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Men’s cross-country team wins Iowa Conference Page 11 November 6, 2014 — Vol. 93, Issue 6

Stepping Mother of Sandy Hook victim speaks out against gun violence down, but not out

After 23 years as chair of the English Division, Dr. Kevin Koch decides to step down from his position

Nicole Hockley, mother of Dylan Hockley, who was 6 years old when he was gunned down during the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings in Newtown, CT, in December 2012, speaks last week in the Marie Graber Ballroom.

She sought to raise awareness of gun violence and mental illness and to encourage others to take steps toward preventing future gun violence.

by RYAN GRAHAM| sports editor

photo by KATHERINE EDWARDS

Republicans seize U.S. Senate GOP also tightens its grip on the U.S. House

In recent years, Republican voters have made a habit out of outperforming Democrats during midterm elections.

The polls also predicted a long night for Democrats.

But it wasn’t just a bad night for Democrats ­— it was a nightmare.

Riding a wave of voter discontent, the GOP captured majority control of the U.S. Senate and tightened its grip on the U.S. House in elections certain to snarl President Obama’s final two years in office.

Republicans entered Tuesday night hoping to take six Senate seats from Democrats. They did that with room to spare, pulling at least seven seats away from Democrats. Two runoff elections in January could add two more in the GOP column.

The GOP also dominated the U.S. House races. With dozens of races uncalled, Republicans had picked up 11 seats that had been in Democratic hands, and given up only one. Prognosticators say Republicans are poised to own at least 246 seats in the House. That’s a number not seen for more than 60 years, since the Truman Administration.

The Republican tide also was felt in the tri-states. Iowa state Sen. Joni Ernst defeated Democratic U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley for a U.S. Senate seat, Bruce Rauner became the first Republican governor of Illinois in 16 years after unseating Gov. Pat Quinn, and Dubuque businessman Rod Blum defeated Pat Murphy in Iowa’s First Congressional District — ­ a rare win for a Republican in a heavily Democratic district.

Republicans picked up Senate seats in Iowa, West Virginia, South Dakota, Arkansas, Colorado, North Carolina and Montana, all states where Democrats retired. They had needed a net gain of six seats to end a Democratic majority in

place since 2006.

Obama was at the White House as voters remade Congress for the final two years of his tenure. With lawmakers slated to convene next week for a postelection session, he invited leaders to a meeting on Friday.

The shift in control of Congress probably means an assault on budget deficits, additional pressure on Democrats to accept sweeping changes to the health care law that stands as Obama’s signal domestic accomplishment and a bid to reduce federal regulations.

Obama’s ability to win confirmation for lifetime judicial appointments also could suffer, including any potential Supreme Court vacancies.

After years of a sluggish economic recovery and myriad foreign crises, the voters’ mood was sour.

Nearly two-thirds of voters interviewed after casting ballots said the country was seriously on the wrong

track. Only about 30 percent said it was generally going in the right direction.

More than four in 10 voters disapproved of both Obama and Congress, according to the exit polls conducted for The Associated Press and the television networks.

Still, a majority of those polled supported several positions associated with Democrats or Obama rather than Republicans — saying immigrants in the country illegally should be able to work, backing U.S. military involvement against Islamic State fighters, and agreeing that climate change is a serious problem.

No matter which party emerged with control of the Senate, a new chapter in divided government was inevitable in a nation marked by profound unease over the future and dissatisfaction with its political leaders.

The elections’ $4 billion price tag spending was unprecedented for a non-presidential year.

Iowa state Sen. Joni Ernst celebrates being one of seven Republicans to wrest control of U.S. Senate seats from Democrats in Tuesday’s midterm elections. Ernst will replace retiring Sen. Tom Harkin.

Over the last three-plus decades, Dr. Kevin Koch has been synonymous with the Loras College English and Language Department. He’s been a mainstay in Hoffmann Hall, serving as a professor for the last 33 years and as the Department/Division Chair for the past 23 years. After this year however, Koch will be stepping down as division chair.

“Dr. Koch has become a professor that students can turn to for advice, guidance and interesting classes,” said senior Hannah Way. “He is passionate about what he does and it shows in and out of the classroom.”

Though he will no longer serve as the Division Chair, Koch will remain at Loras as an English professor. He listed a few main reasons that led to his decision to step down.

“Over the last few years, I’ve developed some new courses that I wouldn’t get to teach in regular rotation as the Division Chair,” Koch said. “Another reason is that I’ve got a new writing project that I’d like to get started on.

There’s a fair amount of summer work as a Division Chair, so I’ll be able to get some writing time back that I’m looking forward to. The third reason is that we’ve got some good younger faculty and it’s a good time for them to step into the position.”

Dr. Koch is a 1981 graduate of the English program himself. Since that time, Koch has been a first-hand witness to the growth of the department.

“Some of the key things that are different are the courses,” said Koch.

“We’ve developed the Irish Studies program with Dr. Auge. I’ve developed courses myself in Nature Writing. Bill Jablonsky has developed coursework in Screen Writing and Fantastic Fiction.

We have several new things that have all been good additions to the department.”

Over the last 23 years, Koch said that one of the biggest challenges has been fighting the stigma that comes with being an English major.

“It’s a frustration of mine that the stigma exists in our culture,” he said. “I think the reason it exists is that culture tends to thinks if you’re ‘this’ major it means you’re preparing for ‘this’ job. It works that way for some things. Most accounting majors become accountants. Most nursing students become nurses. But with humanities it doesn’t work that way. Our graduates go in a lot of different directions and have success in a multitude of different fields. But it’s hard to get society to realize that sometimes.”

Koch’s successor has been chosen, though their name has not been officially announced at this time. The successor has big shoes to fill, though Koch provided one piece of advice.

“My advice would be to spend a lot of time listening,” he said. “It’s important to understand what students’ needs are and to understand the goals of the faculty and their individual approaches to teaching. Listening is certainly a very important aspect of the position.”

Koch’s successor is expected to be announced later this year.

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News

The Lorian Nov. 6, 2014

Mesmerizing acts entertain during Family Weekend

by CLAIRA SIEVERDING| for the lorian

photo by KATHERINE EDWARDS

The Loras College Knights of Columbus and St. Pius X Seminary faced off in an intense game of basketball on Friday night. Each team brought their A-game, but the Knights came out victorious with a score of 53 to 49. All proceeds from the event will be going towards the Wells for Life program.

Dubuque community unites to ‘du’ service

by MAGGIE WELDIN| for the lorian

Each year millions of Americans come together on the fourth Saturday of October for the nation’s largest day of community service: Make A Difference Day. Dubuque citizens are no exception, banding together to put their own twist on the day of service.

In 2013, Make A Difference Day combined with Andrew Connolly Day of Service, resulting in Dubuque’s unique Andrew Connolly Make A Difference Day. Veteran Andrew Connolly strongly valued the concept of “Pay it Forward” and his memory is honored each year during the day of service.

This year, on October 25, 2014, over 400 volunteers gathered at the Westminster Presbyterian Church to participate in the eighth annual Andrew Connolly Make A Difference Day which focused on providing a helping hand for neighbors in need. Volunteers completed weatherization measures such as caulking windows, lawn care, and simple repairs helping nearly 80 homeowners throughout Dubuque.

Participants in the Andrew Connolly Make A Difference Day included volunteers from all walks of life, from Loras students, to community leaders such as Bruce Braley.

The day was successfully planned by the Andrew Connolly Make A Difference Day Planning Committee with Jenny Connolly Rang, Amanda Hohmann, and Laura Roussell as co-chairs. This year’s day of service was the eighth annual opportunity to pay it forward, and Dubuque volunteers did just that.

Family Weekend was kicked off with a mentalist duo consisting of Tessa and Jeff Evason. The audience of approximately 150 people was astounded by what Tessa could do – especially her abilities to know things about people she could not have known unless they told her. Jeff interacted with the crowd and retrieved items for Tessa to read while Tessa was on stage with her back to the crowd. Tessa was able to speak with individuals after the show and audience members remained up to an extra 45 minutes to talk with her.

“I don’t understand how she could do that but I was very impressed and weirded out at the same time,” said Loras parent Tammy Link.

The rest of Family Weekend was attended by many, including the Parent Information Session with administration. The Parent Info Session is a time when parents can ask President Collins, Mary Ellen Carroll, and Art Sunleaf any questions they have about their students’ attending Loras.

Having lunch outside brought families closer to the football action and was a great way for CAB to hand out free goodies before the game. Many of the smaller children enjoyed the inflatable obstacle course.

The Sunday brunch was a success as well – especially for the winners of the Fr. John Naumann Award and the Parent/Guardian of the Year. ARAMARK employee Jane Meyer was brought to tears as she listened

photo by CLAIRA SIEVERDING

Mentalist Tessa Evason of the Devason duo mesmerizes her audience with her mind tricks. Their act was a thrilling start to Family Weekend 2014.

to what students had to say about her and why they nominated her for the Fr. John Naumann Award. Mr. and Mrs. Wojciehowski were named Parents of the Year, per the nomination by their son Aidan.

Aidan spoke about how he truly looks up to his parents and appreciates what they’ve done for him.

The Loras community is grateful to everyone who helped make Family Weekend 2014 a success.

Loras Players proudly present their latest production: ‘R.U.R.’ A sense of anticipation always comes along with a new production by the Loras Players, and this time is no exception.

Loras Players worked under an interim director, Lenore Howard, to produce “R.U.R.”

What might be even more impressive than the impact of this year’s Andrew Connolly Make A Difference Day was the outpouring of volunteers for the day itself.

About two weeks prior to the day of service, volunteers were turned away because there was such an outpouring of help and not enough homes that needed it. Dubuque has a proud history of service, and this year’s Andrew Connolly Make A Difference Day made that very apparent.

There are also a plethora of volunteer opportunities available seasonally and yearlong throughout Dubuque for those that were unable to participate in this year’s Make a Difference Day, or for those interested in other service opportunities. Resources Unite and United Way are both local organizations that exist to match volunteers with all kinds of different opportunities for service.

Dubuque community members gather together to perform acts of service for those in the city that needed a helping hand. photo CONTRIBUTED

by ANNE SPODEN| for the lorian

The highly anticipated Loras production is finally here. This weekend is opening weekend for the Loras Players’ show, “R.U.R.” “R.U.R.” is by Czech playwright Karel Capek. Rossum’s Universal Robots factory manufactures millions of androids with no souls, desires or feelings. However, the Humanitarian League wants to improve their condition. Thus, the formula for their creation is secretly changed, and 10 years later the robots are in full revolt.

While Loras Players director, Doug Donald, is on sabbatical this year, the players have had an interim director step in to help out. Lenore Howard is a professional playwright and actress, who also runs Fly By Night Theatre Company here in Dubuque.

“It’s been a real pleasure working with these students,” Howard said. “They’ve stretched me, and I hope I’ve challenged them to think outside the box.”

Loras Players practice for the opening of their latest production, “R.U.R.” photos by COLIN HALBMAIER

Junior Emma Horst has a lead in the show.

“I’m so excited to perform R.U.R.,” said Horst. “It’s been so much fun working with new people to create entertainment that hopefully speaks to others as much as it has spoken to me.”

“R.U.R.” opens Friday, November 7th at 7:30 PM. Saturday’s events will begin at 6:00 PM, with a talk back to discuss the play and it’s background given by Dr. Paul Kohl, Professor of Communication Arts at Loras, who specializes in film studies, popular culture, and Czech culture.

Sunday’s show is at 2:00 PM. Tickets are $12 for general admission, free for Loras affiliates.

News

The Lorian

Nov. 6, 2014

3

City of Dubuque re-examines issue of plastic Debate about plastic bag usage has been coming up more and more frequently in the news; Dubuque re-examines its own policies and revives its investigation on the matter

quested that the council consider reducing or eliminating plastic bag use within the City of Dubuque because of all the environmental reasons for doing that, and the problems they cause.

The City Council agreed to do that,” and action was taken to tackle the issue of plastic bags, such as formulating a plan for how to deal with the issue and meeting with area retailers to get their input

by NINO ERBA| staff writer on that plan.

Last month, The Lorian ran an article However, the Commission recently regarding California’s plastic bag ban, asked about the issue, and it was found as well as examining Dubuque and what that progress has “been minimal, because it has done on the issue of plastic bags. we never really got a tracking strategy goHowever, recent action by the Dubuque ing for a variety of reasons, one including City Council has brought the issue back we ran into a few retailers that did not into discussion. want to give us the information on how According to the KCRG website, “The many plastic bags they were using.”

Dubuque City Council has unanimously Bev Wagner, Education Coordinator for voted to resume a study of plastic bags the Dubuque Metroas officials work to politan Area Solid reduce their distriWaste Agency, who The Dubuque City Council bution in the city.” also works with Lorhas unanimously voted In other words, the as College, is part of project that startto resume a study of a task force that was ed several years ago created for the issue plastic bags as officials in regards to plastic of plastic bags. She work to reduce their bags is being revived, said that the task and was discussed in distribution in the city. force was “given the a recent City Council role of trying to find meeting. a way to reduce the Mary Rose Corrigan, Public Health Speamount of bags that would actually be cialist for the City of Dubuque, explained disposed of in Dubuque, not to ban them.” that, back in the fall of 2010 the EnviA reason against a ban is that, “There’s ronmental Stewardship Commission “rebeen a lot of pushback when somebody

Dessert Pops concert a treat for the audience

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UNICEF Trick-or-Treat: a scary good success UNICEF at Loras members dressed in costumes to trick-or-treat around Loras campus housing in order to raise money for the larger UNICEF Trick-or-Treat campaign

by ANDREA BERNS| staff writer

Desserts and pop culture music combined last Saturday night, Nov. 1, at 7:30 to form the annual Dessert Pops concert performed by the Loras College choirs and jazz band. They performed to a full house; tickets sold out once again.

The emcees for the night were junior Samuel Whan and sophomore Jesse Anderson, who lightened up the night with comedy, introducing each act. The acts included the titular song from the musical, Anything Goes, performed by Bella Voce; an a capella piece by Con Brio; four songs by Chamber Singers including “The Java Jive” and “Africa,” originally sung by Toto; and two songs by the Concert Choir: “When You Believe” from “The Prince of Egypt” and the titular song from “Phantom of the Opera.” Other individual acts included an acoustic duet of a medley of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World” by sophomores Dimitri Villanueva and Stephanie Phillips; a Bachata dance by senior Veronica Andraski; a jazzy saxophone solo of “You Got a Friend in Me,” performed by senior Lacy Smith; and a lovely duet by sophomore Tatiana Naborowski and junior Jennifer Kasel, performing “In His Eyes” from the musical “Jekyll and Hyde.”

Dessert Pops has always been a successful night for the music department, and this year was no different. The talent

says a ban, because people don’t like you do use plastic bags, dispose of them being told exactly what they have to responsibly like take them back to the do. They’d rather choose to do the right store … make sure they don’t get blown thing,” Wagner noted, though she did say away … make sure you treat them responthat a ban been brought up as an option, sibly, that they are an environmental hazand she also said that there has been ard if released.” progress on the plastic bag Wagner said that “I issue like more people usdon’t think we need to ing reusable bags. wait for a ban. I think we The plastic bag issue can all make those choicI don’t think we need isn’t solely a Dubuque es every day, when we’re to wait for a ban.

I issue. Indeed, Loras stuout buying things,” using think we can all make dents are also taking acan example of buying one tion on the issue. Kristen item and declining to rethose choices every Thompson, Program Diceive a bag when we’re in day, when we’re out rector of Applied Physics the cashier line, also statbuying things. and Professor at Loras Coling that, “we can all make lege, is also the advisor of Bev Wagner a difference on our own.” the Honors Sustainability Corrigan, in addition Education Coordinator for the Dubuque Metropolitan group for the sophomores, to bringing up efforts like Area Solid Waste Agency and where they’re tackling not taking plastic bags and partner with Loras College plastic bags as well. disposing of them properShe says that the group ly, emphasized education just started, and that, on the issue.

“We’re trying to figure out “It’s a cultural thing. what direction we wanna go. At the minOnce it catches on, I think more and more imum, I’d like to see them create some people will do it, and it’s habit forming,” educational materials, and be able to give keeping in mind that it’s something “that out some cloth bags to the community takes time for people to remember and get with an information sheet.” in a regular routine of utilizing reusable She also mentioned that some retailers bags.” like Hy-Vee and Fareway will give you a For the time being, while the city con5-cent discount for each cloth bag you tinues its efforts to tackle the plastic bag bring for groceries. issue, there are a number of options availThompson provided some advice for able that people can use to aid in the effort how to deal with plastic bags, such as “if of reducing plastic bag usage.

by CASSANDRA BUSCH| news editor

of the musicians has not only been noted, but praised by the audience. The talent of the choirs will be further showcased in Ames, IA later this month, where they will perform at the Iowa Music Educators Association Conference (IMEA).

The choirs also would like to invite you to Mysteries of Christmas, which will be performed at Nativity Church on Friday, Dec. 5, at 7:30 p.m.

Students performed both as ensembles and solo acts in the annual sensation Dessert Pops during Family Weekend. photos by KATHERINE EDWARDS

ly my favorite month to fundraise for UNICEF. This year we not only had our traditional Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF event, but we also had two new exciting campaigns, Candy for Change and the Haunted House out at Dark Chambers, and all of these combined helped us to reach our goal of $700. I hope we can turn these campaigns into new traditions and get people excited about them” junior and UNICEF at Loras graphic designer Juanita Bustamante said.

The final total will be announced in the coming week, once the remainder of the change boxes have been gathered from around campus and from faculty. The club has already surpassed their initial fundraising goal of $700, and is excited about the generosity of the Loras community.

The second-biggest fundraiser for UNICEF will be Salsa Night, which will take place in February this year. Although it is a long way off, the UNICEF at Loras members have already started planning for the event. More information will be released in coming months about this event.

UNICEF at Loras had their annual “Trick-or-Treat” fundraiser this past week on Thursday, October 30. Club members dressed in costume and went from residence hall to residence hall, house to house, apartment to apartment collecting change from fellow students for the UNICEF campaign. At the end of the night, they had collected approximately $500 to add to the previous $200 already collected from their Candy for Change fundraiser and their Dark Chambers night in the weeks leading up to Trickor-Treat.

On the night of Trick-or-Treat, the members of UNICEF at Loras visited all of Loras housing to collect the change boxes they had previously distributed, as well as asking if students had any additional change they wished to donate. They dressed up in costumes, and informed curious students about UNICEF’s mission to help kids in need around the world with food, water, sanitation and wellness needs.

After finishing the collection portion of the night, they headed back to the ACC to count the money they had raised for UNICEF and celebrate Halloween. After the totals were calculated, they combined all of the change to be sent off to the larger UNICEF organization, as part of the worldwide Trick-or-Treat photo by CASSANDRA BUSCH campaign that took place Sophomore Sean Whitley is stopped by sophomore in countries around the Miranda Smith so that she can hand him her full box of world. change. Whitley and the rest of the UNICEF at Loras “October is definite- members visited campus housing to collect change.

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The Lorian

Opinion

Nov. 6, 2014

Putting the ‘I’ back in life

by COLIN HALBMAIER| co-executive editor

When was the last time that you took some conscious time for yourself? I’m not talking about the awkward hour between classes that’s too long to go to your next class and too short to do anything productive. I’m talking about the time you set aside to do something for yourself. For far too many of us, there hasn’t been a conscious effort to make “us” time in our lives, and the anxiety we’re holding onto is beginning to bleed between the stress fractures in our otherwise strong, do-it-all exterior.

Registration, even more than midterms, kicks off the annual campuswide panic attacks. As we meet with our advisors to discuss our futures, we realize that reality is going to come a knockin’, whether we’re ready for it or not. It’s enough to make the palms of even the calmest student start to sweat. But the more we root ourselves in the future, the more we forget about the happiness that we all work to achieve in the present.

The advice I give friends, family, and anyone who will listen is to acknowledge that there are things that are — and should be — outside of our control.

Set those things aside, because they’re weighing you down. Take responsibility for the things you can comfortably handle, and have the courage to say “no” to the things that push you beyond that. Note that this is different from the fabled comfort zone, outside of which lies potential we could only dream of.

I’m talking about taking on a third internship in addition to your full course load, part time job, and the ever-growing pile of homework. Loras is a campus that expects you to say “yes,” and that’s okay — but it shouldn’t leave you feeling battered and broken day after day.

Schedule time for yourself. Go into your Outlook calendar and add an entry for “Me time.” Schedule it around your favorite television show. Make time to prepare your favorite dinner instead of making ramen for the third time this week. Call up a friend and make plans to get coffee—and don’t back out because you’re tired or have work to do. If you think your day is so busy that you can’t spend time with someone you care about, then your priorities are out of order and it’s time to seriously reconsider what’s important in your life.

Force yourself to adhere to a daily schedule that puts your own mental and physical health first. Your responsibilities to school and work will fall into place. No matter what you’re trying to do, whether it’s graduating in four years or finding a job, it’s been done before and it’ll be done again.

Don’t define yourself by all the things you need to do. Define yourself by the things that you enjoy doing. People will notice the difference in your disposition, and appreciate you even more because of it.

No one has the power to tell you to neglect your own needs, and no one will stand up for you when you throw them away. If you wake up dreading the day, then wake up to a different day. We live in a world where the expectation is to lay down your life for your studies and your career. Defy expectations. People will forgive you if they can see that you’re following your dreams. More often than not, they’ll support you. But the decision has to be yours and yours alone.

Go out there and make the right one.

Wake up and smell the roses, literally So, what’s with the carpeting around here?

I haven’t heard anyone else mention anything, so at the risk of sounding crazy, I have to tell you that I HATE the smell of the carpeting on campus (especially in the AWC entry way).

Correct me if I’m wrong here y’all, but I’m fairly certain that it reeks of permanent marker and Kalli Miner battery acid. It’s like the gods know that I need a quick head-rush high before I drag myself into the gym.

Though I appreciate the divine gesture, I have to tell you that I could do without it, and without a lot of the artificial environments we build for ourselves. I thought about all of this while I gasped for the recycled air pumping out from under my artificial exercise machine the other day. And, after a while I thought, ‘man, I’m glad that no one else can hear this thread in my head because they’d know what a hypocrite I’m being. How embarrassing that would be.

So, in case there were any mind readers that day, I thought I’d go ahead and confess this all to you here. At least, in doing so I could use my own hypocrisy to make a point (or rather use it to ask questions, hopefully provoking more questions from you all].

Why is it that we prefer these artificial environments to more natural ones? Why is it that we cage ourselves in like zoo

‘MINER’ DETAIL

animals in painted brick mural jungles? with a whopping: “Oh, I don’t really Aside from those who have particularly like the smell of the outside.” earthy tastes (and I mean reaaaalllly *Cue the blank stare and rapid eye earthy], we mostly consider things blinking* ‘nicest’ when they are as unnatural and As usual, I blame the system, arguably as impractical as possible. man! We’ve been socialized and Stainless-steel appliances, petroleum trained to bleach this, wax that, color carpeting, and sleek black over-sized in the lines; because unnatural is vehicles with the ‘new car’ scented plastic beautiful. You crazy existentialist air freshener on the rear-view: a heavenly would probably say that we’re using scene for those seeking the finer things ‘stuff’ to transcend our instincts. It in life. can’t happen and won’t happen. This Speaking of vehicles, I find myself to is probably why there is a real-life be uniquely annoyed psychological when people would condition called Why is it that we rather crank the air nature deficit conditioner in their disorder. Our prefer these artificial cars when it’s sunny creation of fakeness environments to and 72 outside. If it’s is literally driving more natural ones? hot, roll down the us crazy! Wake up Why is it that we cage windows and breathe and smell the roses, some fresh air! Of people, literally. ourselves in like zoo course, there are some OK, so I’ll never animals in painted practical reasons to understand why brick mural jungles? keep the windows up people like the (keeping hair in place, dusty air from noise on the interstate, car vents better etc.), but that’s not usually the case than the outside; I still think it’s according to experts (those experts being weird that people find bleach to be a me as I watch for this like a hawk when in better alternative to a little bit of mud a vehicle with someone). on their kitchen floors, you know, If I’m a hypocrite, then so is everyone because one’s a toxic fluid and the else, by God! OK, settle down, I just other is uhhh … dirt. needed a nice Segway into this next story.

But, hey, I don’t have a lot of room Picture this, you’re cruising along in to pass judgment while I hamster your friend’s Prius headed to vote for running on the tread mill conveyer ‘climate conscious’ policy makers, when belt. I should probably hit the city she says “It’s hot, I’m turning on the AC.” sidewalks, or errr, maybe the forest I counter with a “why don’t we just turn reserve trails. down the windows?” And she comes back

Changing our attitude about gratitude Without sounding too cliché, November always stirs up feelings of gratitude. We are grateful for the warmth as the weather starts to turn; we are grateful for families as we look forward to Thanksgiving break; and we are grateful for those brief moments of sanity as the pressure of the semester begins to mount.

Is gratefulness enough, though?

Every day, we see mountains of food uneaten, stacked on plates in the cafeteria. So many students complain about the Cafe food. Still, they get a whole bowl of something, eat one bite, and throw the rest away to go get something else. It makes our blood boil when we hear people complaining about how “there’s never anything good to eat here,” or about how something tastes “weird” so they are just going to toss it.

Every day, we hear people complain about how they have to re-wear an outfit because they either don’t want to do laundry or because they don’t have enough clothes. We get ourselves wrapped up in the fact that we wear the same outfit to a class twice in two weeks.

Still, we have closets and dressers that are full.

Every day, we hear people complain about how much homework we have and how boring our classes are. We drag ourselves to class (that is, if we don’t skip in order to sleep in) and we tune out by going on Facebook.

We know, we are guilty of it all, too.

But how can we say that we are grateful for the food we eat, the clothes we have, the education we receive when we are constantly complaining about it all?

We have a lot of work to do. We

are college students being given an incredible gift of education, a safe and warm place to live, and people to surround us that genuinely care about our well-being. We have people to talk to about how our days went, we have people providing us nutritious meals and we have a support system whenever we are in trouble. And yet, so many of us are so incredibly, utterly unappreciative that it makes us a little sick to my stomach, thinking about it.

This November, if we want to truly appreciate what we have been given, we may want to take a step back and look at how we are talking, what we are saying.

We may feel like we appreciate the many gifts in our lives, but we also need to show it.

— Lorian staff

One student’s response to columnist’s call for U.S. return to the Middle East I recently read Dallas Knapp’s article about needing to stop the ISIS “threat” by putting boots on the ground. I felt obligated to respond because it made me very angry.

I don’t know Dallas personally, but his opinion on this matter infuriated me. Now, I will be the first to admit that I am not a political person. I don’t have a democrat or republican background; my opinion differs depending on the issue at hand. I don’t get into politics because it’s pointless arguing, but I feel like I need to present a more rational side to this opinion.

To say that America needs to get involved in yet another war is ridiculous. To say that we need to go to war back in the Middle East, right after we pulled out troops from a close country is just comical. I don’t want America to be known to my generation as the nosy nation that always has to intervene.

Yes, we have the best military, but that doesn’t mean we have to be there all the time, risking Americans’ lives.

American lives are more important than other countries’ citizens. It honestly does sound weird, but I don’t want my friends that are in the military to die fighting something that we didn’t need to be fighting in the first place. So I’m sorry Dallas, but that’s the last thing we need. Boots on the ground will solve this, but not our boots.

Sincerely, ~ Zachary Atzen first-year

Letters to the editor are welcomed!

To submit a “letter to the editor,” please e-mail Mary Agnoli (mary.agnoli@loras.edu) or Colin Halbmaier (colin.halbmaier@loras.

Editorial staff co-executive editor: MARY AGNOLI co-executive editor/ features editor: COLIN HALBMAIER news editor: CASSANDRA BUSCH sports editor: RYAN GRAHAM assistant features editor: SAMANTHA VATH assistant news editor: ELLIE HORST assistant sports editor: DREW BRASHAW executive copy editor: HANNAH WAY head copy editor: KAITLIN YAHR copy editors: MARGARET SENTOVICH advertising manager: COLLEEN MULRY moderator: TIM MANNING

Opinion

The Lorian

Nov. 6, 2014

5

Republican wave paints dreary picture A

t the time that I am writing this article, the elections have yet to be held. Since I still can, my predictions for Iowa are that Pat Murphy will win Iowa’s first district, Ernst the senate seat, and Branstad remains governor of Iowa.

Dallas Knapp Now that I gave my predictions [since it means so much, right?] I can move on to how, regardless of whether or not my predictions turn out to be true, election day will be a sad day for the Democratic Party. It is expected that Republicans will widen their majority lead in the house, as well as a Republican takeover in the senate. Commentators from varying news sources are calling it a Republican wave, and it paints a

‘KNAPP’ TIME

dreary picture for Democrats this Democrat takeover in 2016 election cycle. With all the doom and much, much easier because gloom predictions, I have pretty much the current Republicans accepted the oncoming Republican in the house have had leadership and am apprehensive about the specter of Harry Reid what is to come. In my eyes, there and the Democrats in the are two possible outcomes with a Senate to blame for the Republican majority in both the House ineffectiveness of congress. and Senate. On But, with the one hand, I can a majority With all the doom and see the Republican in both the gloom predictions, majority continuing House and Senate, I have pretty much to be the doany governmental nothing, party ineffectiveness will accepted the oncoming obstructing the rest solely on the republican leadership legislative process Republican Party’s and am apprehensive by calling to repeal shoulders. With only the ACA for the one party to blame, about what is to come. umpteenth time the likelihood of a or by holding the Democrat takeover in economy hostage 2016 is much higher. over the debt ceiling. I both hope for The outcome that may be more likely, and dread this outcome. I hope for the however, is that the majority begins continued gridlock because it makes a to pass some legislation with some

Loras welcomes Iowa Republican candidates F

irst of all, I want to thank Jackie Baumhover up in student life for helping me schedule this event.

I also want to thank the candidates for taking time out of their busy schedules’ to come to Loras; it was a really neat to host one of many stops in this Nate Kapraun the important election. And lastly, I want to thank everyone who came out to show their support.

It was a great honor to welcome many of the Republican candidates for this November’s Midterm election to campus.

It was even my pleasure to introduce Lieutenant Governor Reynolds. She and Governor Terry Branstad talked about how back in 2010, the last time we had a statewide election for governor and lieutenant governor, the great state of Iowa was in an absolute mess. Under Governor Chet Culver there was an outof-control budget, high unemployment, and an across-the-board cut in government that hit the schools which led to layoffs in the middle of the year.

Then, thankfully, with the election of Governor Branstad and Lieutenant Governor Reynolds in November of that year, things began to change for the better. According to Iowa Workforce Development more Iowans are back to work, which led the unemployment rate to drop nearly 30% from 6.1% to 4.5%.

The unemployment rate in Dubuque County alone has dropped from 7.1%

READ AND RIGHT

to 3.9%. That’s a 45% reduction!

We will continue to see successes of this administration through growing incomes, better schools, a more efficient government, a healthier state, continued economic growth and most appealing to us as students, an affordable higher education with reduced student debt. Iowa has comeback and will continue to build a bright future for Iowa.

Other candidates that were in attendance were Congressional candidate Rod Blum, Mary Mosiman who is running for State Auditor, Sam Clovis running for State Treasurer, and several other local candidates.

Rod Blum, who graduated from Loras back in 1977 with a degree in finance, talked about the importance of the American Dream and how it is still very much alive even for my generation.

One of the more notable quotes from the event came from Mary Mosiman who said, “In God we trust, everyone else we audit.” Lastly, Sam Clovis really appreciated seeing the crosses on the hill that Duhawks for Life had up: “It’s good to know that college students are aware and active when it comes to standing up for the unborn.”

Overall, it was a great event; I again cannot thank you all enough for the success of the event as a whole. This was a great opportunity for students and the local citizens to be a part of this election cycle and be able to put a face to the name when it comes time to vote on Election Day.

hand reaching across the aisle. I, of course, want this outcome, I really do.

It would be nice to see some bipartisan efforts made instead of the continued bickering that has characterized the last four years in Congress. But it means that 2016 would be a much more competitive year for politics. A Republican presidential candidate that is able to cite party successes would be difficult for a Democratic candidate to counter.

Either way, what is important is what will happen in the months following November 4 because it sets the tone for 2016. If a plethora of bills are passed, that is good news for Republicans when 2016 comes around. If Congress does nothing, 2016 may pan out very poorly for the GOP.

Answering questions about abortion requires flexibility N

ovember has that protecting life from active termination returned to is our foremost moral obligation and Loras College supersedes any importance which – trees are shaking off individual sovereignty may have. This any lingering leaves, ethic, however, fades once it passes beyond stepping out the front abortion and euthanasia. It’s prohibitive, door and beyond the not active – it sees life as sacred, nonwarm glow of central negotiable, and in need of protection from heating is slightly a planned end, but otherwise neglects it. more unpleasant each The Life Ethic pulls crowds of protesters morning, and the field to Planned Parenthood, but not death row. in front of Keane Hall The same congressmen bemoaning the looks like a World “Massacre of the Innocents” solemnly nods Dale Elenteny War One cemetery. A for more Predator drones and Hellfire grid of white crosses missiles. The Catholic Church, fixated on is spread over most of the grass, standing sexual repression rather than tangible in tribute to the roughly 4,000 fetuses social progress, has insisted since the removed from mothers-to-be daily in the discovery of HIV/AIDS in the early 1980s United States. Such a high number should that no matter the incalculable amount be unsettling regardless of your opinion in of suffering brought by the epidemic the Life-Choice debate. While the viability disease, OK’ing condoms would leave us and personhood of unborn humans and worse off. This kind of dogmatism gets the related ethical questions are clouded uncomfortable when impregnated rape in ambiguity, the fact that nearly 1.5 victims take the spotlight – if protecting million pregnancies are life is our paramount goal, terminated annually in then shouldn’t those females the United States is a (saying “women” would The pro-life troubling and undeniable falsely imply that they’ve all stance relies social issue in itself. had the relative fortune of on the premise Molding a response reaching adulthood) count should take many her blessings, accept the that protecting variables into murkiness of divine will, life from active consideration: the and carry the child to term? termination is causes of so many Or should we consider undesired pregnancies, the further aggravation our foremost the respective rights of the psychological and moral obligation of women and unborn physical maiming she’s and supersedes humans, and how those already endured because any importance rights and their relative someone forcibly intruded weight shift in different on her sexual privacy? which individual contexts. The dominant Articulating a decision sovereignty may dialogue has instead demands consideration have. This ethic, boiled into two camps of various moving parts – both of which are and an appreciation of however, fades tagged with inevitably their complexity – not an once it passes problematic labels. On unbending insistence on beyond abortion one side, the Pro-Life revealed moral truth. movement, while stating Once it is accepted that and euthanasia. the admirable aim of there are many angles protecting vulnerable from which to view the persons, operates under question, the dialogue will an absolute: that life and personhood begin rightfully fall on a spectrum, not into two at conception, and should be valued and adjacent dugouts. This requires some protected accordingly. If this is accepted, level of admitted uncertainty, and the the removal of a fetus from a uterus recognition that opinions must constantly and its resulting death are as morally tailor themselves to new evidence. As our reprehensible as murdering a sentient understanding of individual rights, fetal adult. This framework is short-sighted, viability, and medicine evolve, we must not seeing the importance of a good-faith adapt the ways in which we apply them to analysis of the relevant questions and questions surrounding abortion. Instead, instead simplifying the dilemma to the one side answers the question from the point of distortion. pulpit of religious truth - and who can The pro-life stance relies on the premise argue with God?

A DALE-Y DOSE

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The Lorian

Features

Nov. 6, 2014

The Era of

upermovies

Comic book fans, get your wallets ready.

by TYLER GARRISON | staff writer

If it was not before, it is definitely offical now. With recent announcements by Fox, Marvel Studios, and DC entertainment, we have reached a phase in Hollywood that is producing Superhero movies very heavily.

Due to popular success of bringing together superhero stories into one universe like the Avengers movie did with the Marvel franchise, DC Entertainment is following in those shoes. The 2013 film Man of Steel laid the groundwork for a DC Universe to create a franchise much like the Marvel Cinematic Universe. At the following San Diego Comic Con, “Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice” was first alluded to and more additions to the announcement came in the year to follow. This 2016 film stars Henry Cavill reprising his role as Superman, Ben Affleck dawning the cape and cowl of Batman, and “Fast and the Furious” actress Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. Recent casting for this movie shows that “Game of Thrones” star Jason Momoa will play Aquaman, and broadway actor Ray Fischer will star as Cyborg, or the guy that yells BOOYAH from Teen Titans. DC has recently announced a slate of nine movies until 2020 to coexist in this universe including solo movies for Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg, Flash, and Green Lantern, two Justice League movies, and one for a villainous team called the Suicide Squad. With speculation, this

franchise will not stop there as sequels for these solo movies, more Batman and Superman movies, and more characters will keep rolling on in, so these nine movies are only the beginning.

A little friendly competition was set this past week when Marvel announced more characters and movies for their Phase 3 movies after the second Avengers arrives in theaters this upcoming spring. Marvel is trying new things with lesser known heroes such as Dr. Strange who will be portrayed by Bennedict Cumberbatch, Black Panther, and Ms. Marvel. In “Captain America 3: Civil War”, Iron Man will face off against Captain America the same spring as “Batman V Superman.” We will get more sequels for Thor and Guardians of the Galaxy, and the third Avengers movie will bring together a massive 2 film storyline called “Infinity Wars” which is based off a famous comic book and will tie together all of the movies we have had so far.

With Marvel Studios’s upcoming film lineup, Fox, who owns the X-Men Franchise is branching out with new movies. Along with more X-Men and Wolverine movies, Deadpool, the mercenary who will not shut up, will get his own movie in 2016 and speculation shows that Ryan Reynolds may take up the role. Channing Tatum is also joining the franchise (yes, ladies) where he will be

portaying the crad slinging mutant, Gambit.

Films for the Spiderman franchise as well as a new Fantastic Four debut are also in the mix making is over 40 movies in the next 6 years dedicated to these superheroes that are now dominating the industry. While these companies will be battling it out in the box office almost non-stop for the next several years, us fans all win.

Keep Making Your Computer Work For You Even more programs to keep productivity at the top of your list

by COLIN HALBMAIER | co-executive editor

Almost exactly two years ago, we ran an article titled “Making Your Computer Work For You.” It was an oldtime Lorian Leven outlining some of the best free programs out there to get the most out of your laptop. As is the case with technology, much has changed in the past two years, prompting a second wind for an informative article. All of the programs here are free at the time of writing. Be careful when downloading things from the internet—these programs are safe to the best of our knowledge, but we take no responsibility for any issues that may arise.

1. Google Chrome – This sleek web browser developed

by Google has been on a constant rise to fame since its release in 2008. With its usually fast-loading design and rapidly-expanding market of themes and extensions, Chrome usually fits the bill for the average user. Other popular web browsers include Mozilla Firefox and Apple Safari.

2. GIMP / Paint.net – If you’re looking to do some kind of digital imaging without dishing out the money for Photoshop, then these two programs are your new best friends.

GIMP can do more if you take the time to learn it, while Paint.net is a simpler piece of software with a user-friendly learning curve. If you’re getting serious about your work, Adobe offers a $10/month subscription for Photoshop and Lightroom.

3. Spotify – It didn’t take long for this music platform from overseas to sink its teeth into American culture. For those unfamiliar, imagine an iTunes library with all the music you could ever want, entirely free. The program has evolved considerably over the past two years, introducing a sleek new design, an expanded catalogue of music, and new discovery features. If you want an ad-free experience with an offline mode, Spotify offers a $5/month premium subscription for students—perfect for bypassing the long loading times on public networks.

4. Dropbox / Google Drive – Your Loras Microsoft account now comes with OneDrive, but your subscription ends once you graduate. Dropbox and Google Drive are both fantastic alternatives that you can use with your own account, and provide a hearty sum of data to use; Drive alone has 15 GB available for free, with a 100 GB option available at only a few dollars per month. Additionally, some download services and apps work directly with Dropbox to store your data in a place you can access.

5. Steam – If you’ve been paying attention to the Lorian lately, you know that I’m a gamer. Steam is the ultimate platform for playing games on your computer. Unfortunately the games themselves aren’t free (usually), but the marketplace tends to do some incredible sales during the holiday seasons (we’re talking up to 95% off games).

Otherwise, you can always check out the Humble Bundle (pay what you want for games), which feeds directly into Steam.

6. F.lux – If you’re a college student, you know that there have been and will be late nights spent in front of your laptop.

Your screen seems brighter as the room gets darker, and before too long, your eyes are sore and sleep is difficult. Introducing F.lux, your solution for those sore eyes. F.lux uses your computer’s clock to give your screen a tint that’s easier on the eyes, especially when you migrate from your desk to your bed. At first it looks strange, but before too long you forget that it’s there. You can find F.lux at www.justgetflux.com.

7. Skype – By now, most people have heard of and probably used Skype to communicate with friends and family, near and far. If you haven’t joined in the fun, then go ahead and make your free account. Voice and video calls are all free and made possible with the microphone and webcam

built into your laptop.

8. Evernote – Similar in nature to Microsoft OneNote, Evernote is constantly praised as one of the best productivity programs out there right now. Store just about any information on Evernote and access it on nearly any platform— PC, Mac, Android, iOS, etc. If you really like it, there’s very affordable subscription features available.

9. Audacity – In an increasingly technological world, you may find yourself needing to edit some recorded audio. Audacity is a great free resource for beginning editors, with basic features to remove background noise, increase the volume, and cut and rearrange clips. For more advanced users, there are plenty of high-powered tools to use as well.

10. Google Talk – Windows 8 has a chat feature built in, but most people don’t realize it exists, and those who do have some difficulty using it.

Google has developed a sweet and simple messaging program that makes communication simple.

The program runs in the background without taking up any of your precious toolbar space, and uses your Google account to login.

If you have a Gmail or Drive account, then you’re already signed up for Google Talk!

Plus, you can access Talk through your Gmail and/or Google+ pages.

11. Facebook Messenger – Even if you have friends on Google Talk, sometimes you want all of the social features of Facebook without losing hours to the seemingly endless news feed. The downloadable Facebook Messenger is a desktop application connected to everyone’s favorite Facebook Chat. Simply download and login to connect with your friends without having to read their status about the frustrations of registration.

All hands on deck! Positions available for the Spring semester!

The Lorian is looking for new assistants for next semester! Layout editors, copy editors, photographers, and writers are all needed. If you’re interested in building up a portfolio and getting paid along the way (sophomores and older), contact us ASAP!

Colin Halbmaier Colin.Halbmaier@loras.edu

Mary Agnoli

Mary.Agnoli@loras.edu

Features

The Lorian

Nov. 6, 2014

7

Dust to Dust, Ashes to Ashes

Lorian Leven

Paying respect to those gone before us

by NINO ERBA | staff writer

11 Struggles Most International Students Attending an American College Can Identify With

by SEABELO MONTWEDI | staff writer

In the U.S., there are a variety of cultures. West Coast and East Coast traditions vary drastically. But if you’re approaching America from an entirely different country, let alone a continent, you may find yourself in a new world altogether. This week, we look at eleven things most international students find themselves observing during their time in the United States.

1. Drinking legally at home, but finding that you are underage in the U.S. 2. Being one of the few students on campus during Thanksgiving break (together with sport teams) if no one invited to you to spend Thanksgiving at their house.

3. Converting everything from U.S. dollars to your home currency when shopping and figuring out if it’s too expensive or not.

4. Spelling and especially pronouncing words differently than Americans do.

5. Carrying your passport around with you everywhere you go, at least until you get a state I.D. or driver’s license.

6. Initially being shocked and overwhelmed by the large food portions, but getting used to it over time.

7. Going for a long time without calling your parents and friends at home because when they are up, you are sleeping.

8. Being clueless about all the musicals and soundtracks that everyone here seems to know and love so much.

9. When you accidentally use slang from your country or get excited and respond in your native language.

10. Searching every local grocery store, restaurant, and online store for your native cuisine, or at least the ingredients to make it yourself.

11. Figuring out what the many different holidays mean and how you should respond (Fourth of July, Halloween, Columbus Day etc).

Death. It’s something that every human being has to face eventually. When our time comes, action must be taken to handle the body properly. In many cases, a funeral takes place to honor the deceased and lay them to rest.

Within the Catholic Church, there has been a transformation when it comes to a funeral. In today’s culture, it’s normal for the options of a traditional burial and cremation to be available for people to choose from. However, that hasn’t always been the case.

As Father William Joensen, Dean of Spiritual Life at Loras College, noted about Catholic funeral practices, the act of cremation (defined by Dictionary. com in one example as “to reduce (a dead body) to ashes by fire, especially as a funeral rite”) was prohibited or strongly discouraged until the 1990s by the Church.

“The act of cremation was more associated with other religious or cultic practices,” Joensen noted, mentioning the Masons and further noting that, “to practice cremation was seen as a rejection of Christian belief in the resurrection of the body.” He did also claim that “we’re seeing kind of a cultural shift and openness on the part of Catholics” regarding cremation, and that cremation is now a more acceptable practice.

Taking on another perspective, when a person dies, the family might turn to a funeral home to provide the services necessary to take care of the body.

Jason Schumacher, Funeral Director and Manager of Behr Funeral Home in Dubuque, says that the funeral home serves all people, but that the biggest concentration of clients the home serves would be Catholics.

When it comes to serving the Catholic clients, Schumacher notes that although some families lean towards cremation and do cremation with services first like a wake and a funeral, “our families are pretty traditional here.”

When it comes time for the actual funeral, the body is either laid to rest or the ashes are taken

care of properly. Deacon John Stierman, Manager at Mount Calvary Cemetery in Dubuque, explained that if the body is cremated, that the ashes stay together out of respect to the body. Scattering ashes to the wind and spreading them in public places is also not encouraged.

“There’s people that think that it’s acceptable to be spread anywhere. Well, it’s not,” noted Stierman, elaborating that it’s against the law for ashes to be spread on public land, and a felony if there were to be scattered into national waterways like the Mississippi River. He also recounted the story of how the ashes of a former Hills and Dales individual were scattered into the air. The problem was that there was no wind, so the ashes fell into the parking lot where it took place.

To find out more about funerals, Stierman said the best place to go is to funeral homes. “The funeral directors are very well-versed as to what the family needs are,” he noted, also commenting that “we work hand-in-hand with the funeral homes in the area.”

Schumacher also mentioned funeral homes as places to go for more information, at least in regards to funeral homes. “Any funeral home you call should be pretty proficient and able to answer any questions you have,” he noted, and also mentioning that he finds “websites to be a great resource, even if we’re looking for a different funeral home in another town.”

Joensen gave his own advice for how to pay respect to the dead and be present, with suggestions such as “to go to a funeral mass, to go even to visit the grave and pray for the dead as a work of mercy.”

It’s important that we pay our respects to the dead.

With the aid of institutions such as churches like the Catholic Church and funeral homes, we will be better prepared to deal with the event of when a person’s time has come.

iFast from iPhone How many times have you checked your phone today?

by CASSIE BUSCH | news editor

This summer I checked another item off my bucket list;:one full day without my cell phone, or social media.

I had been meaning to do it for a long time, but I kept putting it off. After one particularly stressful week, I decided that it would be the perfect day to take the plunge.

I needed to detach from my connections for a little while, even though it only added up to about 24 hours. Though it was a short amount of time, it was definitely a worthwhile little experiment.

Before that day, I had never really realized the full extent to which I am attached to my phone. It was a noticeable absence. When I went to reach for it, it took me a minute to fight the panic and remember my mission. I couldn’t tweet something funny that my dad had said, instagram a picture of one of the many DIY projects I could gotten from Pinterest, or scroll Facebook for updates from my friends. I felt at first like I was cut off from a big part of my world.

Really though, the opposite was true.

I felt more present than I can remember feeling for a very long time. I hung out with my family, watched a little TV, cleaned my room, went for a run with my dad, a walk with my mom, and played with my dog. All without interrupting these things to check one of my (many) social medias.

And you know what? I felt happier that day. Even though it was a pretty lazy and relaxed Sunday, I felt content. I didn’t feel the wave of emotions of insecurity, inadequacy, jealousy, anger and happiness that can almost simultaneously bombard me when I’m texting someone or look at social media. I wasn’t posting things for attention or waiting for a text back or anything. I was just me, existing in the present and in the real world. I felt more like me than I have in a long time. I wasn’t putting on a face or a front on my accounts, pretending to be a cooler and more interesting me than I actually am. I felt like I was truly being me, because I was doing things for my own self, and not for the benefit of the Internet.

I didn’t put on make-up because I wasn’t posing for pictures. I didn’t stress over trying to make plans with someone over text. I didn’t agonize over pictures where someone else looked like they were having more fun than me, or that they were more popular or successful than me.

I could tell that my family was happy with my decision too. I was actually listening to what they were saying and asking me to do instead of being on my phone and giving them half answers and asking them to repeat everything constantly. I was in a more consistent mood, and I didn’t

ask them if they had seen where I last had my phone every ten minutes.

Sure, I may have missed out on a funny Instagram, a clever tweet or a funny video on Facebook throughout the day while social media was off limits to me, but I think it was worth it. I didn’t die even though at first it had felt like I had amputated one of my limbs. I survived and surprisingly felt a lot happier.

Though this isn’t exactly something practical I can do every day because social media and my phone are responsible for allowing me to get work done for school, contact people that I actually do need to talk to, stay in touch with family, etc, but this little experiment has taught me that I do rely on it too much. I don’t need to have it in my hand 24/7, and a little separation might do Siri and I good. I’m going to remember that day for as long as I can, and when I forget the lessons I learned, I’ll just have to do it again.

If you’ve ever found yourself struggling with addiction to social media or your phone or anything similar, I would definitely try and go a day without it to regain some perspective. It was one of the best and impactful choices I had made in a long time.

8

The Lorian Nov. 6, 2014

Student Loans: Wor th It?

by SAMANTHA VATH | assistant features editor

The tuition rate in the United States is an epidemic worse than the flu. The average tuition for one year at a four-year college is $29,056. That means that, without financial assistance from parents or outside scholarships, the average 22-year-old college graduate would be sitting on over $115,000 in debt.

In American culture, education is highly valued. Without a degree in higher education, most professions do not offer upper-level positions. This means that in the minds of most Americans, a college degree will result in a higher salary, a bigger paycheck. The job market in America, however, cannot economically sustain the kinds of high starting salaries that college graduates dream of and believe they have earned. In 2013, the average starting salary for a college graduate was just over $45,000. This means that even if they sent every penny to pay off their student loans, students will still be paying them for two and a half years. Sending half of their patchecks would take 5 years, and so on. Not so easy.

This starting salary, however, isn’t the same for all degrees. It depends on your profession! While a degree in Petrolium Engineering may land you a job with a starting salary of nearly $100,000, a degree in Social Work will on average result in a starting salary of around $30,000. The gap between these numbers is a direct result of the higher demand for engineers than social workers.

What this means is that certain majors will make student loans more worth your while. There is never going to be a definitive salary for any profession. The job market fluctuates on a daily basis: the demand for certain workers and the world itself will change. The demand for specific types of work will change with the times.

Engineers, for example, hadn’t hit the scene in big importance until the last few decades, and now they are six of the top seven most lucrative majors. Getting ahead of the curve and predicting the way the job market will turn isn’t easy.

Luckily for me [and you], Loras College is excellent at implementing useful programs quickly. The major/minor programs change as the job market changes with relative ease and fluidity. New majors, minors and courses are added and old ones removed every year as a result of a new demand in our society.

For example, a few years ago, social media wasn’t on the radar of most corporate or professional organizations. Now, it would be hard to find a company that doesn’t have their own Facebook or Twitter. With this comes a new writing position that has not been seen before: social media writing. This job is a combination of technology, public relations, creative writing and journalism. Most programs from the past decade do not combine these ideas, but the Publishing minor at Loras does just that.

Next semester, Loras will even be implementing a new writing course specifically for writing on Social Media. [Shameless plug, I know...sorry, can’t help myself!]

As progressive and fast-paced as Loras may be for programs and courses, the job market is still less stable than college students would prefer. Job demands change, so make sure that your major isn’t on its way out. Take a few minutes, especially if you are in your first few years at college, to examine your major for its potential to land you a good job. Is it fluid enough to withstand a big change in American (or global) society? Examine your willingness to pay off that high amount of student loans (and consider alternatives like transfer credits from a community college). Look into scholarships to start combating these loans now. Even if you’re a sophomore or a junior, it’s not too late. There are numerous scholarship programs aimed specifically at upperclassmen. There are a lot of factors to consider, and there is no time like the present to start looking at them.

So, student loans... are they worth it? I guess that’s up to you.

Graduate Dream Jobs

by MAGGIE WELDIN | staff writer

Matthew Ross’s cover letter read: “I won’t waste your time inflating my credentials, throwing around exaggerated job titles, or feeding you a line of crap about how my past experiences and skill set align perfectly for an investment banking internship.” Ross subsequently got the internship at Duff & Phelps, the valuation and corporate finance advising office he sent his cover letter to. When Ross was job searching prior to graduation from San Diego State University, he knew most of the hundreds of applicants for the position would have similar resumes, and he was not graduating from an elite university like much of his competition. He decided he must come up with a way to have a creative edge over them, and he did by cutting all the fluff from his cover letter. He even went as far as claiming: “I have no qualms about fetching coffee, shining shoes, or picking up laundry.” Within a half an hour, Ross was receiving phone calls requesting interviews for both press and employment. His creativity got his foot in the door and since then, Ross has climbed the ranks and is now an investment banking analyst at Duff & Phelps.

If there is one lesson that is clear from Ross’s story, it is that creativity counts.

Adobe Systems Inc. recently conducted a study of over one thousand hiring managers investigating the importance of creativity within applicants. The results are stunning. Ninety four percent of managers believe creativity is very important when evaluating candidates. On top of that, the study reveals problem solving and creativity are main values that drive salary raises, even more so than verbal and written communication skills. Experts suggest schools should require more technical majors take creative classes to develop broad skills and creativity. With the increased value of creativity comes the increased value of tech-savvy and digital skills as well. Overall, professionals think students are under-prepared for the workplace and suggest we take advantage of internships, mentors, and well-rounded curriculum to become prepared. Whether it is through a gutsy cover letter, or maybe something a little more inconspicuous, use whatever creativity you have to snag your dream job.

Do you know someone who snagged their dream job? Send me an email at margaret.weldin@loras.edu to have them featured!

lifestyle

Proper Breathing for Exercise

by CASSIE BUSCH | news editor

Not many people think about how important breathing is. We need it to survive!

And yet, because it’s an instinct, we often overlook how breathing can affect our daily movements, especially exercise. Proper breathing is essential to lengthening a workout time, as well as making sure that you get the most out of your routine. It helps you conserve energy and put forth less effort while exercising, prevents side stitches, and can help you relax while going through your workout.

Depending on the exercise, there are different types that experts recommend.

While running, breathing expert Alison McConnell says that most runners find taking a breath every two foot strikes is most comfortable and efficient. This “2:2” rhythm entails taking two steps while breathing in and two more while breathing out. This system keeps organs from falling victim to gravity and putting unnecessary pressure on your diaphragm, which would make it more difficult to breathe.

There is also a debate between runners about whether it’s better to breathe through your nose or mouth. Mouth breathers say that there is less resistance breathing through your mouth. Nose breathers fire back that breathing through your nasal passages increases CO2 in blood, which produces a calming effect. However, really it is most beneficial to just do whatever feels most comfortable for you.

High-intensity sports like football require a slightly altered breathing pattern.

Experts say that while the temptation is to pant during vigorous exercise, it’s much better to try and take deep, steady breaths. This helps regulate the air to your lungs and psychologically helps show your enemy that you are calm. If you expect a big impact, take a deep breath, enabling you to brace your core and stabilize your body.

In regards to weight training, you need to breathe correctly. Many people forget to breathe at all! Concentrate on breathing out while in the exertion phase of the move to stabilize your core and lumbar, and then breathe in after the exertion.

Make sure to remember to breathe out though, or you could do a lot of damage to your body by raising blood pressure and preventing blood flow to your heart.

For yoga, experts recommend that breathing in for the equal time that breathing out. It can help lower your blood pressure, levels of stress, nervous system and put you in a relaxed state of mind. This is called “sama vritti,” or equal breathing.

If you still feel as if breathing is holding you back in workouts, do further research. Many books and articles online have been published on the subject and they can give you more detailed descriptions of what you might be doing wrong. Also, take a look at your lifestyle. Sitting in weird positions. smoking, allergens, asthma or respiratory infections can be causes of difficulties in breathing. In addition, apps like “Breathe Strong” are available to help guide you on your path to better breathing. Even though it may be the furthest thing from your mind, breathing is always important for your health.

Mind & Soul

TIPS

The Lorian

9

What are you looking for? the life that is true life: Getting to the Core Instead of the Symptoms

with

by FR. GROSS | for the Lorian

TRISH The Lorian is continuing a column by Tricia Borelli, director of counseling services. Here she will answer student questions concerning anything that relates to keeping it together while doing this crazy thing called college.

Send questions or comments to Ms. Borelli, Loras Box 100, or to the e-mail address tricia.borelli@loras.edu. All names of those sending questions will be kept confidential.

A Mile Too Far? Trish,

How can you tell if you have a drinking problem? I did the miracle mile and got really sick. I think I freaked out a few of my friends and maybe even myself. What is considered an acceptable amount of alcohol?

—Drinking Problem?

Trish says:

Nov. 6, 2014

This answer is a bit involved. First of all, good for you for asking.

Taking a look at one’s own drinking patterns is not easy. Part of the nature of the development of an alcohol or drug problem is denial. A person will deny to their self and others that their use interferes with their life and that the drug has begun to control them. As a problem develops, the craving or compulsion for the drug will grow, tolerance increases and negative consequences occur more often like blackouts or mood swings.

If a person perceives that their drinking is affecting their life in a negative way, it is likely that alcohol is a getting to be a problem.

Getting sick is an indicator that you drank too much during the mile.

It probably wasn’t smart but it may not indicate that alcohol is a problem in general for you.

What will help answer this question is to take a look at whether drinking impacts your life in a significant way. Does it affect your ability to get your school work done, get to work regularly or just maintain your routine? Another thing to look at is how your drinking affects your relationships with other people. Do you end up fighting with those you are in relationships with when you drink? Does your ability to make good decisions for yourself decrease when you drink?

Have you broken the law when your using has gotten out of hand? If you answered yes to some of these questions, you likely need to cut back on alcohol.

Another rule of thumb is that if you begin to frequently find yourself looking forward to the drink at the end of the day, it is time to change.

Even if you find yourself looking too forward to the weekend or the next time you can drink, you might want to take a step back.

In regards to the question about an “acceptable” amount of alcohol use, this is different for everyone because of body weight, etc. Lowrisk use of alcohol means abstaining if you have a family history of addiction, or otherwise limiting consumption to no more than one to two drinks on any given day. To stay healthy drink little or infrequently and check into more substance-free ways to have a good time.

If drinking does seem to be a problem for you, help is available.

Consider attending the new Alcoholics Anonymous meetings that are now being held on campus to help those in recovery as well as those concerned about their habits. Meetings are on Thursday evenings at 7 p.m. in the Kehl meeting room in the ACC and are open to anyone.

I was recently driving home from a retreat and I had to pass through Beloit, Wisconsin. I have been driving through that town my entire adult life, and this last week was the first time I read their local newspaper, The Gazette, which is actually the Janesville, WI, paper.

As I was eating my delicious and heart-killing butter burger from Culvers, I came across a column written by Mitch Albom. Mr. Albom is the author of the famous books, “Tuesdays with Morrie” and “The Five People Meet in Heaven.”

He has been a sports writer for years, and with these two books he has moved toward a more spiritual outlook in his writing. When I saw his column, I was excited to read it.

His column cited another example of how the law is behind technology.

The issue he discussed was sexting. He showed in his article that the laws that govern sexting were written with child pornographers and pedophiles in mind and not the reality of teenage students exchanging nude photo of themselves.

Until the laws catch up to the reality,

Albom argued, more education is needed in high schools and colleges to tell students what is and what is not legal in regard to this issue.

There is much good in the article, but it does not get to the core of the issue. The issue is respecting the dignity that we have from God and in turn respecting the dignity of others. Sexting and pornography are two examples that foster disrespect for the sense of our God-given dignity. These kinds of actions present the idea that to be lovable we have to be desirable in a very narrow way. To be lovable is often exclusively tied to the sexual activity one is willing to participate in. Within this reality, it is thought that as long as I don’t hurt myself in what I am doing, nothing bad will happen to me. It is as if our bodies are possessions that we do with whatever we want to.

Jesus offers another way. Jesus shows us that we do not belong to ourselves; rather, we belong to God who desires more than we do to be loved authentically and treated with the utmost respect. Just think, God has commanded the angels to serve us. The angels are the most powerful creatures in the universe, and God has commanded them to serve us.

The core issue in sexting as in many issues of self-esteem and self-worth is how we look at ourselves. The Christian answer to that is that the basis for our dignity is not so much depended on us, but rather on God and how he lovingly gazes upon us. If we would be more aware of who we are in God’s sight, we wouldn’t want to Snapchat or sext our bodies to another person. We would see just how precious we are in His sight.

That’s the core issue. I pray that we will always have the courage to see the heart of the matter instead of just looking at the symptoms.

What’s Brewin’ with CORE team?

by JACKIE RUSS | staff writer

Have you ever wondered how God and sports could mix? How about if praying for victory is acceptable? Did you know that some of our coaches here on campus care about their faith Greg Gorton just as much as they care about their sport? Is it possible to be both a Christian and an athlete? How about holding onto your Christian values while supporting your team from the sidelines?

If any of the above questions sparked your interest, come join us for our next installment of Holy Spirits and Biblical Brews!

Head varsity basketball coach Greg Gorton will be sharing some of his story

MASS TIMES at Christ the King 5:15 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 9 p.m. Wednesday 8 p.m. Sunday

with us. He’ll tell us how he can be both a coach and a Christian during a game.

He’ll tell us how to be a good example for the fans in the stands as well as his athletes. In addition, he will be sharing how he instills Christian values in those he coaches.

It will be held on Friday, Nov. 7 at 6:30 in the Pub. We encourage you to get there early to order food and grab a good seat.

We’ll have plenty of free keg root beer to go around.

If you have any questions about Holy Spirits and Biblical Brews or have an idea of a topic you’d like to have featured, feel free to contact myself (Jacalyn.russ@ loras.edu), Tricia McCarthy (patricia. mccarthy@loras.edu), or Casey Flack (casey.flack@loras.edu). We’d love to have your input from past Holy Spirits and Biblical Brews as well as ideas for the future! Keep in mind that this event is for everyone, so grab a friend and meet us in the Pub at 6:30 on Friday night!

ADORATION at St. Joseph’s Chapel 9 to 10 a.m. |12:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Monday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday thru Friday

10

The Lorian

Sports

Nov. 6, 2014

Volleyball team bounced in first round

(From left to right) Junior Kevin Higgins, senior Tom Fluegel, junior Sam Koenig, sophomore Adam Roloff and senior Mike Pizzello stand at midfield prior to/after the Duhawks 9-0 defeat of conference opponent Coe last week. The shots on goal were 17-1 in favor of Loras.

by AIDAN WOJCIEHOWSKI | sportswriter

photo by Katherine Edwards

Duhawks standing tall No. 8 Loras finish out the regular season 3-0

by FRANK FERNANDEZ | sportswriter

After a non-conference, overtime loss to UW-Platteville, the Duhawks finished off their regular season with three straight conference opponents.

Loras at Luther Oct. 18

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No. 17 Luther

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This final stretch began with a visit to Decorah and a match against the No. 17 Luther Norse. This match-up saw the return of sophomore defender Jimmy Ralph and the season debut of junior midfielder JoJo Schmidt, both of whom had been sidelined by injuries.

From the beginning, the game was an all-out sprint for both sides, resulting in a number of scoring chances. The Norse struck first when JW Slauson found Clay Walker on a cross to make it 1-0 in the 22nd minute.

Despite the early disadvantage, the Duhawks were able to keep their composure and not allow Luther to gain any momentum going forward. In the 40th minute, Jimmy Ralph found the head of junior Bryan Irwin and he sent it towards the net.

After a scramble in front, senior Mike Pizzello blasted the loose ball home to tie the game at one.

As the second half began, both teams picked up where they left off and the high tempo play resulted in chances up and down the pitch. Loras was able to show off their roster depth, making 15 substitutions before the 70th minute. These fresh legs allowed the Duhawks to put on constant defensive pressure and resulted in chances on the offensive end. In the 70th minute, Jimmy Ralph sent a ball to the far post for Bryan Irwin. Instead of taking a shot on goal, Irwin found JoJo Schmidt in front to put away the game winner. This goal came only 54 seconds after Schmidt was brought on.

“I knew I wasn’t going to miss it point

blank, I just kept my composure and put it away,” JoJo Schmidt said of his game-winner. The Norse tried to equalize, with a number of opportunities in the attacking third, but could not put any shots on frame, and the Duhawks took the match, 2-1.

The win set the stage for the Duhawks’ final regular season home game against the No. 15 Wartburg Knights.

Wartburg at Loras Oct. 25

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The atmosphere was playoff-like as the Duhawks honored the class of 2015 and hosted rival Wartburg. With a victory, Loras would clinch the Iowa Conference regular season championship for the third consecutive year. Coach Dan Rothert knew the significance of this game more than any other on the schedule.

“Last year, we tried to treat this game like any other on the schedule and that ended in a loss at Wartburg,” he said. “We looked at this as our first NCAA Tournament game.”

Even with this high energy, the visitors took the early lead when Zubeen Azari blasted a shot past sophomore Adam Roloff to put the Knights up 1-0 in the 18th minute.

The Duhawk subs played a huge role again, equalizing the game when sophomore Kyler Olson found Bryan Irwin for the header goal. Still reeling from the tying goal, the Duhawks were able to take full advantage of the momentum when senior JD Perez sent a 50 yard free kick into the back of the net.

The Duhawks held off the Wartburg attack and put the game away late. Senior Dillon Olson broke through a slew of Knight defenders and dribbled 40 yards down the field. Olson saw his chance and buried the insurance goal, celebrating with an acrobatic flip.

“I saw an opening, took it past a couple guys and when I saw the last defender, he hesitated, and I curled it home,” Olson said about his title-clinching goal.

With the victory, the Duhawks clinched their ninth Iowa Conference regular season championship and earned a bye in the conference tournament. They were now onto Cedar Rapids for the regular season finale against the Coe Kohawks.

Loras at Coe Oct. 28

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No. 8 Loras

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Coe

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Early on against Coe, the Duhawk offense could not break the scoreless draw.

Coe goalkeeper Eric Hoar stopped three shots on goal in the first 15 minutes, but first-year Spencer Moore was able to beat him to make it 1-0 in favor of the Duhawks.

The second line for Loras came on in the 25th minute and swung the momentum in their favor. Junior Jorge Simon found fellow junior Mike Gordon on the run and he scorched the shot past Hoar for a 2-0 advantage. Three minutes later, senior Mike Pizzello hit a long distance shot for his 11th goal of the year, increasing the lead to three.

The final goal of the first half came only 57 seconds later when sophomore Austin Jacobi blasted a shot through Hoar’s hands to make it 4-0 Duhawks at half.

With the game in hand, Coach Rothert chose to rest his starters and allow the bench to get quality minutes. Bryan Irwin found Chris Paulino on a redirection, extending the lead to 5-0. With four more goals over the final 30 minutes the Duhawks finished their rout with a score of 9-0.

“We did a great job finishing tonight, said sophomore Chris Paulino. “Lots of guys got opportunities and that will help us when it comes to the postseason.”

The Duhawks finished the regular season with an overall record of 14-2-1 and a perfect 7-0-0 record in conference play.

The Duhawks moved onto Iowa Conference tournament play, where they took on the University of Dubuque Wednesday night in the Rock Bowl.

The late result can be found online at Duhawks.com.

Lone senior Courtney Boyd got the best gift a senior could ask for on her senior night: A chance to play another game.

Rallying for their senior, the Duhawks faced off against their cross-town rival, the University of Dubuque, with post season play on the line. Not only did they need to win the match, they had to do it quickly.

Loras, and Iowa Conference foe, Simpson were in a tie breaker scenario heading into the match. Loras needed to win the match in four sets in order to win the tie breaker with Simpson. For Loras, it was win in four and they were in – a loss or a win in five, and their season was over. Fortunately for the Duhawks, they came out motivated and ready to play, winning 3 out of 4 sets and giving their senior one more game.

In set one, the Duhawks gained their first lead at point 15. Shortly after, leading 16-14, Loras had two quick kills to bring their lead up to four, and force a Spartan timeout. Even after their timeout, Dubuque continued their error-filled game, bringing the Duhawk lead to 7.

Coasting to the finish of set one, Loras held off a late surge by Dubuque to take set one, 25-20 Set two had more of the same for the Duhawks. They carried their momentum into set two with a 9-3 lead out of the gate.

After rolling to a convincing 25-13 set two victory, the Duhawks could see their post season dream becoming a reality.

Dubuque wasn’t going to lay down for their rivals however, and they put the pressure back on the Duhawks by winning set three 25-19. Loras again jumped out to an early lead, but couldn’t stop a Spartan surge during a 10-2 run. Unable to recover in set three, the Duhawk season came down to one final set.

With their backs against the wall many times this season, the Duhawks seemed comfortable in the win-or-go-home situation. Their poise late in the set was not matched by their opponents from Dubuque. Tied at eight, the Duhawks scored two quick kills, putting the pressure on Dubuque. Sensing the momentum shifting toward Loras, Dubuque called a time out in hopes of stopping the Loras run.

Coming out of the timeout, Loras was ready to finish off Dubuque and head to the post season tournament. They never trailed for the remainder of the match and won 25-18, finishing the four set victory over Dubuque and qualifying them for the Iowa Conference Tournament.

Loras (14-18, 2-5 IIAC) finished as the No. 5 seed in the conference, giving the Duhawks a first-round match-up with the No. 4 seed Central.

Against Central Tuesday night, the Duhawks came out sluggish, dropping the first two sets, 25-19 and 25-18. With their season on the line, the Duhawks fell behind early and weren’t able to rally, falling to the Dutch, 25-16.

The 3-0 loss knocks the Duhawks out of the Iowa Conference Tournament.

Duhawk wrestling team to get back on the mat

by DREW BRASHAW | asst. sports editor

The Loras wrestling team begins its new season this weekend, as the Duhawk matmen travel to Knox College in Galesburg, IL on Saturday to compete in the Chuck Porter Invitational.

The Duhawks finished the 2013-14 season ranked 10th in the final NWCA Dual Meet Poll, with an overall record of 11-10, including a 5-3 mark against Iowa Conference opponents. After winning four consecutive duals to close out last year’s schedule, and seeing junior heavyweight James Buss crowned as an NCAA Division III National Champion in March, Loras wrestling hopes to carry the successes of the spring over into the fall.

“The success that we experienced at the end of last year is something that we have used as motivation to perform even better this year,” said head wrestling coach Randy Steward.

“I believe it motivated the kids in our program to train hard to put themselves in position to compete at a high level.”

Coach Steward, the Iowa Conference’s 2013-14 Coach of the Year, enters his 22nd season at the helm for the Duhawks with a roster built to win. The All-American Buss (285), along with fellow Nationals qualifier Steven DeWitt (157), and 3-year starter Joe Butler (174), will highlight an impressive group of returning starters, which features a half-dozen 20-match-winners from a year ago. With a core of established, experienced starters, and the addition of some promising young newcomers, the Duhawks have set the bar

high for themselves.

“My goal for this team is to qualify all 10 weights for the NCAA Tournament and compete for a National Championship,” said coach Steward.

With Buss’ national title fresh in their memories, the Duhawks don’t need to look far to find inspiration.

“It’s awesome to have a returning NCAA Champion in our wrestling room,” Steward said of his accomplished heavyweight. “It proves that it can be done. We want 36 kids to believe they can win a national championship, and this type of environment will lead to lots of individual and team success.”

The Duhawks will host their first home dual meet of the season on Dec. 17 against Augustana.

Sports

The Lorian

Nov. 6, 2014

11

DREW’S VIEWS

A farewell to defense

D

efense wins championships. The Seattle Seahawks restored this familiar idiom to the NFL’s lexicon last February, when they suffocated Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos’ mile-high offense en route to the most lopsided Super Bowl Drew Brashaw victory in recent memory. The asst. sports editor Broncos were virtually unstoppable on offense in 2013, piling up an eye-popping 606 points on the strength of Peyton Manning’s 55 touchdown passes and 5,477 passing yards—all of which are NFL records.

When the Broncos’ top-ranked offense was set to square off against the top-ranked Seattle defense in Super Bowl XLVIII, many people—experts and laymen, alike—predicted that Manning and company would dismantle the Seahawks just as they had every other defense they’d encountered in 2013.

We all remember what happened next.

The Seahawks’ front seven antagonized Manning without relent, and the vaunted “Legion of Boom” secondary unit smothered a talented group of Bronco pass-catchers, yielding but a single score to the greatest offensive attack in NFL history. When the confetti had settled on the turf at MetLife Stadium, the Seattle Seahawks were world champions, and defense, once again, reigned supreme.

But what many fans saw as the triumphant return of physical, hard-nosed defensive football, in actuality may have signaled the final death knell for defense in the NFL. You see, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the rest of the league’s powers that be don’t care much for defense—in fact, they hate it. The league wants 100 points scored in every game, and Peyton Manning is the poster child for that brand of football. When the Seahawks refused to allow Peyton to light up the scoreboard at will in the Super Bowl, Roger Goodell took it as a personal affront to his vision of a defenseless NFL. In response, Goodell dispatched officiating crews to all 32 training camps this summer to inform teams across the league, in no uncertain terms, that defense will no longer be permitted in the NFL. The league’s new point of emphasis on illegal contact and defensive holding penalizes defensive backs for any and all contact made with receivers beyond five yards from the line of scrimmage, and prohibits defenders from grabbing the jerseys of receivers in any manner, even within the five-yard buffer zone. On the surface, the change does not seem overly dramatic—defensive holding and illegal contact were against the rules already, right? As is usually the case, the devil is in the details.

In the past, NFL officials were required to make judgment calls in regard to the actual impedance of a receiver’s route due to a bump or a grab. Now, it’s all black and white; any contact made by a defensive back will be penalized.

Welcome to the track meet.

This “tweaking” of existing rules is tailor-made for Peyton Manning, and it’s not the first time the NFL has bowed at his cleats. In the 2004 postseason, the New England Patriots’ defensive backs were so effective in jamming the Indianapolis Colts’ wide receivers and bullying them down the field that Manning and his high-flying offense were never able to get off the ground. The Pats bounced the Colts from the playoffs and sent Peyton crying “foul” to the league office. The next season, the NFL announced a point of emphasis on illegal contact, and Manning shredded the record book.

You’re welcome, Uncle Peyton.

Do you want to know what the NFL will look like in coming years? Take a look at the freak show between the Steelers and Colts two weeks ago. This live-action game of “Madden” saw a combined 85 points scored and 1,087 offensive yards netted. Andrew Luck threw for 400 yards and three touchdowns…in a loss. His counterpart, Ben Roethlisberger, racked up 522 yards and six touchdowns through the air on his way to a 51-34 Pittsburgh victory.

Astonishingly, Big Ben duplicated his ridiculous performance a week later, tossing another six touchdowns in a 43-23 rout of the Baltimore Ravens this past weekend.

When the Pittsburgh Steelers – whose name has been synonymous with hard-nosed defense for the last five decades – start breaking passing records and scoring 50, there’s no denying the stench of the change in the air.

All that’s left is to add space for a third digit on the scoreboards. We’re defenseless to stop it.

photo by KATHERINE EDWARDS

A pack of Loras runners set the pace at the Loras College Invitational last month. Both the men’s and women’s teams took first in the meet.

Runners win conference crown Loras men claim 1st, while women finish 3rd at Iowa Conference Championships

by BILL BARRY | sportswriter

The Duhawk cross country teams continued their success on both the men’s and women’s sides as they competed in the Loras College Invitational, as well as the Iowa Conference championships over the past two weeks.

The Duhawks started their push for a strong finish to the second half of their season by taking first place on both the men’s and women’s sides at the Loras Invitational for the second consecutive year. The Duhawk women set the tone by taking first place at the meet, despite the absence of their top runner, Maggie Saenz-Ruiz, who was scratched shortly before the race. Junior Bri Cook handled the leading role for the Duhawks, finishing third among the pack. Cook’s finish was her third in the top 15 in the year.

Sophomore Lindsey Gidel followed with a sixth place finish, marking her best placement all season. A couple of seniors were next for the Duhawks, as Becky Hilby finished eighth and Hallie Martin finished ninth. The women’s strong performance earned them 39 team points,

securing a 10-point lead over the Simpson Storm and retaining their crown at the Loras Invitational.

The men’s team won their second consecutive title at the Loras Invitational by recording a perfect score for the second time this season. Ty Wittman led the Duhawks by running the 8k course in 25:37.5. The Duhawks took the first seven spots in the meet, giving them a perfect score of 15. Coach Bob Schultz noted that the Duhawks’ success at the Loras Invitational was a result of the support they received from the home crowd.

“There was a great crowd,” Schultz said. “That was certainly a nice advantage.”

At the Iowa Conference Championships in Indianola, both the men’s and women’s teams continued their success.

The men won the meet and the women finished third.

The men’s Conference win marked the completion of a goal they had been working toward all year long. The 12th-ranked men had three finishers place in the topfive, edging out sixth-ranked Central College by a score of 33-37. Loras was once again led by seniors Ty Wittman and Steve Loran as well as junior Sam Whan.

Timothy Sevcik and Adam Varnas round-

ed out the scoring for the Duhawks. Each of these runners was named All-Conference selections for their performance.

“Pack running was the best it’s been all year,” said Schultz.

The conference title was the fifth overall for the Duhawks and their first since 2011.

The women were once again without their top runner, Maggie Saenz-Ruiz, who was still being held out with an injury. Once again, Junior Bri Cook stepped up for the Duhawks, finishing in third place with a time of 23:04.3, a personal record good enough to be recognized as an All-Conference selection. The third place finish marked Cook’s third top five finish of the season.

“The girls stepped up and still managed to win the home meet and finish third at conference,” said Coach Bob Schultz. “That says a lot about their character and confidence.”

Coach Schultz also gained Iowa Conference recognition as he was named Iowa Conference Coach of the Year for the second time in his career at Loras.

The Duhawks will use the next two weeks to prepare for the NCAA Division III Regionals which will be held in Pella, Iowa.

Duhawks’ season ends in overtime No. 3 seed Duhawks fall to Luther in Iowa Conference Tournament

headed into a ten minute overtime.

The Duhawks did their best to test the Norse keeper, but they just could not find the back of the net. With three minutes

by KATIE TRUESDALE | sportswriter left in the OT, the Norse found themselves It was a season of highs and lows for the in the Duhawk attacking third, slotting Loras women’s soccer program. the game winner past Wilson, ending the With the toughest schedule in the coungame, 4-3. try, the women battled through some of “I think the game against Luther the top-ranked teams in the country. Afshowed that we learned a lot this season ter finishing up the regular season at Coe as a group,” said head coach Dan Rothert.

College with an 8-2 win, the Duhawks (11“We scored three goals, mistakes cost us, 8, 5-2 IIAC) headed into the post season but overall, I think we played pretty well conference tournament as the No. 3-seed. and controlled the run of play. We have In the first round of the Iowa Conferthings to work on and use as motivation ence Tournament Saturday, the Duhawks for sure.” took on the No. 6-seed Luther Norse.

The loss ends the Duhawks 2014 seaThe game had a promising start for son, and for the first time in 14 seasons the Duhawks when junior forward, Kadoes not allow the Duhawks to advance tie Truesdale netted two goals in the first into the semifinal round of the IIAC tourtwenty minutes, giving the Duhawks an nament. early lead. Their lead didn’t last long, however, as the Norse answered with a goal of “I expect we will be back in the fold as a their own and netted the equalizer towards photo by KATHERINE EDWARDS top team in the country next year,” Roththe end of the first half. ert said. “We have a lot of players coming Junior Kat Hermanas heads the Three minutes into the half, senior Krisback and we learned a lot about ourselves ball away from a Wartburg defender tina Everding found herself with the ball in this year. I am as motivated as ever and during the Duhawks’ home finale. the Norse attacking third and sent it across I’m sure the team is too.” to the foot of senior Claire Murphy who The women finish with an 11-8 record sent her fourth goal of the season past the Norse goalkeeper. and say goodbye to eleven seniors who have completed their The Duhawks had the lead, 3-2, but there was still plenty soccer careers as Duhawks. of game left. On a Norse corner kick, the equalizer goal would “Soccer can be a cruel game where the team in control does go through, as a low ball to the front post found its way past not always win and that is hard to swallow, but we will use it as Duhawk goalkeeper Hannah Wilson. motivation for the future,” Rothert said.

With the match at threes at the end of regulation, the game

12

The Lorian

Sports

Nov. 6, 2014

COACH’S CORNER

NO MORE I

photo by RYAN GRAHAM

Spartans lock up the key Spartans top Duhawks in the Key City Clash despite Even’s big game

by DREW BRASHAW | asst. sports editor

Coming off their first Iowa Conference victory in more than two years, Loras football hoped to make it two-ina-row for the first time since late in the 2010 season, as the Duhawks hosted the University of Dubuque Spartans in the annual Key City Clash last Saturday.

Unfortunately for the home team, costly turnovers and squandered opportunities were too much to overcome, and the Duhawks fell 34-7 at the hands of their cross-town rivals.

After falling behind 7-0 early in the first quarter, the Duhawks (2-6, 1-4 IIAC) appeared to seize the momentum when sophomore Bryan Hermann scooped up a live ball on the Spartan 24-yard-line after a muffed punt by UD’s Tyler Rutenbeck and sprinted with it untouched to the end zone. By rule, however, a muffed punt cannot be advanced. After a brief

Nate Even

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Robert Kelly

19-53, 320 yards, 3 INT

Calvin Smith

14 carries, 54 yards, TD

Nate Even

11 receptions, 231 yards

Maurice Young

13 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1 BrUp

conference by the officiating crew, the touchdown was nullified, but the fumble recovery stood.

The ruling proved costly, as the Duhawks were not able to capitalize on the short field. Their ensuing drive ended as first-year quarterback Robert Kelly had his pass intercepted by UD’s Blaine Snitker at the 1-yard-line.

13 plays and 99 yards later, Dubuque (3-5, 2-3 IIAC) would push their lead to 14-0 on a 25-yard touchdown pass from Zach Fry to Devin Best.

Loras got on the scoreboard in the 2nd quarter with a 1-yard touchdown run by senior running back Calvin Smith, capping an 8-play, 65-yard drive to make the score 14-7, but it would Even Catching Fire be the only score the Senior Nate Even ranks highly among the best Duhawks offense could receivers in Division III football. muster.

“I think we strugStatistic No. IIAC NCAA gled overall in the skill Rec. yards 1,094 1st 3rd game,” Duhawk head Rec. yards/game 136.8 1st 2nd coach Steve HelminRec./game 8.1 1st 11th iak said. “There were a lot of ‘young-guy’ misRec. TD 7 3rd 61st takes out there today.”

Most noticeable, and perhaps most costly of those “young-guy mistakes” were Kelly’s three interceptions.

“A young guy’s going to have those struggles,” Helminiak said, adding “When he’s not seeing some things clearly he’ll be indecisive, and he won’t make the plays he made last week. Last week we had a great rhythm going. He made those plays and the receivers made the catches, and it just didn’t happen today.”

In an offense that has struggled this season to find consistency, one piece of the puzzle has remained as steady as a rock. Senior wide receiver Nate Even has been the one constant in an ebbing and flowing Duhawk offense in 2014.

Even hauled in 11 receptions for 231 yards in Saturday’s loss.

“Nate Even is arguably the best receiver in the league,” said Helminiak.

“The kid makes great plays, great catches, and he’s a great leader on our team as well. He’s fast, he has great hands and runs great routes. He’s a go-to-guy, and the season he’s having is outstanding.”

Even leads the Iowa Conference in receptions (65) and receiving yardage.

His 1,094 yards make up more than 37% of Loras’ total offense for the season.

The Duhawks will close out their home schedule on Saturday in the Rock Bowl, where they’ll host Luther College (4-4, 1-4 IIAC) for Senior Day.

Duhawks’ season fast off the blocks Men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams improve to 2-0

f you caught any of the games last Sunday, you probably saw the NFL’s new PSA on domestic violence. The commercial, which first aired on Oct. 30, features several current and former NFL players pleading for an end to Ryan Graham domestic violence and sports editor sexual assault. The PSA is sponsored by “NO MORE,” an organization which supports said cause.

Curious, I decided to investigate “NO MORE.” I went to their website and clicked around a bit. I wanted to learn more about this organization that the NFL has so proudly aligned itself with. I wanted to find out what this organization stands for. How exactly do they work to prevent domestic violence? What exactly do they do?

The answer, as it turns out, is nothing.

Does this organization provide support for victims of domestic violence? Well, no. The site’s “contact” page acknowledges this: “NO MORE is not a crisis center and does not provide emergency services of any kind including: crisis intervention, counseling, housing, legal or financial assistance.”

Does this organization raise money to put towards the fight against domestic violence?

Not exactly. Their “donate” page reads: “NO MORE encourages you to support partner groups working to end domestic violence and sexual assault. While we don’t accept donations directly, we will happily facilitate your generous giving to one of the deserving organizations listed below.”

So… in the words of the Bobs from “Office Space”: “What would you say… you DO here?”

To find out, I consulted the site’s “about” page. What I found was a bevy of buzzwords so egregious they’d make Harry Reid blush: (I’ve italicized the buzzwords to increase their impact.)

“NO MORE is a new unifying symbol designed to galvanize greater awareness and action to end domestic violence and sexual assault. Supported by major organizations working to address these urgent issues, NO MORE is gaining support with Americans nationwide, sparking new conversations about these problems and moving this cause higher on the public agenda.”

I think if you added the word synergy to that paragraph, it would create a rift in the spacetime continuum.

You might be wondering: how does one go about becoming a “partner” of NO MORE? Surely, only the most prominent organizations can make it onto the exclusive list of NO MORE partners. I’m sure Roger Goodell had to pull some strings and make some conference calls, right? Actually, all he had to do was fill out an internet form. Simply enter your name, website, the name of your organization and your email address, and bam, you’re an official partner! It’s that easy. I know this because I filled out the form too. It’s true— my blog, coachsrant.com, is an OFFICIAL PARTNER of NO MORE. LOOK AT ME! I’M SO PROGRESSIVE! What are my responsibilities now that I’m an official partner? I don’t know. Apparently, I’m supposed to post their logo on my website.

I mean, I’m not going to do that. But hey, I’m still an OFFICIAL PARTNER! I’ll take the PR boost! With all the people my blog has pissed off in the last two years, I could use it.

So basically, NO MORE is nothing but a useless middle man. It doesn’t do anything tangible. Instead, it simply exists to “raise awareness” and “create a conversation.” If you come to them for help, they’ll simply direct you to another organization that actually, you know, does something. It’s fitting, isn’t it? The NFL has aligned itself with an organization that does nothing to support the causes it claims to care about.

Basically, the NFL has aligned itself with the NFL.

GRAHAM SLAM

First-year quarterback Bob Kelly throws one of his 53 pass attempts against Dubuque last Saturday.

Kelly threw a career-high 320 yards in the Duhawks’ 34-7 loss to the Spartans.

While swimming is a team sport, some individuals have caught the eye of Coach Colin after the first two meets of the season.

On the men’s side, Colin named junior Zach Benson and sophomore Ike Casey as two athletes who have stood out.

In both meets, Benson finished first in the 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard

breaststroke events and also grabbed a win as a part of the 200-yard medley relay team.

Casey took first in both meets in the 100 and 200-yard freestyles, in addition

by DUSTIN DAWSON | sportswriter to grabbing a win in the 50-free and two The Duhawks’ 2014 season has startwins as a part of the 200-yard freestyle ed with a splash as both the men’s and relay. women’s swimming and diving teams On the women’s side, Coach Colin now stand at 2-0. mentioned his senior leaders, Lexie MolFor their first meet of the season, lahan and Claire Ehlbeck, who have used Meet Results which took place on Oct. 25, the Dutheir experience to get off to a fast start Loras at Coe, Oct. 31 hawks traveled to Ripon, WI, to on the season. take on Ripon College. The DuMen Event Women Mollahan has secured five first hawks didn’t let the traveling afplace finishes this season, all in 200-Medley Loras Coe fect them, as their showing was Relay different events. Her counterspectacular. The men won in dompart, Ehlbeck, had a first place L: Matt Bogen 1,000-Free L: Lexie Mollohan inating fashion by a score of 129finish in each meet, first in the L: Matt Bogen 200-Free L: Kim Breaux 56, while the women had a bit more 100-yard breast stroke and next trouble. They still managed to pull L: Ike Casey 50-Free C: Kendall Bundy in the 200-yard individual medoff the win, 111-89. ley.

L: Greg Cormier 200-IM L: Clare Ehlbeck This past Friday, Coe College “I have been impressed with N/A 1 Mtr. Dive C: Jasmine Deng came to town for Loras’ first contheir training and they have been ference match-up of the year.

L: Zach Benson 100-Fly C: Sam Fitzgerald racing well because of it,” said In front of their home crowd Coach Colin. “We have a tremenL: Ike Casey 100-Free L: Kim Breaux for the first time this season, the dous group of upperclassmen L: Lance Scallon 100-Back C: Kendall Bundy swimmers secured another win to and that helps with the leadercontinue their momentum.

L: Matt Bogen 500-Free L: Elise Amo ship on this team.”

The men once again dominated The Duhawks look to keep L: Zach Benson 100-Breast C: Sam Fitzgerald with a score of 151-50, while the their momentum going this Fri200-Free women escaped in a back and forth Loras Loras day as they return to the pool in Relay competitive meet which saw them Rock Island, IL to take on Auguswin 112-107.

L: 151, C: 50 Final Score L: 112, C: 107 tana College.