The Eagle Special Edition Oct. 17

the EAGLE SPECIAL EDITION

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theEAGLE OCTOBER 17, 2014

INDEX

3 7

news

3 Studying Abroad Risks 4 Tigi Boutique Closes

the scene 7 Faculty Couples at AU 8 Take the Eagle Bar Crawl

12 opinion

12 Staff Ed: Say Goodbye to Tigi 13 Letter from the Editor

14 sports

15 Swimming through Surgery 16 AU 2014-2015 Basketball Preview

FRONT COVER: ALEJANDRO ALVAREZ/ THE EAGLE

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theEAGLE

NEWS

OCTOBER 17, 2014

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AU students continue to study abroad despite risks In recent years, the world that Americans see through the news has become increasingly scary. Yet year after year, students flock to AU with the intent of studying abroad in many of these areas.

This semester, 477 students are studying abroad through the AU Abroad office, at least 48 of which are in Kenya, Jordan and Israel, areas of the world considered to be high-risk.

According to Sara Dumont, the executive director at AU Abroad, the University takes a “multipronged approach” to approving study abroad programs. This often includes a site visit and extensive talks with people in the area, from program staff to local security forces to foreign service officials.

“What we don’t do is rely just on news reports or just on what the State Department says,” Dumont said. “We are fortunate at AU in that we have an enormous amount of expertise and experience here … and so we probably engage with sending students to so-called riskier sites than a lot of other universities.”

Out of the all of the programs operating currently, Dumont said she considers the programs in Kenya and Israel to be the most high-risk.

In Nairobi, Kenya, where the University has operated its own program for eight years, crime is the biggest concern. Home to the largest slum in East Africa, the area is riddled with poverty, giving rise to muggings and a high crime rate. As a result, students’ movement and activity are often very restricted depending on the latest intelligence from the area.

Sarah Snead, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, is currently studying in Kenya. Although her family expressed concerns about the potential safety risks, Snead said this only strengthened her resolve to go there.

“I see the hazards as part of the experience,” Snead said in an email. “There

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by Anagha Srikanth Eagle Staff Writer

d h Snea f Sara o y s e court tudy Photo g her s

durin giraffe a s d e e ya. nead f arah S airobi, Ken S o i n N u CAS j program in d a o r ab

money or course credit.

Kevin Levy, a junior in the School of International Studies, is currently studying at the University of Haifa in Israel. As a practicing Jew, he had previously traveled to Israel in 2013 on birthright.

“Coming back was never a question of if but when,” Levy said. “Being able to interact with so many different Jews from so many different walks of life here has really enhanced my own experience.”

Levy arrived in Israel for the semester at the height at the Gaza conflict. The American embassy in Tel Aviv, the University and the AU Abroad office had all issued warnings reminding him to be constantly aware of his surroundings.

Traveling within the region is one of

I see the hazards as part of the experience.

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-Sarah Snead, CAS junior

are safety risks associated with any travel abroad, and the ones presented in Kenya are just exacerbated by Western media …

I wholeheartedly decided to go to Kenya because I wanted to learn a lot about a place that is both so beautiful and rich in culture, yet sadly misunderstood.”

In Israel, Dumont said that the University has a great deal of trust in the Israeli universities’ security procedures. Additionally, she said the Israeli universities will cooperate with one another in case a certain area becomes unsafe and students need to be evacuated from there to another part of the country, which allows them to finish their time abroad without losing

the biggest limitations placed on students in Israel. Standing at the top of his university, Levy can see Lebanon, a country that will not allow anyone who holds an Israeli visa to visit. What surprised him the most, however, is the constant state of danger in which the people of Israel live.

“My sympathy towards Israeli society has improved … [because of] the very idea that you have to take certain risks to live in this country,” Levy said. “It’s the idea that at any one moment in time tensions could spark and start a fire.”

Part of what makes traveling to such high-risk areas possible is AU’s insurance program, paid for in the AU Abroad pro-

SIS junio r Photo co Haifa in Kevin Levy pos urtesy of es on th Israel.

Kevin Le e roof of vy the Univ ersity of

gram fee, which covers a range of emergency situations, including evacuations.

This program was put to the test in 2011, when students were evacuated from three countries: Japan, Syria and Egypt.

In early March, an earthquake and tsunami struck Japan that killed over 15,000 people and left thousands of others injured and homeless. Students were on break and were able to wait in another part of the country until they could return to Waseda University in Tokyo for the next semester. After demonstrations against the government escalated in Syria, AU made the decision to consolidate student’s courses and end the program.

The program in Egypt ended when U.S. government ordered the evacuation of all U.S. citizens and organized their return.

In Irbid, Jordan, the providers of the study abroad program decided to stop running it themselves this year. A rural city located near the Syrian border, the area was known to be especially unsafe for female students after reports of harassment. Now, Ammann is the main study abroad destination for students looking to travel to Jordan.

According to Shino Yoshen, a program officer for Amideast, interest in studying abroad in Jordan has not waned much despite the travel restrictions placed on students in the area. The program also has a range of safety measures, including providing each student with a Jordanian cell phone so that they can be reached in case of an emergency.

Michael Kinzer, a senior in SIS, was one of four AU students studying abroad in Irbid last fall. As a male, he acknowledged that his experience was much dif-

ferent than that of female students, but said that once he became familiar with his surroundings, he never felt unsafe.

Kinzer said that the main reason he wanted to study in Irbid was for the language program. In fact, one of the reasons the area was ideal for students studying Arabic was the same reason it’s considered a less friendly environment for female students.

“Its location is much less cosmopolitan than the capital of Jordan, Amman,” Kinzer said. “There would be less people speaking English there, there would be less of American culture there, there would be less American expats there and as a result people speak English less and you have to practice your Arabic more.”

Irbid’s location was also unique because of its proximity to the Syrian border.

Kinzer said that from the roof of his four story apartment building he could see into Syria. When President Obama proposed airstrikes on Syria last September, Kinzer and his peers discussed the possibility of being able to see them from the roof of their building. Although this never happened, Kinzer said that being in the region while these events were occurring gave him a different perspective than he would have had otherwise. “[My experiences] really complicated the way that I looked at the Syrian conflict in a way that I couldn’t had I not lived there and had I not seen the many ways that Jordan was amazing...It totally came out of nowhere for me and really struck me, humbled me the way I think about the region,” Kinzer said. askrikanth@theeagleonline.com

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theEAGLE OCTOBER 17, 2014

TIGI Boutique to close after 15 year streak

by Bryan Park and Trey Yingst

T

Eagle Staff Writers

ahir Kahiel began cutting hair for students and faculty on AU’s campus 15 years ago. But this October, Kahiel will be cutting all ties with the University as he is forced off campus at the end of month.

Kahiel, the owner of TIGI Boutique, was surprised to learn that his shop would not be returning to AU’s campus for another year after receiving a letter of termination from the University.

Although Kahiel missed his lease renewal date by seven months, Kahiel claims he was given no warning or notification that his lease would be terminated.

“All of a sudden, we received a letter saying, ‘We need the space for other use, and you have until October to leave’,” Kahiel said.

Upon getting the letter, he reached out to Auxiliary Services and pleaded for negotiations to remain on campus, according to Kahiel. He was crushed to find out that the auxiliary office was already working on bringing in a new tenant.

“We don’t know what to do,” Kahiel said.“Where do we go from here?

We’ve got families to feed.”

The University is planning to replace his shop with a Subway to feed more AU students, according to Kahiel.

David Courter, the director of Auxiliary Services, acknowledged Kahiel’s attempts to negotiate, but declined to

comment on the specifics of the talks.

“They did have an option to renew, [but] they didn’t exercise their option to renew,” Couter said. “So the University moved on with planning on how to use the space.”

Couter could not confirm that a contract or decision was made to move Subway to the space held by TIGI Boutique.

Aramark employee and Subway supervisor Apollos Hill has been told

by Aramark that the University does intend to put a Subway in a new location.

“As of now that’s the plan. It could change, [but Subway will be] across the street hopefully by next year,” Hill said.

Hill said the new facility would be larger and offer more options for students.

Joesph Campbell, a professor in the School of Communication and long-time customer of the salon, explained how he was disappointed and appalled that the hair salon would be replaced by a food establishment.

Campbell said the reason behind the termination was based on technicality and that he thought the hair salon did nothing to warrant the action.

“In my opinion, it’s a good longstanding member of the community not getting a break,” Campbell said.

According to Courter, the completion of the Cassell Residence Hall and the increase in the number of students created a larger demand for food services on campus, decreasing the need for other amenities.

“I can confirm that when we deter-

mined that we needed the food use, campus, he is hoping to use the petithe thought was that the hair salon tion as a final plea to the University wasn’t serving as many people as more for negotiations to remain on campus. food service would,” Courter said.“It’s In late October, Kahiel is planning an economic choice.” to move to 4000 Wisconsin Ave. to Kahiel completed renovations on the restart his business and hopes his cussalon one month before receiving the tomers will follow to the new location. letter and says he will also be facing “[On campus] it’s like we’re home,” some economic choices as he changes Kahiel said. “We don’t want to leave.” the location of his salon. news@theeagleonline.com “Everything went to waste and its going to cost more than $100,000 to build a new salon from scratch,” Kahiel said. “So it’s really hurt us.”

TIGI Botique received nearly 1,500 clients this past month, according to Kahiel.

Drew Sunderland, a 31-yearold AU alumnus, is a regular customer of Kahiel’s. He got his first haircut on campus by Kahiel in 2005 during his junior year and has since visited the salon at least once a month.

“I wouldn’t go anywhere else,” Sunderland said. “I wouldn’t even think about it.”

Sunderland said that his loyalty to the salon didn’t come from convenience, but rather from Kahiel himself and the level of service he provides. Sunderland also said that he will follow Kahiel wherever he sets up his store.

In the meantime, Kahiel has started a petition for students and faculty that support the hair BRYAN PARK/THE EAGLE salon, which has gathered more Owners of the Tigi Boutique, Laila Kahiel than 1,500 signatures. Although Kaand Tahir Kahiel. hold the petition to stay on hiel has already prepared to move off campus.

Get to Know Women’s Rugby

by Kimberley Szarmach Contributing Writer

On the corner of Van Ness Street and Nebraska Avenue, amid the impatient beeping of car horns and the passing baselines of pop radio songs, the AU women’s club rugby team practiced in a small, triangular expanse of grass that serves as their pitch.

Rush hour’s distractions didn’t impair the focus of the team members as they transitioned from drill to drill. This diligence paid off earlier this year when

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the team was invited to the Division Two Sweet Sixteen National Championship Tournament at Pennsylvania State University in April.

Participating in the national tournament still remains an important goal for the team, but they’re currently concerned with adapting to the absence of a fulltime coach.

The team is currently supervised by part-time coach Meghan Shamburger, an AU alumna who played rugby at AU for four years and served as team captain for one.

There’s a lot really great individuals and what we’re trying to do is we’re trying to mold these guys as a unit.

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-Meghan Shamburger, Women’s Rugby part-time coach

“Right now all three of the dynamic captains are structuring their own [practices] and sending them to Krysi Hermes, who was the full time coach last year,” Shamburger said.

Shamburger works with a few other AU women’s rugby alumni to oversee the team and its three captains: Olivia Pennock, Tess Atkins and Fatima Kamara.

Though Kamara, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, would prefer the presence of a full-time coach for the team, she is thankful for the support the team does receive from Hermes.

“Of course it's beneficial to have a coach at every minute of practice,” Kamara said.

“That isn't going to happen right now, but we will be just fine. At the beginning of the season we thought we were more alone, but Krysi is doing so much for us and we appreciate every minute of her time.”

Shamburger remains hopeful about the team’s chance of success this season, in spite of their lack of a full time coach.

“What we saw after the recruitment

season is that we have a lot of dynamic, aggressive and talented rookies, and the same goes for the returners,” Shamburger said. “There’s a lot really great individuals and what we’re trying to do is we’re trying to mold these guys as a unit.”

This sense of unity is what makes women’s rugby their sport of choice, according to current members of the team. President Kirsten Franzen, a School of International Service senior, believes rugby to be a distinctive sport because of this quality.

“Rugby is such a great and unique sport because it is aggressive and high impact, but it also has a great sense of camaraderie, even with the opposing team,” Franzen said.

AU Rugby plays every Saturday at varying locations. Find their game schedule online at http://auwrfc. wordpress.com/schedule/. news@theeagleonline.com

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theEAGLE OCTOBER 17 2014

Sexual assult continues to plauge D.C. colleges

by Samantha Hogan Eagle Staff Writer

Since August, nine students at AU and George Washington University have had their undergraduate years marred by sexual crimes committed against them.

Each D.C. university uses different terminology to describe sexual assault. AU breaks sexual assault up into sex offenses, forcible sex offenses and forcible fondling in its crime log while GW only uses sexual abuse.

AU students have reported five sexual assault cases to Public Safety since

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that might sound cynical.”

In her personal opinion, there is a deficit of prevention sexual assault education at AU, and that this education needs to be available to all students, staff and faculty, Wirth said. Education will help friends, roommates and professors better help students who come forward about sexual assault, Wirth said.

“The key thing here is that every person on this campus can eliminate sexual assault,” Wirth said.

But, that phase of the battle against sexual assault has yet to occur.

Looking back before the first six

The key thing here is that every person on this campus can eliminate sexual assault.

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weeks of classes, there has been a slowly growing number of sexual assaults reported at D.C. universities each year.

All universities that receive federal financial aid must publish crime statistics on Oct. 1 each year to comply with the Department of Education’s Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, commonly known as the “Clery Act.” GW went from 14 reported forcible sex offenses in 2012 to 17 in 2013, according to the report.

Georgetown went from five reported forcible sex offenses in 2012 to seven in 2013, according to the university’s security report.

to help students judge the safety of the area in and around campus. We follow the requirements of reporting under the Clery Act under the current federal guidelines.”

AU’s Annual Security Report is compiled from internal reports to AU Public Safety, statistics from the Metropolitan Police Department and disclosures to campus security authorities, Alexander said in an email.

In the 12-year span between 2001 and 2012, AU reported 57 forcible sex offenses, GW reported 101 and Georgetown reported 125, according to data from annual security reports aggregated with the article.

A high number of reported sexual assaults were not indicators of more dangerous campuses, but that the University had created an environment where students were more comfortable coming forward after a sexual assault, Gregory said experts told the writers while they worked on the article.

Assistant Vice President of Campus Life and Dean of Students Robert Hradsky and Sexual Assault Prevention Coordinator Daniel Rappaport said that the University has no reason to believe that AU’s student population deviates from the national sexual assault statistics.

However, Hradsky said he does not believe that there is an increase in the number of sexual assaults on AU’s campus. Greater visibility and awareness of the topic have culturally allowed more students to report sexual assaults at AU, Hradsky said.

“I feel very confident in our ability to investigate and take appropriate action,” Hradsky said. shogan@theeagleonline.com

Estimated vs. Reported Assaults Estimated Assualts

500 Number of Assaults

the beginning of classes on Aug. 26, according to the AU Daily Crime Log. In comparison, GW students reported four and Georgetown students reported zero, according to the schools’ crime logs.

Sexual assault is not a new phenomenon on college campuses or at AU, according to Student Government President Sophia Wirth, who ran for office on an anti-sexual-assault platform last spring.

The five sexual assaults reported at AU include three forcible sex offenses, a sex offense and a forcible fondling, according to the AU Daily Crime Log. In stark contrast, there were no reported sexual assaults at Georgetown since classes began on Aug. 27, according to the university’s crime log.

“It is our expectation that each of us, as members of our community, will educate ourselves about the resources available to us and our responsibility to create a culture that does not tolerate sexual misconduct of any kind,” said Georgetown President John J. DeGioia in an email to the Georgetown campus community on Sept. 18.

Notably, GW had one other sexual assault on Aug. 22 in addition to the four reported since classes began. The sexual assault was reported to have occurred just two days before the first day of classes on Aug. 28.

AU also had one forcible sex offense on Aug. 22, unrelated to the GW incident, inside an unidentified residence hall reported to AU Public Safety during Welcome Week, The Eagle previously reported.

The AU sexual assault came after a summer of systemic changes by AU administration to address university policy and bystander intervention education for incoming students. But, the crime did not shock Wirth.

“My gut reaction was honestly that I wasn’t surprised,” Wirth said. “And

-Sophia Wirth, SG President

And, AU went from seven reported forcible sex offenses on campus in 2012 to eight reported sexual assaults in 2013, according to the Annual Security Report.

But, there were a total of 22 sexual assaults and forcible fondlings reported during the 2013-2014 academic year, according to the AU Daily Crime Log. Statistically, these sexual assault numbers are too low.

“Even one individual being sexually assaulted is too many, but 22 reports are too few,” Wirth said.

However, these numbers are just the surface of the complex issue of campus sexual assault.

The Columbus Dispatch, in conjunction with the Student Press Law Center, released the first article in a three-part series on Sept. 30 about how colleges overwhelmingly underreport crimes required by the Clery Act. The focused on a 2005 National Institution of Justice that found at any given college, during the nine month academic year, 3 percent of females will fall victim to rape and only 5 percent of those female students will report the crime.

The writers were able to make rough estimates from these statistics about the potential gaps between the number of rapes listed in universities’ annual security reports and the number of rapes one would have expected to be reported, according to Student Press Law Center writer Sara Gregory, who worked on the article.

“We take the spirit of the Clery Act very seriously,” said Kelly Alexander, director of public relations at AU, in an email. “The Clery Act is designed

400

Reported 349

300 200

248

175

173

50 116

100 101

0

GW

125 57

Georgetown

AU

MILVIA HERRERA/ THE EAGLE

Schools These numbers are not an indication of reported rapes that were not counted in the schools’ security reports. A 2005 National Institution of Justice study found that at any given college 3 percent of females will be raped. Of those students, 5 percent will report the crime. According to the Columbia Dispatch, in conjuction with Student Press Law Center, these are the numbers the SPLC reporters expected at the three colleges.

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theEAGLE OCTOBER 17, 2014

Effectiveness of Smoking Ban in Doubt ANA SANTOS/THE TALON

by Kim Szarmach

Contributing Writer

A year after AU implemented its campus wide smoking ban on Aug. 15, 2013, administrators are evaluating the outcome of the new policy with many students questioning its effectiveness.

Allison Butler, a senior in the School of Communication, noticed a change in the location of smokers rather than a decrease in the number of people smoking.

“It was usually one person smoking in a group of people as opposed to now its usually [about] 15 people smoking together,” Butler said. “I found it less annoying than having to walk through the mass hoard of smokers on the corner of New Mexico and Nebraska now.”

The migration of smokers to the outskirts of campus, as observed by Butler and other students, suggests that students, staff and faculty are complying to the ban.

The University organized a team of Tobacco Free Ambassadors comprised of student workers and volunteer staff and faculty to encourage compliance with the policy. When originally created, there were 10 ambassadors, according to Dean of Students Robert Hradsky. However, due to complaints from individuals calling for greater enforcement of the policy, that number was increased to 15 for this semester, Hradsky said in an email.

The ambassadors keep a record of how many “encounters” they have with people violating the policy, according to Hradsky. When the policy was first implemented in fall 2013, there were 227 encounters. However, that number has been steadily decreasing, with 42 encounters in the spring of 2014, Hradsky said in an email.

Anyone caught smoking on AU grounds is given two verbal warnings before being referred to the disciplinary process that corresponds with his or her status on campus (student, staff or faculty).

According to University Policy, student violators are disciplined by the Dean of Students, and staff by the assistant vice president for Human Resources. Faculty conduct is enforced by the Provost.

“In addition, we changed the patrolling structure for the group to focus on areas where violations occur most, and have enlisted the support of Public Safety officers to enforce the policy,” Hradsky said in an email.

Many students, however, are still questioning the stringency of the enforcement of the smoking ban.

Samantha Young, a freshman in the School of International Service, has noticed that staff are more likely to reprimand students for smoking than Tobacco Free Ambassadors or Public Safety officers.

“I actually have not seen the smoking ban ever enforced on campus,” Young said. “I’ve seen students smoking sometimes, but I haven’t seen someone telling them to stop smoking. I actually did see some sort of food service worker here yelling at a group of students who were smoking on the [Mary Graydon Center]

steps.”

The ban was enacted in order to decrease risks to students’ personal safety, as the Eagle previously reported.

Alexa Kelly, a senior in the School of Communication, feels the smoking ban has improved the quality of life on campus.

“A major change that I’ve noticed from before to after the smoking ban was that the campus smells a lot better now than it did before the ban was implemented,” Kelly said. “Before campus smelled like the inside of a toaster, and now I can walk through campus and breathe easily.”

The school implemented a transition period for the 2013 fall semester when smoking was allowed only at three specific locations on campus: the Kogod Ellipse, the Roper/SIS walkway and the green space next to the tennis courts behind the Sports Center Annex, the Eagle previously reported.

Since then, students, staff or faculty who wish to smoke can only do so on the sidewalks and streets bordering campus, which are not owned by AU. Mike Houle, a junior in the School of In-

ternational Service, hasn’t noticed a drastic change in his smoking habits since the implementation of the ban in 2013.

“It makes it a little bit harder to go out in between classes since we have to come out to the side streets and everything, but as far as frequency, I don’t think it’s changed,” Houle said.

Smoking bans not only affect the campuses where they prohibit smoking, but they can influence the communities around them. Some neighbors have complained about the increased amount of litter from cigarette butts on the edges of campus, according to Associate Dean of Students Michelle Espinosa.

“Concern has been expressed by neighbors and AU community members about the number of cigarette butts found near the smokers' poles at various locations around the perimeter of the campus,” she said in an email. “The amount of litter produced by this behavior is contradictory to the environmental goals behind the policy and contradicts the values of the University.”

Butler expressed concern for the way AU smokers are treating nearby neighborhoods when complying with the smoking ban.

“A lot of being a college in the city is having a good relationship with the neighborhoods around us,” Butler said.

“That’s been a point of tension for AU numerous times throughout the years.

And I don’t know that … making people smoke as they’re walking through the neighborhoods is necessarily the best way to fortify our relationship with the community.”

Eagle staff writer Kate Magill contributed to this report.

news@theeagleonline.com

AU mobilizes for looming flu season

by Jillian O’Donohoe

A

Contributing Writer

s the weather starts to get colder, the AU community will be mobilized on all levels in order keep as many people as healthy as possible during the impending flu season.

Medical Director David Reitman said that the Student Health Center received a shipment of 2,000 flu vaccines by late September to distribute for free and ran flu drives from Oct. 13-17 at the Mary Graydon Center and other locations across campus.

“Our goal is to get as many people vaccinated as possible, but it’s never as good as we would like it to be,” Reitman said. “Last year only 1,200 people came to get vaccinated, and we had a lot of shots

left over. This year we hope to get more people to get the vaccine.”

While the Student Health Center offers the flu shot for free, students can also get the shot at home with their regular doctor or even at the clinic in CVS. It takes two weeks between getting vaccinated and becoming immune, so the Student Health Center’s early October flu drives will ensure students are prepared before the flu hits campus, which is typically in early December.

The Student Health Center will also be leading a campaign to promote healthconducive habits along with the Student Wellness Center. Their efforts encourage that simple behaviors like hand-washing, covering coughs, keeping hands away from the face, staying hydrated, eating well and getting enough sleep go a long way in allowing the immune system to

function properly.

“With people living in crowded areas, it is definitely easier of disease to spread,” Reitman said. “We want to emphasize to students that if they’re really sick, don’t go out to class or don’t go to [the Terrace Dining Room]. If one person goes to TDR with the flu and sneezes a few times, then everyone else there can easily catch the flu as well.”

With the arrival of the largest freshman class in memory this fall, many students find themselves living in tight quarters -- approximately 45 percent of the class of 2018 is living in temporary triples as of, according to an article previously published by The Eagle.

Lisa Freeman, the director of residence life, said that Housing and Dining works closely with the Student Health Center to make sure students are aware of all of the

resources available to them.

In the coming weeks, students will receive a nurse advice card with its hotline, a thermometer and additional urgent care numbers in case of emergency, Freeman said in an email.

Staying healthy is also a communitybased effort, Keesha Ceran, the resident director of Letts, Clark, and Roper Halls, said.

Housing and Dining will soon be issuing flyers that provide details about getting a flu shot on campus, noting how it is everyone’s personal responsibility to get it done themselves.

“From the hwousing side of the issue of getting sick, we make sure that everyone is doing their part to keep themselves and the rest of their community healthy,” Ceran said. news@theeagleonline.com

theEAGLE

OCTOBER 17, 2014 Photo courtesy of Melissa Young

theSCENE

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Photo courtesy of Jeffrey Middents

Partners in life and work:

AU couples juggle relationships, family and teaching

by Anagha Srikanth Eagle Staff Writer

After waking up early in the morning and getting ready for work, a hurried goodbye is all many couples have time for. When both halves of the couple work at AU, however, that “goodbye” turns into “see you later.”

Many faculty members and their spouses work together at the University, some after meeting here and others after a series of serendipitous events. Here are the stories of three AU faculty couples.

Young love

AU professors Melissa Young and Joseph Young remember the University when it was much younger. They met here in 1996 as students in the Washington Semester Program on the Tenley Campus.

Melissa was studying International Business and Joseph was studying Peace and Conflict Resolution.

“I don’t think we ever imagined that we’d end up back in D.C., and we certainly didn’t imagine that 15 years after we met at AU, we would start teaching at AU together again,” Melissa said.

Their first meeting was at the Dancing Crab, a bar and restaurant in Tenleytown that was a popular karaoke hangout for AU students on Wednesday nights. Soon after, they went on their first official date to a Thai restaurant in Tenleytown.

“When you’re on a semester like that, everything happens at microwave speed, so we started dating soon after that,” Melissa said.

When the semester ended, Melissa, a senior, returned to Monmouth College in Illinois and Joseph, a junior, returned to Stetson University in Florida, but the two continued their relationship. Numerous cities, schools and jobs later, the nowmarried couple ended up back at AU. “We chose D.C. because we wanted a big city where we could both get jobs, but we hadn’t dreamed that we would both be offered jobs at the same place,” Melissa said.

“That’s pretty special to come back to.”

Now, the two work in different departments and rarely see each other on cam-

pus since they work on alternate days to take care of their children.

“I have never in 18 years ran out of something to talk to him about, because we’re both so interested in the world and so interested in what’s happening and so interested in knowing more,” Melissa said. “When you have that love of learning, it’s easy to talk. There’s always something else to learn.”

Together at AU, at last Love at first sight isn’t for everyone.

Professors Angela Dadak and Jeffrey Middents have been working together since their days as students at Dartmouth College, where Dadak started as a freshman in 1990 and Middents in 1989. The two both worked together but never dated while at school.

“We have this weird story where we don’t actually remember where we first met,” Middents said.

In their last two years of college, Middents said the two were both interested in each other at different times. After graduating in 1993, Dadak went to Poland for two years, and their letter-writing began.

“In a way it’s very Victorian,” Middents said. The two have kept their correspondences to this day.

Middents was studying at the University of Michigan by then, and in 1995, Dadak went out to visit. She ended up finding a job in the area, and soon the two began dating. Four years later, they married in Michigan.

After two years in California, a job opportunity for Dadak at Georgetown brought the two to D.C., where Middents found a post at AU. In 2004, she applied for and got a position in AU’s College Writing department.

“Her job brought us to D.C., and then both of our jobs have kept us in D.C.,” Middents said. “Neither one of us thought that we would actually stay here or even enjoy it necessarily, but D.C. does have a little bit of everything.”

Although Middents and Dadak work in the same department on the same floor,

their work is very different and pulls them towards different ends of the department.

“Because we do different things, oftentimes we’ve bounced different ideas off of one another,” Middents said. “We can almost act as a bridge... We don’t always agree, and that’s okay too. We can still go home and be happy.”

A shared love of literature Sometimes, a first encounter doesn’t involve sight at all. Professor Michael Manson remembers interviewing for a position at AU with Kermit Moyer, then the Literature Department chair. While Manson was in his office, Moyer received a phone call from Professor Marianne Noble. She was calling to accept her own new job at the University.

“The first time I hear her voice is this excited sound of, ‘Oh yeah, this is great, I got the job,’” Manson said.

The two then officially met at a new faculty meeting in the fall of 1993 as visiting assistant professors and immediately hit it off. They were good friends for years, during which time Manson moved to New England after teaching at AU for two years. Noble continued teaching at AU,

Photo courtesy of Michael L. Manson

and after the two began dating in 2000, Manson returned to D.C. They married in 2001 and have remained at AU ever since.

Both work in the Literature department. Noble teaches 19th century American literature, while Manson teaches 20th century American literature and serves as director of the Honors program.

“I like to say she’s prequel, I’m sequel,” Manson said.

Although they work closely together, Manson said they prefer to keep their relationship on-campus strictly professional.

“You get to talk about books all day long,” Manson said. “We have an endless supply of conversation that is intellectual in nature and so therefore, to us at least, intrinsically fascinating.”

After having children, Manson said their relationship now revolves mostly around parenting their young son and daughter. Still, their love of literature and teaching remains an integral part of their life together.

“Having that shared profession has deepened the bonds that we have,” Manson said. asrikanth@theeagleonline.com

ADAMS MORGAN

THE U L T I M A T E

U ST CORR Madam’s Organ

If Playboy Magazine has named Madam’s Organ one of the best bars in the U.S., then it’s worth it to check it out at least once. The place may not be for everyone-no ‘90s singalongs and cheap vodka cranberries here-but the most refreshing aspect of this bar is that there’s no attitude. And for the seemingly high proportion of redheads who attend AU, Rolling Rock beer is always half price for you!

2461 18th St., NW. Best route: take the 96 bus from Tenleytown Station and get off at the Columbia Road stop. You can also walk from the Woodley Park/Adams Morgan Red Line Metro stop.

Amsterdam Falafelshop

The night is still young, but that doesn’t mean that some restaurants and bar kitchens aren't starting to wind down for the night. Never fear! A tried and true favorite, Amsterdam Falafelshop, is open late throughout the week and until 4 a.m. on weekends. The falafel is critically acclaimed, and while it will certainly hold you over, the food is not inherently heavy. It’s a delicious (and cheap!) option for drinkers and nondrinkers alike.

Amsterdam Falafelshop has two locations in D.C., but the original is in Adams Morgan at 2425 18th St., NW. Photo: ALEJANDRO ALVAREZ/THE EAGLE

D

Even though Dod your average colleg those “in the know levels, and rotatin the bar/club. The with microbrew a lead to you findin atmosphere is the your raucous nigh

917 U St., NW. D blocks away from U of Georgia Ave.

Ben’s Ital

It’s a tie for a the night bite befor D.C., you know and some cheese the whole next da is Italian Kitchen one of the best jum stretch from your original, but the a flavor quality tha quantity” side of

WHEN YOU FINALLY REACH THE MAGIC AGE OF 21 HERE IN THE U.S., IT CAN ALMOST FEEL LIKE DOORS ARE SWINGING WIDE OPEN FOR YOU. WELL, THEY ACTUALLY ARE. YOU CAN GO TO ANY BAR OR RESTAURANT AND ORDER A DRINK WITH FREEDOM YOU’VE NEVER HAD BEFORE. AT THE SCENE, WE DECIDED TO COMPILE THE “ULTIMATE” BAR CRAWL AROUND NORTHWEST D.C. THIS LOOP INCLUDES NOT ONLY PLACES TO DRINK WITHIN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO ONE ANOTHER BUT ALSO FOOD SPOTS TO KEEP YOUR STOMACH FULL. MAKE IT TO SOME (OR ALL!) OF THESE PLACES ON YOUR NEXT NIGHT OUT AND YOU’RE GUARANTEED TO HAVE A GOOD TIME.

STEET RRIDOR Dodge City

Dodge City may not be considered ollege bar, it’s a popular haunt among know” in D.C. Dodge City has two ating DJs pump music throughout The owners chose to fill their menu ew and specialty beers, which may nding a new favorite. The laid-back the perfect place to wind down after night bar-hopping across Northwest.

W. Dodge City is located simply two om U St. Music Hall in the direction e.

en’s Chili Bowl / Italian Kitchen

a the place to go for your last lateefore calling it quits. If you live in now about Ben’s. Get a half smoke eese fries, and you won’t want to eat xt day either. Another viable option hen on U Street, where you can get t jumbo slices in the city. It may not your forehead to your chest like the he above-average sized slice has the y that can convert the “quality over de of the Great Jumbo Slice debate.

DUPONT CIRCLE

by Jane Morice, Eagle Staff Writer

Sign of the Whale

The most accurate way to describe Sign of the Whale is this: Greek organizations from across the DMV area team up to host a massive frat party. Mass drinking ensues. Sign of the Whale is your typical college bar, which D.C. lacks, simply because it’s so much more than your average college town. Win-a-happy hour sign-up sheets, moderately priced drinks and Nicki Minaj singalongs. All of this will leave you wondering, “Turn down for what?”

1825 M St., NW. Sign of the Whale is quick 2 ½ block walk from Madhatter down Connecticut Ave.

Julia’s Empanadas

The insanity at Sign of the Whale may force you to make it your last stop of the night, but it shouldn’t. Loop back up Connecticut Avenue to Julia’s Empanadas for a delicious Latin snack. What’s better than fried food when you’ve consumed a drink or five? Not much. Hours vary by location, so it may mean you make Julia’s a pit stop between bars before it closes.

Julia’s Empanadas has three D.C. locations, including Adams Morgan if falafel isn’t your taste. The Dupont shop is located at 1221 Connecticut Ave., NW.

BOTTLES: MILVIA HERRERA/ THE EAGLE

10

theEAGLE OCTOBER 17, 2014

Going to a concert? Your best meal combos

Photo courtesy of Kevin Harber, Flickr

by Jordan-Marie Smith Eagle Staff Writer

Photo courtesy of Julia A., Yelp

Photo courtesy of Greg Wass, Flickr

Photo courtesy of joseph a., Flickr

Music venues in D.C. like the 9:30 Club and Black Cat are great spots for a show, but where do you go before enjoying your favorite singer or after exiting the mosh pit? Some halls have great drink selections, but the restaurants around them can be the final note in a great night out. Here are some restaurants that will ease pre and post-show hunger.

Rock & Roll Hotel + Dangerously Delicious Pies on H Street

Tropicalia + Black & Orange on 14th Street

Black Cat + El Centro on 14th Street

U Street Music Hall + Ben’s Chili Bowl on U Street

Sweet and savory pies balance the gritty Rock & Roll Hotel atmosphere on H Street. From sausage tomato fennel and BBQ pork to chocolate pecan, peach and the Baltimore bomb, there’s a pie for every taste.

Sustaining the energy it takes to dance at Tropicalia takes fuel, that fuel is burgers.

Black & Orange keeps the beat with a Jamaican jerk burger named “No burger, no cry” and a treasure trove of sauces like chipotle, wasabi mayo and old bay to keep you and your crispy fries happy.

Comfort food is awesome and Mexican comfort food is even more so. Black Cat fans are lucky enough to have a restaurant like El Centro two doors down. This place is above your basic chimichangas and tacos. They even have south of the border hot dogs.

Where: Black & Orange 1931 14th St NW Distance from venue: A one minute walk

Where: El Centro D.F., 1819 14th St NW Distance from the venue: 36 feet

U Street Corridor really has it all when it comes to shows and late-night munchies.

No list would be complete without the time-honored Ben’s Chili Bowl that is best enjoyed on a U Street curb. Hot dogs, burgers and fries are only a few of the good, old fashioned meals that taste so good, regret can come later.

Where: Dangerously Delicious Pies, 1339 H St NE Distance from venue: A one minute walk

3

Where: Ben's Chili Bowl, 1213 U St NW Distance from venue: A one minute walk

Music venues in D.C. like the 9:30 Club and Black Cat are great spots for a show, but do youthan go before enjoying your or after exiting the 3. favorite Men ofsinger Empowerment 2. where Mightier Swords AU mosh pit? Some halls have great drink selections, but the restaurants around them can be the final note in a great night out. Here are some restaurants that will and Excellence ease pre and post-show hunger.

Deriving their name from the classic CLUBS metaphor “the pen is mightier than the With over 200 student Men of Empowerment and Excellence YOU MAY sword,” AU welcomed a new slam poetry organizations on campus, it’s (ME2) serves as an academic and profesclub to campus this fall.

HAVE sional community aimed at enriching difficult to get to know them all.

Founder and president Alex Braun, and uplifting minority men at AU. Here are five clubs that may have a sophomore in the School of InternaMISSED ME2 seeks to help undergraduate mitional Service, saw the need to create a passed under your radar. nority men take advantage of academic

by Maha Kamel

Contributing Writer

Photo courtesy of Rachel Ternes

1. Quidditch Club Once the club began, some members also shared a passion for Quidditch, the competitive sport featured in the book series. Building on student enthusiasm, sisters Rachel Ternes, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, and Danielle Ternes, a sophomore in CAS, took the initiative to start a separate quidditch team.

The team meets Sunday at 4 p.m. and spends time getting to know each other and practicing Quidditch techniques.

They have also recently acquired a new set of brooms and are excited to put them to use, according to team captain Emma Claire Martin, a freshman in the School of Communication.

“Quidditch is the perfect blend between a social and athletic club and we welcome all levels of athletic and Harry Potter interest,” Martin said.

competitive team that could participate in slams as well as organize opportunities for the poetry community to come together.

Previously a part of the poetry club Poetics, Braun broke away and founded Mightier than Swords to create an atmosphere more focused on competitive slam poetry.

The group will hold workshops, open mics and various performances. Still in the planning stages, the club hopes to expand and become more encompassing on campus, Braun said.

Currently students can join the club’s Facebook page to stay up to date with weekly meeting locations, slam videos and various events.

The team is looking to expand at AU and in the D.C. community. New members are welcome and no previous experience is necessary, Braun said.

Other members expressed similar sentiments.

“Slam poetry has helped me learn the things I didn't know I needed to learn,” said Sarah Voelker, a junior in CAS.

and professional opportunities at AU and across D.C. This year, the club plans to focus on culture and community building, club said president Lee France, a junior in SIS. The group meets every Thursday at 7 p.m. in Kogod to discuss upcoming events, professionalism and other related topics like fashion and its impact on perception.

“While we will discuss and promote academic well-being and foster a strong academic community, we want to focus more on professionalism and culture and community building,” France said.

ME2 hopes to give minority students access to opportunities in AU and the D.C. area, providing a community in a place where finding shared experiences may be difficult. But France said anyone is free to join and learn from these experiences.

“We hope to be that resource where minority students can come and learn from each other,” France said. thescene@theeagleonline.com

11

theEAGLE OCTOBER 17, 2014

From Cupcakes to Criticism:

New York Magazine’s new critic has AU connection

by Mark Lieberman Eagle Staff Writer

Lindsay Zoladz ordered a large iced coffee from Dunkin Donuts in preparation for an all-nighter. At 3:30 a.m., she turned in her finished product.

She wasn’t polishing an academic essay or pulling together a group presentation, though. Instead, she was listening to the new U2 album for work.

“I do like writing under a tight deadline, actually, even though I often complain about it until it's done,” Zoladz said. “But I do think that kind of pressure brings out the best in me.”

“Bono-related all-nighters” are just one of the unexpected quirks of Zoladz’s new job, which started on Aug. 11. Zoladz, who graduated from AU in 2009 with a double-major in literature and visual media and a minor in cinema studies, serves as pop music critic for New York Magazine. She reviews albums and songs for shorter pieces on the magazine’s Vulture blog and contributes longer features to the print publication.

Two months in, she’s already reviewed new albums from Ariana Grande (“one of the best and smartest pop albums of the year”), Thom Yorke (“pleasant, intermittently lovely but inarguably minor”) and Chris Brown (“a joyless, purgatorially long slog”). New albums from Nicki Minaj, Kanye West and Taylor Swift have her excited for the rest of 2014.

Criticism is more valuable than ever before in the age of the Internet, Zoladz said.

“There’s so much to listen to that you really need a writer cutting through everything and not only telling you what’s good, but making sense of why something is good,” Zoladz said.

Writing has been on Zoladz’s radar since childhood. She spent much of her fifthgrade year producing a fake newspaper for her classmates, drawing small pictures and using symbols for words she didn’t know how to use.

She arrived at AU with the goal of becoming a screenwriter for film, but after working on a few film projects, she decided the idea of filmmaking trumped the experience of being on a set. Instead, she turned her attention to writing about the arts.

“I realized that can be as much of an art as the arts that we’re writing about,” Zoladz said.

AU professor Jeffrey Middents’ Honors colloquium in Film Writing and Film Culture marked this turning point.

The course proved unexpectedly fruitful during Zoladz’s interview at New York Magazine. She briefly brought up Middents’ unusual final exam assignment,

in which Zoladz and her classmates had to go see the critically reviled 2007 Nicolas Cage thriller “Next” and write a review in the voice of a famous film critic.

To this day, students from Middents’ class contact him to jokingly chastise him for this assignment, but the editors at New York Magazine perked up when Zoladz told the story.

Zoladz has kept in touch with Middents since she left AU, and he’s happy to see that his teaching paid off.

“I think it’s a dream for her,” Middents said. “She was always working really hard.

I’m not surprised that, of all the people to become a pop culture writer, that she’s the one achieving it, so quickly and in such a big way.”

Another critical moment in Zoladz’s writing education came during a class exercise with her senior thesis instructor, AU literature professor Jonathan Loesberg. One by one, each student read the first page of his essay. When the other students found the piece interesting, they raised their hands. When they were bored, they put their hands down.

“It was the most terrifying thing I’ve ever done in my life,” Zoladz said. “But I also think that taught me how to write a lede.”

Loesberg expected Zoladz would continue her academic career after she won the Literature department’s annual award for distinguished thesis writing.

Nonetheless, he’s impressed with her progress and happy to have played a role in it.

“I’m ecstatic to hear it,” Loesberg said.

Upon graduating from AU, though, Zoladz briefly set aside her newfound literary and artistic knowledge for a job at the newly opened Georgetown Cupcakes.

Graduate school didn’t feel like the right move and financial burdens beckoned.

But the urge to write quickly returned.

“I missed talking to people about music,” Zoladz said. “I was used to having that community.”

So she did what so many aspiring writers in the digital age are tempted to do: she started a blog. She used some of her posts to apply for her first writing job as a contributor at Cokemachineglow, where she learned the ropes of working on deadline.

“I would spend my time at the job when I was bored thinking about what I was going to write when I got home.”

The opportunities kept coming. She worked at AARP, specializing in stories about people who made dramatic career

“

Photo courtesy of Lee O’Connor

Lindsay Zoladz, pop music critic for New York Magazine, graduated from AU in 2009 with degrees in literature and visual media.

There’s so much to listen to that you really need a writer cutting through everything and not only telling you what’s good, but making sense of why something is good.

”

Lindsay Zoladz, New York Magazine pop music critic

changes midway through life, like a lawyer who opened a chocolate shop. Later, she moved on to Washington City Paper, and eventually Pitchfork came calling. When New York Magazine’s previous pop critic Jody Rosen left to serve as critic-at-large for the New York Times’ T Magazine in June, Zoladz jumped at the opportunity to apply.

“I never thought when I graduated that this is what I wanted to be doing,” Zoladz said. “All of the components of this kind of a job were there, but they hadn’t really congealed yet.” even now that she’s at New York Magazine,

Zoladz is still in the process of finding herself, even dabbling as a DJ in her spare time. She thinks current college students would benefit from embracing the variety of possibilities that lie ahead of them.

Setting hard deadlines for career progress sounds productive on paper but leads to stress down the road, Zoladz said.

“Being comfortable with a certain amount of uncertainty is a really valuable thing throughout your entire 20s,” Zoladz said. “I’m still working on it myself.” mlieberman@theeagleonline.com

theEAGLE

OPINION

12

OCTOBER 17, 2014

Staff Editorial:

A

TIGI closing is opportunity for AU to expand campus offerings

staple on AU’s campus is no more. The TIGI salon, a beauty salon that provides over 2,000 haircuts a month, will close at the end of October. AU decided to part ways with the business after TIGI was seven months late to pay its lease. Although we understand AU’s reason for having to let it go, it’s unfortunate to lose one of the few unique businesses on campus.

The salon, which has been operating for 15 years, will likely be replaced by Subway, with the restaurant moving from its corner of Eagle’s Nest across the street. This move is unnecessary and wouldn’t add anything to the dining options on campus. We already have a perfectly good Subway, even if it does get crowded sometimes, and plenty of eateries on campus.

Additionally, AU doesn’t have the

best track record for speedy turnovers between stores. When McDonald’s was converted into Starbucks three years ago, it took over a year to reopen.

Even beyond that, there is a potential for major health code violations from turning a hair salon into a restaurant.

What the school really needs is something different, something that will bring a brand new service to students that they can’t find anywhere else (at least not with Eagle Bucks). The Eagle staff brainstormed everything from a puppy petting zoo to a student-run consignment shop.

If AU feels that they must add a new restaurant for a perceived increase in revenue, why not a D.C. favorite like Steak n’ Egg, instead of another bland fast food chain restaurant?

Hopefully AU will take the opportunity of this unfortunate loss to fill a gap in its on-campus offerings, instead of just looking at the bottom line. -E

TREY YINGST/ THE EAGLE

Head of TIGI Boutique, Tahir Kahiel works on the register between customers.

A first-time voter tells why she’s voting in the D.C. election

by Shelby Ostergaard Eagle Staff Writer

I’m going to admit something to all of you that I probably shouldn’t admit in print. Especially in print that will be read in Washington, D.C. Someone might come take my WONK buttons away.

Deep breath. I’m 20 years old. And, despite being eligible to, I’ve never voted.

I can hear you now. The outrage.

The anger. How could you? It’s your patriotic duty! It’s the best form of civic participation! Rock the vote! And, of course, someone out there is thinking what would Lena Dunham say?

Look. It sounds bad. I know it sounds bad. There was a mixup with my address, the time and a really very unfortunate spelling of my last

name…you know what? The why is unimportant. I am forward thinking—this year, I will vote.

But this time (she says like there was another time to refer to), I am going to vote in D.C. And I want you, dear reader, to strongly consider doing the same.

As college students, most of us have the odd choice of deciding where to vote. In addition to the many other things the Founding Fathers did not foresee about the 21st century, the proliferation of people who will choose where to vote is surely on the list. But I have to wonder…if any of us had asked James Madison where we should vote, what on earth would he tell us?

Yes, it’s a silly question. For a lot of reasons, including the fact that James Madison would likely give me a bewildered look and inquire as to why a woman who owns no property even has this problem in the first place. Including what the Founding Fathers thought is not usually directly applicable to our modern lives. But it does bring up an interesting point….if you have to choose where to vote, how exactly should you make that choice?

The Nov. 4, 2014, Washington D.C.

election has some interesting issues on the ballot—whether Muriel Bowser will become mayor, whether D.C. will legalize small amounts of cannabis and who will be elected to the State Board of Education. But none of those issues are why I want to vote here. Don’t get me wrong—they’re all incredibly important issues that we should inform ourselves about. But I want to vote in D.C. because I live in D.C. There are going to be important, life changing issues on every ballot in every state that is having an election this year. And even if I value some of the issues in D.C., like marijuana legalization, more than I value some of the issues on my Illinois ballot, like keeping my gerrymandered representative in the house, I don’t think that’s why I should vote in D.C. Even if I value the issues in D.C. more this year, I might value the issues in Illinois more next year. The fact that my state continuously has dull elections doesn’t mean yours does—you could value issues on both ballots equally.

I want to vote in D.C. because I live here. The property taxes that I pay through my rent and my tuition help to fund the police I would call if

I were mugged on the metro and the fire station I would call if the house I was babysitting in started to smoke.

It’s my money, my jobs and my education. It’s my neighborhood, it’s my metro.

And yes, I know that with our lack of voting representation and the need for Congressional approval on most things my vote in D.C. will not have a lot of political impact. But honestly?

I don’t think voting is about having an impact on politics. In fact, if you want to have an impact, join an issue campaign, start a civil organization, do literally almost anything beyond a simple vote and run.

Voting where you live isn’t about having an impact, it’s about voting where you are impacted. Vote in D.C., where you have some skin in the game. Vote here so you can be justified in complaining here. Vote here so you can tell politicians that you are a constituent when you talk to them.

Vote here because you live here.

But, of course, educate yourself on the issues first. And make sure to spell your last name correctly when registering. Trust me on that last one.

Shelby Ostergaard is a junior in School of Public Affairs.

13

theEAGLE OCTOBER 17 2014

Op/Ed: I Am Not Afraid of Men

by Rebecca Thimmesch Eagle Staff Writer

I am not afraid of men. I am afraid of a lot of things—the dark, that parasite that crawls into your brain in hot springs, peacocks—but not men. I am a freshman in college in Washington, D.C., and I will admit that I walk by myself all the time and I am never afraid. I go places by myself at night that I definitely shouldn’t (don’t tell my parents), and I have never once felt unsafe.

Recently I watched a documentary on rape in the Democratic Republic of Congo in my sociology class. I watched as women recounted being raped by groups of men, brutalized, sodomized with branches and the barrels of guns. These women often develop fistulas due to the tearing of their vaginal and uterine walls. They are left incontinent. Social pariahs unable to care for themselves and their children. In Congolese society, being raped is often a social deathsentence.

I walked out of my class at 1:00 p.m. feeling ill. I needed to get off campus. My favorite pho truck was parked on 7th and G Street so I made my way to Chinatown. I got off the metro and headed towards a row of food trucks when suddenly

a man grabbed me by the hand. His grasp was so firm that I thought he had broken my bone.

“Hey, what’s your name?” he said.

“Hi...I’m sorry I have to go,” I managed to stumble out.

I tried to keep walking but I was jerked back with force. He wouldn’t let go. He pulled me closer to him and put his other arm around my waist.

He smelled like grease.

I started to panic. I was practically screaming, pleading with him to let me go but he was steadfast in his grip. About a hundred people were watching, but no one did anything.

I began to cry, he softened his hold on me for an instant and I bolted. I ran up to a group of businessmen and pretended to answer a phone call as my assailant calmly strode away. These men had seen what had happened but none of them said a word to me.

In a daze, I ordered my beef pho and sat on the side steps of the National Portrait Gallery. Everyone was staring at me. They had all watched from their perch as one of the scariest moments of my life unfolded like it was some sort of Aeschylean drama, and now they watched me cry over a Styrofoam bowl of soup. I felt like some sort of modern Blanche DuBois facsimile, listless in high-waisted shorts and a striped sweater as my Stanley faded into the crowd.

The reality is that I am considered

“lucky.” I was not raped, I was not severely beaten and I have incurred no fistulas. My experience today was incredibly scary, but there will be no lasting damage. But does that make it okay? Is it acceptable that this man was allowed to walk right up to me and make me so afraid that I later cried and vomited in front of my favorite art exhibit?

I am not afraid of men. I will continue to walk by myself whenever I damn well please. I will not be afraid of what’s lurking in the shadows. I am terrified, however, of anyone who says that he or she hates feminism. Anyone who thinks that women seeking to live in a world where being grabbed on the street isn’t considered “lucky” is some sort of an affront to men.

Anyone who thinks that feminism is about women wanting to have their cake and eat it, too. Anyone who can deny that women disproportionately bear the brunt of poverty and conflict.

Anyone who can acknowledge that women face rape, genital mutilation and sexual humiliation as a product of war and still ask, “But what about men?”

Equality is not a zero-sum game.

By increasing the rights of women, nothing is taken away from the rights of men. By advocating for equal pay in this country and equal access to education in another, men do not suffer. The consequence of feminist

success is not a militant-lesbian hegemony in which all bras are burned and men become untouchables. The consequence of feminist success is progress. edpage@theeagleonline.com

“

I walk by myself all the time and I am never afraid.

I go places by myself at night that I definitely shouldn’t (don’t tell my parents), and I have never once felt unsafe.

”

Letter from the Editor: Photographs are not free

I regularly look through The Beagle, AU’s parody newsletter, to read its satirical take on campus events.

When I skimmed through it a few weeks ago, though, I stumbled on an article from Sept. 29 titled, “Public Safety Officer Shoots Black Student to ‘Beef Up’ Resume for MPD.” While controversial, the content didn’t shock me; instead, it was the photograph used to illustrate the article.

I recognized the image right away: it was the cover photo of The Eagle’s March 28, 2011, issue which accompanied a story about the aftermath of an incident with a gun on campus. For full disclosure, I wrote this story following 10 weeks of research. The picture, taken by Jared Angle, exemplifies great photojournalism because it captured the frightening (albeit short) moments of the event.

I initially reached out to The Beagle ask-

ing for photo credit. The blog’s authors, who concealed their identity, fulfilled my request.

Later, I decided it would best if the picture was removed completely, but this time The Beagle did not respect my wishes.

The Eagle does not want to be associated with The Beagle. Not because of the latter’s content, but because of its satirical design.

Parody and objective journalism both have their place, but blurring the lines between the two categories is a dangerous prospect.

When declining to remove the photo, the authors explained that their publication was “just a blog” with no aim of making a profit, but that’s not the point. Our photographers work hard to catch great moments for our readers. By re-appropriating this image, the authors tarnished its purpose and disrespected its creator.

When another organization takes a photo without asking or paying, it is saying that the photographer’s work is not valued. You cannot copy another person’s article and claim credit. That’s plagiarism. What makes photography an exception?

When you pull a photo off a webpage, it is wrong to assume it is free to use. In most cases, it isn’t. If it was, it would most likely be under Creative Commons, a license that allows photos to be used without payment. But The Eagle’s photos do not have such a license,

and the newspaper requires compensation for reproduction of its work.

To the anonymous authors of The Beagle: I ask you, again, to take down the photo. Its unauthorized publication not only insults the photographer and damages The Eagle’s credibility, but it also grossly misinforms the AU community.

And to the reader: I urge you to scrutinize

campus media, official or not, more carefully.

My staff and I work every day to provide this University with thoughtful conversation and useful information, and every publication -no matter humorous -- should aim to do the same.

Heather Mongilio is the editor-in-chief of The Eagle.

JARED ANGLE/THE EAGLE

The photo that was reused by The Beagle.

theEAGLE

SPORTS

14

OCTOBER 17, 2014

Photo courtesy of Mike Gambardella

AU’s Men Soccer team’s starting eleven poses in their commemorative jerseys.

Although gone, Shawn Kuykendall lives on

by Matt Holt

T

Contributing Writer

he 2004 Patriot League Championship team walked across the AU turf during the halftime of the Oct. 4 men’s soccer game against the College of Holy Cross to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of their accomplishment.

Each member of the team was called to walk to the middle of field as the crowd cheered.

However, there was one name that was saved for last.

Shawn Kuykendall, the 2004 Patriot League offensive player of the year and draft pick for the local MLS team D.C. United, died March 12, 2014, after being diagnosed with a rare, incurable form of thymic cancer just eight months earlier.

“He was one of the most passionate guys, and I think it really bled down from him to the players,” senior defender Jordan Manley said. “He would come in and get us all fired up and get us to love the game. He honestly brought it all.”

Kuykendall’s family was present among the crowd. His parents, Kurt and Sherry Kuykendall, are both graduates of AU, and Kurt Kuykendall was a goalkeeper for the soccer team.

He earned honorable mention AllAmerican recognition in 1973.

Shawn Kuykendall is one of the greatest soccer players in the history of AU’s program. He is tied for the all time lead in assists, fifth in points and seventh in goals. He earned 29 assists, 75 points and 23 goals. Along with all of these accomplishments, Kuykendall also had the second most assists in a single season with 11.

Kuykendall continued his soccer career after he graduated from AU and was drafted by local MLS team D.C. United.

He only played 10 minutes during his career with D.C. United, but Kuykendall lived out one of his childhood dreams during his short time on the field.

On July 29, 2005, perennial powerhouse English Premier League club Chelsea FC came to RFK Stadium in D.C. to play the United in an exhibition game. Kuykendall entered the game with 10 minutes left, and played against his favorite player, legendary Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard.

Chelsea won the game, 2-1.

When the final whistle blew, Kuykendall found himself on the field next to his idol. They exchanged jerseys, a common show of sportsmanship and respect in soccer. Kuykendall described the experience as one of the highlights of his career, according to an interview conducted by the USA Today.

At halftime of the game, men’s soccer coach Todd West presented the Kuykendall family with a signed Frank Lampard jersey that the Chelsea player donated to the University.

“The football family has lost a fine young man, and everyone’s thoughts at Chelsea FC are with you, your family and Shawn’s friends,” Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho wrote in a letter to the Kuykendall family.

Kuykendall joined the New York Red Bulls for the 2006 season, but he was let go after one year. He returned to coach at AU in 2010 as a voluntary assistant coach and was quickly promoted by head coach Todd West to a full time assistant coach where he

stayed until 2013.

“He’s like the son I didn’t have, from playing here and being an assistant coach, the Kuykendall family means so much to this program,” West said.

“The Kuykendall family has been huge to this program and this institution. I always say I can’t do enough to thank them, so that was my small way to try to say thanks.”

Kuykendall’s impact was not only felt

by Lampard, Mourinho and West, but also by senior captains Jordan Manley and Stephen Hauschild. Both athletes played under Kuykendall during his tenure as an assistant coach, and they felt his presence every day at practice.

“He was really intense,” Hauschild said. “He would play with us at practice and push us everyday to become better players.”

On Saturday, when the Eagles faced off against the College of the Holy Cross, each player carried Kuykendall’s legacy by wearing his name embroidered on the back on their jerseys.

To cap a near perfect day, senior defender Christian Robbs secured the win for the Eagles in double overtime with a volley that propelled his team past the Crusaders, 3-2.

After the game, each of the Kuykendall jerseys worn by the players were subject to a silent auction. The sales brought in a total of $4,192, and proceeds from the event benefited Kuykendall’s foundation, Kuykenstrong and American University.

Kuykendall created the Kuykenstrong foundation during the final months of his battle with cancer.

This foundation partnered with the Georgetown University Lombardi Cancer Center to provide “financial support, resources and above all

friendship to families at Georgetown University Hospital,” according to the Kuykenstrong foundation website.

The team has fully adopted a “Kuykenstrong” mentality, a philosophy that emphasizes the passion that Shawn exhibited for life and sports, and it has paid dividends on the field.

The Eagles have experienced great success throughout the 2014 season.

Unranked in the pre-season, the Eagles put themselves on the map win an upset of previously-ranked No. 1 University of California Los Angeles during a tournament in New Mexico.

Their win vaulted the team into the national spotlight and earned the Eagles a 12th ranked position in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll, their highest ranking since the 2007 season. The team is currently ranked 20th in the nation.

The Kuykendall family has a deep tradition of AU soccer success in their family. Kuykendall’s brother, Kris, served as the team’s co-captain of the team in 2002, and his brother J.P, class of 2008, also played soccer for the Eagles.

There have been numerous tributes to Shawn Kuykendall since his death, including a Baltimore marathon relay group who ran in his honor and a “Kuykendall” night hosted by D.C. United.

The front page of the Kuykenstrong foundation website, Kuykenstrong. com, has a picture of Kuykendall, dressed in a suit and playing an acoustic guitar. Along with this picture, there is a simple quote.

“God has a plan. Live or die, I win.” sports@theeagleonline.com

15

theEAGLE OCTOBER 17, 2014

Beneath the Surface: A story of surgery and sport

by Shannon Scovel

CHERISE WOO?THE EAGLE

Eagle Staff Writer

Butterfly had always come naturally to Lucy Hernandez, but she has only recently begun to see renewed success in her natural stroke, after eight years of battling sternum growth problems.

"The fly is not a big problem," Hernandez said. "I've always had rhythm. Fly has always come naturally to me.”

Hernandez grew up a competitive swimmer, and she found herself topping the results from a young age.

She continued to experience success in the pool, but at age 11, an obstacle emerged from the most unlikely and problematic areas: her sternum. A bulging bone in her chest “didn’t seem quite right,” but Hernandez ignored the issue in an effort to continue swimming. Her parents also failed to realize the severity of the situation until a 500-meter freestyle race in December 2008 left her nearly unable to breath.

“When I jumped into the pool for the 500, I started falling back quite a bit,” she said. “I had to breathe almost every single stroke just to get air into my lungs. It was almost as if my chest was working extra because by the time I got out, my chest hurt to the point where I actually had to lay down for a while.”

She struggled to finish the race but competed for the rest of the meet, focusing on her shorter events.

The competition marked the first time that her health interfered with her performance, and the incident brought great frustration.

In an attempt to tackle the growth malfunction herself, she wore a device that strapped the sternum closer to her chest, but the apparatus only brought more discomfort. She feared the possibility of having to stop swimming, but after consulting with her doctor, surgery loomed as the best logical option.

like normal people would have it.”

Despite the extensive operation, she only remained in the hospital for four days. In the months following the surgery, however, Hernandez struggled with daily tasks such as carrying a backpack during school and moving around with ease. A swimmer by heart, she said staying out the pool was almost worse than the surgery itself.

“Those four months just sucked so bad,” she said. “I had no idea what to do with myself. I had way too much free time. I remember telling my mom, ‘Can’t I do gymnastics or something?’”

Hernandez returned to the hospital UNDER THE KNIFE later that year to allow the doctors to remove the metal bar that held her Large amounts of anesthesia sternum in place, but the two initial prevented Hernandez from surgeries never stopped her from remembering the exact details of her swimming. operation, but her dad has filled her She dove back into to the water two in on most of the gory details. weeks after the second surgery with a “[He] said they had to basically positive attitude, and she managed to shave off part of my ribs just to get complete sprint practices without too [them] to the proper position for the much breathing difficulty. Adjusting sternum,” she said. “They had to break to the repositioned sternum, on the sternum in order to reconstruct it the other hand, presented a greater

progress. A growth spurt triggered the bone to burst out of her chest again, and her doctor encouraged further surgery.

The third operation progressed with less severity; she spent only two months out of the pool and approached her recovery with a more understanding perspective.

“I went from trying to wake up in the hospital and get up to just lying there,” she said.

A few months later, the doctors conducted a fourth surgery to remove the metal bar that held her sternum in place.

LIFE AS AN EAGLE

challenge.

“It felt weird, like I was almost missing something because I was used to having it out here,” she said, pointing to her chest where the sternum used to protrude.

“I still have [the weirdness]. It’s not hard to breath; it just feels weird because I don’t actually have much feeling in my chest.”

The mental recovery, however, required more focus than the physically recovery.

Hernandez avoided the 500-meter freestyle, which was once her best event, and she began to focus on the shorter events that brought less pain to her body.

She started to specialize in the 100and 200-yard backstroke and butterfly races, and she raced competitively in high school with the hopes of pursuing the sport in college.

ADVERSITY RETURNS Hernandez continued to fight her way back to her best times, but her sternum issues returned two years later and further challenged her

Hernandez’s passion for her sport pushed her to continue swimming at the collegiate level despite her sternum struggles.

After being admitted to AU, Hernandez approached head swim coach Mark Davin, explained her goals and asked for an opportunity to compete on the Varsity team.

“I just basically sat with [Coach] Davin in his office, and told him ‘I can do this. I am capable of doing this. I’ve been trying to do this for eight years,’” she said.

Although she never attended an official recruiting trip at AU, she accepted the challenge of collegiate athletics with a determined mindset, and Davin presented Hernandez the opportunity to act on her promise.

Over the past year, she has dropped over 20 seconds in her 200-yard butterfly fly, a stroke driven almost entirely from the chest.

Hernandez holds herself to a high standard, and she said she looks forward to her sophomore swim season with the expectation of continuing her success, but she remains fearful of her condition.

“I’m not growing anymore, and unless I do something to really damage my chest, I don’t think [my sternum] is going to move,” she said.

“But there is still that ‘what if?’ that kind of haunts me in the back of my brain.” sscovel@theeagleonline.com Full Disclosure: Shannon Scoverl is a member of the Au Swim Team.

AU 2014-15 MEN’S BASKETBALL PREVIEW Last

season, the AU Men’s Basketball Team surprised college basketball experts and fans by winning the Patriot League after being projected to finish ninth in the 10-team conference. This season, the expectation is higher, and the only surprise will be if AU doesn’t win the Patriot League Tournament.

Even USA Today chose AU as the “team to beat” within the Patriot Leauge.

“Nobody is sneaking up on us this year,” head coach Mike Brennan said, “It’s going to be a lot harder now that teams have played us two or three times.” With 11 returning players and two new redshirts eligible this season, expect the Eagles to soar in the Patriot League and return to the NCAA Tournament.

KEY NON-CONFERENCE GAMES At Temple, Nov. 14.

The Eagles first game of the season is on the road against a team from a major athletic conference, the American Athletic Confernce (AAC). While Temple struggled last season, going 9-22, this game will be a great test early for AU to examine how well they stack up against a major conference team and potentially earn a strong resume-building win. The game is a part of the Coaches vs Cancer Classic tournament, which Brennan hopes will prepare the Eagles for Patriot League Play.

At Illinois, Dec. 6.

Last season, AU played two Big 10 teams. They lost by only 11 points at Ohio State, which was ranked eighth overall at the time, and were outmatched against Wisconsin in the NCAA tournament. With two games against teams from arguably the strongest conference in college basketball, it will be interesting to see how the Eagles matchup against a weaker Big 10 team in Illinois. Illinoisi went 20-15 last season just missing out on the NCAA tournament. This team could be AU’s toughest test this season with the Fightin Illini four returning starters.

At Stony Brook, Dec. 23 After a heartbreaking loss on their own gym in the 2014 American East Championship Game, Stony Brook will be back for vengeance as the AEC favorites for this season. Stony Brook could be another test for the Eagles just before the start of Patriot League play.

MURUGI THANDE/AU PHOTO COLLECTIVE

by Austin Sternlicht Contributing Writer

PLAYERS TO WATCH Jesse Reed: The junior guard led the team in scoring last year with an average of 13.8 points per game. With the departure of 2013-2014 senior center Tony Wroblicky, who averaged 12.2 points per game, Reed’s offensive numbers are expected to increase this season, as he will have to fill the void left behind by Wroblicky.

Standing 6-foot-5, Reed is a versatile guard who has the ability to create his own shots and shoot accurately from the three-point line. He shot 45 percent from the three-point line last season, which was good enough for second in the league, on a team that was seventh in the nation in field goal percentage.

Kevin Panzer: After sitting out last season as a redshirt, the senior forward will be the top candidate to fill in for Tony Wroblicky, the only Eagle who graduated. As a junior at the University of Nevada, Panzer averaged four points and four rebounds. A big question for this team is how the defense will replace Wroblicky, the 2013-14 Patriot League defensive player of the year. While Panzer may or may not be able to provide the same rim protection as Wroblicky, he can stretch the floor as a threepoint shooter. Panzer shot 30 percent from the three point line his junior season, which is something Wroblicky was never able to do.

“He worked hard all of last year and this year, he’s going to get a lot more attention from the coaches,” Brennan said about Panzer.

If Panzer can start in a lineup with five three point shooters, it should help the team’s Princeton offense by spacing the floor and keeping defenses guessing.

Charlie Jones:

AU Men’s Basketball Team poses after being declared the 2014 Patriot League Basketball Tournament Champions.

As a walk on freshman last season, Jones was the unsung hero whose hustle and intangibles saved the Eagles season, most notably in the Patriot League semifinal versus Holy Cross.

“He was the spark plug last year,” Brennan said. “He’s tough, he plays defense [and] he does all the little things to win games.”

Now as a sophomore, Jones has

BIGGEST THREATS TO AU IN THE PATRIOT LEAGUE Army Army returns with all five starters on a team that finished fifth in the Patriot League at 10-8 last year. The Black Knights junior Kyle Wilson led the league in scoring last year with 18.4 points a game on a team that scored 72 points a game. Army’s experience will be a major strength as they look to get into the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. AU will play Army on Jan. 26 at home and Feb. 22 at Army.

Lafayette College The Leopards were projected to finish second in the Patriot League last year. However, that fell apart after star guard Seth Hinrichs got injured.

Lafayette went on a 10-game losing streak without Hinrichs, and started conference play 0-9. When he returned, The Leopards won seven of their final 11 games. If Hinrichs can stay healthy, this Lafayette team that also returns all five starters from last year can challenge the Eagles in the Patriot League. The Eagles will face Lafayette in Pennsylvania on Jan. 17 and at home on Feb. 14.

College of Holy Cross While the Crusaders lost their best player Dave Dudzinski last year, Holy Cross returns their other four starters, including swingman Malcolm Miller, on a team that won 20 games. Holy Cross nearly beat AU in the Patriot League Tournament last year and will be back for revenge. Holy Cross comes to AU on Jan. 3 before a second matchup at Holy Cross on Feb. 2.

sports@theeagleonline.com

Bottom Line The Eagles will likely be the unanimous preseason pick to win the Patriot League this year. However, there are areas that must be improved upon from last season. The Eagles turned the ball over an average of 14 times a game and ranked 339th in the country in rebounding last season, according to ESPN. If the Eagles can keep last years offensive efficiency and defensive mindset (seventh in the country in fewest points allowed per game) while improving on rebounding and ball security, this could be one scary team come March. The Eagle’s home opener is Nov. 17 against St. Francis University.