The Eagle -- April 5, 2011

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exploring our arboretum The only college arboretum in D.C., AU is home to more than 2,600 trees. Hug one this Wednesday for Campus Beautiď&#x192;&#x17E;cation Day. ! "PAGE

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NEWS

IN THIS ISSUE & &

Eagle rants (3), Sexual assault grant (4), American at War (5)

OPINION

(

Staff editorial (6), Shapiro column (6), Next Great Ranter (7)

SCENE

9:30 club owner (13), Sex Wonks (14), Listopia (16)

SPORTS

'& )*

Sideline Scholar (19), Lacrosse (20)

,>"%!"#$%&! since MARCH 28

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!3.#$450&60$7.#8$,9:8 &;,<1.0,&=>$4.&& The Eagle, a student-run newspaper at the American University, serves the community by reporting news involving the campus community and surrounding areas. The Eagle strives to be impartial in its reporting and believes firmly in its First Amendment rights.

SUBMISSION AND EDITORIAL POLICIES

All submissions become the property of The Eagle. Unsigned letters will not be published. The Eagle reserves the right to edit letters and guest columns for length and clarity. Letters and columns may be published in print or online. Letters and columns are the opinion of the writer and not the newspaper. !"

The Eagle has a commitment to accuracy and clarity and will print any corrections or clarifications. To report a mistake, call the editor in chief at (202) 8851402 or e-mail editor@theeagleonline.com.

2. AU holds auction of last straight single men; females riot violently 3. AU will not apply for sexual assault grant 4. Letter: Administration should support efforts to get AU a Violence Against Women Act grant 5. Students protest refused sexual assault grant, confront Hanson

CORRECTIONS The list of Student Government election winners The Eagle obtained did not include Kevin Sutherland, who was elected SG secretary.

CAMPUS CALENDAR

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“Raised over $82,000 at Relay!!!!!!!!!!! #fightback #cancersucks @ RelayForLife_AU @AmericanU - thank you all SO much!!” @AmericanCAC, April 3 “It’s always depressing when you have more on your @AmericanU printing account then your Eagle Bucks.” @colincjcampbell, April 2 “going out to ride with one of the @AUEquestrian ladies. yay #autovans and walking around @AmericanU in funny clothing! #stopstaring” @bachledova, April 1

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“Obama giving an energy speech at Georgetown. I think @AmericanU would be a better venue. No way Gtown is “greener” than AU.” @dcseth, March 30

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“So now @AmericanU is trying to bribe students to like WONK w/ an iPad 2 raffle. My tuition dollars at work. Are they really that desperate?” @dbelldc, April 1

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1. Eagle rants

EDITORIAL STAFF

Business Manager Finance Manager Sales Director Public Relations Coordinator Ad Rep

Sam Yolen Bobby Jones Alexander Robinson Kasturi Puntambekar Jonathon Gaynes

TUESDAY 5

WEDNESDAY 6

THURSDAY 7

FRIDAY 8

SATURDAY 9

SUNDAY 10

Hughes Spring Fling 9 p.m. – midnight WHERE: Hughes Formal Lounge WHAT: Hughes Hall will host a dance for the AU community.

CONTACT: Jason Autry at autry@american.edu

Colin Powell 8:00 p.m.

WHERE: Bender Arena WHAT: Hear retired Gen. Colin Powell, former secretary of state under President George W. Bush, speak to AU. CONTACT: Josh Levitt at kpu@ausg.org

Books and Beyond: AU Celebrates Faculty Authors Noon WHERE: Bender Library WHAT: School of International Service and Kogod School of Business authors will present their works.

CONTACT: Elizabeth LaRocca at larocca@american. edu

International Vibe 7 p.m.

WHERE: Tavern WHAT: Celebrate the culture at AU with international food, performances, fashion and dancing.

CONTACT: Kristina Thompson at kthomps@american.edu

AU Chorus: Americana 8 p.m.

WHERE: Katzen Arts Center WHAT: Check out performances featuring music from the Revolutionary War era. Tickets are $5 for AU community members.

CONTACT: Katzen Box Office at auarts@american. edu

Holocaust Survivor Panel 5 p.m.

WHERE: Ward 1 WHAT: A panel of Holocaust survivors will speak about their experiences in honor of Holocaust Remembrance Week, followed by a 24-hour reading of victims’ names.

CONTACT: Mindy Hirsch at hillel@american.edu

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EAGLE RANTS Want an answer to your rant? E-mail your queries to our advice bloggers at compass@theeagleonline. com.

The return of the farmer’s market on campus makes me so happy … love me some fresh apples on fantastic challah bread with scrumptious honey :) !"

Dear AEPhi biddies on the second-floor of the library, I realize you had an AWESOME weekend, with your AWESOME friends and therefore have many AWESOME stories to tell but please move to the Marketplace with the rest of your clones and stop distracting me while trying to study. Greek life has al!"

ready inhabited half of the university; please leave the 2nd floor to the remaining GDIs. !" Nate Bronstein has won the March Madness tournament … solo … twice.

AU wonk campaign, the biggest waste of people’s money since Obamacare. !"

To the people telling me that it’s illegal to ride on the sidewalk. Thanks. I didn’t know that. I was walking while I saw this woman riding her bike, and she was in the middle of the road. I think it’s much safer to ride on the side if you’re going to ride on the road. !"

!"

Greek week is the worst.

!" I’ve been having trouble getting my homework done, so I decided to look up information on how to overcome procrastination.

After reading one paragraph into an article on ending procrastination, I found myself on Facebook.

FML

Having only paper towel bins in the bathroom without having a bin for “other trash” is stupid and I will continue “contaminate the bin” until there is another trash can option in the bathrooms.

CLASSIFIEDS turn me off from wanting to help the environment.

Rather than restricting convenience, they should be creating more convenient ways to help the environment. !"IT’S CALLED A QUIET FLOOR FOR A REASON. SHUT UP!

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I think I am going to suffer an anxiety heart attack at age 22. !"

!"

The environmental radicals on campus really

Cashiers Wanted FT/PT apply at Uptown Deli 7905 Norfolk Ave Bethesda MD 20814 301-961-5787

!"

Nate Bronstein can make a triangle with 2 right angles

Sitters Wanted. $12 or more per hour.

Register free for jobs near campus or home. www.student-sitters.com

Mystery Shopper (part time) Looking for upbeat & articulate female, 21 to 24 years old. $50/hr. Retail or restaurant exper. pref ’d. Approx.

5-7 hrs/wk - flexible days. Car & driver license req’d. email resume: SBMJunk@GMail.com

READ THE POLICE BLOTTER ONLINE.

Lifeguards.

Positions in Md,VA,DC. FT/PT. Flexible Schedule. Must be able to swim. Free Training.

Competitive pay.

VA: 703-996-1300 ext.128 MD/DC: 301-210-4200 ext. 107 Film and Media Arts Journalism Public Communication

Want to get involved on campus without all the drama of election procedures and violations?

Apply to be the next AU Club Council Chair!

The AUCC Chair oversees the fiscal and structural organization and management of the Club Council and all clubs under the umbrella of Student Activities.

For more information about the benefits of the position or to obtain an application, check out our website: www.auclubcouncil.org Applications are due by 5 PM on Friday, March 25th to the Student Activities Front Desk.

For more information, please visit our website at www.auclubcouncil.org or email us at aucc@american.edu.

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Our goal is to send out graduates who can see a problem, understand what to do, attack that problem and be able to solve it creatively.”

—Leonard Steinhorn Professor, Public Communication

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Eagle Staff Writer

With more than 40 students camped outside her office, Vice President of Campus Life Gail Hanson agreed to hold an open forum on sexual assault in early fall 2011.

The forum would outline and present updates on AU’s plan to increase sexual assault programs and education on campus.

Students originally lobbied Hanson to sign a Department of Justice grant proposal that would give AU $300,000 over three years and require students to participate in SexualAssaultEdu, an online program similar to AlcoholEdu, and a Welcome Week presentation on sexual assault.

Unlike AlcoholEdu, students would face a stop on their account if they did not participate, holding up their class registration.

Hanson would not sign the grant proposal — due March 31 — because of her concerns with mandatory education enforced by placing stops on student accounts.

Without her signature, the proposal could not move forward in the University administration and be submitted to the Department of Justice.

Hanson said the University has budgeted $150,000 for the next two years to increase sexual assault programs and education on campus, making the grant money unnecessary.

“We already have both the institutional funds and the commitment to this issue to take the steps outlined in the grant,” Hanson said to students protesting outside her office.

Dean of Students Robert Hradsky and Associate Dean of Students Michelle Espinosa were also present to provide additional explanations of the programs funded by AU budget money.

“Each of the initiatives in the grant is in place and growing, being put in place or will happen down the line based on our budget plans,” said Espinosa, who also oversees the Wellness Center

and worked to hire a sexual health educator this fall.

After initially trying to get Hanson’s signature on the grant proposal, students then moved to get her signature on a document committing to meeting the five main goals of the grant with the money that the University has budgeted.

These goals include providing training for Public Safety officers, starting a Men Creating Change group on campus, creating a Community Coordinated Response team, implementing mandatory education about sexual assault for all new students and hiring a victim advocate with confidentiality, who could serve as an intermediary between victims and administration so the victim could remain anonymous.

The Protest Voices echoed around the Quad March 31, shouting “Hey Dr. Hanson, hey, sign the VAWA [Violence Against Women Act] grant today.”

Students and community activists, including representatives from the Feminist Majority Foundation, marched around the Quad protesting Hanson’s decision not to sign the proposal.

As rain drizzled overhead, the group of 40 protestors, holding signs and wearing pink armbands, passed bewildered students and tour groups.

After circling Main Campus several times, one protestor suggested the rally move to Hanson’s office, and the group marched through the Mary Graydon Center to the Office of Campus Life, presenting the grant proposal to Hanson one last time.

After Hanson reiterated her objections to signing it, the group presented Hanson with a new document containing the same goals as the proposal that would commit AU to using campus funds to enact these goals.

Hanson, who has said she is “fundamentally opposed” to mandatory education, first refused to sign the document, saying she wanted to have time to read over the outline of goals and think about it.

“We’re not in a fundamental disagreement that this is not an important issue,” Hanson said. “I have been fully accessible to all of you throughout this process, but I don’t sign things that I haven’t read.”

Students protested her delay, reminding her that on March 29 she verbally agreed to an open forum to outline campus plans and money in the fall.

The students threatened to stay outside her office until she signed the form, and Hanson returned to her office to read the document.

She then agreed to a fall meeting, where she said she would provide updates on the campus’s work toward the goals of the proposal.

Hanson also edited the document’s mandatory education section.

The original document said AU will establish a mandatory education program for all new students, and Hanson edited it to say AU will “ensure that all new students are educated in the prevention of sexual assault, intimate partner violence [and] stalking.”

Despite the edit, Hanson indicated that her signature only applied to creating a comprehensive plan of action with students and holding an open forum by Oct. 15 if possible.

“It’s important that students felt their actions had made a difference, so I am satisfied as well,” Hanson said.

Students continued to question Hanson’s commitment to stopping sexual assault on campus, asking if the money from the Office of Campus Life would adequately replace the programs funded by the grant.

“I’m just curious what you’re going to say to all the students who are sexually assaulted between now and when you decide to act on these problems,” one student said at the protest.

Ellis said she’s disappointed Hanson didn’t sign the grant proposal, but she’s encouraged by the agreement for the fall meeting.

“We still have hope because of her signature,” Ellis said. nlavin@theeagleonline.com

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1986-1993: Construction at AU and Spring Valley unearth dangerous World War I artifacts

By SYLVIA CARIGNAN Eagle Staff Writer

This story is the fifth in a series investigating World War I-era chemical weapons and equipment buried under AU’s campus and in the Spring Valley neighborhood.

More than half a century after U.S. Army engineers left campus, AU officials began to find evidence of the University’s military past.

In 1986, AU was about to embark on the largest construction project in the school’s history, planning to build a new sports center, dormitory, arts theater and additions to the Beeghly Building and Media Production Center.

But before workers broke ground, University researchers found an old student newspaper, The Courier, which mentioned Army soldiers burying chemical munitions.

“As this was to be the last war,” The Courier wrote in 1921. “Permission was given to go far back on the University acres, to dig a pit deeper than the one into which Joseph was cast, bury the munitions there and cover them up to wait until the elements shall melt.”

AU wrote a letter to the Department of the Army in April 1986, concerned about the possibility of buried munitions turning up in new construction zones.

Army Representative Lewis Walker responded, saying, “Discovery of suspect ordnance after excavation is unlikely.”

Walker, and the rest of the Army, thought all the leftover chemical munitions had been moved to Edgewood Arsenal, an Army facility near Baltimore, Md., after the war in 1918.

In an October 1986 memo, the Army Environmental Center’s historian, J.W. Williams, said The Courier article was written “to emphasize importance, not to describe facts or events accurately.”

The Biblical reference to

Joseph, “Scriptural overtones and Apocalyptic allusions” sensationalized the story, Williams said.

The Courier article was the only documented evidence of munitions buried on campus, and the Army discounted it.

But the Army was willing to bring explosives experts to campus to assess the situation at AU. As excavation began for AU’s new sports center, the Army surveyed the area with metal detectors.

The Army’s explosives experts didn’t find anything suspicious on the site, Walker said in an April 1986 letter to AU. A few weeks later, AU’s lawyers sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Though the Army failed to find evidence of munitions, it was still possible that they were buried elsewhere, wrote Edward Benjamin, a representative for D.C. law firm Ropes and Gray.

“At this point the facts are still very much a mystery,” Benjamin wrote. “Neither the University nor the Department of Defense can say with any certainty that a problem in fact exists. We have not engaged in any public disclosures because, at this stage, we believe it would be irresponsible to alarm the University’s students or neighbors.”

Spring Valley discovery triggers emergency action In the years since Army engineers left Camp American University in the early 1920s, artifacts were occasionally unearthed in the Spring Valley area.

In 1984, Civil War relic hunters found 50 artillery shells in the forest near the Dalecarlia Reservoir, on the Maryland-D.C. border, according to local environmentalist Allen Hengst.

In 1936, Hengst said, the Civilian Conservation Corps buried munitions at 14 separate locations in the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, which runs along the Potomac Riv-

er from Washington, D.C. to northwest Maryland.

A Spring Valley resident discovered those munitions in 1993.

Both of these incidents revealed that what the Army thought was false: Not all the munitions had been moved to the Maryland Army facility after the war.

But neither event changed the Army’s stance, until an unexpected discovery in January 1993 forced it to take action.

Construction workers, who were preparing trenches for new Spring Valley houses about a half-mile northwest of campus, unearthed chemical mortar rounds and shells.

The Army’s emergency explosive-removal team arrived to assess and remove the potentially dangerous artifacts.

The emergency operation unearthed 141 shells, including 44 that contained poisonous gases.

A February 1993 memo

by Army General George E. Friel reported, “Inspection of the munitions revealed heavy corrosion with the potential for leaking.”

After that unexpected discovery, the Army handed control of the cleanup over to the Army Corps of Engineers, a federal agency involved with public works projects, construction and the environment.

The Army Corps initiated “Operation Safe Removal” and held the first of many public meetings to inform Spring Valley residents about the potential dangers in their quiet community.

Since then, the Army Corps has focused on a few locations where the old munitions seem to be concentrated, including two AU properties and the home of the Korean embassy.

Though the artifacts were mostly lab equipment and projectiles, there was one unusual artifact no one expected to find buried on the South side of campus. news@theeagleonline.com

FELICIA AFUAN / THE EAGLE

IN BLOOM — AU is home to the rare Franklinia tree, one of only 2,000 in the world. AU is the only D.C. college to have arboretum status.

Seeds of AU’s arboretum sprout in 1700s

By ASHLEY DEJEAN

Eagle Contributing Writer Of the roughly 2,000 Franklinia trees in existence, one of them stands here at AU, a specimen of pride for the campus’s arboretum.

John Bartram discovered the rare flowered tree while collecting specimens in Georgia during the mid-1700s with his son.

As a tribute to his friend Benjamin Franklin, Bartram named the tree Franklinia and brought seeds back to Philadelphia.

Since then, the Franklinia tree has disappeared from the wild and only descendants of the seeds collected by Bartram remain.

But in 2002, AU purchased the tree from a nursery in northern Montgomery County, Md., and planted it near the south side of McCabe Hall.

Two years later, AU obtained its arboretum status from the American Public Garden Association (APGA), a nonprofit organization that aims to advance public gardens as a force for positive change in their communities through national leadership, advocacy and innovation, according to its website.

Currently, AU houses more than 2,600 trees and plants about 150 new ones every year.

The next batch will be planted Wednesday for Campus Beautification Day, a yearly event where 300 to 400 students, faculty, staff, alumni and neighbors spend the day working on various beautification and sustainability projects.

Other colleges around the nation have arboretums, but AU is the only one in D.C., according to one of the two landscape architects on campus, Mike Mastrota.

Many schools’ arboretums are separate and sometimes even hours away from the campus, Mastrota said.

“What makes us unique is the whole campus is the arboretum,” he said.

The initial steps to make AU an arboretum started roughly 15 years ago with a big push to upgrade the campus’ aesthetics.

“You’d be surprised how bad it looked back then,” Mastrota said. “As we started doing that, we realized why not take it to the next step and make the campus another educational opportunity and promote the University through the landscape.”

As an APGA-designated arboretum, the University must provide educational opportunities and keep an inventory of the various plants on campus.

A podcast about the arboretum and new brochure have been posted online to allow visitors to talk self-guided tours. The arboretum staff also put tags on trees around campus with their species name.

“The tags also tell where the tree is native,” Mastrota said.

“Being a global university, we think it’s important to have trees from all over the world here at AU.” The arboretum also has several native plants.

“Planting natives enhances the natural ecosystem on campus,” said Mark Feist, the assist director of Grounds, Vehicle Maintenance and Support Services and arboretum committee member. “We also plant adaptable plants to allow for diversity of plants within the arboretum.”

Having an arboretum on campus also adds to the University’s sustainability goals.

“Trees and plants help with carbon sequestration, reduction in building cooling costs, providing a habitat for wildlife and filtering and reducing rain water run off,” Feist said.

AU’s arboretum receives funding from many sources to install and maintain the wide variety of plants.

The funds also cover other projects the University is working on that require landscape work.

Donald and Bonnie Dwares recently donated $100,000 for an endowment to maintain the landscape around the Kogod School of Business. news@theeagleonline.com

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Lack of respect in protest College Writing program detracts from true message edits need revision We are a university that stresses CIVITAS. We best represent the University and ourselves when we show civility in our actions, both on and off campus.

There has been a larger emphasis on CIVITAS off campus, with AU students promoting good neighbor relations with the surrounding community.

However, we sometimes tend to forget that our actions on campus speak just as loudly as they do off campus.

But when we forget to act with civility here, it reflects poorly on us in the eyes of the administration, professors, surrounding community and others.

Whether the Violence Against Women Act grant proposal should have been approved is not the issue at hand,

but rather the actions of those that stormed Vice President of Campus Life Gail Hanson’s office last Thursday.

There are many ways to express disapproval or discontent — storming someone’s office and refusing to move until he or she signs something isn’t a good one. We’re not saying that these students were right or wrong to protest, but rather we’re protesting the manner in which they acted.

This behavior doesn’t help to promote a message or a cause, but rather detracts from the issues at hand. The likelihood of garnering support among the campus community diminishes when groups or individuals choose to take a less respectful route to achieve their objectives.

The meeting that was

held to discuss the grant proposal last Tuesday showed that there are students willing to discuss this issue with the administration in a civil fashion. However, any common ground found between students and administrators can be lost with over-the-top antics.

We as AU students must remember CIVITAS when it comes to our actions in the community, whether it be promoting good neighbor relations, working with peers or combating a decision we don’t agree with. Only when we remember to act with civility and respect will our actions translate into real, effective change — change that the campus community will be willing to back us up on.

No but(t)s about respect and consideration

drive to quit generally comes from within, and unsolicited pressure can often do more harm than good. But this column isn’t about converting your friends — it’s about converting our campus.

Should smoking be permitted on-campus? Can a compromise placate everyone?

I sympathize with those impacted by a potential smoking ban. No one wants to be told what to do, especially if it’s something integral to their daily life. As someone who champions civil liberties, I was originally torn on the issue, but I have come to believe that AU needs to take steps to become smoke-free.

In late February, The Eagle printed an article about a fellow graduate student who’s taking matters (or butts) into his own hands.

Noah Jacobs pledged to

SMARTER THAN I LOOK

CONOR SHAPIRO I’m not a smoker — it’s not for me. When I turned 18, I went through a phase where I kept a cigarette between my lips because I thought it looked cool. I thought it would help enhance my rebel image and attract girls. But it was rarely lit, and when it was, I never inhaled. Nevertheless, I befriended authentic smokers outside buildings on cold days (when my

breath was most visible) and cultivated relationships I maintain today.

While I prevent my friends from smoking in my car or apartment, I don’t scold them for their habit. They know it’s harmful. They’re aware of the side effects. They know it’s costly. They do it anyway, and although I care about their health, I care about our relationship too. Finger-wagging is a quick way to alienate them.

They smoke for any number of reasons, and they don’t need to justify it to me. If they wanted to quit, I would unquestionably assist. But like weight loss and alcoholism, the

Anyone who’s taken College Writing at AU can tell you a different tale about their experience with the program. It was informative, it was a joke, it helped some win $200.

The administration has changed the provisions regarding Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate tests and placing out of the course.

Our thesis is this: While we believe that AU makes a credible argument for this change, there are many more sections of the program that need editing before this one can be touched.

In the present tense, students that have taken and scored a 4 or 5 on the AP Language or Literature tests or 5 or higher on the IB English A1 exam place out of the program entirely.

Freshmen or transfer students that have completed a comparable college writing program at another

university are required to take the Writing Proficiency Exam to demonstrate their ability to write, well, proficiently.

Next fall, AU will no longer allow students who took either of the AP tests to be fully exempt from the program. Students that have received the required AP Language or IB scores will get three College Writing credits, while AP Literature students will get six General Education credits.

Stylistically, we can agree with this change as it will help to ensure that all students coming in have some basis in an AU writing program.

However, the College Writing program itself is not standardized enough to ensure all students passing through it have a similar experience and degree of preparedness for future academic writing endeavors.

The knowledge derived

from the program largely depends on the professor with whom each student takes the course. Some experience more of a creative writing class, while others gain more of the analytical writing skills they’ll later need when writing that 30page thesis senior year.

When juxtaposed with the AP and IB courses, which implement a universally standardized test in determining success or failure, it becomes clear that the program in its current state comes up short.

Before the University can tell incoming students that have successfully completed a college-level English course that it does not match the requirements set by AU, they must first standardize College Writing courses to reflect a comprehensive program that mandates a certain level of achievement from each professor and each class.

deliver 1,000 cigarette butts to AU President Neil Kerwin to illustrate a glaring problem. Jacobs is upset about AU’s lackadaisical enforcement of smoke-free areas. Therein lays the root of the problem: respect and consideration.

Many non-smoking AU students couldn’t care less whether their peers are permitted to light up between the library and Mary Graydon Center.

What we are irked about is the littering of cigarette butts lining our path like the yellow brick road and the accompanied fumes.

Aesthetics and clean air mean something to us.

It’s a poor reflection of our dedication to a clean, green campus. It looks trashy.

Smokers aren’t stupid.

They recognize secondhand smoke is a legitimate public safety concern.

Non-smokers shouldn’t have to inhale the fumes anymore than you should have to listen to me blast Moby. I believe that’s why the 25-foot barrier was implemented between buildings and smoking areas.

Unfortunately, there’s little (see, ‘no’) compliance and enforcement with these policies.

Let me return to the example of my friends and me. We coexist peacefully because we respect one another. I respect their decision to smoke, and stand on the opposite side of the wind when they light up.

When they finish, instead of tossing their cigarette butts cavalierly on the ground, they discard them properly. It’s a fair system, everyone wins.

If smokers on campus were more conscientious and abided by the rules (including discarding butts) I wouldn’t advo-

cate for its abolition. But when non-smokers rights are trivially discounted by arrogant smirks when they’re asked to move, and butts are carelessly flicked, we’re being blatantly disrespected. One thousand cigarette butts can attest to this.

If a student club or initiative began an effort to enforce the restrictions already in place, many non-smokers would be amenable to the (current) compromise. But if smokers continually dismiss the concerns of their peers, disregard signs, litter without abandon (like they’re presently doing), then they’ve earned the revocation of their right to smoke.

Conor Shapiro is a graduate student in the School of International Service and a liberal columnist.

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Lack of GOP initiative on jobs clears AU needs to actually evaluate way for Obama to shine in 2012 LEFT TURN HERE

NICK FIELD Last November saw a Republican tidal wave sweep 63 new members of the GOP into the House of Representatives and make John Boehner the Speaker of the House.

That election last fall was ultimately the result of many complex factors: disappointment with the president, distress over various economic upheavals and a conservative backlash against several societal changes.

Yet the dominant explanation of the election became that the Democrats lost the House because they didn’t focus on the issue the vast majority of Americans cared most about: jobs. Yet now that Republicans are in power, they have been focusing on everything but.

The first order of business for the do-nothing 112th Congress was not to address unemployment, but rather to try to repeal the president’s healthcare bill. Even though the president’s veto pen and a Democratic majority in the Senate would make such an effort impossible, that didn’t stop the Republicans from

catering first and foremost to their base.

Subsequently, the GOP took up efforts to attack abortion rights and passed bills to defund Planned Parenthood and National Public Radio.

low and CNN puts the disapproval rating for Republicans in Congress at 64 percent.

Meanwhile, amid all the chaos of the last few weeks, the AP has the president’s approval rating at a healthy

The test for President Obama in 2012 is whether he can remind the American people which party has truly kept its eye on the nation’s economic concerns.

These initiatives weren’t just symbolic measures, as one of the major obstacles to a budget deal has been the refusal of House Republicans to abandon ridiculous initiatives like these.

Altogether, though, this shouldn’t be at all surprising. The Republican message in the 2010 midterms didn’t have anything to do with jobs or economic issues. The drive behind the Tea Party was “to take our country back” from the “socialist, Muslim, Kenyan, etc.” Barack Obama.

The American public, however, seems to be catching on. Congress’ approval rating has remained historically

53 percent.

And yet while we’ve been having these debates on abortion and NPR, the nation’s unemployment rate has been steadily declining.

After reaching a high of 10.1 percent in October 2009, March’s rate is down to 8.8 percent, representing a full point drop since just November.

In fact, March marks the 13th straight month of job creation under the Obama Administration, and at no time during Obama’s presidency did the country lose more jobs in a month than in Bush’s last month in office: 598,000 in January 2009. The

uptick in Obama’s re-election chances is likely the direct result of the improving job market.

It is likely in the coming months, and is starting even now, that the Republicans will try to take credit for this drop in the unemployment rate. Remember, though, that the Republicans have only been in control of the House for three months and haven’t passed any kind of economic legislation.

This situation could eventually mirror what happened in the Clinton Administration when the 1993 budget bill, which led to the boom economy in the mid-to-late nineties, was passed without a single Republican vote. Yet the American public credited the accomplishments to both Clinton and the Republican Congress, which took power after the bill went into effect.

The test for President Obama in 2012 is whether he can remind the American people which party has truly kept its eye on the nation’s economic concerns.

If Obama can do that, he should have no problem winning another term.

Nick Field is a junior in the School of Public Affairs and a liberal columnist.

TRENDING TOPICS !to flowers and sunshine and spring time. Feel the happiness in the air? That’s spring, folks. "to allergies. There unfortunately has to be a downside to the season.

Powell coming to AU on Wednesday. Seniors are hoping that AU’s working just as hard as KPU to pull in !togoodColinspeakers for commencement. to rising gas prices. Spring road trips will have to wait for a while. "# !to Twitter fun – Szold is gold and FakeDaz loves #stromboli.

the Gen Ed Program NEXT GREAT RANTER

EMI RUFF-WILKINSON Let’s be frank: who really likes Gen Eds? I don’t look at it as a series of educational opportunities, but a list of meaningless courses I need to check off in order to graduate. And I sincerely doubt that I’m alone in that sentiment.

In theory, the General Education Program seeks to help us students “become who you are” through a well-rounded education. Sounds pretty good, right? But somehow, I’ve almost finished my Gen Eds and can’t say the program has significantly changed who I am. And all but two of my classes have been useless or just downright bad.

From what I’ve experienced, making Gen Eds fit major requirements is a huge part of what makes the program unsuccessful. Getting students to “grapple” with ideas that challenge them is a great goal, but it isn’t always the same goal as an intro-level class.

I took Macroeconomics my freshman year, and found myself in a 300-person lecture that revolved around memorizing formulas for inflation and unemployment. No grappling there. It may be an effective way to teach the information to people who need to know it, but I gained nothing except a bad grade.

And when you mix major students and non-majors, the class can suffer. The professor can’t cut down on the amount of information presented because they’d screw over the people who need to know it, but half the class doesn’t need to know the facts.

Plus, only a few people

care enough to even do the reading, so discussion suffers.

Of course, there are exceptions. One of the only good Gen Eds I’ve taken was “The Experience of Poetry.” What made that class good was that it consisted of sitting around and really discussing poetry. There were no lectures on anapestic meter, but it was still challenging. The professor structured it so that everyone taking the course would leave with an appreciation for poetry.

And for the most part, we did.

The University might be better off designing classes that are meant to be Gen Eds and focus on the goals of the program, not information. Science is a great example. Rather than filling the Gen Ed area straight lab science classes, why not offer classes that deal with how scientific understanding shapes society? That’s more likely to make me a well-educated person than calculating velocity.

The University needs to seriously reconsider what they want the Gen Ed Program to do. And fixing it won’t just take superficial changes like adding more classes or getting rid of the ridiculous cluster system.

To make the Gen Ed Program live up to its goals, the University needs to truly restructure how these classes are taught and how they fit into the big picture of our four years here. Maybe I have the wrong ideas on what needs to change, but to make this program worth its salt, something major does.

Emi Ruff-Wilkinson is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences and the winner of The Eagle’s Next Great Ranter contest.

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New students no longer able to fully test out of College Writing

By SCOTT MARTURANO Eagle Contributing Writer

Incoming freshmen will not be able to test out of College Writing completely, after AU changed the program requirements due to a perceived lack of writing and research expertise among students who placed out of the class.

In the past, a 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement Language and Composition or Literature and Composition exams or a score of 5 or higher on the International Baccalaureate English A1 exam was sufficient for students to test out of both semesters of College Writing, according to College Writing Director John Hyman.

Beginning in the fall, those who score a 4 or 5 on the AP Language exam or a 5, 6 or 7 on the IB English exam will receive three College Writing credits and must take a new course, LIT-106 “College WritingIntensive.”

Students in the University Honors Program who have achieved these scores and need their three remaining writing credits can take the new class, LIT-132 “Honors English-Intensive.”

But students who score a 4 or 5 on the AP Literature and Composition Exam will receive six credits toward General Education classes LIT-125 and LIT120. These students will still have to take the full six College Writing credits.

“The language exam, it might be argued, seeks to test writing skills more than the literature exam,” Hyman said.

The new intensive courses will be shortened from the current College Writing track, from two semesters to a single semester, according to Catherine Schaeff, associate dean for Undergraduate Studies.

The regular College Writing track will remain a twosemester requirement.

Hyman said AU officials

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saw that students were not well served by testing out of the class. He said Career Center officials noticed scholarship applicants were missing some important writing skills.

“We were hearing from teachers of upperclassmen, from the classes in their major and a significant number were wondering about the writing and research skills of students, enough that we were beginning to become suspicious,” Hyman said. “These weren’t just random anecdotes. It was more than just a little evidence that something was wrong.”

Of the upperclassmen who tested out, only some knew how to access a database, access credibility of source material and incorporate that material into their writing, Hyman said.

“We were not fulfilling our responsibilities to have students reach their highest ability while here at the University,” Schaeff said.

Hyman said the courses should help students transition from high schoollevel writing to college-level writing, which has been a problem in recent years among students who tested out of the College Writing track.

“Any writing class is going to be beneficial,” said College Writing Instructor Kristina Oakes. “High school writing is different from college writing, because those AP tests specifically test a particular style of writing which doesn’t translate into college-level paper writing.”

College Writing Instructor Kelly Joyner said AU is trying to improve the writing skills of upperclassmen so everyone can be on the same page.

“This isn’t a punitive thing,” he said. “It will best serve those who take it seriously.” news@theeagleonline.com

SOUND OFF “Rigorous AP courses are labeled ‘Advanced Placement’ for a reason. Kids opting for AP Language are looking to work and learn hard, and they are well within their rights to expect a reward for their drive.

Eliminating incentives for incoming freshmen to push themselves in high school to achieve hardly seems wise for a school looking to attract ‘writing wonks.’”

— Thomas Montesano, freshman in SPA

“It’s pointless. Everything you learn in College Writing you’ve already learned in high school AP classes, so now you’re just rushed to get credits at the end.”

— Eliza Madden, sophomore in SIS

“I think it’s counter-intuitive. The AP program is designed as a freshman writing course, so it should be accepted.”

— Chelsey Helling, junior in Kogod

“It doesn’t seem like a bad idea. Writing you do at the college level is different. The emphasis the administration is placing on research skills is important, because when I came in I didn’t know how to search databases ... The administration is just trying to make sure you’re able to write argumentative pieces.

That can do nothing but serve you well.”

— Erin Lockwood, senior in CAS

RACHEL DEVOR / THE EAGLE

VICTORY LAP — Survivors take a lap around Bender Arena April 2 as part of AU’s annual Relay for Life. The first lap featured survivors, the second lap included their caregivers and all participants joined in for the last lap. AU raised a record $82,000 for the American Cancer Society with more than 1,099 people registered for the 12-hour event.

AU Relay for Life raises $82,000 for American Cancer Society

By KATE FROEHLICH Eagle Staff Writer

With nearly double the number of participants from last year, AU raised a record $82,000 for the American Cancer Society at its annual Relay for Life.

More than 1,099 AU community members in 78 teams signed up to walk around Bender Arena for 12 hours overnight April 2-3. Last year, 587 people signed up, and the event raised $48,000.

Online donations will be accepted until August, according to co-chair Sharie Regensburger.

This year, event host Colleges Against Cancer’s goal was to raise $55,000, a mark that was achieved March 28, according to cochair Nadia Mekonnen.

The night featured a global traveling theme, symbolizing cancer as a jour-

ney.

Participants took their own journeys by walking laps to fundraise and raise awareness for the American Cancer Society.

The first lap is the survivor lap, after which caregivers join survivors for another lap, followed by a lap for all participants.

The event also included the luminaria ceremony, which involved lining Bender with paper bags that had been decorated and illuminated in honor of those affected by cancer.

Entertainment co-chair Stacey Levine called the ceremony a “solemn part of the night which reminds us why we relay.”

“I think that the luminaria ceremony is the most meaningful, seeing people holding hands, supporting each other and everything they and their families have been through,” said Matt Reiter, a senior in the

School of Public Affairs.

Entertainment at the event was provided by Treble in Paradise, AU Swing Dance, Dime a Dozen, DJ Lil’E, AU alum and DJ Jessica Llewellyn, Blends with Benefits and AU Bhangra.

In addition to the performances and walks, the event featured Zumba for participants to try, Twister games, a Red Bull prize trivia game and interactive dances.

Event sponsors included the AU Student Government, Student Union Board and Resident Housing Association, as well as P.F. Chang’s, Robeks, Whole Foods, Ben’s Chili Bowl and Maggiano’s, which put on a survivors’ dinner. kfroehlich@ theeagleonline.com

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SG candidates’ campaigns stayed in budget

By ZACHARY COHEN Eagle Staff Writer

No Student Government candidate this year spent above the campaign finance limit of $300 for executive candidates and $60 for class council candidates.

Secretary-elect Kevin Sutherland spent the most on campaigning at $292.15, with about one-third spent on posters, according to the Board of Elections.

“I thought it was a good investment,” Sutherland said.

His opponent Eric Reath spent $160.99.

Candidates typically spent the most money on T-shirts and posters, according to campaign finance documents.

At least 11 candidates didn’t spend a dime, including presidential candidate Joe Schulte.

Candidates are required to submit a declaration and proof of campaign expenditures after the election, according to election policy.

Black and white printouts and chalk do not have to be

declared, according to election regulations.

No University or SG money can be used for campaigns.

Last year, candidates for executive positions were allowed to spend $250, while class and school council candidates were allowed to spend $50, according to last year’s regulations.

The changes were made to account for inflation and “in order to allow students to have more creativity and have more leeway to do what they needed to do,”

said Anthony Dunham, former Board of Elections chair and SG presidential candidate.

President-elect Tim McBride spent $276.04, outspending presidential candidate Ibraheem Samirah by about $6. Samirah spent most of his funds on Tshirts, while McBride spent a little less than half of his money on shirts.

Dunham, who also ran for president last year, spent $31.15 this election. He said he was able to use the same campaign buttons he pur-

chased last year for $140.

Bronstein said he spent close to $250 last year on his campaign.

Candidates usually spend money out of their own pockets, McBride and Bronstein said.

McBride noted the difficulty for people who want to run for office but cannot afford the supplies.

“I think it’s a problem we need to look at,” McBride said.

It is unclear if all campaign finance forms have been collected because Board of Elections officials Zoé Orfanos and Dan Lewis said some forms were misplaced. Board of Elections officials will not say whose forms haven’t been handed in and whose were lost.

“We’re looking into the forms that are missing,” Orfanos said. zcohen@theeagleonline. com

EXECUTIVE CANDIDATES The following are expenses paid by executive candidates’ during this year’s SG election.

The Board of Elections or the candidates themselves reported the numbers to The Eagle. Some candidates’ information is missing because their forms were not handed in or were misplaced by the Board of Elections. For numbers from class and school council candidates, visit www. theeagleonline.com.

President Tim McBride (presidentelect): $276.04 Ibraheem Samirah: $270.12 Anthony Dunham: $31.15 Joe Schulte: $0.00 Vice President Liz Richards (vice presidentelect): $29.50 Comptroller Taylor Yeates (comptrollerelect): $0.00 Secretary Kevin Sutherland (secretaryelect): $292.15 Eric Reath: $160.99

AlcoholEdu reports half of new students don’t drink

By LAUREN LANDAU Eagle Staff Writer

For the second year in a row, about half of AU’s freshmen and new transfer students reported in an online survey that they do not drink alcohol.

Fifty-two percent of the students who completed the AlcoholEdu testing halfway through the fall semester said they do not drink alcohol, according to Health Educator Kate DiEmidio.

Last year, about 51 percent of new students said they do not drink. This is the second year AU has required incoming freshmen and new transfer students to complete AlcoholEdu, an online alcohol prevention program aimed to increase students’ knowledge of alcohol and help them set personal goals related to their drinking habits.

“We’re remaining stable and I think once we continue to use AlcoholEdu we may actually see that number [of nondrinking students] increase,” DiEmidio said.

Associate Dean of Students Michelle Espinosa said the school does not have longterm data for AlcoholEdu at AU because the program was implemented fairly recently.

“It’s only been two years, so it’s really best right now for us to look at it in comparison to other universities and the national average,” Espinosa said.

However, as new students continue to take AlcoholEdu, AU will gather long-term data that Dean of Students Rob Hradsky believes will be helpful and may reflect trends and changes in the behaviors of the student body.

The information will also allow the University to analyze whether or not AlcoholEdu is having a positive effect on students.

“Once the entire campus community has been through [AlcoholEdu], I believe we may see some big changes,” Hradsky said.

Hradsky said he believes !

see ALCOHOL on page 11

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AU senior to raise money for Myanmar student with 450-mile walk

By LEIGH GIANGRECO Eagle Staff Writer

ANA SANTOS / THE EAGLE

WALKING FOR A DREAM â&#x20AC;&#x201D; School of International Service senior Kirk Acevedo prepares for his 450-mile trek across Myanmar to raise money for a Myanmar woman to attend college.

Last week Kirk Acevedo woke up at 7:30 a.m. and walked 20 miles around D.C., Maryland and Virginia.

And that was just a warm up.

The School of International Service senior is preparing for a 30-day, 450-mile trek across Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, in October to raise money for a Myanmar womanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s college education.

Acevedo first met â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yingâ&#x20AC;? in Myanmar during the winter of 2008 while on an AU alternative break trip. He is not using the womanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name for

fear of retribution from the Myanmar government.

Acevedo said the raw emotion of Yingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s story moved him to tears. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[Others] didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the same drive to educate themselves that Ying did,â&#x20AC;? Acevedo said.

Ying is a Shan, one of the many ethnic groups oppressed by the military junta.

She was forced to drop out of school upon her parentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; death in eighth grade. Working odd jobs, Ying worked to support her family and save money for her younger sisterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s education. Once her sister received a full scholarship to a university in Thailand,

Ying remained determined to finish her own education.

Acevedo decided to sponsor Yingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s education after he was inspired by Patrick Cook-Deeganâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, director of Strategic Partnerships for U.S. Campaign for Burma, 1,000-mile bike trek through Myanmar in 2006.

At a pace of about 18 miles a day, Acevedo will start in Rangoon and end in Mandalay.

His route lies in a valley between two mountain ranges, a relatively safe urban road protected from the warring ethnic groups. The closest area of conflict to Acevedoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trek will be 50 miles away.

Acevedo, with the help of five others, wants to raise $26,200 through donations.

Yingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s actual tuition is close to $15,000, but the rest of the money will cover books and other supplies, he said.

Acevedo has received positive reactions from the fam-

ily and friends he asked for donations. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re changing a womanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life, and people have been excited about this idea,â&#x20AC;? he said.

With five months left to prepare for the trek, Acevedo enlisted the help of his friend Sean McCarty, a member of the AU wrestling team. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I basically begged him to get me into shape,â&#x20AC;? Acevedo said.

The two hope to do a 400mile hike on the Appalachian Trail or in the Rocky Mountains sometime in late August.

Acevedo said heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trying to fight Myanmarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s poverty and the military juntaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oppression of ethnic groups. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everyone has their own response,â&#x20AC;? Acevedo said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mine? I want to send [Ying] to college.â&#x20AC;? lgiangreco@theeagleonline. com

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PHOTO OF THE WEEK

RACHEL DEVOR BATTLE OF THE GREEKS Team Corinth stands its ground during the Greek Games on April 2 at Tenley Fields. Team Olympia won Greek Week overall.

Send submissions to photos@theeagleonline.com

Emerging Markets.

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!

from ALCOHOL on page 9

AlcoholEdu is already having a positive effect on students.

“I think we’re seeing a greater number of our students who are getting help for friends who may be exhibiting behaviors associated with alcohol poisoning,” Hradsky said.

DiEmidio said that each year between 35 and 50 students are sent to the hospital from campus for an alcohol-related reason.

DiEmidio has been working as AU’s health educator for nearly two years and said that when she first arrived on campus, she saw many transported students going through the process alone.

“What I’ve seen now is that they’re with friends,” DiEmidio said.

She said students are the ones showing increasing concern for their intoxicated friends by contacting a resident assistant or the Department of Public Safety for help.

DiEmidio said 87 percent of students reported the information provided by AlcoholEdu better prepared them to deal with a friend who might

have alcohol poisoning, and 83 percent said it helped them establish a plan for making responsible decisions around alcohol.

Kristina Hsu, a freshman in the School of International Service, said that she already knew most of the information covered by AlcoholEdu, but that other students might come to college without prior knowledge or experience.

“I still feel it’s important to have some kind of alcohol education for students,” she said.

Espinosa said AU will work to provide alternative events for students who want to stay on campus and have activities to engage in, especially during the first six weeks of school. llandau@theeagleonline.com

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AU replaces some dorm showerheads, composts paper towels

By PAIGE JONES Eagle Staff Writer

Some residence hall showerheads are being replaced after AU technicians noticed over spring break that some of them were not the ones originally installed.

D.C. regulations require showerheads to have a flow of two gallons per minute as a method of saving wa-

ter, Director of Facilities Management William Suter said. AU showerheads release less, at 1.5 gallons per minute. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What [AU technicians] found in some restrooms is that the students had gone to Home Depot and bought a new showerhead that was not following D.C. regulationsâ&#x20AC;? and were releasing more water, Suter said.

Only showerheads that

looked to be a different size and style were changed. Not all showerheads are changed in residence hall bathrooms, according to Suter.

Some students do not like the new showerheads. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They suck because you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t wash your hair,â&#x20AC;? said Kogod freshman Ronak Patel, a resident of Hughes Hall. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For people who have really long hair, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just not enough water.â&#x20AC;?

Some students who have not dealt with the low-pressure showerheads do not want the change. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fix whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not broken,â&#x20AC;? said School of Public Affairs freshman Ariel Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Shields, a Letts Hall resi-

dent. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m tired of Letts fixing things that arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t broken and not fixing things that are broken.â&#x20AC;?

Suter said he has heard few student complaints about the showerheads since spring break, when many were switched. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If it was something that dramatic, I wouldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve heard noise a lot sooner,â&#x20AC;? Suter said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But if there was an outcry, I was unaware.â&#x20AC;?

Bathroom paper towels to be composted All bathrooms on campus now have signs encouraging students to only dispose of papers towels in trashcans, part of a new campus

project to compost paper tissue products. No additional trashcans have yet been added to the bathrooms.

Sustainability Coordinator Emily Curley said another recycling bin may be provided in the bathrooms to encourage separation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I understand it can be less convenient to find another trash bin, but this is a major way we can help reduce a lot of our waste that is currently going to the landfill to a better use,â&#x20AC;? Curley said.

Composting paper towels in bathrooms campus-wide is a sustainability project implemented by the Green Eagles program, Curley said Last fall, Green Eagle students performed a day-long waste audit in South side residence halls, where they searched through a half-ton of garbage to determine its components. Of the waste, 13 percent was tissue paper, paper towels and napkins, Curley said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We identified the paper towels as a pretty easy and efficient way to be able to reduce waste â&#x20AC;Ś and turn them into a useful product for the soil,â&#x20AC;? Curley said.

The paper towels are composted in Maryland, along with the organic waste from the Terrace Dining Room.

Curley said the most common non-paper tissue item found in the composting bins is glass bottles, which can ruin the entire compost. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Imagine you have shards of glass in the soil,â&#x20AC;? Curley said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a useful product for the people who are benefiting at the end of the composting project.â&#x20AC;?

Some students support the efforts made by the University. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A lot of people see the bins and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pay attention to them because they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think about where they throw their trash,â&#x20AC;? said School of International Service freshman Juliet Otoya, a resident of Letts Hall. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The school canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be eco-friendly if the students donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t help.â&#x20AC;?

Other students said the bins are a great idea, but can be a hassle. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re cool, but theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re easily contaminated,â&#x20AC;? said SIS sophomore Julia Webb, a resident of Centennial Hall. pjones@theeagleonline.com

AU Social Learning Summit tweets about future Panelists stress keeping ahead of the curve

By RACHEL KARAS Eagle Staff Writer

@AU_SMCEDU: First #SLS11 held in #MGC and #newSISbuilding on 4/1-3, discussed #newmedia. RT @ alexpriest For both the Twittersavvy, the technologicallychallenged and everyone in between, the AU Social Media Clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inaugural Social Learning Summit featured panels on topics ranging from â&#x20AC;&#x153;Peace Through Tweets: Peacebuilding and Crisis Management in a Connected Worldâ&#x20AC;? to â&#x20AC;&#x153;The NEW Media: Journalism in the Social Age.â&#x20AC;?

The Social Learning Summit, held April 13 in the Mary Graydon Center and the new School of International Service building, aimed to start conversations about new ways of communication and learning across industries, including education, politics, international affairs and news.

Participants and panelists alike echoed the importance of innovation and opportunities for engagement using social media. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Because the Internet changes so fast, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re trying to be one step ahead and guess where that next success point is going to be,â&#x20AC;? said panelist Greg Cypes, director of product at Clearspring for AddThis social networking. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not evolving, you will get eaten by a bigger fish.â&#x20AC;?

President of AUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Social Media Club Alex Priest said he believes social media skills are as essential as writing skills and can apply to any field of work.

Read the rest of this story online at theeagleonline.com rkaras@theeagleonline.com

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JEFF MINDELL / THE EAGLE

THE SOUND OF MUSIC — 9:30 club and Merriweather Post Pavilion owner, Seth Hurwitz, came to the Mudbox at Bender Library to talk about his business successes and failures. Among the topics he talked about were his experience with scalpers, his rise to the top of the D.C. music scene and where he thinks the music industry is headed.

AU Lonely Hearts Band Club brings 9:30 club owner to discuss business, music at Mudbox

By ALEX MORPHEW

Eagle Contributing Writer AU students are no strangers to the D.C. music scene. With venues from the Black Cat to the Verizon Center, the options for getting your music fix are endless. So when cofounder and owner of the renowned 9:30 club, Seth Hurwitz, came to speak at the Mudbox last Thursday, students filled the chairs to hear what he had to say.

The AU Lonely Hearts Band Club, formed this semester by a group of music-enthusiasts, brought Hurwitz to AU as the first guest-speaker in what they hope to be a series of speakers from the music industry.

Hurwitz is co-owner of the 9:30 club and Merriweather

Post Pavilion, and he runs independent promoting companies IMP and IMA. But Hurwitz wasn’t always such a titan of the music industry. Starting off as a radio-station disc jockey, he soon moved on to booking shows at the old 9:30 club, originally located on 930 F Street.

“Bands played at the old club because it was cool, it had a vibe,” Hurwitz said.

And, according to Hurwitz, not only did the old club have a vibe, but it had a smell too.

“The Washington City Paper had a ‘Name the Smell’ competition to name the smell of the old 9:30 club,” Hurwitz said. “Really, it was just a very distinct combination of beer, cigarettes, urine, vomit and body odor.”

The Black Cat opened

around the same time that the 9:30 club was becoming a local hot-spot, creating competition for the 9:30 club that Hurwitz knew would affect business.

Closing its doors on Dec. 31, 1995, the 9:30 club moved to its new and improved location on 815 V St. Some of the new location upgrades included more capacity, sight lines designed to see from anywhere in the venue, tons of air-conditioning, a state-of-the-art sound system, and a special exhaust system to keep out any mysterious smells.

“When we decided to have really good food, everyone told me no one goes to a rock club for food, but why not?” Hurwitz said. “Right away we kicked ass and the Black Cat was no longer a problem.”

As the 9:30 club grew, the decision was made not to have any sponsors or signage, making profits purely off of the shows.

“We sell escapism,” Hurwitz said. “We want our customers to go home thinking about the show, not the people or companies that put the show on.”

Hurwitz was also a vocal opponent to the Live Nation-Ticketmaster merger, making the case that such a merger would create a monopoly that would damage the business of independent promoters.

He was asked to testify before the Antitrust Committee regarding the merger.

Despite the fact that the merger was ultimately approved, Hurwitz said he doesn’t believe it will last.

“The whole idea of the merger was to control the

industry and charge what they want,” Hurwitz said.

“In reality though, the Live Nation model cannibalizes itself. If you charge too much for one show, people won’t go to your other shows. Successful pricing is all about getting as much as you can without pissing people off.”

Hurwitz also received significant media attention for his production of Justin Jones under the name 9:30 Record Label.

“The 9:30 Record Label was just about Justin Jones, an artist I wanted to work with. I wasn’t about to start my own record label,” Hurwitz said.

In August, Hurwitz will be hosting yet another Virgin Mobile Free Festival, a free music festival at the Merriweather Post Pavilion, one of D.C.’s top amphitheater

venues.

“I love FreeFest because I get to book the bands that I think are the best without having to worry about selling tickets,” Hurwitz said.

“It’s a very liberating experience.”

Hurwitz has even in the past contributed to the music scene at AU, booking bands like Nirvana, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Smashing Pumpkins and Pearl Jam to play at Bender Arena.

For now, it seems the 9:30 club won’t be budging as one of the top music venues in D.C. With bands like Cake, Iron & Wine and Rise Against on their upcoming schedule, students will have plenty of reasons to procrastinate before finals. thescene@theeagleonline. com

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WVAU REVIEWS Every other week The Eagle asks the assistant music directors and DJs at WVAU what they’re listening to. Here’s what they recommend. Check out WVAU.org to listen.

James Blake – “James Blake”

How to turn on your partner with foreplay THE SEX WONKS

(Atlas) Following a widely-hyped series of releases in 2010, James Blake finally seems to have solidified his status as a production wunderkind on his self-titled, full-length debut. These are certainly Blake’s most conventional songs to date, as they give his impressively soulful vocals a chance to surface. That is, until he manipulates them with loops and effects and proceeds to wrap them in sounds ranging from jazzy piano chords and dynamic atmospherics to the shuddering bass and clipped beats of dubstep. Ultimately, the resulting soundscape is what gives movement and direction to his songwriting, not the other way around, and this mastery of production enables Blake to convey emotion in a way lyricism never really could. “James Blake” is the sound of a promising young artist boldly realizing his ambitious vision.

Recommended if you like: Mount Kimbie, D’Angelo, Justin Vernon Recommended Tracks: 1, 2, 6, 11

— Peter Gill

A Classic Education – “Hey There Stranger” (Lefse) Straight out of Bologna, Italy and fronted by a Canadian expat, A Classic Education indeed sound like they got their musical education by listening to classical music from the last 50 years. Their hazy recording quality seems ripped out of a shoegaze album, while their instrumentals sound, at times, like a ’60s French pop star’s backing band, a post-punk band with mandolins and a mellow version of a ’90s indie rock band. Though their style is more than a bit jumbled, there’s a possibility that these are all just growing pains for an indie band from a country more known for techno and electronic music that’s trying to break out internationally. If they can achieve the excellent synthesis of styles seen in tracks like “What My Life Could Have Been,” this bodes well for their future, and for you, the listener.

Recommended if you like: Los Campesinos!, Yo La Tengo, Deerhunter Recommended Tracks: 3, 4, 6

— Allison Porambo

Imaginary Cities – “Temporary Resident” (Hidden Pony) This debut album from Manitoba’s Imaginary Cities is difficult to assign to a genre. Created by multi-instrumentalist Rusty Matyas (of the Weakerthans) and singer Marti Sarbit, the 11 tracks on “Temporary Resident” range from delicate soulful pop, to modern takes on blues and jazz. While each song may seem different, the album as a whole is held together by Sarbit’s powerful voice, which seems lost 60 years in the past. Because this is a debut, it might seem that Imaginary Cities are just trying everything to see if it works. Luckily, it all does.

Recommended if you like: Adele, Florence and the Machine, Young Galaxy Recommended Tracks: 2, 4, 6, 8

— Nico Chapin

Childish Gambino – EP (Lightning Rod) Donald Glover, aka Childish Gambino, is an indie rapper. He’s not an independent rapper or an indie artist who makes rap covers. He’s just an indie rapper. Just in the first couple songs of “EP,” he’s already dropped Ariel Pink, Pitchfork and “Freaks and Geeks” references. Known best for his role as Troy on NBC’s “Community,” Gambino is stuck fighting these criticisms of whether he’s an actor-turned-rapper or a rapper-turned-actor. Truthfully, he’s neither. He’s on his James Dean swag. Like a kid on too many Pixy Stix, Gambino just spazzes through his verses and still comes up with some of the most quotable punchlines of the year. Better than Kanye tweets (maybe).

Recommended if you like: Das Racist, Domo Genesis, “30 Rock” Recommended Tracks: 2, 3, 5

— Kevin Kunitake

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – “Here We Rest” (Lightning Rod) Picture a dance hall in the Deep South, a jamming piano, a stand-up bass, a tambourine, a fiddle and a mandolin. Now listen to this album and smile real wide. This is straight up, home cooked, battered and deep fried, awesome twangy Americana roots music, from the poignant and sincere to the rocking and soulful. Former guitarist of Drive-By Truckers Jason Isbell writes with pure Southern style, focusing on the plight of various areas of his native northern Alabama. How could you not love lyrics like, “I’m eatin’ like I’m out on bail / Collard greens and chicken wings and oysters by the pail”?

Recommended if you like: Drive-By Truckers, Centro-Matic, AMURIKA Recommended Tracks: 1, 11

— Clare Teeling

TARA CULP-RESSLER AND RYAN CARTER If you’ve ever watched a heteronormative sex scene in a mainstream movie or TV show, you know the deal. After the couple shares a few passionate kisses for a minute or so, they move right into the main act — and then, as the woman is overcome with the pleasure of immediate penetration, they both have simultaneous orgasms after about 30 seconds.

If that describes your own sex life, more power to you. For most of us, however, it couldn’t be further from reality.

Patience is a virtue According to “I Heart Female Orgasm,” a sex resource that describes itself as “an extraordinary orgasm guide,” the average female-bodied person needs about 20 minutes of direct clitoral stimulation to have an orgasm. And that’s just an average, which means that half of women can take longer, up to 30 or even 40 minutes.

Clearly, those individuals need more than just a few kisses and some quick thrusts to achieve the steamy sexual experiences they deserve.

Foreplay may not make the cut for TV sex scenes, but it can play a hugely important role in real world sex lives.

Foreplaying around A female senior in the Kogod School of Business told me she “loves” foreplay. She described her favorite moves as “fingering forever and lots of nipple stimulation, with a touch of anal finger-play.”

“Basically, I like foreplay until I am very stimulated and could possibly orgasm if it kept going,” she explained.

“This ensures that I’m lubed up, although I’m not against artificial lube.”

Her boyfriend (not an AU student) told me he estimates that their foreplay usually lasts about 20 minutes. Although he enjoys foreplay, he said the physical stimulation is more

focused on his female partner.

A female senior in the CAS said that foreplay should be “the main event” in sexual encounters. “If my partner isn’t going to be able to last long enough during intercourse to get me off, then he should spend a lot of time on foreplay so that I can come too,” she explained.

When asked about her favorite types of foreplay, she said, “I like lots and lots of kissing — starting out first with just lips and a little tongue, and more tongue as you get more turned on. Guys, tonsil hockey is only fun once I’m horny!

Later, I like oral sex and fingering at the same time.”

Foreplay in all shapes and sizes It’s important to remember that foreplay varies from person to person and it’s important to check in with your partner every step of the way.

“Personally, I don’t like when guys kiss, lick or suck my nipples,” the CAS ’11 female said.

“I would so much more prefer your hands there instead! Ask me before you try anything like that, or you’re just going to turn me off.”

Foreplay can also be emotional as well as physical.

“Having my boyfriend’s hand on me and in me during foreplay adds a different level of intimacy,” the Kogod ’11 female explained. “It helps get me that much more excited for the real thing.”

The CAS ’11 female agreed.

“I really need emotional foreplay. I need to have the sense that my partner really cares about me, my feelings and my pleasure before we have sex.”

Who wants to have sex like the movies if the movies don’t include any foreplay? Use it as an opportunity to find out what really turns your partner on, and don’t be afraid to tell your partner what gets you going too. Talk to each other along the way so that when you eventually get to the main event, it’s hotter than ever.

As always, e-mail us with questions, concerns, sexual fantasies or ideas for future columns! sexwonks@theeagleonline. com

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DAVID BECKHAM

Midfielder – Age 35

OUT WITH THE

OLD.

CHARLIE DAVIES Forward – Age 24

IN WITH THE

NEW.

D.C. United vs. LA Galaxy

Sat. April 9, 7:30pm – RFK Stadium

COLLEGE NIGHT! D.C. United vs. New York Red Bulls Thu. April 21, 8:00pm – RFK Stadium $15 tickets in advance! Visit dcunited.com

TICKETS: dcunited.com/college | 202-587-5000 © 2011 MLS, All Major League Soccer properties used by permission. All rights reserved © 2011 All Photos D.C. United/Ben Keller.

‘South Park’ creators nd humor in religion with Broadway-bound play

By HAELY JARDAS

Eagle Contributing Writer Trey Parker and Matt Stone are two of the most loved and hated creative minds in today’s pop culture.

They’re the legendary creators behind “Cannibal! The Musical,” “Team America” and America’s favorite foulmouthed fourth graders who live in Colorado, “South Park.”

Now the two are fulfilling lifelong dreams of making it to the Great White Way with their brand new Broadway show, “The Book of Mormon.”

In an interview with The Eagle, Parker and Stone talked about their project that has been more than seven years in the making.

“I’ve been wanting to make musicals ever since I was a kid,” said Parker, who is an avid Broadway fan and has been trying to “force musicals into everything we do.”

The musical follows two young Mormon missionaries who are sent to Uganda, Africa. They find that the Ugandans have given up hope, illustrated in the song “Fuck You, God!” But Parker and Stone aren’t the only minds behind this production. Robert Lopez has

joined the duo in writing “The Book of Mormon.” Lopez is most noted for his hand in cowriting the wildly successful “Avenue Q,” which runs in the same vein of “South Park’s” humor and is one of the top 20 longest-running musicals.

Parker and Stone said that they’re not only mocking religion in the irreverent fashion their followers are used to, but they are also celebrating Mormonism.

Eugene O’Neill theatre, where the show is currently playing, is getting a whole range of audience members.

“The first few nights were definitely very ‘South Park’ fan-driven and were like

a Santa Monica rock concert,” Stone said. “But then the Broadway crowd started showing up, but they seemed to like it just as much.”

And yes, even Mormons are enjoying the show. Maybe even more so than non-Mormon viewers who don’t get all of the inside jokes.

“We didn’t really sit down and say, ‘OK who are we doing this for?’ because we never do that, we just always do what we do. Then see who watches it,” Stone said. “But so far we’ve been pleasantly surprised. thescene@theeagleonline. com

Jodi Picoult visits the District

By MEGHAN BOUSQUET Eagle Contributing Writer

Jodi Picoult, best-selling author of “My Sister’s Keeper,” came to Sixth and I Historic Synagogue March 22 to discuss her new book, “Sing You Home” with The Washington Post book reviewer Ron Charles.

Her new book follows the struggle of a female, same-sex couple trying to conceive. This is the first of her books to come

with an accompanying CD that features songs performed

by Picoult’s close friend Ellen Wilber.

This multimedia experience is not Picoult’s only venture into the digital age of writing.

She was also one of the first authors to have her own website, and she is even active on Twitter. She e-mails and tweets back to every fan that reaches out to her. Picoult said new media has enriched her author-to-fan experience, something few authors have at all.

Her writing technique is just as unique as her interactions with fans. She starts with an issue that is meaningful to her, and waits to see if her thoughts constantly return to it.

Picoult said that if an issues starts to keep her up at night, she has the right topic for a book. She said the characters begin to pop up like mushrooms in her head, and she begins months of research to best represent the groups depicted in her book.

Picoult proclaimed that her books encourage readers to think critically.

Her advice to fellow writers was relatively simple. She encouraged aspiring authors to write everyday, to finish what they start and to send out their manuscripts as many times as it takes.

Looking at her success, it is difficult to believe that she sent out her manuscript over 100 times before someone was willing to work with her.

Just two years ago, one of her books, “My Sister’s Keeper,” was made into a movie starring big names in Hollywood like Alec Baldwin and Cameron Diaz.

One of her fans at Sixth and I asked about the ending to the movie, which was changed drastically from the book. She told her fans the reason for the change is still unknown and the director refused to explain why he altered the ending. Not surprisingly, the movie did poorly, presumably because the radical change did not sit well with Picoult’s fans.

Luckily for those fans, Picoult announced something exciting at her Sixth and I event — Ellen DeGeneres now owns the rights to the “Sing You Home” film. Jodi Picoult’s fans can rest assured that Ellen will do the book justice and that they can confidently look forward to this new movie. thescene@theeagleonline. com

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Actors get schooled in history through roles LISTOPIA

MICHAEL W. RICHARDSON In keeping with a noble tradition of bringing you lists based on rumors and conjecture within the entertainment industry, here’s a fun one: crazy-young-man-turned-sadold-man Bill Murray may be playing Franklin Delano Roosevelt. I will let that sink in.

The guy whose arguably best role involved a longstanding feud with a gopher will play one of the most important figures in 20th century history.

Of course, Murray’s gone way past the zany characters that made him famous, creating a second career of playing the depressing aspects of getting old for laughs.

The film takes place over one weekend in 1939, when the King and Queen of England come to visit and the president has an affair with his distant cousin — so I’m going to assume it calls for some comedy.

So perhaps Murray wouldn’t be a bad choice. And to put it in context for you, here’s my list of some odd stars cast in true-life tales, and what we can learn from them.

Daniel Day Lewis — Abraham Lincoln This first entry is cheating a

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Honestly, I don’t even mind that they had to get a Brit to play Lincoln, because Daniel Day Lewis is just going to make his inner depression into outward craziness, mixing in milkshake metaphors.

And thanks to “There Will Be Blood” and “Gangs of New York,” he has a complete top hat collection already.

Lesson: The British are better at faking our accents than we are. Truly they will reclaim their empire with this feat.

Brad Pitt — Jesse James “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” besides winning awards for clumsiest title, cast Brad Pitt as James, an infamous criminal in the Old West.

This, by all means, shouldn’t work. This is the same guy that supermarket rags fawn over. But Pitt is suitably rough to play a murderer (especially in comparison to Casey Affleck, the titular Robert Ford and attempting to play a mumblecore character in a genre piece), even while playing the character as a deeply conflicted individual. Even in comparison to the many, many films depicting James, Pitt manages to surpass them all.

Lesson: Roguish and roguishly handsome are often the same thing.

Tom Cruise — Clauss Von Stauffenberg See what I just wrote about Brad Pitt above — reverse that for Cruise. I suppose it makes sense that a man most famous for being crazy (and using slave labor for a new motorcycle) would play a Nazi officer in “Valkyrie.”

But of course, because Cruise could not deal with a character of grey morality, his version of Stauffenberg is a friend to Jewish people, rather than the man who advocated for Polish citizens to be used as forced labor. Unlike Pitt, Cruise washes away the moral ambiguity and leaves us with the whitewashed view of history.

Lesson: Even if no one has heard of you, and you’re a Nazi, you deserve better than Tom Cruise.

Geoffrey Rush — Peter Sellers “The Life and Death of Peter Sellers” is shaped like a Peter Sellers film — tangential, lighthearted but with an undercurrent of sadness that belies his tortured genius. Of course, Sellers would never describe it that way, which is why Rush should be commended for capturing a certain amount of nuance in a film that could have easily become too dark or too whimsical.

Looking at Rush’s résumé, it veers from the classical stage to big-budget action flicks.

But this role was something different, and Rush goes on to show how a biopic should be cast. Also, the glasses help.

Lesson: Acting is 5 percent inspiration, 95 percent the right pair of glasses. mrichardson@ theeagleonline.com

Courtesy of WARNER BROS. PICTURES

WANTED — Actors have often taken to playing historical figures, and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Brad Pitt’s portrayal of the infamous Jesse James was one that worked.

Shakespeare Theater Company puts on an ‘ideal’ performance

Courtesy of SCOTT SUCHMAN

LOVE AND MARRIAGE — The Shakespeare Theater Company has opened their latest endeavor, the Victorian-era Oscar Wilde comedy ‘An Ideal Husband.’ It runs until April 16.

By SETH ROSE

Eagle Contributing Writer “Life, Joy, Empire and Victory.” These were the words displayed on the curtain and stage of the Shakespeare Theater Company’s March 2011 production of the Oscar Wilde comedy “An Ideal Husband.”

Taken from Mary Shelley’s play “Prometheus Unbound,” the mantra provided an ironic backdrop for a production laced with Victorian-era political corruption.

“An Ideal Husband” marks the third Oscar Wilde production put on by the Shakespeare Theater Company, following “A Woman of No Importance” in 1998 and “Lady Windemere’s Fan” in 2005. It tells the story of English politician Sir Robert Chiltern and the unscrupulous Mrs. Cheveley who threatens to reveal his darkest secret if he does not support a bill.

Despite its name, the Shakespeare Theatre Company has a stated mission to give Shakespeare and the classical playwrights he influenced equal treatment in their seasons. “An Ideal Husband” is quite an appropriate choice to this end as its scathingly witty dialogue, mistaken identity tropes and depiction of the upper class gives it the feel of a modern Shakespearean play.

One of the main strengths of past Shakespeare Theater Company productions has

been their impressive sets, and “An Ideal Husband” certainly does not break this trend. The action of the play took place predominantly in the sitting room of Sir Robert, a lavishly recreated room of black marble and gold trim complete with a central staircase ringed

by Shelley’s “Life, Joy, Empire and Victory” quote.

Servants, butlers and guests maneuvered in and out of exits constantly, effectively conveying the feel that this is just one room in a prodigious mansion. The setting moved only briefly to the house of Lord Goring in the second act, and while that set was considerably narrower, it remained just as indistinguishable as the home of a Victorian-era nobleman.

The only thing more important than the set in establishing the scene of a period piece is the costuming, and the costumes in this production possibly represented the only thing more technically impressive than the set. Men wore the requisite suits, top hats and cloaks, and the dresses worn by even the smallest character matched the over the top, extravagant fashion of the time convincingly.

The costumes even occasionally spoke for the text when we first saw the devious character of Mrs. Cheveley adorned in a bright purple dress that contrasted sharply with the pure and plain whites and grays of her fellow women.

Of course, impressive sets

and costumes do little if the content of the play falls flat.

With his biting but often subtle wit, it is extremely difficult to do justice to Wilde. These are actors whose bread and butter is the Bard himself, though, and they were up to the challenge.

Every actor was able to recognize the understated humor in Wilde’s text, and lines that could easily have passed unnoticed became raucously funny just by their delivery.

Wilde’s twisted aphorisms that parodied Victorian life and human behavior as a whole came across as both clever and natural.

Special mention goes to Cameron Folmar’s portrayal of Lord Goring, a self-proclaimed “pleasure seeker” who gets embroiled in Sir Robert’s controversy. His blatant sarcasm and razor sharp wit carried the comedic pulse of every scene he was in.

Despite its comedy, “An Ideal Husband” tells the tragic story of a man’s struggle to keep his private life together in the face of public scandal. Like most plays that deal with politics, “An Ideal Husband” is still relevant in this climate, and the Shakespeare Theater Company proved again with this production that they are quite capable of doing full justice to more than just William Shakespeare. thescene@theeagleonline. com

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TUESDAY 5

We Deliver Monday — Thursday 25% off for AU students (with valid ID) after 8:30 every night

SCENE CALENDAR WEDNESDAY 6

THURSDAY 7

Wroteo 7 p.m.

WHERE: Artisphere, 1101 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA METRO: Rosslyn (Blue/Orange Lines) WHAT: On the first Tuesday of every month, Artisphere mainstay Holly Bass invites fans for an open mic night with slam, haiku and hip-hop.

COST: Pay what you can CONTACT: www.artisphere.com

Elephant Man 8 p.m.

WHERE: Artisphere, 1101 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA METRO: Rosslyn (Blue/Orange Lines) WHAT: Nominated for eight Academy Awards, David Lynch’s “Elephant Man” is about the horribly disfigured John Merrick who is taken under the guidance of Dr. Frederick Treves.

COST: $6 CONTACT: www.artisphere.com

Senses Fail 6 p.m.

WHERE: Rock and Roll Hotel, 1353 H St. NE METRO: Union Station (Red Line) WHAT: Post-hardcore band Senses Fail is currently touring after the release of their latest album, “The Fire.” They’re joined by The Ghost Inside, Man Overboard, Transit and Voyage In Coma.

COST: $14 CONTACT: www.rockandrollhoteldc. com

FRIDAY 8

SATURDAY 9

SUNDAY 10

Ha Ha Tonka 8:30 p.m.

WHERE: Red Palace, 1210 H St. NE METRO: Union Station (Red Line) WHAT: Ha Ha Tonka is an indie rock band from Missouri, currently promoting the release of their upcoming album, “Death of a Decade,” with a nationwide tour.

They’re joined by The Spring Standards.

COST: $10 CONTACT: www.redpalacedc.com

DJ Rekha 9 p.m.

WHERE: Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW METRO: U Street/African-American War Memorial/Cardozo (Green/Yellow Line) WHAT: The founder of New York City’s Basement Bhangra, Rehka combines traditional Indian dance music with hip-hop and dancehall. She’s joined by DJ Dredd.

COST: $15 CONTACT: www.blackcatdc.com

Walk The Moon 8 p.m.

WHERE: DC9, 1940 9th St. NW METRO: U Street/African-American War Memorial/Cardozo (Green/Yellow line) WHAT: Cincinnati locals Walk The Moon are promoting the release of their debut EP, “The Anthem.”

They’re joined by Alvin Risk at DC9.

COST: $10 CONTACT: www.dcnine.com

PETE’S NEW HAVEN STYLE PIZZA Columbia Heights 202-332-PETE (7383) Tenleytown-Friendship Heights 202-237-PETE (7383) Hours of Operation: 11AM-10PM Sunday-Thursday 11AM-11PM Friday & Saturday

EYE-OPENER

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MONDAY 11 The Dirty Heads 7 p.m.

WHERE: 9:30 club, 815 V St. NW METRO: U Street/African-American War Memorial/Cardozo (Green/Yellow Line) WHAT: The Dirty Heads are a reggae rock band from Southern California that is heavily influenced by Sublime. They’re joined by New Politics and BALLYHOO. COST: $18 CONTACT: www.930.com

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‘Spiderman the Musical’: A never-ending disaster

By LAUREN ALEXANDER The Incubator

“Spiderman the Musical” can’t seem to get out of the news. Maybe once it actually opens — it has been delayed once again — audiences will stop criticizing it. Maybe it will become another mainstream classic musical, like “Wicked” or “Jersey Boys.” Probably not, but here’s hoping!

This show is considered to be the most technically involved production ever to be brought to a stage.

There are incredible aerial stunts, which often end

in injuries, amazing lights and sounds, which are mostly delayed, and an intricate set, which has been broken.

Previews started Nov. 28 and there are talks to extend the preview period until June around the time of the Tony Awards. They want to close the show down for three months!

They want to bring in a new director! They want to rewrite the script! Why don’t they just close the show all together?!

This is not only the most expensive show to be brought to Broadway, cost-

ing a whopping $65 million, but it has already run 100 previews. IT HASN’T EVEN OPENED YET! That’s more than any show in history. “Spiderman the Musical” is creating tons of buzz, but it’s struggling to get a single positive review, aside from Glenn Beck.

The video preview on the website looks awesome; the lights and sounds, combined with flying, and music by Bono and The Edge are all captivating; however, when I hear about actors breaking ribs and dropping out, I have no desire to see this show,

besides being able to get in on the buzz.

Director and creator Julie Taymor (known for “The Lion King” on Broadway) is respectable and innovative, but “Spiderman the Musical” is said to be lacking a plot line and character development. We already know a lot about Spiderman and the gang from the comics, cartoons and movies, so maybe character development won’t get in the way. I am hopeful for this show … tickets are being sold to mostly tourists, but regular theater-goers also want to get in on the

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blog conversations. Once another director helps out to make this show less of a spectacle and more of a story, audiences will be waiting to get in on the ac-

tion. A celebrity guest star might help out, too. blogs@theeagleonline. com

How many licks?

By MEREDITH MEDOWAY The Incubator

There are very few commercials on television today that I really enjoy watching. (Although, I do have a soft spot for that commercial with all of the smiling appliances.) But, as a youngster, my brother and I couldn’t resist admiring those cartoon Tootsie Pop commercials. “How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop? The world may never know.”

I mean, how could we know when that pesky owl always took a bite after only three licks? Amateur.

I always made it at least 50 licks before giving in. Anyway, the reason I’m bringing it up is because the other day, I saw the commercial! It came out of nowhere. I was just watching some good old “Spongebob” when the little cartoon boy with no apparent neck or torso approached the owl in the tree and asked his typical question.

(I would think he’d be pretty frustrated by this point.

It’s been years and he still has the same unsatisfactory answer.)

Some, however, were determined to find the true answer. A group from Purdue University developed a licking machine and students from the University of Michigan followed suit, creating one of their own.

Groups from high schools and universities have attempted to find the universal truth, but have come up with mixed results. The licks range from 144 to 364 to get to the Tootsie Roll

center of a Tootsie Pop. But, before our lives were tortured with the insoluble question, the Tootsie Roll itself had to be invented. Leo Hirshfield, born in Austria, created the famous candy in 1896 when he opened a candy shop in New York City. He sold the candy — named after his daughter, Clara, whose nickname was Tootsie — for a penny apiece.

The candy’s great success led to the creation of Tootsie Pops in 1931. And, of course, the candy was immediately popular. In fact, the army began distributing the pops to troops during World War II for a delicious and portable treat that gave a quick boost of energy.

Tootsie Pops originally came in five flavors: Chocolate, Cherry, Orange, Grape and Raspberry. Recently however, Tootsie Roll Industries has created three exciting new flavors: Pomegranate, Banana and Green Apple. The company has stuck to the original Tootsie Roll recipe and remains one of the largest candy producers in the world.

I have a bag of Tootsie Pops in my dorm room currently, just in case I’m craving a delicious snack — or if I’m in the mood to count my licks. I’ve never managed to count all the way to the center, but I challenge you to do so.

It’s definitely on my list of things to do before I die.

That’s not weird, right?

Otherwise, “the world may never know.” blogs@theeagleonline.com

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Lerner investment in Nationals’ future Barry Bonds may could pay major dividends in long run never win in court SIDELINE SCHOLAR

BEN LASKY A lot of people, myself included, questioned if Redskins owner Daniel Snyder had also bought the Nationals when it was announced that the Nats signed soon-to-be-32-yearold outfielder Jayson Werth to a seven year, $126 million contract. While the contract is terrible in many ways, what it represents should make D.C. baseball fans very happy.

Since the Lerner family bought the Nationals in 2006, Nationals fans have been treated to names like Ronnie Belliard, Lastings Milledge, Tim Redding and Chad Cordero. Clearly, we’re not talking about the Big Red Machine here. Every year, the Nationals have filled out the lineup card

on Opening Day with two or three above average players and a bunch of guys who I wouldn’t let play on my little league team.

But you can’t blame ownership for not spending money at the time. The team was not ready to compete, and of millions of dollars would have been wasted.

With a crop of young players on the team or waiting to be called up, the Nats are not as far away from competing for an NL East title as they were a few years ago. Instead of Belliard, Milledge, Redding and Cordero, fans will soon see a team with guys named Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper, Drew Storen and Ryan Zimmerman.

Harper, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2010 draft, will most likely not be ready to play in the majors for at least two years. By that time, the NL East will not be as strong as it is today.

Three-fourths of the Phillies’ big four starters are 32 or older,

and Cole Hamels is a free agent after the 2012 season. They already have an old and often injured lineup. By the start of the 2013 season, the Phillies could very well be a borderline playoff team instead of a World Series favorite.

The Marlins are in the same situation as the Nats but as we’ve seen in the past, the Marlins are more likely to trade their own great players than sign high priced players that can take them to the next level.

The Braves are always in contention as they are always among the best at drafting underrated players. Brian McCann anyone? Probably the best catcher in the NL, he was drafted with the 64th pick in the 2002 draft.

And the New York Knicks, excuse me, the New York Mets are not worth discussing.

In two years, if all goes right, the Nationals could very well be competitive in their division. They probably won’t win it, but at this point in the team’s

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history, finishing anywhere outside of dead last would be a victory.

The Nationals are close. Assuming Strasburg comes back from Tommy John surgery and picks up where he left off, and Jordan Zimmermann continues to develop into a solid No. 2 starter, they have the makings of a very good, if not great, starting rotation.

With Harper and Zimmerman anchoring the lineup, the team can add another bat or two via free agency or the minors and be one that opposing pitchers fear.

Werth’s contract is an absolute disgrace and with past knee injuries, the Nats will be lucky if he’s still an above average player halfway through the deal. But what it does show is that the Lerners are willing to spend money. Whether they will spend that money wisely is another question entirely. blasky@theeagleonline.com

of public opinion

By SAM LINDAUER Eagle Staff Writer

In case you’ve been too busy concentrating on your brackets, Barry Bonds is on trial. Yes, he’s facing perjury charges and is looking at hard time in the big house, but he’s also on trial with us — the fans. Whether he beats the charges against him is almost meaningless, which is unfortunate.

In fact, a recent report from the AP has Bonds’ camp having the edge in the case at the moment.

Too bad it won’t matter one iota to the public.

Someone with his money can put together a crack legal team. Even if Bonds is found innocent, he will still be a pariah amongst baseball purists who hate steroid users (unless, of course, they drove a few runs home for you back in the day).

Sports fans have had to deal with many players who were guilty until proven innocent or at least admitted their flaws. This is why Bonds needs to come clean about any steroid use. The majority of fans, who now watch the fringes of what was known as the “steroid era”, can call it a day with Bonds and move on.

While it may be unfair, this column will make the assumption that the majority of the public seems to have: he took performance-enhancing drugs.

The case of Bonds’ standing to the general public is one more based in perception rather than facts. It’s a sad reality, but it’s what is happening.

Of course, he hasn’t been convicted of this and there’s no real tangible proof other than his super-human performance late in his career. Sadly, an admission will never come out of the giant’s mouth. Unlike his late ’90s equivalent, Mark McGwire, Bonds thinks that people still owe him

something opposed to the other way around.

McGwire just seemed embarrassed and ashamed, which kept him from coming clean. Bonds has painted himself as the type who wants respect for his accomplishments despite the actions he took to get there. He’s baseball’s Mark Zuckerberg. Like the young founder of Facebook, he’s a prodigy who changed the game for better or for worse. If you think he cheated to get to the top, you can just wait in line with the rest of the whiners.

He’s made his choice about where he lies in the history of baseball. He would rather sit atop the most important record in sports than have the praise of the country’s baseball fanatics.

Last year, I wrote about McGwire and why he needed to confess. This was the right course of action partly because most people seemed to think he and his fans would be happier for getting it off his chest.

But there seems little hope for Bonds ever making a full recovery in the eyes of the public. For decades to come, he’ll make the rare public appearance (likely only with Giantsrelated events since they’re the only folks that appreciate him) and he will slowly become less a great ballplayer and more a walking symbol of an era of baseball most would like to ignore.

His statistics say that he should be regarded as one of the best to ever play, but stories of his illegal steroid use make this a sad tale of a player once regarded as a Hall of Fame lock to someone who will just have to buy a ticket like the rest of us. slindauer@theeagleonline. com

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How to make the sports world better for devoted followers

By TYLER TOMEA Eagle Staff Writer

ANA SANTOS / THE EAGLE

RACING TO THE GOAL — Sophomore midfielder Emily Burton outruns an opponent in a game earlier this season. Burton contributed a goal during the Eagles’ 13-6 loss to Lehigh University. The Eagles will next play George Mason University on April 5.

Lacrosse cannot overcome early Lehigh attack, drops to 2-2 in conference play

By ERIC SALTZMAN Eagle Staff Writer

The AU women’s lacrosse team lost its second straight road game 13-6 to the Lehigh Mountain Hawks Saturday in Bethlehem, Pa. The loss pushes the Eagles’ record to 6-5 overall and 2-2 in conference play.

Lehigh held the lead early, scoring three goals in the first eight minutes. The Eagles responded with a goal from sophomore midfielder Chiara Speziale at the 20:38 mark. The goal was Speziale’s 18th of the season.

The Eagles pulled within one goal when senior attacker Lisa Schaaf scored her first goal of the game. However, a mere 15 seconds after the score, Lehigh’s Anna Patterson scored to push the

Mountain Hawks lead back to two goals. Patterson led her team in the first half of the game with three goals, which helped give Lehigh a 6-3 lead going into halftime.

The second half was not much better than the first for AU. The Eagles brought the game within two goals after Schaaf notched her second goal, but Lehigh then went on a five-goal run giving them an 11-4 lead with 13:20 remaining in the game.

A goal from sophomore midfielder Bernadette Maher broke the streak of Mountain Hawks goals, but the opposition responded strong to bury AU for good.

With less than four minutes remaining in the game, Lehigh added two goals to put them up 13-5. Maher scored

the final goal of the day with just 30 seconds remaining, but at that point, all it did was keep the game somewhat competitive.

Despite the loss, the Eagles were able to get off 25 shots (20 on goal) compared to Lehigh’s 27 (21 on goal).

The Eagles lost the turnover battle giving up the ball 17 times, while Lehigh only committed 15 turnovers.

The Eagles scoring leaders included Schaaf and Maher, each with two goals, giving them 13 and 21 goals in the season respectively. Speziale and sophomore Emily Burton each tallied a single goal.

In addition to her score, Speziale, along with sophomore Kimberly Collins, contributed an assist.

Junior goalkeeper Kaska Komosinski played all 60

minutes and recorded eight saves.

Lehigh’s Megan Kelly, Lauren Dykstra and Patterson each recorded hat tricks in the game. Dykstra, not satisfied with a hat trick, lead both teams in goals for the day scoring four total. The Mountain Hawks’ goalkeeper, Alex Fitzpatrick, had a good day in goal, grabbing 14 saves.

The Eagles have lost their last three games at Lehigh.

The loss puts the Eagles at .500 on their current fourgame road trip. The Eagles will challenge George Mason University on April 5, then Lafayette before finally returning home to play Navy on April 13 at Jacobs Field. sports@theeagleonline.com

While agonizing over my busted bracket, I decided to compile a list of ways to make sports better.

1) David Stern institutes the “Isiah Thomas Rule.” At the end of the season, the 30 NBA general managers vote amongst themselves on who the worst GM in the league is. The person with the most votes vacates his position, which Thomas automatically fills.

Would fans of the team that gets Thomas be happy?

Absolutely not, but the idea would give me six months worth of column material!

2) Fixing the halftime shows. As crazy as this sounds, I don’t need five people telling me what happened in the first half.

3) Have a regular fan look at the NCAA Tournament brackets before finalizing them. Hold on, San Diego State is the best No. 2 seed? And Kentucky is the worst No. 4 seed? It amazes me how often the selection committee overlooks factors any college basketball fan could see.

4) Pay revenue-generating college athletes. Wait, this already happens? I kid. I kid.

5) Eliminate the three-man announce booth. The playby-play man and color commentator have to develop chemistry, and it’s thrown off with a third wheel.

In the Florida-BYU game, Gus Johnson was announcing with Len Elmore and Reggie Miller. When the game was tied late, Miller continued to constrain Johnson. Gus shall not be restricted!

6) The NBA should award a Least Valuable Player (LVP).

Candidates this year would include: DeSagna Diop, Travis Outlaw and Brendan Haywood.

Off-the-court

problems, ridiculousness of contract and poor play are factors that would be considered.

7) Permanent date for MLB Opening Day. I always thought MLB Opening Day should be the Sunday between the Final Four and the national championship game.

The counter to this argument is that you have to start the season earlier to end it in October. But it just doesn’t feel like Opening Day if most of the country misses the season’s first pitch while at school/work.

8) Changing the rules for fantasy football running backs. Ray Rice and Willis McGahee are examples of a running back platoon that messes with fantasy football owners. I had Ray Rice this year, and I loved it when he would pick up 60 yards on a drive and then be replaced

by McGahee. McGahee would pick up the cheap touchdown, Rice would be screwed out of six fantasy points and I’d be left feeling like I’ve just been repeatedly punched in the gut. You should just be able to draft “Baltimore’s running backs.”

9) Getting rid of the NFL Wonderlic Test. The Wonderlic Test is an IQ test administered to prospects at the NFL pre-draft combine.

The following is an example from a test (courtesy of ESPN’s Page 2): Paper sells for 21 cents per pad. What will four pads cost? This is by far the most accurate way to forecast how a player will fare in the NFL! 10) No more talk about the NFL lockout, the Barry Bonds trial or the Roger Clemens trial. I don’t want to hear about dividing up $9 billion, and let me know when the verdicts are reached with the trials. ttomea@theeagleonline. com