the EAGLE
SPECIAL EDITION
If not now, then when? AU's history of black student activism p. 4
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INDEX NEWS 3 International students' politics; third party candidates 4 AU's history of black student activism 6 Activity fee explained 7 Budget cycle breakdown
SCENE 8 DC's bus system 10 José Andrés' restaurants 11 SOC professor doubles as video jockey
SPORTS
12 David Terao returns as wrestling coach 13 AU's mental performance coach
OPINION
14 Column: Black Lives Matter; Op/Ed: letter to Greek life 15 Column: religious privilege; Staff Editorial FRONT COVER PHOTO: LUIS DESPRADEL/ THE EAGLE PHOTO EDITING: CARL MOORE/ THE EAGLE
theEAGLE Oct. 21, 2016
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NEWS Getting a global perspective
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International students at AU discuss their takes on the presidential election by Emily Martin Assistant Arts and Entertainment Editor
The U.S. presidential race isn’t just being watched by students here in the U.S, but by people from around the globe as well. This holds true for AU’s international students, several of whom opened up to The Eagle about their thoughts on the 2016 presidential election and its effect on their home countries. The overwhelming consensus: this election is relevant around the world. All three of the
OWAIN JAMES / THE EAGLE
students, regardless of whether they have been following the election closely or not, knew the candidates’ names and general policies, and the influence of the election on a global stage. One of those students is Marnix Kleinjan, a 21-year-old studying abroad at AU this semester from Leiden University in the Netherlands. Kleinjan said one of the primary reasons he came to AU was his interest in the presidential election, and mentioned that there was large support at his home university for Bernie Sanders during the primary. That support has since shifted to Hillary Clinton, he said. Despite that support, people in the Netherlands are still nervous about the outcome, Kleinjan said. “You always hear the negative things candidates say in the Netherlands because it’s perceived as somewhat of a circus,” Kleinjan said. “[The impact] is quite a large concern for everyone in Europe. The American elections are always perceived as quite a phenomenon.” Kleinjan said political opinions are also taken more personally at AU as compared to his own university,
especially when it comes to this election. Political affiliations are moreso an accepted part of people’s identities in the Netherlands. “At my home university, at least, your political opinion you can voice it in in class, and outside of class, you’re still treated like the same person,” Kleinjan said. “Here at American University, people take your political opinion very seriously. It’s taken a lot more personally here, it affects your relationships with people outside of class as well.” AU is home to close to 1,600 international students according to the Office of Admissions, which means many international students are here for their entire undergraduate career. That includes Divya Sahni, a junior from New Delhi, India. Sahni said she is worried that Trump could cut out parts of her F-1 visa, which is the documentation that allows her to study in the U.S. She’s specifically worried about the provision that allows her to stay here for one year after graduation. “[Trump] is literally trying to eradicate the one thing that brings the United States together today and that is the fact that the United States respects and welcomes people
from countries all over the world,” Sahni said. “He wants to kick out some of the biggest people that actually add to this economy out and that alarms me to a great extent. This election really only further proved to me all the reasons why I don’t want to stay in the United States.” Ophelia Phu, a junior and four-year international student originally from Australia, said she supports a Hillary Clinton presidency, saying Clinton is the more qualified candidate. “I'm highly perplexed as to how people even believe that Donald Trump is a suitable candidate when he's clearly not. In my opinion, he has no true political experience whatsoever and seems out of touch not only with minority populations, but also the majority. I think the people voting for him are quite deluded as well,” Phu said. “I'm Australian, so I see international trade and relations with the U.S. as the major factor here. A ripple effect may occur. I know that people in Australia, or at least my friends, they won’t be happy if Trump wins.” emartin@theeagleonline.com
#NeverTrump and #NeverClinton students vote third party
How some AU students plan to vote alternatively to the major candidates by Maria Carrasco Student Government Beat Reporter
When AU students go to the ballot boxes on Nov. 8, some of them won’t be voting for the big party nominees Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump, but for the Green Party’s Jill Stein or the Libertarian Party’s Gary Johnson. A Sept. 16 New York Times/CBS News poll found that roughly 20 percent of voters aged 18 to 39 plan to vote for Johnson, and six percent plan to vote for Stein. One AU student following this trend is School of Public Affairs junior Terry Altherr. Altherr is undecided for this election, but said he is considering voting for Stein after supporting Senator Bernie Sanders throughout the primaries. “If I vote third party, I'll vote for Stein,” Altherr said. “I think Johnson is interesting but I detest the fact [that] he's completely out of touch with the American proletariat on economic issues.” SPA seniors Stuart Algood and Gabriel Benitez said they both plan to vote for New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson. Algood is a Republican and served as president of AU College Republicans during the 2015-16 school year, but is backing Johnson because of his own “never Trump” views. Algood said he originally supported Senator Marco Rubio and Senator Rand Paul during the primaries.
“I am in favor of free trade, lower taxes, less spending, balancing the budget, common sense immigration reform and being a more open and welcoming party,” Algood said. “Trump feeds off of people's fears, promotes America cutting itself off from trade, and can barely put together a coherent policy.” Benitez, a Libertarian, originally supported Paul during the primary elections, but shifted toward Johnson after Paul ended his campaign. “Johnson is appealing because he’s a third party candidate who has an actual track record to fall back on. Both he and his running mate [William Weld] served two terms as Republican governors of blue/purple states,” Benitez said. “Also, Johnson represents a much more pragmatic, compromising wing of Libertarianism that recognizes the dangers of extremism and dogmatism.” With such a divide within political parties over whom to vote for comes the pressure to vote a certain way, especially with the trend of pushing third party voters into voting for Clinton or Trump. Benitez said that he does feel the pressure to vote for a major party candidate, but he doesn’t agree with this rhetoric and will continue to vote for Johnson. “I don’t agree with either assertion because, one, I don’t believe I should perpetuate the tendency to vote against a candidate rather than for a candidate and two, I think it’s rather hypocritical to assert that third party voters are some group of mischievous, destructive people voting out of spite,”
"Come election day, I hope AU students take a while to really think about their true political identity..." -Gabriel Benitez, SPA '17
Benitez said. Algood and Altherr agree that they’ve both felt some pressure from AU students to vote for either Clinton or Trump, but say they will continue to support their respective candidates. “Johnson favors free trade, lower taxes, and less government. He also supports ending the failed ‘war on drugs’ that has lead to the United States having more prisoners per capita than anywhere else in the world,” Algood said. “In short Johnson supports keeping the government out of people's business.” All three said they see problems with the current election, citing issues that Clinton and Trump both perpetuate. For Altherr as a Sanders supporter, he’s not immediately supporting Clinton because of Clinton’s campaign during the election and interactions with the Democratic National Convention. “I'm also not drawn to Hillary Clinton because… I think Clinton is too much in cohorts with the establishment,” Altherr said. “I'm still disgusted by how Bernie supporters were treated by her campaign and the DNC.” Beneitez hopes AU students evaluate their choices during this election and look past just voting for big party candidates. “Come election day, I hope AU students take a while to really think about their true political identity, rather than simply conforming to groupthink and acquiescing their voice and mind to others,” Benitez said. “And for those that maintain that voting for another Democrat or Republican is going to solve the problems we’re dealing with today, I’d ask them to remember this definition of insanity — ‘Doing something over and over again, and expecting different results.’” mcarrasco@theeagleonline.com
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theEAGLE Oct. 21, 2016
A similar fight, over four decades later Tracing AU’s history of black student activism, from the 1960s to today by Katherine Saltzman Senior Staff Writer
Ma’at Sargeant and Jada Bell, roommates, leaders in the Black Student Alliance and organizers of the #SolidaritywithourSisters rally, stood on the steps of the Mary Graydon Center in front of hundreds of students, faculty, administrators and staff on Sept. 19. The two spoke of their frustration with the continued lack of action from University administrators regarding racism on AU’s campus. “You can write us emails all day long, you can plan steps all day long, but we need them implemented,” Sargeant said. “We want action, less talk.” Sargeant and Bell are among many students of color at AU who feel that the University campus is not a safe, inclusive or racially diverse community, especially following recent racially charged incidents on campus. Many of these students are frustrated that the administration has not taken concrete actions to respond to student outcry about the need for improved classroom and campus climates, as well as demands for actions such as increased recruitment of faculty of color and the development of curriculum focused on the African or black experience. These demands however are not new. An Eagle investigation using the paper’s archives found that many of the demands and frustrations of today echo the sentiments of students dating all the way back to the late 1960s.
Afro-American history week, scholarship funds for black students, active recruiting of more black staff and faculty and the hiring of a dean to oversee black student affairs and a black coeducational floor. In response to OASATAU’s demands for curriculum changes, in 1968 the University created four courses related to African American studies; however, Foster argued that the courses were not entirely interdisciplinary and not relevant to black students. In a September 1968 Eagle article, he expressed doubt that the courses would remain a part of the University curriculum in the long term. “We don’t want one-shot ornaments,” Foster told The Eagle. “Black courses must be a functioning part of the departments at AU.” The response from AU administrators at the time was mixed. President Williams acknowledged and legitimized the demands, and supported some of them, such as black faculty recruitment and the establishment of the Black Ecological Studies program. Others though, such as OASATAU’s efforts to create an interdisciplinary Black Studies program, were not supported by the administration. OASATAU members also began to take action for themselves. With a research grant provided by the University, they outlined and proposed plans for the creation of a Black Studies program. However, when the plan was presented to the Faculty Senate in the fall of 1969, it was tabled and funding was never offered. “The paper was promptly tabled and listed as just another item on the agenda. The University wanted a bargain basement Black Studies program--a catalogue of the university’s courses under the heading “Black Studies,” Foster told The Eagle in 1969 in response to the Faculty Senate’s decision. OASATAU worked with the Office of Admission to recruit students locally in D.C.’s predominately black public high schools. By 1971, largely in response to OASATAU’s efforts, the University hired a full time director to coordinate black student recruitment and started the Frederick Douglass Scholarship to recruit local D.C. high school students. The program continues today as a full-ride scholarship for incoming freshmen, and gives preference to first generation students and students that are committed to working in communities of color in the U.S., according to the program’s website. “I know the University recruited [alum] Bush Bell to address issues at the administrative level as it related to people of color, in the chaplaincy an African American spiritual leader was recruited,” Harris said recently, referring to some of the changes implemented by the University. “There were a couple of African American
"I felt like a fly in buttermilk, I was stranded in affluent Spring Valley. The only Negroes we saw here were janitors." -Walker "Moose" Foster, as told to The Eagle in March 1968
A PUSH FOR CHANGE OVER 40 YEARS AGO Following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., three AU students, Musa Foster, Joseph Harris and Bert Coppack, helped found the Organization of African and Afro-American Students at The American University (OASATAU) in 1968. The organization’s aim was to improve campus climate for black students at the predominately white university. The establishment of OASATAU and black activism corresponded with the growing Black Power movement spreading in the United States and on university campuses. In institutions of higher education, black students were embracing blackness more than ever before, according to Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, an assistant professor of African American History at the University of Florida and author of “The Black Campus Movement: Black Students and Racial Reconstitution of Higher Education.” Kendi also recently spoke at AU on Oct. 13 to discuss his work. “In the 1960s black students were all about black is beautiful, all about black unity, and black solidarity and black self-love and valuing African American culture and African culture,” Kendi said. “They embraced blackness more than any other group of students at historically white campuses had before in history.” Dr. Joseph Harris, a 1970 AU alumni and a leader in the establishment of OASATAU, reflected on being a black student at AU. “We were becoming more aware of our own identities as black students as my college years and college education evolved,” Harris said. “I think we had a reasonably good experience as an organization with the University. The things we were trying to do were an education for [the administration] and an education for us.”
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TRACING THE HISTORY AND MISSION OF OASATAU “I felt like a fly in buttermilk,” 19-year-old Walker “Moose” Foster, a leader in OASATAU, told The Eagle in March 1968. “I was stranded in affluent Spring Valley. The only Negroes we saw here were janitors.” In a statement about its purpose and mission, OASATAU detailed the departments within the organization, which included a social and cultural division, a political and public relations division and a communications division that oversaw the group’s own newspaper, called UHURU, based off the UHURU movement, a socialist movement focused on theory of African Internationalism. “It shall be the duty of this division to provide the black community with vehicles of media communications designed to inform, educate and entertain,” the statement read. In April 1969, The Eagle reported that students in OASATAU presented demands for change to then President George Williams, including the creation of a black ecological studies program, educational programs for black staff, implementation of
American University Archives In 1969, students gathered at the McKinley building for an OASATAU rally following the University's prohibition of Dick Gregory, a black Civil Rights activist and presidential candidate, to hold an "inaugural" gala at AU.
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theEAGLE Oct. 21, 2016 history courses that evolved while we were there and the Frederick Douglass program came into being which was a major commitment. There was a move to diversity broadening.” DIFFERENT TIME SAME ISSUES
For the 2015-2016 academic year, the University's Academic Data Reference Book reported that 75.5 percent of faculty were white whereas 4.8 percent were African American. In the 2014-2015 academic year, 76.95 percent were white faculty and 4.42 percent were African American.
MOVING FORWARD Back in the late 1960s, University administrators responded with action to student pressure over increasing inclusivity on campus, but as activism waned, so did As students push for change on campus today, administrator commitment. AU’s NAACP chapter made several demands at the Despite that, sentiments of progressive diversity and inclusion remained, and September town hall that chapter President Elisa many students today are still pushing for change. Martinez and Vice President Sydney Young felt The percent of black faculty “SIS initially drew me to AU and the diversity and inclusion could be acted on immediately, including mandatory aspect of AU. I really thought this was going to be an inclusive racial sensitivity trainings at Freshman orientation, out of the total faculty campus and one where I could make my home. That is why additional questions at the end of course evaluations population at AU in I initially came,” Sargeant, the Black Student Alliance regarding the racial climate of the classroom and racial president, said. When she arrived on campus, however, sensitivity of professors and development of curriculum. 2015. her perceptions changed. “I was shocked by how white “I think it is clear that they are listening, I would it was.” be interested to hear if [they] follow through with the The incident in Anderson Hall in September sparked The percent of black faculty out demands,” Martinez said. “It’s one thing to say it, but it's another instant outcry and frustration from many students of the total population at AU in thing to do it.” regarding the handling of the situation by administrators, Another major demand by student activists now and over the past 45 years but it also brought past issues of race and racial insensitivity is the need to increase faculty of color. Mary Clark, Senior Vice Provost who 1983. on AU’s campus to the forefront. oversees the hiring of faculty, said that she acknowledges that students want to Kendi explained that many of the problems raised by see more diversity in AU’s faculty, and that it is something the administration is today’s black student activists reflect similar sentiment to working to do. the late 1960s because while institutions may respond to student “I am mindful that our student body is more diverse than our faculty body and pressure at the time, administrative efforts for change decline as activism dies down. I do think it is important to diversify our faculty, Clark said. “I think there is work “Just like you can initiate a new program for recruiting new black students or black to do, in the curriculum. There is a new Afro-American studies program [and] a faculty, so too can you discontinue that program,” Kendi said. “In many cases when new collaborative on critical race theory and gender theory but there is more to be student pressure and protest declined by the mid-1970s, administrators discontinued done. Part of our efforts this year in hiring more diverse faculty is looking to see many of the programs initiated in the late 1960s, whether it was recruitment programs if we can diversify curriculum, whether in international service, public affairs or or institutional programs like black studies. communications.”
4.8%
1.5%
STALLED PROCESS
AU'S ROLE IN TODAY'S NATIONAL CONVERSATION
A dropoff in inclusive recruitment efforts is evident in the enrollment Across the country and at AU, students demographics at AU in the early 1980s, are pressuring university administrators to when there was a decline in both student institutionalize more programs and efforts and faculty of color at AU. The American to support and empower black students. University Academic Data Reference “The Black Lives Matter movement is Book, a publication of The Office of almost a grandchild of the Black Power Institutional Research, reported that 11 movement,” Kendi said. “It is the case that percent of full time undergraduates were racial insensitivity is pervasive across the black in 1980. By 1982, black students country. To create an idea that it is the same composed only 9.5 percent of full time everywhere, that there is nothing we can undergraduates. In the fall of 1983, do, doesn't take into account the fact that school records show that there were 272 there are other places and campuses that are full-time undergraduate black students, doing it better.” around 7.4 percent out of 3,685 total full Though AU administrators have time undergraduate students. committed to change and student activists The number of black professors at AU continue to pressure them to act, there fell below the national average during this is a discrepancy between students’ and time, stirring concern on campus. In 1983, administrators’ thoughts about the six of AU’s 394 full-time faculty members conversations occurring on campus in were black, making up approximately 1.5 relation to racial tensions and violence percent of the faculty, versus the national across the country. average of approximately 4.4 percent full Both Martinez and Sargeant noted that time faculty. administrators at the University-hosted LUIS DESPRADEL / THE EAGLE In April 1987, OASATAU rewrote its Students protest at Sept. 19's #SolidaritywithourSisters rally on the steps of MGC. Hundreds town hall on Sept. 18, as well as in memos constiution to expand the organization gathered to speak out against racism on AU's campus. sent to the campus community, expressed and reach more students, becoming the the sentiment that what was happening on OASATAU-Black Student Union. AU’s campus was reflective of the country’s In response to dropping enrollment numbers among black students, Scott Roberts, currently troubled racial climate. a coordinator of the OASATAU-Black Student Union, said he felt the change was “It’s true, we are dealing with acts of police brutality every day, we as a country are due to “a lack of communication between student needs and administrative action.” dealing with numerous issues illustrating institutional racism in this country that is Roberts told the Eagle, “There has been a slow erosion of any gains that we made.” rampant. But we each pay $60,000 a year to come to this institution,” Martinez said. In 1979, when he arrived on AU’s campus, Phillip A. Lattimore III, a 1983 alumni “I do realize that these issues affect the University, but we are better than that. We and a leader in OASATAU and Editor-in-Chief of UHURU for two years, explained come here to be better than that. AU prides itself on being a diverse and inclusive that the University had the most students of color ever before. By 1983 when he left, community. ‘We are dealing with these issues as a country,’ is not an excuse.” the numbers dropped significantly. Black student population dropped about 4 percent. Assistant Vice President of Campus Life, Fanta Aw, a critical race theorist, who “The drop in black student population was very visible on campus,” Lattimore said herself was a student at AU in the 1970s, said that the University is trying to determine recently. “The University made no commitment at the time, institutionally to try to the best ways to better the AU community in the future. stop the bleeding of students leaving the campus and increasing its efforts to bring “This is 2016, why are we having the same conversations that happened during the minority students on campus. So we began to urge the university to take action.” Civil Rights Movements and after?” Aw said. “A big part of the reason is because, as a While a full-time law student at the Washington College of Law, Lattimore began society, we struggle so much to really critically examine race relations and the history working part-time for the university to collect more institutional data between 1984 of it to then be able to know how we actually move forward.” and 1986. The research proved that there were significant losses of black students on Lattimore said that at the time of the most recent incidents, he received a call campus. In response, the administration instituted the Office of Minority Affairs. from AU to inform him of the news. The news disappointed him, to hear that such “The research validated everything we were concerned about.The University and acts continue to occur, and that the University had not maintained activists’ work and administrators responded and did a really good job of acting,” Lattimore said. “My change of the past. take on it is, that the University over the past 10 years really dropped the ball.” “The University can’t forget that there is a responsibility to keep efforts going or Today, while the demographics of AU’s campus have changed, black students else in 10 to 20 years these incidents will come back again and all of the hard work in still make up only a small percentage of the population. The American University the past would have been in vain,” Lattimore said. “And that to me is what’s important. Academic Data Reference Book’s most recent available records show that in the fall Its emotionally tiring, everyone has fought those battles in the 1960s and 80s and just of 2015, there were 473 black/African American full-time undergraduate students, to see it happen again is exhausting.” making up 6.7 percent of the total number of students, whereas 58.2 percent or 4,092 students were white. ksaltzman@theeagleonline.com
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theEAGLE Oct. 21, 2016
Where is my money going? The student activity fee explained by Shannon Scovel and Courtney Rozen Senior Staff Writer and Student Life Editor
If you read your tuition bill this semester, you’re likely to find an $88.50 undergraduate activity fee, a charge that goes towards student groups, programming, and events like Charli XCX’s August concert or speakers such as Hasan Minhaj. Every penny of that fee goes into the same account for a total of $1,070,000, according to Michael Elmore, the senior director of University Center and Student Activities. Once student support payments (stipends paid to student leaders) are deducted, the total is distributed between three different organizational bodies: AU Club Council, Student Government and Student Media Board. Every officially recognized student organization on campus, from club sports to student magazines, falls under one of those three sections and receives a cut of the remaining budget. All three of these groups send representatives to the Budget Advisory Committee (BAC). The representatives have an annual budget meeting in April to split the total by percentage between themselves. This year, the budget landed roughly on 56 percent for SG, 25 percent for Media Board and 19 percent for AUCC, according to Elmore. The $88.50 every student pays in activity fees goes toward funding student organizations, their activities and their leaders, but how does that money break down between the groups, and is it enough? Student Support Payments Back in the 1970s, AU student leaders made the decision to allocate money to pay leaders for their work, according to Elmore. The stipends, now called student support payments, are designed to help student leaders pay their bills and lead their organizations to the best of their abilities without having to work a second job. “A lot of the time jobs that are done by students at this University are like having part time or full time jobs and so that’s why student support exists,” Student Government Comptroller Shannon McDermott said. “They don’t want to keep students away from being able
to pursue these positions if they’re at a Managing a Budget financial disadvantage.” Fifteen percent of the total student In addition to receiving stipends, each activity fee fund is allocated to payments organization’s leaders must manage the for student leaders, according to Elmore. individual budgets that they are alloStudent groups operate like a non-profit, cated. Student Media Board, for example, he said, so no more than 15 percent of divides its share of the activity fee bethe total budget for all three groups can tween nine organizations, including The be designated for salaries. Eagle. That’s true as well for AUCC and The stipend for each position is SG, which allocate funding to different determined by a tier system, according members based on their needs. to Elmore. SG also has a copy written in Student Media Board Co-Chair for its governing bylaws. Levels in the tier 2016-2017 Andrea Lin said that dividing system are determined by how “on call” the budget between nine organizations each leader must be, and each position can prove to be challenging, particularly is assigned because the to one of 11 amount levels, ranging that each in pay from organization under $500 receives and to $10,000 for the needs of the academic each media year. Student outlet varies leaders from drastically. SG, AUCC “Just and Student because not Media Board every group all have leadgets the same ers that are amount paid using of money, this system. doesn't mean The tiers that it’s not are deterenough for mined not by that group. hours worked, It’s all relaCARL MOORE / THE EAGLE but by how tive dependresponsive ing on the that leader must be to people and needs organization,” Lin said. outside their organization, Elmore said. Student Media received $211,913.50 For example, student leaders who must for this fiscal year, but Lin said she wormeet regularly with and be accountable ries that as the media organizations grow to University administrators are paid and develop new needs, the budget may more. not match the necessities. “There’s a distinction between ‘it’s “As we have more people, we are hard to do this work so I should get paid definitely going to need more money to more’ and ‘there are people beyond my create growing volumes of magazines for peers that expect things of me in this growing volumes of readers,” Lin said. role,’” Elmore said. Just across the hall in MGC, the SG These expectations are highest for the staff balances the same concerns with SG President, Elmore said, which is why their allocation of funds. SG receives the role is the only student position at the $508,819.50, according to McDermott, tier’s highest level of $10,000. which is over half of the Student Activity Current SG President Devontae Torfee budget. riente said he spends an average of 20 However, most of that money doesn’t hours per week on his position, and that go toward policy making or senate meetmost of that time is spent in meetings ings. Instead, it funds programming with other SG members, administrators, through two main channels: the Kennedy students or trustees. Political Union and the Student Union “I can’t intern and what not because Board. KPU and SUB each received I need to be here whenever I’m needed $199,000 and $190,000 respectively of and if anything happens, I have to be SG’s overall budget this year, according to available and accessible for that,” TorriMcDermott. $119,819.50 is then left over ente said. in the budget for costs related to Found-
er’s Day, Women’s Initiative and more. KPU uses its money and works with other groups to bring the best possible speakers to campus and host events that are relatable and interesting for students, KPU director Valeria Ojeda-Avitia said. “I think it’s just a matter of co-sponsoring with relevant organizations to make sure that [we get] the most out of our money, the biggest bang for our buck with more speakers in bigger spaces and getting organizations to co-sponsor that are relevant to that topic, so those organizations get the most out of it,” OjedaAvitia said. The amount of money that KPU receives under the SG budget depends on the success of the previous year, according to Ojeda-Avitia. She said she works hard to ensure KPU’s events represent the students who pay the fee that helps run her organization. “I think it’s super important to remember, ‘who is paying into this? What kind of opinions are paying into this?’ because they need to be represented if they are paying into it,’” Ojeda-Avitia said. “We don’t forget that we are privileged to be working with student money, so it’s our responsibility to best represent it as well as we can.” AU Club Council Outreach Director Kenzie Phillips also expressed the value of the student activity fee. Phillips said she highly supports funding clubs for any activities that might bring the University together or add value to the campus experience, such as bringing speakers or outside vendors to AU. Every week, Phillips creates an infographic that is posted outside the AUCC office and online to show how much money the organization has allocated that week to different student groups. The numbers vary drastically depending on the needs of organizations each week; so far this year AUCC allocations have ranged from $1,603 during the first two weeks of school to $22,950.00 for the week of Sept. 16-22, according to Phillips. “I think the biggest thing for us is that we hope that people don’t have concerns about us not being transparent because at the end of the day, it’s student money that we are working with, and we are students, so no one understands how important that is more than we do,” Phillips said. “And we want to give people money. We are dedicated to getting people the money they need as long as it’s for an appropriate reason.” sscovel@theeagleonline.com and crozen@theeagleonline.com
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theEAGLE Oct. 21, 2016
Tuition likely to rise next year by Ivy Kaplan and Riddhi Sarkar News Assistants University administrators are in the process of developing a budget that will fund the school for 20172019 after its implementation this coming May. The new budget will likely include an increase in tuition, in addition to a focus on the Reinventing the Student Experience (RISE) initiative and meeting student demands for mental health services, according to Douglas Kudravetz, CFO, vice president and treasurer. “The biggest challenge is always how do we keep tuition as low as possible,” Kudravetz said. “We know that we’re going to need to have a tuition increase of some sort just because of the additional tuition expenditures that come up every year, but our goal is to really manage that process, to keep it as low as possible, and that’s always a challenge.” While Kudravetz didn’t mention a specific amount that tuition may increase by in the upcoming cycle, there was a 3.5 percent increase from the 2015-2016 academic year to the current academic year. The increase may be also be affected by external requirements placed on the University at the city and the nation levels, including new plans for family and medical leave and overtime salary guidelines, according to Kudravetz. “The issue at American University, as you may know, is that we are a very tuition dependent institution,” Kudravetz said. “Ninety-five percent of our revenue comes from student tuition and fees, and we don’t have a lot of other revenue sources, so when we have a lot of
increased costs, it is pretty hard not to have some sort of a tuition increase.” The budget committee, appointed by President Neil Kerwin in September, includes faculty and staff, as well as one undergraduate representative, Student Government Comptroller Shannon McDermott, and one graduate student representative, Prajakta Diwan, the vice president of finance for the Graduate Leadership Council. The group had its first of many meetings with Kerwin on Sept. 23, beginning the process of determining how the University’s budget will be spent, according to Kudravetz. From now until December, the committee will compile proposals from various sectors of the University, including all the deans of each of the schools, to come up with the budget formulation criteria that will then be recommended to the Board of Trustees, according to Kudravetz. “As you can imagine, there’s always a lot more requests than there is enough money to pay for the requests, so it is a process of setting priorities,” Kudravetz said. According to Assistant Vice President of University Budget and Finance Resource Center Nana An, the goal is to find a balance between considering financial constraints while also looking at ways to improve the University, especially at a time of campus expansion, development of new academic programs and an increasingly selective admissions rate. “This is a balancing act, so, ‘How do you keep priorities between the cost side, tuition rate side, keeping the tuition rate as low as possible, and yet keep the momentum so the University is moving to the next level?’” An said.
Kudravetz said student input is also important, and encouraged groups to have their voices heard through their student representative on the budget committee. There will also be a town hall with students, faculty and staff that is expected to take place in the coming months where attendees can voice their concerns regarding the budget process, according to Kudravetz. He also encouraged students to look online at the Budget Report from the President for the fiscal years 2016 and 2017 for a more transparent and comprehensive breakdown of how tuition money is spent. “I would say [the 2015-2016 budget report] is probably the most transparent budget document of any university in the country,” Kudravetz said. “It talks about where the money comes from, where it’s spent, and it breaks it down by the different schools and colleges, and then in the back there are a number of charts and graphs that include things to be transparent about our tuition increases versus other universities’ rates.” Aijah Raghnal is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences and a member of the Community Action and Social Justice Coalition, an advocacy group on campus that supports a tuition freeze, a movement that is led by the student organization Education Not Debt. Raghnal said she hopes there will be transparency in the budget process and that there is a significant focus on financial aid. “It would be good if students had more knowledge about the budget because it’s our future in the end,” Raghnal said. “If you leave the school with so much debt, you’ll feel its effects for a very long time, so what would be most beneficial for the student population is knowing exactly where our money is going.” rsarkar@theeagleonline.com and ikaplan@theeagleonline.com
Friendship Heights
Tenleytown Van Ness UDC Cleveland Park
Ward Circle American University National Cathedral
Columbia Heights Adams Morgan
Explore DC by Bus
Dupont Circle
The Eagle’s Guide to using the Metrobus AU is the first university to implement the D.C. WMATA U-Pass, and in honor of the money saving pilot program, we put together some tips and tricks about using Metro’s bus system. Most people at AU know the Metrorail and how it works. While it’s generally fast and convenient, the bus system should not be overlooked. Covering the entire city, including many places that Metrorail does not, it’s a great way to get around D.C. The website busETA provides bus arrival times, as does WMATA’s free smartphone app. So use your U-Pass to its full potential and hop on D.C.’s bus system using these tips. Bus Route Logistics Bus routes are grouped into lines, which travel the same area, but have different end points or slightly different routes. For example, the
Farragut Square
Georgetown
Massachusetts Avenue line runs between Potomac Park and Friendship Heights and consists of the N2, which takes Wisconsin Ave, the N4 which takes Western Ave, and the N6, the same route as the N4, but running only on Sundays. Written by Jenny Evans and Owain James Artwork by Carl Moore
64
Includes a stop near the National Archives, and is a less crowded way to get downtown. You can transfer to the 64 from the 96 (which has a stop in Tenleytown) at 11th Street and U Street NW. The 64 begins in Fort Totten and ends at Federal Triangle.
Foggy Bottom-GWU White House
N2 N4 N6
Fort Totten Station
Heads down Massachusetts Avenue to Farragut Square, making stops by the National Cathedral and Dupont Circle on the way. You can jump on any of these buses near Ward Circle. The Massachusetts Ave Line begins at Friendship Heights Station and end at Farragut West Station, but the N4 continues on to Potomac Park/State Dept.
Brookland-CUA Station Washington Hospital Center
96
a
Starts in Tenleytown Station and ends at Capitol Heights Station. This route takes you through some of the oldest and most unique neighborhoods in the District. In Adam’s Morgan, Amsterdam Falafel is a must try, as is Ben’s Chili Bowl on U Street. If you’re interested in quirky areas full of culture and creativity, the 96 bus is the way to go.
U Street
H2 H3 H4 National Archives
Union Station
Lincoln Park
US Capitol Building Stadium-Armory
31 33 30N 30S Make stops in Tenleytown, so AU students can easily access them via the shuttle. The 30 buses start in Friendship Heights, with the 31 ending in Foggy Bottom and the 33 continuing on to Federal Triangle. The 30S finishes its route at Southern Avenue Station with the 30N splitting
Runs between Tenleytown and Catholic University, going by the National Zoo, Rock Creek Park, UDC and Columbia Heights. Take these buses to avoid a lengthy Metrorail detour downtown, or the hassle of changing lines. The Crosstown Line starts at Tenleytown Station and ends at Brookland-CUA Station. and eventually stopping at Naylor Road Station. The 30s make a lot of popular stops, such as the White House, the National Archives (which is near both Chinatown and the Mall) and multiple stops in Georgetown. PHOTO BY OWAIN JAMES/ THE EAGLE
SCENE The chef missing from your DC foodie bucket list: José Andrés 10
by Arielle Weg Managing Editor for Scene Chef José Andrés has taken the world by storm with his unique restaurant experiences. And that’s exactly what a night out at one of his many restaurants is — an experience. Andrés and his partner Rob Wilder are the cofounders of ThinkFoodGroup, a creative team behind the kitchen doors of over 25 wildly different restaurant concepts. Andrés’ inspiration for his food is in his passion for storytelling, something he incorporates into every menu item, according to a ThinkFoodGroup representative. ThinkFoodGroup works with Andrés to develop and research new, innovative ways to share these stories with the world. Today Andrés holds the title of Outstanding Chef by the James Beard Foundation, and was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in 2012. With 14 restaurants in the D.C. area alone, it’s hard to keep track of all of Andrés’ restaurants. We compiled a detailed list of his local treasures, so you can check all of Andrés’ experiences off your bucket list. Oyamel If you’re looking for a fun night out in Mexico City, but can’t afford the plane tickets, look no further than this young and modern experience. All of Oyamel’s flavors stem from the countryside of Oaxaca, Morelia and Distrito Federal. The menu is great for groups who are into sharing, as it offers mostly small Mexican tasting plates, called antojitos. These plates make it easier to split the check (no more “who ordered what” situations), and gives you a little taste of a variety of Mexican creations. The star of the show is the table-side guacamole, crafted fresh with green tomatillo, serrano chile, crumbled queso fresco, and a basket of Oyamel’s tortilla chips. For those who are over 21, you can enjoy the impressive selection of margaritas, cocktails, wines, beers, tequilas, spirits and more.
something so innovative with China Chilcano, it’s almost impossible to understand until you’ve sat down for a meal. The menu finds a common ground between the traditional cuisine of Peruvian Criollo (Spanish and West African influences) and the Asian flavors of Chinese Chifa (a Peruvian Cantonese mix) and Japanese Nikkei (Japanese Peruvian blend). If you’ve ever wondered what South American-Asian cuisine tastes like, Chef Andrés has your answer. Every dish plays with the flavors of traditional Peruvian staples, weaving in elements from Japanese and Chinese traditions. But why this combination? According to the menu, “In the late 19th century, Chinese and Japanese settlers traveled to Peru and made it their home, bringing with them time-honored cooking traditions that sparked the beginning of the rich, multicultural offering that is Peruvian cuisine.” Menu items feature insignias that indicate which country influenced the specific dish. Jaleo
The incredible flavors of Spain are the stars of this D.C. hot spot. The restaurant has grown in popularity since its original opening, and now has five locations throughout the U.S and Mexico, with three that are metro accessible from AU in Bethesda, Penn Quarter and Crystal City. The menu features traditional small Spanish dishes for sharing, called tapas, in addition to paella and more than enough Sangria and Spanish wine to go around. Plates are served as they are ready, offering guests the chance to sip on their sangria while sharing one small dish at a time. The authentic Spanish ingredients offer an immersive experience for diners. Some of the traditional ingredients include Manchego cheese, quail eggs, squid ink, rabbit confit and house made sausage and chorizo.
Zaytinya Zaytinya’s light blue color scheme places you in the heart of the Mediterranean, which is exactly where you’ll want to be while dining on these Turkish, Greek and Lebanese inspired dishes. The meals are mezze style, which means you can easily share them, or order a few for yourself to taste. The first page of Zaytinya’s menu reads, “Food is about making an interaction with ingredients. If you talk to them, they will always tell you a story.” And that rings true with all of Andrés’ Mediterranean specialties. The hommus is not something to miss, and it gives you something smooth and creamy to dip your complimentary endless pita bread in. The bread is light and airy instead of doughy like the Middle Eastern version. Many of the pitas come out just slightly charred and puffy, and pair perfectly with the a la carte spreads or complimentary fresh olive oil. American Eats Tavern Though located slightly outside of D.C. at Tyson’s Corner in Virginia, American Eats Tavern showcases Chef Andrés’ ability to craft incredible meals with American influence. The restaurant allows diners to travel through their own country’s heritage, and celebrates how immigrants have helped transform American flavors. Standout dishes that scream “America” are the suckling pig jambalaya, chicken and biscuits and Maine lobster roll. Lunch and dinner offer seafood, artisanal cheese, country ham, soup and salads, small plates, vegetables, sandwiches, burgers, large plates and rice bowls. A highlight of the menu is the variety of “catsups,” or handmade traditional ketchups, that were common in colonial times. In addition, the menu includes a list of all the local American farmers and purveyors the restaurant sources its ingredients from, sticking with the true American, local theme. Pepe Food Truck, Minibar, Barmini
Beefsteak If you haven’t tried the newest addition to Tenleytown, you’ve truly been missing out. This fast-casual, vegetable focused restaurant originally planted its roots on GW’s campus in early 2015, and has grown into an overnight sensation. The chain quickly expanded to three D.C. locations, as well as one in Maryland and one in Philadelphia. The menu allows you to create your own grain bowl or salad. Once you’ve chosen your fresh veggies, they are tossed into a steam basket, and then thrown into a bowl with grains, sauces, toppings and a protein for an additional price. If you’re looking for something beyond the grain bowls, try the Beefsteak Tomato Burger, salad or gazpacho. China Chilcano Chef José Andrés has created
ARIELLE WEG/ THE EAGLE Hommus, a purree with chickpeas, garlic, and tahini with a side of unlimited fresh pita bread and sparkling water at Zaytinya.
Andrés’ food truck, Pepe, gets an honorable mention here, because it rolls around D.C., Maryland and Virginia in varying locations throughout the week. The food truck is under the umbrella of José Andrés Catering, and serves up Spanish influenced sandwiches and soups. The truck is generally around for lunchtime, and the location can be found on the truck’s Twitter and Facebook page. Minibar is an exclusive “study in an avant-garde cooking” restaurant, seating only six guests per evening for a ticketed, multi course experience. The tasting menu combines art and science to test the limits of where food can take you. Guests are welcome to reserve their tickets 90 days in advance to enjoy the creations, and meals start at $275 per person before beverage pairings. Barmini is the cocktail lounge adjacent to Minibar, which is located on E St. near Chinatown. aweg@theeagleonline.com
11
theEAGLE Oct. 21, 2016
See me after class, catch me at the 9:30 Club SOC professor Kyle Brannon moonlights as a video jockey by Jack Stringer Assistant Music Editor Darth Vader has never been the most welcoming entity. A single step into professor Kyle “Kylos” Brannon’s office on the third floor of McKinley however, and visitors are greeted by a 3-foot version of one of cinema’s most notorious villains. Maybe it’s his size or the fact that he’s holding a clapperboard, but this little Vader establishes a friendly tone by the time the door closes behind you. Beyond the Dark Lord of the Sith, and on top of a repurposed milk crate, sits a Nintendo Entertainment System circa 1985. Gollum glares at visitors from the cover of a textbook. Captain Kirk à la Shatner, and comic book Batman and Joker peek out from the cabinets and shelves. Less mainstream, more contemporary film and media posters surround Brannon at his desk. Nostalgia emanates from the walls, the desk, the bookshelf. It’s all the product of pop culture. “I love pop culture,” Brannon said. “I love comic books, and movies, and art and bands. And I don’t think I really separate any of these things.” Now in his ninth year as a full time professor at AU, Brannon has established himself as one of the University’s go-to filmmakers, the faculty adviser of AU’s cinematic fraternity, Delta Kappa Alpha, a non-profit documentarian and on any given weekend, a video jockey (VJ) at any one of D.C.’s nightlife venues. For those unfamiliar with what a VJ is, think of it as the same thing as a DJ, except with visuals instead of audio. “I do with video clips, effects and graphics, live, what a DJ does with bits of music and audio live,” Brannon said. Pop culture also serves as the thread that weaves together all of Brannon’s pursuits, both academic and extracurricular. As if on cue, Brannon closes Final Cut Pro on his desktop Mac (he was in the middle of a music video mashup) to reveal a presentation he’s giving for his European cinema class. This week’s topic: German expressionism. “I teach about how German expressionism has influenced The Joker, C-3PO, Harry Potter and Edward Scissorhands,” he said. “And these are things I would mix into my live video art.” From old content—the content that made you happy as a kid, still secretly happy as a teen and maybe happiest of all as an adult—comes some blend of those old emotions and memories with modern technology and creativity. But isn’t that what generates all art? “Sometimes I feel like what I’m making is real art, and sometimes I’m not sure if it’s actually quote-unquote, art,” Brannon said, “but I do feel compelled to be working in this field and creating media.” What started as DVD copies of video mixes that would simply play on a loop on a club wall all night has evolved into a live, improvised performance using robust software and an extensive library of music videos and other clips. Brannon consistently VJ’s at some of the District’s hottest clubs and has become a core part of the 9:30 Club’s 90’s night. “Standing on stage in front of a sold out crowd at the 9:30 Club is awesome; the energy is fantastic,” Brannon said. “It’s an experience I was never going to have as a member of a band, and I found a way to have that experience.” Sure this might sound fun, and well, as Brannon said, it certainly is fun, but it takes hard work too. Party-goers can simply shake their heads and keep dancing when the DJ throws down Nirvana and Boyz II Men back-to-back; but VJs need to stay on their toes and keep the visuals going. “More often than not, when a song comes on, I need to import a video, do something cool to it and then replace it for what was on [screen],” he said. “What I can do is say, let me just grab an old Gap commercial, a clip of the Powerpuff Girls and the dance sequence from ‘House Party,’ and edit them together in time with the music.” Now repeat that every three to five minutes for five hours and you can begin to imagine the life of a VJ. Just as Brannon’s past experiences with pop culture seep into his live video productions, his experience as a full-time graphics artist also defines his VJing style. Color theory, among other technical aspects of the craft, plays an important role in
Photo courtesy of Will Nainis SOC professor Kyle Brannon performing one of his sets as a video jockey. Brannon says that his sets take hard work to pull off, as he needs to stay on his toes to keep the visuals going the entire time.
VJing. Even if live video art often takes a back seat to the accompanying music, a VJ must have enough technical know-how to maintain a constant, visible stream, often working with outdated projectors among other equipment. Despite the stack of comic books shelved in Brannon’s office, he downplays the alter-ego aspect of his teaching and VJing dichotomy. Brannon says that he doesn’t necessarily compartmentalize anything and that he tries to allow all aspects of his professional life to flow together. His VJing influences his teaching and vice versa. He says keeping the two separate would be counterproductive. “All of this content, to me, works together in a big cultural stew…there’s differences between any job you do and as far as my personality is concerned, well, I’m not holding a beer in the classroom while I might have one onstage,” he said. Brannon says he has ambitions of branching out into different realms of live video art. Socially active and performance-art spaces are at the top of his list, which also includes anything that allows for more artistic freedom. One specific project Brannon mentioned he is working on with some of his fellow creative academics is a “crowd sourced spoken word piece with accompanying improvised video.” VJing certainly stands out amongst the rest of Brannon’s extracurriculars. Maybe that’s because he’s likely the first VJ his students have ever met, or possibly because seeing someone onstage at the 9:30 Club tends to leave an impression. Keep an eye out for Brannon’s smartphone filmmaking seminars, his future work in new art spaces and of course, as a VJ at a club near you. As Brannon puts it, “[VJing]’s not the only thing I’m doing outside of the classroom, but it’s probably the most unique thing.” jstringer@theeagleonline.com
Photo courtesy Nikolai Roster Brannon performs regularly around D.C. as a video jockey, using video clips, effects and graphics with music to create his show.
SPORTS
12
Red, white and new: All-American returns as coach David Terao brings a fresh perspective and EIWA conference experience to AU’s wrestling team By Shannon Scovel Senior Staff Writer
David Terao is back in the wrestling room. He’s working out with his team, meeting for practices and leading the other athletes the same way he did all of last season, and the same way he did in the months leading up to his All-American match at the NCAA Championships in March. But one thing is different. David Terao now coaches the athletes he once trained with. After his fourth-place finish at the National Championships last spring in New York City, Terao captured the attention of wrestling fans around the country, spurring a flurry of tweets, GIFs and social media posts in support of him and his accomplishments on the wrestling mat. His success during the meet and throughout his five years as a college wrestler helped him earn several coaching job offers after graduation, but, after conversations with other teams and AU, Terao returned home to the wrestling room that helped him grow into a nationally recognized name. “AU has done so much for me in all aspects of life,” Terao said. “I wanted to help continue to the program that has given me so much. We have a lot of young guys, half the team is freshman, so having me around helps a little bit. I’m the only one of the coaching staff that has been through [head coach] Teague [Moore]’s program, I’m close to their age, and can give them advice and stuff, so those are some of the main reasons why I stayed here versus going coaching somewhere else.” Terao’s role this year comes in the form of volunteer coach, and the time he gives to the team must fit in between the time he spends as an administrative assistant at the Meltzer
Photo courtesy of Tommy Bennett David Terao was an All-American wrestler during his time at AU, graduating in 2016. This fall, he returns to the team as a volunteer coach.
SHANNON SCOVEL/ THE EAGLE David Terao during last spring's NCAA championships in New York City. Terao placed fourth overall.
Group, an insurance and advisory company specializing in wealth management, and health and welfare services. Head coach Teague Moore said he had hoped that either Terao or teammate and cocaptain John Boyle would be able to return for a volunteer position after graduation, and Terao’s job worked well with the team’s schedule. Terao’s performance in the EIWA conference and on the AU team makes him a great asset to the staff, Moore said, and he expects his former wrestler to be a successful coach now and in the future. “He knows how AU works, he knows how the system works, he knows the coaching staff really well, so I think that’s going to be really valuable for him to move up in the coaching ranks really quickly,” Moore said. For Terao, the decision to return to AU didn’t rest solely on returning to his alma mater. The Hawaii native said he wanted to come back to support and coach his younger brother Josh, who is a junior on the team. “I definitely had coaching offers at different universities and such, but one of the main reasons I wanted to stay here is, of course, my brother, to keep an eye on him,” Terao said. “Not that he's doing the wrong things, but I want to see him have the same level of focus and success.” Athletic Director Billy Walker agreed that Terao’s wrestling resume and performance on the national stage will make him a valuable contributor to the coaching staff through his abilities to train hard with the team and offer guidance on wrestling technique. Walker said he looks forward to watching David work with Josh on the mat. In addition to Josh, the AU wrestling team also boasts 29 other athletes, a total that requires Moore’s coaching staff to hold several practices a day to accommodate the large group. Moore said the roster size is one of the biggest that he has had in his years’ coaching at AU, but he that he hopes to keep the roster numbers up because it allows the athletes to compete at a higher level with one another. The large number of wrestlers on the team means Terao’s contributions are even more important, Moore said, as the young coach can take on a larger role during one of the smaller practices and work directly with the athletes to make sure they are completing the workout as instructed. “Now that we can just give David control of certain aspects of our training regimen, it’s fun because he knows exactly what we are looking to get out of these workouts, the specific areas that we want to cover,” Moore said. “So it’s really nice that when we do hand it off to him, we know it’s going to get done, and it’s going to get done in the process that we’d like to see it go through.” In his last year as an athlete, Terao was one of three athletes to represent AU at the NCAA Championships in Madison Square Garden. He served as captain, leading his team on and off the mat. Walker and Moore, both former wrestlers themselves, believe that Terao’s ability to mentor and coach the younger athletes will help the team accomplish its goal of sending not three, but four athletes to the NCAA tournament in 2017. “They know David, and they’ve been friends with him,” Walker said. “He’s just another dude on the team, and they saw that he got all the way to the national semifinals. They know it can happen if you work hard and do the right things on and off the mat. You can get to the point, and now it’s tangible, and that's pretty neat.” sscovel@theeagleonline.com
13
theEAGLE Oct. 21, 2016
AU athletes get their heads in the game Mental performance coach Brian Levenson works to assist athletes and educate the public about his field By Vincent Salandro Managing Editor for Sports When AU’s mental health performance coach Brian Levenson graduated from Syracuse University, he was initially unsure of what career path to choose. Levenson began meeting with family and friends who had found success in their fields, to listen to the stories about their professions. One of the family friends Levenson met with was Julie Elion, a mental coach and the director of the Center for Athletic Performance Enhancement (CAPE) in Washington, D.C. Elion founded CAPE based on her principles that the insights gained about an athlete’s family, character, relationships and sport can be used to develop a more resilient athlete and fulfilled person. “Julie and I had lunch and she told me about what she did and how she did it,” Levenson said. “I just found our conversation to be fascinating and interesting and it seemed like something I could be passionate about.” Under the mentorship of Elion, Levenson pursued his Master’s in Sports Psychology from John F. Kennedy University, completing his thesis on NBA home court advantage. Levenson worked with high school athletes, amateur tennis players and incarcerated youth through internship programs at JFK, where he developed a plan to begin entrepreneurial work in the sports psychology field after graduation. Levenson’s career has seen him work with athletes of all skillsets and backgrounds, including work with AU’s wrestling head coach, Teague Moore, and the AU wrestling team beginning in 2011. Moore felt that Levenson’s individual work with wrestlers improved their focus and mindset, which translated to their performance on the mat. Levenson’s service to the University has increased this year, as he is now a mental performance coach available as a resource to all AU student-athletes. Levenson has office hours when students can schedule meetings to discuss skills and areas they wish to develop. Athletic Director Dr. Billy Walker said the AU athletic department starting talking about extending Levenson’s role at AU during this past spring. “Coach Moore talked to some other coaches and let them know what he [Levenson] was able to do with some of his wrestlers,” Walker said. “We felt there were enough other coaches that felt it could help their program that it was worthwhile [to] bring him on [as a resource to all student-athletes].” The mental aspect of sports performance has seen an increase in attention nationwide in recent years. Professional sports teams like the Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Mavericks as well as many golfers work closely with sports psychologists and some universities, like AU, the University of Michigan and Oklahoma University, are moving to offer psychologists for their student-athletes. “I think the stigma of psychology in general or mental coaching has lowered because people are as competitive as they’ve always been and are just recognizing this [psychology] is a piece to their performance,” Levenson said. Levenson began his sports psychology work with children ranging from 10 to 18-years-old. He found it was difficult to resonate with the children when he used traditional open-ended psychological approaches,
such as asking teens what they wanted to talk about and what skills they wanted to improve. Levenson instead developed his own approach, called CORE mental training, which focuses on teaching skills and training athletes while getting to know them personally. Through personal relationships, Levenson and clients identify skills to emphasize during one-on-one sessions. In addition to the CORE mental training, Levenson holds workshops with groups, primarily discussing how athletes can ‘win the moment’ by empowering and encouraging them to seize opportunities and maximize situations. Levenson’s third program, Prepare to Perform, combines the CORE mental training and Win the Moment concept. “Prepare to Perform is really what I’m doing with AU athletics,” Levenson said. “It’s some one on one work, where I’m teaching mental skills, and then it’s also some workshops where we’re talking about winning the moment.” Levenson said there are often misunderstandings and a lack of clarity when it comes to field of psychology. The field can be broken down into two distinct categories: mental health and mental performance. Mental health involves clinical work while mental performance, Levenson’s work, focuses on developing a certain mentality, creating opportunity to succeed and maximizing athletic potential. Levenson said the mentality of athletes is one of the most important elements to success for his work. “I do my best work when people are open-minded and want to get better,” Levenson said. “If [athletes] are open-minded and have a desire to get better, it doesn’t really matter what level they’re at, I think we’re going to do good work together.” Levenson has found that college athletes in particular exhibit more open-mindedness and willingness to improve. The independence of college students allows them to foster their own mentality, approach and world views.
“The population specifically at AU is a great fit for the work that I do because you combine open-mindedness with competitiveness with the idea of doing things the right way,” Levenson said. “My practice very much aligns with those concepts.” Developing the right mentality, however, does not automatically translate into the performance aspect of sports, Levenson said. While mentality is an important aspect that can impact performance, it is not the sole determinant of a superior athlete in a similar way that being strong does not guarantee athletic success. The services of strength coaches, nutritionists, team coaches and mental performance coaches like himself work together to try and create the best opportunity to be successful. Walker said AU has combined several offfield services inside the athletic department, and that the department will evaluate the mental performance program based on coaches’ feedback before considering adding additional staff. “We want to have all sports performance under one area of the department,” Walker said. “It’s not just strength and conditioning, but it's also Brian Levenson with mental performance as well as nutrition.” While psychology and mental performance specifically are being integrated into athletic departments across the nation, Levenson said the message is still being spread, and field has growing to do. Some coaches Levenson meets are uncertain about the benefits of his field and are hesitant to work with him. At the moment, however, Levenson is continuing on the journey to help athletes develop mental skills and maximize their ability to succeed. “I’m very fortunate to figure out what I wanted to do and am in an industry that challenges me all the time and introduces me to all kinds of interesting people,” Levenson said. vsalandro@theeagleonline.com
Photo courtesy of Brian Levenson Levenson began working with AU's wrestling team as a mental performance coach in 2011. This year, he will be working with the entire AU Athletics department.
OPINION
14
Beneath the floorboards of America: Black Lives Matter
By Nickolaus Mack
Assistant Editorial Page Editor
If you had asked younger me whether I would like to be a White American or a Black American, I would have, without hesitation, chosen to be White. I would have chosen to abstain from my father’s long, well-intentioned lectures on the necessity of being twice as good in a world that would afford me half as much for my efforts. I would have chosen to not be
followed around and stared at in stores as if the intercom had announced a Black spill on aisle 9. I would have chosen not to be repeatedly confused by college professors for other black bodies. [Dear Professor ____, just like I’ve told you throughout the semester, my name is Nickolaus.] I would have chosen not to have to prove that I “exist, that I matter, that I have value, and that I have every right to be me.” What I am saying is when you live in a time where “mobs [verbally] lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown [out] your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate filled policemen curse, kick and even kill your black brothers and sisters; when you see the vast majority of your twenty million Negro brothers smothering in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society,” (Martin Luther King Jr.) the notion of waiting, of respectability, of complacency, of donothing, of black-on-black crime,
of #BlueLivesMatter, #AllLivesMatter becomes an insult. It is a mockery, a 21st century minstrel show. It took a long time to come to terms with my Blackness. To come to terms with the fact that we were endowed by our Creator with inalienable Melanin, among the results being Death, Slavery and the surrender of Happiness. To admit that I was afraid because, as we remember our deceased Black sisters and brothers, the day may come when we too join them in the ground. But I have. And with that has come the understanding that though they didn’t ask to become martyrs, though they did not ask to become hashtags, talking points or even “bricks in the road toward the actualization” of racial equality, and though we did not ask to be tasked with the burden of “pushing and pulling until we redeem the soul of America;” there is utmost importance in claiming your Blackness. It is a testament to women and men “who walked so we could run. It is a charge to run so that our children soar.” Your Blackness is a blueprint for the
“temples of tomorrow,” and an example of how we will overcome this condition one generation at a time. We find ourselves at the forefront of what is one of the most profound domestic social issues that the United States has ever faced, screaming Black Lives Matter from beneath the floorboards of America. Petitioning for the Blessings of Liberty, demanding redress from the Bank of Justice and standing on the shoulders of Giants, despite our condition, we remain steadfast that no amount of pacing or vacuous counter-rhetoric will drown out the heartbeat of our message. Thump... Thump... Thump... “Dissemble no more... Tear up the planks! Here, here!” #BlackLivesMatter Nickolaus Mack is a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs and the School of International Service and the Assistant Editorial Page Editor for The Eagle. nmack@theeagleonline.com Photo courtesy Alexandra Mack
An Open Letter to Fraternity Men Interfraternity Council President Tom Florczak urges members to live by one of Greek life’s core values: justice
by Tom Florczak
Contributing Columnist
On December 5, 1776, Phi Beta Kappa was founded at the College of William and Mary as the first Greek letter fraternity. More fraternities were founded later, forming new fellowships to battle the injustice present in many secret societies. As time went on, most organizations centered around lofty ideals involved with the development of men for the betterment of society. Their roots were in Freemasonry’s desire to create positive action through enlightened fellowship and confident men. Part of enlightened fellowship is the creation and
maintenance of certain values which violence and supporting survivors. Our ability to help does not stop on members must uphold. One of the core values for most fraternities is justice, issues commonly associated with Greek life and it is imperative for fraternity men members. We have further power through our amassed resources and social position. to live this value as individuals. Every month, we hear about a In response to recent issues of discrimination different story of hazing, substance on campus, it is not my place to pick apart those situations or abuse or sexual assault involving "Stay informed, listen dismiss concerns. It Greek life on a compassionately and take is my responsibility to utilize the college campus. connections, skills While these issues appropriate action." and privilege which are not unique I wield as a leader to fraternities, -Tom Florczak, CAS '17 to act in support to there are too listen, fix and heal many examples from them. I hope future stories of the AU community. Likewise, it is each these abuses decrease as the experts, fraternity member’s responsibility to engage the leaders and the achievers from in conversation and action on the real issues affecting real people, using the position fraternities step up. Our own campus is sick, and it that he has. And perhaps we don’t agree. I is time to lead dialogue and take the only ask for your participation to ally in the high ground. In the face of growing healing process — to come together to fix stress, we can provide a safe haven for issues without malice, deceit or rancor. My challenge is this: do not be a our peers and be pillars of support for those we love. Our founders foresaw passive bystander in your community. Stay and intended for us to be leaders, informed, listen compassionately and take whether by caring for our community appropriate action. People given so much through initiatives like the new should not hoard their treasures. Through Sobriety Support Group, which offers sharing our talents and personal growth, we anonymous help and fellowship to enrich our community. I hope we will stand those trying to resist addiction, or by together on issues as individuals; however, taking a stand in preventing sexual if we are ever on opposite sides, we must be
ready to listen to each other. No matter your cause of interest, you must not stand idly in the face of injustice. As fraternity members, let’s be known for our pioneering progress against our world’s problems. Let’s lead the movements, industries and efforts which relieve the world of discrimination, intolerance and other roadblocks to a happy, free and prosperous society. Let’s convince the rest of the world that fraternities’ educational value for men is on the intellectual, social, personal and moral levels. If we live out our individual commitments, our passions and our beliefs, we can build a better world for our friends, family and loved ones. Small actions, interventions and larger social movements are places for our backgrounds, skills and talents to shine as we serve as leaders and support our peers. Today’s uncertainty is our test, and we must lead the way like our founders, creating a more just society for us all. Tom Florczak is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences and the 2016 president of the Interfraternity Council. Photo courtesy of Tom Floczak
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theEAGLE Oct. 21, 2016
Confronting my religious privilege Columnist Julia Gagnon opens up about learning to challenge herself to think critically about her beliefs
by Julia Gagnon Staff Columnist
When I was in elementary school, I was taught math, reading, writing and the Bible. It was squeezed in between grammar and gym class, becoming embedded into my daily life and integral to how I perceived the world. When I entered public high school,
I never felt an intense need to hide this part of myself. Almost everyone in my Irish Catholic town was confirmed, went to church when their mothers made them and when asked about their religion, would probably just say “Catholic” because that was the religion they were born into. It didn’t necessarily mean that they lived their life in any overtly religious way, but it was just what they were taught and what they accepted. No belief was ever challenged, because we were all in the same situation. I didn’t begin thinking critically about my religion until I came to AU. The people here had opinions on religion based on different life experiences than my own and shared them in a very direct manner. My peers didn’t all subscribe to the exact same worldview like the people back home, and I became scared to share my own. I was no longer sealed within a bubble of religious homogeneity and I was shocked when confronted with the negative feelings many had surrounding my religion.
Within my first few weeks at school, I was presented with a radically new concept: religious privilege. I struggled to understand how being a Christian made me privileged, and I often took comments questioning my beliefs personally. It was the first time I had been questioned about the validity of what I had been taught, and now I knew that others had not been taught the same things. Privilege in regards to my religion meant that I would never be attacked, blamed, banned or killed in my own country based on who I did or did not pray to. My religion was overrepresented in American culture and often viewed as the default setting for “normal” values in this country. When I began to consider Christianity and its role in the social hierarchy of this nation, I started to understand the social implications that accompany religion. I reject the notion that there should be political parties tied to a specific religion or that identification with one faith equals a belief in certain social policies. Understanding how I was socialized as a
child allowed me to form new personal identities and values. I began to realize I had allowed myself to subscribe to one narrative surrounding religion without acknowledging others. In any new environment, it can be daunting to reveal certain aspects of your identity. For the first time in my life I was not existing in a predominately white, Christian community. I had to confront how my identities affected and interacted with others. Being uncomfortable and questioning myself was exactly what I had to do. Although I have in no way found all the answers, the state of discomfort in which I now allow myself to exist has helped me decide what my religious identity will mean to me. Julia Gagnon is a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs and a columnist for The Eagle. jgagnon@theeagleonline.com Photo courtesy of Julia Gagnon
Staff Editorial: Students deserve more transparency in where their activity fee goes Creating clear guidelines for the student activity fee disbursement and compensation of student leaders is imperative for building invested student life by The Eagle Editorial Board The average AU student is often characterized as involved and engaged with their community. Whether a leader in student media, student government or other organizations such as Greek life, it is not uncommon for students to spend over 20 hours a week acting in leadership roles. In digging deeper into the budgetary process and its allocation, we are alarmed by the University’s lack of transparency in how that money is spent. Because it is our collective student activity fees of $88.50 creating the $1,070,000 student activity budget, we deserve more information about the processes surrounding its division and allocation. Although Student Government’s Budget Advisory Committee is in charge of dividing the budget in equitable terms between itself, Student
Media Board and AU Club Council, it is unclear if Student Activities and Office of Campus Life are playing a larger role in helping students divide over a million dollars or if college students are solely managing it themselves. While we as The Eagle acknowledge that, as a student media organization, we depend on the activity fee for our own budget and our Editor-in-Chief ’s yearly stipend, the current allocation of funds is not necessarily the best dispersion of the funds. It is true that Student Government is accountable to the entirety of the student body; yet we feel that other clubs and organizations that have more direct contact with students should receive a larger share of money. As a group on campus that is often far removed from students, we believe that the money in the budget should be spread more equitably amongst other community leaders. Currently, the positions that receive stipends are almost entirely concentrated at the top; however,
students who serve in other roles that may not be as prominent also deserve financial recognition. For many students, finances are a dominating factor in what they may choose to do during their time at AU. No student should have to choose between becoming involved in clubs and organizations or struggling financially. In order to ensure a more equitable distribution of the student activity fee, perhaps it is time to revisit programming efforts from Student Government. Events like Founders Day Ball may be traditional, however, there has never been a time when the entire student body has been able to attend due to the size constraints of the venues chosen. Although it is a tradition, perhaps in the future the event can comprise less of the budget and be available to members of the community who are willing to pay for it. Furthermore, instead of concentrating programming funds in Student Government offices,
more of the money should be given to clubs and organizations in order to be able to independently represent student interests. The events to which our activity fee are given are often superfluous and unattended by the community as a whole. Lessening these events would not only allow for more money to be placed directly in student hands, but also give way for more student leaders to be compensated for the work that they do. As AU students, we are trailblazers, we are opportunists, we are go-getters. The work that we do is important and we know it. It’s time that our work is recognized as real work that is worthy of payment. Our leaders are valuable and make our community better, the best way we can recognize this is to place our confidence in them through stipends by way of our student activity fee. edpage@theeagleonline.com