The Eagle — Nov. 23, 2009

‘NEW MOON’ RISES The Scene looks at the latest ‘Twilight’ film from a fan’s and a newcomer’s point of view SCENE page 5

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EDITORIAL

Seniors get voice in grad. speakers Students can e-mail their picks to SG

By JULIA RYAN Eagle Staff Writer

JUSTICE SERVED Mohammed’s NYC trial speaks well of the United States’ justice system

AU seniors may get more input regarding who speaks at their graduations with the recent passing of a bill in the Student Government Senate that establishes ways for students to e-mail their commencement speaker suggestions to the SG.

The bill, which passed unanimously in the Undergraduate Senate Nov. 15, directs SG Secretary Colin Meiselman to create an SG e-mail account for each school where students can e-mail their commencement speaker suggestions. Senators will meet with the deans of every school later in the year to notify them of the results and to take suggestions from university officials.

Class of 2010 Sen. Steve Dalton, who sponsored the bill, is working with Meiselman on the e-mail accounts.

Dalton said he and Meiselman will only be reading e-mails from AU student e-mail addresses.

Dalton and Meiselman will check the students’ names against AU databases to make sure they are seniors, so only those who will be at the commencement speeches will have a say. If a student’s email address does not have his or her name in it, Dalton and Meiselman will check the e-mail address against AU’s database of senior e-mails to confirm the account belongs to a senior.

Though Dalton and Meiselman will be checking that every e-mail submission comes from a senior, Dalton is also counting on non-senior students to refrain from giving input just on n

see COMMENCEMENT on page 2

SAY ‘BYE, BYE’ TO THE SWINE!

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SCENE DUTY CALLS ‘Modern Warfare 2’ tweaks a near-perfect formula page 5

SPORTS LOST SHOT AU men’s basketball drops fourth game in a row page 8

NET LOSS AU volleyball loses PL championship to Army in straight sets page 8

TODAY’S WEATHER

HI 49° LO 45° Rainy, tapering off to showers at night TUESDAY HI 55° n LO 46°

WEDNESDAY HI 58° n LO 45°

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Students lined up across the Main Quad on Friday morning to receive the swine flu vaccine. Health Practitioner at the Student Health Center Kelli Karacki administered the vaccine to AU students via nasal spray.

AU plans for a ‘Starry’ dance

By SHELBY KRICK Eagle Contributing Writer While students at AU are always searching for new ways to celebrate the end of the semester, Student Government members came up with a “new” idea for the final celebration — they are bringing high school back with a Starry Nightthemed dance party.

Nate Bronstein, SG’s director of outreach and a sophomore in the School of International Service, has been organizing a winter semi formal to be held in the Katzen Rotunda from 8:00 p.m. to midnight on Friday, Dec. 4. Tickets will be available one week prior to the event. The price for tickets ahead of time is $5, but they will also be sold at the door for $8.

Bronstein decided to organize the event to “create a campus wide community,” he said at a Nov. 15 Undergraduate Senate meeting. He said he is excited to see the only first-semester, campus-wide event come together.

“AU’s greatest strength is also its

greatest weakness,” Bronstein says.

“We are a university of leaders who seek to put on our own events and start our own clubs. This is great, but not when we have 10 or 12 events happening at the same time, each only pulling in about 10 to 12 people.”

Bronstein’s job in SG is to foster coordination between groups and organizations that will allow for bigger events that encompass a larger number of people and more group involvement.

Some students who heard about the “Starry” Friday night seemed generally excited and had positive reactions to the evening plans.

“It does sound pretty cool,” said Crista Friedli, a junior in SIS. “It’s been so long since I’ve been to something like this. It’ll be like high school, but hopefully without the awkward slow dances.”

Friedli also voiced her concern about the venue.

“I just hope the acoustics are decent in the Rotunda,” she said.

“It doesn’t seem like an area that n

see SEMIFORMAL on page 4

NOVEMBER 23, 2009 VOLUME 84 n ISSUE 26

Q&A: Health Center director Dan Bruey addresses concerns

By JULIA RYAN Eagle Staff Writer In an interview with The Eagle, Student Health Center Director Dan Bruey addressed some common concerns that AU students have about the Student Health Center and spoke about how the Health Center is working to accommodate these concerns.

Q: There has been some concern among students that the staff of the Student Health Center is not qualified; there is only one doctor on the Heath Center’s staff and the rest of the staff are either physicians’ assistants or nurses. How do you respond to this?

A: We hire very qualified staff, and we do check references. A lot of primary care medicine now is being handled by what they term “mid-level providers” — nurses, physician’s assistants.

A lot of hospitals, doctors’ offices and health centers use mid-level providers. It’s the most efficient, least expensive method with the highest quality medical care that we can get.

Q: Students say they have shown up at the Health Center with injuries or medical emergencies that require immediate medical attention, only to be told they have to schedule an appointment for later in the day.

Does the Health Center ever make exceptions for students who have not scheduled an appointment, but need immediate medical assistance?

A: If someone is experiencing a medical emergency, they shouldn’t take the time to go [to the Student Health Center] because every second counts. If it’s a medical emergency we would transport the student to the hospital anyway. Students should contact Public Safety if they are on campus or call 911 off campus if they have an emergency.

We are working on getting a staff person who will be able to handle students that are coming in

with injuries that are not quite a medical emergency. But because of the current volume of students coming in and the H1N1 crisis we have had to revert back to needing everyone to have an appointment to be seen.

Q: Some students say they have been misdiagnosed when they go to the Student Health Center. Is this a common occurrence?

A: There are a lot of instances where a student will say, “I went to the Health Center and it was a cold one day but a couple of days later it was bronchitis.” It could have been a cold that was leading into bronchitis. It happens. That doesn’t mean that the student was misdiagnosed — the diagnosis and treatments given at the time would be based on symptoms at the time [of the visit]. Any student who feels that they were misdiagnosed should bring in their medical records to the Health Center to evaluate what’s going on.

Q: One of the biggest student complaints about the Health Center is its availability. Many students are frustrated that the Health Center closes at 6 p.m. on weekdays and is not open on weekends. Are there any plans in the future to expand the Health Center’s hours?

A: We’re looking to hire a fulltime staff member who could accommodate shifting our hours and could provide some more hours that are convenient to students. We are looking at later evenings and Saturdays. We’re currently in the hiring process, but we haven’t been able to finalize anything yet. For the time being, if students need medical help after hours, they can call the nurse help hot line, accessible through the Student Health Center’s main line after the [Health Center] has closed.

Q: If students have any questions or concerns about the Student Health Center, what can they do?

A: Our e-mail for suggestions and feedback is SHCsuggestions@american.edu. Students could also directly e-mail me at bruey@american.edu or call me at 202-885-3382.

You can reach this staff writer at jryan@theeagleonline.com.

Fire chars house, claims dog

By ETHAN KLAPPER Eagle Staff Writer No one was injured after a fire seriously damaged a house near campus on the afternoon of Saturday, Nov. 21, but one dog was killed.

The fire in the 4200 block of 47th Street N.W. was reported at 4:47 p.m., Deputy Fire Chief Kenneth Crosswhite said Saturday. The first units were on the scene within three minutes.

While the house was occupied at the time, no injuries were reported, Crosswhite said. He added that five people lived in the house and they spent Saturday night with relatives. Crosswhite said the family owned four dogs — three of which were rescued.

Massachusetts Avenue remained open during the fire, according to Eric Hauser of the D.C. Department of Homeland Security and Emergency n

see FIRE on page 2

FIRE STRIKES NEAR AU — A house fire on 47th Street N.W. led to the death of one dog this Saturday. Three other dogs escaped unharmed.

KELLY BARRETT / THE EAGLE

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NOVEMBER 23, 2009

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MON 23

TUES 24 THU 27

WED 25

THURS 26

FRI 27

SAT 28

Town Hall Meeting: Campus Safety 7 - 8 p.m.

WHERE: Mary Graydon Center 203 INFO: The AU Student Government and Department of Public Safety will host a town hall meeting on campus safety to address student concerns and get feedback on how campus safety can be improved.

CONTACT: For more information, e-mail the Student Government at president@ausg.org

Panel Discussion: Human Rights in the 21st Century 5 - 6:30 p.m.

WHERE: Abramson Family Recital Hall, Katzen Arts Center INFO: This discussion on human rights in the 21st century will feature panelists such as Herman Schwartz, Juan Mendez, Susanna Su Cuoto and Cole Sternberg.

CONTACT: For more information, e-mail the AU Museum at aumuseum@american.edu.

Men’s Basketball vs. Manhattan College 7:30 - 9:30 p.m.

WHERE: Bender Arena INFO: Come out and support the Eagles as they take on Manhattan College.

CONTACT: For more information, email Kathryn Tortorici at tortoric@ american.edu.

SCHOOL CLOSED HAPPY THANKSGIVING

SCHOOL CLOSED THANKSGIVING BREAK

Club Cricket vs. Supernova 12 - 4 p.m.

WHERE: Jacobs Field INFO: AU’s club cricket team with be taking on the Supernovas from Northern Virginia.

CONTACT: For more information, email Danny Feitel at feitel@american.edu.

Dalton said it is more efficient to set up new e-mail accounts for student suggestions than to have students just directly e-mail their suggestions to their senators because most AU students do not know who their senators are.

Senators also periodically quit or leave their posts to go abroad, which deactivates their e-mail accounts without giving students notice. Dalton said he wanted to establish e-mail accounts that could carry over time and through changes in the SG staff.

Though AU seniors will be getting more of a say in who they want for commencement speakers, it will be up to the administration to have the final say on who gets to speak, Dalton

said. He noted two complications in getting speakers: money and availability. Since AU does not pay commencement speakers, that significantly limits the choices of who can come to the school, according to Dalton. AU also frequently schedules commencement on the same weekend as Mother’s Day, so many potential speakers may be unwilling to come to AU on a holiday.

Dalton said the students will have the biggest say in who speaks at AU’s commencements.

“Senators will talk on behalf of students to administration about their choices, but the Senators would not be putting in opinions themselves,” Dalton said. “I may not want Glenn Beck to speak

at commencement, but if 700 students want him, they will get him.”

SG President Andy MacCracken said he is a big supporter of the new e-mail account system because it gives AU seniors a stronger voice in the commencement process than they have had in the past.

“The bigger issue is that students, for the most part, haven’t been a big part of the selection process,” MacCracken said. “More involvement can only be a good thing, which is why I support the proposal.”

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principle. He said he hopes freshman would know not to e-mail their suggestions for commencement speakers until the decision actually applies to them.

Dalton said he believes this method of choosing a commencement speaker is better than the way AU used to choose commencement speakers.

“The current system is that anyone can just walk into the dean’s office and make a suggestion — it’s not organized,” Dalton said. “We’re giving students the chance to talk to the administration without having to resort to people randomly showing up in the dean’s office.”

n

Sunday.

The interior of the house seemed charred from bottom to top. Firefighters were seen tossing burnt belongings out of a top floor window once they got the scene under control.

from FIRE on page 1

Management.

Firefighters remained on the scene throughout Saturday night and into Sunday as they continued their investigation of the fire, Crosswhite said

You can reach this staff writer at jryan@theeagleonline.com.

SG vice president escapes censure Lack of reports led to Prescott allegations

By CHARLIE SZOLD Eagle Staff Writer Vice President Alex Prescott was not censured despite his failing to provide written reports to the Undergraduate Senate, as is required to by the SG Bylaws.

Prescott had been unaware

that he was required to provide a written report to the Senate in addition to the verbal reports he had been delivering. The other SG executives had been supplying both verbal and written reports.

After Prescott was confronted with allegations that he was not fulfilling his responsibilities, some senators considered bringing a motion to censure him.

During a meeting of the Committee of Campus Life and Programming, Prescott answered questions from various senators about his mistake. Prescott said he was simply unaware of the rule and that, though he was knowl-

edgeable about the SG Bylaws, he was no expert.

“If someone had told me that I was supposed to submit reports I would have submitted them,” Prescott said.

After the meeting, Class of 2010 Sen. Steve Dalton said Prescott needed to take more responsibility for his actions. “[Prescott] may not want the Senate to hold his hand, but given his defense ... it is apparent he wants the Senate to look both ways for him before telling him it’s OK to cross the street,” he said.

“It’s not our job to tell him what his job is.”

However, no motion to censure Prescott was introduced at this Sunday’s meeting of the Senate.

Prescott submitted a report his first of the year - to the Senate.

In it, he apologized again for failing to report.

“It was a misunderstanding on my part, and I figured since I was appearing in front of the Senate every two weeks during the school year that this would suffice. I will not make the same mistake next semester,” he wrote.

You can reach this staff writer at cszold@theeagleonline.com.

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EDITORIAL

NOVEMBER 23, 2009

GRAHAM VYSE n Editorial Page Editor EdPage@TheEagleOnline.com

JEN CALANTONE n Editor in Chief Editor@TheEagleOnline.com

Being gay is not a choice. What if it were?

ON THE LEFT HAND

PHIL CARDARELLA This past Friday, I hung out with one of my buddies to eat pizza, talk politics and laugh at Sarah Palin. We went through our routine of taking up interesting political topics and eventually wound up discussing homosexuality. My friend asked if I knew that Bill Richardson had once said that being gay is a choice. I couldn’t believe it. This was a man who ran for president — in a Democratic primary. How could he have been so naïve? After extensive Googling, I discovered the governor later claimed he made a mistake. The problem is that thousands of people in America make this mistake every day. Many religious groups have created camps dedicated to turning gay people straight. As I thought of these groups, something sparked in my mind: What if they were right? What if being gay is a choice?

Obviously, this is ludicrous.

Being straight isn’t a choice.

Why would being gay be any different? But what if it were? What if we didn’t believe the studies proffering biological explanations for homosexuality - or our gay friends with the same convictions? Would I change my opinion on any of the gay rights issues – from the right to marriage to the right to adoption – if I thought about this idea of choice differently? Would choice really excuse any repression of this group? The answer is a resounding “Hellz no.”

America is a country that takes pride in the choices its citizens have, be they lawyer or doctor, Jennifer or Angelina, Large or Super Size. We also believe

that no one should be persecuted by the law because of his or her choices. People who like N’Sync more than Backstreet Boys shouldn’t be thrown in jail, even though such a belief is far worse than blasphemy. People should be allowed to do and believe in what they want.

Now, there are exceptions.

I’m not suggesting we let someone like O.J. Simpson commit — okay, bad example. But there are exceptions for actions that harm others. That aside, there is no reason the government should regulate any individual action.

We should be a nation of freedom and equal protection under the law.

My point is that the choice to have sex with a member of your own sex should be protected just as your choice of religion, breakfast cereal or even political party (though, if you read my past column, you might also see this as poor example). Choice does not excuse preventing a soldier from fighting for the country he or she loves. Choice does not excuse the firing of dedicated workers.

And choice certainly does not excuse the torture and murder of individuals who are, above all else, human beings just like the rest of us.

So much controversy has developed from this question of biology versus choice that we forget that, in terms of the law and government action, it really doesn’t matter. Everyone should have the right to be him or herself. Despite Richardson’s blunder, politicians throughout our nation should listen to what he later said: “... No matter how it happens, we are all equal and should be treated that way under the law.”

Phil Cardarella is a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs and a liberal columnist for The Eagle.

You can reach him at edpage@ theeagleonline.com.

JOE CORCORAN / THE EAGLE

Students should pick speakers The Undergraduate Senate should pass legislation that would give students a meaningful role in the selection of commencement speakers. Sen. Steven Dalton’s bill is promising.

How would you like to help pick your commencement speaker? The Undergraduate Senate may make this possible in the near future. On Nov. 15, Sen. Steven Dalton, of the Class of 2010, introduced BILL 09-10005: “a Bill to Create a Focused Dialogue Between Students and University Administration for the Selection of Commencement Speakers.” The legislation came in response to the university’s decision to change the commencement weekend format starting with this past

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Mohammed’s trial a victory for U.S. justice MIDDLE OF THE ROAD

CASEY PETROFF The trial of the century will take place this year. Attorney General Eric Holder has decided to prosecute Khalid Sheikh Mohammed for his part in planning the Sept. 11 attacks. Mohammed will be tried in civilian court and the trial will take place blocks from where the World Trade Center once stood.

Needless to say, emotions are running high. Some, such as Rep. John Shadegg, R-Ariz., suggest that the security risk of a highly publicized trial is too great. They say New York is too tempting a target and that the upcoming trial is reckless politicizing. Rudy Giuliani and 40 percent of New Yorkers agree. There are also those who disagree, such as New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., “New York is tough enough,” Nadler told the New York Times.

The American Civil Liberties Union praised the decision; executive director Anthony Romero called it “an enormous victory for rule of law.” The trial will be a moment of catharsis for some who witnessed the attacks firsthand, but it is easy to understand how distressing it might prove for other residents.

Issues of security, civil rights and the considerations of New Yorkers are incredibly important and were, no doubt, highly deliberated. Another key point of significance is the decision to try Mohammed in a civilian court rather than a military court. The choice

between the two was one of great importance for the administration, as it has wide-ranging legal implications for others accused of acts of terrorism.

As one accused of plotting an attack on U.S. soil from outside of its borders, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed falls into a peculiar category that falls between “enemy combatant” and “criminal” in an area of legal murkiness with little precedent. It is a landmark decision to try him as a civilian. A civilian trial will not be without legal gray areas, but Holder and the administration have deemed it to be the optimal response. Holder’s decision sets a new criterion. It is now implied that individuals in the aforementioned murky category, which includes prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, will also be tried in civilian courts.

Guantanamo Bay is one of the most powerful symbols of malcontent towards the last eight years of U.S. foreign policy. It is a point of ire to America’s allies and to people whose support it need in the Middle East. If a procedure is established for processing the 200-odd inmates to remain there, it would be a highly meaningful gesture to the international community.

When Mohammed is found guilty after a fair trial in New York, it will be an impressive victory for the United States and for those responsible for bringing him to justice.

The world will be paying attention to every moment of the coming trial and to its legal implications. If handled well, it could be a momentous effort for justice on the part of the United States.

Casey Petroff is a freshman in the School of International Service and a moderate liberal columnist for The Eagle. You can reach her at edpage@

What is libertarianism about?

To this day, I am baffled to see that the AU Students For Liberty (AU SFL) has grown from an unlikely idea into a passionate and ever-expanding club. Two weeks ago we traveled to the Philadelphia Students For Liberty Conference, and I was thrilled to have The Eagle’s Graham Vyse come and shed some light on the philosophy of freedom.

In many respects, as Graham wrote, one can say that as “true” libertarians, we “want government out of [our] lives in every respect.”

But what does it really mean to be a “true libertarian” these days?

In the sprawling liberty movement, propositions to create a free society are endless; some people invest in a third party, some want a laissezfaire society, some are constitutionalists, and the list goes on. Yet these labels say little about what we have in common.

What motivates us is not merely a desire to fight government policies.

For libertarians, capitalism is not a system of power or oppression; it is a framework for government by the voluntary decisions of people and not by the point of a gun. Money cannot be racist, sexist or otherwise prejudiced. It is a means of exchange that gives society more than opportunity and prosperity: the lens of the free market is the most humane

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spring’s ceremonies. Each school now has its own ceremony with its own speaker. But nothing has changed as far as how these speakers are selected.

To be fair, students, staff and faculty have always been encouraged to make suggestions on an individual basis. But as Dalton points out, there has never been an effective method of building consensus. His bill would help set up an e-mail account for each school that students could e-mail their speaker requests to.

These suggestions could then be

sorted and categorized by members of the SG and then brought to the appropriate people. On the whole, it’s an excellent idea. One thought: the process may be better done through my.american. edu because this would enable the SG to verify the identities of students e-mailing them. This would discourage prank messages and other silliness. But this is a tiny quibble.

Dalton’s bill — even as it looks now — would dramatically increase students’ ability to contribute to the speaker selection

process. If it passes, the administration should resolve to take seriously the speaker suggestions students make. This proposal may actually draw bigger name speakers to AU. After all, who wouldn’t be more inclined to give a commencement address if they knew a grassroots coalition of students had requested their presence?

The Undergraduate Senate should consider ways to improve this promising piece of legislation. It has real potential.

way of looking at the world.

Without our consent, we can never be obligated to bow down irrationally to another man for the sake of his whim and we can never force someone to do the same. We own our lives, and no iron curtain, tank or army should ever change that. Liberty is premised on mutual respect, on the greatness of one individual’s potential to make the world better by striving to help himself and his family. Liberty is a celebration of life. It runs in many directions in our think tanks, universities, and policies, but it gains its inspiration from one well: the belief in human dignity, intellect and self-respect.

As an extension of this movement, our club is more than a veneer for philosophical squabbles or petty fantasies. The AU SFL is vibrant and diverse. But at its heart, it is guided by a willingness to protect the most fundamental human life and liberty that we all hold true to ourselves.

those campuses. The University of California system is in dire need of funding for its schools and has resorted to fee increases. Although AU is a much different institution than the state schools of California, I am happy to offer a student perspective on the strong position of our university reported at the recent Board meetings.

Because AU is 94 percent tuition-dependent for its operating budget and due to the large size of the freshman class, we are in a strong financial position. We are one of two private universities in the country to have our credit rating boosted by Standard and Poor’s in the last few months. This is enabling the university to make aggressive strides on the initiatives of the Strategic Plan. Of course, larger numbers of students dictate increased services and a larger faculty, but our university’s leadership is responding in positive ways. Tenuretrack professors are being hired under shifting incentive structures to do more research and yet maintain high-quality teaching. Our provost, deans and the Faculty Senate report that new initiatives are underway to enhance AUs reputation in the academic world by vigorously applying for research grants and awards.

Other progress is being made.

The Board was led on a tour of the new SIS building by Dean Goodman. Needless to say, when this building opens its doors in May, students will be stunned and pleased.

The beautiful new atrium is exquisite and looks onto a campus that has seen much change in the past few years. Despite all the progress and work toward a brighter future at AU, there is room for greater student participation in Board matters. The Board oversees President Kerwin and the university’s senior officers, and, as such, it makes great efforts to listen to undergraduates, graduates, and law students. Over 40 elected and appointed student leaders represented you throughout the course of Board committee meetings and the full Board meeting. Nevertheless, as the student member of the Board, I plan to work with the SG, GLC, and Student Bar to offer more opportunities for students to meet with the trustees in the spring, and I hope that a broader group of students will take advantage of such events.

Interested students can visit www.american.edu/trustees to learn more about the Board’s recent activities. To add, the application for the next student trustee will be released shortly. AU does not intend to increase tuition and fees to the degree that the state schools in California are, but there are other challenges students currently face about which the Board would be interested in hearing from a new perspective.

Irena Schneider President, AU Students For Liberty AU is still financially solid On Nov. 19 and 20, the Board of Trustees met for its annual fall meeting. Over the course of both days, news was breaking out of California, where students at UC Santa Cruz, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, and UCLA had been protesting tuition hikes by staging sit-ins across

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the EAGLE

NOVEMBER 23, 2009

news 4

Study: College life improving

By JULIA RYAN Eagle Staff Writer

YIPIN LU / THE EAGLE

THE ‘1.4 MILLION DOLLAR MAN’? — President Neil Kerwin and the Board of Trustees discussed Kerwin’s salary, AU’s Strategic Plan and student financial aid during the recession at a town-hall-style meeting Nov. 19. Kerwin said that the Strategic Plan will help “reveal the value” of AU.

Kerwin talks salary, finances

By SYLVIA CARIGNAN Eagle Staff Writer President Kerwin’s salary is “reasonable,” said Board of Trustees Chairman Gary Abramson at a town-hall-style meeting Nov. 19.

The Chronicle of Higher Education reported in November that Kerwin’s compensation was $1.4 million for fiscal year 2007-2008, though his salary was less than $600,000. “$1.4 million would be overpayment,” Kerwin said. “In fact, it would be a substantial overpayment.”

The Board of Trustees is responsible for annually determining the president’s salary and compensation.

“We feel that [the Board is] paying him a very reasonable salary,”

Abramson said.

Kerwin and Abramson also discussed how the recession is affecting students, tuition payment options and how the university is progressing on its Strategic Plan.

The Board does not plan to touch on changes to tuition until summer 2010, Kerwin said.

Kerwin and Abramson also addressed the recession’s effect on students.

“We deal with students on an individual basis to confront the challenges they are facing,” Kerwin said.

The university’s attention is most heavily focussed on existing students when it comes to financial problems, he said. The university has added about $4 million to financial aid,

Provost Scott Bass said.

The admissions office has recently recorded a dramatic increase in students eligible for the Pell Grant, according to Kerwin. The Federal Pell Grant Program identifies lowincome students and awards them with need-based funding for their undergraduate education.

Kerwin and Abramson also discussed the progress of the Strategic Plan.

“The general condition [of the plan] ... is very positive,” Kerwin said. “We don’t find ourselves in a situation where we launched a plan in a period of severe financial stringency.”

The Strategic Plan’s mission is to align the university’s performance

with its reputation. There is a 10-year effort currently underway to “reveal the value” of AU, Kerwin said, and it was created with accountability and transparency in mind, he said.

“Any person on this campus or our extended family who wants to comment, or wanted to play a role in this process, would have a voice and an opportunity to do it,” Kerwin said. “We can’t guarantee that we can get them what they want, but we can guarantee there would be a forum for it.”

You can reach this staff writer at scarignan@theeagleonline.com.

Upset student explains transfer

By SARAH PARNASS Eagle Staff Writer Come spring 2009, Jack Eichner, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, will no longer be at AU, not because he plans to study abroad or take a year off from his education, but because Eichner has decided AU is not the right school for him.

Eichner felt stirrings of disappointment with AU during his first year; he went so far as to apply to transfer. Yet at his parents urging, he came back for a second year only to find that AU still did not meet his needs.

Eichner, who hopes to become a writer and contribute “to the intellectual DNA of the human race,” said the literature department fell short of his expectations both academically and in the physical setting of the classrooms.

One of his first literature classes was set far back from the quad, “well in that radius of things that you need to run the fuck away if the chemical corps excavation project ever goes wrong,” Eichner said.

It took him 10-15 minutes to get there each day, and while passing the newer buildings on campus, Eichner said he would wonder, “‘Why they gotta put me and my lit class all the way in this shitty building in the chemical radius and not give us any respect or money or funding?’”

Academically, Eichner criticized AU’s approach to creative writing as being too focused on studies of the abstract rather than the application.

“There’s a tendency to talk about

stuff in an over-academic way that really sort of limits you from actually doing anything,” Eichner said. “You’re just talking and talking and talking and bringing up all these concepts that don’t actually mean anything, ever.”

In addition to academics, Eichner said the social community at AU failed him. He described himself as a “classic introvert” at a school “designed for extroverts.” He said he would prefer to relax with a couple of friends on a Saturday night than go to a party.

“It seems like the only place to meet a group of people where you can talk about stuff that’s not a classroom situation seems to be a frat party, and I hate those,” Eichner said. “I can’t stand them. They don’t fit me.”

He said that if alternatives to the party culture existed at AU, no one had told him about them.

Matt Wolkoff, also a sophomore in CAS, said he encountered social issues at AU that he thinks may partially be attributed to the school’s tendency to attract a certain type of student.

“We’re a school that really fosters a lot of political sensibilities and a lot of ambitions,” Wolkoff said. “A lot of people I encounter just seem like they would sell me up the river without a second thought if it would benefit them.”

While Wolkoff noted a high prevalence of students like that at AU, he did not think it was unique to the school.

“I don’t think you can go to a place where people wouldn’t sell you short for whatever it is that they want,”

Wolkoff said.

He said he considered transferring but decided his current academic and financial situation make AU the best place for him.

Eichner’s experiences at AU contrast with the university’s 90.5 percent retention rate between freshman and sophomore year. This is the highest AU’s retention rate has ever been, according to President Neil Kerwin.

This is in contrast to the ACT Inc., report released in 2007-08, which said that the retention rate going into a student’s second year at colleges across the country was 65.7 percent, the lowest it has been in 25 years, according to Inside Higher Ed. In a 2004 report, ACT found individuals’ academic-related skills, academic self-confidence and academic goals to be a strong factor in the decision to remain at an institution.

Eichner said he should never have come back to AU after his first year here. “[It has] just been awful here this semester,” Eichner said. “Knowing you don’t want to be in a place and not being able to leave, it’s just like prison at this point.”

Eichner said he submitted transfer applications to schools with strong liberal arts programs including Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio, and - his top choice - Hampshire College in Amherst, Mass.

While AU has not made Eichner happy, he said the school was the right choice for some students.

EAGLE RANTS *@#!3*%!

If you’re going to tell a story on the phone at a high volume out in the hall, at least make it good. No one wants to hear about Grandma’s cat.

Not even Grandma.

I keep seeing rants about the lack of single lesbians on campus, so I know there must be others, but I can’t seem to find any. WHERE ARE YOU? Dear Eagle Rants: My two gay friends are celebrating their anniversary, what’s a good gift to get them?

Buy Curious.

What’s better than a column by Alex

Knepper?

A book by Sarah Palin.

What’s the difference between Clawde and Screech?

One is an Anthropomorphological eagle that does a lot neat tricks in the stands, the other is the National’s loser of a Mascot.

Barack Obama loves college basketball; after watching Jeff Jones coaching, however, he made AU eligible to receive Toxic Asset Relief Program Funds.

What’s the difference between the Redskins and the AU basketball team?

The Redskins have won a game.

Three 6 Mafia was a disappointment.

I appreciate the efforts by the SUB, but honestly, I do not find some guy asking people if they want to have a burping contest appropriate.

To the layout designer for the Eagle get rid of all the widows! I saw like three in this past issue!

It annoys me to hear some AU students whine that they settled for the school. If you don’t like the school than LEAVE. You’re taking the place of someone that wants to be here.

MORE RANTS ONLINE!

“AU is good for [people on pre-professional tracks] because it provides them with structure and direction,” Eichner said. “I just kind of want to go my own way a little bit, and going your own way at AU, you’ve got all this logistical shit you’ve got to get out of the way first, and it just doesn’t work for me.”

You can reach this staff writer at sparnass@theeagleonline.com.

Student quality of life ratings at over 400 colleges and universities across America have significantly improved from ratings in the same categories last year, according to a study by the National Survey of Student Engagement.

The annual study collects information from 360,000 students attending 617 four-year colleges and universities nationwide, according to the NSSE Web site. The survey measures the quality of student life for first-year students and seniors at individual schools in five main categories: level of academic challenge, active and collaborative learning, student-faculty interaction, enriching educational experiences and supportive campus environment.

Though AU did not participate in the NSSE this year, the university will be administering the survey to first-year students and seniors in spring 2010, according to Karen Froslid-Jones, director of AU’s Office of Institutional Research and Assessment.

Froslid-Jones said the NSSE has been administered every other year at AU since 2000. The survey was last administered at AU in spring 2008 with positive results. AU scored “much better than its peers” in the four out of five quality of student life categories.

The researchers conducting the 2009 NSSE survey found 41 percent of participating colleges showed improvement in one or more of the categories of the quality of student life for first year students, and 28 percent of the colleges showed improvement in student life for seniors. The researchers also found that students whose classes used course management Web sites, such as those providing discussion boards and the posting of readings or assignments, scored higher on the NSSE and reported more academic and personal gains during college.

Froslid-Jones said AU has used the results of the survey in past years to make improvements to a number of programs such as the Honors Program, the Washington Mentorship Program and Univer-

n

from SEMI FORMAL on page 1

would be very conducive to loud music.”

If a student organization is interested in co-sponsoring the night of dancing, snacks and goodie bags, there are three different co-sponsorships that are available. The “Eagle,” “Bronstein” and “Fiery Passion” levels of co-sponsorship range from contributions of $50 to $200.

The different sponsorships include benefits such as advertisement banners for the organization, contributions to goodie bags as well as free tickets for group members.

sity College. Froslid-Jones said the improvements in the University College, in particular, greatly reflect the goals of the NSSE. “The University College encourages building positive relationships with faculty and offers small courses, better enabling the kind of interactions NSSE hopes occur on campuses,” she said.

Froslid-Jones praised the survey as a useful tool and said she has been happy with AU’s results so far.

“It is always affirming to find that AU’s educational experience is in line with our expectations,” Froslid-Jones said. “We use NSSE to better understand the many ways in which AU excels and the places where there might be room for improvement. It validates that fact that AU is a great place to study.”

Gail Hanson, vice president of AU Campus Life, said the Office of Campus Life always pays close attention to the NSSE results in order to make improvements for students socially and academically. Hanson also said the Office of Campus Life has implemented a number of measures to boost AU’s NSSE rating.

“To try to improve our performance on these ratings, we have begun investing more staff time and resources in late night and weekend programming and in creating popular social destinations, like The Perch,” Hanson said.

Dean of Students Robert Hradsky also works to ensure that AU students remain active in campus life. AU has a number of programs and events for getting students involved, including the Student Involvement Fair, Residence Hall Association activities, Greek Life and events planned by the Student Government, he said.

Hradsky said surveys like the NSSE help students thrive and have an overall better college experience.

“Research studies have shown that involvement on campus leads to greater student satisfaction and to greater student retention,” Hradsky said. “Students [who are involved] tend to have a more meaningful college experience.”

You can reach this staff writer at jryan@theeagleonline.com.

“I hope that this will become a tradition that will be organized every single year, each year getting bigger and better,” Bronstein said. “I think it’s going to be a lot of fun, and I know that many of us in the Student Government are excited to see this get off the ground.”

You can reach this writer at news@theeagleonline.com.

NOVEMBER 23, 2009

THE EAGLE'S ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT SECTION

Love or hate it, Twilight has left a mark New Moon leaves ‘Twilight’ newcomers in the dark, true fans in delight. Two Scene staff writers — one a fan and one rookie— review it out

By ROCIO GONZALEZ Eagle Staff Writer TWILIGHT: NEW MOON

B+

If you are a “Twilighter,” you will absolutely love “New Moon.”

Followers of Stephenie Meyer’s vampire saga will not be disappointed by the second film installment of the series. It is clear that director Chris Weitz was determined to do the best he could in order to bring a faithful adaptation of the book to life — and he succeeded.

“Twilight’s” sequel has dreamboat vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) leaving fragile human Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) after a particularly terrifying incident involving a paper cut. He assumes she is never going to be safe around him, so in order to protect her, he leaves the town of Forks, Wash., with his entire family.

As a fan, I must say that “New Moon” is, by far, better than “Twilight,” a movie that was satisfying but underwhelming at the same time. This time around, it looks like the filmmakers actually knew what they were doing.

The script is better, making Cullen and Swan’s romance seem less like the soap opera we encountered in the previous film. The type of lines that made me cringe during “Twilight” — lines like “This is the skin of a killer, Bella” or “You’re like my own personal brand of heroin” — are gone.

The acting is better, as well — not perfect, but better. It felt more relaxed, as if the actors had finally grown comfortable in their roles. Stewart has definitely improved since we last saw her, and her portrayal of Swan, lost after being abandoned by her true love, seems sincere and truly heartfelt.

The only actor whose presence could possibly make you flinch is Jackson Rathbone. His awkward portrayal of Cullen’s brother, Jasper Hale, is enough to garner secondhand embarrassment.

Weitz has put together an aesthetically powerful film. The blue tint in “Twilight” could give you a headache after watching it a few time and, thankfully, Weitz gives the series a new tone and feeling that pleases the eye. Visual effects are much improved; Edward’s sparkly skin does not look like some strange type of sweat anymore, and the werewolves were surprisingly detailed.

Alexandre Desplat’s beautiful score gave “New Moon” a romantic feeling, unlike Carter Burwell’s edgy “Twilight” score. Desplat’s compositions sound amazing and otherworldly; his style gives the movie a truly epic feel. This film, as a whole, is more polished than its predecessor.

Of course, a major dilemma for “Twilighters” surfaces with this film: choosing between the dreamy Cullen and the ripped Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner).

It is Black’s job to bring Swan out of her dark depression once Cullen leaves. I must admit that Lautner’s Black brightened up the n

see EDWARD on page 7

By BRYAN KOENIG Eagle Staff Writer TWILIGHT: NEW MOON

Courtesy of KIMBERLEY FRENCH

TOUGH LOVE — Taking a somewhat different direction with Chris Weltz behind the film, “New Moon” will please fans hoping for a film that stayed true to Stephenie Meyer’s book. Unfortunately, the latest “Twilight” film also assumes viewers have already seen the first, leaving new viewers lost.

D

If you enjoy angsty furred, fanged and sparkly monsters who fawn over an emo damsel in distress, my hat goes off to you. But if inter-mythical creature romance strikes no immediate appeal, nothing else about “New Moon” will.

As a 22-year-old male whose young female cousins are still far too young for vampiric romance, “New Moon” was my very first exposure to Stephenie Meyer’s world of starcrossed and mystically endowed lovers. While I can remotely appreciate why teenage girls might find the nearly impossible romance appealing, very little of the film appealed to me.

While most of the movie is obviously trying to push the characters into romantically awkward situations in order to elicit an emotional response from the audience, rarely is the effect achieved in anyone other than someone who’s genuinely trying to be enthralled. Most of the time, the romantic awkwardness ends up being just that: awkward.

As a student of popular culture, the most annoying part about the “Twilight” series is the utter disregard for what it has always meant to be a vampire. This is not to say I’m an absolute stickler for convention — after all, there is something to be said for pushing the envelope and taking a film in a new direction. Slow and lumbering was a core tenet of

zombie films for decades until “28 Days Later” showed us just how terrifying jackal-footed zombies could be. Then again, some conventions actually make sense, and varying from them ends up just being really silly and counterproductive to establishing more than a farcical movie experience.

Vampires have always burned to a cinder when exposed to direct sunlight. From Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” to “Underworld,” they have always been creatures of the night. But now, somehow, vampires sparkle. Light catches on their skin and they light up like a chandelier. It’s bad enough that vampiric bloodsucking already comes with erotic subtext, if not outright fanged pornography, but any sentence that includes sparkly and vampires does not sound right.

Another troubling part of “New Moon” is what appears to be total confidence that its target audience already knows what’s being said, and thus the film does not need to really bother with making the mostly whispered dialogue genuinely audible. The characters, particularly but not limited to the vampires, speak in hushed tones as if they know that any louder and they might actually be understandable and thus instantly lose what little mysterious appeal they have. In addition to the dialogue itself, much of the film, while tacitly understandable, obviously requires Stephenie Meyer’s books to provide context.

In some ways, the film gives off a vibe of a hallucinogenic experience without the shrooms, trippy in its vibe and often insolvent in its visuals. The way the vampires move n

see JACOB on page 7

‘Modern Warfare 2’ answers ‘Call’ for fresh blood

By MICHAEL CONTE Eagle Staff Writer CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE 2

A-

Given that “Modern Warfare 2” is the sixth game in the “Call of Duty” series (ignoring the many spin-offs), anyone already familiar with the series probably won’t find too much different. While the series hasn’t yet had any radical changes since moving from World War II to the modern era, a few new features and a fresh coat of paint have kept the series as up-to-date as ever.

One of the game’s biggest draws and yet biggest flaws is the breakneck pace of its story. The player

starts out the game as a Marine in Afghanistan, then becomes an SAS commando in Russia, then someone whose description would spoil the plot, despite appearing on the third level. The game starts five years after the events of the first “Modern Warfare,” when the supposedly evil ultranationalists have taken over Russia and the Middle East in its usual destabilized state.

Without spoiling too much, the game soon takes the fight to American soil, and anyone who lives or works in Washington, D.C., will surely appreciate the highly detailed rendering of the city and surrounding suburbs. Nevertheless, the story’s not always clear and has a few too many holes and impossibilities, moving away from plausibility in favor of increasingly ridiculous “oh

no” plot twists.

Like the story, the gameplay never lets up on the action. The familiar massive battles punctuated by tactical corridor crawls are still in place, and the audiovisual presentation that stops just short of becoming overwhelming is as sharp as ever.

The game still requires precise aim and quick reflexes, but cuts down on the endlessly re-spawning enemies of the first to make missions feel less like chores.

The original “Modern Warfare” had remarkable variety on top of the core gameplay, including stealthy sniper missions, firefights in night vision and an aerial support mission. The sequel keeps the same philosophy, putting the player in varied and unique situations between the battles, which are tighter than ever

and just as intense as always. Sneaking through a blizzard, spotting for armored vehicles and firing missiles from aerial drones keep the game fresh and exciting through the sixto eight-hour campaign.

The game certainly takes the “Modern Warfare” concept even farther, including urban levels populated with civilians, one of which is so stunning and uncompromising that the game gives you the option at the beginning to skip past it (but please don’t).

Anyone familiar with the first “Modern Warfare” knows that the game’s real value lies with the superb online multiplayer, which hasn’t changed too much from the first game. The action is still fastpaced and visceral, favoring quick reflexes over intensive tactics. The

standard modes are still present and unchanged, but the perk system, which allows players to add different abilities and unlock new weapons and upgrades, has been greatly restructured. New perks have been added for killing sprees and can now be customized, as can perks for when the player happens to die a few too many times without a kill. And the maps are mostly solid, making “Modern Warfare 2” an excellent addition to the series despite keeping the same core formula.

The best new feature is the challenge mode, which contains special missions specialized for co-op play.

Many of the missions are straightup assaults or holding-off waves of enemies, but there are also missions like stealthy sniper ops and missions that make one player fight

on the ground while another covers them from an airborne gunship (by far the most fun).

Not only have the graphics improved technically from the last game, but the level of detail in every environment is simply stunning and, as usual, it all runs at a smooth 60 frames per second. The soundtrack is solid though unremarkable, but the voice acting, particularly the main villain Makarov, is universally superb.

“Modern Warfare 2” hasn’t changed too much from the original, but the core formula with a few new features still make for a solid game, especially with the new coop challenges.

You can reach this staff writer at mconte@theeagleonline.com.

Panel entices opera hopefuls Feast on a new state of mind

By SARAH ANNE HUGHES Eagle Contributing Writer Seated in rows of the Katzen Recital Hall, an audience of about 50 singers, music professors, interested parents and a handful of others waited to receive the advice of three women who represent both performer and gatekeeper in the opera world.

“The Next Step: Building a Career in Opera,” a panel discussion presented by the AU Department of Performing Arts and the Washington National Opera, offered the audience counsel on a career in opera from Christina C. Scheppelmann, director of artistic operations at WNO, Elizabeth “Betsy” Bishop, professional mezzo-soprano and Brandy Lynn Hawkins, Domingo-Cafritz young artist.

From the beginning of the panel, the audience was invited to lead the discussion with their questions. Set with three armchairs and a coffee table, the stage felt like a living room rather than a performance space, giving the talk an informal feel.

The majority of the audience members were interested in the steps to take to become a singer and the auditioning process itself. For undergraduate students, the panel recommended getting a well-rounded education that includes a foreign language, history, music theory and traveling.

Scheppelmann shared her experiences judging auditions.

“Shy is not something you should be,” Scheppelmann said. “You have

to want to go out there and excite an audience. There has to be something in you that really, really wants [it].

Otherwise there will always be something holding you back.”

Hawkins, dressed in jeans and high-heeled boots, related to the majority of the audience in age. A graduate of the University of Kentucky, she is currently in her second year of the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program at WNO. The program gives singers, conductors, coach-accompanists and directors the opportunity to learn and perform at WNO while receiving a monthly stipend.

Hawkins stressed the responsibility singers must have for their own career. Once singers leave school, they have to apply the skills they’ve learned and show the initiative to practice and maintain their voice, Hawkins said. “[Your professors] are teaching you how to take responsibility for yourself because, believe me, that comes to a cold, dead stop unless you have lots of cold, hard cash,” Bishop said.

Bishop, who has performed with the Metropolitan Opera, WNO and other illustrious companies, stole the panel with memorable responses. Dressed in a black long-sleeved shirt and a long jean skirt, her warm Southern accent and over-the-top humor gave the panel a friendly feeling.

Singers should take the initiative to go on their own mini-audition tour and keep a thorough record of where and when they audition, Bishop said.

When auditioning, singers should pay close attention to their audition cover letter, book of music for an accompanist and outfit choice. An evening gown is not appropriate attire for an afternoon audition, Scheppelmann said.

Hawkins said she has one great dress that she can rely on for her auditions. Bishop agreed with Hawkins: “You just whistle and [the dress] packs itself.”

While the panel encouraged the singers to audition, they also talked about the reality of having a successful career as an opera singer. Bishop described the opera community as an inverted pyramid with aspiring singers at the bottom and professional singers making their living from opera at the top.

If a singer is able to make a living in opera, they must keep up with the business side of being self-employed.

Bishop told students to “practice while you’re in school now: balance your checkbook, keep track of your expenses, keep track of what you are doing, keep your organizational skills up” — advice that can apply to almost every career.

Still, Bishop couldn’t help but acknowledge what a fantastic career she has.

“You never lose how cool this is,” Bishop said. “You just have to understand that it’s not just the cool part ...

Your ice cream has got to sit on the cone.”

You can reach this writer at thescene@theeagleonline.com.

WHOLISTIC HEALTH

KELLY BARRETT Thanksgiving is about as American a holiday as they get. It’s the time of year where we all sit around and overindulge in food and drink while pretending we are thankful and understand the mystical historical significance to the day — something about American Indians and Pilgrims and a giant cornucopia?

Then, we either watch football or hit the shopping malls.

OK, so maybe it means more than that to some people. But, generally speaking, Thanksgiving has been over-commercialized to a great degree. And, also generally speaking, the Thanksgiving habits that we’ve developed over the years are far from healthy.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

We can use this scary time in our country, this economic depression, this time of war overseas, this time of confusion and quarreling over health care and reflect back on our own lives to seek out what we have to be grateful for. Like all holidays, Thanksgiving has evolved, and I think it’s time for its evolution to take a turn for the better for all of us.

I know it sounds trite, maybe even self-righteous, to make this

sort of statement. But I believe that a more thankful Thanksgiving can transform your normal holiday into a healthier and happier holiday.

The reasoning for this is simple.

If you actively, purposefully take the energy to remind yourself to be thankful, you will appreciate every moment with your family and every morsel of food so much more.

If you constantly remind yourself of your gratitude toward being able to spend time with your family, you will likely avoid unnecessary bickering with them. You won’t want to spend your limited time together angry at each other. And don’t just avoid fighting; go out of your way to show your appreciation for your family. Your mother is likely exhausted. Don’t offer to clean up the kitchen — just do it. Drive your teeny-boppin’ little sister and her friends to the movies so they can see “New Moon.” In the end, your selfless actions will end up making you feel so much better.

Further, you will eat less and enjoy your food more if each time you take a bite, you remember to be thankful. Think about it, you don’t shove your second slice of pumpkin pie into your mouth while thinking, “I appreciate the taste of this food so much, I am so thankful my mom is such a great cook.” People just don’t think those thoughts while they are overindulging. You might think such thoughts while enjoying slice number one of the pie, but by number two, you are simply caught in a food daze. You have lost your ap-

preciation for the food and are just mindlessly eating, because it is there or other people are having seconds or you just want to eat something, anything. But how much better does it feel when you are pleasantly satisfied with a meal? I love that feeling — that lovely balance where your taste buds are happy and your stomach is full without being too stuffed.

Find that balance and stick to it, and you will have no reason to feel guilty about the food you eat on Thanksgiving.

Perhaps we can see Thanksgiving as a recharge point — time to reset how we think and interact on a daily basis. Maybe mindful eating and acts of gratitude and selflessness should not just be practiced one day a year. Maybe we can incorporate these techniques into our days for the rest of the year to improve our quality of life.

Last Thanksgiving, I didn’t get to go home or see my parents. This year, I do. And I am so thankful. I can’t wait to see my dogs. I can’t wait for Reese, our Chesapeake Bay retriever to jump up on the kitchen counter to gobble up the other half of someone’s sandwich. My mom will walk in shaking her head and my father’s voice will be heard from across the house, yelling, “Bad behavior!” This is when I will remember I’m home, and I am so thankful for that.

Cheers to the people we are most thankful for.

You can reach this columnist at kbarrett@theeagleonline.com.

the EAGLE

NOVEMBER 23, 2009

the scene 6

‘Fantastic’ graphics make ‘Fox’

By BRYAN KOENIG Eagle Staff Writer

FANTASTIC MR. FOX

A-

If it has no other redeeming value, “Fantastic Mr. Fox” is a worthwhile movie to see based solely on a trait few other films share: complete originality.

Director Wes Anderson enlivens “Fox” with the energy of a storybook, brought to life with childish delight by a superb voice cast that includes George Clooney as the titular Fox, as well as Meryl Streep, Bill Murray and Willem Dafoe. The youthful vigor is tempered by adult sensibilities and wizened snark that manifests in a film whose energy and vibrancy are unlike anything else.

The experience is one of pure delight, as viewers become entranced by the ever smooth-talking Fox as he battles with Boggis, Bunce and Bean — three farmers willing to level acres in their war to kill him. The ensuing clash is funny, engaging and, at times, even able to touch on what it means to be true to one’s basic nature.

Filmed using stop-motion animation and a unique, onsite recording process, every-

Courtesy of FOX SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES

FOXY PAIR — Boasting George Clooney and Meryl Streep as the voices of main characters, “Fantastic Mr. Fox” uses charming, original animation that makes the film resemble a storybook. The story centers on Clooney’s character as he battles with several farmers willing to kill by any means possible. thing about the presentation of “Fox” is refreshing and new. The sound effects, music and visually charming animation remind us

of the best parts of reading storybooks for the first time, with all the youthful fascination and discovery spurred by Anderson’s

direction. He truly knows how to weave an entrancing frolic with the foxes, badgers and opossums.

Without extravagant CGI effects,

the film completes the storybook feel with a style of animation that still creates deeply enchanting visuals.

Strange as it may sound, “Fox’s” only real weakness is that it rests its impressive laurels on its greatest strength. Everything about the film is invested in its originality; the visuals and acting are aimed entirely at enticing the audience with something it has never seen before. The ploy pays off — and in spades. The charm and childish intimacy begins with the opening credits and never stops, always a playful romp in the collective imagination of adults who remember there is a grand eloquence in a simple yet clever, well-told story.

There are arguably better stories and funnier stop-motion animation films, but nothing can hope to compare with “Fox’s” pure, unique innovation. Its style, tempo, visuals and the feel of its story is something entirely its own. Unless a viewer deeply enjoys watching the same stories hashed out over and over again with a few modest attempts at better visuals or slightly interesting directions, “Fox” will be an utterly refreshing experience. It is visually superb and captivating with an energy unlike any other film, animated or otherwise.

You can reach this staff writer at bkoenig@theeagleonline.com.

D.C. reruns cult classic ‘Lulu’ teases audience

By ALEX RUDOLPH

Eagle Contributing Writer Where have cult classics gone?

While midnight movie buffs go through the audience interaction motions with decades-old reels of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and “This is Spinal Tap,” newer attempts at finding this generation’s version of those phenomena have mostly failed.

Richard Kelly’s bloated, forced “Southland Tales” failed to attract positive attention, and the most recent cult success dates back to 1998’s “The Big Lebowski.”

These movies, rescued from obscurity by devoted audiences, were stale before writer/director/producer/actor/ editor Tommy Wiseau brought “The Room” to packed screenings.

“When we released the film way back seven years ago, we submitted it to the Academy Awards,” Wiseau told The Eagle. “We didn’t win, but we followed all of the instructions and had to release the movie for two weeks in the theaters ... We got in trouble with the fire marshal because so many people showed up [to the screening].”

“The Room” is a complicated movie, but it is easy to see why it has an intense following. Protagonist Johnny (Wiseau) loves his fiancée, Lisa, who loves Johnny’s best friend Mark.

Johnny’s young friend Denny develops problems with drugs and dealers.

On top of that, Lisa accuses Johnny of abuse and her mother discovers she may have breast cancer. And, as if that weren’t enough, Johnny finds out about his future wife’s affair, and Mark

resents Lisa for manipulating him.

When asked to explain his film in a sentence, Wiseau did so in only six words.

“Relationships: two is better than three.”

Besides the drama of Johnny’s illfated romantic life, “The Room” is full of strange moments of humor and idiosyncrasies that Wiseau’s audiences have latched onto. They scream along with Johnny’s dialogue — especially when he yells “You are tearing me apart, Lisa!” in what is perhaps the film’s most famous line.

Though the film’s residency in Los Angeles began seven years ago, Wiseau originally intended to turn the story of “The Room” into a novel.

“I took acting classes in San Francisco and decided to turn the story into a script,” he said. “I could write the book right now as we speak, but we don’t have time.”

Though the film attracted negative responses from critics, Wiseau is not bothered by their opinions.

“Whatever people say, I’m OK with it as long as it is sincere,” Wiseau said.

“I am on the same page as Shakespeare and Hitchcock because we are dealing with the truth and with the sincere. I didn’t make this room just for me; I made it for you and everybody.”

Wiseau said the other problem with critics is that they don’t look for symbolism.

“Nobody writes about what the Golden Gate bridge means in this movie set in San Francisco,” he said.

He knows that when seeing his movie multiple times in theaters, peo-

ple will have the chance to analyze the movie more and discover the symbolism that they did not previously notice.

“The Room’s” greatness has been dismissed as an accident. The film’s detractors assume that the comedy that audiences find in the dialogue and acting is unintentional, but in fact the movie was a labor of love. During filming, the crew quit three separate times, and each time Wiseau had to establish a new team. He also changed every cut in the movie three times, leaving much film on the editing room floor.

“I wish I could tell you that everything was an accident, but you have to prepare yourself mentally and physically,” Wiseau said. “When everybody quits on you, you have to keep going.”

Though Wiseau directed the film, he said he tended to like acting more.

“Acting is so much less stressful than directing,” Wiseau said. “With directing, you have to do everything. It was a lot of hard work. Even the words ‘hard work’ do not compute.”

But all of it paid off. The film has been screened across North America and the United Kingdom and will reach D.C.’s Landmark E Street for four showings (Nov. 27 and 28 and Dec. 4 and 5).

Cult cinema has its new champion, and the District will finally experience it the way it should be experienced.

You can reach this writer at thescene@theeagleonline.com.

By STEPHAN CHO Eagle Contributing Writer Flaky temptress, beautiful socialite and tragic masochist: the titular character in “Lulu” is many things all at once.

Based on Nicholas Wright’s adaptation of the 1895 German tragedy, “Lulu” centers around an enigmatic young girl (played by actress Sara Barker) who has no qualms about marrying someone for rank and money. The first half of the play shines a light on her flighty nature, bouncing from one relationship to another with little reproach. In the second and much darker half, her misdeeds slowly become her own undoing, claiming the lives of those around her and leading others to dementia.

The production, performed by the Washington Shakespeare Company, is now playing at the Clark Street Playhouse in Virginia. The former warehouse building creates a gritty yet intimate atmosphere that’s befitting for the subject of the play.

In a stunning example of creative set design, the audience can choose to sit on three platforms that overlook different perspectives of the stage. There are certain nuances of the play that people in opposite sections are sure not to catch, such as the muted

STUDENT N I G H T CHARACTER

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gestures of characters who, upon dying, slowly relegate themselves to a couch that’s aligned with the audience. It may seem counter-intuitive, but it really isn’t, as nothing detracts from the integral story.

Director Christopher Henley made a conscious effort to embody the spirit of the play in its central character, something that’s exemplified in Lulu to a T. She’s a mass of contradictions, unsympathetic to the men she uses and showing humanity to them only in spurts. Then, when it’s her turn to get what’s coming to her, she pleads innocence.

The story is as mercurial as the whims of the coquettish Lulu herself. It captures the heartbeat of the themes with its dark and fast-paced dialogue. In the opening scene, Lulu is married to a wealthy businessman, yet seduces a painter during a posing session.

They end up having an innocent romp while Lulu constantly teases the desperate man for his chastity. Her husband then walks in on them, and things only get worse from there. Most of the play covers a string of jealousyinspired, second-degree murders and the intense sexuality that drives them. There is not a single character who isn’t motivated by pleasure or some other carnal desire.

Lulu’s name is actually one of the many monikers she allows her “lovers” to call her in her shameless pursuit for acceptance into high society. Some call her Lulu, others call her Eve — but none of them really matter to her. For the better part of the play, she’s too obsessed with her own lust and greed to take control of what’s happening.

The original play by Wedekind came under heavy fire by critics for its brazen treatment of sexual taboo and violence, a line of thought that’s sure to be invoked when watching this play for the first time. There are edifying moments that speak to the status quo of society at large, punctuated by the death scenes as well as the incredibly brutal ending that will surely leave audiences shaken.

“Lulu” is simultaneously funny and shocking, commonplace and transgressive, sympathetic and misogynistic. While the themes may have clashed with the sensibilities of people in earlier times, the current generation is sure to get some food for thought or at least some visceral entertainment. It’s as exciting and extreme as a play about sex and violence can be.

You can reach this writer at thescene@theeagleonline.com.

WASHINGTON WIZARDS VS. MILWAUKEE BUCKS WED., DEC. 2ND AT 7PM Every Wednesday home game is Student Night! $10 Upper Level ticket with valid student ID. To purchase your Student Night ticket, visit Verizon Center box ofce or a local Ticketmaster outlet on Wed., Dec. 2nd.

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the EAGLE

NOVEMBER 23, 2009

Ninja rains on evil

By STEPHAN CHO Eagle Contributing Writer

NINJA ASSASSIN

B

There’s a scene in the new film “Ninja Assassin” where — possibly as an in-joke between the writers — a SWAT team member remarks that the main character looks like he belongs “in a boy band.”

It was perhaps that very sentiment that Rain tried to avoid when getting into character for his newest film.

“I love singing and acting, and I’ll concentrate on both,” Rain said in an interview with The Eagle. “It was a lot of fun and a great experience.”

The South Korean pop-starturned-actor stars in the gruesome new action movie as Raizo, a righteous killer who’s out for revenge against those who made him so vengeful.

Told in concurrent stories involving Raizo’s past and an investigation on arcane ninja clans, the movie crams enough blood and guts from start to finish to earn its R rating.

“I’m a big fan of martial arts,” Rain said. “When I was young, I saw a lot of Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee and Jet Li movies.”

Rain showed interest in the role while working with the Wachowski Brothers on the set of “Speed Racer.”

With hopes to redefine the ninja genre, the filmmakers brought in Chad Stahelski and Dave Leitch, the award-winning stuntmen behind “The Matrix” and the “Bourne” films.

“I learned a lot of martial arts, like taekwondo, tai chi, kung fu and kickboxing,” Rain said. “I also trained for eight months, eating only chicken breasts and vegetables. It was hard.”

The commitment to his work really shows in his depiction of the everpopular ninja trope. These are ninjas in the most traditional sense — hired killers with unflinching determination, lurking in shadow with katana in hand. The movie is brimming with well-choreographed fight scenes that are only cheapened by the somewhat smarmy dialogue between members of the clandestine ninja organization.

“When I was doing stunts, even though everybody took care of me, I still got hurt,” Rain said.

It got to the point where he would pretend he’d broken his legs on set as

n

BACKLASH — Korean popstar Rain, pictured above, had always been a fan of martial arts, even before he decided to join the cast of Ninja Assassin. a practical joke to his cast mates.

Rain garnered attention in the U.S. last year in a pseudo-rivalry with Stephen Colbert, where the two openly vied for a spot on Time magazine’s list of the “100 Most Influential People.”

While bouncing empty threats and insults, the feud reached a climax when Colbert created his own Korean pop music video on “The Colbert Report.” In the end, Rain trumped Colbert by nearly twice as many votes, and the two settled on a dance-off in a gag sketch on Colbert’s show.

Rain’s fame outside Korea is not limited to silly, off-hand incidents, as Korean pop is slowly making headway around the world. Rain hopes to amass a steady following in the States by touring and promoting his film.

“I think Korean fans and American fans are very similar,” Rain said about performing here. “I wanted to challenge myself to the U.S. market

when I was young. I hope American fans will love me, too.”

While the film itself is sure to have something for everyone, the violence naturally precludes attendance by some of the more squeamish fans of Rain. Female fans who can summon the willpower to stomach the gore are sure to be satisfied with the amount of screen time Rain is allotted, including many scantily-clad training scenes.

Rain was optimistic about the idea of a sequel but stated he’d also be interested in branching out of the action genre.

“I’d like to do romance and horror — zombie movies,” he said. “You’re going to see other sides [of me] as well.”

“Ninja Assassin” opens in theaters Nov. 25.

You can reach this writer at thescene@theeagleonline.com.

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film, and I actually enjoyed seeing his chemistry with Stewart on the big screen. Lautner makes Black a compelling character. His character undergoes an involuntary transformation into a werewolf, the mortal enemy to Cullen’s vampire, and slowly falls in love with Swan even though she cannot reciprocate his feelings. Lautner plays this conflicted teenager perfectly.

Black’s wolf pack brings some much-needed humor to the film. The werewolves, as well as Lautner himself, are a sight to behold. They spend the vast majority of their screen time shirtless, flaunting perfectly chiseled

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is bizarre, and the way they fight in no way manages a kinetic appeal for the audience. The action usually just feels like a placeholder for the next inevitable and forced attempt at awkward romance.

For the guys who go to see “New Moon,” be forewarned that the werewolves, particularly Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), spend virtually all of their screen time shirtless. The film, in fact, is the exact opposite of the normal over-sexualization of Hollywood.

While many films pile on a great deal of fan service for male audiences with nubile and barely clad women, “New Moon” obviously could care less about its male audiences, preferring instead to keep Black’s six-pack front and center far more than Black

abs and making teenage girls — and their mothers — scream in delight.

Sometimes one cannot help but laugh — having a scene with a half-naked Lautner getting soaked under the rain seems like a bit too much.

The same goes for Pattinson’s Cullen: the first time you see him, it feels as though you’re watching a Volvo ad, with the gorgeous vampire walking away from his car in slow-motion and looking amazing while doing so.

The film obviously has its flaws; there is the occasional awkward scene that, even though meant to be dramatic, comes across as funny. Apart from that, it’s everything fans have been dying to see.

If you’re not familiar with “The Twilight Saga,” then it is likely you will not be dazzled by the second installment in the series. Only a fan that has seen the first film or read the books — or both — can fully appreciate this movie. As I watched, I was thrilled to see all the things I had imagined actually play out in front of me. This film is a “Twilighter’s” dream come true, and it did more than satisfy and exceed my expectations — it left me thirsty for more.

“The Twilight Saga: New Moon” is currently playing in theaters.

himself. Bella Swan and the other female characters, on the other hand, stay clothed and almost completely nonsexual the entire film. Even when Black and Edward Cullen are fawning over Swan, she remains clothed and ever modest.

And thus we come to the weakest character of the entire film, the protagonist. Despite the fact that she is celebrating her 18th birthday as the film opens, Swan seems to be little more than a magnified, emo 12year-old girl. Utterly lost without her vampire in her life, she is Lois Lane without any of the appeal or intelligence. Kristen Stewart is forced into a role of haphazard risk taking, utterly incapable of taking care of herself and constantly in need of a rescue from a knight in shining armor.

Personally, I would very much like

to see Swan in therapy for her obvious dependency issues, with her supposed beau locked up for stalking. For the life of me, I cannot understand what could ever be attractive about Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson). He’s pale enough to be a corpse, soft-spoken enough to be a serial killer and enough of an overprotective stalker to qualify for an ex with a restraining order.

For “Twilight” fans, my intention is not to offend you. Enjoy your trippy, creature romance. For everyone else, e-mail me, and I’ll be happy to recommend good vampire flicks that actually make sense and are genuinely enjoyable, instead of angsty and creepily adorable.

You can reach this staff writer at rgonzalez@theeagleonline.com.

You can reach this staff writer at bkoenig@theeagleonline.com.

Great bands lack listeners ON THE RECORD

RYAN TANNER-READ So, here we are — my last column of the semester. What pearls of wisdom should I leave you with as you venture unaided into the wilderness of modern music?

I think it’s time for me to do something I haven’t done enough of this semester: recommend you some music.

It seems like we’ve been inundated with so many new releases this year that I can barely remember most of them. A few big ones have dominated, but so many have slipped past our collective radar. In the interest of rectifying that situation, here we go.

Here, in no particular order, are four albums you probably weren’t listening to this year but should have been.

1. Erin McKeown, “Hundreds of Lions” I’ve been becoming something of an apostle for McKeown recently. After hearing “Hundreds of Lions,” I would tell anyone who would listen how great it was in an attempt to counteract the plot to ignore it in most of the music press (that means you, Rolling Stone and Blender). McKeown’s sound is fresh and fascinating. Her sparse arrangements and incredibly varied styling make this album compulsively listenable. If you’re looking for something new, something that is busy defying categorization, go buy this record right now. You’ll be glad that you did.

2. Meat Puppets, “Sewn Together” The Meat Puppets have become

something of a cliché in the world of underappreciated bands. Long listed as important influences by every punk/ indie/alternative band that you ever enjoyed growing up, critical and commercial success have always eluded the band. Ever listened to Nirvana’s unbelievable Unplugged record? “Oh Me,” “Lake of Fire” and “Plateau” all come from the Puppets’ second album and Curt and Cris Kirkwood (the creative force behind the band) play on those tracks on the album. However, despite touring with Nirvana and modest sales of their first major label album in 1995, the Meat Puppets faded into obscurity and eventually disbanded. Then, the Kirkwoods reunited a couple of years ago and started working again. “Sewn Together” is their best release since and it hearkens back to their early work with its fusion of punk, rockabilly and general insanity. If this album proves anything, it’s that after more than two decades of making music, the Meat Puppets might still have that explosive success in them. If not, they’re at least providing us with some consistently great music.

3. Eels, “Hombre Lobo” I admit with some chagrin that I’ve only recently become aware of the Eels as a band. I had heard their breakout hit, “Novocaine For The Soul,” years back but had never really given them much play until I got my hands on “Hombre Lobo” a few weeks ago. Running from footstomping, danceable tracks like “Lilac Breeze” to introspective and heartbreaking cuts like “All The Beautiful Things,” “Hombre Lobo” is a truly amazing album. It’s a powerful odyssey of love and desire from the perspective of the eternal second fiddle and as sad as that is, I also found it strangely affirming. Whether you’re lovelorn or deeply in love, give “Hom-

bre Lobo” a spin, especially if you’re one of those unfortunate souls who, like me, have never been introduced to the artistry of the weird and eminently talented band.

4. The Low Anthem, “Oh My God, Charlie Darwin” To be fair, this album actually came out in 2008. However, few of us could have hoped to get our hands on that release, a run of CDs from a band no one had ever heard of featuring all hand-painted covers. Basically, unless you had seen them in concert, you probably wouldn’t have had a copy of the CD until it was picked up by Nonesuch records in 2009. Even now, with growing popularity and Barnes and Noble pumping their music non-stop, the Low Anthem still aren’t getting the audience they really deserve. A band with an oddly palatable obsession with Americana, their beautiful and charged music (often made with vintage instruments and recorded in a Rhode Island house heated only by a woodstove) is incredibly infectious.

Try to listen to “To Ohio” without humming the melody later. You can’t do it. With catchy tunes, even the sad and slow ones, the Low Anthem are quietly winning legions of fans.

If you’ve already heard these albums and know these bands, don’t keep quiet. Get the word out. Tell your friends to listen. That’s what these bands need.

In today’s market, their work is in danger of being drowned out, but you can make sure they get the chance to make more by listening and sharing. Ultimately, that’s what it’s all about.

You can reach this columnist at thescene@theeagleonline.com.

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NOVEMBER 23, 2009

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LOOKING ON — Mayor Adrian Fenty looks on as the AU men’s basketball loses to Florida Atlantic University 81-69. The Eagles have lost four straight games.

AU rallied in the second half but were unable to make up the lost ground. Forward Stephen Lumpkins led AU in scoring with 23 points in the losing effort.

Men’s basketball comes up short

By TOM SCHAD Eagle Contributing Writer Freshman Mike Bersch drained a late three-pointer capping a 15-6 AU run, Bender Arena erupted and the improbable 22-point comeback suddenly became probable. Unfortunately, a late string of free-throws from Florida Atlantic University held-off the strong AU surge as the men’s basketball team lost 81-69.

Eagles forward Stephen Lumpkins continued his remarkable sophomore campaign with a careerhigh 23 points and nine rebounds,

shooting 64 percent from the field.

Freshman speedster Blake Jolivette tripled his season average with 13 points and four assists. Bersch knocked down a pair of clutch three-pointers and finished with 10 points for the Eagles. Sanchez Hughley led Florida Atlantic with 15 points.

Both teams came out looking extremely sloppy in the first half.

Lumpkins was the only Eagle on the scoreboard in the first eight minutes of the game. Only 15 total points were scored between both teams in that time span. The Owls eventually

surfaced to score 36 points in the first half. AU never seemed to get it going. The Eagles entered halftime trailing 36-20, shooting 0-4 from beyond the arc and a pitiful 26 percent overall.

“When you don’t score points, you have to be able to grind it out on the defensive end,” said Assistant Coach Robert Burke. “We did that for a little bit, but then it got away from us. We just couldn’t seem to get our feet under us, and they did.”

AU returned from the locker room with a different mentality but similar play on the court,

and quickly found themselves in a 23-point hole. However, energetic plays from Bersch, junior Nick Hendra and senior guard Matthew Wilson slowly helped AU chip away at the deficit. With fans sporting “The Lumpkin Patch” shirts in the crowd, Lumpkins found his groove and scored seven points in a span of two minutes. But the main ingredient to the comeback was the play of Jolivette, whose contagious energy on both ends of the court sparked the Eagles down the stretch.

“As a freshman, it’s hard to get in the swing of things,” Jolivette said.

Refs drop the ball in France SIDELINE SCHOLAR TOM SCHAD Thierry Henry did not own up to the honor system during France’s FIFA qualifier like he most likely did on the pickup field as a child.

Growing up in a heavily urbanized district of Paris, I’m sure Henry played his fair share of pickup games as a child. Goals were probably marked with chalk or trashcans, the ball was most likely torn up or worn from use and the honor system was law. If Henry were to bat the ball down with his left hand once or twice in order to cross it to a teammate for the game-winning goal, he would probably admit to his mistake and the minutes would be replayed. Henry would probably laugh off his misfortune and the game would be decided in a fair manner.

Oh, how times have changed for the Frenchman.

Henry’s obvious handball in the 103rd minute of France’s World Cup qualifier against Ireland set up teammate William Gallas’ easy header goal, giving France a 2-1 aggregate victory.

The controversial goal has sent France to its fourth consecutive World Cup, the Irish home to their pubs and Swedish referee Martin Hansson as far away from Dublin as humanly possible.

He almost caught it and walked

into the net with it, said Robbie Keane, whose goal put Ireland up 1-0 in the 33rd minute.

What makes the ordeal so huge is just how obvious the double handball was. Countless videos from a myriad of angles have shown Henry using his hand to keep the ball in play, and players on both teams are quick to admit that it was a blatant offense. In fact, according to The New York Times, 81 percent of French people do not believe that their team deserves to be in the World Cup, given the manner in which they qualified. It is almost as if the handball was an inside joke among the entire world, but the officiating crew Wednesday night just did not get it.

I will be honest. It was a handball; Henry confessed afterwards. But I’m not the ref. The ref allowed it.

The openness of the miscall has created a wave of fury across Ireland and the rest of the sporting world, prompting conspiracy theories that FIFA instructed their refs to let France win just to get them into the World Cup. As such, the Football Association of Ireland filed formal grievances to both FIFA and the French Football Federation for a replay; however, they quickly gave up on those demands. The incident has even had international ramifications; Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen is said to have lobbied counter-

part Nicholas Sarkozy for a rematch.

On the surface, the solution to this fiasco seems just as obvious as the handball that caused it. If the referees made a mistake, and everyone admits to it, the match could simply be replayed on neutral soil with a new officiating crew. France, Ireland and Henry himself have all expressed that this would be the fairest resolution. So why not fix this hullabaloo once and for all and replay the game?

Video replay wouldn’t allow FIFA to fix key matches — that’s why, said one crushed Irish fan. “They wanted France in the World Cup and they got their wish. The Irish can play their socks off, but we’re nobodies. The French stars and the French millions must go to the World Cup,” the fan said.

Naturally, this claim is taking it a little too far. Referees are human, mistakes are made and just because this mistake happened to come on one of the largest stages does not point directly to a conspiracy theory. But the greatest mistake of all was not the missed call itself, but the bureaucratic aftermath orchestrated by FIFA. While it’s understandable that rules are the foundation of fairness in sports, there are some instances that point out their inherent flaws and this is one of them.

The purpose of referees is not to strictly uphold the rules and regulations of the league, but to get the call

right by whatever means necessary.

Too often do loopholes and specific interpretations of the rulebook get in the way of what is right and what is fair and it is time for organizations like FIFA to welcome new ideas to make the game fair for everyone involved.

Allowing refs to use video replay equipment to determine calls would be a nice start. I am not advocating a challenge system like the NFL uses, but a mandatory video review of every goal scored in a FIFA match would be a great solution to this problem. Mandatory reviews would make it certain that every goal is deserved and would remove any trace of doubt from the system.

But in the short term, FIFA needs to allow this match to be replayed.

By ignoring Ireland’s requests, FIFA is setting an example for millions of kids around the world that you can get away with cheating, even on the biggest of stages. The honor system is the foundation of sports as a whole and this inaction is allowing that foundation to crumble. Henry owned up to his handball and was admirable in his actions. But if this were a pick-up game, the minutes would have most likely been replayed to a fair outcome.

Unfortunately for the Irish, it was not.

You can reach this writer at sports@theeagleonline.com.

Volleyball loses PL championship

By ELLIOT JEFFORDS Eagle Contributing Writer The AU volleyball team entered the weekend looking to take home its ninth straight Patriot League Championship and automatic berth to the NCAA tournament, but fell to the Army Academy in straight sets in the playoff game.

AU came into the weekend as the hottest team in the Patriot League as winners of eight straight and continued the hot play by sweeping the Colgate University Raiders in three sets 25-20, 25-17, 25-11.

Claire Recht led the way for the Eagles against Colgate on both offensive and defensive sides of the ball, with nine kills and seven blocks. AU had five players with five or more kills and came together for a .248 hitting percentage. Krysta Cicala dished out 28 assists on the match.

With the win, AU set up a rematch with No. 1 Army. The two

teams split the season series with both teams winning on its home court.

Both squads opened up the first set by trading points back and forth. Army was able to break

AU tried to claw back into the match, but Army was playing too well to allow for any type of comeback.

away though, with a 4-0 run after being tied at 8-8. After the short run, Army didn’t look back, winning 13 of the next 22 points to

roll to the first set victory.

In the second set, Army jumped out to a much quicker start than the first set, winning four of the first five points. AU tried to claw back into the match, but Army was playing too well to allow for any type of comeback. Army, after allowing AU to get within one at 8-9, utilized a 12-3 run to pull away and extend the lead to ten.

From there, the two teams traded points back and forth, allowing Army to capture the second set easily.

The third set began with both teams fighting back and forth.

Army again was the first to pull away with a 4-0 run to take a 14-10 lead. Unlike the first and second sets, AU fought back and didn’t let Army separate themselves.

Using a crucial 4-1 run of its own, AU was able to tie the match at 21-21. After splitting the next eight points, AU took its second lead of the match at 26-25 looking to extend the match to

a fourth set. Army utilized its second timeout of the match to calm themselves down. Following the timeout, Army took the next three points to finish off the match and tournament.

Magdelena Tikel led the way for AU with 15 kills. Libero Cynammon Burns lead the defense efforts with 22 digs over the three sets and Cicala added 27 assists to the AU effort.

Although AU is through with the Patriot League Tournament, has one game remaining on the schedule. They travel to New York to take on The State University of New York at Albany next week.

Though the team will lose three seniors, they return 10 players, including leading outside hitter Rebecca Heath, who went down with a torn ACL halfway through the year.

You can reach this writer at sports@theeagleonline.com.

“My coaches have gotten more confident in me as a player and they’re allowing me to be free to attack a bit more and play my game, and so I’m just getting more comfortable with the offense.”

All of the momentum came to a halt after an AU timeout with 1:41 remaining. Seven Florida Atlantic free-throws and a pair of steals that turned into layups stretched out the margin in the final minutes to give AU a 12-point loss. On the bright side, AU shot 50 percent in the second half and held a very favorable margin in points off the bench.

The Eagles look to secure its first win on the season at home tonight against the Fairfield Stags, with tipoff at 7:30 p.m. While Burke said that many facets of the team need improvement in order to bounce back against the Stags, Jolivette’s key to victory is much simpler.

“As a team, we just need to come out aggressive from the start and play 40 minutes of intense basketball.”

You can reach this writer at sports@theeagleonline.com.

MLB hotstove starts to heat up OVER THE WALL

SAM LINDAUER Now that the 2009 MLB season is history, baseball fans will have to turn to rumors, free agent signings and trades to give them their baseball fix until next spring. Here are the three biggest stories to watch out for this offseason.

The arrival of Aroldis Chapman If you have not already heard of Aroldis Chapman, the Cuban lefty who has a fastball that has been clocked at over 100 miles per hour, then get ready to hear constant updates on where he will land this offseason. Chapman, who is only 21-years-old, is somewhat of a wild-card despite his impressive skill set.

That fear stems from the performance of another Cuban pitcher, Jose Contreras. Contreras signed a huge deal with the Yankees in 2002. He ended up being more or less of a bust and a cautionary tale to any team looking to sign unproven pitchers.

The leading candidates to sign Chapman are the usual suspects — the Yankees and the Red Sox. Look for these two clubs to battle it out for the lefty, just as they did seven years ago for Contreras.

The future of the Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers were one win away from reaching the playoffs this October, but lost to the Minnesota Twins. Recently, there have been rumors of trading key parts of the Tigers’ club.

Some players who have been mentioned are centerfielder Curtis Granderson and pitcher Edwin Jackson. The Tigers would be insane to lose those players.

Trading Granderson and Jackson makes little sense for the Tigers. This squad is a playoff

caliber team that has the ability to stack up against any team in the American League. There is no reason to weaken a rotation that would be devastating in a short series. Justin Verlander, Rick Porcello and Edwin Jackson would be a scary sight to opposing teams for years to come.

To trade Granderson would be losing a player who is far from perfect but provides many tools including great speed, some power and solid defense. Tigers fans better hope that their front office knows something everyone else is missing.

Free Agency of Jason Bay and Matt Holliday This year’s big free agent players, Jason Bay and Matt Holliday, both happen to be left fielders.

Since their position is the same and they both have around the same ability at the plate, it will be interesting to see teams decide which player is worth dropping the big money on. Many scouts feel as though Holliday has a slight edge over Bay because he is better defensively, but a team cannot go wrong adding either of these solid veterans.

The most logical place to look when figuring out where these players will end up is where they each played last year. Bay seemed to be an excellent fit with the Red Sox and provided the power in their lineup. Holliday seemed to really start hitting the ball once he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals and that was largely due to the offseason help from the recently named Cards hitting coach, Mark McGuire.

If the pair of outfielders do not sign with those clubs there will be many other offers coming their way. The Yankees are always in the mix, but they will likely end up bringing back leftfielder Johnny Damon. The San Francisco Giants would hugely benefit from either of these players, since the Giants could use a powerful bat in the middle of their lineup.

You can reach this staff writer at slindauer@theeagleonline.com.