandalism, sexual assault and injuries are often related to hard alcohol consumption. The office of Public Safety is hopeful that campus-wide conversation about this topic will increase student awareness. “There will be a lot of conversation in the coming year how students can impact how hard alcohol is used on campus,” Nally said. “There are initiatives on how students can change their social environment. The Office of Student Life has defined their expectations for the students and hopes to help them develop a way for clear communication about this topic.” Freshmen Erwin “Skip” Brea, Kayanat Paracha and Amarilis Roman have their own advice for their fellow classmates. “Eat before you drink and always have a designated walker,” Brea said. Paracha offers similar advice: “Eat a full meal, stay away from [hard] alcohol if you can, be aware of your surroundings, especially the people you’re with.” Roman said ending the night early can also help. “Have self-control,” she said.
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BEEN THERE, DECLARED THAT Advice for the undecided “If you know what you really want to do and you want to stick to it, that’s great. But if you’re in that middle zone like I was, then maybe a comm or an econ class or an anthro class might change your mind. You don’t have to rush it. It’s going to come naturally.” – Marycruz Baylon, senior “Find your strengths as a student and write them down. Then try to figure out what kind of courses would apply to those strengths.” – Maggie Campbell, sophomore “Just talk to people that are in all of the majors. Get a feel for why they did it... see what their plans are afterwards. Talk to the professors — they want to help.” – JD Powell, junior “Meet with other faculty in the department, get to know them. What do they study? What do they teach? [You] might find that they click better with a faculty member that [you] haven’t had a course with yet.” – Kelley Hall, associate dean of Academic Life “Don’t freak out about declaring a major right away — it will all work out eventually.” – Ashley Guevera, junior “Do you go to college to get a job? Or do you go to college to get an education?” – Garth Synnestvedt, junior
MAJORUNCE
Movin
By MARGARET DISTLER features@thedepauw.com
Beyond the cap, gown and diploma, every student who graduates from DePauw has something else in common: a major. While some know what they want to study from day one, others are scrambling to decide up until the last minute. The deadline for officially declaring a major falls during March of sophomore year. “Since many students wait until the deadline, most of the major declaration forms come pouring in at that time of year,” said Julie Reed, coordinator of Registrar Services. For those who have yet to decide, they are not alone. There are currently 982 students in the College of Liberal Arts who have not officially declared their major, according to Bill Tobin, director of Institutional Research. Sophomore Maggie Campbell is one of them. Campbell came to DePauw confident that she would declare a major in communications. But after taking SOC100 Contemporary Society and College Writing, her thoughts changed. “The whole process of just discovering what your strengths are as a student in your first year of college is a really important step to figuring out where you think your major will fit,” Campbell said. Now at the start of her third semester, Campbell is considering double majoring in English literature and sociology. But she finds comfort in knowing there are other sophomores, like her, who have yet to officially declare their major. “I don’t feel so alone,” she said. “But I do think that when other people are looking at courses to register for and they know exactly what they need to take, other people get a little anxious because those of us who still don’t really know are kind of trying to figure it out.” Kelley Hall, associate dean of Academic Life, suggests the 46 percent of CLA students who haven’t declared their majors consider themselves to be exploring, rather than undecided.
“If you’re exploratory, there is a deliberate pur- switching into the biochemistry department. pose or movement towards making choices and “I was just through the first day of the next level exploring the possibilities that are available,” Hall [kinesiology] class that I’d had last semester,” said said. “Choosing a major is important, but there’s so Powell. “And I already knew, ‘I don’t know what much more to being at DePauw and your life than happened over the summer, but I’m not excited the major that you choose.” about this anymore.’” Hall is responsible for academic advising, which Powell became interested in pursuing pre-med includes overseeing the 220 faculty members who last fall, when he took both organismal biology and can potentially serve as advisors organic chemistry. Since he comto students. Prior to declaring a pleted most of the prerequisites major, each student must seduring his sophomore year, Powell Of the 2,147 lect an advisor from the field of is now able to fill his schedule with students enrolled in study. With over 40 majors and upper level biology and chemistry the College of Liberal 220 advisors to choose from, courses. the process of declaring can be Senior Marycruz Baylon was Arts, overwhelming. three courses short of completFor Ashley Guevera, a junior ing a biology major when she lost biology major, embracing the interest in being pre-med. In her liberal arts approach was more sophomore year, she enrolled in have declared important than immediately the communications class, High double majors finding her major. Guevera had School Shakespeare, just to fulfill been interested in biology since her arts and humanities requirehigh school, but didn’t want ment. to limit herself to one field of “It changed my life. That’s study in her first year. where I knew that bio wasn’t for have not declared “I’ve always been interested me,” Baylon said. “I cannot tell you in a ton of different things,” how many times I was so happy a major Guevera said. “I wanted to to walk into that theater and talk make sure that I didn’t want to with the kids and interact with all pursue any other options.” of them.” During her freshman year, As the semester progressed, Guevera enrolled in eight intro Baylon found she was more pasof undeclared courses, ranging from digital art sionate about her communications students are to kinesiology to Chinese. Even course than her biology courses. freshmen though she had been thinking “The hardest part for me was about majoring in biology for a explaining to my parents what ALL STATISTICS PROVIDED while, Guevera didn’t take her communcation is because they BY BILL TOBIN, first biology class until spring were really excited for me to be a DIRECTOR OF of her sophomore year. She ofbiology major,” Baylon said. “They INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH ficially declared biology as her knew getting out of school, I really major in March, just days before wanted to get into medicine, and the deadline. that’s all they knew.” While Guevera hopes her Three semesters later, Baylon i major will lead her to research opportunities, jun- proud to tell others she’s majoring in communica ior JD Powell aspires to complete pre-med require- tions and Spanish. She worked with last spring’ ments. To accomplish this, Powell, currently a kine- High School Shakespeare class and hopes to do siology exercise-science major, is in the process of the same again this year. Baylon also serves as a
11% 46% 59%
| features
FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012
ERTAINTY
ng from undecided to declared
DECLARED MAJOR PERCENTAGES AS OF SPRING 2012
l d t d
d d s l h y
s t r n h l -
s r u y k l
, s
s t y a y y d
s as o a
1) COMMUNICATIONS - 10.7%
6) COMPUTER SCIENCE - 5.1%
2) ECONOMICS - 10.1%
7) POLITICAL SCIENCE - 4.8%
3) ENGLISH WRITING - 7.7%
8) BIOCHEMISTRY - 4.2%
4) BIOLOGY - 6.9%
9) SPANISH - 3.7%
5) PSYCHOLOGY - 5.4%
1O) MATHEMATICS - 3.3%
GRADUATES FROM THE FIVE MOST POPULAR DEPARTMENTS 100 1) COMMUNICATION & THEATRE 2) ENGLISH
80
3) ECONOMICS 4) BIOLOGY
60
5) SOCIOLOGY & ANTHROPOLOGY
40
20
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
GRAPHICS BY MARGARET DISTLER, ILLUSTRATION BY DAVE JORGENSON
co-coordinator for the Tzousnskis Spanish Enrichment program, which has given her the opportunity to teach Spanish to local middle schoolers. Baylon said her interactions with area students and professors have inspired her to pursue education as a potential career. According to Hall, once students graduate, it isn’t uncommon for them to have jobs differing from their majors.
“I think we all have broader interests, goals, desires and talents so our major doesn’t sum up who we are,” Hall said. “College and DePauw is a step to the rest of your life. You’ll leave here with skills regardless of what you major in.”
CREATING HIS OWN MAJOR: A LITTLE EXTRA BRAIN POWER While DePauw offers over 40 potential major fields of study, students can also create their own independent interdisciplinary major. After taking both psychology and biology courses, junior Garth Synnestvedt is in the process of combining those programs into one neuroscience major. Synnestvedt hopes that unifying the two majors will create room in his schedule so he can pursue other interests. He also plans to complete minors in both philosophy and anthropology. According to the DePauw Academics website, a student must consult at least three faculty members on how to incorporate courses from at least two conventional academic disciplines prior to declaring an interdisciplinary major. It took Synnestvedt a lot of time and reflection before he decided to create his own major. His interest in neuroscience has been greatly influenced by his exposure to people experiencing mental illness, including his grandfather, who has obsessive-compulsive disorder. In recent months, Synnestvedt has worked closely with Henning Schneider and Terri Bonebright, biology and psychology professors, respectively, to decide what courses correspond with his focus on mental health. “In some ways, [you] don’t have the same sort of benefits everyone else gets from having a departmental home…” Synnestvedt said. “When you’re interdisciplinary like I am, it’s essentially a half [biology] and half [psychology]. I Junior Garth Synnestvedt is in the process of declaring a neuroscience major. PHOTO BY ISABELLE CHAPMAN
have a risk of being academically homeless.” Synnestvedt isn’t the first student to design his own major. In the past decade, 20 students have graduated with interdisciplinary majors, according to Bill Tobin, director of Institutional Research. Since each interdisciplinary student has a different academic program, additional time must be dedicated to reflection, discussion and filling out paperwork. Even with this extra work, Synnestvedt has no regrets about coming to DePauw. “I knew I wanted to do science, but I knew I didn’t want to be ‘the scientist’ who does science and that’s it,” he said. “I wanted [my major] to connect to other fields and to real life in ways that I didn’t feel like it would at a big school.” Synnestvedt is currently unsure where his passion for neuroscience will lead him after DePauw. He’s more concerned about formulating a plan for a solid education. “Do you go to college to get a job? Or do you go to college to get an education?” Synnestvedt said. “That fundamental question has been motivating me to make sure that I’m balancing the two...If I’m not getting the education, then I’m definitely not getting the job.”
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the depauw | opinion
FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012
THE DEPAUW | Editorial Board Ellen Kobe | Editor-in-Chief Chase Hall | Managing Editor Lizzie Hineman | Managing Editor Brianna Scharfenberg | Chief Copy Editor Anastasia Way | Chief Copy Editor
No freshman to hospital a benchmark Though DePauw made Princeton Review’s party list again this year, the decrease in the number of students sent to the hospital during “camp college” should not be overlooked. Hoping our luck doesn’t run out, having zero students sent to Putnam County Hospital due to alcohol-related incidents compared to four the year before and six two years ago is obviously good news. But what does the decrease in numbers mean? Are freshmen drinking less or are they not taking the precautionary steps to report when a friend has had too much? We hope it means that they are drinking in better moderation, but it’s hard to pinpoint definitively. This number is important to look at, but not conclusive. It could be a promising prediction for what the class of 2016 will be like, but there are so many variables, such as students not calling an ambulance and trying to handle friends who have drunk too much on their own. The number, or lack thereof, of students sent to the hospital suggests that the university’s efforts to lower the consumption of alcohol has been effective, as long as the zero accurately reflects the need of students to be sent.
An early thank you to professors Here’s to the professors that are prepared for the semester and are making students excited for their class. The ones who answer your emails within a reasonable time period, who make us see the real-life implications of studying Chaucer and HTML coding. They write meaningful comments on your paper, and if you can’t read their handwriting, they are willing to meet with you to explain their chicken scratch. Sometimes we’ll grumble at their unwillingness to move a deadline or exam date, but this annoyance is usually part of the beauty of their dependability — their consistency that sets them aside from the professors who spend class reading from a textbook or throw out the syllabus mid-semester. Sometimes they even bring cake to class. It’s not the cake that makes us love them (well maybe a little), but it’s the thought of them making batter in their own kitchen that makes us look at them differently. They were thinking of us amidst grading papers and juggling family life. Sometimes they give us tough love; a thesis or project idea sucks, and they say so. Then they help us come up with a better one. Sometimes they get angry when a cell phone ring interrupts their favorite documentary on WWII propaganda. Sometimes they tell conversation monopolizers to sit down and shut up. When the shy kid participates, when the biology major writes a fantastic poem, when students walk out of a classroom and continue to talk about the class discussion over lunch, sometimes even cross-referencing what they learned from one course in another, the professor has not only succeeded at their job, but gone above what we expect of them. We know the ones, and we hope you know who you are too. Let’s have a good semester.
The DePauw is an independently managed and financed student newspaper. The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of DePauw University or the Student Publications Board. Editorials are the responsibility of The DePauw editorial board (names above). The opinions expressed by cartoonists, columnists and in letters to the editor are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editorial staff of The DePauw.
The DePauw welcomes letters to the editor. Letters must be signed and accompanied by the author’s name and phone number. Letters have a 350-word limit and are subject to editing for style and length. The DePauw reserves the right to reject letters that are libelous or sent for promotional or advertising purposes. Deliver letters to the Pulliam Center for Contemporary Media, email the editor-in-chief, Chase Hall, at editor@thedepauw.com or write The DePauw at 609 S. Locust St., Greencastle, Ind. 46135.
AUSTIN FRY / THE DEPAUW
A re-sounding need for live music NOAH DRODY
First, I’m a hypocrite. I chose to write this piece as much to spur myself to action as anyone else. But here’s my battle: I want to hear some music. First, a little context. I spend my summers in Bloomington, Ind., a college town yes, but in the summertime it’s a smaller community pretty similar to ours. There is, however, one glowing difference — sound. Walking down Bloomington streets in the summertime you can expect to hear music emanating from pretty much everywhere: local bands practicing in garages, bigger acts sound-checking in bars, music students practicing outdoors and the hippy with a guitar and change jar. The music atmosphere at DePauw is on the other end of the spectrum. Don’t get me wrong, I have met many, many talented musicians in my four years at DePauw, and the Union Board has done a great job booking artists that students want to see perform. I suppose I’m calling for participation on a more universal level. Allow me to issue a challenge: Musicians should start seeking other musicians. The creative process can be a scary one, but allow yourselves the freedom to explore and grow. Secondly, I ask that you give the DePauw community a chance to share in the joy of your creation. Practice often and loudly. Set up blankets in the grass. Play guitar. Sing loudly. Students in the School of Music: lug that viola outside for the world to hear.
I believe firmly that music can create and foster a creative intellectual environment. I am just as much to blame as anyone. I’ve played guitar for years, recorded two albums and played in bands in high school. But for some reason, I tapped out once I got to DePauw, often venturing out to my roof or porch to play but not much further and usually completely foregoing collaborations with other talented musicians I met. So you’re not musically talented? No worries, you’re an important part of this, too. For a music scene to develop, it needs to be demanded and nurtured by the public. Encourage that banjo player in your hall to meet the drummer next door. Broaden your own horizons, attend performances at the school of music and encourage those music students you meet to get out of the GCPA and into the Hub. Strive to provide live music at your Greek events or get some rock bands jamming at tailgates. The fourfoot speakers blaring Top 40 radio definitely have their place, but we have forgotten the place of live music on our campus. The live music scene hasn’t been totally non-existent, I would be remiss by not acknowledging some of DePauw’s more successful groups produced in the past few years, Audiodax and Jack Daddy Sunrise, to name a couple. But the guard has changed, and there is a gap to be filled. A musical campus is up to you. It’s natural, it’s organic, it’s beautiful and it can happen so easily. No formal planning necessarily needs to happen, no Facebook events need to be created. We just need to get out there and play, and those of us who can’t need to listen. Play well, play poorly, frolic on the lawn, dance like an idiot, it’s your DePauw after all. Can you dig it? Yes, you can. — Droddy is a senior from Bloomington, Ind. majoring in communication. opinion@thedepauw.com
the depauw | opinions
PAGE 9
What really busts my hump: library behaviors MAEVE McDONOUGH
T
wo students walk into the library. They hoof it up to the third floor where they pull out all their homework, as well as their iPod speakers because they need some beats they can frat to while burning that midnight oil. Similar to a Rabbi and a Priest walking into a bar, the whole scene unfolds with tedious inevitability. The two students are swarmed by a separate group of angry scholars, one of whom shrieks an unholy noise. Suddenly, a dragon bursts through the wall like the Kool-Aid man. The dragon, ironically named Tranquility, seeks out the library’s cardinal sinners with a primitive, mythical form of heat seeking missiles. Tranquility exhales a mighty fine flame that roasts the offenders and their speakers like rotisserie chickens. Once again, the library is a quiet place to study. As we all know, the library has rules to follow in order to provide a distraction-free environment. Maybe Tranquility is a stretch of nonfiction. However, there is merit in asking people who can’t follow the rules to either stop or leave. But what about people who aren’t breaking any rules and are just annoying? What do we do about
them? Something that really busts my hump is when I’m studying and someone near me is doing something so incredibly distracting, but I can’t say anything about it or ask them to stop because they aren’t really doing anything wrong. Plus that whole “let freedom ring” thing is still going strong, and I’m in no position to boss anyone around because I’m not Dictator of America. Yet. An incredibly bothersome library moment for me that I still hold onto occurred last semester during finals. I was sitting in one of the tree houses on the main floor writing my paper for my very last final. That summertime freedom swag was so close I could already feel the toll that spending all night mindlessly staring at Tumblr would take on my mental health; and boy, was I excited. During that last study session, I noticed a girl who had been waiting for the cubby next to mine. It had finally opened up, and she sprinted up there like Ryan Lochte toward a reality show. Once she had settled in, I could see the flashing of her computer out the corner of my eye. I glanced over to catch her watching Keeping Up With the Kardashians while clutching a box of granola bars. My first thought was that it was a study break, and after a bit, she’d turn it off. Apparently, she had a lot up keeping up to do. Over the span of several hours, she slowly grazed through the whole box of granola bars
LETTER TO THE EDITOR The Republican Party is against critical thinking in education Did you know that the Republican Party is fundamentally opposed to your education at DePauw University? No joke. The platform of the Republican Party of Texas states: Knowledge-Based Education – We oppose the teaching of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) (values clarification), critical thinking skills and similar programs that are simply a relabeling of Outcome-Based Education (OBE) (mastery learning) which focus on behavior modification and have the purpose of challenging the student’s fixed beliefs and undermining parental authority. Opposition to critical thinking stands against the Enlightenment, which put forward the most powerful idea in history: reason sets us free from tyranny, suffering, and injustice. Opposition to critical reasoning is dogmatic education, one that rejects the open exploration of ideas in favor of fixed beliefs and authority. Opposition to critical reasoning is a knuckle-dragging, anti-
reason embrace of an authoritarian social structure where truth is defined by fixed beliefs. It is the way of thinking that says, women do not get pregnant when raped, humans have nothing to do with climate change, gay marriage threatens civilized life or the Bible is equal to Darwin. The 21st century desperately needs critical thinking, which is the ability to look at data from a position free of dogma, shape penetrating questions about that data, identify patterns within the data and forge arguments, analysis and interpretations about the data. Critical thinking will enable you to be a complexity thinker so that we can take-on the great challenges of the 21st century. The Republican embrace of dogmatic education will not empower you to be The Greatest Generation. Critical thinking prepares you for that task. We need to defend it with all our energy before reason is lost and an age of darkness is upon us. Glen David Kuecker, Professor of History
while feeling all the emotional ups and downs of Kourtney and Scott’s imperfectly perfect union. By default, so had I. I had no desire to keep up with anyone, let alone the Kardashians. All I wanted was to finish my paper and race back to my one and only true love — the Internet. But instead, I had only written about one more paragraph and was definitely all for Team Disick. Now I know this is a two way street. She wasn’t breaking any rules; the main floor is the noisy one. Once I saw that this impromptu marathon was going to be a distraction, I could have left. At the same time, it was finals week, and I had been studying there first. Maybe she should have respected that. Regardless of who was at fault here, this was no need for Tranquility. Although my hump was busted like nobody’s business, in hindsight it was a moment I laugh about now and think, “Aw man, that’s some crap.” Lord knows there’s nothing I love more than to make fun of the unsuspecting from a distance. See something that busts your hump? Email me at maevemcdonough_2015@depauw.edu or tweet me @MaeveMcDonough and let me know. – Maeve McDonough is a sophomore communications major from Glen Ellyn, Ill. opinion@thedpeauw.com
FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012
PHOTOPINION What would you like to see student goverment do this year? “I don’t pay much attention to the student government, but more events would be nice.”
DANTE YOKLEY, sophomore “I would like to see the student government do something about those annoying white ropes and fences alond Locust Street.” GRAHAM REID, freshman “I would like to see more integration within the different communities of the student body.”
SANDRA BERTIN, sophomore “I would like to see a campus-wide community service event.”
ALLISON JONES, senior JIM EASTERHOUSE / THE DEPAUW
Have a question you want answered? email opinion@thedepauw.com
the depauw | sports
PAGE 10 SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
2
Field Hockey • vs. Wittenberg at 5 p.m.
5
1
M Soccer • vs. Franklin at 7:30 p.m.
6
M Tennis • DePauw Fall Invitational at 8 a.m.
14
Volleyball • vs. Hanover at 6 p.m. • vs. Olivet at 8 p.m.
16
W Tennis • Tiger Invitational at 9 a.m. W Soccer • vs. Washington-St. Louis at 3 p.m.
23
W Golf • DePauw Small College Classic at Deer Creek, Greencastle TBA
30
M Soccer • vs. Mount St. Joseph at 7 p.m.
19
M Tennis • vs. Marian at 4:30 p.m. Volleyball • vs. RoseHulman at 7 p.m.
26
M Soccer • vs. Anderson at 7 p.m.
MEN’S SOCCER
SATURDAY
W Tennis • DePauw Fall Invitational at 8 a.m. W & M Cross Country • Wabash Hokum Karem Crawfordsville, Ind., at 10 a.m. M Soccer • vs. Monmouth at 2 p.m.
KEEPING UP WITH SEPTEMBER FALL SPORTS W Tennis • DePauw Fall Invitational at 8 a.m.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012
20
Field Hockey • vs. Earlham at 5 p.m.
8
15
W Tennis • Tiger Invitational at 9 a.m. Volleyball • vs. Kalamazoo at 10 a.m. • vs. Milikin at 2 p.m.
22
W Golf • DePauw Small College Classic at Deer Creek, Greencastle TBA
29
W Soccer • vs. Kenyon at 12 p.m. M Soccer • vs. Kenyon at 2:30 p.m.
Repeat NCAC title hunt begins today By CONNOR HOLLENSTEINER sports@thedepauw.com
The DePauw Men’s soccer team has its season opener today at 2 p.m. at home against Hope College at Boswell Field. The Tigers are also in action tomorrow at 2 p.m. against Monmouth University from Boswell Field. DePauw is coming off a conference championship and looks to keep the momentum going from last season. Head coach Brad Hauter is excited to start the season against Hope, who was eliminated in the NCAA Div. III quarterfinals after falling to DePauw’s NCAC rival, Ohio Wesleyan University. “It will be a great test for us right out of the gate,” Hauter said. “I think we will see two very different opponents this weekend. Monmouth lost their head coach so they have a new coach coming in. The style will be different than the Monmouth from last year, while Friday will just be a war.” Sophomore forward Andy Morrison is one of the leaders on the Tigers offense this year. He was second in scoring last season with 10 goals, only behind All-American Sam Meyer ‘12. “It has been a long camp, and we realize that these are two big games to open the season,” Morrison said. “We are looking forward to these games, and are ready to go.” Fifth-year Andrew Desmarais returns to the pitch after missing his senior season due to an ACL injury. Morrison thinks he has brought a lot to the team already this season. “With the addition of Andrew Desmarias coming back this year we have seen some great leadership,” he said. “The leadership Andrew has brought to our team is unbelievable. I think we’re ready to go.” The leadership factor could set this team apart this season. “We’re a program that is trying to make that leap from being a very good program to being a consistently great and elite program,” Hauter said. “It takes a special kinds of players to do that, and I think we have the guys.” You can hear both of those games live broadcasted on WGRE 91.5.
the depauw | sports
FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012
PAGE 11
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
Volleyball on the road, young team opens on familiar ground By NICOLE DARNALL sports@thedepauw.com
With the beginning of the regular season coming up this weekend, the DePauw women’s volleyball team is prepared to start on the road. Last weekend, the Tigers traveled to Washington University in St. Louis for a scrimmage tournament. DePauw finished the weekend 1-3 playing two games against Washington University, one against McKendree University and another against Webster University. The matches took place on the same courts DePauw will play on this weekend. “One of the reasons we chose to go to the scrimmage at Wash. U. is that it is the location of our first tournament,” said head coach Deb Zellers. “So that in itself was by design to get our team comfortable with the location and the facility to take a little bit of the edge off.” Not only is the court going to be familiar, but the competition as well. The Tigers face off against the Washington Bears, and the weekend after, the Webster Gorloks.
“Overall, the weekend was sort of what we expected,” Zellers said of last week’s scrimmage. “We went into it with the goal of learning a lot about ourselves.” DePauw seems to have found what they needed in order to develop a baseline for the rest of the season. With all of the pre-season work together, the Tigers developed chemistry and understand the roles that they need to play as a team. The upperclassmen have taken their leadership positions very seriously while the first-years have stepped into their roles on the team. “We were able to see our returning players do a good job of assimilating the new players onto the court,” Zellers said. “While we’re young we have a lot of good experience in our youth.”
The girls volleyball team practices this past Thursday. KARA JACKSON / THE DEPAUW
Sprenkel | continued from page 12 -letic Conference title, and was named the NCAC Defensive Player of the Year. At the conclusion of the season, Hauter and Sprenkel immediately began making contacts with professional coaches. He and Sam Meyer ’12 were invited to the Info Sport Pro Soccer Combine in Florida in January. It was after this experience that Antigua came into the picture during the team’s open trial in Florida. “I got a concussion the first day. I was kneed in the face,” Sprenkel said. “I didn’t remember the 10 minutes before or several hours after. I didn’t participate in the rest of the trial, and they told me to come back after my spring break and I’ll train with the team and they’d get a better look at me.” “It was actually better for me because I was the only person trying out the second time around, so coaches were able to get a much better look at me.” In the spring, Sprenkel tried out again and Antigua said afterward they would speak to the management and see if they could sign him. In the meantime, he graduated in May and waited for Antigua’s decision. “I knew that if I gave professional soccer a shot, I wanted to give it a fair shot,” Sprenkel said. “I knew I had to be patient, my parents said they were behind me 100 percent. If it doesn’t work out this summer, we’d figure something else out.”
After a month of waiting, Sprenkel received an email he quickly forwarded to Hauter and his parents. Antigua wanted him to meet the team in Florida and begin his professional career.
I never really felt at home. Some of the guys I really didn’t get along with. As soon as I came to DePauw for my visit, it was a completely different world. - Nathan Sprenkel, ‘12, new assistant coach for the men’s soccer team
“It was a huge relief because now I could just focus on soccer and where I was going,” he said. “Then we focused on getting myself ready.” After a month of training, Sprenkel started for the Barracudas Aug. 17 at California State University Fullerton Titan Stadium in Los Angeles and surrendered one goal and totaled one save. “I just told myself this was going to be a huge experience, a
huge first step. Just enjoy it for the rest of your life and have fun. That was the goal for me,” Sprenkel said. “I was very pleased with it afterward despite the 1-0 loss.” Next up for Sprenkel is an attempt to play in an indoor soccer league. He tried out for a Chicago indoor team last Sunday, and hopes he can continue playing and getting experience. Today, Sprenkel is an assistant coach for Hauter, for a program some say is on the verge of becoming a national powerhouse because of Sprenkel’s presence in goal for three years. “I’d love to say we played a giant role in his development,” Hauter said. “But we were really a canvas for his abilities to start dropping and falling on. “I don’t think Nathan is close to his ceiling just yet. When he starts playing more and more at the next level, with faster play and making quicker decisions, he’s going to get closer and closer to that ceiling very quick — and that’s going to be frightening.” However, for a program he’s given so much to, Sprenkel said he would be nowhere without the success of his teammates, and the constant assistance from Hauter. “If we were a middle of the road team, I would be a middle of the road goalkeeper,” he said. “There’s more I can achieve. I’m continuing to try and find teams. I really want to make a career out of outdoor soccer, but you have to do what you can in your early years and make your way up.”
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the depauw | sports
FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012
Professional dreams, new reality Nathan Sprenkel ’12 left Div. I Duquesne University for DePauw — and it paid off. By MICHAEL APPELGATE sports@thedepauw.com
When Nathan Sprenkel was a senior at Zionsville Community High School, his mother suggested taking a look at DePauw. And he did — a year later after a season at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Penn. What did Sprenkel learn from that? “Of course, moms are always right,” Sprenkel said. “I listened, and the rest is history.” The 2012 graduate’s decision to move from a Div. I school to a Div. III school admittedly was a risk. Sprenkel, since his high school years, had dreams of becoming a professional goalkeeper. Those dreams are now a reality. In July, he signed a contract with Antigua Barracuda FC — a team in the third tier of the United States Soccer Federation below Major League Soccer and the North American Soccer League. In high school, he played for The Carmel United Soccer Club and traveled to different tournaments around the state and the country. It was then when he believed he had what it took to try to go professional. However, he thought that required going to a Div. I school. “Naively, I thought that was only way to do what I wanted to do,” Sprenkel said. “I couldn’t have been more wrong. I was just young and naïve and not knowing any better. Really anything you do, it’s who you know and how you’re going to get there.” Duquesne, Butler University and Indiana University all told him he could walk-on their team. He chose Duquesne because the No. 1 goalkeeper would be a sophomore when he was a freshman. With hopes of winning the starting spot, Sprenkel chose the Div. I route. However, Duquesne’s head coach chose the incumbent to start. “I did see some time toward the end of the season,” he said. “I got in during an overtime and got scored on after a minute and a half, ending the game. I was supposed to start the next game and got mono the night before. The end of the season wasn’t really great for me.” In 18 minutes of play, Sprenkel didn’t record a save and surrendered one goal at Duquesne. At the conclusion of a 5-10-4, 2008 season, he spoke with his coach about transferring. “I never really felt settled in there,” Sprenkel said. “The school is in downtown Pittsburg – it’s loud, it’s dirty. I never really felt at home. Some of the guys I really didn’t get along with. As soon as I came to DePauw for my visit, it was a completely different world.” In a mid-winter phone call to Brad Hauter, DePauw’s head men’s soccer coach, Sprenkel conveyed his desire to pursue a professional career, and what his academic goals were. The conversation, according to Hauter, seemed too good to be true. “As he’s describing who he is: he’s from Zionsville, I’m from Zionsville,” Hauter said. “He’s a goalkeeper, I’m a goalkeeper. He’s a psychology major, I’m a psychology major. Everything we were talking about sounded eerie and creepy, it may have sounded like
Nate Sprenkel '12 is the new assistant coach for the men's soccer team.
COURTESY NATE SPRENKEL
I was over-recruiting him and making this stuff up. It clicked and we agreed to meet.” Later in the winter, Hauter met with Sprenkel and his family face-to-face. It was there Hauter realized he may have a serious talent coming to DePauw the next year. He just had no idea if Sprenkel was going to commit. “His emotions are difficult to read in his face,” Hauter said. “As we’re sitting there talking, he’s getting me excited about him. I’m not seeing a spark in his eye that he’s excited about coming to DePauw. I left there thinking ‘I have no idea.’ It felt the right fit...He’s a good poker player, I had no idea.” Sprenkel chose to come to DePauw shortly after, and the doors of the professional world opened up for him. Following his sophomore season, he was named the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year and earned All-Great Lakes Region first team honors. During the summer before his junior year, Hauter arranged for Sprenkel and current senior DePauw goalkeeper, Tony Halterman, to train in Serbia with profession soccer club, Red Star Belgrade. “It’s all about getting on radars and building my resume a little bit,” Sprenkel said. “We were there for two weeks just training with their goalkeeper coach and their U-20 team. I loved it.” After a successful junior year, Sprenkel was invited back to Red Star – this time training with its second team players. “I played with paid professionals for two weeks,” he said. “The coaches all thought I showed well.” In his senior year, Sprenkel led the Tigers to a North Coast Ath
Sprenkel | continued on page 11
Sprenkel. ISABELLE CHAPMAN / THE DEPAUW