“Feminism” TIME Magazine’s annual poll revealed that “feminism” is the most disliked word of 2014. City High students react on page A5.
The
LittleHawk
Iowa City High School • Iowa City, Iowa • Vol. 73 Issue 2 • Friday, November 6, 2015 • www.thelittlehawk.com ifuckedyourmom
College Scorecard Introduced to Simplify Search for Schools
By Nathan Cremers
Liberty High School is in Phase I of the construction plan, which is set for completion in 2017. PHOTO BY MAX GRUBER
A Few Steps Closer to Liberty In the midst of a growing student population, the School Board seeks to manage its numbers through the implementation of a third comprehensive high school. By Molly Liu
Ever since student enrollment in the Iowa City Community School District began to increase, the issue of overcrowding has moved to the forefront of discussion in school board meetings. In order to accommodate the district’s ever-expanding numbers, the school board is looking to the construction of a new high school, Liberty High, as a solution. “It’s going to be a tremendous opportunity for all of our high school students and the community, and I’m really looking forward to seeing all of the benefits,” School Board President Chris Lynch said. “I’m optimistic [about Liberty].” Liberty High School, located in eastern North Liberty, will be constructed in a three-phase plan. Phase I of the plan is set for completion in 2017 and will include the main classrooms and infrastructure, serving 1,000 students. Phase II, set to be completed in 2019, will include the athletics complex and extracurricular facilities. The third and final phase will be completed in 2022 and will provide 20 additional classrooms for the integration of 500 additional students, bringing Liberty’s total enrollment to 1500. The City of North Liberty and the ICCSD have partnered with
SVPA Architects Inc. to create the master design of the school. Inspired by elements of contemporary architecture, Liberty will feature a 800-seat auditorium and a 2000seat competition gym. A spacious central commons area, surrounded by the academic and athletic departments, will also be a key aspect of the design. “The central commons space is going to be very unique,” President of SVPA Architects Vitus Bering said. “It’s going to have great daylight and views, and it’s going to be a signature feature of the building.” SVPA Architects has also worked to incorporate modern safety technology in the construction of Liberty; the building of an additional auxiliary gym will feature storm safety structures designed to withstand wind speeds of over 160 miles per hour. “It’s going to be really beneficial for the students to have access to a modern, 21st- century school environment,” Bering said. The implementation of Liberty
will cause enrollment to decrease for both of the ICCSD’s comprehensive high schools, City High and West High. Numbers are projected to lower to 1500 students per school, which will contribute to the overcrowding solution, but will also cause the schools to lose some of the benefits of a larger institution. Nevertheless, City High principal John Bacon is ge ne r a l ly positive about the new high school. “There are some competitive advantages and opportunities from [being a bigger school], but having three high schools with 1500 students is going to be very nice,” Bacon said. “It is large enough to provide all of the programming options that you see at a large, comprehensive 4A high school in Iowa, but
“IF I DO DECIDE TO GO TO LIBERTY, I’LL BE EXCITED ABOUT BEING THE FIRST FRESHMAN CLASS TO START THERE.” CALEB HANSEN ‘23
not so large that accessing activities is difficult and intimacy is lost.” Superintendent Stephen Murley is also looking forward to increased opportunities for students. “I think the greatest benefit [of building Liberty] will be for the high school students, who will be able to attend schools that are less crowded, providing more opportunities for extracurricular participation,” Murley said. Murley predicts that Liberty will not only provide tremendous benefits for students, but for the Coralville and North Liberty communities as well. “For the cities of Coralville and North Liberty, the school will allow a progression from elementary through junior high school, and onto high school within their city limits,” Murley said. “I presume that this will be very attractive to current and future residents and may spur additional growth for both communities.” Caleb Hansen, a sixth grader at Lincoln Elementary anticipates Liberty’s opening. “If I do decide to go to Liberty, I’ll be excited about being the first freshman class to start there. I’ll also be excited about things being new and clean,” Hansen said.
This past year, in an effort to ease the college search process for students, the Department of Education introduced a program called the College Scorecard. The College Scorecard aims to provide a single resource for high school students to sort through the many options they have in post-secondary education. “Anytime you can provide a tool that helps students sort out the various types of schools that might meet their needs based on basic elements such as cost, location, two year versus four year, it can be helpful,” Brent Gage, Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management at the University of Iowa, explained. The College Scorecard uses information like average annual cost, graduation rate, and salary after attending that college to help students find schools that fit the specific qualities they look for . “Hopefully it can make the process more efficient as it will help students create groupings of institutions that meet their needs so they can take a closer look at each school.” Gage said. Although a system that compares two colleges by the same, basic statistics allows for an easy way to sort through colleges, Gage warns that this should not constitute the worth of education at that college. “I think using any single measure to judge the wide range of US college and universities is a very difficult task. Institutions have different missions, serve different populations and while they all provide postsecondary education, there a many ways to accomplish this successfully,” he said. Another potential problem with this system is the pure amount of schools that it covers. On the College Scorecard website, one can search through 3,587 potential schools. A collection this large can make finding the right college a daunting task. “I didn’t find (online resources) that helpful because it was so overwhelming, I didn’t know specifically what I wanted in a college so I gave some generally guidelines and it ended up giving way to many results,” Sy Butler ‘16 said. Additionally, there is some concern that these websites that sort schools with the aid of statistical information cannot provide the type of experience that will tell a student whether that college will fit their personality. “We hope this is not the only information a student is using when looking at colleges, as there are so many factors that are essential to a student making the right choice to fit their needs,” Gage said. With the extensive information available to sort through the myriad of options after high school the College Scorecard allows students to easily sort through information to choose the college best suited for the student to continue their education. “As with any complex decision, there are many sources of information available,” Gage said, “ and it is our hope at Iowa that this would just be one more way in which students can get as much information as possible to make the decision that is best for their educational future.”
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November 6, 2015
Section A
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The LH Feature Magazine
THE EVOLUTION OF FEMINISM
With the term “feminism” falling out of favor, people are questioning the word and its relevance.
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By Victor Fesenmeyer For 26 year, City High has participated in the cross-cultural interaction between students from City and from Germany. However, due to budget cuts in the ICCSD language departments, the tradition may soon be lost.
By Serena Collins & Maya Durham
upcoming political events
GEIST OF PROGRAMS PAST
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By Lucy Wagner
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By Sofie Lie & Nova Meurice
Two local businesses—a farm and a restaurant—are teaming up to bring people closer to the food they eat.
advocating for a phub-free zone
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farm to table
thick skinned
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bonfire records By Jonas Geerdes
the lh sports magazine
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By Claire Noack & Innes Hicsasmaz
Tom Mittman, a man who has dedicated his life to saving lives, is now faced with his own illness—and his struggle has inspired an entire team.
A profile of two women who have learned to love themselves no matter what the rest of the world tells them—and who are fighting to help others do the same through the fat acceptance movement.
Four past City Alum band together to form their own record label. Called BonFire Records, they plan to deliver content for the masses.
In the run-up to the February 1st Iowa primary, presidential candidates are continuing to campaign across Iowa.
runner with a cause
By Caroline Brown & Sarah Smith
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heritage or hate?
playing for the other team
By Madeline Deninger & Lucy Wagner
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They don’t get locker signs, because they don’t have lockers. Not here, at least. Three Little Hawks share the ins and outs of playing for a school that they don’t attend.
By Sofie Lie & Lucy McGehee The centuries-old debate over the place of the Confederate flag in America has resurfaced through social media, provoking conversation once again between the North and the South.
A Letter From Your Editors
By Dominic Balestrieri-Fox, Sonali Durham, & Claire Noack
This is it. It’s here. At 64 pages of City High, the behemoth we call the Little Hawk is bigger and stronger than ever. We’ve strived to make this issue more than just print on the page with the return of Aurasma, the videoplaying app. Simply holding your phone over our pages can bring the photos to life. All you need to do is download Aurasma to your phone and follow “The Little Hawk’s Public Auras.” We’ve Snapchatted and live-Tweeted and Instagrammed our hearts out for the past six weeks in order to bring the best of City High and our community to your fingertips. Now, with our second issue as executive editors under our collective belt, we turn our attention to the NSPA conference in Orlando, Florida. For the past two years, we’ve headed into the national journalism conference as finalists for a Pacemaker, the most prestigious award in high school journalism. This year, we’re up for it again, and we hope that the past year of hard work will pay off, for our-
selves and for all the wonderful editors from the class of 2015. In the days leading up to the awards ceremony, we’ll attend seminars and critiques--and explore Disney World--to learn, be inspired, and get closer to our team. When we return, we’ll have new and better ideas for this publication. But until then, enjoy the November issue of the Little Hawk. Love,
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Upcoming Political Events
TOP: Supporters of Bernie Sanders gather at Coe College. CENTER: Bernie Sanders speaks to a crowd at a political rally in Cedar Rapids. BOTTOM LEFT: Martin O’Malley addresses a crowd in City Park. BOTTOM RIGHT: Rand Paul speaks at a political rally in the Iowa Memorial Union. PHOTOS BY SOFIE LIE & LUCY MCGEHEE
In the run-up to the February 1st Iowa primary, presidential candidates are continuing to campaign across Iowa. Bernie Sanders: Weekend of Action Sunday Canvassing in Marion Nov. 7-8 Supporters will knock on doors of likely voters across Iowa to confirm their support for Bernie Sanders for the caucus on Monday, February 1st., Saturday, November 7th, and Sunday, November 8, 2015 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM CST Bernie Sanders Campaign HQ in Marion (Marion, IA) 725 11th St Marion, IA 52302
Martin O’Malley: Des Moines County Democrats Friend Raiser Nov. 7
Nov. 7, 2015 12:00 pm Port of Burlington (Burlington, IA) Martin O’Malley will be a guest at the Des Moines County Democrats annual fundraiser in Burlington. Doors for the event will open at Noon on Saturday, November 7th. Tickets to the event are $30 per person benefiting the Des Moines County Democrats.
Ted Cruz, Mike Huckabee, Bobby Jindal, Rand Paul, and Marco Rubio: 2015 Presidential Family Forum Nov. 20
Nov 20, 2015, 12:00 p.m. Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center, 833 5th Ave, Des Moines, IA Sen. Ted Cruz, former Gov. Mike Huckabee, Gov. Bobby Jindal, Sen. Rand Paul, Sen. Marco Rubio, and former Sen. Rick Santorum will participate in the 2015 Presidential Family Forum. The forum is a ticketed event, and tickets are on sale now at www. presidentialfamilyforum.com. Sponsored by The Family Leader.
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Geist of Programs Past City High’s German American Partnership Program will become a thing of the past, as the German language program is phased out. By Victor Fesenmeyer
Die Deutsche Schuler sind ins America kommen, aber für die letzte zeit? It may very well be the last time. Many City High German students have been asking this question for a long time now. Due to a budget cut set and finalized in April of 2014, the entirety of the Iowa City German program is destined to be phased out by the end of the 2016-17 school year. With this development, the excitement of having the ethnic German students visiting has become bittersweet. “When the German program is phased out, there will be fewer options for students to choose; less variety,” Miles Miller ‘16 said. Milller participated in the 2013-14 exchange. “All of the students who would have wanted to take German now don’t have that choice. This will put more pressure on the Spanish and French teachers,” Miller said. In order to have a GAPP, or German American Partnership Program, it is necessary to have a German language program. “Maintaining a GAPP program would be difficult because it would be harder to gather students’ interest if they don’t know the language,“ Casey Wilmesmeier, the German teacher at CIty High, said. City High has participated in the GAPP for 26 years, starting in the 1989-90 school year, the year the Berlin Wall fell. It has been a large part of the excitement and incentive for taking German as a foreign language study. This year, the 18 German foreign exchange students were selected out of two schools with about 100 total applicants. They hail from Bückeburg and Stadthagen, two towns in Lower Saxony. They arrived on October 26th, and will depart on November 10th. Each of the students are matched with a City High German student host family. During their stay in Iowa City, the host students and families will provide their German guests the opportunity to experience all sides of American culture. “It’s a chance for students to see what real student life is like in Germany and America,” Wilmesmeier said. “It’s a safe and unintimidating introduction into international culture.” Throughout their two-week stay in Iowa City, the Germans and their hosts will take several field trips to notable locations around the city and the county, such as The University of Iowa, the Old Capitol, Field of Screams, and Iowa State High School football playoffs, among others. “I think that the German students will really want to go to the mall and experience shopping here,” Emily Bywater ‘17, a City High German Three student said. “When I was in Germany last summer, a lot of my
friends on the trip wanted to experience shopping there, so I think the Germans will have similar feelings.” Host families are also planning experiences hoping to give the students a taste of the Midwestern culture with various experiences including school events, trick or treating, Iowa Football, City High Theatre, and the Ped Mall, and shopping, to name a few. Nele Krohn, an exchange student from the school in Stadthagen, arrived October 26th at the Cedar Rapids Eastern Iowa Airport. She had been corresponding with her City High host family for several weeks before arriving. “I am really excited for the school days because I think it will be a huge difference from the way it is in Germany. I want to have fun with my exchange family,” Krohn said. “In my opinion it is a pity that the German program will be eliminated because the German and American students will not be able to have the chance to see how foreign schools and people live and work.” Once here, Krohn said that she thought City High students are very curious about Germany and life there. “They talk to us a lot in classes. They are really interested with what we do, what life is like, and what school is like,” Krohn said. According to some of the German exchange students, certain aspects of student life are a lot different in Iowa City. “The school here is very different from school in Germany,” Gregor Brannys said. Brannys hails from Stadthagen, one of the two schools City High has been paired with. “Here you have so much homework, but in Germany there is a lot more classwork,” Brannys said. According to Brannys, the atmosphere of the German classroom is much more rigid. “If you don’t pay attention all the time, the teacher may talk to the parents or you may need to talk to the principal,” Brannys said. “Art classes are also very strict because you must do exactly what the teacher tells you. It is very important,” On June 15th, City High German students will embark on what may be the final school-sponsored visit to Germany. “The trip forms this lifelong connection with the other family,” Wilmesmeier said. “And also increases their interest in travel in the subject area,” This long tradition between these two participating schools has produced hundreds of long lasting memories for previous exchange participants. “I met tons of friends while in Germany that I still stay in touch with,” Brooks Henry ‘14, a former GAPP participant, said. “The students I hosted here in Iowa City left a strong positive impression on me.”
“IN MY OPINION IT IS A PITY THAT THE GERMAN PROGRAM WILL BE ELIMINATED BECAUSE THE GERMAN AND AMERICAN STUDENTS WILL NOT BE ABLE TO HAVE THE CHANCE TO SEE HOW FOREIGN SCHOOLS AND PEOPLE LIVE AND WORK.” -NELE KROHN
“I MET TONS OF FRIENDS WHILE IN GERMANY THAT I STILL STAY IN TOUCH WITH. THE STUDENTS I HOSTED HERE IN IOWA CITY LEFT A STRONG POSITIVE IMPRESSION ON ME.” -BROOKS HENRY
Durham and Young, Leaders of Tomorrow By Sadie Hobbs
Hills Bank held its 21st-annual Youth Salute event at the Englert Theatre on September 13th to recognize senior leaders. This year had a unique twist, as both winners, Sonali Durham ‘16 and Myles Young ‘16, made up the first all-City High pair to win in the same year. “There were four of us backstage in the Englert, and we didn’t know which one of us had won Durham said. “Then they called our names and it was really exciting that Myles and I both had won.” The application process, which was held in the summer, consisted of both interviews and submission of resumes. There were two interview processes; one for the 300 nominees and one for the nine finalists chosen out of those nominees. The nominees were selected from 16 area high schools, including: City High, Clear Creek Amana, English Valleys, Highland, Iowa Mennonite, Iowa Valley, Lisbon, Lone Tree, Mid-Prairie, Mount Vernon, Regina, Solon, Washington, West Branch, West High, and Williamsburg. Both Durham and Young received a $500 scholarship and a plaque for their victory. “Locally they weigh the interviews very heavily. Hills Bank chose almost exclusively through the interviews,” Young said.
After the Youth Salute ceremony in September, both Durham and Young attended the four-day national conference at Washington University in St. Louis on October 17th, along with 72 other high school students from around the country, who were also winners of their area Youth Salute chapters. “There were a lot of really good parts about the conference,” Young said. “The coolest thing about it was how openly respectful everyone was. Even if you had an idea or a question that didn’t make sense, the people weren’t malicious [about it].” The Youth Salute process continued at the national conference, where another round of interviews were held to choose the two national winners, and the 12 runnerups, however neither Young nor Durham received anything nationally. The conference consisted of team building activities, small and large group discussions over national and local issues, and a tour of the Washington University venue. “Everyone was very friendly at the conference, and the activities were really fun and interesting,” Durham said. “I learned a lot of different things, and I saw a lot of different points of views I had never really thought about before.”
Durham and Young at the Town Meeting of Tomorrow Banquet in St. Louis. PHOTO COURTESY OF SONALI DURHAM
NEWS
Architecture Club Builds Students’ Interests in the Field
City’s newest club allows students to explore architecture. By Jonathan House
On a Thursday afternoon in room 1507, home of Project Lead the Way, surrounded by computers, robots, and other STEM materials, a group of students meet to discuss and design architecture in a club that is new to City High this year. “In school you’re taught to do one subject at a time. It’s English, it’s math, it’s science,” Rasmus Schlutter ‘17 said. “With architecture, you get to combine elements of all of those into one field. We are trying to encourage an interest in architecture and allow those [subjects] to form into a cohesive thing.” Founded by Schlutter, Emma Myers-Verhage ‘17, and Sean Idle ‘16, Architecture Club aims to engage students in architecture and design. Hardesty maintains this philosophy through his own interest in architecture. “There were some really nice students, and I’m interested in [architecture],” faculty sponsor Chip Hardesty said. Schlutter started the club to fuel the interests of other students who felt the same way. There are around ten to fifteen members who take advantage of this opportunity at regular Tuesday and Thursday meetings. Nick Schintler ‘18 is a member of the fledgling club. “I first joined Architecture Club because I have a general interest in architecture,” Schintler said. Schintler is also enrolled in a civil engineering and architecture class at City High. “Architecture is a major interest of mine, and I may want to further myself in it and possibly make a career out of it,” Schintler said. Although the club has only just begun, Schlutter already has a general idea of what he wants to do with it heading forward. Schlutter says that the club is united in its interest to enter an architectural competition. Included in the potential plans is the idea to find a plot of land in Iowa City and design a building for that specific plot. The students would then collaborate with local architects to learn how to design a site with the goal of designing the site to the specifications that people want. “Though obviously our design isn’t going to be built, it’s still cool to experiment with that whole process of learning the community, learning what people want, and learning how to design to a site,” Schlutter said. Architecture Club also has plans to visit downtown Iowa City and Cedar Rapids to meet with local architects and look at some of the new buildings in construction on the University of Iowa campus. In these varied field trips, Schlutter hopes to reach the club’s wide range of interests. Schlutter believes that not only is the club a way to practice interests in high school, but it can also can be a gateway for students who might be interested in going into architecture as a career in the architecture field. “I myself am considering it as more of an academic career, but there are definitely people interested in it as like an actual, practicing architect,” Schlutter said.
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City Reacts: TIME’s list of Banned Words All-State TIME Magazine’s annual poll revealed that feminism is the most disliked word of 2014. By Serena Collins & Maya Durham Feminism. A word commonly tip-toed around in society today. Reactions to the word can range anywhere from excited to hostile. Lizzie Carrell ‘18 responded to the common misconception that to call yourself a feminist, you have to do a lot of work and actively promote the movement. “Just calling yourself a feminist is a bold, brave statement in itself,” Carrell said. TIME magazine has an annual word banishment poll, calling on readers to vote on which words have been the most annoying over the past year. From a poll taken in 2014, words such as “bae,” “turnt,” and “literally” were frontrunners. But one word that shocked many was “feminist.” Shortly after the poll appeared in print, TIME editor Nancy Gibbs issued an online apology. “While we meant to invite debate about some ways the word was used this year, that nuance was lost, and we regret that its inclusion has become a distraction from the important debate over equality and justice,” she wrote. The poll’s results bring to the forefront society’s newest meaning of the word “feminist.” In the 1960s, an era where women made leaps and bounds striving towards equality, “women’s liberationist” was the preferred term, and was more commonly used than “feminist.” But when the women’s liberation movement was associated with extremists, the word fell out of use. It was then replaced with “feminist.” With “feminist” being used left and right, Salwa Sidahmed ‘19 believes the negative connotation again seems to have crept into societal norms. “[People] use it as an insult like you’re some psycho,” Sidahmed said. Public icons are beginning to disown “feminist” based on the negative connotation people sometimes associate with the word. Celebrities such as Meryl Streep and Lana Del Rey publicly identify as non-feminists. Streep suggests a substitute: humanism. Alternatives such as humanism, egalitarianism, and equalism have brought a lot of commentary from the feminist community, such as from Jarrah Hodge, a writer and editor at Gender Focus. “Without naming the issue of women’s inequality, without analysis of and action on the systemic power structures that generally privilege men over women in our society, there’s the possibility that it might get de-prioritized,” Hodge wrote. Various actors and singers don’t consider themselves “ists” at all. “I want to say [to them] ‘so you don’t consider yourself an artist?’” Carrell said. Adeline Bradley ‘19 believes that changing the word is sensible. “I think [changing the word] would make sense, because in this
Auditions Bring Cheers and Tears By Claire Goodfellow
day and age there are way more [genders] than just male and female,” Bradley said. “People think of [feminism] as only pertaining to females. They’re right, but it should have to do with all sorts of people and how they identify.” Sidahmed, a feminist, disagrees. Sidahmed believes that feminism is and should be all-inclusive – men, women, and everyone in between. “The word brings all the people who want equality together. It labels the entire movement,” said Sidahmed. While Sidahmed believes that the term “feminism” doesn’t only refer to the oppression of women, Max Meyer ‘18 disagrees. “The word feminist assumes that everything is geared against women,” Meyer said. “Feminists are better described as egalitarians, such as myself ” If feminism is to be widely ac-
cepted as an egalitarian attitude, instead of one totally-driven by women, the movement needs to be spread with a lighter hand, Meyer believes. “In order to get people to change you have to mold yourself to accommodate as many people as possible. You can’t expect people to change to accommodate your beliefs even if you believe that they are correct,” said Meyer. “That’s the major flaw in the feminist movement.” Of all Americans, 85% agree with gender equality. However, only 18% consider themselves feminists. To Assistant Principal Scott Jespersen, that gap is surprising. “I never encountered [the negative connotation] as a teacher and so that discrepancy surprises me,” Jespersen said. Carrell is among the 18%. “It’s never occurred to me not to consider myself a feminist,” said Carrel. “It’s
just something that makes sense.” Perhaps because of the term’s relative unpopularity, identifying as a feminist can sometimes lead to bullying and harassment. Carrell is one of the many proud feminists who has been bullied on social media and by her peers for identifying with the word. “People make subtle jabs,” Carrell said. “I think almost anyone who considers themselves a feminist has been called a ‘feminazi’ at one time.” Despite the reactions she sometimes faces, Carrell believes the word feminist is important. “I think someday we won’t need the term ‘feminist.’ But right now with rape being what it is and violence against women being what it is, we absolutely need the term,” Carrel said ”It’s not going to change anytime soon.”
Students from all around the state gathered at various high schools to audition for the All-State Music Festival on Saturday, October 24th. Students start preparing months in advance for a five minute audition in front of a judge who scores and selects which musicians will accepted. This year, out of the students City sent, 27 were accepted into the All-State Band, Choir and Orchestra. First time All-Stater Wade Carter ‘17 was accepted on bass trombone and says he had just started with a new teacher when he got his audition materials. “I was really, really nervous,” Carter says. “I’d never [auditioned] before.” Carter says that there is a lot of subjectiveness in the audition process. “A lot of people that deserve to get in don’t,” Carter says. “And there are people that do get in that probably shouldn’t”. Cassie Birnbaum ‘17 is a two year All-Stater on the oboe and she says that ICCSD is one of the hardest districts to audition in because Iowa City has a lot of strong music programs. “You could get in if you were in a different district,” Birnbaum says. “But you can’t in this district, and I think that is really stupid.” Birnbaum says that it is frustrating because the judges don’t only judge on a student’s sound, but also on their form during the audition. “I think that there are a lot of uncontrollable variables that affect whether people get in or not,” Joseph Stoltz ‘17, an accepted trombonist, said. “Like if the judge is tired or just want to get it over with, and even the timing of the audition [is a variable].” Despite the numerous nuances of the All State audition, all three musicians said that they were happy with their auditions and that they had found ways to improve over the months of preparation. “I practiced every day,” Stoltz said. “I started a lot slower this year so that I could gradually build up, and I didn’t feel rushed.” Cellist John Paul Rethwisch ‘18 was accepted into the orchestra last year. However, this year, as it was with an uncharacteristically high number of people from City High, he was not. “I thought it went pretty well,” Rethwisch says. “I missed a couple notes, but I played the best I could.” Rethwisch said that it was disappointing to not be accepted this year, but that he was happy with the way he played overall. “I was probably not as prepared this year with cross country and everything,” Rethwisch said. “But I also feel like a lot of getting in is luck.”
LH ONLINE www.thelittlehawk.com
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the crossword In honor of National Novel Writing Month, the answers to this crossword are the authors of the famous book quote listed.
Unusal Thanksgiving Dishes 1. Hamloaf 2. Rainbow jello 3. Snickers apple salad 4. Ham and bannana casserole 5. Carrot soufflĂŠ 6. Marshmallowtopped sweet potatos 7. Hot and cold punch 8. Turducken 9. Fruit and veggie jam 10. Turkey corn chowder 11. Thanksgiving ramen 12. Turkey and cranberry cupcake 13. Pumpkin cornbread 14. Thanksgiving hummus
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NEWS
The Changing Face of American Education
When former University of Iowa President S
Weighing the Balance Between Education and Profit The University of Iowa examines its role in the national trend of ‘University, Inc.’
By Claire Noack & Olivia Parrott
Colorful envelopes, fliers, and postcards sprawled across the coffee table, all emblazoned with a different university’s name. Izzi teDuits ‘16 felt overwhelmed by their brightly colored slogans and the flood of statistical promises. “Honestly, if I had never heard of the college before, I just threw them away,” teDuits said. “I didn’t want to waste my time with those.” The growing stacks of mail loudly advertising various universities and colleges are only a part of a larger trend many have observed; Universities marketing and operating in an increasingly corporate manner. On October 21, hundreds of University of Iowa students, faculty, and staff gathered outside the Iowa Memorial Union. Their signs read “Iowa Universities are not for sale” and “Say no to University, Inc.” They gathered to protest the selection of J. Bruce Harreld as the next U of I president, and to demand that the Board of Regents resign. “I hope that they do resign,” Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies Landon Storrs said. “But even if they don’t, I hope that a message was sent to the board and to our incoming president.” Storrs and others at the University expressed worry about Harreld’s lack of university administrative experience, as he has spent his career in the private sector. “I am concerned about appointing an individual who has no experience in higher education,” Storrs said. “Mr. Harreld is coming from a very different world.” Harreld was picked from a field of four final candidates, the other three had much wider support. “Nobody, at the time, thought it made any sense to hire a complete novice when we had three candidates who were very ex-
perienced,” Professor Katherine H. Tachau said. Despite the lack of support for Harreld, the Board of Regents unanimously appointed him on Sept. 3, effective Nov. 2. Colleges begin competing early for who can reach, through emails and letters alike, prospective students most frequently. Blown up photos of newly-constructed facilities, and a seemingly innumerable amount of programs are meant to impress students. “The college application process is this really weird, kind of mutual seduction,” New York Times guest opinion writer Fredrick deBoer said. “Where colleges want the best students, and students want the best college.” American universities, deBoer believes, have morphed into institutions which place less emphasis on education, and more in the quantity of activities that may have little connection to the quality of education that the university provides. “They’re very much in a need-to, competitive atmosphere,” deBoer said. “What happens is that grows to the administrative side of the university, and the administrative side is inherently corporate.” Universities prevailed for a long time in the feudal system, meaning they had a loose, top-down organization that originat-
ed in the feudal period in Germany. Their main purpose was to educate the elite. As access to universities was expanded, the changes were enforced by top-down regulation, creating the large administrative bodies that exist today. “The problem is that kind of bureaucratic system mushrooms, it just gets bigger and bigger over time,” deBoer said. DeBoer is quick to mention that not all administrative aspects of a university are negative. “Even though I’m opposed to many of the impacts of the corporate trend,” he said. “Part of the reason why it’s happening is because of very well-meaning changes to the structure of universities.” Storrs finds the corporate bend of universities concerning as well. “I am fine with corporations, but I think that there should be areas that are not run according to market values,” she said. “And I think that education is one of them.” Tachau similarly believes that there is a sharp distinction between a business’s goal and a university’s goal. “Of course we have business aspects to what we do, just as a high school does,” Tachau said. “But a high school is not run in order to make a profit, and neither is a university.” One of Storr’s main concerns with an in-
“I WANT MY KID TO BE ABLE TO GET A JOB WHEN HE FINISHES, BUT I DON’T THINK THAT WORKFORCE TRAINING IS THE ONLY PURPOSE OF HIGHER EDUCATION.”
-LANDON STORRS
corporated university is the large focus on matching student training to current trends in what the workforce needs. “I think it’s great to have that, I want my kid to be able to get a job when he finishes,” Storrs said. “But I don’t think that workforce training is the only purpose of higher education.” Storrs also sees a move to, in the name of efficiency and of profitability, cut smaller programs that may not bring much income or glory to the university. “People should be able to think deeply about the meaning of life, and citizenship, and a lot of really important areas would be lost if we only focused on a really short term definition of what’s profitable,” Storrs said. The cultivation of the university’s intellectual atmosphere would be compromised, deBoer believes. TeDuits considers the impact the canceling of smaller programs would have on her college experience. “I’m excited about Iowa because it does have a lot of opportunities. But if [the U of I] didn’t have them, I would definitely stay more in my shell,” she said. “I wouldn’t branch out and make as many new friends, most likely, and I wouldn’t try new experiences. And a lot of the time, that’s when you find things that you’re passionate about,” teDuits said. “My experience would not be as good.” Not only would a less diverse university experience affect a student’s schooling experience, some would lack the development of skills that will be beneficial in future endeavors. Even if you get a job, you’re going to have to keep learning new things. If you practice learning, you’ll be better at those things,” teDuits said. “When you get a new job you’re going to have to learn to make sure you can adapt to new social environments.”
NEWS
A9
November 6, 2015
Sally Mason announced her intention to retire on January 15th of this year, the U of I searched and scanned for new leadership. Post-decision, the Board of Regents received a lot of backlash in their supposed predetermined pick.
High Schools Consider New Core Course Computer science was relatively unexplored until the 1970s. Now, the field has diffused across every level of education. By Sofie Lie When Dan Reed was in high school, he attended a summer physics class where he was first introduced to computer programming. The program Reed was using allowed him to plot the bouncing of a ball, and he quickly became fascinated by the ability to bring mathematics to life. “Computing is, at its most basic level, about how to solve complex problems,” said Reed, who is a professor of computer science at the University of Iowa. “It’s about splitting [the problem] into pieces, and thinking about how to solve the sub problems, and how to make an integrated solution.” Reed now advocates for this type of experience for every student in high school. While he is the current chair of computational science at the University of Iowa, he had previously worked as a corporate vice president for Microsoft, where he was responsible for global policy. “All of my life has been sort of at this boundary of computing, and how it touches the world,” Reed said. It was Reed’s early experience, however, that led him to shift his focus from physics to computer science and go on to become one of the first computer science majors in the 1970s, when computer science departments were first established at the university level. Reed explained that it is precisely this early exposure that is so important. “[Computer science] is a far more fascinating topic than most people realize, just because it can be used for so many things,” Reed said. “That’s why exposing people to what it really is and then letting them make their own choice, as opposed to either exposing them to a bad version of it or never exposing them to it is important.” Max Hastings ‘17 had a similar experience to Reed when he first developed an interest for computing. Hastings enjoyed the programming aspect
of an engineering class he took as a freshman, so he decided to pursue his interest in computing and signed up for City High’s sole computing course, AP computer science, last year. Hastings credits the course for highlighting his interest in computer science. “When I signed up for it, I was already geared towards it, but it has definitely put it more forefront in my mind,” he said. “Even if you’re not going to use [programming], it helps you to understand how pretty much everything works. Electronics and programming are the basis of our life.” Both Reed and Hastings’ views on early exposure reflect the priorities of many school districts across the United States that are either requiring that computer science be offered at the high school level or requiring it as a core course. School districts in Chicago recently made the decision to require computer science in order to graduate high school, a policy that will be fully implemented in 2018, and New York City has aimed to at least offer a computer science class to all high school students. “Anybody who is going to major in an engineering field or a computer science field or a mathematics field would benefit [from a computer science course], or any kind of computer graphics,” Danelle Knoche said. Knoche has taught computer science for 16 years at the high school level, and has watched the computer science program at City High evolve over the years. Although the program has switched over from the computing language C++ to Java, Knoche is assured that the importance of computing lies in coding rather than in language. “If you know the basics of how to code, you can really go to any language, I tell my students that all the time,” she said. “However, the logic and the flow of programming has been the same forever.” The logic of programming has become increasingly more popular; at
Stanford University, computer science is now the most popularly declared major. Knoche believes that the increasing demand for computing skills is leading to this popularity. “There are a lot of startup companies that have these great ideas about something they want to accomplish, but most people don’t have coding schools in order to start up their company,” she said. Although Iowa does not currently have a high school requirement for computer science, Governor Terry Branstad’s STEM Advisory Council is working to make computer science more accessible to students. Reed believes that this is beneficial as it prompts critical thinking that can apply to any subject. “The thing that’s really interesting about [computer science] is that, unlike other sciences that are only applicable in certain places, computing is universally applicable,” he said. “An education in computer science is the liberal arts education for a technological century.” One of the main reasons that school districts are implementing computer science requirement policies is to address the misrepresentation of women and minorities in technologically based careers. Although Reed advocates for the expansion of computer science programs at the high school level, he doubts it will address this misrepresentation. “That sort of gender bias starts to happen before high school, and even much earlier than that,” Reed said. Despite this, Reed describes a new outlook as the greatest benefit of taking computer science courses; not job opportunities. “Computing cuts across so many things that we do today, so understanding how computers work and those skills have really broad help,” he said. “It’s not so much about learning computing because it is a job, but learning computing because it’s a way to think about the world.”
Top five highest paying majors 1) Engineering 2) Computer Science 3)Physics 4)Mathematics 5)Economics According to Bankrate.com
A10 OPINION
LH
September 25, 2015
Staff Editorial: University Inc. Year by year, University Inc. is moving farther from a concept and closer to a worrying reality
Executive Editors
dominic balestrieri-fox, sonali durham & claire noack
News Editor olivia parrott
Opinion Editors
cody owen & ellis fontana
Feature Editor caroline brown
Sports Editor
brady vanlo & jonathan house
Photo Editors
caroline brown & max gruber
A&E Editor
jonas geerdes
Copy Editor
madeline deninger
Ad Manager
bella pittman
Online Editors
nova meurice & sarah smith
Online Opinion Editors
sadie hobbs & lydia kauffnan
Online News Editors
sofie lie & lucy mcgehee
Social Media Editor claire goodfellow
Media Editors
innes hicsasmaz & sophia schlesinger
Staff
jack ballard, sam bloom, serena collins, joseph cress, estie dillard, bianca esquivel, victor fesenmeyer, gabe gibbens, jim geerdes, zoe hopewell, shanice johnson, lydia kauffmann, lucy mcgehee, robin menietti, sam naylor, lilly o’brien, anna penta, jake russel, frederick stumbo, aminata traore, a.j. boulund, paige etten, kyle irishgorvin, daniel massey, miles pei, micaela selck, ayla canin, nathan cremers, maya durham, duncan forbes, molly liu, brittney pirkl, raz schlutter, karl thomas, gabriel weigel
Adviser
jonathan rogers
Online Bios and Stories
www.thelittlehawk.com/staff
mission statement
The Little Hawk, the student newspaper of City High School, aims to inform, educate and entertain readers; to provide an educational opportunity for the students who produce it; and to provide a medium for commercial advertising. Equity Statements
It is the policy of the Iowa City Community School District not to discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, disability, or socioeconomic status in its educational programs, activities, or employment practices. If you believe you have (or your child has) been discriminated against or treated unjustly at school, please contact the Equity Director, Ross Wilburn, at 509 S. Dubuque Street, 319-688-1000.
ART BY NOVA MEURICE
In many ways, our world is not the world of our parents and grandparents. And one of the biggest differences is the disturbing and increasingly apparent shift of universities from academic institutions to what more closely resemble businesses. A great example of this happened here in Iowa City several months ago in the election of the University of Iowa’s new president. The most glaring example is the astronomically high cost of attending college today. The fact that so many Americans are in debt because of their education that it’s a presidential issue seems absurd. 40 million Americans collectively owe the government around a trillion dollars in student loan debt. The College Board estimates that the yearly budget for someone attending an in-state public college to be around $23,000, with a yearly budget for someone attending an in-state private college at a bit over $46,000. Yet, according to the job placement firm Adecco, 60% of college grads can’t find work in their field. That means that the college system is gradually becoming more of a hustle. Colleges are constantly leading tours and sending letters and postcards portraying their immaculately groomed campuses in order to enchant and entice more young people to come there and pay them small fortunes. Behind the scenes, according to the New England Center for Investigative Reporting, many colleges now employ more senior administrators than professors. Such a massive bureaucratic staff is
away from ideas that they disagree with. That can only lead to a massive demographic of small-minded people who take it as a personal insult to be presented with an idea they disagree with. People do not have a right to not be offended, and a large group of people that think they’re entitled to such a right would be a very dangerous thing. The issue has been brought to the public eye close to home lately with the appointing of the former IBM executive Bruce Harreld. Harreld is a businessman who gained the office with the support of Iowa governor Terry Branstad. However, he has next to no previous education experience. In fact, less than two percent of the University of Iowa faculty felt that he was qualified for the position, according to the Des Moines Register. So, naturally, the faculty was surprised when Harreld was named president. After he was named president, the Faculty Senate at the University issued a vote of no-confidence in the Iowa Board of Regents, a move which was then backed by faculty groups at Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa. So then why would such a man be appointed to run a university? Because he isn’t there to run a school, which is something he is not qualified to do. He’s there to run a business, which is what he’s done for years and is adept at. Knowing all of this, one has to wonder how far this trend will go. Either way, the shift in colleges’ focus from education to business is worrying. If there is to be a change, it needs to start with the students.
Do modern universities more closely resemble businesses or academic institutions?
needed to maintain what the modern college has become: a massive business that needs an army of regulators and worker-bees to maintain its day-today operations. This can be seen just as easily in the shift that has occurred in campus culture over the last few years. College campuses were once places where young people were exposed to new ideas. Yet in the modern college environment there has been a frightening cultural shift. Many colleges now employ speech codes, many of which are ambiguous and non-specific about the actions they prohibit, in order to prevent their students from becoming offended. Likewise, colleges in recent years have disinvited speakers at an alarming rate, around 50% since 2013 according to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, to prevent offending their students. While I do understand that there are certain subjects that are sensitive, people shouldn’t be deliberately kept
OPINION
November 6, 2015
Advocating for a Phub-Free Zone By Lucy Wagner The world in which my generation has grown up in has seen many technological advances, with the iPhone typically at the center of our universe. Almost everyone has access to social media accounts such as Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter. And while I’ll be the first one to say I have possessed an unhealthy relationship to my phone, I’m increasingly concerned with how our relationships with others are being defined by this small piece of metal that accompanies us wherever we go. This technology may be the future, but is that entirely a good thing? One of my biggest pet peeves is hanging out with someone, only to have them constantly checking their phone for texts, Snaps, and other social media notifications. Many members of my generation are guilty of unknowingly “phubbing”—a mix of “phone” and “snubbing”—a new term coined to describe the act of interacting with your phone instead of paying attention to the people around you, or using the phone as a distraction if a conversation turns awkward. Certainly I have been in that situation. But in reality, this generally makes the scenario more awkward. It leaves me with the impression that my friend would rather be doing something else. I realize that the majority of the time phubbing is instinctive to our generation and that we are not purposefully doing it to be rude. Honestly, though, I
would much rather make plans with someone I know will put away their phone when we are together rather than someone I know will have it out and compulsively check it. We are beginning to increasingly rely on the internet for communication and rely less on “in-person” relationships with our friends. Our generation has become quite adequate at interacting through texts and snaps - but we often lack the ability to converse in person. According to a poll conducted by stopphubbing.com, 87% of teens said they preferred holding a conversation via text over faceto-face interaction. Many of the text conversations conducted over the phone is small talk. That is, light exchanges that are not crucial to maintaining friendships but which help to maintain some degree of contact. When discussion dwindles and there is an awkward silence, what does our generation do? We rely on our phone like a crutch. It creates the optical illusion that we have very important things to attend to and, oh no this conversation isn’t awkward! It’s just very urgent that I check so-and-so’s Instagram to find out who they went to the game with last night! Can you imagine a future in which couples sit in silence because they can only communicate via text? Can you imagine a future in which real smiles are replaced by emojis?
A11 Thumbs
Anti-Bullying Month The end of the tri Double plays this fall Burkle’s new shoes Both girls and boys XC teams making it to State this year Ascots Whatever Trump uses to achieve that sublime shade
The All-State audition process The end of the tri
Let There Be Cake!
Wet leaves
By Sadie Hobbs and Rasmus Schlutter School holiday parties. What every kid and teenager dreams about during school as the holidays draw near. Imagine you are sitting in the desk waiting for the sugary, fat filling goodness to be passed out, only to realize that the treats this year are raw celery and broccoli. All over the country, this is the new reality for every school in the nation. Healthy food instead of sweets. Yuck! The Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, School Snacks Act, and our School Wellness Policy were set in stone to target hunger caused by poverty and to make the kids of America healthy (a.k.a less obese). It is a clear fact that America is one of the most obese countries in the world; the average person weighs 24 pounds more now than the average person in the 1960’s, according to The State of Obesity website. Over 31% of children and teenagers in 2012 were obese or overweight. Our government is trying hard, almost too
hard, to fix this problem. These new laws and policies are taking away our right, as students, to eat whatever we want at school. They are OUR bodies, so we should decide what we put in them. If the government wants to really encourage change, they should allow students opportunities to learn about food and access to the foods they enjoy. These legislative efforts are looking to provide a short term solution to a long term problem. The government can’t decide what we eat. This is America. If we want cake, then let us eat cake! The regulations on food at school won’t help in the long run. We can just go home after school and binge eat all the tasty processed food anyway. Can’t the government tell that normal teenagers don’t want to eat raw vegetables for lunch everyday? The teachers even break the rules and bring us sweets. We all know when a teacher says they brought the class a vegetable platter with carrot bread, they
actually mean they brought the class cupcakes and candy but we need to keep quiet about it. (Shout out to all the teachers that actually do that). There are two ways of dealing with the obesity problem. One way is doing things by law. This method does not work because it is impossible to force people to eat healthy and exercise regularly. Even if these laws somehow manage that, students are free to eat whatever they’d like once they get home from school. Eating desserts and “bad foods” every once in awhile is completely okay. The U.S. needs to come up with a different way in dealing with this problem. Encouraging cultural change and educating people about how to eat better and maintain a healthy weight, instead of taking away sweets in the classroom and regulating the school lunches to only serve the healthiest of foods, is a much more effective method of encouraging healthly habits.
City High=no drone zone Ham cubes Tripping Tripping and falling
A12
November 6, 2015
Gun Control By Miles Pei Every week there are stories about unarmed civilians being fatally shot; gun control is not being regulated properly. A main issue is that semi-automatic rifles are highly unnecessary. Unless you’re being robbed by four or five intruders, I don’t see why a semi-auto rifle is needed. Maybe if this was the Los Angeles Riots of 92’ I could understand why you might need a semi-automatic rifle where Korean store owners armed themselves with AR-15s. The whole point of a semi-automatic or fully automatic rifle is to deal the most of damage in the smallest amount of time. The most common gun in America is the Colt M1911; the Bushmaster AR-15 is the 3rd most common and uses a semi-automatic firing system. The same gun that was used by Adam Lanza during the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting. Of the 12 most deadly shootings in America, half have included a semi-automatic rifle. If guns are going to be legal, semi-autos need be regulated just like fully automatics which require massive amounts of paperwork.
“
SILENT
“Satan’s got game.” -Mr. Hartwig
“Imagine me on deadline week if I was loaded.” -Mr. Rogers
“I am overflowing with the milk of human kindness.” -Dr. McReynolds
“It’s all fun and games until someone goes to Malaysian prison.” -Mr. Dodge
“
RIGHT TO REMAIN
I’ve always thought guns do more harm than good, and I stand by that opinion. My second cousin was carjacked after getting into her car from work. The man pulled a gun on her and told her to drive; she was later shot. Every time a gun injures or kills in self‐defense, one is used 7 times in criminal assault or homicide. Those numbers are massive compared to Japan’s one in ten million gun-homicides every year. I’m not surprised by these statistics because over 75 guns are owned by every 100 persons in the U.S. This doesn’t mean we should get rid of guns, but it definitely shows why gun violence is so high. I’m sure the majority of people will agree that something needs to be done about the use of guns. The only problem is we, the people of the United States, cannot decide on what the correct solution is and how it can effectively implemented into our laws. I believe it’s the gun and the person rather than the gun or the person.
OPINION
Keeping the Bottom From Falling Out
By Cody Owen The sad truth is that it is unrealistic to expect any politician to follow through with their promises. It’s not that they’re bad people, or bad at their job (though that has indeed happened in the past); it’s simply that stuff happens. Circumstances change, and one has to adapt. On October 15th, President Barack Obama announced that 5,500 troops will remain in Afghanistan at the end of 2015, which is a far larger number than the promise Obama made in 2014 to have only 1,000 troops remaining in the country by the end of 2015. While this might seem like the typical actions of a politician to go back on their promises, this measure is, sadly, a necessary one. As of this year, the Taliban controls more of the country of Afghanistan than the group has since 2001 and is encroaching on the Faryab region in the north of the country, where the country derives a great deal of it’s wealth. This situation conjures up thoughts of the current state of Iraq, where large portions of the country have come under the control of the Islamic State since the withdrawing of American troops in 2011. We returned to Iraq in a limited fashion in 2014 in order to aid in the fight against the Islamic State. The seemingly never-ending situation in Afghanistan has been a thorn in the side of the U.S. government and a burden on the American people for over a decade, and the instability of the region has existed ever since the invasion of Afghanistan by the Soviet Union. This led to the rise of extremist groups to combat the intruders, and the influence of those groups continues into today. The truth of the matter is that the region isn’t nearly stable enough for the U.S. to feel good about withdrawing. If we did, the immediate outcome of withdrawing would be a surge in violence as the Taliban and the Afghan government clash for control of the region. A year afterward, the country could very well once again be controlled by the Taliban and become a haven and training ground for terrorist organizations seeking to attack the Western world. Knowing this, the safe thing to do is to leave troops in the country until the government of Afghanistan can stand on it’s own. Though it does leave a bad taste in my mouth, and I’m sure that sentiment is shared by President Obama. It’s the best course of action in a bad situation.
Check out Politikid, Nerd Nook, Dunkin’ With Duncan, Bradycardia, Overexposed, and lots of other awesome blogs on thelittlehawk.com
OPINION
A13
November 6, 2015
Let’s Get Satirical: Insta-Famous
Saving Private Damon... Again By Ellis Fontana
By Sophia Schlesinger
A cloudless sky, massive slabs of rock and stone rising above, a never ending expanse of red desert, the distant sound of disco music. This is the main setting of The Martian, the latest in a string of space movies of the last couple years. The Martian stars Matt Damon as Mark Watney, a botanist/astronaut on the Ares III manned-mission to Mars. An incredible experience quickly goes sour when a massive storm hits the Ares III mission site, forcing Watney’s fellow crewmates (Jessica Chastain, Michael Pena, Kate Mara, etc.) to evacuate the planet without him when it appears that he was killed in the storm. Much to the world’s surprise, Watney survived the storm and now finds himself in the troubling position of having to live for four years on Mars while he waits for the next manned-mission to reach him. The film is directed by Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator) and also stars Jeff Daniels, Kristen Wiig, Sean Bean, Donald Glover, and Chiwetel Ejiofor. As someone who considers himself a space nerd, The Martian was a highly anticipated film of 2015 for me. I had heard only good reviews of the book by Andy Weir that the movie is based on. On top of that, early reviews of the movie were favorable. Needless to say I walked into my 10:45 showing with high expectations, and they were certainly met. The Martian is (arguably) the best space movie since Gravity in 2013. Grounded in reality and based on real science, The Martian manages to create a feel of the mystery and wonder about space without bringing in multidimensional beings, shaky science that doesn’t make sense, and love conquering all (I’m looking at you, Interstellar). The movie hits all the right notes: well shot, well acted, good mix of CGI and practical effects, good soundtrack, well written, nice humor, and nice to look at. Everything that you want in a good space movie and more. However, as is the case with almost every movie that has ever existed, there are some flaws. While for the most part the movie flowed pretty well, there was one location/group of characters that always managed to slow down the movie from a nice steady pace to a limp: the other crewmembers. Led by Jessica Chastain’s character, the crew is left on the Hermes spacecraft flying away from Mars for several months while believing that they left their dead crew member on the red planet. While this could be a
good time to explore the noncooperation and harshness of space, the crew instead end up being incredibly boring with little to no character differentiation and literally nothing to do for 90% of the movie. This is a real shame, because both Watney and the characters on Earth who work for NASA are very interesting and well developed, whereas on the Hermes they all feel like the same character! There is literally a scene where all the crew members sit down to make a decision, and they all make the same decision. It’s just a bit annoying when the movie sets up a scene for good conflict between characters, and then they just let it drop. Apart from that, all my other complaints about the film had nothing to do with the movie itself. While watching The Martian I was faced with one of the most infuriating situations I can think of: texting in a crowded, dark theatre. Here’s a tip to future movie goers out there: DON’T TEXT DURING A MOVIE. Especially if you’re too inconsiderate to even turn down the brightness when there is someone RIGHT BEHIND YOU THAT ACTUALLY CARES ABOUT THE MOVIE. Here’s another tip; if you’re going to pay the ridiculous 15$ to go see a movie, it would probably be a good idea to actually watch the movie. Just a thought. Despite these flaws, The Martian was a great film that I would highly recommend. Not only is it a return to form for Ridley Scott, but also for science fiction movies in general. There’s been a rather unfortunate trend in the last ten-ish years of science fiction movies. Most of them have been about the bleak and unfortunate future involving a dystopian society where everyone lives in misery, and it’s up to a small group of plucky rebels to fight back against the power. While this can make good movies, it also represents the future and technological advancement as something that one would dread. This is in stark contrast to science fiction movies of the past that often emphasized the beauty and wonder of the universe, giving the common people an interest in space and the space program. With the recent discovery of water on Mars, one can only hope that, paired with The Martian, America can find a newfound fervor and desire to explore the stars again. So if you happen to be interested in that kind of stuff, as you should, do yourself and your world a favor and go see The Martian.
Top 10
movies to treat Halloween withdrawal 1. Halloween
5. Dracula
8. Rosemary’s Baby
John Carpenter, 1978
Tod Browning, 1931
Roman Polanski, 1968
2. The Excorcist
6. Alien
9. The Evil Dead
Ridley Scott, 1979
Sam Raimi, 1981
7. Night of the Living Dead
10. Scream
William Friedkin, 1973
3. A Nightmare on Elm Street Wes Craven, 1984
4. The Shining Stanley Kubrick, 1980
George Romero, 1968
Wes Craven, 1996
Dear reader, I, at 17 years old, have come to stand at a threshold. The cool breeze of adulthood is still gentle, almost refreshing at this vantage point. However, some kind of animal instinct, like that of a deer seeking shelter before a storm, warns me that this gentle breeze will become a wind; the wind, a storm; the storm, a hurricane. And I am afraid, dear reader, of being knocked on my ass. So I have made the decision to avoid adulthood entirely and instead become an Instagram model. Any good American knows that the real dream is to be rich and famous for doing absolutely nothing. I wish to land myself in a situation where I can literally take a selfie wearing Ray-Bans, and have the company pay me for simply carrying on in my awesome life while wearing their sunglasses. Caption: “I have to put on my Ray-Bans to protect my eyes from that hot Hamptons sun.” That, or maybe just a relevant emoji… It could be anything, really; my followers worship the digitized ground I post pictures of myself on. I am goals, I am perfection, I am triple-heart-eyed emojis-- tag your friends and family in the comments. Did I mention my Youtube channel? I don’t have that many videos out yet, but just enough. The first video is of my significant other (a model, of course) and I skydiving out of a private jet into our private resort in Bali where we are met with fancy drinks, a custom lambo, and a puppy, just for fun. Yeah, that’s right. You thought you knew success. Ha. Screw you. This is just another Tuesday. I’ll post things on social media about “thank God it’s Friday,” but who am I kidding? My life is the perpetuation of the best of day of your life. Then, when I finally feel like being an adult, maybe I’ll start my own online clothing company and hire myself as the model. It’ll be a cute little website where you can gradually mold yourself to look exactly like me-- but you’ll never be me! I’ll start my own website and record literally every second of my life in some manner, and you can make an account and drool over my lifestyle. This is how it begins, but then I begin to creep into every crack of the internet, into your bubbly, fake internet-based news sources, into your trusted news sources. The New York Times would like you to know how I do my makeup, and the video will go right up next to the headline regarding some humanitarian crisis happening somewhere… but which link will you click? Mine, of course. That first world vanity will get you every time; we only see what we want to see (which is also why I am having my nose done). Our America doesn’t care about the truth; it only cares what’s pretty. A person could think “is all that spending really necessary? Couldn’t they help a brother out, somewhere?” However, a person can also be subdued so easily by all those pretty pictures-- rose gold in the Jamaican sun, preserved eternally in a digital frame. A person could sigh, and continue to cling desperately to their phone as though it were a line connecting their world to that fantastic existence inside the glass.
Want to learn how to make some fantastic pasta? Follow this link:
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NOVEmber 6, 2015 A&E
ARTS
BONFIRE RECORDS
Four past City Alum band together to form their own record label. CalleD BonFire Records, they plan to deliver Content For the masses.
& ENTERTAINMENT
Schier A City alum, Kole Butler, or Schier, is a legend on campus. One of the founder’s of Bonfire Records, Schier is thier first recording artist. His beats are revoulationary and his electronic productions will change the way you listen.
SPACEMAN A rapper based out of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Spaceman is both fluent in lyrics and dance, with his music videos recieving thousands of views on Youtube. His syle is one you will remeber.
Tim Serin A native of Turkey, Serin spends his time producing house music, an eletronic, dancing beat typically played at clubs. At 16, Serin’s tracks are ages ahead of him.
E
By Jonas Geerdes
dgar Thornton wakes up every morning and begins his classes at Harvard University. At the end of each day, he skypes four friends all located in Iowa City. Thornton is one of the four co-founding members of Bonfire Records. He acts as CEO of the business: a business he helps manage 1,000 miles away. “It’s not actually that hard,” Thornton explained. “A lot of the communication we do isn’t physical. We’re not a store, we’re a record company.” Thornton communicates with the other cofounders , City High alum Calvin Windschitl, Kole Butler, and Quinn Hostager via the Internet. The idea came from a text Hostager sent to Thornton. After that Thorton contacted Windschitl and Butler to see if they were interested in joining the label. “At first I was joking, saying that Kole and I were planning to start a label anyway,” Windschitl said. Windschitl, who acts as the marketing director for Bonfire Records, said that it evolved into something entirely. “It was the perfect situation,” Windschitl said. “We all had our own unique skillset to make a balanced skillset.” The company formed in early2015 spring, signing Butler or “Schier” as their first artist. “We needed to put a face on our label,” Windschitl explained. “And then we immediately thought of Schier, and we attached his music to the label.” Butler said that the next step was a logical one. “We started to reach out to more artists,” Butler said. “It’s a hard process to find new artists that take us seriously. You have to look the part and act like you know what you’re ART BY AJ BOULAND
doing. And it’s really hard doing that through an email or a skype.” Windschitl, who also works as one of main recruiters, explains they look for artists through their soundcloud, searching for sound that will be the next big thing. As of now, Bonfire Records’s artists experiment with trap, eletronic, and house genres. Windschitl explains that the label just wants to find a quality sound. “We just want to find good artists who have a passion for what they’re doing. We want artists who love music and love making it,” Windschitl said. “That really appeals to anyone. Rap, Blue, R&B etc. We just love quality content.” After picking up Schier, the label contacted several artists including Tim Serin, who later joined the team as one of their main content creators. Serin is a 16-year old house music maker who hails from Turkey. He splits his time between there and the UK. “They contacted me one day and said they liked the sound of the music,” Sein said. “They offered me a contract and the rest was history.” Serin said he agreed to the contract because he was excited for the opportunity and expiernce. Windschitl added that Serin had a lot of talent for his age. “He is just full of potential and is overall a great artist,” Windschitl commented on Serin. “There is a lot of talent for a kid his age.” Serin explained that he liked working with the label as well. “They’re very understanding,” Serin said. “They’re flexible with their release dates and they are good guys in general.’ The label explains that they want to work with their artists and help them grow into the industry. “Our goal is to help establish our artists in the music industry,” Butler explained. “We want them to grow along with their.” With a Soundcloud following of over 900 users, the group continues to accel rapidly. Windschitl believes that as the artists continue to grow so will the company. “It’s a big and hard industry to get into,” Windschitl said. “Right now we’re just trying to make a presence and get our foot in the door.”
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A&E November 6, 2015 ART BY AJ BOULAND
top 7 SONGS for some R&R according to music lover SADIE HOBBS
1
Colors of the Wind Marilyn Bines
2 99
Red Balloons
Sleeping at Last
eNTER THE unknowN
3 Not
About Angels
Birdy
The Witching Hour festival emerges out of downtown Iowa City to delve into and explore the unknown. By Rasmus Schlutter
From Art to Jazz, Iowa City is no stranger to festivals, but the newest addition to the Iowa City festival scene is looking to do things a little differently. “The Witching Hour is a brand new festival that we are starting with Little Village magazine,” Aly High, Director of Marketing at the Englert Theater, explained. “It’s a two day festival from November 6th to 7th, and it’s very multidisciplinary.” The Witching Hour is hoping to set itself apart from other festivals in a number of ways. First, the festival began booking performers in June, relatively early compared to similar festivals. Along with that, the festival has had curators from many different groups, including the Englert Theatre, the Little Village Magazine, Sphere Studios, Mission Creek Festival, and FilmScene. Most notably, the Witching Hour will have a specific theme: the unknown. “Some people are taking the idea of the unknown very literally,” High said. “Cornelia Lang, an astrophysicist at the University of Iowa, is delving into what’s in a black hole, but then Brian Posehn, a comedian, is trying crazy stuff where he is both a metal musician and a comedian.” The organizers hope the theme of the unknown will allow both groups and individuals at the Witching Hour to engage in greater dialogue with its audience as well as its fellow performers. “I believe the intersection of art, culture, and science is a very interesting and vibrant place to be working and thinking,” Dr. Cornelia Lang, associate professor at the University of Iowa, said. “I like the idea of combining performances and disciplines around a theme, rather than to always be stuck in the ‘silos’ of what we are supposed to be doing.”
For Lang, the festival is also an opportunity for people to learn about the unknown from sources they wouldn’t normally come in contact with. “The unknown is an exciting place. In astronomy, we often refer to the unknown as the ‘Known Unknown’ because there are things we don’t understand but we know are out there,” Lang explained. The structure and format of the festival builds upon the theme and allows both performers and speakers to have a specific time for their performances. “Witching Hour is in the time of day where it turns from day to night and so it’s a mysterious, spooky unknown,” High explained. “The festival is laid out with performances at night and discussion during the day.” For frequent festival-goers like Sophie Gottler ‘17, the Witching Hour is a welcome addition to the scene. “I have been to the Jazz Fest and the Arts Fest, and you can really see how performance can bring people together there,” Gottler said. “I think the Witching Hour could really bring something new and interesting to Iowa City.” Both the layout and the artists at Witching Hour mean that the festival can appeal to people with various interests. “I know that sounds very generic, but there is something there that will make you feel something at Witching Hour,” High said. High hopes that the unconventional setup and organization of the festival will make it a particularly enlightening experience. “It’s important for young people to go out and really figure out what they like and not just what their peers like,” High said. “I think Witching Hour is a really great opportunity for that.”
4 5
The Scientist Coldplay
Hallelujah Rufus Wainwright
6
LET HER GO Passenger
7 RIVer
Flows IN
You
Yirumia
Shoes.
A Blog by max gruber
ABOVE: Max Gruber ‘16 poses with his Aidas Tubular Primknit BOTTOM: Gruber also poses Comme des Garcons Converse. PHOTOS BY MAX GRUBER
Sneaker collecting has been a growing hobby since the advent of the athletic shoe. A hobby which grew in the 1980s, and has since grown dramatically. Today, exclusive shoe releases are announced months in advance and sell out in minutes. In many cases, these shoes are the result of a collaberation between brands. A growing number of fashion and celebrity brands have partnered with more traditional shoe manufactureres to create these exclusive models. Sneakers such as the Adidas x Kanye West Yeezys, Supreme x Air Jordan, and the classic Converse Chuck Taylor x Comme des Garçons have injected new energy into the shoe industry while fueling collectors’ demand for new shoes. Often, resale prices for these collaberations are upwards of three times the retail price, making the scramble to pick up these
limited release shoes even greater. While some sneakers are forgettable and fade over time, other silhouettes become iconic and evolve into multi-million dollar brands. The ubiquitous Jordan 1 silhouette has become its own division of Nike and has sparked several evolutions of the classic shoe including apparel. The iconic Nike Air Mag brought tangible science fiction to the 2015 Hill Valley of Back to the Future part II. Even though the Air Mag was never put on the market, it remained the ultimate science fiction shoe until it became a reality in 2011. Released in small quantities, Marty Mcfly’s shoe sold out immediately. With its 2011 release and the upcoming 2016 release of the auto-lacing model, the Air Mag is a perfect example of the sneaker’s ability to endure time and become a cultural icon.
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NOVEmber 6, 2015 A&E
Q&A
ESME : RUMMELHART
Esme Rummelhart ‘17 is the concert master of the orchestra and a three-time all-state violin player. By Molly Liu LH: When did you first start playing the violin? ER: I started playing violin when I was four...well, I wanted to play when I was two, but my mom didn’t let me start until I was four. LH: How did you first become introduced to the instrument? ER: I was on a family vacation in North Carolina with another family, the Merrills. [The mother] Lisa Merrill is a professional violinist. I heard her practicing while we were staying in the same house, and I loved it. It’s partly because I have this thing called synesthesia, so I could kind of “see” the music I was hearing. Lisa’s daughter also played violin, and she let me hold her bow and I thought it was really cool. LH: What’s your favorite thing about being concert master? ER: I wouldn’t necessarily say I have a favorite thing; at least for now, it’s not drastically different [from last year] because it’s first trimester. However, I do like how you get to tune the orchestra and how people ask you for help. I enjoy having a leadership role, and it’s nice to be able to play solos and in a quartet in front of the orchestra. LH: What is the most challenging thing about being concert master? ER: Nothing has happened yet, but I know that it will. The solos will get harder, and I’m going to have to practice [a lot more] when I get these harder pieces. It’s going to be hard to try and find time to put effort into that. LH: Do you see yourself studying music in college? In a music career? ER: I’ve always said no, but recently, I can see myself pursuing it as a minor. I’m thinking of going to Grinnell College, where you can just play in their orchestra without minoring in it. That would be ideal. LH: What do you consider some of your greatest accomplishments in violin? ER: I feel really good when I play for other people. I know I’ve made a lot of people happy, especially for senior citizens. I’ve gotten into All-State now, and it was a great experience. I love to play with other good musicians who really care about their music. LH: Do you think you spend a lot of time playing violin for enjoyment? Or is a lot of the practice you do for events and tasks, such as All-State? ER: I don’t practice nearly as much as I should anymore because life is so busy nowadays. When I do practice, it can be difficult unless I’m finding some kind of joy in it. There is some practice that I do enjoy. It gets a lot better when it’s time to perform; performing is always a good time. LH: What is your greatest goal or aspiration regarding violin? ER: My greatest goal is probably to never stop playing. I don’t intend on becoming a professional violinist, but I want to keep playing and performing for other people. I would like to get into All-State again next year as well. PHOTO BY JIM GEERDES