The Eagle — March 29, 2010

RED, WHITE & PINK The District honors years of friendship as the nation’s capital blossoms into pink.

SCENE page 5

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RAIL ROBBERIES Metro sees an increase in crime; Tenley station among top 10 page 2

By JULIA RYAN

EDITORIAL

Eagle Staff Writer

PHILLIP OCHS / THE EAGLE

Alex Priest tells Democrats how to capitalize on their success page 3

SCENE BESS IN SHOW WNO’s ‘Porgy and Bess’ proves talent, charm don’t wear off page 5

SPORTS GROUNDED Women’s lax brings Lehigh back to Earth with win at home page 8

ROUGH DAY — Class of 2011 Senator Nirvana Habash, center, Class of 2013 President Jose Morales, left, and Class of 2013 Senator Brett Atanasio, right, listen to proceedings at Sunday’s Undergraduate Senate meeting. The Senate voted to certify the results of the election, despite calls to nullify the presidential race.

Senate debates, certifies election

By STEFANIE DAZIO Eagle Staff Writer Amid raised voices, flared tempers, an executive’s suspension and a resignation, the Undergraduate Senate voted to certify this year’s election results.

The Senate voted 10 to 9 to certify the whole election by secret ballot, after defeating a motion 7 to 12 to nullify the presidential race alone.

A two-thirds majority was needed to certify the entire election, while a three-fourths majority was required to nullify a single race.

Problems mainly surrounded the presidential race, where a Board of Elections ruling forced Nirvana Habash, a class of 2011 senator, to run as a write-in candidate. Habash still finished in third place, only 30 votes behind second place-finisher Anthony Dunham.

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Debate raged around several different topics.

Voter disenfranchisement was a major concern for College of Arts and Sciences Senator Victoria Glynn.

“They’ve sat through this process once,” Glynn said of voters. “They’ve made their voices heard, maybe imperfectly, but I think that’s beside the point, because they do not want to vote again, they do not want to be told to vote again.”

The logistics of a second election worried Phil Cardarella, a senator-atlarge who formerly served as President-elect Nate Bronstein’s campaign manager.

“We don’t know how we’re going to do it,” Cardarella said. “There’s no idea on how we’d actually re-hold elections. Would we have campaigning again?”

Class of 2013 Senator Brett Atanasio wondered what exactly should be

fixed.

“What’s going to change, what’s going to be different, why should we bother de-certifying an election if we don’t have an answer to the problem that sank it in the first place?” Atanasio said.

The Senate heavily debated the ideas of ethics versus convenience.

“I think that if you choose to certify these elections just for convenience you are undermining the integrity of the race in general, the race in the future, the dignity of this body,” argued Class of 2010 Senator Garret Martucci.

Class of 2011 Senator Meg Miraglia, who was part of Habash’s campaign staff, felt convenience was the easy way out.

“I think that it’s irresponsible for people to stray away from doing this even if they acknowledge that things n

see ELECTION on page 4

Student Government Vice President Alex Prescott was suspended until April 25 — the day new SG executives transition — at a meeting of the Undergraduate Senate on Sunday for his mishandling of the Founders’ Day Ball.

Prescott was suspended in a vote of 12 to 4 for his inability to secure a contract for the Ball and the event’s cancellation on Friday.

Senator for the School of Public Affairs Eric Reith made the motion to suspend Prescott.

“There have been questions throughout the year about his actions as vice president,” he said in an e-mail. “It culminated in the gross mismanagement of the planning for the Founders’ Day Ball.”

SG President Andy MacCracken stressed that Prescott is, in name, still the SG vice president. He will still receive his compensation, but he is temporarily suspended from all of his duties.

SG Secretary Colin Meiselman may take on some of Prescott’s responsibilities, but Prescott will not officially be leaving his post.

Prescott said earlier in the day that the Ball was canceled this year due to a number of issues with contracts, staffing and availability.

Student Activities Program Adviser Andrew Toczydlowski said that members of the SG were told Founders’ Day Ball could not be held this year after they “repeatedly missed deadlines for contract and event proposal submission.” Toczydlowski noted that events like the Founders’ Day Ball usually take months to plan in advance.

“While Student Activities extended the deadline for submission of the necessary information a few times for this year’s Founders’ Day Ball, we eventually reached a point where the

university ... would not be able to process the necessary paperwork in time for this event to take place this semester,” Toczydlowski said.

Prescott and Founders’ Day Director Jacque Martin canceled the ball Friday morning after discussing the matter with Student Activities and the Office of Campus Life.

The SG was also told that the most realistic option at this point for an event to replace Founders’ Day would be a large-scale event in an on-campus venue, specifically the Tavern, according to Toczydlowski.

Prescott said he is disappointed that the Founders’ Day Ball could not be successfully held this year.

“I’m very upset,” Prescott said. “[Founders’ Day Ball] is something that I really wanted to see come to fruition. I apologize to the campus for the inconvenience this has caused. But I am optimistic for next year’s Founders’ Day Ball.”

The Senate’s power to suspend was only created at last week’s meeting.

Class of 2011 Senator Steve Dalton proposed a bill that outlined procedures for any future impeachment hearings and also gave the Senate power to suspend SG members. Dalton said that the power to suspend gave the Senate an option between two extremes — the power to impeach and remove from office and the power to censure, which Dalton called a “slap on the wrist.”

The money that was supposed to be used for Founders’ Day will be reallocated to fund events going on throughout April, such as Eagle Nights and Spring Fling week, Prescott said.

SG Secretary Colin Meiselman said members of the SG did make an effort to bring Founders’ Day back after it was initially postponed in February. A proposal to hold the event on April 3 was rejected because the proposal was missing vital information.

Meiselman said after Spring Break, n

see FOUNDERS’ on page 4

Greek Week goes smoothly despite fight

By SARAH RUDNICK Eagle Staff Writer

UP AND COMING

VOLUME 84 ISSUE 43

Founders’ Ball canceled, VP suspended

NEWS

DEMS, FIGHT ON

MARCH 29, 2010

A fight took place during the Greek Olympics on the Tenley field Saturday, marring an otherwise well-received Greek Week event.

Over 500 people attended the event, with every greek organization present, according to Inter-fraternity Council Vice President Carter Gibson. All of the events went smoothly, until two individuals — one from fraternity Phi Sigma Kappa and the other Pi Kappa Alpha — got into an argument, eventually escalating into a physical fight, he said.

“We had all the frat brothers from

every organization risk their own safety to pull these students apart,” Gibson said.

However, Gibson said before the incident occurred, the respect and enthusiasm exhibited from the rest of the greek community impressed him.

“We showed unity, and it’s unfortunate that two organizations conducted themselves the way they did [on Saturday],” he said.

The remainder of the event was canceled around 1:50 p.m., according to Gibson.

Coordinator of Greek Life Curtis Burrill said overall the events were well-planned and better organized than in previous years. Additionally,

he said calling the greek Olympics incident a fight “is over-emphasizing it.” “[Greek liaison] Alana [Rudkin] and [Gibson] have done an amazing job,” he said.

Greek Week concluded last night.

The winning team “China,” was comprised of sorority Sigma Delta Tau and fraternities Sigma Phi Epsilon and Delta Tau Delta, according to Gibson.

They will receive over $1,000 each to donate to their preferred charities, The Eagle previously reported.

PSK and Pike were expelled from Greek Week, and their points were nullified, according to Gibson. The IFC has not taken any immediate action against the fraternities, but e-mails

were sent out to their presidents, according to IFC Public Relations Chair Adam Tager. Judicial charges will be discussed, but no decisions have been made, he said.

PSK President Mike Kaufman and Vice President Brendan Asta were home for the weekend and not present at the event, according to Kaufman.

He released the following statement to The Eagle: “The events of this weekend were unfortunate. It is regrettable that the actions of a few individuals resulted in the cancellation of the Greek Games; an event that takes countless hours of planning every year,” the statement said. “It would be a mistake to look

at the actions of a few individuals as a larger reflection of the greek community as a whole. While we cannot comment on how the organizations of the other involved individuals will react, we are already working to rectify this matter internally.”

Pike President John Sonsalla was personally involved in the fight.

“I can confirm that I was directly involved,” he said. “I was just trying to resolve the situation, and I feel bad.”

Pike was doing well with points throughout the previous Greek Week events, Gibson said.

Sonsalla said he knew this and regrets not being able to finish n

see GREEK on page 2

AU students in Chile explore devastated countryside

By MARISA KENDALL Eagle Staff Writer SANTIAGO, Chile — Though by now both the aftershocks and news coverage have subsided considerably, AU students studying abroad in this city continue to experience the effects of Chile’s devastating earthquake.

The epicenter of the 8.8-magnitude earthquake was about 200 miles southwest of Santiago, but most AU students said they could feel the ground shake. While some students were in bed, several others were leaving a nightclub when the earthquake hit.

The quake began at around 3:30 a.m. on Feb. 27, and by 11:15 a.m. of the same day, Study Abroad Adviser Brita Doyle had sent out an e-mail to all students and parents of students in the Santiago program. Only nine of the 13 students were accounted for

at that time, due to power and phone line outages that made communication difficult. At around 1:00 p.m., Doyle sent a follow-up e-mail stating that all students were safe.

The earthquake struck at the end of AU students’ first week in Chile.

Laura Perkins, a junior in the School of International Service currently abroad in Santiago, said she keeps wondering what the country looked like before the earthquake.

“Was that rubble there before the ‘terremoto,’ or had the roof not been there before also?” she asked, using the Spanish word for earthquake.

“Clearly, Chile wasn’t a pristine country full of nothing but solid walls before the earthquake, but there’s no way to tell from looking.”

On March 19, AU students took an all-day bus trip through the Maule region of Chile, which was much closer to the epicenter and therefore more af-

fected by the earthquake than Santiago. During the trip, the students spoke with staff members from Fundación para la Superación de la Pobreza, or the Foundation for Overcoming Poverty — a non-profit organization run by one of their professors — to learn how the organization functions and to determine the specific needs of the earthquake survivors.

Students drove through Iloca, a small fishing village completely destroyed by a tsunami that struck about 20 minutes after the earthquake. The residents had all fled to the hills, leaving nothing on the beach but dirty Chilean flags atop heaps of rubble that had once been their homes. One house had been thrown into the street by the wave. All that was left of another was a square of tile floor and a toilet.

Anna Gallos, a junior in SIS and currently abroad in Santiago, said the n

see CHILE on page 4

MARISA KENDALL / THE EAGLE

COUNTRY IN RUINS — Buildings on the coast of Chile were swept off their foundations by tsunami created by Chile’s Feb. 27 earthquake. While the infrastructure of this town was devastated, all of its residents fled and survived.

the EAGLE

MARCH 29, 2010

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MON 29

TUES 30 THU 27

WED 31

THURS 1

FRI 2

SAT 3

Info-metrics Seminar Series 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

WHERE: Kreeger 101 INFO: Ariel Caticha, a physics professor at University at Albany-State University of New York, will present “Quantifying Rational Belief - Probability.”

CONTACT: For more information, call Aisha Malik at 202-885-3770.

Tobacco and the Environment 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.

WHERE: Ward 2 INFO: Professor Bob Musil, author of “Hope for a Heated Planet” and a professor in AU’s Global Environment Politics Program, will lecture about the effect of tobacco on the environment and public health.

Refreshments and snacks, including chips and salsa from Chipotle, will be served.

CONTACT: For more information, email AmericanCAC@gmail.com.

The Future of Immigration Reform 7:00 p.m.

WHERE: Mary Graydon Center 4-6 INFO: Cecilia Muñoz will discuss the challenges of immigration reform and the status of debates on the topic in the Obama administration.

Muñoz is the White House director of intergovernmental affairs, a longtime civil rights advocate, former legislative director at National Council of La Raza and MacArthur fellow. A reception will follow the event.

CONTACT: For more information and to RSVP, e-mail Marguerite Jimenez at mjimenez@american.edu or call 202-885-3605.

Canada Chapter of Doctors Without Borders Founder Comes to AU 8:00 - 11:00 p.m.

WHERE: Ward Circle 1 INFO: Dr. Richard Heinzl, Nobel Prize-winning founder of Doctor Without Borders Canada, has been named one of the “Hundred People Who Make a Difference in Canada,” and was included on Report on Business’ Top 40 Under 40 list. Sponsored by Kennedy Political Union, he will speak about his medical field experience.

CONTACT: For more information contact William Hubbard at kpu@ ausg.org or 202-885-6416.

Pulsera Project 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

WHERE: Quad table INFO: The Pulsera Project will be featured at a table on the quad. The project was inspired by a child who started playing with scraps of wood left over from Alpha Phi Omega’s library building project in Nicaragua.

APO had a competition to see who could build the tallest tower with the scraps. The winner, seven-yearold Josue, bought treats for about 20 of his friends with his prize money.

CONTACT: For more information, email treasurer@auapo.org.

Afrodisiac 8:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.

WHERE: The Tavern INFO: A celebration of African music, art, poetry, food and fashion.

CONTACT: For more information, email newau.aso@gmail.com.

Pi Kap hopes to pack Bender for wounded-vet b-ball game

By SARAH RUDNICK Eagle Staff Writer AU fraternity Pi Kappa Phi anticipates several hundred people will attend its Armed Forces Wheelchair Basketball Game this Thursday, according to Inter-fraternity Council Public Relations Chair and Pi Kap brother Adam Tager.

The fraternity hopes to raise $10,000 for charity, Tager said.

The basketball game will be the largest philanthropic event Pi Kap has planned in its approximately five-year history at AU, according to Event Chairman James Fine.

The fraternity, which partnered with the United States Olympic Committee Paralympic Military Program, expects about 400 people to attend, but he said Fine hopes more will attend.

“We wanted this to be open to more than just a Pi Kap event ... we’re looking to make it a campus-

wide event,” he said.

This event is the first of its kind to take place in D.C., Tager said.

Forty Pi Kap brothers created and managed the event, he said. Veterans being treated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center for injuries suffered in Iraq and Afghanistan will play a game of wheelchair basketball in Bender Arena against veterans being treated at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio.

“As a campus, we must recognize that these wounded warriors are our peers,” Pi Kap President Nicholas Jablonski said in a press release. “Supporting our veterans is frequently spoken about, yet the general public does not often have the opportunity to support our veterans first-hand. This event gives us this opportunity.”

While planning the chapter’s philanthropic event for its preferred charity, Push America, Fine said he looked for local teams in the area

and discovered one at Walter Reed.

The game was going to be a scrimmage up until about a month ago, he said, until he learned the Brooke Army team was already scheduled to be in the D.C. area this weekend.

“It’s just friendly competition,” he said. “It’s also a different element than [the Walter Reed team is] used to because they don’t normally play outside Walter Reed.”

The event is free to attend, but donations are encouraged, Fine said.

“We’re really excited about this,” he said. “We’ve never done anything close to this. And we’re bringing attention to the veterans themselves, which is something you don’t usually see at our university ... So we’re excited to have a new way to show our support for them.”

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

New building in Tenley finished by Fri., no tenant

By NICOLE GLASS Eagle Staff Writer The unfinished building on the corner of Albemarle and Wisconsin avenues is expected to be completed this Friday, but there is no tenant for it yet, according to George Pedas, vice president of Circle Management, the company that owns the space.

It is a 3,677-square-foot, single-story space that will likely be for restaurant or mercantile use, according to Pedas. Circle Management hopes to have the space leased this spring, he said.

Construction on the inside of the building will be finished after a tenant is found, according to Bill Cunningham, technical director at the Heiserman Group and architect of the building.

The building, located at 4501 Wisconsin Ave., is situated be-

Students urge AU to utilize small banks

By STEFANIE DAZIO Eagle Staff Writer Several AU students formed a Community Investment Campaign this semester and are currently developing a proposal to encourage the administration to transfer 5 percent of the endowment’s cash assets into community banks and credit unions, according to the campaign’s organizer Mary Schellentrager.

The proposal, which they hope to propose to AU President Neil Kerwin, would call for approximately $4.3 million to be deposited into “Community Development Financial Institutions,” such as the City First Bank of D.C. Such banks help develop small businesses and communities that do not have good access to financial services, according to Schellentrager, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences.

“Since 1998, City First Bank has been providing economic opportuni-

n

from GREEK on page 1

competing.

“I would just like to issue — on behalf of myself and on behalf of our fraternity — an apology to Carter Gibson and Alana Rudkin

ties to underserved communities.,” Schellentrager wrote in a Huffington Post blog. Their efforts have resulted in 2,000 jobs and more than 1,400 units of low-income housing for these communities. Between 2004 and 2007, City First lent out over $150 million to community members who used the funds for community development projects, such as small businesses and for achieving personal financial goals.”

The group, currently comprised of about eight students, is working within the Community Action and Social Justice Coalition and hoping to gain more student support.

The Community Investment Campaign is circulating a petition to present to Kerwin. The petition currently has 39 student and alumni signatures encouraging the board to approve the proposal.

“We all feel that American University should be doing more to lessen inequality in D.C.,” Schellentrager said. as well as the greek community for how [Saturday’s] events concluded,” Sonsalla said. “That was certainly not the intention of our fraternity ...

Myself and my fraternity are doing everything in our power to resolve the situation.”

Schellentrager is a mid-Atlantic student organizer for the Responsible Endowments Coalition, a national organization that promotes responsible investment at colleges and universities. Her work there prompted her to begin the Community Investment Campaign, a movement that is “using the privilege and power that we have as students for social change.”

The Move Your Money campaign is an effort by the Huffington Post to get the public to invest in small, local banks rather than ones that are too big to fail.

AU Associate Vice President of Finance and Assistant Treasurer Douglas Kudravetz declined to comment because he has not yet seen the proposal.

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

Mike Rourke, the IFC Treasurer and a Pike brother, said he had hoped the greek olympics would improve the AU community’s perception of greek life, and it is a small setback.

“I understand why [the IFC]

Eagle Contributing Writer Lauren Hickey was on her way to babysit in Chevy Chase when she left her wallet and keys on an N4 bus. The freshman in the School of Public Affairs called the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority warehouse several times before they were able to locate her lost items.

When she picked up her wallet, her ID, credit card, debit card and license were all still there. However, her cash and SmarTrip had been stolen. Now, when she leaves the bus she checks the seat.

In 2009, there were 894 reported robberies on Metrorail and bus, up from 581 in 2008, a 53 percent jump, according to according to a Metro Transit Police Department press release.

AU students are among the customers of WMATA who were victims of increased robberies on the Metro.

Tenleytown is listed as a top-10

Metrorail station in D.C. for occurrences of aggravated assault, burglary, homicide, larceny, motor vehicle theft, rape and robbery in WMATA’s Security and Safety report released March 11.

However, while Tenleytown was one of the top Metrorail stations to experience crime in D.C., it was not on the top-10 list for all Metrorail stations in the WMATA system, which includes stops in Maryland and Virginia.

Metro Center suffered the most total crime of all stations, including 10 robberies in January.

The news release stated that most of theft involves electronic devices such as cell phones and iPods.

Thefts are spread throughout the Metrorail system and are not at one particular location, according to Cathy Asato of WMATA Media Relations.

Over Thanksgiving break, Jen Chai’s friend from Boston University had her camera stolen. On their way

back from Pentagon City at the Chinatown-Gallery Place stop, someone pretended to trip and crashed into her, stealing a camera from her coat pocket, said Chai, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Several suggestions to prevent such crimes from the WMATA Web site include: carrying electronic devices in a pocket or place where they cannot easily be reached, keeping the volume level moderately low on music players and avoiding sitting or standing near doors when using these devices.

Police have already seen approximately 200 cases of theft in the first two months of this year, according to WUSA9.com. Both victims and suspects are generally young — ranging from teens to 24-year-olds.

However, Asato said age doesn’t matter; thieves are looking for easy targets.

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

food. It should be a grocery store, a cheaper one [than Whole Foods].”

Katie Koch, a senior in the School of Communication, wants the building to become a bakery, because there’s nowhere to get good pastries in Tenleytown, she said.

TJ Whittle, a senior in the School of Public Affairs, wants it to be a store similar to — but cheaper than — CVS. “I think it should be a miniWalmart or convenience store because it would rival CVS and keep prices low,” he said.

Brennan Doyle, a junior in SPA, is not concerned with the tenant of the building.

“Unless it’s a real college bar, I couldn’t care less,” he said.

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

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Too big for AU’s money?

The full text of the petition reads, “We, the undersigned members of the American University community, believe that as a private university with a public responsibility, the financial practices of our university need to be consistent with our mission and commitment to social responsibility. We should create lasting local change by moving our money to community development financial institutions where it can benefit underserved communities in DC. Transforming our ideas into action and action into service begins with our own involvement and investments.”

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tween the Payless ShoeSource store and the Tenleytown-AU Metro station. Construction for the building began last September and was supposed to be completed in December, The Eagle previously reported.

“The challenging weather this winter has contributed to delays in this project,” Pedas said in an email.

Cunningham said a restaurant chain will most likely fill the space.

The Tenleytown building was constructed because its location adjacent to the Metro made it prime real estate, Cunningham said.

Rachel Regberg, a junior in the School of International Service, does not like the location of the new building because it blocks her view of the shuttle from parts of Tenleytown.

“I can’t tell if the shuttle is there or not,” she said. “But I hope it’s

could be angry because of the situation,” Rourke said. “But I feel that the IFC will do what’s best for greek life and what’s fair all around.”

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

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EDITORIAL

MARCH 29, 2010

JOE WENNER n Editorial Page Editor EdPage@TheEagleOnline.com

JEN CALANTONE n Editor in Chief Editor@TheEagleOnline.com

Carry on with the fight, Democrats UNSOLICITED ADVICE

ALEX PRIEST Congratulations, Democrats.

You’ve got a lot to be proud of. Significant health care reform has finally become a reality for the United States after a year of contentious debate. But moreover, the political tides have clearly shifted in your favor.

While we have won this battle, we have not won the war, that war being the rest of President Obama’s ambitious agenda.

Many may be tempted to say, let’s take it easy. We can back off major legislation, and press on in 2011 with the 112th United States Congress.

For God’s sake don’t do that.

This year presents enormous opportunity for passing more than just health care reform, all the while improving our chances of winning in November. You just have to play the cards right, and at the right time.

Dear President Obama, Speaker Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Reid: As the key figures setting the legislative agenda, the cards are in your collective hands. Combatting the 24/7, conflict-addicted, Tea Party-obsessed news cycle will not be easy, but by timing your messages right, I’m pretty confident you can get not just one more reform done this year, but three.

First, tackle education reform.

Everyone knows education is a politically safe topic. Few are opposed to it, and most on both sides of the aisle recognize the abysmal failure that was No Child Left Behind. In addition, few politicians are willing to raise the same kind of ruckus for education as they did for health care. It’s for the kids, after all.

If you pass a bill by the middle of May, you can even tie your message to the end of the school year.

Imagine the headlines: “American

students celebrate summer; America celebrates a new era of highquality education.”

Secondly, duke it out for the climate bill. One version has already passed the House, and there is bipartisan support in the Senate. It will still be a tough fight, but the climate — the weather, not the political climate — will work in your favor.

Remember the ignorant skepticism of global warming because of the unusual snowfall in Washington this past winter? That same mentality applies in reverse, too. As the temperatures increase so will belief in global warming.

As more Americans travel and the economy improves, gas prices will rise, sparking more demand for energy reform and investments to reduce our dependence on oil.

Nobody likes paying $4 a gallon for gas.

On top of that, hurricane season kicks off on June 1, and with it, the approaching five-year anniversary of the devastating Hurricane Katrina. Scientific evidence shows a correlation between global warming and hurricane activity, and fear of another Katrina will be just one more factor adding to popular support of a bill to combat climate change.

Finally, wrap up the year with immigration reform. Activists are already demanding it — although their rally on March 21 was largely drowned out by the health care debate.

As holidays approach, Americans will be more sympathetic to immigrant families being torn apart due to unfair immigration policy. In addition, the myriad of holidays celebrated serves to underscore the diversity in America, providing an excellent backdrop for the immigration debate.

The media won’t mind either.

Passing a bill by Christmas would mean more heartwarming tales of immigrant families together for the holidays. Let them have that story.

Alex Priest is a junior in the School of Communication and Kogod School of Business and a liberal columnist for The Eagle.

You can reach him at edpage@ theeagleonline.com.

Dealing with AU’s anti-sex brigade ON THE OTHER HAND

ALEX KNEPPER Jeremiah Headen likely lost the vice presidency of the Student Government over a hyperbolic Facebook note. Its contents — a blast of oldschool masculinity — slammed men for not realizing that being manly had nothing to do with what is between one’s legs, but rather is about values, stoic resolve and hard work. It ended with a silly, all-caps call to raid booty and women from neighboring villages.

The comments on The Eagle’s Web site, mostly by Gay Party activists and feminists, condemned Headen for being an “anti-queer misogynist” and for undermining American University’s commitment to being “safe space” for the “gay community.” He was also rebuked for using the term “hermaphrodite” instead of “intersex.”

What a sniveling bunch of emotional cripples! I have never encountered a more insular, solipsistic view of human sexuality than at this college. The rigidity of Pat Robertson has nothing on feminism.

Feminist religious dogma, long ago disposed of by neuroscientists and psychologists, states that men are essentially born as eunuchs, only to have wicked masculinity imposed on them by an evil society. This is usually presented as “social construction theory.”

Like the other great religions of the world, though, the goal of contemporary feminism and Gay Party activism is not to explain sex, but to abolish its passion. The yin and yang of masculinity and femininity is what makes sexual exploration exciting.

Sex isn’t about contract-signing. It’s about spontaneity, raw energy and control (or its counterpart, surrender). Feminism envisions a bedroom scene in which two amorphous, gender-neutral blobs ask each other “Is this OK with you?” before daring to move their lips any lower on the oth-

er’s body. Worse yet: a gender-neutral sexuality can have no conception of the inherently gendered thrills of fetishism, sadomasochism, kink or cross-dressing. How blasé!

For my pro-sex views, I am variously called a misogynist, a rape apologist and — my personal favorite — a “pro-date rape protofascist.”

Let’s get this straight: any woman who heads to an EI party as an anonymous onlooker, drinks five cups of the jungle juice, and walks back to a boy’s room with him is indicating that she wants sex, OK? To cry “date rape” after you sober up the next morning and regret the incident is the equivalent of pulling a gun to someone’s head and then later claiming that you didn’t ever actually intend to pull the trigger.

“Date rape” is an incoherent concept. There’s rape and there’s not-rape, and we need a line of demarcation.

It’s not clear enough to merely speak of consent, because the lines of consent in sex — especially anonymous sex — can become very blurry. If that bothers you, then stick with Pat Robertson and his brigade of anti-sex cavemen! Don’t jump into the sexual arena if you can’t handle the volatility of its practice!

Feminists don’t understand history, psychology, biology or sexuality. To repair this desperate situation, I have altruistically prepared a list of five favored books about sex and gender: “The Myth of Male Power” by Warren Farrell, “The Sexual Spectrum” by Olive Skene Johnson, “Vamps and Tramps” by Camille Paglia, “Philosophy In the Bedroom” by the divine Marquis de Sade, and “Who Stole Feminism?” by Christina Hoff Sommers. Put down the Andrea Dworkin and embrace the fires of sexuality!

Look for a response to this column from a representative from Women’s Initative in Thursday’s edition of The Eagle.

Alex Knepper is a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs and a classical liberal columnist for The Eagle. You can reach him at edpage@theeagleonline.com.

Courtesy of MCT CAMPUS

Lessons from Founders’ Day Founders’ Day Ball has been canceled, and Vice President Alex Prescott has been suspended. To avoid repeating this costly blunder, SG needs to institute changes.

Alex Prescott’s suspension as SG Vice President on Sunday hardly came as a surprise - and for good reason. Traditionally, the office had been one of the more visible and appreciated SG positions due to its main responsibility of planning events for the AU student body. Unfortunately, students this year had few events worth actually celebrating. This week’s cancellation of the Founders’ Day Ball just made Prescott’s ineffectiveness and lack of achievements impossible to ignore, prompting the Senate to suspend him in a 12-to-4 vote with three abstentions.

Suspension aside, the loss of Founders’ Day Ball is rather disappointing. With the student body becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the performance of the SG, members of the SG could have used a successful event. The cancellation of such an AU tradition only reinforces the notion that SG is unable to represent its peers in a profes-

LETTER TO THE EDITOR University should not give in to neighbors’ demands I don’t drink. I don’t attend parties. I have found the whole college social scene and the culture surrounding it to be irritating and tedious. That is why I chose to live far from campus. Instead of demanding peace, quiet and an Orwellian university administration, AU’s curmudgeonly neighbors should have purchased homes elsewhere. They decided to live next to a dump and now they complain about the smell.

They have only themselves to blame.

It seems that in order to garner the support of the surrounding community, AU is likely to

the EAGLE American University’s Independent Student Voice MISSION The Eagle, a student-run newspaper at the American University, serves the student readership by reporting news involving the campus community and surrounding areas. The Eagle strives to be impartial in its reporting and believes firmly in its First Amendment rights.

SUBMISSION AND EDITORIAL POLICIES • Send letters and guest columns to: Editorial Page Editor, The Eagle, 252 Mary Graydon Center, 4400 Massachusetts Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C., 20016 or EdPage@TheEagleOnline.com. Letters and guest columns must be received by 7 p.m. on the Thursday before the Monday publication, should be typed and must include the writer's name, year, school and telephone number.

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sional manner. If SG wants to salvage the year, there must be significant improvements in the immediate future.

In retrospect, the lack of preparation for the Founders’ Day Ball was evident in late January.

Three weeks from the intended date there still were no advertisements, no catering plans and no venue confirmation. While Prescott and his defenders have claimed that the Old Post Office Pavilion was slow in signing contracts, many with event planning experience insist that contracts should be finalized much further in advance.

Without a doubt, February’s major snowstorms created the ultimate logistical nightmare — enough so that SG officials decided to give Prescott the benefit of the doubt. Yet he still was unable to recover from the debacle and pull an event together. His inability to organize any sort of an event gives serious credence to the thought that even without the two feet of snow, Founders’

expand the scope of its authority. In exchange for a parking lot and some new buildings, AU may begin punishing students for off campus indiscretions. Perhaps Gail Hanson and the administration could bolster their efforts by ordering a curfew and forcing us to wear ankle bracelets.

If AU amends its policies in such a broad, paternalistic fashion, AU’s underclassmen should seriously consider transferring.

The rest of us should pledge not to donate any money after we graduate.

Day Ball still would have been canceled.

Fortunately, next year’s executives seem poised to prevent the development of such a mess.

Vice President-elect Maia Tagami’s pledge to make the event deadlines public and months in advance is admirable, and The Eagle encourages her to follow through. Tagami must recognize Prescott’s mistake of procrastination if Founders’ Day 2011 is to occur.

Moreover, executives-elect should work together to ensure that they each fulfill their respective duties. For too long, there has been a self-imposed divide of responsibility between SG executives, each concentrating solely on tasks assigned to them individually by the bylaws.

While we understand why this has occurred, there must be a more cohesive work atmosphere in place so that individual mistakes can be caught and corrected with minimal repercussions.

On a positive note, SG should

be commended for not making a show of Prescott’s suspension. It seems the lessons of the impeachment trial for Matt Handverger in late August were not easily forgotten. Instead of weeks of drama, debate and discontent, it took one weekend and a simple up or down vote.

To be sure, the case was certainly more clear-cut. Still, the lack of spectacle was refreshing.

Moving forward, this year’s SG can still save face. Current seniors deserve to see their money put to use, not simply deferred to next year. Some event — an expanded Spring Fling, a dance outside on the quad — should take the place of Founders’ Day. Now it is up to those still responsible to step up and make this happen.

Prescott’s missteps are unfortunate and can not be corrected.

By recognizing these gaffes, the SG can ensure the success of Founders’ Day Ball in the years to come.

LET US HAVE IT. Send us your letters to the editor via the means below.

Scott Davidson School of Public Affairs Class of 2010

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the EAGLE

MARCH 29, 2010

SOC funds update facilities; no progress on new building yet

By EMMA KERR Eagle Contributing Writer While work on the new School of Communication building has yet to begin, many current SOC facilities have been upgraded, including the addition of a high-definition TV studio.

Several thousand dollars have been invested in a high-quality, highdefinition television production facility, according to Larry Kirkman, dean of SOC. Earlier this year, HD cameras were installed in the Media Production Center’s television studio. SOC also negotiated with Sony to purchase an HD switcher that was used for 20 days at the Vancouver Olympics. Since the switcher was used, SOC was able to purchase it at a lower price, according to Jeffrey Madison, media services manager for SOC. The converter SOC purchased will allow students to enhance their video and create effects that will make their broadcasts look more like network news, according to Madison.

Most universities do not have an HD TV studio. AU does not have an SOC building yet, but it does have unique, state-of-the-art resources, Kirkman said.

“We’ve invested in the production labs, the technology, the resources for students to do work at a high level, and we aren’t waiting for the building to do that,” Kirkman said.

Still, a new building will help validate and reflect the growing success of SOC programs at AU, he said.

“The new building will give us an identity, and we deserve that identity; we’ve earned it,” Kirkman said.

“I think it will fulfill the success that we’ve had in the last 10 years in positioning ourselves as one of the leading communications schools in the country.”

However, a home for SOC is still several years away. Current plans are to renovate the McKinley building and move SOC there.

The next step toward renovations is drafting blueprints, which takes a full year, Kirkman said. Then the actual renovation project will take about two years.

Before the renovations can begin, the current occupants of the McKinley building must be relocated, according to Jorge Abud, the assistant vice president of Facilities and Administrative Services. These include

n

from ELECTION on page 1

went wrong,” Miraglia said. “Who wants to win this way?”

Habash wanted the chance to run as an official candidate in a second election.

“If [Bronstein] wins or someone else wins, then I will be the first to shake their hands. But only if this is done over again,” Habash said.

Although he said his office followed election procedure for the five complaints filed, former acting BOE Chair Bikram Kohli said he feels that the election regulations were unfair and recommended the Senate to review the regulations with a BOE member present. In an e-mail he sent after the meeting, Kohli resigned his position and resumed his former job as BOE secretary.

“The election regulations do not differentiate between campaign staff and campaign supporters,” Kohli said during the meeting, citing a key discrepancy among the four complaints filed against presidential candidates.

Under Kohli’s direction, “campaign staff ” is defined as those men-

n

from CHILE on page 1

trip opened her eyes to the extent of the damage outside Santiago.

“It almost made me feel bad for constantly telling my friends and family that everything’s fine here, because it’s clearly not,” she said. “We will be back in the States and be able to look back on the earthquake simply as an experience we had during our semester abroad, while for so many [Chileans] it is the defining moment of their lives.”

During the bus trip, students also stopped at an ocean town called Pellines, where many residents were living in a temporary housing development, simply because they were too afraid to return to their homes near the ocean. AU students and Fundación staff members took some children from these families to the beach to play games and help them overcome their fear of the sea.

Perkins said what struck her most about the whole experience was not the physical destruction, but rather the perseverance of those people who had nothing left.

“What I got out of the trip to the more affected areas: people will be people no matter what happens,” she said. “Houses may be destroyed, but the little girl in the red dress still has dimples [in] her [cheeks], and it’s still incredibly cute.”

the audio technology and physics departments, part of the Career Center and some School of International Service and College of Arts and Sciences offices.

While the SOC building is at least three years away, Abud said an improved facility for SOC is the university’s top facilities priority. It is also a fundraising priority.

The plan for expansion already received approval by the Zoning Commission.

“Plan-wise, it’s a done deal. When we’re going to get it done, I don’t know.

Personally, I think that it becomes a function of how much debt the university can carry without hurting our bond rating and not being unhealthy,” Douglass said.

Plans to renovate McKinley for SOC began as far back as 2001 when Kirkman was appointed dean, he said.

In 2002, he developed the Dean’s Advisory Council, made up of 25 leaders from SOC’s three program areas — journalism, public communication and film and media arts. The Council created a fundraising campaign to finance the renovation.

Through major gift and alumni donations, the Council raised approximately $500,000 in 2005. But this has changed in the current state of the economy.

“I think finding people willing to make major donations at this time continues to be difficult,” Douglass said. “But money does still keep coming in.”

As plans for the new SOC building developed, some began discussing the possibility of SOC moving into the NBC 4 building on Nebraska Avenue.

Kirkman said while SOC does have a partnership with NBC 4, the possibility of SOC moving into NBC 4 is not a current goal.

The plan was put aside as NBC lost interest, Abud said. It also may be due to NBC’s sale to Comcast, but it is unclear, according to Kirkman.

While the SOC building project experienced several delays, other construction projects on campus have moved forward, like the new SIS building. The various construction projects on campus do not conflict with each other, according to Abud.

“They each have their own funding plan, and I think the potential donors are different for each project,” he said.

You can reach this writer at news@theeagleonline.com. tioned on campaign Web sites.

Amanda Merkwae also resigned her position as speaker of the Undergraduate Senate via e-mail after the votes were taken. Class of 2010 Senator Steve Dalton presided over this and last week’s meetings.

“I can no longer associate my name with an organization that chooses convenience over ethical conduct,” Merkwae wrote.

The meeting sometimes strayed into “disrespectful” territory, according to Senate Clerk Erin Waters, who does not have Senate speaking rights and spoke during the public comment section of the meeting.

“I am, for lack of a better term, disgusted with what has happened in the body today,” said the former senator.

“We forget that we are students here first.”

Class of 2013 Senator Hannah Murphy echoed Waters’ sentiment.

“We are not real politicians yet,” she said. “I cannot sell my soul this early.”

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

The damage in the Las Condes and Providencia areas of Santiago, where most AU students are staying, was minimal compared to the destruction found farther south. However, the earthquake affected AU programming in Santiago nonetheless.

The entire city virtually shut down for several days following the earthquake, which meant several AU orientation activities had to be postponed.

Students postponed their scheduled trip to nearby beach town Viña del Mar, and then postponed the rescheduled trip again due to aftershocks and tsunami warnings on the coast. Classes at the Universidad Diego Portales, which several students are taking on top of their AU courses, also started late, and many students are still having trouble finding internships.

Some things have remained the same, however, according to Perkins.

“It wasn’t the physical destruction that stuck with me; it was the innateness of human interaction,” she said. “People still looked at me when I spoke Spanish with my gringo accent.”

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

news 4

Campus Christians go to Haiti

By MEG FOWLER Eagle Staff Writer Six leaders from the Gathering returned March 20 from a trip to Haiti, where they worked to address needs resulting from the Jan. 12 earthquake and to maintain their relationships with the Haitian community.

The group left March 13 for Percin, a slum within the Haitian town of Petit Goave, where they have been visiting since 2008, according to John McGowan, director of the Gathering. The Gathering is McLean Bible Church’s Christian ministry based at various college campuses in D.C. The group cleared rubble in the morning and conducted Bible School activities with the children from Percin in the afternoon, according to McGowan.

Natalie Bingham, the Gathering’s campus director for AU, said rebuilding was very overwhelming.

“The town had kind of been paralyzed by the earthquake — it was only two weeks since the last aftershock,” Bingham said. “[When] we started removing houses ... kids would want to help and come up and form assembly lines. Whatever we did, the Haitians wanted to get involved.” n

It was extremely important that a group returned after the earthquake to show the community that its American friends were not giving up on them, McGowan said.

After the earthquake hit, most of the community did not expect to see anyone from the Gathering there any more.

“Even our closest friends in Haiti assumed that we would not come back,” McGowan said. “A lot of it was us coming back and saying, ‘No, we’re not going anywhere.’”

The small team that went included McGowan; Bingham; Rachael Jankowsky, an AU alumna now working for the Gathering; two medical personnel and two seniors from the University of Maryland.

Originally, the Gathering had planned to send a larger group of students from University of Maryland that week, and a trip for AU students was in the works for May. But World Hope International, a Christian non-governmental organization partnered with the Gathering, was not ready to send large groups of college students, and the trips had to go on hold, according to McGowan.

A group of students from

George Mason University were actually in Haiti on a Gathering trip in January when the earthquake hit, McGowan said.

“The conditions are pretty rough; the need is pretty severe,” McGowan said. “We weren’t sure if we wanted to expose students to that directly.”

The smaller group that went last week assessed the situation in Haiti to see when AU students will be able to go. They expect that by the summer, conditions will be more permissible for larger student trips, McGowan said.

When they found out the trip was pushed back, AU students were disappointed, Bingham said. However, they still wanted to help make the leaders’ trip a success. “[Re-scheduling student trips] was a hard decision to make, but ... AU is super proactive in helping out,” Bingham said. “They were like, ‘What can we still do to help not only get you guys down there but to help the community in Haiti?’”

AU’s members of the Gathering started sending out e-mails to fundraise for last week’s trip in February. They filled eight suitcases with supplies to take with them, according to Bingham.

“We just brought so much stuff

to give them,” Bingham said. “We collected clothes, medical supplies and food.”

Sarah Desrosiers, a senior in the School of International Service, has been to Haiti six times — three of which were trips through the Gathering. Desrosiers and Steve Fittery, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, were supposed to lead AU’s May trip, she said.

“I’m dying to go back at this point,” Desrosiers said. “It’s definitely been hard for me kind of sitting back and not going ...

Hopefully, we’ll go in the summer.”

Bingham, for whom last week’s trip was her first time in Haiti, said she was inspired by hearing about previous Gathering trips and witnessing how relationships with the community have progressed since then.

“Our partnership is far from over,” Bingham said. “We’ve been going before the earthquake, and we will continue to go long afterwards.”

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

from FOUNDERS’ on page 1

Undergraduate Senator-at-large Jenny Kim and Eagle Nights Director Riley Fujisaki, along with a few other people, submitted a proposal complete with a location, catering, entertainment and solid contracts.

Student Activities rejected the proposal on Friday because they could not process the proposal and its contracts in time for the event. At this time Student Activities also told the SG that the Ball could not realistically occur this year.

Meiselman said he is disappointed in Prescott and Martin.

“There’s some outside factors that played in, but ultimately it came down to two people — [Prescott] and [Martin],” Meiselman said. “I wish they had asked for help when they needed it. So many people would have been willing to step up to the plate.”

Meiselman also said he is disheartened that he could not have Founders’ Day Ball as the capstone event of his senior year and of his time in the SG. “It’s really embarrassing that [the SG] was not able to pull this off,” Meiselman said.

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

LET’S GO FLY A KITE

JONATHAN WHITEHEAD / THE EAGLE

The 44th annual Smithsonian Kite Festival was held last Saturday on the National Mall. The Smithsonian Associates and the National Air and Space Museum put on the festival, including events like kite displays and demonstrations as well as a competition judging handmade kites.

SIS honors society makes comeback

By KAITIE O’HARE Eagle Contributing Writer The Alpha Chapter of Sigma Iota Rho, an international relations honor society founded at AU, is working to make a comeback on campus since its re-establishment nearly two years ago.

Originally founded in 1984 by former Dean of the School of International Service William C. Olson, the honor society was created to recognize high-achieving juniors and seniors majoring in international relations.

Sometime after Olson’s departure from AU in 1986, the chapter began to dwindle. It is difficult for members to pinpoint exactly why the charter chapter of Sigma Iota Rho became all but inactive on its home campus.

“It’s kind of sad to see something that was created at AU sort

of die out at AU and launch itself elsewhere,” said Vice President of the Alpha Chapter Gunperi Sisman, a junior in SIS. “There had been some time in which there were no members being initiated. I mean, Sigma Iota Rho was unheard of for a while. This whole sort of legacy just died for a while.”

Sisman suspects that offering membership to only juniors and seniors may have contributed to the fading of SIR. With students constantly studying abroad and graduating, she believes it must have been difficult for members to establish concrete roles within the society and to keep the tradition alive.

After the society faded from campus, students reinstated the Alpha Chapter at AU in 2008 and began an initiative to grow the society’s presence on its home campus.

“What I’m seeing now is that

students are more proactive about making this organization their own,” said SIS Academic Affairs Assistant Kathy Rizzo.

“It’s become a more self-sufficient organization rather than an administrative organization.”

Since the chapter’s rebirth at AU, members have updated the society’s constitution to include associate categories within the society. This gives freshmen and sophomores the opportunity to participate in the organization as unrecognized members until they can officially be initiated during their junior and senior years.

“We have a freshman running our [public relations] chair, and we are very happy with the time and the effort that she’s been putting in,” Sisman said. “I really do think that by having more associate members, or members at large, that there will be hope for continuity.”

With over 100 members cur-

rently initiated into the Alpha Chapter, an active Leadership Board and a new adviser appointed to the society, Associate Dean of SIS Maria Green Cowles, the organization is focusing its efforts on building its reputation not only on campus but also in the larger community.

“This year alone, we co-sponsored the SIS Research Symposium, worked with the SIS Undergraduate Council and the dean’s office, got in contact with other chapters in the nation and continuously advertised the honors society,” said president of the Alpha Chapter and Senior in SIS Karinna Berrospi. “I am very thankful to the amazing Leadership Board that has made our success possible.”

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

DPS requests tips on series of dorm thefts

By NICOLE GLASS Eagle Staff Writer At least four dorm room thefts of televisions, laptops and iPods occurred in one day in Anderson and Letts Halls.

On March 22 between 6:20 and 8:00 p.m., burglars entered four dorm rooms in Anderson and Letts, according to Director of Residence Life Rick Treter.

Residents of three rooms in Letts and one in Anderson reported incidents of theft.

The victims reported that four laptops, an iPod, a television and a number of video games were stolen from their rooms, Treter said. Two students who share a room and had their laptops stolen claimed their door was locked — but not dead-bolted.

The other victims had kept their doors unlocked.

In their weekly police report, the Department of Public Safety wrote that before the laptop was stolen from one victim’s room in

Letts a resident in another room heard someone jiggle the door knob to her room twice. The second time she looked out her door and saw two males walking away.

Since Jan. 11 there have been 48 thefts and burglaries on campus, according to Public Safety Lt. Rima Sifri, the department’s Crime Prevention and Rape Aggression Defense coordinator.

When a person enters a dorm room and steals from the room, it is considered a burglary, not a theft, Sifri said. But stealing something from a table in the library, for example, is considered a theft.

No suspects have been identified for the March 22 crimes but the Metropolitan Police Department is collaborating with Public Safety in the investigation. If the suspects are identified, they will face removal from AU housing.

“Stealing is taken very seriously and would most likely result in a disciplinary hearing,”

Treter said. “Depending on the situation, Housing and Dining Programs would recommend the student, at a minimum, be removed from housing.”

Sifri advises students to lock up their belongings and keep their dorm room doors secured.

“Theft is a crime of opportunity, so if someone does not secure their items, then it is possible that they will be stolen,” Sifri said. “In many of the instances of theft on our campus the items were not secured by a locking device or the doors were left unsecured.”

Students should lock up their valuables, even if they are just going to the lounge on their floor, Treter said.

“When residents are leaving their rooms or going to the lounge, they should make sure to put their valuable items in a locked space or safe,” he said.

“The bookstore sells cords that can attach to furniture. Many of these crimes involve taking items

that are easy to grab. Making this more difficult may deter individuals.”

Treter also advises students to get insurance for their valuables. AU offers a Student Personal Property Plan, which is used at more than 1,600 colleges nationwide. This plan includes insurance for theft, fire, flood, vandalism, natural disasters and accidental damage, according to National Student Services.

Treter hopes that students who have information about the suspects in the March 22 thefts step forward.

“Some residents may have information about those that were involved,” he said. “As a supportive community, I would hope that residents would come forward to support their floormates and help to make their residence hall safe.”

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

MARCH 29, 2010

THE EAGLE'S ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT SECTION

Celebration of nations turns District pink

JONATHAN WHITEHEAD / THE EAGLE

SHARING THE STAGE — To open this year’s National Cherry Blossom Festival, Kyogen dancers took to the stage with their exaggerated, satirical movements. This year’s 98th annual festival started on Saturday, March 27, celebrating the trees that represent the friendship between the United States and Japan.

By LIDDY HERNANDEZ Eagle Contributing Writer This weekend, Washington, D.C., welcomed the arrival of spring with the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival, a tradition that has been installed in the area for 98 years to commemorate the gift of over 3,000 cherry trees from Japan.

The 2010 Festival began March 27 with a “Family Day” and opening ceremony, which included a showcase of talent ranging from traditional Japa-

nese Kyogen theatrical dances and a Japanese pianist to the enchantment of the Washington Ballet. This two-week citywide event will feature cultural performances and numerous other experiences near the monuments and around the city’s museums.

From very early on Saturday morning, the streets of D.C. were flooded with visitors from all around as they gathered to see the freshly blossomed cherry trees. From the Jefferson Memorial on the Tidal Basin to the monuments surrounding the National

Mall, pale pink and white flowers flourished in celebration of a new season. Kites flew swiftly against the wind alongside the 50 flags surrounding the Washington Monument in the center of the Mall. This free public event organized each year by The Smithsonian Association and the National Air and Space Museum featured a display of handmade kites soaring above the city’s limits.

Families, tourists and locals alike gathered throughout to bronze under the vibrant sun that welcomed this

year’s festivities. Children of all ages ran freely from activity to activity as they learned how to create their very own kites with materials provided by the Drachen Foundation. They could write their names in Japanese characters taught by National Cherry Blossom calligraphers.

Likewise, a few blocks away from the monuments within the walls of the National Building Museum, families gathered to experience the festival’s opening ceremony. Kyogen, one of Japan’s traditional theatrical

arts developed during the 14th century as a comical interlude, initiated the ceremony. Kyogen is intended to make people laugh, tell stories about everyday life utilizing slapstick satire and exaggerated movements. The actors enchanted the audience with an abbreviated version of “Sanbaso,” the ancient Japanese celebration of a good harvest and the New Year, which falls in spring.

The ceremony continued with the singing of both the Japanese and United States National Anthems, sang by Miss Iori Kotake and Miss D.C. 2009 Jennifer Corey, respectively. Corey is a 22-year-old, 2009 cum laude graduate of AU, where she majored in music with a concentration in vocal performance. Promenading through the halls of the NBM, this stunning queen caught the attention of all as members of the audience lined up to meet her.

Her vibrant pink dress, one of the many she will be wearing throughout the festival designed by Michael Kaye, complemented the entrancing cherry blossoms outside. Although it was her first time as Miss D.C., the city royal is no novice — not only was she crowned Cherry Blossom Princess in 2008, but her determination and beauty placed her in the top 10 in this year’s Miss America pageant.

Corey said she loves “singing and being able to spread cheer” as she completes her duties and visits numerous events such as Civil War memorials, children hospitals and leukemia fundraisers. Having several friends still on campus, the princess insisted that there is no other place like AU’s quad to simply sit under the sun and enjoy your day. Just having been on campus last week, she informed the crowd that while she was previously employed with the National Opera House, she is now branching out to the 7th Street Group in Georgetown but hopes to be a participant of the celebration again next year.

One of the ceremony’s most eyecatching performances was by the Japanese pianist, Tempei. This young performer and composer transcends genres and borders. Originally a construction worker seeking to change his lifestyle, at 17 years old Tempei discovered his ability to play piano. He is unique and does not have the typical elite pianist background. However, his passion and curiosity for knowledge

Fan-favorite ‘Porgy’ keeps fresh shine

By SARAH ANNE HUGHES Eagle Contributing Writer The Kennedy Center’s Opera House was nearly filled. Opera-goers in various levels of finery waited patiently for the curtain to rise on the Washington National Opera’s latest production, “Porgy and Bess.” A degree of opening night excitement was in the air as well as a mix of apathy toward the production. This production of “Porgy” was on the Kennedy Center stage only five years ago, so most surprises were out of the question.

The best a veteran audience member could hope for was perfect execution.

At the end of the performance, almost every person was on their feet, clapping and cheering. And if a production’s success can be measured by the size of the standing ovation, then “Porgy” is a hit.

Due to the recession — when the arts become a luxury — WNO’s current season is full of popular, standard operas to sell tickets and fill seats. This production of “Porgy” will do just that. The well-known opera could have resulted in a truly boring three hours, but instead the opera felt alive, warm and fresh.

“Porgy and Bess” is an American opera with music and lyrics by George and Ira Gerswhin, and libretto by DuBose Heyward, who wrote “Porgy,” the novel on which the opera is based.

“Porgy” has been controversial since its premiere in 1935. Set in

KARIN COOPER / WASHINGTON NATIONAL OPERA

A NEW CLASSIC — Despite the fact that the Kennedy Center has hosted the Washington National Opera’s production of “Porgy and Bess” several times before, this season’s talented cast ensures the show doesn’t get old, taking a controversial plot line and turning it into a sure success.

Catfish Row, a fictional tenement in South Carolina, “Porgy” is the story of a community of impoverished African Americans. Through this prism, the audience sees the residents dealing with day-to-day life, drugs, religion, death and love.

The opera opens on Clara, the

sweet wife to fisherman Jake, singing a lullaby to her baby. Enter Porgy, a crippled beggar, and Crown, a crude drunk, with his fast, loose woman, Bess. A fight breaks out between Crown and local man Robbins, resulting in the latter’s death. Crown flees town, and Bess moves in with

Porgy. The rest of the opera deals with the fallout from this event.

Enough cannot be said of the sublime performances from the entire cast. As Porgy, Eric Owens is friendly yet strong with a booming bass-baritone voice. Owens’ Porgy is heartbreakingly convincing in his dedica-

tion to Bess.

Morenike Fadyomi, on the other hand, plays Bess with just the right amount of conflict as she struggles against her domestication from Crown’s “happy dust” addicted woman to Porgy’s respectable lady.

Fadyomi commands the stage with her physical confidence and her electrifying voice.

When Owens and Fadyomi were together on stage (“Bess, You Is My Woman Now” and “I Loves You Porgy”), the scenes were honest and emotional. Both voices blended well together without either singer losing their sound.

In the role of Clara, Alyson Cambridge was tasked with singing the most well-known song from the opera, “Summertime.” Her rendition is both sweet and powerful, as was her portrayal of Clara.

The opera was full of high-register singing. Both Fadyomi and Cambridge, along with many of the woman of the chorus, made these money notes seem easy.

Perhaps the most crowd-pleasing performance came from Jermaine Smith in the role of Sportin’ Life — the “happy dust” dealer. Smith’s playful tenor voice, Michael Jackson-esque dance moves and minor acrobatics — including an in-air split — was a hit with the crowd.

Lisa Daltrius’ Serena — the Bible thumping matriarch of the community — had the stand-out performance n

see PORGY on page 6

Ivy League grads to sing political messages at 9:30

By MAGGIE HOLLANDER Eagle Staff Writer Ten years ago, Double-O and Naledge met by chance while studying at the University of Pennsylvania.

Now, one decade later, this duo of Ivy League graduates have released their third full-length album together under the name Kidz in the Hall, and they’re ready to take over the world of hip-hop.

In an interview with The Eagle, Double-O discussed his views on

health care, education and, of course, music.

During President Barack Obama’s campaign for president in 2007, the duo wrote a song in support of the Democratic candidate entitled “Work To Do.” Double-O, however, isn’t an uncritical supporter of the president. For example, he thinks the health care bill did not go as far as it should have.

“I think that something needed to happen,” he said. “I still have a bit of an issue with that fact that there isn’t universal health care. Because for me,

being an artist, we don’t have health care unless we pay for it out of our pocket; it’s not subsidized in any way we can afford it. So, you know, that was my biggest gripe.”

Double-O hasn’t yet found time to look over the whole bill — although he plans to in the near future — but considering he just got back from SXSW, who could blame him? This year, he said, the festival was particularly great.

“It was very, very dope,” he said.

“It’s the thing that sets up the rest of the year. For some artists, it’s a make-

or-break thing. This is our fourth year now, so we were definitely able to put together, like, two dope showcases.”

Their third album, released on March 9, also kept Kidz in the Hall busy.

“I feel like we kinda hit a stride with how we make music,” DoubleO said.

The album, entitled “Land of Make Believe,” features a variety of tracks that are all unique to Kidz in the Hall. “Jukebox,” the first single, is a more than just a club-banger; it layers and mixes sounds in a way not

many hip-hop artists are currently doing.

While some songs, such as “Flickin’,” dip into the auto-tuned world of modern-day hip-hop, a track like “LO-V-E” has more of classic feel, perfect for cruising with the windows down.

The final song on the album, “Rise & Shine,” hints at the direction that Kidz are moving in. It’s a reflective piece, and allows the rap to be the focus of the verses while adding in n

see KIDZ on page 6

and experience allow him to compose lifting and exciting pieces.

“There are no borders between genres,” Tempei said with enthusiasm.

“I want to be able to blend elements from all types of music.”

Tempei was discovered on a Japanese TV show by diplomats who saw his overwhelming talent and invited him to America to participate in the festival. His first time in Washington, D.C., Tempei remarked with a smile on that, in comparison to New York — the only city he has previously visited — people in D.C. are friendly and open-minded. The pianist, who splits his time studying under the auspices of Ronn Yedidia at the New York Piano Academy and Tokyo, hopes to continue studying and writing music, a passion he has grown to love and respect.

The closing remarks, presented by the festival president, Diana Mayhew, encouraged all to experience what the city’s newfound natural beauty had to offer, and to get involved in all the cross-cultural exchange of American, Japanese and other cultures the numerous demonstrations will showcase. The festival will continue each day with performances at noon at the Target Stage at Sylvan Theatre at the southeast grounds of the monuments. The festival concludes with a parade on April 10, which marks the beginning of the 50th Sakura Matsuri (Japanese Street Festival). This celebration, stretching for six blocks through downtown D.C. presented by the Japanese-American Society of Washington D.C., is the nation’s largest Japanese street festival.

The National Cherry Blossom Festival expands through three spectacular weekends of diverse activities and family fun. A festivalgoer remarked that the blossoms make you “feel better and make the world so much happier.”

The 2010 Festival commemorates the 98th anniversary of an enduring friendship between nations, but it also reinforces the bond between people of all backgrounds and of all ages. This celebration is a time when residents and visitors alike join for a bevy of festivities and look with anticipation to the season ahead.

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

Showtime offers TV junkies quality WEEKLY BOOB TUBE

MAISIE HOOPER Here at AU, we are lucky enough to have HBO streaming into our humble cinderblock cells.

Sure, we enjoy “Entourage,” “True Blood” and “Big Love” once a week, but what we really desire are the big guns. So listen up, Housing and Dining: we, the suburban private school kids, would like to complain about one more thing.

We want Showtime.

Even a standard cable watcher can recognize the discrepancies between VH1 and finer television. Networks create shows about house cleaning or octomoms because they can; they think they have the money to waste and they recognize that American taste has practically fallen off the map.

That’s why, as students, we worship anything that Home Box Office or Showtime creates. I look forward to the next way Jenji Kohan can hide her name in the opening of “Weeds” because treats like that remind me that artists, not Twitter or the American public, are behind this show, making it for me and anyone else who appreciates quality entertainment.

Series on Showtime and HBO tend to have a lasting impression.

Do the words “The Sopranos” sound familiar? “Sex and the City” continues to make residuals on television and the big screen. And watching shows like “Dexter” or “The Tudors” can take you back to a place in your own mind — mayn

see SHOWTIME on page 6

the EAGLE

MARCH 29, 2010

the scene 6

D.C. finds ‘origin’ of species

By OLIVIA STITILIS Eagle Staff Writer We’re going to let you in on a little secret. Prepare to be shocked. You actually might want to sit down (if you aren’t already) before you read this.

Just remember, we warned you. There are other things to do in the spring in Washington, D.C. besides going to the National Cherry Blossom Festival.

Still breathing? OK, it gets better.

There are plenty of interesting, exciting and fun opportunities inside for you to explore in the coming weeks.

If millions of tourists, plenty of pollen and delayed Metro rides don’t sound that awesome, don’t worry. Go against the trend and try something different.

Make that first outing a trip to the National History Museum. Specifically, visit the David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins Exhibit. The Hall, which cost more than $20.7 million, is part of the National History Museum’s larger scale initiative called “Human Origins: What Does It Mean to Be Human?”

“The initiative focuses on the epic story of human evolution and how the defining characteristics of the human species have evolved over millions of years in response to a changing world,” according to a statement from the museum. “The initiative also features a compelling new Smithsonian Human Origins Web site that offers engaging interactive experiences, 3-D renderings of many of the human fossils on display and special features visitors can only experience on the Web.” It was by no means a coincidence that the Hall opened on the Natural History Museum’s 100-year anniversary, as, according to Museum Director Christian Samper, the exhibit is geared to be one of the most significant and impressive in the history of the museum.

“The hall offers the opportunity to explore the scientific finds that shed light on one of the really significant

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from PORGY on page 5

of the evening. “My Man’s Gone Now” and “Oh, Doctor Jesus” were given the grace of an opera singer and a lot of gospel soul.

The supporting roles and entire ensemble should be commended for their performances. “Porgy” relied heavily on the other residents of Catfish Row to provide a living backdrop for the story.

(Please note: Most of the aforementioned principals are splitting the role and will not sing at each performance.)

Half-hearted physicality in some

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strong instrumentals in the chorus.

“The way that our albums kinda roll, that I arrange them, is the last track is kinda a precursor to what the next album is gonna be,” Double-O said.

Just a few weeks after the release, the hip-hop duo are already thinking about the future.

“We’re not going anywhere, and we’re only getting bigger and better,” he said. “I think that this album has hopefully separated us from the pack, so now it’s just about re-

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be you really enjoyed that summer you had a “Dexter” marathon, and every time you see that show you get to relive that small moment of happiness.

For me, that happiness came last summer with the premiere of Showtime’s “Nurse Jackie.” Edie Falco, who we all know and love as Carmela Soprano, is a trauma nurse at New York’s All Saints Hospital. Her busy days are always exciting to witness, but as viewers we’re thinking, “Shit, I’m glad that’s not me.” Jackie works all day at the hospital to come home to a loving, but bland husband and

Courtesy of MAGNOLIA PICTURES

MATERNAL INSTINCTS — In his latest film, director Bong Joon-Ho explores the relationship between mother and son with the same amount of violence and intrigue as the tale of Oedipus. The film offers a haunting beauty similar to Joon-Ho’s last films, though some of the subtext is lost in translation.

CHIP CLARK / SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTE

EVOLUTION REVOLUTION — The Smithsonian’s new exhibit “Human Origins” offers an anthropological lens on the development of the human species from an evolutionary and cultural perspective. It also relates the development of the human species to conditions like environmental changes, giving insight into the human species. sparks to human curiosity — our own origins,” Samper said in a museum press release. “Our goal is to provide visitors and online guests with an exciting educational experience that will encourage them to explore for themselves what science can tell us about what it means to be human.”

The Hall, which stretches over 15,000-square feet, is monumental on its own, but it also features many noteworthy smaller aspects. There is an interactive component that showcases the many stages of human evolution, as well as incredibly lifelike depictions of faces of primitive human relatives.

One part of the exhibit displays over 75 skulls to show the changes

of humans over time. There’s also a “Changing the World” gallery, which will appeal particularly to museumgoers interested in how current issues affect human evolution. The gallery functions as a forum for viewers to ask questions about topics such as global warming or the melting of glaciers.

Above all, the theme of the exhibit is “What Does it Mean to be Human?”

Rick Potts, director of the Human Origins Program and curator of anthropology at the museum, said in the museum’s statement.

“It is our hope that the exhibition will expand knowledge and understanding about our defining cultural and biological characteristics and

how those traits emerged during the past six million years — one of the most dramatic eras of environmental change in our Earth’s history.”

The permanent exhibit is free and open during regular Natural History Museum hours. For more information about the exhibit or to view the exhibit’s online components such as podcasts, interactive exhibit tours or interviews with the scientists and designers behind the Hall of Human Origins, visit www.mnh.si.edu or call (202) 633-1000.

scenes was the production’s biggest problem. The fight between Crown and Robbins felt overly staged and anti-climatic. Later, when Crown and Bess are in an altercation, the crisis and panic is felt in the singer’s voices, but not in their actions.

The probability of the production’s success was almost definite. Director Francesca Zambello’s original 2005 production was a success. On top of that, many cast members, including Fadyomi, Cook and Smith, were in the original 2005 production while others have performed these roles with other companies in the United

States.

The Gershwins are best known for their musical theater and jazz compositions. Many pop and jazz artists — including Billie Holiday, Nina Simone and Janis Joplin — have recorded the opera’s songs. Miles Davis recorded selections from the score for Columbia Records. Even Frank Sinatra sang a rendition of the “Porgy” aria “I Got Plenty o’ Nuttin.”

Unfamiliar audience members may cringe at the opera’s portrayal of African Americans, which has been characterized as racist, and dialogue laden with extra S’s on the end of

words (“I Loves You Porgy”) and the grammatical errors (“Bess You Is My Woman Now”). But these elements also make “Porgy” a fascinating snapshot of American history.

Past the controversy was a nearly perfect production that, barring any real disasters, will receive standing ovations throughout its run.

AU students can purchase $25 tickets for the April 1 performance by going to www.dc-opera.org and using the source code, “American.”

ally driving it home with the next album.”

Two “public school kids who never thought about going to an Ivy League school,” according to Double-O, he and Naledge bring a different perspective to the hip-hop world.

According to Double-O, it is their roots that make Kidz in the Hall unique. Well, that and his “beautiful” hair, which he considers to be “the third member” of their group.

“That journey is always what’s going to make us different than ev-

eryone else,” Double-O said. “And the fact that we aren’t afraid to be douchebags at times. We’re not malicious douchebags. We still very much care about our surroundings and the people that we deal with, and it’s an interesting thing trying to find our balance at times.”

Ten years after they first found each other, he remembers the importance of making connections in college.

“You never know what alumni, you never know what student or friend or associate that you’re work-

ing with is gonna kinda end up being helpful to you and vice versa later on,” he said. “So it’s really about making those connections and really just being a lot more social than sometimes people want you to be because they’re busting your ass to get a good GPA.” Kidz in the Hall’s new album “Land of Make Believe” is in stores now, and they will be playing the 9:30 club on April 18.

an elementary school-aged daughter who already has anxiety disorder.

In the first season, Jackie had an ongoing affair with Eddie, the hospital pharmacist who was her source for both afternoon delight and prescription drugs. Jackie conceals her family from her co-workers at the hospital, removing her wedding ring daily. In one episode, the ring wouldn’t come off, so she sawed it off and then busted her ring finger with a hammer to use as an alibi.

“Nurse Jackie” is so enticing because it is more human than reality TV. Jackie can save a life in the emergency room and then snort

oxy in the bathroom because she’s just as fragile as the rest of us. In last season’s finale, Eddie stumbled into Jackie’s husband’s bar and discovered that she had a family.

Most of these problems, like an extramarital affair and a drug addiction, Jackie has brought upon herself, yet we forgive her because she is a warrior for the weak. Jackie will conceal her co-worker’s diabetes so he can stay employed or bargain with a health insurance provider on the phone for hours so a surgery will be approved.

I find myself becoming attached to nearly every HBO and Showtime

show because each one is so thorough in its own right. The costumes on “The Tudors” and every line delivered on “Extras” are so strong that they deserve their own pricey network. So give in AU, or Neil Kerwin, or whoever manages our little tellies.

You want us to change the world, and we will — but first appease us.

We want to be entertained and we want Showtime. That’s not too much to ask, is it? Not even for $50,000?

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

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

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

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

Korean director unveils dark side of mothers

By STEPHAN CHO Eagle Contributing Writer MOTHER

A

If it is true that the mother-son bond is something that can withstand even the most insufferable of hardships, then the new South Korean film “Mother” pushes that idea to the brink of torment.

“Mother” is the chilling new dramatic thriller by Bong JoonHo, a director who is no stranger to the grotesque and unnerving.

It follows the two-member family of Do-Joon (Won Bin), a 27-yearold who lives with his presumably widowed mother, Hye-Ja (Kim Hye-Ja). Do-Joon is ill-adapted to daily life and seems to be mentally impaired. When he is arrested for being implicated in the murder of a high school girl, it’s up to his mother to prove his innocence by any means necessary.

“It’s Kim Hye-Ja, the leading role, who inspired me more than anything,” Joon-Ho said in an interview with The Eagle. “She is an iconic figure in Korea, and she’s always played that kind-hearted, loving mother, so I wanted to bring out the different sides to her.”

The film is told from the unreliable perspective of Hye-Ja. While it’s unclear to both the viewer and the unwitting Do-Joon himself what exactly happened on the night of the murder, there are heavy implications to suggest that he is indeed innocent. But as the story unravels its bizarre and shocking layers, there’s an underlying sense of guilt that comes with wanting to defend her son.

“Unlike [Kim Hye-Ja’s] previous images, I saw a sort of darkness,” Joon-Ho said. “And I really wanted to portray that unstable darkness that only a mother could, and more specifically, how far a mother would go to save her son.”

The viewer is spared no whit of modesty, as nothing seems too defiant a task for Hye-Ja. After knowledge of the murder goes public, she becomes the town pariah.

There’s an artful approach to the storytelling; the viewer is treated to a number of side-stories and classic characters that are common in the Korean lower class. The film’s details suggest how far removed the town is from normalcy in law and order, at least

by Western standards.

Joon-Ho said he likes to test the

limits of his characters by stretching their willpower way past the threshold of decency.

He has a penchant for incorporating those of the weak and helpless variety because he finds that aspect endearing, a theme in his work he reminisces about fondly.

“I remember, growing up, there was this one boy who was mentally challenged in our neighborhood,” he said. “He was always the most popular kid because he was so funny. My characters tend to be very weak and helpless because they usually end up being the accused or blamed for whatever crime they didn’t commit.”

Back in South Korea, JoonHo is a cultural icon with an impressive filmography. He gained widespread acclaim in 2003 for his film “Memories of Murder,” a disturbing detective story based on true events which gives the viewer “an insight or perspective on Korean society in the 1980s,” according to Joon-Ho. In 2006, he directed “The Host,” a monster movie that is equal parts slapstick comedy, nerve-wracking horror and political satire. It won awards worldwide and remains the highest grossing South Korean film of all time.

Taking a subtler, more personal approach to filmmaking, JoonHo was at an ends with “Mother,” and any obstacles he faced during production were internal.

“It was a totally different genre and something I’ve never actually worked with before,” he said. “[It’s not like my other films where] you see all these outside forces and factors that you can put your finger on to blame.”

If this film serves as any indication, Joon-Ho has a versatile gift for direction that can only be marred by cultural gaps. His hairline precision for suspenseful build-up and seamlessly natural plot progression give him a distinct style. Truly, he sets a remarkable benchmark for the humble Korean film industry.

“I’m hoping audiences will substitute or try to think of what their own mothers would do in this situation,” he said. After a screening in New York, Joon-Ho said he received a letter from a young man who shared his own personal stories with his own mother in response to the film.

“I still have the letter, and that was very impressive, but [I should say that] my own mother is nothing like the one in the movie,” he said, laughing.

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

Miike Snow blanket District with Swedish dance mix

By IAN NYANIN Eagle Contributing Writer The universe has a way of bringing together a varied, sometimes surprising group of ingredients and whipping them together to create sheer genius. Look no further than Swedish/American band Miike Snow for a perfect example. In a sold-out house at the 9:30 club on March 24, audience members found themselves in store for a spectacular show.

Forged from the fires of electro-dance legend and the tradition of the melancholy singersongwriter, this trio has quickly ascended to the top of the indie it-band heap. Scandinavian producers Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg, better known as Bloodshy and Avant, had achieved great success in the pop world, nabbing a Grammy for their work on the juggernaut “Toxic,” by Britney Spears herself.

Somewhere along the way they met American singer Andrew Wyatt, and the rest was history.

At the heart of every track on the band’s self-titled album is a beautiful, artfully-written pop song overflowing with emotion straight from Wyatt’s inner depths. The intense beats and meticulous synthesizer work of Karlsson and Winnberg become the platform on which each song shines. With this trio, it is very possible to dance yourself into a frenzy while your heart breaks at the same time.

Watching the band perform live, this was truly evident as frontman Wyatt crooned away while the hands of Karlsson, Winnberg and their three-person support band moved furiously, not seeming to stop once. Never have synthesizers seemed so musical. Amazingly, the two forces did not oppose each other; rather, they amplified each other.

With an image of the mythical Jackalope — which graces the cover of the band’s disc — draped in the background, audience members waited with anticipation.

The opening band, Dolorean, a

Spanish synth-pop import, put on an impressive show that had the crowd swaying along with their almost hypnotic tracks.

When the band finally took the stage, the musicians appeared in white masks and matching shiny jackets, only foreshadowing the spectacle to come shortly.

Quickly ripping into their catalog of their debut, the trio easily captivated the audience. Singing along to each word and dancing to the highly infectious music, there was a palpable excitement in the room.

With an intense lightshow and lots of fog, there was a great deal for the eyes to behold. But it was truly the ears that got the best deal during this show. It’s hard to reiterate how amazing they sounded collectively enough.

Wyatt’s voice, dreamy as it may be, still resonated with strength.

No charm was left behind in the recording booth. Experiencing two masters of the synthesizer attack each unique track, the beats reverberating through your body,

is nearly indescribable.

But most surprising of all was how much edgier their music sounded live. It was far more intense and voracious, clawing its way to your eardrums. In rare fashion, some of the songs — notably “Silvia” and “Plastic Jungle” — sounded better live than they did on the album. Here the instrumentation is let loose. There was a new level of depth added to their music when they perform and they show the extent of their craftsmanship. Yet it takes nothing away from the disc; it only enhances it.

The show offered fans great satisfaction by hearing songs that they had previously listened to in their bedrooms, cars or wherever else they went with their music players, finally done justice with a live performance. With a band so new and original, it can be thrilling just to be in the same room with so many other people who share the same appreciation for the music.

Miike Snow, rising to the top

Courtesy of MAGNUS MAGNUSSON

‘SNOW’ DAY — Swedish dance-band Miike Snow played the 9:30 club on March 24 to a sold-out crowd. The trio has been getting a lot of buzz from indie blogs over the last few years, and their show lived up to the hype. of almost every Best of 2009 and Next Big Thing in 2010 list, are certainly a force to take note of.

There are many musical comparisons that have been made, but they often involve juxtaposition of two different artists. That is because they represent two distinct

and highly credible artists coming together as one. For anyone who has the opportunity to catch one of their shows in the future, it is highly recommended.

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

CLASSIFIEDS

MARCH 29, 2010

7

KUSHAN DOSHI n Business Manager 202.885.3593

Ethnocentricity a barrier in learning history abroad

music notes

By WILLIAM F. ZEMAN

CROSS-CULTURAL DISPATCH

“El Porto” Joe Firstman Rock Ridge Music

“Pretending We’re Not Animals” Shaw Swordfish Records

EL PORTO

B+

PRTENDING WE’RE NOT ANIMALS

B

“Thick Noon” Nick Thune Comedy Central Records THICK NOON

B+

Sounds like: Ryan Adams meets Willie Nelson

Sounds like: A futuristic Hellogoodbye

Sounds Like: A Michael Ceraesque narrative

Joe Firstman was just a teenager when he started performing locally around North Carolina. In his fifth album, Firstman focuses on bluegrass as he twangs on his acoustic guitar with harmonic vocals and keyboard in tow.

The album matches a previous sonic appeal that is characteristic of Firstman. Each track on the album tells a quaint story. “Mr. Winston” and “Marlene and Her Sisters” sound like direct tributes to people Firstman may have known from childhood. In slower, moodier songs, Firstman channels early Ryan Adams through a strained voice as he pines over unattainable love. These particular songs, such as “The One That Makes You Happy” and “Only For a While,” invoke a departure from his earlier style, when he was bold enough to sprinkle bits of exuberance into just about anything. Instead he plays straight into the schmaltz, as if he’s matured or settled down.

The appeal to Firstman’s music is how idiosyncratic it makes itself out to be, when it’s actually more of an amalgam of the influential musicians that preceded him. In these short minitributes, he’s able to pack real heart and depth into a truly charming effort after all these years. If you’re looking for a feel-good album, give this one a shot.

It’s difficult to peg Shaw into a single genre. In his new five-track album, he can be equal parts experimental noise, electro-pop and ambient. While he falls under what many would consider an acquired taste, his ethereal sound is interesting in its execution, and the songs start to grow on you rather quickly the moment you really start to listen and stop trying to understand.

“Lion in a Cage” is the most noteworthy track of the album, as well as its shortest. Through a confluence of synthesized vocals, crooning background noise and strange lyrics, it’s a track that epitomizes the sound he tries to achieve. This characteristic reaches some level of normalcy in later songs like “The Flood” and “Sometimes,” where melodies are more readily identifiable and there’s less focus on noise build-up. There’s an indistinct graininess to the songs that sounds as if it was almost intentional on Shaw’s part.

It creates this tension where you are not sure where it will go next.

The phrase “it grows on you” has certainly stepped into the trite and overused, but Shaw stands as a prime example. It can be said that he isn’t trying to win fans over, he just wants to make the kind of music he enjoys — a true work of love.

— STEPHAN CHO

— S.C.

It’s quite telling that comedian Nick Thune had roles in the Judd Apatow films “Funny People” and “Knocked Up.” In his debut CD/ DVD release by Comedy Central, the Seattle native boasts a comedic style that is much like the awkward jokes that are featured in those very movies. He’s raunchy yet endearing, gross yet relatable. And while his tasteless humor doesn’t always work, it definitely doesn’t disappoint.

Thune starts with a stint of disjointed one-liners that alternate between disgusting and embarrassing as he strums melodiously on his guitar.

He then segues into his regular act, offering commentary on things as commonplace as talking online with his middle-aged neighbor or following his pothead friend for an entire day. What makes these jokes work is their natural execution and delivery that completely belie how outrageous and seemingly unlikely they are.

Thune is able to make you believe all of his wacky antics simply because his demeanor makes him convincing. It could also be that everyone’s willing to suspend disbelief because they’re laughing so hard.

While this release is a clear indication that Thune’s humor isn’t for everyone, it is sure to keep his career afloat with chuckles abound.

— S.C.

CAIRO, EGYPT My international relations professor is a smart man. He is head of Cairo University’s Faculty of Political Science and a member of Egypt’s senate. He’s spoken at lots of conferences with very prestigious-sounding titles. He is well-steeped in almost every aspect of Middle Eastern politics. He wears very nice suits.

His teaching assistant is quite something as well. She’s finishing her dissertation at the moment — some long-titled thing about religion in Iranian politics versus religion in American politics. I can barely understand the title in English, let alone Arabic. She can hold forth, without preparation, on subjects as diverse as Iranian politics and Morocco’s King Mohammed VI. However, neither one knows exactly where Cyprus is.

In Turkey, this would have been impossible. It’s rare to find a map of Turkey that doesn’t also prominently display Cyprus, an island located to the south, just west of Syria’s coast.

Turkish maps even include a line demarcating the Republic of Northern Cyprus, a country no one else recognizes. Cyprus is part and parcel of the Middle East, despite its presence in the EU. Selim II brought it under the control of the Ottoman Empire.

Besides, just look at its location on a map — what other region could we call that?

A debate for another time, per-

haps. Still, my professors’ lack of knowledge in this area is troubling.

Cyprus, especially the island’s division, is an issue every Turkish schoolchild knows about. That neither of my IR teachers have studied it is an interesting distinction.

Disparities can become even more blunt. In Turkish, there are two g’s: one silent, the other not.

The silent one is actually a “ğ,” but foreign printers omit this. My professors will frequently refer to comments made by Ahmet Davutoglu, Turkey’s foreign minister, or by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s prime minister.

Neither one seems to realize the g’s in “Davutoglu” and “Erdogan” are silent ones.

This is excusable — Turkish is a tricky language. Even so, it is very off-putting for my professor to read aloud a statement about Turkey’s role in the Middle East, and then attribute it to “Minister Da-vut-oglue.” It denotes a lack of familiarity with the topic, especially considering how excellent his pronunciation of “Khomeini” is.

In short, my professors, while extremely knowledgeable on almost every aspect of Middle Eastern affairs, seem to know Turkey only from newspaper articles, short news clips and cultural stereotypes. My professor even spelled the name of Kemal Ataturk, the Republic of Turkey’s founder, incorrectly in one of his PowerPoint presentations.

This gap goes the other way, too.

The Turkish students I mentioned, the ones taught about Cyprus’ importance since childhood, know little to nothing about the rest of the Middle East except that Ottomans used to rule it. University friends of mine in Istanbul warningly informed me that in Egypt I would have to learn to ride a camel (for the record, I didn’t — last time I went into the desert, I rode shotgun in a jeep). Well-educated friends in Turkey can say little more about Egypt’s

politics than to call it a “series of dictators” — not even differentiating between the Kingdom of Egypt and the Arab Republic of Egypt, let alone distinguishing between individual rulers.

This divide is very much institutionalized. Turkish university students don’t plan their study abroad experiences for Syria or Egypt, despite the close proximity (a flight from Cairo to Istanbul is only two hours). They want to go to Italy, Australia or the United States. Likewise, university students I meet here in Egypt seem to have never considered Turkey as an abroad destination, except for a weekend fling along the Bosporus. Turkish universities don’t seem to make it into Egyptian discussions of the Middle East’s higher education apparatus — not even Ankara’s own Middle Eastern Technical University.

If the Economist and other journals like it are correct when they declare Turkey to be moving “to the East and South,” then this divide is especially troublesome. Turks will not react kindly when Egyptian leaders are unfamiliar with the career of Kemal Ataturk. Egyptian leaders will not respond well when a Turkish professor claims there is no point of distinction between Nasser and Sadat. Syrians will understandably get upset when someone refers to Syria as a kingdom instead of a republic, as a Turkish classmate of mine did once. These kinds of mistakes don’t just cause awkward press conferences — they can escalate into diplomatic incidents and even real problems.

When I was in Turkey, I only ever met one student studying Arabic.

Koç University didn’t think to offer it. Here in Egypt, I’ve only met two students, both upper-class, who know any Turkish — and they didn’t learn it in school.

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

8

SPORTS

MARCH 29, 2010

ANDREW TOMLINSON n Sports Editor 202.885.1404

Start of season marks new era for MLS SIDELINE SCHOLAR

ELLIOT JEFFORDS

PHILLIP OCHS / THE EAGLE

KEEPING CONTROL — Lauren Schoenberger takes the ball up the field against Lehigh University on Saturday. The Eagles beat the then-undefeated Mountain Hawks 17-16. It was AU’s fourth win of the season and second win in the conference. The team will play Lafayette Saturday at home.

AU lax clips Lehigh’s wings

By MIKE DEFABO Eagle Contributing Writer Sophomore Emily Stankiewicz found the back of the net four times — a career best — and helped power the AU women’s lacrosse team to a 17-16 victory over Lehigh University on Saturday at Jacobs Field.

Stankiewicz’s parents surprised her when they showed up the night before the lacrosse blowout game. The next day, Stankiewicz had a surprise of her own for undefeated Lehigh. Her four goals came during key junctures in the game and capped a breakout performance.

“It feels especially good to win against an undefeated Patriot League opponent,” Stankiewicz said after the game. “I wanted to show [Lehigh] what I have and what the team has.”

Freshman Chiara Speziale had a hat trick of her own. AU sophomore Lauren Schoenberger racked up five points with two goals and three assists in the

game.

The Eagles jumped out to an early 4-0 lead, with goals by Schoenberger, Emma Larkin, Paige Lin and Emily Burton.

The 8-0 Lehigh squad did not go down without a fight. The Mountain Hawks stormed back with four goals in less than a minute

Women’s Lacrosse AU: Lehigh:

17 16

Washington, D.C.

to erase the early deficit.

“We had a lot going for us with the home-field advantage. We came out fighting,” Head Coach Katie Woods said. “Even after Lehigh tied it up, we just made sure we stayed calm and stuck with the game plan.”

AU got the lead back with goals by Schoenberger and Stankiewicz to make it 6-4. Le-

high responded again with two of their own to tie the game at six, with 12:01 remaining in the first half. The teams traded goals to tie the game at seven. Just before halftime, Lehigh’s Lauren Murray caught Carmola Inneke’s pass and put the ball past Kaska Komosinski to give the Mountain Hawks their first lead of the game, 8-7.

AU was quick to answer every Lehigh goal in the second half. When Lehigh went up 9-8, Stankiewicz quickly scored to tie it up at 9-9. Lehigh then scored two in a row to make it 11-9, but Speziale and Stankiewicz responded to tie it at 11. Lehigh took the final lead 15-14 with 13:12 left, but much like the rest of the game, AU responded to tie it up. Goals by Emily Burton and Amanda Makoid knotted the game up at 16.

With 10:23 remaining, Bernadette Maher zigzagged through midfield and took the ball all the way to the cage for the score. The goal gave AU a 1715 advantage and proved to be

the deciding point in the contest. Lehigh scored with 4:33 remaining, but the Eagles controlled the ball in the offensive zone for the remainder of the game to seal the 17-16 victory.

With the win, AU improved their season record to 4-7 overall and 2-1 in the Patriot League.

“It was a good win ... a Patriot League win,” Stankiewicz said.

For a team that won just three games last season, knocking off an undefeated opponent was a big statement. The strong performance by young talent showed the team can be competitive in the Patriot League this season.

“This is a huge win for the program,” Woods said. “It should serve as momentum in the next few weeks with the big games we have coming up.”

AU’s next game is against Lafayette College Saturday at home.

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

Carlson has potential to be top D-man CAPITALS SPOTLIGHT

ANDREW TOMLINSON Rookie defenseman John Carlson finally found the back of the net Thursday night against the Carolina Hurricanes, but Washington Capitals fans shouldn’t be surprised if he continues to light the goal lamp.

Carlson was the team’s top prospect heading into the season, but it seemed as if he was several years away from making it to the NHL. He progressed quickly during development camp and was called up by the team in November. While it was only a three-game stint, he showed he could keep up with the speed of the game.

Even though he was not sent down to the American Hockey League, he stayed productive.

Since he was not traveling with Washington, he was eligible to participate in the World Junior Hockey Championships and represent Team USA. He was clearly one of the best players in the tournament and showed his skill in the gold medal game. With the

game between Team USA and Team Canada tied in overtime, Carlson took the puck up the ice and fired a wrist shot home for the game winner.

The game showed Washington had a defenseman who could potentially be better than Mike Green. Green is one of the best in the league but Carlson has the whole package. He has a heavy shot from the point, can make plays, sees the whole ice and can play solid defense.

Seeing what they had, Washington was quick to call him up again in early January. Despite it being yet another short stay, Carlson was able to record his first NHL point against the Pittsburgh Penguins. It is one thing to score your first NHL point; it is another to do it against the franchise’s most hated rival. Much like his last stint with the team, he was sent back to the AHL even though he was productive.

Carlson didn’t stay in the minors for long and on March 3 he was called up one more time — this time for good. Since then he has played in 11 games, recorded four points and is a +6.

The young blueliner from Massachusetts was productive in his first nine games, but the first time he flashed his full ability was against the Pittsburgh Penguins last Wednesday. While

he didn’t record a point, Carlson looked like one of the team’s best defensemen. Even though it wasn’t a goal, he had one of the team’s best scoring chances of the game when a shot from the point rang off the side of the post.

Even though Head Coach Bruce Boudreau thought he only had a decent game, he trusted him enough to give him two shifts in overtime.

Perhaps more interesting than his performance was what the 20-year-old had to say about it.

When asked about the near miss, he sounded more like a grizzled veteran who knew it would eventually go his way than a young rookie itching to score.

“I just gotta stick with it, and I am getting chances so that’s a good sign,” Carlson said. “I just have to keep positive and keep going at it.”

He certainly kept with it, and it paid off the very next night.

Down one goal in the third period, Carlson skated up the ice and called for the puck from Jason Chimera. He took the pass between the circles and fired his heavy wrist shot home for the equalizer.

It may just be one goal, but it certainly shows that he not only has the poise, but the hockey smarts to score in the NHL. Most guys call for the puck when they

are wide open. For Carlson to call for it when he did shows he has confidence in his abilities and knows when he can score. For a team like Washington, a player who knows when to shoot and when to pass is important.

One of the biggest criticisms of Green is that he is too offensiveminded and doesn’t know when he can’t score. As a result, Green coughs up a lot of turnovers and gives away goals. Carlson has the ability to have the offensive production of Green, but also to have better defensive numbers.

Obviously, it is early in Carlson’s career, so there is no way to know what the future holds for him. He is nowhere close to being the same kind of player as Green right now, but if his last 10 games are a preview of his career, he certainly could be. There has been no word on whether or not Carlson will be with the team in the playoffs, but there is no reason why he shouldn’t be on the roster. If Carlson is in fact with the team in the playoffs, don’t be surprised if that shot of his doesn’t find the back of the net more than a few times.

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

Know what we know.

the EAGLE

The end of March not only marks the start of the Major League Baseball season, but also the start of Major League Soccer.

This weekend kicked off the MLS’ 15th season. Originally, this season looked over before it had even started. At the end of last season, the collective bargaining agreement between the players union and the league ended and negotiations looked bleak, as neither side could agree on the final details. Then at the 11th hour, with the aid of a government negotiator, the two sides struck a deal.

For the MLS, the no longer impending lockout gives the league the opportunity to rise from the ashes and onto the main stage. This year, the league adds another team, opens two soccer specific stadiums and will hold America’s attention in the build up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The Philadelphia Union begins play in 2010 as the league’s newest expansion club. Last year’s expansion team, the Seattle Sounders, experienced a lot of success, winning the U.S. Open and making the conference semi-finals. More important than their on the field success was that they averaged the most fans per game, with an average of 30,943. The league is hoping to have similar, if not better, results in Philadelphia, which has a larger media market than Seattle.

Along with Philadelphia, the New York Red Bulls will both open a soccer specific stadium this year. PPL Park in Philadelphia will have a capacity of 18,500 fans, while Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., holds a capacity crowd of 25,000. Both stadiums offer a perfect venue for their respective clubs to gain attention in their communities. Not only that, but the stadiums also provide each team with an opportunity to create an atmosphere that will help soccer climb to the mainstream of American sports.

This summer, the world will gather in South Africa for the

World Cup and the MLS will be represented well. USA will draw the most of the American league housed players. Nine players from the MLS are predicted to be picked by coach Bob Bradley, including international star Landon Donovan. Other potential players could include Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Heath Pearce (FC Dallas) and Eddie Gaven (Columbus Crew).

Following the 2002 World Cup, the MLS experienced a surge in popularity and with a strong showing in this year’s big tournament, things could be on the up and up for the league.

There are still international stars making an impact on the MLS and drawing large crowds and getting fans excited. The biggest star that could be on the way over to the states is Spanish international Raul Gonzalez. Gonzalez currently plays for Real Madrid in La Liga, but is a big burden on the club’s payroll and is slowly being passed on the depth chart by younger players.

Gonzalez is currently in negotiations with New York. There, he could join Joel Lindpere, who is originally from Joel Estonia and is making a splash in the MLS. Other internationals that are now considered regulars in the MLS are the Swedish national Freddie Ljungberg, who played an instrumental role in helping Seattle to their successful first season, and of course David Beckham. Beckham did suffer a torn Achilles tendon recently, and it is unclear when he will be back on the soccer field. Despite his playing career possibly being over, Beckham has a clause in his contract with the MLS that gives him the ability to own an expansion club in the near future. If and when Beckham takes advantage of the option, the team is sure to draw large numbers and have a few stars playing for it.

Although the MLS almost lost out on the start of its 15th season, the league will kick off as planned. It will not only continue on as is the norm, but it will begin the season with many things going for it. This season has the potential to be the best in league history and may draw enough attention to bring it up to the level of some of the other major sports leagues.

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

Eutis takes first in 3000-meter at Md. Invitational

By BEN LASKY Eagle Contributing Writer The AU men’s track team finished in sixth place at the 2010 Maryland Invitational on Saturday, while the women’s team came in 12th.

Zach Wright recorded seven points in the high jump to tie UMBC’s Victor Gilreath for second place in that competition.

The Eagles earned 30 points with a strong effort in the men’s 3000-meter run. Collin Eustis came in first in the race with a time of 8:22.66. Josh Olsen came in second with a time of 8:27.28.

Meanwhile, AU’s Ryan Williams came in sixth with 8:42.19. Finally, Eagle Mark Allen came in eighth with a time of 8:50.54.

AU took four of the first five spots in the men’s 1500-meter run to earn 31 points. Jeff Brannigan finished in second with a time of 3:53.26. Behind Brannigan, Craig Brown finished third with a time of 3:53.83. Conor Sullivan finished in fourth with a time of 3:55.89. Rounding out the top five was James Cannon, who finished with a time of 3:57.68.

AU’s Josh Einbinder posted a 14th place finish in the men’s 800-meter run. Einbinder’s teammate Alex Lyons had a time of 1:59.45 — good enough to finish in 18th place. Despite finishing in the top 20, neither

of the times were good enough to qualify for team points.

The men were left pointless in the 400-meter dash. Matt Farrow had a time of 51.23, while Morgan Block recorded a 51.93.

Farrow was also pointless in the 200-meter dash, finishing with a time of 23.53.

As for the women’s team, Octavia Rinehardt came in fifth in the women’s 3000-meter run with a time of 10:18.29, earning six points. Meanwhile, AU’s Jessica Micciolo finished with a time of 11:52.26. Anna Scalamogna finished in 27th with a recorded time of 13:07.12.

Unlike Rinehardt, Micciolo and Scalamogna’s times were not good enough to earn team points.

The AU women’s team got four points when Erin Koch ran a 4:42.74 in the women’s 1500-meter run. Teammates Rachel Forcino ran a 4:53.87, and Lauren Scholl recorded a time of 5:25.68. Once again, neither Forcino nor Scholl were rewarded any points.

The Eagles’ next meet is the Navy Invitational on April 3.

There are only four meets left on the year. The Patriot League Outdoor Track and Field Championships will be held in Lewisburg, Pa., April 30 and May 1.

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