The Eagle Spring Edition 2

the EAGLE

SPECIAL EDITION

THEEAGLEONLINE.COM

A survivor speaks out p. 4

One student's Title IX complaint reveals systematic issues in AU's student conduct process

2

theEAGLE APRIL 15 2016

INDEX

3 NEWS

3 Terrorism affects study abroad 4 AU student files Title IX complaint

8 SPORTS

8 A historical look at AU athletics 10 Senior spotlight: Jesse Reed

12 OPINION 12 Column: Support survivors 13 Op/Ed: Value your sleep

14 SCENE 14 AMFest inspires art collaboration 16 Slamming into poetry

theEAGLE

Delivering American University’s news and views since 1925

MASTHEAD EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Shannon Scovel ONLINE EDITOR Anagha Srikanth MANAGING EDITOR FOR NEWS Kate Magill MANAGING EDITOR FOR THE SCENE Freddy Rodriguez Adena Maier MANAGING EDITORS FOR SPORTS Matt Holt Vincent Salandro MANAGING EDITOR FOR MULTIMEDIA Owain James MANAGING EDITOR FOR SOCIAL MEDIA Haley Samsel EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR Devin Mitchell BUSINESS MANAGER Brent Sabot DESIGN EDITOR Claire Holmberg ASSISTANT MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Bryan Park Taameen Mohammad STUDENT LIFE EDITOR Jillian O’Donohoe

CONTACT US

FRONT COVER: JILLIAN O'DONOHOE / THE EAGLE

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF (202) 885 - 1402 editor@theeagleonline.com NEWS news@theeagleonline.com THE SCENE thescene@theeagleonline.com SPORTS sports@theeagleonline.com EDITORIAL + OPINION edpage@theeagleonline.com PHOTOGRAPHY photos@theeagleonline.com DESIGN design@theeagleonline.com WEB webeditor@theeagleonline.com BUSINESS (202) 855 - 3593 business@theeagleonline.com CLASSIFIEDS adbox@theeagleonline.com

NEWS FEATURES EDITOR Deanna Mudry ADMINISTRATION AND LOCAL NEWS EDITOR Brooke Evans NEWS ASSISTANTS Riddhi Sarkar Ellie Harleb STUDENT GOVERNMENT BEAT REPORTER Courtney Rozen Ivy Kaplan GREEK LIFE BEAT REPORTER Theresa Maher DISTRICT WIRE WRITERS Cuneyt Dil Casey Wexler MUSIC EDITOR Zach Ewell LIFESTYLE EDITOR Arielle Weg SCENE ASSISTANTS Katerina Pappas Jack Stringer SCENE BLOG EDITOR Jenny Evans ASSISTANT BLOG EDITOR Alix Mammina ASSISTANT SPORT EDITOR Jennifer Reyes Gabe Bichinho ASSISTANT ONLINE EDITOR Jack Stringer

MISSION The Eagle, a student-run newspaper at 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.

POLICIES The Eagle has a commitment to accuracy and clarity and will print corrections or clarifications. To report a mistake, call the Editor-in-Chief at (202) 885 -1402 or email editor@ theeagleonline.com.

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 clairty. Letters and columns may be published in print or online. Letters and columns are the opinion of the writer and not the Editorial Board.

theEAGLE theEAGLE APRIL 15, 2016

NEWS

3

“Même pas peur”

Photo Credit: Paige Rotunda

Even in the face of terrorist attacks, study abroad students in Paris and Brussels say they are “not afraid”

by Katherine Saltzman Study Abroad Contributing Writer

Images of November’s terrorist attacks in Paris remain engrained in Paige Rotunda’s memory. While spending time in a bar, Rotunda and fellow patrons were urgently ordered by a SWAT team to evacuate the building and pack into a crowded street with others sobbing and seeking refuge from the bombs that hit just minutes before. She heard the sounds of ambulances and emergency vehicles rushing by as cameras were pushed in her face.

“I saw army trucks, ambulances and SWAT teams everywhere. As I was running, there were cameras in my face of news stations recording what was happening,” Rotunda said. “I had no idea what was happening, how many attacks there were, where they were, who was responsible. Once everyone stopped running there was no direction at all. We were just standing in the middle of the street with no clue whether this was a safe space or not.”

Rotunda and seven other AU students were studying abroad in Paris during the November terrorist attacks. Thirty-five AU students faced similar fears on March 22 as bombs exploded in a Brussels airport and subway.

The AU students in Paris and Brussels are all safe. Three students from the Paris program returned to the U.S. Following each attack, AU Abroad located students and reached out to their emergency contacts and family members on their safety statuses. Later, on-site staff provided support, safety information and updates to students, according to Sara Dumont, the executive director of AU Abroad.

“The on-site program staff make the immediate decisions in response to the local situation in regard to student movements; often this is based on following the advice and requirements of the local authorities and/or the US Embassy,” Dumont said in an email. “Staff continue to communicate with the students via email and text messaging throughout to provide real time updates.”

The AU students in Paris lived with French families in homestays in different districts of the city. Paris is sectioned off into twenty arrondissements (“administrative districts”).

The AU students attended class at a French University called Université Paris-Sorbonne and through the American University ACCENT program. In Brussels, students live in homestays and attend classes at the American University Brussels Center.

After the attacks in the Paris, Gabriela Berríos

Fernández, a junior in SOC, felt a greater sense of solidarity with the city. Fernández lived in the sixteenth arrondissement, approximately thirty minutes from the site of the attacks.

“I felt more attached to the city after the attacks. Since I grieved with her [Paris], I felt part of the city more than ever,” Fernández said.

AU students in Paris and Brussels participated in vigils and events commemorating and mourning the attacks. Lucca Vaselli, a junior in SPA, and Anna Freed, a junior in SIS, and both studying in Brussels, visited the Place de la Bourse, a city square, which became an area for vigils, prayer and commemorative artwork.

“Citizens gathered at Place de la Bourse and our university for vigils and chalk drawings,” Vaselli said. “It was a very emotional place to be but showed to me how different cultures come together to support one another in a time of need.”

The perspectives of the attacks from family and friends in the U.S. were different than the

actual experiences in the city, according Anna Freed.

“I think the US news media is horrifically blowing things out of proportion. The fact that it is still being reported as ‘breaking news’ by CNN and other channels, is doing nothing but fueling paranoia, when so much has returned to business as usual here,” Freed said. “The stations know that this story is going to generate a lot of viewership, and so they continue to bring on experts and create stories where there really aren’t any.”

In Paris, among French households and in universities there was emphasis on remaining calm and resisting fear despite anxiety inducing news headlines, Rotunda said.

“People literally thought it was a war zone and asked me if I was going to the embassy and preparing to leave. I think because the TV was constantly showing the news, people in the U.S. were unaware that life was still going on normally in Paris,” Rotunda said in an email.

Photo Credit: Paige Rotunda

“I think one of the best things was that people were very keen on not being afraid. The words 'même pas peur' (French for “not afraid”) were all over the memorial sites."

In Paris and Brussels, students live with homestay families. Of the five students who shared their experiences, all of them believed they shared similar sentiments of sadness and anger with their host families, and post attack discussions with these families varied from political conversations to issues about the future.

“We talked about national security. After the attacks we definitely talked more about French politics and how France was dealing with ISIS as well as about the French elections that took place in early December,” Fernández added, “the attacks and ISIS definitely became the topic during almost every dinner.”

For Fernández and Rotunda, hearing news of the Brussels attacks brought back emotions and recollections of the attacks.

“I didn’t realize how affected I was by the attacks until the attacks in Brussels happened.

When I watched the news in Brussels, I was hysterically crying and I hadn’t cried about the Paris attacks since the day after they happened,” Rotunda said. “My way of grieving was just to remove myself and when Brussels happened I realized that this was something that genuinely did affect me” Despite the attacks, the applicant pool size for the Paris and Brussels study abroad programs for the fall semester has remained similar to average trends, according to Dumont.

AU study abroad programs in Europe are not affected in light of the recent attacks and increased political tensions, according to Dumont. AU Abroad consults with a section of the U.S. Department of State which surveyed abroad academic programs about changes in programming, according to Dumont.

“Only a very small minority of institutions were making changes and these were to short-term faculty-led trips planned for this summer, not significant and established study abroad programs of any length of the type that AU Abroad offers,” she said.

Though the attacks were a difficult part of her experience, Fernández wouldn’t trade her time in Paris for anything else.

“After the Paris attacks, I appreciate more the little things in life because you never know when you’re not going to have them again,” Fernández said. “But after everything that happened, I still love Paris and I would have never changed my abroad experience.” ksaltzman@theeagleonline.com

4

theEAGLE APRIL 15, 2016

A system under fire

An Eagle investigation unveils a sexual assault reporting process that is complicated and confusing for survivors

by Ellie Hartleb and Haley Samsel News Assistant and Social Media Managing Editor

“FIND A PLACE WHERE YOU FEEL SAFE. CONTACT SOMEONE YOU TRUST…” These are the first words of the University’s sexual assault resource poster, pasted on the back of every bathroom stall door across campus. But in reality, navigating the sexual assault reporting process can be a lot more difficult than just confiding in a friend or RA. Faith Ferber can attest to that. Ferber, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, maneuvered the multitude of steps involved in reporting, investigating and appealing a sexual assault claim through the Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution office on campus over the past year.

Ferber’s complicated student conduct experience went viral this spring after she lodged a Title IX complaint against the University – more than a year after she was sexually assaulted off-campus in February 2015. According to Ferber, she filed the complaint with the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) on the grounds that she was made to sign what she claims is an illegal confidentiality agreement during her student conduct

Assaulted at an off-campus location during a sorority crush event (she "immediately" told Daniel Rappaport via text)

hearing, among other complaints.

With nearly 400 days between the night of her assault and the announcement of her complaint filing, Ferber’s complex case shines a light on just how muddled a sexual assault report can get – both for the students involved and the administrators working behind the scenes.

PROBLEMS WITH THE PROCESS Like the poster recommends, Ferber first found someone she trusted to help her navigate the process and for guidance on her experience. She immediately texted her then-boss, Daniel Rappaport, a sexual assault prevention coordinator in the Office of Advocacy Services for Interpersonal and Sexual Violence (OASIS). Ferber was Rappaport’s intern in OASIS and texted him to ask to discuss the incident.

She first turned to Rappaport because he was a confidential resource and was not obligated to report any of her statements to University administrators. She said she waited to file an official report because she worried that her experience was not serious enough to be considered a sexual assault because she was not raped.

“I didn’t think that what happened to me was valid enough, and I should’ve just gotten over it,” she said.

According to Ferber, she found that her case does in fact fit the University’s broad definition of sexual assault as “any

Early April 2015

Officially filed a report through Marianne Huger-Thomson, Feb. 10, 2015 Senior Director of Academic Support and Access Center.

GRAPHIC BY COURTNEY ROZEN / THE EAGLE

intentional touching with any object(s) or body part(s) that is against a person’s will or consent.”

Ferber said the incident continued to weigh on her, and in early April 2015 she filed an official report with Marianne Huger-Thomson, senior director of Academic Support and Access, who is one of many University employees mandated to file a report if a student claims to have been sexually assaulted. Ferber said she was notified that the University had completed its investigation on April 9.

At that point, the University had two business days to record the crime in the daily crime log, according to provisions of the Clery Act, a federal law that mandates university methods for recording campus crime data. Instead, Ferber said, the crime was recorded on April 29 – nearly three weeks after the investigation was complete.

Crime logs provided to The Eagle confirm that the assault was recorded as a sex offense on April 29, with the crime listed as taking place on Feb. 10.

Meanwhile, the University also should have been working toward completing a student conduct hearing involving Ferber, her alleged perpetrator and a panel of three conduct judges, according to Title IX guidelines from the Department of Education.

Though the Student Conduct Code guarantees a “prompt, fair and impartial resolution” to sexual assault

The assault was logged in Public Safety's Daily Crime Log (violates Clery Act, which stipulates that this should have been done within two business days)

April 29, 2015

student conduct proceedings – and the Department of Education recommends a 60-day timeframe to complete a sexual assault case – Ferber said Michelle Espinosa, associate dean of students, told her that the hearing would have to wait until the fall semester because a spring hearing would be “too close to finals.” When asked to confirm this detail, Espinosa said she cannot speak to this specific conversation, but said finals do create "a high degree of difficulty" for scheduling hearings.

Dr. Robert Hradsky, assistant vice president of campus life and dean of students, who held the responsibilities of Title IX Coordinator until last December, said the University takes each complaint seriously and works diligently to resolve it as quickly as possible.

“If the university is on break, we attempt to identify hearing panel members who are available during the break period, but this is not always possible,” Hradsky said in an email.

The University eventually tripled the recommended 60-day timeframe by delaying Ferber’s hearing until Oct. 30, 2015 and then releasing her assailant’s consequences on Nov. 9 – a full six months after the completion of the investigation.

“I think that they operate under the assumption that people who are assaulted just want to put it behind them, and we don’t want to think about it anymore, [and]

Oct. 30, 2015

Student conduct hearing, involving Faith, her perpetrator and a panel of three conduct judges.

He pled guilty on this date.

Ferber's ap sanctions o denied

Dec

5

theEAGLE APRIL 15, 2016 we want to just be done with it as quickly as possible, so they tell us things and take advantage of that and hope that we’re just not going to follow up on it,” Ferber said.

But Ferber was committed to following up on the case. She appealed her perpetrator’s sanctions – a year of disciplinary probations, an online education program and a required essay – on the grounds that such punishments were insufficient, but she was denied her request on Dec. 9.

The responsible individual also appealed his sanctions on the grounds that they were too harsh, but he too was denied, according to an email from Katie Porras, director of student conduct and conflict resolution.

In February 2016, Ferber asked Porras, who was enforcing the sanctions for the perpetrator, whether she would be notified when he completed the essay component. In an email Ferber provided to The Eagle, Porras told her this information was confidential.

“Due to confidentiality in student records, our office cannot inform or share with you materials associated with the respondent’s completion of the outlined sanctions,” Porras wrote in the email.

In fact, confidentiality is at the heart of the series of Title IX violations Ferber said she filed in a complaint against the University in March. While speaking at a Department of Justice panel on reporting sexual violence through student conduct processes in December 2015, Ferber said she learned that Title IX prohibits schools from requiring students to sign a nondisclosure agreement.

“I had to sign a confidentiality agreement, and I didn’t know that it was illegal,” she said. “I signed it and I didn’t think twice about it because I trusted that the administration wouldn’t make me do something that was illegal.”

But based on comments from Heather Pratt, AU's current Title IX program officer, the legality of AU's actions may come down to a semantic technicality.

Pratt said AU uses a confidentiality policy, which differs from a non-disclosure agreement. However, in interviews and email correspondences with The Eagle, Pratt and other administrators failed to provide a clear definition of either term.

The policy in question, titled the “Honesty and Confidentiality Policy,” is used in all student conduct processes

ppeal for increased on her assailant was d. Case closed.

c. 9, 2015

at AU and prohibits both parties from publicly disclosing any information about the hearing’s proceedings, effectively,

that statement going forward,” Hanson and subsequent appearances on news sites said. “We’re going to use one that sets out and social media - including a NowThis explicitly that you may tell your story.” video that has been viewed over 370,000 But Ferber said that even times on Facebook – Ferber’s complaints when she tried to tell her own have already triggered a response from “I had to sign a confidentiality agreement, story by posting about her administrators, students and alumni.

Over 68,000 alumni have signed an and I didn’t know that it was illegal,” perpetrator’s consequences on Facebook, she was reprimanded online petition demanding much of she said. “I signed it and I didn’t think by the University. what Ferber wants from the University: “When I posted a Facebook a strict adherence to a 60-day timeline, twice about it because I trusted that the saying my perpetrator prohibition from Greek life and athletics administration wouldn’t make me do status was let off with disciplinary for assailants and for the confidentiality something that was illegal.” probation, I got called into agreement to be eliminated, among others. the student conduct office and The campus-wide Sexual Assault was told I was violating the Working Group (SAWG), chaired by -Faith Farber, CAS '17 and sexual assault confidentiality agreement,” she Hradsky, has also taken action. Student survivor said. “So I can’t talk about it, and Government President Sasha Gilthorpe’s I’ve already gotten in trouble for Director of Sexual Assault and Prevention, it.”

Amanda Gould, has served in the group anything that could only be heard or seen While Hanson said the University is for the past two years and said the policy by the people present at the hearing. working to amend the current policy, sub-committee of SAWG Gail Hanson, vice president for campus Ferber said discussing the potential is currently working life, said that if students are confused benefits to a confidentiality to “re-write” the at the time of a hearing, they can ask agreement is “not a honesty and administrators for clarification, rather conversation worth having,” confidentiality than turning to a Title IX complaint. since Title IX already policy to clarify “If things don’t work for you, everybody prohibits nondisclosure what can and here is committed to continuous agreements. cannot be said improvement, you just have to tell us, you Ferber wants to see the after a hearing universities currently don’t have to file a complaint,” Hanson University impose harsher takes place. under Title IX said. “If there’s something wrong with sanctions on people found Yet questions investigation by the Dept. of our process, you can find whichever one guilty of sexual remain about Education of us you’re comfortable with to say, ‘This misconduct or the long-term is confusing to us. When I saw this I assault.

For implications of couldn’t make sense of it to find my way.’ her own case, Ferber’s public If it doesn’t make sense, we’ll work on it.” Ferber had outcry against the wanted her University’s policies.

REVIEWING THE CASE ass ai l ant , Hanson expressed worry that the open sexual violence cases w h o m complaint would raise a level of in the Ferber’s allegations, first publicly she said distrust about the administration’s Dept. of Education reported on March 8, triggered an i d e nt i f i e d treatment and support for survivors. immediate administrative review of himself as “When we have a complaint like this, it her case and of the confidentiality a member of makes a lot of people angry. It discourages policy, according to Hanson, who sent a a Universitypeople from stepping forward, it doesn’t memorandum to the AU community in a recognized fraternity, encourage them, and we’ve already seen a direct response to the media coverage of to be removed from Greek life. A series little bit of evidence of that,” Hanson said. the case. However, the University had not of miscommunications between Ferber “I don’t know that we’ll get less reports, received an official complaint notice from and administrators led her to believe her but in confidential conversations, students the Department of Education at the time perpetrator would be banned from Greek might say, ‘I’ve been watching all the of publication. life as a result of his disciplinary probation, things that have been happening, and I’m “We heard loud and clear that which was not the case. not sure it’s worth it for me to try to pursue [the confidentiality] statement was Looking at the campus community at this.’ That’s the sadness out of all of this.” misunderstood,” Hanson said. “That’s large, Ferber believes assailants need to According to Ferber, other survivors enough to trigger our review, and we think be taken off campus. have reached out to her and indicated we’re pounding it into better shape with more “One of the really unfortunate things their desire to file complaints against the explicit exceptions to the confidentiality about colleges is that their number one job University after seeing her story online. understanding that we have.” is to protect the University, not to protect “Whether they’re going to go public Hanson added that these changes are students from harm,” Ferber said. “I think with it the way I did or keep it private and unlikely to be implemented this year, and that it’s not too much to ask for that people anonymous, that’s up to them, but I am not she added that the University may not be who are found responsible of sexual assault the only person who has been wronged by found at fault for its current policy. are not on campus. I don’t think that that’s AU,” Ferber said. “It’s bigger than me and “Whether or not the [confidentiality] such an outrageous request.”

I wish that people can see that it’s bigger statement would be something that than me, it’s the entire community.” [the Office of Civil Rights] would tell us WHAT COMES NEXT ehartleb@theeagleonline.com that we can’t use is almost a moot point because we’re not going to use exactly Perhaps due to their controversial nature and hsamsel@theeagleonline.com

Dec. 8-9 2015

Ferber attended and spoke at a Department of Justice roundtable. Someone from the Department of Education told her that she had been wronged.

174

220

Ferber begins the process of filing a Title IX complaint against the University.

"Soon After"

Feb. 20, 2016

Sent an email to Katie Porras to ask who was enforcing her perpetrator's sanctions. Porras replied that the perpetrator did not hold a leadership position in his fraternity so the fraternity would not be notified of his probation.

Ferber's complaint story broke online via Buzzfeed.

March 8, 2016

NEWS

6

theEAGLE APRIL 15, 2016

Class of 2020 marks lowest admission rate in AU history American University accepts just over 25 percent of applicants for incoming fall class

by David Lim Senior Staff Writer A record-low of 25.7 percent of applicants were admitted to AU’s class of 2020 this spring, marking the second consecutive year AU has seen a significant decrease in its admission rate, according to the AU Office of Admissions.

The University announced that a record 19,311 people applied for admission to the incoming freshman class as of March 21, which is targeted to be 1,700 students.

The number of applicants constitutes an increase of more than 15 percent over last year, which itself was an 11 percent increase over the 2014 admissions cycle, according to Greg Grauman, assistant vice provost for undergraduate admissions.

“I think the drop in the admissions rate speaks to the caliber of our school,” School of International Service sophomore Emily Smith said. “I think the newer students are more involved and more willing and open to experience new opportunities. The involvement of our student body in our school and the DC community has had a profound impact on me because when I get involved, I feel more connected to the University and DC.” The decrease in the acceptance rate constitutes approximately a 20 percent drop over the past two years for the University. The class of 2018 had an acceptance rate of 46 percent, and last year 35 percent of applicants were admitted.

“We believe the application increase can be attributed, in part, to the increasing academic reputation of American University both nationally and internationally," Grauman said.

Currently, the U.S. News & World Report ranks AU 72 overall in the national college rankings, having climbed from 84 back in 2010.

The University’s projected yield rate, the percentage of admitted students who elect to attend AU, is 36 percent, an

Eagle previously reported.

“Housing & Dining Program historically relies on temporary triples for the fall semester for new first year students, as necessary,” Alexander said. “The intent of the new residence halls, when open, is to increase capacity and decrease the number of triples that have been necessary.”

Once the new residence halls on East Campus open, sophomores housed in contingency floors will be moved to their intended housing on East Campus.

Freshmen will be then be de-tripled into rooms that are vacated by sophomore students.

As AU becomes more competitive, the underlying strengths of the University still remain the same; its location in D.C. and its emphasis on professional development remain a big draw for prospective students.

“Students are looking for an applicable, realistic education and experience that will differentiate them from the PHOTO COURTESY OF ANDY LALWANI thousands of other graduates Andy Lalwani (red, center) leads students through or a student’s level of around the world,” College of enthusiasm for AU, as icebreakers during a 2015 Eagle Summit.

Arts and Sciences freshman an important factor in Amanda Hodes said. “AU’s the application process. curriculum, location and expected to be impacted by the delay in This emphasis on the college process as the construction of Federal, Constitution opportunities make the school a prime a two-way system distinguishes students and Congressional Halls on East Campus. choice for the modern, driven student.” who are passionate about AU in the The University has already announced admissions process from those who are that the number of freshmen living in applying to multiple schools, according to triples will remain similar to the 2015- dlim@theeagleonline.com the University’s Office of Undergraduate 2016 academic year. At the start of the Admission. academic year 330 rooms were tripled, Disclaimer: Staff writer David Lim is “We seek students who are a good fit for The Eagle previously reported. a resident assistant in Cassell Hall for American University both academically, The triple rate for the class of 2019 the 2015-2016 academic year and is socially and emotionally,” Grauman said. was higher than intended due to the employed by Housing & Dining Programs.

According to the Office of Admissions, yield rate which exceeded projections, Staff writer Courtney Rozen contributed the increase in the yield rate demonstrates leading to 1,780 first year students in reporting to this story. the growing appeal of the University housing, 180 more than expected, The increase of four percent over the class of 2019, which had a yield rate of 32 percent, and eight percent over the class of 2018, which had a yield rate of 28 percent.

This yield rate is expected to translate into a class of 1,700 students, according to Kelly Alexander, the director of public relations for university communications. The target marks a 100 person increase over prior years. Previously, the target class size for AU was 1,600 students in 2014 and 2015, The Eagle previously reported.

“What is most significant is the actual raw number that the decrease translates into -- approximately 2,000 fewer offers over a two year period,” Alexander said. “That kind of drop is extremely unusual in higher education.

Demand is increasing faster than anyone could have predicted.”

AU emphasizes “demonstrated interest,”

compared to other colleges. George Washington University has experienced an increase in its admissions rate each year since 2010, according to GWU’s Office of Institutional Research and Planning.

Housing for incoming freshmen is

PHOTO CREDIT JILLIAN O'DONOHOE/THE EAGLE

theEAGLE

SPORTS From BU to AU:

7

theEAGLE APRIL 15, 2016

Mitch Wightman’s journey from having his program cut to competing at the NCAA Championships

by Vincent Salandro Co-Managing Editor of Sports When Mitch Wightman ended his collegiate wrestling career at the NCAA Championships in Madison Square Garden, he finished an emotional twoyear journey which began far from the campus of American University.

Wightman, a Warwick, New York, native, began his collegiate career wrestling at Boston University under head coach Carl Adams and assistant Sean Harrington in 2011. Wightman started his career slowly, wrestling in both the 157 and 165 weight classes and finishing the season with a record of 9-11. Wightman improved in his sophomore season and posted a 20-11 record in the 165-pound weight class but missed out on qualifying for the NCAA Championships for the second year in a row.

While not initially seeing results on the mat, Harrington said Wightman’s work ethic and commitment set him apart immediately at BU and would set him up for his future success.

“He was bulletproof,” Harrington said.

“He competed at a high level all the time.

He never made an excuse for a loss, never made an excuse when he wasn’t feeling right. Mitch impressed me on all levels.”

In the spring before his junior season, Wightman and his BU teammates were called into a meeting that would change the course of their collegiate careers: BU had decided to defund and discontinue the wrestling program after the 20132014 season.The BU coaches had been informed on April 1, 2013, Harrington said, and the wrestlers were informed shortly afterward.

“Coming into that meeting [with the BU coaches], I didn’t know what to expect,” Wightman said. “The administration was very underhanded, the politics that were involved led us to not even have the chance to get the program back.”

While still having to refocus and prepare for potentially his final collegiate wrestling season, Wightman said the news of the program being cut loomed large over him before the season began.

“

The amount that I’ve learned from the sport of wrestling has been amazing. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

-Mitch Wightman, AU wrestler

”

PHOTO COURTESY OF TOMMY BENNETT

AU senior wrestler Mitch Wightman competes against then-sixth-seed Jonathan Viruet of Brown at the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association conference championships this spring. Wightman's finish at the tournment helped him earn an at-large NCAA bid.

“After the program got cut, it felt like someone had died in my family,” Wightman said. “The history of the program is gone, the culture [that was] built up was just gone when the cut the program.”

Wightman qualified for the NCAA Championships his junior season at BU and believed his wrestling career might have been over after wrestling his final bout in Oklahoma City.

However, an avenue to continue his wrestling career materialized when AU head coach Teague Moore contacted Harrington about a potential assistant coaching job at AU. Harrington wanted to stay in the Boston area but told Moore that a couple BU wrestlers, including Wightman and Tyler Scotton, had eligibility left and might want to continue their collegiate careers.

“Basically, I had [two options], join the workforce and forget wrestling or continue my wrestling and my education at American,” Wightman said.

Wightman remained at BU to finish his undergraduate degree but did not rule of the possibility of finishing his wrestling career at AU. Wightman waited to make his final decision about joining AU wrestling team until after the 2015 NCAA Championships, Moore said.

Wightman lifted and conditioned on his own at BU but hadn’t been on the wrestling mat much at all in 2015 before he came to AU, according to Moore. Wightman secured an internship in Washington D.C.

in the summer of 2015, which allowed him to join AU’s freestyle club and train with the AU wrestlers in the summer.

“It gave him a chance to meet the guys on the team and get our way that we do things, our drilling, our focus, where our energy lies,” Moore said of Wightman’s summer work with the team. “It was really nice to see that when he came down here, he immediately bought into what we were doing.”

Wightman also had the chance to bond with his teammates off the mat before the season began. He lived on teammate Mike Dahlstrom’s couch during the summer while he juggled his internship and summer training.

“It wasn’t much of a transition in terms of acclimating to the team,” Wightman said.

“It was definitely a different group of guys from BU to AU. There is always going to be subtle differences but those differences can make for a much different experience.”

Wightman still did not gain complete sharpness once the wrestling season began in November, and Moore said Wightman did not completely knock off the competitive rust until the Midlands Championships in Evanston, Illinois at the end of December. Wightman beat the then-sixth ranked wrestler in the 165-pound weight class, Austin Wilson of the University of Nebraska, twice en route to a fourth place finish.

Wightman finished the season with a 22-15 record, but a 5th place finish at the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association

Championships left the remainder of his collegiate career in the balance. Only the top four 165-pound finishers at EIWAs earned a guaranteed an automatic spot in the NCAA Championship. After the conclusion of the EIWA championships on March 6, Wightman waited two days before learning his fate. On March 8, Wightman was given an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and a chance to end his career at Madison Square Garden.

“Getting the at-large bid, it showed the amount of effort I put in during the season,” Wightman said. “Although it was unfortunate not to make it through during EIWAs, it was that extra effort that I put in throughout the season that put me in that position.”

Wightman fell in his first two bouts at the NCAA Championships to Cooper Moore of Northern Iowa and Tyrel White of Columbia, however he said the opportunity to compete at Madison Square Garden, given his journey from Boston University, was “life-changing.”

“The amount that I’ve learned from the sport of wrestling has been amazing. I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” Wightman said. “The opportunity to be part of an event like that [the NCAA Championships] has been one of the highlights of my life. I hope going forward I can use that as a learning tool and a way to shape my future.” vsalandro@theeagleonline.com

90 Years of AU Athletics

T

o commemorate The Eagle’s 90th anniversary, The Eagle took a look back at some of the major sporting events that have shaped the history of the University.

The Eagle, in the University’s first year, 1925, covered the first seasons of intercollegiate football and basketball. AU first football team consisted of just over two dozen freshmen, none of whom ever played college football. AU’s first season of basketball was played in meager temporary gymnasium with volunteer players. According to an ar ticle written in 1925 players were encouraged to “present themselves for practice...no matter what their opinion of their abilities may be”. Women did not star t competing in varsity athletic competition until 1927, even though the school formed an intramural women’s team along with a men’s team in 1925.

by Jennifer Reyes and Vincent Salandro

1945-1954 FOOTBALL DISCONTINUED 1935-1944 AU ATHLETICS AND WWII As the United States entered World War II, AU and its athletes were not immune. Many notable athletes left in the middle of their collegiate careers to join the armed service. Track and Field felt the deepest impact from the war, almost having to disband, according to an article written in 1943. The basketball and tennis teams likewise were depleted of their starters that same year.

The Eagle remained positive during the war, signing one of its columns: “At any rate, American U is continuing to put out good, fighting teams, war or no war!”

Despite a 1938 student referendum to increase tuition by $5 in order to support the athletic department, by 1942 the University again was facing budget shortfalls, no doubt in part because of World War II. In that same year The Eagle ran a column titled “Football should be dropped not to slash other budgets”, which detailed the fact football was the biggest strain on the athletic budget even though “[AU] annually experienced] a poor season.”

Ultimately, in September of 1946, football was discontinued as an intercollegiate sport at AU. There was a considerable student led effort to reestablish football as a varsity sport, but this movement never gained support from the administration.

1965-1974 THE KERMIT WASHINGTON ERA

1955-1964 MANN WINS GOLD AT 1956 OLYMPICS In December of 1956, parttime AU student Shelley Mann represented the United States at the Melbourne Olympics, winning a gold medal in the 100-meter butterfly and a silver medal as a member of the 4x100 meter freestyle relay. The Eagle reported that Mann left AU’s campus on October 14, 1956 to travel to Australia in preparation for the Olympics. The Eagle also reported in November that Mann would be keeping record of her time in Australia and reported on December 5, 1956 that Mann had taken gold with an Olympic-record time.

From 1971-1973, Kermit Washington graced the basketball court in an AU jersey.

Washington put up eye-popping numbers from the moment he first stepped on the court, averaging 18.6 points and 20.5 points per game as a sophomore.

He, for his career, averaged 20 points and 20 rebounds, a feat accomplished by only six other NCAA basketball players throughout the history of the organization. Washington was ultimately drafted fifth overall in the NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers. Washington, a twotime Academic All-American and a first team All-American his senior year, is AU’s leader in career rebounds with 1,467 and is eighth in scoring despite playing only three years of varsity basketball. In the article about Washington’s roommate in 1975, The Eagle refers to Washington as “legendary” and credits him with “putting AU on the basketball map.”

1985-1994 THE EIGHT OVERTIME THRILLER

1975-1984 THE BIRTH OF CLAWED In 1927, The Eagle advocated for an Eagle to be AU’s mascot.

AU’s sports teams were referred to as the Eagles as early as 1928, and the University changed its color scheme from orange and blue to red, white and blue in 1948. However, the first official mascot did not suit up until 197.

The Eagle, named “Clawed,” was conceived in a sketch by thenAthletic Director Robert Frailey.

The Clawed costume was replaced three times in the first five years of the mascot’s creation due to damages resulting from fights between Clawed the Eagle and Georgetown University students, The Eagle reported.

Clawed the Eagle served as AU’s mascot until 1991, when Clawed retired. The mascot was re-imagined and brought back in 1993. Clawed The Eagle was rebranded as Clawed Z. Eagle in 2006.

The Eagle described the 19851986 athletic season as “The Year of The Soccer Team,” in its end-of-season review. The Eagle review reported that the team, under head coach Pete Mehlert, “awoke thousands of students who barely knew what soccer was before the fall.” AU defeated rivals George Mason and South Carolina to reach the national semifinals before defeating Hartwick University 1-0 in front of approximately 5,300 fans at Reeves Field. AU faced off against national power UCLA in the title match, a battle that extended into an NCAArecord eight overtimes before UCLA notched a golden goal to defeat AU. The match was so significant, however, that the NCAA changed its overtime procedure to decide matches on penalty kicks after two scoreless overtime periods. The 1985 soccer team represents AU’s most successful finish in a team sport.

1995-2004 JOINING THE PATRIOT LEAGUE After 16 years in the Colonial Athletic Association, AU President Ladner announced a proposal to move AU to the Patriot League, a conference considered similar to the Ivy League schools in its focus on both athletic and academic performance.

A column published on March 27, 2000 by the Eagle said joining the Patriot League would lead to weaker competition that would stifle the growth of the athletic department and discourage student-athletes from attending AU. Less than two years later, The Eagle published an article saying the move to the Patriot League was a “smart move,” and reported that AU elevated the level of play in the Patriot League.

Since AU’s first full season in the Patriot League in 2001-2002, the Eagles have won 47 Patriot League championships.

2005-PRESENT NATIONAL WRESTLING CHAMP On March 17, 2007, junior 197-pound wrestler Josh Glenn made AU history when he took down Iowa State’s Kurt Backes in overtime. With the victory, Glenn became the school’s second-ever national champion and the first since the school became Division I in 1966. The Eagle reported that on a campus driven by politics and a professional sports scene “plagued by mediocrity,” Glenn stood as “an anomaly.” The Eagle reported that Glenn was the first D.C. area wrestling national champion since 1969.

Glenn’s story was picked up

by The Washington Post, NBC News 4 and Comcast Sports Net, according to The Eagle. Glenn would go on to place fourth at nationals his senior year to become AU’s first ever threetime All-American. Glenn ranks fourth in AU wrestling history with 110 career wins.

PHOTO BY OWAIN JAMES/ THE EAGLE

10

theEAGLE APRIL 15, 2016

Senior Spotlight: Jesse Reed

by Matt Holt and Shannon Scovel Sports Editor and Editor-in-Chief When senior guard Jesse Reed walked off the court for the last time as an AU varsity athlete, he ended a career that included two Patriot League Scholar Athlete of the Year awards and a championship title. The Eagle caught up with Reed to talk about his professional basketball goals, favorite college memories and experiences playing under head coach Mike Brennan.

Q: So how does it really feel to have your college career come to a close?

A: I mean, it’s definitely bittersweet. You know, it’s been fun while I’ve been here, so I’m going to miss it a lot, but I’m also excited for what new opportunities may arise here in the next couple of months, to see what my future may hold.

Q: What is it like on that front? Do you have anything brewing?

A: I think I’m going to go play overseas.

I’m talking to agents right now, you know, nothing's set yet, but I’m hoping I can land in Europe and make it to a decent league and try to make it into a career.

Q: So, obviously, probably your best moment here was when you won the championship, so can you talk to me a little bit about that and how it felt to win a championship?

A: Ah, man. That’s what you work the entire year for. When we actually won up at BU, that was the pinnacle of my basketball career thus far. There is no better feeling than coming out on top, and I get that same refreshing feeling every time I pull out my ring. [I've] got it hidden at home in a safe, but everytime I go home, I pull it out, put it on, [and] it just reminds me of all of the good memories. I look back at the pictures, videos, people took, it’s hard to put into words how great that feeling is….I mean, I never won a championship in high school, so that was the first ever, the first ring ever, and I’m going to cherish that baby for the rest of my life.

Q: You were recruited by Jeff Jones [head coach prior to Brennan], correct?

What was the difference between them [Brennan and Jones] and how was the adjustment?

A: It’s hard, I don’t remember much about playing for JJ. I remember certain moments here and there, specific things that happened, but as a whole, I mainly remember the last three years. I was trying to think back to what it was like when I was a freshman, and it was obviously different because I wasn’t playing much in the beginning of the year and kind of came on more at the end. I didn’t really have a big role, and it was all new to me, so I was all in culture shock the entire year.

But coming into my sophomore year...I had to go through a whole new coaching change, and so I had to get a comfort level back with new coaches and all that. Like

I remember specific things like getting to play at Kansas, at Georgetown, you know all those big games and certain funny moments that we had that can’t really be repeated, but it’s hard to think back to that first year and compare the two.

Q: Tell me more about playing under Brennan the last three years and how he helped you become a better basketball player.

A: Basically, he wants you to be good in all facets of the game, so he had me work on everything from shooting to dribbling to post moves. I think my game just kind of developed, I developed a whole game under him. We practiced long hours, so I hope that the practice paid off, and it seemed to a little bit. He’s one of those guys, he’s a basketball junkie, that’s all he cares about. And it’s fun playing for a guy like that because a lot of us feel the same, but I’ve never seen anyone with the passion and love for the game that he has.

It’s on a new level. I thought I loved the game until I met him. He eat, sleeps and breathes basketball. He would even tell us some nights he couldn’t sleep because he’s up, thinking about how to get us better, like what he can do to get us ready for the next game. It’s insane.

Q: What are your thoughts on Holy Cross making it [to the NCAA]?

A: I mean, it just goes to show that anything can happen. They were like the ninth seed, and they came through. I mean, it hurts because we beat them twice this year, obviously we felt like we could have been there, been in that position, but it’s about who's playing better that day. Lehigh got us on their best day, and Holy Cross got Lehigh. That’s the way the league works.

Q: Let’s talk more about this season. It was a strange season. Losing streak and all that. You had to take on a leadership role. How was that experience for you?

It was a tough adjustment in the beginning because I’m so used to having John [Schoof]and Pee-Wee [Gardner] around, for my entire career, even when I was here with JJ to now. It was nice having them because they were always constants, you could always rely on them

“

isn’t there yet, things weren't clicking, so it was hard. Especially with them, some of them being younger guys like the freshman, some of the guys being transfers, some of them haven’t played college basketball in a while and it’s hard to assimilate how hard you have to play in practice. You can stress it, but until you go through it and witness it, you go through some games, you don’t really know what

I’m going to miss it a lot, but I’m also excited for what new opportunities may arise here in the next couple of months, to see what my future may hold.

-Jesse Reed, senior basketball player to do everything. And I just had to step up and be that person this year, adjust my game a little to get the guys more involved, because I had Pee-Wee creating, John creating. Coach Brennan asked me to step up, so I had to. It was tough in the beginning, just because obviously a lot of new guys in a new system, chemistry

”

it really takes to win a basketball game.

The guys were really starting to pick it up throughout the season. Once we hit the two and 15 mark, finally won our first conference game at Lafayette, it just kind of clicked for us. After that, guys finally saw what they needed to do to get a win.

BRYAN PARK/THE EAGLE Everybody saw that, and they felt a win again, and they thought “oh man we got this, we can figure this thing out.” We hit that, a couple game winning streak, we lost a few, we finished strong, and beat BU on the road and then ran into a chain saw with Lehigh.

Q: Fond memories?

A: There is one thing. After the BU game when we won the championship, we’re all in the locker room celebrating. Coach Brennan comes in and we all kind of quieted down because he’s a serious guy, he doesn’t celebrate much or anything.

It’s right when Drake released his album, “Nothing was the Same,” so right around that time, obviously at the beginning of the year we were picked ninth for the season, so he brought us all in and was like ‘started from the bottom now we’re here.’ mholt@theeagleonline.com and sscovel@theeagleonline.com

11

theEAGLE APRIL 15, 2016

Where are they from?

An inside look at the demographics of AU athletics

by Jennifer Reyes Assisstant Sports Editor

A school known for international relations, AU also boasts a diverse roster of athletes in all sports, with student-athletes coming from as far away as Mombasa, Africa and as close as Virginia and Maryland. Not a single athletes hails directly from the District and 30 come from outside of the United States.

Although international athletes face cultural adjustments when entering

school in the United States, these 30 students have thrived at the school both in and out of the classsroom. This year, the AU volleyball team graduates Monika Smidova, the 2015 Patriot League ScholarAthlete of the Year from Plzen, Czech Republic. Smidova ended her final season with her third consecutive team run to the NCAA tournament, Academic All-American honors for her 3.82 GPA and distinguishing play as a setter in Patriot League competition.

The men's swim team also graduates a standout student, as Bahamain native Toby McCarroll will graduate with one of the top men's GPAs in the athletic department. While eight of AU's 30 international athletes end their collegaite careers this year, 22 more will continue to represent the Eagles, and they join over 200 other AU student-athletes from around the globe who proudly wear the red, white and blue as they compete in their respective sports.

The Eagle gathered the hometown information of all 233 student-athletes on roster for the 2015-16 season, and this data ranges across all 14 NCAA Division I sports.

All information came from AUEagles.com and the rosters for each sport at the school.

Check out the map below to see what states AU Atheletes represent. jreyes@theeagleonline.com

Where in the US do AU athletes come from?

22.3% of athletes call DMV their home, but no one comes directly from the District.

States represented States not represented CLAIRE HOLMBERG/ THE EAGLE

theEAGLE

OPINION

12

theEAGLE APRIL 15, 2016

It's on all of us: Naomi Zeigler urges AU to support survivors

by Naomi Zeigler Eagle Columnist I was thirteen when I first understood what the word “rape” really meant. I had read Alice Sebold’s "The Lovely Bones;" it was one of those novels that I read too early, I was too young to cope with the text. Although I never finished the book, from the moment I read of Susie Salmon’s rape, it became one of my greatest fears. I developed an apprehension of older males, like the novel’s villain. I hid from them when I walked around antique stores by myself. I felt my skin crawl whenever I thought they were looking at me, staring at me, as I crossed the street. I imagined

a stranger waiting for me in the darkness as I walked around my neighborhood at night. Now, seven years later, a part of me wonders if perhaps I could have prevented my greatest fear from happening to me.

Maybe if I had not been running from imaginary strangers in the night, I would have noticed the danger of the boy who took me to his prom and the man who took me to Kramerbooks and Afterwords.

Both times I was raped, I didn’t shout or struggle. I didn’t put up any fight at all.

When it was over, they smiled at me, walked me to my door, kissed me goodnight and said, “I had a great time, I’ll see you again soon.” And they did. Sometimes I replay these moments over and over in my head to try to make sense of them. I remember how they complimented me, bought me dinner, and told me I was special. I remember how I remained silent even when all I wanted was to scream. I remember looking at myself in the mirror and feeling like I had lost something. People tell me that I’m assertive, aggressive, even abrasive. I ask myself how I was none of these things when I needed to be.

As a member of the Peer Educators for the Elimination of Relationship and Sexual

Violence, one of the most important things we tell people during our workshops is that one of the most common reactions to sexual violence is to freeze. It isn’t a matter of fight or flight. Sometimes violence is immobilizing.

"I remember how I remained silent even when all I wanted was to scream. I remember looking at myself in the mirror and feeling like I had lost something."

--Naomi Zeigler

My silence was not consent and my lack of resistance did not mean that I was not a victim. He was my boyfriend and he was my Tinder date, but they are still my rapists and nothing will change that truth. It has been a work in progress for me to realize that this is my answer, this is the sense that I can make of the situation. It wasn’t my fault, it isn’t my fault.

Every April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, one in five women and one in sixteen men will be sexually assaulted during their time in college. Supporting survivors goes beyond quoting the White House’s It’s on Us

campaign. We are called to do more than attend Take Back the Night and wear teal colored pins. Nearly every month, crime alerts are posted on the walls of residence halls, reminding us that this is not a problem that will just go away. Creating a ‘community of care’ that believes, supports and listens to survivors means holding ourselves, our peers, our administrators and our school accountable, regardless of how painful that may be. It means challenging ourselves to do more instead of lying stagnant and falling back on what progress we have already made.

Our work has just begun and now, it’s on all of us to make strides of change each month of the year.

Naomi Zeigler is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences --- If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you are not alone. On campus resources include the Office of Advocacy Services for Interpersonal and Sexual Violence at the Wellness Center (OASIS@american.edu) and the Counseling Center (walk-in hours from 2 - 4 pm every weekday). edpage@theeagleonline.com

Letter from the Editor: A Journey of 1,000 Miles

By Shannon Scovel Editor-in-Chief Some might equate the experience of being the editor-in-chief to running a marathon, but a marathon only lasts several hours. The tenure of an editor-in-chief typically lasts twelve months.

When I toed the starting line of this long, exhausting, exhilarating, complicated challenge in April 2015, I quickly discovered how little I knew about the job. But I solved this problem like many other college students would. I started drinking more coffee, I spent more time in the newsroom, I started to sleep less and I thought about the paper constantly.

What could be done to improve our reporting? What stories needed to be covered? How could I help improve staff morale? Over the past year, I’ve made progress, and I’ve completed a journey; a journey, some might say, of a thousand miles.

I started my career at The Eagle covering a women’s lacrosse game in March 2014, and I plan to return to sports writing next year. However, this year, I’ve had the chance to work with an incredible news team and cover everything from an arrest to a sexual assault case to a local stabbing incident. I’ve learned hundreds of things during my time as a leader in MGC 252, but I wouldn’t do justice to the position without acknowledging three themes and four individuals that will stick with me long after I graduate next year.

Chloe Johnson, thank you for teaching me that if you don’t stick to your gut and stand up for what you believe in, people will walk all over you.

Courtney Rozen and Haley Samsel, thank you for teaching me that age and experience should never stand in the way of seizing an opportunity.

And Mark Davin, thank you for teaching me that sleep is important and staying up past midnight and trying to swim

hard at morning practice the following day doesn’t work.

I will never forget of feeling of hitting submit on my first print edition and debating about whether or not to spend the night sleeping in the newsroom. Or when a Washington Post reporter tweeted our Staff Editorial. Or when my phone rang seven times during my afternoon block class because of a breaking news story.

After producing four print editions and editing several hundred online stories ranging from President Obama’s speech at AU to David Terao’s standing ovation at the NCAA wrestling tournament, I’ve finally understood that being editor-in-chief of a college newspaper doesn’t necessarily mean being the best writer or editor; it means being a leader, working with your team, staying positive and never giving up.

This is not an easy job. But I don’t think anyone comes to AU looking for the easy way out. I have classmates and teammates who work on Capitol Hill, intern with the State Department, speak three languages, volunteer at local elementary schools, win national scholarships, travel the world and more. AU inspires me, and I’m proud

to have served as the editor-in-chief of The Eagle for the 2015-2016 school year.

As I crest this final hill and cross the finish line of the hardest race I’ve ever ran, I excitedly turn to the paper over to Kate Magill, my friend, fellow journalist and running buddy who I know will lead the paper in a great direction.

As the Managing Editor of News this semester, Kate brought a strong news judgement into the office along with a calm and confident demeanor that allowed her to lead by example and earn the respect of her staff. Over the past ten weeks, I have had the pleasure of working side-by-side with Kate, as she led a team of young reporters to challenge themselves, dig deeper and report on stories that matter to students on campus. I could not be more honored and excited to watch Kate embrace the role of editor and be the leader of the paper next year.

The Eagle operates successfully because of the hard work, diligence and enthusiasm of the staff. Kate Magill embodies all of these traits. It’s time for her race to begin. sscovel@theeagleonline.com

13

theEAGLE APRIL 15, 2016

Staff Editorial: AU needs a better sexual assault reporting process Faith Ferber's experience reporting her sexual assault complaint demonstrates how far we still have to go

by The Editorial Board It’s no secret that sexual assault is one of the most urgent issues facing this University. When BuzzFeed reported on March 8 that AU student Faith Ferber was filing a Title IX complaint with the Department of Education over the handling of her case, it was dismaying but not surprising.

That Ferber’s case unfolded after the Dept. of Education began investigating AU for sexual violence violations last March discourages us. AU has made efforts to combat sexual assault since the investigation was launched. We wrote in September that mandating Empower AU prevention training was “a major step to fight back.” The formation of the Sexual Assault Working Group signals affirmative commitment to progress.

But as The Eagle’s cover story makes clear, AU has a long way to go in improving the reporting and disciplinary process in sexual assault cases. Ferber’s situation shows that reporting sexual assault is confusing and alienating to survivors and the disciplinary process is slow, non-transparent, and difficult to

navigate. We can and must do better.

The confidentiality agreement that Ferber said AU forced her to sign is a seemingly clear cut violation of Title IX, which explicitly states that “colleges and universities may not require a complainant to abide by a non-disclosure agreement, in writing or otherwise.” Gail Hanson and Robert Hradsky asserted that AU’s Honesty and Confidentiality policy was not a non-disclosure agreement, but this is a distinction without a difference. Furthermore, we take issue with AU asking a survivor to change or delete a Facebook status discussing her disappointment with the hearing outcome or risk a Student Conduct violation.

There are also unanswered questions about the timeline in Ferber’s case. Why did it take 20 days to report the unwanted advance when the Clery Act states campus crimes should logged within two days? Why did it take until late October 2015 to begin the conduct process when the first report was in early April? This is despite Title IX guidelines that encourage schools to complete the entire process within 60 days after the initial report. We see no reason why those timelines should not be heeded.

The sheer complexity of the entire

process is difficult to wrap one’s mind first priority. Last year’s Title IX complaint around. Administrators struggled to give was a wake-up in that regard. While we’ve clear answers to simple questions as Eagle made real progress, Ferber’s case calls that reporters covered this story. To whom do commitment into question. you report an incident of sexual assault?

Sexual assault will almost certainly Who is and isn’t obligated to report what happen again at AU. The University they hear to University administrators? needs to work with students to reform How does the disciplinary process its approach and make sure the botched work? Which crimes warrant which administrative response is not repeated. punishments? Who decides what renders a judgement on an allegation and who --E makes sure verdicts are enforced?

Surely there must be some level of confidentiality and discretion when adjudicating such sensitive matters as sexual assault allegations. But it should not prevent survivors from being able to tell their stories if they want to.

Furthermore, students should not be forced to sign something they don’t understand.

The University bureaucracy at AU has grown vast, secretive and unaccountable to students. It is frustrating to deal with if one does not how to navigate the system.

In Ferber’s case, administrators were insensitive and cold, in our view. They seem to behave under the assumption that all survivors want swift closure rather than justice.

Ensuring the health and well-being of edpage@theeagleonline.com students has to be AU administration’s PHOTO BY JILLIAN O'DONOHOE / THE EAGLE

Op/Ed: So Sleep, Yes it’s Important

By Jacqueline Lantsman Contributing Writer I’m a college student, with an overwhelming schedule. But I do sleep eight hours a night.

Yes I have numerous papers to write.

Yes I am engaged with the student body. But most importantly, I prioritize self-care. Something I learned my first semester was that if I don’t care for my body— nurture it the way that nature intended— I am guaranteeing fatigue. Put simply, I am limiting my quality of life. No way can I write papers to my full capacity, no way can I empathize to the degree that I would when well rested, no way will my motivation resemble the resilience I have after a good night’s sleep.

I’m writing this because each and every one of us deserves good health, and somehow this necessity has been lost in our culture of sleep deprivation.

Flaunting that you slept for two or three hours isn’t commendable when your mind and body are crying for help. We need to prioritize our health, because

“

those A’s we yearn for are easier to obtain when we nourish our minds and bodies with sleep. I promise.

Finals are approaching. It might seem practical to stay up late cramming for exams, but without sleep, your memory does suffer. Sleep and memory are bilaterally related. You lack sleep and your memory suffers.

sleep.

When we sleep our neural connections are cementing our memories. Copious research will tell you that because of consolidation, critical thinking skills improve. Response time in recalling terms, composing papers and reciting presentations enhances. All it takes is a routine eight hours of sleep a

”

Every one of us deserves good health, and somehow this necessity has been lost in our culture of sleep deprivation.

-Jacqueline Lantsman

There are three stages of memory, acquisition, consolidation, and recall.

Two of these stages function during the day, acquisition, when you are completing assigned readings, and recall, when you are discussing those readings in class. Consolidation on the other hand, when we convert short-term memory (20-30 seconds of memory) to long-term memory, takes place during

day.

Sleep deprivation also contributes to restlessness, and poor emotional regulation. Yes, I’m talking about that time when you were especially angry and felt yourself overreacting about something you would have blown off on any other day. See there is science behind it: our minds are compiled of many functions that collaborate to keep

up with our daily habits.

Now, when we are sleep deprived, the amygdala, which generates basic emotions, isn’t in sync with our frontal cortex, which regulates those emotions.

Our judgment is tainted, and we are prone to human-error. Yes, you are more likely to partake in self-destructive behaviors. Yes, when deciding between two multiple choice answers you are more likely to choose incorrectly. If you deprive yourself of sleep you also deprive your mind of the judgment that is essential to doing well on exams.

I don’t mean to scare you. I just want to make you aware that you are capable of not only acing your exams, but reclaiming your health. You can do this simultaneously by routinely sleeping for eight hours a night. Take pride in your mind’s and body’s abilities by nurturing them.

Jacqueline Lantsman is a freshman majoring in Public Health in the College of Arts and Sciences. edpage@theeagleonline.com

SCENE

14

theEAGLE APRIL 15, 2016

Celebrating art and music:

SUB brings together campus clubs for a collaborative entertainment event

by Jack Stringer

Assistant Music Editor

piece served as a part of Browne’s “Self Evident Truths” series, which depicts black subjects allegorically, in the context of history and positions of power and determination. Browne said that more often than not, he paints in public settings as he travels around the country teaching and sharing his work.

“It brings new elements to my work everywhere I go,” Browne said.

“When, as an artist, you are separated from the people, it takes away from the art. Painting surrounded by the people shares what the art is really about.”

After a plethora of free burgers, hotdogs and sides, the crowd settled

soul music. Likhari also delivered hints of hip-hop, jazz and caribbean sounds while onstage, sharing with the crowd a unique series of songs unlike anything else heard during the rest of the festival.

RDGLDGRN didn’t come on until nearly 10 p.m. and by then everyone in attendance was reminded that it was in fact very early spring. Lucky for the three-man group from D.C., all three RDGLDGRN members have red, gold and green attire for all seasons and climates.

RDGLDGRN confidently brought some heat to warm up the crowd, and they inspired a group of their biggest fans and most energetic audiences members

As tourists flocked to the Tidal Basin and cherry blossoms filled Instagram to celebrate the arrival of spring, AU students welcomed the new season with AMFest, the Student Union Board’s first music and art festival.

The event, a collaboration celebration between SUB and a dozen other groups including AmericanWord and WVAU, was held on March 26 and provided a stage for rising artists, featuring a plethora of local musicians and creators.

Students and fans filtered in and out of the amphitheater throughout the festival, creating a casual, fun atmosphere. Some students danced and others sang along if they knew the words to a cover or original song. While the amphitheater was never quite full and didn’t exactly start shaking, the AU community welcomed all acts Tam Sackman, director of SUB and artists with warm intentions.

The festival’s organizers compared the event to a ‘potluck’ and invited a variety to get up and dance in front of the stage. of AU clubs to bring a ‘dish’ to the table in for a night of eclectic music and The band acted right at home on stage in in the form of musicians, performance cultural performances. Frizzy Vasquez more ways than one, and its performance groups and other creatives. SUB provided and Terrell Green, who are part of a gave a fitting finale to the first ever a set amount of funding, the headliner student-run music group called Second AMFest. RDGLDGRN was not, however, District Records, represented the D.C. and the venue. The clubs provided acts the last big news of the night as Sackman hip-hop community alongside Jordan they wanted to see at AU. announced that Against Me! will perform “I think we represented AU here,” Coleman and the rest of 94 Forever. at the Tavern on April 23. Sackman also The genre then shifted into rock, Tam Sackman, the director of SUB, said. said she hopes AMFest will be back next with the likes of Peppina from the “These groups don’t always have the year, even bigger and better. resources to put on a giant show, and we Live Sound Club, Calm and Crisis “This feels like the start of something that gave them the resources. I think it was a of the Audio Engineering Society could be big, I hope that it’s something that and Sub-Radio from AmericanWord great collaboration.” continues in the From Les future,” Sackman Couers D’Afrique, said. “We definitely all the way to learned a lot, there the headliner, are some tweaks RDGLDGRN, a we could make, but slew of local artists as far as a first time performed for a goes I feel like it was hometown crowd a success.” and expressed AMFest ultimately their D.C. roots. brought together Aside from diverse series of the musical acts, artists connected AMFest also through one event brought out other co-sponsored by artists, clubs several different and companies clubs and students. from the DMV With the common including an bond of the Afro-Brazilian D.C. experience, martial arts group students and called Capoeria musicians alike D.C. (Brazilian celebrated the Club) as well as music community AU’s own, Les Dele Amon performs at AMFest PHOTO BY TAAMEEN MOHAMMED / THE EAGLE and through a Couers D’Afrifique series of unique and who energized characteristic performances. the crowd with a range of African dance invigorating the crowd. Each of these “It’s our home town, so the crowds are acts complemented each other with a styles. always the biggest and the most intense,” variety its own sub-genre and degree A local painter was also present on said Red of RDGLDGRN. “Hometown Saturday, as S. Ross Browne of the of hardness to which they rocked. shows are always the best.”

Baltimore based singer-songwriter, NAACP joined the celebration from the start and painted on a large blank Beya Likhari of WVAU, stood out from jstringer@theeagleonline.com canvas throughout the entire event. The the other acts with a set of mesmerizing

“I think we represented AU here.

I think it was a great collaboration.”

-

A talk with RDGLDGRN The Eagle sat down with D.C. based group, RDGLDGRN (pronounced RedGold-Green) before their performance at AmFest, to discuss local connections, sonic stylings, streaming services, video games and much more.

As a DMV group, I’m sure you have connections around the city. Do you have any ties to American University specifically?

Gold: I knew a basketball player here.

Green: I’m friends with some alumni.

What do you enjoy most about performing in the District?

Red: It’s our hometown, so the crowds are always the biggest and the most intense. Our music has a go-go influence, and the people here understand that.

You have been kind of defined as an indie go-go/punk/alternative group, what do you think about that? What genre(s) would you put yourselves into?

Red: Just keep adding slashes. The Beatles are a huge influence, and they didn’t write ‘slash’ music, or for any specific genre. They just made pop.

Going off that, what musical inspirations do you have in D.C. specifically as well as just in general?

Green: Michael Jackson, Tribe Called Quest, Wu-Tang, Outkast, Nirvana.

From DC, we know all the go-go stuff: Trouble Funk, Backyard [Band], Nirvana, well Nirvana isn’t a go-go band.

Dave Grohl is from here, so is Pharrell (Neptunes, N.E.R.D). Everything from the Native Tongues crew.

Gold: Go-go used to come on the radio here at 10 [p.m.], so that’s how we got familiar with it from the suburbs of D.C. Red: Have you heard much go-go music?

What does RDGLDGRN want to share with the world?

Red: We just want to share music, so we’re going to keep making different types of music. We think we’re pretty good at it, so we just want to get it all made and use all the different styles and just get it out there. We’ve made music and people have enjoyed it so we just want to keep that up.

15

theEAGLE APRIL 15, 2016

From Polo to Piloxing:

AU Alum Michelle Risinger shares her love for fitness and public service

by Arielle Weg Lifestyle Editor When Michelle Risinger tore her hip flexor after years of competitive athletics, doctors encouraged her to change her workout routine. Six years later, Risinger was named a Featured Fitness Instructor by Active Life DC, teaches multiple group exercise classes a week and encourages others to take care of and empower their bodies.

Risinger spent her collegiate years as a member and later two-time captain of the AU varsity swim team. After graduating with a degree in International Relations and History, Risinger went on to join the Scottish national water polo team and became the captain and team MVP. Risinger said that water polo started as her first love, but she settled for swimming in college, because AU didn’t offer a water polo team.

“The water is my sanctuary. It always will be,” Risinger said. “And somehow swimming and polo are almost otherworldly to me, this physical space where you can exist just inside yourself and water.”

The high impact running and water polo workouts landed her with a torn hip flexor, and later with a torn calf muscle after she jumped back into her sport before allowing the original injury to heal properly.

Typically swimmers are taught to push through pain, Risinger said. She felt that part of the reason her injuries were so severe was because she was taught to ignore her pain and keep pushing.

Looking back, she realized she knew better, and shouldn’t have continued to irritate her injuries.

Doctors recommended she start high intensity, low impact workouts like yoga and Pilates to increase flexibility and decrease risk of repeated injury, and this suggestion forced Risinger to evaluate her workout regimen and active lifestyle.

“When I tore my hip flexor, it did forever change the way I worked out. I definitely had periods of depression during that time,” Risinger said. “For someone who genuinely loves exercise and does it every day, I had a very difficult time adjusting to significantly modified workouts.”

She began attending dance classes at Joy of Motion, and found a new brand of exercise called Piloxing.

Piloxing incorporates standing Pilates, upper body boxing, upbeat dance and finishes strong with an abdominal workout. The group exercise class was created in 2009 by a Swedish dancer, according to the brand’s website.

When Risinger first starting piloxing in D.C. in 2013, Joy of Motion was the only studio in the local area offering

{

the West Coast workout. Her instructor would encourage students to substitute teach her class if she was out of town, because nobody else in the area knew the routine. Risinger hesitantly took on the challenge.

She has since earned certification as a piloxing instructor and has been leading

studio above Balance Gym at Foggy Bottom before her Piloxing class. She checked in with her ten regular class participants -- all preparing as they kicked off their shoes, put on hand weights and chatted about their week.

I joined Risinger’s 7 p.m. Thursday Piloxing class as both a reporter and fitness enthusiast, and she began by

Photo Courtesy of Michelle Risinger

AU alum and piloxing instructor Michelle Risinger poses with her class after an evening workout. Risinger is a former member of the AU swim team and also played water polo at the national level, but she switched to piloxing after an injury. classes for two and a half years. Twice a week, she holds a piloxing class, but she also teaches other group exercise classes such as Barre, Bootcamp and Whipped!, all while balancing a full time job as a

introducing me to the other students, all of whom completed the class before.

Risinger glowed with excitement as she described her song selections for the

“Piloxing is fiery and passionate and very grounded and social.”

-Michelle Risinger, piloxing instructor and AU alum

Senior Innovations Officer at PACT. Despite her busy schedule, Risinger still finds time to return to the pool. “[Swimming and Piloxing] provide very, very different fitness experiences,” Risinger said. “One thing is for certain, my life is now a thousand richer that I have both of them.”

On one Thursday evening, Risinger walked around the tiny group fitness

evening.

Designing a playlist is part of the creative license Piloxing instructors take when teaching a class, Risinger said. The class runs on 11 block routines incorporating core, boxing, Pilates and dance combinations Risinger has memorized. She selectively chooses specific choreography to incorporate in her personalized class, but it’s not

even the routine that makes her class so spectacular.

Risinger’s carefully crafted playlist bursts with an upbeat remix of everything from Colbie Caillat’s “Try” to flashes of club beats, and those in the class requested copies of the mix to take home.

The Piloxing workout seamlessly flowed from standing, slow punches to double time, boxing in a squat. Some steps were more complex than others, but Risinger created a pattern that proved easy to follow and coincided well with the music’s tempo.

The class ended with pulling out mats for a 15-minute abs and glutes workout.

Many people groaned through the routine, and dripped with sweat by the end. I woke up the next morning with incredibly sore arms.

One of the class participants referred to Risinger as an “energizer bunny”, and it was clear by the end that she definitely fit the description.

“Piloxing is fiery and passionate and very grounded and social,” Risinger said.

After posing for a group photo, everybody met up with Risinger for drinks at a local restaurant. She hugged those not attending the evening activity and encouraged everyone to come back the following week.

As a certified Piloxing instructor, Risinger can apply for different levels of certification through an intense process, and she was recently awarded the level of elite instructor. The application process to become an elite instructor required a 20-minute video of herself teaching a class, but Risinger said that the video submission was the most rewarding part of the application process. Piloxing experts reviewed her application and critiqued her teaching style and her ability to stick to Piloxing choreography, she said.

When she tore her hip flexor, Risinger spent a year and half without the ability to run. When she returned to running, it ultimately ended up worsening her injuries. Today she can run pain-free for four to five miles, and hopes to one day run a half marathon and participate in a Tough Mudder. But the recovery still takes time.

Risinger encourages AU students to check out her group exercise classes at Balance Gym at both Glover Park and Foggy Bottom. The gym offers group exercise packages for students not interested in full time membership.

“I have accepted the fact that I may not achieve [my goals] if the injuries won’t allow me to,” Risinger said. “But I’m at peace with this knowledge because I so dearly value being physically healthy now.”

{

aweg@theeagleonline.com

AU’s Poe tr y Co m m unity At AU, most students are training to be future lawyers, politicians, or international relations scholars. But beneath all of that is an active yet underground community of diverse students who share their happy, traumatic or confusing life experiences through poetry. Whether they perform their poetry as slam, read it at local cafes, or publish it in literary magazines, their poetry gives them an opportunity to reflect, cope, vent and help others feel less alone.

by Adena Maier Managing Editor of Scene

GRACE CASSIDY “From the window you see solemn Fog marrying the Atlantic shoreline And you forget that jasmine Over-steeps to bitter.”

-Grace Cassidy, “Hyperlocal” Grace Cassidy’s poetry usually revolves around kitchens and weather, but mostly kitchens because she says they’re just so weird. Cassidy said she first started writing poetry when she was 12, sad and everything that happened to her seemed like it was the end of the world. But upon coming to college, Cassidy said she started taking poetry more seriously. She has published her work in AmLit and performed her poetry at Songbyrd Record Cafe in Adams Morgan.

“I guess I don’t really care if people ‘like’ my poems or not,” Cassidy said. “I mean, there have been a million poems that I’ve read that I’ve totally hated, but I’ve still appreciated them because they’ve taught me what I don’t like in poetry, and they’ve taught me what kind of poet I don’t want to be.”

Cassidy reads regular poetry, not slam poetry, however. She said the difference, in her opinion, is that slam poetry usually revolves around a certain issue and is more of a social movement than anything.

“Reading ‘regular’ poetry, if that’s even a good way to put it, doesn’t require or ask for that same engagement with the audience,” Cassidy said.

Cassidy also said she appreciates slam poetry because it calls a lot of attention back to the audience and is an engaging experience rather than someone just reading a poem.

“Poetry is stupid just like television is stupid and sports are stupid,” Cassidy said. “But I love it, and I’ll always love it, and I’m never going to stop writing poetry, but I don’t think I’ll ever really know why.”

NIA HAMPTON “So she asked me why I wear black In the pitch black I am one And I take a deep breath and say It is my home.”

-Nia Hampton, “Black” Nia Hampton, a freshman in the School of Communication, first started writing poetry for slam as a junior in high school. She was taking an Intro to Video Production class and was required to write a poem and perform her work for the class.

Hampton’s friend took her to the slam

poetry club at her high school one day after school, and the rest is history. She fell in love with the environment and the art form, and she said she wrote poetry for three or four months before she felt comfortable performing one out loud. At AU, Hampton is part of the slam poetry club.

“I like having a time during the week where there is little structure, and it’s just a time to be creative,” Hampton said. “Performing my slam is nerve wracking but so therapeutic.”

The poem Hampton is proudest of is about her mom, and she said that while it was infused with teenage angst it reminds her that neither her or her mom are perfect, and this reflection makes her love her mom even more.

Hampton typically writes about her family or uses poetry to reflect on tough times in her life. She said poetry is therapeutic to her because it gives her an opportunity to analyze why she was sad, to understand how she got through it, or to help her get through it in the first place.

school but said she only started taking her art seriously and performing slam poetry last year. She is a part of the Slam Poetry Club at AU and participated in her first slam event at a College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational. She said she became exceptionally nervous speaking in front of professional poets. Baron had competed before more informal environments, and many of the other writers had been performing slam since high school.

“Spoken word poetry to me is so beautiful because you can see the driving force behind the words people wrote,” Baron said. “You can hear their body language and hear the feeling in their voice.”

Much of her poetry deals with her experiences with sexual assault and with being queer. Her poem “Howl” details Baron’s sexual assault, her dealings with the administration and her struggle to find a voice. Baron said she is most proud of her poem “Howl” because she feels it was her most honest.

her poetry on stage.

When she started college, Nierenberg took a break from poetry, but over the last year she rediscovered her love for it. She performed her poetry on stage for the first time last November with her close friend Emily Frieband, and they wrote and performed a very personal piece together. Nierenberg is currently studying abroad in Santiago, Chile and she said her travel experience has opened her eyes to new subjects for her to write about and that she has written a lot about her life abroad.

Nierenberg said that her poem “Serious Symptoms” stands out as the piece that she is most proud of, and the poem helped her to work through some personal issues that she was dealing with. Nierenberg said the piece stemmed from text messages she received after a complicated friendship ended, and it helped her work through love and loss that happened too quickly for her to understand. Although Nierenberg takes great pride in “Serious Symptoms,” she said she continues to revisit and edit the poem because she feels it still needs work.

“It is hard to me to see any of my poetry as being finished,” Nierenberg said. “I think that each poem continues to be a work in progress and that multiple versions of one poem provide proof of my constant evolution.”

EMILY FRIEBAND “Everybody has another voice talking to them, Sometimes it takes over your life When you think you’re doing your best, it tells you you’re not When you think you’re happy, it gives you reasons to be sad . . .”

Photo Courtesy of Julianna Nierenberg

Julianna Nierenberg hugs Emily Frieband following a poetry reading in the Davenport Coffee Lounge.

KENDALL BARON

JULIANNA NIERENBERG

“I feel more number, statistic, caution tape, warning tale, broken glass Than human, than woman, than survivor.

See that word “survivor” implies I turned my body into a battleground and turned my limbs into weaponry Made a trigger out of my mouth and poured bullets from my throat . . .”

“You sighed, sighed once more, Choked on your words Until you could push them through your sealed lips.”

-Kendall Baron, “Howl” For Kendall Baron, a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs, slam poetry gives her an opportunity to share and confront her experiences with sexual assault and offer healing to those who hear her poetry.

Baron started writing poetry in high

-Julianna Symptoms”

Nierenberg,

“Serious

Julianna Nierenberg, a junior in the school of International Relations and the College of Arts and Sciences, has been writing poetry since high school when she discovered Button Poetry, an organization that promotes, distributes and fundraises for the performance of poetry. In high school, Nierenberg performed in theatre productions and competed in Model United Nations but was never confident enough to share

-Emily Frieband, “The Voice” In Emily Frieband’s high school freshman year English class, she had to write an original poem for a homework assignment. Most students would groan at such an assignment, but Frieband enjoyed the challenge and started writing more poems. Frieband, a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs and the College of Arts and Sciences, said poetry soon became her outlet, but she only started performing her poetry as slam in October 2015.

Frieband performed for the first time at an open mic night on AU’s campus at the Hatch in Leonard Hall.

“My anxiety was through the roof and when it was my turn, I was shaking the whole time,” Frieband said. “When I finished and heard everyone clapping and saying how good my poem was I felt incredible, and I knew that I was meant to perform my words.” amaier@theeagleonline.com